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Per sources, Chris Daukaus and Shamil Abdurakhimov has been removed from Saturday's card and will be rescheduled to an upcoming card TBD.

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) July 27, 2021

The “UFC Vegas 33” card has lost two more fights just days away from the event.

On Monday night, news broke that the Chris Daukaus vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov heavyweight matchup had once again been called off. Sherdog’s own sources confirmed the news following an initial report by TSN. At the moment of writing, the reason is still undisclosed. The pair had been scheduled to square off at UFC on ESPN 27 last weekend, but the fight was postponed after someone in Abdurakhimov's camp tested positive for COVID-19. Now, it has been rescheduled for an unspecified later event.

In his last appearance, Daukaus (11-3, 3-0 UFC) scored his fourth straight victory, taking out Alexey Oleynik with punches 1:55 into Round 1 at UFC Fight Night 185, earning a “Performance …

Photo Credit: Fury FC

If cancer couldn’t stop Kolton Englund, best of luck to anything or anyone else between him and a shot at regaining the Fury FC lightweight title.

In the main event of Fury FC 48 on Sunday, “The White Assassin” scored a third-round knockout of Alec Williams, his third straight win since returning in March from the health issues that had kept him on the shelf since 2019. Englund took control of the cage from the start, stalking Williams around the perimeter of the cage and tagging him with heavy punch combinations. Williams worked hard for takedowns in the second round, but failed to secure any, and Englund nearly finished the fight late in the round, dropping Williams with punches and teeing off as referee Jeff Rexroad looked on closely. Williams survived to hear the bell, but Englund picked right back up where he left off in Round 3. The end came at 4:34 of the round, as Williams wilted under a pair of huge hooks to the head.

That b…

The upcoming Bellator 264 card has gained several intriguing matchups.

Bellator MMA’s Aug. 13 card is beginning to take shape, as several matchups were announced on Monday. As first reported by MMA Junkie and confirmed by several other outlets, former 170-pound kingpin Andrey Koreshkov will make his return to the Bellator cage after nearly two years since his latest fight under the California-based promotion’s banner. Koreshkov is set to face Ultimate Fighting Championship vet Sabah Homasi on the main card, marking his promotional return after a brief stint in AMC Fight Nights (previously known as Fight Nights Global).

After dropping a narrow split decision to Lorenz Larkin at Bellator 229, Koreshkov (23-4, 13-4 Bellator) was forced to stay away from competition for a while due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Like some other fighters, “Spartan” reached a deal with Bellator for a one-off to stay active. Most recently, he submitted Adriano Rodrigues de Oliveira thanks to a fi…

Two bitter rivals will have the chance to settle their rivalry once and for all inside the Octagon.

It appears that Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington will square off again with Usman’s welterweight title on the line. According to ESPN, the Ultimate Fighting Championship currently targets the rematch between “The Nigerian Nightmare” and “Chaos” for UFC 268. The card does not yet have an official date or location, but the promotion is aiming for Madison Square Garden in New York City. The first time the two fighters met, in the main event of UFC 245 in December 2019, Usman stopped Covington with punches 4:10 into Round 5 for his first title defense.

UFC welterweight champion Usman (19-1, 14-0 UFC) has won 14 straight fights, the longest active winning streak in the promotion. After overcoming Covington, Usman upended Jorge Masvidal by unanimous decision at UFC 251 before smashing Gilbert Burns at UFC 258. In his latest Octagon walkout, Usman rendered Masvidal unconscious…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 264 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Perhaps surprisingly, given the number of finishes and tremendous back-and-forth battles, UFC on ESPN 27 saw just four bonuses. Winning out for fight of the night in the hotly-contested field was Kyler Phillips against Raulian Paiva, a majority decision that saw an incredible comeback by the Brazilian. In Round 1, Phillips battered Paiva from pillar to post, visibly hurting him again and again with a deadly cross and coming very close to a stoppage on several occasions. Despite the dominance and damage of the stanza, only one judge gave Phillips the 10-8 round. This opened the door for Paiva, who, after Phillips gassed himself going so hard for the finish, came back to win Round 2 and then barely edged out his rival in Round 3. While most media members and fans alike saw it as a 28-28 draw, two of the three judges had it 29-28 Paiv…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 264 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. T.J. Dillashaw returned from more than a two-year absence to reclaim his spot as one of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s premier bantamweights. In his first appearance since completing a United States Anti-Doping Agency suspension, Dillashaw scratched and clawed his way to a split decision over former Elevation Fight Team stablemate Cory Sandhagen in the UFC on ESPN 27 main event on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All three judges scored it 48-47: Sal D’Amato and Junichiro Kamijo for Dillashaw, Derek Cleary for Sandhagen.

Pace and pressure served as Dillashaw’s avenues to victory. He routinely pushed Sandhagen (14-3, 7-2 UFC) into the fence and worked from the rear waistlock position, burying knees into the back of his legs. Dillashaw (17-4, 13-4 UFC) did not escape unscathed. Sandhagen was the superior fighter in spa…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC, PFL and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Sherdog's live UFC on ESPN 27 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. Round 1 The UFC circles back to the ESPN network for another fight night card this Saturday evening, with 11 fights working our way up towards a potential title eliminator in the main event. We start things off in the lightest division of the UFC, with a 115-pound tilt between two women looking to earn their first UFC win in Belbita (13-6, 0-2 UFC) and Goldy (5-1, 0-1 UFC). The referee taking charge in this first fight of the night is Keith Peterson, who rapidly ejects all of the nonsense from the building before the two touch gloves to clock in tonight’s action. The first strike comes from Goldy, who gets off a quick head kick that is bar…

Heavy hitters brought the intensity!!

[ #UFCVegas32 | LIVE on @ESPN & @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/7duGkU57B3

— UFC (@ufc) July 24, 2021 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 264 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Brendan Allen danced with danger and survived to tell the tale.

The former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion on Saturday leaned on a sustained body attack and laid claim to a unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten Punahele Soriano in the featured UFC on ESPN 27 prelim at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Allen (17-4, 5-1 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 marks from the judges.

Soriano (8-1, 2-1 UFC) swung for the fences but came up empty far too often. Allen chewed up the heavy-handed Hawaiian with brutal body kicks and sneaky punches to the midsection, turning him into a mostly stationary target midway through the match. Desp…

Main event@TJDillashaw

[ #UFCVegas32 | Tomorrow | LIVE on @ESPN & @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/UzZX68oxbL

— UFC (@ufc) July 23, 2021 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to ESPN airwaves for the second straight week with UFC on ESPN 27, featuring a disgraced former champion.

The 11-fight event is now official after the weigh-ins took place, and all 22 fighters successfully made weight. The event is headlined by a bout between Cory Sandhagen and T.J. Dillashaw, in what is the former bantamweight champ's return since being suspended for taking performance-enhancing drugs.

The 29-year-old Sandhagen (14-2) is currently on a roll, having gone 7-1 inside the promotion. "Sandman" bounced back from a submission loss to current champ Aljamain Sterling by knocking out Marlon Moraes wit…

@macychiasson has pulled out on weigh in Eve. This absolutely blows. Who wants to see me fight @mieshatate ? @bokamotoespn @mmajunkiedotcom @theschmo312 @lynchonsports @kbheat @espn @ufc @ufcnewsalerts @mickmaynard2 @danawhite pic.twitter.com/J3mWVIHpqH

— Aspen Ladd (@TheAspenLadd) July 23, 2021 The night before weigh-ins for the next Ultimate Fighting Championship card, the co-main event has fallen through.

Per the UFC on Thursday night, Macy Chiasson (7-1) suffered an undisclosed injury and was forced out of her bantamweight tilt with Aspen Ladd (9-1). The two were set to square off in the co-headliner of UFC on ESPN 27 on July 24 inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Ladd confirmed this news on Twitter, while also noting that it was Chiasson who could not compete. Ladd called out the recently victorious Miesha Tate for a replacement fight, and if that does not come to fruition, it is not clear if Ladd vs. Chiasson will be rescheduled for a lat…

#LFA112 Results: @TheLionMiranda def. Uyran Carlos via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26) to win the Welterweight GP and become the #andNEW LFA #welterweight champ. @ShellsDotCom@Drink9mm@KoiCBD@SheathUnderwear@GLCDirect2000@HowlerHead@TeamSmartStop@UFCFightPass pic.twitter.com/5q5sakn63J

— LFA (@LFAfighting) July 19, 2021 If Legacy Fighting Alliance CEO Ed Soares has his way, the promotion will be making a habit out of traveling to Brazil.

The two editions of the LFA in Rio de Janeiro, LFA 111 and LFA 112, were both successful in Brazil, according to Soares. Broadcasted live nationwide on the Combate channel, and in other markets on UFC Fight Pass, the cards drew solid audiences thanks to the high level of the fights. When the weekend came to a close, 13 of the 23 fights ended inside the distance, which included high-flying finishes and slick submissions as well.

As LFA 112, a one-night welterweight grand prix, continued, the bra…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. It’s knock out or get knocked out with this upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight tilt in September. The news first came from MMA Junkie on Thursday, reporting that Joaquin Buckley (12-4) would be taking on Antonio Arroyo (9-4) at middleweight at the promotion’s Sept. 18 UFC Fight Night event. The news has since been confirmed by other outlets.

Owner of one of the most spectacular knockouts in UFC history, a spinning back kick to demolish Impa Kasanganay in October 2020, Buckley followed it up with a crushing finish of the then-undefeated Jordan Wright a month later. In his last performance, Alessio Di Chirico starched him with a head kick to end his spectacular winning streak. As a pro, the Finney’s Hit Squad product out of Missouri possesses a career knockout rate of 75 percent – although 75 percent of his loss…

The stakes have been raised for the scheduled boxing match between Vitor Belfort and Oscar De La Hoya.

According to a report from ESPN, the fight, which was formerly slated to be an exhibition, is now a professional bout. It will be contested over eight two-minute rounds at 180 pounds and will take place on Sept. 11 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The California State Athletic Commission has approved the change.

“(Oscar) is the one who said ‘I’m in the best shape of my life, f- - - this exhibition B.S.’ I’m going for real.’ None of this ballroom dancing boxing has had to endure. Both of them are in incredible shape,” Triller co-founder Ryan Kanagaugh told ESPN.

The 44-year-old Belfort was initially supposed to face “The Real Tarzann” Mike Holston in a boxing match on June 19 before that booking fell through. “The Phenom” signed with One Championship after his final UFC appearance in 2018 but never fought for the Singapore-based promotion. Belfort is a former UFC…

A bantamweight clash pitting James Gallagher against Patrick Mix is in the works for Bellator MMA’s return to Ireland on Nov. 5.

Both fighters confirmed the matchup on social media following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com. It is unclear where the bout will be placed on the card. The likely venue for the event is the 3Arena in Dublin. The California-based promotion last traveled to Ireland for Bellator 240 in February 2020, a card that saw Leah McCourt outpoint Judith Ruis in the evening’s main event.

Gallagher and Mix were initially slated to square off at Bellator 258 on May 7 before the Irish fighter withdrew from the contest.

Gallagher, 24, has lost just once in 12 professional fights. The 24-year-old SBG Ireland representative has rebounded from a first-round KO loss to Ricky Bandejas at Bellator 204 to post four consecutive triumphs in the promotion. Most recently, Gallagher submitted Callum Ellenor in the opening stanza at Bellator Milan last Octobe…

Kai Kamaka III will replace the injured Doo Ho Choi and meet Danny Chavez at UFC on ESPN 28.

Both Kamaka and Chavez confirmed the bantamweight booking on social media following an initial report from MMA Island. UFC on ESPN 28 takes place on July 31 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a middleweight showdown between Uriah Hall and Sean Strickland.

A former Bellator MMA and Legacy Fighting Alliance competitor, Kamaka is 1-2 during his tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion. After outpointing Tony Kelley in his Octagon debut at UFC 252, “The Fighting Hawaiian” has dropped back-to-back fights against Jonathan Pearce and T.J. Brown in UFC competition.

Chavez had a four-bout winning streak snapped in his last outing, when he fell to Jared Gordon via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 185 on Feb. 20. The 34-year-old MMA Masters product outpointed Brown in his first promotional foray at UFC 252.

Brandon Moreno doesn’t sound as though he believes a trilogy with Deiveson Figueiredo will be his next move.

After battling Figueiredo to a majority draw in the UFC 256 headliner, Moreno became the first Mexican-born champion in promotion history when he submitted the Brazilian in the third round at UFC 263 on June 12. Moreno left no doubt the second time around, which is why he thinks Figueiredo has more work to do the second time around.

Speaking at a media luncheon on Tuesday, Moreno discussed what might be next for his first flyweight title defense.

"The next name? I don't know," Moreno said (via ESPN). "There are a lot of possibilities. I think it's obvious Figueiredo wants the next one, because he lost the last one. But man, last fight I dominated him since the first minutes of the first round. I dominated him -- in the striking, in grappling, in wrestling. Obviously, I'm open to fight again with him. But I think he needs to fight again with somebody [els…

Three athletes from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 26 card could be sidelined for as long as six months.

Marion Reneau (nose), Malcolm Gordon (right hand) and Alan Baudot (nose) all must receive doctor clearance for their respective injuries or they will be on the shelf until Jan. 14. The Nevada State Athletic Commission recently released a full list of medical suspensions to mixedmartialarts.com.

UFC on ESPN 26 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and saw Islam Makhachev defeat Thiago Moises via fourth-round submission in the evening’s headliner. Moises is suspended until Sept. 1 with no contact until Aug. 17, while Makhachev emerged with a clean bill of health.

UFC on ESPN 26 Medical Suspensions:

Thiago Moises: suspended until 09/01/21; no contact until 08/17/21

Miesha Tate: suspended until 08/08/21; no contact until 08/01/21

Marion Reneau: must have nose x-rayed, if positive needs ENT clearance or no contact until 01/14/22; minimum suspension no…

A heavyweight showdown between Cheick Kongo and Sergei Kharitonov will serve as the main event for Bellator 265.

Promotion officials announced the pairing on Tuesday. Bellator 265 takes place at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Aug. 20 and will also see Adam Borics face Jay-Jay Wilson in a featherweight No. 1 contender bout in the evening’s co-headliner. The main card airs on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

After an eight-bout winning streak under the Bellator banner from June 2015 to February 2019, Kongo is winless in his last two promotional apppearances. A heavyweight title shot against Ryan Bader ended in a no contest due to an accidental eye poke at Bellator 226, and the 46-year-old Frenchman returned to drop a split verdict to Timothy Johnson in his most recent outing at Bellator 248 last October.

The 40-year-old Kharitonov will get back in the Bellator cage for the first time since November 2019, when he suffered a second-round TKO defeat t…

HE BROKE HIS ARM @AndreMunizUFC submits Jacare Souza in Round 1!! #UFC262 pic.twitter.com/dH6tn41xhZ

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) May 16, 2021

In recent months, UFC fans have seen three bouts end abruptly after fighters suffered gruesome fractures.

Chris Weidman broke his tibia and fibula throwing a leg kick at UFC 261; Ronaldo Souza had his humerus fractured during an armbar from Andre Muniz at UFC 262 and Conor McGregor broke his leg after stepping awkwardly in the UFC 264 headliner.

Shortly after McGregor’s injury, Sherdog.com spoke to Dr. Rickson Moraes, the orthopedist for Rafael dos Anjos, Jose Aldo, Souza and many other UFC fighters. Moraes speculated about the impact restrictive weight loss diets can have on the bone composition.

"It's pretty common for stress fractures in patients submitted to rigid diets for long periods,” Moraes said. "The bones are a living tissue. All our lives we are forming and reabsorbing bones. Any hum…

Yogibo presents RIZIN.30, Japan Bantamweight Grand Prix Quarterfinals set, Super Atomweight Champion Hamasaki returns to action in a non-title. Long time veteran Shintaro Ishiwatari announces retirement.

Yogibo presents #RIZIN302021.9.19Saitama Super Arena#RIZIN #MMA

— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) July 20, 2021 A quartet of bantamweight grand prix quarterfinals will be the featured attraction at Rizin Fighting Federation 30 on Sept. 19.

The Japanese promotion recently announced the pairings for its bracket, which are as follows: Kai Asakura vs. Alan Yoshihiro Yamaniha, Naoki Inoue vs. Yuto Hokamura, Hiromasa Ougikubo vs. Takafumi Otsuka and Kenta Takizawa vs. Yuki Motoya. Rizin officials determined the matchups for the quarterfinals.

“We matched the fight where we won’t have any rematches and have new, intriguing fights for the quarterfinals of the bantamweight grand prix,” Rizin CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara said at a press conferenc…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC, PFL and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. The semifinal pairings for all six weight classes in the Professional Fighters League playoffs are now official. The league on Tuesday announced the playoff matchups for its playoff events, which are scheduled for Aug. 13, 19 and 27 at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The Aug. 13 and Aug. 27 events will air on ESPN2, while the Aug. 20 card will air on ESPN.

“No sports league can match the thrilling action Professional Fighters League will deliver this August as the final four fighters for each weight division will compete for a spot in the $1 million world championship bout,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray. “The only playoff format in the sport gives every fighter a chance. The more than 550 million MMA fans around the world are going to witness unmatched intensity durin…

Bellator MMA is expected to venture to South Dakota for an upcoming card on Aug. 20.

Bellator 265 is set for the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D., according to an initial report from MMA Island. The has not been formally announced by the promotion, nor does it have an official headliner. According to MMAjunkie.com, a women’s flyweight tilt between Alejandra Lara and DeAnna Bennett will take place on the card.

The California-based promotion previously traveled to South Dakota for Bellator 204 on Aug. 17, 2018, a card that saw Darrion Caldwell defeat Noad Lahat via second-round KO in the evening’s headliner.

Lara last appeared at Bellator 255, where she suffered a split-decision loss to Kana Watanabe. The 26-year-old Colombian is 3-3 in the promotion, including a submission defeat to Ilima-Lei Macfarlane in a 125-pound title bout in June 2018.

Bennett, meanwhile, has won just two of her last 10 professional fights dating back to January 2016. Most rece…

Bellator 263 has gained a trio of contests while losing an intriguing bantamweight matchup.

Promotion officials announced Monday that the following three bouts have been added to the July 31 card: Brent Primus vs. Islam Mamedov at lightweight; Vanessa Porto vs. Ilara Joanne at flyweight and Gadzhi Rabadanov vs. Daniel Carey at 150 pounds.

Missing from the bout order was a previously scheduled bantamweight matchup pitting Raufeon Stots against Magomed Magomedov. Sherdog.com subsequently confirmed that bout has been removed from Bellator 263 for undisclosed reasons.

Bellator 263 takes place at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and is headlined by a featherweight championship clash between Patricio Freire and A.J. McKee. The main card airs on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on Bellator’s YouTube channel, Showtime Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. Primus vs. Mamedov is slated for the main draw, while Porto vs. Joanne a…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

A heavyweight clash pitting Chris Daukaus against Shamil Abdurakhimov that was originally slated for UFC on ESPN 27 this Saturday has been pushed back one week.

Multiple outlets confirmed the change following an initial announcement from Daukaus via Twitter. Daukaus revealed that COVID-19 protocols forced the postponement, and MMAjunkie.com later reported that a positive test in the Abdurakhimov camp was the cause.

Fight pushed back until next week, Covid strikes again! Thank you for everyone for the support! pic.twitter.com/etIN1s2rVr

— Chris Daukaus (@ChrisDaukausMMA) July 19, 2021

Daukaus vs. Abdurakhimov will now take place at UFC on ESPN 28 on July 31. That card takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a middleweight showdown between Uriah Hall and Sean Strickland.

Daukaus is on a four-bout winning streak – including three in UFC competition. The 31-year-old Philadelphia …