Blog

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sX-UfPnqC9k&w=560&h=315]

Holly Holm was officially enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame’s Class over the weekend.

Advertisement

The ceremony took place in Verona, N.Y., on Sunday and also included inductees from 2020 and 2021 who were not honored in previous years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Holm is part of a 2022 class that also includes Roy Jones Jr., Miguel Cotto, James Toney and female champion Regina Halmich, among others. Floyd Mayweather Jr., originally slated to be inducted in 2021, was among the other notables in the three groups that were enshrined.

Holm compiled a 33-2-3 record in the Sweet Science, winning 14 championships in three weight classes over the course of an 11-year professional career. “The Preacher’s Daughter” was named “Female Fighter of the Year” by Ring Magazine in 2005 and 2006 and was a popular draw in her hometown of Albuquerque, N.M.

““You want to talk about loya…

Jiri Prochazka (@jiri_bjp) receives a Hero’s welcome in his hometown of Brno. He is the first UFC Champion from the Czech Republic in history. pic.twitter.com/EIh22iXfd6

— Paradigm Sports (@ParadigmSports) June 13, 2022

Jiri Prochazka’s UFC championship reign is a big deal in the Czech Republic.

The newly-crowned light heavyweight king returned to his hometown of Brno on Monday, where he was greeted by a rowdy throng of fans on hand to celebrate his achievement. Prochazka submitted Glover Teixeira at the 4:32 mark of Round 5 in the UFC 275 headliner to become the promotion’s first-ever champion from the Czech Republic.

Prochazka’s management, Paradigm Sports, shared footage of the scene via Twitter. The former Rizin title holder is in the midst of a 13-fight professional winning streak that includes 11 consecutive victories inside the distance.

A man of the people.@jiri_bjp pic.twitter.com/Qgu9AwU3Sz

— …

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

Undefeated welterweight prospect Ian Garry will look to take the next step in his MMA career when he locks horns with Gabriel Green at UFC 276.

Advertisement

The promotion recently confirmed the 170-pound pairing. UFC 276 takes place on July 2 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a middleweight title tilt pitting Israel Adesanya against Jared Cannonier. In the co-main event, Alexander Volkanovski will square off against Max Holloway in a featherweight championship trilogy.

Garry, 24, has yet to taste defeat in nine professional outings. The former Cage Warriors champion debuted in the Octagon with a first-round knockout of Jordan Williams before outpointing Darian Weeks in his most recent appearance at UFC 273 this past April.

The 29-year-old Green has rebounded from a loss to Daniel Rodriguez in his promotional debut to post back-to-back victories against Philip Rowe and Yohan Lain…

While an accidental clash of heads may have hindered Taila Santos in the championship rounds of the UFC 275 co-main event, flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko was also apparently limited during Saturday’s fight in Singapore.

Advertisement

Shevchenko revealed at the UFC 275 post-fight press conference that she was at less than 100 percent due to a foot injury. “Bullet” didn’t reveal the specifics behind the ailment, but pulling out was never an option. It did, however, prevent her from engaging in her traditional celebratory post-fight victory dance.

“Coming into the fight, I was injured. My foot was injured. All week, fight week, UFC Performance Institute, physical therapists they were working on my foot to get it back into the best shape,” Shevchenko said. “The few kicks that I had like super strong, it injured my foot … I hope it’s nothing serious that could delay my return to the Octagon, but this is the reason why I didn’t dance.

“Considering pulling ou…

Weili Zhang left no doubt in her second meeting with Joanna Jedrzejczyk, finishing her Polish rival with a spinning back fist in the second round of their UFC 275 encounter.

Advertisement

It was a far cry from their first bout, when the two strawweights engaged in what many have called the greatest female fight of all-time at UFC 248 in March 2020. Zhang, who was the 115-pound champion at the time, emerged from that battle with a narrow split-decision triumph. Jedrzejczyk announced her retirement in the cage following the knockout loss to Zhang on Saturday night in Singapore, ending an era in the division. Zhang had nothing but praise for the Polish star in the aftermath of that decision.

“Before I became a UFC fighter, Joanna was the champion,” Zhang said at the UFC 275 post-fight press conference. “She is like a role model. I want to chase her [accomplishments] every day …”

Not only was Zhang’s latest triumph a strong contender for “Knockout of the Year…

The accidental clash of heads that left Taila Santos with significant swelling near her right eye in the UFC 275 co-main event will force the Brazilian to go under the knife in the near future.

Advertisement

Santos’ manager, Tiago Okamura, told MMAFighting.com that Santos suffered a broken orbital bone under her right eye as a result of the collision with Valentina Shevchenko that occurred in the third round of their flyweight championship clash. Shevchenko would go on to win a closely-contested split-decision triumph to retain her belt. Santos will travel home to Brazil to have the surgery.

“We had two options,” Okamura said. “To have surgery here [in Singapore], and God knows how long we’d have to stay and how the recovery would take, or wait two weeks for the swelling to reduce a little bit and then have the surgery.

“The doctors said the long flight [back to Brazil] would not be a problem, and we would have a better support back home, since [Santos] …

Glover Teixeira was less than 30 seconds from successfully defending his light heavyweight title at UFC 275, but that amount of time proved to be a relative eternity.

Advertisement

Teixiera succumbed to a rear-naked choke from Jiri Prochazka at the 4:32 mark of the fifth round in Saturday’s main event at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore, ending his six-fight winning streak in the process. After the defeat, Teixeira released a brief statement on Instagram in his native Portuguese.

“We got hit a little bit there but I gave my best in this fight,” Teixeira said (translation via MMAFighting.com). “But the hand came in the neck, I was very tired, and I think I didn’t believe [in the submission]. I should have turned, but now it’s too late to cry over spilled milk. Live by the sword, die by the sword.

“I gave my best and it wasn’t enough, but let’s go for the next one. Thank you to all of you that root for me for the support. I’m fine, just a few …

While Jiri Prochazka emerged from the UFC 275 headliner with the light heavyweight belt in his possession, he found plenty of room for improvement in his title-winning effort against Glover Teixeira.

Advertisement

“From my side it was a horrible fight, horrible performance,” Prochazka said at the UFC 275 post-fight press conference. “Honestly. You saw that fight. I just survived some moments.

“My life’s plan is to be dominant in the fight and not just be a survivor. To be a hunter, and that will be my next fight, and I will show that. I don’t want to fight like that. It’s tough, it’s full of blood, and it’s not beautiful – maybe it’s beautiful for you, you like to be entertained. But for a fighter, I like to fight clean.”

In a bout full of momentum swings, Prochazka was less than a minute from a loss on the scorecards when he locked in a rear-naked choke for an improbable submission victory at the 4:32 mark of Round 5. The Czech light heavyweight was in d…

Joanna Jedrzejczyk, perhaps the most accomplished strawweight in Ultimate Fighting Championship history, is calling it a career at 34 years old.

Advertisement

The former champion announced her decision following a loss to Weili Zhang in a rematch at UFC 275 in Singapore on Saturday. Jedrzejczyk succumbed to a spinning back fist from her Chinese opponent at the 2:28 mark of round 2. It was the Polish standout’s first Octagon appearance in more than two years, when she fell to Zhang via split decision in a “Fight of the Year”-winning performance at UFC 248 in March 2020.

"I'm retired, guys. I love you so much. Thank you for this opportunity. UFC, Dana, so sorry I let you down,” she said.

“It’s been 20 years. I’m turning 35 this year. I want to be a mom. I want to be a business woman. I’ve been training two decades, more than half of my life. I appreciate you all. I love you guys.”

Jedrzejczyk exits the sport with a 16-5 career mark. She made her UFC debut in…

One of the greatest fights we have ever seen had to be tonight's FOTN 👏👏👏

[ @GloverTeixeira @Jiri_BJP | #UFC275 | B2YB @ToyoTires ] pic.twitter.com/sNdinPZ3Ql

— UFC (@ufc) June 12, 2022

Advertisement

UFC 275 will go down as one of the greatest events in the Ultimate Fighting Championship history and that statement is bolstered by the fact that eight post-fight bonuses were handed out.

Anchored by a mesmerizing main event that saw rising star Jiri Prochazka come back from near certain defeat multiple times to submit reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira in the waning seconds of the fifth round. Both men were battered and bloody; each were seriously rocked by punches to the head and the two warriors waged one of the wildest, most insane fights in recent memory. Prochazka’s rear-naked choke of Teixeira earned him a $50K Performance of the Night bonus to coincide with the same-dollar bonus both men received for Fig…

Jiri Prochazka was the last man standing in an extraordinary war of wills between two of the sport’s most violent competitors.

The 29-year-old Czech submitted Glover Teixeira with a no-hooks rear-naked choke and laid claim to the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championshiplight heavyweight title in the UFC 275 headliner on Saturday at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Teixeira (33-8, 16-6 UFC) capitulated 4:32 into Round 5, suffering the first submission defeat of his 41-fight career.

Advertisement

Back and forth they went for four-plus rounds, exchanging takedowns, dominant positions, submission attempts and heavy leather. Neither man was willing to give in to the pain or punishment. Teixeira carved out a horrendous gash above his opponent’s left eye with a savage elbow strike in the second round before Prochazka (29-3-1, 3-0 UFC) returned the favor in the third, opening a cut across the bridge of the venerable Brazilian’s nose.

As they entered Rou…

Sign up for ESPN+ and order UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka Sherdog's live UFC 275 “Teixeira vs. Prochazka” coverage will begin Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.

Advertisement

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Edwards (-170), Pascual (+150)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Mike Sloan scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Mike Sloan scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Mike Sloan scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Juarez (-150), Liang (+130)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Mike Sloan scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Mike Sloan scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettr…

This fight is BANANAS 🍌

[ #UFC275 | Prelims LIVE on ESPN2 & @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/2BsqPQD2ip

— UFC (@ufc) June 12, 2022

Advertisement

Former Hex Fight Series titleholder Joshua Culibao took a significant step forward in the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division, as he was awarded a split decision over Seung Woo Choi in their featured UFC 275 prelim on Saturday at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. All three judges scored it 29-28, two of them siding with Culibao.

Culibao (10-1-1, 2-1-1 UFC) had his counterpart reeling in the first round, where he staggered the Korean with a left hook, dropped him with another and swarmed for a potential finish. Choi (10-5, 3-4 UFC) weathered the assault but wandered into peril yet again in the middle stanza. There, Culibao stepped into a right hand that had the onetime Top Fighting Championship titlist somersaulting across the cage to avoid further punishm…

This rematch comes with much higher stakes 🏆@Usman84KG vs @Leon_EdwardsMMA

[ #UFC278 | Aug 20 | @VivintArena | @StateOfSport 🔗 https://t.co/MZCFJcbyqL ] pic.twitter.com/9JYMQUVM4F

— UFC (@ufc) June 12, 2022

Advertisement

Kamaru Usman will look to defend his Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title on Aug. 20 in the headlining bout of UFC 278 against Leon Edwards.

Usman (20-1) will aim for not only his sixth consecutive title defense, but also secure his 20th straight victory inside the cage. “The Nigerian Nightmare” has been a dominant champion and holds big wins over the likes of Jorge Masvidal (twice), Gilbert Burns and two against arch rival Colby Covington.

Looking to upend Usman’s magnificent run is Edwards (19-3, 1 NC), a man who is on a similar hot streak, having won his last 10 battles. Edwards, the No. 2 ranked welterweight in the UFC, hasn’t lost since late 2015; the man who beat him was none other than w…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58Mn1hUVRd4&w=640&h=360] The Ultimate Fighting Championship's latest pay-per-view offering is set as all UFC 275 participants successfully made weight in Singapore.

The card is headlined by two title fights with Glover Teixeira's first light heavyweight title defense against Jiri Prochazka getting top billing. In the co-main event, UFC flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko will look to put away another challenger in the 19-1 Taila Santos. A pound-for-pound talent, Shevchenko (22-3) enters on an eight-fight win streak.

Advertisement

On a surprising career-best run at 42, Teixeira (33-7) most recently submitted Jan Blachowicz to claim the title. The Brazilian is on a six-fight win streak that has seen him make comebacks in several of the bouts after being in danger, further proving his veteran savvy and toughness. Teixeira will look to prove his recent success isn't a fluke by defending his championship. The champion official…

Sign up for ESPN+ and order UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka

Advertisement

When opportunity presented itself, Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight Alexandre Pantoja ensured his greatest chance for success possible.

Brazil’s Pantoja (24-5) signed up for a match at the end of July against former title challenger Alex Perez (24-6) at UFC 277, fully recovered from his knee injury that forced him out of a championship fight at the beginning of 2022. Pantoja was slated to rematch Brandon Moreno, a foe he has topped twice before, once in 2018 in the UFC and earlier in 2016 on their season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Following its announcement and confirmation by the fighters, Pantoja spoke to Sherdog about the matchup.

“I just signed the contract, now I can talk about,” Pantoja said coyly.

As Pantoja is a top-ranked flyweight, the UFC wanted him to step him and replace Askar Askarov on the July 16 event to retain a pivotal match on that Fight Night lineup. His manage…

Jordan Bailey gets the tap early in our main event! #CW139 pic.twitter.com/NxgDa3Pwo5

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) June 11, 2022 Sign up for ESPN+ and order UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka

Advertisement

Jordan Bailey and his magnificent mullet made the most of his short-notice Cage Warriors Fighting Championship main event in San Diego.

The CW 139 headlining bout on Friday that saw Bailey taking on Bellator MMA alum Alex Trinidad concluded in a mere 42 seconds. Trinidad (5-4, 0-2 CW) showcased a well-executed uchi mata throw straight away, but Bailey (7-5, 1-1 CW) jumped back to his feet within seconds. “The Ice Cream Man” pushed his adversary against the fence before shooting for a single-leg takedown. In doing so, he exposed his neck to Bailey’s guillotine choke attempt, which became tighter and tighter as the two fighters went down to the canvas. When Bailey’s squeeze became too much to handle, Trinidad couldn’t help but tap, only …

Muin Gafurov only needs one.

The Dana White’s Contender Series alum made a successful Legacy Fighting Alliance debut, as he blew away Herbeth Reis de Sousa with punches in the second round of their LFA 134 headliner on Friday at the Bell County Expo Center in Belton, Texas. Reis de Sousa (15-2, 0-1 LFA) met his end 1:56 into Round 2.

Advertisement

Gafurov (17-4, 1-0 LFA) stayed calm under duress. Reis de Sousa was dogged in his pursuit of takedowns but more often than not came away empty-handed. Gafurov decked the Constrictor Team representative with a right hook late in the first round, pounced with follow-up punches and advanced to the back before time expired. The Kaizen MMA product reversed position out of a Reis de Sousa takedown in the middle stanza, returned to his feet, floated into open space and uncorked a devastating overhand right. The Brazilian crashed to the canvas and did what he could to defend himself with Gafurov in hot pursuit. However, a few …

Sign up for ESPN+ and order UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka

Advertisement

A permanent relocation up to bantamweight might be in the cards for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Rogerio Bontorin.

Ahead of the early weigh-ins for UFC 275 on Friday, Bontorin was set to hit the scales for his flyweight clash against Manel Kape. Before it took place, Eurosport NL reported that Bontorin was hospitalized that morning for what was at the time undisclosed issues. Combate subsequently broke the story that Bontorin was sent to the hospital due to kidney pain, when he was about 130 pounds and trying to cut the remaining four. The UFC has confirmed Bontorin’s withdrawal due to “issues with weight management,” and the lineup shifted to slot the welterweight scrap between Andre Fialho and Jake Matthews up to the main card.

On his Instagram, Kape wrote of the fight cancelation while still in good spirits, and wished his opponent a swift recovery.

“So in the easiest way,…

👀 These guys are 𝙥𝙪𝙢𝙥𝙚𝙙! #CW139 pic.twitter.com/i5hBFMDpXG

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) June 9, 2022 Sign up for ESPN+ and order UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka

Advertisement

The two men assuming the unexpected headlining role at the upcoming Cage Warriors Fighting Championship card had no issue making things official.

At the beginning of the week, the CW 139 headliner was set to be a 155-pound affair between Erick Sanchez and Max Rohskopf. As Sanchez withdrew due to Covid-19 on Tuesday, Jordan Bailey vs. Alex Trinidad also at lightweight has been promoted to the top billing on the marquee. Bailey (6-5, 0-1 CW) is currently looking to get back in the win column following back-to-back defeats. The MMA Gold Fight Team standout is 1-4 in his last five assignments, but he professionally hit the scales at 155.3 pounds.

Bellator MMA alum Trinidad (5-3, 0-1 CW) is pursuing his first promotional victory after tapping to a Brandon Laroco…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A-kEN-9Ksw&w=560&h=315] Sign up for ESPN+ and order UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka

Advertisement

A two-division Ultimate Fighting Championship threat has decided on his proper weight class after wins in both categories.

After two impressive wins in different weight divisions of light heavyweight and heavyweight, against Danilo Marques and Parker Porter, respectively, Jailton Almeida (16-2) has decided his path. “Malhadinho” will be remaining at the highest weight category, and his next matchup comes on Sept. 10 in Las Vegas against Shamil Abdurakhimov (20-7). A win would propel the Brazilian into the top 15, and Almeida spoke to Sherdog about his upcoming fight on Wednesday.

“I talked to my manager and we decided to stay in heavyweight,” Almeida explained, “a division where I don't need to lose weight and have the advantage of being faster than most of my opponents.”

Almeida’s last appearance came as he weighed in at a s…

** Huge Announcement ** Michael 'Venom' Page will be facing Mike Perry in the main event at #BKFC27 on Aug 20th! https://t.co/HLL6nJaKgl▶️Pre-Sale Ticket Signup: https://t.co/B9CKDdozj8 pic.twitter.com/XKrkrfAWVE

— Bare Knuckle FC (@bareknucklefc) June 9, 2022 Sign up for ESPN+ and order UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka

Advertisement

Editor's note: The article has been updated at 4:45 p.m. ET on June 9 to add a statement from the promoter.

It appears Michael Page is taking his recent loss in Bellator MMA for the title a little harder than anyone expected.

On Thursday, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship announced the main event of its jaunt to London on Aug. 20. The fight card at the OVO Arena Wembley will be capped off by a middleweight (175 pounds) tilt between Page and Mike Perry. Both men longtime MMA veterans, this match will be contested under bare-knuckle boxing rules over five rounds, each two minutes in length. Per MMA Junki…

Sign up for ESPN+ and order UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka

Advertisement

Unlucky Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight Alex Perez has had more matches canceled than competed in his UFC tenure.

In November 2020, Perez (24-6) became the first fighter off Dana White's Contender Series to earn a title shot, facing Deiveson Figueiredo atop UFC 255. Perez fell short by first-round submission, and due to a series of unfortunate events, he has not competed since that night. Perez has been booked against Matt Schnell and Askar Askarov numerous times, only for the fights to fall through repeatedly. His latest tilt against Askarov, once scheduled for July 16, is now off, according to Ag. Fight on Wednesday night.

The promotion has adjusted accordingly, bumping Perez to UFC 277 in Dallas on July 30. Instead of Askarov, Perez will square off against Alexandre Pantoja (24-3) in a de facto title eliminator as well as a replacement option should the interim title tilt of…

BREAKING: @InvictaFights Heads to Denver on July 20 with Bantamweight Title Clash #InvictaFC48 https://t.co/Q5DlKYTdSQ

— Invicta FC (@InvictaFights) June 9, 2022 Sign up for ESPN+ and order UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka

Advertisement

Invicta Fighting Championships will be leaving the Kansas City region for the first time since 2018 this July.

The organization sent out a press release on Thursday announcing its next event, titled Invicta FC 48, which will take place on July 20. Rather than the Memorial Hall or Police Athletic League in Kansas City, Kansas, Invicta will be posting up in Denver at Reelworks Denver. As it will be held in Colorado, open scoring will be in effect. Capping off the fight card will be a bantamweight championship affair between defending champ Taneisha Tennant (4-1) and ex-Bellator MMA fighter Olga Rubin (7-2). The promotion will also be returning to the AXS TV airwaves, rather than airing on YouTube.

Ten…