Martial Arts News

Michel Pereira is more than just a flashy performer in the cage. He also has a good heart.

The UFC middleweight standout has been doing his part to assist those who have been affected by the massive floods in the Rio Grande do Sul region of Brazil. Pereira has posted multiple updates to his Instagram account, which include scenes of him rescuing stranded animals in areas ravaged by the flood. “Demolidor” has also started an online crowdfunding campaign to raise money for the victims.

“The last few days have been like this: a lot of struggle, but also a lot of satisfaction in each animal except for this gigantic flood,” Pereira wrote.

“The scenes I’ve been seeing are scary. I’ve never seen something like this even in a movie, but I’m sure of one thing: we’re going to win this fight here too.”

The death toll has reportedly y reached 149 in the Brazilian state, with more than 100 people still missing. Additionally, more than 600,000 people have been displac…

Merab Dvalishvili was fortunate to walk away unscathed after being involved in a multi-car accident in New York.

Dvalishvili’s friend, Giorgi Kiknadze, shared a video of the aftermath of the crash on social media. The accident apparently occurred while Dvalishvili was riding in an Uber, but further details regarding the cause of the incident are unknown.

“I am in New York for one day, a couple of hours, and I got in a huge accident,” Dvalishvili said. “I was in Uber and our car got hit by some other cars. Look at the damage. I was sitting here and got hit, thank God I’m OK. F—k. Now my bags are inside.”

While the status of the others involved in the accident is unclear, Dvalishvili provided a positive update on his group via Instagram stories.

“Everything is good. Everyone is safe,” he wrote.

Dvalishvili is on a 10-fight winning streak in UFC competition and is expected to be next in line to challenge reigning bantamweight champion Sean O’Mal…

Paul vs. Tyson & Taylor vs. Serrano undercard announcement 🥊

Two of the hottest, undefeated prospects in the game: 🇺🇸 H2O Sylve vs. 🇺🇸 ‘Kid Austin’ Floyd Schofield

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A battle for redemption: World Champion Boxer vs. UFC Star 🇲🇽 Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. 🇬🇧 Darren Till

More… pic.twitter.com/wVzc8Jo3X2

— Netflix (@netflix) May 15, 2024

Darren Till will have a lot of eyes on his professional boxing debut.

The former UFC welterweight title challenger will face Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on the undercard of the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul event on July 20. The bout will be contested over six rounds at 190 pounds. Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions announced the pairing on Wednesday.

Till will be making his first combat sports appearance since December 2022, when he was submitted in the third round by current middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 282. The 31-year-old Liverpool native lost five of his…

Aljamain Sterling is confident regarding the outcome of a rematch with Sean O’Malley.

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O’Malley dethroned Sterling via second-round knockout in the main event at UFC 292in August 2023. “Sugar” has since defended his strap via a unanimous decision win over Marlon Vera at UFC 299 this past March.

Meanwhile, Sterling scored a unanimous decision win over Calvin Kattar at UFC 300 in his featherweight debut last month. “Funkmaster” claims he didn’t have the best camp for the O’Malley fight due to a quick turnaround from a unanimous decision win over Henry Cejudo in May 2023. Sterling also noted that O’Malley had nearly a year to prepare, sitting on the sidelines since a split-decision win over Petr Yan in October 2022.

Sterling is confident that he would beat O’Malley in a rematch given he gets as much time as “Sugar” got for his first title defense against “Chito.”

“I had to take a month off for my Henry Cejudo fight cause my shins was so bea…

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Ian Garry claims to be game enough to fight down the rankings.

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Garry has long since been calling out Colby Covington, who has avoided the matchup so far. Garry has now given up hopes of fighting “Chaos,” whom the Irishman claims will be sidelined until September due to an injury. Garry also claims to have no other options of fighting higher-ranked opponents with everyone ranked above him either injured or already engaged elsewhere.

However, eager to stay active, “The Future” has now shifted focus to Michael Page. While the UFC’s return to Manchester would make sense for the potential matchup, Garry insists on being a part of UFC 303 on June 29 which will be headlined by the return of Conor McGregor against Michael Chandler.

“I’ve said yes. I’ve said yes to that name. Him and his coaches are deciding because he feels a bit heavy, he’s a bit heavy to make weight in seven weeks’ time, but I’ve said yes,” Garry told talkSPORT abo…

Belal Muhammad could be gearing up to challenge Leon Edwards for the welterweight title at UFC 304.

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UFC 304 will mark the promotion’s return to Manchester, England, for the first time since 2016. Edwards, the reigning welterweight champ and a Birmingham, England, native, will most likely be a part of the card. Longtime UFC commentator Jon Anik has now hinted at Muhammad finally getting his much-awaited title shot against Edwards at UFC 304 on July 27.

“Flight booked for Manchester, England. See you there, [Belal Muhammad],” Anik wrote x (Formerly known as Twitter).

Flight booked for Manchester, England. See you there, @bullyb170.

— Jon Anik (@Jon_Anik) May 14, 2024

Muhammad is currently undefeated in 10 Ultimate Fighting Championship outings, including a no contest against Leon Edwards due to an accidental eye poke. While “Remember the Name” was initially expected to challenge Edwards at UFC 296 in December 2023…

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A matchup of light heavyweight debutants has been rearranged with less than a week to go before UFC Fight Night 241.

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Undefeated French standout Oumar Sy (9-0) was scheduled to meet Brazil’s Antonio Trocoli (12-3) at the UFC Apex on Saturday. However, Trocoli has now withdrawn due to undisclosed reasons and will now be replaced by another promotional debutant in George Tokkos (10-3). The change was first reported by Al Zullino on X (Formerly known as Twitter). The promotion has since confirmed the new bout.

Trocoli first earned a Ultimate Fighting Championship contract with a Dana White’s Contender Serieswin in 2019 but was released after failing a drug test. He was then scheduled to debut against Ovince St. Preux in 2022 but withdrew from the bout.

Sy is currently undefeated in nine pro outings, which includes seven finishes. The 28-year-old signed with the promotion in October 2023 on the back of consecutive Round 1 stop…

Magomed Magomedov hopes to right two of the wrongs in his mixed martial arts career before the year is through.

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That begins with a rematch against reigning bantamweight champion Patrick Mix in the main event of Bellator Champions Series Paris at the Accor Arena in Paris, France on Friday. Magomedov initially faced Mix in the semifinals of the bantamweight grand prix at Bellator 289, falling via second round submission in their December 2022 bout.

Mix went on to win the tournament with a first-round KO of Raufeon Stots, and he unified the 135-pound belt with a submission of Sergio Pettis this past November. At this point in his career, Mix is regarded as one of the best bantamweights in the world, regardless of promotion.

Magomedov is willing to give Mix his due, but he knows he has a golden opportunity to change that perception.

“Today he is one of the best in the world,” Magomedov said through a translator during a media call on Tuesday. “O…

Aspen Ladd has firsthand experience with Kayla Harrison inside the cage, so she wasn’t surprised when the two-time Olympic gold medalist enjoyed a dominant Ultimate Fighting Championship debut.

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While Ladd went the distance in a unanimous decision loss to Harrison in a 150-pound catchweight bout at the 2023 PFL Championships, Holly Holm had a much rougher night, as she absorbed a beating from Harrison en route to a second-round submission defeat at UFC 300 on April 13. Making the victory more impressive was the fact that the two-time Professional Fighters League lightweight champion successfully made the cut to 135 pounds for the first time without issue.

Ladd, who will meet Katerina Shakalova at Bellator Champions Series Paris on Friday, expected Harrison to be successful in her first Octagon forway.

“Kayla Harrison did exactly what I thought she was gonna do, especially when I heard the matchup. Obviously people think that’s a tough fight, …

A pivotal strawweight clash pitting Virna Jandiroba against Amanda Lemos has been booked for the UFC’s July 20 card.

Jandiroba confirmed the pairing on social media following an initial report from MMA Melotto. UFC Fight Night is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and also includes a women’s flyweight showdown between Tracy Cortez and Miranda Maverick and a middleweight scrap between Brad Tavares and Jung Yong Park. A headliner has not been confirmed for the event.

A former Invicta FC champion, Jandiroba has been victorious in her last three Octagon appearances. Most recently, the 35-year-old Brazilian outpointed Lupita Godinez at UFC on ESPN 54 on March 30. She has also earned decision wins over Marina Rodriguez and Angela Hill during her current winning streak.

After coming up short in a 115-pound title bid against Weili Zhang at UFC 292 last August, Lemos returned to the win column in her last outing, as she took a unanimous verdict aga…

City of Love, we're coming BACK! 👊

See you in September! #UFCParis

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More information: https://t.co/WvN9Cd6bHr pic.twitter.com/0v2hRRhu5Y — UFC (@ufc) May 14, 2024

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is set to return to Paris this fall.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced on Tuesday that it will hold an event at Accor Arena in Paris on Sept. 28. This will be the third consecutive year that the UFC will travel to France. No bouts were announced for the card.

“We are returning to Paris for the third straight year,” said UFC CEO Dana White in a release. This is another one of those destinations that I would have to tell fans if you’ve never been to a fight in Paris, you should probably order your tickets now. See you there in September!”

The promotion made its inaugural trip to Paris on Sept. 3, 2022 for UFC Fight Night 209. In the main event, Ciryl Gane defeated Tai Tuivasa via third-round TKO, while …

Tracy Cortez will meet Miranda Maverick in a flyweight bout at a UFC Fight Night event in July.

Cortez (11-1) and Maverick (13-5) will trade leather on a UFC Fight Night card scheduled for July 20 at the promotion’s Apex in Las Vegas. The matchup was confirmed by both competitors on their social media accounts.

Cortez hasn’t lost a fight since her pro debut in August 2017 and is undefeated in five promotional outings — all decision wins. In her most recent clash, the 30-year-old earned a unanimous decision win over Canadian standout Jasmine Jasudavicius at Noche UFC in September 2023.

Meanwhile, Maverick is riding a two-fight win streak that saw her bounce back from a unanimous decision loss against Jasudavicius. Maverick will enter the Octagon fresh off a unanimous decision win over Andrea Lee in her most recent outing at UFC 298 this past February.