Martial Arts News

[embedded content]

Francis Ngannou wasn’t looking out for only himself when he signed with Professional Fighters League.

Advertisement

The former UFC heavyweight champion took to YouTube to go over some of the details of his deal, which was initially announced early Tuesday morning. While Ngannou isn’t expected to fight for PFL until 2024, one of the most interesting aspects of the contract was the money it appears to have secured for his first opponent.

“This is the best business decision that I have ever done,” Ngannou said in the video. “At the beginning of my free agency I didn’t know that I could have a deal structure where I could have all this in one deal. I have myself a good guarantee, which is more important. And most importantly, I was even able to have a guarantee of $2 million for my opponent, [so] whomever I’m going to fight next is going to make money too.”

As previously reported, Ngannou will compete in PFL’s pay-per-view superfight division,…

After months of speculation, MMA’s biggest free agent has landed.

Advertisement

Professional Fighters League (PFL) announced on Tuesday that former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has signed a mixed martial arts deal to fight in its Superfight Division. The news was first reported by the New York Times.

🚨 BREAKING 🚨"The Predator" @francis_ngannou is PFL bound!

He’s set to fight in the PFL’s PPV Superfight division https://t.co/Jal3clCZhW pic.twitter.com/5RRaG7oFwr

— PFL (@PFLMMA) May 16, 2023

PFL’s Superfight Division, which also includes celebrity boxer Jake Paul, will pay its fighters a 50% share of revenue generated by their fights. According to the NYT article, Ngannou will not fight for the organization until 2024 because it is expected that he will first compete in a boxing match this year. It is yet to be determined whether his opponent will be Tyson Fury, who has publicly embraced t…

Jailton Almeida announced his presence to the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s heavyweight division in a major way on Saturday.

Advertisement

“Maladinho” made short work of Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the UFC on ABC 4 main event, winning via rear-naked choke 3:43 into the opening round of their encounter at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. It was a dominant performance that saw the Brazilian take his foe down with relative ease, advance position and lock in the fight-ending maneuver when the opportunity presented itself. Almeida has won 13 straight professional fights — including five within the Las Vegas-based promotion. It was exactly the type of showing that could help fast-track Almeida to the top of the division.

“This guy looks like he’s going to be a star in the heavyweight division….” UFC president Dana White said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference.

“His double leg is insane. When he gets that top position, he doesn’t screw around. He go…

Kron Gracie has broken his silence following a listless showing in a decision loss to Charles Jourdain at UFC 288.

Advertisement

In his first bout since October 2019, Gracie attempted just 57 significant strikes over three rounds and repeatedly attempted to lure Jourdain into his guard. However, Gracie’s efforts to engage his foe in a grappling match were largely unsuccessful, as Jourdain outlanded him on the feet and neutralized him on the ground in a forgettable encounter.

Gracie addressed the performance in a post on his Instagram stories, blaming “bad advice” and a desire to please the jiu-jitsu community for his one-dimensional approach.

“In a lifetime of fighting, it’s always been a fight to the death,” Gracie wrote. “Understand the situation and willing to limit myself, even that being said I threw no punches because of bad advice and tried to please the jiu-jitsu community two days before my fight. First fight in my life I didn’t throw a punch, goi…

With a new Bellator deal in hand, it appears that Cristiane Justino has a target for her next title defense.

Advertisement

During the Bellator 296 broadcast last Friday, “Cyborg” discussed her future plans with Combate commentator Ana Hissa. The reigning featherweight queen revealed that Cat Zigano will likely be her next opponent, and there’s a chance that the bout could take place in Brazil.

“Cat Zingano is next. She's been training a lot, and I believe it's going to be a great fight. I'm just waiting for her to sign the contract, because she should have been fighting for the belt for a while now,” Justino said.

According to “Cyborg,” Bellator president Scott Coker has expressed excitement regarding the possibility of holding the fight in her home country.

“In one of the conversations I had with Scott Coker, he said he really wants to take my fight against Cat to Brazil. It would be a pleasure to defend the belt in my country,” she said. “When I ha…

Fabian Edwards cemented his position as the No. 1 contender in Bellator’s middleweight division with his victory over Gegard Mousasi this past Friday. Now he has a date for his bout with reigning champion Johnny Eblen.

Advertisement

Promotion officials on Monday announced that Eblen will defend his 185-pound belt against Edwards in the main event of a Bellator card at the 3Arena in Dublin on Sept. 23. Two other contests were announced for the event, as Brian Moore will face Otto Rodrigues at featherweight, while Mads Burnell will lock horns with Daniel Weichel in another 145-pound clash. Bellator Dublin will air in the United States at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.

Eblen, 31, is undefeated in 13 professional appearances — nine of which have occurred under the Bellator banner. He claimed middleweight gold with a five-round verdict over Mousasi at Bellator 282 in July 2022 before defending the strap with a unanimous decision win over Anatoly Tokov in his most recent outin…

It is probably fair at this point to call Jailton Almeida a serious problem for the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight division.

In the main event of UFC on ABC 4 on Saturday at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, Almeida (19-2, 5-0 UFC) needed just 3:43 to overwhelm Jairzinho Rozenstruik on the ground. The chiseled Brazilian entered as an overwhelming favorite and the bout played out more or less as expected, with Almeida exploiting Rozenstruik’s porous wrestling and grappling on his way to an effortless-looking win. “Bigi Boy” managed to turn aside Almeida’s first takedown attempt, a double-leg from too far outside in the opening moments, but Almeida tried again seconds later and was successful, wrapping up Rozenstruik’s legs and tipping him over in the middle of the cage. “Malhadinho” immediately moved to half-guard and worked to advance, chipping away with short strikes and moving the bigger man to the fence. With under two minutes to go in Round 1, Al…

Sherdog's live UFC on ABC 4 coverage will begin Saturday at 12 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Clark (-120), Lisboa (+100)Round 1 The world-famous Octagon sets down in the beautiful city of Charlotte, North Carolina, for an abbreviated fight card that should bring with it plenty of action. Needing no further introduction, this event staged on the ABC network will begin in the women’s bantamweight division, as company veteran Clark (11-8, 1 NC; 4-4 UFC) comes to blows with newcomer Lisboa (5-2, 0-0 UFC). While Clark’s UFC record sits at .500, she has more experience with the promotion alone than Lisboa holds in pro MMA bouts, so it remains to be seen how Lisboa’s muay thai tenure will bolster her resume. The combat begins under the watchful eye of referee Larry Carter, where it kicks off courtesy of a clap of hands. Lisboa backs off to find her space immediately, and she sticks out two hands to score on Clark early. Clark fires back, and short little skirm…

MATT BROWN OMG! pic.twitter.com/mVOQr613lB

— 🔥 Combat Sports Vids (@FireMMAVid) May 13, 2023

Matt Brown may be in the final act of his career, but his stellar highlight reel is still a work in progress.

Advertisement

In the top prelim of UFC on ABC 4 on Saturday in Charlotte, North Carolina, the 42-year-old Ohioan flatlined fellow grizzled welterweight Court McGee with a brutal overhand right. With the first-round stoppage, “The Immortal” tied Derrick Lewis’ record for most knockouts in Ultimate Fighting Championship history. Up until the moment of the KO, the fight seemed to be shaping up into the kind of clinch-heavy grind that had allowed McGee to stay relevant as he headed toward his own 40th birthday. With a minute left in the frame, however, Brown set “The Crusher” up with a front push kick and, as McGee came forward again, landed a single right hand that ended the fight. Referee Dan Miragliotta rushed in to save the stricken…

An incredible performance! 👏

🇵🇱 Andrzej Grzebyk gets the deserved win! #KSW82 pic.twitter.com/SC4g2Z2Rpa

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) May 13, 2023

Advertisement

Andrzej Grzebyk might be the next welterweight championship contender after his latest Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki victory.

The unusually short, seven-fight KSW 82 card was headlined by a welterweight tilt between former Fight Exclusive Night two-division champion Grzebyk and Brian Hooi. Mixing clean and precise shots on the feet with relentless takedowns followed by ground-and-pound, Grzebyk (20-6, 4-3 KSW) proved he was the best mixed martial artist in the contest. Despite his efforts to outstrike “Double Champ,” Hooi (19-11, 1 NC; 2-2 KSW) couldn’t do much more than showcase an effective butterfly guard that allowed him to get on his feet after being taken down. In the opening frame, Grzebyk had the edge over his foe with quicker strikes, shaking “Hooibooi” on a couple of occasions. …

VIBES ARE HIGH FOR @MALHADINHO_UFC AFTER THAT WIN ?? #UFCCharlotte pic.twitter.com/WtpkZDa8ZY

— UFC (@ufc) May 13, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship awarded four fighters performance bonuses following the UFC on ABC 4 card.

Main event winner Jailton Almeida took home an additional $50,000 on top of his purse for his dominant submission win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik. The win came in the very first round as "Malhadinho" took his foe down and secured a rear-naked choke. The submission was too tight and forced "Bigi Boy" to tap at the 3:43 mark.

Three other fighters earned performance of the night bonuses with impressive knockout wins. Another fighter on the rise, Ian Garry, passed his latest test by battering Daniel Rodriguez with punches after landing a perfectly timed head kick. Veteran Matt Brown picked up $50,000 along with tying the record for most KO wins in the UFC for his knockout punch that floored Court McGee. Finally,…

The most romantic city in the world was on hand for Friday’s Bellator 296 card at the Accor Arena in Paris.

Middleweight contender Fabian Edwards (12-2, 8-2 BMMA) took a step outside of his older brother's shadow after outclassing middleweight legend Gegard Mousasi (49-9-2, 7-3 BMMA) over five-rounds in a Bellator MMA 185-pound title eliminator bout.

Advertisement

In a back-and-forth fight, Edwards proved to be slightly sharper on the feet than the 37-year old Mousasi. Heading into the final round, the contenders appeared to be tied on the scorecards, before a body lock would give Edwards control throughout most of the fifth. With the win, Edwards set himself up with a shot at Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen (13-0, 9-0) Sept. 23 in Dublin.

In the co-main event, former Bellator lightweight champion Brent Primus (12-3, 10-3 BMMA) advanced to the semifinals of the Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix after grinding out a grueling unanimous decision (48-47, 4…