Martial Arts News

While Kevin Holland may be seeking a spot as a short-notice replacement next month, he has something more official lined up for March.

According to ESPN, Holland and Derek Brunson have agreed to square off in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card on March 20. The middleweight bout has not been finalized but contracts are expected to be signed shortly. The event does not yet have a location.

In the meantime, Holland has been campaigning for a spot opposite Leon Edwards on the UFC’s Jan. 20 “Fight Island” card. Edwards was scheduled to face Khamzat Chimaev, but Chimaev withdrew from the bout for undisclosed reasons. Holland has yet to fight at welterweight in the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Hold up, so am I hearing the #ufcFightIsland hotel has a vacancy and needs a real man to come and do work January 20th? #callbigmouth pic.twitter.com/0zX4cPZMvo

— Kevin Holland (@Trailblaze2top) December 29, 2020

Holland was selected as Sherdo…

Khamzat Chimaev is the REAL DEAL

INSANE. #UFCVegas11 pic.twitter.com/kqbhHJYJS3

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) September 20, 2020 Khamzat Chimaev will have to wait to build upon his breakout campaign on 2020.

Chimaev has been forced out of a welterweight headlining matchup with Leon Edwards at UFC on ESPN 20 on Jan. 20. Multiple outlets confirmed the news on Tuesday following an initial report from Frontkick. A reason for Chimaev’s exit is currently unknown.

Chimaev and Edwards were initially slated to meet at UFC Fight Night 183 before the Englishman withdrew from the contest due to a severe bout with COVID-19 that saw him lose 12 pounds.

UFC on ESPN 20 takes place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and also includes a 170-pound clash between Michael Chiesa and Neil Magny. It is unclear if Edwards will remain on the card against a replacement opponent.

Chimaev emerged as one of the rising stars of the sport after compiling a 3-0 camp…

Nov. 2007

My first [amateur] MMA competition.

Minha primeira luta [amadora] de MMA#MMA #ufcnocombate #espnplus @ufc @UFCBrasil @raphamarinho @BigMarcel24 @Grabaka_Hitman @alonsopvt @guicruzzz @arielhelwani @AgFight @mma_kings @TATAMEMAGAZINE @graciemag_br @OlivarLeite1 pic.twitter.com/xt0vRYsUR4 — Charles Oliveira (@CharlesDoBronxs) December 29, 2020

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s all-time submission leader began his MMA career in typical fashion.

On Tuesday, UFC lightweight contender Charles Oliveira posted a video on Twitter of his first amateur bout. The contest was short-lived, as “Do Bronx” slammed his opponent to the canvas and forced a quick tapout with an armbar in less than 20 seconds. According to Sherdog.com records, that foe was Rui Machado, and the matchup occurred at an event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in November 2007.

Submission victories have become a habit for Oliveira. The 31-year-old Brazilian has 1…

Mason 'The Dragon' Jones is THE MAN.

A TKO victory in the first round - he is now the double champ. DOUBLE DRAGON #CW116 pic.twitter.com/Pb2vev6E03

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) September 26, 2020 Cage Warriors two-division champion Mason Jones will make his Octagon debut against Mike Davis at UFC on ESPN 20.

Multiple outlets confirmed the lightweight booking following an initial report from MMA Island. UFC on ESPN 20 takes place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and was supposed to be headlined by a welterweight clash between Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev. However, the card is in need of a new main event after Chimaev withdrew from the bout.

Jones will enter his first promotional foray with a 10-0 professional mark, including nine triumphs under the Cage Warriors banner. “The Dragon” closed out his promotional tenure by capturing the welterweight belt with a first-round stoppage of Adam Proctor at Cage Warriors 116 on Sept. 26. Prior…

It doesn’t sound like Dana White will have much luck persuading Khabib Nurmagomedov to make a comeback when the two meet in Abu Dhabi next month.

In an interview with Match TV, Nurmagomedov stated that he expects a new lightweight champion to be crowned when Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier square off in the UFC 257 headliner on Jan. 23.

“Top three [lightweight] fighters right now?” Nurmagomedov said (translation via RT Sport). “Poirier, McGregor and [Islam] Makhachev. He [Makhachev] is not in the top-five yet, but those are the best fighters.

“My belt will be taken by the winner of Dustin and Conor.”

Nurmagomedov announced his retirement following a victory over Justin Gaethje in the UFC 254 headliner this past October. Though many expected “The Eagle” to take one more fight in hopes of finishing his career with a 30-0 record to fulfill the wishes of his late father, Nurmagomedov revealed in the Octagon that he made a promise to his mother that he woul…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1uGsbn-VKU&w=560&h=315]

Aljamain Sterling is expected to challenge for a UFC title in the very near future, but his journey to become one of the top bantamweight fighters in the promotion began long before he stepped into the Octagon for the first time.

In “Not Broken,” a short film directed by Rory Karpf and produced by Corey Frost, Sterling shares the story of a difficult childhood in which he and his family were verbally and physically abused by his father.

“I don’t have a lot of positive memories of my dad. He made us feel small, weak, stupid, useless,” Sterling says in the film.

Many household duties – including taking care of his siblings – fell on Sterling’s shoulders at a young age, but he was too small to step in when his father became physical with his mother.

“One of the things about him that I don’t think I could ever forgive is the domestic violence with my mom,” Sterling says. “One time they were fight…

It’s been more than six years since Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier first squared off in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and much has changed since then.

However, John Kavanagh, McGregor's head trainer, believes that Poirier will nonetheless struggle to erase the memory of a first-round technical knockout loss to McGregor at UFC 178 in September 2014. The two men will have their rematch in the UFC 257 main event in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 23.

“I think you can spend a lifetime going to sports psychologists and talking to this person and that person; that’s not going to have been erased from his mind,” Kavanagh told The Mac Life. “He knows that he is facing somebody who can shut off his lights very, very rapidly and now is a lot more powerful and a lot more experienced than he was even then, so it’s a tough, uphill battle for Dustin.”

Their first meeting occurred at featherweight, and set the stage for a title run for the Irish star. Poirier, meanwhile, moved to 1…

A flyweight showdown pitting ex-Rizin champ Manel Kape against Alexandre Pantoja has been rebooked for a UFC Fight Night card on Feb. 6.

Combate was first to report the news. The event is headlined by a heavyweight scrap between Alistair Overeem and Alexander Volkov. A location for the card has not been formally announced. Kape and Pantoja were initially slated to meet at UFC Fight Night 183 on Dec. 19 before Pantoja withdrew from the contest.

Kape claimed the vacant Rizin bantamweight crown with a second-round technical knockout of Kai Asakura last New Year’s Eve. The 26-year-old AKA Thailand representative has won four of his last five professional outings — with each of those victories coming inside the distance. Kape was previously slated to make his promotional debut against Rogerio Bontorin at UFC 252 before his opponent withdrew from the bout due to injury.

Pantoja, meanwhile, is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Askar Askarov at UFC Fight Night 17…

Sara McMann and Julianna Pena will square off one week later than originally anticipated.

The bantamweight bout has been moved from UFC on ABC 1 to UFC 257 for undisclosed reasons. MMAjunkie.com was first to report the change. UFC 257 takes place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 23 and is headlined by a lightweight tilt between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier.

McMann returned after nearly a two-year absence at UFC Fight Night 166 in January, when she halted a two-bout losing streak with a unanimous decision triumph against Lina Lansberg. The Olympic silver medalist challenged for bantamweight gold in her second Octagon appearance, falling to Ronda Rousey via first-round TKO at UFC 170 in February 2014. She is 6-5 during her tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Pena’s lone appearance of 2020 came at UFC on ESPN 16, where she was submitted in the third round by Germaine de Randamie on Oct. 3. “The Ultimate Fighter 18” winner began her UFC career with f…

Lo noquea! @NewMansa94 con otro tremendo KO!!! #UFC255 pic.twitter.com/dZXpe4VmYu

— ufcespanol (@UFCEspanol) November 22, 2020

Two middleweight bouts have been added to the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s UFC Fight Night 184”>Jan. 16 lineup, as Joaquin Buckley will meet Alessio Di Chirico, while Phil Hawes will face Nassourdine Imavov.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report Buckley vs. Di Chirico, while MMA DNA initially brought word of Hawes vs. Imavov. The event takes place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and is headlined by a featherweight clash pitting Max Holloway against Calvin Kattar. At least a portion of the event is expected to be broadcast on ABC.

After being stopped by Kevin Holland in his Octagon debut, Buckley emerged as one of 2020’s breakout fighters thanks to back-to-back knockouts of Impa Kasanganay and Jordan Wright. The KO of Kasanganay went viral and will likely end up on many year-end lists when all is said and done. “Ne…

DOMINATED @JasonWittMMA controlled this one from start to finish! #UFCVegas12 pic.twitter.com/YBsGRN8c25

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) October 31, 2020

Jason Witt will lock horns with Matthew Semelsberger at UFC Fight Night on March 13.

Both welterweight fighters recently confirmed the matchup on their respective social media accounts. The event does not currently have a location or headliner.

Witt is 1-1 in two UFC appearances. After suffering a 48-second technical knockout loss to Takashi Sato in his Octagon debut at UFC on ESPN 12, “The Vanilla Gorilla” rebounded to submit Cole Williams in the second round at UFC Fight Night 181 on Oct. 31. The 34-year-old Glory MMA & Fitness member has compiled an 18-6 mark since beginning his MMA career in 2013.

Semelsberger, meanwhile, extended his winning streak to four with a decision triumph over Carlton Minus in his promotional debut at UFC on ESPN 15. The 28-year-old is 7-2 as a professional…

Down goes Sana! #ONECollisionCourse2 #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/cgCSp75W8M

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) December 25, 2020

He had to wait until Christmas Day to open it, but Jamal Yusupov may have unwrapped a One Championship muay Thai title shot.

In the main event of the tape-delayed One Championship: Collision Course 2 broadcast on Dec. 25, Yusupov overcame Samy Sana via unanimous decision in a featherweight muay Thai clash. The Russian generally proved to be more precise and effective with his striking. In the second stanza, Yusupov dropped Sana with a perfectly-placed left hand. In the third round, "AK-47" involuntarily hit Yusupov with a low blow, but the Yusupov was able to continue after taking some time to recover from the shot. Considering Yusupov's performance, an assault at current One muay Thai champion Phetmorakot Petchyindee Academy may not be very far away.

The co-main event featured an MMA catch…