Martial Arts News

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Francis Ngannou just knocked off one interim heavyweight champion when he defeated Ciryl Gane in a title unification bout at UFC 270 this past January.

He may very well have to do it again when he returns from knee surgery. Shortly after Ngannou took a five-round verdict over Gane, his manager revealed that “The Predator” would undergo surgery to repair injuries to his MCL and ACL suffered in training ahead of that bout. The ensuing recovery process would require at least nine months. Ngannou underwent the procedure on Friday in Los Angeles, which included a full reconstruction on his ACL.

At the UFC Fight Night 204 post-fight press conference on Saturday, Dana White acknowledged the possibility that another interim heavyweight belt could be created in Ngannou’s absence.

“It’s very possible,” White said. “We find out this week [how long he’s out].

“If nine months is true, if it’s going to tak…

Raise the stakes, and Arnold Allen promises that he’ll only keep getting better.

The Englishman won his ninth consecutive bout in the UFC Fight Night 204 co-main event, stopping former lightweight contender Dan Hooker via TKO at the 2:33 mark of Round 1 in their 145-pound clash at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday. After a run of four straight decision wins, Allen knew it was important to make a statement. That he did, going toe-to-toe with one of the sport’s renowned action fighters and winning a firefight in emphatic fashion.

“It’s huge. To be honest, I know I’m a finisher,” Allen said at the post-fight press conference. “I know I’m a decision guy really, I’m pretending now, but I’ve got the power in my hands. All my coaches tell me I hit hard, I put people down with body shots in sparring. It just doesn’t come out in the fight. I think the kind of style of opponents I’ve fought haven’t allowed me to fight that way. I nearly had it in the last fight (vs. Sodiq Yus…

As impressive as Tom Aspinall was at UFC Fight Night 204, he says he only scratched the surface regarding his overall skillset in a first-round submission of Alexander Volkov in Saturday’s main event.

“I didn’t really show much,” Aspinall said at the post-fight press conference. “I keep it that way every time if I can. I want to be the biggest mystery in heavyweight MMA. These people think they know about me — nobody knows about me. These people think they know what they’re up against — nobody knows what they’re up against. Let’s keep it a secret.”

Aspinall became the first person since 2010 to make Volkov tap, and looked more impressive than highly-ranked heavyweights such as Ciryl Gane and Curtis Blaydes have against the Russian veteran.

“It couldn’t have gone any better,” Aspinall said. “That was the ideal performance. I truly thought I was gonna go five rounds. To get a guy like Volkov — who has been finished twice [in the UFC] — out of there in the first ro…

Outside of its pay-per-view schedule, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has been content to hold events at its home base of the UFC Apex the past two years.

That’s due in large part to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has made traveling throughout the year a far more difficult task. The Las Vegas-based promotion returned to London on Saturday for the first time since before the pandemic, and the UFC Fight Night 204 card delivered in a big way.

All told, the event set gate records for the O2 Arena and for a UFC Fight Night card. The fighters performed as well and were rewarded for their efforts: All nine who scored finishes received $50,000 bonuses at the end of the night. As it stands, UFC Fight Night 204 is an early frontrunner for “Event of the Year.”

“It seriously could not go any better. It was f—-ing unbelievable,” UFC president Dana White said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “Everybody’s been locked up for two and a half years. So many kid…

There was a special feel to Paddy Pimblett’s victory at UFC Fight Night 204 at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday.

While it was only the second Octagon appearance for the former Cage Warriors title holder, and he was facing a relatively unheralded foe in Rodrigo Vargas, Paddy “The Baddy” electrified the crowd in his home country with a rear-naked choke victory at the 3:49 mark of Round 1 in a featured lightweight bout. Pimblett is now 2-0 in the UFC, and it feels as though he might be someone the promotion would be willing to throw its marketing might behind.

“Without being a big-headed tool, I am the star of the show,” Pimblett said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “It’s that simple.Expect me to take over the show. I told you this. This is the ‘Baddy’ show. Swept The O2 right up.”

The performance would seemingly set the stage for a future clash with Ilia Topuria, who authored a scintillating knockout of Jai Herbert at 155 pounds on the main card. Pimb…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return to London proved to be one of the promotion’s best events so far in 2022, and the the athletes on the card were compensated accordingly.

During the ESPN post-fight show, UFC president Dana White revealed that every fighter on the card who secured a finish would receive a $50,000 post-fight bonus. The promotion typically hands out four post-fight bonuses and has on a few occasions given out six. It probably didn’t hurt that the card, which took place at the O2 arena in London, was the highest-grossing event in venue history and the highest grossing Fight Night in UFC history, according to promotion officials.

“Nine bonuses tonight,” White said. "Every finish. “And I couldn’t be happier to do it.”

That includes the two winners at the top of the card, as Tom Aspinall pocketed an extra $50,000 for his first-round armlock submission of Alexander Volkov in the heavyweight headliner, while Arnold Allen earned an additional $50,000 f…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has a new heavyweight contender on its hands.

Tom Aspinall submitted former Bellator MMA and M-1 Global champion Alexander Volkov with a straight armlock in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 204 headliner on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London. Volkov (34-10, 8-4 UFC) conceded defeat 3:45 into Round 1, as he was submitted for the first time in nearly 12 years.

The 28-year-old Aspinall (12-2, 5-0 UFC) was flawless on the big stage. He tore into Volkov with a three-punch combination, executed a takedown and drew blood with a series of elbows to the head. The 6-foot-7 Russian returned to an upright position, only to be taken down a second time. From there, a calm and calculated Aspinall isolated his left arm, bent his elbow beyond its bounds and forced his surrender.

Aspinall has finished eight straight opponents, seven of them inside one round.

Big Tom got his beers 🍻 #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/YOa2Y…

Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 204 coverage will begin Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below.

Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen …

Mr. Finland gets it done in England 🇫🇮

[ #UFCLondon | LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/Pd4u5t6bR7

— UFC (@ufc) March 19, 2022 Makwan Amirkhani steadied himself in the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division, as he put Mike Grundy to sleep with an anaconda choke in the first round of their featured UFC Fight Night 204 prelim on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London. Grundy (12-4, 1-3 UFC) lost consciousness 57 seconds into Round 1.

Amirkhani (17-7, 7-5 UFC), who entered the cage in a three-fight tailspin, countered an ill-conceived takedown with the choke. Sensing he was in real danger, Grundy rolled and repositioned himself in a bid to escape. However, Amirkhani was wise to those efforts, zip-tied one of his legs to create additional leverage and waited for the Team Kaobon export to go limp.

The win was Amirkhani’s first since July 11, 2020.

Pavlovich Buries Reeling Abdurakhimov Ex-Fight Nights Global champion Se…

He does it again!! Another incredible performance from @SalahdineP #KSW68 pic.twitter.com/dEAqJBQfos

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) March 19, 2022

Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki returned to the Sports Hall in Radom, Poland, for a fight night full of finishes.

The KSW 68 headliner saw two-time KSW 145-pound titleholder Salahdine Parnasse putting his championship on the line against Daniel Rutkowski. Parnasse (17-1-1, KSW 8-1) attempted to rely on his remarkable grappling skills right out of the gate but was easily denied by Rutkowski, who kept the fight standing. The Frenchman adapted to the situation by attacking with his jab, but it was Rutkowski (13-3, 1-1 KSW) who dictated the pace and picked the place of the fight. Thanks to an aggressive striking mixed with some fine grappling activity, Rutkowski was arguably ahead on the scorecards going into the championship rounds.

In the first seconds of the fourth frame, Parnasse caught his adversary with a head k…

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Jordan Vucenic successfully defends his title! With a beautiful back take, he slipped in a choke for the 2nd round finish #AndStill #CW134 pic.twitter.com/Vz31WMb3M4

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) March 18, 2022 Based on his performance on Friday night, Jordan Vucenic may expect a call up to the major leagues in the near future.

After a long absence from the venue due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cage Warriors Fighting Championship returned to the iconic Indigo at the O2 Arena in London, England. The CW 134 main event featured a featherweight championship affair as Vucenic (9-1, 5-0 CW) put his belt on the line against James Hendin. The challenger Hendin (6-2, 5-2 CW), a short-notice replacement for Paul Hughes, showcased stifling wrestling to nullify his opponent’s sophisticated striking game early on. While “The Honeybadger” was able to ground Vucenic for much of the round, he was unable to put any major offense together and threaten for a fi…