Martial Arts News

After more than a year-and-a-half on the sidelines, Giga Chikadze made a successful return to the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 225.

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The 35-year-old Kings MMA product engaged in a back-and-forth standup battle with Alex Caceres, eventually emerging with a unanimous decision triumph in their featured featherweight clash at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore, on Saturday. It was Chikadze’s first bout since dropping a five-round verdict to Calvin Kattar in the UFC on ESPN 32 headliner on Jan. 15, 2022.

“It feels so great. I can’t even explain,” Chikadze said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “It’s been a pretty long time, and I felt like I was without a job. Finally I got my dream job back, and I haven’t been so happy for a long time. So finally, we’re back baby … It’s been 15 minutes, and I feel like every second I looked great, and I’m pretty happy after one-and-a-half year layoff with my performance.”

Caceres was competitive th…

A bantamweight bout pitting Hideo Tokoro against Alan Yamaniha will headline the Rizin Landmark Vol. 6 card on Oct. 1.

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The Japanese promotion recently announced the lineup for the event, which takes place at Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium in Nagoya, Japan. The full card includes 11 MMA contests and one kickboxing match.

A veteran of 68 professional fights with appearances in Bellator, Dream and K-1 in addition to Rizin, Tokoro will be competing for the first time in 2023. The 46-year-old Tokoro went 0-2 last year, dropping a decision to Makoto Takahashi at Rizin 37 before suffering a first-round KO defeat against John Dodson at Rizin 40.

Yamaniha, meanwhile, has won six of his last eight outings dating back to 2019. Most recently, the Bonsai Jiu-Jitsu representative earned a unanimous decision triumph against Yasuhiro Kawamura at Rizin Landmark Vol. 4 on Nov. 6.

Erin Blanchfield had to weather some early adversity against Taila Santos, but she expected a difficult bout entering UFC Fight Night 225.

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“I expect these type of fights, I always hope to do them better,” Blanchfield said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “Just get in there, don’t get hurt at all, finish the fight and get out, but tough fights like this are what make you grow. So sometimes you need them.”

Santos started their flyweight bout strong, landing hard punches, knees and leg kicks in the opening stanza. Additionally, the Brazilian did a good job defending the takedown throughout the fight. Over time, though, Blanchfield was still able to impose her will through consistent pressure and control. That, in turn, created openings for her to land more strikes.

“She had strong leg kicks, I didn’t expect the leg kicks as much. Her takedown defense was good but I felt super close a couple times. I was persistent on it. I could feel her ge…

Max Holloway had an inkling that Chan Sung Jung might go for broke in their headlining bout at UFC Fight Night 225.

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That’s exactly what happened in Round 3, when “The Korean Zombie” threw caution to the wind before Holloway landed the decisive blow to win via knockout 23 seconds into the period. Shortly thereafter, Jung laid down his gloves in an emotional farewell.

“I think he knew exactly what had to be done,” Holloway said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I think he knew what the job was. It was kill or be killed. I was just lucky that I was on top on the other side of it. We both threw right hands. Mine just landed a tad quicker. A half-second slower, who knows, his lands first what would have happened? I don’t know if I would have ate it or a lot of stuff could have gone wrong.

“I think I hurt him in the second round good. Between the second and the third, he was sitting there and being like, ‘I’m not going to coast through a fi…

Max Holloway once again proved his legitimacy as the second-best featherweight in the world after finishing the indestructible Chan Sung Jung in the UFC Fight Night 225 main event at Singapore’s Indoor Stadium.

For years Holloway (25-7) and "Korean Zombie" have circled each other as potential opponents in the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division. Despite Jung’s decline in age, the Zombie’s high-octane, all-guts style brought out the violence in the blessed one.

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Holloway came out poised and patient as usual but seemed shocked by the spring in the Zombie’s step. Jung (17-8) landed several hard shots and forced Holloway to sit on his punches and trade. After the first round, it was clear that it wasn’t going to be a walk in the park for the UFC’s No. 1 ranked featherweight contender.

Heading into the second round, Holloway looked to put Zombie away and nearly did after dropping him with a hard right hand. Holloway pounced on the chok…

Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 225 coverage will begin Saturday at 5 a.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Choi (-180), Errens (+150)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Aldrich (-520), Liang (+390)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Kinoshita (-…

HEAVY SHOTS FROM Waldo Cortes-Acosta 🫣 #UFCSingapore pic.twitter.com/ruoBvIgmKB

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 26, 2023 After two straight first-round finishes, there was no way heavyweight bruiser Waldo Cortes-Acosta was gonna break the steak. "Salsa Boy" (10-1, 3-1 UFC) closed out the UFC Fight Night 225 prelims in devastating fashion with a first-round knockout of Poland’s Lukasz Brzeski.

Out of the five finishes on the prelims, Acosta’s may have been the most violent. With just over two minutes left in the round, Acosta parried Brzeski’s jab and made him pay dearly with an overhand right carrying the entirety of his 264-pound frame. Brzeski’s legs stopped, dropped and rolled until he finally face-planted in his own corner. Brzeski, a former DWCS product, has lost his first three fights in the UFC.

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Armfield Steamrolls Kazama Garrett Armfield steamrolled Toshiomi Kazama to secure his first UFC win in bantamweight actio…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship awarded four fighters performance bonuses following the UFC Fight Night 225 card.

As expected, the fight of the night was a no-brainer as Max Holloway and Chan Sung Jung put on a thrilling fight in front of the fans. "Korean Zombie" was knocked out in the third round and retired after the fight, which saw Holloway land some incredible punches, including a right hook that ended the career of the fan-favorite South Korean fighter. Both men earned an extra $50,000 as a result.

The two Performance of the Night bonuses went to two impressive knockout artists. Michal Oleksiejczuk earned one for his comeback TKO win over Chidi Njokuani. "Hussar" picked up the finish at the 4:16 mark of Round 1. Finally, Junior Tafa needed just 1:24 to finish Parker Porter. While it took 18 seconds longer than his brother Justin Tafa, "The Juggernaut" was just as impressive, blasting Porter with a number of elbows and punches that put away the heavyweigh…

According to her coach, top Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight Mayra Bueno Silva should be ready to return to competition sooner than later.

On July 15, Silva secured the biggest win of her pro career by submitting Holly Holm with a ninja choke in their main event of UFC on ESPN 49. However, the Brazilian announced in August that she had failed her post-fight drug test, breaking the news before it spread from other sources. Silva claimed that she did not intentionally violate the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency ban on the substance, later determined to be ritalinic acid, a stimulant also known as Ritalin or Concerta. She stated that she took the prescribed medication to treat her ADHD, and that she stopped taking it a week before the fight to let it clear out of her system.

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Sherdog spoke to Silva’s coach at American Top Team, Marcos da Matta, more famously known as “Parrumpinha,” who discussed her situation. Da Matta thanked the UFC for working with…

The grizzled Ultimate Fighting Championship vet known as “The Damage” is not finished yet.

Darren Elkins (27-11) revealed on Thursday on his Instagram page that he will be competing on Oct. 14. His first pairing of 2023 will come at the featherweight division, where he will battle it out with T.J. Brown (17-10) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Both men are coming off losses, having dropped two of their last three.

The ultra-durable Elkins split his 2022 campaign with a win over Tristan Connelly followed by a December decision loss to Jonathan Pearce. The 17-10 record in the Octagon for the Team Alpha Male product is the exact same as the entire professional record for his opponent. Since joining the roster over 13 years ago, “The Damage” has secured wins over names like Dennis Bermudez, Mirsad Bektic, Michael Johnson and Hatsu Hioki, to name a few.

Brown cannot currently celebrate a winning record in the UFC, as his three victories are opposed by four defeats. M…

A Ultimate Fighting Championship fight previously booked between Chris Curtis and Anthony Hernandez has completely transformed.

On Wednesday, Hernandez announced that he had suffered an injury during training, and that he has been forced out of the Noche UFC event in September. At one time, middleweights Curtis and Hernandez were set to square off, but Curtis also sustained an injury that knocked him out of the pairing. Roman Kopylov (11-2) tagged in to face Hernandez, and now Josh Fremd (11-4) will be taking Hernandez’ place. Fremd confirmed his short-notice appearance on Instagram on Wednesday.

Fremd appeared earlier in August to snag a decision over Jamie Pickett, and in the process put himself on a win streak in the Octagon. In March, Fremd snapped a two-bout skid by tapping out Sedriques Dumas in the second round. Before then, Fremd unsuccessfully debuted in the promotion against Hernandez in April 2022, and Tresean Gore put him to sleep with a guillotine cho…

Clay Collard had to earn his first Professional Fighters League Championship appearance the hard way.

In a surefire “Fight of the Year” contender, Collard held off a hard-charging Shane Burgos to win a closely-contesting unanimous decision triumph in the PFL 9 headliner at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York on Wednesday night. All three cageside judges submitted tallies in favor of Collard: 29-28, 29-28 and 29-28. The UFC veteran will advance to face defending PFL champion Olivier Aubin-Mercier in the lightweight final on Nov. 24.

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Collard (24-10, 6-2 PFL) set the tone early, utilizing his trademark volume punching to the head and body to rack up a lead on the scorecards. He backed Burgos (16-5, 1-2 PFL) into the fence with a left hook-right hand combination in the opening stanza and sat his foe down with a left hook in Round 2. The Team Tiger Schulmann product was undeterred, however. He targeted Collard with inside low kicks throughou…