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The vacant light heavyweight strap will be on the line when Corey Anderson and Karl Moore square off at a Bellator MMA event in Belfast on March 22.

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Anderson confirmed the pairing on social media following an initial report from Ariel Helwani. The card in Belfast will mark the promotion’s first event since Professional Fighters League’s acquisition of Bellator late last year. Broadcast plans and a venue for Bellator Belfast have not been announced.

Vadim Nemkov officially vacated the Bellator 205-pound belt this year. He will make his heavyweight debut against Bruno Cappelozza at PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions on Feb. 24.

Anderson twice come up short against Nemkov in title bouts under the Bellator banner. “Overtime” appeared to be winning their first meeting at Bellator 277 before an accidental clash of heads resulted in the bout being ruled a no contest. The rematch went differently, however, as Nemkov captured a clear-cut unanimou…

History in the making! ✍️👏

Welcome the newest Amatuer signee to the Professional Fighters League @hattanalsaif24 pic.twitter.com/d3jAnPCKMt

— PFL (@PFLMMA) January 30, 2024

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Professional Fighters League has signed Saudi-born Hattan Alsaif to an exclusive, multi-fight contract.

According to a release, Alsaif is the first female fighter from Saudi Arabia to ink a deal with a global MMA promotion.

“Receiving a contract from the PFL is a dream come true,” Alsaif said. “As the first Saudi woman signed to a global MMA contract I do not take the responsibility lightly, and I am committed to representing my country. I hope to pave the way for aspiring female fighters. I am thankful to God and the PFL for this incredible opportunity.”

The 22-year-old Alsaif has not yet competed in MMA, but she comes from a decorated muay thai background. She was a gold medal winner at the 2023 International Federation of Muay Thai As…

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship founder David Feldman believes Conor McGregor could some day take off his gloves and give bare knuckle fighting a shot.

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McGregor previously competed in a crossover boxing match against Floyd Mayweather in 2017, which is the only time in Ultimate Fighting Championship history that Dana White entertained the idea of cross promotion. With that in mind, Feldman refuses to rule out the possibility of McGregor competing under the BKFC banner despite being under UFC contract.

“Look, theoretically he can't because he's under contract with the UFC and we actually have a great relationship with the UFC,” Feldman told The Sun. “But I think Conor plays by a different set of rules anyway. Maybe there’s a way to partner on an event, who knows? But as far as us doing it by ourselves, I don’t think that ever happens. But maybe a collaboration? It could happen, he likes it.”

Conor McGregor was present ringside when his former…

Jared Cannonier is willing to rebook the Khamzat Chimaev fight if he is guaranteed a title shot next.

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While Cannonier was offered a short-notice booking against Chimaev at UFC 294, “The Killa Gorilla” suffered an MCL tear in practice shortly after getting the call. Chimaev welcomed former welterweight champ Kamaru Usman to middleweight instead, edging out a majority decision win.

“Borz” claims to have been guaranteed a title shot with a win over Usman and has voiced his frustration about the delay in proceedings. However, Cannonier believes he also has a legitimate claim to title contention and wouldn’t mind taking on Chimaev in a No. 1 contender fight.

“It’ll sound cool to say, ‘I’m your huckleberry.’ It does sound cool,” Cannonier told Inside Fighting. “At this point in time, he’s ranked No. 9. I’m down to make it happen, as long as it’s clear that this is a contender's match. … When I get back, if they’re not going to give me the title …

Henry Cejudo is contemplating retirement yet again.

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The former Ultimate Fighting Championship double champ previously announced a surprising retirement in May 2020 after defeating Dominick Cruz via technical knockout at UFC 249.

“Triple C” came out of retirement for a bantamweight gold bid against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288 in May last year, suffering a split decision loss.

Cejudo is now slated to face Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 298 on Feb. 17 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

With Aljamain Sterling booked for his featherweight debut, the winner of the Cejudo vs. Dvalishvili clash is expected to fight for the title next against the winner of Sean O’Malley’s UFC 299 title clash against longtime rival Marlon Vera.

However, if the 36-year-old Cejudo comes up short at UFC 298, he would consider calling it a career again.

“This is for the No. 1 contender spot,” he told The HJR Experiment. “I think to have to lose it to Alja…

Luke Rockhold is of the opinion that Sean Strickland is not the safest training partner.  

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  It is no secret that Strickland likes hard sparring and has even bragged about breaking multiple noses in the past. Former middleweight champ Luke Rockhold recently recounted Strickland’s visit to RVCA in Costa Mesa, California, where “Tarzan” allegedly went over the line with a sparring partner. 

  “He’s just that guy that doesn’t care,” Rockhold told the JAXXON Podcast. “He’ll try to kill you. Sean Strickland walked into RVCA one time and he was such a loud mouth idiot, I was like, ‘Who the f—k is this guy?’ I was so hungover, so annoyed, I was like, ‘F—k, I’m going to get in a spar with this guy, I can’t even take it.’ But I had seen him... he hurt a guy in the gym. He hurt him with a head kick. 

  “With like 30 seconds left, he wobbled him. And [the coach] was like, ‘Keep going, finish out the round.’ Instead of …

John Dodson will put his flyweight title on the line against Dagoberto Aguero in the BKFC 59 headliner.

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The promotion recently announced the booking. BKFC 59 will take place at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on March 29. More bouts will be announced in the coming weeks.

A two-time UFC flyweight title challenger, Dodson has found success in the bare knuckle realm, posting a 3-0 mark under the BKFC banner since his debut with the organization in August 2022. He’s finished all three of his BKFC opponents inside of a round, including a title-winning victory against J.R. Ridge at BKFC 48 last year. The 39-year-old Albuquerque resident has gone 3-2 in MMA since parting ways with the UFC in 2020. Most recently, “The Magician” dropped a unanimous decision to Hiromasa Ougikubo at Rizin 45 on New Year’s Eve.

Aguero, who hails from the Dominican Republic, defeated Chance Wilson via Round 3 stoppage in his BKFC debut this past November. …

Holly Holm has seemingly been in title contention for the majority of her Ultimate Fighting Championship career.

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That could once again be the case if Holm defeats two-time Professional Fighters League champion Kayla Harrison at UFC 300 on April 13. While the 42-year-old Holm has technically lost two of her last three Octagon appearances — a loss to Mayra Bueno Silva was changed to a no contest — the women’s bantamweight division is currently wide open on the heels of Amanda Nune’s retirement this past June.

Holm has to like her chances considering that the woman who claimed the vacant strap at UFC 297, Raquel Pennington, is 0-2 against the Jackson-Wink MMA standout. After claiming the 135-pound title with her upset of Ronda Rousey at UFC 193, “The Preacher’s Daughter” is 0-4 in championship fights — two at bantamweight and two at featherweight. Still, getting back to that point is always her primary objective.

“I fought for the belt more t…

Francis Ngannou’s former training partner recently gave his prediction for the Cameroonian’s upcoming boxing match against Anthony Joshua.

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Darren Sealy, who is 6-foot-9, helped Ngannou prepare for his boxing debut against Tyson Fury in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia, this past October. “The Predator” dropped the WBC champ on his way to a controversial split decision loss. Ngannou is now slated to face Joshua on March 8 in Saudi Arabia in his next boxing outing. Despite his impressive performance against Fury, Sealy believes Ngannou will come up short against Joshua.

“It’s a tricky one, both extremely powerful but I feel the last two, three fights, especially the last fight in December with Otto Wallin, AJ looked brilliant,” Sealy told The Sun. “Everything was firing on all cylinders and I do feel that AJ will be victorious on the night. I don’t know how in terms of round by round or decision, but I do feel he will definitely get the better of Ngannou.”

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Arnold Allen has opened up on his UFC 297 loss against Movsar Evloev.

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Allen dropped a closely-contested unanimous decision against Evloev at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Jan. 20. The bout also came with a little controversy. While Allen outlanded his opponent by eight significant strikes, he also surrendered five takedowns and more than three minutes of control time. Still, Allen believes he did enough to get the nod.

“Everyone’s saying that I won Round 1 and Round 3. I agree. That’s what I felt too. I felt after Round 1, I was like, ‘Yup, won that one.’ Round 2, I f—-d that one up. And Round 3, that was mine. Very, very, very, very, very frustrating. Not the way I wanted to start things off [in 2024]...I just felt like I deserved to win that. I don’t want to be bitching and moaning or anything like that. I have no ill will against his team or the opponent. I watched it back a few times. I wanted to watch it back before I gave a…

Sean Strickland has slammed UFC commentator Jon Anik for voicing his frustration with the mixed martial arts fan base.

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Anik recently revealed his heightened frustration with MMA fans due to the negativity he received following Strickland’s UFC 297 title loss against Dricus Du Plessis. Strickland dropped a closely-contested split decision against “Stillknocks” in a fight that was viewed as a toss-up. According to Anik, MMA fans responded with hatred no matter how objectively analysts tried to explain Du Plessis’ victory. The UFC color commentator even went to the extent of teasing a career switch to the NFL.

“I am growing tired of this MMA space a little bit and just the morass of negativity when there is a close fight,” Anik said on the Anik & Florian podcast. “Because even if you and I both thought Dricus Du Plessis won the fight, we try to present that information respectfully. When I go onto X or I go to our YouTube comments, it just seems …

Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight contender Jailton Almeida is winning hearts with his charity exploits in mixed martial arts.

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In a heartwarming gesture, “Malhadinho” took on Alvaro Borges, an athlete with Down syndrome in an charity exhibition MMA bout under the Demo Fight banner on Saturday in Salvador, Brazil.

“I’m very happy to be part of this event and help Alvaro’s dream come true of fighting MMA again,” Almeida told MMAFighting.com before the bout.

Borges earned a second-round submission win over Almeida, handing the Brazilian his first loss since 2018. Demo Fight founder Demistocles Brito revealed that he books special fights on almost every card out of love for his autistic nephew.

“Demo Fight’s goal is to not only reveal new talents, but also promote inclusion,” Brito told MMAFighting.com.

Almeida has been victorious in his last 15 professional appearances, a streak that includes six UFC outings. Most recentl…

“The Kicking Machine” is putting in WORK 🦿

Purchase the PPV now to catch the rest of ONE 165!#ONE165 | 🔴 Live Now🇯🇵 Abema PPV 👉 https://t.co/xQ4Ifm4TH5🌍 Global PPV 👉 https://t.co/8azyYuxNG9#ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/N2YyePorTt

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) January 28, 2024

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The main event of ONE Championship 165 lived up to the hype and then some.

Superlek Kiatmoo9 and Takeru Segawa engaged in a thrilling battle in their flyweight (135-pound) kickboxing title clash at Ariake Arena in Tokyo on Sunday, with Kiatmmo9 earning a unanimous decision triumph.

From the opening bell, Superlek unleashed a flurry of merciless leg kicks that echoed with each thunderous strike, leaving a visible trail of damage on his opponent. Takeru absorbed the punishment, biding his time for a spectacular resurgence.

The third round became the canvas for Takeru's masterstroke—a relentless barrage of unanswered body shots. Just…

"If you're asking me who I think is going to win that fight, looking at it right now, I'd say Holly."@MieshaTate breaks down the x-factors of the #UFC300 matchup between Kayla Harrison & Holly Holm.

MMA Today | 🎙️ @RJcliffordMMA @AngieOverkill pic.twitter.com/bKdLXtnwt3

— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) January 26, 2024

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In what proved to be the suprise announcement of the past week, Dana White revealed that two-time Professional Fighters League champ Kayla Harrison would make her Octagon debut against Holly Holm at UFC 300.

While Harrison’s signing was news enough, the UFC CEO also confirmed that the bout against Holm would be contested at 135 pounds. Harrison has competed at lightweight for the majority of her professional career, making 145 pounds just once for an appearance under the Invicta Fighting Championships banner in 2020.

Count former UFC bantamweight queen Miesha Tate, who briefly tried her hand…

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Dan Hooker is willing to help Beneil Dariush figure out if he's still an elite competitor.

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Dariush (22-6) recently suffered a Round 1 knockout loss at the hands of Arman Tsarukyan in December. This loss was preceded by a Round 2 technical knockout defeat for “Benny” at the hands of former champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 289. The loss to Oliveira also marked the end of an impressive eight-fight winning streak for the Kings MMA product.

Following back-to-back stoppage losses, Dariush was open about his thought process when it came to his future as a competitor in the elite lightweight division.

“I just want to know if I still got it,” Benny told Submission Radio.

The Iranian-born American declared he will only continue to fight if he can see a clear path to the title, which is his ultimate goal.

Enter Hooker (23-12). Currently on a two-fight winning streak, the Kiwi has almost recovered from a broken arm, an inj…

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Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja is seemingly booked for his second title defense.

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Pantoja recently defended his flyweight strap for the first time against Brandon Royval in a rematch at UFC 296 in December. The Brazilian put on a dominant showing, this time securing a unanimous decision victory against “Raw Dawg.”

Interestingly, less than a month following his first title defense on Dec. 16, “The Cannibal” is already booked for his next title defense.

Pantoja revealed details regarding his return on Friday while attending an event featuring the Brazilian soccer team Clube de Regatas do Flamengo in Orlando.

“I’ll be defending the belt in Rio, on May 4,” Pantoja told soccer striker Gabriel Barbosa. However, the champ did not mention his opponent.

UFC 301 is scheduled to go down on May 4 in Rio De Janeiro and would be an ideal title defense location for Pantoja, who hails from Arr…

Tony Ferguson says he wasn't at his best going into UFC 296, where he clashed with Paddy Pimblett.

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The former interim champion revealed that he'd suffered an MCL tear a month away from his scheduled meeting with “The Baddy.”

“F*cked my sh*t up during a practice [session,] MCL tear,” Ferguson wrote on social media. “I kept it to myself and put it behind me ‘til after the fight. I trained like no one knew, sh*t hurt so good. Three weeks before fight time I told a few of my crew. Nothing changed.

“I recently took care of [my MCL] and had surgery last Thursday one week after my elbow/arm surgery [both arthroscopies]. Thought I would get them both done and double down. Got it over with so I can do what I do best. Beyond rage is an understatement. I feel no despair, just repair.”

Despite the setback, “El Cucuy” (25-10) elected to keep the injury under wraps and compete on the Dec. 16 pay-per-view event, ultimately recording a unanimous d…

Kayla Harrison is grateful for the opportunity to compete under the Ultimate Fighting Championship banner.

UFC CEO Dana White recently announced Harrison's signing with the Las Vegas-based promotion along with other details regarding her debut. Harrison (16-1) is slated to make her first UFC appearance on the marquee UFC 300 card in a bantamweight clash against former champion Holly Holm (15-6).

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The two-time Professional Fighters League champion recently posted a video on social media after her signing was announced, saying:

“When I started competing, my goal was to be the best…the Olympic champion of MMA. The UFC presents me with the opportunity to be just that. It’s been an amazing journey to reach this point, and I’m grateful for every step along the path. The highs and lows have all shaped me and made me an even better version of myself. God’s timing is perfect, and I am sure of one thing: My time is now. Let’s goooooo!”

Harrison will e…

An all-action battle in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s talent-rich strawweight division will treat the fans in April.

The UFC announced on Friday that Jessica Andrade (25-12) would be coming to blows with fellow striker Marina Rodriguez (17-3-2) at UFC 300. The two women will collide at strawweight in a key tilt in that division on April 13, with their clash taking place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Given the nature of the lineup, it is unclear if their battle will be placed on the main card or prelims.

Former champ Andrade bounced around the flyweight and strawweight divisions the last few years, fighting for the 125-pound strap after losing her 115-pound belt. In 2023, “Bate Estaca” competed five times—more than any other competitor—although she bookended her year with wins while suffering three straight defeats in the middle. Andrade ran roughshod over Lauren Murphy before running into the buzzsaw that is Erin Blanchfield, suffering a deflating loss tha…

A rematch nine years in the making has been added to the already stacked UFC 299 billing.

At UFC 299 on March 9 in Miami, flyweights Joanne Wood (16-8) and Maryna Moroz (11-5) will run back a fight that took place in 2015 at UFC Fight Night 64. In that first meeting, Moroz snagged an armbar in the first round. Per the UFC on Wednesday, Wood vs. Moroz 2 will play out inside of the Kaseya Center at 125 pounds. Since then, Wood has posted on her Instagram about the matchup, with the caption of “Last one, best one” to hint that this might be her retirement fight.

Scotland’s Wood has struggled as of late, although she broke out of a three-fight skid by claiming a split decision over Luana Carolina at UFC 286. “Jojo” will be looking to end her run with the promotion with a record above .500 should she prevail. The 38-year-old has beaten names including Seo Hee Ham, Jessica Eye and Andrea Lee over the years.

Moroz has also found herself on hard times, having dropped two…

Brazilian Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight Joaquim Silva is getting a home game for the first time in ages.

A lightweight scrap between Silva (13-4) and Drakkar Klose (14-2-1) has been added to the UFC 301 card. The show is slated to take place on May 4 at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro. The news was first reported by Silva’s management, Iridium Sports Agency, in a post on social media on Thursday. Silva confirmed this 155-pound affair on his Instagram Stories later on Thursday, with this being his first fight in his native Brazil since September 2014.

Silva will enter the Octagon on the heels of a unanimous decision win against longtime veteran Clay Guida in December. This bounced him back into the win column, as he had previously suffered a third-round knockout to top-ranked Arman Tsarukyan that June. The lightweight known as “Netto BJJ” has not notched a victory via submission in nearly a decade, with the lion’s share of his triumphs in that stretch …

It was as if Namo Fazil had carving knives for hands.

Armed with a punishing jab, clean combinations and sublime standup defense, the Tiger Muay Thai export shined in his ONE Championship debut and laid claim to a unanimous decision over Jae Woong Yoon in their three-round ONE Friday Fights 49 welterweight showcase on Friday at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. All three cageside judges scored it for Fazil (4-1, 1-0 ONE).

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Yoon (5-4, 0-1 ONE) meandered forward with no regard for his own well-being, winging power punches at an elusive target. He flurried successfully at times but failed to lure Fazil into a brawl and mostly wasted energy with wild shots that were either blocked or missed the mark entirely. All the while, Yoon sustained significant damage to his left eye and nose. Fazil stayed disciplined under duress, piled up points with crisp punches and mixed in a few stepping elbows, leg kicks and close-range knee strikes to diversify h…

Claressa Shields, arguably the greatest female boxer of all time, claims her desire to move to mixed martial arts was sparked by comments made by Amanda Nunes, who many feel is the women’s mixed martial arts GOAT.

Shields (1-1), a multiple-time boxing world champion across three weight classes, lobbied for a boxing match against Nunes several years ago. However, the former two-division Ultimate Fighting Championship queen instead invited Shields to an MMA bout, vowing to choke her out. Shields recently said that Nunes’ comments made her realize that MMA fighters fighting her inside the squared circle was a rare possibility. Hence, she decided to try her hand at MMA to prove herself as a true fighter in all aspects.

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“I wanted to fight Amanda Nunes in a boxing match and when they asked her if she would fight me she said, ‘tell Claressa Shields to come to my world and I’ll choke the s--- out of her,’” Shields recalled during the PFL vs. Bellator Champio…

Impa Kasanganay is one of a rare breed of fighters that can remarkably move across multiple weight classes.

The most memorable moment of Kasangnay’s Ultimate Fighting Championship career, a spinning back kick knockout loss against Joaquin Buckley came in a middleweight clash. Kasanganay then dropped to welterweight, won one, lost one and then was released.

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After another forgettable loss against Raimond Magomedaliev under the Eagle FC banner, “Tshilobo” signed with a Professional Fighters League, where he won the 2023 season light heavyweight championship. Kasanganay then went on to call out PFL’s star signing, former UFC heavyweight king Francis Ngannou.

Kasanganay will now move down to 185 pounds to face Bellator MMA middleweight king Johnny Eblen at the PFL Champs vs. Bellator Champs card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Feb. 24.

In an appearance at the PFL vs. Bellator champs press conference Wednesday, the Congolese American reiterated his fo…