Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Jennifer Maia made the most of a huge opportunity in the co-main event at UFC Vegas 5. After her original opponent fell off the card less than two weeks ago, Maia was ultimately matched up with Joanne Calderwood, who accepted the fight despite previously being granted a […]

Esther Lin, MMA Fighting UFC flyweight Joanne Calderwood may miss out on a title shot against champ Valentina Shevchenko if she can’t beat Jennifer Maia at UFC Vegas 5. Fans might question the wisdom of Calderwood’s decision, but UFC President Dana White couldn’t be more supportive. “When you’re real, that’s what you do,” he told […]

Undefeated Bellator flyweight champion Ilima Lei-Macfarlane doesn’t exactly have a long list of real title challengers in front of her. She’s already successfully defended her crown four times, and the worldwide coronavirus pandemic ground the fight game to a halt for months, which prevented new contenders from building momentum. But the Bellator schedule is back […]

Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images Derek Brunson described a three-round fight as a gentlemen’s agreement with his UFC Vegas 5 opponent Edmen Shahbazyan – but Shahbazyan said it wasn’t his idea. Although they had less time to prepare for a 25-minute fight, the young prospect was ready to go to championship rounds. “[The UFC] offered […]

Esther Lin, MMA Fighting Joanne Calderwood understands nothing in the UFC is guaranteed. Just a few short months ago, the Scottish flyweight was preparing for a title shot against reigning 125-pound champion Valentina Shevchenko, but an injury forced the champ to undergo knee surgery, delaying their showdown. When it was clear that Shevchenko wasn’t going […]

The Legacy Fighting Alliance wraps up its month of title fights this week with LFA 87, and the seven-fight card is now official as all fighters made weight. View full post on Recent News on Sherdog.com

Esther Lin, MMA Fighting Two-division champion Ryan Bader will return to 205 pounds to defend his light heavyweight title against top contender Vadim Nemkov at Bellator 244 on Aug. 21. Multiple sources confirmed the fight to MMA Fighting on Wednesday with bout agreements issued to both athletes. The matchup was initially reported by Sports.ru. Bader […]

Ryan Bader vs. Vadim Nemkov is being targeted for Bellator 244. The Bellator lightweight heavyweight champion, Bader (27-5 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) will defend his 205-pound title against surging Russian challenger Vadim Nemkov on Aug. 21 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. – pending paperwork finalization. Sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed the targeted […]

Esther Lin, MMA Fighting Alex Perez believes he should be the first to challenge new flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo. Following Figueiredo’s incredible first-round finish of Joseph Benavidez in the UFC Fight Island 2 headliner, the conversations began throughout the MMA space on which surging 125-pound contender should be next. There seems to be three fighters […]

Cody Garbrandt has sat atop the UFC bantamweight throne. Now, he has his eyes set on the UFC flyweight division and its champion Deiveson Figueiredo. In an interview with ESPN on Tuesday, Garbrandt (12-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) said a title shot against Figueiredo (19-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) has not been officially offered. However, Garbrandt spoke […]

Esther Lin, MMA Fighting The highly anticipated UFC lightweight title unification bout is set to go down in the fall, according to Dana White. The UFC president told CNN’s Don Riddell that lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will return to the octagon to face interim title holder Justin Gaethje on Oct. 24. “It’s going to happen, […]

The UFC lightweight title unification bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje appears to have a date. View full post on Recent News on Sherdog.com

Sergio Pettis clinched a bantamweight title shot with a technical display of mastery against Ricky Bandejas that netted a unanimous decision in Bellator 242’s headliner. Pettis picked up unanimous 30-27 scores by shutting down Bandejas’ striking attack and landing punishing calf kicks and punches that set the tone over 15 minutes. Bellator 242 took place […]

Ciryl Gane barely has been training MMA for two years, yet he finds himself perhaps a couple of fights away from a UFC title shot. Gane (6-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC), who is only six fights into his professional MMA career, faces Shamil Abdurakhimov on Sept. 19 at UFC 253 in a tough test that should […]

Jack Hermansson is on the cusp of middleweight title contention and he has already mapped out how he wants the division to play out. Hermansson (21-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) picked up an impressive first-round submission win over Kelvin Gastelum in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN+ 30, and with some of the division’s top names […]

Carla Esparza is no stranger to the bright lights of the UFC Read the Full Article Here View full post on UFC News

Back when the Ultimate Fighting Championship still had some semblance of a normal event schedule, Joanne Calderwood was supposed to be next in line to face reigning flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko. View full post on Recent News on Sherdog.com

Esther Lin, MMA Fighting If Darren Till beats Robert Whittaker at UFC on ESPN 14, he doesn’t see his road ahead leading anywhere but to a showdown with reigning middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. After knocking off one-time interim title challenger Kelvin Gastelum by split decision in his debut at 185 pounds and with a fight […]

If all goes according to plan, Darren Till will be due for a UFC title shot in his third middleweight appearance. View full post on Recent News on Sherdog.com

After relinquishing the middleweight crown to Israel Adesanya at UFC 243 last October, Robert Whittaker took some time away from the sport to reset his priorities. View full post on Recent News on Sherdog.com