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Even though he has lost four of his last five Ultimate Fighting Championship appearances, Bruno Silva promises that he has never been more motivated to return to the Octagon.

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“Blinadado” will face Chris Weidman at UFC Atlantic City on March 30.

“I’m motivated by big challenges. My goal has always been to fight the very best,” he said. “Chris Weidman is a former champion, a legend of the sport, a guy who defeated legends of the sport like Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort. If the UFC chose me to face him on March 30, it is because they know that win or lose, I always deliver great fights and am looking to finish at all times.”

Silva is well aware of Weidman’s wrestling and grappling credentials. To prepare for that challenge, the Brazilian has been driving 300 miles across Brazil from Curitiba to Criciuma to improve his grappling skills with no gi world champion Henrique Ceconi.

“Weidman is a complete fighter, but I believe he w…

Tatiana Suarez doesn’t expect to be sidelined for too long after an injury forced her to withdraw from UFC 298.

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The strawweight contender was slated to face former title challenger Amanda Lemos on Feb. 17 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Instead, Mackenzie Dern will step in on short notice to square off against the Brazilian.

Suarez took to Instagram to address her injury. While she didn’t go into specifics, the 33-year-old Californian offered a relatively positive outlook regarding her Octagon return.

“I’m making this post because I know there are many people who support me that are concerned. I won’t be out for long. A minor setback,” Suarez wrote on Instagram. “I asked to postpone just a few weeks so I could heal up and train. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Sometimes it’s just not meant to be.”

I apologize to [Amanda Lemos]. Some things are just out of our control. Injuries happen; it’s part of the game. I’m thankful …

Dan Hooker is the latest in a long list of fighters who wants in on Conor McGregor’s return to the Octagon.

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After a nearly three-year hiatus due to injury rehab and other factors, McGregor recently announced that he will be returning to the Octagon opposite Michael Chandler on June 29.

However, McGregor’s word cannot be taken as confirmation of the booking without any official announcement, as the Irishman has teased a return on several occasions in the past.

Hooker, meanwhile, has now offered to be the backup fighter for that matchup if it comes to fruition. “The Hangman” welcomed Chandler to the UFC in January 2021, where he suffered a brutal Round 1 knockout loss that allowed his opponent to secure a lightweight title shot.

On one hand, Hooker has the lure of avenging a loss against Chandler, and on the other lies the promise of a hefty payday against McGregor.

“You obviously get to play the roulette. You get to take the gamble, the…

Sean Strickland still doesn’t think highly of Israel Adesanya’s approach to life.

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Strickland went hard at Adesanya with his trash talk even before they were matched up during the UFC 276 presser in July 2022. He later landed a title shot against Adesanya by a stroke of luck, replacing an injured Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 293 in September 2023.

Strickland vocally questioned Adesanya’s lifestyle in the lead-up, targeting everything from his painted nails to his love for anime. While Adesanya vowed to knock his opponent out, Strickland emerged with a unanimous decision triumph in one of the biggest upsets in recent memory.

“Tarzan” is now slated to defend his strap against Du Plessis (20-2) at UFC 297 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Adesanya is potentially looking to return to the Octagon in the second half of the year. The former middleweight champ was also recently arrested in New Zealand for driving under t…

The wheels are officially in motion for Vadim Nemkov to transition to the heavyweight division.

Nemkov has vacated his Bellator MMA light heavyweight crown, Sherdog.com confirmed with a promotion official on Wednesday following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com. The 31-year-old will make his his first heavyweight appearance on the Professional Fighters League vs. Bellator main card against former PFL heavyweight winner Bruno Cappelozza on Feb. 24.

Currently No. 1 in Sherdog’s 205-pound rankings, Nemkov has widely been regarded as one of the world’s best light heavyweights regardless of promotion. The Fedorteam representative went unbeaten in 10 Bellator appearances, claiming the belt with a second-round stoppage of Ryan Bader in August 2020. His championship reign spanned five successful defenses, including a run through the organization’s 205-pound grand prix that culminated in a five-round verdict over Corey Anderson at Bellator 288. He owns a 16-2-1 car…

Renato Carneiro believes his impressive post-fight speeches deserve a better platform than the UFC Apex.

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While Moicano started off with a Portuguese translator for his post-fight interviews, the Brazilian has quickly learned how to speak English, which he claims to have picked up from playing Call of Duty. Moicano’s post-fight speeches peaked in his last two wins at UFC 281 in November 2022.

Moicano’s interviews have certainly worked in his favor as he admittedly got a better deal while renegotiating his contract. The Brazilian also enjoys a significant following on YouTube.

“I don’t think about it at all,” Carneiro told MMAjunkie.com. “After the fight, I usually get so emotional because people who don’t fight cannot understand how hard it is to go through the training camp and the dieting and all that stuff. So, when you go over there and everything went well and you have a great performance, [it’s hard to explain] how happy you are.”

“Defi…

Heavyweight fan favorite Chris Barnett is set to return to action on March 23.

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Barnett will take on former ”Ultimate Fighter” winner Mohammed Usman (10-2) at a UFC Fight Night event at the promotion’s Apex facility in Las Vegas. The matchup was announced by multiple outlets and confirmed by both fighters on social media.

One of the most entertaining fighters on the heavyweight roster, Barnett has scored 18 of his 23 career wins via knockout. However, “Beastboy” is equally loved for his post-fight dance celebrations, where he busts gravity-defying moves without inhibition. Barnett has gone 2-2 since his UFC debut in 2020 and hasn’t fought since a technical knockout win over Jake Collier at UFC 279 in September 2022.

Meanwhile, Usman is the brother of former Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight king Kamaru Usman. “Motor” earned his contract by winning “TUF 30” in 2022 in the heavyweight category. Usman is currently on a three-fight win…

A light heavyweight clash has been added to a UFC Fight Night event in March.

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Light heavyweight veteran Ovince St. Preux will make his 27th walk to the Octagon against an up-and-coming Kennedy Nzechukwu (on March 16 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The booking was first reported by MMAjunkie.com and subsequently confirmed by Nzechukwu on Instagram.

St. Preux, who has been with the promotion for over a decade now, has lessened his activity in recent times, only fighting once every year since 2021. “OSP” has gone 1-3 in his last four and is coming off a Round 1 knockout loss against Philipe Lins at UFC Fight Night 219 in February 2023.

Meanwhile, Nzechukwu will look to bounce back from a first-round technical knockout loss against Dustin Jacoby in August 2023. The 31-year-old also saw a three-fight win streak snapped by his loss to Jacoby.

The UFC Fight Night event on March 16 will be headlined by a heavyweight clash between Tai Tuivasa a…

UFC 300 has another marquee matchup, as Justin Gaethje will defend his “BMF” title against Max Holloway in a five-round lightweight bout.

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UFC CEO Dana White announced the pairing via social media on Tuesday. Additionally, Jim Miller will square off against Bobby Green in another 155-pound affair. UFC 300 takes place on April 13 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will also include a strawweight championship showdown between Weili Zhang and Xioanan Yan.

A former World Series of Fighting champion, Gaethje has been victorious in three of his last four Octagon appearances. Most recently, he defeated Dustin Poirier via second-round knockout at UFC 291 to claim the “BMF” belt this past July. “The Highlight” has twice challenged for the UFC lightweight crown and was considered among the leaders to face reigning champ Islam Makhachev next before the fight against Holloway was revealed.

Holloway previously competed at 155 pounds at UFC 236, where…

Mackenzie Dern will step in for Tatiana Suarez and square off against Amanda Lemos at UFC 298.

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The Orange County Register was first to report the new strawweight booking. Suarez was forced to withdraw from the event due to an “unspecified injury,” according to the report. UFC 298 takes place on Feb. 17 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California and is headlined by a featherweight championship clash pitting Alexander Volkanovski against Ilia Topuria.

Dern, 30, split a pair of appearances in 2023. After taking a unanimous verdict over Angela Hill in the UFC Fight Night 223 headliner on May 20, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt suffered a second-round TKO defeat against Jessica Andrade in her last outing at UFC 295. Dern is 8-4 during her promotional tenure, with other notable wins over the likes of Tecia Torres, Nina Nunes and Virna Jandiroba.

Lemos, meanwhile, came up short in a championship bid at UFC 292 this past August, when she lost a u…

The first Professional Fighters League vs. Bellator MMA card is official for Feb. 24 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

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The event will feature four champion vs. champion bouts: PFL 2023 heavyweight king Renan Ferreira vs. Bellator champ Ryan Bader at heavyweight; 2023 PFL light heavyweight champ Impa Kasanganay vs. Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen at 185 pounds; 2023 PFL featherweight champion Jesus Pinedo vs. Bellator featherweight title holder Patricio Freire and 2023 PFL welterweight champion Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. Bellator welterweight champion Jason Jackson.

A handful of other matchups were also confirmed for the event: Bruno Cappelozza vs. Vadim Nemkov at light heavyweight; Clay Collard vs. A.J. McKee at lightweight; Thiago Santos vs. Yoel Romero at light heavyweight and Gabriel Braga vs. Aaron Pico at featherweight. Boxing champion Claressa Shields is also expected to fight on the card against Kelsey DeSantis, while Biaggio Ali Walsh …

ONE Championship continues to stack the lineup for its Qatar debut with title fights.

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The Singapore-based promotion announced Tuesday that reigning atomweight (115-pound) queen Stamp Fairtex will defend her belt against Denice Zamboanga at ONE Championship 166 on March 1 at Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar. Additionally, Tye Ruotolo will defend his welterweight (185-pound) submission grappling title against former IBJJF world champion Izaak Mitchell in another featured bout on the card.

ONE Championship 166 already featured three title rematches, all in MMA. In the main event, Anatoliy Malykhin will attempt to become a three-division champion when he challenges Reinier de Ridder for the middleweight (205-pound) strap. Additionally, Jarred Brooks will face Joshua Pacio for strawweight (125-pound) gold, while reigning featherweight (155-pound) champion Kai Tang takes on interim title holder Thanh Le.

ONE also announced that it will hold a …

Sean Strickland has warned Dricus Du Plessis of dire consequences if he crosses the line with his trash talk.

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Strickland is slated to defend his middleweight strap for the first time against Du Plessis at UFC 297 on Jan. 20 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

The two have developed serious bad blood since Du Plessis brought up Strickland’s abusive childhood during a seasonal press conference last month in response to the champ alleging a sexual relationship between the South African and his coach. Strickland went on to attack Du Plessis while attending UFC 296 the very next day.

Strickland subsequently went on a podcast with comedian Theo Von, opening up about his childhood trauma in detail . Du Plessis has since stated that he doesn’t harbor any ill will towards Strickland, although he doesn’t regret anything he said.

While Strickland also seemingly doesn’t want things to escalate further, he has a message for his upcoming opponent.…

Jiri Prochazka wasn’t at his best leading up to his gold bid against Alex Pereira at UFC 295 in November.

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Prochazka had to vacate his light heavyweight title leading up to his first title defense in December 2022 due to a severe shoulder injury.

It was nearly a year later that “BJP” got another shot at the vacant title against Pereira at UFC 295. Interestingly, the Czech claims he couldn’t train properly for his comeback, as he was battling a staph infection that started from his leg and went up to his ear.

“From the last weeks of preparation, I train just one week [because of] staph infection. After the fight, I fought with that for more than one month. I had antibiotics before the fight, so the last five weeks before the fight, [I couldn’t train properly]” the 31-year-old said on "The MMA Hour.”

However, Prochazka never considered pulling out of the fight as he believes there’s always a chance of victory.

“No. When I saw Jon J…

Dricus Du Plessis doesn’t believe he crossed the line by bringing up Sean Strickland’s traumatic childhood during their verbal back and forth.

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“Stillknocks” is scheduled to challenge Strickland for the middleweight title at UFC 297 on Jan. 20 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. The bad blood between the two started with a seasonal press conference last month where Du Plessis brought up Strickland’s abusive childhood. Du Plessis vowed to put on a worse beating on Strickland than his own father after the champ joked about a sexual relationship between the South African and his coach.

Strickland subsequently admitted that he was triggered by the comments, leading to him attacking Du Plessis while attending UFC 296 the next day. However, Du Plessis doesn’t regret anything he said to Strickland.

“I don’t regret anything. I said what I said. Listen, if you’re dishing it out, you’re going to get it. I’m not going to keep on hammering on it, but I…

PFL is saddened to learn about the passing of Diego Braga. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family during this tragic time. May he Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/kZ1rSskv9z

— PFL (@PFLMMA) January 16, 2024

Diego Braga, a veteran of 32 professional MMA bouts, is dead at the age of 44.

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Braga’s passing was confirmed by the Professional Fighters League in a social media post on Monday. Braga was the father of 2023 PFL featherweight finalist Gabriel Braga.

“PFL is saddened to learn about the passing of Diego Braga,” read a statement from the organization. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family during this tragic time. May he rest in peace.”

According to a report from MMAFighting.com, Braga was allegedly killed in Rio de Janeiro by members of the criminal organization Comando Vermelho when he was mistaken for a member of a rival militia. Braga was had reportedly been looking for hi…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s debut in Saudi Arabia will likely come a little bit later than originally anticipated.

UFC Fight Night 238, which was originally scheduled for Boulevard Hall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on March 2, is expected to be postponed with a new targeted date of June. The news was initially reported by Ariel Helwani on ”The MMA Hour,” who revealed that the postponement occurred because there was a lack of satisfaction from the “powers that be” in Saudi Arabia with the quality of the card.

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It’s currently unclear if the rescheduled event will remain a Fight Night or if it will become a pay-per-view card. As of Monday, UFC Fight Night 238 included fights such as Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Shamil Gaziev and Alex Perez vs. Muhammad Mokaev, but a headliner had not been announced. It’s not known if the bouts currently confirmed for the card will remain part of the new UFC Saudi Arabia event.

Saudi Arabia has become a significant …

While Magomed Ankalaev staked his claim to a light heavyweight title shot with a knockout victory on Saturday night, reigning champ Alex Pereira appears to have other plans.

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In a post on his Instagram account, “Poatan” targeted Jamahal Hill for his first title defense. Hill claimed the belt with a victory against Pereira mentor Glover Teixeira in January 2023 but had to vacate the title after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon in a pickup basketball game this past summer. It is unclear when Hill might be cleared to compete again.

“People, let’s focus on what matters, which is Jamahal,” Pereira wrote in Portuguese, “and then I’ll focus on breaking another record and doing two title defenses in the least amount of time.”

Pereira appears to be alluding to the record for shortest time between title defense, which is held by Ronda Rousey. The Olympic judoka submitted Miesha Tate at UFC 168 and returned 56 days later for a stoppage win over Sara M…

Johnny Walker appears to be in good spirits following his knockout loss to Magomed Ankalaev in the UFC Fight Night 234 main event.

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After their first meeting at UFC 294 ended in a no contest, Ankalaev left no doubt in the rematch, rendering Walker unconscious with a right hook and follow-up right uppercut 2:42 into Round 2 of their light heavyweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

Walker recently took to social media to release a statement on the defeat, offering support for his opponent’s title hopes in the process.

“I’m good, just a little scratch on my nose. I’m going to watch my fight and see what mistakes I did later on. … It is what it is,” Walker said. “We fight the best in the world. I’m one of the best in the world and I’m going to face the best in the world. It could be me, could be him. So he had a better night than me, and congratulations to him, Magomed Ankalaev. Hope he gets the belt now and I’m going to kee…

While a video featuring Javier Mendez might have recently raised hopes of a Khabib Nurmagomedov UFC return, the American Kickboxing Academy coach sent those hopes crashing back to reality just as quickly.

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The former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight king bid farewell to the sport with a perfect record after defending his strap against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October 2020. There have since been numerous attempts to bring him out of retirement and several rumors of a pending return, but none have come to fruition.

Recently, a video featuring Mendez on social media sparked new rumors of a Nurmagomedov comeback. As his coach at AKA, Mendez is known to share a special bond with the former lightweight champ. In the aforementioned video, Mendez says that Nurmagomedov trains with him only when he is ready to fight and that “The Eagle” is currently training with him.

While Mendez didn’t confirm if Nurmagomedov would return, the clip wa…

HEAVY HANDS FROM BRUNNO FERREIRA 😳 #UFCVegas84 pic.twitter.com/51BTcOUrBZ

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 14, 2024

Brunno Ferreira wants to fight fellow prospect Sharabutdin Magomedov in Brazil.

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Ferreira started his 2024 campaign in impressive fashion, violently knocking out Phil Hawes in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 234 encounter. This also saw “The Hulk” bounce back from his lone career loss, which came against Nursulton Ruziboev at UFC on ESPN 48 last July.

“I put a weight on myself. This was a weight that was lifted off my back,” Ferreira told media members on Saturday. “To actually start the year like this and having the opportunity to start the year like this with a fight like this, it’s very happy. I’m very fortunate. … This is the way I wanted to start my year. This is the way the year is supposed to start.”

Ferreira subsequently called out another elite up-and-comer in Magomedov. “Shara Bullet…

Mario Bautista has his sights set on Rob Font as he looks to make his way through the bantamweight rankings by the end of the year.

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Bautista put on a masterclass against veteran Ricky Simon to earn a unanimous decision win at UFC Fight Night 234 on Saturday. Aftering extending his winning streak to six, Bautista called out Font in his post-fight interview.

“Six in a row, hopefully get the Top 15 and the Top 10 next,” Bautista said. “I think if Rob Font wants to prove himself and see if he belongs in that Top 10, we can figure it out.”

Bautista subsequently explained his callout of Font, also laying out his plans for the year.

“He’s lost in some certain ways,” Bautista said. “Whatever way the water flows easiest [is how I’ll win]… I would say around springtime, [I want to return]. The way I planned it out is Top 15, Top 10 and Top five at the end of the year [for my next opponents].”

Font is 1-4 in his last five Octagon appearance…

Statement re Ryan Curtis https://t.co/sGPDpWo1uS pic.twitter.com/gUokQ5HuvD

— Leah McCourt (@leahmccourtmma) January 13, 2024

Irish fighter Ryan Curtis has the whole Irish mixed martial arts community — along with many others — rallying behind him during a difficult time.

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The flyweight fighter has lost the use of his arms and legs after suffering injuries to his back, neck and spine in training. Bellator women’s featherweight Leah McCourt, a close friend of Curtis’, recently set up a GoFundMe account in his name with the goal currently raised to $150,000 after nearly having reached the initial target of $100,000. A statement attached to the GoFundMe page reads:

“Ryan has suffered a broken back, broken neck and dislocated spine. During this injury, trauma was also caused to Ryan’s spinal cord. The damage is classified as the most severe that can happen to a spinal cord. He was rushed to the Royal in Belfast and underwent…

Magomed Ankalaev believes he has done his part to receive No. 1 contender status in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s light heavyweight division.

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The 31-year-old Gorets Fight Team member got some much-needed closure on Saturday night, when he knocked out Johnny Walker 2:42 into Round 2 of their headlining encounter at UFC Fight Night 234. Not only was it a more satisfying conclusion for Ankalaev than their first meeting, which ended via no contest, but it also made a statement about the Dagestani’s overall skill set — one that could make reigning 205-pound champion Alex Pereira take notice.

“I could have come out here today and wrestled against Johnny Walker. I could have taken him down right away and won with my ground-and-pound on the ground, but instead I wanted to send a message. I wanted to stand up and I wanted to knock him out, and that’s what I did,” Ankalaev said through a translator at the UFC Fight Night 234 post-fight press confer…