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Brandon Royval to Face Amir Albazi at UFC Fight Night 216 on Dec. 17

Brandon Royval will square off against Amir Albazi at UFC Fight Night 216.

Eurosport was first to report the flyweight pairing. UFC Fight Night 216 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Dec. 17 and is headlined by a middleweight tilt pitting Jared Cannonier against Sean Strickland.

Royval was recently scheduled to face Askar Askarov at UFC Fight Night 212 on Oct. 16, but the bout was canceled after his opponent experienced issues with his weight cut. The former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion is 2-0 in the Octagon this year, with victories over Rogerio Bontorin and Matt Schnell to his credit.

Sweden’s Albazi has won 15 of 16 professional outings and is 3-0 in UFC competition. Most recently, “The Prince” choked out Franciso Figueiredo in the opening stanza of their clash at UFC 278. Albazi was initially slated to meet Alex Perez at UFC Fight Night 216 before Perez withdrew for unknown reasons.

Bryce Mitchell, Ilia Topuria Targeted for Matchup at UFC 282 in Las Vegas

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

A pair of up-and-coming featherweights who recently had opponents fall through have been targeted to meet at UFC 282.

According to multiple reports, Bryce Mitchell and Ilia Topuria have agreed to square off at the promotion’s final pay-per-view event of 2022. Fight Bananas was first to bring word of the booking. UFC 282 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 10 and features a light heavyweight title tilt between Jiri Prochazka and Glover Teixeira.

Mitchell was originally scheduled to lock horns with Movsar Evloev at UFC Fight Night 214 on Nov. 5 before Evloev pulled out of the event due to injury. Topuria, meanwhile, was paired with Edson Barboza at UFC Fight Night 213 on Oct. 29, but his foe also withdrew due to injury.

Mitchell has kicked off his professional tenure with 15 consecutive wins. He is 6-0 in UFC competition, including a three-round verdict over Barboza in…

Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. Gleison Tibau Added to PFL Championships on Nov. 25

A welterweight matchup pitting Magomed Magomedkerimov against Gleison Tibau is set for the PFL Championships on Nov. 25.

The promotion confirmed the pairing to Sherdog.com on Monday. The PFL Championships take place at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York and feature fighters in six weight classes competing for a $1 million prize. The evening’s main card is headlined by a women’s lighweight title fight between Kayla Harrison and Larissa Pachecho and air on pay-per-view at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The prelims, which include Magomedkerimov vs. Tibau as a showcase fight, will be broadcast on ESPN+ beginning at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.

Magomedkerimov has been victorious in 14 of his last 15 professional outings, a stretch that includes a PFL championship in 2018. He also appeared in the PFL finals in October 2021, when he fell to Ray Cooper via third-round KO — his first defeat since 2015. The 32-year-old Dagestani last appeared at PFL 6, where he earned a sec…

UFC Fight Night 213 Gets Carlos Mota vs. Cody Durden, Loses Garrett Armfield

The UFC Fight Night 213 card is undergoing some changes with less than a week to go before the event.

According to MMAFighting.com, Legacy Fighting Alliance flyweight champion Carlos Mota will step in on short notice to face Cody Durden on Saturday’s card. Mota is a replacement for Kleydson Rodrigues. It is unclear why Rodrigues was removed from the event.

The 27-year-old Mota has compiled an 8-1 career mark with stints in both LFA and Shooto Brazil. Most recently, “Tizil” knocked out Rizvan Abuev in the opening round at LFA 140 to claim the promotion’s 125-pound belt.

Durden is 1-1 in the Las Vegas-based promotion thus far in 2022. He suffered a 58-second submission loss to Muhammad Mokaev at UFC Fight Night 204 before rebounding to defeat J.P. Buys via TKO in the first round of their encounter at UFC on ESPN 38 on June 25.

Meanwhile, Garrett Armfield announced Monday on social media that a staph infection has forced him to withdraw from a…

Bellator vs. Rizin Card Announced for New Year’s Eve in Japan

.@BellatorMMA vs. @rizin_PR

History will be made on New Year's Eve in Japan. pic.twitter.com/z9QdafBdWJ

— Scott Coker (@ScottCoker) October 24, 2022

Bellator MMA and Rizin Fighting Federation will go head-to-head this New Year’s Eve.

The California-based promotion announced on Monday that five Bellator athletes will square off against five Rizin competitors on Dec. 31 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The five-bout main card will be contested inside the Rizin ring. The card will air in the United States on Showtime beginning at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

While Bellator and Rizin have engaged in cross-promotional events in the past, this will mark the first time that fighters from the organizations have faced each other over the course of an entire card. Four of the five fighters that will represent Bellator were announced in a release: reigning featherweight champion Patricio Freire, former 145-pound champ A.J. McKee, …

Aljamain Sterling Believes He Deserves Some Credit for T.J. Dillashaw’s Injury at UFC 280

Aljamain Sterling wasn’t a fan of T.J. Dillashaw’s attempt to take some of the shine from his second bantamweight title defense at UFC 280.

After Sterling’s second-round technical knockout win in the evening’s co-main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, Dillashaw revealed that he suffered a shoulder injury earlier this year and that it popped out at least 20 times during that process of training camp.

“For him to go out and do that, I think it just kind of shows his personality,” Sterling said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “And I said it before, for a guy who needs to do PEDs, they have a chink in the armor for this guy to lose and the first thing he went for was that. I’m like dude, you’re just gonna make it seem like your shoulder just came out by itself, brother? I like to think I had something to do with that.”

The fight itself was never competitive. Sterling took Dillashaw down early, and the former title holder was seen grima…

Sean O’Malley: ‘It’s Inevitable’ That I Become UFC Bantamweight Champion

While the end result was controversial, Sean O'Malley took a massive step forward in his evolution on Saturday night.

The Dana White’s Contender Series alum defeated former bantamweight champion Petr Yan via split decision in a featured bout at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi on Saturday night. The victory could potentially set O’Malley up for a title shot against reigning champion Aljamain Sterling. At the time, however, another fight was the furthest thing from O’Malley’s mind.

“It’s hard to make fights right after. I’m sore, I have a headache, I’m tired. I don’t want to fight anyone. I want to go home and see my princess,” O’Malley said at the UFC 280 post-fight press conference.

He then acknowledged that his time at the top of the bantamweight division is on the horizon.

“It’s inevitable,” he said. “I turn 28 [on Sunday], and I’m going to be in this sport for a long time. People want me to be champ, so it’s going to happen sooner than later.”

…

Marina Rodriguez, Amanda Lemos Elevated to UFC Fight Night 214 Main Event

A strawweight clash pitting Marina Rodriguez against Amanda Lemos has been elevated to main event status at UFC Fight Night 214.

The move comes after Movsar Evloev was forced to withdraw from the card’s original main event bout against Bryce Mitchell due to injury. A replacement opponent for Mitchell was not found, and the promotion announced the new UFC Fight Night 214 headliner during the UFC 280 broadcast on Saturday. Rodriguez and Lemos were initially slated to meet at UFC 280 before their bout was rescheduled.

UFC Fight Night 214 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Nov. 5 and also includes a welterweight scrap between Neil Magny and Daniel Rodriguez as well as a lightweight showdown between Mark O. Madsen and Grant Dawson.

Rodriguez is in the midst of a four-bout winning streak in UFC competition. During that run, the Brazilian muay thai specialist has knocked off the likes of Xiaonan Yan, Mackenzie Dern, Michelle Waterson-Gomez…

Kleber Koike Erbst Submits Juntaro Ushiku, Captures Featherweight Crown at Rizin 39

"VOU PEGAR!" 🇧🇷

KLEBER KOIKE IS INEVITABLE‼️

[Watch #RIZIN39 ➡️ https://t.co/40DpcCYUQV] pic.twitter.com/qihhdRiUnG — RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) October 23, 2022

There’s death, taxes, and Kleber Koike Erbst submitting his opponents due to triangle choke maneuvers.

In the Rizin 39 main event, Erbst quickly dispatched Juntaro Ushiku (20-7, 2-1 Rizin) to become the new Rizin Fighting Federation featherweight champion. Former Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki title challenger Erbst (31-5-1, 6-0 Rizin) imposed his grappling-oriented strategy straight out of the gate, making the most out of Ushiku’s decision to pull guard. Once on the canvas, Erbst stayed on top of Ushiku (20-7, 2-1 Rizin) for most of the opening frame, teasing some submission attempts from time to time.

In Round 2, Erbst’s strategy paid dividends during a scramble phase when the Brazilian found himself in the position to attack with a triangle choke att…

Makhachev Seeks Volkanovski Fight to Become ‘No. 1 Pound-for-Pound Champion’

Having just claimed the lightweight crown with a scintillating second-round submission of Charles Oliveira in the UFC 280 headliner, Islam Makhachev didn’t take long to set his sights on even bigger goals.

“I have to be No. 1 pound-for-pound champion,” Makhachev said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “After that moment we will see. We’re going to think about this. But right now, I have to defend this belt many times.”

Makhachev was in peak form against Oliveira, as he landed takedowns and defended against his opponent’s vaunted submission game in Round 1 before flooring the Brazilian in Round 2 and closing the show with an arm-triangle choke. It was an impressive showing, especially against a champion who entered the bout on an 11-fight winning streak.

“I’ve been saying all week, you have two of the absolute best in the world facing in their prime and facing off. And when I went up in the Octagon after, Khabib [Nurmagomedov] said, ‘I t…

T.J. Dillashaw Says He Dislocated Shoulder ‘A Good 20 Times’ During Training Camp

T.J. Dillashaw never really had a chance against Aljamain Sterling.

The former bantamweight champion entered the UFC 280 co-main event with an existing injury to his shoulder, and it flared up very quickly in their title bout on Saturday night at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. With Dillashaw clearly compromised, Sterling dominated en route to a technical knockout stoppage at the 3:44 mark of Round 2.

In his post-fight interview, Dillashaw revealed that the shoulder had been giving him problems since the beginning of his camp, and that continued into the fight.

“Yeah it popped out right away. I’ve got to apologize to the weight class, I kind of held it up. I completely blew my shoulder out end of April,” Dillashaw told Daniel Cormier. “I probably dislocated it a good 20 times throughout training camp. This is by far the toughest training camp I’d been through because of that emotionally.

“That’s why I was talking so much s—t about his weak standu…

Video: Khamzat Chimaev Scuffles with Abubakar Nurmagomedov at UFC 280

Khamzat Chimaev and Abubakar Nurmagomedov went from 0-100 wtf pic.twitter.com/Qmbt5zx4xs

— Out Of Context MMA (@oocmma) October 22, 2022 There appears to be bad blood between Khamzat Chimaev and the Khabib Nurmagomedov camp.

Multiple videos posted online captured an altercation in the crowd at UFC 280 between Chimaev, who was seated cageside, and Abubakar Nurmagomedov, who competed earlier on the card. The incident occurred while newly-crowned lightweight champion Islam Makhachev was doing an in-cage interview following his victory over Charles Oliveira in the main event. The two UFC fighters had to be separated by security at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

The origin of the scuffle is currently unclear, but according RT Sport, Abubakar sent Chimaev a warning on social media in 2021 after Chimaev said he would “tear apart” Khabib Nurmagomedov. Abubakar is the cousin of the former UFC lightweight champion.

Abubakar Nurmagomedov defeat…

UFC 280 Bonuses: Sean O’Malley, Petr Yan Earn ‘Fight of the Night’ Honors

While many observers might not have agreed with the official result, Sean O'Malley and Petr Yan undeniably put on a show at UFC 280.

O’Malley and Yan received “Fight of the Night” and $50,000 for their spirited bantamweight clash at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. While O’Malley did damage with his rangy standup, Yan blended striking and takedowns effectively throughout the contest. Ultimately, “Sugar” Sean emerged with a contentious split-decision triumph.

Elsewhere, Islam Makhachev captured a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus to go with his newly-claimed championship hardware for a submission victory against Charles Oliveira in the evening’s headliner. The Dagestani landed multiple takedowns before dropping his opponent in Round 2, setting the stage for an arm-triangle finish at the 3:16 mark of the period.

Order UFC 280 "Oliveira vs. Makhachev" exclusively on ESPN+

Finally, Belal Muhammad secured the card’s other $50,000 “Pe…

Islam Makhachev Arm-Triangles Charles Oliveira, Seizes UFC Lightweight Crown

Islam Makhachev’s time has arrived.

The American Kickboxing Academy export completed his years-long climb to the top of the mountain, as he seized the vacant Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title by submitting Charles Oliveira with an arm-triangle choke in the second round of their UFC 280 headliner on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Oliveira (33-9, 21-9 UFC) bowed out 3:16 into Round 2, suffering his first defeat since Dec. 2, 2017.

Makhachev (23-1, 12-1 UFC) was utterly brilliant. He assumed top position in the first round and successfully navigated the treacherous Oliveira guard, setting the stage for what was to come. Makhachev decked the Brazilian with a right hook in the second round, pursued him to the canvas and locked in the arm-triangle. He then cleared Oliveira’s legs, tightened his crushing squeeze and drew out the tap.

Order UFC 280 "Oliveira vs. Makhachev" exclusively on ESPN+

Sterling Wre…

UFC 280 ‘Oliveira vs. Makhachev’ Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

Sherdog's live UFC 280 coverage will begin Saturday at 10:30 a.m. ET.

Order UFC 280 "Oliveira vs. Makhachev" exclusively on ESPN+

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Rosa (-295), Lansberg (+245)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:John Brannigan scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:John Brannigan scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:John Brannigan scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Mokaev (-850), Gordon (+600)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:John Brannigan scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:John Brannigan scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay P…

UFC 280 Prelims: Belal Muhammad Swarms Undefeated Sean Brady to Stoppage

pic.twitter.com/vLo8gBOnVL

— MMA Fire 2.0 (@FireMMAVids) October 22, 2022

Non-stop pressure was the name of the game for Belal Muhammad.

The VFS Academy product proved his worth in the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight division yet again, as he took out the previously unbeaten Sean Brady with punches in the second round of their featured UFC 280 prelim on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Muhammad (22-3, 13-3 UFC) brought it to a close 4:47 into Round 2, posting his first victory via knockout or technical knockout since September 2016.

Brady (15-1, 5-1 UFC) tried to keep the former Titan Fighting Championship titleholder at bay with leg kicks and counters but never managed to draw the action to the canvas, where his world-class jiu-jitsu skills might have come into play. Muhammad connected with an overhand right late in the second round, hit the accelerator and unleashed a burst of …

Paddy Pimblett vs. Jared Gordon Added to UFC 282 in Las Vegas

A lightweight clash pitting Paddy Pimblett against Jared Gordon is on tap for UFC 282.

The promotion announced the booking on Saturday. UFC 282 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 10 and features a light heavyweight championship rematch between Jiri Prochazka and Glover Teixeira.

Order UFC 280 "Oliveira vs. Makhachev" exclusively on ESPN+

A former Cage Warriors champion, Pimblett has emerged as a rising star at 155 pounds after finishing Luigi Vendramini, Rodrigo Vargas and Jordan Leavitt in his first three Octagon appearances. The 27-year-old Englishman known as “The Baddy” is 19-3 as a professional, with 15 of those triumphs coming inside the distance.

Gordon, meanwhile, has been victorious in four of his last five promotional outings. Most recently, he outpointed Leonardo Santos at UFC 278 on Aug. 20. The former Cage Fury Fighting Championships title holder is 7-4 in UFC competition since beginning his promotiona…

Fabricio Andrade Low Blow Results in No Contest in ONE on Prime Video 3 Headliner

The One Championship bantamweight throne sits vacant—for now.

Fabricio Andrade connected with an accidental knee strike to the groin that resulted in a no contest against John Lineker in the third round of their ONE on Prime Video 3 headliner on Friday at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Lineker (35-9, 4-0 ONE), who was stripped of the 145-pound title prior to the match due to his failure to make weight, was unable to continue 2:44 into Round 3.

Andrade (8-2, 5-0 ONE) appeared to be nearing a career-defining victory at the time of the foul. The Marrok Force export operated behind a punishing jab, incorporated clean one-twos and zeroed in on the body with knees. Lineker gained the occasional foothold with winging hooks and well-timed takedowns but absorbed significant damage for his trouble. He rose from his corner for the start of Round 3 with a massive hematoma beneath his left eye, his vision almost certainly compromised. Andrade continued t…

ONE on Prime Video 3 ‘Lineker vs. Andrade’ Play-by-Play & Results

Sherdog's live ONE on Prime Video 3 “Lineker vs. Andrade” coverage kicks off Friday at 8 p.m. ET.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below.

Round 1 The opening bout is being overseen by Herb Dean. Bivins opens up with a kick and rushes forward. Grandjean is able to clinch and is landing some nice dirty boxing before tripping her opponent to the ground. Grandjean is kicking the legs of Bivins and settles in guard to throw punches. Bivins looks for an armbar but it goes nowhere. Dean stands up the fighters. They clinch again with Bivins landing a few standing knees. Bivins defends a takedown attempt from Grandjean, who then throws a wild overhand right. Grandjean is landing some solid leg kicks and Bivins looks tired with 90 seconds left in the round. Grandjean keeps landing kicks and follows them up with a straight right hand to the body that stuns Bivins. Grandjean keeps the pressure on and floors Bi…

One Championship Signs Deal With Combate to Air Events in Brazil

🇧🇷 BIG NEWS 🇧🇷 ONE Championship is partnering with Globo, the largest media company in Latin America, to broadcast events live in Brazil on @Combate! The multi-year deal, which calls for at least 12 annual events, kicks off in January 2023! 🙌#ONEChampionship #Combate pic.twitter.com/plBCYuc2SO

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) October 21, 2022 One Championship is expanding its South American presence in a big way.

Via press release on Friday, One announced that it had entered into a broadcasting arrangement with Combate. The multi-year agreement will allow for a dozen events to be aired live in Brazilian primetime, although it is unclear if it means that events will be staged specifically in Brazil or shown on the airwaves. The deal will commence in January 2023, and it is slated to be the sole distributor of One fight cards in the country.

Combate head Rafael Gruenbaum spoke highly of the new partnership, saying in the release, “The…

Bo Nickal Withdraws From UFC Debut at UFC 282 Due to Injury

A blazing-hot Ultimate Fighting Championship prospect is going to need to cool things down to heal up.

According to MMA Junkie on Friday, Bo Nickal (3-0) will no longer be competing at UFC 282 on Dec. 10. His middleweight match against Jamie Pickett (12-8) has been nixed from the event due to an injury Nickal suffered during training. It is unclear at this time if Pickett will be rebooked against a new opponent, or if the matchup will be preserved. The organization is considering March 4 for Nickal’s return, which is rumored to be the pay-per-view offering of UFC 285. The fight scratch has since been confirmed by other outlets.

Nickal, oft-discussed as one of the greatest collegiate wrestlers ever, surged into MMA in 2021 with a pair of speedy finishes on the amateur circuit. The Colorado-born Nickal then debuted as pro in June 2022 on iKon Fighting Championship 3, where he decimated John Noland in 33 seconds. The 26-year-old, with one pro win unde…

Jonathan Di Bella Outclasses Peimian Zhang, Captures 125-Pound KB Title at ONE 162

Jonathan Di Bella DROPS "The Fighting Rooster" in the FINAL MINUTE! 🤯#ONE162 | #ONEChampionship🇺🇸🇨🇦🇬🇧🇹🇭🇧🇷🇸🇦 Watch live on ONE YouTube 👉 https://t.co/uL1aHqdmel🌍 Watch live 👉 https://t.co/8MeKhRvqhy pic.twitter.com/bEUGmhEeJJ

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) October 21, 2022 Italy can now boast of one more champion among the ranks of One Championship.

The One 162 main event featured a clash for the vacant kickboxing strawweight championship between Peimian Zhang and Jonathan Di Bella. The pair put on an entertaining back-and-forth battle, showing off their best offensive skills. Zhang answered the Italian’s fast hands with quick kicks as both contestants produced a remarkable striking output. Neither man backed down from relentless exchanges, nor could they gain a significant advantage as the battle progressed. In Round 5, Di Bella landed a perfectly timed head kick that nearly cold-cocked “The Fighting Rooster.” While the Chinese combatan…

UFC 280 Weigh-in Results: 2 Title Fights Official; 1 Fight Off

[embedded content] There was no trouble on the scales this time for Charles Oliveira.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champ successfully made weight for his UFC 280 showdown against Islam Makhachev. "Do Bronx" was first to the scales and weighed 154.5 pounds. This was a far cry from Oliveira's previous weigh-in, which saw the Brazilian lose his lightweight belt on the scale. Makhachev was next up and also weighed 154.5 pounds.

While Oliveira (33-8, 1 NC) was disgraced at the UFC 274 weigh-in, he impressed the night after by him impressively choking out Justin Gaethje in just over 3 minutes. The Brazilian is on an incredible 11-fight win streak that includes dramatic finishes over Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler and Kevin Lee. Oliveira will look to reclaim the lightweight championship to start his second reign.

This marks a huge step up in competition for Makhachev (22-1). The Dagestani fighter has only suffered one defeat in…

Robert Whittaker to Face Paulo Costa at UFC 284 in February

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship beltholder Robert Whittaker is getting a local matchup for the first time in over three years.

Frequently rumored and discussed across the MMA community, the UFC officially confirmed that Whittaker (24-6) will be squaring off against Paulo Costa (14-2) at UFC 284. The two 185ers will toe the line at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, on Feb. 11. The promotion did state that the bout has not yet been cleared by the Western Australia Combat Sports Commission, but there do not appear to be any obstacles on paper for it coming together. It is the first fight set for this Australian event, which will be the UFC’s first journey to the Commonwealth of Australia since October 2019 – an event in which Whittaker headlined.

Whittaker bounced back from a close defeat to Israel Adesanya by beating Marvin Vettori on the scorecards in September. “Bobby Knuckles” moved up to the middleweight division after beating Mike Rhodes in 2014, and he rattl…

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