Martial Arts News

The Bellator light heavyweight grand prix is down to two after Vadim Nemkov and Corey Anderson advanced to the tournament finals on Saturday night.

Even with the untimely exits of names like Yoel Romero and Anthony Johnson, the bracket was filled with recognizable names, and Bellator 268 featured three light heavyweights ranked in the Top 10 of Sherdog.com's divisional poll at 205 pounds. Anderson notably owns victories against both Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeiera, who will square off for the UFC light heavyweight crown on Oct. 30.

Bellator president Scott Coker believes that the Nemkov-Anderson winner can legitmately claim the title of best light heavyweight in the sport, regardless of promotion.

“This was a gauntlet of 205ers and whoever wins this tournament, to me, is the best 205er on the planet, period. That’s how I feel,” Coker said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference.

Nemkov endured a scare in the first round before rolling past tournament…

Norma Dumont didn’t get the opponent she wanted on Saturday night, but she was grateful to be able to have a fight nonetheless.

The Brazilian relied on her jab, clinch work and solid takedown defense to earn a five-round verdict over Aspen Ladd in the UFC Fight Night 195 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Ladd was a short notice replacement for Holly Holm, who withdrew from the main event after suffering a knee injury.

“I knew (Ladd) was going to give me a fun fight,” Dumont said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “She saved me because we were on the verge of not having one. She is a tough fighter, she is a fun fighter and I’m very glad we were able to get this accomplished.”

The fight was generally a lackluster affair, in large part because Ladd offered little in the way of meaningful offense for the majority of the five rounds. Ladd, who normally competes at bantamweight, agreed to take the fight two weeks after a failed weight c…

#COLLISION3 UPDATE: Suarez out, Hamicha will now face Samuel Dbili on October 23. pic.twitter.com/g2Ip1iZxiS

— GLORY Kickboxing (@GLORY_WS) October 17, 2021

Glory: Collision 3 has undergone another change to its lineup, as Hamicha must deal with a new opponent heading into this Saturday’s card.

Hamicha was originally scheduled to face Eyevan Danenberg, but Maximo Suarez stepped in and replaced Danenberg. Now Suarez is out and has been replaced by Samuel Dbili on less than a week’s notice.

Dbili made his promotional debut at Glory 60, which he lost to Dimitrii Menshikov. Now he looks to bounce back and notch a major upset against a potential future title challenger in Hamicha.

Glory Collision 3 takes place at the GelreDome in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The pay-per-view event can be purchased on Gloryfights.com.

Jim Miller, Nate Landwehr, Bruno Silva and Danaa Batgerel each received $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonuses for their work in the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 195 on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Miller gave newcomer Erick Gonzalez a rude promotional welcome, winning via knockout in a featured lightweight encounter. The 38-time UFC veteran countered a Gonzalez kick with a left cross that dropped the Combate Americas veteran instantly, ending the contest 14 seconds into Round 2.

Meanwhile, Landwehr got an extra check by virtue of securing the first submission of his 19-fight professional tenure against Ludovit Klein in a featherweight affair. The former M-1 Global champion pressured Klein with punches in the third round before snapping his foe down with a front headlock and rolling for an anaconda choke to force the tapout at the 2:22 mark of the period.

Earlier, Silva rallied for a third-round stoppage of Andrew Sanchez in a preliminary middleweight pair…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC, PFL, Dana White’s Contender Series and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Norma Dumont took the path of least resistance and never once had to consider changing course. The Syndicate MMA representative moved one step closer to title contention in the shallow Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s featherweight division, as she captured a unanimous decision over a shockingly inept Aspen Ladd in the UFC Fight Night 195 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Scores were 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47, all for Dumont (7-1, 3-1 UFC).

A short-notice substitution for the injured Holly Holm, Ladd (9-2, 4-2 UFC) produced next to nothing in terms of meaningful offense for four-plus rounds. Dumont leaned on jab-heavy standup, a neutralizing clinch and airtight takedown defense, as she built a commanding and ultimately insurmountable lead. Ladd e…

Vadim Nemkov gets it done in round 4 the LHW Grand Prix final is now set for Nemkov vs. Corey Anderson #Bellator268 pic.twitter.com/c6Ho2ZK1Mn

— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) October 17, 2021

Julius Anglickas had one brief glimmer of hope against Vadim Nemkov, but it was only fleeting.

Nemkov (14-2, 7-0 Bellator) retained his light heavyweight crown with a dominating fourth-round submission victory over Anglickas (10-2, 3-1 Bellator) in the Bellator 268 headliner at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz., on Saturday night, punching his ticket to the finals of the promotion’s 205-pound grand prix. A kimura at the 4:25 mark of Round 4 brought the show to a close. Nemkov will square off with Corey Anderson in the grand prix championship at a future event, presumably in 2022.

Anglickas gave Nemkov a scare in the opening stanza when he buckled the Fedor Emeliankeno protege with a straight right. The Russian responded by taking Anglic…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC, PFL, Dana White’s Contender Series and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 195 coverage will begin Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET. Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the r…

Sherdog's live Bellator 268 coverage kicks off at 7 p.m. ET.

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

Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Light Heavyweight GP Semifinal:Ryan Bader (204.1) vs. Corey Anderson (203.6) Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 The Official Result Light Heavyweight GP Semifinal & Title Fight:Vadim Nemkov (204.7) vs. Julius Anglickas (204) Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 The Official Result

WHAT A COMEBACK FOR Bruno Silva

[ #UFCVegas40 | Prelims LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/GlR4TlL5EE

— UFC (@ufc) October 16, 2021 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC, PFL, Dana White’s Contender Series and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Former M-1 Global champion Bruno Silva roared back from a two-rounds-to-none deficit to finish an exhausted Andrew Sanchez with punches in their featured UFC Fight Night 195 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Silva (21-6, 2-0 UFC) drew the curtain 2:35 into Round 3, keeping his head above water in the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight division.

Sanchez (12-7, 5-5 UFC) executed repeated takedowns, paired them with positional control and applied his ground-and-pound when the opportunities presented themselves. However, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 23 winner’s gas tank betra…

Main event @TheAspenLadd

[ #UFCVegas40 | Tomorrow | Main Card | LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/1OSbLh8Tg4

— UFC (@ufc) October 15, 2021 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 has cobbled together a UFC Fight Night 195 main event that is now official, after both Aspen Ladd and Norma Dumont made weight.

While the headliners were able to make weight without issue, there was still some drama during the morning's procession. The middleweight bout between Julian Marquez and Jordan Wright has been waved off, after Marquez suffered health issues not related to COVID-19.

Ladd (9-1) is coming off a recent weight miss at bantamweight that led to her getting pulled from a bout against Macy Chiasson just two weeks ago. Now she's moving up to featherweight to replace the injured Holly Holm. This i…

#BELLATOR268 Weigh-in Results: Vadim Nemkov (@VadimNemkov) 204.7 lbs. pic.twitter.com/jJcus4DKPN

— Bellator Public Relations (@BellatorPR) October 15, 2021 Both Bellator MMA light heavyweight world grand prix semifinals are now official.

All 13 mixed martial arts bouts on the card are intact after the weigh-ins. Only one fighter missed weight as Bobby Lee came in .8 pounds over the lightweight limit for his fight against Nick Browne. As a result, Lee has been fined a percentage of his purse, and the fight will otherwise continue as scheduled. It's also worth noting that Maria Henderson and Collette Santiago both weighed in at flyweight despite the bout previously being promoted as a strawweight contest.

Headlining Bellator 268 is a light heavyweight title bout between champion Vadim Nemkov and tournament alternate-turned-challenger Julius Anglickas. Nemkov (14-2) is undefeated since joining the promotion and most recently picked up back-t…

@ABEMA https://t.co/PdWq3lsEvo #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/YTMwBhZoSz

— ＮＨＢ (@324121212121212) October 15, 2021 The first all-kickboxing card in One Championship history ended with a shocking knockout.

In the “One: First Strike” headliner, Giorgio Petrosyan took on Superbon Banchamek for the inaugural kickboxing featherweight championship (155 pounds). The Italian fighter started with his usual cautious pace in Round 1, studying his opponent’s reactions. Superbon had some success with push kicks and knees to the body while Petrosyan attacked the leading leg. “The Doctor” looked to score with his right hand, and he managed to sting Superbon with a well-timed uppercut. The Thai fighter proved busier in the first frame, largely due to his kicks.

After the challengers for the vacant belt walked out to Round 2, Superbon fired off a few head kicks that Petrosyan blocked in time. Petrosyan responded by catching one of these kicks and try…