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Alexander Volkanovski was visibly distraught after teammate Mauricio Ruffy suffered a knockout loss.

Ruffy was stopped by Arman Tsarukyan with back-to-back elbows at 4:56 of the opening round in their pivotal Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight clash. Volkanovski was in Ruffy’s corner at UFC 331 and his reaction to the finish has gone viral.

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Alexander Volkanovski was in Mauricio Ruffy’s corner when Arman Tsarukyan landed the fight-ending elbows at UFC 331 Ruffy switched gyms after losing to Benoit St. Denis last year, leaving the Brazilian gym Fighting Nerds to train under Volkanovski in Australia. Cameras captured the featherweight champ’s reaction from Ruffy’s corner as Tsarukyan delivered the fight-ending elbows. Volkanovski and former UFC lightweight Brad Riddell were clearly stunned by the outcome.

Ruffy’s takedown defense looked solid in the first round against Tsarukyan, pointing to obvious improvements in his defensive wrestling sin…

Gable Steveson’s sophomore Ultimate Fighting Championship outing couldn’t have gone worse, but his team is already looking forward to a comeback.

Steveson suffered the first loss of his professional mixed martial arts career on Sept. 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, getting knocked out by Sean Sharaf just 12 seconds into their heavyweight bout at UFC 331. Steveson’s manager has now addressed the result.

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Abraham Kawa points to Islam Makhachev, GSP and other UFC greats after Steveson’s loss to Sean Sharaf Steveson (4-1) was a massive betting favorite going into UFC 331. He made boisterous claims in the lead-up to the fight, dismissing Sharaf as merely a stepping stone towards his championship aspirations. Fans turned on him as well and the Olympian was relentlessly booed at the pre-fight formalities and on fight night, further fueled by Sharaf taking digs at him at the pre-fight presser.

First Round Management’s Abraham Kawa backed his client t…

Iwo Baraniewski is taking his first professional loss in stride.

Baraniewski (9-1) took on Alonzo Menifield (19-6) in an Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight tilt at UFC 331 on Sept. 19 in Los Angeles. Baraniewski was a heavy -250 favorite going into his biggest step up in competition so far.

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Iwo Baraniewski reflects on Alonzo Menifield loss at UFC 331 Having never seen the second round in his career before UFC 331, Baraniewski came out all guns blazing, looking to finish Menifield in the first round. However, Menifield weathered the early storm and started gaining momentum in the second round. “Atomic” braved through the third round, fighting with an injured thumb to earn a split-decision victory.

This was Baraniewski’s first professional loss. However, the 27-year-old says this isn’t the first time he’s experienced failure. “Rudy” wants to take some time to recover and vows to return stronger.

“My first professional loss, but no…

Sean Sharaf was going through tough times just weeks before pulling off one of the biggest upsets in Ultimate Fighting Championship history.

Sharaf was a +1000 underdog and likely fighting for his spot on the roster going into his UFC 331 clash against Gable Steveson, a -2500 favorite. Sharaf flatlined Steveson with a left hook in just 12 seconds. UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland has now revealed some details about Sharaf’s pre-fight predicament.

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Sean Strickland shares Sharaf’s living situation three weeks before UFC 331 Strickland, who was rooting for Sharaf, recently shared their DMs from just three weeks before UFC 331. Sharaf sent Strickland a photo of his living arrangement: a mat on the floor to sleep on and his belongings packed into luggage. The champ then advised him to at least buy a cheap mattress rather than sleeping on the floor.

“Bro getting off the floor sucks,” Strickland wrote in response to Sharaf’s image. “Least get a ch…

California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster recently discussed some potential rule changes in mixed martial arts.

UFC 331 went down at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sept. 19. Foster subsequently discussed some rules at a CSAC debrief, touching on oblique kicks, a polarizing and highly effective tool in MMA, among other subjects.

CSAC's Andy Foster wants to discuss banning oblique kicks after UFC 331Edmen Shahbazyan earned a unanimous decision win in a middleweight bout against Brunno Ferreira at UFC 331. Shahbazyan was complaining to the referee about Ferreira throwing side-kicks to the knee, seemingly unaware that they are legal.

While kicks to the knee don’t look like much, they can deal dangerous damage to the knee at certain angles. While it is considered a cheap shot in sparring and banned in most gyms, it is perfectly legal in pro MMA. However, Foster now wants to discuss banning side-kicks to the knee. Foster also wants to discuss le…

The disclosed salaries for UFC 331 have been released by the California State Athletic Commission.

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight titleholder Alexandre Pantoja led the way with a flat $650,000 purse for his rematch with Joshua Van, who bagged half a million for his second title defense. The pay figures released by CSAC don’t include bonuses or additional payments to fighters that remain undisclosed.

UFC 331 disclosed payouts put Alexandre Pantoja ahead of champion Joshua VanAlexandre Pantoja: $650,000 — no win bonusJoshua Van: $500,000 — no win bonusArman Tsarukyan: $350,000 — no win bonusMauricio Ruffy: $110,000Patricio “Pitbull” Freire: $400,000 ($200,000 to show, $200,000 to win)Doo Ho Choi: $85,000Sean Sharaf: $60,000 ($30,000 to show, $30,000 to win)Gable Steveson: $160,000Iwo Baraniewski: $50,000Alonzo Menifield: $310,000 ($155,000 to show, $155,000 to win)Robelis Despaigne: $200,000 ($100,00 to show, $100,000 to win)Tai Tuivasa: $350,000Giga Chik…

Arman Tsarukyan believes he has done everything necessary to earn another shot at Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight gold.

Tsarukyan strengthened his case with a first-round knockout of Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331, finishing the Brazilian with a pair of elbows late in the opening round. While the victory further cemented Tsarukyan’s position as the No. 1 contender at 155 pounds, he claims the reigning champion, Justin Gaethje, is avoiding him.

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Tsarukyan explains why he doubts Gaethje will accept a UFC lightweight title fight At the post-fight presser, Tsarukyan revealed that he has little confidence that a fight against Gaethje will materialize. The Armenian believes the champ never calling him out or mentioning his name is a sign that he’s “scared” of the matchup, stylistically.

“He never says my name, so he’s scared,” Tsarukyan said. “He knows he wanted Ruffy to knock me out, so it means he’s trying to avoid me. And he’s gonna try to call o…

UFC 331 delivered several memorable finishes.

The card featured six knockout victories and one submission. Joanderson Brito, Ryan Gandra, Sean Sharaf, Patricio "Pitbull" Freire and Arman Tsarukyan delivered first-round knockouts, Marlon Vera recorded his first finish in four years and Casey O’Neill pulled off a bonus-worthy submission at the latest numbered event at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

UFC 331 featured six knockouts and one submission at Crypto.com Arena Watch every finish from the card in the player below.[embedded content]

UFC 334’s lineup has been revealed, as have the opening odds.

In the main event, Ciryl Gane is set to defend the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title against Josh Hokit on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The card is co-headlined by a bantamweight title fight between Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes.

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BetOnline has released its current odds for both championship bouts, with Gane favored over Hokit and Harrison favored over Nunes.UFC 334 betting lines move for Gane-Hokit and Harrison-Nunes Gane opened at -150 and is now at -235. The Frenchman is favored to beat the undefeated Hokit, who is currently listed at +195. Both fighters secured finishes at UFC Freedom 250 in their last outings. Gane was promoted to undisputed champ after Tom Aspinall vacated the belt.

The Harrison-Nunes line was originally released in November 2025 after they were announced for UFC 324, with Harrison opening at -155 and Nunes at +135. The fight…

Arman Tsarukyan cemented his status as the No.1 contender at lightweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship with a first-round knockout win.

Tsarukyan knocked out Mauricio Ruffy with back-to-back elbows in the dying seconds of the opening round in UFC 331’s co-main event at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, further strengthening his case for a title shot.

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Tsarukyan finishes Ruffy with back-to-back elbows in the UFC 331 co-main event Tsarukyan admitted the opening minutes of the bout were challenging after Ruffy connected with some clean strikes, but he remained confident that he would eventually find a finish.

“I feel great,” Tsarukyan said in a post-fight interview. “I was looking for a finish and even the first round was kind of rough, but I knew, like, I’m going to finish him. First punches, it’s always hard to defend because both of us, we’re fresh. But Ruffy is one of the best strikers, you know, we shouldn’t forget about that.”

“The Bat…

Dana White has pushed back against the idea that he doesn’t like Tom Aspinall.

This comes after Aspinall vacated the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title amid ongoing complications from an eye injury that prevented him from returning to competition. He has also linked up with Eddie Hearn, who has repeatedly criticized aspects of Aspinall’s contract and the UFC model.

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The UFC boss explains why fans may have gotten the wrong idea about Tom Aspinall Speaking after UFC 331, White dismissed suggestions that he has a personal issue with the former champion. He acknowledged Aspinall’s injury and revealed that the Brit is seeking further medical advice.

“No, that’s not the case,” White said at the post-fight presser. “It’s the furthest thing from the truth. He’s going through stuff with the doctor. He knows it’s going to be a while before he comes back. This is totally normal.”

White claims that certain misunderstood comments and reaction…

Arman Tsarukyan has completely redeemed himself after past clashes with Dana White and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Tsarukyan extended his win streak to six straight and further solidified his No.1 contender status at UFC 331 in Los Angeles with a first-round knockout win over Mauricio Ruffy. White praised the top-ranked lightweight at the post-fight presser, lauding his Octagon return.

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Arman Tsarukyan’s knockout of Mauricio Ruffy earns major praise from the UFC CEO Tensions between Tsarukyan and White sparked after the former pulled out of his lightweight title fight against Islam Makhachev the night before weigh-ins. He later drew more criticism from the UFC CEO for scuffles with fans and other fighters.

White acknowledged that Tsarukyan’s relationship with the UFC had soured amidst the aforementioned events, but “The Batman” has turned his standing with the company around.

“I’ve been vocal that I wasn’t crazy about some of the stuff…

Dana White isn’t looking forward to a potential Josh Hokit title reign in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Hokit will challenge Ciryl Gane for the UFC heavyweight championship at UFC 334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Gane was elevated to undisputed champion following Tom Aspinall’s relinquishment of the belt and “The Incredible Hok” will be the Frenchman’s first challenger.

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Dana White addresses Josh Hokit ahead of his UFC 334 title fight against Ciryl Gane White hasn’t been coy about his views on Hokit, who has drawn the ire of the UFC CEO previously, especially for his antics before and during UFC Freedom 250 at the White House.

With the unbeaten heavyweight now set to headline MSG, White was asked about the same at the UFC 331 post-fight presser.

“I got a lot of thoughts on that,” White said. “Yeah, lots and lots. I’m sure they’re the same thoughts that you’re all having. I doubt we’re that different. Yeah.”

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Joshua Van further solidified his status as the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight king at UFC 331.

Van retained his title with a unanimous decision over former champion Alexandre Pantoja in the UFC 331 main event at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The judges scored the bout 49-46, 49-47 and 50-45 for Van, who had nothing but respect for his Brazilian counterpart after their clash.

Joshua Van defeats Alexandre Pantoja by unanimous decision at UFC 331 Their first fight ended in anticlimactic fashion last year, with Van winning the title after an arm injury to Pantoja forced a referee stoppage early in the first round. The former then defended his title against Tatsuro Taira, but questions remained over whether he’s still the best 125-pounder while Pantoja recovered from his injury.

Van silenced the doubters with his performance at UFC 331, landing significant damage while escaping most grappling entanglements. He even attempted a submission of his own,…

Dana White added $50k of his own to the UFC 331 bonuses.

The latest numbered event went down at Crypto.com Arena on Sept. 19 in Los Angeles. The main event earned Fight of the Night honors, with Joshua Van defending his flyweight title in a rematch against Alexandre Pantoja. A special performance bonus in collaboration with the Paramount+ series “MobLand” was also on deck.

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Sean Sharaf knocked out Gable Steveson in just 12 seconds at UFC 331 Both Van and Pantoja earned $100k each for their instant classic. Arman Tsarukyan earned a $100k Performance of the Night bonus for knocking out Mauricio Ruffy in the co-main event. Tsarukyan ate an early right hand from Ruffy that left him visibly damaged. He then caught Ruffy in a clinch and put him to sleep with two elbows on the break.

Casey O’Neill (12-2) earned the other $100k POTN bonus for her submission win over Eduarda Moura on the prelims. Moura caught an early kick from O’Neill and took her down. Howe…

Patricio “Pitbull” Freire delivered a statement win in a bid to extend his stay in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Freire took on Doo Ho Choi (17-5) in a featherweight tilt at UFC 331 on Sept. 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. This being the last fight of his contract, Freire repeatedly stated his desire to continue fighting in the UFC and promised to put on a performance worthy of a contract renewal.

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Patricio Freire knocks out Doo Ho Choi at UFC 331 before calling out Jean Silva Freire backed up his promise, dropping Choi with a monstrous right hand to earn a first-round finish. Having had a lukewarm UFC career before UFC 331, the former Bellator champ apologized to fans and called out Jean Silva, who is known for barking at his opponents, to determine the bigger dog amongst the two.

“I’m sorry about my last three fights,” Freire said in his post-fight interview. “I feel that [UFC 331] was my debut. I don’t know what happened to me. But I…

Jon Jones had a clear view of one of the biggest upsets in Ultimate Fighting Championship history.

His protégé, Gable Steveson, suffered the first loss of his professional mixed martial arts career at UFC 331, with Sean Sharaf recording a 12-second knockout at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

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Sean Sharaf hands Gable Steveson his first MMA loss in stunning UFC 331 upset Heavy betting favorite Steveson entered the matchup unbeaten at 4-0, while Sharaf was 0-2 in the UFC. The latter uncorked a left hook early in the fight, putting the former to sleep. Steveson’s mentor, Jones, watched on and his reaction to the knockout is circulating online.

The former two-division UFC champion seemingly said, “Oh, my God!” while looking at his fellow cornermen.

Steveson dismissed Sharaf as a threat in the lead-up to the fight, relegating him to just a stepping stone towards his championship aspirations. “The Smoke” even provoked the polarizing Olympian at the …

Sherdog's live UFC 331 “Van vs. Pantoja 2” coverage will begin Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET.UFC 331 live results for Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja 2 and the full fight card Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:Mike Sloan scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:Mike Sloan scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:Mike Sloan scores the round: The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:Mike Sloan scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:Mike Sloan scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:Mike Sloan scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:Mike Sloan…

[embedded content] The Ultimate Fighting Championship's return to Los Angeles is now set with a title fight following the UFC 331 weigh-ins.

Main eventing the UFC's latest numbered event is a flyweight championship rematch between Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja. Both men had no issue making championship weight for the five-round fight. All other fighters on the 12-fight card also made weight, so it was a drama-free morning on the scale.

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Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja hit the flyweight championship limit ahead of their UFC 331 rematch Van (17-2) claimed the title in just 26 seconds last year after Pantoja injured his arm. Since then, the 24-year-old has solidified himself as the champion by knocking out Tatsuro Taira. "The Fearless" will look to show that the first victory wasn't just a fluke and officially weighed 125 pounds on the dot.

Meanwhile, this is the first fight back for Pantoja (30-6) since dropping the belt. "The Cannibal" had been o…

Nine months after suffering a serious cervical spine injury that forced her to withdraw from the UFC 324 main event against Amanda Nunes and undergo emergency surgery, Kayla Harrison is back in training for the highly anticipated matchup.

“Her injury was very serious. She had to undergo surgery and spent several months unable to train, but she made a great recovery and, three weeks ago, returned to full training for the fight, which is expected to take place Nov. 14 in New York,” American Top Team muay thai coach Anderson Franca told Sherdog.

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Kayla Harrison resumes full training nine months after cervical spine injury The two-time Olympic judo gold medalist and UFC women’s bantamweight champion will face Nunes, the former two-division UFC champion widely regarded as the greatest women’s mixed martial artist of all time.

Interestingly, Franca was also one of the key coaches in Nunes’ camp for her 2018 fight against Cris Cyborg.

“Amanda was con…

Fresh off a trip to Arizona, where he watched his fighter Jean Silva earn his seventh Ultimate Fighting Championship victory, Flavio Alvaro spoke with Sherdog on Tuesday about Saturday’s UFC co-main event between former Fighting Nerds standout Mauricio Ruffy and No. 2-ranked lightweight Arman Tsarukyan.

“Funny enough, Ruffy was the one who brought me to the Fighting Nerds. He trained with me from the age of 18 to 24, then joined the Fighting Nerds and introduced me to Sucupira there. Today, even though he’s no longer with us, he’s still a brother to me,” said Alvaro, who worked as a ground coach with the Brazilian team.

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Flavio Alvaro explains why he sees rare talent in Mauricio Ruffy ahead of UFC 331 Alvaro has high praise for Ruffy’s skills, going so far as to compare the UFC lightweight to one of the greatest Brazilian soccer players of all time.

“What I can say with confidence is that he’s the most skilled guy I’ve ever seen in MMA. He’s a geni…

A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with 60 mixed martial arts fights on his résumé, many of them from the no-holds-barred era, Flavio “The Legendary” Alvaro is primarily responsible for the Fighting Nerds’ ground and cage work.

Thanks to his MMA experience, Alvaro is also highly respected for the mental preparation he provides in the corner, an aspect of his coaching known internally as the “dark side” of the Fighting Nerds.

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“Pablo [Sucupira] and I complement each other even in that. Between rounds, while he brings the fight analysis and enforces our tactical game plan, I keep our warrior mentally armored,” Alvaro told Sherdog on Tuesday.Fighting Nerds coach Flavio Alvaro explains how Jean Silva perfected the choke he used on Jose DelgadoAs Jean Silva showed in a video posted to Instagram on Sunday, the submission he used against Delgado on Saturday was taught to him by Alvaro, which is why it has been dubbed the “Legendary Choke.” “The video Jean pos…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship will host its next card in Los Angeles on Sept. 19.UFC 331 streaming details for Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja 2Here’s a brief rundown for those who intend to watch UFC 331:

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How to watch UFC 331 in the United States UFC 331 goes down at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sept. 19. U.S. fans can stream the early prelims live on UFC Fight Pass and Paramount+ at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT. Meanwhile, the prelims air live only on Paramount+ at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, followed by the main card at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Joshua Van (17-2) puts his flyweight title on the line in a rematch against Alexandre Pantoja (30-6) in the main event. Pantoja defended his title four times before losing it to Van last December. The fight ended in an unfortunate injury loss for Pantoja as “The Cannibal” dislocated his elbow in less than 30 seconds. Van has since defended his title with a knockout win over Tatsuro Taira this past May.

Arm…

Alexandre Pantoja claims he’s fully recovered from his arm injury and is raring to return to action in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The former UFC flyweight champion is set to challenge Joshua Van for the title in a rematch at UFC 331 in Los Angeles on Sept. 19. Pantoja says he has fully recovered from the injury that occurred in their first meeting, crediting his mindset during the recovery and rehabilitation process.

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Alexandre Pantoja details recovery ahead of Joshua Van rematch at UFC 331 Pantoja was a massive favorite going into their first bout in December last year. However, the fight ended anticlimactically as the Brazilian suffered an elbow injury while bracing for a fall after his head-kick was caught by Van. “The Cannibal” recently revealed that he returned to training just days after suffering the injury and remained focused on recovery.

“The first 20 minutes after my injury are the worst,” Pantoja said in a recent interview. “But…