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. One way or another, Thomas Almeida will fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship shortly. MMA Junkie first broke the news on Thursday morning that Almeida (21-3) will be taking on Jonathan Martinez (12-3) at featherweight on UFC Fight Night 180 on Oct. 17. Almeida was originally booked against Alejandro Perez at UFC Fight Night 179 on Oct. 10, but a failed COVID-19 test for Perez scuttled the matchup. Although both Almeida and Martinez typically fight at 135 pounds, the short-notice nature of the pairing forced it to be contested at featherweight. Martinez has since confirmed the booking on his Instagram page.

Attempting to make his first appearance since UFC 220 in 2018, Almeida is looking to snap his first-ever losing streak. A massive 20-fight win streak to open his career came to a violent end when Cody Garbrandt kn…

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 few days after conflicting reports over a Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight matchup came out, a fight has materialized. One day after his dominant performance against Heili Alateng at UFC on ESPN 16, Casey Kenney (15-2-1) was rumored to have an upcoming fight booked against Nathaniel Wood (17-4). Both fighters denied that they had been offered the fight, but it soon came to fruition. The report first came from MMA H.E.A.T. Podcast on Sunday, and on Thursday, Kenney confirmed on his Instagram he would be facing Wood at UFC 254.

At UFC on ESPN 16, Kenney battered Alateng for 15 minutes with repeated vicious left kicks to the body and head to put himself on a two-fight win streak. Two appearances on Dana White's Contender Series did not lead to Kenney’s initial signing with the promotion, as he had to go win interim…

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 exciting welterweight clash in the Ultimate Fighting Championship has received an equally exciting replacement. On Wednesday night, AgFight first reported that Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (22-7) has been forced to withdraw from his bout against Shavkat Rakhmonov (12-0) at UFC 254. The two were set to collide on Oct. 24 at the Flash Forum in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, but Zaleski dos Santos pulled out due to an injury. He will be replaced by fellow countryman Alex Oliveira (22-8-1, 2 NC), and Rakhmonov has since confirmed the news on his Instagram.

Oliveira will be looking to extend his win streak to three with a short-notice opportunity against the unbeaten Rakhmonov. “Cowboy” has not won three consecutive bouts since a stretch in 2015 early in his UFC tenure. The thrilling Brazilian, who has competed both at…

Spoke with the legendary Georges St-Pierre and asked why he would want to step back into the UFC pressure cooker when he could be comfortably retired.

His reply: "Why step back in? But why NOT step back in? We only live once! So that's the question that I'm facing now." pic.twitter.com/IxYLhBE68O

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) October 7, 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. It seems that “Rush” might be considering fighting again, but only against one opponent.

On Feb. 21, 2019, Georges St. Pierre announced his official retirement from mixed martial arts at a press conference at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada. Since then, the former UFC champion decided to focus on his acting career, closing the door for a return in the Octagon.

In a recent interview with ESPN, St. Pierre confessed that he has "mixed feelin…

Nadia Kassem of Australia is now a free agent. | Photo: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

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. It seems that Dequan Townsend's adventure in the Ultimate Fighting Championship has come to an end, for now. The UFC has terminated Townsend's deal after his four-bout skid. MMA Fighting first reported the news.

Townsend (21-12) joined the UFC after winning the Warrior Xtreme Cagefighting middleweight and Total Warrior Combat light heavyweight titles. In his promotional debut, he was crushed by Dalcha Lungiambula at the 0:42 mark in the third stanza of their 205-pound encounter at UFC on ESPN 3. “The Tarantula” tried to improve his situation by dropping to the middleweight division, but he conceded a decision to Bevon Lewis at UFC Fight Night 166. He also lost to Devin Clark via decision in his light heavyweight return …

Belal Muhammad (left) and Sean Brady (not pictured) will compete on Dec. 19. | Photo: Chris Unger/Zuffa/Getty

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 upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship card will add a pivotal welterweight clash. On Wednesday morning, MMA Junkie reported that Belal Muhammad and Sean Brady would square off at an upcoming UFC Fight Night event that will go down on Dec. 19.

Muhammad (17-3) is currently riding a three-bout winning streak. In his latest Octagon appearance, "Remember The Name” upended Lyman Good thanks to a decision at UFC on ESPN 11 back in June. Prior, he submitted Takashi Sato via rear-naked choke in the third round of their UFC 242 encounter, taking home a performance of the night bonus. The Roufusport representative also edged Curtis Millender via unanimous decision at UFC 236.

A former Cage Fury Fighting …

On Thursday, Nov. 5 - it’s @Team_Manhoef vs. @CoreyA_MMA

Live on @CBSSportsNet pic.twitter.com/CVEloDON6s

— Scott Coker (@ScottCoker) October 7, 2020 The upcoming Bellator Paris card has just lost some of its most important protagonists.

Fans attending Bellator 248 won't see Dutch kickboxer Melvin Manhoef in action. On Wednesday morning, Dutch combat sports personality Santiago first reported that Manhoef is out of his light heavyweight clash with Simon Biyong (7-1). Sherdog independently confirmed the report.

Moments later, Bellator revealed that Manhoef would instead welcome Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Corey Anderson to the promotion on Nov. 5.

Anderson recently signed with the outfit after assembling a UFC record of 10-5. "Overtime" is Sherdog's No. 5-ranked light heavyweight.

After coming short of capturing Rafael Carvalho's 185-pound championship on back-to-back occasions, Manhoef (32-14-1, 1 NC) bounced…

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 featherweight clash pitting Jeremy Stephens against Arnold Allen is in the works for the UFC’s card on Nov. 7.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the matchup. The card is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a light heavyweigh tilt pitting Thiago Santos against Glover Teixiera.

Stephens is currently on a five-bout winless streak dating back to a first-round TKO loss against Jose Aldo at UFC on Fox 30 on July 28, 2018. In his last outing, “Lil Heathen” suffered a KO setback to Calvin Kattar at UFC 249. Before his current slump, Stephens was on a three-bout winning streak that included triumphs over Gilbert Melendez, Doo Ho Choi and Josh Emmett.

Allen, meanwhile, has won his first seven UFC appearances and nine in a row overall. The Cage Warriors veteran kicked off his 2020 cam…

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 UFC on ESPN 16 main card averaged 1.097 million viewers on Saturday night, according to ShowBuzz Daily.

That’s the second-highest figure for a UFC on ESPN card in 2020 behind only UFC on ESPN 8, which attracted an audience of 1.198 million viewers for a card headlined by Alistair Overeem vs. Walt Harris on May 16.

The ratings were likely bolstered by the presence of ex-bantamweight queen Holly Holm, who took a five-round verdict over Irene Aldana in the evening’s main event. Holm has been one of the promotion’s top female stars ever since she knocked out then champion Ronda Rousey in 2015.

The main card was also simulcast on ESPN+, while the UFC on ESPN 16 prelims streamed in their entirety on ESPN+. The card ranks No. 3 overall among all UFC on ESPN cards since the promotion began its partnership with the…

A lightweight clash between Nick Newell andt Zach Zane that was initially a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic has been rebooked for Bellator 250.

Sherdog.com confirmed the matchup with a promotion official on Tuesday following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. Newell and Zane were initially slated to meet at Bellator 241 before the event was canceled due to coronavirus concerns.

Bellator 250 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut on Oct. 29 and is headlined by a middleweight title clash between Gegard Mousasi and Douglas Lima. The main card will be televised on CBS Sports Network following prelims on Bellator’s YouTube channel. Newell vs. Zane is expected to take place on the prelims.

Newell is 1-1 in Bellator after previous appearances with WSOF, LFA, Dana White’s Contender Series and XFC. Most recently, the 34-year-old dropped a split verdict to Luis Muro at Bellator 232.

Also an alum of the Contender Series, Zane outpointed Nainoa…

Even with its 2020 season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Professional Fighters League is still looking to improve its roster.

The promotion on Tuesday announced eight new signings, including 15-time UFC veteran Cezar Ferreira (middleweight). The other additions include: “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil” 3 cast member Joilton Lutterbach (lightweight), UFC and WSOF veteran Sheymon Moraes (featherweight), ex-KOK champ Hatef Moeil (heavyweight), one-time UFC competitor Sung Bin Jo (featherweight), LFA veteran and Team Nogueira product Renan Ferreira (heavyweight), ex-Cage Warriors title challenger Marthin Hamlet (light heavyweight) and three-promotion regional champ Brandon Sayles (heavyweight).

Cezar “Mutante” is the most notable of the signings, with a 9-6 UFC mark that included victories over the likes of Nate Marquardt, Jack Hermansson, Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos during his promotional tenure.

“We are extremely excited to welcome a diverse group of wor…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DUPdId0aKo&w=560&h=315]

Legacy Fighting Alliance lightweight champion Bryce Logan has inked a multi-fight contract with Bellator MMA.

Sherdog.com confirmed the signing with a promotion official after Logan’s management team announced the news on social media. Logan is the latest in a slew of LFA title holders to sign with the California-based promotion, joining the likes of light heavyweight champion Alex Polizzi, featherweight king Justin Gonzales and welterweight ruler Jaleel Willis on the Bellator roster.

According to his management, Logan will make his second Bellator appearance on Nov. 5. He previously appeared at Bellator 204 in August 2018, falling to Damarques Jackson via split decision.

Logan rejoins Bellator after winning three consecutive bouts in LFA. Most recently, outpointed Jacob Rosales over five rounds to capture lightweight gold at LFA 87 on July 31. The Power MMA team representative is 12-4 as a profess…