Martial Arts News

Michel Pereira has grown in stature with Brazilian fans following his impressive submission win over Zelim Imadaev at UFC Fight Night 176 on Sept. 5. The scene of Pereira kissing his own hand before slapping Imadaev with it was shown across most of the well-known news channels in Brazil and sent laughter rippling across his homeland.

Pereira’s dominant showing was also recognized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship—and not just in the form of a $50,000 performance bonus. According to “Demolidor,” UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby contacted his manager immediately after the bout.

“Mr. Shelby asked him when I would be ready for my next fight,” Pereira said. “I would love to fight again by November.”

Pereira pointed to a hypothetical pairing with Jorge Masvidal in the immediate aftermath of his latest victory, but he admits there are a number of potential opponents who interest him.

“I don’t know my division’s rankings well,” he said. “To tell you the truth, my main go…

Two fighters are making their Octagon return after nearly a two-year hiatus.

According to Brazil's Combate, Jessin Ayari and Luigi Vendramini will clash in the lightweight division on the upcoming Oct. 3 UFC on ESPN 16 card.

Ayari (16-5) is looking to rebound after back-to-back defeats. His latest Octagon appearance dates back to October 2018, when he dropped a decision in front of Steven Ray at UFC Fight Night 138. Prior, he also lost via decision to former welterweight championship contender Darren Till. So far, the only victory of “Abacus” under the UFC banner came when he edged Jim Wallhead in their UFC Fight Night 93 encounter back in 2016.

Vendramini (8-1) has yet to score his first UFC victory. “The Italian Stallion” made his promotional debut when he stepped up to face Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos after Belal Muhammad dropped out of their scheduled bout at UFC Fight Night 137. That night, Vendramini suffered a second-round TKO.

UFC on ESPN 16 will go…

Per @arielhelwani, UFC is the front-runner to sign free agent Michael Chandler, who has "been discussed" as a potential opponent for Tony Ferguson. pic.twitter.com/LBved7TTL1

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 16, 2020

All signs lead to the Ultimate Fighting Championship being the front-runner to sign “Iron.”

ESPN reported Wednesday that the UFC is in “advanced talks” with former Bellator MMA lightweight king Michael Chandler, although the deal is yet to be finalized. “Iron” is one of the few top lightweight contenders who has yet to step into the Octagon.

Chandler (21-5) has spent most of his career under the Bellator MMA banner, where he managed to capture 155-pound championship three times. The third championship arrived at the end of the back-and-forth Bellator 212 battle that ended with the former collegiate wrestler edging his long-time rival Brent Primus. In his next match, Chandler lost his belt to Patricio Freire via first-round …

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— RIZIN FF OFFICIAL (@rizin_PR) September 15, 2020

The upcoming Rizin 24 card has gained two intriguing matchups.

Rizin Fighting Federation announced Tuesday that Kai Asakura is fighting Shoji Maruyama in a bantamweight non-title match and Rena Kubota is clashing with Emi Tomimatsu in a women’s strawweight showdown.

Asakura (15-2) made a name for himself after scoring a highlight-reel first-round KO victory against former Rizin and Bellator MMA 135-pound champion Kyoji Horiguchi in their non-title encounter that went down at Rizin 18. Shortly after, Asakura smashed UFC vet Ulka Sasaki in the first-round at Rizin 19. He then managed to win the divisional championship against Hiromasa Ougikubo at Rizin 23, after failing …

Sunday work at the garage! @TatamiFightwear @Sanabul pic.twitter.com/KwIEfrQIDG

— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) September 13, 2020

Gilbert Burns will face Kamaru Usman for the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight crown at UFC 256 on Dec. 12, so it was something of a surprise when the champion paid a recent visit to the challenger’s camp. According to Brazilian outlet Combate.com, Usman showed up at a Sanford MMA training session on Sept. 14.

“The Nigerian Nightmare” was once part of the Sanford MMA team but elected to move to Elevation Fight Team in Colorado in June. While Usman’s visit was celebrated by some of his former stablemates, Burns considered it a “psychological test” from the champion.

“I think he wanted to intimidate me, but somehow, I had a feeling that he was going to show up, so it was not a big surprise to me,” Burns said. “I went there and talked to him: ‘How are you? Everything fine?’ He a…

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. Jordan Williams removed all doubt about whether or not he was major league-ready. The Nor-Cal Fighting Alliance rep wiped out Gregory Rodrigues with punches in the first round of their middleweight showcase during Week 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Rodrigues (7-3) melted 2:19 into Round 1, closing the book on his six-fight winning streak.

Williams (8-3) made the most of his third DWCS invite. He walked through a sweeping right hand and a glancing head kick, backed the Brazilian to the fence and staggered him with a counter left hook. Seeing Rodrigues’ knees buckle, he then flurried with punches against the cage and kept throwing until the job was done.

The 29-year-old Williams, a Type 1 diabetic, was one of three competitors awarded contracts by the Ultimate Fighting Champion…

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 7 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 Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Keith Shillan scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Keith Shillan scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Keith Shillan scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Keith Shillan scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Keith Shillan scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Keith Shillan scores t…

Saturday's Ultimate Fighting Championship event suffered another change.

AG Fight is reporting that Miguel Baeza isn't locking horns with Mickey Gall at the upcoming UFC Fight Night 178 event after Gall pulled out of the scheduled contest due to an undisclosed injury. Instead, Baeza will clash with UFC newcomer Jeremiah Wells.

Baeza, 9-0, a Dana White’s Contender Series alum earned his UFC contract after edging Victor Reyna back in June 2019. After joining the big leagues, he scored two second-round TKO victories at the expense of Hector Aldana at UFC Fight Night 161 and Matt Brown UFC on ESPN 8.

Former Cage Fury Fighting Championships champion Wells (8-2-1) is making his first Octagon walkout by riding a two-streak bout. In his latest cage appearance, he submitted Marco Smallman via rear-naked choke in the second stanza of their CFFC 78 championship encounter. Wells also captured the Classic Entertainment and Sports MMA belt when he overcame Jason Norwood…

Thiago Santos' return to action has been postponed.

A light heavyweight clash targeted for Oct. 3 will not proceed as planned. According to a report by Combate, Santos is out of his scheduled fight against Glover Teixeira at UFC on ESPN 16. “Marreta” allegedly tested positive for COVID-19 and he won't be able to travel to Yas Island.

Santos (21-7) was supposed to make his long-awaited return after a hiatus that lasted more than a year. The last time he competed, he challenged former divisional kingpin Jon Jones at UFC 239. “Bones” emerged victorious via split decision after a back-and-forth battle, but “Marreta” fought to the bitter end. That loss snapped Santos’ four-bout winning streak that included victories over Jan Blachowicz and Jimi Manuwa.

UFC vet Teixeira (31-7) is currently living experiencing a resurgence. After dropping a decision in front of Corey Anderson back at UFC Fight Night 134, the former 205-pound title contender scored a series of three straight v…

Daniel Cormier says he discovered something was off with him thanks to a smart ring device.

COVID-19 impacted DC’s life this summer. In a recent interview with Yahoo Sports, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship two-division king revealed that he started to guess something was wrong midway through his training camp for UFC 252. On July 1, one of Cormier's teammates tested positive for the virus. Even though the tests of Cormier -- who immediately wanted to make sure he had not been infected -- came back negative a few days later, he began to feel symptoms by the end of that week.

“But over the weekend, I started feeling a little sick,” Cormier said. “Things weren't exactly ... well, let me put it this way: I wasn't sick, but I got a little tired and peaked. Monday comes, I go to practice and I spar and I worked out three times. I felt OK, but I was a little bit tired is, I guess, how I would put it.”

The constant fatigue summed up with an unusually high resting h…

It appears that the second fight of “Moicano” in the 155-pound division will have to wait.

According to a report by Ag Fight, Renato Carneiro is unable to leave the United States and won't compete against Magomed Mustafaev on Oct. 17. The UFC is currently looking to reschedule the fight for later this year.

In his latest appearance, Carneiro (14-3-1) scored an impressive first-round submission of Damir Hadzovic back in March. The UFC Fight Night 170 encounter also marked the debut of "Moicano" in the lightweight division after a stint at 145 that ended with a 5-3 record, including victories against Cub Swanson and Calvin Kattar.

Mustafaev (14-3) is also looking to bounce back after dropping a decision to Brad Riddell at UFC Fight Night 168.

The upcoming UFC Fight Island event is taking place in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 17. The main event will feature a featherweight clash between Brian Ortega and Chan Sung Jung, better known as “The Korean Zombie.” The card will…

It seems that one of the protagonists of Saturday’s Ultimate Fighting Championship event is out.

Fans will have to wait to see the clash between Luiz Eduardo Garagorri and Mirsad Bektic. According to a report by MMA Fighting, a test of someone from Garagorri's team tested positive for COVID-19 and the Uruguayan fighter was forced to pull out. The UFC is currently looking for a new opponent for Bektic.

Garagorri (13-1) made his promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 156, where he edged Humberto Bandenay via decision. In his subsequent cage appearance, he got submitted by Ricardo Ramos at the 3:57 mark of the first stanza at their UFC Fight Night 164 encounter, losing for the first time in his professional career.

Bektic (13-3) is looking to bounce back after a couple of unsuccessful battles. The last time he competed, he dropped a decision to Dan Ige at UFC 247. Prior, he lost to Josh Emmett via first-round TKO at UFC Fight Night 155. Bektic's latest victory date…