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. Sherdog's live UFC on ESPN 16 coverage will begin Saturday at 7:30 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 Treeese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treeese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treeese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treeese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treeese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen …

AT. THE. HORN. @CarlosCondit dropped Court McGee at the end of the first round at #UFCFightIsland4 pic.twitter.com/XR0UG1w11q

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 4, 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.

Even at 36, “The Natural Born Killer” retains some of his trademark killer instinct.

In the featured preliminary matchup of UFC on ESPN 16 on Saturday in Abu Dhabi, Carlos Condit overcame a slow start to take a hard-fought unanimous decision over Court McGee. A competitive first round seemed to be going the way of McGee, when a picture-perfect right hook from Condit dropped him at the bell, instantly bloodying his nose in the bargain. McGee managed to get up and return to his corner, but the momentum had turned: Condit won the final two rounds in straightforward fashion, as he seemed to be a step ahead of “The Ultimate Fighter” Sea…

RNC’s for The Strabanimal!@StrabanimalMMA gets another first round submission victory at #BellatorMilan! pic.twitter.com/ONtnB3Wjby

— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) October 3, 2020

After being rescheduled three times, the grudge match between James Gallagher and Callum Ellenor finally went down at Bellator Milan.

It took less than one round for "The Strabanimal" to overcome his opponent thanks to a vicious submission that ended the bitter rivalry in Saturday’s bantamweight headliner at Allianz Cloud in Milan, Italy. Gallagher (11-1) took his opponent on the canvas early in the fight and trapped him in a body lock. Once there, the Irish fighter took his time to expose his opponent's gaps in the grappling. Gallagher teased Ellenor (8-3) with a neck crank before sinking a deep rear-naked choke. "Cal Pacino" tapped at the 4:31 mark in the opening stanza. 

"Give me anyone, everyone, and a big bag of money, and I'll f…

No surprise here! @HollyHolm on weight at

#UFCFightIsland4 is on @ESPN and ESPN+ | #InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/TXyREqf0IS

— UFC (@ufc) October 2, 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. UFC on ESPN 16 is full steam ahead after every fighter on the card made weight.

The Ultiamte Fighting Championship returns to ESPN airwaves with a card from Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, this weekend. Headlining the event is a women’s bantamweight bout between former champion Holly Holm and rising contender Irene Aldana.

While Holm (13-5) has lost five times since dethroning Ronda Rousey with a sensational head kick, she remains a top contender having challenged for both the bantamweight and featherweight belts since then. “The Preacher’s Daughter” has won two of her last three having earned decisions over Megan Anderson an…

Askar Askar did not give Kevin Wirth a moment to breath.

Merciless forward pressure, hyperaggressive standup and effective grappling carried the former Hoosier Fight Club titleholder to a unanimous decision over Kevin Wirth in the Legacy Fighting Alliance 92 headliner on Friday at Hartman Arena in Wichita, Kansas. Askar (11-1, 2-0 LFA) swept the scorecards with 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 marks from the judges, as he rebounded from his Feb. 7 knockout loss to Saidyokub Kakhramonov.

Wirth (8-2, 2-2 LFA) spent almost the entire fight moving backward and playing defense. Askar floored him with an overhand right in the first round, opened a cut near his left eye in the second and paired his takedowns with ground-and-pound and positional control at various times in the fight. He tied a bow on his latest victory midway through Round 3, when he executed a high-amplitude takedown, settled in half guard and continued to pile up points with short punches and elbows.

In the three-roun…

With Alex Perez stepping in to face Deiveson Figueiredo, multiple sources tell me the UFC is now targeting Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval at #UFC255 in what has to be a number one contender fight. https://t.co/PFInRd6WQc

— Cole Shelton (@ColeShelton91) October 2, 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. An all-Brandon flyweight battle for the ages is coming to a Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view. Fresh off Alex Perez stepping out of his match with Brandon Moreno (17-5-1) to face Deiveson Figueiredo for the belt, the UFC has found a replacement, according to BJPenn.com on Friday. The promotion is looking to book Brandon Royval (12-4) against Moreno on UFC 255, which will be taking place on Nov. 21 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It has since been confirmed by other outlets. This will be the first match in UFC history pitting…

BREAKING: AlejandroPerez Vs Thomas Almeida out of next week card #UFCFightIsland5 https://t.co/Qmim6dStGJ

— C. Contreras Legaspi (@CCLegaspi) October 2, 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. COVID-19 has claimed another thrilling Ultimate Fighting Championship matchup. Mexican outlet Milenio first reported on Friday that Alejandro Perez (21-8-1) has been forced to withdraw from his bantamweight battle against Thomas Almeida (21-3) after testing positive for COVID-19. The two were set to square off at UFC Fight Night 179 on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Oct. 10. It is not clear if the promotion will elect to replace Perez or simply reschedule the match for a later date.

Perez was looking to snap a two-fight skid from 2019, where he dropped a decision to Cody Stamann and was later knocked out by Yadong Song. Th…

Per an @arielhelwani report, add UFC vet Brett Johns (17-2) to this list! Leaves UFC on a 2W streak. https://t.co/YwHEjJWe4s

— Michael Fiedel (@MichaelFiedel) October 2, 2020 Bellator MMA is making some big moves lately.

On Friday, the promotion sent out a press release to announce that it had signed Usman Nurmagomedov (11-0), the cousin of Ultimate Fighting Championship star Khabib Nurmagomedov. This signing of the lightweight joins several other recent high-profile acquisitions from the California-based organization. ESPN reported that several UFC vets have joined the ranks including Brett Johns (17-2), along with Rustam Khabilov (24-4) and featherweight Jeremy Kennedy (15-2, 1 NC).

Nurmagomedov has yet to taste defeat as a professional, much like his cousin. Across his 11 career bouts, the Dagestan native has finished 10 of his opponents within two rounds. Competing three times in 2020 with knockouts of Svyatoslav Shabanov, Jerry Kvar…

Ahah thank you brother, fuckin tore my bicep on Monday. Title shot in 2021.

— Cody Garbrandt (@Cody_Nolove) October 2, 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 November Ultimate Fighting Championship title fight has undergone a significant change. On Friday morning, Combate first reported that Cody Garbrandt (12-3) has been forced to pull out of his UFC 255 flyweight championship bout against Deiveson Figueiredo (19-1). A torn bicep the reason for Garbrandt’s withdrawal, although “No Love” confirmed his withdrawal and asked for a December date, the promotion elected to replace him. Facing Figueiredo will be Alex Perez (24-5), who was already booked on the card against Brandon Moreno.

Garbrandt snapped a three-fight knockout loss skid by laying waste to Raphael Assuncao in June with one punch. The former bantamweight champ began his…

View this post on Instagram

Weigh ins complete! I’m more then ready! Thank you to the sponsors that are behind me for this fight @pso_rite @phalanx_usa @compexusa @laddersport Friday I main event @lfafighting on @ufcfightpass make sure you tune in!

A post shared by Askar Askar (@akmma94) on Oct 1, 2020 at 3:04pm PDT

Phase three of the Legacy Fighting Alliance’s return is on track with every fighter making weight for the first fight card.

LFA 92 is headlined by a bantamweight bout between Kevin Wirth and Askar Askar. Looking to extend his three-fight win streak is Wirth (8-1). "Mr. Nice Guy" has gone 2-1 inside the promotion and most recently won a decision over Ryan Lilley. While he has five decision wins on his record, Wirth showed his finishing ability in his promotional debut as he knocked out Isaiah Gutierrez with a head kick and punches. The Colorado fighter had no issue making weight and officially came in at 134.…

Acclaimed British knockout artist Paul Daley is planning on taking one final Bellator MMA fight before he says goodbye to the sport.

On Thursday, Daley (41-17-2) posted an announcement on Instagram that his next fight will be his final bout, and that it will take place at a 175-pound catchweight. There is no date, location or opponent currently scheduled for the retirement match. Daley was originally booked to headline Bellator 247 on Oct. 1 in Milan, Italy, against Derek Anderson. On fight week, the boisterous Brit was hospitalized due to a bad weight cut.

“Forever a samurai,” Daley wrote on Instagram. “But soon we will put the blade to rest. After discussions and careful consideration with my family, it has been decided that my next fight @bellatormma will be my last. To be fought at a catch weight of 175lbs. Opponent and location to be confirmed. Health before Wealth, and NEVER COMPROMISE YOURSELF.”

Daley’s career has been littered with examples where the welt…

seconds was all it took!@BellatorKB champ @DeniseKielholtz gets the first-round KO!#Bellator247 pic.twitter.com/Cno0Ztcpl6

— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) October 1, 2020 Given the challenges that Bellator MMA had to overcome on fight week, it couldn’t have asked for a better start to the CBS Sports era.

Bellator 247 was unexpectedly headlined by a women’s flyweight clash between Denise Kielholtz (6-2) and Kate Jackson (11-5-1). Like in the spaghetti western films of old, the duel ended in less than one minute. After a few tense exchanges, Kielholtz landed a violent left hook that sent her opponent crashing face-first to the canvas. With ground-and-pound that could be viewed as unnecessary, Kielholtz followed up with several shots including one after the stoppage to draw the ire of referee Dan Miragliotta. The official end of the fight came in just 43 seconds.

“Every time I step in the cage, my plan works. It was amazing [to headline Bellator…