Martial Arts News

Karolina Kowalkiewicz was overcome with emotion after earning her first finish in the UFC 😤 #UFCVegas56 pic.twitter.com/FvdpCjdrda

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 4, 2022

Karolina Kowalkiewicz is back in the win column for the first time in four years.

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The former strawweight title challenger snapped a five-bout skid at UFC Fight Night 207, as she submitted Felice Herrig with a rear-naked choke 4:01 into Round 2 of their preliminary clash at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday. Herrig has lost four straight fights and falls to 0-2 against Kowalkiewicz.

Looking sharper than she has in years, Kowalkiewicz (13-7, 6-7 UFC) attacked her foe with crisp punching combinations, close quarter elbows and knees in an impressive opening stanza. She shifted gears in Round 2, when she stuffed a Herrig (14-9, 5-5 UFC) takedown, assumed top position and transitioned to her opponent’s back. From there, the former KSW champion alternated …

The Legacy Fighting Alliance featherweight title was on the line at LFA 133 but only Michael Stack was eligible to win it after Jose Mauro do Amaral Delano missed weight by five pounds.

The title fight saw an aggressive start from Stack (7-1), who didn't mind taking punches to close the gap against Delano (10-2). While Stack was able to repeatedly clinch with Delano, the American was unable to get any meaningful takedowns in the opening rounds. Delano would come close to submitting the wrestler with a guillotine choke in Round 3, but Stack would be saved by the bell. The Brazilian would get a takedown of his own in a dominant Round 4 and cruise through Round 5. After five rounds, the LFA featherweight title stayed vacant after Delano took a decision with scores of 50-45, 49-46 and 50-45 in the Brazilian's favor.

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The co-main event saw Haris Talundzic record the first blemish on the record of Bahatebole Batebolati. It was a competitive, back-and-fort…

Fight announcement for RIZIN.36

Kai Asakura vs. Ji Yong Yang#RIZIN #RIZIN36 pic.twitter.com/YxLR471cjT

— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) June 1, 2022 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC Fight Night 207 "Volkov vs. Rozenstruik" live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

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Rizin Fighting Federation is putting a little more into its sophomore trip to the Japanese island of Okinawa.

On Wednesday, the promotion released the lion’s share of its 13-bout Rizin 36 lineup on Twitter, one that includes 11 MMA matches and two under kickboxing rules. On Friday, via press release, Rizin confirmed the fights, made official the bout order and provided a statement from the head of the company. The event will be held inside the Okinawa Arena in Okinawa, Japan, on July 2. According to the press release, the broadcast will only be available with Japanese commentary and texts…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC Fight Night 207 "Volkov vs. Rozenstruik" live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

The gloves are coming off for former Ultimate Fighting Championship title challenger John Dodson.

Bare Knuckle FC posted on social media on Friday that the bare-knuckle boxing league had signed ex-UFC mainstay Dodson to a contract. Dodson moved on from the UFC in 2020, competing twice more in MMA in 2021 and 2022. This contract, which is not necessarily exclusive, will put Dodson in the “squared circle” for BKFC later this year with an undetermined opponent. His debut has been announced for the Aug. 27 event in his hometown of Albuquerque, N.M. Of note, BKFC also recently signed former Dodson foe Jimmie Rivera.

“The Magician” left the confines of the UFC after going 1-3 in his last four from 2018 to 2020, and he departed for the XMMA organization. A bantamweight pairing with former…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC Fight Night 207 "Volkov vs. Rozenstruik" live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

One of these talented Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweights may be in shouting distance of a title shot with a win in this matchup.

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Back in May, Instagram account MMA Fight Universe first posted of the renewed flyweight encounter between Alexa Grasso (14-3) and Viviane Araujo (11-3). The fight was initially set for UFC 270, but Araujo withdrew from the pairing due to an injury. Grasso has since confirmed the newly remade bout on Thursday on her Instagram Stories. They will come to blows at a currently unnamed UFC Fight Night event on Aug. 13, one that will likely go down inside of the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Grasso is currently riding the longest win streak of her UFC career, having claimed a pair of decisions over Ji Yeon Kim and Maycee Barber in 2020 and 2021, re…

🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨 Reigning king Adriano Moraes and MMA GOAT Demetrious Johnson run it back for the ONE Flyweight World Title at ONE 161! @adrianomkmoraes @MightyMouse#ONE161 | August 27 pic.twitter.com/GALrs8WQh7

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) June 3, 2022 One Championship is putting its best foot forward for its debut on the Amazon streaming service.

On Friday, Ariel Helwani first broke the news that the first One event on Amazon Prime will take place on Aug. 26, locally on Aug. 27. The event, titled One 161, will be held inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium like all other recent One cards, but it will air live for U.S.-based audiences. As subsequently announced by One, the headliner will come in a rematch at 135 pounds, when Adriano Moraes (20-3) puts his belt on the line against Demetrious Johnson (30-4-1). No other bouts have yet been announced.

Since becoming the first fighter to finish the man known as “Mighty Mouse” – Moraes…

A clash of titans awaits 💢@AlexDragoVolkov vs @JairRozenstruik is set for tomorrow’s main event 🍿

[ #UFCVegas56 | TOMORROW | Prelims 1 pm ET | Main Card 4pm ET | LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/6XUowurovI

— UFC (@ufc) June 3, 2022 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC Fight Night 207 "Volkov vs. Rozenstruik" live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

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After a rare week off, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to the UFC Apex with UFC Fight Night 207.

The 14-fight card is headlined by a heavyweight showdown between Alexander Volkov and Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Both headliners had no issue coming in below the 265-pound limit, and all fighters on the card successfully made weight.

This is the seventh UFC main event for Volkov (34-10), who is looking to rebound from a 1-2 stretch that saw him lose to both Ciryl Gane and Tom Aspinall. The Russian…

Tawanchai PK.Saenchai 🇹🇭 wins a ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Title shot, finishing Niclas Larsen with a LETHAL left cross!#ONE158 | #ONEChampionship | https://t.co/eBUfsODAFL pic.twitter.com/kribA78sfQ

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) June 3, 2022 One Championship’s latest event ended with not one but two spectacular knockouts at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore.

The One 158 main event showcased a muay Thai clash between Tawanchai PK.Saenchai and promotional newcomer Niclas Larsen. Tawanchai proved that his new weight division didn’t affect his usual speed and accuracy. In the early going, the Thai fighter demonstrated his polished technique, dropping Larsen in the first 30 seconds. The Danish contestant survived the referee’s count, but it was fairly clear that he couldn’t match his opponent’s offensive arsenal. In the second period, Tawanchai found his rhythm and scored with a variety of punches, while mixing in occasional…

And we’re back 💥 https://t.co/WYnMHrYkxu

— Shane Burgos (@HurricaneShaneB) June 2, 2022 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC Fight Night 207 "Volkov vs. Rozenstruik" live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is making sure that its next foray on the ABC network will be one to remember.

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On Thursday, a trio of matchups were confirmed or updated for UFC on ABC 3, with one fighter getting signed as a replacement while two additional fights were set on the lineup. The July 16 event in Elmont, N.Y., initially had a preliminary strawweight contest between Jessica Penne (14-5) and Brianna Fortino, but the latter had to withdraw from the contest. Per MMA Junkie on Thursday morning, in her stead is ex-Invicta Fighting Championships champ Emily Ducote, who successfully defended her title in that organization earlier in May. Ducote c…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfxT7qCvoH8&w=560&h=315]

Combate Global strawweight champion Melissa Martinez has signed with the UFC and will make her debut against Hannah Cifers on Sept. 10.

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The 115-pound pairing was initially reported by Lichald Scott. The UFC Fight Night event does not yet have a location or headliner.

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC Fight Night 207 "Volkov vs. Rozenstruik" live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

“Super Melly” will enter her Octagon debut with a 7-0 professional mark, with all but one of those victories coming under the Combate Global banner. It will be the first appearance since December 2019 for the Mexico City native, who claimed 115-pound gold with a decision win over Desiree Yanez on the Tito Ortiz-Alberto Rodriguez undercard.

Cifers, meanwhile, is 2-5 in the UFC. She is currently in the midst of a four-bout skid, wh…

A return to active competition in combat sports of any kind won’t be in the cards for Ryan Hall this year.

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The Brazilian jiu-jitsu standout revealed that he recently underwent surgery for a torn ACL, knocking him out of an Aug. 13 bout and keeping him out of action for the rest of 2022 entirely.

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC Fight Night 207 "Volkov vs. Rozenstruik" live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

“6th surgery in 14 months today,” Hall wrote on Instagram. “Not sure who has my voodoo doll, but if they could stop stabbing it, I would really appreciate that…

“Had just agreed to a fight on August 13th, but a bit of bad luck in training resulted in a complete tear of my ACL. Started the year really hoping to fight a bunch in 2022, as well as compete at ADCC, but with the recovery being what it is, that won’t be in the cards.

“I’m very grateful to have the best gr…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship will return to ABC later this summer.

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The Las Vegas-based promotion announced that the main card for its July 16 event will air on ABC and ESPN+ at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT. UFC Fight Night takes place at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y., and is headlined by a featherweight showdown pitting Brian Ortega against Yair Rodriguez. The rest of the bout order for UFC on ABC 3 is currently unknown.

This marks the third time a UFC card has aired on ABC. Previously, UFC on ABC 1 in January 2021 saw Max Holloway put a “Beatdown of the Year”-winning performance against Calvin Kattar, while UFC on ABC 2 in April 2021 was headlined by Marvin Vettori’s unanimous decision triumph against Kevin Holland.

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC Fight Night 207 "Volkov vs. Rozenstruik" live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

Ortega is coming off a unanimous decision lo…