Blog

Fedor Emelianenko is planning to conclude his illustrious mixed martial arts career under the Bellator MMA banner.

The California-based promotion announced over the weekend that the legendary Russian has signed an exclusive multi-fight contract for what has been billed as a “farewell tour” in a Bellator release.

“I am pleased that we were able to sign Fedor, the greatest heavyweight of all time, to a new contract extension,” Bellator president Scott Coker said. “He is someone that I consider a friend in this business and am even more pleased that he has decided to finish his storied career with Bellator.

“There are exciting matchups for him here in Bellator that I know will appeal to his fans from the past, as well as new fans from his recent run in the tournament. As his time in the sport winds down, I am happy to see him close out his career on his own terms.”

While nothing has been finalized, Quinton Jackson and Josh Barnett are a couple potential oppone…

And @Tyson_Fury ends it in Round 2. Had his way with Schwarz and wins via TKO. Great Las Vegas debut for Fury. #boxing #vegas #FurySchwarz pic.twitter.com/3Ouco7S8G4

— Mick Akers (@mickakers) June 16, 2019 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC on ESPN+ live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Tyson Fury was looking to score an impressive win to set up his ballyhooed rematch with Deontay Wilder and on Saturday night, he did just that. Fury (28-0-1) scored his 20th professional knockout when he trounced unheralded Tom Schwarz in front of a near-sellout crowd inside of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, stopping him in the second round. The hulking "Gypsy King" used his tremendous hand speed to befuddle his foe from the start and outclassed him badly before stopping him.

Fury fought in a conventional stance throughout the first and picked apart Schwarz (24-1, 16 KO) with a Gatlin gun-like …

And @Tyson_Fury ends it in Round 2. Had his way with Schwarz and wins via TKO. Great Las Vegas debut for Fury. #boxing #vegas #FurySchwarz pic.twitter.com/3Ouco7S8G4

— Mick Akers (@mickakers) June 16, 2019 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC on ESPN+ live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Tyson Fury was looking to score an impressive win to set up his ballyhooed rematch with Deontay Wilder and on Saturday night, he did just that. Fury (28-0-1) scored his 20th professional knockout when he trounced unheralded Tom Schwarz in front of a near-sellout crowd inside of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, stopping him in the second round. The hulking "Gypsy King" used his tremendous hand speed to befuddle his foe from the start and outclassed him badly before stopping him.

Fury fought in a conventional stance throughout the first and picked apart Schwarz (24-1, 16 KO) with a Gatlin gun-like …

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC on ESPN+ live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

Sherdog's live Tyson Fury vs. Tom Schwarz coverage will begin at approximately 11 p.m. ET.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below.

Tyson Fury vs. Tom Schwarz Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Round 6 Round 7 Round 8 Round 9 Round 10 Round 11 Round 12 The Official Result

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQKruzEVwno&w=640&h=360] Lindsey VanZandt was able to submit Rena Kubota in the first round at Bellator 222. Since the Rizin Fighting Federation versus Bellator MMA cross promotion started, a lot of attention has gone to the men's bantamweight titles for both promotions with Bellator losing to Rizin on both accounts. However, it just took a little 111-pound New Yorker in VanZandt to win a fight for Bellator.

When speaking to the media, VanZandt was asked if she considered the win a breakthrough one for her career and she said that it was. Kubota was not sent from Rizin because her name was pulled from a hat, she is an accomplished competitor in Japan who made it to the finals in Rizin's Atomweight Grand Prix in 2017. Coincidentally, Scott Coker wants to continue the relationship with Rizin and VanZandt said after her win she normally competes at atomweight.

Her first-round finish of Kubota will likely mean more business with Bell…

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

One Championship converged on Shanghai once again as One: Legendary Quest went down on June 15. In the MMA main event of the evening, Japanese mixed martial arts legend and Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Yoshihiro Akiyama made his highly-anticipated One debut against Malaysian contender Agilan Thani. In Akiyama’s first bout after nearly 4 years out of the sport, Thani (10-3) though wasn’t impressed by his opponent’s résumé, and he eventually left another loss on Akiyama’s record, winning the contest via unanimous decision.

In the MMA co-main event of the evening, Koyomi Matsushima faced South Korean contender Kwon Won Il. Former Shooto Welterweight Tournament champion Matsushima arrived to this contest after successfully making his One debut with a TKO victory over Marat Gafurov. “Pretty Boy” Il secured a TKO victory in his last fight too. The action between these two contenders went back and for…

Dazn is the exclusive streaming partner of Bellator MMA. You can sign up here. Sherdog's live Bellator 222 coverage begins Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET. Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions. Round 1 Middleweights Phil Hawes (4-2) and Michael Wilcox (6-3) face off in what will be the promotional debut for both men. Todd Anderson is the third man in the cage. They exchange strikes in the center of the cage for only a few seconds before Wilcox drops for a single-leg, which Hawes shucks off. 90 seconds in, neither man has done much damage, when Hawes drops Wilcox with a left hook. Hawes gives chase and lays on punches and hammerfists, but Wilcox escapes. Shortly afterwards, Hawes drops Wilcox with another punch off a blown single-leg and this time, he moves to mount, then side control, then lets Wilcox up. Hawes promptly drills Wilcox yet again, this time with a right hook, and is all over him on the canvas once more. Under two minutes left …

Yaozong Hu Accepts Sanction for Violation of UFC Anti-Doping Policyhttps://t.co/xmqq6tGC4W pic.twitter.com/hLrHac9o0c

— USADA | UFC Anti-Doping Program (@USADA_UFC) June 14, 2019

Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight Yaozong Hu has accepted a 10-month suspension from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency after testing positive for a prohibited substance.

Hu (3-2) has been suspended 10 months after testing positive for a banned substance, USADA announced in a statement. He tested positive for arimistane and its metabolite, as a result of a dietary supplement that contained these substances.

Due to his cooperation with USADA, his suspension was lowered from one year to 10 months, despite that he discovered the supplement contained these substances after the fact. His suspension is retroactive to the date of his failed test, and he can compete again in January 2020.

The 24-year-old last fought back in November at UFC Fight Nigh…

UFC President Dana White attended the recent UFC 242 press conference in the UK to promote the much anticipated title unification bout between the champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and the interim champion Dustin Poirier to be held on Sept. 7 in Abu Dhabi.

As expected, White was questioned about the availability of Conor McGregor who hasn’t fought since his one-sided loss to the champion Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 back in October. Since then, McGregor has announced his retirement in the sport before getting into a personal spat with “The Eagle” on Instagram.

White said he has been in contact with the former dual-division champion and said will be a keen observer when the 155-pound championship fight takes place later this year (via BJPenn.com).

“Conor is in a position where he’s sitting back right now, and I think, waiting to see how this whole thing plays out with all these guys. But he should pop up soon.”

White defended the Irishman after comments from controversial ma…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC on ESPN+ live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Another flyweight fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship has been booked, as Matt Schnell will take on Jordan Espinosa at UFC on ESPN 5. First to report the news was MMA Junkie, and it was confirmed by Schnell on social media.

Schnell (13-4) is riding a three-fight winning streak with wins over Marco Beltran, Naoki Inoue, and most recently, a submission win over Louis Smolka at UFC Fight Night 146 in March at bantamweight. The 29-year-old announced earlier this week that he had signed a new four-fight contract with the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Fellow 29-year-old Espinosa (14-5, 1 NC), meanwhile, has won his last five including his triumphant UFC debut and two scraps on Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series. His last win came at UFC Fight Night 148 also in March, where he beat Eric Shelton by unanimous decision.

…

On the heels of a previous middleweight fight announcement, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has added another significant 185-pound matchup to its card slated for Vancouver, Canada.

According to MMAJunkie on Thursday, David Branch (22-6) has been booked against Andrew Sanchez (11-4) at UFC Fight Night 158. The card, which still has not officially been announced as taking place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, will be held on Sept. 14.

Former simultaneous two-division World Series of Fighting champion Branch has had a tumultuous second chapter inside the Octagon. While he edged Krzysztof Jotko and knocked out current light heavyweight title challenger Thiago Santos in his two wins in this stint, his three losses all came by finish. He is currently looking to break a two-fight stoppage loss streak, having been submitted by Jack Hermansson and knocked out by Jared Cannonier in his last two fights.

"The Ultimate Fighter" Season 23 winner Sanchez has gone 4-2…

Khabib Nurmagomedov makes his long awaited return to the Octagon on Sept. 7 at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi when he takes on interim champ Dustin Poirier to unify the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title.

Poirier won the right to face off against “The Eagle” by beating Max Holloway in April at UFC 236 for the vacant interim belt. Nurmagomedov hasn’t fought since last October at UFC 229 in his infamous bout against Conor McGregor in a fight where he dominated the Irishman before submitting him in the fourth-round via a rear-naked choke.

McGregor has been campaigning for a rematch against the current champion and Nurmagomdeov told reporters at the UFC 242 press conference that he’s confused as to why the Irishman thinks he deserves one given his inactivity in the fight game in recent years (Transcript via ESPN):

“The last three years he has only one victory and amateur boxing. How does he deserve a rematch?” Khabib asked at the UFC 242 press conference. “He tap…

Rory MacDonald knows what people were thinking prior to his arrival for the Bellator 222 media day. Rather than doing an open workout, he came relaxed and ready to address the media. Even though he knows his last opponent Jon Fitch is on standby as an alternate, he already sees himself fighting and winning on Friday night.

Even though after the fight with Fitch MacDonald made comments that would put his will to fight in question he let media know that is not the case. "Tune in," said the Bellator MMA welterweight champ. He added, "I feel healthy, great place right, really ready to compete hard," and he believes he will put on a great performance.

When asked about the previous comments after the Fitch fight, MacDonald said he never got time to reflect on everything up to the point he has reached now. So, that was just him expressing himself and says he is, "really ready to compete hard." He is well aware of Neiman Gracie's submission prowess having come to New York City …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7604GxpVoM&w=640&h=360] Valerie Loureda made her Bellator MMA debut earlier this year and she knows she needs more fights to establish herself at the professional level. However, it looks like finding an opponent was an issue after she made her debut according to Loureda during the Bellator 222 media day. Loureda told Sherdog, "I had five girls back out before this," but she was already preparing for a fight.

Loureda will be facing Larkyn Dasch, who lost her pro debut but has a lot of experience on the amateur circuit. Loureda is well aware of what she brings to the table. Coming from taekwondo, her striking is expected but mixed martial arts requires fighters to think outside the box and Loureda knows this. Training at American Top Team she said, "I train with some of the best Cuban wrestlers in the world," so she feels she can defend any takedowns Dasch might attempt.

If a takedown happens, Loureda is confident she can get back …

Henry Cejudo became only the fourth fighter in UFC history to simultaneously hold belts in two different weight classes after beating Marlon Moraes for the vacant bantamweight title on Saturday night at UFC 238 in Chicago.

The 125 and now 135 pound champion who also has an Olympic gold medal overcame some adversity, losing the opening round before taking advantage of his tiring opponent to finish him in the third round via TKO.

After the fight, “The Messenger” said he wanted to be paid “heavyweight money” and his coach, Eric Albarracin, agrees.

Albarracin appeared on SiriusXM’s “Fight Nation” (h/t MMA Fighting) and provided some background to his fighter’s comments on wanting to get a bump in pay:

“I believe he will defend the Henry-weight division. The Henry-peso money. I think I told you the story about Demetrious Johnson. He has almost taken a cut to take that fight and that’s why we’re here today. Everybody told him, ‘Do not take this fight. They’re not…

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

UFC bantamweight Macy Chiasson is lucky to be alive after a crane crashed into her Dallas apartment complex on Sunday.

One woman was killed and five others were injured — including two in critical condition — after heavy winds from a thunderstorm caused the crane to collapse into the Elan City Lights apartment complex located in downtown Dallas.

Chiasson revealed to "TMZ Live" that she just narrowly escaped the worst of the accident.

“I had just been home for about 20 minutes. I entered the car garage, I parked my car, I went into my apartment. I had my dog with me…I was only there for about 20 minutes,” Chiasson said. “It almost sounded like a little bit of construction going on, because my backyard is where all the construction is going on right now. I live about 100 feet away from where they’re building another structure.

“I was like, ‘There’s no way that they’re doing construction right now…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return to mainland China will feature a title bout at the top of the card.

According to ESPN, Jessica Andrade will defend her strawweight crown against Weili Zhang at the UFC’s upcoming event in Shenzhen, China on Aug. 31. While contracts for the matchup have not been signed, the contest is close to being official. The card, which will likely be UFC Fight Night 157, is expected to air on ESPN+. It is the promotion’s third visit to mainland China.

Andrade claimed the strawweight belt with a second-round slam knockout of Rose Namajunas at UFC 237. “Bate Estaca” has won seven of her last eight Octagon appearances, with her only setback during that period coming in five-round decision defeat to then champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

Zhang is currently on a 19-fight winning streak that includes three triumphs in the UFC. The 29-year-old China native is coming off her most significant victory to date, a decision over Tecia Torres at UFC 235.

Ricardo Lamas’ knockout loss to Calvin Kattar at UFC 238 was painful for more than just the usual sting of defeat.

“The Bully” revealed via Instagram that he underwent surgery on Monday to insert titanium plates in his jaw after it was broken in three places. Kattar finished Lamas with a left hook-right cross combination at the 4:06 mark of round one in their featherweight bout this past Saturday in Chicago.

The former title challenger managed to keep a sense of humor through the process.

“I suffered [three] fractures in my jaw during the fight. Been in the hospital since [and] had surgery yesterday,” Lamas wrote. “Titanium plates were installed. I asked the doctor to install small laster guns in my mouth that I could activate with my tongue and shoot through my teeth but he said that was impossible.”

A Chicago native, Lamas has lost three of his last four Octagon appearances. He revealed that he is expecting his third child in August.

“For my beloved…

Mackenzie Dern became a mother for the first time on Sunday.

The UFC competitor announced the birth of her baby daughter, Moa, in an Instagram post on Monday evening.

“A little late, stubborn, American/Brazilian, beautiful, perfect, God’s gift and our family’s biggest pride!” Dern wrote. “Delivery was smooth and I had the most important people by my side! Welcome here my baby girl! We love you so much!”

Dern revealed her pregnancy in February while adding that she “can’t wait to be back in the ring.” The 26-year-old is 7-0 in her professional career, a record that includes a pair of wins in the UFC. In her most recent appearance, Dern submitted Amanda Bobby Cooper with a rear-naked choke in the opening round at UFC 224 in May 2018.

View this post on Instagram

Our daughter, Moa, is here! June 9th at 8:25pm! A little late, stubborn, american/brazilian, beautiful, perfect, God’s gift and our family’s biggest pride! Delivery was smooth and I had the …

The lineup for Bellator 222 will include a six-bout main card, the promotion announced Monday.

As previously reported, the event will be headlined by a welterweight grand prix semifinal between Rory MacDonald and Neiman Gracie, with MacDonald’s 170-pound title on the line. In the co-main event, Lyoto Machida will square off against Chael Sonnen in a light heavyweight affair.

The cross-promotional bantamweight title clash pitting Bellator king Darrion Caldwell against Rizin champ Kyoji Horiguchi will open the main draw. After that, the featured lineup includes Eduardo Dantas vs. Juan Archuleta at featherweight; Ricky Bandejas vs. Patrick Mix at bantamweight and Dillon Danis vs. Max Humphrey at a 175-pound catchweight.

The preliminary card includes a number of notable names, most notably the return of highly-touted prospect Aaron Pico, who locks horns with the undefeated Adam Borics at featherweight. Other notables set to compete on the prelims include boxing champ…

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

The UFC 238 preliminary matchup between Tatiana Suarez and Nina Ansaroff had all the makings of a No. 1 contender bout for the strawweight division.

Ultimately, Suarez won the fight by unanimous decision, banking two rounds with her wrestling before holding off an Ansaroff surge in the final stanza. However, the undefeated fighter revealed she wasn’t at her best after suffering an injury in the early going.

“It was not my best performance but I got the job done. I hurt my neck in the first round, I was just trying to do the best I could. I tried to wrestle without my neck, but it’s difficult to do that,” Suarez said after her fight. “Nina is a tough opponent, she did everything right, but I knew no one was going to steal this moment from me. So many people came here to support me, the fans almost made me cry when I was walking out because they…

Jessica Eye is going to be on highlight reels for a long time, but it’s not the way she would have envisioned it heading into her title bout with Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 238.

Eye was knocked unconscious by a head kick from Shevchenko just 26 seconds into round two of their co-main event clash in Chicago on Saturday night. The “Knockout of the Year” candidate ended Eye’s three-fight winning streak and her flyweight championship dreams.

The Ohio native was not present at the post-fight press conference, but she did release a statement on Twitter crediting Shevchenko for her performance.

Congratulations [Valentina Shevchenko] that was [an] incredible head kick. I am thankful for the chance to share the cage with you,” Eye wrote.

“To my true supporters: thank you so much for all that you do for me. I am OK and thank you for caring about me. I had a great camp and felt the best I have ever. I made some mistakes that cost me dearly. The fight game can be roug…

Henry Cejudo sent a message to the rest of the MMA world on Saturday night by becoming the fourth fighter in UFC history to hold world titles in two divisions simultaneously.

Cejudo (15-2) took his time but eventually outclassed Brazilian powerhouse Marlon Moraes and stopped him in the third frame of their UFC 238 headlining bout in Chicago. “The Messenger” absorbed a hellish low kick attack from Moraes in the opening stanza and eventually slowed his foe down with punches and knees. Cejudo dispatched “Magic” with a punishing assault of elbows and fists from top half guard, forcing referee Marc Goddard to intervene at the 4:51 mark of round three.

The win allowed Cejudo, already the promotion’s flyweight champion, to snatch up the vacant bantamweight title. The feat gave him access to an illustrious club of multi-divisional champs featuring Conor McGregor, Amanda Nunes and Daniel Cormier. However, Cejudo is quick to point out that he has something those other champs don…

It’s been nine years since Tony Ferguson was last beaten in an MMA match and he doesn’t expect to lose anytime soon.

Ferguson put on a clinic in one of the featured bouts at UFC 238 on Saturday night, vanquishing fan favorite Donald Cerrone after two rounds. “El Cucuy” turned up the heat in the second round against “Cowboy” and began cracking him with kicks, elbows and punches repeatedly. Cerrone never quit and kept trying to turn the fight in his favor, but Ferguson was masterful and wound up getting the stoppage.

The end of their lightweight tussle came when referee Dan Miragliotta decided to end things in between rounds two and three. Cerrone (36-12, 1 NC) was hit by a right hook after the horn ended the second round, but with his right eye swelling and his nose possibly broken, “Cowboy” did the unthinkable and blew his nose in his corner. His right eye immediately closed and with the skin above and below the eye swollen like Tom’s thumb after he missed Jerry with a…