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Rory MacDonald was one of the Professional Fighters League’s most high-profile free-agent signings in recent years, but his first season ended in disappointment.

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That was due in part to a split-decision loss to Gleison Tibau that ended up being named Sherdog’s “Robbery of the Year” for 2021. That setback didn’t keep MacDonald out of the postseason, but his run ended in a surprisingly one-sided decision loss to eventual champ Ray Cooper III in the opening round of the playoffs.

For a former Bellator champion and UFC title challenger, it was not the outcome many expected when he signed with the new organization. MacDonald is ready to get back to work for the promotion’s upcoming season, which kicks off when he faces Brett Cooper at PFL 3 on Friday night at Esports Stadium Arlington in Arlington, Texas. The evening’s main card airs on ESPN2 and ESPN+ beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

“It’s a fresh start, clean slate,” MacDonald said during PFL 3 m…

At this point, Ray Cooper III is a veteran of the process involved with the Professional Fighters League Season.

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It’s safe to say that the 29-year-old Hawaiian has thrived in the format after capturing back-to-back PFL championships in 2019 and 2021 (The promotion took one-year hiatus in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic). “Bradda Boy” will begin his bid for a third consecutive title when he faces Carlos Leal Miranda at PFL 3 on Friday night. He’s well prepared for an active campaign after having fought four times in 2021 and five times in 2019.

“I know what to expect in this tournament style,” Cooper said during PFL media day. “I’m ready for it, but we’ve got to see if all these other guys are ready for a whole season. Because most of the guys that are coming in, they only fight probably twice a year. We’ll see how their body can handle it and if their mind can handle the beating that the season takes on you.”

Miranda is a short-noti…

The lightweight clash pitting Michael Chandler against Tony Ferguson figures to be one of the most entertaining bouts at UFC 274.

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However, neither man’s job with the Las Vegas-based promotion will be on the line at the Footprint Center in Phoenix on Saturday night. Chandler has lost two of his first three UFC appearances, while Ferguson has dropped three straight in lopsided fashion on the heels of a 12-fight winning streak.

“You’re still talking about No. 5 vs. No. 7 in the nastiest division in the sport,” UFC president White told The Underground. “So if you look at who they’ve lost to, it’s all the best in the world. These guys always bring it. They always come to fight. Nobody’s fighting for their life in this one.”

However, White has a different viewpoint on the Joe Lauzon-Donald Cerrone clash, which is also set for the pay-per-view draw.

“They’re a different story,” White said. “That one should be the loser probably packs it up and…

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A flyweight showdown between Manel Kape and Rogerio Bontorin has been booked for UFC 275.

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The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the bout on Wednesday. UFC 275 takes place at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore, on June 11 and is headlined by a light heavyweight title clash between Glover Teixeira and Jiri Prochazka. In the co-main event, Valentina Shevchenko defends her flyweight belt against Taila Santos.

Kape was supposed to face Su Mudaerji at UFC Fight Night 205 last month but had to withdraw a few days prior due to personal reasons. The former Rizin 135-pound champion began his promotional tenure with two straight losses but has rebounded to post back-to-back triumphs against Ode Osbourne and Zhalgas Zhumagulov in his last two Octagon appearances.

Bontorin, meanwhile, is winless in his last four UFC bouts after winning his first two outings in the pr…

Magomed Ankalaev will attempt to extend his winning streak to nine when he locks horns with former title challenger Anthony Smith at UFC 277.

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MMAjunkie.com was first to report the light heavyweight booking. UFC 277 doesn’t yet have a location or venue. The card is also expected to include a heavyweight showdown between Sergei Pavlovich and Derrick Lewis.

Ankalaev has emerged as one of the division’s top contenders by virtue of an unbeaten run that began in September 2018. The 29-year-old Dagestani was successful in his first main event appearance, as he outpointed Thiago Santos at UFC Fight Night 203 this past March. Ankalaev’s lone career defeat in 17 outings came to Paul Craig in his Octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 127.

Smith challenged for 205-pound gold at UFC 235, dropping a unanimous decision to Jon Jones in March 2019. “Lionheart” is currently on a three-fight winning streak in UFC competition after besting Devin Clark, Jimmy Crute a…

Sean O'Malley is set for the toughest test of his promotional tenure to date, as a matchup with Pedro Munhoz is in the works for UFC 276.

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ESPN was first to report the bantamweight bout, which is expected to be finalized soon. UFC 276 takes place on July 2 as part of International Fight Week and is also expected to include Robbie Lawler vs. Bryan Barberena as well as Miesha Tate vs. Lauren Murphy.

After suffering the first loss of his career to Marlon Vera at UFC 252, O’Malley has rebounded to post KO/TKO triumphs against Thomas Almeida, Kris Mouthinho and Raulian Paiva in his last three promotional appearances. The 27-year-old MMA Lab product is 15-1 over the course of a tenure that began in 2015.

Munhoz has faced far more difficult opposition than his UFC 276 foe. “Young Punisher” enters the matchup having lost four of his last five bouts inside the Octagon, including a decision defeat to Dominick Cruz at UFC 269. Munhoz owns wins over the …

Credit: Joao Baptista Credit: Joao Baptista Credit: Joao Baptista

Two weeks ago, Paulo Costa told Sherdog.com in an interview that if the fans wanted it, he’d accept a fight against Luke Rockhold.

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According to Brazilian outlet Combate.com, and confirmed with sources close to the fighters, that bout will happen on Aug. 20. When Rockhold initially floated the idea of a fight with Costa, the Brazilian shot it down on social media, saying he wasn’t interested in facing an unranked opponent. But with much of the rest of the middleweight division being booked for summer matchups, Rockhold may have been one of the last remaining options for Costa.

“Borrachinha” is coming off back-to-back defeats against Marvin Vettori and Israel Adesanya in his last two UFC appearances. The 31-year-old Brazilian began his professional tenure with 13 consecutive triumphs — 11 by KO or TKO — before suffering his first defeat in a middleweight title clash with Adesanya at …

An entertaining welterweight clash is on tap for International Fight Week, as Robbie Lawler will square off against Bryan Barberena at UFC 276.

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Multiple outlets confirmed the pairing after Barberena announced it on his Instagram page. UFC 276 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The card is also expected to include a flyweight showdown pitting Miesa Tate against Lauren Murphy.

Lawler snapped a four-bout skid in his last outing, when he defeated Nick Diaz via third-round TKO at UFC 266 this past September. Prior to that, the former welterweight champ had dropped consecutive fights against Neil Magny, Colby Covington, Ben Askren and Rafael dos Anjos.

Barberena, meanwhile, has won three of his last four in the Octagona and is coming off a split-decision triumph against Matt Brown at UFC on ESPN 33 on March 26. Barberena recently signed a new contract with the Las Vegas-based promotion after openly stating that he’d consider retiremen…

Joaquin Buckley will lock horns with Albert Duraev in a middleweight clash at UFC on ESPN 37.

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The Las Vegas-based promotion recently announced the booking. UFC on ESPN 37 takes place at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas on June 18 and is headlined by featherweight duel between Calvin Kattar and Josh Emmett. The main card airs on ESPN and ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on ESPN2 and ESPN+ beginning at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.

Buckley had been previously linked to a matchup with Abusupiyan Magomedov on June 4, but that bout did not come to fruition. The 28-year-old Finney’s Hit Squad representative has won four of his last five Octagon appearances. Most recently, he took a split verdict over Abdul Razak Alhassan at UFC Fight Night 201 on Feb. 19.

The 33-year-old Duraev earned a UFC contract thanks to a first-round submission of Caio Bitencourt on Dana White’s Contender Series last year. In his Octagon debut, “Machete” outpointed…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOF0aWvVtEE&w=560&h=315]

Quemuel Ottoni, the only man to defeat Alex Pereira thus far in his short MMA career, captured the Jungle Fight welterweight crown this past Sunday in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

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To win the title, Ottoni dominated Jose Diaz on the feet for two rounds before submitting him with a rear-naked choke at the 2:40 mark of Round 3 in the Jungle Fight 107 main event. Ottoni, who owns six career victories under the Jungle Fight baner, responded to what he says was a private message from Pereira in the aftermath of his championship triumph.

 “Alex ‘Poatan’ sent me a private message saying that I would be nothing more than a ‘Jungle fighter.’ Today I am Jungle champion,” Ottoni said. “A title, by the way, that you never conquered. And don't forget that it was in this cage that I submitted you.”

After the event, Ottoni revealed to PVT journalist Leonardo Fabri that his goal is to compete in…

A women’s featherweight showdown pitting Cat Zingano against Pam Sorenson that was originally slated for Bellator 276 is now in the works for Bellator 282.

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Zingano, who pulled out of the original booking due to injury, first mentioned the matchup during an interview with The Schmo. MMAFighting.com has since reported that both fighters have verbally agreed to the pairing.

Additionally, Sabah Homasi has signed a new contract with the promotion and will square off against Maycon Mendonca at Bellator 282. The California-based organization confirmed the bout following an initial report from Cageside Press.

Bellator 282 takes place on June 24 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and is headlined by a middleweight title clash between Gegard Mousasi and Johnny Eblen. The main card airs on Showtime and will also include a pair of semifinals in the bantamweight grand prix, as Magomed Magomedov meets Enrique Barzola, while Leandro Higo takes on D…

Photos submitted by Jorge Masvidal’s attorney, Bradford Cohen, depict the alleged injuries to the face of “C.C.” — his identifier for Covington — as exhibits in a request for the fighter’s medical records.

Story by @MMAFightingSM https://t.co/gJA0Q2hjGQ pic.twitter.com/gpVDzpIhqR

— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) May 3, 2022

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There is now some visual evidence of the damage suffered by Colby Covington in an alleged attack by UFC rival Jorge Masvidal outside a Miami restaurant on March 21.

The images surfaced after Masvidal’s attorneys included them in a motion filed requesting Covington’s medical records. Covington recently modified his complaint, adding that he suffered a brain injury in addition to a fractured tooth, wrist abrasion and damage to his Rolex watch. While Covington’s tooth is clearly broken in the images, Masvidal’s attorney, Bradford Cohen, expressed skepticism in the fighter’s claims regarding the brain i…

Justin Gaethje has been critical of Charles Oliveira in the past, and “The Highlight” isn’t exactly walking back those comments as their lightweight title bout as UFC 274 approaches.

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Gaethje has previously accused Oliviera of quitting in fights. In a recent interview with ESPN, Gaethje explained his reasoning.

“Something about me, I say what I think,” Gaethje said. “I wasn’t being overly critical, he wasn’t a bad champion. I was saying in the times that he’s lost, he didn’t even get knocked out — he quit sometimes. The choice to quit is something that one makes, and once you make it you can make it again, because you know that it’s there. I don’t believe I’ve ever made that choice.

“I believe that he has. That’s all I was saying is that I believe deep down he knows his way out and that’s to quit when he gets hit too many times, too hard.”

Oliveira was up-and-down early in his UFC tenure, but the reigning 155-pound king is in the midst of a 1…

Dan Hooker began his career at featherweight, but after an unsuccessful return to 145 pounds in March, it sounds like he’ll be competing at lightweight for the foreseeable future.

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Hooker is coming off a first-round technical knockout loss to Arnold Allen in a featherweight bout at UFC Fight Night 204 in London on March 19. That move came on the heels of a stretch in which he lost three of four lightweight appearances. Ultimately, Hooker decided the effort needed to make 145 pounds wasn’t worth it.

“I felt like I could’ve stayed at 145, but obviously a lot of sacrifice goes into that,” Hooker said on Submission Radio. “But off of the result of the last fight, and then I feel like I’m in the exact same position at both weight classes – so why not? Why would I make the extra sacrifice? The extra sacrifice was to get me back in the same position that I was in. You know what I mean? But if I’m in the exact same position, I’d rather be in the exact same …

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

The physical transformation was evident on the scales, but the results remained the same for Alexander Romanov at UFC on ESPN 35.

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The biggest favorite on Saturday’s card, Romanov rolled through Chase Sherman for a submission win 2:11 into Round 1 of their preliminary heavyweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The more svelte Romanov revealed that he underwent something a physical transformation while speaking to assembled media after the fight.

“My body has changed a lot,” Romanov said. “We a lot worked with my coach and trainer on cardio, on our footwork. My coach made for me a special diet. I lost around 45 pounds in the last three months. I feel that I’m in the best shape of my career now. But we just started this.”

The 31-year-old Moldovan wasted little time taking his opponent down, moving to mount and unloading ground-and-pound before securing a keylock to elicit a tap from She…

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

The physical transformation was evident on the scales, but the results remained the same for Alexander Romanov at UFC on ESPN 35.

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The biggest favorite on Saturday’s card, Romanov rolled through Chase Sherman for a submission win 2:11 into Round 1 of their preliminary heavyweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The more svelte Romanov revealed that he underwent something a physical transformation while speaking to assembled media after the fight.

“My body has changed a lot,” Romanov said. “We a lot worked with my coach and trainer on cardio, on our footwork. My coach made for me a special diet. I lost around 45 pounds in the last three months. I feel that I’m in the best shape of my career now. But we just started this.”

The 31-year-old Moldovan wasted little time taking his opponent down, moving to mount and unloading ground-and-pound before securing a keylock to elicit a tap from She…

A middleweight showdown pitting Darren Till against Jack Hermansson has been targeted for UFC Fight Night in London on July 23.

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MMANytt.se was first to report the booking. UFC London takes place at the O2 Arena and features a heavyweight tilt between Curtis Blaydes and Tom Aspinall.

A former welterweight title challenger, Till has lost four of his last five Octagon appearances. Most recently, “The Gorilla” was submitted by Derek Brunson in the third-round of their main event bout at UFC Fight Night 191 last September. Till’s lone victory during this recent rough stretch was a split-decision triumph against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 244.

Hermansson, meanwhile, has alternated wins and losses in his last six UFC bouts. “The Joker” is coming of a split-decision setback to Sean Strickland in the UFC Fight Night 200 headliner on Feb. 5. Prior to that, he outpointed Edmen Shahbazyan at UFC Fight Night 188 in his lone outing of 2021.

The first time Marlon Vera and Jose Aldo squared off, it didn’t go Vera’s way.

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Aldo defeated Vera via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 183 in December 2020. While Vera enjoyed success with leg kicks and knees in close quarters, Aldo punctuated his victory with a takedown and back control in the third round. With three straight victories under his belt since then, Vera wouldn’t mind crossing paths with Aldo in the Octagon again.

“I would love to fight Aldo again, especially in a five-rounder especially since he declined a five-rounder when we fought last December (2020),” Vera said on Saturday. “I would love to kick his ass. If we get to match again I would finish him, I can guarantee you that.”

Vera held up well in a five-round affair at UFC on ESPN 35, where he scored three knockdowns en route to a unanimous decision triumph over Rob Font in Saturday night’s bantamweight headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

“I feel good in there. I j…

Marlon Vera and Rob Font had a battle to remember in the UFC on ESPN 35 headliner, but only Vera will reap the extra financial rewards.

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The bantamweight bout was selected as “Fight of the Night,” but since Font missed weight by 2.5 pounds on Friday, Vera will pocket the entirety of the $100,000 in bonus money. Propelled by three knockdowns, Vera survived impressive striking volume to win via unanimous decision on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Elsewhere, Joanderson Brito received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for making short work of Andre Fili in a featured featherweight encounter. The Dana White’s Contender Series alum stung his foe with a pair of left jabs before dropping Fili with a massive overhand right. A barrage of hammerfists brought the show to a close just 41 seconds into Round 1.

Finally, Francisco Figueiredo earned the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check thanks to slick submission triumph…

Marlon Vera simply had too many weapons in his arsenal for Rob Font.

Making the most of his first headlining appearance in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Vera battered and bloodied the visage of his opponent en route to an impressive unanimous decision triumph at UFC on ESPN 35 on Saturday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All three cageside judges had the fight in favor of Vera: 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46.

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Font, who missed weight by 2.5 pounds on Friday, was in a rhythm from the outset, as he worked behind a stellar jab, straight punching combinations and uppercuts through the guard of his adversary. While Font (19-6, 9-5 UFC) landed in superior volume throughout, Vera (19-7-1, 13-6 UFC) connected with the strikes of consequence.

Vera began to assert himself late in Round 2, when he floored Font with a left hook and dropped elbows from above until the horn sounded. It would be a recurring theme for the rest of the fight. Vera dropped Font with …

Sherdog's live UFC on ESPN 35 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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BetUS.com is offering our listeners an incredible 125% bonus on their deposit for PFL and UFC. Use code SHERDOG and get $2500 in extra money to make fight night even better. Round 1 Taira vs. Candelario was canceled on Saturday afternoon due to an illness suffered by Candelario, and it has been postponed to the May 14 UFC card. News of its cancelation was disclosed by UFC officials. Round 1 There’s no sugar coating this one: this is far from the best UFC offering there has ever been. The fact that this now 11-fight show is being displayed on the flagship network of ESPN for its main card is a testament to the content-demanding contract signed by the promotion and its broadcast partner. If fight fans are lucky, this scrappy, rag-tag group of underachievers with only 10 of the 22 fighters sp…

1️⃣6️⃣-0️⃣@KongRomanov came in to handle BUSINESS.

[ #UFCVegas53 | Prelims LIVE on ESPN 2 ] pic.twitter.com/wlUttQucl3

— UFC (@ufc) April 30, 2022

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Alexander Romanov was by far the biggest betting favorite on the UFC on ESPN 35 card, and he performed as such.

The Moldovan known as “King Kong” encountered little resistance from short-notice foe Chase Sherman en route to a quick submission victory in a preliminary heavyweight bout on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Romanov put Sherman away with a keylock at the 2:11 mark of the opening round to keep his undefeated record intact.

Romanov (16-0, 5-0 UFC) wasted little time getting Sherman (15-10, 3-9 UFC) to the canvas, as he landed an initial takedown and then suplexed his foe on his head within the bout’s first 30 seconds. Sherman had one more attempt at standing before he was planted on his back again. From there, Romanov passed to full mount, walked his foe…

A matchup of featherweight contenders is set for UFC Austin, as Calvin Kattar and Josh Emmett will lock horns on June 18.

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The promotion confirmed the booking during the UFC on ESPN 35 broadcast on Saturday. UFC Fight Night takes place at the Moody Center in Austin and includes a number of reported bouts, including Phil Hawes vs. Deron Winn and Kyle Daukaus vs. Roman Dolidze.

After absorbing a horrific beating from Max Holloway in the UFC on ABC 1 headliner, Kattar bounced back in his most recent outing, taking a five-round verdict over Giga Chikadze at UFC on ESPN 32 approximately one year later. “The Boston Finisher” has won three of his last four Octagon appearances.

After being sidelined for more than a year recovering from knee surgery, Emmett made a triumphant return at UFC 269 with a unanimous decision win over Dan Ige. The 37-year-old Team Alpha Male member has won four straight promotional appearances dating back to 2019.

A heavyweight bout between Ciryl Gane and Tai Tuivasa is expected to serve as the headliner when the UFC heads to Paris on Sept. 3.

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The matchup was initially reported by Ariel Helwani. The location has not been finalized, but assuming it holds up, it will mark the Las Vegas-based promotion’s first venture to France.

A former interim heavyweight champion, Gane is coming off a five-round decision loss to Francis Ngannou in a title unification bout at UFC 270 on Jan. 22. Prior to that, the Frenchman known as “Bon Gamin” was victorious in his first 10 professional appearances, including notable UFC wins over the likes of Derrick Lewis, Alexander Volkov, Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Junior dos Santos.

Tuivasa has seen his share of peaks and valleys thus far in his UFC tenure. After winning his first three bouts, “Bam Bam” dropped three straight contests from 2018 to 2019. He has since turned things around, going on a five-fight winning streak — all f…