Martial Arts News

Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Marc Diakiese recently explained the reasoning behind his move to rival promotion Professional Fighters League.

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Diakiese announced his move to the PFL earlier this month after a 15-fight UFC career. Diakiese revealed that his UFC contract had expired following his second-round submission loss to Joel Alvarez at UFC London in July 2023. While exploring free agency, the Englishman was offered a short-notice clash against Kaue Fernandes at UFC Sao Paulo in November 2023, which he went on to win via split decision.

Diakiese expected the UFC to renew his contract in time for the promotion’s pay-per-view event in Manchester on July 27. However, that offer never arrived, and “Bonecrusher” instead accepted a deal with the PFL.

“So, the fight in London, that was the last fight on my contract,” Diakiese told MMAjunkie.com. “And I got sent to Brazil last minute and it was just there, so I knew I was a free agent. B…

Rose Namajunas recently detailed an “uncalled for” interaction with the father of upcoming opponent Maycee Barber.

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Namajunas and Barber will meet in a flyweight contender matchup in the main event at UFC on ESPN 59 on July 13. Thanks to a six-fight winning streak, Barber is oozing confidence going into her clash against the two-time UFC champ. While Namajunas has no issue with Barber’s confidence, she felt that “The Future’s” father was disrespectful towards her.

“I love when fighters are confident. I like when they believe in themselves,” Namajunas told MMAjunkie.com. “To me, as long as she ain’t being disrespectful I’m cool with it. Her dad was kind of disrespectful I kind of felt, like back in the day. But that’s him. You know, so whatever. But her, I think she should keep doing what she’s doing, and I respect everything that she’s done. I think she’s really developed into an impressive prospect that I’m looking forward to facing.”

The inc…

UFC on ABC 6 has taken yet another hit with less than a week to go before fight night.

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Melsik Baghdasaryan announced via Instagram Stories that he is out of his featherweight matchup against Muhammadjon Naimov due to a torn labrum in his left shoulder. UFC on ABC 6 takes place on Saturday at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It is currently unknown if Naimov will remain on the card against a replacement opponent.

“Hello everyone, I have bad news,” Baghdasaryan said. “My fight got canceled. I got injured, torn labrum on my left shoulder. Thanks everyone for support. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

Melsik Baghdasaryan confirms he is out of his scheduled fight in Saudi Arabia against Muhammad Naimov. #UFCSaudiArabia

📽 Baghdasaryan IG Stories pic.twitter.com/5bErTE6lMP

— Marcel Dorff 🇳🇱🇮🇩 (@BigMarcel24) June 17, 2024

This is the latest in a series of last-minute blows for the UFC Saudi Arabia card, sta…

Brady Hiestand and Garrett Armfield evidently harbored no ill feelings for each other after their UFC on ESPN 58 clash on Saturday.

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Hiestand survived a knockdown from Armfield in the second round and pulled off a third-round submission win in one of the most competitive outings of the night. Both fighters subsequently shared screenshots of Instagram DMs revealing the mutual respect between the two, along with other things.

After an initial show of respect, Armfield asked Hiestand if his armbar attempt on “Bam Bam” in the first round was tight.

“You got some heart bro. Was the armbar tight at least?” Armfield wrote.

Hiestand replied that an alleged fart from Armfield during the armbar attempt was the most fatal move of the fight.

“Bro that fart was more deadly than anything! All jokes aside that was a good one,” Hiestand replied.

Armfield didn’t dispute the accusation in his response.

“Bahahahhahahhha. I’m dead,” he wrote. Read more

Heading into the UFC on ESPN 58 main event, Tatsuro Taira had designs on testing himself in the championship rounds.

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That goal ultimately went unrealized when opponent Alex Perez suffered a knee injury, resulting in a technical knockout victory for the Japanese prospect at the 2:59 mark of Round 2. The finishing sequence occurred after Taira executed a standing back take and then dragged Perez to the canvas, a move that resulted in his opponent wrenching his knee on the way down to the floor.

“I came here to fight all five rounds. I haven’t got to fight all five rounds yet,” Taira said through a translator at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “It’s a shame he got injured, but I am happy with the win.”

As the flyweights fell to the canvas, Taira wasn’t initially aware of what had happened to his opponent.

“Actually, I didn’t realize that [he was injured],” Taira said. “I was trying to get his back and trying to finish. Then he [started] …

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Alex Pereira is no stranger to traveling across continents to fight on short notice.

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Pereira will put his light heavyweight title on the line against Jiri Prochazka in the main event at UFC 303 on June 29. Both fighters stepped in on 15 days’ notice to save the card after the originally scheduled main event between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler fell through due to a McGregor injury.

It will be a quick turnaround for Pereira after a first-round knockout win over Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 in April. However, Pereira’s Glory kickboxing career has prepared him for showing up to fight night under adverse conditions.

Pereira, who has two kickboxing wins over former UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya, recalled a similar situation going into their initial matchup. Pereira encountered numerous obstacles going into the fight, which he went on to win via unanimous decision. As a result, “Poatan” believes he is mentally condition…

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

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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…

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

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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.

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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.

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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:

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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…