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Curtis Blaydes set a heavyweight record for takedowns against Alexander Volkov in the UFC on ESPN 11 main event, but it wasn’t a flawless performance.

The Elevation Fight Team product fatigued down the stretch, allowing Volkov to have some life in the championship rounds. While Blaydes still earned a clear-cut unanimous decision, UFC president Dana White doesn’t think it measured up to the heavyweight’s comments on Twitter earlier in the week when he vowed to ragdoll his Russian opponent.

“He won. He talked a lot of s—t coming in this week,” White said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I don’t think you can talk the s—t that he talked this week and come in and perform like that. Talking about ragdolling people and not getting paid. Yada yada. He should be getting a title shot. He gassed out at the end of the …

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 11 coverage will begin Saturday at 5 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:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfiel…

By UD for @BobbyKGreen!

What did your scorecard look like? #UFCVegas3 pic.twitter.com/y1HIzxNKWg

— UFC (@ufc) June 21, 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. Solid takedown defense and a varied striking arsenal carried Bobby Green to a unanimous decision over Clay Guida in a lightweight bout at UFC on ESPN 11 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Two judges scored the fight 29-28 and a third had it 30-27 for Green, who won for just the second time in his last eight Octagon appearances.

Guida was his typical relentless self, but his dogged pursuit of the takedown often resulted in him absorbing knees and punches to the head and body from Green. “The Carpenter” found his greatest success in Round 1, when he was briefly able to ground Green twice. For the most part, however, Green (25-10-1, 6-5-1 UFC) confoun…

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A knee injury has forced bantamweight Aspen Ladd to withdraw from a scheduled encounter with Sara McMann at UFC on ESPN 12 next week.

Ladd announced the news on her Instgram account Friday night. The 25-year-old Californian had been victorious in four of her first five UFC bouts, a stretch that includes TKO triumphs over Yana Kunitskaya, Tonya Evinger and Lina Lansberg.

“Unfortunately, for the first time in my career I'm being pulled due to injury. This is me right now, finally home after an [MRI] today and a long talk with a very good doctor,” Ladd wrote. “So here's the timeline: I got injured on my last hard day of training last week but still planned on toughing it out and fighting, I didn't realize quite how bad it was. I have been training on it since the initial injury to the best of my abilities and my weight wa…

@RazorBlaydes265 makes our main event official #UFCVegas3 pic.twitter.com/LIXXezRFCP

— UFC (@ufc) June 19, 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. All fighters ahead of UFC on ESPN 11 successfully made weight except for Frank Camacho, who came in two pounds north of the lightweight limit. The Ultimate Fighting Championship will keep its busy June going on Saturday as UFC on ESPN 11 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Headlining the card is a heavyweight tilt between contenders Curtis Blaydes and Alexander Volkov.

Blaydes (13-2, 1 NC) will put his three-fight win streak on the line against "Drago" and will look to cement himself as a future title contender. "Razor" is coming off an impressive TKO victory over former champion Junior dos Santos, and also holds wins over Alistair Overeem, Mark Hunt and Alexey Oleynik on …

MMAPLAY365 EXCLUSIVE:

The UFC are working on a huge Light Heavyweight fight with Aleksandar Rakic vs. Anthony Smith.

Per sources, both fighters have signed to fight on August 29th in Las Vegas.#UFC #UFCFightNight pic.twitter.com/ZZ2pk7LCdb— mmaplay365 (@mmaplay365) June 19, 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. A key light heavyweight matchup is being planned for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Aug. 29 event.

According to a report from betting odds site MMAPlay365 on Friday, Anthony Smith (33-15) will square off against Aleksandar Rakic (12-2) at the UFC’s event on Aug. 29. The card is scheduled to go down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and it is unclear whether this bout will serve as the headliner.

Both men will be looking to rebound from losses. Smith suffered a fifth-round knockout at the hands of Glo…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has signed one of the top flyweight prospects in the sport and is putting her straight to work, as she will make her Octagon debut on barely a week’s notice.

On Thursday, MMA DNA was the first to report the signing and booking of former Invicta FC flyweight contender Miranda Maverick. The 7-2 Maverick, who fought most recently at Invicta FC 39 in February, will make her first appearance under the UFC banner at UFC on ESPN 12, which is scheduled for June 27. Welcoming the 22-year-old Maverick to the Octagon will be Mara Romero Borella. The 11-8 Romero Borella is on a three-fight skid in the UFC, most recently tapping to a Cortney Casey armbar in the first round of their meeting at UFC on ESPN 8 last month.

UFC on ESPN 12 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday, June 27. While the card is still taking final shape, it currently stands at 10 bouts, to be headlined by a high-stakes lightweight scrap between former interi…

Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight Rachael Ostovich has received an eight-month suspension from the United States Anti-Doping Agency for a failed drug test administered in January.

The out-of-competition test, which was administered on Jan. 3, came back positive for ostarine and GW1516, also known as cardarine or endurobol. The suspension, which was originally set at one year from the date of the failed test, was reduced to eight months after additional testing of one of Ostovich’s training supplements. According to a statement from USADA, “Although ostarine and GW1516 were not listed on the supplement label, the analysis revealed that the product contained ostarine and GW1516, the substances for which Ostovich tested positive. The product label listed another prohibited substance, but Ostovich did not realize at the time that it was prohibited. Consistent with other cases with similar circumstances, USADA determined that a small reduction from the default two-ye…

The UFC has pulled me from my fight due to one of my cornerman testing positive for COVID-19. We did everything possible to make this fight happen. They tested me twice and both results came back negative. I also… https://t.co/M89T1XOh7S

— SteamRolla_Frevola (@MattFre16) June 18, 2020

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship is treading a very fine line when it comes to the coronavirus.

On Thursday morning, Matt Frevola posted on social media that he has been pulled by the UFC from his match against Frank Camacho at UFC on ESPN 11. The two were set to square off on the prelims on June 20, but Frevola’s corner and fellow UFC fighter Billy Quarantillo tested positive for COVID-19. Sources have informed Sherdog that Justin Jaynes is being tapped as a replacement for Camacho, and Jaynes will…

LFA: July residency in #SouthDakota!

July 10#LFA84: Gonzales vs. ChildersFeatherweight

July 17#LFA85: Hughes vs. DemopoulosWomen's Strawweight

July 24#LFA86: Fischer vs. FlickFlyweight

July 31#LFA87: Logan vs. RosalesLightweight

: https://t.co/x5yJ5Eo3cu pic.twitter.com/UazbKTup6d— LFA (@LFAfighting) June 17, 2020

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Legacy Fighting Alliance will make Sioux Falls, South Dakota, its home for the entirety of July.

The promotion announced Wednesday that it will hold four events — each headlined by title fights — behind closed doors at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Every Friday night, the cards will air on UFC Fight Pass beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

“I am excited to announced that LFA will be returning with live weekly MMA event…

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Three years ago, former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes was hospitalized after a truck he was driving collided with a moving train in Raymond, Illinois.

On Tuesday, Hughes took time to reflect on his long road to recovery. The Hall of Fame fighter was placed on a ventilator after suffering a head injury in the accident and later sued the railroad operator for negligence in failing to alert motorists of dangerous conditions at the crossing where the collision occurred.

In the months that followed, Hughes displayed gradual signs of improvement during a remarkable recovery process, including video posted by a friend in which the former UFC star can be seen grappling. Hughes has progressed further since then, and on his latest post he shares the difference between where he was in 2017 and in 2020 and how he was able …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNzv78iDnMY&w=560&h=315]

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Kyle Daukaus will step in for the injured Ian Heinisch and face Brendan Allen at UFC on ESPN 12.

Daukaus’ manager and multiple outlets confirmed the new middleweight booking following an initial report from Ryan Frederick on Twitter. UFC on ESPN 12 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on June 27 and is headlined by a lightweight duel between Dustin Poirier and Dan Hooker. The card airs on ESPN+ and ESPN.

A Dana White’s Contender Series alum and Cage Fury Fighting Championship middleweight king, Daukaus makes enters his UFC debut with a 9-0 record. The Martinez BJJ representative last appeared at CFFC 81, where he defended his belt with a second-round brabo choke of Nolan Norwood. Daukaus has finished eight of his career triumphs via tapout.

The…

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Chris Weidman will make his return to middleweight against Omari Akhmedov at a UFC event on Aug. 8.

Russian outlet TASS was first to report the pairing. The event will be headlined by a heavyweight showdown between Derrick Lewis and Alexey Oleynik and is expected to be held at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

A former 185-pound champion, Weidman moved up to light heavyweight at UFC on ESPN 6, where he suffered a first-round knockout loss to Dominick Reyes this past October. The 35-year-old New York native has lost five of his last six UFC outings — all via knockout or technical knockout.

Akhmedov is unbeaten in his last six UFC bouts, with a majority draw against Marvin Vettori the only blemish on his ledger during that time. Most recently, “Wolverine” outpointed Ian Heinisch at UFC 245 on Dec. 14.

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Over the weekend, UFC two-division champion Amanda Nunes revealed that retirement could be in her plans for the near future during an appearance on Brazilian TV Show "Esporte Espetacular.”

“Ah, I don’t know. I’ve achieved everything I wanted,” Nunes said (translation via MMAFighting.com). “I’m well. I can go on with my life, maybe a (take) new step, maybe find new talents, help some girls there … maybe be a coach, too.

“I’m in a moment that I can retire, you know, and I’m in a moment that I can fight. I’m fine. There’s nothing else to be done right now in the division. The Hall of Fame will come, for sure. My life going forward, if I do stop now, the UFC will give me every support I need to continue having my money and work.”

That revelation came as a surprise to Dana White, who revealed on the Schmozone Podcast …

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Justin Gaethje has a fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov in his future, but if he becomes the undisputed lightweight king, a date with Conor McGregor could loom.

McGregor recenty announced his retirement via Twitter, his third such announcement in recent years. On the other two occasions, McGregor eventually returned to the Octagon, and many believe his latest exit is another negotiating ploy. The “Notorious” also expressed disappointment that the promotion didn’t book him against Gaethje after “The Highlight” defeated Tony Ferguson at UFC 249.

Gaethje is especially confident that McGregor will end the latest hiatus if he knocks off Nurmagomedov in their bout, which is rumored for September. McGregor already lost to Nurmagomedov via submission in October 2018, and Gaethje isn’t as certain that the former two-division champi…

The midweek UFC “Fight Island” card has its headliner, as Calvin Kattar will square off against Dan Ige in a featherweight bout on July 15.

ESPN was first to report the pairing. The event will be held at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and is also expected to include a women’s strawweight clash pitting Carla Esparza against Marina Rodriguez.

Kattar has been victorious in five of his seven UFC appearances. “The Boston Strangler” is coming off a vicious knockout of Jeremy Stephens at UFC 249 on May 9. The 32-year-old also owns notable wins over Ricardo Lamas, Shane Burgos and Andre Fili.

A veteran of Season 1 of Dana White’s Contender Series, Ige has been on a roll since losing his Octagon debut to Julio Arce. The 28-year-old Xtreme Couture representative has rebounded from that defeat to post six consecutive triumphs, including a split verdict over Edson Barboza in his most recent outing at UFC on ESPN 8.

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The winners of the two featured bouts at UFC on ESPN 10 are facing potentially lengthy medical suspensions unless they receive medical clearance.

Cynthia Calvillo, who defeated Jessica Eye via unanimous decision in Saturday’s flyweight headliner, must have an MRI on her shoulder and receive clearance or she will be sidelined until Dec. 11. At a minimum Calvillo is suspended until July 14 with no contact until July 5.

Meanwhile, Marvin Vettori is also looking at a six-month sit following his first-round submission of Karl Roberson in the middleweight co-main event. “The Italian Dream” must have an MRI on his right knee and doctor clearance if the results are positive to avoid being out until Dec. 11. At a minimum, Vettori is suspended until July 14 with no contact until July 5.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTa0Cs2NIvk&w=560&h=315]

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Max Rohskopf will replace Joe Solecki and face Austin Hubbard in a lightweight clash at UFC on ESPN 11.

The Las Vegas-based promotion confirmed the new pairing on Monday. Solecki announced his withdrawal from the contest over the weekend, citing “reasons beyon my control.” UFC on ESPN 11 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday and is headlined by a heavyweight clash between Curtis Blaydes and Alexander Volkov. The card airs on ESPN and ESPN+.

The 25-year-old Rohskopf is 5-0 thus far in his MMA career, with all of his victories coming via submission inside of two rounds. Most recently, the Zenith MMA product tapped out Paulo Silva in 53 seconds at Titan FC 59 on Feb. 28.

A former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion, Hubbard has lost two of …

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Things did not go as planned for Jessica Eye in regards to UFC on ESPN 10.

First, the Ohio native missed weight on Friday, and then after a solid opening round, she was controlled the rest of the way by Cynthia Calvillo en route to losing a unanimous decision in Saturday’s headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The former flyweight title challenger seems to be taking her latest defeat in stride, even amid criticism for her issues on the scale and being part of a bout that was questioned by many fans as being main-event worthy.

“I am never ashamed of myself no matter what the outcome is in a fight in the octagon,” Eye wrote on Instagram. “I am beyond thankful for every moment that I have, whether it’s good or bad. I am grateful for the support and even more for the critical assholes that seem to just have nothing…

@TouchyFili #UFCVegas2 pic.twitter.com/G0KlZrXsZQ

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 14, 2020

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Though he won’t turn 30 until later this month, Andre Fili has already stepped inside the UFC’s Octagon 15 times.

His latest appearance at UFC on ESPN 10 was a success, but it wasn’t without some suspense, as he ultimately edged Charles Jourdain via split decision in a featured featherweight but at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

“I was begging God. Man, I don’t understand (the split decision),” Fili said. “I really feel like I didn’t perform as well as I could have. I’m my own hardest critic. If you scored that fight for him, I don’t know what fight you were watching. Respect to Jourdain. He was telling me I won the fight.”

After being dropped in the opening stanza, Fili …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLGCf1OIbf8&w=560&h=315]

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When it comes to attendance at Ultimate Fighting Championship events, it’s all or nothing for Dana White.

The UFC president addressed the possibility of holding cards at venues filled at a fraction of their capacity down the road, a retriction that would be imposed to enforce social distancing guidelines to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Given that option, White would prefer to remain at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas with closed-door events for the time being.

“I won’t do that,” White said at the UFC on ESPN 10 post-fight press conference. “I won’t do a 50 percent arena. I’ll just stay here. It makes more sense just to stay here.”

According to White, the promotion is in discussion with a few states regarding open events. Each state in the U.S. ha…

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. With just one appearance under her belt, Cynthia Calvillo already looks like a contender in the UFC women’s flyweight division. After a rocky opening round, Calvillo was impressive in earning a unanimous decision over former title challenger Jessica Eye in the UFC on ESPN 10 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Calvillo landed takedowns in each of the final four frames and also outlanded her opponent by a signficant margin.

“I felt great. It was kinda weird because I didn’t feel depleted or smaller [as] I do at strawweight,” Calvillo said during an interview on the ESPN+ post-fight show. “At [125] I feel so much [more] comfortable. My cardio felt way better. It was my first time doing a five-round fight. I wanted to see how I’d do with the nerves and evertything heading into the fifth round. I had plenty of ene…

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 10 coverage will begin Saturday at approximately 6:45 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:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the …

THE MACHINE - @MerabDvalishvil! #UFCVegas2 pic.twitter.com/ClBq38Bp5z

— UFC (@ufc) June 14, 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. Relentless pace, takedowns and top control carried Merab Dvalishvili to a clear-cut unanimous decision triumph over Combate Americas champion Gustavo Lopez in the UFC on ESPN 10 featured preliminary bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Two judges submitted 30-26 scorecards, while a third saw the catchweight bout 30-25 — all in favor of the Serra-Longo Fight Team member.

The largest underdog on the card, Lopez never had an answer for his opponent’s pressure. Dvalishvili landed multiple takedowns in each period, advanced position and picked his spots to land purposeful ground-and-pound. While Lopez (11-5, 0-1 UFC) was able to scramble back to his feet repeatedly, he often found himself planted back on the canvas …