Blog

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf72PMU-7RM&w=640&h=360] After the weigh-ins took place, everything is set as Bellator MMA returns for both its first event of 2021 and on Showtime.

Bellator 255 is headlined a featherweight title bout between reigning champ Patricio Freire and challenger Emmanuel Sanchez. The winner will advance to the finals of the promotion's featherweight world grand prix tournament to face A.J. McKee. Both champion and challenger made weight, although the rest of the card wasn't as drama free as three fighters failed to hit their contracted weights.

Since knocking out lightweight Michael Chandler in just over a minute to become a double champion, "Pitbull" has impressed in the grand prix. Freire (31-4) beat up Juan Archuleta over five rounds in the opening round and then knocked out Pedro Carvalho in under half a round to make his way into the semi-finals. The titleholder stepped on the scales at 144.1 pounds ahead of what he hopes is his se…

With the Von Flue!! @AlonzoMenifield locks in the early sub to close the #UFC260 prelims! pic.twitter.com/FpFP8NzHVQ

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) March 28, 2021

Though the event was headlined by a heavyweight championship bout, the UFC 260 prelims didn’t do a huge number in the ratings department.

According to ShowBuzz Daily, the preliminary portion of the card attracted an average audience of 718,000 to ESPN. That’s the lowest of the four UFC pay-per-view prelims thus far in 2021, as the other three — UFC 257 (1.433 million), UFC 258 (794,000) and UFC 259 (1.208 million) — all outdrew Saturday’s offering.

UFC 260 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card aired on pay-per-view via ESPN+ and saw Francis Ngannou claim heavyweight gold with a second-round knockout of Stipe Miocic in the evening’s main event. The preliminary draw wasn’t big on star power, but in the featured bout of that portion of the card, Alonzo Menifield submitt…

If all goes as planned, the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return to the Toyota Center in Houston will feature a super-sized 15-bout lineup.

The Las Vegas promotion announced the finalized card for the May 15 event, including a pair of new lightweight bouts: Lando Vannata vs. Mike Grundy and Kevin Aguilar vs. Tucker Lutz.

UFC 262 will take place at the Toyota Center with no crowd restrictions in place. The event is headlined by a clash between Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title, while Leon Edwards and Nate Diaz will square off in a five-round non-title co-main event. The lineup for the entire card can be viewed here.

Vannata went 1-1 in 2020 and is coming off a decision loss to Bobby Green in a rematch at UFC Fight Night 173. Grundy, meanwhile, had a nine-bout winning streak snapped at UFC on ESPN 14, where he dropped a three-round verdict to Movsar Evloev.

After winning his first two Octagon appearances, Aguilar has …

If you don’t have a Showtime subscription and don’t plan on purchasing one, you’ll still be able to watch Bellator 255 on Friday night.

The California-based promotion announced Wednesday that the Bellator 255 main card will air free of charge to viewers in the United States on streaming services Pluto TV, Hulu, YouTube and FuboTV, as well as via participating television providers.

The entire 13-bout card, which features an eight-bout preliminary lineup, will also stream live on Showtime and the Bellator MMA YouTube channel, per a release.

“We are proud to be the new home of Bellator and delighted to share this debut event with millions of non-subscribers,” said Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza. “Bellator has steadily built the strongest roster in its history and now includes some of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport. On Friday night, we will introduce new fans to this premier brand of mixed martial arts and invite them to our network, whi…

¡¡¡Grandes noticias!!! ¡Estamos de vuelta! Combate Global ha firmado un contrato de cinco años con Univision. ¡Nuestra primera pelea es el 9 de abril!

Big News!!! We’re back! Combate Global has signed a five-year deal with Univision. Our first fight is April 9th! pic.twitter.com/oZyiFNszn7

— Combate Global (@combateglobal) March 31, 2021 Latin American mixed martial arts promotion Combate Americas will rebrand itself as part of a five-year broadcast partnership with Univision, the top Spanish language content and media company in the United States.

The organization, which will now be known as Combate Global, has signed a five-year media rights deal to broadcast 30 events annually on Univision. The kick-off event will take place on April 9, with further details for the card to be announced in the coming weeks.

Going forward, Combate Global events will be available on all Univision platforms, including TUDN, the TUDN Radio Network, TUDN…

Jon Jones continues to be at odds with the UFC regarding financial terms, and the former light heavyweight champion has once again taken to Twitter to express his concerns.

Jones revealed that he had a call with UFC executive vice president and chief business officer Hunter Campbell to begin negotiations for a potential blockbuster fight against Ngannou, the newly-crowned heavyweight champion.

“I had a brief phone meeting with UFC‘s lawyer Hunter a few days ago,” Jones wrote on Twitter. “As of right now I expressed to him that anywhere around $8 to $10 million would be way too low for a fight of this magnitude. That’s all that has been discussed so far.

“I’m supposed to be waiting for what their offer is going to be. Really hoping the numbers are nowhere near that low. I guess we will see what happens.”

After Ngannou knocked out Stipe Miocic in the UFC 260 headliner on March 27, Jones tweeted “Show me the money,” which led to a contentious exchange with U…

I I feel it’s time to break out this baby for the next fight. I ask the UFC to please create The McGregor belt. I suggest rose gold and rubies. Think patek rare. pic.twitter.com/bGSRBhRwAa

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) March 31, 2021

Specialized belts are becoming all the rage in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

On the heels of Jorge Masvidal capturing the “BMF” title with a victory over Nate Diaz at UFC 244 in November 2019, Conor McGregor has proposed the creation of his own personalized piece of championship hardware ahead of a rumored trilogy matchup with Dustin Poirier.

“I feel it’s time to break this baby out for the next fight,” McGregor wrote on Twitter, posting a video of the UFC 196 pre-fight press conference, where he first mentioned the notion of his own belt. “I ask the UFC to please create The McGregor belt. I suggest rose gold and rubies. Think patek rare.

“Or yellow gold and emeralds possibly. Might be nice a…

Nate Diaz will make his highly-anticipated Octagon return when he faces Leon Edwards in the UFC 262 co-main event.

ESPN was first to report the matchup. Both fighters have verbally agreed to the pairing but contracts have not been signed. Despite being a non-title affair and not occupying a headlining slot, the bout will be contested over five rounds. It will be the first five-round, non-title co-headliner in promotion history.

UFC 262 takes place on May 15 at the Toyota Center in Houston and is headlined by a showdown for the vacant lightweight strap between Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira.

Diaz will compete for the first time since losing to Jorge Masvidal via third-round doctor stoppage for the “BMF” title at UFC 244 in November 2019. The Stockton, Calif., native has competed infrequently in recent years, splitting a pair of bouts with Conor McGregor in 2016 and besting Anthony Pettis at UFC 241 in August 2019 before the aforementioned setback to “Game…

Credit: Gleidson Venga/Sherdog.com Credit: Gleidson Venga/Sherdog.com Credit: Gleidson Venga/Sherdog.com Credit: Gleidson Venga/Sherdog.com

Darren Till has suffered a broken collarbone in training and will not be able to face Marvin Vettori in the UFC on ABC 2 headliner as originally planned.

Till announced the news in a post on his Instagram account Tuesday.

“I’ve been [sitting] here for a good few hours debating how to say this [and] put into words what I’m feeling [and] just going to say it straight... I’VE BROKEN MY COLLARBONE! I’m out my fight next week against Marvin,” Till wrote. “Every person who is around me or who has been around me knows I train on a daily basis with f—ed up knees, lower back, shoulders, hands and the list goes on.

“Yesterday while drilling I fell and straight away I knew I’d broken something. To say I’m f—-ing destroyed by it is an understatement. I’ve literally put my heart, soul, mind, physical body, cash, nutrition, sleep, recov…

@danawhite @seanshelby I’ve been beating everybody who you put in front of me, give somebody who make sense, I will be glad to beat @SugaSeanMMA too, please make this happen in April !!I will be ready!! pic.twitter.com/iGmxtD0ooD

— Raoni Barcelos (@BarcelosRaoni) March 30, 2021

After recovering from a case of COVID-19 that resulted in his exit from UFC Fight Night 186 on Feb. 26, Raoni Barcelos is back to training and wants to return to the Octagon as soon as possible.

Barcelos, who was won his last five bouts in the promotion, was impressed with Sean Malley’s performance against Thomas Almeida at UFC 260 this past Saturday. The Brazilian went straight to Twitter to call out the Contender Series alum, tagging UFC president Dana White and matchmaker Sean Shelby in the process.

"We have the same numbers of wins in UFC (5),” Barcelos told Sherdog.com. “The only difference is that he already has one loss in the middle.”

Barcelos believes…

Anderson Silva will return to the boxing ring for the first time since 2005 when he faces Julio Cesa Chavez Jr. on June 19 in Jalisco, Mexico.

ESPN was first to report the booking, which will be contested at 180 pounds, according to promoter Saul Rios. The former UFC middleweight champion later confirmed the news to TMZ Sports.

"When I look back at my journey, I see that nothing has been in vain," Silva said. "I am extremely happy for the opportunity to test my boxing skills with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

"I train continuously, always striving for resilience and to overcome obstacles. Fighting is my everlasting breath."

“The Spider” is 1-1 in boxing, suffering a first-round TKO loss to Osmar Luiz Teixeira in his debut in 1998 before defeating Juliar Cesar De Jesus via second-round TKO in 2005. Both bouts occurred in Brazil. The 45-year-old was once regarded as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in mixed martial arts. He parted ways with the UFC followi…

Don't miss @FabricioWerdum fights all season long on @canalCombate in Brazil! pic.twitter.com/yu4qFgBHIp

— PFL MMA (@ProFightLeague) March 30, 2021

As he prepares to make his Professional Fighters League debut against Renan Ferreira on May 6, former UFC champion Fabricio Werdum is excited that the organization’s events will be broadcast on Brazil’s leading media company.

The PFL announced Tuesday that it has partnered with Globo, and the company will carry the promotion’s regular season, playoff and championship events beginning April 23 through Combate channel platforms.

"It´s amazing to know that most MMA fans in Brazil will be able to see me fighting,” Werdum told Sherdog.com. “I Have no doubt Combate is the best fighting channel in the world, the only one dedicated 24 hours to MMA and combat sports. I got more excited when I found out that my move to PFL was important to them to close the deal. That just motivates me to train more to f…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s7qNbaJTQg&w=560&h=315]

Francis Ngannou is not one of those who thinks Jon Jones is avoiding a matchup with the newly-crowned heavyweight champion.

Shortly after Ngannou knocked out Stipe Miocic in the second round to claim the belt at UFC 260, Jones tweeted ‘Show me the money’ in reference to a potential showdown with “The Predator.” That prompted UFC president Dana White to imply that the former light heavyweight king didn’t really want a bout against the powerful Ngannou. From there, Jones expressed his displeasure with White’s comments in a series of tweets, some of which have been deleted.

Ngannou, however, seems to understand Jones’ position and believes it isn’t out of line for “Bones” to request a bigger payday for what could conceivably rank as one of the biggest fights in UFC history.

“I believe that Jon Jones wants this fight,” Ngannou told TMZ Sports “I believe he’ll want it to happen because it’s going to be…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Alessio Di Chirico will meet Roman Dolidze in a middleweight matchup at UFC Fight Night on June 5.

BJPenn.com was first to report the booking. The card does not have an official location or headliner but is expected to include a heavyweight showdown between Walt Harris and Marcin Tybura on the bill.

Di Chiricio last appeared at UFC on ABC 1, when he halted a three-fight skid with a head-kick knockout of Joaquin Buckley on Jan. 16. The 31-year-old Italian is 4-5 during his promotional tenure and 13-5 as a professional overall.

Dolidze began his pro career with eight consecutive triumphs before dropping a unaniomus decision to Trevin Giles in his most recent outing at UFC on ESPN 21 on March 20. The 32-year-old Georgian fighter had earned decision wins over Khadis Ibragimov and John Allan in his first two UFC appearances before that defeat.

Stipe Miocic’s awkward fall upon being knocked out by Francis Ngannou apparently won’t keep him on the sidelines any longer than normal.

Miocic received a 60-day medical suspension after relinquishing the heavyweight crown to Ngannou in the UFC 260 main event, according to mixedmartialarts.com. That suspension is typical for those who have suffered a knockout defeat for precautionary reasons. Ngannou, meanwhile, received a 30-day medical suspension.

UFC 260 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Five fighters from the card are facing potential six-month suspensions pending medical clearance: Gillian Robertson (right hand), Jamie Mullarkey (right hand, wrist), Fabio Cherant (right ribs), Omar Morales (right tibia, thumb) and Shane Young (left tibia, fibula).

UFC 260 Medical Suspensions:

Francis Ngannou: suspended until 04/27/21, no contact until 04/18/21.

Stipe Miocic: suspended until 05/27/21, no contact until 05/12/21.

Vic…

Considered one of the pioneers of MMA in Brazil, former Invicta flyweight champion Vanessa Porto is looking forward to making her promotional debut against Liz Carmouche at Bellator 256.

“I’ve been fighting MMA since 2005. It’s amazing to be able to be so motivated now as I was 16 years ago. Nothing better than a great card and a great opponent to make my Bellator debut,” Porto told Sherdog.com.

With the experience of having clashed with two of the most feared women in MMA history, Amanda Nunes and Cristiane Justinoat Brazilian Vale Tudo events, Porto refuses to see her fight against Carmouche as a classical striker vs. grappler match.

"Many people don’t know, but I already fought many times in wrestling competitions in Brazil. We are both 37 years old competing for more than a decade in the most complete combat sport on earth. Of course we train everything,” Porto says. “Besides that we are both very explosive girls, so definitely that´s a …

Champ Champ

KSW HW Champion@phildefriesmma

KSW LHW Champion@TomaszNarkun #KSW60 - April 24th pic.twitter.com/qUKTevA2DW — KSW (@KSW_MMA) March 29, 2021

Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki heavyweight champion Philip De Fries and light heavyweight title holder Tomasz Narkun are going to run it back.

The Polish promotion announced Monday that De Fries and Narkun will meet in a rematch to headline KSW 60 at Wytwornia Club in Lodz, Poland, on April 24. The event will be available via pay-per-view on KSWTV.com.

De Fries and Narkun first fought at KSW 47 in March 2019. The English heavyweight champion retained his crown with a five-round verdict over Narkun, part of an ongoing seven-bout winning streak. Most recently, De Fries scored a second-round TKO win against Michal Kita at KSW 57 this past December. “F-11” is 19-6 as a pro, including a 2-3 stint in the UFC from 2011 to 2013.

Narkun, meanwhile, rebounded from that defeat with back-t…

Thanks to his consistency and longevity, Stipe Miocic is one of the greatest heavyweight champions the UFC has ever seen.

His second reign came to an end on Saturday night, as he was knocked out by Francis Ngannou in the second round of their headlining clash at UFC 260 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Miocic fell awkwardly after being hit with the decisive blow, but in a statement released on his Instagram page Monday assured everyone that he is in relatively good health following the defeat.

“First and foremost, I’m ok. I know that fall wasn’t my most graceful fall, but I was unconscious, so it happens,” Miocic wrote.

“To my family friends and fans, especially Croatia and Cleveland … I love you and I’m sorry. I hate letting you down. To my team, thank you. I know you feel every loss just as much as I do. We win as a family, we lose as a family. Losses aren’t fun, they always sting for a while, but that’s the beast of this business,” he continued. “You can’t win t…

Cage Warriors?! Completed it, mate!

Welcome to the UFC @PaddyTheBaddy! pic.twitter.com/TbUjTCsTJX

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) March 29, 2021 Highly-touted Cage Warriors prospect Paddy Pimblett is taking his talents to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Both the UFC and Cage Warriors announced the signing via social media. A date fo the 26-year-old Liverpool, England, native’s debut is currently unknown.

A former featherweight champion with Cage Warriors, Pimblett will likely compete in the UFC at 155 pounds. Paddy “The Baddy” has fought at lightweight since losing the 145-pound belt against Nad Narimani in April 2017.

Pimblett is coming off back-to-back first-round finishes of Decky Dalton and Davide Martinez under the Cage Warriors banner. Prior to that, the Next Generation UK representative dropped a five-round verdict to Soren Bak in a lightweight title bout at Cage Warriors 96 in 2018. Pimblett is 16-3 since beginning his pro…

Jack May will step in for Matt Mitrione and face Tyrell Fortune in a heavyweight contest at Bellator 255.

Sherdog.com confirmed the change with a promotion official on Monday following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com. Mitrione withdrew from the bout for undisclosed reasons. Bellator 255 takes place on Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and is headlined by a featherweight grand prix semifinal between reigning champion Patricio Freire and Emmanuel Sanchez. The card will air on Showtime.

Fortune and May initially squared off last September at Bellator 245, but the bout ended 2:42 into Round 1 after Fortune landed an accidental kick to the groin of his opponent. Fortune returned to action at Bellator 251, where he outpointed Said Sowma on Nov. 5. The 30-year-old Arizona Combat Sports representative is 9-1 with on no contest as a professional.

May last appeared at Xtremme MMA “Fick vs. Fialho,” where he suffered a split-decision loss to Kyle Nob…

Sean O'Malley rebounded from his first career defeat in emphatic fashion at UFC 260.

The 26-year-old bantamweight nearly had a walkoff knockout victory against Thomas Almeida in Round 1 and when that didn’t quite come to fruition, “Sugar” put on a clinic until the finish did arrive 3:52 into the final frame.

After suffering a TKO loss to Marlon Vera at UFC 252 last August, O’Malley appears to be back on track as one of the top rising talents at 135 pounds.

“He looked good coming back in off of the ‘Chito’ Vera fight, he came in tonight against a real tough kid, durable, with serious punching power and he put on a masterpiece tonight,” UFC president Dana White said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference.

“He picked him apart, stayed on the outside and did whatever he wanted to do. He hurt him [in the first round], thought he finished him and then finished him again in the third round. You really couldn’t have put on a better performance than he did tonig…

It was a different version of Tyron Woodley at UFC 260, but unfortunately for the ex-welterweight champion, the end result was the same as his recent Octagon appearances.

Woodley suffered his fourth consecutive defeat in Saturday’s co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, as he tapped to a brabo choke from Vicente Luque 3:56 into Round 1 of their 170-pound encounter. While his previous three losses were characterized by a lack of aggression, Woodley brought the fight to Luque at the outset and rocked his adversary with a couple of his patented overhand rights in the early going.

Ultimately it wasn’t enough, because Luque, one of the most prolific finishers in the division, made Woodley pay for his aggression.

S--t was going really well until it wasn’t,” Woodley wrote on Instagram. “My camp pushed me in ways I haven’t been pushed in a while. I committed, and swore to myself I would bring the tiger out that earned me gold. I saw the opportunity for the KO and g…

You need to see this!

5.15amBatié, Cameroon

Incredible scenes from the hometown of @Francis_Ngannou as they celebrate the crowning of a new UFC Heavyweight Champion!

( Mathieu Pennella) pic.twitter.com/NSA57bUsmA

— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) March 28, 2021

It may have been in the wee hours of morning in Batie, Cameroon, when Francis Ngannou captured UFC heavyweight gold, but that didn’t prevent his home country from launching into a raucous celebration.

Video footage shows Ngannou’s countrymen cheering wildly after “The Predator” knocked out Stipe Miocic in the UFC 260 main event on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. At the time of Ngannou’s victory, it was 5:15 a.m. local time in Batie.

Ngannou was born in Batie and worked in the mines at a young age. After he became interested in combat sports, he moved to France with designs on pursuing a boxing career before he discovered MMA. Ngannou current lives in Las Vegas…

The trilogy bout between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor has a tentative date and venue.

During the UFC 260 post-fight press conference on Saturday, Dana White confirmed that the promotion is targeting July 10 for the third meeting between the two lightweights. That would set the stage for Poirier-McGregor 3 to go down at UFC 264, and as an added perk, the UFC wants to hold the card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, which means the organization is optimistic fans will be allowed in the venue.

“That’s the plan,” the UFC president said. “I hope so. We all hope so.”

The Las Vegas-based promotion will hold an event in front of a capacity crowd for the first time on April 24, when UFC 261 heads to the 15,000-seat Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. Tickets for that event quickly sold out, and the gate is believed to be the highest in the history of the venue. The promotion is also expected to hold UFC 262 in front of an audience with no capacity restrictio…