Martial Arts News

Francis Ngannou was well aware off the risks he faced defending his heavyweight title at UFC 270, and he went through with the fight anyway.

Following his unanimous decision win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270, Ngannou revealed to media at the post-fight press conference that he competing with a torn MCL and other damage to his knee suffered prior to the event.

“It was pretty bad,” Ngannou said. “I have a grade 3 MCL (tear), I have damage on my ACL and damage on my MPFL. That was 25 days ago. I think [I’ll need surgery].”

It was a different style of fight for Ngannou at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Saturday night, as he relied on takedowns and top position to wear down his former MMA Factory training partner over the second half of the bout. “The Predator” said he was warned by doctors not to compete, but he elected to take the risk – even on the last fight of his UFC contract.

“My team was by my side regardless of whatever I decided to do, that’s wh…

Francis Ngannou was well aware off the risks he faced defending his heavyweight title at UFC 270, and he went through with the fight anyway.

Following his unanimous decision win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270, Ngannou revealed to media at the post-fight press conference that he competing with a torn MCL and other damage to his knee suffered prior to the event.

“It was pretty bad,” Ngannou said. “I have a grade 3 MCL (tear), I have damage on my ACL and damage on my MPFL. That was 25 days ago. I think [I’ll need surgery].”

It was a different style of fight for Ngannou at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Saturday night, as he relied on takedowns and top position to wear down his former MMA Factory training partner over the second half of the bout. “The Predator” said he was warned by doctors not to compete, but he elected to take the risk – even on the last fight of his UFC contract.

“My team was by my side regardless of whatever I decided to do, that’s wh…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. The Ultimate Fighting Championship card on May 14 is already getting stacked with flyweights. Per a report from MMA Junkie on Friday, top-10 flyweights Viviane Araujo (10-3) and Andrea Lee (13-5) have agreed to square off at the May 14 UFC Fight Night event. There is no official location on the books for this fight card yet, and the only other matchup booked for it is another 125-pound battle between ex-title challenger Lauren Murphy and former bantamweight queen Miesha Tate. This pairing has since been confirmed by Lee on social media.

Araujo crashed into the UFC with a trio of stoppages, including two under the Pancrase banner, and proceeded to knock Talita Bernardo in her promotional debut in 2019 up at bantamweight. “Vivi” dropped down to flyweight aga…

A pair of intriguing matchups have been booked for UFC London, as Arnold Allen will take on Dan Hooker at featherweight, while Gunnar Nelson will face Claudio Silva at welterweight.

Promotion officials announced Allen vs. Hooker, while multiple outlets confirmed Nelson vs. Silva following an initial report via Twitter. UFC Fight Night 204 takes place at the O2 Arena in London and is headlined by a heavyweight tilt pitting Alexander Volkov against Tom Aspinall.

The 28-year-old Allen has won his last 10 professional outings — including eight in UFC competition. The Englishman known as “Almighty” fought once in 2021, earning a unanimous decision over Sodiq Yusuff at UFC on ABC 2 last April. His ledger also includes wins over the likes of Nik Lentz, Gilbert Melendez and Makwan Amirkhani.

Hooker will return to 145 pounds for the first time since November 2016, when he dropped a unanimous decision to Jason Knight at UFC Fight Night 101. “The Hangman” went 3-3 in six …

The Jordanian Lion is looking for a new Challenge

He’ll fight for his spot in the PFL Regular Season

@DesertForce pic.twitter.com/oD417SDFuA — PFL (@PFLMMA) January 21, 2022

The lineups for the first two Professional Fighters League Challengers Series events are now official.

Promotion officials announced the matchups for the cards on Monday. The first Challenger Series event features light heavyweights on Feb. 18 and is headlined by a clash between two-division Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Joshua Silveira and Mohamed Juma.

The remaining 205-pound pairings are as follows: Alexander Poppeck vs. Taylor Johnson; Joao Paulo Fagundes vs. Bruce Souto and Simeon Powell vs. Karl Williams.

Meanwhile, the following week will highlight welterweight athletes with a card topped by a showdown between Brave Combat Federation champion Jarrah Al-Silawi and Michael Lilly. Additional matchups for the Feb. 25 card include: Dilano Taylo…

The third meeting between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno almost didn’t happen.

Due to a knee injury suffered by Alexandre Pantoja, Figueiredo was able to step in for a trilogy and made the most of his opportunity, edging Moreno via unanimous decision in a thrilling five-round affair in the UFC 270 co-main event. While the Brazilian mentioned a fourth bout with Moreno in the Octagon during his post-fight interview, he struck a different chord at Saturday’s post-fight press conference.

“Brandon didn’t give me the chance to fight him again,” the Figueiredo said. “He didn’t want to, except Pantoja got hurt. That’s why the UFC gave him the fight. If he behaves well for the next couple months, we’ll figure this out.”

While Figueiredo was outlanded in significant strikes by Moreno, “Deus da Guerra” connected with more authority in the bout, including three knockdowns. Two of those came in the third round, when Moreno may have been saved by the horn.

“If i…

Dana White was conspicious by his absence following Francis Ngannou’s championship victory over Ciryl Gane in the UFC 270 headliner at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Saturday night.

Normally, the UFC president is in the Octagon to wrap the belt around the winner’s waist for championship bouts, and he was present in the cage for Deiveson Figueiredo’s victory in the UFC 270 co-main event earlier in the evening. However, White’s absence from Ngannou’s celebration and from Saturday’s post-fight press conference could be telling, as Ngannou and the promotion have been at odds in recent months.

“I don’t know. You have to ask him,” Ngannou said regarding White’s absence. “No, I did not have anything to do about that. I think that was their decision. I’m about to ask about that, too.”

Ngannou’s contract issues with the company have been well-documented, and he failed to come to terms with the organization prior to earning a unanimous decision over Gane at UFC 2…

Alexandre Pantoja has newly-crowned flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo directly in his crosshairs.

Shortly after the announcement that a light heavyweight title bout between Glover Teixeira and Jiri Prochazka was set for UFC 274 — a card that is rumored to take place in Rio de Janeiro — Pantoja proposed a rematch with Figueiredo in their home country. Figueiredo defeated Brandon Moreno via unanimous decision in their championship trilogy at UFC 270 on Saturday night.

"I was supposed to fight Moreno at UFC 270, but due to a knee problem I had to leave the card and give that opportunity to Figueiredo bring the belt back to Brazil, so nothing would be more fair than for him to make his first defense against myself in our country and my city,” Pantoja told Sherdog.com. “I can guarantee that in a rematch he will see a totally different Pantoja. In my city, I don’t see Deiveson keeping that title.”

Pantoja initially faced Figueiredo at UFC 240, falling to his…

Former UFC and Bellator fighter Maiquel Falcao died after being stabbed 17 times early Sunday morning in his hometown of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil.

Falcao was found by the Military Brigade lying on the sidewalk, surrounded by broken bottles, in front of a beverage distributor located on Major Francisco Nunes de Souza Street. Falcao was still alive when he was transported by ambulance to the Pelotas emergency room, where he was intubated and ultimately died as a result of his injuries. Local police are investigating the crime.

Falcao was 40 years old. He compiled a 40-20 mark in his MA career, with his most recent appearance coming in a first-round technical knockout loss to Nemanja Uveric at Serbian Battle Championship 36 on Oct. 16, 2021.

The Brazilian known as “Big Rig” had a well-traveled professional tenure. His lone Octagon appearance came in 2010, when he outpointed Gerald Harris at UFC 123. However, he was released by the promotion due to i…

.@UFC International Fight Week returns to Las Vegas from June 27 – July 3

— UFC News (@UFCNews) January 23, 2022

UFC 276 will be the featured attraction of the promotion’s 10th annual International Fight Week this summer.

The promotion announced the news during the UFC 270 broadcast on Saturday night. UFC 276 will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 2, while International Fight Week as a whole will run from June 27 to July 3.

“We’re excited to announce the return of UFC International Fight Week to Las Vegas this summer and we can’t wait to provide our fans with greater access, a wide variety of activations and more memorable experiences than ever before,” UFC chief operating Ooficer Ike Lawrence Epstein said in a release. “IFW is our annual event celebrating all things UFC and combat sports, and we couldn’t do it without our partners from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA).”

The week will includ…

Francis Ngannou was the top earner from Saturday’s UFC 270 card, according to salary figures released by the California State Athletic Commission.

Ngannou garnered a $600,000 payday for his five-round verdict against Ciryl Gane ($500,000) in the evening’s main event at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. With the victory, Ngannou successfully defended the heavyweight belt for the first time.

Meanwhile, Deiveson Figueiredo took home $150,000 for his decision win against Brandon Moreno in their flyweight championship trilogy in the evening’s co-main event. Moreno earned $200,000 in defeat.

Michel Pereira was the card’s only other six-figure earner, as he took home a $100,000 disclosed payday for a three-round verdict over Andre Fialho ($12,000) a featured welterweight contest.

Note: The disclosed purses reported by state athletic commissions do not include any performance-based or discretionary bonuses that may be awarded to a fighter by the promotion. Addit…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 270 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. The first pay-per-view event for the Ultimate Fighting Championship of 2022 is in the books and it was loaded with stellar performances. While the UFC 270 main event between heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane might not have been the barn-burner many had hoped for, the co-feature between defending flyweight champion Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figuieredo was a virtually-perfect third jewel to their amazing trilogy of wars.

Figuieredo was rocked a few times over the course of five grueling rounds with Moreno, but the Brazilian never wavered in his quest regain the title he lost to “The Assassin Baby” last June at UFC 263. Moreno was on point early and often, but Figuieredo kept coming until he dropped the fan favorite with a hard right to the jaw late in the third. The two closed out the championship rounds going t…