Martial Arts News

While some would argue that Steve Erceg won't have a lot of pressure on him going into his UFC 301 title fight just 11 months after his promotional debut, "Astroboy" couldn't disagree more.

While Erceg acknowledges that he might have been "at the right place, at the right time," in terms of him receiving a title shot just three fights into his UFC tenure, the Myaree, Australia, native isn’t taking the opportunity lightly and sees this as a moment that will serve as the pinnacle of his hard work and dedication to the sport of mixed martial arts.

Erceg, who hasn't lost a bout since his second professional outing in 2017, believes he has a lot of pressure on him going into the matchup and is aiming to walk away with the strap at the end of the night in Rio De Janeiro.

“Honestly, I believe there’s just as much as pressure on me as there is on Pantoja,” Erceg said during his media day appearance. “I know that, yeah, technically he’s the champion, he's the favor…

#ONEFightNight22 highlight video: Smilla Sundell demolishes Natalia Diachkova pic.twitter.com/KzX5PW7JFV

— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom) May 4, 2024

The women’s muay thai belt at 125 pounds may not be in anyone’s possession now, but the division’s only champion is on a mission to get it back very soon.

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One Championship and beltholder Smilla Sundell (36-5, 5-0 ONE) had visions of the 19-year-old from Sweden claiming titles across multiple disciplines, but much changed the day before the event. Sundell missed her weight class by 1.5 pounds and was forced to surrender her throne, and only challenger Natalia Diachkova (30-5, 4-1 ONE) could claim it. While ONE on Prime Video 22 concluded with a vacant 125-pound belt in One’s women’s muay thai division, it all-but promised an immediate rematch as Sundell pulled victory from the jaws of defeat as she dispatched Diachkova right before the second round ended.

Diachkova proved ear…

ONE Championship’s latest installment in the U.S. primetime series hosts a trio of key contests forming the central allure of ONE Fight Night 22. The event, which is set to go down on May 3, will ignite Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok. Sherdog.com brings you exclusive live coverage and play-by-play updates starting at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT. Round 1 The opening muay thai bout is overseen by Olivier Coste. Climaco trades leg kicks with Cruz. A body kick by Cruz is caught by Climaco, who answers back with a body kick of his own. Climaco working his jab early. Cruz is throwing punches, but they are coming up short. Climaco lands knees to the body while clinched. Cruz catches a kick and lands a straight right hand. Nice leg kicks by Climaco, who is in control. A straight left hand hurts Cruz, who backs up. Climaco follows up with a left hand to the body that knocks Cruz down. Cruz doesn't get back up and this fight is over.

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The Official Result Sean Climaco d…

𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟: Your PFL Sioux Falls Fight Card!

It’s win or go home for the Welterweights & Featherweights as they fight for their spots in the 2024 PFL Playoffs!

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[ #PFLRegularSeason | Friday, June 28th | 10pm ET on ESPN | 6pm on ESPN+ ] pic.twitter.com/KEtthMtgVS — PFL (@PFLMMA) May 3, 2024 The final regular season Professional Fighters League card of the year is officially on the books.

Per a release from the tournament-based league on Friday, PFL 6: 2024 Regular Season, which will feature the featherweight and welterweight divisions, is now official. Twelve fights are on the docket, including one alternate bout at 170 pounds and a non-tourney “featherweight showcase” bout to start off the prelims. Of the six brackets currently operating in the PFL’s main grand prix, 145 pounds is the only one where all five fights see a points-holding winner taking on an opponent that lost earlier in the season.

Serving as th…

Belarusian prospect Ilyas Eziev on Friday improved to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in ONE Championship, as he submitted Joji Goto with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their ONE Friday Fights 61 bantamweight showcase at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

The 22-year-old controlled his adversary on the canvas for the majority of the first round and scored multiple takedowns before dropping Goto with a straight left toward the end of the frame. Going into the second round, Goto (15-7, 0-1 ONE) seemed to have recovered from the knockdown and began to get comfortable exchanging strikes with Iziev, landing crisp combinations on the Belarusian while also displaying his scrambling ability time and again. Regardless, Iziev stuck to his relentless grappling assault and visibly began to wear his Japanese foe down.

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Goto came out guns blazing in the final frame, dropping Iziev with consecutive left hands. However, the Japanese competitor failed to cap…

Pesée validée pour le jaguar 🐆 @WilliamGomisMMA ⚖️ 64,9 kg (143 lb)

📺 Regardez l’#UFC301 dans la nuit de samedi à dimanche sur 🇫🇷 @RMCSport 2 pic.twitter.com/G8DTwhF2Qd

— UFC France (@UFCFRA) May 3, 2024 A Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter has been forced out of his match after a bad weight cut, but not for the reason one might expect.

Ahead of UFC 301, William Gomis hit the scales for his featherweight matchup against Jean Silva. The Frenchman wobbled to the dais while still wearing a t-shirt and shorts, and did not disrobe like other competitors. Instead, the depleted Gomis stood on the podium and weighed in at 143 pounds, or three pounds below the limit of his weight class. Appearing in poor condition, Silva nearly needed assistance walking to and from the stage as commission officials tended to him.

Shortly after the bizarre scene unfolded, French outlet RMC Sport Combat broke the news that the fight had been scratched for…

[embedded content] The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Brazil for its next pay-per-view event.

Headlining UFC 301 is a flyweight title fight between Alexandre Pantoja and Steve Erceg. Both men successfully hit 125 pounds at the official weigh-ins, making the five-round fight official. All other fighters also made weight for the 14-fight card.

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Pantoja (27-5) is looking to make his second defense of the flyweight title. After beating Brandon Moreno via split decision, "The Cannibal" defended the belt against Brandon Royval in a unanimous decision effort. Having not lost since a 2020 defeat to Askar Askarov, the Brazilian brings a five-fight win streak into his first UFC main event.

Meanwhile, Erceg (12-1) is a surprising title contender as the Australian only has three prior fights in the promotion. In his UFC debut, "Astro Boy" defeated David Dvorak via decision in 2023. Since then, he's won a decision over Alessandro Costa and scored a kn…

Two top Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweights will try to move up the ladder this July.

In March, Super Lutas first reported that Arnold Allen (19-3) and Giga Chikadze (15-3) were slated to square off in England, with the date not specified. On Thursday, multiple outlets were able to confirm the featherweight booking for UFC 304, which will go down at the Co-op Live in Manchester, England, on July 27. The only other matchup currently booked for this evening is another 145-pound affair pitting Nathaniel Wood against Daniel Pineda.

Allen is currently riding the first losing streak of his career, having dropped a five-round decision to Max Holloway in April 2023 and then another decision to Movsar Evloev in January. Before losing to the former champ, the Brit had strung together 10 straight wins in the Octagon, where he beat the likes of Calvin Kattar, Dan Hooker and Sodiq Yusuff on his way up the division. This will be Allen’s first outing on home country soil…

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Patrick Mix doesn’t gameplan for opponents. He adjusts and then annihilates them. From flying knees to rear-naked chokes, there’s no technique the Bellator MMA bantamweight champion won’t use to finish a fight. Just ask Magomed Magomedov.

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“I have to give him props,” Magomedov said on the Bellator Champions Series Paris media call Thursday. In the first fight, he surprised me. He used his distance to his benefit. This time, I’m approaching the fight differently, and people should expect a war.”

Mix (19-1) hasn’t seen a tough fight since his lone loss nearly four years ago. After submitting Magomedov in 2022, Mix spent the following year starching Raufeon Stots and Sergio Pettis. Today he rules the division with a fearsome fist but wants to prove he’s the best 135-pounder in the world — even if he has to take out former opponents to do it.

“It’s not just me; it’s also the people that I’m fighting,” Mix said. “This guy’s 20-3…

Charles Oliveira wants to make it clear that he would only move to welterweight for one specific fight.

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight king Oliveira spoke to Sherdog ahead of UFC 301. The event in Rio de Janeiro, he is not competing, but he is supporting his countrymen and women as well as cornering teammate Elves Brener. “Do Bronx” is coming off a decision loss to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300 that served as a title eliminator match, and he says he is ready to put the past behind him.

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“I expected more from myself inside the cage,” Oliveira stated about his UFC 300 defeat. “I think I got the best moments in all three rounds. Actually, I think I won [the first] and [third], but that fight’s already gone. I’m not here to cause any [drama].”

Instead of dwelling on the past, Oliveira wants to learn from his mistakes and look to the future.

“Fourteen years are not fourteen days,” Oliviera pontificated. “Don't get me wrong, I don’t …

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Many believe that if Alex Pereira moved up in weight again, he would be successful, but no one is more confident in his skills than his manager.

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Ahead of UFC 301, manager Jorge “Joinha” Guimaraes spoke to Sherdog about the future of his fighter, Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion Pereira. While some expect that the next challenge for “Poatan” will be Russian wrestler Magomed Ankalaev, Guimaraes threw some cold water on that potential pairing, while discussing additional options including a potential shift in weight for the 205-pound king.

“Not necessarily it will be Ankalaev,” Guimaraes noted. “I don’t think Ankalaev moves the needle, but whatever they bring, I think Alex is ready for anything. He doesn’t choose opponents.”

If Ankalaev is indeed the next contender for the throne, the manager of “Poatan” expresses the utmost of confidence in his client.

“Ankalaev would have a hard time [taking] …

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Natalia Diachkova believes her upcoming opponent, Smilla Sundell, has several holes in her game waiting to be exploited.

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Diachkova will challenge Sundell for the ONE Championship women’s muay thai 125-pound title at ONE Fight Night 22 on May 3. While Sundell’s achievements for a 19-year-old are certainly commendable, Diachkova, who won the Russian National Adult Championship at just 16 years of age, isn’t awed.

“Her age doesn't really matter. I won the National Adult Championship when I was 16 years old. But mentally, she is still a child,” Diachkova said.

While Sundell has seemed almost flawless in her career thus far, Diachkova notes that the 5’10” champ has enjoyed a significant height advantage over her latest opponents. Diachkova sees her 5’7” stature posing a problem for the relatively inexperienced Sundell, who will be unable to use her height advantage to the fullest when they cross paths.

“Yes, it will be a proble…