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Per an @arielhelwani report, add UFC vet Brett Johns (17-2) to this list! Leaves UFC on a 2W streak. https://t.co/YwHEjJWe4s

— Michael Fiedel (@MichaelFiedel) October 2, 2020 Bellator MMA is making some big moves lately.

On Friday, the promotion sent out a press release to announce that it had signed Usman Nurmagomedov (11-0), the cousin of Ultimate Fighting Championship star Khabib Nurmagomedov. This signing of the lightweight joins several other recent high-profile acquisitions from the California-based organization. ESPN reported that several UFC vets have joined the ranks including Brett Johns (17-2), along with Rustam Khabilov (24-4) and featherweight Jeremy Kennedy (15-2, 1 NC).

Nurmagomedov has yet to taste defeat as a professional, much like his cousin. Across his 11 career bouts, the Dagestan native has finished 10 of his opponents within two rounds. Competing three times in 2020 with knockouts of Svyatoslav Shabanov, Jerry Kvar…

Ahah thank you brother, fuckin tore my bicep on Monday. Title shot in 2021.

— Cody Garbrandt (@Cody_Nolove) October 2, 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 November Ultimate Fighting Championship title fight has undergone a significant change. On Friday morning, Combate first reported that Cody Garbrandt (12-3) has been forced to pull out of his UFC 255 flyweight championship bout against Deiveson Figueiredo (19-1). A torn bicep the reason for Garbrandt’s withdrawal, although “No Love” confirmed his withdrawal and asked for a December date, the promotion elected to replace him. Facing Figueiredo will be Alex Perez (24-5), who was already booked on the card against Brandon Moreno.

Garbrandt snapped a three-fight knockout loss skid by laying waste to Raphael Assuncao in June with one punch. The former bantamweight champ began his…

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Weigh ins complete! I’m more then ready! Thank you to the sponsors that are behind me for this fight @pso_rite @phalanx_usa @compexusa @laddersport Friday I main event @lfafighting on @ufcfightpass make sure you tune in!

A post shared by Askar Askar (@akmma94) on Oct 1, 2020 at 3:04pm PDT

Phase three of the Legacy Fighting Alliance’s return is on track with every fighter making weight for the first fight card.

LFA 92 is headlined by a bantamweight bout between Kevin Wirth and Askar Askar. Looking to extend his three-fight win streak is Wirth (8-1). "Mr. Nice Guy" has gone 2-1 inside the promotion and most recently won a decision over Ryan Lilley. While he has five decision wins on his record, Wirth showed his finishing ability in his promotional debut as he knocked out Isaiah Gutierrez with a head kick and punches. The Colorado fighter had no issue making weight and officially came in at 134.…

Acclaimed British knockout artist Paul Daley is planning on taking one final Bellator MMA fight before he says goodbye to the sport.

On Thursday, Daley (41-17-2) posted an announcement on Instagram that his next fight will be his final bout, and that it will take place at a 175-pound catchweight. There is no date, location or opponent currently scheduled for the retirement match. Daley was originally booked to headline Bellator 247 on Oct. 1 in Milan, Italy, against Derek Anderson. On fight week, the boisterous Brit was hospitalized due to a bad weight cut.

“Forever a samurai,” Daley wrote on Instagram. “But soon we will put the blade to rest. After discussions and careful consideration with my family, it has been decided that my next fight @bellatormma will be my last. To be fought at a catch weight of 175lbs. Opponent and location to be confirmed. Health before Wealth, and NEVER COMPROMISE YOURSELF.”

Daley’s career has been littered with examples where the welt…

seconds was all it took!@BellatorKB champ @DeniseKielholtz gets the first-round KO!#Bellator247 pic.twitter.com/Cno0Ztcpl6

— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) October 1, 2020 Given the challenges that Bellator MMA had to overcome on fight week, it couldn’t have asked for a better start to the CBS Sports era.

Bellator 247 was unexpectedly headlined by a women’s flyweight clash between Denise Kielholtz (6-2) and Kate Jackson (11-5-1). Like in the spaghetti western films of old, the duel ended in less than one minute. After a few tense exchanges, Kielholtz landed a violent left hook that sent her opponent crashing face-first to the canvas. With ground-and-pound that could be viewed as unnecessary, Kielholtz followed up with several shots including one after the stoppage to draw the ire of referee Dan Miragliotta. The official end of the fight came in just 43 seconds.

“Every time I step in the cage, my plan works. It was amazing [to headline Bellator…

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. One week after a big Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight match was announced, it has been pulled. The news first breaking from RTSport on Thursday, Volkan Oezdemir (17-5) has since confirmed on his Instagram that he has been forced to pull out of his UFC Fight Night 180 co-headliner. He was set to face Nikita Krylov (27-7), but a knee injury has prohibited that contest from going forward. It is unclear at this time whether the promotion will elect to book a new opponent for Krylov or reschedule the fighters for a later date.

Oezdemir was looking to bounce back from a dramatic knockout loss to Jiri Prochazka in July. The defeat his first by clean knockout throughout his career, the heavy-handed striker has doled out several of his own throughout the years with his knockout rate of 71 percent. The loss snapped a t…

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Josh Barnett’s latest combat sports appearance will take place under the bare-knuckle rule set.

The former UFC heavyweight champion will square off against KSW veteran Marcin Rozalski at at an event called “Genesis” in Poland on Oct. 23. The bare-knuckle card is promoted by KSW co-founder Maciej Kawulski. “Genesis” will be available via online pay-per-view.

Barnett hasn’t fought in MMA since a submission victory over Andrei Arlovski at UFC Fight Night 93 on Sept. 3, 2016. He recently signed with Bellator MMA but on two occasions a proposed matchup with Ronny Markes was nixed — once due to illness and once due to a faile drug test. The 42-year-old owns a 35-8 career mark that includes triumphs over the likes of Roy Nelson, Frank Mir, Sergei Kharitonov, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mark Hunt, Randy Couture and Dan Severn, to name a few.

A former KSW heavyweight title holder, Rozalski hasn’t competed sin…

Unbeaten prospects Christian Edwards and Kyle Crutchmer are among the notable additions to the Bellator 249 preliminary lineup.

A promotion official confirmed the following four contests to Sherdog.com on Wednesday: Edwards vs. Hamza Salim at light heavyweight; Crutchmer vs. Kemran Lachinov at welterweight; Tony Johnson vs. Joseph Creer at middleweight and Mike Kimbel vs. Da’mon Blackshear at 140 pounds.

Bellator 249 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut on Oct. 15 and is headlined by a women’s featherweight title clash between Cristiane Justino and Arlene Blencowe. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, while the prelims stream immediately prior on Bellator’s YouTube channel.

Edwards, who trains at Jackson-Wink MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is unbeaten in three Bellator appearances – including a pair of KO/TKO finishes in less than a minute. He last fought at Bellator 239, where he took a unanimous decision over…

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While Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier recently discussed a charity exhibition bout on Twitter, the two fighters will apparently have the opportunity to square off in the UFC if they so choose.

UFC president Dana White recently told Barstool Sports that the promotion is attempting to book a rematch between McGregor and Poirier. White also claimed that the rumored boxing match between McGregor and Manny Pacquiao is nowhere close to being finalized.

“I don’t know if you just saw, the Saudis went after Conor, basically said that’s a lie that fight [with Manny Pacquiao] is happening and you better take that down in the next 15 minutes and we’re going to sue you. He took it down. You don’t see the poster anymore about him and Pacquiao that he posted.

“Then he called out Poirier with Conor in Dublin for charity. So…

Deron Winn will return to the Octagon to square off against Antonio Braga Neto at a UFC event on Dec. 19.

Winn announced the middleweight contest on his Instagram account. The UFC Fight Night event is likely to be held at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card does not yet have a headliner.

Winn was suspended for nine months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after testing positive for amphetamines in relation to a submission loss to Gerald Meerschaert at UFC 248 on March 7. The American Kickboxing Academy product began his professional tenure with six straight triumphs before dropping consecutive fights to Darren Stewart and Meerschaert.

Neto, meanwhile, has competed just three times since joining the Las Vegas-based promotion in 2013. After beginning his UFC career with a victory over Anthony Smith, the 32-year-old Brazilian fell to Clint Hester and Trevin Giles in his next two appearances. His most recent outing, a KO loss to Giles, occurred at UFC Fight Ni…

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Bellator 247 has a new headliner.

Paul Daley was hospitalized after missing weight ahead of his proposed welterweight clash with Derek Anderson, resulting in the cancellation of Thursday’s original main event. Sherdog.com confirmed the news with a promotion official following an initial report from Gareth Davies.

“Paul Daley weighed in at 172.6 during the official window,” a Bellator statement read. “He was unable to make it to the stage during the ceremonial weigh-ins shortly after and was subsequently transported. Fight is off and we will have a a new main event shortly.”

Anderson, meanwhile, tipped the scales at 170.4 pounds.

As a result, a women’s flyweight clash between Kate Jackson (125.6) and Denise Kielholtz (123.4) will serve as the card’s new featured bout.

Bellator 247 takes place at Allianz Cloud in Milan, Italy on Thursday and airs on CBS Sports Network at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m.…

The lineup for the Bellator 249 main card is now complete, as Ricky Bandejas will square off against Leandro Higo at bantamweight, while Saad Awad meets Mandel Nallo at lightweight.

Sherdog.com confirmed the bouts with a promotion official following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com. Bellator 249 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Oct. 15 and is headlined by a women’s featherweight title bout between Cristiane Justino and Arlene Blencowe.

Additionally, a middleweight clash pitting Curtis Millender against Joe Schilling has been booked for the preliminary draw. That contest was initially reported by The Orange County Register.

Bandejas had a two-bout winning streak snapped in his most recent outing, when he dropped a three-round verdict to Sergio Pettis at Bellator 242 on July 24. Higo, meanwhile, halted a two-fight skid with a second-round submission of Shawn Bunch at Bellator 228 in September 2019.

The 37-year-old Awad ha…

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A featherweight tilt pitting Darren Elkins against Luiz Eduardo Garagorri is slated for an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Nov. 7.

Combate was first to report the booking. The card is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a light heavyweight showdown between Thiago Santos and Glover Teixeira.

Elkins is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Nate Landwehr at UFC on ESPN 8 on May 16. That was the fourth consecutive defeat for “The Damage,” who has also fallen to Ryan Hall, Ricardo Lamas and Alexander Volkanovski during his current skid.

Uruguay’s Garagorri suffered his first defeat in 14 professional outings at UFC Fight Night 164, where he was submitted in the opening stanza by Ricardo Ramos this past November. The 31-year-old began his promotional tenure with a three-ro…

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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 Ultimate Fighter” franchise could have been resurrected in a major way with Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor as coaches, but the reigning lightweight king turned that opportunity down, according to manager Ali Abdelaziz.

“Last week Dana White called me,” Abdelaziz told TMZ Sports. “He said, ‘Ali, what do you think if Khabib win, him and Conor do ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ on ESPN?’ This is breaking news. I said, ‘I don’t know. I’ll think about it.’ And he said, of course, [vice versa] if Justin win.

“It would be Khabib vs. Conor on The Ultimate Fighter, coaching. It would have been f—ing huge. Probably would have went to the hospital because he would have beat his ass and his whole team. Or Justin Gaethje vs. [McGregor].”

However, Abdelaziz …

Patricky Freire will square off against former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Jaleel Willis in the Bellator 249 co-headliner on Oct. 15.

Sherdog.com confirmed the matchup with a promotion official on Tuesday following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com. Bellator 249 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and is headlined by a women’s featherweight title tilt between Cristiane Justino and Arlene Blencowe.

Freire has been victorious in his last five Bellator appearances and seven of his last eight bouts overall. Most recently, the elder “Pitbull” brother suffered a decision loss against Tofiq Musayev in the finals of Rizin’s lightweight grand prix on Dec. 31.

The 28-year-old Willis claimed welterweight gold with a five-round verdict against Vinicius de Jesus at LFA 88 on Aug. 21. Willis owns a 13-2 professional mark overall and has earned five of his victories by KO/TKO and eight via decision.

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.

Jon Jones is only a slight betting favorite in a potential matchup with UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, according to online oddsmaker BetOnline.

Jones opened as a -150 favorite in the bout, while Adesanya checks in as a +130 underdog. Odds are subject to change, and Jones vs. Adesanya must take place by Sept. 1, 2021 for bets to be viable. It's worth noting that there is a significant disparity between online oddsmakers, as Bovada lists Jones as a -375 favorite and Adesanya as a +285 underdog.

Jones and Adesanya have taken shots at one another in recent months, and that didn’t change following the Nigerian-born Kiwi’s second-round stoppage of Paulo Henrique Costa in the UFC 253 headliner this past Saturday.

At the UFC 253 post-fight press conference, Adesanya mentioned still wanting to face Jones but …

Our global stars are BACK for ONE: REIGN OF DYNASTIES, as Sam-A puts his Strawweight Muay Thai World Title on the line against top contender Josh Tonna! @ReeceMclaren91 @amirkhanmma #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/tK06guo0za

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) September 29, 2020

One Championship is set to return with a card featuring a muay Thai title bout and five mixed martial arts contests on Oct. 9.

The Singapore-based promotion unveiled the full card for the event, entitled "Reign of Dynasties,” on Tuesday. The headliner will feature a strawweight championship clash pitting Sam-A Gaiyanghadao against Josh Tonna, while Aleksi Toivonen will lock horns with Reece McLaren in the evening’s featured MMA matchup at flyweight.

Four other MMA bouts will round out the card: Amir Khan vs. Rahul K. Raju at lightweight; Eko Roni Saputra vs. Murugan Silvarajoo at a 140-pound catchweight; Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke vs. Getu Hexi…

DC calls Jon Jones "out of touch" after his tweets about the #UFC253 light heavyweight title fight and then predicts how Jones vs. Blachowicz would go if they fought.

(via @dc_mma) pic.twitter.com/oCfnr9X1Nc

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 28, 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. Shortly after Jan Blachowicz defeated Dominick Reyes at UFC 253 to claim the vacant light heavyweight throne, Jon Jones dropped a hint that he might be interested in returning to the division he only recently left.

“Would you guys be annoyed if I went back and grabbed my belt real quick?” Jones wrote on Twitter.

Jones hasn’t competed since a controversial decision triumph over Reyes at UFC 247 in February. Many observers felt that Reyes deserved to win the fight, but rather than grant “The Devastator” an immediate rematch, “Bones” ultimately ele…

Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier have already squared off within the confines of the Octagon. Now the two UFC stars seem interested in stepping outside the jurisdiction of the Las Vegas-based promotion to fight for charity.

McGregor and Poirier on Monday engaged in a discussion on Twitter regarding a potential MMA exhibition in Ireland on Dec. 12. Proceeds would go toward Poirier’s charity, The Good Fight Foundation and some other organizations of McGregor’s choosing.

“Hey bro! You want to do an MMA charity fight? Zero to do with the UFC,” McGregor wrote. “I will donate half a mill towards your charity for it. Sell it on PPV or work a TV deal and we work out other charities that are close to my heart also. I am engaged in many. Strictly a charity ‘exhibition.’

“December 12th in the Point Depot, Ireland. No weigh ins. Open weight, unified rules. I will arrange all travel fare for you and family. McGregor Sports and Entertainment MMA, in association with The Good…

Sorry Christian, Kevin stole the show tonight!#NatividadVsNatividad#LFA85 pic.twitter.com/sVnZYNyIa2

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) July 18, 2020

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 253 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

A bantamweight matchup pitting Miles Johns against Kevin Natividad has been added to the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Halloween card.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the booking. The UFC Fight Night card takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a middleweight duel between Anderson Silva and Uriah Hall.

Johns received a UFC contract following a decision triumph over Richie Santiago on Season 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series. He then debuted in the Octagon with a split verdict against Cole Smith before suffering a second-round TKO defeat to Mario Bautista at UFC 247. The 26-year-old Fortis MMA product is 10-1 over the…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 253 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

Ante Delija will make his Octagon debut against Ciryl Gane at UFC Fight Night 180.

Delija will serve as a replacement for Shamil Abdurakhimov, who withdrew from the bout for undisclosed reasons. French outlet La Sueur was first to report the new heavyweight pairing. UFC Fight Night 180 takes place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 17 and is headlined by a featherweight scrap between Brian Ortega and Chan Sung Jung.

A native of Dubrovnik, Croatia, the 30-year-old Delija has compiled a 17-3 record since beginning his professional career in 2011. He has competed for organizations such as M-1 Global, Rizin, Professional Fighters League and KSW during his MMA tenure. In his last outing, “Walking Trouble” earned a second-round TKO against Oli Thompson at KSW 51.

Gane, meanwhile, has been victorious in his first six …

Wejście smoka @JanBlachowiczZaskoczył wszystkich #LegendaryPolishPower pic.twitter.com/LJGH37tWBq

— TVP SPORT (@sport_tvppl) September 28, 2020

Jan Blachowicz is a hero in his home country of Poland after claiming the vacant light heavyweight crown with a victory against Dominick Reyes at UFC 253.

Polish network TVP Sport captured Blachowicz’s arrival at the airport on Monday, where he was welcomed by a throng of fans and media. The 37-year-old Cieszyn, Poland, native became the UFC’s 13th light heavyweight champion by stopping Reyes via TKO at the 4:36 mark of Round 2 in Saturday’s co-main event on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

Fani @JanBlachowicz czekają na powitanie mistrza @ufc #LegendaryPolishPower pic.twitter.com/hHdZ0GMrj3

— TVP SPORT (@sport_tvppl) September 28, 2020

Blachowicz, who has won eight of his last nine UFC appearances after beginning his promotional tenure with a 2-4 mark, called out Jon Jones f…

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.

After filming the first face-to-face meeting between Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa last week at the fighter hotel in Abu Dhabi and claiming that the reigning middleweight champion was clearly frightened, Wallid Ismael praised “The Last Stylebender” for his UFC 253 victory in an interview with Globo reporter Evelyn Rodrigues.

Adesanya dominated Costa en route to a second-round technical knockout in the UFC 253 headliner on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi this past Saturday.

"We have no excuses to give. That was Adesanya's night,” said Ismael, who is Costa’s manager. “Paulo was waiting to speed up after the third round but Adesanya´s calf kicks affected him. There are no excuses, or complaints. [Costa] remains among the two best in the middleweight rankings. He is still at the top. Now is time to recover the body and return t…

Khamzat Chimaev is the REAL DEAL

INSANE. #UFCVegas11 pic.twitter.com/kqbhHJYJS3

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) September 20, 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. Khamzat Chimaev could fight again before the end of 2020, but it appears that Demian Maia is no longer the targeted opponent.

According to a recent report from Combate, Maia is out of negotiations for a welterweight clash with the surging prospect. Instead, the UFC is hoping to book former 170-pound title challenger Stephen Thompson against Chimaev for the headliner of a Fight Night card on Dec. 19. If the matchup with “Wonderboy” doesn’t come to fruition, the Las Vegas-based promotion is targeted Leon Edwards as an alternative option for Chimaev, per the report.

UFC president Dana White briefly addressed Chimaev’s status during the UFC 253 post-fight press conference …