Martial Arts News

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The main card for UFC on ESPN 15 attracted an average audience of 869,000 to the Worldwide Leader, according to ShowBuzz Daily.

That is the 10th best figure among 15 UFC on ESPN cards. Still, the ratings are solid considering that the event lacked star power outside of a bantamweight headliner between Frankie Edgar and Pedro Munhoz.

UFC on ESPN 15 also drew a 0.32 rating in the 18-to-49-year-old demographic, which placed it fourth in cable ratings for Saturday. NBA playoff games took all the top three spots, with a matchup between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder earning the largest audience at 1.757 million.

UFC on ESPN 15 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday and saw Edgar edge Munhoz via split decision over five rounds. The preliminary card streamed on ESPN+, and ratings for that s…

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Featherweight Vince Murdock has been granted a six-month reduction in what was originally a 20-month sanction after USADA found a “decreased degree of fault” in his anti-doping violation.

Murdock was initially suspended in September 2019 after testing positive for GW1516 metabolites in an out-of-competition urine sample. The fighter did not admit the use of the banned substance in his declaration form but did come forward before entering the USADA program.

“Recently, Murdock submitted new medical records regarding his diagnosis and treatment of Moyamoya, a rare neurological condition that can impact memory and cognition,” a USADA statement read. “These records allowed USADA to reevaluate Murdock’s degree of fault for his positive test and determine that it was appropriate to reduce his sanction from 20 months to 14 mo…

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Renato Carneiro will make his second lightweight appearance against Magomed Mustafaev at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Oct. 17.

Combate was first to report the 155-pound booking. The Fight Night card will be headlined by a featherweight showdown between Chan Sung Jung and Brian Ortega. A location has not been announced, but it will likely be held on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

Carneiro made his lightweight debut at UFC Fight Night 170 in March, when he submitted Damir Hadzovic in 44 seconds. “Moicano’s” move from featherweight to 155 pounds came on the heels of back-to-back losses at the hands of Jung and Jose Aldo.

Mustafaev has lost two of his last three Octagon appearances, including a split-decision setback against Brad Riddell at UFC Fight Night 168 on Feb. 23. The 32-year-old Russian in 3-2 in U…

Sherdog.com

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 home base will receive a significant new addition in the coming months. UFC president Dana White revealed following the Contender Series on Tuesday that the promotion is planning to build a hotel designed specifically for fighters at its growing campus in Las Vegas.

“The Apex has been incredible,” White said. “What we’ve been able to do during this thing has been unbelievable. I don’t even know if you guys know this but I’ll f—-in tell you anyway, we just bought another 10 acres. We’ll probably start building again next year.

“We’re gonna build our own hotel,” White added. “Then we’ll be completely self-sufficient. Obviously with what’s going on right now, having our own hotel would pay for itself quickly.”

The hotel will complement an area that already incl…

Troubled former mixed martial artist Jason Miller was arrested in California after being charged with multiple felonies, according to a report from Fox 11 Los Angeles.

The former UFC talent known as “Mayhem” pleaded not guilty to felony counts of first-degree burglary, unlawful taking of a vehicle and grand theft auto in court on Tuesday. The 39-year-old will be held without bail until a pretrial hearing on Sept. 2. According to Irvine Police Sgt. Karie Davies, Miller knew his victim, who was not identified in the report.

Miller, who was initially arrested at 6:24 p.m. local time this past Friday, was already on probation after pleading guilty to felony vandalism for smashing a large marble table, punching holes in and removing doors and derailing the garage door at his girlfriend’s residence.

Miller has had several altercations with law enforcement in recent years, including a 2014 incident in which he barricaded himself inside his house when police arrived to…

The semifinals of a welterweight grand prix will take place at Elite MMA Championship 5 on Sept. 5.

The promotion announced Wednesday that Ismail Naurdiev, Amiran Gogoladze, Pavel Kusch and Tymoteusz Lopaczyk will take part in the 170-pound bracket. The semifinals will go down on Sept. 5, and the winners will square off for the vacant welterweight crown at EMC 6 later this year.

EMC 5 will be held in Dusseldorf, Germany, and is headlined by a heavyweight championship clash between Satoshi Ishii and Stuart Austin.

Austria’s Naurdiev is a four-time UFC veteran who went 2-2 during his stint with the Las Vegas-based promotion. The 24-year-old has compiled a 19-4 professional mark and owns wins over Siyar Bahadurzada, Michel Prazeres and Ben Alloway.

Gogoladze is a 22-year-old prospect hailing from Akhaltsikhe, Georgia. The M-1 Challenge veteran has been victorious in 10 of his 11 professional appearances.

A native of Ukraine, Kusch is coming off a three-bout s…

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 once again bolstered its ranks through Dana White’s Contender Series. Middleweights Jamie Pickett and Collin Huckbody, flyweight Jeff Molina and featherweight Rafael Alves were all signed by the promotion after they emerged victorious on Week 4 of DWCS on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Sixteen fighters have been granted entry to the UFC since the season started less than a month ago.

In his third appearance on the Contender Series, Pickett cut down Ring of Combat champion Jhonoven Pati with punches in the second round of their middleweight confrontation. Pati (6-4) succumbed to blows 33 seconds into Round 2, buried by an avalanche of rights and lefts.

Pickett (11-4) controlled much of the first round with a punishing jab, a well-timed takedown and a tight guillotine choke that put…

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A featherweight clash pitting Andre Fili against Bryce Mitchell is on tap for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Halloween card.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the booking. The card does not have an official location but is expected to be headlined by a middleweight showdown between Anderson Silva and Uriah Hall.

Anchored at Team Alpha Male, Fili has won five of his last seven promotional appearances. Most recently, the 30-year-old garnered a split verdict over Charles Jourdain at UFC on ESPN 10 on June 13.

Mitchell has kicked off his professional career with 13 consecutive victories, including four in the Octagon. “Thug Nasty” followed his Twister-submission win over Matt Sayles at UFC on ESPN 7 in December with a decision triumph against Charles Rosa at UFC 249 on May 9.

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 4 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…

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After 32 professional fights, Kevin Croom will get his first Ultimate Fighting Championship opportunity.

Croom will step in for Giga Chikadze in a featherweight matchup against Alex Caceres at UFC Fight Night 175 after Chikadze withdrew from the contest for undisclosed reasons. MMAFighting.com was first to report the change, and Croom later confirmed the news via social media.

UFC Fight Night 175 takes place on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a three-round light heavyweight tilt between Anthony Smith and Aleksandar Rakic. The main card streams on ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, while prelims air on ESPN and ESPN+ beginning at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.

The 33-year-old Croom will enter his Octagon debut with a 20-12 career mark t…

Add Ali Isaev to the list of fighters who is unhappy with Professional Fighters League’s decision to suspend its entire season until 2021.

Isaev, who earned a $1 million prize as the PFL’s 2019 champion, revealed to RT Sport that he would prefer that the organization release him so he can fight elsewhere before the conclusion of 2020. Isaev turns 37 in December and acknowledges that he has a limited time left to compete, which is why he would like to remain as active as possible.

“I’ll be 37 soon. That’s why I wanted the PFL either to give me a fight or let me go, so that I can fight in other promotions before the end of the year,” he said. “Because I can’t wait and take a big break, I want to compete. Time goes by and I have to find new opportunities to make a statement and fight against the top guys.”

While PFL cut a number of fighters following its announcement, those that remain under contract are supposed to receive a monthly cash stipend to support them …

Vadim Nemkov might still be underrated when it comes to recognition among the sport’s top light heavyweights, but that isn’t the case in his home country.

Nemkov received a hero’s welcome upon arriving in Belgorod, Russia, after winning the Bellator light heavyweight title with a second-round knockout of Ryan Bader this past Friday. The 28-year-old was greeted by an appreciative throng while carrying his newly-won belt at what appears to be an airport.

The 28-year-old dropped Bader with a high kick and finished his foe off with punches 3:02 into the second round of the Bellator 244 main event at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Nemkov has won seven consecutive bouts, a string that includes notable wins over Phil Davis, Rafael Carvalho, Liam McGeary and Philipe Lins.