Martial Arts News

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. A top-10 spot at flyweight will be on the line for the Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Oct. 9. On this Oct. 9 UFC Fight Night event inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Tim Elliott (17-11-1) takes on Matheus Nicolau (16-2-1) at 125 pounds, per MMA Fighting on Thursday. The fight has since been confirmed by other outlets.

Former title challenger and “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 24 winner Elliott finds himself on his first UFC win streak since his first stint in 2012. Elliott has beaten Ryan Benoit and Jordan Espinosa by decision in his last two appearances, putting an end to a trio of setbacks against Deiveson Figueiredo, Askar Askarov and Brandon Royval. Should the Glory MMA & Fitness product emerge victorious, it will be his first three-fight win streak inside the Octagon.

Nicolau will be also looking to put 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. A top-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight battle has been put back on the books for October. On Thursday morning, a fight recently canceled has a new home at the upcoming Oct. 2 show, according to ESPN. The UFC Fight Night event on this date will now play host to Aspen Ladd (9-1) vs. Macy Chiasson (7-1) at bantamweight, in a bout that was once set for UFC on ESPN 27. The fight fell apart on fight week due to an injury to Chiasson’s leg, and it will be recovered by October. Chiasson has since confirmed this pairing on her Instagram.

Ladd will be looking to make her first trip to the Octagon since a third-round knockout of Yana Kunitskaya in December 2019. The win successfully rebounded Ladd from the first loss of her career, a controversial stoppage against Germaine de Randamie that was nearly overturned by t…

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 assault on Ultimate Fighting Championship co-main events continues, as an upcoming pay-per-view card has just lost a major bout. ESPN broke the news on Thursday that Amanda Nunes (21-4) had contracted COVID-19, according to UFC exec Hunter Campbell. Due to her positive test, her UFC 265 championship tilt on Aug. 7 with Julianna Pena (10-4) is off. The promotion will look to rebook the matchup following Nunes’ recovery, and her timetable for return is currently unknown. Per MMA Junkie, Nunes, her wife Nina Nunes and their infant daughter all have COVID-19.

Nunes was planning on making her return to bantamweight after a pair of successful trips to featherweight to defend that title twice. In June 2020, Nunes battered Felicia Spencer to record a lopsided decision verdict, and she came back in March to tap out Megan Anderson in j…

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. It appears that Norma Dumont vs. Felicia Spencer in May was not in fact the final Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s featherweight match. MMA Fighting was first to report on Wednesday that Holly Holm (14-5) would be making her comeback in the featherweight division against Dumont (6-1) on Oct. 16. The UFC Fight Night event on that date will likely go down inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and it is unclear but unlikely this matchup will serve as its headliner. Holm subsequently confirmed the news on her Instagram on Thursday.

Holm, who will turn 40 the day after this expected matchup, has proved that she is not done competing at the highest level yet. The former bantamweight queen is currently riding a two-fight win streak with decisions over Raquel Pennington and Irene Aldana, both of which came in 2020. This winning streak …

Two of the protagonists of the “UFC Vegas 32” main card have some medical time off ahead of them.

Going into last Saturday, former Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight kingpin T.J. Dillashaw had been absent from competition since Jan. 19, 2019. Still, he took home a narrow split decision against Cory Sandhagen in the UFC on ESPN 27 headliner. The fight took a toll on Dillashaw (17-4, 13-4 UFC), who is now facing a six-month suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission (via mixedmartialarts.com). The 35-year old already underwent a left knee MRI, which revealed that he suffered a displaced “bucket handle” tear of the lateral meniscus and a lateral collateral ligament (LCL) rupture, requiring surgery.

Bad news for Adrian Yanez (14-3, 3-0 UFC) as well, who is facing potential six-month terms. The 27-year-old fighter stopped Randy Costa with punches at the 2:11 mark of the second stanza. Now, Yanez must have an x-ray of his nasal bones and will requi…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC, PFL and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Things aren’t going well for Chris Weidman, who will need to go under the knife soon. In a recent interview with MMA Today on SiriusXM, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship 185-pound titleholder revealed that his injury is more severe than expected. Weidman broke his right fibula and tibia on a low kick checked by Uriah Hall in their clash at UFC 261. “The All-American” had surgery a few hours later and has been dealing with rehabilitation since.

“I’m actually getting another surgery, I just found out,” Weidman said. “I’m getting another surgery, most likely on Aug. 11. They’re going to have to plate the fibula bone because it’s considered a non-union, so the bones aren’t healing the way it’s supposed to, which kind of sucks, but I did expect setbacks and issues with this type of traumatic inj…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC, PFL and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Two European fighters will join two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison in 2022. The Professional Fighters League 2021 Season isn’t over yet, but the orginization is already planning its next move. On Wednesday morning, the PFL announced that sambo world champion Marina Mokhnatkina and former ISKA K-1 kickboxing queen Martina Jindrova would participate in the women’s 155-pound division in the 2022 season. The roster also includes Harrison and Larissa Pacheco, among the names fighting for the $1 million prize.

“We are very excited to bring two women of this caliber into our women’s lightweight division,” said PFL President of Fighter Operations Ray Sefo in a press release. “The goal has been to elevate our roster each year and that will be the case once again in 2022. These signings, along wit…

Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

It appears that Tatiana Suarez will have to wait a bit longer before making her Octagon return. On Tuesday night, ESPN reported that Suarez pulled out of her scheduled strawweight UFC 266 clash with Roxanne Modafferi due to an injury. The Ultimate Fighting Championship is currently looking for a replacement to keep Modafferi on the card. Shortly after the news broke, Suarez herself took to her social media to reveal that she needs to undergo surgery to heal her knee.

“Life really hits us hard sometimes,” she wrote. “I’d lie and say I have it together but I don’t. It’s been tough to say the least. I was really excited to fight again and I felt so ready and up for the task. I still can’t believe this is my reality. It’s heartbreaking to say the least. I was in this same position a little over two years ago. I had to suck it up and focus on gettin…

On Tuesday, Invicta Fighting Championships announced its return to pay-per-view with the upcoming Invicta FC 44: A New Era. It will be the promotion’s first pay-per-view since Invicta FC 7, which took place on Dec. 7, 2013. After that, the promotion signed a deal to broadcast its events on UFC Fight Pass. The agreement held since Invicta FC 43, after which the promotion aired on Axs TV.

Fans can order the Invicta FC 44 event on Fite.tv for $19.99 in the United States, $14.99 in Canada and $9.99 in the rest of the world. For the occasion, the card will feature a pair of title fights. The main event will crown a new straight queen as Emily Ducote and Danielle Taylor clash for the vacant championship. In the co-main event, Lisa Verzosa faces Taneisha Tennant for the bantamweight title.

“I'm excited for our athletes to showcase their skills on pay-per-view again,” said Invicta FC President Shannon Knapp in a press release. "These title fights feature some of the most tale…

Another hit for #UFCVegas33, the new co-main event of Lazzez-Stolze is off. Lazzez has visa issues (shouldn't he have been in Vegas by now?) and Stolze will remain on the card against an unnamed replacement, per Stolze's Instagram. pic.twitter.com/mFfUtAXdkP

— Jay Pettry (@jaypettry) July 27, 2021

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC, PFL and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

In a short span of time, UFC on ESPN 28 has lost two main card fights.

On Tuesday news broke that Mounir Lazzez won’t fight Niklas Stolze in a welterweight scrap on Saturday. Stolze took up to his social media accounts to share the information, revealing that his opponent had some visa issues that prevented him from entering the United States. According to “Green Mask,” the Ultimate Fighting Championship is currently looking for a replacement.

A day prior, the…

OFFICIAL: 2x PFL Lightweight World Champ @NatanSchulte faces off against @oliaubin in the 2021 #PFLPlayoffs Prelim headliner on Friday, August 13!

https://t.co/qRUFMymxAv pic.twitter.com/nnIS3LzWBx

— PFL (@PFLMMA) July 27, 2021 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC, PFL and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. One of the most anticipated fights in Professional Fighters League will take place on Aug. 13.

On Tuesday morning, PFL revealed the full lineup for its upcoming playoff event. As announced last week, the card will feature the semifinals at lightweight and welterweight. The bill is headlined by a clash between Rory MacDonald and Ray Cooper III. In the co-main event, Joao Zeferino (26-9, 5-1 PFL) will square off with Magomed Magomedkerimov (27-5, 9-0 PFL). The winners will advance to the finale, where the winner will take home the much-cov…

@PhenomLima vs. @Michaelpage247 2️s a GO!

No. 1️nd No. 2️meet in the #Bellator267 Welterweight Main Event at The @ssearena, Wembley in London on Friday, Oct. 1.@AXS_UK pre-sale is LIVE Thursday, July 29 at 10 AM BST. pic.twitter.com/DmXQWdQASD

— Bellator Europe (@Bellator_Europe) July 27, 2021 “Venom” will get an opportunity to revenge his only defeat.

On Tuesday morning, Bellator MMA announced that Douglas Lima would square off with Michael Page once again in October. The first time “The Phenom” and “Venom” locked horns, Lima handed Page his first defeat after knocking him out 35 seconds in the second stanza at Bellator 232. The pair will headline the upcoming Bellator London card, which also marks the promotional return in the Old Continent following the COVID-19 outbreak. The latest Bellator event outside the United States dates back to Bellator 240, which took place in Dublin on Feb. 2020.

Former 170-pound champion Lima (32-9, …