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A welterweight semifinal clash pitting former Bellator MMA champion Jason Jackson against undefeated prospect Thad Jean will serve as the headliner for the Professional Fighters League’s tournament event in Nashville on June 12.

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The PFL announced the main card lineup for the event, which features semifinal bouts at welterweight and featherweight. In the evening’s co-main event, Jesus Pinedo and Gabriel Braga will square off for a third time in a 145-pound semifinal.

Two semifinal other fights will round out the PFL World Tournament 5 main draw: Logan Storley vs. Masayuki Kikuiri at welterweight and Movlid Khaybulaev vs. Taekyun Kim at featherweight.

Fighters only get one shot! Watch the PFL World Tournament LIVE Friday, April 11 at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN2..

The card takes place at Nashville Municipal Auditorium and will air on the ESPN family of networks. More bouts and specific broadcast deals will be announced at a later date.

Jac…

says the guy who got the easiest path to the top in ufc just because he’s got a funny accent and budget beatles haircut. I dare you to call me out if you win and we will see who will shit his pants in the octagon when we meet clown @PaddyTheBaddy https://t.co/TKbm1hn5X2

— Arman Tsarukyan UFC (@ArmanUfc) April 8, 2025

Mateusz Gamrot took a dig at Arman Tsarukyan for seeking a matchup against Paddy Pimblett.

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Tsarukyan was originally scheduled to challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title at UFC 311 earlier this year. However, “Ahalkalakets” pulled out due to a back injury a day before the fight.

UFC CEO Dana White seemed annoyed by the withdrawal and confirmed that Tsarukyan wouldn’t be getting the next lightweight title shot. Pimblett recently started claimed to have heard that the UFC doctors never advised Tsarukyan to pull out of UFC 311. “The Baddy” further mocked Tsarukyan for being a “posh boy” who “chicken…

😢 Jean Silva feels the presence of his passed away brothers when the fight day comes closer.

He feels the closest to them in that moment which is why he is happy and excited on fight weeks.

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Unfortunately, we don't know the story behind this and what brothers he means.🎥 @ufc pic.twitter.com/5uHJXRfqBX — Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) April 8, 2025

Jean Silva is always at his happiest going into a fight because that’s when he feels the closest to his late brother.

Silva is scheduled to fight Bryce Mitchell in a featherweight matchup at UFC 314 on Saturday at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. “Lord” recently revealed that there is no question of any ill feelings as he heads into a fight. Silva shared that he feels closest to the loved ones he has lost going into a fight, especially his late brother. The Brazilian feels the happiest during fight night, which is the same to him as sharing a cup of coffee with his la…

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Gilbert Burns doubts Michael Chandler can hold his own on the ground against Paddy Pimblett.

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Chandler and Pimblett are set to clash at UFC 314 on Saturday at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. It’s almost a home outing for Chandler, who trains at Kill Cliff FC in Florida. “Iron” was recently seen training with former welterweight title contender Burns.

Burns revealed that he had the pleasure of wrestling with Pimblett in Mexico in the past. Known for his elite grappling, Burns considers “The Baddy” a high-level grappler as well. According to “Durinho,” Chandler’s key to victory against the Liverpudlian will be to stay on the feet. If forced to wrestle at all, Burns advises Chandler to attempt ground-and-pound instead of engaging in jiu-jitsu exchanges against Pimblett.

“Michael’s ready. Facing a guy that is very tough,” Burns said on the UFC 314 Countdown show. “I had honor to grapple with Paddy when I was in Mexico. Guy …

Merab thinks Islam Makhachev needs to fight Ilia Topuria next:

“Islam told me at the press conference ‘Merab I respect you but when you have a top contender you should fight him’, and I said okay…

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Now he has a top contender as Ilia Topuria but he’s not fighting him…

Nobody… pic.twitter.com/jRaghPkkRi

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 8, 2025 Merab Dvalishvili wants Islam Makhachev to live up to his own standards.

Dvalishvili was initially loathe to make his first bantamweight title defense against Makhachev’s cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov. Makhachev then expressed his respect for Dvalishvili while asking him to not shy away from fighting a deserving contender. Dvalishvili eventually accepted the booking and successfully defended his title against a previously undefeated Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 earlier this year.

Now Dvalishvili’s countryman Ilia Topuria has vacated his featherweight title in quest for a lig…

A thief broke into Henry Cejudo’s studio last night and stole his first UFC belt 😬

🎥 @rushmma11 #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/FtjHqonN07

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 8, 2025

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Henry Cejudo’s first Ultimate Fighting Championship belt was reportedly stolen during a burglary.

Cejudo’s producer, Dylan Rush, recently revealed that the former two-division champion’s first UFC belt was stolen from his studio in the early morning hours on Tuesday. Rush was trying to sleep on the couch when he saw a person who he mistook to be Cejudo. Rush then suddenly heard a glass shelf break after which the unknown perpetrator took to his heels.

“Someone broke into Henry's studio last night at 4:45 AM and stole his first UFC belt while I was sleeping on the couch,” Rush wrote on social media. “I woke up and watched the guy stand there for two minutes thinking it was Henry because it was dark. Then I heard a crash (the shelf fell)…

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As it turns out, Rashad Evans’ instincts were correct.

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A few days after Evans said his boxing match against Quinton Jackson was no longer happening due to unfulfilled contractual obligations, the entire card, which was scheduled for this Saturday at the Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was canceled. The cancellation was announced on the University of New Mexico Athletics website where tickets would have been sold.

“The Signature Punch Promotions card set for April 12, has been canceled,” read a statement on GoLobos.com. “All tickets will be refunded to the card used to make the purchase within 72-96 hours. This will happen automatically, no need to call the box office.”

The New Mexico State Athletic Commission in February approved the card, which was co-promoted Albuquerque’s Tapia Promotions and Florida’s Signature Punch Promotions. In addition to Evans vs. Jackson, the event was also expected to feature a boxing match between…

The Pitbull Brothers team will have two veterans making debuts in new promotions this weekend.

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First, Leandro Higo will make his Professional Fighters League debut on Friday in the evening’s main event against Josh Rettinghouse. The next day, Patricio Freire will make his Octagon debut against Yair Rodriguez at UFC 314.

Higo, who has won five of his last six bouts, discussed sharing a camp with Patricio “Pitbull” and offered insight into both of their upcoming fights in a recent interview with Sherdog.

“I´m really happy to make my PFL debut fighting in the main event. I was so lucky to have Patricio making his Octagon debut in the same weekend, so the camp couldn't have been better,” the Bellator veteran said. “Since I was going to fight a Russian initially, we brought a wrestler from Kazakhstan, who helped me a lot.”

Fighters only get one shot! Watch the PFL World Tournament LIVE Friday, April 11 at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN2..

According to…

Aaron Pico is officially headed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

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Multiple outlets confirmed the news following an initial report from ESPN. While there were rumors of Pico making his Octagon debut against Movsar Evloev, a date and opponent for the Bellator MMA veteran’s first UFC foray have not been confirmed at this time. Pico was granted his release from Professional Fighters League, which purchased Bellator late in 2023 before dissolving the promotion this year.

fter years of hard work, dedication, and unwavering belief, I’ve officially signed with the UFC! This is more than just a dream come true; it’s the beginning of a new chapter,” Pico wrote on Instagram. “Thank you to my family, coaches, training partners, and everyone who has supported me on this journey. Your belief in me has fueled my fire. The ultimate goal? To become the UFC champion. I’m ready to work harder than ever before to make that a reality.”

A former Golden Glov…

Juliana Velasquez is unfazed by a last-minute change in opponent in the Professional Fighters League flyweight tournament.

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The former Bellator champion was originally supposed to face Taila Santos in a first-round matchup on Friday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. However, on Monday the promotion announced Santos had pulled out of the bout and would be replaced by Ekaterina Shakalova.

“When you participate in a grand prix, you know that these kind of short-notice opponent changes are part of the game,” Velasquez told Sherdog.com “In my daily routine at Team Nogueira, I train mostly with men — big ones, small ones, strikers, grapplers. That's what MMA is all about. Of course against Ekaterina I´ll change my strategy a little bit. But I'm ready for any girl in my division.”  

Fighters only get one shot! Watch the PFL World Tournament LIVE Friday, April 11 at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN2..

The Brazilian is coming off a TKO win o…

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Paddy Pimblett (22-3) is looking to make a statement against Michael Chandler (23-9).

Pimblett faces Chandler at the UFC 314 on Saturday at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. While this will arguably be the biggest step up in competition for Pimblett, “The Baddy” sounds extremely confident going into his fight against Chandler. Pimblett believes he is better in all aspects than Chandler, who his known for his knockout power. However, Pimblett has famously declared in the past, “Scousers don’t get knocked out.” The Liverpudlian even claims he can beat Chandler more emphatically than lightweight elites Dustin Poirier, Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje.

"As soon as he gets punched in the face he just wants to have a brawl,” Pimblett said on the Full Send podcast. “And I'll be using it against him… I don't see where he can beat me. The only way he can beat me is if he throws a hail mary punch and knocks me out. But I don't get knocked out, lad.…

The upcoming Professional Fighters League tournament event has undergone a few changes.

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The promotion announced Monday that Taila Santos has withdrawn from a first-round flyweight pairing against Juliana Velasquez at PFL World Tournament 2 on Friday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. As a result, Ekaterina Shakalova will step in and face Velasquez in the 125-pound bracket. Santos vs. Velasquez was slated to be the evening’s featured bout; instead a bantameight tilt pitting Leandro Higo against Josh Rettinghouse will now serve as the main event. Saray Orozco was originally supposed to face Shakalova, but it’s currently unclear if she will receive a replacement opponent.

Fighters only get one shot! Watch the PFL World Tournament LIVE Friday, April 11 at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN2..

PFL Tournament 2 features tournament bouts at women’s flyweight and men’s bantamweight. The prelims air on ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, while the main card begins o…

A middleweight showdown pitting Joe Pyfer against Kelvin Gastelum has been rebooked for UFC 316.

Multiple outlets confirmed the booking after an announcement on Monday from Pyfer’s coach on MMA Today on Sirius XM. Pyfer and Gastelum were initially slated to square off at UFC Mexico on March 29, but Pyer withdrew on the day of the event due to illness. UFC 316 takes place on June 7 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., and is headlined by a bantamweight title rematch between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley.

Pyfer has been victorious in six of his last seven professional outings. After earning a UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series in 2022, “Bodybagz” finished his first three Octagon foes before fallling to Jack Hermansson in the UFC Fight Night 236 main event this past February. The 28-year-old Pennsylvania native rebounded in his most recent appearance, when he knocked out Marc-Andre Barriault in the opening stanza of their encounter at UFC 3…

Add this one to the list of unusual pre-fight injuries.

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Trevor Peek has been forced to withdraw from a proposed featherweight clash against Jeong Yeong Lee at UFC Des Moines after suffering an injury while jumping rope last week. The five-time UFC veteran shared the details in a video on his Instagram account over the weekend.

“I actually fractured my leg at the Performance Institute on Friday. It’s not a bad fracture, I still have to go get CT scans in the next day or two and figure out if I’ve got any kind of ligament damage or anything like that,” Peek said.

“I wish I had a cool story how I did it, but I got on some soft mats and was jump roping. I was alternating each leg. I’d been jump roping 20-something minutes — got a little tired, a little careless, and wasn’t paying attention. Come down with all my weight on my left leg and it sounded like a shotgun whenever it went off, it popped.”

The 30-year-old Alabama native has lost three of…

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Aljamain Sterling doesn’t think a newfound sense of discipline will help Sean O'Malley (18-2) against Merab Dvalishvili (19-4).

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O’Malley has always been known for his flashy lifestyle, which included smoking marijuana. However, things have seemingly changed for “Suga” since he lost his title to Dvalishvili at UFC 306 last year.

O’Malley will get chance to reclaim his title against Dvalishvili in the main event at UFC 316 on June 7 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The former champ, rather uncharacteristically, recently thanked Dvalishvili for making him a better fighter and human being by beating him. O’Malley also claims to have introduced major lifestyle changes going into his rematch against “The Machine.” O’Malley claims he hasn’t masturbated or smoked marijuana this year.

However, Dvalishvili’s teammate Sterling doesn’t think any of that will matter. The former bantamweight champ believes it will all even…

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Michael Chandler is taking a slightly different approach going into his fight against Paddy Pimblett.

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Chandler will take on Pimblett at UFC 314 on Saturday at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. While Chandler is known for his entertaining style, it has now cost him four out of six UFC outings. However, Chandler’s latest loss against Charles Oliveira hit him different.

Chandler claims to have felt the lowest after dropping a split decision against “Do Bronx” at UFC 309 last November. But “Iron” also felt good about being more composed and measured in that fight.

“I feel like I was more let down in my entire career than any other fight in this last fight with Charles Oliveira,” Chandler told Teddy Atlas. “But I saw glimpses of more composure in that fight… There was a loss, but there was a growth in that fight. So it’s hard because your heart says ‘You lost, therefore you’re not good enough.’ But if I use my brain, I think I…

Having an MMA legend as your neighbor can really be a blessing.

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That was the case for Henry Cejudo’s neighbor, who is in his 60s. Cejudo recently shared a clip of his neighborhood, where a policeman can be seen pinning someone down. Cejudo revealed that he was coming out his house when he heard a car rushing by at 80 miles per hour. The car then crashed into the yard of Cejudo’s neighbor.

A teenager who was in the car attempted to flee the scene and attacked Cejudo’s neighbor when confronted. Cejudo intervened and allegedly took the boy down and slapped him a few times before the cops took over.

“I just had a group of teenagers, maybe doing about an 80 miles an hour. I was just coming out with my producer Dylan Ruff. Happened to see this car going by 80 miles per hour… And they smashed into my neighbor’s yard,” Cejudo said on social media. “The guy got up, the guy tried to leave. And he ended up assaulting the owner. I don’t know if these g…

A week ago, it was announced that Fabian Edwards was out of the PFL middleweight tournament. Now the former Bellator MMA title challenger is back in his original spot.

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The promotion announced over the weekend that Edwards will face Impa Kasanganay in the PFL World Tournament 3 headliner on April 18 at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. Edwards had briefly been replaced by Jordan Newman for undisclosed reasons. The main card, which features first-round pairings at middleweight and lightweight, airs on ESPN and ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on ESPN+ at 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT.

Fighters only get one shot! Watch the PFL World Tournament LIVE Friday, April 11 at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN2..

Edwards is a two-time middleweight title challenger in Bellator. He fell to Johnny Eblen on both occasions, most recently dropping a five-round verdict to Eblen at PFL Super Fights "Battle of the Giants." The younger brother of ex-UFC champ L…

Lerone Murphy couldn’t put Josh Emmett away, but he was nonetheless pleased with the way he executed his strategy in the UFC Vegas 105 headliner.

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“That was the exact game plan what you saw there,” Murphy said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “Pick him off at range, catch him on the way in. Obviously, I wanted the finish. The finishes are just not coming at the minute. But a masterful performance anyway. We’re just chasing them finishes, chasing them wins, racking up the wins and aiming for that title.”

Murphy relied on intelligent movement and a varied striking arsenal to frustrate Emmett on Saturday. The heavy-handed Team Alpha Male product, who was coming off a massive knockout of Bryce Mitchell in December 2023, spent much of the fight stalking his opponent in search of a similar opening, but it was Murphy who staggered Emmett in the waning moments of the bout.

“I took a few shots on the gloves, really didn’t take anything clean,…

Rhys McKee’s first UFC triumph came with some additional perks.

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The Cage Warriors veteran floored Daniel Frunza three times in the opening stanza of their UFC Vegas 105 clash and while a finish didn’t arrive, the bout was halted before the second frame when the cageside doctor determined that a battered Frunza shouldn’t continue. After losing his first four Octagon appearances, “Skeletor” takes home a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award for his work.

Meanwhile, Chang Ho Lee relied on his tenacious ground-and-pound to earn a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check in a stoppage of Cortavious Romious at bantamweight. The “Road to UFC” Season 2 winner went to work in the second stanza, when he took Romious’ back and battered his opponent with punches and elbows to secure at the 3:48 mark of the period.

Elsewhere, Ode Osbourne garnered a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for his finish of newcomer Luis Gurule in a featured flyweight…

Sherdog's live UFC Vegas 105 coverage will begin Saturday at 6 p.m. ET. The event is also known as UFC on ESPN 65. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Alencar (-112), Demopoulos (-108)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Buday (-166), Satybaldiev (+140)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Tris…

Lerone Murphy danced with one of the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division’s heaviest hitters for 25 minutes and walked out of the Octagon no worse for it.

The undefeated Manchester Top Team linchpin stayed undefeated with a unanimous decision over Josh Emmett in the five-round UFC on ESPN 65 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Scores were 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46—all for Murphy (16-0-1, 8-0-1 UFC), who has rattled off seven straight victories since his split draw with Zubaira Tukhugov in 2019.

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Emmett (19-5, 10-5 UFC) completed multiple takedowns but could not track down the elusive Englishman on the feet. Murphy blasted him with a variety of kicks to the legs and body, traded punches occasionally and circled out of danger. He countered effectively, mixed in close-range elbows at times and, most importantly, kept himself out of harm’s way against an opponent with nuclear punching power. Frustration overtook Emmett late …

Rhys McKee finally put an elusive check in the Ultimate Fighting Championship win column.

The former British Association of Mixed Martial Arts and Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder racked up three knockdowns and forced a doctor stoppage on Daniel Frunza in their featured UFC on ESPN 65 welterweight prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It was waved off in between the first and second rounds.

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McKee (14-6-1, 1-4 UFC) cut loose with multi-punch bursts and floored the Dana White’s Contender Series graduate with a left hook, a clean one-two and an overhand left. Frunza (9-3, 0-1 UFC) steadied himself amid the abuse but retreated to his corner after the first round with serious damage to his right eye and a gnarly cut to his upper lip. It was enough to warrant fight-ending concern from the cageside physician. Meanwhile, Dione Barbosa put her Olympic-level judo skills to use and put away Diana Belbita with an arm-triangle choke in…

Hotlanta, we are BACK! 🔥

We’re bringing the Octagon to ATL!

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For all info on #UFCAtlanta: https://t.co/8HQfIg4b0R pic.twitter.com/4GLYCl6zJU — UFC (@ufc) April 6, 2025

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is headed to the Peach State later this year.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced on Saturday night that it will hold an event at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 14. It marks the fifth time the Octagon has touched down in Atlanta. One significant bout that has been confirmed for UFC Atlanta is a flyweight clash between Rose Namajunas and Miranda Maverick.

The last time the promotion was in Atlanta was April 13, 2019 for UFC 236. At that event, Dustin Poirier captured the interim lightweight crown with a five-round verdict over Max Holloway in the evening’s featured bout. In the co-headliner, Israel Adesanya claimed interim middleweight gold with a memorable decision triumph over Kelvin Gast…