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With approximately two weeks remaining before he faces Luke Rockhold at UFC 278, Paulo Costa has confirmed that he is no longer managed by Wallid Ismail.

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In a 13-minute video published on his Youtube channel, Costa recalled his entire history with Ismail, making it clear that he did not have any issues with his former manager.

“I have nothing bad to say about Wallid. He is an honest person and very professional, I just have compliments about him,” Costa said. “We just have different views about my career and, because of that, we decided to not work together anymore.”

Costa revealed that his girlfriend, Tamara Alves, will serve as his representation going forward. The separation comes about two months after another major loss suffered by Ismail's agency. In June, UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo parted ways with Ismail after a disagreement over the UFC’s decision to creat an interim flyweight belt while he recovere…

In addition to setting a promotional record for longest winless streak, it appears that Sam Alvey suffered a broken jaw in his loss to Michal Oleksiejczuk at UFC on ESPN 40 on Saturday night.

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Alvey succumbed to punches 1:56 into the opening round of the middleweight bout, the ninth straight time the 36-year-old Team Quest representative has failed to achieve victory in the Octagon. His only non-defeat during that time was a draw against Da Un Jung at UFC 254.

Alvey, who still seemed to be in good spirits, revealed the extent of his injuries via TikTok.

“I would still say there’s not a person on the planet that likes doing this sport more than me,” Alvey said. “Although at this current moment, I have a broken jaw from the first damn punch he hit me with. Son of a b—h. I’m likely getting my mouth wired shut. I’ve got to tell you, I wouldn’t have picked a different career if I had the opportunity years ago.”

The setback almost certainly …

Despite losing her bantamweight belt to Amanda Nunes at UFC 277 one week prior, Julianna Pena was on site at UFC on ESPN 40 to cheer on the athletes she coached on Season 30 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

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Nunes, however, was not in attendance — a fact that was not lost on Pena.

“I’m ready to go Round 8 right now,” Pena said during the UFC on ESPN 40 post-fight show. “Like, let’s freaking go. I’m here. Where you at, Amanda?

“Amanda, seriously, where are you at? You left your girl hanging out there. I showed up for Team Pena. She didn’t show up for Team Nunes. I’m here, I’m ready to go Round 8.”

Nunes reclaimed 135-pound gold with a decisive five-round verdict over Pena in the UFC 277 headliner on July 30 at American Airlines Arena in Dallas. That came on the heels of Pena’s second-round submission of Nunes at UFC 269, a result that is regarded as one of the biggest upsets in MMA history. Nunes made the necessary adjustments for the rematch, includ…

The IBJJF and Jiu Jitsu community are extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Leandro Lo. Lo was one of the greatest athletes our sport has ever produced. An example of a true black belt, martial artist and champion on and off the mats. Rest in peace legend. pic.twitter.com/lHK3n8pF4K

— IBJJF (@ibjjf) August 7, 2022

The jiu-jitsu world is in mourning following the death of Leandro Lo early Sunday morning.

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Lo, one of the most respected champions of Brazilian jiu-jitsu history, was shot to death by a police officer during a concert in Sao Paulo. According to a police report, officer Henrique Otávio Oliveira Velozo shot Lo once in the head after an altercation near Lo’s table. The incident allegedly began when witnesses saw Velozo take a bottle from Lo’s table, which led to the jiu-jitsu champion taking the officer down and holding him. The two men were separated, and at that time Velozo pulled a gun and shot at Lo’s fo…

There are some fights that just make sense long before they come to fruition.

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For Geoff Neal, a showdown with Vicente Luque was one of those fights. Prior to his third-round knockout of “The Silent Assassin” at UFC on ESPN 40 on Saturday night, Neal thought often about a matchup with one of the promotion’s most explosive welterweights.

“It feels good. It’s one of those fights that I’ve been playing in my head for years. You can ask my coaches, I’ve been talking about that fight for a long time,” Neal said in a post-fight interview. “We knew one day it was gonna happen. The way I envisioned it is the way it happened, and I’m just so glad I finally got that demon off my back. Because I’ve been thinking about fighting him for years and we finally got to match up and fight.”

Neal was both technical and violent in the co-main event. He rattled Luque with left hands repeatedly in the opening stanza, dropping “The Ultimate Fighter 21” cast member on…

Jamahal Hill took a major step toward contention with his victory over former title challenger Thiago Santos in the UFC on ESPN 40 headliner, but “Sweet Dreams” nonetheless believes there is plenty of room for improvement.

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“I’m happy with the win, but I’m not happy with my performance. I need to get back to the drawing board and do a much, much better job. That’s what I’m going to do,” Hill said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “Always look to improve. Always need to get better. Always. So even if it’s the smallest thing or it could be something really small and stupid, I still need to improve on it.”

The action was fast and furious at times between the two light heavyweights at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and that’s one area that Hill would like to work on. While Hill ultimately outlanded his opponent by an 89-to-53 count in significant strikes, those moments where he engaged in a slugfest could leave him vulnerable.

“[I need to] be …

A back-and-forth UFC on ESPN 40 headliner between Jamahal Hill and Thiago Santos garnered “Fight of the Night” honors at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

Hill and Santos received $50,000 apiece for their light heavyweight clash, which saw the Brazilian attempt to impose his will through a wrestling-heavy approach in the early going. Hill weathered that storm and ultimately finished with a flourish, winning via technical knockout at the 2:10 mark of Round 4.

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On a night when all 10 bouts on the UFC on ESPN 40 card featured finishes, only three others — Geoff Neal, Mohammed Usman and Bryan Battle — earned $50,000 “Performance of the Night” awards.

Neal become the first person to defeat Vicente Luque via KO or TKO, finishing “The Ultimate Fighter 21” competitor with a volley of power punches against the cage at the 2:01 mark of Round 3.

Usman, meanwhile, capped off a run through “The Ultimate Fighter 30” with a knockout of Zac Pauga i…

Jamahal Hill may not have aced his latest exam in the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight division, but he passed it with room to spare.

The 2019 Dana White’s Contender Series graduate disposed of American Top Team’s Thiago Santos with punches and elbows in the fourth round of their UFC on ESPN 40 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Hill (11-1, 5-1 UFC) closed it out 2:31 into Round 4, as he extended his winning streak to three fights and made his push for more attention at 205 pounds.

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Santos (22-11, 14-10 UFC) employed a takedown- and clinch-centric attack that paid some dividends but proved to be a drain on his gas tank. By the time they reached the fourth round, he was running on fumes. Hill touched off a wild exchange with a stinging left hand, gave chase and ultimately tracked down the Brazilian in the center of the cage. Santos collapsed, likely from a combination of exhaustion and damage, and found himself at the …

Michal Oleksiejczuk came here for a good time not a long time 👊 #UFCVegas59 pic.twitter.com/4GgcUQNwM1

— UFC (@ufc) August 7, 2022 Sam Alvey might have trouble smiling after this one.

Ankos MMA rep Michal Oleksiejczuk announced his arrival in the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight division and did so with violent delight, as he battered, bloodied and buried “Smile’n Sam” with punches in the first round of their featured UFC on ESPN 40 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Now 0-8-1 across his past nine outings, Alvey (33-18-1, 10-13-1 UFC) checked out 1:56 into Round 1.

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Oleksiejczuk (17-5, 5-3 UFC) had the former Maximum Fighting Championship titleholder on his heels from the outset. He floored Alvey with a ringing overhand left and moved to the mounted crucifix before unloading with punches and elbows. Oleksiejczuk stepped up the assault with his opponent turtled, then reset on the feet after spra…

Sherdog's live UFC on ESPN 40 “Santos vs. Hill” coverage will begin Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below.

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BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Silva (-110), Egger (-110)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 BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: McKenna (-225), Granger (+185)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…

Josh Quinlan was not cleared to compete against Jason Witt after testing positive for a trace amount of a steroid metabolite prior to their welterweight bout at UFC on ESPN 40.

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The UFC announced the news in a statement prior to Saturday’s event:

UFC was notified by USADA that a recent urine sample from Josh Quinlan indicated the presence of a small amount of the M3 metabolite of dehydrochloromethyltestosterone (DHCMT). While not a violation under UFC anti-doping program rules, Nevada State Athletic Commission has ruled that Quinlan is not cleared to fight. As a result, his bout against Jason Witt has been canceled from tonight’s event.

Quinlan vs. Witt will now take place on week later at UFC on ESPN 41 in San Diego. According to USADA, a fighter can test positive for up to 100 picograms of the M3 metabolite before it is determined to be an anti-doping violation. The most famous instance occurred when former light heavweight champion Jon Jo…

A proposed flyweight clash between Ariane Lipski and Priscila Cachoeira has been pulled from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 40 card after Lipski was not medically cleared to compete.

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Lipski missed weight by 2.5 pounds on Friday and was hospitalized due to complications from the cut. As a result, Lipski vs. Cachoeira has been rescheduled for UFC on ESPN 41 on Aug. 13 and will be contested at bantamweight instead of at 125 pounds, according to MMAFighting.com. News of the cancellation was initially reported by Combate.

UFC on ESPN 40 will move forward with 10 bouts. The card takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a light heavyweight duel between Jamahal Hill and Thiago Santos.

Lipski snapped a two-bout skid in her last outing, when she garnered a unanimous verdict over Mandy Bohm at UFC Fight Night 192 this past September.

Cachoeira has won three of her last four outings in the Octagon, including a three-round verdict ag…