Martial Arts News

A women’s featherweight showdown pitting Sara McMann against Leah McCourt has been added to the Bellator 300 lineup.

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A promotion official confirmed the pairing to Sherdog following an initial report from Severe MMA. Bellator 300 takes place at Pechanga Arena in San Diego on Oct. 7 and is highlighted by four championship fights on the main card. The event is headlined by a heavyweight title clash between Ryan Bader and Linton Vassell.

A former UFC bantamweight title challenger, McMann enjoyed a successful promotional debut, as she outpointed Arlene Blencowe at Bellator 294 on April 21. The Olympic silver medalist has won three of her last four professional outings, including triumphs over Karol Rosa and Lina Lansberg in the UFC.

After winning six consecutive bouts from 2018 to 2021, McCourt has lost two of her last three appearances within the California-based promotion. Most recently, she dropped a unanimous decision to Cat Zingano at Bellat…

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Carlos Leal Miranda will be facing an uphill climb if he is to advance to the Professional Fighters League Championships in November.

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Miranda tipped the scales at 172 pounds for his welterweight semifinal clash against defending champion Sadibou Sy (170.8) at PFL 9. As a result, Miranda will be fined 20% of his purse and deducted one point heading into the bout. Additionally, John Caldone (148.6) missed weight for his featherweight showcase against Nathaniel Grimard (145.8) and has been fined 20% of his purse. Everyone else on the card hit their contracted marks without issue.

PFL 9 takes place on Wednesday night at The Theater at Madison Square Garden and is headlined by a lightweight semifinal between Clay Collard (155) and Shane Burgos (156). The main card airs on ESPN and ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on ESPN+ at 6:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.

A UFC veteran with professional boxing experience, Collard i…

John Lineker will make a quick return to action when he faces Stephen Loman at One on Prime Video 14 on Sept. 29.

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Promotion officials confirmed the bout following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. Additionally, Blake Cooper, the brother of former PFL champ Ray Cooper II, will make his One Championship debut against Maurice Abevi on the same card. MMAjunkie.com first brought word of that fight.

One on Prime Video 14 takes place at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore, and is headlined by an atomweight (115-pound) title tilt pitting Nong Stamp against Seo Hee Ham. The card will stream live in the United States on Amazon Prime Video.

Lineker last appeared at One on Prime Video 13 on Aug. 4, when he knocked out Jae Woong Kim with four seconds remaining in the third round of their 145-pound bout. “Hands of Stone” is 5-1 with one no contest in the Singapore-based promotion.

Loman has been victorious in 16 of 18 professional …

From the 𝙎𝙌𝙐𝘼𝙍𝙀𝘿 𝘾𝙄𝙍𝘾𝙇𝙀 to the 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗖𝗮𝗴𝗲 @Savmarshall1 ready to take on the new challenge 👊 pic.twitter.com/fxnAwVwnKI

— PFL (@PFLMMA) August 22, 2023

Super middleweight boxing champion Savannah Marshall has signed a multi-year contract with Professional Fighters League.

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Terms of the deal were not disclosed, and a date for Marshall’s PFL debut was not revealed. Marshall owns a 13-1 career mark in professional boxing, with her lone defeat coming against current PFL talent Claressa Shields last October.

Accordng to a release, Marshall, Shields, former PFL lightweight champ Kayla Harrison and featherweight boxing Amanda Serrano will be the foundation for PFLW, “which will put the focus on women in combat sports while continuing the PFL’s fighter first merit-based approach to MMA.”

“I want to welcome two-time boxing world champion, Savannah Marshall to the Professional Fighters League,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray. “It’…

Ronys Torres is a true MMA veteran.

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At 37 years of age, the Amazonian from Manacapuru boasts an extensive record of 41-9, with a stint in the UFC and a collection of belts to his name. On Friday, he will attempt to add to his collection when he faces Pedro Paulino Vinagre for the welterweight title at Shooto Brazil 119.

“I was taken by surprise by this call, but I had left my name available for the event, since I prepared myself and didn't fight in the March edition because my opponent on that occasion didn't show up,” Torres said. I’m happy with this opportunity.”

Torres has finished 33 of his 41 career victories inside the distance — including 20 via submission. His opponent, though two years older, has only 11 fights on his record. He’s won 10 of them, including six by way of submission.

“I'm pretty sure we’ll both want to go to the ground, and I confess that I'm even rooting for him to want that. All my opponents run from the ground with …

Mayra Bueno Silva has failed a drug test in relation to her victory over Holly Holm on July 15.

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The Brazilian announced on Monday that she tested positive for a “substance that is consistent with the prescription medication I take for my ADHD.” Bueno Silva says she is cooperating with the Nevada State Athletic Commission and USADA regarding the failed test and has fully acknowledged the banned substance in her system.

Bueno Silva is on the agenda for Thursday’s NSAC hearing, where she will likely receive a temporary suspension.

The 31-year-old American Top Team representative submitted Holm with a ninja choke 38 seconds into Round 2 of their headlining clash at UFC on ESPN 49 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. With four straight victories to her credit — including three inside the distance — Bueno Silva had emerged as a top contender for the bantamweight championship vacated by Amanda Nunes earlier this year.

Bueno Silva’s full statement is as fol…

Michel Pereira’s weight miss ahead of a proposed clash against Stephen Thompson at UFC 291 has prompted the Brazilian striker to change divisions.

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Pereira will move to 185 pounds for a clash against Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC Fight Night on Oct. 14. Multiple outlets confirmed the booking following an initial report from Laerte Viana. The card is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and includes a featherweight duel between Sodiq Yusuff and Edson Barboza.

Pereira missed weight by three pounds prior to UFC 291, which led to “Wonderboy” turning down the fight. The 29-year-old known as “Demolidor” has been victorious in his last five appearances within the Las Vegas-based promotion. Most recently, he took a split verdict over Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC Fight Night 206 in May 2022.

Canada’s Barriault has won three of his last four fights under the UFC banner. “Power Bar” is 2-0 thus far in 2023, with victories against Julian Marqu…

Shane Burgos wasn’t supposed to be here.

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He’s well aware of that fact. But now that he is, the UFC veteran plans to make the most of his second chance by defeating Clay Collard in their lightweight semifinal matchup at PFL 9 on Wednesday night in New York.

“This is the fight everybody wanted to see,” Burgos said at a PFL media day. “Before I was in the weight class, it’s a fight I had my eyes on for a while. I’m ready for it. It’s one of those matchups, it can’t be boring. It’s gonna be a firefight from the first bell to the last bell. I’m doing everything in my power to get this finish, my first PFL finish over a guy like Clay is going to mean the world to me.”

After losing his PFL debut to Olivier Aubin-Mercier and then earning a decision against Yamato Nishikawa in his second appearance, Burgos snuck into the postseason under unusual circumstances. Based on points alone, Natan Schulte would have been in the playoffs, but the league ultimatel…

The UFC 293 pay-per-view lineup has taken a significant hit.

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Flyweight contender Kai Kara-France announced on Monday that he has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled clash against Manel Kape after suffering a concussion.

“I just wanted to come on here and give you guys an update,” Kara-France said in a video on Instagram. “Unfortunately, I’ve had to withdraw from my next fight in Sydney, Australia [at] UFC 293. I suffered a concussion over the weekend in training. I’ve been speaking to my coaches, my team, and my family. They all think it’s the right decision to put my health first.

“I just want to say sorry to all the friends and family that bought tickets, flights, accommodation, (and to) all of the fans that were excited to fight live. I’m gutted I won’t be a part of this card. It’s been a tough week with my second son being born as well as me pulling out of this fight. Mixed emotions. Frustrated. But I’ve just got to focus on the posi…

Clay Collard is the featured attraction in his main event matchup with Shane Burgos at PFL 9. Just ask him.

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“The fans are raving about it because of me,” Collard said at a PFL media day ahead of their lightweight semifinal matchup. “They want to see me fight Shane. They don’t want to see Shane fight me. I’m stoked to fight him. They’ve been putting his face all over everything. You log into ESPN and you type in PFL, his face is the first ugly mug you see, and that annoys me. I’m ready to get in there and punch him.”

PFL 9 takes place at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. The main card airs ESPN and ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on ESPN+ at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

Burgos wasn’t initially supposed to make the PFL playoffs, but the situation changed when the league suspended Natan Schulte and Raush Manfio for what was deemed to be a lackluster fight. Without that ruling, Schulte, not Burgos, would be in the …

Week 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series will feature four bouts after a flyweight clash pitting Luciano Pereira against Felipe dos Santos was scrapped on Monday.

According to the promotion, Pereira was unable to weigh in due to “medical issues,” and as a result, the fight was canceled. Dos Santos, meanwhile, tipped the scales at 124.5 pounds.

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The other eight athletes slated to compete all hit their contracted marks without issue. The Contender Series takes place on Tuesday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and features a middleweight showdown between Eli Aronov (185.5) and Zachary Reese (185.5). The card streams on ESPN+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Israel’s Aronov is undefeated in six professional appearances. He last competed in May 2022, when he defeated Mariusz Ksiakiewicz via second-round submission at Unified MMA 45.

Reese, meanwhile, has compiled a 5-0 mark, with three of those victories coming under the Fury FC banner. Most rece…

A strawweight showdown pitting Mackenzie Dern against Jessica Andrade is on tap for UFC 295.

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The bout was initially announced during the UFC 292 broadcast on Saturday night. UFC 295 takes place on Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York and is headlined by a heavyweight championship clash between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic.

Dern was successful in her first venture of 2023, as she took a five-round verdict over Angela Hill in the UFC Fight Night 223 headliner on May 20. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt is 8-3 during her tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion and owns other notable wins against Tecia Torres, Nina Nunes and Virna Jandiroba.

Andrade has already fought four times in 2023. After besting Lauren Murphy to begin the year at UFC 283, the former strawweight champion has lost successive bouts to Erin Blanchfield, Xionan Yan and Tatiana Suarez.