Martial Arts News

[embedded content]

Robert Whittaker is simply glad to be fighting Ikram Aliskerov even though he had never heard of his opponent before their booking was announced.

Advertisement

Whittaker was originally scheduled to headline UFC on ABC 6 in Saudi Arabia against Khamzat Chimaev on June 22. However, Chimaev was replaced by newcomer Ikram Aliskerov on nine days’ notice after the Chechen-born Swede fell “violently ill.”

Whittaker claims to have found out about Chimaev pulling out at the same time as the rest of the MMA community. While “Bobby Knuckles” had prepared for months for Chimaev’s unique style, the former champ didn’t hesitate to accept a fight against an unknown opponent.

“I had a pretty Chimaev-ready game plan,” Whittaker told the New York Post Sports. “Chimaev’s a pretty unique fighter, and he fights a unique way. So I had a game plan I’d worked for months leading into that. But Ikram brings a different threat to the table. I hadn’t heard of him o…

[embedded content]

Sharabutdin Magomedov has some big shoes to fill in if he wants to be the new face of Dagestani striking.

Advertisement

Magomedov is an elite striker from Dagestan, which is more famous for producing some of the greatest grapplers in MMA history. Commonly known as “Shara Bullet,” Magomedov made his UFC debut at UFC 294 in October 2023, putting on a striking clinic to earn a unanimous decision win over Bruno Silva. After the fight, UFC CEO Dana White expressed surprise at the undefeated Dagestani’s unwillingness to wrestle. Instead of being deterred, Magomedov was motivated by White’s comments.

“It’s a sort of hype for me,” he told Red Corner MMA. “People must be tired of Dagestani wrestling; they want to see Dagestani striking! Here you go, I have arrived!”

Prior to Magomedov, Zabit Magomedsharipov was arguably the torchbearer of elite Dagestani striking. A highly versatile mixed martial artist, Magomedsharipov displayed a unique mix of e…

UFC on ESPN 58 was a memorable night for Tatsuro Taira in more ways than one.

Not only did the Japanese prospect earned his first main event triumph in UFC competition, but he also secured a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his efforts. Taira improved to 16-0 as a professional with a second-round technical knockout victory against Alex Perez on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Taira used a body triangle and back control to wrench his foe to the canvas, a maneuver that resulted in a knee injury for Perez at the 2:59 mark of Round 2.

Elsewhere, Brady Hiestand rallied from a second-round knockdown to earn a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for a submission triumph against Garrett Armfield in a featured bantamweight affair. Hiestand brought an end to the contest with a rear-naked choke at the 1:52 mark of Round 3.

Finally, Gabriella Fernandes and Carli Judice received “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for putting on a striking …

Tatsuro Taira took another significant step toward title contention in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s flyweight division.

The Japanese prospect kept his undefeated record intact in the UFC on ESPN 58 headliner with a second-round stoppage victory against former title challenger Alex Perez on Saturday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. While the fight ended in unfortunate fashion due to a knee injury, Taira certainly played a part in making that happen when he wrenched his foe to the canvas while making Perez carry him like a backpack. With 16 consecutive victories to begin his professional tenure, Taira has emerged as one of the most intriguing talents in the sport at 125 pounds.

Advertisement

Here is a by-the-numbers look at UFC on ESPN 58, with statistics courtesy of UFCStats.com.

5: Consecutive flyweight victories for Taira, the third-longest active winning streak in the division behind reigning champ Alexandre Pantoja (six) and Muhammad Mokaev (six).…

Tatsuro Taira entered the cage on Saturday looking to complete the transition from prospect to contender, and he succeeded, though not in the way anyone would have wished for.

Advertisement

In the flyweight headliner of UFC on ESPN 58 at the UFC Apex, Taira faced resurgent former title challenger Alex Perez. Perez immediately took the fight to the young phenom, coming at him with big punches and some hard low kicks, shoving him to the fence with underhooks, and generally putting on a frantic pace. Taira was up to the test, holding his own in the clinch and sticking Perez with long, straight punches in space. Perez scored a takedown late in the round, scooping the Okinawan up and depositing him on his back in the center of the cage, but Taira popped right back to his feet. Taira was cautioned for eye pokes twice in the first round and a half of the fight, but his composure was otherwise exemplary for a 24-year-old in his first UFC main event. Nonetheless, Perez se…

Sherdog's live UFC on ESPN 58 coverage will begin Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Knutsson (-225), Polastri (+185)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

Advertisement

Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Costa (-170), Shayilan (+142)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW…

Getty Images/UFC

Nathan Maness appears to be a growing problem for the Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight division.

Advertisement

In the top prelim bout of UFC on ESPN 58 on Saturday, Maness (16-3) outworked Jimmy Flick (17-8) in a flyweight attraction that felt much closer than the final scores indicated, or than the nearly 5-to-1 odds in Maness’ favor seemed to predict. Maness plied his huge frame for the division, working with his jab from the outset to keep dangerous submission artist Flick on the outside. Flick seemed more than willing to engage in a striking battle, throwing big punches and trying to close the distance. Maness defended Flick’s first real takedown attempt with a standing guillotine choke attempt, managing to stay upright. Flick secured a takedown later in the round, taking advantage of another guillotine attempt to set up a Von Flue choke, but the round expired before the sequence could play out. The second and third roun…

Very tough to be ruled out of my scheduled return bout. I picked up an injury prior to the press conference that required more time to heal than was available to me. The decision to postpone the fight was not made lightly, but one made in consultation with my doctors, the UFC,… pic.twitter.com/ACNnbvr27p

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) June 15, 2024

While Conor McGregor’s absence from mixed martial arts will now extend beyond three years, the Irishman remains optimistic regarding his future.

Advertisement

The former two-division champion released a statement on Saturday addressing his withdrawal from the UFC 303 headliner against Michael Chandler. The June 29 welterweight bout was expected to be McGregor’s first Octagon appearance since breaking his leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021.

“Very tough to be ruled out of my scheduled return bout,” McGregor wrote on social media. “I picked up an injury prior to the …

A number of ailments will keep Jamahal Hill from competing at UFC 303.

Advertisement

The former light heavyweight champion recently revealed on social media that two tears in his meniscus, a sprained ACL and a Baker’s cyst — which leaked fluid into the back of his knee — led to him withdrawing from a proposed clash against Carlos Ulberg on June 29.

“This is only making me hungrier,” Hill added on Instagram. “Be back soon!!!”

Hill captured the vacant 205-pound belt with a unanimous decision triumph over Glover Teixeira at UFC 283 in January 2023. However, a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in a pickup basketball game sidelined him for more than a year, forcing him to vacate the belt. His bid to regain the title at UFC 300 came up short, as he suffered a first-round knockout loss to reigning champion Alex Pereira on April 13.

Hill was initially slated to face Khalil Rountree in the UFC 303 co-main event before Rountree was removed from the event due t…

Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight Brunno Ferreira has learned that there is a certain value to making yourself available.

Brazil’s Ferreira (12-1) is coming off his third win in the Octagon, where he blasted Dustin Stoltzfus with a spinning back elbow to claim a “Performance of the Night” bonus along with his show and win money. “The Hulk” revealed to Sherdog that he decided to stay in Las Vegas to attend Wanderlei Silva’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony on June 27.

Advertisement

“Besides being a friend and a longtime training partner of my master Dida [Andre Amado], Wanderlei is an idol to all Brazilian fighters. So, I wouldn't lose the opportunity to stay two more weeks in Vegas and testify to such an important moment of his career,” Ferreira said gleefully.

Ferreira’s team has already informed the promotion that he is available to serve as a late replacement in a fight in the middleweight division falls through in the next few weeks. While one oppor…

The sky might be the limit for grappling great Beatriz Mesquita as she crosses over into MMA this weekend.

A 10-time jiu-jitsu world champion, Mesquita is joining the ranks of MMA on Saturday at Spaten Fight Night. She faces fellow debutant Jorgina Ramos, in a matchup highly anticipated by the BJJ community as well as a litany of fans in Brazil. Considered one of the greatest female champions in the history of jiu-jitsu, the IBJJF Hall of Famer has been training MMA at American Top Team for nearly a year with coach “Parrumpinha” Marcos da Matta.

Advertisement

“She arrived raw but her evolution is impressive,” Da Matta told Sherdog. “She helped Kayla [Harrison], ‘Sheetara’ [Mayra Bueno Silva]. She started getting beaten up a lot, and today she’s already making girls like Michelle [Montague], who has five MMA fights, look like [a] white belt training with her.”

According to the Carlson Gracie black belt, while training at ATT, Mesquita took matches at various …

PFL @MoheganSun ✅🔥

The second half of the 2024 #PFLRegularSeason started with a 𝗕𝗔𝗡𝗚#PFLRegularSeason | B2YB @Join_AFReserve pic.twitter.com/egtY2zBpKc

— PFL (@PFLMMA) June 14, 2024 Forget the third. Denis Goltsov hopes the fifth time’s the charm.

Advertisement

The well-traveled Russian sambo practitioner nailed down the No. 1 seed in the Professional Fighters League playoffs, as he swiped aside Thiago Santos—a short-notice replacement for Sergey Bilostenniy—with punches in the first round of their PFL 4 heavyweight showcase on Thursday at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Goltsov drew the curtain 2:22 into Round 1.

“Like they say in our country, you prepare for the worst and you go from there,” he said. “He didn’t really feel that strong. Once I was like a backpack on him and I was really controlling him, I was able to maul him. I was always in a good position.”

It marks the fifth time Goltsov has qualified f…