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This rematch comes with much higher stakes 🏆@Usman84KG vs @Leon_EdwardsMMA

[ #UFC278 | Aug 20 | @VivintArena | @StateOfSport 🔗 https://t.co/MZCFJcbyqL ] pic.twitter.com/9JYMQUVM4F

— UFC (@ufc) June 12, 2022

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Kamaru Usman will look to defend his Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title on Aug. 20 in the headlining bout of UFC 278 against Leon Edwards.

Usman (20-1) will aim for not only his sixth consecutive title defense, but also secure his 20th straight victory inside the cage. “The Nigerian Nightmare” has been a dominant champion and holds big wins over the likes of Jorge Masvidal (twice), Gilbert Burns and two against arch rival Colby Covington.

Looking to upend Usman’s magnificent run is Edwards (19-3, 1 NC), a man who is on a similar hot streak, having won his last 10 battles. Edwards, the No. 2 ranked welterweight in the UFC, hasn’t lost since late 2015; the man who beat him was none other than w…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58Mn1hUVRd4&w=640&h=360] The Ultimate Fighting Championship's latest pay-per-view offering is set as all UFC 275 participants successfully made weight in Singapore.

The card is headlined by two title fights with Glover Teixeira's first light heavyweight title defense against Jiri Prochazka getting top billing. In the co-main event, UFC flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko will look to put away another challenger in the 19-1 Taila Santos. A pound-for-pound talent, Shevchenko (22-3) enters on an eight-fight win streak.

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On a surprising career-best run at 42, Teixeira (33-7) most recently submitted Jan Blachowicz to claim the title. The Brazilian is on a six-fight win streak that has seen him make comebacks in several of the bouts after being in danger, further proving his veteran savvy and toughness. Teixeira will look to prove his recent success isn't a fluke by defending his championship. The champion official…

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When opportunity presented itself, Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight Alexandre Pantoja ensured his greatest chance for success possible.

Brazil’s Pantoja (24-5) signed up for a match at the end of July against former title challenger Alex Perez (24-6) at UFC 277, fully recovered from his knee injury that forced him out of a championship fight at the beginning of 2022. Pantoja was slated to rematch Brandon Moreno, a foe he has topped twice before, once in 2018 in the UFC and earlier in 2016 on their season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Following its announcement and confirmation by the fighters, Pantoja spoke to Sherdog about the matchup.

“I just signed the contract, now I can talk about,” Pantoja said coyly.

As Pantoja is a top-ranked flyweight, the UFC wanted him to step him and replace Askar Askarov on the July 16 event to retain a pivotal match on that Fight Night lineup. His manage…

Jordan Bailey gets the tap early in our main event! #CW139 pic.twitter.com/NxgDa3Pwo5

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) June 11, 2022 Sign up for ESPN+ and order UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka

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Jordan Bailey and his magnificent mullet made the most of his short-notice Cage Warriors Fighting Championship main event in San Diego.

The CW 139 headlining bout on Friday that saw Bailey taking on Bellator MMA alum Alex Trinidad concluded in a mere 42 seconds. Trinidad (5-4, 0-2 CW) showcased a well-executed uchi mata throw straight away, but Bailey (7-5, 1-1 CW) jumped back to his feet within seconds. “The Ice Cream Man” pushed his adversary against the fence before shooting for a single-leg takedown. In doing so, he exposed his neck to Bailey’s guillotine choke attempt, which became tighter and tighter as the two fighters went down to the canvas. When Bailey’s squeeze became too much to handle, Trinidad couldn’t help but tap, only …

Muin Gafurov only needs one.

The Dana White’s Contender Series alum made a successful Legacy Fighting Alliance debut, as he blew away Herbeth Reis de Sousa with punches in the second round of their LFA 134 headliner on Friday at the Bell County Expo Center in Belton, Texas. Reis de Sousa (15-2, 0-1 LFA) met his end 1:56 into Round 2.

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Gafurov (17-4, 1-0 LFA) stayed calm under duress. Reis de Sousa was dogged in his pursuit of takedowns but more often than not came away empty-handed. Gafurov decked the Constrictor Team representative with a right hook late in the first round, pounced with follow-up punches and advanced to the back before time expired. The Kaizen MMA product reversed position out of a Reis de Sousa takedown in the middle stanza, returned to his feet, floated into open space and uncorked a devastating overhand right. The Brazilian crashed to the canvas and did what he could to defend himself with Gafurov in hot pursuit. However, a few …

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A permanent relocation up to bantamweight might be in the cards for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Rogerio Bontorin.

Ahead of the early weigh-ins for UFC 275 on Friday, Bontorin was set to hit the scales for his flyweight clash against Manel Kape. Before it took place, Eurosport NL reported that Bontorin was hospitalized that morning for what was at the time undisclosed issues. Combate subsequently broke the story that Bontorin was sent to the hospital due to kidney pain, when he was about 130 pounds and trying to cut the remaining four. The UFC has confirmed Bontorin’s withdrawal due to “issues with weight management,” and the lineup shifted to slot the welterweight scrap between Andre Fialho and Jake Matthews up to the main card.

On his Instagram, Kape wrote of the fight cancelation while still in good spirits, and wished his opponent a swift recovery.

“So in the easiest way,…

👀 These guys are 𝙥𝙪𝙢𝙥𝙚𝙙! #CW139 pic.twitter.com/i5hBFMDpXG

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) June 9, 2022 Sign up for ESPN+ and order UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka

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The two men assuming the unexpected headlining role at the upcoming Cage Warriors Fighting Championship card had no issue making things official.

At the beginning of the week, the CW 139 headliner was set to be a 155-pound affair between Erick Sanchez and Max Rohskopf. As Sanchez withdrew due to Covid-19 on Tuesday, Jordan Bailey vs. Alex Trinidad also at lightweight has been promoted to the top billing on the marquee. Bailey (6-5, 0-1 CW) is currently looking to get back in the win column following back-to-back defeats. The MMA Gold Fight Team standout is 1-4 in his last five assignments, but he professionally hit the scales at 155.3 pounds.

Bellator MMA alum Trinidad (5-3, 0-1 CW) is pursuing his first promotional victory after tapping to a Brandon Laroco…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A-kEN-9Ksw&w=560&h=315] Sign up for ESPN+ and order UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka

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A two-division Ultimate Fighting Championship threat has decided on his proper weight class after wins in both categories.

After two impressive wins in different weight divisions of light heavyweight and heavyweight, against Danilo Marques and Parker Porter, respectively, Jailton Almeida (16-2) has decided his path. “Malhadinho” will be remaining at the highest weight category, and his next matchup comes on Sept. 10 in Las Vegas against Shamil Abdurakhimov (20-7). A win would propel the Brazilian into the top 15, and Almeida spoke to Sherdog about his upcoming fight on Wednesday.

“I talked to my manager and we decided to stay in heavyweight,” Almeida explained, “a division where I don't need to lose weight and have the advantage of being faster than most of my opponents.”

Almeida’s last appearance came as he weighed in at a s…

** Huge Announcement ** Michael 'Venom' Page will be facing Mike Perry in the main event at #BKFC27 on Aug 20th! https://t.co/HLL6nJaKgl▶️Pre-Sale Ticket Signup: https://t.co/B9CKDdozj8 pic.twitter.com/XKrkrfAWVE

— Bare Knuckle FC (@bareknucklefc) June 9, 2022 Sign up for ESPN+ and order UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka

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Editor's note: The article has been updated at 4:45 p.m. ET on June 9 to add a statement from the promoter.

It appears Michael Page is taking his recent loss in Bellator MMA for the title a little harder than anyone expected.

On Thursday, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship announced the main event of its jaunt to London on Aug. 20. The fight card at the OVO Arena Wembley will be capped off by a middleweight (175 pounds) tilt between Page and Mike Perry. Both men longtime MMA veterans, this match will be contested under bare-knuckle boxing rules over five rounds, each two minutes in length. Per MMA Junki…

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Unlucky Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight Alex Perez has had more matches canceled than competed in his UFC tenure.

In November 2020, Perez (24-6) became the first fighter off Dana White's Contender Series to earn a title shot, facing Deiveson Figueiredo atop UFC 255. Perez fell short by first-round submission, and due to a series of unfortunate events, he has not competed since that night. Perez has been booked against Matt Schnell and Askar Askarov numerous times, only for the fights to fall through repeatedly. His latest tilt against Askarov, once scheduled for July 16, is now off, according to Ag. Fight on Wednesday night.

The promotion has adjusted accordingly, bumping Perez to UFC 277 in Dallas on July 30. Instead of Askarov, Perez will square off against Alexandre Pantoja (24-3) in a de facto title eliminator as well as a replacement option should the interim title tilt of…

BREAKING: @InvictaFights Heads to Denver on July 20 with Bantamweight Title Clash #InvictaFC48 https://t.co/Q5DlKYTdSQ

— Invicta FC (@InvictaFights) June 9, 2022 Sign up for ESPN+ and order UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka

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Invicta Fighting Championships will be leaving the Kansas City region for the first time since 2018 this July.

The organization sent out a press release on Thursday announcing its next event, titled Invicta FC 48, which will take place on July 20. Rather than the Memorial Hall or Police Athletic League in Kansas City, Kansas, Invicta will be posting up in Denver at Reelworks Denver. As it will be held in Colorado, open scoring will be in effect. Capping off the fight card will be a bantamweight championship affair between defending champ Taneisha Tennant (4-1) and ex-Bellator MMA fighter Olga Rubin (7-2). The promotion will also be returning to the AXS TV airwaves, rather than airing on YouTube.

Ten…

Credit: Richard Burmaster/Legacy Fighting Alliance Credit: Richard Burmaster/Legacy Fighting Alliance Credit: Richard Burmaster/Legacy Fighting Alliance Credit: Richard Burmaster/Legacy Fighting Alliance

Former UFC heavyweight Juan Adams could potentially get his shot in Professional Fighters League later this month.

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Adams announced via Facebook that he has signed with the promotion as an alternate and will weigh in ahead of the PFL 5 event on June 24. PFL 5 takes place at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta and features primarily heavyweight and featherweight competitors in the second regular season event for both weight classes.

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“Just signed the contract for [PFL]. I will be an alternate, meaning that if anyone can’t fight for whatever reason i get my shot,” Adams wrote. “I weigh in June 23 either way in Atlanta. My sponsors are set and i just want to thank all of them, as well as my fans for staying …

Even though he is in the midst of a later-career resurgence with a six-bout winning streak, light heavyweight champ Glover Teixeira is an underdog against Jiri Prochazka in the UFC 275 main event.

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Whether that’s betting odds or a recent poll on the Sherdog website, the MMA world seems to expect Prochazka to emerge from Saturday’s fight with the light heavyweight belt in tow. Some 19 months after facing the champion in a UFC on ESPN 17 headliner that featured knockdowns from both fighters before Teixeira emerged with a submission win in Round 3, Thiago Santos envisions a similar ending at UFC 275.

"Styles make fights. If Prochazka keeps fighting the same way he has been, always walking forward, he will fit perfectly into Glover´s gameplan,” Santos told Sherdog.com. “[He] will use that to take him down and, believe me, once he is on the top it is very hard to remove him from there. Jiri´s best chance in that fight would be to move laterall…

Two of KSW's most battle-tested fighters square-off in the main event!

Lightweight champ Marian Ziółkowski defends his title against Sebastian Rajewski at #KSW71!

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June 18 | @eBiletPL | @viaplaysportpl pic.twitter.com/FxWS5WmUtL — KSW (@KSW_MMA) June 3, 2022

A lightweight championship clash pitting reigning title holder Marian Ziolkowski against Sebastian Rajewski will serve as the headliner for KSW 71.

The Polish promotion recently announced the booking. KSW 71 takes place on June 18 in Torun, Poland, and will also see former heavyweight champ Marcin Rozalski return from a five-year absence to face kickboxing standout Errol Zimmerman in the co-main event. Rozalski vs. Zimmerman will be contested under K-1 rules while using MMA gloves. KSW 71 is available on pay-per-view via KSWTV.com.

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Ziolkowski claimed the vacant lightweight strap with a fourth-round technical knocko…

Jiri Prochazka will enter the UFC 275 main event with a 12-fight winning streak that includes 11 victories by knockout or technical knockout.

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Since only two of those triumphs — Dominick Reyes and Volkan Oezdemir — have come within the Las Vegas-based promotion, reigning light heayvweight champion Glover Teixeira is not especially impressed with the achievement. When Teixeira initially challenged for 205-pound gold, he took a 20-bout professional winning streak into his matchup with Jon Jones at UFC 172. He would go on to lose a clear-cut unanimous decision to “Bones,” and it would be more than seven years before he reached the top of the mountain in the division.

“It’s different … It’s very hard to do in the UFC. When I fought Jon Jones I was coming off a [long winning streak] — something like that too. With many knockouts," Teixeira said at UFC 275 media day (video via MMAjunkie.com). "It’s not in UFC. It’s hard to do in UFC. That doesn’t mean muc…

On the most basic level, the UFC 275 headliner seems to boil down to the classic striker vs. grappler matchup.

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Reigning champion Glover Teixeira claimed the light heavyweight strap with a rear-naked choke victory against Jan Blachowicz at UFC 267, and prevailing logic suggests that the ground game is his best path to victory against Jiri Prochazka, a former Rizin title holder with 25 career knockout or technical knockout victories to his credit. Prochazka himself is well aware of Teixeira’s abilities and he’s spent a significant period shoring up his weaknesses in preparation for their championship clash.

“That started in the beginning of this year, preparation to be better in wrestling and jiu-jitsu,” Prochazka said at UFC 275 media day (video via MMAjunkie.com) “How to react, to change my the nature of my reaction to include wrestling in my standup style. I think that was the hardest thing I had to accept. After some time, I found some keys to h…

Once again, Valentina Shevchenko will enter her latest title defense as a considerable favorite.

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Shevchenko, who has long been regarded as one of the top female pound-for-pound talents in the sport, will defend the 125-pound belt against Taila Santos in the UFC 275 co-main event at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore, on Saturday night. “Bullet” has authored six consecutive title defenses — all in dominant fashion — but Santos stated that she has found some holes in the champion’s game leading up to their clash.

Shevchenko has heard it all before.

“I think it’s kind of hypnotizing herself, trying to convince there is something there should be,” Shevchenko told reporters at UFC 275 media day (video via MMAjunkie.com). “Like everyone is not perfect. Definitely not everyone is perfect, but all my opponents, they were saying the same – the same over and over.

“It’s like, ‘No one is unbeatable. She has some holes in her game.’ But once …

The increasingly frequent variation between judges’ scorecards in individual rounds has been a hot topic for debate in mixed martial arts.

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Nova Uniao coach Andre Pederneiras and prominent manager Alex Davis have both recently voiced their support for open scoring. Meanwhile, Joe Rogan weighed in on judging criteria as well, telling Aljamain Sterling on his podcast that he “definitely” won his rematch against Petr Yan. (For the record, Sterling did win a contentious split decision at UFC 273.)

Meanwhile, Brazilian judge Guilherme Bravo, author of the book “In the Judges’ Hands” and recognized by “Big” John McCarthy as one of the best in the business, not only agreed with Rogan but also emphasized the importance of normalizing 10-10 and 10-8 scorecards.

“The 10 point system is perfect, I dont see any need to change rules. The problem is not the rules system. The scores 10-10 and 10-8 are in the rules and must be used more,” Bravo told Sherdog.com…

It appears that the winner of the Weili Zhang-Joanna Jedrzejczyk rematch will be the next No. 1 contender in the UFC strawweight division.

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UFC president Dana White said in an interview with MMA Underground that the winner of the UFC 275 bout will receive a title shot against recently-crowned champion Carla Esparza.

“This would definitely be that whoever wins this will definitely fight Esparza for the title,” White said.

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Zhang and Jedrzejczyk initially squared off at at UFC 248 in March 2020. Zhang retained the 115-pound belt in a memorable split-decision triumph that was selected as Sherdog.com's “Fight of the Year.” Zhang would go on to lose the belt in a first-round knockout loss to Rose Namajunas at UFC 261 before dropping a split verdict to Namajunas in a rematch at UFC 268. Jedrzejczyk, who defended the bel five times before relinquishing it to Namajunas in 2017, hasn’t fought since the loss to Zha…

One familiar face will be absent from the UFC 275 pay-per-view broadcast this Saturday.

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Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping will step in for Joe Rogan as one of the color commentators at the event. Bisping will join fellow ex-champ Daniel Cormier and play-by-play man Jon Anik on the broadcast.

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Rogan typically doesn’t work the UFC’s international events due to a busy schedule that includes his podcast and stand-up comedy tour dates. MMAjunkie.com was first to report Rogan’s absence from the event.

UFC 275 takes place at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore and is headlined by a light heavyweight championship tilt between Glover Teixeira and Jiri Prochazka. In the co-main event, Valentina Shevchenko defends her flyweight crown against Taila Santos. The main card is available on pay-per-view via ESPN+ beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on ESPN2 and ESPN+ a…

While fans are waiting for a trilogy bout between Patricio Freire and A.J. McKee, it’s possible that featherweight contender Adam Borics may receive the next title shot against the Brazilian champion.

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Borics is coming off a five-round decision win against Mads Burnell at Bellator 276 in a bout that was billed as a featherweight title eliminator by the California-based promotion. Freire’s karate coach, Mano Santana, believes a fresh face might be the next logical step for “Pitbull.”

“Patricio has cleaned out the division. It would make all the sense if Bellator gives the opportunity to Borics,” Santana told Sherdog.com.

CATCH EVERY MOMENT OF UFC 275 ON ESPN+ According to Santana, who also works with Lyoto Machida and Rodolfo Vieira, a potential change in plans could be attributed to the attitude of McKee.

"First A.J. denied [interest in] the trilogy, saying he was going up [a weight class]. Later, he changed his mind,” Santana said. “In my exp…

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

Brian Kelleher will lock horns with Mario Bautista in a bantamweight clash at UFC on ESPN 38.

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Bautista’s management, Iridium Sports Agency, first brought word of the bout. UFC on ESPN 38 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on June 25 and is headlined by a lightweight tilt pitting Mateusz Gamrot against Arman Tsarukyan.

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Kelleher is 1-1 thus far in 2022. After outpointing Kevin Croom at UFC on ESPN 32 on Jan. 15, “Boom” was submitted in the opening round by Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 272 on March 5. The New Yorker is 8-6 during his tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion after stints with Riong of Combat, Cage Fury Fighting Championships and Bellator MMA.

Bautista enters the matchup having won three of his last four Octagon appearances. Most recently, the 28-year-old MMA Lab representative earned a unanimous decision over Jay Perrin at UF…

A bantamweight showdown pitting Marlon Vera against Dominick Cruz is in the works to headline an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Aug. 13.

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ESPN Deportes was first to report that both parties have verbally agreed to the five-round bout. The UFC Fight Night event is likely to be held at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and will also see Alexa Grasso square off against Viviane Araujo in the evening’s co-main event.

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This will be Vera’s second consecutive headlining engagement after he took a five-round verdict over Rob Font at UFC on ESPN 35 on April 30. “Chito” has been victorious in four of his last five Octagon appearances, with other wins coming against the likes of Frankie Edgar, Davey Grant and Sean O’Malley.

Cruz, a former 135-pound champion, is coming off a 2-0 2021. The Alliance MMA standout garnered a split verdict over Casey Kenney at UFC 259 before defeating Pedro Munhoz via unanimous de…

Greg Hardy is the latest mixed martial artist to try his hand at the Sweet Science.

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Hardy is expected to make his professional boxing debut under the Black Sheep Boxing banner on Oct. 8 in Delray Beach, Fla. An opponent was not announced.

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“When you got the dream locked in your sights and all you gotta do is pull the trigger,” Hardy captioned an Instagram post in which he is wearing boxing gloves.

A former NFL Pro Bowl defensive lineman, Hardy made his way to the UFC after a pair of victories on Dana White’s Contender Series. “The Prince of War” trained out of American Top Team and went 4-5 with one no contest during his tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion. Hardy parted ways with the UFC in March after his contract was not renewed.