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Jon Jones could be back in the Octagon as soon as UFC 230 following a suspension that was more lenient than most expected.

USADA went through an independent arbitrator to handle its anti-doping case with Jones, and ultimately, the former light heavyweight champion was given a reduced 15-month sanction retroactive to July 28, 2017. As a second time offender, “Jonny Bones” could have received as much as a four-year suspension for testing positive for the anabolic steroid Turinabol at UFC 214.

In the end, USADA and the independent arbitrator, Richard H. McLaren, determined that Jones did not take a banned substance intentionally.

“I find the athlete to have been a truthful witness who recognizes his past mistakes and has learned from them,” McLaren wrote in the arbitration agreement. “His demeanor at the hearing was of a person who is sorry for his past mistakes and recognizes that he can only improve on these errors by being an exemplary competitor who is dru…

Considering the circumstances, it was the one of the best outcomes possible for Jon Jones.

The former UFC light heavyweight champion was handed a 15-month suspension by an independent arbitrator for a failed drug test in relation to UFC 214 in July 2017, according to a statement released by USADA. Jones tested positive for the anabolic steroid Turinabol during an in-competition screening, which resulted in him being stripped of the light heavyweight belt and his TKO win over Daniel Cormier being overturned to a no contest.

According to the statement, Jones’ case was decided at an evidentiary hearing on Sept. 15. As a second time offender — Jones tested positive for two estrogen blockers at UFC 200 — the light heavyweight was looking at as much as a four-year suspension. Instead, Jones will be eligible to return to action on Oct. 28, just days before UFC 230 at Madison Square Garden in New York. His sanction is retroactive to July 28, 2017.

The USADA stateme…

Justine Kish has been plagued by knee injuries throughout her mixed martial arts career.

The UFC flyweight recently revealed on social media that she will undergo surgery on Friday to fix the fourth “substantial knee injury” she’s had. Kish suffered her latest ailment during a split-decision loss to Ji Yeon Kim at UFC on Fox 27.

“Despite my best efforts and some the use of progressve healing therapies, it seems that my knee will require another rebuild. In other words...my ACL, MCL, & PCL faces another revision . While I am physically damaged and emotionally dented, my spirit and resolve are stronger than ever!” Kish wrote. “The UFC has been wonderful throughout the course of my tribulations and I could not be more thankful.”

The 30-year-old North Carolina native has competed just once apiece in both 2018 and 2017. She was notably injured during filming of “The Ultimate Fighter 20,” which delayed her Octagon debut until 2016. Kish is 2-2 within the Las …

Hawaii native Ilima-Lei Macfarlane will help Bellator MMA break ground in her home state when she defends her flyweight crown against Valerie Letourneau on Dec. 15.

On Monday, the promotion’s inaugural female flyweight queen received another honor when Honolulu mayor Kirk Caldwell proclaimed Sept. 17 to be “Ilima-Lei Macfarlane Day.”

“On behalf of your whole city, we’re proud of you and all of your accomplishments, and we’re excited to see the future ahead of you,” Caldwell wrote on social media. “Good luck on the big fight in December!”

Congratulations to @ilimanator for being crowned the #BellatorMMA Female Flyweight World Champion! We’re proud of you and all of your accomplishments, and we’re excited to see the future ahead of you. Good luck on the big fight in December! #Ilimanator #BellatorHawaii pic.twitter.com/Vpkjex6ujv

— Kirk Caldwell (@MayorKirkHNL) September 18, 2018

Macfarlane will square off against Letourneau at the…

Recently crowned flyweight champion Henry Cejudo was separated from his championship hardware during a flight to UFC Fight Night Moscow last week. After eight days apart, Cejudo and the belt were reunited.

“After [eight] long days I had a happy reunion this morning,” Cejudo wrote on Instagram with an accompanying video showing him recovering the title, along with the rest of his luggage, in New York.

Cejudo claimed the title with a split-decision victory over long-reigning champion Demetrious Johnson at UFC 227 on Aug. 4. “The Messenger” has since been angling for a 135-pound title fight against reigning bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw. Cejudo lost his 2008 Olympic gold medal during the wildfires in Northern California last year.

“Let’s be honest, material comes and goes. It’s the memories, it’s the legacy that comes with being a champion,” Cejudo told reporters over the weekend. “I’m going to get a gold medal back. I’m going to get a belt back. But …

A bantamweight No. 1 contender clash pitting Erik Perez against John Castaneda will headline Combate Americas “Mexico vs. USA” on Oct. 13.

The promotion announced the pairing on Monday. The winner of the bout will be in line to face Combate Americas bantamweight champion Jose Alday at a later date. The event takes place at AVA Ampitheater at Casino Del Sol in Tucson, Ariz. The three-bout main card will air on Univision, Univision Deportes and DAZN.

Five other bouts were announced for Combate Americas “Mexico vs. USA”: Anthony Birchak vs. Adam Martinez at bantamweight; Juan Pablo Gonzalez vs. Mario Bautista at bantamweight; Arturo Guzman vs. Kasey Tanner at bantamweight; Misael Inarritu vs. Peter Quezada at a 160-pound catchweight and Jair Perez vs. Peter de la Cruz.

Perez, a nine-time UFC veteran, enters the bout on a four-fight winning streak. After ending his Octagon tenure with wins over Taylor Lapilus, Francisco Rivera and Felipe Arantes, “El Goyita” de…

Former UFC, Shooto and Dream competitor Norifumi Yamamoto has died at age 41.

The Japanese star’s longtime team, Krazy Bee released a statement confirming the fighter’s passing and requesting that the privacy of Yamamoto’s family be respected.

[Kid Yamamoto], who had been fighting cancer for a long time, has passed away on [Sept. 18],” the statement read. “To everyone concerned for support, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of the fans.

“In addition, please refrain from interviewing the Yamamoto family, family members, friends, etc, so that we can give consideration.”

RIP.... Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto pic.twitter.com/K8OJblm0ip

— Dana White (@danawhite) September 18, 2018

Last month, Yamamoto revealed on Instagram that he was battling cancer but did not offer further detail.

"Although it will be a personal report, I will do my best to treat cancer,” Yamamoto wrote then. “I am absolutely energetic and …

A couple of recently retired welterweights from the two largest MMA promotions in the world are going to take their talents to the bare knuckle boxing realm.

Former UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks and ex-Bellator MMA talent Brennan Ward are slated to meet under the World Bare Knuckle Fighting Federation banner later this year. The organization confirmed the pairing following a report from ESPN.com on Monday.

Hendricks announced his retirement in June. His last Octagon appearance came at UFC 217, where he suffered a second-round TKO defeat to Paulo Henrique Costa. “Bigg Rigg” had last five of his last six bouts dating back to February 2016. The former 170-pound king initially stated that he was retiring to focus on coaching high school wrestling. The opportunity to stay in combat sports without training for all the facets of MMA was too much to pass up, however.

"This sounds fun, not worrying about knees, kicks, elbows, being taken down," Hendricks…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship hasn’t announced who Valentina Shevchenko will face for the vacant women’s strawweight crown, but there’s a pretty decent chance her opponent could be former muay Thai rival Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

Shevchenko was slated to face 125-pound champion Nicco Montano at UFC 228, but after a failed weight cut hospitalized Montano, the promotion stripped the FIT-NHB product of the title. It also revealed that Shevchenko would face an as-yet-to-be announced foe for the vacant belt, leading to speculation that a Jedrzejczyk bout could be imminent.

Speaking to reporters recently at UFC Fight Night 136 in Moscow, Jedrzejczyk said that nothing is official but hinted that the matchup could be in the works.

“This fight is not on. Of course, I’ve gotten offer but we’ll see,” Jedrzejczyk said (video by MMANytt). “I’m very open to fight Valentina Shevchenko. I always want to fight the best fighters and I think that she is one of the top female f…

Eryk Anders is stepping in on six days' notice to fight Thiago Santos in the main event of Saturday's UFC Fight Night São Paulo event, per sources. Anders is replacing Jimi Manuwa. Fight will be at 205 pounds. First reported by @mmajunkie.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 17, 2018

The oft-changed headliner of UFC Fight Night 137 just got changed one more time, less than a week out from the event.

Jimi Manuwa, who was set to fight Thiago Santos on Sept. 22 in Sao Paulo, has withdrawn from the bout for unspecified reasons. Into his place steps Eryk Anders, who scored a highlight-reel knockout of Tim Williams at UFC Fight Night 135 in Lincoln, Nebraska just three weeks ago. He will face the Brazilian "Marreta," who was himself a replacement for the injured Glover Teixeira. MMA Junkie was the first to report the change in booking.

The light heavyweight main event of UFC Fight Night 137 is now composed of two rising middleweight …

Last September, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Gennady “GGG” Golovkin put on an epic fight with wild swings in momentum and drama on the scorecards. While the fight itself was a masterpiece, the controversy surrounding the resulting split draw and puzzling 118-110 nod for Canelo left a dark cloud over an otherwise stellar showing from both men. It was a tough act to follow.

Somehow, the two most popular and dominant men in the middleweight division returned to the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and found a way to match -- if not exceed -- the action of their previous affair. However, this time the judges decided on a clear winner as “Canelo” defeated “GGG” by majority decision to take the WBC, WBA, and IBO middleweight titles. Judges Dave Morietti and Steve Weisfeld scored it 115-113 for the new champion, while Glenn Feldman saw it as a draw.

Both men had their moments throughout as narrow margins decided the early feeler rounds. As the action picked up, the scoring was…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s first venture in Russia appears to have been a success.

Promotion officials revealed that UFC Fight Night 136 drew an announced crowd of 22,603 for a live gate of $1.84 million. While the UFC announced that the attendance figure ranks as the fifth-highest in UFC history, it is actually the sixth-highest, per reported figures. The Top 5: UFC 193 in Melbourne Australia (56,214); UFC 129 in Toronto, Canada (55,724); UFC 198 in Curitiba, Brazil (45,207); UFC on Fox 14 in Stockholm, Sweden (30,000) and UFC 124 in Montreal, Canada (23,152).

UFC announcing #UFCMoscow as the 5th largest attendance, butlooks like it would actually be 6th largest:UFC 193 56,214UFC 129 55,724UFC 198 45,207UFC on FOX 14 30kUFC 124 23,152

— Jed I. Goodman (@jedigoodman) September 15, 2018

UFC Fight Night 136 took place at Olimpiysky Arena in Moscow and saw hometown native Alexey Oleynik submit Mark Hunt with a rear-naked choke 4…

Russian submission savant Alexey Oleynik survived several hairy moments early on but he was able to prevail in front of nearly 20,000 fans in Moscow at UFC Fight Night 136.

Oleynik absorbed several nasty leg kicks from former K-1 Grand Prix world champion Mark Hunt (13-13-1) and was badly wobbled by a laser-like right hand to the head. But “The Boa Constrictor” hung tough and lived up to his nickname by choking out Hunt a few minutes later.

Oleynik (57-11-1) eventually took “The Super Samoan” down, seized his back and locked in the rear-naked choke, forcing Hunt to tap out. The New Zealand native bowed out 4:26 of the first, capping off the card Saturday inside Olimpiysky Arena.

Krylov No Match For Blachowicz Jan Blachowicz gave Ukraine’s Nikita Krylov a rude welcome back to the Octagon on Saturday as he dominated him on the ground before submitting him in the second.

Krylov (24-6) couldn’t muster any sort of offense on his feet and when the fight was on the canv…

Alexey Oleynik, Jan Blachowicz, Petr Yan and Magomed Ankalaev and garnered $50,000 bonuses for their work at UFC Fight Night 136 in Moscow on Saturday.

Oleynik received “Performance of the Night” honors for his first-round submission of Mark Hunt in the evening’s main event at Olimpiysky Arena. After getting briefly wobbled by a right hand to the head early, Oleynik took his foe down, moved to Hunt’s back and locked in a rear-naked choke to earn the tap at the 4:26 mark of round one.

Elsewhere, Blachowicz captured a “Performance of the Night” award of his own for a submission in the co-headliner. The Polish light heavyweight tapped out the returning Nikita Krylov with an arm-triangle choke from the back 2:41 into round two, giving him his fourth consecutive triumph at 205 pounds.

Under normal circumstances, Yan and Jin Soo Son would have won $50,000 apiece for “Fight of the Night,” but since Son missed weight, he was not eligible for a bonus. Instead, Yan w…

Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 136 coverage kicks off at 10:30 a.m. ET.

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

Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Resul…

Nine up, nine down for Sean Brady.

The undefeated welterweight prospect kept his perfect professional record intact and made a successful Legacy Fighting Alliance debut, as he put a unanimous decision in the books against Gilbert Urbina in the LFA 49 headliner on Friday at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. All three judges struck 30-27 scorecards for Brady (9-0).

Outside of a flying knee that landed flush and a few standing elbows on clinch break in the first round, the long-limbed Urbina struggled to string together meaningful offense. Brady forced him out of his comfort zone with a variety of takedowns and strikes, countered effectively and nearly sealed the deal with a rear-naked choke in the second round. Though he settled for a decision, the 25-year-old left no doubt about his being a name worth watching at 170 pounds.

In the welterweight co-main event, former Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder Jonavin Webb improved to…

Hey @EliasTheodorou Really sorry man! The injury I had is a little more serious then I thought. I’ll need a surgery, so won’t be able to fight Dec 8th.Pity, I was going to give you a bjj lesson, and not hurt you cause your cool!!! @Alexdavismma

— Cara de Sapato (@caradesapatojr) September 14, 2018

Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight contender Antonio Carlos Jr. says he’s out of his UFC 231 matchup against Elias Theodorou, marking the second time the promotion has attempted to book the fight.

The two were originally scheduled to meet at UFC Fight Night 137 on Sept. 22 in Brazil, however the Brazilian middleweight was forced off of the card with an injury, so the UFC rebooked the bout for UFC 231 in December.

Unfortunately, “Shoeface” tweeted on Friday that he would need more time to heal from said surgery, and wouldn’t be able to make their newly scheduled fight date.

Junior (10-2) is riding an impressive five-fight winn…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXKm7B5_Wa0&w=560&h=315]

According to a report from TMZ, disturbing criminal charges have emerged over former UFC lightweight contender Melvin Guillard following an alleged fight in Colorado last week that saw multiple bar patrons attacked.

Guillard is alleged to have been captured on surveillance video assaulting several men and a woman, even knocking one if the victims out cold while at Bar Standard in Denver on Sept. 3. A warrant was issued for Guillard’s arrest.

This separate assault case stems from an April incident where Guillard allegedly beat and strangled his girlfriend in the midst of an argument. The victim in this case claims Guillard turned violent after she asked him when he would be leaving his wife so the two could be together.

The girlfriend claims Guillard choked her multiple times and told cops she was “scared that he might kill her,” according to TMZ.

Police who responded on scene reported o…

We’re excited to announce that @DAZN_USA is the new home of #CombateAmericas in English!

Subscribe now to catch all the action of our tittle fight tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/Wfb7nVVcjI

— Combate Americas (@combateamericas) September 13, 2018

DAZN has burst onto the combat sports scene after signing international deals with Ultimate Fighting Championship and Bellator MMA. On Thursday, the streaming-based service announced that it has partnered with Combate Americas to bring English-language broadcasts to North American audiences.

DAZN Senior Vice President Joseph Markowski talked with Sherdog.com on Wednesday to explain how this new deal with Combate Americas will benefit MMA fans worldwide:

“The cost to be a fight fan, whether MMA or boxing, is absolutely ridiculous. Premium cable packages, pay-per-view costs -- crazy price points, UFC Fight Pass, ESPN Plus...” Markowski told Sherdog on Wednesday. “It's truly expensive being a f…

What legs day means for Aung La @AungLANsang #WeAreONE #MartialArts pic.twitter.com/b9szt1aRnB

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) September 13, 2018

One Championship middleweight and light heavyweight champion Aung La N Sang is set to defend his 185-pound title against undefeated Mohammad Karaki on Oct. 26 at Thuwunna Indoor Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar, the promotion announced on Thursday.

Sang (23-10 1 NC) is coming off of a fifth-round knockout over former light heavyweight champion Ken Hasegawa in June. Sang has become a homegrown star for the promotion, and has rattled off four victories in a row since a decision loss to Vitaly Bigdash last year, which Sang avenged in his very next fight.

Karaki (9-0) has remained undefeated in nine bouts since debuting as a professional mixed martial artist back in 2013. Out of his nine MMA victories, only one has gone the distance. The 27-year-old Karaki will be making his One Championship de…

Winless in his last six Octagon appearances, former two-division champion B.J. Penn will return to action against Ryan Hall at UFC 232.

The promotion announced the lightweight matchup on Wednesday evening. UFC 232 takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 29 and features a featherweight championship tilt between Cristiane Justino and Amanda Nunes.

Penn last appeared at UFC Fight Night 112 in June 2017, losing a majority decision to Dennis Siver. “The Prodigy” hasn’t won a fight since he knocked out Matt Hughes in 21 seconds at UFC 123 on Nov. 20, 2010. The Hawaiian last competed at 155 pounds at UFC 118, when he dropped a five-round verdict in a title rematch against Frankie Edgar. Since then, Penn has fought at either welterweight or featherweight.

The winner of “The Ultimate Fighter 22,” Hall has kicked off his promotional tenure with decision wins over Artem Lobov and Gray Maynard. The 33-year-old grappling ace owns a 6-1 career record overall.

Yair Rodriguez believes he still has unfinished business with Zabit Magomedsharipov.

The featherweights were supposed to square off at UFC 228, but Rodriguez was forced to pull out of the fight due to injury. Instead, Magomedsharipov submitted short-notice opponent Brandon Davis in the second round last weekend in Dallas. After the bout, the Dagestani fighter called out Chad Mendes, but Rodriguez is hoping that potential matchup can wait.

“Miss the feeling of being able to train, should be cleared soon,” Rodriguez wrote on Twitter. “Congratulations [to Zabit] on an amazing performance. Hopefully your business with [Chad Mendes] can wait so we can settle ours.”

The 25-year-old Mexican star hasn’t competed since UFC 211 in May 2017, when he was overwhelmed by Frankie Edgar en route to a second-round doctor stoppage defeat. Prior to that, “El Pantera” had won eight bouts in a row, including six in the UFC.

The UFC briefly cut Rodriguez for it claims was …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMt5_M3edpc&w=560&h=315]

Valentina Shevchenko is ready to move on with her Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight career, and she already has a next step in mind. Shevchenko, who had been scheduled to fight Nicco Montano for the UFC women’s flyweight title this past Saturday at UFC 228, was left without an opponent when Montano was hospitalized the day before the event as a result of a weight cut gone wrong. The UFC then stripped its inaugural 125-pound champion of her title and Dana White stated that Shevchenko would challenge for the now-vacant title with a date and opponent to be named shortly.

This week on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show, Shevchenko said she’s putting the disappointment of the weekend behind her and is focusing on getting the title in her next fight.

“I’m moving on,” she said. “If at some point [Montano] will show that she deserves this fight, that she really knows where she’s going and is ready for this fi…

Some in the MMA community have bemoaned the lack of promotion leading up to the blockbuster lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor at UFC 229.

With the event less than a month away, McGregor posted a highlight video of his training camp via Instagram on Tuesday. The clip shows the Irishman engaging in sparring, wrestling, grappling and strength-and-conditioning workouts. The footage comes primarily from his home gym, SBG Ireland.

UFC 229 takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Oct. 6 and airs on pay-per-view. UFC President Dana White recently said he expects the card to draw 2 million buys, which would be a record for the company.

While there hasn’t been much in the way of promotion just yet, the events leading up to the bout have built plenty of hype on their own, most notably McGregor’s attack on a bus carrying a group of fighters — including Nurmagomedov — prior to UFC 223. McGregor was arrested but reached a plea …