Martial Arts News

Now that the #LFA111 weigh-in is in the books, which fight are you looking forward to the most?

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: https://t.co/3srj9Wnzhz@ShellsDotCom@Drink9mm@KoiCBD@SheathUnderwear@GLCDirect2000@HowlerHead@TeamSmartStop@UFCFightPass pic.twitter.com/nbQ2kIpKEt — LFA (@LFAfighting) July 16, 2021 The Legacy Fighting Alliance is fully international as it heads to Brazil for its first event not on North America soil.

Headlining LFA 111 is a bout between Brazilian lightweight prospects Rangel Ribeiro de Sa and Ismael Bonfim. De Sa (10-1) has won his last six bouts, and looks to make a statement in his LFA debut. "Anaconda" officially weighed 155.4 for the main event bout. Meanwhile, Bonfim (14-3) brings an eight-fight win streak into his promotional debut, and he hit the scales at 155.8 pounds.

LFA 111's prelims will air live on the promotion's Facebook page, while the main card will stream on UFC Fight Pass at 9 p.m. ET/6 p…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYKvCTxJcGA&w=560&h=315] A few Bellator MMA fighters may have needed the full additional hour, but every competitor for this Friday’s card made weight.

After three weeks away, Bellator is back with Bellator 262 inside the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., with a flyweight title fight and a high-stakes heavyweight scrap on tap. The event will be capped off by Juliana Velasquez’ first defense of her 125-pound throne, when she takes on kickboxing convert Denise Kielholtz (6-2) at night’s end. All 10 fights on the card are official, as every fighter made weight, even though two prelim fighters needed an extra hour to hit their marks.

Velasquez (11-0) comes into this battle with a flawless record, seven months removed from wresting the title from Ilima-Lei Macfarlane in December. The Brazilian champ has stormed her way through the Bellator cage, rattling off six wins since her organizational debut in 2017 over names like Na Lian…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC 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. Count Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight Michel Pereira among those that believe his battle with Niko Price should have earned “Fight of the Night.” Both Pereira (26-11, 2 NC) and Price (14-5, 2 NC) brawled for three hard-fought rounds on the prelims of UFC 264, with Pereira getting his hand raised at the end. Much to their chagrin, the main card offering, Sean O'Malley’s one-sided beating of newcomer Kris Moutinho, earned the $75k prize instead. The win was Pereira’s third in a row inside the Octagon, and the victorious Brazilian spoke to Sherdog shortly after his victory to give his thoughts on the whole ordeal.

“They should consider the level of the opponent's when choosing the bonus,” Pereira said. “O’Malley got an [easy opponent], that was no…

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 recently defeated Ultimate Fighting Championship star Conor McGregor has made some claims about a possible preexisting injury that may merit some additional questioning. On Thursday, McGregor posted a video on his Instagram while riding a motorized scooter as an update to his fans about his condition and recovery. In this video, the Irishman explained that he may have come into UFC 264, and his rubber match against Dustin Poirier, with injuries to his leg. In that third bout with Poirier, McGregor’s tibia snapped towards the end of the first round, with many speculating it could have broken on a checked leg kick, an elbow block from Poirier or simply from throwing it so hard. Even though it did not go his way, McGregor appeared upbeat about the situation, getting out of surgery on his birthday on Wednesday.

“Keep a positiv…

A middleweight clash pitting Phil Hawes against Deron Winn has been rescheduled for a UFC event on Oct. 9.

The bout was originally slated for UFC on ESPN 26 this Saturday, but according to ESPN the contest was moved three months down the road after Winn suffered a rib injury. The UFC card will likely take place the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a strawweight tilt between Marina Rodriguez and Mackenzie Dern.

Hawes enters the matchup with Winn having won his last seven professional outings — including three straight in UFC competition. The two-time Dana White’s Contender Series veteran has thus far scored successive triumphs over Jacob Malkoun, Nassourdine Imavov and Kyle Daukus within the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Winn, meanwhile, snapped a two-bout skid at UFC Fight Night 183, where he captured a unanimous verdict against Antonio Arroyo on Dec. 19. The 32-year-old American Kickboxing Academy representative is 7-2 as a pro with other notable wins ag…

Veteran middleweight Omari Akhmedov is no longer on the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster.

Akhmedov and the Las Vegas-based promotion have parted ways following a split-decision loss to Brad Tavares at UFC 264 this past Saturday. Sherdog.com contributor Tom Feely initially reported via Twitter that Akhmedov was listed as a “former fighter” on UFC.com, and MMAFighting.com later confirmed his exit.

It’s unclear if Akhmedov was cut with existing bouts on his contract or simply fulfilled his last fight at UFC 264 and will not receive a new deal.

The 33-year-old Dagestani began his Octagon tenure in 2013 and compiled a 9-5-1 record in UFC competition, with victories over the likes of Tom Breese, Ian Heinisch, Tim Boetsch, Zak Cummings and Brian Ebersole. At one point, the man known as “Wolverine” went unbeaten in six promotional appearances from November 2016 to December 2019.

Anchored at American Top Team, Akhmedov is 21-6-1 over the course of a professio…

UFC 266 will officially feature a pair of title fights at the top of the bill.

UFC president Dana White confirmed to promotion broadcast partner ESPN on Tuesday that a featherweight clash pitting reigning champ Alexander Volkanovski against Brian Orega will serve as the evening’s headliner, while Valentina Shevchenko will defend her flyweight crown against Lauren Murphy.

UFC 266 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sept. 25 and will also see Nick Diaz return for the first time since 2015 in a five-round, non-title matchup with Robbie Lawler.

Volkanovski was originally slated to defend his belt against Ortega at UFC 260 on March 27, but the Australian champion tested positive for COVID-19 to put that matchup on hold. The two featherweights were then tabbed as coaches on Season 29 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Volkanovski is currently on a 19-bout professional winning streak that includes nine triumphs in the UFC. He claimed 145-pound gold with a five-…

Nick Diaz has signed on the dotted line to lock horns with Robbie Lawler at UFC 266.

UFC president Dana White confirmed to Yahoo Sports that the previously targeted welterweight bout is nearly official for the Sept. 25 event. Lawler hasn’t yet signed a contract but the bout is expected to be finalized soon. Additionally, the matchup will be a five-round non-title affair, the second in the history of the Las Vegas-based promotion. The first such fight occurred at UFC 263, when Leon Edwards defeated Nate Diaz in a five-round verdict on June 12.

Lawler and Diaz initially squared off at UFC 47, with Lawler losing via knockout at the 1:31 mark of Round 2.

UFC 266 will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sept. 25 and is expected to be headlined by a featherweight championship clash pitting Alexander Volkanovski against Brian Ortega.

Diaz hasn’t competed since January 2015, when he lost a five-round decision to Anderson Silva in the UFC 183 headliner —…

Former Invicta Fighting Championships title holder Pam Sorenson has signed an exclusive deal with Bellator MMA.

Sherdog.com confirmed the signing with a promotion official following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. A date for Sorenson’s promotional debut was not revealed.

Sorenson herself recently revealed via Instagram that she had vacated her Invicta belt.

A 35-year-old native of Blaine, Minn., Sorenson has not competed since taking a five-round verdict over Kaitlin Young for the vacant 145-pound strap at Invicta FC 36 on Aug. 9, 2019. Prior to that, “Bam” was submittted in the fourth round by current UFC talent Felicia Spencer in a title bout at Invicta FC 32.

Sorenson is 8-3 over the course of her professional tenure, with other victories over the likes of Jan Finney, Helena Kolesnyk, Jessica-Rose Clark and Nicco Montano.

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Jake Paul has big dreams when it comes to his boxing career, and Tyron Woodley is just the beginning.

“[Woodley is my] toughest [opponent] by far and that’s exactly what I want,” Paul said at a press conference on Tuesday to promote his boxing match against the former UFC champion. “I want to continue to increase my opponent’s skill level. I want to challenge myself. This is a legitimate knockout artist. He was boxing while I was on Disney Channel. He’s been boxing probably four or five times as long as me.”

Thus far, Paul is 3-0 in the Sweet Science with his most notable victory coming in April, when he scored a first-round knockout of former Bellator and One Championship title holder Ben Askren. Askren was a decorated wrestler but a below average striker at best — even by MMA standards. Woodley, on the basis of KO wins over the likes of Robbie Lawler, Dong Hyun Kim, Josh Koscheck and Jay Hieron, among …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZuF5ijCHvc&w=560&h=315]

Tyron Woodley isn’t looking at his boxing match against Jake Paul as a one-off opportunity for a cash grab.

Instead, the former UFC welterweight champion has designs on pursuing more fights in the Sweet Science after his Aug. 29 matchup with the YouTube personality.

“I didn’t get into this for a quick payday to get in and get out,” Woodley said during a press conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday to promote his fight with Paul. “This is a steppingstone for me. This is my entry into boxing for sure.”

Woodley will face Paul in the main event of a Showtime Sports card at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. The event will air via pay-per-view on Showtime beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Paul is 3-0 as a professional boxer, while Woodley will be making his debut in the sport.

Now 39 years old, Woodley parted ways with the UFC following a four-bout losing streak. He last appeared in the …

Conor McGregor may very well be on the decline in his mixed martial arts career, but he nonetheless remains the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s top draw.

According to a report from the Sports Business Journal, UFC 264 drew a total of 1.8 million pay-per-view buys, making it the second-highest selling event in promotion history. UFC 229 was the top seller with a reported 2.4 million pay-per-view buys for a card headlined by a lightweight championship clash between McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

UFC 264 reportedly sold 1.3 million buys in the United States on ESPN and another 500,000 internationally. The card, which took place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, saw Dustin Poirier emerge victorious in the rubber match against the Irishman when McGregor suffered a gruesome leg break after stepping awkwardly at the end of Round 1.

Earlier in 2021, McGregor’s second-round TKO loss to Poirier in the UFC 257 main event on Jan. 23 did a reported 1.6 million buys. Al…