Martial Arts News

A potential striker’s delight is set for a UFC card on Oct. 29, as Dustin Jacoby will square off against Khalil Rountree at light heavyweight.

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Jacoby’s management, Iridium Sports Agency, announced the booking. Additionally, a featherweight tilt pitting Steve Garcia against Chase Hooper is also on tap for the event. That bout was first reported by Sherdog’s Tudor Leonte. The card is also expected to include a featherweight matchup between Edson Barboza and Ilia Topuria.

Jacoby is unbeaten in his last nine professional outings dating back to June 2019. The former Glory Kickboxing competitor 6-0-1 during his second UFC stint, including a first-round KO of Da Un Jung in his last outing at UFC on ABC 3.

Rountree has won two straight, scoring TKO finishes of Modestas Bukauskas and Karl Roberson in his last two promotional appearances. “The War Horse” has been up-and-down during his UFC tenure, compiling a 6-5 record with one no contest.

Garc…

Thiago Santos is an underdog against Jamahal Hill in the UFC on ESPN 40 main event, but the odds don’t bother the Brazilian at all.

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“Facing scary guys like him really motivates me,’ Santos told Sherdog.com. “Hill is a tall guy, very aggressive and walks forward all the time. [Jiri] Prochazka, Hill, those are exactly the type of opponents I like to face. I truly hope he fights against me like he fought [Johnny] Walker and [Jimmy] Crute. If I don’t knock him out by the second round, he will be punished for five rounds.”

According to “Marreta,” the strategy that worked for Hill against Walker won’t work against him. Hill defeated Walker by first-round knockout in the UFC Fight Night 201 main event on Feb. 19.

"Walker was fighting well but was surprised when Hill changed his southpaw stance to orthodox and ended up being caught,” Santos said. “That’s not my case. I also fight in both stances. If he changes stances, it is no surpri…

A bout between recent lightweight title challengers Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler is in the works for the end of the year.

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According to a report on “The MMA Hour,” the fight has been targeted for UFC 281, which takes place on Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Meanwhile, promotion broadcast partner ESPN confirmed that while the bout is in the works, Chandler prefers that it take place in December. Poirier also reportedly wants the fight to be contested over five rounds.

Poirier and Chandler were involved in a brief confrontation while attending UFC 276 at the T-Mobile Arena in Vegas on July 2. While it’s unclear what started the altercation, both men had to be separated by security while they yelled obscenities and threats at one another.

Poirier hasn’t competed since UFC 269, when he suffered a third-round submission loss to Charles Oliveira in a 155-pound title bout this past December. That snapped a three-bout winning st…

A matchup between ranked flyweights is on tap for the UFC’s Oct. 15 event, as Askar Askarov will lock horns with Brandon Royval.

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Royval’s management, Iridium Sports Agency, initially brought word of the 125-pound pairing. UFC Fight Night does not yet have an official location or headliner. The agency also announced that a flyweight tilt between Tatsuro Taira and C.J. Vergara has been added to the bill.

Askarov last appeared in a No. 1 contender bout at UFC on ESPN 33, where he fell to Kai Kara France via unanimous decision on March 26. Prior to that, the Dagestani known as “Bullet” was unbeaten in 15 professional appearances, earning notable wins against the likes of Joseph Benavidez, Alexandre Pantoja and Tim Elliott in UFC competition.

Royval, meanwhile, has emerged as one of the division’s most exciting talents while compiling a 4-2 mark within the Las Vegas-based promotion. His 2022 campaign thus far has included a split-decision win over…

A flyweight showdown between Alexa Grasso and Viviane Araujo scheduled for the UFC on ESPN 41 co-main event has been removed from the card.

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The cancellation is a result of visa issues for Grasso, and Araujuo will not remain on the card against a replacement opponent. ESPN Deportes first brought word of the canceled bout. Grasso and Araujo were previously slated to meet at UFC 270 before Araujo pullled out of the fight due to injury.

UFC on ESPN 41 takes place at Pechanga Arena on Aug. 13 in San Diego, Calif., and is headlined by a bantamweight duel pitting Marlon Vera against Dominick Cruz.

Grasso has won three straight fights since moving up to 125 pounds, including a first-round submission triumph against Joanne Wood in her last outing at UFC on ESPN 33 on March 26.

Araujo, meanwhile, has been victorious in three of her last four Octagon appearances. Most recently, the 35-year-old Brazilian outpointed Andrea Lee at UFC on ESPN 36 on…

Eric Albarracin has plenty to keep him occupied these days.

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The wrestling coach of Deiveson Figueiredo, Henry Cejudo, Patricio and Patricky Freire is currently splitting time between Natal, Brazil, at the Pitbull Brothers camp and Fight Ready in Arizona. The currently priority is the helping the Freire brothers prepare for upcoming title defenses.

Albarracin is well aware of the Dagestan vs. Brazil rivalry that seem to be brewing in MMA these days, thanks in large part to the upcoming UFC lightweight title bout between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira. Meanwhile, the undefeated Usman Nurmagomedov recently took to Twitter to call for a showdown with Patricky Freire, who withdrew from a scheduled title defense against Sidney Outlaw last month due to injury. His next fight has not been announced by Bellator MMA.

“Khabib was 29-0, Makhachev is 22-1, Usman is 15-0, there is no doubt their game plans are working, but that doesn’t mean they don’t …

Conor McGregor will be making his major motion picture film debut in the near feature.

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According to Deadline, the former UFC two-division champion will star alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in Prime Video’s remake of the 1980’s action movie “Road House.” Filming is expected to begin in the Dominican Republic this month and will be available via streaming on Prime Video upon its release.

In the reimagined version, Gyllenhaal will play an ex-UFC fighter who takes a job as a bouncer at a roadhouse in the Florida Keys. McGregor’s role is not specified at this time, but he is expected to play an original character and not himself. Former UFC women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey was originally targeted for a leading role in the remake before the project was shelved.

According to the report, McGregor has turned down multiple Hollywood offers in the past, but he was intrigued by the project after recently watching the original movie. After a production …

Instead of a trilogy against A.J. McKee, Patricio Freire will next defend his featherweight title against Adam Borics in the Bellator 286 main event.

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The Press-Telegram was first to report the booking. McKee won’t be far from the featured proceedings, however, as he will make his 155-pound debut against Spike Carlyle in the co-main event. Sherdog.com subsequently confirmed the bouts with a promotion official. Bellator 286 takes place on Oct. 1 at Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, Calif., and the evening’s main card will air on Showtime.

After losing the 145-pound belt to McKee in a first-round submission loss at Bellator 263 in July 2021, Freire regained the title with a five-round verdict against his rival in the Bellator 277 headliner on April 15. “Pitbull” has won eight of his last nine promotional appearances dating back to 2017.

Borics, meanwhile, earned a unanimous decision against Mads Burnell in a title eliminator bout at Bellator 276…

As expected, Tom Aspinall suffered some pretty severe damage to his knee at UFC London last month.

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Early in his UFC Fight Night 208 headlining bout against Curtis Blaydes, Aspinall stepped awkwardly and crumbled to the canvas in agony, ending the heavyweight fight just 15 seconds after it began. The 29-year-old Englishman revealed the extent of the damage in a post on his Instagram account on Wednesday.

“Today is surgery day. I’m in London right now and I’m absolutely starving because I can’t eat before surgery,” Aspinall said in a video. “I have suffered a torn MCL, a torn meniscus and some ACL damage, so going to get that fixed today.”

Prior to the unfortunate injury, Aspinall established himself as one of the heavyweight division’s top up-and-coming talents with a five-fight Octagon winning streak that included finishes of Alexander Volkov, Sergey Spivak and Andrei Arlovski. The Team Kaobon representative is 12-3 over the course of a pro …

Chris Duncan’s commitment to a never-say-died creed paid massive dividends when it mattered most.

The Scotsman was one of five competitors to book their spots in the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Week 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series, as he battled back from the brink of defeat to knock out Charlie Campbell on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Duncan (9-1) brought their marquee matchup to a shocking conclusion 1:43 into Round 1.

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Campbell (6-2) had “The Problem” on rubbery legs with a series of ringing right uppercuts and seemed to be ticketed for a finish of his own. However, Duncan rose from his knees and connected with a devastating counter right hand. Campbell’s legs folded beneath him as he collapsed backward onto the canvas, his revitalized adversary in hot pursuit. Duncan then separated the Ray Longo disciple from his senses with two brutal follow-up shots on the ground.

Four other winners will join Duncan on the updated UFC roster:…

Sherdog's live DWCS 2022 Week 2 coverage kicks off Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.

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

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Round 1 Smotritsky will make his second appearance on the Contender Series after being submitted by Mike Malott in 39 seconds last season. Goff, meanwhile, is a two-division CES MMA champion on a five-fight winning streak. Mark Smith will oversee the welterweight clash. Goff takes the center early and is throwing out leg kicks. But it’s Smotritsky who floors Goff with a high kick within the bout’s 30 seconds. Smotritsky swarms with ground-and-pound, but Goff is up to his feet. Smotritsky tries another high kick but Goff catches it. Smotritsky is doing well landing kicks and knees, as Goff already has a cut under his eye. A hard body kick smacks home for Smotritsky, but Goff is undeterred. Goff absorbs a knee and shoots for a single leg against the fence. Smotritsky is on a knee and then h…

A women’s flyweight clash pitting Amanda Ribas against Tracy Cortez is in the works for an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Dec. 3.

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ESPN Deportes was first to report the booking. The event does not currently have a location or headliner.

Ribas is coming off a split-decision loss to Katlyn Chookagian in a 125-pound bout at UFC on ESPN 36 on May 14. It was later revealed that the Brazilian suffered a ruptured biceps tendon prior to the fight. Ribas has compiled a 5-2 mark in the Octagon while competing primarily as a strawweight.

A competitor on Season 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series, Cortez has been victorious in her first four appearances within the Las Vegas-based promotion. Most recently, she outpointed Melissa Gatto at UFC 274 on May 7. Cortez has won 10 consecutive outings since losing her professional debut in August 2017.