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Glover Teixeira’s first light heavyweight title defense will come against Jiri Prochazka at UFC 274.

The championship bout was first reported by ESPN. UFC 274 takes place at an as yet to be announced location on May 7 and airs on pay-per-view via ESPN+. It is currently unclear if Teixeira vs. Prochazka will serve as the event’s headliner.

The 42-year-old Teixiera is currently in the midst of a late-career resurgence that has seen him compile a six-fight winning streak dating back to Jan. 2019. That stretch culminated in a second-round submission of Jan Blachowicz to claim light heavyweight gold in the UFC 267 headliner on Oct. 30. The Brazilian initially challenged for the belt in his sixth Octagon appearance, falling to Jon Jones via unanimous decision at UFC 172 in April 2014.

Prochazka is a former Rizin Fighting Federation champion who enters the matchup with Teixeira on a 12-bout professional winning streak. The 29-year-old Czech Republic native has kicked …

One of the greatest championship fights ever on UFC FIGHT PASS! #LFA122

(C) Charles Johnson via KO in Round 5

[ @LFAFighting | 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗔𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 | 📲 on #UFCFIGHTPASS ] pic.twitter.com/SqdE9PVYrj — UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) January 22, 2022

Charles Johnson may have fought inside the Legacy Fighting Alliance cage for the last time as he defended his flyweight title for the third time and in spectacular fashion.

Johnson improved to 11-2 as he eventually wore down challenger Carlos Mota in what is easily an early candidate for Fight of the Year. Mota (6-1) took the fight to the champ, applying insane pressure and throwing punches and kicks virtually nonstop round after round. Johnson obliged, standing both in the pocket and on the outside with pinpoint kicks, jabs and hooks. But while the two tore into each other with a torrid pace from the start, neither man landed anything hard or clean until Johnson did so in the fifth.

Read more about Charles Johnson Finishes Carlos Mota in 5th to Retain LFA Flyweight Title at LFA 122

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2mDuCbBLsg&w=560&h=315] Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos may have a fight coming up in February, but that isn’t keeping him from paying attention to current events. Dos Anjos (30-13) will be taking on Rafael Fiziev (11-1) in an all-Rafael headliner on UFC Fight Night 201 on Feb. 19. The two will square off inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and he had plenty of thoughts on that upcoming matchup. Before his fight card, however, will be UFC 270, which takes place on Saturday with a pair of championship bouts at heavyweight and flyweight. When asked by Sherdog to choose his favorites for those title fights, dos Anjos had no doubt pointing to two new undisputed champions.

“[Deiveson] Figueiredo is focused now like he was in the first fight,” dos Anjos no…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au6EhLFnoio&w=560&h=315] Rizin Fighting Federation enjoyed its caged event so much that it decided to stage another.

On Nov. 28, 2021, Rizin put on its first of a new series of fight cards called the “Trigger” series, in which fights would be contested inside of a cage instead of a ring. The rules were otherwise the same, permitting soccer kicks and stomps, just changing the enclosure to a more western setting. Rizin “Trigger 1st” went down with 10 MMA matches, and multiple bouts ended via spectacular soccer kicks, but one fighter was disqualified for grabbing the fence. The end result at the World Memorial Hall in Kobe, Japan, appeared to be a success, so much so that Rizin will be putting on its second Trigger show on Feb. 23.

The organization sent out a press release on Friday to officially announced that Rizin “Trigger 2nd” will be going down inside the Ecopa Arena in Fukuroi, Shizuoka, Japan, towards the end of February. Rizi…

Challenger Series: Week 2 Welterweights

February 25thPM ET@fuboSports pic.twitter.com/SIazxuVTY8

— PFL (@PFLMMA) January 21, 2022 The second edition of Professional Fighters League’s Challenger Series on Feb. 25 will bring welterweights to the table in search of a contract. Via a press release sent out on Friday, the organization has announced its second Challenger Series event that will take place on Feb. 25 at the Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla. In a similar vein to Dana White's Contender Series, the league plans on either issuing a PFL contract at the end of show or signing a victor to a developmental deal that will ultimately lead to another Challenger Series appearance or a PFL roster spot.

The first event on Feb. 18 was announced on Wednesday, in which it will bring in eight fighters to compete in four bouts in the light heavyweight division. This format will stay the same all season, where four fights will take place on each c…

145. I'm not allowed on the official scale cause the fight is off.9days. I did my part. pic.twitter.com/Vwy0N3ATEr

— CharlesAirJourdain (@JourdainAir) January 21, 2022 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. The first Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view of 2022 took a pair of huge hits before weigh-ins began. Early on Friday morning, ESPN Deportes reported that Rodolfo Vieira had been forced out of his UFC 270 meeting with Wellington Turman due to medical reasons. Per MMA Fighting, Turman will be paid his show money, and it is not certain if the fight will be rebooked or if the two will face different opponents in the future. The promotion confirmed the loss of this fight shortly before the weigh-ins with an updated lineup excluding the middleweight matchup. The welterweight pairing between Trevin Giles and Michael Morales has since…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EUp-hhaIhY&w=640&h=360] The Ultimate Fighting Championship's first pay-per-view of 2022 is set with two title fights after the official UFC 270 weigh-ins took place.

Headlining the card is a heavyweight unification bout between champion Francis Ngannou and interim titleholder Ciryl Gane. The co-main event will see flyweight king Brandon Moreno face Deiveson Figueiredo for a third time. While all four fighters in the championship bouts made weight, two undercard bouts were canceled as Ilia Topuria was pulled from his featherweight bout against Charles Jourdain due to issues with his weight cut, and middleweight Rodolfo Vieira was pulled from his fight against Wellington Turman due to medical reasons.

This is the first bout for Ngannou (16-3) since claiming the title from Stipe Miocic last year. "The Predator" finished Miocic just 52 seconds into the second round of their rematch, and comes into this battle on a five-fight knocko…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. The Ultimate Fighting Championship is stacking the deck for its first jaunt to Europe since 2019. Per the UFC’s broadcast partner of ESPN on Thursday night, UFC Fight Night 204 on March 19 in London now has a headliner. At heavyweight, Alexander Volkov (34-9) will square off with rising British talent Tom Aspinall (11-2) in a five-round affair. Additionally, MMA Latinoamerica Fight Club broke the news that Paddy Pimblett (17-3) will be returning to the Octagon as well on this fight card, but against Rodrigo Vargas (12-4) and not the recently announced Jared Gordon.

Volkov will be aiming to make it two in a row at the expense of Manchester’s Aspinall, as he pulled off a unanimous decision win over Marcin Tybura in October 2021 to get back in the win column. Before the Tybura performance, “Drago” fell short to future interim title…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdzaS1MB9b0&w=560&h=315] About a month out from its 2022 return to its adopted hometown of Uncasville, Conn., Bellator MMA has set its lineup for its first Mohegan Sun show of the year.

The organization sent out via press release the full 14-fight lineup of Bellator 274, which confirmed several rumored matches, adding a few more and changing at least one participant. This event will take place at the famed Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., on Feb. 19, in an event that will air on the Showtime network. Of note, this fight card will be capped off by Bellator’s first non-title, non-tournament five-round headliner when Neiman Gracie takes on Logan Storley in the welterweight division.

Bellator added five new fights to the preliminary card, perhaps most notably with the return of ex-middleweight title challenger Brennan Ward (14-6) after over for years away. The Connecticut local, the subject of a recent feature which chronic…

The lineup for UFC 272 appears to be nearly complete, as the promotion confirmed multiple previously rumored or reported bouts for the March 5 event.

The following bouts are now official for UFC 272: Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Tim Elliott at flyweight, Jalin Turner vs. Jamie Mullarkey at lightweight; Devonte Smith vs. Erick Gonzalez at lightweight; Nicolae Negumereanu vs. Ihor Potieria at light heavyweight and Dustin Jacoby vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk at light heavyeight.

UFC 272 takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight duel between Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington. The main card airs via pay-per-view on ESPN+ beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. The prelims begin on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT and then continue on ESPN and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Dagestan’s Ulanbekov has been victorious in 14 of his 15 professional outings, including a pair of victories in UFC competition. Elliott, meanwhile, is a former flyweight title challen…

After being released by UFC in December 2020, former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos is really motivated to return to combat sports.

Scheduled to face former European boxing champion, Kubrat Pulev, at Triad Combat 2 on Feb. 26 in Houston, “Cigano” praised the promotion’s hybrid rules at a recent press conference held for Brazilian media.

“The rules are even both for MMA and boxing. The ring in the format of a triangle will be beneficial for MMA guys, who like less space to move, which is definitely not my case,” said dos Santos, who is splitting his training between Cuban boxer Pedro Diaz and American Top Team wrestler Steve Mocco. “I think that format makes the fight more interesting. I also liked that they took out the boring part of boxing when fighters clinch, and fight is stopped by the judge. In the Triad we can keep fighting from the clinch, which makes it possible for these two worlds to collide.”

Dos Santos was critical of the performance of …

Getty/UFC

Former Dana White’s Contender Series competitor and four-time UFC veteran Impa Kasanganay has signed a contract to compete for Eagle FC.

MMAFighting.com was first to report the deal. Kasanganay is expected to make his debut with the Khabib Nurmagomedov-led promotion on March 11. An opponent for Kasanganay’s Eagle FC debut is currently unknown.

Kasanganay won a pair of bouts on the Contender Series, besting Kailan Hill and Anthony Adams before receiving a UFC contract. The 28-year-old Sanford MMA representative went 2-2 in the Octagon, most recently losing to Carlston Harris via first-round TKO at UFC Fight Night 192.

The March 11 event is expected to be Eagle FC 46 and is headlined by a 165-pound clash between Kevin Lee and Diego Sanchez.

After a knockout win over Evander Holyfield in an exhibition boxing match last September, Vitor Belfort is scheduled to make his combat sports return against another boxing champ, Chad Dawson, at Triad Combat 2 on Feb. 26 in Houston.

At recent press conference for Brazilian media, Belfort revealed that Oscar De La Hoya was the first opponent option, but “The Golden Boy” refused the bout.

“We were scheduled to fight when [De La Hoya] got sick, and Holyfield accepted the invitation. As soon as the invitation to Triad 2 came, we first tried Oscar, but there was no way to convince him, so we got Dawson,” Belfort said.

Triad MMA features a hybrid of boxing and MMA, but knees, kicks and elbows are not allowed in the fights. According to Belfort, Triad is the first event not to favor either side.

“We are not going to fight boxing with them and they are not coming to take kicks in the face from us,” he said. “And the format of the ring is good for both. They are m…

LONDON STAND UP!!!

We are finally coming back to #UFCLondon on March 19! Register now to get early access to tickets

https://t.co/7GRVaxHxnK pic.twitter.com/EJH3mVQyan — UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) January 19, 2022

For the first time since March 2019, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will hold an event in London.

The promotion announced on Wednesday that it will hold a card at the O2 arena in England’s capital city, with tickets going on sale Feb. 4. It will be the 12th time the Las Vegas-based organization has held an event in London.

“Every time we put on an event in London, it’s an unbelievable experience,” UFC president Dana White said. “The fans are incredible, and the fights are always off the charts. It’s a different kind of energy in England, and I can’t wait to get back there with a fight card on March 19.”

The promotion’s last visit to London occurred on March 16, 2019, where Jorge Masvidal knocked out Darren Til…

PFL Challenger Series kicks off at 205 ⚖

February 18th9 PM ET@fuboTV @fuboSports pic.twitter.com/SxUdlrvyQp

— PFL (@PFLMMA) January 19, 2022 The Professional Fighters League Challenger Series will debut on Feb. 18 with a group of light heavyweights vying to be part of the promotion’s season format.

Following a somewhat similar process to what Dana White’s Contender Series does for the UFC, the PFL Challenger Series will either hand fighters a PFL contract or “set them on a development path with the league in hopes of joining a future season.”

The lineup of 205-pound competitors, announced Wednesday in a release, is as follows: Legacy Fighting Alliance two-division champ Joshua Silveira, German kickboxer Alexander Poppeck, Sudan’s Mohamed Juma, Bellator veteran Taylor Johnson, undefeated British prospect Simeon Powell, Brazilian veteran Bruce Souto and Joao Paulo Fagundes.

Eight fighters will be selected over an eight-week span t…

Greg Hardy will square off against Sergey Spivak at UFC 272, promotion officials recently announced.

Hardy was initially slated to face Alexey Oleynik at UFC 270 this Saturday, before Spivak stepped in as a replacement for Oleynik. Shortly thereafter, a gruesome finger injury forced Hardy to withdraw from the card altogether.

UFC 272 takes place on March 5 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight grudge match pitting Colby Covington against Jorge Masvidal.

A former NFL Pro Bowler, Hardy is coming off back-to-back KO/TKO defeats inside the Octagon. Most recently, he suffered a 67-second knockout defeat at the hands of Tai Tuivasa at UFC 264 on July 10, which came on the heels of a second-round stoppage defeat to Marchin Tybura at UFC Fight Night 183. The “Prince of War” is 4-4 with one no contest during his tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Spivak, meanwhile, saw a three-bout winning streak come to an end at UFC Fight…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

The Nevada State Athletic Commission on Tuesday handed out sanctions to UFC fighters Carlos Felipe and Zviad Lazishvili for failed drug tests in relation to their respective bouts.

Felipe tested positive for the anabolic agent Boldenone and its metabolites in relation to a unanimous decision loss to Andrei Arlovski at UFC Fight Night 195 on Oct. 16. As a result, he was fined 15% of his $28,000 purse, which amounts to $4,200 -- as well as $489 in attorney’s fees. Felipe was also suspended 18 months, meaning he is eligible to return on April 16, 2023.

Felipe’s attorney told MMAFighting.com that the heavyweight denies using a banned substance but agreed to the sanctions because he doesn’t want to pay what could amount to more than $10,000 for defense fees and additional testing.

Meanwhile, Lazishvili was suspended for nine months after testing positive for the estrogen blocker clomiphene in relation to his Octagon debut against…

There have been a few updates to the Bellator 274 lineup ahead of the Feb. 19 event.

After a scheduled main card bout between Keri Melendez and Veta Arteaga fell through for undisclosed reasons, a flyweight tilt pitting DeAnna Bennett against Justine Kish has been added to the evening’s featured lineup. Sherdog.com confirmed the changes with a promotion official following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com.

Additionally, promotion officials informed Sherdog.com that a light heavyweight showdown between Christian Edwards and Kevin Haley has been added to the preliminary draw, and a featherweight scrap between Georgi Karakhanyan and Adam Piccolotti has been elevated to the main card.

Bellator 274 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and is headlined by a welterweight clash between Neiman Gracie and Logan Storley. The main card airs on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on the Bellator YouTube channel, the Showtime Sports Yo…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has updated its COVID-19 policy ahead of Saturday’s pay-per-view card.

According to a memo obtained by MMAjunkie.com, athletes and corners participating at UFC 270 who are vaccinated will not be required to quarantine or test other than a pre-departure PCR or antigen test. A proof of vaccination will be required, and fighters and their teams will be reimbursed for the cost of any tests prior to their arrival at the event.

UFC 270 takes place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Saturday. The policy has been approved by the California State Athletic Commission and is similar to one utilized by Bellator MMA during recent events held in the state, according to the report.

Meanwhile, unvaccinated parties will be required to test upon arrival and again on Thursday of fight week, unless they arrive on Thursday or later — in which case they will only need to test once. Quarantining is required until the initial test comes back …

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

A welterweight showdown pitting Miguel Baeza against Dhiego Lima is set for a UFC card on April 16.

Both fighters confirmed the booking on social media following an initial report from Best Fight Picks. UFC Fight Night does not have a location or headliner at this time.

An alum of Dana White’s Contender Series, Baeza has lost two straight in the Octagon after beginning his promotional tenure with three consecutive finishes. During his current skid, the MMA Masters representative dropped an entertaining three-round verdict to Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC Fight Night 189 last June before suffering a third-round TKO defeat at the hands of Kalinn Williams at UFC Fight Night 197 on Nov. 13.

Lima is also on a two-bout losing streak after falling to Belal Muhammad and Matt Brown in a pair of 2021 UFC appearances. Prior to that, the two-time “Ultimate Fighter” cast member authored a three-fight wi…

Joshua Silveira will take the next step in his mixed martial arts career with Professional Fighters League.

The Legacy Fighting Alliance two-division champion announced on Monday that he has signed with Professional Fighters League. Silveira fought at both 205 and 185 pounds with LFA, but it’s currently unclear in which division he will compete in PFL. The organization’s season format for 2022 does not yet have a confirmed date.

“Today marks a new chapter in my life; I’ve signed a new contract with [PFL] and I’m so grateful to be put in a position where I can finally give back to all the amazing people that been with me constantly making sacrifices to help me achieve my dreams,” Silveira wrote on Instagram. “Words honestly can’t describe the feelings, but all I can say is these decisions were made a long, long time ago! I’m exactly where I need to be! Not too late, not too early… exactly where I need to be!”

Anchored at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Fla.…

Joshua Silveira will take the next step in his mixed martial arts career with Professional Fighters League.

The Legacy Fighting Alliance two-division champion announced on Monday that he has signed with Professional Fighters League. Silveira fought at both 205 and 185 pounds with LFA, but it’s currently unclear in which division he will compete in PFL. The organization’s season format for 2022 does not yet have a confirmed date.

“Today marks a new chapter in my life; I’ve signed a new contract with [PFL] and I’m so grateful to be put in a position where I can finally give back to all the amazing people that been with me constantly making sacrifices to help me achieve my dreams,” Silveira wrote on Instagram. “Words honestly can’t describe the feelings, but all I can say is these decisions were made a long, long time ago! I’m exactly where I need to be! Not too late, not too early… exactly where I need to be!”

Anchored at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Fla.…

On the heels of a massive upset loss to Julianna Pena at UFC 269, Amanda Nunes will have a new training home.

According to a report from Brazilian outlet Combate, Nunes is leaving American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Fla., to start her own team in the Sunshine State. Her wife, UFC strawweight Nina Nunes, will accompany her in the transition.

Nunes joined ATT following a third-round technical knockout loss to Cat Zingano at UFC 178 on Sept. 27, 2014. “Lioness” then embarked on an extended run of success with the renowned camp, winning 12 consecutive bouts while becoming a simultaneous two-division champion along the way.

Nunes relinquished the bantamweight crown in a second-round submission loss to Pena on Dec. 12, perhaps the biggest upset of 2021 in MMA. She remains the UFC featherweight champion, however, and the move could potentially clear the way for a clash with two-time PFL champion Kayla Harrison, who remains a free agent but has been in talks with the U…

Credit: Getty/UFC

After snapping a two-bout skid in his last Octagon appearance, Wellington Turman is focused on earning a decisive win over fellow Brazilian Rodolfo Vieira at UFC 270 this Saturday.

"Rodolfo is a great opponent, very good at jiu-jitsu. I respect all the legacy he has built on jiu-jitsu, but we are going to fight under MMA rules on Saturday,” Turman told Sherdog.com. “He improved his striking a lot lately, but I´ve been doing that for much longer and I have very good takedown defense, so I´m really confident to win this one.”

Turman, who is a training partner of UFC light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira and former Glory Kickboxing two-division champion Alex Pereira, revealed that his goal on Saturday is to avoid going to the judges.

“Of course, my goal is keep the fight standing up, but unlike most guys in the division I’m not afraid to go to the ground with him,” said Turman, who has been living in Connecticut for the past seven months. “I´…