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Drew Dober to Face Matt Frevola at UFC 288 in New Jersey

Top 15 Incoming 💣 👊🏻🩸 #UFC288 #Frevola #Dober #DirtyJersey #MyTime #Top15 #Steamrolla #TeamSteam #GigaChad #Gfuel pic.twitter.com/WmhI4zCTDu

— Matt “The Steamrolla”Frevola (@SteamRollaa) March 16, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship has put together an absolute banger at 155 pounds for May.

On Thursday, Matt Frevola (10-3-1) broke the news on Twitter that he will be fighting Drew Dober (26-11, 1 NC) at UFC 288. The two lightweights will toe the line at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 6. Dober confirmed their pairing shortly after Frevola’s announcement, doing so on his Instagram.

The two 155ers combine with momentum at their respective backs, with five straight knockouts between them. Dober has rattled off three straight, with a triumphant 2022 campaign that began with a wild collision with Terrance McKinney, led to a battle against Rafael Alves and concluded with a thrashing of Bobby Gr…

Coach Explains Alexander Shabliy’s Knockout Kick on Tofiq Musayev at Bellator 292

[embedded content] The coach of recent Bellator MMA victor Alexandr Shabliy broke down the controversial kick that earned his fighter the win.

At Bellator 292, Shabliy scored a front kick to the lower midsection, and his foot slid down to strike the cup of Tofiq Musayev in one fluid motion. Referee Jason Herzog intervened and determined that the incidental contact with the groin was not significant enough to merit a foul call, and Shabliy earned the win by technical knockout. As it turned out, the specific kick the Russian threw was a technique heavily practiced at American Top Team, as ATT striking coach Katel Kubis informed Sherdog of this in an interview on Thursday.

“It’s a very technical kick that requires timing and precision, and is normally applied between two punches,” Kubis explained. “You can see Tofiq was throwing an overhand, and when Tofiq turned his body, he opened the space Shabliy needed to apply that frontal kick to the abdomen, on…

PFL Challenger Series 2023 Week 8 Weigh-in Results: 1 Fighter Heavy

The final week of this year's Professional Fighters League Challenger Series will feature eight fighters being given a second chance at gaining a contract.

Nearly all of the PFL Challenger Series Week 7 fighters made weight for the four-fight card. The lone miss was Kendly St. Louis, who came in at 156.8 pounds for his lightweight headliner against Paulo Henrique Laia. The rest of the card stayed contract eligible by making weight.

St. Louis (8-4) is coming off a rear-naked choke win over Nick Alley in the first week of the 2023 Challenger Series. The win extended the current win streak for "The Highlander" to five. Meanwhile, Laia (14-6) lost a split decision to Manoel Sousa and will get a chance to put on a more impressive performance.

PFL Challenger Series Week 8: 2nd Chance Fights will air live on FuboTV on Friday at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

PFL Challenger Series Week 8 Weigh-in Results:Kendly St. Louis (156.8)* vs. Paulo Henrique Laia (156)Ja…

KSW 80 Weigh-in Results: Interim Featherweight Title Fight Set

Leading Polish mixed martial arts organization Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki's third card of 2023 will feature an interim featherweight title fight.

The KSW 80</> main event will see featherweights Lom-Ali Eskiev and Robert Ruchala battle for the interim title as two-weight champion Salahdine Parnasse focuses on his upcoming lightweight title unification bout. Both men easily made weight as they both came in at 145 pounds on the dot. All other fighters on the card also made weight.

Eskiev (20-6, 1 NC) is actually coming off a split-decision loss to Daniel Rutkowski in his last outing but had previously won five straight fights. Ruchala is a perfect 8-0 as a professional and is 5-0 within the promotion. The Polish prospect is coming off a split-decision win over Damian Stasiak and will look to claim his first title.

KSW you 80 will stream live on the promotion's website starting at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT on Friday.

KSW 80 Weigh-in Results:Lom-Ali Eskiev (145) …

Conor McGregor Says He Was Supposed to Coach Against Nate Diaz on ‘TUF 31’

If Conor McGregor is to be believed, the originally proposed coaching matchup for “The Ultimate Fighter 31” would have renewed one of the UFC’s great rivalries.

During an appearance on "The MMA Hour" on Wednesday, McGregor revealed that he was initally expected to coach opposite Nate Diaz on the long-running reality show. That never came to fruition, though, and McGregor instead matched wits with Michael Chandler on “TUF 31.” A date for McGregor vs. Chandler has not been set.

“‘The Ultimate Fighter’ just kind of presented itself. It was originally for me to be against Nate. It was me vs. Nate,” McGregor said. “I did not mind who it was against, to be honest. Nor do I mind who I compete against, that’s widely known.

“I had agreed to it, it was Nate. It was a day or two before and now it’s Chandler. I’m not sure what went down on that end. It was me vs. Chandler and I have no problem with it, I’m happy with it. It’s gonna be a good bout for sure.…

Kamaru Usman Dismisses Idea That KO Loss Will Negatively Affect Him at UFC 286

Kamaru Usman had won 19 straight professional fights before Leon Edwards shocked the world with a head kick knockout late in the fifth round of their title clash at UFC 278 this past August.

For that, Usman doesn’t hesitate to give Edwards his props.

“It’s a beautiful kick … I”m a fan of it,” Usman said during a recent media day appearance.

However, while others — Edwards included — have speculated that Usman might not be the same after suffering his first KO defeat, the man himself points out that he has lost plenty of times in his athletic career. That has him uniquely prepared to rebound in his trilogy bout with Edwards at UFC 286 on Saturday.

“Leon hasn’t wrestled in over 300 wrestling matches like I have,” Usman said. “He hasn’t competed as many times as I have. When you get pinned, I’ve been in the situation where I lost the first wrestling match of the day and now you’re in the consolation bracket and it’s a dogfight to get back up on …

Leon Edwards: ‘Even on My Worst Day,’ I Still Knocked Kamaru Usman Out

While Kamaru Usman may have been moments away from retaining the welterweight title against Leon Edwards at UFC 278, those waning moments of their August bout turned out to be quite significant indeed.

Edwards authored one of the biggest upsets of 2022 when he knocked Usman out with a head kick 4:04 into the fifth round of their headlining bout in Salt Lake City, Utah, saving himself from a decision defeat in the process. Since then, Usman has been somewhat dismissive of Edwards while pointing to the fact that he was well ahead on the scorecards prior to the finish.

Edwards understands the logic, but it still doesn’t take away the end result.

“I think when you get knocked out like that, he has to find something to clutch on to,” Edwards said during a media day ahead of UFC 286. “He needs to build the confidence back up because going into it, he thought he could never be taken down, he could never be hurt or knocked out.

“He was winning the fi…

One on Prime Video 8 Loses Arjan Bhullar-Anatoliy Malykhin Headliner

One on Prime Video 8 will have a new main event after the heavyweight title unfication bout between Arjan Singh Bhullar and Anatoliy Malykhin was pulled from the card.

The Singapore-based promotion announced the news on Wednesday, citing a “shift in broadcaster commitments” as the reason for the cancellation. Bhullar vs. Malykin is expected to be rescheduled for a future One event. As a result, a flyweight kickboxing title bout pitting Superlek Kiatmoo9 against Rodtang Jitmuangnon will serve as the new One on Prime Video 8 headliner.

One on Prime Video 8 takes place on March 24 at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. The main card airs on Prime Video in the United States at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. ET, while prelims begin at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

A four-time UFC veteran, Bhullar claimed the undisputed heavyweight crown with a second-round technical knockout victory against Brandon Vera at One Championship “Dangal” in April 2021. Bhullar has…

Dan Hardy Joins PFL Europe as Director of Fighter Operations

A former Ultimate Fighting Championship title challenger has joined Professional Fighters League in an executive capacity.

The organization announced Wednesday that Dan Hardy will serve as director of fighter operations for PFL Europe, the new league that will launch on March 25. Hardy’s role will include identifying talent in the region and ensuring the well being and development of fighters. He will also working alongside global PFL president of fighter operations Ray Sefo on matchmaking decisions.

“I’m excited to be taking on the role of director of fighter operations for PFL Europe. This will allow me to bring together the best MMA prospects from around the region, and give each of them an opportunity to establish themselves as world class talent,” Hardy said in a release. “PFL Europe will bring stability to the opportunities available to European MMA athletes, and I’m honoured to be able to play a role in that process.”

A native of Not…

Miranda Maverick vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius Expected for UFC 289 on June 10

A women’s flyweight bout between Miranda Maverick and Jasmine Jasudavicius is in the works for UFC 289.

Maverick announced the bout on Instagram, and MMAFighting.com later confirmed that the booking is expected to be finalized shortly. UFC 289 takes place on June 10 but doesn’t have a location or headliner at this tie.

Maverick went 2-0 in 2022. After submitting Sabina Mazo in the second round of their UFC Fight Night 203 encounter, the Easton Training Center product outpointed Shanna Young at UFC Fight Night 214. Maverick is 4-2 during her tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion and 11-4 as a professional overall.

Jasudavicius has won two of three Octagon appearances since appearing on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021. Most recently, the Ontario, Canada, native earned a unanimous decision against Gabriella Fernandes at UFC Fight Night 220 on Feb. 25.

Two New Bouts Complete Bellator 294 Main Card on April 21

A bantamweight clash between Danny Sabatello and Marcos Breno and a welterweight scrap pitting Levan Chokheli against Michael Lombardo will complete the Bellator 294 main card.

The promotion announced the two new bouts on Tueday. Bellator 294 takes place at the Neil S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii, on April 21 and is headlined by a flyweight championship clash between Liz Carmouche and DeAnna Bennett. The main card airs on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

Five bouts were confirmed for the Bellator 294 preliminary draw: Alex Polizzi vs. Karl Moore at light heavyweight; Killys Mota vs. Kenneth Cross at lightweight; Tyrell Fortune vs. Sergei Bilostennyi at heavyweight; Cris Lencioni vs. Blake Smith at featherweight and Anthony Adams vs. Sharaf Davlatmurodov at middleweight.

Sabatello had a seven-bout winning streak snapped in his last outing, when he dropped a split decision to Raufeon Stots in the semifinals of the promotion’s bantamwe…

Only Man to Defeat Alex Pereira Hopes UFC Champ Prevails in Israel Adesanya Rematch

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Former Jungle Fight welterweight champion Quemuel Ottoni will finally make his debut on U.S. soil when he faces Jackson-Wink MMA product Chris Brown at the PFL Challenger Series “Second Chance” event on Friday.

“I should have made my debut in January, but unfortunately I had a spinal sprain so I postponed it to March,” Ottoni told Sherdog.com.

Ottoni is happy to make his PFL debut against a fellow striker.

“Brown likes to brawl just like myself and that will be good for the fans,” he said. “I hope to impose my game and get a contract signed. I’ve waited a long time to have my chance to fight in the U.S., where everything happens, and I'll not waste that.”

Ottoni is perhaps best known for a third-round submission victory over current UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira at Jungle Fight 82 in 2015. Since that rear-naked choke win, Ottoni and Pereira have followed totally different career paths. While “Poatan” initially…

Alistair Overeem Suspended 1 Year for Failed Drug Test, Glory Win Overturned

UFC veteran and former Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem has been suspended for one year in relation to his Glory Kickboxing bout against Badr Hari this past October.

The banned substance for which Overeem tested positive is currently unknown. The 42-year-old Dutchman tested positive on both his A and B samples. In addition to the suspension, Overeem’s victory against Hari has been overturned and he was fined a percentage of his purse. He was also removed from the Glory rankingsVechsportInfo was first to report the sanctions levied against Overeem.

Overeem has not issued a statement regarding the suspension. He will be eligible to return to active competition in October. There were recently rumors that KSW was in talks with Overeem to return to MMA for a clash with heavyweight champion Philip De Fries, but nothing has been confirmed regarding that matchup.

Overeem signed with Glory in 2021 after compiling a 12-8 mark with the UFC from 201…

Francis Ngannou Says He Initially Chased Jones Fight: ‘Nobody Seemed to Be Interested’

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While the current narrative from the UFC is that Francis Ngannou ran away from a potential Jon Jones fight, the former heavyweight champion was the person who initially pursued that matchup.

“Look, I wanted that fight as well. I’m the one that initiated that fight over two years ago,” Ngannou told TMZ Sports. “I wanted that fight, but where was Jon Jones at that time? I don’t know. Nobody seems interested, even Dana White. Nobody seems to be interested. They always find a way to go around it.

“Today, it’s not about that fight, it’s not that they wanted to give me that fight, it’s the price it was going to cost me to get that fight. I chased that fight for as long as I could and, listen, I learned in life that you have to let it go. You have to let things go, otherwise, they’ll cut your hand and take your hand away. I wanted that fight so bad, and I couldn’t have it at any cost. That’s what I will always say.”

When the two si…

Aaron Pico vs. Otto Rodrigues, Mads Burnell vs. Justin Gonzales Set for Bellator 295

Aaron Pico will return to action for the first time since injuring his shoulder this past October when he faces Otto Rodrigues at Bellator 295.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the featherweight booking. Additionally, MMFighting.com has confirmed that a 145-pound clash pitting Mads Burnell against Justin Gonzales is also set for the event. Bellator 295 takes place at the Neil S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, on April 22 and is headlined by a bantamweight grand prix final matchup between Raufeon Stots and Patrick Mix.

Pico suffered a first-round TKO loss to Jeremy Kennedy at Bellator 286 due to a shoulder injury suffered in the bout. That snapped a six-bout Bellator winning streak for the 26-year-old Jackson-Wink MMA product.

A 34-year-old native of Rio de Janeiro, Rodrigues has compiled a 13-1 mark since beginning his professional tenure in 2007. Most recently, Rodrigues outpointed Carlos Augusto Santos da Silva at LFA 112 in July …

Lineup Revealed for Friday’s PFL Challenger Series ‘Second Chance’ Event

Final Week of the 2023 PFL Challenger Series is HERE7⃣Weeks of Challenger Series7⃣PFL Contracts Awarded1⃣PFL Contract 𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄

Fights are 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 & 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 on @fuboSports

[ #PFLonFubo | Second Chance Night | Fri, March 17th | 9pm ET] pic.twitter.com/zMOPsSooMA — PFL (@PFLMMA) March 13, 2023

The second season of PFL Challenger Series will conclude with its “Second Chance” event on Friday night.

The promotion on Tuesday announced the full lineup for the card, which features athletes who failed to earn PFL conracts on previous editions of the Challenger Series. PFL Challenger Series “Second Chance” will be headined by a lightweight showdown between Kendly St. Louis and Paulo Henrique Laia. In the co-main event, Jackie Cataline will face Evelyn Martins in a women’s featherweight contest.

Other bouts announced for the card are as follows: Denzel Freeman vs. Raiden Kovacs at heavyweight; Quemuel Ottoni vs…

Flyweights Kai Kara France, Amir Albazi to Meet at UFC Fight Night on June 3

A flyweight showdown pitting Kai Kara France against Amir Albazi is on tap for an Utimate Fighting Championship event on June 3.

MMAFighting.com confirmed the booking after Albazi announced it on social media. The UFC Fight Night card doesn’t yet have an official location or venue. It is also expected to include a women's bantamweight clash between Miesha Tate and Mayra Bueno Silva.

Kara France last appeared at UFC 277, where he suffered a third-round technical knockout loss to current flyweight king Brandon Moreno last July. He was supposed to face Alex Perez at UFC 284 but was forced to withdraw from the card due to injury.

Albazi, meanwhile, has lost just once in 17 professional outings. The Baghdad, Iraq, native has kicked off his promotional tenure with four straight triumphs, including a third-round KO of Alessandro Costa in his most recent appearance at UFC Fight Night 216.

‘Wonderboy’ Expects Conor McGregor to Return to ‘Roots of Movement’ Next Fight

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Stephen Thompson recently got to spend some time with Conor McGregor in Las Vegas, and it was an interesting experience, to say the least.

The fighters share the same management, and “Wonderboy” was able to work with the former UFC two-division champion as he prepares to face Michael Chandler after coaching on “The Ultimate Fighter 31.” No date has been set for the fight, but it will be McGregor’s first appearance since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. When it happens, Thompson expects to see some familiar elements return to the Irish star’s game.

“For someone to come off of an injury like that, his mindset is like it didn’t even happen,” Thompson said in an interview with Submission Radio. “He’s getting back to his roots, his karate. He’s never trained in karate, but he’s trained with a lot of karate fighters and that’s where he gets a lot of his movement from. For instance, when he fought Jose Ald…

Dana White ‘Wouldn’t Be Shocked’ If Jon Jones Retires After Fighting Stipe Miocic

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While Jon Jones only just made his triumphant return to the Octagon at UFC 285, there’s plenty of mystery surrounding how long the newly-crowned heavyweight king will stick around the sport.

So far, “Bones” has said he wants to face former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic in a legacy-defining bout, but he hasn’t made his plans known beyond that. Jones vs. Miocic is rumored for UFC 290 on July 8, but the fight has not been made official at this point in time. Still, it seems all but guaranteed the matchup will happen — it’s just a matter of settling on a date and venue.

“Here’s the thing that makes this so awesome, you have the greatest mixed martial artist of all-time facing the greatest heavyweight of all-time,” UFC president Dana White recently told TMZ Sports. “It literally doesn’t get any better than that. These are the kinds of fights you dream about making.”

While it was recently revealed that Jones signed a new eight-f…

Raphael Assuncao Reflects on Final Bout: ‘This Sport is So Crazy’

Raphael Assuncao was perhaps mere seconds away from winning a decision against Davey Grant at UFC Fight Night 221.

That all changed when Grant rocked him with a spinning back fist, setting the stage for the Englishman to finish the contest with an inverted triangle at the 4:43 mark of Round 3. Prior to that finish, Assuncao had banked two rounds two of the three cageside judges scorecards. Instead, the Brazilian veteran left his gloves in the cage and announced his retirement following a heartbreaking defeat.

“This sport is so crazy, you know. Anything can turn around in a flick of a second,” Assuncao said in a backstage interview with the UFC. “It feels like it happened to me today. I have never been in that type of situation. Either I lose or win, or I control the fight. It’s a mix of emotions right now. Crazy job.

“I’ve had a great career. I don’t feel super accomplished. You can always do more. I’m very critical of myself. I was able to …

Michael Page: Seeing Goiti Yamauchi’s Injury ‘Took the Energy Out of Me’

Michael Page made a strong impression at the expense of Goiti Yamauchi at Bellator 292 on Friday night.

The British striker landed one devastating leg kick that connected directly with his opponent’s knee, ending the welterweight contest just 26 seconds into Round 1. The injury could have long-term ramifications for Yamauchi.

“Based on the x-ray, it’s a patella tendon rupture,” Bellator president Scott Coker said at the Bellator 292 post-fight press conference. “So that sounds very painful.”

It’s the second time that a Page opponent has suffered a serious injury under the Bellator banner: In July 2016, the London Shootfighters star landed a flying knee on Evangelista Santos that cracked the Brazilian’s skull in their Bellator 158 bout. That ultimately led to Santos announcing his retirement.

In the more recent instance, seeing Yamauchi seriously injured muted Page’s celebration.

“I saw him go down and I just thought, I don’t know – ner…

Dana White: ’Really Bad Idea’ for Merab Dvalishvili to Avoid Fighting Aljamain Sterling

Even after securing the signature victory of his career to date, Merab Dvalishvili made one thing clear: He has no interest in fighting friend and teammate Aljamain Sterling.

“Whenever [Sterling] decides to go up in weight class … I will fight for the title,” Dvalishvili said in the Octagon following a win over Petr Yan in the UFC Fight Night 221 headliner. “Of course I want to be champion, and now I [proved] it again … I am hungry.”

In most cases, Dvalishvili’s performance against Yan would solidify him as the bantamweight division’s No. 1 contender. However, Sterling still reigns atop the division, though that could change following his scheduled clash with Henry Cejudo in the UFC 288 main event. If Sterling defends the crown, Dvalishvili might have to explore other options.

However, UFC president Dana White doesn’t think it’s in Dvalishvil’s best interest to avoid a fight with Sterling.

“You know, back in the early days, the camps were so …

Alexander Volkov Expected Even Quicker Victory Over Alexander Romanov

Alexander Volkov was nearly flawless in the UFC Fight Night 221 co-main event.

The 6-foot-7 Russian denied multiple takedown attempts from Alexander Romanov before putting his opponent away with ground-and-pound just 2:16 into Round 1 of their heavyweight clash at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas on Saturday night. In addition to failing on all of his takedown tries, Romanov didn’t land a strike in the abbreviated bout. Even then, Volkov thought his win could have arrived earlier than it did.

“You always feel good after the victory, so I feel great that I won. Really what I’d like to say is everything that we’ve worked on in the camp, everything we’ve put so much time into, I really feel that it’s great that it happened the way that it happened,” Volkov said through a translator at the post-fight press conference. “Exactly what we expected him to do, he did in the fight. This is what we worked on.

“So I feel like it wasn’t as fast as …

UFC Fight Night 221 Bonuses: Four Collect $50,000 Bonuses

These two put on a SHOW 👏👏👏@BrunoBuldogUFC and @DaveyGrantMMA securing the bag with their performances tonight at #UFCLasVegas! pic.twitter.com/bkxRfMp6sZ

— UFC (@ufc) March 12, 2023

The performance bonuses for UFC Fight Night 221 are in and four fighters are heading home $50,000 richer.

Vitor Petrino (8-0) kept his undefeated record intact in a three round slugfest with Anton Turkalj in Las Vegas on Saturday. Petrino traded hard shots with “The Pleasure Man” for 15 minutes but pushed the pace in securing the unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27). Both fighters were awarded $50,000 a piece after receiving the Fight of the Night honors.

Davey Grant and Bruno Silva won $50,000 performance bonuses for their efforts. Grant picked up his second straight win after choking out Raphael Assuncao in the third round with an inverted triangle. Silva notched his third straight win with a rear-naked choke on Tyson Nam.

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