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UFC Chief Business Officer Calls out USADA for Statements Regarding Conor McGregor

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Ultimate Fighting Championship Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell has issued a scathing response to an announcement recently made by United States Anti-doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Tygart announced that the partnership between USADA and the UFC will officially end on Jan. 1, 2024.

Additionally, the USADA CEO implied that negotiations for a renewal of the partnership reached a screeching halt due to discussions surrounding former UFC two-division king Conor McGregor's return to the USADA testing pool.

USADA has publicly reiterated the need for McGregor to return to the testing pool for a period of six months before being eligible to compete inside the Octagon. “Notorious” suffered a gruesome leg break in his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier a little over two years ago and has not competed since.

According to the statement issued by Tygart, the anti-doping agency felt pressured b…

UFC to Continue Anti-Doping Program in Partnership with Drug Free Sport International

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As the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s partnership with the United States Anti-Doping Agency comes to an end in December 2023, the Las Vegas-based promotion already has another deal with a sport drug testing organization in place.

In a Thursday press conference, UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell and Senior Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance Jeff Novitzky revealed that the UFC will be partnering with Drug Free Sport International for their anti-doping program starting Jan 1. 2024.

While many wondered what route the promotion would take in terms of drug testing following the less than amicable split with USADA, it is clear the UFC intends to stick to a third-party independent organization overseeing their anti-doping program.

“Drug Free Sport International currently handles collection duties for the following professional sports leagues, they have 325 long-term tenured sports clients including the NFL, …

Khamzat Chimaev-Kamaru Usman Clash to Serve as Middleweight Title Eliminator

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It seems Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis won't be getting a shot at the middleweight title any time soon.

Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White confirmed that the winner of the recently revealed middleweight clash between former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman (20-3) and Khamzat Chimaev (12-0) at UFC 294 will be next in line for a title shot against Sean Strickland.

Initially, “Borz” was slated to face Paulo Costa at UFC 294 before a staph infection in Costa’s elbow derailed the bout. That opened the door for former welterweight king Kamaru Usman to make his middleweight debut against Chimaev on just 10 days' notice. Considering the last-minute reshuffling and Usman's championship mettle, fans speculated the newly formed matchup would serve as a middleweight title eliminator.

Addressing the topic in a recent appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” the UFC head honcho made the rumors official.

“That is an absolute fa…

Ultimate Fighting Championship Set for Saudi Arabia Debut in March 2024

The UFC will take a card to Saudi Arabia for the first time in March 2024.

It's worth noting this happened just weeks after UFC merged with WWE under TKO Group Holdings — WWE has a lucrative $50 million per year deal to hold events in Saudi Arabiahttps://t.co/FV2MPNgKyD

— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) October 11, 2023

The Ultimate Fighting Championship will soon make its debut in Saudi Arabia, a destination that has swiftly become a major player in global sports.

A UFC Fight Night has been scheduled to go down in Saudi Arabia on March 2, 2024. The news was confirmed by Damon Martin following an initial report by ESPN.

Word of the event follows the aftermath of a merger with World Wrestling Entertainment under the banner of TKO Group Holdings. WWE entered an arrangement with the nation after finalizing a reported $50 million deal with the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia, where they stage two marque…

UFC Parts Ways With USADA Over Conor McGregor Situation

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has decided to end its partnership with the United States Anti-Doping Agency starting January 2024.

USADA has been the UFC’s independent drug testing partner since 2015. However, things have now seemingly turned sour over the mandatory testing window for former two-division champ Conor McGregor’s return to action. According to USADA CEO Travis Tygart, the relationship with the UFC became “untenable” over recent comments made by the promotion's leaders and one commentator. Tygart was likely referring to popular podcaster and longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan, who recently called for the promotion to cut ties with USADA over the six-month testing window and ban on certain peptides. Tygart said in a written statement:

“The relationship between USADA and UFC became untenable given the statements made by UFC leaders and others questioning USADA’s principled stance that McGregor not be allowed to fight without being in the tes…

Paulo Costa Out of UFC 294, Kamaru Usman in against Khamzat Chimaev

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s marquee card in Abu Dhabi has suffered its second major change in the past 24 hours.

After the scheduled main event of UFC 294 fell through on Wednesday when Charles Oliveira withdrew from his scheduled rematch with lightweight champ Islam Makhachev, the co-main event has also undergone a change with Paulo Costa (14-2) not being cleared to compete due to a staph infection on his elbow. In place of “Borrachinha,” former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman (20-3) will step up on 10 days' notice for his middleweight debut against Khamzat Chimaev. UFC CEO Dana White made the official announcement on Instagram.

Usman has not competed since UFC 286 in March, when came up short in a bid to win his title back from Leon Edwards. Prior to the back-to-back losses to Edwards, Usman had enjoyed a 15-fight win streak in the promotion including a long reign atop the welterweight division. Meanwhile, the upcoming bout will…

Invicta FC 54 Gets Two New High-Caliber Matchups

Invicta Fighting Championships’s Boston debut later this month has been stacked with several new high-profile matchups.

Invicta FC 54 will now feature a strawweight co-main event between mixed martial arts veteran Kalindra Faria (19-9) and fellow Brazilian and former champion Valesca Machado (12-4). “Tina Black” will replace Faria’s originally scheduled opponent Isis Verbeek, who was forced out of the card recently. A three-time Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran, Faria has faced former Invicta champs Jennifer Maia and Vanessa Porto, as well as contenders Claudia Gadelha, Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Joanne Calderwood, over a career spanning more than a decade. Additionally, a bantamweight clash between Canada’s Maria Djukic (2-1) and Massachusetts-based Brazilian Fernanda Araujo (2-3) has been added to the card.

Invicta FC 54 takes place Oct. 27 at Citizens House of Blues in Boston. In the main event, Invicta strawweight champion Danni McCormack (7-2) will …

Dana White Promises to Host ‘Greatest Live Combat Sports Event’ at Las Vegas Sphere

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Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White was in attendance as the Las Vegas Sphere debuted this weekend with concerts by Irish rock band U2. White was so impressed with everything about the Sphere that he’s now admittedly “obsessed” with putting on a UFC event at the venue. The UFC head honcho has been in regular contact with concerned parties as he plots the “greatest live combat sports event anybody has ever seen.”

Interestingly, White wants the card to go down on Mexican Independence Day in September 2024, which according to him should also be the first live sports event at the venue. The 54-year-old is confident in his ability to put on a show that will set the precedent for live events at the Sphere.

Moreover, White vehemently dismissed the possibility of any boxing promotion securing the bid before him as he believes none of the promoters have the money required.

“I will put on the greatest live combat sports event anybody has…

Cameron Smotherman, Mando Gutierrez to Headline Fury FC Challenger Series 9

🚨 Breaking 🚨

Cameron Smotherman (@Lilcampster) and Mando Gutierrez (@MandoGoes4Gold) will throw down in the main event of Fury FC Challenge Series 10 which takes place November 12th. pic.twitter.com/jXzfsSmuuq

— Alex Behunin (@AlexBehunin) October 10, 2023

Cameron Smotherman and Mando Gutierrez will trade leather in the main event at Fury Fighting Championship Challenger Series 9 on Nov. 12. The booking was first reported by Alex Behunin of MMA Mania on Wednesday.

Smotherman (8-4) will look to defend his Fury FC bantamweight title against Gutierrez in a five-round affair that will go down in Houston. “The Baby-Faced Killer” dethroned former champ Peter Caballero with a stunning Round 2 knockout to top off a four-fight win streak back in February.

Smotherman subsequently made an appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7, Week 2 in a bid to earn an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract, where he wa…

Curtis Blaydes Discloses Why He Pulled Out of UFC Sao Paulo Headliner

Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes (17-4) recently pulled out of his scheduled clash against Jailton Almeida (19-2).

Blaydes was slated to clash against Almeida on Nov. 4 in the UFC Sao Paulo main event, which will mark the Las Vegas-based promotion’s return to the Brazilian city after four long years. However, the booking recently fell through with “Razor” being replaced by knockout artist Derrick Lewis (27-11), although the reason for Blaydes’ withdrawal hasn’t been disclosed.

Blaydes has now released a statement on Facebook addressing his withdrawal while offering an apology to his fans. The perennial heavyweight contender is seemingly dealing with several injuries suffered during camp, all of which will require a considerable amount of rehabilitation.

While it took him a while to realize the same, Blaydes now plans to take time off from training and solely focus on recovery.

“Injuries from camp weren’t healing …

Charles Oliveira Out of UFC 294 Main Event, Alexander Volkanovski Steps in on Short Notice

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The main event of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s upcoming card in Abu Dhabi has suffered a massive blow with just 10 days to go before fight night.

Former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira (34-9) has withdrawn from his UFC 294 title rematch against Islam Makhachev (24-1) due to a cut suffered in training. Featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski (26-2) will step up on short notice to take on Makhachev in his second bid for lightweight gold. The news was first reported by OverDogs Podcast on Instagram and subsequently confirmed by Carlos Contreras Legaspi of ESPN Deportes.

UFC President Dana White officially confirmed the news on Tuesday at the post-fight press conference for DWCS 2023, Week 10. White revealed that “do Bronx” was forced to pull out after having his eyebrow split open during sparring the night before he was supposed to fly down to Abu Dhabi. The UFC president also expressed his displeasure with Olivei…

Charles Oliveira Pulled From UFC 294, Alexander Volkanovski Steps in on Short Notice

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The main event of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s upcoming card in Abu Dhabi has suffered a massive blow with just 10 days to go before fight night.

Gordon Ryan Set to Headline 2024 ADCC World Championship in Las Vegas

One of the world’s top grappling events is on the calendar for next year, and fittingly, the world’s top grappler will be the main attraction.

The 2024 Abu Dhabi Combat Club World Championships have a fixed date and venue as trials have started for the Europe, Middle East, Africa and East Coast regions. The event will go down at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Aug. 17-18 and will premier exclusively for fans on FloGrappling.com with a subscription. Tickets for the mega grappling show will go on sale on Black Friday, Nov. 24. The promotion also plans to host the ADCC youth in the same week.

The biggest star in the sport, Gordon Ryan, will defend his Super Fight title in the main event of the night against reigning ADCC absolute champion Yuri Simoes. Ryan dethroned four-time ADCC Super Fight champ Andre Galvao in 2022 along with winning the 99kg division. Ryan now has two unique proposals for ADCC to further cement his legacy, which already in…

Aljamain Sterling Predicts Upset in Potential Sean O’Malley-Marlon Vera Rematch

Aljamain Sterling believes he isn’t getting an immediate rematch against Sean O'Malley, but he thinks O'Malley may not hold the title for long anyway.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight king lost his strap to O’Malley by second-round TKO in an upset at UFC 292 in August. Since then, Sterling has since been calling for either an immediate rematch or for his close friend and teammate Merab Dvalishvili to get his own his long overdue title shot. However, O’Malley is plotting his first title defense against Marlon Vera, who handed “Sugar” his lone professional loss back in 2020 and rumors have recently surfaced of a potential booking between O’Malley and “Chito” for UFC 297 on Jan. 20 in Toronto.

In a live stream on his YouTube page on Monday, Sterling revealed that he is almost sure of a rematch snub against O’Malley. The 34-year-old “Funkmaster” also believes Vera will pull off an upset against O’Malley, whose knockout power he c…

Ramon Taveras, Four Others Join UFC on Week 10 of Dana White’s Contender Series

Ramon Taveras stood toe to toe and fought fire with fire when the stakes were highest.

The Bulldog Boxing export was one of five hopefuls to nail down an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract during Week 10 of Dana White’s Contender Series, as he buried Cortavious Romious with first-round punches on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Taveras (9-2, 1-1 DWCS) sank the St. Charles MMA rep 29 seconds into Round 1.

Romious (5-2, 0-1 DWCS) went out on his shield. He cut loose with power punches and body kicks, but left too many defensive holes for his opponent to exploit. Taveras dropped him twice in the middle of violent exchanges, then connected with a devastating left hook that sent him crashing to the canvas in a dazed and confused state. More punches followed, prompting referee Herb Dean to call for the stoppage.

Flyweight Andre Lima, featherweight Connor Matthews, lightweight Marquel Mederos and bantamweight Lucas Rocha are set to join…

Dana White’s Contender Series 2023 Week 10 Play-by-Play and Results

Sherdog’s coverage of DWCS 2023, Week 10 will begin Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:The Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:The Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben…

Drew Dober Discusses ‘Avoidance Mindset,’ Keys to Beating Islam Makhachev

Nobody so far has managed to defeat Islam Makhachev, but one former opponent believes he now knows the key.

Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight Drew Dober faced the current champ at UFC 259 in March of 2021. Makhachev put on a dominant showing, notching over nine minutes of control time before submitting Dober with an arm triangle in the third round. Dober, who got back in the win column by knocking out Ricky Glenn this past weekend at UFC Fight Night 229, learned from the loss and, despite being best known himself as kickboxer with knockout power, believes he made a mistake in approaching their fight as a striker-versus-grappler affair.

According to Dober, several elite grapplers in the 155-pound division have the required skills to beat Makhachev—if they are willing to grapple with him. Dober believes Makhachev’s opponents need to stop focusing on staying on the feet and start wrestling the undefeated Dagestani. The 34-year-old recently t…

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, 6 Others Receive 180-Day Medical Suspensions after Bellator 300

Several fighters from the recently concluded Bellator 300 may be forced out of action for a while due to long medical suspensions.

Former Bellator MMA flyweight champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (13-3) took on her longtime friend former training partner, current champ Liz Carmouche (20-7) on Saturday’s main card a Pechanga Arena in San Diego. Macfarlane suffered a possible fracture to her left knee en route a fifth-round TKO loss, resulting in a 180-day medical suspension, unless cleared by a physician earlier.

In addition to Macfarlane, six others from the prelims card also faced medical suspensions of six months or until cleared by a doctor: Jesse Roberts (left knee and left jaw), Davion Franklin (left knee), Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov (right knee), Herman Terrado (rib), Romero Cotton (right orbital), and Miguel Peimbert (right foot, left hand, right ankle) Other medical suspensions from Bellator’s marquee event included Cat Zingano, who received a 45-day suspensi…

Randy Brown vs. Muslim Salikhov Booked for UFC 296 on Dec. 16

RandyBrown will fight MuslimSalikhov at #UFC296 on December 16th. (per Brown's Discord & @Full_Violence) #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN #UFC2023 pic.twitter.com/XO63nbtKDI

— Marcel Dorff 🇳🇱🇮🇩 (@BigMarcel24) October 9, 2023

The final Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view event of 2023 has picked up a potential banger of a welterweight matchup.

Randy Brown (17-5) and Muslim Salikhov (19-4) are reportedly booked to meet at UFC 296 in December. Brown broke the news of the booking on his Discord along with @Full_Violence on Twitter. “Rude Boy” had a four-fight win streak snapped at UFC 284 in February, thanks to a first-round submission by Jack Della Maddalena. “Rude Boy” has since regained some momentum with a decision victory over Wellington Turman in June.

Salikhov went on a five-fight win streak starting with his sophomore UFC outing which included wins over the likes of Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos and Francisco Trinal…

Paulo Costa Reveals Recent Elbow Surgery, Still Plans to Compete at UFC 294

How strong are u? U never really know until you get tested by fire 🔥 of life.I did surgery 3 weeks ago , 10 seams size . But I know how tough I’m and continues improving and overcoming myself. It doesn’t stop me, still doing my things sparrings and everything. I’m so blessing… pic.twitter.com/gbClA66K7l

— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) October 9, 2023 Recent unplanned surgery will not keep Paulo Costa from his fight in November.

Renzo Gracie recently informed Sherdog that Costa had arrived to his apartment in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Additionally, he mentioned that Costa had received surgery on his elbow in a procedure that would not put his UFC 294 appearance in jeopardy. On Monday, Costa posted publicly about his operation, with photographs showing his condition before and his training after.

“How strong are [you],” Costa asked. “[You] never really know until you get tested by fire of life. I …

Cain Velasquez Praises Sergei Pavlovich, Notes He Is ‘Really Tough to Deal With’

Former champ Cain Velasquez offered high praise for Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight standout Sergei Pavlovich.

Pavlovich (18-1) and fellow contender Tom Aspinall are widely regarded as part of the next generation to potentially rule over the UFC’s heavyweight division. Recently asked about his opinion on the division, Velasquez hailed Aspinall and especially Pavlovich as future champ prospects.

Velasquez also revealed that he had trained with Pavlovich at American Kickboxing Academy several years ago. The former champ noted that while he still acquits himself well in training, Pavlovich was one of the few he found “difficult” to deal with. He also lauded the wrestling skills of Pavlovich, who is currently on a six-fight first-round KO streak. The 41-year-old recently told The Schmo:

“With Sergey, I’ve actually trained with him,” the former UFC heavyweight kingpin stated. “It was a couple of years ago too. So obviously, when he wasn’t at this level yet.…

Mario Bautista, Ricky Simon Set to Trade Leather at UFC Event on Jan. 13

The Ultimate Fighting Championship brass should be ready to hand out a post-fight bonus check after this upcoming scrap.

On Sunday, management team Iridium Sports Agency announced that Mario Bautista (13-2) and Ricky Simon (20-4) will meet in the first UFC card of 2024 on Jan. 13. The bantamweights will square off at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The bout has subsequently confirmed by Bautista, who posted about the matchup on his Instagram, while opponent Simon remarked that he had signed a multi-fight deal with the promotion on his own Instagram page.

MMA Lab product Bautista is riding a five fight win streak that includes three submissions over Brian Kelleher, Benito Lopez and Guido Cannetti. Of note, his reverse triangle armbar of Lopez in 2022 served as just the second of its type in company history. Most recently, the 30-year-old Arizonan picked up a hard-fought decision win over Da’Mon Blackshear at UFC 292 in August.

Simon will be hunting for his first win si…

Derrick Lewis to Replace Curtis Blaydes Against Jailton Almeida at UFC Sao Paulo

Jailton Almeida will be going from a grappler to a striker on a month’s notice.

Per Ag. Fight on Monday, Curtis Blaydes will no longer be competing in the headliner of UFC Sao Paulo, also known as UFC Fight Night 231. In his stead will be Derrick Lewis (27-11, 1 NC), who will be stepping in on short notice against Almeida (19-2). The reason for Blaydes’ withdrawal has not yet been made public. News of this change in the heavyweight headliner on Nov. 4 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, has since been confirmed by multiple outlets.

Lewis saw his career-long three-fight skid come to a crashing halt in July when he smashed Marcos Rogerio de Lima in 33 seconds. This marked his first win since 2021, with stoppage losses to Tai Tuivasa, Sergei Pavlovich and Sergey Spivak along the way. With his speedy finish of Rogerio de Lima, Lewis reestablished himself as the UFC’s knockout king, with 14 victories via strikes in his storied tenure with the company.

Since joining the UFC off t…

Contender Series Weigh-in Results: Every Fighter on Target for Final Week

It was smooth sailing for the 12 men on the scales ahead of the last week of the 2023 Dana White's Contender Series season.

Due to a weight issue for one of the combatants in Week 9, the organization rescheduled that fight for this event. The show will proceed with six bouts, with the rebooked tilt between Davi Bittencourt (134.5) and Lucas Rocha (133) extending the card beyond its usual five affairs.

Week 10 of the Contender Series takes place on Tuesday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and airs on ESPN+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The evening’s featured bout is a bantamweight battle pitting Ramon Taveras (136) against Cortavious Romious (136).

Taveras will try to maximize his second chance to make a first impression, as the Floridian succumbed to strikes in half a round to Serhiy Sidey on DWCS in September. The defeat snapped a four-fight win streak in the Combat Night promotion in Florida, which included three stoppages – with one of tho…

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