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Cain Velasquez Enters Plea of No Contest for Attempted Murder, Gun Charges

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship great Cain Velasquez has entered a plea that should keep him out of prison for life.

The Santa Clara District Attorney’s office released a statement on Friday announcing that Velasquez has pleased no contest for his charges of attempted murder, felony assault and additional gun charges. Due to this, he will not need to go to trial that was scheduled for Sept. 9, in front of a jury. His sentencing hearing is set for Oct. 18, according to the East Bay Times.

In 2022, Velasquez fired a handgun at a truck holding multiple people including a man Velasquez accused of molesting his son. Velasquez, who himself was driving while chasing after the other vehicle, fired several shots from his .40 pistol that struck another individual. During the excursion, the former UFC fighter shot at the man accused of molestation near a school, and was apprehended by police in Morgan Hill, California, shortly thereafter.

“This defend…

UFC Books Thompson vs. Buckley, Slots Dolidze in Against Holland at UFC 307

Pereira vs Rountree! #UFC307 from the @deltacenter, Utah on October 5th!@StateofSport pic.twitter.com/EJJcjJgUMf

— danawhite (@danawhite) August 16, 2024 The Ultimate Fighting Championship is making sure that its big October show will be one to remember.

On Friday, the UFC announced a slew of matchups for its UFC 307 show on Oct. 5. While it also revealed its main and co-headlining attractions for the evening at Salt Lake City’s Delta Center, a few additional fights worthy of headlining their own Fight Nights were set for this card. It is currently unclear the card placement of the bouts, but Roman Dolidze (13-3, 1 NC) will step in to replace Chris Curtis against Kevin Holland (26-11, 1 NC) at middleweight, and welterweights Stephen Thompson (17-7-1) and Joaquin Buckley (19-6) will throw down.

In June, Georgia’s Dolidze stepped up on short notice to replace Carlos Ulberg in a round robin affair of changed matches to u…

Pereira-Rountree, Pennington-Pena Locked as Headliners for UFC 307 on Oct. 5

Utah, we're back for #UFC307 in a BIG way 🏆@AlexPereiraUFC vs @KhalilRountree@RockyPMMA vs @VenezuelanVixen@StateOfSport | #StateOfSport | @DeltaCenter | #DeltaCenter pic.twitter.com/HjFbqbxtTx

— UFC (@ufc) August 16, 2024 Alex Pereira is the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s most reliable champion these days.

Last week, the promotion officially confirmed that UFC 307 would be held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Oct. 5. A number of bouts were set in stone at that time, including Kayla Harrison vs. Ketlen Vieira at 135 pounds. The organization announced on Friday the main card lineup, including two championship affairs that would sit atop the billing. In the co-main attraction, Raquel Pennington (16-8) will be putting her 135-pound throne up for grabs against ex-champ Julianna Pena (11-5). The headliner will see Pereira (11-2) defend his light heavyweight crown against Khalil Rountree (13-5, 1 NC).

“Poatan” …

Chris Curtis Announces Fractured Foot, Withdrawal From UFC 307

A little over two weeks after the matchup came together, a scintillating Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight tilt is on ice.

At the end of July, the promotion booked Chris Curtis (31-11, 1 NC) against Kevin Holland (26-11, 1 NC) for the UFC 307 card on Oct. 5. Due to a foot injury revealed by “The Action Man” on Wednesday, Curtis has been forced out of the matchup. Curtis sustained the injury during sparring, fracturing his foot and also suffering a Lisfranc injury where small ligaments were torn or damaged. As a result, Curtis will be on the shelf for a few months, and he hopes to return to action in December. The UFC has not yet announced a replacement opponent for Holland.

"I'm fine, guys," Curtis wrote. "Bit of a fracture in my left foot, caught [Caio Borralho] on the knee, at the very end of the last round of sparring. The bigger problem is I have something called a Lisfranc injury as well, which means I'm not even supposed to be walking…

Adesanya on UFC’s Treatment of Ngannou: ‘You Can Never Erase History’

The first rule of UFC Fight Club: don’t mention Francis Ngannou’s name…

Here’s a look at the clip from the UFC 305 Countdown episode versus what Adesanya actually said at the UFC 305 Pre-Sale Press Conference.

It’s no surprise, but the UFC’s attempt to erase Ngannou from its… pic.twitter.com/PZpA7UAtSe — AFeldmanMMA (@afeldMMA) August 13, 2024 Former Ultimate Fighting Championship champ Israel Adesanya is not pleased by how his company is handling Francis Ngannou’s legacy.UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now! At UFC 305 media day on Wednesday, Adesanya spoke up on the UFC seemingly erasing mentions of Ngannou on its broadcasts and postings. This was partially in response to AFeldmanMMA, who posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, a side-by-side video comparison on Tuesday, showing that the promotion had edited out Adesanya invoking the name of Ngannou when talking about legacy for Afri…

PFL 8 Weigh-in Results: Light Heavyweight & Lightweight Semifinals Set

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The Professional Fighters League returns with an 11-fight card featuring four semifinal fights.

Headlining the card is a light heavyweight fight between Impa Kasanganay and Joshua Silveira. Both men have proved to be finishers, so it should end the night with some excitement. The winner of Kasanganay (17-4) and Silveira (13-3) will face whoever emerges victorious between Rob Wilkinson and Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov in the co-main event. All four men successfully made weight, as did every competitor on the card except for pro debutant Brian Stapleton. Stapleton exceeded the lightweight limit by 4.5 pounds, receiving an undisclosed fine prior to his match with Biaggio Ali Walsh.

The lightweight semifinalists had no issue on the scales on Thursday. Brent Primus will face off against Clay Collard in what will be a fan-friendly striking matchup. Meanwhile, Gadzhi Rabadanov, who is undefeated within the PFL, will look to go up against …

UFC Returns to Macau in November

The Octagon is headed BACK to Macau 🚨#UFCMacau is locked in for Nov 23 at Macau Galaxy Arena!

Learn more 👉 https://t.co/Em93FXMmKe pic.twitter.com/YvVTcEcEdw

— UFC (@ufc) August 15, 2024 After over 10 years away, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will be heading back to the “Las Vegas of the East.”

Per the organization on Wednesday night, a UFC Fight Night event on Nov. 23 is planned for the Galaxy Arena in Macau, China. This non-pay-per-view offering will serve as the organization’s first trip to the special administrative region in China since UFC Fight Night 48 in 2014. While that last event was held in the Cotai Arena, the promotion has upgraded to the Galaxy Arena, which serves as Macau’s largest indoor arena sporting 16,000 seats. No fights have been announced as of yet.

Once in 2012 and twice in 2014, the company traveled to Macau to stage an event. Cung Le sparked Rich Franklin in the inaugural Macau show, which also was …

Blanchfield vs. Namajunas, Lewis vs. Romanov Set for UFC Edmonton on Nov. 2

THE RETURN TO THE NORTH! 🇨🇦

We’re back in Canada with #UFCEdmonton Saturday November 2nd!

[ Tickets On Sale Sept. 20th | Register your interest at https://t.co/AeOlqnw9GM ] pic.twitter.com/IJneFSivIB — UFC (@ufc) August 15, 2024

A women’s flyweight clash pitting Erin Blanchfield against Rose Namajunas will serve as the main event for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return to Edmonton on Nov. 2.

UFC CEO Dana White initially confirmed the news to Sportsnet on Wednesday night. In the co-main event, Derrick Lewis will square off against Alexander Romanov at heavyweight. The UFC Fight Night event will be held at Rogers Place and will also include the following four bouts: Ariane da Silva vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius; Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Dustin Stoltzfus; Jamey-Lyn Horth vs. Ivana Petrovic and Chad Anheliger vs. Cody Gibson.

GET READY EDMONTON! 🗣️

In an interview with @aaronbronsteter,…

Strikeforce Veteran Lumumba Sayers Arrested for Murder in Alleged Revenge Killing

Former Strikeforce competitor Lumumba Sayers has been arrested after allegedly killing a man to avenge the death of his son, according to a report from Denver7.

According to an arrest affadavit obtained by the network, Sayers was arrested on Saturday after he allegedly approached a man and shot him in the head at a child’s birthday party at Pioneer Park in Commerce City, Colorado. The victim was identified as Malcolm Watson, who was believed to have been a friend of the man accused of killing Sayers’ son last year. According to witness accounts, Sayers allegedly walked back to the man’s body and attempted to shoot him again, but the gun “jammed.” Witnesses also claimed that Sayers removed a set of keys from Watson’s pocket and attempted to plant a gun near his body.

Tyrell Braxton was arrested in connection with the death of Sayers’ son, but the murder case has since been dismissed, according to the report. The exact nature of the relationship betw…

Training in Dubai Helped Tai Tuivasa Become ‘Absolutely Focused’ for UFC 305

Tai Tuivasa hit a low point when he dropped his fourth consecutive UFC bout earlier this year.

After a first-round submission loss to Marcin Tybura at UFC Fight Night 239 on March 16, Tuivasa told Fox Sports Australia that he exited the UFC Apex almost immediately, walking barefoot in Las Vegas while still wearing his fight gear.

“I was so angry,” Tuivasa said. “And my head, it was everywhere. I just kept saying to myself, ‘How s—t is this…how s—t is it to be a loser?’”

The 31-year-old Tuivasa quickly became a fan favorite in the promotion thanks to his affable nature, penchant for knockouts and post-fight shoey celebrations. “Bam Bam” had endured a three-fight losing streak earlier in his UFC tenure, but he rebounded with a five-fight tear that culminated with a brutal elbow finish of knockout king Derrick Lewis at UFC 271 in February 2022.

Since then, however, Tuivasa has fallen on hard times, suffering losses to Tybura, Alexander Volkov, …

Dana White: UFC Will Hold Event in South Africa if Du Plessis Defeats Adesanya

Dricus Du Plessis could help bring an Ultimate Fighting Championship event to his home country if he successfully defends his middleweight title on Saturday night.

The South Africa native will face Israel Adesanya in the UFC 305 main event at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Tension for the championship bout initially began to build last summer, when Du Plessis and Adesanya had a heated face-off in the Octagon at UFC 290. While it took some time for their grudge match to materialize, the stakes remain high heading into the bout.

“You have one of these situations where, both guys, everything is on the line, especially because they dislike each other so much,” UFC CEO Dana White said at the post-fight press conference for the Contender Series on Tuesday night. “And if [Du Plessus] can beat Izzy and bring that belt back to South Africa, obviously we’ll do an event there. And if Izzy can retain and win the title, it’s huge for him and his legacy — …

Caio Borralho Reveals Sean Strickland’s Advice for Him Going into Jared Cannonier Fight

Caio Borralho has received some valuable advice from Sean Strickland heading into the first Ultimate Fighting Championship main event of his career.

Borralho will headline UFC on ESPN 62 opposite veteran middleweight contender Jared Cannonier on Aug. 24 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Originally a part of The Fighting Nerds team in Brazil, Borralho is training at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas for his upcoming bout.

Borralho has the added guidance of one of the biggest names in the gym, Strickland, who has previously faced Cannonier. Strickland suffered a razor-thin split decision loss against “The Killa Gorilla” in a UFC Fight Night headliner in December 2022.

Drawing from that loss, Strickland has advised Borralho to put together a corner who can scream loud. Strickland seemingly believes that while he landed the more effective punches on Cannonier, it was the consistent applause from his opponent’s corner that swayed the judges scorecards. Read more about Caio Borralho Reveals Sean Strickland’s Advice for Him Going into Jared Cannonier Fight

Undefeated UFC 305 Debutant Stewart Nicoll Recalls Tumultuous Childhood

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UFC 305 debutant Stewart Nicoll recently revisited his childhood growing up in the Solomon Islands, which was then embroiled in turmoil.

The Solomon Islands were in political and ethnic chaos in the late 90s, leading to a coup d'état in 2000 and subsequent years of violence involving rape, murder, torture and abductions. While Nicoll’s family was caught right in the middle of it, the undefeated flyweight, who makes his UFC debut this weekend, doesn’t remember much of the trauma. What he vividly remembers is an image of his father sailing away in a dugout canoe from a beachfront in the Solomons, unsure whether he’d return.

“Because my memory, it isn’t that great. I’m forgetting things all the time,” Nicoll told Fox Sports Australia. “But that image of dad leaving? Man, it’s seared onto my brain. As if it happened yesterday. Like maybe I was asleep for the other stuff.”

The reason Nicoll’s father went away was because dangerous…

Usman Nurmagomedov: Khabib’s Presence in Camp Is ‘Gift From God’

Usman Nurmagomedov is more than grateful for the guidance of his cousin, Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Usman looks to defend his lightweight title against Alexandr Shabliy in the main event at Bellator Champions Series on Sept. 7 at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California. While Khabib had taken a short hiatus from all things MMA last year, “The Eagle” has recently taken a more active role in helping his teammates and relatives from Dagestan, including the likes of Umar Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev.

Khabib is also helping the undefeated Bellator lightweight champ for his upcoming title defense and will be cornering him as well. Usman says the training environment is just different in Khabib’s presence. According to Usman, Khabib’s knowledge of the sport is second to none and it is a divine gift to have the UFC Hall of Famer by his side.

“For us, this is gift from God,” Usman said during a recent Bellator media call. “People like Khabib, this …

Dana White: Sean Strickland ‘Deserves’ to Fight Du Plessis-Adesanya Winner

BREAKING: Dana White confirms that Sean Strickland will fight the winner of Du Plessis vs. Adesanya fight

(Via @jimrome) pic.twitter.com/htxyio6dL2

— Cageside Access (@CagesideAccess) August 13, 2024

Dana White has provided some clarity to the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title picture — at least for now.

Dricus Du Plessis will put his middleweight strap on the line against former champ Israel Adesanya in the main event at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, on Saturday. A few candidates appear to have a legitimate claim to the next title shot once that fight has concluded.

One potential contender would be the winner of a bout between Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev scheduled for UFC 308 in October. However, No.1 ranked contender Sean Strickland remains adamant on fighting for the title next, even turning down a potential matchup against Whittaker if “Bobby Knuckles” defeats Chimaev. During an appearan…

Lone’er Kavanagh, Three Others Join UFC on Week 1 of Dana White’s Contender Series

Lone’er Kavanagh knows how to make an entrance.

The Great Britan Top Team prospect was one of four hopefuls to nail down an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract during Week 1 of Dana White’s Contender Series, as he punched out An Tuan Ho in the first round of their flyweight showcase on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Kavanagh (7-0, 1-0 DWCS) froze the MMA Lab export with a wicked left hook 2:35 into Round 1.

A brief feeling-out process gave way to a series of leg kicks and a few standup exchanges between the two men. Kavanagh stepped into a lightning bolt of a lunging left hook midway through the first round, connected with surgical precision and separated his previously unbeaten counterpart from his senses. Ho (6-1, 0-1 DWCS) remained prone and motionless for several tense moments before exiting the cage.

Featherweight Jose Delgado, middleweight Mansur Abdul-Malik and light heavyweight Bruno Lopes are set to join Kavanagh on the UFC r…

Dana White’s Contender Series 2024 Week 1 Play-by-Play and Results

Sherdog's live DWCS 2024 Week 1 coverage will begin Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET. Round 1 Herb Dean will get the assignment for the first bout of the eighth season of Contender Series, and it’s a matchup of undefeated flyweights that may both be UFC ready. Kavanagh absorbs a leg kick from Ho, who misfires on a head kick. Kavanagh counters an inside leg kick, and the Englishman follows up with a front kick to the body. Ho cracks his man with a straight right and absorbs a calf kick in return. It’s been a kick heavy approach early — especially for Kavanagh — but both men are still trying to make reads on their opponent. And then just like that, Kavanagh lands a front kick and then leaps in with a left hook that detonates on Ho’s chin. The MMA Lab product collapses in a heap on the canvas, so there’s no need for any follow-up blows. Meanwhile, Kavanagh punctuates his victory with a superhero back flip in the Octagon. Ho stays down for a couple minutes until he is helped to his feet. T…

Kai Kara-France: UFC 305 Fight with Steve Erceg ‘Can’t Not Be Fireworks’

The last time Kai Kara-France was in the Octagon, he ended up on the wrong end of a split decision against Amir Albazi.

While that June 2023 bout could have easily gone in favor of Kara-France, the 31-year-old Kiwi hasn’t dwelled on the defeat.

“The difference is I haven’t [let] the weight of that decision define me. People will see the loss next to my name. I guess you’ve got to take the positives and negatives from the performance and see how you can get better,” Kara-France said in an interview with UFC.com. “That’s the fight game. You can’t really hold on to things. You’ve just got to let it go, adapt and keep moving forward. I’m sure me and Amir will cross paths in the future, but I’ve got a fight in front of me so that’s all I’m putting my energy into.”

The fight that currently has Kara-France’s attention is a UFC 305 co-main event matchup with Steve Erceg on Saturday at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Erceg, a native of Australia, is comi…

Joilton Lutterbach Released from UFC, Suspended 2 Years After Positive Steroid Test

Joilton Lutterbach’s Ultimate Fighting Championship tenure has ended before he was able to set foot into the Octagon.

On Tuesday, Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) announced that Lutterbach tested positive for a metabolite of the anabolic steroid drostanolone in an out-of-competition sample collected on June 8. That test occurred two weeks before Lutterbach was scheduled to face Sharabutdin Magomedov at UFC on ABC 6 in Saudi Arabia.

Lutterbach was notified of his positive test on June 20 at the fighter hotel in Saudi Arabia, where he admitted use of the banned substance. Because he did not declare the use of drostanolone before being tested, he received a two-year suspension from CSAD. Additionally, the UFC has terminated his contract with the promotion. Lutterbach will be eligible to return to active competition on June 23, 2026.

“I actually used juice [three] months ago and had no idea I would sign with the UFC,” Lutterbach wrote on Instag…

Reports: Paul Hughes vs. A.J. McKee Expected for PFL Pay-Per-View on Oct. 19

Highly-touted prospect Paul Hughes will be taking a significant step up in competition for his next fight.

A lightweight clash pitting Hughes against A.J. McKee has been targeted for Professional Fighters League’s upcoming pay-per-view event on Oct. 19. MagicM MMABets first brought word of the pairing on social media, and it was later confirmed by MMAFighting.com. The promotion has yet to formally announce the bout.

The PFL Super Fights Event, entitled "Battle of the Giants: Brace for Impact,"is headlined by a heavyweight tilt between Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira. In the co-main event, Cristiane Justino will square off against Larissa Pacheco. The card will air on pay-per-view, likely through ESPN+.

A former Cage Warriors champion, Hughes ended a high-profile free agent period by signing with the PFL. He made his debut with Bellator – which is also owned by PFL – on June 22, when he defeated Bobby King via second-round TKO. “Big News…

Antonio Carlos Jr.-Karl Albrektsson Canceled; Carlos Jr. Remains Alternate in PFL Playoffs

Antonio Carlos Jr. won’t be fighting on Friday night as originally expected, but the Brazilian will remain an alternate for the Professional Fighters League light heavyweight playoffs.

Carlos Jr. was slated to face Karl Albrektsson at PFL 8 at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida, but the promotion recently announced that the 205-pound clash has been removed from the card. However, “Cara de Sapato” will be available to fill in should anything go awry for the four light heavyweight semfinalists.

PFL 8 features semifinal bouts at both light heavyweight and lightweight. The card is headlined by a rematch of a 2023 final, as Impa Kasanganay squares off against Joshua Silveira at 205 pounds. The main draw airs on ESPN and ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, while prelims stream via ESPN+ beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

Carlos Jr. returned from a hiatus that lasted nearly two years for the 2024 PFL season. After submitting Simon Biyong at PFL 2, the 34-year-…

Dan Hooker Praises ‘Scary’ Teammate Israel Adesanya: ‘He’s Hitting Like an Ox’

Dan Hooker claims that Israel Adesanya is physically different going into UFC 305.

Adesanya challenges Dricus Du Plessis for the middleweight title in the main event at UFC 305 on Saturday in Perth, Australia. Hooker, who is his City Kickboxing teammate, also competes on the same card against Mateusz Gamrot in matchup of lightweight contenders.

Hooker recently revealed that Adesanya has primarily been working on his strength and conditioning during his 10-month layoff, the longest of his career. And Hooker can not only see the effects of that in Adesanya’s physique but also feels them in sparring.

“So honestly, he’s hitting like an ox right now,” Hooker told Fox Sports Australia. “And hitting harder than I’ve ever seen before. He really is looking scary. In all the time off, Izzy did nothing but work with his strength and conditioning coach, lift weights, doing all of this stuff.

“There’s just a voice in the back of your head now that’s sayi…

Steve Erceg Reveals How His Father Motivated Him to Stick with MMA

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Steve Erceg’s father initially provided the motivation for one of the world’s best flyweights to not give up on mixed martial arts.

Erceg will look to get back into title contention against Kai Kara-France in the co-main event at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, on Saturday. The Australian looks to bounce back from a hard-fought title loss against Alexandre Pantoja, where he silenced his doubters who considered him undeserving of the title shot in the first place.

Erceg recently revealed that he was about to leave the sport almost as soon as he started training. Erceg was first intrigued by the sport of MMA when he saw Frank Mir submit a visibly larger Brock Lesnar at UFC 81 in 2008. The urge to figure out how Mir did what he did led Erceg to Wilkies Martial Arts at the age of 14.

While Erceg had started training with the intention of competing, he was joined by his father Matthew Erceg, who needed to lose some weight. However, …

Israel Adesanya Believes Dricus Du Plessis Won’t Be Comfortable Striking With Him

Israel Adesanya expects Dricus Du Plessis to immediately shoot for a takedown in their upcoming title fight.

Adesanya will challenge Du Plessis for the middleweight title in the main event at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, on Saturday. A well-versed mixed martial artist, Du Plessis has an almost equal number of knockouts (nine) and submissions (10) among his 19 career finishes. While he is primarily considered a wrestler, Du Plessis has proven his ability to strike at an elite level with knockout wins over the likes of Derek Brunson and Robert Whittaker in the UFC.

However, Adesanya, who is considered one of the greatest strikers in the history of the sport, doubts Du Plessis will be willing to stand with him. The former Glory Kickboxing standout believes “Stillknocks” will be looking for the takedown from the get-go, a strategy for which he is prepared. Boasting a takedown defense rate of 77%, “The Last Stylebender” recalls handling a number of top-…

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