Martial Arts News

Kayla Harrison might very well be the person nobody in the UFC women’s bantamweight division wants to face.

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After a dominant stoppage win against Holly Holm in her promotional — and 135-pound — debut at UFC 300, the two-time Olympic gold medalist will return to action to face Ketlen Vieira at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday. On that same card, reigning bantamweight queen Raquel Pennington will defend her belt against Julianna Pena in the co-main event. Both Pennington and Pena have not been shy about voicing their displeasure when it comes to Harrison’s quick ascent through the division.

"I think everyone knows that it is only a matter of time [before I become champion]," Harrison recently told ESPN. "When the truth don't hurt, they start telling lies.”

Pena, who hasn’t fought since a July 2022 title loss to Amanda Nunes, has questioned whether Harrison is a clean athlete.. The former PFL champion has consistently brushed off t…

Brendan Allen believes he can beat Dricus Du Plessis even though he lost to Nassourdine Imavov on Saturday.

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Allen faced Imavov in the co-main event at UFC Fight Night 243 at the Accor Arena in Paris. While Allen controlled Imavov on the ground in the opening stanza, the Frenchman outstruck “All In” on the feet as the fight progressed to earn a unanimous decision win.

Allen has long been eyeing reigning champ Du Plessis and was expecting a title shot against the South African if he beat Imavov. Du Plessis didn’t miss the chance to take a dig at Allen immediately after his loss at UFC Paris.

Tough luck @BrendanAllenMMA JK you suck loser 🤣

— Dricus Du Plessis (@dricusduplessis) September 28, 2024

Allen wasted no time in responding, accusing Du Plessis of consistently ducking him. Allen also claims he can beat the middleweight champ even though it wasn’t his night against Imavov.

“Says the one been ducking me s…

⏱️ 2️⃣ 1️⃣ SECONDS?! AND STILL💥

👑 LIGHTWEIGHT KING ROBERTO SATOSHI SOUZA GETS THE KO IN NO TIME 🇧🇷

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Featuring Michael Schiavello and Damien Brown on the mic! 🎤 #RIZIN #RIZIN48 #RIZINTV pic.twitter.com/c2Ummo0Bug

— RIZIN.tv (@RIZINTV_) September 29, 2024 Rizin Fighting Federation lightweight champion Roberto Satoshi de Souza scored the fastest victory in his 11-year MMA career at Rizin 48 in Saitama, Japan. De Souza, who now has 14 first-round finishes on his resume, knocked out title challenger Luiz Gustavo in just 21 seconds to cap off an entertaining card. Shortly after the opening bell, de Souza (17-3, 10-2 Rizin) landed a body kick and a right hook to the temple of Gustavo (14-3, 6-3 Rizin), who was trying to close the distance. The punch badly hurt Gustavo, who fell to his knees and then briefly rose to his feet before de Souza se…

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Sean Strickland thinks Khalil Rountree Jr. has nothing to offer Alex Pereira in their upcoming title fight.

Pereira will defend his light heavyweight title against Rountree in the main event at UFC 307 on Oct. 5 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Strickland is currently in Utah, helping his former foe train for his upcoming fight.

Strickland suffered a knockout loss against “Poatan” in 2022 and has since repeatedly acknowledged the Brazilian’s power and skillset. The former foes have trained together on multiple occasions. The former middleweight champ also has his own history with Rountree, having trained together in the past. Strickland first went off on Rountree for an emotional post-fight interview in 2022, calling the light heavyweight contender “a special needs adult.” Strickland has recently renewed his onslaught on Rountree leading up to UFC 307, recalling alleged instances from their past encounters.

UFC 307: Pereira vs. R…

Alex Pereira DENIES avoiding the Magomed Ankalaev fight:

“You gotta sort that with the organization…

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It’s not my fault that Ankalaev has such a boring style of fighting that nobody wants to watch.”

🎥 @KevinI #UFC #MMA #UFC307 pic.twitter.com/42OS04SuHr

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 28, 2024 Alex Pereira maintains that he never turned down an offer to fight Magomed Ankalaev.

Pereira defends his light heavyweight title against Khalil Rountree Jr. in the main event at UFC 307 on Oct. 5 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. While he is riding a five-fight winning streak with four finishes, Rountree surpassing Ankalaev for a title shot was nonetheless a bit of a surprise.

Currently unbeaten in his last 12 outings, Ankalaev will face Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308 on Oct. 26 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. While many consider Ankalaev the rightful contender, Pereira previously hinted that the R…

A picture-perfect knee made Fares Ziam $50,000 richer on Saturday in Paris.

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The Kill Cliff FC-trained Frenchman secured one of four “Performance of the Night” bonuses awarded by the promotion at UFC Fight Night 243 for his third-round knockout of Matt Frevola in a featured lightweight encounter. Ziam rendered his opponent unconscious — dislodging his mouthpiece in the process — with a vicious knee in close quarters at the 2:59 mark of Round 3.

Elsewhere, Bryan Battle overwhelmed Kevin Jousset with striking volume to garner a $50,000 check in a welterweight bout. “The Ultimate Fighter 29” winner put Jousset on his heels for good in the second stanza and sealed his victory with one final barrage at the 3:47 mark of the period.

Meanwhile, Morgan Charriere did his best to match countryman Ziam with a highlight-reel knockout of Gabriel Miranda in a featherweight showcase. “The Last Pirate” caught his foe off guard with a sneaky left hook 27 secon…

Renato "Moicano" Carneiro could be a dark horse contender for "Fighter of the Year." With wins over Drew Dober and Jalin Turner, Carneiro cemented himself as an elite lightweight contender with a bloody beatdown of Benoit St. Denis in front of thousands of opposing French fans in the UFC Fight Night 243 main event Saturday at the Accor Arena in Paris.

Carneiro (20-5-1) battered St. Denis throughout the opening stanza, busting his eyes and nose open with elbows and nasty ground-and-pound. The “God of War” was forced to cover up and wait out the bell to find peace. St. Denis’ corner pleaded with him to wake up or he would be humiliated in front of his hometown fans, but there was little he could do to slow down the Brazillian.

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Caneiro kept the leather on St. Denis in the second round. With both eyes swollen and blood profusely leaking out his face, St. Denis sat on the stool, stunned, as his corner worked to clean him up. Their work was impressive, but…

THE SCOTTISH TWISTER RETURNS! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Stevie Ray stops Lewis Long via submission in front of his family and his home crowd! #PFLGlasgow | LIVE NOW ON DAZN pic.twitter.com/J5oxpXNQIq

— PFL Europe (@PFLEurope) September 28, 2024 PFL Europe 3 determined the 2024 playoff finals and saw several Scottish fighters compete in Glasgow. Headlining the 14-fight Professional Fighters League event was a welterweight fight between hometown favorite Steven Ray and Lewis Long. There was immediate drama as Long (19-8) went for a takedown and got stuck in a tight guillotine choke attempt by the Scottish fighter. Ray (26-13) would later get an extended armbar put on Long, who showed incredible heart by battling out of it. The third time was the charm, though, as Ray would counter a takedown attempt by securing up a twister submission.

The tap officially came at 4:24 of Round 1.

Whiteford Outstrikes Huerta The co-main event saw Roger Huerta return to …

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Paris Saturday at noon ET with UFC Fight Night 243. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round: The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scor…

Ion Cutelaba edged KSW veteran Ivan Erslan over three rounds to close out the UFC Fight Night 243 prelims at Accor Arena in Paris.

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“The Hulk” (18-10-1, 7-9-1 UFC) came into the bout having lost four of his last five fights and needed an impressive performance over the UFC debutant. Cutelaba’s heavy hands carried the day early as The Hulk walked down Erslan with heavy haymakers. Cutelaba wobbled and dropped Erslan while trading in the pocket in the second round and even scored an easy takedown.

Cutelaba should’ve stayed on his feet and pressed the action but an ill-time takedown allowed Erslan to climb back into the fight. Erslan rode Cutelaba for most of the final round before Cutelaba reversed position in the closing seconds. The fight looked like a clear 29-28 verdict for Cutelaba, but fans held their breath in fear as the scorecards were read. Luckily for Cutelaba, a split decision verdict (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) wasn’t enough to wipe away his fi…

Sherdog's live 2024 PFL Europe 3: Playoffs coverage will begin Saturday at noon ET. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:

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

Alex Pereira feels a change as he nears his UFC 307 clash against Khalil Rountree.

Rountree (13-5) will challenge Pereira (11-2) for the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight crown in UFC 307 headliner on Oct. 5 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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Pereira believes fans were initially not excited for the matchup when it was announced back in August. However, the champ can feel the excitement building as he nears fight night. “Poatan” vows to put on a show and expects the same from his opponent.

“I feel good, I feel ready. We came here three weeks before this fight to prepare this time,” Pereira told Nina Marie Daniele. “Very pumped. I think it’s going to be a good fight. In the beginning, people didn’t give too much attention for this matchup but now we feel the difference. People are building up to that. And I am prepared to put on a show… I think Khalil, too. So it’ll be a great fight.”

UFC 307: Pereira vs. Rountree Jr. Saturday…