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Moraes happy to be at PFL, believes he still has ‘a lot to give’

2023-03-31T17:30:00-04:00

Marlon Moraes is set to face Brendan Loughnane on April 1. | Photo by Matt Davies/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Marlon Moraes shares some thoughts ahead of his bout against Brendan Loughnane on April 1.

Former UFC contender Marlon Moraes feels like he is home again. Once the World Series of Fighting bantamweight champion, the Brazilian has returned to the promotion that now goes by the name of Professional Fighters League last year for a chance to win its one million dollar prize money.

Having left the WSOF in 2016 to compete in the UFC, Marlon feels like his career has come full circle now that he is back. Though he did not win his debut, when he lost Sheymon Moraes, ‘Magic’ enjoys the relationship he has with the people at PFL, while claiming he did not feel satisfied anymore with the UFC.

“The people here are really cool. I have a great relationship with everyone in the promotion.” Moraes told Combate. “I feel like we started out with them, then they grew and now I see the PFL as one of the biggest promotions in the world,”

“I wasn’t pleased with the way my fights were going in the UFC,” Marlon said. “So that was the time to stop, think and make a decision. I felt like I still had a lot to give to the sport and I still have many fights left to give the people,”

Now competing at featherweight, Moraes will have his hand full in the first fight of the 2023 season. Paired up against 2022 tournament champion Brendan Loughnane, the Brazilian knows the task ahead is not easy. However, Marlon feels ready to surprise fans and shock the world.

“He’s a good guy. He’s fast, he’s a high volume fighter. He box, kick, take you down. He’s well-rounded. Nowadays, especially in the divisions bellow lightweight, everyone is well-rounded. You have to know everything in order to survive. It’s an MMA fight and I believe we’re going touch all areas and it’ll be a great fight. I’m ready to surprise everybody.”

Currently on a five-fight losing skid, Moraes (23-11-1) got knocked in all five outings, when he faced Cory Sandhagen, Rob Font, Merab Dvalishivili, Song Yadong and the aforementioned Moraes. The 34-year-old’s last win dates back December 2019, when he defeated Jose Aldo via split decision.

Now, Moraes is expected to take on Loughnane at PFL 1’s main event, on April 1, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The night’s co-main event is schedule to feature a bout for the season’s light heavyweight tournament, between fellow UFC veterans Thiago Santos and Rob Wilkinson.

RIZIN 41 preview, weigh-in results

2023-03-31T16:00:00-04:00

Boss level poster, too.

Japan’s hottest combat sports property lines up a lovely set of events, and it all starts here.

RIZIN gears up to host a series of events for the next few months, showcasing Japanese and international talent in the usual kickboxing and MMA format. It begins with this card right here, with what is mostly a meat-and-potatoes card with none of the unconventional spectacle bouts they put on from time to time.

The headliner is a fun kickboxing bout between Koji Tanaka and Ryusei Ashizawa. You may remember Takanka as the fighter that took on Floyd Mayweather’s bodyguard for some strange reasons we don’t have to get into. Ashizawa has a less-than-stellar record, and that’s fine for an action bout. This is a showcase, plain and simple, there’s no need to delve further into that.

Yoshinori Horie (12-3) had a great start to his career in Pancrase, was one and done in the UFC with a loss to Hakeem Dawodu, and now rides a three-fight win streak including this wild knockout against Tetsuya Seki. He meets Azerbaijan’s Vugar Karamov (17-4), a consistent talent that has extraordinary grappling and submission chops. It’s a banger, and one of the best fights of the weekend.

Welterweight veterans Kiichi Kunimoto (20-10, 2 draws, 1 no contest) and Keita Nakamura (35-11, 2 draws 1 no contest) are both coming off losses, but still have that veteran savvy and dad strength. It’s an interesting matchup between two crafty, well-rounded combatants, and a great addition to the card.

Guam’s Kyle Aguon (14-11) and Kyohei Hagiwara (6-7) are also scheduled for this card. They may not have extraordinary records, but put on some fun bouts from time to time when they fight against type and decide to throw bombs.

The real under-the-radar bout here is Sho Patrick Usami (6-1) vs Kyung Pyo Kim (11-4). Usami pulled of a stunner of a knockout against Noah Bey back in December, and against Shinji Sasaki in the fight before that. He meets ROAD, GLADIATOR and Shooto vet Kyung Pyo Kim (11-4), who can finish the fight anywhere and has an aggressive submission game.

You can check out the weigh-ins here:

Koji Tanaka vs Ryusei Ashizawa - 135lb kickboxing bout

Yoshinori Horie vs Vugar Karamov - Featherweight

Kiichi Kunimoto vs Keita Nakamura - Welterweight

Makoto Takahashi vs Daichi Kitakata - Flyweight

Kyohei Hagiwara vs Kyle Aguon - Featherweight

Yuto Hokamura vs Koichi Ishizuka - Bantamweight

Sho Patrick Usami vs Kyung Pyo Kim - Lightweight

Yusaku Nakamura vs Mehman Mamedov - Flyweight

Shun Onishi vs Motoki - 134lb kickboxing bout

Shingeki no Yuki vs Sota Kimura - 147lb kickboxing bout

Asataro vs Shin Sakurai - 127lb kickboxing bout

Yuto Miwa vs Daichi Akahira - 127lb kickboxing bout

RIZIN 41 takes place Friday night into Saturday morning starting at 2:00am EST for those of us stateside. The event will be available for purchase over at FITE.tv.

IBJJF Pans breakdown - Adam Wardzinski: An ode to Old School

2023-03-31T14:30:00-04:00

Screengrab, YouTube/Adam Wardzinski

Breaking down Adam Wardzinski’s championship run at the 2023 IBJJF Pan Championships.

The classics never go out of style.

Whether it be the vintage rock t-shirts, Metallica blasting in his reels, or the exquisite butterfly system he has perfected, Adam Wardzinski is the epitome of old school. Perhaps that is why at an age where many of the game’s best grapplers ascend to the Master’s division, Wardzinski has experienced his greatest success.

The greatest Polish grappler to ever grace the mats, Wardzinski made his name as a color belt dominating the European circuit. Picking up championships at the European Open in gi and no-gi, Wardzinski was widely considered Europe’s best grappler, yet would come up short against the very best.

This however, did not stop Wardzinski from amassing a legion of fans that rivals the size of the sport’s most iconic grapplers. His name became synonymous with the butterfly guard, joining the legendary company of Leo Santos and the inimitable Marcelo Garcia.

pic.twitter.com/uVqtme35zu
— Leo Santos Stan (@gioiaplata) March 28, 2023

It was only a short time ago that butterfly guard was considered to be somewhat dated, especially in the gi, mostly due to the modern passing metagame favoring standing passing. Yet, Wardzinski has consistently used it to baffle black belt after black belt.

Wardzinki’s use of old school jiu jitsu does not just stop with the butterfly. Wardzinski employs shin to shin, single leg X, and sometimes a combination of both if an opponent was too focused on stopping his butterfly.

JitsWeb 2019 IBJJF Pans Coverage: Beautiful Half Guard Butterfly Sweep with the far side lapel by Adam Wardzinski #bjj #jiujitsu pic.twitter.com/Ud0eQaWJJF
— jitsweb (@JitsWeb) March 25, 2019

While Wardzinski is primarily known for his guardplay, partially due to the legendary BJJ Scout guard study, his passing has been the catalyst for his most iconic victories. In the semi-finals of the 2019 edition of the Pan American Championships, Wardzinski faced off against Leandro Lo.

At this point in time Lo was the seven time World Champion with a mountain of other accolades whereas Wardzinski had come up just short time and time again with placed finishes at the AJP Grand Slam, AGP World Pro, and the IBJJF European Championships. An afterthought going into the match, Wardzinski managed to sweep one of the best passers of his generations, knee slice into mount, and take his back culminating in an epic upset.

Pans is Adam Wardzinski's event. pic.twitter.com/X8j34XyGXo
— Leo Santos Stan (@gioiaplata) March 27, 2023

With this victory, Wardzinski had announced himself as a serious contender at every major, yet despite making incremental progress, he would continue to fall agonizingly short. While Felipe Pena and Xande Ribeiro prevented Wardzinski from seeing great success in his early career, Kaynan Duarte was now the man preventing “Megatron” from ascending into immortality. Time after time, Duarte not only defeated the Polish sensation but often submitted him on the sport’s biggest stages, whether it be by armbar at the IBJJF World Championships or by a vicious kneebar at the AGP World Pro Finals in under two minutes.

pic.twitter.com/y5P1znYAj8
— Leo Santos Stan (@gioiaplata) March 28, 2023

With the pandemic in full effect at the tail end of what should have been Adam Wardzinski’s prime, many assumed that Wardzinski’s legacy was sealed, a bridesmaid but never a bride, a highly entertaining and instructive grappler that stood out but one who was never able to obtain that signature title.

Yet coming out of the pandemic, something changed. Wardzinski claimed victory at the 2021 Abu Dhabi World Pro, before finally capturing his elusive IBJJF European Open Title over Dominique Bell. However this tear did not continue stateside as he was quickly eliminated at the 2022 Pan American championship both in his division and absolute.

The Lo victory remained Wardzinski’s greatest moment, bittersweet in the fact that he was quickly dispatched in the finals of that tournament. The 2023 Pan American Championships looked to follow the same course as most of Wardzinski’s major runs over the past few years.

He started with an impressive run, submitting both Roberto Jimenez and Felipe Pimental before defeating Dimitrius Souza to move on to the finals.

Awaiting Wardzinski was the four time Pan American Champion in Felipe Andrew, who had dominantly defeated Wardzinski at the European Open this year.

The match started and it looked like the status quo would remain the same as Wardzinski quickly went down nine points and was mounted, defeat was inevitable.

Many a grappler would have given up in this scenario, yet Wardzinski persevered and went back to the move that had served him so well, the butterfly. Yet Andrew was aware of the threat and extended his base, forcing Wardzinski to switch to his secondary sweep, the John Wayne.

Adam Wardzinski John Wayne. pic.twitter.com/uU7NjIZbCR
— Leo Santos Stan (@gioiaplata) March 28, 2023

Ending in a knee cut position, Wardzinski still needed seven points in the final minute to get to a referee’s decision.

Read the rest over at the Bloody Elbow Substack page for FREE.

‘I’m better’ - Golm ‘not afraid’ of trading shots in Bellator 293’s main event

2023-03-31T13:00:00-04:00

Marcelo Golm is set to face Daniel James at Bellator 293. | Photo by Matt Davies/PX Images/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Marcelo Golm will look for the finish against Daniel James at Bellator 293.

Bellator 293 headliner Marcelo Golm is ready to make up for the time lost. Paired up against Daniel James for Friday night’s event, the Brazilian wants to put on an impressive striking performance and hopefully emerge from it unscathed.

In an interview with Combate, Golm felt at ease enough to share his gameplan, which may come as no surprise. A knockout artist, Marcelo intends to keep the fight on the feet and score a stoppage. Though the Brazilian knows his opponent also has heavy hands, he believes has the technical edge over James on the feet.

“He’ a big guy. Big and strong. He likes to box, he can grapple. He’s a brawler, he’s going to try to make it a brawl, but I’m not afraid. I have my weapons to beat him on the feet. I like striking and and that’s how I intend to fight him. He’s a dangerous guy, I respect his hands. Technically, though, I’m much better than him. The fight is staying on the feet,”

Having fought twice in 2022 and once in 2021, Golm intends to be a more active athlete this year. Since Marcelo is not injured and has no weight cutting issues, the Brazilian wants to seize this positive moment in his career and fight as frequently as possible from now on.

“If I can have three or four fights this year, it will be wonderful for me. I haven’t been able to fight a lot lately. I was healthy, I wasn’t injured or anything. I’ll be on their back this year though. I want to fight three or four times a year. I’m doing well, I have no weight issues, which is something different. If I’m healthy, I can fight every month.”

Currently on a four-fight winning streak, Golm (10-3) scored wins over DJ Linderman, Brandon Hebert, Billy Swanson and Davion Franklin, all stoppages. The 30-year-old’s most recent loss happened in the last fight of his UFC stint, when he got knocked out by Sergei Pavlovich, in April 2019.

Now, Golm is expected to take on James at Bellator 293’s main event, on March 31, in Temecula, California. The co-main event is scheduled to be headlined by a women’s featherweight bout between UFC veteran Cat Zingano and Leah McCourt.

UFC stats review 2023: Jon Jones, Jamahal Hill, Miller and others break records in first quarter

2023-03-31T11:30:00-04:00

Jon Jones broke the record for most UFC title fight wins with his submission of Ciryl Gane

A running tally of important stats and records for all UFC events in 2023

The UFC wrapped up its first quarter of 2023 on March 25 with a fight card in San Antonio. The affair was the promotion’s 10th event of the year. The UFC is off this weekend. However, the organization returns to action on April 8 with UFC 287, an ESPN+ streaming pay-per-view card headlined by a rematch between current UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira and ex-titleholder Israel Adesanya. That event kicks off a run of 11 cards the promotion has booked for the year’s second quarter.

The first three months of 2023 were momentous for the promotion, with several UFC records broken over that time. The fighters who added their names to the promotion’s record book were a mix of veterans and relative newcomers to the promotion. Jon Jones, Shavkat Rakhmonov, Jessica Andrade, Jim Miller, Erin Blanchfield, Mayra Bueno Silva, and Gunnar Silva all broke or set UFC records between January 14 and March 25, 2023.

Before the UFC gets back to action with UFC 287, we look back at the important stats, fights, and records from the first three months of UFC bouts in 2023.

Total Fights: 123

Title Fights: 7

Unanimous Decisions: 38

Split Decisions: 14

Majority Decisions: 5

Majority Draws: 2

KOs/TKOs: 29

Submissions: 35

Islam Makhachev gives his respect for Volkanovski's game plan coming into #UFC284 pic.twitter.com/UTvhJg4yYb
— UFC (@ufc) February 12, 2023

Types of Finishes

Submissions

Rear Naked Choke: 17
Guillotine Choke after Drop to Guard: 2
Arm Triangle from Half Guard: 2
Triangle Choke from Bottom Guard: 2
Guillotine Choke on Ground: 1
Guillotine Choke from Bottom Guard: 1
Kneebar on Ground: 1
Arm Triangle from Mount: 1
Arm Triangle on Ground: 1
Armbar from Side Control: 1
Triangle Armbar from Bottom Guard: 1
Guillotine Choke from Half Guard: 1
Guillotine Choke after Drop to Half Guard: 1
Inverted Triangle from Bottom Side Control: 1
Armbar from Mount: 1
Neck Crank from Back Control: 1

Gabriel Bonfim follows up his brothers' epic performance with an incredible performance of his own #UFC283 pic.twitter.com/kRLAtXcXZn
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 22, 2023

Knockouts and Technical Knockouts

Punch to Head at Distance: 6
Punches to Head at Distance: 3
Elbows to Head from Mount: 2
Doctor Stoppage: 2
Punches to Head in Clinch: 2
Punches to Head on Ground: 2
Punches to Body at Distance: 2
Flying Knee to Head: 1
Kick to Body at Distance: 1
Knees to Body at Distance: 1
Knees to Head in Clinch: 1
Punches to Head from Back Control: 1
Punches to Head from Guard: 1
Punches to Body at Distance: 1
Punches to Head from Corner Stoppage: 1
Punches to Head from Mount: 1
Leg injury: 1
Elbows to Head on Ground

ISMAEL BONFIM WITH THE FLYING KNEE

[ #UFC283 | Live on ESPN+ PPV - Link In Bio ] pic.twitter.com/igFcfsRHh6
— UFC (@ufc) January 22, 2023

Fights by Weight Division

Heavyweight: 9
Light heavyweight: 11
Middleweight: 12
Welterweight: 13
Lightweight: 19
Featherweight: 14
Women’s Featherweight: 1
Bantamweight: 14
Catchweight: 2
Women’s bantamweight: 3
Flyweight: 12
Women’s Flyweight: 11
Women’s strawweight: 2

#UFC283 Official Result: Brandon Moreno defeats Deiveson Figueiredo by TKO (doctor stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 3.

All Fight Results ⬇️:
— UFC News (@UFCNews) January 22, 2023

UFC Stat Totals in 2023

Total Knockdowns Landed: 36
Total Submission Attempts: 90
Total Reversals: 39
Total Significant Strikes Attempted: 22.344
Total Significant Strikes Landed: 10,906
Total Significant Head Strikes Attempted: 16,726
Total Significant Head Strikes Landed: 6,543
Total Significant Body Strikes Attempted: 3,402
Total Significant Body Strikes Landed: 2,536
Total Significant Leg Strikes Attempted: 2,216
Total Significant Leg Strikes Landed: 1,814
Total Significant Distance Strikes Attempted: 19,428
Total Significant Distance Strikes Landed: 8,693
Total Significant Clinch Strikes Attempted: 1,773
Total Significant Clinch Strikes Landed: 1,3465
Total Significant Ground Strikes Attempted: 1,143
Total Significant Ground Strikes Landed: 858
Total Strikes Attempted: 27,804
Total Strikes Landed: 15,507
Total Takedowns Attempted: 808
Total Takedowns Landed: 286

Hey he did get that takedown! #UFC286 pic.twitter.com/eT5Z5An0eG
— UFC (@ufc) March 18, 2023

Memorable Fight Stats in 2023

Shortest Five-Round Fight: Jon Jones submits Ciryl Gane at 2:04 of Round 1 via guillotine choke at UFC 285.

Shortest Three-Round Fight: Rinya Nakamura KOs Toshiomi Kazama at 0:33 of Round 1 via punch to head at distance at UFC Vegas 68.

Latest Finish in a Three-Round Fight: Davey Grant submits Raphael Assuncao via inverted triangle from bottom side control at 4:43 of Round 3 at UFC Vegas 71.

Most Takedowns Landed: Loik Radzhabov lands 11 takedowns on 21 attempts vs. Esteban Ribovics at UFC 285 and Merab Dvalishvili lands 11 takedowns on 49 attempts vs. Petr Yan (five round fight) at UFC Vegas 71.

Most Submission Attempts: HyunSung Park three submission attempts against SeungGuk Choi, Jimmy Crute three submission attempts against Alonzo Menifield, Clayton Carpenter with three submission attempts vs. Juancamilo Ronderos and Joe Solecki with three submission attempts vs. Carl Deaton.

Most Knockdowns Landed: Rinya Nakamura scores two knockdowns on Toshiomi Kazama , Alonzo Menifield scores two knockdowns on Jimmy Crute and Trevor Peek with two knockdowns vs. Erick Gonzalez.

Most Significant Strikes Landed in a Three-Round Fight: Jessica Andrade lands 231 of 369 significant strike attempts in unanimous decision win over Lauren Murphy.

Shutouts: Serghei Spivac prevents Derrick Lewis from landing any strikes or takedowns during their UFC Vegas 68 main event fight.

First career UFC takedown: Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev at UFC 268.

THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME IS NOW THE HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMP

JON JONES SUBMITS CIRYL GANE!! #UFC285 pic.twitter.com/JOiAnweVJ5
— UFC (@ufc) March 5, 2023

New UFC records in 2023

Jon Jones became the eighth double-champion in UFC history.

Jon Jones broke his own UFC record with 15 title fight wins.

Shavkat Rakhmonov became the first UFC welterweight to open his run with the promotion with five straight finishes.

Jamahal Hill lands 232 significant strikes in a UFC light heavyweight fight for a new UFC LHW single-fight record. Hill defeated Glover Teixeira to by unanimous decision to win the UFC light heavyweight title.

Jessica Andrade lands 231 significant strikes in a UFC women’s flyweight fight for a new UFC women’s flyweight record. Andrade defeated Lauren Murphy via unanimous decision.

Jessica Andrade tied Amanda Nunes for most wins in women’s UFC history with her 15th victory with the promotion.

Jim Miller participated in his 41st fight in the UFC. Andrei Arlovski is second to Miller with 39 UFC bouts.

With his one submission attempt vs. Alexander Hernandez, Jim Miller has the most submission attempts in UFC history with 47. Charles Oliveira is second with 40 submission attempts.

Jim Miller has 38 fights in the UFC lightweight division. Three other fighters: Clay Guida, Gleison Tibau and Joe Lauzon are tied for second with 27 fighters each.

Jim Miller has 6:18:59 of UFC lightweight fight time. Clay Guida is second with 5:10:50.

Jim Miller has 44 submission attempts in UFC lightweight fights. Joe Lauzon is second with 29.

Erin Blanchfield has a control time percentage of 55.4 percent in UFC flyweight fights. Taila Santos is second with 46.3 percent.

Erin Blanchfield has a top position percentage of 48.6 percent in UFC flyweight fights. Gillian Robertson is second at 41.9 percent.

Erin Blanchfield averages 1.57 submissions per 15 minutes of UFC women’s flyweight fight time. Taila Santos is second at 1.5.

Mayra Bueno Silva secures first kneebar submission in UFC women’s bantamweight history.

Gunnar Nelson sets UFC welterweight record with seven career submission wins.

ANDRADE WAS DOMINANT AT #UFC283 pic.twitter.com/7XTh4ZwVta
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 22, 2023

Stats via UFC Stats

Bellator 293: Golm vs James preview, weigh-in results

2023-03-31T10:00:00-04:00

One step closer to another shot at glory. | Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Don’t be fooled, this card’s got some serious fun potential.

Bellator’s heavyweight division continues to shift and expand, thanks to their efforts at developing talent and steady matchmaking to create a very nice stable of athletic and fun talents. And while this event may not seem like too much at first glance, there’s a lot of exciting prospects and consequential matchups that serve to sort out various divisions.

So to put this plainly: it’s an action-first card to move things along. In this case, that’s a great thing. There’s very little fat on this, and a lot to like.

So we’ll start at the top, with #5 ranked Marcelo Golm (10-3) taking on #7 Daniel James (14-6, 1 draw). Golm has four straight wins heading into this one, including a lovely submission over Davion Franklin and a stunning finish over Billy Swanson. Golm understands the assignment, he’s gonna go in there, put pressure early and work feints and long shots with thudding overhands and quick reflexes.

James is a different story. He’s got power, sure. But his boxing is also more polished and his patience pays off. He won his pro debut in Bellator, left for other ventures and had some ups and downs, but has hit a marvelous stride with some terrifying ground finishes. His true coming out party was his finish over home-grown Bellator talent Tyrell Fortune, in this brutal display.

The co-main is bound to be a wild one, as former UFC title challenger Cat Zingano (13-4) is back in action and on a three-fight winning streak. Now, you can point to opposition like Gabrielle Holloway and Olivia Parker as a bit uneven for someone of her experience level and standing, but she toughed them out and showed she’s not losing any steps. Her wrestling has improved and the submission opportunities she manages to create are still a concern for any opponent.

She faces rising contender Leah McCourt (7-2), whose only losses were in her pro debut, then against heavy-hitting Sinead Kavanaugh. She also holds a win over Manon Fiorot, in what was her second pro fight and Fiorot’s pro debut. McCourt mostly gets by with volume, heavy clinchwork and a ton of tenacity. Her ground game has some fundamentally sound defense and a fair bit of smart offense off her back. That’s going to come in handy, because she may spend a significant amount of the fight there. She’ll also have to contend with Zingano’s cardio, while Zingano will have to work extra hard standing to not get drowned out with volume.

Submission ace and underrated talent John Salter (18-6) is tough to look good against and always brings a challenge to his opponents. He’s only had one of his eight wins in Bellator has gone to a decision, and the only losses he’s suffered were to then-champion Gegard Mousasi, as well as eventual champions Rafael Lovato and Johnny Eblen. Those are excellent losses to have, but he’s steamrolled pretty much everyone else except for Costello Van Steenis. His boxing is basic but clean and effective, and his ground game is stellar.

He faces Canada’s Aaron Jeffery (13-3), and he’s been a menace for a while. He had a very notable win over the UFC’s Andre Petroski in LFA, stumbled on Contender Series against Caio Borralho, but has racked up three straight wins, two of them in Bellator. And those wins have been amazing, such as his putting away Fabio Aguiar, and stubbing out Austin Vanderford like a cigarette. It’s a banger of a fight, and might be the fight of the night. It’s also a lovely example of Bellator building a great collection of talent at middleweight as well.

But lightweight also has a pair of rising undefeated talents pit against each other. Archie Colgan (6-0) has hands and very dynamic grappling. He also hates buggy chokes. He meets Justin “Kid Marvelous” Montalvo (5-0), who gets by on his strikes and has some spry wrestling defense of his own. He’s also got some very smart ground striking to go with it.

Adam Piccolotti (13-5) remains a reliable hand for Bellator’s lightweight division, using his smart grappling and submission acumen to be a thorn in anyone’s side. He’s up against wily dynamo Mandel Nallo (9-3), who hopes to make it two in a row and make another addition to his highlight reel.

Former Invicta champ Pam Sorenson (9-5) welcomes Sara Collins (3-0) to the Bellator cage. Standout wrestler Joey Davis (8-0) returns from a three-year hiatus to face Jeff Creighton (6-2, 1 draw). Lance Gibson Jr. remains another bright prospect for Bellator’s lightweight division, and he is in for a ride against Vladimir Tokov (7-2), brother of Anatoly.

Rakim Cleveland (22-15, 1 draw) meets the less experienced yet dangerous Christian Edwards, and Mackenzie Stiller makes her pro debut against Maria Henderson (1-0), wife of the recently retired Benson Henderson.

You can check out the weigh-ins here:

Main card:

Marcelo Golm (257.6) vs. Daniel James (265.4) - Heavyweight

Cat Zingano (145.2) vs. Leah McCourt (145.4) - Featherweight

John Salter (185.8) vs. Aaron Jeffery (185.2) - Middleweight

Archie Colgan (155.4) vs. Justin Montalvo (154.4) - Lightweight

Sullivan Cauley (205.8) vs. Luke Trainer (205.2) - Lightweight

Prelims:

Christian Edwards (237.8) vs. Rakim Cleveland (240.4) - Heavyweight

Lance Gibson Jr. (156) vs. Vladimir Tokov (155.2) - Lightweight

Lucas Brennan (145.4) vs. Josh San Diego (146) - Featherweight

Joey Davis (169.2) vs. Jeff Creighton (169.8) - Welterweight

Pam Sorenson (145.2) vs. Sara Collins (145.8) - Featherweight

Adam Piccolotti (156) vs. Mandel Nallo (154.8) - Lightweight

Maria Henderson (115.4) vs. Mackenzie Stiller (115.4) - Strawweight

Bryce Meredith (135.6) vs. Brandon Carrillo (135.4) - Bantamweight

Randi Field (120) vs. Ashley Cummins (119.2) — 120-pound catchweight bout

Mike Hamel (155.6) vs. Nick Browne (155.6) - Lightweight

Bellator 293: Golm vs James takes place this Friday night, with the prelims starting at 7:00pm EST. Prelims will be streaming live and free on YouTube via Bellator’s YouTube channel. The main card starts at 10:00pm and airs exclusively on Showtime.

‘Stronger each time’ - Andre Muniz signs new UFC deal

2023-03-31T08:30:00-04:00

Andre Muniz lost to Brendan Allen in his last outing. | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Middleweight Andre Muniz doesn’t plan to leave the UFC any time soon.

UFC middleweight Andre Muniz has no intention of jumping ship in the near future. Although ‘Sergipano’ suffered his first Octagon loss in his last outing, the frustrating result did not stop the promotion from offering the Brazilian a new multi-fight deal.

On his official Instagram account, Muniz shared a video in which he signs the new contract and tells his fans he is happy to do so, while vowing to come back stronger from his loss to Brendan Allen. For now, the Brazilian has no fights scheduled for the new contract.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by André Muniz SERGIPANO | UFC (@andremunizsergipano)

“I’m really happy to announce my new contract with the UFC. It’s a multi-fight deal that begins now with this signature. That’s it. From MOC (Montes Claros, Andre’s hometown) to the world, (Getting) stronger each time.”

Back in February, Muniz (23-5) got submitted by Allen via rear-naked choke in the third round of their UFC main event bout. The defeat snapped a five-fight winning streak for 33-year-old. who scored wins over Antonio Arroyo, Bartosz Fabinksi, Ronaldo Souza, Eryk Anders and most recently, in July 2022, Uriah Hall.

The Level Change Podcast – 237 (Fri. Edition): Dana Said What? Hasbulla’s Animal Cruelty

2023-03-31T08:00:00-04:00

Episode 237 discussion: This week’s run of salacious headlines ranges from Hasbulla’s animal cruelty to putting your own name on UFC octagon canvas and everything in between.

The Level Change Podcast is our combat sports themed variety show hosted by Stephie Haynes and Victor Rodriguez. We feature discussion on the current weekly news cycle, fight card breakdowns and analysis, a roundup of regional promotions’ cards and fights and whatever else we decide is important enough or entertaining enough to bring to your ears.

For our paying subscribers over on Substack, we have a special treat for you today! With our latest TLC Substack Podcast you get some EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT right away - stay tuned after the break for THE REST OF THE SHOW (accessible only to paid subscribers), featuring extra headline coverage.

EPISODE 237

Hasbulla the Abuser

https://www.mmamania.com/2023/3/29/23661104/midnight-mania-internet-outraged-viral-video-hasbulla-mistreating-cat-animal-abuse-ufc-espn

Dana White Claims Power Slap Getting Sanctioned “everywhere”

https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2023/3/30/23662305/dana-whites-claims-that-power-slap-is-getting-sanctioned-everywhere-dont-check-out-mma-news

Dariush Believes McGregor is Juicing

https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2023/3/29/23662487/beneil-dariush-talks-conor-mcgregor-cheating-allegations-usada-retirement-game-mma-news

Gilbert Burns Calls for Investigation into SA Judge

https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2023/3/29/23662420/gilbert-burns-talks-ufc-san-antonio-judge-fight-fixing-investigation-fbi-sandhagen-vs-vera-mma-news

Shoeface Confident He’ll Fight in 2023 after Big Brother Controversy

https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2023/3/29/23660930/after-big-brother-controversy-ufc-vet-shoeface-is-pretty-sure-hell-fight-before-end-of-2023

BONUS CONTENT

Jingliang Injured, Off UFC 287 Card

https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2023/3/28/23660376/li-jingliang-suffers-injury-withdraws-ufc-287-michael-chiesa-fight-mma-news

UFC Selling Octagon Space to Average Joes

https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2023/3/28/23660896/ufc-announces-thousand-dollar-benefactor-octagon-name-program-mma-news

Dana ‘I don’t blame Leon’

https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2023/3/28/23659525/i-dont-blame-leon-dana-white-responds-to-edwards-refusal-to-fight-colby-covington-ufc-mma-news

Fights on Tap

https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2023/3/28/23658138/fights-on-tap-arman-tsarukyan-vs-renato-moicano-among-9-ufc-bouts-announced-mma-news

Image courtesy of June M. Williams & Anton Tabuena

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