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A battle of lightweight contenders is in the works for early next year, as Beneil Dariush is slated to lock horns with Islam Makhachev on Feb. 26.

ESPN was first to report the booking, which will serve as the headliner for the UFC Fight Night card. In addition to agreeing to the bout, both Dariush and Makhachev have reportedly signed conract extensions with the Las Vegas-based promotion. A location for the event has not been announced.

Dariush enters the matchup on a seven-bout winning streak. The Kings MMA product went 2-0 in 2021, defeating Diego Ferreira via split decision at UFC Fight Night 184 before taking a unanimous verdict against Tony Ferguson at UFC 262. Dariush is 15-4-1 in UFC competition overall, with other notable wins against the likes of Drew Dober, Thiago Moises, Jim Miller and Michael Johnson.

Makhachev, meanwhile, has been victorious in his last nine Octagon appearances. Most recently, the Khabib Nurmagomedov training partner tapped Dan Hook…

Pneumonia Covid never give up pic.twitter.com/QshVGYiUvW

— Diego Sanchez UFC (@DiegoSanchezUFC) November 26, 2021 Beloved fan-favorite fighter Diego Sanchez is suffering from serious complications due to COVID-19.

A week ago, Sanchez posted on social media stating that he was undergoing a REGEN-COV monoclonal antibody therapy for COVID-19, also known as a Regeneron antibody infusion. Sanchez went on to explain that his condition had briefly improved, thanking fellow fighter Luis Palomino for recommending this treatment. The former Ultimate Fighting Championship mainstay lamented that the treatment was depriving him of sleep, and that he was “cleaning out all the poison.”

On Thursday night, Sanchez posted an unfortunate update that he had been hospitalized due to the virus. Showing a photograph of him being hooked up to machines, he stated that he had come down with pneumonia as well with low oxygen numbers. A few hours later, Sanchez said t…

Jarred Brooks puts the ONE strawweight division ON NOTICE by submitting Lito Adiwang in the second round! @The_monkeygod #ONENextGen3 #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/JHUSk2VAgL

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) November 26, 2021 “The Monkey God” may be one to watch in One Championship’s 125-pound division.

The main event of “NextGen 3,” a tape-delayed event filmed at the end of October, featured a clash between well-traveled vet Jarred Brooks and divisional mainstay Lito Adiwang at One’s strawweight division of 125 pounds. Brooks (17-2, 1 NC; 1-0 One) landed his first takedown 20 seconds out of the gate, pinning Adiwang (13-4, 7-2 One) with his back against the mat for most of Round 1. “The Monkey God” landed a few shots from on top, but remained content to rack up control time until Adiwang eventually surged back to his feet. When both were upright again, Adiwang targeted Brooks’ body with kicks, and set up punches from those…

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 newly announced Ultimate Fighting Championship card on March 5 will play host to a thrilling striker vs. grappler battle at 145 pounds. MMA Junkie was the first to break the news on Thursday, reporting that Edson Barboza (22-10) will come to blows with Bryce Mitchell (14-0) on March 5. The two featherweights will toe the line at a previously unannounced UFC card on that date, which does not currently have a location or venue officially on the books. The pairing, which has been agreed upon but not formally signed, has since been confirmed by other outlets. No other matchups have yet been announced for the event, and it is not currently clear if this bout will serve as its headliner.

Feared Brazilian striker Barboza had a two-fight win streak snapped when Giga Chikadze knocked him out in August. The defeat put an end to clear-cu…

.@USMAN84kg on breaking his hand before the fight pic.twitter.com/L1JEi7jQyK

— Full Send Podcast (@fullsendpodcast) November 24, 2021 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. Recently victorious Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight kingpin Kamaru Usman kept a firm grip on his title even with a broken hand. On Wednesday afternoon, Usman spoke on the Full Send Podcast about his UFC 268 meeting with Colby Covington. According to the champ, he broke his right hand three weeks prior to the fight date of Nov. 6, and did not strike with that hand until fight night.

“Yeah, I broke it before the fight,” Usman admitted on the Full Send Podcast. “Most people didn’t know that, so…yeah, I broke it three weeks before and I didn’t throw it a day until my fight.”

When asked about how that impacted training, or if he used his hand for anything…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

Troubled former UFC fighter Luis Pena was recently arrested for the third time in the past few months.

According to online arrest records, Pena was arrested on Monday and faces two new charges for misdemeanor batter and misdemeanor criminal mischief. No bond has been set. Further details regarding the charges are currently unclear.

Pena was previously arrested this past October in Deerfield Beach, Fla. on charges of domestic violence and battery. According to a probable cause affadavit, Pena is accused of hitting his girlfriend with a closed fist “multiple times.” Pena allegedly continued to strike his girlfriend while she was on the ground, and the woman also suffered abrasions on her left wrist and a bite mark near her left knee.

According to the affadavit, another woman who witnessed the alleged assault attempted to stop Pena, and the fighter struck the woman in the eye with a closed fist. That resulted in the woman falli…

After defeating Marlon Vera and Pedro Munhoz via decision for a pair of key bantamweight victories, former featherweight champion Jose Aldo will return to the Octagon on Saturday against Rob Font, who is on a four-bout winning streak at 135 pounds.

In an interview with Brazilian podcast Mundo da Luta, Nova Uniao leader Andre Pederneiras revealed that Aldo is finally comfortable in his new weight class and is in great position to earn his third consecutive triumph at UFC on ESPN 31 on Dec. 4.

“Aldo is much more adapted in that division now,” Pederneiras said. “Font deserves all respect. He has two strong points: a dangerous jab and straight. But I see Aldo with many more weapons to finish the fight before the fifth round.”  

Pederneiras also discussed the feud between Aldo and Khabib Nurmagomedov, who recently seemed to downplay Aldo’s success in a new weight class. According to Perderneiras, Khabib´s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, talked to him via phone to clear…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor Anthony Rocco Martin was arrested in Las Vegas over the weekend on misdemeanor charges of battery and lewd conduct in a public place, according to the Las Vegas Sun.

According to a Metro Police arrest report, Martin was witnessed urinating on the hallway floor at Caesars Palace at about 1:30 a.m. local time on Saturday. Security manager Nathan Wilson and multiple other security guards confronted Martin near the elevators and asked him to leave the property. Martin refused the request and then was unwilling to show identication before threatening security. When Wilson told Martin he was in danger of trespassing and put his hands up to tell him to step back, the UFC veteran punched him in the throat.

After the punch, Martin was taken down to the floor by security and placed in restraints. Police arrived on the scene and observed security footage of Martin urinating and punching Wilson, according to the report. Martin was…

Matt Brown won’t be fighting at UFC on ESPN 31 as originally planned.

“The Immortal” announced on Tuesday via social media that he has tested positive for COVID-19, forcing him to withdraw from a proposed matchup with Bryan Barberena on the Dec. 4 card. It’s currently unknown if Barberena will remain on the card.

“S—-ty day today,” Brown wrote. I tested positive for COVID so my fight next weekend is off.

“I was sick af over the weekend but feel better for the most part now,” he added. “Lost smell today. Did a jog outside today and lungs burned some I thought maybe it was just the cold air but maybe I’m still sick. I’ll get over it quickly and go from there.”

Brown, 40, is coming off a second-round knockout of Dhiego Lima at UFC on ESPN 25 on June 19. That halted a two-bout skid for “The Ultimate Fighter 7” veteran, who has won three of his last five Octagon appearances dating back to 2017.

UFC on ESPN 31 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and i…

Miesha Tate is facing a six-month medical suspension following her loss to Ketlen Vieira in the UFC Fight Night 198 main event.

Tate, who lost a unanimous verdict to Vieira, must have multiple nose fractures cleared by an ear, nose and throat doctor or she will be sidelined until May 20. At a minimum, she is suspended until Jan. 5 with no contact until Jan. 5. Vieira, meanwhile, emerged with a clean bill of health after the event.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission released a full list of medical suspensions from the event to mixedmartialarts.com. UFC Fight Night 198 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday and also saw Sean Brady defeat Michael Chiesa via unanimous decision in the evening’s co-headliner. Brady is suspended until Dec. 21 with no contact until Dec. 12 due to lacerations under both eyes.

Five other competitors from UFC Fight Night 198 are facing potential six-month terms pending doctor clearance: Joanne Calderwood (left hand), Adrian Yanez…

It appears that UFC 268 was a success domestically.

According to a report from the Sports Business Journal, the event drew approximately 700,000 pay-per-view buys through ESPN+ in the United States (h/t TSN ). That figure, of course, does not reflect international purchases of the UFC 268 card. ESPN+ holds the exclusive right to UFC pay-per-view events in the United States.

UFC 268 took place on Nov. 4 at Madison Square Garden in New York and saw Kamaru Usman defend his welterweight crown with five-round decision win in a rematch against Colby Covington in the evening’s main event. In the co-headliner, Rose Namajunas edged Weili Zhang via split decision in another rematch to retain her strawweight crown.

The main draw began with a “Fight of the Year” candidate between Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler, and also saw a competitive duel between Shane Burgos and Billy Quarantillo as well Marlon Vera’s front-kick KO of Frankie Edgar.

Just based on U.S. number…

ACTION MAN WITH THE SUPERHERO STRENGTH

[ #UFC268 | Prelims are LIVE on ESPNews & ESPN+ ] pic.twitter.com/54gmyUFdck

— UFC (@ufc) November 7, 2021 “The Action Man” will make a quick turnaround following an upset victory in his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut.

Approximately one month after his first-round knockout of Phil Hawes at UFC 268, Chris Curtis will replace Roman Dolidze and face Brendan Allen at UFC on ESPN 31 on Dec. 4. MMA DNA was first to report the new middleweight booking. UFC on ESPN 30 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a bantamweight showdown between Jose Aldo and Rob Font.

Including his win over Hawes, Curtis brings a six-bout winning streak into the matchup with Allen, a stretch that also includes triumphs over former UFC competitors Kenny Robertson and Kyle Stewart. The 34-year-old former CES MMA title holder is 27-8 over the course of his professional tenure.

Allen has now …

Reigning UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko recently made a triumphant return home in the wake of her most recent title defense.

In a video posted on her Instagram account, “Bullet” returns to her native Kyrgyzstan to a warm welcome from her home country. One of the top pound-for-pound talents in the sport, Shevchenko is coming off a fourth-round technical knockout victory against Lauren Murphy at UFC 266 on Sept. 25.

The 33-year-old Tiger Muay Thai representative has been unstoppable since moving from bantamweight to 125 pounds, posting eight dominant victories — including seven wins in championship fights.

Remember his name

Shavkat Rakhmonov locks up the guillotine!

[ #UFC254 is live on ESPN+ PPV: https://t.co/QRo69og6BH ] pic.twitter.com/KtsipubxUm — UFC (@ufc) October 24, 2020

A welterweight matchup pitting Shavkat Rakhmonov against Carlston Harris is on tap for an Ultimate Fighting Championship card on Feb. 5.

The Freak MMA Instagram page was first to report the welterweight booking. The event does not yet have an official location or headliner.

Kazakhstan’s Rakhmonov is unbeaten in his first 14 professional appearances — including victories in UFC competition. The fighter known as “Nomad” debuted with a first-round submission of Alex Oliveira at UFC 254 before tapping out Michel Prazeres with a rear-naked choke in his most recent outing at UFC Fight Night 190 on June 26. The Kazakhstan Top Team product has finished all of his triumphs inside the distance.

Harris enters the matchup on a five-bout winning streak. That r…

The significance of a victory against Miesha Tate, one of the most popular women in mixed martial arts, is not lost on Ketlen Vieira.

Vieira defeated Tate via unanimous decision in the UFC Fight Night 198 main event, derailing “Cupcake’s” comeback tour. The former bantamweight queen was making her second Octagon appearance since ending a five-year retirement that began in 2016.

“Miesha was already a champion before I could get my hands in MMA. She was already a champion, so I looked up to her,” Vieira said through a translator at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. And fighting a legend like that just makes me really believe in my skills, makes me mentally more tough and ready for the future.”

Vieira, who had lost two of three coming into the bout, regained some much-needed momentum and is confident she is back in the championship conversation.

“This victory puts me right where I want to be, back at the top, top 5,” Vieira said. “There will be a champ…

Miesha Tate didn’t get the victory against Ketlen Vieira at UFC Fight Night 198, but she still managed to keep her head held high in defeat.

In her second fight since coming out of retirement, Tate dropped a unanimous decision to her Brazilian opponent in Saturday’s headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. While Tate outlanded her opponent by a 122-to-113 count in significant strikes according to UFCStats.com, Vieira connected with the more meaningful offense during exchanges. Ultimately, that was enough for Vieira to get the nod from the cageside judges.

“I thought it was really close, I wasn’t sure, to be honest,” Tate said during her post-fight interview in the Octagon. “I thought it was close and I knew that there was a possibility she won. I did my best tonight and came up short. She’s the better woman, hat’s off to her. She’s great.”

Tate announced her retirement following a decision loss to Raquel Pennington at UFC 205 in November 2016. She made her retur…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

On an evening when 10 of the 11 bouts on the UFC Fight Night 198 card went the distance, the promotion handed out only three bonuses when all was said and done, rather than the traditional four.

Taila Santos received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for the most significant victory of her career to date, a first-round submission of Joanne Wood in a featured flyweight bout. In a dominanting performance, Santos dropped her adversary twice before transitioning to Wood’s back for a rear-naked choke tapout at the 4:49 mark of Round 1.

Elsewhere, Adrian Yanez and Davey Grant received “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for an entertaining bantamweight scrap on the main draw. Yanez was impressive with clean punching combinations throughout the contest, but Grant did his best to make things interesting by slinging heavy leather and employing an active kicking game. Ultimately, it was Yanez who emerged with a spl…

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. Perhaps someday this will be viewed as the moment Ketlen Vieira turned a corner. The Nova Uniao rep moved ever closer to contention in the Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight division, as she took a unanimous decision over Miesha Tate in the UFC Fight Night 198 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Scores were 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46—all for Vieira (12-2, 6-2 UFC), who bounced back from a disappointing decision defeat to Yana Kunitskaya in February.

Tate (19-8, 6-5 UFC) was the aggressor from the outset, pressing forward with punches and no doubt hunting for takedown opportunities. Vieira was tentative at times, sensational at others. Ultimately, the power in her hands made the difference. She lashed out Tate with two-and three-punch comb…

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 198 coverage will begin Saturday at 3 p.m. ET. Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. Round 1 A seemingly never-ending cavalcade of UFC fight cards will come to a close on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 198, as this 10-week stretch concludes with a fight card now down to 11 matches. Can it still deliver like last week’s barnburner showcase? We shall see. We kick things off in the lightest division of the organization, women’s strawweight, when Pinheiro (9-1, 1-0 UFC) tries to make good on her sophomore outing at the expense of “Sampage” Hughes (5-3, 0-2 UFC). The first assignment of the night goes to referee Mark Smith, and with no touch of gloves, we are underway! The Brazilian immediatel…

Flow state on the floor for @PatSabatini145

[ #UFCVegas43 LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/KTmNzhz80j

— UFC (@ufc) November 20, 2021 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. Pat Sabatini has quickly established a firm foothold in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s featherweight division.

The former Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder grounded and controlled Tucker Lutz to a unanimous decision in the featured UFC Fight Night 198 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Sabatini (16-3, 3-0 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-26, 30-27 and 30-27 nods from the cageside judges.

A short-notice substitution for Gavin Tucker, Lutz (12-2, 1-1 UFC) never managed to get himself in gear. Sabatini short-circuited his efforts with takedowns, stifling control…

It appears that Jon Jones’ return to combat sports won’t be in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The former UFC light heavyweight champion on Saturday announced via Twitter that he will compete against Bellator heavyweight Jake Hager in a grappling match at a Fury Pro Grappling event in New Jersey on Dec. 9. Multiple outlets have since confirmed that the match is in the works. Fury Pro Grappling is run by MMA organization Cage Fury Fighting Championships and streams on UFC Fight Pass.

“Breaking News!! I’m excited to announce I’ll be competing for the number one grappling organization in the world, Fury Grappling!” Jones wrote on Twitter. “December 9th I’ll be in New Jersey competing against WWE superstar and undefeated Bellator heavyweight Jack Swagger.”

Breaking News!! I’m excited to announce I’ll be competing for the number one grappling organization in the world, Fury Grappling! December 9th I’ll be in New Jersey competing against WWE s…

Someone in my corner got Covid and they were forced to cancel my fight. I don’t have Covid, but they say due to risk exposure I can’t fight. Sorry y’all, I appreciate all the support and love. We’re workin hard to get the fight rescheduled ASAP

— Terrance McKinney (@twrecks155) November 20, 2021

An intriguing lightweight scrap between Terrance McKinney and Fares Ziam slated for UFC Fight Night 198 has been canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.

McKinney revealed that someone in his corner tested positive for the virus, which forced the promotion to remove the fight from Saturday’s card.

“Someone in my corner got Covid and they were forced to cancel my fight,” McKinney wrote. “I don’t have Covid, but they say due to risk exposure I can’t fight. Sorry y’all, I appreciate all the support and love. We’re workin hard to get the fight rescheduled ASAP.”

As a result, UFC Fight Night 198 will proceed with 11 fights. The card takes place at the…

@SB_RENA wins the main event against @MiyuuYamamoto with a knee in the nd round

Watch the VODs https://t.co/JhhgpzcDIT#RIZIN #MMA #RIZIN32 #格闘技 #RIZINFF pic.twitter.com/BoqW3OPF9P

— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) November 20, 2021 Some five years after their first bout took place, Rena Kubota still has Miyuu Yamamoto’s number.

In the Rizin 32 main event, Kubota (12-3, 11-2 Rizin) defeated Miyuu Yamamoto (6-6, 6-6 Rizin) via technical knockout in a super atomweight bout at Okinawa Arena in Okinawa, Japan, on Saturday. Kubota previously tapped Yamamoto with a first-round guillotine choke at Rizin 2 on Sept. 25, 2016.

Early on, Kubota kept her opponent at bay with strikes from afar, limiting Yamamoto’s wrestling as much as possible with jabs and calf kicks. The Krazy Bee representative looked for some lukewarm takedowns that served only to set up a heavy right hand that shook her opponent. Near the end of the firs…

Having fought one and trained with the other, that’s a tough one https://t.co/nvdan2zR54

— Nohelin Hernandez (@suave_135) November 18, 2021 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 crucial battle between unbeaten Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight prospects has been booked for March. One fighter will suffer their first career defeat at the UFC Fight Night event on March 19. Cageside Press first broke the news of the booking between Jack Shore (15-0) and Umar Nurmagomedov (13-0) on Thursday. The matchup has since been confirmed by Nurmagomedov on his Instagram on Friday.

Wales’ Shore has won all four of his UFC appearances since debuting in 2019 against Nohelin Hernandez. The former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship bantamweight king made a statement by submitting Hernandez, and then going on to tap Aaron Phillips with the same…