Martial Arts News

Professional Fighters League heavyweight Daniel James has been suspended 10 months after testing postive for a banned substance.

According to a statement from USADA, James tested positive for bis-(4-cyanophenyl) methanol — a metabolite of letrozole — in an out-of-competition sample collected on May 8. Letrozole, which is listed in the class of hormone and metabolic modulators, is primarily used to treat breast cancer in women but can also be used to prevent unwanted side effects from steroid use.

A positive test for letrozole typically comes with a 12-month sanction, but James was given a reduced suspension for his full and complete cooperation, according to USADA. As a result, he will be able to return to active competition on March 8, 2025. James has twice failed drug tests while competing under the Bellator MMA banner, including one instance that led to his November 2022 victory over Tyrell Fortune being overturned to a no contest.

James made his PFL d…

A Bellator middleweight championship rematch pitting Johnny Eblen against Fabian Edwards has been added to the main card of Professional Fighters League’s upcoming pay-per-view.

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The promotion announced the bout, which was originally supposed to headline Bellator Champions Series London last weekend, on Tuesday. While Eblen vs. Edwards 2 will take place under the PFL banner, the Bellator 185-pound strap will still be on the line, according to a release.

"Battle of the Giants: Brace for Impact" takes place on Oct. 19 at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and is headlined by a heavyweight clash between ex-UFC champ Francis Ngannou and 2023 PFL king Renan Ferreira. In the co-main event, Bellator featherweight title holder Cristiane Justino will face two-division PFL champ Larissa Pacheco at 145 pounds. The main card airs at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT will be available on pay-per-view via ESPN+.

Eblen initially defended his 185-pound belt against E…

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Sean O'Malley is taking a hiatus from the sport after his recent title loss against Merab Dvalishvili.

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O’Malley put his bantamweight title on the line against Dvalishvili in the main event at UFC 306 at the Sphere in Las Vegas on Sept. 14. Outside of a last round flurry of teeps to the body that had Dvalishvili visibly hurt, O’Malley was largely on the wrong side of a one-sided beatdown for five rounds. Arguably one of the biggest current stars in the promotion, “Suga” was seen apologizing to Dana White as the scorecards were announced unanimously in favor of Dvalishvili.

O’Malley recently revealed that he will be taking a short hiatus from the sport to fully heal up from injuries. O’Malley won the title with a knockout of Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 in August 2023. He immediately set up a rematch against Marlon Vera, where he defended his title via a dominant unanimous decision at UFC 299 this past March. By then, Dvalishvili, w…

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If a polygraph test is to be believed, Ilia Topuria might not be feeling as invincible as he claims to be.

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Topuria recently entered a polygraph test challenge with his brother, recently signed UFC featherweight Aleksandre Topuria. The first question the featherweight champ asked Aleksandre was if he thinks he can win a potential matchup between the two.

“The question is quite deep. If you had to be my opponent one day, I would have no doubt that I would beat you,” Aleksandre answered on Ilia’s YouTube channel.

And the polygraph went green, signaling a correct answer. Aleksandre then asked Ilia if he has ever felt invincible enough to think that he can beat any UFC fighter.

“Have you ever felt so invincible that you thought you could beat any UFC fighter?” Aleksandre said.

“El Matador” answered in the affirmative, setting off red lights on the polygraph, signaling a lie. However, the Georgian-Spanish champ continued to…

Tim Welch reveals what he told Merab Dvalishvili at the beginning of the fight:

"What I said to Merab was 'Merab you need to be patient', and that's when he freaked out."

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🎥 YT / @TimwelchMT #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/i8tXVVqqRl — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 16, 2024

Tim Welch recently revealed what he told Merab Dvalishvili to evoke an unprecedented reaction at the beginning of his UFC 306 title fight against Sean O'Malley.

Dvalishvili challenged Welch’s longtime friend and pupil O’Malley in the main event at UFC 306 on Sept. 14 at the Sphere in Las Vegas. The opening seconds of the fight had a bizarre sequence, as Dvalishvili stopped fighting while frantically pointing at Welch in O’Malley’s corner.

Referee Herb Dean sternly admonished Dvalishvili for stopping the fight while also issuing Welch a warning for excessive coaching. Dvalishvili’s reaction was not completely unjustified considering W…

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Ilia Topuria’s recent comments have led Max Holloway to doubt his fight IQ.

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Holloway will challenge Topuria for the featherweight title in the main event at UFC 308 on Oct. 26 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. While “Blessed” was seemingly removed from the featherweight title picture until recently, when a historic BMF title win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 this past April earned him an immediate gold bid.

After putting a lopsided beatdown on Gaethje throughout the fight, Holloway pointed to the ground to stand and trade in the final seconds and knocked “The Highlight” out cold. The former featherweight champ’s iconic gesture of pointing to ground has already become a part of MMA folklore and will undoubtedly go down in the history books.

Topuria recently said that he might be the one pointing at the ground to coax Holloway into a slugfest at UFC 308. The Georgian-Spaniard also vowed to knock Holloway out in the first round if…

An unforgettable day for Georgia, Georgian sport and Georgian people 🇬🇪❤

7-8AM, thousands of people in the streets of Tbilisi, Georgia, paralyzed capital city, and #AndNew UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili! 👑

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What a time to be alive as a Georgian! 🇬🇪

🎥 Setanta… pic.twitter.com/yiL6SLBewR

— Giorgi Kokiashvili 🇬🇪 (@iHeartGeorgius1) September 15, 2024 Merab Dvalishvili’s championship triumph drew a crowd in his native Georgia.

A video posted by Setanta Sports showed a throng of fans gathered in the streets of Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, to watch Dvalishvili claim the bantamweight throne with a unanimous decision triumph over Sean O'Malley in the main event of UFC 306 at the Sphere in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

According to Setanta Sports’ Giorgi Kokiashvili, the throng exceeded 10,000 people. Dvalishvili, who hails from the capital, has garnered 11 consecutive victories in UFC competition. In ad…

All 10 athletes slated to compete on Week 6 of Dana White's Contender Series made weight on Monday.

The Contender Series takes place on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and features a bantamweight clash between Aaron Tau (135.5) and Elijah Smith (136). The card airs on ESPN+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

New Zealand’s Tau has compiled an 8-0 professional mark while competing primarily in the Xtreme Fighting Championships promotion. The City Kickboxing representative has finished six of his eight triumphs inside the distance.

A native of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Smith has already won two fights in 2024. Most recently, he scored a first-round stoppage of Josh Walker at Fury FC 92 on June 16. The Team Victory product owns a 6-1 professional mark overall.

Contender Series Weigh-in Results:Aaron Tau (135.5) vs. Elijah Smith (136)Talisson Teixeira (259) vs. Arthur Guilherme Lopes Pereira (218)Benjamin Bennett (171) vs. Joey Hart (170.5)Yura Naito (186…

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Coach Javier Mendez believes Umar Nurmagomedov would have finished Sean O'Malley had he been in the same positions as Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306.

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O’Malley put his bantamweight title on the line against Dvalishvili in the main event at UFC 306 at the Las Vegas Sphere on Saturday. For the majority of the fight, Dvalishvili thoroughly dominated O’Malley on the ground to earn a unanimous decision win.

Mendez believes Nurmagomedov is a better submission artist than the newly-crowned champ. According to the American Kickboxing Academy head coach, Nurmagomedov would have likely submitted O’Malley had he taken the Montana native down like Dvalishvili did.

“It would have played out different,” Mendez told Submission Radio. “It wouldn’t have been the same. I’m sure on the ground it would have been bad for O’Malley. But he might have got finished on the ground with Umar. Had Umar been able to take him to the ground, more than likely…

Sean O’Malley @SugaSeanMMA is handling his defeat to Merab like a boss! Respect, Suga! pic.twitter.com/xo10jjTVy3

— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) September 15, 2024

Sean O'Malley is taking his title loss against Merab Dvalishvili in stride.

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O’Malley put his bantamweight strap on the line against Dvalishvili in the main event at UFC 306 at the Sphere in Las Vegas on Saturday. With the exception of visibly hurting Dvalishvili in the final round with front kicks to the body, O’Malley was thoroughly dominated by the Georgian on the way to a unanimous decision loss.

While a title loss is bound to take a toll on everyone, O’Malley is seemingly not letting it break him mentally. O’Malley is treating it as his first professional loss, as he refuses to acknowledge a prior loss against Marlon Vera that occurred after he suffered a leg injury in the August 2020 bout.

“Sugar” was seen getting teased by his friend who mocked t…

#PFLSuperFights drops teaser trailer for Oct. 19 #BraceForImpact PPV 🔥🏆 pic.twitter.com/Okt3C5qDcg

— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom) September 16, 2024

Anticipation for the biggest fight in Professional Fighters League history continues to grow.

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In a teaser video released Monday morning, the “Battle of the Giants” pay-per-view event on Oct. 19 is featured with no words needed as the impact of former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou breaks through city streets and buildings.

It will be a historic night for PFL, with their reigning heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira welcoming former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou to the SmartCage.

The co-main event will feature mixed martial arts’ only grand slam women’s champion back in action for the first time since Bellator 300 when Cris Cyborg collides with knockout artist Larissa Pacheco, who is also the …

Tom Aspinall reacts to the announcement of Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic:

“I of course will be there… if I need to I’ll fight both of them on the same night. No problem.

Give me my undisputed title.”

🎥 YT / @AspinallMMA #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/qz37InwewI

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 15, 2024

Tom Aspinall plans on being ready if anything goes wrong with the UFC 309 headliner.

UFC CEO Dana White recently announced that Jon Jones (27-1) will defend his title against Stipe Miocic (20-4) in the main event at UFC 309 on Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Interim champion Aspinall is glad that the long overdue matchup is finally confirmed and has already asked the UFC for a backup spot in case someone pulls out.

“The heavyweight title’s on the line at long last,” Aspinall said on his YouTube channel. “Finally we’re confirmed for it. I, of course will be there to watch these two gentlemen go at it. I, of c…