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Erin Blanchfield Willing to Fight Again Before Potential Flyweight Title Shot

Erin Blanchfield made the most of her in-cage interview time following her victory over Jessica Andrade at UFC Fight Night 219.

It wasn’t something that just happened in the heat of the moment. Instead, her call for the next flyweight title shot was by design.

“I always try to think of what I want to say after a win because it can be very emotional and it can be a little cloudy but I knew beating someone like her, especially if I finished her, that I could deserve that title next,” Blanchfield said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference.

With that in mind, Blanchfield figures to be an interested observer when Valentina Shevchenko defends her 125-pound belt against Alexa Grasso in the UFC 285 co-main event on March 4. Shevchenko has dominated the flyweight division and, along with Amanda Nunes, has ranked as one of the sport’s top pound-for-pound females for the past few years. That makes her the more attractive potential opponent for Blanc…

Erin Blanchfield Makes Statement, Submits Jessica Andrade at UFC Fight Night 219

Erin Blanchfield’s time may have arrived sooner than expected.

The 23-year-old Elmwood Park, N.J., native earned a signature victory, as she submitted former strawweight queen Jessica Andrade (24-10, 15-8 UFC) in the UFC Fight Night 219 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Blanchfield (11-1, 5-0 UFC) locked in a rear-naked choke to force the tapout 1:37 into Round 2. “Cold Blooded” has won five straight fights in the UFC at 125 pounds, tying her for the second-longest active winning streak in the division. Now she has her sights set on capturing flyweight gold.

“Give me the winner of Shevchenko vs. Grasso next,” Blanchfield said. “I’m going to win the title and become UFC champion.”

Blanchfield never appeared out of her depth against Andrade, who replaced original opponent Taila Santos on short notice. The Brazilian blitzed forward with her trademark barrage of power punches, but Blanchfield kept her composure and fired back wit…

UFC Fight Night 219 ‘Andrade vs. Blanchfield’ Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 219 coverage will begin Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Carpenter (-280), Ronderos (+235)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round:

Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Fletcher (-255), Gorimbo (+215)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT |…

UFC Fight Night 219 Prelims: Nazim Sadykhov Gashes Evan Elder, Earns TKO Win

A cut above Evan Elder's eye results in a TKO victory via Doctor's Stoppage #UFCVegas69 pic.twitter.com/MIK4Ien0Jr

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 19, 2023

An accidental clash of heads propelled Nazim Sadykhov to his first UFC triumph at the expense of Evan Elder.

The Longo and Weidman MMA representative defeated Elder via doctor stoppage in their preliminary lightweight bout at UFC Fight Night 219 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. A cageside physician quickly waved off the contest 38 seconds into Round 3 due to Elder suffering a nasty cut above his right eye. The wound initially appeared to be a result of a knee from Sadykhov (8-1, 1-0 UFC) that landed directly on the eyebrow of his opponent, but the victor later revealed it occurred to due a clash of heads. Prior to the stoppage, Sadykhov and Elder (7-2, 0-2 UFC) engaged in a back-and-forth battle on the feet that saw both men land plenty of damaging offe…

UFC Fight Night 219 Bonuses: Erin Blanchfield Banks Extra $50k for Slick Submission

These two are walking away with a little more than just a victory tonight 🤑

Congrats to @Blanchfield_MMA & @MayraSheetara! #UFCVegas69 pic.twitter.com/6HWkW2lg6Y

— UFC (@ufc) February 19, 2023

UFC Fight Night 219 was a mixed bag of exciting finishes and clinch-heavy decisions.

The preliminary card started off with a bang as five out of the six bouts ended before the final bell. This included a back-and-forth battle between lightweights Nazim Sadykhov and Evan Elder, which resulted in a doctor’s stoppage victory after a fight-ending cut opened on the right eyebrow of Elder; the fight was awarded “Fight of the Night.” The prelims also featured a stunning kneebar submission by Mayra Bueno Silva, who was awarded “Performance of the Night” for her finish of Lina Lansberg.

The main card, however, saw four out of the five fights go the distance, in what each could be described as uneventful. The exception was the…

UFC Fight Night 219 Weigh-in Results: All Fighters Make Weight

And just like that, your main event is LOCKED IN 🔒@JessicaMMAPro in at 124 for #UFCVegas69!

[ Tomorrow | Main Card 7pmET on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/KJIQEuwmD6

— UFC (@ufc) February 17, 2023 After a trip to Australia, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Las Vegas and the UFC Apex for UFC Fight Night 219.

The 11-fight card features Jessica Andrade taking on Erin Blanchfield on short notice after Taila Santos withdrew from the headliner. Despite coming in as a replacement, Andrade (24-9) is no stranger to main events, and the former strawweight champion successfully checked in at 124 pounds for the flyweight bout. Blanchfield (10-1) also made weight for her first marquee matchup, coming in at 125.5 pounds. Every other fighters on the card hit their successful marks for a smooth weigh-in day.

While the best performances from "Bate Estaca" have come at strawweight, Andrade has recently excelled in the 125-p…

Undefeated Lightweight Elvin Espinoza Earns Contract at PFL Challenger Series Week 4

It seems the third time was a charm for Elvin Espinoza.

And just like that, the Professional Fighters League has a new lightweight prospect as the Nicaraguan won for the third time in as many tries in the PFL. After previously winning “showcase” bouts during the 2021 and 2022 PFL Playoffs, Espinoza punched his ticket to the major leagues with an impressive Round 2 submission of Damir Ferhatbegovic at PFL Challenger Series 4. Still unblemished at 8-0, Espinoza took the first frame on all three unofficial Sherdog score cards and then put a stamp on his performance by making Ferhatbegovic (6-3-1), who missed weight Thursday, tap to a tight rear-naked choke at the 1:53 mark.

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship divisional rulers Tyron Woodley and Vitor Belfort were joined by 2014 NBA rookie of the year Michael Carter-Williams as celebrity judges for the event. Both the celeb panel and online fan vote handed the contract to Espinoza, who is expected t…

PFL Challenger Series 4 Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

Sherdog's live PFL Challenger Series 4 coverage kicks off Friday at 9 p.m. ET. The action will be broadcast live and free on fuboTV. Round 1 Kicking off the PFL Challenger Series 4 card which features lightweights, Charles Decca (4-2-1) battles Jose Aguayo (5-2). Referee Josh Rutgers will work the first fight of the night. Aguayo has a weird stance from which he throws an overhand right and it knocks Decca down, though it's mostly from him being off-balance. Decca tries to get it back with his own punches, but Aguayo dodges. Decca does score with a leg kick though and Aguayo appears a little hurt. Decca scores another one. They clinch and Aguayo tosses Decca into the cage. They resume in the center of the cage and Decca lands a fancy switch kick to Aguayo's head. He then lands another leg kick and clinches, getting an easy pick-up and slam. Decca is now in the half-guard, throwing the occasional left hand. After a while, he starts scoring with right hands to the body, though…

PFL Challenger Series 2023 Week 4 Weigh-in Results: 1 Lightweight Heavy

Media Day. Official Weigh Ins. ✅1⃣More Sleep8⃣ Lightweights fight for a life changing opportunityA PFL Contract ✍️

Fights are 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 & 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 on @fuboSports

[ #PFLonFubo | Lightweights | Fri, Feb 17th | 9pm] pic.twitter.com/VIA0mm07SP — PFL (@PFLMMA) February 16, 2023 The latest Professional Fighters League Challenger Series show will feature eight fighters in the lightweight division, although only seven made weight.

PFL Challenger Series Week 4 headliner Damir Ferhatbegovic failed to hit the 156-pound limit for his bout against Elvin Espinoza. "The Bosnian Barn Cat" came in at 157.2 pounds, or 1.2 pounds above the cap. The fight will move forward at a 158-pound catchweight, with Ferhatbegovic receiving a fine of a percentage of his purse.

Ferhatbegovic (6-2-1) hasn't been defeated since 2017, coming into this meeting with three wins and a draw since getting submitted by Jonathan Pearce. His last performance …

Featherweight, Light Heavyweight Lineup Announced for PFL 1 on April 1

The card for Professional Fighters League’s first event of 2023 is nearly complete.

The organization on Thursday announced the full main card — and the vast majority of the prelims — for PFL 1, which takes place on April 1 at the Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas and features featherweights and light heavyweights. As previously reported, a featherweight showdown between Brendan Loughnane and Marlon Moraes will serve as the evening’s main event, while a light heavyweight clash pitting Rob Wilkinson against Thiago Santos is set for the co-headliner.

Three other bouts will complete the main draw: Movlid Khaybulaev vs. Ryoji Kudo at featherweight; Chris Wade vs. Bubba Jenkins at featherweight and Omari Akhmedov vs. Will Fleury at light heavyweight. The main card will air on ESPN in primetime.

Meanwhile, three preliminary matchups were also confirmed: Marthin Hamlet vs. Mohammad Fakhreddine at light heavyweight; Joshua Silveira vs. Sam Kei at li…

Caio Borralho, Michal Oleksiejczuk to Clash at UFC Event on April 29

A middleweight duel pitting Caio Borralho against Michal Oleksiejczuk is on tap for UFC Fight Night on April 29.

Borralho confirmed the booking on social media following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. The UFC Fight Night event doesn’t yet have a location or headliner.

After earning a pair of victories on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021, Borralho is 3-0 in the UFC. Most recently, the 30-year-old Brazilian outpointed Makhmud Muradov at UFC 280 to run his career mark to 13-1.

Oleksiejczuk, meanwhile, has been victorious in four of his last five promotional outings. The 27-year-old Pole is coming off back-to-back first-round KO/TKO victories against Sam Alvey and Cody Brundage.

Bellator, UFC Veteran Alessio Sakara Signs with BKFC

Alessio Sakara is the latest MMA veteran to go the bareknuckle boxing route, as the Italian fighter has signed a multi-fight contract with BKFC.

The organization announced the deal on Wednesday. A date and opponent for Sakara’s BKFC debut is currently unknown.

Sakara, 41, hasn’t competed in MMA since earning a 23-second technical knockout victory against Canaan Grigsby at Bellator 230 on Oct. 12, 2019. He was supposed to fight at Bellator Milan in October 2020 but was forced to withdraw from the card due to injury. According to MMAjunkie.com, Sakara remains under contract with Bellator but has been granted permission to fight in BKFC.

“Legionarius” has compiled a 21-13 mark in MMA while competing for Bellator and the UFC. He has finished 15 of those triumphs by knockout or technical knockout. Sakara also owns an 8-1 record as a professional boxer but has not competed in the sport since 2009.

A new challenger has arrived! pic.tw…

UFC Flyweight Carlos Mota Suspended 2 Years for Failed Drug Test

UFC flyweight Carlos Mota has been suspended for two years by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for a failed drug test.

Mota tested positive for meldonium in relation to an Oct. 29 bout against Cody Durden at UFC Fight Night 213, which he lost via unanimous decision. According to USADA, meldonium is classified as a metabolic modulator and “may increase endurance, improve rehabilitation following exercise, and enhance activations of the central nervous system” in athletic competition.

Mota was fined $2,400 and must also pay $448.25 in legal fees. He will not be eligible to compete until Oct. 29, 2024.

A former Legacy Fighting flyweight champion, Mota accepted the bout against Durden on short notice. He owns an 8-2 career mark that also includes a stint in the Shooto Brazil organization.

Ex-UFC Title Challenger Sara McMann to Face Arlene Blencowe at Bellator 294

Sara McMann will make her promotional debut against Arlene Blencowe in a featherweight bout at Bellator 294.

The promotion confirmed the pairing on Wednesday. Also announced was a heavyweight showdown pitting Tim Johnson against Said Sowma. Both McMann vs. Blencowe and Johnson vs. Sowma are slated for the evening’s main card, which airs on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Bellator 294 takes place on April 21 at the Neil S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii, and is headlined by a flyweight title tilt between Liz Carmouche and DeAnna Bennett.

After competing as a bantamweight during a 13-bout UFC tenure, McMann is set to make her 145-pound debut against Blencowe. The Olympic silver medalist last competed at UFC on ESPN 33, where she captured a unanimous decision against Karol Rosa.

Blencowe is a two-time featherweight title challenger under the Bellator banner but has come up short on both occasions against reigning champ Cristiane Justino.…

Referees, Judges Selected for Title Bouts at UFC 285

Marc Goddard will be the third man in the cage when Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane square off for the vacant heavyweight crown in the UFC 285 main event.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission selected the referees and judges for the two title bouts atop the UFC 285 bill during a meeting on Wednesday. Mike Bell, Sal D’Amato and Ron McCarthy will score Jones vs. Gane from cageside.

Interestingly enough, it will be the first time Goddard has officiated a bout involving Jones, who was last seen defending his light heavyweight belt in a unanimous decision triumph against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 in February 2020. Goddard was in the cage, however, for Gane’s last Octagon appearance, a third-round KO of Tai Tuivasa at UFC Fight Night 209 this past September.

Meanwhile, Jason Herzog will officiate the flyweight title clash between Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso in the co-main event. Ben Cartlidge, Derek Cleary and Chris Lee will serve as judges for …

Fire Still Burns for Philipe Lins

[embedded content] Not much has gone according to plan for Philipe Lins since he made his way to the Ultimate Fighting Championship with a Professional Fighters League title in tow on May 13, 2020. In the more than 600 days that have elapsed since, he has competed just three times while watching no fewer than nine scheduled bouts evaporate for various reasons.

“After so many cancellations, I jokingly say that my nickname changed from ‘Monstro’ to ‘Drama Fighter,’” Lins told Sherdog.com. “Some of the cancellations were due to my injuries. On other occasions, my opponents got hurt; and sometimes, there were personal problems. In the end, the most important thing is that I’m back to work.”

Lins will draw his first assignment of 2023 when he collides with Ovince St. Preux as part of the UFC Fight Night 219 undercard this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. St. Preux has lost six of his past 10 bouts but remains a viable threat at 205 pounds. The 39-…

Bellator Set for April Doubleheader in Hawaii with Carmouche vs. Bennett, Mix vs. Stots

For the second year in a row, Bellator MMA will hold an April doubleheader in Hawaii.

The California-based promotion revealed to Hawaiian news outlet KHON2 that Bellator 294 and Bellator 295 will take place at the Neil S. Blasdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, on April 21 and April 22, respectively. Bellator 294 is headlined by a flyweight title bout between Liz Carmouche and DeAnna Bennett, while Bellator 295 features the bantamweight grand prix final pitting Raufeon Stots against Patrick Mix.

Carmouche is 5-0 since leaving the UFC to sign with Bellator. “Girl-Rilla” claimed flyweight gold with a fourth-round stoppage of Velasquez at Bellator 278 and defended the crown with a second-round submission of Velasquez in a rematch at Bellator 289 this past December. She defeated Bennett via third-round submission in her promotional debut at Bellator 246.

Bennett will enter the matchup with Carmouche on a three-bout winning streak that includes deci…

Mateusz Gamrot Replaces Dan Hooker, Meets Jalin Turner at UFC 285

Mateusz Gamrot will replace the injured Dan Hooker and face Jalin Turner at UFC 285.

Multiple outlets confirmed the new lightweight pairing following an initial report from Fansided. Hooker was forced to withdraw from the contest after suffering a broken hand. UFC 285 takes place on March 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a heavyweight title clash between Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane.

Gamrot had a four-bout winning streak snapped in his last Octagon appearance, as he fell to Beneil Dariush via unanimous decision at UFC 280 this past October. Prior to that defeat, the former KSW champ had bested Scott Holtzman, Jeremy Stephens, Diego Ferreira and Arman Tsarukyan in succession.

Turner, meanwhile, is currently in the midst of a five-fight finishing streak in UFC competition. In his last outing, “The Tarantula” submitted Brad Riddell in just 45 seconds at UFC 276.

Patricky Freire Calls Shabliy vs. Musayev Best Bout of Bellator LW Grand Prix

As he prepares to face A.J. McKee in the quarterfinals of the Bellator lightweight grand prix, Patricky Freire says he has learned from his championship loss to Usman Nurmagomedov this past November.

"Never approach the fight based on what my opponent is going to do and always impose my game,” Freire said. “Going forward, have a better believe in myself and what I do. That's what I’m bringing from the fight against Usman to the fight against McKee.”

Patricky revealed that the bad blood between McKee and his brother was solved when they traveled to Japan to represent Bellator against Rizin.

"Patricio explained to him some misunderstanding they had because of a signature in a cartoon. My brother asked for his signature in a magazine. He did the same with Patricio, and they ended up taking a picture together,” Patricky said. “Our faceoff was cool. As I said at the press conference, trash talk is not my style. No matter what we say…

Matt Brown Says He’s Fighting Court McGee at UFC Event on May 13

A matchup of longtime Octagon veterans is on tap for UFC Fight Night on May 13, as Matt Brown is expected to square off against Court McGee in a welterweight tilt.

Brown revealed the pairing on "The Fighter vs. Writer” podcast. The event, which doesn’t have a confirmed location or venue, will be headlined by a light heavyweight clash between Anthony Smith and Johnny Walker.

The 42-year-old Brown competed once in 2022, falling to Bryan Barberena via split decision at UFC on ESPN 33 in March. “The Immortal” has lost three of his last four promotional appearances dating back to 2020. The Ohio native is 23-19 over the course of a professional tenure that began 2005 with notable wins over the likes of Ben Saunders, Diego Sanchez, Tim Means, Mike Pyle, Mike Swick, and Stephen Thompson.

McGee, meanwhile, had a two-bout winning streak snapped in his last outing, when he suffered a first-round KO loss to Jeremiah Wells at UFC on ESPN 37 this past June. The 38-year…

Andre Pederneiras: Negotiations ‘Really Advanced’ for Jose Aldo-Floyd Mayweather Bout

According to Andre Pederneiras, the wheels are in motion for a boxing showdown between Jose Aldo and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

During a backstage interview with Sherdog.com at UFC 283, the Nova Uniao coach stated that Aldo was already negotiating for an international fight that would follow his debut against Argentina native Emmanuel Zambrano under the Shooto Brazil Boxing banner on Feb. 10. Pederneiras’ statement led to speculation that Aldo could be close to facing the biggest name in Brazilian boxing, four-time world champion Acelino Popo Freitas, who had been using social media to challenge the former UFC featherweight champion for a long time. Instead, Aldo revealed the suprise opponent to media shortly after he defeated Zambrano via unanimous decision last week.

“Negotiations are progressing for me to fight Mayweather in June or July,” Aldo said.

Shortly after that announcement, Sherdog contacted Pederneiras, who serves as co-manager of Aldo, …

Undefeated Welterweight Joey Davis to Return at Bellator 293 on March 31

The return of undefeated welterweight Joey Davis highlights several new additions to the Bellator 293 lineup.

Davis will square off against Jefferson Creighton in a 170-pound preliminary clash, the promotion announced Tuesday. Three other contests were also confirmed for the Bellator 293 prelims: Maria Henderson vs. Mackenzie Stiller at strawweight; Lance Gibson Jr. vs. Vladimir Tokov at lightweight and Sullivan Cauley vs. Luke Trainer at light heavyweight.

Bellator 293 takes place on March 31 at the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif., and is headlined by a heavyweight duel pitting Marcelo Golm against Daniel James. The main card airs on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on the Bellator MMA YouTube channel, the Showtime Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

A four-time NCAA Division II national champion wrestler, Davis will return to active competition for the first time in more than two year…

Full Roster Announced for Inaugural PFL Europe Season

Mark your Calendars. @PFLEurope is 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗬 𝗧𝗢 𝗚𝗢 📆

4️⃣Weight Divisions2️⃣Regular Season events1️⃣Playoff Event1️⃣Championship100K Prize on the Line 💰🏆

It all starts from the UK’s @VertuArena

[ #PFLEurope | Sat, March 25th | Live on @daznmma ] pic.twitter.com/HXlhjWnL7C

— PFL (@PFLMMA) February 14, 2023 Professional Fighters League on Tuesday unveiled the full roster of fighters for its inaugural PFL Europe Season.

The lineup spans four weight classes and includes 32 athletes from 14 countries. PFL Europe will include four events, with winners in each division earning $100,000 and a spot on the main PFL roster.

PFL Europe regular season cards are set for Vertu Motors Arena in Newcastle, England, on March 25 and Vetri Music Hall in Berlin, Germany, on July 8. PFL Europe 1 will feature light heavyweights and women’s flyweights, while PFL Europe 2 includes lightweights and bantamweights. The PFL Europe playoffs ta…

Pancrase Featherweight Champ Isao Kobayashi Signs with Bellator MMA

Pancrase featherweight champion Isao Kobayashi has signed with Bellator MMA, the promotion announced on Monday.

A date for Kobayashi’s debut is currently unknown. It will be the 34-year-old Osaka, Japan, native’s second stint with the California-based promotion. He went 0-2 with Bellator from 2015 to 2016, falling to Goiti Yamauchi and Justin Lawrence in back-to-back outings. All Bellator events featuring Kobayashi will be streamed live in Japan via U-Next.

“Even prior to our successful New Year’s Eve event in Japan, we’ve been signing the top available talent in the region and that has led us to this reunion with Isao Kobayashi,” Bellator president Scott Coker said in a release.

“Since his last stint with Bellator, Kobayashi has been tearing through competition culminating in a Pancrase championship win now and we’re looking forward to seeing him back in the Bellator cage.”

Kobayashi will return to Bellator riding the momentum of a six…

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