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Holly Holm’s tenure with the Ultimate Fighting Championship isn’t ending anytime soon.

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The 41-year-old former bantamweight champion signed a new six-fight contract with the Las Vegas-based promotion ahead of her showdown with Yana Santos (formerly Yana Kunitskaya) at UFC on ESPN 43 on Saturday. Holm’s longtime representative, Lenny Fresquez, confirmed the news to the Albuquerque Journal on Tuesday. The deal was reportedly completed in December but wasn’t announced until recently.

“[The UFC] knew Holly had lots of options out there,” Fresquez told the Journal. “She was very sought after and probably could have earned more money elsewhere.

“They love Holly,” he added, “they know she’s one of the faces of the UFC and they wanted her to stay.”

Holm is coming off a controversial split-decision loss to Ketlen Vieira in the UFC Fight Night 206 main event last May. Prior to that, “The Preacher’s Daughter” earned back-to-back decision triumphs …

Junior dos Santos knows Stipe Miocic well after having fought the former heavyweight king twice under the UFC banner.

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With that in mind, “Cigano” expects Miocic to present a far more formidable threat to newly-crowned heavyweight champ Jon Jones than did previous opponent Ciryl Gane.

“I was pretty sure he would impose his game against Gane or [Francis] Ngannou, but against Miocic the challenges will be different,” dos Santos told Sherdog.com. “Actually I see Stipe as the challenge to Jon Jones.”

The Brazilian believes Miocic’s wrestling ability will force Jones to take more risks.

“If he insists on taking Miocic down, he must use a lot of strength,” dos Santos said. “Now, as a heavyweight that may take its toll in the later rounds. But I do believe Jones is the favorite, I would say 60-40. I’m really excited to see that one.”

Dos Santos also says that Jones hasn’t faced an opponent who possesses knockout power comparable to Miocic’s. Wh…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

UFC bantamweight Kyler Phillips has been temporarily suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after testing positive for ostarine in an out-of-competition drug test.

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The sanction was announced during an NSAC meeting on Tuesday. Dana White’s Contender Series competitor Darrius Flowers was also temporarily suspended for a positive ostarine test. Further sanctions will be announced at a future disciplinary hearing. Phillips was recently removed from a proposed matchup with Raphael Assuncao at UFC Fight Night 221 on March 11, while Flowers was supposed to make his promotional debut against Erick Gonzalez at UFC Fight Night 220 on Feb. 25 before being pulled from the card.

Ostarine is a Selective Androgen Receptor Module (SARM) that is banned at all times according to the WADA prohibited list. Ostarine is categorized as an anabolic agent and can aid in areas of athletic performance such as muscle growth, fat…

Arnold Allen has gradually worked his way up the featherweight ladder during his tenure with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, compiling a 10-bout winning streak as quietly as one possibly can.

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The 29-year-old Englishman will be impossible to ignore if he wins his next matchup, a main event clash with former featherweight champ Max Holloway at UFC on ESPN 44 on April 15.

“Mentally I feel fantastic. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” Allen recently told assembled media at UFC 286. “It’s a very dangerous guy who’s beat a lot of top contenders, and he’s beaten them very well. He’s been a world champion, he’s been pound-for-pound No. 1. He’s stepped up to lightweight and had wars with people like Dustin Poirier. I’m very excited for the opportunity to challenge someone like that and show what I’m able to do.”

Holloway is regarded as one of the sport’s top 145-pound talents of all time. The Hawaiian known as “Blessed” was an established commodit…

Marvin Vettori returned to the win column at UFC 286, relying on his kickboxing to capture a unanimous decision triumph over Roman Dolidze in a featured middleweight bout at the O2 Arena in London this past Saturday.

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While Dolidze spent the majority of the bout headhunting, “The Italian Dream” was more well-rounded, and he racked up points behind low kicks and punching combinations to the head. Vettori knew Dolidze, who had finished his last three opponents, was a dangerous adversary, but he was also confident that he was superior in all aspects.

“I feel like I picked him apart with low kicks and the hands. From the corner they told me don’t go toward the big overhand because that was his biggest weapon,” Vettori said during a media scrum after the bout. “He kind of got me a little bit in the first round, but you know I ain’t gonna go anywhere. You’re not gonna get me out of there. By now, people probably know that.

“I knew I was the better fig…

Millions and millions and millions of ppv buys. https://t.co/Klmi7dNLcK

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) March 20, 2023

Conor McGregor is expected to return to UFC competition for the first time since breaking his leg in July 2021, but exactly when that will happen remains unclear.

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The Irish star coached opposite Michael Chandler on “The Ultimate Fighter 31,” which will set the stage for their matchup — presumably sometime in 2023. According to UFC president Dana White, “TUF 31” was motivating for McGregor.

“He’s ready to go. He could probably fight tomorrow if he wanted to,” White said at the UFC 286 post-fight press conference. “Conor coming back and coaching ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ was like a [big step] toward coming back. He was telling me Monday that it felt good to be there again – felt good to be in the gym with other guys, felt good to train, felt good to be in Vegas – all that stuff. I don’t know if Conor’s r…

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There seems to be a disconnect between Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev regarding a rumored fight between the two that never came to fruition.

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Covington was in attendance at UFC 286, and his visit with media included a brief rant on Chimaev. The former interim welteweight champion criticized Chimaev for missing weight ahead of a scheduled fight with Nate Diaz at UFC 279 last year. That mishap eventually led to the card being reshuffled, and Chimaev ultimately submitted Kevin Holland in the opening stanza of a 180-pound catchweight bout.

“He’s been saying I want for the title at 170, I want to fight Colby, this and that. The guy quit to the common cold. The guy quit on a weight cut when he had the best professionals that the UFC PI could offer,” Covington told assembled media. “Millions of dollars put into this guy in marketing and he had the easiest fight in the division, the soy boy Nate Diaz, and he still couldn’t make weight…

One Championship lightweight contender Iuri Lapicus died on Monday in Milan, Italy, from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.

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According to Italian newspaper Il Giorno, a 27-year-old man lost control of his motorbike and collided with a car around noon on Friday, March 17, in Pogliano Milanese, a small community outside Milan. The cyclist in question was confirmed by members of his team to be Lapicus, in response to an inquiry by Sherdog. The driver of the vehicle, a 69-year-old woman, received medical assistance at the scene, but was not reported to have suffered any serious injury. Lapicus’ injuries were severe and he was immediately taken by helicopter to a hospital in Milan, where he fell into a coma. He never regained consciousness and died three days later.

World champion kickboxer Giorgio Petrosyan, a longtime friend and teammate, paid tribute to Lapicus on Instagram with a post captioned, “I want to remember you like that. R.I.P.” Read more about One Championship Fighter Iuri Lapicus Dead at Age 27 after Motorcycle Crash

Kamaru Usman believes he’ll see Leon Edwards in the Octagon again before all is said and done.

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The former welterweight champion indicated as much when speaking to Daniel Cormier in the Octagon following a majority decision loss to Edwards in the UFC 286 headliner at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday. Edwards has won two of the three meetings with Usman in a rivalry that dates back to 2015.

“I think I did enough to win the fight, but I knew it was a close fight,” Usman said “Great game plan. Great game plan. You know, I’ve always said it from the start: I knew I’d see Leon again, and we did it. I’m not done. I’ll see him again, but he put on a hell of a game plan. I’ve always given him props for everything he’s been able to accomplish. He’s a brother, like myself. Much respect. London, you’ve got yourself a hell of a guy, a great champion.”

Not so fast, says Edwards.

“Probably not. Probably not,” Edwards said at the UFC post-fight press confe…

Justin Gaethje has a well-earned reputation as one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC.

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He once again delivered in that regard in the UFC 286 co-main event, earning a $50,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus check for his majority decision triumph over Rafael Fiziev at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday. While the fight featured plenty of entertaining striking exchanges, it wasn’t necessarily the all-out slugfest that Gaethje has occasionally been involved with throughout his professional tenure. For that, “The Highlight” is grateful.

“I look pretty good, so I did a good job,” Gaethe said at the UFC 286 post-fight press conference. “The key is not to get hit, and I did a good job at that. I took a couple of shots. I say two or three to the head. I asked and prayed that neither of us sustained chronic injury.”

During his post-fight interview in the Octagon, Gaethje hinted that his time in the sport might be limited. While he hasn’t set an expirat…

Leon Edwards didn’t have long to enjoy his second victory over Kamaru Usman before his next assignment became apparent.

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Dana White announced during the UFC 286 post-fight press conference that Colby Covington will receive the next welterweight title shot. Covington was in London to weigh-in as a back-up fighter for the main event and was very animated from his cageside seat in the aftermath of Edwards’ majority decision victory over Usman.

“I don’t know when we’ll do it but that’s the fight that makes sense and Colby came here and cut weight and did everything to be here for this fight,” White said. “He deserves the fight. Not to mention that he’s the second- or third-best guy in the world.”

Covington hasn’t competed since March 2022, when he defeated Jorge Masvidal via unanimous decision in the UFC 272 headliner. Covington, a former interim title holder, twice came up short in title bouts against Usman. Edwards was less than thrilled to lear…

Cementing a legacy as one of the best to ever do it! 🕷️

Congratulate @SpiderAnderson as he becomes the newest addition to the UFC Hall of Fame 🙌

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[ B2YB @ToyoTires ] pic.twitter.com/0KyXQBsN0C — UFC (@ufc) March 18, 2023

Anderson Silva, regarded by many as the greatest middleweight in the history of the sport, will be enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.

“The Spider” will be inducted into the Hall of Fame’s “Pioneer Era Wing” during a ceremony this July as part of UFC International Fight Week in Las Vegas. The Pioneer Wing includes fighters who turned professional before Nov. 17, 2000, are at least 35 years old and have been retired for a minimum of a year.

“Anderson Silva is one of the greatest athletes of all time,” UFC president Dana White said. “Anderson’s 16-fight winning streak in the UFC, 10 successful title defenses and almost seven years as middleweight champion were one of the most re…

Leon Edwards still occupies the throne.

Kicks to the body, head and legs, extraordinary takedown defense and stellar counterstriking carried the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight titleholder to a majority decision over Kamaru Usman in the emotionally charged UFC 286 headliner on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London. Scores were 48-46, 48-46 and 47-47.

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Edwards (21-3, 13-2 UFC) completes his trilogy against “The Nigerian Nightmare” with a 2-1 advantage and now holds sway over the 170-pound weight class.

Usman (20-3, 15-2 UFC) struggled and ultimately failed to pry the champion away from his gameplan. Edwards zeroed in on the body and legs with repeated kicks, staggered the Onx Sports representative with a knee strike off the break in the second round and managed to minimize his rival’s gains in the grappling exchanges. Usman appeared to turn the corner in Round 3, where he also benefitted from a point deduction due to a pair of fe…

Sherdog's live UFC 286 coverage will begin Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET. Veronica Macedo (125.5) vs. Juliana Miller (125.5) BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Miller (-435), Macedo (+350)Round 1 The UFC will tie its record for the most bouts at a single event at night’s end, unless something unfortunate happens on fight day. An overwhelming 15 matches will play out in front of ravenous British fans, culminating with a home country fighter trying to land his first defense while doing so on home soil. Before then, there is plenty to get through, starting in the women’s divisions. The first of three 125-pound fights between women opens up this card, as “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 30 victor Miller (3-1, 1-0 UFC) welcomes the recently married Hardy (6-4-1, 1-4 UFC) – formerly known as Veronica Macedo – back to the Octagon after over three years off. The ladies will be joined in the cage by referee Lukasz Bosacki to get things going, and they commence the festivities with a …

Jack Shore adapted to his new surroundings just fine.

The Welshman upshifted to the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division and disposed of Makwan Amirkhani with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their featured UFC 286 prelim on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London. Shore (17-1, 6-1 UFC) drew the curtain 4:27 into Round 1, as he bounced back from his July 16 defeat to Ricky Simon.

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Amirkhani (17-9, 7-7 UFC) dictated terms for much of the first round after securing a takedown and chewing up clock. However, he emerged for the middle stanza visibly diminished by fatigue. Shore rang his bell with a few head kicks, executed a takedown and progressed to half guard before climbing to full mount. He bailed an attempted arm-triangle, wheeled to the back and cinched the choke for the finish. Meanwhile, American Top Team export Chris Duncan made a successful Octagon debut with a split decision over fellow Dana White’s Contender Series gradu…

MORE VIOLENCE 😳 #UFC286 pic.twitter.com/KIonr3sByJ

— UFC (@ufc) March 18, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship awarded four fighters performance bonuses on the UFC 286 pay-per-view card.

Gunnar Nelson received an extra $50,000 for the impressive armbar submission he locked in on the main card. "Gunni" was able to submit Bryan Barberena in under a round as he forced "Bam Bam" to tap at the 4:51 mark. Additionally, Jake Hadley received the same monetary bonus for his impressive stoppage of Malcolm Gordon on the prelims.

In no surprise, fight of the night went to Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev. The two lightweights delivered an instant classic with a back-and-forth brawl that eventually was claimed by Gaethje as the former UFC lightweight interim champion came on late with damaging punches that closed the eye of Fiziev. Both fan-favorite fighters have become regulars at winning performance bonuses.

UFC 286 Bonuses: Jake Hadley - $…

Heavyweight Denzel Freeman is the latest fighter to earn a Professional Fighters League contract despite being quite low on the final card for the 2023 PFL Challenger Series.

WELCOME TO THE PFL DENZEL FREEMAN!#PFLonFubo pic.twitter.com/5QRQzxHNI4

— PFL (@PFLMMA) March 18, 2023 St. Louis Controls Laia The Week 8 main event saw Kendly St. Louis take on Paulo Henrique Laia in what was supposed to be a lightweight fight but St. Louis (9-4) missed weight. It was St. Louis that found an early advantage as his wrestling allowed him to control Laia (14-7) on the ground. This laid the framework that would be followed for the rest of the fight as the second and third rounds saw St. Louis firmly in control while never coming super close to a finish.

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As expected, St. Louis took a unanimous decision win with scores of 30-27 across the board. Martins Stifles Cataline The lone women's bout on the card saw Jackie Cataline take on fellow fe…

Sherdog's live PFL Challenger Series 8 coverage kicks off Friday at 9 p.m. ET. The action will be broadcast live and free on fuboTV. Round 1 Kicking off this unique card, we begin with welterweights as Sadeck Sanon (3-1) of Burkina Faso battles Ali Omar (4-2). Referee Larry Folsom will preside over this one. Omar begins the action with a body kick and Sanon immediately retaliates with a leg kick of his own. Sanon is bouncing very well on his feet. Omar partially lands another body kick but this time Sanon lands a very hard leg kick in response. Omar with another body kick and this time Sanon closes the distance and clinches. Sanon is getting good positions but Omar just barely manages to stay upright. Omar has a whizzer but it's not the best, though he manages to defend and eventually pushes off. Sanon lands a nice leg kick at range. Omar fires a few punches but Sanon blocks well. Omar does slip a little uppercut, though he doesn't follow up on it. Omar throws a head kick an…

[embedded content] The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to London and brings with it a highly anticipated championship rubber match between Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman.

Edwards and Usman both made championship weight by weighing 170 pounds on the dot ahead of UFC 286. The only miss on the 15-fight card was by Malcolm Gordon, who came in 3.5 pounds over the flyweight limit. As a result, Gordon has been fined 30% of his purse and his fight against Jake Hadley will move forward. In a surprise to both headliners, former title challenger Colby Covington hit the scales during the proceedings to serve as the alternate, checking in at 170 pounds even.

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In the pair's second fight, Usman (20-2) was seemingly in control until a shocking head kick sent "The Nigerian Nightmare" into dreamland. Now champion, Edwards (20-3, 1 NC) is getting to have their trilogy battle on home soil. The shocking title win capped off an incredible stretch for "Rocky" that has…

Robert Ruchala now has some meaningful hardware with which to validate his pristine resume.

The unbeaten Polish prospect walked away with the interim Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki featherweight championship, as he stopped Lom-Ali Eskiev with a burst of elbows in the fifth round of their KSW 80 headliner on Saturday at RSC Hall in Lubin, Poland. Eskiev (20-7, 1-3 KSW) succumbed to blows 4:30 into Round 5.

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Ruchala (8-0, 5-0 KSW) overcame a rough start—Eskiev dropped him with an overhand right, then gave chase with follow-up punches in the first round—and settled into a comfortable cruising speed. He spent much of his time building a lead behind a stiff jab and kicks to the body and legs. Ruchala saved his best efforts for the fifth round. There, he took down Eskiev roughly 90 seconds into the period, moved to the back and hunted a rear-naked choke before turning to his ground-and-pound. Ruchala forced his opponent into a defensive shell, cut off avenues for …

Jordan Vucenic is BACK! It was only fitting he would cap off #CW150 with a RNC 💪🙌 Back in the win column with an impressive performance. pic.twitter.com/mcKEiCRO13

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) March 17, 2023 Former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship featherweight kingpin Jordan Vucenic successfully bounced back after suffering his first promotional defeat.

The CW 150 headliner featured a featherweight affair between Vucenic (10-2, 6-1 CW) and Tiziano Ferranti. Ferranti (6-1, 0-1 CW) started strong and clipped his opponent a few times before Vucenic successfully grounded his opponent. Vucenic had no problem keeping Ferranti on the mat for much of the round after taking some early damage. “The Epidemic” landed a double-leg takedown almost immediately in Round 2, reaffirming that the Italian was outmatched on the canvas. Slowly but surely, Vucenic improved his position until capturing his opponent’s back. Sensing the end was close, Vucenic s…

🚨New Trailer🚨

It is The Underdog Story of Sloppy Balboa 👊 facing The Greatest Siamese Twin Fighter of All Time.

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🎪 Fight Circus Vol.6: The Rise or Fall of Sloppy Balboa

🗓️ March 31st📍 Illuzion Phuket🎫 Tickets on SALE SOON!!! pic.twitter.com/atAJlvS1fj

— FMD ☣️ (@FullMetalDojo) March 16, 2023 Their whole lives have been million-to-one shots…now, “Sloppy Balboa” is about to show the world that they’re one-in-a-million. Courtesy of Full Metal Dojo head Jon Nutt on Thursday, the preliminary bout listing for Fight Circus 6: “The Rise or Fall of Sloppy Balboa” on April 1 has been made public. The Thailand-based league will be running its sixth iteration of the “Fight Circus” series on March 31 in Thailand, airing the first of April in the United States, at the Illuzion Nightclub in Phuket. Capping off the evening’s festivities will be a two-on-two “Siamese boxing” match pitting Bob Sapp and Quinton Jackson against Nutt …

SBG Ireland’s Walter Cogliandro was coming off a two-fight skid and needed to overcome an Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran in Mark Striegl to return to the win column. Striegl, who has a win over former UAE Warriors featherweight king Do Gyeom Lee, last saw action at UFC Fight Night 201 in a losing bid to Chas Skelly.

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Striegl’s stifling grappling was on display in Round 1, taking down the Italian less than 20 seconds into the fight. But likewise present was Cogliandro’s resilience, even ending the stanza with elbows off his back to open up the Filipino as the bell sounded.

In the second period, a game Cogliandro answered the bell with heightened activity on the feet, utilizing his dirty boxing with a few elbows and knees from the inside. Even when Striegl was able to hold him against the cage, Cogliandro was still throwing punches.

Striegl was able to take him down for some time in the final stage, but as soon as Cogliandro stood u…

👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/zho13QHXeT

— Jeff Molina (@jmolina_125) March 17, 2023 Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight Jeff Molina is the victim of extremely unfortunate circumstances.

On Thursday, an intimate video leaked involving Molina. As rumor spread, on Friday morning, Molina released a statement on Twitter where he came out as bisexual, while expressing his disappointment that he was forced out against his will. While there are openly gay and LGBTQ women on the UFC roster, Molina is the first male UFC fighter to publicly come out. Molina (11-2) was a top-15 flyweight with the promotion, who is currently under suspension for his involvement with the James Krause betting scandal.

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Molina’s statement reads as follows:

“Welp.. this f---ing sucks

“TLDR: im bi

“Not the way I wanted to do this but the chance to do it when I was ready was taken from me. I’ve tried to keep my dating life private from social media. I’…