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Regardless of the outcome of his upcoming clash against Shavkat Rakhmonov, Stephen Thompson is looking forward to having a few battle scars after their fight.

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After turning down a booking against Rakhmonov on multiple occasions in the past, “Wonderboy” is slated to meet the undefeated Kazakh sensation with a 100% finish rate at UFC 296 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 16.

Rakhmonov is heavy -500 betting favorite going into the clash, which could be attributed to his superior grappling skillset. One of the most elite strikers in MMA, Thompson believes “Nomad” will eventually prefer going to the ground against him. However, “Wonderboy” is glad that Rakhmonov is the kind of fighter who Will Hunt for the finish, giving him the opportunity to go out on his shield.

“Now, do I feel like Shavkat is going to stand there bang with me? I don’t think so,” Thompson told Submission Radio. “I think eventually he’s going to shoot. He’s going to s…

Gilbert Burns claims to have fully recovered from his shoulder injury and is plotting a return to the Octagon, with a specific foe in mind.

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Burns (22-6) is coming off a decision loss against Belal Muhammad at UFC 288 in July after appearing to damage his left hand early in the fight. “Durinho” went on to severely injure his shoulder in training, which has kept him on the shelf ever since. The Brazilian now claims to have fully recovered from the injury and is now back to training. Burns told MMA Junkie:

“I’m 100 percent and back to training. I’m in no pain and injury free. I didn’t get surgery. I almost did. My ligament was barely hanging on my shoulder. My deltoid and my AC joint was very compromised, so I had to rest a lot. I couldn’t do anything for like three months, and then I started my (physical therapy), and then I put a couple of stem cells, and now I’m back to training.”

While Burns is eyeing a return in March or April and is alread…

Jon Jones has taken notice of Tom Aspinall’s suggestion that he be stripped of the UFC heavyweight crown.

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Jones, who was forced to withdraw from the UFC 295 headliner against Stipe Miocic due to a torn pectoral, issued a strong response on Monday to the recently-crowned interim champion on social media.

“I’ve faced the absolute toughest competition this world had to offer for 15 years now,” Jones wrote. “During camp for a title defense I sustained a major injury that required surgery for the first time in my career. Now I have newcomers requesting I get my championship stripped. Zero wins over legends, zero title defenses and already thinking you can call the shots to Dana, that’s hilarious.

“In my 15 year career I have seen so many guys who are supposed to be the next big thing. There’s ever only been one Jon Jones, never forget that.”

I’ve faced the absolute toughest competition this world had to offer for 15 years now…

Giga Chikadze has withdrawn from a proposed UFC 296 clash against Josh Emmett on Dec. 16.

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Emmett initially announced that Chikadze had pulled out of the event on social media, and it has since been confirmed by multiple outlets. The exact nature of Chikadze’s exit is currently unknown.

Giga’s Out ❌-Who’s ready Dec 16th? #UFC296

— JOSH EMMETT (@JoshEmmettUFC) December 4, 2023

UFC 296 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight title tilt between Leon Edwards and Colby Covington. In the co-main event, Alexandre Pantoja will defend the flyweight crown against Brandon Royval.

After a hiatus that lasted more than a year and a half, Chikadze returned to action at UFC Fight Night 225, where he outpointed Alex Caceres on Aug. 26. The 35-year-old Kings MMA product is 8-1 during his tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Emmett, meanwhile, is coming off back-to-back losses a…

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Jamahal Hill has broken his silence regarding his arrest for allegedly assaulting a family member.

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Hill was arrested on charges of misdemeanor aggravated domestic violence in Michigan for inflicting “serious or aggravated injury” upon his brother, James Anthony Hill Jr. The former UFC light heavyweight champion recently released a brief statement on his YouTube channel regarding the situation.

“There’s been a lot of reports out today about the situation that happened when I was back home in Michigan, visiting for the holidays,” Hill said. “I will just say this, at this time it is an open case. I’ve been advised not to speak on it, which I know not to speak on it.

“I just can’t wait for the truth to be told in court. I will wait for that day and I look forward to that day. The people who know me and know my character and truly, truly rock with me and know who I am, hold onto that and stay true to that. That’s all I’m a say on …

Deiveson Figueiredo is weighing his options after a successful bantamweight debut at UFC on ESPN 52 this past Saturday night.

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Figuereido, who defeated Rob Font via unanimous decision at UFC Austin, discussed his desire to face some of the bantamweight division’s biggest names in an exclusive interview with Sherdog.com.

"Font had great fights with former champions and some top of the division,” he said. “Many people thought I was too small for him, and I showed what I'm capable of when I’m happy and healthy.

“As a former champion, if UFC wanted to set me up to challenge for the title I would surprise many fans again. [Sean] O’Malley is an excellent striker, but I believe a lot in my team’s strategy. When I enter the Octagon I love to exchange, but against O'Malley I believe my jiu-jitsu would make the difference. If I get a hold of him, I would submit him.”

Figueiredo realizes that the UFC is more likely to want him to face another Top 1…

Alexandre Pantoja doesn’t have a high opinion of former American Top Team training partner Colby Covington.

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Covington will challenge Leon Edwards for the welterweight crown in the UFC 296 main event, while Pantoja will defend his flyweight strap against Brandon Royval in the evening’s co-headliner on Dec. 16 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Pantoja recently revealed on MMAFighting’s Trocação Franca podcast that he wants to have nothing to do with Covington during fight week and would rather like to meet Edwards, whose story he relates to and respects.

“I don’t care,” Pantoja said. “I was born in Copacabana and we are disgusting towards everybody [laughs]. There’s an artist right next to you and you don’t care. I respect him a lot as an athlete, but in a way I’m more connected to Leon Edwards because of his life story and everything he’s done. Leon Edwards is definitely someone I would go out of my way to shake hands and wish him a good fi…

Sean Brady doesn’t think highly of Ian Garry and believes he can dominate the Irishman in a potential clash.

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Brady welcomed Kelvin Gastelum back to welterweight on Saturday at UFC on ESPN 52 at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Brady thoroughly dominated Gastelum for the entirety of the fight before submitting him in the third round. With the win, Brady bounced back from his first career defeat at the hands of Belal Muhammad at UFC 280 last year.

The standout grappler subsequently redirected a callout to Garry, whom he had also mentioned in the lead-up to UFC Austin. Brady had previously highlighted Garry’s questionable gym etiquette, which includes consistently recording sparring sessions.

Brady reiterated his dislike for “The Future,” and expressed confidence in his ability to impose his will on Garry during a post-fight media scrum on Saturday.

“Just the way he went about his whole thing with his team, it rubbed me the wrong way. He…

WHAT JUST HAPPENED!? #FuryFC84 pic.twitter.com/XPs41Vm9kr

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) December 3, 2023

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has added 6-foot-7 Cuban heavyweight Robelis Despaigne to its roster.

In his most recent outing, Despaigne scored a five-second technical knockout win over Miles Banks at Fury Fighting Championship 84 in Houston on Sunday. Shortly thereafter, it was confirmed on the broadcast that Despaigne had signed with the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Known as “The Bad Boy,” Despaigne won a bronze medal in taekwondo at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Despaigne made his pro MMA debut in 2022 and has finished all four of his opponents inside of a round. This includes three stoppages in 12 seconds or less.

Australian lightweight Tom Nolan is set to make his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut early next year.

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Nolan is slated to enter the Octagon against Nikolas Motta at UFC Fight Night 234 on Jan. 13 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Nolan confirmed the bout on social media following an intial report from Eurosport.

Nolan earned a UFC contract with a first-round knockout of Bogdan Grad on Dana White’s Contender Series this past August. The 23-year-old Team Compton Training Centre representative has finished his last four victories by knockout or technical knockout.

Also a former competitor on the Contender Series, Motta has gone 1-2 with one no contest thus far in his UFC tenure. His most recent appearance came at UFC Fight Night 232, when his bout against Trey Ogden was waved off prematurely by referee Mike Beltran, who incorrectly determined that Motta had been rendered unconscious by an arm-triangle choke. That resulted in the fight being over…

Mayra Bueno Silva believes upcoming opponent Raquel Pennington will quit in their upcoming title fight.

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Bueno Silva will face Pennington in the co-main event at UFC 297 on Jan. 20 in Toronto with the vacant women’s bantamweight strap on the line. Silva believes the fight will go out of Pennington in their upcoming clash like it did when “Rocky” faced Amanda Nunes at UFC 224 back in 2018.

En route to a lopsided fifth-round stoppage loss, Pennington was heard telling her corner that she was “done” after the fourth round.

“Do you remember Raquel fought with Amanda, Raquel said, ‘Alright, I’m done. I don’t want to fight anymore.’ Do you remember? For this reason, she doesn’t want to fight,” Bueno Silva said during an appearance on "The MMA Hour.”

“She doesn’t like to fight. She wants to hold [during] the fight because she doesn’t like fighting. Remember, when she was done, ‘I don’t want no more.’ In the first round, when I punch her hard, s…

Arman Tsarukyan believes he did enough to warrant another crack at reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.

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Tsarukyan lost a hard-fought decision to Makhachev in his Octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 149 in April 2019, but he has been victorious in nine of his 10 promotional appearances since then. Perhaps none of those was more impressive than his work on Saturday, when he vanquished Beneil Dariush in just 64 seconds in the UFC on ESPN 52 headliner. The American Top Team product didn’t hesitate to point out that Oliveira needed longer to defeat Dariush in their matchup at UFC 289, which “Do Bronx” ended at the 4:10 mark of Round 1.

“Charles knocked him out, and if I won by decision, how am I going to fight for the title?” Tsarukyan said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “But I knocked him out faster than Charles, and he didn’t take me down like he did with Charles. I performed better than Charles. Charles already had the opportunity,…

Bobby Green had nothing but praise for short-notice foe Jalin Turner following their co-main event bout at UFC on ESPN 52.

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Turner, who was a late replacement for Dan Hooker, knocked out Green 2:49 into the opening stanza of their lightweight clash at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, on Saturday night. That snapped a two-bout winning streak for Green, who was coming off back-to-back finishes of Tony Ferguson and Grant Dawson.

Green appeared to absorb some unnecessary punishment before referee Kerry Hatley stepped in to wave off the bout, but “King” didn’t mention the stoppage in a post-fight statement on his Instagram stories.

“What up, guys?” Green said. “You win some, you lose some. I guess I want to show people that you’ve got to keep it G and you’ve got to keep it G when you lose.

“Shout out to Jalin, you did your thing, brother. I’m so happy for you. It means the world that you stepped up on short notice and you had your success, …

Neil Magny claims Ian Garry’s trash talk during the lead-up to their UFC 292 clash profoundly impacted his life outside the Octagon.

Magny said he’d put on a father-like “ass whooping” on Garry leading up to their bout in August, which “The Haitian Sensation” went on to lose via decision. “The Future” turned Magny’s trash talk against him, implying that that the veteran was a child abuser during the same presser.

Magny recently revealed that the label had far-reaching impacts on his personal life as he was going through a custody battle for his children. According to Magny, headlines of articles associating him with “child abuse” were admissible as evidence against him in court.

“[Garry’s comments] in itself had a lot more consequences than just nonsense at the press conference. There were literally screenshots being taken of headlines saying that I'm a child abuser and I'd do this to my kids. There were screenshots being taken and put into apps and thin…

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Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White isn’t impressed with rival promotion Professional Fighters League’s recent acquisition of Bellator.

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The PFL officially announced the purchase earlier this month with plans of hosting separate one-off events under the Bellator banner in the near future. PFL founder Donn Davis subsequently laid claim to industry “co-leader” status alongside the UFC based on their new roster.

When asked about Davis’ comments, White dismissed the deal as one failing company buying another.

“Good for them. I wish them all of the luck in the world... One s——y organization that sells no tickets and nobody watches buys another s----y organization that sells no tickets and nobody watches,” White said at the UFC Austin post-fight press conference. “Sounds like a f---ing winner to me, boy”

The UFC frontman further sounded off on a reporter who said PFL now has a “sound” roster. The 54-year-old went…

Jalin Turner KO’s Bobby Green! 😱 #UFCAustin pic.twitter.com/fDsmqhXyvD

— bjpenndotcom (@bjpenndotcom) December 3, 2023

Jalin Turner’s Round 1 knockout win over Bobby Green at UFC Austin was marred by a stoppage that came much later than it needed to be.

Turner stepped up on 10 days’ notice after Dan Hooker pulled out of the event due to an injury. Not only did “The Tarantula” make weight despite a worrisome cut, the 28-year-old went on to dismantle Green 2:49 into the opening frame.

Turner dropped “King” with a devastating right hand and then landed a series of follow-up punches on the canvas, which were more than enough to call the fight. However, referee Kerry Hatley elected to let Green turn his back and take a barrage of unanswered shots before deciding to step in.

UFC CEO Dana White called the stoppage one of the worst ever at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. However, White also revealed that Hatley, a veteran offi…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor Jimmie Rivera now juggles his roles as a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship star and a police officer.

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Rivera parted ways with the Las Vegas-based promotion in August 2021 before signing with BKFC last year. “El Terror” co-headlined BKFC 56 on Saturday in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he suffered a technical knockout loss to Jeremy Stephens at the end of the third frame via doctor stoppage.

When he is not slugging it out in bare knuckle contests, Rivera is also a cop at the Elmwood Park Police Department. Rivera, who admittedly needs to keep himself busy, initially tried his hand at dispatch during the pandemic as a sense of uncertainty engulfed the world of sports.

“I won’t say I have ADHD, but I can’t stop. I always have to work. I’ve always got to do something. I’m all about the grinding. … It’s also very bad mentally, to not do anything. You see people who retire and they don’t do anything. The…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship was feeling especially generous following a memorable evening in the Lonestar State.

When all was said and done, $500,000 in bonus money was given out to the athletes from UFC on ESPN 52 in Austin, Texas, on Saturday night. This included $50,000 “Performance of the Night” checks to eight fighters on the card who secured finishes: Arman Tsarukyan, Jalin Turner, Sean Brady, Dustin Stoltzfus, Miesha Tate, Cody Brundage, Drakkar Klose and Jared Gooden.

Particularly noteworthy in this group were the efforts of Brundage and Klose, who became the first two fighters in UFC history to win bouts via slam KO on the same card. Elsewhere, Tsarukyan stopped Beneil Dariush in just 64 seconds in the evening’s lightweight headliner, while Turner dispatched Bobby Green 2:49 into the opening stanza of their 155-pound co-main event.

The only finisher who didn’t receive a “Performance of the Night” check was Rodolfo Bellato, but that was because he …

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return to Austin was a violent affair.

Nine out of 12 bouts fell short of the distance at UFC on ESPN 52, but the finish in the main event still stole the show. No. 8 ranked lightweight Arman Tsarukyan exploded into the the Top 5 with a cataclysmic first-round knockout over No. 4 Beneil Dariush to close out one of the best cards of the year at the Moody Center.

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On paper, the fight was between two extremely skilled grapplers with sneaky striking but we never got to see it. Both fighters instantly looked to take center cage and land their power. Tsarukyan (21-3, 8-2 UFC) closed the show fast with a right knee that lined Dariush up perfectly for a flush right hand over top.

Dariush (22-6-1, 16-6-1) hit the ground with a thud before the bout was stopped 1:04 into the round. A year ago, Dariush was the hottest lightweight in the world riding the momentum of an eight-fight win streak. 2023 has been a disaster. Dariu…

Sherdog's live UFC on ESPN 52 coverage will begin Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Hardy (-112), Horth (-108)Round 1 Women’s flyweights get the ball rolling, as Hardy (7-4-1, 2-4 UFC) takes on the undefeated Horth at 125 pounds. The 33-year-old Horth (6-0, 1-0 UFC) has finished five of her first six opponents. Mark Smith draws the officiating assignment. They touch gloves, and we are underway in the Texas capital. They spend the first 45 seconds sizing up one another. Horth slips on a kick and eats a right hand for her troubles. The Canadian has a significant size advantage. They trade body kicks, and Hardy circles on the perimeter. The Venezuelan lands an inside leg kicks, and Horth returns fire with one of her own. Not much in terms of meaningful offense from either women in what has been a tepid start. Hardy unleashes and overhand left, setting off a brief flurry between the two. She then pins Horth along the fence and scores with punches f…

Miesha Tate gets back in the win column with a Round 3 submission over Julia Avila 👏🏻 #UFCAustin pic.twitter.com/t4KtmQMYV7

— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom) December 3, 2023

Miesha Tate showed she still has some gas left in the tank at UFC on ESPN 52.

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The former Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight champion dominated in her first appearance in over a year, submitting Julia Avila by rear naked choke in the third round (1:15).

With the win, Tate (20-9, 7-6 UFC) picked up her 20th career victory. It was a win that’s eluded her for years. Many thought Tate was done after suffering back-to-back losses to Ketlen Vieira and Lauren Murphy, but Tate looked like her prime self early against Avila.

Using her patented wrestle-heavy style, Tate quickly took Avila to the mat and rode her for the entire five minutes. Tate peppered her with shots and forced her to survive without breaking a sweat. After two potential …

Former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno will lock horns with top contender Amir Albazi in the co-main event of an Ultimate Fighting Championship card on Feb. 24.

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ESPN Deportes was first to report the 125-pound pairing was in the works, and it has since been confirmed by multiple outlets. The UFC Fight Night event is expected to mark the promotion’s return to Mexico City, though a location has yet to be formally announced. Moreno vs. Albazi will reportedly be contested over five rounds.

Moreno’s second reign as flyweight king came to an end at UFC 290, where he dropped a split-decision to Alexandre Pantoja on July 8. The Mexican standout famously faced Deiveson Figueiredo four times in championship bouts from December 2020 to Janaury 2023, going 2-1-1 against his Brazilian rival. His resume also includes triumphs over the like of Kai Kara France (twice), Brandon Royval, Jussier Formiga and Dustin Ortiz.

Albazi will take a six-fight winning st…

An intriguing flyweight bout between Andrea Lee and Miranda Maverick has been added to the UFC 298 pay-per-view event.

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The bout was first announced by Maverick on her social media and later confirmed by MMAFighting.com.

Lee is currently on a three-fight skid. The Louisiana native is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Natalia Silva at UFC 292, which was preceded by defeats against Maycee Barber and Viviane Araujo.

Meanwhile, Maverick (12-5) has won three out of her last four outings and is coming off a Round 3 submission victory against Priscila Cachoeira at UFC 291.

UFC 298 will be headlined by a highly anticipated title fight between reigning featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and undefeated contender Ilia Topuria on Feb.17 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

A middleweight matchup between Anthony Hernandez and Ikram Aliskerov has been added to the UFC 298 card set for Feb.17.

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The news was first reported MMAFighting.com and subsequently confirmed by both fighters on social media.

Hernandez (11-2) is currently on a four-fight winning streak, most recently securing a Round 3 technical knockout victory against Edmen Shahbazyan at UFC Fight Night 223. The Dana White’s Contender series alum kicked off his promotional journey with a 1-2 record, but has turned things around since his loss to Kevin Holland in May 2020.

Meanwhile, Russia's Aliskerov (15-1) is one of the most intriguing prospects to join the UFC’s middleweight division this year. Aliskerov's only professional loss to date came against top contender Khamzat Chimaev back when the two competed under the Brave Fighting Championship banner in 2019. Since then, the KHK MMA Team product has racked up seven consecutive victories — two in the UFC —…