Martial Arts News

Former UFC flyweight Ryan Benoit has been suspended 10 months for an anti-doping violation, USADA announced Monday.

Benoit tested positive for modafinil and its metabolite, modafinil acid, in a urine sample collected at UFC on ESPN 28 on July 31. Modafinil, which is listed in the stimulant category, is typically used to reduce sleepiness in disorders such as narcolepsy or sleep apnea and is banned as an in-competition drug by USADA.

Benoit received a reduction in what would normally be a two-year suspension once in was determined that he used the drug out of competition. The Janjiri Muay Thai representative will be able to return to active competition on May 31, 2022. Benoit previously received a nine-month term from the Nevada State Athletic Commission for the failed drug test.

Benoit, 32, dropped a unanimous decision to Zarrukh Adashev at UFC on ESPN 28, his third consecutive defeat within the Las Vegas-based promotion. He was released from UFC following that …

Michael Chandler didn’t end up on the right side of the scorecards following his lightweight clash with Justin Gaethje at UFC 268, but the bout will go down as one of the year’s best.

Chandler fell to Gaethje via unanimous decision in a “Fight of the Year” contender on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York. It was the former Bellator champion’s second consecutive defeat within the Las Vegas-based promotion following a knockout of Dan Hooker in his Octagon debut.

Chandler was able to rock Gaethje with his right hand in the opening stanza, but as the bout progressed, his opponent took control behind a steady diet of low kicks and power punches. The former University of Missouri wrestling standout was more than willing to brawl with Gaethje, and he absorbed a significant amount of damage for his efforts.

“We made some questionable decisions in the last one, but we had a blast!” Chandler wrote on Instagram. “Ill-advised yet entertaining is my strong s…

Bellator MMA fighter Dillon Danis was slapped by manager Ali Abdelaziz during an incident backstage at UFC 268, according to multiple reports.

MMAjunkie.com first brought word of the altercation, which was confirmed by multiple eyewitnesses in reports. Danis was reportedly escorted from the venue after security intervened between the two men. It is unclear what caused the incident, though Danis and Abdelaziz haven’t had the most pleasant of converstations in the past on social media.

In a since deleted tweet captured by MMAFighting.com, retired former UFC champion Michael Bisping wrote that not only was Danis removed from the building, but he has been banned from all future events held by the Las Vegas-based promotion.

“So pathetic,” Bisping wrote. “FYI people, [Danis] was legit slapped in the face like a b--h backstage and then ejected and banned from all UFC events.”

It’s not the first time that Danis has been involved in an altercation outside of the …

AND STILL!Abdulaziz Abdulvakhabov defend his title against Hacran Dias! What an amazing performance pic.twitter.com/4VSFQvsukq

— ACA MMA (@ACA_League) November 5, 2021

Friday was definitely a very special day for Brazilian MMA. With Patricky Freire’s knockout win over Peter Queally in Ireland, local MMA fans celebrated the country’s fifth championship victory in a span of nine days.

But there could have been one more reason to celebrate. A few hours before Freire’s victory, Nova Uniao fighter Hacran Dias squared off against Russian champion Abdulaziz Abulvakhabov for the Absolute Championship Akhmat belt. The fight was contested over five rounds in Moscow, the homeland of the champion, and the action didn’t disappoint those in attendance. However, the final verdict was a disappointment to Nova Uniao leader Andre Pederneiras, as Dias lost a split decision at ACA 131.

“As we expected it was a war, with every round being competititve from the…

.@UFCFightPass and @LFAfighting extend exclusive multi-year streaming agreement

: https://t.co/2gRpax5N4M#MMA#LFANation@UFCFightPass pic.twitter.com/wvuCal74sT

— LFA (@LFAfighting) November 8, 2021 UFC Fight Pass has re-upped with one of the top regional feeder promotions in mixed martial arts.

The streaming platform announced Monday that it has extended its partnership with Legacy Fighting Alliance to be the exclusive streaming provider of the promotion’s events through 2025.

“LFA is among the best, with a longstanding relationship with UFC and a track record for developing talent,” UFC Fight Pass vice president and general manager Crowley Sullivan said in a release. “We’re thrilled to continue this relationship and can’t wait to see what the future holds for our two brands.”

According to the terms of the deal, UFC Fight Pass will stream more than 100 LFA events across 200 countries and territories. Subscribers will also have a…

The wins keep on piling up for Kamaru Usman, who is entering rarified air with his extended streak of excellence.

“The Nigerian Nightmare” improved to 2-0 against Colby Covington in the UFC 268 headliner, earning a unanimous decision triumph at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday night. Usman has now won 15 straight fights in UFC competition, the second-longest winning streak in promotion history behind pound-for-pound middleweight legend Anderson Silva (16).

UFC president Dana White believes Usman belongs in the lofty company among the sport’s greats after his latest triumph.

“He’s special. He’s damn good and I think he’s the greatest welterweight of all time,” White said at the UFC 268 post-fight press conference.

“He’s obviously the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world right now. He’s one of the guys that we could all start arguing soon about GOAT status. And he’s fighting everybody, it’s not like he’s only fought this guy. He’s fought everybody…

Jon Jones won’t return to Jackson-Wink MMA after being banned from the Albuquerque, N.M.-based camp last month.

Jones revealed that he will seek a new training home in a series of posts on Twitter, though that new destination is currently unclear. The former light heavyweight champion was suspended from the Jackson-Wink gym by Mike Winkeljohn following his arrest for battery domestic violence in Las Vegas this past September. Winkeljohn indicated that Jones could return if he quit drinking, but an eventual reunion doesn’t appear to be an option for the fighter, who hasn’t competed in the Octagon since February 2020.

“Definitely won’t be going back but I will continue to root for all the fighters that are training there,” Jones wrote. “I do believe my training methods and sessions have improved significantly since changing environments. Grateful for all the time I got to spend there, everything has it’s time.

“I know I won’t be able to train in my garage foreve…

What a speech by Chris Barnett for his opponent Gian Villante #UFC268 pic.twitter.com/wvTtzChIOP

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 6, 2021

Gian Villante has announced his retirement from mixed martial arts following a 31-bout professional career that began in 2009.

Villante’s final appearance will end up on highlight reels, as he was dropped by a spinning wheel kick from Chris Barnett and finished with follow-up ground strikes 2:23 into the opening round of their heavyweight bout at UFC 268 on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York. Villante, 36, ends his tenure on a four-bout losing streak — with his final three appearances coming in the heavyweight division.

Villante’s next step will be a return to his gridiron roots, as he is coaching youth football in the Long Island area. He gave those players a shoutout in a post-fight interview with Newsday.

“Say hello to all my Seahawks, all my Generals, all the people in attendan…

There’s something special about fighting in New York for Rose Namajunas.

“Thug” Rose improved to 3-0 in the Empire State with a split-decision triumph over Weili Zhang in the UFC 268 co-main event at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night to successfully defend her strawweight title. Her success at the famous venue began in November 2017, when she initially captured the 115-pound belt with an upset win over Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 217, and she also bested Jedrzejczyk in a five-round rematch at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., in April 2018.

“New York City inspires me,” Namajunas said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “Like I said at weigh-ins, it’s the toughest people in the world. It’s the coolest city.”

The rematch with Zhang took on a far different look than their first meeting, when Namajunas vanquished her Chinese opponent with a head kick 78 seconds into the opening stanza at UFC 261. This time around, the bout was far more closely conte…

When all was said and done, Kamaru Usman was able to bury the hatchet with Colby Covington following their rematch at UFC 268.

The two men shared a moment of respect following Saturday’s headliner at Madison Square Garden in New York, where Usman retained his title with a unanimous decision victory — his second triumph against Covington in a little less than two year’s time. Both fights against “Chaos” were hard-fought, which Usman acknowledged while making a lofty comparison regarding their rivalry at Saturday’s post-fight press conference.

“As a competitor I respect him – that’s the next best guy in the division. “This guy’s tough as nails. He’s very, very tough,” Usman said. “Let’s be honest: [Muhammad] Ali needed a [Joe] Frazier. All these guys. You can be the great one, but there’s always going to be the one guy that can push you. He is that guy. As much of him outside the Octagon as most people don’t like, myself included, you have to respect him as a competito…

Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler delivered on the hype in a big way at UFC 268.

The lightweights received “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their slugfest at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday in a bout that will likely lead many “Fight of the Year” lists in the weeks to come. While Gaethje was rocked early in the first round, he maintained his composure and gradually pulled away from Chandler for an enthralling unanimous decision triumph.

Meanwhile, on an evening that featured a number of memorable finishes, the Las Vegas-based promotion handed out a quartet of $50,000 “Performance of the Night” checks to deserving athletes.

Marlon Vera earned one of those bonuses on the strength of a front kick knockout of Frankie Edgar in a featured bantamweight clash. After two competitive rounds, Vera emphatically brought the show to a close at the 3:50 mark of Round 1, becoming just the eighth fighter in promotion history to win a bout via f…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 268 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. The gulf between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington appears to have shrunk ever so slightly but not enough to necessitate a changing of the guard. “The Nigerian Nightmare” maintained his stranglehold on the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight crown with a unanimous decision over Covington in the UFC 268 headliner on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. All three cageside judges scored it for Usman (20-1, 15-0 UFC): 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46.

SWANGIN' & BANGIN'

[ #UFC268 | We’re LIVE on ESPN+ PPV: https://t.co/xRVlqJBhNX ] pic.twitter.com/xNso0eL5Ag

— UFC (@ufc) November 7, 2021 An understandably cautious Covington (16-3, 11-3 UFC)—who succumbed to fifth-round punches from the champion in their December 2019 encounter at UFC 245—took some time to get going. Usman floo…