Martial Arts News

Thus far during his Ultimate Fighting Championship tenure, Jack Della Maddalena has shown a knack for putting opponents away in short order.

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That continued at UFC 284, where ended Randy Brown’s four-fight winning streak with a submission victory 2:13 into Round 1. All four of the Perth native’s promotional triumphs have ended inside of a round.

I honestly think it’s just my style,” he said in a backstage interview with the UFC. “I’m trying to get finishes, I’m trying to damage my opponent from the get-go. I think I’ve got accurate punches. With the small gloves, if I land accurately, people go down and then I’ve got a good finishing ability I believe.”

While Della Maddalena briefly struggled with his opponent’s reach, he eventually closed the distance and dropped Brown with a perfectly-placed right hook behind the ear. From there, he unloaded with hammerfists until Brown gave up his back, providing the necessary opening to securing the fight-en…

Before he moved on to thinking about a future title unification bout against Alexander Volkanovski, Yair Rodriguez took a moment to encourage Josh Emmett following their bout in the UFC 284 co-headliner.

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Rodriguez was impressive in victory, as he survived being rocked early to author a complete performance that was capped off by a triangle choke submission 4:19 into the second stanza. At Saturday’s post-fight press conference, “El Pantera” shared what he said to Emmett during their Octagon exchange in the immediate aftermath.

“This is a really important moment for us, and when I finished the triangle, I could see in his expression the desperation of like, ‘F—k, I lost,’” Rodriguez said. “It’s like he saw his opportunity go away, but I just wanted to say to him, ‘No.’ I told him, ‘No, No. Hey, no. Stop that thinking that you have right now. You’re a warrior. You will overcome this. You got this.’

“So the only thing I could say to him was, ‘You’r…

Bryce Mitchell will attempt to bounce back from the first loss of his professional career when he meets Jonathan Pearce in a featherweight bout on May 6.

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Mitchell confirmed the booking on social media following an initial report by BRKKZ via Instagram. The event does not have a confirmed location or venue, but it is rumored to be UFC 288.

Mitchell last appeared at UFC 282, where he was submitted in the second round by Ilia Topuria. “Thug Nasty” later revealed that the flu hindered his performance in the Dec. 10 bout. Prior to that setback, Mitchell won his first 15 fights — including six in UFC competition.

Pearce, meanwhile, has won five consecutive bouts since dropping his Octagon debut to Joe Lauzon at UFC on ESPN 6. The Fight Ready product is coming off a 3-0 campaign in 2022 that featured triumphs over Christian Rodriguez, Makwan Amirkhani and Darren Elkins.

Back at it May 6 👊🏻 pic.twitter.com/KyFUo90FI5

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Alexander Volkanovski gave Islam Makhachev all he could handle. It wasn’t quite enough.

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Makhachev won a closely-contested unanimous decision over Volkanovski in a champion vs. champion clash at UFC 284 in Perth, Australia, on Saturday night, staking his claim to the sport’s No. 1 pound-for-pound spot in the process. Volkanovski nonetheless raised his stock in defeat, as he held his own against a larger opponent in all aspects of the fight.

In the aftermath of the defeat, Volkanovski acknowledged that there were missed opportunities that could have swung the scorecards in his favor.

“I could’ve done more, so I’m going to be hard on myself. A lot of people probably counted me out, like, ‘Oh, wow.’ But I never counted myself out. I expected to win, so I’m disappointed,” Volkanovski said at the UFC 284 post-fight press conference.

“I know I could’ve done more, could’ve capitalized on things earlier as well. I did think he was going to be stronger…

The UFC 284 main event was billed as a battle of the sport’s pound-for-pound best, and it more than lived up to the hype.

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After five competitive rounds, Islam Makhachev emerged with a hard-fought unanimous decision triumph over 145-pound champ Alexander Volkanovski to retain his lightweight crown. Perhaps more importantly, the Dagestan native believes he can rightfully assume his place as the No. 1 fighter in all of MMA.

“Doesn’t matter how I won today. Now, I’m not just the champion, I’m the best fighter in the world,” Makhachev said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I’m very happy. Now people are going to call me not just champ, but best fighter in the world. This is my dream. It doesn’t matter how I won. I’m very happy. … Now, I’m the best fighter and champion.

While many expected Makhachev to impose his will on Volkanovski due to his size advantage, that was never the case. Volkanovski held his own in all aspects of the fight, and…

Jens Pulver is the latest addition to the 2023 UFC Hall of Fame class.

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The promotion announced on Saturday that the former lightweight champion will be inducted into the “Pioneers” Wing as part of a ceremony held during International Fight Week in July. The “Pioneers” Wing recognizes athletes who turned professional before Nov. 17, 2000, are at least 35 years old and have been retired for a minimum of one year.

“Jens Pulver is a pioneer of the sport who was not only the first lightweight champion in UFC history, but someone who delivered some of the sport's most memorable moments,” said UFC President Dana White. “No one will ever forget his knockout of John Lewis or his win over B.J. Penn in their first fight, and his fight against Urijah Faber in 2008 was the biggest fight in WEC history at the time. Jens could do it all in the Octagon, and it will be an honor to induct him into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.”

Pulver compiled a 27-19-1 ma…

With less than a week to go before the event, UFC Fight Night 219 has a new headliner.

The promotion announced on Saturday that Jessica Andrade will step in on short notice for Taila Santos and face Erin Blanchfield in the flyweight feature next Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Santos withdrew from the contest after her cornermen were denied visas into the United States.

Andrade will be making a quick turnaround after earning a lopsided unanimous decision triumph over Lauren Murphy in a 125-pound bout at UFC 283 on Jan. 21. The former strawweight queen has been victorious in her last three Octagon appearances — including two at 125 pounds.

Blanchfield, meanwhile, has has kicked off her promotional tenure with successive triumphs over Sarah Alpar, Miranda Maverick, J.J. Aldrich and Molly McCann. The Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu representative is 10-1 over the course of a professional career that includes stints in Invicta FC and Cage Fury Fighting Champions…

It took former Ultimate Fighting Championship title challenger Anthony Smith a few more months to get a fight than he expected.

The report first came from MMA Island on Thursday, that Smith (36-17) would be getting his next Octagon assignment in May. Atop the unnumbered UFC Fight Night event on May 13, Smith will be taking on Johnny Walker (20-7) in a pivotal light heavyweight clash. The location of the event has not yet been determined. News of this five-round pairing has since been confirmed by multiple outlets.

Smith was previously slated to take on Jamahal Hill atop an event in March, but the promotion pulled Hill to slot him into the title fight atop UFC 283 in January – and Hill ended up winning the championship. This unexpected change in plans left Smith stunned on the live broadcast that announced the new matchup, with the expectation that the UFC would give him a suitable replacement. Smith comes into this headliner with three wins in his last four outings, a…

UFC 284’s champ vs. champ headliner did not disappoint.

The promotion saw seven out of the card’s 13 fights go the distance on Saturday night. Out of the six finishes, it was Yair Rodriguez’s triangle choke to win the UFC interim featherweight championship, as well as Jack Della Maddalena’s stunning first-round finish over Randy Brown that were awarded the promotion’s traditional $50,000 bonuses.

Meanwhile, the event’s headliner, which saw Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev, the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s No. 1 and No. 2 pound-for-pound fighters respectively, compete in a legitimate superfight in Perth, Australia, was awarded “Fight of the Night.”

The bout saw Makhachev in unfamiliar territory, as Volkanovksi was able to counter his wrestling more than anyone in recent memory. By the end of the contest, it was Makhachev who took home the unanimous decision victory (48-47, 48-47, 49-46).

Islam Makhachev still rules 155 pounds.

The American Kickboxing Academy star retained the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight crown with a hard-earned unanimous decision over reigning featherweight titleholder Alexander Volkanovski in the five-round UFC 284 headliner on Saturday at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. All three members of the cageside judiciary scored it for Makhachev (24-1, 13-1 UFC): 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46.

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It was a tactical struggle from start to finish. Makhachev countered effectively with both hands throughout the 25-minute affair and executed multiple takedowns, advancing to the back and threatening the neck on more than one occasion. He did his best work in Round 4, where he ducked into a takedown, progressed to the back when Volkanovski tried to escape and secured his position with a tight body triangle. Makhachev bottled up the outwardly frustrated Australian for more than three minutes, much to the chagrin…

Sherdog's live UFC 284 coverage will begin Saturday at 6 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Tukhugov (-540), Oliveira (+420)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Young (-135), Bilder (+115)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Suph…

Modestas Bukauskas returned to the Ultimate Fighting Championship for the first time in more than a year and laid claim to a unanimous decision over Tyson Pedro in the featured UFC 284 light heavyweight prelim on Saturday at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. All three judges sided with Bukauskas (14-5, 2-3 UFC): 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.

Pedro (9-4, 5-4 UFC) executed a takedown in the first round and consolidated it with positional control and modest ground-and-pound. However, he seemed to run out of gas quickly, and from there, a painfully plodding encounter developed between the two men. A late replacement for Mingyang Zhang, Bukauskas allowed the visibly fatigued Aussie to stay competitive through relative inactivity, though he managed to pick up his pace down the stretch. The two-time Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder connected with two- and three-punch combinations on the flat-footed Pedro in the third round before eventually pinning him to the fence and …