Martial Arts News

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Anthony Smith agreed to five rounds on short notice. He needed less than one. “Lionheart” returned to the winner’s circle for the first time in more than a year and retained his place in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s light heavyweight pecking order, as he submitted Devin Clark with a triangle choke in the first round of their makeshift UFC on ESPN 18 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Clark (12-5, 6-5 UFC) tapped 2:34 into Round 1.

A replacement for Shamil Gamzatov, Smith (34-16, 9-6 UFC) wrapped the former Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion in a body lock, secured a takedown and then drew him to the center of the cage and away from the relative safety of the fence. Clark sprang a reversal after being threatened with a twister but uncovered an opponent who was no less dangerous from his back. Smith c…

First win for 's @BerinjaMMA! pic.twitter.com/wypN23oFml

— UFC (@ufc) November 29, 2020 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Anderson dos Santos has a strangulation fixation. The Babuino Gold Team bantamweight on Saturday strengthened his position on the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster, as he submitted Martin Day with a guillotine choke in the first round of their featured UFC on ESPN 18 prelim at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Day (8-5, 0-3 UFC) raised the white flag 4:35 into Round 1 and remains winless through three appearances inside the Octagon.

Dos Santos (21-8, 1-2 UFC) swooped in on a takedown midway through the first round despite considerable resistance from the former Universal Reality Combat Championship titleholder. Day absorbed some ground-and-pound, created some space out of butterfly guard and sprang to his feet. How…

Kevin Holland will get his chance to go 5-0 in 2020 after all.

After being removed from next weekend’s UFC on ESPN 19 main event due to a positive COVID-19 test, Holland will square off against Ronaldo Souza at UFC 256. The pairing was announced during the UFC on ESPN 18 broadcast Saturday night.

UFC 256 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Dec. 12 and is headlined by a flyweight championship tilt pitting Deiveson Figueiredo against Brandon Moreno. “Jacare” was originally supposed to face Marvin Vettori, but Vettori was tabbed to step in for Holland against Jack Hermansson at UFC on ESPN 19.

So far this year, Holland has earned victories against Anthony Hernandez, Joaquin Buckley, Darren Stewart and Charlie Ontiveros — with three of those wins coming inside the distance. “Trailblazer” is 7-2 during his promotional tenure and 20-5 as a professional overall.

Souza, meanwhile, will return to 185 pounds after losing a split decision to Jan Blachowicz in…

Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Marvin Vettori will get his first headlining opportunity when he locks horns with Jack Hermansson at UFC on ESPN 19.

Vettori replaces Kevin Holland, who withdrew from the bout after testing positive for COVID-19. ESPN was first to bring word of the new matchup, and it was later confirmed by MMAjunkie.com. UFC on ESPN 19 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Dec. 5. Vettori was originally slated to meet Ronaldo Souza at UFC 256. It’s unclear what the promotion’s plans are for “Jacare.”

Vettori is currently on a three-bout winning streak since losing a split decision to current middleweight champion Israel Adesanya at UFC on Fox 29. The 27-year-old Italian last appeared at UFC on ESPN 10, where he submitted Karl Roberson in the opening stanza on June 13.

Hermansson has won five of his last six UFC bouts to establish himself as a …

The UFC is adding the younger brother of reigning flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo to its roster.

Francisco Nazareno Figueiredo Junior has signed a contract with the Las Vegas-based promotion, according to a report from MMAFighting.com. Deiveson later confirmed the news on his social media.

Figueiredo’s manager, Wallid Ismael, told MMAFighting that the bantamweight is targeting early next year for his Octagon debut at one of the UFC’s “Fight Island” events.

Francisco Figueiredo is a former interim champion with the Brazi-based Jungle Fights promotion. The 31-year-old has compiled an 11-3-1 mark with one no contest over the course of a professional tenure that began in 2009. He has finished all but one of his victories inside the distance.

I have been pulled from my main event bout next weekend due to a positive pre fight covid test. Hoping to test clean and get back inside the cage ASAP. pic.twitter.com/KfMF4jQFQg

— Kevin Holland (@Trailblaze2top) November 28, 2020

Another UFC main event has been hit by COVID-19.

Kevin Holland is out of his UFC on ESPN 19 headlining clash against Jack Hermansson due to a positive test, the middleweight announced via social media on Saturday.

“I have been pulled from my main event bout next weekend due to a positive pre fight covid test,” Holland wrote. “Hoping to test clean and get back inside the cage ASAP.”

UFC on ESPN 19 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Dec. 5. According to a report from ESPN, the promotion is targeting Marvin Vettori as a replacement opponent for Hermansson in the headliner. Vettori is scheduled to face Ronaldo Souza at UFC 256 on Dec. 12.

Holland was attempting to go 5-0 in 2020 after agreeing …

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Sherdog's live UFC on ESPN 18 coverage will begin Saturday at 7 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 Critchfi…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g-7zP_f24U&w=640&h=360] Legendary boxers Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. will return to the boxing ring for an exhibition bout on Saturday night where no official winner will be announced by the California State Athletic Commission. The pay-per-view event is built on spectacle as it will also see YouTuber Jake Paul take on three-time NBA slam dunk winner Nate Robinson in a professional bout. Additionally, musical performances by Lil Wayne, French Montana, YG and Ne-Yo will take place throughout the evening.

With all due respect to “Weezy F. Baby,” the biggest draw to the pay-per-view is the return of Tyson (50-6, 44 KO). The 54-year-old hasn’t competed in the ring since a humbling defeat to Ireland’s Kevin McBride in 2005. In his prime, Tyson was regarded as an all-time great at heavyweight as he won his first 19 professional bouts via KO, and became the youngest world champion in the division's history. Controversy regularly followed T…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. The final bout of ex-Ultimate Fighting Championship title challenger Bethe Correia’s career will have to wait a little while longer. Correia (11-5-1) posted on Instagram earlier in the week announcing that her matchup with Yanan Wu (11-3) will be shifting from UFC on ESPN 19 to the Jan. 16 Fight Night event. A reason was not given for the unexpected change in the date.

In her post, Correia wrote (via Google Translate), “Soon I will be living this moment again! Not in December, but January 16th!” Subsequent posts for Correia have included the hashtag “UFC Fight Island,” which appear to confirm the location of the Jan. 16 fight card at the Flash Forum on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Subsequent events like UFC 257 are expected to take place in that venue.

This is to be Correia’s final MMA fight, although …

One Championship is looking to challenge UFC Fight Pass as a streaming option for feeder leagues to its organization.

On Thursday night, the Singapore-based company put out a press release announcing it had begun to sign regional promotions to its One Super App. On Nov. 28, the first event will take place, as Russian Cagefighting Championship and Fair Fight Promotion – the latter a kickboxing league – co-promote an event titled “Road to One.” The fight card will feature fighters from Russia looking to score a contract with One, and one such contract will be on the line at the end of a four-man kickboxing tournament that night.

The event, which sees 26 competitors fight throughout the card in both MMA and kickboxing matches, will take place in Yekaterinburg, Russia. The four kickboxers involved are as follows: Vladimir Kuzmin vs. Maxim Petkevich in one semifinal, and Tamerlan Bashirov vs. Victor Mikhailov in the other. The one-night featherweight tournament will be …

Curtis Blaydes vs. Derrick Lewis — tomorrow night’s UFC main event — has been canceled, per multiple sources. Blaydes has tested positive for COVID.

The promotion is hoping to reschedule the fight in December, sources say, though that isn’t a done deal just yet.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) November 27, 2020 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Editor's note: The article has been updated at 1:25 p.m. on Nov. 27 to reflect the new status of the new main event.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship headliner on the latest ESPN showcase is off the day before it was set to go down.

ESPN first announced on Friday that Curtis Blaydes tested positive for COVID-19. This news pulls him out of his UFC on ESPN 18 heavyweight main event with Derrick Lewis. ESPN noted that the UFC is intending to re-book the event for a December card,…

Marcando las 204.5 libras en la @brownbearC #UFCVegas15 pic.twitter.com/Lf9pjD3X6y

— ufcespanol (@UFCEspanol) November 27, 2020 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. The Ultimate Fighting Championship is making the best of a bad situation with a 10-fight offering, and all but one of the fighters remaining made weight. The promotion ends its busy November with UFC on ESPN 18. The card was set to be headlined by heavyweight contenders Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis. However, Blaydes tested positive for coronavirus and the fight has been pulled just a day before it was scheduled to take place.

As a result of the change, the light heavyweight bout between former title challenger Anthony Smith and Devin Clark will serve as the new five-round main event and the card will continue with 10 fights. That wasn't the only drama today, though, …