Martial Arts News

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

The third time is the charm—or so Sean Woodson must hope after seeing his opponent change that many times in the past few days.

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Woodson (9-1-1, 3-1-1 UFC) seems to have found his final opponent for the upcoming UFC on ESPN 50 event, as Mairon Santos Alves has stepped up to replace Jesse Butler on short notice. Originally a replacement for Steve Garcia, Butler was pulled out of the contest by the Nevada State Athletic Commission due to safety protocols, as he suffered a knockout loss 23 seconds into his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut against Jim Miller at UFC on ESPN 46 on June 3. Woodson confirmed the matchup on his socials, though it was not immediately clear whether the fight will take place at featherweight, as the Butler and Garcia matchups had both been scheduled to do, or at a higher weight.

A Dana White's Contender Series graduate, Woodson is coming off a rare split draw in hi…

Justin Gaethje wasn’t impressed that he captured Conor McGregor’s attention Saturday night in Salt Lake City.

Gaethje (25-4, 8-4 UFC) is coming off an impressive performance against Dustin Poirier in the UFC 291 headliner, a second-round knockout victory that earned “The Highlight” his second consecutive triumph and the symbolic “BMF” title. In victory, Gaethje also avenged the loss he suffered at the hands of Poirier in their first encounter in 2018. Moments after his win, Gaethje was called out by former Ultimate Fighting Championship two-division champion McGregor, who promised to “slap” Gaethje around in a since-then deleted Tweet.

On previous occasions, the former World Series of Fighting champ attempted to face McGregor in the Octagon, but the matchup never materialized. In the UFC 291 post-fight press conference, Gaethje stated he wasn’t interested in the McGregor fight anymore, implying “The Notorious” was taking illegal substances since he wasn’t in the USA…

[embedded content] Bellator MMA great Patricio Freire will be out of action for the foreseeable future.

Earlier in the week, Freire (35-7) volunteered for a short-notice fight against Chihiro Suzuki (11-3, 1 NC) at Super Rizin 2. The two agreed to the pairing with the same amount of notice, and agreed to square off at about 155 pounds. Just after the midpoint of Round 1, Suzuki toppled Freire with a ferocious right hand. The victory for the Japanese fighter immediately vaulted itself into consideration for one of the biggest upsets of the year, even one month removed from Freire’s loss at bantamweight to champ Sergio Pettis. Freire spoke to Sherdog shortly after the defeat, where he explained why he took the fight, and what he wants to do next.

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Freire initially traveled to Japan to corner his brother, Patricky Freire, who won earlier that night. Freire talked about his sudden decision to take a fight, saying, “They invited me to a fight. In my vein ru…

のむシリカ presents#超RIZIN2 powered by #UNEXT📣試合結果🔥

⚔️第8試合⚔️👑フェザー級王座戦RIZIN MMAルール 66.0kg

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🟥朝倉未来【LOSE】ーー🆚ーー🟦ヴガール・ケラモフ【WIN】🏆@vugar_karamov

1R 2分41秒 SUB(#タップアウト #リアネイキッドチョーク)https://t.co/FfSpJ8Qa2B pic.twitter.com/FhtvhEHva3

— RIZIN FF OFFICIAL (@rizin_PR) July 30, 2023 Super Rizin 2 saw the crowning of two champions and a titleholder securing her place in the 108-pound division.

In the headliner, Vugar Karamov rose as the new ruler of the Rizin Fighting Federation featherweight division after overcoming Mikuru Asakura. With the vacant title on the line, Karamov (19-4, 5-1 Rizin) took his time to feel out his opponent’s reactions and quickly came up with an effective strategy. Karamov surprised Asakura (17-4, 1NC; 11-3 Rizin) with his wrestling, grounding his foe with a well-timed takedown that allowed him to gain the mount position. Once there, “Vugi” puni…

Four MASSIVE finishes earn your #UFC291 POTN bonuses!

[ B2YB @PrimeHydrate ] pic.twitter.com/ZNGjB9kJSN

— UFC (@ufc) July 30, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship gave four fighters performance bonuses following the UFC 291 pay-per-view card.

Fresh off winning the "BMF" championship, Justin Gaethje also received $50,000 for his stunning head kick knockout of Dustin Poirier. The rematch came to an end one minute into the second round, with Gaethje landing a thudding head kick that took out Poirier. The win cements Gaethje as the top contender and likely earns the action fighter another lightweight title shot.

Two impressive submission victories were also awarded $50,000 bonuses. Bobby Green got the extra cash for his impressive last-second arm-triangle choke win over Tony Ferguson, which left his lightweight foe unconscious. Meanwhile, Kevin Holland's impressive brabo choke win over Michael Chiesa also received submission of th…

“The Highlight” remains as fitting a nickname today as the day it was given to him.

Justin Gaethje laid claim to the symbolic BMF title and established himself as the No. 1 contender for the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight crown, as he brought down Dustin Poirier with a perfectly placed head kick in the second round of the UFC 291 headliner on Saturday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Gaethje (25-4, 8-4 UFC) filed away his latest victory 60 seconds into Round 2.

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Poirier (29-8, 21-7 UFC) struggled to establish a rhythm throughout a competitive first round but managed to cut the former World Series of Fighting champion near his left eye with a clean one-two. Gaethje, meanwhile, invested in leg kicks and power punching combinations. Early in the second round, he backed up a right hand with an exquisitely timed head kick, his lower leg wrapping around Poirier’s defenses before detonating behind the ear. The Louisiana native cras…

Sherdog's live UFC 291 coverage will begin Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Maverick (-305), Cachoeira (+240)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Semelsberger (-205), Medic (+175)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Vergar…

SLICK SUBMISSION FROM BONFIM 😨#UFC291 is LIVE on ESPN+ PPV 🍿 pic.twitter.com/jIaAQnPaIH

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 30, 2023

All Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweights should be on high alert as it relates to Gabriel Bonfim.

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The unbeaten Cerrado MMA export disposed of Trevin Giles with a guillotine choke in the first round of their featured UFC 291 prelim on Saturday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Giles (16-5, 7-5 UFC), who entered the cage on a two-fight winning streak, raised the white flag of surrender 1:13 into Round 1.

Bonfim (15-0, 2-0 UFC) applied maximum pressure from the outset, connected with a clubbing overhand left and secured a takedown inside the first 40 seconds. He caught the guillotine during a subsequent scramble, tightened his vice-like squeeze and elicited the tapout.

Vergara Outpoints Overweight Salvador Onetime Fury Fighting Championship titleholder C.J. Vergara outstruck and o…

Deadly leg kick! 🦵💥

The finish from @PatrickyPitbull in slow motion 👀

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Can he go all the way in the #BellatorLWGP? #BellatorXRizin pic.twitter.com/rCRgEII479 — Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) July 30, 2023

Bellator MMA staged its second big cross-promotional event with Rizin Fighting Federation at the legendary Saitama Super Arena in Japan. The venue was the sight of many of Pride Fighting Championships's greatest events, which mixed martial arts fans remember fondly to this day.

Appropriately, the Bellator MMA vs. Rizin 2 main event was a battle between two Brazilians with very different styles. Calling to mind the days of Chute Boxe versus Brazilian Top Team, Roberto Satoshi de Souza was the world-class submission grappler and Patricky Freire the devastating striker.

De Souza came in on short notice for the 161-pound catchweight contest, replacing A.J. McKee, but was still the favorite, being younger than Fr…

Sherdog's live Bellator MMA vs. Rizin 2 coverage will begin Saturday at 11 p.m. ET. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round: The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores …

Shaj Haque picked up his first successful defense of the Cage Warriors Fighting Championship flyweight title by overcoming Michele Martignoni in Rome on Saturday.

In the CW 158 headliner, Haque (15-5, 7-2 CW) outpointed Martignoni (8-1, 2NC; 3-1, 1NC) to defend the 125-pound title in front of a partisan crowd. “Superman” looked fast and accurate with his strikes, opening a cut over his foe’s right eye early into their clash. When former 135-pound titleholder Martignoni failed to match Haque’s speed, the Italian was forced to aggressively chase his foe, with Round 2 arguably being the best one for the challenger. Haque never lost his composure and equalized all threats. The story of the fight was the same throughout, with Haque neutralizing most of Martignoni’s initiative and retaliating with some violence of his own. Even though he didn’t manage a finish, Haque impressed with his dominance and durability. After the clash went the distance, the cageside judges drew 49-46, 4…

Is it destiny?

🇯🇵 Mikuru Asakura vs Vugar Keramov 🇦🇿 #BellatorvsRIZIN2 #SuperRIZIN2[🇺🇸 7/29 | 11pm ET/8pm PT ][🇯🇵 7/30 | 12pm JST ]📡PPV link in bio pic.twitter.com/xvyDWeo5A4

— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) July 28, 2023 Rizin Fighting Federation is putting on its second Super Rizin event following its co-promotion with Bellator MMA.

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Three title fights for Super Rizin 2 are now official following the weigh-ins. Headlining the event is a fight for the vacant featherweight championship between Mikuru Asakura and Vugar Karamov. The stacked event also features a vacant bantamweight title fight between Juan Archuleta and Hiromasa Ougikubo and a women's atomweight title defense as champion Seika Izawa takes on challenger Claire Lopez.

Asakura (17-3) is currently on a roll since being submitted by Kleber Koike Erbst in 2021. Three straight unanimous decision victories have followed. The fan-favorite weighed 145.5 pound…