Blog

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ny2y8YmJsYw&w=560&h=315]

Khamzat Chimaev will continue his battle against the lingering health issues from COVID-19 in the United States.

According to a report from ESPN, the UFC is flying the welterweight prospect into Las Vegas to receive additional medical care. Chimaev was forced to withdraw from a March 13 headlining clash with Leon Edwards due to onging symptoms from the coronavirus. The goal is for Chimaev to fight in June, but his longterm health will be the primary concern.

Last week, in a video released on Frontkick.online's YouTube channel, manager Majdi Shammas revealed that Chimaev “thought he was going to die” after one recent training session.

“He was really bad. He didn’t even do two rounds straight. He did one round and then rested,” Shammas said. “He started coughing, started feeling ill again, and we had to cancel the training. He even went in an ambulance to the hospital.”

Chimaev was a breakout s…

A potential welterweight slugfest between Mike Perry and Daniel Rodriguez is in the works for UFC Fight Night on April 10.

The matchup was initially reported by Fighter Path. UFC Fight Night is headlined by a middleweight showdown between Darren Till and Marvin Vettori.

Perry split a pair of bouts in 2020, outpointing Mickey Gall at UFC on ESPN 12 before dropping a unanimous verdict against Tim Means at UFC 256. “Platinum” is 7-7 over the course of his promotional tenure and owns other notable wins against the likes of Paul Felder, Alex Oliveira and Jake Ellenberger.

Rodriguez kicked off his UFC career with wins over Means, Gabriel Green and Dwight Grant before losing a unanimous decision to Nicolas Dalby in his fourth Octagon appearance of 2020. The 34-year-old owns a 13-2 career mark, with 11 of his victories coming inside the distance.

Kamaru Usman is a sizeable favorite to best Jorge Masvidal for a second time should the two welterweights square off again in the near future.

According to oddsmaker BetOnline, Usman opened as a -300 favorite, while Masvidal was listed at +250. As of this writing, Usman was listed at -310 and Masvidal at +260. The rematch must happen sometime in 2021 for any betting action to be valid.

Those odds are comparable to those released prior to UFC 251, when Usman opened as a -313 favorite and Masvidal was a +263 underdog. After original foe Gilbert Burns tested positive for COVID-19, Masvidal stepped in on less than one week’s notice and lost a five-round verdict to the reigning welterweight king on July 11. The card, which featured two other title bouts, drew an estimated 1.3 million pay-per-view buys.

After besting Burns at UFC 258 this past weekend, Usman turned his attention to a return date with Masvidal.

“Like I said, you’ve got this fake Jesus wannabe r…

The UFC is hoping the third time will be the charm for Jimmie Rivera and Pedro Munhoz.

The promotion has rescheduled the bantamweight clash for UFC Fight Night 186 on Feb. 27 after two previous cancellations. Munhoz and Rivera were initially slated to meet at UFC on ESPN 20 on Jan. 20 before being relocated to UFC 258 on Feb. 13 for undisclosed reasons. However, that second booking fell through due to a positive COVID-19 test related to the bout. MMAjunkie.com confirmed the new date after it was initially mentioned by MMAFighting.com.

UFC Fight Night 186 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a heavyweight duel between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Ciryl Gane. The card is expected to stream in its entirety on ESPN+.

Rivera and Munhoz initially squared off more than five years ago at UFC Fight Night 77, with Rivera claiming a split-decision triumph. That was part of a 20-bout professional winning streak for Rivera, who is just 2-3 in the Oct…

Leon Edwards still needs an opponent if he is to remain on the UFC Fight Night 187 card, but it doesn’t appear that Colby Covington is a willing dance partner.

Last week, UFC president Dana White revealed that the promotion was working on booking a title eliminator between Covington and Edwards, potentially as early as March 13. Edwards was supposed to face Khamzat Chimaev at the event before Chimaev withdrew to ongoing COVID-19 issues.

In an interview with Submission Radio, Covington rejected the possibility of a matchup with Edwards.

“‘Leon Scott’ hasn’t earned anything,” Covington said. “I’m in the Colby Covington Incorporated championship business. I’m not in the Leon Scott charity business. This isn’t charity hour, man. I’m fighting at the top of the mountain. I’m fighting the best in the world …

“I’m not doing charity business no more. It’s not my fault this kid hasn’t fought in two years. It’s not my fault this kid – there’s people from England fi…

Former UFC competitor Paul Kelly is calling it a career at age 36.

The Englishman announced his decision via social media on Monday. Kelly last competed in March 2020, earning a technical knockout victory against Simone Bottino at a regional event in his home country. It was his first fight since 2013 after serving a prison sentence for drug trafficking.

“I had my time! and I would never change my path,” Kelly wrote. “MMA give me a life I would never have dreamed of, met people I would never have met. No drug can compare to the feeling of getting your hand raised after walking out for a straighter with 20k watching.

“At some point we have to let go, I was full committed to trying one more time with the gaffer @teamkaobon to win a British title. Covid has taken another year so am calling it a day.

“My life is on a different path now, one that means I can’t commit my life to fighting anymore like my opponent will be. Winning is winning and for me now winnin…

Ayaka Hamasaki will face Kanna Asakura for a second time with the atomweight championship on the line at Rizin Fighting Federation 27.

The Japanese promotion recently announced the pairing, which will headline its first event of 2021. Rizin 27 takes place on March 21 at Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya, Japan. According to a release, 5,000 spectators will be allowed to attend.

Nine other bouts were also confirmed for the event: Roberto de Souza vs. Kazuki Tokudome at lightweight; Tsuyoshi Sudario vs. Kazushi Miyamoto at heavyweight; Kleber Koike Erbst vs. Kazumasa Majima at featherweight; Koji Takeda vs. Takasuke Kume at lightweight; Tetsuya Seki vs. Yoshinori Horie at featherweight; Shooto Watanabe vs. Takumi Tamaru at bantamweight; Kazuma Sone vs. Hiroki Yamashita at bantamweight; Yutaro Muramoto vs. Seigo Yamamoto at flyweight and Kohei Sugiyama vs. Yuki Ito at flyweight.

Hamasaki and Asakura initially squared off for the vacant atomweight belt at Rizin 14, with …

After one of the saddest nights of his life at UFC 258, the first thing Gilbert Burns did when he woke up on Sunday was text Dana White asking to return as soon as possible.

Burns shared the story with Brazilian journalist Renato Rebello on his Youtube channel, Sexto Round, while waiting for his return flight from Las Vegas to Florida. Burns lost to Kamaru Usman via third-round technical knockout in the UFC 258 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday.

"That´s fighter life. Winning and losing is part of the game. Of course, the fact that I had such a good first round and seeing the belt so close made me feel the weight of defeat even more. But I cried a lot, had a long talk with Vitor Belfort, Ronaldo [Souza] and my older brother and somehow it helped me to wake up really motivated, texting Dana to get me back as soon as possible,” Burns said. "I just want to spend two or three weeks 100 percent with my wife and kids and return 100 percen…

WHAT A RIGHT HAND! HUGE Win for @RaulianPaivaMMA!#UFCRioRancho pic.twitter.com/NvhiuG5kJ2

— UFC (@ufc) February 15, 2020

A matchup of surging flyweights is on tap for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s May 22 event when David Dvorak locks horns with Raulian Paiva.

Multiple outlets confirmed the booking following an initial report from Ag Fight. UFC Fight Night does not have an official location or headliner as of this writing.

A 28-year-old native of the Czech Republic, Dvorak is currently on a 15-bout professional winning streak. The All Sports Academy product began his promotional tenure with back-to-back decision triumphs against Bruno Silva and Jordan Espinosa in 2020. Dvorak is 19-4 over the course of his career, with 15 victories coming inside the distance.

Paiva is 2-2 in the UFC after competing on the Brazilian edition of Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018. After falling to Kai Kara France and Rogerio Bontorin in his fi…

Georges St. Pierre remains the gold standard by which all welterweights are compared in mixed martial arts.

So when Kamaru Usman surpassed the former champion’s record for most consecutive wins at 170 pounds on Saturday not, it was only natural that talk turned to how the current title holder might fare against the division’s GOAT. Usman, for one, said he would welcome the challenge.

“Of course, I would like Georges. But I don’t want Georges because of money or anything like that. Like I said, I’m a competitor. I want Georges because Georges left on top. Georges can still do it. I see him training. Georges, I’m watching you. I see you training. Georges can still do it.

“So, if there’s potential for that big fight and Georges wants to come back, then of course, Georges can cut the line, absolutely.”

However, St. Pierre’s interest in such a pairing doesn’t seem to be high at the moment. The Canadian discussed the possibility during an appearance on SN590’s "…

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

Polish strongman Mariusz Pudzianowski will square off against Senegalese heavyweight wrestling champion Serigne Ousmane Dia in the KSW 59 main event.

Promotion officials announced the pairing on Monday. KSW 59 takes place on March 20 and will also see bantamweight champion Antun Racic face an as yet to be determined opponent. The event can be viewed on pay-per-view via KSWTV.com.

The 44-year-old Pudzianowski hasn’t competed since November 2019, when he defeated Erko Jun by second-round technical knockout at KSW 51. The 43-year-old made his MMA debut in 2009 and has compiled a 13-7 record with one no contest. All but one of his professional appearances have come under the KSW banner. He has bested the likes of Rolles Gracie, Bob Sapp, Oli Thompson, Sean McCorkle and Jay Silva over the course of his tenure.

Known as “Bombardier,” Dia is listed at 6-foot-3, 330 pounds and is a two-time “King of the Ar…

Despite a 17-fight winning streak that includes 13 triumphs in the world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion, Kamaru Usman was feeling a little bit overlooked after UFC 258.

After defeating former teammate Gilbert Burns by third-round technical knockout in Saturday’s headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, “The Nigerian Nightmare” issued a demand for respect that he feels he hasn’t received as of yet in his career. In particular, Usman pointed to pound-for-pound rankings, where he feels he has been slighted.

“That pound-for-pound list is not a popularity contest, you know? I haven’t really lost rounds in here – I control what goes on inside the cage,” he said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “Just because I’m not the loudest guy in the room, I’m not the most braggadocious, I don’t get in trouble outside [the cage], I’m not in headlines all the time.

“Let’s be honest, they kind of disrespect me in a sense. That pound-for-pound list is not a popularit…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

Maycee Barber emerged from a contract-winning performance on Dana White’s Contender Series with big ambitions for her Ultimate Fighting Championship career.

Ahead of her Octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 139 in November 2018, Barber announced her plans to break Jon Jones’ record by becoming the youngest champion in promotion history.

“I’ve always said it: I’m going to be the youngest UFC champion,” Barber said prior to the event. “But it’s better to just let your actions speak and talk a little less. We’re going to say less, do more. And, yeah, you guys know. You’ll see where I go.”

The hype began to build in earnest as Barber dispatched Hannah Cifers, J.J. Aldrich and Gillian Robertson via technical knockout in her first three promotional appearances. She hit a speed bump at UFC 246, however, suffering a torn ACL in an upset loss to Roxanne Modafferi in January 2020. After more than a year on the sidelines, “The Future” retu…

Stefan Struve announced his retirement on Monday after a 42-fight professional career that began in 2005.

The 7-foot Dutchman revealed his decision on social media, citing an ear condition that worsened when he was hit during a recent UFC bout. Struve has dealt with vertigo, hearing loss and a ringing noise in his ear as a result of the condition, which is permanent but doesn’t affect his day-to-day life when he’s not training for a fight. Struve said he elected to call it a career after the UFC recently reached out to offer him a fight.

“I was able to take my space and time the last couple of months to overthink this, so this time it really is for good,” Struve said. “I’ve had an inner ear issue I’ve been battling since May last year. I caught a viral infection that has damaged my vestibular system and the hearing nerve in my right ear. After new tests done recently we learned that the vestibular system is not working properly, the first conclusion in May was that it…

Former Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist Rodolfo Vieira was one of the biggest favorites at UFC 258.

In the early moments of his bout with Anthony Hernandez, it looked like all would go as planned, as he took his foe down and hunted for submissions. Once Hernandez escaped, it was an entirely different matter. Vieira quickly fatigued, and Hernandez capitalized with a barrage of power punches.

Vieira made it to Round 2, but Hernandez remained on the offensive, rocking his foe with a head kick and a pair of standing elbows. With Vieira fading fast, Hernandez added a shocking punctuation to his victory by tapping the five-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion with an arm-in guillotine choke at the 1:53 mark of the period.

“That was one of the fights that we picked to be a great fight and it was,” UFC president Dana White said at the post-fight press conference. “Even the commentators were talking about, nobody wants to …

Sorry y’all. No performance of the night for me on Feb 27th @Cagesidepress @ufc pic.twitter.com/8giaZg4gy3

— Sam Hughes (@samhughesmma) February 14, 2021

UFC Fight Night 186 has lost a strawweight clash between Sam Hughes and Emily Whitmire.

Hughes confirmed the cancellation on social media following an initial report from Cageside Press. The bout was reportedly scrapped because Whitmire was forced off the card for undisclosed reasons.

It’s currently unknown if the bout will be rebooked for a future event or if Hughes will receive a replacement foe. UFC Fight Night 186 takes place on Feb. 27 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a heavyweight tilt pitting Jairzinho Rozenstruik against Ciryl Gane.

A three-time Legacy Fighting Alliance veteran, Hughes is coming off a first-round TKO loss to Tecia Torres in her promotional debut at UFC 256. Whitmire, meanwhile, is 2-3 in the Octagon and is coming off back-to-back submission…

Kamaru Usman showcased some different aspects to his game at UFC 258.

First, he displayed the ability to overcome adversity when he recovered from being rocked by an overhand right from Gilbert Burns in the opening stanza of Saturday’s welterweight championship headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Then, as the bout progressed, “The Nigerian Nightmare” utilized a powerful jab from both the southpaw and orthodox stance, and it was that very maneuver that floored Burns in the finishing sequence at the beginning of Round 3.

“I’ve been waiting for this fight for a year. I was excited for this fight,” UFC president Dana White said at the post-fight press conference. “I knew it was gonna be great. For all the attributes that Usman has, his chin is probably the best one. He’s got a chin from hell. He took some big shots tonight and just kept coming forward … He said he used to get hit with that punch when they used to spar. It basically just made him mad.…

Before she set foot in the UFC’s Octagon, Alexa Grasso was tabbed as a potential superstar who could make inroads for the Las Vegas-based promotion in the potentially lucrative Mexican market.

Grasso looked the part too, compiling an 8-0 mark that included four triumphs in Invicta Fighting Championships. Once she arrived in the UFC, Grasso struggled to find consistency as she alternated wins and losses through her first six appearances at 115 pounds.

It’s only recently that the Lobo Gym MMA representative has begun to deliver on that potential. After throttling Maycee Barber at UFC 258, Grasso has won consecutive fights in the UFC for the first time in her career. Both of those victories have come since she moved to 125 pounds. That the latest triumph came against Barber, who not long ago was one of the most highly-touted prospects in any women’s division, makes the achievement all the more impressive in the eyes of UFC president Dana White.

“She looked incredib…

Gilbert Burns believes he followed the wrong blueprint once he hurt Kamaru Usman in the opening round of the UFC 258 headliner.

“I think I got over excited. I went Cody Garbrandt crazy as soon as I hurt him,” Burns said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “It was the second time [in my career]. I think I made the same mistake when I fought Dan Hooker. I got over excited. To become a champion, I cannot make those mistakes.”

Burns hurt Usman when an overhand right during an early exchange in their welterweight title bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. From there, the Brazilian blitzed for the finish and ultimately wound up slipping on a head kick. Burns couldn’t entice Usman into his guard, and the champion gradually regained his bearings.

Garbrandt, the former UFC bantamweight champion, became known for biting down on his mouthpiece and throwing caution to the wind during a three-bout skid in which he suffered knockout losses to T.J. Dillashaw (twice) and P…

For a moment, it appeared as though Kamaru Usman’s reign as welterweight champion would end inside of a round at UFC 258.

Early on in Saturday’s headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, former training partner Gilbert Burns rattled Usman with a massive overhand right. Though it didn’t quite drop “The Nigerian Nightmare,” the champion was clearly reeling. However, he managed to survive the ensuing onslaught from his opponent and make it to the end of the round.

As the fight progressed, Usman regained his faculties and took control, relying on a powerful jab that would floor Burns twice in the fight. The second of those instances occurred early in Round 3, and Usman followed up with devastating ground-and-pound to force a stoppage 34 seconds into the frame.

“That’s the thing. I’m the best at recomposing myself in fights, I’m the best in the world at that,” Usman said. “It’s a funny thing, that’s pretty similar to how a lot of our sparrings went. I know he counters …

Four “Performance of the Night” awards were handed out following UFC 258 on Saturday night.

Kamaru Usman received $50,000 for his third-round technical knockout victory against Gilbert Burns in the evening’s main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. After getting rocked in the opening stanza, “The Nigerian Nightmare” gradually took control behind a powerful jab, ultimately flooring his former foe and finishing the victory with ground-and-pound 34 seconds into the third frame to retain his 170-pound belt.

Earlier on the main card, Julian Marquez pocketed $50,000 for a come-from-behind victory against Maki Pitolo in a featured middleweight affair. “The Cuban Missile Crisis” struggled defending his opponent’s wrestling for two rounds befoe rallying to submit Pitolo with an anaconda choke at the 4:17 mark of Round 3.

Elsewhere, Anthony Hernandez garnered $50,000 for a shocking submission of former Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold me…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 258 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Kamaru Usman remains the master of his domain and now owns the longest winning streak in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s welterweight division. Usman retained his undisputed welterweight crown with a stirring third-round technical knockout of former Sanford MMA stablemate Gilbert Burns in the UFC 258 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Burns (19-4, 12-4 UFC) bowed out 34 seconds into Round 3, his run of six consecutive victories at an end.

It was far from a typical title defense for the champion. Burns had “The Nigerian Nightmare” reeling with an overhand right in the first round and appeared to have him out of sorts. Usman (18-1, 13-0 UFC), however, slowly regained his faculties and started to seize command. He relied more and more on a devastating jab from both hands and floored Burns with t…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 258 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Sherdog's live UFC 258 coverage will begin Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET. Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield s…

ANTHONY HERNANDEZ BY SUBMISSION! @ILovebamf with a huge performance to close the prelims #UFC258 pic.twitter.com/aEoULOkWM6

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) February 14, 2021 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 258 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. It was an outcome no one could have foreseen. Anthony Hernandez submitted five-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion and 2015 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist Rodolfo Vieira with a guillotine choke in the second round of their featured UFC 258 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Viera (7-1, 2-1 UFC) bowed out 1:53 into Round 2. Odds of a Hernandez submission victory were set at 30-to-1.

Vieira executed a takedown inside the first minute, progressed to the back and threatened with submissions, first with a rear-naked choke and later with an armbar. Hernandez (8-2, 2-2 UFC) managed…