Martial Arts News

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship talents Junior dos Santos and Alan Belcher will fight for the inaugural Gamebred Fighting Championship heavyweight title in March.

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UFC veteran Jorge Masvidal, the founder of the promotion, announced on Instagram that the fight will be a five-round, gloveless mixed martial arts contest on March 2 at the Kia Center in Orlando, Florida. Tickets for the event go live on Jan. 17 and broadcast information is yet to be revealed.

Dos Santos exited the UFC on a four-fight skid, and he followed that with an injury stoppage loss to Yorgan De Castro in his debut at Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Eagle FC in 2022. “Cigano” defeated fellow UFC veteran Fabricio Werdum in his promotional debut at GFC 5 in September to earn the title shot.

Meanwhile, Belcher retired from MMA in 2013 at the age of 29 following a loss to Michael Bisping at UFC 159. The former UFC middleweight contender returned to combat sports in 2021, competing …

Francis Ngannou isn’t ready to fully commit to fighting mixed martial arts in 2024.

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Ngannou, who signed with Professional Fighters League last year, is scheduled to face Anthony Joshua in his second pro boxing match on March 9 in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia. According to Ngannou, the PFL continues to support his forary into the Sweet Science.

“When I received a call and the offer for proposal of this fight (against Joshua), what happened? I reached out to PFL and told them because we’re in the business together,” Ngannou said during an appearance on "The MMA Hour."

“They gave me their blessing and said they can’t take away this opportunity from me, so I was happy to do that. I didn’t want to know what else they’re going to say, as long as they approved. They didn’t have a problem with this.”

Ngannou was previously expected to make his PFL debut sometime in 2024 in the organization’s pay-per-view superfight division. However, Ngannou’s closely-conte…

Khamzat Chimaev claims to have been promised a title shot on his return to the Octagon.

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Chimaev made his middleweight debut against Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 in October, picking up a majority decision win over the former welteweight champ. While “Borz” did secure the win, many questioned whether it was enough to warrant an immediate title shot.

The upcoming middleweight title fight between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis set for UFC 297 on Jan. 20 in Toronto was announced soon after.

Chimaev’s absence from the bout also makes sense considering he recently posted some concerning hospital pictures stating he was recently “very sick.” However, “Borz” claims to be next in line for a middleweight title shot after Strickland and Du Plessis fight at UFC 297.

“A hundred percent. He [Sean Strickland] has good fighter who he’s fighting with, Du Plessis, and if he wins against this guy for sure we’re gonna fight 100 percent. They promised fo…

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Israel Adesanya wanted to throw the kitchen sink at Sean Strickland going into the final frame of their UFC 293 title fight, but coach Eugene Bareman advised otherwise.

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Adesanya was a -650 favorite going into his UFC 293 title defense against Strickland, who stepped up on short notice for an injured Dricus Du Plessis. Strickland knocked down the champ in the very first round en route to a dominant decision win in one of the greatest upsets in UFC title fight history.

Adesanya had no doubt he was losing entering the final round and wanted to go out with guns blazing. However, City Kickboxing head coach Eugene Bareman wanted Adesanya to employ a more “tactical” approach.

“I never lost hope,” Adesanya said in an interview with Teddy Atlas. “I went back to the corner, Round 3 or Round 4, whatever it was, I was like, ‘Right, we go this round, we must go this round.’ Even like when I asked Eugene in the fifth round, I said ‘Shou…

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Michael Chandler is seemingly unbothered by Conor McGregor's lengthy absence from the drug testing pool and the rumors that have accompanied that time away.

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McGregor hasn’t fought since breaking his leg in a trilogy clash with Dustin Poirier in 2021 and dropped out of the drug testing pool in the third quarter of the year. The Irishman was expected to return to action against Michael Chandler last year following the completion of “The Ultimate Fighter 31,” where the two starred as rival coaches.

However, among other moving pieces, McGregor's delay in returning to the testing pool appeared to be a major reason behind his absence from competition. The Irishman went back and forth with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency before returning to the testing pool but not before the Ultimate Fighting Championship announced that the promotion would be parting ways with USADA and partnering with Drug Free Sport International at the start of 2024. US…

While Ian Garry on one hand sympathizes with Sean Strickland’s childhood trauma, he believes that doesn't give the UFC middleweight champ free reign to ridicule other fighters and their families.

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The feud between the two started with Strickland questioning Garry’s relationship with his wife, who is 14 years older than him. Strickland called “The Future” a “f---ing c--k” leading up to UFC 296, and the two also had a run-in at the UFC Performance Institute. Garry detailed the incident during an appearance on "The MMA Hour".

“I wouldn't say it was a seeing, it was more of a glance, and him being shuffled into a lift, and that was it,” Garry said. “And he had a little snicker on his face, and I shouted something at him — I don’t know what I shouted at him, but I shouted something at him before I even had a chance to think. My body went straight into fight mode, and then the doors closed. There was nothing much to it, to be honest.”

Around the same…

While Bo Nickal was admittedly impressed with Khamzat Chimaev’s UFC 294 win against Kamaru Usman, the wrestling phenom has also spotted a few holes in his game.

Chimaev picked up a majority decision win in his middleweight debut against the former welterweight champ, who accepted the fight on short notice. While Nickal acknowledged the caliber of Chimaev’s win, he did not fail to notice “Borz” gradually slowing down as the fight progressed. Nickal, like others, also believes the decision could have gone the other way had it been a five-rounder. The former Penn State standout, who has called out Chimaev in the past, believes that he has the tools to defeat the Russian-born Swede in a potential clash.

“I think in the first round he looked lights out like he always does. He got Usman on the ground, held him down, beat him up, and was close to a finish a couple of times. But then the pace slowed for both of them as rounds went on... I think there's a lot to take aw…

Since he was already in the rehabilitation process, Jon Jones has decided to take care of some additional ailments while he waits.

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The UFC heavyweight champion revealed on social media that he recently underwent surgery on his left elbow. Jones has been sidelined after suffering a torn pectoral in training prior to a scheduled title defense against Stipe Miocic this past November.

“Back out here in California with Dr. [Neal] ElAttrache, this time instead of doing a pec repair, we are working on my left elbow,” Jones said in a video on his Instagram stories. “I’m actually about one hour off the table. We had a two-hour surgery shaving down some bone spurs. The good news is it’s about a 10-week healing process, and I’m out for months anyway, because of this pec surgery, so I thought I’d just kill two birds and get this elbow taken care of once and for all.

“I appreciate all the support. Your boy’s back in the sling, back on this recovery journ…

The mystery regarding Charles Oliveira’s next opponent is over, as the Brazilian will face Arman Tsarukyan in a contender’s bout at UFC 300.

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While it was rumored that Justin Gaethje would receive the next lightweight title shot against reigning champion Islam Makhachev, UFC CEO Dana White added some clarity to the situation during his announcement on Sunday night.

"The winner will face Islam when he returns this summer," White said.

Shortly after the official announcement, Oliveira’s coach, Diego Lima, revealed further details regarding the negotations in an interview with Sherdog.com.

"As I [said] a few weeks ago, Charles' main focus was the belt. If Makhachev would fight, the opponent would be Charles, but many things have happened since we talked,” Lima said. “Makhachev is still injured and besides that, he will have Ramadan. And after Ramadan he will need time to get ready.

“Since Charles is a former champion and No. 1 ranked [in t…

A bantamweight clash pitting Davey Grant against Cody Gibson is among the latest additions to the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s March 23 offering.

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The booking was confirmed by Grant’s management, Iridium Sports Agency. Two featherweight bouts were also announced by Iridium: Julian Erosa vs. Ricardo Ramos and Fernando Padilla vs. Luis Pajuelo. UFC Fight Night is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. A headliner for the event has not been revealed.

Grant had a two-bout winning streak snapped in his last outing, when he dropped a split decision to Daniel Marcos at UFC Fight Night 224 this past July. The 38-year-old Englishman is 6-6 since beginning his promotional tenure in November 2013.

Gibson, meanwhile, kicked off his second Octagon stint at UFC 292, where he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Brad Katona on Aug. 19. “The Renegade” previously went 1-3 in UFC competition from 2014 to 2015.

Erosa has lost back-to-ba…

Alexander Gustafsson has resumed training and hasn’t closed the door on a return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

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The Swedish standout continues to work at his longtime home, the Allstars Training Center in Stockholm, Sweden. While Gustafsson has primarily resumed training to stay in shape and close to the sport he loves, the former two-time UFC title challenger isn’t opposed to competing again.

“I’m going to be here much more now and focus a little bit on myself and my own training and mainly get back in shape. I don’t think about the competing part so much. If it comes, it comes, so time will tell," he told Frontkick Online.

“I’m focusing on myself and getting back in shape, and also I love this game. I love to train and be around the guys and do some grappling, do some wrestling, hit some pads and do some light sparring. I’ve been doing this my whole career, so I’m glad to be back and do what I love to do.”

Gustafsson last fo…

Sean O'Malley believes Conor McGregor isn’t the same fighter after his recent years of yacht life during his prime.

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McGregor hasn’t fought since July 2021, when he suffered a broken leg in a trilogy clash with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. Despite McGregor having gone 1-3 in his last four bouts, the Irishman’s return to the Octagon remains highly anticipated.

After months of teasing a return fight with Michael Chandler, McGregor recently announced that he will be fighting the former Bellator MMA champ during the International Fight Week on June 29. O’Malley believes the former UFC two-division champion isn’t as good as he was during his heyday. However, O’Malley also believes “Notorious” still has it in him to put on a show if he is really “dialed in.”

“I’m a huge fan of Conor and I would be very excited to watch him come back and compete. He’s looking good, he’s posting little videos here and there training, looks like he’s grappling a lot. S…