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Valentina Shevchenko is expected to make her next flyweight title defense against Taila Santos at UFC 275.

MMAFighting.com was first to report that both Shevchenko and Santos have agreed to the bout. UFC 275 takes place on June 11 and is headlined by a light heavyweight championship clash pitting Glover Teixeira against Jiri Prochazka but does not yet have an official location. According to the report, Singapore is a top candidate to host the event.

Currently No. 1 in Sherdog.com’s female pound-for-pound rankings, Shevchenko has won her last eight Octagon appearances, a streak that includes six successful title defenses. Most recently, “Bullet” defeated Lauren Murphy via fourth-round technical knockout at UFC 266. Shevchenko’s resume includes victories over the likes of Jessica Andrade, Jennifer Maia, Katlyn Chookagian, Liz Carmouche, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Julianna Pena, Holly Holm and Sarah Kaufman.

Santos, meanwhile, will take a four-bout winning streak into he…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

Surging flyweight prospect Manon Fiorot has a new opponent and date for her next Octagon appearance.

After Jessica Eye withdrew from a proposed clash against Fiorot at UFC 272 due to injury, former title challenger Jennifer Maia will lock horns with the French standout at UFC on ESPN 33. MMAjunkie.com was first to report the pairing.

UFC on ESPN 33 takes place on March 26 in Columbus, Ohio and is headlined by a heavyweight tilt pitting Curtis Blaydes against Chris Daukaus.

A former UAE Warriors title holder, Fiorot has kicked off her Octagon tenure with three consecutive victories. After scoring TKO finishes of Victoria Leonardo and Tabatha Ricci in her first two promotional appearances, “The Beast” outpointed Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC Fight Night 195 this past October.

Maia, meanwhile, has split a pair of bouts since falling to Valentina Shevchenko in a 125-pound title clash at UFC 255. The 33-year-old Brazilian retu…

A strawweight showdown between Michelle Waterson and Amanda Ribas that was originally slated for UFC on ESPN 33 on March 26 has been rescheduled for UFC 274.

Waterson was forced to withdraw from the original date after suffering an undisclosed injury. Ag.Fight was first to report the news. UFC 274 takes place on May 7 in Phoenix, Ariz., and is headlined by a lightweight title clash between Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje.

The Waterson-Ribas matchup was initially slated for UFC 257 last January before “The Karate Hottie” pulled out of the fight. Waterson fought once in 2021, dropping a five-round verdict to Marina Rodriguez in the UFC on ESPN 24 main event.

Ribas, meanwhile, has been victorious in five of her first six promotional appearances, including a unanimous decision triumph over Virna Jandiroba at UFC 267 in her last outing.

Renato Carneiro has agreed to step in and fight Rafael dos Anjos on four days’ notice at UFC 272.

MMAFighting.com was first to report the pairing. The bout is expected to be contested at a 160-pound catchweight and will serve as a five-round, co-main event on Saturday’s card.

Carneiro is a replacement for Rafael Fiziev, who withdrew from the bout after testing positive for COVID-19. A number of fighters volunteered to face dos Anjos, most noticeably Islam Makhachev, who just earned a first-round TKO of Bobby Green at UFC Fight Night 202 this past Saturday. However, that matchup did not come to fruition.

“Moicano” is coming off a victory at UFC 271 on Feb. 12, when he submitted Alexander Hernandez with a rear-naked choke 1:33 into Round 2 of their clash at the Toyota Center in Houston. The 32-year-old Brazilian is 3-1 since moving from lightweight to 145 pounds, with his only setback coming against Fiziev at UFC 256.

A former light heavyweight champion, …

Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was arrested and booked on suspicion of attempted murder in connection with an alleged shooting in Morgan Hill, Calif.

The shooting occurred near the intersection of Monterey Highway and Baily Avenue on Monday at 3:14 p.m. local time and left one man injured. The man was transported to a local hospital with “non-life threatening injuries” after being shot “at least once.” NBC Bay Area was first to report the incident, and TMZ Sports to report that Velasquez was arrested.

The SJPD later confirmed via Twitter that Velasquez was arrested in connection with the incident and booked into the Santa Clara County main jail for attempted murder. “The motive and circumstances surrounding this incident are still under investigation at this time,” reads a statement from San Jose Police media relations.

4/ Cain Velasquez was the suspect arrested yesterday in connection with this incident. He was booked into …

Cat Zingano has suffered an undisclosed injury, resulting in the cancellation of a proposed clash with Pam Sorenson at Bellator 276.

The California-based promotion confirmed the news following an initial report from MMA Mania. Bellator 276 takes place on March 12 at the Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo., and is headlined by a featherweight contender’s bout between Adam Borics and Mads Burnell. Zingano vs. Sorenson was slated to be the evening’s featured bout on the preliminary draw.

After exiting the UFC with losses in four of her final five outings, Zingano has kicked off her Bellator tenure with back-to-back triumphs. The Broomfield, Colo., native outpointed Gabrielle Holloway in her debut at Bellator 245 before submitting Olivia Parker in the opening stanza at Bellator 256 last April.

Sorenson, meanwhile, had a two-bout winning streak snapped in her last outing, when she dropped a unanimous verdict against Arlene Blencowe at Bellator 271. Prior to that, “Bam…

Timothy Johnson and Tyrell Fortune were supposed to have a rematch at Bellator 277. Instead, the two heavyweights will face different opponents at the April 15 event.

Johnson will lock horns with Linton Vassell, while Fortune will face Steve Mowry in newly-booked heavyweight bouts at Bellator 277. The California-based promotion confirmed the pairings following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com. Johnson defeated Fortune via first-round knockout at Bellator 239.

Bellator 277 takes place at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., and is headlined by a featherweight title rematch between A.J. McKee and Patricio Freire. In the co-main event, Vadim Nemkov will defend his light heavyweight crown against Corey Anderson in the finals of the 205-pound grand prix.

Johnson has lost his last two promotional appearances, falling to Valentin Moldavsky in an interim heavyweight title bout at Bellator 261 before suffering a first-round KO defeat against Fedor Emelianenko at Bel…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

A big-ticket welterweight matchup could be headed to the Sunshine State, as Khamzat Chimaev vs. Gilbert Burns is in the works for UFC 273.

UFC president Dana White confirmed to TSN that the promotion is targeting the bout, but it has not been finalized at this point in time. UFC 273 takes place on April 9 at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., and is headlined by a featherweight title tilt between Alexander Volkanovski and Chan Sung Jung.

Chimaev returned after more than a year hiatus at UFC 267, where he defeated Jingliang Li via technical submission 3:16 into Round 1 of their encounter. “Borz” is now 10-0 as a professional, with four finishes in UFC competition to his credit.

Burns, meanwhile, went 1-1 in 2021. After suffering a third-round TKO loss to Kamaru Usman in a welterweight title clash at UFC 258, “Durinho” rebounded to outpoint Stephen Thompson at UFC 264 this past July. The 35-year-old Brazilia…

Alexander Volkov’s headlining fight against Tom Aspinall at UFC Fight Night 204 could be in jeopardy due to sanctions issued by the United Kingdom government against Russian athletes.

In light of Russian forces invading Ukraine, United Kingdom home secretary Priti Patel said, “The UK will not welcome the national sports teams of those countries who are complicit in Putin’s unprovoked and illegal invasion of #Ukraine.”

I have cancelled the visas of the Belarusian Men’s Basketball Team who were due to play in Newcastle tomorrow night.

The UK will not welcome the national sports teams of those countries who are complicit in Putin’s unprovoked and illegal invasion of #Ukraine.

— Priti Patel (@pritipatel) February 26, 2022

Volkov, a native of Moscow, is slated to meet Aspinall in a featured heavyweight clash at the O2 Arena in London on March 19. As of now, Volkov’s team is taking a wait-and-see approach regarding the fighter’s status.<…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

Rafael Fiziev has been forced to withdraw from the UFC 272 co-main event against Rafael dos Anjos after testing positive for COVID-19.

Fiziev confirmed his exit from the card following an initial report on ”The MMA Hour.” It’s currently unclear if the promotion will find a replacement opponent for dos Anjos on Saturday’s card.

“I’m devastated to announce that I’m out of the fight,” Fiziev wrote on Twitter. “I had a great camp and was ready to put on the show. I flew all the way to Vegas from Thailand just to get sick with COVID, for three days I’m in hotel bed with fever, bones pain and cough.

“I called out RDA and I still want that fight when my health will allow me to compete again. Apologies to him, but saying that I was faking it is complete nonsense. Time will put everything in place.”

I called out RDA and I still want that fight when my health will allow me to compete again. Apologies to him, …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2nyrha7VS0&w=560&h=315]

Former American Top Team training partners Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal will finally get to settle their differences in the cage in the UFC 272 headliner this Saturday.

“I feel like a little kid the night before Christmas,” Covington said in an interview with TMZ Sports. “I’m super excited to hold this kid accountable for all the reckless words he’s said to the media. He’s been lying this whole time and I can’t wait to expose him in front of the world.”

Covington is coming off a five-round unanimous decision loss to Kamaru Usman in a 170-pound championship rematch at UFC 268 in Madison Square Garden this past November. Despite falling to 0-2 against Usman, Covington isn’t lacking for confidence.

“I’m the best fighter in the world right now, I don’t care what anybody says,” he said. “I won three rounds out of my last undisputed title fight withUsman. The people saw at Madison Square Garden, j…

Per his #instagram, undefeated @BellatorMMA Welterweight World Champion @YaroslavAmosov is defending his home in #Ukraine . Stay safe, Dynamo. https://t.co/2XNqXriRss

— Bellator Public Relations (@BellatorPR) February 27, 2022

Count Bellator welterweight champion Yaroslav Amosov among those who will remain in his native Ukraine to help defend against the Russian invasion.

  In a post on his Instagram account, Amosov revealed that he has evacuated his family to a safe zone but will remain in Ukraine to fight for his home country. Amosov is from Irpin, Ukraine, which is near the country’s capital of Kyiv. Russian troops invaded Ukraine earlier this week.

Amosov released a video message translated by Ringside24 addressing the situation in his homeland. The full message is as follows:

Greetings. Probably, many will think that I ran away, I’m hiding or something like that, but this is not so. I took my family to the safe zone. Now…

Islam Makhachev expects Charles Oliveira to retain his lightweight crown when he defends the belt against Justin Gaethje in the UFC 274 headliner this May.

“I think it’s going to be a good fight because those guys are high level,” Makhachev said at the UFC Fight Night 202 post-fight press conference. “Charles improved his striking game and he have more than Justin in the ground game. I think they going to strike a little bit, then Charles is going to take him down, take his back and finish him there. Like third round or second round.”

If that happens, Makhachev is confident that he has compiled the resume necessary to be next line to face “Do Bronx.” The American Kickboxing Academy product secured his 10th straight victory on Saturday, running through short-notice opponent Bobby Green in Saturday’s main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Makhachev has finished his last four opponents, adding Green to a list that also includes Dan Hooker, Thiago Moises and Drew Dober…

Bobby Green took plenty of confidence into his headlining showdown with Islam Makhachev at UFC Fight Night 202, but he ultimately met the same fate as many of the Dagestani grappler’s opponents.

Green, who stepped in for Beneil Dariush on short notice just two weeks after defeating Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 271, was overwhelmed as soon as Makhachev took him down, fallling via technical knockout 3:23 into Round 1. Makhachev’s victory in the 160-pound catchweight affair was his 10 straight within the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Shortly after the loss, Green issued a brief statement on his Instagram story.

“Expensive pain – expensive pain,” Green said. “Wins and losses. Wins and losses. I just want to thank all my guys, all my peoples for riding with me. I apologize, but this is what it comes with when you throw this s— together, you know what I’m saying? It’s last minute. I put it together as much as I can guys. I appreciate you. The s—t we do for our families. Love…

The light heavyweight title clash between Glover Teixeira and Jiri Prochazka will take place a little bit later than originally anticipated.

The bout, which was originally scheduled for UFC 274 on May 7, will now happen at UFC 275 in June. An exact date and location for UFC 275 have not been announced and the reason for the shift is currently unknown. ESPN confirmed the new date after Teixeira initially discussed the change in an interview with Brazilian outlet Canal Combate.

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 Federat…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC, PFL, Dana White’s Contender Series and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Bobby Green never stood a chance—a testament to just how dominant Islam Makhachev has become. In perhaps his final step toward a title shot in the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight division, Makhachev put away Green with punches in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 202 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Filling in for the injured Beneil Dariush, Green (29-13-1, 10-8-1 UFC) succumbed to blows 3:23 into Round 1.

10. In. A. Row 😤

[ @MakhachevMMA | #UFCVegas49 ] pic.twitter.com/l6hlEkKTuL

— UFC (@ufc) February 27, 2022 Makhachev (22-1, 11-1 UFC) engaged the former King of the Cage champion on the feet, then crowded him in the clinch and secured a double-leg takedown. From there, the outcome was a formali…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC, PFL, Dana White’s Contender Series and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 202 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.

Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese score…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC, PFL, Dana White’s Contender Series and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Ignacio Bahamondes checked another box in the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight division, as he submitted Zhu Rong with a brabo choke in the third round of their featured UFC Fight Night 202 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Rong (18-5, 1-2 UFC), who missed weight by four pounds, conceded defeat 1:40 into Round 3. Bahamondes (13-4, 2-1 UFC) chipped away with crisp jab-cross combinations, bruising leg kicks and sneaky body shots, slowly but surely taking the steam out of the former Wu Lin Feng champion. Rong executed a takedown early in the third round, only to be swept immediately in a demoralizing sequence. Bahamondes cut off his next attempt at a desperate double-leg takedown, clamped down on the neck and moved to a dominant topside position t…

That's now 5 in a row for @ArmanUFC. He's the TRUTH 💪 #UFCVegas49 pic.twitter.com/xZEmkgPwja

— UFC (@ufc) February 27, 2022 The Ultimate Fighting Championship awarded four fighters performance bonuses on the UFC Fight Night 202 card.

Lightweight standout Arman Tsarukyan secured a $50,000 bonus by bloodying up and dominating Joel Alvarez. After using elbows to open up a nasty cut on Alvarez, Tsarukyan finished the fight early in Round 2. The win moves "Ahalkalakets" to 18-2.

The other performance bonus went to co-main event winner, Wellington Turman. The Brazilian fought through adversity and managed to catch opponent Misha Cirkunov with a slick armbar in Round 2 of their middleweight bout. Turman advances to 18-5 with the win and has now won two straight inside the Octagon.

Finally, the fight of the night was awarded to women's flyweight fighters Priscila Cachoeira and Ji Yeon Kim. The two fighters went back-and-forth over thre…

The latest Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki event featured plenty of action as all but one contest ended inside the distance.

In the KSW 67 headliner, Philip De Fries put his heavyweight championship on the line against fellow Ultimate Fighting Championship alum Darko Stosic. Aware that his opponent featured remarkable knockout power, De Fries (21-6, 1NC; 7-0 KSW) immediately resorted to his grappling skills, dragging Stosic to the canvas and letting the Serbian taste leather throughout the fight. The British champion set effective takedowns that allowed him to control the challenger on the mat and score with ground-and-pound. Stosic (16-5, 3-1 KSW) struggled to contain his adversary's offense and was denied in many attempts to get back on the feet.

While De Fries manhandled his opponent on the canvas, the Englishman didn't quite look close to finishing Stosic. In the fifth stanza, things took an unexpected turn, where De Fries captured his opponent's back and unloaded some p…

Lando Vannata will square off against Charles Jourdain in a featherweight contest at UFC Fight Night 205.

Promotion officials recenty confirmed the bout. UFC Fight Night 205 is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on April 23 and is headlined by a strawweight showdown between ex-champ Jessica Andrade and Amanda Lemos.

Vannata has won three of his last five Ocagon appearances dating back to 2019. In his last outing, “Groovy” earned a split-decision triumph over Mike Grundy at UFC 262.

Jourdain, meanwhile, was victorious in two of three UFC bouts in 2021. The 26-year-old Canadian last competed at UFC Fight Night 199, where he outpointed Andre Ewell on Dec. 18.

If all goes as planned, Gegard Mousasi will have an active 2022.

The Armenian-born Dutchman authored an emphatic middlweight title defense in the Bellator 275 headliner, defeating Austin Vanderford via technical knockout 1:25 into Round 1 at the 3Arena in Dublin on Friday. Mousasi has been victorious in seven of eight promotional appearances, with his only defeat coming via majority decision in a title bout at Bellator 223.

The former Strikeforce champion admitted at the Bellator 275 post-fight press conference that he entered the fight against Vanderford more confident than he has been in quite some time.

“I was hungry,” Mousasi said. “I was more determined than him and I’m in my prime. I feel I’m the best middleweight in the world right now. I never said that because I never thought that I was the best. But I told everyone this training camp, that this day, I was the best middleweight. I don’t know about tomorrow, but today I was the best.”

Now 36 years …

It sounds like Dillon Danis is getting closer to making his first mixed martial arts appearance since 2019.

Following Bellator 275, promotion president Scott Coker revealed that he has been in contact with the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, who notably served as a training partner for former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor.

“He’s been texting me all weekend and saying he wants to get back in, he’s ready to get back in,” Coker said at the Bellator 275 post-fight press conference. “So as soon as I get back home, I’m going to call him, we’re going to see if we can put something together for him. But it’s going to be up to him. He’s going to have to really want it. He’s going to [have to] train and get in there.”

Danis’ signing with Bellator came with great fanfare, and he quickly established himself as one of the most outspoken fighters on the California-based promotion’s roster. The 28-year-old fought once in 2018 and 2019, earning first-round submission…

JARRAH AL SILAWI TIMES THE KNEE PERFECTLY!#PFLonFuboTV pic.twitter.com/IeisKHpxy0

— PFL (@PFLMMA) February 26, 2022

Jarrah Al-Silawi has a new home.

The two-division Brave Combat Federation champion knocked out Michael Lilly in the first round of their PFL Challenger Series 2 headliner on Friday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. After Al-Silawi (17-3) drew the curtain 2:54 into Round 1 of their 177-pound catchweight clash, he was rewarded with a Professional Fighters League contract.

Lilly (7-7) was woefully outgunned. Al-Silawi probed for weakness with leg kicks, stuffed an attempted takedown and floated into open space. He approached Lilly from the outside, feinted and caught him with the knee as he ducked into a takedown. The MMA Masters product collapsed backward and fell to the canvas, and though Al-Silawi was in hot pursuit, referee Andrew Glenn had seen enough.

Meanwhile, Sanford MMA export Dilano Taylor was award…