Martial Arts News

While the Professional Fighters League kicked off in earnest in Las Vegas on Saturday night, Anthony Pettis was living out a combat sports dream.

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The former UFC and WEC champion, whose initial run with the PFL ended in the 2022 postseason, defeated boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. via majority decision in the Gamebred Boxing 4 main event at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. “Showtime” received two scorecards in his favor — 77-75 and 78-74 — while a third judge saw it 76-76. It was Pettis’ professional boxing debut.

“[I’m] most definitely happy with the performance,” Pettis said at the post-fight press conference. “Roy is a legend. A lot of experience. Even his coaches – he has so much experience out there. I gave up a big size advantage. I think I fought a great fight. My coaches gave me a great game plan and I executed that perfectly.”

With one boxing win under his belt, Pettis is excited to see what the future holds for him in the Sweet Science. One bout…

While Daniel James is turning heads in the Bellator heavyweight division with his considerable knockout power, he’ll likely have to wait if a title shot is his main desire.

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Promotion head Scott Coker confirmed at the Bellator 293 post-fight press conference that Linton Vassell is likely the No. 1 contender in the heavyweight division, which presumably sets up a rematch with reigning champ Ryan Bader at a future event. James, meanwhile, earned his fifth straight professional triumph in the Bellator 293 headliner with a third round stoppage of Marcelo Golm at the Pechanga Casino & Resort in Temecula, California, on Friday night.

“The title shot is most likely going to go to Linton Vassell, because he’s been on a tear or two,” Coker said. ” But I think [James] is right up there. We definitely will invite him to come fight [at Bellator 297] in Chicago.”

Vassell and Bader initially fought for the light heavyweight crown at Bellator 186. Bader …

Brendan Loughnane began defense of his Professional Fighters League featherweight championship in style.

Behind a steady diet of thudding leg kicks, Loughnane broke down former World Series of Fighting title holder Marlon Moraes en route to a second-round technical knockout victory in the PFL 1: 2023 Regular Season headliner at the Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas on Saturday night. The Englishman brought the show to a close at the 1:11 mark of Round 2, earning his fifth consecutive win in the process.

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Loughnane (26-4, 9-1 PFL) had a clear target from the outset of the bout, and he gradually compromised his opponent’s mobility as time progressed. Moraes (23-12-1, 0-2 PFL) was in serious danger late in the first round, when Loughane wobbled him with a right hand before drawing a grimace with yet another low kick. From that point on, it was simply a matter of survival for Moraes. After a conversation with a cageside physician, Moraes elected to co…

The 2023 Professional Fighters League Regular Season kicks off Saturday at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN + and the main card continues on ESPN. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the …

𝗛𝗘'𝗦 𝗢𝗨𝗧! :facepunch::boom:@djames1981 storms out of the gates in round 3 and gets the KO!#Bellator293 | Watch LIVE on @SHOsports pic.twitter.com/3RYahPnsTV

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) April 1, 2023

Both Daniel James and Cat Zingano took home disclosed six-figure paydays for their victories at Bellator 293 on Friday night.

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James pocketed $100,00 for a third-round technical knockout of Marcelo Golm ($50,000) in the evening’s main event at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California. Zingano, meanwhile, also garnered $100,000 for a unanimous decision triumph against Leah McCourt ($40,000) in the Bellator 293 co-headliner. The California State Athletic Commission released salaries from the event to MMAjunkie.com over the weekend.

Other top earners included John Salter ($86,000), who announced his retirement after outpointing Aaron Jeffrey ($60,000) in a featured middleweight affair, and Adam Piccolotti, w…

There still seems to be some confusion regarding the state of the women’s featherweight division in Bellator MMA.

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After her victory over Leah McCourt in the in the Bellator 293 headliner on Friday night at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Calif., Zingano indicated that the bout was initially supposed to be for the vacant 145-pound belt. According to Bellator president Scott Coker, that isn’t the case. Cristiane Justino remains the promotion’s featherweight queen, and the hope is to re-sign the Brazilian to a new contract sometime soon. That, in turn, should set the stage for a long-awaited “Cyborg” vs. Zigano title bout.

“I’m not sure what Cat heard because I didn’t talk to her directly, but from the company’s standpoint this was always a three-round elimination fight for the No. 1 contender spot,” Coker said at the Bellator 293 post-fight press conference. “Cris Cyborg is still the current champion, we still have her under contract ri…

Ashizawa is in the flow..

[ #RIZIN41 |@FiteTV | Watch the PPV here: https://t.co/1L6w5XNsI4 ] pic.twitter.com/jA97CVAMSu

— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) April 1, 2023

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Ryusei Ashizawa and Koji Tanaka put on a show in their bantamweight kickboxing clash at Rizin Fighting Federation 41 on Saturday.

“Kouzi” displayed some traditional offense with his punches in the Rizin 41 headliner at Maruzen Intec Arena Osaka in Osaka, Japan, keeping the center of the ring for the majority of the bout. In turn, Ashizawa was lighter on the feet and attacked from unorthodox angles, mixing kicks, spinning-back strikes and knees to the body. The pair went toe-to-toe for three rounds, with Ashizawa having plenty of success with his knees, forcing Tanaka to lower his guard and expose himself to his opponent’s punches. Ashizawa’s attacks were particularly effective in the third frame, where he showcased the variety of his striking skills. …

𝗛𝗘'𝗦 𝗢𝗨𝗧! :facepunch::boom:@djames1981 storms out of the gates in round 3 and gets the KO!#Bellator293 | Watch LIVE on @SHOsports pic.twitter.com/3RYahPnsTV

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) April 1, 2023

Kill-switch power can erase any deficit, and Daniel James has it.

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The Midwest Training Center export moved one step closer to title contention in the Bellator MMA heavyweight division, as he wrecked Marcelo Golm with punches in the third round of their Bellator 293 headliner on Friday at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California. James (15-6-1, 3-0 Bellator) tagged the Brazilian’s figurative toe 26 seconds into Round 3.

Golm (10-4, 2-1 Bellator) took charge through two rounds with thudding leg kicks, grinding clinches and a takedown that he managed to pair with positional advances and ground-and-pound. It was not enough to keep his heavy-handed adversary at bay. James rang the American Top Team rep’s bell …

Sherdog's live Bellator 293 coverage will begin Friday at 7 p.m. ET. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round: The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores …

⚖️Brendan Loughnane weighs in at 146 lbs

His Featherweight main event bout against Marlon Morales is now official

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[ Season Launches April 1st, on ESPN/ESPN+ | 9pm ET | #2023PFL1 🎟️ https://t.co/hxZi2fEbA9] pic.twitter.com/wMtcMwcY3b — PFL (@PFLMMA) March 31, 2023 The Professional Fighters League kicks off its 2023 regular season with featherweight and light heavyweight action.

PFL 1 will be headlined by 2022 featherweight world champion Brendan Loughnane taking on a veteran test in Marlon Moraes. Meanwhile, the co-main event sees reigning light heavyweight king Rob Wilkinson battle Thiago Santos. All fighters on the 11-fight card made weight.

Loughnane (25-4) has largely been on a roll since joining the PFL. The English fighter bounced back from a split decision defeat to Movlid Khaybulaev in 2021 to win all four of his 2022 fights. The Manchester native capped off his winning season with a TKO win over Bubba …

An instant “Fight of the Night” candidate has been placed on the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s June pay-per-view offering.

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A report from MMA Fighting late Thursday broke the news on that Dan Ige (16-6) would be taking on Nate Landwehr (17-4) at UFC 289. The featherweights do not currently have an official destination for their melee, but a top destination considered is the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. According to MMA Fighting, the two have agreed to the match but the contracts have not been signed. The expected pairing has since been confirmed by other outlets.

Ige ended his first career losing streak, where he had suffered three consecutive defeats, by demolishing Damon Jackson in January. Before then, a trio of decisions to Chan Sung Jung, Josh Emmett and Movsar Evloev sent the Hawaiian tumbling down the featherweight rankings. At one time, “50K” had amassed a six-fight win streak, notching wins over names including Ed…

#RIZIN41 計量結果 💪

⚔️第9試合⚔️■RIZIN MMAルール：66.0kg

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ヴガール・ケラモフ：65.75kg🆚堀江圭功：65.95kg

📅：4.1(土) 14:00開始 ※OPマッチ 13:00開始🏟：丸善インテックアリーナ大阪

🎟PPVお得な前売りチケット本日まで⚡️https://t.co/8Nv7IgaGzN pic.twitter.com/hKnFqQoOJ9

— RIZIN FF OFFICIAL (@rizin_PR) March 31, 2023 Rizin Fighting Federation returns for its first card of 2023.

The Rizin 41 card, which features both mixed martial arts and kickboxing fights, is headlined by a kickboxing contest between Kouzi and Ryusei Ashizawa that is set for three three-minute rounds. The top mixed martial arts bout will see Vugar Karamov take on Yoshinori Horie. Both featherweights, along with all the MMA fighters on the card, successfully made weight.

Karamov (17-4) is riding a two-fight win streak and has won three of his four appearances in Rizin. After losing a split decision to Yutaka Saito, Karamov has bounced back with wi…