Martial Arts News

In one sense, it doesn’t matter if Calvin Kattar was fighting Max Holloway on national television or in a half-empty nightclub.

Either way, Kattar will be squaring off against one of the sport’s greatest featherweights in a headlining battle where a victory could do wonders for his career. However, “The Boston Finisher” acknowledges that it is significant to be part of the promotion’s first ever event on ABC on Jan. 16.

“Honestly, it’s always the same risk, [so] it’s nice to have a backside reward,” Kattar recently said on the ”UFC Unfiltered” podcast. “There’s a lot more eyes on it, so cool. I’m all for it. I know it’s gonna be a big opportunity. It’s the same fight. It’s the same Octagon. It’s the same 25 minutes. It’s just more eyes on it. Like I said, it’s the same risk – just more reward.”

Kattar then jokingly points out that his upcoming fight might be more accessible for a certain demographic.

“You know what it’s easier for? Telling people over the…

Last month, UFC president Dana White indicated that Rose Namajunas did not want the next strawweight title shot.

It was a strange statement considering that Namajunas had avenged a previous loss to Jessica Andrade at UFC 251 in July to potentially solidify herself as the No. 1 contender for Weili Zhang’s belt.

“I don’t think she did [like the pressure of being champion],” White told BT Sport. “We’ll see how that all plays out. If you look at the rankings and how it plays out, it would play out Weili vs. Carla Esparza.”

At the time, Pat Barry, who is Namajunas’ coach and fiancée, denied White’s claim, and he further addressed the situation during a recent appearance on the ”UFC Unfiltered” podcast.

“That was just a misunderstanding of some sort,” Barry said. “I’m sure the UFC knows what they’re doing. Dana White knows what they’re doing. We know the call is coming. There must have been some miscommunication somewhere, but she absolutely—Yeah, of course, t…

It’s Finally Official

Welcome to KSW Uros Jurisic (11-0) pic.twitter.com/eqxbqrqrjq

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) January 6, 2021 Former Titan Fighting Championship wetlerweight title holder Uros Jurisic has signed a contract to compete for Polish promotion Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki.

KSW confirmed the deal via social media on Wednesday. A date for Jurisic’s debut is currently unknown.

A 28-year-old native of Slovenia, Jurisic is 11-0 since beginning his professional career in 2012. He competed on Season 21 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” where he lost a decision to Luiz Firmino as part of the show’s American Top Team vs. Blackzilians theme.

Jurisic went on to capture Titan FC 170-pound gold in 2018 but was stripped of the belt due to inactivity. Most recently, he submitted Walter Gahadza in the opening round at Bellator 247 on Oct. 1. Jurisic has finished all but one of his opponents inside the distance.

Bethe Correia’s swan song in the Ultimate Fighting Championship will have to come at a later date.

The former bantamweight title challenger revealed via Instagram that she recently required emergency surgery for appendicitis and has been forced to withdraw from a proposed clash against Yanan Wu at UFC on ABC 1 on Jan. 16. Correia had previously indicated that the matchup with Wu would be her reitrement fight.

“God always knows what is best for us ...I was training so hard for this fight. However, in the middle of the night I started to feel an unbearable pain. I was admitted to the hospital and I was diagnosed with appendicitis,” Correia wrote. “The doctors advised me and my family that it was a severe case and that I would require an emergency surgery.

“I want to thank the UFC and Dana White for all the support over the years. My last dance and my retirement fight will have to be postponed for a little while. I cannot wait to put on amazing performance for you…

Julia Avila will face Julija Stoliarenko in a bantamweight contest at a UFC card on March 20.

MMAFighting.com was first to report the pairing. The event is headlined by a middleweight clash pitting Kevin Holland against Derek Brunson and does not yet have an official location.

Avila had a four-bout winning streak snapped in her most recent outing when she dropped a unanimous decision to Sijara Eubanks at UFC Fight Night 177 on Sept. 12. “Raging Panda” began her promotional tenure with victories over Gina Mazany and Pannie Kianzad. The 32-year-old also owns notable triumphs agianst Nicco Montano and Marion Reneau on the regional scene.

A native of Kaunas, Lithuania, Stoliarenko fell to Yana Kunitskaya via unanimous decision in her second Octagon appearance at UFC Fight Night 174 on Aug. 8. Her debut, a split-decision setback against Leah Letson at “The Ultimate Fighter 28” finale, came nearly two years earlier. The 27-year-old had won five straight bouts in vari…

Dana White is not among those who is in favor of open scoring in mixed martial arts.

The concept, which allows fighters and their teams to be made aware of the judges’ scorecards in between rounds, has gained momentum recently in the sport. Invicting Fighting Championships has been utilizing open scoring on its cards held in Kansas City, Kansas, since March 6. While the Kansas Athletic Commission was in favor of the idea, commissions in Nevada and California have not been receptive as of yet.

White discussed his aversion to open scoring during a Q&A with Laura Sanko on ESPN+ Tuesday.

“If a guy knows that he’s up two rounds and you’re a professional fighter, you can absolutely stay away from a guy for an entire round and make the fight completely horrible,” the UFC president said (transcription via MMAjunkie.com). “If you already know you’ve got two rounds in the bag, guarantee if you saw your score up there, all [you] have to do is stay away from this guy for th…

Former heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski will square off against rising prospect Tom Aspinall at UFC Fight Night on Feb. 20.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the matchup on Tuesday. UFC Fight Night is headlined by a heavyweight clash between Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis, but an official location has yet to be revealed for the event.

A veteran of 32 UFC bouts, Arlovski has been victorious in three of his last four promotional appearances. The 41-year-old Belarusian went 2-0 in 2020, posting unanimous decision triumphs against Philipe Lins and Tanner Boser. Prior to that, Arlovski was winless in four fights from June 2018 to November 2019.

Aspinall, a former Cage Warriors standout, enters the matchup with Arlovski on a five-bout winning streak that includes first-round stoppages of Jake Collier and Alan Baudot in his first two UFC appearances. The 28-year-old Englishman is 9-2 as a professional and has finished all of his victories inside the distance.

Mounir Lazzez will replace Christian Aguilera and face Warlley Alves in a welterweight contest at UFC on ESPN 20.

Alves and Aguilera were initially slated to meet at UFC on ABC 1, but Lazzez vs. Alves has been moved to an event scheduled four days later. MMAjunkie.com was first to report the new booking. UFC on ESPN 20 takes place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 20 and is headlined by a 170-pound clash between Michael Chiesa and Neil Magny. The card will air on both ESPN and ESPN+.

Tunisia’s Lazzez made a strong first impression when he scored a clear-cut decision victory over knockout artist Abdul Razak Alhassan in his debut at UFC on ESPN 13 on July 15. The man known as “Sniper” is 10-1 as a professional, with eight wins coming via KO or TKO.

Alves, who won Season 3 of “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil,” has lost two of his last three Octagon appearances. Most recently, the 29-year-old X-Gym member fell to Randy Brown via second-round submission at UFC Figh…

IN ONE ROUND.@JaredVanderaa opened the night with RELENTLESS finishing shots

[ Tune in on #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/UCQSGCS7tY

— UFC (@ufc) November 5, 2020 The lineup for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Feb. 20 event continues to grow, as a heavyweight tilt betweeen Sergey Spivak and Jared Vanderaa and a featherweight clash between Michael Trizano and Rafael Alves have been added to the card.

MMAFighting.com was first to report Spivak vs. Vanderaa, which was initially slated for UFC 256 before Vanderaa tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, MMA DNA brought word of the Trizano-Alves matchup. UFC Fight Night takes place at an as yet to be announced location and is headlined by a heavyweight clash between Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis.

Spivak has alternated wins and losses in his first four UFC appearances. Most recently, the 25-year-old Moldovan captured a majority decision against Carlos Felipe at UFC Fight Night 172 o…

Michael Chandler has a golden opportunity at UFC 257.

The former Bellator lightweight champion will make his Octagon debut against Dan Hooker in the evening’s co-main event in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 23, one fight before Irish superstar Conor McGregor returns for a rematch with Dustin Poirier in the card’s headliner. Such prominent placement represents a golden opportunity for Chandler, but he must first get past Hooker before making any future plans.

Hooker, who is coming off a memorable decision loss to Poirier in a five-round war at UFC on ESPN 12, has won seven of his last nine promotional appearances while establishing himself as a reliable action fighter in the process.

“He’s the tallest guy in the division, which isn’t that big of a deal for me. Obviously I’m not the tallest guy, I’m about average height. So I fight a lot of guys who are taller than me, and I’ve got numerous knockouts against guys that are taller than me,” Chandler told ESPN. “I have a knack f…

A showdown between heavyweight contenders Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis has been rescheduled for UFC Fight Night on Feb. 20.

ESPN was first to report the news. Blaydes and Lewis were initially booked to lock horns in the main event of UFC on ESPN 18 on Nov. 28, but the bout was postponed after Blaydes tested positive for COVID-19.

Blaydes vs. Lewis will serve as the headliner for the UFC Fight Night card on Feb. 20, which doesn’t yet have an official location.

Blaydes has won four straight bouts since a 45-second TKO loss to current heavyweight No. 1 contender Francis Ngannou at UFC Fight Night 141 in November 2018. Most recently, Blaydes earned a five-round verdict against Alexander Volkov in the UFC on ESPN 11 headliner on June 20.

Lewis, meanwhile, enters the matchup on a three-fight winning streak. After defeating Blagoy Ivanov via split decision and taking a unanimous verdict over Ilir Latifi, “The Black Beast” scored an emphatic victory at UFC F…

A welterweight title tilt between reigning champion Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns is in the works for UFC 258.

ESPN has reported that both Usman and Burns have verbally agreed to the bout, though contracts have not yet been signed. UFC 258 takes place on Feb. 13 at an as yet to be announced location. Combate initially reported the fight.

Usman vs. Burns has already been scheduled on two previous occasion. A positive COVID-19 test for Burns nixed their bout at UFC 251 in July, and then the rebooking at UFC 256 on Dec. 12 fell through when Usman withdrew to recover from lingering injuries.

Usman enters the matchup on a 16-bout professional winning streak that includes 12 victories within the Las Vegas-based promotion. “The Nigerian Nightmare” claimed 170-pound gold with a dominant five-round verdict over Tyron Woodley at UFC 235 and has since defended the crown with a fifth-round TKO of Colby Covington at UFC 245 and a decision against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 251…