Martial Arts News

[embedded content]

While the exact reason for Nick Diaz’s withdrawal from UFC 310 is unclear, there has been speculation that the popular fighter isn’t in a good place in his life right now.

Advertisement

That stems primarily from a video that recently appeared on social media, where a shirtless Diaz appears to be attempting to light grass on fire. At the time, Diaz was booked to face Vicente Luque at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas at UFC 310. It wasn’t much later that Themba Gorimbo was announced as Diaz’s replacement in the welterweight bout.

Jason Miller is quite familiar with struggles outside the cage. The fighter known as “Mayhem” has run afoul of the law on numerous occasions, most recently in August 2023 for allegedly choking a fan. Shortly after that incident, Miller released a statement on Instagram addressing his troubles and how for a long time, it was difficult to ask anyone for help.

Miller seems to be doing better now, and he can empathize wi…

Igor da Silva is ready to move forward with his mixed martial arts career.

Advertisement

Da Silva, who is also commonly known as Igor Severino, will return to action against Jonas Magard at Oktagon 65 on Dec. 29, the promotion recently announced. It is da Silva’s first bout since he was disqualified for biting opponent Andre Lima in their encounter at UFC on ESPN 53 on March 23. Severino vs. Magard will be contested at bantamweight.

As a result of his actions, the 21-year-old Brazilian was immediately released from his UFC contract. He was later suspended for nine months and fined $2,000 by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. That term will come to an end just a few days prior to his fight against Magard.

Prior to the biting incident, da Silva kicked off his professional career with eight consecutive triumphs. He competed primarily under the Jungle Fight banner before earning a UFC contract with a second-round TKO of Jhonata Silva on Dana White’s Conte…

[embedded content]

Kai Kara-France will be keeping a close watch on the upcoming title fight between Alexandre Pantoja and Kai Asakura.

Advertisement

Asakura will make his promotional debut, challenging Pantoja for the flyweight title in the main event at UFC 310 on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Kara-France considers himself to be next in line for title contention and will be keeping a keen eye on the matchup.

Kara-France also believes he has the knockout power to shut the lights out on either Pantoja or Asakura. If Pantoja wins, “Don’t Blink” wants home crowd support to avenge his “Ultimate Fighter 24” loss against the Brazilian in 2016. Meanwhile, if Asakura wins, Kara-France wants to travel to enemy territory to challenge the Japanese flyweight.

“I feel like I could definitely knock out Kai or Pantoja,” Kara-France told Engage. “So that’s why I’ll be tuning in. Let’s say now if Pantoja wins, let’s fight in New Zealand. I’ll headline it, me…

[embedded content]

Aljamain Sterling (24-4) believes the UFC will regret not putting his matchup against Movsar Evloev (18-0) on the main card.

Advertisement

Sterling and Evloev will clash on the prelims at UFC 310 on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The former UFC bantamweight champ isn’t even part of the evening’s featured preliminary bout, as that position instead goes to Dominick Reyes and Anthony Smith.

While Sterling is confused by his placement on the card, he chooses to see the positive side of fighting on the prelims. “Funkmaster” is glad that he will be done early and hopefully get to celebrate a win with his friends while enjoying the rest of the card.

While both Sterling and Evloev are among the best featherweights in the world, neither has the most fan-friendly style. Both Sterling and Evloev have often been criticized for lackluster performances and the lack of finishes on their records. However, Sterling believes both fans and the …

Ian Garry continues to hold a grudge against Colby Covington.

Advertisement

Garry will take on Shavkat Rakhmonov in a potential title eliminator in the co-main event at UFC 310 on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, Covington will headline a UFC Fight Night opposite rising contender Joaquin Buckley at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, on Dec. 14.

Garry’s feud with Covington started with “Chaos” taking unprovoked digs at the Irishman and his wife earlier this year. While Garry has since been calling Covington out, the former interim champ accepted a booking against Buckley after “The Future” was matched up with Rakhmonov. Garry has previously urged Buckley to knock Covington out, which he believes “New Mansa” is perfectly capable of doing. However, in an even more ideal scenario, Garry would love to make quick work of “Nomad” at UFC 310 and take on Covington at UFC Tampa the following week.

“I think Buckley starches him,” Garry told Arie…

[embedded content]

Shavkat Rakhmonov was allegedly turned down by a slew of opponents for UFC 310.

Advertisement

Rakhmonov was initially scheduled to challenge Belal Muhammad for the welterweight title at UFC 310 on Saturday before the champ was forced out with an infection. “Nomad” was eventually matched up against Ian Garry in the evening’s co-headliner at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Prior to that, there were rumors of a potential booking between Rakhmonov and Kamaru Usman. However, Rakhmonov recently revealed that Usman was not the only fighter who was offered a matchup against him at UFC 310. According to “Nomad,” Usman, Carlos Prates and Colby Covington all turned down bookings against him for various reasons. While Prates was injured, Covington simply turned it down and Usman backed out after initially accepting the fight.

“I wanted to fight Kamaru Usman. But he didn’t accept the fight,” Rakhmonov told Submission Radio. “Also, they offered to Prate…

It remains to be seen if or when Jake Paul will make his mixed martial arts debut, but there was one recent rumor involving the YouTube personality turned boxer that generated some discussion in the combat sports community.

Advertisement

Last week, BJJ World published a report from justbleedmma.com that Paul would be making his MMA debut against retired UFC welterweight contender Demian Maia. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace, who works now as UFC Fight Pass Brazil commentator, replied immediately.

“I´m totally in,” Maia wrote, while tagging Paul.

Carlos Barreto, who is Maia’s broadcast partner, analyzed the report on his Papo de Luta podcast.

“Demian is retired, but he keeps training hard. He is totally in shape,” Barreto said. “I dont think it's true just because I think it would be a terrible choice for Jake. Demian would grab him fast, get his back and submit him with a rear-naked choke. People must understand that it’s one thing for an MMA fighter to …

👀🔥Jorge Masvidal announces his UFC return in April in Miami and hopes to know who his opponent will soon:

“Hopefully by December we got the opponent and April, Miami card”

Advertisement

🎥@jakeshieldsajj 🔹 pic.twitter.com/s7T5qIQQ7a — Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) December 2, 2024

Jorge Masvidal has his sights set on making a Ultimate Fighting Championship return in his hometown.

“I’ll be back April next year in the UFC,” Masvidal recently said on the Fight Back podcast. “We don’t have the opponent yet. Hopefully by December we’ve got the opponent. April, Miami card.”

The 40-year-old Masvidal hasn’t competed in MMA since April 2023, when he dropped a unanimous verdict to Gilbert Burns at UFC 287, which also took place in Miami. “Gamebred” announced his retirement after the defeat, a decision which was which was endorsed by UFC CEO Dana White. However, Masvidal returned to combat sports this past July, losing a majority …

[embedded content]

Professional Fighters League isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

Advertisement

In a recent interview with talkSPORT MMA, PFL CEO Peter Murray outlined the organization’s plans for expansion, which includes a significant increase in the total number of events held in the coming years.

“We have a regular cadence for every property. This year, we had 28 events,” Murray said. “Next year, we’ll have 36 events. Come 2026, we’ll have 50 events. So we’re focused on our global franchise events and then regional league events.”

This past year marked the debut of PFL MENA, which Murray said will soon be holding events “throughout the Middle East” after using Saudi Arabia as its home base to start. The overseas growth is far from complete, as PFL plans to have a total of “six international leagues up and running in the next two years,” according to Murray.

One of the biggest stories at the end of 2023 was PFL’s purchase of Bellator MMA. The organ…

[embedded content]

Ciryl Gane claims he wasn’t completely himself when he lost to Jon Jones at UFC 285.

Advertisement

Gane was the interim heavyweight champ when Jones returned to the Octagon after a three-year hiatus to fight for the vacant title. “Bones” barely crossed the two-minute mark in the first round before taking Gane down and securing a guillotine submission victory. It was a disappointing performances from “Bon Gamin,” whose only other career loss came against Francis Ngannou.

Looking back at the loss, Gane doesn’t recognize himself. Gane claims he was totally disoriented on fight night, which was reflected in his performance. Known for his elusive movement and range control, Gane didn’t display any of that against Jones. However, Gane believes the loss was eventually beneficial, as it allowed him to refocus on himself and return with a vengeful spirit.

“When I look back at it, it was obvious that I was not there,” Gane said on the UFC 310 Count…

[embedded content]

Renowned coach Firas Zahabi believes Shavkat Rakhmonov won’t lose his perfect record against fellow undefeated contender Ian Garry.

Advertisement

Rakhmonov and Garry will trade leather at UFC 310 on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The bout will see one of the undefeated welterweights lose their perfect record. And Zahabi doesn’t think it’ll be Rakhmonov, at least for now.

Zahabi has been impressed with Rakhmonov for a while now, acknowledging the Kazakh as the enigma that he is. Zahabi recently praised Rakhmonov’s toughness yet again, which he believes will be too much for Garry. While Zahabi has seen lapses in Rakhmonov’s defense, he believes “Nomad” will make up for it with sheer grit.

“I think Shavkat’s gonna beat [Ian Garry]. After watching his fights it’s kind of obvious,” the Tristar Gym coach said on YouTube. “He has a relentless pressure, the man is an animal. He doesn’t have the best defense, but when he gets hit, h…

[embedded content]

The origin of Kai Asakura’s MMA career is quite fascinating.

Advertisement

Asakura will challenge Alexandre Pantoja for the flyweight strap in the main event at UFC 310 on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The former Rizin Fighting Federation champ will also be making his UFC debut against “The Cannibal.”

Asakura recently revealed how a street fight against his elder brother helped him realize his true MMA potential. Asakura’s elder brother, Mikuru Asakura, is a street fighter turned pro MMA fighter. On one fateful day, Mikuru challenged his younger brother to a street fight after he ran out of other opponents. Kai claims he was able to dodge almost every strike from Mikuru, who was throwing with serious intent. That’s when the future UFC title challenger realized he could earn his bread and butter through fighting.

“The story of how I got into MMA is quite crazy,” Asakura said on the UFC 310 Countdown show. “My older brother…