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A middleweight clash pitting Nassourdine Imavov against Kelvin Gastelum is expected to serve as the headliner for an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Jan. 14.

The booking was initially reported by La Sueur on Twitter, and Gastelum has since confirmed the bout on social media. The card will take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Imavov and Gastelum were initially slated to meet at UFC 273, but visa issues for Imavov resulted in the contest being canceled.

Anchored at the MMA Factory in France, Imavov enters the matchup with Gastelum on a three-bout winning streak. Most recently, the 27-year-old outpointed Joaquin Buckley at UFC Fight Night 209 on Sept. 3. He is 4-1 in the Octagon overall, with his lone setback coming against Phil Hawes in February 2021.

Gastelum, meanwhile, is just 1-5 in his last six promotional appearances and did not compete at all in 2022 after proposed bouts against Dricus Du Plessis and Imavov fell through. His last appearan…

It turns out that Yadong Song dealt with more than just a nasty cut in his loss to Cory Sandhagen in the UFC Fight Night 210 headliner.

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The Team Alpha Male product posted a photo of an X-ray taken after the bout while revealing that he suffered a fractured orbital.

“Since Round 2, I was seeing triple vision because of this orbital fracture,” Song wrote on Instagram. “I was facing three Cory in front of me. A titanium piece will put in for me next week, will come back tougher with the metal.”

Sandagen did the damage in Round 2, when he landed a standing elbow strike that opened a significant cut about Song’s left eye. The wound deepened as the bout progressed, and a doctor waved off the fight prior to the fifth round. A timetable for Song’s return is currently unclear.

The 24-year-old “Kung Fu Kid” had a three-fight winning streak snapped in defeat. He is 8-2-1 in UFC competition with wins over the likes of Marlon Moraes, Casey Kenney a…

Edson Barboza has been forced to withdraw from a proposed featherweight clash against Ilia Topuria at UFC Fight Night 213 due to a knee injury.

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MMAFighting.com was first to report Barboza’s exit. The knee injury required Barboza to recently undergo surgery. UFC Fight Night 213 takes place on Oct. 29 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a 145-pound clash pitting Calvin Kattar against Arnold Allen. It is currently unknown if Topuria will remain on the card against a replacement opponent. Barboza vs. Topuria was slated to be the evening’s co-main event.

Barboza is 2-3 since moving to 145 pounds. The 36-year-old Brazilian is coming off back-to-back losses against Giga Chikadze and Bryce Mitchell.

Spain’s Topuria is a rising prospect who is undefeated in 12 professional appearances. He is 4-0 in the UFC with three straight KO/TKO victories to his credit.

It appears that Rafael dos Anjos is headed back to the welterweight division.

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The former lightweight champion, who said that he would look for fights that motivated him following a loss to Rafael Fiziev this past July, officially announced his return to 170 pounds in an interview on Brazilian YouTube channel “Canal Encarada.”

“The UFC offered me two names at lightweight that didn't make sense to me, taking into consideration the rankings issue. So I asked them to drop me from the rankings and decided to go back up to 170 where I can have a healthier life,” dos Anjos said. “Because I fight well with the big guys.”

During the interview the Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt claimed that he already had a fight lined up for December, but when pressed said that he was not yet authorized to reveal the name of his opponent. However, according to a report from Combate.com, dos Anjos is expected to face Bryan Barberena at UFC Fight Night in Orland on Dec.…

A women’s lightweight final between Kayla Harrison and Larissa Pacheco will headline the PFL Championship card on Nov. 25.

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The organization announced the majority of the lineup for its final event of the year on Wednesday. The PFL Championship will take place at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York and will see Brendan Loughnane square off against Bubba Jenkins at featherweight in the evening’s co-main event. The main card will be a pay-per-view available via ESPN+, and begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. A price point was not announced, however.

The rest of the main draw will feature the remaining four PFL finals: Ante Delija vs. Mattheus Scheffel at heavyweight; Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Steven Ray at lightweight; Sadibou Sy vs. Dilano Taylor at welterweight and Rob Wilkinson vs. Omari Akhmedov at light heavyweight. Additionally, the pay-per-view offering will include a featherweight bout pitting Shane Burgos against Marlon Moraes and on…

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Sherdog's live DWCS 2022 Week 10 coverage will begin Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.

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

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Round 1 Nova Uniao export Estevam owns a 12-0 mark that includes experience in Legacy Fighting Alliance and Shooto Brazil. Elias, meanwhile, is a Gile Ribeiro Team member and has submitted his last three foes inside of a round. Jason Herzog will be the third man in the cage. Elias opens with an inside leg kick in lieu of a glove touch and they’re wasting no time. It’s a rapid pace to begin and Elias is already framing an armbar following a scramble. Elias pushes off the floor and pops to his feet, only to pull guard and go back to work. Estevam is doing what he can to pass guard, but it’s quite difficult due to his foe’s active guard. Elias posts near the fence, while Estevam keeps his hands connected. Elias rolls and suddenly has a kneebar attempt. Estevam defends, spins around and dro…

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Bellator MMA has bolstered its roster with the signing of King of Pancrase welterweight champion Masayuki Kikuiri.

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The promotion announced Tuesday that it has inked Kikuiri to an exclusive multi-fight, multi-year contract. A date for Kikuiri’s Bellator debut is currently unclear.

“I’m very grateful to (Bellator president) Mr. Scott Coker for this opportunity and everyone involved in making this happen. I promise I’m coming for finishes and will be a Bellator fighter that’ll make Japan proud,” Kikuiri said in a release.


 
“I’ve fought only for Pancrase from my MMA debut and every fight until becoming champion. I’m grateful to Pancrase for helping me grow and kindly sending me out to fight under the Pancrase banner. I’ll be sure to proudly show the strength of the long line of King of Pancrase Champions to the world.”

Kikuiri brings an 8-2-1 record into his Bellator debut. He ended his Pancrase tenure with a five-r…

The #InvictaFC49 main event is OFFICIAL! Atomweight champion @Jessicadmma defends her title against @lionheartjill TOMORROW NIGHT!#InvictaFC49 | Wednesday, Sept. 28 | LIVE at 8/7c on @axstv + @fightnet + @facebook + @youtube! pic.twitter.com/doqJvcDGqi

— Invicta FC (@InvictaFights) September 27, 2022

The Invicta FC 49 headliner is now official, as both Jessica Correa Delboni and Jillian DeCoursey made weight ahead of their atomweight title showdown.

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Delboni, the reigning champion, tipped the scales at 104.8 pounds, while Jillian DeCoursey checked in at 104.7. Invicta FC 49 takes place on Wednesday at the Sugar Creek Casino in Hinton, Okla., and airs on AXS TV and the Invicta FC YouTube channel and Facebook page beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

After a controversial loss to Alesha Zappitella in her first title bid in May 2021, Delboni claimed the atomweight throne with a five-round verdict in a rematch at Invicta FC 45…

Once-promising bantamweight prospect Aspen Ladd is no longer on the UFC roster following her latest mishap on the scales.

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MMAFighting.com was first to confirm Ladd’s release after Twitter account UFC Roster Watch revealed that the figher had been removed from the UFC women’s bantamweight rankings. Ladd has lost three of her last four Octagon appearances.

Fighter removed: Aspen Ladd

— UFC Roster Watch (@UFCRosterWatch) September 27, 2022

Ladd was scheduled to face Sara McMann at UFC Fight Night 210 on Sept. 17, but the bout was canceled after Ladd checked in two pounds overweight for the 135-pound clash. That was Ladd’s third weight miss in the UFC, as she also came in heavy for fights against Macy Chiasson in 2021 and against Leslie Smith in 2018. Both of those bouts were scrapped as a result. She also missed weight for a fight against Jessica Hoy under the Invicta FC banner in 2016, but that bout went ahead as planned…

One Championship heavyweight Martin Batur is facing sanctions from the promotion after failing a drug test in relation to his most recent fight.

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One Championship announced Tuesday that Batur has been suspended for 1 year after testing positive for an androgenic anabolic steroid. As a result, his first-round technical knockout victory against Paul Elliott at One Championship 160 on Aug. 26 has been overturned to a no contest.

According to a statement, Batur’s sample was collected and processed by International Doping Tests and Management (IDTM). Additionally, the Croatian will be subject to in- and out-of-competition testing in the future.

One Championship 160 was Batur’s debut with the Singapore-based organization. Prior to that, the UFD Gym export compiled a 7-3 career mark, with a notable loss to UFC heavyweight Aleksander Rakic at Austrian Fight Challenge 1 in 2015.

The Professional Fighters League isn’t waiting until next season to throw Shane Burgos and Marlon Moraes into the fire.

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According to ESPN, the recently-signed fighters have agreed to square off at the PFL Championships in November at featherweight. The promotion hasn’t officially announced a date or venue for the event, but the card is expected to take place on Nov. 25.

Burgos recently parted ways with the UFC following an 8-3 stint with the Las Vegas-based organization, which prompted Dana White to admit that it was a mistake not re-signing the Team Tiger Schulmann representative. The 31-year-old known as “Hurricane” is coming off back-to-back decision triumphs over Billy Quarantillo and Charles Jourdain in the Octagon.

Moraes, meanwhile, announced his retirement in April before returning to sign with the PFL. Moraes was the World Series of Fighting’s first bantamweight champion before signing with the UFC, where he earned wins over the li…

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Mike Perry isn’t scheduled to fight anyone in Russia, but that didn’t prevent him from nearly brawling with Magomed Ismailov during an impromptu faceoff.

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Perry was reportedly in Russia to corner traininer partner and fellow UFC veteran Alex Nicholson against Vagab Vagabov. Perry appeared on Russian TV to promote the event, and for some reason he squared off against Ismailov during the event. That ultimately led to a brawl nearly breaking out in a television studio before the two fighters were separated.

According to Perry, Ismailov mistook an expletive for a more serious insult.

“I almost got jumped in there,” Perry said on his Instagram stories. “Luckily, people was breaking it up. But in Russia if you call someone a motherf——er, they think you’re talking about someone’s mom so then the whole team coming to get you. But in America when you say motherf——er it’s like normal words. It’s normal. I’m not talking about your mama,…

If anyone has a right to be bitter about 17-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. Jr. securing a UFC contract on his first Dana White’s Contender Series appearance, it’s Bo Nickal.

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After all Nickal is a three-time NCAA national champion wrestler at Penn State University, won an under-23 world championship and was a finalist at the 2020 U.S. Olympic team trials. As one of the most highly-touted prospects in recent memory, Nickal rolled through Zachary Borrego on Week 3 of the Contender Series, winning via submission in 62 seconds. And yet, UFC president Dana White needed to see more.

“I don’t know what else he could have done to look any better. He looked incredible. The only reason I didn’t sign him tonight is because he’s 2-0 now,” White said after the fight. “We got eight more weeks of this. Why not have him fight here again, you know what I mean? It just makes sense.”

It would seem that Nickal’s credentials would far surpass that of someone like Rosas Jr.…

Bo Nickal is hoping the second time is the charm when it comes to earning a UFC contract.

Nickal made weight without issue ahead of his second appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series, tipping the scales at 185.5 pounds on Monday. All nine other athletes slated to compete on Week 10 of the show — the last episode of the season — hit their contracted marks, as well.

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The Contender Series takes place on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and airs on ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The evening’s featured matchup is a middleweight clash between Nickal and Donovan Beard (184).

Nickal, a three-time NCAA national champion at Penn State University, is one of the most high-touted MMA prospects in recent memory. The 26-year-old was dominant in his first Contender Series appearance, submitting Zachary Borrego with a rear-naked choke in just 62 seconds on Aug. 9.

Beard, 32, has been victorious in seven of eight professioal outings. Most recently, he cla…

BELLATOR MMA, the leading mixed martial arts organization, will return to 3Arena on Friday, February 24, marking the promotion’s ninth event in the Irish capital, following the massive success of BELLATOR 285! 3Presale kicks off Wednesday morning followed by general sale Friday pic.twitter.com/gLKjmVRtXt

— 3Arena (@3ArenaDublin) September 26, 2022

Bellator MMA will return to the Irish capital early next year.

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The California-based promotion recently announced that it will hold an event at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland on Feb. 24. No bouts were announced for the card, which will mark Bellator’s ninth event in the country.

Bellator held its initial event in Ireland in 2016. Most recently, Bellator 285 took place at the same venue and saw Benson Henderson captured a unanimous decision over Peter Queally in the evening’s lightweight headliner this past Friday. Afterward, the promotion claimed that the latest event set an attenda…

popo drops pele early in the first and knocks him out shortly after #FMS2 pic.twitter.com/kcOPpGc5lu

— jake (@jakeshreds420) September 26, 2022

After a successful debut, the Fight Music Promotion held its second event on Sunday at Arena de Baixada in Curitiba, Brazil. According to the promotion, 7,000 people attended the card, and it was broadcast live in Brazil on the Combate Channel.

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While the boxing debut of Cristiane Justino drew the majority of the attention from the MMA community, the show featured five MMA fights on the undercard and five boxing bouts on the main draw. In the main event, 47-year-old Acelino Popo Freitas face 49-year-old Vale Tudo legend Jose Landi-Johns in a 165-pound catchweight bout. Landi-Johns, who has been retired since 2015 and has no professional boxing experience, was knocked out by Freitas 1:25 into Round 1.

Freitas floored “Pele” within the fight’s opening 10 seconds with a straight r…

popo drops pele early in the first and knocks him out shortly after #FMS2 pic.twitter.com/kcOPpGc5lu

— jake (@jakeshreds420) September 26, 2022

After a successful debut, the Fight Music Promotion held its second event on Sunday at Arena de Baixada in Curitiba, Brazil. According to the promotion, 7,000 people attended the card, and it was broadcast live in Brazil on the Combate Channel.

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While the boxing debut of Cristiane Justino drew the majority of the attention from the MMA community, the show featured five MMA fights on the undercard and five boxing bouts on the main draw. In the main event, 47-year-old Acelino Popo Freitas face 49-year-old Vale Tudo legend Jose Landi-Jons in a 165-pound catchweight bout. Landi-Jons, who has been retired since 2015 and has no professional boxing experience, was knocked out by Freitas 1:25 into Round 1.

Freitas floored “Pele” within the fight’s opening 10 seconds with a straight rig…

A welterweight clash pitting Mounir Lazzez against Gabriel de Souza Bonfim is on tap for UFC 283.

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Multiple outlets confirmed the booking after Bonfim initially announced the bout on social media. UFC 283 marks the Las Vegas-based promotion’s first visit to Rio de Janeiro since May 2019. The event does not currently have a headliner.

Lazzez has been victorious in two of his first three Octagon appearances. Most recently, the Tunisian known as “Sniper” outpoined Ange Loosa at UFC on ESPN 34 on April 16. The Team Nogueira Duba representative is 11-2 as a professional, with eight wins via KO or TKO.

Bonfim earned a UFC contract thanks to a first-round shoulder choke of Trey Waters at Dana White’s Contender Series on Sept. 6. The former Legacy Fighting Alliance welterweight king is 13-0 since beginning his professional tenure in 2014.

cris cyborg wins her pro boxing debut against simone silva via unanimous decision #FMS2 pic.twitter.com/52UZEtwr93

— jake (@jakeshreds420) September 26, 2022

Cristiane Justino enjoyed a successful debut in the Sweet Science, taking a unanimous verdict against Simone Silva in a boxing match on Sunday night.

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The bout was contested over eight rounds and served as the co-main event of the Fight Music 2 card at Arena da Baixada in Curitiba, Brazil. While the promotion billed it as a professional fight, it is still unclear if it will ultimately be recognized as a pro or exhibition bout, according to MMAFighting.com.

“Cyborg” reportedly landed the harder shots throughout the fight, but Silva was able to survive the power of the Bellator MMA featherweight queen. The contest ended with a wild exchange of punches in Round 8. Judges’ scores were not announced.

R8 entre Cyborg y Silva #CyborgSilva pic.…

A right hand from Floyd just before the bell brings an end to the bout, and Asakura suffers his first KO loss ‼️

『The Battle Cats presents SUPER RIZIN』🎟PPV🔻https://t.co/xluM3LdybU pic.twitter.com/hivHA3WrUn

— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) September 25, 2022

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It took a little over two rounds for Mikuru Asakura to learn the same lesson his countryman and Rizin FF stablemate Tenshin Nasukawa did back on New Year’s Eve 2018: An exhibition against Floyd Mayweather is exactly as serious as you make it.

In the main event of the Super Rizin card that formed half of a doubleheader with Rizin 38 on Saturday at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, the undefeated boxing legend was content to move and trade jabs and three-quarter-speed body shots with the Rizin featherweight contender for most of the first round. Late in that round, Asakura dialed up the intensity, leading to some awkward collisions and a clean head shot or…

It took a little under two rounds for Mikuru Asakura to learn the same lesson his countryman and Rizin FF stablemate Tenshin Nasukawa did back on New Year’s Eve 2018: An exhibition against Floyd Mayweather is exactly as serious as you want to make it.

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In the main event of the Super Rizin card that formed half of a doubleheader with Rizin 38 on Saturday at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, the undefeated boxing legend was content to move and trade jabs and three-quarter-speed body shots with the Rizin featherweight contender for most of the first round. Late in that round, Asakura dialed up the intensity, leading to some awkward collisions and a clean head shot or two landed on Mayweather. At that point, Mayweather flipped a switch, stinging Asakura with several hard shots before the round expired.

A right hand from Floyd just before the bell brings an end to the bout, and Asakura suffers his first KO loss ‼️

『The Bat…

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A heavyweight clash pitting Derrick Lewis against Sergey Spivak will headline an Ultimate Fighting Championship card on Nov. 19.

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The Las Vegas-based promotion confirmed the booking on Saturday. The UFC Fight Night card takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

A two-time heavyweight title challenger, Lewis has lost three of his last four Octagon appearances. Most recently, “The Black Beast” suffered a 55-second TKO defeat at the hands of Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 277 on July 30.

The 27-year-old Spivak has quietly won five of six in UFC competition since July 2020. “The Polar Bear” is 2-0 in 2022, with TKO wins against Augusto Sakai and Greg Hardy to his credit.

With a combined 28 KOs, these two heavy hitters won't go all 5 rounds 👀@TheBeast_UFC vs Serghei Spivac is OFFICIAL for Nov 19! pic.twitter.com/rtTCGVttGE

— UFC (@ufc) September 24, 2022