Martial Arts News

THE MOST UNBELIEVABLE KO IN UFC HISTORY #UFCFightIsland5 pic.twitter.com/O7BOJg8h9c

— UFC (@ufc) October 10, 2020

Joaquin Buckley could have received the UFC’s entire allotment of bonus money on Saturday night and few outside of those competing on the card would have complained.

As it stands, Buckley received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for a “Knockout of the Year” candidate against Impa Kasanganay in a preliminary middleweight contest at UFC Fight Night 179 in Abu Dhabi. After Kasanganay caught a kick from his opponent, Buckley capitalized with a jumping spinning back kick to the face. The blow rendered Kasanganay unconscious before he hit the canvas, and the contest ended at the 2:03 mark of Round 2.

Meanwhile, headliner Cory Sandhagen received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award for a spectacular knockout of his own. The Elevation Fight Team product finished former World Series of Fighting champ Marlon Moraes wit…

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. Cory Sandhagen appears to have shed the dark horse label once and for all. The fast-rising Elevation Fight Team star moved one step closer to a shot at the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight crown, as he blew away Marlon Moraes with a spinning wheel kick and follow-up punches in the second round of their UFC Fight Night 179 headliner on Saturday at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Moraes (23-7-1, 5-3 UFC) bowed out 63 seconds into Round 2.

Sandhagen (13-2, 6-1 UFC) used his height and length to his advantage throughout the first round, where he chopped away at the Brazilian’s legs and body with kicks. His fluid stance switches paid dividends, as well, allowing him to connect with jabs from both hands that led to significant damage near Moraes’ right eye. Sandhagen moved forward roughly a minute into …

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 Fight Night 179 coverage will begin Saturday at 5 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 roun…

THE MOST UNBELIEVABLE KO IN UFC HISTORY #UFCFightIsland5 pic.twitter.com/O7BOJg8h9c

— UFC (@ufc) October 10, 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.

Joaquin Buckley ensured his permanent residence on future Ultimate Fighting Championship highlight reels.

The Finney’s Hit Squad product knocked out Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Impa Kasanganay with a spinning back kick to the face in the second round of their middleweight prelim at UFC Fight Night 179 on Saturday at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. A short-notice replacement for Abu Azaitar, Kasanganay (8-1, 1-1 UFC) hit the deck 2:03 into Round 2.

The two men engaged in a firefight, until Buckley (11-3, 1-1 UFC) authored an all-time finish. Kasanganay blocked a head kick and caught the Bellator MMA veteran’s foot. However, he held on for too…

Timothy Johnson spoiled the Frenchman’s party for the first-ever Bellator event in France. 

Johnnson (15-6) defeated Cheick Kongo (30-11-2) via split decision in a heavyweight matchup of Ultimate Fighting Championship veterans in the Bellator Paris headliner at Accor Arena in Paris, France, on Saturday. In the opening stanza, Johnson exploited a careless leg kick from Kongo to take his opponent on the canvas. The American fighter pressed on the accelerator from there and almost closed the contest early with a flurry of punches. But Kongo was able to survive the sticky situation once Johnson’s pace slowed.

In the second stanza, the French veteran showed off some of his skills from the Thai clinch before moving the action to the ground himself and controlling Johnson on the canvas. In the last stanza, the two contenders clinched for most of the time against the fence, where it seemed that Johnson prevailed in the exchanges. At the end of the contest, tw…

ICYMI: MamedKhalidov landed one of the best knockouts ever seen in KSW tonight! #KSW55 pic.twitter.com/1bKnY9KXZm

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) October 11, 2020

The greatest fighter in KSW history turned back the clock—and won back the belt that had once been his.

In the main event of KSW 55 on Saturday, 40-year-old Mamed Khalidov returned to the cage in the wake of three straight losses and two announced retirements to face middleweight champion Scott Askham, who had thoroughly dominated him in their previous meeting at KSW 52 last December. Askham, holding the KSW middleweight title that Khalidov had vacated in 2018 to pursue a pair of champ-vs.-champ bouts with light heavyweight champion Tomasz Narkun, was the substantial favorite, but once the action began, Khalidov was the aggressor. After a couple of tentative early exchanges, Khalidov leapt forward and threw a jumping switch kick, his right foot landing perfectly on the champ’s jaw. Askham went…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZc_wzZWFec&w=560&h=315] The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s latest stint on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, continues on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 179. The 13-fight card is now official after all fighters made weight and is set to be headlined by bantamweight contenders Marlon Moraes and Cory Sandhagen.

Finishes over Raphael Assuncao, Jimmie Rivera and Aljamain Sterling have proven Moraes (23-6-1) as one of the most dangerous fighters in the division. While “Magic” came up short against former titleholder Henry Cejudo, he bounced back with a split decision win over Jose Aldo. The Brazilian will look to earn another crack at the belt with a win and came in at 136 pounds.

Sandhagen (12-2) is looking to rebound over a disappointing performance against Sterling that saw him get choked out in less than 90-seconds. Prior to that defeat, the Colorado native won decisions over Assuncao and John Lineker. Sandhagen took full advantage of t…

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

Bellator MMA’s France debut is officially set. Split into two cards called Bellator 248 and Bellator Paris, there are 12 fights in total set. All fighters officially made weight, so no drama preceded the first major mixed martial arts card in the country.

Bellator 248 is headlined by a 175-pound catchweight bout between Michael Page and Ross Houston. Page (17-1) is a knockout artist that has rebounded nicely since his lone loss to Douglas Lima, even if he hasn’t faced top competition. “Venom” will look to extend his knockout streak to four against Houston (8-0, 1 NC), an undefeated fighter out of Scotland. A former Cage Warriors champion, “The Hitman” has wins over Stefano Paterno, Nathan Jones, and Aaron Khalid.

The Bellator Paris half of the card is second and will see Cheick Kongo look to continue his impressive nine-fight undefeated streak against fellow Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Tim…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-p5zCo_Cvc&w=560&h=315]

Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki returns this weekend with its third card of 2020. The event is headlined by a rematch between middleweight champion Scott Askham and former titleholder Mamed Khalidov. All eight fights are now official after the weigh-ins.

Unlike their bout last year, the rematch will not be contested at a catchweight and is for the title that Askham (19-4) holds. Khalidov (34-7-2) was the longtime titleholder of KSW’s middleweight championship but retired after losing two catchweight bouts against light heavyweight champion Tomasz Narkun. Like most retirements in mixed martial arts, it didn’t stick and Khalidov came back just a year later to unsuccessfully challenge Askham.

KSW 55 will stream live on Dazn starting at 2 p.m. ET.

KSW 55 Weigh-in Results: Scott Askham (185) vs. Mamed Khalidov (185)Aleksandar Ilic (186) vs. Michal Materla (186)Andreas Gustafsson (186) vs. Damian Janikowski (186…

January 16th business is boomin pic.twitter.com/uDyYXSfoAz

— Baldy Ed (@brianboom135) October 9, 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. A fun scrap nixed in September has been rescheduled for a newly announced Ultimate Fighting Championship card in January. The news first coming out on Friday from MMA Fighting, Brian Kelleher (22-11) has since confirmed on Twitter that he will be competing on a Jan. 16 UFC event. On this fight card, he will be facing Ricky Simon (16-3) at bantamweight, in a bout previously booked on UFC Fight Night 176 only to fall off when one of Simon’s cornermen tested positive for COVID-19. There is not currently a venue set, although it is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas due to the coronavirus pandemic still affecting the U.S. There are no other bouts currently set for the event.

Kelleher …

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. A major strawweight battle between two elite grapplers is on the books for to the year-end Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view event. On Friday, MMA Fighting first reported that Mackenzie Dern (9-1) has agreed to take on Virna Jandiroba (16-1) at strawweight at UFC 256. Other outlets have since confirmed the booking arrangement, while noting that the two have not yet signed their contracts. Should this bout come to fruition on Dec. 12 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, it will be between two jiu-jitsu masters that have earned a combined 19 submission victories across their 25 career wins.

Dern recently competed at UFC Fight Night 178 in September, where she tapped Randa Markos with a first-round armbar. In that bout, Dern became the first fighter to put Markos on a losing streak, as the Canadian had never before lost consecu…

Fifteen years ago, the rivalry between Brazilian Top Team and Chute Boxe used to make Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba hostile territory for anyone representing the opposing team.

Wanderlei Silva adopted the phrase “time is the best medicine,” launching his autobiography on Thursday titled “Sem Coleira” in former rival city Rio de Janeiro. Unconcerned with a hostile reception, those in attendance including even former enemies gave him a hero’s welcome, and “The Axe Murderer” was truly moved from the fans in the city. In his release party, Silva was able to celebrate with the fans and former rival teams in Rio de Janeiro, in a beautiful tribute for the legend of the sport.

Those in attendance included fans, journalists, Luta Livre members, Nova Uniao and even former enemies from BTT.

“Fifteen years ago, it would be impossible for me to be here,” expressed BTT founder “Bebeo” Duarte. The Carlson Gracie black belt was also joined by Carlos Barreto at the ceremony. “I would …