Martial Arts News

Rest up Khamzat, i'm sure ill see you soon. But I want to fight January 20th on the island @danawhite @seanshelby @ufc lets make it happen

— Leon 'Rocky' Edwards (@Leon_edwardsmma) December 29, 2020

Khamzat Chimaev needed more time to recover after battling COVID-19, and that led to his exit from the UFC on ESPN 20 headliner.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report that Chimaev’s lungs hadn’t fully healed after testing positive for the coronavirus in early December, an issue that was hindering his training as he prepared to face Leon Edwards on Jan. 20 in Abu Dhabi.

"Khamzat had coronavirus and when he went back to gym, his lungs did not recover 100 percent,” wrote Chimaev’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, in a statement to ESPN. “He needs time for his lungs to recover, and right now it's about taking that necessary time.”

Chimaev and Edwards were initially scheduled to meet in the UFC Fight Night 183 headliner on Dec. 19, but Edwards’ own strug…

Dalcha Lungiambula (10-1) tops his UFC debut with a cherry, bombing Dequan Townsend early in round three! The Congolese, two-division EFC champ rides a six-fight tear. He has knocked out five. #UFCMinneapolis pic.twitter.com/oIm7iD4EU0

— Kyle Johnson (@VonPreux) June 29, 2019

Dalcha Lungiambula will drop to middleweight to face Isi Fitikefu at the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Jan. 20 event in Abu Dhabi.

Multiple outlets confirmed the pairing following an initial report from MMA DNA. UFC on ESPN 20 takes place on Yas Island and is currently in need of a main event after Khamzat Chimaev withdrew from a proposed matchup with Leon Edwards.

A former heavyweight champion in Africa’s Extreme Fighting Championship, Lungiambula went 1-1 in his first two UFC appearances at light heavyweight. The 35-year-old began his tenure with a third-round TKO of Dequan Townsend at UFC on ESPN 3 before suffering a KO loss to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC Fight Nig…

The jiu-jitsu community is anxiously awaiting the mixed martial arts debut of its most decorated champion ever, Marcus Almeida, who has won 13 gold medals in the world Brazilian jiu-jitsu championships. “Buchecha” will face Senegalese giant Oumar Kane under the One Championship banner on Feb. 24.

In a live interview with Brazilian outlet "Confraria da Porrada” on Tuesday, American Top Team coach Conan Silveira shared some details regarding Almeida’s training camp.

“We are starting with MMA ABCs, teaching him everything separated in segments, before starting the sparring itself. In one class he trains muay Thai with Anderson França, in another boxing with Gabriel Oliveira, wrestling with Steve Mocco and MMA grappling with Mike Brown,” said Silveira.

Silveira praised Almeida for his humility while learning a new sport.

“Of course he knows that being a 13 time world jiu-jitsu champion doesn’t automatically make him an MMA fighter,” Silveira said. “He is awa…

Alex Caceres will square off against Kevin Croom in a featherweight matchup at the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Feb. 27 event.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the booking. The UFC Fight Night card is headlined by a light heavyweight showdown between Dominick Reyes and Jiri Prochazka, but a location for the event has not been confirmed.

Caceres carries a three-bout winning streak into the bout, including a first-round submission of Austin Springer in his most recent outing at UFC Fight Night 175 this past August. “Bruce Leeroy” has also bested Chase Hooper and Steven Peterson during his current run.

Croom, meanwhile, had a memorable Octagon debut, as he stopped the heavily-favored Roosevelt Roberts in just 31 seconds at UFC Fight Night 177. However, the victory was later overturned because “The Hard-Hitting Hillbilly” tested positive for marijuana. The 33-year-old Croom is 21-12 over the course of a professional career that began in 2009.

While Kevin Holland may be seeking a spot as a short-notice replacement next month, he has something more official lined up for March.

According to ESPN, Holland and Derek Brunson have agreed to square off in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card on March 20. The middleweight bout has not been finalized but contracts are expected to be signed shortly. The event does not yet have a location.

In the meantime, Holland has been campaigning for a spot opposite Leon Edwards on the UFC’s Jan. 20 “Fight Island” card. Edwards was scheduled to face Khamzat Chimaev, but Chimaev withdrew from the bout for undisclosed reasons. Holland has yet to fight at welterweight in the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Hold up, so am I hearing the #ufcFightIsland hotel has a vacancy and needs a real man to come and do work January 20th? #callbigmouth pic.twitter.com/0zX4cPZMvo

— Kevin Holland (@Trailblaze2top) December 29, 2020

Holland was selected as Sherdo…

Khamzat Chimaev is the REAL DEAL

INSANE. #UFCVegas11 pic.twitter.com/kqbhHJYJS3

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) September 20, 2020 Khamzat Chimaev will have to wait to build upon his breakout campaign on 2020.

Chimaev has been forced out of a welterweight headlining matchup with Leon Edwards at UFC on ESPN 20 on Jan. 20. Multiple outlets confirmed the news on Tuesday following an initial report from Frontkick. A reason for Chimaev’s exit is currently unknown.

Chimaev and Edwards were initially slated to meet at UFC Fight Night 183 before the Englishman withdrew from the contest due to a severe bout with COVID-19 that saw him lose 12 pounds.

UFC on ESPN 20 takes place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and also includes a 170-pound clash between Michael Chiesa and Neil Magny. It is unclear if Edwards will remain on the card against a replacement opponent.

Chimaev emerged as one of the rising stars of the sport after compiling a 3-0 camp…

Nov. 2007

My first [amateur] MMA competition.

Minha primeira luta [amadora] de MMA#MMA #ufcnocombate #espnplus @ufc @UFCBrasil @raphamarinho @BigMarcel24 @Grabaka_Hitman @alonsopvt @guicruzzz @arielhelwani @AgFight @mma_kings @TATAMEMAGAZINE @graciemag_br @OlivarLeite1 pic.twitter.com/xt0vRYsUR4 — Charles Oliveira (@CharlesDoBronxs) December 29, 2020

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s all-time submission leader began his MMA career in typical fashion.

On Tuesday, UFC lightweight contender Charles Oliveira posted a video on Twitter of his first amateur bout. The contest was short-lived, as “Do Bronx” slammed his opponent to the canvas and forced a quick tapout with an armbar in less than 20 seconds. According to Sherdog.com records, that foe was Rui Machado, and the matchup occurred at an event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in November 2007.

Submission victories have become a habit for Oliveira. The 31-year-old Brazilian has 1…

Mason 'The Dragon' Jones is THE MAN.

A TKO victory in the first round - he is now the double champ. DOUBLE DRAGON #CW116 pic.twitter.com/Pb2vev6E03

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) September 26, 2020 Cage Warriors two-division champion Mason Jones will make his Octagon debut against Mike Davis at UFC on ESPN 20.

Multiple outlets confirmed the lightweight booking following an initial report from MMA Island. UFC on ESPN 20 takes place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and was supposed to be headlined by a welterweight clash between Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev. However, the card is in need of a new main event after Chimaev withdrew from the bout.

Jones will enter his first promotional foray with a 10-0 professional mark, including nine triumphs under the Cage Warriors banner. “The Dragon” closed out his promotional tenure by capturing the welterweight belt with a first-round stoppage of Adam Proctor at Cage Warriors 116 on Sept. 26. Prior…

It doesn’t sound like Dana White will have much luck persuading Khabib Nurmagomedov to make a comeback when the two meet in Abu Dhabi next month.

In an interview with Match TV, Nurmagomedov stated that he expects a new lightweight champion to be crowned when Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier square off in the UFC 257 headliner on Jan. 23.

“Top three [lightweight] fighters right now?” Nurmagomedov said (translation via RT Sport). “Poirier, McGregor and [Islam] Makhachev. He [Makhachev] is not in the top-five yet, but those are the best fighters.

“My belt will be taken by the winner of Dustin and Conor.”

Nurmagomedov announced his retirement following a victory over Justin Gaethje in the UFC 254 headliner this past October. Though many expected “The Eagle” to take one more fight in hopes of finishing his career with a 30-0 record to fulfill the wishes of his late father, Nurmagomedov revealed in the Octagon that he made a promise to his mother that he woul…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1uGsbn-VKU&w=560&h=315]

Aljamain Sterling is expected to challenge for a UFC title in the very near future, but his journey to become one of the top bantamweight fighters in the promotion began long before he stepped into the Octagon for the first time.

In “Not Broken,” a short film directed by Rory Karpf and produced by Corey Frost, Sterling shares the story of a difficult childhood in which he and his family were verbally and physically abused by his father.

“I don’t have a lot of positive memories of my dad. He made us feel small, weak, stupid, useless,” Sterling says in the film.

Many household duties – including taking care of his siblings – fell on Sterling’s shoulders at a young age, but he was too small to step in when his father became physical with his mother.

“One of the things about him that I don’t think I could ever forgive is the domestic violence with my mom,” Sterling says. “One time they were fight…

It’s been more than six years since Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier first squared off in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and much has changed since then.

However, John Kavanagh, McGregor's head trainer, believes that Poirier will nonetheless struggle to erase the memory of a first-round technical knockout loss to McGregor at UFC 178 in September 2014. The two men will have their rematch in the UFC 257 main event in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 23.

“I think you can spend a lifetime going to sports psychologists and talking to this person and that person; that’s not going to have been erased from his mind,” Kavanagh told The Mac Life. “He knows that he is facing somebody who can shut off his lights very, very rapidly and now is a lot more powerful and a lot more experienced than he was even then, so it’s a tough, uphill battle for Dustin.”

Their first meeting occurred at featherweight, and set the stage for a title run for the Irish star. Poirier, meanwhile, moved to 1…

A flyweight showdown pitting ex-Rizin champ Manel Kape against Alexandre Pantoja has been rebooked for a UFC Fight Night card on Feb. 6.

Combate was first to report the news. The event is headlined by a heavyweight scrap between Alistair Overeem and Alexander Volkov. A location for the card has not been formally announced. Kape and Pantoja were initially slated to meet at UFC Fight Night 183 on Dec. 19 before Pantoja withdrew from the contest.

Kape claimed the vacant Rizin bantamweight crown with a second-round technical knockout of Kai Asakura last New Year’s Eve. The 26-year-old AKA Thailand representative has won four of his last five professional outings — with each of those victories coming inside the distance. Kape was previously slated to make his promotional debut against Rogerio Bontorin at UFC 252 before his opponent withdrew from the bout due to injury.

Pantoja, meanwhile, is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Askar Askarov at UFC Fight Night 17…