Martial Arts News

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Daniel Rodriguez’s resilience made his action-packed scrap with Dwight Grant at UFC on ESPN 15 a solid contender for 2020’s “Round of the Year.”

Grant nearly made it a short night, as he dropped Rodriguez with a right hook and flurried for a finish on his reeling foe at the outset of the bout. Fortunately for Rodriguez, referee Chris Tognoni gave him plenty of leeway to recover. What followed was an impressive rally in which Rodriguez floored the American Kickboxing Academy product three times en route to a knockout victory at the 2:24 mark of Round 1.

“I knew he had power I didn’t expect to get hit with it so early,” Rodriguez said. “I kind of expected I might get hit eventually, because he had these wild, loopy punches… He caught me and I had never been in that situation before, ever. Especially when he pounced on m…

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. This past week, Bellator MMA president Scott Coker proudly proclaimed that his organization possessed the best 205-pound talent pool in mixed martial arts. That statement was based both on pound-for-pound king Jon Jones’ decision to move up to heavyweight in the UFC along with Bellator’s own growing stockpile of fighters at light heavyweight – a stable that now includes recent free-agent signee Corey Anderson.

Not surprisingly, UFC president Dana White isn’t buying it.

“Isn’t he cute?” White said of Coker at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 15 post-fight press conference.

“Everybody they have in their light heavyweight division we let go of. He’s got the best light heavyweight division? We let those guys all go. It’s like the f---ing dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” he later added. “But I get it. He’s got to try to f--ing do his…

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The UFC on ESPN 15 headliner between Pedro Munhoz and Frankie Edgar was undeniably a closely-contested fight.

While the cageside judges awarded Edgar a split-decision triumph, 17 of the 21 unofficial media scorecards tracked by MMADecisions.com had Munhoz winning the bantamweight fight. Munhoz also held the statistical edge, outlanding “The Answer” by a 166-to-135 count in significant strikes — a figure that included a 44-to-7 advantage in leg kicks.

“Not even [just] the leg kicks,” Munhoz said at the UFC on ESPN 15 post-fight press conference. “I was hurting him with jabs. I chase him (for) five rounds. He got a couple takedowns, but he couldn’t do anything with the takedowns. I got back up right away. I was looking for the finish.”

While Munhoz seemed to land with more power when he connected, Edgar certainl…

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Frankie Edgar became just the 11th fighter in UFC history to win a bout in three different weight classes when he earned a split-decision triumph over Pedro Munhoz in the UFC on ESPN 15 headliner on Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Making the feat even more impressive was the fact that the Toms River, N.J., native did so at 38 years old and as the third largest underdog on the card. Edgar, who did not attend Saturday’s post-fight press conference, was well aware of the naysayers heading into his matchup with Munhoz.

“It’s good to be on the winning side. That was a hell of a fight, Pedro is a stud,” Edgar said in a post-fight interview with UFC commentator Jon Anik. “I heard a lot of people barking that I’m old, I’m slow. I definitely proved them all wrong.

“I still got some fight in this tank and we’re going to mak…

“Cocaine isn't cheap. It's expensive. You've got to make money." - UFC President Dana White on Oscar De La Hoya making a comeback in boxing. pic.twitter.com/SV7rCNnL5W

— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) August 23, 2020

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Dana White has publicly feuded with Oscar De La Hoya off-and-on in recent years and has never been shy about taking a shot at the longtime boxing star.

The UFC president was not thrilled that De La Hoya brought former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell out of retirement when “The Iceman” suffered a first-round knockout loss to Tito Ortiz at Golden Boy MMA’s first — and only — event in November 2018. Prior to the pay-per-view, De La Hoya criticized the UFC boss for telling fighters such as Liddell when it was time to call it a career.

“I love Chuck Liddell and I don’t eve…

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The UFC on ESPN 15 headliner was high-level MMA at its finest, and Frankie Edgar and Pedro Munhoz were appropriately rewarded for their efforts.

Edgar and Munhoz received “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their headlining bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. The two men set a UFC bantamweight record with 301 combined significant strikes landed in the five-round affair, but ultimately it was Edgar who emerged with a split-decision triumph.

Elsewhere, Shana Dobson garnered a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for her upset of Mariya Agapova in a featured women’s flyweight scrap. The largest underdog on the card, Dobson rallied after a difficult first round to put her fading opponent away with punches from top position at the 1:38 mark of Round 2.

Finally, short-notice newcom…

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. Frankie Edgar forced those intent on writing his career epitaph to put down their chisels and hammers a little while longer. The former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight titleholder marked his territory at 135 pounds, as he eked out a split decision over Pedro Munhoz in the UFC on ESPN 15 main event on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Scores were 48-47 and 48-47 for Edgar, 49-46 for Munhoz.

Neither man was willing to give ground in what turned into a war of wills. Edgar (24-8-1, 18-8-1 UFC) let his hands go in crisp, multi-punch volleys and routinely snapped back the former Resurrection Fighting Alliance titleholder’s head with straight rights and sneaky uppercuts. Munhoz (18-5, 8-5 UFC) answered with suffocating pressure, a thudding jab and a steady stream of leg kicks. It appeared to be anyone’s fight in the lat…

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 UFC on ESPN 15 coverage will begin Saturday at 6:30 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:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critc…

Lemos wins by UD. #UFCVegas7 pic.twitter.com/z9QGU8GjUa

— UFC (@ufc) August 23, 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. Amanda Lemos simply had more weapons at her disposal.

The former Jungle Fight champion deepened her footprint in the Ultimate Fighting Championship strawweight division, as she took a unanimous decision from Mizuki Inoue in the featured UFC on ESPN 15 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All three judges scored it 30-27 for Lemos (8-1-1, 2-1 UFC), who won for the third time in four appearances.

Lemos floored the Japanese standout with a chopping right hand in the first round and landed the cleaner strikes throughout the 15-minute battle. Inoue (14-6, 1-1 UFC) responded with a stifling clinch and trapped her Brazilian counterpart along the fence repeatedly, but she failed to do enough damage in close quarters to curr…

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Today’s UFC on ESPN 15 card has taken another hit, as Ovince St. Preux has tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of his co-main event showdown with Alonzo Menifield.

As a result, the light heavyweight bout has been postponed until Sept. 5. St. Preux’s management brought word of the fighter’s exit from the card on Saturday. The former University of Tennessee football player previously tested positive for COVID-19 and submitted both positive and negative test during the week. Despite being asymptomatic, St. Preux was removed from the card for precautionary reasons.

For safety precautions the @003_OSP fight will be removed from the card tonight and reschedule for 9/5. He battled Covid previously and presented both + and - tests this week. He currently has no symptoms and his cornermen are all clear. #u…

#AndNew #Bellator244 pic.twitter.com/dDD5R4n1Fx

— ShayMyName (@ImShannonTho) August 22, 2020

There was a shift atop the Bellator MMA light heavyweight division, and it was seismic in nature.

Vadim Nemkov cut down Ryan Bader with a head kick and follow-up punches in the second round of their Bellator 244 headliner on Friday at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, as he became the seventh 205-pound champion in company history. Bader (27-5, 5-1 Bellator) succumbed to blows 3:02 into Round 2, suffering his first setback in nearly four years.

Nemkov (12-2, 5-0 Bellator) conceded a takedown in the first round but was responsible for virtually all of the meaningful offense. He stung Bader with a straight right hand in Round 2, reset after an inadvertent eye poke paused the action and floored “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 winner with a perfectly placed high kick. Nemkov chased the fallen champion to the floor, showered him wit…

Both claim victory! But who is taking the belt home??? #LFA88 pic.twitter.com/A3GXDGZIgR

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) August 22, 2020

The Legacy Fighting Alliance crowned a new welterweight champion at LFA 88.

The promotion pitted prospects Vinicius de Jesus and Jaleel Willis against one another for the vacant belt and it was Willis (13-2) that came out on top. The two men had a back-and-forth battle on the feet over five rounds. Ultimately, de Jesus (9-3) couldn't keep up with his foe according to the judges, who all awarded Willis the victory with scores of 49-46, 50-45, and 48-47.

The co-main event saw Aaron McKenzie win a thrilling bout against Glaucio Eliziario. McKenzie (8-2-1) was rocked early against Eliziario (9-6) after getting hit with a flying knee but managed to battle back into the bout. McKenzie would blast Eliziario and then lock in a rear-naked choke that forced his opponent to tap out 4:15 into Round 1.

In …