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Contender Series alum Azamat Murzakanov, who is now 3-0 in the UFC and ranked No. 12 at LHW, will face No. 11 Khalil Rountree on Dec. 2 per sources. Rountree on a four-fight win streak.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) September 22, 2023 Even without a location on the books, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is building up its first December card in a big way.

On Friday, two high-stakes matchups at 135 and 205 pounds were announced by various outlets. Courtesy of MMA Fighting, and confirmed by other outlets, Rob Font (20-7) will be welcoming former flyweight king Deiveson Figueiredo (21-3-1) up to 135 pounds on Dec. 2. The untitled UFC Fight Night event on that date does not have a headliner or a specific location yet, although rumored venues include the Target Center in Minneapolis and the 3Arena in Dublin.

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While still a top-10 name in the talent-rich bantamweight division, Boston-based Font has fallen on hard times a…

[embedded content] The Ultimate Fighting Championship is not skimping on exciting matchups in its return to Madison Square Garden this November.

Per the Two to Tango with Steam & Scoob podcast on Friday, Matt Frevola (11-3-1) announced that he had signed a new deal with the UFC. The first fight on his new contract will be against surging Frenchman Benoit St. Denis (12-1, 1 NC), and the lightweights will tangle at UFC 295 on Nov. 11. This will be Frevola’s third jaunt at Madison Square Garden in New York, with a draw against Lando Vannata and a knockout of Ottman Azaitar in that building on his ledger.

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“I’m finally making [Billy Quarantillo] money,” Frevola stated proudly. “I’m gonna announce it right here, right now. It’s gonna be Matt ‘The Steamrolla’ Frevola at MSG, and I’m fighting the French special forces killer in Benoit St. Denis. And, honestly, I had my questions about the French people, not gonna lie. In his last fight, he beat Thiago Mo…

UFC offered and I’ve accepted, @Rakhmonov1994 let’s close out the year strong. Dec 16 can’t wait

— “Wonderboy” Thompson (@WonderboyMMA) September 22, 2023 Editor's note: The article has been updated at 9:15 p.m. ET to add confirmation from the promotion.

Two top-10 Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweights went public about a huge fight to end the year.

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On social media, Stephen Thompson (17-6-1) posted on Friday that the organization offered him a fight against Shavkat Rakhmonov (17-0), and that he had accepted it. Minutes later, Rakhmonov replied, “Let’s go!” to signify his excitement about the prospective welterweight clash. If this bout is made official, according to Thompson, it will go down on Dec. 16 as part of UFC 296, which will take place in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The UFC confirmed this matchup on Friday night.

The unbeaten Rakhmonov has been looking for an opponent since strangling Geoff Neal wi…

[embedded content] In the eyes of champion Sean O'Malley, revenge is a dish best served with sugar.

Reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley (17-1) seems to be set on rematching Marlon Vera (21-8) for his first title defense. Back in 2020, O'Malley and Vera faced off inside the Octagon at UFC 252. During the course of the first round, Vera's calf kicks impaired “Sugar” severely, eventually crumbling to the floor and succumbing to a TKO defeat via elbows and punches. Since then, O'Malley has repeatedly mentioned avenging the loss and as per the 28-year-old, now is the right time.

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"Sugar" recently claimed the bantamweight crown by putting Aljamain Sterling (23-4) away in the second round with strikes at UFC 292 in August. While some believe Sterling’s teammate Merab Dvalishvili should be next in line for a title shot, especially if Sterling doesn't get the rematch, O'Malley sees this as an opportunity to avenge the onl…

Top Ultimate Fighting Championship fighters from 145 to 170 pounds all want a piece of champ Islam Makhachev.

Per the UFC on Wednesday, the headliner of UFC 296 on Dec. 16 will be Leon Edwards (21-3) against Colby Covington (17-3). Backlash was immediate from the mixed martial arts community as to Covington receiving the welterweight title shot, as other contenders like Belal Muhammad racked up mighty unbeaten streaks next to Colby’s one win since 2021. No stranger to controversy, “Chaos” took it in stride, already making plans for his future championship reign after claiming the belt at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

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Unsurprisingly, the former interim champion has no doubt he will emerge victorious against Edwards. “Chaos” can already envision a number of "mega-fights" waiting for him once he claims the 170-pound throne. One such matchup includes a showdown against reigning lightweight titleholder Makhachev.

While calling out Makhachev for aspir…

🥋 Great news, martial arts fans!@ONEChampionship is now part of #DIRECTVFORBUSINESS programming! Bars and restaurants like yours can now enjoy monthly Friday night primetime martial arts events!

For more info on this exciting new agreement, visit https://t.co/TxqdwrT0nx pic.twitter.com/yUEQ2IF3CL

— DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS (@directvbusiness) September 21, 2023 One Championship will be available to watch in bars and restaurants across the U.S. by the end of the month.

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On Thursday, the Singapore-based organization announced via press release that it has entered into an agreement with DirecTV for Business. Due to this deal, One cards will be watchable in various restaurants and establishments stateside for its One Fight Night series. The live broadcasts will begin at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, typically on Fridays, and the first event available will be One on Prime Video 14 on Sept. 29.

Chief Sales and Services Officer at DirecT…

It’s fight week 💔💔💔 pic.twitter.com/cmx6I7vCaj

— Jessy Jess (@missjessyjess) September 20, 2023 Add Jessica-Rose Clark to the list of women publicly calling for an opportunity to punch Paige VanZant in the face.

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Clark is yet another mixed martial artist looking to cross over to pugilism. Clark was released from the UFC following a submission loss to Tainara Lisboa back in May, which marked her third consecutive loss in the promotion. The Aussie defeated VanZant via unanimous decision during their initial clash at UFC Fight Night 124 in 2018.

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“Jessy Jess” has called for a boxing match against former foe VanZant, who was released from the promotion in 2020 following a submission loss to Amanda Ribas. VanZant has since competed twice in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, suffering decision losses against Britain Hart and Rachael Ostovich.

Making her case for a rematch ins…

[embedded content] It will take more than a close loss to bring Rafael Fiziev down.

Fiziev (12-2) will look to bounce back from his second-ever Ultimate Fighting Championship loss that snapped a six-fight win streak when he takes on Mateusz Gamrot (22-2) in the main event at UFC Vegas 79 on Sept. 23. “Ataman” came up on the short side of a majority decision against Justin Gaethje at UFC 291. Despite the loss, the bout marked the Kazakh’s sixth consecutive bonus-winning performance.

While Gaethje is often considered responsible for ruining fighters’ careers with his brutal beatdowns, Fiziev claims to have already moved on from the loss.

The 30-year-old said during UFC Vegas 79 media day, “I already forget about [the loss to Gaethje] … I’m focused on my next opponent. Loss is last time – I’m sad for last time. Everybody don’t like loss. I want to come back to good win. I want to make a show again, and I want to get my hand [raised].”

However, Fiziev admits t…

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Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White took to social media to announce three potential nail-biters for the UFC 295 co-main event along with the UFC 296 main and co-main headliners. The UFC 295 card, which will go down at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 11, will be headlined by Jon Jones’ (27-1) first heavyweight title defense against fellow legend Stipe Miocic (20-4).

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White has now declared that the vacant UFC light heavyweight title will be up for grabs in the co-main event of the night. Alex Pereira (8-2) will challenge Jiri Prochazka (29-3) for the strap, which was vacated by Jamahal Hill back in June due to a ruptured Achilles.

“Poatan” won the middleweight title, lost it, moved up a weight class and defeated former champ Jan Blachowicz to earn his second title bid within a span of just six UFC outings. Meanwhile, Prochazka hasn’t competed in a year and a half ever since he had to vacate the light hea…

[embedded content] Mateusz Gamrot (22-2) will take on Rafael Fiziev (12-2) in a potential lightweight banger in the main event at “UFC Vegas 79” on Sept. 23. While “Gamer” quickly earned a reputation for being a lethal finisher with three consecutive stoppage wins in 2021, he has gone the distance in his last three.

Gamrot earned a closely contested decision victory over Arman Tsarukyan in his first Ultimate Fighting Championship headliner opportunity in June 2022. This came before he dropped a somewhat lopsided decision to Beneil Dariush later in October of the same year. The former KSW two-division champ then bounced back with a split decision win over Jalin Turner at UFC 285 in March.

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Currently ranked seventh at lightweight, Gamrot will look to change his reputation again when he takes on the No. 6-ranked Fiziev. The 32-year-old said during the UFC Vegas 79 media day:

“I want to make statement in this lightweight division. Of course, I am a pro…

A bantamweight showdown pitting Miesha Tate against Julia Avila has been targeted for an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Dec. 2.

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Multiple outlets confirmed the booking following an initial report from MMA Mania. A location and venue have not been announced for the card.

Tate, a former UFC bantamweight champion, will return to 135 pounds following a unanimous decision loss to Lauren Murphy in her flyweight debut at UFC on ABC 3 in July 2022. “Cupcake” has lost four of her last five Octagon appearances dating back to July 2016.

Avila will be competing for the first time since June 2021 after motherhood and a knee injury kept her out of action for more than two years. “Raging Panda” has won three of her four promotional outings, including a third-round submission of Julija Stoliarenko in her most recent bout at UFC Fight Night 190.

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Israel Adesanya has been mostly silent since his upset loss to Sean Strickland in the UFC 293 headliner on Sept. 9.

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That changed on Wednesday, when “The Last Stylebender” broke his silence in an interview on his YouTube channel. Though he appeared to be in good spirits, it was a subdued version of the former middleweight champion that appeared on camera.

“How am I feeling?” Adesanya said. “Quietly confident.”

Adesanya was a heavy favorite heading into the matchup with Strickland, who wasn’t the UFC’s first choice of title challenger. However, once the bell rang, it was Strickland who set the tone, dropping his opponent in the opening stanza and then controlling the action with straight punches and consistent forward pressure.

“That just felt like a bad dream,” Adesanya said, while crediting Strickland for his approach.

“He just never let me get into my rhythm at all. I just wasn’t able to get my rhythm because of his p…

While its main event ended in controversy, the Noche UFC concept was an overall success.

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The UFC Fight Night 227 event took place on Mexican Independence Day this past Saturday and was designed to celebrate athletes from the promotion with Mexican heritage. That includes flyweight champion Alexa Grasso, who retained her title after battling Valentina Shevchenko to a split draw in the evening’s headliner.

UFC CEO Dana White wasn’t in attendance for the card, but he raved about the numbers the show did on ESPN+ during the post-fight press conference for the Contender Series on Tuesday. He also announced plans to make UFC events on Mexican Independence Day an annual tradition, which would follow in the footsteps of what boxing has done over the years.

“I don’t care if somebody here in town gets the date at the arena, I’ll go in an opposing arena and go head-to-head with them next year,” White said. “I’m doing this for the rest of my reign here.…

After their first meeting resulted in an unsatisfying conclusion, Edgar Chairez and Daniel da Silva will run it back at UFC Fight Night 230.

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MMAFighting.comwas first to report the flyweight rematch. UFC Fight Night 230 takes place on Oct. 14 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a featherweight tilt between Sodiq Yusuff and Edson Barboza.

Chairez and da Silva initially squared off at UFC Fight Night 227. The bout ended prematurely when Chairez locked his opponent in a standing guillotine choke and referee Chris Tognoni waved off the fight, thinking da Silva was unconscious. After video review, it was determined that da Silva was alert and still defending the choke, so the bout was ruled a no contest at the 3:47 mark of Round 1.

Anchored at Mexico-based Entram Gym, Chairez is still looking for his first promotional triumph. He made his Octagon debut this past July, dropping a unanimous decision to Tatsuro Taira at UFC 290.

D…

Stipe Miocic will make his return to the Octagon after a hiatus of over two years when he challenges Jon Jones for the heavyweight title at UFC 295. The highly anticipated clash will headline the marquee card set to go down at the Madison Square Garden, New York on Nov. 11.

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Despite having the most title defenses in UFC heavyweight history, Miocic is a massive +340 underdog going into the fight against the -425 favorite “Bones.” However, the Ohio-based firefighter has defied the odds in several of his title fights, like in the rematch against Daniel Cormier and the first clash against Francis Ngannou.

While he is unbothered by the odds, Miocic did issue a warning to bettors about wagering against him.

“It took me a couple fights, but after a while, I just stopped caring what everyone thought,” Miocic told The Fight Guys in an interview for BetOnline. “I just don’t care anymore. You think I’m going to lose? Good for you. You’re going to waste a…

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Valentina Shevchenko (23-4) looked to reclaim the flyweight title from Alexa Grasso (16-3) in the main event at Noche UFC on Sept. 16. However, Grasso retained her strap courtesy of a controversial split draw after five closely-contested rounds. 

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The 47-47 scorecard rendered by judge Mike Bell included a 10-8 fifth round in favor of Grasso, who had controlled only the last 90 seconds of the period. Shevchenko immediately expressed her disagreement with the result, blaming the controversial score on the potential pressure felt by the judges due to the event being held in honor of the Mexican Independence Day. 

Along with a majority of fans and pundits, Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White is also in complete disagreement with the 10-8 score and suggested an investigation of Bell. However, the Nevada State Athletic Commission has seemingly assured White that Bell is a capable judge and this was an honest mistake.&…

Tyson Fury is set to take on former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in a crossover boxing match on Oct. 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Fellow Brit and UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall will be helping “The Gypsy King” as a training partner going into the bout. 

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Fury is close to Aspinall and has a high opinion UFC heavyweight contender, who is currently 6-1 in the promotion with all of his wins coming by way of submission or technical knockout in Round 1.

“I’m bringing him in as a sparring partner in preparation for a UFC champion. He’s a good fighter, probably could have made it as a pro boxer,” Fury recently told TNT Sports. “I was quite sure he would have gone on and won a world championship. But he had a derailment with his knee, and that fell out. Now he’s had his comeback trail. I think he can do it. He’s big enough, he’s got the power, he’s a black belt in jiu-jitsu.”

Aspinall recently scored a first-ro…

Jared Cannonier (17-6) is at a crucial juncture in his Ultimate Fighting Championship career.

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Currently No. 4 in the middleweight division according to the UFC rankings, Cannonier’s title aspirations have been reignited by Sean Strickland’s recent title win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 293. 

“The Killa Gorilla” scored a controversial split decision win over Strickland last December, which “Tarzan” contests to this day. Cannonier believes Adesanya’s performance against Strickland doesn’t warrant an immediate rematch and has made his case for the next title shot. 

Cannonier, who was also the backup for the UFC 293 headliner, has now been offered another fight, but he isn’t especially excited about the opportunity.

"They’ve offered me a fight already, and it’s not as tempting as a title fight,” Cannonier told Sportskeeda MMA Originals. “You know what I mean? Hell, it’s not even as tempting as my last fight, to be honest.” 

Th…

Valentina Shevchenko's reaction to Alexa Grasso allegedly throwing illegal knees in 1st round pic.twitter.com/8QAOKD8u6D

— Best MMA Moments (@XcellentMMA) September 17, 2023

Valentina Shevchenko (23-4) failed to reclaim the Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight title in the main event at UFC Noche as her rematch against Alexa Grasso (16-3) ended in a controversial split draw. However, the 10-8 fifth-round scorecard wasn’t the only controversial bit about the highly anticipated rematch that went down on Sept. 16.

During a scramble in the fourth frame, Grasso sprawled out of a takedown attempt by Shevchenko and landed multiple knees to the head while chasing “Bullet.” Shevchenko immediately protested the knees and later claimed the strikes were illegal as one of her hands was on the mat.

When speaking to MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, a Nevada State Athletic Commission Official cleared the air regarding the specifics of the “knees to…

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After the success of lightweight champion Roberto Satoshi and former featherweight title holder Kleber Koike Erbst, another Brazilian-Japanese fighter, middleweight Igor Tanabe (3-0), is quickly gaining a lot of attention in Rizin Fighting Federation. 

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Undefeated in MMA with victories over the experienced Melvin Manhoef and former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Daichi Abe, the 23-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace has his sights set on the Rizin belt. 

“Despite having only had one fight at Rizin, I really like the event. Of course the UFC is a possibility, but I want to be Rizin champion, which even gives me the opportunity to face fighters from other promotions,” said the undefeated prospect in an exclusive interview with Sherdog, referring to the Japanese promotion’s partnership with Bellator.

Tanabe will have a second opportunity to compete in the Japanese promotion on Oct. 1, when he will face Koji Shikuw…

The 2023 PFL Championships card is now complete with a couple of key additions to the preliminary lineup.

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The organization announced on Wednesday that Bubba Jenkins will square off against Chris Wade in a trilogy bout at featherweight, while Biaggio Ali Walsh will continue his amateur career against Joel Lopez at lightweight. Those two fights are part of the evening’s preliminary card on the ESPN+ prelims. Additionally, Khai Wu will face Phil Caracappa at bantamweight, while Jesse Stirn will meet Josh Blyden at featherweight.

The PFL Championships take place on Nov. 24 at The Anthem in Washington, D.C., and features title bouts in six different weight classes along with a showcase featherweight fight pitting Kayla Harrison against Julia Budd. The main card will air via pay-per-view on ESPN+.

Jenkins and Wade are currently 1-1 in their rivalry. Wade defeated Jenkins via unanimous decision in a PFL postseason matchup in August 2021, but “I’m a…

Jingnan Xiong has conquered nearly every challenge set in front of her since winning the inaugural One Championship strawweight title six years ago. With few challengers remaining in her division, the only way for “The Panda” to push herself is to limit her diverse skill set against one of the most dangerous strikers on the planet.

That is exactly what she will have to do when she faces muay thai phenom Nat “Wondergirl” Jaroonsak in a ONE on Prime Video 14 special rules match a on Sept. 29 at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. The bout prohibits kicks, knees, elbows and grappling but allows all forms of punching techniques. Jaroonsak could pose problems for ONE’s reigning strawweight empress, but Xiong believes her boxing prowess should not be underestimated.

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“I think there will be a different pressure, but I will turn this pressure into motivation,” she told Sherdog.com. “I think pressure is a very good thing and will motivate me to fin…

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Valentina Shevchenko will need to go under the knife for the hand injury she suffered in the opening round of her championship rematch with Alexa Grasso on Saturday night.

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The former flyweight queen revealed on social media that she has a “communited fracture that requires surgery.” According to MMAFighting.com, Shevchenko will be able to resume contact in approximately three months.

Yesterday got the results on my 1 st round hand injury.Comminuted fracture that requires surgery 💪💪💪

— Valentina Shevchenko (@BulletValentina) September 19, 2023

At the post-fight press conference following UFC Fight Night 227, Shevchenko speculated that she broke her thumb in the opening stanza. Despite that setback, “Bullet” was effective with her jab and grappling in a back-and-forth affair that ultimately ended in a split draw due to a controversial 10-8 scorecard awarded to Grasso in Round 5.

“I broke my thumb in the first round…