Martial Arts News

In mixed martial arts, fighters generally receive at least one warning — if not more — before a point is deducted for an eye poke.

After being on the receiving end of such a foul against Leon Edwards in the UFC Fight Night 187 headliner, Belal Muhammad thinks more decisive action should be taken by officials in those instances. Prior to the eye poke that rendered Muhammad unable to continue 18 seconds into Round 2, Edwards was warned for a similar violation in the opening stanza. Additionally, Muhammad told ESPN that he asked veteran referee Herb Dean to keep on eye on Edwards’ fingers in the fight.

"We trained for this," Muhammad said. "We know he likes to keep distance and put his palm out. We literally told Herb Dean before the fight, 'We're going to be trying to get in on him and he puts his hands out, please watch his fingers.’

"Refs need to take a point right away, no warning. That will stop guys from doing that. You saw it with Petr Yan's illegal knee [a…

A severe case of the flu has forced Paulo Costa to withdraw from a scheduled clash with Robert Whittaker at UFC on ESPN 22.

AgFight was first to report that the bout was in jeopardy, and multiple outlets have since confirmed that an illness has resulted in Costa’s exit from the card. This particular case of the flu has hindered the Brazilian’s ability to properly prepare for the fight, which ultimately forced him to pull out of the event.

The Las Vegas-based promotion is reportedly looking into moving Costa vs. Whittaker to May 1 or May 8, but nothing has been finalized. It appears unlikely that Whittaker will receive a replacement opponent.

"We just need two more weeks because Paulo got a strong flu and had to stop his training," Costa's manager, Walllid Ismael, told Sherdog.com. "Actually, the entire team of trainers and sparring partners were hit by the virus."

Ismael emphasized that Costa's sickness was a normal flu, not COVID-19.

"Actually Paulo caug…

Belal Muhammad is not one of the five competitors who could be sidelined up to six months following UFC Fight Night 187, but he will require doctor clearance before he can step into the Octagon again.

A full list of medical suspensions from this past Saturday’s event, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, were released to mixedmartialarts.com. The evening’s headliner ended 18 seconds into Round 2 when an accidental eye poke from Leon Edwards rendered Muhammad unable to continue in their welterweight matchup. Muhammad must have his right eye cleared by an ophthalmologist before he can compete again. At a minimum he is suspended until April 13 with no contact until April 4.

Meanwhile, the following five fighters from the card must receive doctor clearance or they will be suspended for six months: Ashley Yoder, Marcelo Rojo (facial fractures), Nasrat Haqparast (left fibula), Rafa Garcia (right elbow) and Cortney Casey (right foot, right hand).

UFC Fight …

Three-time UFC veteran Spike Carlyle will lock horns with Batsumberel Dagvadorj in the headliner of Legacy Fighting Alliance 103.

The promotion recently announced the lightweight bout. LFA 103 takes place at the Grand Event Center in Shawnee, Okla., on March 26, and the main card airs on UFC Fight Pass at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. In the co-main event, Vanessa Demopoulos will meet Cynthia Arceo at 115 pounds.

Carlyle was released by the UFC after going 1-2 within the Las Vegas-based organization. “The Alpha Ginger” kicked off his Octagon tenure with a first-round TKO of Aalon Cruz before dropping consecutive decisions to Billy Quarantillo and Bill Algeo. The 27-year-old is 9-3 as a pro, with eight victories coming inside the distance.

The 33-year-old Dagvadorj suffering his first pro defeat in his promotional debut at LFA 96, where he lost a three-round verdict against Maycon Mendonca. “The Mongolian Falcon” is 7-1 with one no contest over the course of a pro caree…

The Professional Fighters League announced Tuesday that the first installment of its four-part documentary series entitled “The Randy Couture Story” will debut Saturday on ESPN at 2:30 p.m. ET.

The series will highlight the career of UFC champion and Hall of Famer Randy Couture, including his fighting career, Hollywood exploits and his commentary duties with PFL. According to a release, all four episodes of the documentary will be available on demand via ESPN+ following the conclusion of the premiere.

“It’s an awesome feeling to have my own documentary series chronicling my journey as an MMA athlete and everything I’ve done outside of the cage,” Couture said. “The PFL is a global fighter-first organization and I wholeheartedly believe in the format and everything they are doing as a leader in the sport. I’ve been through so much in my life and I know how hard the PFL team has worked on this series. I can’t wait to watch it — it’s going to be special.” 

Th…

WE ARE BACK!!!!!!#UFC261 April 24th. Jacksonville, FL. FULL CROWD. pic.twitter.com/5dy7wb4OWE

— danawhite (@danawhite) March 16, 2021

For the first time in more than a year, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will hold an event in front of a capacity crowd.

UFC president Dana White announced Monday that UFC 261 will take place at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., on April 24. The 15,000-seat venue is where the UFC initially went to hold a trio of events in May 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down operations for approximately two months.

The card will be headlined by a welterweight championship rematch between Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal. Two previously reported title bouts will also be featured, as Valentina Shevchenko faces Jessica Andrade for the women’s flyweight crown, while Weili Zhang defends the strawweight strap against Rose Namajunas. The main card will air on pay-per-view via ESPN+.

“I have bee…

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Chan Sung Jung was so desperate to find a fight recently that he contemplated moving up a weight class.

In a video update recently posted to his YouTube channel, “The Korean Zombie” shared some of the difficulties he has had in trying to find an appropriate matchup in the UFC’s featherweight division. Jung hasn’t competed since dropping a five-round decision to Brian Ortega in the UFC Fight Night 180 headliner last October.

“All of the fighters that the UFC has given me to fight are now fighting each other. I’m just kind of stuck in a pickle,” Jung said (translation provided by Jung’s YouTube channel). “The UFC gave me a list of fighters to fight and [matchmaker] Sean Shelby believed that they’d return to the ring in time for me to fight. Even though I was down to fight, our schedules did not match and it didn’t work out. Everyone in the Top 10 are scheduled to fight one another, leaving me with no one.<…

A featherweight showdown between Hakeem Dawodu and Movsar Evloev is on tap for UFC 263.

MMA DNA was first to report the booking. UFC 263 takes place at a currently undisclosed location and features a flyweight championship rematch between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno.

The 29-year-old Dawodu has been on a roll, winning his last five appearances within the Las Vegas based promotion. Four of those victories have gone the distance, including a split verdict over Zubaira Tukhugov in his most recent outing at UFC 253 last September.

A former M-1 Global champion, Evloev has run his professional mark to 14-0 with triumphs in his first four UFC bouts. That resume notably includes a decision over English prospect Mike Grundy at UFC on ESPN 14 and a split-decision victory against the now-retired Nik Lentz at UFC 257.

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

Julian Erosa will lock horn with Seng Woo Choi in a featherweight scrap at UFC Fight Night on June 19.

Both fighters confirmed the pairing on social media following an initial report from John Hyon Ko on Twitter. The event does not have a confirmed headliner or location but is also expected to feature a welterweight showdown pitting Matt Brown against Dhiego Lima.

Erosa is currently on a three-bout winning streak that includes a pair of finishes in UFC competition. “The Ultimate Fighter 22” cast member has enjoyed three separate stints in the Las Vegas-based promotion while compiling a 3-4 mark in the Octagon. His latest stretch is highlighted by a third-round submission of Sean Woodson at UFC on ESPN 12 and a 56-second TKO of Nate Landwehr at UFC Fight Night 185.

South Korea’s Choi began his promotional tenure with a pair of losses…

After 11 months of suffering due to an acute pain in the pubis (pelvic) area without having an accurate diagnosis from four different doctors in the United States, Rafael dos Anjos decided to come to Brazil to consult Dr. Rickson Moraes. 

An othropedic shoulder specialist who treats UFC fighters such as Jose Aldo and Ronaldo Souza, Moraes conducted a series of exams with colleagues Reinaldo Fernandes and Lourenco Peixoto, both of whom are hip specialists. In a interview with Brazilian Youtube channel OSS conducted by journalist Mario Filho, Dr. Moraes explained why dos Anjos elected to have surgery.

"RDA was feeling that acute pain for last 11 months. But the scenario got worse five months ago, three months before the fight with [Paul] Felder, when he was running stairs. He was able to fight but the pain worsened, and after a series of exams in U.S., he came to me in Brazil and I referred him to these two specialists who work with me,” Moraes said.

Aft…

Gavin Tucker entered UFC Fight Night 187 with some solid momentum, having won four of his first five promotional appearances.

He left the Octagon on Saturday in stunned disappointment after a 22-second knockout loss to Dan Ige at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It was the sixth-fastest KO in the history of the UFC’s featherweight division. Tucker, who was a short-notice replacement for Ryan Hall, relased a statement regarding the setback on his Instagram account.

“I don’t know much, but I know for sure we don’t get what we don’t go after. I went after it. But I lunged after it,..and in a straight line. Small mistakes, big consequences,” Tucker wrote.

“Saturday night I walked onto a well-timed right hand and experienced my first KO loss. I’m not gonna hide from it or downplay it. I’m heartbroken. But I can’t change what happened. I can only control how I move forward. Regretfully I didn’t get to show the work or represent the efforts and strides made from this great …

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Leon Edwards first bout since June 2019 did not go as planned.

After a solid opening stanza against Belal Muhammad, Edwards inadvertantly poked his opponent in the eye, ending the UFC Fight Night 187 main event 18 seconds into Round 2. Due to the foul, the fight was ruled a no contest.

Former interim welterweight champion Colby Covington believes Edwards was fortunate to avoid a having a loss added to his ledger, and as far as “Chaos” is concerned, the English fighter still hasn’t broken his lengthy streak of inactivity after that performance.

“He still hasn’t fought in two years. He has a no contest which, by the way, that should have been a disqualification,” Covington told Submission Radio. “He did poke the guy in the face in the first round and backstage I know that Herb Dean gave him the warning, ‘Hey, don’t poke anyone in the eyes,’ because that’s the instruction they give every time before …