Martial Arts News

Former Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist Rodolfo Vieira was one of the biggest favorites at UFC 258.

In the early moments of his bout with Anthony Hernandez, it looked like all would go as planned, as he took his foe down and hunted for submissions. Once Hernandez escaped, it was an entirely different matter. Vieira quickly fatigued, and Hernandez capitalized with a barrage of power punches.

Vieira made it to Round 2, but Hernandez remained on the offensive, rocking his foe with a head kick and a pair of standing elbows. With Vieira fading fast, Hernandez added a shocking punctuation to his victory by tapping the five-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion with an arm-in guillotine choke at the 1:53 mark of the period.

“That was one of the fights that we picked to be a great fight and it was,” UFC president Dana White said at the post-fight press conference. “Even the commentators were talking about, nobody wants to …

Sorry y’all. No performance of the night for me on Feb 27th @Cagesidepress @ufc pic.twitter.com/8giaZg4gy3

— Sam Hughes (@samhughesmma) February 14, 2021

UFC Fight Night 186 has lost a strawweight clash between Sam Hughes and Emily Whitmire.

Hughes confirmed the cancellation on social media following an initial report from Cageside Press. The bout was reportedly scrapped because Whitmire was forced off the card for undisclosed reasons.

It’s currently unknown if the bout will be rebooked for a future event or if Hughes will receive a replacement foe. UFC Fight Night 186 takes place on Feb. 27 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a heavyweight tilt pitting Jairzinho Rozenstruik against Ciryl Gane.

A three-time Legacy Fighting Alliance veteran, Hughes is coming off a first-round TKO loss to Tecia Torres in her promotional debut at UFC 256. Whitmire, meanwhile, is 2-3 in the Octagon and is coming off back-to-back submission…

Kamaru Usman showcased some different aspects to his game at UFC 258.

First, he displayed the ability to overcome adversity when he recovered from being rocked by an overhand right from Gilbert Burns in the opening stanza of Saturday’s welterweight championship headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Then, as the bout progressed, “The Nigerian Nightmare” utilized a powerful jab from both the southpaw and orthodox stance, and it was that very maneuver that floored Burns in the finishing sequence at the beginning of Round 3.

“I’ve been waiting for this fight for a year. I was excited for this fight,” UFC president Dana White said at the post-fight press conference. “I knew it was gonna be great. For all the attributes that Usman has, his chin is probably the best one. He’s got a chin from hell. He took some big shots tonight and just kept coming forward … He said he used to get hit with that punch when they used to spar. It basically just made him mad.…

Before she set foot in the UFC’s Octagon, Alexa Grasso was tabbed as a potential superstar who could make inroads for the Las Vegas-based promotion in the potentially lucrative Mexican market.

Grasso looked the part too, compiling an 8-0 mark that included four triumphs in Invicta Fighting Championships. Once she arrived in the UFC, Grasso struggled to find consistency as she alternated wins and losses through her first six appearances at 115 pounds.

It’s only recently that the Lobo Gym MMA representative has begun to deliver on that potential. After throttling Maycee Barber at UFC 258, Grasso has won consecutive fights in the UFC for the first time in her career. Both of those victories have come since she moved to 125 pounds. That the latest triumph came against Barber, who not long ago was one of the most highly-touted prospects in any women’s division, makes the achievement all the more impressive in the eyes of UFC president Dana White.

“She looked incredib…

Gilbert Burns believes he followed the wrong blueprint once he hurt Kamaru Usman in the opening round of the UFC 258 headliner.

“I think I got over excited. I went Cody Garbrandt crazy as soon as I hurt him,” Burns said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “It was the second time [in my career]. I think I made the same mistake when I fought Dan Hooker. I got over excited. To become a champion, I cannot make those mistakes.”

Burns hurt Usman when an overhand right during an early exchange in their welterweight title bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. From there, the Brazilian blitzed for the finish and ultimately wound up slipping on a head kick. Burns couldn’t entice Usman into his guard, and the champion gradually regained his bearings.

Garbrandt, the former UFC bantamweight champion, became known for biting down on his mouthpiece and throwing caution to the wind during a three-bout skid in which he suffered knockout losses to T.J. Dillashaw (twice) and P…

For a moment, it appeared as though Kamaru Usman’s reign as welterweight champion would end inside of a round at UFC 258.

Early on in Saturday’s headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, former training partner Gilbert Burns rattled Usman with a massive overhand right. Though it didn’t quite drop “The Nigerian Nightmare,” the champion was clearly reeling. However, he managed to survive the ensuing onslaught from his opponent and make it to the end of the round.

As the fight progressed, Usman regained his faculties and took control, relying on a powerful jab that would floor Burns twice in the fight. The second of those instances occurred early in Round 3, and Usman followed up with devastating ground-and-pound to force a stoppage 34 seconds into the frame.

“That’s the thing. I’m the best at recomposing myself in fights, I’m the best in the world at that,” Usman said. “It’s a funny thing, that’s pretty similar to how a lot of our sparrings went. I know he counters …

Four “Performance of the Night” awards were handed out following UFC 258 on Saturday night.

Kamaru Usman received $50,000 for his third-round technical knockout victory against Gilbert Burns in the evening’s main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. After getting rocked in the opening stanza, “The Nigerian Nightmare” gradually took control behind a powerful jab, ultimately flooring his former foe and finishing the victory with ground-and-pound 34 seconds into the third frame to retain his 170-pound belt.

Earlier on the main card, Julian Marquez pocketed $50,000 for a come-from-behind victory against Maki Pitolo in a featured middleweight affair. “The Cuban Missile Crisis” struggled defending his opponent’s wrestling for two rounds befoe rallying to submit Pitolo with an anaconda choke at the 4:17 mark of Round 3.

Elsewhere, Anthony Hernandez garnered $50,000 for a shocking submission of former Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold me…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 258 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Kamaru Usman remains the master of his domain and now owns the longest winning streak in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s welterweight division. Usman retained his undisputed welterweight crown with a stirring third-round technical knockout of former Sanford MMA stablemate Gilbert Burns in the UFC 258 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Burns (19-4, 12-4 UFC) bowed out 34 seconds into Round 3, his run of six consecutive victories at an end.

It was far from a typical title defense for the champion. Burns had “The Nigerian Nightmare” reeling with an overhand right in the first round and appeared to have him out of sorts. Usman (18-1, 13-0 UFC), however, slowly regained his faculties and started to seize command. He relied more and more on a devastating jab from both hands and floored Burns with t…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 258 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Sherdog's live UFC 258 coverage will begin Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET. Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield s…

ANTHONY HERNANDEZ BY SUBMISSION! @ILovebamf with a huge performance to close the prelims #UFC258 pic.twitter.com/aEoULOkWM6

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) February 14, 2021 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 258 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. It was an outcome no one could have foreseen. Anthony Hernandez submitted five-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion and 2015 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist Rodolfo Vieira with a guillotine choke in the second round of their featured UFC 258 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Viera (7-1, 2-1 UFC) bowed out 1:53 into Round 2. Odds of a Hernandez submission victory were set at 30-to-1.

Vieira executed a takedown inside the first minute, progressed to the back and threatened with submissions, first with a rear-naked choke and later with an armbar. Hernandez (8-2, 2-2 UFC) managed…

UFC 258 is down to 10 bouts after a “non-COVID related issue” forced Gillian Robertson to withdraw from a proposed clash against Miranda Maverick.

Promotion officials announced the news a few hours before UFC 258 was scheduled to begin on Saturday. Robertson vs. Maverick was slated for the preliminary portion of the card. UFC 258 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight championship tilt between Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns. The main card airs on pay-per-view via ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT and ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

“Heartbroken is the only way to describe it,” Robertson wrote in an Instagram post. “After a great camp and an easy weight cut I unfortunately woke up this morning at 4 a.m. vomiting and my condition has yet to improve. So for the first time in my career my team has decided it would be best to pull myself from this fight.

“My greatest apologies to …

Reigning! Defending!

@Usman84kg makes championship weight ahead of #UFC258.

[ Get the PPV: https://t.co/Fz9xihbdua ] pic.twitter.com/gvQwsO6l9l — UFC (@ufc) February 12, 2021 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 258 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. For the second week in a row, there were no issues on the scales ahead of a big Ultimate Fighting Championship fight card.

The UFC will put on its second pay-per-view of 2021 this weekend. Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns.

Looking to win his 13th straight fight inside the Octagon is Usman (17-1). Since defeating Tyron Woodley to win the championship, “The Nigerian Nightmare” has been dominant knocking out Colby Covington and winning a one-sided decision over Jorge Masvidal. Although Usman hit the scales initially at 170.5 pounds, upon removing his mask and socks, Usman weighed 170 pounds on the dot.

Looking at…