Martial Arts News

Dan Ige lived up to his “50K” moniker on Saturday night.

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Ige received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award for his second-round knockout of Damon Jackson in the UFC fight Night 217 co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Ige punctuated his victory with a counter left hand that rendered his opponent unconscious at the 4:13 mark of the second frame.

Elsewhere, Roman Kopylov pocketed a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check thanks to a technical knockout victory against Punahele Soriano in a featured middleweight affair. Kopylov put his foe on the defensive with a kick to the body before sealing his victory with a barrage of punches 3:19 into Round 2.

Umar Nurmagomedov also garnered a $50,000 bonus thanks to an impressive KO triumph against Raoni Barcelos at bantamweight. The undefeated Dagestani set the stage for the finish with a kick to the body before flooring his adversary with a left hook. A follow-up hammerf…

There’s some chaos atop the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s heavyweight division.

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UFC president Dana White announced on Saturday that Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane will square off for the vacant heavyweight belt in the UFC 285 main event on March 4. He also revealed that Francis Ngannou has been released from his UFC contract and is now a free agent. White said that the promotion and Ngannou were unable to come to terms on a deal following his victory over Gane at UFC 271 in January 2022. Ngannou has been on the mend after undergoing knee surgery after that fight, and he also expressed displeasure with his contract following his last Octagon appearance.

“We’ve been negotiating with (Ngannou) for more than two years,” White said. “We offered Francis a deal that would’ve made him the highest paid heavyweight in the history of the company – more than [Brock] Lesnar, more than anybody, and he turned the deal down.”

Jones has been on the sidellines si…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship's first event of the year saw Sean Strickland getting his hand raised against Nassourdine Imavov in the UFC Fight Night 217 main event.

Both men came out looking to strike, with Strickland (25-5) throwing more kicks than usual, slapping the body and legs of Imavov (12-3) with his shin. The pressure and forward movement of "Tarzan" worked well as the French fighter repeatedly got caught by punches in the first round. The second frame would see Imavov finding more success on the feet, which caused Strickland to switch up his attack by incorporating takedown attempts and clinch work. The American would frustrate his opponent with body kicks in the third round and wind up having a lot of success at the close boxing range he imposed.

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The fourth round saw Strickland continue his onslaught as Imavov struggled to deal with the overall pressure of the attack. Imavov would show urgency in the fifth round but never came close…

Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 217 coverage will begin Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Johnson (-345), Flick (+285)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Keith Shillan scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Keith Shillan scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Keith Shillan scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Argueta (-600), Aguirre (+425)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Keith Shillan scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Keith Shillan scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Keith Shillan scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING RE…

STILL UNDEFEATED! 🙌

❄️🐆 @JavidBasharat moves to a shiny 14-0 to kick off 2023 in style for the Bash Bros! #UFCVegas67 pic.twitter.com/e0yub9RE5H

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) January 14, 2023

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The UFC Fight Night 217 featured prelim delivered as two undefeated fighters in Javid Basharat and Mateus Mendonca clashed.

Mendonca (10-1) was able to show a varied attack by dragging Basharat (14-0) to the floor and looking to grapple in the back-and-forth opening round. As the fight went on, Basharat emerged as the fresher fighter as he was able to survive the submission threats and rain down some damaging punches while on top. While Mendonca would have his moments, it wound up being too little too late against "The Snow Leopard."

After 15 minutes, the judges awarded the fight to Basharat with scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28. Alhassan Crumbles Ribeiro Middleweights Claudio Ribeiro and Abdul Razak Alhassan didn't need 15 mi…

A lightweight clash pitting Justin Gaethje against Rafael Fiziev has been targeted for UFC 286.

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Promotion broadcast partner ESPN reported on Saturday that the bout has nearly been finalized. UFC 286 takes place at the O2 Arena in London on March 18. A headliner for the event has not been confirmed, but it is rumored to be a welterweight championship trilogy between Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman.

Gaethje will be making his first appearance since suffering a first-round submission loss to Charles Oliveira in a 155-pound title tilt at UFC 274 last May. The former World Series of Fighting champ is 6-4 in the Las Vegas-based promotion, with victories over the likes of Michael Chandler, Tony Ferguson, Donald Cerrone and Edson Barboza.

The 29-year-old Fiziev has compiled a six-bout Octagon winning streak to establish himself as one of the rising contenders in the lightweight division. Most recently, the Tiger Muay Thai standout scored a fifth-round…

One Championship put on its first combat sports event of 2023 with One on Prime Video 6, which featured three title fights.

The main event for the featherweight kickboxing championship saw defending titleholder Superbon Singha Mawynn take on grand prix winner Chingiz Allazov. It was Allazov that set the pace early and showed he was here to fight by keeping up constant pressure. The second round would see Allazov knock down Mawynn twice with heavy punches and then destroy the champion with a clean overhand right. The official end came at 1:03 of Round 2.

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The co-main event was a flyweight kickboxing bout between Superlek Kiatmookao and Daniel Puertas for the vacant title. While it was Puertas pushing the action forward early, Kiatmookao was able to land stunning knees to the body as his opponent stepped in. Puertas continued eating leg kicks but never failed to move forward and Kiatmookao was visibly tired at the end of Round 2. However, Kiatmookao wo…

[embedded content] UFC 125-pounder Allan Nascimento may not have had the most traditional path to the UFC, but he intends on making his stay count.

The 31-year-old nicknamed “Puro Osso” trains at the vaunted Chute Boxe camp helmed by coach Diego Lima, famously dying his hair blonde in support of teammate Charles Oliveira in the past. Nascimento (19-6) will be squaring off against fellow Dana White's Contender Series vet Carlos Hernandez (8-1) at UFC Fight Night 217 on Jan. 14. A submission specialist by trade, with 13 of his 19 career victories coming by tapout, he is well-prepared for an opponent that celebrates all of his own finishes by sub. Nascimento spoke to Sherdog about his upcoming matchup, and also discussed what has brought him to this point.

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“Carlos Hernandez is my next opponent,” Nascimento stated. “He’s on a great winning streak. He won his Contender Series bout as well as his UFC debut. I feel he’s a complete fighter. He’s very dangero…

Sean Strickland hits the scale at 204 pounds ⚖️

[ #UFCVegas67 | TOMORROW | LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/EsXN9OoecM

— UFC (@ufc) January 13, 2023 After an extended break, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns for its first mixed martial arts event of the year.

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After an injury to Kelvin Gastelum, the makeshift main event for UFC Fight Night 217 is a light heavyweight bout between Sean Strickland and Nassourdine Imavov. While the marquee fighters didn't have any issue making weight, with Strickland coming in at 204 pounds and Imavov at 194, there was still some drama during the weigh-in proceedings. Sijara Eubanks' flyweight bout against Priscila Cachoeira was canceled after Eubanks pulled out due to "weight management issues."

Strickland (25-5) is headlining his second Fight Night event in a row, and will hope this time it goes better than his split decision defeat to Jared Cannonier last time out. "Tarzan…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter James Krause is about to find himself in a heap of trouble.

According to a report from the UFC’s broadcast partner of ESPN on Thursday, the investigation into Krause has borne some fruit. ESPN staff members were informed that Krause has worked since 2019 as an agent for ABCBetting.ag, a sportsbook and casino in Antigua. Krause’s role, as it has been described, was one that would have him work as the go-between from the offshore book and prospective bettors. Recruiting in those that would be willing to be on events – most likely, fights – would be one major duty, one that would likely accompany him with a share of the action.

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Those individuals stated that Krause offered them a line of credit and login credentials to access the site, one stationed in Antigua but based on Costa Rica. They allegedly paid Krause directly after placing wagers on the site, and he offered them “kickbacks” should they recruit othe…

Europe’s New League is 𝙍𝙀𝘼𝘿𝙔 𝙏𝙊 𝙂𝙊

2️⃣ Regular Season Events1️⃣ Playoff Event1️⃣ ChampionshipWith 100k Prize on the Line💰 🏆

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PFL Europe starts on March 25th, 2023

For more information on PFL Europe:https://t.co/mPplP5QN9Q pic.twitter.com/3dJUkDEfRa

— PFL (@PFLMMA) January 12, 2023 The Professional Fighters League’s European Vacation will begin in March.

According to a press release sent out on Thursday from the league, PFL Europe will commence its inaugural season on March 25. Separate from the Challenger Series or the standard six-division tournament brackets, the PFL is bringing in regional talent from Europe in a qualifying tournament of sorts. The victors of the four unannounced weight classes will each earn $100,000 should they prevail in their bracket, and they may also claim a place in the following year’s million-dollar tourney. The first event will be held at the Vertu Motors Arena in Newcastle, England.<…

.@BellatorMMA’s return to @Accor_Arena is booked for May 12 featuring a wealth of European talent.

Former champion Gegard @Mousasi_MMA will return against @FabianEdwards24 in the main event, while @MansourBarnaoui faces @SidOutlaw in a LWGP quarterfinal. https://t.co/5e1Zz4dHHx pic.twitter.com/0nG36XANHF

— Bellator Public Relations (@BellatorPR) January 12, 2023 Bellator MMA is officially going back to France this year.

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Via press release on Thursday, the organization announced that its return trip to Paris on 2023 will take place on May 12. Posting up once more in the Accor Arena, Bellator will bring a tournament quarterfinal and a middleweight headliner that has major championship implications to the currently unnumbered event. The main event sees ex-champ Gegard Mousasi (49-8-2) seek his 50th pro victory against the resurgent Brit Fabian Edwards (11-2). In the second-to-last tilt, Sidney Outlaw (16-5) battles Mansour …