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After Rizin Sweep, Scott Coker Says Bellator Roster is Best in Company History

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Bellator MMA president Scott Coker was riding high following his promotion’s 5-0 victory in its head-to-head matchup against Rizin Fighting Federation on New Year’s Eve.

“I always said my wish was to go 5-0, and I’m happy that my guys won, but to me, it was very competitive out there,” Coker said at the Rizin 40 post-fight press conference. “That last fight, [Roberto] de Souza when he was fighting A.J. [McKee], there were a couple of times I thought he might get tapped.

“It was very stressful to watch that last fight. It was very back and forth. I’m glad A.J. did what he had to do to win. But anything can happen in a fight in MMA. It was an entertaining night of fights.”

A.J. McKee closed the show for Bellator with a unanimous decision against de Souza, Rizin’s lightweight champion, in the evening’s main event at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Patricio Freire, Kyoji Horiguchi, Juan Archuleta and Gadzhi Rabadanov also e…

A.J. McKee Honored to Fight in Japan, Wants to Return with Title at Stake

A.J. McKee embraced the entire experience of fighting in Japan.

The former featherweight champion set the tone for his night by walking to the ring in black samurai attire, and he closed the show of the Bellator vs. Rizin themed card with a three-round verdict against Roberto Satoshi de Souza in the evening’s main event at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on New Year’s Eve.

“I’m just trying to embrace it all,” McKee said at the Rizin 40 post-fight press conference. “Being here in Japan and fighting in front of all the fans, it’s an experience. It’s an honor to be here and an honor to put on a great show.

“…This is about one of the best arenas I’ve fought in,” he added. “The fans are phenomenal, the culture is phenomenal. I’ve heard so many stories so to finally be here is amazing.”

The Team Bodyshop representative had his hands full with Rizin’s reigning lightweight champion. Satoshi made McKee work on the canvas, as he took the American…

Manny Pacquiao Announces Plans to Compete for Rizin Fighting Federation in 2023

𝐀 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓...

The Pac-Man, @MannyPacquiao himself will fight in the RIZIN ring in 2023 against a Japanese fighter 🇯🇵!

[ #RIZIN40 | @FiteTV PPV link in bio ] pic.twitter.com/iLPMIK9wRj — RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) December 31, 2022

Manny Pacquiao will be competing for Rizin Fighting Federation sometime in 2023.BR> The former champion champion announced during the Rizin 40 broadcast that he plans to fight for the Japanese promotion next year. An exact date and opponent were not revealed.

“A few months ago, I was here as a guest, and today I have a very exciting announcement. I have agreed with Rizin to fight next year, the date will soon be announced, and also my opponent that Rizin will choose,” Pacquiao said. “I’m open and excited to fight a Japanese fighter.”

Pacquiao will follow in the footsteps of former boxing rival Floyd Mayweather Jr., who has defeated Tenshin Nasukawa and Mikuru…

A.J. McKee Upends Roberto Satoshi, Patricio Freire Bests Kleber Koike Erbst at Rizin 40

A wild ending to round 1!

This is why JMMA rules, rule!

[ #RIZIN40 | #RIZINvsBellator ] pic.twitter.com/ilQwCWxI7h — RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) December 31, 2022

The cross-promotional event between Bellator MMA and Rizin Fighting Federation ended with a complete victory for Bellator fighters, who went 5-0 at the end of the evening.

The Rizin 40 headliner featured a clash between current Rizin 155-pound titleholder Roberto Satoshi de Souza and former Bellator featherweight champion A.J. McKee. The pair went back-and-forth for three rounds, where McKee (20-1, 1-0 Rizin) showed he had the advantage over his foe with his striking, while de Souza (14-2, 7-2 Rizin) attempted to force the action to the canvas. Overall, “Mercenary” was the better man in the ring, showcasing versatility in landing soccer kicks whenever he found the opportunity. De Souza attacked with different submission attempts during the bout, bu…

Inside the Mind of Greatness: A Chat with Patricio Freire

[embedded content] Big fan of Patricio Freire here. I’ve written glowingly about him before as one of the greatest fighters to ever live and a peerless martial artist who has thoroughly mastered every aspect of the game. While he easily topped the list of Sherdog’s 10 best Bellator MMA fighters of all-time, he remains underrated, as many fans fail give him his proper due simply because his accomplishments have not occurred on a canvas emblazoned with the Ultimate Fighting Championship logo.

More than that, I love Freire’s old-school, uncompromising attitude. No joking or pro wrestling-type antics. I always got the impression that he viewed his fights as duels between two warriors with their worth as competitors on the line. Masahiko Kimura and Helio Gracie shared this attitude when they fought in 1951, and it was present in early vale tudo. However, it has become lost as MMA has been commodified into mere entertainment.

As such, it was a treat to sp…

Rob Font Meets Adrian Yanez at Upcoming UFC Card on April 8

The first fight set in April for the Ultimate Fighting Championship should be a great one.

On Friday, MMA Fighting broke the story that Rob Font (19-6) will be battling it out against Adrian Yanez (16-3) in the bantamweight division. The two will tangle on a currently unannounced UFC event on April 8, one that has rumored to be the date of UFC 287. There is no location on the books, although some speculate it may be held in New York. Both fighters confirmed the pairing on their respective Instagram accounts later on Friday.

It is unclear whether their match will serve as the main attraction if it instead a UFC Fight Night affair and not a pay-per-view card. Font is coming off three straight headlining appearances in 2021 and 2022, although he has dropped his last two. While UFC Fight Night 188 ended with him getting his hand raised against Cody Garbrandt, both Jose Aldo and Marlon Vera topped him on the scorecards in subsequent efforts. On the outside looking in of t…

UFC Middleweight Bruno Silva Discusses Mental, Physical Recovery Following Defeat

Heavy-handed Ultimate Fighting Championship 185er Bruno Silva believes the worst is behind him now.

Due to his strong mind, tough chin and aggressive style, Silva earned the nickname of “Blindado,” or “armored,” by his teammates many years ago. In the sport of MMA, there are limits to how far one’s toughness can go, and even the stoutest competitor can reach a breaking point. Brazil’s Silva, who raced through a torrid schedule with the promotion with five appearances in less than 14 months, started to slow down. After his most recent outing, a deflating submission loss to Gerald Meerschaert, Silva suffered a serious accident that put him on the shelf for some time. The subsequent injury may have been a blessing in disguise for Silva, who spoke to Sherdog on Thursday about his last performance and the accident.

“I don’t want to say how was the accident now, but it caused me a very serious injury that demanded an immediate surgery,” Silva explained. “It…

A Case for Cooperation

[embedded content] Even with little left to prove at this stage of his remarkable career, current Bellator MMA featherweight champion Patricio Freire still finds ways to keep himself motivated.

“Pitbull” will face reigning Rizin Fighting Federation champion Kleber Koike Erbst when the companies they represent link arms to co-promote Rizin 40 on Saturday at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Only bragging rights and company pride are on the line in the co-main event.

“The belts are not at stake,” Freire told Sherdog.com. “This is organization versus organization and champion versus champion.”

Erbst, 33, marches into the three-round confrontation at 145 pounds on the strength of a seven-fight winning streak. The Bonsai Jiu-Jitsu representative last competed at Rizin 39, where he dispatched Juntaro Ushiku with a triangle choke in the second round of their Oct. 23 pairing. Erbst prefers to do his business on the canvas.

“Kleber is a tough …

Bellator MMA vs. Rizin Weigh-in Results: 5 Cross-Promotional Fights Set

[embedded content] Two of the world's top mixed martial arts promotions will clash at Bellator MMA vs. Rizin.

The card will feature five key cross-promotional fights, with Rizin lightweight champion Roberto Satoshi de Souza facing off against A.J. McKee in the main event. Also notable is the co-main event, which will see Bellator MMA featherweight titleholder Patricio Freire take on Rizin featherweight king Kleber Koike Erbst. No belts are on the line in any of the five matches on this section of the card, while the weigh-in information of the additional participants at Rizin 40 has not yet been disclosed.

De Souza (14-1) is currently on a five-fight win streak since losing via TKO to Johnny Case in 2019. The Brazilian captured the throne in 2021 by submitting Tofiq Musayev, then defended it against Yusuke Yachi before getting revenge against Case in April. De Souza weighed 156 pounds on the dot.

Meanwhile, McKee (19-1) made his lightweight debut i…

PFL Sets Heavyweight Lineup for 2023 Challenger Series Card

2023 PFL Challenger Series returns to Universal Studios in Orlando, FL!

The Heavyweights are set to throw down in Week 3⃣

[ #PFLonFuboTV | Heavyweights | Fri, Feb 10th | 9pm ET] pic.twitter.com/NrlomaeWqX — PFL (@PFLMMA) December 29, 2022 The Professional Fighters League is bring the boom with eight up-and-coming heavyweights vying for a contract.

On Thursday, the PFL sent out via press release the four heavyweight matchups that will be airing on the PFL Challenger Series show on Feb. 10. The all-heavyweight event, which will air on Fubo TV at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, will include eight competitors that have only gone to six combined decisions. The marquee attraction will see unbeaten Brazilian Giacomo Lemos (8-0) throw hands with fellow countryman and ex-Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Danilo Marques (12-4).

The remainder of the heavyweight affairs for the third week of the Challenger Series are as follows:…

Injury Ejects Geoff Neal From Jan. 14 UFC Bout With Shavkat Rakhmonov

The first Ultimate Fighting Championship show of the new year has taken a big hit.

According to reporter Igor Lazorin on Thursday morning, Geoff Neal (15-4) has suffered an injury and has been forced out of his pairing with Shavkat Rakhmonov (16-0) at UFC Fight Night 217. The two welterweights were set to toe the line in the co-headliner of the UFC Vegas-based event on Jan. 14. Per Lazorin, the promotion is looking to find a new opponent for the top-10 170-pounder Rakhmonov. Neal, however, confirmed this news, while stating that he seeks keeping the fight together and pushing it to a later date.

“Fights [sic] off people…looking to rebook Shavkat later. Nobody’s scared,” Neal wrote on Facebook shortly after the news broke.

Neal was aiming to lift a two-fight win streak to three straight, as he had previously topped Santiago Ponzinibbio at the end of 2021 and came back in mid-2022 to knock Vicente Luque out. “Handz of Steel” was intent on derailing…

‘I’m Not Just Any Black Belt’

[embedded content] Flexibility was always one of Roberto Satoshi de Souza’s strong suits.

A world-class Brazilian jiu-jitsu player by all viable measures, he initially made the decision to test the waters in mixed martial arts as a means to improve his skills as a grappler. Satoshi de Souza fought only once in 2013, 2014 and 2015. However, the results were impossible to ignore, even for him.

“I was looking to gain experience and be a better instructor for my students,” Satoshi de Souza told Sherdog.com. “MMA was the best way to gain experience, even though my biggest passion was still jiu-jitsu.” The situation—most notably the size of his paychecks—evolved during the ensuing years, and the Rizin Fighting Federation brought him aboard in 2019. He was 7-0 with seven first-round finishes at the time. “That’s when things totally changed,” Satoshi de Souza said. “It’s when I started dedicating myself 100% to MMA.”

The Bonsai Jiu-Jitsu representative eve…

UFC 285 Update: Dricus Du Plessis, Derek Brunson to Meet in Las Vegas

A middleweight showdown between Dricus Du Plessis and Derek Brunson has been added to the UFC 285 lineup.

ESPN reported that the bout is in the works for the March 4 event. UFC 285 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. A headliner has not been announced for the card.

A former KSW and EFC title holder, Du Plessis has won his last six professional outings — including four under the UFC banner. The South African earnd his biggest win to date at UFC 282, as he submitted former welterweight title challenger Darren Till in the third round of their Dec. 10 encounter.

Brunson competed just once in 2022, falling to Jared Cannonier via second-round knockout in a title eliminator bout at UFC 271 on Feb. 12. Prior to that, the 38-year-old North Carolina native had compiled a five-bout winning streak within the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Patricio Freire: I Make More Per Fight Than the UFC Heavyweight Champion

Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Freire can look back on 2022 as a year to remember.

After regaining the 145-pound belt in a rematch against A.J. McKee at Bellator 277 in April, Freire successfully defended the crown against Hungarian contender Adam Borics at Belaltor 286 this past October. He’ll conclude his campaign with a cross-promotional matchup against Rizin Fighting Federation champion Kleber Koike Erbst on New Year’s Eve.

"I screamed so loud about the importance of having cross promotion challenges that someone on the other side of the world heard,” Freire told Sherdog.com. “I truly hope this show promoted by Bellator and Rizin is the first of many and serves as an example for other organizations.”

Freire is well aware of the challenges his opponent presents. Erbst has won his last seven bouts and sports a career mark of 31-5-1 — with 27 triumphs coming by way of submission.

“Koike is very dangerous. Everybody who underestimat…

Three Bouts Confirmed for UFC Fight Night 218, Including Return of Doo Ho Choi

Three fights, including the return of Doo Ho Choi, were recently announced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship for its Feb. 4 event.

Choi will lock horns with Kyle Nelson at featherweight; Tatsuro Taira will face Jesus Santos Aguilar at flyweight and Jun Yong Park will meet Denis Tiuliulin at middleweight at UFC Fight Night 218. The event takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a heavyweight duel between Derrick Lewis and Sergey Spivak.

Choi will see action for the first time since December 2019, when he suffered a second-round TKO defeat to Charles Jourdain – his third consecutive loss in the Octagon. “The Korean Superboy” was slated to face Danny Chavez in July 2021 but withdrew from the contest due to injury.

Canada’s Nelson has lost four of his five promotional appearances. Most recently, he was outpointed by Jai Herbert at UFC Fight Night 208 on July 23.

Undefeated in 12 professional outings, Taira has emerged as …

UFC, Strikeforce Veteran Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva Announces Retirement from MMA

Former UFC heavyweight title challenger Antonio Silva is retiring from mixed martial arts following a 34-fight professional career that began in 2005.

The Brazilian known as “Bigfoot” announced his decision in an interview with Canal Encarada. Silva, who turned 43 this past September, exits the sport with a 19-14-1 career mark. He lost his last seven MMA appearances dating back to 2015 — with all but one of those defeats coming via knockout or technical knockout. His most recent bout came this past June, when he suffered a second-round KO defeat to Oleg Popov at an event in Russia. That proved to be the last straw for Silva.

“I fought the best, I beat the best and also lost to the best,” Silva said (translation via MMAFighting.com). “There’s a time in life when you can’t… I fought in Russia, back-to-back fights basically, and I’m not taking anything away from my MMA opponent, but I never saw myself losing to this guy three or four years ago. This …

Bellator Signs Ex-UFC Title Challenger Sara McMann to Multi-Fight Deal

Former UFC bantamweight title challenger Sara McMann has signed a multi-fight contract with Bellator MMA.

The promotion announced the news on Tuesday. The former Olympic silver medalist will move up a division in Bellator to compete at 145 pounds, where Cristiane Justino is the reigning champion.

"I am thrilled to have joined Bellator. Bellator has the deepest roster at women’s featherweight, and I look forward to tough scraps with these ladies,” McMann said in a release. “I want to thank the Bellator team, especially Mike Kogan and Scott Coker, for putting together such an outstanding offer, and I’d like to thank many Bellator fighters, including Cris Cyborg, for their collective support and encouragement. Everything about this feels right, and I am grateful and looking forward to 2023!”

McMann challenged for bantamweight gold in just her second Octagon appearance, falling to Ronda Rousey via first-round technical knockout at UFC 170 on Feb.…

A Sitdown with Japan’s MMA Officials Committee

Photo courtesy of JMOC

Since its inception in 2017, the Japan MMA Officials Committee has worked to standardize rules and regulations and to develop the next group of officials in Japan to oversee MMA’s growth in the future. Much like its North American counterpart, the Association of Boxing Commissions, did previously, JMOC set out to create a more unified experience for fighters, referees and judges alike.

Led by veteran MMA officials Masato Fukuda, Minoru Toyonaga, Tomoki Matsumiya and Naoya Uematsu, JMOC is preparing to oversee one of Japan’s biggest MMA events of the past decade, Rizin 40: Bellator MMA vs. Rizin, on New Year’s Eve in Saitama. The group spoke with Sherdog.com ahead of the event to discuss JMOC’s goals, working with North American officials and the continued evolution of MMA regulation in Japan.

Sherdog: First of all, I would like to ask you to describe what kind of organization JMOC is, starting with the character…

Michel Pereira Reveals What It’s Like to Spar Against UFC Champ Francis Ngannou

Michel Pereira won’t get to fight at UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro like he had hoped, but he did receive an intriguing matchup as a consolation prize.

Pereira, who has won five straight in UFC competition and recently entered the promotion’s welterweight rankings, will face Sean Brady at UFC on ESPN 43 in San Antonio, Texas, on March 25.

"I thought that my hard time finding opponents was due to the fact that I was out of the rankings, but that was a huge mistake,” Pereira told Sherdog.com in a video interview. [UFC matchmaker Sean] Shelby did everything he could to find me someone to face at UFC Rio, but nobody wanted to fight me. I was really mad until the UFC came with the name of Sean Brady, and it looks like we will fight on March 25.”

Currently on vacation at a Brazilian friend’s home in Kansas, Pereira said that he doesn’t yet have much information on his opponent.

"All I know is that he is a wrestler. I saw his fight with Belal [Muham…

Tracy Cortez ‘Prioritizing Mental Health’ After Exit from UFC Orlando Card

Tracy Cortez has been working on getting her mind right, and for the time being, that’s put her mixed martial arts career on hold.

The UFC flyweight shed some light on what led to a last-minute withdrawal from a proposed clash against Amanda Ribas one day before their Dec. 3 bout in Orlando. The promotion’s statement cited a “medical issue,” but according to Cortez, it’s a little more complex than that.

“I want to say I haven’t been in the right head space since sometime in August,” Cortez wrote on Instagram. “Life has been testing me under circumstances that I least expected. I’m currently healing, I’m prioritizing my mental health [and] just taking life a day at a time.”

The 29-year-old Phoenix native has emerged as an intriuging talent since earning a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019, winning her first four bouts within the Las Vegas-based promotion. In her lone appearance of 2022, Cortez defeated Melissa Gatto via unani…

Vadim Nemkov Withdraws from Bellator 290; Eblen vs. Tokov Set for Co-Main Event

Bellator 290 has a new co-main event.

Reigning light heavyweight king Vadim Nemkov has withdrawn from his title defense against Yoel Romero for undisclosed reasons, and as a result, a middleweight title tilt between Johnny Eblen and Anatoly Tokov has been booked as the card’s new co-feature. Promotion officials initially confirmed the change to ESPN. It is currently unclear if Nemkov vs. Romero will be rebooked at a later date.

Bellator 290 takes place on Feb. 4 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and is headlined by a heavyweight championship rematch pitting Ryan Bader against Fedor Emelianenko. The card will air on CBS, marking the promotion’s debut on network television.

Eblen claimed middleweight gold in his last outing at Bellator 282, when he took a five-round verdict over former Strikeforce title holder Gegard Mousasi on June 24. The 31-year-old American Top Team representative is 12-0 as a professional, with eight of those triumphs c…

Santiago Ponzinibbio Seeks Ranked Foe, Willing to Face Khamzat Chimaev

Santiago Ponzinibbio isn’t one to back down from a challenge.

Shortly after Khamzat Chimaev declared on his video blog that four different opponents have turned down a fight against him, Ponzinibbio called out the Chechen star for a clash in the Octagon.

"I thought he was going to fight Colby [Covington], and I was planning to ask UFC to put me as reserve fighter in case either one of them got hurt,” he told Sherdog.com. “Now that I know the fight hasn’t been finalized, it’s even better. Hey UFC, I’m here.”

Ponzinibbio dealt with some adversity recently, as he lost back-to-back fights for the first time in his career, falling to Geoff Neal and Michel Pereira via split decision.

"I never lost two fights in a row” he said. “Personally I don’t think I lost to Neal or Pereira, but what counts is the red mark on your Sherdog [profile],” he said. Ponzinibbio returned to the win colum at UFC 282, defeating Alex Morono via third-round technical knock…

Welterweights Sean Brady, Michel Pereira to Clash at UFC on ESPN 43

Sean Brady will lock horns with Michel Pereira in a welterweight bout at UFC on ESPN 43.

Multiple outlets confirmed the booking after Pereira announced the pairing on PVT. UFC on ESPN 43 takes place on March 25 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, and is also expected to include a women’s bantamweight showdown pitting Holly Holm against Yana Kunitskaya.

Brady suffered his first loss in 16 professional outings at UFC 280, when he fell to Belal Muhammad via second-round TKO at UFC 280. The ex-Cage Fury Fighting Championships title holder began his UFC tenure with five straight triumphs, a run that included victories over the likes of Michael Chiesa, Jake Matthews and Court McGee.

Pereira, meanwhile, has won his last five Octagon appearances. Most recently, “Demolidor” took a split verdict over Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC Fight Night 206 on May 21. The 29-year-old Brazilian is 28-11 with two no contests over the course of his profession…

Khamzat Chimaev Details Struggles Finding Fight: ‘Every Week I Have New Opponent’

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Khamzat Chimaev is the man nobody in the UFC wants to face.

The 28-year-old Allstars Training Center representative is ready to return to the Octagon, but finding a willing opponent has been something of a challenge.

“They gave me four different countries, four different opponents,” Chimaev recently said on his video blog. “Nobody wants to fight.

“I’m gonna fight somebody, I don’t know who. They change opponents all the time. Every week I have new opponent, but nobody wants to fight … I’m always ready.”

Though he doesn’t have a dance partner at this point in time, Chimaev seems hopeful that his next Octagon appearance will come at UFC 285.

“We’ll see what’s gonna happen now. I think we’ll be, hope so, March [in Las Vegas] but I don’t know who,” he said.

Chimaev last appeared at UFC 279 this past September, where he dispatched Kevin Holland via first-round submission in a 180-pound catchweight bout. “Borz” is 12-0…

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