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It’s officially the end of an era in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, as longtime Octagon competitor Clay Guida confirmed his departure from the Las Vegas-based promotion in a lengthy Instagram post over the weekend.

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“This is not my retirement,” Guida wrote. “This is simply a thank you for now and a passing of my UFC torch to the next generation of warriors and wrestlers. We were built to last. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: The best is yet to come!”

It’s unclear if Guida was released or if his UFC contract wasn’t renewed. Twitter account UFC Roster Tracker initially brought word of Guida’s exit from the promotion.

Guida, 43, has 37 UFC appearances to his credit, a figure that current ranks No. 4 all-time. He compiled an 18-19 mark since beginning his Octagon tenure in 2006, earning victories over the likes of Nate Diaz, Rafael dos Anjos, Takanori Gomi, Anthony Pettis, B.J. Penn and Michael Johnson, to name a few. His 2009 lo…

Two of the sport’s all-time greats took time to exchange pleasantries backstage at Road to Dubai on Saturday.

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In a video posted on the Bellator MMA Instagram account, Fedor Emelianenko and Khabib Nurmagomedov are seen exchanging pleasantries and posing for a photo in the locker room at the Coca-Cola Arena. Emelianenko was on hand to corner Vadim Nemkov in the co-main event, while Nurmagomedov was coaching a number of Dagestani fighters — most notably lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov.

Emelianenko is a former Pride Fighting Championships standout who is widely regarded as perhaps the best heavyweight in MMA history. He famously went unbeaten in 28 consecutive fights from 2001 to 2009.

Nurmagomedov, meanwhile, retired from the sport in 2020 as the reigning UFC lightweight champion. “The Eagle” went 29-0 over the course of a career that began in 2008. Like Emelianenko, the Dagestani star is considered to be one of the top pound-for-po…

Paul Hughes’ first championship opportunity in Professional Fighters League resulted in a near miss.

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The Irish standout suffered a closely-contested majority decision defeat in a lightweight title bout against reigning champion Usman Nurmagomedov in the Road to Dubai headliner on Saturday at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In the immediate aftermath of the fight, Hughes gave his thoughts on the ruling and his overall performance.

“We all thought I won that one,” Hughes said in a video on Instagram. “I think the judges’ scorecards were pretty ridiculous. But I’ll watch it back with a clear mind. I’m just judging from the energy of the arena and everyone surrounding the cage that thought it was mine. I’m not going to make excuses, though. I should’ve pushed harder. And I will the next time. I know we’ll fight again.”

“Big News” pointed to a pause in the action that occurred due to an accidental clash of heads in Round 4 as…

While Usman Nurmagomedov gives credit to Paul Hughes for pushing him in the Road to Dubai headliner, he isn’t interested in giving the Irishman an immediate rematch.

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Nurmagomedov edged Hughes via majority decision in a thrilling lightweight title bout at the Cola-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Saturday. Though it was arguably the toughest test of his career to date, the unbeaten Dagestani would like to see Hughes earn his way back to a rematch.

“No, he have to earn with a couple two, three, four fights in [PFL],” Nurmagomedov said in a backstage interview after the event (transcription via MMAjunkie.com). “He had only two fights and they gave him title shot. But Paul Hughes, this is all my respect to this guy. I think if he even go to the tournament for $1 million, he 100 percent [has a] chance to take this belt. Then, we can talk rematches.”

Nurmagomedov appreciated the test that Hughes provided, but he admits that he didn’t …

UFC Saudi Arabia has lost a proposed middleweight clash between Andre Muniz and Ikram Aliskerov one week before the event.

Muniz announced via Instagram stories that the fight has been postponed due to passport issues, but he expects it to be rescheduled at an unspecified date in the future. UFC Fight Night 250 takes place on Saturday at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and is headlined by a 185-pound showdown pitting Israel Adesanya against Nassourdine Imavov. The event will proceed with 12 fights.

Muniz snapped a two-bout skid in his last outing, when he took split verdict over Jun Yong Park at UFC Fight Night 233 in December 2023. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace is 6-2 since debuting in the Las Vegas-based promotion in 2019.

Aliskerov hasn’t competed since falling to Robert Whittaker via first-round knockout in a short-notice main event appearance at UFC on ABC 6 last June. Prior to that, he scored consecutive stoppages against Warlley Alves and Phil Hawe…

When it came to Dagestan vs. Ireland, to paraphrase the great Tito Ortiz, there was never no rivalry.

The Professional Fighters League introduced itself to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates with a showcase event pitting competitors from Dagestan against their Irish counterparts. The Russians largely ran through their opposition, culminating with a Bellator MMA lightweight championship defense. Usman Nurmagomedov (19-0, 1 NC; 1-0 PFL) carried the weight of the defunct league on his shoulders, and he approached that challenge with a stoic intensity. In the face of the toughest test of his professional career, Nurmagomedov held on and secured the victory by majority verdict.

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ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!?!#RoadToDubai | LIVE NOW🇺🇸 MAX🇬🇧🇮🇪 DAZN🇷🇺 OKKO pic.twitter.com/6evoCG5cgl

— PFL (@PFLMMA) January 25, 2025 The champ and Paul Hughes (13-2, 1-1 PFL) chewed up the lead legs of one another with kicks in the opening round when no…

Sherdog's live Professional Fighters League PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai coverage will begin Saturday at 11 a.m. ET. The event streams live on the Max app in the U.S. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:

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

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Watch the inaugural Global Fight League Draft will in the player above on Jan. 24 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT with six teams and cities:

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Los Angeles: Known as a hub and home for world-class gyms and athletes, this city will be led by Manager Wanderlei Silva and Coach Rafael Cordeiro, a legendary duo synonymous with Brazilian MMA excellence.

New York: Home to the most sports fans in the world, New York embodies history and grit. Led by legendary Coach Ray Longo, renowned for training champions, the team’s manager will be announced soon.

Miami: Where cultural vibrancy meets fight tradition, Miami thrives under Manager Thiago Alves and Coach Marcus “Conan” Silveira, icons of Brazilian and American MMA with roots in the legendary American Top Team.

Sao Paulo: Sao Paulo embodies the rich heritage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Vale Tudo—the very foundations of modern MMA—guided by former champion Manager Lyoto Machida and legendary Coac…

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Watch the inaugural Global Fight League Draft will in the player above on Jan. 24 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT with six teams and cities:

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Los Angeles: Known as a hub and home for world-class gyms and athletes, this city will be led by Manager Wanderlei Silva and Coach Rafael Cordeiro, a legendary duo synonymous with Brazilian MMA excellence.

New York: Home to the most sports fans in the world, New York embodies history and grit. Led by legendary Coach Ray Longo, renowned for training champions, the team’s manager will be announced soon.

Miami: Where cultural vibrancy meets fight tradition, Miami thrives under Manager Thiago Alves and Coach Marcus “Conan” Silveira, icons of Brazilian and American MMA with roots in the legendary American Top Team.

Sao Paulo: Sao Paulo embodies the rich heritage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Vale Tudo—the very foundations of modern MMA—guided by former champion Manager Lyoto Machida and legendary Coac…

Two Ultimate Fighting Championship strawweights with an eye on the prize will tangle for a possible crack at gold.

Brazilian outlet Ag. Fight announced on Thursday that Xiaonan Yan (19-4, 1 NC) and Virna Jandiroba (21-3) would be throwing down on UFC 314. The top-ranked 115-pounders might be vying for the next shot at the crown that will be held by either Weili Zhang or Tatiana Suarez. Jandiroba had been calling for this match on social media for the past month, and according to her on Friday, she will get her wish come April 12 in Miami.

Yan fought for the strawweight crown at UFC 300 in April 2024, and she came up short to Zhang by a one-sided decision. That put an end to a win streak that saw the Team Alpha Male representative beat Mackenzie Dern by five-round decision and wreck Jessica Andrade in half a round. Since joining the roster in 2017, finishes have come at a premium for Yan, who holds one knockout victory against a knockout loss on a ledger otherwise popu…

A pair of Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight contenders will get two extra rounds to handle their business in March.

On Friday, the pairing of Marvin Vettori (19-7-1) vs. Roman Dolidze (14-3) 2 was posted on social media, as first reported by MagicM. The light heavyweight headliner was confirmed by other outlets shortly thereafter, setting up a rematch for the main attraction of UFC Fight Night 254, also known as UFC Vegas 104. The two first collided at UFC 286 in 2023, with the Italian getting the upper hand and winning by close decision.

Since that matchup nearly two years ago, Vettori has entered the cage just once, facing Jared Cannonier in a potential title eliminator atop UFC on ESPN 47 and coming up short on the scorecards. That too took place in 2023, so “The Italian Stallion” will be coming off a layoff of nearly 21 months in his return outing. Having alternated wins and losses in his last six, Vettori has heard the final bell in seven bouts in a r…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is making sure its 2025 return to the 305 will be a memorable one.

According to MMA Fighting on Friday, light heavyweight contenders Nikita Krylov (30-9) and Dominick Reyes (14-4) will be throwing down at UFC 314 on April 12. The two 205ers will likely tangle in the city of Miami in the Kaseya Center, although the location has not been officially announced yet. The report of this high-stakes pairing has since been confirmed by other outlets.

Krylov, the higher-ranked fighter of the two, will come in on a three-fight win streak. This will be his first appearance in over two years, however, as he last tapped out Ryan Spann in March 2023. The Russian born in Ukraine was previously booked against Azamat Murzakanov towards the end of 2024, but the latter pulled out for undisclosed reasons. As a professional, Krylov abhors judges’ decisions, only going the distance four times in 39 outings.

Former title challenger Reyes has been a …

𝗗𝗔𝗚𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗡 𝗩𝗦 𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝟮 🇷🇺🇮🇪

The time for talk is over!

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Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes had a intense face-off in front of the Dubai crowd! #RoadToDubai | Sat Jan 25 | Coca-Cola Arena | Dubai, UAE | 11AM ET | Streaming on @SportsonMax pic.twitter.com/tLgu1MttXZ — PFL (@PFLMMA) January 24, 2025

The Professional Fighters League's first event of the year will feature a lightweight title fight.

The PFL Road to Dubai Champions Series weigh-ins took place this morning, which locked in the card. The event will be headlined by Bellator MMA lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov putting his title on the line against Paul Hughes. Both men made weight, as did most of the card with the exception of Kenny Mokhonoana (147) and Ahmed Sami (199.6). While the former eclipsed the featherweight cap by one pound for his fight against Ibragim Ibragimov, Sami was unable to reach the pre-agreed 195-pound catchweight with Tarek Sule…

There are no longer any “Pitbull” brothers competing under the Professional Fighters League banner.

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On Tuesday, Patricky Freire announced his release from the PFL, and a day later, his signing with the fledging Global Fight League become official. Freire confirmed the news following an initial report from MMAFighting.com.

The GFL is expected to launch a team-based MMA format beginning in April. The draft to select the fighters to represent each team — a pool which now includes Freire — is scheduled for Friday at 8 p.m. ET. In recent weeks a number of notable former champions and veterans have been linked to the organization.

Freire competed twice for the PFL during its 2024 season, falling to Clay Collard and Bruno Miranda. The elder “Pitbull” brother was best known for a lengthy stint with Bellator MMA, where he enjoyed a brief reign as lightweight champion. During his Bellator tenure, Freire bested the likes of Benson Henderson, Josh Thoms…

Bantamweight prospect Payton Talbott is taking his first career defeat as a learning experience.

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The 26-year-old Dana White's Contender Series alum entered his UFC 311 matchup as a significant betting favorite against Brazilian veteran Raoni Barcelos, but Talbott struggled to remain upright in a unanimous decision loss this past Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. When all was said and done, Talbott surrendered eight takedowns and nearly 10 minutes of control time to his 37-year-old opponent.

Talbott reacted to the performance in a brief statement via Instagram on Tuesday.

“The vet gave me my first scar. May the skin heal itself to be strong and never split again,” Talbott wrote. “Lucky to have such people in my life. Fortunate to be able to learn valuable lessons. Still had fun.”

The Reno Academy of Combat product had been victorious in his first nine professional outings, including finishes of Nick Aguirre, Cameron Saaiman an…

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Yadong Song believes Henry Cejudo didn’t time his career trajectory well.

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Cejudo was at the peak of his career when he abruptly announced his retirement after defending his bantamweight title against Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 in 2020. At the time, there was speculation that “Triple C” made the announcement to have an edge in contract negotiations. However, things didn’t pan out as planned if Cejudo had indeed tried to do so.

The former flyweight champ ended his retirement and returned to action in 2023. Cejudo came up on the short side of split decision in a bantamweight title fight against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288 in 2023. The Olympic gold medalist followed it up with a unanimous decision loss against future champ Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 298 last year. Cejudo initially hinted at retirement in case of a loss against “The Machine” but has since changed course. While Cejudo’s losses came against arguably the two best fighters of…

When Dana White said that Arman Tsarukyan wouldn’t get the next lightweight title shot after pulling out of the UFC 311 main event, attention immediately shifted to Charles Oliveira as the next potential contender for Islam Makhachev’s belt.

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However, shortly after this past Saturday’s event, Oliveira gave an interview to UFC Brasil suggesting a different rematch.

“If Islam just wants to return in October, I want to fight before that,” Oliveira said. “Why not Max [Holloway] for the BMF belt? I suffered an injury in the beginning of our first fight. I think we both deserve to make it happen.”

Holloway immediately responded in the affirmative via X: “International Fight week?”

International Fight Week?

— Max Holloway (@BlessedMMA) January 21, 2025

Diego Lima, Oliveira’s manager and head coach, clarified everything in an interview with Ag.Fight on Tuesday.

“The most important thing for Charles is without a…

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Javier Mendez couldn’t believe the pace Merab Dvalishvili set at UFC 311.

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Mendez’s pupil, Umar Nurmagomedov, challenged Dvalishvili for the bantamweight title in the co-main event at UFC 311. Dvalishvili’s coach, John Wood, predicted that the champ would have a hard couple of rounds and take over as the fight progressed. It played out exactly like that, with Nurmagomedov just being unable to keep pace with the champ despite being highly skilled. Dvalishvili took away Nurmagomedov’s perfect record and defended his title with a unanimous decision win.

While Nurmagomedov also broke his hand in the opening round, Mendez isn’t taking anything away from Dvalishvili. The American Kickboxing Academy head coach was awed by Dvalishvili’s gas tank as the fight progressed. However, Mendez also notes that “The Machine’s” showmanship in the last round could have slightly influenced the judges’ scorecards.

“He [Nurmagomedov] didn’t get t…

Anthony Smith’s bid to compete in Power Slap was immediately rejected by the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

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Run by Dana White, Power Slap has emerged as a controversial sport with participants taking direct shots to the head without any form of defense. While most UFC fighters haven’t been very supportive of the idea, Smith has attempted to defend it as a legitimate sport.

The former UFC title challenger even took the liberty to approach the promotion with the offer to compete in Power Slap. However, UFC exec Hunter Campbell immediately shut down the idea without even discussing it with Dana White White.

“I tried, they told me no. Straight up,” Smith recently told Ariel Helwani. “I asked Hunter and he told me no. He wouldn’t even bring it to Dana. I don’t know, he said no.”

Anthony Smith says he asked Hunter Campbell if he could compete on a Power Slap event, but Hunter said no.#HelwaniShow pic.twitter.com/NhCI1Kw…

The California State Athletic Commission has revealed the fight night weights for UFC 311 fighters.

There is usually a significant difference between fighters’ weights on the day of the weigh-ins and on fight night, when they have rehydrated. This also led to the coining of the term “weight bully,” for those to cut a lot of weight only to come in much heavier on fight night.

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While both Islam Makhachev and Renato Moicano weighed in at 155 pounds for the main event, Makhachev came in at 178 pounds and the challenger weighed 181.5 pounds on fight night. Meanwhile, the co-main event saw both bantamweights Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov weighing exactly the same at 156.8 pounds.

A light heavyweight clash between Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill saw one of the biggest weight differentials on fight night. Prochazka came in at a mere 208.2 pounds after weighing in at 205 lbs. Meanwhile, Hill came in 221.8 pounds. Considering how little Prochazka cut…

After being submitted by Islam Makhachev in the first round of the UFC 311 main event, Renato "Money Moicano" Carneiro returned to routine, recording a video on his YouTube channel.

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Moicano’s usual sincerity and humor is evident in the title of the video, “Fui Jambrolhado,” which translates to: “I got my ass kicked.” The Brazilian lightweight began the 18-minute video by making it clear that he was only there because he didn't win the fight.

“Since I lost, let's return to YouTube,” he said. “If I had won, I obviously wouldn't be here talking to you today. So if you like this channel, thank f—ing Makhachev.”

After providing all the details of how he found out he would take Arman Tsarukyan's place, “Moicano” made an interesting comparison between the styles of Beneil Dariush — his original opponent — and Makhachev.

“I was very well-trained for a southpaw with excellent jiu-jitsu who was not so good at takedowns and who had two defeats by KO. Ou…

The hand injury Umar Nurmagomedov apparently suffered early on in the UFC 311 co-main event could sideline him for a significant period of time.

According to medical suspensions recently released by the California State Athletic Commission, Nurmagomedov is facing a 180-day suspension unless he receives physician clearance for a potential fracture to his left hand or index finger. Nurmagomedov lost a unanimous decision to Merab Dvalishvili in a bantamweight title bout on Saturday night at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. Dvalishvili, like everyone on the card, received a seven-day mandatory term for rest.

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Three other fighters from UFC 311 were handed 180-day suspensions pending doctor clearance: Jailton Almeida (possible fracture to left foot), Serghei Spivac (possible right foot fracture, broken jaw) and Bogdan Guskov (possible fracture to right hand).

UFC 311 Medical Suspensions:

Umar Nurmagomedov: 180-day suspension unless cleared by a physicia…

Manager Ali Abdelaziz recently hinted at Islam Makhachev’s future plans.

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According to Abdelaziz, the UFC’s immediate plans for Makhachev don’t include Arman Tsarukyan, Charles Oliveira or Ilia Topuria — all of whom seemed to be potential opponents for the reigning lightweight champion. However, Abdelaziz also admitted that the unpredictable nature of the sport leaves everything uncertain.

“The UFC has a completely different plan for Islam which doesn’t include Oliveira, Arman or Ilia,” Abdelziz wrote on social media. “But it’s an unpredictable sport and you don’t know what could happen.”

The UFC has a completely different plan for Islam which doesn’t include Oliveira, Arman or Ilias. But it’s an unpredictable sport and you don’t know what could happen.

— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) January 20, 2025

Makhachev was originally scheduled to defend his lightweight strap against Tsarukyan in the main event at UFC 3…

Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill shared a drink at the bar after their fight at #UFC311 🤝

(via @JamahalH) pic.twitter.com/FINC1QPcq5

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 20, 2025

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Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka have no bad blood between them after sharing the Octagon at UFC 311.

Hill took on Prochazka in a high stakes light heavyweight matchup at UFC 311 this past weekend in Los Angeles. Prochazka hurt “Sweet Dreams” multiple times before knocking him out in the third frame. Hill subsequently posted a clip of himself drinking with Prochazka and congratulated “BJP” on his victory.

“First of congratulations to [Jiri Prochazka]. You made great adjustments and gave me a hell of a fight!!!” Hill wrote on Instagram. “I want to thank everybody that reached out with love and support I truly appreciate you all!!! My fire has never burned hotter or brighter for my future and growth!! Fighting against the elite of the elite is an hon…