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Suzuki gets the KO from bottom position and is the new RIZIN Featherweight Champion!

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📡 Watch on @FITEtv !🔻https://t.co/eEpfmslhPp pic.twitter.com/fsvLfe9ZKD — RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) November 4, 2023 After coming up short in his first title bid in June, Chihiro Suzuki made the most of his second opportunity by scoring a crushing first-round knockout victory on Saturday at Rizin Fighting Federation “Landmark Vol. 7” in Baku, Azerbaijan. Suzuki finished Vugar Karamov with a vicious upkick and punches 88 seconds into the opening round to claim the Rizin featherweight title.

Suzuki (12-3, 1 NC, 7-1, 1 NC Rizin) found himself on the mat following an early takedown from Karamov (19-5, 5-2 Rizin), who postured up and punched from the top. When Karamov stood up to try to pass Suzuki’s guard, Suzuki countered with an upkick from the bottom. His heel connected flush with Karamov’s jaw and the dazed Azerbaijani fig…

The UFC women’s bantamweight division will crown a new champion at the beginning of 2024.

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Raquel Pennington will face Mayra Bueno Silva for the 135-pound title at UFC 297 in Toronto on Jan. 20. Multiple outlets confirmed the booking following an initial report from Ag.Fight. The bantamweight belt was vacated when Amanda Nunes announced her retirement following a victory against Irene Aldana at UFC 289 in June.

Pennington, who came up short in her first title bid against Nunes at UFC 224 in May 2018, enters the matchup on five-fight winning streak. Most recently, “Rocky” garnered a split decision triumph over Ketlen Vieira at UFC Fight Night 214 on Jan. 14. Her resume also includes victories against the likes of Aspen Ladd, Macy Chiasson, Pannie Kianzad, Aldana, Miesha Tate and Jessica Andrade.

Bueno Silva appeared to have earned a signature triumph when she submitted Holly Holm in the second round of their clash at UFC on ESPN 49 this past Ju…

pic.twitter.com/VgZaKVvBxg

— Vinc Pichel 🇺🇸 (@FromHellPichel) November 3, 2023

Vinc Pichel is understandably disappointed with Ismael Bonfim for his massive weight miss that ultimately led to their scheduled UFC Sao Paulo clash being canceled.

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Pichel (14-3) was set to make his return to the Octagon against the younger Bonfim brother (19-4) following a unanimous decision loss to Mark O. Madsen back in April 2022.

However, while Madsen tipped the scales at 155.5 pounds with some additional time, Bonfim weighed in at 159.5 pounds; a whopping 3.5 pounds above the lightweight limit. As a result, the promotion announced that the scheduled main card opener between Pichel and Bonfim had been scrapped.

Soon after the announcement, Pichel took to social media to issue a statement addressing the weight-miss debacle. The 40-year-old made it clear that he had no intention of taking on a fight against an opponent that “didn't …

When Jonathan Haggerty gets you hurt there’s only a matter of time before you’re out. Just ask Fabricio Andrade.

The ONE Championship 145-pound muay thai champion added another belt around his slender waist after dismantling the ONE 145-pound mixed martial arts champion in the second round of their kickboxing chlash in the ONE Fight Night 16 main event at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok.

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“The General” entered the bout on a five-fight win streak fresh off his first-round annihilation over Nong-O Hama in his last fight. The confidence to take out another champion early was evident in Haggerty’s approach.

Throughout Round 1 Haggerty exposed Andrade’s heavy feet by circling and cracking the MMA champion with hard shots. Despite Andrade’s background in kickboxing, Haggerty’s feints and explosiveness kept the Brazilian in constant danger.

The beginning of the end came in Round 2 after Haggerty converted a switch knee into a roundhouse kick over An…

Sherdog's live ONE Fight Night 16 coverage kicks off Friday at 8 p.m. ET. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round: The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:J.L. Kirven s…

[embedded content] Several fighters ahead of the Ultimate Fighting Championship's return to Brazil appear to have forgotten their weight classes.

The UFC Fight Night 231 main event will see heavyweight prospect Jailton Almeida take on former title challenger Derrick Lewis. Both men weighed under the limit, with Lewis coming in 29 pounds heavier than the 236-pound Brazilian. However, four undercard fighters missed weight. Ismael Bonfim came in 3.5 pounds over the lightweight limit for his fight against Vinc Pichel, who also came in a pound heavy. Additionally, Victor Hugo Silva and Eduarda Moura both came in heavy for their respective bouts. All fighters have been fined a percentage of their purses.

Almeida (19-2) is undefeated since entering the UFC. His first main event opportunity saw him submit Jairzinho Rozenstruik with a rear-naked choke after just 3:43. Lewis (27-11, 1 NC) is coming off a quick 33-second win over Marcos Rogerio de Lima that snapped a three-figh…

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Jamahal Hill believes Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira have different ways of winning their UFC 295 matchup.

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Hill (12-1) will officially become a former Ultimate Fighting Championship king the moment Pereira vs. Prochazka kicks off inside the Octagon on Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. While “Sweet Dreams” put on an incredible performance against Glover Teixeira (33-9) at UFC 283 to claim the vacant heavyweight title, the Michigan native ruptured his Achilles tendon back in July while playing a game of pickup basketball.

Considering how Prochazka was quick to let the division move on when he suffered a disastrous shoulder injury while holding the belt, Hill took the same route and verbally relinquished his title with the assurance that he would receive a title shot on his return regardless of the circumstances.

While Pereira and Prochazka gear up for their upcoming title bout, Hill is not only focused on …

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Beneil Dariush aims not to let his most recent setback deter him from realizing his full potential as a mixed martial artist.

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Dariush (22-5) had his inspiring eight-fight winning streak snapped against former champion Charles Oliveira (34-9). In a bout that served as a title eliminator, “Benny” suffered a devastating Round 1 technical loss.

However, Dariush isn’t one to dwell on his losses and obsess over his mistakes.

“You know, the best way I can explain is it that I was off that night. It wasn't my best performance and Charles had a great performance,” Dariush told ESPN’s Marc Raimondi. “I really don't have any other excuses besides that. I don't think I performed to the best of my abilities and I think he fought really well. So, congrats to him and that's it. I don't really know what else to tell you, unfortunately. And as far as what I take away from it is just, came home and said ‘I'm going to spend some time with my …

Let’s go!🇧🇷 https://t.co/X1thtJaXX3

— Felipinho Bunes (@BunesFelipinho) November 3, 2023 A flyweight clash has been added to the first Ultimate Fighting Championship card of 2024.

Brazil's Felipe Bunes (13-6) will make his UFC debut against Denys Bondar (14-4) on an event that will also feature former heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta. The news of this flyweight pairing was first reported by Eurosport.NL, and confirmed by Bunes in a subsequent social media post. The currently unnamed UFC Fight Night event will play out inside of the UFC Apex on Jan. 13.

Bunes was initially set to make his organizational debut against Zhalgas Zhumagulov in June at UFC on ESPN 47. However, the former Legacy Fighting Alliance champ was barred from competing after testing positive for metabolic modulator GW1516. Bunes was suspended for six months and fined by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. The bout will mark Bunes' return to co…

Updates to #UFCSP: https://t.co/CfeeUQxFo4

— UFC News (@UFCNews) November 3, 2023 The scales proved a greater threat than expected for UFC Fight Night 231 on Friday morning.

Ahead of the UFC Sao Paulo event on Nov. 4, in the promotion’s return to the Brazilian city for the first time since late 2019, four fighters initially missed weight. A rarity in combat sports, both Ismael Bonfim (159.5) and Vinc Pichel (157) came in heavy for their lightweight match. While Pichel returned to hit his proper marks at 155.5 pounds, Bonfim declined to continue cutting weight, and the fight has been canceled. Additionally, Victor Hugo Silva clocked in at 138.5 pounds ahead of his bantamweight battle with Daniel Marcos (136), and the organization announced it scrubbed that bout from the lineup as well.

Eduarda Moura exceeded the strawweight cap by 3.5 pounds prior to her matchup with Montserrat Ruiz (114), and Moura has received a 30% fine as the fight …

J.Butler out. Lucas Alexander in, will fight Jeka Saragih at #UFCVegas82 on November 18th. #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN #UFC2023 pic.twitter.com/J5Mr06VTw6

— Marcel Dorff 🇳🇱🇮🇩 (@BigMarcel24) November 1, 2023

Indonesian standout Jeka Asparido Saragih will debut in the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Nov. 18.

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Saragih (13-3) was originally scheduled to make his promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 232 against lightweight newcomer Jesse Butler (12-5), who was coming off a first-round knockout loss to Jim Miller in his first Octagon appearance back in June. However, the promotion announced last week that Saragih was in need of a new opponent after Butler was forced to pull out due to an injury.

While there were brief talks of a clash between Saragih and Charlie Campbell, that potential matchup also fell through. However, the Indonesian has finally found himself an opponent two weeks ahead of his scheduled debut.

Saragih…

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Jailton Almeida believes one half of the UFC 295 co-main event has a clear edge over the other.

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Sergei Pavlovich (18-1) will take on fellow surging contender Tom Aspinall (13-3) at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 11 for the interim heavyweight title. The replacement bout was announced a little more than two weeks before Jon Jones’ scheduled title defense against Stipe Miocic fell through, as “Bones” suffered a torn pectoral muscle in training.

While Aspinall is a slight -130 favorite on some sportsbooks in the evenly-matched booking, Almeida (19-2) sees Pavlovich having an advantage. It is worth noting that the Russian was originally supposed to weigh-in as the backup for the title fight between Jones and Miocic.

Keeping that in mind, Almeida believes Pavlovich will have an edge as he was already in a title-fight mindset as opposed to his English opponent, who was just training as usual.

“Jones’ injury open…