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Dylan Tuke Explains Decision to Fight at PFL Europe Despite Mother’s Recent Death

Credit: Bellator MMA

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

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…

ONE Championship Announces World Kickboxing Grand Prix to Take Place in 2024

The ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix is BACK — bigger and better than ever 🤩 Which ONE athlete deserves a shot? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/3UGEf9dDxb

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) May 21, 2024

ONE Championship will hold a featherweight world grand prix kickboxing tournament later this year, the Singapore-based promotion confirmed on Tuesday.

According to a source close to the situation, Chingiz Allazov, Superbon Singha Mawynn, Marat Grigorian, Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong, Masaaki Noiri and Tawanchai P.K. Saenchaimuaythaigym are all candidates to participate. Additionally, Giorgio Petrosyan, who is still under ONE contract, is tentatively slated to compete in the tournament.

A date and location for the event have yet to be announced.

ONE previously held a featherweight grand prix that begain in 2021 and concluded in March 2022. In the finals of the bracket, Allazov took a hard-fought three-round verdict over Sitsongpe…

Torn Meniscus Forces Stamp Fairtex Out of Title Defense at ONE Championship 167

Stamp Fairtex has been forced to withdraw from the ONE Championship 167 headliner after suffering a torn meniscus in training.

According to the Singapore-based promotion, Fairtex underwent surgery for the injury and will not be defending her atomweight (115-pound) belt against Denice Zamboanga as originally planned. Zamboanga is expected to remain on the card against an as yet to be announced opponent. Fairtex was also slated to meet ONE strawweight (125-pound) queen Jingnan Xiong on Sept. 6 in Denver, but that bout is also “in question,” according to the promotion.

Fairtex revealed how the injury occurred in a release issued by ONE Championship.

“My sparring partner was behind me, and she was going to take me down. She grabbed my body and lifted me up, but since she is smaller than me, when she lifted me up, she couldn’t lift me that high, and my leg was still touching the ground,” Fairtex said.

“Then, she twisted. When she twisted, m…

Savannah Marshall Excited by ‘Unknown’ Accompanying MMA Debut at PFL Europe

Savannah Marshall prepares to make her MMA debut in less than four weeks time 👀#PFLNewcastle | Saturday 8th June | Utilita Arena, Newcastle | Tickets on SALE NOW! 🔗 in bio | LIVE on DAZN pic.twitter.com/JD50b8958U

— PFL Europe (@PFLEurope) May 13, 2024

Savannah Marshall didn’t necessarily expect to get such a big stage for her professional mixed martial arts debut.

Thanks to a background as a boxing champion, her signing with Professional Fighters League was met with some measure of fanfare. However, Marshall would have been willing to pay her dues on an undercard in her first MMA foray. But that’s not how things turned out: Marshall will headline PFL Europe 2 on June 8 when she faces Mirela Vargas at Utilita Arena in Newcastle, England.

“It's amazing for me, and I'm extremely grateful for the PFL to give me this opportunity,” Marshall said on a media call. “I remember a couple of months ago and they were talking…

Report: Coach, Husband of UFC Fighter Hailey Cowan Arrested on Sexual Abuse Charges

#BREAKING - A Waco-area MMA coach is accused of sexually abusing a girl he was training over a three year period, an affidavit states. INFO: https://t.co/QO5jWq34GN pic.twitter.com/O1P9ipCrJs

— KWTX News 10 (@kwtx) May 20, 2024

Jacob Brennan, the husband and coach of UFC fighter Hailey Cowan, has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a minor.

According to a report from KWTX 10, Brennan was arrested and booked into McLennan County (Texas) Jail on May 19 after a woman accused him of touching her inappropriately between 2013 and 2015. The victim was 13 years old at the time of the alleged abuse, while Brennan was 30. Brennan has been charged with indecency with a child with sexual contact, a second-degree felony in Texas that carries a sentence between two and 20 years.

Brennan, who is now 40, is the owner of Next Generation MMA/Blitz MMA in Waco. According to an affidavit, the victim told investigators that Brenna…

Cage Warriors Featherweight Connor Hitchens Dead at 26

We are saddened to learn of the passing of Cage Warriors featherweight Connor Hitchens.

The entire CW family extends heartfelt condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time.

RIP 🙏 pic.twitter.com/ilwcAwQJsK — Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) May 21, 2024

One-time Cage Warriors Fighting Championship featherweight Connor Hitchens has died at 26 years old.

The European promotion confirmed the news in a post on social media on Tuesday. International Mixed Martial Arts Federation president Kerrith Brown also issued a statement on Hitchens’ passing. The cause of Hitchens’ death was not revealed.

''On behalf of the entire International Mixed Martial Arts Federation we are deeply saddened by the passing of Connor Hitchens,” Brown stated. “We are forever grateful to Connor for his time on the IMMAF platform and proudly representing the UK national team as a distinguished athlete at the European and World C…

Breast Punch TKO at UFC Fight Night 241 Raises Concerns in Women’s MMA

Tamires Vidal’s technical knockout loss to Melissa Gatto at UFC Fight Night 241, which occurred as a result of a punch to the breast, has sparked a debate in women’s MMA.

Tainara Lisboa, who was part of the UFC Fight Pass Brasil commentary team for the event, noted that the rules are the same for men and women — which means there is no foul for blows to the breasts. However, Lisboa pointed out that such strikes could cause the appearance of nodules, which lead to breast cancer.

The need for debate gained even more traction after reporter Evelyn Rodrigues' post-fight with Melissa Gatto.

“Studying for the fight I noticed that she felt a lot of pain with punches to the breast in some previous fights, so I made a point of asking the referee, when he came to my locker room before the fight, if I hit the area it would be a foul, and he made it clear that it would not be an illegal [strike],” Gatto said. “The referee himself clarified that if I hit he…

Islam Makhachev Claims Usman Nurmagomedov Has Better Striking Than Dustin Poirier

Islam Makhachev believes teammate Usman Nurmagomedov is a better striker than upcoming opponent Dustin Poirier.

Makhachev is scheduled to defend his lightweight title against Poirier in the main event at UFC 302 on June 1 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Since he’s in the same weight class, Bellator MMA lightweight champ Nurmagomedov is one of Makhachev’s chief sparring partners in camp.

While Nurmagomedov couldn’t join the rest of the team until recently, Makhachev revealed that the undefeated Bellator champ gave him some solid rounds as soon as they sparred. The reigning lightweight champion heaped praise on his teammate, also labeling him a better striker than Poirier.

“Usman, honestly always give me good rounds,” Makhachev said on the "Weighing In" podcast. “After he was sick and he just come back two days ago. We [rest of the team] are one week here. When he feel like better, right away he come to support me. And today he…

Javier Mendez: Conor McGregor Not the Same Since Khabib Nurmagomedov Loss

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American Kickboxing Academy coach Javier Mendez believes Conor McGregor hasn’t been the same since fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Islam Makhachev recently expressed interest in facing McGregor, backtracking on his previous stance. Asked about the reason behind Makhachev’s interest in McGregor, Mendez, who has coached both Makhachev and Nurmagomedov at AKA, stated the obvious: a massive payday and instant stardom.

“Massive fight, massive amount of money. And at the end of the day when you’re a champion, when you’re a prize fighter, you fight for the prize, the money,” Mendez told Submission Radio. “So, it’s a massive fight for Islam, it will bring up his stock tremendously. Conor definitely brings that to the table regardless of whether you like him or don’t like him.”

While Makhachev is open to fighting McGregor, the lightweight champ is extremely dismissive of the Irishman, who he believes is well past his prime., Mendez al…

Leon Edwards Wanted to Slap Colby Covington Backstage After UFC 296 Presser

Colby Covington can get on anyone’s nerves, and that includes UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards.

Covington landed himself a title shot against Edwards at UFC 296 in December 2023. Known for crossing limits with his trash talk, Covington insulted Edwards’ late father at the pre-fight press conference.

Edwards was admittedly affected by the comments but successfully maintained his composure to put on a lopsided beating against Covington en route to a unanimous decision victory. “Rocky” revealed that he looked for Covington backstage immediately following the press conference to slap him. However, the American was nowhere to be found, potentially having been escorted out by security personnel.

“Yeah [I looked for him backstage]. But they moved him, I don’t know where he went but he weren’t backstage at all,” Edwards said on "The MMA Hour.” “I feel like the security took him away and I don’t know where they put him, but he was somewhere… S…

Oban Elliott vs. Preston Parsons Booked for UFC 304

A matchup of welterweight prospects has been added to the UFC 304 card.

Oban Elliott (10-2) will trade leather against Preston Parsons (11-4) at UFC 304 on July 27 at the Co-op Live in Manchester, England. The matchup was first reported by MMA Orbit and later confirmed by Elliott on social media. The card will be headlined by Leon Edwards putting his welterweight title on the line against Belal Muhammad.

Elliott earned a Dana White’s Contender Series opportunity by racking up a four-fight winning streak in Cage Warriors Fighting Championship. Elliott earned a majority decision win over Kaik Brito on the Contender Series in August 2023 to secure an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract. “The Welsh Gangster” made his promotional debut against Valentine Woodburn at UFC 298 this past February, where he survived an early knockdown to come from behind and rack up a unanimous decision win.

Meanwhile, Parsons suffered a first-round knockout loss against Dan…

Tyrell Fortune, Oleg Popov Receive New Opponents at PFL 4 on June 13

Two heavyweight bouts have undergone changes heading into the second leg of Professional Fighters League’s 2024 season.

Daniel James has withdrawn from a proposed bout against Tyrell Fortune at PFL 4 on June 13. As a result, Marcelo Golm will step in and face Fortune in a regular season bout at heavyweight. Meanwhile, Oleg Popov will now face Davion Franklin after original foe Marcelo Nunes pulled out of their clash on the same card. Sherdog.com confirmed the updated heavyweight bouts with a promotion official following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com.

PFL 4 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, and features regular season bouts at heavyweight and women’s flyweight. In the evening’s main event, Valentin Moldavsky will square off against Linton Vassell.

Fortune and James were supposed to meet at PFL 1 before Fortune withdrew from the event. Fortune was also previously slated to lock horns with Golm at Bellator 301…

‘Shara Bullet’ Remains on UFC Saudi Arabia Card, Meets Joilton Lutterbach on June 22

After losing his first opponent, Sharabutdin Magomedov will now face Joilton Lutterbach at UFC Saudi Arabia.

“Shara Bullet” was originally scheduled to meet Ihor Potieria at the June 22 event, but the Ukrainian middleweight accepted a short-notice bout against Michel Pereira at UFC 301 and would not have been cleared in time to compete again. The Las Vegas-based promotion recently announce the new booking in a release. UFC on ABC 6 takes place at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and is headlined by a middleweight clash between Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev.

Magomedov is unbeaten in 12 professional outings over the course of a professional tenure that began in 2017. He enjoyed a successful Octagon debut at UFC 294, as he outpointed Bruno Silva in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 21.

A veteran of 48 pro MMA bouts, Lutterbach will take a four-fight winning streak into his promotional debut. The 31-year-old German has compiled a 38-9 mark with one …

UFC, BKFC Veteran Geane Herrera Dead at 33

Former UFC and BKFC competitor Geane Herrera has died at 33 years old.

Herrera was reportedly killed in a motorcycle accident in Tampa, Florida. A GoFundMe account has been started by Herrera’s family to help cover funeral expenses.

“Our family is devastated by the tragic loss of our beloved Geane Carlos Herrera, known in the professional fighting world as ‘La Pulga,’ whose life was cut way too short at only 33 years old,” reads the post written by Herrera’s family on GoFundMe. “Geane leaves behind a 16 year-old son, his 3-month pregnant girlfriend, mother, father, sisters, a brother and a family that loves him and will deeply miss him.

“Geane was full of life, always trying to live life to the fullest, he was a dedicated athlete with big dreams of making a difference and leaving his print in this world. He was such a happy go lucky person that left a mark in everyone that came into his life.”

Herrera most recently competed for BKFC, l…

Justin Gaethje Explains Aversion to Wrestling-Heavy Style

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Justin Gaethje claims his fighting style has a lot to do with where he has made it as a fighter so far.

Arguably one of the biggest fan favorites in the history of the sport, Gaethje is known for going out on his shield every time he steps into the Octagon. Despite being a former NCAA Division I wrestler from the University of Northern Colorado, Gaethje is rarely seen using his grappling skills. The former BMF champ instead choses to engage in brutal slugfests that have produced some of the best highlights in the history of the promotion.

Gaethje recently explained his unwillingness to adopt a wrestling-heavy approach despite having the skillset. According to “The Highlight,” a big part of the purse he now makes is because of the way he fights.

"This is my job. I do this for the money. And if I was to take a heavy wrestling approach, they [UFC] would never be paying me what they're paying me now,” Gaethje told Title Sports Network. “I've had hu…

Daniel Santos Responds to Adrian Yanez’s Callout: ‘I Want This Fight’

A potential barnburner of a bantamweight matchup appears to be in the making.

Adrian Yanez scored a brutal first-round technical knockout win over Vinicius Salvador at UFC Fight Night 241 on Saturday. Yanez subsequently called out fellow prospect Daniel Santos for a bout at The Sphere in Las Vegas at Noche UFC. Yanez also expressed interest in a potential matchup with Victor Henry during Saturday’s post-fight media scrum.

“I had a couple of guys call me out,” Yanez said. “I know John Castaneda has a really tough fight in front of him, I think against Daniel Marcos. Daniel Santos, on the other hand, doesn’t have a fight booked. Me and him in The Sphere, I wouldn’t mind that at all. I think that would be fun. And also too man, f—-ing Victor Henry looked really good in his last fight. I think that is one for the fans as well, too.”

Santos didn’t waste time in accepting Yanez’s callout via social media.

“I want this fight [Sean Shelby]” San…

Charles Oliveira on Colby Covington Challenge: ‘If It Makes Sense, Why Not’

Colby Covington’s recent callout has Charles Oliveira’s attention.

Covington recently turned down a potential matchup against welterweight up-and-comer Ian Garry, who has been chasing him for several months now. “Chaos” instead called for a “legacy fight” against former lightweight champ Oliveira, who has admittedly been contemplating a move up to welterweight for his next outing.

As long as the Ultimate Fighting Championship is on board with it, Oliveira is open to the possibility.

“Man, in reality it’s like I said, it’s sitting down and looking at legacy, history, values,” Oliveira recently told Ag.Fight “You have to sit down. When I woke up in the morning, thousands of people were sending me messages. I sent it to Diego [Lima] and Diego said it too, I see what you think. I said, ‘Diego, just sit down, talk, think, see what’s good, see what the UFC thinks about it. It’s not just what Charles thinks, it’s about what the UFC thinks about it.<…

Kalinn Williams Felt Overlooked by UFC Fight Night 241 Foe Carlston Harris

Kalinn Williams taught Carlston Harris a valuable lesson on Saturday night: Don’t look too far ahead when a dangerous opponent is right in front of you.

“Khaos the Ox Fighter” secured the fourth knockout victory of his promotional tenure in the UFC Fight Night 241 co-main event, putting Harris away with a massive right hand just 90 seconds into Round 1. After the bout, Williams admitted to finding motivation from Harris’ pre-fight talk of future opponents.

“He was looking past me. Don’t look past me,” Williams said in a backstage interview with the UFC. “You over here talking about who you want to fight after me. You’ve got to beat me. You’ve got to go through me first to even get to them. That’s just what it was.

“I don’t really pay attention to the interviews, but my team told me. It was like, ‘He said he wants to fight this person [and] this person.’ Come on, man. I’m a contender myself, so you’ve got to get through me. I just had to do what…

Piera Rodriguez, Ariane Carnelossi React to Headbutt Incident at UFC Fight Night 241

Piera Rodriguez believes Ariane Carnelossi was looking for a way out in their strawweight fight at UFC Fight Night 241.

After rocking Carnelossi with a front kick and ending up in top position, Rodriguez landed what appeared to be an accidental headbutt. However, the Venezuelan fighter repeated the maneuver following a warning from referee Mark Smith, which resulted in a disqualification loss at the 3:16 mark of Round 2. Carnelossi took as long as she could to recover following the fouls, but it was ultimately determined that the Brazilian could not continue.

After the loss, Rodriguez’s questioned her opponent’s motives in a post on social media.

“I rather lose a fight because of a mistake I did, than go home calling myself a ‘winner’ knowing I am a coward,” Rodriguez wrote on Instagram. “I made a big mistake, maybe because of adrenaline.

“But you have to go to sleep with that lie in your head your entire life [Ariane Carnelossi]. And you cal…

Lerone Murphy Confident He Can Capture UFC Title: ‘I’ve Shown That Level Now’

It was a statement-making performance for Lerone Murphy at UFC Fight Night 241.

The unbeaten Brit battered veteran foe Edson Barboza for the better part of five rounds, earning a lopsided unanimous decision triumph in Saturday’s headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. About the only scare that Murphy had occurred at the end of Round 1, when his Brazilian opponent rocked him with an upkick. Fortunately for Murphy, the blow landed at the horn, and he was able to regain his bearings in the corner.

“To be honest, I didn’t even know what he hit me with,” Murphy said at the post-fight press conference. “I looked up at the screen during the round and he caught me with a good upkick. I think that is what busted my nose, along with a hundred million jabs. But yeah, good fight.”

When all was said and done, Murphy held a 220-to-79 advantage in significant strikes. It was the third largest striking differential for a featherweight fight in UFC history, and…

Adrian Yanez Felt Concern for Vinicius Salvador Following Brutal TKO Victory

Adrian Yanez was genuinely concerned for Vinicius Salvador after securing a technical knockout victory over the Brazilian at UFC Fight Night 241.

Yanez sat Salvador down with a massive right hand midway through the opening round and followed it up with vicious ground-and-pound to secure the finish. The amount of strikes that referee Chris Tognoni allowed Salvador to absorb before stepping in became a topic of debate among observers after the fight.

While some commended Tognoni for giving “Fenomeno” a chance to recover, others believed the referee could have stopped some of the devastating shots from Yanez by stepping in a little earlier. Yanez also admits that Salvador was making enough defensive moments initially for Tognoni to let the fight go on.

“Honestly, I don’t know. Because he was moving, he was doing all the right things,” Yanez said during the post-fight press conference. “I think when he pulled my base down from my hip, he did caus…

After Victorious UFC Debut, Oumar Sy Claims to Have ‘A Lot More in Reserve’

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

After missing weight on his first attempt, Oumar Sy was able to cut the 1.5 pounds necessary the second time around to make his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut official.

Sy initially weighed in at 207 pounds for his light heavyweight matchup against George Tokkos at UFC Fight Night 241. However, the undefeated French prospect was able to make the non-title limit of 206 pounds on his second attempt after stripping down and weighing in behind a towel. Sy revealed that a major chunk of the 1.5 pounds that he lost was his watch.

“Actually, that was a mistake,” he said during a post-fight media scrum. “Because when I got weighed in yesterday, I had my watch on, and my watch weighs 700 [grams]. So that was part of the difference.”

Sy was originally scheduled to make his debut against Rodolfo Bellato, who was forced out of the event due to an injury. Bellato was then replaced by Antonio Tro…

Tom Nolan Details Facing Internal Pressure Prior to Earning First UFC Victory

Tom Nolan revealed that his UFC Fight Night 241 win over Victor Martinez was a really crucial one.

Nolan earned his UFC contract with a knockout win over Bodgan Grad on Dana White's Contender Series last year — his sixth straight victory. The then undefeated prospect was massive favorite going into his UFC debut against Nikolas Motta this past February. However, “Big Train” went on to suffer his first career loss via first-round TKO.

Nolan admits that he had let some of the hype around him get to his head going into his UFC debut, and he felt pressure to make quick work of his opponent in dominant fashion.

“Different pressure to last time,” Nolan said in a post-fight media scrum. “Last time the pressure was, ‘Oh you’ve gotta finish this guy in 10 seconds, you’re so much better, so much better.’ And to be honest, I’ve never been dropped, I’ve never been knocked out, I’ve never even really been hurt, I’ve never been cut, nothing. So at my own…

Melissa Gatto Eyes Return to Flyweight After TKO Win Over Tamires Vidal

Melissa Gatto wants to move back down to flyweight after a successful bantamweight debut at UFC Fight Night 241.

Gatto earned a third-round TKO win over fellow Brazilian Tamires Vidal on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Gatto now wants to return to action in August — preferably at 125 pounds.

“I want to fight in August in flyweight division,” Gatto said in a post-fight scrum. “But if the UFC want me in bantamweight division, I’m here to fight. I want to fight. I was born to fight.”

While she feels like a natural flyweight, Gatto also emphasizes that she has no problem competing at 135 pounds if the promotion wants her to. Gatto explained why flyweight is her preferred division.

“Because I think I am a flyweight, my body [likes the] flyweight division,” she said. “And I think I am flyweight, my team said it to me too. Of course but bantamweight no problem.”

Gatto’s win over Vidal came via a punch to the chest that drew a delayed re…

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