Martial Arts News

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 Ultimate Fighting Championship vet has found his way back to the promotion on short notice this weekend. On Thursday, Bloody Canvas first broke the story that Damon Jackson (17-3-1, 1 NC) will be returning to the UFC on Sept. 19 at UFC Fight Night 178. He will be stepping in the Octagon against Mirsad Bektic (13-3) at featherweight, pending a COVID-19 test. Luiz Eduardo Garagorri was originally slated to face Bektic, but the Uruguayan was pulled after one of his cornermen tested positive for COVID-19. Jackson has since confirmed the matchup on his Facebook page.

Jackson will be making his way back to the UFC after a lengthy stretch in the Legacy Fighting Alliance and an unfortunate 10-second stint in the Professional Fighters League. His May 2019 bout in the PFL saw him separated from his consciousness in 10 seconds with …

Angela and Christian have got company! Please welcome IMMAF Junior World Champion Victoria Lee @angelaleemma @ChristianLeeMMA #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/2w406oIem5

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) September 17, 2020 One Championship loves the Lee family, and the Lee family loves One Championship.

On Thursday morning, the promotion revealed via press release that it had signed Victoria Lee, the younger sister of champs Christian Lee and Angela Lee. The youthful fighter has not made her professional MMA debut, but she will be competing at promotion’s atomweight division of 115 pounds, where her sister A. Lee is the champion. She does not currently have an opponent scheduled nor does she have a date set for her debut. It is not uncommon for international fighters to have their professional debuts prior to their 18th birthday, and One recently featured Supergirl Jaroonsak Muaythai on a card at the age of 16.

About her si…

Dana White announces that the UFC has signed Michael Chandler and he will be a backup for Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje if one falls out.#UFC254

— Keith Shillan (@KeithShillanMMA) September 17, 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. Bellator MMA champ Michael Chandler is now on the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster, and he is in prime position for a huge opportunity should things go his way. On Thursday, UFC President Dana White announced on ESPN that Chandler (21-5) has signed with the UFC. His first scheduled matchup will actually be as a backup opponent in case either Khabib Nurmagomedov or Justin Gaethje cannot compete at UFC 254. That event, the final on a five-card stretch on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, is scheduled for Oct. 24. After much was made about Chandler’s free agency status, he elected …

The vacant Invicta Fighting Championships atomweight title will soon have a new address.

Ashley Cummins checked in at 104.9 pounds on the eve of her showdown with Alesha Zappitella (104.4) in the Invicta 42 headliner, where they are set to decide the fate of the promotion’s 105-pound championship on Thursday at the Police Athletic League in Kansas City, Kansas.

Cummins, 33, has rattled off four wins across her past six appearances. “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 23 alum last competed at Invicta 39 in February, when she wound up on the wrong side of five-round unanimous decision against former champion Jinh Yu Frey. Cummins trains out of a 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu affiliate in San Diego.

Zapata enters the cage on the strength of back-to-back victories. The 25-year-old Scorpion Fighting System rep last appeared at Invicta 40, where she eked out a split decision over Lindsey VanZandt on July 2. Zapata owns a 4-1 mark under the Invicta banner, having lost only to Viviane Pe…

The controversy between Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White and Dustin Poirier is still unfolding.

Much to the fans’ regret, it doesn't look like Dustin Poirier and Tony Ferguson will clash anytime soon. The fight never got the chance to be officially announced by the promotion, but hype was already skyrocketing for the intriguing clash. During the recent DWCS 2020 Week 7 post-fight news conference, the UFC president shared some details about the failure of the negotiations for the Poirier-Ferguson matchup.

“Listen, I like Dustin,” White said on Tuesday. “I'm not going to sit up here and say anything negative about Dustin, he's a great kid. I don't know if it was he didn't want to fight in Abu Dhabi or what his deal was – he didn't want to fight. Listen, there's a lot of different ways to turn down a fight. Negotiating yourself out of one is one of the ways you can do it. So for whatever reason, he didn't want to take this fight. Only he knows that.” Read more

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then astream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. “The Eagle” is flattered by the comparison, but prefers to fly low. The massive popularity of Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight ace Khabib Nurmagomedov (28-0) prompted some to compare him to the iconic Muhammad Ali. While talking to True Gym MMA, "The Eagle" expressed some satisfaction in hearing that. Still, he wanted to restrain the enthusiasm by pointing out all the activism of the late Olympic medalist.

“I think comparing Ali and me is probably wrong,” he said. “Only if we talk about the fact that we are both champions and both muslims. But all the things he did outside the ring, with this, I cannot be compared indeed. At the time when he was a champion, he was…another race, and at that time in America, black people were treated badly, and according to his stories, he was not even served in restaurants. He threw awa…

Michel Pereira has grown in stature with Brazilian fans following his impressive submission win over Zelim Imadaev at UFC Fight Night 176 on Sept. 5. The scene of Pereira kissing his own hand before slapping Imadaev with it was shown across most of the well-known news channels in Brazil and sent laughter rippling across his homeland.

Pereira’s dominant showing was also recognized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship—and not just in the form of a $50,000 performance bonus. According to “Demolidor,” UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby contacted his manager immediately after the bout.

“Mr. Shelby asked him when I would be ready for my next fight,” Pereira said. “I would love to fight again by November.”

Pereira pointed to a hypothetical pairing with Jorge Masvidal in the immediate aftermath of his latest victory, but he admits there are a number of potential opponents who interest him.

“I don’t know my division’s rankings well,” he said. “To tell you the truth, my main go…

Two fighters are making their Octagon return after nearly a two-year hiatus.

According to Brazil's Combate, Jessin Ayari and Luigi Vendramini will clash in the lightweight division on the upcoming Oct. 3 UFC on ESPN 16 card.

Ayari (16-5) is looking to rebound after back-to-back defeats. His latest Octagon appearance dates back to October 2018, when he dropped a decision in front of Steven Ray at UFC Fight Night 138. Prior, he also lost via decision to former welterweight championship contender Darren Till. So far, the only victory of “Abacus” under the UFC banner came when he edged Jim Wallhead in their UFC Fight Night 93 encounter back in 2016.

Vendramini (8-1) has yet to score his first UFC victory. “The Italian Stallion” made his promotional debut when he stepped up to face Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos after Belal Muhammad dropped out of their scheduled bout at UFC Fight Night 137. That night, Vendramini suffered a second-round TKO.

UFC on ESPN 16 will go…

Per @arielhelwani, UFC is the front-runner to sign free agent Michael Chandler, who has "been discussed" as a potential opponent for Tony Ferguson. pic.twitter.com/LBved7TTL1

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 16, 2020

All signs lead to the Ultimate Fighting Championship being the front-runner to sign “Iron.”

ESPN reported Wednesday that the UFC is in “advanced talks” with former Bellator MMA lightweight king Michael Chandler, although the deal is yet to be finalized. “Iron” is one of the few top lightweight contenders who has yet to step into the Octagon.

Chandler (21-5) has spent most of his career under the Bellator MMA banner, where he managed to capture 155-pound championship three times. The third championship arrived at the end of the back-and-forth Bellator 212 battle that ended with the former collegiate wrestler edging his long-time rival Brent Primus. In his next match, Chandler lost his belt to Patricio Freire via first-round …

Yogibo presents RIZIN.24 追加対戦カード

朝倉海 @kai_1031_

昇侍 @shou0424

：9/27() 16:00開始（予定）：さいたまスーパーアリーナ：https://t.co/E57gUNvfKQ#RIZIN #RIZINFF #RIZIN24 pic.twitter.com/aTb5qelUnr

— RIZIN FF OFFICIAL (@rizin_PR) September 15, 2020

The upcoming Rizin 24 card has gained two intriguing matchups.

Rizin Fighting Federation announced Tuesday that Kai Asakura is fighting Shoji Maruyama in a bantamweight non-title match and Rena Kubota is clashing with Emi Tomimatsu in a women’s strawweight showdown.

Asakura (15-2) made a name for himself after scoring a highlight-reel first-round KO victory against former Rizin and Bellator MMA 135-pound champion Kyoji Horiguchi in their non-title encounter that went down at Rizin 18. Shortly after, Asakura smashed UFC vet Ulka Sasaki in the first-round at Rizin 19. He then managed to win the divisional championship against Hiromasa Ougikubo at Rizin 23, after failing …

Sunday work at the garage! @TatamiFightwear @Sanabul pic.twitter.com/KwIEfrQIDG

— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) September 13, 2020

Gilbert Burns will face Kamaru Usman for the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight crown at UFC 256 on Dec. 12, so it was something of a surprise when the champion paid a recent visit to the challenger’s camp. According to Brazilian outlet Combate.com, Usman showed up at a Sanford MMA training session on Sept. 14.

“The Nigerian Nightmare” was once part of the Sanford MMA team but elected to move to Elevation Fight Team in Colorado in June. While Usman’s visit was celebrated by some of his former stablemates, Burns considered it a “psychological test” from the champion.

“I think he wanted to intimidate me, but somehow, I had a feeling that he was going to show up, so it was not a big surprise to me,” Burns said. “I went there and talked to him: ‘How are you? Everything fine?’ He a…

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. Jordan Williams removed all doubt about whether or not he was major league-ready. The Nor-Cal Fighting Alliance rep wiped out Gregory Rodrigues with punches in the first round of their middleweight showcase during Week 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Rodrigues (7-3) melted 2:19 into Round 1, closing the book on his six-fight winning streak.

Williams (8-3) made the most of his third DWCS invite. He walked through a sweeping right hand and a glancing head kick, backed the Brazilian to the fence and staggered him with a counter left hook. Seeing Rodrigues’ knees buckle, he then flurried with punches against the cage and kept throwing until the job was done.

The 29-year-old Williams, a Type 1 diabetic, was one of three competitors awarded contracts by the Ultimate Fighting Champion…