Tag: MMA Fighter

MMA fighter turned jockey, Chel-c Bailey won her first riding triple at the 2021-22 Oaklawn meeting.

Before her success as a jockey, Bailey made strides as a strawweight in MMA. Though short-lived, she was undefeated in her professional MMA career.

She trained alongside Miesha Tate at Xtreme Couture, and in five years and won three fights including one by armbar. She had her last bout against Kelly D’Angelo in 2018 at Valor Fights 48.

Now, Bailey finds success in being an apprentice horse jockey.

Her first winner was in 2020. She has seen 21 victories in her jockey career, and 13 of them have come from Oaklawn.

This year’s riding triple alone granted her 10 victories at the Oaklawn meet, which started in December and continues into May. According to Bailey, the success comes as a shock because of her unsuccessful races at previous track meets.

“You know what blows my mind was that I could not win a race at Delaware or in Maryland, and then I come here to Oaklawn Park and it should be the other way around,” Bailey said moments after the ninth race. “Should it not?”(via Horse Racing Nation)

In addition to Bailey’s accolades, she continues to make progress as an apprentice jockey. Already, she has surpassed her earnings from the previous year, making 2022 her most lucrative year to date.

And outside of Oaklawn, Bailey has won at other track meets like Hawthorne and Keeneland.

No doubt, the switch in her career has proven successful. She has yet to retire from MMA and still wears the title of ‘professional fighter’ on her social media platforms.

Perhaps fans will witness “Battle Born” in the cage again. But for now, they can catch her on the horse track.

What are your thoughts on Chel-c Bailey finding success as a horse jockey?

While practicing MMA in the states, 14-year-old Ukrainian refugee Yuriy Bezus wishes he was back home in Ukraine.

As the conflict in Ukraine worsens, many US residents with ties to the country worry about their families and loved ones.

Take Maryna Moroz, for instance. When the war in Europe began, she was stateside training for her bout with Mariya Agapova. And although she defeated her opponent in a dominant fashion, she still carries the pressure of concern for her homeland.

An astonishing amount of Ukrainians remained in the country to defend it. And some of those who are unable to fly to Ukraine and help yearn for the option to do so.

For example, 14-years-old Yuriy Bezus, a Ukrainian refugee fighting out of Northeast Ohio, says he would rather be fighting in Ukraine.

“I don’t want to go here. I’d rather stay there and be useful,” said Bezus. “I really wanted to stay, but my mom wouldn’t let me.”

Currently, Bezus practices MMA at Strong Style with a Russian trainer. It is the same gym as former UFC Heavyweight Champion and fireman Stipe Miocic.

Of course, it was a shock to leave his home suddenly. He and his mother fled Ukraine and traveled three days to Poland.

Bezus left behind friends and a girlfriend but has made some new friends, even some from his country. He is learning a new set of skills at Strong Style and gaining a safer experience.

He wanted to stay in Ukraine, but his mother insisted they leave. Surely, she is thankful for Strong Style for keeping her teenage son in a place where he feels welcome.

“People know us for fighting but we’re here to change people’s lives and there a time when people need us, like this situation,” said Strong Style owner Marcus Marinelli, also Stipe’s trainer. “Once you walk through those doors, all this stuff’s out. We’re a brotherhood here of all different kinds of people, all different walks of life, none of that matters once you get underneath this roof.” (h/t Cleveland 19)

What are your thoughts on 14-year-old Ukrainian refugee Yuriy Bezus wanting to stay and fight for Ukraine?

Cody East is back behind bars following an alleged domestic violence incident between him and his wife over the weekend in New Mexico.

According to Albuquerque, NM television news station KRQE, East has been charged with child abuse, false imprisonment, and battery after the incident.

The MMA fighter East allegedly got into a fight with his wife and is also accused of refusing to let their children out of his car. He was arrested for similar charges back in 2017 after kneeing his then-girlfriend and threatening to kill her 10-year-old boy.

East was also charged with aggravated battery against a family member back in 2016 and was also arrested on two prior domestic violence charges between 2006 and 2010.

East is a former UFC heavyweight who lost back-to-back fights to Curtis Blaydes and Walt Harris during his time with the promotion. He’s also competed in smaller promotions such as Legacy and King of the Cage.

East last competed in MMA at RUF MMA 41, losing to Michael Quintero via first-round knockout. His last win of any kind came in a kickboxing match at SCL 74 against Jared Torgeson.

What are your thoughts on Cody East’s latest arrest?

There was a surprise knockout during the semi-finals of Brave Combat Federation’s MMA Super Cup tournament.

Thursday morning, a video of an MMA referee getting inadvertently hit by a rolling kick hit social media. The incident occurred during the Ireland vs. Mexico round of fights. The kick appeared to fully connect with the referee, thus sending him down to the canvas.

Fortunately, the ref was able to recover and continued calling the fight.

You can watch the shocking sequence below.

Wild scene at the #MMASuperCup!

A referee just got knocked down by a rolling thunder as the round ended.

After collecting himself, he continued on reffing the fight 💪

cc: @Grabaka_Hitman @SevereMMA pic.twitter.com/Zzq5N79Xev

— Andy Stevenson (@andyste123) March 10, 2022

What Is MMA Super Cup?

This is the inaugural edition of Brave CF’s MMA SuperCup tournament. The event is held in association with the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation and is an amateur MMA tournament with fighters from across the globe representing their nations. The tournament includes eight nations in total and is being held from March 9-12.

There are nine fighters per team (seven males and two females), one for each weight class, and three alternates (two males and one female) per team. There are nine fights for each round of the tournament, with every bout consisting of 180-second rounds. There are overtime rounds in the event in a draw. Whichever team has the most wins at the end of the nine fights will advance to the next stage of the tournament.

The prize money for the tournament is as follows:

First Place: $100,000

Second Place: $75,000

Third Place: $50,000

You can view the MMA Super Cup tournament with a subscription to IMMAFTV starting at $6.99. You can learn more about the MMA Super Cup tournament here.

Are you watching the inaugural MMA Super Cup tournament?

Newly signed Invicta FC strawweight Faelly Vitoria is holding a very unique fundraiser.

Faelly Vitoria has been waiting patiently to make her Invicta FC debut. The 20-year-old signed with Invicta back in 2020 as one of the hottest prospects in the sport. She was scheduled to make her debut shortly after her signing, but the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic pushed that back. Now with Invicta FC back up and running, Vitoria would like to get in the cage and fight, the only thing is she needs surgery.

Vitoria has a torn ACL in her knee that will require surgery. In order for her to pay for the operation, she is looking to raise money. The route to raise the funds is a creative one. She is working closely with her local police department to raffle off a gun.

“My teacher came up with the idea of asking for help, with a 30% cut of the amount if we sold 500 tickets,” Vitoria told Globo Esporte via Bloody Elbow. “The police chief was more generous and offered us a 50% cut if we sold a thousand tickets. We explained to them what kind of surgery it was,” Vitoria added. “My ACL is completely torn. There’s no other way but having the surgery.”

The local police force in her hometown of Macapa, Brazil are the ones helping her out. She is selling tickets for 10 reais each (1.94 United States Dollars) in order to raise the cost of the operation which is 4,000 reais (775 United States Dollars). Half the proceeds of the raffle will go to the police force.

In her MMA career so far, Vitoria is undefeated in four professional fights. She fought for a few local Brazilian promotions. Her last win was in December of 2019.

The prize being raffled off is a G2C Tauros handgun provided by the police force.

What do you think of this type of raffle?

Amateur MMA fighter Hunter Boone is recovering from a head gash he reportedly received during a match with the Martial Combat League.

The bout took place on February 12. Boone faced Jordan Brown at Martial Combat League 3, and within 17 seconds, the match came to a stop.

After both fighters rushed each other, Boone’s head collided with the cage. Immediately, he fell to the ground. Boone fought back, somewhat, with his opponent on top of him, but a moment of stiffness caused the ref to end the match.

You can check out the video below.

“A few seconds after the bell rung Hunter and his opponent spun into the cage,” coach Jason Greer wrote on Facebook. “His opponent had a collar tie and as they hit the fence, Hunter’s head slammed into the gate resulting in Hunter suffering a 20-centimeter gash across the front of his hairline from the left to the right, down the right side and towards the back basically scalping him,” said Greer according to MMA Fighting.

The shocking loss comes after two round 1 finishes, a ghastly end to the fighter’s 2-fight win streak in his amateur career.

Boone is reportedly okay, nursing the 17 staples in his head.

Fellow gym partner, Jesse Dalton, believes the gash was the cause of a faulty cage. However, Martial Combat League put out a statement insisting their cage was in standard condition prior to and after the match.

“We understand and appreciate everyone’s concern on what happened and our hearts are with the individual who was injured in this incident,” Martial Combat League officials wrote on Facebook. “We were in just as much shock as anyone when this occurred. We assembled our cage no differently than we have for each of our previous events. It is our understanding that the sanctioning commission of the event inspected the cage prior to the show. No issues with the cage were brought to our attention by the sanctioning commission…” said MCL.

Hopefully, it is a speedy recovery and the “Alpha Wolf” can get his MMA career back on track.

What are your thoughts on Boone’s horrific injury?

Female MMA fighter Hannah Sharp ended up walking away with more than just a win during a recent Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament.

The sheer brutality of MMA was on full display as Sharp attempted a Kimura submission on her opponent at a Sub Spectrum competition. Sharp, out of Renzo Gracie Portland, dominated the entire 135-pound bracket of the tournament but also ended up dislocating one of her opponent’s elbows.

Watch the incident below.

Talking about Hannah’s finish at Sub Spectrum 7 she takes the entire woman’s 135 pound bracket in impressive fashion. Check out our entire event recap on iTunes, Spotify, or YouTube. https://t.co/LaXmsVfS3X #bjj #bjjnews #grapplingrewind #bjj #jiujitsu #bjjnews #bjjsub pic.twitter.com/tEyIzFIiiT

— Grappling Rewind Podcast (@GrapplingRewind) March 6, 2019

Sharp has competed on Submission Underground before and is 1-2 on the professional grappling scene. She most recently fell to Ffion Davies at the IBJJF No-Gi World Championships last October.

The injury sustained by Sharp’s opponent is similar to that of Jerome Rivera during his fight against Brandon Royval at LFA 39. Rivera dislocated his elbow during a takedown attempt from Royval.

What is your reaction to the result of Hannah Sharp’s submission attempt?

A Conflict Fighting MMA event descended into chaos after one fighter was disqualified from his fight.

It all started when the disqualified fighter started throwing his accessories into the crowd, including his gloves. One of his opponent’s teammates can be heard laughing at him, which then prompted an altercation and an all-out brawl.

Check out the incident below.

CONFLICT FIGHTING bringing the heat with a classic brawl after a fighter got DQ #popMMA pic.twitter.com/T4NucqnKAR

— Matysek (@Matysek88) February 9, 2022

After punches were thrown from both sides, officials intervened and briefly stopped the commotion. But this wouldn’t last long as another brawl erupted on the opposite side of the ring.

The winner of the fight dragged his defeated opponent out of the ring at one point. He then walked away from the scene just as the second brawl erupted.

It’s unclear if punishments will be issued by Conflict Fighting for the incident.

What is your reaction to this wild MMA brawl?

Former ONE Championship MMA fighter Roman Alvarez has been arrested after allegedly assaulting a man with his car this weekend in Tumon, Guam.

The Guam Daily Post was among the first to report the news of the incident.

The 27-year-old Alvarez was arrested for felony aggravated assault, reckless driving, and driving under the influence, among other charges. The incident occurred in the parking lot of the Blue Lagoon Plaza in Tumon.

According to witnesses, a man was found bleeding and unconscious after being hit by a car driven by Alvarez in the early Sunday morning hours. Off-duty EMTs and medics responded to the scene and helped transport the man to the hospital.

It’s unclear what led up to the assault and how Alvarez knew the victim. He is being held in the Department of Corrections in Tumon and will appear in a local court on Monday.

Alvarez was arrested in 2020 on domestic violence charges, according to local prison records. He last competed in MMA in 2019 at ONE – Reign of Valor, losing via second-round TKO to bantamweight Rui Chen. Alvarez has a 6-3 professional MMA record and hasn’t fought since his loss to Chen.

The investigation into Alvarez’s alleged incident is still ongoing.

What is your reaction to Roman Alvarez’s arrest?

Amateur MMA fighter Jai Troche and MMA trainer Danyal Bahramfar face charges in separate sexual assault cases.

28-year-old Jai Troche dragged a child under the age of ten into the men’s room of Hookipa Kahaluu Housing community center in Honolulu, Hawaii on January 31. The alleged victim reports he locked her in a bathroom stall and forcefully removed her clothing.

Witnesses heard screaming and ran out of their homes and surrounding area to chase Troche down when he tried to flee the scene. Bystanders say Troche appeared to be on drugs and the alleged victim’s clothes were torn.

Moments later, police arrested him not too far from the complex and charged him with kidnapping, third-degree sex assault, and first-degree attempted sex assault.

The manager of the living complex, Randeatte McEnroe, says Troche does not live on the premises and has no ties to any current community members. McEnroe, along with other residents, are doing what they can to support the victim and her family through this difficult time.

Troche is due to appear in court on February 7 while on $1 million bail.

MMA Trainer Charged With Sexual Exploitation

Miles away in British Columbia, MMA trainer Danyal Bahramfar, or Daniel Golkar, faces two counts of sexual exploitation. The 34-year-old has sexual offenses against a female minor dated back to 2016. (h/t Global News)

“Through the investigation, witness statements indicate the suspect was involved with other female gym members,” Mounties said in a media release. The investigation also revealed that the alleged suspect taught group self-defence classes throughout the community,” the RCMP continued.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police released a photo of him on February 3 so more witnesses can come forward with any information.

Please contact Honolulu police authorities in the Jai Troche case and contact Ridge Meadows RCMP at 604-463-6251 to give additional information on Danyal Bahramfar.

MMA fighter Marney Maxx executed a picture-perfect head-kick knockout during a Brazilian MMA event last Sunday.

At Demo Fight 11, Marney Maxx took on the winless Deived Costa, who entered the bout with a record of 0-2. Maxx competes with an amputated arm, but as you are about to behold, this does not limit his ability to compete or render his opposition unconscious.

Two minutes into the first round, Maxx landed a flush head kick to Costa for the KO victory. Peep it out below (h/t @Barrelelapierna)

A pesar de faltarle una mano Marney Maxx se las arreglo para meter un lindo KO ayer en Demo Fight 11 pic.twitter.com/OUDvvGLtlw

— Barrele la pierna (@Barrelelapierna) January 30, 2022

With the win, Maxx moves to 4-4 in his MMA career, which began in 2013. You can view the full fight between Maxx and Costa right here.

Another One-Armed MMA Fighter Who Has Defied The Odds

Many fans viewing the above KO will no doubt think of Nick Newell, who has also competed in MMA with an amputated arm since 2009. It’s possible that Newell served as an inspiration for Maxx, who would debut four years later.

During his MMA run, Newell has tallied a professional record of 16-4, including two wins by knockout and 11 by submission, with a highly impressive 81% finish rate. Newell has competed in Bellator MMA and the World Series of Fighting (now PFL), including sharing the cage with current UFC top lightweight contender Justin Gaethje.

Newell tried to enter the UFC in 2018 by way of Dana White’s Contender Series but was not awarded a contract after losing to Alex Munoz via unanimous decision. Most recently, Newell lost to Bobby King via a split decision at Bellator 260.

What is your reaction to this beautiful knockout by Marney Maxx?

A photo of MMA fighter Aung La Nsang circulating on various social media platforms has been used as an accusation of joining an attempted Myanmar coup.

Nsang, a Sanford MMA product who competes in ONE Championship, posted a photo in 2019 of him holding a gun and getting ready to go shooting with friends in Las Vegas. The image resurfaced in 2022 as some supporters of a coup force have taken it out of context, accusing Nsang of joining their efforts.

“It is a great sign that Aung La joined in the fight to destroy military dogs. Every citizen who wishes for justice, join the fight,” one Facebook user commented on a shared image of Nsang. (h/t FactCheck)

After earning the ONE light heavyweight championship over Alexandre Machado in 2018, he went on to defend the belt a few times before losing it to Reinier de Ridder in 2020. He most recently defeated Leandro Ataides last July via a first-round knockout.

Myanmar has been a troubled nation since the country’s military detained government officials in Feb. 2021. Instead of being for the coup, Nsang has been vocal in a series of social media posts and interviews against it.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMes27DjIIR/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Nsang has yet to publicly respond to the attempts of misinformation by various social media users and activists.

Should social media users be punished for misinformation?

A fighter getting ready to compete at a Russian MMA event took mental warfare to a physical level during a pre-fight press conference.

As most MMA events play out, mental warfare and getting into opponents’ head was on full display ahead of an MMA event in Russia. There isn’t a ton of information on the identity of the fighters in question, outside of the fighter in the blue polo shirt allegedly going by “Atamah”.

The verbal banter between the two turned hostile fast and in a hurry, with one of the fighters sprinting across the stage and attempting to assault his adversary with a kick. This sparked full-out mayhem as security personnel quickly intervened.

Check out the incident below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmQYX7qXoY4

It’s currently unknown how the actual fight will/did play out, but it’s clear these two Russian fighters have virtually no respect for one another.

The clip of the incident went viral on social media, with fighters such as Michael Chiesa weighing in. Chiesa was involved in his own press-related altercation with Kevin Lee leading up to their fight in the UFC.

What is your reaction to this MMA brawl?

MMA fighter Faelly Vitoria may have her medical expenses for a needed ACL surgery paid off through help from Brazilian police.

Vitoria signed with Invicta FC in late 2020 but hasn’t been able to make her promotional debut yet due to the COVID-19 pandemic and her injury. She’s 4-0 in her professional career and managed by UFC legend Urijah Faber and Team Alpha Male.

A military police battalion in Macapa, BR is holding a raffle for a Taurus G2C .40 gun on May 31 and will give Vitoria half of the profits if she’s able to sell 1,000 tickets on her own. The cost of a ticket is R$ 10, which is the equivalent of just under two U.S. dollars.

During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Vitoria gave her reaction to the assistance offered by the local military police.

“It’s a good prize,” Vitoria said. “People look and be like, ‘Wow, a gun or R$4,000.’ It’s an interesting prize to raffle and get some money to pay for the surgery.”

Vitoria trains in Brazil through a military police-supported social project that helps underprivileged youth through developing martial arts skills.

Before she’s scheduled to go under, Vitoria has been cleared to compete in Brazilian regional promotions and will fight against Iranilde Lima at Black Glory MMA on March 12.

What is your reaction to the raffle for Faelly Vitoria?

22-year-old French MMA fighter Pierre Ludet committed suicide weeks before his 23rd birthday and next bout.

Pierre was found in his apartment on Sunday with a fatal gunshot wound from his service weapon. He was an outstanding mixed martial artist and member of the French national police force.

The unsuspected suicide is 1 of 9 in the national police force since January 1.

Ludet followed in his father’s footsteps and became a police officer, then followed his dream of being a mixed martial artist. His future was bright in the MMA world. Ludet had only one loss in his amateur and professional career combined. And most of his wins are by submission and TKO/KO.

The 6-1 MMA fighter was set to fight again after his last win in 2019 this February 26 against Antoine Hidrio at Hexagone MMA 3 in Reims, France–nine days before his birthday. February would have been a celebratory month for the impressive young man.

Suicide Affects Everyone

We expect MMA fighters to be tough inside and outside of the ring.

Multiple hits to the face and body may improve a fighter’s physical toughness, but it does not make them any different than civilians who fight their own inner battles.

For instance, boxing heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. He opened up to Joe Rogan on “The Joe Rogan Experience” in 2018 about his suicidal attempt. The 6 foot 9 “Gypsy King” experienced depression and was in a low place, but has since received mental health treatment.

After her defeat against Holly Holm, Ronda “Rowdy” Rousey contemplated suicide and spoke of it on the Ellen Degeneres Show.

Cody “No Love” Garbrandt says his brother saved him from his suicide attempt as a teenager.

It is heartbreaking to say the list of suffering fighters does not stop there. And, unfortunately, not everyone survives or gets the help they need. Like Pierre Ludet, Manas Erkul Uulu, the grappling sensation from Kyrgyzstan, lost his life to suicide this month.

It does not matter if you are winning or losing, suicide can affect everyone.

Suicide awareness is the beginning of suicide prevention. Some or all of us know someone who is going through a crisis.

Please, if you or someone you know is suffering, do not hesitate to get help: USA: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 // Canada: Crisis Services Canada: Call 1 833 456 4566 or text 45645 // UK and Ireland: Samaritans: Call 116 123 (UK) or 116 123 (ROI) or email [email protected]/[email protected] // Australia: Lifeline: Call 13 11 14 or text 0477 13 11 14 // Rest of the world

Former Bellator title challenger Maiquel Falcao has died after an alleged stabbing in his hometown of Pelotas, BR.

Brazilian news outlet Gaucha ZH was the first to report the news of Falcao’s death.

According to reports, Falcao was standing outside of a bar when he was attacked and stabbed multiple times. It’s unclear if there is one or multiple suspects in the attack.

The 40-year-old Falcao was rushed to a local hospital but did not recover from his stab wounds, being pronounced dead just hours later.

Falcao began his professional MMA career back in 2004, making a name for himself in various Brazilian regional promotions. He would eventually sign with the UFC for a fight against Gerald Harris at UFC 123, earning a unanimous decision victory.

Falcao’s most notable performances came in Bellator, where he won the middleweight tournament championship over Andreas Spang. He would get a title shot against then-champion Alexander Shlemenko at Bellator 88, losing via second-round knockout.

The UFC had planned to bring Falcao back to its promotion for multiple fights before he was let go for assaulting a female. He spent eight months in jail before serving the rest of his sentence under house arrest.

After beginning his career with an astounding 31-5 record, Falcao’s end to his MMA career was less than ideal. He lost his final five fights overseas, including in October against Nemanja Uveric at Serbian Battle Championship 36.

The investigation into Falcao’s death is ongoing and we’ll bring you the latest here at MMANews.

What is your reaction to the death of Maiquel Falcao?

MMA fighter and Kyrgyzstan grappling champion Manas Erkul Uulu committed suicide by hanging last Sunday in the city of Osh.

Uulu was found dead in his sister’s house based on local reports. The Internal Affairs Department of Kyrgyzstan revealed that Uulu hung himself in the bathroom on January 16. After discovering Uulu’s body, his sister tried to resuscitate Uulu with artificial respiration, but too much time had passed since the hanging.

A report from 24.kg news agency also revealed that Uulu had been wanted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs for over two years.

As an MMA fighter, Uulu had a perfect record of 3-0. All three bouts took place in 2019 for the World Ertaymash Federation.

In his debut, he knocked out Azimjon Tojaliev by a first-round KO punch at WEF 72 – ProfFight 29. He followed up this performance by showcasing his grappling skills with a rear-naked choke submission victory over Usmonzhon Bazarov at WEF 78 two months later. Then in August, he earned another KO-punch victory when he defeated Mahmud Abdullaev at WEF 87.

No further information is available about this tragic story at this time.

Irish MMA Team has selected MMA fighter Jordan Scully to compete in the Adult Mixed Martial Arts World Championships in Abu Dhabi at the end of January.

After taking home the silver medal last August at the IMMAF Youth World Championships in Bulgaria, the 18-year-old’s athletic career continues to soar.

“I am an 18-year-old man and I have autism. I am so proud of myself for getting to this level, winning silver at the previous youth world championships and I hope to make it to the UFC,” Scully said on his GoFundMe campaign created on January 4 to raise €2500 to enter the Adult Mixed Martial Arts World Championships.

Fast forward to today, Scully has the funds to compete in the amateur bout at the international tournament before entering the big leagues.

His no-quit attitude is what got him this far. Since the age of 13, Jordan practiced MMA with SGB Tullamore and has shown tremendous effort in proving his dedication to the craft.

“He is so dedicated. We literally have to kick him out of the gym every night. He’s here morning, noon, and night. He is brilliant,” said Jamie Houlihan of SGB Tullamore.

And don’t be surprised to hear the autistic fighter’s name in professional MMA headlines in the future.

“He has had his own challenges. He has focused himself on MMA and dedicated himself to it. He has created a life for himself and hopefully a future for his family. You can be guaranteed that Jordan will be in the UFC in the next three to four years,” Jamie continued.

Autism & MMA

Jordan Scully will not be the first autistic contender to compete as a fighter in professional MMA.

There are strong examples of MMA fighters representing the autistic community.

For instance, Serena “The Southpaw Outlaw” DeJesus is one of the first autistic MMA fighters and won her first professional bout back in April 2018.

The Fusion Fight League mixed martial artist views herself as a positive role model.

“It’s a big reason why I fight,” she said. “I want to show that there can be good role models in the autism community. Everybody looks up to fighters. I can be that strong example that you can do it; even if something is hard, just try, try again. It’s great. I have two siblings who are also autistic, and they’re doing it too. One of them wants to fight like me when they get to be of age, and the other one wants to be social and be healthy, so it’s nice,” DeJesus told Montana Sports prior to her winning debut.

Welterweight John “Doomsday” Howard sets another example. Diagnosed with autism during his MMA career at age 33, the 38-year-old has seen success in many fight promotions, including the UFC and the PFL.

The veteran fighter does not keep his “gift” hidden from the world. In fact, Howard wants children with special needs to see that a person with autism can achieve greatness.

“I want kids in special-needs classes, kids who get teased and bullied, to watch me fight or at least know about what I do,” he says. “I want them to know there’s someone out there who’s just like them and who’s doing great things,” said John Howard according to ESPN.

Dejesus and Howard have broken the mold—and faces—and refuse to slow down.

All fighters possess the motivation and drive to succeed. Having the courage to put yourself out there and crush your goals while facing adversity is a beyond outstanding achievement.

If Jordan Scully is victorious on January 29, his professional career is sure to skyrocket from then on. His progress and story are encouraging to many, even those of us outside of the autistic community.

How soon do you think we will see Jordan Scully in a professional bout?

MMA fighter Marcus Davis, who recently made his MMA return at Premier FC 32, allegedly didn’t get paid for his first-round finish in November.

The 48-year-old Davis, who was a mainstay in the UFC’s welterweight division between 2006 and 2010, had made his return to the cage after a seven-year absence. Despite being long past his physical prime, Davis looked like he hadn’t missed a second of the action as he submitted Stephen Stengel in minutes.

But Davis isn’t happy with the way he’s been treated in the days and weeks since his return. In a recent thread on Facebook, the MMA fighter accused Premier FC of failing to pay him for his win for circumstances outside of his control.

Marcus Davis revealed he hasn’t been paid for his fight on Nov 19.

Claims the promotion’s CEO threatened legal actions if he went public.

Then he says the promotion told him the real reason was because the fed froze their account after an investor had ties to terrorism.

Wild! pic.twitter.com/v2zHwcxFdO

— Alan Murphy (@AlanMurphyMMA) January 14, 2022

“Zero, been two months, haven’t paid me 1 cent,” Davis said when asked if he’d been paid. “They ghosted me for the past 25 days. I reached out to them today to let them know I was going public. Only to have the CEO threaten me with an attorney if I spoke out. The claim is they took on an investor that after his check cleared the bank, the fed froze the account because the investor had ties to terrorism.”

During his time with the UFC, Davis had fought some of the best at 170 pounds, including Nate Diaz at UFC 118. He also earned wins over the likes of Chris Lytle and Paul Kelly in the Octagon.

The promotion has yet to respond to Davis’ comments and it’s unclear if he’ll ultimately be compensated for his latest victory.

You can view Davis’ first-round victory at the Premier FC 32 event below via Marcus Davis’ YouTube channel.

What is your reaction to these wild allegations of an MMA promotion failing to pay a fighter due to an investor being tied to terrorism?

An audience member had seen enough of an intergender MMA fight and decided to take action.

At a recent Russian MMA event, there was an intergender fight that took place between Russian pornstar and singer Alexander Pistoletov and his opponent, Sasha Mamaha. The event was from a promotion titled “Epic Fighting Championship.” It is unconfirmed if either fighter has competed in an MMA contest before.

In any case, what could already be viewed as a circus of a contest from a matchmaking standpoint became even more chaotic when an audience member rushed into the cage and interfered in the matchup.

According to Twitter user @Matysek88, the individual who interfered was a friend of Mamaha’s. After diving onto Pistoletov and appearing to attempt a rough chokehold on the porn star, the official and security were able to pry him off of Pistoletov and escort him out of the cage.

At that point, the fight was restarted and Pistoletov was able to earn the submission victory.

You can view the entire bedlam for yourself below.

https://twitter.com/Matysek88/status/1481937798034829314

What is your reaction to this wild video?

MMA Fighter Miroslav Štrbák is currently in stable condition after suffering a heart attack during training.

In a recent interview with the portal sport.sk, Štrbák’s manager revealed that the Polish MMA fighter fainted during training and had to be revived. Fortunately, the timely intervention was enough to restore Štrbák’s heart rate.

“I can confirm the intervention of the rescuers we sent yesterday to help the unconscious man. After treatment, he was taken to one of the Bratislava hospitals,” said Alena Krčová, a spokeswoman for the Health Service Operations Center in Bratislava.

“Miro is currently in stable condition at the hospital. We all hope it comes out without consequences,” his manager said.

Prior to this scare, there were no signs of danger or health risks for Štrbák. He had been doing construction work throughout the week prior to his heart attack during training.

Štrbák is well-known among Polish MMA fans. He has been competing as a professional since 2011 and has a record of 19-10.

In his most recent bout, Štrbák picked up a split-decision victory over Karol Rysavy at Oktagon MMA’s Oktagon 21 event on January 30 of last year. You can watch that contest below.