Blog

[embedded content] Former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champ Jon Jones came in just slightly heavier than Ciryl Gane.

As expected, both heavyweights had no issue making weight for their vacant title fight ahead of UFC 285. Jones (26-1, 1 NC) officially weighed 248 pounds, and he'll be the heftier man in the cage by a whisker as Gane (11-1) weighed 247.5 pounds. The co-main event is also a title fight, and will see Valentina Shevchenko defend her flyweight belt against challenger Alexa Grasso. Both women weighed 124.5 pounds.

Advertisement

As for the rest of the card, both Geoff Neal and Leomana Martinez came in overweight and received 30% fines of their purses. Neal weighed in at 175 pounds, four over the welterweight limit, ahead of his match with Shavkat Rakhmonov. Meanwhile, Martinez came in at 137 pounds for his bantamweight contest against Cameron Saaiman.

This marks the first fight since 2020 for "Bones." The Jackson-Wink MMA product ha…

Unbeaten Xtreme Couture representative Brahyan Zurcher locked down a Professional Fighters League contract during Week 6 of the PFL Challenger Series, as he took care of David Evans with a neck crank in the second round of their featherweight showcase on Friday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. Evans (5-2, 0-1 PFL) bowed out 1:37 into Round 2, suffering the first submission defeat of his career.

Zurcher (5-0, 3-0 PFL) tore into his counterpart’s body and lead leg with kicks, flurried with power punches and struck for a takedown late in the first round. He transitioned from half guard to side control and eventually advanced to the back, securing his position with a body triangle just as time expired. Zurcher landed another takedown early in the middle stanza, climbed to the back and snaked his arms into position for the fight-ending crank.

Advertisement

The 26-year-old Zurcher has finished three of his five opponents by submission. Meanwhile, SBG Ireland e…

Sherdog's live PFL Challenger Series 6 coverage kicks off Friday at 9 p.m. ET. The action will be broadcast live and free on fuboTV. Round 1 Josh Rutgers is your referee for the first fight of the night. Gonzalez opens up with leg kicks to start the fight. Ruhil is trying to close the space but Gonzalez is able to stay at range with repeated kicks. Gonzalez rushes in with a series of punches but then gets hit with a right hand by Ruhil. Gonzalez shells up against the cage and then Ruhil goes for a takedown but can't get him down. Gonzalez breaks free and throws a few punches of his own then clinches against the cage. They separate and Ruhil is able to land a right hand. Ruhil gets wild with his punches and is dropped by a swinging right hand by Gonzalez, who gets straight into mount position. Gonzalez postures up and rains down punches with 90 seconds left. Ruhil holds on, looking to survive the round. Gonzalez breaks free and begins landing several hard shots and the refer…

The coach of Bellator MMA great Patricio Freire expects that it is only a matter of time until his fighter is a triple champ.

At Fight Ready in Arizona, Eric Albarracin coaches a solid roster of fighters including former Ultimate Fighting Championship champ Henry Cejudo, ex-title challenger Paulo Costa and both of the “Pitbull” brothers Patricio and Patricky Freire. With the top echelon of his squad all holding sky-high aspirations, news broke recently that Patricio was planning on moving to 135 pounds to earn a title in that weight class as well. Albarracin spoke to Sherdog about two of the aforementioned competitors, including Patricio’s plans and Costa’s possible next fight, on Thursday.

“When you reach a certain level, like Cejudo and Patricio, more important than the belt itself is to make history,” the acclaimed coach remarked. “Patricio has already beaten all the records and conquered belts in two weight divisions, now he will get [to] bantamweight and write his…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship title challenger Thiago Santos believes his former foe will win this weekend.

After nearly 10 years with the UFC, including 24 appearances against some of the greatest fighters to grace the Octagon, Santos is now on the outside looking in. The man known as “Marreta” successfully requested his release from the organization to go fight for greener pastures in the form of the Professional Fighters League. Despite leaving the UFC roster, Santos is still paying close attention to his former company and past opponents, especially ones that invoke his name. Ahead of the UFC 285 clash between Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane, Jones suggested that Santos was a more difficult opponent than Gane and a better overall striker. The Brazilian briefly spoke to Sherdog about Jones’ comments and his upcoming match in the new promotion this week.

Advertisement

“A real warrior recognizes the other,” Santos said graciously. “I couldn’t expect anything diff…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship strawweight titleholder Jessica Andrade is returning to her old stomping ground in May.

According to Eurosport NL on Friday, Andrade (24-10) will be moving back to strawweight to take on Xiaonan Yan (16-3, 1 NC) on May 6. The two top-ranked 115ers will be squaring off on UFC 288 inside of the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The fight was later confirmed by Andrade on her Instagram Stories.

Advertisement

“Bate Estaca” saw her three-fight win streak across two divisions come to a crushing halt in February, when she stepped up on short notice to battle Erin Blanchfield atop UFC Fight Night 219. The Brazilian flyweight succumbed to a rear-naked choke in Round 2, suffering her first non-championship defeat at 125 pounds. Andrade last competed at strawweight on April 2022, where she snared Amanda Lemos with a standing arm-triangle choke in a one-off at the division she left in 2020. Andrade has since claimed she is willing …

⚖️Main event is official! Brahyan Zurcher and David Evans both make weight for their featherweight bout!

Fights are 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 & 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 on @fuboSports

Advertisement

[ #PFLonFubo | Featherweights | Fri, March 3rd | 9pm ET] pic.twitter.com/K2Q72Rzm3V — PFL (@PFLMMA) March 2, 2023 The latest Professional Fighters League Challenger Series event will feature eight fighters in the featherweight division.

All PFL Challenger Series Week 6 fighters made weight for the four-fight card. Headlining the card will be a fight between the undefeated Brahyan Zurcher and David Evans.

Perfect at 4-0 as a professional, Zurcher won his first PFL fight last year by defeating Ricardo Jimenez via unanimous decision. He'll get a tougher opponent in the 5-1 Evans, who rebounded from his lone career defeat by beating Gary Konkol via decision. Zurcher weighed 146 pounds, while Evans came in at 145.4 pounds.

PFL Challenger Series Week 6: Featherweig…

Seems like you’ve got the Bellator fans excited, @that_dude_JO 👊😎 pic.twitter.com/fYdO7qlwRp

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) March 1, 2023

Bellator MMA has added another decorated wrestler to its roster.

Advertisement

The California-based promotion announced Wednesday that it has signed Jordan Oliver, a two-time NCAA national champion at Oklahoma State University, to an exclusive, multi-fight deal. Oliver will compete at featherweight and is expected to make his debut in 2023.

“It’s an honor to sign with Bellator MMA. I’m grateful for the opportunity to represent an amazing company, showcase my skills, and make my climb to the top to become a world champion fighter as a dedicated competitor,” Oliver said in a release, “I have always accepted and loved to take on new challenges. The 'tough love' sport of wrestling has molded and prepared me for this opportunity for the past 29 years. The vision remains the same… I'm coming to win, and w…

[embedded content]

Those who have followed the UFC career of Jon Jones since the beginning know that his lone career loss comes with an asterisk.

Advertisement

In Jones’ fourth Octagon appearance, he suffered a disqualification loss to Matt Hamill at “The Ultimate Fighter 10” finale after landing a series of illegal 12-to-6 elbows on his opponent. Steve Mazzagatti was the referee in the fight, and it’s a ruling that still irks UFC president Dana White to this day.

“I mean realistically — if you look at all the people that he’s fought, he’s never lost a fight. It kills me that, that one [loss] is on his record. 26-1,” White said on the Jim Rome Show.

“You have to understand for the people that don’t know, this was during a time when the Nevada State Athletic Commission was very weak and there was a referee in there that stopped the fight and called Jones the loser in that fight. A fight he was dominating and should have been finished. Instead of disqualifyin…

[embedded content]

Within the span of a couple months, both Jon Jones and Henry Cejudo will return to the Octagon following extended layoffs.

Advertisement

As the wrestling coach of the Fight Ready team, Eric Albarracin was able to observe the daily routines of the two former UFC champions as they prepare to make their highly-anticipated comebacks. Jones will face Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight crown at UFC 285 on Saturday, while Cejudo will lock horns with Aljamain Sterling for bantamweight gold at UFC 288 on May 6. Albarracin discussed the prospects for Jones and Cejudo in a recent interview with Sherdog.com.

“Any athlete who goes three years without competing should be an underdog if they return to fight for a belt, but Cejudo and Jones are probably the only exceptions,” he said. One is the only ‘Triple C’ in the history of combat sports, and the other is the GOAT. They don’t fight only for the belt, but to make history.”

After Jones spent a po…

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship will be bringing some new star power to the ring in the near future.

Advertisement

Promotion president Dave Feldman revealed Wednesday on ”The MMA Hour” that BKFC will feature Luke Rockhold vs. Mike Perry and Eddie Alvarez vs. Chad Mendes on the April 29 card at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colo. Rockhold and Alvarez are new free-agent signings for the promotion. While the majority of BKFC events are available through the app for a monthly subscription fee, BKFC 41 will air on pay-per-view for $49.99.

“We have to do it, obviously, to be able to pay for these guys,” Feldman said.

Rockhold returned from a three-year absence at UFC 279, where he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Paulo Costa. The former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion announced his retirement after the bout. He later walked back that decision after being granted his release from the UFC. The 38-year-old Californian lost four of his last f…

A serious condition led to Hailey Cowan withdrawing from her Ultimate Fighting Championship debut last weekend.

Advertisement

While the promotion initially announced that an illness forced Cowan to pull out of a proposed bantamweight clash against Ailin Perez at UFC Fight Night 220, the Dana White’s Contender Series alum offered further details regarding her withdrawal in a social media post.

“I had an ovarian cyst rupture [on] the night before weigh-ins,” Cowan wrote on Instagram. “I lost a lot of blood and the doctors pulled me. I was on weight and ready to go. Super unfortunate but we will rebook ASAP. Apologies to the fans and my opponent but this was beyond my control.”

The 31-year-old Cowan earned a UFC contract after taking a split decision over Claudia Leite on the Contender Series last August. The Waco, Texas, native is 7-2 over the course of a career that includes stints in Invicta FC and Legacy Fighting Alliance.

Darren Till and the Ultimate Fighting Championship have parted ways — though it may not be for good.

Advertisement

The former welterweight title challenger revealed on Twitter that he was granted his release from the Las Vegas-based promotion at his own request. Twitter account UFC Roster Watch initially brought word that Till was removed from the UFC roster.

“What’s happening everyone? Me, Dana [and] Hunter are still cool as f—k,” Till wrote. “I asked UFC [to] remove me just [to] sort some other s—t for the foreseeable [future]. They happily agreed to release me out of contract, which I appreciate.

“I’m not going anywhere. Got big plans to execute [and] I’ll be back.”

What’s happening everyone,Me, Dana & Hunter are still cool as fuck.I asked UFC 2 remove me just 2 sort some other shit for the foreseeable,They happily agreed to release me out of contract which I appreciate.I’m not going anywhere, got big plans to execute &am…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship continues to be a major source of profit for parent company Endeavor.

Endeavor held an earnings report call on Tuesday, where it revealed that its owned sports properties — led by the UFC — generated 1.3 billion in revenue in 2022, which is $224.1 million more (20 percent) than 2021. According to a summary posted by Endeavor, “growth for the year was driven by increased media rights fees at UFC, as well as greater sponsorship, licensing, commercial PPV and event related revenue from more UFC events with live audiences.” Other sports properties owned by the company include Professional Bull Riders and 10 minor league baseball franchises.

Advertisement

“All 21 UFC events with live audiences sold out, continuing a 29 event sell out streak since returning from the pandemic. UFC posted its best sponsorship year ever in 2022, unlocking new categories and inventory to reach a fan base that grew double digits over 2021 in the U.S,” Ende…

With big-ticket main events, it’s always good to have a backup plan.

Advertisement

According to ESPN, Sergei Pavlovich will serve in as the alternate fighter for the Jon Jones-Ciryl Gane headliner at UFC 285 on Saturday. Pavlovich will weigh-in on Friday and must hit the heavyweight mark to be eligible to step in should something happen to either Jones or Gane. UFC president Dana White confirmed during the UFC Fight Night 220 post-fight press conference that the heavyweight title bout would have an alternate but he did not name the fighter who would serve in that role.

Pavlovich is currently scheduled to face Curtis Blaydes in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card on April 22. The 30-year-old Russian owns a 17-1 career mark, with his lone setback coming against Alistair Overeem in his Octagon debut. Since then, Pavlovich has won five consecutive UFC bouts — all via first-round KO/TKO.

UFC 285 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and features t…

Nikita Krylov and Ryan Spann are going to try again in a couple weeks.

Advertisement

After the light heavyweight bout that was scheduled to headline UFC Fight Night 220 fell through on the day of the event, Krylov vs. Spann has been rebooked for UFC Fight Night 221 on March 11. Promotion broadcast partner ESPN confirmed the reschedule bout following an initial report from Igor Lazorin.

UFC Fight Night 221 takes place at the Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas and is headlined by a bantamweight clash pitting Petr Yan against Merab Dvalishvili. Krylov vs. Spann will now be a three-round contest.

Prior to falling ill just hours before the UFC Fight Night 220 main event, Krylov had posted back-to-back victories over Alexander Gustafsson and Volkan Oezdemir in the Octagon. “The Miner” is 10-7 over the course of two UFC stints.

Spann, meanwhile, has been victorious in three of his last four promotional appearances. During that stretch, “Superman” has s…

While Ciryl Gane has been lauded for his heavyweight striking skills, Jon Jones believes he’s seen better.

Advertisement

Jones took to Twitter to discuss Gane’s striking acumen ahead of their fight for the vacant heavyweight title in Saturday’s UFC 285 main event. “Bones” pointed to Thiago Santos, who he defeated via split decision at UFC 239, as a superior kickboxer to the Frenchman.

“Man I just finished watching my Thiago Santos fight again. I think it’s crazy that you guys consider Gane the most technical kickboxer I’ve ever faced,” Jones wrote on Twitter. “Everything Thiago did have bad intentions on it. Dude had lightning speed, power, explosiveness. Crazy versatility.

“Gane’s last three opponents had terrible defense. Those guys couldn’t stop a kick if their life depended on it. He’s fought flat footed boxers his last three fights.”

Man I just finished watching my Thiago Santos fight again. I think it’s crazy that you guys consid…

Four months after their first encounter ended in a no contest due to an illegal knee, the second battle between Fabricio Andrade and John Lineker at One on Prime Video 7 was definitely worth the price of admission.

Advertisement

Just like the first meeting, Andrade used his superior muay thai and reach advantage to control the distance, eventually hurting Andrade badly enough to cause manager/cornerman Alex Davis to stop the fight before the final round. With the victory, Andrade captured the undisputed One bantamweight title. Despite the high stakes involved, Davis doesn’t regret his decision.

 “I would be a criminal if I allowed my fighter to return with both eyes closed,” Davis told Sherdog.com. “It was hard to do, especially with it being a title fight, but I had to take that decision. Safety comes first.”

Davis’ only regret is that Lineker arrived in Thailand just one week before the rematch, which was held at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in …

Brendan Allen unveiled a fairly lengthy callout list following his submission victory against Andre Muniz in the makeshift UFC Fight Night 220 main event.

Advertisement

The former Dana White’s Contender Series alum first mentioned rematches against Sean Strickland and Chris Curtis, the only two men to defeat him thus far during his 9-2 run in the UFC. If those aren’t possible, “All In” also targeted bouts against either Jack Hermansson or Dricus Du Plessis. At the post-fight press conference, Allen explained his reasoning behind the opponent wish list.

“At this point, I’m not really trying to chase anything. I’m a super competitive guy. I like Sean and Chris, I think they’re very good guys. We talked for 40 minutes at the UFC PI in the cafeteria,” Allen said. “That’s just business and there’s a lot of eyes if I fought Strickland again, especially me coming off a win and him having fought the champion before, so that sets a statement.

“I understand how thi…

Former KSW two-division champion Roberto Soldic will fight on U.S. soil for the first time when he locks horns with Zebaztian Kadestam at One on Prime Video 10 on May 5.

Promotion officials initially confirmed the 185-pound booking to ESPN. One on Prime Video 10 takes place at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colo., and is headlined by a flyweight (135-pound) title trilogy clash between Demetrious Johnson and Adriano Moraes. The event marks One’s U.S. debut and airs on Prime Video.

Soldic’s promotional debut at One on Prime Video 5 ended prematurely when opponent Murad Ramazanov landed a low blow in the opening round of their Dec. 2 matchup. The 28-year-old Croatian entered the bout on a seven-fight winning streak that included victories over the likes of Dricus Du Plessis and Mamed Khalidov.

Sweden’s Kadestam is coming off back-to-back first-round knockouts under the One banner. Most recently, “The Bandit” scored a 57-second stoppage of Iuri Lapicus at…

2022 Professional Fighters League heavyweight champion Ante Delija will begin his attempt for a repeat when he faces Yorgan De Castro in the PFL 2 headliner on April 7.

Advertisement

The promotion announced the card for its second regular season event — which features heavyweights and women’s featherweights — on Monday. In the co-main event, 2022 women’s lightweight winner Larissa Pacheco will square off against ex-Bellator champ Julia Budd at 145 pounds. Two more heavyweight bouts round out the main draw: Bruno Cappelozza vs. Matheus Scheffel and Renan Ferreira vs. Rizvan Kuniev.

Seven bouts were announced for the preliminary portion of the card: Denis Goltsov vs. Michal Andryszak; Martina Jindrova vs. Amber Leibrock; Olena Kolesnyk vs. Aspen Ladd; Marcelo Nunes vs. TBA; Marina Mokhnatkina vs. Yoko Higashi; Amanda Leve vs. Karolina Sobek and Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. TBA.

PFL 2 takes place at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN…

Gunnar Nelson has a new opponent at UFC 286.

Advertisement

The promotion recently announced that Bryan Barberena will replace Daniel Rodriguez and face the Iceland native in a welterweight bout on March 18 at the O2 Arena in London. A reason for Rodriguez’s withdrawl was not given. UFC 286 is headlined by a welterweight title rematch between Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman.

Barberena had a three-bout winning streak snapped in his last outing, as he suffered a second-round submission loss to Rafael dos Anjos at UFC on ESPN 42 on Dec. 3. Prior to that, “Bam Bam” had earned successive victories over the likes of Darian Weeks, Matt Brown and Robbie Lawler.

Nelson returned following an absence that lasted more than two years at UFC Fight Night 204, where he defeated Takashi Sato via unanimous decision in March 2022.

Tatiana Suarez made her long-awaited return at UFC Fight Night 220, where she defeated Montana De La Rosa via second-round submission in a flyweight bout.

Advertisement

The long-term plan, however, is for Suarez to return to 115 pounds, where she established herself as a contender with wins over the likes of Alexa Grasso, Carla Esparza and Nina Nunes. Her career was put on hold due to injuries, and Satruday marked her first bout since June 2019.

“I think they should give me a really good opponent at strawweight and then I’ll earn [a title shot],” Suarez said at the UFC Fight Night 220 post-fight press conference. “I’ve never been given anything in my life. I’ve always earned it, and I don’t mind doing that. I think that builds character. You’ve got to work for the things that you get in your life. I don’t mind doing that because that’s how my mom and my grandma raised me to be. So I’m excited for whoever.”

While Suarez is willing to face anyone in the str…

You wouldn’t have known that Yaroslav Amosov had been away for more than a year and a half by watching his performance in the Bellator 291 headliner.

Advertisement

Amosov controlled all aspects of his rematch with Logan Storley on Saturday in Dublin, as he unified the welterweight belt with a lopsided unanimous decision triumph. It was a far more decisive victory than his first meeting with Storley — a split-decision win at Bellator 252 in November 2020. That’s a good reason for that, Amosov said.

“Before this fight, I said this fight was different. I have many kilograms that I cut for my first match with Logan,” Amosov said at the post-fight press conference. “Now I had a very good camp and recovery as well as different training. Every day I train hard and become better. I have the best team with me. He’s a very good fighter, and I knew this. All people who enter the cage are strong, so if you go in the cage, you’re a high-level fighter. It’s not a surprise to…