Martial Arts News

“The Highlight” remains as fitting a nickname today as the day it was given to him.

Justin Gaethje laid claim to the symbolic BMF title and established himself as the No. 1 contender for the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight crown, as he brought down Dustin Poirier with a perfectly placed head kick in the second round of the UFC 291 headliner on Saturday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Gaethje (25-4, 8-4 UFC) filed away his latest victory 60 seconds into Round 2.

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Poirier (29-8, 21-7 UFC) struggled to establish a rhythm throughout a competitive first round but managed to cut the former World Series of Fighting champion near his left eye with a clean one-two. Gaethje, meanwhile, invested in leg kicks and power punching combinations. Early in the second round, he backed up a right hand with an exquisitely timed head kick, his lower leg wrapping around Poirier’s defenses before detonating behind the ear. The Louisiana native cras…

Sherdog's live UFC 291 coverage will begin Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Maverick (-305), Cachoeira (+240)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Semelsberger (-205), Medic (+175)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Vergar…

SLICK SUBMISSION FROM BONFIM 😨#UFC291 is LIVE on ESPN+ PPV 🍿 pic.twitter.com/jIaAQnPaIH

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 30, 2023

All Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweights should be on high alert as it relates to Gabriel Bonfim.

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The unbeaten Cerrado MMA export disposed of Trevin Giles with a guillotine choke in the first round of their featured UFC 291 prelim on Saturday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Giles (16-5, 7-5 UFC), who entered the cage on a two-fight winning streak, raised the white flag of surrender 1:13 into Round 1.

Bonfim (15-0, 2-0 UFC) applied maximum pressure from the outset, connected with a clubbing overhand left and secured a takedown inside the first 40 seconds. He caught the guillotine during a subsequent scramble, tightened his vice-like squeeze and elicited the tapout.

Vergara Outpoints Overweight Salvador Onetime Fury Fighting Championship titleholder C.J. Vergara outstruck and o…

Deadly leg kick! 🦵💥

The finish from @PatrickyPitbull in slow motion 👀

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Can he go all the way in the #BellatorLWGP? #BellatorXRizin pic.twitter.com/rCRgEII479 — Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) July 30, 2023

Bellator MMA staged its second big cross-promotional event with Rizin Fighting Federation at the legendary Saitama Super Arena in Japan. The venue was the sight of many of Pride Fighting Championships's greatest events, which mixed martial arts fans remember fondly to this day.

Appropriately, the Bellator MMA vs. Rizin 2 main event was a battle between two Brazilians with very different styles. Calling to mind the days of Chute Boxe versus Brazilian Top Team, Roberto Satoshi de Souza was the world-class submission grappler and Patricky Freire the devastating striker.

De Souza came in on short notice for the 161-pound catchweight contest, replacing A.J. McKee, but was still the favorite, being younger than Fr…

Sherdog's live Bellator MMA vs. Rizin 2 coverage will begin Saturday at 11 p.m. ET. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round: The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores …

Shaj Haque picked up his first successful defense of the Cage Warriors Fighting Championship flyweight title by overcoming Michele Martignoni in Rome on Saturday.

In the CW 158 headliner, Haque (15-5, 7-2 CW) outpointed Martignoni (8-1, 2NC; 3-1, 1NC) to defend the 125-pound title in front of a partisan crowd. “Superman” looked fast and accurate with his strikes, opening a cut over his foe’s right eye early into their clash. When former 135-pound titleholder Martignoni failed to match Haque’s speed, the Italian was forced to aggressively chase his foe, with Round 2 arguably being the best one for the challenger. Haque never lost his composure and equalized all threats. The story of the fight was the same throughout, with Haque neutralizing most of Martignoni’s initiative and retaliating with some violence of his own. Even though he didn’t manage a finish, Haque impressed with his dominance and durability. After the clash went the distance, the cageside judges drew 49-46, 4…

Is it destiny?

🇯🇵 Mikuru Asakura vs Vugar Keramov 🇦🇿 #BellatorvsRIZIN2 #SuperRIZIN2[🇺🇸 7/29 | 11pm ET/8pm PT ][🇯🇵 7/30 | 12pm JST ]📡PPV link in bio pic.twitter.com/xvyDWeo5A4

— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) July 28, 2023 Rizin Fighting Federation is putting on its second Super Rizin event following its co-promotion with Bellator MMA.

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Three title fights for Super Rizin 2 are now official following the weigh-ins. Headlining the event is a fight for the vacant featherweight championship between Mikuru Asakura and Vugar Karamov. The stacked event also features a vacant bantamweight title fight between Juan Archuleta and Hiromasa Ougikubo and a women's atomweight title defense as champion Seika Izawa takes on challenger Claire Lopez.

Asakura (17-3) is currently on a roll since being submitted by Kleber Koike Erbst in 2021. Three straight unanimous decision victories have followed. The fan-favorite weighed 145.5 pound…

Wonderboy/Pereira is off pic.twitter.com/5Oy1p3KTz3

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) July 28, 2023 The scale has taken a big bite out of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s pay-per-view show on Saturday.

At the UFC 291 weigh-ins on Friday, Michel Pereira stepped on the scales for his welterweight matchup against Stephen Thompson (170.5) heavy. Missing by three pounds, the promotion and the fighter teams entered into prolonged negotiations. Whether due to medical issues, Thompson’s camp declining the contest or a failed agreement regarding fines and purses, the fight has been canceled. UFC commentator Megan Olivi broke the news shortly before the ceremonial weigh-in show on Friday night. Per UFC.com, the heavyweight slobberknocker between Derrick Lewis and Marcos Rogerio de Lima has been bumped up to the main card.

The marks the second time that the Brazilian has missed weight since joining the league in 2019. He first came in a pound o…

Are you 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐏𝐢𝐭𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐥 or 𝑻𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒅𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒖𝒛𝒂? 👀

Elite lightweights @PatrickyPitbull and @ToshiJJ will square off in the final leg of the #BellatorLWGP opening round!🔥

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👊 #BellatorXRizin🇺🇸 7/29 | 11pm ET/8pm PT | @SHOsports🇯🇵 7/30 | 12pm JST | @UNEXT_fight pic.twitter.com/wPHiovJb9p — Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) July 28, 2023 After a successful co-promotion last year, Bellator MMA and Rizin Fighting Federation are back with a second event.

Headlining Bellator MMA x Rizin 2 is a late-notice 161-pound catchweight bout that will be part of Bellator's lightweight grand prix. Former Bellator lightweight champion Patricky Freire will take on Rizin lightweight champion Roberto Satoshi de Souza in the main event, while the co-main event will see Kyoji Horiguchi and Makoto Takahashi battle for the inaugural Bellator flyweight championship. Rizin fighters will be looking for revenge as the initial event went 5-0 in favor of Bellator …

[embedded content] Editor's note: The article has been updated at 6:55 p.m. ET to reflect the cancelation of one of the main card matchups.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship's "BMF Championship" will be on the line for the second time at UFC 291.

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Vying to be the promotion's "baddest MFer" are former interim lightweight champions Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. Both men came prepared and looked sharp during the weigh-ins, as "The Diamond" weighed 155 pounds on the dot, while Gaethje came in at 156 pounds.

Two fighters failed to make weight for the card. The most notable miss came from Michel Pereira, who checked in at 174 pounds for his welterweight match against Stephen Thompson. Shortly before the ceremonial weigh-in show, the UFC announced that the fight has been canceled. The promotion has listed on its website that the heavyweight scrap between Derrick Lewis and Marcos Rogerio de Lima has been elevated to the main card. Additionally, Vinic…

Title fights don't get much bigger than this! 🤩

Will it be #AndStill or #AndNew? Find out this Saturday night at #CW158! 🏆🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/pJpFviExUj

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) July 24, 2023 Cage Warrior Fighting Championship is now officially set to return to Rome for CW 158.

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The official CW 158 weigh-ins saw all 28 fighters on the card make weight. Headlining the 14-fight card is a flyweight title fight between champion Shaj Haque and Michele Martignoni. Hague (15-5) came in at 124.6 pounds, while the challenger weighed 124.4 pounds.

This marks the first defense for "Superman," who won the belt on New Year's Eve by stopping Sam Creasey with a knockout punch. The champion is on a five-fight win streak, while Martignoni (8-1, 2 NC) is coming off two straight victories. "The Italian Thunder" most recently defeated Dominique Wooding by unanimous decision.

CW 158 will stream live on UFC Fight Pass on Sat…

At the conclusion of this Ultimate Fighting Championship 145-pound tilt, only one of these men will likely remain in the top 10.

On Aug. 26 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore, the UFC will stage UFC Fight Night 225. Added to the billing on Thursday, as first reported by MMA Junkie, is a featherweight clash between Giga Chikadze (14-3) and Alex Caceres (21-13, 1 NC). Per Setanta Sports, this collision will serve as the co-main event to Max Holloway vs. Chan Sung Jung.

This will be Chikadze’s first jaunt to the Octagon since a one-sided decision loss to Calvin Kattar in January 2022. That defeat put an end to a nine-fight undefeated streak that included his whole UFC tenure plus a pair of triumphs in the Gladiator Challenge cage. Before facing Kattar in a top contender matchup, Chikadze had knocked out Jamey Simmons, Cub Swanson and Edson Barboza in the span of under 10 months, with the one against Barboza in the UFC on ESPN 30 main attraction. As a …