Cage Warriors has once again bolstered the largest contracted roster in European MMA with a cohort of new signings and multi-bout contract extensions. Chief among those signing multi-fight extensions are hard-hitting Belgian lightweight Jan 'Q-Bomb' Quaeyhaegens, Welsh bantamweight Rory Evans and recent Cage Warriors: Glasgow headliner Chris 'The Bad Guy' Bungard. Bungard's recent outing went viral on social media following his pre-fight tribute to the late Windham Rotunda, a.k.a. Bray Wyatt. Quaeyhaegens also saw action in Glasgow, defeating highly touted prospect Konstantinos Ntelis in ..read more

Joe “the Brown Bomber” Louis is often rated as the heaviest puncher in boxing history. We know that he augmented his natural power with Jack Blackburn’s schooling on his step-and-punch method. But what are the other heavy bag drills. Louis also had speed. For a big man, he put some quick movements together. Speed is often an innate attribute. It can be helped along with smooth, efficient drilling, but for the most part, speed is a God-given gift. But there’s an attribute of speed that can be developed, and that speedy attribute is balance. Let’s have a listen to trainer Walter Smith ..read more

With the success of the John Wick legacy, other creatives are starting to ask, “What is possible if action films were created, directed, and starring real-life martial artists and stunt performers?” The Proposal is a short, brought from idea to execution by Neraida Bega (Mike Chat’s wife) and the 87 North Pro Stunt Class Team went to work on a "class assignment" from director David Leitch to create a gun fight.  Black Belt readers are probably already familiar with Mike Chat and his martial art skills. He serves as producer and stunt coordinator on this project. His wife, Bega ..read more

Grappling ace Bianca Basilio will return to the mat on Friday, May 3, at ONE Fight Night 22 on Prime Video. The Brazilian will tussle with Nanami Ichikawa in a 132-pound catchweight submission grappling contest. The BJJ World Champion will enter without too much information on her opponent. Still, she is focusing on her own game to get back in the win column. “I don’t know Ichikawa, but I know she will be prepared for the fight, just as I will be ready to submit her. It’s a fight that has no points, it’s a submission-only, so I’ll prepare to finish the fight that way. I believe that when y ..read more

BRAVE Combat Federation is set to make its debut in the Netherlands with BRAVE CF 83, on May 25, in association with world-class martial arts organization Enfusion, through its ECE MMA brand. The show will be headlined by a blockbuster main event as former Super Welterweight champion Marcin Bandel will face European superstar Alex Lohore, as both men look to hunt down Kamal Magomedov, the reigning number one 175-pounder in MMA. Polish star Marcin Bandel begins his road back to the top after his title loss against current champion Kamal Magomedov at BRAVE CF 77, and is eager to secure a re ..read more

UFC has named lightweight fighter Beneil Dariush as the 2024 recipient of the Forrest Griffin Community Award. This accolade, named after UFC Hall of Famer Forrest Griffin, honors a UFC athlete each year for outstanding volunteer and charity work, and for their significant positive impact on the community. The award is part of the UFC Honors President’s Choice category, with the recipient personally selected by UFC President & CEO Dana White. UFC Honors is an annual recognition program celebrating exceptional UFC athletes, performances, and memorable moments. As the award winner, Beneil ..read more

No matter which category a particular system belongs to — traditional martial arts, reality-based self-defense, modern combatives — almost all instructors of those systems teach methods for stopping a blade-wielding psycho. Or at least they think they do. Before you start sending me hate mail and planning a cancel campaign, let me explain. You see, almost all knife-defense techniques work great in theory. They also work on a compliant student in the safe confines of the dojo. But when applied in a life-or-death situation, many of them amount to responses that I like to call “death by martia ..read more

I had the privilege of teaching several sessions at Taky Kimura’s Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute of Seattle Instructors Conference in Washington. One topic I discussed was a question that garnered much interest: When did Bruce Lee actually create jeet kune do?  Does the answer have any bearing on our JKD training all these decades later? It’s my opinion that understanding when and why JKD was born is extremely important if we are to master the art and then pass it on to the next generation. That’s why I decided to write this article. So when was JKD born? I’ve spoken with hundreds of au ..read more

Ramazan Gitinov is scheduled to make his return at BRAVE CF 82 in Mauritius on May 11 and ahead of his much-anticipated return to action, the Bahraini fighter is getting some guidance from MMA superstar Islam Makhachev and legendary former fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov. Both Makhachev and Nurmagomedov are original members of the KHK MMA team, alongside names like Jose Torres, Eldar Eldarov, Frankie Edgar, and James Gallagher, among others. Their time with KHK MMA proved to be vital to their rise in the MMA world and now they are giving back by helping the new generation of the team, with Ram ..read more

Anker, a global leader in mobile charging technology, and the UFC, the premier mixed martial arts organization, have announced a new partnership. Anker has been named the "Official Charging Partner of UFC" for the Middle East and Africa. This collaboration highlights a shared commitment to excellence, speed, and reliability, mirroring the intense energy of UFC's events. This year is pivotal for the UFC as it hosts its first-ever event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia—UFC FIGHT NIGHT: WHITTAKER vs CHIMAEV on June 22, featuring a key bout between former champion Robert Whittaker and rising star Khamza ..read more