Martial Arts News

Ilia Topuria lived up to the hype at UFC on ABC 5.

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“El Matador” was absolutely dominant against former interim title challenger Josh Emmett, battering his foe with crisp combinations and damaging low kicks while evading many of his opponent’s return offerings in a lopsided unanimous decision triumph on Saturday in Jacksonville, Florida. Topuria was dominant enough to earn scorecards of 50-44 and 50-42 as he earned his sixth consecutive triumph within the Las Vegas-based promotion.

If Topuria were to face reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski, he is confident the result would be the same.

“I showed it tonight that no one can match my level of skill inside the cage,” Topuria said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I think everyone agrees with me. I know that I can finish anyone in this division. Just it was tough tonight. But I beat him pretty easy. It’s not going to be different with Alex. The recipe is going to be the same. I’m go…

These performances had us ON OUR FEET 🙌@DavidOnama145 & @MayceeBarber are your POTN winners for #UFCJacksonville!

B2YB @KudoSnacks pic.twitter.com/AVd8RGPCd9

— UFC (@ufc) June 24, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship awarded four fighters performance bonuses following the UFC on ABC 5 card.

Ilia Topuria made the most of his UFC main event slot as he dominated Josh Emmett over five action-packed rounds, and both men are $50,000 richer as a result of winning the Fight of the Night bonus. Topuria impressed over five rounds and dished out a ton of damage, with Topuria winning a unanimous decision with scores of 50-44, 50-42 and 49-45 in his favor. Emmett's toughness made it all the more memorable as the veteran fighter refused to wilt under pressure.

Two other fighters earned performance of the night bonuses with impressive knockouts. First was David Onama, whose impressive win over Gabriel Santos earned him an extra $50,000. …

Unbeaten featherweight prospect Ilia Topuria passed the toughest test of his career Saturday after outclassing Josh Emmett (50-44, 50-42, 49-45) in the UFC on ABC 5 main event at Vystar Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jacksonville.

Coming in ranked No. 9 in the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight standings, Topuria (14-0) has been stellar throughout his five fight UFC run, but a showdown against No. 5 Emmett was a clear step up in competition. Both fighters willingly kept the fight on the feet and Topuria took advantage. Using short, efficient crisp counters, Topuria pierced Emmett on the feet and had the former interim title challenger leaking blood early in the bout.

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Emmett’s (18-4) toughness was on full display, but the 38-year-old contender was a step behind "El Matador" all evening. Topuria’s efficiency forced Emmett to rely heavily on haymakers and out of range combinations. As the fight went on, Topuria mixed in heavy leg kicks to furth…

Locks in his 21st UFC victory 👏👏👏@NeilMagny is going home with the win at #UFCJacksonville!

[ We are now live on @ABCNetwork ] pic.twitter.com/LMAYgRYm66

— UFC (@ufc) June 24, 2023

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In a scrappy, clinch-filled fight between two tall welterweights, No. 11 ranked Neil Magny (28-10) protected his ranking against the surging Philip Rowe in the featured preliminary bout at UFC on ABC 5 in Jacksonville (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Magny and Rowe did very little to separate themselves throughout the fight. Both sported a lanky 6-foot-3 frames and similar braided hairstyles that made them almost indistinguishable. Rowe found success with his jab early but Magny’s pace began to show in Round 2. The final period was another back-and-forth stanza that was tough to judge, but ultimately it would be the Haitian Sensation’s hand that was raised.

Brown Denies Turman's Plans at 170 Former middleweight Wellington Turman had his hands f…

There was a price to pay for the forgettable fight between Natan Schulte and Raush Manfio at PFL 6 on Friday night.

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Schulte defeated Manfio via unanimous decision in a lightweight bout at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta to clinch a spot in the postseason. However, the fight resembled little more than a sparring match, which perhaps shouldn’t have been a surprise since the two athletes are longtime friends, training partners and the godfathers of each other’s children. As a result of the lackluster fight, the PFL has suspended both fighters and removed Schulte from the postseason.

“Last night Natan Schulte and Raush Manfio did not meet the standards which all PFL fighters agree to uphold in competition,” read a statement from the organization. “All fighters in their PFL Fight Agreements agree to use their best efforts ... skills and abilities as a professional athlete to compete ... and defeat any opponent.

“It was very clear that Natan and R…

Kleber Koike's strength remains eternal!

[ #RIZIN43 | @FiteTV | PPV link in bio ] pic.twitter.com/5NYGGyx3Hc

— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) June 24, 2023

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The latest Rizin Fighting Federation event was a festival of knockouts, submissions and drama.

The Rizin 43 headliner saw Kleber Koike Erbst face Chihiro Suzuki in what should have been Erbst’s first attempt to defend the featherweight championship. Unfortunately, the Brazilian missed weight by .9 pounds the day before and was stripped of the title, making Suzuki the only fighter eligible to win the crown. During the fight, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert Erbst (31-6-1, 1NC; 6-1, 1 NC Rizin) dominated Suzuki (10-3, 1NC; 5-1, 1NC Rizin) from top to bottom. After a minute of striking exchanges on the feet, Erbst dragged his opponent on the mat and quickly gained the mount position. Once there, Erbst landed sporadic punches while threatening his foe with submissio…

The possibility of a repeat remains in play for defending Professional Fighters League lightweight champion Olivier Aubin-Mercier.

Aubin-Mercier waylaid Anthony Romero with a beautiful knee strike in the third round of their PFL 6 headliner on Friday at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta, where the Tristar Gym standout clinched his spot in the postseason in style. Blindsided by the fight-ending blow, Romero (12-2, 1-1 PFL) checked out 28 seconds into Round 3.

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The 34-year-old Aubin-Mercier (19-5, 8-0 PFL) was calculated and efficient, and a brief brush with adversity—Romero buckled his knees with a first-round front kick—did nothing to knock him off his mark. He routinely cut off the cage against his fellow Canadian, forced him onto the back foot and scored with check right hooks and slicing straight lefts. No one saw the finish coming, least of all Romero. Aubin-Mercier backed him to the fence, caught him ducking and connected with a perfectly timed k…

The 2023 Professional Fighters League Regular Season marches on with 2023 PFL 6 at 6 p.m. ET. The action airs live on ESPN+ and then continues on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round: The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the r…

[embedded content] Editor's note: The article has been updated when one of the previously heavy fighters came back to successfully make weight.

The weigh-ins for the Ultimate Fighting Championship's return to Jacksonville were anything but smooth.

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The 14-fight UFC on ABC 5 card is headlined by Josh Emmett vs. Ilia Topuria. Both featherweights successfully made weight for the five-round contest. However, the same could not be said for the entirety of the undercard.

Loik Radzhabov came in at 157.25 pounds, or 1.25 pounds over the lightweight limit, and has been fined 20% of his purse, which will go to opponent Mateusz Rebecki (155.5). Additionally, Kleydson Rodrigues checked in three pounds overweight for his flyweight pairing against Tatsuro Taira (126), and per ESPN Deportes, the fight has been canceled. Finally, Jamall Emmers initially clocked in one pound over for his featherweight fight against Jack Jenkins (145.5), but he returned having chopp…

Sherdog's live UFC on ABC 5 coverage will begin Saturday at 11:30 a.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Brundage (-195), Dumas (+165)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Emmers (-200), Jenkins (+170)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Peek (-110), Mariscal (…

Two high-level matchups have been added to the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return to Singapore in August.

On Friday, Instagram account Freak MMA first broke the story that Taila Santos (19-2) would be battling it out with Erin Blanchfield (11-1) at 125 pounds on Aug. 26. The two flyweights will duke it out at UFC Fight Night 225 inside of the Singapore Indoor Arena in Kallang, Singapore. Blanchfield confirmed this fight on her own Instagram right after the fight news dropped.

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This will be Santos’ first walk to the Octagon since she lost an ultra-close split decision to former champ Valentina Shevchenko in June 2022. While some observers including one judge thought she did enough to dethrone Shevchenko, a clash of heads caused major swelling around Santos’ right eye to potentially compromise her in the later rounds. Before the championship defeat, Santos had strung together four straight wins, including a trio of decisions over Molly McCann, Gil…

What A Fight!!@RoseNamajunas will face @ManonFiorot_MMA at #UFCParis!!

Get your tickets 🎟️ https://t.co/vwLifSPSne pic.twitter.com/0b15gjUB9c

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) June 23, 2023 The former two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship strawweight queen is taking her trade to a new division.

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According to MMA Junkie on Friday, Rose Namajunas (11-5) will be relocating to 125 pounds on Sept. 2. At that UFC Fight Night 226 event in Paris, she will be meeting top contender Manon Fiorot (10-1). News of this pairing has since been confirmed by the UFC shortly after it broke.

This will be the former 115-pound titleholder’s first trip back to flyweight since she was an amateur, all the way back in 2011. “Thug Rose” surrendered her throne to Carla Esparza a second time in May 2022, dropping a razor-close split decision to her nemesis. That defeat snapped an impressive three-fight win streak, with a revenge decision over Jessica …