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Jessica Andrade’s triumphant return to the strawweight division proved to be short lived.

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After a first-round submission of Amanda Lemos in her return to 115 pounds at UFC Fight Night 205, the plan was for Andrade to climb the rankings in the weight class until she earned a title shot. Things changed when she was given a short-notice opportunity to face Manon Fiorot in a flyweight bout at UFC Paris on Sept. 3.

"Our focus was 100% on strawweight, but it´s pretty clear that [Carla] Esparza must face [Weili] Zhang and Marina [Rodriguez] must face Rose [Namajunas]. We cannot keep waiting on results,” her coach, Giliard Parana, told Sherdog.com. “The point is that Jessica is one of the best-paid girls in any female division and the reality is that is not easy for the UFC to find opponents for her. Since we moved to the United States and need to pay our bills, she needs to fight and UFC knows that whenever they need, they can count on us.”

&nb…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

The lineup for UFC 278 appears to be nearly complete, as the Las Vegas-based promotion announced 12 bouts for the Aug. 20 card on Monday.

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Among the notable new additions is a heavyweight showdown pitting Alexander Romanov against Marcin Tybura and a flyweight tilt between Amir Albazi and Francisco Figueiredo.

UFC 278 takes place at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah and is headlined by a welterweight title clash between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards. Also confirmed for the event is a bantamweight fight between Jose Aldo and Merab Dvalishvili and a middleweight scrap between Paulo Costa and Luke Rockhold.

The following bouts were also announced for UFC 278: Leonardo Santos vs. Jared Gordon at lightweight; Yanan Wu vs. Lucie Pudilova at bantamweight; Tyson Pedro vs. Harry Hunsucker at light heavyweight; Daniel Lacerda vs. Victor Altamirano at flyweight; Qileng Aori vs. Jay Perrin at bantam…

Joaquin Buckley worked diligently on his defensive wrestling during training camp prior to UFC on ESPN 37 — and it paid off in the form of a doctor stoppage victory against Albert Duraev.

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“I knew this fight was gonna be exactly what it was. I knew exactly what he was capable of. He had one thing that he was good at: holding people down,” Buckley said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I made sure this whole camp I practiced if I got taken down, I was getting back up. We were working a lot of scenarios on the ground, just being patient, working my hips to the cage, getting back up and throwing them hands.”

Duraev was successful on just two of his nine takedown attempts in the middleweight bout and often absorbed heavy left-hand counters when he did attempt to shoot. That damage accumulated and over time, Duraev’s left eye closed completely. The contest was waved off before the start of the third round, though there was initially some confu…

Two-division champion Reinier de Ridder will defend his middleweight (205-pound) crown against Vitaly Bigdash in the One Championship 159 main event on July 22.

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Promotion officials recently announced the full lineup for the card. One Championship 159 takes place at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore, and will see Janet Todd square off against Lara Fernandez for the interim atomweight muay Thai title in the co-main event.

De Ridder is undefeated in 15 professional appearances — including six victories under the One banner. In his last outing, the 31-year-old Netherlands native defended the middleweight belt with a third-round submission of Kiamrian Abbasov at One “Full Circle” on Feb. 25. “The Dutch Knight” initially captured middleweight gold with a first-round submission of Aung La N Sang in October 2020. De Ridder also vanquished Sang via unanimous decision for the light heavyweight title at One on TNT 4 in April 2021.

Bigdash ent…

There are always two sides to the story when a fight ends in a split decision.

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Such was the case at UFC on ESPN 37, where Josh Emmett captured a contentious split verdict against Calvin Kattar in the evening’s featherweight main event at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, on Saturday night. For his part, Emmett was in disbelief that the fight was as close as it was, but he was nonetheless thrilled to be on the right side of the scorecards.

Kattar, meanwhile, is left to lament what might have been. “The Boston Finisher” worked behind a technical jab all night and actually outlanded his opponent in significant strikes, but it seems as though the judges valued Emmett’s more impactful offense at the end of the bout.

“I just thought I was going to get my hand raised at the end of it,” Kattar said on the ESPN+ post-fight show. “I didn’t care, we give a s—t if it’s unanimous or a split. I thought I did enough to win the fight. Josh is a class act, a …

In Josh Emmett’s mind, the UFC on ESPN 37 headliner wasn’t a particularly difficult fight to call.

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The 37-year-old Team Alpha Male product emerged from his five-round clash against Calvin Kattar with a split-decision triumph at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, but he thought his performance warranted a more definitive result.

“I thought I was going to get screwed,” Emmett said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I thought I won four [rounds] to one. I had four to one. At least three to two and when they went split, I was like, ‘Come on.’ But it worked out in my favor.”

While Kattar held a 130-to-107 edge in significant strikes, Emmett appeared to land with more impact throughout the fight. Emmett says a lesser fighter wouldn’t have been able to absorb some of the blows the way Kattar did.

“Calvin Kattar is a dog,” Emmett said. “Like I told you guys, I was ready for a 25-minute war. He’s tough as hell. Usually when I hit people with…

A previously reported bantameight headliner between Dominick Cruz and Marlon Vera now has an official location.

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Cruz and Vera will square off in a five-round main event at a UFC Fight Night event in San Diego on Aug. 13, the promotion announced Saturday. A venue for the card was not revealed, however. The fight will be something of a home game for Cruz, who is anchored at the San Diego-based camp Alliance MMA.

Cruz, a former 135-pound champion, is coming off a 2-0 2021. The Alliance MMA standout garnered a split verdict over Casey Kenney at UFC 259 before defeating Pedro Munhoz via unanimous decision in his most recent appearance at UFC 269 this past December.

This will be Vera’s second consecutive headlining engagement after he took a five-round verdict over Rob Font at UFC on ESPN 35 on April 30. “Chito” has been victorious in four of his last five Octagon appearances, with other wins coming against the likes of Frankie Edgar, Davey Grant …

Eddie Wineland is calling it a career after 41 professional bouts.

The former World Extreme Cagefighting champion announced his retirement on Instagram following a first-round technical knockout loss to Cody Stamann in a preliminary bantamweight bout at UFC on ESPN 37 in Austin, Texas, on Saturday night.

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“I didn’t get an opportunity to leave my gloves in the cage but as Jim Morrison once sang. ‘this is the end,’” Wineland wrote. “The road I’ve traveled over the past almost 20 years has seen many highs and lows, it’s been a fun ride but this train has reached its final destination!

“I am forever grateful and extremely thankful for the opportunities given by the UFC, Dana White and Sean Shelby, everything you guys and the company have done for and given to me I am forever grateful! Thank you and thank you to the fans who’ve always stood in my corner, officially retired. Thank you for the memories, time to turn the page, and on to the next chapter in l…

It was a banner night for finishes at UFC on ESPN 37, and those responsible for the violence in Austin, Texas, on Saturday night were rewarded for their efforts.

Of the 13 fights on the card, nine ended inside the distance. That included eight fights with knockout or technical knockout victories — tying a record for a single UFC event. As a result, all athletes who finished a fight received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus.

Those winners were as follows: Kevin Holland, Joaquin Buckley, Gregory Rodrigues, Adrian Yanez, Jeremiah Wells, Ricardo Ramos, Cody Stamann, Phil Hawes and Roman Dolidze.

Meanwhile, Josh Emmett and Calvin Kattar garnered “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their competitive featherweight duel in the evening’s headliner. In a closely-contested bout, Emmett emerged with a split decision triumph.

Josh Emmett’s first venture into the championship rounds proved to be a successful one.

In a closely-contested bout that played out primarily as a boxing match, Emmett (18-2, 9-2 UFC) captured a split-decision triumph against Calvin Kattar (23-6, 7-4 UFC) in the UFC on ESPN 37 main event at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, on Saturday night. Judges Sal D’Amato and Chris Lee submitted 48-47 scorecards in favor of Emmett, while Douglas Crosby saw it 48-47 in favor of Kattar. Emmett’s five-bout winning streak is tied for the fourth-longest in the featherweight division.

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Emmett’s aggressive forays into the pocket proved to be some of the most decisive moments of the fight. The Team Alpha Male product landed with more impact than Kattar, and several of his heavy right hands moved his opponent backwards momentarily. Kattar, meanwhile, was effective with his jab throughout the 25-minute affair, opening a cut above Emmett’s left eye in Round 1 and gradual…

Sherdog's live UFC on ESPN 37 coverage will begin Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.

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

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BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Daukaus (-240), Dolidze (+195)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round: Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Hawes (-260), Winn (+210)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy…

THAT'S how you make your UFC debut! 👏 Amazing performance by Natalia Silva! 💥 #UFCAustin pic.twitter.com/CGGc1pGact

— UFC (@ufc) June 18, 2022

Former Jungle Fight champion Natalia Cristina da Silva enjoyed a promotional debut to remember, taking a clear-cut unanimous decision triumph against Jasmine Jasudavicius in a female flyweight clash at UFC on ESPN 37 on Saturday at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. All three cageside judges submitted tallies in favor of Silva: 30-26, 30-27 and 30-27.

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Silva (13-5-1, 1-0 UFC) outclassed her opponent in every aspect of the fight. The Brazilian battered Jasudavicius (7-2, 1-1 UFC) with rapid-fire punching combinations and kicks to all levels while forcing the Canadian to chase her all over the Octagon. When Jasudavicius attempted to initiate takedowns, Silva was able to either remain upright or reverse into top position — including one occasion in which she dropped a series of elb…

Marian Ziolkowski continued his lightweight championship reign with a unanimous verdict against Sebastian Rajewski in the main event of an action-packed KSW 71 card at the Arena Torun in Torun, Poland, on Saturday.

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Ziolkowski (25-8-1 1 NC, 6-2 KSW) showcased his usual coolness as he studied his opponent in the bout’s early moments before coming up with the right strategy to achieve victory. In turn, Rajewski (12-7, 4-2 KSW) maintained the center of the cage and landed offense from afar, disrupting Ziolkowski’s timing on several occasions. Rajewski had a successful second round, scoring with quick body kicks and dropping his foe with a well-timed overhand. Ziolkowski weathered the storm and recomposed himself, keeping Rajewski at bay with his educated jab. Ziolkowski found his pace and range in the championship rounds and kept scoring precious points thanks to his punches. Ultimately, the battle went to the scorecards, and the judges submitted 48-4…

For the second time in as many months, a lightweight scrap between Joe Lauzon and Donald Cerrone has been canceled on the day they were scheduled to fight.

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The promotion announced on Saturday that Lauzon was removed from the UFC on ESPN 37 bout due to a “non-weight related medical issue.” Last month, Cerrone became ill on the day of their proposed UFC 274 clash and the fight was nixed. Lauzon revealed in a video on Instagram that a last-minute knee issue forced him off the card.

“So I’m not fighting Cowboy Cerrone tonight,” Lauzon said. “The freakiest weirdest thing ever: I weigh-in officially, I got sit down, and I got to put my socks on, I turn my knee out, and my knee locks out.

“I’ve dealt with meniscus injuries on both knees, but this knee in particular, had it cleaned out a bunch of times, but when it does lock up, I can usually straighten out, it unlocks, totally fine, 100 percent, immediately. This time, I’m now surrounded by all the…

Professional Fighters League's fourth event of the 2022 regular season featured its lightweight and light heavyweight divisions prior to the upcoming playoffs. Atop the PFL 4 card was a lightweight showdown between Clay Collard and Alex Martinez, which wound up being an entertaining three-round affair worthy of top billing.

Showing off his boxing skills early, Collard (21-10, 1 NC) confidently advanced forward while throwing punches. Unable to initially deal with the pressure, Martinez (10-2, 1 NC) became susceptible to takedowns. "Cassius" Clay would drop Martinez with a well-timed hook early in Round 2 and would follow his opponent to the floor. This would wind up being a mistake as the Paraguayan fighter would take the back of Collard and threaten with a rear-naked choke. The third frame would see Collard finding success on the feet before being taken down by Martinez, who wasn't able to do much but ended the fight in top position.

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After 15 minut…

Sign up for ESPN+ and watch PFL 4

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The 2022 Professional Fighters League Season continues Friday at 7 p.m. ET.

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

Round 1 The PFL is back for three weeks in a row in Hotlanta to wrap up its regular season, and the first of three comes with a card for lightweight and light heavyweights. Only two 155ers thus far celebrate more than three points, so it’s still anyone’s game in the lightweight range. Meanwhile, four of the five 205-pound victors thus far pocketed at least five points, and every single light heavyweight winner from a few weeks ago takes on someone else with zero points. There are, however, no tournament implications for this first fight, as it is instead a “showcase” match between two PFL debutants and LFA vets Childers (9-2, 0-0 PFL) and Jennerman (15-5, 0-0 PFL) to start the show. Both looking to punch their ticket either to next year’s tourney or to…

🚨Got told the UFC is working on a bantamweight fight between Cory Sandhagen and Song Yadong. The fight is targeted to headline the FN event on September 17th.🚨 pic.twitter.com/hAxDjUFwNI

— Marcel Dorff 🇳🇱🇮🇩 (@BigMarcel24) June 16, 2022 The Ultimate Fighting Championship can seemingly do no wrong when it comes to matchmaking the top echelon of its bantamweight division.

On Thursday night, Eurosport first broke the news that the promotion was considering Cory Sandhagen (14-4) vs. Yadong Song (19-6-1, 1 NC) to headline its upcoming Sept. 17 UFC Fight Night event. The UFC’s broadcast partner of ESPN confirmed the pairing on Friday, while stating that the contracts have not yet been signed but both sides have agreed to it.

Sandhagen will come into this 135-pound headliner on a two-fight skid. In July 2021, he fell short to T.J. Dillashaw by contentious split decision, with the sizable majority of media members scoring it for Sandhagen. Look…

One Championship 145-pound kingpin John Lineker would like to get back to action sooner than the organization has planned for him.

Lineker claimed the title by knocking Bibiano Fernandes out cold with one punch in March at the appropriately titled “Lights Out” event. The likely next challenger for Lineker’s first defense is expected to be a fellow countryman: Fabricio Andrade, who challenged the division’s top fighter after his own victory in June. Lineker spoke to Sherdog on Thursday about the possible matchup, as well as one more he is watching out for should the opportunity arise.

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“I’m an employee, whoever ONE FC decides, I’ll be ready,” Lineker explained. “Unfortunately, these guys started to promote the fight in a disrespectful way. I really don’t like that, and my opponents should learn that they just get [me] more motivated to knock them out.”

The man known as “Hands of Stone” did like the potential pairing with Andrade, as he feels it would …

BREAKING: Luis Tavares and Sergej Maslobojev will fight for the undisputed Light Heavyweight Title on August 20 at #GLORY81.

Full statement on the status of the light heavyweight division ➡️ https://t.co/XCYGfAbKK4 pic.twitter.com/XecJ7WRJDF

— GLORY Kickboxing (@GLORY_WS) June 17, 2022 Months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine started, Glory Kickboxing is taking a stand on Russian fighters.

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The organization announced via press release on Friday that it was ending the contracts of all Russian fighters under its banner. It explained its reasoning in a lengthy statement, which included “travel bans, safety concerns and payment blockages.” It is unclear the specific number of kickboxers that have been let go by the promotion, but this does include reigning light heavyweight champ Artem Vakhitov. While Glory did allow Russians to fight and represent no nation or any flag – much like how the Professional Fighters League i…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxIgtJgZYSE&w=640&h=360] Sign up for ESPN+ and watch UFC on ESPN 37: Kattar vs. Emmett The Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki lightweight title will be on the line at KSW 71.

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All fighters made weight for the card, which will be headlined by a lightweight title fight between champion Marian Ziolkowski and challenger Sebastian Rajewski. Ziolkowski (24-8-1, 1 NC) is looking to make his third defense of the belt, while Rajewski (12-6) is riding a three-fight win streak. Living up to his "Golden Boy" nickname, the champion has won five of his last six fights.

The card also features a special mixed-rules heavyweight bout between Marcin Rozalski and Errol Zimmerman in the co-main event, which will be a kickboxing match contested in mixed martial arts gloves over three five-minute rounds.

KSW 71 will stream live on the promotion's website at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT on Saturday.

KSW 71 Weigh-in Results: Marian Ziolkowski (155…

Your main event is on site & on weight 😤@CalvinKattar - 146 pounds ⚖️@JoshEmmettUFC - 145.5 pounds ⚖️

[ #UFCAustin | TOMORROW | @MoodyCenterATX | LIVE on @ESPN ] pic.twitter.com/Aw0lyqlh8N

— UFC (@ufc) June 17, 2022 After a brief excursion in Singapore, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to U.S. soil for UFC on ESPN 37.

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There wasn't much drama on the scales for the 14-fight card, although one fighter did miss weight. Bantamweight Tony Kelley weighed 1.5 pounds over the limit, although his fight against Adrian Yanez is still on and Kelley has been fined 20% of his purse. Meanwhile, headliners Calvin Kattar and Josh Emmett both made weight for their featherweight clash.

Sign up for ESPN+ and watch UFC on ESPN 37: Kattar vs. Emmett

"The Boston Finisher" cemented himself as a top featherweight contender by defeating Giga Chikadze in his last outing. Prior to that bounce-back win, Kattar (23-5) had dro…

Per source, I can confirm that Nathaniel Wood will face Charles Rosa at the upcoming UFC London card on July 23. "The Prospect" is moving up to featherweight for the occasion.

First reported by @phre pic.twitter.com/RGfOC3G3mq

— Tudor Leonte (@MrTudorLeonte) June 16, 2022 Sign up for ESPN+ and watch UFC on ESPN 37: Kattar vs. Emmett

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A talented Ultimate Fighting Championship prospect is doing anything he can to get on the upcoming card in his home city.

For the past few weeks, UFC bantamweight Nathaniel Wood (17-5) had been rumored to be competing at UFC Fight Night 208 on July 23. Wood’s appearance at the O2 Arena in London was dependent on him getting an opponent, as fighters like Kamuela Kirk or Vince Morales had been lauded as possible foes. Instead, Wood will be moving up to 145 pounds, where he will take on grappling specialist Charles Rosa (14-7). The news was first broken by reporter Al Zullino, and Sherdog ha…

OFFICIAL: Jake Childress replaces Bruno Miranda tomorrow night and will face @nastynatemma in a lightweight showcase bout #2022PFL4 pic.twitter.com/nlMh3amc7k

— PFL (@PFLMMA) June 16, 2022 The Professional Fighters League's 2022 season continues with a card filled with lightweights and light heavyweights, although not every scheduled fighter managed to make weight.

While Bruno Miranda was unable to make weight due to "complications." As a result, alternate Jake Childers will replace Miranda and battle Nate Jennerman at lightweight instead. Beyond that, the remaining competitors officially made weight, although there was some drama on the scales as Jeremy Stephens had to shave his head and face, and reportedly wasn't standing fully on the scale when he weighed 156 pounds.

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The main event of the evening will see boxing and mixed martial arts fan-favorite Clay Collard take on fellow lightweight tournament participant Alex…

Aljamain Sterling is expected to defend his bantamweight crown against T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 279 on Sept. 10.

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MMAjunkie.com was first to report the booking. The bout is expected to be finalized soon, as contracts have not yet been signed. UFC 279 doesn’t yet have an official location or venue.

After winning the 135-pound belt with a controversial disqualification victory over Petr Yan at UFC 259, Sterling defeated Yan via split decision in their rematch at UFC 273 on April 9. The “Funk Master” has won seven consecutive fights in UFC competition, with other notable victories over the likes of Cory Sandhagen, Pedro Munhoz and Jimmie Rivera.

A former two-time bantamweight champion, Dillashaw returned following a two-year USADA suspension at UFC on ESPN 27 last July, when he took a split verdict over Sandhagen. It was Dillashaw’s first appearance since a failed bid to capture flyweight gold at UFC Fight Night 143, when he was stopped by Henry Ce…