Martial Arts Videos

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DETWiAmQUmc&w=640&h=360] Bellator MMA's first event of 2022 is officially set after the Bellator 273 weigh-ins took place.

All fighters but one made weight for the event, which is headlined by a heavyweight unification match between champion Ryan Bader and interim titleholder Valentin Moldavsky. The lone fighter to miss weight is Fabricio Franco (151.2), who came in 5.2 pounds over the featherweight limit, and his bout against Weber Almeida (145.2) was canceled as a result. The card also features two former champions in Benson Henderson (155.8), who goes up against Islam Mamedov (155.6), and Darrion Caldwell (135.8), who looks to correct a two-fight skid at the expense of newcomer Enrique Barzola (136).

This is the first heavyweight bout for Bader (28-7, 1 NC) since 2019 when "Darth" poked Cheick Kongo in the eye to result in a no contest. Since then, Bader lost his light heavyweight belt to Vadim Nemkov, won a unanimous decision…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. The next Ultimate Fighting Championship card on ESPN has lost its headliner. Per MMA Kultura on Thursday, and later from Ariel Helwani, Jan Blachowicz (28-9) has been forced out of his light heavyweight main event at UFC on ESPN 33 against Aleksandar Rakic (14-2) due to an undisclosed injury. According to the reports, Blachowicz will not be replaced as the matchup will be preserved for a later date, and the UFC is searching for an entirely new main event to sit atop the show at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on March 26.

Blachowicz was looking to get back in the win column after surrendering his belt to Glover Teixeira in late 2021. The former champ had a five-fight win streak snapped at the conclusion of UFC 267, where he fell victim to a rear-naked choke from the Brazilian. Blachowicz first claimed the vacant strap by …

Dana White on why he wasn't out there for the main event and didn't put the belt on Francis Ngannou.#UFC pic.twitter.com/8Z0BKBwILM

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) January 27, 2022 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Ultimate Fighting Championship head Dana White is adamant that there was nothing to read from his nonappearance at the end of UFC 270. Historically, White has served as the person to wrap the belt around the champion’s waist after Bruce Buffer announced the victor in the UFC. While he did hand the flyweight belt to Deiveson Figueiredo at the conclusion of the UFC 270 co-main event, he was noticeable absent for the heavyweight headliner. Instead, matchmaker Mick Maynard presented “The Predator” with his unified title, instantly drawing questions from fans and media alike as to why White was not present. Many speculated that…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Former Ultimate Fighting Championship strawweight champ Jessica Andrade is moving back to her old stomping grounds of 115 pounds. Last Friday, the news first broke from MMA Fighting, who reported that Andrade (22-9) will be dropping back down to strawweight at an unnamed UFC Fight Night card on April 23. At this event that may be held in the UFC Apex, contingent on the status of the coronavirus pandemic, Andrade will be facing Amanda Lemos (11-1) in a battle between hard-hitting Brazilians. The two women will be competing over the course of five rounds as the main event, and the news has since been confirmed on Thursday by Lemos on her Instagram page.

Andrade shifted gears to the flyweight division after dropping two to Weili Zhang and Rose Namajunas. In her 125-pound debut, she handed Katlyn Chookagian her second career stoppag…

Times are tough for 38-year-old combat sports veteran Melvin Guillard.

According to a release from the Association of Boxing Commissions on Thursday, the Florida State Athletic Commission has denied Guillard’s license to compete at BKFC: Knucklemania 2 on Feb. 19. The event at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., was to feature a scrap between Guillard and ex-boxer Ulysses Diaz, but it has been shut down due to a “serious concern” regarding Guillard’s health.

“On the surface, the fight might look competitive,” the release noted, “but after doing due diligence, the Executive Director Patrick Cunningham found a serious concern with the health of Melvin Guillard. In checking the certified ABC record sources, BoxRec and the MMA Database, it was determined Guillard is suspended and requires a Neurological Exam, but even if he cleared that Guillard had lost the past four BKB bouts and had lost nine mixed martial art [fights] in a row. His last fight wa…

After over 14 years with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, longtime staple Jeremy Stephens is moving on.

The news first broke on Thursday from MMA Fighting that Stephens (28-19, 1 NC) had concluded his latest UFC contract and has chosen not to re-sign with the promotion. Confirmed shortly thereafter by multiple outlets, his contract came to an end following his meeting with Mateusz Gamrot in July 2021, where he fell short by first-round kimura. Stephens is winless in his last six appearances dating back to 2018, with five defeats and a no contest from an eye poke in the midst of his skid.

Stephens will be leaving the UFC after 34 trips to the Octagon, where he currently holds the spot for the fourth-most fights in company history. “Lil Heathen” had his hand raised 15 times over the years, shifting back and forth from lightweight to featherweight and back. Notable victories include finishes of Rafael dos Anjos and Josh Emmett, as well as decision verdicts over the l…

Featherweight Friday

Challenger Series: Week 4 atMarch 11th9 PM ET@fuboTV #PFLonFuboTV pic.twitter.com/VTERQGnZev

— PFL (@PFLMMA) January 27, 2022 The Professional Fighters League Challenger Series continues to set events for this year, with the next on the docket coming between featherweights. A press release on Thursday stated that the promotion’s fourth Challenger Series showcase will take place between competitors in the 145-pound division. The eight featherweight prospects vying for a single spot on the roster or a developmental deal for future appearances will hit the cage on March 11 inside the Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla. The Dana White's Contender Series-inspired series will air every Friday starting on Feb. 18 for eight weeks of events.

Previous PFL Challenger Series cards include one for light heavyweights on Feb. 18, the second between welterweights on Feb. 25, and the March 4 four-piece of women’s lightweights. All …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuJa4p7eN54&w=560&h=315] The stage for Eagle FC's North American debut is set after a weird, yet fairly uneventful, weigh-in ceremony.

Eagle FC 44 will be the organization's first event after introducing 165- and 175-pound weight divisions, while abolishing the 170-pound class internally. Headliner Sergei Kharitonov initially came overweight for his heavyweight bout against Tyrone Spong, but later weighed in under the 266-pound limit. Meanwhile, miscommunication between the commission and the promotion wound up giving fighters a three-hour window to step on the scales instead of the standard two. Besides those hiccups, only one fighter on the card, Dylan Salvador, officially missed weight, as the French fighter came in 3.4 pounds over the featherweight limit.

This main event will mark the third mixed martial arts bout for Spong (2-0), who returns to the sport for the first time since 2013 when he won a unanimous decision over Ang…

Initially scheduled to face Muslim Salikhov at UFC 270, Michel Pereira had to deal with an opponent change a few weeks prior to the event.

And the fight against Octagon newcomer Andre Fialho was not easy.

"I normally like to study my opponents in the first round, but he surprised me with his killer jabs and I had to change plans from the second round on,” Pereira told Sherdog.com. “I started to move more, mix more and anticipate his attacks.”

Pereira ultimately defeated Fialho via unanimous decision, and he felt the fight was worthy of a bonus.

“I have to agree that Deiveson [Figueiredo] and [Brandon] Moreno deserved their prizes, but no one else delivered a better show than me and Fialho,” he said. “And when I talk about the show I mean the whole package, since weigh-ins. We gave a war to the fans.”

Pereira also was happy to see Figueiredo, who hails from the same part of Brazil, regain his flyweight crown in the co-main event.

“I remembe…

Even if Francis Ngannou does return to the UFC, it will be quite some time before the heavyweight champion is back in action in the Octagon.

Ngannou’s manager, Marquel Martin, told ESPN on Wednesday that the fighter will have surgery to repair a torn MCL and damaged ACL when he returns to the United States. Ngannou is planning a trip to his native Cameroon and did not want the procedure to affect his homecoming. Ngannou is expected to need a minimum of nine months to recover.

Ngannou injured his knee during sparring ahead of his title unification bout against Ciryl Gane in the UFC 270 main event. Despite recommendations to pull out of the fight, “The Predator” went forward with the bout, winning a unanimous decision behind his wrestling.

"I continue to be amazed and inspired by Francis' heart and resilience," Martin told ESPN. "Fighting on one leg to overcome all odds, and remind the world he is the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. I think we can a…

UFC 274 has its second title fight booked, as Charles Oliveira will defend the lightweight crown against Justin Gaethje on May 7.

UFC president Dana White confirmed the matchup to ESPN on Wednesday. Oliviera vs. Gaethje joins a light heavyweight championship tilt between Glover Teixeira and Jiri Prochazka atop the card. UFC 274 was initially expected to take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but the event is now rumored to move to the United States, though a venue is still unknown.

Oliveira, the promotion’s all-time submission leader, is coming off a 2021 campaign in which he defeated Michael Chandler via technical knockout to claim the vacant 155-pound belt at UFC 262 before submitting Dustin Poirier in his first title defense at UFC 269. “Do Bronx” is currently on a 10-bout winning streak within the Las Vegas-based promotion in which he has finished nine of his opponents inside the distance.

A former World Series of Fighting lightweight champion, Gaethje will…

Like many dominant title holders, Kamaru Usman has harbored dreams of becoming a UFC two-division champion.

However, with fellow Nigerian Israel Adesanya reigning atop the middleweight division, moving up just one weight class was never a consideration for Usman. Instead, the welterweight king last year had designs on moving up two weight classes to face then 205-pound champ Jan Blachowicz.

“I was going to skip Israel and go fight Jan at 205 [pounds],” Usman told GQ. “Because I'm pound-for-pound, I want to prove it. No matter what weight it is, I thought he was a really good matchup for me.

“I think I would beat him.”

That hypothetical is less likely to become a reality now after Glover Teixeira vanquished Blachowicz to become the light heavyweight champion at UFC 267 this past October. Teixeira already has his first title defense scheduled against Jiri Prochazka in May. And Usman, who beat Colby Covington in a rematch at UFC 268, is widely expected to fac…

Apparently Sherdog.com's 2021 "Fight of the Year" winner wasn’t all that impressive to Justin Gaethje.

Gaethje, whose scintillating lightweight clash with Michael Chandler at Madison Square Garden last November took home top fight honors from more than a few publications, reminisced on the bout during an interview with BT Sport. His assessment of the action focused more on the disappointment of not finishing Chandler than anything else.

“To be completely honest with you, I feel like that was kind of a boring fight when I was in there,” Gaethje said. “Yeah, it just makes no sense. It’s the first time I’ve ever wanted to win more than to knock somebody out.

“So yeah, it was not good. I didn’t like it. I want to go back to just wanting to hurt somebody and finish them. But now that I have won, I got my title shot, I can go back to how it should be.”

The former World Series of Fighting champion has won five of his last six outings, and his unanimous verdict o…

Karina Rodriguez will make her first flyweight title defense against Ketlen Souza in the main event of Invicta FC 46 on March 9.

The all-female promotion announced the matchup on Wednesday. Invicta FC 46 will take place in Kansas City without fans or media in attendance, according to a release. Broadcast information will be revealed in the coming weeks. Invicta’s last card streamed on its YouTube channel.

Four other bouts were announced for the card: Daiana Torquato vs. Milana Dudieva at flyweight; Danielle Taylor vs. Liz Tracy at strawweight; Paulina Granados vs. Monique Adriane at atomweight and Fatima Kline vs. TBA at strawweight.

Rodriguez claimed flyweight gold with a five-round verdict over Torquato at Invicta on AXS TV last May. The Puebla, Mexico native has won three of her last four outings in the promotion, also earning wins over DeAnna Bennett and Dudieva.

Souza will make her Invicta FC debut on the momentum of a three-bout winning streak. The 2…

The stakes will be raised when Belal Muhammad and Vicente Luque square off for a second time in the Octagon.

A welterweight rematch between Muhammad and Luque will serve as the five-round headliner for a UFC Fight Night event on April 16. ESPN was first to report the pairing. A venue has not been announced for the event.

Muhammad and Luque initially squared off at UFC 205 in Madison Square Garden, where Luque won via knockout in 79 seconds. Muhammad has lost just once in 12 UFC appearances since that defeat and is currently unbeaten in his last seven outings, with a no contest against Leon Edwards the only blemish on his ledger during that time. The former Titan FC title holder is coming off back-to-back decision triumphs against Demian Maia and Stephen Thompson.

Luque, meanwhile, is currently riding the momentum of a four-bout UFC winning streak, with finishes of Niko Price, Randy Brown, Tyron Woodley and Michael Chiesa to his credit. “The Silent Assassin” has…

Recent women’s flyweight title challenger Denise Kielholtz has her next assignment, as she will square off against Kana Watanabe at Bellator London on May 13.

Promotion officials also confirmed a featherweight tilt pitting Daniel Weichel against Robert Whiteford for the event. MMAFighting.com was first to report the bookings. Bellator London takes place at the SSE Arena and is headined by a welterweight title fight between Yaroslav Amosov and Michael Page.

Kielholtz is coming off a split-decision loss against reigning 125-pound champ Juliana Velasquez in the Bellator 262 headliner on July 16. Prior to that, “Miss Dynamite” won four straight bouts under the Bellator banner to solidify herself as the division’s No. 1 contender.

Watanabe, meanwhile, suffered her first loss in 11 professional outings at Bellator 261, where she suffered a 35-second TKO defeat to Liz Carmouche. The former Rizin and Deep Jewels competitor began her promotional tenure with triumphs ove…

Two days after regaining the flyweight belt with a decision win over Brandon Moreno at UFC 270, Deiveson Figueiredo briefly let his thoughts drift to a return home while dining with teammates at a Denny’s in Arizona, where he trains at Fight Ready.

The first two-time flyweight champion in UFC history won’t relax for long, however.

"I can't wait to have some acai and eat some typical Amazon fish that I love,” Figueiredo told Sherdog.com. “But as soon as possible I want to return with my family to Arizona. Besides loving the city, I was treated like family here. There is no doubt that my next camp will be here."

Figueiredo worked with coaches Henry Cejudo and Eric Albarracin to develop an interesting strategy – complete with code phrases -- for the trilogy with Moreno.

"Our game plan was always to mix [it up] and never leave Moreno in his comfort zone,” Figueiredo said. “For example, when my corner screams ‘Taco Burrito, I attack with body shots; ‘Chifrada’ …

Former two-division UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen has been added to the broadcast team for Eagle Fighting Championship 44 on Friday.

The promotion, which was founded by Khabib Nurmagomedov, announced the news on Tuesday. Sonnen joins a commentary team that already includes Henry Cejudo, Felicia Spencer, Jennifer Sterger and Cyrus Fees.

Sonnen has a lengthy history behind the mic, including analyst duties for both the UFC and Bellator. He currently hosts “The Chael Sonnen Show with Jorge Sedano” on ESPN+. During his fighting career, the West Linn., Ore., native was best known for his rivalry with Anderson Silva, which culminated in middleweight championship losses at UFC 117 and UFC 148. He later challenged for light heavyweight gold, falling to Jon Jones via first-round TKO at UFC 159.

"Khabib and Sonnen – the two undefeated champions join forces," Sonnen said in a release. "Eagle FC, Friday."

Eagle FC 44 takes place at the FLXcast Arena in Miami, Fla…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRo1hN8Jsow&w=560&h=315]

Eight female lightweights will vie for a Professional Fighters League contract on the third edition of the PFL Challenger Series on March 4.

The promotion on Tuesday revealed the lineup for the card, which takes place at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla., at 9 p.m. ET and airs on Fubo Sports Network. Perhaps the most interest note from the release states that “the third installment of the Challenger Series will feature women’s lightweight fighters angling for a chance to take a shot at one of MMA's baddest combat sports athletes, Kayla Harrison.”

Harrison, of course, completed her most recent PFL deal by winning the organization’s 2021 championship. She was recently seen in attendance at UFC 269 and both Harrison and Dana White admitted that both sides had been in talks. However, this would seem to indicate that the two-time Olympic gold medalist has re-signed with PFL.

Some of the most notable wo…

PFL is back on @ESPN this April pic.twitter.com/ajnfBCbhm8

— PFL (@PFLMMA) January 25, 2022

The partnership between Professional Fighters League and ESPN will continue for the foreseeable future.

The promotion announced Tuesday that it has reached a new, multi-year media agreement with ESPN that will see “expanded coverage” on the Worldwide Leader’s family of networks. According to a release, that means that the entirety of the PFL playoffs and the “majority” of regular season events will be televised on ESPN and simulcast on ESPN+, with additional events airing on ESPN2.

The new deal begins with the start of the PFL 2022 season, which is slated for April 20. In addition to live event coverage, ESPN platforms will also provide pre- and post-fight coverage as well as other exclusive PFL content.

“After two successful years of providing fans with premium MMA content alongside ESPN, PFL is proud to extend and expand our agreement,” said…

Maiquel Falcao and Marcelo Brigadeiro at Bellator 66, April 20, 2012 (Dave Mandel/Sherdog)

In the wake of the death by stabbing of Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran and former Bellator MMA title challenger Maiquel Falcao on Sunday, Sherdog reached out to Falcao’s friend and former coach, Marcelo Brigadeiro. The Astra Fight Team head man gave a frank and harrowing account of his troubled friend and the longstanding issues outside of the cage that hampered his professional as well as personal lives.

Sherdog: Can you talk about the recent report about Maiquel Falcao’s violent stabbing death in Brazil? You worked with him for many years, including his UFC and Bellator stints. He was a controversial person, from his single UFC bout, a win against Gerald Harris, to a gas station fight that resulted in severe brain injuries to his training partner Kaue Mena. At some point he was considered for a UFC return but an old battery charge kept that from happening. H…

Longtime UFC flyweight contender Jussier Formiga will compete for the first time in more than 18 months when he faces Miguel Felipe Bunes da Silva in the Legacy Fighting Alliance 124 headliner on Feb. 11.

The promotion recently announced the booking. LFA 124 takes place at Arizona Federal Theater in Phoenix, Ariz., and will see Windson Ramos square off against Clayton Carpenter in a 125-pound co-feature. The main card will stream on UFC Fight Pass.

Formiga parted ways with the UFC follwing successive defeats against Alex Perez, Brandon Moreno and Joseph Benavidez, with his last appearance coming in June 2020. The 36-year-old Formiga went 9-7 within the Las Vegas-based promotion, earning notable wins over the likes of current Bellator bantamweight king Sergio Pettis and reigning UFC flyweight champ Deiveson Figureiredo. Before the UFC added the flyweight division, the Brazilian was widely regarded as the best 125-pound fighter in the world.

Da Silva will make hi…

OH MY BEAST BOYYYYYYYYY

[ #UFC268 | Early Prelims are LIVE on @UFCFightPass & ESPN+ ] pic.twitter.com/cRf5Z3ocq6

— UFC (@ufc) November 6, 2021 On the heels of a spectacular spinning wheel kick knockout victry, Chris Barnett will return to the Octagon against Martin Buday at a UFC Fight Night event on April 16.

Eurosport was first to report the heavyweight booking. UFC Fight Night will likely take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, though a venue has yet to be confirmed. The card does not have a headliner at this point in time.

After suffering a submission loss to Ben Rothwell in his promotional debut, Barnett authored one of 2021’s most memorable finishes with the aforementioned KO of Gian Villante at UFC 268. The Tampa, Fla., native known as “Huggy Bear” owns a 22-7 career mark that includes stints in UAE Warriors, Road FC, Island Fights and Rizin Fighting Federation.

Slovakia’s Buday will make his Octagon debut after ear…

Former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw expects to be in a title fight when he makes his Octagon return — now it’s just a matter of when that happens.

Dillashaw fought for the first time in more than two years following a USADA-mandated suspension at UFC on ESPN 27, where he edged Cory Sandhagen via split decision this past July. In August, the 35-year-old fighter underwent surgery for a torn PCL and damaged meniscus.

In an interview with ESPN, Dillashaw gave an update on his recovery and said he hopes to fight again in approximately six months.

"It's on track, I just didn't realize how much work I would have to get done," Dillashaw said. "I didn't realize how beat up my knee was. I knew what I tore but once I watched the video of what [the surgeon] did to me, I messed it up really bad. I almost have a full range of motion. Strength is there. I've just gotta make sure I'm safe about getting those full motions.

"I wouldn't say an exact timeframe, b…