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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Rickson Gracie never fought in the UFC, but he maintains one of the most legendary reputations in mixed martial arts with his famous last name.

Now his life story is being adapted into a feature film.

Breathe: A Life in Flow, Gracie’s autobiography released in 2021, has been acquired by a group of filmmakers including Adam Rifkin, Brad Wyman, and Michael P.J. Gerstein’s FutureIII Entertainment. Wyman is the best known producer out of the three filmmakers after previously working on the Oscar winning feature Monster starring Charlize Theron, and the Pamela Anderson comic book adaptation Barb Wire.

Deadline first reported the news on Tuesday.

The son of Brazilian jiu-jitsu co-creator Helio Gracie, Rickson followed in his father’s footsteps as a top-notch grappler who received his black belt when he was only 18 years old.

While his family became synonymous with the launch of UFC, thanks largely to the involvement of his brother Rorion Gracie and half-brother Royce Gracie, Rickson never competed for the promotion but was still widely considered the best fighter of the family.

Gracie famously touted his undefeated record and claimed he won more than 450 fights during his career, although those numbers have been heavily disputed. As far as what’s proven from his brief MMA career, Gracie held a perfect 11-0 record, which included a pair of wins over Nobuhiko Takada in PRIDE Fighting Championships.

Gracie also won a pair of Vale Tudo Japan tournaments — which were similar in format to early UFC events — where he fought three opponents in one night to claim the title.

“It has been a long time coming for a movie based upon my life,” Gracie told Deadline. “But what’s most important to me, beyond everything else, is that anyone who watches it, will gain some sort of positive perspective or understanding in their lives. That’s my ultimate hope and goal for this project.”

The producers behind the project are currently scouting for directors and a writer to adapt Gracie’s book into a feature length film script. Gerstein, who has spent 24 years as part of Gracie’s jiu-jitsu academy, wants to develop a character driven story that “goes beyond the memoir.”

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Legacy Intact
| BJPenn.com

Merab Dvalishvili is back in the headlines … for all the wrong reasons.

Not long after “The Machine” was sent to the shop for repairs, courtesy of a training camp cut that had UFC CEO Dana White blaring the trumpet of stupidity, the UFC 306 headliner was spotted with a gruesome, Staph-like infection on his arm with less than two weeks to go before his Sean O’Malley title fight on Sept. 14 at The Sphere.

Not surprisingly, fans on social media are starting to panic.

I’m not a doctor (and I don’t play one on TV) but this is the Internet and it’s not only our right, but our civic duty to make wild, uneducated assumptions about the injury in question. Dvalishvili still has to clear medicals before his five-round, bantamweight headliner gets the rubber stamp from Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC).

Here’s a recent training video with the injury on display:

Expect Dvalishvili to release another “It’s no big deal!” video in the coming days.

O’Malley has yet to comment on Merab’s injury but don’t be surprised to see a response on social media, where “Suga” routinely eviscerates his bantamweight foe. I’m sure the champ is not looking forward to Dvalishvili grabbing a neck or limb with that wonky arm. Hopefully everything is healed up by fight night.

If not, it might be time to make another call to Usman Nurmagomedov.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

PFL heavyweight and ex-UFC fighter Blagoy Ivanov won’t be allowed to compete again until 2026 after he was suspended 22 months by USADA for a failed drug test.

USADA officials announced the suspension on Wednesday as a violation of PFL’s anti-doping policy for fighters.

“Ivanov, 37, tested positive for an anabolic agent as the result of an out-of-competition sample collected on March 28, 2024,” USADA official stated. “His urine sample was analyzed using a specialized test that differentiates between anabolic androgenic steroids naturally produced by the body and prohibited anabolic agents of external origin.

“Ivanov received a reduction to the default period of ineligibility for his full and complete cooperation. Ivanov’s 22-month period of ineligibility began on March 28, 2024, the date his positive sample was collected.”

Based on the timeline of his suspension, Ivanov would be eligible to compete again in January 2026.

A 27-fight veteran, Ivanov signed with PFL after the conclusion of his UFC contract in 2023. He made his debut back in April but dropped a decision to Sergei Bilostenniy, which served as his third loss in a row, giving him a 1-5 record in his past six fights overall.

PFL has not addressed if Ivanov will remain on the roster during his suspension.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Michael Bisping recently warned Alex Pereira, urging him not to underestimate the formidable threat that Khalil Rountree brings to their upcoming clash.

“Poatan” is preparing for his third light heavyweight title defense in 2024, as he is set to square off against Rountree in the main event of UFC 307, scheduled for October 5 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Pereira has been an indomitable force since storming into the 205-pound division, kicking things off with a decisive win over Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291. His meteoric rise continued as he claimed the vacant light heavyweight title with a dominant victory over Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295.

From there, the Brazilian striking phenom wasted no time solidifying his reign, successfully defending his belt twice in just two months. His most recent triumph came with a second-round knockout of Prochazka in their rematch at UFC 303.

As for Rountree, many have raised concerns about the fight, citing “The War Horse’s” suspension for the consumption of the banned substance Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), which is set to end on September 18. Meanwhile, others contend that Magomed Ankalaev would have been a more deserving challenger for Pereira’s title.

However, “The Count” believes that Rountree possesses the complete arsenal needed to threaten Pereira’s striking-centric style…

Bisping Uncertain About Pereira’s Chances Facing Rountree

In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Bisping weighed in on ‘Poatan’s’ callout of UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis. The UFC Hall of Famer was quick to point out that Pereira has a more immediate challenge looming in the form of Rountree, one he can’t afford to overlook.

Widely regarded as one of the most dangerous strikers in MMA, Pereira’s legacy as a two-division Glory Kickboxing champion strikes fear into opponents. While conventional wisdom suggests that wrestling is the blueprint to topple him, Rountree sees things differently.

Though Rountree doesn’t dispute the wrestling strategy, he’s made it clear that he wants to keep the fight standing and deliver a striking masterclass.

• Read More: Chael Sonnen Feels Khalil Rountree Fight Will Fast Track Alex Pereira’s Heavyweight Move: ‘The Best Way, Get Him Beat!’

Continue Reading Former Champ Cautions Alex Pereira: Don’t Overlook ‘Kickboxer Killer’ Khalil Rountree at MMA News.

MMA News

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Ex-UFC fighter Casey Kenney has been released on $ 10,000 bond after pleading not guilty to a variety of charges related to an alleged domestic violence incident that took place in July.

Kenney was released following an arraignment hearing in Maricopa County Court in Arizona this past Thursday. A representative from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department confirmed to MMA Fighting that Kenney was released from custody after paying his $ 10,000 bond as ordered by the court.

With Kenney pleading not guilty, his next court date involves a pre-trial conference scheduled on Oct. 15, with a trial date tentatively set for Jan. 23, 2025.

Kenney was arrested in August following allegations of domestic violence and an investigation by police that ended with the veteran fighter being charged. He currently faces numerous charges including kidnapping, which is a class 2 felony, and several misdemeanors as well.

Based on the minutes from his recent hearing, there was no probable cause found for the aggravated assault charge for impeding breathing “as no facts alleged to support that alleged victim’s breathing was ever impaired,” but there was probable cause found on all the other allegations.

A probable cause statement obtained by MMA Fighting revealed the details that led to Kenney’s arrest:

“Between the dates of 7-21-2024 at approximately 11:00 p.m. and 7-22-24 at approximately 12:14 a.m. while at the single family residence located at [address redacted], [suspect] Casey Kenney committed kidnapping, aggravated assault by strangulation and assault against [victim] Jasmine Mendez by repeatedly striking, slapping, biting, headbutting and choking [victim] Jasmine for several hours resulting in abrasions to Jasmine’s lip and discoloration to Jasmine’s arms and petechiae to Jasmine’s neck.

“Furthermore, during the 13 hours at Casey Kenney’s residence, Jasmine was incapable of escaping the residence due to Casey routinely grabbing hold of Jasmine and holding her in place during her attempts while threatening to cause more physical harm. Casey Kenney advised Jasmine Mendez that if anyone shows up he will shoot them and if her mother shows up he will shoot her in the head. Jasmine Mendez stated she desires prosecution in this matter at this time.”

With Kenney awaiting trial, the judge also issued a number of conditions for his continued release, including that he cannot have any contact whatsoever with the alleged victim even if the alleged victim contacts him first. Contact with the alleged victim could lead to a violation of the “no victim contact” order, which could constitute aggravated harassment, a class 6 felony in Arizona.

Kenney was also ordered not to have any contact with the arresting officers in his case, he’s not allowed to possess any drugs without a valid prescription, he cannot possess or consume alcohol, he’s not allowed to possess any weapons including firearms, and he has to submit to fingerprinting and DNA testing or his release may be revoked.

Assuming Kenney follows those terms, he will remain free awaiting his trial scheduled in January.

The veteran bantamweight, who last fought in 2021, was also released from the UFC roster after his initial arrest in August.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts