MMA Fighting Bellator President Scott Coker supports the UFC’s stance on James Krause amid investigations into suspicious betting activity. In a prepared statement sent to MMA Fighting, Coker said “the integrity of MMA” is of paramount importance and his promotion values “independent” oversight of the sport. “As a lifelong martial artist, integrity and honor have been the foundation upon which I have built my career as a Mixed Martial Arts promoter, and I believe that it is of utmost importance that the integrity of MMA remains unquestioned,” Coker stated in the release, sent on Friday night. “It is my understanding that certain regulatory agencies have taken action that they deem necessary to ensure that any appearance of impropriety is removed from our sport, and I support those actions. “Bellator MMA is a promotion that highly values the importance of independent regulation of our sport, and we will continue to abide by the mandates of the regulatory bodies which sanction and oversee our events.” On Friday afternoon, the UFC said the Nevada Athletic Commission had suspended the license of Krause and was cooperating with multiple government investigations into betting activity surrounding the UFC Vegas 64 fight between Darrick Minner, whom he coaches, and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke. The promotion said it would not allow Krause or any fighter associated with him to participate in UFC events until the investigations were concluded. The UFC also released Minner, who faces disciplinary action for failing to disclose a leg injury he said he suffered before the fight. Betting lines swung massively in favor of a Nuerdanbieke win and finish inside the distance in the hours before the fight. The gaming control board in New Jersey announced betting sanctions against Krause, while the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Ontario blocked UFC betting. Three weeks before UFC Vegas 64, the UFC announced it was amending its Code of Conduct to forbid fighters from betting on octagon fights. In response to the action against Krause, UFC interim flyweight champion Brandon Moreno, who trains at Kraus’ Glory MMA and Fitness and is set to rematch undisputed champ Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 282, expressed support for his coach. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Brandon Moreno (@theassassinbaby)

ONE Championship Brandon Vera has retired from the sport following a defeat to Amir Aliakbari at Saturday’s ONE Championship 164 card in Singapore. The second-to-last MMA fight of the card featured the return of the longtime MMA veteran against Aliakbari, and it didn’t end well for the former UFC fighter. Vera, an ex-champion at ONE, started off throwing jabs from the outside, and Aliakbari patiently waited for the right time to shoot for a takedown. Once he had Vera on his back, Aliakbari landed a serious of vicious punches and elbows that forced referee Herb Dean to call the TKO finish. Amir Aliakbari picks up the biggest win of his career with a TKO finish over former ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon Vera!#ONE164 Live on ONE YouTube⁠ Live on https://t.co/eBUfsODAFL pic.twitter.com/4ODlyBpoiG— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) December 3, 2022 Vera announced his retirement from the sport following the defeat, his third straight inside the ONE cage. Congrats to Brandon "The Truth" Vera on a LEGENDARY career! @Verafied#ONE164 Live on ONE YouTube⁠ Live on https://t.co/eBUfsODAFL pic.twitter.com/uBXy511Evp— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) December 3, 2022 The main event had Jarred Brooks challenging for the strawweight championship against Joshua Pacio. “The Monkey,” who lost a close split decision to future UFC champion Deiveson Figueiredo during a short run in the UFC, went to war with Pacio in Singapore, capturing the belt via unanimous decision after five hard-fought rounds. Brooks is now undefeated in seven fights since leaving the UFC in 2018. The early potion of the show earned four performance for Hu Yong, Jeremy Pacatiw, Jhanlo Mark Sangiao and Tagir Khalilov, who pocketed $50,000 each for their wins. Hu Yong drops a BOMB on former ONE Flyweight World Champion Geje Eustaquio in Round 1! #ONE164 Live on ONE YouTube⁠ Live on https://t.co/eBUfsODAFL pic.twitter.com/Ob9cQseZ9R— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) December 3, 2022 Jeremy Pacatiw submits Tial Thang via triangle choke to win an INSANE battle!#ONE164 Live on ONE YouTube⁠ Live on https://t.co/eBUfsOmxDL pic.twitter.com/pdlDFZULPO— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) December 3, 2022 Meng Bo STOPS Jenelyn Olsim in 24 SECONDS in the opening bout of ONE 164! ⚡#ONE164 Live on ONE YouTube⁠ Live on https://t.co/eBUfsODAFL pic.twitter.com/EevGHkKuoI— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) December 3, 2022 Check the complete ONE 164 results below. Jarred Brooks def. Joshua Pacio via unanimous decisionAmir Aliakbari def. Brandon Vera via TKO (punches, elbows) — Round 1, 3:37Hu Yong def. Geje Eustaquio via KO (punch) — Round 1, 4:43Jeremy Pacatiw def. Tial Thang via submission (triangle choke) — Round 2, 1:17Drex Zamboanga def. Adonis Sevilleno via unanimous decisionJhanlo Mark Sangiao def. Anacleto Lauron via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 1, 1:48Meng Bo def. Jenelyn Olsim via KO (punches, elbows) — Round 1, 0:24 Muay ThaiSuperlek Kiatmoo9 def. Panpayak Jitmuangnon via split decisionTagir Khalilov def. Chorfah Tor.Sangtiennoi via TKO (punches) — Round 1, 2:29Lara Fernandez def. Dangkongfah Banchamek via split decision

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC The UFC has put together a fine card for its first show in Orlando since 2018. The last time the promotion was in “O-Town,” future PFL fighter Jeremy Stephens knocked out soon-to-be interim featherweight title challenger Josh Emmett in the main event, Sam Alvey was winning fights, and the UFC was still on FOX. A respectable card, but Saturday’s UFC Orlando lineup has it beat. Longtime welterweight contender Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson finds himself in another headliner, this time against the always animated Kevin Holland. It’s been a tough couple of years for Thompson, who has fought infrequently and struggled when he has. He is coming off of back-to-back lopsided decision losses to Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns. Thompson, a two-time UFC title challenger, still holds the No. 10 spot in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, but the 39-year-old has been hanging onto that ranking by a thread and Holland could be the man to take it. “Trailblazer” has impressed since dropping down to 170 pounds (outside of an unanticipated catchweight bout against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 279). A win over Thompson guarantees a number next to his name. In other main card action, welterweight Bryan Barberena faces a former UFC champion for his second fight in a row when he meets former lightweight king Rafael dos Anjos, flyweight contenders Matheus Nicolau and Matt Schnell face off, top-ranked heavyweights Tai Tuivasa and Sergei Pavlovich go knockout hunting, Jack Hermansson takes on short-notice replacement Roman Dolidze in a middleweight bout, and middleweights Eryk Anders and Kyle Daukaus kick off the broadcast. What: UFC Orlando Where: Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. When: Saturday, Dec. 3. The eight-fight preliminary card begins at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+, followed by a six-fight main card at 10 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN+. (Numbers in parentheses indicate standing in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings) Stephen Thompson (10) vs. Kevin Holland At 170 pounds, Kevin Holland hasn’t lost any of the striking creativity and finishing power that made him a top 10 middleweight contender. He has a considerable advantage in length and youth as well, which has me leaning in his direction for this pick. Stephen Thompson remains one of the most confounding puzzles to solve in MMA, particularly if you’re a striker. By now, the secret is out that if you have a potent wrestling game, then you can ground “Wonderboy,” so if Holland can put any emphasis on his offensive grappling now would be a good time to start. However, Holland’s submission opportunities typically arise from his striking so it would be somewhat surprising to see him focus solely on taking Thompson down. So why go with Holland? Size matters. Age matters. Thompson has lost one decision to another standup fighter, current middleweight Darren Till. That fight was tough to watch and, regrettably, fans could be in store for a similar game of inches on Saturday. Holland can generate some incredible bursts of offense when he finds the range and as difficult as that is to do against Thompson, I’m expecting Thompson to be a step slower than the fighter who befuddled Geoff Neal and Vicente Luque a few years ago. A step that will make all the difference. Look for Holland to drop a round or two to Thompson before turning it up in Round 3 en route to a convincing decision win or possibly a late finish. Pick: Holland Rafael dos Anjos (10 LW) vs. Bryan Barberena Let me start by saying that I love Bryan Barberena’s current matchmaking strategy. After earning a decision win over a bona fide legend in Matt Brown, he followed that up by punching out former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler and could now add another former UFC champion to his hit list with Rafael dos Anjos. Even though “RDA” was a champ in a lighter division, that would still be a hell of a three-fight run for Barberena. Unfortunately for Barberena, dos Anjos is just better at mixing the martial arts than he is. While Lawler has the kind of fighting style that was destined for diminished returns as he grew older, dos Anjos could be schooling lower tier fighters for years to come with his diverse skill set. Barberena isn’t the biggest welterweight either, so dos Anjos shouldn’t have much trouble engaging him in a boxing match or taking him down if the situation arises. Barberena is a busy striker, but doesn’t have the kind of one-shot power that should have us worrying that dos Anjos is about to become a sudden fall risk like Frankie Edgar or Marlon Moraes. That day may come for dos Anjos soon, it just won’t be on Saturday. Look for dos Anjos’ performance to be closer to Raphael Assuncao’s recent schooling of Victor Henry, another comfortable decision win for a Brazilian veteran. Pick: Dos Anjos Matheus Nicolau (10) vs. Matt Schnell Matt Schnell excels in chaotic scraps, but don’t expect Matheus Nicolau to accommodate. Nicolau is one of the most underrated contenders in the UFC’s flyweight division, though it’s somewhat understandable given that he’s more known for his steady performances than his explosive output. The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4 standout has won five straight fights and 11 of his past 12, getting past the likes of past title challengers Tim Elliott and John Moraga, and former RIZIN champion Manel Kape. He’s methodical and won’t be rushed, though Schnell certainly has the toughness and experience to test that approach. If Schnell can make this one ugly, he might be able to take Nicolau outside of his comfort zone, but Nicolau is just so solid with his hands and controls distance masterfully. On the ground, I favor Nicolau as well. If Nicolau wants to make a championship statement and win some fans, he’ll take a few risks and bring the fight to Schnell; if he just wants to take care of business as usual, he’ll just keep fighting like Matheus Nicolau. Nicolau by decision. Pick: Nicolau Tai Tuivasa (4) vs. Sergei Pavlovich (6) I’m gonna tell you something: I think Tai Tuivasa might be the new Derrick Lewis. Let me finish. For years, Lewis was the always dangerous top 5 gatekeeper at heavyweight. Good enough to knock out anyone outside of a handful of names, good enough to earn a title shot, not quite good enough to win it all. That sums up where Tuivasa is at this point in his career and I believe when he knocked Lewis out two fights ago, the gatekeeper torch was passed on to a more-than-worthy successor. So it falls upon Tuivasa to avenge his brother in swangin’ and bangin’, with Sergei Pavlovich also coming off of a recent win over Lewis. All of this is to say that we’re talking about a matchup of heavyweight sluggers here and I cannot predict with any confidence who is going to win this one. I’ve said that Tuivasa has been overlooked as a serious contender and he proved that in defeat with a thrilling effort against Ciryl Gane, an opponent that he was given little chance against on paper. But Pavlovich is legit, a Russian machine who has just been walking through the opposition. He has everything it takes to be UFC champion in 2023. My heart says Tuivasa because I don’t want to believe that the good times are done rolling. My gut says Pavlovich. I’m going with my gut. Pick: Pavlovich Jack Hermansson (13) vs. Roman Dolidze There’s no questioning that Roman Dolidze goes in there to finish, but he’s facing a huge step up in competition in Jack Hermansson and on short notice no less. Dolidze is so aggressive, even off of his back, which is both a plus and a minus when calculating his chances of beating Hermansson. His willingness to fight on the ground could come back to bite him as Hermansson is a nasty finisher on the mat himself. Expect some aesthetically appealing scrambles in this one as both look to snatch a neck or a limb. On the feet, Hermansson’s reach and durability gives him the edge, though Dolidze is yet to be finished in his 12-fight career. Again, I view Hermansson as a considerably more difficult challenge than Dolidze has faced so far, one that would greatly affect how I gauge Dolidze as a future contender. Even in defeat, I still think Dolidze has a ton of potential as he’s relatively young in MMA years. So even though I’m going with Hermansson to snatch a submission in a fun fight, Dolidze should consider this a learning experience. Pick: Hermansson Eryk Anders vs. Kyle Daukaus Eryk Anders has always had all the tools to be a factor at 185 pounds, but he’s rarely been able to put them all together. In comparison, Kyle Daukaus knows who he is, a submission specialist, and he knows to go to that skill as early and and as often as possible. There’s a clear path to victory here for Anders, one that sees him stuffing takedowns and stifling submission attempts until Daukaus tires and becomes vulnerable in the second half of the fight. However, Daukaus is such a strong grappler that I don’t see Anders being able to last long enough to implement that game plan. Anders is effective on the feet, but doesn’t have the kind of power that will scare Daukaus off. Daukaus muscled his way inside, takes Anders down, and goes to work. It might take a round or two, but Daukaus wins by submission. Pick: Daukaus Preliminaries Niko Price def. Phil Rowe Angela Hill (13) def. Emily Ducote (14) Scott Holtzman def. Clay Guida Michael Johnson def. Marc Diakiese Jonathan Pearce def. Darren Elkins Natan Levy def. Genaro Valdez Francis Marshall def. Marcelo Rojo Yazmin Jauregui def. Istela Nunes

Anatoliy Malykhin picked up his second ONE Championship title with a first-round beatdown of Reinier de Ridder in the main event of ONE on Prime Video 5. Malykhin hurt de Ridder early with heavy hands and didn’t stop until the No. 12 ranked middleweight fighter MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings was lying on his back, knocked out by a flurry of hammerfists. The official time of stoppage was 4:35 of the first round at Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines. “I’m best of the best, world champion,” said Malykhin, who came into the bout as the interim heavyweight champion and picked up de Ridder’s light heavyweight (185 pounds) title. “I already knew I was going to win since yesterday, so I just wanted to thank all the people that supported. I knew the belt was going to be on the chest of my coach.” The end was set in motion by a right hand that de Ridder took against the fence, where he backpedaled after taking several hard body shots and hooks. His initial charge toward the clinch and a throw setup, proved to be his downfall as it put him in range of Malykhin’s right hand. His natural predisposition toward ducking to the left only provided more targets for the challenger, who took full advantage. De Ridder suffers the first loss of his professional career after 17 professional outings, while Malykhin, who also was awarded a pair of $50,000 bonuses, throws the rankings into disarray with his 12th straight win in an unbeaten pro record. Anatoly Malykhin knocks out Reinier de Ridder!!#ONEonPrimeVideo5 pic.twitter.com/dmjBy4hhvP— MMA mania (@mmamania) December 3, 2022 Ruotolo defends lightweight grappling belt ONE Championship lightweight submission grappling champ Kade Ruotolo’s physical jiu-jitsu sent Matheus Gabriel plummeting to the canvas on several occasions. Gabriel’s guard play was good enough to keep him in the match, and Ruotolo rewarded him with several ankle lock attempts that he said produced pops in the joint. When no tap came, they went the distance, and Ruotolo earned the unanimous decision. Ankle picked him into a slam! Tune in NOW to catch the rest of the #ONEonPrimeVideo5 main card! https://t.co/D7gGSMLPtU https://t.co/eBUfsODAFL pic.twitter.com/AfklMryYe6— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) December 3, 2022 Soldic’s ONE debut spoiled by groin kick Roberto Soldic’s ONE Championship debut was cut short by an accidental knee to the groin that rendered him unable to continue against Murad Ramazanov. A low blow from Murad Ramazanov leaves Roberto Soldic unable to continue and their bout has been ruled a no contest ❌Tune in NOW to catch the rest of the #ONEonPrimeVideo5 main card! https://t.co/D7gGSMLPtU https://t.co/eBUfsODAFL pic.twitter.com/q1FwvQwpw2— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) December 3, 2022 Buntan knockdown seals deal Jackie Buntan avenged an amateur loss to Amber Kitchen with a unanimous decision likely sealed by a third-round knockdown. Buntan’s heavy shots overcame Kitchen’s lengthy kicks and pressure attack, and when she got inside, she made her presence known with fast hooks inside. Furious flurry from Jackie Buntan! Should this have been ruled a knockdown? Tune in NOW to catch the rest of the #ONEonPrimeVideo5 main card! https://t.co/D7gGSN3YI2 https://t.co/eBUfsOmxDL pic.twitter.com/k22ietkwsQ— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) December 3, 2022 Tyanes grinds Park, still loses one card ONE Championship judges fights in their entirety, so it was confusing when one judge gave Dae Sung Park the nod over Lowen Tyanes. Save for a cut opened by an accidental clash, Park did little but get smothered and outgrappled over three rounds. Though he managed to stand at the end of the first and third, his leg kicks were his best offense against a constant threat of choke from Tyanes’ back control. Two of the three judges gave Tyanes the victory, so the interesting take on scoring didn’t change the outcome. I see what you did there Tune in NOW to catch the rest of the #ONEonPrimeVideo5 main card! https://t.co/D7gGSMLPtU https://t.co/eBUfsODAFL pic.twitter.com/f6BNyLaQXT— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) December 3, 2022 Anatoliy Malykhin def. Reinier de Ridder via KO (hammerfists) - Round 1, 4:35 Kade Ruotolo def. Matheus Gabriel via unanimous decision Roberto Soldic vs. Murad Ramazanov declared a no-contest (knee to Soldic’s groin) Jackie Buntan def. Amber Kitchen via unanimous decision Lowen Tyanes def. Dae Sung Park via split decision Edson Marques def. Eduard Folayang via TKO (punches) - Round 2, 2:53 Tye Ruotolo def. Marat Gafurov via submission (wrist lock) - Round 1, 5:09 Oumar Kane def. Jasur Mirzamukhamedov via unanimous decision Denice Zamboanga def. Lin Heqin via split decision

Stephen Thompson and Kevin Holland will clash in the UFC Orlando main event Saturday night. | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC MMA Fighting has UFC Orlando results for the Thompson vs. Holland event, a live blog of the main event, and more from the Amway Center on Saturday night. In the main event, Stephen Thompson will square off against Kevin Holland in a welterweight contest. Thompson is looking to end a two-fight skid, while Holland is trying to bounce back from his loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 279 over two months ago. Former UFC champion Rafael dos Anjos faces Bryan Barberena in a welterweight contest in the co-main event. Check out UFC Orlando results below. Main Card (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET) Stephen Thompson vs. Kevin Holland Rafael dos Anjos vs. Bryan Barberena Matheus Nicolau vs. Matt Schnell Tai Tuivasa vs. Sergei Pavlovich Jack Hermansson vs. Roman Dolidze Eryk Anders vs. Kyle Daukaus Preliminaries (ESPN/ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET) Niko Price vs. Phil Rowe Angela Hill vs. Emily Ducote Clay Guida vs. Scott Holtzman Michael Johnson vs. Marc Diakiese Darren Elkins vs. Jonathan Pearce Amanda Ribas vs. Tracy Cortez Natan Levy vs. Genaro Valdez Marcelo Rojo vs. Francis Marshall Yazmin Jauregui vs. Istela Nunes