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Both have something to prove

Don’t miss @MakhachevMMA vs @ThiagoMoisesMMA tomorrow!

[ #UFCVegas31 | July 17 on @ESPN & #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/F57j9ebOnK — UFC (@ufc) July 16, 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. There was no drama ahead of the Ultimate Fighting Championship's return to the UFC Apex for UFC on ESPN 26, as all 11 fights are now official.

Every fighters made weight for the ESPN-aired event, which will be headlined by an intriguing lightweight battle between Thiago Moises and Islam Makhachev as they battle up the ranks. Makhachev (19-1) finds himself on an impressive seven-fight win streak. The surging Russian submitted Drew Dober in his last bout, and has also defeated respected veterans including Nik Lentz and Gleison Tibau on his way up. Makhachev officially weighed 155.5 pounds for his first main…

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. Former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight king Rafael dos Anjos is confident that he would have crushed Conor McGregor in the main event of UFC 264. Booked as a reserve fighter for the main event of UFC 264, dos Anjos (30-13) was not able to step in the Octagon last Saturday because both Dustin Poirier and McGregor were cleared to compete. The longtime MMA veteran dos Anjos spoke to Sherdog on Thursday, while on a camping trip with his family, about the headliner of UFC 264 that he watched intently. He had strong thoughts on how he would have performed had he been tapped as the alternate.

“I saw McGregor [at the] weigh-ins and he looked sloppy, skinny like a little boy,” dos Anjos remarked. “I was sure Dustin would win again. But Conor was lucky it was not me. My game is much worse for him than Dustin’s. I have no doubt I…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ng3p--7bJo&w=560&h=315] No belts are up for grabs at the latest KSW event, but that did not stop every fighter on the card from remaining professional and properly making weight.

The latest KSW offering comes in the form of a nine-fight event of KSW 62, where an Olympic gold medalist in weightlifting caps off the card. Szymon Kolecki (9-1) will aim to make it four in a row inside the KSW cage when he takes on fellow bodybuilder and Polsat’s “Dancing with the Stars” competitor Akop Szostak (4-3). The light heavyweights combine for 11 knockouts in their 13 career victories, and neither has ever landed nor suffered a submission. Kolecki, who once fought at heavyweight and topped Mariusz Pudzianowski, hit the scales at 206 pounds. The Belarussian out of Poland came back far lighter, well below the limit at 202 pounds.

The co-featured fight comes in the welterweight division, when the man known as “Double Champ” Andrzej Grzebyk (170…

Now that the #LFA111 weigh-in is in the books, which fight are you looking forward to the most?

: https://t.co/uZ05OZtNhm

: https://t.co/3srj9Wnzhz@ShellsDotCom@Drink9mm@KoiCBD@SheathUnderwear@GLCDirect2000@HowlerHead@TeamSmartStop@UFCFightPass pic.twitter.com/nbQ2kIpKEt — LFA (@LFAfighting) July 16, 2021 The Legacy Fighting Alliance is fully international as it heads to Brazil for its first event not on North America soil.

Headlining LFA 111 is a bout between Brazilian lightweight prospects Rangel Ribeiro de Sa and Ismael Bonfim. De Sa (10-1) has won his last six bouts, and looks to make a statement in his LFA debut. "Anaconda" officially weighed 155.4 for the main event bout. Meanwhile, Bonfim (14-3) brings an eight-fight win streak into his promotional debut, and he hit the scales at 155.8 pounds.

LFA 111's prelims will air live on the promotion's Facebook page, while the main card will stream on UFC Fight Pass at 9 p.m. ET/6 p…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYKvCTxJcGA&w=560&h=315] A few Bellator MMA fighters may have needed the full additional hour, but every competitor for this Friday’s card made weight.

After three weeks away, Bellator is back with Bellator 262 inside the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., with a flyweight title fight and a high-stakes heavyweight scrap on tap. The event will be capped off by Juliana Velasquez’ first defense of her 125-pound throne, when she takes on kickboxing convert Denise Kielholtz (6-2) at night’s end. All 10 fights on the card are official, as every fighter made weight, even though two prelim fighters needed an extra hour to hit their marks.

Velasquez (11-0) comes into this battle with a flawless record, seven months removed from wresting the title from Ilima-Lei Macfarlane in December. The Brazilian champ has stormed her way through the Bellator cage, rattling off six wins since her organizational debut in 2017 over names like Na Lian…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC 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. Count Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight Michel Pereira among those that believe his battle with Niko Price should have earned “Fight of the Night.” Both Pereira (26-11, 2 NC) and Price (14-5, 2 NC) brawled for three hard-fought rounds on the prelims of UFC 264, with Pereira getting his hand raised at the end. Much to their chagrin, the main card offering, Sean O'Malley’s one-sided beating of newcomer Kris Moutinho, earned the $75k prize instead. The win was Pereira’s third in a row inside the Octagon, and the victorious Brazilian spoke to Sherdog shortly after his victory to give his thoughts on the whole ordeal.

“They should consider the level of the opponent's when choosing the bonus,” Pereira said. “O’Malley got an [easy opponent], that was no…

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. The recently defeated Ultimate Fighting Championship star Conor McGregor has made some claims about a possible preexisting injury that may merit some additional questioning. On Thursday, McGregor posted a video on his Instagram while riding a motorized scooter as an update to his fans about his condition and recovery. In this video, the Irishman explained that he may have come into UFC 264, and his rubber match against Dustin Poirier, with injuries to his leg. In that third bout with Poirier, McGregor’s tibia snapped towards the end of the first round, with many speculating it could have broken on a checked leg kick, an elbow block from Poirier or simply from throwing it so hard. Even though it did not go his way, McGregor appeared upbeat about the situation, getting out of surgery on his birthday on Wednesday.

“Keep a positiv…

A middleweight clash pitting Phil Hawes against Deron Winn has been rescheduled for a UFC event on Oct. 9.

The bout was originally slated for UFC on ESPN 26 this Saturday, but according to ESPN the contest was moved three months down the road after Winn suffered a rib injury. The UFC card will likely take place the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a strawweight tilt between Marina Rodriguez and Mackenzie Dern.

Hawes enters the matchup with Winn having won his last seven professional outings — including three straight in UFC competition. The two-time Dana White’s Contender Series veteran has thus far scored successive triumphs over Jacob Malkoun, Nassourdine Imavov and Kyle Daukus within the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Winn, meanwhile, snapped a two-bout skid at UFC Fight Night 183, where he captured a unanimous verdict against Antonio Arroyo on Dec. 19. The 32-year-old American Kickboxing Academy representative is 7-2 as a pro with other notable wins ag…

Veteran middleweight Omari Akhmedov is no longer on the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster.

Akhmedov and the Las Vegas-based promotion have parted ways following a split-decision loss to Brad Tavares at UFC 264 this past Saturday. Sherdog.com contributor Tom Feely initially reported via Twitter that Akhmedov was listed as a “former fighter” on UFC.com, and MMAFighting.com later confirmed his exit.

It’s unclear if Akhmedov was cut with existing bouts on his contract or simply fulfilled his last fight at UFC 264 and will not receive a new deal.

The 33-year-old Dagestani began his Octagon tenure in 2013 and compiled a 9-5-1 record in UFC competition, with victories over the likes of Tom Breese, Ian Heinisch, Tim Boetsch, Zak Cummings and Brian Ebersole. At one point, the man known as “Wolverine” went unbeaten in six promotional appearances from November 2016 to December 2019.

Anchored at American Top Team, Akhmedov is 21-6-1 over the course of a professio…

UFC 266 will officially feature a pair of title fights at the top of the bill.

UFC president Dana White confirmed to promotion broadcast partner ESPN on Tuesday that a featherweight clash pitting reigning champ Alexander Volkanovski against Brian Orega will serve as the evening’s headliner, while Valentina Shevchenko will defend her flyweight crown against Lauren Murphy.

UFC 266 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sept. 25 and will also see Nick Diaz return for the first time since 2015 in a five-round, non-title matchup with Robbie Lawler.

Volkanovski was originally slated to defend his belt against Ortega at UFC 260 on March 27, but the Australian champion tested positive for COVID-19 to put that matchup on hold. The two featherweights were then tabbed as coaches on Season 29 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Volkanovski is currently on a 19-bout professional winning streak that includes nine triumphs in the UFC. He claimed 145-pound gold with a five-…

Nick Diaz has signed on the dotted line to lock horns with Robbie Lawler at UFC 266.

UFC president Dana White confirmed to Yahoo Sports that the previously targeted welterweight bout is nearly official for the Sept. 25 event. Lawler hasn’t yet signed a contract but the bout is expected to be finalized soon. Additionally, the matchup will be a five-round non-title affair, the second in the history of the Las Vegas-based promotion. The first such fight occurred at UFC 263, when Leon Edwards defeated Nate Diaz in a five-round verdict on June 12.

Lawler and Diaz initially squared off at UFC 47, with Lawler losing via knockout at the 1:31 mark of Round 2.

UFC 266 will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sept. 25 and is expected to be headlined by a featherweight championship clash pitting Alexander Volkanovski against Brian Ortega.

Diaz hasn’t competed since January 2015, when he lost a five-round decision to Anderson Silva in the UFC 183 headliner —…

Former Invicta Fighting Championships title holder Pam Sorenson has signed an exclusive deal with Bellator MMA.

Sherdog.com confirmed the signing with a promotion official following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. A date for Sorenson’s promotional debut was not revealed.

Sorenson herself recently revealed via Instagram that she had vacated her Invicta belt.

A 35-year-old native of Blaine, Minn., Sorenson has not competed since taking a five-round verdict over Kaitlin Young for the vacant 145-pound strap at Invicta FC 36 on Aug. 9, 2019. Prior to that, “Bam” was submittted in the fourth round by current UFC talent Felicia Spencer in a title bout at Invicta FC 32.

Sorenson is 8-3 over the course of her professional tenure, with other victories over the likes of Jan Finney, Helena Kolesnyk, Jessica-Rose Clark and Nicco Montano.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZuF5ijCHvc&w=560&h=315]

Jake Paul has big dreams when it comes to his boxing career, and Tyron Woodley is just the beginning.

“[Woodley is my] toughest [opponent] by far and that’s exactly what I want,” Paul said at a press conference on Tuesday to promote his boxing match against the former UFC champion. “I want to continue to increase my opponent’s skill level. I want to challenge myself. This is a legitimate knockout artist. He was boxing while I was on Disney Channel. He’s been boxing probably four or five times as long as me.”

Thus far, Paul is 3-0 in the Sweet Science with his most notable victory coming in April, when he scored a first-round knockout of former Bellator and One Championship title holder Ben Askren. Askren was a decorated wrestler but a below average striker at best — even by MMA standards. Woodley, on the basis of KO wins over the likes of Robbie Lawler, Dong Hyun Kim, Josh Koscheck and Jay Hieron, among …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZuF5ijCHvc&w=560&h=315]

Tyron Woodley isn’t looking at his boxing match against Jake Paul as a one-off opportunity for a cash grab.

Instead, the former UFC welterweight champion has designs on pursuing more fights in the Sweet Science after his Aug. 29 matchup with the YouTube personality.

“I didn’t get into this for a quick payday to get in and get out,” Woodley said during a press conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday to promote his fight with Paul. “This is a steppingstone for me. This is my entry into boxing for sure.”

Woodley will face Paul in the main event of a Showtime Sports card at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. The event will air via pay-per-view on Showtime beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Paul is 3-0 as a professional boxer, while Woodley will be making his debut in the sport.

Now 39 years old, Woodley parted ways with the UFC following a four-bout losing streak. He last appeared in the …

Conor McGregor may very well be on the decline in his mixed martial arts career, but he nonetheless remains the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s top draw.

According to a report from the Sports Business Journal, UFC 264 drew a total of 1.8 million pay-per-view buys, making it the second-highest selling event in promotion history. UFC 229 was the top seller with a reported 2.4 million pay-per-view buys for a card headlined by a lightweight championship clash between McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

UFC 264 reportedly sold 1.3 million buys in the United States on ESPN and another 500,000 internationally. The card, which took place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, saw Dustin Poirier emerge victorious in the rubber match against the Irishman when McGregor suffered a gruesome leg break after stepping awkwardly at the end of Round 1.

Earlier in 2021, McGregor’s second-round TKO loss to Poirier in the UFC 257 main event on Jan. 23 did a reported 1.6 million buys. Al…

Bellator 262 is down one fight following the cancellation of a proposed heavyweight clash between Linton Vassell and Marcelo Golm.

The California-based promotion announced that the bout was scrapped due to an undisclosed injury to one of the competitors. As a result, a bantamweight scrap pitting Matheus Mattos against Cee Jay Hamilton has been promoted to the main card. Additionally, a lightweight showdown between Charlie Campbell and Nick Giulietti has been added to the preliminary draw.

Bellator 262 takes place on Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and is headlined by a women’s flyweight championship tilt between Juliana Velasquez and Denise Kielholtz. The main card airs on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, while prelims stream at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on the Bellator YouTube channel, Showtime Sports YouTube and Pluto TV.

A former light heavyweight title challenger, Vassell is coming off back-to-back technical knockout victories against Ronny Mark…

It should come as no surprise that Conor McGregor is one of six fighters from UFC 264 who is facing a lengthy medical suspension.

The former two-division champion suffered a broken left leg late in the first round of his trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier this past Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The “Notorious” one must receive orthopedic doctor clearance or he will be sidelined until Jan. 7. At a minimum, McGregor is suspended until Aug. 25 with no contact until Aug. 10. The Irish star underwent surgery for the injury on Sunday, when he had an intramedullary rod inserted into his tibia and a small plate and screws attached to the fibula.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission recently released a full list of medical suspensions from the event to mixedmartialarts.com. Poirier, who improved to 2-1 in his series with McGregor, emerged with a clean bill of health.

Elsewhere, former NFL Pro Bowler Greg Hardy is also looking at a six-month term follow…

Disney To Hike Price For ESPN+ By A Dollar A Month In August; Bundle, UFC PPV Costs To Remain Unchanged https://t.co/dVi4ysUWj0

— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) July 12, 2021

Access to UFC Fight Night cards is going to cost a little bit extra later this summer.

According to a report from Deadline, the subscription price for the ESPN+ streaming service will increase from $5.99 to $6.99 on Aug. 13. Additionally, the annual subscription rate for ESPN+ will increase from $59.99 to $69.99. As of now, UFC pay-per-views will remain the same cost at $69.99.

When ESPN+ launched in 2018, its price was $4.99 a month. That increased to $5.99 per month earlier this year as the service added more live sports to its offerings. Pay-per-views also increased from $64.99 per event to $69.99 at the beginning of 2020.

In its most recently quarterly earnings report, Disney revealed that ESPN+ had 13.8 million subscribers, per Deadline. The Las Vegas…

Herb Dean’s decision to halt the UFC 264 fight between Sean O'Malley and Kris Moutinho at the 4:33 mark of Round 3 was controversial, but not because Moutinho’s safety was at risk.

In the moment, the veteran official’s ruling was not popular because Moutinho appeared to be reasonably coherent— albeit in an increasingly lopsided bout. One person who believes Dean made the right call is UFC president Dana White.

“I think it could have been stopped three minutes before that,” White said at the UFC 264 post-fight press conference. “He could have stopped in the second round. That fight could have and should have been stopped at any moment. I have no problem with that stoppage.”

When all was said and done, O’Malley set UFC bantamweight records for most significant strikes landed in a single fight (230), in a round (83) and significant striking differential (+160). Moutinho, a short-notice replacement for Louis Smolka, deserves plenty of credit for remaining in the fig…

Lightweight champion Charles Oliveira had a front row seat for the anticlimactic outcome of the UFC 264 trilogy bout between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor.

Poirier won via doctor stoppage when McGregor stepped awkwardly and broke his leg toward the end of the first round of their bout at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Prior to the injury, Poirier had impressed Oliveira by asserting his will from top position, dominance that was evident by a pair of 10-8 scorecards that were submitted in his favor.

“I tought Conor was favorite until the second round,” Oliveira told Sherdog.com. “From the third on, I thought Poirier would take it. But Dustin impressed me a lot, always walking forward, showing a great ground-and-pound game. When Conor stood up, he was already tired when the injury happened.”

Oliveira anticipates that his championship fight with Poirier will be scheduled for December. “Do Bronx” doesn’t expect his strategy to stray much from …

The boxing match between social media personality Jake Paul and former UFC champion Tyron Woodley has an official date and venue.

Showtime Sports announced Monday that Paul will square off against Woodley on Aug. 29 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio, which is Paul’s hometown. The event will air on pay-per-view via Showtime beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and will also see WBC/WBO featherweight champion Amanda Serrano defending her belts against Yamileth Mercado.

“I can’t believe I get to fight in my hometown Cleveland,” Paul wrote on Twitter. “Aug. 29 [Tyron Woodley] is getting knocked out in front of my closest friends and family.”

Tickets will go on sale July 22. Paul and Woodley are expected to attend a press conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday to help promote the event. Paul vs. Woodley is slated for eight rounds and will be contested at a 190-pound catchweight.

Paul, who recently inked a multi-fight deal with Showtime, is coming off a…

NEW alternate angle of Conor McGregor threatening to kill Dustin and Jolie Poirier “in their sleep” and makes gun sign to his head:

“In your sleep you’re getting it, in your sleep you’re dead, you and your Mrs, it ain’t over” pic.twitter.com/r6nmjZAjQb

— Out Of Context MMA (@oocmma) July 12, 2021 After his victory over Conor McGregor in the UFC 264 headliner, Dustin Poirier revealed that his opponent crossed the line with some of his trash talk in the build-up to their fight.

The American Top Team product said that McGregor not only insinuated that Poirier’s wife, Jolie, attempted to reach out to him, but the Irish star also made multiple threats on his opponent’s life. The trilogy bout ended after one round when McGregor stepped awkwardly after missing a punch and broke his left leg, which prompted speculation that a fourth bout could be in store down the road.

“We are going to fight again whether it’s in the Octagon or on the sidewa…

Dustin Poirier bypassed a recent opportunity to compete for lightweight gold to pursue a lucrative trilogy with Conor McGregor at UFC 264.

Poirier’s gamble on himself paid off, as he defeated McGregor via doctor stoppage when the Irishman suffered a broken leg at the end of the first round of their headlining lightweight bout at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Through it all, Poirier is happy with the route he took to get to this point, and he attributes much of his success to shutting out the noise from the outside world.

“It's the fruit of my labor. I’m happy with the position I’ve put myself in,” Poirier said. “I’ve been working so hard for so long. I’ve been dedicated my whole career, but definitely these last few years I feel like I’m coming into my own because I care less about all the noise around me surrounding fighting. Opinions, critics and MMA media can be a toxic place. I got off social media the last month because of that. I feel good.…

One Championship has added a prominent executive with significant ties to the sports world to its Board of Directors.

The Singapore-based promotion announced on Monday that David Levy, who notably had a 30-year tenure at Turner Broadcasting Inc., will serve as Lead Director and be “actively involved in the development and execution of One’s strategy to expand its live events, content platforms, and reach in the U.S. and other key international markets, including assisting in the company’s media rights expansion efforts.”

“David is an industry pioneer who helped redefine how millions of people enjoy sports and entertainment programming,” One CEO Chatri Sityodtong said in a release. “He is the perfect addition to our Board with his proven track record of working with the largest sports leagues in the world, putting together innovative rights packages that create value for broadcast partners, corporate sponsors, athletes, and fans, and deep understanding of how to deliver …