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The Bellator MMA welterweight title will be on the line when champion Douglas Lima takes on Yaroslav Amosov in the main event of Bellator 260.

Both headliners had no problem making weight, and neither did most of the card, as every fighter hit their contracted weight. However, there was one fight that was scratched due to weight-related issues. Vanessa Porto was ruled not eligible to compete after weighing in, and her bout against Ilara Joanne is now off.

"The Phenom" is looking to bounce back after an unsuccessful bid for the promotion's middleweight strap against Gegard Mousasi. Lima (32-8) had won three straight fights prior to the setback. In that stretch, Lima prevailed by decision over Rory MacDonald, knocked out Michael Page in violent fashion and submitted Andrey Koreshkov. The Brazilian officially weighed 169.75 pounds for his latest title defense.

In his way will be the undefeated Amosov…

Best friends @_itsuki_h_ #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/IECEim7SSC

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) June 8, 2021 The stage is set for the remainder of the year for One Championship.

The promotion sent out a press release on Thursday that detailed its series of events that will take place in Europe to vie for One Championship contracts. The first five cards, which will serve as a grand prix that stretches from June to July, will bring 32 heavyweight kickboxers together in a single elimination tournament. The winner will earn a contract with the promotion, although it is possible that other competitors may get signed as well.

The President of One Championship Italy, Carlo Di Blasi, explained, “I am excited to showcase the best heavyweight kickboxers in Europe. We have made incredible strides over the past few months to highlight the immense talent in the region. I have always believed in the massive potential we have in Eur…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3BWUD1dog0&w=560&h=315] Invicta Fighting Championships' latest one-night tournament is now official for Phoenix Series 4.

A shot at Invicta FC atomweight titleholder Alesha Zappitella is on the line Friday night. Fan voting determined the quarterfinal bouts, which will see Paulina Granados face Marisa Messer-Belenchia, Jillian DeCoursey go up against Linda Mihalec, Lindsey VanZandt test her skills against Katie Perez, and Jessica Correa Delboni battle Tabatha Ann Watkins. One reserve fight will take place as well, between Samantha Seff and Kara Marie Vislosky. All fighters made the atomweight limit of 106 pounds.

Invicta FC Phoenix Series 4 will air live on Axs TV and the promotion's YouTube channel starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Friday.

Invicta FC Phoenix Series 4 Weigh-in Results: Paulina Granados (105.9) vs. Marisa Messer-Belenchia (105.4)Jillian DeCoursey (105.5) vs. Linda Mihalec (105.9)Lindsey VanZandt (105.8) vs.…

Heavyweights will be on the menu for Bellator MMA’s July 16 event.

Per a promotion official on Thursday, Ronny Markes (19-8) will make his return to the Bellator cage on July 16 against Said Sowma (6-2). The two big men will toe the line at Bellator 262, which will be held inside the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Both will be looking to rebound off of unsuccessful organizational debuts in late 2020.

Markes, at one time a middleweight when competing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, has moved up to heavyweight over the years after missing weight badly in both the middleweight and light heavyweight categories. The well-traveled Brazilian vet competed several times under the Professional Fighters League banner the last few years, but he never won his way into the playoffs in any year. His Bellator debut saw him fall short to Linton Vassell in December, losing by knockout in the second frame.

Like Markes, Sowma will be aiming to get back in the win column …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOyR93Cc-1c&w=560&h=315] Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the PFL live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. After some days of mystery, Fabricio Werdum went public with his decision to withdraw from the 2021 Professional Fighters League season. Werdum met Renan Ferreira at PFL 3: 2021 Regular Season, and the heavyweights went to battle for just over half a round. When the fight hit the ground, Werdum slapped on a triangle choke and appeared to elicit a tap, but referee Keith Peterson was not in position to observe it so Ferreira kept fighting and knocked Werdum out.

The New Jersey State Athletic Control Board later overturned the result to a no contest, but the strikes to Werdum did some lasting damage. In an interview with Sherdog, the all-time great revealed that his neurologist, Dr. Wuilker Knoner Campos, did not allow him to return after a series of tests.

“As …

A lightweight clash pitting Clay Guida against Mark O. Madsen is in the works for an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Aug. 21.

Danish outlet ViaRitzau was first to report the booking, and MMAFighting.com later confirmed that verbal agreements are in place for the bout. The UFC Fight Night card is expected to be headlined by a middleweight duel between Paulo Costa and Jared Cannonier but does not have an official location.

The 39-year-old Guida has 56 professional fights under his belt. In his last outing, “The Carpenter” snapped a two-bout losing streak at UFC Fight Night 184, where he outpointed Michael Johnson on Feb. 6.

An Olympic silver medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling, Madsen has began his professional MMA tenure with 10 straight victories. The Danish lightweight debuted in the Octagon with a first-round TKO of Danilo Belluardo before outpointing Austin Hubbard at UFC 248.

Georges St. Pierre recently had an opportunity to return to the combat sports world, but it was apparently nixed by UFC president Dana White.

The former UFC two-division champion confirmed in an interview with Cinema Blend that he was in talks for a boxing match against former world champion Oscar De La Hoya under the Triller banner. Unfortunately, St. Pierre remains under contract with the UFC, which kept him from seriously pursuing that option.

Rumors of the bout initially came to light when Triller CEO Ryan Kavanagh called out White, offering a $250,000 donation to the charity of the UFC president’s choice if he allowed St. Pierre to fight. While St. Pierre is no longer interested in resuming his MMA career, he was intrigued by the possibility of a boxing match with De La Hoya.

“I understand that Dana didn’t want me to fight,” St. Pierre said. “However, it would have been fun. Because my career as a professional fighter, to become the best in the world in mi…

Professional Fighters League has unveiled the card for its final regular season event for welterweights and light heavyweights.

The promotion announced on Wednesday that PFL 5 on June 17 will be headlined by a 170-pound clash between Rory MacDonald and Gleison Tibau, while defending welterweight champ Ray Cooper III will square off against Nikolai Aleksakhin in the co-main event. Returning 205-pound king Emiliano Sordi will meet Dan Spohn in another main card matchup, while Cezar Mutante will lock horns with Chris Camozzi to round out the main draw, which is televised on ESPN2.

The preliminary card, which airs on ESPN2, is as follows: Antonio Carlos Jr. vs. Vinny Magalhaes at light heavyweight; Marthin Hamlet vs. Cory Hendricks at light heavyweight; Joao Zeferino vs. Jason Ponet at welterweight; Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. Curtis Millender at welterweight; Tom Lawlor vs. Jordan Young at light heavyweight and Sadibou Sy vs. Alexey Kunchenko at welterweight.

“There…

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After the 6-foot-8 Renan Ferreira's impressive but controversial debut in Professional Fighters League, another Brazilian giant will get a chance to showcase his talents on a larger stage.

Edivan Santos, who stands 6-foot-7 and has compiled a record of 12-2-2 on the Brazilian regional scene, will face Russian Rizvan Kuniev on the upcoming season of Dana White’s Contender Series on Sept. 28.

Born in Maranhão, Brazill, Santos has lived in Curitiba since 2018. Santos trains muay Thai with Chute Boxe black belts Nadim Andraus and Roberto Piccinini and boxing with Vitoriano Martinez, who is the father of Vale Tudo legend Jose Landi-Johns. He is also a jiu-jitsu purple belt and according to master Picinini “has a uncommon speed and agility for a heavyweight.”

Andraus told Sherdog.com that Santos had a bout scheduled against Kirill Kornilov at Open Fighting Championship 5 in Russia on June 12, but after s…

Fans are coming back to Bellator MMA events.

The promotion announced Wednesday that fans will be allowed to attend Bellator 260 on June 11 and Bellator 261 on June 25. Both events take place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. “A limited number of tickets” will be available for both cards on Friday, according to a release.

The organization’s last event in front of an audience was Bellator 240, which took place on Feb. 22, 2020 at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. After Friday’s Bellator 259, the California-based promotion will have held 16 events without spectators in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bellator 260 is headlined by a welterweight championship clash between Douglas Lima and Yaroslav Amosov, while an interim heavyweight title tilt pitting Timothy Johnson against Valentin Moldavsky will top the Bellator 261 bill. Both cards will be televised on Showtime.

In conjunction with the return of fans, Bellator announced a partnership with spo…

Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Tatiana Suarez is nearing her Octagon return after neck issues have sidelined her since June 2019.

The former UFC strawweight contender told ESPN that she has been medically cleared and is targeting a 125-pound debut for her next promotional appearance. A bulging disc in her neck has plagued the former Olympic hopeful after a victory over Nina Ansaroff at UFC 238.

Suarez’s return might have arrived sooner, as she was cleared for training in February but she suffered a broken right hand in wrestling practice and a concussion in a separate instance while wrestling with her boyfriend. She plans on beginning her training camp “soon,” with September as a possibility for her next fight.

"I'm super excited to get back out there," she said. "It's fun to practice, for sure. But it's just different competing. Everybody knows that. It's super exci…

A bantamweight clash pitting former champion T.J. Dillashaw against Cory Sandhagen has been rescheduled for an UFC event on July 24.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the booking. Dillashaw and Sandhagen were originally slated to headline UFC on ESPN 24 on May 8 before Dillashaw suffered a cut in training and the bout had to be postponed.

Dillashaw vs. Sandhagen will serve as the main event for the July 24 card, which does not yet have an official location.

Dillashaw has been sidelined since January 2019 after serving a two-year USADA suspension for a positive EPO test. The former bantamweight champion last appeared at UFC Fight Night 143, where his bid to capture flyweight gold was derailed in a 32-second TKO loss to Henry Cejudo.

Sandhagen has emerged as one of the division’s top contenders with victories in seven of his first eight Octagon appearances. The Elevation Fight Team representative has authored spectacular knockouts in his last two outings ag…

Derrick Lewis is not the person whose car you want to attempt to steal.

A Houston area man learned that lesson the hard way, as the UFC heavyweight posted a video on his Instagram account of the alleged thief being arrested by local police. “Mofo pick right/wrong car to break into,” Lewis wrote. “HE’S OK.”

In addition to sharing photo and video of the suspect and police on the scene, Lewis showed the damage done to his vehicle, and revealed bruises on his knuckles in an Instagram story.

Houston Police Department public information officer Jodi Silva confirmed to MMAFighting.com that Lewis apprehended the suspect when he returned from a workout and heard banging noises on the driver’s side of the vehicle.

“Mr. Lewis says he went over to the suspect, struck him, placed him onto the ground until the police arrived,” Silva said. “That’s the nicest way to put it.”

The suspect was then taken to the hospital and then booked on a charge of criminal mischi…

HE BROKE HIS ARM @AndreMunizUFC submits Jacare Souza in Round 1!! #UFC262 pic.twitter.com/dH6tn41xhZ

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) May 16, 2021

Ronaldo Souza underwent surgery on Monday to repair the broken humerus he suffered against Andre Muniz at UFC 262.

According to his Brazilian doctor Rickson Moraes, who followed the process from Rio de Janeiro, the procedure was a success and “Jacare” will be ready to return in six months.

“I just did a video call with him and saw the X-ray. The surgery was excellent. They placed two plates to fix the bones. The team that did the surgery will evaluate, but normally that type of fracture takes around six months for a complete recovery,” Moraes told Sherdog.com.

Moraes also compared “Jacare’s” surgery to the procedure underwent by Chris Weidman, who suffered a broken leg at UFC 261 last month.

“Both Weidman and Ronaldo have a fracture in the diaphysis of the bone (tibia and humerus). Both cases…

There’s no quit in Tony Ferguson.

“El Cucuy” suffered his third consecutive lopsided defeat at UFC 262, falling to Beneil Dariush via unanimous decision at the Toyota Center in Houston this past Saturday. Ferguson spent much of the fight being outgrappled by his opponent, including a moment in the second round where he was trapped in a tight heel hook. The former interim champion didn’t tap, but he appeared to be in visible pain before eventually escaping.

Though Ferguson didn’t provide an update on his health, he did seem resolute in his intention to continue fighting despite his recent struggles.

“Retire & Give These MF’s A Break!? No, I Don’t Think So. Not On My Watch... Now I’m Pissed,” Ferguson wrote in a statement on his Instagram account.

The loss to Dariush comes on the heels of lopsided defeats against Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje over the course of the past year. After Saturday’s fight, UFC president Dana White speculated that time mig…

The return of @SalahdineP!!! #KSW61 - June 5th - KSWTV https://t.co/Hh2J3S6Xf7

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) May 12, 2021

Salahdine Parnasse will square off against Filip Pejic in the KSW 61 co-main event on June 5.

The Polish promotion recently announced the featherweight pairing. KSW 61 takes place at the Ergo Arena in Gdansk, Poland, and marks the organization’s first event with fans in attendance since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold worldwide. The card is headlined by a heavyweight clash between Mariusz Pudzianowski and Lukasz Jurkowsi and is available via KSWTV.com.

Parnasse is coming off the first loss of his professional career, when he relinquished the featherweight crown to Daniel Torres in a first-round knockout defeat at KSW 58. Prior to that, the 23-year-old Frenchman had been victorious in his first five promotional appearances.

Pejic, meanwhile, snapped a two-fight losing streak in his last outing, as he scored an 11-second knocko…

Jon Jones is in no rush to return to the Octagon.

Negotiations with the UFC for a heavyweight title fight seem to have stalled at the moment, and that’s just fine with the former 205-pound champion, who is enjoying his time away from the sport.

“I’m not really sure when I’ll be fighting next, but some downtime after a decade of wins is a nice little change up right now,” Jones wrote on Twitter Monday.

I’m really not sure when I’ll be fighting next, but some downtime after a decade of wins is a nice little change up right now. https://t.co/fi8XSLLidD

— BONY (@JonnyBones) May 17, 2021

The message carries added significance after UFC president Dana White addressed media on Saturday night and touched on the possibility that “Bones” might not compete again. White has been critical of Jones’ desire to get paid more for a move to heavyweight, and has moved on to targeting a rematch between reigning champ Francis Ngannou and Derrick Lewis i…

There was a party in Sao Paulo to celebrate the return of newly-crowned UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira.

“Do Bronx” brought the belt back to his hometown of Guaruja, Sao Paolo on Monday, and he shared the moment with people throughout the area during a raucous fire truck parade throughout the city. Oliveira’s coach, Diego Lima, captured the joyous occasion in a video on his Instagram account.

How cool is this?!

@wilisgraffitioficial @chris.arts013 @leilagraffiti pic.twitter.com/dT2xyXWG3q

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) May 17, 2021

In addition to the hero’s welcome, Oliveira also had a mural of his likeness dedicated to him by artist Wilis Cavalcante. Cavalcante told MMAFighting.com that he began the 1,070-square foot mural on Friday and spent approximately 24 hours painting until its completion on Sunday. The artist did his work without knowing the result of the fight.

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship is already in the process of moving into full-capacity venues, but it might not be back to anything resembling a completely normal schedule until next year.

UFC 262 at the Toyota Center in Houston on Saturday marked the promotion’s second event in front of fans since the COVID-19 pandemic altered protocol in March 2020. While the organization has pay-per-view events slated for Phoenix in June and Las Vegas in July that are likely to have little or no capacity restrictions, don’t expect to see the UFC’s smaller events following suit anytime soon.

“We’re not even looking at Fight Nights [for fans],” UFC president Dana White said on Saturday. “We didn’t even have gates in our budget until October and November. Right now, to start trying to find places for Fight Nights, it just makes no sense.

“We’ll stay at the cozy [UFC] Apex and do our thing for the rest of the yea…

Edson Barboza and Shane Burgos were involved in one of the most memorable bouts of the evening at UFC 262 on Saturday.

After a back-and-forth standup battle, Burgos was stunned by a Barboza right hand in Round 3, which resulted in a delayed reaction from the Team Tiger Schulmann representative. Burgos kept his footing momentarily but eventually tumbled to the canvas, and Barboza finished off the contest with a couple follow-up strikes 1:16 into the period.

“It was kind of crazy,” Barboza said of the finish. “I honestly didn’t really understand what happened at the time. After the fight was over, I was still moving forward and saw that he was dropping. I saw he couldn’t defend himself, but I didn’t understand what happened. I asked my coaches what had dropped him, because I didn’t see it. I want to rewatch the fight and see what exactly happened.”

Burgos, who appeared to be gaining momentum in the second frame before the stoppage in Round 3, released a statement…

Beneil Dariush was surprised as anyone that Tony Ferguson didn’t succumb to the heel hook he applied in the second round of their co-headlining about at UFC 262.

“How do you not tap to that heel hook? His knee popped, and it popped loud,” Dariush said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I saw his face change for a second, and then he went back to normal, and he started kicking me in the body. That upkick he hit me with? That was pretty good.”

While Ferguson did grimace briefly, he continued to fight until the final horn of the third round. His movement did appear to be compromised in the final five minutes, which hindered his ability to produce any type of rally after falling behind on the scorecards.

“I hope nothing happened to his knee because that’s where your ACL goes,” Dariush said. “When you go for a heel hook, and it pops like that, your ACL can be gone. I know he’s a super human, and we’ve heard it over and over again, but I don’t want that on a…

If Dana White truly is “Lookin’ for a Fight,” he surely found some on Sunday at Fury FC 46. The Ultimate Fighting Championship head man and his partners in scouting, Din Thomas and Matt Serra, witnessed a card topped by three Fury Fighting Championship title fights and stacked with UFC and Dana White's Contender Series veterans getting a second look, as well as a hearty helping of rising local prospects.

In the main event, Nikolay Veretennikov (9-3) needed less than a round to put away Anthony Ivy and capture the Fury welterweight title. Veretennikov, a Kazakhstani by birth but longtime Texas resident, fought off Ivy’s attempts to bring the fight to the floor and punished him with knees in the clinch. The beginning of the end came when Veretennikov shucked off a double-leg attempt, then landed a knee to the ribs that doubled “Aquaman” over. Sensing his foe was hurt, Veretennikov followed Ivy to the ground, but landed only a punch or two before referee Jacob Montalvo…

It doesn’t appear that the UFC is going to give in to Jon Jones demands for a higher payday to accompany his move to heavyweight.

Recently, UFC president Dana White proposed a matchup between Jones and ex-champ Stipe Miocic while Francis Ngannou defends his crown in a rematch against Derrick Lewis later this summer. Jones balked at that option in a series of tweets he later deleted.

At Saturday’s UFC 262 post-fight press conference, White claimed that Jones’ Octagon return is based primarily on the Jackson-Wink MMA representative’s desire to compete. If Jones doesn’t agree to the UFC’s terms, White made it sound like he’s at peace with the former light heavyweight champ never returning to the Octagon.

“Listen, that’s up to Jon Jones, whether he wants to fight or not,”White said. “There’s fights available. They’re here. I’m gonna keep making fights every weekend, doing fights.

“If Jon Jones wants to fight, he can. If he doesn’t, he doesn’t have to. Nobody’s gonna …

WOW @andremunizufc is able to earn a submission against Jacare at #UFC262 pic.twitter.com/45NMJCn4TF

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 16, 2021

Ronaldo Souza will underdo surgery after having his arm broken in a submission loss to Andre Muniz at UFC 262 on Saturday night.

According to a report from MMAFighting.com, “Jacare” suffered a fractured right humerus in the middleweight bout due to a Muniz armbar. That bout ended at the 3:59 mark of Round 1, as the decorated grappler’s upper arm audibly snapped.

Souza’s doctor, Rickson Moraes, described it as an “urgent procedure” while adding: “But in general he’s fine, despite the fracture.”

Souza will have surgery on Monday in the United States, per an ESPN report. The former Strikeforce champion is in good spirits after the injury.

“The UFC is giving me all the support,” he told ESPN. “When the world stopped, the UFC was moving and taking care of all the athletes.”

Souza has lost fo…