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Jailton Almeida vs. Curtis Blaydes, Mateusz Gamrot vs. Rafael dos Anjos Set for UFC 299

Two key matchups have been booked for UFC 299, as Jailton Almeida will face Curtis Blaydes at heavyweight, while Mateusz Gamrot will meet Rafael dos Anjos at lightweight.

The Las Vegas-based promotion confirmed the bouts on Tuesday. UFC 299 takes place on March 9 and is headlined by a bantamweight title tilt pitting Sean O’Malley against Marlon Vera.

Almeida and Blaydes were initially supposed to lock horns at UFC Fight Night 231 in Sao Paulo, but Blaydes was forced to withdraw from the event due to injury. Instead, Almeida cruised to a five-round verdict against Derrick Lewis in the card’s new main event. “Maladinho” has won 15 consecutive fights, a streak that includes six triumphs in UFC competition.

Blaydes last appeared at UFC Fight Night 222 this past April, when he had a three-bout winning streak snapped in a first-round technical knockout loss to Sergei Pavlovich. “Razor” is 12-4 in the Octagon, with victories over the likes of Tom As…

ONE Championship Partners with Sky Sports to Broadcast Events in the UK, Ireland

ONE Championship is teaming up with @SkySports, Europe's leading sports broadcaster, on an exclusive partnership to air the world's largest martial arts organization in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 and Ireland 🇮🇪

The partnership kicks off with #ONEFightNight18 on January 13 at 1AM… pic.twitter.com/tF9PqXeSsy

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) December 12, 2023

ONE Championship has partnered with Sky Sports to broadcast its events — along with ancillary programming — to viewers in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The Singapore-based promotion announced the agreement on Tuesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The partnership will begin with One on Prime Video 18 on Jan. 12. The card takes place at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, and is headlined by a 135-pound kickboxing title bout between Superlek Kiatmoo9 and Elias Mahmoudi. Additionally, UFC veteran John Lineker will compete in muay thai against Liam H…

Referees, Judges Selected for Title Bouts at UFC 296

Veteran official Herb Dean will be the third man in the cage when Leon Edwards and Colby Covington square off for the welterweight crown at UFC 296.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission on Tuesday approved referee and judging assignments for the two championship bouts atop Saturday’s card at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Dean, who has officiated Edwards’ last four fights, will be paid $2,600 for his work. Dean also oversaw Covington’s last Octagon appearance, a five-round verdict over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272.

Meanwhile, Derek Cleary, Sal D’Amato and Chris Lee will serve as cageside judges for the UFC 296 headliner. They will earn $2,300 apiece. Lee submitted a 48-46 tally for Edwards in the Englishman’s majority decision triumph against Kamaru Usman at UFC 286 this past March.

Marc Goddard will referee the flyweight title bout between Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Royval in the UFC 296 co-main event. Like Dean, Goddard will be paid $2,6…

Tai Tuivasa vs. Marcin Tybura Added to UFC 298 Lineup on Feb. 17

A heavyweight clash pitting Tai Tuivasa against Marcin Tybura is on tap for UFC 298.

The Las Vegas-based promotion recently announced the booking. UFC 298 takes place on Feb. 17 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, and is headlined by a featherweight championship bout between Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria.

Tuivasa is in the midst of a three-fight skid in which he has been finished by Alexander Volkov, Sergei Pavlovich and Ciryl Gane. Prior to that, the affable Aussie won five straight contests from October 2020 to February 2022, stopping all of his opponents by knockout or technical knockout. “Bam Bam” is 8-6 over the course of his UFC tenure and 14-6 as a professional overall.

Tybura, meanwhile, is coming off a first-round technical knockout defeat to current interim heavweight king Tom Aspinall at UFC Fight Night 224 on July 22. Prior to that, the 38-year-old Pole had been victorious in seven of his previous eight Octagon appearances. Hi…

Ilia Topuria Expects Volkanovski to Be ‘One of the Easier Fights of My Career’

Ilia Topuria believes he’ll dominate Alexander Volkanovksi in their upcoming featherweight title fight.

Topuria released a theatrical trailer predicting victory right after his booking against Volkanovksi was announced for UFC 298 on Feb. 17. While “El Matador” has been on a collision course with Volkanovski for a while now, the matchup was slightly delayed when “The Great” stepped in a for a short notice rematch against lightweight champ Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 this past October.

Volkanovski went on to suffer a head kick knockout in the first round and later attributed the loss to accepting the fight on short notice. The featherweight champ believes people have somewhat forgotten who he really is due to the manner of his last loss, but he has vowed to give Topuria a a lesson in humility in their fight.

Meanwhile, Topuria’s confidence is on a whole new level. While “El Matador” doesn’t exactly see any holes in Volkanovski’s game, he beli…

Leon Edwards: Colby Covington Received Title Shot Due to ‘Dana White Privilege’

With less than a week to go before their headlining clash at UFC 296, Leon Edwards still can’t make sense of how Colby Covington got a title shot.

Edwards successfully defended his belt in a rematch against Kamaru Usman at UFC 286 in March. While Belal Muhammad was widely considered to be next in line for the title shot, Dana White dropped Covington’s name in the post-fight media scrum. Despite protests from Muhammad, widespread media criticism and Covington having not fought since March 2022, White adamantly insisted on “Chaos” getting the shot.

Edwards recently reiterated his disapproval of Covington’s gold bid, noting most of his recent wins came against fighters who are no longer in the UFC. With no other possible reasoning for the move, Edwards has only one explanation: Covington enjoys “Dana White privilege.”

“I couldn’t tell you. That’s what the UFC, that’s what everyone [wants]. I don’t know, I don’t know what the excuse is,” Edwards s…

Paddy Pimblett Would Like to See Tony Ferguson Win Again Before Retiring

Paddy Pimblett would like to see upcoming opponent Tony Ferguson return to the win column — just not at his expense.

Pimblett is scheduled to return to action at UFC 296 on Saturday after being shelved for a year due to an injury that that was aggravated in his last fight against Jared Gooden and needed surgery. “The Baddy” is unbeaten in his last six outings, including four in the UFC. Ferguson, by contrast, has lost six straight.

While Ferguson was once touted to be the only threat to former lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov, “El Cucuy” hasn’t appeared to be the same fighter since a lopsided beating against Justin Gaethje in 2020.

Pimblett is also a fan of Ferguson and wants the former interim champ to register one more win before hanging up his gloves. However, the 28-year-old Liverpudlian can’t let it happen in their upcoming clash on Dec. 16.

“I really respect Tony Ferguson. He’s one of the Top 5 lightweights of all time. Who w…

Shavkat Rakhmonov Plans to Prove Title Shot Readiness by Defeating ‘Wonderboy’

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Shavkat Rakhmonov has had a tough time getting fights against Top 10 fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and he plans to make the most of his showcase this Saturday.

Rakhmonov (17-0) is slated to meet two-time welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson at UFC 296 on Dec. 16 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The event will be headlined by the division’s current titleholder, Leon Edwards, defending his welterweight strap against Colby Covington. While Rakhmonov sits at No. 5 in the UFC’s official rankings, a win over Thompson could catapult him into title contention considering the Kazakh has finished all 17 of his professional MMA fights.

Rakhmonov believes he is ready to fight for the title and is expecting to do so soon, though he is yet to have a conversation with the UFC in that regard.“Nomad” said on The MMA Hour:

“No, I didn’t have this conversation or any promises, but all I want to say is that I’m …

Colby Covington Takes Aim at Sean Strickland, Discusses Two-Division Aspirations

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While some are wondering whether this Saturday represents Colby Covington’s last, best chance at an undisputed title, he already has his sights set on two-division glory.

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship interim welterweight titleholder Covington (17-3), who challenges Leon Edwards (21-3, 1 NC) in the main event of UFC 296 on Saturday in Las Vegas, has been vocal about his plans for the near future. Despite not having fought since last March and despite two of his last four outings being title losses, “Chaos” earned himself another shot against Edwards, thanks in part to his penchant for incendiary statements.

While Covington is a slight underdog going into this week’s matchup, he has already disclosed his next target: UFC middleweight champ Sean Strickland. While Strickland is notorious for expressing his unhinged opinions on a variety of controversial topics, Covington claims to see through Strickland’s public persona, an…

Georges St. Pierre Denies Rumors Regarding Return for Potential UFC Superfight

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As he is known to do, Dana White is hinting at big things in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s future.

In this particular case, the UFC CEO recently indicated on the Full Send podcast that a superfight is in the works for the Las Vegas-based promotion. Other than confirming that said bout didn’t involve Conor McGregor, White wouldn’t reveal any further details.

“We’re talking about one right now, actually, that just popped up a few days ago,” White said. “I can’t talk about it until we get everybody... well, every fight that you would consider a ‘superfight’ would involve McGregor but this one isn’t, no.”

That led to speculation that UFC Hall of Famer Georges St. Pierre might be part of White’s plans. The former two-division champion hasn’t competed since 2017, when he submitted Michael Bisping at UFC 217 to claim middleweight gold. St. Pierre officially announced his retirement from MMA in 2019.

St. Pierre quickl…

Kevin Holland: Michael Page Choosing PFL Over UFC Would Be a ‘Money Move’

Kevin Holland would prefer Michael Page on the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster but admits that he can’t really blame “Venom” if he signs with the Professional Fighters League.

The Bellator veteran has generated his fair share of attention since announcing his free agency in July. Page was subsequently spotted at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi in October, with Dana White confirming mutual interest between the fighter and promotion. However, Page didn't close the door on potentially signing with the PFL, either.

Most recenlty, “MVP” was seen in attendance at PFL Europe 4 at the 3Arena in Dublin on Friday. The 36-year-old squared off with French star Cedric Doumbe, leading to speculation of a potential deal in the works.

According to Holland, Page would be choosing money over legacy if he signs with the PFL instead of the UFC. However, “Trailblazer” admits that he can’t exactly blame Page for prioritizing money considering the name of the game is …

Beneil Dariush Questions Fighting Ability: ‘Maybe I Don’t Have It Anymore’

Beneil Dariush is wondering if he can still compete at the sport’s highest level after a knockout loss to Arman Tsarukyan in the main event at UFC on ESPN 52 on Dec. 2.

It was the second consecutive knockout loss for the Kings MMA product, who fell to former champ Charles Oliveira in the opening round of their clash at UFC 289 in June. However, Dariush revealed that there is a significant difference in his mindset in aftermath of the two losses.

“Remember how I told you guys I just didn’t feel like I showed up that fight [against Oliveira]?” Dariush told Submission Radio. “No matter how I looked at it, I was like, ‘Man maybe I did something wrong in camp, I’m gonna go back and fix it.’ So that was my focus, I’m gonna go back and fix my camp and everything will be better.

“So I went in back into camp and just tried to do everything the best that I can and I had a really good camp for this fight. Great weight cut, great conditioning, everything…

Jan Blachowicz Admits Shoulder Injury Caused Significant Loss of Strength

Jan Blachowicz will admittedly need some time to regain his famed “Polish Power” as he awaits a shoulder surgery that has him sidelined.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champ was scheduled to fight Aleksandar Rakic in a rematch at UFC 297 in January but was forced out of the matchup due the injury. While it was initially assumed that the injury happened in camp, Blachowicz revealed that it had been building up for a while.

“I feel it for like three years, something like this,” Blachowicz told BJPenn.com. “I feel pain in my shoulders, but I accept the pain. Last three months, two months, I started losing my power, my strength. Forty percent goes, I tried and do something with physiotherapy and doctors, and they tried to fix it but every training was worse.

“When I did wrestling, I’d hold someone and they’d just grab my hand and open it like this, too easy. We did an MRI on both shoulders because I feel pain in both …

Kevin Jousset Targets Daniel Rodriguez After UFC Fight Night 233 Win

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

Kevin Jousset wants to blitz his way into the welterweight rankings after his win over Kenan Song at UFC Fight Night 233 on Saturday.

The Kiwi earned an emphatic decision win over Song in his sophomore outing after a first-round submission victory over Keifer Crosbie in his debut at UFC 293 in September. Jousset subsequently aimed high by calling out welterweight veteran Daniel Rodriguez, who will complete a USADA suspension early next year.

“I saw ‘D-Rod’ got cleared from USADA. I like his style. I feel he’s a very good fighter. He seems to be a good guy, as well,” Joussett said in a post-fight media scrum. “I don’t know the guy personally, but I would love to test my skills against this guy potentially. I know he’s much higher than me in the rankings, but who knows. If the UFC is interested in this fight, let’s do it.”

Jousset also acknowledged the need of certain im…

Belal Muhammad Set as Backup Fighter for UFC 296 Headliner

Belal Muhammad will be ready to step in should anything go awry with the UFC 296 main event.

Muhammad confirmed to MMAjunkie.com on Sunday that he will serve as the backup fighter for the welterweight championship clash between Leon Edwards and Colby Covington on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“They just hit me up Friday, asked me if I’m willing to weigh in for next week,” Muhammad said. “I think obviously they know Colby and Leon are the two most inactive welterweights in the division. Neither of these guys likes to fight. They’re both good at running. So just to be on the safe side, they called the dude that always steps up whenever needed.”

Muhammad is unbeaten in his last 10 Octagon appearances, including a five-round verdict over Gilbert Burns in his lone bout of 2023 at UFC 288. “Remember the Name” faced Edwards at UFC Fight Night 187 in March 2021, but the contest ended 18 seconds into Round 2 due to an accidental eye poke.

UFC 298 Update: Henry Cejudo to Face Merab Dvalishvili in Anaheim on Feb. 17

A potential bantamweight title eliminator between Henry Cejudo and Merab Dvalishvili has been booked for UFC 298.

Multiple outlets confirmed the pairing after Cejudo initially announced the bout on his YouTube channel Sunday. UFC 298 takes place on Feb. 17 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, and is headlined by a featherweight title tilt between Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria.

Cejudo returned from a three-year retirement at UFC 288 this past May, where he dropped a split decision to Aljamain Sterling in a bantamweight championship clash. The Olympic gold medalist had been unbeaten in six previous Octagon appearances from 2017 to 2020. “The Messenger” owns notable wins over the likes of Dominick Cruz, Marlon Moraes, T.J. Dillashaw, Demetrious Johnson, Sergio Pettis and Jussier Formiga, to name a few.

Dvalishvili will take a nine-fight promotional winning streak into the matchup with Cejudo. In his last outing, “The Machine” ou…

Ian Garry Worried About Family’s Safety Ahead of UFC 296

Irish prospect Ian Garry is worried about the safety of his family in the United States after having received a lot of flak from American fighters in recent times.

Garry came under scrutiny after fans dug up a book written by his wife, Layla Anna-Lee, in 2010. Anna-Lee, who is 14 years Garry’s senior, is the author of an 11-page booklet, “How to be a WAG,” which advises women on the best way to seek out relationships with rich and famous athletes.

Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champ Sean Strickland, who is known for his unabashed opinions, subsequently advised Garry to immediately separate from his wife on social media. The Irishman did not take to Strickland’s comments kindly, leading to a drawn-out online feud. Garry also allegedly stared at Strickland during a run-in at the UFC Performance Institute, which prompted the middleweight champ to ask him to slide into his DMs if he wanted things “handled.”

Personal life aside, Ga…

Khalil Rountree Calls for Title Fight Against Alex Pereira After KO of Anthony Smith

Khalil Rountree believes he is deserving of a title shot following his spectacular win over former title contender Anthony Smith in the co-main event at UFC Fight Night 233 on Saturday.

Smith stepped up on 15 days’ notice after Rountree’s original opponent, Azamat Murzakanov, pulled out due to pneumonia. Rountree clearly outstruck “Lionheart” from the outset of the fight before brutally knocking him out with an uppercut and left hook combo early in the third round. This marked the fifth consecutive victory for “The War Horse,” a streak which includes finishes against Modestas Bukauskas, Karl Roberson and Chris Daukaus.

In the aftermath of his latest victory, the streaking light heavyweight shot for the stars by calling for a title shot against Alex Pereira. However, the Tiger Muay Thai rep is also aware that he might have to pass other tests before making a gold bid.

“I came in with high hopes I would have a good performance,” the 33-year-old…

Leon Edwards Addresses Rumored Knockout of Ian Garry in Training

Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight king Leon Edwards recently offered some insight into his perceived dispute with rising welterweight prospect Ian Garry.

Garry got into a feud with Edwards after being barred from the Englishman’s Team Renegade gym. While Garry claimed to have been thrown out over Edwards’ “insecurities,” the champion entirely dismissed the narrative.

“I feel like once he came to the gym, he just didn’t fit into the gym,” Edwards told MMAFighting.com. “This is like the third gym now he’s been kicked out of. It is what it is. He’s just a different kind of guy. He’s hard to blend with. Everywhere he goes there’s a camera there. Everywhere he goes, his wife is there, his kid is there. There’s a lot going on. There wasn’t any bad blood. He came out and made it into a big thing and it wasn’t. He’s been kicked out of more gyms than mine. Like, why are you making such a big deal out of it? Because I’m the champion, he wants to ri…

Islam Makhachev Favors Gaethje Fight Over Rematches vs. Oliveira, Tsarukyan

Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight king Islam Makhachev would prefer adding new names to his resume than taking on rematches.

Surging contender Arman Tsarukyan recently announced his arrival at the top of the 155-pound division with a brutal KO win over Beneil Dariush at UFC Austin on Dec. 2. While Tsarukyan’s subsequent demand for a title shot was acknowledged by Dana White, Makhachev believes the Georgian has to pass another test in impressive fashion first.

Asked about Tsarukyan’s prediction of a first-round KO, Makhachev noted that he had won all three rounds against “Ahalkalakets” in their initial encounter back in 2019.

“Well it was a good knockout to be honest. After that fight I think he said loudly that he had won the top [ranking],” Makhachev told Ushatayka. “Well, he is approaching the title chance I would say… He already had the chance to knock me out. But he didn’t succeed. He didn’t win a single round. Let him train mor…

UFC Fight Night 233 Bonuses: Rountree Among Four ‘Performance of the Night’ Winners

Khalil Rountree got paid a little extra for the most significant victory of his Ultimate Fighting Championship career to date.

“The War Horse” received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his fifth straight triumph, a third-round technical knockout of Anthony Smith in the UFC Fight Night 233 co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Rountree ended the contest 56 seconds into the final stanza when he dropped his opponent with a right uppercut followed by a left hook.

Elsewhere, Nasrat Haqparast pocketed a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check thanks to a quick finish of Jamie Mullarkey in a featured middleweigh affair. The Tristar Gym representative sat his foe down with a straight left, then put Mullarkey away with a volley of uppercuts at the 1:44 mark of Round 1.

Tim Elliott stepped in on short notice against Su Mudaerji and was compensated an additional $50,000 for his efforts in a bantamweight scrap. Afte…

Yadong Song Shuts Out Chris Gutierrez in UFC Fight Night 233 Main Event

Yadong Song sees himself as a serious contender in the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight division. Perhaps he has a point.

The burgeoning Team Alpha Male star handled his business with all-terrain expertise and laid claim to a unanimous decision over Chris Gutierrez in the UFC Fight Night 233 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Song (21-7-1, 10-2-1 UFC) swept the scorecards with 50-44, 50-45 and 50-45 marks from the cageside judges, winning for the fifth time in six assignments.

Outside of a steady diet of leg kicks and a sensational front kick to the face in the second round, Gutierrez (20-6-2, 8-3-1 UFC) was not much of a factor. Song connected with the heavier punches, controlled the center of the cage and kept the Factory X rep in a constant state of retreat. He incorporated takedowns in the second, third and fourth rounds, pairing them with positional control and ground-and-pound. Gutierrez, in what can only be describ…

UFC Fight Night 233 ‘Song vs. Gutierrez’ Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 233 coverage will begin Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Dos Santos (-148), Alencar (+124)Round 1 The penultimate UFC card of 2023 is upon us, and it is certainly an event. Road to UFC 2 Finals UFC Shanghai UFC Vegas 83 will bring a small crop of Asian prospects to the forefront, but it will start with two Brazilian ladies going head-to-head at 115 pounds. Invicta FC atomweight champ Amanda (14-6, 0-0 UFC) will be moving up in weight for her promotional debut, while Alencar (4-0-1, 0-0 UFC) was signed off of Dana White’s Contender Series—from a draw. High finish rates from the ladies mean that referee Keith Peterson might have to get involved before it is all said and done, but before they get after it, the strawweight leave their nonsense at the door and wade towards one another without a glove touch in sight. Alencar sticks out a front kick to introduce herself, and Amanda backs off and flicks out a jab. Ama…

UFC Fight Night 233 Prelims: Tatsuro Taira, Now 15-0, Wrecks Carlos Hernandez

Tatsuro Taira once again served notice to the rest of the Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight division.

The undefeated former Shooto champion put away VFS Academy rep Carlos Hernandez with punches in the second round of their featured UFC Fight Night 233 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Hernandez (9-3, 2-2 UFC), who had never before been stopped by strikes, succumbed to blows 55 seconds into Round 2.

The 23-year-old Taira (15-0, 5-0 UFC) countered a takedown into top position in the first round, and the rout was on. He progressed from half guard to full mount, then advanced to the back while consolidating his efforts with ground-and-pound. Early in the second, Taira stepped into a beautifully timed right hook. The impact froze Hernandez where he stood and left him defenseless to follow-up attacks. Taira drove him to the mat with punches and sealed the deal with ground-and-pound.

Taira was not the only unbeaten flyweight prosp…

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