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Khalim Nazrulloev made an immediate impact in ONE Championship.

The undefeated Russian dazzled in his promotional debut and kept his perfect professional record intact, as he buried Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu with punches in the second round of their ONE Friday Fights 47 flyweight showcase on Friday at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Uulu (7-2, 1-1 ONE) succumbed to blows 1:59 into Round 2, his five-fight winning streak at an end.

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Nazrulloev (9-0, 1-0 ONE) was superior in all phases. He controlled tie-ups, stepped into power punching combinations and secured multiple takedowns, often consolidating them with bursts of knees to the head. Uulu eventually wore down. Nazrulloev bullied him to all fours in the second round, blasted him with a knee to the side of the head, forced him to turtle and cut loose with punches until the job was done.

The setback was Uulu’s first since Dec. 11, 2021.

Family Fight Team prospect Coopar Royal rallied t…

Breaking: Brandon Moreno confirms Amir Albazi is out of the Feb 24th. card in Mexico City, Brandon Royval will be his new opponent in the main event

More to come on @espnmma pic.twitter.com/L5HAYFHFlJ

— Carlos Contreras Legaspi 🦁 (@CCLegaspi) January 12, 2024 Editor's note: The article has been updated at 8:40 p.m. ET on Jan. 11 to include a statement from Albazi.

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When it comes to the Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight division, few fights in the top 10 will be disappointing.

According to the promotion’s broadcast partner of ESPN on Thursday, Amir Albazi (17-1) will no longer be competing in the headliner of UFC Mexico City on Feb. 24. In his place will be Brandon Royval (15-7), who will take on former foe Brandon Moreno (21-7-2) in the Mexico City Arena in Mexico City. Albazi has since posted on social media that he was forced out of the fight due to a neck injury. Moreno and Royval previously faced off in 2020…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship beltholder Cody Garbrandt is getting what he asked for.

At UFC 296, Garbrandt (14-5) laid waste to Brian Kelleher with one punch, putting himself on his first win streak since starting his career undefeated which culminated in winning the bantamweight belt in 2016. The knockout was his first stoppage in three over three years, and he used his post-fight interview to call out former flyweight king Deiveson Figueiredo (22-3-1). The promotion has elected to put that together for UFC 300, according to Ag. Fight on Thursday. The two will collide on April 13 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and it was subsequently confirmed by Figueiredo on his Instagram Stories on Thursday.

Garbrandt returned to his victorious ways in March 2023 when he captured a decision over Trevin Jones, and he followed that by wiping out Kelleher in December. Those two triumphs put a rough 1-5 stretch in the rear-view mirror, which saw him lose by knockout four …

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Chris Weidman will make a decision regarding his future in the Octagon as his next bout approaches.

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Weidman (15-7) suffered a career-threatening leg break in a rematch against Uriah Hall at UFC 261 in April 2021. After two years of rehab, the former middleweight champion returned to action against Brad Tavares at UFC 292 in August 2023. Weidman suffered a unanimous decision loss, which made it 2-6 for “The All-American” since dropping the crown.

Weidman is now slated to face Bruno Silva (23-10) at UFC Atlantic City on March 30.

The Baldwin, New York, native recently revealed that he wasn’t sure if he would return to action after the bout with Tavares and will make a decision regarding his retirement as he approaches his upcoming Octagon outing.

“Honestly, I wasn’t sure. I’m setting myself up for the future, and I wasn’t sure,” Weidman told Daniel Cormier. “I was kind of listening to my body and trying to get healthy. …

Paulo Costa continues to eye a matchup against Khamzat Chimaev despite having his next booking confirmed.

Costa (14-2) was scheduled to face Chimaev (13-0) at UFC 294 in October but was forced out due to a severe elbow infection. The Brazilian was ultimately replaced on short notice by former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, who went on to drop a majority decision against “Borz.”

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“Borrachinha” is now scheduled to face former champ Robert Whittaker (24-7) at UFC 298 on Feb. 17 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

According to Costa, he was initially pursuing the Chimaev fight but accepted the Whittaker booking as he didn’t want to wait very long.

“I was trying to fight Gourmet Chechen — Chimaev. I was trying. Since I could not fight and he fought against Kamaru — he won, but he didn’t convince anyone I don’t think, me and the people I talk with, at least, and most of the fans I don’t think,” the Brazilian said on The MMA Hour. “I wa…

Two Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweights looking to get back into contention will throw down in March.

At the currently unnumbered UFC Fight Night Event on March 16, a show that will take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Thiago Moises (17-7) and Brad Riddell (10-4) will collide. News of this lightweight pairing first came on Wednesday night courtesy of Eurosport NL, and it has since been confirmed by Moises’ management team on Thursday.

Moises ended his 2023 campaign unsuccessfully when he faced Benoit St. Denis at UFC Fight Night 226, ultimately succumbing to strikes near the end of Round 2. That defeat concluded a two-fight submission streak for the Brazilian, who tapped Christos Giagos with a rear-naked choke and crushed Melquizael Costa’s face with a crank. Each of the last five outings for the submission specialist have ended inside the distance, win or lose.

Riddell has struggled as of late, suffering three stoppage losses in 2021 and 2022. When t…

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Arman Tsarukyan is looking to put on an unforgettable showing against Charles Oliveira to cement his status as the No. 1 lightweight contender.

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Tsarukyan (21-3) and Oliveria (34-9) are slated to throw down on the marquee UFC 300 card at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

While Oliveira is a feared submission specialist and Tsarukyan comes from a wrestling background, “Ahalkalakets” believes the fight doesn’t necessarily have to go to the ground.

“If you know wrestling and jiu-jitsu, how to defend, it’s a completely different game,” Tsarukyan told Daniel Cormier. “If we’re going to do jiu-jitsu without ground and pound, of course, he can maybe get any submissions. But when you punch someone, he can’t think about like, ‘Oh, I got to get his arm,’ or whatever. He’s got to defend himself; you know? That’s why it’s so difficult. Especially with high-level fighters right now.

“First two rounds, it’s almost impossible to choke…

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Manel Kape expects to leap the flyweight queue with a stoppage on Saturday.

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Currently ranked No. 6 at flyweight, Kape (19-6) is slated to take on No. 5-ranked Matheus Nicolau (19-3) in the co-main event at UFC Fight Night 234 this weekend. While the flyweight title picture is in a bit of a logjam, Kape believes a stoppage win over Nicolau should leave no doubt regarding his status as the No. 1 contender.

“My goal is to be a champion. I believe that beating Matheus Nicolau -- I’ll get the title shot. This is my goal. It’s obvious… Of course it’s going to be dependent on how I win, and that’s going to dictate everything. I’m looking for the knockout or to finish him in the first round; definitely,” Kape said Wednesday during media day.

Kape will look to avenge a split decision loss dating back to 2021 when he faces Nicolau. Kape has since racked up four consecutive wins, with a decision victory over Felipe dos Santos in his …

[embedded content] One Championship is adding a bit of circus flair to its upcoming numbered event.

According to a release by ONE on Thursday, Yoshihiro Akiyama and Nieky Holzken will engage in an unusual battle on Jan. 28. At the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, the two will throw down in a mixed-rules affair under a ruleset titled “Trinity Rules.” This unorthodox type of bout was popularized by the Thailand-based league Full Metal Dojo and its series of "Fight Circus" cards, where combatants engage in three rounds of ever-changing action. In each round, they come together under a different discipline. The first round is exclusively boxing, the second muay thai and the third MMA. It is unclear if the 187-pound fight at ONE 165 will give the fighters three minutes or five minutes per round, but this exhibition will not go on anyone’s permanent record.

Akiyama (16-7, 2 NC MMA), 48, comes into this pairing on a winning streak, albeit one that took years to put together. The fight…

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Dricus Du Plessis (20-2) paid a considerable price for jumping out of the Octagon to meet Donald Trump at UFC 290.

“Stillknocks” is slated to challenge Sean Strickland (28-5) for the middleweight title at UFC 297 on Jan. 20 in Toronto. The South African earned the shot with a second-round knockout over former champ Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 in July. Following his stoppage win over “The Reaper”, du Plessis jumped over the fence to greet former United States President Donald Trump, resulting in a $10,000 fine. The fine did not come as a surprise as the South African, who had admittedly been warned of the consequences several times. However, du Plessis found it “too cool” of an opportunity to let go.

“That was the initial fine for jumping over the cage. They said – they told us beforehand – if you jump over [the fence], you’re getting a $10,000 fine,” the 29-year-old said in an interview with Fight in Sight. “I was like, ‘I don’t know why you g…

UFC 300 has its first title fight.

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UFC CEO Dana White announced Wednesday evening that reigning strawweight title holder Weili Zhang will defend her belt against Xiaonan Yan at the April 13 event.

“This is the first time two Chinese contenders have faced off for the world title,” White said.

A two-time 115-pound champion, Zhang enters her matchup with Yan on a three-bout winning streak. The Fight Ready standout reclaimed the belt with a second-round submission of Carla Esparza at UFC 281 before authoring a successful title defense with a five-round verdict over Amanda Lemos at UFC 292 this past August. “Magnum” initially claimed strawweight gold with a 42-second TKO of Jessica Andrade in August 2019 but would later relinquish the belt to Rose Namajunas. The 34-year-old is 8-2 during her promotional tenure and 24-3 as a professional overall.

Yan, meanwhile, has also been victorious in eight of her 10 Octagon appearances. Most recently,…

Brunno Ferreira has learned valuable lessons from defeat.

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After an impressive knockout of Gregory Rodrigues in his promotional debut at UFC 283, Brunno Ferreira lost for the first time in his career, falling to Nursulton Ruziboev at UFC on ESPN 48 this past July.

On Saturday, the Brazilian known as “The Hulk” will attempt to return to the win column against Phil Hawes in a middleweight bout at UFC Fight Night 234. He believes the KO loss to Ruziboev was important to his growth as a fighter.

"That loss made me stronger because it helped to improve me as a fighter,” Ferreira told Sherdog.com. “I corrected mistakes I used to make and added new tools to my game, and I’m going to show that in the Octagon on Saturday.

According to his head coach Andre Dida, Ferreira may get to show his judo black belt skills for the first time.

Brunno is like a dream fighter to any trainer,” Dida said. “… He only showed his knockout power in the UFC, b…

Unbeaten middleweight Murad Ramazanov has signed an exclusive, multi-fight contract with Professional Fighters League.

The PFL announced the signing on Wednesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Ramazanov, who has primarily competed at 185 pounds during his professional tenure, is expected to make his PFL debut in the first half of 2024.

“I'm looking forward to continuing my career in the PFL,” Ramzanov said in a release. “There is no one in my division from now on.”

A native of Dagestan, the 28-year-old Ramzanov counts the likes of Islam Makhachev and Usman Nurmagomedov among his training partners. He is 11-0 with one no contest since beginning his MMA career in 2014, with seven of those triumphs coming inside the distance. Ramzanov notably competed under the ONE Championship banner, winning his first three appearances before his most recent outing against Roberto Soldic ended via no contest in Round 1 when he landed an accidental knee to the groin…

ONE Championship’a return to the United States is now official.

The Singapore-based promotion announced on Tuesday that it will hold events at the Ball Arena in Denver on Sept. 6 and at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Nov. 8. The Denver card will be ONE on Prime Video 26, while the Atlanta offering will be ONE on Prime Video 28. No bouts were revealed for either card.

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“We’re thrilled to return to the U.S. to showcase the greatest world champion martial artists in the country’s best cities and sports arenas,” ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong stated in a release. “America remains a high-priority market for us as we continue our global expansion, and we can’t wait to get back on-ground to entertain our passionate fanbase in the region with quarterly U.S. events in September 2024 and beyond.”

The promotion made its debut in the U.S. in May 2023, as ONE on Prime Video 10 took place at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. In the ma…

Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has avoided a conviction for a drunk driving incident last August, according to a report from the New Zealand Herald.

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During a hearing in Auckland, New Zealand, Judge Peter Winter ordered Adesanya to donate $1,500 to charity, refrain from driving for six months and enroll in a stop drunk driving program before the end of the year.

“I’m sure you have learned from this,” Winter told Adesanya in court. “You would not want to be placed in this position again, as you realize.”

Adesanya was charged with driving a car in Auckland on Aug. 19 with 87 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood. The legal limit in the country is 50 milligrams. The UFC star faced a maximum penalty of three months in prison or a $4,500 fine.

Adesanya was granted a discharge without conviction when his lawyer, Karl Trotter, argued that such charges could seriously affect the end of his client’s fighting caree…

The UFC 299 lineup appears to be complete, as the Las Vegas-based promotion recently confirmed the 13-bout card.

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Two new bouts were announced in a release on Tuesday: Michel Pereira vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk at middleweight and Robelis Despaigne vs. Josh Parisian at heavyweight. UFC 299 takes place on March 9 at the Kaseya Center in Miami and is headlined by a bantamweight championship clash between Sean O'Malley and Marlon Vera.

Pereira is currently on a six-fight winning streak in UFC competition. While the majority of those triumphs occurred at 170 pounds, “Demolidor” made a successful move to middleweight with a 66-second TKO of Andre Petroski in his last outing at UFC Fight Night 230 on Oct. 14.

Poland’s Oleksiejczuk has won three of his last four Octagon appearances — all via first-round knockout or technical knockout. Most recently, the 28-year-old stopped Chidi Njokuani 4:16 into the opening stanza of their clash at UFC Fight Night 225…

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Islam Makhachev will defend his strap against Justin Gaethje next, according to manager Ali Abdelaziz.

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s lightweight title picture is currently a bit unclear. Makhachev has already expressed his preference in defending his belt against Gaethje over former opponents Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan.

Dana White recently announced a matchup between Oliveira and Tsarukyan for UFC 300 on April 13, with the winner securing a next title shot against the champ, who is expected to return after Ramadan.

However, Abdelaziz believes the title picture makes it obvious that Gaethje deserves the next shot against Makhachev, who also continues to chase that matchup.

“I think it’s obvious … Justin Gaethje’s a guy that never wants something to be given to him. He earned it with sweat and blood and tears inside the cage. Islam Makhachev, very interested to fighting him. He said, ‘Doesn’t matter who, when…

Michael Page believes Kevin Holland’s “striking only” experience with Stephen Thompson will prevent him from repeating the same in their upcoming clash.

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The former Bellator striking ace is slated to make his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut against Holland at UFC 299 on March 9 at the Kaseya Center in Miami.

Holland had previously agreed to keep the fight standing against Thompson, another elite striker, at UFC on ESPN 42 in December 2022. “Trailblazer” was outclassed on the feet and suffered a fourth-round corner stoppage loss resulting from a hand injury. Page, who sees himself as a better version of “Wonderboy” in many aspects, wouldn’t mind a similar deal with Holland but is quite confident that his opponent won't be up for it.

“I know for a fact Kevin Holland is not going to want to do that agreement again after the whooping that he took against Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson,” Page recently told MMAjunkie.com. “I see myself as the f…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship talents Junior dos Santos and Alan Belcher will fight for the inaugural Gamebred Fighting Championship heavyweight title in March.

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UFC veteran Jorge Masvidal, the founder of the promotion, announced on Instagram that the fight will be a five-round, gloveless mixed martial arts contest on March 2 at the Kia Center in Orlando, Florida. Tickets for the event go live on Jan. 17 and broadcast information is yet to be revealed.

Dos Santos exited the UFC on a four-fight skid, and he followed that with an injury stoppage loss to Yorgan De Castro in his debut at Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Eagle FC in 2022. “Cigano” defeated fellow UFC veteran Fabricio Werdum in his promotional debut at GFC 5 in September to earn the title shot.

Meanwhile, Belcher retired from MMA in 2013 at the age of 29 following a loss to Michael Bisping at UFC 159. The former UFC middleweight contender returned to combat sports in 2021, competing …

Since he was already in the rehabilitation process, Jon Jones has decided to take care of some additional ailments while he waits.

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The UFC heavyweight champion revealed on social media that he recently underwent surgery on his left elbow. Jones has been sidelined after suffering a torn pectoral in training prior to a scheduled title defense against Stipe Miocic this past November.

“Back out here in California with Dr. [Neal] ElAttrache, this time instead of doing a pec repair, we are working on my left elbow,” Jones said in a video on his Instagram stories. “I’m actually about one hour off the table. We had a two-hour surgery shaving down some bone spurs. The good news is it’s about a 10-week healing process, and I’m out for months anyway, because of this pec surgery, so I thought I’d just kill two birds and get this elbow taken care of once and for all.

“I appreciate all the support. Your boy’s back in the sling, back on this recovery journ…

The mystery regarding Charles Oliveira’s next opponent is over, as the Brazilian will face Arman Tsarukyan in a contender’s bout at UFC 300.

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While it was rumored that Justin Gaethje would receive the next lightweight title shot against reigning champion Islam Makhachev, UFC CEO Dana White added some clarity to the situation during his announcement on Sunday night.

"The winner will face Islam when he returns this summer," White said.

Shortly after the official announcement, Oliveira’s coach, Diego Lima, revealed further details regarding the negotations in an interview with Sherdog.com.

"As I [said] a few weeks ago, Charles' main focus was the belt. If Makhachev would fight, the opponent would be Charles, but many things have happened since we talked,” Lima said. “Makhachev is still injured and besides that, he will have Ramadan. And after Ramadan he will need time to get ready.

“Since Charles is a former champion and No. 1 ranked [in t…

A bantamweight clash pitting Davey Grant against Cody Gibson is among the latest additions to the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s March 23 offering.

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The booking was confirmed by Grant’s management, Iridium Sports Agency. Two featherweight bouts were also announced by Iridium: Julian Erosa vs. Ricardo Ramos and Fernando Padilla vs. Luis Pajuelo. UFC Fight Night is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. A headliner for the event has not been revealed.

Grant had a two-bout winning streak snapped in his last outing, when he dropped a split decision to Daniel Marcos at UFC Fight Night 224 this past July. The 38-year-old Englishman is 6-6 since beginning his promotional tenure in November 2013.

Gibson, meanwhile, kicked off his second Octagon stint at UFC 292, where he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Brad Katona on Aug. 19. “The Renegade” previously went 1-3 in UFC competition from 2014 to 2015.

Erosa has lost back-to-ba…

Alexander Gustafsson has resumed training and hasn’t closed the door on a return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

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The Swedish standout continues to work at his longtime home, the Allstars Training Center in Stockholm, Sweden. While Gustafsson has primarily resumed training to stay in shape and close to the sport he loves, the former two-time UFC title challenger isn’t opposed to competing again.

“I’m going to be here much more now and focus a little bit on myself and my own training and mainly get back in shape. I don’t think about the competing part so much. If it comes, it comes, so time will tell," he told Frontkick Online.

“I’m focusing on myself and getting back in shape, and also I love this game. I love to train and be around the guys and do some grappling, do some wrestling, hit some pads and do some light sparring. I’ve been doing this my whole career, so I’m glad to be back and do what I love to do.”

Gustafsson last fo…

Sean O'Malley believes Conor McGregor isn’t the same fighter after his recent years of yacht life during his prime.

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McGregor hasn’t fought since July 2021, when he suffered a broken leg in a trilogy clash with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. Despite McGregor having gone 1-3 in his last four bouts, the Irishman’s return to the Octagon remains highly anticipated.

After months of teasing a return fight with Michael Chandler, McGregor recently announced that he will be fighting the former Bellator MMA champ during the International Fight Week on June 29. O’Malley believes the former UFC two-division champion isn’t as good as he was during his heyday. However, O’Malley also believes “Notorious” still has it in him to put on a show if he is really “dialed in.”

“I’m a huge fan of Conor and I would be very excited to watch him come back and compete. He’s looking good, he’s posting little videos here and there training, looks like he’s grappling a lot. S…