Martial Arts News

Adrian Lee will look to make a statement in his professional mixed martial arts debut at ONE 167 on Friday.

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Lee will have his family name to live up to when he makes his pro debut against Antonio Mammarella on June 7 in Bangkok. While Lee’s elder sister Angela Lee retired as the reigning ONE Championship atomweight queen last year, elder brother Christian Lee currently holds the lightweight and welterweight titles. Another sibling, Victoria Lee, who was just as promising as her kin, unfortunately took her own life in 2022.

Lee’s main focus going into his pro debut is to make a statement by finishing his opponent as early as possible. While he isn’t too focused on producing highlight-reel footage, he doesn’t believe in spending more time in the cage than necessary.

“During this camp, we've been practically focused on everything. The main thing we've been focused on is just how to get the job finished as soon as possible, “ Lee said. “You …

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship is expanding its reach to the Far East.

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During an appearance on "The MMA Hour” on Wednesday, BKFC president David Feldman and Rizin Fighting Federation boss Nobuyuki Sakakibara announced that the organizations have agreed to a talent-sharing partnership with plans for co-promoted events in the near future.

“Today we get to announce the official partnership with BKFC and Rizin to produce Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship shows in Japan and all over the southeast Asia region, as well as assist Rizin with whatever else they need from around the world,” Feldman said. “We’re really super excited about this partnership and to partner with such a legend like Sakakibara.”

The arrangement will begin with Rizin fighters competing under the BKFC banner at an upcoming event on July 12 at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California. There, Rizin’s Tatsuki Shinotsuka will face Cary Caprio in a bare-knuckle bo…

The lineup for UFC Fight Night in Denver continues to grow, as a lightweight clash between Drew Dober and Mike Davis has been added to July 13 bill.

The Denver Post was first to report the booking. UFC Fight Night takes place at Ball Arena and is headlined by a flyweight showdown between Rose Namajunas and Maycee Barber.

Dober is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Renato Carneiro at UFC Fight Night 235 in his first appearance of 2024. The Elevation Fight Team member is 4-2 in the Octagon since 2022, with all of his victories during that time coming via knockout or technical knockout.

Davis, meanwhile, will take a four-bout winning streak into the matchup. In his last outing, “Beast Boy” submitted Natan Levy in the second round of their encounter at UFC Fight Night 239 on March 16.

Dustin Poirier is one of 10 fighters facing a potential indefinite suspension on the heels of UFC 302.

The New Jersey State Athletic Control board recently released a full list of medical suspensions from the event, which took place this past Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. In the evening’s headliner, Islam Makhachev retained his lightweight crown with a fifth-round submission of Poirier.

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As a result of the damage he suffered in the Octagon, Porier needs ENT clearance for his nose and orthopedist clearance for his left knee before he can compete again. Makhachev, meanwhile, was suspended for 30 days with no contact due to facial lacerations.

Co-main event competitors Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa were among the other fighters from UFC 302 who received indefinite terms. Strickland, who won a split decision over his Brazilian foe, needs an x-ray and orthopedist clearance on his left tibia before he can return to action. At a…

A welterweight clash pitting Jarrah Al-Silawi against Bashar Thaer will serve as the main event for PFL MENA 2 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on July 12.

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The PFL announced the card in a release on Wednesday. The event takes place at The Green Halls and features athletes competing in the organization’s season format in the welterweight and lightweight divisions.

"The Professional Fighters League is excited to return to Riyadh for PFL MENA 2. The PFL along with our great partners, SURJ Sports, could not be happier to see a shared vision become a reality,” PFL CEO Peter Murray said in a release. “PFL MENA has put a global spotlight on great fighters across the region and provided passionate MMA fans with a premium live experience.”

A former Brave Combat Federation champ, Al-Silawi is 1-3 in PFL competition and also has a victory in PFL Challengers Series to his credit. Most recently, the Jordanian fighter earned a unanimous decision over Nenad Avramovi…

Former opponents Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev have nothing but respect for each other.

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Makhachev ended Oliveira’s lightweight title reign with a dominant submission win at UFC 280 in 2022. Oliveira earned an immediate rematch with a knockout win over Beneil Dariush but was forced out of the scheduled UFC 294 clash due a cut suffered in sparring 12 days before fight night. The Brazilian most recently lost a razor-thin split decision in a title eliminator against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300 in April.

Oliveira is now eyeing a move up to welterweight to fight Colby Covington. Makhachev, who put his title on the line against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 last weekend, was asked about a potential clash between Oliveira and Covington. Makhachev believes Oliveira can finish Covington and even invited “do Bronx” to train with him in Dagestan.

While Oliveira expressed gratitude for Makhachev’s invitation, the Brazilian isn’t interested in training a…

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While Javier Mendez admits that Arman Tsarukyan is deserving of a title shot against Islam Makhachev, he recently explained why the Dagestani prefers a matchup against Leon Edwards.

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Makhachev defended his lightweight title with a fifth-round submission win over Dustin Poirier in the main event at UFC 302 last weekend. Makhachev subsequently called for a welterweight title shot against Leon Edwards after the victory.

However, waiting in the wings is No. 1 lightweight contender Tsarukyan, who turned down a UFC 302 gold bid against Makhachev due to quick turnaround from his victory of Charles Oliveira in April. After UFC 302, company CEO Dana White also agreed that Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan is the next fight to make.

While Makhachev’s long term coach Mendez also deems Tsarukyan deserving of a title shot, he would still prefer a welterweight title shot next for his pupil. As per Mendez, a potential double championship win will add…

Mads Burnell believes if you’re a true fighter, the Professional Fighters League an ideal place to compete.

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Burnell headlines PFL 5 at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, opposite Clay Collard on June 21. The card featuring lightweight and light heavyweight bouts marks the promotion’s debut in Utah. This will also mark a turnaround of a little over two months from Burnell’s PFL debut in April.

While newcomers at the PFL often have difficulty adjusting to the frequency of the fights, Burnell absolutely loves the quick turnaround. The PFL season format features fighters across six weight classes competing in two regular season bouts to decide who will proceed to the playoffs, which consists of semifinals and a final, with $1 million at stake. The season format combined with the pay-per-view cards and now Bellator events, keeps PFL fighters more active than most other promotions. Burnell believes the PFL is for true fighters who are just ke…

Jason Jackson recently took a dig at upcoming opponent Ramazan Kuramagomedov’s MMA gym.

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Jackson is scheduled to make his first Bellator MMA welterweight title defense against Kuramagomedov in the main event at Bellator Champions Series Dublin on June 22. While Jackson trains at Kill Cliff FC, Kuramagomedov trains at rival South Florida gym American Top Team.

Jackson recently hailed the unity in his own gym while alluding that ATT is divided based on cultural and racial differences.

“We have everything at my gym. There is nothing we are short of,” Jackson said during a recent Bellator media call. “Everyone there is motivated. The thing about our gym is that we are one. It doesn’t matter if we come from a different culture or a different race. We are one. We are not divided like American Top Team.”

Jackson hasn’t lost in eight outings since coming up on the short side of a split decision against Ed Ruth in his Bellator debut in 2019. J…

While Ramazan Kuramagomedov acknowledges Jason Jackson as his toughest test so far, he believes he can beat the Jamaican.

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Kuramagomedov will challenge Jackson for the Bellator welterweight title in the main event at Bellator Champions Series Dublin on June 22. While he is a slight favorite going into the fight, Kuramagomedov expects Jackson to be a difficult test.

“I believe Jason Jackson is the hardest fight in my MMA career thus far,” he said during a recent media call.

While Kuramagomedov respects Jackson’s skillset, he believes every fighter has weaknesses.

“This is a very exciting fight coming up. Jason is one of the top fighters in the world,” he said. “Every fighter has their shortcomings, so I am going to have to find the key with Jason this time. There are several ways to approach this, but I will showcase the best approach the night of the show.”

However, Kuramagomedov isn’t underestimating Jackson by any means. The undefeate…

Linton Vassell just knew he was going to see Valentin Moldavsky again.

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“I just had a feeling and then it was funny, as you saw, Valentin called me out,” Vassell said during a PFL media call. “I knew the trilogy was gonna happen at some point. I probably thought it would happen in the final because I didn't expect to lose my first fight.

“So to me, I knew it was going to happen at some point and I'm excited that it's happening. I think it needs to happen, and this is something that has made me train even harder for this fight, considering my last outcome and considering this is a rubber match and I need to get some points.”

Vassell and Moldavsky will meet for a third time in the main event of PFL 4 on June 13 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The heavyweights squared off twice under the Bellator MMA banner, with Moldavsky winning via unanimous decision in March 2019 and Vassell avenging that defeat with a first-round knockout…

Things seem to be happening quickly for Dakota Ditcheva.

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A few months removed from winning a Professional Fighters League Europe title, the British flyweight prospect will square off against Chelsea Hackett in the co-main event of PFL 4 on June 13 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Ditcheva began her 2024 campaign with a first-round stoppage of Lisa Mauldin at PFL 1, a performance that earned her six points in the regular season standings.

The Manchester Top Team product is 11-0 in her burgeoning professional tenure, and she has already been given star treatment by the PFL, which is testament to the high expectations surrounding her future. Ditcheva is grateful for the push, which she points out has been aided by the engagement of her fans as well as her performance on fight night.

“It's meant a lot. I mean, to have an organization like this behind me, this is probably what all fighters dream of,” Ditcheva said during a recent …