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After a fight week full of bad blood, Merab Dvalishvili got the last laugh.

The Serra Longo Fight Team product relied on relentless pressure and the constant threat of the takedown to wear down Petr Yan and capture a unanimous decision triumph in the UFC Fight Night 221 headliner at the Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, Nev., on Saturday night. Dvalishvili (16-4, 9-2 UFC) received a trio of 50-45 tallies from the cageside judges to secure his ninth straight victory in the Octagon.

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While Dvalishvili didn’t come close to landing all of his takedown attempts, the constant threat of his wrestling created openings for “The Machine” to succeed in other aspects of the bout. That was especially evident on the feet, as Dvalishvili attacked with punching combinations, standing elbows and kicks to various levels. Most notably, a calf kick from the Georgian seemed to compromise Yan’s left leg in the second stanza, and the Russian was often forced to switch …

Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 221 coverage will begin Saturday at 3 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Harris (-300), Gooden (+250)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Silva (-195), Nam (+165)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result …

Davey Grant with the reverse triangle submission 😱 #UFCLasVegas pic.twitter.com/XIPSrJ5Ab8

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 11, 2023

Davey Grant showed a flair for the dramatic at UFC Fight Night 221.

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“The Ultimate Fighter 18” alum rallied for a third-round submission victory over Raphael Assuncao in their preliminary bantamweight clash at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, Nev., on Saturday. The 37-year-old Englishman used an inverted triangle choke to render Assuncao (28-10, 12-7 UFC) unconsicous at the 4:43 mark of Round 3. Assuncao, who has lost five of his last six Octagon appearances, left his gloves in the center of the cage and announced his retirement following the defeat. Assuncao blended grappling with smart counterstriking to rack up an early lead on the scorecards, but action really picked up in the final stanza. Grant (15-6, 6-5 UFC) stumbled Assuncao with a right hand early on, a blow that seemed to s…

Benson Henderson called it a career on Friday night, laying his gloves in the cage following a first-round submission loss to Usman Nurmagomedov in the Bellator 292 main event.

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“These last four fights I signed with Bellator, I told myself that if I lose at all any of these last four fights, then it’s about that time,” Henderson said in the cage immediately after the bout.

“I’ve had a nice, long run. I’ve done a lot of great things and was able to do a lot of amazing accomplishments, and thank you to everybody around the world. Thank you guys for your love and support, I appreciate that.”

The 39-year-old former UFC and WEC lightweight champion further elaborated on his decision at the Bellator 292 post-fight press conference. He said that while he’ll still be involved with the sport, the focus will be on his wife’s fighting career. Maria Henderson is scheduled to make her second pro appearance against Mackenzie Stiller at Bellator 293 on Marc…

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A documentary starring inaugural UFC women’s flyweight champion Nicco Montano is now available for viewing on multiple platforms.

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The film, which is entitled "Warrior Spirit," is directed by Landon Dyksterhouse and focuses on the dangers of extreme weight cutting in the UFC. The documentary was featured in a segment on “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.” It was also an official DOC NYC selection and was recognized as the ImagineNative “Best Doc Feature.”

“Warrior Spirit” followed Montano as she prepared for her scheduled title defense against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 228. Montano’s difficulty with her weight cut led to her being hospitalized and as a result, the fight was canceled and she was stripped of her belt.

The film also examines issues such as fighter pay, insurance and unionization and includes appearances from Ariel Helwani, Justin Gaethje, Tim Means and Dana White. It is available to rent or buy on the following …

Usman Nurmagomedov could not have been more imposing in starting his run in the Bellator MMA lightweight grand prix.

The undefeated American Kickboxing Academy standout retained his undisputed lightweight championship and did so in spectacular fashion, as he submitted Benson Henderson with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their Bellator 292 headliner on Friday at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. Henderson (30-12, 7-7 Bellator) raised the white flag of surrender 2:37 into Round 1, as he was submitted for the first time since 2013. Afterward, the 39-year-old MMA Lab cornerstone announced his retirement from mixed martial arts.

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Nurmagomedov (17-0, 6-0 Bellator) decked the former Ultimate Fighting Championship and World Extreme Cagefighting titleholder with an exquisite question mark kick inside the first minute. He then pounced with punches, attached himself to the dazed Henderson’s back and continued to apply his ground-and-pound whi…

In what ultimately turned into a battle of the highlights, light heavyweight Impa Kasanganay secured himself a Professional Fighters League contract during PFL Challenger Series 2023 Week 7 on Friday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.

Kasanganay (11-3) closed the show with a devastating first-round knockout of Osama ElSeady in the final bout of the four-fight card on FuboTV. ElSeady (8-3) and Kasanganay traded blows early in the round before the former’s gas tank depleted. The 29-year-old fighting out of Charlotte walked ElSeady across the cage before knocking him out cold with 45 seconds left in the opening frame.

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Kasanganay won his second consecutive fight and secured the contract, but it’s debatable that he won the night.

In the fight prior, Taylor Johnson buried Trey Williams with an overhand right from the underworld in round 1.

Johnson ate several crisp shots before eventually timing Williams with an overhand right to the temple. …

Sherdog's live Bellator 292 coverage will begin Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round: The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the…

Sherdog's live PFL Challenger Series 7 coverage kicks off Friday at 9 p.m. ET. The action will be broadcast live and free on fuboTV. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Lev Pisarsky scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:

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

First to the scale this morning!@PetrYanUFC in at 136lbs for tomorrow's #UFCLasVegas main event 💪 pic.twitter.com/J21q00CqTk

— UFC (@ufc) March 10, 2023 Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight Ricardo Ramos seems to have forgotten his weight class.

Headlining UFC Fight Night 221 is a top contender match between former 135-pound titleholder Petr Yan and the surging Merab Dvalishvili. Both main event fighters made weight for their five-round affair, although a few members of the undercard weren't entirely as professional.

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Notably, Ramos and Jared Gooden checked in nowhere close to their weight limits for their respective fights. Ramos came in eight pounds overweight at 154 pounds for his featherweight scrap against Austin Lingo. Meanwhile, late replacement Gooden hit the scales at 177 pounds for his welterweight fight against Carlston Harris, or six pounds above the non-title cap. Ramos vs. Lingo has since been canc…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Middleweight Sedriques Dumas will carry a 7-0 professional mixed martial arts record into his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut on Saturday in Las Vegas, where he clashes with Josh Fremd at UFC Fight Night 221. The 27-year-old Floridian signed with the UFC in 2022 after a 47-second submission win over Matej Penaz on Dana White’s Contender Series.

Dumas’ fight in front of UFC President Dana White took place on Aug. 30, less than two months after a previously unreported altercation involving the fighter spilled out of the Seville Quarter—a bar in Pensacola, Florida. According to a Pensacola Police Department report filed on July 3, which was obtained by Sherdog.com, Dumas allegedly struck Alyssa Lewis, a 21-year-old woman, in the face during an incident that unfolded across several blocks of downtown Pensacola.

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The case was closed days later without arrests being made. However, eyewitness acc…

𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭! 🔥@Usmannmgdv (154.8) and @BensonHenderson (154.6) have weighed in ahead of the #BellatorLWGP. #Bellator292 pic.twitter.com/MTUwwlxz3h

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) March 9, 2023 The Bellator MMA lightweight championship will be on the line as the undefeated Usman Nurmagomedov takes on former UFC champion Benson Henderson in the Bellator 292 main event.

The weigh-ins were relatively drama free as Nurmagomedov and "Smooth" both had no issue making weight. Only one fighter had trouble making weight, but they certainly made it count. Would-be bantamweight Cass Bell came in an entire division over, as he weighed 145.2 pounds for his fight against Josh Hill. The fight will continue with Bell being fined half of his purse.

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Nurmagomedov (16-0) is coming off an impressive title win over Patricky Freire in his last outing. After picking up a dominant unanimous decision victory, he'll look to take on a toug…