Martial Arts News

The first two matchups of the Bellator lightweight grand prix are set for Bellator 292.

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Shortly after the 155-pound field was revealed by Scott Coker, the promotion announced that Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Benson Henderson will serve as the headliner for the March 10 event in San Jose, Calif. Tofiq Musayev will square off against Alexadr Shabliy in another quarterfinal pairing. All lightweight grand prix bouts will be contested over five rounds.

Bellator 292 takes place at the SAP Center in San Jose, and the evening’s main card airs on Showtime beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

Nurmagomedov is unbeaten in 16 professional outings. He claimed the lightweight throne at Bellator 288, when he took a five-round unanimous decision against Patricky Freire on Nov. 18. The American Kickboxing Academy product has finished 13 of his 16 victories inside the distance.

Henderson, a former UFC lightweight champ, is coming off back-to-back victories over …

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If you thought Dana White might disappear from the public eye for a while after being caught on camera slapping his wife on New Year’s Eve, that won’t be the case.

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The UFC president fielded questions during UFC Fight Night 217 media day on Thursday, primarily focusing on the incident that has dominated headlines for the past couple weeks. During that session, White indicated that he won’t face punishment from the UFC or parent company Endeavor for the altercation that saw both he and his wife slap each other while on vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. According to White, a more significant punishment is facing the scorn and criticism of his actions that night for the years to come.

“What should the repercussions be? You tell me. I take 30 days off? How does that hurt me?” White said (video via MMAFighting.com) “I told you guys when we were going through COVID, COVID could last 10 years, I could sit it out and — you know what I m…

Polish promotion Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki will break new ground when it debuts in the Czech Republic next month.

KSW 79 will take place on Feb. 25 at the Home Credit Arena in Liberec, Czech Republic. Heavyweight champion Philip De Fries will defend his belt in the main event, while Glory Kickboxing veteran Arek Wrzosek and ex-UFC competitor Viktor Pesta are also expected to compete on the card. Opponents for all three heavyweight will be announced in the coming days.

KSW 79 marks the first time the promotion will hold an event outside of Poland since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a release, the Czech Republic is “the first of several new territories KSW will enter throughout 2023 and 2024.”

Previously, KSW has held events in locations such as Ireland, Croatia and the United Kingdom.

The field is set for Bellator MMA’s upcoming lightweight grand prix.

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Bellator president Scott Coker announced the participants during an appearance on "The MMA Hour” on Wednesday. They are as follows: Usman Nurmagomedov, A.J. McKee, Tofiq Musayev, Alexandr Shabliy, Patricky Freire, Mansour Barnaoui, Benson Henderson and Sidney Outlaw.

The tournament will begin on March 10 in San Jose, Calif.. Reigning 155-pound champion Nurmagomedov headlines the field, which also includes former lightweight king Freire and ex-featherweight champ McKee. McKee has been vocal about wanting to face Nurmagomedov in the opening round of the bracket.

“It’s gonna be a fantastic tournament. If you look at our lightweight division, it’s really stacked,” Coker said. “I’m excited for these guys to all get it on.”

As with previous tournaments, the winner will receive a $1 million payout.

“There’s a lot riding on the line, and I know these guys are gonna fight…

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Professional Fighters League has added Saudi Arabian featherweight Abdullah Al-Qahtani to its roster for the 2023 season.

The signing was announced in a release on Wednesday. The 24-year-old Al-Qahtani will compete for both the PFL and Brave Combat Federation as part of a dual promotional agreement. Al-Qahtani is next slated to face Denis Jarkic at Brave CF 69 in Serbia on Feb. 18.

“The Professional Fighters League is committed to growing the sport of MMA and the PFL globally," PFL CEO Peter Murray said in a release. “We are excited about emerging top fighters coming out of the Middle East and our plan to further develop the sport in the region.”

Known as “The Reaper,” Al-Qahtani has compiled a 5-1 record while competing primarily for Brave CF. Most recently, he suffered a split-decision defeat to Ilyor Bakhtiyar Uulu at a Brave CF event on Sept. 30.

A former champion of the Extreme Fighting organization and now the head coach at American Top Team, Conan Silveira will be releasing a book during UFC 283 fight week.

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Settled in the United States since the late 1980s, the co-founder of the most respected MMA academy in the world uses his professional experience in “Mestre de Você” — translated to “Master of You” in English — to propagate concepts that can be applied in any area of life. 

In the book, Conan recalls his hard path in the United States. His first job in North America was as a dishwasher at a hotel, where he worked for up to 17 hours a day. He also reveals many other difficult obstacles he faced inside and outside of the cage and how important they were to building him as a person and professional.

“I'm an MMA coach. Before that, I was a fighter, a champion and my victories, all of them, were conquered with violence and passion. My sport is violent, but it only makes sen…

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If fight cliches like “to be the champ, you’ve got to beat the champ” and “iron sharpens iron” have any grounding in reality, Ketlen Vieira is positioning herself well for a run at gold. Since joining the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2016 as an undefeated but raw bantamweight prospect, “Fenomeno” has already notched wins over two former champions in Miesha Tate and Holly Holm, as well as longtime contenders onetime title challengers Cat Zingano and Sara McMann. While Vieira of course has her sights set on the belt, she regards her journey so far with a sense of satisfaction and gratitude.

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“I’m very proud of my trajectory inside the UFC,” the 31-year-old told Sherdog. “It’s not easy, with only two years of MMA experience, to get into the world’s biggest organization and to fight the very best. I was very inexperienced when I came into the UFC. I had very little mileage. But I’ve always put God first. He’s always blessed and mol…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

Two-time UFC veteran Leah Letson has announced her retirement from mixed martial arts.

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The featherweight competitor revealed her decision via Instagram. Letson hasn’t competed since a third-round TKO loss to Felicia Spencer at UFC Fight Night 197 in November 2021.

“After that fight, I feel have nothing more to prove to myself, and most importantly, I simply don't love fighting the way I used to,” Letson wrote in a lengthy post. “Fighting is just as much mental as it is physical; therefore, if you're head isn't in it anymore, fighting can be a real dangerous sport. I have no regrets. Martial arts will always be a part of who I am, but I will no longer be fighting for a living.”

A 30-year-old native of Janesville, Wisc., Letson exits the sport with a 5-2 record. She earned a victory over Elizabeth Phillips at Invicta FC 21 in January 2017 before competing on Season 28 of “The Ultimate Figh…

A.J. McKee is going to remain a Bellator MMA athlete for the foreseeable future.

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The California-based promotion on Tuesday announced that it has re-signed the former featherweight champion to an exclusive, multi-fight contract. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. In a release, Bellator president Scott Coker also indictated that McKee’s next move will be to compete in the lightweight grand prix.

“Our top priority has always been to cultivate talent from the ground up, and with A.J. I can proudly say we have witnessed this young man blossom into a bonafide superstar in the Bellator cage,” said Scott Coker. “It’s also our priority to retain top talent, and with A.J. entering the prime of his career, it was important to make sure he continued representing the Bellator brand, much like he did recently in Japan, for the foreseeable future. I am looking forward to A.J.’s next challenge, an appearance in our 2023 Bellator lightweight world grand Prix, wh…

Kings MMA coach Rafael Cordeiro is expecting a busy campaign in 2023.

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In addition to his duties as a renowned MMA coach, Cordeiro is now overseeing multiple affiliate gyms in Brazil.

“I always dreamed about the expansion of Kings MMA in Brazil, and this year I was able to open four branches in Sao Paulo (Campinas, Alphaville and Cotia) and one in Brasilia,” Cordeiro told Sherdog.com.

In a wide-ranging interview, Cordeiro touched on a variety of subjects involving numerous fighters — both past and present. The trainer was disappointed to learn of Kelvin Gastelum’s last-minute withdrawal from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 217 headliner against Nassourdine Imavov. Though Gastelum no longer trains at Kings MMA, he maintains a good relationship with Cordeiro.

"Oh my God. My conclusion is that this fight shouldn't happen, since this is the second time Gastelum withdrew on fight week. First time was his knee, now his mouth. I'm really upset with…

Aljamain Sterling’s next banamweight title defense may be delayed due to an injury that has plagued him for months.

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Sterling revealed on his Weekly Scraps podcast that a partially torn bicep will make it difficult to make a proposed bout against the returning Henry Cejudo happen in March. The fight has not been officially confirmed by the promotion, but pay-per-view events are scheduled for March 4 in Las Vegas (UFC 285) and March 18 in London (UFC 286), and the pairing has long been rumored to be in the works.

“You guys are probably wondering if we’re going to fight or not,” Sterling said. “The fight is supposed to be myself and Henry Cejudo. I think that’s all said and done. It’s whether or not I can compete with this torn bicep again. Going through another training camp with a torn bicep, against a guy who is stronger in the wrestling department, who will use his wrestling more with inside leg trips, double legs, high crotches, and trying to run…

🔥KnuckleMania 3 Announcement🔥 New Mexico’s very own, Diego Sanchez will face Austin Trout at #KM3 on Fri. Feb 17th! pic.twitter.com/WApwJ8pBNF

— Bare Knuckle FC (@bareknucklefc) January 10, 2023

Ex-UFC lightweight title challenger Diego Sanchez will make his first foray into the bare-knuckle realm when he faces former boxing champ Austin Trout on Feb. 17.

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BKFC announced the matchup will take place in Albuquerque, N.M., as part of the promotion’s Knucklemania 3 event at Tingley Coliseum. The bout was first reported in late November, but it was not officially confirmed until Tuesday due to initial concerns from the New Mexico State Commission regarding Sanchez’s health. The bout was approved at a hearing on Tuesday. Sanchez vs. Trout is expected to serve as the co-headliner at BKFC Knucklemania 3.

The 41-year-old Sanchez appeared on Season 1 of “The Ultimate Fighter” and went 19-13 over a 32-bout stint with the Las Vegas…