Blog

Conor McGregor’s coach is expecting a vintage performance at UFC 246.

John Kavanagh has been in the corner for all of McGregor’s biggest moments to date, but the SBG Ireland coach has been particularly impressed with his fighter as the Jan. 18 showdown with Donald Cerrone approaches.

“Jan. [1], last heavy spar today before going to Vegas,” Kavanagh wrote on Twitter. “Can honestly say this is the best I’ve seen him and I wasn’t sure that was possible to do six months ago. You guys are in for a real treat. I’m just glad to have a good seat.”

Jan 1st, last heavy spar today before going to Vegas. Can honestly say this is the best i've seen him and i wasn't sure that was possible to do 6 months ago. You guys are in for a real treat, i'm just glad to have a good seat! #UFC246

— Coach Kavanagh (@John_Kavanagh) January 1, 2020

McGregor will face Cerrone at welterweight in the UFC 246 headliner at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. …

Ryan Bader is looking to make his first light heavyweight title defense since November 2017, and it appears the Bellator two-division champ has his eyes on a belt holder from another organization.

The former Arizona State University wrestling standout recently took to Twitter to call out Jiri Prochazka after Rizin’s reigning 205-pound king defeated C.B. Dollaway via first-round knockout on New Year’s Eve in Saitama, Japan. Dollaway and Bader are longtime teammates at Power MMA.

Congrats #jiriprochazka . we couldn’t make it happen in @rizin_PR so let’s do this in the @BellatorMMA cage. LHW title on the line

— Ryan Bader (@ryanbader) December 31, 2019

Bader had designs on competing for Rizin, but he revealed he was unable to come to terms to fight Prochazka in the Japanese organization. Crossover bouts between Bellator and Rizin fighters have become quite common of late, and now it appears Bader is ready to put his light heavywei…

Johnny Case will be competing under the Professional Fighters League banner this year.

According to ESPN, Case has signed with the PFL and plans to compete at lightweight during the 2020 season. Case is coming off a first-round TKO loss to Tofiq Musayev at Rizin 20 in the semifinals of the Japanese promotion’s lightweight grand prix.

Case has one prior PFL appearance under his belt, as he battled Natan Schulte to a majority draw during the playoffs in October 2018. Schulte just completed a second consecutive lightweight championship season with a unanimous verdict over Loik Radzhabov at the PFL Season 2 finals on Tuesday.

After that bout, Case went on to post successive stoppage wins over Yusuke Yachi, Satoru Kitaoka and Roberto de Souza under the Rizin banner before falling to Musayev. The 30-year-old MMA Lab product also went 4-2 during a stint in the UFC from 2014 to 2017. Case owns a 27-7 professional mark overall.

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the PFL and UFC on ESPN+ live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Kayla Harrison reached her first mountaintop in mixed martial arts. The two-time Olympic gold medalist captured the 2019 Professional Fighters League championship with a unanimous decision over Larissa Pacheco in the women’s lightweight final on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. All three judges sided with the undefeated Harrison (7-0, 7-0 PFL): 50-43, 50-45 and 50-45.

Pacheco (13-4, 2-2 PFL) could match neither the strength nor the technique of the American Top Team standout across five one-sided rounds. Harrison executed multiple takedowns, battered the Brazilian with ground-and-pound and achieved full mount on multiple occasions. Beyond an attempted guillotine choke in the fifth round, Pacheco posed little threat to the decorated American judoka.

Heavy-Handed Cooper III Folds Michaud Ray Cooper III cut dow…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the PFL and UFC on ESPN+ live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Sherdog's live 2019 PFL Championship coverage will begin at 7 p.m. ET. Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 The Official Result

Edson Barboza is going to test his skills in a new division next year.

According to a report from Brazilian outlet Combate, Barboza will drop to the featherweight division following a 22-bout stint in the UFC at 155 pounds. The 33-year-old Brazilian hopes to make his 145-pound debut some time in the first quarter of 2020.

Barboza is coming off a contentious split-decision setback to Paul Felder in a rematch at UFC 242. The American Top Team representative has lost four of his last five bouts within the Las Vegas-based promotion. During that slump, however, Barboza has faced nothing but top-flight competition, falling to the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Kevin Lee, Justin Gaethje and Felder.

Barboza is 14-8 over the course of his promotional tenure at lightweight and has earned nine post-fight bonuses for his work in the Octagon.

It was a battle of attrition for Patricky Freire in the Rizin Fighting Federation lightweight grand prix.

Freire made it to the finals of the tournament at Rizin 20 on Tuesday, where he lost a unanimous decision to Tofiq Musayev at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Along the way, the Bellator title contender suffered multiple injuries.

The 33-year-old “Pitbull” brother revealed that he broke his hand in a 28-second stoppage of Luis Gustavo Felix dos Santos in a semifinal bout earlier in the evening. He then injured his left shoulder and right leg while falling out of the ring during a takedown attempt by Musayev in the finals. Freire appeared to be shaken up immediately after the fall but nonetheless continued to fight.

Thank you Japan, @bellatormma, @rizin_pr! Thank you everyone for the support. I’m happy to have lived this experience.I broke my right hand in the first fight and injured my left shoulder and right leg when …

The six weight classes will likely remain the same, but the composition of the Professional Fighters League roster should look significantly different when the promotion begins its third season in 2020.

“At this point in time we don’t expect to make any changes in weight classes for next season. As it relates to the roster itself, 50 percent of the roster will be turned over and we’ll be bringing in new athletes,” PFL CEO Peter Murray recently told Sherdog.com. “Our view is next level. The athletes that have earned their way into the postseason pretty much get that right and the option to continue. The top performers will continue with the league, and others, we were proud to have them, but we think it’s time to replace them and bring in some new talent to freshen things up. That’s what you’ll see.”

PFL already bolstered its roster for next year with one high-profile free agent, as the organization signed former Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald earlier …

And in a snap, the bantamweight division is upset again! Manel "Prodígio" Kape (15-4) rings in the New Year with a second-round knockout of Kai Asakura - his third such stoppage in a row! The Angolan incendiary is RIZIN's new champ! #RIZIN20 #RIZINFF pic.twitter.com/0yKjaG16AR

— Kyle Johnson (@VonPreux) December 31, 2019

Manel Kape spoiled the expected coronation of Kai Asakura.

The 26-year-old Angolan claimed the vacant bantamweight crown with a second-round technical knockout victory over Asakura in the Rizin 20 main event at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on Tuesday. The end came 38 seconds into Round 2, as Kape swarmed a dazed Asakura with punches on the canvas until referee Jason Herzog intervened on the Japanese fighter’s behalf.

As soon as the fight was stopped, Kape exited the ring to address Kyoji Horiguchi, who vacated the bantamweight belt after suffering a serious knee injury and was seated nearby. Asakura ha…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO1YmVBNT7Y&w=560&h=315]

As Professional Fighters League approaches the conclusion of its 2019 campaign, CEO Peter Murray sees an organization that has grown exponentially since rebranding from World Series of Fighting more than two years ago.

“I’m extremely happy with the momentum that we have in Year 2,” Murray recently told Sherdog.com. “Last year we launched the league, validated the format. In Year 2, we really focused on premium distribution and reach. You see that with our partnership with ESPN as well as expanded distribution outside the U.S. with top media companies in key regions and countries.

“The second piece I’m excited about in Year 2 is refinement of the product and technology,” Murray added. “With respect to that we’re the first ever to, under our SmartCage platform, launch athlete measurement data and analytics, real time and integrate into the broadcast measuring strike speed on every fighter and every fight. O…

Israel Adesanya was one of the breakout stars of 2019, and it appears the UFC middleweight champion has an opponent lined up for his first title defense.

“The Last Stylebender” was initially expected to face Paulo Henrique Costa after claiming the 185-pound belt with a second-round knockout of Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 this past October. However, those plans changed when Costa suffered a torn bicep that will sideline him through the first quarter of next year.

Adesanya quickly transitioned to a potential showdown with Yoel Romero, but UFC president Dana White previously had designs on making “The Soldier of God” win another bout before earning No. 1 contender status.

“[Adesanya] wants to fight Yoel Romero,” White said in November. “He wants Romero. So we’re talking about giving Romero a fight coming up soon here and then (Adesanya) will fight the winner of that fight.”

However, plans seem to have changed in recent weeks. In an interview with ESPN, White i…

The Professional Fighters League’s championship event will move forward as planned, as all 12 finalists made weight for their respective bouts on Monday.

The 2019 PFL Championship takes place at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York and is topped by a women’s lightweight final pitting Kayla Harrison (154.8 pounds) against Larissa Pacheco (153.6). The six-bout main card will air on ESPN2 beginning at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT following one preliminary, non-title contest at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. ET on ESPN+. The six main card winners will earn championships along with a $1 million prize.

A two-time Olympic gold medalist, Harrison has kicked off her professional MMA career with six consecutive victories. She previously squared off with Pacheco during the regular season, earning a unanimous verdict on May 9.

Pacheco, meanwhile, rebounded from her loss against Harrison to submit Bobbi Jo Dalziel in the regular season before upsetting Sarah Kaufman via decision in the…

There was a little bit of confusion regarding Fedor Emelianenko’s status as an active mixed martial artist following his first-round stoppage of Quinton Jackson in the Bellator 237 headliner on Saturday night.

The Russian’s translator indicated that the veteran fighter was calling it a career during a post-fight interview in the cage shortly after the victory. However, “The Last Emperor” clarified those comments to media later, revealing that it was simply his last fight in Japan. He still has two more destinations on his retirement tour before he’s done.

“I’m doing my tour and this is my final fights, and I want to do a fight in Japan, I want to do a fight in U.S., and I went to do Russia,” Emelianenko said (video via MMAjunkie.com). “So Japan, it was my retirement fight in Japan. So I’m not retiring.”

Emelianenko kicked off his farewell journey in style at Saitama Super Arena. The former Pride Fighting Championships star overwhelmed “Rampage” from the outset of…

Heavyweight doesn’t look good on Quinton Jackson.

The former UFC light heavyweight champion wasn’t remotely competitive in the Bellator 237 headliner, as he absorbed bursts of punching combinations from Fedor Emelianenko before being knocked out at the 2:44 mark of Round 1 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on Saturday night.

“We didn’t get the outcome we wanted, but you know what, I knew one of us was going to get knocked out,” Jackson said in a video posted on his Instagram account that has since been deleted. “But I didn’t know it was going to be f---in’ me.”

“Rampage” checked in at 265 pounds prior to the bout, and he admitted the extra weight might’ve been a hindrance. Ultimately, Jackson plans to return to 205 pounds before he returns to action.

“It’s all good – I’m not in a bad mood,” Jackson said. “I just know what I got to do. I got to get my damn weight down. I felt like a hippopotamus out there. But that’s my fault. No excuses. It’s all rig…

Tecia Torres will square off against Mizuki Inoue in a strawweight bout at UFC Columbus on March 28.

Promotion officials recently announced the booking. UFC Columbus takes place at Nationwide Arena and is headlined by a heavyweight duel between Francis Ngannou and Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

Torres will look to end a four-bout losing streak when she faces Inoue. “The Tiny Tornado” has gone the distance in each of those defeats, falling to Jessica Andrade, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Weili Zhang and Marina Rodriguez. Prior to that slump, Torres began her promotional tenure with victories in six of her first seven appearances.

After stints in Invicta FC, Deep and Jewels, the 25-year-old Inoue made her Octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 157, where she took a split verdict over Yanan Wu on Aug. 31. The Nagoya, Japan native is 14-5 in her professional career, with nine victories coming via submission and five by decision.

@FedorOskol hangs up the s tonight in an iconic arena and on a memorable note.#BellatorJapan pic.twitter.com/lk1HcinPvh

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) December 29, 2019 Fedor Emelianenko may not have had much left in the tank, but there was enough there to embarrass Quinton Jackson.

The former Pride Fighting Championships heavyweight titleholder brought down Jackson with a lightning bolt of a right hand in the first round of their Bellator 237 headliner on Saturday at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Emelianenko (39-6, 3-2 Bellator) drew the curtain 2:44 into Round 1, then appeared to lean toward retirement from mixed martial arts.

Jackson (38-14, 5-3 Bellator) was a 265-pound stationery target. Emelianenko tore into “Rampage” with three-, four- and five-punch volleys, reset and attacked again, even mixing in a pair of kicks, one to the leg and another to the body. The 43-year-old caught Jackson moving forward and connected…

@FedorOskol hangs up the s tonight in an iconic arena and on a memorable note.#BellatorJapan pic.twitter.com/lk1HcinPvh

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) December 29, 2019 Fedor Emelianenko may not have had much left in the tank, but there was enough there to embarrass Quinton Jackson.

The former Pride Fighting Championships heavyweight titleholder brought down Jackson with a lightning bolt of a right hand in the first round of their Bellator 237 headliner on Saturday at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Emelianenko (39-6, 3-2 Bellator) drew the curtain 2:44 into Round 1, then appeared to lean toward retirement from mixed martial arts.

Jackson (38-14, 5-3 Bellator) was a 265-pound stationery target. Emelianenko tore into “Rampage” with three-, four- and five-punch volleys, reset and attacked again, even mixing in a pair of kicks, one to the leg and another to the body. The 43-year-old caught Jackson moving forward and connected…

Dazn is the exclusive streaming partner of Bellator MMA. You can sign up here and live stream 100+ fight nights a year. Sherdog's live Bellator 237 coverage kicks off Saturday at 10 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:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Sc…

Watch Quinton Jackson weigh-in for #BellatorJapan in true "Rampage" fashion: pic.twitter.com/E8BGgazRqj

— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) December 28, 2019 Bellator MMA will wrap 2019 with a huge event in Japan on Saturday with Bellator 237, and two main card fighters have missed weight.

The card is headlined by a heavyweight slugfest as the legendary Fedor Emelianenko (240.5) will lock horns with the inimitable Quinton Jackson (265). Emelianenko is looking to bounce back from a first-round knockout loss to Ryan Bader for the heavyweight title, while "Rampage" exacted revenge on a former rival in Wanderlei Silva in September, evening their score to 2-2. Jackson is the heaviest he has been in his career, to which he stated, "I'm ashamed of myself," as he had never clocked in above 254.4 pounds.

The co-main event sees Michael Chandler (160.7) attempt to rebound from a championship defeat when he takes on short-notice opponent Sidne…

More heavy hitters headed to Ohiohttps://t.co/GvBQH7HnkT

— UFC News (@UFCNews) December 27, 2019 Greg Hardy will be back in action this March for the Ultimate Fighting Championship's return trip to Columbus, Ohio.

On Friday, the promotion announced that Hardy (5-2, 1 NC) will be matched up against Yorgan De Castro (6-0) at heavyweight on UFC Columbus in March. The event will take place at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus on March 28. Additionally, the Las Vegas-based organization announced that Khalil Rountree (8-4, 1 NC) will be facing off in a potential retirement bout against Sam Alvey (33-13, 1 NC) at light heavyweight, while bantamweights Louis Smolka (16-6) and Davey Grant (11-4) will also square off.

Hardy dropped his most recent bout against Alexander Volkanovski in November, where he took a short-notice opportunity to headline UFC Fight Night 163. Hardy's career inside the Octagon has been tumultuous, making his debut…

Three matchups pitting locals against foreign opponents in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's third trip to the most populous city in New Zealand.

On Wednesday, Kai Kara-France (20-8, 1 NC) posted on Instagram that he will be taking on Tyson Nam (18-10-1) in the flyweight division at UFC Auckland. The event will take place on Feb. 22 in Auckland, New Zealand, at the Spark Arena. A cracking lightweight matchup will headline the show, as Paul Felder takes on Dan Hooker in a bout that could place the winner among the top 5 in the division.

Of the bout, Kara-France wrote: "We bringing the dream home! Since I started my martial arts journey fighting in my home town Auckland for the @ufc was the goal! Feb 23rd 2020 I get to make that happen! Ready to do this for my people! Get your tickets ASAP! #teamdontblink #ufc #auckland"

Auckland native Kara-France dropped a narrow decision to Brandon Moreno at UFC 245 to snap an eight-fight win streak that saw him beat Mark De La …

Ultimate acerta duelo entre Elizeu Capoeira e Alexey Kunchenko para o UFC Brasília, em março https://t.co/mQkpFaTQma pic.twitter.com/Gg5rx50hNj

— Combate (@canalCombate) December 25, 2019 Editor's note: This article has been updated at 7:45 p.m. ET on 12/26/19 to reflect additional information.

Several important matchups including one in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's welterweight division have found their home on the March card in Brasilia, Brazil.

On Wednesday night, Combate reported that Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (21-6) will be contending with Alexey Kunchenko (20-1) in the welterweight division at UFC Brasilia. The organization later confirmed this bout and several others on Thursday. This event goes down on March 14 at the Nilson Nelson Gymnasium in Brasilia, Brazil. The card will be the promotion's first trip to the nation's capital since UFC Fight Night 95 in 2016, which was headlined by a catchweight contest betwee…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has put together a solid welterweight headliner for its annual trip to London.

On Wednesday night, Tyron Woodley (19-4-1) posted on his Instagram that he has agreed to a welterweight matchup against the surging Leon Edwards (18-3) to headline UFC London in March. The event will take place at the O2 Arena in London on March 21.

His Instagram post wrote, "Merry Christmas @leon_edwardsmma watch what you ask for. Now you about to get f*cked clean up at the crib! #NoChills #UFCLondon #March21 #MainEvent #Redemption - @ufc send me that lil fancy flier to post!"

Woodley has yet to step inside the Octagon since losing his title to Kamaru Usman in March 2019. Prior to the loss, Woodley defended his welterweight strap against Darren Till, Demian Maia and Stephen Thompson after wresting it from the grip of Robbie Lawler. When he hit a brabo choke on Till in his most recent victory, he became the first fighter in UFC history to pull off that m…

Doo Ho Choi recently underwent surgery to repair a broken forearm suffered in a loss to Charles Jourdain at UFC Fight Night 165 in Busan, South Korea.

The “Korean Superboy” posted a photo of an x-ray of the injury and a photo after surgery where it appears he had a plate and some screws inserted. It is unclear how long Choi will be sidelined after the procedure.

“Thank you for your concern,” Choi wrote in the caption. “I want to fight quickly.”

Choi engaged in an entertaining battle with Jourdain on Dec. 21, but ultimately lost via second-round TKO in a contest that earned “Fight of the Night” honors. The 28-year-old South Korean began his UFC career with three straight first-round KO/TKO triumphs but has since fallen to Cub Swanson, Jeremy Stephens and Jourdain in his last three appearances.

Choi might be out for an extended period regardless, as he is expected to fulfill his mandatory two-year military service in South Korea soon.