Martial Arts News

Sean O’Malley talked the talk for years, and he walked the walk when it mattered most.

The 2017 Dana White’s Contender Series graduate cut down Aljamain Sterling with punches in the second round of their UFC 292 headliner, as he captured the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight title on Saturday at the TD Garden in Boston. Sterling (23-4, 15-4 UFC) succumbed to blows 51 seconds into Round 2, suffering his first defeat in almost six years.

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O’Malley (16-2, 8-2 UFC) spent much of an uneventful first round getting reads and utilizing feints. He slipped on a misfired kick early in the second, returned to an upright position and lured in Sterling, who overextended on a straight left. O’Malley countered with a picture-perfect right cross that sent the champion into a nosedive onto all fours. He followed up with standing-to-ground hammerfists and continued to let the punches fly until referee Marc Goddard had seen enough.Zhang Dismantles L…

Sherdog's live UFC 292 coverage will begin Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Silva (-155), Moroz (+130)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Silva (-355), Lee (+280)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Petroski (-245), Meerschaert (+200)…

WEIDMAN WASN'T HAVING IT 😤 #UFC292 pic.twitter.com/Ilv3UCPfdb

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 20, 2023

Brad Tavares’ sympathies only go so far.

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Destructive leg kicks, a punishing jab and bulletproof takedown defense carried the Hawaiian to a unanimous decision over returning former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion Chris Weidman in the featured UFC 292 prelim on Saturday at the TD Garden in Boston. All three cageside judges submitted 30-27 scorecards for Tavares (20-8, 15-8 UFC), who rebounded from back-to-back losses to Dricus Du Plessis and Bruno Silva.

In his first appearance since suffering a career-threatening leg injury in April 2021, Weidman (15-7, 11-7 UFC) looked tentative at times and outgunned at others. Tavares wrecked his lead leg with kicks and denied all of his takedown attempts. Weidman hobbled visibly on his compromised base in the second round and never fully recovered, as he was fo…

Incroyable!!!! 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲!?🤯

The French maestro 🇫🇷 @SalahdineP 👑👑 with another unforgettable finish!! xtb #KSW85 pic.twitter.com/Wnn6wDH8yS

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) August 19, 2023

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KSW double champ Salahdine Parnasse rules solidly over the 145-pound division.

Parnasse (18-1, 10-1 KSW) showcased his championship mettle as he secured a TKO victory over Robert Ruchala, unifying the KSW featherweight title in the KSW 85 headliner. The battle started with a burst of excitement as Ruchala (9-1, 6-1 KSW) dropped Parnasse with a crafty combination involving a spinning back elbow followed by a solid right punch in the opening round. Throughout the first rounds, Ruchala demonstrated his meticulous preparation, targeting Parnasse with the spinning back forearm technique that had proven to be the only effective technique against him to date. However, the Frenchman was never really in danger, displaying his resilience…

Renan Ferreira operating at peak performance should strike some fear into all of his peers.

The 6-foot-8 Brazilian dispatched Maurice Greene with first-round punches, as their Professional Fighters League heavyweight semifinal served as the PFL 8 headliner on Friday inside The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. Ferreira (11-3, 5-1 PFL) slammed the door 4:46 into Round 1.

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Greene (11-9, 1-3 PFL) tried to keep his counterpart at bay with leg kicks, but with each passing moment, the disparity in talent became more and more evident. Ferreira connected with body-head jabs, crisp low kicks of his own and clean multi-punch combinations. Eventually, he walked Greene into a devastating counter right hand. “The Crochet Boss” folded where he stood and hit the deck, where he was met with a burst of punches that separated him from his senses.

Riding high on the strength of back-to-back victories, Ferreira advances to face Denis Goltsov in the $1,000…

The 2023 Professional Fighters League Playoffs continue Friday in new York City with PFL 8 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The action airs live on ESPN+ and then continues on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET. Round 1 Tommy Santana is the referee for tonight's first fight. Mazar comes out swinging but comes up short. Neil throws a kick that is caught, and the two clinch against the cage. They separate, with not much happening besides a few knees. Neil lands a nice right hand that rocks Mazar. Neil is staying on the outside and using her range, forcing Mazar to try to swing to close the distance. Neil works the jab, although she's mostly punching air rather than connecting. Mazar lands a leg kick. Neil catches Mazar as she comes in and once again stumbles her opponent. Neil puts together her offense, connecting with a right hand after throwing a left high kick. Mazar clinches against the cage and the round expires after Neil lands a solid knee in the clinch. Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round: 1…

[embedded content] The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to pay-per-view with UFC 292.

Both title fights are official for the card, including the main event that sees bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O'Malley, as all fighters made weight. The co-main event will see titleholder Weili Zhang look to defend her strawweight strap against the surging Amanda Lemos.

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Sterling (23-3) is riding an impressive nine-fight win streak that dates back to 2018. Since claiming the title via DQ, "Funk Master" has picked up wins over Petr Yan, T.J. Dillashaw and Henry Cejudo. The champion weighed 135 pounds on the dot for what will be his fourth attempt at defending the belt.

Looking to make history is O'Malley (16-1, 1 NC). The 28-year-old is coming off a split-decision win over Yan, which cemented him as the number one contender. Prior to a no contest against Pedro Munhoz, O'Malley had strung together three straight TKO wins. "Sugar" officially w…

Peleón para coestelar de #NocheUFC!!! 🇲🇽

💥💥💥 Señor Kevin Holland vs Señor Jack Della Madalena 💥💥💥

Boletos a la venta: https://t.co/qoFbHJ1LKh pic.twitter.com/8llGb2X6Ip

— UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) August 18, 2023 On about a month’s notice, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has found a replacement co-headlining match for its Noche UFC event.

Per the organization on social media on Friday, Kevin Holland (25-9, 1 NC) will take on Jack Della Maddalena (15-2) in a potentially thrilling welterweight clash on Sept. 16. The two ranked 170-pounders will duke it out inside of the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas as part of UFC Fight Night 227, which has also been titled “Noche UFC” to celebrate Mexican Independence Day. This fight replaces a welterweight tilt between Kelvin Gastelum and Shavkat Rakhmonov that fell through due to a compound fracture to Gastelum’s nose suffered during training.

Fan-favorite Holland put himself on a win str…

[embedded content] In 2022, Lorrany Santos captured titles from two organizations in Brazil, which ultimately earned her a place on the Bellator MMA roster.

At 26 years of age, Santos (6-1) recently signed a multi-fight deal with Bellator, according to sources close to the situation. The featherweight is targeting her promotional debut in October or November, but no destination or opponent has been set yet. Winner of six straight, Santos trains both at the Russao Muay Thai gym as well as the renowned Parana Vale Tudo, home of top talents Jessica Andrade, Karol Rosa and others. Additionally, she joins Team D.O.M. for sessions, where she rolls with black belts like Marcelo Maciel Quines Junior as well as Davi Costa.

Before signing with Bellator, Santos rattled off three victories under the Favela Combat and Mr. Cage organizations in Brazil, where she claimed championship belts in both leagues. Earlier into her pro tenure, she picked up a win over current Ultimate Fighti…

A Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter has taken it upon himself to unveil the news of his recent positive drug test.

Late Thursday night, Daniel Rodriguez (17-4) announced on Instagram that he had failed an out-of-competition drug test for ostarine. Due to the active investigation, he will no longer be competing at the upcoming Sept. 16 event, UFC Fight Night 227, also called “Noche UFC,” at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Rodriguez claimed that he did not intentionally take the banned substance, and that the low levels of ostarine in his system could be attributed to certain dietary supplements he takes.

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Rodriguez is not currently suspended by USADA or the UFC, but during the course of the review process, he will not be allowed to compete. This specific substance has been linked to multiple “tainted supplement” suspensions handed down by the organization, where the fighter did not intentionally ingest the substance, but it was inadvertently …

[embedded content] Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki returns for its August offering that features two championship fights.

Both title fights are now official, including the featherweight headliner that will see titleholder Salahdine Parnasse take on interim champion Robert Ruchala, as both men weighed in at 145 pounds. The co-main event puts the spotlight on light heavyweight champion Ibragim Chuzhigaev, who goes up against Bogdan Gnidko. Two undercard fighters missed weight, though. Sandra Succar came in .5 kg over the flyweight limit and was fined 20% of her purse. Meanwhile, Lukasz Rajewski was fined 40% of his purse for missing a catchweight limit by 1.9 kg.

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Parnasse (17-1) enters the title defense on a four-fight win streak. Since being knocked out by Daniel Torres, the French fighter has gotten revenge via unanimous decision and submitted three other fighters via rear-naked choke. Looking to claim the belt is the undefeated Ruchala (9-0). The Polish fi…

[embedded content] The weigh-ins ahead of Professional Fighters League's heavyweight and women's featherweight semifinals were far from drama-free.

The PFL 8 main event will see Renan Ferreira battle Maurice Greene at heavyweight. The lone semifinalist to miss weight was Olena Kolesnyk (147.8), who checked in 1.8 pounds over the featherweight limit. She will be fined 20% of her purse and docked a point for her trilogy match against Larissa Pacheco (146). As for the rest of the card, preliminary heavyweight Daiqwon Buckley (272.4) came in 6.4 pounds over the 266-pound cap, changing his matchup with Louie Sutherland (250.6) to a super heavyweight fight and earning Buckley at 20% fine. Additionally, a 155-pound pairing between Chris Mixan and Eddy George fell through when Mixan reportedly failed to attend the weigh-ins.

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Ferreira (10-3, 3 NC) is coming off a knockout win over Matheus Scheffel that came just 50 seconds into the fight. The towering 6-foot…