Martial Arts News

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 271 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to Houston on Saturday with a pay-per-view card anchored by the UFC middleweight championship fight between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker. However, as intriguing as the main event was, it paled in comparison to their initial meeting and four other fighters on the UFC 271 card racked up post-fight bonuses. The usual Fight of the Night and two Performance of the Night bonuses were handed out and they were well deserved.

Douglas Silva de Andrade and Sergey Morozov captured $50K each for their excellent skirmish that led to their winning the FOTN. De Andrade was rattled badly early on in their bantamweight tussle when he swallowed an uppercut, knee and elbows early. Morozov had the Brazilian battered and bloodied, but de Andrade rallied in the second frame and dropped his foe with s…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 271 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Israel Adesanya took a far different route to win his return date with Robert Whittaker. The City Kickboxing stalwart outdueled his rival over five-closely contested rounds to retain his middleweight crown in the UFC 271 headliner at the Toyota Center in Houston on Saturday night. All three cageside judges struck tallies for Adesanya: 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46. It was a far cry from their first meeting, when Adesanya claimed the 185-pound title with a second-round KO of Whittaker at UFC 243 in October 2019.

“I knew he was gonna bring everything because last time I took everything away from him,” Adesanya said. “And he had nothing to lose. Like I said, I’m the champ. If you want it, come get it.”

Adesanya (22-1, 11-1 UFC) was at his best in the opening round, when he repeatedly chopped away at Whittaker’s leg with low kicks a…

43 and still going strong 💪

[ @AndreiArlovski | #UFC271 ] pic.twitter.com/rZEWfZoqsG

— UFC (@ufc) February 13, 2022 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 271 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. There seems to be no expiration date on Andrei Arlovski’s mixed martial arts career.

The former heavyweight king won for the fifth time in six outings at UFC 271, taking a split decision over Dana White’s Contender Series vet Jared Vanderaa in a preliminary bout at the Toyota Center in Houston on Saturday night. Judges Jeff Rexroad and Douglas Crosby scored the fight 29-28 for the Belarusian, while Robert Alexander had it 29-28 in favor of Vanderaa (12-7, 1-3 UFC).

The 43-year-old Arlovski (33-20, 22-14 , 1 NC UFC) relied on the formula that has brought him consistent success at this stage of his professional tenure. He utilized superior hand speed and movement to keep the…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 271 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Sherdog's live UFC 271 “Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2” coverage will begin Saturday at 6 p.m. ET. Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. Round 1 For the second time this year, the UFC is asking American fans to shell out $75 in order to purchase the pay-per-view, and fans will get five fights plus nine prelims to hopefully whet their voracious appetites. We begin the UFC 271 festivities in Houston with an unexpected heavyweight contest, as late replacement Knight (11-2, 3-1 UFC) tried and failed to cut 36 pounds in two weeks before facing ex-heavyweight Grishin (31-9-2, 1-2 UFC). Missing the mark by 12 pounds and receiving a startling 40% fine for his efforts, Knight will try to revert to his knockout-centric ways and will have some extra weight in his favor. Drawing the first assignme…

Jussier Formiga chokes Felipe Bunes unconscious in the main event of LFA 124. Not sure what the ref was waiting for. pic.twitter.com/tMWQEPwhSp

— Will (@ChillemDafoe) February 12, 2022 Jussier Formiga fought for the first time since being released by the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the main event of LFA 124.

Formiga (24-8) faced off against another Legacy Fighting Alliance newcomer in Felipe Bunes. Originally meant to be a flyweight bout, it was moved to a 139-pound catchweight after Formiga massively missed weight for the three-round fight.

The first frame primarily took place on the feet with neither fighter breaking away, although Formiga briefly took the back of Bunes (11-6). However, Round 2 was a different story as the Brazilian grappler took down Bunes and locked in a tight rear-naked choke that forced Bunes to tap. The finish came at 1:53 of the second frame and is Formiga's first win since 2019.

In the co-main event, ligh…

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. Editor's note: The article has been updated at 3 p.m. ET on Feb. 11, adding that UFC Fight Night 201 has received a new main event. The battle for the best Rafael in the Ultimate Fighting Championship will have to wait an extra month.

On Friday, Ariel Helwani reported that the UFC Fight Night 201 main event of Rafael dos Anjos (30-13) vs. Rafael Fiziev (11-1) was in jeopardy due to visa issues for Fiziev. As a result, the two lightweights will no longer be squaring off on Feb. 19 in the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Instead, the fight has been pushed to UFC 272 on March 5. Later confirmed by ESPN, dos Anjos and Fiziev will throw down as the co-main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and their fight will remain a five-round contest. Johnny Walker vs. Jamahal Hill will draw the new headlining assignment of UFC Fight Night 201, acc…

No one worked harder at the most recent One Championship card than referee Olivier Coste, who drew the assignment for every match of the night.

BOOM Anatoly Malykhin knocks out Kirill Grishenko with a looping right hook to become the ONE Interim Heavyweight World Champion! #ONEBadBlood #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/ZxCmPd5ZYG

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) February 11, 2022 The One: ‘Bad Blood‘ main event saw Anatoliy Malykhin taking on Kirill Grishenko with the One interim heavyweight championship on the line. The interim belt situation arose following some failed contractual negotiations between the Singapore-based promotion and titleholder Arjan Singh Bhullar. Malykhin (10-0, 3-0 One) used his wrestling background to keep his opponent guessing for the first half of the opening round, as Grishenko (5-1, 2-1 One) stayed light on his feet and landed from afar. Midway through the stanza, Malykhin landed a big takedown that al…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAv3rlZKB4s&w=640&h=360] Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 271 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. The Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title will be on the line at UFC 271, as both Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker weighed 184 pounds for the highly-anticipated rematch. While the headliners were professional, not every fighter on the then-15-fight card managed to come in at their contracted weight or even close to it. William Knight missed the light heavyweight limit by a whopping 12 pounds, he received a 40% fine of his purse and his bout against Maxim Grishin was shifted to heavyweight as a result. Additionally, Alex Perez came in two pounds heavy for his flyweight bout against Matt Schnell, and that fight has been canceled.

This is the fourth attempted title defense for Adesanya (21-1), who picked up the belt in 2019 by knocking out Whittaker (…

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. Ohio-based Ultimate Fighting Championship fans will not have to wait any longer to learn the headliner on the Columbus card. On Thursday night, Ariel Helwani broke the news that UFC Columbus, also known as UFC on ESPN 33, will now draw heavyweights in the main attraction. Curtis Blaydes (15-3, 1 NC) will take on Chris Daukaus (12-4) in a matchup between top-10 fighters in the division on March 26. The big men will throw down inside the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Blaydes was quick to confirm the booking on his Instagram shortly after its announcement.

At the beginning of 2021, Blaydes had a four-fight win streak cut short by a Derrick Lewis uppercut atop UFC Fight Night 185. Since then, “Razor” Blaydes rebounded with a clear-cut decision win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik. As a pro, the Elevation Fight Team product has pr…

Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Brian Kelleher (@brianboom135) has been added to UFC 272 on March 5, per sources. In addition to the fight, Kelleher has signed a new UFC deal, as he announced recently. pic.twitter.com/6IMHXDt56S

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) February 10, 2022 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 unbeaten cousin of Ultimate Fighting Championship great Khabib Nurmagomedov is getting the toughest test in his young career. Per the UFC’s broadcast partner of ESPN on Thursday, Umar Nurmagomedov (13-0) has his second UFC outing booked. At UFC 272 on March 5 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nurmagomedov will take on Brian Kelleher (24-12) in the bantamweight division. Kelleher confirmed the pairing shortly after its announcement via his Instagram Stories page, while also noting that he has a new four-fight deal with the organiza…

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. A pair of former Invicta Fighting Championships champs will stand toe-to-toe inside the Ultimate Fighting Championship Octagon this May. MMA Fighting broke the news on Thursday that Virna Jandiroba (17-3) will throw down with Angela Hill (13-11) in the strawweight division at a UFC Fight Night event on May 14. Jandiroba has since confirmed the pairing on her Instagram account. The show that will likely take place inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas does not currently have a headliner booked, but it is anticipated that this tilt will take place on its main card.

Since surrendering her 115-pound crown in the Invicta FC ranks to join the UFC, “Carcara” has struggled, with three wins opposite three defeats. Her UFC debut in 2019 marked the first time Jandiroba had ever lost in her career, but she did manage to bounce back with a pai…

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 coach of former Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight champ Jose Aldo knows just what he would do if he were granted matchmaking powers. On a strong win streak with victories over Marlon Vera, Pedro Munhoz and Rob Font, Aldo is in prime placement for some excellent opportunities in the bantamweight division. Ranked #5 in his division on Sherdog and holding the three spot for the UFC’s rankings, Aldo is currently awaiting his next opponent. Sherdog spoke to Aldo’s manager and head coach, Andre Pederneiras, who explained some of the possible matchups for his fighter and who he would prefer Aldo faced next.

“We have [Petr] Yan and Aljamain [Sterling] fighting for the belt in April 9 [at UFC 273], [it] would make all the sense that [number] two and [number] three, two former champions, face each other to decide who would …