Martial Arts News

I asked to fight Oliveira, but he called out Colby instead. Guy who only fights once a year and is 2-3 since 2019.

We thought you were better than that, @CharlesDoBronxs . You know I’ll give you fire on the ground… but maybe that’s why you’d rather fight Colby..

— Mateusz Gamrot (@gamer_mma) May 22, 2024 Mateusz Gamrot believes Charles Oliveira is avoiding a showdown with him.

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“Gamer” Gamrot (24-2) has repeatedly called out former titleholder Oliveira (34-10), most recently when “do Bronx” revealed that he’s eyeing a return in July or August. The Brazilian mentioned his unwillingness to fight down the rankings at this stage in his career, dismissing a potential pairing with Gamrot. Instead, he offered to be the backup for Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29 and later expressed interest in a welterweight matchup against Colby Covington.

Not entirely thrilled, Gamrot took a shot at the former lig…

PFL/Bellator Official Fighter Roster Update pic.twitter.com/HNZjwBy0g1

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 23, 2024 After 10 appearances under the Bellator MMA banner, former titleholder Gegard Mousasi is moving on.

The 38-year-old recently appeared on The MMA Hour, claiming that he has not been offered fights since the Professional Fighters League purchased Bellator at the end of the year. The PFL stated in April that Mousasi had been offered a fight at light heavyweight, but Mousasi did not accept. On Thursday, PFL and Bellator jointly announced through Mike Kogan, Bellator’s Head of Fighter Operations, that Mousasi had been released from his deal, while noting, “We wish him all the best in his next fighting chapter.”

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship and Strikeforce talent told The MMA Hour on Wednesday that before Bellator was purchased, he had signed a new contract worth “a couple million [dollars].” He also stated that a po…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship preserved its high-stakes co-main event with a rising star making a quick turnaround.

At UFC 303 on June 29, former champ Jamahal Hill (12-2) was expected to face Khalil Rountree in the co-headlining spot. Rountree was forced out of the contest due to a failed drug test, and he was issued a reduced suspension of two months plus anything the Nevada State Athletic Commission will add. In Rountree’s stead will be surging New Zealand-based force Carlos Ulberg (10-1), with news of him serving as the replacement breaking from the New Zealand Herald on Thursday. The pairing has since been confirmed by multiple outlets.

Hill is looking to rebound from a concussive defeat at the hands of Alex Pereira at UFC 300, where he fell short to reclaim his former belt. Hill snatched the vacant throne against Glover Teixeira in early 2023, capping off a four-fight win streak where he prevailed over Jimmy Crute, Johnny Walker and Thiago Santos on hi…

A heavyweight clash pitting Michael Parkin against Lukasz Brzeski is among three new additions to the UFC 304 bill.

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Additionally, Caolan Loughran will face Ramon Taveras at bantamweight, while Shauna Bannon will meet Ravena Oliveira in a women’s 135-pound scrap. The Las Vegas-based promotion announced all three bookings on Wednesday.

UFC 304 takes place on July 27 in Manchester, England, and is headlined by a welterweight championship bout between Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad. In the co-main event, Tom Aspinall will defend his interim heavyweight belt against Curtis Blaydes.

Parkin is undefeated in nine professional fights, a run that includes three Octagon appearances. Most recently, the Dana White's Contender Series alum outpointed Mohammed Usman at UFC on ESPN 53 on March 23. Parkin also owns UFC triumphs over Caio Machado and Jamal Pogues.

Brzeski, meanwhile, snapped a four-bout winless streak in his last outing, as he took a th…

“The Ultimate Fighter 23” winner Andrew Sanchez is a new addition to the PFL 5 card in Salt Lake City on June 21.

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Sanchez will replace Laurynas Urbonavicious and face Karl Albrektsson in a light heavyweight bout at the event. The PFL recently announced the change. The organization also confirmed two other bouts for the card: Anthony Romero vs. Sergio Cassio at lightweight and Brayan Zurcher vs. Julian Ruiz at featherweight.

PFL 5 takes place at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City and features the second batch of regular season bouts at light heavyweight and lightweight. The card is headlined by a 155-pound clash pitting Clay Collard against Mads Burnell.

Sanchez made his promotional debut in June 2023, when he took a split-decision triumph against Taylor Johnson. “El Dirte” went 5-5 during a UFC stint from 2016 to 2021, earning notable victories over the likes of Khalil Rountree, Trevor Smith and Marc-Andre Barriault.

Sweden’s Albrek…

Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) has handed Khalil Rountree a two-month suspension after the UFC light heavyweight tested positive for the anabolic steroid DHEA.

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The term was reduced because Rountree informed UFC officials that he may have ingested a banned substance while taking a dietary supplement. A biological sample was then sent to Sports Medicine Research Testing Laboratory (SMRTL) in Salt Lake City, Utah, where tests confirmed the presence of DHEA metabolites in Rountree’s system.

“Rountree provided CSAD with shipping records, detailing that he received the supplement containing DHEA on May 2, 2024, just two days before he provided the May 4th sample,” read a statement from CSAD.

“Rountree also provided documentation from the owner of the clinic that sent him the supplement, reflecting that the company’s Brand Marketing Director sent Rountree some of the company’s ‘therapeutic blends’ supplements ‘without prior approval.’ The owner d…

Andre Lima will lock horns with Mitch Raposo in a flyweight clash at UFC 302.

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Raposo is a replacement opponent for Nyamjargal Tumendemberel, who was forced to withdraw from the event due to visa issues. MMAjunkie.com was first to report the new booking. UFC 302 takes place on June 1 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, and is headlined by a lightweight title bout between Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier.

Lima is coming off a memorable Octagon debut, where he defeated Igor da Silva via disqualification when his opponent bit him on the arm in the second round. “Mascote” subsequently received a $50,000 “Bite of the Night” bonus and got a tattoo to commemorate the occasion. The 25-year-old Brazilian is 8-0 as a professional, with victories in Dana White's Contender Series and Legacy Fighting Alliance to his credit.

Raposo has been a champion in both the Cage Titans and CES MMA promotions. His lone career defeat in 10 professional…

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Ilia Topuria wants to defend his title against Max Holloway and then fight Conor McGregor at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Spain.

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Topuria became the featherweight champion with a second-round knockout win over Alexander Volkanovski at Brian Ortega as an ideal opponent for his first title defense, “El Matador” has now changed his tune.

Topuria recently laid down a two-fight plan to first defend his strap against Holloway and then face McGregor in “the biggest fight in MMA history.” Topuria is plotting a fight against “Notorious” at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, home of football club Real Madrid, and expects it to shatter all records. The Spaniard also recently claimed to have a date for the UFC’s planned debut in his home country this year.

“So, I hope to defend the belt with Max Holloway and then I want to fight with Conor McGregor hopefully," Topuria told Sportskeeda MMA. "If he wins his upcoming fight, that’s the figh…

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Arman Tsarukyan isn’t counting out Dustin Poirier in his upcoming UFC 302 title fight against Islam Makhachev.

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Poirier challenges Makhachev for the lightweight title in the main event at UFC 302 on June 1 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Poirier previously suffered a submission loss in a foiled championship bid against Makhachev’s teammate and mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242 in 2019. Given the similarity of style between both Dagestanis, Poirier is a massive underdog heading into UFC 302.

Makhachev also arguably has developed a cleaner striking skillset than Nurmagomedov over the years. According to Makhachev, teammate and Bellator MMA lightweight champ Usman Nurmagomedov has better striking than Poirier. Regardless, Tsarukyan believes standing up against Poirier will be a dangerous game to play for Makhachev. While Tsarukyan expects Makhachev to successfully execute his obvious game plan against Poirier, the…

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Conor McGregor believes Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship is a better place for former Ultimate Fighting Championship athletes than other mixed martial arts promotions.

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McGregor Sports and Entertainment became part owner of BKFC earlier this year. Explaining his interest in the organization, McGregor said he sees the MMA promotions space as kind of saturated with the UFC established as a clear industry leader.

According to McGregor, the BKFC is an entirely different space that generates more interest than rival MMA promotions of the UFC. McGregor noted that former UFC fighters fighting for rival MMA promotions often fail to generate much buzz. Compared to that, “Notorious” finds BKFC fights featuring UFC alums like Mike Perry, Eddie Alvarez and others much more entertaining.

“We’ve got the UFC as the premier mixed martial arts organization and the rest of them aren’t really anything right, let’s be real. The rest of them, …

SAVANNAH’S MMA DEBUT OPPONENT IS SET! 👊

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Savannah Marshall vs. Mirela Vargas 🇧🇷 @Savmarshall1 makes her MMA debut in the PFL SmartCage on Saturday 8th June at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle, England!

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The undisputed world champion boxer makes the transition to mixed martial… pic.twitter.com/R8ItF86oqf — PFL Europe (@PFLEurope) April 26, 2024

Despite Savannah Marshall’s impressive boxing pedigree, Mirela Vargas believes her mixed martial arts experience will give her an edge over the Englishwoman in their upcoming fight.

Marshall (0-0) and Vargas (1-2) are scheduled to headline PFL Europe 2 on June 8 at the Utilitia Arena in Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, England. While the bout will mark Marshall’s pro MMA debut, the undisputed female super middleweight boxing champ is being considered a sizeable favorite.

However, Vargas plans on showing the world that elite boxing skills may not be necessarily be enough …

Credit: Bellator MMA

Despite his mother’s recent death, Dylan Tuke isn’t pulling out of the upcoming PFL Europe 2 card.

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Tuke (7-4) is scheduled to co-headline PFL Europe 2 against Kane Mousah (14-6) on June 8 at the Utilitia Arena in Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, England. The Irish prospect was struck by tragedy weeks prior as his mother passed away.

However, “The Nuke” refused to pull out of his upcoming fight and recently explained his decision. According to Tuke, his mother, who introduced him to mixed martial arts, would have probably slapped him if he didn’t give his opponent the fight he promised and definitely wouldn’t have wanted him to miss the opportunity of fighting on such a big stage.

“So, my mother was a flowing [jiu-jitsu] woman herself. She was a black belt in her own right. And we promised Kane Mousah a knock and in three weeks me and him are gonna have a knock,” Tuke said during the PFL Europe 2 media day.

“So, she’d probably h…