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Justin Gaethje wasn’t impressed that he captured Conor McGregor’s attention Saturday night in Salt Lake City.

Gaethje (25-4, 8-4 UFC) is coming off an impressive performance against Dustin Poirier in the UFC 291 headliner, a second-round knockout victory that earned “The Highlight” his second consecutive triumph and the symbolic “BMF” title. In victory, Gaethje also avenged the loss he suffered at the hands of Poirier in their first encounter in 2018. Moments after his win, Gaethje was called out by former Ultimate Fighting Championship two-division champion McGregor, who promised to “slap” Gaethje around in a since-then deleted Tweet.

On previous occasions, the former World Series of Fighting champ attempted to face McGregor in the Octagon, but the matchup never materialized. In the UFC 291 post-fight press conference, Gaethje stated he wasn’t interested in the McGregor fight anymore, implying “The Notorious” was taking illegal substances since he wasn’t in the USA…

[embedded content] Bellator MMA great Patricio Freire will be out of action for the foreseeable future.

Earlier in the week, Freire (35-7) volunteered for a short-notice fight against Chihiro Suzuki (11-3, 1 NC) at Super Rizin 2. The two agreed to the pairing with the same amount of notice, and agreed to square off at about 155 pounds. Just after the midpoint of Round 1, Suzuki toppled Freire with a ferocious right hand. The victory for the Japanese fighter immediately vaulted itself into consideration for one of the biggest upsets of the year, even one month removed from Freire’s loss at bantamweight to champ Sergio Pettis. Freire spoke to Sherdog shortly after the defeat, where he explained why he took the fight, and what he wants to do next.

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Freire initially traveled to Japan to corner his brother, Patricky Freire, who won earlier that night. Freire talked about his sudden decision to take a fight, saying, “They invited me to a fight. In my vein ru…

のむシリカ presents#超RIZIN2 powered by #UNEXT📣試合結果🔥

⚔️第8試合⚔️👑フェザー級王座戦RIZIN MMAルール 66.0kg

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🟥朝倉未来【LOSE】ーー🆚ーー🟦ヴガール・ケラモフ【WIN】🏆@vugar_karamov

1R 2分41秒 SUB(#タップアウト #リアネイキッドチョーク)https://t.co/FfSpJ8Qa2B pic.twitter.com/FhtvhEHva3

— RIZIN FF OFFICIAL (@rizin_PR) July 30, 2023 Super Rizin 2 saw the crowning of two champions and a titleholder securing her place in the 108-pound division.

In the headliner, Vugar Karamov rose as the new ruler of the Rizin Fighting Federation featherweight division after overcoming Mikuru Asakura. With the vacant title on the line, Karamov (19-4, 5-1 Rizin) took his time to feel out his opponent’s reactions and quickly came up with an effective strategy. Karamov surprised Asakura (17-4, 1NC; 11-3 Rizin) with his wrestling, grounding his foe with a well-timed takedown that allowed him to gain the mount position. Once there, “Vugi” puni…

Four MASSIVE finishes earn your #UFC291 POTN bonuses!

[ B2YB @PrimeHydrate ] pic.twitter.com/ZNGjB9kJSN

— UFC (@ufc) July 30, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship gave four fighters performance bonuses following the UFC 291 pay-per-view card.

Fresh off winning the "BMF" championship, Justin Gaethje also received $50,000 for his stunning head kick knockout of Dustin Poirier. The rematch came to an end one minute into the second round, with Gaethje landing a thudding head kick that took out Poirier. The win cements Gaethje as the top contender and likely earns the action fighter another lightweight title shot.

Two impressive submission victories were also awarded $50,000 bonuses. Bobby Green got the extra cash for his impressive last-second arm-triangle choke win over Tony Ferguson, which left his lightweight foe unconscious. Meanwhile, Kevin Holland's impressive brabo choke win over Michael Chiesa also received submission of th…

“The Highlight” remains as fitting a nickname today as the day it was given to him.

Justin Gaethje laid claim to the symbolic BMF title and established himself as the No. 1 contender for the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight crown, as he brought down Dustin Poirier with a perfectly placed head kick in the second round of the UFC 291 headliner on Saturday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Gaethje (25-4, 8-4 UFC) filed away his latest victory 60 seconds into Round 2.

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Poirier (29-8, 21-7 UFC) struggled to establish a rhythm throughout a competitive first round but managed to cut the former World Series of Fighting champion near his left eye with a clean one-two. Gaethje, meanwhile, invested in leg kicks and power punching combinations. Early in the second round, he backed up a right hand with an exquisitely timed head kick, his lower leg wrapping around Poirier’s defenses before detonating behind the ear. The Louisiana native cras…

Sherdog's live UFC 291 coverage will begin Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Maverick (-305), Cachoeira (+240)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Semelsberger (-205), Medic (+175)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Matthe…

SLICK SUBMISSION FROM BONFIM 😨#UFC291 is LIVE on ESPN+ PPV 🍿 pic.twitter.com/jIaAQnPaIH

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 30, 2023

All Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweights should be on high alert as it relates to Gabriel Bonfim.

The unbeaten Cerrado MMA export disposed of Trevin Giles with a guillotine choke in the first round of their featured UFC 291 prelim on Saturday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Giles (16-5, 7-5 UFC), who entered the cage on a two-fight winning streak, raised the white flag of surrender 1:13 into Round 1.

Bonfim (15-0, 2-0 UFC) applied maximum pressure from the outset, connected with a clubbing overhand left and secured a takedown inside the first 40 seconds. He caught the guillotine during a subsequent scramble, tightened his vice-like squeeze and elicited the tapout.

Vergara Outpoints Overweight Salvador Onetime Fury Fighting Championship titleholder C.J. Vergara outstruck and outworked Vinicius Sal…

Deadly leg kick! 🦵💥

The finish from @PatrickyPitbull in slow motion 👀

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Can he go all the way in the #BellatorLWGP? #BellatorXRizin pic.twitter.com/rCRgEII479 — Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) July 30, 2023

Bellator MMA staged its second big cross-promotional event with Rizin Fighting Federation at the legendary Saitama Super Arena in Japan. The venue was the sight of many of Pride Fighting Championships's greatest events, which mixed martial arts fans remember fondly to this day.

Appropriately, the Bellator MMA vs. Rizin 2 main event was a battle between two Brazilians with very different styles. Calling to mind the days of Chute Boxe versus Brazilian Top Team, Roberto Satoshi de Souza was the world-class submission grappler and Patricky Freire the devastating striker.

De Souza came in on short notice for the 161-pound catchweight contest, replacing A.J. McKee, but was still the favorite, being younger than Fr…

Sherdog's live Bellator MMA vs. Rizin 2 coverage will begin Saturday at 11 p.m. ET. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round: The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores …

Shaj Haque picked up his first successful defense of the Cage Warriors Fighting Championship flyweight title by overcoming Michele Martignoni in Rome on Saturday.

In the CW 158 headliner, Haque (15-5, 7-2 CW) outpointed Martignoni (8-1, 2NC; 3-1, 1NC) to defend the 125-pound title in front of a partisan crowd. “Superman” looked fast and accurate with his strikes, opening a cut over his foe’s right eye early into their clash. When former 135-pound titleholder Martignoni failed to match Haque’s speed, the Italian was forced to aggressively chase his foe, with Round 2 arguably being the best one for the challenger. Haque never lost his composure and equalized all threats. The story of the fight was the same throughout, with Haque neutralizing most of Martignoni’s initiative and retaliating with some violence of his own. Even though he didn’t manage a finish, Haque impressed with his dominance and durability. After the clash went the distance, the cageside judges drew 49-46, 4…

Is it destiny?

🇯🇵 Mikuru Asakura vs Vugar Keramov 🇦🇿 #BellatorvsRIZIN2 #SuperRIZIN2[🇺🇸 7/29 | 11pm ET/8pm PT ][🇯🇵 7/30 | 12pm JST ]📡PPV link in bio pic.twitter.com/xvyDWeo5A4

— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) July 28, 2023 Rizin Fighting Federation is putting on its second Super Rizin event following its co-promotion with Bellator MMA.

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Three title fights for Super Rizin 2 are now official following the weigh-ins. Headlining the event is a fight for the vacant featherweight championship between Mikuru Asakura and Vugar Karamov. The stacked event also features a vacant bantamweight title fight between Juan Archuleta and Hiromasa Ougikubo and a women's atomweight title defense as champion Seika Izawa takes on challenger Claire Lopez.

Asakura (17-3) is currently on a roll since being submitted by Kleber Koike Erbst in 2021. Three straight unanimous decision victories have followed. The fan-favorite weighed 145.5 pound…

Wonderboy/Pereira is off pic.twitter.com/5Oy1p3KTz3

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) July 28, 2023 The scale has taken a big bite out of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s pay-per-view show on Saturday.

At the UFC 291 weigh-ins on Friday, Michel Pereira stepped on the scales for his welterweight matchup against Stephen Thompson (170.5) heavy. Missing by three pounds, the promotion and the fighter teams entered into prolonged negotiations. Whether due to medical issues, Thompson’s camp declining the contest or a failed agreement regarding fines and purses, the fight has been canceled. UFC commentator Megan Olivi broke the news shortly before the ceremonial weigh-in show on Friday night. Per UFC.com, the heavyweight slobberknocker between Derrick Lewis and Marcos Rogerio de Lima has been bumped up to the main card.

The marks the second time that the Brazilian has missed weight since joining the league in 2019. He first came in a pound o…

Are you 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐏𝐢𝐭𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐥 or 𝑻𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒅𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒖𝒛𝒂? 👀

Elite lightweights @PatrickyPitbull and @ToshiJJ will square off in the final leg of the #BellatorLWGP opening round!🔥

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👊 #BellatorXRizin🇺🇸 7/29 | 11pm ET/8pm PT | @SHOsports🇯🇵 7/30 | 12pm JST | @UNEXT_fight pic.twitter.com/wPHiovJb9p — Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) July 28, 2023 After a successful co-promotion last year, Bellator MMA and Rizin Fighting Federation are back with a second event.

Headlining Bellator MMA x Rizin 2 is a late-notice 161-pound catchweight bout that will be part of Bellator's lightweight grand prix. Former Bellator lightweight champion Patricky Freire will take on Rizin lightweight champion Roberto Satoshi de Souza in the main event, while the co-main event will see Kyoji Horiguchi and Makoto Takahashi battle for the inaugural Bellator flyweight championship. Rizin fighters will be looking for revenge as the initial event went 5-0 in favor of Bellator …

[embedded content] Editor's note: The article has been updated at 6:55 p.m. ET to reflect the cancelation of one of the main card matchups.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship's "BMF Championship" will be on the line for the second time at UFC 291.

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Vying to be the promotion's "baddest MFer" are former interim lightweight champions Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. Both men came prepared and looked sharp during the weigh-ins, as "The Diamond" weighed 155 pounds on the dot, while Gaethje came in at 156 pounds.

Two fighters failed to make weight for the card. The most notable miss came from Michel Pereira, who checked in at 174 pounds for his welterweight match against Stephen Thompson. Shortly before the ceremonial weigh-in show, the UFC announced that the fight has been canceled. The promotion has listed on its website that the heavyweight scrap between Derrick Lewis and Marcos Rogerio de Lima has been elevated to the main card. Additionally, Vinic…

Title fights don't get much bigger than this! 🤩

Will it be #AndStill or #AndNew? Find out this Saturday night at #CW158! 🏆🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/pJpFviExUj

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) July 24, 2023 Cage Warrior Fighting Championship is now officially set to return to Rome for CW 158.

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The official CW 158 weigh-ins saw all 28 fighters on the card make weight. Headlining the 14-fight card is a flyweight title fight between champion Shaj Haque and Michele Martignoni. Hague (15-5) came in at 124.6 pounds, while the challenger weighed 124.4 pounds.

This marks the first defense for "Superman," who won the belt on New Year's Eve by stopping Sam Creasey with a knockout punch. The champion is on a five-fight win streak, while Martignoni (8-1, 2 NC) is coming off two straight victories. "The Italian Thunder" most recently defeated Dominique Wooding by unanimous decision.

CW 158 will stream live on UFC Fight Pass on Sat…

At the conclusion of this Ultimate Fighting Championship 145-pound tilt, only one of these men will likely remain in the top 10.

On Aug. 26 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore, the UFC will stage UFC Fight Night 225. Added to the billing on Thursday, as first reported by MMA Junkie, is a featherweight clash between Giga Chikadze (14-3) and Alex Caceres (21-13, 1 NC). Per Setanta Sports, this collision will serve as the co-main event to Max Holloway vs. Chan Sung Jung.

This will be Chikadze’s first jaunt to the Octagon since a one-sided decision loss to Calvin Kattar in January 2022. That defeat put an end to a nine-fight undefeated streak that included his whole UFC tenure plus a pair of triumphs in the Gladiator Challenge cage. Before facing Kattar in a top contender matchup, Chikadze had knocked out Jamey Simmons, Cub Swanson and Edson Barboza in the span of under 10 months, with the one against Barboza in the UFC on ESPN 30 main attraction. As a …

UFC Fight Night, Sept. 23 … per Dana White

No. 6 Rafael Fiziev vs. No. 6 Mateusz Gamrot

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No. 12 Bryce Mitchell vs. No. 13 Dan Ige pic.twitter.com/4UMaMUr2hR — Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) July 27, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship appears to have locked in the main and co-main attractions for its late September Fight Night show.

Per the UFC’s broadcast partner of ESPN on Thursday, the promotion has established its top two fights for the UFC Fight Night card on Sept. 23. Atop the event likely staged inside of the UFC Apex in Las Vegas will be a lightweight affair between Rafael Fiziev (12-2) and Mateusz Gamrot (22-2, 1 NC). In the co-featured attraction, featherweights Bryce Mitchell (15-1) and Dan Ige (17-6) will get to finally settle a beef that has gone on for years.

Fiziev saw his six-fight win streak come to a screeching halt in March when Justin Gaethje outworked him over three thrilling rounds. That …

An all-action Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight rumble is coming to the cage in mid-October.

MMAJunkie first broke the news on Thursday that Sodiq Yusuff (13-2) and Edson Barboza (23-11) were planning on throwing down at the untitled UFC Fight Night event on Oct. 14. The fight card is expected to be held inside of the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and there is no headliner or much of its billing announced as of yet. This featherweight matchup has since been confirmed by Yusuff on Twitter shortly after its announcement.

This will be Yusuff’s first appearance in 2023, after a successful 2022 campaign that saw him pick up a decision win over Alex Caceres and then tap out Don Shainis in 30 seconds almost seven months later. After seven outings in the Octagon thus far, Yusuff has lost just one time, taking top contender Arnold Allen to the scorecards and coming up short. On his way up the 145-pound ladder, he beat the likes of Andre Fili, Gabriel Benitez and Sheymon Mo…

Patricky Freire was not disappointed by the last-minute change to the Bellator MMA x Rizin 2 main event.

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On Tuesday night, it was announced that Rizin lightweight champion Roberto Satoshi de Souza would replace A.J. McKee in the grand prix bout, which will serve as the headliner for the Bellator portion of Saturday’s card at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

"The most important thing for me is to fight and advance in that grand prix and I’m glad Satoshi, the current Rizin champion, agreed to step in and face me on such short notice for both of us. I was told about A.J. McKee’s (medical issue) on Monday morning. He just told Bellator on Sunday. He was probably trying his best to recover until the last minute, but unfortunately it was not possible.”

Freire acknowledged that he will have to make some tactical changes against a new foe.

"Satoshi is a totally different opponent,” Freire said. “I did my whol…

Patricio Freire is a late addition to this weekend’s Super Rizin 2 event, as the Bellator featherweight champion will face Japanese kickboxing specialist Chihiro Suzuki in a 154-pound catchweight affair.

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The pairing was announced during a press conference late on Tuesday night. Super Rizin 2 is part of a joint event with Bellator, but in this case, both promotions will have separate cards under their respective rules. Freire vs. Suzuki will take place in a ring under Rizin rules.

Freire is making a quick turnaround following an unsuccessful foray to 135 pounds, where he dropped a five-round verdict to Sergio Pettis in a title bout at Bellator 297 on June 16. That snapped a three-bout winning streak for “Pitbull,” who was coming off successive victories over A.J. McKee, Adam Borics and Kleber Koike Erbst.

Suzuki owns a 10-3 record in MMA. He had been victorious in his last five appearances under the Rizin banner before suffering a submission l…

Bellator MMA’s lightweight grand prix has undergone a significant change-up just days before the final quarterfinal was set to take place.

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The promotion announced on Tuesday that Rizin Fighting Federation lightweight champion Roberto Satoshi de Souza will repace A.J. McKee and face Patricky Freire in the 155-pound bracket. McKee, the ex-Bellator featherweight king, was forced to withdraw from the event due to a medical issue.

“This is a situation where medically A.J. cannot continue into our quarterfinals,” Coker said at a press conference. “He will be our first alternate. You never know what’s going to happen in the future.”

Satoshi has won six of his last seven professional outings, most recently outpointing Spike Carlyle in a non-title bout at Rizin 42 on May 6. His lone defeat came via unanimous decision at the hands of McKee at the Bellator vs. Rizin event last December.

Freire, meanwhile, relinquished Bellator’s lightweight crown …

Vicente Luque’s headlining bout against Rafael dos Anjos at UFC on ESPN 51 will proceed as planned after the welterweight was cleared to compete at a Nevada State Athletic Commission hearing on Tuesday.

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During that meeting, the NSAC revealed that Luque suffered a brain hemorrhage in relation to a technical knockout loss to Geoff Neal at UFC on ESPN 40 in August 2022. NSAC executive Jeff Mullen initially confirmed the news to MMAjunkie.com.

“He suffered a brain bleed [a year ago],” Mullen said. “He had a suspension of one year. He had to bring before the commission clearance from a neurosurgeon and a neurologist independently who recommended he be licensed. We have that material. … I have faith in our doctors.”

Luque’s license was unanimously approved by the commission. If he fights again in Nevada after his Aug. 12 matchup with dos Anjos, he will likely have to submit to additional testing to confirm he is still healthy enough to compete. Read more about Vicente Luque Cleared to Fight After Suffering Brain Hemorrhage in KO Loss

Charles Oliveira claims that he wasn’t in the right mindset heading into his lightweight title bout against Islam Makhachev at UFC 280.

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In an interview with Brazilian outlet AgFight, Oliveira admitted that his mentality was affected by the tension surrounding the fight, which Makhachev won via second-round submission in October 2022. Part of that was due to statements made by Khabib Nurmagomedov expressing extreme confidence in his protege. Those, Oliveira says, caused him to “get too involved” in wanting to make a statement against his opponent.

“Do Bronx” has vowed that he won’t get distracted by outside comments before his rematch with Makhachev at UFC 294.

“I said some things for that fight that I shouldn't have said. That wasn't me. I ended up getting too emotionally involved,” Oliveira said. “I’ll never say I'm going to kill someone, curse or anything like that. And at times I ended up saying this about Islam: 'Oh, I'm going to kill th…

It appears that Molly McCann’s time as a UFC flyweight has run its course.

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The popular English fighter indicated that a move to strawweight is imminent in a social media post on Monday. McCann is coming off a first-round submission loss to Julija Stoliarenko in the UFC Fight Night 224 co-main event on Saturday.

“If there’s one thing I know, it’s how to always overcome adversity and this is no different,” McCann wrote. “20 months ago I was sitting in this same position, [back to back] losses and ready to pack it in. Then a boss run and my world changed forever.

“We have one more adjustment to make and I believe that will make all the difference in the world, the smallest in the division makes it tough when the opponents are so much bigger. So for me it’s time to drop down and face the girls who are the same size!”

McCann has competed primarily at 125 pounds during her tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion, compiling a 6-5 record alo…