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The UFC Fight Night card on May 21 has its main event, as Holly Holm is expected to square off against Ketlen Vieira in a women’s bantamweight bout.

Both fighters have agreed to a five-round headlining bout, which was initially reported by Ariel Helwani. Additionally, two-time light heavyweight title challenger Alexander Gustafsson will remain at heavyweight for a matchup with Ben Rothwell. Frontkick Online initially brought word of the Gustafsson-Rothwell pairing.

A former bantamweight champion and featherweight title challenger, Holm hasn’t seen action since a convincing five-round verdict over Irene Aldana in the UFC on ESPN 16 main event in October 2020. Since then, injuries have forced the Jackson-Wink MMA product to withdraw from proposed bouts against Julianna Pena on May 8 and against Norma Dumont on Oct. 16. Holm has won three of her last four Octagon appearances.

Vieira is coming off a 1-1 2021 campaign that saw her drop a unanimous decision to Yana …

After nearly two years on the sidelines, Blagoy Ivanov will return to the Octagon to face Marcos Rogerio de Lima at UFC 274.

De Lima confirmed the heavyweight booking on social media following an initial report from BJPenn.com. UFC 274 takes place at an as yet to be announced location and features a pair of title bouts at the top of the card: Glover Teixeira vs. Jiri Prochazka at light heavyweight and Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje at lightweight.

A former World Series of Fighting Champion, Ivanov hasn’t competed since a split-decision defeat against Augusto Sakai at UFC on ESPN 9 in May 2020. The Bulgarian heavyweight is 2-3 in UFC competition, with victories over Tai Tuivasa and Ben Rothwell. His 18-4 career mark includes a 6-1 stint in Bellator MMA.

De Lima, meanwhile, has been victorious in three of his last four Octagon appearances. Most recently, the 36-year-old Brazilian stopped Rothwell via TKO in 32 seconds at UFC Fight Night 197 this past Novemb…

While it wasn’t surprising to see Jon Jones weigh in on the UFC 270 headliner via social media, reigning heavyweight king Francis Ngannou isn’t holding his breath regarding a potential fight with the former 205-pound champion.

“If this is the Apex of heavyweight fighting, I’m excited about it,” Jones wrote following Ngannou’s unanimous decision win over Ciryl Gane on Jan. 22. “Got some more records to break.”

If this is the Apex of heavyweight fighting, I’m excited about it. Got some more records to break

— BONY (@JonnyBones) January 23, 2022

Jones, of course, hasn’t fought since February 2020, when he edged Dominick Reyes in a light heavyweight title defense at UFC 247. In the meantime, “Bones” has often mused about his long-awaited heavyweight debut, but thus far, nothing has come to fruition.

That fact isn’t lost on Ngannou, who has been linked to a mega-fight with Jones since before he won the heavyweight title. “The Predator” is…

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A middleweight clash pitting Sam Alvey against Phil Hawes won’t happen at UFC Fight Night 200 as originally planned.

Alvey announced the bout’s cancellation on his YouTube page, revealing that Hawes had been forced to withdraw due to an undisclosed injury.

“I hope he’s OK. I heard he’s injured. I don’t know exactly what happened,” Alvey said. “My prayers are with him. I hope he heals.”

Now, Alvey will square off against Brendan Allen at UFC Fight Night 200 on short notice. Multiple outlets confirmed the new middleweight booking following an initial report from Eurosport. Hawes was the second proposed opponent for Alvey at UFC Fight Night 200, as Ian Heinisch also withdrew from the event.

“Smile’n” Sam is currently mired in a seven-bout winless streak in which a draw against Da Un Jung at UFC 254 is the only non-defeat during that period. Alvey hasn’t won a bout in the Octagon since June 201…

Lightweight matchups set for PFL Challenger Series on March 18 https://t.co/Vmw3eaRxnA

— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom) February 1, 2022

The lightweight matchups have been finalized for the PFL Challenger Series event on March 18.

The promotion on Tuesday the following four pairings: Road FC veteran Bruno Miranda vs. Rose City Fight Club representative Carson Frei; former Valor FC champion Damir Ferhatbegovic vs. City Kickboxing export B.J. Bland; Olivier Aubin-Mercier training partner Michael Dufort vs. Elevation Fight Team member Arut Pogosjan and unbeaten Israeli Yanal Ashmoz vs. Wiggins, Miss., native Dennis Hughes Jr.

One winner from that group will receive a contract to compete in the lightweight division during the 2022 PFL season, or at the very least, a developmental deal that could put them on the track to join the organization for a future season.

The card takes place at Universal Studios and airs on Fubo Sports Network beginn…

If all goes as planned, Paul Daley will be hanging up the four-ounce gloves after one final bout at Bellator London.

Daley revealed during an appearance on "The MMA Hour" Monday that he plans on retiring following the May 13 event. The soon-to-be 39-year-old Englishman doesn’t yet have an opponent for Bellator London, which takes place at the SSE Arena and is headlined by a welterweight title tilt between Yaroslav Amosov and Michael Page.

“May 13 will be last one,” Daley said. “It will be my retirement fight after many years in the game – the hours on the road, the hours in the gym have caught up with me. And now every day, I wake up with a bad back and I’m just tired. Most definitely (I’ll retire). I’ve put a lot of time in the sport, and I’m in a position to retire, fortunately. … I don’t want to be one of those fighters who’s getting knocked out all the time by the younger guys. I want to be the guy that goes out when I want to go out.”

Daley has compet…

Jeremy Stephens wasn’t a free agent for long.

The 34-fight UFC veteran announced during an appearance on “The MMA Hour” that he has signed with Professional Fighters League with the intention to compete at lightweight during the promotion’s 2022 season, which is slated to begin in April. Stephens didn’t rule out competing at other weight classes for future PFL seasons. Last week it was revealed that Stephens elected not to re-sign with the UFC after a lengthy tenure that began in 2007.

“It’s a great organization, the fighters over there, the matchups, the potential,” Stephens said. “They’re gonna pay me a little bit more than the UFC, and I have a chance at a million dollars, which is doable, which I really love. Maybe go in there, win that million dollars, and I like the fact that they fight back to back, month after month. I’m not getting any younger. I love to constantly be fighting. I don’t like sitting and waiting for opponents six months down the road. I…

One Championship will hold a minimum of 24 events in 2022 — with potential for more.

The Singapore-based promotion announced its live-event calendar for the rest of the year on Monday, and it will feature 22 more fight cards in addition to the two that have already taken place in January. One “Heavy Hitters” went down on Jan. 14, while One “Only the Brave” happened on Jan. 28 — both at Singapore Indoor Stadium.

“We are thrilled to announce our 2022 live event calendar for One Championship. We have 24 blockbuster events scheduled so far, with more to come,” One Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong stated in a release. “We will continue to showcase the absolute best in World Championship talent, martial arts skill, and entertainment value.”

The promotion’s next event is One “Bad Blood” on Feb. 11 in Singapore. That card is headlined by a featherweight title fight between reigning champion Bibiano Fernandes and UFC veteran John Lineker. Another noteworthy date for 20…

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Already popular in the United States, mixed combat sports events now appear to be gaining a foothold in Brazil.

“Fight Music Show,” an event featuring a mix of professional fighters from various disciplines and celebrities, went down in Brazil on Sunday. The main event featured Brazilian YouTube personality Whindersson Nunes, who has more than 100 million followers on social media, and former four-time world champion Acelino “Popo” Freitas, over eight, two-minute rounds in a boxing match. The event was broadcast by the Combate channel and featured eight fights -- four MMA, one kickboxing and three boxing – in front of a packed arena of 2,000 people at Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina State.

In attendance were notables like Charles Oliveira, Paulo Costa, Wanderlei Silva, Fabricio Werdum and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira as well as many other Brazilian celebrities. The interval between the three boxing main e…

After being finished in two of his last three light heavyweight appearances, Ryan Bader had something to prove at Bellator 273.

The Arizona native delivered in front of the home folks, rallying for a gutsy five-round verdict over Valentin Moldavsky in a heavyweight title unification bout at the Footprint Center in Phoenix on Saturday night. It was a much-needed victory for Bader on the heels of a 51-second TKO defeat to Corey Anderson in the semifinals of the light heavyweight grand prix in the same venue this past October, but the former two-division champion believes people were burying him a little too soon.

“MMA is a weird, fickle sport,” Bader said at the Bellator 273 post-fight press conference. “They can look at your last fight, even though it’s big guys, small gloves, throwing at each other – the best in the world. You take one step back and people write you off. They don’t look at your body of work. It’s, ‘What have you done for me lately?’ I always knew I w…

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

If Ali Abdelaziz gets his way, Kamaru Usman will challenge for UFC middleweight gold at some point in the near future.

The reigning welterweight champion is expected to defend his belt against Leon Edwards next, but if that goes as planned, Usman’s manager envisions a scenario where “The Nigerian Nightmare” moves up a weight class in a bid to become the UFC’s next champ-champ.

“The next victim is Leon Edwards, “Abdelaziz told TMZ Sports. “Great fighter but he will get finished under three rounds. Fact. It’s gonna happen. The welterweight division in the UFC right now is very interesting. Kamaru is gonna beat him. I want him to beat Leon Edwards and then I want him to go fight Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title.”

After a recent interview with GQ where Usman admitted he considered jumping up two divisions last year to avoid a fight against fellow Nigerian Adesanya, such a scenario might seem…

.@RyanBader will face @Kongo4Real on May 6th for a heavyweight championship bout rematch! pic.twitter.com/Dzy6bPA1HH

— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) January 30, 2022

Although Fedor Emelianenko wanted to avenge a heavyweight grand prix loss to Ryan Bader in his farewell bout, Bellator president Scott Coker said it was only fair that Cheick Kongo receive the next shot at the promotion’s heavyweight belt.

After Ryan Bader defended the crown with a grueling five-round verdict over interim champ Valentin Moldavsky in the Bellator 273 main event, the promotion announced that the Arizonan’s next title defense would come against Kongo in a rematch in Paris this May. There is unfinished business between the two, as their first meeting in 2019 ended prematurely when Kongo was unable to continue following an accidental eye poke.

“This was a fight that we’d been putting together for a while,” Coker said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “It was…

If it ultimately proves to be his swan song, Benson Henderson authored a vintage performance in the Bellator 273 co-main event on Saturday night.

The MMA Lab stalwart ended Isam Mamedov’s 20-bout unbeaten streak at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz., winning a hotly-contested split decision that was a classic Henderson nail-biter. “Smooth” has shown a knack for emerging on the right side of the scorecards in such outings, posting a 6-2 record in Bellator and UFC competition in bouts that end via split decision.

After completing the final fight on his existing contract, it’s unclear how long Henderson will continue to make judges’ lives difficult in Bellator — or anywhere else for that matter.

“I don’t know how much longer I’ll be doing this for Bellator, so I wanted to soak it all in,” Henderson said at the Bellator 273 post-fight press conference. “I’m not sure if this is going to be my last fight or not, so I wanted to enjoy it, wanted to enjoy the ‘W,’ e…

Credit: Getty/UFC

Chase Hooper will square off against Felipe Dias Colares in a featherweight matchup at UFC Fight Night on May 21.

Hooper announced the booking on social media following an initial report from Combate. It is the first confirmed bout for the event, which doesn’t have an official location or venue.

The 22-year-old Hooper has lost two of his last three Octagon appearances. The Dana White’s Contender Series alum last competed at UFC 263, where he dropped a unanimous decision against Steven Peterson. His 2-2 promotional mark also includes wins over Peter Barrett and Daniel Teymur as well as a defeat at the hands of Alex Caceres.

Colares has also lost two of his last three bouts and is coming off a split-decision setback to Chris Gutierrez at UFC Fight Night 194 last October. The former Jungle Fight competitor is 2-3 within the Las Vegas-based promotion and 10-3 as a professional overall.

Mere moments after a grueling win over Valentin Moldavsky in the Bellator 273 headliner, Ryan Bader already had his next assigment.

The California-based promotion announced on Saturday that Bader’s next heavyweight title defense will come in a rematch against Cheick Kongo at Bellator Paris on May 6. The event will take place at Accor Arena in Paris, France, and the main card will air on Showtime. It is the second Bellator event held in France since MMA was legalized in the country.

"Bringing Bellator to France in 2020 was one of the highlights of my career, and I knew that it was the start of a long run of big events in Paris," Bellator president Scott Coker said. "Here we are ready for our second trip to France and this time we are bringing a heavyweight world title rematch featuring arguably the most recognizable French mixed martial artist in our sports history. It's personally important to me to help grow the sport in France and give these athletes a chance to per…

Sherdog's live Bellator 273 coverage kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET.

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

Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Trsiten Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Trsiten Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Trsiten Critchfield scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Trsiten Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Trsiten Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Trsiten Critchfield scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the r…

#AndStill | @RyanBader unifies the heavyweight division and retains his title tonight at #Bellatro273. pic.twitter.com/5lN7yNxzAy

— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) January 30, 2022

When it mattered most, Ryan Bader displayed his championship mettle.

The Power MMA Team stalwart retained his heavyweight crown in the Bellator 273 main event, winning a hard-fought unanimous decision against interim title holder Valentin Moldavsky at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz., on Saturday night. All three judges submitted 48-47 scorecards in favor of Bader, who was defending the belt for the first time since September 2019.

“I thought that fight was really close,” Bader said. “I thought I was doing more damage, rocking him. I knew it was close going to the bell.”

Bader (29-7, 7-2, 1 NC Bellator) nearly put Moldavsky (11-2, 6-1 Bellator) away in short order when he wobbled his Russian adversary with a pair of heavy right hands early in Round 1…

The Paratrooper drops HAMMERS on Spong and finishes him in round 2! #EagleFC44 pic.twitter.com/4KwK0CO6eS

— Eagle Fight Club (@EagleFightClub) January 29, 2022 Sergei Kharitonov, one of the best fighters from the glory days of Pride Fighting Championships, continues to stay afloat in the mixed martial arts world at the ripe old age of 41. Kharitonov trounced fan-favorite striking powerhouse Tyrone Spong Friday night in the main event of Eagle FC 44 in Miami, Fla. Friday night and escaped the skirmish with only a few scratches.

Kharitonov (32-8) absorbed powerful leg kicks and jabs early in the first, but his veteran instincts allowed him to take “The King of the Ring” down easily and dominate from mount position. Spong (2-1) tried to stay on his feet in the second and did well behind the jab, but “The Paratrooper” scored another takedown at the midway point and immediately moved to mount. From there, Kharitonov unloaded punches until referee…

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. It may come as a shock that these two Ultimate Fighting Championship all-action mainstays have never crossed paths before. MMA Junkie was the first to break the news on Friday that Donald Cerrone (36-16, 2 NC) will throw down with Joe Lauzon (28-15) at lightweight on April 30. The UFC Fight Night card on that date does not currently have a destination, but it has been confirmed by the promotion’s broadcast partner of ESPN shortly after its announcement. There is no main event scheduled for the event yet, and this new bout likely serves as the highest billed fight of the lineup thus far.

The two longtime vets combine for 64 Octagon appearances, and they have taken home an incredible 33 post-fight bonus checks over their storied careers. Cerrone will tie the record for the most appearances in company history with 38 when he compete…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZsBfyTOFvY&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. Two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo has embraced the whirlwind since winning his belt back less than a week ago. After four months of hard training at Fight Ready in Arizona, and five rounds of bonus-winning action with Brandon Moreno, Figueiredo could not rest until arriving in Brazil on Thursday. After coming out on top at UFC 270, his team wanted nothing more than to celebrate all through the night. Any hopes of relaxation were out the window for the Brazilian, who found himself surprised by his teammates. Figueiredo spoke to Sherdog after his fight, primed and ready to speak highly of his training partners.

“The climate was so unique,” Figueiredo admitted. “My teammates worked so hard with me for the last four months. Each…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfkBghODmps&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. Two action Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweights won’t disappoint when they are locked in the cage in March. In a past episode of Michael Bisping’s podcast “Believe You Me” on Jan. 14, Paul Craig (15-4-1) hinted that his next opponent would be Nikita Krylov (26-8). On Friday, the promotion revealed that the fight had been made official, with the two throwing down at UFC Fight Night 204 inside London's O2 Arena on March 19. In their combined 55-fight careers, Krylov and Craig have only gone the distance four times.

Krylov has alternated wins and losses in his last six, with an inconsistent return to the UFC in his last five outings that has seen him win against Ovince St. Preux and Johnny Walker. Those victories are interspersed by setbacks to Jan Blacho…

Both One Championship kickboxing finalists showed little difficulty punching their tickets to the featherweight grand prix finale.

In the One: “Only the Brave” headliner, “Sitthichai” Anulak Jansuk barely broke a sweat overcoming Davit Kiria in the semifinal of the featherweight (155-pound) tournament. Former Lumpinee Stadium welterweight king and Glory lightweight titleholder Sitthichai dictated the pace of the match, forcing his opponent to fight off his back foot for most of the contest. The Thai fighter took the initiative, scoring cleaner shots than the decidedly stiff Kiria throughout their three-round clash.

Sitthichai CRACKS Davit Kiria with a head kick! #ONEOnlyTheBrave #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/rc2olSkmmO

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) January 28, 2022 In the second frame, Sitthichai comfortably displayed a wide array of punches and kicks with little concern of anything coming back his way. Right before…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdo5gGr7E10&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. One Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight’s loss is another’s gain in this era of constant fight replacements. On Thursday, Makhmud Muradov (25-7) announced on Instagram that he had injured his arm and will no longer be competing at UFC Fight Night 202 on Feb. 26. A day later, the organization set a replacement for him in Wellington Turman (17-5), who will step in to face Misha Cirkunov (15-7) at the Las Vegas event inside the UFC Apex. This news first came from MMA Junkie on Friday, and this new pairing has been confirmed by other outlets.

Turman was originally slated to take on Rodolfo Vieira at UFC 270, but Vieira fell ill and pulled out of the matchup on the day of weigh-ins. In his last time out, he fought Sam Alvey and secured a strange split decisio…

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. A surging Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight has a top-10 opponent for a classic striker vs. grappler affair. According to a report from MMA Fighting on Thursday, Andre Muniz (22-4) has his sights set on moving up the rankings, and he will find his next test in Uriah Hall (17-10) on April 16. The two middleweights have agreed to fight one another at the UFC Fight Night on that date, one which does not currently have a venue and location, although the UFC Apex in Las Vegas is on the table. The intriguing stylistic clash has been subsequently confirmed by Muniz on his Instagram on Friday.

Since earning a roster spot on the third season of Dana White's Contender Series, Muniz has shot up the ranks with four wins in four appearances. Debuting by being triumphant on the scorecards over Antonio Arroyo in 2019, the next three …