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The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s partnership with ESPN is apparently already paying major dividends for The Worldwide Leader.

According to a release, ESPN+ gained 568,000 new subscribers on Friday and Saturday combined –525,000 on Saturday alone – a surge that can be largely attributed to the presence of UFC Fight Night Brooklyn on the streaming platform.

While the six-bout main card (along with three early prelims) streamed on ESPN+, four prelims from 8:15 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET aired on ESPN network. That telecast, which was topped by a lightweight tilt between Donald Cerrone and Alexander Hernandez, averaged a 1.4 metered market reading. That makes it the highest rated preliminary card for a UFC Fight Night card since 2013.

Additionally, MMA content brought 1.8 million unique visitors to various ESPN digital platforms.

“All day, and across all ESPN platforms, we collectively demonstrated the promise of what we can do to fulfill our mission of serving a w…

Greg Hardy didn’t do much to enhance his already tarnished reputation in his Octagon debut.

The former NFL star was disqualified after landing an illegal knee against Allen Crowder in the UFC Fight Night 143 co-main event in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Saturday night, drawing boos from those in attendance at the Barclays Center. Hardy, whose first three pro fights ended in less than a minute, claimed the blow, which ended the bout at the 2:28 mark of round two, was unintentional.

“He was getting up, it was inexperience in mistiming it, man,” Hardy told media at the post-fight press conference. “But I was trying to time it like I had just watched Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone do, like I saw everybody else do, and I thought it was the right thing to do at the time. And it was not. I messed up.”

Hardy’s past history with domestic violence led some to plenty of skepticism regarding his intent with the knee. However, Hardy pointed out that he had a clean history on the gridiron.

…

Donald Cerrone has been one of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s most notorious bonus collectors during his lengthy tenure, and Saturday night was no different.

“Cowboy” earned $100,000 in post-fight bonuses for his second-round stoppage of Alexander Hernandez in a preliminary lightweight clash at UFC Fight Night 143 in Brooklyn, N.Y. After weathering a quick start from his opponent, Cerrone gradually picked up steam, ultimately putting Hernandez away with a head kick and follow-up punches at the 3:43 mark of round two.

As a result of his work, Cerrone earned one of the evening’s $50,000 “Performance of the Night” awards. “Cowboy” and Hernandez also shared “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their entertaining scrap.

Meanwhile, reigning flyweight king Henry Cejudo garnered the card’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for his 32-second technical knockout victory of T.J. Dillashaw in the evening’s main event. A glancing head kick and …

You can sign up for a free seven-day trial of ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC on ESPN+ 1 live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

Henry Cejudo not only wanted to defend his Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight title, he wanted to make a statement at UFC Fight Night 143.

“The Messenger” come out aggressively from the opening horn and landed a fierce kick to T.J. Dillashaw’s ribs. From there, Cejudo (14-2) landed a glancing head kick and then rocked his foe with punches to the head. Dillashaw tried scoring a takedown from his knees, but he was dropped again and again from punches to the head.

Cejudo never stopped throwing bombs until Dillashaw (16-4) rolled out and referee Kevin MacDonald pulled him off, ending the main event in just 32 seconds.

Cejudo retained his title and thwarted Dillashaw, the reigning bantamweight king, from trying to become the fourth fighter in UFC history to win world titles in two weight …

You can sign up for a free seven-day trial of ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC on ESPN+ 1 live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

Sherdog.com's live UFC Fight Night 143 coverage kicks off Saturday at 6 p.m. ET.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below.

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Dennis Bermudez went out on a high note.

The 32-year-old announced his retirement on Saturday night following a unanimous decision victory against Te Edwards in a lightweight bout at UFC Fight Night 143 in Brooklyn, N.Y. “The Menace” halted a four-bout losing streak that dated back to February 2017.

““This is my last fight,” Bermudez said in a post-fight interview. “It’s been awesome. I’ve been through some stuff and thought about hanging them up after the four losses. I want my kids to look back and see that even though I went through adversity, I came out on top. My uncle has cancer and isn’t doing so well. That’s what us Bermudez boys do—when we’re down and out, we come back and win.”

Bermudez made it to the finals of “The Ultimate Fighter 14,” where he was submitted by Diego Brandao at the “TUF 14” finale. From there, the New York native kicked off the most successful stretch of his career, authoring a seven-bout winning streak that included triumphs over Max…

An aggression-fueled Jose Mariscal knocked Youssef Zalal from the ranks of the unbeaten, as he captured a unanimous decision over the Factory X prospect in the Legacy Fighting Alliance 57 headliner on Friday at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado.

All three cageside judges saw it 29-28 for Mariscal (7-3, 1-0 LFA), who has posted back-to-back victories since his September 2017 encounter with Carl Deaton ended in a no-contest.

Mariscal closed the distance with punching flurries, executed repeated takedowns and applied his ground-and-pound, controlling virtually all of the first round and parts of the second. However, Zalal (3-1, 3-1 LFA) put him in peril on multiple occasions in the middle stanza, once with an armbar and later with a guillotine choke. The 22-year-old carried the momentum into the third round, where he struck for a takedown of his own, advanced to Mariscal’s back and locked in an inverted triangle choke as time ticked away. “Chepe” escaped, survived t…

Championship weight!

@HenryCejudo - 124.4 #UFCBrooklyn pic.twitter.com/DpAd0tV25y

— UFC (@ufc) January 18, 2019

“For all you f*****g doubters out there.”

@TJDillashaw - 124.6 #UFCBrooklyn pic.twitter.com/tZ1JZBNSU9— UFC (@ufc) January 18, 2019

You can sign up for a free seven-day trial of ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC on ESPN+ 1 live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

The UFC on ESPN era is upon us, with the debut event hosting a title fight with the potential to crown the fourth-ever simultaneous double champ, as Henry Cejudo is set to face T.J. Dillashaw.

Cejudo hit the scales at 124.4 pounds, as he prepares to defend his Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight throne against bantamweight king Dillashaw (124.6) in the UFC on ESPN+ 1 main event this Saturday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Co-headlining the card will be a heavyweight battle bet…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3e1tc_FGyY&w=560&h=315]

It’s all systems go in Las Vegas as both Manny Pacquiao and Adrien Broner made the welterweight limit at Friday afternoon’s official weigh-in.

The two will clash in the featured bout of a pay-per-view event inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Pacquiao’s WBA welterweight title will be at stake and both men have vowed to knock the other out in the days leading up to their scrap.

Broner (33-3-1, 24 KOs) hasn’t won since he earned a split decision over Adrian Granados nearly two years ago. He dropped a decision to Mikey Garcia in his next bout and then fought to a draw against Jessie Vargas. The Cincinnati native was the first to step onto the scale and the polarizing and troubled 29-year-old made it look easy. “The Problem” came in at 146.5 pounds, flexed his muscles and was brimming with confidence.

Pacquiao (60-7-2, 39 KOs) has been knocking back Father Time for several years and has looked very shar…

#WCW: @RondaRousey protégé and #Judo black belt champion @PauliePita06 makes her @LFAfighting debut at #LFA57!

TICKETS: https://t.co/adTN0xikoq#MMA#LFANation@1STBANK_Center pic.twitter.com/IfzhYXw6KJ

— LFA (@LFAfighting) January 16, 2019 The Legacy Fighting Alliance is back in action in 2019 after a banner year, hosting a big event in LFA 57 in Colorado.

Youssef Zalal hit the scales at 145.2 pounds, as he prepares to face Jose Mariscal (145.8) at featherweight in the LFA 57 main event this Friday at the 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. Co-headlining the card will be a welterweight showdown between Josh Cavan (170.2) and Anthony Adams (169.8), with all four making weight without issue at Thursday’s weigh-ins.

LFA 57, which airs live on AXS TV on Friday, January 18th at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, also features a middleweight contest between Lucas Rota (185.6) and Adam Stroup (183). A pair of welterweights will collide, as Austin Jone…

#WCW: @RondaRousey protégé and #Judo black belt champion @PauliePita06 makes her @LFAfighting debut at #LFA57!

TICKETS: https://t.co/adTN0xikoq#MMA#LFANation@1STBANK_Center pic.twitter.com/IfzhYXw6KJ

— LFA (@LFAfighting) January 16, 2019 The Legacy Fighting Alliance is back in action in 2019 after a banner year, hosting a big event in LFA 57 in Colorado.

Youssef Zalal hit the scales at 145.2 pounds, as he prepares to face Jose Mariscal (145.8) at featherweight in the LFA 57 main event this Friday at the 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. Co-headlining the card will be a welterweight showdown between Josh Cavan (170.2) and Anthony Adams (169.8), with all four making weight without issue at Thursday’s weigh-ins.

LFA 57, which airs live on AXS TV on Friday, January 18th at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, also features a middleweight contest between Lucas Rota (185.6) and Adam Stroup (183). A pair of welterweights will collide, as Austin Jone…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has signed its first Macedonian fighter and his name is Alen Amedovski.

Amedovski is still undefeated and is riding an eight-fight winning streak. The 30-years old has fought his last couple of bouts under the Bellator MMA banner, collecting two victories, both by KO. The first victory came by smashing Irishman Will Fleury at Bellator 203; the second by sending to the canvas Ibrahim Mane at Bellator 211 in just 12 seconds.

The American Top Team Rome representative announced the news on his social media accounts.

“This is my journey. I knew that I couldn’t end my days working in a factory. I couldn’t just be satisfied by this life. I wake up every day and my only thought, after my son and wife, is just one: MMA. I’ve slept on the mats; I’ve eaten just with five Euros a day, when I had them. I’ve invested everything on myself; I’ve sacrificed everything. I was always away from my son and wife and I knew that those moments were ne…

In a little over a week, one of these two men will be the new @BellatorMMA World Heavyweight Champion. pic.twitter.com/SiuqwHnAVo

— Scott Coker (@ScottCoker) January 17, 2019

DAZN is the exclusive streaming partner of Bellator MMA. You can sign up for a free trial here.

Bellator MMA is set to bring California a stacked card at the end of January, headlined by the heavyweight tournament finals of Fedor Emelianenko vs. Ryan Bader.

Via press release, the organization announced their full fight card of five bouts on the main card along with 11 preliminary tilts. Bellator 214 "Fedor vs. Bader" will air live on the Paramount Network at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and will be simulcast on DAZN. The preliminary bouts will stream on Bellator.com, the Bellator Mobile App and DAZN, as well.

Headlining the event will be the finals of the Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix, where former Pride Fighting Championships heavyweight king Emelianenko will me…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship and World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight king Jose Aldo plans to hang up his gloves at the end of 2019, ending a hugely successful 15-year career.

Aldo is arguably the greatest-ever featherweight in MMA history defending, having defended the featherweight belt on nine separate occasions -- two in the WEC and seven after the division was absorbed by the UFC. The 32-year-old Brazilian takes on featherweight contender Renato Carneiro in the co-main event of UFC Fortaleza in Brazil on Feb. 2.

Aldo revealed on Wednesday afternoon that he intends to fight the last three bouts on his current contract with the UFC in 2019 and is hopeful all three fights are staged in Brazil before hanging up his gloves for good (via MMA Fighting):

“I want to end my career here in Brazil. That’s what we have planned,” Aldo said. “I want to do these three fights… I’ll fight in Fortaleza now, and I’m already negotiating my next one for May, if I’m n…

A potential all-action lightweight clash between Justin Gaethje and Edson Barboza is currently in the works for UFC on ESPN 2.

Multiple outlets reported the matchup, including ESPN.com. The contest is currently still under discussion and not a done deal. If the pairing is finalized, Gaethje and Barboza would square off at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on March 30. The card will air on ESPN.

Gaethje, the former World Series of Fighting lightweight champion, has gone 2-2 in UFC competition after beginning his professional career with 17 consecutive wins. “The Highlight” has established himself as appointment viewing in each fight whether he wins or losses due to his entertaining style. Gaethje is coming off a first-round knockout of James Vick at UFC Fight Night 135 on Aug. 25.

Barboza has compiled a 14-6 mark in the Octagon since beginning his promotional tenure in 2010. The Brazilian last competed at UFC on Fox 31, where he authored a devastating beatdow…

Credit: Gleidson Venga/Sherdog.com Credit: Gleidson Venga/Sherdog.com Credit: Gleidson Venga/Sherdog.com Credit: Gleidson Venga/Sherdog.com

A welterweight clash pitting Darren Till against Jorge Masvidal will serve as the headliner for UFC Fight Night 147 in London, while another 170-pound clash between Leon Edwards and Gunnar Nelson is set for the co-main event.

UFC President Dana White confirmed the bouts to ESPN.com on Wednesday. UFC Fight Night 147 – also known as UFC on ESPN+ 5 -- takes place at O2 Arena in London and also includes a light heavyweight clash between Volkan Oezdemir and Dominick Reyes. The card will stream on ESPN+.

Till was contemplating a move to middleweight but will put that on hold to face Masvidal. “The Gorilla” was unbeaten in his first six Octagon appearances before suffering a second-round submission loss against Tyron Woodley in a 170-pound title bout at UFC 228 this past September.

Masvidal, meanwhile, was briefly linked to a bout w…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZwfCiPxRB8&w=560&h=315]

While fans have long speculated that Darren Till will eventually outgrow the welterweight division, “The Gorilla” himself finally seems to be plotting a move to 185 pounds -- but not just yet.

Till, a gigantic welterweight who has a history of failed weight cuts at 170 pounds, nonetheless made weight without issue for the biggest fight of his career, when he challenged Tyron Woodley for the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title at UFC 228 last September. However, that night saw Till completely outclassed by the champ, landing zero significant strikes before submitting to a second-round brabo choke.

The 26-year-old Liverpudlian, who teased a move up to middleweight after the fight with Woodley, was interviewed on a recent episode of the “Believe You Me” podcast. Till told host Michael Bisping that the Woodley fight opened his eyes on how to manage his huge weight cut, and maintained he plans t…

Stephen Thompson and Anthony Pettis have verbally agreed to a welterweight bout for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s upcoming visit to Nashville on March 23.

Multiple outlets have confirmed the pairing following an initial report from ESPN.com. The event is expected to take place at Bridgestone Arena, with the main card airing on ESPN+. Neither the location of the event nor the bout have been formally announced by the promotion. Thompson vs. Pettis is expected to headline the card.

Thompson, a two-time welterweight title challenger, is coming off a controversial five-round decision loss against Darren Till in the UFC Fight Night 130 main event on May 27. The karate specialist has won just once in his last four outings, a three-round verdict over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 217. “Wonderboy” owns notable wins against Rory MacDonald, Johny Hendricks, Jake Ellenberger, Robert Whittkaer and Patrick Cote during his promotional tenure.

Pettis, meanwhile, will be making hi…

In an ideal world, Ryan Bader would be an active two-division champion if he defeats Fedor Emelianenko at Bellator 214.

However, the reigning light heavyweight titlist admits there isn’t yet a plan in place if he does leave The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on Jan. 26 with two belts in tow.

“We haven’t really got into it yet,” Bader said during a media call to promote Bellator 214. “I want to defend both belts. We’ll see. I gotta win both belts first. If I do that, then we get with Bellator and get a game plan going — what’s best for us and best for them.

“It’s gotta make sense for me. I’ve got to be incentivized to stay here and fight big old boys all the time.”

Bader punched his ticket to the finals of Bellator’s heavyweight grand prix with a 15-second stoppage of Muhammed Lawal and a dominant decision against Matt Mitrione. Overall, the UFC veteran has won 11 of his last 12 fights. Bader could envision a two-division reign in part because he thinks the 205…

In 2016, when Francis Ngannou was starting to make waves in the UFC, he talked about wanting to help children in his native country of Cameroon by giving them something to dream about (courtesy of MMA Junkie):

“I want to give some opportunity for children like me who dream of this sport and don’t have an opportunity like me,” Ngannou said. “The last time I was in Cameroon, I brought a lot of materials for boxing and MMA to open a gym. Now I just bought a big space to start the gym, as well.

“A lot of children now in Cameroon, because of me, they have a dream,” he added. “They say, ‘I will be a champion in MMA. I will do boxing like Francis,’ because they saw me when I was young. I didn’t have anything. I didn’t have any opportunity. And today, they see me, and they are dreaming. They are thinking that something is possible. Even when they are so poor, something is possible in life. … It’s not easy. It’s so hard, but it’s possible.”

Fast forward to 2019 and th…

It’s no secret that Stipe Miocic desires a heavyweight championship rematch with Daniel Cormier.

Before he suffered a first-round knockout loss to Cormier in the UFC 226 headliner this past July, Miocic set a promotion record with three consecutive heavyweight title defenses. That type of consistency in a tumultuous division — the Ohio firefighter had also won nine of his last 10 overall before running into “DC” — leads Miocic to believe he deserves a return date with the champion.

Cormier, meanwhile, has stated that he plans on retiring before he turns 40 on March 20. Of course, the American Kickboxing Academy product has been seeking a potentially lucrative matchup with Brock Lesnar ever since the WWE star entered the Octagon to confront Cormier following his victory at UFC 226. However, Cormier has also stated that he would rematch Miocic if the Lesnar bout doesn’t come to fruition.

Miocic recognizes that Cormier’s retirement deadline is drawing near, and on M…

Logan Storley will square off against Ion Pascu at Bellator 216.

Sherdog.com confirmed the welterweight pairing with a promotion official following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com. Bellator 216 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., on Feb. 16 and is headlined by a welterweight tournament quarterfinal bout between Paul Daley and Michael Page.

Storley, a four-time NCAA All-American wrestler at the University of Minnesota, is 9-0 thus far in his professional career. The 26-year-old South Dakota native’s stint includes four triumphs in Bellator, and in his most recent outing, Storley defeated A.J. Matthews via second-round TKO at Bellator 204 on Aug. 17.

The 36-year-old Pascu has lost both of his appearances with the California-based promotion, dropping a unanimous decision to Lorenz Larkin at Bellator 207 and falling to Ed Ruth by decision at Bellator 196. The Romanian fighter owns an 18-9 professional mark that includes nine wins by KO/TKO and…

FullForce pic.twitter.com/5YsiV5Bbb8

— AJ Agazarm (@TheFloridaBoy) October 3, 2018

Grappling standout A.J. Agazarm’s professional mixed martial arts debut will likely come against Jesse Roberts at Bellator 214.

Sherdog.com confirmed with a promotion official that the matchup has been targeted for the Jan. 26 event following an initial report from ESPN. The bout is expected to be contested at a 160-pound catchweight on the preliminary card. Bellator 214 takes place at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and is headlined by the heavyweight grand prix final between Ryan Bader and Fedor Emelianenko.

Agazarm, a Gracie-Barra black belt who is based in Los Angeles, won the IBJJF world no-gi championship in 2014 and finished second at the ADCC that same year. Agazarm also competed as a collegiate wrestler at Ohio State University.

Roberts will also be making his professional debut at Bellator 214.

It appears that Dwight Grant will not replace Randy Brown against Chance Rencountre at UFC Fight Night 143 in Brooklyn, N.Y., this coming Saturday as originally expected.

Grant was reportedly slated to step in against Rencountre on six days notice, but according to ESPN.com, the welterweight was not cleared by the New York State Athletic Commission due to an eye issue. Brown, meanwhile, was pulled from the card for unspecified reasons, although “Rude Boy” did claim to be 100 percent healthy. Kyle Stewart is now currently the leading candidate to face Rencountre, per ESPN.

UFC Fight Night 143 – also known as UFC on ESPN+ 1 – takes place at the Barclays Center and is headlined by a flyweight championship bout between Henry Cejudo and reigning bantamweight king T.J. Dillashaw.

Grant earned a UFC deal with a second-round knockout of Tyler Hill on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series this past June. The 34-year-old New York native came up short in his Octagon d…