Martial Arts News

A light heavyweight clash pitting Misha Cirkunov against Ryan Spann has been added to the lineup for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s event on Dec. 19.

MMA DNA was first to report the book. UFC Fight Night takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight tilt between Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev.

Cirkunov will compete for the first time in 2020 after going 1-1 in the Octagon last year. Cirkunov rebounded from a 38-second TKO loss to Johnny Walker at UFC 235 with a first-round submission of Jimmy Crute at UFC Fight Night 158 in September 2019. The 33-year-old Latvian is 6-3 during his UFC tenure and 15-5 as a professional overall.

After earning a UFC contract on Season 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series, Spann was victorious in his first four Octagon appearances. That streak came to an end at UFC Fight Night 178 in September, when he was knocked out in the first round by Walker. The 29-year-old Fortis MMA product owns an 18-6 ca…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW5Pl7vzFnw&w=560&h=315]

Donald Cerrone knows that his mixed martial arts career is coming to a close, but “Cowboy” would prefer to go out on his terms.

The 36-time Octagon veteran is winless in his last five UFC appearances. After his last bout, a majority draw with Niko Price at UFC Fight Night 178 on Sept. 19, Dana White suggested it was time to have a conversation with Cerrone about retirement.

“For him tonight, the win for him tonight, he was on his way out in the first 30 seconds of the first round,” White said at the card’s post-fight press conference. “He fought back, he’s tough, he’s durable. I love ‘Cowboy,’ and I know this is going to f—ing crush him and break his heart, but it’s time to have a conversation with him.”

Cerrone dismissed the notion at the time but more recently, the BMF Ranch founder acknowledged that his career does have a shelf life.

“This is the last run,” Cerrone said in a video posted …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZZYaULbC2U&w=560&h=315]

Darrion Caldwell and A.J. McKee are ready to vie for a berth in the championship round of Bellator MMA’s featherweight grand prix.

Both Caldwell and McKee made weight without issue on Wednesday ahead of their headlining clash at Bellator 253. Caldwell tipped the scales at 144.7 pounds for the five-round bout, while McKee checked in at 144.8. The Caldwell-McKee winner will eventually square off against the winner of the Patricio Freire-Emmanuel Sanchez bout in the finals of the tournament with 145-pound gold on the line.

Bellator 253 takes place on Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut and will also see Benson Henderson (170) make his return to welterweight against Jason Jackson (170) in the co-main event. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network and Dazn at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, while the prelims stream on Bellator’s YouTube channel and Dazn at 4:15 p.m. ET/1:15 p.m. PT.

Caldwell,…

It appears that Jesse Ronson could be spending a significant amount of time on the sideline after failing a USADA drug test.

The UFC welterweight announced the news in a post on his Facebook page. Ronson says he tested positive for the anabolic steroid Metandienone, which is also known as Dianabol.

“It is with great surprise, and sadness that I have to inform you that I have received a suspension from USADA for the detection of a banned substance in my sample provided to them during an out of competition test,” Ronson wrote. “This has turned my world upside down as it’s a 20-month suspension. I haven’t slept much and have been sick to my stomach as I would never knowingly or purposely take a banned substance.”

Ronson added that he spent $1,000 to have a supplement sent to a testing facility, but it came back clean. The fighter added that he was unable to provide USADA with any of his other supplements that might have been tainted.

“USADA has been working w…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 255 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. J.P. Buys, Gloria de Paula, Tucker Lutz and Victoria Leonardo punched their tickets to the Ultimate Fighting Championship during the Season 4 finale of Dana White’s Contender Series on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The season concludes with 37 new UFC recruits, some of whom have already touched down inside the Octagon. Buys (9-2) joined his wife Cheyanne on the UFC roster with his controversial technical submission of Jacob Silva in the first round of their flyweight showcase. With Silva stuck in a guillotine choke near the base of the fence, referee Marc Goddard intervened 4:54 into Round 1 despite the fact that there was neither a tapout nor concrete proof that the former Fury Fighting Championship titleholder had lost consciousness. Nevertheless, the stoppage was called, with Silva (6-4) immediately leaping to his feet …

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 255 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Sherdog's live DWCS 2020 Week 10 coverage kicks off Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. Round 1 The flyweights touch gloves and we’re underway for the opening bout of the night. Hackett lands a delayed front kick, a leg kick and another front kick to the face before Leonardo forces the clinch. Hackett is able to separate and they’re back in the center of the cage, where Hackett lands a heavy leg kick. Hackett goes high with a kick, but Leonardo blocks it. Moments later, Hackett connects with a punching combination, but Leonardo closes the distance and trips her foe to the mat. Leonardo is in top position near the fence, sitting in half guard. Leonardo stays busy, landing periodic left hands to the face. Hackett works her way up and eats a knee. Leonardo …

Paul Felder is facing a potentially lengthy layoff following his loss to Rafael dos Anjos in the UFC Fight Night 182 headliner.

mixedmartialarts.com obtained a full list of medical suspensions from the event, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday. Felder must have an X-ray or MRI on his right elbow and doctor clearance or he will be sidelined until May 14. At a minimum, “The Irish Dragon” is suspended until Jan. 14 with no contact until Dec. 30.

Dos Anjos, who defeated Felder by split decision in his lightweight return, is suspended until Dec. 15 with no contact until Dec. 6.

Three other fighters from UFC Fight Night 182 are facing potential six-month suspensions: Cory McKenna (left ankle sprain), Alex Morono (right knee) and Roque Martinez (left knee).

UFC Fight Night 182 Medical Suspensions:

Rafael dos Anjos: suspended until 12/15/20 ;No contact until 12/06/20 for hard fight

Paul Felder: must have X-Ray or MRI of rig…

A flyweight bout pitting Maycee Barber against Alexa Grasso has been confirmed for UFC 258.

The promotion announced the matchup on Tuesday. UFC 258 takes place on Feb. 13 and is also expected to include a middleweight rematch between Chris Weidman and Uriah Hall. A location for the event was not revealed.

Barber hasn’t competed since UFC 246 in January, when she injured her knee in a unanimous decision loss to Roxanne Modafferi on Jan. 18. Prior to that, the Dana White’s Contender Series alum began her promotional tenure with TKO triumphs against Hannah Cifers, J.J. Aldricha and Gillian Robertson.

Grasso, meanwhile, made a successful 125-pound debut at UFC Fight Night 175, where she took a unanimous decision over Ji Yeon Kim at UFC Fight Night 175 on Aug. 29. The 27-year-old Lobo Gym MMA representative went 3-3 as a strawweight, earning notable wins against the likes of Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Randa Markos.

An intriguing featherweight clash will serve as the main event for UFC Fight Night on Jan. 16 when ex-champ Max Holloway locks horns with Calvin Kattar.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the booking on Tuesday. A location for the event was not revealed.

Holloway is coming off back-to-back five-round losses to current 145-pound champ Alexander Volkanovski. The second of those, a split-decision setback at UFC 251, was a controversial verdict in the eyes of more than a few observers. The 28-year-old Hawaiian went undefeated in 13 UFC appearances from 2014 to 2018, a run that included a reign as the organization’s featherweight champion. “Blessed” successfully defended the crown three times before relinquishing it to Volkanovski at UFC 245.

Kattar has been trending upward with victories in four of his last five Octagon appearances. The 32-year-old known as “The Boston Finisher” went 2-0 in 2020, knocking out Jeremy Stephens at UFC 249 before outpointing Dan Ig…

Considered by some as the best featherweight fighter in mixed martial arts today, Patricio Freire had no trouble getting past Pedro Carvalho in the quarterfinals of the 145-pound grand prix at Bellator 252 last Thursday.

After yet another impressive performance, which ended via knockout in the first round, the Brazilian champion advanced to the semifinals of the bracket. In addition to claiming the featherweight belt, the eventual winner of the tournament will emerge with a $1 million prize.

“I have told him, in our first face off in March, that I would need two minutes to beat him. Once the fight lasted two minutes and 10 seconds, I have to admit that I failed,” said Freire, who is also the promotion’s lightweight champion. “Jokes aside, Pedro is definitely a tough fighter. I was prepared for a war, but everything ended up pretty much how my team planned.”

In the semifinals of the grand prix, Freire will rematch Emmanuel Sanchez. In their first encounter two ye…

More than a decade after their first meeting, Chris Weidman and Uriah Hall are going to run it back.

According to ESPN, Weidman and Hall have verbally agreed to square off at UFC 258 on Feb. 13. The Las Vegas-based promotion has not formally announced the bout or a location for the event.

Weidman defeated Hall by technical knockout in the first round at Ring of Combat 31 on Sept. 24, 2010, part of a 13-bout unbeaten streak by “The All-American” to begin his professional MMA career. The 36-year-old Serra-Longo Fight Team representative returned to action after nearly a year away at UFC Fight Night 174, where he captured a unanimous decision triumph against Omari Akhmedov on Aug. 8. Prior to that, the former middleweight champion had lost five of his previous six Octagon appearances — all by knockout or technical knockout.

Hall, meanwhile, is riding the momentum of the second three-fight winning streak of his UFC tenure. The Fortis MMA product is coming off a four…

Bellator MMA has signed undefeated Tajikistan native Khurshed Kakhorov to an exclusive, multi-fight deal.

The California-based promotion confirmed the signing following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. Kakhorov is expected to compete in Bellator’s bantamweight division, but a date for his debut is not known.

Kakhorov is based in Germany and also trains with the SBG Ireland camp. He has compiled a 6-0 record as a professional, with all but one of his triumphs coming under the German MMA Championship banner. Kakhorov has finished five of his six wins by knockout or technical knockout.

Brutal KO by Khurshed Kakhorov. Downward elbow followed by an uppercut. Kakhorov improves his record to 5-0. #GMC18 pic.twitter.com/asU71bhlWM

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) February 2, 2019

Most recently, Kakhorov defeated Patryk Chrobak by second-round TKO at European Fight Masters 4 to capture the organization’s bantamweight crown.