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Derek Brunson to Face Ray Cooper III at PFL 2023 Championships in 185-Pound Bout

Derek Brunson’s trip up to 205 pounds will be on hold for a few more months.

On Thursday, news broke that Brunson (23-9) had signed with Professional Fighters League. Per his manager, Brunson would be competing this year, and that his destination was ultimately the light heavyweight bracket of the 2024 tournament. The organization released on Friday his first assignment, which will be taking place at middleweight on Nov. 24. At the PFL 2023 Championships event, he will battle it out with former welterweight tourney victor Ray Cooper III (25-8-1).

The two will collide as the featured prelim in a “showcase” bout, in what will be the second middleweight match since Louis Taylor defeated Abusupiyan Magomedov for the 185-pound throne in the 2018 Championships event. Although Brunson’s manager stated that he would be moving to light heavyweight, it is unclear at this time if the promotion will be re-opening the weight class for a bracket in next year's to…

American Kickboxing Academy Coach Javier Mendes Eyes One Rematch in Particular

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Renowned American Kickboxing Academy coach Javier Mendes recently discussed potential opponents for his charge, Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, following his upcoming rematch with Charles Oliveira at UFC 294.

While Makhachev (24-1) has expressed a desire to move up a weight class and face the winner of Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington for the welterweight strap following the rematch with “do Bronx,” his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, recently revealed that Justin Gaethje would probably be next in line for a lightweight title shot following an impressive knockout victory against Dustin Poirier at UFC 291.

While Mendes is happy to take on the aforementioned fights, there is one that the AKA head coach would prefer for his Dagestani pupil. In a recent interview with Helen Yee, the San Jose, California,-based trainer elaborated:

“So, in a perfect world, What I would like is what Islam wants beca…

Unbeaten Zayundin Suleymanov Fells Adilet Mamytov at ONE Friday Fights 36

Zayundin Suleymanov could not have scripted a better One Championship debut.

The undefeated Russian cut down Adilet Mamytov with punches in the second round of their ONE Friday Fights 36 flyweight showcase on Friday at historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Suleymanov (7-0, 1-0 ONE) drew the curtain 2:46 into Round 2, as he planted his flag in the Chatri Sityodtong-led promotion with authority.

Mamytov (5-1, 0-1 ONE) fired off some one-twos, a few flying knees to the body and the occasional spinning attack but could not keep his aggressive opponent at bay. Suleymanov kept him off-balance with repeated takedowns and tie-ups, pairing those efforts with ground-and-pound when the opportunity presented itself. He floored Mamytov in the corner with an overhand left midway through the second round, forced him into a defensive shell and closed it out with follow-up punches.

Meanwhile, Lakay MMA prospect Carlos Neyheban Alvarez put away Phr…

Colby Covington Responds to Islam Makhachev: Dagestanis Talk a Big Game

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Colby Covington would be more than happy to take on reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight ace Islam Makhachev in a potential welterweight title bout.

In a recent interview with ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto, Makhachev shared that while he isn't overlooking his next opponent, he'd like the opportunity to fight for the welterweight strap if he again conquers Charles Oliveira in their rematch at Oct. 21’s UFC 294 pay-per-view.

The Dagestan native believes he's earned the right to challenge for a belt in another division, especially since he afforded UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski the same opportunity at UFC 284.

Moreover, Makhachev expressed his support for Covington as the American gears up to take on Edwards for the title at UFC 296. The 31-year-old believes a matchup with "Chaos" would be a great test of USA wrestling vs. Dagestani wrestling.

Responding to the reigning lightweight champion…

Manager: Lightweight Clash Between Beneil Dariush, Arman Tsarukyan in the Works

Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight mainstay Beneil Dariush is apparently gearing up to face rising prospect Arman Tsarukyan. Dariush's manager Ali Abdelaziz broke the news to The Schmo in an exclusive interview.

“The UFC [is trying] to make this fight happen and when this fight [gets booked], they’re going to announce it,” said Abdelaziz. “I believe this is the next fight. Arman is a very tough kid, one of the best guys in the world. And Beneil, this is what he does, fight the best of the best. Nobody has [faced a] tougher schedule than Beneil Dariush in all the divisions.”

Dariush (22-5) saw his eight-fight win streak come to a halt in his most recent title elimination outing against former lightweight king Charles Oliveira at UFC 289.

Having recorded wins over the likes of Drew Dober, Tony Ferguson and Mateusz Gamrot, the 34-year-old was on the cusp of securing a title shot but failed to do so, suffering a Round 1 technical knockout loss against the Br…

Light Heavyweight Return Results in Rekindled Relevance for Philipe Lins

A move to American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, altered the trajectory of Philipe Lins’ career as a professional mixed martial artist. He won a $1 million Professional Fighters League tournament at 205 pounds roughly a year later in 2018, then signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a heavyweight in order to prove himself at the sport’s highest level.

“It was a high point in my career,” Lins told Sherdog.com.

However, there was no honeymoon period in the UFC. Lins was greeted by back-to-back defeats to Andrei Arlovski and Tanner Boser, forcing him to recalibrate his position.

“A red light went off,” he said. “I needed to change something. I sat down with my coaches and manager. We made a good decision in having me drop back down to light heavyweight. I have a much healthier lifestyle now. I feel so much better. I’m more focused back at my original weight class.”

Lins will carry a four-fight winning streak into his latest as…

Manager: PFL Signs Former UFC Middleweight Derek Brunson for 205-Pound Tourney

Longtime Ultimate Fighting Championship contender Derek Brunson hopes to continue the trend of UFC castouts winning the million-dollar check in his new division.

On Thursday, The Schmo released an interview conducted with Dominance MMA head Ali Abdelaziz, who explained that Brunson (23-9) is moving onto greener pastures. The former Strikeforce vet was initially slated to meet Roman Dolidze in November, but instead, Brunson was released from the organization altogether. Per the manager, the parting between the UFC and Brunson was “mutual” and both “very smooth” and “very respectful.” Brunson has now signed with Professional Fighters League.

“Derek Brunson, he signed with PFL,” Abdelaziz stated. “He’s a PFL fighter. He’s going to fight before the end of the year. He did a lot for the UFC, the UFC did a lot for him, he [had] a great career…and now, he’s looking to make his run at [the] light heavyweight title for PFL.”

When Brunson competes again, he w…

Bobby Green Explains Why He and Justin Gaethje Choose Not to Wrestle

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Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight contender Bobby Green sees certain similarities between himself and Justin Gaethje.

Green (30-14), who takes on Grant Dawson (20-1) in a main-event clash on Oct. 7, is coming off a Round 3 submission win over Tony Ferguson. Being a thorough crowd-favorite who engages in stand-up clashes, this was the first time Green submitted an opponent since 2013.

However, Green’s reluctance to wrestle has nothing to do with his skill set, as “King” was a CIF wrestling champion at A.B. Miller High School in Fontana, California. Similarly, fellow crowd favorite Gaethje also primarily chooses to avoid wrestling despite being a two-time state champion (AIA) at Safford High School and an NCAA Division I All-American during his time at the University of Northern Colorado.

Green believes he and “The Highlight” both avoid wrestling because they are on a quest to become “superstars.” Promising to conti…

Joaquin Buckley Can’t Make Sense of ‘Chaos’ Getting Title Shot Over Belal Muhammad

“To put some respect on his name, Belal Muhammad @bullyb170 should’ve been fighting for the belt, you know.”- Joaquin Buckley💯🎯 pic.twitter.com/tIkGxEejH0

— فريال محمد (@faryalmohammed) October 4, 2023

Joaquin Buckley has voiced support for Belal Muhammad amidst the latter’s title shot snub.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship recently announced a welterweight title clash between Colby Covington (17-3) and Leon Edwards (21-3) at UFC 296 on Dec. 16, sidelining Muhammad from his long-due crack at divisional gold.

The announcement came after months of vocal protests from elite UFC welterweights including Muhammad (23-3), who are unhappy with Covington getting the next shot at 170 pounds.

Despite having not fought in more than a year and two of his last four outings being failed title bids, UFC CEO Dana White was adamant about “Chaos” getting another shot.

UFC welterweight Buckley (16-6) has now become the la…

Report: Jake Shields Hit With Battery Charge Following Mike Jackson Altercation

Finally ran into the bitch Mike Jackson

He quickly discovered the difference between calling people Nazis In person vs on Twitter

This racist is lucky so many people were there to save his pathetic racist ass pic.twitter.com/90luT0YjfG — Jake Shields (@jakeshieldsajj) December 16, 2022

A spat between former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighters Jake Shields and Mike Jackson turned into a scuffle and has now reportedly resulted in formal charges. MMAFighting was first to report the news.

Shields (33-11) and Jackson (1-2) had been trading barbs online over matters such as politics and race before getting into a physical altercation at Las Vegas’ UFC Performance Institute last December.

In a partial clip of the scrap that went viral, Shields can be seen controlling Jackson from top and landing a few blows while the latter pleaded with bystanders to intervene.

Jackson subsequently threatened to press …

Conor McGregor Claims Progress in United States Anti-Doping Agency Testing Protocol

Conor McGregor finally appears to have taken a step towards returning to the Octagon.

“Notorious” has been out of action for over two years since suffering a broken leg in his trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier. While he has been training and sparring for a while now, the former two-division champion has yet to re-enter the United States Anti-Doping Agency testing pool, from which he has been missing since the third quarter of 2021.

The Irishman could seek an exemption from the mandatory six-month testing window that USADA has in place for testing athletes. Brock Lesnar received such clearance in July of 2016 to compete at UFC 200. However, the testing agency has maintained so far that McGregor will need to undergo the six-month testing window in addition to submitting two clean samples to be eligible for a return.

Meanwhile, Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White has redirected all questions regarding McGregor's situation to UFC Senior Vic…

Halil Amir to Face Ahmed Mujtaba at One on Prime Video 16

A 155-pound bout pitting Halil Amir against Ahmed Mujtaba has been booked for One on Prime Video 16 on Nov. 3.

Sherdog.com recently confirmed the pairing with promotion officials. One on Prime Video 16 takes place at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok and is headlined by a 145-pound championship clash between Fabricio Andrade and Jonathan Haggerty.

Amir is coming off a decision victory over Maurice Abevi at One on Prime Video 9 in April, a fight in which he attempted the rare Suloev stretch submission. The Turkish fighter is 2-0 under the One banner and 9-0 as a professional overall — with all but one of those victories coming inside the distance.

Pakistan’s Mujtaba last appeared at One on Prime Video 10, where he fell to Sage Northcutt via heel hook in 39 seconds. Prior to that, “The Wolverine” had been victorious in three of his last four One Championship bouts, including a first-round knockout of Rahul K. Raju.

Bellator Champ Patricio Freire Discusses UFC Move, Potential Opponents

Patricio Freire is keeping is options open for the future.

After recently admitting interest in moving to the UFC upon completing his Bellator contract, Freire revisited that subject in an interview with Super Lutas.

“Actually I’ve heard a rumor this week saying that Bellator and PFL will continue as separate organizations but will exchange fighters,” he siad. “It would be very interesting to finish my contract with the belts from both organizations.”

Even if that doesn’t come to fruition, Freire remains interested in testing his skills in the UFC once his Bellator deal has been fulfilled.

"I believe my career deserves a UFC (opportunity), and if I leave the organization with two titles, I have better conditions to enter the UFC doing a fight against a top contender,” he said.

Freire has three opponents in mind if he were to sign with the UFC.

“As the biggest (name) in Bellator history, I would love to start by facing (featherweig…

Featherweights Movsar Evloev, Arnold Allen Targeted for UFC 297 on Jan. 20

A matchup of featherweight contenders is in the works for UFC 297, as Movsar Evloev and Arnold Allen are expected to square off on Jan. 20.

Multiple outlets confirmed the booking following an initial report from ING.fights. While Toronto is rumored to be the destination for UFC 297, an official location has yet to be announced for the event.

Evloev is undefeated in 17 professional outings — including his first seven in the UFC. The 29-year-old Russian last appeared at UFC 288, where he outpointed short-notice foe Diego Lopes on UFC 288. The former M-1 Global champion also owns wins over the likes of Dan Ige, Hakeek Dawodu and Nik Lentz, to name a few.

Allen last appeared at UFC on ESPN 44, falling to ex-champ Max Holloway in a five-round decision defeat on April 15. Prior to that, the Englishman known as “Almighty” authored a 10-bout winning streak within the Las Vegas-based promotion, earning noteworthy triumphs against Calvin Kattar, Dan Ho…

Norma Dumont Drops to Bantamweight, Meets Yana Santos at UFC Event on Jan. 13

Norma Dumont will move to bantamweight for a matchup with Yana Santos at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Jan. 13.

Both fighters confirmed the pairing on social media Wednesday following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. The UFC Fight Night card doesn’t yet have a headliner but is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Dumont has earned successive decision victories over Danyelle Wolf, Karol Rosa and Chelsea Chandler in UFC competition at 145 pounds. However, the uncertain future of the featherweight division in the wake of Amanda Nunes’ retirement may have prompted the Brazilian’s move to 135 pounds. “The Immortal” owns a 6-2 record in the Octagon, with other notable triumphs against Felicia Spencer and Aspen Ladd to her credit.

A former Invicta FC title holder, Santos will look to snap a three-bout losing streak when she faces Dumont. In her most recent Octagon appearance, the American Top Team-based Russian dropped a split…

Islam Makhachev Eyes Welterweight Title Shot Following Rematch with Charles Oliveira

Reigning UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev seemingly has his eyes on a welterweight title shot.

Makhachev is set to face Charles Oliveira in a highly-anticipated rematch at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 21 While the Dagestan native isn't looking past the former champion, he has little doubt regarding the outcome of their second meeting, considering how he submitted Oliveira in Round 2 of their first bout at UFC 280.

“This fight is interesting for the people; everybody wants to see this match again,” Makhachev told ESPN. “But if I follow the plan, I can beat this guy easy, again. I believe that.”

Makhachev went on to share that his dream fight would be a shot at a second title. In this case, the 31-year-old is looking to secure a welterweight title fight against the winner of Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington, which is set to take place at UFC 296 in December.

“I don't know what the UFC has planned, but my dream fight is for the se…

Manel Kape Says He Turned Down Israel Adesanya’s Apology After UFC 293 Presser

Manel Kape isn’t ready to let go of his beef with former UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya.

Kape was scheduled to fight Felipe dos Santos last month at UFC 293, which was headlined by Adesanya’s title defense against Sean Strickland. During the pre-fight presser, “Starboy” went off on his original opponent Kai Kara-France, who had pulled out of the matchup and was seated in the audience.

Adesanya came to his City Kickboxing teammate’s defense, calling Kape a “midget” and promising to bury him.

In a recent interview with MMAFighting.com, Kape claimed that “The Last Stylebender” subsequently approached him with a truce offering backstage, which he turned down.

 “After all this talk [at the press conference], he came to me backstage ‘Hey, no disrespect, we are Africa, we’re brothers,’” Kape recalled. “I said, ‘We are not brothers. Look, my problem is with Kai Kara, not with you. Why did…

Dana White Details How He Got Involved in the Bull Riding Business

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UFC CEO Dana White is a man of many endeavors.

In addition to owning Power Slap and being in a partnership with NASCAR’s Trackhouse Racing, White is also invested in bull riding. It all started when he first rode a bull while working on “Lookin' for Fight” with former UFC welterweight champ Matt Serra.

The UFC head honcho would go on to buy three bulls over the years, none of which made it to the big PBR shows broadcast on CBS. However, White’s latest purchase, a bull named Twisted Steel, is finally set to make it to the big leagues at the PBR Camping World Team Series Championship from Oct. 20-22 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

White revealed how he got into the bull business at the Contender Series press conference on Tuesday night.

“I did ‘Lookin for a Fight’ back in [2015 or 2016], the dumbest thing I’ve ever done, riding a bull. But after I did it, I kinda got into it,” White said. “We went out on this whole …

John Castaneda vs. Kyung Ho Kang Moved to UFC 295 on Nov. 11

A bantamweight clash between John Castaneda and Kyung Ho Kang has been moved to the UFC 295 card.

Castaneda was originally scheduled to face his South Korean opponent a week later at UFC Fight Night 232 on Nov. 18. Castaneda’s management firm, Iridium Sports Agency, first announced the change in date on Tuesday. UFC 295 takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York and is headlined by a heavyweight championship tilt pitting Jon Jones against Stipe Miocic.

While Castaneda won a Dana White's Contender Series matchup back in 2017, it wasn’t until 2020 that “Sexi Mexi” got his UFC call. After dropping a decision in his promotional debut, Castaneda racked up back-to-back finishes before suffering a brutal Round 2 knockout loss against Daniel Santos in October 2022. The 31-year-old has since bounced back with a decision win over Muin Gafurov at UFC on ESPN 46 on June 3.

Meanwhile, Kang is a battle-tested veteran at 135 pounds, having started his UFC career in…

Jesse Butler vs. Jeka Saragih Set for UFC Fight Night 232 on Nov. 18

🚨 #TeamIridium News 🚨

Our man @Jesse_Butler92 is ready to turn heads vs. Jeka Saragih on Nov. 18 ✍🏽 #TheDarkside pic.twitter.com/2HV1KG9Y3E

— IridiumSportsAgency (@TeamIridiumISA) October 3, 2023

Jesse Butler and Jeka Asparido Saragih are slated to clash at UFC Fight Night 232 on Nov. 18.

The matchup was first announced on Tuesday by Butler’s management, Iridium Sports Agency. UFC Fight Night 232 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a middleweight showdown between Brendan Allen and Paul Craig.

Butler suffered a 23-second knockout loss against Jim Miller in his UFC debut back in June. The 31-year-old was then booked to make a quick turnaround and take on Sean Woodson at UFC Nashville in August. However, Butler pulled out of the matchup, citing Las Vegas commission “protocol.”

Meanwhile, Saragih was a finalist in last year’s Road to UFC, the promotion’s venture for scouting Asian tale…

UFC Signs Rodolfo Bellato, Four Others on Week 9 of Dana White’s Contender Series

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Alexa Grasso Undergoes Surgery for Fractured Hand Suffered at Noche UFC

As it turns out, Valentina Shevchenko wasn’t the only one who was compromised in the Noche UFC headliner.

Alexa Grasso revealed Wednesday via Instagram that she recently underwent surgery for a fractured hand suffered in the Sept. 16 flyweight title bout. She also hinted that a trilogy with Shevchenko would be next on the agenda after their most recent meeting ended in a controversial split draw.

“What are the odds, huh?” Grasso wrote on Instagram in Spanish. “During the fight I fractured my hand; we’re used to not letting pain stop us for anything, and even though it was hurting, I didn’t think it was anything serious until I tried to return to training and I realized that my hand was still really bad.

“The surgery was a success, and thank you so much for Doctor Arroyo and Doctor Zarate, you guys are angels. I trust them completely with my health in their hands… and I know I’m going to be super ready for that trilogy.”

It was already c…

Gordon Ryan Claims He’s Received ‘Seven-Figure Offers’ to Compete in MMA

Gordon Ryan wins by arm bar pic.twitter.com/DGMPgGtvN3

— D (@D_The_Husband) October 2, 2023

Despite receiving some lucrative offers to do so, grappling ace Gordon Ryan has no designs on transitioning to mixed martial arts in the near future.

In a recent interview with Combate.com, Ryan shared how injuries derailed his plans on competing in MMA some four years ago and how his focus has shifted since then.

“I was actually planning to fight MMA in 2019, but I tore my knee ligament, and when I was coming back from this surgery, I had to go straight into camp for the ADCC because I competed seven months exactly after my surgery,” Ryan said. “So the second I got out of surgery, I had to enter camp. I was going to start fighting at the beginning of 2019, then I had to enter the camp, then I won two golds [at ADCC], and I started to get pulled back into jiu-jitsu. I won the absolute, then I had the biggest superfight in history with Andre G…

Salahdine Parnasse Attempts to Become Three-Division Champ in KSW 89 Headliner

Making MMA History | XTB #KSW89

👑 Champ vs. Double Champ 👑👑🇵🇱 @bartos_mma vs. @SalahdineP 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/ayMS5zkRPw

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) October 2, 2023

Salahdine Parnasse will attempt to become a three-division champion when he challenges welterweight title holder Adrian Bartosinski in the KSW 89 main event.

The Polish promotion recently announced the booking. KSW 89 takes place on Dec. 16 at PreZero Arena Gliwice in Gliwice, Poland, and airs via pay-per-view in the United States.

Parnasse is KSW’s reigning featherweight and lighweight champion and has lost just once in 19 professional appearances. The 25-year-old Frenchman has won five straight contests since falling to Daniel Torres at KSW 58, including a fourth-round knockout of Robert Ruchala in a 145-pound title bout at KSW 85 on Aug. 19.

Bartosinski, meanwhile, owns a 13-0 mark since beginning his professional tenure in 2018. The 28-year-old Pole is …

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