Martial Arts News

[embedded content]

Robert Whittaker is confident that he will be able to hold his own in grappling exchanges against Khamzat Chimaev.

Advertisement

Whittaker will look to hand Chimaev his first career loss in the main event at UFC Saudi Arabia on June 22. While “Bobby Knuckles” admits that his key to victory lies in keeping the fight on the feet, he isn’t afraid of grappling with “Borz.”

“It’s about going out there and pushing my game plan onto him and seeing how he adjusts to me. Because I bring an arsenal of skill sets that he’s not ready for, I believe," Whittaker recently told ESPN Australia. "And I think the shortest way to victory is to go in there, obviously not play to his strengths, which is not engaging in the wrestle, but not be afraid of it. I can wrestle with the best of them, and I have shown and proved that. So, I’m gonna go in there, I’m gonna fight my fight, I’m gonna fight a stand-up fight, I’m gonna see where it goes, I’m gonna drag it out. It…

The Nevada State Athletic Commission has denied a proposed six-month suspension for Igor da Silva after he bit opponent Andre Lima at UFC on ESPN 53 on March 23.

Advertisement

During a meeting on Tuesday, Nevada deputy attorney general Matthew Feeley proposed an adjudication agreement that would result in a six-month suspension and a fine of more than $3,000 for da Silva, who is also commonly known as Igor Severino. Feeley’s reasoning was there was no real precedent for the incident other than when Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield during their boxing match in 1997. Feeley noted that Tyson’s incident, which resulted in a $3 million fine and his license being revoked, was more severe tha da Silva’s.

However, NSAC commissioner Anthony Marnell expressed concern about the precedent a relatively short suspension might set going forward, especially since da Silva could potentially sign with another MMA promotion.

“The bigger issue is the precedent we set going fo…

The Nevada State Athletic Commission is withholding partial purses from Arman Tsarukyan and Diego Lopes for separate infractions at UFC 300.

Advertisement

The NSAC voted during a meeting on Tuesday to withhold 20 percent ($31,600) of Tsarukyan’s $158,000 purse due to the lightweight throwing a punch at a fan during his walk to the cage. Meanwhile, five percent ($5,000) of Lopez’s $100,000 purse has been withheld after he jumped out of the cage to celebrate his win against Sodiq Yusuff. Both Tsarukyan and Lopes will be subject to a disciplinary hearing at a later date, potentially at the next commission meeting on May 31. Until then, the fine money will remain in the commission’s possession. UFC 300 took place on April 13 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Tsarukyan claimed that he threw a punch into the crowd because a fan flipped the bird at him during the walkout.

“He showed me f—k you [flipped the bird] and wanted to punch me, and I wanted to punch him…

Alex Perez will get back to work relatively quickly following his main event triumph at UFC on ESPN 55.

Perez will square off against Tagir Ulanbekov in a flyweight bout at UFC Fight Night on June 15. Both fighters confirmed the pairing on social media following an initial report from Eurosport. The fight was initially reported for the event several weeks back before Perez agreed to face Matheus Nicolau this past Saturday. UFC Fight Night is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and does not currently have a main event.

Perez ended a three-fight skid at UFC on ESPN 55, where he knocked out Nicolau in the second round of their headlining encounter. The former title challenger had previously dropped successive fights against Deiveson Figueiredo, Alexandre Pantoja and Muhammd Mokaev before returning to the win column against Nicolau.

Russia’s Ulanbekov has been victorious in four of his first five promotional appearances. Most recently, he submi…

Charles Oliveira is still interested in a fight against Conor McGregor should the Irishman emerge victorious in his return fight against Michael Chandler.

Advertisement

McGregor will return after a nearly three-year hiatus in a welterweight matchup against Chandler in the main event at UFC 303on June 29. Given that McGregor is 1-3 in his last four and “Iron” is 2-3 in the Ultimate Fighting Championship — and both have been relatively inactive - Oliveira doesn’t think the matchup has much title relevance. However, the former champion does acknowledge that “Notorious” could be inching close to a gold bid with a victory given the Irishman’s star power. And “do Bronx” believes the former two-division champ will get the job done.

“I think that, in reality, it's a fight that will make money for both. That's the reality," Oliveira recently told Full Violence. “It's a fight that's going to make more money. Of course, if Conor wins, he could take a step towards the bel…

Alexandre Pantoja will draw from Jose Aldo’s celebration book if he defends his title against Steve Erceg at UFC 301.

Advertisement

Pantoja is scheduled to put his flyweight strap on the line against Erceg in Saturday’s main event at the Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In an ideal scenario, Pantoja hopes to knock Erceg out and run into the home crowd just like Aldo did after his victory over Chad Mendes at UFC 142 in 2012. Aldo running into the crowd at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro after knocking out Mendes with a knee with one second remaining in the first round has forever been etched in the promotion’s history books.

Without a single fight in Brazil in an Ultimate Fighting Championship career spanning over seven years, Pantoja had never dreamed of the possibility of replicating the moment. But when the opportunity has finally arisen, “The Cannibal” believes the stars are perfectly aligned for his homecoming.

“I hope I do like him [vs.] Cha…

[embedded content]

Michael Page doesn’t like Colby Covington’s antics outside of the cage and wants to kick “Chaos” in the face.

Advertisement

Covington has earned the ire of several fighters with his trash talk over the years, even instigating former close friend Jorge Masvidal enough to sucker punch him outside a Miami steakhouse following their fight at UFC 272.

Page, who made hisUltimate Fighting Championship debut last month, is a lifelong martial artist and is principally against Covington’s unhinged trash talk.

“Venom” recently voiced his dislike for Covington while also expressing interest in a potential clash.

“I hate this guy,” Page said on a recent episode of UFC Day Off. “I’m going to be happy to kick this guy in the face… I find him fake. He just doesn’t seem like a nice guy with all the stuff that came out last time about what fighters should and shouldn’t be allowed to talk about with regards to people. People are going deep now, talkin…

While Tom Aspinall is glad to have the Ultimate Fighting Championship returning to Manchester after almost eight years, the Englishman isn't pleased with the event timing.

Advertisement

UFC 304 is scheduled to go down at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester on July 27. Although U.K. fans are excited about the promotion's return to the country, many have complained about the start time of the card. The UFC 304 prelims will start at 11 p.m. BST (6 p.m. ET in the U.S.), followed by the main card starting at 3 a.m. BST (10 p.m. ET).

While Aspinall admits that it doesn’t make much of a difference for fighters, who are accustomed to fighting in different time zones, he believes it is unfair for U.K. mixed martial arts fans. The UFC interim champ is aware of the importance of catering to the U.S. fan base but believes that the card could start slightly earlier to make it more convenient for U.K. fans.

“Well, as an athlete, as a fighter, in all honesty, doesn’t mak…

Arman Tsarukyan recently downplayed the “invincible” aura surrounding Islam Makhachev.

Advertisement

Tsarukyan suffered a unanimous decision loss against Makhachev in his short-notice Ultimate Fighting Championship debut back in 2019. The Armenian-American has since been looking for an opportunity to correct the loss with Makhachev sitting at the top of the lightweight ladder.

Tsarukyan made his case for a gold bid with a split-decision win over former champ Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 earlier this month.

“Ahalkalakets” was immediately offered a title shot against Makhachev for UFC 302 on June 1, which he turned down citing the quick turnaround. With Makhachev insistent on defending his title in the summer, the shot went to Dustin Poirier.

Tsarukyan recently dismissed the idea of him requiring a specialized training camp for a potential rematch against Makhachev. The lightweight contender highlighted the need for a proper training camp for his firs…

Anthony Hernandez has pulled out of a proposed middleweight bout against Roman Dolidze at UFC 302.

Advertisement

“Fluffy” announced via Instagram on Monday that a torn ligament in his hand will force him to withdraw from the June 1 event. It is currently unknown if Dolidze will remain on the card against a replacement opponent. UFC 302 takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on June 1 and is headlined by a lightweight championship clash between Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier.

“On Friday while training I sustained an injury. I got my MRI results back this morning and unfortunately due to a torn ligament in my hand, I will no longer be able to fight on June 1,” Hernandez wrote. “I want to apologize to the [the UFC], my opponent, [and] the best matchmaker [Mick Maynard], but this was not an injury I could push through. I hope for a quick return and be back in the cage before summer ends. Thank you to all my fans, friends [and] family for the…

A terrible tragedy has struck Francis Ngannou and his family.

Advertisement

According to Cameroonian news outlet 237online.com, Ngannou’s 15-month-old son recently died unexpectedly. The cause of death is currently unknown. Ngannou released a statement on social media that seemed to address the tragedy.

“What's the purpose of life if what we're fighting tooth and nail to get away from is what finally hit us the hardest!? Why is life so unfair and merciless? Why does life always take what we don't have?” Ngannou wrote. “I'm f—ing tired.”

What's the purpose of life if what we're fighting tooth and nail to get away from is what finally hit us the hardest!?Why is life so unfair and merciless?Why does life always take what we don't have? I'm fucking tired

— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) April 29, 2024

Ngannou’s manager, Marquel Martin, and Eric Nicksick, his coach at Xtreme Couture, also expressed their condolences via social…

OFFICIAL: #PFLSaltLakeCity 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼-𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻 Bouts!

Salt Lake! Buckle up and get ready as playoffs spots are on the line on Friday, June 21st with the Lightweights & Light Heavyweights!

Advertisement

For more information:🎟️https://t.co/eCMG4faqPw pic.twitter.com/FqA0cHjpXm — PFL (@PFLMMA) April 29, 2024

A lightweight showdown pitting Clay Collard against Mads Burnell will serve as the featured bout for Professional Fighters League’s fifth regular season event of 2024.

The organization on Monday announced the fight card for the event, which takes place on June 21 at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, and features season bouts for lightweights and light heavyweights. In the co-main event, Impa Kasanganay will face Jakob Nedoh in a 205-pound pairing. The PFL 5 main card airs on ESPN and ESPN+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on ESPN+ at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT.

A 2023 PFL lightweight finalis…