Martial Arts News

Kayla Harrison’s second Professional Fighters League run for gold went even smoother than her first.

Taking on Taylor Guardado (3-2, 3-1 PFL) for the women’s lightweight throne in PFL, Harrison’s victory was never in much doubt. A massive -4000 favorite coming into the PFL Championship main event, Harrison (12-0, 11-0 PFL) still managed to impress by handling Guardado on the ground en route to a textbook armbar. The second attempt proved to be the one to elicit the tap, with Guardado surrendering at 4:00 of the second round to crown the 2021 PFL season queen.

Guardado started aggressively, hoping to throw Harrison off-balance by striking first. A few quick punches forced Harrison to reconsider her approach and clinch up in the center of the cage, and the clinch turned into a trip takedown in rapid succession. Guardado held on and defended herself from damage and submission attempts, which came early and often from the unbeaten judoka. Guardado made it out of the first r…

Valerie Loureda and Cody Law are among those who will be in action on the Bellator 271 preliminary card.

The California-based promotion on Wednesday announced the following five bouts for the prelims: Loureda vs. Taylor Turner at flyweight; Law vs. Colton Hamm at featherweight; Bruna Ellen vs. Desiree Yanez at flyweight; Roman Faraldo vs. Robert Turnquest at welterweight and Jordan Newman vs. Shane O'Shea at middleweight.

Bellator 271 takes place at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., on Nov. 12 and is headlined by a women’s featherweight title tilt between Cristiane Justino and Sinead Kavanagh. The main card airs on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while prelims stream at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on the Bellator MMA YouTube channel, the Showtime Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV.

A taekwondo black belt who trains at American Top Team, Loureda began her professional MMA career with three straight triumphs under the Bellator banner. In her la…

There's no love lost between @MarvinVettori and @BorrachinhaMMA, but there was a post-fight fist bump #UFCVegas41 pic.twitter.com/5sKXFdjaXF

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 23, 2021

Marvin Vettori and Paulo Costa could both be out for a while following their five-round headliner at UFC Fight Night 196 this past Saturday.

Vettori defeated Costa via unanimous decision in a light heavyweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The fight, which was originally slated to be contested at middleweight, was moved to 205 pounds when Costa revealed that he would be unable to make weight.

Vettori must have X-rays on both forearms and an MRI on his right knee. If positive he must receive doctor clearance or he will be sidelined until April 22. At a minimum, “The Italian Dream” is suspended until Dec. 8 with no contact until Nov. 23. Costa, meanwhile, needs an X-ray and clearance on his right foot or he will also be out until April 22. “Borrachinha” is a…

BREAKING Chatri announces ONE X will be rescheduled to early 2022. Read his full statement here: https://t.co/WUf8T6ThTb @yodchatri #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/3uskOwMWDi

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) October 27, 2021

One Championship has postponed its Dec. 5 event due to a high number of COVID-19 cases in Singapore, promotion CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced Wednesday.

The card, entitled One “X,” was scheduled to be headlined by a mixed-rules bout between former UFC flyweight ruler Demetrious Johnson and One muay Thai title holder Rodtang Jitmuangnon. Additionally, two title fights were also slated to take place at the event: Bibiano Fernandes vs. John Lineker at bantamweight (145 pounds) and Thanh Le vs. Garry Tonon at featherweight (155 pounds). A new date for the One X card is currently unknown, though MMAFighting.com is reporting that the promotion is tentatively targeting March.

“Due to the record high viral …

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream Dana White’s Contender Series live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Gadzhi Omargadzhiev was bent on netting a UFC contract, and woe betide any man — or any ligaments — that got in his way. The 28-year-old Russian prospect finished Jansey Silva with an excruciating-looking kneebar in the first round of their middleweight feature at DWCS Week 9. Omargadzhiev struck for an early takedown and the fight never made it back to the feet, as he stayed busy with chipping ground-and-pound while relentlessly working towards dominant positions. With just over a minute left in the round, Omargadzhiev leaned back for a leg attack. The Brazilian elected to try and defend by punching, but to no avail, as Omargadzhiev isolated and hyperextended Silva’s knee. Silva tapped quickly, and referee Herb Dean jumped in for the stoppage at 4 minutes, 19 seconds. With the win, the first kneebar in Contend…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 267 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

Sherdog's live DWCS 2021 Week 9 coverage kicks off Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below.

Round 1 Murad probes with a high kick that misses that mark. Muradpresses the action with left hands and they’re brawling early. Murad is doing most of the damage, getting in Bin’s face landing left hands and knees in close quarters. Murad lands a right but then slips and Bin scrambles into top position. Bin is working from inside his opponent’s full guard, and he doesn’t appear concerned with passing to a better position. Bin drops a couple right hands from top position. Bin stands, throws a punch and backs away, and Murad is up. murad stalks Bin and lands a couple stinging lefts. A left cross by Murad stops Bin in his tracks. They tie up and Murad lands a …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQOS9on-UOM&w=560&h=315]

The Professional Fighters League Championships will proceed as planned, as all 12 athletes set to compete in title bouts made weight without issue.

The card will be headlined by a women’s lightweight championship bout between Kayla Harrison and Taylor Guardado. Harrison tipped the scales at 153.8 pounds, while Guardado checked in at 154.4 pounds. In the co-main event, Ray Cooper III (169.8) will attempt to repeat as welterweight champion against Magomed Magomedkerimov (170). All of the undercard competitors made weight without issue, as well.

The PFL Championships take place at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla., on Wednesday night. The main card airs on ESPN2 and ESPN+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, while the preliminary card streams on ESPN+ beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT. The winners of the championship bouts will receive $1 million payouts.

Harrison will attempt t…

BOOM. Welcome to the BKFC @PlatinumPerry - Watch out 175ers pic.twitter.com/qUKrQpj6q0

— Bare Knuckle FC (@bareknucklefc) October 26, 2021

Mike Perry is headed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.

The UFC veteran has signed a multi-fight deal with BKFC, with a debut date yet to be determined. The organization confirmed the signing following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.

“Let’s skip all the formalities!” Perry said a release. “This sport is evolving, and I am here to strike fear into the hearts of my competitors! I plan to intimidate the world when I show what a truly skilled combat specialist is capable of with his bare hands. I will dismantle the opposition and reach the glory I have longed for my entire life. I will be crowned King of the streets and King of combat sports! They will make me a Platinum Crown and carry me on the bloody backs of my defeated rivals! I am here to go strai…

Fabian Edwards will step in for the injured Norbert Novenyi Jr. and face Charlie Ward at Bellator 270.

Promotion officials confirmed the new middleweight booking following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com. Novenyi Jr. announced that a torn ACL forced him to withdraw from the event. Bellator 270 takes place at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland, on Nov. 5 and is headlined by a clash between Peter Queally and Patricky Freire for the vacant lightweight championship.

Edwards, the younger brother of UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards, began his professional tenure with nine consecutive victories, including four under the Bellator MMA banner. The 28-year-old Team Renegade product is coming off back-to-back losses against Costello van Steenis and Austin Vanderford in his last two outings.

Anchored at SBG Ireland, the 40-year-old Ward has been victorious in six of seven appearances within the California-based promotion. Ward went 2-0 in 2020, posting victories against…

Light heavyweight grand prix semifinal winners Vadim Nemkov and Corey Anderson topped the payroll for Bellator 268.

The Arizona Department of Gaming recently released salaries from the event, which took place at the Footprint Center in Phoeniz, Ariz., on Oct. 16.

Nemkov, the promotion’s reigning 205-pound champion, earned $250,000 for his fourth-round submission of Julius Anglickas ($150,000) in the evening’s main event. Anderson, meanwhile, pocketed $200,000 for a first-round TKO of ex-champ Ryan Bader ($150,000) in the co-headliner. Nemkov and Anderson will square off with light heavyweight gold on the line at an as yet to be determined event next year.

The only other six-figure earner on the card was former UFC lightweight king Benson Henderson, who garnered $150,000 for a decision loss to Brent Primus ($50,000) in a featured 155-pound contest.

Note: The disclosed purses reported by state athletic commissions do not include any performance-based or discretion…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

The original pairing for the middleweight finals of “The Ultimate Fighter 29” is slated to go down early next year, as Bryan Battle will lock horns with Tresean Gore on Feb. 5.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the booking. Gore was forced to withdraw from their bout at UFC on ESPN 30 on Aug. 28 after suffering a knee injury. The UFC Fight Night event does not yet have an official location or headliner.

With Gore out, Battle captured the “TUF 29” crown with a second-round submission of Gilbert Urbina at the event. The man known as “Pooh Bear” has won five straight outings as he heads into his sophomore Octagon appearance.

Gore was 3-0 as a professional before his stint on “TUF 29,” where he bested Ryder Newman and Urbina to reach the middleweight finals before being derailed by the aforementioned injury. Gore is anchored at American Top Team Atlanta.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1htnOtjiPw&w=560&h=315]

While the Ultimate Fighting Championship is hitting the road for its pay-per-view events, it has remained at its home base for the majority of its schedule since the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Normally, a UFC Fight Night card is a chance for the Las Vegas-based promotion to travel throughout the United States — as well as overseas — build its fanbase and allow fighters with local ties to get a little extra shine. It’s something UFC president Dana White hopes to resume sometime in the near future.

“We’ve got to get back on the road,” White said Saturday folllowing UFC Fight Night 196. “We’ve got to start going to places like Oklahoma and all these other small towns that we do Fight Nights in. We eventually have to get back to work. I’m looking forward to it. Sooner than later.”

On the other hand, White admits that it can be nice to having everything close to home at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. However, w…