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It wasn’t the promotion’s most star-studded card to date, but UFC on ESPN 18 still drew solid ratings.

According to Showbuzz Daily, UFC on ESPN 18 averaged 1.055 million viewers during the two-hour broadcast on ESPN. The event aired on the network following the conclusion of a college football game between Texas A&M and LSU. UFC on ESPN 18 averaged 245,000 viewers during the earlier portion of the card that was broadcast on ESPN2.

That initial figure ranks as the fourth-highest rating for a UFC on ESPN card in 2020. The highest rated event this year remains UFC on ESPN 8, which averaged 1.198 million viewers for a card headlined by a heavyweight clash between Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris on May 16. The numbers are even more impressive considering UFC on ESPN 18 was going head to head with the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. pay-per-view, which reportedly drew more than 1 million buys.

UFC on ESPN 18 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and saw Anthony S…

Though it may have been an exhibition, there was apparently a great deal of interest in the boxing match between Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr.

According to multiple reports, the pay-per-view event drew more 1 million buys. Boxing journalist Dan Rafael revealed that the card drew in the neighborhood of 1.2 million buys, while MMAFighting.com received estimates that the show could even exceed the figure provided by Rafael.

Tyson vs. Jones was promoted by social media company Triller with a price point of $49.95. It was available through Fite TV as well as various television and satellite providers. If those figures are accurate, that would make the fight the highest-selling boxing event of 2020 — the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder rematch reportedly drew between 800,000 and 850,000 buys — and puts it on pair with UFC 251 (1.3 million) as the top-drawing combat sports card overall.

The card also drew interest thanks to a matchup between YouTube star Jake Paul and form…

It’s been a disappointing 2020 for Leon Edwards, to say the least.

A scheduled headlining clash with Tyron Woodley on home soil in March was canceled, and more recently, Edwards was forced to withdraw from a main event showdown with red-hot prospect Khamzat Chimaev at UFC Fight Night 183 on Dec. 19. In both cases, COVID-19 was to blame. In the first instance, the onset of the pandemic brought the UFC’s slate of events to a screeching halt, and the second time around, the a difficult bout with the virus itself left Edwards no choice but to exit the card.

The welterweight contender released a statement regarding the cancellation of the UFC Fight Night 183 headliner on Twitter.

“Another setback, but when you come from the mud you learn to put everything in perspective,” Edwards wrote. “This virus has affected many lives and families much worse than mine. Looking forward to getting this rebooked soon, thank you all for the well wishes.”

An…

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

Niko Price has been suspended six months and fined $8,500 for a positive marijuana test in relation to his welterweight bout against Donald Cerrone at UFC Fight Night 178 on Sept. 19.

The Nevada Athletic Commission issued the sanction during a meeting on Wednesday. Additionally, Price’s draw with Cerrone was overturned to a no contest.

Price’s suspension is retroactive to the date of his positive test, so he will be eligible to compete again on March 19. Price was previously sanctioned for marijuana in relation to a victory over Alex Morono at UFC Fight Night 104 in Houston. That win was also changed to a no contest.

“Thank you for all the kind words,” Price wrote on Twitter. “I’ll be back and ready to throw down right away after this suspension in March/April.”

Thank you all for the kind words. I’ll be back a…

Khabib Nurmagomedov may very well return to the Octagon to pursue a 30-0 record, but he doesn’t appear to be interested in a rematch with either Conor McGregor or Dustin Poirier.

Nurmagomedov held a press conference in Russia on Wednesday to announce the launch of his own MMA promotion, Eagle Fighting Championships. During that session, he addressed the possibility of a UFC return and what will happen when he meets with Dana White. The UFC president has said he expects the lightweight champion to return for one more fight and plans to meet with Nurmagomedov in Abu Dhabi in the coming weeks. Nurmagomedov announced his retirement in the cage following a victory over Justin Gaethje in the UFC 254 headliner on Oct. 24.

Nurmagomedov, who already owns submission wins over McGregor and Poirier, doesn’t believe he has much incentive to face either man again. McGregor and Poirier will meet in a rematch at UFC 257 on Jan. 23.

“First, he will probably offer money,” Nurmago…

It's Official

Roman Szymanski vs. Marian ZiolkowskiVacant KSW Lightweight Title #KSW57

A new KSW Lightweight Champion will be crowned pic.twitter.com/7n8US7oS4y — KSW (@KSW_MMA) December 1, 2020

Marian Ziolkowski and Roman Szymanski will vie for the vacant lightweight championship at KSW 57.

The Polish promotion announced the matchup on Tuesday. The 155-pound belt was vacated after former champ Mateusz Gamrot recently signed with the UFC. KSW 57 takes place in Lodz, Poland, on Dec. 19 and is headlined by a heavyweight championship tilt pitting Phil De Fries against Michal Kita. The card airs via pay-per-view on KSWTV.com. Also confirmed for KSW 57 is a lightweight showdown between Artur Sowinski and Borys Mankowski.

Ziolkowski was the most recent title challenger for Gamrot, losing a five-round verdict at KSW 54 on Aug. 29. That halted a two-bout winning streak for the Warsaw native, who is 21-8-1 over the course of a career t…

Additional fight announcement for RIZIN.26

RIZIN Women's Super Atomweight Title Match

Ayaka Hamasaki vs. Miyuu Yamamoto#RIZIN #RIZIN26 pic.twitter.com/6W1Fmzru7I — RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) December 2, 2020

An atomweight championship clash pitting Ayaka Hamasaki against Miyuu Yamamoto is among several additions to the Rizin Fighting Federation 26 lineup on New Year’s Eve.

Yamamoto and Ham initially squared off in October 2019, with Ham winning by second round technical knockout at Rizin 19.

“Miuyuu Yamamoto has been an idol of mine for such a long time. I am very excited to be facing her on such a great stage," Ham said. "Please look forward to a great masterpiece on a great night and great stage against a great opponent. Miyuu’s physical strength is outstanding and she has grown as a fighter, I don’t think I will be able to beat her easily.”

In other noteworthy action, 113-fight veteran Ikuhisa "Minowaman" Minow…

HEADKICK TO THE SUB!! @SabinaMazo with a HUGE finish to open the show! #UFCVegas10 pic.twitter.com/ihroyF1WvB

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) September 12, 2020

Sabina Mazo will make her bantamweight debut against Alexis Davis at a UFC card on Feb. 27.

Multiple outlets confirmed the booking following an initial report from Milenio. A location has not been officially announced for the event, which will be topped by a light heavyweight scrap pitting Dominick Reyes against Jiri Prochazka.

A former Legacy Fighting Alliance flyweight champion, Mazo has won three consecutive UFC appearances after losing her debut. In her last outing, “Colombian Queen” submitted Justine Kish with a rear-naked choke in the third round at UFC Fight Night 177 on Sept. 12. Mazo also owns victories over J.J. Aldrich and Shana Dobson within the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Davis, meanwhile, is currently mired in the first three-fight skid of her professional tenure after …

There are a couple key updates to the UFC Fight Night 183 card in the wake of Leon Edwards’ positive COVID-19 test and the subsequent cancellation of his headlining bout against Khamzat Chimaev.

First, a welterweight clash pitting Anthony Pettis against Alex Morono is a late addition to the Dec. 19 card. ESPN was first to report that both fighters have agreed to meet at the event.

As a result of the loss of the original main event, a 170-pound showdown between Stephen Thompson and Geoff Neal has been elevated to the featured attraction. Thompson vs. Neal will now be a five-round fight.

UFC Fight Night 183 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and ranks as one of the promotion’s most stacked Fight Night offerings of the year — even without Edwards vs. Chimaev. In addition to Thompson vs. Neal, the card also includes notable fights such as Marlon Moraes vs. Rob Font, Jose Aldo vs. Marlon Vera, Misha Cirkunov vs. Ryan Spann and Alexandre Pantoja vs. Manel Kape,…

The Women's P4P #1 Boxer - @Claressashields is now a PFL athlete! pic.twitter.com/NMqA3MQdCF

— PFL MMA (@ProFightLeague) December 1, 2020

Claressa Shields has designs on being a two-combat sport superstar.

Shields, who has already won multiple world championships and two gold medals as a boxer, recently signed a contract to make her professional MMA debut with Professional Fighters League in 2021. Shields won’t be part of the PFL season next year — she will compete in one-off fights — but is targeting 2022 for her shot at a 155-pound championship run in the promotion’s season format.

As Shields begins her MMA journey, she will continue her career in the Sweet Science, PFL CEO Peter Murray and her management revealed in a release on Tuesday.

“I want to thank Professional Fighters League and Peter Murray for believing in me and giving me this amazing opportunity. What drew me to the PFL is that it is definitely a fighter-first organiza…

A pivotal flyweight showdown between Joseph Benavidez and Askar Askarov is in the works for an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on March 6.

MMA journalist Igor Lazorin first brought word of the matchup. The event has not been formally announced by the promotion, but multiple outlets are reporting that it will be UFC 259. The card is also expected to include a light heavweight tilt pitting Thiago Santos against Aleksandar Rakic.

A four-time flyweight title challenger, Benavidez is coming off the first two-bout skid of his professional career after being finished in back-to-back championship fights by Deiveson Figueiredo in 2020. The 36-year-old WEC veteran is nonetheless one of the sport’s top talents at 125 pounds, with a 28-7 career mark and wins over the likes of Henry Cejudo, Jussier Formiga, Dustin Ortiz, Alex Perez, John Moraga and Ian McCall, to name a few.

Askarov, meanwhile, is unbeaten in 13 professional outings, with his lone blemish coming via spl…

The highly-anticipated welterweight scrap between Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev won’t be happening on Dec. 19 as originally expected.

According to ESPN, the UFC Fight Night 183 headliner has been canceled after Edwards tested positive for COVID-19. The promotion is hoping to rebook the contest in 2021, but a new date has not been finalized at this point in time.

UFC Fight Night 183 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The promotion is considering elevating Geoff Neal vs. Stephen Thompson to the main event slot, per ESPN. The card streams in its entirety on ESPN+.

Edwards’ encounter with the virus was a difficult one, as the British fighter reportedly lost 12 pounds in four days and is recovering at home. The 29-year-old Team Renegade product has not competed since July 2019 when he outpointed Rafael dos Anjos in the UFC on ESPN 4 headliner. “Rocky” was slated to meet Tyron Woodley on March 21 in London before that event was canceled due to the pandemic…

A welterweight clash pitting Warlley Alves against Christian Aguilera has been added to the lineup for the UFC’s first event of 2020.

MMAFighting.com was first to report the booking. UFC Fight Night takes place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 16 and is headlined by a featherweight duel between Max Holloway and Calvin Kattar.

Alves, who won Season 3 of “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil,” has lost two of his last three Octagon appearances. Most recently, the 29-year-old X-Gym member fell to Randy Brown via second-round submission at UFC Fight Night 164 in November 2019.

Aguilera had a memorable promotional debut at UFC on ESPN 10, where he knocked out Anthony Ivy in just 59 seconds on June 13. Most recenty, “The Beast” saw a three-bout winning streak come to an end in a submission loss to Sean Brady at UFC Fight Night 175 on Aug. 29.

Kayla Harrison is issuing an open challenge for an opponent at Titan Fighting Championship’s Dec. 18 event.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo recently took to Twitter in search of a matchup for a 150-pound catchweight bout. According to a report from ESPN, Harrison’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, is willing to pay her opponent to make the fight a reality.

If anyone wants to fight me on December 18th @TitanFighting at a catch weight of 150lbs please please contact @AliAbdelaziz00 !

— Kayla Harrison (@KaylaH) November 30, 2020

Harrison, who is under contract with Professional Fighters League, has received permission to fight for the Florida-based promotion. Harrison made her featherweight debut at Invicta FC 43, where she defeat Courtney King via second-round TKO on Nov. 20.

The American Top Team product made her MMA debut with PFL in 2018 and competed in the organization’s season format in 2019, when she captured the championship a…

Co-main event competitor Takashi Sato is one of seven fighters from UFC on ESPN 18 who is facing a potential 180-day layoff following Saturday’s event.

Sato, who suffered a second-round submission loss to Miguel Baeza in a welterweight clash, must have a left orbital fracture cleared by a doctor or he will be sidelined until May 28. At a minimum, Sato is suspended until Jan. 13 with no contact until Dec. 29. Baeza did not receive a medical suspension.

Mixedmartialarts.com released a full list of medical suspensions from the card on Tuesday.

UFC on ESPN 18 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday and saw Anthony Smith score a first-round submission victory against Devin Clark in the evening’s light heavyweight headliner. Both Smith and Clark emerged with a clean bill of health following their bout.

Six other fighters from UFC on ESPN 18 are also looking at 180-day sits: Parker Porter (left hand), Bill Algeo (left hand), Norma Dumont (right hand…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rAhS0A2GVs&w=560&h=315]

UFC Fight Pass will present an even larger offering of combat sports in 2021 with the addition of six new promotions to its streaming lineup.

The promotion’s digital platform announced Tuesday that Battlefield Fight League, Unified MMA, The Golden Cage, Tuff-N-Uff, Fight Club Rush, and Lion Fight will stream exclusively on UFC Fight Pass next year. Additionally, UFC Pass extended distribution deals with 14 existing live partners, which brings its total to more than 30 overall.

According to a release, UFC Fight Pass expects to stream more than 200 events in 2021 from a vareity of combat disciplines, including mixed martial arts, boxing, kickboxing, muay Thai, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and more. That number could increase as additional events or partners are added. Fight events will be streamed from six continents and countries such as the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Japan, to name a few.

Read more about UFC Fight Pass Announces Addition of Six New Promotions to 2021 Lineup

Professional Fighters League has made a significant addition to its roster.

The promotion has signed boxing champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields to compete in the lightweight division. MMAjunkie.com was first to report the news.

Shields will not participate in the PFL 2021 season format; instead she will take one-off fights at various events throughout the year. The arrangement is similar to how Olympic judo gold medalist Kayla Harrison began her PFL tenure in 2018 before winning the organization’s 155-pound championship in 2019.

In the past, Shields has publicly mused about a transition to MMA, and she has a enjoyed a training relationship with current Bellator featherweight queen Cristiane Justino.

Shields later attended UFC 245 in December 2019 to watch Amanda Nunes defend her bantamweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Germained de Randamie. UFC president Dana White confirmed that he had engaged in discussions…

With losses in three of his last four fights, Ronaldo Souza will attempt to right the ship when he faces Kevin Holland at UFC 256 on Dec. 12.

Competing as a non-ranked middleweight for the first time — according to UFC.com rankings — Souza was supposed to return to 185 pounds against Uriah Hall at UFC 249 in May, but “Jacare” tested positive for COVID-19 and the bout was canceled.

Then, the 40-year-old Brazilian was scheduled to face Marvin Vettori at UFC 256, while Holland was slated to meet Jack Hermansson at UFC on ESPN 19 on Saturday. But once Holland tested positive for COVID-19, the UFC rebooked Holland against “Jacare” on Dec. 12 and brought in Vettori to face Hermansson.

“Actually I offered myself to take revenge against Hermansson, but unfortunately he didn’t accept,” said Souza, who lost a five-round verdict against “The Joker” at UFC Fight Night 150 on April 27.

As a result of the new opponent, the multiple-time world jiu-jitsu champion had to a…

“Pode haver alguém que goste de luta tanto quanto eu, mais é impossível”. ROBERTO LEITÃO (última entrevista concedida pelo mestre) https://t.co/QtV5fXvynH pic.twitter.com/VhWltP7WBE

— marcelo alonso (@alonsopvt) November 29, 2020

COVID-19 has taken a victim from the combat sports world.

After 45 days of struggle in the hospital, master Roberto Leitao died due to the virus on Saturday at 83 years old in Rio de Janeiro. Master Leitao was the man who famously introduced ground skills to Marco Ruas, Pedro Rizzo, Gustavo Ximu, and Renato Sobral. 

Considered a master of the leglock and heel hook, master Leitao was passionate about training. In addition to being a 10th degree Luta Livre black belt, Leitao was also a judo black belt.

"There must be someone who likes fighting as much as I do, [but] more is totally impossible. Fighting is my addiction,” Leitao once said. 

Leitão was also a professor of mechanical engi…

After back-to-back lopsided losses to Glover Teixeira and Aleksandar Rakic to begin his 2020 campaign, Anthony Smith had lost much of the luster that surrounded the beginning of what has largely been a successful run at light heavyweight.

At UFC on ESPN 18, Smith secured a much-needed victory, as he submitted Devin Clark with a triangle choke 2:34 into Round 1 of their headlining bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. A third straight loss would have made Smith all but irrelevant in the UFC’s 205-pound division. Instead, “Lionheart” sent a message to UFC brass — and the right people were paying attention.

“He looked awesome,” UFC president Dana White said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “[He] came in to make a statement and message received.”

Smith and Clark were initially expected to square off in the evening’s co-main event before a positive COVID-19 test for Curtis Blaydes nixed his headlining heavyweight bout against Derrick Lewis o…

HEADKICK KO!!! @randycosta135 with a HUGE first round finish! #UFCVegas11 pic.twitter.com/tOVssMPhRp

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) September 19, 2020

Randy Costa will meet Trevin Jones at the UFC’s March 6 card.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the bantamweight bout. A location and venue has not been announced for the event, which is also expected to include a light heavyweight showdown pitting Thiago Santos against Aleksandar Rakic.

After suffering a submission loss to Brandon Davis in his Octagon debut at UFC 236, Costa has authored back-to-back first-round stoppages of Boson Salmon and Journey Newson in his last two promotional outings. The 26-year-old Lauzon MMA representative is 6-1 as a professional, with all of his triumphs coming via KO or TKO.

Jones, meanwhile, had a memorable Octagon debut when he rallied to stop Timur Valiev in the second round of their UFC on ESPN 15 encounter on Aug. 22. However, the victory was overturned t…

A lightweight rematch pitting Beneil Dariush against Diego Ferreira is slated for the UFC’s Fight Night card on Super Bowl weekend.

ESPN was first to report the booking. The card is headlined by a heavyweight showdown between Alistair Overeem and Alexander Volkov and is expected to go down on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 6.

Dariush and Ferreira initially locked horns at UFC 179, with Dariush winning a unanimous verdict in October 2014. The 31-year-old Kings MMA product has been on a tear of late, winning his last five appearances within the Las Vegas-based promotion — including four inside the distance. In his most recent outing, Dariush knocked out Scott Holtzman with a spinning backfist at UFC Fight Night 174 on Aug. 8.

Ferreira, meanwhile, has been victorious in his last six UFC bouts. Most recently, the 35-year-old Fortis MMA product tapped out Anthony Pettis with a rear-naked choke at UFC 246 on Jan. 18.

Clay Guida and Michael Johnson will square off at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Feb. 6.

Guida recently announced the lightweight pairing on his Instagram account. The UFC Fight Night card is expected to take place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi on Super Bowl weekend and is headlined by a heavyweight clash pitting Alistair Overeem against Alexander Volkov.

The 38-year-old Guida has lost three of his last four Octagon appearances. Most recently, “The Carpenter” was outpointed by Bobby Green at UFC on ESPN 11 on June 20. The former Strikeforce champion is 15-14 over the course of a promotional tenure that began in 2006 and owns wins over the likes of B.J. Penn, Joe Lauzon, Anthony Pettis, Takanori Gomi, Rafael dos Anjos and Nate Diaz, among others.

Johnson, meanwhile, enters the matchup on a three-bout skid, the second such losing streak of his UFC career. In his most recent outing, Johnson suffered a second-round submission defeat to Thiago Moises at UFC …

It's all over!! @Thunder92Baeza ends our #UFCVegas15 co-main via submission in round 2

Live on TSN 3/5 & RDS 2 pic.twitter.com/LU0JJYfTCW

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) November 29, 2020 With three finishes in his first three promotional appearances, Miguel Baeza looks like an emerging star in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s welterweight division.

“Caramel Thunder” was impressive in his latest outing at UFC on ESPN 18, where he submitted Takashi Sato with an arm-triangle choke 4:28 into the second round of the evening’s co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Before the finish, Baeza had success landing with a varied arsenal on the feet, but he says patience was the key in his latest victory.

“I did [think I was going to get the finish in Round 1], but I didn’t want to rush it,” Baeza said at the UFC on ESPN 18 post-fight press conference. “It’s something my coaches were telling me, ‘Be patient, don’t force it.…