Martial Arts Videos

Demetrious Johnson and Eddie Alvarez will make their highly-anticipated One Championship debuts in Tokyo on March 31.

The Singapore-based promotion revealed to the Associated Press on Wednesday that Johnson will face Yuya Wakamatsu in a flyweight bout, while Eddie Alvarez will meet Timofey Nastyukhin at lightweight. The matchups are expected to be part of One’s flyweight and lightweight grand prix tournaments.

One Championship’s Japanese debut takes place at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo and will also see atomweight champion Angela Lee move up to challenge 115-pound queen Xiong Jing Nan. Additionally, middleweight champion Aung La N Sang and lightweight king Eduard Folayang will defend their titles against Japanese opponents.

Johnson set a UFC record with 11 consecutive title defenses before relinquishing his belt in a split decision loss to Henry Cejudo at UFC 227 in August. “Mighty Mouse” was then “traded” to One for former welterweight champion Ben Askren.

…

While Jon Jones remains in the USADA drug testing pool, he will not submit to Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) testing prior to UFC 232.

According to a report from MMAjunkie.com, Jones and his team declined to submit to additional testing ahead of his Dec. 29 title bout against Alexander Gustafsson. The California State Athletic Commission recommended the VADA testing during a hearing in which it unanimously voted to reinstate the former light heavyweight champion’s license.

At that hearing, Jones agreed in principle to participate in the program, in which all expenses of the testing would have been covered by CSAC. It was not mandatory as part of his licensure, however. Jones’ attorney, Howard Jacobs, told MMAjunkie.com that there were “some issues” with the VADA testing. The screenings would have been only for performance enhancing drugs.

Jones has twice been sanctioned by USADA for failed drug tests. The Jackson-Wink MMA product tested positive for the…

I am launching rockets in 19’ #staystrapped pic.twitter.com/1rI4F3fwtz

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) December 18, 2018

Conor McGregor has a history of keeping fans guessing about his career, and a recent tweet continues that trend.

“The Notorious” posted on Twitter on Monday night that “I am launching rockets in 19’ #staystrapped” beneath photos of him wearing an Ultimate Fighting Championship beanie and punching a heavy bag, the “launching rockets” line a likely reference to the man in a NASA sweatshirt appearing to be taping McGregor’s hands in one of the photos.

The post suggests that the Irish superstar may be planning on returning to the Octagon in 2019 although no opponent has been named. While fans will get excited about the tweet, his head coach John Kavanagh stated recently that he hadn’t had heard from McGregor since UFC 229.

McGregor last competed inside the Octagon in October when he challenged lightweight champion …

Stefan Sekulic has accepted a two-year suspension from USADA after failing an in-competition drug test in relation to UFC Fight Night Moscow on Sept. 15.

The 26-year-old Sekulic tested positive for two different anabolic steroids: drostanolone and its metabolites and a metabolite of metandienone. Sekulic’s sanction is retroactive to Oct. 31, meaning that he will not be eligible to return to UFC competition until Oct. 31, 2020.

Sekulic made his Octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 136, where he lost a unanimous decision to Ramazan Emeev in a welterweight bout.

The Serbian fighter owns a 12-3 career mark. Prior to his first UFC foray, Sekulic competed exclusively for the Serbian Battle Championship promotion.

Kevin Lee only needed to be a couple days removed from his loss to Al Iaquinta to regain his trademark confidence.

“The Motown Phenom” entered the UFC on Fox 31 headliner having won 10 of his last 12 Octagon appearances. Following a dominant stoppage of Edson Barboza in April, Lee was viewed by many as a serious threat to reigning lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, Lee’s momentum was derailed in his rematch with Iaquinta, as he lost a five-round decision to Iaquinta in a fight that was still up for grabs heading into the final stanza.

However, while Lee acknowledged Iaquinta’s performance in victory, he continues to maintain that he believes he did enough to win the fight.

“The fight on Saturday, I still feel like we won it,” Lee said in a video posted on his Instagram account. “I fought a lot off my back foot as a southpaw and against my natural fighting style. My explosiveness and coming forward and being aggressive. I tried to show something a …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2euZc7ZdJc?start=7905&w=560&h=315]

Before his MMA career, Sage Northcutt came from a background in traditional martial arts. As One Championship’s newest high-profile signing, he sees an opportunity to revisit his roots.

Northcutt made headlines recently when he decided against re-signing with the UFC, exploring other promotions including Bellator MMA before eventually signing with One Championship.

Or particular interest to “Super Sage” is One’s practice of promoting MMA, kickboxing, muay Thai and Western boxing bouts, often on the same cards. The 22-year old Texan was a recent guest on “The MMA Hour” and revealed that he’s open to exploring other combat sports which he believes will make him a better fighter.

“I think it’s just gonna make me a better athlete all around,” Northcutt said. “I don’t think I’m gonna be able to spread myself too thin. I think if my kickboxing and muay Thai gets better, then my MMA’s gonna be …

Vitor Belfort’s brief retirement from mixed martial arts isn’t going to stick.

The former UFC champion revealed during an interview on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday that he is in talks with various organizations in hopes of a comeback next year.

“I’m going to keep going — not stopping. I am a free agent," Belfort said. "We are in conversation [with promotions]. In 2019 I will come back.”

“The Phenom” stated prior to his UFC 224 meeting with Lyoto Machida in May that it would be his last fight. Belfort lost to Machida via second-round knockout in Rio Janeiro to conclude his tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion. The 41-year-old had won just two of his last seven Octagon appearances.

Belfort didn’t rule out signing a new UFC contract, but the Brazilian also expressed interest in organizations such as One Championship, Bellator and Rizin.

“I could not choose a better time for me to be a free agent and what I can bring to the table,” Belfort said…

Dominick Cruz just can’t seem to stay healthy.

The former UFC bantamweight champion revealed on Monday during Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show that he tore two ligaments in his shoulder while sparring and will require surgery. The overall process — including recovery — will keep him out of action for a year.

Cruz, who called the injury “basically an ACL of the shoulder,” had been booked to face John Lineker at the now-canceled UFC 233 event on Jan. 26. Prior to that, “The Dominator” was scheduled to meet Jimmie Rivera at UFC 219 last December but had to withdraw due to a broken arm.

He also endured an extended absence from 2011 to 2014 due to multiple ACL surgeries. Cruz regained the bantamweight crown with a split decision win over T.J. Dillashaw in January 2016 and defended the belt against Urijah Faber at UFC 199. He relinquished the strap to Cody Garbrandt in a decision defeat at UFC 207, his third fight of 2016.

“It’s part of my journey, and it’s going to be a…

Lyoto Machida made his much-anticipated Bellator MMA debut on Saturday at Bellator 213, earning a close split-decision win over former middleweight champion Rafael Carvalho.

The 40-year old former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion parted ways with his former employers earlier this year after 11 years and was excited to be making his debut for Bellator against a tough opponent like Carvalho.

After the fight, “The Dragon” admitted the feeling was different than what he was used to under the UFC and despite some debut jitters, he managed to get the job done against his opponent (via MMAJunkie.com):

“Tough opponent, tough fight,” Machida said. “I believe because it was my first fight in Bellator, in the beginning, I was kind of lost. Even though I have a lot of fights under my belt, many years in the UFC and other events, Bellator is different. Every time you step in a different cage, you can feel the difference, and that’s what I felt at the …

Sean Strickland could be out for a few months after recently being injured in a motorcycle accident.

The UFC welterweight posted a pair of video updates on his Instagram account regarding the incident, in which he said he was hit by a car while leaving Kings MMA in California.

“I was riding back from Kings, and I got in an accident. It wasn’t my fault, but I’ve been blacked out for a good minute. I just came to after surgery,” Strickland said in his first video. “It’s going to be a long road back, but I love fighting, so I’ll get back on the ball and make it happen. Thanks for the support.”

After that initial prognosis, Strickland revealed that he underwent knee surgery following the accident and that he expects to be back within a “few months.”

“I was going straight and a car turned into me, and I got into an accident going 45 miles per hour. I was unconscious for about three hours. I got knee surgery last night,” he said. “The doctor said it’s not that bad. I sh…

Kevin Lee entered UFC on Fox 31 as a sizable favorite to avenge a previous loss to Al Iaquinta. He left Saturday’s headliner at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee a little bit confused regarding the judges’ verdict and contemplating his future at 155 pounds.

Lee dropped a close five-round verdict to Iaquinta in their lightweight battle, as he was consistently outstruck on the feet and was unable to capitalize on taking his opponent’s back in both the second and third frames. Still, “The Motown Phenom” believes he won three rounds, even with strong finish from Iaquinta down the stretch.

“I thought for sure [I won] the first three rounds,” Lee said in a post-fight media scrum (video via MMAjunkie.com). “I don’t know what the judges were seeing the first round. I don’t know if they were giving him points for attempted takedowns that weren’t even….I honestly don’t know. I have to rewatch the fight in order to see, but he didn’t hit me with anything in the first three rounds.

…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwMO0zTlsR8&w=560&h=315]

Edson Barboza unleashed a savage beating on Dan Hooker in the UFC on Fox 31 co-main event, but “The Hangman” showed incredible toughness for surviving as long as he did.

While Barboza finished the fight with a left hook to the liver at the 2:19 mark of round three, it was all the damage that Hooker absorbed leading up to that point that was truly concerning. The Brazilian battered his opponent with wicked kicks to the legs and body while attacking at various levels with his punches, as well. The body blows were especially brutal, but somehow Hooker seemed inhuman as he continued coming forward.

“Dan is a really tough guy, he is top 15 in the world for a reason. He’s young and has a great future. I landed good, clean shots, but I fight the best guys in the world, so I just had to keep going,” Barboza said.

After the bout, UFC president Dana White followed Hooker backstage to check on the New Zealand …

McFarland triangle choked, armbarred, elbowed in the face Valerie #AndStill pic.twitter.com/2hNfk5ikoG

— Jolassanda (@Jolassanda) December 16, 2018

DAZN is the exclusive streaming partner of Bellator MMA. You can sign up for a free trial here.

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane was emotional as she walked down to the Bellator MMA cage and after she won, the Hawaiian said it was the best day of her life.

Macfarlane took a little time to get things going against Canada’s Valerie Letourneau in the main event of Bellator 213 at the Neil S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii, but once she did, it was over. “The Ilimanator” used her superb grappling prowess to send the sell-out crowd into a frenzy, becoming the first person to submit Letourneau in a mixed martial arts match.

Macfarlane (9-0) scored a takedown early in the third and quickly moved to her foe’s back. Macfarlane threatened with a rear-naked choke, but “Trouble” was able to fend it off. How…

Al Iaquinta was the better man yet again.

The longtime Serra-Longo Fight Team standout made another significant move in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s lightweight division, as he captured a unanimous decision over Kevin Lee in the UFC on Fox 31 headliner on Saturday at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. All three judges sided with Iaquinta (14-4-1, 9-3 UFC): 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46.

Lee (17-4, 10-4 UFC) had “The Ultimate Fighter 15” finalist right where he wanted him on more than one occasion: He advanced to Iaquinta’s back, secured his position with a body triangle and fished for the rear-naked choke in the second and third rounds. However, “The Motown Phenom” could not close the deal. Iaquinta weathered his efforts and put his foot on the gas in the fourth and fifth rounds, where he blasted the Xtreme Couture export with a variety of strikes and set him on unsteady legs.

Iaquinta has won six of his past seven bouts, a decision loss to current champion Khabib Nurmagom…

Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 142 coverage kicks off Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below.

Damir Ismagulov vs. Alex Gorgees Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Result

Mizuto Hirota vs. Christos Giagos Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Result

Elias Garcia vs. Kai Kara-France Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Result

Keita Nakamura vs. Salim Touahri Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Result

Wilson Reis vs. Ben Nguyen Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Result

Alexey Kunchenko vs. Yushin Okami Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Result

Jim Crute vs. Paul Craig Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round…

Off to Las Vegas!@TeciaTorres meets the rising Weili Zhang at #UFC235! pic.twitter.com/UNYlbWHIxk

— UFC (@ufc) November 30, 2018

Coming off her huge win less than a week ago over Jessica Aguilar, Weili Zhang has been given a big step up in competition when she faces off against top ranked Tecia Torres.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship posted on social media Thursday night that at strawweight, Torres (10-3) will face off against the surging Zhang (18-1) at UFC 235 in Las Vegas in March.

Torres is looking to bounce back from a two-fight losing streak with decision losses to Jessica Andrade and former champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk. She started off her career with wins over Paige VanZant, Felice Herrig and current strawweight champion Rose Namajunas before signing with the UFC, where she then defeated the likes of Juliana Lima and Michelle Waterson. Torres has gone to the scorecards in 12 of her 13 career bouts, and she has never been finished. Read more about Weili Zhang To Meet Tecia Torres At UFC 235 In March

Breaking: Per multiple sources, UFC close to finalizing a rematch between Raphael Assuncao and Marlon Moraes to headline UFC Fight Night on Feb. 2 in Fortaleza, Brazil. Full story coming to @ESPN shortly. pic.twitter.com/IfeOyAJiJC

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) November 29, 2018

It appears Raphael Assuncao and Marlon Moraes are going to run it back in a five-rounder to headline an Ultimate Fighting Championship event in Brazil this coming February.

According to Brett Okamoto of ESPN, Raphael Assuncao (27-5) will be facing Marlon Moraes (21-5-1) in the main event at UFC Fight Night 144 in Fortaleza, Brazil, on Feb. 2.

Assuncao currently rides a four-fight win streak with wins over Moraes, Aljamain Sterling and Rob Font along the way. Despite a record of 11-2 with the promotion, Assuncao has never received that elusive title shot, with his lone loss across his last 12 fights coming against current champion T.J. Dillashaw. Once fighting as …

Cro Cop se neće boriti na staru godinu, otkrivamo zbog čega! https://t.co/XLrGtCjgo4

— Večernji list (@vecernji_list) November 29, 2018

In an interview with Croatian newspaper Vecernji List on Thursday, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic stated that he would not be appearing on Rizin FF 14’s New Year’s Eve card in Japan due to budgetary reasons. Among the topics discussed in his interview was that the cost of bringing Floyd Mayweather to compete at Rizin Fighting Federation was so high, they were reportedly unable to bring in many other high-salaried fighters, including himself.

A translated excerpt of the interview reads: “Yes, this year I will not fight at Rizin’s New Year's Eve [event]. Rizin decided to bring the famous boxer Floyd Mayweather to perform an exhibition match with Tenshin Nasukawa, and considering that Floyd was the most expensive athlete of the day, he himself exhausted Rizin's budget by not calling any of the foreign fighters, but…

Anderson Silva recognizes Georges St. Pierre as a fellow all-time great, but he does not hesitate to point out what he feels is the major difference between them.

Silva returns to the Octagon next February at UFC 234 against the surging Israel Adesanya in what could determine the No. 1 contender to fight the winner of Robert Whittaker’s title defense against Kelvin Gastelum, which takes place on the same card.

Silva was interviewed on Wednesday by ESPN.com and said that during negotiations for his return to the Octagon, two former champions entered the discussion in Conor McGregor and Georges St. Pierre. According to Silva, a McGregor a bout may materialize in the future despite the size disparity between them.

“At first, I talked to Dana about a fight with McGregor, because McGregor challenged me,” Silva said. “Maybe that will be my second fight after this layoff. We’ll see.

While a McGregor versus Silva fight seems like a good chance of happening, the sam…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljn6AgoKsy0&w=560&h=315]

UFC President Dana White didn't hold back when criticizing Oscar De La Hoya for his first venture as a mixed martial arts promoter. On Wednesday, the former boxing champion had some strong words for White in response.

In an interview on the “UFC Unfiltered” podcast, White called the Golden Boy MMA head a “f—-ing cokehead” and ripped him for allowing 48-year-old Chuck Liddell to fight following an eight-year hiatus. White led the effort to convince “The Iceman” to retire from the UFC in 2010 following three consecutive knockout losses in the Octagon. Liddell met a similar result in his return, as he suffered a first-round knockout loss to Tito Ortiz at Golden Boy MMA’s debut event at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., this past Saturday night.

“I love Chuck Liddell and I don’t ever want to bad mouth Chuck Liddell,” White said. “People even think I’m remotely bad mouthing Chuck Liddell, but the reality is — fi…

Cynthia Calvillo will make a quick turnaround from her last Octagon appearance when she meet Cortney Casey at UFC 233.

The promotion confirmed the pairing to the Orange County Register on Wednesday. UFC 233 takes place at the Honda Center in Anaheim and features a flyweight championship clash between Henry Cejudo and T.J. Dillashaw.

Calvillo is coming off a first-round submission of Poliana Botelho at UFC Fight Night 140 on Nov. 17. Calvillo has been victorious in four of her five promotional appearances, with her lone defeat coming to Carla Esparza at UFC 219. The Team Alpha Male owns a 7-1 career record overall.

Casey halted a two-fight skid at UFC Fight Night 135, where she took a split verdict over Angela Hill on Aug. 25. The 33-year-old Phoenix native is 4-5 in the Octagon and 8-6 as a professional overall.

Renato Carneiro won’t be competing at UFC 231 after originally scheduled foe Mirsad Bektic was forced to withdraw due to injury. But “Moicano” will be in Toronto for the event in order to provide the promotion with a backup plan.

The Las Vegas-based organization announced on Wednesday that Carneiro vs. Bektic has officially been scrapped from UFC 231, and the Brazilian will not remain on the card against a replacement opponent. Instead, Carneiro will serve as an alternate for the featherweight championship headliner between Max Holloway and Brian Ortega.

“Moicano” will be in Canada during fight week and will go through the process of making weight to be ready in case either Holloway or Ortega is forced to withdraw from the bout. Holloway was supposed to defend his belt against Ortega at UFC 226 but was pulled from the card just days before the event due to concussion-like symptoms.

Carneiro is 13-1 as a professional and 5-1 in the UFC, with his only setback comin…

Four fighters from UFC Fight Night 141 could be looking at lengthy medical suspensions.

UFC Fight Night 141 took place at Cadillac Arena in Beijing, China on Nov. 24. The UFC, which regulated the event, released medical suspensions to mixedmartialarts.com.

Alex Morono (needs ophthalmologist clearance), Pingyuan Liu (needs orthopedist clearance), Martin Day (right hand) and John Phillips (left hand) were all suspended for 180 days pending medical clearance.

UFC Fight Night 141 saw Francis Ngannou defeat Curtis Blaydes via technical knockout 45 seconds into their headlining bout. Blaydes was suspended for 30 days due to the TKO defeat as well as a laceration to his left eyelid. Ngannou was given a mandatory seven-day sit for rest.

UFC Fight Night 141 Medical Suspensions: Francis Ngannou: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest.

Curtis Blaydes: Suspended 30 days for TKO and left eyelid laceration with 21 days no contact.

Alistair Overeem: Suspended…

As someone who urged Chuck Liddell to retire from the UFC, Dana White was never a fan of seeing “The Iceman” make a comeback.

The UFC president feels even more strongly after watching Liddell lose to Tito Ortiz via first-round knockout in the Golden Boy MMA headliner this past Saturday at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif. And he had plenty of choice words for lead promoter Oscar De La Hoya, who recently claimed White had no place telling fighters when to retire.

“I love Chuck Liddell and I don’t ever want to bad mouth Chuck Liddell,” White said on the "UFC Unfiltered” podcast. “People even think I’m remotely bad mouthing Chuck Liddell, but the reality is — first of all, I heard last week the cokehead ‘Oscar De La Weirdo’ is talking shit that I don’t have any place to tell guys when to retire. First of all, it’s called ‘friendship’ you f—-ing cokehead. I’ve been friends with Chuck Liddell for 20 years and the reality is that Chuck Liddell retired when he should have retired…