Blog

Jon Jones still isn’t buying the “Greatest of All Time” discussion that has surrounded Khabib Nurmagomedov since his retirement bout at UFC 254 on Saturday.

Nurmagomedov submitted Justin Gaethje with a triangle choke at the 1:34 mark of Round 2 in Abu Dhabi to run his career record to 29-0. Citing a promise he made to his mother beforehand, “The Eagle” laid his gloves down in the Octagon after the victory. Nurmagomedov’s record includes 13 UFC triumphs and four victories in title fights, the latter of which ties him with B.J. Penn and Benson Henderson for the most in the history of the lightweight division. Perhaps even more impressively, Nurmagomedov has rarely lost a round during his UFC tenure.

Still, Jones believes his 15 title fight victories (one of those was eventually changed to a no contest) trump Nurmagomedov — by a significant margin.

“I’m talking to all you Khabib fans out there,” Jones said in a video on his Instagram account. “Fifteen world titl…

The Bellator 251 main card continues to take shape.

Sherdog.com confirmed with a promotion official on Monday that a heavyweight clash pitting Tyrell Fortune against Said Sowman and welterweight bout between Derek Anderson against Killys Mota have been booked for the Nov. 4 lineup. MMAjunkie.com was first to report the matchups.

Bellator 251 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, and is headlined by a light heavyweight duel between Corey Anderson and Melvin Manhoef. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

After suffering the first loss of his pro career to Timothy Johnson at Bellator 239, Fortune’s return against Jack May ended prematurely when he landed an accidental knee to the groin at Bellator 245 on Sept. 11. Fortune began his promotional tenure with eight consecutive triumphs.

Sowma, meanwhile captured Titan FC’s heavyweight belt in his last outing with a stoppage of Bobby Brents on Sept. 25. The Ameri…

This is actually happening

#KSW56 Main EventMichal Materla vs. @Soldic_MMA

You do not want to miss this!! November 14th!! Live around the world on KSWTV and via the KSW App available on iOS & Android! pic.twitter.com/zsCiHniQWm — KSW (@KSW_MMA) October 26, 2020

Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki welterweight champion Roberto Soldic will move up to 185 pounds to face Michal Materla in the KSW 56 main event on Nov. 14.

The Polish promotion announced the matchup on Monday. KSW 56 takes place behind closed doors in Lodz, Poland and streams via online pay-per-view at KSWTV.com.

Soldic enters the matchup on a four-bout winning streak that began with him reclaiming the welterweight crown with a third-round KO of current UFC talent Dricus Du Plessis at KSW 45. Most recently, he outpointed Michael Peitzak in a catchweight affair at KSW 50 in September 2019.

Materla, who reigned as KSW’s middleweight champ from May 2012 to November 2015…

Austin Vanderford will square off against Chris Curtis in a middleweight bout on the Bellator 251 main card.

Sherdog.com confirmed the pairing with a promotion official following an initial report from ESPN. UFC 251 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Nov. 4 and is headlined by a light heavyweight showdown between Corey Anderson and Melvin Manhoef. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

Vanderford, the husband of former UFC star Paige VanZant, was supposed to face Daniel Madrid at Bellator 246 on Sept. 12 before a positive COVID-19 test forced him off the card. The Gracie Barra Portland representative is 9-0 as a professional and 3-0 in Bellator. He also earned a victory over Angelo Trevino on Season 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series.

After losing three consecutive bouts under the Professional Fighters League banner to close out 2019, Curtis returned to the win column with a stoppage of Darren Smith Jr. in …

Undefeated for almost eight years in MMA, former World Extreme Cagefighting champion Paulo Filho in 2007 was labeled by Anderson Silva as the best middleweight fighter in the world.

Known for his effective grappling game, the Carlson Gracie blackbelt, who has been retired since 2014, recently discussed Khabib Nurmagomedov’s win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 with Sherdog.com. Filho offered a definitive take on the retired lightweight champion’s place among the sport’s all-time greats.

"Khabib´s win was a lesson to make all MMA fighters recall the origin of our sport which is martial arts, respect to the master, respect to your origins,” Filho said. “He showed to the world of MMA that it´s not necessary to trash talk or disrespect opponents to be a champion and be popular among fans.

“The numbers never lie -- 29-0. In my opinion, after what he did Saturday, Khabib is the best of all time.”

Filho also revealed that Khabib´s homage to his late father, Abdulma…

The Dream is alive and well! @Chase_Hooper with a successful R1 victory at #UFC245!

 Watch LIVE on @UFCFightPass NOW! pic.twitter.com/C3ck3Fc1mn

— UFC (@ufc) December 15, 2019 A featherweight scrap pitting Chase Hooper against Peter Barrett has been added to the UFC 256 lineup.

MMAFighting.com was first to report the booking. UFC 256 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Dec. 12 and features a women’s featherweight title clash between Amanda Nunes and Megan Anderson. That card will also see Petr Yan defend the bantamweight crown against Aljamain Sterling.

Hooper is coming off his first professional defeat in 11 outings, as he was completely outclassed by Alex Caceres over three rounds at UFC 250 on June 6. The 21-year-old Dana White’s Contender Series alum debuted in the Octagon with a first-round TKO of Daniel Teymur at UFC 245.

Also a former Contender Series competitor, Barrett dropped a unanimous verdict to Youss…

Jared Cannonier revealed that a kick from Robert Whittaker broke his left arm early on in their UFC 254 co-main event encounter this past Saturday night.

“That didn’t go exactly how I wanted but my spirits remain high and I’m happy with how I fought, all things considered. The very first kick he threw broke or fractured my left ulna,” Cannonier wrote on Instagram. “I couldn’t find my [groove] and adjust quickly to get the W so I’ll take my L with pride.”

While Cannonier enjoyed success attacking with heavy low kicks, he absorbed numerous jabs from his opponent and was staggered by a jab-high kick combination from Whittaker in the third frame. Although the MMA Lab product rallied to wobble the ex-champ with a right hand late in the bout, it wasn’t enough to prevent him from losing a unanimous decision.

“[Robert Whittaker] certainly lived up to my expectations before and after the fight. Congrats mate. Enjoy [Christmas] and the new [baby],” Cannonier wrote. “It w…

An injury has forced Jeremy Stephens to withdraw from a prosposed featherweight matchup with Arnold Allen at UFC on ESPN 17.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report Stephens’ exit from the card over the weekend. The exact nature of Stephens’ injury was not disclosed. It’s currently unclear if the promotion will seek a new opponent for Allen.

UFC on ESPN 17 takes place on Nov. 7 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a light heavyweight tilt pitting Thiago Santos against Glover Teixeira. The main card airs on ESPN2 and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT.

Stephens is currently on a five-bout winless streak in UFC competition. Most recently, “Lil Heathen” suffered a second-round knockout loss to Calvin Kattar at UFC 249 on May 9. Stephens last tasted victory at UFC on Fox 28, when he stopped Josh Emmett in the second round in February 2018.

A flyweight showdown between Tyson Nam and Matt Schnell that was originally scheduled for September has been rebooked for UFC Fight Night on Dec. 19.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the bout. UFC Fight Night takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight clash between Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev. Nam vs. Schnell was slated for UFC Fight Night 177 on Sept. 12 but was scratched due to “weight management issues” for Schnell.

Nam would get a chance to compete one week later at UFC Fight Night 178, where he earned a second-round TKO win over Jerome Rivera. Prior to that, Nam scored a 32-second KO of Zarrukh Adashev at UFC on ESPN 10.

Schnell, meanwhile, saw a four-bout Octagon winning streak come to an end at UFC Fight Night 165, where he suffered a first-round knockout defeat at the hands of Alexandre Pantoja last December.

Georges St. Pierre was supposed to be magic No. 30 on Khabib Nurmagomedov’s journey to retirement.

Instead, “The Eagle” threw a curve and called it a career following his second-round submission of Justin Gaethje in the UFC 254 headliner on Saturday night. After the victory, Nurmagomedov left his gloves in the Octagon and explained his decision, which came on the heels of the death of his father and coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, earlier this year.

“Today, I want to say, this was my last fight. No way am I going to come here without my father,” Nurmagomedov said. “It was first time, after what happened with my father, when UFC called me about Justin. I talk with my mother three days, she don’t want that I go fight without father. I promised her, it’s going to be my last fight, and if I give my word, I have to follow this. It was my last fight here.”

St. Pierre knows a little something about surprise announcements: He took an indefinite hiatus from the sport aft…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11FKpmNCIGM&w=560&h=315]

Though the end result wasn’t what he’d hoped for, Justin Gaethje believes that he did inflict some damage on Khabib Nurmagomedov before being choked unconscious in the UFC 254 headliner.

“It sucks. I’m hurt. It’s emotional. But ultimately, it’s the name of the game,” Gaethje said in a post-fight interview on ESPN. “I had him in trouble. I wasn’t very many kicks away from him not being able to walk. He’s gonna be limping for the next three weeks. It’s nothing to be proud of because I lost.”

Indeed, 15 of the 29 significant strikes Gaethje landed were leg kicks, and as the bout progressed it appeared that they were beginning to take their toll on the champion. However, Nurmagomedov was absolutely dominant when the fight hit the ground, slicing through his opponent’s guard and transitioning to submission attempts with ease. Gaethje, an NCAA All-American wrestler at the University of Northern Colorado, had …

It wasn’t the opponent she expected at UFC 254, but Lauren Murphy made the most of what could have been a tricky situation against short-notice replacement Liliya Shakirova on Saturday in Abu Dhabi.

Originally slated to face fellow Top 10 flyweight Cynthia Calvillo, Murphy was forced to change course when a positive COVID-19 test forced Calvillo off the card late last week. With not much to gain against a relatively unheralded foe, Murphy scored the first submission victory of her pro career, tapping out Shakirova with a rear-naked choke at the 3:31 mark of Round 2.

“It feels great. My confidence is probably the No. 1 thing that I’ve improved, my striking is the second thing that I’ve improved the most,” Murphy said. “Just going through the process and staying calm has been huge. I’ve gotten a ton of help; it takes a village to make a fighter.

“I utilize the best of the best in every aspect. I have the best sports psychologist, the best nutritionist, the best s…

UNCONSCIOUS!@AnkalaevM erased all doubt by finishing Ion Cutelaba at #UFC254 pic.twitter.com/nn4eCMA1Oz

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 24, 2020

Magomed Ankalaev left no doubt in his rematch with Ion Cutelaba at UFC 254.

Their initial meeting, a 38-second TKO triumph for Ankalaev at UFC Fight Night 169 in February, ended in controversy when Cutelaba claimed the contest was stopped prematurely. However, there was no such controversy on Saturday, as Anaklaev floored his opponent twice en route to a knockout victory at the 4:19 mark of Round 1 at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi.

A counter left hook late in the frame sent Cutelaba tumbling to the canvas, and Ankaleav pounced for the victory with heavy ground-and-pound from above.

“I feel great, now I can finally sleep well. It was a six month camp, so I did a really, really good job in the six months and today I proved it,” Ankaleav said. “I wanted to catch him, I wanted to finish with a co…

Retirements don’t always last in MMA, but UFC president Dana White believes that Khabib Nurmagomedov is sincere in his intentions.

Nurmagomedov announced his retirement in the Octagon following a second-round submission of Justin Gaethje in the UFC 254 main event on Saturday, alluding to a promise he made to his mother before the fight. It was a long and difficult road just to get to UFC 254 for the lightweight champion, who had to endure the death of his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, to COVID-19 complications earlier this year.

In addition to tragedy, White claimed Nurmagomedov dealt with some injury issues leading into his title defense against Gaethje. Regardless of the circumstances, the UFC boss doesn’t think “The Eagle” will be making a surprise comeback in the future.

“I do [think he’ll remain retired],” White said at Saturday’s post fight press conference.

“What this guy’s has been through, we’re all lucky that we got to see him fight tonight,” …

Heading into UFC 254, reigning middleweight champion Israel Adesanya had his eye on Jared Cannonier as the division’s next No. 1 contender – all Cannonier had to do was do his part and defeat Robert Whittaker.

That proved to be easier said than done, however, as Whittaker was superior over the course of three rounds in a unanimous decision triumph in Saturday’s co-main event at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi. Since relinquishing the middleweight crown to Adesanya at UFC 243, “The Reaper” has posted back-to-back triumphs over Cannonier and Darren Till in a matter of three months.

That seems to have re-established Whittaker as the top contender at 185 pounds – at least in the eyes of UFC president Dana White.

“It’s [a rematch between Whittaker and Adesanya] very appealing to me. It’s a fight that makes sense right now,” White said at the UFC 254 post-fight press conference. “Adesanya has a lot of options, but the fight that makes the most sense is Whittaker. I thou…

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retirement announcement came one fight sooner than most of the mixed martial arts community expected.

The reigning lightweight champion laid his gloves down in the Octagon following his second-round submission victory over Justin Gaethje in the UFC 254 headliner at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Nurmagomedov exits the sport with a 29-0 career mark; many thought he would pursue one last bout to end at 30-0, but a promise the Dagestani made to his mother before UFC 254 carried more weight than that pursuit.

Nurmagomedov’s father and longtime coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, died at age 57 due to COVID-19 complications in July, which made the champion’s journey to fight week that much more difficult this time around.

“Today, I want to say, this was my last fight. No way am I going to come here without my father,” Nurmagomedov said in the Octagon. “It was first time, after what happened with my father, when UFC called me about Justi…

Khabib Nurmagomedov ended his Ultimate Fighting Championship tenure with one last dominant effort.

The reigning lightweight champion received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his second-round submission of Justin Gaethje in the UFC 254 main event at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. “The Eagle” executed a takedown early in Round 2, transitioned from an arm triangle to a mounted triangle and rendered Gaethje unconscious at the 1:34 mark of the period. In the aftermath, Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from mixed martial arts.

Magomed Ankalaev captured the card’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check on the strength of a knockout of Ion Cutelaba in a featured light heavyweight tilt. Ankalaev floored his foe with a left hand early in the contest before dropping him again with a counter left hook later in the frame. Punches and hammerfists from above brought an end to the bout at the 4:19 mark of Round 1 and allowed Ankalaev to improve…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 254 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Khabib Nurmagomedov stands alone. In his first appearance since the death of his father, the American Kickboxing Academy ace choked Justin Gaethje unconscious with a second-round triangle to retain his undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title in the UFC 254 headliner on Saturday at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Gaethje (22-3, 5-3 UFC) went limp 1:34 into Round 2, as he was submitted for the first time in his 25-fight career.

Afterward, Nurmagomedov (29-0, 13-0 UFC) announced his retirement.

"This is my last fight."@TeamKhabib pays his respects following a dominant performance at #UFC254 pic.twitter.com/5HiUvJXBJC

— UFC (@ufc) October 24, 2020 “The Eagle” pushed his counterpart beyond his bounds with relentless pressure and maniacal forward movement. Gaeth…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 254 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Sherdog's live UFC 254 “Nurmagomedov vs. Gaethje” coverage begins Saturday at 11 a.m. ET. Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. Round 1 It’s time for the big show in the early hours for U.S.-based fans, and we start this much anticipated pay-per-view event on the early prelims with a 160-pound catchweight affair. Spanish submission specialist Alvarez (17-2, 2-1 UFC), who has notched a whopping 88 percent of his wins by sub, faces off against durable Russian Yakovlev (25-10-1, 3-5 UFC) after the former missed weight by nearly four pounds. Referee Jason Herzog is in charge of the cage for this card opener, and with a touch of gloves, away we go! Yakovlev sways back and forth early to try to find an angle, and he opens up with a head kick. His Spanish foe responds with a head kick t…

Get the shoeys ready

@BamBamTuivasa with the buzzer beater and he's ready to celebrate!

[ #UFC254 main card is NEXT: https://t.co/QRo69og6BH ] pic.twitter.com/JRnQE6ji7w — UFC (@ufc) October 24, 2020 Knockout power was the great equalizer for Tai Tuivasa.

Faced with nine-inch height and nine-inch reach deficits, “Bam Bam” re-established his foothold in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s heavyweight division and put away Stefan Struve with punches in the first round of their featured UFC 254 prelim on Saturday at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Tuivasa (10-3, 4-3 UFC) drew the curtain 4:59 into Round 1, as he snapped a three-fight losing streak with his first victory since June 9, 2018.

Struve (29-13, 13-11 UFC) was never much of a factor. Tuivasa chopped away at his lead leg with damaging kicks, closed the distance without fear and pressed the 6-foot-11 Dutchman into the fence. Late in the first round, he tos…

[embedded content] Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. It appears that the Ultimate Fighting Championship got what it wanted from Leon Edwards after all. On Friday, UFC President Dana White appeared on the Jim Rome Show to announce that Edwards (18-3) has been booked against Khamzat Chimaev (9-0) to headline the Dec. 19 UFC Fight Night card. The two welterweights – Chimaev will be returning to 170 pounds for this bout – will face one another in Las Vegas at the UFC Apex. Additional confirmation of the headlining nature of the matchup came from ESPN.

“So we just got a deal done yesterday for Leon Edwards vs. Chimaev," White exclaimed. "They will fight, it will be a great fight, and…[Chimaev] can stop calling everybody out on Twitter now. He’s got an opponent.” White continued, “If he can beat Leon Edwards, he’s gonna be massive superstar in the UFC.”

Edwards w…

LFA is excited to announce that we have signed top prospect #AlexPereira.

Pereira is the reigning #GLORY 85 kg champ and interim 95 kg champ.

He is also the last man to defeat @StyleBender and holds a 2-0 record against the #UFC #middleweight champ in #kickboxing. pic.twitter.com/aqOz7x0uLS — LFA (@LFAfighting) October 23, 2020 Editor's note: The article has been updated at 4:40 p.m. ET on Oct. 23 to add comments from Pereira and his manager.

Shortly after a fake Twitter account masqueraded and made waves as Glory kickboxing champ Alexsandro Pereira, the fighter has signed with the Legacy Fighting Alliance.

On Thursday night, the promotion announced it had signed highly touted kickboxer Pereira (2-1 MMA, 41-6 KB). The kickboxer had once signed to participate on Dana White's Contender Series in 2018, but a prospective matchup was scratched before it came together. Pereira does not yet have an opponent listed, or any date specifi…

It doesn’t matter how hard you work ... sometimes things are out of our control. His plan not mine. I hope to still be fighting before the year ends. Sorry @drewdober hope we will meet in the octagon soon #family #ufcfightnight #2020 #rgvfighters #tfbjj #fortismma #bless #mma pic.twitter.com/LkS863Rvgk

— Diego Ferreira (@DiegoUFCTX) October 23, 2020 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. A rising star in the Ultimate Fighting Championship has been forced to pull out of a big upcoming matchup. Late on Thursday, MyMMANews first reported that Diego Ferreira (17-2) would no longer be competing at UFC on ESPN 17 against Drew Dober (23-9, 1 NC). The two were coming to blows on Nov. 7 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, in a bout featured on the main card. Conflicting reports have claimed that Ferreira suffered an illness that may or may not be…

OFFICIAL: Khabib & Gaethje make championship weight for #UFC254

[ Oct 24 - Main Card at 2pmET: https://t.co/J0b14mXFgS ] pic.twitter.com/aIdwU1Z5H6

— UFC (@ufc) October 23, 2020 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 254 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. One of the more highly anticipated championship affairs in recent memory is now official for Saturday.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship will end its second stint on “Fight Island” with its biggest fight yet as lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will unify titles with interim titleholder Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. The 12-fight card is now official after the weigh-ins took place, but it was not without some drama. Both Alex Oliveira and Joel Alvarez missed weight for their respective bouts.

Nurmagomedov (28-0) has been open about wanting to retire once he reaches an MMA record of 30-0, so it appears …