Martial Arts News

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…

What are your #Bellator293 predictions? 🤔

We're LIVE on @SHOsports this Friday as @MarceloGolm takes on @djames1981 📺 pic.twitter.com/fe4gToo0Fz

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) March 30, 2023 Bellator MMA closes out March with a 15-fight Bellator 293 card, which is now set after the official weigh-ins.

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All fighters made weight for the card, including heavyweight headliners Marcelo Golm and Daniel James. It will be James (14-6-1) that is the larger fighter, as the 265.4-pound heavyweight weighed in nearly eight pounds heavier than Golm (10-3), who checked in at 257.6 pounds. One fight was canceled just before the weigh-ins, though, as Rustam Khabilov vs. Jaleel Willis was called off due to an issue on Khabilov's side, per Jaleel's manager.

This is a major fight for Golm, who saw his UFC release in 2019 on the heels of three losses, but has since found his stride. The Brazilian has won in four straight appearances, most r…

With an 0-4 Ultimate Fighting Championship record, Daniel da Silva believes his excitement factor can keep him a place on the roster.

Da Silva and C.J. Vergara squared off at UFC on ESPN 43 in March, and the Brazilian fighter was having arguably his best Octagon performance to date in the first round. Having dominated the opening frame, da Silva could not maintain his pace and pressure, and ultimately wilted to Vergara to suffer his fourth stoppage loss in a row. The two competitors pocketed “Fight of the Night” bonus checks for their back-and-forth battle, and the fighter known as “Miojo” – a popular brand name of ramen noodles – is not concerned about job security. The 26-year-old spoke to Sherdog about his fight and what he thinks is in his future.

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“I was upset in my first three losses, where I was badly trained and couldn't show all my potential,” da Silva admitted. “In this fight with Vergara, I was able to show the result of nine months training…

The coach of upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship title challenger Colby Covington expects his fighter will hold the belt this year.

At the conclusion of UFC 286 in March, Leon Edwards prevailed in the rubber match against rival Kamaru Usman to claim the 170-pound title once and for all. In uncharacteristic fashion, UFC head Dana White stated unequivocally that Covington would receive the next crack at gold during the post-fight press conference. Even with multiple competitors on lengthy win streaks, and a pivotal bout between Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal coming up, White was certain that Covington will be the next challenger. Earlier this week, the coaches of “Chaos” at MMA Masters in Florida spoke to Sherdog, where they explained what he has been doing lately and what they believe is in store for him.

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“He had to stay [off] a long time recovering from the cowardice Masvidal did to him,” coach Daniel Valverde revealed, “but since he returned to…

North Carolina fans… 𝑮𝑬𝑻 𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑫𝒀🙌

We make our return to the @SpectrumCenter May 13th! #UFCCharlotte pic.twitter.com/fVm5Gf2js9

— UFC (@ufc) March 30, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship will be posting up in the Queen City of Charlotte, North Carolina, for the first time since 2018.

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The promotion revealed on Thursday that it would be making its return to North Carolina’s most populous city on May 13. The Spectrum Center will play host to UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Walker, which does not currently have a numbered designation as the broadcast plans are not set in stone as to whether it will go down on ESPN airwaves. Anthony Smith (36-17) vs. Johnny Walker (20-7) will serve as its headliner in the light heavyweight division, in this arena’s first UFC card since UFC on Fox 27 in 2018 featuring Ronaldo Souza vs. Derek Brunson 2.

The promotion last traveled to North Carolina in 2020, when it staged UFC Fight Night 166 to…

Two top-tier Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweights are expected toe the line this June.

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The news first broke from MMA Orbit on Thursday morning that Matt Schnell (16-7, 1 NC) will be returning at UFC 289 on June 10 against David Dvorak (20-5). The flyweights will be competing on a card that will likely be held at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Canada, but the location has not been officially confirmed as of yet. There is no headliner announced for this event, nor any specifically designated main card matchups. Schnell confirmed this top-10 125-pound tilt on his Instagram Stories shortly after it came to light.

The Louisiana native had a fairly busy 2022 campaign, with three bouts all ending by stoppage. Unfortunately for “Danger,” he only won once, with his sleep-inducing triangle choke of Su Mudaerji bookended by a guillotine choke from Brandon Royval and most recently, a knockout at the hands of Matheus Nicolau in December. Dating bac…