MMA News

Tag: Karate Combat

  • Karate Combat Victor on Viral Proposal, KC 56 Performance Breakdown

    Karate Combat Victor on Viral Proposal, KC 56 Performance Breakdown

    Alexander Krutskykh earned a decision win over Shokrukh Kholmuradov at Karate Combat 56 on July 19th but garnered a much bigger victory overall in the grand scheme of things after that W was recorded. Krutskykh appeared on Bowks Talking Bouts to cover multiple topics after the victory and when offering up his thoughts on how he is doing a few weeks after improving to 2-0 in the Karate Combat pit, Krutskykh said,

    “Yeah, that was definitely [a] great fight, great experience, like good challenge for me. Yeah, there was something that’s brought me to that challenging rounds and where you have to switch into the more, you know; your mental strength in those last rounds. So that was good.”

    His first fight in Karate Combat transpired in January and when discussing how much he has demonstrably grown with this second KC contest in the context of if this sophomore contest under this promotional banner forced him to dig deeper than his debut effort, Krutskykh stated,

    “Yeah, definitely. Both fights was hard and and challenging, but this one was something that I have to, you know, turn on the different gear. Where I have to like really dig deep and it shows who is more mentally prepared for those last; even though we both was tired, but you know, I guess I wanted more in this night.”

    The Karate Combat Proposal and the Krutskykh’s “lifetime memory”

    When addressing the viral proposal from his Karate Combat 56 fight and how surreal it was to become engaged after securing a victory like that, Alexander Krutskykh quipped,

    “Yeah, there was something surreal, man. I still doesn’t feel this actually happen[ed]. Everything lines up perfectly as I imagine it in my head, as I visualize it. Everything went exactly. I was, even before the fight, I was already knowing that we will go to the fourth round and I know that I have to leave everything in there. When I’m seated after the third round and I heard the people started screaming like four round, four round, I was like oh s**t. But I know I that’s like it’s either now or or never.”

    “It popped in my head that say I still you know have the big, big plan to do after the fight. So I was like, I gotta go and leave it all in there. Yeah everything like after the fight I win. I was like, “Okay, now is the time.” I don’t think there’s a better moment to get the proposal. Yeah, that’s something for my fiance and myself, that will be something like lifetime memory. This is something we’ll both remember for a long time.”

  • Arman Tsarukyan Defeats Team Khabib Fighter, Eyes Islam Makhachev Next

    Arman Tsarukyan Defeats Team Khabib Fighter, Eyes Islam Makhachev Next

    Arman Tsarukyan recently returned to competition after a year-long absence—but not inside the UFC Octagon.

    On Friday night, Tsarukyan stepped into the grappling pit for a 175-pound showdown with Dagestani wrestler Makasharip Zaynukov at Karate Combat 54 in Dubai. “Ahalkalakets” opened aggressively with a single-leg attempt in the corner, but Zaynukov defended well.

    The rest of the bout featured limited grappling success from both fighters, with neither securing a clear takedown across two closely contested five-minute rounds. However, the UFC lightweight contender’s activity and control earned him a unanimous decision from all three judges, making a third round unnecessary.

    In his post-fight interview, Tsarukyan reflected on his performance and explained his motivation for entering the grappling match.

    “It feels great,” Arman Tsarukyan said. “I haven’t fought in one year, so that’s why I came and wrestled today. My opponent is a very tough guy. No one knows him a lot because he fights in Russia, but he’s from a very strong team. He didn’t want to wrestle too much. I like offense, and he was trying to escape from me for 10 minutes.”

    Tsarukyan’s last UFC appearance came at UFC 300 in April 2024, where he secured a hard-fought split decision victory over former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira in a title eliminator. “Ahalkalakets” was then slated to challenge reigning UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 in January, but was forced to withdraw just hours before weigh-ins due to health issues.

    The 28-year-old Armenian has expressed his desire to reschedule a rematch with Makhachev as his next fight.

    “Can’t wait for next one. I need one more guy from Khabib’s team [Makhachev]. Let’s do this again.”

    Tsarukyan first faced Makhachev at a UFC Fight Night event in April 2019, where he delivered a gritty performance in his Octagon debut. Despite his resilience, he was ultimately outclassed and lost to the Dagestani by unanimous decision.

    Currently riding a four-fight win streak, Tsarukyan holds a 9-2 record in the UFC, with four of those victories coming by knockout.

  • Muhammad Mokaev’s Next Fight To Come In Striking-Only Sport, Not MMA

    Former UFC flyweight contender Muhammad Mokaev will be leaving mixed martial arts for his next fight.

    Mokaev surprisingly found himself outside of the sport’s leading promotion shortly after his win at UFC 304 in Manchester last July. In a lackluster affair, the Dagestan-born Brit outpointed Manel Kape to move to 13-0 as a pro and 7-0 in the UFC.

    With a victory over “Starboy,” Mokaev was anticipating a potential title shot. But seemingly owing to his conduct behind the scenes, “The Punisher” was instead let go after fighting out his contract.

    The 24-year-old was quick to complain about the decision publicly, even offering to fight for free if it would allow him back into the UFC. His efforts evidently fell on deaf ears, however, and he’ll need to put the work in outside of the Octagon to stake his claim for a new deal.

    Thus far, that has included one victory back under the Brave CF banner last December. To kick off his campaign for 2025, however, Mokaev is venturing outside of his comfort zone.

    After much speculation, “The Punisher” confirmed this week that he’ll debut in Karate Combat at the organization’s upcoming event in Dubai on May 2.

    “May 2nd, Dubai. @KarateCombat. My first ever sport was karate, then I moved to wrestling,” Muhammad Mokaev wrote. “I just wanna compete and stay active. And building my striking experience. I always will have plan B, which is wrestling, but I need to work on plan A”

    The move will see Mokaev swap the cage for “the pit,” with Karate Combat fighting taking place in a square combat pit surrounded by 45-degree angled walls. Wrestling, submissions, and elbows are not permitted.

    Mokaev will mark the latest high-profile name to compete in the promotion, which has already staged fights featuring the likes of Luke Rockhold, James Vick, Benson Henderson, and Anthony Pettis.

  • Brendan Allen Set To Grapple Top UFC Middleweight In Karate Combat Days On From Seattle Loss

    Brendan Allen Set To Grapple Top UFC Middleweight In Karate Combat Days On From Seattle Loss

    UFC middleweight contender Brendan Allen will have the chance to return to winning ways less than a week on from his crushing defeat to Anthony Hernandez — but not inside the Octagon.

    Allen has had his charge toward a championship opportunity on MMA’s biggest stage stalled in his last two fights, during which he’s fallen from a seven-fight win streak to a two-bout losing skid.

    After a defeat to Nassourdine Imavov in Paris last September, “All In” was unable to bounce back last weekend in Seattle, where he fell to a decision setback at the hands of Anthony Hernandez.

    But an unsurprisingly disheartened Allen won’t be waiting long until he gets back to competitive action.

    It was announced Wednesday that the 29-year-old will feature in a grappling match at Karate Combat 53 in Denver this coming Friday. He’s slated to battle a fellow top 10 middleweight contender in Caio Borralho.

    Having been outgrappled by “Fluffy” at Climate Pledge Arena, this is likely a conscious effort from Allen to fix the holes in his game ahead of a renewed push back up the 185-pound ladder.

    While the American has been slipping down the pecking order recently, the same can’t be said for Borralho. The Fighting Nerds standout has gone 7-0 in the UFC, collecting three Performance of the Night bonuses in the process.

    “The Natural” most recently got the better of Jared Cannonier in his main event debut at the Apex last August.

  • UFC’s Controversial Fighter Bryce Mitchell Set To Grapple Israeli In Karate Combat

    UFC’s Controversial Fighter Bryce Mitchell Set To Grapple Israeli In Karate Combat

    Bryce Mitchell is set to return to action after stirring up controversy just weeks ago — but this time, it won’t be inside the Octagon.

    Mitchell, known for his outspoken and often controversial views, faced intense backlash last month after making anti-Semitic comments on his newly launched ArkanSanity podcast, where he shockingly spoke favorably of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.

    Although UFC CEO Dana White fiercely condemned “Thug Nasty” for his remarks, he stopped short of taking any formal action against the featherweight fighter.

    Now, Mitchell has signed on for a 180-pound catchweight Pit Submission (grappling) showdown against Ilay Barzilay at Karate Combat 53. The promotion announced on Thursday that the event is set to take place on Feb. 28 in Denver, Colorado.

    https://twitter.com/KarateCombat/status/1892668992151495113

    “Thug Nasty” last competed at UFC 310 in December, where he secured a third-round knockout victory over Kron Gracie. Mitchell has gone 2-2 in his last four bouts and currently boasts a professional record of 17-3, with nine of those wins coming by submission.

    Meanwhile, his opponent, Barzilay, remains unbeaten with a perfect 6-0 record, having competed primarily under the LFA banner. “The Hype is Real” is coming off a dominant unanimous decision victory over Kohl Laren in December.

    Interestingly, hailing from a Jewish background, Israel’s Barzilay was among those who fiercely criticized Mitchell for his Hitler-sympathizing remarks. He even went a step further, warning of serious consequences if the two ever crossed paths.

  • Karate Combat President Takes Aim At PFL Founder Donn Davis: ‘Can The Guy Throw Up A Triangle?’

    Karate Combat President Takes Aim At PFL Founder Donn Davis: ‘Can The Guy Throw Up A Triangle?’

    Karate Combat president Asim Zaidi isn’t sure that Donn Davis is the right person to be a spokesperson for the PFL, specifically when it comes to talking about combat sports. Davis is the founder, chairman and co-owner of the promotion and that means that he tends to face criticism when complaints are raised regarding the PFL.

    The entrepreneur tends to be at the center of this more than the PFL’s other leading men in Peter Murray and Ray Sefo because he’s the most vocal especially when it comes to their business decisions which has been a big talking point following the recent departures and issues regarding some of the Bellator fighters on the roster. Zaidi, who is also known as “President Awesome”, takes a very different approach when he’s talking about his promotion.

    As a jiu-jitsu and judo black belt, Zaidi is also the owner and one of the coaches at the Goat Shed gym in Miami, Florida. This gives him the viewpoint that a combat sports promotion should be headed up by someone who has first-hand experience of what it is like to be an active participant in the sport itself.

    He spoke about this in a recent interview with MMA Junkie where he voiced his opinions without wanting to personally criticize Davis.

    “Honestly, I hate saying this because he seems like a nice guy – I would love to sit with him and just understand,” Zaidi told MMA Junkie. “Maybe I’m misunderstanding him. I don’t think he understands anything about combat sports. And I don’t think that – if you’re not in this sh*t, if you can’t roll on the mats with me, I don’t think you should be part of it, you know what I mean?

    “He’s never trained martial arts in his life. I’m saying this ignorantly, I don’t know if he has, but there’s no way, right? Can the guy throw up a triangle? How is he going to understand what it’s like for fighters to do certain things, or when Patricio ‘Pitbull’ hasn’t fought in so long and is begging for a fight in the prime years of his career? He doesn’t understand that.”

    Zaidi continued, making the case that Davis may well be a valuable asset to the promotion but he believes that there are others who could be a more effective leading man.

    “He comes from a finance background, which is wonderful, but stay in the background then and put Ray Sefo in front,” Zaidi said. “Imagine this for a moment: Imagine if Ray Sefo was president? It would be really respectable. It would be unbelievable. How can you say anything bad about Ray Sefo?

    “Put Donn Davis in the background, he handles whatever back there. He’s a finance guy. Great. But hearing him talk about fighters and fighting, it doesn’t even sound like he watches fights. So, I’m not impressed by him. I’m not impressed by what he says. Dana White is an absolute G with everything he says, and I truly agree with him: I don’t think PFL has it.”

  • Alex Pereira’s Sister Hopes For Full-Time Fighting Career To Bring End To Amazon Delivery Job

    Alex Pereira’s Sister Hopes For Full-Time Fighting Career To Bring End To Amazon Delivery Job

    Alex Pereira’s sister has to juggle two careers as she works to make ends meet while chasing her dream in combat sports.

    Much like her brother, “Poatan,” Aline carved out a career in kickboxing before making the jump to MMA, though she remains a relative newcomer to the sport. Following her debut loss, she has been working to find her footing, posting a 1-2 record under the LFA banner between 2022 and 2023.

    Pereira is now signed with Karate Combat, where she made an explosive promotional debut in October 2024, securing a first-round left hook knockout over Dee Begley that echoed her brother’s iconic finish.

    https://twitter.com/KarateCombat/status/1879235852402033144

    While the pay in Karate Combat provides a considerable financial boost compared to her kickboxing and MMA days, the 34-year-old Brazilian acknowledges that she must grind through a part-time job when she’s not fighting, putting in long hours to supplement her income.

    During a recent conversation with MMA Fighting, Pereira opened up about balancing her fight career with her work as an Amazon delivery driver. When she’s not in fight camp, she takes on late-night shifts to make ends meet, all while working toward building a career that will provide a comfortable life for her family in the United States.

    She explained that the reason for her early start is to beat the traffic, allowing her the freedom to dedicate the rest of her day to training.

    “I do deliveries for Amazon, and we do what we have to do,” Pereira said. “This routine is very tiresome because we still have to accommodate the training hours and the job, but it all works out in the end… It’s not [not an] easy [job]. We do deliveries for four and a half hours. But it’s great to be here. The United States is very good for me and my son, too.”

    https://twitter.com/MMAFighting/status/1882209161326555249

    Pereira is set to make her sophomore appearance in the Karate Combat Pit this Friday in Miami, Florida, where she’ll face a short-notice opponent in Amanda Torres for a 130-pound catchweight bout.

    Her brother, meanwhile, was not too pleased at the reporter whom Aline made mention of her job to. The UFC champion took aim at MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz in a social media post.

  • VIDEO: Robelis Despaigne Records Fastest KO In Karate Combat History In First Fight Since UFC Release

    VIDEO: Robelis Despaigne Records Fastest KO In Karate Combat History In First Fight Since UFC Release

    Robelis Despaigne made his Karate Combat debut last night and instantly broke records by producing the fastest knockout in the history of the promotion. The towering Cuban took just four seconds to secure his first win by dropping Dominik Jędrzejczyk with a huge overhand right.

    Karate Combat 51 in Miami was Despaigne’s combat sports return following his UFC departure earlier this year. The devastating striker arrived in the Octagon with an MMA record of 4-0 with previous knockout wins in both four and three seconds.

    His career in the UFC was off to a flying start at UFC 299, which also took place in Miami, as he finished Josh Parisian in 18 seconds to earn a performance of the night bonus. Following that, he lost back-to-back fights to Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Austen Lane in outings that exposed some of the limits in his overall skillset for MMA.

    After being cut from the roster, it seemed obvious that Karate Combat would be the perfect home for the 36-year old who was always going to struggle in UFC bouts that featured a lot of grappling. The 6’7” heavyweight is once again off to an electric start in his new home following his show-stealing finish over Jędrzejczyk.

    Watch the knockout via Karate Combat on X with the promotion making the video their pinned post.

    https://twitter.com/KarateCombat/status/1869920466967703844
  • MMA News Today: Tom Aspinall Comes Clean On Fake Pre-Fight Routine, Aljamain Sterling Wins Karate Combat Debut In The Final Seconds, & More

    MMA News Today: Tom Aspinall Comes Clean On Fake Pre-Fight Routine, Aljamain Sterling Wins Karate Combat Debut In The Final Seconds, & More

    Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 26, 2024, we’re taking a look at:

    • Aspinall finally puts the petrol rumors to rest
    • Sterling got his hand raised after clutching the match in the final seconds
    • Holloway gives massive praise to UFC 304 fighter

    Tom Aspinall Finally Admits That Strange Pre-Fight Preparations Was A Joke

    Ahead of his interim heavyweight title defense at UFC 304, Tom Aspinall revealed a unique pre-fight process that he was putting himself through in preparation.

    The Brit told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour that he was following the methods of classic bare knuckle boxers by shadow boxing around haybales and dipping his hands in petrol each night.

    Some instantly called it out that Aspinall was in fact trying to trick Helwani but after he didn’t crack a smile at any point, others thought the champion might be telling the truth.

    A video posted on fight week shows one half of this weekend’s co-main event calling Helwani in the middle of the night to provide evidence of his preparations.

    After leading him on for a bit longer, Aspinall confessed that it was all a joke and that he’s having to tell the truth after people thought he was being serious about it.

    Aljamain Sterling Pulls Off A Clutch Win In Karate Combat Grappling Debut

    Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling made his Karate Combat debut on July 25, where he got his hand raised in the final seconds of the contest.

    Competing in the Pit Submission Series, he secured the win over Jay Jay Wilson at Karate Combat 48 in Nashville.

    The contest was nearly about to end in a points draw but with the clock ticking down to the final seconds, Sterling was able to pass guard and take his opponent’s back to score the winning point in the dying moments.

    After the match, a fired-up Sterling said that his full focus is now on handing Movsar Evloev his first loss in a crucial featherweight match-up at UFC 307 in October.

    Also of note for this grappling match is that Sterling weighed in at a staggering 171-pounds.

    Sterling even received praise from his former opponent and the current UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley who phoned in during the match.

    Max Holloway Praises The Fight IQ Of UFC 304 Fighter: ‘Super High, Super Smart’

    Max Holloway believes that the main event of UFC 304 will be a battle between two tacticians that rarely stray from their gameplans.

    Both the welterweight champion Leon Edwards and his challenger Belal Muhammad aren’t known for going out there and being involved in wars.

    With a fight like this, it will come down to which man is able to implement their approach the best and with that in mind, Holloway is backing the champ to retain in Manchester.

    He broke down the card during a recent YouTube video where “Blessed” spoke extremely high of Edwards’s ability to read and control a fight.

    “Belal is a tactician. he’s a gameplanner. He does not stray away from his gameplan,” Holloway said. “But so does Leon, bro. Leon is a tactician. He’s a gameplanner. He sticks to his gameplan no matter what. … A lot of people were counting Leon out (ahead of the Covington fight) like he was gonna get grappled.

    “Leon is one of the very few IQs in this game that I respect, man,” Holloway continued. “His fight IQ is super high, super smart. It’s just hard to go against the champ here, bro. I think Belal puts on a fight. Early in the fight, I think it’s a tough fight. But then when we get to the third and then the championship rounds, I think Leon is gonna take over.”

    Read more on the story here.

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  • MMA News Today: Chael Sonnen Sticks Up For Jon Jones On Misdemeanor Charges, Aljamain Sterling To Make Karate Combat Debut On July 25, & More

    MMA News Today: Chael Sonnen Sticks Up For Jon Jones On Misdemeanor Charges, Aljamain Sterling To Make Karate Combat Debut On July 25, & More

    Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 16, 2024, we’re taking a look at:

    • Sonnen believes Jones’ misdemeanor charges could be less serious than they appear to be
    • Sterling books grappling match on Karate Combat
    • Romero announces plans for his next fight

    Chael Sonnen Questions Whether Jon Jones’ Case Has Been Over Exaggerated

    Jon Jones is dealing with another controversial police charge following an interaction at his house with a drug-testing agent.

    The UFC heavyweight champion has been charged with two misdemeanors where, if proven guilty, he could face fines or even jail time.

    His former rival, Chael Sonnen, has some issues with the way that this process has been carried out following the initial reports from April.

    During a recent YouTube video on his channel, Sonnen questioned both why the decision has taken so long based on the evidence they have and whether the case has been exaggerated with the misdemeanor charges.

    “The agents came and did what they did but there is a significant difference guys, in being a jerk and being a criminal. There’s a significant difference in being rude and committing a crime and it’s annoying for me to have to read this about Jon and read that he’s got to deal with this. It’s annoying for me even if not the municipality that I live in…

    “it’s annoying to me that on a double hit misdemeanor where there are not witnesses because – there’s a witness there but they’re not supporting the claim. There isn’t video cameras of everything but there is video surveillance and it doesn’t support the claim. It seems like a tough one and it still took those guys four, five, six [months], however long this is to make a decision even in this case.”

    Aljamain Sterling Set To Compete on Karate Combat’s Pit Submission Series On July 25

    Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is set to make his Karate Combat debut on the Pit Submission Series.

    The striking-focused promotion recently started opening up their events with several grappling bouts to kick off the show.

    Sterling is set to compete on July 25 in Nashville at Karate Combat 48, where he faces Jay Jay Wilson.

    “Funkmaster” has competed in several grappling matches in recent times with this being his first since he made his successful move up to featherweight with a win over Calvin Kattar at UFC 300.

    The event is set to be headlined by the heavyweight title rematch between Sam Alvey and Antônio Arroyo.

    https://twitter.com/KarateCombat/status/1813033307564875936

    Yoel Romero Says He’s Fighting Corey Anderson For The Bellator Light Heavyweight Title On October 19

    Despite rumours of him making the jump to BKFC, former UFC title challenger Yoel Romero appears to be gearing up for his Bellator return.

    “Soldier of God” has been inactive since his decision win over Thiago Santos in February at PFL vs Bellator and according to him, he’s now set up for a title shot.

    Romero recently spoke in an interview on the Overdogs Espanol podcast where he claimed that he will be fighting Corey Anderson for the light heavyweight title on October 19 in Saudi Arabia.

    The Bellator Champions Series is currently set to host events in Chicago on October 12 and Paris on November 16. While there is no event announced as of yet for Saudi Arabia, the PFL is expected to stage another pay-per-view in Riyadh this fall, with names like Francis Ngannou and Cris Cyborg expected to take part.

    Perhaps Romero has leaked the date for that major show…

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