Martial Arts News

Cub Swanson knows he has the ideal opportunity to ride off into the sunset on a high note — but he isn’t closing the door on his mixed martial arts career just yet.

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The 41-year-old WEC veteran authored a memorable performance in the UFC Tampa co-main event on Saturday night, as he knocked out hometown favorite Billy Quarantillo at the 1:36 mark of Round 3 following a back-and-forth battle that garnered “Fight of the Night” honors. In his post-fight interview, Swanson revealed that he had told his wife beforehand that “this might be the last one.” However, he also acknowledges that the fighting itch won’t go away completely.

“I’m always going to be tempted. We’ll see how I heal up,” Swanson said at the post-fight press conference. “I’ve got three little kids that are getting a little bit older now and definitely want my attention more. I’ve got a bunch of fighters, my Team Bloodline, my guys I manage and coach. I put a lot of effort into them and t…

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Dana White is supremely confident that Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall will square off in the Octagon, so much so that he is willing to guarantee the heavyweight title fight happens at some point next year.

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“Yeah, I’ll say 100 percent [guaranteed],” White said at the UFC Tampa post-fight press conference on Saturday night.

Aspinall recently revealed that he had a conversation with the UFC CEO at UFC 309, where White assured him that he would get his desired showdown with Jones sometime down the road.

Jones returned to action in the UFC 309 headliner, where he dispatched Stipe Miocic via third-round technical knockout in the evening’s main event at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 16. It was a fight that Jones insisted on keeping intact even after Aspinall become the promotion’s interim heavyweight king and defended the strap over the course of the past year while the New Mexico resident healed from a pectoral injury. In the aftermath…

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Jan Blachowicz is attending a secret training camp for his upcoming fight.

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Blachowicz is scheduled to fight Carlos Ulberg at UFC Fight Night 255 at the O2 Arena in London on Feb. 22. While the former light heavyweight champ primarily has a striking-heavy game, Blachowicz won’t hesitate to use his wrestling if needed. Although Blachowicz will be returning to the Octagon after a hiatus of more than a year and a half, the matchup against Ulberg could be a potential title eliminator. And the Polish powerhouse plans to focus on rallying for a title shot if he gets his hand raised.

“He [is a] standup fighter, I am standup fighter,” Blachowicz recently told James Lynch. “But you know, if I have to go use my wrestling, I will go and do it. It’s MMA, so… But I like fighting standup so for sure people are gonna see a lot of punches…I would like to win before time… I think if I win this fight in a good way, anyway I will start talking only a…

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿⚔️ Aljamain Sterling is looking to fight Brian Ortega or return in March on the UK card and fight Arnold Allen.

🎥 @Home_of_Fight pic.twitter.com/Rraprn2Ux2

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) December 14, 2024

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Aljamain Sterling is aiming up the rankings despite a recent loss.

Sterling took on undefeated featherweight contender Movsar Evloev on the prelims at UFC 310 earlier this month. While “Funkmaster” dropped a unanimous decision against Evloev, the Russian arguably faced his toughest test to date.

Sterling isn’t even considering it a complete loss based on his performance. The former bantamweight champ doesn’t think he deserves to fight down the rankings after splitting his first two 145-pound appearances.

Sterling recently called out Arnold Allen, which would ideally go down at the O2 Arena for the UFC’s return to London on March 22. Sterling is otherwise eyeing former title challenger Brian Ortega …

CUB SWANSON WITH THE WALK-OFF K.O. 💥 #UFCTampa pic.twitter.com/21HA1szYbt

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 15, 2024

Cub Swanson and Billy Quarantillo put on a show for the folks in Tampa on Saturday night.

As a result, the featherweight combatants took home “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their co-main event clash at UFC Tampa. Both fighters had their moments in a back-and-forth affair, but it was Swanson who put a lasting stamp on the bout when he rendered Quarantillo unconscious with a right cross 1:36 into Round 3.

Meanwhile, Dustin Jacoby earned a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for his knockout of Vitor Petrino in a featured light heavyweight affair. After a measured opening 10 minutes, Jacoby found his desired opening in the final frame, when he dropped his Brazilian foe with a right cross and sealed his victory with a few follow-up shots at the 3:44 mark of the period.

Finally, Michael Johnson …

Bantamweight bully Lewis McGrillen-Evans (10-1) could be one of the most exciting additions to the Professional Fighters League Global roster next season after the Manchester native won the organization’s European bantamweight title with an outstanding second-round TKO over Alexander Luster at the PFL Europe 2024 Finals in Lyon, France.

McGrillen opened the fight very strong, dropping the German with a left hook, but Luster wouldn’t go away quietly. Luster shook off the cobwebs and cut McGrillen over his eye with his own heavy shots, and just like that, it was on. The two warriors slugged it out until the Manchester Top Team standout put Luster (9-2) flat on his back with another picture-perfect left hook. It would only take a few more finishing blows to cap off the performance. At 24, McGrillen–Evans could be a rising star in the PFL. Last season, he was stopped short of PFL Europe glory, but he redeemed himself on Saturday with an unforgettable performance.

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Pools of blood on the Octagon floor provided proof of Joaquin Buckley’s dominance.

“New Mansa” moved ever closer to title contention in the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight division, as he stopped Colby Covington on a cut in the third round of their UFC on ESPN 63 main event on Saturday at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Referee Dan Miragliotta waved it off on the advice of the cageside physician 4:42 into Round 3.

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A late replacement for Ian Garry, Covington (17-5, 12-5 UFC) encountered immediate difficulty. Buckley (21-6, 11-4 UFC) hacked open a cut on his right eyelid with a slashing uppercut in the first round and turned up the heat from there. Power punching combinations paired with excellent takedown defense paved the way to the most significant victory of his career. The wound grew in size and depth as the minutes passed, and Covington was warned after the second round that the fight was on the verge of being halted. Buckley continu…

Michael Johnson still has more than enough firepower to make noise in the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight division.

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 12 finalist punched out former Brave Combat Federation champion Ottman Azaitar in the second round of their featured UFC on ESPN 63 prelim on Saturday at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. In his first appearance since July 15, 2023, Azaitar (13-3, 2-3 UFC) crashed and burned 2:03 into Round 2.

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A tepid and mostly uneventful first five minutes gave way to a highlight-reel finish for one of the UFC’s most seasoned competitors. Azaitar set off a wild exchange in the center of the cage, showing no regard for his own safety. Johnson (23-19, 15-15 UFC) ducked out of danger and cut loose with a crushing right hook on the counter. Azaitar was out before he hit the mat, where he was met with a few more punches before referee Jason Herzog could cordon off the scene.

Meanwhile, Bandog Fight Club star Joel …

Professional Fighters League will conclude its historic year with the PFL Europe 2024 Finals in Lyon, France. Sherdog’s live coverage will kick off with the first bout at 11 a.m. ET. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round: The Official Result PFL Europe Welterweight Showcase Bout:Brice Belghazi (167.5) vs. Eoin Sheridan (170.8) Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:The Offici…

Sherdog's live UFC on ESPN 63 coverage will begin Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. The event is also known UFC Tampa. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Knutsson (-230), Rodriguez (+190)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Taveras (-130), Grant (+110)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian K…

#UFCSaudiArabia is back with a BANG 💥@Stylebender vs @Imavov1 @Shara_Bullet77 vs @MichaelPage247

[ #RiyadhSeason | @RiyadhSeason ] pic.twitter.com/wCKv38qCmg

— UFC (@ufc) December 14, 2024

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A middleweight showdown pitting Israel Adesanya against Nassourdine Imavov will serve as the headliner for UFC Saudi Arabia on Feb. 1.

Additionally, Michael Page will square off against Sharabutdin Magomedov in another middleweight clash in the co-main event. UFC CEO Dana White announced the bouts on Saturday. UFC Fight Night 250 takes place at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and also includes a heavyweight tilt between Sergei Pavlovich and Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

Adesanya will be competing in his first non-title fight since he bested Anderson Silva at UFC 234 on Feb. 9, 2019. “The Last Stylebender” has lost three of his last four Octagon appearances and is coming off a fourth-round submission defeat against Dricus Du Pless…

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Tom Aspinall (15-3) claims he has been guaranteed a fight against Jon Jones (28-1).

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Jones was originally scheduled to defend his title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 in November 2023 before being forced out with an injury. Tom Aspinall went on to knock out Sergei Pavlovich in an interim title fight on the same card.

With no timeline in sight for Jones’ return at that point, Aspinall initially called for “Bones” to be stripped off the title. The Brit later changed tune and started calling for a title unifier upon Jones’ return. However, Jones remained adamant on preserving his matchup against Miocic, whom he defeated via third-round stoppage at UFC 309 last month.

Despite Aspinall having even defended his title against Curtis Blaydes in the meantime, Jones is still loathe to fight the interim champ. While Jones was teasing retirement leading up to UFC 309, he is now plotting a mega fight against former champ Alex Pereira . Jon…