Blog

The first Professional Fighters League vs. Bellator MMA card is official for Feb. 24 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Advertisement

The event will feature four champion vs. champion bouts: PFL 2023 heavyweight king Renan Ferreira vs. Bellator champ Ryan Bader at heavyweight; 2023 PFL light heavyweight champ Impa Kasanganay vs. Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen at 185 pounds; 2023 PFL featherweight champion Jesus Pinedo vs. Bellator featherweight title holder Patricio Freire and 2023 PFL welterweight champion Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. Bellator welterweight champion Jason Jackson.

A handful of other matchups were also confirmed for the event: Bruno Cappelozza vs. Vadim Nemkov at light heavyweight; Clay Collard vs. A.J. McKee at lightweight; Thiago Santos vs. Yoel Romero at light heavyweight and Gabriel Braga vs. Aaron Pico at featherweight. Boxing champion Claressa Shields is also expected to fight on the card against Kelsey DeSantis, while Biaggio Ali Walsh …

ONE Championship continues to stack the lineup for its Qatar debut with title fights.

Advertisement

The Singapore-based promotion announced Tuesday that reigning atomweight (115-pound) queen Stamp Fairtex will defend her belt against Denice Zamboanga at ONE Championship 166 on March 1 at Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar. Additionally, Tye Ruotolo will defend his welterweight (185-pound) submission grappling title against former IBJJF world champion Izaak Mitchell in another featured bout on the card.

ONE Championship 166 already featured three title rematches, all in MMA. In the main event, Anatoliy Malykhin will attempt to become a three-division champion when he challenges Reinier de Ridder for the middleweight (205-pound) strap. Additionally, Jarred Brooks will face Joshua Pacio for strawweight (125-pound) gold, while reigning featherweight (155-pound) champion Kai Tang takes on interim title holder Thanh Le.

ONE also announced that it will hold a …

Sean Strickland has warned Dricus Du Plessis of dire consequences if he crosses the line with his trash talk.

Advertisement

Strickland is slated to defend his middleweight strap for the first time against Du Plessis at UFC 297 on Jan. 20 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

The two have developed serious bad blood since Du Plessis brought up Strickland’s abusive childhood during a seasonal press conference last month in response to the champ alleging a sexual relationship between the South African and his coach. Strickland went on to attack Du Plessis while attending UFC 296 the very next day.

Strickland subsequently went on a podcast with comedian Theo Von, opening up about his childhood trauma in detail . Du Plessis has since stated that he doesn’t harbor any ill will towards Strickland, although he doesn’t regret anything he said.

While Strickland also seemingly doesn’t want things to escalate further, he has a message for his upcoming opponent.…

Jiri Prochazka wasn’t at his best leading up to his gold bid against Alex Pereira at UFC 295 in November.

Advertisement

Prochazka had to vacate his light heavyweight title leading up to his first title defense in December 2022 due to a severe shoulder injury.

It was nearly a year later that “BJP” got another shot at the vacant title against Pereira at UFC 295. Interestingly, the Czech claims he couldn’t train properly for his comeback, as he was battling a staph infection that started from his leg and went up to his ear.

“From the last weeks of preparation, I train just one week [because of] staph infection. After the fight, I fought with that for more than one month. I had antibiotics before the fight, so the last five weeks before the fight, [I couldn’t train properly]” the 31-year-old said on "The MMA Hour.”

However, Prochazka never considered pulling out of the fight as he believes there’s always a chance of victory.

“No. When I saw Jon J…

Dricus Du Plessis doesn’t believe he crossed the line by bringing up Sean Strickland’s traumatic childhood during their verbal back and forth.

Advertisement

“Stillknocks” is scheduled to challenge Strickland for the middleweight title at UFC 297 on Jan. 20 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. The bad blood between the two started with a seasonal press conference last month where Du Plessis brought up Strickland’s abusive childhood. Du Plessis vowed to put on a worse beating on Strickland than his own father after the champ joked about a sexual relationship between the South African and his coach.

Strickland subsequently admitted that he was triggered by the comments, leading to him attacking Du Plessis while attending UFC 296 the next day. However, Du Plessis doesn’t regret anything he said to Strickland.

“I don’t regret anything. I said what I said. Listen, if you’re dishing it out, you’re going to get it. I’m not going to keep on hammering on it, but I…

PFL is saddened to learn about the passing of Diego Braga. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family during this tragic time. May he Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/kZ1rSskv9z

— PFL (@PFLMMA) January 16, 2024

Diego Braga, a veteran of 32 professional MMA bouts, is dead at the age of 44.

Advertisement

Braga’s passing was confirmed by the Professional Fighters League in a social media post on Monday. Braga was the father of 2023 PFL featherweight finalist Gabriel Braga.

“PFL is saddened to learn about the passing of Diego Braga,” read a statement from the organization. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family during this tragic time. May he rest in peace.”

According to a report from MMAFighting.com, Braga was allegedly killed in Rio de Janeiro by members of the criminal organization Comando Vermelho when he was mistaken for a member of a rival militia. Braga was had reportedly been looking for hi…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s debut in Saudi Arabia will likely come a little bit later than originally anticipated.

UFC Fight Night 238, which was originally scheduled for Boulevard Hall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on March 2, is expected to be postponed with a new targeted date of June. The news was initially reported by Ariel Helwani on ”The MMA Hour,” who revealed that the postponement occurred because there was a lack of satisfaction from the “powers that be” in Saudi Arabia with the quality of the card.

Advertisement

It’s currently unclear if the rescheduled event will remain a Fight Night or if it will become a pay-per-view card. As of Monday, UFC Fight Night 238 included fights such as Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Shamil Gaziev and Alex Perez vs. Muhammad Mokaev, but a headliner had not been announced. It’s not known if the bouts currently confirmed for the card will remain part of the new UFC Saudi Arabia event.

Saudi Arabia has become a significant …

While Magomed Ankalaev staked his claim to a light heavyweight title shot with a knockout victory on Saturday night, reigning champ Alex Pereira appears to have other plans.

Advertisement

In a post on his Instagram account, “Poatan” targeted Jamahal Hill for his first title defense. Hill claimed the belt with a victory against Pereira mentor Glover Teixeira in January 2023 but had to vacate the title after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon in a pickup basketball game this past summer. It is unclear when Hill might be cleared to compete again.

“People, let’s focus on what matters, which is Jamahal,” Pereira wrote in Portuguese, “and then I’ll focus on breaking another record and doing two title defenses in the least amount of time.”

Pereira appears to be alluding to the record for shortest time between title defense, which is held by Ronda Rousey. The Olympic judoka submitted Miesha Tate at UFC 168 and returned 56 days later for a stoppage win over Sara M…

Johnny Walker appears to be in good spirits following his knockout loss to Magomed Ankalaev in the UFC Fight Night 234 main event.

Advertisement

After their first meeting at UFC 294 ended in a no contest, Ankalaev left no doubt in the rematch, rendering Walker unconscious with a right hook and follow-up right uppercut 2:42 into Round 2 of their light heavyweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

Walker recently took to social media to release a statement on the defeat, offering support for his opponent’s title hopes in the process.

“I’m good, just a little scratch on my nose. I’m going to watch my fight and see what mistakes I did later on. … It is what it is,” Walker said. “We fight the best in the world. I’m one of the best in the world and I’m going to face the best in the world. It could be me, could be him. So he had a better night than me, and congratulations to him, Magomed Ankalaev. Hope he gets the belt now and I’m going to kee…

While a video featuring Javier Mendez might have recently raised hopes of a Khabib Nurmagomedov UFC return, the American Kickboxing Academy coach sent those hopes crashing back to reality just as quickly.

Advertisement

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight king bid farewell to the sport with a perfect record after defending his strap against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October 2020. There have since been numerous attempts to bring him out of retirement and several rumors of a pending return, but none have come to fruition.

Recently, a video featuring Mendez on social media sparked new rumors of a Nurmagomedov comeback. As his coach at AKA, Mendez is known to share a special bond with the former lightweight champ. In the aforementioned video, Mendez says that Nurmagomedov trains with him only when he is ready to fight and that “The Eagle” is currently training with him.

While Mendez didn’t confirm if Nurmagomedov would return, the clip wa…

HEAVY HANDS FROM BRUNNO FERREIRA 😳 #UFCVegas84 pic.twitter.com/51BTcOUrBZ

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 14, 2024

Brunno Ferreira wants to fight fellow prospect Sharabutdin Magomedov in Brazil.

Advertisement

Ferreira started his 2024 campaign in impressive fashion, violently knocking out Phil Hawes in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 234 encounter. This also saw “The Hulk” bounce back from his lone career loss, which came against Nursulton Ruziboev at UFC on ESPN 48 last July.

“I put a weight on myself. This was a weight that was lifted off my back,” Ferreira told media members on Saturday. “To actually start the year like this and having the opportunity to start the year like this with a fight like this, it’s very happy. I’m very fortunate. … This is the way I wanted to start my year. This is the way the year is supposed to start.”

Ferreira subsequently called out another elite up-and-comer in Magomedov. “Shara Bullet…

Mario Bautista has his sights set on Rob Font as he looks to make his way through the bantamweight rankings by the end of the year.

Advertisement

Bautista put on a masterclass against veteran Ricky Simon to earn a unanimous decision win at UFC Fight Night 234 on Saturday. Aftering extending his winning streak to six, Bautista called out Font in his post-fight interview.

“Six in a row, hopefully get the Top 15 and the Top 10 next,” Bautista said. “I think if Rob Font wants to prove himself and see if he belongs in that Top 10, we can figure it out.”

Bautista subsequently explained his callout of Font, also laying out his plans for the year.

“He’s lost in some certain ways,” Bautista said. “Whatever way the water flows easiest [is how I’ll win]… I would say around springtime, [I want to return]. The way I planned it out is Top 15, Top 10 and Top five at the end of the year [for my next opponents].”

Font is 1-4 in his last five Octagon appearance…

Statement re Ryan Curtis https://t.co/sGPDpWo1uS pic.twitter.com/gUokQ5HuvD

— Leah McCourt (@leahmccourtmma) January 13, 2024

Irish fighter Ryan Curtis has the whole Irish mixed martial arts community — along with many others — rallying behind him during a difficult time.

Advertisement

The flyweight fighter has lost the use of his arms and legs after suffering injuries to his back, neck and spine in training. Bellator women’s featherweight Leah McCourt, a close friend of Curtis’, recently set up a GoFundMe account in his name with the goal currently raised to $150,000 after nearly having reached the initial target of $100,000. A statement attached to the GoFundMe page reads:

“Ryan has suffered a broken back, broken neck and dislocated spine. During this injury, trauma was also caused to Ryan’s spinal cord. The damage is classified as the most severe that can happen to a spinal cord. He was rushed to the Royal in Belfast and underwent…

Magomed Ankalaev believes he has done his part to receive No. 1 contender status in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s light heavyweight division.

Advertisement

The 31-year-old Gorets Fight Team member got some much-needed closure on Saturday night, when he knocked out Johnny Walker 2:42 into Round 2 of their headlining encounter at UFC Fight Night 234. Not only was it a more satisfying conclusion for Ankalaev than their first meeting, which ended via no contest, but it also made a statement about the Dagestani’s overall skill set — one that could make reigning 205-pound champion Alex Pereira take notice.

“I could have come out here today and wrestled against Johnny Walker. I could have taken him down right away and won with my ground-and-pound on the ground, but instead I wanted to send a message. I wanted to stand up and I wanted to knock him out, and that’s what I did,” Ankalaev said through a translator at the UFC Fight Night 234 post-fight press confer…

[embedded content]

Paul Felder is considering a return to the Octagon for a clash against Jim Miller at UFC 300.

Advertisement

Miller put on an impressive performance to earn a submission win over fellow veteran Gabriel Benitez at UFC Fight Night 234 on Saturday. With his latest win, the 40 year old extended his own record for both most fights (43) and wins (26) in UFC history. Miller, who has notched wins at both UFC 100 and UFC 200, has been eyeing a UFC 300 outing to complete his trifecta.

He reiterated his call for a spot on the UFC 300 card during his post-fight interview, targeting both Felder and Matt Brown as potential opponents.

“UFC 300 is coming up,” Miller said. “I got three months to heal up and stay in shape and stay ready. Paul Felder, I think that would be a fun fight. I’ve got the most finishes at lightweight. Matt Brown, I would love to go up to 170 fight the guy with the most knockouts in UFC history …”

Felder, who was cageside on comme…

Jean Silva claims he can’t explain much about the walkout for his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut.

Advertisement

Silva made his first promotional appearance at UFC Fight Night 234 against Westin Wilson. The Brazilian attracted a lot of eyeballs starting from his walkout right up to his victory celebration.

“Lord Assassin” took three minutes and 40 seconds for his walkout, all the while coldly staring into the camera. His overall Octagon time barely exceeded that, as he put on a dominant beating to earn a stoppage win at the 4:12 mark of Round 1. Silva then further added to his intrigue with a barking celebration.

Silva claims it is his alter ego, “Lord Assassin,” who takes over during his extended walkout.

“I’m going to apologize for not knowing how to answer this,” Silva said in a post-fight scrum. I’ve said this before, it’s another person, it’s someone else. I’ve given a name to my alter ego, that’s why ‘Lord Assassin’ came about like it’s …

Shamil Gasanov revealed that his body wasn’t listening to him during his decision win over Ho Taek Oh at One on Prime Video 18.

Advertisement

Gasanov put on a dominant grappling display to earn a unanimous decision win over his opponent to bounce back from his lone career loss against Garry Tonon. “The Cobra” subsequently revealed that he was suffering from food poisoning and felt its effects severely as he battled his way to victory. The Dagestani standout said that while he felt in good shape while warming up, his body stopped listening to him after the opening frame.

“I don’t know what happened,” Gasanov said at the post-fight press conference. “When I was warming up, I felt pretty good and everything was well but at the same time, after the first round, I couldn’t feel my body well. My arms and legs weren’t listening to me but at the same time just because of my willpower and because of my trainer, I was able to get through the fight and win.”

Despite t…

Kwon Won Il made his case for a ONE Championship MMA bantamweight (145-pound) title shot after his win over Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg at One on Prime Video 18.

Advertisement

Kwon scored a second-round stoppage win over Zoltsetseg via ground-and-pound to extend his winning streak to three. The South Korean standout subsequently called for a title shot against champion Fabricio Andrade, who had handed him his last loss in June 2022.

“I only want one thing. Give me the title shot,” Won said. “I want Fabricio. I’m going to kill him. That’s my plan. That’s it…I’m going to kill you baby. Where are you Fabricio? I’m coming for you.”

When asked how he sees the fight playing out, Won kept it simple.

“Knockout,” he said. “I’m going to knock him out.”

Andrade dethroned John Lineker in February 2023 with a lopsided beating that made the former champ’s corner throw in the towel before the fifth round. Lineker has since bounced back with consecutive wins over Jae W…

Won Il Kwon made his case for a ONE Championship MMA bantamweight (145-pound) title shot after his win over Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg at One on Prime Video 18.

Advertisement

Kwon scored a second-round stoppage win over Zoltsetseg via ground-and-pound to extend his winning streak to three. The South Korean standout subsequently called for a title shot against champion Fabricio Andrade, who had handed him his last loss in June 2022.

“I only want one thing. Give me the title shot,” Won said. “I want Fabricio. I’m going to kill him. That’s my plan. That’s it…I’m going to kill you baby. Where are you Fabricio? I’m coming for you.”

When asked how he sees the fight playing out, Won kept it simple.

“Knockout,” he said. “I’m going to knock him out.”

Andrade dethroned John Lineker in February 2023 with a lopsided beating that made the former champ’s corner throw in the towel before the fifth round. Lineker has since bounced back with consecutive wins over Jae W…

Liam Nolan wants be a ONE Championship muay thai title holder by the end of 2024.

Advertisement

One on Prime Video 18 saw the British fan favorite take on Russian striker Ali Aliev, who stepped up on short notice for French Glory Kickboxing veteran Theo Avon. Nolan earned a unanimous decision win over Aliev in his first bout since November 2022.

Nolan started his ONE Championship tenure on a two-fight skid, but he bounced back with consecutive wins over Brown Pinas and Kim Kyung Lock. Nolan then came up short against former lightweight title challenger Sinsamut Klinmee before besting Eddie Abasolo. Nolan was then out of competition throughout 2023 due to health issues, which forced him to miss out on a rematch against Klinmee.

He believes his latest win over Aliev now puts him only one fight away from a title shot against lightweight champ Regian Eersel.

“To fight next, I don’t know but I definitely want to be ending the year with a ONE belt on my shoulde…

Jim Miller is aging like a fine wine.

In his 43rd Octagon appearance, the New Jersey native pocketed a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for his submission of Gabriel Benitez in the UFC Fight Night 234 co-main event. Miller ended the lightweight contest with a face crank at the 3:25 mark of Round 3.

Advertisement

That was one of four “Performance of the Night” bonuses handed out by the promotion.

Elsewhere, Magomed Ankalaev received a $50,000 check for a knockout of Johnny Walker in the evening’s headliner. After their first meeting ended in a no contest, the Dagestani left nothing to chance, as he dropped his foe with a right hook and sealed his victory with an uppercut against the fence 2:42 into the second period.

Meanwhile, Brunno Ferreira garnered $50,000 of his own with a first-round finish of Phil Hawes in a featured middleweight affair. The Brazilian battered his foe with a barrage of offense, dropped him with a straight left and put Hawes a…

Magomed Ankalaev shifted ever closer to another shot at the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight title and perhaps boosted the rhinoplasty market in the process.

The stoic 31-year-old Russian turned away Johnny Walker with punches in the second round of their UFC Fight Night 234 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, likely closing the book on their brief but eventful head-to-head series. Referee Marc Goddard rescued Walker (21-8, 7-5 UFC) from further damage 2:42 into Round 2.

Advertisement

A little less than three months after their initial encounter resulted in a controversial no contest, neither man made much headway in the first round of their rematch. Ankalaev (18-1-1, 10-1-1 UFC) was content to stay at a safe distance while his volatile counterpart unleashed flashy, inefficient attacks. Midway through Round 2, the Gorets Fight Team product dropped Walker to a seated position against the fence with a brutal right hook. The right upp…

Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 234 “Ankalaev vs. Walker 2” coverage will begin Saturday at 4:15 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Van (-218), Bunes (+180)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

Advertisement

Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Nolan (-298), Motta (+240)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round…

Farid Basharat answered a lot of questions regarding his status as a future contender in the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight division.

Repeated takedowns, time-consuming clinches and superior activity in the standup exchanges carried the undefeated Xtreme Couture standout to a unanimous decision over former TKO Major League MMA champion Taylor Lapilus in a featured UFC Fight Night 234 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 30-27 for Basharat (12-0, 3-0 UFC).

Advertisement

Lapilus (19-4, 4-2 UFC), who suffered his first setback in almost 2,000 days, was a difficult nut to crack but had no real answer for his adversary’s relentless tenacity. Basharat pursued takedowns in all three rounds, even as many of them were negated, and kept his foot on the accelerator for 15 minutes. He ducked into a takedown behind an overhand right in the third round, set up in side control and eventually threatened the …