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While Yair Rodriguez was focused on a featherweight title shot after beating Patricio Freire at UFC 314, he’s well aware that another potential opponent has plenty of intrigue within the MMA community after events of this past week.

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During the UFC 314 pre-fight press conference, Rodriguez and Lopes were involved in a shouting match in Spanish. While the bad blood is believed to have involved Rodriguez training partner Marco Beltran and potentially, the Lobo Gym MMA team — where Lopes trains — the exact nature of the feud is unknown. Rodriguez acknowledged that a bout with Lopes, who lost a unanimous decision to Alexander Volkanovski in the UFC 314 main event, might have more interest within the MMA fanbase at the moment.

“In the eyes of the fans, of course, but if you ask me, if you’re in my position right now, the beef can stay aside for now,” Rodriguez said at the post-fight press conference. “The only thing that I’m looking for right now is figh…

It got heated backstage between Colby Covington and Paddy Pimblett at #UFC314 👀 pic.twitter.com/4ag6DQ1uEK

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 13, 2025

After earning the biggest win of his career to date, Paddy Pimblett found himself in a confrontation with an outspoken critic from another weight class.

As Pimblett was conducting an interview backstage at the Kaseya Center in Miami, he was approached by UFC welterweight Colby Covington, who blasted the Englishman’s level of competition in the Octagon.

“You’re fighting scrubs,” Covington said in a video captured by ESPN. “Guys who are 2-6. You’re a bum. You beat guys who are 2-6, remember that. Remember that, you’re a scrub. ... You’re a fraud.”

Pimblett secured his seventh straight triumph on Saturday night, defeating Michael Chandler via third-round technical knockout in the UFC 314 co-main event. After the victory, “The Baddy” targeted matchups against the likes of Charles Oliveira, Just…

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Alexander Volkanovski was admittedly in danger in his title fight against Diego Lopes.

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Volkanovski and Lopes clashed for the vacant featherweight title in the main event at UFC 314 on Saturday at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. While Lopes had his moments, Volkanovski appeared to be in his prime at 36 years of age while cruising to a unanimous decision win.

However, Volkanovski admitted that it wasn’t exactly an easy night at the office for him. “The Great” lost vision in his left eye due to a from a punch by Lopes. While Volkanovski isn’t sure when it happened, it was most likely an uppercut from Lopes in the fourth round that had the Australian clutching his eye.

“I completely lost vision in my left eye,” Volkanovski told Main Event TV. “It was a good shot and I just could not see. I was trying to get it back and it was completely gone. Slowly come back a little bit… I could at least see a little blur, which helped. S…

👰‍♀️ 🇧🇷 Dana White is down to be the best man at Jean Silva's wedding and to pay for the Brazilian singer that is out of Jean's pocket.

🎥 @ufc pic.twitter.com/Zya0eULoSk

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) April 13, 2025

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Dana White seems to be on board for the Jean Silva hype train.

Silva is one of the most electrifying fighters on the UFC roster today. “Lord” submitted Bryce Mitchell at UFC 314 on Saturday, marking the Brazilian’s fifth finish in as many UFC outings.

Known to always put on a display, Mitchell celebrated his win with his signature barking while hanging on to the Octagon. However, Silva’s antics didn’t stop with his Octagon celebration. Silva passed on a message to White through a reporter. Silva offered White to be the best man at his wedding, provided the UFC CEO pays for the wedding singer. And White will likely oblige. While he is still waiting for a few more details, White admitted that he is up…

Alexander Volkanovski’s second coronation as UFC featherweight champion didn’t come without a couple of scares along the way.

Volkanovski and Diego Lopes received “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their spirited duel in the UFC 314 headliner at the Kaseya Center in Miami on Saturday night. While Lopes dropped his opponent in Round 2 and had him reeling in the fourth frame, Volkanovski landed with superior volume throughout to claim a unanimous decision triumph.

Elsewhere, Paddy Pimblett garnered a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for a dominant victory against Michael Chandler in the evening’s lightweight co-main event. The former Cage Warriors champ put his adversary on the defensive with a leaping knee that busted Chandler open before sealing his victory with ground-and-pound to force the stoppage at the 3:07 mark of Round 3.

Finally, surging featherweight contender Jean Silva secured the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Nig…

Alexander Volkanovski once again sits at the head of the table.

The City Kickboxing Star called upon a piercing jab and astute lateral movement, as he earned a unanimous decision over Diego Lopes and captured the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight crown for a second time in the UFC 314 headliner on Saturday at the Kasey Center in Miami. Volkanovski (27-4, 14-3 UFC) swept the scorecards with 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46 marks from the cageside judges.

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Lopes (26-7, 5-2 UFC) struggled to find an offensive flow but nevertheless had his moments. He knocked down Volkanovski with a chopping overhand right in the second round and later opened a pair of cuts near the Australian’s right eye. Lopes pushed a steady pace, doing everything he could to keep his shifty counterpart in his line of sight. The Volkanovski jab was the separator. He sent it crashing into Lopes’ face over and over again, using it as both a damaging weapon and as a means to …

Sherdog's live UFC 314 coverage will begin Saturday at 6 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Cornolle (-192), Cowan (+160)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Tulio (-355), Gore (+280)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODD…

Dan Ige passed another difficult test in the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division.

The Xtreme Couture mainstay rebounded from back-to-back losses to Diego Lopes and Lerone Murphy, as he turned away Sean Woodson with punches in the third round of their featured UFC 314 prelim on Saturday at the Kaseya Center in Miami. Ige (19-9, 11-8 UFC) brought it to a close 1:12 into Round 3, though it was not without controversy.

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Woodson (13-2-1, 7-2-1 UFC) leaned on his seven-inch reach advantage and managed to keep the Hawaiian at bay with a persistent jab, unorthodox hand movements and evasive footwork through much of the first half of the bout. Ige staggered the Wolves Den Training Center product with a counter left hook at close range in the third round and gave chase with brutal body blows. Woodson ducked into a desperation single-leg, at which point he absorbed a series of short hammerfists that drew enough attention from referee Andrew G…

The moment Amanda Nunes found out she was being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame 🥹 #UFC314 pic.twitter.com/XtONrzrjLR

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 13, 2025

Amanda Nunes, who is widely regarded as the greatest female fighter of all-time, will be enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.

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The promotion announced the news during the UFC 314 broadcast on Saturday. Nunes, who was in attendance at the Kaseya Center in Miami, teared up as a video tribute played on the big screen at the venue. Nunes will be enshrined as the 15th member of the Modern Wing during a ceremony on June 26 as part of International Fight Week.

“Amanda Nunes is the greatest female fighter of all-time,” UFC CEO Dana White said in a release. “Amanda was a great champion who had one of the most legendary careers in combat sports history. She is an incredible person, and it will be an honor to induct her into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.”

…

𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟: Your updated #PFLWorldTournament 3️⃣Fight Card

•Alexander Shabliy is out•Vinicius Cenci steps in and replaces Shabliy in the tournament•𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗟𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝘂𝗽: Brent Primus vs. Vinicius Cenci

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•Jordan Newman is out•Nick Maximov… pic.twitter.com/adEzAkrkAb — PFL (@PFLMMA) April 12, 2025

One of the lightweight favorites is out of the Professional Fighters League 2025 world tournament.

The promotion announced on Saturday that Alexandr Shabliy has withdrawn from the bracket for undisclosed reasons. As a result, Vinicius Sacchelli Cenci will step in and face Brent Primus in a first-round matchup at 155 pounds. Additionally, Nick Maximov will replace Jordan Newman in a middleweight alternate bout against Khalid Murtazaliev.

PFL World Tournament 3 takes place on Friday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, and features middleweight and lightweight pairings. The main card is headlined by a 185-pound tilt …

👀🥊Aaron Pico said he has better boxing than Ilia Topuria:

“I think I can be a champion within a year."

🎥 @ufc ▫️pic.twitter.com/ICfSkZd891

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) April 11, 2025

Aaron Pico thinks he can be a UFC champion within a year.

Pico recently confirmed his UFC signing after parting ways with Professional Fighters League. Pico was initially rumored to be matched up against top featherweight UFC contender Movsar Evloev. However, Evloev refuted the rumors right before Pico officially announced his UFC signing.

Pico also made some lofty claims about his immediate career plans, as the former Bellator MMA star believes he can be a UFC champ within a year. Pico also considers himself better than former champ Ilia Topuria, who recently vacated the strap for his lightweight goals.

“I think I can be champion within a year. I know that’s a bold prediction but I truly feel it. Ask Freddie Roach, ask Miguel Cot…

Ilia Topuria says he’ll ask Islam Makhachev what his favourite submission is, and submit him with it in front of Khabib 😳

“D’Arce choke? I’m gonna submit you with that… I’ll take him close to Khabib. I will submit him close to Khabib.”

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🎥 @PBDsPodcastpic.twitter.com/3PzFSsLtTD — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 11, 2025

Ilia Topuria continues to exude confidence as he prepares to debut in a new division.

Topuria has always been supremely confident and never failed to live up to his words during his rise to UFC featherweight championship. However, “La Leyenda” is now set to face greater challenges after vacating his belt to move up to lightweight — often considered the toughest division in the UFC.

At the top of the lightweight division stands No.1 pound-for-pound fighter Islam Makhachev. While Topuria is rallying for an immediate title shot at lightweight, Makhachev isn’t willing to fight the undefeated…

🥺 🇧🇷 Diego Lopes tears up when his family in Brazil whom he haven't seen for 11 years wished him good luck in his title fight this weekend:

"I left them 11 years ago, when I left home. I remember I was very clear with my mother and my father, and with my brothers that I will… pic.twitter.com/AgCu5HPayC

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) April 11, 2025

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Diego Lopes was recently overwhelmed with emotions while speaking of his family.

Lopes challenges Alexander Volkanovski for the vacant featherweight title in the main event at UFC 314 on Saturday at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. The Brazilian recently received a compilation video of his family members wishing him luck going into his first UFC title fight. Lopes was clearly overwhelmed by the video and shed some tears while discussing his family. The UFC star left home more than a decade ago, promising to return only when he could afford a better life for his family. A…

Just two events into the season, and most of the brackets have gone up in smoke.

The opening round of Professional Fighters League’s global tournament is already halfway over. Upsets were plentiful and results were largely entertaining as the slim and sleek eight-fight 2025 PFL World Tournament 2 show wrapped in a bit under four hours. The action-packed evening culminated in an unexpected showdown at 135 pounds between Bellator MMA vet Leandro Higo (23-7, 0-1 PFL) and extremely late replacement Marcirley Alves (13-4, 1-0 PFL). Coming into this main attraction on a day’s notice after Higo’s original opponent of Josh Rettinghouse could not get cleared, Alves showed he was fully prepared to rise to the occasion.

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Partway through the first round, the wide-swinging Alves knocked Higo clean off his feet with a huge left hand, and he climbed into top position and controlled the remainder of the opening frame. Alves was keen on reintroducing his countryman to…

Sherdog's live PFL 2025 World Tournament: First Round 2 coverage will begin Friday at 9 p.m. ET.

Fighters only get one shot! Watch the PFL World Tournament LIVE Friday, April 11 at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN2..

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Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round: Round 3 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores t…

Looking to get his belt back 😤@AlexVolkanovski weighs-in at 145lbs!

[ #UFC314 | TOMORROW on @ESPNPlus PPV | 10pmET ] pic.twitter.com/nXJbwwjhpm

— UFC (@ufc) April 11, 2025 The Ultimate Fighting Championship makes its return to Miami for an exciting UFC 314 pay-per-view card featuring 13 fights.

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The main event between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes for the vacant featherweight championship is now official after the weigh-ins took place. Both men made weight for the five-round fight. As for the rest of the card, only Nora Cornolle failed to hit her contracted weight, as she was 1.5 pounds over the bantamweight limit. Her fight against Hailey Cowan will continue, although Cornolle will be fined a percentage of her purse.

Volkanovski (26-4) enters the title fight on a shocking two-fight losing streak as he lost to lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in his second bid at the 155-pound title and was then knocked o…

AZERBAIJAN, ARE YOU READY??@JamahalH vs Khalil Rountree Jr. headline the first-ever UFC Baku on June 21 👏

Tickets on sale April 25 | Learn more: https://t.co/caJbrV3t2d---------AZƏRBAYCAN, HAZIRSAN ?@JamahalH və Khalil Rountree Jr. 21 iyun tarixində baş tutacaq ilk UFC… pic.twitter.com/qwhW8YtXmF

— UFC (@ufc) April 11, 2025 The framework is quickly underway for the Ultimate Fighting Championship to make a splash in the half-Asian, half-European nation of Azerbaijan.

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According to the promotion on UFC on Friday, the main and co-main events are on the books for UFC Baku, which is set to go down on June 21 in Baku, Azerbaijan. In this nation bordered on the east by the Caspian Sea, fight fans will be treated to a rescheduled main attraction of Jamahal Hill (12-3, 1 NC) vs. Khalil Rountree (13-6, 1 NC). The co-headlining spot will go to the returning Kyoji Horiguchi (34-5, 1 NC) against Tagir Ulanbekov (16-2) in a pivotal f…

[embedded content] One of these days, the Brazilian contingent of analysts might pick against their home country fighter. Now is not that day.

A number of current and former Ultimate Fighting Championship and Bellator MMA fighters wanted to make their voices heard on the main attraction of UFC 314. On Saturday, Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes will tangle for the vacant throne, one abandoned by Ilia Topuria after Topuria clobbered both Volkanovski and Max Holloway. The challenger Lopes surged his way to a title shot thanks to stellar performances against names like Sodiq Yusuff, Dan Ige and Brian Ortega along with a close loss to unbeaten Movsar Evloev. The five Brazilians spoke to Sherdog about how they thought the fight would play out, and confidence was fairly high on the Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, native.

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Gilbert Burns, former UFC welterweight title challenger: “I believe Diego can decide that fight with his hands. I got really impressed by w…

بطاقة نزالات وزن اللايت ويت من الموسم الثاني لبطولة "PFL MENA" 🔒

من سيحصد اللقب؟

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بطولة "PFL MENA" | الجمعة، 9 مايو | جدة، المملكة العربية السعودية | مباشر على منصة "STARZPLAY"#نصنع_التاريخ #السعودية pic.twitter.com/ePKvh06IWL — PFL MENA (@PFLMENA) April 4, 2025 The Professional Fighters League is doubling down when it comes to developing lightweight talent.

The tournament-based organization released on Thursday the complete lineup for its May 9 event in Saudi Arabia. PFL MENA 1: 2025 First Round will take place at the Onyx Arena in the nation’s second-largest city of Jeddah, with 145ers and 155ers on tap. The champs of these two single-elimination brackets will receive a belt for winning the tournament as well as a potential opportunity to be called up for the $500,000 Global season.

Fighters only get one shot! Watch the PFL World Tournament LIVE Friday, April 11 at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN2..

In sister tournam…

Your new #PFLWorldTournament 2️⃣Main Event

•Josh Rettinghouse is not cleared to fight and is off the card•Marcirley Alves (alternate) replaces Rettinghouse in the main event

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𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁: Leandro Higo vs Marcirley Alves

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: Early Card… pic.twitter.com/cSzjQbWvJu

— PFL (@PFLMMA) April 10, 2025 The Professional Fighters League's 2025 World Tournament continues on Friday, albeit with a new main event, as the first round of the men's bantamweight and women's flyweight tournaments kick off. The new headliner will see bantamweight Leandro Higo take on Marcirley Alves, who is stepping up as an alternate and replacing Josh Rettinghouse after the American was not cleared to fight. A former Bellator standout, Higo (23-6) will take on the 25-year-old Alves (12-4) in his promotional debut. At 36 years of age, this could mark one of the final high-level runs for "Pitbull," who is coming off back-to-back wins ove…

It appears that the Global Fight League might be going under before it could even get off the ground.

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The fledgling mixed martial arts promotion has canceled its first two events that were scheduled for May 24 and May 25 at the Shrine Auditorium in Las Angeles. The GFL only officially announced the two fight cards — featuring many prominent veterans and a total of 31 bouts — last week. Yahoo! Sports was first to report the cancellation, which was confirmed by California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster.

GFL 1 was supposed to be headlined by a trilogy bout between Urijah Faber and Renan Barao, while GFL 2 was topped by a clash pitting Tony Ferguson against Dillon Danis. The promotion was planning a team-based format with squads based in Los Angeles, New York, London, Dubai, Sao Paulo and Miami. All told, the cards were expected to featured 42 UFC veterans and a number of former UFC and Bellator MMA champions.

GFL fou…

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In just a few days, former Bellator MMA two-division champion Patricio Freire will realize his dream of stepping into the UFC’s Octagon.

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“Pitbull” will face Yair Rodriguez in a featured bout at UFC 314 at the Kaseya Center in Miami on Saturday night. In an interview published on the UFC Fight Pass Brazil YouTube channel, Freire shared insight into his camp and the game plan for his Mexican foe.

“There is no fighter on the face of the Earth more motivated than I,” Freire said. “I’ve trained since 1998 always having a white belt mindset — I mean going to the academy every day to adjust something. And that mentality helped me to beat all the records in my former organization, and I won’t lose that golden opportunity to get the UFC belt and put my name among the GOATS of the sport.”

While Freire is confident in his abilities, he acknowledged that his UFC debut will be a difficult challenge.

“Yair is a complete fighter, an oppon…

Coker 🤝 @criscyborg -

The Greatest of All-Time competes in six rounds of professional 🥊 on May 17 at the @TechCUArena pic.twitter.com/2rHXyy5nRr

— Scott Coker (@ScottCoker) April 9, 2025

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Cris Cyborg is doing her best to stay busy.

The multi-promotion MMA champion will join the Fight Night 3: San Jose card for a boxing match against Precious Harris-McCray in the evening’s co-main event. Fight Night is a promotion launched by former Bellator and Strikeforce leader Scott Coker and ex-Strikeforce champ Gilbert Melendez a little more than a year ago. The event will take place at Tech CU Arena in San Jose, California, on May 17 and is headlined by a bantamweight MMA bout between Bobby Seronio III and Lake Gee.

“San Jose holds a special place in my heart as it was where I was able to be a part of history when I became the inaugural Strikeforce women’s featherweight champion in the first televised women’s MMA main event …

A welterweight semifinal clash pitting former Bellator MMA champion Jason Jackson against undefeated prospect Thad Jean will serve as the headliner for the Professional Fighters League’s tournament event in Nashville on June 12.

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The PFL announced the main card lineup for the event, which features semifinal bouts at welterweight and featherweight. In the evening’s co-main event, Jesus Pinedo and Gabriel Braga will square off for a third time in a 145-pound semifinal.

Two semifinal other fights will round out the PFL World Tournament 5 main draw: Logan Storley vs. Masayuki Kikuiri at welterweight and Movlid Khaybulaev vs. Taekyun Kim at featherweight.

Fighters only get one shot! Watch the PFL World Tournament LIVE Friday, April 11 at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN2..

The card takes place at Nashville Municipal Auditorium and will air on the ESPN family of networks. More bouts and specific broadcast deals will be announced at a later date.

Jac…