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These two are walking away with a little more than just a victory tonight 🤑

Congrats to @Blanchfield_MMA & @MayraSheetara! #UFCVegas69 pic.twitter.com/6HWkW2lg6Y

— UFC (@ufc) February 19, 2023

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UFC Fight Night 219 was a mixed bag of exciting finishes and clinch-heavy decisions.

The preliminary card started off with a bang as five out of the six bouts ended before the final bell. This included a back-and-forth battle between lightweights Nazim Sadykhov and Evan Elder, which resulted in a doctor’s stoppage victory after a fight-ending cut opened on the right eyebrow of Elder; the fight was awarded “Fight of the Night.” The prelims also featured a stunning kneebar submission by Mayra Bueno Silva, who was awarded “Performance of the Night” for her finish of Lina Lansberg.

The main card, however, saw four out of the five fights go the distance, in what each could be described as uneventful. The exception was the…

And just like that, your main event is LOCKED IN 🔒@JessicaMMAPro in at 124 for #UFCVegas69!

[ Tomorrow | Main Card 7pmET on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/KJIQEuwmD6

— UFC (@ufc) February 17, 2023 After a trip to Australia, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Las Vegas and the UFC Apex for UFC Fight Night 219.

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The 11-fight card features Jessica Andrade taking on Erin Blanchfield on short notice after Taila Santos withdrew from the headliner. Despite coming in as a replacement, Andrade (24-9) is no stranger to main events, and the former strawweight champion successfully checked in at 124 pounds for the flyweight bout. Blanchfield (10-1) also made weight for her first marquee matchup, coming in at 125.5 pounds. Every other fighters on the card hit their successful marks for a smooth weigh-in day.

While the best performances from "Bate Estaca" have come at strawweight, Andrade has recently excelled in the 125-p…

It seems the third time was a charm for Elvin Espinoza.

And just like that, the Professional Fighters League has a new lightweight prospect as the Nicaraguan won for the third time in as many tries in the PFL. After previously winning “showcase” bouts during the 2021 and 2022 PFL Playoffs, Espinoza punched his ticket to the major leagues with an impressive Round 2 submission of Damir Ferhatbegovic at PFL Challenger Series 4. Still unblemished at 8-0, Espinoza took the first frame on all three unofficial Sherdog score cards and then put a stamp on his performance by making Ferhatbegovic (6-3-1), who missed weight Thursday, tap to a tight rear-naked choke at the 1:53 mark.

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Former Ultimate Fighting Championship divisional rulers Tyron Woodley and Vitor Belfort were joined by 2014 NBA rookie of the year Michael Carter-Williams as celebrity judges for the event. Both the celeb panel and online fan vote handed the contract to Espinoza, who is expected t…

Sherdog's live PFL Challenger Series 4 coverage kicks off Friday at 9 p.m. ET. The action will be broadcast live and free on fuboTV. Round 1 Kicking off the PFL Challenger Series 4 card which features lightweights, Charles Decca (4-2-1) battles Jose Aguayo (5-2). Referee Josh Rutgers will work the first fight of the night. Aguayo has a weird stance from which he throws an overhand right and it knocks Decca down, though it's mostly from him being off-balance. Decca tries to get it back with his own punches, but Aguayo dodges. Decca does score with a leg kick though and Aguayo appears a little hurt. Decca scores another one. They clinch and Aguayo tosses Decca into the cage. They resume in the center of the cage and Decca lands a fancy switch kick to Aguayo's head. He then lands another leg kick and clinches, getting an easy pick-up and slam. Decca is now in the half-guard, throwing the occasional left hand. After a while, he starts scoring with right hands to the body, though…

Media Day. Official Weigh Ins. ✅1⃣More Sleep8⃣ Lightweights fight for a life changing opportunityA PFL Contract ✍️

Fights are 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 & 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 on @fuboSports

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[ #PFLonFubo | Lightweights | Fri, Feb 17th | 9pm] pic.twitter.com/VIA0mm07SP — PFL (@PFLMMA) February 16, 2023 The latest Professional Fighters League Challenger Series show will feature eight fighters in the lightweight division, although only seven made weight.

PFL Challenger Series Week 4 headliner Damir Ferhatbegovic failed to hit the 156-pound limit for his bout against Elvin Espinoza. "The Bosnian Barn Cat" came in at 157.2 pounds, or 1.2 pounds above the cap. The fight will move forward at a 158-pound catchweight, with Ferhatbegovic receiving a fine of a percentage of his purse.

Ferhatbegovic (6-2-1) hasn't been defeated since 2017, coming into this meeting with three wins and a draw since getting submitted by Jonathan Pearce. His last performance …

The card for Professional Fighters League’s first event of 2023 is nearly complete.

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The organization on Thursday announced the full main card — and the vast majority of the prelims — for PFL 1, which takes place on April 1 at the Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas and features featherweights and light heavyweights. As previously reported, a featherweight showdown between Brendan Loughnane and Marlon Moraes will serve as the evening’s main event, while a light heavyweight clash pitting Rob Wilkinson against Thiago Santos is set for the co-headliner.

Three other bouts will complete the main draw: Movlid Khaybulaev vs. Ryoji Kudo at featherweight; Chris Wade vs. Bubba Jenkins at featherweight and Omari Akhmedov vs. Will Fleury at light heavyweight. The main card will air on ESPN in primetime.

Meanwhile, three preliminary matchups were also confirmed: Marthin Hamlet vs. Mohammad Fakhreddine at light heavyweight; Joshua Silveira vs. Sam Kei at li…

A middleweight duel pitting Caio Borralho against Michal Oleksiejczuk is on tap for UFC Fight Night on April 29.

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Borralho confirmed the booking on social media following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. The UFC Fight Night event doesn’t yet have a location or headliner.

After earning a pair of victories on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021, Borralho is 3-0 in the UFC. Most recently, the 30-year-old Brazilian outpointed Makhmud Muradov at UFC 280 to run his career mark to 13-1.

Oleksiejczuk, meanwhile, has been victorious in four of his last five promotional outings. The 27-year-old Pole is coming off back-to-back first-round KO/TKO victories against Sam Alvey and Cody Brundage.

Alessio Sakara is the latest MMA veteran to go the bareknuckle boxing route, as the Italian fighter has signed a multi-fight contract with BKFC.

The organization announced the deal on Wednesday. A date and opponent for Sakara’s BKFC debut is currently unknown.

Sakara, 41, hasn’t competed in MMA since earning a 23-second technical knockout victory against Canaan Grigsby at Bellator 230 on Oct. 12, 2019. He was supposed to fight at Bellator Milan in October 2020 but was forced to withdraw from the card due to injury. According to MMAjunkie.com, Sakara remains under contract with Bellator but has been granted permission to fight in BKFC.

“Legionarius” has compiled a 21-13 mark in MMA while competing for Bellator and the UFC. He has finished 15 of those triumphs by knockout or technical knockout. Sakara also owns an 8-1 record as a professional boxer but has not competed in the sport since 2009.

A new challenger has arrived! pic.tw…

UFC flyweight Carlos Mota has been suspended for two years by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for a failed drug test.

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Mota tested positive for meldonium in relation to an Oct. 29 bout against Cody Durden at UFC Fight Night 213, which he lost via unanimous decision. According to USADA, meldonium is classified as a metabolic modulator and “may increase endurance, improve rehabilitation following exercise, and enhance activations of the central nervous system” in athletic competition.

Mota was fined $2,400 and must also pay $448.25 in legal fees. He will not be eligible to compete until Oct. 29, 2024.

A former Legacy Fighting flyweight champion, Mota accepted the bout against Durden on short notice. He owns an 8-2 career mark that also includes a stint in the Shooto Brazil organization.

Sara McMann will make her promotional debut against Arlene Blencowe in a featherweight bout at Bellator 294.

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The promotion confirmed the pairing on Wednesday. Also announced was a heavyweight showdown pitting Tim Johnson against Said Sowma. Both McMann vs. Blencowe and Johnson vs. Sowma are slated for the evening’s main card, which airs on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Bellator 294 takes place on April 21 at the Neil S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii, and is headlined by a flyweight title tilt between Liz Carmouche and DeAnna Bennett.

After competing as a bantamweight during a 13-bout UFC tenure, McMann is set to make her 145-pound debut against Blencowe. The Olympic silver medalist last competed at UFC on ESPN 33, where she captured a unanimous decision against Karol Rosa.

Blencowe is a two-time featherweight title challenger under the Bellator banner but has come up short on both occasions against reigning champ Cristiane Justino.…

Marc Goddard will be the third man in the cage when Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane square off for the vacant heavyweight crown in the UFC 285 main event.

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The Nevada State Athletic Commission selected the referees and judges for the two title bouts atop the UFC 285 bill during a meeting on Wednesday. Mike Bell, Sal D’Amato and Ron McCarthy will score Jones vs. Gane from cageside.

Interestingly enough, it will be the first time Goddard has officiated a bout involving Jones, who was last seen defending his light heavyweight belt in a unanimous decision triumph against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 in February 2020. Goddard was in the cage, however, for Gane’s last Octagon appearance, a third-round KO of Tai Tuivasa at UFC Fight Night 209 this past September.

Meanwhile, Jason Herzog will officiate the flyweight title clash between Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso in the co-main event. Ben Cartlidge, Derek Cleary and Chris Lee will serve as judges for …

[embedded content] Not much has gone according to plan for Philipe Lins since he made his way to the Ultimate Fighting Championship with a Professional Fighters League title in tow on May 13, 2020. In the more than 600 days that have elapsed since, he has competed just three times while watching no fewer than nine scheduled bouts evaporate for various reasons.

“After so many cancellations, I jokingly say that my nickname changed from ‘Monstro’ to ‘Drama Fighter,’” Lins told Sherdog.com. “Some of the cancellations were due to my injuries. On other occasions, my opponents got hurt; and sometimes, there were personal problems. In the end, the most important thing is that I’m back to work.”

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Lins will draw his first assignment of 2023 when he collides with Ovince St. Preux as part of the UFC Fight Night 219 undercard this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. St. Preux has lost six of his past 10 bouts but remains a viable threat at 205 pounds. The 39-…