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👀🔥Kamaru Usman names ideal opponents for his return fight

"If I had to pick in order I would say Brady, Shavkat and Buckley. That what makes sense."

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🎥 @pound4poundshow ▫️ pic.twitter.com/mqImUypRnh — Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) March 25, 2025

Kamaru Usman recently listed potential opponents in order of preference for his next fight.

Usman would like to fight either Sean Brady, Shavkat Rakhmonov or Joaquin Buckley when he returns to action. Usman’s first preference would be Brady, who submitted Leon Edwards at UFC London last weekend. While Usman doubts Brady will be able to get past him, “The Nigerian Nightmare” believes the Philadelphia native’s title shot will be undeniable if he does.

“Honestly, what would make sense would be – If I had to pick the order, I would say Brady, Shavkat, Buckley,” Usman recently said on the “Pound4Pound” podcast. “That’s what makes sense. Because, winner of Brady and I, we …

Magomed Ankalaev is willing to defend his title against absolutely anyone.

Ankalaev dethroned Alex Pereira via unanimous decision at UFC 313 earlier this month. However, color commentator Joe Rogan recently noted that Pereira’s team claimed that he was not 100% going into the fight. “Poatan” allegedly had nororvirus and a broken hand.

While Ankalaev believes no fighter goes into a fight 100%, he is willing to give Pereira another shot. The Russian claims to have already accepted a rematch against Pereira in August. However, Ankalaev is willing to defend the light heavyweight throne against anyone if Pereira isn’t ready in August.

“Joe Rogan mentioned his team said that Alex fought with a broken hand and Norovirus. When fighters step in the cage nobody is 100%,” Ankalaev wrote on X. “I was offered a rematch with him in August and I said yes, but if he is not ready I will fight whoever is next. It doesn’t matter.”

Joe Rogan mention…

Jan Blachowicz’s Octagon return didn’t end in victory, but there were at least some observers who thought the Polish light heavyweight deserved the nod on the scorecards.

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After being sidelined for nearly 20 months due to multiple shoulder surgeries, Blachowicz dropped a closely-contested unanimous decision to Carlos Ulberg in the UFC London co-headliner this past Saturday. Four of the 12 unofficial media scorecards tracked by MMADecisions.com saw the contest in favor of Blachowicz. While Ulberg held a 75-to-59 advantage in significant strikes landed, his favored offense in the fight was leg kicks, where he outlanded his foe 50 to 32.

Blachowicz reacted to the ruling in a recent post on his Instagram account.

“More controversy on the record, as it turns out the approach to significant strikes doesn’t align with the actual meaning,” Blachowicz wrote. “I’ll leave the verdict for discussion. What happened in the stands after the announcement, and w…

Two UFC veterans at the center of a gambling scandal involving Glory MMA & Fitness coach James Krause have been officially suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

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During an NSAC meeting on Tuesday, Darrick Minner was suspended for 29 months and fined $235.56 in prosecution fees for failing to disclose a knee injury he suffered prior to a bout against Nuerdanbieke Shayilan at UFC Fight Night 214 on Nov. 5, 2022. The suspension is retroactive to that date, so Minner will be eligible to return on March 26.

Jeff Molina, meanwhile was suspended for 36 months and must pay $232.56 in prosecution fees for failing to inform the commission of his Minner’s injury and then placing a significant bet on his teammate’s fight. Molina’s suspension, which is also retroactive to the date of the Minner fight, will end on Nov. 5.

Minner was released from the UFC shortly after the loss to Shayilan and has not fought since then. Molina had been susp…

A women’s flyweight bout pitting Erin Blanchfield against Maycee Barber will serve as the main event for an Ultimate Fighting Championship card on May 31.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the pairing on Tuesday. The UFC Fight Night event is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, though a location and venue have not been officially confirmed. Blanchfield and Barber were initially slated to meet in December 2021 before Barber withdrew from the contest.

Blanchfield has been victorious in seven of her first eight Octagon appearances, with her lone defeat coming at the hands of top contender Manon Fiorot at UFC on ESPN 54 in March 2024. “Cold Blooded” rebounded from that loss in her most recent outing, when she took a five-round verdict over Rose Namajunas at UFC Edmonton this past November. The New Jersey native owns other notable triumphs over the likes of Taila Santos, Jessica Andrade and Molly McCann.

Barber is in the midst of a six-fi…

Ilia Topuria hinted that a change in moniker would accompany his move to a new weight class. Now that update has become a reality.

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“‘El Matador’ has been my ally in every fight,” Topuria recently wrote on X. “But next time, I’ll step into the Octagon with a new identity.’”

During an interview with Mundo Deportivo, Topuria revealed that his new nickname will be “La Leyenda,” which translates to “The Legend” in English. Topuria was attending a ceremony in Toledo, Spain, where a street was named in his honor.

“‘El Matador’ is something that has accompanied me throughout my entire sporting career, throughout my entire trajectory, and it’s something that’s led me to the new nickname,” Topuria said. “It’s always what I say: You need to believe. You need to see to believe. I believe it first, and then I see it. So the nickname that will accompany me in my next fights is going to be ‘La Leyenda.’”

Topuria began his UFC tenure with eight consec…

Sean Brady goes OFF on ‘salty’ Leon Edwards 😬

“Personally, f*** Leon. F*** him and his whole team. That's how I feel about the whole situation.

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He's just salty... I wish I was even f***ing meaner to this dude.”

🎥 @arielhelwani #UFC #MMA

pic.twitter.com/MUCUjYqqep — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 24, 2025

Sean Brady didn’t like Leon Edwards’ attitude before and after their UFC London fight.

Brady and Edwards headlined UFC Fight Night 255 at the O2 Arena in London last weekend. Brady mostly ragdolled Edwards before submitting the Englishman in front of his home fans in the fourth round.

Brady recently revealed that he didn’t appreciate Edwards’ behavior in the lead-up to the fight. Brady claims Edwards initially made fun of his height during their first face off, which he took in good humor. However, he didn’t like Edwards’ team chiming in shortly thereafter. While Brady is not one talk much trash…

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Vince Morales (16-9) is working among the best bantamweights in the world leading up to his fight against Raul Rosas Jr. (10-1).

Morales will be looking for his fourth UFC win as he takes on Rosas Jr. at UFC Mexico City at the Arena CDMX on Saturday. “Vandetta” is currently training in Las Vegas under the tutelage of John Wood at Syndicate MMA, which is also home to current bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili. While former champ Aljamain Sterling also shows up intermittently, Morales’ cousin, UFC bantamweight veteran Ricky Simon, will be cornering him in his upcoming fight. Morales believes he is getting better by the day in the star-studded camp and plans to exhibit that come fight night.

“Literally, I got the bantamweight champion in the room,” Morales told Home of Fight. “I’m getting countless rounds on him. Aljo comes through, I’m getting rounds on him. I got my cousin Ricky Simon that came through, he’s going out there with me as part o…

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Roman Dolidze prefers Israel Adesanya over Robert Whittaker as a potential opponent.

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Dolidze scored a unanimous decision over Marvin Vettori in the UFC Vegas 104 headliner earlier this month. “The Caucasian” subsequently called out Whittaker, who has since turned down the matchup, saying he has nothing to gain from it. “Bobby Knuckles” also called the bout between Dolidze and Vettori a bar fight.

Dolidze believes Whittaker isn’t in a position to talk in that manner while noting that the former champion has been finished multiple times in his career.

“This is a talking guy who got knocked out a couple of times and he got destroyed in his last fight… You’re speaking too loud,” Dolidze told Home of Fight. “You need to prove that you’re so tough… Too loud for him to speak like that. We already saw what he is capable to do and how many times he was stopped, he tapped.”

Considering Whittaker’s reluctance to accept a fight a…

After a memorable walkout, Alexia Thainara secured a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus by submitting Molly McCann in the first round of her Ultimate Fighting Championship debut.

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A training partner of popular Octagon veteran Amanda Ribas, Thainara was joyful after winning at UFC London on just seven days’ notice.

“The first time I traveled out of Brazil was when Amanda fought [Rose] Namajunas. I still can't believe that my second trip abroad was to fight on a main card in London,” Thainara told Sherdog.com. “Maybe Molly thought she would get a beginner not ready to brawl, but I train at Ribas Family. We have more than 30 tough girls training there, and Amanda Ribas is ranked in two divisions.”

Thainara took an interest in martial arts at an early age, but those pursuits weren’t always well received in her family.

“I started capoeira when I was 8 years old. When I was 15 I fell in love with jiu-jitsu, but as my mother didn't like it, I …

🚨 Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez is entering the court room to receive his sentence for attempted murder.

He already plead no contest.

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Prosecutors asked for 25 years to life. Defense asked for no prison time. pic.twitter.com/vvG06F0cT3 — Combat Casuals (@Combat_Casuals) March 24, 2025

Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was sentenced to five years in prison during a hearing at the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice in San Jose, California, on Monday, according to a report from NBC Sports Bay Area.

Velasquez was present in court Monday after pleading no contest to attempted murder, felony assault and additional gun charges stemming from a February 2022 incident in which the former fighter fired a gun at a truck containing multiple people. During a high-speed chase, Velasquez shot at the vehicle containing Harry Goularte, who was accused of molesting Velasquez’s son. One of the shots hit a…

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Heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk’s main focus is a rematch against Daniel Dubois, but he is keeping his options open beyond that.

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“Dubois is our priority, because he has the belt,” said childhood friend and Team Usyk member Sergey Lapin in an interview with OLBG. “We are waiting for the date of the fight with Dubois. We assume it will take place in Riyadh or London, one of the world capitals of boxing and Usyk will once again prove that he is the best fighter of our generation.”

Widely regarded as one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world, Usyk currently holds heavyweight titles with the IBO, WBC and WBO sanctioning bodies. The 38-year-old Ukrainian owns a 23-0 career record in the Sweet Science and is coming off back-to-back triumphs over Tyson Fury. He previously defeated Daniel Dubois via ninth-round knockout in August 2023. Dubois currently holds the IBF heavyweight crown.

What might interest combat spor…

Tom Aspinall was in attendance when Sean Brady submitted Leon Edwards at UFC London.

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Edwards and Brady headlined the card at the O2 Arena in London this past weekend. Brady was all over Edwards throughout their fight en route to a fourth-round guillotine submission victory. Aspinall recorded his reaction to the fight right in the moments leading up to the submission.

Aspinall and Edwards are friends after having honed their skills on the English MMA scene. While Aspinall was sad to see “Rocky” get dominated, he couldn’t help but acknowledge Brady’s elite skillset. Like a large number of fans, “Honey Badger” also felt like leaving the venue as Edwards was submitted. For Aspinall, the fight played out very similar to Edwards’s unanimous decision title loss against Belal Muhammad at UFC 304 last year.

“[Leon’s] on his back again, half guard again. This is Sean Brady’s bread and butter, man. This is Sean Brady 101,” Aspinall said. “Bad, really …

Mayra Bueno Silva has seemingly given up on her flyweight title aspirations.

While Silva started herUltimate Fighting Championship career at flyweight, she soon moved up to bantamweight, where she had a lot of success. However, “Sheetara” dropped backed to flyweight for her last outing against Jasmine Jasudavicius this past February. Silva suffered a unanimous decision loss against the Canadian at UFC Saudi Arabia, which put her on a three-fight slump.

Silva revealed that the UFC advised her against moving down to flyweight for her last outing. Having failed to deliver the show she had promised, Silva has now decided to move back to 135 pounds for good. The Brazilian has already called for a matchup against Irene Aldana, who is seemingly down with an injury at the moment. Silva hopes to trade leather against Aldana at Noche UFC in September or sometime later this year.

“I have a dream [of] fighting flyweight for the belt but it’s not for me… I’m back at my…

At the moment, it remains unclear which title fight — or fights — will top the lineup for UFC 317 on International Fight Week.

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After Magomed Ankalaev stated that he doesn’t want to wait until October in Abu Dhabi for a rematch with Alex Pereira, speculation began that the light heavyweight rematch could serve as the main event for that card.

Meanwhile, Charles Oliveira has thrown his hat into the ring for another potential featured bout at UFC 317. Recently, reigning lightweight champ Islam Makhachev indicated that former 145-pound king Ilia Topuria should win one fight against a contender before receiving a title shot in the new weight class. Meanwhile, the Georgian-Spaniard issued a scathing response to Oliveira after “do Bronx” stated he didn’t see Topuria as a big fight.

“You have 10 losses: [five] by knockout, [four] by submission, and [one] by decision. You are the contender, while I am the champion, the father of the entire division,” …

Jan Blachowicz was a measuring stick fight for Carlos Ulberg.

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The City Kickboxing representative proved himself in the UFC London co-main event, taking a closely-contested unanimous verdict over the former light heavyweight champion at the O2 Arena on Saturday.

“If you look at the current champion [Magomed Ankalaev] and the former champion [Alex Pereira], their last fight with Jan Blachowicz was a very close fight, as well,” Ulberg said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I beat him with a unanimous decision, so it’s a very good feat for me.”

The triumph wasn’t a thing of beauty, especially for someone who had finished five of his previous seven Octagon opponents. However, Ulberg acknowledged that it’s often difficult to look good against someone with Blachowicz’s style.

“We knew he was gonna come out tough and exactly how he came out,” Ulberg said. “He’s very good at lulling you to sleep. He’s very good at kind of putting this press…

Sean Brady dominated Leon Edwards in a way no previous opponent had — and that includes reigning UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad.

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The Renzo Gracie Philly product earned a signature victory in the UFC London headliner on Saturday when he submitted Edwards with a fourth-round guillotine choke at the O2 Arena. It was the Englishman’s second straight defeat after he previously relinquished the welterweight crown to Muhammad at UFC 304 last July. Brady was the first person to finish Edwards in 28 professional bouts.

“I think I did a lot better than Belal did. I think Belal lost a couple of rounds. He had his back taken for an entire round. I think it was 3-2 when they fought,” Brady said at the UFC London post-fight press conference. “I dominated Leon every round. No one’s ever did it like me. Then I submitted him and made him quit in front of his hometown.

“If we were in Philly, you ain’t making me quit in front of my hometown, I’ll tell…

Ilia Topuria is trying to assert himself among the lightweight elites.

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Topuria won the featherweight title by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 last year and defended it by knocking out Max Holloway at UFC 308. “El Matador” then recently vacated his title, citing a lack of fresh contenders at 145 pounds — though an arduous weight cut may have had something to do with that move.

While Topuria has been plotting an immediate title shot at lightweight, the Georgian-Spaniard might have to prove himself against a legitimate contender at 155 pounds first. Former champ Charles Oliveira recently removed his name from the mix, saying a matchup with Topuria won’t be enticing enough until the former featherweight champ has fought a seasoned lightweight.

Responding to “do Bronx,” Topuria claims he isn’t asking for any favors. Topuria proclaimed himself the “father of the division” while granting Oliveira contender status based on his career lo…

Jiri Prochazka is eyeing a title shot against Magomed Ankalaev.

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Prochazka has been plotting a title shot against Ankalaev since the Dagestani dethroned Alex Pereira at UFC 313 earlier this month. However, Ankalaev has another matchup in mind for Prochazka following UFC London.

Surging contender Carlos Ulberg defeated former champ Jan Blachowicz via unanimous decision in the co-main event at UFC London on Saturday. Ankalaev suggested a matchup between “Black Jag” and Prochazka, calling the Czech “fake ninja” to mock his bushido lifestyle.

Prochazka called Ankalaev a “fraud champion” in response while questioning the integrity of his social media posts. “BJP” also said that he is willing go through other tests to fight Ankalaev, which means he isn’t exactly shying away from a potential fight against Ulberg.

“Who wrote it, you? Or some your slave? Here you showed to everyone who’s fraud champion,” Prochazka wrote on X. “Like I said, I want…

Sean Brady received some extra compensation for the most significant victory of his career to date.

The Renzo Gracie Philly standout was dominant throughout the UFC London headliner, as he outgrappled Leon Edwards before submitting the former champ with a guillotine choke at the 1:39 mark of Round 4 in their welterweight bout. That effort earned Brady a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus.

Meanwhile, Kevin Holland took home a $50,000 peformance check for a unanimous decision triumph over Gunnar Nelson in the evening’s co-main event. Holland dropped his foe in the opening stanza and engaged in multiple entertaining grappling exchanges over the course of the three-round affair.

Elsewhere, Octagon newcomer Alexia Thainara pocketed $50,000 for her submission of crowd favorite Molly McCann in a featured strawweight clash. The Brazilian was able to ground “Meatball” early and then move to her opponent’s back, where she locked in her second attempt at a rear-naked …

Sean Brady may have just made himself undeniable as a welterweight title contender.

In the main event of UFC Fight Night 255 in London’s O2 Arena, the Philadelphia native put in a thoroughly dominant performance, grounding Leon Edwards in every round and mauling him with strikes and submission attempts en route to a fourth-round finish. Brady took it to the former champ right away, surging forward behind a flurry of punches. “Rocky” remained calm, giving ground and looking for counter opportunities. Nonetheless, Brady’s volume and aggression kept Edwards on the back foot for much of the first round. The second frame was less ambiguous, as Brady grounded Edwards early, then went to work. The Daniel Gracie protégé took Edwards’ back, where he locked up a body triangle, pelted him with strikes from behind and looked to set up a choke. Edwards escaped back mount, but Brady remained all over him, moving to regular mount and briefly threatening with a kimura. Edwards survived to …

Sherdog's live UFC London coverage will begin Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. The event is also known as UFC Fight Night 255. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Kutateladze (-425), Fernandes (+330)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Fletcher (-125), Loughran (+105)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyle…

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Chris Padilla may not be able to sneak up on the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight division for much longer.

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In the featured prelim of UFC London on Saturday at O2 Arena, “Taco” spoiled Jai Herbert’s UK homecoming in a matchup that promised fireworks but failed to deliver them until the final round. Round 1 was a tentative five minutes, with the hard-hitting lightweights seeming to struggle to deliver their power to their opponent’s chin. Padilla appeared stymied by Herbert’s enormous reach and height advantages, while Herbert was content to chip away at range, wary of Padilla’s takedown attempts. That dynamic carried over to the middle frame, but gradually gave way to a close-quarters, clinch-heavy slog. Padilla finally secured a hip toss only to have “The Black Country Banger” bounce back to his feet instantly. Ultimately, Round 2 was another near stalemate, difficult to score. Herbert came out aggressive in…

Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria finally appear to be on good terms.

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Their beef initially began due to Pimblett’s controversial remarks about Topuria’s home country of Georgia. The two then came across each other at a fighter hotel ahead of a UFC London card in March 2022, when “The Baddy” threw a bottle of hand sanitizer at Topuria.

While the two have since traded multiple barbs over the years, they weren’t on a collision course until recently. There have been talks of a potential future clash between the two after “El Matador” vacated his featherweight title and moved up to lightweight. Pimblett even recently said that he wants to fight Topuria and that “hand sanitizer boy” doesn’t deserve an immediate lightweight title shot.

However, they now appear to have buried the hatchet. Pimblett and Topuria came across each other yet again ahead of UFC London, which goes down at the O2 Arena on Saturday. Pimblett was there to support teammates Moll…