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UFC on ESPN 41 Medical Suspensions: Cruz Facing Potential 180-Day Term

Dominick Cruz could be sidelined for up to six months following his knockout loss Marlon Vera in the UFC on ESPN 41 main event.

Cruz is facing a 180-day term unless he is cleared by an ear, nose and throat doctor for a potential nose injury. The former UFC bantamweight champion’s nose was clearly damaged from the head kick that ended his night at the 2:17 mark of Round 4. At a minimum he is suspended for 45 days with 30 days of no contact. The California State Athletic Commission recently released a full list of medical suspensions from the event, which took place at Pechanga Arena in San Diego.

Everyone on the card received at least a seven-day mandatory medical suspension. Meanwhile, four other fighters are facing potential 180-day sits pending doctor clearance: Devin Clark (left hand, right foot), Lupita Godinez (chest), Gabriel Benitez (left hand, left ankle, left elbow) and Charlie Ontiveros (right toe).

UFC on ESPN 41 Medical Suspensions:

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Ex-AKA Jiu-Jitsu Coach: Rockhold Will Beat Costa If He Sticks to a Game Plan

For many years, Leandro Vieira was responsible for sharpening the ground skills of American Kickboxing Academy fighters.

For the last two years, however, the brother of legendary Leonardo Vieira did not renew his contract with AKA and instead decided to focus 100% on his jiu-jitsu classes.

"The way everything finished with AKA, even still having many friends out there, I decided to not work with MMA [fighters] anymore,” the black belt said.

Vieira changed his mind upon receiving an invitation from UFC bantamweight contender Marlon Vera.

"Actually we knew each other on ‘TUF: Latin America,’ where I was the BJJ coach for [Cain] Velasquez and he was from the [Fabricio] Werdum team,” Vieira said. “Two years ago we met again at RVCA and I showed him some tips on knee control, and he got mad and invited me to train with him. Since his fight with [Sean] O´Malley, we have been working together. I had no doubt he was going surprise O’Malley, just like…

Huseyn Aliyev Snatches Featherweight Crown at Fury FC 67

Huseyn Aliyev got a second chance at the Fury FC featherweight belt, and he made it count.

Aliyev defeated Andres Quintana in an interim title bout in February but missed weight, rendering him ineligible to win the belt. Nonetheless, the “Azeri Warrior” showed enough in that performance to earn a shot at lineal titleholder Nate Richardson, and their five-round duel at Fury FC 67 on Sunday was as hard-fought and evenly matched as any in the promotion’s history. The early rounds were characterized by the contrast between Richardson’s sharp jab and chopping low kicks, and Aliyev’s crushing pressure against the cage. Aliyev made numerous takedown attempts using a variety of judo trips and throws, but never succeeded in bringing the fight to the ground for any appreciable length of time. With the exception of Round 4, when Aliyev dropped Richardson with a pair of right hooks, every round of the fight was a battle in itself that could have been scored for …

Dominick Reyes Returns to Face Ryan Spann at UFC 281 in New York

Former light heavyweight title challenger Dominick Reyes will return to action for the first time in more than a year when he meets Ryan Spann at UFC 281.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the booking. UFC 281 takes place on Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York and features a middleweight title fight pitting Israel Adesanya against Alex Pereira.

Reyes began his professional career with 12 consecutive triumphs — a run that included six wins in the UFC. He lost a narrow decision to Jon Jones in a light heavyweight title bout at UFC 247 and has since suffered KO/TKO losses to former champ Jan Blachowicz and current 205-pound king Jiri Prochazka. His most recent appearance, a second-round KO loss to Prochazka at UFC on ESPN 23, occurred on May 1, 2021.

A former competitor on Dana White’s Contender Series, Spann has been victorious in six of his eight Octagon appearances. Most recently, “Superman” submitted Ion Cutelaba in the opening sta…

Angela Lee-Jingnan Xiong Trilogy Tops One on Prime Video 2 Lineup

A third meeting between Angela Lee and Jingnan Xiong will serve as the main event for One Championship’s second event on Amazon Prime Video.

The Singapore-based promotion confirmed the pairing on Monday following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. One on Prime Video 2 takes place on Sept. 30 at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. The evening’s main card will stream live in the United States on Prime Video at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Xiong’s strawweight (125-pound) belt will be on the line in the trilogy bout.

Lee and Xiong initially squared off at One Championship “A New Era,” with Xiong retaining her belt with a fifth-round technical knockout victory in March 2019. Xiong dropped to atomweight (115 pounds) for the rematch in an attempt to become a two-division champion, but Lee retained her crown with a fifth-round submission at One Championship “Century Part 1” in October 2019.

Lee returned following more than a two-year layof…

11-Time UFC Veteran Shane Burgos Signs with PFL

Professional Fighters League made Shane Burgos an offer he couldn’t refuse.

The 11-time UFC veteran announced Monday on "The MMA Hour” that he has parted ways with the Las Vegas-based promotion to sign a contract with the PFL. Burgos completed his deal with a majority decision triumph over Charles Jourdain at UFC on ABC 3 on July 16.

“That was the last fight of my deal,” Burgos said. “I said after the fight that I wanted to test free agency, test the waters. I know what I am worth, I wanted to see what everyone else thought I was worth. So I went out there, I tested the free agency market and I’m excited to announce that I’m signing with the PFL.

“It was not an easy decision. It was an offer I couldn’t turn it [down]. I’ve got two daughters, I’ve got to go back home, I’ve got to look at them in the face when it’s all said and done in this sport. With this deal I feel like that will secure that.”

Burgos said that the PFL contract is not…

Contender Series Weigh-in Results: All 10 Competitors Cleared for Action

The fourth week of Dana White’s Contender Series is now official, as all 10 athletes slated for combat hit their contracted marks on the scale without issue on Monday.

The Contender Series takes place on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and airs on ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The evening’s featured bout is a lightweight clash pitting Thomas Paull (155.5) against Esteban Ribovics (155).

Paull has won three straight contests, all by knockout or technical knockout. The 27-year-old Englishman known as “Juggernaut” owns an 11-3 career mark and has finished all of his victories inside the distance.

Anchored at Nova Uniao Argentina, Ribovics will bring a perfect 10-0 mark to the Contender Series. The 27-year-old has finished all of his wins by knockout, technical knockout or submission, capturing the Fusion Fighting Championship title along the way.

Contender Series Weigh-in Results:Thomas Paull (155.5) vs. Esteban Ribovics (155)Claudio Ribeiro (181.5) vs. Iva…

Marlon Vera Says Patience Key in Win Over Dominick Cruz: ‘I Never Chase the Finish’

Marlon Vera and his team had a pretty good idea that he could finish Dominick Cruz in emphatic fashion.

In fact, Vera’s coach, Jason Parillo, sent the fighter an image early in the week foreshadowing the head kick knockout that would end Cruz’s night in the UFC on ESPN 41 headliner at Pechanga Arena in San Diego on Saturday night.

“Like six days ago, my coach sent a picture,” Vera said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “It was literally [Pedro] Munhoz kicking his body [in their fight at UFC 269], and his head was dipping all the way down. He didn’t text anything, just sent me the picture. I picked it up like he’s giving me a message. And in the third round he told me, ‘Punch in the air, have him dip, and throw a f—ing haymaker.’ And I was like, ‘Thank you, coach.’”

When his opponent dipped his head, Vera landed a vicious head kick that sent Cruz face first to the canvas, and a few follow-up shots sealed the victory at the 2:17 mark of …

B.J. Penn Comes Up Short in Bid to Become Hawaiian Governor

B.J. Penn won’t be holding political office in Hawaii.

The UFC Hall of Famer lost the Republican primary by a wide margin on Saturday, garnering just 22.2 percent of the vote. Two-time Republican Lieutenant Governor Duke Aiona won by receiving 47.5 percent of the vote and will go against Democratic representative Josh Green in the general election on Nov. 8.

Penn announced his intention to run for governor this past October with a campaign that focused heavily on lifting COVID-19-related restrictions in Hawaii.

“I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life but I would never run from a fight or sell out my people,” Penn wrote last October. “As soon as I step into Hawaii’s Governor office I will remove All new federal and state mandates that have been hurting our economy, residents, and ‘ohana. We will get the best doctors, medicines, therapies, and health care the world has to offer to fight this pandemic and always keep Hawaii among the safest and …

Amanda Nunes Batters Julianna Pena, Regains Title at UFC 277

Amanda Nunes is once again the Ultimate Fighting Championship women's bantamweight champion after dispatching Julianna Pena in the main event of UFC 277.

Showing no fear, Pena (11-5) came out looking to strike against "Lioness." However, it was Nunes (22-5) fighting out of southpaw that was finding success early as she was able to land right hooks when "The Venezuelan Vixen" rushed in. Early in Round 2, Nunes would floor Pena with a right hand and do the same shortly afterward after the champion rushed in. A huge left hand would once again put down Pena to cement a dominant second frame. Pena would find some success early in the first round, but the champion was taken down and bloodied by punches and elbows.

NUNES STUNS AND DROPS PEÑA IN THE SECOND ROUND 😳

STREAM #UFC277 NOW ON @ESPNPLUS ▶️ https://t.co/0GQpkhwBKG pic.twitter.com/yqlLhPaLrD

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 31, 2022 Going into the championship rounds, P…

UFC 277 ‘Pena vs. Nunes 2’ Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

Sherdog's live UFC 277 “Pena vs. Nunes 2” coverage will begin Saturday at 6 p.m. ET.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below.

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Cosce (-175), Mathetha (+150)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Mike Sloan scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Mike Sloan scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Mike Sloan scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Potieria (-130), Negumereanu (+110)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Mike Sloan scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Mike Sloan scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Mike Sloan scores t…

UFC 277 Prelim Results: Alex Morono Closes Matthew Semelsberger’s Eye

HIS EYE 😱 #UFC277 pic.twitter.com/9pUwEFtzDp

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 31, 2022

UFC 277's prelims was topped by an entertaining featured welterweight bout between Alex Morono and Matthew Semelsberger.

Morono (22-7, 1 NC) was able to find success on the feet early on, being able to land left hooks that stunned "Semi The Jedi," who ended the round with a swollen eye. Semelsberger (10-4) wasn't deterred by his eye closing as he continued to come forward and ended Round 2 with a takedown and some solid ground-and-pound. Shockingly, Semelsberger would floor Morono with a jumping knee to start Round 3. Morono would recover and safely finished the round without any other significant scares.

After 15 minutes of action, Morono took a well-deserved unanimous decision win with scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27.

Dober Liver Shots Alves Drew Dober and Rafael Alves put on a show in an action-heavy fight.

Dober (25-11, 1 NC) …

Rizin 37 Weigh-in Results: Women’s Atomweight Grand Prix Quarterfinals Set

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5IvBcEYBlI&w=560&h=315] With the formalities out of the way, the 2022 Rizin Fighting Federation atomweight grand prix is ready to begin!

Rizin returns to the iconic Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, for an exciting card on Sunday morning. The upcoming Rizin 37 card will feature the much-anticipated quarterfinal battles in the women’s 108-pound tourney. All eight women entering the tournament made weight ahead of their assignments, as well as the remaining combatants on the card.

The event is headlined by a clash between current Rizin super atomweight titleholder Seika Izawa, who will lock horns with Maria Laura Alves Fontoura. Izawa, who is also the current Deep Jewels 115-pound champion, shocked the mixed martial arts world when she stopped former divisional queen Ayaka Hamasaki with elbows and punches in their Rizin 33 non-title matchup. In the subsequent rematch at Rizin 35, Izawa dominated Hamasaki to…

UFC 277 Weigh-in Results: Title Fights Set; 2 Fighters Heavy

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLwOGLnUx1k&w=800&h=450] The Ultimate Fighting Championship's second pay-per-view of July is good to go, as all UFC 277 championship participants made weight.

The card is headlined by the highly anticipated rematch between UFC women's bantamweight champ Julianna Pena and UFC women's featherweight titleholder Amanda Nunes. Both women had no issue making weight, as "Lioness" weighed 135 pounds on the dot, while the defending champion waited to practically the last minute only to clock in at 134.5 pounds. Additionally, both Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara France hit the scales at exactly 124.5 pounds for their interim flyweight title tilt.

However, the undercard did feature two notable weight misses. Joselyne Edwards came in 1.5 pounds overweight for her bantamweight bout against Ji Yeon Kim. Additionally, Orion Cosce weighed 172.5 pounds for his scheduled welterweight match against Mike Mathetha. Both fighters have …

Undefeated Hyder Amil Stops Chase Gibson in Legacy Fighting Alliance 137 Headliner

HYDER AMIL WITH THE COMEBACK WIN!!!!#LFA137 pic.twitter.com/mIeuRVfTWe

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) July 30, 2022 Hyder Amil looks like a significant problem for the rest of the Legacy Fighting Alliance featherweight division, so long as another organization does not call his number sooner.

The undefeated Gilbert Melendez protégé cut down Chase Gibson with punches in the second round of their LFA 137 headliner on Friday at the Commerce Casino in Commerce, California. Amil (7-0, 3-0 LFA) brought it to a close 11 seconds into Round 2, delivering his second finish in three outings with the Ed Soares-led promotion.

A back-and-forth first round was marked by wild swings in momentum. Amil twice tripped his opponent to the mat after pinning kicks to his body. However, Gibson made the more convincing argument, as he executed a takedown, progressed to the back, secured position with a body triangle and later threatened with …

Edson Barboza-Ilia Topuria Featherweight Battle Booked for UFC’s Oct. 29 Event

A scary-fun Ultimate Fighting Championship scrap is on the books for the event on Halloween weekend.

On Friday, Eurosport Spain broke the news that Edson Barboza (22-11) will be throwing down with Ilia Topuria (12-0) at 145 pounds on Oct. 29. The event, which does not yet have a title or official venue, will be a Fight Night offering that could air either on ESPN+ or one of the main networks, depending on scheduling. This potential featherweight thriller has since been confirmed by multiple outlets. This bout is the first to be officially listed on the Oct. 29 show’s lineup, and it is not expected to serve as the headliner.

Barboza will be looking to right the ship after a pair of defeats to Giga Chikadze and Bryce Mitchell in 2021 and 2022, respectively. The dangerous Brazilian striker dropped down to featherweight in 2020, and dropped a contentious split decision to Dan Ige to start things off. A pair of victories over Makwan Amirkhani and Shane Burgos showed the m…

Patricio Freire Claims A.J. McKee Escaped Choke Due to ‘Oil He Used on His Hair’

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUCzZM8QMWc&w=560&h=315] Bellator MMA featherweight king Patricio Freire firmly believes he is the best featherweight on the planet, regardless of organization.

Three months after regaining his belt in a unanimous decision win over AJ McKee, Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Freire does not yet know who will be his next opponent. According to the champion, Adam Borics may vie for the strap before McKee moves forward into the rubber match. “Pitbull” claimed his title back from the man who wrested it from him in McKee in April, making him the first fighter in Bellator history to have four reigns as champion. Freire spoke to Sherdog about that second McKee fight as well as what he thinks will come in his future.

“What the organization told me is that to make a trilogy, it’s necessary to have some[thing] ‘spicy,’ and they are not sure if it’s occurring now,” the champ explained. “Once Borics defeated Burnell…

2022 Champ Bruno Cappelozza Out of PFL Heavyweight Semifinals, Matheus Scheffel In

BREAKING: @MatheusBuffa replaces Bruno Cappelozza in the #PFLPlayoffs! Scheffel faces Denis Goltsov in the Heavyweight Semifinals on Saturday, August 13th in Cardiff!

— PFL (@PFLMMA) July 28, 2022 The Professional Fighters League’s card in Wales has just experienced a number of shakeups to its lineup.

The PFL sent out a press release on Thursday announcing or confirming a slew of changes to the PFL 8: 2022 Playoffs. The Aug. 13 card that will take place in the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales, has lost one of its heavyweight semifinalists: 2022 champion Bruno Cappelozza (15-6). Due to injury, he has been forced out of the million-dollar playoffs, and in his stead will be the man who beat him in June in Matheus Scheffel (16-8). Due to playoff tiebreaker rules, Cappelozza advanced despite suffering a head-to-head defeat to Scheffel, but Scheffel will now be the one moving on. “Buffa” will square off with Denis Goltsov (29-7) on the main card …

2022 World MMA Award Nominees Announced

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3DFU4jMly4&w=560&h=315]

Nominees for the fan-selected World MMA Awards have been announced, and your favorite outlet—hopefully—is on the ballot for MMA Media Source of the Year.

Fighters Only Magazine, which has covered mixed martial arts since 2005 and launched its annual awards in 2008, on Wednesday announced the nominees in over 20 categories for the 14th edition of the World MMA Awards. The contest year covers July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. In addition to unveiling the nominees, Fighters Only announced its plan to return to a full in-person awards ceremony in Las Vegas, of the type that had long been a yearly tradition, but was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are back to a full-strength awards show this year, that will be our biggest to date,” Fighters Only CEO Rob Hewitt said in a press release. “Las Vegas will once again be home to the world’s best MMA fighters and celebrity fans who will al…

2022 World MMA Award Nominees Announced: Sherdog Up for Media Source of the Year

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3DFU4jMly4&w=560&h=315]

Nominees for the fan-selected World MMA Awards have been announced, and your favorite outlet—hopefully—is on the ballot for MMA Media Source of the Year.

Joseph Pyfer Punches UFC Ticket on Week 1 of Dana White’s Contender Series

Joseph Pyfer did everything he was supposed to do, and he was rewarded for it.

The former Ring of Combat titleholder nailed down an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract on Week 1 of Dana White’s Contender Series, as he wiped out Osman Diaz with punches in the second round of their featured middleweight pairing on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Diaz (7-2) bowed out 1:39 into Round 2, his five-fight winning streak at an end.

Pyfer (8-1) seized the reins early in the first round and never truly released them. He struck for a takedown inside 45 seconds, threatened with an arm-triangle choke, advanced to the back and secured his position with a body triangle. Diaz eventually reversed into top position but failed to capitalize on the opportunity. Pyfer rattled the reigning Legacy Fighting Alliance champion with a crisp one-two at the start of the middle stanza and reset himself for his next assault. He leveled Diaz with a beautiful left hook,…

Dana White’s Contender Series 2022 Week 1 Play-by-Play and Results

Sherdog's live DWCS 2022 Week 1 coverage will begin Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below.

ODDS: Costa (-265); Luna (+225)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:The Official Result ODDS: Buzukja (-190); Romero (+160)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:The Official Result The scheduled bout between Basharat and Souza was canc…

Manon Fiorot vs. Katlyn Chookagian Moved to UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi

Someone close to the situation confirmed to me that the clash between Manon Fiorot and Katlyn Chookagian scheduled for #UFCParis has been moved to the #UFC280 card on Oct. 22. Story coming to @sherdogdotcom.

First reported by @RMCsport pic.twitter.com/R3M7Jcd8Qj

— Tudor Leonte (@MrTudorLeonte) July 26, 2022

Fans attending the upcoming UFC Fight Night 209 at Accor Arena in Paris, France, won’t see Manon Fiorot competing on the card. French media outlet RMC Sport reported that the fighter wouldn’t be taking on Katlyn Chookagian as initially scheduled after Fiorot injured her knee. Instead, their 125-pound clash has been moved to UFC 280, which will go down in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 22. Sherdog confirmed the news through a source close to the situation.

Fiorot, a former UAE Warriors titleholder (9-1, 4-0 UFC), is currently pursuing a run at Valentina Shevchenko’s flyweight crown. “The Beast” is riding an impressive nine-…

DWCS 2022, Week 1 Weigh-in Results: Willian Souza 10 Pounds Over Limit

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcpGr6GgwUA&w=560&h=315] Someone should have told Willian Souza Guadalupe that his fight was scheduled at bantamweight, not featherweight.

Four fights remain on the first jaunt of Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022. The event, titled DWCS 2022: Week 1, held its weigh-ins on Monday with one surprising result. While nine fighters hit their proper marks, and a light heavyweight came in at 201 pounds, Souza tipped the scales at 146 pounds for his bantamweight bout with Farid Basharat (136). The official 10-pound weight miss stands as the highest in the short history of DWCS, surpassing Victor Reyna's seven-pound blunder during the 2019 season. As a result, the Nevada Athletic Commission has scratched that fight from the event’s lineup.

The featured bout of the evening will still remain as a middleweight clash between Osman Diaz (7-1) and Joseph Pyfer (8-2). Weighing 186 pounds, Diaz comes into this main event pairing on a five-…

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