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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lycb3TFaxgA&w=560&h=315] So far, all four announced matchups for Bellator 271 feature top-ranked Bellator MMA fighters.

Per ESPN on Thursday, Aaron Pico (8-3) will come to blows with Justin Gonzales (12-0) at Bellator's Nov. 12 card at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla. The two featherweights will both be riding impressive win streaks into their meeting.

Pico has rattled off four straight finishes since his relocation to Jackson-Wink MMA after a pair of knockout losses to Henry Corrales and Adam Borics in 2019. With the four stoppages in row, including a June anaconda choke of Aiden Lee, Pico has already found himself high on the list of the most wins inside the distance in Bellator history with eight. His appearance against Lee marked the first time the 25-year-old had ever competed beyond the second round in his 11-fight all-Bellator career.

“J-Train” made his successful organizational debut at the s…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYrgcAr7RQg&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. Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight Norma Dumont is not pleased by how Holly Holm handled her recent injury. Scheduled to face Aspen Ladd in the main event of UFC Fight Night 195, Brazil’s Dumont complained about the way former Holly Holm decided to leave the fight. Holm vs. Dumont was initially its headliner, but Holm suffered a knee injury and Ladd will be moving up a division to take her place. Dumont joined the podcast of Mundo da Luta on Combate on Tuesday to speak about this lost matchup.

“I don’t really know what happened to Holly,” Dumont admitted, “but the impression is that she left because she didn’t want to fight or wanted to do something else. She said it was a knee injury, but said that until December she will fight, how are you going to fig…

Going to be a good one. Phil is getting a lot of shit but I mean, its a sport and a business. You have to look out for you first. Not mad at him. But we get to do it at MSG on a banger card. I promise you we will show out.

— Chris The Action Man Curtis (@Actionman513) October 14, 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. Ultimate Fighting Championship newcomer Chris Curtis will be getting opportunity to take on Phil Hawes after all. Officially added to the UFC 268 bill on Nov. 6 in Madison Square Garden in New York City, middleweight Hawes will lock horns with 2019 Dana White's Contender Series victor Curtis. Sources close to the situation have confirmed to Sherdog the initial report by MMA DNA on Thursday. The pairing was briefly booked at UFC Fight Night 194 after Curtis stepped up on extremely short notice, when Deron Winn withdrew f…

If the World Fight League can get off the ground, it could change the nature of the sport as we know it.

The newly founded organization released a statement on Wednesday formally announcing its plan to emerge as a league to challenge other major promotions. Unlike any noteworthy organization running currently, but similar to the International Fight League in the past, the WFL plans on operating like other professional sports leagues by operating teams. These teams, known as franchises, will represent four different conferences around the world consisting of North America, South America, Europe and Africa, and Asia and Oceania. According to the WFL release, six franchises have been currently approved, and it is seeking additional involvement to fill its ranks.

Ariel Helwani first broke the news in September that this league was being created, with the intention of launching in 2023. The goal of the WFL is stated to exist with four conferences holding at least eig…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK5QOWp9pdg&w=560&h=315] Glory Kickboxing will be back on the U.S. airwaves for its tentpole event in October.

On Wednesday, Glory announced that Bally Sports Regional Networks has acquired the exclusive television broadcast rights in the United States to show Glory 79, the undercard for Glory: Collision 3. Glory 79, which goes down at the GelreDome in Arnhem, Netherlands, can still be viewed live on the Sherdog YouTube page on Oct. 23 should one wish to watch the event online.

On the Bally networks, fans will be treated to four kickboxing bouts with the following matchups: Alim Nabiyev vs. Troy Jones at 170 pounds, Serhii Adamchuk vs. Aleksei Ulianov at featherweight, middleweights Matt Baker vs. Serkan Ozcaglayan, and Stoyan Koprivlenski vs. Bruno Gazani in the lightweight division.

Following Glory 79, the event will switch to pay-per-view, where it will be headlined by heavyweight rubber match between kingpin Rico Verh…

Independent Arbitrator Imposes Two-Year Sanction on Geraldo Augusto de Freitas Junior for UFC Anti-Doping Policy Violation https://t.co/O113PpG3A2

— USADA (@usantidoping) October 13, 2021

If there is any consolation, it is that the 30-year-old Brazilian bantamweight has already competed back in his home country since leaving the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

On Wednesday, the United States Anti-Doping Agency announced that former UFC bantamweight fighter Geraldo de Freitas Jr. would receive a two-year ban from fighting. The Brazilian failed an out-of-competition drug test collected on Oct. 14, 2020, for the exogenous administration of testosterone. While de Freitas argued during the evidentiary hearings that the test was collected erroneously, an independent arbitrator ultimately dismissed his claims as inconclusive. His period of ineligibility began on Jan. 11, although the UFC let him go in March.

“Geraldo Augusto de Freitas’ urine s…

BREAKING: Sijara Eubanks OUT (Covid Protocol) Lupita Godínez @Loopygodinez IN vs. Luana Carolina. Godínez is moving up to 125 to fight just one week after her first victory in the octagon vs. Silvana Gómez Juárez.

— Carlos Contreras Legaspi (@CCLegaspi) October 13, 2021

“Loopy” will fight twice in seven days, setting a modern-era Ultimate Fighting Championship record.

The 28-year-old Mexican steps up to face Luana Carolina in a flyweight affair at UFC Fight Night 195 this Saturday. Sherdog’s own sources confirmed the news after ESPN Deportes made the initial report Tuesday night. Godinez replaces Sijara Eubanks, who pulled out of the fight due to COVID-19 protocols. The last time a UFC fighter competed twice in such a short span was last July, when Khamzat Chimaev clashed with John Phillips before taking on Rhys McKee 10 days later, setting a record that Godinez is now scheduled to break.

Former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Godinez …

It appears that the troubles for “Bones” are far from over.

On Wednesday, Jackson-Wink MMA coach Mike Winkeljohn revealed that former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champ Jon Jones is no longer part of the team. The decision came after Jones was arrested for battery domestic violence in September while in Las Vegas to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame for his epic fight with Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165. Jones was arrested on Sept. 24 after he allegedly assaulted his fiancée. He was released 12 hours after his arrest and is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 26. It was just the latest addition to Jones’ police record, which includes several DWI offenses, and it seems that it was more than Winklejohn could take, as the coach asked his former protégé to stay away from the gym until he addresses his alcohol problem.

“I have a wife and three daughters, I teach women’s self-defense called Smart Girls self-defense,” Winkeljohn said on The MMA Hour…

One Championship continues to expand its roster with top Russian prospects.

On Tuesday, former Ultimate Fighting Championship 155-pound titleholder Khabib Nurmagomedov announced via Instagram that his 27-year-old training partner, Saygid Izagakhmaev, has been signed by One and would make his promotional debut in December. The red-hot prospect is the latest fighter from Dagestan to sign with One, following in the footsteps of former featherweight kingpin Marat Gafurov, Yusup Saadulaev and Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev, among others.

Nurmagomedov wrote, “I want to share news with you guys, my brother @saygid_izagakhmaev has signed a contract with @onechampionship and his next fight will be on December. Thank you so much @yodchatri it would be impossible without you, see you my Friend, it was nice to meet you.”

Former Gorilla Fighting Championship interim 170-pound champion Izagakhmaev (19-2) is currently riding a two-bout winning streak after submitting Paulo Cesa…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has parted ways with Luis Pena following two arrests for domestic violence in the past few months.

TMZ Sports was first to confirm Pena’s arrest with the Las Vegas-based promotion on Tuesday evening.

“UFC is aware of the disturbing allegations concerning the recent arrest of Luis Pena. Mr. Pena has been open about his struggles with mental health and substance abuse issues and the organization has on multiple prior occasions attempted to help him get professional treatment," read a statement from the organization. "At this time, UFC believes Mr. Pena needs to deal with the health and legal issues in front of him, and consequently has informed Mr. Pena’s management that his promotional agreement has been terminated.” UFC president Dana White also addressed the Pena situation following Week 7 of the Contender Series.

“This was a bad case and we knew he had problems before that we were trying to help him with,” White told reporters. “Y…

Viacheslav Borshchev made quite an impression.

The Team Alpha Male representative was one of three mixed martial arts hopefuls to earn an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract on Week 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series, as he knocked out the previously unbeaten Chris Duncan in the second round of their lightweight firefight. Duncan (7-1) hit the deck in a semi-conscious state just 28 seconds into Round 2.

Borshchev (4-1) operated behind a punishing jab in the first round, where he had the Scotsman reeling on more than one occasion—first with a multi-punch burst and later with a brutal body kick. Duncan answered with takedowns, positional control and ground-and-pound but failed to turn the corner with his short-lived momentum. Early in the middle stanza, Borshchev stepped out of range from a lunging right hand and clipped his counterpart with an exquisite counter left hook. No follow-up shots were necessary.

In addition to the 29-year-old Borshchev, UFC President Da…

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 DWCS 2021 Week 7 coverage kicks off Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. Round 1 Silva opens up with a couple low kicks and Paprocki responds by landing a left hook. Paprocki with a body kick which the Brazilian catches and attempts to counter. A straight right connects for Paprocki. Silva goes back to the well with a pair of low kicks. They clinch in the center of the cage and Silva shoves her foe into the fence. Silva maintains heavy pressure, landing occasional knees to the midsection. Paprocki does her best to remain active against the cage, but Silva is tight on the body lock. Silva isn’t doing much more than holding her opponent and Jason Herzog separates the fighters. Silva…

A welterweight clash between Jake Matthews and Jeremiah Wells has been added to the UFC on ESPN 31 lineup.

Promotion officials announced the pairing on Tuesday. UFC on ESPN 31 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Dec. 4 and is headlined by a bantamweight duel between Jose Aldo and Rob Font.

Matthews had a three-fight winning streak snapped in his last outing, as he was submitted by Sean Brady in the third round at UFC 259 on March 6. Still just 27 years old, Matthews has compiled a 10-5 mark in the Las Vegas-based promotion since his 2014 debut.

A veteran of the CES MMA and Cage Fury Fighting Championships organizations, Wells made a splash in his Octagon debut with a second-round knockout of Warlley Alves at UFC Fight Night 190. The Renzo Gracie Philly representative is 9-2-1 over the course of his pro career.

Colorado will be the second state to have open scoring for combat sports events.

The Colorado State Boxing Commission voted on Tuesday to adopt open scoring for mixed martial arts and boxing bouts, according to a report from ESPN. Colorado joins Kansas as the only states to adopt the measure. The Kansas Athletic Commission implemented open scoring in February 2020, and it has been used consistently at Invicta Fighting Championship events.

Open — or real-time — scoring allows for cageside judges’ scorecards to be public knowledge after each round instead of only at the end of a bout. That information could prove useful for fighters, broadcasters and corners alike — and can help determine an athlete’s approach as a fight progresses.

CSBC director Tony Cummings said that open scoring will be optional for event promoters in Colorado.

"I've been around the industry for a long period of time from a coach's perspective, cornering fighters and stuff like that," Cummin…

Mackenzie Dern and Randy Brown are among the competitors from UFC Fight Night 194 who are facing a potentially lengthy time on the shelf.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission released a full list of medical suspensions from the event to mixedmartialarts.com. UFC Fight Night 194 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas this past Saturday and saw Marina Rodriguez take a unanimous decision against Dern in the evening’s strawweight main event.

Dern must have an X-ray on her right thumb and receive doctor clearance or she is suspended until April 8. At a minimum, she is out until Nov. 9 with no contact until Oct. 31. Rodriguez emerged from the event with a clean bill of health.

Meanwhile, Brown admitted to fighting through a dislocated toe in his co-headlining victory against Jared Gooden in the welterweight co-headliner. Brown must have a right toe X-ray and a left knee MRI and receive doctor clearance or he will also be out until April 8. At a minimum, “Rude Boy” is out …

A heavyweight tilt pitting Tai Tuivasa against Augusto Sakai is scheduled to go down at UFC Fight Night 198.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the booking on Tuesday. Tuivasa was originally slated to face Walt Harris at UFC 267, but that pairing was scrapped for undisclosed reasons. UFC Fight Night 198 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a women’s bantamweight bout between Miesha Tate and Ketlen Vieira. .

Tuivasa is currently on the second three-fight winning streak of his promotional tenure, with a trio of first-round KO/TKO victories against Stefan Struve, Harry Hunsucker and Greg Hardy to his credit. The 28-year-old Aussie began his UFC career with three straight victories before going on a three-bout skid. “Bam Bam” is 12-3 as a professional overall, with 11 triumphs coming via KO or TKO. .

Sakai, meanwhile, earned a deal on the Brazilian version of the Contender Series and opened his UFC tenure with four consecutive triumphs …

Sam Alvey keeps getting chances in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Despite holding an 0-6-1 record in his last seven Octagon appearances, Alvey will square off against Ian Heinisch at a UFC event on Feb. 5. MMAFighting.com was first to report the middleweight pairing. The card does not yet have a location or headliner.

Alvey hasn’t tasted victory within the Las Vegas-based promotion since taking a split verdict over Gian Villante at UFC Fight Night 131 in June 2018. Most recently, he dropped a split decision to Wellington Turman at UFC on ESPN 30.

Heinisch has endured his share of struggles in UFC competition, losing four of his last five appearances. The Dana White’s Contender Series alum is coming off a second-round TKO defeat at UFC on ESPN 27 on June 24.

Luke Rockhold’s comeback fight will have to wait.

The former middleweight champion announced Monday on his Instagram story that a herniated disc in his back has forced him to withdraw from a proposed clash against Sean Strickland at UFC 268.

“There’s no easy way to really say it, but the fight is off in New York,” Rockhold said. “I ended up herniating a disc in my back. L4, L5. The docs say it’s nothing I can play with. I need to do some treatment and recovery time. Some things just aren’t meant to be. New York, motherf—-ing New York. I’m sorry to the friends and the peeps and everyone, but we’ll be back. Until next time.”

Rockhold hasn’t competed since a second-round knockout loss to Jan Blachowicz in a light heavyweight bout at UFC 239 in July 2019. He was planning to return to 185 pounds for his clash against Strickland at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 6. It’s unclear at this time if Strickland will remain on the card against a replacement oppone…

A welterweight showdown between Santiago Ponzinibbio and Geoff Neal is on tap for UFC 269.

ESPN was first to report that the promotion is on the verge of finalizing the bout. UFC 269 is expected to take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a lightweight championship matchup between Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirier.

Ponzinibbio returned for the first time since November 2018 at UFC on ABC 1, where he suffered a first-round knockout loss to Jingliang Li on Jan. 16. The Argentina native bounced back in his most recent outing, taking a three-round verdict over Miguel Baeza at UFC Fight Night 189 on June 5. Ponzinibbio has won eight of nine Octagon appearances dating back to December 2015.

Neal began his promotional tenure with five consecutive triumphs to emerge as one of the hottest prospects in the UFC’s welterweight divison. The Fortis MMA product came back to reality in his last two outings, however, falling to Stephen Thompson and Ne…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

More details have emerged regarding the the latest arrest of UFC talent Luis Pena.

Pena was arrested this past Saturday in Deerfield Beach, Fla. on charges of domestic violence and battery. According to a probable cause affadavit obtained by ESPN, Pena is accused of hitting his girlfirend 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 falling to the ground, and she was left with a purple contusion to her eye as well as a laceration on her right elbow due to the fall.

Both women provided sworn statements regarding the incident. Police initially responded to a domestic disturbance …

UFC 270 just gained a little more firepower, as a flyweight championship trilogy between Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo is expected to move to the Jan. 22 card.

The bout was originally scheduled to take place at UFC 269 on Dec. 12 but was moved after that event added a welterweight fight pitting Leon Edwards against Jorge Masvidal. Ariel Helwani was first to report the new date for Moreno vs. Figueiredo. UFC 270 is headlined by a heavyweight championship unification bout between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane. A location for the event has not been announced.

After battling Figueiredo to a majority draw at UFC 256, Moreno claimed flyweight gold with a third-round submission of the Brazilian at UFC 263 in June. The promotion’s first Mexican-born champion is unbeaten in his last seven professional outings.

Figueiredo won five consecutive UFC appearances from July 2019 to November 2020, claiming the title with a first-round submission of Joseph Benavidez at …

Leon Edwards and Jorge Masvidal will get a chance to settle a feud that began more than two years ago when they square off at UFC 269.

The pairing was initially reported by Ariel Helwani and later confirmed by promotion broadcast partner ESPN. Both fighters have verbally agreed to the bout, but contracts have not yet been signed. Edwards vs. Masvidal will be a three-round affair.

Edwards and Masvidal famously crossed paths at UFC Fight Night 147 in London on March 16, 2019. Masvidal defeated Darren Till via second-round KO and Edwards took a split verdict over Gunnar Nelson at the event, but it was what happened backstage that really made headlines. Masvidal was giving an interview when he began exchanging words with Edwards, who was nearby. “Gamebred” then left the interview set to confront the Englishman, and shortly thereafter the fighters engaged in a brief altercation before being separated. That incident led to Masvidal’s famous “three-piece with a soda” line,…

Hakeem Dawodu will lock horns with Michael Trizano at a UFC Fight Night event on Feb. 5.

MMA DNA was first to report the featherweight tilt. The card does not yet have an official location or headliner.

Dawodu had a five-bout winning streak snapped in a unanimous decision loss to Movsar Evloev at UFC 263 this past June. The 30-year-old Canadian enjoyed a 7-0-1 tenure with World Series of Fighting before signing with the UFC.

The winner of Season 27 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Trizano is 3-1 thus far in UFC competition. Most recently, the Team Tiger Schulmann representative outpointed Ludovit Klein at UFC on ESPN 24 on May 8.

There were some difficulties on the scales ahead of Week 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series.

Two fighters slated to compete on Tuesday’s card missed weight, including Christian Rodriguez, who is scheduled to meet Reyes Cortez Jr. in the evening’s featured bout at bantamweight. Rodriguez initally weighed 138 pounds, while Cortez Jr. tipped the scales at 135.5 pounds. Rodriguez was unable to hit his contracted mark after taking an extra hour to cut weight, as he was only able to get down to 137.25 pounds.

Meanwhile, Jake Hadley initially checked in at 127.25 pounds for a flyweight showdown against Mitch Raposo (126). After being given an additional hour to cut weight, Hadley came still came in heavy at 127 pounds.

The Contender Series takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and airs on ESPN+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Anchored at the MMA Lab, Cortez Jr. has been victorious in five of his first six professional appearances. Most recently, he outpointed Axel…