Martial Arts News

After a dominant victory against Drew Dober at UFC 259, Islam Makhachev is one of the fastest-rising contenders in the lightweight division.

Makhachev, who has won seven consecutive fights within the Las Vegas-based promotion, has been tabbed by former 155-pound king Khabib Nurmagomedov as a future champion. The 29-year-old Dagestani called for a showdown with Tony Ferguson after UFC 259, but with “El Cucuy” now booked against Beneil Dariush, has turned his attention to other potential opponents.

One of those is Rafael dos Anjos, who Makhachev was supposed to face at UFC 254 in October and at UFC Fight Night 182 in November before the bout fell through. Dos Anjos recently said he would only face Makhachev if a victory granted him a rematch with Nurmagomedov, whose retirement was only officially recognized by the UFC this past week.

“I don’t know why his opinion changed so quickly,” Makhachev said in a video interview (translation via RT Sport). “He won a fight a…

Kenny Florian will be on the Professional Fighters League broadcast team for the promotion’s 2021 season.

The organization announced the news via release on Tuesday. After a 17-bout career in the UFC, Florian served as an analyst and color commentator for the Las Vegas-based promotion for several years. Florian will work alongside UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture and play-by-play commentator Sean O’Connell on the PFL broadcast team.

“I’m very excited to be a part of the PFL family and this season looks to be the best one yet,” said Florian. “Breaking down MMA fights and high level martial arts techniques is what I enjoy most, and I’m elated to be a part of the tremendous commentary team to get a chance to do just that.”

Florian rose to prominence on Season 1 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” where he lost to Diego Sanchez at the reality show’s finale. The Massachusetts native went on to challenge for titles at both lightweight and featherweight but never captured UFC go…

A potential flyweight title eliminator bout is set for Bellator 256, as Liz Carmouche will lock horns with Vanessa Porto at Bellator 256.

Fansided was first to report the pairing. Bellator 256 takes place on April 9 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and is headlined by a light heavyweight grand prix clash between Ryan Bader and Lyoto Machida. The card will air on Showtime.

Carmouche has challenged for titles at flyweight and bantamweight in the UFC, falling to Valentina Shevchenko and Ronda Rousey, respectively. “Girl-Rilla” was successful in her debut with the California-based promotion, as she tapped out DeAnna Bennett in the third round at Bellator 246.

A former Invicta title holder, Porto will be fighting for the first time since November 2019. The 37-year-old Sao Paulo native enters the matchup with Carmouche on a four-bout winning streak. She owns a 22-8 professional mark that includes wins over the likes of Pearl Gonzalez, Roxanne Modafferi, Ta…

Montserrat Ruiz and Cheyanne Buys could be out for up to six months following their main card matchup at UFC on ESPN 21.

Ruiz, who earned a unanimous decision over Buys in their strawweight clash, must have an MRI on her left knee and right shoulder and if she isn’t cleared, will be sidelined until Sept. 17. At a minimum, she is suspended until April 20 with no contact until April 11. Buys needs a right elbow X-ray and doctor clearance or she will be suspended until Sept. 17. She also has a minimum suspension until April 20 with no contact until April 11.

A full list of medical suspensions from Saturday’s event were released to mixedmartialarts.com. UFC on ESPN 21 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and saw Derek Brunson take a unanimous verdict against Kevin Holland in the evening’s middleweight main event. Brunson is suspended until April 20 with no contact until April 11 due to a laceration on his right eyebrow, while Holland is suspended until April 11 with …

Cat Zingano will square off against Olivia Parker at Bellator 256 on April 9.

Sherdog.com confirmed the featherweight booking with a promotion official following an initial report from ESPN. Bellator 256 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and is headlined by a light heavyweight grand prix quarterfinal matchup between Ryan Bader and Lyoto Machida. The card will air on Showtime.

A former UFC bantamweight title challenger, Zingano was successful in her first promotional foray, as she outpointed Gabrielle Holloway at Bellator 245 this past September. The 38-year-old Broomfield, Colo., native is 11-4 as a pro and owns notable wins over the likes of Amanda Nunes, Miesha Tate, Marion Reneau and Raquel Pennington.

Parker, meanwhile, earned finishes in her first four professional outings under the Valor Fighting Championship banner. The 39-year-old Knoxville Martial Arts Academy representative came up short in her most recent bout at Invicta FC 40, …

Decorated jiu-jitsu champion Gordon Ryan has signed with One Championship with plans to compete in both mixed martial arts and grappling.

One CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced the news Monday on Twitter. A date for Ryan’s debut with the Singapore-based promotion was not revealed, but he will likely compete as a heavyweight.

BREAKING NEWS: Gordon Ryan has signed with ONE Championship for both mixed martial arts and submission grappling!

— Chatri Sityodtong (@yodchatri) March 22, 2021

Regarded by some as the best pound-for-pound grappler in the world, Ryan is a three-time ADCC champion, IBJJF no-gi champion and a four-time Eddie Bravo Invitational champion. In grappling competition, Ryan has bested the likes of Josh Barnett, Gabriel Gonzaga, Rousimar Palhares, Dillon Danis and Marcus Almeida.

Ryan is a black belt under Garry Tonon, who has compiled a 6-0 record under the One banner.

A last-minute cancellation led to an emotional pre-fight moment for Max Griffin on Saturday.

When a scheduled lightweight clash between Gregor Gillespie and Brad Riddell fell through due to COVID-19 protocols, Griffin’s matchup against Kenan Song was elevated to the UFC on ESPN 21 co-main event. It was something Griffin had envisioned with his team heading into 2021.

“When I got the call that I was going to be the co-main event, I started crying,” Griffin said. “This New Year’s, I had a conversation with my team and we said I’m going to get a co-main event and then take it over. God made it happen. To be on ESPN, then be bumped to co-main and knock him out bad like that? It doesn’t get any better than this.”

Griffin laid waste to Song, sending his foe face down to the canvas with a flurry of power punches 2:20 into the opening stanza of their welterweight bout. The 35-year-old former Tachi Palace Fights and West Coast Fighting Championship title holder has won …

Luke Rockhold has been talking about making a return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship in recent months, and he could have one of his American Kickboxing Academy teammates in his corner if that becomes a reality.

In an interview with TMZ Sports, Rockhold revealed that retired former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has talked about coaching him for his next bout. After several attempts at getting Nurmagomedov to come back to the Octagon, the UFC finally acknowledged his retirement and officially vacated the lightweight belt last week.

“He’s assuming this coaching role now. He’s going off on me, wanting to coach me. He wants to be a big part of my comeback so it’s pretty funny to see Khabib assume this role,” Rockhold said. “He’s going for ‘Coach of the Year.’ That’s what he wants. He wants to be the next great thing, follow in his dad’s footsteps. That’s what his dad always did. His dad was always insightful and always had a good eye for the sport and…

The Bellator 256 preliminary lineup has received a pair of bouts, as Cody Law will meet Nathan Ghareeb at featherweight, while Talita Nogueira will face Jessica Borga in a women’s 145-pound clash.

Sherdog.com confirmed the fights following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. Bellator 256 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut on April 9 and features a pair of light heavyweight grand prix bouts at the top of the bill: Ryan Bader vs. Lyoto Machida and Corey Anderson vs. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov.

A former Division II national champion in wrestling, Law has kicked off his Bellator tenure with finishes of Orlando Ortega and Kenny Champion in his first two appearances. Ghareeb is also 2-0 and is coming off a 54-second stoppage of Zach Johnson at CES MMA 59.

A former featherweight title challenger, Nogueira has not fought since October 2019, when she dropped a split verdict to Jessy Miele at Bellator 231. Borga enters the matchup on a modest…

Kevin Holland is who he is, and don’t expect that to change following a loss to Derek Brunson at UFC on ESPN 21.

Holland was criticized for his willingness to talk throughout a fight in which he was taken down repeatedly and spent large portions of the contest on his back. The end result was a unanimous decision loss and the end of a five-bout winning streak at 185 pounds.

“Never going to stop talking,” Holland said on Instagram. “If you guys don’t f---ing like it, deuces. … I’m gonna be me till I die, never said I wanted to be the champ I said I wanted to have a good time and that I did on to the next.”

Though Holland was defiant regarding his chatty approach, he did acknowledge in a separate Instagram post that there are improvements he can make regarding his skills in the cage.

“Yes I will talk yes I will have fun but winning is a s--t load of fun as well,”he wrote. “I definitely hate letting you guys down, so fighting smarter, improving position and av…

Derek Brunson did exactly what he needed to do to pull off the upset against Kevin Holland in the UFC on ESPN 21 headliner.

The 37-year-old North Carolina native withstood his opponent’s onslaught during the brief periods the fight was upright, and then relied on his wrestling and top control to carry him to a five-round verdict at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. In the past, Brunson had been known to throw caution to the wind and brawl with his opponents, and that’s when disaster would strike.

“He caught me in the first round, if I would have gave in at that moment, then there wouldn’t have been any learning from that,” Brunson said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I would’ve been just upset, humiliated. He would’ve been talking trash a whole year just off this fight. To go out there and get the win, shut him up — it feels good.”

Holland, who spent much of the contest on his back, seemed content to engage Brunson in conversation, but it…

When Kevin Holland debuted in the UFC, Dana White dubbed him “Big Mouth” due to his talkative nature in the Octagon.

Holland emerged as a serious prospect after losing his debut to Thiago Santos, as he won eight of his next nine bouts within the Las Vegas-based promotion. However, with a serious opportunity in front of him, Holland seemed more interested in talking than he did in fighting, and the result was a lackluster decision loss to Derek Brunson in the UFC on ESPN 21 headliner on Saturday night in Las Vegas.

All too often, Holland seemed content to talk to Brunson from his back after being taken down. Although he had some positive moments on the feet and become the first person to take Brunson down in UFC competition, it wasn’t nearly enough to sway the scorecards in his favor.

White thinks there may have been something more serious going on with Holland.

“I think that was a mental breakdown,” the UFC president told Yahoo Sports. “The only other th…