Artem Vakhitov, the last man to defeat Alex Pereira before the light heavyweight champion transitioned from kickboxing to MMA, is now on the UFC roster. Vakhitov, along with Kody Steele, Mario Pinto, and Islam Dulatov were offered UFC contracts on Tuesday night following successful performances on "Dana White's Contender Series" from the APEX in Las … Continue reading Former Alex Pereira Opponent Artem Vakhitov Among Four UFC Contract Winners on ‘Contender Series’ →

Carla Esparza, the first-ever UFC Strawweight Champion and a fighter who remained one of the 115-pound division's contenders for nearly a decade, has retired from MMA. Esparza officially called an end to her career following a unanimous decision loss against Tecia Pennington at UFC 307 on Saturday night. “It’s been an amazing journey these last … Continue reading Inaugural UFC Strawweight Champion Carla Esparza Announces Retirement From MMA →

Julianna Pena can once again call herself UFC Bantamweight Champion. Pena got past Raquel Pennington in a razor-thin split decision result on Saturday night, pulling away with a victory by the margin of just one round on two scorecards. Pena's title win at UFC 307 came down to how judges saw the opening round of … Continue reading Julianna Pena Sneaks By Raquel Pennington To Begin Second UFC Bantamweight Title Reign →

Alex Pereira had his toughest light heavyweight title fight to date on Saturday evening, going deep into a bout against Khalil Rountree Jr. before finally being able to deliver a devastating boxing finish. Pereira's win headlined UFC 307, which took place from the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA on Saturday night. UFC … Continue reading Alex Pereira Delivers Fourth-Round Beatdown on Khalil Rountree Jr. Following Close Start At UFC 307 →

Regian Eersel reclaimed his spot as ONE Championship’s top 170-pound kickboxer on Friday night, avenging a prior loss to Alexis Nicolas with a five-round unanimous decision victory. Eersel showed slick boxing and an aggressive style against Nicolas through the 15 minutes of action, earning him a title in the main event of a card from … Continue reading Regian Eersel Regains ONE Kickboxing Belt, Avenges Loss To Alexis Nicolas In Decision →

Welcome to the notebook, a quick catchup of all the smaller (but still important) stories from the world of MMA! If you want the notebook delivered to you every morning along with MMA’s top headlines, consider subscribing to the Knockdown Daily newsletter via Substack. It’s free! Here are the latest stories we’re following: UFC Two more fights … Continue reading 10/4/24 Notebook: Jim Miller Set For Return To Madison Square Garden →

Bellator seemingly won't be coming back to France for a second show later this year. The promotion's November 16th card at the Adidas Arena in Paris has been postponed, per a statement issued by the promotion Thursday. "Bellator Paris has been postponed and fighters have been rescheduled for later dates,” a statement published this week … Continue reading Bellator Postpones Paris Card, Plans To Reschedule Bantamweight Title Fight →