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Dana White’s Contender Series alum Jose Johnson will step in on short notice to face Da'Mon Blackshear at UFC on ESPN 51 this Saturday.

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Johnson is a replacement for Brady Hiestand, who withdrew from the card due to a “medical issue.” The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the new bantamweight pairing on Tuesday. UFC on ESPN 51 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight duel pitting Vicente Luque against Rafael dos Anjos.

Johnson enters the matchup on a three-fight winning streak. He last appeared at the Contender Series in August 2022, when he earned a unanimous decision triumph over Jack Cartwright. The 28-year-old Flint, Michigan, native owns a 15-7 career mark with appearances in Fury Fighting Championship and Legacy Fighting Championship to his credit.

A former Cage Fury Fighting Championships title holder, Blackshear is 1-1-1 since making is Octago…

Viviane Araujo will have both an opponent and venue change for her next fight.

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Araujo was originally slated to face Casey O'Neill at UFC 293 in Sydney on Sept. 9 before her opponent withdrew from the bout. Instead, the Brazilian flyweight will lock horns with Jennifer Maia at a UFC Fight Night event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Oct. 14. The new bout was initially reported by Sherdog contributor Christian Stein.

Araujo will attempt to snap a two-fight skid against Maia. The 36-year-old Cerrado MMA export last appeared at UFC 285, where she suffered a unanimous decision loss to Amanda Ribas on March 4.

A former flyweight title challenger, Maia is coming off back-to-back decision wins against O’Neill and Maryna Moroz. The former Invicta FC title holder is 6-5 during her tenure with the Las Vegas based promotion.

Only a handful of fighters elected to reveal their payouts from UFC 291 following a change in policy from the Pete Suazo Utah Athletic Commission.

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Kevin Holland ($356,000) topped the list of disclosed salaries from the July 29 event, which took place at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Bobby Green, Gabriel Bonfim and C.J. Vergara were the only other fighters who made their paydays public.

No other salaries were released, as the commission revealed that it entered into “confidentiality agreements” with athletes competing at UFC 291 ahead of the event. According to a statement from Utah commission executive director Scott Bowler, which was obtained by MMAjunkie.com, the fighters “expressed valid concerns regarding the public disclosure of the compensation amount in bout agreements, because public disclosure of their purse amounts will negatively impact their individual ability to negotiate compensation or purse amounts for future events.”<…

The first week for a new season of Dana White’s Contender Series is now official.

All 10 competitors made weight on Monday, including scheduled headliners Cesar Almeida (185.5) and Lucas Fernando (186). The Contender Series takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Tuesday, with fighters attempt to earn a UFC contract based on their performance in the Octagon. The card airs on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT — one hour earlier than normal.

A kickboxer with a 47-8-1 career mark, Almeida has been victorious in his first three professional MMA appearances. Most recently, the 35-year-old Lotus MMA member scored a 38-second knockout of Danilo de Souza Silva at Shooto Brazil 110 in December 2021.

Fernando will carry a 9-1 record into the matchup with Almeida. In his last outing, Fernando claimed the Legacy Fighting Alliance middleweight crown with a fourth-round KO of Jansey Silva at LFA 154 on March 10.

Contender Series Weigh-in Results:Cesar Almeida (185.5) vs. L…

Cory Sandhagen did quite well despite not fighting at full capacity.

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Sandhagen received a six-month suspension following his unanimous decision victory over Rob Font in the UFC on ESPN 50 headliner at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Saturday night. The Elevation Fight Team product relied on a steady diet of takedowns and top pressure to neutralize Font, an approach that drew boos from the fans but led to a relatively clean victory in a short-notice catchweight matchup.

“Fully torn tricep in Round 1,” Sandhagen revealed on Instagram. “Wasn’t able to punch or elbow with that arm without pain and it feeling like s—t. Did what I had to do to win that night.

“Surgery this week — back soon.”

The Tennessee Athletic Commission released a full list of medical suspensions from Saturday’s event. The nature of the majority of those suspensions was not specified. Two other fighters from UFC on ESPN 50 are facing potential six-month sits: Gavin Tucker …

Things went exactly according to plan for Cory Sandhagen against Rob Font in the UFC on ESPN 50 main event.

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Sandhagen relied on takedowns and suffocating top control to cruise to a five-round verdict in their 140-pound catchweight clash at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Saturday night. Those in attendance were not pleased with the performance, and while Sandhagen understands the angst, it was far more important for him to earn his third straight UFC victory.

“That was the game plan,” Sandhagen said at the post-fight press conference. “I thought that honestly he would have made some pretty good adjustments and stuff a couple of them later in the fight. Font doesn’t wrestle that good. He doesn’t have an immediate wrestler reaction. He doesn’t get up very well. The only way that he really gets up is on that underhook, and if I just shut that down, he’s not going to really get up.

“I know that there’s lots of boos and it’s not the most exciting…

If there was any question before, there isn’t now: Tatiana Suarez is back.

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Viewed as a future title contender during her rise to prominence in the UFC from 2016 to 2019, injuries halted Suarez’s momentum and sidelined her until earlier this year. The 32-year-old Millennia MMA representative has made up for lost time, earning submission wins over Montana De La Rosa and Jessica Andrade in 2023. The latter was especially impressive, as Suarez outclassed Andrade, a former 115-pound champion, in the UFC on ESPN 50 co-main event before winning via second-round guillotine choke at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday night. Even before the finish arrived, Suarez was able to hold her own with Andrade during exchanges.

“I’m just really excited about this one, because I think a lot of people fear her on the feet. That’s where she has her most success, and of course, me, I decided to strike with her a lot more than I do in all my other fights,” Suarez said at Saturd…

pic.twitter.com/ZGHDFMR115

— UFC (@ufc) August 6, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship awarded five fighters performance bonuses following the UFC on ESPN 50 card.

Every fighter that earned a finish on the card was awarded an extra $50,000. The most notable finish came in the co-main event, which saw Tatiana Suarez return and impress against former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade. Suarez proved she hadn't lost a step and finished the veteran with a guillotine choke.

The lone knockout on the card came from Dustin Jacoby, who was able to starch Kennedy Nzechukwu with a series of punches in the very first round. The other three finishes were all submissions. These included Diego Lopes' impressive armbar win, the shocking guillotine choke comeback from Carlston Harris and Asu Almabaev's impressive rear-naked choke over Ode Osbourne.

UFC on ESPN 50 Bonuses: Tatiana Suarez - $50,000Dustin Jacoby - $50,000Diego Lopes - $50,000…

Cory Sandhagen operated on a level to which Rob Font simply could not rise.

Well-timed takedowns, suffocating control and mild ground-and-pound spurred “The Sandman” to a unanimous decision over Font in the UFC on ESPN 50 headliner, as he took another step forward in the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight division on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. All three judges scored it 50-45 for Sandhagen (17-4, 10-3 UFC).

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A late-notice replacement for Umar Nurmagomedov, Font (20-7, 10-6 UFC) made almost no headway. Sandhagen executed two takedowns in the first round, incorporated some ground-and-pound elbows and put a serious dent in his opponent’s resolve. The scene repeated itself again and again over the next 20 minutes. The flummoxed Font managed to get back to his feet late in rounds but appeared too tired and frustrated to offer a meaningful retort. Sandhagen completed his final takedown some 90 seconds into Round 5 and e…

Sherdog's live UFC on ESPN 50 coverage will begin Saturday at 6 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Almabaev (-185), Osbourne (+154)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Woodson (-175), Buzukja (+145)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Officia…

Kyler Phillips still looks like a man who intends to make some significant noise in the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight division.

In his first appearance in more than 500 days, the MMA Lab standout outstruck and outmaneuvered Raoni Barcelos to a unanimous decision in the featured UFC on ESPN 50 prelim on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Scores were 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28—all for Phillips (11-2, 5-1 UFC).

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A short-notice substitution for Said Nurmagomedov, Barcelos, 36, looked his age at times and struggled to track down “The Matrix” in open space. Phillips sat him down with a clean one-two in the first round, troubled the Brazilian with a takedown in the second and managed to keep his head above water in the third. Barcelos surged late with takedowns and a right hook to the body, but by then, the die had been cast.Harris Choke Stuns Wells Onetime Brave Combat Federation titleholder Carlston Harris put Jeremiah Wells …

UFC welterweight prospect Ian Garry, who is undefeated in 12 professional outings, recently spent part of his camp in Sao Paulo, Brazil, at Chute Boxe Diego Lima.

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“He sent me a message on Instagram saying he really liked the energy of my team and would love to visit Chute Boxe. A few weeks later we finally met in person during fight week, and I officially invited him to come,” Lima told Sherdog.com.

According to Lima, the Irishman was welcomed with open arms to Charles Oliveira’s team.

"The guy has a great energy. Actually, he looks more like a Brazilian. Always smiling, treating everybody well,” Lima said. “After training he had lunch with the team. Plus his wife speaks Portuguese, which was great.”

Garry, who will face Geoff Neal at UFC 292 on Aug. 19, impressed Lima with his skill level.

"He is a very talented guy, very intelligent. He did very tough sparrng with everybody here and we had a pretty similar view of the tactics he…