Martial Arts News

After outdueling Paulo Costa for five rounds in the UFC 302 co-main event, Sean Strickland remains in the thick of the championship discussion at 185 pounds.

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Strickland claimed middleweight gold with a massive upset of Israel Adesanya at UFC 293, but he relinquished the crown one fight later, losing a narrow split decision against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 in January. While Adesanya hasn’t competed since his loss to Strickland, it is expected that he will receive the next championship opportunity against Du Plessis.

As for Strickland, he is willing to wait for as long as it takes to receive what he believes he’s earned.

“As long as it takes, man. As long as it takes,” Strickland said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I want the gold, dude. I want the gold. When you’re fighting these top-10 motherf—-s, dude, you’re only one slip or dodge away from getting knocked out. I paid my penance: I went and fought Costa. I didn’t want to an…

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According to Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White, there’s no debate as to who deserves to be mixed martial arts’ No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter.

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While Islam Makhachev secured his 14th consecutive victory — and third successful title defense — with a fifth-round submission victory against Dustin Poirier in the UFC 302 headliner on Saturday night, White believes current heavyweight champion Jon Jones still has the superior resume.

“I think he’s [Makhachev] one of the greatest of all-time. I think he’s incredible. I don’t think he’s the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world,” White said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “For anyone to call Islam the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world when Jon Jones is still f—ing fighting is nuts and shouldn’t be ranking in the pound-for-pound, or doing any of the f—ing rankings ever if that’s what you really think.

“Jon Jones has never lost a fight, ever. He’s fough…

Kevin Holland apologized to Donald Trump for what he perceived to be a previous snub after his first-round submission win over Michal Oleksiejczuk at UFC 302.

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Holland survived a knockdown from Oleksiejczuk to secure an armbar, which appeared to injure the Pole’s arm and forced referee Herb Dean to step in at the 1:34 mark of the opening frame. “Trailblazer” immediately jumped over the Octagon and spoke to Trump, who was in attendance for the event at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Holland later revealed that he actually apologized to Trump for not greeting him in a previous instance. Holland noted that his first instinct is to always speak to UFC executives seated cageside.

“I just apologized because the first time that I hopped out of the cage when he was there, I didn’t speak to him,” Holland said during a post-fight media scrum. “And no disrespect to anybody ever, the person who signs my checks is usually the first person I’…

Rather than seeking a rematch, Grant Dawson is looking to get over his loss against Bobby Green by beating an opponent that recently beat “King.”

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Dawson bounced back from a knockout loss against Green with a dominant unanimous decision win over Joe Solecki at UFC 302 on Saturday. Dawson then called out Jalin Turner, who knocked out Green in December 2023.

“I want get back into the Top 15 by the end of this year, so I’d like to fight Jalin Turner,” Dawson said during a post-fight media scrum. “I don’t think Jalin Turner is gonna want to fight me, especially after a performance like that… He beat the guy that beat me. And there’s an easy way to get over Bobby without actually having to fight Bobby again, is beat the guy that beat him.”

Dawson was a considerable favorite going into the first UFC headliner of his career against Green in October 2023. Green knocked out Dawson in 33 seconds at UFC Fight Night 229, handing “KGD” the first loss of hi…

Ailin Perez called out Kayla Harrison after her win over Joselyne Edwards at UFC 302 on Saturday.

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Perez and Edwards looked to settle their rivalry, which started with an altercation at the UFC Performance Institute in November 2023. “Fiona” survived a blatant head butt from Edwards and went on to register a unanimous decision victory in their preliminary bantamweight bout at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The Argentine standout subsequently called out two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison.

Elaborating on her callout, Perez noted that the former Professional Fighters League lightweight champ currently has a lot of clout in the division. Perez wants to fight Harrison in a main event, which would be the first five rounder of the Argentine’s career if it comes to fruition.

“Yes, I called out Kayla Harrison back there in the interview,” Perez said during a post-fight media scrum. “This is the name that’s resounding in the di…

Order Now! UFC 302 “Makhachev vs. Poirier” Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+

Islam Makhachev might have gotten a tougher fight than he bargained for from Dustin Poirier, but that test turned out to be quite profitable for the Dagestani champion.

Makhachev defeated Poirier via fifth-round submission to retain his lightweight crown in the UFC 302 headliner at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Saturday night. Poirier proved to be a game opponent, doing perhaps his best work in the fourth frame before submitting to a brabo choke in the final stanza. As a result, Makhachev and Poirier received “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece. Meanwhile, Makhachev also earned one of the evening’s $50,000 “Performance of the Night” awards to bring his bonus total to $100,000 overall.

Elsewhere, Kevin Holland secured the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check by virtue of his quick submission victory against Michal Oleksiejczuk in a featured m…

Order Now! UFC 302 “Makhachev vs. Poirier” Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+

If a champion is defined by the quality of his rivalries, Islam Makhachev is building one hell of a résumé.

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In the main event of UFC 302 on Saturday in Newark, New Jersey, Makhachev (26-1) encountered stern resistance from a valiant and dangerous Dustin Poirier (30-9, 1 NC) before securing the dramatic finish.

The two lightweight greats began with some spirited exchanges on the feet but the champ, as expected, employed his wrestling quickly. Makhachev changed levels within the first minute of the fight and deposited “The Diamond” on the canvas at the base of the fence. From there, he went to work with his crushingly heavy top game. Poirier was not quite done, taking advantage of a kimura attempt by the champ to escape to his knees, but Makhachev spun behind him, secured a body triangle and went to work for a choke. Poirier survived to the end of the round, avoiding any subm…

As the Ultimate Fighting Championship makes its way back for its 10th visit to “Brick City” this weekend, a lightweight clash sits atop the marquee, as reigning champion Islam Makhachev faces off with former interim 155-pound title holder Dustin Poirier in a deeply-compelling and undeniably legacy-shaping duel.

UFC 302 goes down on June 1 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The bill is supported by a stellar main card lineup and a solid assembly of preliminary clashes. Stay tuned to Sherdog.com at 6:30 p.m. ET/ 3:30 p.m. ET to catch live play-by-play coverage of all of the action.

Order Now! UFC 302 “Makhachev vs. Poirier” Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Lima (-218), Raposo (+180)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Devin Tejada scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Devin Tejada scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay …

Order Now! UFC 302 "Makhachev vs. Poirier" Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+

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Roman Kopylov taught the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s newest crossover kickboxing star why they call it “mixed” martial arts.

In the top prelim of UFC 302 on Saturday in Newark, New Jersey, Kopylov (13-3) gave Cesar Almeida (5-1) a taste of what might await him as he scaled the UFC middleweight ranks. Kopylov, himself usually a kickboxer by preference, elected to test the unproven grappling of “Cesinha,” trying for a takedown in the opening minute, then succeeding a moment later, grounding the Brazilian at the base of the fence. Almeida got back up quickly but was floored by a Kopylov left hand near the midpoint of the round. Kopylov let his man back up, but was wide open for yet another takedown late, and rode out the balance of the round from top position. Almeida regrouped for the second frame, turning aside Kopylov’s first several takedown attempts, slipping his pun…

Arman Tsarukyan says if Dustin Poirier called him a motherf***er, his hand "definitely would've reached the target" 😳

"I need to react. To say that we are from a different culture and such things should not be told to us.

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It's good for Islam that he is not a very… pic.twitter.com/KS8fKWq9ew — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 1, 2024

Arman Tsarukyan is admittedly not as tolerant as Islam Makhachev.

Makhachev defends his strap against Dustin Poirier in the main event at UFC 302 on Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. During their pre-fight face off, “The Diamond” called Makhachev a “motherfuc*er,” evidently irking the champion. The Dagestani sternly asked Poirier to avoid using that term but refrained from getting physical with the Louisiana native.

Tsarukyan recently weighed in on the incident, claiming he would have reacted differently than Makhachev. “Ahalkalakets” indicated that mos…

[embedded content] Order Now! UFC 302 “Makhachev vs. Poirier” Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ After a rare week off, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns with a thrilling lightweight title fight and an intriguing UFC 302 pay-per-view card.

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The main event for the 12-fight card is now official. Both champion Islam Makhachev and challenger Dustin Poirier weighed 155 pounds on the dot for the five-round fight. One fighter missed weight as Andre Lima came in at 130 pounds for his flyweight fight against Mitch Raposo. He'll be fined 30% of his purse as a result.

Fans will be treated to see Makhachev (25-1) up against another proper lightweight after back-to-back title defenses over Alexander Volkanovski. While the first outing was quite close, Makhachev knocked out "The Great" with a brutal head kick in the first round of their short-notice rematch. The Russian fighter won the belt in 2022 by submitting Charles Oliveira with an arm-triangle choke.

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Paul vs Tyson update. pic.twitter.com/7jPUN5KeSq

— Most Valuable Promotions (@MostVpromotions) May 31, 2024 Legendary boxer Mike Tyson needs to heal up and recover before getting back to the ring again.

Tyson (50-6, 2 NC; 44 KOs) was slated to take on Jake Paul (9-1, 6 KOs) on July 20 in a modified pro boxing match. The two were expected to tangle at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. However, Tyson suffered a medical issue involving an ulcer on Sunday during a flight, and medical professional had to tend to him. This has resulted in Tyson being forced to stop training for a few weeks, until his recovery allows him to do so without limits. Due to this, the event has been postponed to a future date, one that will be announced on June 7.

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The fight, and potentially the remainder of the card, will still be held in the same building. Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions organization has stated in a press release that all ti…