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A pivotal strawweight showdown between Carla Esparza and Xiaonan Yan is on tap for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s May 22 card.

MMA DNA was first to report the 115-pound booking. The UFC Fight Night event currently doesn’t have a location or headliner. The card is also expected to included a women’s featherweight scrap between Felicia Spencer and Danyelle Wolf.

The UFC’s inaugural strawweight title holder, Esparza is currently on a four-bout winning streak dating back to April 2019. Most recently, “Cookie Monster” garnered a split verdict against Marina Rodriguez at UFC on ESPN 14 this past July.

Yan, meanwhile, has been victorious in 13 of 14 professional outings — including her first six Octagon appearances. The China Top Team standout has gone the distance in all of her promotional triumphs and has scored notable wins over Claudia Gadelha, Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Angela Hill.

A strawweight clash pitting Angela Hill against Ashley Yoder has been pulled from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 186 card.

The bout was removed due to “COVID-19 protocols,” the promotion announced Saturday. As a result, Hill vs. Yoder will now take place at UFC Fight Night 187 on March 13. Yoder later revealed in an Instagram video that someone in her camp tested positive for the virus.

UFC Fight Night 186 will now proceed with nine fights. The event takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a heavyweight tilt between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Ciryl Gane. The card streams in its entirety on ESPN+ beginning at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.

Hill and Yoder initially squared off at “The Ultimate Fighter 25” finale, with Hill earning a unanimous decision triump on July 7, 2017.

Main event official!

@JairRozenstruik locks in #UFCVegas20 - LIVE on #ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/fkXo6J0NWw

— UFC (@ufc) February 26, 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. Although typically a formality, the Ultimate Fighting Championship weigh-ins of late have each brought their fair share of drama, this week included.

The UFC's busy February comes to an end this weekend as it puts on its fourth event in as many weeks. UFC Fight Night 186 will see heavyweight contenders Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Ciryl Gane look to make a statement at the other’s expense. The 10-fight card is now official after the weigh-ins took place, but not everyone made their contracted weight.

The biggest miss on the scales came from Maxim Grishin as he missed the light heavyweight limit by 4.5 pounds. The card also lost a welterweight bout betw…

Zhang Weili vs. Rose Namajunas for the strawweight title is in the works for UFC 261 on April 24, per multiple sources.

The fight isn't finalized just yet, however, that's the date the promotion and both fighters are targeting at this time. Hoping to get done in coming days.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 26, 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. Should everything come together, an upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship will be bolstered by a duo of major women’s championship matches.

On Friday, ESPN broke the news that the promotion was aiming to book champ Weili Zhang (21-1) against Rose Namajunas (9-4) for the strawweight belt on UFC 261. The fight is not official at the moment, but it is in the works for the April 24 pay-per-view card. In addition to the matchup news, the promotion appears to have abandoned it…

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 very first Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter from Guyana will make his way to the Octagon in May. On Thursday, Christian Aguilera (14-7) announced that he would be facing newcomer Carlston Lindsay Harris (15-4) at welterweight on May 8. The UFC Fight Night card on that date is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, although its destination is not official at this point. Should this matchup stay together, Harris will become the first to ever represent his home country of Guyana in the UFC cage.

Aguilera suffered his first-ever submission loss when Sean Brady put him to sleep in August 2020. The loss put an end to a three-fight win streak that saw him springboard into the UFC on the heels of a win over Glaucio Eliziario at LFA 81 earlier that year. His promotional debut came some 14 days later, where he k…

Only the prelims are listed thus far so I won’t post the whole thing, but TV listings say Cortney Casey is facing JJ Aldrich on March 13th

— Tom Feely (@omgitsfeely) February 26, 2021 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. A couple weeks before the card will happen, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has added a flyweight matchup. On Thursday, the UFC added Cortney Casey (9-8) vs. J.J. Aldrich (8-4) to its lineup on UFC Fight Night 187. The flyweights will tangle at the March 13 fight card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, per the promotion’s release to cable television outlets. This will be Aldrich’s first appearance since before the pandemic.

Casey has alternated wins and losses in her last five, with losses to Michelle Waterson, Cynthia Calvillo and Gillian Robertson interspersed between victories over Angela Hill and Mara Romero Borella…

Who's YOUR pick for Xiaomi Fight of the Night? #ONEFistsOfFury #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/Wj7ntPmTBe

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) February 26, 2021 The first event in the One Championship “Fists of Fury” trilogy saw most of the fights go the distance.

In the "Fists of Fury" main event, Ilias Ennahachi put his flyweight kickboxing title on the line against Superlek Kiatmoo9. The defending champion took his time to study his opponent in the first round. Superlek had some issues with steadiness early in the first frame as he slipped on the canvas a few times, which may have contributed an accidental groin strike from a back kick. After apologizing, Superlek kept kicking his opponent’s left side, but it was not enough to slow Ennahachi’s offense. The second round saw Ennahachi going in and out with his flashy combinations as his opponent resorted to his kicks.

The third round was arguably the best for the challenger…

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 longtime Ultimate Fighting Championship vet is returning to the weight class where he started his career. For the first time since 2012, Jeremy Stephens (28-18, 1 NC) will be competing at lightweight, first reported by MMA Junkie on Thursday. “Lil Heathen” will meet Drakkar Klose (11-2-1) at his old weight category at a UFC Fight Night card on April 17 that will be held in the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Stephens initially dropped to 145 pounds against Estevan Payan at UFC 160 in 2013, and although he engaged in a few catchweight contests along the way, this will be his first official lightweight bout since then. Both men hinted at this upcoming fight news on their respective Instagram accounts, while Klose stated when he would be fighting.

Stephens struggled a few times to make weight as a 145er, coming in 3.5 pounds heavy ag…

It’s go time!!! Happy to announce a date and opponent excited to put on a beautiful display of violence #ufc https://t.co/kfSyH4PZOl

— Sasha Palatnikov (@PalatnikovMMA) February 25, 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. The recipient of an all-time great Ultimate Fighting Championship knockout has decided to change weight classes following that spectacular defeat. Per MMA Junkie on Thursday, the upcoming UFC Fight Night event on April 10 has gained a welterweight scrap between Impa Kasanganay (8-1) and Sasha Palatnikov (6-2). The two men will face off at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and this will be Kasanganay’s welterweight debut after a career spent at 185 pounds. Palatnikov confirmed the booking on his Twitter page on Thursday night.

Kasanganay will be looking to right the ship after suffering Sherdog’s 2020 “Knockout of the Ye…

Excited for this one.

Undefeated Usman Nurmagomedov will make his @BellatorMMA debut in a lightweight fight against Mike Hamel during the main card of #Bellator255.

The event will air live on @SHOsports on April 2 - pic.twitter.com/Tdl6csfmq5 — Scott Coker (@ScottCoker) February 25, 2021 Editor's note: The article has been updated at 10 p.m. to reflect a confirmation from the promotion.

Bellator MMA is building up its 2021 return in a solid way, with multiple names from famous fighting families on its first show back.

A trio of Bellator 255 fight announcements broke on Thursday, with multiple main card-caliber fights booked for its first show of the year. Bellator President Scott Coker broke the first, with Usman Nurmagomedov (11-0) vs. Mike Hamel (7-4) at featherweight set for the event. Bellator 255 will go down on April 2 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

Nurmagomedov, cousin of Ultimate Fighting Championship…

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. Two Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweights keen on working their way up the division will meet in May. MMA Junkie first reported the news on Thursday that Andrea Lee (11-5) would be taking on Antonina Shevchenko (9-2) at UFC 262. The two flyweights will collide on May 15 at a currently undetermined venue that is expected to be the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Lee confirmed the matchup was pending on her Instagram.

“KGB” Lee is looking to snap a three-fight decision skid since September 2019, where she dropped split verdicts to Joanne Calderwood and Lauren Murphy before losing unanimously to Roxanne Modafferi in September 2020. Before this unsuccessful stretch, Lee had never lost consecutive bouts. With appearances at Legacy Fighting Alliance and Invicta Fighting Championships leading to her rise up the division, Lee went on to …

We've signed welterweights Gleison Tibau, Alexei Kunchenko and Jason Ponet; featherweights Chris Wade and Anthony Dizy, women’s lightweights Kaitlin Young and Taylor Guardado; and light heavyweight Nick Roehrick to complete the 2021 PFL Roster!

— PFL MMA (@ProFightLeague) February 25, 2021 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. The Professional Fighters League has finalized its divisions for its upcoming 2021 season. In a press release sent out by the tournament-based league on Thursday, the PFL has set its 60-fighter lineup for its latest season. Much of its roster had already been disclosed in sections for its weight classes of featherweight and lightweight, welterweight and light heavyweight, and finally, heavyweight and women’s lightweight. Like the past season, each category will initially hold just 10 fighters, and the ranks are no…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OsTq58aI2A&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. Current boxing champ and upcoming Professional Fighters League competitor Claressa Shields weighed in on several MMA topics including Conor McGregor. In a recent interview with the Betway Insider blog, Shields (10-0 Box, 2 KOs) spoke about a litany of issues including training for her MMA debut, transitioning back and forth between boxing and MMA, working with Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White should Zuffa Boxing come to fruition and more. Among other areas of discussion, Shields weighed in on Conor McGregor, his thoughts on her as well as his potential rematch with Dustin Poirier.

Before she steps into the PFL cage in June, Shields will look to defend her WBC and WBO titles while hunting for more against Canada’s Marie-Eve Dicaire (17-0, 0 KOs) i…

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. Editor's Note: The article has been updated at 12:45 p.m. on Feb. 25 to reflect additional information. The Ultimate Fighting Championship has lost a thriller of a matchup days before it was set to go down.

First reported by MMA Junkie on Thursday, William Knight (9-1) vs. Alonzo Menifield (9-2) at light heavyweight has been scratched from the UFC Fight Night 186 lineup. The Feb. 27 event saw the bout fall through when Menifield tested positive for COVID-19, and the news has since been confirmed by other outlets. The promotion intends on rebooking the match at an upcoming event, and not scuttling the pairing altogether. Per MMA Fighting shortly after the news broke, the two will instead be squaring off at UFC 260 on March 27.

A potential slugfest will have to wait, as Knight was looking to extend his overall win streak t…

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 highly anticipated Ultimate Fighting Championship rematch is on the books for June. First reported by the promotion’s broadcast partner ESPN on Thursday, Deiveson Figueiredo (20-1-1) and Brandon Moreno (18-5-2) are going to run it back for the flyweight strap on June 12. The event, which should be titled UFC 263, does not currently have a location listed at the time. It is expected that should it not take place in the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, it will be located on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The two flyweights went toe-to-toe for five hard rounds in December, and an errant groin strike from Figueiredo resulted in an immediate point deduction that ultimately resulted in the fight getting scored a majority draw. Both men had their moments, and “The Assassin Baby” came at Figueiredo like few have before, putting …

A women’s flyweight clash between Gillian Robertson and Miranda Maverick has been rebooked for UFC 260.

The fight was originally scheduled for UFC 258, but a non-COVID related illness” forced Robertson to withdraw on the day of the event. Both fighters confirmed the new booking on social media following an initial report by Fighter Path.

Robertson went 2-1 during three Octagon appearances in 2020. After defeating Cortney Casey by submission at UFC on ESPN 11 and outpointing Poliana Botelho at UFC Fight Night 180, “The Savage” dropped a unanimous verdict to Taila Santos in her last outing at UFC Fight Night 183 on Dec. 19. Robertson is 6-3 during her promotional tenure and 9-5 as a professional overall.

Maverick is currently on a four-bout winning streak, including a TKO of Liana Jojua in her Octagon debut at UFC 254.The 23-year-old went 6-2 in Invicta FC prior to signing with the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Maurice Greene will meet Marcos Rogerio de Lima in a heavyweight scrap at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on May 8.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the pairing. The card includes a women’s bantamweight bout between Holly Holm and Julianna Pena and a welterweight clash pitting Donald Cerrone against Diego Sanchez. A location has not been formally announced.

Greene has lost three of his last four promotional outings. Most recently, the 34-year-old Jackson-Wink MMA representative suffered a second-round TKO defeat to Greg Hardy at UFC Fight Night 181 last October.

De Lima has alternated wins and losses in his last 10 UFC appearances dating back to December 2014. The 35-year-old Brazilian went 1-1 in 2020, earning a first-round TKO against Ben Sosolli at UFC Fight Night 168 before being submitted by Alexander Romanov at UFC on ESPN 17.

A middleweight showdown pitting Sean Strickland against Krzysztof Jotko has been added to the UFC’s May 1 lineup.

Paradigm Sports, which represents Strickland, initially announced the pairing on social media. UFC Fight Night is headlined by a light heavyweight tilt between Dominick Reyes and Jiri Prochazka. A location for the card has not been confirmed.

After injuries from a motorcycle accident sidelined Strickland for two years, “Tarzan” returned to earn Sherdog.com’s "Comeback Fighter of the Year" honors with a 2020 campaign that featured victories over Jack Marshman and Brendan Allen. The 29-year-old Californian is 9-3 during a promotional tenure that has occurred primarily at 170 pounds.

Poland’s Jotko has rebounded from a three-bout losing streak that ran from 2017 to 2018 to post successive triumphs over Alen Amedovski, Marc-Andre Barriault and Eryk Anders in his last three Octagon appearances. The 31-year-old American Top Team representative is 9-4 in …

Patricky Freire, the older brother of the Bellator double champion Patricio Freire, is anxiously awaiting a decision from the organization concerning his next challenge.

"My brother is fighting in the featherweight grand prix and already said that he has no intention of remaining in the lightweight division,” Freire told Sherdog.com. “Everybody knows that he just went up to beat Michael Chandler. He already declared that he would vacate the title if I were to get a shot. Brent Primus already agreed to fight for the title against me, I dont know why Bellator is taking so long to announce that. I´m anxious to start my camp.”

Freire hasn’t fought since December 2019, when he lost a decision to Tofiq Musayev in the finals of the Rizin lightweight grand prix. Prior to that, the 35-year-old had been on a seven-bout winning streak dating back to 2017. Even without his next Bellator bout scheduled, Patricky is helping his brother prepare to face Emmanuel Sanchez in the s…

Valentina Shevchenko will defend her flyweight belt against former 115-pound champion Jessica Andrade at UFC 261.

UFC president Dana White confirmed the bout to broadcast partner ESPN on Wednesday. UFC 261 takes place on April 24 at an as yet to be announced location. It is unclear if Shevchenko vs. Andrade will serve as the evening’s main event.

A former bantamweight title challenger, Shevchenko has been victorious in her last six Octagon appearances. “Bullet” captured the 125-pound title with a five-round verdict over Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 231 and has followed with four successful defenses. Most recently, Shevchneko earned a lopsided unanimous verdict against Jennifer Maia at UFC 255. The 32-year-old’s only two defeats in 11 UFC fights have come against two-division champion Amanda Nunes.

Andrade made a successful 125-pound debut last October, when she scored a first-round knockout of former title challenger Katlyn Chookagian at UFC Fight Night 180. The 2…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bs95egGxmq4&w=560&h=315]

T.J. Dillashaw believes Petr Yan will retain his bantamweight crown against Aljamain Sterling, but he also says the challenger has a style that could cause problems for the reigning champion.

The former UFC bantamweight champion gave his assessment of the UFC 259 title bout during an appearance on “The Real Quick with Mike Swick” podcast.

“I think it’s a tough fight for Yan because of the style of the fighter. I think Yan’s the better, well-rounded fighter. He’s got more of the skills and more aspects of fighting. But Sterling’s wrestling is very aggressive,” Dillashaw said.

“[Sterling’s] striking is real uncomfortable. He doesn’t really set anything up – he just kind of bombs kicks non-stop, kind of got that distance. But then he can grab a hold of you. He’s got great wrestling and his jiu-jitsu is amazing, too. I watched him take [Cory] Sandhagen out in 45 seconds. We watched him do a lot of grea…

Sage Northcutt will return to active competition for the first time since May 2019 when he locks horns with Shinya Aoki at One Championship’s April 28 event.

The bout will be contested in One’s lightweight division, which is 170 pounds. ESPN was first to report the booking. The card is the final of four consecutive events for the Singapore-based promotion that will air on cable network TNT from April 7 to April 28.

Northcutt hasn’t fought since suffering a 29-second knockout defeat in his One Championship debut against Cosmo Alexandre on May 17, 2019. As a result of that bout, Northcutt was forced to undergo a nine-hour surgical procedure to repair multiple fractures in his face. Prior to that loss, Northcutt went 6-2 during a UFC stint from 2015 to 2018.

A former One, Dream and Shooto champion, the 37-year-old Aoki enters the matchup with Northcutt on a three-bout winning streak. “Tobikan Judan” last appeared at One “Unbreakable,” where he submitted James Na…

An undisclosed injury has forced Blagoy Ivanov to withdraw from a proposed heavyweight clash against Marcin Tybura at UFC 260.

Both fighters confirmed the news on social media following an intial report by 24Chasa. UFC 260 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on March 27 and is headlined by a heavyweight championship rematch between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou.

“Same story over and over again,” Tybura wrote on Twitter. “Yo heavyweights, where you at? Anyone wants to meet me [March 27] in Vegas?”

Ivanov was looking to halt a two-bout skid after dropping consecutive split decisions against Derrick Lewis and Augusto Sakai. The former World Series of Fighting champion is 2-3 in UFC competition.

After having mixed results early in his UFC tenure, Tybura has been victorious in his last four Octagon appearances. Most recently, he scored a second-round TKO of Greg Hardy at UFC Fight Night 183 on Dec. 19.

Curtis Blaydes isn’t going to dwell on his knockout loss to Derrick Lewis at UFC Fight Night 185.

Heavily favored heading into last Saturday’s heavyweight main event, Blaydes was floored by a Lewis uppercut when he shot for a takedown, and his opponent punctuated the upset victory with two massive ground strikes 1:26 into Round 2.

Blaydes released a statement regarding the defeat Tuesday on his Instagram stories.

“Sometimes you’re the hammer and sometimes you’re the nail,” Blaydes wrote. “This game has a razor thin margin for error and I just got caught, it happens. Props to Derrick. No shame in it my head’s still held high.”

Blaydes entered the contest on a four-bout winning streak and appeared to be closing in on a UFC heavyweight title shot. All three of the 30-year-old Elevation Fight Team representative’s defeats — once to Lewis and twice against Francis Ngannou — have come via knockout. Blaydes currently has one fight remaining on his UFC contract.