Martial Arts News

While Mackenzie Dern entered the Ultimate Fighting Championship with a fair amount of hype behind her, it has taken some time for her to develop into more of a complete mixed martial artist.

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That evolution was on display in the UFC Vegas 101 headliner on Saturday, as Dern outstruck Amanda Ribas on the feet before eliciting a tapout from her Brazilian foe with an armbar at the 4:56 mark of Round 3. The triumph allowed Dern to avenge a previous defeat against Ribas that occurred in October 2019. Though Dern believes she is improving in all facets, the ultimate goal remains the same.

“I feel like the striking and everything is setting up more of my jiu-jitsu. I feel like when I get a submission, it’s not because I was focusing on being a striker. But I think it means my striking and my takedowns are getting better. It’s giving me more opportunities to still get the fight to the ground,” Dern said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference.

“I’m a…

A video of retired UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov being escorted off an Alaska Airlines flight has gone viral.

It appears staff reported feeling 'uncomfortable' with his apparent grasp of English as he sat in an exit row seat where he would need to assist in an emergency. pic.twitter.com/Bf7S7jLji6

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) January 12, 2025 Former UFC lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov champion was apparently forced to exit a Frontier Airlines flight following a dispute regarding his seat in an exit row.

In a video uploaded from the TikTok account viceplayer28, Nurmagomedov is seen arguing with a flight attendant about his seat on the plane. The area of disagreement appears to be regarding Nurmagomedov’s ability to assist others in the event of an emergency. While Nurmagomedov did not agree with the flight staff’s assessment, he appears to exit the plane without further incident.

The conversation with the flight attendant, as trans…

Carlos Prates sends a message to Belal Muhammad 👀🔜

(via. IG / @thenightmare170) #UFC #MMApic.twitter.com/isshDoAAVI

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) January 11, 2025

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Carlos Prates (21-6) has lofty aspirations early into his Ultimate Fighting Championship career.

Prates recently sent a warning to Belal Muhammad after exchanging a few words with the welterweight champ last year. Muhammad was cornering teammate Charlie Radtke, who was riding a six-fight winning streak when he took on Prates at UFC Louisville in June 2024. “The Nightmare” finished Radtke with a devastating knee to the body in the closing seconds of the opening round. Muhammad’s reaction of a bewilderment immediately after was captured on camera. Prates walked towards the champ and exchanged a few words, which weren’t audible.

Prates recently reminded Muhammad of their exchange, warning him of a potential meeting soon.

“Remember my words champ,…

Giga Chikadze (15-4) is set to return to action against David Onama (13-2).

Chikadze and Onama will trade leather in a featherweight matchup at a UFC Fight Night on April 5 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The matchup was first reported by @MagicM_MMABets on X. Onama subsequently confirmed the pairing via social media.

Chikadze started his UFC journey on a seven-fight unbeaten streak, a run that included a few spectacular finishes. However, the Georgian has since dropped two out of his last three, albeit against top-tier competition. “Ninja” last suffered a unanimous decision loss against Arnold Allen at UFC 304 in July 2024.

Meanwhile, Onama is riding a three-fight winning streak after going 2-2 in his first four UFC bouts. “Silent Assassin” is coming off a unanimous decision win over debutant Roberto Romero at UFC 309 this past November.

The second verse was different from the first.

Mackenzie Dern avenged a 2019 decision defeat to Amanda Ribas and continued to reassert herself as serious contender in the Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s strawweight division, as she submitted the Brazilian with an armbar in the third round of their UFC Fight Night 249 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Ribas (13-6, 7-5 UFC) raised the white flag 4:56 into Round 3.

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The rivals traded strikes, takedowns and positional control through two competitive rounds. Ribas grounded the 2015 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Fighting World Championships hold medalist early in the third, only to slowly wander into danger. Dern swept into mount under threat of an armbar and pounded away with elbows and punches before once again isolating a limb. She sat back on the armbar, activated her hips with time running out and left Ribas no choice but to capitulate.

Meanwhile, American Top Team mains…

Sherdog's live UFC Vegas 101 coverage will begin Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. The event is also known as UFC Fight Night 249. Round 1 The UFC is back in your life, which means the glorious Sherdog play-by-play is in full swing again. Around 42 events from this promotion in 2025 will be covered in this fashion, plus the major offerings of the PFL and other big shows dropping this year. The first of all of them comes in the world-famous Octagon, although the cage is plopped down in the UFC Apex instead of in front of thousands of adoring fans. Those few in the building—before the major renovations begin—will be given their money’s worth in terms of actual bouts, with 14 on the docket, although only two combatants of the 28 are ranked, while around half are coming off losses. Combat commences in the overstuffed lightweight category, as unbeaten Tajikistan native Aliev (9-0, 1-0 UFC) tries to emerge from the pack against relative divisional veteran Solecki (13-5, 5-3 UFC). The two w…

WHAT A DEBUT FOR JACOBE SMITH 👊 #UFCVEGAS101 pic.twitter.com/532TNCoGJQ

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 11, 2025

Jacobe Smith managed to exceed the hype.

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The undefeated Fortis MMA prospect filled in for Andreas Gustafsson on short notice and flashed blue-chip talent in his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut, as he punched out Preston Parsons in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 249 welterweight prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Parsons (11-6, 2-4 UFC) checked out 73 seconds into Round 1.

A onetime NCAA All-American wrestler at Oklahoma State University, Smith (10-0, 1-0 UFC) pressed forward behind leg and body kicks, crisp punches and a stepping knee to the body. He lured Parsons into range, set off an exchange in the center of the cage and floored the Floridian with a sweeping left hook. Smith, 28, pounced with a few more punches before referee Mike Beltran could arrive on the scene to wave …

😳Victoria Dudakova slapped one of her coaches after her loss

pic.twitter.com/JJ6f29RZ5W

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) January 11, 2025

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Victoria Dudakova seemingly didn’t take her first technical knockout loss too well.

Dudakova was dominated by Fatima Kline on the ground at UFC Vegas 101, managing to land only one significant strike throughout the nearly 10-minute affair. Kline took the Russian down twice in the second round and landed vicious elbows to earn the finish at the 4:27 mark of Round 2. Dudakova was then seen slapping one of her coaches, who came to console her after the official verdict was announced.

Dudakova has now dropped two fights in a row after beginning her professional career with eight consecutive triumphs — including two under the UFC banner.

According to one translation on X, Dudakova told her coach the following: "You didn't even come over. You just sat there. That's how little y…

Cesar Almeida rallied from the brink of defeat to author a very early candidate for 2025 “Knockot of the Year.”

The 36-year-old Brazilian received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his one-punch knockout of Abdul Razak Alhassan in a featured middleweight bout at UFC Vegas 101 on Saturday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. After being rocked during an early exchange, Almeida kept his wits and rendered his opponent unconscious with a vicious counter left hook at the 4:16 mark of Round 1.

Elsewhere, Mackenzie Dern garnered the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award for her submission of Amanda Ribas in the evening’s strawweight main event. After two competitive rounds, Dern went to work in Round 3, methodically working her way into position for an armbar to force the tap from her Brazilian foe 4:56 into the period.

Finally, Roman Kopylov and Chris Curtis earned “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their back-and-…

ASTRO BOY IS BACK 🚀

Australia's Steve Erceg will take on Asu Almabayev at #UFCVegas103! pic.twitter.com/DxN6EjDjld

— UFC_AUSNZ (@UFC_AUSNZ) January 10, 2025

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Former flyweight title challenger Steve Erceg will be back in against against rising contender Asu Almabaev at UFC Vegas 103.

The Las Vegas-based promotion recently confirmed the 125-pound pairing. UFC Vegas 103 — also known as UFC Fight Night 253 takes place on March 1 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a flyweight showdown between Brandon Royval and Manel Kape.

Erceg won his first three Octagon appearances before receiving a surprise title shot at UFC 301, where he was competitive in a unanimous decision loss to Alexandre Pantoja last May. His next outing was less encouraging, as he suffered a first-round TKO defeat to Kai Kara-France at UFC 305 in August.

Kazakhstan’s Almabaev has kicked off his promotiona tenure with four consecutive t…

Johnny Walker won’t be competing at UFC 311 as originally planned.

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The Brazilian light heavyweight recently announced that he has been forced to withdraw from a proposed clash against Bogdan Guskov due to a “bad injury.” Walker did not reveal the exact nature of the ailment. It is unclear if Guskov will remain on the card against a replacement opponent. UFC 311 is currently scheduled to take place on Jan. 18 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles and is headlined by a lightweight championship clash between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan.

“Bad news. I’ve been pulled out by a bad injury next week at UFC 311. So I’m not going to be competing. I’m devastated,” Walker said in a video on social media. “A lot of hard work I put in a few months, trained a lot, and I really want to come back and do the show for you, but not this time. I wish Bogdan good luck, hopefully he can find an opponent because he probably put a lot of hard work as well, so hopefully …

👀Islam Makhachev thinks it's more likely he'll fight the winner of Belal vs. Shavkat for the welterweight title than face Ilia Topuria in 2025:

“Topuria doesn't make sense. For what? For belt, for money. I have money, I don't need. I need the second belt.”

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🎥 @Shak_Fu ▫️ pic.twitter.com/OOcl72Us5I — Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) January 10, 2025

Islam Makhachev prefers a move up to welterweight over a clash against featherweight champ Ilia Topuria.

Makhachev is scheduled to defend his lightweight title against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311 on Jan. 18 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. In recent times, the Dagestani has been vocal about a move up to welterweight for a double-champ bid.

Meanwhile, Topuria is contemplating a move up to lightweight after defending his featherweight title only once. However, Makhachev isn’t interested in fighting Topuria with very little to gain. While it could potentially be a mega…