Martial Arts News

The rivalry between UFC Night 196 main event headliners Marvin Vettori and Paulo Costa extends years back beyond the fighters to members of their respective camps.

King’s MMA head coach Rafael Cordeiro, who trains Vettori, recalled the old Vale Tudo days when he and Costa’s manager, Wallid Ismail, were big rivals. At the time, Cordeiro was part of the Chute Boxe team, while Ismail represented Carlson Gracie. Cordeiro said the he and Ismael both agreed that the level of respect in combat sports was different back then.

“Actually, this fight started when Wallid called me a few months ago to set it up, and I told him that was the fight to be made,” Cordeiro said. “It was funny that during the conversation we commented that today we live in a totally different reality from when we grew up, where opponents are not enemies and we respect each other a lot. But we both agreed on one point, if ‘Borrachinha’ and Vettori understand what our generation lived in the past, it´s gon…

Eric Albarracin is currently working with a number of top fighters at Arizona-based MMA camp Fight Ready, and he expects that the team will only continue to get better.

Currently, Albarracin has coached the likes of Weili Zhang, Deiveson Figueiredo, Patricky Freire and Paulo Costa at the gym, which is located in Scottsdale, Ariz.

"The structure here is amazing and we are mixing the best from all over the world — China, Brazil, USA. Fight Ready is still crawling now, but soon we will be flying,” Albarracin said.

According to Albarracin, Zhang, the former UFC straweight champion, will impress the world with the new skills she has gained. Zhang is slated to face Rose Namajunas in a rematch at UFC 268 after relinquishing the strap to Namajunas in a shocking KO loss this past April.

“Zhang is a completely different fighter and you will see that in Nov. 6. Our muay Thai, boxing and wrestling coaches have done an incredible job,” Albarracin said. “I truly be…

No charges have been filed against Chuck Liddell in an alleged domestic violence incident involving the former UFC champion and his wife last week.

TMZ Sports was first to report that the Los Angeles District Attorney has elected not to prosecute the couple following an argument that turned physical. According to the report, the DA spoke with Liddell, his wife, Heidi Northcott, and the couple’s daughter, and determined that a verbal argument turned physical but no one was seriously hurt as a result of the altercation.

The couple’s daughter reportedly told prosecutors that she witnessed Liddell and Northcott pushing each other. Liddell ended up with a red mark on his face, while his wife had no visible injuries.

Liddell was booked for misdemeanor battery last week when Lost Hills, Calif., police were called to a domestic disturbance. Liddell later released a statement claiming that he was the victim in the incident and has tried to “shield a family mental healt…

Ryan Bader’s bid to reclaim light heavyweight gold came up short in the semifinals of the light heavyweight grand prix, where he suffered a 51-second technical knockout loss to Corey Anderson in the Bellator 268 co-main event on Saturday night.

Despite fighting in front of a hometown crowd at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz., the former Arizona State University All-American wrestler was unable to get going against Anderson. Bader was floored by an overhand right early, and though he tried desperately to defend himself against the ensuing hailstorm of follow-up ground-and-pound, his opponent would not be denied.

Bader recently released a brief statement on Instagram in the aftermath of the defeat.

“The game we play…not the result we wanted but felt the love in AZ!” Bader wrote. “Thank you guys for always having my back.”

Though it appears Bader’s run at 205 pounds in Bellator might be at its end, the Power MMA Team stalwart remains the promotion’s rei…

The ongoing Bellator light heavyweight grand prix has reignited the debate regarding the best light heavyweight in the sport, and there are more than a few in the MMA community who believe that the Vadim Nemkov-Corey Anderson winner can lay claim to that top spot.

“This was a gauntlet of 205ers and whoever wins this tournament, to me, is the best 205er on the planet, period,” Bellator president Scott Coker said on Saturday night. “That’s how I feel.”

Anderson was especially impressive in dispatching Ryan Bader in just 51 seconds in the Bellator 268 co-main event at the Footprint Center in Phoenix for his seventh win in eight professional outings across stints in the California-based promotion as well as the UFC. The man known as “Overtime” notably owns victories over both Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira, who will square off with light heavyweight gold on the line at UFC 267 later this month.

However, Blachowicz avenged that defeat in Anderson’s final Octagon …

Well-traveled 52-fight MMA veteran Brian Gassaway has died at the age of 49.

Late on Saturday, a friend of Gassaway wrote on Facebook that he had passed. A GoFundMe page has since been created for a memorial fund for Gassaway’s family on Sunday. The news of his death has since been confirmed by multiple MMA media members.

“It is with heavy hearts and great sadness that we announce the passing of our dear friend, teacher, and mentor, Brian Gassaway,” the GoFundMe wrote.

“Please know that as much as he helped you, you also helped him,” it continued. “You were the reason he lived. You gave him breath. He absorbed and learned from your experience, sharing it with the next student. As students and teachers of martial arts, we are the sum of the teachers and students before us.

“Brian leaves behind his wife and best friend, Mimi, mother, and brother, Wesley. Brian, our friend, our teacher, you will not be forgotten. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience w…

Conor McGregor is once again in the news for an altercation that occurred outside of the Octagon.

According to a report from Italian outlet Il Messagero, Itallian DJ and singer Francesco Facchinetti has accused McGregor of punching him in the face and breaking his nose. Facchinetti claims that he and his wife were hanging out with the former UFC champion and his fiancee, Dee Devlin, when McGregor allegedly attacked him for no reason at approximately 2:30 a.m. local time.

“I took a punch for nothing,” Facchinetti said on his Instagram story (translations via Pro Sports Extra). “That punch could go to anyone. My friends, my wife, or other friends. That’s why I decided to sue Conor McGregor because he is a violent and dangerous person.”

Facchinetti’s wife also provided an account of the alleged incident on social media.

“Then out of nowhere, he threw a punch in the face of Francesco. He was inviting us to another party. Francesco said, ‘Okay, let’s go’ and …

Aspen Ladd had trouble mounting any kind of significant offense in the UFC Fight Night 195 main event, and the frustration was reflected in her corner between rounds.

Ladd’s coach, Jim West, was caught on the ESPN+ broadcast criticizing the fighter between the third and fourth periods of her matchup with Norma Dumont.

“You’re down 3-0,” West said between Rounds 3 and 4. “Please tell me what you’re doing. You have to throw more than one punch... fight to win, you have to finish.”

This is ABUSE, what a douche

— Miesha Tate (@MieshaTate) October 17, 2021

West’s comments were widely criticized throughout the MMA community, with former bantamweight champion Miesha Tate going so far as to call his coaching “abuse.” West, who is also Ladd’s boyfriend, took to social media to apologize for his tactics.

“Tonight was not our night. It’s been our night many many times at the highest level but not tonight. I blame myself,” West wrote on I…

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…