Blog

⚖️Heavyweight Main Event bout is official!Ante Delija: 251 lbsMaurice Greene: 255.4 lbs

[Fri, June 16th | 6:30ET on ESPN+ | 10pm ET on ESPN | #PFLRegularSeason] pic.twitter.com/rYv8rsHQDQ

— PFL (@PFLMMA) June 15, 2023 The heavyweight and women's featherweight divisions will get the spotlight at PFL 5.

Advertisement

A heavyweight clash between Ante Delija and Maurice Greene will headline the latest Professional Fighters League event. All fighters on the card made weight except for Evelyn Martins, who came in at 147 pounds. As a result, she'll be deducted a point in the playoff standings and will forfeit 20% of her purse to opponent Marina Mokhnatkina.

Delija weighed 251 pounds and enters the main event contest at 23-5. The Croatian is on a four-fight win streak and defeated Matheus Scheffel in the 2022 PFL Championships. Meanwhile, Greene (11-7) weighed 255.4 pounds and is 1-1 inside the promotion. After losing to Denis Goltsov in…

Editor's note: The article has been updated at 2:40 p.m. ET to add a statement from the UFC. It was edited again at 3:10 p.m. ET to reflect a statement from the Miami Heat.

Ultimate Fighting Championship star Conor McGregor and his team have denied the allegations.

Advertisement

According to TMZ on Thursday, a woman represented by attorney Ariel Mitchell penned demand letters claiming that she was raped by McGregor on June 9. McGregor was present at the fourth game of the NBA Finals between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat, and he was involved in a halftime skit that sent the Heat’s mascot to the hospital when it went awry. After the game ended, per the letters, a member of McGregor's security team forced the woman into a stadium restroom, and McGregor allegedly assaulted her in it.

TMZ relayed that the letters wrote, “security refused to let [the woman] exit or allow anyone else, including her friend, inside the bathroom.” They then stated that McGregor came o…

𝗟𝗘𝗚𝗔𝗖𝗬 𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘 🔥

An explosive night at the @WintrustArena sees BW champ @SergioPettis defend gold against #P4P No.1️⃣ @PatricioPitbull. Who wins? 👊#Bellator297 LIVE FRIDAY:🇺🇸 @SHOsports at 9pm ET/6PM PT🌍 Find out how to watch ▶️ https://t.co/jPjMHzLhCd pic.twitter.com/ffP1jtUzZF

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) June 15, 2023 Patricio Freire is officially a bantamweight, and he will try to make MMA history on Friday.

Advertisement

Headlining the 15-fight Bellator 297 card is a light heavyweight title fight where champion Vadim Nemkov will take on Yoel Romero. Meanwhile, the co-main event will see Patricio Freire attempt to earn a belt in his third weight class as he takes on bantamweight titleholder Sergio Pettis. All four men in championship matchups made weight, as did the rest of the card.

Nemkov (15-2, 1 NC) is coming off an impressive unanimous decision win over Corey Anderson in their rematch. The light heavyweight champion w…

It appears Ultimate Fighting Championship great Jose Aldo is taking his burgeoning boxing career seriously.

Per sources close to the situation, Aldo (0-0-1, 0 KOs) will be entering the ring for the third time as a boxer on Sunday. Aldo will square off against Argentinian Esteban Gabriel Espindola (0-1-1, 0 KOs) at Shooto Boxing 2. The event, held inside of the Upper Arena in Rio de Janeiro, will be kicking off locally at 8 p.m. on July 2 – or 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The former UFC featherweight king, who ended his pro MMA career at 31-8, already has another fight planned after Espindola, as he will be rematching Jeremy Stephens at an undisclosed date. The two fought to a draw on the Gamebred Boxing 4 show in April.

The match will last six rounds, and it will take place at 63.5 kg (139.7 pounds). Aldo’s previous pairing in Shooto Boxing against Emmanuel Zambrona was considered an exhibition, in what was slated to be his professional debut at the time. It is currently uncle…

While Sergio Pettis is the one defending the bantamweight championship at Bellator 297 on Friday, he still seems like the B-side to Patricio Freire in many respects.

Advertisement

For one, much has been made of Freire’s cut to 135 pounds and his quest to become a title holder in three different divisions. Meanwhile, Pettis has been flying under the radar during an absence that has lasted more than a year and a half due to recovery from a knee injury. “The Phenom” isn’t concerning himself with any of the external chatter, however.

“I’m not worried about this whole narrative of three-time champion or me coming back,” Pettis said during Bellator media day. “I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better in the sport and as a person. This whole narrative is cool for social media, but I’m going to go out there and get the job done. I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do to win.”

Pettis added that he doesn’t think he will be negatively affected by the layoff.

“I don’t know a…

A light heavyweight bout pitting Carlos Ulberg against Da Woon Jung is on tap for UFC 293.

Advertisement

The Las Vegas-based promotion recently announced the pairing via social media. UFC 293 takes place on Sept. 9 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia and is also expected to include a flyweight showdown between Viviane Araujo and Casey O’Neill.

Ulberg has won four straight UFC appearances since dropping his Octagon debut against Kennedy Nzechukwu in March 2021. Most recently, the 32-year-old City Kickboxing representative defeated Ihor Potieria via first-round TKO at UFC on ABC 4 on May 13.

Jung, meanwhile, kicked off his promotional tenure by going unbeaten in his first five bouts. The South Korean has since dropped back-to-back fights against Dustin Jacoby at UFC on ABC 3 and to Devin Clark at UFC Fight Night 218.

After a rough stretch earlier in her career that saw her lose three straight fights in Bellator MMA, Amber Leibrock seems to be hitting her stride.

The 35-year-old Californian made a statement in her Professional Fighters League debut, knocking out 2022 postseason participant Martina Jindrova with a first-round headkick in their PFL 2 bout on April 7. It was the fourth consecutive victory for Leibrock — all inside the distance — and it sets her up for a showdown with Larissa Pacheco at PFL 5 on Friday night at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta.

Leibrock has pinpointed two key reasons for her career turnaround.

“Everyone asks me, ‘How did you go from the skid to where you’re at now?’ I think it’s accountability,” Leibrock said during a PFL virtual media day. “It’s easy in the fight game to blame somebody else or change camps. At the end of the day it’s all within you, so you have to look at yourself. What are you doing? What are you not doing? How hard are you rea…

While Denis Goltsov might be one of the most experienced competitors in the PFL heavyweight field, he knows that can be overrated in the big man’s division.

Advertisement

“Of course it’s nice to have that (experience),” Goltsov said through an interpreter during a PFL virtual media day. “However, in a fight one punch can change the outcome of everything, especially at heavyweight. I just have to do my job and concentrate on getting the win.”

Goltsov will square off against Yorgan De Castro at PFL 5 on Friday at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. The main card airs on ESPN and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while the prelims stream on ESPN+ beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT. Goltsov vs. De Castro is currently slated for the preliminary portion of the event.

Golstov is sitting pretty for a postseason birth following a first-round finish of Cezar Ferreira at PFL 3. The 33-year-old Russian is well aware of the challenges his upcoming opponent, a UFC veteran,…

Past results are clearly influencing the odds for a potential rematch between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira.

Advertisement

According to online oddsmaker BetOnline, Makhachev is currently listed as a -350 favorite for a second meeting with “Do Bronx.” Oliveira, meanwhile, is a +285 underdog. Makhachev was also favored in their first bout at UFC 280, but those odds ranged from -166 to -205.

The lightweights initially squared off for the vacant lightweight belt at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 22, 2022. Makhachev claimed the throne with a dominant performance, winning via second-round submission and ending Oliveira’s 11-bout promotional winning streak in the process. Oliveira returned for the first time since that defeat at UFC 289, where he earned a technical knockout over top lightweight contender Beneil Dariush in the first round of the evening’s co-main event. After that emphatic victory, the Brazilian immediately set his sights on a rematch.

Thoug…

Ian Garry will take a step up in competition when he meets Geoff Neal at UFC 292 in Boston.

Advertisement

RTÉ Sport was first to report the welterweight booking. UFC 292 takes place at TD Garden on Aug. 19 and is headlined by a bantamweight title tilt pitting Aljamain Sterling against Sean O’Malley.

A 25-year-old native of Dublin, Garry is undefeated in 12 bouts since beginning his professional tenure in 2019. The ex-Cage Warriors champion is 5-0 within the Las Vegas-based promotion, including a first-round technical knockout victory over Daniel Rodriguez in his last outing at UFC on ABC 4 on May 13. He’s finished seven of his career triumphs by knockout or technical knockout.

Neal had a two-bout winning streak snapped in his most recent Octagon appearance, when he suffered a third-round submission defeat to Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 285. Prior to that, “Handz of Steel” had earned back-to-back victories over Santiago Ponzinibbio and Vicente Luque. The Fort…

Nate Diaz is going to have the opportunity to put his vaunted gas tank to work when he faces Jake Paul in a boxing match on Aug. 5.

Advertisement

According to ESPN, Diaz requested to extended his fight with Paul from eight rounds to 10 rounds, and Paul agreed to those terms. Now both parties are waiting on approval of the change from the Texas Combative Sports Program.

“Nate Diaz wants 10 rounds. I guess he has good cardio,” Paul wrote on Twitter. “OK Nathan, 10 rounds it is.”

Nate Diaz wants 10 rounds. I guess he has good cardio. Ok Nathan, 10 rounds it is.

— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) June 13, 2023

Assuming the request is approved, Diaz vs. Paul will take be contested at 185 pounds over 10 rounds using 10-ounce gloves. The fight takes place at American Airlines Center in Dallas and airs via pay-per-view via DAZN as well as through all major cable and satellite providers.

Diaz ended his Octagon tenure last September following…

Renan Ferreira and Matheus Scheffel both suffered losses in the first leg of the 2023 PFL season.

Advertisement

However, the Brazilian heavyweights have new life after opponents Rizvan Kuniev and Bruno Cappelozza tested positive for banned substances in relation to their fights.

Ferreira and Scheffel likely need a victory to advance to the PFL heavyweight postseason, and both are focused on earning the six points that come with a first-round finish. Ferreira and Scheffel will square off on the PFL 5 main card on Friday at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta.

“I'm not going to lose that second chance,” Ferreira told Sherdog.com. “Matheus has heavy hands, but I'm 100% focused on getting a quick victory to guarantee a place in the playoff.

While the 6-foot-9 Ferreira, who was nicknamed “Problema” due to the difficulties he gave his sparring partners, might be perceived as the favorite, Scheffel isn’t fazed by the odds.

“In all my fights I go in as i…

Considered to be the most complete historical book about the origins of jiu-jitsu and vale tudo, “Long Before MMA” (Part 1) is now available in English at Amazon.com.

Advertisement

The project was sponsored by UFC former contender Demian Maia, who also wrote the preface of the book, which is as follows:

I've always been passionate about history, and of course, martial arts. Since the age of 12, I consumed everything that appeared related to the theme. When the trilogy “Long Before MMA” fell into my hands at the recommendation of my good friend and journalist specialized in fights, Marcelo Alonso, I was pleasantly surprised. I soon realized that the information was supported by several sources of the time, mainly newspapers and books. However, the coolest thing was to see that — even knowing that neutrality is something unattainable — the authors Elton Silva and Eduardo Correia made an effort to maintain the greatest impartiality in the face of the facts. And we…

It was probably a good thing that Chris Curtis wasn’t allowed to continue in his middleweight clash with Nassourdine Imavov at UFC 289.

Advertisement

“The Action Man” suffered a significant cut near his right eye following a clash of heads with his opponent in the second round of their preliminary bout in Vancouver on Saturday. After a brief pause, it was determined that Curtis couldn’t continue and the fight was ruled a no contest at the 3:04 mark of Round 2.

Curtis later revealed the extent of his injuries on social media.

“[Ten] stitches and a possible corneal abrasion,” Curtis wrote on Twitter. “In 40 fights I've never not been able to continue. I'm genuinely sorry guys. I really wanted to do something special for Canada. I'll be back guys.”

10 stitches and a possible Corneal Abrasion. In 40 fights I've never not been able to continue. I'm genuinely sorry guys. I really wanted to do something special for Canada. I'll be back guys. …

Viviane Araujo will lock horns with Casey O'Neill in a women’s flyweight bout at UFC 293.

Advertisement

Multiple outlets recently confirmed the booking and date following an initial report from Meni Mayer on Twitter. UFC 293 takes place on Sept. 9 in Sydney. No other bouts have been announced for the event.

Araujo has lost three of her last four Octagon appearances. Most recently, the 36-year-old Brazilian suffered a unanimous decision loss to Amanda Ribas at UFC 285 on March 4. Araujo is 5-4 in the Octagon with wins over the likes of Andrea Lee, Roxanne Modafferi and Alexis Daivs.

O’Neill returned after a year-long absence at UFC 286, where she dropped a unanimous verdict to Jennifer Maia on March 18. Prior to that, the 25-year-old Scot was unbeaten in her first nine professional outings — including four bouts within the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Featherweight contenders Movlid Khaybulaev and Bubba Jenkins were the top earners from Professional Fighters League 4.

Khaybulaev took home a $100,000 paycheck for his second-round submission of Tyler Diamond ($15,000) in the evening’s co-main event, while Jenkins also garnered $100,000 for a first-round tapout of Sung Bin Jo ($13,000) in another featured bout. The Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission released disclosed salaries for the event on Monday.

Advertisement

PFL 4 took place at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta on Thursday and saw Jesus Pinedo ($30,000) upset defending featherweight champion Brendan Loughnane ($50,000) in the evening’s main event.

Note: The disclosed purses reported by state athletic commissions do not include any performance-based or discretionary bonuses that may be awarded to a fighter by the promotion. Additionally, the reported figures do not reflect any deductions made by the commission for taxes, insurance, etc., and do no…

Irene Aldana looked like a deer in the headlights against Amanda Nunes in the UFC 289 headliner.

Advertisement

Hesitant to engage from the opening bell, Aldana dropped a lopsided unanimous decision to Nunes in their bantamweight title clash at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on Saturday night. Save for a clean right hook in the opening stanza, the Mexican fighter did little to give the champion pause over the course of their 25-minute encounter.

The 35-year-old Lobo Gym MMA representative addressed her performance in a statement on Instagram after the fight.

“It was an honor to face Amanda Nunes,” Aldana wrote. “Incredible athlete and fighter (GOAT).

“I’m sorry to have failed my coaches and all of you. I assure you that this does not stay like this. It was a bad night but the goal is still clear and the objective is still that fourth belt. I promised you and I’m going to fulfill it, whatever the cost.”

All told, Aldana was ou…

Amanda Nunes’ decision to call it a career wasn’t made in the spur of the moment.

Advertisement

After a dominant victory over Irene Aldana in the UFC 289 headliner, “Lioness” laid her two championship belts and her gloves in the Octagon, signaling the end of a decorated career that established her as arguably the greatest female fighter of all time. It was something she planned prior to the fight, but she didn’t want it to overshadow the task at hand.

“[I knew] when I signed the contract for this fight,” Nunes said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I tried to hide it from you guys the whole week, but you guys were always on top of it. I just didn’t want to focus on that, I wanted to focus on my fight because I didn’t want to talk about the retirement all the time, and I still talked about it. Imagine if I would’ve said I was going to retire, it would’ve been all about that. So yeah, I knew the whole time.”

UFC president Dana White was informed of t…

Charles Oliveira made his future plans abundantly clear following his first-round finish of Beneil Dariush in the UFC 289 co-headliner.

Advertisement

Oliveira’s target, of course, is a rematch with Islam Makhachev, who defeated “Do Bronx” via second-round submission to capture lightweight gold at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi last October.

“Look, who’s got the belt?” Oliveira said via translator at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “He’s got the belt, and I want to be a champion, so I have to go through him. Of course, I want to fight him.

“But right now, I don’t want to worry about it. I want to go back to my family back home, relax a little bit, and let my team decide that.”

Oliveira made short work of Dariush, who entered UFC 289 on an eight-bout winning streak and would have established himself as the next No. 1 contender with a victory. Instead, Oliveira held his own with Dariush on the canvas before rocking him on the feet with a head kick and punches. …

Railing collapses #UFC289 pic.twitter.com/ffFaHdomfY

— Taner (@TanerFrank) June 11, 2023

Disaster was narrowly averted during the UFC 289 main card.

Advertisement

As Mike Malott was walking to the arena for his bout with Adam Fugitt, fans fell to the floor near the Canadian fighter in a potentially scary moment. Video of the railing collapsing was captured at a number of angles, but it was revealed during the broadcast that no one was hurt during the accident. Rogers Arena, the venue for the card, released a statement on the incident shortly thereafter.

“The safety of our fans is our No. 1 priority at Rogers Arena. At tonight’s UFC event, as fans leaned over to greet the fighters, a railing fell down,” the statement read. “Our arena staff worked quickly to relocate fans in the affected area and no serious injuries were reported. Venue security and staff remained on-site throughout the rest of the evening to ensure everyone’s safety.…

Amanda Nunes is retiring from mixed martial arts, and it appears there’s a good chance she’s taking the UFC women’s featherweight division with her.

Advertisement

UFC president Dana White briefly addressed the future of the weight class at the UFC 289 post-fight press conference, indicating that the Las Vegas-based promotion wouldn’t go forward with women’s 145-pound fights in the wake of Nunes’ retirement. Though nothing is set in stone, White has previously hinted that the division would likely dissolve when Nunes left the UFC.

“The answer is probably yes,” White said on whether the division would be closed. “I mean, I don’t make these decisions the night of the fight. She told me when she walked over to the side of the cage that she was retiring. Yeah, I don’t know. But it makes sense.”

The inaugural women’s featherweight title was contested at UFC 208 in February 2017, with Germaine de Randamie defeating Holly Holm to claim the belt. De Randamie would …

In a night filled with exhilarating matchups and a not-so-surprising farewell, several fighters emerged as top performers at UFC 289, held at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. The promotion awarded $50,000 bonuses to the deserving recipients, recognizing their exceptional performances inside the Octagon.

Fight of the Night honors went to middleweights Marc-Andre Barriault and Eryk Anders. The two warriors engaged in an decent scrap, captivating the audience with their grit. Barriault showcased his resilience, ultimately securing a hard-fought victory over Anders.

Charles Oliveira, a fan favorite known for his brilliant finishing skills, walked away with another Performance of the Night bonus. In a lightweight clash against Beneil Dariush, Oliveira showcased his striking, stopping his opponent with a first-round flurry of violence at the 4:10 mark.

Another Performance of the Night bonus was awarded to Mike Malott, who delivered an impressive submission victory over Adam …

The Lioness’ hunt comes to an end.

Amanda Nunes capped off her hall-of-fame career by masterfully defending her Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight title Saturday night, cruising to a unanimous decision victory (50-44, 50-44, 50-43) over Irene Aldana in the UFC 289 main event at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

Advertisement

Nunes easily picked apart Aldana on the feet and took advantage of the challengers’ slow pace. Nunes (23-5) landed hard jabs, right hands, leg kicks and basically anything she wanted as Aldana refused to open up. Nunes tripled Aldana’s output and barely broke a sweat. Aldana’s corner begged for the Guadalajara, Mexico, native to go for broke, but Aldana was helpless to Nunes’ control on the feet and ground.

At age 35, many wondered what would come next for the champion. Archrival and former bantamweight champion Julianna Pena was in attendance. Pena was slated to face Nunes in a trilogy bout before pulling out due to injury. Nunes …

Sherdog's live UFC 289 coverage will begin Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Belbita (-115), Oliveira (-105)Round 1 Last week, at the beginning of the play-by-play, we remarked that the UFC was starting off a stretch of a dozen straight Saturdays (or more) of consecutive live coverage. What a difference a week makes. Now, with the news of Aug. 26 and Sept. 2 cards rolling in, fight fans are in week 2 of a record-setting 17 straight weekends of UFC shows. That string includes five pay-per-views, and the first one of which is UFC 289 tonight in Vancouver, Canada – marking the UFC’s return to the northernmost North American nation after over three years away (UFC Fight Night 158, Sept. 2019). This relatively shorter show starts things off in the women’s strawweight division between two women who are in dire need of a win to hold onto their roster spot. Romania’s Belbita (14-7, 1-3 UFC) may have a popular Instagram account, but she has won just once…