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Mickey Gall was as surprised as anyone that Mike Perry got the best of him during their grappling exchanges in the UFC on ESPN 12 co-main event this past Saturday night.

Perry’s ability to control positioning and land ground-and-pound played a major role in his unanimous decision triumph over Gall in their welterweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. While Gall enjoyed success early with straight punches and kicks to the body in Round 1, Perry continued to assert himself as the fight progressed.

“No excuses. Wasn’t really my night tonight,” Gall said in a video post on Instagram. “I feel like I was getting the better of the standup, but not in the grappling. Go figure, right?

“He was strong, stuffed some of my transitions. Hat’s off to Mike. I hope we get to fight again. I’ve got a good feeling we will fight a…

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Kamaru Usman moved his training camp for moments like these.

In a brief video posted on Instagram, the reigning UFC welterweight champion can been seen training body shots with interim lightweight king Justin Gaethje as coach Trevor Wittman looks on.

“Iron sharpens iron,” Gaethje wrote. “How much would you pay to watch this for a few rounds? [Kamaru Usman] is looking like a straight killer. Glad to have him in the room. Just two dudes having fun.”

Usman recently revealed that he left Hard Knocks 365 in Florida to train under Wittman in Colorado. Usman will defend his 170-pound belt against former stablemate Gilbert Burns in the UFC 251 headliner at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi on July 11.

Gaethje, after claiming the interim lightweight crown at UFC 249 in May, is expected to face Khabib Nurmagomedov in a title…

Kyle Daukaus gets dropped right at the horn #UFCVegas4 pic.twitter.com/pK2H7rSJe8

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 28, 2020

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Brendan Allen’s victory over Kyle Daukaus at UFC on ESPN 12 proved to be costly for the middleweight prospect.

According to manager Brian Butler, Allen suffered a trio of facial fractures in his nose and orbital floor in Saturday’s bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. As a result, the 24-year-old Roufusport product will likely be out for the rest of this year. Butler added that Allen is considering moving up to 205 pounds for his next Octagon appearance.

UPDATE: @BrendanAllenMMA suffered 3 fractures in his nose and orbital floor in last nights fight. Likely out the remainder of the year but considering return at 205lbs. pic.twitt…

We head into the corner of Mike Perry. #UFCVegas4 pic.twitter.com/2KPOMrSeio

— UFC (@ufc) June 28, 2020

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Between rounds of Saturday’s co-main event clash against Mickey Gall, Mike Perry felt a sense of calm that he claims he wouldn’t have experienced with one or more coaches in his ear.

Trusting his own instincts and experience proved to be enough, as Perry earned a convincing unanimous verdict over Gall in a welterweight bout at UFC on ESPN 12 in Las Vegas.

“I did my thing, and I kept my cool. It was helpful not having a corner,” Perry said during Saturday’s post-fight show on ESPN+. “I felt like the whole time I was in the corner I was thinking about how the next round was going to be, how I needed to be and I was my own coach. I pulled it off tonight in a big way.”

Inst…

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 longer the fight went, the more Dustin Poirier was able to assert himself. The American Top Team product weathered a strong start from Dan Hooker to capture a unanimous decision triumph in the UFC on ESPN 12 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Two judges scored the lightweight bout 48-47, while a third saw it 48-46 — all in favor of Poirier (26-6, 18-5, 1 NC UFC).

Hooker (20-9, 10-5 UFC) set the tone in the first two rounds, as he battered his opponent with left hooks, low kicks and uppercuts to the body. The combatants traded willingly, particularly in close quarters, but it was the Kiwi who rocked his foe with a knee and a barrage of punches near the fence at the end of the second frame. Poirier was able to survive until the final horn.

“I came in here and pulled another one out,” Poirier said. “I …

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. Sherdog's live UFC on ESPN 12 coverage will begin Saturday at 6 p.m. ET. Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. 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 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:Triste…

Por sumisión! Finaliza @thedeathstar_1 en round 3! #UFCVegas4 pic.twitter.com/z6JSJ5hGuy

— ufcespanol (@UFCEspanol) June 27, 2020

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Khama Worthy is thriving as an underdog in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Worthy pulled off his second consecutive upset in the Octagon at UFC on ESPN 12, tapping out the favored Luis Pena with a guillotine choke in the third round of a lightweight preliminary bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. The end came 2:53 into Round 3, as Worthy won his seventh straight professional outing overall. Worthy shocked prospect Devonte Smith in his short-notice promotional debut last August.

Worthy (16-6, 2-0 UFC) attacked Pena (8-3, 4-3 UFC) with crisp counter punching and kicks to the legs and body in the opening round, but “The Deathstar”…

Danny Sabatello barely broke a sweat.

The once-beaten American Top Team prospect captured the vacant Titan Fighting Championship bantamweight crown, as he submitted Raymond Ramos with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their Titan 61 headliner on Friday at the Intercontinental Hotel and Resort in Miami. Ramos (5-4, 2-1 Titan) capitulated 1:56 into Round 1, his three-fight winning streak at an end.

Sabatello (8-1, 3-1 Titan) closed the distance, moved to the back and kicked off the fence to create space and ground the Fight Time Promotions veteran. Having secured back-to-chest position, he went in for the kill. Sabatello lassoed the neck, tightened his grip and forced the tapout.

In the lightweight co-main event, Hard Knocks 365 rep Landon Quinones Stewart extended his run of consecutive victories to three with a three-round unanimous decision over Geralbert Castillo. Stewart (5-1-1, 5-1 Titan) swept the scorecards with 29-28, 30-27 and 29-28 marks from the judges.…

"I'm just grateful."@DustinPoirier reacts to finding out today's news #UFCHonors pic.twitter.com/7NXm30ZlPN

— UFC (@ufc) June 26, 2020 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. Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight Dustin Poirier will be the first fighter to receive the “Forrest Griffin Community Award” for his volunteer and charity work. Ahead of his UFC on ESPN 12 encounter with Dan Hooker on Saturday, Poirier was bestowed this award for the work he has done for his community. The “Forrest Griffin Community Award” was introduced this year, as part of the UFC’s annual award ceremonies. Poirier is the first earn this honor, and with it, he will receive a $25,000 donation to any charity he chooses. The donation will be granted by Toyo Tires, a sponsor for the promotion.

After being informed that he had won this award, "The Di…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TOYLUc5irM&w=560&h=315] Marvin Vettori never would have imagined that 2020 would turn out to be such a crazy year for him.

After overcoming Andrew Sanchez at UFC Fight Night 161 in October, Vettori was scheduled to fight to face Darren Stewart on March 21 in London. Unfortunately for the Italian, the UFC canceled the event due to the COVID-19 outbreak. After that, things started to go downhill for "The Italian Dream" for a while.

First, he should have met Karl Roberson on April 25, but the UFC against postponed the card. Then, Vettori and Karl Roberson should have locked horns on May 13 at UFC Fight Night 171. The day before the fight, "Baby K" weighed in 1.5 pounds over the middleweight limit. A few hours later, Roberson was removed from the fight due to rhabdomyolysis, or a severe injury to his muscles from them breaking down. Shortly after, they had an altercation in a Jacksonville, Florida, hotel lobby. The UFC noted the animo…

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Win or lose at UFC 251, Paige VanZant is set on testing free agency following her July 11 bout against Amanda Ribas on “Fight Island.”

VanZant is on the last fight of her current contract, and she hopes to secure a more lucrative deal no matter where she might land.

“I have my heart set and nobody is going to change my mind that I’m fighting my contract out,” VanZant told ESPN. “I don’t know where my future lies – I truly don’t. I think that’s kind of an exciting thing in my life. I’ve been with the UFC for six years now, and through this time I’m still – which is crazy – on the same contract before I fought Rose [Namajunas] at 22 years old, and I’m 26 now.

“…I just feel like a regular extension isn’t what I want. I want to prove my worth and my value and I want a brand new contract. I’m really excited to get the…

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Invicta FC veteran Miranda Maverick will have to wait to make her UFC debut.

The flwyeight has suffered an injury and was forced to pull out of a scheduled clash with Mara Romero Borella at UFC on ESPN 12 this Saturday. Combate was first to report the news. It is currently unknown if Borella will receive a replacement opponent.

Maverick completed her run through the Invicta Phoenix Rising Series 2 flyweight tournament by submitting DeAnna Bennett with a neck crank in the third round of the bracket’s finals last September. The 22-year-old Springfield Fight Club representative then outpointed former UFC talent Pearl Gonzalez in her next bout at Invicta FC 39 on Feb. 7 to run her professional mark to 7-2.

UFC on ESPN 12 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a lightweight tilt between Dustin Po…

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It took more than a year and a half, but Chas Skelly finally has justice for a controversial defeat to Bobby Moffett at UFC Fight Night 139.

Skelly revealed on social media that the Colorado Combative Sports Commission recently overturned the loss to a no contest. Moffett earned a submission victory over Skelly on Nov. 10, 2018 in Denver after securing a brabo choke. However, referee Tim Mills mistakenly assumed Skelly was unconscious and prematurely called for the stoppage. Despite Skelly’s protests at the time, the verdict stood.

Skelly shared a letter from the Colorado commission announcing the ruling.

“In reviewing the bout video in its entirety, as well as the video submitted by you, I have concluded that the mechanics of the referee helped in creating an untimely stoppage of the fight, which resulted in an …

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A middleweight matchup pitting Yoel Romero against Uriah Hall is in the works for a UFC event on Aug. 22.

ESPN was first to report the bout, and MMAFighting.com later confirmed a date. The UFC card is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is also expected to include a women’s flyweight clash between Mariya Agapova and Shana Dobson.

Romero is currently on a three-bout skid that includes a unanimous decision defeat to Israel Adesanya in a middleweight championship bout at UFC 248 on March 7. Prior to that skid, “The Soldier of God” began his promotional tenure with victories in nine of his first 10 outings.

Hall, meanwhile, has been victorious in three of his last four Octagon appearances. Most recently, the 35-year-old known as “Primetime” garnered a split verdict over Antonio Carlos Jr. at UFC F…

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The ratings for UFC on ESPN 11 were very similar to the event one week prior.

This past Saturday’s main card averaged 912,000 viewers, according to ShowBuzz Daily. UFC on ESPN 11 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and saw Curtis Blaydes capture a unanimous verdict against Alexander Volkov in the evening’s heavyweight headliner. In the co-main event, Josh Emmett defeated Shane Burgos in a “Fight of the Year” contender at featherweight.

That figure represents only a slight increase from UFC on ESPN 10 on June 13, which averaged 908,000 viewers for a card featuing a much more maligned main event between Cynthia Calvillo and Jessica Eye.

Overall, UFC on ESPN 11 ranks seventh of the promotion’s 11 cards broadcast on ESPN. Like many other recent events, it was also simulcast on ESPN+. The main card broadcast began…

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 is changing a few aspects of its COVID-19 testing protocol ahead of its series of “Fight Island” events next month. MMAFighting.com was first to report on the updates and ESPN added further details regarding the testing. The UFC will hold events on July 11, 15, 18 and 25 at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, which is designed to accommodate international athletes who were unable to enter the United States and compete at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas due to travel restrictions.

According to the reports, fighters, coaches and staff will be tested for COVID-19 prior to traveling. Fighters based in the United States will initially go to Las Vegas for testing, and the UFC will charter flights to Abu Dhabi from there. A similar procedure is in place for those outside of the U.S., as Brazilian-based fighters and…

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Daniel Pineda is coming back to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Pineda’s management, Iridium Sports Agency, announced Tuesday on social media that the featherweight has signed a contract with the Las Vegas-based promotion. A date for Pineda’s next fight was not revealed.

Pineda returns to the UFC riding a six-fight unbeaten streak, but that comes with some controversy. Pineda defeated Movlid Khaybulaev and Jeremy Kennedy this past October to advance to the Professional Fighters League featherweight finals. However, a drug test revealed a high level of testosterone to epitestosterone in his system, and those victories were overturned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. A six-month suspension ended on April 18.

Pineda went 3-4 in the UFC from 2012 to 2014. He has compiled a 26-13 professional record that a…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Irh73-uS66A&w=560&h=315]

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A little more than a month ago, many observers pleaded with Anthony Smith’s corner to stop the fight as “Lionheart” endured a pummeling at the hands of Glover Teixeira in the UFC Fight Night 171 headliner.

Smith ultimately lost via TKO in the fifth round, and UFC president Dana White admitted at the post-fight press conference that he was surprised the light heavyweight was allowed to come out for the final frame. In later interviews, Smith took full responsibility and emphasized that he was not a victim because he wanted to stay in the fight as long as he possibly could.

However, Smith has a different perspective on what went down at UFC on ESPN 11 last weekend, when newcomer Max Rohskopf asked repeatedly for his fight with Austin Hubbard to be stopped p…

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Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov no longer has the coronavirus, but he remains in serious condition at the hospital.

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov provided an update on his father in an interview with Channel One Russia (translation via Tass reporter Igor Lazarin).

“Now father’s condition is still serious, he is in intensive care,” Khabib said. “The coronavirus is gone, but the infection has left consequences on the kidneys and on the heart. Now [the] virus [is] gone. I come to hospital, he recognizes me, but there is no communication, because he is under the hospital devices. Every day I visit him for half an hour, hold his hand, talk, he gestures to understand that he recognizes me.”

Abdulmanap initially fell ill with pneumonia at the end of April and was transported from a medical facility in Dagestan to…

Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

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Josh Emmett had reason to be frustrated after his victory over Shane Burgos in the UFC on ESPN 11 co-main event this past Saturday.

According to ESPN, the Team Alpha Male product completely tore the ACL in his left knee in the opening moments of the first round of the featherweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. In addition to that injury, Emmett also suffered a partial MCL tear, a Baker’s cyst rupture (fluid leakage into the calf), a focal impact fracture of the femur, cartilage damage and severe swelling. Emmett speculated that it was an ACL tear in the immediate aftermath of the fight.

A timeframe for Emmett’s recovery is currently unclear. The 35-year-old has won three straight fights and five of his last six overall…

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Jim Miller was the highest paid competitor at UFC on ESPN 11.

The 35-fight Octagon veteran took home $208,000 for his first-round submission of Roosevelt Roberts in a featured lightweight encounter at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Roberts earned $25,000 in defeat.

UFC on ESPN 11 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and saw Curtis Blaydes ($180,000) defeat Alexander Volkov ($80,000) via unanimous decision in the evening’s heavyweight headliner. The Nevada State Athletic Commission released salaries from the event on Monday.

Elsewhere on the card, Josh Emmett garnered $152,000 for his “Fight of the Night” victory over Shane Burgos ($75,000) in the featherweight co-main event, while former title challenger Raquel Pennington earned $126,000 for a three-round verdict against Marion Reneau ($38,000).<…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psk4Q5rtuPQ&w=560&h=315]

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Dana White’s Contender Series was expected to begin its fourth season this week, but the COVID-19 pandemic changed those plans.

According to a report from MMAjunkie.com, Season 4 is now expected to debut on Aug. 4 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and stream via ESPN+ on Tuesdays through September. Previous seasons of the Contender Series featured 10 episodes, but it’s currently unclear if the upcoming iteration will follow suit.

Fighters such as Adrian Yanez, Josh Parisian, Leomana Martinez, Joseph Pyfer, Chad Johnson and Jerome Rivera that were targeted for the upcoming season are still expected to compete, per the report. Others, like Brandon Royval, Anthony Ivy and Kyle Daukaus were tabbed as short-notice replacements for UFC bouts.

The Contender Ser…

Inside the corner of Max Rohskopf before the fight is called off at #UFCVegas3 pic.twitter.com/hZrfnaMObt

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 20, 2020

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Max Rohskopf endured a rough promotional debut at UFC on ESPN 11.

After accepting a fight against Austin Hubbard on less than one week’s notice, the previously unbeaten prospect gassed out in the second round and was battered on the feet by his opponent in an increasingly lopsided bout. Prior to the third round, Rohskopf asked for the fight to be halted, but cornerman Robert Drysdale can be overheard telling his fighter to push through. “I don’t have it. Call it,” Rohskopf responded.

Ultimately, Rohskopf’s reticence caught the attention of referee Mark Smith, who confirmed with the lightweight that he did not want to continue, and the fig…

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Josh Emmett was victorious in a “Fight of the Year” candidate against Shane Burgos in the UFC on ESPN 11 co-main event, but you wouldn’t have known it by listening to him in the aftermath on Saturday night.

“I just have to go back and watch it. In my mind, I’m a tough critic on myself,” Emmett said at the post-fight press conference. “I didn’t get to move. I didn’t get to do what I wanted to do. I use a lot of lateral movement. I really wanted to mix up the wrestling and do a lot of things. I hurt my knee in the first 45 seconds so I felt like I had to just stand there and play sock ‘em, rock ‘em robots and just slip and rip. People are saying it’s a good fight, I guess.

“A lot of journalists, all these guys are counting me out. I see everything. I love it though. Everyone was saying I’m gonna lose. I can beat anyone i…