Martial Arts News

One: A New Breed 2 confirmed once more that Thailand is the queen when it comes to striking sports.

In the main event, Pongsiri PK.Saenchaimuaythaigym took on Sean Clancy in a muay Thai contest in One's bantamweight division. Pongsiri carved up his opponent with his surgical striking as soon as the fight started and punished his opponent for all three rounds. In Round 2, the Thai fighter sent his opponent crashing to the canvas with a vicious elbow, but Clancy managed to recover in time and survive to reach the end of the round and eventually go the distance. At the end of the battle, all three judges rewarded Pongsiri with a unanimous decision victory.

The co-headlining match featured a kickboxing clash between Superlek Kiatmoo9 and Fahdi Khaled in the One flyweight division. Many predicted a flawless victory for Superlek, but much to everyone's surprise, Khaled took it to his veteran opponent. “The Kicking Machine” made the most of his years of experience and topped…

Bellator will hold an event in Paris, France on Oct. 10, multiple sources say.

This will mark the first major MMA event ever in France. MMA was finally recognized as a legal sport in France earlier this year.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 11, 2020 Dazn is the exclusive streaming partner of Bellator MMA. You can sign up here and live stream 100+ fight nights a year. Editor's note: The article has been updated at 11:50 a.m. on Sept. 11 to reflect additional information released by the organization.

Bellator MMA is blazing a new path never traveled by any major MMA promotion.

On Thursday night, ESPN announced that the organization based out of California would be putting on a card on Oct. 10. The card now has two fights scheduled: Cheick Kongo (30-10-2, 1 NC) against Tim Johnson (14-6) at heavyweight, and Michael Page (17-1) taking on Ross Houston (8-0, 1 NC) in the welterweight division. The card is scheduled to take pla…

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Next month's highly-anticipated Dustin Poirier vs. Tony Ferguson fight isn't in the works anymore, according to Poirier.

"UFC and I didn't come to terms," Poirier told ESPN. "I will not be fighting on Oct. 24."

Poirier will return home to Lafayette next week.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 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. The Ultimate Fighting Championship lost a fight that was never officially announced but fans strongly desired.

On Thursday, ESPN reported that the speculated lightweight affair between Dustin Poirier (26-6, 1 NC) and Tony Ferguson (25-4) will not be going down on UFC 254 like some had hoped. Although never on the books, UFC President Dana White hinted at the pairing, while admitting at the time that agreements were not yet in place. The match was considered to be hel…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuRThj1Yd20&w=560&h=315] Two red-hot European prospects are clashing in the last installment of the Brave Combat Federation “Kombat Kingdom” series.

Sherdog has learned from a person with knowledge of the situation that highly touted prospect Muhammad Mokaev (2-0) has found an opponent for Brave CF 43. At bantamweight, he will lock horns with fellow unbeaten Jamie Kelly (3-0), and they will be competing on Oct. 1 in Bahrain. The source asked for anonymity since the news isn’t official yet.

Mokaev turned pro after 23 consecutive amateur victories. “The Punisher” didn’t disappoint in his professional debut by taking home an impressive unanimous decision victory over Glenn McVeigh at Brave CF 37. A few days later, he overcame Hayden Sheriff with ease with a first-round TKO victory in the main event of Celtic Gladiator 27. Kelly will be the first man the young prospect has faced as a pro that has won a match, with his two prior opp…

My UFC career just keeps getting more interesting every fight lol

— Brok Weaver UFC (@BWeaverufc) September 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. The upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship card this weekend has experienced a few sudden changes to its lineup. On Wednesday night, Brok Weaver (15-5) posted on Twitter that his opponent has changed and that he will no longer be meeting Frank Camacho. BJPenn.com reported on Thursday morning that in Camacho’s stead – who is withdrawing due to a positive COVID-19 test, per MMA Fighting – will be Jalin Turner (9-5), who saw a matchup fall through on fight day last week when Thiago Moises tested positive for COVID-19. The two will be squaring off at a 165-pound catchweight at UFC Fight Night 177, which takes place on Sept. 12 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Weaver is looking to bounce b…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IV2tqTc9vM&w=560&h=315] Join DAZN free for 30 days and live-stream fight night anywhere!

Making weight was not just a formality ahead of the first card of Bellator MMA’s final Paramount Network doubleheader.

Bellator 245 goes down on Sept. 11 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Sitting atop the card is a light heavyweight rematch between Phil Davis (21-5, 1 NC) and Lyoto Machida (26-9), where the two top contenders will run back their 2013 match that saw Davis emerge with a contentious decision win in what was then a contender for Sherdog’s 2013 “Robbery of the Year.”

Since dropping a split verdict to current champ Vadim Nemkov in November 2018, Davis has been on a run that has seen him prevail by back-to-back third-round knockout wins. “Mr. Wonderful” smashed Liam McGeary’s jaw in April 2019, and then followed that performance by battering Karl Albrektsson in October. The career light heavyweight had no issue maki…

RELENTLESS!!

@KChimaev with ANOTHER absolutely dominant performance at #UFCFightIsland3! #InAbuDhabi @VisitAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/Pgz10oUYFe

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) July 26, 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. Khamzat Chimaev is currently one of the hottest young talents in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, but the promotion’s plan of double booking the prospect seems presumptuous to say the least.

That’s how Chimaev’s first opponent, Gerald Meerschaert sees it. Chimaev and Meerschaert are slated to meet at UFC Fight Night 178 on Sept. 19. The Allstars Training Center representative is then expected to square off against jiu-jitsu ace Demian Maia at an event later this year.

“It’s disrespect. He’s got to get through me,” Meerschaert recently told ESPN. “I’m tied for the record for most submissions in the middleweig…

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.

Alistair Overeem’s clinch work and ground-and-pound took their toll on Augusto Sakai over the course of their UFC Fight Night 176 headliner last weekend.

In a recent interview with Ag Fight, the Brazilian heavyweight revealed that he suffered multiple rib injuries during the fight as a result of Overeem’s onslaught. Those injuries ultimately made it difficult for Sakai to remain upright, and he succumbed to the Dutchman via fifth-round TKO at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

“In the second round, I was hit with a knee that dislocated two of my ribs,” Sakai said. "When he took me down, he hit me with an elbow that broke two more. So I was without four ribs, so to speak. That got in the way a lot. I could not defend takedowns.”

Sakai did well on the feet through the opening 10 minutes, but momentum shifted after Overee…

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 rumblings regarding a Nick Diaz comeback don’t mean a whole lot to UFC president Dana White, who’s had a consistent stream of on-and-off discussions with the former welterweight title challenger.

“There’s been talking, but there’s been talking for years,” White said following the Contender Series on Tuesday.

Earlier this week, Diaz’s manager, Kevin Mubenga, informed ESPN that the fighter recently completed a 14-week training regimen and weight cut in preparation for a 2021 return to the Octagon.

This is Nick Diaz earlier today. He weighs in the 175-165 pound range, per his manager Kevin Mubenga.He just completed a 14-week diet and training regimen. This is the first time he cuts weight in approximately four years, Mubenga said. Diaz wanted to do a test cut because ... pic.twitter.com/5A8…

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 on Tuesday invited a few violent men to join its ranks, as Aliaskhab Khizriev, Tafon Nchukwi, Phil Hawes and Drako Rodriguez were awarded contracts on Week 6 of Dana White’s Contender Series at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Khizriev (13-0) dispatched former Heat champion Henrique Shiguemoto with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their brief middleweight pairing. Shiguemoto (13-4-1) conceded defeat 50 seconds into Round 1, the victim in the second-fastest submission in DWCS history.

After a brief exchange on the feet, Khizriev scrambled into the rear waistlock position, executed a takedown and almost immediately transitioned to the back. He set his hooks, flattened out his counterpart and cinched the choke for the sixth sub-minute stoppage of his career.

The loss was Shiguemoto’s firs…

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 DWCS 2020 Week 6 coverage kicks off Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Br…

“The Ultimate Fighter 28” winner Juan Francisco Espino Dieppa will return to action for the first time since winning the reality show when he faces Jeff Hughes at UFC 253.

Espino confirmed the heavyweight pairing on social media Tuesday. UFC 253 takes place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and is headlined by a middleweight championship tilt between Israel Adesanya and Paulo Henrique Costa.

Espino last appeared at the “TUF 28” finale, where he submitted Justin Frazier in the opening stanza. The 39-year-old Spainard is 9-1 as a professional, with his only setback coming against former Bellator champ Vitaly Minakov in April 2011.

After earning a contract on Season 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series, Hughes is still looking for his first UFC triumph. The Strong Style Fight Team has lost decisions to Raphael Pessoa and Maurice Greene while a showdown with Todd Duffee ended in a no contest due to an accidental eye poke. “Lights Out” is 10-3 as a professional overall.