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Ex-Flyweight Queen Juliana Velasquez Among Additions to Bellator 301 Preliminary Card

Former flyweight champion Juliana Velasquez will return to action for the first time in nearly a year when she meets Paula Cristina dos Santos Silva on the Bellator 301 preliminary draw.

Promotion officials announced the bout on Monday. Three other prelims were also confirmed for the event: Keri Melendez vs. Sabriye Sengul at flyweight; Archie Colgan vs. Pieter Buist at lightweight and Matheus Mattos vs. Richard Palencia at bantamweight.

Bellator 301 takes place at Wintrust Arena in Chicago on Nov. 17 and is headlined by a welterweight title tilt pitting Yaroslav Amosov against Jason Jackson. In the co-main event, Sergio Pettis will square off with Patrick Mix in a bantamweight championship unification bout. The main card airs on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, while prelims stream at the Bellator MMA YouTube channel, the Showtime Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV beginning at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT.

Velasquez, who will turn 37 in October, …

Contender Series Weigh-in Results: All 10 Athletes on Point for Week 7

Week 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series is official, as all 10 athletes slated to compete made weight without issue on Monday.

The Contender Series takes place on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and features a heavyweight clash between Shamil Gaziev (259.5) and Greg Velasco (263.5). The card airs on ESPN+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Gaziev is undefeated in 10 professional appearances, with all but one of those triumphs coming inside the distance. Most recently, he scored a first-round stoppage of UFC veteran Darko Stosic at Brave CF 69 on Feb. 18.

Velasco, meanwhile, has compiled a 6-0 mark while competing exclusively under the Cage Fury Fighting Championships banner. In his last outing, “The Viking King” defeated Ronald Coleman via second-round TKO at CFFC 117 on March 31.

Contender Series Weigh-in Results:Shamil Gaziev (259.5) vs. Greg Velasco (263.5)Jacobi Jones (156) vs. Daniel James Allen (156)Stephanie Luciano (115.5) vs. Talita Alencar (115)…

Leon Edwards’ Brother Addresses Delay in UFC Champ’s Next Title Defense

Leon Edwards last defended his welterweight title in a trilogy clash against Kamaru Usman at UFC 286 in March.

UFC president Dana White subsequently insisted on Colby Covington being next in line for the title shot, drawing protests from other elite welterweights like Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad.

While White has stood firm on his stance, there has since been a lull in fight talks, which has raised some concerns among fans. Fabian Edwards, who makes his own bid for gold at Bellator 299 at the 3Arena in Dublin on Sept. 23, recently addressed fans’ concerns about the delay in the UFC champ’s next title defense.

According to the champion’s younger brother, the delay is mainly due to negotiations, as “Rocky” is training and ready to go.

“Fans keep asking but he's ready to go, he's ready to get in there it's just about the negotiations,” Fabian told The Daily Star . “It’s about location and so many things. At the moment the focus is on…

Erin Blanchfield Calls for Flyweight Title Shot After Grasso-Shevchenko Draw

Valentina Shevchenko challenged Alexa Grasso in a rematch for the UFC women’s flyweight title in the main event at Noche UFC on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Grasso retained her title when the contest was ruled a split draw following 25 back-and-forth minutes.

Judge Mike Bell submitted a 10-8 fifth round in favor of the champ, a tally that Shevchenko blamed on the Mexican Independence Day “pressure.” Meanwhile, Grasso didn't seem too keen on a trilogy fight, although she said she would ultimately accept the UFC’s decision in regards to matchmaking.

UFC flyweight contender Erin Blanchfield also believes that the division needs some new blood. However, in case the trilogy takes place, “Cold Blooded” doesn’t mind proving herself one more time against French standout Manon Fiorot, who is trailing her in the UFC.com rankings.

“I feel like I definitely should be next,” Blanchfield said in an interview with The Schmo. “I feel like t…

After Noche UFC Deat, Kevin Holland Calls Out Neil Magny for Hair vs. Hair Match

Kevin Holland came up on the wrong side of split decision against Australian standout Jack Della Maddalena in the co-main event at Noche UFC on Saturday.

While Holland immediately expressed his disappointment with the decision, many fans have accused “Trailblazer” of a lackluster showing.

Holland was coming off consecutive stoppage wins over Santiago Ponzinibbio and Michael Chiesa going into his Noche UFC clash against Maddalena. Holland has now issued a callout to welterweight veteran Neil Magny, who is ranked right above him. “Trailblazer,”who has made clear that title contention isn’t his immediate goal, proposed an unusual “loser cuts hair” matchup against Magny on his Instagram Stories.

“Props to [Jack], good guard. I'd like to go watch it back! I see y'all talking about poor performance. I really honestly thought I outworked dude but [what the hell] do I know? [For] those that ride with me, how about Neil Magny loser cuts [their] hair.…

After Noche UFC Defeat, Kevin Holland Calls Out Neil Magny for Hair vs. Hair Match

Kevin Holland came up on the wrong side of split decision against Australian standout Jack Della Maddalena in the co-main event at Noche UFC on Saturday.

While Holland immediately expressed his disappointment with the decision, many fans have accused “Trailblazer” of a lackluster showing.

Raul Rosas Jr. Believes He Can Be ‘One of the Biggest Superstars’ in the UFC

Raul Rosas Jr. clearly wasn’t dwelling on the first loss of his mixed martial arts career.

The 18-year-old Dana White’s Contender Series alum returned to the win column in impressive fashion at UFC Fight Night 227, as he dispatched Terrence Mitchell via technical knockout in just 54 seconds at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. It was a much-needed performance after Rosas fell to Christian Rodriguez at UFC 287 this past April.

“[I] never had any doubts about my skills,” Rosas said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “The only thing that loss changed was my record, and tonight I showed that nothing has changed.”

The typically wrestling-minded Rosas showcased some different skills against Mitchell, dropping his foe with a big punch and finishing the contest with ground-and-pound on the canvas.

“My grappling and my timing was on point,” Rosas said. “If it touched the ground, I knew I was going to find the submission. We put i…

Grasso Noncommittal Regarding Shevchenko Trilogy: ‘I Don’t Like to Stop the Division’

Alexa Grasso knows what it’s like to be on the outside looking in as a title hopeful.

So while her rematch with Valentina Shevchenko didn’t bring any closure to their rivalry, Grasso didn’t seem especially excited jumping right back into a trilogy with “Bullet” in her next Octagon appearance.

“It’s an interesting question,” Grasso said at the UFC Fight Night 227 post-fight press conference. “I don’t like to stop the division. There’s a lot of girls fighting to have this opportunity like I did, so I don’t like to stop it.”

If the promotion wants Grasso to run it back with Shevchenko immediately, she won’t offer serious resistance. However, there are other worthy contenders at flyweight, with both Erin Blanchfield and Manon Fiorot putting togething impressive runs in the division.

“It all depends on the UFC. If they want a trilogy, let’s do this,” Grasso said. “If not, I would like to give an opportunity for another girl. I know how it is to be fi…

Valentina Shevchenko Blames Split Draw on Mexican Independence Day ‘Pressure’

Alexa Grasso made her first flyweight title defense against Valentina Shevchenko in the main event at Noche UFC on Saturday. “Bullet” looked to regain the title she’d lost to the Mexican in a huge upset at UFC 285 earlier this year.

Both fighters went toe-to-toe from the opening bell, with Shevchenko likely edging out the first round with some leg kicks and control time against the fence. Nevertheless, Grasso bounced back strong in the second frame, dropping Shevchenko with a huge right hand. However, the former champ managed to control incoming damage by landing an immediate takedown and spending the rest of the round in control.

Shevchenko’s grappling dominance was also the story of the third round, although Grasso displayed impressive nerves in fighting through a guillotine. The fourth frame was extremely close as “Bullet” failed to control Grasso on the ground while the Mexican unleashed a flurry of knees during a frantic exchange.&…

Tracy Cortez Dedicates Noche UFC Win to Henry Cejudo’s Late Sister

Flyweight prospect Tracy Cortez took on Jasmine Jasudavicius in the prelims at Noche UFC on Saturday night.

While Cortez started strong, landing the seemingly heavier shots in the opening frame, Jasudavicius bounced back in the second frame with accurate counters and two late takedowns. Although both fighters threw with intent in the final round, Cortez appeared to land the more damaging shots to edge out a hard-fought unanimous decision win.

During the post-fight media scrum, the Phoenix native revealed she had received the unfortunate news of the death of Henry Cejudo’s sister, Gloria Nelly Cejudo, who lost a two-year battle with cancer a day before the fight. Cortez, who has known the Cejudo family for years, hardly had time to grieve the death of someone she called a “big sister.”

“I was extremely emotional because yesterday I got a call, from, I’m gonna say my family, because I’ve known them my entire life,” Cortez said. “That someone r…

Pat Sabatini vs. Diego Lopes Booked for UFC 295 on Nov. 11

Featherweight veteran Pat Sabatini (18-4) is set to trade leather with Diego Lopes (22-6) at UFC 295.

The matchup was first reported by Carlos Contreras Legaspi of ESPN. UFC 295 takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 11 and is headlined by heavyweight championship clash between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic.

Sabatini kicked off his Ultimate Fighting Championship career with a four-fight winning streak which was snapped by a brutal technical knockout loss to Damon Jackson in Sept. 2022. However, the 32-year-old has since bounced back with a second-round submission win against Lucas Almeida earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Lopes failed to earn a UFC contract in his Dana White’s Contender Series appearance in 2021, coming up on the short side of a decision against Joanderson Brito. However, the 28-year-old standout went on to win two of his next three, including back-to-back knockouts, eventually earning himself a UFC card spot on fi…

Daniel da Silva vs. Edgar Chairez Ends in No Contest Due to Referee Error at Noche UFC

Daniel da Silva and Edgar Chairez met in a flyweight clash on the prelim card at Noche UFC on Saturday night, but it ended in disappointment for both men.

Da Silva took Chairez down early and managed to get in some ground-and-pound. However, the Mexican scrambled up only to be driven to the fence by his opponent. During that scramble, Chairez attempted a guillotine, making da Silva let go of a single-leg takedown attempt as referee Chris Tognoni watched closely.

Just as the commentary booth expressed their concern about a potential error by the referee, Tognoni called a stop to the contest, seemingly assuming that da Silva had passed out from the choke. “Miojo” immediately protested the stoppage, which was overturned moments later to a no contest after Tognoni and the cageside replay official reviewed the video.

#NocheUFC Highlight Video: EdgarChairez vs. DanieldaSilva Stopped Prematurelyhttps://t.co/ZlLrNUIp87

— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom…

UFC Fight Night 227 Bonuses: All Five Finishers Pocket $50,000

Those who got the job done inside the distance received a little something extra at UFC Fight Night 227.

All five fighters — Raul Rosas Jr., Daniel Zellhuber, Lupita Godinez, Roman Kopylov and Charlie Campbell — who secured finishes garnered $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonuses for their work inside the Octagon at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

Rosa Jr. rebounded from his first career defeat in style, as the 18-year-old Dana White’s Contender Series alum scored a 54-second technical knockout victoy against Terrence Mitchell in a featured bantamweight tilt. Meanwhile, Zellhuber shook off a slow start to submit Christos Giagos with an anaconda choke 3:26 into Round 2 of their main-card lightweight clash.

Godinez closed out the prelims with a dominant effort against Elise Reed, as she tapped her foe with a rear-naked choke 3:30 into the second frame of a strawweight clash, while Kopylov vanquished Josh Fremd with a punch to the body…

Alexa Grasso Retains Title Following Controversial Draw at Noche UFC

Fans were treated to one of the greatest title fights in Ultimate Fighting Championship history but left with a sour taste in their mouths after the highly-anticipated rematch between flyweight champion Alexa Grasso and former kingpin Valentina Shevchenko was scored a split draw (48-47, 47-48, 47-47) in the Noche UFC main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas Saturday night.

Six months after snapping Shevchenko’s nine-fight winning streak and reign as champion, Grasso entered the partisan crowd on Mexican Independence Day as the fan favorite, but "Bullet" was eager to spoil the party.

Shevchenko dominated on the ground early but looked tense on the feet and Grasso took advantage. The champ dropped Shevchenko in Round 2 and brought the crowd to its feet before piecing her up in the clinch. Shevchenko yet again took the fight to the ground, but it was clear that Grasso was a deserving champion.

Rounds 3 and 4 were back and forth and could’ve swayed e…

Noche UFC ‘Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2’ Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

Sherdog's live Noche UFC Fight Night 227 coverage will begin Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Knutsson (-485), Mann (+370)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Campbell (-400), Reyes (+300)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:The Off…

Lupita Godinez Dominates, Finishes Elise Reed in Noche UFC Featured Prelim Bout

LOOPY GODINEZ PUT ON A CLINIC 😤 #NocheUFC pic.twitter.com/m8FI57wq1G

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 17, 2023

Lupita Godinez has the potential to be a star in the strawweight division if she can stay consistent. Her time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship has been filled with ups and downs but she could be in the midst of a serious winning streak after securing her third straight against Elise Reed.

Godinez looked incredible from the start. She nearly shut Reed’s lights off with a wicked left hook before following her to the mat and securing a tight armbar attempt. Reed’s toughness and dexterity shined through as she withstood several deadly submission attempts to survive the round.

Godinez wouldn’t let Reed off the hook, though. The beatdown continued into Round 2 as Godinez pieced up Reed along the fence before dumping her back onto the canvas. Goodinez put her final stamp on the fight by taking Reed’s back and…

Wild KSW 86 Main Event Ends With Illegal Soccer Kick

Oh no!! Kick to a downed opponent!!

Fight is over!! What is going to happen!? #KSW86 pic.twitter.com/XQIEsWk4Ts

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) September 16, 2023

Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki bantamweight kingpin Jakub Wiklacz can’t get rid of former champion Sebastian Przybysz and despite duking it out for a fourth time in the KSW 86 main event, it doesn’t look like the two’s rivalry will end anytime soon.

Wiklacz and Przybysz’s four-round war was scored a technical draw after Wiklacz was deducted two points from referee Marc Goddard due to an illegal soccer kick. Pryzbysz was unable to continue and the point deduction closed the gap in a very competitive fight.

What may be the most absurd fact is that most fans tuned into the live stream lost sight of the feed early into the fourth round. By the time the feed came back Goddard was waiving off the fight and fans were left in shock of what happened.

The fight was a barnburner t…

Fabricio Werdum Reveals He Hid Broken Toes from Commission at Gamebred FC 5

[embedded content]

While sharing behind-the-scenes details of his bareknuckle MMA bout against Junior dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum made an interesting revelation.

Werdum, who lost a split decision to dos Santos at Gamebred FC 5, made a point of praising his opponent but also revealed that he competed with two broken toes in the bout. “Vai Cavalo” said on his YouTube channel that he was only able to fight because he secretly received a (splint) in his foot with an unwitting commission official nearby in his locker room.

“There's no way to take away Cigano's merits. He imposed his strategy 100% and deserved to win,” Werdum said. “But what few people know is that I broke two toes on my left foot 10 days before the fight. Obviously, if the commission found out the fight would be canceled, because it was really serious. The impression I had was that the toes were hanging down only by the skin.”

Werdum shared how his team was able to conceal the injur…

A.J. McKee, Sidney Outlaw to Meet in LW Grand Prix Alternate Bout at Bellator 301

A.J. McKee will square off against Sidney Outlaw in a lightweight grand prix alternate bout at Bellator 301.

ESPN was first to report the pairing. Bellator 301 takes place at Wintrust Arena in Chicago on Nov. 17 and is headlined by a welterweight title clash between Yaroslav Amosov and Jason Jackson. The event also features a 155-pound grand prix semifinal pitting Patricky Freire against Alexandr Shabliy.

McKee was originally supposed to compete in the bracket but was forced to withdraw from a quarterfinal matchup against Freire due to injury. The former Bellator featherweight king is 2-0 since moving to lightweight, with victories against Spike Carlyle and Roberto Satoshi de Souza to his credit.

Outlaw, meanwhile, has been victorious in 12 of his last 14 professional outings. Most recently, the 31-year-old Dante Rivera BJJ product outpointed Islam Mamedov at Bellator 298. His only setbacks during that stretch have come at the hands of Tofiq Musayev and …

Javid Basharat vs. Victor Henry Booked for UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi

With a little more than a month left before UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi, the promotion has reportedly added another exciting matchup to the card.

Javid Basharat will face Victor Henry at the Oct. 21 event. The bantamweight bout was initially reported by MMAjunkie.com. UFC 294 is headlined by a lightweight title tilt between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira. The card will also witness a pivotal middleweight clash between UFC stars Paulo Costa and Khamzat Chimaev and a light heavyweight showdown between Johnny Walker and Magomed Ankalaev.

Basharat improved to 4-0 in the Octagon with a unanimous decision win over Mateus Mendoca at UFC Fight Night 217 in January. The Xtreme Couture product is 14-0 as a professional.

Henry, made his promotional debut in January 2022 against Raoni Barcelos and currently boasts a 2-1 record in the UFC. Coming off a contentious split-decision victory against Tony Gravely in March, Henry will look to put on a more decisive performanc…

UFC Fight Night 227 Weigh-in Results: Title Fight Rematch Set

[embedded content] The Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight championship will be on the line in the UFC Fight Night 227 main event.

The five-round main event is now set after the UFC Fight Night 227, also known as "Noche UFC," weigh-ins took place. Champion Alexa Grasso will look to make her first defense against the woman she dethroned, Valentina Shevchenko. Both women successfully made weight, as Grasso came in at 124.5 pounds, while Shevchenko also weighed 124.5 pounds. All of the rest of the fighters on the card also hit their marks.

Mexico's Grasso (16-3) is coming off arguably the biggest upset of the year and one of the largest in company history when she stopped Shevchenko in March. The 30-year-old will look to show that she can beat Shevchenko again, after claiming the title via a face crank submission. This marked Grasso's fifth straight win, and capped off an impressive streak that saw her also beat Maycee Barber, Joanne Wood and Vivi…

Devin Smyth Erases Jonathan Piersma With Spinning Wheel Kick in LFA 167 Headliner

Devin Smyth JUST DID THAT 💥 #LFA167 pic.twitter.com/ykHfONvKKh

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) September 16, 2023

Devin Smyth (10-3) returned to the win column in style at Friday’s Legacy Fighting Alliance 167 main event in Niagara Falls, New York.

Smyth wasted little time going up against welterweight Jonathan Piersma (6-2). Soon after feeling out the distance and applying forward pressure for the initial moments of the bout, “The Prodigy” unloaded a devastating spinning wheel kick against Piersma 51 seconds of the opening frame.

In the co-main event, welterweight Shamidkhan Magomedov (6-1) captured a hard-fought unanimous decision against Uzbekistan's Bahromjon Mashrapov (7-3).

Also on the card was a strawweight bout between Canadian Ashley Nichols (6-4) and Mexicos' Nadia Vera (4-2). In the end, Nichols managed to secure a decisive unanimous decision victory.

Additionally, Jeff Craig edged Barrington …

Roybert Echeverria Taps Pololu Nakanelua With Impressive Anaconda Choke at CFFC 125

Echeverria with the main event finish!!!

What a night! Thank you, North Dakota!!!#CFFC125 pic.twitter.com/fU325XGW8Z

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) September 16, 2023

Venezuelan flyweight prospect Roybert Echeverria (8-1) returned to the win column after securing an anaconda choke at 2:56 of Round 2 against Pololu Nakanelua (6-2) in Friday’s Cage Fury Fighting Championship 125 headliner.

Coming off a Round 3 loss in an appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022, Echeverria came in primed for his catchweight CFFC bout in New Town, North Dakota, and managed to secure the slick submission against the Legacy Fighting Alliance alum in his promotional debut.

In the co-main event, another catchweight bout, J.P. St. Louis (10-5) fought his way to a majority decision against Nicholas Meck (5-1).

In a women's bantamweight matchup, Elizabeth Schroder (4-3) was awarded a unanimous decision win against Al…

Rizin Landmark 7 in Azerbaijan on Nov. 4 to Serve as First Rizin Card Outside of Japan

💥💥NEW CARD💥💥#RIZIN_LANDMARK7 in AZE🇦🇿

👑Featherweight title match👑RIZIN MMA rules 66.0kg

🟥Vugar KeramovCurrent RIZIN Featherweight Championーー🆚ーーー🟦Chihiro SuzukiFirst KNOCK OUT-BLACK Champion

📅11/4(Sat)🏟National Gymnastics Arenahttps://t.co/h8XymWK5Oq pic.twitter.com/Oz5jknVbbX

— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) September 14, 2023 Rizin Fighting Federation is going international in the most unexpected of ways.

The Japan-based promotion had hinted that a trip to Azerbaijan would be in the cards in the future, due to a number of talented competitors on its roster from the region. All past Rizin events, from Saraba no Utake in December 2015, to its secret Landmark events held in undisclosed locations, to its blockbuster shows at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, have taken place in Japan. According to a press conference on Thursday, the organization is officially going to Baku, Azerbaijan, on Nov. 4, for Rizin…

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