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Cody Durden’s latest Ultimate Fighting Championship experience could not have been more fulfilling—personally, professionally or financially.

The 33-year-old Covington, Georgia, native filled in for Alessandro Costa on less than a week’s notice and put away Matt Schnell with a ninja choke in the second round of their UFC Fight Night 242 bantamweight showcase on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Durden drew the curtain 29 seconds into Round 2, where he countered an ill-advised takedown attempt with the fight-ending choke. The UFC awarded him a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his efforts.

Meanwhile, Natalia Silva and Jessica Andrade pocketed $50,000 “Fight of the Night” bonuses in the aftermath of their three-round women’s flyweight co-main event. Silva outstruck the former 115-pound champion to a unanimous decision, walking away with 30-27 marks from all three judges. She now finds herself on a remarkable 12-fight winning streak.

Finally, Jacks…

The Bellator MMA lightweight championship was on the line in the main event of Bellator San Diego.

Usman Nurmagomedov put his undefeated record and title on the line against No. 1 contender Alexandr Shabliy. "Peresvet" proved tricky at first as Shabliy (24-4) was able to find a home for his quick right hand. However, Nurmagomedov (18-0, 1 NC) was the more active fighter and would sprinkle in the occasional takedown attempt to pull clearly ahead in the fight in the second and third rounds. The championship rounds would see Nurmagomedov continue controlling the fight, even hurting the challenger with a head kick in Round 4.

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After five rounds of action, Nurmagomedov's hand was raised after scores of 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46 were read.Larkin Smashes Chokheli The co-main event saw the 38-year-old Lorenz Larkin take on Levan Chokheli, who was 11 years his junior. "The Monsoon" lived up to his nickname and showed that age is only a number by scoring a quick k…

Sean Brady proved that he belongs among the welterweight elite with a hard-fought victory in the UFC UFC Fight Night 242 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Brady took a well-deserved unanimous decision over former UFC title challenger Gilbert Burns after five grueling rounds.

Brady (17-1, 7-1 UFC) established his jab early in the opening frame, and he backed Burns (22-8, 15-8 UFC) up against the cage on two occasions. Both men scored brief takedowns, but the round was predominantly contested in the clinch. Burns wobbled the Philadelphia native with a right hook to begin the second round, but Brady wisely tied him up in a clinch and landed one-two combos to the Brazilian’s face after the fighters separated. Brady targeted the inside and outside of Burns’ left leg with kicks as time ticked down. Early in the third round, Burns seemed to be slowing down, and Brady held him against the cage. However, a sudden burst of energy allowed Burns to score with two stro…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to its home base of the Apex in Las Vegas Saturday at 4 p.m. ET with UFC Fight Night 242. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Fletcher (-145), Ramaska (+120)Round 1 Before its multimillion-dollar showcase in the Sphere next week, the UFC trots out an above-average Fight Night event to whet the whistles of fight fans while also partially counterprogramming Bellator. Assuming the bouts all remain intact—far from a guarantee in this era of the sport—a dozen matchups will litter the lineup, with some good stuff to treat those tuning in. The night kicks off with a rescheduled matchup from a card two weeks ago. Featherweight teammates on Team Shevchenko of “The Ultimate Fighter” battle it out as injured semifinalist Ramaska (9-2, 0-0 UFC) tries to make good on his first stint in the UFC, much like Nate Quarry getting to the promotion after sustaining an injury on Season 1. Fletcher (8-1, 0-0 UFC) will be standing in his way, previ…

Sherdog's live Bellator Champions Series San Diego coverage will begin Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. Round 1 Paul Buentello will be officiating this matchup of professional debutantes. Thiner takes the center of the cage and Cortez answers with a right. Thiner lands a calf kick and sneaks a left through. Cortez gets deep on a takedown attempt but can’t get it as she presses Thiner into the fence. Thiner is able to create space and she leaps in with a left hand. Thiner with a snapping inside leg kick. Cortez follows an overhand right with a level change, but Thiner reverses her against the fence. Thiner keeps heavy pressure on Cortez, and she elects to separate. Cortez shoots and eats a knee and a series of punche from Thiner, who ends the assault with an elbow. Thiner times a push kick nicely as she controls the range. Cortez is bleeding from her nose, likely a result of eating several left hands. Another push kick followed by a left from Thiner, who sprawls on a subsequent takedow…

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It has been well-documented that UFC 306 at The Sphere in Las Vegas will be an unprecedented event. Now, a few more details have come to light as to what will make it such a spectacle.

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The Sphere, a $2.3 billion venue that features a 160,000 square foot LED screen, will include a distinctly cinematic theme for UFC 306 on Sept. 14. According to The Hollywood Reporter, a film celebrating Mexico’s contribution to combat sports will run in chapters on The Sphere’s screen in between bouts.

“At the highest level, we were trying to think about, how do we put on a live MMA fight — 10 fights throughout the night — and not take away from the fight action, not take too much time in between fights where we slow things down, but also tell this other story about the Mexican people and their heritage and their culture, because it’s rich and it’s deep,” UFC chief content officer Craig Bolsari said.

UFC 306: O'Malley vs. Dvalishvili Saturday a…

Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White was a special guest at a recent luncheon hosted by the Latin Chamber of Commerce.

During the session held at the Durango Casino & Resort, White discussed a number of topics with Las Vegas entrepreneurs, including the growth of the promotion and the upcoming UFC 306 event at The Sphere, which is also a tribute to Mexican Independence Day. White also announced a donation to the Latin Chamber of Commerce.

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“I love to help small businesses,” White said (quotes via UFC.com). “People who are starting out, I love to hear their stories, what they do, and I love to support them in any way I can. More than just obviously spending money or buying things from them, to help create awareness that they exist and for people to go try their products.”UFC 306: O'Malley vs. Dvalishvili Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now!

White also shared why it was so significant for the UFC to break ground in Mexico and other Lati…

Valentina Shevchenko feels UFC 306 is not all about Mexican Independence Day.

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Shevchenko challenges Alexa Grasso for the women’s flyweight title in the co-main event at UFC 306 on Sept. 14 at The Sphere in Las Vegas. “Bullet” was initially hesitant to accept the trilogy fight on this particular card due to her past experience.

Shevchenko lost her strap to Grasso in an upset submission loss at UFC 285 in March 2023. The two met in a rematch last September at Noche UFC, which was the promotion’s first event to commemorate Mexican Independence Day. The fight ended in a controversial split draw, leading to Grasso retaining her strap. Shevchenko complained that judge Mike Bell scored the fifth round 10-8 in favor of Grasso so that the Mexican champ could retain her belt on the card built around the country’s Independence Day.

So, when Shevchenko was offered a trilogy matchup a year later at UFC 306, which is also tribute to Mexican Independence Da…

Hear what Demetrious Johnson had to say at ONE 168: Denver 🗣️

Tune in to Prime Video and Sky Sports NOW to catch the rest of ONE 168: Denver!#ONE168 | 🔴 LIVE NOW📺 How to watch 👉 https://t.co/NOuJb13LII🇺🇸🇨🇦 Watch Live on Prime 👉 https://t.co/0ZILlG5o3R🇬🇧🇮🇪 Watch Live on… pic.twitter.com/5HOxf6aH4A

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) September 7, 2024

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Demetrious Johnson has announced an end to one of the greatest MMA careers of all time on Friday.

Johnson announced his retirement during an appearance at ONE Championship 168 in Denver on Friday. Johnson made his pro debut in 2009 under the King of the Cage banner before moving to World Extreme Cagefighting, which was later acquired by the UFC. “Might Mouse” went on become the inaugural UFC flyweight champion by defeating Joseph Benavidez in a tournament finale in 2012.

This set off one of the most dominant runs in the history of the sport, which included 11 succes…

🚨| Israel Adesanya was seemingly involved in a road rage incident, in New Zealand. 😬#MMA #UFC pic.twitter.com/oHAYyZAtnK

— MMA Frenzy (@mma_frenzy) September 5, 2024

Israel Adesanya opened up on a recent heated confrontation involving another individual in New Zealand.

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Adesanya was recently filmed getting into a spat with an unidentified person in his home country. The footage shows the former UFC middleweight champ trying to get inside his car while arguing the person who repeatedly flexes his biceps. “The Last Stylebender” appears to spit at the person before the video ends.

While the reason for the altercation is unclear from the video, Adesanya claims the man was trying to coax him into a fight while he tried his best to de-escalate the situation. Adesanya also says he’ll press charges against the man for racially abusing him and threatening violence.

“On Wednesday morning, I was leaving a cafe on K Rd when a p…

Khabib Nurmagomedov reveals a pic with black eye after sparring session 😳#UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/bXCHtBlRtI

— Sportskeeda MMA (@sportskeedaMMA) September 1, 2024

Usman Nurmagomedov recently shared how Khabib Nurmagomedov got a black eye in sparring.

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Khabib recently posted a picture of himself with a black eye, along with a caption wondering if the years are catching up with him.

According to Usman, “The Eagle” had allowed him a morning of rest on the day of the incident. When a surprised Usman asked him about the black eye in the evening, Khabib revealed that another teammate of theirs, Islam Mamedov had elbowed him while sparring.

“No no, it’s when he grapple with Islam Mamedov, there [it happened],” Usman told Sportskeeda MMA. “That day I was rest morning because Khabib pushed me all week and he said, ‘Today you rest.’ He come, I said, ‘What happened with your eye.’ He’s like, ‘Islam Mamedov give me elbow.’” Read more

[embedded content] Bellator MMA will put on its first show since June. All fighters made weight for the 10-fight card, which is headlined by Usman Nurmagomedov putting his lightweight title on the line against Alexandr Shabliy.

The undefeated Nurmagomedov (17-0, 1 NC) is coming off an overturned victory over Brent Primus after failing a drug test for a prescription medicine. The Russian wasn't stripped of the title, though, which he won off Patricky Freire in 2022. This will look to be Nurmagomedov's third defense as he submitted Benson Henderson in between the two aforementioned fights. The 26-year-old officially weighed 154.8 pounds.

Meanwhile, this is the first Bellator main event for Shabliy (24-3). "Peresvet" is 5-0 inside the promotion with notable wins over Freire, Primus and Tofiq Musayev. The 31-year-old will look to make a statement in his first title opportunity and also weighed 154.8 pounds.

Bellator Champions Series San Diego Weigh-in Results: Usman Nur…