Martial Arts News

Sergio Batarelli, the creator of International Vale Tudo Championship (IVC), an event that showcased MMA legends such as Wanderlei Silva and Pedro Rizzo in the 1990s, is starting a new promotion.

Batarelli revealed to Sherdog.com that MMA Fight Sport will hold its debut event in Qatar later in 2023. According to Batarelli, it will be a tournament with qualification matches leading to a "knockout" stage, with a total prize of $1 million in cash per category. In addition, there will be different rules and weight categories, to be announced soon.

"It will be a cage-style event, with weekly editions starting from November 2023 and a pay-per-view event every three months,” Batarelli said. “Anyone who holds or has an official title can send us their information.

Interested competitors can send their fight information via email to [email protected].

#COLLISION6 | NOV. 4 | RICO VS. OSARO

Register for the presale now at https://t.co/mtc7jeFgDP pic.twitter.com/DZIw51XNp1

— GLORY Kickboxing (@GLORY_WS) August 23, 2023

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Rico Verhoeven will square off against Tariq Osaro in a heavyweight championship unification bout at Glory Collision 6 on Nov. 4.

The kickboxing promotion announced the pairing on Wednesday. Glory Collision 6 takes place at the GelreDome in Arnhem, Netherlands, and will be available to view on GloryFights.com.

After a knee injury derailed Verhoeven’s return to action earlier this year, the “King of Kickboxing” will fight under the Glory banner for the first time since a fourth-round TKO win against Jamal Ben Saddik on Oct. 23, 2021. That marked Verhoeven’s 10th successful defense of the Glory heavyweight crown. The Dutchman is undefeated in his last 16 bouts overall, a streak that goes back nearly a decade.

Osaro, meanwhile, is coming off a k…

𝑨𝑳𝑳 𝑹𝑶𝑨𝑫𝑺 Lead To 11.24.23

Washington DC. Get Ready. The #PFLWorldChampionship is 𝑪𝑶𝑴𝑰𝑵𝑮 🏆💰 pic.twitter.com/npeuRSetk9

— PFL (@PFLMMA) August 23, 2023

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Professional Fighters League has a location and venue for its premier event.

The organization announced on Wednesday that the 2023 PFL Championships will take place at The Anthem in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 24. The event will see fighters from six different weight classes vying for titles and $1 million apiece. It was also announced that Celsius Essential Energy drink will be the presenting partner for the event, a sponsorship that includes branding on all championship athlete fight kits.

“We are thrilled to announce the 2023 PFL World Championship is coming to the nation’s capital, at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. to host the richest night in MMA on Friday, November 24,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray. “The PFL World Championship presented by our great partners at Ce…

Zachary Reese thrives on the quick finish.

The undefeated War Training Center prospect was one of three competitors to earn an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract during Week 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series, as he disposed of Eli Aronov with an armbar in the first round of their middleweight headliner on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Reese (6-0, 1-0 DWCS) brought it to a close 74 seconds into Round 1.

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Faced with a six-inch height and five-inch reach deficits, Aronov (6-1, 0-1 DWCS) unleashed a multi-punch burst, tripped his adversary to the floor and pressed his advantages with ground-and-pound. Reese kept his composure, isolated the Israeli’s right arm and drew him deeper into his guard before activating his hips to force the tapout.

Reese has stopped all six of his opponents inside one round.

Featherweight Luis Pajuelo and welterweight Oban Elliott completed the latest crop of UFC signees, bringing the season total to 13.

C…

Sherdog's live coverage of DWCS 2023, Week 3 will begin at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Round 1 Jacob Montalvo will oversee the first fight of the evening. Ring begins things with an outside leg kick. Ring sticks a jab, and then Pajuelo makes him stumble with a heavy leg kick. Ring catches a low kick and counters with an overhand. Ring backs up his foe with a combination and then follows him into the fence with a knee. Pajuelo waves him on and they trade more punches. Ring is throwing combinations well early. Pajuelo walks forward and trades with Ring. It’s a firefight early, but Pajuelo buckles Ring with a clean straight shot, who shoots out of desperation. Pajuelo punches the ribs of his opponent but then gets his ankle caught, allowing Ring to land the takedown. Pajuelo scoots to the fence and works his way to a knee. The Pervuian punches the ribs as Ring works to get him back down. Pajuelo stands and lands a knee in close. They separate and get back to trading. Pajuelo works the…

Charles Oliveira will have a chance to regain the lightweight crown when he meets Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 21.

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Diego Lima, Oliveira’s coach, dismissed the idea that the time zone difference and a long flight played a role in the Brazilian’s loss to Makhachev in their first meeting, which was also in Abu Dhabi.

"Charles is a guy who hardly feels jet lag, he adapts to the time zone very quickly. Every individual reacts differently, and Charles adapted well to Abu Dhabi,” Lima said. “If we were fighting in Mexico City, for example, we would have to arrive much earlier due to the altitude. In the case of Abu Dhabi, we didn't need to arrive so far in advance. Also, Charles doesn't like being far away from home."

In his last outing, Oliveira defeated Beneil Dariush at UFC 289 in Canada, a place where he had never won before. Despite not being a local, “Do Bronx” had the support of the Canadian crowd behind him on that night.…

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…