Martial Arts News

Petr Yan believes he needs a new team to bounce back from his recent slump.

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The former Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight title holder was undefeated in the promotion leading up to a disqualification title loss to Aljamain Sterling in 2021. While Yan bounced back from that loss with a decision win over Cory Sandhagen, the former champ never managed to fully regain his momentum.

“No Mercy” subsequently went on a three-fight skid, including a unanimous decision loss against Merab Dvalishvili in his most last outing at UFC Fight Night 221.More recently, an undisclosed injury forced Yan out of a rumored headlining bout opposite Yadong Song on Dec. 9.

Yan claims that he is healthy and that he has a date in mind for his UFC return.

“The health is great,” he told XTRA MMA. “There’s no preparation at this moment. Yes, I am ready. I’m waiting for the information [from the UFC]. I plan on fighting in March at UFC 299 ... I’d like it to …

Sean O'Malley believes that Aljamain Sterling might do well at featherweight but is unsure whether we will get to find out.

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In an appearance on The MMA Hour, O’Malley expressed his doubts over whether Sterling, whose Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight title he took via second-round knockout at UFC 292 in August, has enough confidence to move up to featherweight. While “Funkmaster” initially lobbied for an immediate rematch, he has since changed course towards a possible move up to 145 pounds. Sterling recently revealed that he has been offered a booking against perennial featherweight contender Calvin Kattar but is keener on a clash against former champ Max Holloway.

O’Malley believes going up makes sense for Sterling given the latter’s natural size. While “Sugar” believes Sterling also the required skillset for featherweight, he believes the former champ might prefer sticking around at bantamweight for the size advantage. O’Malley said o…

Tony Ferguson recently had a misdemeanor DUI charge dismissed in the Superior Court of Los Angeles after reaching a plea deal.

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The UFC lightweight star pleaded nolo contendere to a misdemeanor charge of wet reckless driving on the highway and will serve one year of probation as a result of the deal, which was ruled upon by Judge Shannon K. Cooley on Monday. MMAjunkie.com was first to report the resolution of the case.

Ferguson was arrested in May after allegedly crashing his truck into a pair of parked cars in Hollywood, California. The fighter was booked into jail after refusing a field sobriety test, and a law enforcement officer stated that Ferguson “reeked of alcohol” and had “bloodshot eyes.” Ferguson, who initially pleaded not guilty to the DUI charge, was released on his own recognizance.

As part of his probation, Ferguson will not consume alcohol and has agreed to pay restitution to the victim for damage caused as a result of the a…

While Ilia Topuria is the latest in a long line of mixed martial artists eyeing crossover boxing fights, “El Matador” is aiming for the very best.

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Topuria is currently slated to challenge Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title in the main event at UFC 298 on Feb. 17. The undefeated Spanish prospect hopes to keep his record intact and ideally go on to defend his throne against former champ Max Holloway in front of his home fans.

“So, that’s what I think is going to happen that I’m going to beat ‘Volk’ on Feb. 17, and then I’m going to fight Max Holloway here in Spain. That’s my goal right now, and I think it’s going to happen,” Topuria recently said in an appearance on the OverDogs Podcast.

While defeating arguably the two greatest featherweights of all time would be no small feat, Topuria’s aspirations don’t stop there. Once he has the credibility of a UFC title to make his case, Topuria wants to fight Canelo Alvarez in the future…

A lot has changed for Impa Kasanganay since he was released from the Ultimate Fighting Championship two years ago.

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Until recently, Kasanganay was best known for his viral knockout loss to Joaquin Buckley at UFC Fight Night 179 in 2020. While he bounced back with a submission win over Sasha Palatnikov, Kasanganay was released following a subsequent loss to Carlston Harris.

“Tshilobo” fought twice on the regional circuit before signing with the Professional Fighters League, where he went on a six-fight winning streak that culminated in a light heavyweight title win over Joshua Silveira at the PFL World Championships on Friday.

Following his unanimous decision victory against Silveira, Kasanganay proceeded to call out Francis Ngannou. While some dismissed Kasanganay's callout as a publicity stunt due to the difference in weight classes, “Tshilobo” claims he is serious.

“I don’t just say things to say things,” Kasanganay told MMAjunkie.com.…

Although he misses fighting at times, Glover Teixeira is content with retirement and focusing all his energies on close friend Alex Pereira.

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Teixeira hung up his gloves in January following a unanimous decision title loss against Jamahal Hill at UFC 283. This marked the second consecutive title loss for the Brazilian, who was submitted by Jiri Prochazka in a nailbiter at UFC 275 last year.

Teixeira has since turned coach and mentor for Pereira, who recently won his second UFC title within a year. While Pereira was walking out for his light heavyweight championship victory over Prochazka at UFC 295, Teixeira admitted to “Poatan” that he misses fighting sometimes.

However, the former UFC light heavyweight champ chooses to stay retired for one major reason: Father Time. Teixeira, who has contemplated coming out of retirement for the right amount of money, claims that his younger self would have easily run through his last two opponents.

“I told …

An Ultimate Fighting Championship event set to go down at the promotion’s Apex facility in Las Vegas will undergo a significant change two weeks before fight night.

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Undefeated Russian prospect Azamat Murzakanov (13-0) was originally scheduled to take on Khalil Rountree (12-5) in a light heavyweight clash in the co-main event at UFC Fight Night 233 on Dec. 9. However, UFC CEO Dana White announced that Murzakanov is now out of the matchup due to pneumonia and will be replaced by Anthony Smith (37-18).

Smith is coming off a split-decision win in a rematch against Ryan Spann at UFC Fight Night 233 that saw him bounce back from consecutive losses against top contenders Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker. The former title challenger’s last win prior to that also came against Spann via first-round submission in September 2021.

Meanwhile, Rountree is riding a four-fight win streak, which includes technical knockout wins over Modestas Bukauskas, Karl …

Colby Covington claims his two title losses against Kamaru Usman played significant role in Leon Edwards’ eventual victory over “The Nigerian Nightmare.”

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Covington is currently scheduled to challenge Edwards for the welterweight strap at UFC 296 on Dec. 16 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Covington will receive that opportunity despite not having fought since outpointing Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272 in March 2022. “Chaos” is 2-2 in his last four Octagon appearances, with both of those defeats coming at the hands of Usman in welterweight title bouts.

Covington claims that his UFC 245 and UFC 268 losses against Usman took the fight out of “The Nigerian Nightmare,” which led to him getting dethroned by Edwards at UFC 278.

“No doubt about it, I took the fight out of Usman,” Covington told UFC.com. “His chin was never the same, and I’m the one that loosened up that chin. I head kicked him and had him on wobbly legs, then he calls timeout. It’s not…

Two-time Professional Fighters League women’s lightweight champion Kayla Harrison wants to face reigning Bellator MMA women’s featherweight titleholder Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino next. However, the decorated judoka has no plans to sit around and waste her prime while she waits for the highly anticipated bout to come to fruition.

Harrison (16-1) returned to action from a year of inactivity following her first pro defeat against Larissa Pacheco. The two-time Olympic gold medalist outpointed Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Aspen Ladd to a unanimous decision in a 2023 PFL Championships catchweight showcase on Friday at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. Despite Ladd’s relentless spirit and durability, Harrison comfortably rolled to 30-27 scores across the board. Harrison outstruck her counterpart by a 165-27 margin.

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Afterward, she proceeded to call out Cyborg.

“I’m excited that PFL just acquired Bellator,” Harrison said. “I heard there’s a girl in…

The mixed martial arts world may have witnessed Olivier Aubin-Mercier step foot inside the cage for the last time.

Aubin-Mercier (21-5) clinched his second consecutive Professional Fighters League lightweight title against Clay Collard in the 2023 PFL Championships main event on Friday at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. While Collard (24-11) had his moments early in the bout while regularly landing damaging leg kicks and body shots, Aubin-Mercier racked up a significant amount of control time on the ground and even came close to submitting the American with a rear-naked choke in the final frame. In the end, “The Canadian Gangster” secured a unanimous decision, with 49-46 marks on all three judges’ scorecards.

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Afterward, Aubin-Mercier declared his intention to take a hiatus from the sport.

“Sand in between my toes I would say [is next],” he said. “I’m going to take a break. Two years ago, I told my little girl it was the last summer I was going to w…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight Derek Brunson has taken aim at a showdown with YouTube star turned boxer Jake Paul following a triumphant Professional Fighters League debut against Ray Cooper III at the 2023 PFL Championships on Friday in Washington, D.C.

Brunson (24-9) signed with the PFL in October after he “mutually” parted ways with the UFC. The North Carolina native entered his first assignment with the company on the heels of back-to-back losses to Jared Cannonier and Dricus Du Plessis inside the Octagon. Brunson rebounded and found his way back into the win column in his catchweight clash with Cooper at The Anthem.

Apart from facing some adversity in the first round, where Cooper staggered him while countering a takedown, Brunson managed to control and beat up the Hawaiian throughout the three-round affair. Judges awarded him 30-27, 30-25 and 30-25 marks on the scorecards. Afterward, Brunson looked forward to partaking in the biggest fights…

Under the chin!#PFLWorldChampionship LIVE NOW🇺🇸 ESPN+ PPV🔗 https://t.co/9tors69QSM🌎 https://t.co/jPNvomCxHI pic.twitter.com/dFXPaDBCte

— PFL (@PFLMMA) November 25, 2023 Five new Professional Fighting League world champions took home a belt and a $1 million payday Friday night at the 2023 PFL Championships in Washington D.C.

However, the main event saw a familiar face claim championship glory. Last year’s lightweight champion Olivier Aubin-Mercier (21-5, 10-0 PFL) defended his title against the surging “Cassius” Clay Collard in a competitive scrap. Collard dug in stinging body shots and pushed the Canadian back to the fence, but Aubin-Mercier routinely worked Collard (24-11, 6-3 PFL) on the ground. This resulted in "OAM" taking a unanimous decision win with a trio of 49-46 scorecards in his favor.

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With multiple Bellator MMA champions in the crowd to promote eventual cross-promotional fights as a part of PFL’s takeover o…