Martial Arts News

Aljamain Sterling will have neck surgery this week to repair on issue that has plagued him for approximately 10 years.

The UFC bantamweight champion told ESPN that he has been diagnosed with a herniated disc and that doctors will operate on his C6-C7 vertebrae on Thursday. Sterling hopes to return from the procedure to defend the belt in a rematch with Petr Yan later this year.

"They told me I will heal in three months, and can start doing cardio to get myself ready," Sterling said. "They wouldn't want to see me take a fight until they see everything has fused in my neck correctly. Five months would be ideal, if I heal up really quick. I'm excited. The faster I heal up, the faster I can fight. We'll find out in the next three months, and get something on schedule.”

Sterling won the bantamweight crown at UFC 259 on March 6, when Yan landed an illegal knee in the fourth round, leaving “The Funk Master” unable to continue. After the result, UFC president Dana Whit…

For a period of time, it looked as though Mike Perry would have a long-term place in the UFC based on his reputation as an action fighter alone.

Lately, however, the welterweight has not been competitive, and losses in four of his last five Octagon appearances — along with numerous issues outside of the cage — have put his future with the Las Vegas-based promotion in doubt. Perry was bloodied and battered in his latest outing, dropping a three-round verdict to Daniel Rodriguez in a featured affair at UFC on ABC 2 this past Saturday.

By the end of the contest, Perry had a cut and swelling near his left eye mand his already disfigured nose looked like it might have been broken again. More importantly, Perry didn’t offer much for his opponent outside of a successful takedown late in Round 1, as he was outlanded by a lopsided 129-to-61 count in signficant strikes.

While expressing confusing regarding his latest struggles, Perry revealed in a post-fight statement tha…

Arnold Allen might be the most underrated talent in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s featherweight division.

The 27-year-old Tristar Gym representative earned his eighth consecutive victory at UFC on ABC 2, taking a three-round verdict over fellow 145-pound prospect Sodiq Yusuff in Saturday’s co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

“Two prospects trying to break through is always going to be a tough fight,” Allen said. “It’s not like when you get a young prospect fighting an old veteran. Sometimes the prospect blows away the veteran and stakes his claim. When it’s two prospects, it’s usually a tight matchup. All respect to Sodiq. He’s tough as hell.”

On two occasions, Allen appeared to be on the verge of stopping his opponent. In the first round, “Almighty” dropped Yusuff with a counter left hand and in Round 2, he rattled the Nigerian fighter with a head kick. However, both times, Allen didn’t display enough of a killer instinct to get the finish as Yu…

Marvin Vettori wasn’t in much danger against Kevin Holland in the UFC on ABC 2 headliner on Saturday, but it wasn’t the type of performance that turns heads, either.

“The Italian Dream” relied on takedowns, top control and ground-and-pound to roll to a unanimous decision triumph over Holland at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas for his fifth consecutive triumph at 185 pounds. Vettori’s dominance was reflected in the final scorecards: All three cageside judges submitted 50-44 tallies in favor of the Kings MMA product.

While Holland a few fleeting moments of success when the combatants were on their feet, those were few and far between as Vettori set a middleweight record with 11 takedowns. All told, Holland has been grounded a combined 17 times in back-to-back losses against Vettori and Derek Brunson.

“I knew he was really wild. When he goes for strikes, he really throws himself in. He’s either out or in,” Vettori said after his victory. “If he clinches, there’s no poin…

Jimmy Flick announced his retirement from fighting earlier today. pretty upset we won’t get to see his grappling anymore, the man was a monster on the ground. pic.twitter.com/ZefRYTlK1Y

— ricky (@mysticcrick) April 11, 2021

In just a few weeks, Jimmy Flick was supposed to square off against Francisco Figueiredo at UFC on ESPN 24.

Instead, the 30-year-old flyweight is calling it a career. Flick made his retirement announcement on Saturday at a Freestyle Cage Fighting event in Tulsa, Okla., an organization where he was once 125-pound champion.

“A lot of people keep asking me where I see myself in 10 years. ‘Where do you see yourself in the UFC?’ To be honest, everybody, the UFC is not my dream no more,” Flick said. “A lot of people won’t understand why. It’s hard to explain and it does bring tears to my eyes, but the UFC is not looking out for me. My wife is looking out for me, my kids are looking out for me and that’s what I want. I want …

Julian Marquez and Sam Alvey gave the ABC audience an entertaining brawl on Saturday, and the middleweights are now $50,000 richer for their efforts.

Marquez and Alvey shared “Fight of the Night” honors for their featured clash at UFC on ABC 2 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Both combatants were swinging for the fences from the outset, but once Marquez hurt his adversary with a right hand and follow-up barrage, he was able to eventually render Alvey unconscious with a modified rear-naked choke at the 2:07 mark of Round 2.

Elsewhere, rising strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern garnered a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for a submission victory over the returning Nina Nunes. After punching her way into the clinch, Dern took Nunes down, passed to mount and framed an arm bar. Nunes defended as long as she could until Dern broke her grip, extended the arm and elicited the tapout 4:48 into the opening stanza.

Finally, former KSW champion Mateusz Gamrot earned …

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. There’s a blueprint for defeating Kevin Holland, and Marvin Vettori followed it perfectly on Saturday afternoon. The Italian middleweight took Holland down repeatedly, remained heavy on top and battered his opponent with ground-and-pound en route to a unanimous decision triumph in the UFC on ABC 2 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All three cageside judges saw the fight 50-44 in favor of Vettori (16-4-1, 7-2-1 UFC), who has won five straight fights at 185 pounds. Holland (21-7, 8-4 UFC) was a short-notice replacement for Darren Till, who withdrew from the event with a broken collarbone.

“I’m not too happy with what I did,” Vettori said. “I wanted to finish this guy and I was not able to. But it was a dominant win and I keep improving. I’m not the happiest right now, but I keep winning and I keep progressing.”

Holland,…

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 ABC 2 coverage will begin Saturday at 11:30 a.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 Critch…

Make that - in the UFC!@JoeSolecki locks in the UD. #UFCVegas23 pic.twitter.com/4DhdhzrIgr

— UFC (@ufc) April 10, 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.

Joe Solecki just added a significant name to his burgeoning mixed martial arts resume at UFC on ABC 2.

In a matchup of two grappling-based fighters, Joe Solecki was able to neutralize Jim Miller (32-16, 1 NC, 21-15, 1 NC UFC) for the better part of two rounds, earning a unanimous decision against the 37-time Octagon veteran in their lightweight clash at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday afternoon. After 15 minutes, Solecki (11-2, 3-0) received scorecards of 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 from the cageside judges.

Most of the bout was contested on the mat. Solecki appeared to be quicker to the punch in the opening stages of Round 1, but Miller was able to stuff a takedown a…

Ryan Bader is the first fighter to advance in the Bellator MMA light heavyweight grand prix.

The Bellator 256 main event saw Bader (28-6, 1 NC) get a chance at revenge against former Lyoto Machida, who knocked out "Darth" in 2012. Early on, the superior footwork of Machida (26-11) allowed him to stay away from Bader's right hand and land some hard kicks to the body. However, the wrestling of the American became a factor as the fight continued. The reigning Bellator heavyweight champion kept the Brazilian grounded and delivered constant punishment from top position during the final three rounds. An exhausted Machida had accepted his fate when the scorecards were read and Bader picked up scores of 49-46, 49-45 and 49-45.

The co-main event saw Liz Carmouche face fellow flyweight veteran Vanessa Porto. The clinch-heavy style of the "Girl-rilla" was fully on display as Carmouche (15-7) displayed her physical advantages against Porto (22-9) by repeatedly securing takedowns…

Sherdog's live Bellator 256 coverage kicks off Friday at 6 p.m. ET.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Light Heavyweight WGP Quarterfinal Bout:Ryan Bader (205) vs. Lyoto Machida (204.6) Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 The Official Result

ROSTER UPDATES:- Lazar Stojadinovic replaces Jason Soares for the 2021 PFL Season- Curtis Millender replaces David Michaud for the 2021 PFL Season pic.twitter.com/2phZfdbG2n

— PFL MMA (@ProFightLeague) April 9, 2021 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the PFL live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. The Professional Fighters League 2021 season has been shaken up weeks before its kickoff. On Thursday, David Michaud revealed that he had been diagnosed with a rare heart condition that forced him to withdraw from the 2021 PFL season and possibly cut short his career. The promotion, with its second headliner in jeopardy, acted quickly to replace Michaud, according to MMA Junkie on Friday. Curtis Millender (18-6) will be joining the welterweight bracket against Rory MacDonald (21-6-1), and this news has since been confirmed by the PFL.

Millender will be competing at 170 pounds on short n…