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Last week, reports surfaced that the UFC was looking to book a rematch between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson at the promotion’s year-end card.

Now it appears that the Las Vegas-based organization wants to have Jones and Gustafsson vie for the vacant light heavyweight crown at UFC 232 on Dec. 29. According to current 205-pound king Daniel Cormier, things are “tense” between him and the UFC because the promotion wants him to relinquish the belt. Cormier revealed the situation during an appearance on "Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show” on Monday.

“Everybody knows how I feel about Jon Jones,” Cormier said. “It’s been tense, to say the least, with my interaction with the company if indeed they offer a title fight to him. I have to maintain a sense of professionalism.”

Cormier lost to Jones in a title bout at UFC 214 but was reinstated as light heavyweight champion when “Bones” failed a drug test. Although he was facing as much as a four-year suspension as a repeat o…

Last month, Fabricio Werdum was given a two-year suspension by USADA after testing positive for the anabolic steroid tenbolone and its metabolite epitrenbolone in an out-of-competition screening conducted in April.

“Vai Cavalo” won’t be able to return to action until May 2020, when he is 43 years old. The former heavyweight champion recently told Combate that USADA presented an option during a meeting that could have resulted in a reduced suspension.

“What surprised me the most was at the end of the interview, it was something that I found absurd,” Werdum said (translation via MMAjunkie.com). “They said, ‘Werdum, here’s the thing: If you tell on someone …’ It was what you could call ‘delacao premiada’ [plea bargain]. ‘Werdum, if you tell on someone’ – using the slang, if you’re a snitch – ‘we’ll shorten your suspension. Because you’re going to have to pay something. Even if we find the substance in any of the products we test, even if we find it, you’ll have to p…

Credit: Mike Fridley/Sherdog.com Credit: Mike Fridley/Sherdog.com Credit: Mike Fridley/Sherdog.com Credit: Mike Fridley/Sherdog.com

Sean O’Malley will not be competing at UFC 229 after failing a drug test, the fighter announced Sunday.

In the past, the UFC or USADA would have announced O’Malley’s anti-doping violation, but a recent change in policy means that failed drug tests won’t be revealed until the case is resolved. That revision came about because approximately one third of adjudicated cases were eventually found to be a result of non-intentional use of a banned substance.

O’Malley’s full statement is as follows:

Hey guys, Sugar Show here…I want to be the first to let you know about what’s going on. As many of you may have seen, the UFC announced this weekend that they are no longer announcing potential violations of the USADA program, because of the high number of unintentional use cases under the program, and are instead waiting until the end.

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Gegard Mousasi expected to emerge from Bellator Bellator 206 with his hand raised. But he also expected a little bit more resistance from Rory McDonald.

“The Dreamcatcher” dictated the action with his jab throughout before finishing the fight with elbows and punches from full mount 3:23 into round two. Not only was Mousasi dominant, but MacDonald never got untracked before the finish.

“I knew I was faster,” Mousasi said at the post-fight press conference. “The game plan was to throw straight punches, no hooks, and hurt him and make him come and maybe put pressure on him to shoot and take over. Actually, the fight went pretty much the way we planned.

“It surprised me he didn’t do much. He didn’t punch that much. I was the more active fighter. He was the lighter fighter, I thought he would do more.”

Mousasi has now won eight consecutive bouts, establishing himself as one of the top middleweights in the world. That run includes triumphs over MaDonald, Ra…

Cro Cop vs Roque Martinez #RIZIN13 pic.twitter.com/9Adyq2mBqp

— ZombieProphet (@GIFsZP) September 30, 2018

Kyoji Horiguchi came up short in his kickboxing debut on Sunday, as the former UFC flyweight title challenger lost on points to 20-year-old striking phenom Tenshin Nasukawa in the main event of Rizin 13 in Saitama, Japan.

Horiguchi, 27, held his own against fellow Rizin poster boy Nasukawa for the majority of the three-round, 128-pound contest. Through six minutes, the most significant strikes landed were two accidental low blows committed by Nasukawa, the second of which left Horiguchi on the ground in agony.

Nasukawa’s best moment came in the final frame, when he put Horiguchi on wobbly legs with a spinning heel kick. Horiguchi slowed the assault by instinctively double-legging Nasukawa to the canvas, but the American Top Team product appeared unable to fully clear the cobwebs. The judges sided unanimously with Nasukawa (30-28, …

Reigning Bellator MMA middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi utterly dominated Rory MacDonald in the superfight main event of Bellator 206 on Saturday at the SAP Center in San Jose, California.

MacDonald, the current promotional welterweight titlist, could not get past the Dutchman’s reach and never found any rhythm to his offense. “The Dreamcatcher” peppered the Canadian with stiff jabs and leg kicks, but when MacDonald (20-5) missed a rolling leg lock attempt in the second round, he was doomed. Mousasi (45-6-2) wound up on top, moved to full mount and unloaded a thunderstorm of elbows. “The Red King” could not defend himself, and after about a dozen or so elbows connected, referee Herb Dean had to halt the mugging.

The end came at 3:23 of the second, allowing Mousasi to retain his title.

Quinton Jackson evened the score with archnemesis Wanderlei Silva (35-14-1), as he stopped his rival in the co-main event.

Fighting at heavyweight and well past their primes…

Sherdog's live Bellator 206 coverage begins Saturday at approximately 7 p.m. ET.

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

Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Offic…

The Welsh revolution is taking Cage Warriors by storm.

In the main event of Cage Warriors 97, Welshman Jack Shore won easily in a risky fight against Weslley Maia at Ice Arena Wales in Cardiff, Wales, on Saturday. Maia, a native of Brazil, flew to Cardiff on short notice after Shore’s originally scheduled opponent, Omer Cankardesler, was removed from the card due to a failed medical examination. The bout was contested at featherweight in instead of bantamweight, Shore’s normal weight clash.

This is not the first time Shore had an opponent changed at the very last minute. This evening, as usual, the Welsh prospect maintained his calm and earned a technical knockout victory with a barrage of elbows and punches from mount at the 2:51 mark of round one. Now, Shore, whose record improved to 9-0 , wants the vacant Cage Warriors bantamweight title.

Jack Shore was on FIRE

He wastes no time #CW97

First round TKO pic.twitter.com/6D2EF29…

Andres Quintana made his intentions known loud and clear: He plans to win the Copa Combate featherweight tournament on Dec. 7.

The Luttrell-Yee MMA standout punched his ticket to the eight-man competition, as he submitted Erick Gonzalez with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their qualifying bout at Combate Americas “Road to Copa Combate” on Friday at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California. Gonzalez (7-3) bowed out 2:41 into Round 1.

Quintana (15-2) -- who will represent the United States in the Copa Combate -- countered the Fight Science rep at every turn, executed a body-lock takedown and moved to an advantageous position. From there, he snaked his arms around Gonzalez’s neck, tightened his squeeze and waited for the tapout.

Alejandro Flores also advanced to the eight-man Copa Combate featherweight tournament with a unanimous decision over Pablo Sabori in their one-round qualifying bout. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 10-9 for Flores …

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UFC 229 is now available on Amazon Prime.

Sherdog contributors writers Ant Walker and Jason Burgos want to talk things over and answer your questions during a live video chat series titled “The Trenches,” airing Friday at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. They also want your thoughts on a poll, with today's question asking who will win at Bellator 206: Gegard Mousasi or Rory MacDonald?

Walker holds over 15 years of martial arts experience, training in multiple styles and has also coached amateur mixed martial arts fighters. A former Sherdog Radio Network personality and current contributor to Sherdog.com, this self-described “gym rat” seeks to impart his knowledge and discuss all things MMA with his fellow community members. Ant will be in Las Vegas next week for all of the UFC 229 festivities with fellow Sherdog contributor Mike Sloan.

A journalist and podcaster by trade, Burgos has hosted multiple diffe…

#LFA51 gets a new main event as Jaimee Nievera withdraws from her title fight against champion @SabinaMazo.

New Main Event!

4x #UFC Vet@TheRenegade559vs.Top Brazilian Prospect#GustavoErak#Bantamweight Showdown

Friday, Sept. 28

TICKETS: https://t.co/adTN0xikoq pic.twitter.com/loVi98uZF8

— LFA (@LFAfighting) September 27, 2018

Legacy Fighting Alliance flyweight champion Sabina Mazo has been pulled her main event bout at LFA 51 this weekend after her opponent Jaimee Nievera announced she was injured on Thursday.

Mazo (5-0) was initially set to defend her flyweight title against Nievera (7-4) on Friday night, but an undisclosed injury forced the challenger out of the fight. The undefeated champion praised LFA for working tirelessly for a replacement opponent, but they were unable to do so in such a short amount of time:

My opponent unfortunately got injured in fight week. @lfafighting did an …

lm gonna put up a million cash of my own money up for the Winner of the Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix. #Dazn #Bellator #lecheminduroi pic.twitter.com/Xzkn5sYOzM

— 50cent (@50cent) September 27, 2018

Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Bellator MMA have signed a deal that will see the rapper pay out $1 million to the welterweight Grand Prix winner as well as licensing and promotional deals with the rapper’s champagne brand and apparel company, the promotion announced on Thursday via press release.

“I am excited to partner with the Bellator Viacom franchise,” said Jackson. “Mixed martial arts yields some of the most action-packed events in the world. I’m excited for people to see how I plan to shake up MMA with the integration of my 'Get The Strap' trademark as well as my luxury champagne Le Chemin du Roi.”

Jackson and Bellator President Scott Coker were spotted on social media dining together recently, causing widespread speculation…

HBO says it’s no longer in the boxing business after 45 years of promoting some of the biggest fights in the sport’s history, the network announced on Thursday.

Having put on over 1,000 fights, beginning with George Foreman’s knockout of Joe Frazier in 1973, the network will discontinue its boxing promotion at the end of 2018. HBO has one final boxing broadcast scheduled for Oct. 27 at Madison Square Garden, which will feature a middleweight title fight.

In a statement sent to Sherdog, HBO detailed the difficult decision to sever ties with the Sweet Science:

“Boxing has been part of our heritage for decades. During that time, the sport has undergone a transformation. It is now widely available on a host of networks and streaming services. There is more boxing than ever being televised and distributed. In some cases, this programming is very good. But from an entertainment point of view, it's not unique.

Going forward in 2019, we will be pivoting away from pr…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWUbREy5ja0&w=560&h=315]

On Oct. 6, the Ultimate Fighting Championshipwill host what may be its biggest-ever fight, between UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and former champion Conor McGregor.

The tension between the pair is palpable. It escalated after Nurmagomedov physically confronted McGregor’s teammate and friend Artem Lobov in the hotel lobby in the lead-up to UFC 223 in April, which prompted the infamous retaliation by the Irishman when he attacked the bus the lightweight champion was on days later.

McGregor seemed worked up at last week’s UFC 229 press conference, the first time the pair came face-to-face.

According to coach Owen Roddy, however, McGregor doesn’t harbor any ill will towards his opponent and after the fight regardless of the outcome will shake his hand and show him the respect he deserves.

“I think maybe the situation just got out of hand or something like that,” Roddy said in…

Apparently Michael Chandler signed the contract.

According to multiple reports, Chandler will attempt to regain the lightweight championship he lost in a rematch with Brent Primus at a Bellator event on Dec. 10. Fansided initially reported the bout, and ESPN.com confirmed the date on Tuesday.

Bellator has not officially announced the bout, and a venue and location for the event have not been confirmed. Assuming the date holds up, the card will take place one day prior to Bellator’s Hawaiian debut, which is headlined by a women’s flyweight championship bout between Ilima-Lei Macfarlane and Brent Primus.

Primus claimed lightweight gold in surprising fashion at Bellator 180 in June 2017, when Chandler suffered a left ankle injury and was ruled unable to continue 2:22 into the opening stanza. The two fighters were booked for a rematch at Bellator 197 in April, but Primus had to withdraw due to a knee injury. Earlier this month, Primus delivered a message to Cha…

Bellator MMA continues to take steps to expand its reach further into Europe, as it announced Wednesday that it has hired former British Association of Mixed Martial Arts matchmaker Jude Samuel.

The move coincides with the California-based organization’s plans to launch a western Europe based fight series. Samuel will head Bellator’s “European fighter relations, talent development and matchmaking efforts,” according to a release.

Bellator has co-promoted several European cards with BAMMA in the past. Samuel will be based in London, where he has worked for more than 15 years. Prior to his work with BAMMA, Samuel owned European Fight Network Sports, a site that covered MMA and grappling in the U.K.

“Sometimes you have to follow what you are genuinely passionate about and let that guide you to your deserving destination,” Samuel said in a release. “Bellator is extremely passionate about the grass roots development of our beloved sport. My appointment as a U.K. and We…

I hear UFC is searching for a main event when they have one already. It's me vs Nate. 165 pound title. A main event for the people. Stop searching, Dana. We got this. Let's go.

— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) September 25, 2018

The Ultimate Fighting Championship still doesn’t have a main event announced for their New York event in November at UFC 230, but it isn’t for lack of vocal volunteers.

Rumors were circulating that former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones could potentially feature in that main event slot given that he is a New York native and had just been declared eligible to fight shortly before the event date. Jones was finally handed his sentence for testing positive for the anabolic steroid Turinabol from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). The suspension started from his retroactive date of July 28 of last year, which makes Jones eligible to fight again on Oct. 28, 2018. However, talk of Jones fighting at UFC 230 w…

A light heavyweight contest pitting Mauricio Rua against Tyson Pedro has been added to the UFC Fight Night 142 lineup.

Multiple outlets have confirmed the booking following an initial report from ESPN.com. UFC Fight Night 142 takes place at Adelaide Entertainment Center in Adelaide, Australia on Dec. 1 and will also include a heavyweight showdown between Junior dos Santos and Tai Tuivasa.

Rua had a three-fight winning streak snapped in a first-round knockout loss to Anthony Smith at UFC Fight Night 134 on July 22. Prior to that, “Shogun” had posted successive triumphs over Gian Villante, Corey Anderson and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. The former UFC light heavyweight champ is 9-9 during his promotional tenure and 25-11 as a pro.

After beginning his Octagon career with two straight wins, Pedro has dropped two of his last three. The 27-year-old Sydney native last appeared at UFC Fight Night 132, where he was submitted in the opening stanza by Ovince St. Preux.

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A post shared by Donald Cerrone (@cowboycerrone) on Sep 25, 2018 at 6:18am PDT

Based on image alone, Donald Cerrone’s status for his UFC Fight Night 139 showdown with Mike Perry could be in jeopardy.

But then again, Cerrone isn’t your average human being. “Cowboy” on Wednesday posted a photo to Instagram of a doctor visit with his left arm heavily wrapped. There were no details to go with the image, as Cerrone only captioned the photo with an emoji.

Cerrone is scheduled to face Perry in a welterweight bout at the Pepsi Center in Denver on Nov. 10. The bout took on more significance after Cerrone parted ways with Jackson-Wink MMA when his longtime camp elected to continue training Perry.

According to MMA journalist Damon Martin, Cerrone should still be good to go. The 35-year-old Colorado native has lost four of his last five appearances, including a decision defeat to Leon Edwards at UFC Fight Night 132 on Jun…

I heard your going to be ready early next year @Ruthless_RL I know a guy who will be ready then too...Let’s give the fans what they want! I’m bringing the heat back, and you know this fight will be FIRE! @ufc

— Stephen Thompson (@WonderboyMMA) September 24, 2018

Fans will have to wait to see the next title fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight division after the champ Tyron Woodley was forced to withdraw from his fight with Colby Covington due to a thumb injury he suffered in his win over Darren Till. However, there could be another high profile welterweight bout joining them in early 2019 between former champion and knockout artist Robbie Lawler and two-time title challenger Stephen Thompson.

Thompson recently reached out to the former champ on Twitter after hearing he would be ready to return to the Octagon again in early 2019 and asked if he’d be down for the fight.

“I heard your going to be ready early next yea…

Twelve-time UFC veteran Thiago Silva will step in for the injured Michal Adryszak and face James McSweeny at KSW 45.

The Polish promotion announced the new matchup on Monday. KSW 45 takes place at the SSE Arena in London on Oct. 6 and features a heavyweight title clash between Philip De Fries and Karol Bedorf as well as a welterweight title tilt pitting Dricus Du Plessis against Roberto Soldic.

The 35-year-old Silva last appeared at Absolute Championship Berkut 82 in March, when he dropped a split decision to Mikhail Kolobegov. The Brazilian is 4-4 since parting ways with the UFC in 2013. During his Octagon tenure, Silva went 7-3 with two no contests, earning wins over the likes of Matt Hamill, Rafael Cavalcante, Keith Jardine and Houston Alexander.

McSweeney, 37, has lost five of his last six pro bouts. The Englishman known as “The Hammer” last appeared at Superior Challenge 17, where he lost a decision to Fernando Rodrigues Jr. on May 19. McSweeney appear…

Jessica Aguilar will lock horns with Chinese strawweight prospect Weili Zhang at UFC Fight Night 141 in Beijing on Nov. 24.

The booking has been confirmed by multiple outlets following an initial report from Combate. UFC Fight Night 141 takes place at Cadillac Arena and is headlined by a heavyweight rematch between Francis Ngannou and Curtis Blaydes.

A former World Series of Fighting champion, Aguilar earned her first Octagon triumph when she outpointed Jodie Esquibel at UFC Fight Night 133 on July 14. “Jag” began her promotional tenure with back-to-back losses to Cortney Casey-Sanchez and Claudia Gadelha after establishing herself as one of the top female strawweights during a nine-fight winning streak from 2010 to 2014.

Zhang, 29, made her first Octagon foray at UFC 227, where she outpointed Danielle Taylor in Los Angeles on Aug. 4. After losing her pro debut in 2013, the Black Tiger Fight Club representative has reeled off 17 consecutive wins. Fifteen of…

Congratulations @jonnybones I’m really glad u are back! @dc_mma is aiming for Brock.. so let’s give the fans another legendary fight for the belt @ufc @danawhite @ Allstars Training… https://t.co/bVhqjxZmLG

— Alexander Gustafsson (@AlexTheMauler) September 20, 2018

Last week, Jon Jones was given a ruling by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and a time table to make his long-awaited return to the Octagon, and one familiar name promptly offered to welcome him back.

Jones was handed a greatly reduced 15-month suspension for testing positive for anabolic steroid Turinabol. The suspension started from his retroactive date of July 28 of last year, which makes Jones eligible to fight again on Oct. 28.

With the announcement of Jones’ return, it didn’t take long for someone to call him out. Former opponent Alexander Gustafsson took to Twitter right after the announcement to attempt to coerce the former champion into a rematch. Gust…

One of the world’s top female flyweights will make her UFC debut in November.

According to a report from Combate, KSW flyweight queen Ariane Lipski will replace the injured Veronica Macedo and face Maryna Moroz at UFC Fight Night 140 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Nov. 17. Multiple outlets have since confirmed the booking. Lipski herself announced that she was released from her KSW contract but did not offer any further details on her next move.

“As many already know, our contract with KSW has not been renewed,” Lipski wrote on Instagram. “I understand that it is sad news for some fans of Poland, but I want you to know that I will always represent Brazil and Poland; it is in my blood and it is my second home.”

“The Violence Queen” will enter her promotional debut on a nine-bout winning streak. Most recently, she took a five-round verdict over Silvana Gomez Juarez at KSW 42 on March 3. Prior to that, the 24-year-old Curitiba native had finished six opponents…