MMA

Natalia Diachkova's four knockouts make her a threat unlike any Stella Hemetsberger has faced

Published

3 months ago

August 11, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

Natalia Diachkova's four knockouts make her a threat unlike any Stella Hemetsberger has faced

ONE Championship

A 31-year-old challenger with a habit of ending fights early gets a second crack at the title that got away from her once before.

Natalia Diachkova challenges two-sport World Champion Stella Hemetsberger for the ONE Women's Strawweight Muay Thai World Title in the main event of ONE Fight Night 46, streaming live in US primetime this Friday, August 14, from Bangkok's Lumpinee Stadium. The Russian opened her ONE Championship run with four consecutive wins on the weekly series to earn a six-figure contract in 2024, three of them by knockout.

Her first World Title opportunity did not go her way, but two statement victories since have put her back in line for another shot. Four of her six wins under the ONE banner have come by first-round knockout, a finishing rate that marks her as one of the division's most explosive strikers, most recently a stoppage of Fahsai Aor Yutthachai at ONE Friday Fights 152 this past May.

â€œFor a long time, I've been tortured by injustice. Maybe I imagined it myself, though, but I just couldn't explain some things to myself. Like, why do I train for so many years, and I failed psychologically in the title fight? Why is it always this way,â€ she said.

Natalia Diachkova brings early finishes to Lumpinee

Hemetsberger has built her championship run on five-round composure rather than single knockout moments, closing out both of her title-winning fights against Jackie Buntan over the full distance. Diachkova's game plan operates on the opposite clock entirely.

Whichever quality wins out on August 14, early knockout power against proven championship-rounds composure, will decide who leaves Lumpinee Stadium still holding two-sport gold.

â€œI realized that everything that happened to me was for a reason, and I guess I'm thankful for it. All the changes that ought to have happened to me happened, and now I'm exactly where I should be,â€ she said.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

MMA

16-0 Farid Basharat confirms UFC exit after seven straight wins

Published

10 hours ago

October 31, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

16-0 Farid Basharat confirms UFC exit after seven straight wins

Farid
Basharat has addressed his departure from the
Ultimate Fighting Championship in a statement on social
media.

Basharat (16-0) completed his contract with a victory over John Garza
in July and wasn't offered a new deal despite going unbeaten in the
promotion. In his statement, Basharat reflected on his UFC tenure
and questioned the organization's direction.

Farid Basharat says the UFC never offered a new contract after
his unbeaten seven-fight run

Basharat went 7-0 in the UFC after earning a contract on
Dana White's Contender Series, with six of those victories
coming by decision. He confirmed his departure on Instagram, saying
he competed under unfavorable circumstances and never declined a
fight.

â€œThe news is confirmed, I am no longer with the UFC,â€ Basharat
wrote on Instagram. â€œI've had an incredibly successful time in the
organization. I'm proud and happy with what I've accomplished
inside the Octagon. I leave with a stainless record. Holding the
longest active win streak in my weight division and the fourth
longest in the entire UFC. I feel I'm the best bantamweight in the
world. I always turned up and fought regardless of injuries and
weight deficits. And I always asked for the toughest opponent to
get me closer to the title.â€

While grateful for his time with the promotion and its staff,
Basharat questioned the UFC's direction and said he had not
received a contract offer since his last bout.

â€œBut my departure clearly has nothing to do with my fighting
capabilities,â€ Basharat added. â€œUnfortunately, the organization
just isn't what it used to be. They're heading in a different
direction from what we all grew up loving. I want to clarify that
since my last fight, I was never offered a contract or an opponent;
I waited, but it never came. I've certainly never declined a fight
during my whole tenure.â€

MMA

Canelo vs. Mbilli video: Bek Nurmaganbet knocks out Marcos Vazquez in violent fashion

Published

12 hours ago

October 31, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

Canelo vs. Mbilli video: Bek Nurmaganbet knocks out Marcos Vazquez in violent fashion

Bek Nurmaganbet Bek Nurmaganbet certainly packs a punch.

Nurmaganbet knocked out Marcos Vazquez with a devasting combo at the 2:57 mark of the first round on the Canelo vs. Mbilli undercard at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday afternoon.

For Nurmaganbet, it was another impressive showing. He also knocked down Vazquez earlier in the first round before the impressive finishing sequence.

With the win, Nurmaganbet improves to 16-0 with the 14th knockout of his career. He has knocked out his past 12 opponents.

Vazquez drops to 21-4-1 with the defeat. He has lost four of his past five fights.