Martial Arts News

#AndNew | @Mousasi_MMA gets the W in tonight's main event bout and comes away with the world middleweight title.#Bellator250 pic.twitter.com/dPQKOknZU8

— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) October 30, 2020 The Bellator MMA middleweight championship is no longer vacant. Fighting for the belt previously held by Rafael Lovato Jr. were former 185-pound champion Gegard Mousasi and current welterweight champion Douglas Lima. In the end, Mousasi's hands were raised at the end of Bellator 250.

The superior grappling of Mousasi (47-7-2) was the story early as he took Lima (32-8) down and easily controlled the first round. The next three frames were contested on the feet, which saw Mousasi show off his slick jab and Lima was uncharacteristically tentative. Round 5 saw Mousasi go back to his grappling to secure the fight in his favor. After five rounds, Mousasi was awarded a unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46 and 49-46) and became a two-time middleweight champion…

I have 15 minute interview with @ufc President @danawhite that will air tonight on @CBSSportsRadio at 8 PM Eastern/5 Pacific.

Dana told The Zach Gelb Show on CBS Sports Radio that he and @TeamKhabib have been talking & he expects Khabib to return & go for 30-0.

WOW! pic.twitter.com/UqAM19Y1SF — Zach Gelb (@ZachGelb) October 29, 2020 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. A retirement in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and a dollar can get you a cup of coffee in the morning.

Lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0) put Justin Gaethje to sleep with a triangle choke last Saturday at UFC 254, and he unexpectedly announced his retirement after the win. In his post-fight interview, “The Eagle” claimed that he made a promise to his mother to stop fighting after facing Gaethje, and that he could not continue competing without…

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. Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight contender Charles Oliveira wants to go old school to determine a new champ in his division. Oliveira, who has won his last seven bouts all by stoppage, spoke to Sherdog on Wednesday about his thoughts on the future of the UFC lightweight class. As Khabib Nurmagomedov defended his title against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 and retired, the belt is presumably vacant. Like many fans, fighters and media members alike, Oliveira believes the best way to settle it is through a grand prix tournament.

“I [am a] guy who is coming from a sequence of seven wins, just beat the record of most submission wins in UFC history and never leaves the fights in judges’ hands. [I] should be at least respected [by] receiving some opponent placed above [me] in [the] ranking[s],” Oliviera stated firmly. “But I need…

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. Kevin Holland is still on track to have three Ultimate Fighting Championship fights in three months, no matter what. Late Wednesday night, MMA Fighting first reported that Holland (19-5) will no longer be facing Makhmud Muradov (24-6) at UFC Fight Night 181 on Saturday. Muradov’s removal was due to a positive COVID-19 test, the fighter announced this on Instagram shortly after the report came out. In Muradov’s stead will be newcomer Charlie Ontiveros (11-6), who will be stepping up a weight class to face Holland at middleweight on just a few days’ notice.

Ontiveros was previously tapped once before to step in and make his UFC debut in July, when he was planning on replacing Eric Spicely against Markus Perez. Ontiveros was not cleared for competition in time, so Perez had to wait several more months to compete. The former F…

Join DAZN free for 30 days and live-stream fight night anywhere!

Bellator MMA has just seen its big event shaken up on fight day.

First reported by MMA Fighting on Thursday, two bouts have been scratched from Bellator 250. Both Veta Arteaga and Nick Newell have tested positive for COVID-19, and they have been pulled from their respective pairings against Desiree Yanez and Zach Zane. The news has since been confirmed by ESPN, and Yanez has since posted about the scrapped Oct. 29 fight on her Instagram.

Yanez, who was aiming to make her promotional debut, wrote the following:

“*sigh* well guys…my fight is unfortunately canceled tonight due to my opponent getting tested positive for COVID. I really don’t know what to say other than I was more than ready to battle and still am. Bellator MMA is going to get this matchup back as soon as they possibly can. I am beyond devastated, but everything happens for a reason. More time to prepare. I love you all and the sup…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfeZLF0O9m0&w=560&h=315]

With legendary middleweight Anderson Silva potentially having his last UFC bout on Saturday, Gegard Mousasi was asked to reflect on the decorated career of “The Spider.”

“He had a great career. I think in his prime he looked unbeateable,” Mousasi said during a virtual media day for Bellator 250. “He provided a lot of memorable fights. He’s definitely a legend in the sport. Maybe continued a little bit longer than he should, tarnished his legacy just at the end. In his prime — that’s what people are going to remember him as — definitely one of the greatest.”

While Silva, who is currently 45 years old, has indicated that UFC Fight Night 181 might not be the end of the line if he gets his way, the 35-year-old Mousasi doesn’t plan on following in the Brazilian’s footsteps in terms of longevity.

“At this moment I feel great. To be honest, in training I was better than ever,” said Mousasi, who will face…

An undisclosed injury has forced Robbie Lawler to pull out of a welterweight clash with Mike Perry at UFC 255.

Perry initially revealed Lawler’s exit on Twitter, and it has since been confirmed by multiple outets. Perry wants to remain on the card and requested a matchup with surging prospect Khamzat Chimaev, but Chimaev is currently slated to face Leon Edwards in the UFC Fight Night headliner on Dec. 19.

So @Ruthless_RL pulled out due to an injury. Looking for a replacement I asked for @KChimaev and we can do it at middleweight @ufc @FirstRoundMgmt

— Platinum Mike Perry (@PlatinumPerry) October 28, 2020

UFC 255 takes place on Nov. 21 and is headlined by flyweight title tilt between Deiveson Figueiredo and Alex Perez. In the co-main event, Valentina Shevchenko will defend her 125-pound belt against Jennifer Maia.

Lawler is currently on a four-bout skid in UFC competition. The former 170-pound king last appeared at UFC Fight Night 17…

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane will put her flyweight belt on the line against Juliana Velasquez in the headliner of a Bellator MMA event on Dec. 10.

Sherdog.com confirmed the booking with a promotion official following an initial report from ESPN. The card is expected to take place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut and air on CBS Sports Network.

Unbeaten in 11 professional appearances – all but one of which have occurred under the Bellator banner – Macfarlane will be making her fifth 125-pound title defense. After claiming the inaugural crown with a fifth-round submission of Emily Ducote at Bellator 186, “The Ilimanator” has vanquished Alejandra Lara, Valerie Letourneau, Veta Arteaga and Kate Jackson in succession. Only Jackson made it to the final horn against the 30-year-old Team Hurricane Awesome representative.

Velasquez has been victorious in her first 10 professional outings. Five of those wins have come in Bellator competition, including a three…

A showdown between two-time title challenger Dominick Reyes and ex-Rizin champ Jiri Prochazka is expected to headline an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Feb. 27.

UFC president Dana White initially confirmed the light heavyweight booking to ESPN. A location and venue for the card has yet to be announced.

Reyes is coming off back-to-back losses in 205-pound title bouts. After dropping a narrow five-round verdict to Jon Jones at UFC 247 — a contest many thought he deserved to win — “The Devastator” suffered a second-round TKO loss to Jan Blachowicz in a clash for the vacant belt at UFC 253 on Sept. 26. Reyes began his professional tenure with 12 consecutive triumphs, six of which have come in UFC competition.

Prochazka made his Octagon debut in spectacular fashion, as he knocked out former No. 1 contender Volkan Oezdemir 49 seconds into Round 2 of their UFC 251 matchup on July 11. The 28-year-old Czech Republic native is on an 11-bout winning streak that i…

Junior dos Santos will square off against Ciryl Gane in a heavyweight bout at UFC 256.

MMAFighting.com was first to report the pairing. UFC 256 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Dec. 12 and features a women’s featherweight title tilt pitting Amanda Nunes against Megan Anderson.

A former heavyweight champion, dos Santos has fallen on hard times of late. “Cigano” is currently on a three-fight losing streak in which he has been finished in succession by Francis Ngannou, Curtis Blaydes and Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Prior to that skid, the 36-year-old Brazilian had been victorious in four of his last five Octagon appearances.

After taking a three-round verdict over Tanner Boser at UFC Fight Night 165, Gane has had four fights fall through for various reasons. Most recently, a prosposed clash with Ante Delija was at UFC Fight Night 180 was scrapped due to contract issues for Gane’s opponent. The 30-year-old Frenchman is 6-0 as a professional — including three …

Three new bouts have been added to the lineup for Invicta Fighting Championships 43.

The all-female promotion announced the following contests on Wednesday: Stephanie Geltmacher vs. Trisha Cicero at flyweight; Juliana Miller vs. Kendal Holowell at strawweight and Courtney King vs. TBA at featherweight.

Invicta FC 43 takes place in Kansas City on Nov. 20 and is headlined by a championship doubleheader, as Pearl Gonzalez square off against Erin Blanchfield for flyweight gold, while Emily Ducote meets Montserrat Ruiz for the strawweight crown.

Invicta FC 43 takes place behind closed doors and airs on UFC Fight Pass beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The event will utilize open scoring.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N249klZoH9w&w=560&h=315]

Gegard Mousasi and Douglas Lima are official for their middleweight championship matchup at Bellator 250.

Mousasi tipped the scales at 184.9 pounds at weigh-ins on Wednesday, while Lima also checked in at 184.9 pounds. Bellator 250 takes place at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut on Thursday. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network and Dazn at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, while the prelims stream immediately prior on Bellator’s YouTube channel and Dazn at 5:15 p.m. ET/2:15 p.m. PT.

Elsewhere, a 137-pound catchweight showdown between Toby Misech and Jared Scoggins was canceled after Misech weighed 142.4 pounds. Scoggins made weight without issue at 136.6 pounds and is expected to be paid his show purse. Meanwhile, Veta Arteaga (126.2) missed her mark by 0.2 pounds for a flyweight clash with Desiree Yanez (125) on the main card.

Mousasi will look to reclaim the 185-pound throne after losing the belt t…