Martial Arts News

Dan Hooker is out of his upcoming clash against Bobby Green with less than 10 days to go before fight night.

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Hooker was scheduled to take on Green in the co-main event at UFC on ESPN 52, which goes down at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas on Dec. 2. “The Hangman” has now been forced out of the matchup due to an arm injury, according to the New Zealand Herald. Multiple outlets have since confirmed the news. A replacement opponent for Green is being sought.

Earlier this year, Hooker pulled out of a scheduled clash against Jalin Turner at UFC 285 in March due to a broken hand. He later went to defeat Turner via split decision at UFC 290 but broke his arm in the fight. The Kiwi has now reportedly been forced out of UFC Austin due to a similar injury.

“It’s just one of those things. I’ve been kicked a thousand times in the last two months and he just got me on the right spot. It’s broken on the same spot as I broke it last time,” Hooker told the…

Anderson Silva believes the end of the partnership between the UFC and USADA could be a good thing.

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During an interview on the Flow podcast, “The Spider” said that he believes testing should be more flexible, taking place only during the week of the fight.

“Depending on the sport, yes [there has to be strict control]. If it's an Olympic sport, it has to be there. I think the UFC shouldn't be so strict,” Silva said. “It’s not an Olympic sport. The training that MMA athletes do is completely different from that of any other fighting athlete, because they put themselves at extremes. The guy trains boxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, sparring, physical preparation and a lot of other things. There was a season that injured a lot of people. When a guy is undergoing medical monitoring, taking something without it being out of control, he won't get injured. This won't change his performance at all in the fight. I am in favor of drug testing during fight week. If…

A heavyweight matchup has been added to the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s second pay-per-view event of 2024.

Justin Tafa (7-3) will take on Marcos Rogerio de Lima (21-9) at UFC 298 on Feb. 17. Both fighters confirmed the booking on social media following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. UFC 298 is headlined by a featherweight title tilt between Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria and is expected to be held in Los Angeles, though the location and venue are not official.

Tafa is currently unbeaten in his last four outings, which includes three first-round stoppages and one no contest. “Bad Man” is coming off a knockout win against Austen Lane at UFC 293 on Sept. 9.

Meanwhile, de Lima has gone 2-2 in his last four Octagon appearances. In his most recent outing, he suffered a 33-second KO defeat to Derrick Lewis at UFC 291 in July.

Donn Davis: The next time we're on here, when people laugh that we're gonna be a co-leader, we're gonna be a co-leader. #TheMMAHour pic.twitter.com/Rw5ZHsRjhi

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) November 20, 2023

PFL founder Donn Davis believes the promotion’s latest acquisition has UFC CEO Dana White worried.

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After months of rumors, PFL officially announced its acquisition of Bellator on Monday. Davis believes that while White wasn’t previously worried about the PFL, this latest move has the UFC head honcho concerned.

“Everybody knows Dana well enough that he only dismisses things that worry him, or else he just doesn’t comment. He didn’t comment on the PFL for four years because he wasn’t worried. He has commented on the PFL a lot in the last six months. He’s worried,” Davis said during an appearance on "The MMA Hour.”

While PFL and Bellator have been in competition for the status of No. 2 MMA promotion in the …

Bobby Green has a bold prediction for Tony Ferguson’s upcoming UFC 296 clash against Paddy Pimblett.

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Ferguson will take on “The Baddy” at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 16. Many consider it a booking of contrasting career arcs, with Ferguson being on a six-fight skid and Pimblett on a six-fight winning streak.

Once considered to be one of the biggest threats to former lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov, Ferguson has repeatedly been advised to retire throughout the course of his recent slump. However, Green, who was his last opponent, believes “El Cucuy” should retire only when he wants to. Green also expects to Ferguson to return to the win column against Pimblett at UFC 296.

“Everybody telling him to retire and stuff, he’ll retire when he wants to retire,” Green recently said in an interview with The Schmo. “Don’t let nobody tell you different. I fought Tony, so I know what I was dealing with in there the whole entire time. Even …

Tyson Fury is seemingly interested in running it back with Francis Ngannou after their boxing clash last month.

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Ngannou made his long-awaited foray into the squared circle on Oct. 28 in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia, against Fury, going in as a +850 underdog. The former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight king shocked the world by taking Fury to a split decision, also scoring the lone knockdown of the bout in Round 3.

Ngannou isn’t expected to return to MMA for his next outing, as there have been talks of potential boxing clashes against Dereck Chisora and Deontay Wilder. Meanwhile, Fury is slated to take on Oleksandr Usyk in a heavyweight title unification clash on Feb. 17.

While Fury isn’t looking past the Usyk fight, promoter Frank Warren said on "The MMA Hour” that the WBC champ is interested in a rematch against Ngannou in the future.

“I think there’s a good chance of that happening. I do,” Warren said. “I don’t know [if it’ll be n…

Clay Collard isn't surprised he's going to go up against Professional Fighters League 2022 lightweight king Olivier Aubin-Mercier Friday at the 2023 PFL Championships.

Coming off a dominant unanimous decision victory against Shane Burgos in August at 2023 PFL 9, Collard (24-10) is set to meet Mercier (20-5) for the lightweight strap inside the Smart Cage on Nov. 24 at The Anthem in Washington D.C.

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Mercier, on the other hand, is currently undefeated in the promotion and will enter the bout with Collard on the heels of back-to-back finishes against Bruno Miranda and Anthony Romero.

Considering the hectic schedule fighters deal with when competing in a playoff setting, Collard was asked by Sherdog.com if he's had enough time to come up with a game plan for the reigning lightweight champion.

“So, I mean, we're definitely going to cater a little bit towards OAM's fighting style. We're going to work on different things for different individual fig…

Impa Kasanganay envisions himself besting Joshua Silveira in all facets of mixed martial arts in their upcoming Professional Fighters League light heavyweight title battle Friday at the 2023 PFL Championships.

A former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight, Kasanganay now competes as a light heavyweight in the PFL. Ever since the move up to 205, the Kill Cliff FC product has racked up four victories, including three finishes under the PFL banner this year; all within the span of five months.

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Most recently, Kasanganay secured his spot in the light heavyweight finals after delivering a devastating Round 1 knockout against Marthin Hamlet. Before that, the former middleweight secured a Round 2 arm-triangle choke submission against Tim Caron in the playoff semis.

Considering his recent track record and performances inside the Smart Cage, Kasanganay (14-3) is understandably confident regarding the outcome of his upcoming light heavyweight title …

Singapore-based ONE Championship made its United States debut in May — and apparently, that was just the tip of the iceberg.

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During a recent interview on CNBC, ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong briefly outlined the company’s plans for holding events outside of its usual destinations, and he indicated that will include multiple events in the U.S.

“We’re going back to Japan, we’re going Qatar and we’re obviously coming back to Singapore,” Sityodtong said. “And the U.S., by the way, more events in the U.S. in 2024.”

ONE made its stateside debut on May 5 for ONE on Prime Video 10, which saw Demetrious Johnson defeat Adriano Moraes to defend the 135-pound title in the evening’s main event at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. Sityodtong did not mention which U.S. cities ONE might visit in the coming year.

In a separate post on his LinkedIn account, Sityodtong addressed ONE’s growth and ongoing financial success.

“ONE is on track to…

Nineteen fighters who competed at UFC 295 received indefinite medical suspensions.

The New York State Athletic Commission recently release a full list of medical suspensions from the event, which took place at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 11. The NYSAC did not reveal the specific nature of each fighter’s suspension. Every athlete on the card received at least a seven-day term. All indefinite suspensions can be lifted via doctor clearance.

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UFC 295 saw Alex Pereira claim the vacant light heavyweight crown with a second-round technical knockout of Jiri Prochazka in the evening’s main event. Prochazka was suspended 45 days for mandatory rest, and he was also suspended indefinitely pending doctor clearance. Pereira, meanwhile, received a seven-day sit.

UFC 295 Medical Suspensions:

Alex Pereira: Suspended for seven days.

Jiri Prochazka: Suspended 45 days for mandatory rest, indefinitely suspended pending primary care doctor clearance. Read more

Professional Fighters League 2022 lightweight champion Olivier Aubin-Mercier isn't looking to engage in an all-out war with Clay Collard in their scheduled lightweight finals bout Friday at the 2023 PFL Championships.

Undefeated since his arrival in the PFL, Mercier (20-5) finds himself competing for the lightweight championship for the second time in a row. “The Canadian Gangster” has earned the highly-coveted title fight on the heels of three impressive outings against Bruno Miranda, Anthony Romero and former Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor Shane Burgos.

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Interestingly, Mercier and Collard (24-10) will enter the Smart Cage on Nov. 24 at The Anthem in Washington D.C. having faced a common opponent in Burgos. Although both 2023 playoff finalists managed to secure the victory against “Hurricane,” the way the two approached the matchup couldn't have been more different.

While “The Canadian Gangster” defeated Burgos with his well-rounded ap…

New MMA Global Powerhouse@PFLMMA acquires @Bellator

Our Fighter Roster Equal To UFC - Both 30% Top 25 World Ranked FIghters

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PFL Launch Reimagined Bellator - Bellator International Champions Series

Mega-Event For Fans In 2024 - PFL Champs vs. Bellator Champs pic.twitter.com/Ma4YUl4AUi

— Donn Davis (@DonnDavisPFL) November 20, 2023 Professional Fighters League’s long-rumored purchase of Bellator MMA has become a reality.

PFL announced Monday that it has completed the acquisition of the California-based promotion from Paramount Global, “creating a global powerhouse in mixed martial arts and accelerating the combined company to become the industry co-leader.” Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but PFL founder Donn Davis told the Financial Times that Paramount would retain a minority stake in Bellator.

According to a release, PFL will continue the Bellator brand in 2024, but it will be a “reimagined product”…