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Week 9 of Dana White’s Contender Series is now official, as all 10 fighters slated for action made weight without issue on Monday.

The event did undergo one late change when Landon Quinones Stewart was forced to exit the event due to a positive COVID-19 test. As a result, Natan Levy will step in to face Shaheen Santana in a 160-pound catchweight affair. Levy tipped the scales at 159 pounds, while Santana checked in at 158.

The Contender Series takes place on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streams on UFC Fight Pass at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. ET. The card is headlined by a middleweight clash between Mariusz Ksiazkiewicz (184.5) and Mario Filipe de Sousa (185.5).

The Winnipeg-based Ksiazkiewicz is unbeaten in eight professional appearances thus far. He last competed in November 2019, when he scored a first-round submission of Guilherme Miranda. All but one of his victories have come inside the distance.

Sousa has lost just once in 12 career bouts. The 24-year-ol…

Raufeon Stots will square off against Keith Lee in a bantamweight affair at Bellator 253.

Sherdog.com confirmed the bout with a promotion official on Monday following an initial report from MMA journalist James Lynch. Bellator 253 takes place at on Nov. 19 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut and is headlined by a featherweight grand prix semifinal pitting Darrion Caldwell against A.J. McKee.

Stots has gone 2-0 in his promotional tenure thus far, posting a unanimous verdict against Cheyden Leialoha at Bellator 236 and a third-round submission over Cass Bell at Bellator 242. The 31-year-old Roufusport product has lost just once in 15 professional outings — a 15-second KO to current UFC talent Merab Dvalishvili at Ring of Combat 59 in June 2017.

Lee is also 2-0 in the California-based organization, with decision triumphs against Shawn Bunch and Vinicius Zani to his credit. The younger brother of former UFC title challenger Kevin Lee is 7-3 over the…

Professional Fighters League lightweight champion Kayla Harrison will test the waters at 145 pounds against Courtney King at Invicta Fighting Championships 43 on Nov. 20.

PFL officials announced the news in a release on Monday. Harrison is still expected to compete in the promotion’s 2021 season, which begins in April, at 155 pounds.

“I have been on a mission to show I am the best fighter,” Harrison said. “I have been tackling challenges my entire career and this bout at 145 pounds is a new and exciting one for me. I’m looking forward to competing in this new weight class and can’t wait to get back into the PFL cage come April.” 

Additionally, Invicta FC confirmed that the originally scheduled flyweight championship headliner between Pearl Gonzalez and Erin Blanchfield has been postponed after Gonzalez tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, a strawweight title tilt between Emily Ducote and Montserrat Ruiz has been elevated to the main event. In anothe…

FLORIDA REPRESENT!

@Thunder92Baeza makes a STATEMENT early RD2!

Watch now LIVE on @ESPN #UFCFL pic.twitter.com/OOPnFmEpt3 — UFC (@ufc) May 17, 2020

Miguel Baeza will lock horns with Takashi Sato in a welterweight bout at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Nov. 28.

MMA DNA was first to report the booking. The card takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a heavyweight duel pitting Curtis Blaydes against Derrick Lewis.

A competitor on Season 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series, Baeza has kicked off his promotional tenure with technical knockout victories against Hector Aldana and Matt Brown. The 28-year-old known as “Caramel Thunder” is 9-0 with seven wins coming by KO or TKO.

The 30-year-old Sato has been victorious in two of his three Octagon appearances. Most recently, the 30-year-old Tokyo native stopped Jason Witt 48 seconds into the opening stanza at UFC on ESPN 12 on June 27. The Pancrase…

Thiago Santos’ first Octagon appearance in 16 months didn’t go as planned.

Coming off a split-decision loss to former champion Jon Jones at UFC 239, “Marreta” carried high expectations into his matchup with Glover Teixeira at UFC on ESPN 17. And while Santos looked dangerous as ever on the feet, those moments were few and far between as he was overwhelmed on the canvas en route to a third-round submission loss at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

Santos had an opportunity to jump right back into contention in a light heavyweight division no longer ruled by Jones, but instead it’s Teixeira who appears positioned for a future title shot after his fifth consecutive win.

Santos, who had to endure a lengthy rehabilitation process after undergoing surgery on both of his knees following the loss to Jones, expressed his disappointment in a social media post over the weekend.

“I’m totally disappointed and embarrassed by my performance, I didn’t do anyth…

Next weekend’s UFC Fight Night 182 card has taken a major hit, as Islam Makhachev has withdrawn from his main event clash against Rafael dos Anjos.

ESPN was first to report Makhachev’s exit, which the fighter later revealed occurred due to a staph infection. The promotion is currently seeking a replacement opponent for dos Anjos. The bout was originally supposed to take place at UFC 254 but was postponed after dos Anjos tested positive for COVID-19.

Dos Anjos suggested former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler as a replacement opponent in a Twitter post.

“I wish [Islam Makhachev] a [speedy] recovery,” dos Anjos wrote. Looking for a new partner to dance. Looks like [Michael Chandler] is ready to go. Your move!”

Makhachev is currently on a six-fight winning streak in UFC competition. The Khabib Nurmagomedov training partner last appeared at UFC 242, where he outpointed Davi Ramos in September 2019.

UFC Fight Night 182 takes place at the U…

Former UFC heavyweight champion Mark Coleman is recovering in a hospital after suffering a heart attack last week.

The news was first shared by MMA documentarian Will Harris, who shared a screenshot from the Instagram story of Coleman’s daughter, Morgan.

“Thank you for all the kind words and support,” Morgan wrote. “[Coleman] is recovering well from his heart attack but still has more test to be done.”

Prayers for the legend @Markcolemanmma , who is recovering from a heart attack Recover like the beast you are brotha. Keep your thoughts on him MMA family. #UFCVegas13 pic.twitter.com/itv6id2G6T

— Anatomy of a Fighter (@WillHarrisAOAF) November 8, 2020

Coleman later issued a statement from his own Instagram account in which he shared that he drove to the hospital after feeling tightness in his chest and numbness in his arms. It was then discovered that Coleman had blockage in an artery and will need to undergo a procedure to have a …

Jan Blachowicz came away impressed by the seemingly ageless Glover Teixeira after the Brazilian veteran dispatched Thiago Santos in the UFC on ESPN 17 headliner Saturday night.

“Great fight and incredible run by [Glover Teixeira],” Blachowicz wrote on Twitter. “You totally deserve to fight for the title and get a taste of the #legendaryPolishPower.”

“If Adesanya can’t wait till March, let’s go.”

Great fight and incredible run by @gloverteixeira. You totally deserve to fight for the title and get taste of the #LegendaryPolishPower.

If Adesanya can't wait till March, let's go #UFCVegas13

— Jan Blachowicz (@JanBlachowicz) November 8, 2020

Last week, UFC president Dana White announced that Blachowicz would make his first light heavyweight title defense against 185-pound champion Israel Adesanya at a future event. Meanwhile, the Polish veteran revealed that he wouldn’t be able to return to action until March at the earliest, citi…

Sergei Kharitonov KO's Oli Thompson 2:54 into R1 #ParusMMA pic.twitter.com/RQq8b6qC9g

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) November 7, 2020

Sergei Kharitonov still possesses plenty of power in his hands.

The 40-year-old Russian veteran authored a highlight-reel KO at Paurus FC on Saturday, as he stopped UFC veteran Oli Thompson with a punch 2:50 into the opening stanza of their heavyweight clash. A powerful right hand sent Thompson plunging face first into the canvas, giving Kharitonov his second consecutive win following a four-bout stint in Bellator MMA.

Kharitonov has competed for organizations such as Pride Fighting Championships, Strikeforce, M-1 Global, Dream and Bellator over the course of a career that began in 2000. He has finished 21 of his triumphs by knockout or technical knockout during that time.

It’s been 20 years since Andrei Arlovski made his Octagon debut against Aaron Brink at UFC 28 “High Stakes” at Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Two decades and 33 UFC appearances later, the 41-year-old Belarusian is still finding ways to win fights. On Saturday, “The Pit Bull” held off surging heavyweight Tanner Boser, who entered the bout on the strength of back-to-back KO finishes, to win a unanimous decision in the UFC on ESPN 17 co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

While Arlovski’s output was lacking, when he did connect, he landed with more authority than his 29-year-old opponent, whose primary offense was a steady diet of leg kicks. In a fight where signature moments came at a premium, that was enough for the American Top Team product to earn the nod from the cageside judges. For Arlovski, a man who has competed in four different decades now, a conservative approach can be prudent.

“I can understand understand why commentators and Dana White…

It’s been more than six years since Glover Teixeira last challenged for UFC light heavyweight gold, but the Brazilian veteran is knocking on the door for another title shot in what should be the twilight of his career.

The 41-year-old Teixeira won his fifth straight fight in the UFC on ESPN 17 headliner, submitting Thiago Santos with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their clash at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Making the victory even more impressive was the fact that Teixeira finished the man who battled pound-for-pound superstar Jon Jones to a split decision at UFC 239 in 2019.

After his victory, Teixeira pleaded for another chance to claim UFC gold.

“I want that belt, man. It’s a dream,” Teixeira said on the ESPN+ post-fight show. “I live a simple life. I don’t fight for the money, I fight for the belt. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I’m disciplined. That’s why I work so hard. That’s my dream.

“I know it’s not an easy task. There’…

IN ONE ROUND.@JaredVanderaa opened the night with RELENTLESS finishing shots

[ Tune in on #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/UCQSGCS7tY

— UFC (@ufc) November 5, 2020 A heavyweight matchup pitting Sergey Spivak against Jared Vanderaa is in the works for UFC 256 on Dec. 12.

MMAFighting.com was first to report the booking. UFC 256 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a women’s featherweight championship clash between Amanda Nunes and Megan Anderson. In the co-main event, Petr Yan will defend the bantamweight crown against Aljamain Sterling.

Spivak, 25, is 2-2 in four Octagon appearances. In his last outing, the Moldovan fighter earned a majority decision against Carlos Felipe at UFC Fight Night 172 on July 18. Spivak is 11-2 as a professional with 10 triumphs coming inside the distance.

Vanderaa, meanwhile, earned a UFC contract thanks to a first-round technical knockout victory over Harry Hunsucker at Dana White…

Raoni Barcelos and Khalid Taha brought the heat for 15 full minutes at UFC on ESPN 17.

The bantamweight competitors were rewarded for their efforts with “Fight of the Night” and $50,000 apiece on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Barcelos set a tremendous pace throughout the bout and appeared to be on the verge of putting his opponent away on a few occasions, but Taha stayed in the fight and made it to the final horn. Still, it was Barcelos who emerged with a well-deserved unanimous decision triumph.

Elsewhere, Giga Chikadze pocketed a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award for a quick finish of replacement foe James Krause-Simmons in a featured featherweight matchup. After a feeling-out process, Chikadze felled Krause-Simmons with a body kick followed by a head kick. Standing-to-ground punches ended the bout 3:51 into the first frame.

Finally, heavyweight submission artist Alexander Romanov earned the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” c…

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. Glover Teixeira refused to give in. The respected Brazilian veteran on Saturday likely cemented himself as the No. 1 contender in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s light heavyweight division, as he submitted Thiago Santos with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their UFC on ESPN 17 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. In his first appearance since July 6, 2019, Santos (21-8, 13-7 UFC) capitulated 1:49 into Round 3.

Teixeira (32-7, 15-5 UFC) walked through hellfire to secure one of the most significant victories of his 39-fight career. Hurt on multiple occasions, the former Shooto Brazil champion turned to his takedowns, world-class grappling and destructive ground-and-pound to neutralize another knockout-minded opponent. He dominated Santos in the second round and cinched a rear-naked choke in the closing seconds of …

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. Sherdog's live UFC on ESPN 17 coverage will begin Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critc…

#UFCVegas13 is LIVE TONIGHT on @espn at 10pm ET pic.twitter.com/dUbmcIyi6g

— danawhite (@danawhite) November 8, 2020

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.

It was gruesome enough to inspire widespread dry heaves.

Former Tachi Palace Fights champion Max Griffin prompted an injury stoppage against Ramiz Brahimaj in the third round of their UFC on ESPN 17 welterweight prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, as he nearly took off the Fortis MMA rep’s left ear with a well-placed elbow strike. Brahimaj (8-3, 0-1 UFC) was declared unfit to continue 2:03 into Round 3, then likely sought out the nearest plastic surgeon.

Griffin (16-8, 4-6 UFC) spent most of the first two rounds burying jabs into his opponent’s face, opening multiple cuts and leaving visible damage to both of his eyes. Midway through the third, he dazed Brah…

Bryan Barberena will not face Daniel Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night 182 as expected after undergoing emergency surgery.

According to an announcement on his Instagram page, Barberena had an “emergency exploratory laparotomy due to internal bleeding from a couple ruptured arteries in his omentum.” It is currently unclear if a replacement opponent will be found for Rodriguez.

The full statement regarding Barberena is as follows:

Bryan had an emergency exploratory laparotomy due to internal bleeding from a couple ruptured arteries in his omentum. He had 1.5 liters of blood in his abdomen. Bryan’s surgery was successful. He is having pain, which is expected, but he is doing good. The doctor said because he is young and healthy he will have a quick recovery. Unfortunately, due to the surgery, Bryan will not be fighting on November 14th. He is extremely disappointed, and was ready to put on a show, but he will be back ASAP (once he’s healed). He apologizes to his oppone…

UFC on ESPN 17 is now down to 10 bouts after a positive COVID-19 test “involving” Ian Heinisch ahead of his middleweight showdown with Brendan Allen.

As a result, the contest has been canceled, and a featherweight clash between Giga Chikadze and James Krause-Simmons has been promoted to the main card. The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the news in a statement on Saturday.

UFC on ESPN 17 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a light heavyweight tilt pitting Thiago Santos against Glover Teixeira. The main cad airs on ESPN and ESPN+ beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on ESPN+ at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.

Heinisch and Allen were previously slated to meet at UFC on ESPN 12 on June 27 before Heinisch withdrew from the bout due to injury. The 32-year-old Heinisch snapped a two-fight skid with a first-round stoppage of Gerald Meerschaert in his most recent outing at UFC 250 on June 6.

Allen has kicked off his prom…

Antonio Silva wants to share his side of the story.

After leaving the main event of Taura MMA 11 in Florida last Friday due to problems with the organization, Silva (19-12-1) already agreed to fight against American Chris Barnett (21-6). The two heavyweights are set to come to blows in France on Dec. 12 in fledgling organization Arena Fight Championship. On Wednesday, “Bigfoot” spoke to Sherdog, where he explained the whole situation involving Taura MMA.

“It was absurd,” Silva said flatly. “They [Taura MMA] promised to pay me some advanced money in August in order to help my camp expenses and never deposited. In the week of the fight, they found out that one exam I sent in October needed to be made again, and they guaranteed there was no time left for that, which is not true. Unfortunately, the event was not professional with me. Actually, they were doing two events at the same time, one week in Brazil and the next one in USA, and didn’t have enough people to take c…

Respect after all! pic.twitter.com/X8dqV4saVA

— ACAMMA (@ACA_League) November 6, 2020 Azamat Kerefov remains on the Absolute Championship Akhmat flyweight throne after ACA 113.

In the main event, Kerefov (14-0) and Kurban Gadzhiev (16-3) clashed once again, this time for the 125-pound championship. In their first contest, Kerefov took a unanimous verdict over Gadzhiev after a three-round clash. Running it back two years later, the result was much the same after five rounds. The challenger started strong, inflicting visible damage to the body of the champion in the opening round. In the second stanza, Kerefov showed off some of his grappling skills as he dominated his opponent on the ground for most of the round. The third round was fairly even, with both contenders exchanging shots and attempting to impose their will on one other.

In the first championship round, Kerefov looked to be the fresher man as he outgrappled his seemingly fatigued…

Breaking: Injury has forced Darren Till out of his UFC Fight Night main event against Jack Hermansson on Dec. 5 in Las Vegas. Kevin Holland steps in as a replacement. pic.twitter.com/8R5V0yk4Vc

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) November 6, 2020 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 rising Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight prospect is quickly finding his way up his division. ESPN announced on Friday that Darren Till (18-3-1) has suffered an injury and has been forced to withdraw from his headlining contest against Jack Hermansson (21-5). In his stead atop the Dec. 5 Fight Night card will be Kevin Holland (20-5). According to ESPN, Hermansson wanted to face a ranked opponent, but as others declined, Hermansson decided he would remain on the card and take on Holland.

“Trailblazer” is riding an impressive four-fight win streak bu…

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. For the first time in Ultimate Fighting Championship history, the promotion has signed a fighter from Hong Kong. On Friday, MMA DNA reported that Sasha Palatnikov (5-2) has signed with the UFC to meet fellow newcomer Louis Cosce (7-0) at UFC 255. The two welterweights will lock horns at the UFC Apex on Nov. 21. Cosce has since confirmed his appearance on the card on his Instagram page. He will be competing alongside his brother Orion Cosce, when the latter takes on Nicolas Dalby also at welterweight.

Cosce earned a contract on Dana White's Contender Series when he flattened Victor Reyna in 72 seconds in August. Throughout his relatively young pro career that also saw him win by knockout in 18 seconds at a Combate Americas card in 2019, Cosce has finished all of his opponents in the opening round. Both he and his brother are …

The long awaited return is finally here

@TMarretaMMA makes the walk tomorrow night!

[ LIVE on ESPN2 & #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/ThAydIFk9t — UFC (@ufc) November 6, 2020 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. It’s all systems go for this weekend’s Ultimate Fighting Championship event, with every fighter on the card making weight and not a catchweight contest in sight.

The UFC returns to the ESPN airwaves on Saturday with a Las Vegas card headlined by Thiago Santos and Glover Teixeira. It’s a light heavyweight bout with potential title implications, although Israel Adesanya’s plan to climb to 205 may have thrown a wrench in that.

In his last bout, Santos (21-7) came painstakingly close to dethroning Jon Jones. While “Marreta” ultimately lost a split decision, he earned plenty of fans after his spirited performance. The B…

WHAT A COMEBACK! Kiamrian Abbasov retains the ONE Welterweight World Title with a fourth-round knockout of James Nakashima! #InsideTheMatrix2 #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/K8G2U3Xyet

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) November 6, 2020 The One Championship welterweight belt returned to Kyrgyzstan after the dust settled at One: Inside the Matrix 2.

The card’s main event saw Kiamrian Abbasov put his welterweight belt on the line against the undefeated James Nakashima. The challenger started strong in the opening rounds, breaking the nose of the champ with one of his combinations. Despite the injury, Abbasov bit the bullet and tried his best to ride out Nakashima offense. The American dominated the first few rounds, especially on the ground.

In the fourth stanza, Abbasov felt the urgency to make a statement. After recovering from an involuntary low blow, Abbasov rushed towards his opponent. Nakashima changed levels for a tak…