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Kamaru Usman Praises Leon Edwards for Knockout Victory: ‘What a Hail Mary’

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Despite losing his welterweight crown in the final minute of the UFC 278 main event, Kamaru Usman seems to be in good spirits.

“The Nigerian Nightmare” was on his way to convincing unanimous decision win over Leon Edwards this past Saturday when his British opponent knocked him out with a head kick at the 4:04 mark of Round 5 at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City. Usman has nothing but praise for Edwards as he looks back on what transpired.

“It was a great shot, I’m talking Hail Mary in the Super Bowl — last 10 seconds,” Usman told TMZ Sports. “That was a great shot, man.”

While some athletes might refuse to watch what could be viewed as a traumatic moment, Usman has already reviewed the tape of his loss to Edwards multiple times. He is able to take some solace in the fact that he was imposing his will on Edwards prior to the shocking finish.

“I’ve watched the fight three or four times … It’s not hard at all [to watch it],” he s…

Caio Borralho Expects ‘Easy Fight’ for Khamzat Chimaev Against Nate Diaz at UFC 279

Nobody can say UFC middleweight Caio Borralho is not open to learning new techniques.

After training with Demian Maia, Paulo Costa and Sean Strickland, Borralho is now in Sweden helping Khamzat Chimaev in his camp to fight Nate Diaz in the UFC 279 main event.

"Darren Till put me in contact with BlockAsset, which is an NFT company,” Borralho told Sherdog.com. “They liked my last fight and invited me to make a video series just like they did with Darren and Khamzat. So they invited me to come to Sweden to do the first series of videos and also train with them.”

The Brazilian has won his first two Octagon appearances and is next scheduled to face Makhmud Muradov at UFC 280 on Oct. 22 in Abu Dhabi.

According to Borralho, his initial plan for this camp was to split his preparation between his team in Brazil, Fight Nerds, and Sanford MMA in the United States.

“I was already checking ticket prices to spend some time in Florida when Till…

Dana White, Merab Dvalishvili Critique Grind-It-Out Victory at UFC 278

There’s no question that Merab Dvalishvili is one of the top contenders in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s bantamweight division.

However, a grinding victory over Jose Aldo on the UFC 278 main card — his seventh straight at 135 pounds — didn’t do much to raise Dvalishvili’s stock in the eyes of the fans or the promotion. According to UFC president Dana White, the Serra-Longo Fight Team export didn’t make the most of his opportunity on Saturday night.

“First of all, I love Jose. I don’t want to s—t on Jose. But Jose had zero offense tonight. And Merab didn’t go after it like a guy that looks like he wants to fight for the title,” White said at the UFC 278 post-event press conference. “And when asked the question about his friend holding the title and what did he want to do, he never really answered the question.

“I always say this: We’re the bells and whistles guys. We lay it out there for him, we give him the opportunity to shine, and it’s…

Contender Series Weigh-in Results: Erisson Ferreira da Silva Hits Mark on Second Try

There was a little bit of drama at weigh-ins for Dana White’s Contender Series on Monday, but ultimately, all 10 athletes set to compete hit their contracted marks.

Flyweight Erisson Ferreira da Silva initially tipped the scales at 126.5 pounds for his flyweight clash with Jesus Santos Aguilar (125.5). But after being given an additional hour to cut weight, da Silva checked in at 125.5 pounds to make his bout with Aguilar official.

The Contender Series takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Tuesday and airs on ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The evening’s featured bout is a heavyweight clash pitting Eduardo Jose Neves (265) against Michael Parkin (259).

Neves has kicked off his professional tenure with five knockout or technical knockout victories in as many appearances. Most recently, the 22-year-old Brazilan stopped Andre Vieira in 64 seconds at Legacy Fighting Alliance on March 11.

A native of London, Parkin is also 5-0 with five KO/TKO…

With One Fight Remaining on UFC Deal, Paulo Costa Keeping Options Open

Whether Paulo Costa remains with the Ultimate Fighting Championship for the long haul remains to be seen.

“Borrachinha” completed the next-to-last fight on his current deal at UFC 278, as he defeated former champ Luke Rockhold via unanimous decision in the evening’s co-main event at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Saturday night. At the post-fight press conference, Costa said while he is interested in remaining with the UFC, he is keeping his options open.

“We’ve had a lot of great opportunities [that] came up,” Costa said. “We know that boxing is going very well. We have some companies doing very good shows, even in Brazil. Brazil has a big show there, a fight music show. We had the most popular people in Brazil fighting there … We have a lot of great opportunities there, but the UFC is a great company. I’m glad to be here, but I need to see what’s best for us.”

At the time, the Brazilian wasn’t sure if he had completed his UFC contract or…

Broadcast Times Set for One on Prime Video 1 Main Card, Prelims

AUGUST 26 – LIVE IN U.S. PRIMETIME

Your updated #ONEonPrimeVideo1 fight card, featuring the World Title rematch between Adriano Moraes and Demetrious Johnson, Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O vs. Liam Harrison, Rodtang's return, and MORE!

Tickets https://t.co/byTnk5cO9c pic.twitter.com/uWdYDFMYTn — ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) August 10, 2022

With One Championship’s debut on Amazon Prime fast approaching, the Singapore-based promotion has finalized broadcast times for its debut on the popular streaming service.

One on Prime Video 1 takes place on Aug. 26 at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore and is headlined by a flyweight (135-pound) championship clash between Adriano Moraes and Demetrious Johnson. The evening’s main card features six bouts and begins at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Prime Video. In the co-main event, Nong-O Gaiyanghadao and Liam Harrison will square off for the One bantamweight mua…

Dana White Considering England for Leon Edwards-Kamaru Usman Trilogy

It seems to be a foregone conclusion that Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman will meet again. It’s just a matter of when and where.

Edwards evened the series with Usman at 1-apiece at UFC 278 with a thrilling fifth-round knockout victory to claim the welterweight title. Afterward, UFC president Dana White said that he’d like to have the third meeting between the two welterweights in Edwards’ home country.

“How do you not do [a trilogy]?” White said at the UFC 278 post-fight press conference.

“We could go to England whenever the hell we want to now. We could go to England – we were selling out England before. Now you look at, do you do a bigger arena? I’m scared to go outside, and I’m definitely scared to go outside in England. I’m serious, but joking about England. Anything is possible in England now. It would be fun, but it’s scary at the same time. The weather isn’t the greatest in England.”

Before Edwards’ head kick changed the complexion of th…

Leon Edwards Reflects on Long Road to Becoming UFC Champion

It was a long journey for Leon Edwards to become UFC champion, but the payoff was well worth it.

Edwards claimed welterweight gold with a head kick knockout of Kamaru Usman in the UFC 278 main event at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Saturday night. The end came 4:04 into Round 5, one of the latest finishes for a championship fight in promotion history. Moments earlier, Edwards appeared to be on his way to losing a clear-cut unanimous decision. In the aftermath, “Rocky” admitted that the Utah altitude may have gotten to him.

“Going into it, I knew it was going to be a tough fight. I said it all week. But I believe I was the better man – but even though it was one my worst performances, it is what it is, I got a clean finish,” Edwards said at the UFC 278 post-fight press conference. “My body just wasn’t reacting the way it was meant to react. I don’t know if it was the altitude or not, but when I was backstage watching the other guys fight on TV, …

Luke Rockhold Retires Following Loss to Paulo Costa at UFC 278

Luke Rockhold’s return to mixed martial arts proved to be short lived.

The former UFC and Strikefore middleweight champion announced his retirement following a unanimous decision defeat to Paulo Costa in the UFC 278 co-main event at Vinvint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday night.

“I’ve been through so much the last few years,” Rockhold said in his post-fight interview. “I f—king … thank you, fighting. Thank you, UFC. Thank you, Joe [Rogan]. I f—-king can’t do this s—t any more. I gave it my all. I just didn’t … I’m f—ing old.”

Rockhold was bloodied and battered in his matchup with Costa, and his body language was concerning on multiple occasions. Still, the longtime American Kickboxing Academy product had his moments, as he landed multiple body kicks and tagged Costa with a hard left hand in the third round. He ended the fight by reversing out of a rear-naked choke and rubbing his bloody face all over Costa from top position. It was…

Tony Ferguson vs. Jingliang Li Added to UFC 279 Lineup

UFC 279 has another marquee matchup, as Tony Ferguson will square off against Jingliang Li on Sept. 10.

UFC president Dana White confirmed the booking at the UFC 278 post-fight press conference on Saturday night. UFC 279 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a five-round showdown between Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz.

The bout will mark Ferguson’s welterweight debut after a lengthy stint at 155 pounds. “El Cucy” is in the midst of a four-bout losing streak in the UFC. He is coming off a brutal front kick knockout loss to Michael Chandler at UFC 274 on May 7.

Li, meanwhile, has alternated wins and losses inh his last four Octagon appearances. Most recently, “The Leech” defeated Muslim Salikhov via second-round technical knockout at UFC on ABC 3 on July 16.

UFC 278 Post-Fight Awards: Leon Edwards Earns Bonus for Hail Mary Knockout

Two incredible finishes are sending @Leon_EdwardsMMA & @Vic__Altamirano home with POTN bonuses 💰

[ B2YB @BattleMotors | #UFC278 ] pic.twitter.com/kp81kLXlGx

— UFC (@ufc) August 21, 2022

On top of winning himself the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title after completing one of the most miraculous comebacks in UFC history, Leon Edwards banked an additional $50,000 for his efforts.

Going into the fifth round, Edwards was losing three rounds to one on all three judges’ score cards before landing a left high-kick to the head of Kamaru Usman, and claiming the title in the final minute of the fight. In his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Edwards belted out “look at me now!” in celebration of his first world championship.

A gritty three round contest between middleweights Luke Rockhold and Paulo Costa claimed “Fight of the Night” honors, and they also will take home an extra $50,000. Each man slu…

UFC 278 ‘Usman vs. Edwards 2’ Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

Sherdog's live UFC 278 “Usman vs. Edwards 2” coverage will begin Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET.

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

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Altamirano (-200), Lacerda (+170)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Noah Gagnon scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Noah Gagnon scores the round: Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Noah Gagnon scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Aori (-175), Perrin (+130)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Noah Gagnon scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Noah Gagnon scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Sco…

Marcin Tybura Upsets Alexander Romanov in Featured UFC 278 Prelim

HEAVYWEIGHT SLAM 💥

Stream #UFC278 tonight on @ESPNPlus ➡️ https://t.co/pxRev9nc4A pic.twitter.com/PxvAbhNp7h

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 21, 2022

Marcin Tybura sent a message to the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight division by defeating Alexander Romanov in the featured UFC 278 prelim.

Romanov (16-1) wasted no time clinching with Tybura (23-7) seconds into the fight. Landing damaging knees, Romanov would then slam the 252-pound fighter like it was nothing. Romanov would begin landing stellar punches and elbows that put an exclamation mark on a dominant Round 1. Tybura would fare much better as the fight went on as Romanov slowed down, and even managed to take his opponent's back shortly in the second round. Embarrassingly, Romanov would showboat in Round 3 despite being outstruck.

The judges awarded the fight to Tybura via majority decision as one judge had a 28-28 draw while the other two had it 29-2…

Leon Edwards Head Kick KOs Kamaru Usman in Epic UFC 278 Comeback Win

Leon Edwards is the new Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight champion after upsetting Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC 278.

Usman (20-2) would manage to get the fight to the ground early in the first round, although the challenger popped to his feet shortly afterward. Shockingly, Edwards (20-3, 1 NC) would trip the champion and land straight into mount. After taking the back of the "The Nigerian Nightmare," Edwards would begin looking for a rear-naked choke. Usman would survive the rocky round but not without a solid scare by the challenger.

The champion would come out firing in Round 2, although Edwards stayed composed and was never overwhelmed by the pressure. "Rocky" would slow the pace down, with some help from an eye poke, and then went back-and-forth with Usman in a grappling exchange. Usman would start landing damaging elbows and capped off a solid second frame in his favor with a takedown of his own. Usman would repeat this strate…

Kayla Harrison-Larissa Pacheco, Brendan Loughnane-Bubba Jenkins Finals Set for PFL

The assault was felonious in nature.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison dispatched Martina Jindrova with a first-round arm-triangle choke, as their Professional Fighters League women’s lightweight semifinal headlined PFL 9 on Saturday at Copper Box Arena in London. Jindrova (6-3, 3-1 PFL) capitulated 3:17 into Round 1, the latest victim of the PFL’s runaway freight train.

Harrison (15-0, 14-0 PFL) caught a kick from the Czech, dumped her to the mat and immediately transitioned to side control. She softened Jindrova with ground-and-pound, climbed to full mount and pounded away with punches. Harrison fished briefly for an armbar, then clamped down on the arm-triangle and elicited the tapout. It was a flawless performance.

The win pushed Harrison into the 2022 lightweight final, where she will seek her third consecutive league championship and another $1 million payday against Larissa Pacheco on Nov. 25. Pacheco (18-4, 7-2 PFL) buried Hel…

Arkadiusz Wrzosek Demolishes Tomasz Sarara in KSW 73 Headliner

Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki’s return to Warsaw will be remembered for its nail-biting main event.

In the KSW 73 headliner, Glory kickboxing veteran Arkadiusz Wrzosek made his mixed martial arts debut as he locked horns with Tomasz Sarara in a heavyweight clash. Sarara (1-1, 1-1 KSW) dropped Wrzosek in the opening round, and dominated on the canvas for the duration but failed to deliver a finish. Wrzosek (1-0, 1-0 KSW) retaliated in the second frame, catching Sarara with a head kick followed by a flying knee. The kickboxer hit the gas pedal and threw punches, knees and kicks at Sarara until his fatigued foe collapsed on the floor. “Hightower” kept striking fast and hard, but Sarara showed heart and survived to see the third frame. In Round 3, Wrzosek controlled his adversary from afar while scoring with punches and kicks. When it appeared that the fight would go the distance, Wrzosek hit his mark with a sharp knee and follow-up punches. Referee Lukasz Bosacki stopped the contes…

PFL 9 2022 Playoffs Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

The 2022 Professional Fighters League Playoffs continue Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET.

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

Round 1 Bantamweights Ruiz and Uchegbu face off to open up the evening, with Britain’s own Marc Goddard set to officiate. Ruiz is in southpaw stance; Uchegbu orthodox. Ruiz comes forward with a couple of outside leg kicks. Ruiz lands a straight left. Ruiz grabs a single-leg, goes high-crotch and dumps Uchegbu to the canvas. Ruiz lands a couple of short punches, then takes the taller man’s back as he tries to stand. Ruiz sinks both hooks, then locks up a body triangle from back mount. Half the round gone, and Ruiz is in total control, throwing right hands to the head as Goddard tells Uchegbu to do something. Uchegbu escapes the body triangle, but Ruiz still on top, near the base of the fence. Uchegbu manages to stand, but Ruiz is still holding him to the fence. A minute left, Uch…

PFL 9 Weigh-in Results: 4 Semifinal Bouts Set

All #PFLPlayoffs London fighters are on weight! pic.twitter.com/hx8ZAijUE4

— PFL (@PFLMMA) August 19, 2022 PFL 9 will feature the last four semifinals for the Professional Fighters League 2022 playoffs.

All four semifinalists made weight for the card, which is headlined by the women's lightweight semifinal between Kayla Harrison and Martina Jindrova. The winner of that bout will face whoever is victorious between Larissa Pacheco and Helena Kolesnyk. Meanwhile, the two featherweight semifinals will pit Chris Wade vs. Brendan Loughnane and Ryoji Kudo vs. Bubba Jenkins.

A perfect 14-0 in her mixed martial arts career, Harrison will look to add another PFL championship to add to her impressive win streak. This season has seen Harrison win a decision over Marina Mokhnatkina and finish Kaitlin Young in just 2:35 of the first round. The Judo specialist weighed in at 155 pounds.

Jindrova (6-2) started her career just 3-2 bu…

UFC 278 Weigh-in Video & Results: Title Fight Set; 1 Fight Canceled

[embedded content] Kamaru Usman will put his Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title on the line as he rematches Leon Edwards at UFC 278.

The 12-fight card is now official, although that is one bout fewer than initially planned. This is due to Shanna Young being hospitalized and her fight against Miranda Maverick being canceled as a result. However, all pay-per-view fighters successfully made weight and the card is moving forward largely intact.

"The Nigerian Nightmare" previously defeated Edwards via unanimous decision back in 2015. Both fighters have improved considerably since then with Usman (20-1) becoming an all-time great and champion in the process. The Floridian looks to make his sixth UFC title defense and make it clear that he's a top pound-for-pound fighter as well. Usman officially weighed 170 pounds on the dot.

Edwards (19-3, 1 NC) hasn't tasted defeat since losing to Usman. "Rocky" has won nine fights since then, including …

KSW 73 Weigh-in Results: Heavyweight Main Event Set

Join us for the #KSW73 ceremonial weigh-ins❗️

🕰️ 6pm CEST | 5pm BST | 12pm ET🖥️ Live on Facebook & YouTube

The fighters come face to face 😤🔥 pic.twitter.com/V3h4ZvYW0o — KSW (@KSW_MMA) August 19, 2022

Headlining KSW 73 is a mixed martial arts bout between Polish kickboxer Arkadiusz Wrzosek , who is making his MMA debut, and Tomasz Sarara. It will be Wrzosek that is the larger man inside the cage as he weighed 8 pounds heavier than Sarara at 243 pounds. All fighters on the card successfully made weight.

Wrzosek holds a professional kickboxing record of 13-5, 1 NC. His most famous victory was a head kick knockout over Badr Hari in 2021. A rematch put on earlier this year was stopped after a riot occurred in the audience. Meanwhile, Sarara is 1-0 inside the KSW cage, having defeated Filip Bradaric last year via TKO. Sarara also has a striking background, having competed in kickboxing as well.

KSW 73 will…

Carla Esparza to Defend Strawweight Crown at UFC 281 Against Zhang Weili

UFC 281 likely now has a co-main event, as reigning women's strawweight champion Carla Esparza will defend against former division ruler Zhang Weili at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 12.

Esparza, 19-6, revealed the pairing on her verified Instagram account Thursday afternoon. The bout has not been confirmed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship as of publication time.

Esparza recently regained the strawweight title for a second time by defeating Rose Namajunas at UFC 274 via split decision, in what was widely considered one of the dullest title fights in mixed martial arts history. Esparza extended her winning streak to six with the crown-clinching performance.

Weili, meanwhile, dispatched of strawweight legend and long-time champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk in spectacular fashion at UFC 276 with a spinning back-fist in Round 2. Prior to that, Weili had lost two title fights against Namajunas. Esparza initially announced that she wanted to defend the titl…

Francis Ngannou Claims He Lost $1 Million Due to UFC Sponsorship Restrictions

Luke Rockhold’s rant regarding fighter pay at the UFC 278 media day certainly seemed to catch Francis Ngannou’s attention.

The reigning UFC heavyweight champion took to Twitter to reveal that he lost $1 million in potential sponsorship money due to the promotion’s existing deal with a cryptocurrency platform. The UFC’s outfitting policy and and sponsorship restrictions prevented Ngannou from cashing in on a lucrative offer.

“Listening to Luke's interview was very pertinent. A lot of things that nobody is talking about it and the company just rolls with it,” Ngannou wrote. “Fighters are ripped off with sponsorship. It’s a huge source of revenue for us but the company keeps exploiting that for their own benefit.

“I understand that the sport needs to look good with uniforms but we should at least have a right for a minimum of [two] approved sponsors for in the octagon,” he added. Last year I lost a deal of over a million dollars from a crypto e…

Dilano Taylor Hopes to Help Jamaican Fighters with Potential $1 Million PFL Winnings

Dilano Taylor made the most of his short-notice opportunity in the Professional Fighters League playoffs.

With two days to go until last Saturday's PFL 8 card in Cardiff, Wales, the organization announced that Taylor would replace Magomed Umalatov in the semifinals of the welterweight tournament. Despite being called up at the last minute and facing the favored Rory MacDonald, the Jamaican surprised “The Red King” with a first-round knockout.

Taylor told Sherdog.com that he was hoping to get a chance to fill in as a substitute while also helping prepare teammate Jason Jackson for his triumph over Douglas Lima at Bellator 283 on July 27.

“I felt like I was destined to be in this competition,” Taylor said. “I always talk about opportunities and how they present themselves. I'm always training and waiting for a chance, and I was helping my partner Jason and I would be his corner as well. So when they called me, I was ready. I just hadn't studied R…

Biography for Former Pride, UFC Star Wanderlei Silva Now Available in English

Wanderlei Silva's biography has just gone international.

The book “Wanderlei Silva: Unleashed” has been translated into English and is available for sale on Amazon. Organized by journalists Thiago Parijiani and Luis Henrique Gurian, translated by Sean White and released by BB Publishing company in the physical version, the book explains how Silva became one of the greatest icons of MMA and reached multiple milestones, including being undefeated for more than five years, setting the record for most Pride Fighting Championships middleweight belt defenses and overall wins in Pride.

In addition, the book reveals Silva’s fear of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), shares details from his most important victories and most difficult defeats and uncovers never-before-disclosed backstage stories such as the time he was knocked out by Charles Bennett backstage just minutes before his rematch with Ricardo Arona.

The e-book version has 283 pages fill…

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