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Sean Strickland pulled off a massive upset win over Israel Adesanya to be crowned the new middleweight champ at UFC 293 in Sydney earlier this month.

Despite Adesanya’s stellar reign atop the middleweight division, the lopsided nature of his title loss led to some questions about the Nigerian-born Kiwi’s potential claim to an immediate rematch.

Meanwhile, Strickland has his own priorities when it comes to his first title defense. The newly-crowned champ recently revealed that he is open to fighting anyone who promises a big payday.

“My thing is, dude, when it comes to that next fight, everybody’s like, ‘Who do you want to fight?’ I don’t give a f—k, dude. I want to make f—-ing money,” Strickland said on “The Man Dance” podcast. “I get those pay-per-view buys. Give me somebody who’s going to make f—-ing money. I don’t want to fight anybody boring. I want to fight, you know, give me someone who’s making money.”

Strickland also acknowl…

Su Mudaerji will take on Allan Nascimento in a flyweight clash at a UFC event on Dec. 9.

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AgFight was first to report the matchup, which was subsequently confirmed by Nascimento on social media. The UFC Fight Night card is expected to take place in China and also includes a light heavyweight clash between newcomers Zhang Mingyang and Brendson Ribeiro.

Nicknamed “The Tibetan Eagle”, Mudaerji will be in front of his home fans as the UFC makes its return to China after four years. The 27-year-old Chinese prospect is coming off a submission loss against Matt Schnell that also snapped a three-fight win streak.

Meanwhile, Nascimento came up on the short side of a split decision against Raulian Paiva at the Contender Series in 2018. “Puro Osso” would finally get his UFC call in 2021, when he ended up dropping another spilt decision against Tagir Ulanbekov. A longtime training partner of former UFC lightweight champ Charles Oliveira, Nascimento has si…

Lightweights Joe Solecki and Drakkar Klose are slated to trade leather at a UFC Fight Night event on Dec. 2.

Klose confirmed the pairing on social media following an initial report from Eurosport. The card doesn’t yet have a determined location but is also expected to include a middleweight bout between Jared Cannonier and Roman Dolidze.

After starting his UFC journey with a three consecutive victories, Solecki suffered his first promotional defeat in a closely-contested split-decision against Jared Gordon in 2021. The 30-year-old bounced back with a majority decision win over Alex da Silva before submitting Carl Deaton earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Klose went on a two-year hiatus following a TKO loss to Beneil Dariush at UFC 248. Klose returned to action last year with a bonus-winning knockout of Brandon Jenkins and followed it up with a decision victory over Rafa Garcia.

A promising lightweight clash between Nazim Sadykhov and Viacheslav Borshchev has been added to the upcoming UFC 295 card.

Sadykhov announced the pairing on social media. UFC 295 is set to go down at the Madison Square Garden on Nov. 11 and will be headlined by a heavyweight title clash between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic.

Sadykhov is currently riding a nine-fight winning streak with his lone professional loss dating back to his debut in 2018. The Azerbaijani-American made his UFC debut back in February, earning a third-round stoppage win over Evan Elder. “Black Wolf” subsequently sealed his status as a prospect with a second-round submission win over Terrance McKinney in July.

After a highlight-reel liver shot stoppage win over Dakota Bush in his UFC debut last year, Borshchev went on to drop consecutive decisions against Marc Diakiese and Mike Davis. However, the Russian has since bounced back with a bonus-winning knockout win over Maheshate Hayisaer earl…

Jacob Malkoun faced Cody Brundage in a middleweight clash on the preliminary card of UFC Fight Night 228 this past Saturday.

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The Australian looked impressive in his return to the Octagon, as he took Brundage down in the opening seconds. Malkoun went on to lay some heavy ground-and-pound, prompting referee Mark Smith to ask for some action from Brundage. “Mamba” then attempted a rear-naked choke before landing an elbow that was deemed illegal by the referee, leading to a pause in action. Brundage said he was unable to continue and was declared the winner via disqualification after review of the footage.

Malkoun has now weighed in on the loss, voicing his disagreement with the decision. The Australian claims the elbow was completely unintentional and not exactly to the back of the head.

“I’ve had some time to think. I just want to make it clear that the shot was UNINTENTIONAL, as I was throwing the elbow to the side of his head he turned his b…

Tabatha Ricci will square off against Lupita Godinez in a strawweight pairing at UFC 295.

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ESPN Deportes was first to report the bout. UFC 295 takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 11 and is headlined by a heavyweight championship showdown between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic.

Ricci has won four straight promotional appearances since dropping her debut to Manon Fiorot in a flyweight contest at UFC Fight Night 189 in June 2021. “Baby Shark” is 2-0 thus far in 2023, with victories against Jessica Penne and Gillian Robertson to her credit.

Godinez is 3-0 thus far this year and has been victorious in five of her last six UFC bouts. Most recently, “Loopy” submitted Elise Reed in the second round of their encounter at UFC Fight Night 227.

Aaron Pico celebrated his 27th birthday in style on Saturday.

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The Jackson-Wink MMA product made short work of Pedro Carvalho in the Bellator 299 co-main event, winning via technical knockout 3:05 into the opening stanza of their featherweight bout at 3Arena in Dublin. Pico took his foe down multiple times before sealing his victory with punches and elbows from top position.

“I felt really good throughout the whole fight. Of course, you’re going to get hit, it’s a fight. But I was able to stay composed, pick my shots, slow the fight down with my wrestling,” Pico said at the Bellator 299 post-fight press conference.

“And my ground-and-pound was vicious. I think he was really rocked on the bottom because I was throwing those elbows, and I felt no movement in his neck. In this sport you don’t stop until the ref pushes you off. Those elbows that I landed, I think he was out of it. What you’ll do to another human being inside this cage is crazy. It’s…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship star Nate Diaz will not be charged for his role in a brawl on Bourbon Street in New Orleans this past April.

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Diaz, who voluntarily turned himself in to police, was arrested on a charge of second-degree battery after videos surfaced of the fighter choking social media influencer Rodney Peterson unconscious during what police described as a “large altercation” on the 400 block of Bourbon Street. In the video, Diaz is seen applying a standing choke and throwing a knee to the midsection fof Peterson, who is known for his resemblance to Logan Paul. Peterson eventually is rendered unconscious as Diaz drops him to the street. Diaz was in New Orleans to attend a Misfits Boxing event.

Diaz representative Zach Rosenfield released a statement to ESPN on Monday announcing that the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s office has dropped all charges against the popular UFC veteran.

"Since Rodney Peterson sought out to …

Week 8 of Dana White’s Contender Series is now official, as all 10 fighters made weight without issue on Monday.

The Contender Series takes place on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and airs on ESPN+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The evening’s featured clash is a welterweight bout pitting Danny Barlow (170.5) against Raheam Forest (171).

Barlow is 6-0 since making his professional debut in October 2021. He has earned four of those victories inside of a round, including a first-round TKO of Jarious Gill in his most recent outing at Cage Fury Fighting Championships 121 on July 14.

A former CFFC title holder, Forest has been victorious in seven of his first eight pro appearances, with his lone defeat coming to current UFC talent Charlie Radtke “Rambo” is coming off a 26-second knockout of Treston Vines at CFFC 121.

Contender Series Weigh-in Results:Danny Barlow (170.5) vs. Raheam Forest (171)
Alexander Soldatkin (246) vs. Mario Piazzon (240)
Danny Silva …

Heavyweight veteran Andrei Arlovski will return to action early next year as he takes on up-and-comer Waldo Cortes-Acosta at a UFC Fight Night event on Jan. 13.

The record holder for the most wins in UFC heavyweight history, Arlovski will make his 47th walk to the Octagon as he takes on the Dominican Republic native fighting out of Phoenix. The matchup was first reported by ESPN commentator Gaston Reyno. Cortes-Acosta later confirmed the bout on social media.

Arlovksi had a four-fight winning streak snapped with a submission loss to Marcos Rogerio de Lima in October 2022. Arlovski subsequently went on to suffer a knockout loss to Don’Tale Mayes earlier this year, making it two defeats in a row for the 44-year-old.

Meanwhile, Cortes-Acosta is coming off the first stoppage win of his UFC career, a brutal first-round TKO win over Lukasz Brzeski in Singapore in August. “Salsa Boy” earned his UFC contract with a finish over Brazil’s Danilo Suzart last year on t…

Rashad Evans consoling his long time friend Michelle Waterson-Gomez#UFCVegas79 pic.twitter.com/YIqIeq23XG

— MMA Mania (@mmamania) September 24, 2023

Michelle Waterson-Gomez suffered a second round technical knockout loss in a rematch against Marina Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night 228 on Saturday.

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“The Karate Hottie” was thoroughly outclassed by Rodriguez on the feet with a 90-16 total strike differential. While Rodriguez seemed close to finishing to bout in the opening frame, Waterson-Gomez displayed commendable toughness in weathering the storm. As the beatdown continued, referee Kerry Hatley stepped in to halt the bout at 2:42 of the second round. A bloodied Waterson-Gomez broke down in tears after the defeat.

UFC Hall of Famer and Waterson-Gomez’s former teammate at Jackson-Wink MMA, Rashad Evans, who was an analyst for the event, consoled the 37-year-old outside the Octagon as she was overwhelmed by emotions. Sharing …

Khamzat Chimaev will make his long-awaited return to the Octagon next month against Paulo Costa in the co-main event at UFC 294 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The Chechen-born finishing machine will no longer be representing Sweden, which has been his home since the age of 18.

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Chimaev has been a long-time member of the Allstars Training Center in Stockholm and has been representing Sweden since his UFC debut in 2020. However, “Borz” has now reportedly emigrated to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and will be representing his new home when he faces Costa at UFC 294.

The news was revealed by his manager Majdi Shammas to Swedish outlet SVT Sport.

“He has emigrated, he is no longer Swedish,” Shammas said, while refusing to divulge any more information. “He wants to emigrate.”

The move coincides with Chimaev’s transition to middleweight. The 29-year-old missed weight by 7.5 pounds for his last outing at UFC 279 in September 2022, which le…