Martial Arts News

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdzaS1MB9b0&w=560&h=315] About a month out from its 2022 return to its adopted hometown of Uncasville, Conn., Bellator MMA has set its lineup for its first Mohegan Sun show of the year.

The organization sent out via press release the full 14-fight lineup of Bellator 274, which confirmed several rumored matches, adding a few more and changing at least one participant. This event will take place at the famed Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., on Feb. 19, in an event that will air on the Showtime network. Of note, this fight card will be capped off by Bellator’s first non-title, non-tournament five-round headliner when Neiman Gracie takes on Logan Storley in the welterweight division.

Bellator added five new fights to the preliminary card, perhaps most notably with the return of ex-middleweight title challenger Brennan Ward (14-6) after over for years away. The Connecticut local, the subject of a recent feature which chronic…

The lineup for UFC 272 appears to be nearly complete, as the promotion confirmed multiple previously rumored or reported bouts for the March 5 event.

The following bouts are now official for UFC 272: Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Tim Elliott at flyweight, Jalin Turner vs. Jamie Mullarkey at lightweight; Devonte Smith vs. Erick Gonzalez at lightweight; Nicolae Negumereanu vs. Ihor Potieria at light heavyweight and Dustin Jacoby vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk at light heavyeight.

UFC 272 takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight duel between Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington. The main card airs via pay-per-view on ESPN+ beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. The prelims begin on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT and then continue on ESPN and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Dagestan’s Ulanbekov has been victorious in 14 of his 15 professional outings, including a pair of victories in UFC competition. Elliott, meanwhile, is a former flyweight title challen…

After being released by UFC in December 2020, former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos is really motivated to return to combat sports.

Scheduled to face former European boxing champion, Kubrat Pulev, at Triad Combat 2 on Feb. 26 in Houston, “Cigano” praised the promotion’s hybrid rules at a recent press conference held for Brazilian media.

“The rules are even both for MMA and boxing. The ring in the format of a triangle will be beneficial for MMA guys, who like less space to move, which is definitely not my case,” said dos Santos, who is splitting his training between Cuban boxer Pedro Diaz and American Top Team wrestler Steve Mocco. “I think that format makes the fight more interesting. I also liked that they took out the boring part of boxing when fighters clinch, and fight is stopped by the judge. In the Triad we can keep fighting from the clinch, which makes it possible for these two worlds to collide.”

Dos Santos was critical of the performance of …

Getty/UFC

Former Dana White’s Contender Series competitor and four-time UFC veteran Impa Kasanganay has signed a contract to compete for Eagle FC.

MMAFighting.com was first to report the deal. Kasanganay is expected to make his debut with the Khabib Nurmagomedov-led promotion on March 11. An opponent for Kasanganay’s Eagle FC debut is currently unknown.

Kasanganay won a pair of bouts on the Contender Series, besting Kailan Hill and Anthony Adams before receiving a UFC contract. The 28-year-old Sanford MMA representative went 2-2 in the Octagon, most recently losing to Carlston Harris via first-round TKO at UFC Fight Night 192.

The March 11 event is expected to be Eagle FC 46 and is headlined by a 165-pound clash between Kevin Lee and Diego Sanchez.

After a knockout win over Evander Holyfield in an exhibition boxing match last September, Vitor Belfort is scheduled to make his combat sports return against another boxing champ, Chad Dawson, at Triad Combat 2 on Feb. 26 in Houston.

At recent press conference for Brazilian media, Belfort revealed that Oscar De La Hoya was the first opponent option, but “The Golden Boy” refused the bout.

“We were scheduled to fight when [De La Hoya] got sick, and Holyfield accepted the invitation. As soon as the invitation to Triad 2 came, we first tried Oscar, but there was no way to convince him, so we got Dawson,” Belfort said.

Triad MMA features a hybrid of boxing and MMA, but knees, kicks and elbows are not allowed in the fights. According to Belfort, Triad is the first event not to favor either side.

“We are not going to fight boxing with them and they are not coming to take kicks in the face from us,” he said. “And the format of the ring is good for both. They are m…

LONDON STAND UP!!!

We are finally coming back to #UFCLondon on March 19! Register now to get early access to tickets

https://t.co/7GRVaxHxnK pic.twitter.com/EJH3mVQyan — UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) January 19, 2022

For the first time since March 2019, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will hold an event in London.

The promotion announced on Wednesday that it will hold a card at the O2 arena in England’s capital city, with tickets going on sale Feb. 4. It will be the 12th time the Las Vegas-based organization has held an event in London.

“Every time we put on an event in London, it’s an unbelievable experience,” UFC president Dana White said. “The fans are incredible, and the fights are always off the charts. It’s a different kind of energy in England, and I can’t wait to get back there with a fight card on March 19.”

The promotion’s last visit to London occurred on March 16, 2019, where Jorge Masvidal knocked out Darren Til…

PFL Challenger Series kicks off at 205 ⚖

February 18th9 PM ET@fuboTV @fuboSports pic.twitter.com/SxUdlrvyQp

— PFL (@PFLMMA) January 19, 2022 The Professional Fighters League Challenger Series will debut on Feb. 18 with a group of light heavyweights vying to be part of the promotion’s season format.

Following a somewhat similar process to what Dana White’s Contender Series does for the UFC, the PFL Challenger Series will either hand fighters a PFL contract or “set them on a development path with the league in hopes of joining a future season.”

The lineup of 205-pound competitors, announced Wednesday in a release, is as follows: Legacy Fighting Alliance two-division champ Joshua Silveira, German kickboxer Alexander Poppeck, Sudan’s Mohamed Juma, Bellator veteran Taylor Johnson, undefeated British prospect Simeon Powell, Brazilian veteran Bruce Souto and Joao Paulo Fagundes.

Eight fighters will be selected over an eight-week span t…

Greg Hardy will square off against Sergey Spivak at UFC 272, promotion officials recently announced.

Hardy was initially slated to face Alexey Oleynik at UFC 270 this Saturday, before Spivak stepped in as a replacement for Oleynik. Shortly thereafter, a gruesome finger injury forced Hardy to withdraw from the card altogether.

UFC 272 takes place on March 5 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight grudge match pitting Colby Covington against Jorge Masvidal.

A former NFL Pro Bowler, Hardy is coming off back-to-back KO/TKO defeats inside the Octagon. Most recently, he suffered a 67-second knockout defeat at the hands of Tai Tuivasa at UFC 264 on July 10, which came on the heels of a second-round stoppage defeat to Marchin Tybura at UFC Fight Night 183. The “Prince of War” is 4-4 with one no contest during his tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Spivak, meanwhile, saw a three-bout winning streak come to an end at UFC Fight…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

The Nevada State Athletic Commission on Tuesday handed out sanctions to UFC fighters Carlos Felipe and Zviad Lazishvili for failed drug tests in relation to their respective bouts.

Felipe tested positive for the anabolic agent Boldenone and its metabolites in relation to a unanimous decision loss to Andrei Arlovski at UFC Fight Night 195 on Oct. 16. As a result, he was fined 15% of his $28,000 purse, which amounts to $4,200 -- as well as $489 in attorney’s fees. Felipe was also suspended 18 months, meaning he is eligible to return on April 16, 2023.

Felipe’s attorney told MMAFighting.com that the heavyweight denies using a banned substance but agreed to the sanctions because he doesn’t want to pay what could amount to more than $10,000 for defense fees and additional testing.

Meanwhile, Lazishvili was suspended for nine months after testing positive for the estrogen blocker clomiphene in relation to his Octagon debut against…

There have been a few updates to the Bellator 274 lineup ahead of the Feb. 19 event.

After a scheduled main card bout between Keri Melendez and Veta Arteaga fell through for undisclosed reasons, a flyweight tilt pitting DeAnna Bennett against Justine Kish has been added to the evening’s featured lineup. Sherdog.com confirmed the changes with a promotion official following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com.

Additionally, promotion officials informed Sherdog.com that a light heavyweight showdown between Christian Edwards and Kevin Haley has been added to the preliminary draw, and a featherweight scrap between Georgi Karakhanyan and Adam Piccolotti has been elevated to the main card.

Bellator 274 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and is headlined by a welterweight clash between Neiman Gracie and Logan Storley. The main card airs on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on the Bellator YouTube channel, the Showtime Sports Yo…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has updated its COVID-19 policy ahead of Saturday’s pay-per-view card.

According to a memo obtained by MMAjunkie.com, athletes and corners participating at UFC 270 who are vaccinated will not be required to quarantine or test other than a pre-departure PCR or antigen test. A proof of vaccination will be required, and fighters and their teams will be reimbursed for the cost of any tests prior to their arrival at the event.

UFC 270 takes place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Saturday. The policy has been approved by the California State Athletic Commission and is similar to one utilized by Bellator MMA during recent events held in the state, according to the report.

Meanwhile, unvaccinated parties will be required to test upon arrival and again on Thursday of fight week, unless they arrive on Thursday or later — in which case they will only need to test once. Quarantining is required until the initial test comes back …

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

A welterweight showdown pitting Miguel Baeza against Dhiego Lima is set for a UFC card on April 16.

Both fighters confirmed the booking on social media following an initial report from Best Fight Picks. UFC Fight Night does not have a location or headliner at this time.

An alum of Dana White’s Contender Series, Baeza has lost two straight in the Octagon after beginning his promotional tenure with three consecutive finishes. During his current skid, the MMA Masters representative dropped an entertaining three-round verdict to Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC Fight Night 189 last June before suffering a third-round TKO defeat at the hands of Kalinn Williams at UFC Fight Night 197 on Nov. 13.

Lima is also on a two-bout losing streak after falling to Belal Muhammad and Matt Brown in a pair of 2021 UFC appearances. Prior to that, the two-time “Ultimate Fighter” cast member authored a three-fight wi…