Martial Arts News

Michelle Waterson gave a valiant effort in the UFC on ESPN 24 main event but ultimately came up short, falling to Marina Rodriguez via unanimous decision on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Despite being significantly undersized, the former Invicta FC atomweight queen hung tough against her Brazilian opponent. “The Karate Hottie” had her best moment in Round 4, when she landed a takedown and spent the better part of three minutes battering Rodriguez with punches and elbows from top position.

Waterson also caused Rodriguez’s jaw to swell after landing a high kick in the final stanza, but she wasn’t able to match the muay Thai striker’s weapons consistently enough in a bout that was contested largely on the feet. The Jackson-Wink MMA representative has lost three of her last four Octagon appearances but has been competitive in falling to Rodriguez, Carla Esparza and Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

After her latest effort, the 35-year-old New Mexico resident released a s…

As the opening round of his UFC on ESPN 24 matchup with Diego Ferreira drew to a close, Gregor Gillespie didn’t appear to be in a good place.

The former NCAA national champion wrestler struggled to hold Ferreira down in scrambles and ate several hard punches when the combatants were standing. After a grueling five minutes, Gillespie appeared to be on wobbly legs as he returned to his corner.

“A couple people have already told me I looked tired—because I was,” Gillespie said. “When people say ‘He’s out of shape,’ those are two different things. Being out of shape means you didn’t prepare correctly and you’re tired as a result. I was tired because of the pace we were doing.

“I’m not saying that was all me. He stuck with it. I had to really throw that at him and make it the pace of the fight, in the hopes he couldn’t keep doing it and knowing I probably could. I was extremely tired after Round 1, but I’m OK feeling that way.”

As it turned out, Gillespie was …

Marina Rodriguez earned a signature triumph against Michelle Waterson in the makeshift UFC on ESPN 24 headliner on Saturday night.

“It was a very good performance. I knew everything was going to be different, so I had to prepare my mind and come in with a different mindset than usual,” Rodriguez said. “I’m pretty happy with the performance. I wish I could have got a knockout, that’s what I came here for. It was still a great win over a great opponent.”

Though she didn’t get the finish, Rodriguez attacked with rapid-fire punching combinations, kicks to various levels and knees and elbows in the clinch against a durable opponent. The Brazilian appeared to have Waterson on the retreat a few times, but “The Karate Hottie” remained competitive for a full 25 minutes.

“I knew she was going to be very tough,” Rodriguez said. “I was able to hit her with some good punches. There was one hook where I thought the referee was going to stop it. She’s very tough. You can’t ta…

Donald Cerrone hasn’t tasted victory in UFC competition in his last six appearances, but the popular veteran remains determined to keep plugging away until he can exit the sport on his terms.

Cerrone suffered a first-round technical knockout defeat at the hands of short-notice foe Alex Morono in the UFC on ESPN 24 co-main event on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. A counter overhand right from Morono put Cerrone on the defensive, and “Cowboy” was unable to recover as his opponent swarmed with follow-up strikes to force the stoppage at the 4:40 mark of Round 1.

“It’s just a rough day in the office,” Cerrone told ESPN. “This game can get changed, all it takes is one big shot. He hit me with a good one, set me back. Hit me with another one. I could hear my coaches say grab a hold of him and it’s like I don’t know if I can take three of them.

“The kid came hungry, ready, no excuses on my end. I was ready. We warmed up great, came out started early, who knows.”…

While Geoff Neal was quite competitive against Neil Magny at UFC on ESPN 24, he simply lacked the overall volume and cage command to get the job done against a crafty veteran opponent.

That resulted in a unanimous decision defeat on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas — Neal’s second consecutive setback in the Octagon. The man known as “Handz of Steel” began his promotional tenure with five straight victories before being hospitalized and forced to pull out of a clash against Magny at UFC Fight Night 175 in August 2020. Since then, he has dropped back-to-back contests against Stephen Thompson and Magny.

In a post on his Instagram account, Neal said he probably needs to take some time away from the sport to allow his body to fully recover.

“Well there goes another one. Felt really good in the first round and the second one was close,” Neal said. “Even in defeat I'm still proud of this one as well. It was another honor to step in there with another crafty vete…

It was a tale of two rounds for Gregor Gillespie and Diego Ferreira at UFC on ESPN 24.

That type of back-and-forth action earned the lightweight competitors “Fight of the Night” honors on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, but Gillespie took home the entirety of the $100,000 bonus on account of Ferreira missing weight one day prior. While Ferreira got the better of his foe in the opening five minutes, it was Gillespie who had the last laugh, as his withering pace overwhelmed Ferreira to the tune of a TKO stoppage 4:51 into Round 2.

Elsewhere, Alex Morono’s short-notice effort proved to be quite lucrative, as he received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for a first-round technical knockout of Donald Cerrone in the welterweight co-main event. Morono rocked “Cowboy” with a massive counter overhand right, then swarmed with offense against the fence on his reeling foe force the stoppage 4:40 into Round 1.

Finally, newcomer Carlston Lindsay Harris had a…

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. While it wasn’t the headliner most initially expected, Marina Rodriguez and Michelle Waterson put on a striking showcase at UFC on ESPN 24. Ultimately, it was Rodriguez’s muay Thai stylings that won the day, as she outlanded Waterson over the course of five rounds to earn a unanimous decision triumph at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. All three judges saw the flyweight fight for the Brazilian: 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46. Rodriguez and Waterson, who both normally compete at 115 pounds, agreed to step in for a makeshift main event after the originally slated feature between T.J. Dillashaw and Cory Sandhagen fell through.

Rodriguez (14-1-2, 4-1-2 UFC) held a visible size advantage over her opponent, who once reigned as Invicta Fighting Championships’s atomweight queen. Over the course of the first 15 minutes, Rodriguez rac…

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. Sherdog's live UFC on ESPN 24 coverage will begin Saturday at 6 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:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfi…

Foot on the gas! @TheLoneWolfMMA came out swinging in round . #UFCVegas26 pic.twitter.com/Cr7cts4Inw

— UFC (@ufc) May 8, 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 Fighter 27” winner Michael Trizano captured a closely-contested unanimous verdict against Ludovit Klein in the UFC on ESPN 24 featured preliminary featherweight matchup at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. All three cageside judges submitted tallies in favor of Trizano: 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27.

Trizano (9-1, 3-1 UFC) controlled the cage for the majority of the fight and while Klein (17-3, 1-1 UFC) appeared to have an edge in volume early, the Team Tiger Schulmann representative connected with more authority. Trizano did his best work in the final stanza, when he dazed Klein with a right hand and increasingly found a rhythm with more offensive …

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

UFC on ESPN 24 has taken another hit just hours before the beginning of the card.

Amanda Ribas has tested positive for COVID-19, and as a result, her strawweight bout with Angela Hill has been canceled. Ribas confirmed the news following an initial report from MMAFighting.com.

"So, guys, as you can see, my hair was ready, I was ready, I came here with negative tests, and then I received the news that I have (tested positive),” Ribas said in a video on her Instagram story. “I hope you guys can still send the vibes for me. Kisses!”

UFC on ESPN 24 will proceed with nine bouts. The event takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a flyweight showdown between Michelle Waterson and Marina Rodriguez.

The card lost its original headliner of T.J. Dillashaw vs. Cory Sandhagen when the former bantamweight champion had to withdraw after suffering a significant cut in training. Also, Philipe Lins pulled out of a …

Sergio Pettis’ time has come.

Crisp jabs and clean counters carried the Roufusport standout to a unanimous decision over Juan Archuleta, as he captured the undisputed Bellator MMA bantamweight championship in the Bellator 258 headliner on Friday at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. All three cageside judges scored it for Pettis (21-5, 3-0 Bellator): 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46.

Archuleta (25-3, 7-2 Bellator) spent much of the fight playing into the challenger’s strengths. Pettis’ used the Californian’s aggression against him, snapping back his head with stinging jabs and sharp counterpunches from both hands. Even when Archuleta turned to takedowns, he failed to consolidate them with positional control or ground-and-pound.

Pettis will carry a four-fight winning streak into his first title defense.

Meanwhile, Anthony Johnson leveled Jose Augusto Azevedo Barros with a devastating right hand and sealed the deal with a follow-up hammerfist in the second ro…

coverage kicks off Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET.

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

Round 1 Kicking off the card, Erik Perez (19-8), who had a sterling 7-2 record in the UFC but is presently 0-2 in Bellator, is a big favorite over Blaine Shutt (8-4). Officiating the contest will be referee Kerry Hatley. Shutt begins the action with a nice leg kick. Perez comes forward with a series of punches, but Shutt mostly avoids them. Perez is stalking forward, but Shutt is bouncing well and circling. Suddenly, Shutt starts limping on a foot and immediately shoots in. He is able to stall, but is eating plenty of punches and elbows. Nevertheless, he gets Perez against the cage and onto his butt. Even in this position, though, Perez continues to pepper him with strikes. Eventually though, Perez is able to get back up, and Shutt goes for a guillotine which has little chance of success. Perez is now on top, in half-guard. Halfway…