Martial Arts News

An injury has forced Jeremy Stephens to withdraw from a prosposed featherweight matchup with Arnold Allen at UFC on ESPN 17.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report Stephens’ exit from the card over the weekend. The exact nature of Stephens’ injury was not disclosed. It’s currently unclear if the promotion will seek a new opponent for Allen.

UFC on ESPN 17 takes place on Nov. 7 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a light heavyweight tilt pitting Thiago Santos against Glover Teixeira. The main card airs on ESPN2 and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT.

Stephens is currently on a five-bout winless streak in UFC competition. Most recently, “Lil Heathen” suffered a second-round knockout loss to Calvin Kattar at UFC 249 on May 9. Stephens last tasted victory at UFC on Fox 28, when he stopped Josh Emmett in the second round in February 2018.

A flyweight showdown between Tyson Nam and Matt Schnell that was originally scheduled for September has been rebooked for UFC Fight Night on Dec. 19.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the bout. UFC Fight Night takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight clash between Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev. Nam vs. Schnell was slated for UFC Fight Night 177 on Sept. 12 but was scratched due to “weight management issues” for Schnell.

Nam would get a chance to compete one week later at UFC Fight Night 178, where he earned a second-round TKO win over Jerome Rivera. Prior to that, Nam scored a 32-second KO of Zarrukh Adashev at UFC on ESPN 10.

Schnell, meanwhile, saw a four-bout Octagon winning streak come to an end at UFC Fight Night 165, where he suffered a first-round knockout defeat at the hands of Alexandre Pantoja last December.

Georges St. Pierre was supposed to be magic No. 30 on Khabib Nurmagomedov’s journey to retirement.

Instead, “The Eagle” threw a curve and called it a career following his second-round submission of Justin Gaethje in the UFC 254 headliner on Saturday night. After the victory, Nurmagomedov left his gloves in the Octagon and explained his decision, which came on the heels of the death of his father and coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, earlier this year.

“Today, I want to say, this was my last fight. No way am I going to come here without my father,” Nurmagomedov said. “It was first time, after what happened with my father, when UFC called me about Justin. I talk with my mother three days, she don’t want that I go fight without father. I promised her, it’s going to be my last fight, and if I give my word, I have to follow this. It was my last fight here.”

St. Pierre knows a little something about surprise announcements: He took an indefinite hiatus from the sport aft…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11FKpmNCIGM&w=560&h=315]

Though the end result wasn’t what he’d hoped for, Justin Gaethje believes that he did inflict some damage on Khabib Nurmagomedov before being choked unconscious in the UFC 254 headliner.

“It sucks. I’m hurt. It’s emotional. But ultimately, it’s the name of the game,” Gaethje said in a post-fight interview on ESPN. “I had him in trouble. I wasn’t very many kicks away from him not being able to walk. He’s gonna be limping for the next three weeks. It’s nothing to be proud of because I lost.”

Indeed, 15 of the 29 significant strikes Gaethje landed were leg kicks, and as the bout progressed it appeared that they were beginning to take their toll on the champion. However, Nurmagomedov was absolutely dominant when the fight hit the ground, slicing through his opponent’s guard and transitioning to submission attempts with ease. Gaethje, an NCAA All-American wrestler at the University of Northern Colorado, had …

It wasn’t the opponent she expected at UFC 254, but Lauren Murphy made the most of what could have been a tricky situation against short-notice replacement Liliya Shakirova on Saturday in Abu Dhabi.

Originally slated to face fellow Top 10 flyweight Cynthia Calvillo, Murphy was forced to change course when a positive COVID-19 test forced Calvillo off the card late last week. With not much to gain against a relatively unheralded foe, Murphy scored the first submission victory of her pro career, tapping out Shakirova with a rear-naked choke at the 3:31 mark of Round 2.

“It feels great. My confidence is probably the No. 1 thing that I’ve improved, my striking is the second thing that I’ve improved the most,” Murphy said. “Just going through the process and staying calm has been huge. I’ve gotten a ton of help; it takes a village to make a fighter.

“I utilize the best of the best in every aspect. I have the best sports psychologist, the best nutritionist, the best s…

UNCONSCIOUS!@AnkalaevM erased all doubt by finishing Ion Cutelaba at #UFC254 pic.twitter.com/nn4eCMA1Oz

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 24, 2020

Magomed Ankalaev left no doubt in his rematch with Ion Cutelaba at UFC 254.

Their initial meeting, a 38-second TKO triumph for Ankalaev at UFC Fight Night 169 in February, ended in controversy when Cutelaba claimed the contest was stopped prematurely. However, there was no such controversy on Saturday, as Anaklaev floored his opponent twice en route to a knockout victory at the 4:19 mark of Round 1 at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi.

A counter left hook late in the frame sent Cutelaba tumbling to the canvas, and Ankaleav pounced for the victory with heavy ground-and-pound from above.

“I feel great, now I can finally sleep well. It was a six month camp, so I did a really, really good job in the six months and today I proved it,” Ankaleav said. “I wanted to catch him, I wanted to finish with a co…

Retirements don’t always last in MMA, but UFC president Dana White believes that Khabib Nurmagomedov is sincere in his intentions.

Nurmagomedov announced his retirement in the Octagon following a second-round submission of Justin Gaethje in the UFC 254 main event on Saturday, alluding to a promise he made to his mother before the fight. It was a long and difficult road just to get to UFC 254 for the lightweight champion, who had to endure the death of his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, to COVID-19 complications earlier this year.

In addition to tragedy, White claimed Nurmagomedov dealt with some injury issues leading into his title defense against Gaethje. Regardless of the circumstances, the UFC boss doesn’t think “The Eagle” will be making a surprise comeback in the future.

“I do [think he’ll remain retired],” White said at Saturday’s post fight press conference.

“What this guy’s has been through, we’re all lucky that we got to see him fight tonight,” …

Heading into UFC 254, reigning middleweight champion Israel Adesanya had his eye on Jared Cannonier as the division’s next No. 1 contender – all Cannonier had to do was do his part and defeat Robert Whittaker.

That proved to be easier said than done, however, as Whittaker was superior over the course of three rounds in a unanimous decision triumph in Saturday’s co-main event at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi. Since relinquishing the middleweight crown to Adesanya at UFC 243, “The Reaper” has posted back-to-back triumphs over Cannonier and Darren Till in a matter of three months.

That seems to have re-established Whittaker as the top contender at 185 pounds – at least in the eyes of UFC president Dana White.

“It’s [a rematch between Whittaker and Adesanya] very appealing to me. It’s a fight that makes sense right now,” White said at the UFC 254 post-fight press conference. “Adesanya has a lot of options, but the fight that makes the most sense is Whittaker. I thou…

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retirement announcement came one fight sooner than most of the mixed martial arts community expected.

The reigning lightweight champion laid his gloves down in the Octagon following his second-round submission victory over Justin Gaethje in the UFC 254 headliner at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Nurmagomedov exits the sport with a 29-0 career mark; many thought he would pursue one last bout to end at 30-0, but a promise the Dagestani made to his mother before UFC 254 carried more weight than that pursuit.

Nurmagomedov’s father and longtime coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, died at age 57 due to COVID-19 complications in July, which made the champion’s journey to fight week that much more difficult this time around.

“Today, I want to say, this was my last fight. No way am I going to come here without my father,” Nurmagomedov said in the Octagon. “It was first time, after what happened with my father, when UFC called me about Justi…

Khabib Nurmagomedov ended his Ultimate Fighting Championship tenure with one last dominant effort.

The reigning lightweight champion received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his second-round submission of Justin Gaethje in the UFC 254 main event at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. “The Eagle” executed a takedown early in Round 2, transitioned from an arm triangle to a mounted triangle and rendered Gaethje unconscious at the 1:34 mark of the period. In the aftermath, Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from mixed martial arts.

Magomed Ankalaev captured the card’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check on the strength of a knockout of Ion Cutelaba in a featured light heavyweight tilt. Ankalaev floored his foe with a left hand early in the contest before dropping him again with a counter left hook later in the frame. Punches and hammerfists from above brought an end to the bout at the 4:19 mark of Round 1 and allowed Ankalaev to improve…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 254 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Khabib Nurmagomedov stands alone. In his first appearance since the death of his father, the American Kickboxing Academy ace choked Justin Gaethje unconscious with a second-round triangle to retain his undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title in the UFC 254 headliner on Saturday at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Gaethje (22-3, 5-3 UFC) went limp 1:34 into Round 2, as he was submitted for the first time in his 25-fight career.

Afterward, Nurmagomedov (29-0, 13-0 UFC) announced his retirement.

"This is my last fight."@TeamKhabib pays his respects following a dominant performance at #UFC254 pic.twitter.com/5HiUvJXBJC

— UFC (@ufc) October 24, 2020 “The Eagle” pushed Gaethje beyond his bounds with relentless pressure and maniacal forward movement. He connected …

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 254 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Khabib Nurmagomedov stands alone. In his first appearance since the death of his father, the American Kickboxing Academy ace choked Justin Gaethje unconscious with a second-round triangle to retain his undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title in the UFC 254 headliner on Saturday at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Gaethje (22-3, 5-3 UFC) went limp 1:34 into Round 2, as he was submitted for the first time in his 25-fight career.

Afterward, Nurmagomedov (29-0, 13-0 UFC) announced his retirement.

"This is my last fight."@TeamKhabib pays his respects following a dominant performance at #UFC254 pic.twitter.com/5HiUvJXBJC

— UFC (@ufc) October 24, 2020 “The Eagle” pushed his counterpart beyond his bounds with relentless pressure and maniacal forward movement. Gaeth…