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Chidi Njokuani is compiling quite the highlight reel thus far in his Ultimate Fighting Championship tenure.

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The former Bellator MMA talent earned a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus thanks to a vicious standing elbow knockout of Dusko Todorovic in a featured middleweight encounter at UFC Fight Night 206 on Saturday. “Chidi Bang Bang” brought an end to the contest at the 4:48 mark of Round 1. The victory comes on the heels of a 16-second KO of Marc-Andre Barriault in his Octagon debut.

Elsewhere, Michel Pereira and Santiago Ponzinibbio received “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for an entertaining slugfest in the evening’s welterweight co-main event. Both combatants traded liberally throughout the contest, but Pereira ultimately did just enough to capture a split-decision triumph.

Finally, Chase Hooper garnered the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award for his finish of Felipe Dias Colares in a prelimina…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC Fight Night 206 “Holm vs. Vieira” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

The main event of UFC Fight Night 206 proved that Ketlen Vieira is a contender at bantamweight.

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It wasn't easy for the Brazilian as Holly Holm put on a tough, veteran performance. The former Ultimate Fighting Championship women's bantamweight champion was able to keep it standing despite a few attempts from Vieira (13-2) to get the fight to the ground. The closest moment to a finish came on the feet when Vieira latched on a standing rear-naked choke that almost forced Holm (14-6) to tap.

How did Holly escape this #UFCVegas55 pic.twitter.com/HLUrWcr83D

— UFC (@ufc) May 22, 2022 While Holm was largely able to control striking exchanges from the clinch in Round 3, it was Vieira that landed the hardest shot as she stunned the veteran with a clean p…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC Fight Night 206 “Holm vs. Vieira” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

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Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 206 coverage will begin Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.

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

Knee was right on the button then Holmes locked up the submission 😤 #UFCVegas55 pic.twitter.com/BCFJPJ8k5g

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 21, 2022 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC Fight Night 206 “Holm vs. Vieira” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

Joseph Holmes picked up his first win inside the Ultimate Fighting Championship in style during the UFC Fight Night 206 featured prelim bout.

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"Ugly Man" quickly connected with a well-timed knee that floored Alen Amedovski. While Amedovski somehow got back to his feet, Holmes (8-2) stayed composed and quickly wrapped up a rear-naked choke. At 1:04 of Round 1, Amedovski (8-3) was forced to tap out.

Amedovski is now 0-3 inside the promotion.

Almeida Taps Porter Jailton Almeida's quick detour into the heavyweight division was a successful one.

Almeida (16-2) was in control from the very beginning as h…

Eagle FC 47 main event ends after Junior dos Santos dislocates his shoulder pic.twitter.com/DMRhp1j84D

— Eagle FC (@EagleFightClub) May 21, 2022

This was not the Eagle Fighting Championship debut Junior dos Santos envisioned.

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The affable Brazilian suffered a shoulder injury in the third round of his EFC 47 headliner opposite Yorgan De Castro and could not continue, bringing a disappointing end to their marquee matchup at the FLXcast Arena on Friday in Miami. Dos Santos (21-10, 0-1 EFC) was forced to check out 35 seconds into Round 3.

De Castro (9-3, 2-0 EFC) struggled to manage distance effectively and wound up swinging at air more often than not. Dos Santos fed him an unhealthy diet of leg kicks, body-head combinations and jabs for the better part of 10 minutes. However, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder overextended on a right hand early in the third round and appeared to dislocate his shoulde…

The One Championship 157 main event on Friday featured a featherweight muay Thai title affair, as defending champion Petchmorakot Petchyindee locked horns with Jimmy Vienot at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore.

The French challenger looked sharp in the first two frames, where he kept intercepting Petchmorakot’s kicks and throwing him to the mat to disrupt his rhythm. Petchmorakot started countering Vienot’s offense in Round 3, ducking his opponent’s long punches and retaliating with some shots of his own. The Thai champion knocked down Vienot right out of the gate in the fourth thanks to a short hook. While the Frenchman bounced back on the feet following the referee’s count, he did not show the same crispness he showed in the preceding rounds. Petchmorakot felt he was ahead on the scorecards in the fifth stanza and limited risk to cruise past his adversary, leaving the fight to run its course. Ultimately, the judges were split about the result. Two of the three…

🇮🇪 #BellatorDublin is 🔥.@StrabanimalMMA vs. @36Johns joins a 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒅 card at the @3ArenaDublin, headlined by @BensonHenderson vs. @peterqueally & @team_manhoef vs. @YoelRomeroMMA.

Tickets for #Bellator's Dublin return on Friday, Sept. 2️⃣3️⃣rd 👉 https://t.co/A0GUahCvHv pic.twitter.com/gB6oKTT9P5

— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) May 20, 2022 Bellator MMA on Friday revealed part of its lineup for a Sept. 23 event at 3Arena in Dublin. The bill will be headlined by a lightweight affair between former Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder Benson Henderson and Peter Queally. Meanwhile, legendary knockout artist Melvin Manhoef takes on 2000 Olympic silver medalist Yoel Romero in the light heavyweight co-feature.

Henderson (29-11, 6-6 Bellator) is coming off a split decision over Islam Mamedov at Bellator 273 that snapped a three-bout skid. Queally (13-6-1, 2-2 Bellator) is looking to bounce back following the second-round stoppage he suf…

135.5 for the legend @HollyHolm - we have a main event! 🎉

[ #UFCVegas55 | TOMORROW | LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/BCyLvygb6l

— UFC (@ufc) May 20, 2022 Ultimate Fighting Championship hosts another ESPN+ card this weekend from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas with Holly Holm vs. Ketlen Vieira atop the UFC Fight Night 206 bill. The 11-fight card is now set after all 22 fighters made weight.

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Despite being 40-years-old, "The Preacher's Daughter" has shown little sign of slowing down. Holm (14-5) is riding a two-fight win streak, most recently winning decisions over Raquel Pennington and Irene Aldana. However, this is Holm's first fight since 2020, so she will look to shake off any rust quickly. Always fit, the former UFC bantamweight champion weighed 135.5 pounds.

Vieira (12-2) picked up a marquee win over Miesha Tate in her last outing. However, prior to that triumph, "Fenomeno" had last two of her last three bouts havi…

The previously scheduled fight between Buchecha and Hugo Cunha has been postponed due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols.#WeAreONE #ONEChampionship

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) May 19, 2022 One Championship on Thursday announced that multiple-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Marcus Almeida would not be facing Hugo Cunha at One Championship 157 due to COVID-19 protocols. The heavyweights were scheduled to collide on Friday at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. It marks the second time Almeida has lost an opponent mere hours before an event. The American Top Team representative was supposed to lock horns with Oumar Kane in April, only to see the match fall off the card a few days prior.

Almeida (2-0, 2-0 One Championship) started his mixed martial arts career on the right foot when he submitted Anderson “Braddock” Silva with a north-south choke 2:55 into the opening round of their One Championship “Revolution” …

𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐎-𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋⚖️

🇧🇷 Junior dos Santos 245.6 lbs🇨🇻 Yorgan de Castro 264.2 lbs

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🇨🇺 Hector Lombard 203.8 lbs🇧🇷 Thiago Silva 206 lbs #EagleFC47: Dos Santos vs. De Castro | TOMORROW 6P ET| Watch Eagle FC LIVE and FREE on FLXcast. pic.twitter.com/23Ctt1fWNG — Eagle FC (@EagleFightClub) May 19, 2022 Eagle FC returns to the United States for another intriguing card full of prospects and veteran fighters. EFC 47 is headlined by former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight titleholder Junior dos Santos as he looks to get back in the win column against Yorgan De Castro.

While the main event heavyweights had no trouble making weight, four other fighters were heavy. This includes middleweights Maki Pitolo and Dough Usher, who weighed in 187.4 and 189 pounds, respectively. Also overweight was Alexandre Almeida, who was 158.4 pounds for his lightweight bout against Roosevelt Roberts, and Paulo Silva, who came in…

First Time Ever!! The Octagon lands at #UFCParis on Sept 3! 🇫🇷

Register now for early access to tickets ⤵️

🎟️ https://t.co/IFdZXeHldm pic.twitter.com/Q21KS3FDQn

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) May 19, 2022 The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Thursday announced that France would host its first UFC Fight Night event on Sept. 3 at the Accor Arena in Paris.

While the UFC has not yet announced an official fight, former interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane expects to clash with Tai Tuivasa. Meanwhile, Marvin Vettori has campaigned to face former middleweight titleholder Robert Whittaker at the event after their scheduled clash was scratched from the forthcoming UFC 275 show in June.

Besides Gane, several other French competitors seem likely to be under consideration for the card, including Nassourdine Imavov, Manon Fiorot, Alan Baudot and Zarah Fairn dos Santos. France has long been home to mixed martial artists in all major promot…

PFL CEO @PeteMurrayPFL on how today’s funding will help the Fans, Fighters, and the growth of MMA pic.twitter.com/SrOYAjzAxy

— PFL (@PFLMMA) May 19, 2022

The Professional Fighters League on Thursday announced the completion of a $30 million Series E equity round to fund global expansion and launch its new “PPV Super Fight Division.”

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The funding was ushered by Waverley Capital, a venture capital firm guided by Daniel Leff and Edgar Bronfman, Jr. Former Major League Baseball superstar and current businessman Alex Rodriguez also took part and will join Leff on the PFL Board of Directors.

A press release sent Thursday morning stated that the PFL has total funding $200 million from dozens of sports stars, media leaders and influencers, including Ted Leonsis, Brandon Beck, Mark Lerner, Debra Cafaro, Ray Lewis and Wiz Khalifa.

“With this new capital, PFL is open for business to sign the biggest MMA star fighters in th…

Two more fights have been added to the UFC’s Aug. 13 lineup, as Sara McMann will face Aspen Ladd at bantamweight, while Bruno Silva will meet Gerald Meerschaert at middleweight.

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McMann vs. Ladd was first reported by All Access MMA, and Ag.Fight initially brought word of Silva vs. Meerschaert. The Aug. 13 UFC Fight Night card does not yet have a location or headliner.

An Olympic silver medalist and former bantamweight title challenger, McMann has been victorious in two of her last three Octagon appearances. Most recenty, the South Carolina native outpointed Karol Rosa at UFC on ESPN 33 on March 26.

The 27-year-old Ladd has fallen on hard times of late with losses in three of her last four promotional outings. The MMAGold Fight Team member is coming off a decision loss to Raquel Pennington at UFC 273 on April 9.

Silva, a former M-1 Global champion, saw a seven-fight professional winning streak come to an end at UFC Fight Night 203, wher…

Andre Fialho continues to be the most active fighter on the UFC roster in 2022, as he will lock horns with Jake Matthews at UFC 275 on June 11.

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Multiple outlets confirmed the booking following an initial report from Full Violence. UFC 275 takes place at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore and is headlined by a light heavyweight title clash between Glover Teixeira and Jiri Prochazka.

Fialho will fight for the third time in three months and the fourth time overall this year when he squares off against Matthews. After dropping a decision against Michel Pereira at UFC 270, the Bellator veteran has rebounded to score back-to-back KO/TKO victories over Miguel Baeza and Cameron VanCamp in the Octagon.

The 27-year-old Matthews will be making his first appearance of 2022. The Australian known as “The Celtic Kid” had a three-bout winning streak halted in his last outing, when he was submitted in the third round by Sean Brady at UFC 259.

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

After kicking off his Octagon tenure with two impressive wins, Alex Pereira will make his third promotional appearance against ranked middleweight Sean Strickland at UFC 276 on July 2.

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As a result of two kickboxing victories against Israel Adesanya, another impressive performance against Strickland could fast track Pereira to a title shot against “The Last Stylebender.”

While oddsmakers have “Poatan” as a slight favorite against Strickland, Brazilian trainers Rafael Cordeiro and Vinicio Anthony are not so optimistic about Pereira’s chances.

"He went to Kings [MMA] a couple of times and did tough sparring with [Marvin] Vettori,” Cordeiro told Sherdog.com. “He is very hard to spar against. Long range, very aggressive, always walking forward. I agree ‘Poatan’ should be favored but I don’t visualize an easy fight.”

Antony, the former head coach of Vitor Belfort and Lyoto Machida, takes it on…

As his first light heavyweight title defense draws near, the finish line is in sight for Glover Teixeira.

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Teixiera is scheduled to face Jiri Prochazka in the UFC 275 main event on June 11 at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. The 42-year-old Brazilian has his ideal scenario laid out, which of course begins with a win over Prochazka.

“The perfect plan would be winning this fight, which I have full focus on,” Teixeira said on the Mundo da Luta podcast (translation via MMAFighting.com). “And fighting one last time in November, in New York, which is close to the city I live for 20 years, and close to my gym. It would be my farewell from fighting. That’s what I’m thinking right now.”

The UFC has not announced an event for New York, but November is typically when the Las Vegas-based promotion travels to the Empire State, including UFC 268 last year. If Teixeira does call it a career, he wants his retirement to stick. That isn’t so co…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPn48bMd6V8&w=560&h=315]

If Junior dos Santos takes care of business at Eagle FC 47, big things could be in store for the Brazilian heavyweight.

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That is, if Eagle FC promoter Khabib Nurmagomedov gets his way. Dos Santos will face fellow UFC veteran Yorgan De Castro in the Eagle FC 47 main event on Friday at FLXCast Arena in Miami.

“If Dos Santos wins, I really want to make Dos Santos versus Fedor [Emelianenko],” Nurmagomedov said at the Eagle FC 47 pre-fight press conference. “He has to focus on Yorgan next because Friday he has a tough opponent.

“He has to stay focused but I want to talk to my friend [Bellator president] Scott Coker because Fedor is under Bellator contract. I don’t know what they’re going to do next with him but definitely we can talk and we can create some good stories.”

Emelianenko is expected to have his farewell fight with Bellator at some point this year. Coker and the California…

Though it was a successful financial year by most any account, Conor McGregor is no longer the highest-paid athlete in professional sports.

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According to Forbes, the former UFC two-division champion ranks 35th among the 50 highest-paid athletes for 2022. The Irish star reportedly garnered $43 million in total: $33 million from a UFC 264 bout against Dustin Poirer in July 2021 and another $10 million in endorsements and sponsorships.

That is a significant drop-off from the previous year, when McGregor ranked No. 1 among athletes with $180 million in earnings. That figure was due in large part to selling a majority stake of Proper No. Twelve whiskey for $150 million. He also reportedly banked $22 million for his first meeting with Poirier at UFC 257.

Topping on the 2022 list are soccer star Lionel Messi ($130 million) and NBA standout LeBron James ($121.2 million). Messi ranked second the previous year.

McGregor is the only mixed martial …

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

Undefeated UFC featherweight Lerone Murphy was hospitalized after a cycling accident led to a “near death experience.”

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The Manchester Top Team representative posted a photo on Instagram of himself in a hospital bed while providing an account of the incident.

“Ffs I can’t catch a break,” Murphy wrote. “Another near death experience. Yesterday while cycling, an oncoming car turned right without looking and we collided at speed. Which caused a nasty head wound. The ambulance took 45 minutes to arrive which nearly caused me to bleed out. I’m here still breathing for a greater purpose clearly.”

Murphy previously had a brush with death when he was shot three times in 2013 after leaving a barber shop in Fallowfield, England. Bullets hit Murphy in the face and neck and he underwent surgery after spending a week in intensive care. A tiny shard of bullet remains permanently embedded in his tongue from the attack. L…

The Professional Fighters League is ready to continue its 2022 campaign with a full slate of lightweight and light heavyweight bouts on June 17.

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The promotion on Tuesday announced matchups for PFL 4, which takes place at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. The main card airs on ESPN and ESPN+ beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

PFL 4 will be headlined by a lightweight showdown between Clay Collard and Alexander Martinez, while Antonio Carlos Jr. will face Bruce Souto at light heavyweight in the co-main event. Rounding out the main draw is a lightweight tilt pitting Raush Manfio against Olivier Aubin-Mercier and a 155-pound scrap between Jeremy Stephens and Myles Price.

Five bouts will kick off the preliminary portion of the card: Omari Akhmedov vs. Teodoras Aukstuolis at light heavyweight; Natan Schulte vs. Marcin Held at lightweight; Emiliano Sordi vs. Delan Monte at light heavyweight; Rober…

A recent positive test for the long term metabolite of the steroid dehydrochloromethyltestosterone (DHCMT) — known as the M3 metabolite — will not keep Manel Kape from competing at UFC 275 next month.

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The Nevada State Athletic Commission ruled on Monday that Kape must be tested twice per month for six months and the results must either be negative or below the 100-picograms-per-millileter threshold for the M3 metabolite in order to be licensed by the commission.

The M3 metabolite is the same one that came to prominence when Jon Jones tested positive for the long-term metabolite in multiple screenings beginning in late 2018. USADA ruled that in cases like Jones and numerous others that followed, that it could not determined how long ago the fighter might have ingested the banned substance before it turned into the metabolite. That led to the anti-doping body instituting the 100 pg/ML threshold as a tipping point to potentially discipline the athlet…

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The dates for Season 6 of Dana White’s Contender Series are now official.

The promotion, which serves as a feeder system for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, received approval from the Nevada State Athletic Commission to hold cards at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Tuesday nights from July 26 to Sept. 27. If that holds, the upcoming season of the Contender Series would be 10 events.

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The Contender Series held eight cards apiece in its first two seasons, but has since expanded to 10 events for Seasons 3 through 5. Cards typically feature five bouts barring late cancellations, but a few have included as many as six fights.

Some of the notables to sign with the UFC from the Contender Series include Sean O'Malley, Geoff Neal, Ryan Spann, Jamahal Hill, Brendan Allen, Tracy Cortez, Andre Muniz, Taila Santos, Johnny Walker, Marina Rodriguez, Maycee Barber, Sodiq Yusuff, Jimmy Crute, Alex Perez and Grant Dawson, to name a few.

Read more about Dana White’s Contender Series to Run 10-Week Schedule from July 26 to Sept. 27

After submitting Nasrudin Nasrudinov to earn a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series, Jailton Almeida impressed yet again in his Octagon debut with a first-round TKO of Danilo Marques at UFC Fight Night 200.

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Almeida was originally slated to meet Maxim Grishin in a light heavyweight bout at UFC Fight Night 206 on Saturday before his opponent withdrew as a result of an injury. Instead, he’ll move up a weight class in order to remain on the card.

“Mick Maynard offered us an opportunity at heavyweight against Parker Porter and since I want to be active, I decided to accept,” Almeida told Sherdog.com.

A self-proclaimed fan of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Khamzat Chimaev, Almeida revealed that fighting Porter is part of his plan to follow in Chimaev’s footsteps.

“In our last interview I told you I want to be the Khabib Nurmagomedov of 205-pound division,” he said. “But I also want to be just like Chimaev, fighting in two divisions. The opportu…

"I'm Argentinean, but I'm a nice guy.”

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With that introductory statement on the Globo broadcast of “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 2,” Santiago Ponzinibbio, the only non-Brazilian on the season, was able to win over the audience and make them forget about the country’s longstanding soccer rivalry with Argentina. Always smiling and speaking Portuguese with a strong Spanish accent, Ponzinibbio went on to be one of the most popular fighters on the season.

Ponzinibbio won all his fights on the show but was unable to fight in the finale due to an arm injury. Once he recovered, Ponzinibbio signed with the UFC and relocated to Florida to train at American Top Team. He authored a seven-bout winning streak between 2015 and 2018 to establish himself as a serious contender at 170 pounds, but a bacterial infection put him on the shelf for more than two years.

Ponzinibbio returned to the Octagon in 2021, losing two of his three bouts, including a competitive s…