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Sergio Batarelli, the creator of International Vale Tudo Championship (IVC), an event that showcased MMA legends such as Wanderlei Silva and Pedro Rizzo in the 1990s, is starting a new promotion.

Batarelli revealed to Sherdog.com that MMA Fight Sport will hold its debut event in Qatar later in 2023. According to Batarelli, it will be a tournament with qualification matches leading to a "knockout" stage, with a total prize of $1 million in cash per category. In addition, there will be different rules and weight categories, to be announced soon.

"It will be a cage-style event, with weekly editions starting from November 2023 and a pay-per-view event every three months,” Batarelli said. “Anyone who holds or has an official title can send us their information.

Interested competitors can send their fight information via email to [email protected].

#COLLISION6 | NOV. 4 | RICO VS. OSARO

Register for the presale now at https://t.co/mtc7jeFgDP pic.twitter.com/DZIw51XNp1

— GLORY Kickboxing (@GLORY_WS) August 23, 2023

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Rico Verhoeven will square off against Tariq Osaro in a heavyweight championship unification bout at Glory Collision 6 on Nov. 4.

The kickboxing promotion announced the pairing on Wednesday. Glory Collision 6 takes place at the GelreDome in Arnhem, Netherlands, and will be available to view on GloryFights.com.

After a knee injury derailed Verhoeven’s return to action earlier this year, the “King of Kickboxing” will fight under the Glory banner for the first time since a fourth-round TKO win against Jamal Ben Saddik on Oct. 23, 2021. That marked Verhoeven’s 10th successful defense of the Glory heavyweight crown. The Dutchman is undefeated in his last 16 bouts overall, a streak that goes back nearly a decade.

Osaro, meanwhile, is coming off a k…

𝑨𝑳𝑳 𝑹𝑶𝑨𝑫𝑺 Lead To 11.24.23

Washington DC. Get Ready. The #PFLWorldChampionship is 𝑪𝑶𝑴𝑰𝑵𝑮 🏆💰 pic.twitter.com/npeuRSetk9

— PFL (@PFLMMA) August 23, 2023

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Professional Fighters League has a location and venue for its premier event.

The organization announced on Wednesday that the 2023 PFL Championships will take place at The Anthem in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 24. The event will see fighters from six different weight classes vying for titles and $1 million apiece. It was also announced that Celsius Essential Energy drink will be the presenting partner for the event, a sponsorship that includes branding on all championship athlete fight kits.

“We are thrilled to announce the 2023 PFL World Championship is coming to the nation’s capital, at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. to host the richest night in MMA on Friday, November 24,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray. “The PFL World Championship presented by our great partners at Ce…

The 2023 Professional Fighters League Playoff semifinals wrap up on Wednesday in New York City at PFL 9. The undercard airs live on ESPN+ at 6:30 p.m. ET, with the main card starting on ESPN at 9 p.m. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round: The Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:The Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Lev Pis…

Zachary Reese thrives on the quick finish.

The undefeated War Training Center prospect was one of three competitors to earn an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract during Week 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series, as he disposed of Eli Aronov with an armbar in the first round of their middleweight headliner on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Reese (6-0, 1-0 DWCS) brought it to a close 74 seconds into Round 1.

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Faced with a six-inch height and five-inch reach deficits, Aronov (6-1, 0-1 DWCS) unleashed a multi-punch burst, tripped his adversary to the floor and pressed his advantages with ground-and-pound. Reese kept his composure, isolated the Israeli’s right arm and drew him deeper into his guard before activating his hips to force the tapout.

Reese has stopped all six of his opponents inside one round.

Featherweight Luis Pajuelo and welterweight Oban Elliott completed the latest crop of UFC signees, bringing the season total to 13.

C…

Sherdog's live coverage of DWCS 2023, Week 3 will begin at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Round 1 Jacob Montalvo will oversee the first fight of the evening. Ring begins things with an outside leg kick. Ring sticks a jab, and then Pajuelo makes him stumble with a heavy leg kick. Ring catches a low kick and counters with an overhand. Ring backs up his foe with a combination and then follows him into the fence with a knee. Pajuelo waves him on and they trade more punches. Ring is throwing combinations well early. Pajuelo walks forward and trades with Ring. It’s a firefight early, but Pajuelo buckles Ring with a clean straight shot, who shoots out of desperation. Pajuelo punches the ribs of his opponent but then gets his ankle caught, allowing Ring to land the takedown. Pajuelo scoots to the fence and works his way to a knee. The Pervuian punches the ribs as Ring works to get him back down. Pajuelo stands and lands a knee in close. They separate and get back to trading. Pajuelo works the…

Charles Oliveira will have a chance to regain the lightweight crown when he meets Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 21.

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Diego Lima, Oliveira’s coach, dismissed the idea that the time zone difference and a long flight played a role in the Brazilian’s loss to Makhachev in their first meeting, which was also in Abu Dhabi.

"Charles is a guy who hardly feels jet lag, he adapts to the time zone very quickly. Every individual reacts differently, and Charles adapted well to Abu Dhabi,” Lima said. “If we were fighting in Mexico City, for example, we would have to arrive much earlier due to the altitude. In the case of Abu Dhabi, we didn't need to arrive so far in advance. Also, Charles doesn't like being far away from home."

In his last outing, Oliveira defeated Beneil Dariush at UFC 289 in Canada, a place where he had never won before. Despite not being a local, “Do Bronx” had the support of the Canadian crowd behind him on that night.…

A women’s featherweight showdown pitting Sara McMann against Leah McCourt has been added to the Bellator 300 lineup.

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A promotion official confirmed the pairing to Sherdog following an initial report from Severe MMA. Bellator 300 takes place at Pechanga Arena in San Diego on Oct. 7 and is highlighted by four championship fights on the main card. The event is headlined by a heavyweight title clash between Ryan Bader and Linton Vassell.

A former UFC bantamweight title challenger, McMann enjoyed a successful promotional debut, as she outpointed Arlene Blencowe at Bellator 294 on April 21. The Olympic silver medalist has won three of her last four professional outings, including triumphs over Karol Rosa and Lina Lansberg in the UFC.

After winning six consecutive bouts from 2018 to 2021, McCourt has lost two of her last three appearances within the California-based promotion. Most recently, she dropped a unanimous decision to Cat Zingano at Bellat…

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Carlos Leal Miranda will be facing an uphill climb if he is to advance to the Professional Fighters League Championships in November.

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Miranda tipped the scales at 172 pounds for his welterweight semifinal clash against defending champion Sadibou Sy (170.8) at PFL 9. As a result, Miranda will be fined 20% of his purse and deducted one point heading into the bout. Additionally, John Caldone (148.6) missed weight for his featherweight showcase against Nathaniel Grimard (145.8) and has been fined 20% of his purse. Everyone else on the card hit their contracted marks without issue.

PFL 9 takes place on Wednesday night at The Theater at Madison Square Garden and is headlined by a lightweight semifinal between Clay Collard (155) and Shane Burgos (156). The main card airs on ESPN and ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on ESPN+ at 6:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.

A UFC veteran with professional boxing experience, Collard i…

John Lineker will make a quick return to action when he faces Stephen Loman at One on Prime Video 14 on Sept. 29.

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Promotion officials confirmed the bout following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. Additionally, Blake Cooper, the brother of former PFL champ Ray Cooper II, will make his One Championship debut against Maurice Abevi on the same card. MMAjunkie.com first brought word of that fight.

One on Prime Video 14 takes place at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore, and is headlined by an atomweight (115-pound) title tilt pitting Nong Stamp against Seo Hee Ham. The card will stream live in the United States on Amazon Prime Video.

Lineker last appeared at One on Prime Video 13 on Aug. 4, when he knocked out Jae Woong Kim with four seconds remaining in the third round of their 145-pound bout. “Hands of Stone” is 5-1 with one no contest in the Singapore-based promotion.

Loman has been victorious in 16 of 18 professional …

From the 𝙎𝙌𝙐𝘼𝙍𝙀𝘿 𝘾𝙄𝙍𝘾𝙇𝙀 to the 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗖𝗮𝗴𝗲 @Savmarshall1 ready to take on the new challenge 👊 pic.twitter.com/fxnAwVwnKI

— PFL (@PFLMMA) August 22, 2023

Super middleweight boxing champion Savannah Marshall has signed a multi-year contract with Professional Fighters League.

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Terms of the deal were not disclosed, and a date for Marshall’s PFL debut was not revealed. Marshall owns a 13-1 career mark in professional boxing, with her lone defeat coming against current PFL talent Claressa Shields last October.

Accordng to a release, Marshall, Shields, former PFL lightweight champ Kayla Harrison and featherweight boxing Amanda Serrano will be the foundation for PFLW, “which will put the focus on women in combat sports while continuing the PFL’s fighter first merit-based approach to MMA.”

“I want to welcome two-time boxing world champion, Savannah Marshall to the Professional Fighters League,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray. “It’…

Ronys Torres is a true MMA veteran.

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At 37 years of age, the Amazonian from Manacapuru boasts an extensive record of 41-9, with a stint in the UFC and a collection of belts to his name. On Friday, he will attempt to add to his collection when he faces Pedro Paulino Vinagre for the welterweight title at Shooto Brazil 119.

“I was taken by surprise by this call, but I had left my name available for the event, since I prepared myself and didn't fight in the March edition because my opponent on that occasion didn't show up,” Torres said. I’m happy with this opportunity.”

Torres has finished 33 of his 41 career victories inside the distance — including 20 via submission. His opponent, though two years older, has only 11 fights on his record. He’s won 10 of them, including six by way of submission.

“I'm pretty sure we’ll both want to go to the ground, and I confess that I'm even rooting for him to want that. All my opponents run from the ground with …

Mayra Bueno Silva has failed a drug test in relation to her victory over Holly Holm on July 15.

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The Brazilian announced on Monday that she tested positive for a “substance that is consistent with the prescription medication I take for my ADHD.” Bueno Silva says she is cooperating with the Nevada State Athletic Commission and USADA regarding the failed test and has fully acknowledged the banned substance in her system.

Bueno Silva is on the agenda for Thursday’s NSAC hearing, where she will likely receive a temporary suspension.

The 31-year-old American Top Team representative submitted Holm with a ninja choke 38 seconds into Round 2 of their headlining clash at UFC on ESPN 49 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. With four straight victories to her credit — including three inside the distance — Bueno Silva had emerged as a top contender for the bantamweight championship vacated by Amanda Nunes earlier this year.

Bueno Silva’s full statement is as fol…

Michel Pereira’s weight miss ahead of a proposed clash against Stephen Thompson at UFC 291 has prompted the Brazilian striker to change divisions.

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Pereira will move to 185 pounds for a clash against Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC Fight Night on Oct. 14. Multiple outlets confirmed the booking following an initial report from Laerte Viana. The card is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and includes a featherweight duel between Sodiq Yusuff and Edson Barboza.

Pereira missed weight by three pounds prior to UFC 291, which led to “Wonderboy” turning down the fight. The 29-year-old known as “Demolidor” has been victorious in his last five appearances within the Las Vegas-based promotion. Most recently, he took a split verdict over Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC Fight Night 206 in May 2022.

Canada’s Barriault has won three of his last four fights under the UFC banner. “Power Bar” is 2-0 thus far in 2023, with victories against Julian Marqu…

Shane Burgos wasn’t supposed to be here.

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He’s well aware of that fact. But now that he is, the UFC veteran plans to make the most of his second chance by defeating Clay Collard in their lightweight semifinal matchup at PFL 9 on Wednesday night in New York.

“This is the fight everybody wanted to see,” Burgos said at a PFL media day. “Before I was in the weight class, it’s a fight I had my eyes on for a while. I’m ready for it. It’s one of those matchups, it can’t be boring. It’s gonna be a firefight from the first bell to the last bell. I’m doing everything in my power to get this finish, my first PFL finish over a guy like Clay is going to mean the world to me.”

After losing his PFL debut to Olivier Aubin-Mercier and then earning a decision against Yamato Nishikawa in his second appearance, Burgos snuck into the postseason under unusual circumstances. Based on points alone, Natan Schulte would have been in the playoffs, but the league ultimatel…

The UFC 293 pay-per-view lineup has taken a significant hit.

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Flyweight contender Kai Kara-France announced on Monday that he has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled clash against Manel Kape after suffering a concussion.

“I just wanted to come on here and give you guys an update,” Kara-France said in a video on Instagram. “Unfortunately, I’ve had to withdraw from my next fight in Sydney, Australia [at] UFC 293. I suffered a concussion over the weekend in training. I’ve been speaking to my coaches, my team, and my family. They all think it’s the right decision to put my health first.

“I just want to say sorry to all the friends and family that bought tickets, flights, accommodation, (and to) all of the fans that were excited to fight live. I’m gutted I won’t be a part of this card. It’s been a tough week with my second son being born as well as me pulling out of this fight. Mixed emotions. Frustrated. But I’ve just got to focus on the posi…

Clay Collard is the featured attraction in his main event matchup with Shane Burgos at PFL 9. Just ask him.

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“The fans are raving about it because of me,” Collard said at a PFL media day ahead of their lightweight semifinal matchup. “They want to see me fight Shane. They don’t want to see Shane fight me. I’m stoked to fight him. They’ve been putting his face all over everything. You log into ESPN and you type in PFL, his face is the first ugly mug you see, and that annoys me. I’m ready to get in there and punch him.”

PFL 9 takes place at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. The main card airs ESPN and ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on ESPN+ at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

Burgos wasn’t initially supposed to make the PFL playoffs, but the situation changed when the league suspended Natan Schulte and Raush Manfio for what was deemed to be a lackluster fight. Without that ruling, Schulte, not Burgos, would be in the …

Week 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series will feature four bouts after a flyweight clash pitting Luciano Pereira against Felipe dos Santos was scrapped on Monday.

According to the promotion, Pereira was unable to weigh in due to “medical issues,” and as a result, the fight was canceled. Dos Santos, meanwhile, tipped the scales at 124.5 pounds.

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The other eight athletes slated to compete all hit their contracted marks without issue. The Contender Series takes place on Tuesday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and features a middleweight showdown between Eli Aronov (185.5) and Zachary Reese (185.5). The card streams on ESPN+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Israel’s Aronov is undefeated in six professional appearances. He last competed in May 2022, when he defeated Mariusz Ksiakiewicz via second-round submission at Unified MMA 45.

Reese, meanwhile, has compiled a 5-0 mark, with three of those victories coming under the Fury FC banner. Most rece…

A strawweight showdown pitting Mackenzie Dern against Jessica Andrade is on tap for UFC 295.

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The bout was initially announced during the UFC 292 broadcast on Saturday night. UFC 295 takes place on Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York and is headlined by a heavyweight championship clash between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic.

Dern was successful in her first venture of 2023, as she took a five-round verdict over Angela Hill in the UFC Fight Night 223 headliner on May 20. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt is 8-3 during her tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion and owns other notable wins against Tecia Torres, Nina Nunes and Virna Jandiroba.

Andrade has already fought four times in 2023. After besting Lauren Murphy to begin the year at UFC 283, the former strawweight champion has lost successive bouts to Erin Blanchfield, Xionan Yan and Tatiana Suarez.

Aljamain Sterling is willing to give credit where credit is due following his second-round technical knockout loss to Sean O'Malley in the UFC 292 headliner.

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“He was better than what I thought in his footwork,” Sterling said of O’Malley at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “That was one of the things I tried to get guys to emulate, because I knew that is a hard thing to do. I do it myself when I go side to side, but it’s different when someone else is doing it to you, and I can’t track this motherf—-er down. I tracked him down a couple of times, but then he would spin out at the last second. I think I threw a side kick, and he was able to pivot out beautifully. He did a couple things really, really well.

“I would have liked to get him down to the ground to really see how good he is down there, but the one thing I knew, we were doing a good job throwing that overhand right into the takedown. He threw the front kick, and I was like, ‘All right,…

Sean O'Malley is highly-confident in his skills — and for good reason.

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The counter right hand that dropped Aljamain Sterling in the second round of their title bout at UFC 292 was a thing of beauty, and it set the stage for O’Malley to claim the bantamweight throne on Saturday night at TD Garden in Boston.

“Punching backwards is a skill not a lot of people possess and I can punch going backwards and I knew he was going to be pressuring me and I know he likes to throw to shoot,” O’Malley said at the UFC 292 post-fight press conference. “He likes to throw for me to counter so he can shoot under. So I knew he was going to be lunging in with shots.

“It really wasn’t even a bad punch that he threw, it’s just I’m that f—-ing accurate. I sniped him. I’ve been saying all week, I’m a sniper. I’m going to snipe his chin. I’m going to find it and there we were. That’s definitely a punch I visualized all week.”

Making the victory that much more impressiv…

Weili Zhang was absolutely dominant against Amanda Lemos in the UFC 292 co-main event.

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The Chinese star relied on takedowns, top control and ground-and-pound to cruise to a unanimous verdict over Lemos on Saturday at the TD Garden in Boston. Zhang now has won three straight fights and has four victories in championship bouts to her credit.

“The only challenge or opponent to me is myself,” Zhang said through an interpreter at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “What we’re going to do every day is make (myself) better than who I was yesterday.”

Outside of a pair of brabo choke attempts from her back, Lemos rarely threatened the reigning champion. Zhang was more impressed with the Brazilian’s resolve in the 25-minute affair.

“The submission she had in the first round was not that deep. She didn’t really get my neck, so it’s not that dangerous to me,” Zhang said. “… She’s unbelievably tough. I respect her. There were so many moments in the f…

It was not a triumphant return to the Octagon for Chris Weidman at UFC 292.

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More than two years removed from suffering a gruesome broken leg against Uriah Hall at UFC 261 in April 2021, the former middleweight champion struggled mightily defending low kicks in a unanimous decision loss to Brad Tavares on Saturday night at TD Garden in Boston. Even worse for “The All-American” is that he might have suffered some more serious injuries in the bout.

At Saturday’s post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White cited those injuries while urging Weidman to call it a career.

“I love Chris Weidman. I love him. I love his family. I think he should retire,” White said. “We talked to Dr. [Jeff Davidson]. He thinks he blew his ACL, MCL … The guy is just coming back from a gruesome injury and, listen man, Father Time is not our friend at all. But definitely, if you’re a professional athlete. Depending on the damage to the knee, you’re talking anothe…

Hard to find to bigger wins than that!@SugaSeanMMA and @MMAWeili take home your #UFC292 POTN bonuses 🏆💰

[ B2YB @PrimeHydrate ] pic.twitter.com/NgEvA44Or7

— UFC (@ufc) August 20, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship gave four fighters performance bonuses following the UFC 292 pay-per-view card.

Fresh off winning the bantamweight championship, Sean O'Malley also received $50,000 for his shocking TKO win over Aljamain Sterling. The main event came to an end less than a minute into the second round after O'Malley landed a perfect counter right hand that dropped Sterling. After following up with pinpoint accurate ground and point, O'Malley claimed his first title win.

UFC women's strawweight champion Weili Zhang was also awarded a $50,000 bonus for her successful title defense. While Zhang didn't get the finish, she completely dominated challenger Amanda Lemos over five rounds. Finally, the fight of the night went to "The Ultimate F…