Martial Arts News

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return to London has its first fight put together, and it is quite a good one.

The UFC’s broadcast partner of ESPN broke the news on Thursday that UFC 286 has gained its first matchup of the billing. At the O2 Arena in London, top-10 middleweights collide as Marvin Vettori (18-6-1) battles it out with Roman Dolidze (12-1). Georgia’s Dolidze has since confirmed this pairing on his Instagram page.

Boisterous Italian Vettori has alternated wins and losses in his last four appearances, albeit against some of the best opposition his weight class has to offer. While he topped Kevin Holland in April 2021 to put him on a five-fight win streak, a title fight and rematch against Israel Adesanya three months later did not go his way, as he dropped a five-round verdict to the then-champ. In a victorious rebounding effort – albeit at 205 pounds when his opponent announced he would not make the middleweight limit – he topped Paulo Costa in a 25-m…

Seoul, South Korea, is no longer on the slate for the Ultimate Fighting Championship in early 2023.

Per MMA Fighting on Thursday, the promotion is moving on from a slated event in Seoul on Feb. 4. After Chan Sung Jung succumbed to a shoulder injury, the organization has decided to change this event’s location to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Headlining this UFC Fight Night event will be a rescheduled heavyweight battle as Derrick Lewis (26-10, 1 NC) takes on Sergey Spivak (15-3). Spivak has since confirmed this news on his Instagram Stories. Lewis and Spivak were initially set to throw down in the main event of UFC Fight Night 215 on Nov. 19, but Lewis suffered a medical issue on fight day that ejected him from the billing.

Lewis will be looking to rebound from a pair of knockout losses to Tai Tuivasa and Sergei Pavlovich in 2022, putting him on the first multiple-fight skid since 2019. The UFC’s all-time leader in knockouts, “The Black Beast” set that record in Decem…

“The partnership between Iowa wrestling and UFC is a perfect fit. We both celebrate tough, physical athletes who compete at the highest level." -- Tom Brands@ufc 🤝 #Hawkeyes

➡ https://t.co/QCZFwSc0yG pic.twitter.com/JO8eFGJIEw

— Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling (@Hawks_Wrestling) December 15, 2022 The Ultimate Fighting Championship is getting into the college wrestling business.

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According to a press release on Thursday, the promotion has issued its first-ever college sponsorship to the Iowa Hawkeyes. In particular, the UFC will be issuing support and marketing for the wrestling departments of the University of Iowa, which recently created a women’s wrestling program a year ago. The organization will place signs inside the Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa, as well as running content on its radio shows and social media services.

The head coach of the men’s wrestling team, Tom Brands, was thrilled about the arrangement, say…

James Krause and Darrick Minner had temporary extensions extended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission during a Wednesday meeting.

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A full disciplinary hearing will take place at a later date. Currently, Krause, the head trainer at Glory MMA & Fitness, and Minner, a former UFC featherweight, are suspended for failing to disclose an injury to the fighter in relation to his first-round technical loss to Nuerdanbieke Shayilan at UFC Fight Night 214 on Nov. 5.

Those are potentially the least serious sanctions facing both Krause and Minner. The bout is currently under investigation for suspicious activity after the betting odds shifted significantly just hours before the fight — and manny bettors wagered on Shayilan to win inside of a round. Minner appeared to be hobbled during the bout, and speculation ensued that he entered the bout against Shayilan with a pre-existing knee injury.

During Wednesday’s meeting, Nevada deputy attorney general …

A bantamweight clash pitting Cody Garbrandt against Julio Arce has been booked for UFC 285.

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Eurosport was first to report the pairing. UFC 285 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on March 4 and includes a women’s flyweight showdown between Amanda Ribas and Viviane Araujo as well as a middleight tilt between Bo Nickal and Jamie Pickett. A headliner for the card has not been confirmed.

Garbandt has struggled since 2017, losing five of his last six UFC appearances — a slump that began when he relinquished the 135-pound belt to T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 217. Most recently, “No Love” came up short in his flyweight debut, as he suffered a first-round TKO defeat to Kai Kara France at UFC 269 last December. Four of his last five defeats have been via knockout or technical knockout.

Arce, meanwhile, has alternated wins and losses in his last eight promotional outings. The Team Tiger Schulmann representative went 1-1 in 2022, outpointing Daniel…

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Brazilian jiu-jitsu standout Lucas Barbosa will head a field of eight welterweights vying for a Professional Fighters League contract next year.

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The organization announced on Wednesday the welterweight lineup for the first PFL Challenger Series event on Jan. 27. Barbosa will square off against Itso Babulaidze in the card’s featured bout. The PFL Challenger Series airs on FuboTV on Friday nights, and contract winners are selected by a judging panel comprised of combat sports notables and other celebrity guests.

“The 2023 PFL Challenger Series provides world class talent a path to the PFL,” said PFL president of fighter operations Ray Sefo in a release. “The Challenger Series continues the PFL’s commitment to finding the best talent in MMA around the world.”

Three other 170-pound bouts were also confirmed for the event: Cage Fury Fighting Championships welterweight title holder Eric Alequin vs. undefeated Combate Global and L…

The lineup for Bellator 290 continues to take shape, as three bouts were recently added to the Feb. 4 event.

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The new matchups are as follows: Diana Avsaragova vs. Alejandra Lara at flyweight; Christopher Gonzalez vs. Max Rohskopf at lightweight and Jornel Lugo vs. Jaylon Bates at bantamweight. MMAjunkie.com was first to report Avsaragova vs. Lara, while FanSided MMA initially brought word of Gonzalez vs. Rohskopf and Lugo vs. Bates.

Bellator 290 takes place at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and is headlined by a heavyweight title tilt between Ryan Bader and Fedor Emelianenko. In the co-main event, Vadim Nemkov will defend the light heavyweight crown against Yoel Romero. The evening’s main card will air on CBS.

Avsaragova is undefeated in five professional outings and is coming off a three-round verdict over Kyra Batara in her third promotional appearance at Bellator 276. A former flyweight title challenger, Lara has dropped her last three …

A championship doubleheader is on tap for Invicta FC 51 on Jan. 18.

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The event will be headlined by a bantamweight championship clash between reigning title holder Taneisha Tennant and Talita Bernardo, while Kristina Williams and Ketlen Souza will vie for the vacant flyweight crown in the co-main event. The all-female promotion announced the bookings on Tuesday.

Invicta FC 51 takes place at Reelworks Denver in Denver, Colo., and airs on AXS TV and the Invicta FC YouTube channel beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Five other bouts were also announced for the card: Serena DeJesus vs. Olga Rubin at bantamweight; Claire Guthrie vs. Auttumn Norton at bantamweight; Marisa Messer-Belenchia vs. Elisandra Ferreira at atomweight; Katie Saull vs. Rayanne Amanda at atomweight and Fatima Kline vs. Laura Gallardo at strawweight.

A former competitor on Dana White’s Contender Series, Tennant is 4-0 under the Invicta FC banner — including five-round verdicts ove…

Amanda Ribas now has a dance partner for UFC 285, as a clash against Viviane Araujo has been targeted for March 4.

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Multiple outlets confirmed the booking following an initial report from Dama de Ferro MMA. Sherdog.com previously reported that Ribas was expected to return to flyweight at UFC 285 and multiple opponent options — including Araujo — were under consideration.

UFC 285 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is also expected to include a middleweight tilt pitting Bo Nickal against Jamie Pickett. A headliner for the event has not been announced.

Ribas will be making her third 125-pound appearance in the Octagon. In her last outing, the Brazilian dropped a competitive split decision to former flyweight title challenger Katlyn Chookagian at UFC on ESPN 36. She is 5-2 during her tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion, which also includes a first-round submission of Paige VanZant at 125 pounds.

Araujo, meanwhile, is …

Thank y’all for the luv! pic.twitter.com/SCIJZSOK2I

— Bryce Mitchell (@ThugnastyMMA) December 12, 2022

The featherweight matchup pitting Ilia Topuria against Bryce Mitchell that opened the UFC 282 pay-per-view was billed as a clash between two of the top young contenders in the division.

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It turned out to be one-way traffic for Topuria, as “The Spaniard” battered his opponent on the feet and denied all but one of his takedowns before submitting Mitchell with an arm-triangle choke 3:10 into Round 2. Mitchell’s attempts at grappling were ineffective and he was outgunned on the feet in suffering his first setback in 16 professional outings.

According to “Thug Nasty,” there were more factors at play at the T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night.

“I definitely got to let you know that definitely wasn’t me out there,” Mitchell said in a video on Twitter. “I had the flu the week before, and I thought I’d just tough it out. I d…

In an ideal world, Bellator’s bantamweight grand prix final will go down early next year.

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The 135-pound championship is now set, as interim king Raufeon Stots will square off against Patrick Mix following their victories in the semifinals at Bellator 289this past Friday. Stots edged Danny Sabatello via split decision in one half of the bracket, while Mix submitted Magomed Magomedov in the other half.

As of now, a date has not been set for Stots vs. Mix, but Bellator president Scott Coker does have a timeline in mind.

“We’re going to have to see who’s injured, who’s not injured, and that’s going to determine when they fight,” Coker said at the Bellator 289 post-fight press conference. “We want them to be healthy, fresh and ready to go and not just training through injuries or having to cut weight too quick from this fight.

“We’re going to talk to all the managers Monday and see how everybody’s feeling and then we’ll decide when we throw…

Not all that long ago, the future appeared to be bright indeed for Darren Till.

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The Liverpool, England, native was unbeaten in his first six UFC appearances, a run that included signature triumphs against Donald Cerrone and Stephen Thompson. That led to a welterweight title shot against Tyron Woodley, and though Till lost via second-round submission in that September 2018 bout, it seemed as though he would remain on an upward trajectory.

That hasn’t been the case. The Woodley loss was just the start of an extended slump that has seen Till lose five of six in the Octagon, including a third-round submission defeat at the hands of Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 282 this past Saturday. Till showed mettle in rallying back from a lopsided opening stanza, but ultimately, he was unable to completely turn the corner in a clash that ultimately received “Fight of the Night” honors.

The latest setback caused Till to do some serious reflecting, and while some tim…