Blog

A top-flight Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight prospect has just suffered an injury that will keep her out of action for a long time.

On Thursday, Casey O'Neill announced on Instagram that she has suffered a completely torn ACL that will require surgery and a lengthy recovery process. She was initially booked against Jessica Eye at UFC 276, but she has been forced out of this matchup due to this injury. It is currently unclear if Eye will receive a replacement, or if the promotion will book her on another card.

Advertisement

Undefeated as a professional at 9-0, Australia’s O’Neill surged into the promotion on the heels of five wins in the span of less than 18 months. From there, she debuted against Shana Dobson and knocked her out in the second round. A pair of subsequent finishes over Lara Procopio and Antonia Shevchenko – all three of those UFC appearances coming in 2021 – she moved towards ranked competition on the heels of those three stoppage wins. …

The latest episode of Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweights Colby Covington vs. Jorge Masvidal has just been ratcheted up a notch.

On Thursday, Masvidal appeared on a Zoom call to enter his pleas of not guilty with the 11th Circuit Court of Florida, with Judge Zachary James presiding over the case. As a result, Masvidal has been issued a stay-away order, which will require him to stay at least 25 feet away from Covington, while not coming anywhere closer than 500 feet of Covington’s residence. “Gamebred” cannot contact Covington in any capacity, including by text message or phone call, as well. The next hearing date will be May 12, which is a status hearing that will review the proceedings to that point and possibly set a trial date.

Advertisement

Modifying his initial complaint, Covington stated that in addition to a fractured tooth, the abrasion to his wrist and the damage to his Rolex watch, he claims he suffered “brain injury” from the alleged attack. T…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4LmQASrtaI&w=560&h=315]

It’s full speed ahead for Week 2 of the Professional Fighters League regular season, as every heavyweight and featherweight set to compete made weight on Wednesday.

Advertisement

That includes defending heavyweight champ Bruno Henrique Cappelozza, who tipped the scales at 235 pounds for a featured showdown against Stuart Austin (245.8). There was one late change to the card, with Cody Goodale (253.2) stepping in on short notice to face Denis Goltsov (247.4) in a heavyweight tilt that was only recently elevated to the evening’s main card.

PFL 2 takes place at Esports Stadium Arlington in Arlington, Texas on Thursday night. The main card airs on ESPN2 and ESPN+ beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on ESPN+ beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

After nearly three years away from the sport following a knockout loss to Jiri Prochazka at Rizin 11, Cappelozza went 4-0 in 2021 to…

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

A heavyweight clash pitting Derrick Lewis against Sergei Pavlovich is in the works for an Ultimate Fighting Championship card on July 30.

Advertisement

ESPN was first to report the booking. The event, which is expected to be UFC 277, does not yet have a location or venue. The card is also expected to include a middleweight showdown between Sean Strickland and Alex Pereira.

Lewis last appeared at UFC 271, where he suffered a second-round knockout loss to Tai Tuivasa on Feb. 12 in Houston. “The Black Beast” is the UFC’s all-time knockout leader and a two-time heavyweight title challenger, coming up short against Daniel Cormier for the undisputed belt at UFC 230 and losing to Ciryl Gane for the interim strap at UFC 265. Lewis owns wins against the likes of Curtis Blaydes, Alexey Oleynik, Alexander Volkov, Francis Ngannou, Marcin Tybura, Travis Browne and Roy Nelson, to name a few.

Pavlovich has won thre…

The Lone Star State is becoming a popular destination for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The Las Vegas-based promotion will head to the Texas capital of Austin on June 18 for a Fight Night event. MMAjunkie.com was first to report the location and date of the card. UFC Austin does not currently have a headliner, but several bouts have been reported for that date, including Cody Stamann vs. Eddie Wineland at bantamweight, Damir Ismagulov vs. Guram Kutateladze at lightweight, Kyle Daukaus vs. Roman Dolidze at middleweight and Phil Hawes vs. Deron Winn at middleweight, to name a few.

The event will mark the fourth time the promotion has held an event in Austin. In 2010, UFC Fight Night 22 saw Nate Marquardt defeat Rousimar Palhares via first-round TKO, while the UFC Fight Night 57 main event in November 2014 saw Frankie Edgar submit Cub Swanson in the waning seconds of the fifth round. Finally, Donald Cerrone stopped Yancy Medeiros in the opening stanza of their fea…

BIG NEWS ONE Championship is coming BACK to U.S. prime time on Amazon Prime Video

Stay tuned for more details!@PrimeVideo | #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/t6diSS1rHG

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) April 27, 2022

Advertisement

One Championship has a new, big-name broadcast partner in North America.

The Singapore-based promotion announced on Wednesday that it has entered into a five-year deal with Amazon Prime Video to broadcast 12 events annually in primetime live in the United States and Canada. The first event and the full calendar are expected to be announced soon. Those 12 events will be available exclusively on Prime Video in the United States and Canada.

“One Championship is thrilled to work with Prime Video, one of the largest premium sports content providers in the world, to bring our live events closer to fans in the United States and Canada,” One CEO Chatri Sityodtong said in a release.

“As the wor…

Bruno Henrique Cappelozza came virtually out of nowhere to win the 2021 Professional Fighters League heavyweight championship, but the momentous occasion took on a different tone when the Brazilian learned that his father passed away the weekend before his $1 million-winning performance this past October.

Advertisement

“It was the happiest and saddest day of my life,” Cappelozza said during a PFL media day. “It was a huge loss for me and my family. We’re still feeling his absence, but I’m certain of his place in heaven.



“I know he must be very proud. He always wanted to see me become a world champion. It was a long-awaited moment. I’m certain he’s very happy.”

Cappelozza’s championship victory was five-round verdict over Ante Delija in rematch of a regular season bout. The second meeting featured plenty of momentum swings with both heavyweights hurt on different occasions in the fight, but ultimately Cappelozza did enough to get the nod on the judges’ scor…

Credit: Mike Fridley/Sherdog.com Credit: Mike Fridley/Sherdog.com Credit: Mike Fridley/Sherdog.com Credit: Mike Fridley/Sherdog.com

Lorenz Larkin has received his second new opponent at Bellator 280, as Kyle Stewart will step in for Anthony Adams against the middleweight known as “Monsoon.”

Advertisement

Larkin was initially scheduled to face Khalid Murtazliev at Bellator 280 before Murtazliev withdrew from the card for undisclosed reasons. Promotion officials confirmed the new booking following an initial report from EuroSport.

Bellator 280 takes place on May 6 at Accor Arena in Paris and is headlined by a heavyweight title rematch between Ryan Bader and Cheick Kongo. Additionally, Charlie Leary will replace Saul Rogers and face Soren Bak in a 160-pound catchweight affair.

Stewart exited the UFC after back-to-back losses against Chance Rencountre and Erik. He has gone 4-2 since then, notably taking a unanimous verdict over fellow Octagon veteran Zak Ott…

It appears as though a potential interim heavyweight title bout between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic won’t happen this summer as originally planned.

Advertisement

UFC president Dana White recently hinted that a Jones-Miocic matchup might happen at UFC 276. Meanwhile, Jones advisor Richard Schaefer told ESPN that the promotion discussed “Bones” facing Miocic with the interim belt on the line in the main event of the July 2 card in Las Vegas.

However, Jones tweeted on Tuesday that Miocic won’t be ready to fight by that proposed date.

“Stipe is saying that he will be at his absolute peak in September,” Jones wrote. “I’m disappointed but patient, I want the heavyweight goat at his absolute best. I’ll wait until September. No excuses.”

Stipe is saying that he will be at his absolute peak in September. I’m disappointed but patient, I want the heavyweight goat at his absolute best. I’ll wait until September. No excuses

— BONY (@JonnyBones…

Renan Ferreira’s first PFL season will forever be remembered for the controversial ending to his debut bout against heavyweight legend Fabricio Werdum.

Advertisement

Ferreira appeared to tap to an triangle choke early in the bout, but when the gesture wasn’t noticed by Keith Peterson, “Problema” took advantage and pounded Werdum out for what appeared to be a technical knockout victory. However, following review by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, the result was overturned to a no contest.

That, despite two subsequent victories in PFL competition, ultimately kept Ferreira out of the playoffs. Werdum, meanwhile, withdrew from the tournament and appeared to be leaning toward retirement until only recently, when he told multiple outlets that he hopes to fight again for the PFL. If that does prove to be the case, Ferreira would be more than willing to stand across the cage from “Vai Cavalo” again.

“Absolutely. I’d love to get that one back again and …

After its 2020 season was completely scrapped, Professional Fighters League took the approach of many other organizations and utilized a bubble for safety purposes during its 2021 campaign.

Advertisement

The isolation and quarantining affected athletes in different ways, but for two-time PFL featherweight champ Lance Palmer, it was mostly a negative.

“All my coaches are real-life people that have their own families, their own gyms or businesses that they run. They’re not people that can sit for 17 days in a hotel with me just for my fight,” Palmer said during PFL media day. “During the 17-day quarantine I was by myself and did my own thing. Luckily one of my old teammates, Tyler Diamond, he was by himself also, and we made the best of it. We drilled with each other, we trained with each other every day. But it’s not the same as having your coaches there.”

The proof was in the results, as Palmer went 0-2 in 2021 after 11 consecutive victories from from Novemb…

Even though he fell two spots in the UFC welterweight rankings after a unanimous decision loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273, Gilbert Burns doesn’t regret the decision to take the fight.

Advertisement

"That was my 18th fight in eight years in the UFC. I fought some of the toughest guys in two divisions, fought for the belt once and have never been invited to lunch with Dana White like I was right after the war against Chimaev," Burns told Sherdog.com.

According to Burns, big fights and also the possibility of signing a more lucrative new contract were also on the menu during lunch with the UFC president. While Burns says White didn’t give him a list of potential matchups, he already has his own preferences in mind.

"We didnt talk about specific opponents, but I would consider big fights [against] Colby [Covington], [Jorge] Masvidal, Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz, Dustin Poirier and the rematch with Chimaev,” he said. "If I could choose, the immediate rematch with C…

Even though he fell two spots in the UFC welterweight rankings after a unanimous decision loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273, Gilbert Burns doesn’t regret the decision to take the fight.

Advertisement

"That was my 18th fight in eight years in the UFC. I fought some of the toughest guys in two divisions, fought for the belt once and have never been invited to lunch with Dana White like I was right after the war against Chimaev," Burns told Sherdog.com.

According to Burns, big fights and also the possibility of signing a more lucrative new contract were also on the menu during lunch with the UFC president. While Burns says White didn’t give him a list of potential matchups, he already has his own preferences in mind.

"We didnt talk about specific opponents, but I would consider big fights [against] Colby [Covington], [Jorge] Masvidal, Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz, Dustin Poirier and the rematch with Chimaev,” he said. "If I could choose, the immediate rematch with C…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfN1D7oLS-0&w=560&h=315]

Paul Daley’s retirement fight at Bellator 281 suddenly has a little less marquee value.

Advertisement

After originally being slated to face ex-welterweight champ Andrey Koreshkov, Daley will instead lock horns with Wendell Giacomo at the May 13 event. The promotion confirmed the change on Tuesday following an initial report from Metro News. No reason was given for Koreshkov’s exit.

Bellator 281 takes place at OVO Arena Wembley in London and is headlined by an interim welterweight title tilt pitting Michael Page against Logan Storley. Also confirmed was the postponement of a co-main event showdown between Douglas Lima and Jason Jackson. A date for the rebooking is currently unknown.

Anchored at the Pitbull Brothers camp, Giacomo enters his Bellator debut with a 9-2 career mark. The man known as “White Walker” last appeared at LFA 112, where he defeated Uyran Carlos via unanimous decision thi…

Nate Diaz is getting restless.

Advertisement

The popular UFC star is ready to fight someone in the Las Vegas-based promotion — as long as it’s not Conor McGregor. Diaz took to Twitter recently to voice his frustration with his current situation.

“I been trying to fight everybody and no go, what’s the hold up UFC?” Diaz wrote. “I’m not fighting Conor, he sucks. I’l fight some one. Quit slow rolling me please. Thanks.”

I been trying to fight everybody and no go what’s the hold up ufc ?I’m not fighting Conor he sucks.I’ll fight some one quit slow rolling me pleaseThanks

— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) April 26, 2022

After sitting out all of 2020, Diaz returned to the Octagon at UFC 263 last June, where he dropped a decision to welterweight contender Leon Edwards in a five-round, non-title bout. The Stockton, Calif., native had been linked to a potential matchup against Dustin Poirier, but after UFC 273, Dana White indicated that the …

Francis Ngannou has provided some clarity as to what he wants from the Ultimate Fighting Championship regarding contract negotiations.

Advertisement

“The Tyson Fury fight has to be part of the discussion,” Ngannou said during on appearance on "The MMA Hour" on Monday. “That’s not an option. It has to be part of the discussion, because if that’s not part of the discussion now, it will never be. If I sign another contract now, and basically the same model of a contract, I’m screwed. It’s not happening ever. So we have to figure out a way to implement this into a contract.”

Ngannou was in attendance for Fury’s farewell fight against Dillian Whyte and joined the heavyweight champion in the ring after his sixth-round knockout victory. Fury, who officially retired from professional boxing, later said Ngannou is on the "hit list" for some type of exhibition bout, with the rule set still to be determined.

Ngannou expressed displeasure with his UFC contract followi…

Ben Rothwell is the latest prominent UFC veteran to sign with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.

Advertisement

The promotion confirmed the deal after Rothwell initially announced the news during an appearance on ”The MMA Hour.” A date for Rothwell’s BKFC debut is expected to be announced soon.

Rothwell was scheduled to face Alexander Gustafsson on May 21, but the bout was canceled after the Kenosha, Wisc., native was released from the UFC for at the time were unknown reasons. Rothwell offered some clarity to the situation on Monday, when he revealed that the Las Vegas-based promotion told him it would not negotiate a new contract until after the fight, which was the last on the existing deal.

“Even if I go in and perform well, knock out Gustafsson in the first round, look great, what’s gonna happen next?” Rothwell said. “They came back and we asked, ‘Are we gonna sign a deal?’ They came back and said, ‘Hey, let’s see what happens after this fight.’ … Th…

While Patrick Mix did get the nod from the cageside judges in his Bellator bantamweight quarterfinal matchup against Kyoji Horiguchi, he still believes he deserved a little more generosity on the scorecards than he received.

Advertisement

“Patchy” defeated Horiguchi via unanimous decision in their Bellator 279 clash at Neil S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Saturday night, receiving a trio of 48-47 tallies to advance to the 135-pound semifinals. Mix took the ex-Rizin and Bellator champion’s back on multiple occasions in the bout, most notably in a dominant first round in which controlled positioning and threatened with multiple chokes.

“I’m not in charge of the judges, but I thought I had a 10-8 round in the first,” Mix said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I had the back to the entire round, trying to threaten chokes. I brought him from his feet to his back while I was on his back, bent him back twice. I had his back I think in the third rou…

On a busy weekend in MMA, no moment caused more controversy than referee Mike Beltran’s decision to wave off the flyweight championship clash between Juliana Velasquez and Liz Carmouche.

Advertisement

Carmouche claimed the title when she landed a takedown, moved to the mounted crucifix position and began dropping elbows on her opponent late in Round 4 of the Bellator 278 headliner on Friday night. Though the strikes didn’t appear to be especially damaging, Velasquez had no means to defend herself in the period’s waning seconds, which prompted Beltran to step in on her behalf at the 4:47 mark.

Velasquez immediately protested the ruling in the aftermath of the bout. While action was limited in the initial three rounds, the ex-champ dropped her adversary in the second round and was ahead on all three judges’ scorecards.

“What an odd night!!” Velasquez wrote on Instagram. “I dominated the fight, I dropped her twice on her ass, judges had me up 3-0 and the fight…

Jessica Andrade made history in her first strawweight bout since 2020.

Advertisement

Andrade became the first fighter in the promotion to win a bout via standing arm-triangle choke when she used the manuever to submit Amanda Lemos in the opening round of their headlining bout at UFC Fight Night 205 on Saturday. “Bate Estaca” had to endure some damage on the feet to close the distance against Lemos, who entered the bout on a five-bout winning streak, but that was all part of the plan. Andrade was just able to put everything in motion a little bit sooner than expected.

“We knew how dangerous she was, especially in the first round. We were very much aware of it,” Andrade said at the post-fight press conference.

“The plan was to tire her out in the first round, maybe second round, so then I could take over in the third. Luckily that happened. I knew that she was going to hurt me, and I had to be cautious about it in the first round, but as soon as I get close qu…

Cristiane Justino has been talking about boxing for quite some time now, and now it appears that “Cyborg” is ready to make her foray into the Sweet Science.

Advertisement

After a convincing five-round verdict in a rematch against Arlene Blencowe in the Bellator 279 main event on Saturday, the reigning featherweight queen discussed her next move at the post-fight press conference. While there are a few options that interest the Brazilian in MMA, she seems intent on boxing, as well.

“For me, my next fight I’d like to do a boxing fight,” she said. “It’s been one of my dreams. Maybe it’s going to be the next one I’m working on. I don’t know. I don’t know who is going to be next or who Bellator will put in front of me – Cat Zingano, Amanda Nunes, Kayla Harrison. I like to be [part of] the big shows for my fans and enjoy every time I step in there for the title.”

According to Bellator president Scott Coker, allowing “Cyborg” the opportunity to box was always pa…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4F0YBnVdno&w=560&h=315]

Tyson Fury wrapped up his professional boxing career in style on Saturday.

Advertisement

Fighting in front of a packed house at Wembley Stadium in London, the heavyweight champion improved his career mark to 32-0-1 with a sixth-round knockout of Dillian Whyte on Saturday. In the aftermath, the 33-year-old Englishman seemed at peace with his choice.

“I come back for a big, big fight at home. It’s been amazing,” he said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I couldn’t have topped it off. It’s been a fairytale few years. It’s been absolutely more than I ever dreamed of as a kid and as an adult. I won every belt there is to win. There isn’t nothing more I can do. I won every belt in the game. If this was a computer game, it would definitely be completed for sure.”

However, Fury isn’t necessarily completely done with combat sports. While he doesn’t plan on defending his title again, he would b…

This fight between @criscyborg and @arleneangerfist has it all! 🌶#Bellator279 is LIVE on @SHOsports pic.twitter.com/Plp9Y3huPA

— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) April 24, 2022

Arlene Blencowe wore various shades of red and purple on her face and body. A gash above her left eye needed a bridge to cover the expanse. Her nose was bloodied and battered. Yet after 20 minutes in the cage with Cris Cyborg at Bellator 279, the stout 39-year-old Australian pounded her chest and wanted more.

Advertisement

Against Cyborg, generally speaking, there's always more hurt if that's what you're looking for, and Blencowe got what she wanted. By the end of the fifth round Saturday evening at the venerable Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Cyborg (26-2) had done more than enough to earn a sweeping unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 49-45). A point deduction in the opening round was the only blemish for the Brazilian mauler, who scored her fourth consecuti…

🤑 @JessicaMMAPro & @Prince_of_Peru react to their #UFCVegas52 POTN bonuses! pic.twitter.com/3qFuFnxVZU

— UFC (@ufc) April 24, 2022 The Ultimate Fighting Championship awarded four fighters performance bonuses on the UFC Fight Night 205 card.

Former UFC strawweight champion Jessica Andrade took home an extra $50,000 thanks to her historic standing arm-triangle choke. "Bate Estaca" needed just 3:13 to force Amanda Lemos to submit in the main event. Her victory wound up being the first-ever standing arm-triangle choke inside the Octagon.

The other performance of the night bonus went to co-main event winner and lightweight standout Claudio Puelles. The "Prince of Peru" managed to pick up a slick kneebar submission over UFC mainstay Clay Guida just 3:01 into Round 1. The Peruvian fighter has now won five straight fights inside the promotion.

Finally, fight of the night honors went to Dwight Grant and Sergey Khandozhko. The two wel…