It took just one shot for Ion Surdu to cement his status as OKTAGON champion on Saturday night. Moldova's Surdu scored a highlight-reel head kick knockout in the main event of a card this weekend, putting away Brazil's Kaik Brito in the first round to capture the vacant OKTAGON Welterweight Championship. The brutal finish closed … Continue reading Ion Surdu Captures OKTAGON Welterweight Belt With Flashy Head Kick Knockout →

Alexandre Pantoja's reign of dominance at flyweight will continue into the new year. The UFC Flyweight Champion defended his title for the third time on Saturday night, taking down Japanese stand-out Kai Asakura with a second-round rear naked choke finish. The submission result - Pantoja's first finish since becoming champion a little over a year … Continue reading Alexandre Pantoja Chokes Out Kai Asakura To Retain UFC Flyweight Title →

A middleweight rematch is heading down under. Just over a year after their close split decision result in Canada, UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis and former titleholder Sean Strickland will soon meet once again. The second clash between the 185-pound talents will headline UFC 312 on February 8th from the Qudos Bank Arena in … Continue reading Dricus Du Plessis, Sean Strickland To Meet In Middleweight Title Rematch At UFC 312 →

While not exiting this weekend with an LFA title around his waist, Richie Miranda can at least say he has another competitive regional victory under his belt. Miranda overcame short-notice opponent Hugo Oyarzun in the main event of LFA 198 on Friday night, scoring a unanimous decision result from The Commerce Casino & Hotel in … Continue reading Richie Miranda Out-Works Short-Notice Opponent Hugo Oyarzun At LFA 198 →

A competitive title fight between the returning Christian Lee and undefeated contender Alibeg Rasulov had an unsatisfying result on Friday night. An unintentional eye poke from Lee in the closing moments of the bout's second round took Rasulov out of the fight and caused the contest to end in a no-contest. The unfortunate result closed … Continue reading Eye Poke Forces No Contest Result In Christian Lee vs. Alibeg Rasulov ONE Title Fight →

Former UFC champion Conor McGregor is on the hook for what is estimated to be more than a million Euro after his recent courtroom defeat in Ireland. Dublin High Court Justice Alexander Owens ruled Thursday that McGregor will cover the legal costs of plaintiff Nikita Hand, who last month successfully went after the MMA star … Continue reading Conor McGregor Ordered To Pay Legal Fees of Nikita Hand Following Civil Rape Trial →

For the second year in a row, ONE Championship will head to the Middle East. Lusail, Qatar will once again play host to a ONE card next year, as the Asia-based promotion will present ONE 171 from the Lusail Sports Arena on February 20th, as announced Thursday. ONE Championship's second trip to Lusail comes just … Continue reading ONE Championship Set For February 2025 Return In Qatar →

UFC's strawweight and light heavyweight champions walked away with hardware after the 16th Annual Fighter's Only MMA Awards on Thursday night. Alex Pereira and Zhang Weili won the men's and women's "Fighter of the Year" awards respectively after the ceremony in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA this weekend. The awards, which were determined through an online … Continue reading Alex Pereira, Zhang Weili Take Top Honors At 2024 World MMA Awards →

RIZIN has loaded up their classic New Year's Eve card with another two title fights. Joining an already-booked featherweight championship fight between Chihiro Suzuki and Kleber Koike, a pair of other title bouts have been added to the promotion's December 31st card at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Long-Time Lightweight Champ Souza To … Continue reading Lightweight Title Clash, Kyoji Horiguchi Return Added To RIZIN New Year’s Eve Card →

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 Fresh off a … Continue reading 12/5/24 Notebook: PFL Europe Flyweight Final Sees Late Change →