Martial Arts News

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Manel Kape expects to leap the flyweight queue with a stoppage on Saturday.

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Currently ranked No. 6 at flyweight, Kape (19-6) is slated to take on No. 5-ranked Matheus Nicolau (19-3) in the co-main event at UFC Fight Night 234 this weekend. While the flyweight title picture is in a bit of a logjam, Kape believes a stoppage win over Nicolau should leave no doubt regarding his status as the No. 1 contender.

“My goal is to be a champion. I believe that beating Matheus Nicolau -- I’ll get the title shot. This is my goal. It’s obvious… Of course it’s going to be dependent on how I win, and that’s going to dictate everything. I’m looking for the knockout or to finish him in the first round; definitely,” Kape said Wednesday during media day.

Kape will look to avenge a split decision loss dating back to 2021 when he faces Nicolau. Kape has since racked up four consecutive wins, with a decision victory over Felipe dos Santos in his …

[embedded content] One Championship is adding a bit of circus flair to its upcoming numbered event.

According to a release by ONE on Thursday, Yoshihiro Akiyama and Nieky Holzken will engage in an unusual battle on Jan. 28. At the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, the two will throw down in a mixed-rules affair under a ruleset titled “Trinity Rules.” This unorthodox type of bout was popularized by Thai-based league Full Metal Dojo, where combatants engage in three rounds of action, and each round, they come together under a different discipline. The first round is exclusively boxing, the second muay thai and the third MMA. It is unclear if the 187-pound fight at ONE 165 will give the fighters three minutes or five minutes per round, but this exhibition will not go on anyone’s permanent record.

Akiyama (16-7, 2 NC), 48, comes into this pairing on a win streak, albeit one that took years to put together. The fighter known as “Sexyama” broke out of rough patch by starching Sherif M…

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Dricus Du Plessis (20-2) paid a considerable price for jumping out of the Octagon to meet Donald Trump at UFC 290.

“Stillknocks” is slated to challenge Sean Strickland (28-5) for the middleweight title at UFC 297 on Jan. 20 in Toronto. The South African earned the shot with a second-round knockout over former champ Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 in July. Following his stoppage win over “The Reaper”, du Plessis jumped over the fence to greet former United States President Donald Trump, resulting in a $10,000 fine. The fine did not come as a surprise as the South African, who had admittedly been warned of the consequences several times. However, du Plessis found it “too cool” of an opportunity to let go.

“That was the initial fine for jumping over the cage. They said – they told us beforehand – if you jump over [the fence], you’re getting a $10,000 fine,” the 29-year-old said in an interview with Fight in Sight. “I was like, ‘I don’t know why you g…

UFC 300 has its first title fight.

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UFC CEO Dana White announced Wednesday evening that reigning strawweight title holder Weili Zhang will defend her belt against Xiaonan Yan at the April 13 event.

“This is the first time two Chinese contenders have faced off for the world title,” White said.

A two-time 115-pound champion, Zhang enters her matchup with Yan on a three-bout winning streak. The Fight Ready standout reclaimed the belt with a second-round submission of Carla Esparza at UFC 281 before authoring a successful title defense with a five-round verdict over Amanda Lemos at UFC 292 this past August. “Magnum” initially claimed strawweight gold with a 42-second TKO of Jessica Andrade in August 2019 but would later relinquish the belt to Rose Namajunas. The 34-year-old is 8-2 during her promotional tenure and 24-3 as a professional overall.

Yan, meanwhile, has also been victorious in eight of her 10 Octagon appearances. Most recently,…

Brunno Ferreira has learned valuable lessons from defeat.

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After an impressive knockout of Gregory Rodrigues in his promotional debut at UFC 283, Brunno Ferreira lost for the first time in his career, falling to Nursulton Ruziboev at UFC on ESPN 48 this past July.

On Saturday, the Brazilian known as “The Hulk” will attempt to return to the win column against Phil Hawes in a middleweight bout at UFC Fight Night 234. He believes the KO loss to Ruziboev was important to his growth as a fighter.

"That loss made me stronger because it helped to improve me as a fighter,” Ferreira told Sherdog.com. “I corrected mistakes I used to make and added new tools to my game, and I’m going to show that in the Octagon on Saturday.

According to his head coach Andre Dida, Ferreira may get to show his judo black belt skills for the first time.

Brunno is like a dream fighter to any trainer,” Dida said. “… He only showed his knockout power in the UFC, b…

Unbeaten middleweight Murad Ramazanov has signed an exclusive, multi-fight contract with Professional Fighters League.

The PFL announced the signing on Wednesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Ramazanov, who has primarily competed at 185 pounds during his professional tenure, is expected to make his PFL debut in the first half of 2024.

“I'm looking forward to continuing my career in the PFL,” Ramzanov said in a release. “There is no one in my division from now on.”

A native of Dagestan, the 28-year-old Ramzanov counts the likes of Islam Makhachev and Usman Nurmagomedov among his training partners. He is 11-0 with one no contest since beginning his MMA career in 2014, with seven of those triumphs coming inside the distance. Ramzanov notably competed under the ONE Championship banner, winning his first three appearances before his most recent outing against Roberto Soldic ended via no contest in Round 1 when he landed an accidental knee to the groin…

ONE Championship’a return to the United States is now official.

The Singapore-based promotion announced on Tuesday that it will hold events at the Ball Arena in Denver on Sept. 6 and at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Nov. 8. The Denver card will be ONE on Prime Video 26, while the Atlanta offering will be ONE on Prime Video 28. No bouts were revealed for either card.

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“We’re thrilled to return to the U.S. to showcase the greatest world champion martial artists in the country’s best cities and sports arenas,” ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong stated in a release. “America remains a high-priority market for us as we continue our global expansion, and we can’t wait to get back on-ground to entertain our passionate fanbase in the region with quarterly U.S. events in September 2024 and beyond.”

The promotion made its debut in the U.S. in May 2023, as ONE on Prime Video 10 took place at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. In the ma…

Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has avoided a conviction for a drunk driving incident last August, according to a report from the New Zealand Herald.

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During a hearing in Auckland, New Zealand, Judge Peter Winter ordered Adesanya to donate $1,500 to charity, refrain from driving for six months and enroll in a stop drunk driving program before the end of the year.

“I’m sure you have learned from this,” Winter told Adesanya in court. “You would not want to be placed in this position again, as you realize.”

Adesanya was charged with driving a car in Auckland on Aug. 19 with 87 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood. The legal limit in the country is 50 milligrams. The UFC star faced a maximum penalty of three months in prison or a $4,500 fine.

Adesanya was granted a discharge without conviction when his lawyer, Karl Trotter, argued that such charges could seriously affect the end of his client’s fighting caree…

The UFC 299 lineup appears to be complete, as the Las Vegas-based promotion recently confirmed the 13-bout card.

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Two new bouts were announced in a release on Tuesday: Michel Pereira vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk at middleweight and Robelis Despaigne vs. Josh Parisian at heavyweight. UFC 299 takes place on March 9 at the Kaseya Center in Miami and is headlined by a bantamweight championship clash between Sean O'Malley and Marlon Vera.

Pereira is currently on a six-fight winning streak in UFC competition. While the majority of those triumphs occurred at 170 pounds, “Demolidor” made a successful move to middleweight with a 66-second TKO of Andre Petroski in his last outing at UFC Fight Night 230 on Oct. 14.

Poland’s Oleksiejczuk has won three of his last four Octagon appearances — all via first-round knockout or technical knockout. Most recently, the 28-year-old stopped Chidi Njokuani 4:16 into the opening stanza of their clash at UFC Fight Night 225…

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Islam Makhachev will defend his strap against Justin Gaethje next, according to manager Ali Abdelaziz.

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s lightweight title picture is currently a bit unclear. Makhachev has already expressed his preference in defending his belt against Gaethje over former opponents Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan.

Dana White recently announced a matchup between Oliveira and Tsarukyan for UFC 300 on April 13, with the winner securing a next title shot against the champ, who is expected to return after Ramadan.

However, Abdelaziz believes the title picture makes it obvious that Gaethje deserves the next shot against Makhachev, who also continues to chase that matchup.

“I think it’s obvious … Justin Gaethje’s a guy that never wants something to be given to him. He earned it with sweat and blood and tears inside the cage. Islam Makhachev, very interested to fighting him. He said, ‘Doesn’t matter who, when…

Michael Page believes Kevin Holland’s “striking only” experience with Stephen Thompson will prevent him from repeating the same in their upcoming clash.

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The former Bellator striking ace is slated to make his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut against Holland at UFC 299 on March 9 at the Kaseya Center in Miami.

Holland had previously agreed to keep the fight standing against Thompson, another elite striker, at UFC on ESPN 42 in December 2022. “Trailblazer” was outclassed on the feet and suffered a fourth-round corner stoppage loss resulting from a hand injury. Page, who sees himself as a better version of “Wonderboy” in many aspects, wouldn’t mind a similar deal with Holland but is quite confident that his opponent won't be up for it.

“I know for a fact Kevin Holland is not going to want to do that agreement again after the whooping that he took against Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson,” Page recently told MMAjunkie.com. “I see myself as the f…

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 …