Martial Arts News

Gerald Meerschaert will welcome Abusupiyan Magomedov to the Octagon at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Dec. 18.

UFD Sports Management first brought word of the middleweight booking, and it was later confirmed by MMAjunkie.com. The event does not have an official location and is also expected to include a strawweight clash between Nina Nunes and Amanda Lemos as well as a bantamweight tilt pitting Raphael Assuncao against Ricky Simon.

Meerschaert is 2-0 thus far in 2021 after posting submission wins over Bartosz Fabinski at UFC on ESPN 22 and against Makhmud Muradov at UFC on ESPN 30. The 33-year-old Roufusport product is 8-6 during his promotional tenure and 33-14 as a professional overall. He has finished 25 of his wins by submission.

The 33-year-old Magomedov has compiled a 24-4-1 career mark while competing in organizations such as KSW, Professional Fighters League and Superior Fighting Championship. The Germany-based fighter made the PFL finals i…

The potential UFC return of Kron Gracie remains a mystery, even to his father.

To help promote “Breathe,” a book about his life in Brazil, Rickson Gracie recently gave an interview on the Combate.com podcast "Mundo da Luta” discussing a number of topics — including his son’s next move.

 "He is living in Montana and I'm allowing him to have his own space to grow as a man and athlete,” Rickson said. “I don’t pressure him for information about his career and don’t know if he will return to the UFC.

“By the way, If you guys find out some news about him, please let me know," Rickson quipped.

Kron Gracie last appeared at UFC Fight Night 161 in October 2019, when he suffered a unanimous decision defeat to Cub Swanson. The 33-year-old Brazilian is 5-1 over the course of a professional career that includes a victory over Alex Caceres in UFC competition as well as triumphs against Tatsuya Kawajiri and Hideo Tokoro under the Rizin Fighting Federation banne…

Yoel Romero’s Bellator MMA debut didn’t go as planned, but promotion head Scott Coker is confident that “The Soldier of God” still has plenty left in the tank at 44 years old.

In his first fight since March 2020, Romero dropped a split decision to Phil Davis in the Bellator 266 headliner at the SAP Arena in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday night. The bout wasn’t as close as the scorecards indicated, as Davis gradually imposed his will over the course of the fight — including a dominant third stanza that saw him take down the Olympic silver medalist repeatedly.

Coker was more impressed with Davis, a former Bellator champion, than he was down on Romero’s performance.

“I think that Phil is an amazing fighter, as we all know, and he just delivered another solid performance,” Coker told media the Bellator 266 post-fight press conference. “He fought smart. Yoel is still dangerous. If he hits you, it’s over. I think Phil probably felt that power early on, so he tried to …

Kai Asakura (@kai_1031_) searching for the kill!

Buy the PPVhttps://t.co/1Ky6EkhwcQ#RIZIN #MMA #RIZIN30 #格闘技 #RIZINFF pic.twitter.com/v0xIPIxoYc

— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) September 19, 2021 Eight men collided at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on Sunday in hopes of eventually earning a shot at Rizin Fighting Federation bantamweight titleholder Kyoji Horiguchi’s belt. Now only four of those athletes are one step closer to that goal.

The Rizin 30 main card featured all four quarterfinal bouts of the Japanese promotion’s bantamweight grand grix. In the main event, former 135-pound kingpin Kai Asakura (18-3, 10-2 Rizin) extended his winning streak to two after defeating Alan Yamaniha (18-9-4, 1-1 Rizin) via unanimous decision. Both contenders started strong in the first couple of minutes in Round 1, as the 27-year-old Asakura aimed for “Hiro”’s body with wide right hooks and mixed it up with s…

Shortly after a decision loss to Aleksandar Rakic in the UFC Fight Night 175 main event — his second straight lopsided defeat in the Octagon — last August, Anthony Smith was contemplating a return to 185 pounds.

Since then, “Lionheart” has rattled off three consecutive light heavyweight triumphs to re-establish his place in the division. The most recent of those came on Saturday night in a quick submission triumph over Ryan Spann in the UFC Fight Night 192 headliner, after which Smith called for a rematch with Rakic.

“That’s what I wanted. That’s what I asked for,” Smith said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “That’s the fight I’ve been talking about. It’s nothing personal. Me and Rakic have had nothing but positive exchanges with each other both before and after the fight. It’s purely competitive. I want his spot. He took mine, I want to take it back.”

Shortly after Smith’s callout, Rakic seemingly accepted, tagging UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard in a Tw…

A Bellator press release describes it as the “chance of a lifetime” for Julius Anglickas.

Originally an alternate in the promotion’s light heavyweight grand prix, Anglickas will step in for Anthony Johnson against reigning 205-pound champ Vadim Nemkov in the Bellator 268 main event on Oct. 16. Promotion officials announced the new semifinal pairing after Johnson was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to an undisclosed illness.

Bellator 268 takes place at the Footprint Center in Phoenix and will also see Ryan Bader square off against Corey Anderson in the other half of the light heavyweight bracket. Anglickas’ original opponent, Karl Albrektsson, will now square off against Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov on the preliminary card. Two other bouts were also confirmed for the event: Jaylon Bates vs. Raphael Montini de Lima at bantamweight and Mukhamed Berkhamov vs. Jaleel Willis at welterweight. The main card will air on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while prelims …

Anthony Smith continues to put the two-fight losing streak of early 2020 further in his rearview mirror.

“Lionheart” earned a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award for his first-round submission of Ryan Spann in the UFC Fight Night 192 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Smith dropped Spann twice in the early going, advancing to his opponent’s back on the second occasion and locking in a rear-naked choke to force the tap 3:47 into Round 1 of the light heavyweight bout for his third consecutive victory.

Elsewhere, lightweight prospect Arman Tsarukyan garnered a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check by making short work of Christos Giagos in another featured pairing. The American Top Team prospect countered a body kick from Giagos with a left hook that put his foe on his seat near the fence. From there, Tsarukyan unloaded with ground-and-pound until the bout was halted 2:09 into the first frame.

Earlier, Nathan Maness captured a $50,000 “Perf…

Anthony Smith sent a loud-and-clear message to Ryan Spann: Gate closed.

“Lionheart” blocked Spann’s path to the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s light heavyweight elite, as he submitted the Fortis MMA export with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 192 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Spann (19-7, 5-2 UFC) conceded defeat 3:47 into Round 1.

Smith (36-16, 11-6 UFC) floored the former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion with a left hook, jumped into top position and threatened with an armbar before returning to an upright position. Once there, he staggered Spann with another left hook, folded him with a right cross and advanced to the back. Smith then secured his position, flattened out “Superman” and snaked his arms in place for the fight-ending choke.

@LionheartASmith is heated and wants his RESPECT! #UFCVegas37 pic.twitter.com/GHx9MsxIBV

— UFC (@ufc) September 19, 2021 Cutelaba Mauls Overmatch…

In a matchup of strength vs. strength, Phil Davis was too much for Yoel Romero to handle.

“Mr. Wonderful” gradually imposed his will on the Olympic silver medalist en route to a split-decision triumph in the Bellator 266 headliner at the SAP Arena in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday night. Judge Michael Bell had it 30-26 and Ron McCarthy saw it 30-27 — both for Davis — while Jerin Valel submitted a curious 29-28 scorecard in favor of Romero. It was Romero’s first light heavyweight appearance since a knockout loss to Rafael Cavalcant at a Strikeforce event in 2011.

“He’s a monster,” Davis said. “I felt that power more times than I wished I had tonight. He’s an incredibly powerful fighter.”

After a tentative opening round from both fighters in Round 1, the action picked up in the second frame. There, Davis began to find a rhythm connecting with his jab and straight right hand, including a one-two combination that prompted a yell of acknowledgement from Romero. Davis…

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 192 coverage will begin Saturday at 4 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:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben…

Sherdog's live Bellator 266 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 Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

That's @TafonDaDon with the dominant performance. #UFCVegas27 pic.twitter.com/Jemkx7kSvw

— UFC (@ufc) September 18, 2021 The outcome was never in doubt, not even for a second. Team Lloyd Irvin prospect Tafon Nchukwi rebounded from his first professional defeat and made a triumphant return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s light heavyweight division, as he was awarded a one-sided unanimous decision over Mike Rodriguez in the featured UFC Fight Night 192 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Nchukwi (6-1, 2-1 UFC) swept the scorecards with matching 30-27 marks across the board.

Rodriguez (11-7, 2-5 UFC) mostly just survived. Nchukwi backed him to the fence repeatedly and uncorked powerful combinations, tipping his spear with intermittent uppercuts, standing elbows and sweeping hooks from both hands. He incorporated takedowns in the first and third rounds, negating Rodriguez’s visible height and reach advant…