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UFC 303 has been shaken up again as short-notice replacement fighter Anthony Smith now needs another short-notice replacement to remain on the card.

Multiple sources with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed to MMA Fighting that Carlos Ulberg has been scratched from his scheduled June 29 pay-per-view matchup with the one-time title challenger for undisclosed reasons. Benny P on Twitter first reported Ulberg’s withdrawal.

Smith is expected to remain on the card, and as of right now, the frontrunner to replace Ulberg is ranked middleweight contender Roman Dolidze. MMA Fighting confirmed with sources with knowledge of the change that the potential matchup is being discussed, but it has not been finalized.

“Lionheart” stepped in on just over two weeks’ notice to fight Ulberg, replacing an injured Jamahal Hill. Smith is coming off of a big upset submission win over the previously undefeated Vitor Petrino at UFC 301 in May.

Originally, Hill was scheduled to fight Khalil Rountree, but Ulberg was called in as a replacement when Rountree was pulled from the fight after a positive drug test. Now all three men are off the June 29 card.

UFC 303 is headlined by a light heavyweight championship rematch between Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka.

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Kicks are one of the most powerful tools you have at your disposal in mixed martial arts so you should spend as much time working on them as you do practicing your punching techniques. One-dimensional strikers who are only good at punching typically don’t do well in mixed martial arts since kickers can simply pick them apart from range.

Make sure you incorporate styles like Kickboxing and Muay Thai into your mixed martial arts training to ensure your striking skills are well-rounded enough to keep up with the competition.

Once you’ve learned all the basic kicks used in mixed martial and some basic combinations, it’s time to move up to more advanced kick combos.

Eight Effective Advanced Kicking Combinations Used In Mixed Martial Arts

Without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the kick combos that have been proven to be effective inside the cage:

1) Lead Teep, Switch Kick , Cross, Hook, Rear Roundhouse Kick

This combination mixes things up pretty well, making it challenging for your opponents to predict what’s coming next. The teep and the switch kick are set-up strikes you throw to establish the range and keep your opponent guessing before you throw the other strikes.

Focus on speed and power when throwing these strikes, before putting serious power on the cross to the head, the hook, and lastly, the right kick that follows. The cross and hook should be thrown hard, but the right kick to the body is the real money maker here. Throw it with everything you have and aim for your opponent’s liver. It’s a fight-ending attack if it lands cleanly.

2) Step Back, Inside Leg Kick, Cross, Low Kick

This combination starts with you stepping back to confuse your opponent and then immediately whipping your lead leg at your opponent, aiming for the inner part of their thigh, which we call an inside leg kick.

Follow the inside leg kick with a powerful cross before ending the combination with a low kick thrown with your rear leg. Your opponent’s head makes a good target too hence you can replace the low kick with a head kick instead.

3) Jab, Cross, Lead Teep, Rear Roundhouse Kick

Start the combination with a basic jab-cross combination, then follow immediately with a lead teep to your opponent’s body. The push kick will push your opponent out of range which allows you to throw a rear roundhouse kick to their midsection, throwing them off-guard.

4) Lead Jab, Lead Hook, Lead Teep, Rear Roundhouse Kick 

This combination starts by throwing a lead jab to your opponent’s head, followed by a hook from the same side before landing a lead teep on their midsection. From there, immediately follow up with a rear roundhouse to the head or liver. If you are a southpaw, your combinations would look exactly like the video above.

5) Jab, Cross, Left Hook, Spinning Back Kick

Here’s a crafty way to set up a powerful spinning backkick. MMA fans love their spinning attacks so add a few of these to your toolkit to win some fans over.

Start by throwing a basic jab-cross combination to get your opponent to bring their hands to the front of their face, then try to weave a lead hook behind their guard. Jab, cross combinations are an effective way to set up lead hooks so put lots of power into the hook since there’s a good chance it lands.

Regardless of how clean the hook connects, throwing it puts you in a perfect position to launch into a spin. Fire off the spinning back kick, aiming for their midsection. The first three strikes you throw should have your opponent thinking high when you go low.

6) Hook, Feint Hook, Spinning Back Kick

Here’s a combination done by Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon from ONE Championship which you can impress fight fans with. You start with a lead hook to your opponent’s head, then you feint another lead hook to have their guard high before spinning into a back kick, landing with your lead leg.

If you see an opening to the midsection after throwing the hook, you can also opt to land the roundhouse before entering into your spin.

7) Jab, Lead Hook, High Kick

This combination mixes up your attacks nicely. Start with a jab to establish range, and follow up with a hard lead hook to the head or torso. Follow through the combination with a high kick to your opponent’s head.

8) Jab, Jab To The Body, Teep, Slide Teep

Here’s another combination that mixes high and low attacks. Start the sequence with two quick jabs, with the first aimed at the head, while the other targets the torso. Immediately push your opponent away with a teep to the body and when they regain their balance and move forward, throw a slide push kick to their torso to make them off-balance again.

Mastering Advanced Punch Combinations

Some of the things you can do to master these advanced kicking combinations include:

• Shadowboxing: Shadowboxing is how seasoned strikers master any technique. Find a spot you can freely move around, preferably one with many mirrors, and work on your combinations until they become second nature to you. Start slow so you can get the proper technique down before speeding things up.
• Focus Mitts: Focus mitts are another effective way to perfect your striking techniques. Find an instructor or training partner to hold pads for you and practice your combos as often as you can. Your instructor or training partner can give you feedback on the things you’re doing right or wrong.
• Heavy Bags: Heavy bags help you to make your combinations more powerful so don’t miss any opportunities to work on these. Don’t just mindlessly throw combinations when using the heavy bad; instead, move with the bag as if it were an opponent.
• Sparring: Sparring is where you get a chance to practice your newly learned combinations on resisting opponents. It’s the most effective way to improve your timing and accuracy.

LowKickMMA.com

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

For the first time, the octagon is in Saudi Arabia for this weekend’s UFC event.  Kingdom Arena in Riyadh hosts Saturday’s fight card.  On Friday morning, the fighters competing at the event officially weighed in.

The event is headlined by a middleweight bout between former champion Robert Whittaker (25-7) and fast-rising Ikram Aliskerov (15-1).  Whittaker was the first fighter to step on the scale and weight 186 pounds.  Aliskerov was the second fighter to weigh-in, tipping the scale at 184 pounds.   

Whittaker was originally slated to face 11th-ranked Khamzat Chimaev in the headlining bout but Chimaev was forced to withdrawal due to illness.  Whittaker will enter the fight coming off a decision win over Paulo Costa at UFC 298 in February. Aliskerov is riding a seven-fight winning streak with his only career loss coming to Chimaev. 

UFC Saudi Arabia Official Weigh-In Results

Main Card (on ABC and ESPN+ at 3 p.m. ET

• Robert Whittaker (186) vs. Ikram Aliskerov (184)
• Sergei Pavlovich (260) vs. Alexander Volkov (258)
• Kelvin Gastelum (184.5) vs. Daniel Rodriguez (184)
• Sharabutdin Magomedov (185.5) vs. Antonio Trocoli (185.5)
• Johnny Walker (206) vs. Volkan Oezdemir (206)

Preliminary Card (on ESPN/ESPN+ at Noon ET)

• Nasrat Haqparast (156) vs. Jared Gordon (156)
• Muhammad Naimov (145.5) vs. Felipe Lima (145.5)
• Rinat Fakhretdinov (170.5) vs. Nicolas Dalby (171)
• Kang Kyung-ho (136) vs. Muin Gafurov (136)
• Magomed Gadzhiyasulov (205) vs. Brendson Ribeiro (205)
• Xiao Long (136) vs. Lee Chang-ho (136)

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UFC

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

With a background in wrestling, Kai Stewart seemed like a natural to make waves in MMA but instead he became a bare-knuckle boxing champion.

BKFC’s reigning featherweight king didn’t necessarily intend on his current occupation becoming his biggest pursuit in combat sports, but he’s certainly happy with the decision he made. When he first got the call to compete on a BKFC card, the promotion was traveling to his native Montana, and Stewart was a local draw who could help sell some tickets.

At the time, Stewart accepted the opportunity with the explicit understanding that he was going to fight once in bare-knuckle and then begin forging ahead with a planned career in MMA. That all changed after he made his BKFC debut back in 2021.

“I did my first BKFC fight, never been in a street fight, never punched someone with a bare knuckle and I was scared,” Stewart told MMA Fighting. “It was a scary thing. So I wanted to use the platform, get my name out there, make my pro debut and then transition back to MMA.

“But the second I got out of that ring, my demeanor changed completely. I said I can be a champion in this. I can do this shit.”

Following that successful debut, Stewart only needed three more fights to become BKFC featherweight champion. He has now defended that belt successfully one time with another title defense set for Friday at BKFC 62 in Hollywood, Fla., where he clashes with Bryan Duran.

Beyond his own success, Stewart has been blown away to see how much BKFC has grown in the past few years. Once viewed as an ultra-niche sport with only a few states even sanctioning the sport, BKFC has exploded in popularity, selling thousands of tickets at numerous events and putting on some of the most talked-about cards in recent history.

Former UFC welterweight Mike Perry has become one of the biggest names in combat sports since joining BKFC and the promotion even attracted the attention of Irish superstar Conor McGregor, who became a part owner in the organization back in April.

In a short period of time, BKFC has become a major player in combat sports while many MMA promotions have struggled to find a foothold competing against a behemoth like the UFC. Stewart believes BKFC’s success comes down to the unique nature of bare-knuckle fighting versus MMA organizations like PFL and Bellator that put on events that don’t look or feel all that different from the UFC.

“With the other MMA promotions, they’re too similar to the UFC,” Stewart said. “That’s why they’re never going to be as big as the UFC. That’s why BKFC has such a high ceiling. We’re different. We are different.”

Seeing how much BKFC has grown proved to Stewart that he made the right call sticking with bare-knuckle fighting rather than taking a stab at MMA. It also doesn’t hurt that he now gets to fight for McGregor, who he has idolized since he was 16 years old with a poster of the former two-division UFC champion still hanging in his home.

His upcoming opponent tried to mock him for his adoration of McGregor but Stewart doesn’t understand how attempting to follow in the footsteps of the biggest star in UFC history is a bad thing.

“Honestly, business as usual [right now] because the job’s not done. After June 21, I can get excited that I just impressed my idol,” Stewart said. “Absolutely I want to impress the richest guy that’s come from combat sports. That’s my opportunity on June 21. I get to impress my idol and then I just have to get better.”

When it comes to his long term goals, Stewart has plenty of time to seek out new challenges, opponents, and paydays. At 23, he’s already the youngest champion on the entire BKFC roster.

Winning the featherweight title at such a young age makes Stewart believe that he can create a huge legacy for himself, but the next step comes on Friday when he defends his belt for the second time.

“June 21, I become the face of the company,” Stewart said. “Because with all respect, [Luis] Palomino lost, Lorenzo Hunt lost, all these big stars, big faces of the company have lost. It’s my turn. I’m the youngest champion on the roster. Nothing’s stopping me.

“I clinch, I box, I pressure, I make it dirty. You don’t want to be in there with me because my goal is to break you. Wins and losses, they come and go but breaking somebody, that stays in your heart forever. I’m going to break opponent, after opponent, after opponent.”

And much like McGregor, Stewart wants to amass a lot of money and a bunch of title belts before peace’ing out and saying “thanks for the cheese.”

“If you’re not doing this for big money, why are you taking this brain damage?” Stewart said. “It’s honestly ridiculous that people say, ‘Who cares about belts and money?’ It’s like, you should, because otherwise you’re getting brain damage for nothing. I love fighting. I love competing. I love the grind but in the end, it’s all about the money and it’s all about the belts and I’m coming for it all.

“I think Bryan Duran is going to be my [Jose] Aldo. I think he’s going to rush me, I’m going to f*cking clip him with my left hook and he’s going to go to sleep.”

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Josh Silveira wants all of the smoke.

Silveira returns to action tonight (Fri., June 21, 2024) at PFL 5 against 2022 PFL Light Heavyweight champion Rob Wilkinson in hopes of securing a spot in the 2024 PFL playoffs, which will take place in the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Silveira is coming off a first-round, 74-second finish of 2022 PFL Welterweight champion Sadibou Sy at PFL 2 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Sy dislocated his thumb, resulting in a TKO.

The 2024 Professional Fighters League Light Heavyweight division is the most stacked it has ever been, as five PFL champions reside in it: Wilkinson (2022), Sy (2022), Antonio Carlos Jr. (2021), Impa Kasaganay (2023), and Jakob Nedoh (2023—European).

Silveira hopes to beat two more, leading him to a $ 1,000,00 championship.

“Life works in a weird way, and God works in strange ways. Last year wasn’t my year to win it, but maybe it’s this year for me to go beat previous champions- do something that hasn’t been done before,” Silveira said during PFL 5 media day. “Just imagine, I beat four previous champions to win the belt. If God would have told me that last year, I would have been calm about losing the finals. We don’t know what the future holds, but that’s what the direction looks like. Sadibou was a champion, even though it was 170 lbs. Rob is a champion. We’ll find out Friday night if I have to fight any more champions.”

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Silveira told MMAMania.com he really hopes to face Carlos Jr. in the finals. Carlos Jr. is Silveria’s main training partner and friend, and his dad, who co-founded the iconic American Top Team, is their head coach.

The 30-year-old is second in the PFL Light Heavyweight standings with six points.

For more PFL news and notes click here.

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