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Bader 🆚 Kongo 2 | ꜱᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟ ꜱᴛᴀʀᴛ ᴛɪᴍᴇ | Friday Morning, 10am PT/1pm ET 🕙#Bellator280 #BellatorParis pic.twitter.com/CUCWQ9wwjY — BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) May 5, 2022 Bellator MMA's return to Paris is set after a successful Bellator 280 weigh-in that saw all fighters make weight.

Headlining the promotion's second mixed martial arts card in France is a heavyweight title rematch between Ryan Bader and Cheick Kongo. The duo's first meeting, which came back in 2019, ended as a no contest after an accidental eye poke. Now, Kongo will get a second shot at championship gold.

Bader (29-7, 1 NC) has had an up-and-down career since the no contest, having lost his light heavyweight belt to Vadim Nemkov and suffering a 51-second knockout to Corey Anderson. However, Bader also won a five-round decision over Lyoto Machida, and unified the heavyweight straps again…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

A rescheduled lightweight clash between Rafael dos Anjos and Rafael Fiziev is nearly finalized as the headliner for a UFC Fight Night event on July 9.

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ESPN was first to report the bout, which was previously scheduled for UFC 272 before Fiziev had to withdraw due to a positive COVID-19 test. The card does not have an official location or venue.

After Riziev’s exit, dos Anjos remained on the UFC 272 card and took a five-round decision against Renato Carneiro. The former 155-pound champion has won two straight bouts since returning to the division following a 4-4 stint at welterweight.

Fiziev will take a five-bout Octagon winning streak into the showdown with dos Anjos. The Tiger Muay Thai representative authored a spectacular finish in his last outing, defeating Brad Riddell with a spinning wheel kick at UFC on ESPN 31 on Dec. 4.

A light heavyweight scrap pitting Thiago Santos against Jamahal Hill will headline the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Aug. 6 event.

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MMAjunkie.com was first to report the booking. The card doesn’t yet have a location or venue, and no other fights have been confirmed at this time.

A former middleweight who found his greatest success at 205 pounds, Santos enters the matchup with Hill having lost four of his last five promotional appearances. Most recently, “Marreta” dropped a five-round verdict to Magomed Ankalaev in the UFC Fight Night 203 main event.

The 30-year-old Hill has lost just once in six UFC bouts. The Dana White’s Contender Series alum rebounded from that setback at the hands of Paul Craig with back-to-back first-round KO wins against Jimmy Crute at UFC on ESPN 31 and against Johnny Walker at UFC Fight Night 201.

After a quick stint at flyweight, Cody Garbrandt is returning to the division where he captured championship gold.

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Garbrandt and Rani Yahya have agreed to square off in a bantamweight bout at the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s July 9 event. MMAFighting.com was first to report the pairing, and Garbrandt confirmed the fight booking on his Instagram Stories on Thursday. The card doesn’t yet have an announced venue, but the main event will see Rafael dos Anjos and Rafael Fiziev finally handle their business at 155 pounds.

Garbrandt dropped to 125 pounds for a matchup with Kai Kara France at UFC 269, where he fell via technical knockout 3:21 into the opening round. Dating back to November 2017, when he relinquished the bantamweight crown to T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 217, “No Love” has lost five of his last six promotional appearances. The 30-year-old Team Alpha Male representative began his pro career with 11 consecutive triumphs.

Yahya is coming…

In the past, Rafael dos Anjos and Gilbert Burns have been close to facing lightweight champion and fellow Brazilian Charles Oliveira in the UFC.

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Now they’ll watch as he defends his lightweight crown against Justin Gaethje in the UFC 274 main event at Footprint Arena in Phoenix, Ariz., on Saturday night.

"I respect Charles a lot, but now he has what I want.  I´m sixth in UFC rankings, and if I win one more fight I hope I can challenge him,” dos Anjos told Sherdog.com.

Before he moved to 170 pounds, Burns had designs on squaring off with “Do Bronx,” as well.

"When I was in the lightweight division, I asked the UFC to face him,” Burns said. "He defeated three of my training partners in a row: Nick Lentz, Jared Gordon and Michael Chandler. I was already getting used to being in the corner opposite Oliveira, but on Saturday it will be different. Finally I´ll be able to cheer for him.”

Dos Anjos and Burns have different views r…

Tony Ferguson had a few things to get off his chest on Wednesday, and now his words could very well end up being the hot topic of conversation all the way up until his Octagon return Saturday at UFC 274.

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During a session with assembled media (video via MMAjunkie.com), Ferguson aired his grievances with the UFC and Dana White. It started with his UFC 274 opponent, Michael Chandler, who Ferguson said had “Dana White privilege” after receiving a lightweight title shot in his second Octagon appearance last year.

“I don’t think it’s very funny,” Ferguson said. “Everybody is looking at it. They’re smiling and laughing, but nobody is saying s—t. I’m the kid that’s up here with Dana Brown privilege, I guess, or whatever you want to call it. I don’t think it’s very funny anymore. I don’t think you guys should think that’s very funny. I’m taking this weekend very f—king seriously. I’ll kick this Dana White boy’s ass.”

Ferguson clarified that he has no is…

Rory MacDonald was one of the Professional Fighters League’s most high-profile free-agent signings in recent years, but his first season ended in disappointment.

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That was due in part to a split-decision loss to Gleison Tibau that ended up being named Sherdog’s “Robbery of the Year” for 2021. That setback didn’t keep MacDonald out of the postseason, but his run ended in a surprisingly one-sided decision loss to eventual champ Ray Cooper III in the opening round of the playoffs.

For a former Bellator champion and UFC title challenger, it was not the outcome many expected when he signed with the new organization. MacDonald is ready to get back to work for the promotion’s upcoming season, which kicks off when he faces Brett Cooper at PFL 3 on Friday night at Esports Stadium Arlington in Arlington, Texas. The evening’s main card airs on ESPN2 and ESPN+ beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

“It’s a fresh start, clean slate,” MacDonald said during PFL 3 m…

At this point, Ray Cooper III is a veteran of the process involved with the Professional Fighters League Season.

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It’s safe to say that the 29-year-old Hawaiian has thrived in the format after capturing back-to-back PFL championships in 2019 and 2021 (The promotion took one-year hiatus in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic). “Bradda Boy” will begin his bid for a third consecutive title when he faces Carlos Leal Miranda at PFL 3 on Friday night. He’s well prepared for an active campaign after having fought four times in 2021 and five times in 2019.

“I know what to expect in this tournament style,” Cooper said during PFL media day. “I’m ready for it, but we’ve got to see if all these other guys are ready for a whole season. Because most of the guys that are coming in, they only fight probably twice a year. We’ll see how their body can handle it and if their mind can handle the beating that the season takes on you.”

Miranda is a short-noti…

The lightweight clash pitting Michael Chandler against Tony Ferguson figures to be one of the most entertaining bouts at UFC 274.

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However, neither man’s job with the Las Vegas-based promotion will be on the line at the Footprint Center in Phoenix on Saturday night. Chandler has lost two of his first three UFC appearances, while Ferguson has dropped three straight in lopsided fashion on the heels of a 12-fight winning streak.

“You’re still talking about No. 5 vs. No. 7 in the nastiest division in the sport,” UFC president White told The Underground. “So if you look at who they’ve lost to, it’s all the best in the world. These guys always bring it. They always come to fight. Nobody’s fighting for their life in this one.”

However, White has a different viewpoint on the Joe Lauzon-Donald Cerrone clash, which is also set for the pay-per-view draw.

“They’re a different story,” White said. “That one should be the loser probably packs it up and…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

A flyweight showdown between Manel Kape and Rogerio Bontorin has been booked for UFC 275.

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The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the bout on Wednesday. UFC 275 takes place at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore, on June 11 and is headlined by a light heavyweight title clash between Glover Teixeira and Jiri Prochazka. In the co-main event, Valentina Shevchenko defends her flyweight belt against Taila Santos.

Kape was supposed to face Su Mudaerji at UFC Fight Night 205 last month but had to withdraw a few days prior due to personal reasons. The former Rizin 135-pound champion began his promotional tenure with two straight losses but has rebounded to post back-to-back triumphs against Ode Osbourne and Zhalgas Zhumagulov in his last two Octagon appearances.

Bontorin, meanwhile, is winless in his last four UFC bouts after winning his first two outings in the pr…

Magomed Ankalaev will attempt to extend his winning streak to nine when he locks horns with former title challenger Anthony Smith at UFC 277.

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MMAjunkie.com was first to report the light heavyweight booking. UFC 277 doesn’t yet have a location or venue. The card is also expected to include a heavyweight showdown between Sergei Pavlovich and Derrick Lewis.

Ankalaev has emerged as one of the division’s top contenders by virtue of an unbeaten run that began in September 2018. The 29-year-old Dagestani was successful in his first main event appearance, as he outpointed Thiago Santos at UFC Fight Night 203 this past March. Ankalaev’s lone career defeat in 17 outings came to Paul Craig in his Octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 127.

Smith challenged for 205-pound gold at UFC 235, dropping a unanimous decision to Jon Jones in March 2019. “Lionheart” is currently on a three-fight winning streak in UFC competition after besting Devin Clark, Jimmy Crute a…

Sean O'Malley is set for the toughest test of his promotional tenure to date, as a matchup with Pedro Munhoz is in the works for UFC 276.

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ESPN was first to report the bantamweight bout, which is expected to be finalized soon. UFC 276 takes place on July 2 as part of International Fight Week and is also expected to include Robbie Lawler vs. Bryan Barberena as well as Miesha Tate vs. Lauren Murphy.

After suffering the first loss of his career to Marlon Vera at UFC 252, O’Malley has rebounded to post KO/TKO triumphs against Thomas Almeida, Kris Mouthinho and Raulian Paiva in his last three promotional appearances. The 27-year-old MMA Lab product is 15-1 over the course of a tenure that began in 2015.

Munhoz has faced far more difficult opposition than his UFC 276 foe. “Young Punisher” enters the matchup having lost four of his last five bouts inside the Octagon, including a decision defeat to Dominick Cruz at UFC 269. Munhoz owns wins over the …