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🚨🚨BREAKING🚨🚨

Jesse Butler steps in on short notice to take on Jim Miller this Saturday at #UFCVegas74 in Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/HcGfwwi8X4

— Marcel Dorff 🇳🇱🇮🇩 (@BigMarcel24) June 1, 2023 The gap in Octagon experience for this short-notice Ultimate Fighting Championship match will be historic.

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Earlier in May, Jim Miller (35-17, 1 NC) was slated to face Ludovit Klein at UFC on ESPN 46. A few weeks before the match, Jared Gordon stepped in to replace Klein against Miller. On Thursday, news broke from Fight Bananas that Gordon was forced out of the fight that will be happening on Saturday. The promotion cobbled together another replacement option, per Eurosport NL, and Miller will now be squaring off with newcomer Jesse Butler (12-4) on June 3 at the UFC Apex. The lightweight pairing has been confirmed by Butler on Twitter shortly after its announcement.

Miller is still aiming to rebound from his first loss in a few …

Our #CW155 San Diego main event is 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟! ⚖️

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) June 1, 2023 Cage Warriors Fighting Championship makes its return to San Diego, where 21 of the 22 athletes successfully made weight.

Headlining CW 155 is a lightweight fight between James Lynch and Kyle Driscoll. Ever the professionals, both men hit their proper marks. As for the rest of the card, one preliminary headlining participant was the lone competitor to miss on the scales. Ahead of his bantamweight clash with James Settle (135.6), Frans Linsol Sormin (136.4) checked in .4 pounds over the limit, and he has been fined a percentage of his purse.

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Lynch (6-3) recently rebounded from a knockout loss to Erick Sanchez by winning a decision over Georgii Eivas. "Jamey" has won three out of his last four and is 3-2 inside the promotion overall. Lynch weighed 155.9 for the main event.

Meanwhile, Driscoll had an eight-fight win streak snapp…

𝐒𝐀𝐍 𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐎! 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 🗓️

Featherweights and Light Heavyweights fight to punch their ticket to the 2023 PFL World Championships LIVE from the @BoeingCenterSA on Friday, August 4th!

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For more information 👇https://t.co/eCMG4faqPw pic.twitter.com/oXWl90jdSY — PFL (@PFLMMA) June 1, 2023 Texas will play host to the first leg of the Professional Fighters League’s 2023 playoffs.

The promotion announced in a press release on Thursday that its first playoff event in 2023 would take place on Aug. 4. The card will be held at Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio, Texas. This particular event will include the commencement of the featherweight and light heavyweight brackets, along with other various matchups as the organization determines. It is unclear at the time if the PFL will remain in Texas for the other two playoff shows, or if it will travel elsewhere for them.

PFL CEO Peter Murray included a statement about th…

The card for UFC 291 continues to take shape, as the promotion announced two new matchups for the July 29 event.

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Matthew Semelsberger will face Yohan Lainesse at welterweight, while Roman Kopylov will meet Claudio Ribeiro at middleweight on the preliminary draw. UFC 291 takes place at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is headlined by a lightweight rematch pitting Dustin Poirier against Justin Gaethje for the BMF title.

Semelsberger is 5-3 since beginning his promotional tenure in 2020. Most recently, “Semi the Jedi” dropped a split decision to Jeremiah Wells at UFC Fight Night 222 on April 22.

A former competitor on Dana White’s Contender Series, Lainesse has lost two of his first three Octagon appearances. In his last outing, the Canadian known as “White Lion” was submitted by Mike Malott in the opening stanza at UFC Fight Night 220 on Feb. 25.

After losing his first two promotional appearances, Kopylov has rebounded to sc…

After nearly four years away from the Octagon, Kron Gracie disappointed his fans with the worst performance of his career at UFC 288.

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Gracie was unable to get opponent Charles Jourdain to the canvas and on the feet, his output was almost nonexistent in a unanimous decision defeat. That showing drew criticism from UFC president Dana White in the aftermath.

"He came really limited tonight, fighting like he just left a time capsule from 1995,” White said at the UFC 288 post-fight press conference.

One week after the fight, Kron released a statement where he blamed “bad advice” and a desire to please the jiu-jitsu community for the defeat.

“In a lifetime of fighting, it’s always been a fight to the death,” the son of Rickson Gracie wrote. “Understand the situation and willing to limit myself, even that being said I threw no punches because of bad advice and tried to please the jiu-jitsu community two days before my fight. First fight in my life I…

Merab Dvalishvili won’t be back in the Octagon until later this year.

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The UFC bantamweight contender recently underwent surgery on his right hand and is expected to spend approximately six to eight weeks in a splint. His return to full contact, including punching, isn’t expected to occur until 10 to 12 weeks after the procedure. Dvalishvili’s manager, Oren Hodak, initially confirmed the news to MMAFighting.com.

Dvalishvili has won his last nine bouts in UFC competition. Most recently, “The Machine” earned an impressive five-round verdict over ex-champ Petr Yan in the UFC Fight Night 221 headliner on March 11. He also owns notable wins over the likes of Jose Aldo, Marlon Moraes, Cody Stamann and John Dodson.

While Dvallishvili is currently a title contender at 135 pounds, he has stated on multiple occasions that he won’t challenge for the belt as long as Serra-Longo Fight Team stablemate Aljamain Sterling is champion. Sterling is currently sc…

The 2023 Professional Fighters League campaign will have to move on without defending light heavyweight champion Rob Wilkinson.

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Wilkinson has failed a drug test following his victory over Thiago Santos at PFL 1 and has been pulled from a scheduled clash against Ty Flores at PFL 4 on June 8. Wilkinson will also miss the rest of the PFL season due to a pending suspension. MMA Mania was first to report Wilkinson’s failed drug test. The substance for which Wilkinson tested positive has not been revealed.

As a result, Flores will now face Dan Spohn at PFL 4, which takes place at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. Wilkinson vs. Flores was slated to be the card’s co-main event.

Wilkinson is just the latest — and perhaps most prominent — PFL athlete to fail a drug test following the league’s first three events. Nine fighters, including Santos, have either been fined and suspended or are facing sanctions from the Nevada Athletic Commission after testi…

Aaron Pico will lock horns with Pedro Carvalho in a featherweight duel at Bellator 299.

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The California-based promotion announced the bout on Tuesday. Bellator 299 takes place at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland on Sept. 23 and is headlined by a middleweight championship showdown between Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards.

After a shoulder injury led to a technical knockout loss against Jeremy Kennedy at Bellator 286 in October, Pico returned to the win column at Bellator 295, taking a clear-cut unanimous verdict against James Gonzalez on April 22. The 26-year-old Jackson-Wink MMA product has won seven of his last eight contests under the Bellator banner.

According to a release, Carvalho recently signed a new Bellator deal. The SBG Ireland export is 2-2 in his last four outings ? including a decision defeat to Kennedy in his most recent appearance at Bellator 291. The Portugal native owns notable wins over the likes of Mads Burnell, Daniel Weichel, Sam…

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With the premiere of “The Ultimate Fighter 31” on Tuesday night, the countdown for Conor McGregor’s Octagon return begins in earnest.

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“It’s time for me to immerse myself back in the game,” McGregor said in an interview on the UFC’s YouTube channel. “I’m excited to get back. I couldn’t turn down the offer.”

The former UFC two-division champion said that coaching on the long-running reality show was beneficial to his own development. McGregor previously served as a coach against Urijah Faber on “TUF 22” in 2015.

“I enjoyed myself the last time,” McGregor said. “For me when I start teaching, and I used to coach a boxing class [for John Kavangh] many years ago before I got into the UFC…me committing to coaching a class and coaching a couple of people, it almost forced me to dial in a bit more. I had to think about the technique. I had to think about the way I was gonna teach, why I was teaching. It just allowed me to actually get …

Amanda Nunes’ loss to Julianna Pena at UFC 269 was one of the biggest upsets in the sport’s history, and it took a mental toll on the Brazilian in the immediate aftermath.

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In fact, Nunes considered calling it a career following the second-round submission defeat at UFC 269.

“I was very confused. Losing my belt was crazy,” Nunes said in a recent interview with ESPN. “But at the same time, I know I was sad. Something was wrong. Something wasn’t right. And that’s why it looked, like, not real for me. And then when actually I saw [coach Din Thomas], right in the arena outside, and I gave him a hug, I looked at him and I said, ‘I think I’m done.’ And we looked at each other, and he looked [at me]: ‘Are you sure? OK, call me later. Talk to me later.’”

Ultimately, Nunes had a change of heart, which would set the stage for a rematch with Pena in 2022.

“I drove back home, and I was putting my thoughts together. Everything. What I went through, going t…

Joanne Wood will square off against Priscila Cachoeira in a flyweight bout at UFC 291.

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Cachoeira confirmed the pairing on social media following an initial report from The Mirror. UFC 291 takes place at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, on July 29 and is headlined by a lightweight scrap pitting Dustin Poirier against Justin Gaethje.

Wood halted a three-bout losing streak in her first outing of 2023, as she garnered a split-decision triumph against Luana Carolina at UFC 286 on March 18. The Invicta FC veteran is 8-7 during her UFC tenure, with wins over the likes of Jessica Eye, Andrea Lee, Valerie Letourneau and Seo Hee Ham.

Cachoeira, meanwhile, has been victorious in four of her last five Octagon appearances. “Zombie Girl” went 2-0 in 2022, defeating Ji Yeon Kim via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 202 before earning a TKO triumph against Ariane Lipski at UFC on ESPN 41.

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Muhammadjon Naimov will make his Octagon debut on less than a week’s notice.

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The former Dana White’s Contender Series competitor will replace Guram Kutateladze and meet Jamie Mullarkey in a featherweight bout at UFC on ESPN 46. MMA Mania was first to report the new booking. Visa issues reportedly forced Kutatelade to withdraw from the bout. UFC on ESPN 46 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a flyweight tilt pitting Kai Kara France against Amir Albazi.

Naimov will enter the matchup with Mullarkey on a three-bout winning streak. He appeared on the Contender Series in September 2020, losing a unanimous decision to Collin Anglin. “Hillman” is 8-2 as a professional, which includes a 5-1 mark within the Titan FC organization.

Mullarkey has been victorious in four of his last five UFC appearances. Most recently, the 28-year-old Australian outpointed Francisco Prado at UFC 284 on Feb. 11.

Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira put their rivalry on hold to share a few laughs when they recently crossed paths at the airport.

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Both fighters were in Melbourne, Australia this past week. Adesanya trained with the New Zealand Warriors rugby team, while Pereira visited the Melbourne Storm. Adesanya and Pereira were also in attendance for the boxing match between Joseph Parker and Faiga Opelu.

Though they didn’t meet during that time, they did end up at the airport at the same time. In Pereira’s video, Adesanya jokingly hides his face when the camera finds him, while Pereira flexes in the distance in the version filmed by the “The Last Stylebender.”

Guess who I met at the airport ? 👀 pic.twitter.com/c2xr4MAVUs

— Alex "Poatan" Pereira (@AlexPereiraUFC) May 29, 2023

💘💘💘❤️‍🔥My life is a video game 🎮 pic.twitter.com/MoIdUniTJv

— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) May 29, 2023

Adesanya and Perei…

𝙎𝙐𝙋𝙀𝙍𝙎𝙃𝙊𝙒 🇺🇸🇯🇵

Bellator MMA and @rizin_PR present the biggest cross-promotion of the summer! 🔥 Which fight are you most hyped for? #BellatorxRizin2 | Sun, July 30 | 📍 Saitama Super Arena pic.twitter.com/0y1v3TzUMe

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 27, 2023

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Bellator MMA and Rizin Fighting Federation have worked well together in recent years, and that relationship will continue with a dual-promotion event in Japan on July 30.

Unlike the previous iteration on New Year’s Eve, the upcoming card will be composed of two separate events, with Bellator bouts taking place in a cage and Rizin fights happening in a ring. Still, it’s rare to see two promotions working in such a collaborative fashion in this day and age. According to Bellator president Scott Coker, it’s something that should revolutionize the sport.

“This is unbelievable,” Coker said at a press conference to promote the upcoming event. “Last time I saw [Rizin pr…

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Rizin Fighting Federation and Bellator MMA plan to pull out all the stops for their upcoming head-to-head showcase.

In a joint press conference Saturday morning, Rizin CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara and his Bellator counterpart Scott Coker, alongside a collection of stars from their respective organizations, announced the date, location and a partial lineup for their next collaboration. Bellator vs. Rizin 2 will be held on July 30 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Like the first “Bellator vs. Rizin,” which took place on New Year’s Eve in Saitama, the newly announced card will pit champions and top contenders from both promotions against one another, some in the Bellator cage under the Unified Rules of MMA and some in Rizin’s trademark boxing-style ring, under Rizin rules. Notably, Rizin’s rule set allows soccer kicks and stomps to grounded opponents, while prohibiting elbow strikes.

Among the matchups announced on Saturday were former Bellato…

LFA brings the Interim #LightHeavyweight Championship to @Caragua_Oficial, #SãoPaulo, #Brazil at #LFA159! 🏆

Rodolfo "Trator" Bellato🆚Acácio "Pequeno" Dos Santos

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TOMORROW!#CIDECasaBranca#Caraguatatuba, #SaoPaulo, #Brazil#MMA#LFANation@UFCFightPass pic.twitter.com/fqvYCo0uyh — LFA (@LFAfighting) May 26, 2023 The Legacy Fighting Alliance returns to Brazil for LFA 159, which is headlined by an interim light heavyweight title fight.

Fighting for the interim belt in the main event will be light heavyweight prospects Rodolfo Bellato and Acacio dos Santos. Both headliners successfully made weight, as Bellato (9-2) checked in at 204.6 pounds, while dos Santos weighed 202 pounds. Three fighters failed to make the contracted weight for their respective fights, though, as Luiz Cesar da Silva Junior, Argemiro Delmandes and Rafaela Silva all came in overweight.

Bellato comes into the title fight having won four of his …

Bellator MMA is expanding, despite what recent rumors may be suggesting for the company.

MMA Junkie first broke the news on Thursday that the promotion was planning on officially launching a men’s flyweight category. News of this development has since been confirmed by other outlets. The specific date that it will kick off this new division is unclear, and no news has developed regarding the potential signing of competitors to populate its roster.

Despite having no official flyweight weight class, the organization booked over 50 fights at 125 pounds over the years for male fighters. Of note, both Josh Paiva and Zarrukh Adashev both notched three victories in that specific category in the past. The most recent match that took place at flyweight for Bellator came at Bellator 277 in April 2022, when Edwin De Los Santos faced and defeated Alberto Mendez by decision. Before then, De Los Santos accounted for the only 125-pound bout in the last two years, when he knocked ou…

𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻 🇮🇪🚨

Bellator returns to the @3arenadublin with a 𝗛𝗨𝗚𝗘 card featuring Ireland's own @sineadkavanagh0 and British prospect Luke Trainer.

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🎟️ Get your #Bellator299 tickets now ▶️ https://t.co/QbOrCp0uem pic.twitter.com/bbztMLQ015 — Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 25, 2023 Bellator MMA is loading up its next Dublin-based card with plenty of local talent.

The organization announced on Thursday that it had booked six new matches for the Sept. 23 event at the 3Arena in Dublin. The fight card, titled Bellator 299, appears to have its four-fight main card put together – albeit this could change at any time – with Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards for the middleweight strap as the main attraction. The new bout that will open it up is a featherweight clash between Sinead Kavanagh (9-5) and Sara Collins (4-0).

Former title challenger Kavanagh is aiming for a three-fight win streak, which would be …

Cain Velasquez’s trial setting date has been pushed back until Aug. 2 after the former UFC heavyweight champion appeared in Santa Clara County (Calif.) court on Wednesday.

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Accompanied by attorney Renee Hessling, Velasquez’s request to delay the hearing was granted by Judge Panteha Saban. The trial setting date has been postponed on three different occasions.

Velasquez is facing attempted murder and other charges after allegedy chasing and shooting at Harry Goularte, who has been accused of molesting Velasquez’s young son. During a high-speed chase, Velasquez fired at the vehicle containing Goularte and allegedly hit and injured his stepfather, Paul Bender. Velasquez has pleaded not guilty to the charges. If found guilty, he faces 20 years to life in prison.

Velasquez was released on released on $1 million bail in November after spending eight months in a holding facility. He remains under GPS surveillance and cannot leave his home without th…

The mixed martial arts community still has plenty of time to speculate on who Francis Ngannou will face when he makes his Professional Fighters League debut.

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The former UFC heavyweight champion signed with the PFL earlier this month with plans to return to MMA sometime in 2024 after he pursues a fight in professional boxing. While that has led to fans looking at the league’s heavyweight roster and free agents outside the UFC’s control, PFL founder Donn Davis is confident that Ngannou’s first booking will exceed expectations.

“To me, what’s so fun here is the mystery box of candy and everything is going to be good,” Davis said on The Spinning Backfist MMA Show. “There’s been all kind of speculation, ranging from the PFL season to [Fabricio] Werdum. I believe it will be something else and bigger and more exciting than you’ve read so far. We have nine months — nine months ago, people would have laughed if we said Francis was gonna come to the PFL. So,…

James Gallagher will face Cris Lencioni in a featherweight scrap at Bellator 298 on Aug. 11.

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Severe MMA was first to report the pairing. Bellator 298 takes place at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and is headlined by a welterweight tilt pitting Logan Storley against Brennan Ward.

Gallagher had a four-bout winning streak snapped in his most recent outing, when he suffered a third-round submission defeat to Patrick Mix in a bantamweight bout at Bellator 270 in November 2021. The SBG Ireland product is 8-2 during his tenure with the California-based promotion.

Lencioni, meanwhile, has been victorious in his last four professional appearances — including two under the Bellator banner. Most recently, the Gracie Barra Portland representative submitted Blake Smith in the second round of their encounter at Bellator 294.

It appears that an immediate rematch with Valentina Shevchenko will be next for newly-crowned flyweight champion Alexa Grasso.

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Dana White indicated as much during the UFC Fight Night 223 post-fight press conference on Saturday. He did not reveal a potential date or event for the bout, however. “We’re working on that, too,” White said regarding the rematch. “That’s one of the fights we’re definitely working on right now.”

Grasso authored one of 2023’s biggest upsets when she submitted Shevchenko with a fourth-round face crank in the UFC 285 co-main event on March 4. That ended a streak of seven consecutive successful title defenses for Shevchenko, who had established herself as one of the top female pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

The 29-year-old Grasso has won five consecutive fights since moving up to 125 pounds from strawweight. Had the UFC elected to avoid an immediate rematch, Grasso had a number of interesting options for her firs…

A welterweight showdown pitting Logan Storley against Brennan Ward will serve as the main event for Bellator 298 on Aug. 11.

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Promotion officials announced the booking on Monday. Bellator 298 takes place at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D., and will see Valentin Moldavsky square off against Steve Mowry in the evening’s heavyweight co-headliner. The main card, which airs on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, will also include a middleweight clash between Dalton Rosta and Aaron Jeffrey and a lightweight tilt between Sidney Outlaw and Islam Mamedov.

Meanwhile, Lucas Brennan will lock horns with Weber Almeida on the preliminary draw, which airs at the Bellator YouTube channel, the Showtime Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT.

A former interim champion, Storley had a three-bout winning streak snapped in a five-round decision loss to Yaroslav Amosov in a title unification bout at Bellator 291 on Feb. 25. Storley …

Fight news!

Here we go, I’m back 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/lz1PUNxZNo

— Terrance McKinney (@twrecks155) May 22, 2023

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Terrance McKinney will lock horns with Nazim Sadykhov in a lightweight bout at UFC on ESPN 49 on July 15.

McKinney announced the pairing in a cowboy-themed video on social media. UFC on ESPN 49 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a women’s bantamweight duel pitting Holly Holm against Mayra Bueno Silva.

After beginning his Octagon tenure with back-to-back first-round finishes, McKinney has lost two of his last three UFC bouts. Most recently, the 28-year-old Spokane, Wash., native suffered a second-round KO defeat to Ismael Bonfim at UFC 283 on Jan. 21.

Sadykhov scored a third-round KO of Ahmad Sohail Hassanzada on Dana White’s Contender Series last August before defeating Evan Elder via technical knockout in his promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 219 on Feb. 18. The Long an…