UFC Fight Night 29’s Jake Shields’ Jiu-Jitsu is undoubtedly some of the best in the UFC and MMA as a whole. In one of his more entertaining fights, Shields fought judo expert Yoshihiro Akiyama and won a unanimous decision.

Check out the full fight from UFC 144 between Shields and Akiyama and check out the full UFC Fight Night 29 card below.

UFC Fight Night 29
Oct. 9, 2013
Jose Correa Gymnasium
Barueri, São Paulo, Brazil

Main Card:
Demian Maia (18-4) vs. Jake Shields (28-6-1, 1 NC)
Erick Silva (15-3, 1 NC) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (17-2-1, 1 NC)
Thiago Silva (15-3, 2 NC) vs. Matt Hamill (10-4)
Fabio Maldonado (19-6) vs. Joey Beltran (14-8, 1 NC)
Rousimar Palhares (14-5) vs. Mike Pierce (17-5)
Raphael Assunção (20-4) vs. TJ Dillashaw (8-1)

Prelims:
Ildemar Alcantara (19-5) vs. Igor Araujo (23-6)
Yan Cabral (10-0) vs. David Mitchell (12-3)
Iliarde Santos (27-8-1, 1 NC)  vs. Chris Cariaso (14-5)
Alan Patrick (10-0) vs. Garett Whiteley (5-0)

Before he fights Demian Maia in the main event at UFC Fight Night 29, Jake Shields took a tour of the country that fathered the gentle art.

Shields, a black-belt under Cesar Gracie, is known for his outstanding grappling in the octagon. He’ll need to put that to good use when he squares off against Maia, another outstanding black-belt. Check out the video above and the full fight card below.

UFC Fight Night 29
Oct. 9, 2013
Jose Correa Gymnasium
Barueri, São Paulo, Brazil

Main Card:
Demian Maia (18-4) vs. Jake Shields (28-6-1, 1 NC)
Erick Silva (15-3, 1 NC) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (17-2-1, 1 NC)
Thiago Silva (15-3, 2 NC) vs. Matt Hamill (10-4)
Fabio Maldonado (19-6) vs. Joey Beltran (14-8, 1 NC)
Rousimar Palhares (14-5) vs. Mike Pierce (17-5)
Raphael Assunção (20-4) vs. TJ Dillashaw (8-1)

Prelims:
Ildemar Alcantara (19-5) vs. Igor Araujo (23-6)
Yan Cabral (10-0) vs. David Mitchell (12-3)
Iliarde Santos (27-8-1, 1 NC)  vs. Chris Cariaso (14-5)
Alan Patrick (10-0) vs. Garett Whiteley (5-0)

Photo by Nick Laham/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Rafael Natal is getting a big opportunity in his MMA career, stepping in for Lyoto Machida to face Tim Kennedy at UFC Fight for the Troops 3, the fighter confirmed on Tuesday.

An initial report from FOX Sports said Natal would face Kennedy at the Nov. 6 event. The fighter later confirmed the fight via Twitter.

“Thank u @ufc @danawhite and all the fans for this big opportunity,” Natal wrote, adding, “trust me guys @TimKennedyMMA are in trouble.”

Natal is a winner of three consecutive fights in the octagon, his last loss occurring more than a year ago. The fighter gained his opportunity to fight Kennedy when the American’s original opponent, Machida, was shifted over to the UFC Fight Night 30 main event in Manchester, England.

Kennedy is new to the UFC, winning his organizational debut over Roger Gracie at UFC 162 last July. The fighter is most notable for his time in Strikeforce, where he twice contended for the organization’s middleweight title.

UFC Fight for the Troops 3 takes place at the Fort Campbell military base in Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

Photo via Getty Images

Earlier this year at UFC 160, the co-main event featured a heavyweight tilt between former heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos and fan-favorite Mark Hunt. The winner of the match would likely get the next shot at the title – a fate much more likely for dos Santos given his place in the rankings.

In the fight, JDS and Hunt went back and forth until the Australian began to fade, allowing dos Santos to gain momentum and push towards a decision win. But a surprise in the form of a spinning heel kick ended the fight, with JDS leaving Hunt lying on the octagon floor in a bloody mess.

Check out the full fight video that ends with an epic knockout in the player below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKXTCCi5Dak

With the win, dos Santos earned a third fight with current champion Cain Velasquez. The two will fight in the main event at UFC 166 on Oct. 19.

Check out the full fight card below.

UFC 166: Velasquez vs. dos Santos 3
Oct. 19, 2013
Toyota Center
Houston

Main Card:
Cain Velasquez (12-1) vs. Junior dos Santos (16-2)†
Daniel Cormier (12-0) vs. Roy Nelson (19-8)
Gilbert Melendez (21-3) vs. Diego Sanchez (24-5)
Gabriel Gonzaga (15-7) vs. Shawn Jordan (15-4)
John Dodson (15-6) vs. Darrell Montague (13-2)

Prelims: 
Tim Boetsch (16-6) vs. CB Dolloway (13-4)
Nate Marquardt (32-12-2) vs. Hector Lombard (32-4-1)
Sarah Kaufman (15-2) vs. Jessica Eye (10-1)
George Sotiropoulos (14-5) vs. KJ Noons (11-7)

Prelims on GRACIEMAG.com:
TJ Waldburger (16-7) vs. Adlan Amagov (12-2-1)
Tony Ferguson (13-3) vs. Mike Rio (9-2)
Charles Oliveira (16-4-1) vs. Jeremy Larsen (8-4)
Dustin Pague (11-8) vs. Kyoji Horiguchi (11-1)

Not only is he quick in the octagon, but UFC welterweight Erick Silva shows he’s quick behind the wheel.

Silva took some time out of his schedule to enjoy some time racing a red Ferrari around the track at Exotic Racing in Las Vegas, and his heart rate was beating with 500 horsepower.

“My heart was accelerating together with the car,” Silva said. “It was great, I enjoyed it a lot.”

But don’t expect Silva to become a professional race-car driver any time soon; he’s got business in the cage first. On Oct. 9, Silva fights Dong Hyun Kim in the co-main event at UFC Fight Night 29 in Sao Paolo. The fight is considered a pivotal welterweight match-up.

Check out the fight card below and enjoy the video above.

UFC Fight Night 29
Maia vs. Shields
Oct. 9, 2013
Jose Correa Gymnasium
Barueri, São Paulo, Brazil

Main Card:
Demian Maia (18-4) vs. Jake Shields (28-6-1, 1 NC)
Erick Silva (15-3, 1 NC) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (17-2-1, 1 NC)
Thiago Silva (15-3, 2 NC) vs. Matt Hamill (10-4)
Fabio Maldonado (19-6) vs. Joey Beltran (14-8, 1 NC)
Raphael Assunção (20-4) vs. TJ Dillashaw (8-1)
Rousimar Palhares (14-5) vs. Mike Pierce (17-5)

Prelims:
Hacran Dias (21-2-1) vs. Rodrigo Damm (11-6)
Ildemar Alcantara (19-5) vs. Igor Araujo (23-6)
Yan Cabral (10-0) vs. David Mitchell (12-3)

Prelims on GRACIEMAG.com:
Iliarde Santos (27-8-1, 1 NC)  vs. Chris Cariaso (14-5)
Alan Patrick (10-0) vs. Garett Whiteley (5-0)

Former Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez is living the dream. Owning a business, having a loving family, and fighting in the UFC’s arguably most competitive division brings a smile to the face of “El Niño.”

Check out this video of Melendez talking about his life as fighter in “Warrior Code,” and below see the fight card for UFC 166 where Melendez will fight Diego Sanchez.

UFC 166: Velasquez vs. dos Santos 3
Oct. 19, 2013
Toyota Center
Houston

Main Card:
Cain Velasquez (12-1) vs. Junior dos Santos (16-2)
Daniel Cormier (12-0) vs. Roy Nelson (19-8)
Gilbert Melendez (21-3) vs. Diego Sanchez (24-5)
Gabriel Gonzaga (15-7) vs. Shawn Jordan (15-4)
John Dodson (15-6) vs. Darrell Montague (13-2)

Prelims: 
Tim Boetsch (16-6) vs. CB Dolloway (13-4)
Nate Marquardt (32-12-2) vs. Hector Lombard (32-4-1)
Sarah Kaufman (15-2) vs. Jessica Eye (10-1)
George Sotiropoulos (14-5) vs. KJ Noons (11-7)

Prelims on GRACIEMAG.com:
TJ Waldburger (16-7) vs. Adlan Amagov (12-2-1)
Tony Ferguson (13-3) vs. Mike Rio (9-2)
Charles Oliveira (16-4-1) vs. Jeremy Larsen (8-4)
Dustin Pague (11-8) vs. Kyoji Horiguchi (11-1)

Alistair Overeem is no less than confident he’ll get a title shot after UFC 156 on Saturday. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

UFC 167 just got a lot heavier.

Alistair Overeem and Frank Mir will meet in a heavyweight bout in the Nov. 16 pay-per-view at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena.

UFC officials confirmed the fight with the Las Vegas Review Journal.

Overeem (36-13-1) came to the UFC on an enormous wave of hype, having earned championship belts in Strikeforce, DREAM and K-1 before ever stepping foot in the octagon. But his post-UFC debut performances have been dismal, first getting knocked out by underdog Antonio Silva then again knocked out by Travis Browne.

Mir (16-8) is the loser of three consecutive fights for the first time in his career. His most recent loss came at the hands of Josh Barnett at UFC 164, a loss in which Mir protested the TKO stoppage because he felt it was early.

Earlier this week, Chael Sonnen and Rashad Evans also agreed to meet in a light heavyweight bout on the UFC 167 card. The the PPV is headlined by a welterweight title fight between champion Georges St-Pierre and challenger Johny Hendricks.

UFC 167
St-Pierre vs. Hendricks
UFC 20th Anniversary
November 16, 2013
MGM Grand Garden Arena
Las Vegas, Nevada

Main Card:
Georges St-Pierre (24-2) vs. Johny Hendricks (15-1)
Rashad Evans (18-3-1) vs. Chael Sonnen (28-13-1)
Alistair Overeem (36-13-1) vs. Frank Mir (16-8)
Josh Koscheck (17-7) vs. Tyron Woodley (11-2)
Rory MacDonald (15-1) vs. Robbie Lawler (21-9, 1 NC)

For UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson, his upcoming title defense at UFC 164 against old rival Anthony Pettis is like any other fight.

From the outside looking in, it’s a bigger deal than he makes it out to be because his last loss in mixed martial arts came at the hands of Pettis, but the champ said he moved on. He can’t get the loss back, but getting another chance to scrap with Pettis is something “Bendo” is very much looking forward to.

“It will be nice to just go out with him again, get my hands on him, that’s for sure,” Henderson said on a recent media conference call.

The difference between this upcoming fight and their fist meeting at WEC 52 in December 2010, Henderson said, is the circumstances. For example, their first fight was on a cable network, Versus, and this time it will be on pay-per-view.

Regardless of how the things have played out, though, Henderson said the circumstances won’t matter come fight night.

“You’re going to have a different circumstance every time you fight,” he said. “You have to treat every fight like it’s the most important thing there is because that’s really what they are. It doesn’t matter what the circumstances are. It’s the most important thing … of your career so far. So that’s how I’m viewing this fight.”

Check out the full UFC 164 fight card below.

UFC 164
Henderson vs. Pettis
Date: August 31, 2013
Venue: HMO Harris Bradley Center
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Main Card:
Benson Henderson (19-2) vs. Anthony Pettis (16-2)
Frank Mir (16-7) vs. Josh Barnett (32-6)
Chad Mendes (14-1) vs. Clay Guida (30-13)
Ben Rothwell (32-9) vs. Brandon Vera (12-6-1)
Erik Koch (13-2) vs. Dustin Poirier (13-3)

Prelims: 
Jamie Varner (21-7-1) vs. Gleison Tibau (27-9)
Louis Gaudinot (6-2) vs. Tim Elliott (9-3-1)
Pascal Krauss (11-1) vs. Hyun Gyu Lim (11-3-1)
Chico Camus (12-4) vs. Kyung Ho Kang (11-6)

Prelims on Facebook:
Soa Palelei (18-3) vs. Nikita Krylov (14-0)
Ryan Couture (6-2) vs. Al Iaquinta (5-2-1)
Jared Hamman (13-5) vs. Magnus Cedenblad (10-4)

On Aug. 28, Carlos Condit and Martin Kampmann will fight each other in a rematch of their 2009 fight in the Octagon. It was a razor-close decision that went Kampmann’s way and disappointed the UFC-debuting Condit. Luckily, you can watch the first fight here on GRACIEMAG.com to warm you up for their UFC Fight Night 27 main event.

Check out the video above and full fight card below.

UFC Fight Night 27
Condit vs. Kampmann 2
August 28, 2013
Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, Indiana

Main Bouts:
Carlos Condit (28-7) vs. Martin Kampmann (20-6)
Donald Cerrone (20-5) vs. Rafael dos Anjos (19-6)
Kelvin Gastulem (6-0) vs. Brian Melancon (7-2)
Court McGee (14-3) vs. Robert Whittaker (11-2)
Brad Tavares (10-1) vs. Bubba McDaniel (21-6)

Prelims:
Takeya Mizugaki (17-7-2) vs. Erik Perez (13-4)
Dylan Andrews (17-5, 1NC) vs. Papy Abedi (9-2)
Justin Edwards (8-2) vs. Brandon Thatch (9-1)
Darren Elkins (16-3) vs. Hatsu Hioki (26-6-2)

Prelims on Facebook:
James Head (9-3) vs. Jason High (16-4)
Zak Cummings (15-3) vs. Ben Alloway (12-4)
Roger Bowling (11-4) vs. Abel Trujillo (10-5)

Back at UFC 132, Jiu-Jitsu black belt Rafael dos Anjos showed everyone that the ground game isn’t the only thing he’s good at. George Sotiropoulos contested the Brazilian for less than a minute before dos Anjos landed a massive right hand that sent the Aussie down the ground.

The win is something dos Anjos hopes to repeat on Aug. 26 against Donald Cerrone, when the two battle at UFC Fight Night 27. Watch the video above of the stellar knockout and check out the full Fight Night card below.

UFC Fight Night 27
Condit vs. Kampmann 2
August 28, 2013
Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, Indiana

Main Bouts:
Carlos Condit (28-7) vs. Martin Kampmann (20-6)
Donald Cerrone (20-5) vs. Rafael dos Anjos (19-6)
Kelvin Gastulem (6-0) vs. Brian Melancon (7-2)
Court McGee (14-3) vs. Robert Whittaker (11-2)
Brad Tavares (10-1) vs. Bubba McDaniel (21-6)

Prelims:
Takeya Mizugaki (17-7-2) vs. Erik Perez (13-4)
Dylan Andrews (17-5, 1NC) vs. Papy Abedi (9-2)
Justin Edwards (8-2) vs. Brandon Thatch (9-1)
Darren Elkins (16-3) vs. Hatsu Hioki (26-6-2)

Prelims on Facebook:
James Head (9-3) vs. Jason High (16-4)
Zak Cummings (15-3) vs. Ben Alloway (12-4)
Roger Bowling (11-4) vs. Abel Trujillo (10-5)

Despite the unanimous-decision win, Conor McGregor (pictured) feels like he lost at UFC Fight Night 26. Photo via Getty Images.

Conor McGregor went into his UFC fight in Boston with a finish on his mind. Settling for a decision was not in the cards for the Irish mixed martial artist.

To his disappointment, McGregor secured his Fight Night 26 win by unanimous decision. A win is a win, of course, but when other fighters are collecting bonus money, it angers the fast-rising featherweight.

“I’m sitting here listening to this guy got ‘of the Night,’ this other guy got ‘of the Night,’ this guys got ‘of the Night’ – I want that,” McGregor said at the post-fight news conference. “I don’t come here for decisions. We are rewarded for finishes and that’s what I’m looking for.”

The reaction from the 25-year-old Irishman is exactly what UFC President Dana White likes to hear. The executive explained that the attitude McGregor carried following the unanimous-decision win on Saturday tells a story of what fans should anticipate from the fighter in the near future.

Rage stemming from not finishing a fight should show that there are big things over the horizon for McGregor, according to the UFC boss.

“I love that he’s that kind of a fighter,” White told reporters following the news conference. “That just shows you more and more the promise that this kid has. I love that attitude.”

White may love his fighter’s demeanor, but McGregor is treating the fight like Max Holloway got the best of him on Saturday. Had it not been for an injury, McGregor said, “Notorious” might have gotten the win the way he wanted it.

If there was a way to rip off body parts and use them as weapons in the Octagon, McGregor said it would have worked to his benefit. Beating up Holloway with a limb sounded like a good idea.

“I don’t give a sh-t. It feels like a loss to me, to be honest,” McGregor said. “I wanted the finish in that one. I felt the finish was there for me, and I injured my knee midway through the second [round], and I just can’t get it out of my head. Looking back I should have just pulled my knee from my leg and hit him with it.”

Either way, Ireland’s most famous mixed martial artist is in the good graces of his boss, White. As long as he keeps the same approach for all his fights going forward, he’ll have the backing of the UFC President from now until the end of his stretch as a fighter.

“Why am I promoting this kid? Why am I getting behind him? Because I love what he’s about,” White said.

UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre is gearing up to face Johny Hendricks, and he’s doing so under the wing of Professor Renzo Gracie.

Renzo posted this picture on his Twitter page earlier today, and it seems camp for UFC 167 is off to a good start.

Do you think GSP extends his win streak in November or does Hendricks have what it takes to dethrone the champion? Let us know in the comment section below.

UFC 167
St-Pierre vs. Hendricks
UFC 20th Anniversary
November 16, 2013
MGM Grand Garden Arena
Las Vegas, Nevada

Main Card:
Georges St-Pierre (24-2) vs. Johny Hendricks (15-1)

Other Bouts:
To be determined