Blog

Bruno Silva wasn’t pleased with referee Gary Copeland’s approach during his controversial loss to Chris Weidman at UFC on ESPN 54.

Advertisement

"Before the fight, the referee comes to the dressing room and advises all fighters that open hands are not allowed and can be considered a foul,” Silva told Sherdog.com. “Weidman was unfair during the whole fight.”

“Blindado” pointed out that Copeland wasn’t as lenient earlier in the evening, when he took a point from Herbert Burns for an eye poke in the opening round of his bout against Julio Arce.

"He took one point from him after the second eye poke,” Silva said. “I got eye poked four times, and he did absolutely nothing.”

Silva said that his team didn’t initially understand why he fell to the ground during the final sequence against Weidman until they viewed the replay. While the bout was initially a stoppage win for Weidman, it was later changed to a technical decision victory for the ex-middleweight champio…

Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Dominick Reyes is ready to return to action after battling through potentially serious issue.

Advertisement

Reyes revealed in a video post on Instagram that he has received a “clean bill of health,” clearing the way for him to fight again in the near future. “The Devastator” had been dealing with blood clots in his leg, which put a potential booking against Carlos Ulberg at UFC on ESPN 54 on hold.

“Hey everyone, I just got out of my appointment at Victor Valley Imaging and I got a clean bill of health. No evidence of deep vein thrombosis anymore. I’m pretty excited,” Reyes said. “I just got to finish off these next few days of blood thinners and I’m good to go, 100%. Thank you, everybody, for the kind words, the love, and reaching out and everything. Time to get back at it, baby. I’m ready to go.”

Reyes, who is perhaps best known for taking Jon Jones to the brink of defeat at UFC 247, has lost four straight O…

Urijah Faber’s return to combat sports has been confirmed.

Advertisement

Faber announced in March that he would be returning to action under the banner of his own promotion, A1 Combat, but he didn’t specify an opponent. The promotion on Sunday officially announced a rematch between Faber and Jeff Curran that will headline A1 Combat 21 on May 25 at the Visalia Convention Center in California. The matchup will take place under combat jiu-jitsu rule set, which allows open palm strikes.

Faber and Curran faced each other for the first time at WEC 31 in 2007 with Faber’s featherweight title on the line. “The California Kid” went on to successfully defend his strap via a second-round submission.

Faber initially announced his retirement in 2016 following a unanimous decision win over Brad Pickett at UFC on Fox 22. He returned to competition in 2019, knocking out Ricky Simon in under a minute. Faber then suffered a brutal knockout loss to Petr Yan later that sa…

Julio Arce had a lot of pressure to deliver going into his UFC Atlantic City bout against Herbert Burns, and deliver he did.

Advertisement

Arce scored a second-round KO win over Burns in his first bout since November 2022. Arce’s return was delayed when he was forced out of a UFC 285 booking against Cody Garbrandt in January 2023 due to an ACL tear that required surgery.

With the undeniable jitters of coming back from an injury already in his mind, Arce also had a bizarre weight miss. Arce initially weighed in at 147 pounds, a pound over the non-title featherweight limit, and was given an hour to shed the extra weight. While Arce claims to have tried his best to sweat it out, he miraculously gained half a pound the second time he weighed in. However, Arce doesn’t want to make any excuses about the odd weight miss and vows to make weight in future.

“I got on the scale, it said 147, we had an hour,” Arce said during a post-fight media scrum. “Because I know…

Igor da Silva is looking for a second chance after being cut from the Ultimate Fighting Championship for biting his opponent.

Advertisement

Da Silva and Andre Lima squared off during the UFC on ESPN 53 preliminary card on March 23. The fight got off to a promising start, but the bout was called to stop in the second round with Lima complaining of a bite from da Silva. Referee Chris Tognoni briefly halted the contest before calling it off, as Lima’s right bicep showed an evident bite mark. Lima was declared the winner via disqualification and da Silva lost his UFC contract along with his perfect record.

While da Silva doesn’t have any explanation for his actions, he claims to have gone into “autopilot mode” after absorbing an elbow from Lima.

“There’s no plausible explanation [for the bite], right? I remember exchanging strikes with him, a close fight, but I was in autopilot mode after that elbow,” da Silva told MMAFighting.com. “I don’t remember anything af…

Nursulton Ruziboev wants to settle the score for Uzbekistan against Gerald Meerschaert after his UFC on ESPN 54 victory on Saturday.

Advertisement

Ruziboev defeated Sedriques Dumas via technical knockout to score his second consecutive first-round finish in the UFC. Ruziboev called out Meerschaert in his post-fight Octagon interview and later elaborated on it during a media scrum.

Ruziboev is one of only three Uzbek fighters in the UFC, along with Bogdan Guskov and Makhmud Muradov, who suffered a submission loss to Meerschaert in 2021. Ruziboev now wants to avenge his fellow countryman’s loss against “GM3.”

“There’s only three Uzbek fighters in the UFC and one of them was beaten by Gerald Meerschaert. So, I want to revenge that loss and I wanna show that Uzbek fighters are not weak,” Ruziboev said.

With Meerschaert coming off a submission victory against Bryan Barberena earlier this month, the turnaround time might be perfect for a clash between the two.…

It wasn’t the cleanest of victories for Chris Weidman at UFC on ESPN 54, but given his struggles in recent years, the former middleweight champion will take a win any way he can get it.

Advertisement

Weidman defeated Bruno Silva technical decision in their middleweight clash at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on Saturday night. It was a bout filled with controversy due to multiple eye pokes, including two that occurred during what initially appeared to be the finishing sequence. After Weidman poked his opponent in both eyes, he connected with a glancing left hook, and Silva tumbled to the canvas. From there, Silva covered up in pain as “The All-American” unloaded with ground-and-pound to force the stoppage at the 2:18 mark of Round 3.

Upon further review, the fight was scored where the eye pokes occurred, and Weidman was instead awarded with a technical decision triumph. At the post-fight press conference (video via MMAjunkie.com), Weidman claimed …

BUCKLEY HAMMERS HIS WAY TO A BIG WIN 🔨 #UFCAtlanticCity pic.twitter.com/wt09AB2Wiz

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 31, 2024

It was a strange sight to see Vicente Luque pull guard during his co-main event showdown with Joaquin Buckley at UFC on ESPN 54 on Saturday night.

After all, Luque is well-known for his finishing ability, as he ranks second all-time in the UFC’s welterweight division in that category with 13 career victories inside the distance. However, with Buckley getting the better of their clash at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, “The Assassin” opted for a different route, one which ultimately led to his demise. Once Luque pulled guard, Buckley unloaded with a salvo of ground-and-pound that led to the bout being halted at the 3:17 mark of Round 2.

“I laughed actually. I chuckled when he pulled guard,” Buckley said at the post-fight press conference. “This whole time I was thinking about Vicente. We all know he’s a tale…

Nate Landwehr is establishing himself as must-see TV in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The former M-1 Global champion garnered a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his knockout of Jamall Emmers in a preliminary featherweight bout at UFC on ESPN 54 in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Saturday night. Landwehr survived behing hurt early, rallying to put his adversary away with a massive uppercut and follow-up punches at the 4:43 mark of Round 1.

Elsewhere, Dennis Buzukja received the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for his stoppage of Connor Matthews in a preliminary featherweight affair. Buzukja dropped his foe with a right cross-left hook combination, then swarmed with hammerfists for the finish 22 seconds into the third stanza.

Finally, Ibo Aslan and Anton Turkalj earned “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 for their spirited rematch at light heavyweight. While both men had their moments over the first 10 minutes, A…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship women's flyweight division has a new top contender as Manon Fiorot impressed against Erin Blanchfield in the UFC on ESPN 54 main event.

The five-round fight began with Blanchfield (12-2) threatening with a guillotine choke as a counter to a takedown by Fiorot (12-1). The French fighter would survive the submission scare and find her rhythm on the feet. Using a steady jab and leg kicks, Fiorot kept Blanchfield at range and picked apart her foe. "Cold Blooded" lived up to her nickname as she adjusted and started throwing more recklessly in the fourth and fifth rounds. However, it wound up being too little too late for the American as she lost a unanimous decision with three scorecards of 50-45 for Fiorot.

Advertisement

"The Beast" is now 6-0 inside the Octagon. Buckley Powers Past Luque The co-main event saw Joaquin Buckley cement himself as a welterweight contender against Vicente Luque. The first round was a more tepid affair, …

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Atlantic City, New Jersey, this weekend for UFC on ESPN 54. The event, which is set to unfold on Saturday at Boardwalk Hall, boasts an exciting mix of established names and emerging prospects. Experience the intensity of the event first-hand with Sherdog’s live play-by-play coverage, capturing every moment as it unfolds inside the cage starting at 7 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Loughran (-355), Pacheco (+280)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Malkoun (-205), Petroski (+170)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Crit…

NATE THE TRAIN PULLS OUT OF THE STATION 🚂💨@NateTheTrain gets the FIRST ROUND KO at #UFCAtlanticCity pic.twitter.com/tDLbOVlj6w

— UFC (@ufc) March 31, 2024

Nate Landwehr made a statement at the expense of Jamall Emmers in the UFC on ESPN 54 featured prelim.

Advertisement

The three-round featherweight fight saw Emmers (20-8) take control early, as his sharp punches cut Landwehr (18-5) above his left eye. However, "The Train" was as hard-hitting as his nickname and delivered a perfectly-timed uppercut that knocked out Emmers. Landwehr followed his foe to the floor with some punches and the fight was stopped at 4:43 of Round 1.

The 35-year-old has now won four of his last five fights, with the lone defeat coming to Dan Ige.

Jandiroba Edges Godinez Women's strawweight contender Virna Jandiroba passed a tough test by edging out Lupita Godinez over 15 minutes.

Jandiroba (20-3) finished a back-and-forth opening round strong by taki…

UFC 302 is official for Newark, New Jersey, and the June 1 card has a few new matchups, as well.

Advertisement

The promotion announced the following bouts during the UFC on ESPN 54 broadcast on Saturday night: Ailin Perez vs. Joselyne Edwards at bantamweight; Phil Rowe vs. Jake Matthews at Jake Matthews at welterweight and Mickey Gall vs. Bassil Hafez at welterweight.

UFC 302 takes place at the Prudential Center and will also see Roman Dolidze face Anthony Hernandez at middleweight, while Grant Dawson will take on Joe Solecki at lightweight.

Perez has won two straight in the Octagon, including a unanimous verdict over Lucie Pudilova in her last outing at UFC Fight Night 232. Edwards, meanwhile, had a three-fight winning streak snapped in her last appearance when she fell to Nora Cornolle via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 226.

Rowe is coming off a split-decision defeat to Neil Magny at UFC on ABC 5, a loss that snapped a three-bout winning str…

Top 15 heavyweights will duke it out in St. Louis 👊@TheBeast_UFC vs @ZeColmeiiia is your #UFCStLouis main event! pic.twitter.com/NCIWb21V2b

— UFC (@ufc) March 30, 2024

A heavyweight clash pitting Derrick Lewis against Rodrigo Nascimento will headline UFC on ESPN 56.

Advertisement

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the booking on Saturday. UFC on ESPN 56 takes place at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis on May 11. The main card airs on ESPN and ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on ESPN and ESPN+ beginning at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.

Lewis, the UFC’s all-time leader in knockout victories with 14, has lost four of his last five Octagon appearances. Most recently, “The Black Beast” suffered a five-round unanimous decision loss to Jailton Almeida at UFC Fight Night 231 last November. Lewis’ lone victory during his current slump came when he stopped Marcos Rogerio de Lima in 33 seconds at UFC 291.

Nascimento is 4-…

The lineup for Bellator Champions Series Dublin continues to grow, as a lightweight showdown pitting Yancy Medeiros against Peter Queally has been added to the June 22 card.

Bellator Champions Series Dublin takes place at the 3Arena and is headlined by a welterweight title tilt between reigning champion Jason Jackson and Ramazan Kuramagomedov. The card will air on Max in the United States.

A 15-time UFC veteran, Medeiros will be making his third appearance under the Bellator MMAbanner. After debuting with a unanimous decision win over Emmanuel Sanchez at Bellator 279, the Hawaiian’s most recent outing against Charlie Leary at Bellator 295 — initially a submission victory — was overturned to a no contest.

Queally, meanwhile, is winless in his last four outings. Most recently, the Irishman’s clash against Daniele Miceli at Bellator 299 ended in just 26 seconds when his opponent landed an illegal soccer kick.

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Mike Sloan/Sherdog.com Credit: Mike Sloan/Sherdog.com Credit: Mike Sloan/Sherdog.com

A bantamweight clash pitting Cody Stamann against former Ares Fighting Championship bantamweight champion Taylor Lapilus has been added to the UFC Fight Night event set to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on June 8.

Advertisement

The bout was first announced by Stamann's management, Iridium Sports Agency, on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Stamann (21-6), will enter the Octagon on the heels of a unanimous decision loss to Douglas Silva de Andrade in May last year. The loss snap…

[embedded content]

Despite all the noise surrounding his next booking, Steve Erceg is laser-focused on his upcoming flyweight title meeting with Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301 and is hoping to walk away with a statement win over the Brazilian in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

Much has been made of Erceg (12-1) receiving a title shot just three wins and 11 months into his Ultimate Fighting Championship tenure. And while the Australian admittedly got the opportunity perhaps because he was “at the right place at the right time,” that won’t deter him from attempting to walk away with a decisive win over “The Cannibal.”

While “Astro Boy” sees Pantoja as a class act with superior grappling, the 28-year-old also sees himself soundly defeating the Brazilian, “especially on the feet.”

“Well, I like the way he carries himself; he carries himself respectfully. He has a great heart, super tough, obviously great grappling, he looks very strong. I just think there's a lot of hol…

If the skills explained by her coach come to fruition, Manon Fiorot is going to give Erin Blanchfield fits on Saturday.

Undefeated in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and riding a six-fight win streak in the organization itself, French striking ace Fiorot hired an important reinforcement for the camp to face Blanchfield on Saturday in Atlantic City, New Jersey: Brazilian luta-livre and jiu-jitsu black belt Flavio “Peroba” Santiago. Living in France since 2002, Santiago joined up with the burgeoning flyweight in December. He spoke to Sherdog ahead of her headlining appearance at UFC on ESPN 54, where he explained how training has fared thus far.

Advertisement

“I’m really impressed by her work ethic,” Santiago gushed. “Every time I taught her some new technique, she repeated [it] until [getting] it done perfectly, and every new sparring, she came with some notes to ask me.”

The coach revealed that he was not just teaching her instructions from afar. Roughly …

A slow start did nothing to slow down Seiya Matsuda in his ONE Championship debut.

Multiple takedowns, ground-and-pound and a near submission carried the unbeaten Blue Dog Gym export to a split decision over Mikhail Gritsanenko in a ONE Friday Fights 57 catchweight showcase on Friday at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Two of the ringside judges struck scorecards for Matsuda (4-0, 1-0 ONE), who was overcome by emotion following the three-round battle at 163 pounds.

Advertisement

Gritsanenko (3-2, 0-1 ONE) leaned on deft footwork and sharp counterattacks throughout much of the first round, where he let fly with two- and three-punch combinations, occasionally punctuating them with thudding kicks to the body. It was not enough to throw Matsuda off the scent. The 28-year-old organizational newcomer took down Gritsanenko in Round 2, moved to the north-south position and locked in a kimura. Pain contorted the Russian’s face, as he tried and failed to free …

[embedded content] The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to ESPN airwaves for the second straight week.

Headlining UFC on ESPN 54 is a key women's flyweight fight between Erin Blanchfield and Manon Fiorot. Both main event fighters successfully weighed in under the 126-pound limit. As for the rest of the card, everyone made weight except for Julio Arce, who came in one pound over the featherweight limit for his bout against Herbert Burns. The match will continue, with Arce being penalized 20% of his purse that will go to Burns.

Advertisement

This marks the second headlining fight for Blanchfield (12-1). Just 24 years of age, "Cold Blooded" is currently riding a nine-fight win streak. She hasn't lost since joining the promotion and is coming off impressive wins over Taila Santos, Jessica Andrade and Molly McCann. The Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu product stepped on the scale at 125 pounds on the dot.

Meanwhile, this marks the first main event for Fiorot (11-1). Ten…

[embedded content]

Jamall Emmers wants to correct every blemish on his mixed martial arts record.

Advertisement

Emmers (20-7) will take on fan-favorite Nate Landwehr (17-5) on three weeks’ notice at UFC Atlantic City on March 30.

Emmers replaced Pat Sabatini, who withdrew due to unknown reasons. “Prettyboy,” who suffered a submission loss against Sabatini in 2021, would like the opportunity to avenge that in the future. In fact, the 34-year-old wants to avenge all seven losses of his professional career, even against fighters who have retired.

“Of course, every loss I want back,” Emmers said during UFC Atlantic City media day. “Just letting everybody know this: every loss I want back. Who beat me in the UFC? Pat [Sabatini], we got Julian Erosa, who else, drawing a blank right now. Everybody that beat me, even guys that’s not in the UFC. Probably don’t even fight no more, I still want that back. It’s seven guys that beat me and I want it all back.”

E…

[embedded content]

Joaquin Buckley had no qualms about accepting a short-notice clash against Vicente Luque, as he has seemingly been preparing for the fight for a while now.

Advertisement

Buckley (17-6) is scheduled to meet Luque (22-9) in the co-main event at UFC Atlantic City at Boardwalk Hall on March 30. Going into arguably the toughest matchup of his career, Buckley is glad for the opportunity to be able to prove his mettle.

“It feels good. This is something I have been asking for and shouting about via social media for a long time. To get that big name, to get somebody that I feel like will really get the respect that it deserves with all the work I’ve been putting in. So now that I get the fight I asked for, it’s a beautiful situation,” Buckley said during UFC Atlantic City media day.

Buckley accepted the matchup on a little more than a month’s notice, replacing Sean Brady, who pulled out due to an injury. “New Mansa” revealed that he had no issue…

[embedded content]

Joaquin Buckley had no qualms about accepting a short-notice clash against Vicente Luque, as he has seemingly been preparing for the fight for a while now.

Advertisement

Buckley (17-6) is scheduled to meet Luque (22-9) in the co-main event at UFC Atlantic City at Boardwalk Hall on March 30. Going into arguably the toughest matchup of his career, Buckley is glad for the opportunity to be able to prove his mettle.

“It feels good. This is something I have been asking for and shouting about via social media for a long time. To get that big name, to get somebody that I feel like will really get the respect that it deserves with all the work I’ve been putting in. So now that I get the fight I asked for, it’s a beautiful situation,” Buckley said during UFC Atlantic City media day.

Buckley accepted the matchup on a little more than a month’s notice, replacing Sean Brady, who pulled out due to an injury. “New Mansa” revealed that he had no issue…

[embedded content]

According to Vicente Luque, Michael Page’s Ultimate Fighting Championship debut was proof that the Las Vegas-based promotion is on a different level compared to its counterparts.

Advertisement

After months of negotiations with the UFC, Page signed with the promotion last December and made his debut against Kevin Holland at UFC 299earlier this month. Known for his highlight reel knockouts, “Venom” did put on a show, completely outclassing Holland on the feet mixed with some signature showboating. However, the former Bellator MMA star failed to score a finish or even hurt “Trailblazer” significantly in a fight that was seen as lukewarm by some.

Welterweight veteran Luque (22-9) also didn’t see Page looking as good in his UFC debut as the Brit did in his previous outings. “The Silent Assassin” believes it might have to do with the pressure of performing on the biggest stage in the world. Regardless, Luque is excited about the attention Page will…