Martial Arts News

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5LP1MJRnvw&w=560&h=315] Bellator MMA has added another solid name to its growing light heavyweight division.

On Thursday, MMA Junkie reported that Stephan Puetz (20-4), a light heavyweight out of Germany, has been signed by Bellator. A Bellator official has since confirmed Puetz’ signing to Sherdog.

The 6-foot-6 light heavyweight joins a roster recently bolstered by signings of names like Yoel Romero and Anthony Johnson. A former M-1 Challenge champion, Puetz left the league in 2018 after a pair of stoppage losses in Round 3. Since then, Puetz has rattled off five wins in the German MMA Championship and Fair Fighting Championship promotions in Germany, winning belts in both and finishing four of five foes.

Throughout his career, “T-800” briefly dabbled at heavyweight after defending his 205-pound throne a few times. His move to heavyweight matched him against current Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight contender M…

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. The new year has not yet begun and the Ultimate Fighting Championship is already changing up events in 2021. Makhmud Muradov (24-6) announced on his Instagram on Thursday that he would be competing at UFC 257 in place of Andre Muniz at middleweight. Muradov will be facing Andrew Sanchez (12-5) on the card that will go down on Jan. 23 at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Muniz was forced to withdraw for currently undisclosed reasons. Muradov attempted to compete through 2020 on four separate occasions, and all four were scuttled for various reasons.

“My next fight will take place on January 23rd against Andrew Sanchez,” Muradov wrote on his Instagram via Google Translate. “In Sha Allah ovsem soon I will please you with another victory! Thank you all very much for your support.”

“Mach” is currently ridi…

IT’S SHOWTIME!

Welcome to the PFL, @Showtimepettis! pic.twitter.com/FwPDt3ozhF

— PFL MMA (@ProFightLeague) December 23, 2020 It didn’t take long for Anthony Pettis to find a new promotional home.

One day after announcing he was parting ways with the UFC to become a free agent, “Showtime” has signed a contract with Professional Fighters League. ESPN was first to report the news, and the PFL confirmed the signing shortly thereafter.

Pettis will compete in the promotion’s lightweight division as part of the 2021 season. The PFL canceled its 2020 campaign due to concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic but will return beginning in April of next year. PFL’s most recent 155-pound champion was Natan Schulte, who outpointed Loik Radzhabov in the organization’s final event of 2019. Schulte was also the PFL lightweight champion in 2018. The PFL awards its champions in each weight class with a $1 million payout at the end of the season.

I…

.@LFAfighting kicks off the 2021 @UFCFightPass schedule with the #Lightweight Championship at #LFA97! @NyquilNickvs.@AEstrazulasMMA

: https://t.co/YvHX113INK

Friday, January 15@HartmanArena#ParkCity, #Kansas#MMA#LFANation@UFCFightPass pic.twitter.com/nSmcJK0qUv — LFA (@LFAfighting) December 23, 2020

Legacy Fighting Alliance will begin its 2021 schedule with a lightweight championship bout on Jan. 15.

The promotion announced this week that Nick Browne will square off against Arthur Estrazulas for the 155-pound belt in the main event of LFA 97 at the Hartman Arena in Park City, Kansas. Browne and Estrazulas were originally supposed to meet at LFA 95 but the bout was postponed due to coronavirus testing protocols. LFA 97 will stream on UFC Fight Pass at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Browne has been victorious in 10 of his 11 professional outings, including two fights under the LFA banner. Most recently, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black bel…

Devonte Smith (10-1) runs roughshod over Dong Hyun Ma, mowing down the "Maestro" in round one! "King Kage" rides a six-fight tear. The Contender Series grad has stopped all of his wins, nine by knockout, and seven in the first round. #UFC234 pic.twitter.com/6156Y4zjRO

— Bulgogi Jones (@Hamderlei) February 10, 2019

Devonte Smith will lock horns with Alex da Silva Coelho at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Feb. 6.

MMA journalist James Lynch first brought word of the matchup. The card does not yet have an official location but is expected to feature a heavyweight clash between Alistair Overeem and Alexander Volkov.

A competitor on Season 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series, Smith kicked off his promotional tenure with KO/TKO triumphs against Julian Erosa and Dong Hyun Ma before being stopped in the opening stanza by Khama Worthy in his most recent outing at UFC 241 in August 2019. An Achilles injury has sidelined “King Kage” since …

A flyweight clash pitting Jordan Espinosa against Tim Elliott has been moved from the UFC’s Jan. 16 event to UFC 259 after Espinosa tested positive for COVID-19.

MMAFighting.com was first to report the news. UFC 259 takes place on March 6 and is expected to include a women’s featherweight championship bout between Amanda Nunes and Megan Anderson. A location for the event has yet to be revealed.

The 31-year-old Espinosa has lost three of his last four Octagon appearances. Most recently, the Luttrell-Yee MMA representative dropped a unanimous verdict against David Dvorak at UFC Fight Night 178 on Sept. 19.

Elliott snapped a three-bout losing streak in his last outing, when he earned a decision triumph over Ryan Benoit UFC on ESPN 13. Elliott’s three previous defeats came against reigning champ Deiveson Figueiredo and contenders Askar Askarov and Brandon Royval.

Thank you @ufc @danawhite pic.twitter.com/pJtBo2Hpxc

— Anthony Pettis (@Showtimepettis) December 23, 2020

Anthony Pettis is parting ways with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The former lightweight champion announced on social media Tuesday that he is a free agent after fulfilling the last fight on his most recent UFC deal. Pettis also issued a lengthy statement thanking UFC staff and fans. That statement is as follows:

Almost 12 years with this company and so many amazing memories. From winning my first world title at 23 years old to becoming the UFC world champion at 26 in my hometown. From being on MTV to the cover of the Wheaties box, I am forever grateful for everything I have experienced and accomplished with this company!!!

Dana – thank you for everything you have done for me. I was just a kid from the south side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin with a big dream. You helped me turn thta dream into a reality. THANK YOU!!!

Loren…

It appears that the Ultimate Fighting Championship is headed back to network television.

The Las Vegas-based promotion is expected to move its Jan. 16 card from the ESPN family of networks to ABC. It would be the first time a UFC event was broadcast on ABC. The news was first reported by MMAjunkie.com and Twitter user DonKingLV.

It is currently unclear how the broadcast will be presented on ABC, or if part of the carried will be carried by ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPN+. The UFC Fight Night event takes place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and is currently headlined by a featherweight tilt between Max Holloway and Calvin Kattar. Assuming the deal is finalized, it will mark the first time the organization has been on network television since UFC on Fox 31 on Dec. 15, 2018.

Meanwhile, MMA DNA was first to report that a UFC event tentatively slated for Jan. 30 has been removed from the schedule. The card was never officially announced by the promotion, but fights previously targ…

A pivotal welterweight clash is on tap for Jan. 20 in Abu Dhabi, as Neil Magny is expected to square off against Michael Chiesa at a UFC Fight Night event.

ESPN was first to report the pairing. UFC Fight Night takes place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and is headlined by a 170-pound tilt between Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev. Either Chiesa or Magny could serve as a back up for the main event, according to the report.

After not competing at all in 2019, Magny went 3-0 within the Las Vegas-based promotion this year, earning successive decision triumphs against Jingliang Li, Anthony Rocco Martin and Robbie Lawler. The Elevation Fight Team product is 17-6 in UFC competition with other notable wins against the likes of Carlos Condit, Johny Hendricks, Hector Lombard, Kelvin Gastelum and Tim Means.

Chiesa, meanwhile, has emerged as a contender at 170 pounds since moving up from lightweight in 2018. “The Ultimate Fighter 15” winner has kicked off his welterweight run wi…

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

Jiu-jitsu legend Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida already knows who he will fight against in his MMA debut for One Championship on Feb. 24. 

According to an initial report from Combate, Almeida will square off against Oumar "Reug Reug" Kane from Senegal. Sherdog.com confirmed the booking with sources close to the Brazilian fighter.

“Reug Reug” gained fame due to his exploits in the Senegalese combat art Laamb, which is folk wrestling that allows blows with the hands. The 28-year-old heavyweight then signed with Ares FC and knocked out Sofiane Boukichou in the second round last December in his MMA debut.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzRD98kpgcw&w=560&h=315]

The owner of the record for gold medals at the World Jiu-Jitsu championships with 13, Almeida has recently been training at American Top Team. The Brazilian fighter previously helped Daniel Cormier and Cain Velásquez in some of t…

Credit: Brandon Magnus/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Credit: Jeff Sherwood/Sherdog.com Credit: Jeff Sherwood/Sherdog.com

Mike Jackson, the MMA journalist and fighter who gained notoriety for his victory over former professional wrestling star "CM Punk" in 2018, will return the Octagon against newcomer Dean Barry on Jan. 20.

MMAFighting.com was first to report the bout, which is slated for UFC Fight Night 185. The card takes place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and is headlined by a welterweight tilt between Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev.

Jackson hasn’t competed since outpointing Punk at UFC 225 in June 2018. The 35-year-old lost his promotional debut when he was submitted by Mickey Gall at UFC Fight Night 82, which earned Gall the right to get the first crack at Punk. Jackson’s return comes as something of a surprise following the criticism he received from Dana White for not finishing the fight at UFC 225.

“Michael Jackson, I’m not happy with,” White sa…

The knee injury Stephen Thompson suffered at UFC Fight Night 183 is among a few ailments that could keep “Wonderboy” sidelined for up to six months.

Thompson defeated Geoff Neal via unanimous decision in this past Saturday’s welterweight headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. According to medical suspensions obtained by mixedmartialarts.com, Thompson must have an MRI of his right knee and thigh and an X-ray of his right hand. If he doesn’t receive doctor clearance, he will be out until June 18. At a minimum, Thompson is suspended until Feb. 18 with no contact until Feb. 3.

Neal, meanwhile, is suspended until Feb. 3 with no contact until Jan. 19 due to a laceration on his right eyebrow suffered from an accidental clash of heads.

Nine other fighters from UFC Fight Night 183 are facing six-month sits pending doctor clearance: Marlon Vera (left hand, left wrist), Anthony Pettis (nose, right foot), Pannie Kianzad (left hand, thumb), Deron Winn (left knee), Taila S…