Blog

[embedded content]

Combat sports veteran Joe Schilling has scored his most recent victory not in a ring or cage, but in court.

Advertisement

Schilling was involved in an altercation with a bar patron named Justin Balboa in June 2021, which ended with the Bellator MMA and Glory Kickboxing veteran knocking out the man at a bar in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Balboa filed a civil lawsuit against Schilling for battery after being hospitalized with a head injury. After widely-distributed videos showed the bar altercation, Schilling claimed the man he hit provoked him with threatening gestures after using a racial slur toward a bar employee. Nearly two years after the events, Schilling’s actions have been declared as an act of self-defense by Broward County circuit court judge Fabienne E. Fahnestock. “Stich ‘Em Up” was justified to use the necessary to neutralize the threat according to Florida’s stand-your-ground law.

The 39-year-old Schilling expressed happiness on his…

History in the making! 👑@RhysMcKee 🆚 @JudoJimmy headlines our Dublin homecoming at @3ArenaDublin 🇮🇪

📺 Watch #CW153 LIVE on @UFCFightPass tomorrow night at 9PM BST! pic.twitter.com/ZTJt5DHw4N

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) April 28, 2023

Advertisement

The protagonists of Saturday’s Cage Warriors main event had no issues making championship weight.

All is set for the anticipated 170-pound championship reunification clash between welterweight titleholder Rhys McKee and interim ace Jim Wallhead in the CW 153 main event. Ultimate Fighting Championship alum McKee (12-4-1, 5-0 CW) captured the vacant crown after knocking out Justin Burlinson 20 seconds out of the gate in the third round at CW 140. On Friday morning, “Skeletor" stepped on the scales at 169.4 pounds.

Seasoned vet Wallhead (33-11, 13-6 CW) shocked the world when he stopped the up-and-coming Mateusz Figlak with punches in the opening frame of their CW 146 clash to …

So @SStricklandMMA what do u say my man. It sets us up for a perfect rematch, better build up and definitely a way better main for the fans. We can do it on your date of july 1 if you prefer, fans definitely wana see us fight over UFC 1-0 guy. 🤷🏼‍♂️ @Mickmaynard2 @AliAbdelaziz00 https://t.co/83p7BtnhI3

— Brendan Allen (@BrendanAllenMMA) April 27, 2023

The plans for June 3’s UFC on ESPN 45 main event in Las Vegas have to be changed after one of its protagonists got injured.

Advertisement

Jack Hermansson suffered an undisclosed injury that will prevent him from taking part in a clash with Brendan Allen. As of this writing, it is unknown whether the Ultimate Fighting Championship will reschedule the clash or will find a different opponent for Allen. The news was first reported by MMA Mania on Thursday, and Allen has confirmed it on his social media accounts.

Hermansson (23-8, 10-6 UFC), a former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship …

[embedded content]

Nate Diaz opted to turn himself in a few days after the New Orleans Police Department issued a warrant for his arrest.

Advertisement

Diaz, 38, presented himself voluntarily and was officially booked at 7:40 a.m. CT on Thursday. The Ultimate Fighting Championship alum is facing a charge of second-degree battery after taking part in a brawl in New Orleans last weekend when he was recorded chocking amateur mixed martial arts fighter and YouTube personality Rodney Petersen Jr. unconscious with a standing choke. When Diaz released the submission maneuver, the back of Petersen's head hit the pavement. On Monday, an arrest warrant was issued for Diaz, who is facing up to eight years in prison and a $2,000 fine if found guilty. Shortly after he surrendered to authorities, Diaz’s representative Zach Rosenfield released a statement.

“Nate voluntarily turned himself into the New Orleans Police Department this morning approximately at 7:10 a.m. CT. We c…

[embedded content]

Rodolfo Vieira may be one of the greatest Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners ever to cross over to mixed martial arts, but he doesn’t let those expectations define his approach to fighting.

Advertisement

Ahead of his matchup with Cody Brundage at UFC Fight Night 223 on Saturday in Las Vegas, “The Black Belt Hunter” spoke to Sherdog about the ways in which his Ultimate Fighting Championship run has fallen short of what he hoped. More than any particular loss, Vieira professes disappointment that he has only five fights in the four and a half years since joining the promotion in 2019.

“I can’t even complain about my career,” he said. “I came into the UFC very early. I came in after only two years or so of training. I had good fights – three wins by submission. But I also had two losses. But today I’m much more confident, mature, and experienced. I wish I could have fought more often, but injuries and other life matters kept me away. Without a dou…

[embedded content]

Caio Borralho is a study in contradictions. The 30-year-old Brazilian sports one of the most imposing physiques in the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight division, offset by an infectious, guileless smile and pair of tinted eyeglasses that would look right at home on a full-time computer programmer. He is a standout athlete who tends towards blood-and-guts aggression in the cage, yet trains with a team of self-described “fight nerds,” employing a committee approach to breaking down his opponents’ strengths and weaknesses.

Advertisement

Borralho’s 2021 arrival in the Ultimate Fighting Championship came with little fanfare—his first victory on Dana White's Contender Series was nondescript enough that he had to come back six weeks later and win again before earning a UFC contract—but a year after his promotional debut, it has become impossible to ignore him. Now 3-0 in the UFC and on an incredible run of 12-0 with one no contest in his las…

It appears that Deiveson Figueiredo won’t be fighting at UFC 290 after all.

Advertisement

The former flyweight champion confirmed to MMAFighting.com’s Trocação Franca podcast that he has not been cleared to face Manel Kape at the July 8 event. Figueiredo’s withdrawal was initially reported by Canal Encarada.

“I’m still injured,” Figueiredo said. “I asked for a fight, told my manager I wanted to fight already, but when he gave me the fight and I talked to my physical therapist and my ophthalmologist, [they said] my eyesight is still not 100 percent. There are days I see things normal, but there are days it’s not OK, especially the days after I train, so they decided I had to go the full six-month [medical suspension] the ophthalmologist gave me [after UFC 283].”

Figueiredo is coming off a third-round doctor stoppage loss in his tetralogy against current flyweight king Brandon Moreno. He was initially expected to move to the bantamweight division before rev…

[embedded content]

The UFC Fight Night 223 lineup has undergone another late update, as Marcus McGhee will step in for Brian Kelleher and face Journey Newson on Saturday.

Multiple outlets confirmed the booking following an initial report from Eurosport NL. McGhee vs. Newson will be contested at a 140-pound catchweight. UFC Fight Night 223 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a bantamweight duel between Yadong Song and Ricky Simon.

McGhee, 32, enters his UFC debut with a 6-1 career mark that includes a pair of appearances under the Legacy Fighting Alliance banner. Most recently, “The Maniac” defeated Luciano Ramos via third-round TKO at LFA 149 on Jan. 6. All six of his victories have come by way of knockout or technical knockout.

Newson has one victory in five UFC bouts since making his promotional debut in 2019. In his last outing, the Beaverton, Ore., native suffered a decision loss to Sergey Morozov at UFC Fight Night 216 on Dec.…

Walt Harris will return to the Octagon for the first time in two years when he meets Josh Parisian at UFC Fight Night on July 15.

Eurosport NL was first to report the heavyweight bout. The event doesn’t currently have a location or headliner.

Harris was recently seen training with Jon Jones ahead of “Bones’” heavyweight championship victory over Ciryl Gane at UFC 285. “The Big Ticket” last appeared at UFC Fight Night 189 on June 5, 2021, when he suffered a third-round technical knockout defeat to Marcin Tybura — his third consecutive setback within the Las Vegas-based promotion. Harris enjoyed his greatest success in the UFC during a four-bout unbeaten run from June 2018 to July 2019. The 39-year-old owns a 13-10 career mark, with all of his triumphs coming via knockout or technical knockout.

A former competitor on Dana White’s Contender Series, Parisian is 2-3 in UFC competition. In his first outing of 2023, the Scorpion Fighting System representative dro…

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos will return from suspension to face Abubakar Nurmagomedov at UFC on ESPN 45.

Advertisement

Canal Encarada was first to report the welterweight booking, and Zaleski’s coach, Cristiano Marcello, later confirmed the bout to MMAFighting.com. UFC on ESPN 45 takes place on June 3 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a middleweight tilt pitting Jack Hermansson against Brendan Allen.

Zaleski is coming off a one-year USADA suspension after testing positive for ostarine in an out-of-competition sample. Zaleski blamed the failed test on a contaminated supplement but was unable to secure a reduced sanction. The 36-year-old Brazilian last competed at UFC 267, where he earned a lopsided unanimous decision victory against Benoit St. Denis in October 2021. “Capoeira” is 9-3 during his tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion and 23-7 as a professional overall.

A veteran of the Professional Fighters League and World Series of Fight…

Defending featherweight champion Brendan Loughnane will lock horns with Jesus Pinedo in the evening’s featured bout when Professional Fighters League resumes its season on June 8.

Advertisement

The league announced the full lineup for the card, which features featherweight and light heavyweights, on Wednesday. PFL 4 takes place at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta and will also see defending 205-pound champion Rob Wilkinson take on Will Fleury in the co-main event. The main card airs on ESPN and includes three additional matchups: Thiago Santos vs. Mohammad Fakhreddine at light heavyweight; Movlid Khaybulaev vs. Daniel Torres at featherweight and Marthin Hamlet vs. Sam Kei at light heavyweight.

Loughnane began his 2023 campaign with a second-round technical knockout victory against former UFC title challenger Marlon Moraes at PFL 1 on April 1. The Englishman has won five straight PFL appearances and 12 of his last 13 professional outings.

A two-time UFC vete…

[embedded content]

Like his famously elusive namesake, Marcos Rogerio de Lima is lurking just outside the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight Top 10, ready to sneak up on a suddenly wide-open division.

Advertisement

De Lima (20-8-1; 9-6 UFC), who is set to face 9-0 rising prospect Waldo Cortes-Acosta on the main card of UFC Fight Night 223 on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, spoke to Sherdog about his history as well as his future with the promotion, and shared some insights on his approach to fighting. The 37-year-old Brazilian who goes by “Pezao” — that’s Portuguese for “Bigfoot” — is a 15-fight veteran of the Octagon, but the first half of his UFC run was contested at light heavyweight. Speaking to him today gives the sense that he is happier in his new weight class, and perhaps even wishes he had made the move sooner.

“Thankfully, I have a blessed career,” he said. “I’m very dedicated to my work. There was a time when I’d drop to light h…

[embedded content]

Legacy Fighting Alliance will now be able to promote its events in Las Vegas.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission on Tuesday approved a promoter’s license for LFA, which has long been one of the top regional promotions in mixed martial arts. LFA debuted in 2017 following a merger between Legacy Fighting Championship and Resurrection Fighting Allliance and consistently has served as a talent pipeline to larger organizations. Notable fighters who have competed under the LFA banner include Brandon Moreno, Brendan Allen, Geoff Neal, Brandon Royval and Joaquin Buckley, to name a few. Prior to the LFC/RFA merger, other notable alumni included Holly Holm, Valentina Shevchenko, Henry Cejudo, Kamaru Usman, Derrick Lewis and Sergio Pettis.

“These guys are the top,” NSAC executive director Jeff Mullen said during the meeting (transcription via MMAjunkie.com). “They are just under the UFC and supply more fighters to the UFC and the upper levels – PF…

"I want to be one of the greatest knockout artists ever seen at middleweight."

Bruno Silva reacts to his KO win over Brad Tavares at #UFCVegas71 🔊🆙

Advertisement

All Fight Results ➡️: https://t.co/9oT9pvl2lP — UFC News (@UFCNews) April 23, 2023

After back-to-back losses in the Octagon, Bruno Silva returned to the win column last Saturday by knocking out Brad Tavares at UFC Fight Night 222.

“I've never been good on strategy, but this time every step was planned with my trainer, Andre Dida. I didnt want to brawl. My focus was in finding the right distance and getting to Tavares in the cage, and that’s what I did,” Silva said in an interview with the UFC Fight Pass Brazil reporter Evelyn Rodrigues.

Silva is known for asking announcer Bruce Buffer to dance with him in the Octagon after his victories, and he showed his sense of humor by speaking directly to the UFC Fight Pass team in the Sao Paulo Studio — Andre Azevedo, Anto…

A clash pitting Natan Levy against Pete Rodriguez has been pulled from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 223 event.

Advertisement

The bout was canceled due to an undisclosed issue affecting Rodriguez. The matchup has been rescheduled for UFC on ABC 4 in Charlotte. MMAFighting.com was first to report the cancellation, while MMA Mania of the new date.

UFC Fight Night 223 will proceed with 11 bouts. The card takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a bantamweight duel between Yadong Song and Ricky Simon.

Israel’s Levy has won back-to-back UFC appearances after dropping his promotional debut. Most recently, the Dana White’s Contender Series alum took a decision over Genaro Valdez at UFC on ESPN 42 this past December.

Rodriguez, meanwhile, earned his first Octagon triumph at UFC Fight Night 212, where he knocked out Mike Jackson in the opening stanza last October.

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane wasn’t sure the scorecards were going to go her way following a hard-fought bout against Kana Watanabe in the Bellator 295 co-main event.

Advertisement

Ultimately, Macfarlane emerged with a split-decision triumph, her second consecutive victory within the California-based promotion. “The Ilimanator” came away impressed with her opponent, even though winning on the scorecards wasn’t especially satisfying.

“Her control was so good on the ground. We were prepared for her judo sweeps and everything. We prepared that as soon as it hit the ground, we’d have to scramble. She wasn’t giving me any space,” Macfarlane said at the post-fight press conference. “I honestly thought I lost, but I always think that in the fights that go to a decision because I’m so used to finishing, that when it goes to a decision I consider it a loss.”

In a closely-contested bout, neither fighter was able to gain a clear advantage. Macfarlane believes her fight is a …

Three fights in five months.

Advertisement

Gilbert Burns is just a few weeks away from making history as one of the most active fighters in UFC history for that short timeframe. After submitting Neil Magny in the first round at UFC 283 on Jan. 21 and outpointing Jorge Masvidal at UFC 287 on April 8, Burns is scheduled to face Belal Muhammad in the UFC 288 co-main event on May 6.

“Thank God I had three days in Tulum with my wife right after UFC 287, otherwise she would kill me,” Burns quipped in an interview with Brazilian outlet Mais MMA.

While the vacation was welcome, Burns revealed that he didn’t spend too much time basking in the glow of his recent win over Masvidal.

"Sunday I came back home; Monday I took the kids to Disneyland; Tuesday we went to Tulum; Saturday we returned, rested Sunday and returned to the gym Monday.”

While Burns was ready to get back to work, the Kill Cliff FC product claims the UFC had a hard time convincing Muhammad to ac…

Molly McCann’s next Octagon appearance will be on home soil when she meets Julija Stoliarenko at UFC London on July 22.

Advertisement

The Las Vegas-based promotion on Tuesday announced the booking. UFC on ESPN 48 takes place at the O2 in London. A headliner for the card has not been revealed.

McCann had a four-fight winning streak snapped in her last outing, when she suffered a first-round submission defeat to rising flyweight contender Erin Blanchfield at UFC 281 this past November. Prior to that, “Meatball” scored back-to-back spinning back elbow KO/TKO victories over Hannah Goldy and Luana Carolina — both in London. The Cage Warriors veteran is 6-4 over the course of a UFC tenure that began in 2019.

A cast member on Season 28 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Stoliarenko has struggled in UFC competition with losses in five of her six Octagon appearances. Most recently, the Lithuanian suffered a first-round TKO loss against Chelsea Chandler at UFC Fight Night 2…

[embedded content]

A four-part documentary series covering Conor McGregor’s career and return from a devastating broken leg will air on Netflix on May 17.

Advertisement

The series, which is entitled “McGregor Forever,” is produced by Religion of Sports and directed by Gotham Chopra. In the past, Chopra has worked on documentaries involving sports luminaries such as LeBron James and Tom Brady.

The synopsis from Netflix is as follows:

“As UFC champion Conor McGregor embarks on the most important point of his career, McGregor Forever charts his epic journey back to the top of the UFC ladder. This documentary series is an all-access look at this controversial superstar, along with the deeper history of what brought him to this point.”

The preview clip shows McGregor speaking from a hospital bed shortly after suffering a broken leg in his loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 on July 10, 2021. At the time, the former UFC two-division champion thought his fighting ca…

UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar’s death late last year was a result of an accidental fentanyl overdose.

Advertisement

The Clark County (Nev.) coroner’s office informed MMAFighting.com via email that Bonnar’s death was a result of “Fentanyl, Parafluorofentanyl and Mitragynine intoxication.” Bonnar died on Dec. 22 at 45 years old. Further details regarding Bonnar’s death were not available due to medical privacy laws.

According to DEA.gov, fentanyl is a “potent synthetic opioid drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use as an analgesic (pain relief) and anesthetic. It is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin as an analgesic.” Fentanyl has been linked to numerous overdoses in the United States and is currently a focal point of the country’s opioid crisis.

The UFC initially announced Bonnar’s passing in a statement, adding that the cause of death was “presumed heart complications while at work.…

‼️ Nate Diaz choking a man out in a street fight after attending his teammate Chris Avila’s fight on the Misfits Boxing show in New Oreleans last night…

[🎥 @PaulLABamba] pic.twitter.com/3sgu3Fac6F

— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) April 22, 2023

Advertisement

An arrest warrant has been issued for Nate Diaz for his role in a brawl on Bourbon Street in New Orleans over the weekend.

The former UFC star is facing a charge of second-degree battery after a video of Diaz choking YouTube personality Rodney Peterson went viral. Diaz is not currently in custody, according to the New Orleans Police Department. Second-degree battery is a felony in Louisiana and can be punished by up to eight years in prison and a $2,000 fine.

Police spokesperson Karen Boudrie told ESPN that officers were informed of a “large altercation” on the 400 block of Bourbon Street at approximately 2:10 a.m. Saturday morning. EMS responders attended to a white male …

Count Patricio Freire among those who was impressed by Patrick Mix’s first-round knockout of Raufeon Stots in the finals of Bellator’s bantamweight grand prix on Saturday.

Advertisement

"No doubt it was a spectacular knockout,” Freire told Sherdog.com. “I have to admit that I was expecting a long, technical fight, but Mix knew what he was doing when he [timed that knee]. Very impressive. Mix is definitely a great opponent.”

Freire is scheduled to face Sergio Pettis for the undisputed bantamweight crown in the Bellator 297 co-main event on June 16 in Chicago. The reigning featherweight king revealed that his weight cut is going better than expected.

"I should be weighing [156 pounds] by Monday, but I reached that weight one week ago. Now it’s just a question of following the plans of my nutritionist, losing [11 pounds] in eight weeks naturally and leaving around [10 or 11 pounds to cut] during fight week. The most important thing is not to have my…

Sara McMann looked to be quite comfortable making the transition to featherweight at Bellator 294 on Friday night.

Advertisement

The former UFC bantamweight title challenger earned a unanimous decision triumph against Arlene Blencowe in a 145-pound clash at the Neil S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was also the Bellator debut for the Olympic silver medalist, who left the UFC after compiling a 7-6 mark in the Las Vegas-based promotion from 2013 to 2022.

“It wasn’t as big of a difference as I thought,” McMann said of the change in weight class. “[Opponent Arlene Blencowe] is on caliber with all the girls I fought in the UFC. What a freaking introduction to a new promotion. I got one of the toughest chicks here.”

McMann relied on her takedowns, pressure and clinch work to control the first two rounds, but she had to survive being rocked early in Round 3 before making it to the final bell.

“I flashed for a second, but I did that in the first two ro…

Aaron Pico appeared to be back to 100 percent at Bellator 295.

Advertisement

One bout removed from a shoulder injury suffered in a loss to Jeremy Kennedy last October, Pico was in peak form on Saturday night, as he earned a unanimous decision triumph over James Gonzalez at the Neil S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu Hawaii. According to Pico, the injury never entered his mind during the bout.

“That thought is out of my head,” Pico said at the Bellator 295 post-fight press conference. “I had surgery. If you have that hesitation going into the fight, you probably shouldn’t be fighting. I don’t let that thought enter my head. I throw with a lot of power, and I can’t have that kind of hesitation. No hesitation; we always say that in practice. No hesitation.”

Though Pico was in control of the fight throughout, he was unable to finish Gonzalez, a Longo and Weidman MMA product with wins over the likes of Pat Sabatini and Cody Law on his ledger.

“I knew this guy was …