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The most significant victory of Renan Ferreira’s career will likely come with an asterisk attached.

Ferreira spoiled Fabricio Werdum’s hotly anticipated Professional Fighters League debut, as he took care of the former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight titleholder with punches in the first round of their 2021 PFL 3 headliner on Thursday at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Werdum (24-10-1, 0-1 PFL) met his end 2:32 into Round, and it was not without controversy.

A two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist, Werdum struck for an inside trip takedown, shifted to half guard and appeared poised to move to full mount. However, the 6-foot-8 Ferreira swept into top position and immediately wandered into a triangle choke. Werdum tightened his squeeze while being punched, appeared to elicit a tapout and then relaxed. Referee Keith Peterso…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the PFL and UFC on ESPN+ live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Sherdog's live PFL 2021 3 coverage will begin at 5:30 p.m. ET. Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result

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 failed Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight has decided to move back to the featherweight division. On Thursday, Felicia Spencer (8-2) spoke on the Fight Bananas podcast, where she announced that Danyelle Wolf has been forced out of her fight for undisclosed reasons. In Wolf’s stead will be one-time featherweight Norma Dumont (5-1), who will be returning to the division after a few ill-fated trips down to 135 pounds. The two will square off at UFC Fight Night 188 on May 22, which is set to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Dumont made her UFC debut in 2020 against Megan Anderson, and she was punched out by the future featherweight title challenger in the first round. The Brazilian attempted to drop down to bantamweight, and she missed weight badly against Ashlee Evans-Smith but won a decision. A subsequent att…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4ZbdkBLELg&w=640&h=360] The latest Bellator MMA weigh-ins largely went off without a hitch, as every fighter on the card made weight except for preliminary competitor Johnny Soto, who came in 2.5 pounds over the featherweight limit.

The bantamweight title is officially on the line at Bellator 258. Juan Archuleta and Sergio Pettis both made weight without issue, and the light heavyweight tournament quarterfinal between Anthony Johnson and Jose Augusto Azevedo Barros has also been cleared.

Archuleta (25-2) picked up the vacant bantamweight belt in his last bout, defeating Patrick Mix by decision and handing Mix his first career loss. Prior to his first title win, Archuleta bounced back from a defeat to Patricio Freire by winning a decision over Henry Corrales. "The Spaniard" officially stepped on the scales at 135 pounds on the dot.

Looking to claim his first title is Pettis (20-5). "The Phenom" is riding a three-fight win stre…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 262 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Three-time Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor Sean Soriano is coming back to the promotion after over six years away. MMA Junkie first reported the news on Thursday that Soriano (14-6) would be making his UFC comeback at UFC 262 in just over a week. At this event that will go down inside the packed Toyota Center in Houston on May 15, Soriano will meet Christos Giagos (18-8). Soriano will be replacing Joel Alvarez at lightweight, who was forced to withdraw from the pairing due to visa issues.

Soriano competed in the UFC from 2014 to 2015, facing Tatsuya Kawajiri, Chas Skelly and Charles Rosa in just over a year’s time. The New Englander suffered his first career defeat to Kawajiri, and he went on to lose to Skelly and Rosas as well to spell his release. The featherweight went on to compete across several American promotion…

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Fabricio Werdum will begin his quest to add a Professional Fighters League championship belt to his trophy case on Thursday night.

The Brazilian heavyweight veteran made weight without issue ahead of the promotion’s third regular season event, as he tipped the scales at 241.4 pounds. His opponent, Renan Ferreira, also hit his contracted mark at 252 pounds.

There was one change to the card, however, as Muhammed DeReese (257.6) replaced Justin Willis and will face Denis Goltsov (240.4) in a heavyweight contest.

PFL 3 takes place at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J., and features heavyweights and women’s lightweights. The main card airs on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Prelims begin on ESPN+ at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT and then move to ESPN/ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

A former UFC champion, Werdum last competed at UFC on ESPN 14 in July 2020, when he submitted former Alexander Gustafs…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

Coming off a technical knockout win over Amanda Ribas, Marina Rodriguez will headline UFC on ESPN 24 against Michelle Waterson on Saturday.

In an exclusive interview with Sherdog.com, Rodriguez revealed that she was the one who requested that the fight with Waterson be contested at flyweight. Both Rodriguez and Waterson normally compete at 115 pounds.

“Actually we were negotiating that fight for July in our division,” Rodriguez said. “When they [the UFC] called 11 days before the event, we explained that the process to reach the weight on time would certainly compromise my performance, so we proposed to make at flyweight and they accepted.

“Actually, it ended up being great for both sides. Once the UFC recognized my effort in helping them save the event, they renewed my contract with better terms.”

However, Rodriguez has no interest in competing in the flyweight division after Saturday’s bout.

“Let´s say it will …

Burt Watson is back in business with a major mixed martial arts promotion.

The former UFC site coordinator has been hired by Bellator MMA to fill a similar position on a temporary basis. The position could become permanent if Watson proves to be a good fit with the California-based organization. Sherdog.com confirmed the news with a promotion official following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com.

“I’m at Mohegan Sun, but I’m not here to have fun, baby” Watson says in a post on his Instagram account. “I’m here to work. Bellator MMA, baby. All night long.”

Affectionately known as “The Babysitter to the Stars,” Watson spent 14 years with the UFC. In addition to motivating fighters with his popular catchphrases, Watson handled tasks such as fighter ticket allotment, weight-cutting, transportation, workout space and issuing equipment.

He parted ways with the Las Vegas-based promotion in 2015 after UFC 184, claiming that he was “approached wrong” and his “i…

UFC middleweight Oskar Piechota has accepted a 22-month suspension from USADA after an anti-doping violation.

USADA announced the sanction in a statement on Wednesday:

Piechota, 31, tested positive for growth hormone releasing peptide 2 (GHRP-2 or pralmorelin) and GHRP-2 (1-3) free acid, a metabolite of GHRP-2, as the result of a urine sample collected on September 25, 2020. GHRP-2 is a Specified Substance in the class of Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances and Mimetics and is prohibited at all times under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy and UFC Prohibited List.

Piechota received a reduction to the default two-year sanction based on his Full and Complete Cooperation. His 22-month period of ineligibility began on September 25, 2020, the date his positive sample was collected.

Piechota won’t be eligible to return to active competition until July 2022. The 31-year-old Pole is winless in his last four UFC appearances. Most recently, a technical kno…

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Diego Sanchez is worried that his willingness to air grievances with the UFC could come back to haunt him.

“The Ultimate Fighter 1” winner was supposed to face Donald Cerrone in the UFC on ESPN 24 co-main event, but was released from the promotion last week after trainer and manager Joshua Fabia requested Sanchez’s medical records, which led to concern from the organization regarding the fighter’s health.

Sanchez later posted a few videos on his Instagram account showing Fabia involved in arguments with the UFC commentary team, with the coach accusing the broadcast booth of casting Sanchez in an unfavorable light.

Sanchez gave a lenghty interview on Sirius XM’s “MMA Today” in which he expressed concern about how the UFC might react to his comments regarding how the Las Vegas-based promotion treats fighters upon being released.

“I’m going to tell you guys frankly, right now, I’m fearful for my…

A women’s bantamweight clash pitting Irene Aldana against Yana Kunitskaya has been added to the UFC 264 lineup.

ESPN Deportes was first to report the booking. UFC 264 takes place on July 10 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a trilogy bout between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor.

Aldana last appeared at UFC on ESPN 16, where she suffered a five-round decision loss to Holly Holm in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 3. Prior to that defeat, the Lobo Gym MMA product had been victorious in five of her previous six Octagon appearances.

Kunitskaya enters the matchup have won four of her last five outings within the Las Vegas-based promotion. Most recently, the 31-year-old Russian outpointed Ketlen Vieira at UFC Fight Night 185 on Feb. 20.

Right move by FL Commission. They took a close look at the science behind THC excretion and saw it has little to no correlation to being impaired. Hopefully other commissions will follow FL’s lead and the recommendation of ABC Medical Committee. https://t.co/TKneEfN9Rt

— Jeff Novitzky (@JeffNovitzkyUFC) May 4, 2021

Combat sports athletes competing in Florida will no longer be tested for marijuana.

At a meeting on Tuesday, the Florida Boxing Commission voted to remove marijuana from its prohibited substance list. In the past, the commission adopted a zero-tolerance policy on cannabis, and fighters who tested positive would be fined, suspended and have victories overturned.

The update in policy was based on a recommendation from the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) medical advisory committee as well as a change in stance on marijuana by USADA to the UFC’s anti-doping policy. The commission will only take action in the instance that an…

Two bouts have been announced for an upcoming UFC card on June 5, as Tom Breese will face Antonio Arroyo at middleweight, while Makwan Amirkhani will meet Nate Landwehr at featherweight.

The promotion confirmed the pairings via social media on Tuesday. The event is headlined by a heavyweight tilt between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Augusto Sakai, but a location has not been revealed.

Breese has alternated wins and losses in his last six Octagon appearances and is coming off a submission defeat at the hands of Omari Akhmedov at UFC on ESPN 20 on Jan. 20. After a pair of victories on Dana White’s Contender Series, Arroyo has dropped back-to-back decisions to Andre Muniz and Deron Winn in his first two promotional outings.

Amirkhani has lost two of his last three bouts, including a unanimous decision defeat against Edson Barboza in his last outing at UFC Fight Night 179 this past October. Landwehr, a former M-1 Global champion, is 1-2 in his first two UFC appearances…

A previously rumored flyweight clash between Michelle Waterson and Marina Rodriguez is now official as the main event for UFC on ESPN 24.

The Las Vegas-based promotion formally announced the bout on Tuesday. The fight will be five rounds like a normal UFC main event, but both Waterson and Rodriguez will be competing a division above their normal weight class. The card lost its originally scheduled headliner between T.J. Dillashaw and Cory Sandhagen when Dillashaw was forced to pull out of the contest after suffering a cut in training.

UFC on ESPN 24 takes place on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and will see Donald Cerrone square off against Alex Morono in the evening’s co-headliner. The main card airs on ESPN and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT following prelims on ESPN+ at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT.

Waterson is coming off a previous appearance in which her fight was elevated to main-event status on short notice. In that bout, “The Karate Hottie” halted a two-bou…

Damn 2 seconds left #Bellator255 pic.twitter.com/Zk1NBRPwkQ

— Pucc0 (@ppucc0) April 2, 2021

Three weeks after submitting Jonathan Wilson in his Bellator debut, Jose Augusto Azevedo Barros agreed to replace Yoel Romero in the first round of the promotion’s light heavyweight grand prix.

Once the decision to step in and face Anthony Johnson at Bellator 258 was finalized, Azevedo found immediate support from master and teammate Patricio Freire.

“We see ‘Gugu’ as a better striker than Anthony Johnson,” said the Bellator two-division champion. “Johnson is a very experienced and dangerous fighter but is coming from four years of inactivity. ‘Gugu’ is in a great place, that's why, even being aware that it's a huge challenge to our athlete, we accepted that fight right away.”

Azevedo, meanwhile, was thrilled to get the opportunity to face an opponent he has admired.

“Three years ago, I was dreaming of being hired by a great organizati…

Dominick Reyes has broken his silence following a knockout loss to Jiri Prochazka in the UFC on ESPN 23 headliner.

The former light heavyweight title challenger suffered his third consecutive defeat on Saturday night, falling victim to a spinning back elbow from Prochazka 4:29 into Round 2 of their clash at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas this past Saturday. “The Devastator” released a statement regarding the bout via Instagram late Monday evening.

“Finally home and surrounded by those I love, I’d like to say, I went out there and fought with all my heart,” Reyes wrote. “I put it all out there and I’m glad it was entertaining for most of you. I’m happy and upset as you can imagine as I didn’t get the desired outcome. But I went out and fought and for that I can say I’m proud.

“I love this game and at times it does not love me back but that’s what we have all signed up for. I want to say I’m doing good healing up I’ll be OK. And congrats to [Prochazka]. Hell of a fight…

ITS FINALLY HERE!

Volume 2 of the @ufcpi journal can be downloaded here:

https://ufc-pi.we https://t.co/qWXsLXC13t

Link in bio https://t.co/tsQdu33dQl

— UFC PI (@UFCPI) May 4, 2021

The UFC Performance Institute has taken a deep dive into mixed martial arts with a 484-page study of the sport.

The digital journal, which is entitled, "A Cross-Sectional Performance Analysis and Projection of the UFC Athlete,” is the second volume of its kind and includes data and insights collected by the UFC PI over the course of the last four years of working with hundreds of fighters. The journal is designed as a resource to help athletes “in all aspects of their health, well-being, and performance.”

The journal is “part analytics and part educational” and is divided into the following five sections, per a release:

PART I - Strategy & Goal Setting-Contains comprehensive data from competition analysis; injury audit data; performan…

A featherweight matchup with title implications has been added to the Rizin Fighting Federation 28 lineup.

The Japanese promotion recently announced that Mikuru Asakura will square off against Kleber Koike Erbst on June 13. Rizin 28 takes place on June 13 at the Tokyo Dome and also features four bouts from the bantamweight grand prix.

During a press conference, Rizin CEO Nobyuki Sakakibara dispelled rumors that Kyoji Horiguchi would return to compete at the event.

“MMA will be making a return to the Tokyo Dome after 18 years so we won't hold back on our cards,” he said. “Horiguchi won't be able to make it so it's natural to bring in our best cards that we can put together at the moment.”

Asakura has been victorious in eight of his nine appearances under the Rizin banner, with his lone defeat coming against Yutaka Saito in a bout for the vacant featherweight crown last April. The 28-year-old Triforce Akasaka representative rebounded with a first-round knock…

A high-profile bout originally slated for UFC 262 will take place about a month later than originally anticipated.

According to a report from Yahoo Sports, Nate Diaz has suffered a minor injury that has resulted in the postponement of his welterweight clash against Leon Edwards. The five-round, non-title contest has been moved from UFC 262 on May 15 to UFC 263 on June 12.

UFC 263 takes place at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz., and is headlined by a middleweight championship tilt between Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori. In the co-main event, Deiveson Figueiredo will face Brandon Morena in a flyweight title rematch.

Diaz will compete for the first time since losing to Jorge Masvidal via third-round doctor stoppage for the “BMF” title at UFC 244 in November 2019. The Stockton, Calif., native has competed infrequently in recent years, splitting a pair of bouts with Conor McGregor in 2016 and besting Anthony Pettis at UFC 241 in August 2019 before the aforeme…

Not only did Dominick Reyes lose his third consecutive fight at UFC on ESPN 23, but he could be out for a lengthy period of time as well.

Reyes suffered a second-round knockout loss to Jiri Prochazka in Saturday’s headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. As a result of that defeat, the former title challenger must receive doctor clearance for nasal and orbital fractures or he will be sidelined for six months. At a minimum, he is suspended until July 1 with no contact until June 16. Despite absorbing some solid shots over the course of the bout, Prochazka emerged with a clean bill of health following his spinning elbow KO victory.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission released a list of medical suspensions to mixedmartialarts.com.

Three other fighters from UFC on ESPN 23 are also facing potential six-month terms pending doctor clearance: Ion Cutelaba (nose), Luana Pinheiro (finger) and Andreas Michailidis (left hand).

UFC on ESPN 23 Medical Suspensions:

…

Donald Cerrone has a new opponent at UFC on ESPN 24.

After original foe Diego Sanchez was released from the roster, Alex Morono has agreed to step in and face “Cowboy” in a welterweight bout on Saturday night. Multiple outlets confirmed the pairing following an initial report from C. Contreras Legaspi on Twitter.

UFC on ESPN 24 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and will reportedly be headlined by a clash between Michelle Waterson and Marina Rodriguez, though that bout has not been formally announced.

Morono has won four of his last six UFC appearances. Most recently, the 30-year-old Fortis MMA product lost a decision to Anthony Pettis at UFC Fight Night 183 on Dec. 19.

Cerrone is looking to get back on track after going winless in his last five bouts. In his most recent outing, the BMF Ranch founder battled Niko Price to a draw at UFC Fight Night 178, but the result was later overturned to a no contest after Price tested positive for marijuana.

Professional Fighters League’s third regular season event is down to nine bouts after a heavyweight clash pitting Ali Isaev against Hatef Moeil was pulled from the card.

The promotion announced on Monday that neither heavyweight would compete on Thursday’s card. A reason for the cancellation of the fight was not given. PFL 3 will mark the promotion’s first card to air on ESPN thus far in 2021 after the main cards previously were broadcast on ESPN2. After one early prelim on ESPN+ at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT, the card shifts to ESPN/ESPN+ for the next eight bouts beginning at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. PFL 3 is headlined by the promotional debut of ex-UFC champ Fabricio Werdum, who takes on Renan Ferreria at heavyweight.

IT'S FIGHT WEEK on ESPN! #2021PFL3 Update- Ali Isaev and Hatef Moeil will not compete at PFL 3 pic.twitter.com/YC3Nx0xn5i

— PFL (@PFLMMA) May 3, 2021

Russia’s Isaev is the PFL 2019 heavyweight champion and is 9-0 thus far in hi…

As expected, Chris Weidman is facing a lengthy time on the shelf after the unfortunate events that transpired at UFC 261.

Weidman has been suspended six months and requires clearance from an orthodpedic doctor after breaking his leg on a low kick checked by Uriah Hall in their bout on April 24 at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The Florida State Boxing Commission released medical suspensions from the event to mixedmartialarts.com.

Weidman’s recovery likely will be longer than that, as the fighter revealed that it could be up to a year before he resumes training after having a rod inserted into his leg during post-fight surgery.

Five other fighters from UFC 261 are facing potential six-month terms (The Florida Commission did not release specific injuries for the majority of the card’s participants): Dwight Grant, Pat Sabatini, Rodrigo Vargas, Zhu Rong and Na Liang. Additionally, Karl Roberson is suspended indefinitely and must provide a nega…

Amanda Nunes had some strong words regarding a potential trilogy against flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko.

The UFC two-division champion recently discussed that subject — along with her next title defense and the possibility of a future showdown with two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison — in an interview on Brazilian podcast "Mundo da Luta.” Nunes defeated Shevchenko via unanimous decision in their first meeting at UFC 196 and then via five-round split decision in their rematch at UFC 215. Shevchenko has been dominant since dropping to 125 pounds, leading to speculation regarding another matchup with Nunes.

“If Valentina really wanted to face me again, she would have stayed at 135 pounds. That's what I would do if someone beat me twice,” Nunes said. “I wouldn't look for the easier way to get a title in a lower division thinking, ‘Maybe one day I´ll return to face her.’ No way. If she ran from bantamweight it is because she is aware that I´m the only one …