Martial Arts News

The UFC on ESPN 40 headliner did not go as planned for Thiago Santos, but the former light heavyweight title challenger is maintaining a positive outlook.

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Santos fell to Jamahal Hill via fourth-round technical knockout on Saturday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. “Marreta” had his moments, including a fourth round where he landed five of his six takedowns. That effort drained his stamina, however, and Hill was able to pour it on for the finish in Round 4. The bout was ultimately received “Fight of the Night” honors from promotion officials.

“I worked hard and I had a amazing training camp,” Santos wrote on social media. “I [left] everything there and still wasn't enough, no shame about that —just a bad night in the office. Congratulations to Hill. I will be back stronger and better. Thank you all.”

I worked hard and I had a amazing training camp, i let everything there and still wasn't enough, no shame about that, jus…

If it seemed like Nick Diaz was fighting well below his usual standards at UFC 266 last September, there’s a pretty good reason for that, according to coach Cesar Gracie.

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While Diaz’s return against Robbie Lawler marked the Stockton, Calif., native’s first Octagon appearance in more than six years, he was dealing with more than just age and ring rust. Diaz, who called it quits 44 seconds into the third round of the bout, was also battling a pretty serious neck injury.

“So Nick, he went into that fight and his neck was pretty messed up,” Gracie said in an interview with Submission Radio. “Robbie’s a great, tough fighter and everything. And, Nick was doing great. And then you kind of see Nick kind of just kind of fading as the fight wore on. So, Nick had an operation very recently here seven weeks ago. So, two of the discs had ruptured in his neck before the fight. So, he was having numbness of the hands. That’s why he didn’t make 170. He fought at 1…

A bantamweight clash pitting Cody Garbrandt against Rani Yahya has been rebooked for an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Oct. 1.

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Garbrandt and Yahya were originally supposed to meet at UFC on ESPN 39 on July 9, but Yahya was forced to withdraw from the bout due to a neck injury. Both fighters confirmed the rescheduled date on social media following an initial report from MMA Mania.

The UFC Fight Night card doesn’t have an official location or venue as of yet, but it is expected to feature a by a strawweight showdown between Mackenzie Dern and Xiaonan Yan.

A former 135-pound champion, Garbrandt will return to the division following a short-lived stint at flyweight. In his lone 125-pound appearance, “No Love” fell to Kai Kara France via first-round technical knockout at UFC 269 on Dec. 11. The 31-year-old Ohioan has lost five of his last six in UFC competition.

A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and former ADCC champion, Yahya has b…

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With approximately two weeks remaining before he faces Luke Rockhold at UFC 278, Paulo Costa has confirmed that he is no longer managed by Wallid Ismail.

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In a 13-minute video published on his Youtube channel, Costa recalled his entire history with Ismail, making it clear that he did not have any issues with his former manager.

“I have nothing bad to say about Wallid. He is an honest person and very professional, I just have compliments about him,” Costa said. “We just have different views about my career and, because of that, we decided to not work together anymore.”

Costa revealed that his girlfriend, Tamara Alves, will serve as his representation going forward. The separation comes about two months after another major loss suffered by Ismail's agency. In June, UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo parted ways with Ismail after a disagreement over the UFC’s decision to creat an interim flyweight belt while he recovere…

In addition to setting a promotional record for longest winless streak, it appears that Sam Alvey suffered a broken jaw in his loss to Michal Oleksiejczuk at UFC on ESPN 40 on Saturday night.

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Alvey succumbed to punches 1:56 into the opening round of the middleweight bout, the ninth straight time the 36-year-old Team Quest representative has failed to achieve victory in the Octagon. His only non-defeat during that time was a draw against Da Un Jung at UFC 254.

Alvey, who still seemed to be in good spirits, revealed the extent of his injuries via TikTok.

“I would still say there’s not a person on the planet that likes doing this sport more than me,” Alvey said. “Although at this current moment, I have a broken jaw from the first damn punch he hit me with. Son of a b—h. I’m likely getting my mouth wired shut. I’ve got to tell you, I wouldn’t have picked a different career if I had the opportunity years ago.”

The setback almost certainly …

Despite losing her bantamweight belt to Amanda Nunes at UFC 277 one week prior, Julianna Pena was on site at UFC on ESPN 40 to cheer on the athletes she coached on Season 30 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

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Nunes, however, was not in attendance — a fact that was not lost on Pena.

“I’m ready to go Round 8 right now,” Pena said during the UFC on ESPN 40 post-fight show. “Like, let’s freaking go. I’m here. Where you at, Amanda?

“Amanda, seriously, where are you at? You left your girl hanging out there. I showed up for Team Pena. She didn’t show up for Team Nunes. I’m here, I’m ready to go Round 8.”

Nunes reclaimed 135-pound gold with a decisive five-round verdict over Pena in the UFC 277 headliner on July 30 at American Airlines Arena in Dallas. That came on the heels of Pena’s second-round submission of Nunes at UFC 269, a result that is regarded as one of the biggest upsets in MMA history. Nunes made the necessary adjustments for the rematch, includ…

The IBJJF and Jiu Jitsu community are extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Leandro Lo. Lo was one of the greatest athletes our sport has ever produced. An example of a true black belt, martial artist and champion on and off the mats. Rest in peace legend. pic.twitter.com/lHK3n8pF4K

— IBJJF (@ibjjf) August 7, 2022

The jiu-jitsu world is in mourning following the death of Leandro Lo early Sunday morning.

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Lo, one of the most respected champions of Brazilian jiu-jitsu history, was shot to death by a police officer during a concert in Sao Paulo. According to a police report, officer Henrique Otávio Oliveira Velozo shot Lo once in the head after an altercation near Lo’s table. The incident allegedly began when witnesses saw Velozo take a bottle from Lo’s table, which led to the jiu-jitsu champion taking the officer down and holding him. The two men were separated, and at that time Velozo pulled a gun and shot at Lo’s fo…

There are some fights that just make sense long before they come to fruition.

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For Geoff Neal, a showdown with Vicente Luque was one of those fights. Prior to his third-round knockout of “The Silent Assassin” at UFC on ESPN 40 on Saturday night, Neal thought often about a matchup with one of the promotion’s most explosive welterweights.

“It feels good. It’s one of those fights that I’ve been playing in my head for years. You can ask my coaches, I’ve been talking about that fight for a long time,” Neal said in a post-fight interview. “We knew one day it was gonna happen. The way I envisioned it is the way it happened, and I’m just so glad I finally got that demon off my back. Because I’ve been thinking about fighting him for years and we finally got to match up and fight.”

Neal was both technical and violent in the co-main event. He rattled Luque with left hands repeatedly in the opening stanza, dropping “The Ultimate Fighter 21” cast member on…

Jamahal Hill took a major step toward contention with his victory over former title challenger Thiago Santos in the UFC on ESPN 40 headliner, but “Sweet Dreams” nonetheless believes there is plenty of room for improvement.

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“I’m happy with the win, but I’m not happy with my performance. I need to get back to the drawing board and do a much, much better job. That’s what I’m going to do,” Hill said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “Always look to improve. Always need to get better. Always. So even if it’s the smallest thing or it could be something really small and stupid, I still need to improve on it.”

The action was fast and furious at times between the two light heavyweights at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and that’s one area that Hill would like to work on. While Hill ultimately outlanded his opponent by an 89-to-53 count in significant strikes, those moments where he engaged in a slugfest could leave him vulnerable.

“[I need to] be …

A back-and-forth UFC on ESPN 40 headliner between Jamahal Hill and Thiago Santos garnered “Fight of the Night” honors at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

Hill and Santos received $50,000 apiece for their light heavyweight clash, which saw the Brazilian attempt to impose his will through a wrestling-heavy approach in the early going. Hill weathered that storm and ultimately finished with a flourish, winning via technical knockout at the 2:10 mark of Round 4.

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On a night when all 10 bouts on the UFC on ESPN 40 card featured finishes, only three others — Geoff Neal, Mohammed Usman and Bryan Battle — earned $50,000 “Performance of the Night” awards.

Neal become the first person to defeat Vicente Luque via KO or TKO, finishing “The Ultimate Fighter 21” competitor with a volley of power punches against the cage at the 2:01 mark of Round 3.

Usman, meanwhile, capped off a run through “The Ultimate Fighter 30” with a knockout of Zac Pauga i…

Jamahal Hill may not have aced his latest exam in the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight division, but he passed it with room to spare.

The 2019 Dana White’s Contender Series graduate disposed of American Top Team’s Thiago Santos with punches and elbows in the fourth round of their UFC on ESPN 40 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Hill (11-1, 5-1 UFC) closed it out 2:31 into Round 4, as he extended his winning streak to three fights and made his push for more attention at 205 pounds.

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Santos (22-11, 14-10 UFC) employed a takedown- and clinch-centric attack that paid some dividends but proved to be a drain on his gas tank. By the time they reached the fourth round, he was running on fumes. Hill touched off a wild exchange with a stinging left hand, gave chase and ultimately tracked down the Brazilian in the center of the cage. Santos collapsed, likely from a combination of exhaustion and damage, and found himself at the …

Michal Oleksiejczuk came here for a good time not a long time 👊 #UFCVegas59 pic.twitter.com/4GgcUQNwM1

— UFC (@ufc) August 7, 2022 Sam Alvey might have trouble smiling after this one.

Ankos MMA rep Michal Oleksiejczuk announced his arrival in the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight division and did so with violent delight, as he battered, bloodied and buried “Smile’n Sam” with punches in the first round of their featured UFC on ESPN 40 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Now 0-8-1 across his past nine outings, Alvey (33-18-1, 10-13-1 UFC) checked out 1:56 into Round 1.

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Oleksiejczuk (17-5, 5-3 UFC) had the former Maximum Fighting Championship titleholder on his heels from the outset. He floored Alvey with a ringing overhand left and moved to the mounted crucifix before unloading with punches and elbows. Oleksiejczuk stepped up the assault with his opponent turtled, then reset on the feet after spra…