Martial Arts News

Sean Strickland was very close to retaining his middleweight title in the UFC 297 main event this past Saturday night in Toronto.

Advertisement

Were it not for an accidental headbutt that he claims occurred in the second half of his fight against Dricus Plessis, Strickland believes he might have gotten the nod. Instead, it was Du Plessis who claimed the middleweight crown with a closely-contested split decision triumph.

Strickland has twice referenced the alleged headbutt, which wasn’t identified by referee Marc Goddard, on social media since his loss to Du Plessis.

“Well f—k haha … that headbutt really made it difficult to see, but I thought we got the job done,” Strickland wrote Sunday on X. “Blood and all!!! Onto the next one!!!. Thanks to everyone who supported me!!!!!”

Well fuck haha... man that headbutt really made it difficult to see but I thought we got the job done. Blood and all!!! Onto the next one!!! Thanks everyone who sup…

The Professional Fighters League vs. Bellator MMA Champions card has taken an early hit.

Advertisement

The PFL announced Monday that Magomed Magomedkerimov has withdrawn from the event due to an undisclosed injury. As a result, Ray Cooper III will step in against Jason Jackson on Feb. 24. While the original bout was slated for welterweight, Cooper vs. Jackson will be contested at a 182-pound catchweight. In addition, Biaggio Ali Walsh has a new opponent for his professional debut, as he will now face Emmanuel Palacio on the preliminary draw.

PFL vs. Bellator takes place at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and features multiple bouts matching champions from both organizations against one another. The card will be headlined by a heavyweight clash between 2023 PFL heavyweight champ Renan Ferreira and reigning Bellator heavyweight king Ryan Bader. The main card will air on pay-per-view via ESPN+.

A two-time PFL champion at welterweight, Cooper moved to…

ONE Championship will hold a no-gi submission grappling tournament prior to its event in Qatar.

Advertisement

“Road to ONE: Doha” will take place at the Aspire Zone in Doha, Qatar, on Feb. 29 and spans five different weight classes. Winners in the advanced divisions will received $100,000 contracts to grapple for ONE Championship.

Advanced categories include one women’s division (115 pounds) and five men’s (135, 155, 170 and 185 pounds). To qualify for the advanced category, a competitor must be a brown belt or a black belt or have at least four years of experience. All grapplers must weigh-in before their first match. Further registration information for the event can be found here.

Matches are five minutes and wins can be secured via submission, tapout, verbal tapout and referee stoppage “due to imminent danger.” A decision victory will be awarded to the athlete with the most number of catches, which are near submissions. There are no draws.

“Road …

Jimmy Flick believes — or at least hopes — that his UFC 297 win over Malcolm Gordon was enough to save his job.

Advertisement

Flick took on an overweight Gordon to start off the UFC 297 action in Toronto on Saturday. “The Brick” endured frenetic pressure and pace from Gordon in the first round and came from behind to score a second-round submission victory via arm triangle. The win allowed the grappling ace to snap a two-fight skid.

Flick subsequently revealed that it was the last fight on his UFC contract which he now hopes will be extended.

“Coming out like that with the fans against me, the guy didn’t make the weight, everything was against me,” Flick said during a post-fight media scrum. “If I lost tonight, I feel like I was going to lose my job, and I was going back to find a new job. That’s not what I wanted, so this means the world to me.”

“I am 2-2 in the UFC — four fights and never hit the scorecards and don’t plan on hitting the scorecards.…

Reaction: Strickland vs Du Plessis pic.twitter.com/eFQVSIy58O

— “The Future” Ian Machado Garry (@iangarryMMA) January 21, 2024

Ian Garry didn’t miss an opportunity to mock Sean Strickland following his loss at UFC 297.

Advertisement

Strickland went to battle against Dricus Du Plessis in Saturday’s main event, losing via split decision in a bout that earned “Fight of the Night” honors. The fight was competitive enough that many observers thought it could have gone in Strickland’s favor.

However, Garry was unimpressed with the UFC 297 headliner.

“The f—ing state of this,” Garry said in a video posted on social media. “Zero technique. Slugging it out. Oh my God. I feel like I’m watching two amateurs fight. Oh my God. If I ever have a fight like that, please tell me to retire.”

Garry’s jab at Strickland isn’t entirely unprovoked, as the former middleweight champ initiated the rivalry by repeatedly calling the Irishman a “c—k”…

[embedded content]

While Amanda Nunes is definitely enjoying her retirement, a return to the Octagon isn’t totally out of the realm of possibility.

Advertisement

The former women’s two-division champion announced her retirement this past June following a victory over Irene Aldana at UFC 289, vacating both of her belts in the process.

Nunes was in attendance at UFC 297 on Saturday as Raquel Pennington earned a decision victory against Mayra Bueno Silva to win the vacant bantamweight strap. While “The Lioness” didn’t feel bad watching a new champ getting crowned, it was certainly a mixture of emotions.

“I was nervous [watching the title fight],” she said on the UFC 297 post-fight show on ESPN+. “I don’t know why, but I was very nervous. It was mixed feelings. I was happy and sad. When I saw ‘Rocky’ with the belt, I was OK. I wasn’t upset or anything like that.

“I think I did the right decision retiring, resting a little bit. Taking care of the babies. C…

UFC CEO Dana White is taking the stance that he refuses to curtail freedom of speech even for Sean Strickland, who is known for voicing his unfiltered opinions on controversial topics.

Advertisement

Strickland has both received criticism and gained popularity over the years for his unabashed comments about women, gun control and the LGBTQ community, among other topics. Ahead of his recent UFC 297 title clash against Dricus Du Plessis, Strickland went on a profanity-filled rant directed at the LGBTQ community during media day in Toronto.

While such comments would have undoubtedly warranted a fine or suspension in most major sports leagues, White refuses to take away the freedom of expression. The UFC CEO claims to have had “zero” conversation with broadcast partners of sponsors regarding Strickland’s recent tirade. White also put the blame on the reporter, who he claims “baited” Strickland by asking if he stood by his previous comments on the LGBTQ community.

…

While Conor McGregor may claim otherwise, UFC CEO Dana White says the Irish star won’t be returning to action in June.

Advertisement

McGregor hasn’t fought since July 2021, when he suffered a broken leg in a trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. The Irishman served as rival coach against Michael Chandler on “The Ultimate Fighter 31,” and the two were initially supposed to clash by end of 2023. However, the bout never came to fruition.

The former UFC two-division champion most recently announced that he will be returning to action during the International Fight Week on June 29 against Chandler at 185 pounds.

However, White shut down the possibility of McGregor returning in June during the UFC 297 post-fight press conference on Saturday night.

“Uuuuh, no. When Conor is ready to fight, you know we’ll announce it,” White said. “That’s what we’ll do.”

The finish line could be in sight for 18-time UFC veteran Raquel Pennington.

Advertisement

But first, she has a couple more goals to accomplish.

Pennington captured the vacant women’s bantamweight title with a clear-cut unanimous decision victory over Mayra Bueno Silva in the UFC 297 co-main at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Saturday night. Shortly after that victory, she set her sights on a matchup with Julianna Pena, who was unable to compete for the vacant belt on Saturday due to injury.

For Pennington, a showdown with Pena carries a little extra meaning.

“That’s the fight that makes sense. I honestly thought that, for the world title, it would be me and Julianna, but she’s still injured,” Pennington said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference.

“That relationship goes back to 2013 when we were both on ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’ Let’s just say I learned Julianna’s personality then. It’s kind of one of those ones where you’re your own per…

Dricus Du Plessis knew the scorecards were going to be close, but he was confident he did enough get the nod against Sean Strickland in the UFC 297 headliner.

Advertisement

“It was a close fight, make no mistake – but I thought I had it. When that split decision came, I thought, ‘This is, 100 percent, 50-50.’ When they said ‘And new …,’ it felt like 15 years of work and sacrifice together in one single sentence. It feels surreal. It’s amazing,” Du Plessis said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference.

“I thought I did enough to win the fight. It definitely was a close fight. He won the first round and I made the necessary adjustments. … At the end of the day, I went toe-to-toe with the self-proclaimed best boxer in the UFC.”

Strickland got off to a strong start behind his jab, but Du Plessis got better as the fight progressed, mixing in takedowns with his striking to keep his opponent off balance. Ultimately, that was enough for the South African to win a c…

Frankie Edgar was announced as the first UFC Hall of Fame inductee for the class of 2024 on Saturday night.

Advertisement

Edgar was in attendance at UFC 297 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, where he was greeted with the surprise announcement. The former UFC lightweight champ was seen wiping away tears as the whole arena gave him a standing ovation.

“Frankie Edgar is one of the greatest athletes in UFC history,” UFC CEO Dana White said in a press release. “Frankie had an amazing career and consistently fought the best athletes in the world across multiple weight classes for more than 15 years. He is a legend, and it will be an honor to induct him into the UFC Hall of Fame as part of International Fight Week this summer.”

Edgar’s induction ceremony will take place during the International Fight Week this summer in Las Vegas and will be streamed live on UFC Fight Pass. Edgar will be inducted as part of the UFC Hall of Fame “Modern Era” which includes athl…

Jasmine Jasudavicius really wanted to punish Priscila Cachoeira during their UFC 297 clash.

Advertisement

Jasudavicius was originally scheduled to face Cachoeira at flyweight but was told a day before the weigh-ins that the Brazilian couldn’t make weight. Jasudavicius let her coaches make the call, and they agreed to a bantamweight clash.

However, the Canadian was upset at her opponent’s lack of professionalism and wanted to “torture” her going into the clash. Jasudavicius put on a record-breaking beating on Cachoeira en route to a third-round submission victory in front of her home fans in Toronto. Jasudavicius outlanded her opponent 326-26 in total strikes, which is the biggest strike differential in UFC women’s bantamweight history.

“The entire time that I was in there I was just trying to beat her up, man,” Jasudavicious told reporters after the win. “It pissed me off, that weight discrepancy man. The thing that she did with the weight, it pissed me of…