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Bill Algeo forces the tap in round 2️⃣ #UFCKansasCity pic.twitter.com/36IOGVLvsM

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 16, 2023

Bill Algeo got the best of an entertaining featherweight scrap, throttling T.J. Brown in the second round of the top preliminary bout at UFC on ESPN 44.

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Both men had their moments in Round 1, as Algeo (17-7) landed a flying knee and a resounding slam takedown, but took plenty of clean punches from Brown, including one that busted his nose midway through the frame. Brown won the period with a late flurry that had Algeo hurt against the cage, and appeared to have the momentum going into Round 2, but “Senor Perfecto” turned things around in a flash, dropping the onrushing Brown with a left elbow, pouncing and taking a crucifix position. From there he moved to the back, cinched up a rear-naked choke and elicited the tap at 1:40 of the stanza.

The win brought Algeo’s promotional mark to 4-3, while fellow …

THIS KNEE 🤯@EdsonBarbozaJR isn’t going anywhere! #UFCKansasCity pic.twitter.com/bRXF0So8Io

— UFC (@ufc) April 16, 2023

Edson Barboza may be in the final act of his career, but there is always room for one more on his legendary highlight reel.

Barboza (23-11) needed barely half a round to victimize Billy Quarantillo in their UFC on ESPN 44 co-headlining featherweight affair. The Brazilian, who turned 37 in January, came out looking as sharp and serious as ever, meeting Quarantillo’s pursuit with lateral movement, punch counters and some of his trademark leg kicks. On several occasions in the brief fight, Quarantillo looked to close the distance with an overhand right before changing levels. Halfway through the round, Barboza sniffed out one such attempt, ate the punch and met the level change with an intercepting right knee.

Quarantillo was separated from his senses instantly, collapsing in a heap at the base of the fence. No foll…

Still undefeated!!

Azamat Murzakanov moves to 13-0 with a decision win over Dustin Jacoby #UFCKansasCity pic.twitter.com/yjqAg0838Z

— UFC (@ufc) April 16, 2023

Azamat Murzakanov kept his professional record spotless at UFC on ESPN 44, though Dustin Jacoby certainly made it interesting.

In their main card light heavyweight showcase, Murzakanov’s aggression, hand speed and power clearly had Jacoby uncomfortable, which was only exacerbated by the Russian’s sporadic but timely takedown attempts. “The Professional” dropped Jacoby with punches in Round 1, busting up his nose in the bargain. Murzakanov knocked him again late in Round 2, in a flurry that might have precipitated the end of the fight if time had not expired.

Clearly behind on the scorecards, Jacoby came roaring back in the final frame, fighting with aggression, hurting Murzakanov and even hitting a takedown of his own, but it was not enough. The judges awarded the fi…

HULK SMASH 👊 #UFCKansasCity pic.twitter.com/io3sTjOhmH

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 16, 2023

Tanner Boser took over two years preparing to drop to light heavyweight at UFC on ESPN 44; Ion Cutelaba took barely two minutes to show him that his new division is not short on power, either.

Cutelaba (17-9-1) came out in typically aggressive fashion, moving forward and trying to land big right hands, while Boser (20-10-1) circled out and looked to counter. Ninety seconds in, the Moldovan mauler caught Boser with a right that staggered him badly, and from there the end was not long in coming. “The Hulk” flung Boser down and threw a torrent of punches as he tried to stand back up. Caught against the fence and eating a stream of unanswered blows, Boser was rescued by referee Keith Peterson, who stopped the mugging at 2 minutes, 5 seconds of Round 1.

The quick and brutal beating got Cutelaba back on track from a career-worst three-fight losi…

Unanimous for the Young Punisher!@PedroMunhozMMA takes the decision over Chris Gutierrez at #UFCKansasCity 👏 pic.twitter.com/ChmGYA1Xqa

— UFC (@ufc) April 16, 2023

Pedro Munhoz righted the ship at Chris Gutierrez’s expense at UFC on ESPN 44, reminding the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight division that he is one of its very best fighters.

Munhoz (20-7, 2 NC) entered the Octagon having won just once in his last six fights. Desperately in need of some positive momentum, he fought like it, using relentless pressure and pace to win what seemed like every minute of the fight. Munhoz got off to a hot start, dropping Gutierrez (19-5-2) with a big left and dominating the rest of the first round with ground-and-pound, submission attempts and a brief advance to side control.

There would not be another single moment of game-changing offense from “The Young Punisher,” but the tone had been set: Munhoz marched Gutierrez down for the…

Clay really had us in the first half 😮‍💨 #UFCKansasCity pic.twitter.com/g6fuTwkaAb

— UFC (@ufc) April 16, 2023

Perhaps reasoning that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Rafa Garcia used a rinse-and-repeat approach to sweep all three rounds against the ageless Clay Guida at UFC on ESPN 44.

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Garcia (15-3) leaned heavily on his jab, punctuated by a few judiciously applied low kicks and right crosses, to frustrate Guida (38-23) in the UFC Kansas City main card opener. Guida, newly shorn of his trademark locks, was his usual self on the feet, bobbing and weaving while looking to bounce into range and land hooks, but his usual ground assault was nowhere to be seen, especially in Round 1, when he did not attempt a single takedown.

Garcia took the fight “The Carpenter” gave him, nearly doubling his previous personal best in terms of strikes landed and leaving Guida’s face bloodied and swollen by the end. After three rounds, …

George Hardwick with the first round KO ✅2nd successful title defence ✅10-punch combo for the highlight reel ✅🏆 What a moment for the Lightweight King 🏆#CW152 pic.twitter.com/oYYWnzTMHf

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) April 15, 2023

George Hardwick showed once again why he is one of Europe’s best lightweights at Cage Warriors 152 in Manchester, England.

In the CW 152 main event, Hardwick secured a victory over Yann Liasse with a first-round technical knockout at the 4:12 mark. Hardwick displayed both his grappling and striking prowess, landing clean, powerful punches with both hands that overwhelmed Liasse.

Nathan Fletcher also had a successful night, defeating Daan Duijs via triangle choke in Round 1 at 4 minutes and 15 seconds. The bantamweight prospect showcased his grappling skills, utilizing a well-executed triangle choke to force Duijs to tap out, earning him a submission victory.

In other notable matchups, James Power…

This finish from @BrandonRoyval was BRUTAL #UFCKansasCity pic.twitter.com/Mh09lpSdAC

— UFC (@ufc) April 16, 2023

Brandon Royval made his case for a flyweight title shot, blasting Matheus Nicolau with a gorgeous knee-to-punch combo in the first round of their UFC on ESPN 44 prelim encounter.

“Raw Dawg” (15-6) was his characteristic hyper-aggressive self immediately, taking the fight to his more measured foe. However, things appeared to be settling into an intriguing chess match on the feet when, out of nowhere, Royval clipped Nicolau with a perfect right knee to the chin, followed by a long right hand that caught the Brazilian as he fell. Royval pounced immediately, tacking on several elbow strikes before referee Nick Berens jumped in for the righteous stoppage at 2 minutes, 9 seconds of Round 1.

The win brought Royval’s record in the Octagon to 5-2, while Nicolau fell to 19-3-1 overall, 4-1 in the UFC, and saw a six-fight win str…

#UFCKansasCity Official Scorecard: Zak Cummings (@ZakCummings) vs Ed Herman

See every scorecard from Fight Night ➡️: https://t.co/nxcHo6EnUA pic.twitter.com/gPOObuBARU

— UFC News (@UFCNews) April 16, 2023

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Fighting for the first time in nearly three years in front of an adoring hometown crowd in Kansas City, 37-year-old Zak Cummings put an emphatic stamp on a pillar-to-post smashing of 41-year-old fellow grizzled veteran Ed Herman at UFC on ESPN 44.

The first round was characterized by Cummings’ speed advantage on the feet, as he landed cleanly with both hands, but especially with his left, including one that dropped Herman. The round was also marked—of course, on this bizarre night—by controversy, as the supine Herman struck the kneeling Cummings with an illegal upkick to the face, only to have referee Dwayne Bess restart the two on the feet afterward.

The diet of left hands continued in Round 2, as Cummings r…

The armbar gets it done for Gillian Robertson in round two 🔒 #UFCKansasCity pic.twitter.com/dfmPVXkeNP

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 15, 2023

It was not without controversy, but Gillian Robertson made a successful 115-pound debut, vindicating her own decision to drop from flyweight while spoiling Piera Rodriguez’s undefeated record at UFC on ESPN 44.

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Robertson quickly showed that her grappling chops would be carrying over to her new division, as she took advantage of a Rodriguez takedown to sweep to top position and dominate the bulk of Round 1. Robertson’s offensive wrestling, often a sore spot at flyweight, was effective in Round 2, as she spilled Rodriguez to the canvas with a single-leg takedown within seconds. “The Savage” then spent the balance of the period in a series of dominant positions including side control and full mount, landed strikes and kept Rodriguez looking generally overwhelmed on the ground.

With…

The Golden Boys gets his first UFC victory! @GoldenboyZell takes the unanimous decision over Lando Vannata at #UFCKansasCity 👏 pic.twitter.com/x39yahiKz5

— UFC (@ufc) April 15, 2023

Daniel Zellhuber parlayed youth, size and speed into a win over Lando Vannata in a lightweight showcase at UFC on ESPN 44.

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For a moment, it looked as though the fight might not make it out of the first frame. Late in the round, Zellhuber rocked Vannata with a punch, then smashed him with a right knee to the head, dropping him to the canvas. Vannata hung on desperately, staying in motion and avoiding the worst of the punishment as referee Jason Herzog looked on closely, and managed finally to return to his feet near the fence. The veteran made adjustments between rounds, however, and used constant stance switches in Round 2 to confound Zellhuber, get inside the taller man’s kicking range and land several clean counters.

The 23-year-old Me…

BIG SHOTS FROM DENISE GOMES FOR THE 2ND ROUND FINISH 👊 #UFCKansasCity pic.twitter.com/kTupYusLn9

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 15, 2023

Denise Gomes made a statement, punching out Bruna Brasil in the second round of their strawweight preliminary bout at UFC on ESPN 44.

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The story of the fight was Gomes’ power and aggression, as she effortlessly navigated Brasil’s greater height and reach to land numerous overhand rights. Gomes also managed a couple of takedowns, dragging the taller woman down with nifty trips from the clinch, while denying Brasil’s takedown attempts in the first round.

Midway through Round 2, Gomes came forward, landing a left hook to the body followed by a right overhand that dropped Brasil in her tracks. Gomes swarmed for the finish, and after a string of unanswered lefts and rights on the ground, referee Dwayne Bess dove in for the stoppage, which came officially at 2 minutes, 42 seconds of the stan…

Made good on the debut!

Gaston Bolanos takes the unanimous decision over Aaron Phillips at #UFCKansasCity! pic.twitter.com/6SpW9dJFCk

— UFC (@ufc) April 15, 2023

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Gaston Bolanos made a successful Ultimate Fighting Championship debut, prevailing over Aaron Phillips in a wild bantamweight scrap at UFC on ESPN 44.

The bout featured major swings in momentum, with both men dominating the action in stretches. Round 2 saw Phillips execute a slick takedown directly into mount, then take Bolanos’ back and threaten with a rear-naked choke. The Peruvian survived, however, exploding to his feet and finishing out the round pummeling Phillips against the fence.

The final round offered more of the same: Phillips once again took Bolanos down, took his back and worked for chokes from a tight body triangle, while Bolanos appeared to get the better of the action while the two were standing.

In the end, the judges saw the f…

Kicking off #UFCKansasCity with a split decision W!@joselyneMMA29 makes it 3 straight wins with a close one over Lucie Pudilova pic.twitter.com/IX6Eabr0Of

— UFC (@ufc) April 15, 2023

In the opening bout, Joselyne Edwards won a mystifying split decision over Lucie Pudilova despite spending much of the first two rounds as a grappling dummy at UFC on ESPN 44.

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Pudilova struck for a takedown in Round 1, then spent most of the balance of the period landing periodic ground-and-pound while controlling the Panamanian on the mat. The second frame was Pudilova’s best, as she grounded Edwards immediately, moved to side control and spent the rest of the stanza in the driver’s seat, threatening with chokes and briefly taking Edwards’ back. A much more competitive final stage saw Edwards stay upright and get the better of a sporadic striking battle.

Both fighters appeared surprised—and the crowd voiced its displeasure—at the 29-28…

The Olivier Aubin-Mercier riddle remains unsolved in the Professional Fighters League.

Aubin-Mercier (18-5, 7-0 PFL) opened the defense of his 2022 lightweight title with a unanimous decision over fellow Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Shane Burgos in their PFL 3 headliner on Friday inside The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. All three members of the cageside judiciary struck 30-27 scorecards for the Canadian.

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Burgos (15-4, 0-1 PFL) did not enjoy his organizational debut. Aubin-Mercier outstruck him in the first round, then turned to other means. He stymied Burgos with clinches across the final 10 minutes, climbed to the back with standing body triangles on two occasions and stole valuable time from an increasingly frustrated opponent. Not until the final 20 seconds of the fight did Burgos break free with knees and punches, but by then, the die had been cast. Meanwhile, multi-punch volleys to the body and head paired with airtight sub…

The 2023 Professional Fighters League marches on with 2023 PFL 3 at 7 p.m. ET. The action airs live on ESPN and then continues on ESPN+ at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Discuss this evening’s card with the world’s largest combat sports community here.

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Round 1 The final PFL card for this first leg of the 2023 regular season will take place in a split card where the PFL lists not one but two main events. The evening’s hostilities commence on the ESPN airwaves for five fights, before shifting over to ESPN+ for the postlims for another seven matches. The opening encounter will see 2022 playoff qualifier Umalatov (12-0, 3-0 PFL) try to make good in his third year with the league. He takes on the unsuccessful finalist in last year’s season, Taylor (10-3, 3-2 PFL), who famously punched out Rory MacDonald in the first round back in August. This welterweight contest will draw officiating from referee Jacob Montalvo, and it begins without either man offering a glove touch.…

This featherweight affair is OFFICIAL!@BlessedMMA and @ArnoldBFA both hit the scale at 146lbs for tomorrow's #UFCKansasCity main event 💪 pic.twitter.com/RYArTp22Nd

— UFC (@ufc) April 14, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Kansas City, Missouri, for UFC on ESPN 44, which is headlined by an intriguing featherweight battle.

The five-round main event will see former featherweight king Max Holloway return to the Octagon against rising contender Arnold Allen. While both main eventers had no issue making weight, there was one notable miss on the lineup. Joselyne Edwards (136.5) came in heavy for her second fight in a row, checking in half a pound over the bantamweight limit for her fight against Lucie Pudilova (136). As a result, she has been fined 20% of her purse and the match will otherwise continue.

"Blessed" is looking to bounce back after once again suffering a defeat against Alexander Volkanovski. The fan-favorite Hawai…

Per sources: the scheduled lightweight fight between Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush for #UFC288 it's being pushed due to an undisclosed injury on Oliveira's side. The promotion is now working on a new date .

Via @ESPNDeporteshttps://t.co/M0j549OhGr

— Carlos Contreras Legaspi (@CCLegaspi) April 14, 2023

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Former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion Charles Oliveira has been forced to pull out from his scheduled tilt against Beneil Dariush at UFC 288 on May 6 according to a report by ESPN Deportes’ Carlos Contreras Legaspi.

The nature of Oliveira’s injury, or its severity, is not yet known. The injury has thrown a wrench into the UFC’s plans, leaving Dariush without an opponent for the upcoming event at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Legaspi’s report stated that the UFC is looking to postpone the contest for a future card.

Oliveira, 33, saw an 11-fight winning streak smashed and his l…

Over the next 36 hours, one beloved coach from American Top Team will travel the country to corner fighters in both Professional Fighters League and Ultimate Fighting Championship events.

Coach Marcos “Parrumpa” DaMatta will be serving as one of the main cornermen for five different competitors this weekend, and he will have to fly from Las Vegas to Kansas City, Missouri, in the process. Despite the exhausting slate ahead of him, “Parrumpa” is extremely optimistic for all of his students. Speaking with Sherdog ahead of his fully loaded schedule, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach noted he had absolutely no complaints or regrets.

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“After being in the corner of Russians Magomed Magomedkerimov, Magomed Umalatov and Brazilians Raush Manfio and Natan Schulte [at PFL 3], I’ll try to sleep a few hours and fly to Kansas [City] to corner Edson Barboza in the co-main event of [the] UFC [card],” the coach explained.

In fact, merely being asked to corner by this…

👑 King 🆚 Challenger 👊

📺 Watch George Hardwick vs Yann Liasse in our #CW152 main event 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 on @UFCFightPass tomorrow night! pic.twitter.com/FDwxExyjde

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) April 14, 2023 George Hardwick's Cage Warriors lightweight championship is on the line in the main event of CW 152.

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The defending champion will look to keep the belt wrapped around his waist as he takes on Yann Liasse in the main event of the 13-fight card. Both title participants had no trouble making weight as both weighed in at 154.1 pounds. All other fighters made weight, with the exception of Chris Bungard, who came in 2.1 pounds over for his lightweight fight against Gavin Hughes.

Fighting out of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, Hardwick (11-1) is on an impressive seven-fight win streak. He captured the title by defeating Kyle Driscoll and defended it against Bungard last year. Meanwhile, Liasse (9-1, 1 NC) is looking to extend his…

⚖️ Welterweight ESPN+ main event bout is official!

Sadibou Sy: 171 lbsJarrah Al Silawi: 170.8 lbs

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[ Friday, April 14th | 7pm ET on ESPN| #PFLRegularSeason | 🎟️ https://t.co/hxZi2fEbA9] pic.twitter.com/dBtzzkl0Q9 — PFL (@PFLMMA) April 13, 2023 Editor's note: The article has been updated at 2:10 p.m. ET to reflect a correction made for Schulte and Ray's weights following a PFL error.

The 2023 Professional Fighters League season will kick off for the men's welterweight and lightweight divisions.

PFL 3 is headlined by an intriguing welterweight fight between Sadibou Sy and Jarrah Al-Silawi. Both headliners made weight without a worry, as did the rest of the 12-fight card. Additionally, the promotion is dubbing the lightweight contest between Olivier Aubin-Mercier and Shane Burgos as the "ESPN main event" that takes place earlier in the evening.

Sy (13-6-2, 1 NC) is coming off winning the welterweight divisio…

About two weeks ahead of the Ultimate Fighting Championship card at the end of April, its headliner is in jeopardy.

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The news first broke from MMA Junkie on Thursday, where Renato Carneiro (17-5-1) has suffered an undisclosed injury. His lightweight match atop UFC Fight Night 223 against Arman Tsarukyan (19-3) is off, and there is no current word of a replacement. The co-headliner for this April 29 event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas is currently Caio Borralho vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk at 185 pounds. The injury and subsequent withdrawal have since been confirmed by other outlets.

“Moicano” was looking to get back in the cage again for the first time since November 2022, when he tapped out Brad Riddell to bounce back from a one-sided defeat to Rafael dos Anjos earlier that year. Dating back the last five years, every victory inside the Octagon for Carneiro has come by rear-naked choke. The six performed by Carneiro in the UFC have him tied with Charl…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight king Deiveson Figueiredo is not quite so eager to leave his old stomping ground just yet.

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Ex-champ Figueiredo (21-3-1) lost his title in his tetralogy match with Brandon Moreno at UFC 283 in January. and subsequently suggested he was planning on moving to bantamweight going forward. Those plans for the 35-year-old are currently on hold, as instead, he will be staying at flyweight to take on Manel Kape (18-6) this July. Per ESPN Deportes on Thursday, Figueiredo and Kape will battle it out at UFC 290, which is set to go down in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 8.

This will be Figueiredo’s first opponent not named Moreno in over two and a half years – spanning the entirety of his upcoming foe’s UFC tenure thus far. The Brazilian embarked on the UFC’s first quadrilogy series when he first met Moreno at UFC 256 in 2020, and then encountered him three more times in 2021, 2022 and 2023. The fourth mat…

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Alex Pereira is headed to the light heavyweight division.

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“Poatan” announced the move on his YouTube channel on Wednesday night. Pereira is coming off a loss to Israel Adesanya in a middleweight championship rematch in the UFC 287 headliner this past Saturday.

I think I did my work [at] 185 and now I’m feeling good to go up to 205,” Pereira said. “Like I told you, when I’m feeling good — this will be something natural … and now I think it is.

“But as well I want to make one thing clear. This division 185 … I always made weight. A lot of people had doubts, but I always fulfilled my obligation. But not it’s the moment to go up to the next division. This will be better for me.”

It was the first victory for Adesanya against Pereira in a series spanning four bouts in kickboxing and MMA. Pereira had won his previous seven MMA appearances, a run that saw him claim middleweight gold with a fifth-round stoppage of his rival at UFC 28…