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Facing Kayla Harrison took its toll on Julianna Pena.

According to medical suspensions released by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, Pena is facing an idefinite time on the sidelines pending clearance from an orthopedist on her left shoulder and elbow. Pena tapped to a kimura at the 4:55 mark of Round 2 to relinquish her bantamweight title to the two-time Olympic gold medalist in the UFC 316 headliner this past Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Harrison, meanwhile, emerged from the event with a clean bill of health.

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Four other fighters from UFC 316 are also facing indefinite suspensions pending doctor clearance: Kelvin Gastelum (loose right maxillary incisor), Serghei Spivac (right foot), Ariane Lipski da Silva (left leg) and Quillan Salkilld (right foot).

UFC 316 Medical Suspensions:

Julianna Pena: Indefinite suspension pending clearance from an orthopedist on her left shoulder and left elbow

Kelvin Gastelum:…

Cameron Smotherman will replace the injured Charles Jourdain and face Ricky Simon at UFC Atlanta on Saturday.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the new bantamweight booking on Tuesday. UFC Atlanta — also known as UFC on ESPN 69 — takes place at State Farm Arena and is headlined by a welterweight duel pitting Kamaru Usman against Joaquin Buckley. The nature of Jourdain’s injury was not revealed. Simon vs. Smotherman is slated for the preliminary card, which airs on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The main card will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

Smotherman has split his first two Octagon appearances. “The Baby-Faced Killer” took a three-round verdict over Jake Hadley in his promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 245 last October before dropping a unanimous decision to Serhiy Sidey at UFC Des Moines on May 3. Smotherman has compiled a 12-5 career mark while competing primarily for the Fury FC organization.

The 32-year-old Simon sna…

About a month after facing Cory Sandhagen at UFC Des Moines, Deiveson Figueiredo learned that he fought that night with a fractured jaw.

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“My dentist asked for an MRI before I started a teeth whitening process, and when the image came, she found the fracture,” the former flyweight champion told Sherdog.com.

According to the Brazilian, the fracture happened five weeks before the fight.

“I was doing sparring when I got hit hard with a straight punch,” Figueiredo said. “I thought I had dislocated my jaw, and Patricio [Freire] immediately asked to stop. Since it was really painful, I stopped sparring for three weeks, only doing specific training like ground-and-pound and [shadowing]. Basic stuff that could help me to burn calories and make weight.”   

Figueiredo lost to Sandhagen when he hurt his knee during a grappling exchange that resulted in the bout being stopped at the 4:08 mark of Round 2. According to “Daico,” that injury wo…

Riyadh Season and Sela PresentThe Fight of the Century 🔥Canelo vs. Crawford 🥊For the Undisputed Super Middleweight Championship and The Ring Magazine Belt 👑📍 Sept 13 – Las Vegas🌍 Streaming live on Netflix as part of a strategic partnership with Riyadh Season… pic.twitter.com/Z1kJrb0FcN

— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) June 10, 2025

UFC CEO Dana White will have a hand in promoting one of the biggest boxing matches in recent memory.

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It was officially announced in a press release on Tuesday that the unified supermiddleweight championship clash between Canelo Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) and Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) will take place on Sept. 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. While the bout itself — and its date — had already been reported, a few other pertinent details surrounding the fight were also revealed.

Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority and president of the Saudi Boxing Feder…

𝙅𝙊𝙃𝘼𝙉𝙉𝙀𝙎𝘽𝙐𝙍𝙂… 𝙒𝙀 𝘼𝙍𝙀 𝘾𝙊𝙈𝙄𝙉𝙂! 🔥PFL Africa is coming to the Big Top Arena in Carnival City on Saturday August 9!

🇳🇬 Ocheme vs. Camara 🇬🇳🇦🇴 Esperanca vs. Mané 🇬🇲

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Tickets are available for purchase this Thursday at TicketPro! You don’t want to miss it! pic.twitter.com/9c0aMFfpGu — PFLAfrica (@PFLAfrica) June 10, 2025

Professional Fighters League’s sophomore event in Africa has an official date and venue.

The league announced on Tuesday that PFL Africa 2 will take place on Aug. 9 at the Big Top Arena, Carnival City in Johannesburg, South Africa. The event will feature first-round bouts at featherweight and welterweight and streams in the U.S. on the newly launched PFL App.

The card’s featured bout will be an first-round featherweight showdown pitting Nigeria’s Patrick Ocheme against Guinea’s Mohamed Camara. The co-main event will see Angola’s Shido Boris Esperanca square off against Gambia’s Ibrahima Mane in a…

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Joaquin Buckley wants to skip Islam Makhachev in the title queue if he beats Kamaru Usman. 

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Buckley headlines UFC Atlanta against Usman on Saturday at the State Farm Arena. “New Mansa” is calling for the next welterweight title shot if he beats the former champ on Saturday. 

However, Makhachev, the former lightweight champion, is standing in Buckley’s way. While Makhachev had long been eyeing a welterweight move, his friend Belal Muhammad’s title reign was a hurdle. However, that all changed last month when Muhammad was dethroned by Jack Della Maddalena in an upset at UFC 315 last month. Makhachev immediately confirmed his move to 170 pounds, and UFC CEO Dana White verbally guaranteed him the next title shot. 

Buckley argues that even if Makhachev fights and beats Maddalena, he’s not going to continue at welterweight. Buckley also believes Makhachev will duck him, as he’ll stylistically be a hard matchup for t…

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

Malcolm Wellmaker (9-0) wants to flatten Kris Moutinho to prove (14-6) that he has more power than Sean O'Malley. 

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Wellmaker will take on Moutinho in front of a home crowd at UFC Atlanta on Saturday at the State Farm Arena. This marks Moutinho's return to the UFC after a brief two-fight stint in 2021-22. Moutinho took his first fight against O’Malley on 11 days’ notice. O’Malley landed a total of 230 significant strikes, the most ever in a three-round UFC bantamweight fight. However, Moutinho showed immense heart in continuing to go forward despite taking damage before being stopped with 27 seconds left on the clock. 

Wellmaker noted that O’Malley, a knockout artist, couldn’t put Moutinho out cold. Now, Wellmaker, a knockout artist in his own right, wants to put Moutinho to sleep to prove a point.

“Do I have more power than Sean O’Malley? So I’m on a mission to show the world t…

Bryan Battle (12-2) and Nursulton Ruziboev (36-9) are scheduled to meet in a middleweight contest at UFC 319.

Both Battle and Ruziboev confirmed the matchup on social media following an initial report from Home of Fight. UFC 319 takes place on Aug. 16 at the United Center in Chicago and is headlined by a middleweight title clash between Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev.

The winner of “The Ultimate Fighter 29,” Battle made his UFC debut in 2021. “The Butcher” has finished five of his seven UFC wins while only dropping a decision against Rinat Fakhretdinov. Currently unbeaten in five outings, Battle is coming off a split-decision win over Randy Brown. 

Meanwhile, Ruziboev paid his dues on the regional circuit before making his UFC debut in 2023. After starting with back-to-back first-round knockout wins, Ruziboev came up short against a big step up in competition in Joaquin Buckley. “Black” has since bounced back with wins over Eric McConico and D…

𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟: Your updated #PFLWorldTournament 6️⃣ Fight Card!

- 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝘂𝗽: Mansour Barnaoui vs. Archie Colgan has been added to the fight card

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- The winner of this fight becomes the #1 contender for the PFL Lightweight World Title and will be… pic.twitter.com/k229GX3BfD — PFL (@PFLMMA) June 9, 2025

The World Tournament semifinals won’t be the only high stakes action on tap for Professional Fighters League on June 20.

The promotion announced on Monday that a lightweight clash between Mansour Barnaoui and Archie Colgan has been added to PFL World Tournament 6, which takes place at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita Kansas. As an added incentive, the winner of the contest will become the No. 1 contender for 155-pound champion Usman Nurmagomedov.

Fighters only get one shot! Watch the Semifinals of the PFL World Tournament LIVE Thursday, June 12 at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+

A native of Paris, Barnaoui is…

American Top Team was thrilled to add another championship to its collection.

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Kayla Harrison received a warm welcome when she returned to the Florida-based gym on Monday following her second-round submission of Julianna Pena in the UFC 316 co-main event. The newly-crowned bantamweight queen was greeted by a large crowd that included the likes of Dustin Poirier and Alexandre Pantoja.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist was a two-time Professional Fighters League champion at 155 pounds before signing with the UFC, where she rolled through Holly Holm, Ketlen Vieira and Pena to reach the top of the bantamweight division.

A big-ticket showdown awaits Harrison, as she is expected to lock horns with former two-division champion Amanda Nunes at a future event. Nunes is coming out of retirement following a two-year hiatus that began following her title defense against Irene Aldana at UFC 289 in June 2023.

Interestingly enough, Nunes admitted…

Manel Kape won’t be fighting Brandon Royval as expected at UFC 317, but the consolation prize isn’t too bad.

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Kape revealed on Monday that a fractured foot that will require surgery has forced him out of the June 28 flyweight bout against Royval. As a result, Joshua Van will step in against the former 125-pound title challenger. Both Royval and Van announced the new booking on social media, but the bout has not been officially confirmed by the promotion.

“Manel Kape is out, Joshua Van is stepping in,” Royval said on Instagram. “I have zero idea of the extent of Manel Kape’s injuries but I do know I have the hottest prospect and probably the most exciting UFC flyweight in front of me. Really nothing changes for me as far as what’s in front of me. I’ve got a gangster that’s ready to take my head off and earn his name off of me.”

Van, 23, has won seven of his first eight Octagon appearances. The Myanmar native is coming off a third-round TKO defe…

Even after a lopsided loss in the UFC 316 co-main event, Julianna Pena is determined to remain in the women’s bantamweight title picture.

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Pena suffered a second-round submission defeat to Kayla Harrison on Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, ending her second reign as 135-pound queen in short order. “The Venezuelan Vixen” is already eyeing another title shot, however.

“Thank you to the fans who lifted me with your love and encouragement during this [fight camp] I love you all and feel so grateful for all the support and energy you guys give me—It truly means the world. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get the job done. I’m super disappointed but hats off to Kayla on her win!” Pena wrote on Instagram.

“Time to get healed up and get ready for her next fight because I’m calling dibs on the winner.”

Harrison is expected to face former two-division champ Amanda Nunes later this year. The Brazilian recently revealed that she is…

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Manager Ali Abdelaziz has made a strong assertion while serving as an unofficial mouthpiece of UFC lightweight star Justin Gaethje.

With Islam Makhachev off to pursue championship dreams at 170 pounds, Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira will vie for the vacant lightweight belt in the UFC 317 main event on June 28. Gaethje will have a vested interested in the result of that fight, according to his manager.

“Justin Gaethje fights the winner,” Abdelaziz told Submission Radio. “He’s won three of his last four, he saved the UFC two times. They needed him, and he’s there. The guy did so much for the sport. If anyone said he doesn’t deserve it—and he said, ‘If I’m not going to fight for the title, I’m just going to hang up my gloves.’”

The former World Series of Fighting Champion is 3-1 in his last four Octagon appearances, with victories over Rafael Fiziev (twice) and Dustin Poirier to his credit. His lone loss during that time, a fifth-round k…

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O @AlexPereiraUFC falou que pode lutar novamente pelo cinturão AINDA NESTE ANO! 👀 Alguém arrisca uma data?

[ Reveja as lutas do brasileiro SOMENTE no @UFCFightPassBR | Assine já: https://t.co/OD62F561g5 ] pic.twitter.com/G6Xw4IO18V

— UFC Brasil (@UFCBrasil) June 9, 2025

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Alex Pereira seems to have a timeline in place for his next Octagon appearance.

While in attendance at UFC 316, “Poatan” spoke with UFC Fight Pass Brazi reporter Evelyn Rodrigues During the interview, he indicated that he plans to return in the fall. The Brazilian fan favorite successfully defended the 205-pound belt three times within a six-month span in 2024 before relinquishing the title to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 this past March.

"People are used to seeing me fighting all the time. Now I'm resting my body a little,” Pereira said. “The next fight should be in October. September, October or November.”

After fulfilling commitments in Ger…

Hey Sean - You should’ve stroked the cord before the fight and let your wife’s bf record it 📽️

Anyways, I’m still looking for a tune up. Siblings fight all the time - Let’s give Merab a Father’s Day present he will never forget 🎁

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What do you say precious? @SugaSeanMMA 💋 pic.twitter.com/oYNdTfvFqW — Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) June 8, 2025

Henry Cejudo wants to fight Sean O'Malley as a “Father’s Day present” for Merab Dvalishvili.

O’Malley tried to reclaim his bantamweight title in a rematch against Dvalishvili at UFC 316 on Saturday in Newark, New Jersey. While Dvalishvili won a decision against O’Malley in their initial encounter, he submitted “Suga” in their rematch at UFC 316. 

Cejudo subsequently issued a crude callout to O’Malley while also recognizing that Dvalishvili handled them both in the Octagon.

“Hey Sean — You should’ve stroked the cord before the fight and let your wife’s [boyfriend] recor…

The barricade gave way during Merab Dvalishvili’s walkout at UFC 316 and he almost got crushed by the fans before he even entered the octagon😳 pic.twitter.com/cI0H6I9MWK

— FULL SEND MMA (@full_send_mma) June 8, 2025

Merab Dvalishvili’s coach, John Wood, was startled while walking his fighter out at UFC 316.

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Dvalishvili put his bantamweight title on the line in a rematch against Sean O’Malley at UFC 316 on Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Just as Dvalishvili was walking out, a guardrail collapsed inches away from the champ. Wood revealed that the barricade, which almost landed on their feet, fell over along with fans who were probably leaning on it. The incident seemed so severe that Wood initially was looking for bodies under the barricade. However, UFC CEO Dana White later revealed that nobody was harmed.

"We almost got crushed… I was s—-ing my pants,” Wood told Submission Radio. “Merab got pus…

😂Tom Aspinall says he wants to gave Merab’s cardio:

"I want Merab’s cardio. Merab, show me what’s what. Get me in that kind of shape. I’m ready for it."

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🎥 @AspinallMMA ▫️ pic.twitter.com/fOkN29YMyB — Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) June 8, 2025

Tom Aspinall was left awestruck by Merab Dvalishvili’s UFC 316 title defense.

Dvalishvili defended his bantamweight strap against Sean O’Malley in the main event at UFC 316 on Saturday in Newark, New Jersey. After losing his title to Dvalishvili via decision at UFC 306 last year, O’Malley brought about substantial changes in his lifestyle and training. While many considered this to be the best version of O’Malley, Dvalishvili pressured “Suga” as expected before submitting him in the third round in yet another display of the Georgian champ’s feared gas tank.

Aspinall was also impressed and showered words of praise on Dvalishvili. The interim heavyweight champ believes D…

Diego Lopes (26-7) claims Yair Rodriguez (20-5) turned down a matchup against him at Noche UFC.

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Noche UFC will go down on Sept.13 at the Frost Bank Arena in San Antonio, Texas, after a change of location from Guadalajara, Mexico. Lopes claims UFC executive Hunter Campbell offered Rodriguez a matchup against him on the card. However, “El Pantera” seemingly isn’t willing to fight Lopes. Lopes also taunted Rodriguez with a picture of their infamous UFC 314 press conference altercation.

“Hey, Yair Rodríguez, I just realized that you received a call from Hunter and refused to fight me at Noche UFC,” Lopes wrote on X. “Where is the man who was in front of me at the press conference?”

🚨 Diego Lopes says Yair Rodriguez turned down a fight against him for #NocheUFC in September 👀🍿

“Hey, Yair Rodriguez, I just found out you got a call from Hunter denying the fight with me at Noche UFC. Where's the guy who was in front of m…

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Ilia Topuria’s bravado has not diminished one bit after moving up to lightweight. 

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Known for his bold confidence, Topuria has never failed to back it up with action so far in an undefeated mixed martial arts career. “El Matador” recently vacated the UFC featherweight title and moved up to lightweight, seeking another belt. While he wanted to fight Islam Makhachev, the lightweight champ has vacated his title to pursue welterweight gold. Topuria will now face Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 317 on June 28 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. 

While some wonder if Topuria’s knockout power will translate to lightweight, Topuria claims to feel even stronger. Topuria feels so powerful that he is worried about Oliveira’s chin exploding if he connects.

“I represent the new generation of mixed martial arts,” Topuria said in a UFC 317 promotional video. “I’m the best fighter in the world… Now it’s ti…

BACK UP NORTH WE GO! 🇨🇦 Catch our return October 18th with #UFCVancouver!

Register Your Interest At 👉 https://t.co/wmVlbDfT8e 🎟️ pic.twitter.com/RywMosNo96

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) June 8, 2025

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship is beginning to fill up its itinerary for the fall.

Over the weekend, the promotion announced that UFC 320 will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Oct. 4. UFC 320 was initially supposed to be held in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Sept. 13, but plans changed due to a construction delay at the venue. The traditional Noche UFC event, which is a celebration of Mexican Independence Day, will now take place at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on Sept. 13.

No fights were announced for UFC 320.

Additionally, the Las Vegas-based organization revealed that it will be returning to Vancouver, Canada, on Oct. 18 for a Fight Night event. No bouts were confirmed for the card.

The …

The first time Merab Dvalishvili faced Sean O’Malley, the primary goal was to walk away with bantamweight gold.

While he admittedly played it a little more safe in what was nonetheless a dominant unanimous decision triumph at UFC 306, “The Machine” decided to get a little more aggressive in their rematch. The end result was a third-round submission victory in the UFC 316 headliner on Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

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“First time, I said, this one I was fighting for the belt. I wanted to win this. I know I was winning, and I don’t risk it too much,” Dvalishvili said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I wanted to just grab it one time. I just wanted to win one time. Now, I risk — not risk — but I play more open. I wanted to win the first time, especially against a dangerous opponent like Sean O’Malley.”

O’Malley made his own improvements, including surgery for an injured hip that plagued him in their first meeting as we…

Welcome to the UFC Hall of Fame, Mark Kerr 👏

The Smashing Machine rounds out the class of 2025! pic.twitter.com/lOltVjqKxI

— UFC (@ufc) June 8, 2025

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UFC and Pride Fighting Championships veteran Mark Kerr will be enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.

Kerr will be 21st entrant into the “Pioneer Wing,” which honors athletes who turned professional before November 17, 2000, which was when the unified rules of MMA were adopted. Fighters must be at least 35 years old or retired for a year or more to be eligible for the “Pioneer Wing.”

Kerr won one-night heavyweight tournaments at UFC 14 and UFC 15, making him one of just five athletes to win multiple tournaments within the promotion. The others are Royce Gracie, Mark Coleman, Dan Severn, and Don Frye. After those victories, Kerr went on to compete in Pride, where he was victorious in six of his first eight appearances.

“Mark Kerr was a high-level wrestl…

Patrick "Patchy" Mix was expected to make an immediate impact on the UFC’s bantamweight title picture on Saturday night. Mario Bautista had other ideas.

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In addition to being unable to implement his vaunted grappling, Mix looked slow and ineffective on the feet, as he was outstruck for the better part of three rounds in a unanimous decision defeat at UFC 316. If Mix had been victorious, he would have emerged as an immediate contender for Merab Dvalishvili’s 135-pound belt.

Instead, it’s back to the drawing board for the former Bellator MMA champion, who has long been hyped as one of the best bantamweights in world, regardless of promotion.

"Tough night for me in the office," Mix posted on Facebook. "But I appreciate the people that have supported and been along for the ride. Would have liked to do more and made adjustments. I will come back stronger from this moment.”

Mix lost for just the second time in 22 professional outings. He took…