Martial Arts News

Justin Gaethje doesn’t regret fighting Max Holloway instead of waiting for a title shot that will now go to Dustin Poirier.

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Gaethje defeated Poirier via a vicious head-kick KO last year to earn the BMF title and bolster his relevance in the lightweight title picture. Poirier bounced back from the loss with a highlight-reel knockout win over surging contender Benoit St. Denis at UFC 299 last month, making a case for the next title shot.

While Gaethje would also have a legitimate claim to the next lightweight gold bid, “The Highlight” put his BMF strap in the line against Max Holloway at UFC 300 earlier this month. With champ Islam Makhachev adamant on defending his title this summer, the turnaround would be unlikely for the winner of that fight.

Gaethje admits that he ruled himself out of the next title shot by accepting the UFC 300 booking against Holloway. Makhachev will now defend his title against Poirier in the main event at UFC 302 on Ju…

Welcome to the League in 2025, @paulhughesmma 🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/P4vAyHHpaC

— PFL (@PFLMMA) April 20, 2024

The Professional Fighters League has signed top prospect Paul Hughes (11-1).

PFL president Ray Sefo was recently asked if there was any truth to reports of the promotion courting free agents Hughes and Salahdine Parnasse. Sefo replied in the affirmative while revealing that they had already secured the Hughes signing. The report was also officially confirmed by the PFL via social media.

Hughes exhausted his Cage Warriors contract with a first-round knockout win over Fabiano Silva earlier this month, extending his winning streak to five — a run which includes a win over UFC prospect Morgan Charriere. The former CW featherweight champ had teased a UFC clash against Paddy Pimblett while a free agent. However, “Big News” had also clarified that he would chose the promotion which valued him the most instead of limiting himself to …

[embedded content] Brendan Loughnane had to adapt and overcome some mental hurdles after suffering the first stoppage loss of his career.

In the 2023 regular season, the Brit was lumped up in 94 seconds by Jesus Pinedo, with a defeat that left Loughnane with five playoff points—and not enough for the featherweight top four in the playoffs. This put the 34-year-old on ice until April, when he returned for the 2024 Professional Fighters League 145-pound tourney. On Friday, Loughnane (27-5) bounced back in style at PFL Chicago, drumming out Pedro Carvalho in 86 seconds to get back in the win column.

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While his first fight of 2024 went his way, Loughnane explained in the post-fight press conference that the loss to Pinedo haunted him. Loughnane mentioned that he even considered leaving the sport behind after the crushing defeat.

“That was the best Brendan Loughnane,” he said during the post-fight press conference. “I don’t make excuses for fights, but t…

A bantamweight clash pitting two promising competitors has been added to UFC Fight Night 241.

China’s Heili Alateng (16-9-2) will take on Brazil’s Kleydson Rodrigues (8-3) in a three-round meeting on a Fight Night card scheduled to go down on May. 18 at the Apex in Las Vegas. The news was first announced by Alateng’s management, Iridium Sports Agency, in a post to X (formerly known as Twitter). Rodrigues confirmed news of this pairing on his Instagram shortly after its announcement.

Rodrigues will hope to make his way back to the win column, coming off a submission loss against Farid Basharat in September last year. “K.R” has gone 1-2 in his first three Octagon outings, including a loss to C.J. Vergara and a first-round knockout victory over Shannon Ross.

Meanwhile, Alateng will enter the contest on the heels of a unanimous decision loss against Chris Gutierrez that snapped a three-fight undefeated streak. The Chinese national has wins over the likes of Chad Anh…

Magomed Umalatov has been one of the Professional Fighters League’s best-kept secrets for the last three years, but few will overlook him after ragdolling former Bellator MMA welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov for three rounds Friday night.

Umalatov (15-0) cruised to a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) in the PFL 3: 2024 Regular Season main event at Wintrust Center in Chicago. Despite taking Koreshkov down in the first round, Umalatov’s inactivity cost him the round on the judges' scorecards. “Prince” wouldn’t make that mistake again. Over the next 10 minutes, Koreshkov dominated Koreshkov on the mat while smothering all his potential offense. Although the two had 23 knockouts between them coming into the fight, Umalatov wisely decided to turn the fight into a wrestling match. With the win, Umalatov picked up three points in the welterweight standings but trails Murad Ramazanov and Don Madge, who each earned six points in the 2024 PFL Welterweight Regular Season…

The Professional Fighters League’s regular season marches on with the final event of the first leg of the 2024 Regular Season. The card is primed for an enthralling display on April 19 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, where featherweights and welterweights will battle it out for their stab at fame and glory with $1 million prize money elevating the stakes. Sherdog brings live coverage and play-by-play updates as the action unfolds live at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+. Business picks up at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN with the main card. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round: Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is building up its card for International Fight Week one large brick at a time.

The organization announced on Friday the addition of a major light heavyweight collision on UFC 303. Former champ Jamahal Hill (12-2, 1 NC) will look to get back in the win column against the surging Khalil Rountree (13-5, 1 NC), with the latter riding a career-long win streak. The two will do battle on June 29 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and they will likely be seated on the main card.

Hill vied for his old belt—one he vacated due to injury, and not because he suffered a loss—against Alex Pereira in the UFC 300 headliner, and he came out on the wrong end of a first-round knockout. That defeat put an end to a four-fight win streak that culminated with him capturing the vacant 205-pound throne against Glover Teixeira in a one-sided five-round effort. On his way up, the Dana White's Contender Series graduate wrecked Jimmy Crute, Johnny Walker and T…

Ex-Ultimate Fighting Championship star Nate Diaz will be going to court after all.

In April 2023, Diaz was arrested in New Orleans for second-degree battery. Multiple videos showed Diaz choking Logan Paul impersonator and amateur MMA fighter Rodney Petersen Jr. unconscious in the midst of a violent incident on Bourbon Street. Diaz and his team claimed he acted in self-defense, with Petersen allegedly pursuing him to fight. Charges from the Orleans Parish District Attorney were later dropped in September. On Thursday night, news broke that Petersen had filed a lawsuit against Diaz for the damage he sustained during the altercation.

According to initial reports, Petersen stated he suffered physical and emotional damage from the fracas. Of note, Petersen seeks compensation for damages and trauma, including a loss of income and his medical expenses. His wife, Bobbi Petersen, is also on the suit, where she seeks damages for loss of consortium—or the lack of love and suppo…

Some people knew Alexandre Pantoja was going all the way to the top when he was just a youngling.

Pantoja, the Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight champion, defends his title on May 4 in his home country of Brazil. “The Cannibal” lived part of his life in Copacabana and later in Arraial do Cabo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Currently residing in Florida to train at American Top Team, Pantoja will compete in Brazil for the first time since 2013 when he faces surging contender Steve Erceg in the UFC 301 main event.

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Pantoja's first coach, Petterson Melo, taught in the beach town of Arraial do Cabo. He highlighted that his pupil already showed signs of a promising future from his first steps inside the Luiz Alves Training Center, which to this day remains a staging ground for the formation of new talents in the Lakes Region. Melo spoke to Sherdog about his student’s past, and others that trained with him over the years.

“The boy was pure bravery,” …

Avazbek Kholmirzaev outclassed Zayundin Suleymanov on the feet and on the ground before recording a third-round technical knockout in their ONE Friday Fights 59 catchweight feature on Friday at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Kholmirzaev (6-1, 2-0 ONE) finished the 128-pound clash 16 seconds into Round 3.

Kholmirzaev, the taller fighter, came out light on his feet and attempted to pick his opponent off from the outside, occasionally blitzing with punching combinations. A minute and a half into the first frame, Suleymanov managed to get a body lock and slam Kholmirzaev to the mat, eventually securing mount. However, the Uzbekistani managed to make it back to his feet after offering his opponent his back and instead shot in for a takedown of his own. Once Kholmirzaev trapped his opponent against the ropes with back control, the 23-year-old unleashed a barrage of knees before the Russian managed to break away and avoid extensive damage. Despite the shots sustaine…

📣 #Yogibo presents #RIZIN47💥💥 Matchup Announcement 💥💥

RIZIN MMA Rules 61.0kg

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🟥 #KyojiHoriguchi / @kyoji1012First-ever RIZIN Flyweight Championーーー🆚ーーー🟦 #SergioPettis / @sergiopettisFormer Bellator World Bantamweight Champion

🏟️ Yoyogi National Gymnasium,… pic.twitter.com/SnFB3SvWAu

— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) April 19, 2024 Rizin Fighting Federation is not messing around with its trip to Tokyo this June.

The organization broke the news on Friday morning, announcing a trio of noteworthy pairings for Rizin 47 on June 9. The event will be held at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo. The main attraction will come at the bantamweight division, when Sergio Pettis (23-6) and Kyoji Horiguchi (32-5, 1 NC) run back a thrilling encounter in 2021.

Horiguchi and Pettis first met atop Bellator 272, with Pettis defending his Bellator MMA bantamweight throne against his Japanese counterpart. The America…

Two more bouts have been added to the UFC 303 lineup, as Joe Pyfer will face Marc-Andre Barriault at middleweight, while Michelle Waterson-Gomez will meet Gillian Robertson at strawweight.

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The Las Vegas-based promotion confirmed the pairing on Wednesday. UFC 303 takes place on June 29 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight showdown pitting Conor McGregor against Michael Chandler.

After winning his first three Octagon appearances inside the distance, Pyfer suffered his first promotional defeat at UFC Fight Night 236, where he dropped a five-round verdict to Jack Hermansson in the evening’s headliner on Feb. 10. That defeat ended a five-bout winning streak overall for the Dana White's Contender Series alum.

Barriault was unsuccessful in his first outing of 2024, as he fell to Chris Curtis via split decision at UFC 297 on Jan. 20. The Canadian known as “Power Bar” was coming off a 2-0 campaign the previous year, w…