Martial Arts News

2nd generation fighter Taisei Sakuraba set to make his MMA debut in RIZIN, 31 December 2024. He brings a judo black belt background along with the amateur and catch wrestling lineage of his father, Kazushi. #RIZIN @KS_SAKU39 @rizin_PR pic.twitter.com/vR9ZdXKHfm

— Sᴛoo Fᴜʟᴛᴏɴ (@_StewartFulton) July 29, 2024 A Sakuraba will be competing in MMA again very soon.

In preparation for the Rizin 49 Decade event on Dec. 31, Rizin Fighting Federation sent out a press release announcing a trio of new matchups for the show at the Saitama Super Arena. Most notable of the three is the debut of Taisei Sakuraba (0-0), son of MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba. He will be competing at 155 pounds, and his first bout in a ring will be against longtime vet Yusuke Yachi (27-14).

Sakuraba first began training while a teenager, studying judo until it blossomed into full-bore MMA practice. The youngster made his way on the scene in 2023, appearing at Quintet 4 and tapp…

A matchup of bantamweight prospects has been added to the UFC 311 card.

Ricky Turcios (11-3) will trade leather with Bernardo Sopai (12-4) at UFC 311 on Jan. 18 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. The matchup was first reported by Damon Martin. Turcios and Sopai were originally scheduled to headline UFC Vegas 100 in November but an injury forced Turcios out after weighing in for the contest.

Turcios has fought only four times in the UFC since his debut in 2021, going 2-2. “Pretty” most recently suffered a submission loss against Raul Rosas Jr. in his Octagon return after a hiatus of over a year and a half this past June.

Meanwhile, Albania’s Sopai came into the UFC as a highly-touted prospect with a near 100% finish rate. However, his UFC debut was foiled by Vinicius Oliveira with a vicious flying knee this past March.

🚨 Eddie Alvarez x Jeremy Stephens at BKFC Knucklemania V on Jan. 25 at Wells Fargo Center in Philly, per @arielhelwani pic.twitter.com/y0VlDAxOFL

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) November 19, 2024

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship stars will meet in a bare knuckle clash in January 2025.

Former UFC lightweights Eddie Alvarez (30-8) and Jeremy Stephens (29-21) are set to clash at BKFC Knucklemania 5 on Jan. 25 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The matchup was first reported by Ariel Helwani.

Stephens exited the UFC with a five-fight winless streak in 2021. “Lil’ Heathen” went on to compete in the Professional Fighters League’s 2022 Season, where he came up short in the semi-finals. Stephens then competed in a couple of boxing matches before signing with the BKFC last year. The 38-year-old has since picked up consecutive victories over Jimmie Rivera and most recently Bobby Taylor in September.

Meanwhile, Alvarez had a…

Shamil Gaziev will fight Thomas Petersen at #UFCSaudiArabia on February 1st. (first rep. @realkevink) #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN #UFC2025 pic.twitter.com/RwiLww3qD0

— Marcel Dorff 🇳🇱🇮🇩 (@BigMarcel24) November 20, 2024

A heavyweight matchup has been announced for UFC Saudi Arabia.

Shamil Gaziev is set to meet Thomas Petersen at a UFC Fight Night event on Feb. 1 at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Gaziev (13-1) made his promotional debut as an undefeated prospect at UFC 296 last year, where he knocked out Martin Buday. The Bahraini then faced a steep climb in competition against Jairzinho Rozenstruik, who handed him his first career loss by rendering him unable to continue beyond the fourth stanza. Gaziev has since bounced back with a unanimous decision win over Don'Tale Mayes in August.

Meanwhile, Petersen (9-2) earned his Ultimate Fighting Championship contract with a keylock submission win over Chandler Cole on the Dana Whit…

🚨Rematch!🚨

Brendan Allen will fight Anthony Hernandez on February 22, 2025, per sources

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The UFC event is eyed for Seattle pic.twitter.com/w1HMRZPycp — Alex Behunin (@AlexBehunin) November 19, 2024

Brendan Allen is set to trade leather against Anthony Hernandez in February 2025.

The middleweight prospects will meet in a rematch on Feb. 22, likely in Seattle. The matchup was first reported by Alex Behunin.

They first met in the LFA 32 main event in 2018 where “All in” dropped a unanimous decision against Hernandez. Hernandez (13-2) got a spot on Dana White’s Contender Series immediately after and a subsequent Ultimate Fighting Championship contract. While Hernandez went 1-2 to start his UFC journey, “Fluffy” has since completely turned his career around. Hernandez is currently on a spectacular six-fight winning streak with five finishes, leaving behind the likes of Marc-Andre Barriault, Roman Kopylov and M…

Dana White is NOT happy with the updated pound-for-pound rankings after Jon Jones' win at #UFC309

"I have to get rid of these CLOWNS!!"#UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/8ORJpjmVvS

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 19, 2024

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Dana White is so angry about the Ultimate Fighting Championship rankings system that he might change it for good.

The UFC rankings are decided by the votes of a panel of media members whom White has been criticizing for years. The UFC head honcho’s primary grouse seemingly is Jon Jones (28-1) not topping the pound-for-pound list.

Jones refused to unify his heavyweight title against interim champ Tom Aspinall (15-3) and chose to fight Stipe Miocic (20-5), who was inactive for three years. However, White thoroughly defended “Bones,” also rallying for him to be branded the P4P king. Jones successfully defended his strap with a third-round technical knockout over Miocic at UFC 309 in New York l…

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Michael Page is anticipating a standup fest in a potential clash against Sharabutdin Magomedov.

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Two of the most dynamic strikers on the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster, Page (23-3) and Magomedov (15-0) have recently been teasing a clash for UFC Saudi Arabia in February 2025. Page acknowledged Magomedov’s unorthodox striking, which was further highlighted by a double spinning backfist knockout win over Armen Petrosyan at UFC 308 last month.

“Very fast but a bit unpredictable because some of the angles and some of the stuff that he throws, like that double [backfist],” “MVP” told Red Corner MMA. “Obviously, it seemed like he’s trained that before but certain things like that. He looks like the kind of guy that doesn’t even know what he’s going to throw next.”

When asked about his gameplan for a clash against Page, Magomedov recently vowed that he won’t be the one shooting for takedowns. While Page has heard similar pro…

Professional Fighters League MENA breakout star Hattan Alsaif will face Lilia Osmani on Nov. 29 at #PFLWorldChampionship pic.twitter.com/9BpiTHgkjW

— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom) November 19, 2024

On Nov. 29, the Professional Fighters League returns to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for a special one-night championship event, and they’re showcasing some special talent from the region.

In what will see all six of the PFL Global Championships matchups, the league will also be holding their MENA finals on the same card, which features the return of Saudi Arabia’s own Hattan Alsaif.

The first ever woman from Saudi Arabia to sign with the PFL, Alsaif has been an electrifying addition to its roster. In her first two amateur fights, Alsaif has picked up two stoppages in the second round, including a viral head kick in her SmartCage debut. Alsaif will face Lilia Osmani on Nov. 29.

PFL MENA is another expansion league to what the PFL is doing gl…

Bo Nickal is asked what he was thinking when he heard the crowd chant "Overrated".

Later, Nickal talks UFC 309 broadcast team criticism: It was a little disappointing to hear some of those comments from people I respect a lot.#HelwaniShow pic.twitter.com/HVQb90mXFe

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) November 18, 2024 Many fans and pundits were not impressed with Bo Nickal’s performance.

On the main card of UFC 309, Nickal (7-0) picked up a unanimous decision win over Paul Craig (17-9-1) in striking contest where the vaunted wrestler did not even attempt a single takedown. The lackluster back-and-forth did not thrill the audience or commentary team, drawing chants of “overrated” from those in attendance. The multiple-time NCAA Division I champ suggested in his post-fight interviews that he did not wish to put himself in danger of an unlikely submission from “Bearjew,” and ran a risk-adverse strategy he thought went well. Nickal, however, di…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is making a first in Saudi Arabia this February.

According to Canadian outlet Sportsnet and immediately confirmed by the promotion on Monday, Mayra Bueno Silva (10-4-1, 1 NC) will be returning to flyweight for an encounter on Feb. 1. The Brazilian will come to blows with Jasmine Jasudavicius (12-3) at UFC Saudi Arabia, also known as a currently unnumbered UFC Fight Night event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The venue has not been made official as to whether it will be held at the Kingdom Arena like the past UFC show in the city or at the building named “The Venue.”

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The two ladies will serve as the first women’s bout in the Octagon in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is not the first female match for the promotion in the Middle East, with that honor going to Sarah Moras vs. Liana Jojua at UFC 242 in 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. This event will be organization’s second jaunt to Saudi Arabia, with the first UFC on…

Signs are pointing to a Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight championship unification battle in the not-too-distant future.

At UFC 309, disputed heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones (28-1, 1 NC) defended his throne against Stipe Miocic, dispatching the longtime titleholder with a spinning back kick and follow-up punches. In his post-fight interview, Jones expressed that he would not likely be retiring after his victory, while not naming his next opponent as he noted there are plenty of options going forward. According to one of those options, Tom Aspinall (15-3), he will be the next challenge to “Bones.”

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Despite the excitement potential of a title unification, Jones was not entirely sold on the endeavor. He suggested that instead, light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira should move up to try to become the UFC’s first beltholder in three weight classes. The New Yorker again flirted with retirement if he does not battle “Poatan” next, but the UFC might not …

Darren Till will take on Tommy Fury inside the squared circle in January.

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Till and Fury will trade leather at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester on Jan. 18, 2025. The matchup was confirmed by Ariel Helwani.

Breaking:

Darren Till x Tommy Fury is going down Jan. 18 on @DAZNBoxing. pic.twitter.com/zNbkErIfGO

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) November 17, 2024

Former UFC welterweight and middleweight contender Till put his MMA career on hiatus last year on the back of a three-fight losing streak to pursue other ventures. “The Gorilla” made his exhibition boxing debut against Mohammad Mutie this past July, earning a technical knockout win as Mutie was rendered unable to continue due to an injury. However, the fight was marred by controversy thanks to a massive post-fight brawl.

Meanwhile, Fury is best known for being the younger brother of multiple-time heavyweight champ Tyson Fury, and for being the first fight…