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Tom Aspinall on Potential Jon Jones Fight: ‘I Think I Match Up Well’

Tom Aspinall put the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s heavyweight division on notice Saturday.

In his first fight in a year, the Englishman blitzed Marcin Tybura for a 73-second technical knockout victory in the UFC Fight Night 224 headliner at the O2 Arena in London. Aspinall’s blend of skill and athleticism was on full display, and he appears to be a difficult matchup for most anyone in the weight class. That includes Jon Jones, who Aspinall hasn’t been shy about mentioning as a desired opponent.

“I think I match up well,” Aspinall said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “It’s a dream fight of mine. I think I’m young and I’m fresh. I’ve not got loads of miles on the clock. I’m big. I can do everything well. I’m fast, I’m strong, I’m heavy, which is unlike a lot of his opponents who he’s fought in the past. I just think I bring something different to him, and I think he knows that, as well.”

Aspinall’s callout drew Jones’ attention, a…

UFC Fight Night 224 Bonuses: Tom Aspinall Takes Home an Extra $50,000

EASY WORK for @AspinallMMA 👀

He gets the finish in the first round! #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/TtKd6uUR3f

— UFC (@ufc) July 22, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship awarded four fighters performance bonuses following the UFC Fight Night 224 card.

Tom Aspinall impressed in his return from injury as the heavyweight contender quickly ran through Marcin Tybura. Aspinall's slicing elbows and powerful punches put away Tybura in slightly over a minute. The impressive TKO win was enough for the British fighter to earn a Performance of the Night bonus and take home an extra $50,000. The fight was officially stopped at 1:13 of the first round.

The other Performance of the Night bonus went to Paul Craig. After a rough first round, "Bearjew" managed to put away Andre Muniz with a series of brutal elbows. Finally, Fight of the Night went to Danny Roberts and Jonny Parsons, which earned both fighters an extra $50,000. Parsons wound up fin…

Tom Aspinall Blitzes Marcin Tybura, Makes Successful Return at UFC Fight Night 224

Tom Aspinall didn’t miss a beat.

Almost a year to the day since he suffered a knee injury in a loss to Curtis Blaydes, Aspinall returned to form with a first-round technical knockout victory against Marcin Tybura in the UFC Fight Night 224 headliner at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday. The heavyweight bout was called off just 73 seconds after it began.

“This is a whole new version of me. I’m not going to say that I’m back… I’m just different now than what I was last year,” Aspinall said. “My mind’s different. My body’s different. I’m going all the way.”

Aspinall didn’t give Tybura (24-8, 11-7 UFC) a chance to get going. The Englishman rattled his foe with a head kick at the outset of the fight, and then showcased his speed and mobility by making the Pole swing at air. Shortly thereafter, Aspinall (13-3, 6-1 UFC) stopped Tybura in his tracks with a step-in elbow before dropping him with a right hand. From there, the Team Kaobon standout unleash…

UFC Fight Night 224 ‘Aspinall vs. Tybura’ Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 224 coverage will begin Saturday at 12 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Filho (-125), Barez (+105)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Brasil (-150), Bannon (+130)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result …

UFC Fight Night 224 Prelims: Jonny Parsons Wins Wild Brawl, Stops Danny Roberts

JONNY PARSONS WITH SECONDS LEFT IN THE ROUND 😲 #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/DUn027uR21

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 22, 2023

Syndicate MMA product Jonny Parsons outdueled English veteran Danny Roberts during a wild second-round brawl for a technical knockout victory in the featured welterweight prelim at UFC Fight Night 224 in London on Saturday. Parsons brought the show to a close at the 4:57 mark of Round 2 for his sixth straight win. Roberts has lost three straight fights dating back to May 2022.

Roberts (18-8, 7-7 UFC started well, using his reach and superior boxing to get the better of Parsons (9-3, 1-0 UFC) in the opening stanza. That changed in the second period when Parsons clipped his foe with a clean right to the jaw. From there, Roberts threw caution to the wind — to his detriment. Parsons had Roberts reeling with a series of knees and uppercuts against the fence, forcing “Hot Chocolate” to shoot for a takedown …

UFC Fight Night 224 Weigh-in Results: All Fighters Make Weight

[embedded content] The Ultimate Fighting Championship's return to England is set after the official weigh-ins took place.

All 30 fighters on the UFC Fight Night 224 card successfully made weight, including heavyweight headliners Tom Aspinall and Marcin Tybura. It will be the local combatant that will be the heavier man in the cage on Saturday, as Aspinall checked in 12 pounds higher than Tybura. Both men are signed up for five potential rounds of action.

This marks the first fight for Aspinall (12-3) since suffering a knee injury just 15 seconds into his encounter with Curtis Blaydes last year. Almost exactly one year later, Aspinall will look to return to the form that had him undefeated inside the Octagon. Prior to the setback, the English heavyweight had wreckedAlexander Volkov, Sergey Spivak and Andrei Arlovski in the span of about 13 months. Aspinall officially weighed 258 pounds, the heaviest in his UFC career to date.

This marks the second …

Mick Stanton Hammers James Webb, Defends Middleweight Title at CW 157

After weathering an early storm, a comeback late in the round secured the TKO win for Mick Stanton. He retains the CW Middleweight Title 🏆 what an incredible fight by both competitors 👏#CW157 pic.twitter.com/xIqxgm55It

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) July 21, 2023 Cage Warriors Fighting Championship mainstay Mick Stanton now knows the sweet taste of revenge.

For as long as it lasted, the CW 157 headliner was a slugfest starring Stanton (12-7, 9-5 CW) and James Webb (9-5-1, 8-5-1 CW) with the middleweight championship on the line. In their first clash, Webb defeated Stanton by unanimous decision. This time, the match was far, but much was more intense. Webb rocked his adversary right out of the gate with powerful strikes, keeping Stanton guessing until dropping him with a powerful body shot. Stanton recovered quickly enough and fired back with a vengeance. Thanks to a series of quick fists and a well-timed uppercut, Stanton rebounded and dropped…

LFA 163 Weigh-in Results: Title Fight Set, 3 Miss Weight

[embedded content] The Legacy Fighting Alliance returns for its second event of July.

Headlining the nine-fight LFA 163 card is featherweight championship collision for the vacant belt between Elijah Johns and Javier Garcia. Both participants made weight for the five-round bout. However, there were three main card weight misses, as Johnny Hopper, Matheus Pereira and Angel Alvarez all came in heavy for their respective bouts.

An LFA mainstay, Johns (9-2) bounced back from a 2021 split decision defeat to Bruno Souza by defeating Brandon Phillips and Masuto Kawana both by unanimous decision. Winner of seven of his last eight appearances, the Dallas native stepped on the scale weighing 144.6 pounds.

Meanwhile, Garcia (10-5) has won three of his last four after also losing on the scorecards to the aforementioned Souza. Recent victories over Leandro Gomes and Albert Morales earned "El Mariachi" a shot at championship gold. The 31-year-old officially weig…

Cristiano Marcello Announces Purchase of American Top Team Facilities in Curitiba

[embedded content] A Ultimate Fighting Championship vet has grown his team in Brazil beyond his wildest dreams.

Back in 2009 when he was still on the roster, UFC vet Cristiano Marcello decided he would move on from his original institution of Chute Boxe. Rather than join up with another team – he did train occasionally with Team Alpha Male in California, as coach Urijah Faber was also his trainer on his season of “The Ultimate Fighter” – the Rio de Janeiro native formed his own team and called it CM System. Over the years, it has drawn notable competitors like Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, Matheus Scheffel and Geraldo Coelho de Lima Neto, among others. Speaking with Sherdog on Thursday, Marcello had an announcement to make: his team had purchased the facilities of American Top Team in Curitiba, Brazil, and he claims that he now runs the largest training center in the country.

“I’m so glad I started the team in 2009 when I was still competing in UFC and …

Cory Sandhagen vs. Rob Font Booked at 140 Pounds as New UFC Nashville Headliner

Cory Sandhagen will now fight Rob Font at a catchweight in the main event of UFC Nashville on Aug. 5, sources told ESPN. Five-round fight.

— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) July 20, 2023 A few injuries to top-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship contenders have resulted in some significant card switches.

Per ESPN on Thursday, Rob Font (20-6) has been tapped as the replacement for the injured Umar Nurmagomedov for UFC Nashville. The Aug. 5 headliner now set as a 140-pound catchweight affair, it will play out between Font and Cory Sandhagen (16-4) over the course of five rounds. Font was initially planning on facing Yadong Song at UFC 292 two weeks later, but an injury to Song allows for Font to take this matchup on short notice.

In April, Font bounced back from a two-decision skid to Jose Aldo and Marlon Vera by clocking Adrian Yanez in the first round at UFC 287. Prior to the pair of five-round defeats to Aldo and Vera, the Boston native …

Georges St. Pierre to Grapple Demian Maia at Dec. 14 Fight Pass Invitational 6 Event

Editor's note: The article has been updated at 1:55 to reflect a dispute about the veracity of the fighter's confirmation of the grappling match.

One of the greatest fighters of all time is going to change disciplines to take on one of the best grapplers to ever compete in MMA.

According to FloGrappling on Thursday, former Ultimate Fighting Championship two-division champion Georges St. Pierre has an opponent for his grappling debut in December. At Fight Pass Invitation 6, which will likely be held at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, St. Pierre will ply his trade against Brazilian submission icon Demian Maia. The rules will likely be submission-only, with special overtime provisions that will be announced at a later date. News of this pairing, one that will headline the Dec. 14 event airing on UFC Fight Pass, was confirmed by Maia on social media.

Every now and then, something comes up that still does really motivate you.Grappling @…

One Championship to Stage 4 U.S. Events in 2024

[embedded content] One Championship is planning on ramping up its stateside presence next year in a big way.

The Singapore-based organization announced on Thursday that it planned on running four fight cards in the U.S. in 2024. Putting on bouts across multiple different disciplines, the league was able to travel to Colorado this past May with its various rule sets and weigh-in procedures approved by the Colorado Combative Sports Commission. No date or locations have been provided, other than that the events will air on Amazon Prime.

One head Chatri Sityodtong included a statement in the release, saying, “I am thrilled to announced that One Championship is coming back to the U.S. with four massive events in 2024. When we made our historic U.S. debut with One Fight Night 10 on Prime Video, I was blown away by the support we received from our fans in the U.S.”

This follows the April agreement One made with Amazon Prime to extend their broadcasting contract for sev…

Cage Warriors 157 Weigh-in Results: Title Fight Set; 1 Fighter Heavy

The Rematch is 🔛

📺 Watch Mick Stanton 🆚 James Webb 𝗜𝗜 headline #CW157 tomorrow night on @UFCFightPass! pic.twitter.com/wzMjXu2yUB

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) July 20, 2023 Both Cage Warriors Fighting Championship and the Ultimate Fighting Championship will be putting on 15-fight showcases in London this weekend.

The Cage Warriors middleweight championship will be on the line in the CW 157 main event. Reigning titleholder Mick Stanton will put his belt up for grabs against challenger James Webb in a highly anticipated rematch. Both men made weight, as did the rest of the card, with the exception of Tom Mearns (150.4). The would-be featherweight came in 4.4 pounds heavy for his fight against Bailey Gilbert, and has been fined a hefty 50% of his purse.

Stanton (11-7) claimed the title in his last fight, a unanimous decision win over Will Currie. The Liverpool native has won five of his last six fights, with the lon…

Makhachev-Oliveira Title Rematch, Costa vs. Chimaev Announced for UFC 294

Abu Dhabi we're back and we're bringing a STACKED card with us!!@DanaWhite just announced the first three fights for #UFC294 in October 🔥

[ Tickets on sales this week | @VisitAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | #InAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/9mgcbIwbB8

— UFC (@ufc) July 20, 2023

Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira are going to run it back after all.

UFC president Dana White announced on Wednesday evening that a lightweight championship rematch between Makhachev and Oliveira will headline UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 21. Additionally, Paulo Costa will meet Khamzat Chimaev at middleweight, while Nassourdine Imavov will face Ikram Aliskerov in another 185-pound bout. Costa and Alikerov were initially slated to face each other at UFC 291 before the new fights were revealed.

Makhachev and Oliveira first squared off at UFC 280, with the Dagestani claiming the vacant 155-pound belt with a second-round submission triumph. Makhache…

Umar Nurmagomedov Withdraws from UFC Nashville Headliner on Aug. 5

Umar Nurmagomedov has withdrawn from the UFC Nashville main event on Aug. 5 for undisclosed reasons.

Multiple outlets confirmed Nurmagomedov’s exit on Wednesday following an initial report from The Schmozone. The Las Vegas-based promotion is reportedly seeking a replacement opponent for Cory Sandhagen. UFC on ESPN 50 takes place at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennesee, and is also expected to include a strawweight clash pitting Tatiana Suarez against Jessica Andrade.

The 27-year-old Nurmagomedov is undefeated in 16 professional outings. He has kicked off his UFC tenure with four consecutive victories, including three inside the distance. Most recently, the Eagles MMA product knocked out Raoni Barcelos in the opening stanza of their UFC Fight Night 217 encounter on Jan. 14.

A former interim bantamweight title challenger, Sandhagen is coming off back-to-back triumphs against Marlon Vera and Yadong Song in main event bouts. The Elevation Fi…

Movlid Khaybulaev Out; Chris Wade Steps in to Face Gabriel Braga in PFL Playoffs

OFFICIAL: Updated 2023 #PFLPlayoffs San Antonio Card

Movlid Khaybulaev is out. @CWadeMMA steps in and will now face @Gabrielbragab.

[Fri, August 4th |#PFLPlayoffs | 🎟️ https://t.co/FD4ZBDPl3o] pic.twitter.com/ibwdkISqVU — PFL (@PFLMMA) July 19, 2023 Movlid Khaybulaev’s 2023 Professional Fighters League campaign has reached a premature end.

The organization announced on Wednesday that Khaybulaev is out of his featherweight semifinal matchup against Gabriel Braga. As a result, Chris Wade will get a spot in the postseason and square off against Braga on Aug. 4.

A reason for Khaybulaev’s exit was not given. A PFL champion in 2021, Khaybulaev rolled through the 2023 regular season with victories over Ryoji Kudo and Tyler Diamond. The 32-year-old Dagestani is unbeaten in 23 professional outings and has won seven straight bouts since a no contest against Daniel Pineda in 2019.

Wade has made the PFL playoffs on four…

Lerone Murphy, Nathaniel Wood Squabble in London Over Previously Canceled Bout

It's getting heated!@TheProspectMMA and @LeroneMurphy just bumped into each other at the #UFCLondon hotel... 👀 pic.twitter.com/0RsFWQa9qG

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) July 19, 2023

There appears to be some lingering animosity between Lerone Murphy and Nathaniel Wood.

The featherweight competitors recently crossed paths at the UFC London fighter hotel, where Murphy took issue with some comments Wood made about putting on a “masterclass” ahead of their proposed matchup at UFC 286. Wood was forced to withdraw from the contest due to a “freak accident” in training.

“You pulled out bro,” Murphy says to Wood during the encounter, which never got physical.

Both athletes now have other, more pressing matters at hand. Murphy is booked against Joshua Culibao at UFC Fight Night 224 on Saturday at the O2 in London, while Wood will lock horns with Andre Fili on the same card.

Gilbert Burns: Michael Chandler Will Kick Conor McGregor’s Ass

H E A T E D 🔥 #TUF31 pic.twitter.com/dfc89L3gfm

— The Ultimate Fighter (@UltimateFighter) July 5, 2023

While many fans believe the fight between “The Ultimate Fighter 31” coaches Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler will be postponed until 2024, Gilbert Burns has heard otherwise.

In a recent interview with Sherdog.com, Burns claims that Chandler, a training partner at Kill Cliff FC, told him the bout will happen in December.

"He was already relaxed when he met [UFC president Dana White] backstage at UFC 290 and Dana told him to be ready, that it will happen by the end of the year,” Burns said. “The following day Chandler posted a Christmas tree [on Twitter]. So I think it's on and will happen in December.”

Burns does not believe that the current version of McGregor matches up well with Chandler.

"If we were talking about the prime Conor, who beat [Jose] Aldo and [Eddie] Alvarez, that guy was really a badass and I …

Ougikubo Replaces Asakura, Faces Archuleta for Bantamweight Title at Super Rizin 2

Super Rizin 2 has a new matchup for promotion’s vacant bantamweight championship.

Hiromasa Ougikubo will replace the injured Kai Asakura and square off against Juan Archuleta for the 135-pound belt on July 30 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The promotion announced the new bout after Asakura recently revealed he would have to withdraw from the event.

A former Bellator bantamweight king, Archuleta has won his last three outings — two of which occurred under the Rizin banner. “The Spaniard” last appeared at Rizin 42, where he outpointed Naoki Inoue on May 6. He also owns victories over Soo Chul Kim and Enrique Barzola during his current streak.

Ougikubo, meanwhile, is coming off back-to-back defeats against Kyoji Horguchi and Soo Chul Kim in 2022. Prior to that, the 36-year-old Paraestra Matsudo representative won five consecutive bouts under the Rizin banner, including a decision against Asakura, the man he replaced.

Finalized Bellator 298 Lineup Includes Debut of NCAA Wrestling Champ Jordan Oliver

[embedded content]

Two-time NCAA national wrestling champion Jordan Oliver will make his professional MMA debut against Andrew Triolo in a featherweight fight on the preliminary card at Bellator 298.

The promotion on Tuesday announced the finalized lineup for the card, which also includes a new bantamweight matchup pitting Josh Hill against Kasum Kasumov. Bellator 298 takes place at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D., and is headlined by a welterweight clash between Logan Storley and Brennan Ward. The main card airs on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET/PT and features a newly-elevated featherweight tilt between James Gallagher and James Gonzalez.

Oliver, who twice won national titles at Oklahoma State University, signed a multi-fight deal with Bellator earlier this year. He was 89-6 over the course of his collegiate career, with the two aforementioned national titles in folkstyle wrestling. He was also a 2019 U.S. national champion in freestyle wrestling.<…

Atomweight Title Fight, Three Other Women’s Bouts Top Card for One on Prime Video 14

An interim atomweight (115-pound) title bout pitting Stamp Fairtex against Seo Hee Ham will be one of the featured contests at One on Prime Video 14.

The Singapore-based organization announced that the card will put the spotlight on women of the promotion, with four female bouts atop the card. This includes three title fights across three different disciplines as well as a special rules bout.

In addition to Fairtex vs. Ham, One Fight Night 14 will also feature a women’s strawweight muay thai title bout between Smilia Sundell and Jackie Buntan; a showdown for the inaugural women’s atomweight grappling championship between Danielle Kelly and Jessa Khan and a special rules striking bout pitting Xiong Jing Nan against Wondergirl. In that last contest, combatants will wear four-ounce gloves while being allowed to throw punches only — kicks, knees and elbows are prohibited — and judging and scoring will adhere to One’s protocols for kickboxing and muay t…

Longtime Bellator Competitor Michael Page Announces Free Agency

After a run with Bellator MMA that began more than a decade ago, Michael Page will get a chance to test the free agent waters.

Page announced Monday on "The MMA Hour" that his contract with the California-based promotion has expired. Bellator still retains matching rights, but the 36-year-old welterweight is interested exploring his options, which could include returns to boxing or bare knuckle boxing. “Venom” also plans on attending this Saturday’s UFC event at the O2 Arena in London. Sherdog.com subsequently confirmed with a Bellator official that Page is indeed a free agent.

“I think it’s time for me to just explore what else is out there,” Page aid. “It doesn’t mean I’m not going to go back with Bellator. It just means I want to see what other people think of ‘MVP.’”

Page was victorious in 17 of 19 Bellator appearances since making his debut with the organization in March 2013. His record includes wins over the likes of Douglas Lima, Pau…

After Squashing Beef in Chance Meeting, Adesanya Plans to Train with Jones in Future

[embedded content]

A few years back, Israel Adesanya and Jon Jones were not on the best of terms.

That rivalry centered primarily on a hypothetical meeting between the two UFC stars back when Jones was reigning light heavyweight champion and Adesanya was considering a move up to attempt to become a two-division title holder. Today, however, Jones is the heavyweight king, and Adesanya is fully entrenched in his second reign as 185-pound ruler. So when the two fighters recently crossed paths during International Fight Week in Las Vegas, it became a viral feel-good moment.

The encounter almost didn’t happen, but when Adesanya elected to leave his hotel room to hang out at the casino bar, Jones happened to be in the same place. While “The Last Stylebender” won’t reveal exactly what was discussed, there was an instant positive connection.

“It’s no one’s business [what was discussed], that’s between me and him, but it definitely wasn’t a fake encount…

Jack Della Maddalena, Bassil Hafez Offer Differing Views of UFC on ESPN 49 Clash

Jack Della Maddalena got all he could handle from short-notice foe Bassil Hafez in the UFC on ESPN 49 co-main event.

While the Australian welterweight struggled with the takedowns and top control from his opponent, he ultimately avoided an upset with a split-decision triumph at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. It was trying few weeks for Della Maddaleba, who had a pair of matchups fall through at UFC 290 one week prior.

“When I look back it wasn’t my best performance but it was a lot of fun,” Della Maddalena said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I came in with a crazy three weeks and at the end of the day, you’ve just got to get in there and grit out a tough fight. It was a tough fight. That’s what I came here for. The team came out and it was a tough fight. I expected a tough fight. A guy with a big opportunity on his hands and he delivered. It was a lot of fun.

“I never underestimate anyone’s toughness. For a guy to st…

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