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PFL Challenger Series 2023 Week 7 Weigh-in Results: Light Heavyweights on Point

Weighed In and Ready ✅

Week 7⃣Light Heavyweights are ready to put on a show for a PFL contract!

Fights are 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 & 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 on @fuboSports

[ #PFLonFubo | Light Heavyweights | Fri, March 10th | 9pm ET] pic.twitter.com/kPogNt5NRY

— PFL (@PFLMMA) March 9, 2023 This week's Professional Fighters League Challenger Series event will feature eight fighters in the light heavyweight division.

All PFL Challenger Series Week 7 fighters made weight for the four-fight card. Headlining the card will be a fight between UFC veteran Impa Kasanganay and Osama ElSeady.

Since being released from the UFC after going 2-2, Kasanganay (10-3) has had mixed results. After suffering a split decision defeat to Raimond Magomedaliev, "Tshilobo" bounced back with a TKO win over Jared Gooden. Now the 29-year-old will look to secure a PFL contract against Egypt's ElSeady, who posts an 8-2 professional record. The Brave Combat Federation v…

Thiago Santos Surprised by Speed of Jones’ Victory; Urges Caution Against Miocic

Even ex-Ultimate Fighting Championship title challenger Thiago Santos was surprised at how easy Jon Jones’ win was at UFC 285.

Ahead of Jones’ heavyweight championship encounter with Ciryl Gane, Jones invoked Santos’ name when discussing his former opponents. When Jones suggested Santos was arguably his toughest test, Santos replied positively about their five-round battle UFC 239 in 2019. Telling Sherdog about his expectations about Jones’ performance, Santos believed Jones would prevail. What he did not expect was the speed in which "Bones" did it, and he spoke again with Sherdog following the event.

“When Gane said he was lazy to train wrestling out of camp, I thought it was like a trap for Jones. But in the fight, we found out that it was true, and thanks to that JJ made it look so easy, which brightened [his win even more],” Santos remarked.

While Jones was able to handle Gane thanks to superior wrestling, “Marreta” believes that Jones’ next o…

PFL to Run Second Half of 2023 Regular Season in Atlanta

𝐀𝐓𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐀! Get Ready! PFL returns to the @OvertimeElite Arena! #2023PFL4: June 8th#2023PFL5: June 16th#2023PFL6: June 23rd pic.twitter.com/2nm9anlZ0M

— PFL (@PFLMMA) March 9, 2023 The Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta will serve as the stage for the latter half of Professional Fighters League’s 2023 season.

A press release from the PFL on Thursday indicated that the promotion would be returning to the 1,300-seat arena to run three events this June. The organization, which has its regular season kicking off on April 1 in Las Vegas, will be holding three events at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in that city, and then turns to Atlanta in June. The events are slated to go down on June 8, June 16 and June 23, and the PFL would then move towards its playoffs that will likely take place in August or September. This venue played host to the second half of PFL’s 2022 regular season as well.

The first of three fight cards in this building will be PFL 4…

Source: UFC Vet Mark Striegl to Face Walter Cogliandro at UAE Warriors 39

Fighting for the first time since his release by the Ultimate Fighting Championship last year, Mark Striegl’s quest for redemption will pick up where his Octagon journey began.

According to a source with knowledge of the matchup, the 34-year-old Filipino will take on Italy’s Walter Cogliandro in a 150-pound catchweight bout at UAE Warriors 39 on March 18 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The source asked to remain anonymous since the fight has yet to be announced officially.

Former Universal Reality Combat Championship titleholder Striegl (18-4, 1 NC) joined the UFC in 2020 after compiling a four-fight win streak with one no contest. His debut, at UFC Fight Night 180 in Abu Dhabi’s Flash Forum, nicknamed “Fight Island” by the promotion, ended in a knockout loss to Said Nurmagomedov. His second UFC appearance, at UFC Fight Night 201 last February, saw him lose to Chas Skelly in similar fashion, leading to his release in May.

SBG Ireland representa…

Mariusz Pudzianowski to Face Boxer Artur Szpilka at KSW Colosseum 2

?? ?? ????? ???? ?? ??? ?????????!!

?? PUDZIANOWSKI ??? ARTUR SZPILKA ?

XTB #KSWColosseum2 | @eBiletPL pic.twitter.com/PG5GnCjplK — KSW (@KSW_MMA) March 8, 2023

Popular Polish strongman Mariusz Pudzianowski will return to action when he faces Artur Szpilka at KSW Colosseum 2 on June 3.

The promotion announced the booking on Wednesday. KSW Colosseum 2 takes place at the PGE Nardowy in Warsaw, Poland, and is available via pay-per-view at KSW.TV.

Pudzianowski had a five-bout winning streak snapped in his last outing, when he suffered a first-round technical knockout loss against Mamed Khalidov at KSW 77 this past December. The 46-year-old Pole is 17-8 with one no contest over the course of his professional tenure.

Szpilka owns a 24-5 career mark as a pro boxer, notably losing to Deontay Wilder via knockout in 2016. He is 2-0 since transitioning to MMA in 2022, including a second-round TKO of Serhii Radch…

Carlston Harris Details Numerous Opponent Changes Heading Into UFC Fight Night 221

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

Some 13 months after having a two-bout winning streak snapped by rising welterweight star Shavkat Rakhmonov, Carlston Harris is eager to return to the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 221 on Saturday.

In order to adapt to the local climate, Harris and trainer Marcio Cromado arrived in Las Vegas two weeks ahead of time of an expected matchup against Abubakar Nurmagomedov. Things changed during the week of the event, however, as the promotion informed Harris that the Russian was out and offered Jared Gordon as a replacement opponent.

"I just signed the new contract to face this guy Jared. I think UFC didn’t even release his name officially,” Harris recently told Sherdog.com.

According to the Luta Livre fighter, Gordon was the seventh prospective foe he had received since the beginning of his camp.

“I can say this was a complete camp since I trained for all type of fighters, southpaws, orthodox…

Kyoji Horiguchi, Ray Borg to Clash at Bellator 295 on April 22

Kyoji Horiguchi will square off against recent free-agent acquisition Ray Borg at Bellator 295.

MMA Mania first brought word of the flyweight booking. Bellator 295 takes place on April 22 at the Neil S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, and is headlined by a bantamweight grand prix final between Raufeon Stots and Patrick Mix.

A former Bellator and Rizin bantamweight champion, Horiguchi enters the matchup on a two-fight winning streak. In his last outing, the American Top Team product took a unanimous decision over Hiromasa Ougikubo in a flyweight bout the Bellator vs. Rizin event on New Year’s Eve. Horiguchi was also a flyweight title challenger in the UFC, falling to Demetrious Johnson via submission in 2015.

Borg, 29, has been victorious in his last three professional outings. After a 7-5 stint in the UFC that saw him come up short in a bid for flyweight gold against Johnson in October 2017, “The Tazmexican Devil” has earned successive…

10 Questions for Vitor Petrino

[embedded content] Vitor Petrino spent countless hours preparing for this moment.

The 25-year-old CM System prospect will make his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut when he tackles Anton Turkalj in a UFC Fight Night 221 light heavyweight showcase on Saturday inside The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. Petrino enters the Octagon with a perfect 7-0 record, with six of his victories having resulted in finishes. He last appeared on Week 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series, where he put away Rodolfo Bellato with punches in the second round of their Sept. 6 pairing.

In this exclusive interview with Sherdog.com, Petrino traces his path to becoming a mixed martial artist, outlines his plans for the future and touches on his motivations:

Sherdog.com: You are undefeated as a pro and also had at least four amateur fights—a rarity in Brazil. Can you share some details about your career thus far?Petrino: Actually, I had seven amateur bouts, of which I…

Miesha Tate Returns to 135 Pounds, Faces Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC Event on June 3

After a one-fight stint at 125 pounds, Miesha Tate will return to bantamweight for her next Octagon appearance.

The former 135-pound champion will lock horns with Mayra Bueno Silva at a UFC event on June 3. The bout was initially reported by Dama de Ferro MMA and later confirmed by MMAFighting.com. The card does not yet have a location or headliner.

Tate made her flyweight debut at UFC on ABC 3, where she dropped a unanimous decision to Lauren Murphy. “Cupcake” is 1-2 since ending a nearly five-year retirement in 2021. She has lost four of her last five UFC appearances overall.

Silva, meanwhile, has been building momentum since moving to bantamweight. The 31-year-old Brazilian is 3-0 in the weight class, with victories over Lina Lansberg, Stephanie Egger and Yanan Wu to her credit.

Jon Jones Listed as Considerable Favorite Against Stipe Miocic

After a successful heavyweight debut, Jon Jones is a considerable betting favorite in a proposed bout against Stipe Miocic.

According to online oddsmaker BetOnline, Jones was a -355 favorite against Miocic as of Tuesday afternoon. Miocic, meanwhile, was listed as a +290 underdog. While Jones vs. Miocic is not official, the heavyweight championship fight is expected to take place in July — likely at UFC 290 during International Fight Week.

Jones returned following a three-year absence at UFC 285, where he submitted Ciryl Gane with a guillotine choke 3:04 into the first round to claim the vacant heavyweight title. Due to uncertainty regarding his heavyweight debut, “Bones” wasn't as heavily favored by online oddsmakers heading into the matchup.

Miocic hasn’t fought since March 2021, when he lost the heavyweight belt to Francis Ngannou via second-round KO at UFC 260. The 40-year-old Strong Style Fight Team standout holds the UFC heavyweight rec…

New Jersey’s Prudential Center to Host UFC 288 on May 6

New Jersey, stand UP 🙌#UFC288 takes over the @PruCenter May 6th and we're bringing a HUGE lightweight fight with us!@CharlesDoBronxs vs @BeneilDariush 🔥

[ Register your interest here: https://t.co/ZyP75aSn9y ] pic.twitter.com/J8PHzz3xro

— UFC (@ufc) March 7, 2023

The Ultimate Fighting Championship will return to the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., for its May 6 pay-per-view event.

UFC 288 will mark the promotion’s first event at the venue since UFC on ESPN 5 on Aug. 3, 2019. That card saw Colby Covington take a five-round verdict over Robbie Lawler in the welterweight main event.

“I am thrilled to bring another massive pay-per-view to Newark,” UFC President Dana White said in a release. “UFC has a long history with New Jersey, which has played host to many huge fights in the past. I can’t wait to rock Prudential Center with another world-class UFC event.”

While the promotion did not announce a headliner f…

Dana White on Bo Nickal UFC Debut: ‘Wait Til That Kid is in the Sport 2 or 3 Years’

Bo Nickal entered UFC 285 as one of the most hyped prospects in recent memory.

The three-time NCAA national champion wrestler from Penn State University largely delivered on that hype, as he submitted Jamie Pickett with an arm-triangle choke 2:54 into Round 1 of their featured middleweight bout. That performance came on the heels of back-to-back first-round finishes on Dana White’s Contender Series, which seems to forecast a bright future for the 27-year-old.

“I had a lot of questions about him and when you saw his opponent, the guy is huge, he’s got like 25 fights, tons of experience. I thought, listen, he’s a human being. I don’t care what level of wrestling he is. This isn’t wrestling,” UFC president Dana White said at Saturday’s post-fight press confernce. “This is a completely different game here. There’s adrenaline dumps, the nervous energy, all the things of performing in the UFC for the first time, and he blew that all out of the water. He …

Roberto Satoshi, John Dodson, Juan Archuleta Set to Compete at Rizin 42

Rizin Fighting Federation 42 will feature some of the promotion’s top stars as well as some familiar faces from other organizations.

The Japanese promotion recently announced the lineup for the May 6 card, which will take place at Ariake Arena in Tokyo and is headlined by a bantamweight clash between Kai Asakura and Yuki Motoya.

In other featured bouts, two-time UFC veteran Naoki Inoue will face former Bellator bantamweight champion Juan Archuleta; reigning Rizin lightweight kingpin Roberto Satoshi de Souza will square off against former UFC and Bellator competitor Spike Carlyle; Rizin super atomweight champ Seika Izawa will meet Miyuu Yamamoto and ex-UFC flyweight title challenger John Dodson will lock horns with Tatsuki Saomoto.

As it currently stands, no titles will be on the line at Rizin 42.

Asakura, a former Rizin 135-pound champ, is coming off a loss to Hiromasa Ougikubo in the promotion’s one-night bantamweight tournament in December.…

Francis Ngannou Admits Jon Jones Fight ‘Probably Will Never Happen’

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Francis Ngannou was an interested observer when Jon Jones made his heavyweight debut against Ciryl Gane in the UFC 285 main event.

“The Predator” expected Jones to prevail in the matchup, but he wouldn’t have predicted the bout to end as quickly as it did. After a three-year absence, Jones captured the vacant heavyweight title with a submission of Gane 2:04 into the opening round.

“I knew that if Jon Jones shows up in a good space mentally, not like his last two fights, he’s going to prevail in this fight, but I didn’t see this fight going this short. I think this fight could have been longer,” Ngannou said in a video posted to his YouTube channel. “I was surprised, though. I was surprised the way that the fight ended. And I think even seeing Ciryl’s reaction, he was surprised as well because he wasn’t even defending. He wasn’t thinking that a submission could come from where he was.”

Though Ngannou praised Jones for his victo…

Valentina Shevchenko Calls UFC 285 Loss ‘Frustrating,’ Felt She Was ‘Dominating’ Fight

Valentina Shevchenko was winning — that is, until she wasn’t.

The longtime flyweight champion was ahead 29-28 on all three cageside judges’ scorecards heading into Round 4 of her title defense against Alexa Grasso in the UFC 285 co-main event. That all changed when Shevchenko whiffed on a spinning back kick, which ultimately allowed Grasso to take her back and lock in a face crank for a submission victory at the 4:34 mark of the period.

“This is kind of like what happens in mixed martial arts,” Shevchenko said in her post-fight interview in the Octagon. “You’re winning the fight all around, all around, no doubt. And a stupid situation can change the whole game. This is the part of the game. Congratulations to Alexa, and I know that I’m stronger and if not this spinning kick [it] would be a different result.”

Shevchenko may have been on her way to winning that frame as well. According to UFCStats.com, “Bullet” held a 22-to-13 advantage in signi…

Ciryl Gane Says He’s Angry at Himself After Quick Defeat at UFC 285

Ciryl Gane didn’t give Jon Jones much of a test in his heavyweight debut, and for that, the Frenchman is upset with himself.

After a brief period on the feet, “Bon Gamin” was taken down and submitted with a guillotine choke 2:04 into Round 1 of the UFC 285 headliner at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. While Gane’s wrestling was expected to be his weakest area, few anticipated the fight ending that quickly. That included Gane, whose emotions in the aftermath included both disappointment and anger.

“Disappointed, of course. But the biggest feeling is angry about myself. Really angry,” Gane said at the UFC 285 post-fight press conference. “Because yes, we accepted this fight, it was not short-notice, but the time was not too long, but we worked a lot, we spent a lot of time. We trained with my sparring partners, so I’m really angry about myself because I spent a lot of time with my partners, my coaches, my family, and it [didn’t show] during the fight…

Stipe Miocic on Jon Jones Matchup: ‘You’ll See What the Difference Is’ in July

Stipe Miocic didn’t seem as impressed with Jon Jones’ heavyweight debut as the rest of the world was after UFC 285.

Jones captured the vacant heavyweight strap with a first-round submission of Ciryl Gane in Saturday’s main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday. The victory sets up a showdown with Miocic at a future event. The target date for that bout is rumored to be UFC 290 on July 8, but nothing is currently set in stone.

“Honestly, I thought it was going to a decision,” Miocic said during the UFC 285 post-fight show on ESPN+. “I didn’t know how Jon was, he took three years off but hats off to him. You see some things, I’ll keep them to myself but I definitely see some things [I can use].

“It’s a fight, he won, good for him. Hats off, but unfortunately he’s got to fight me in July.”

While much was made of the size Jones added to make the transition to heavyweight, Miocic pointed out that everyone in the division is pretty bi…

Olivier Aubin-Mercier, Shane Burgos to Meet in PFL 3 Main Event on April 14

Defending lightweight champion Olivier Aubin-Mercier will welcome free-agent signee Shane Burgos to the Professional Fighters League cage on April 14.

The promotion on Monday announced the lineup for PFL 3, which will feature lightweights and welterweights at the Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. PFL begins with prelims at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ESPN2 and ESPN+ and continues with the main card on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. In the evening’s co-headliner, 2022 welterweight champ Sadibou Sy will lock horns with Jarrah Al-Silawi.

Other bouts slated for the main draw are as follows: Natan Schulte vs. Steven Ray; Raush Manfio vs. Alex Martinez; Shane Mitchell vs. TBA and Abdul-Aziz Abdulvakhabov vs. Ahmed Amir.

Meanwhile, the ESPN2 prelims will feature the following four contests: Clay Collard vs. Yamato Nishikawa; Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. Don Madge; Carlos Leal Miranda vs. David Zawada; and Magomed Umalatov vs. Dilano Taylor.

Aubin-Me…

Alexa Grasso Anticipated ‘Perfect Opportunity’ to Submit Valentina Shevchenko

Alexa Grasso dealt with the weight of expectations years before she authored a career-defining upset against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 285.

Dana White once called Grasso the potential “Ronda Rousey of Mexico,” a label the Lobo Gym MMA export struggled to meet to during the ups and downs of her early career. After going 3-3 in her first six Octagon appearances, Grasso has hit her stride with a five-bout UFC winning streak that culminated in her claiming flyweight gold in Saturday’s co-main event.

“Imagine that. I won the most important fight of my life,” Grasso said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I did everything I had to do to get my hand raised, and I knew that I had to finish the fight no matter what.”

Grasso was a considerable underdog against Shevchenko, who is widely regarded as one of the top two or three female pound-for-pound talents in the sport. She never appeared out of her depth against “Bullet,” however, and that eve…

Jon Jones: There’s Never Been a Fight That Means More Than Beating Stipe Miocic

Jon Jones essentially called his shot during fight week, and he delivered on that promise in the UFC 285 headliner.

As he promised, “Bones” made it look easy against Ciryl Gane, winning via guillotine choke just 2:04 into the opening round of their heavyweight title bout on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. And just like that, Jones picked up where he left off three years ago, as one of the sport’s all-time best pound-for-pound fighters.

“We were really well rehearsed,” Jones said on the ESPN+ post-fight show. “I believe that I’m a product of my team. We take studying very seriously. I’m not sure if Ciryl Gane landed a clean strike on me or not, but we were ready defensively for every one of his strikes. It just felt so amazing.”

In truth, Gane wasn’t given much of a chance to unveil his highly-touted kickboxing arsenal. Jones took him down quickly and locked in the sneaky guillotine before the Frenchman could even find his bearing…

Lightweight, Bantamweight Cast for ‘TUF 31’ Includes Multiple UFC Vets

Ready to ride May 30th 🤠#TUF31 filming has officially begun! pic.twitter.com/1GZr81K7uN

— The Ultimate Fighter (@UltimateFighter) February 24, 2023

The cast for “The Ultimate Fighter 31” will feature a number of familiar faces.

The promotion on Saturday announced the lightweight and bantamweight lineup for the reality show, which is currently taping and features Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler as opposing coaches.

Notable names for the “TUF 31” cast at 155 pounds include Octagon veterans such as Jason Knight, Kurt Holobaugh, Roosevelt Roberts and Austin Hubbard. Meanwhile, bantamweight features former UFC competitors such as Timur Valiev, Brad Katona, Hunter Azure and Cody Gibson.

“TUF 31” will premiere May 30 on ESPN at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT and each episode will also be available via ESPN+ at 11 p.m. ET following their network debut. McGregor and Chandler will square off at an as yet to be determined UFC even…

UFC 285 Bonuses: Jon Jones, Alexa Grasso Lead $50K Award Winners

It was at night to remember at UFC 285, and that was due in large part to the efforts of Jon Jones and Alexa Grasso.

After a three-year absence, Jones returned in style with a first-round submission of Ciryl Gane to claim the vacant heavyweight title in Saturday’s headliner at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. That work earned Jones a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check, which he pledged to donate to his Albuquerque-based charity on the ESPN+ post-fight show.

Meanwhile, Grasso is the leader for “Upset of the Year” after shocking Valentina Shevchenko with a fourth-round face crank in the UFC 285 co-main event. Not only did Grasso become the third Mexican-born champion in promotion history, but she pocketed a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award as a result.

Also receiving a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus was Octagon newcomer Bo Nickal, who tapped Jamie Pickett with an arm-triangle choke 2:54 into the opening stanza of their middlewe…

Jon Jones Guillotines Ciryl Gane, Leaves UFC 285 as Heavyweight Champion

It was as if he had never left.

Jon Jones returned from a three-year sabbatical and laid claim to the vacant Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight crown, as he submitted Ciryl Gane with a guillotine choke in the first round of their UFC 285 headliner on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Gane (11-2, 8-2 UFC) raised the white flag of surrender 2:04 into Round 1.

Jones (27-1, 21-1 UFC)—in his first appearance since Feb. 8, 2020—executed a takedown a little more than a minute into the bout, applied his ground-and-pound while climbing into a seated mount position and threaded the needle on the choke. Before Gane realized what was happening, his fate had been sealed.Grasso Ends Shevchenko Reign Alexa Grasso stunned the mixed martial arts world and captured the undisputed women’s strawweight championship, as she submitted Valentina Shevchenko with a face crank in the fourth round of their co-main event. Shevchenko (23-4, 12-3 UFC) bowed out 4:…

UFC 285 ‘Jones vs. Gane’ Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

Sherdog's live UFC 285 coverage will begin Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Radzhabov (-250), Ribovics (+210)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Shane Clifford scores the round:

Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Shane Clifford scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Shane Clifford scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Basharat (-410), Blackshear (+330)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Shane Clifford scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Shane Clifford scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Shane Clifford scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: …

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