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Alexandre Pantoja recently doubled down on his claims of having gotten the better of Sean O'Malley in sparring.

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Pantoja and O’Malley have gone back and forth in the past over the result of a sparring session they had six years ago. Pantoja claims to have bested “Sugar” during a sparring session leading up to the Brazilian’s Ultimate Fighting Championship debut.

Meanwhile, O’Malley has completely refuted that narrative, claiming to have stopped Pantoja instead with a liver kick in the very first round.

Pantoja is now scheduled to defend his flyweight title against Steve Erceg (12-1) in the main event at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. “The Cannibal” reiterated his stance on the sparring session with O’Malley when asked about a potential move up to bantamweight in the future.

Pantoja claims former champ Henry Cejudo told him that he would never get the sparring footage from O’Malley. While Pantoja admits that a move…

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Ilia Topuria believes there are more deserving candidates for a featherweight title shot if Max Holloway doesn’t put his BMF title on the line.

Holloway captured the BMF title with a fifth-round knockout win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 last month. Topuria called out Holloway immediately afterward, offering him a featherweight title shot in exchange for an opportunity to win the BMF belt. “Blessed” hasn’t yet firmly responded to Topuria’s callout, dismissing it as an “angry girlfriend text.”

Topuria believes it is unfair for Holloway to receive a featherweight title shot without putting his BMF title on the line. According to Topuria, Holloway is hesitant because he wants to remain the BMF champ even if he loses a potential featherweight title fight.

“You are the BMF champ, you have the opportunity for the title, to fight for the title,” Topuria said on the Webpositer podcast. “What are you going to do? Are you going to fight or are you…

Undefeated flyweight Nyamjargal Tumendemberel will make his promotional debut at UFC 302 on June 1 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

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Tumendemberel (8-0) will take on undefeated Brazilian prospect Andre Lima (8-0), replacing undefeated South Korean Hyun Sung Park (9-0) on a month’s notice. The news was first reported by Eurosport NL's Marcel Dorff in a post to X (formerly known as Twitter).

The winner of Road to UFC 1 in the flyweight bracket, Park was forced out of the fight due to a ruptured knee ligament suffered in training. “Peace of Mind” provided footage of the incident along with on explanation via Instagram.

“During sparring in preparation for UFC 302, I collided with a colleague who was training with me from an unseen angle, and my knee was pushed inward excessively, causing the inner ligament of my right knee to rupture, so I was unable to participate in UFC 302,” Park wrote (via Google Translate). “I apologize to e…

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Robert Whittaker is confident that he will be able to hold his own in grappling exchanges against Khamzat Chimaev.

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Whittaker will look to hand Chimaev his first career loss in the main event at UFC Saudi Arabia on June 22. While “Bobby Knuckles” admits that his key to victory lies in keeping the fight on the feet, he isn’t afraid of grappling with “Borz.”

“It’s about going out there and pushing my game plan onto him and seeing how he adjusts to me. Because I bring an arsenal of skill sets that he’s not ready for, I believe," Whittaker recently told ESPN Australia. "And I think the shortest way to victory is to go in there, obviously not play to his strengths, which is not engaging in the wrestle, but not be afraid of it. I can wrestle with the best of them, and I have shown and proved that. So, I’m gonna go in there, I’m gonna fight my fight, I’m gonna fight a stand-up fight, I’m gonna see where it goes, I’m gonna drag it out. It…

The Nevada State Athletic Commission has denied a proposed six-month suspension for Igor da Silva after he bit opponent Andre Lima at UFC on ESPN 53 on March 23.

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During a meeting on Tuesday, Nevada deputy attorney general Matthew Feeley proposed an adjudication agreement that would result in a six-month suspension and a fine of more than $3,000 for da Silva, who is also commonly known as Igor Severino. Feeley’s reasoning was there was no real precedent for the incident other than when Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield during their boxing match in 1997. Feeley noted that Tyson’s incident, which resulted in a $3 million fine and his license being revoked, was more severe tha da Silva’s.

However, NSAC commissioner Anthony Marnell expressed concern about the precedent a relatively short suspension might set going forward, especially since da Silva could potentially sign with another MMA promotion.

“The bigger issue is the precedent we set going fo…

The Nevada State Athletic Commission is withholding partial purses from Arman Tsarukyan and Diego Lopes for separate infractions at UFC 300.

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The NSAC voted during a meeting on Tuesday to withhold 20 percent ($31,600) of Tsarukyan’s $158,000 purse due to the lightweight throwing a punch at a fan during his walk to the cage. Meanwhile, five percent ($5,000) of Lopez’s $100,000 purse has been withheld after he jumped out of the cage to celebrate his win against Sodiq Yusuff. Both Tsarukyan and Lopes will be subject to a disciplinary hearing at a later date, potentially at the next commission meeting on May 31. Until then, the fine money will remain in the commission’s possession. UFC 300 took place on April 13 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Tsarukyan claimed that he threw a punch into the crowd because a fan flipped the bird at him during the walkout.

“He showed me f—k you [flipped the bird] and wanted to punch me, and I wanted to punch him…

Alex Perez will get back to work relatively quickly following his main event triumph at UFC on ESPN 55.

Perez will square off against Tagir Ulanbekov in a flyweight bout at UFC Fight Night on June 15. Both fighters confirmed the pairing on social media following an initial report from Eurosport. The fight was initially reported for the event several weeks back before Perez agreed to face Matheus Nicolau this past Saturday. UFC Fight Night is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and does not currently have a main event.

Perez ended a three-fight skid at UFC on ESPN 55, where he knocked out Nicolau in the second round of their headlining encounter. The former title challenger had previously dropped successive fights against Deiveson Figueiredo, Alexandre Pantoja and Muhammd Mokaev before returning to the win column against Nicolau.

Russia’s Ulanbekov has been victorious in four of his first five promotional appearances. Most recently, he submi…

Charles Oliveira is still interested in a fight against Conor McGregor should the Irishman emerge victorious in his return fight against Michael Chandler.

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McGregor will return after a nearly three-year hiatus in a welterweight matchup against Chandler in the main event at UFC 303on June 29. Given that McGregor is 1-3 in his last four and “Iron” is 2-3 in the Ultimate Fighting Championship — and both have been relatively inactive - Oliveira doesn’t think the matchup has much title relevance. However, the former champion does acknowledge that “Notorious” could be inching close to a gold bid with a victory given the Irishman’s star power. And “do Bronx” believes the former two-division champ will get the job done.

“I think that, in reality, it's a fight that will make money for both. That's the reality," Oliveira recently told Full Violence. “It's a fight that's going to make more money. Of course, if Conor wins, he could take a step towards the bel…

Alexandre Pantoja will draw from Jose Aldo’s celebration book if he defends his title against Steve Erceg at UFC 301.

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Pantoja is scheduled to put his flyweight strap on the line against Erceg in Saturday’s main event at the Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In an ideal scenario, Pantoja hopes to knock Erceg out and run into the home crowd just like Aldo did after his victory over Chad Mendes at UFC 142 in 2012. Aldo running into the crowd at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro after knocking out Mendes with a knee with one second remaining in the first round has forever been etched in the promotion’s history books.

Without a single fight in Brazil in an Ultimate Fighting Championship career spanning over seven years, Pantoja had never dreamed of the possibility of replicating the moment. But when the opportunity has finally arisen, “The Cannibal” believes the stars are perfectly aligned for his homecoming.

“I hope I do like him [vs.] Cha…

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Michael Page doesn’t like Colby Covington’s antics outside of the cage and wants to kick “Chaos” in the face.

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Covington has earned the ire of several fighters with his trash talk over the years, even instigating former close friend Jorge Masvidal enough to sucker punch him outside a Miami steakhouse following their fight at UFC 272.

Page, who made hisUltimate Fighting Championship debut last month, is a lifelong martial artist and is principally against Covington’s unhinged trash talk.

“Venom” recently voiced his dislike for Covington while also expressing interest in a potential clash.

“I hate this guy,” Page said on a recent episode of UFC Day Off. “I’m going to be happy to kick this guy in the face… I find him fake. He just doesn’t seem like a nice guy with all the stuff that came out last time about what fighters should and shouldn’t be allowed to talk about with regards to people. People are going deep now, talkin…

While Tom Aspinall is glad to have the Ultimate Fighting Championship returning to Manchester after almost eight years, the Englishman isn't pleased with the event timing.

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UFC 304 is scheduled to go down at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester on July 27. Although U.K. fans are excited about the promotion's return to the country, many have complained about the start time of the card. The UFC 304 prelims will start at 11 p.m. BST (6 p.m. ET in the U.S.), followed by the main card starting at 3 a.m. BST (10 p.m. ET).

While Aspinall admits that it doesn’t make much of a difference for fighters, who are accustomed to fighting in different time zones, he believes it is unfair for U.K. mixed martial arts fans. The UFC interim champ is aware of the importance of catering to the U.S. fan base but believes that the card could start slightly earlier to make it more convenient for U.K. fans.

“Well, as an athlete, as a fighter, in all honesty, doesn’t mak…

Arman Tsarukyan recently downplayed the “invincible” aura surrounding Islam Makhachev.

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Tsarukyan suffered a unanimous decision loss against Makhachev in his short-notice Ultimate Fighting Championship debut back in 2019. The Armenian-American has since been looking for an opportunity to correct the loss with Makhachev sitting at the top of the lightweight ladder.

Tsarukyan made his case for a gold bid with a split-decision win over former champ Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 earlier this month.

“Ahalkalakets” was immediately offered a title shot against Makhachev for UFC 302 on June 1, which he turned down citing the quick turnaround. With Makhachev insistent on defending his title in the summer, the shot went to Dustin Poirier.

Tsarukyan recently dismissed the idea of him requiring a specialized training camp for a potential rematch against Makhachev. The lightweight contender highlighted the need for a proper training camp for his firs…

Anthony Hernandez has pulled out of a proposed middleweight bout against Roman Dolidze at UFC 302.

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“Fluffy” announced via Instagram on Monday that a torn ligament in his hand will force him to withdraw from the June 1 event. It is currently unknown if Dolidze will remain on the card against a replacement opponent. UFC 302 takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on June 1 and is headlined by a lightweight championship clash between Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier.

“On Friday while training I sustained an injury. I got my MRI results back this morning and unfortunately due to a torn ligament in my hand, I will no longer be able to fight on June 1,” Hernandez wrote. “I want to apologize to the [the UFC], my opponent, [and] the best matchmaker [Mick Maynard], but this was not an injury I could push through. I hope for a quick return and be back in the cage before summer ends. Thank you to all my fans, friends [and] family for the…

A terrible tragedy has struck Francis Ngannou and his family.

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According to Cameroonian news outlet 237online.com, Ngannou’s 15-month-old son recently died unexpectedly. The cause of death is currently unknown. Ngannou released a statement on social media that seemed to address the tragedy.

“What's the purpose of life if what we're fighting tooth and nail to get away from is what finally hit us the hardest!? Why is life so unfair and merciless? Why does life always take what we don't have?” Ngannou wrote. “I'm f—ing tired.”

What's the purpose of life if what we're fighting tooth and nail to get away from is what finally hit us the hardest!?Why is life so unfair and merciless?Why does life always take what we don't have? I'm fucking tired

— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) April 29, 2024

Ngannou’s manager, Marquel Martin, and Eric Nicksick, his coach at Xtreme Couture, also expressed their condolences via social…

OFFICIAL: #PFLSaltLakeCity 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼-𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻 Bouts!

Salt Lake! Buckle up and get ready as playoffs spots are on the line on Friday, June 21st with the Lightweights & Light Heavyweights!

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For more information:🎟️https://t.co/eCMG4faqPw pic.twitter.com/FqA0cHjpXm — PFL (@PFLMMA) April 29, 2024

A lightweight showdown pitting Clay Collard against Mads Burnell will serve as the featured bout for Professional Fighters League’s fifth regular season event of 2024.

The organization on Monday announced the fight card for the event, which takes place on June 21 at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, and features season bouts for lightweights and light heavyweights. In the co-main event, Impa Kasanganay will face Jakob Nedoh in a 205-pound pairing. The PFL 5 main card airs on ESPN and ESPN+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on ESPN+ at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT.

A 2023 PFL lightweight finalis…

BELLATOR DEBUT! 👀

🇮🇪 Paul Hughes 🆚 Bobby King 🇺🇸

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Paul Hughes makes his Bellator debut in front of his home crowd on June 22nd, as he welcomes Bobby King to the 3Arena! 🔥@paulhughesmma will be looking to add to his eight finishes and send a message to the Bellator… pic.twitter.com/s4tRmKAWGN — Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) April 29, 2024

While he plans to compete in the 2025 Professional Fighters League season, Paul Hughes’ first major promotional foray with come with Bellator.

The organization announced on Monday that Hughes will lock horns with Bobby King in the lightweight co-main event at Bellator Champions Series Dublin on June 22. A coveted free agent, King recently signed with PFL, which purchased Bellator in 2023. Bellator Champions Series Dublin takes place at 3Arena and is headlined by a welterweight title tilt pitting Jason Jackson against Ramazan Kuramagomedov. The card will air on Max in the United Sta…

Mike Tyson wanted it to be a pro fight. Netflix wanted it to be a pro fight. So I agreed to make it a pro fight. Winner takes all pic.twitter.com/fNLnIiD8fM

— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) April 29, 2024

The fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul will be sanctioned as a professional boxing bout by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations.

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ESPN was first to report the news on Monday. The heavyweight bout will be contested over eight, two-minute rounds, and the combatants will use 14-ounce gloves. After the initial announcement of the fight, there was some question as to whether it would be an exhibition. Instead, the result will go on the professional records of both Tyson and Paul.

“Mike Tyson wanted it to be a pro fight. Netflix wanted it to be a pro fight. So I agreed to make it a pro fight,” Paul wrote on social media. “Winner takes all.”

Tyson vs. Paul will take place on July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlingt…

Islam Makhachev's head coach, Javier Mendez, believes that Justin Gaethje was the biggest threat to Islam, and says he's out of the picture now:

"I thought that [Gaethje] was the biggest threat for us, and now he's probably never gonna be in the picture for us going forward.

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No… pic.twitter.com/OG3mgE6Mvg — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 29, 2024

American Kickboxing Academy coach Javier Mendez believes the biggest threat to Islam Makhachev’s lightweight title reign is gone.

Mendez considered Justin Gaethje to be the biggest threat to Makhachev. With Gaethje’s wild striking, proven knockout power and NCAA Division I wrestling background, Mendez considered “The Highlight” the toughest stylistic matchup for Makhachev at lightweight.

Untill recently, Makhachev was expecting to defend his lightweight belt against Gaethje, who had essentially earned himself a title shot with a knockout win over Dustin Poir…

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Islam Makhachev is expecting an easy night at the office in his upcoming title defense against Dustin Poirer.

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Makhachev is scheduled to defend his lightweight title against Poirier in the main event at UFC 302 on June 1 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. While Makhachev acknowledges Poirier’s experience and elite striking, the lightweight champ believes he’ll dominate “The Diamond” on the ground. Makhachev’s mentor and teammate, Khabib Nurmagomedov, ragdolled Poirier before submitting him in the third round of their title unification clash at UFC 242 in September 2019. Thanks to his own elite grappling skills, Makhachev is expecting similar results.

“Dustin, he is a warrior, legend, and he have more than everybody, experience in this sport,” Makhachev told TMZ Sports. “But his problem is his style. That’s one problem this guy have. His weak point is wrestling and grappling. And I have the key for the easy fight, and I…

Steve Erceg is thrilled by the potential jeers and boos that will come his way as he challenges Alexandre Pantoja in front of the champion’s home crowd at UFC 301.

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The stars aligned for Erceg to receive a flyweight title shot against Pantoja in the main event at UFC 301 on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Known to be among the most passionate MMA fans in the world, Brazilians don’t go easy on visiting fighters. Brazilian fans were even criticized for pelting Brandon Moreno with bottles after his split-decision win over Deiveson Figueiredo in their trilogy clash at UFC 283 in January 2023.

Erceg is definitely expecting a hostile crowd going into enemy territory and is even somewhat excited about it.

“I’m definitely prepared for it,” he told Submission Radio. “I’m honestly excited for the opportunity to get yelled at and asked to die and bottles thrown at me. I think it’s gonna be very exciting. I can’t wait to take the belt, get straight on…

While he is about to exhaust his Ultimate Fighting Championship contract, Jose Aldo isn’t interested in other MMA promotions — despite having lucrative offers on the table.

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Aldo announced his retirement following a unanimous decision loss against Merab Dvalishvili in August 2022 that snapped a three-fight winning streak. “Junior” is now coming out of retirement to take on Jonathan Martinez in a bantamweight tilt at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Saturday.

Aldo recently confirmed reports that the Martinez booking is the last fight on his UFC contract, which he hasn’t considered renewing yet. While Aldo expects his upcoming fight to decide his future in the organization, the Brazilian is also considering a switch to boxing.

“Yeah, this is my last fight on my contract,” Aldo told CBS Sports. “When I started talking to Sean [Shelby] and Dana [White] back in January, we had talked about signing a new deal. But I decided against it because…

AND STILL!💥

Chihiro Suzuki gets the 1st round TKO to make his first defense!

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Order the replay on #RIZIN TV!🔗https://t.co/CXiPKkswl0

[ #RIZIN46 ] pic.twitter.com/Ift9z9PHqX

— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) April 29, 2024 Chihiro Suzuki made a successful first defense of his featherweight title with a first-round TKO stoppage on Sunday at Rizin Fighting Federation 46 in Tokyo, Japan. The 24-year-old Suzuki overwhelmed veteran challenger Masanori Kanehara with a barrage of ground punches at the 4:20 mark of Round 1. Following an early timeout due to an accidental groin strike, Suzuki (13-3, 1 NC, 8-1, 1 NC Rizin) began to target the lower left leg of Kanehara (29-13-5, 4-2 Rizin) with kicks that slowed him down. With 75 seconds remaining in the first round, Suzuki abruptly picked up the pace, and he swarmed on Kanehara with punches — including a right hook to the temple that wobbled him. When Kanehara fell to the m…

Alex Perez just wanted to remind the rest of the flyweight division of his presence.

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The Team Oyama product did so in emphatic fashion at UFC on ESPN 55, as he knocked out Matheus Nicolau 2:16 into the second round of their headlining encounter at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. On the heels of a three-bout skid and multiple fight cancellations, it was a much-needed performance for the former title challenger.

“It just shows that I’m still here. I never thought I went anywhere. I think the division kind of did, Perez said at the post-fight press conference. “Obviously coming off all those fights getting canceled and obviously my last three fights not going the way I wanted to. Thank God for my team and my friends and family that kept pushing me in the right direction. Just show the division I’m back in it.”

To earn his first UFC victory since June 2020, Perez admitted that he had to change his mindset. To do that, the 32-year-ol…

A bantamweight clash pitting Vinicius Oliveira against Ricky Simon has been added to the UFC 303 lineup.

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Oliveira recently confirmed the booking following an initial report from Ag.Fight. UFC 303 takes place on June 29 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight bout between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler.

After earning a contract on Dana White's Contender Series this past September, Oliveira made a strong first impression in his Octagon debut when he authored a flying knee knockout of Bernardo Sopai at UFC Fight Night 238 on March 2. The Brazilian has been victorius in nine of his last 10 professional appearances.

A veteran of 12 promotional appearances, Simon is coming off back-to-back losses to Yadong Song and Mario Bautista in UFC competition. Prior to that, Simon authored a five-bout winning streak in the Las Vegas-based organization.