Martial Arts News

Bellator 253 has lost a pair of matchups just three days out from Thursday’s card.

Two lightweight bouts -- Shane Kruchten vs. Lance Gibson Jr. and Marcus Surin vs. Ricardo Seixas – have been canceled, Sherdog.com confirmed with a promotion official on Monday. MMyMMANews first reported that Kruchten vs. Gibson Jr. was scrapped due to a positive COVID-19 test involving Kruchten’s team.

Meanwhile, Mark Glover is out of a proposed featherweight bout with Jason Markland and has been replaced by Sullivan Cauley. The other two updates were initially confirmed by MMAjunkie.com.

Bellator 253 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut and is headlined by a featherweight grand prix semifinal pitting Darrion Caldwell against A.J. McKee. The main card airs on CBS Sports and Dazn at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, while the prelims stream on Bellator’s YouTube channel and Dazn beginning at 4:15 p.m. ET/1:15 p.m. PT.

The final installment of Season 4 of Dana White’s Contender Series is now official, as all 10 athletes slated for competition hit their contracted marks on Monday.

The Contender Series takes place on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and airs on ESPN+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The card is headlined by a flyweight showdown pitting J.P. Buys against Jacob Silva. Buys tipped the scales at 125.5 pounds for the bout, while Silva checked in a 125 pounds.

Buys has won four consecutive outings since falling to Joby Sanchez on Season 1 of the Contender Series in August 2017. Most recently, the 24-year-old Fortis MMA product scored a 73-second TKO of Cristian Rodriguez at LFA 78 in November 2019.

Silva, meanwhile, will be competing on his second Contender Series show of 2020 after dropping a unanimous verdict against Jeff Molina on Aug. 25. That setback snapped a six-bout winning streak for the former Fury Fighting Championship title holder.

Dana White’s Con…

KHAOS WILLIAMS ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?? @KhaosOXWilliams in 30 SECONDS!! #UFCVegas14 pic.twitter.com/YmWLw7P2VU

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) November 15, 2020

Kalinn Williams’ 30-second knockout of Abdul Razak Alhassan at UFC Fight Night 182 was one for the highlights, a finish so memorable it led SportsCenter’s Top 10 on Saturday night.

More importantly, it allowed Williams to further establish a foothold in the Las Vegas-based promotion. After debuting in the Octagon with a 27-second KO of Alex Morono at UFC 247 in February, “Khaos the Ox Fighter” wanted to prove he was no flash in the pan.

“This feels amazing. This is more important than that first one for me,” he said. “I came in with a splash, let the division know, let the world know I was here and this one just let everybody know it wasn’t no fluke. This is more important than my debut. That’s why I took the time to just dedicate all my time to it. I put a lot of stuff on hold, muted my lif…

Paul Felder received near universal praise for stepping up on less than one week’s notice to save the UFC Fight Night 182 headliner, but for Rafael dos Anjos, the change in opponent was something of a game-planning nightmare.

Despite spending the entirety of his camp preparing for a hard-nosed grappler in Islam Makhachev, dos Anjos was able to make the necessary changeskl to earn a split-decision triumph over Felder on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

“We had to make some adjustments with the change in opponents. I was training to defend takedowns against a southpaw and in five days, I had to fight an orthodox striker,” dos Anjos said. “I was kind of thrown off in the first rounds, trying to find the distance and get closer to him because he is a right-handed guy, so I had to change my game plan and try to grapple, take him to the ground. In just five days I had to do everything I didn't train to do. But we managed to adjust and adapt there and get the win.” Read more

DROPPED him!!

That's wins in weeks for Sean Strickland! #UFCVegas14 pic.twitter.com/glOHhkUosF

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) November 15, 2020 After injuries from a motorcyle accident sidelined him for two years, it’s been a memorable couple of weeks for Sean Strickland.

Strickland earned his second triumph in 14 days at UFC Fight Night 182 when he defeated Brendan Allen by technical knockout 1:32 into the second round of their 195-pound catchweight clash at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday. That victory comes on the heels of a unanimous decision victory over Jack Marshman at UFC Fight Night 181 on Oct. 31.

“2020 has been a hell of a year,” Strickland said. “I just love being a UFC fighter in the end of the day. After the action and everything, being a UFC fighter, I’m a fan boy. I’m just happy to be able to get in there, win, step in the Octagon and get people to like me and watch me, get fans... The whole year has been great for me.…

After some soul searching earlier this year, Paul Felder isn’t contemplating retirement following his latest defeat.

When Islam Makhachev was forced to withdraw from the UFC Fight Night 182 headliner, “The Irish Dragon” stepped in on less than one week’s notice to square off against Rafael dos Anjos on Saturday night. Although he lost a split decision, Felder exited the bout in a totally different mindset than he did following a February loss to Dan Hooker. After that setback, Felder openly considered calling it a career before ultimately reconsidering.

“I can tell you guys with certainty: I’m not going anywhere right now,” Felder said during his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “I lost my passion for this sport pretty bad. I can tell you I’m not done. I might lose my ranking a little bit, but what I’ve learned in this sport is none of that matters. What matters is going out there, showing up, showing who you are inside and what determination you have.”

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Rafael dos Anjos and Paul Felder battled for five hard rounds at UFC Fight Night 182, and their bank accounts will benefit with a little extra cash.

Dos Anjos and Felder received “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their headlining lightweight scrap at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday. Though Felder was quite game in accepting the bout on extremely short notice, Dos Anjos was able to impose his will through takedowns and grappling to earn a split-decision triumph in what was the Brazilian’s first lightweight bout since 2016.

Meanwhile, Kalinn Williams garnered a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” paycheck for a spectacular first-round KO of Abdul Razak Alhassan in the evening’s welterweight co-main event. Williams countered a low kick from his opponent with a right hand that knocked Alhassan unconscious and sent his head bouncing off the canvas 30 seconds into the opening period, giving him two first-round knockout victories in as many Octagon app…

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. Part surgical tactician, part bloodthirsty warrior, Rafael dos Anjos in his natural habitat was a sight to behold. Dos Anjos closed the book on his eight-fight odyssey at 170 pounds and returned to the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s lightweight division for the first time in more than four years, as he banked a split decision over Paul Felder in the UFC Fight Night 182 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Judges Derek Cleary and Sal D’Amato scored it 50-45 for dos Anjos, while Chris Lee saw it differently at 48-47 for Felder.

A short-notice substitution for the injured Islam Makhachev, Felder (17-6, 9-6 UFC) enjoyed success in open space whenever he managed to hold the center of the cage. There, he cut loose with multi-punch volleys, sneaky elbows and intermittent leg kicks. Dos Anjos (30-13, 19-11 UFC) responde…

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. Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 182 coverage will begin Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below.

Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Result Round 1 She…

Roberto Soldic dominates Michal Materla — TKO at the end of the first round in the main event at #KSW56 pic.twitter.com/fY84yndA9M

— Will (@ChillemDafoe) November 14, 2020

Middleweight seems to suit Roberto Soldic just fine.

The former Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki welterweight title holder moved up to 185 pounds in the KSW 56 main event, where he scored a first-round stoppage of former divisional champion Michal Materla (29-8). The fight became a one-man show after Soldic (18-3) caught Materla with a left hand and dropped his opponent one minute into the round. Soldic punished his opponent with a few follow-up punches, but "Magic" somehow survived Soldic's first assault.

Sensing that Materla was still rocked from those shots, "Robocop" kept his opponent guessing with several punches and kicks. In a desperate attempt to make the barrage of punches stop, Materla went for a takedown, which Soldic blocked with ease. The end of the contest arrived…

UFC Fight Night 182 is down to 9 fights after “weight management issues” forced Eryk Anders to withdraw from a scheduled clash with Antonio Arroyo.

The promotion announced the cancellation of the matchup on Saturday. UFC Fight Night 182 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a lightweight tilt between Rafael dos Anjos and Paul Felder. The main card airs on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT following prelims on ESPN+ at 5 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.

Additionally, a clash pitting Louis Smolka against Jose Alberto Quinonez was scrapped approximately 30 minutes before the beginning of the card when Smolka was deemed "medically unfit" to compete. Smolka weighed in at 139 pounds on Friday for what was originally expected to be a bantamweight matchup.

Anders checked in at 187.5 pounds for the middleweight bout on Friday. The former University of Alabama football player released a statement on his exit via social media.

“Hey guys, unfortunately due to …

Only five days’ notice and the Irish is OFFICIAL! @FelderPaul locks in at 155.75

[ #UFCVegas14 | LIVE Tomorrow on #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/F66qLGQT2w

— UFC (@ufc) November 13, 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. The scales proved to be a greater threat than most expected ahead of UFC Fight Night 182.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is back this weekend for another event in Las Vegas. Headlining UFC Fight Night 182 is a lightweight showdown between former champion Rafael dos Anjos and Paul Felder, with the latter taking the fight on just one week’s notice.

Dos Anjos (29-13) is moving back down to lightweight after an eight-fight stint at welterweight. The 36-year-old went 4-4 at the higher weight class with key wins over Kevin Lee, Neil Magny and Robbie Lawler. However, another title shot seemed far off after…