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Two fighters are making their Octagon return after nearly a two-year hiatus.

According to Brazil's Combate, Jessin Ayari and Luigi Vendramini will clash in the lightweight division on the upcoming Oct. 3 UFC on ESPN 16 card.

Ayari (16-5) is looking to rebound after back-to-back defeats. His latest Octagon appearance dates back to October 2018, when he dropped a decision in front of Steven Ray at UFC Fight Night 138. Prior, he also lost via decision to former welterweight championship contender Darren Till. So far, the only victory of “Abacus” under the UFC banner came when he edged Jim Wallhead in their UFC Fight Night 93 encounter back in 2016.

Vendramini (8-1) has yet to score his first UFC victory. “The Italian Stallion” made his promotional debut when he stepped up to face Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos after Belal Muhammad dropped out of their scheduled bout at UFC Fight Night 137. That night, Vendramini suffered a second-round TKO.

UFC on ESPN 16 will go…

Per @arielhelwani, UFC is the front-runner to sign free agent Michael Chandler, who has "been discussed" as a potential opponent for Tony Ferguson. pic.twitter.com/LBved7TTL1

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 16, 2020

All signs lead to the Ultimate Fighting Championship being the front-runner to sign “Iron.”

ESPN reported Wednesday that the UFC is in “advanced talks” with former Bellator MMA lightweight king Michael Chandler, although the deal is yet to be finalized. “Iron” is one of the few top lightweight contenders who has yet to step into the Octagon.

Chandler (21-5) has spent most of his career under the Bellator MMA banner, where he managed to capture 155-pound championship three times. The third championship arrived at the end of the back-and-forth Bellator 212 battle that ended with the former collegiate wrestler edging his long-time rival Brent Primus. In his next match, Chandler lost his belt to Patricio Freire via first-round …

Yogibo presents RIZIN.24 追加対戦カード

朝倉海 @kai_1031_

昇侍 @shou0424

：9/27() 16:00開始（予定）：さいたまスーパーアリーナ：https://t.co/E57gUNvfKQ#RIZIN #RIZINFF #RIZIN24 pic.twitter.com/aTb5qelUnr

— RIZIN FF OFFICIAL (@rizin_PR) September 15, 2020

The upcoming Rizin 24 card has gained two intriguing matchups.

Rizin Fighting Federation announced Tuesday that Kai Asakura is fighting Shoji Maruyama in a bantamweight non-title match and Rena Kubota is clashing with Emi Tomimatsu in a women’s strawweight showdown.

Asakura (15-2) made a name for himself after scoring a highlight-reel first-round KO victory against former Rizin and Bellator MMA 135-pound champion Kyoji Horiguchi in their non-title encounter that went down at Rizin 18.

Rizin newcomer Maruyama (16-12-1) is 1-2 in his latest appearances, losing to both Koichi Ishizuka and Takeya Mizugaki via KO and decision, respectively. However he managed to bounc…

Sunday work at the garage! @TatamiFightwear @Sanabul pic.twitter.com/KwIEfrQIDG

— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) September 13, 2020

Gilbert Burns will face Kamaru Usman for the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight crown at UFC 256 on Dec. 12, so it was something of a surprise when the champion paid a recent visit to the challenger’s camp. According to Brazilian outlet Combate.com, Usman showed up at a Sanford MMA training session on Sept. 14.

“The Nigerian Nightmare” was once part of the Sanford MMA team but elected to move to Elevation Fight Team in Colorado in June. While Usman’s visit was celebrated by some of his former stablemates, Burns considered it a “psychological test” from the champion.

“I think he wanted to intimidate me, but somehow, I had a feeling that he was going to show up, so it was not a big surprise to me,” Burns said. “I went there and talked to him: ‘How are you? Everything fine?’ He a…

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. Jordan Williams removed all doubt about whether or not he was major league-ready. The Nor-Cal Fighting Alliance rep wiped out Gregory Rodrigues with punches in the first round of their middleweight showcase during Week 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Rodrigues (7-3) melted 2:19 into Round 1, closing the book on his six-fight winning streak.

Williams (8-3) made the most of his third DWCS invite. He walked through a sweeping right hand and a glancing head kick, backed the Brazilian to the fence and staggered him with a counter left hook. Seeing Rodrigues’ knees buckle, he then flurried with punches against the cage and kept throwing until the job was done.

The 29-year-old Williams, a Type 1 diabetic, was one of three competitors awarded contracts by the Ultimate Fighting Champion…

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 DWCS 2020 Week 7 coverage kicks off Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. Round 1 Kicking off the last episode of Contender Series before the October break is a featherweight affair pitting “Sweetbread” Paiva (13-7, 0-0 DWCS) against American Kickboxing Academy product Driscoll (11-3, 0-0 DWCS). This will be Paiva’s first bout outside the CES promotion, having spent his entire career with the New England-based organization before now. Referee Mark Smith will keep tabs on this card opener, and with a touch of gloves, the fight is on. Driscoll walks forward with a jab as he pump-fakes a right leg kick, and Paiva catches a kick and cracks him with a right hand to send Driscoll tumbling to the canvas. Paiva allows him to return to his feet, so Dri…

Saturday's Ultimate Fighting Championship event suffered another change.

AG Fight is reporting that Miguel Baeza isn't locking horns with Mickey Gall at the upcoming UFC Fight Night 178 event after Gall pulled out of the scheduled contest due to an undisclosed injury. Instead, Baeza will clash with UFC newcomer Jeremiah Wells.

Baeza, 9-0, a Dana White’s Contender Series alum earned his UFC contract after edging Victor Reyna back in June 2019. After joining the big leagues, he scored two second-round TKO victories at the expense of Hector Aldana at UFC Fight Night 161 and Matt Brown UFC on ESPN 8.

Former Cage Fury Fighting Championships champion Wells (8-2-1) is making his first Octagon walkout by riding a two-streak bout. In his latest cage appearance, he submitted Marco Smallman via rear-naked choke in the second stanza of their CFFC 78 championship encounter. Wells also captured the Classic Entertainment and Sports MMA belt when he overcame Jason Norwood…

Thiago Santos' return to action has been postponed.

A light heavyweight clash targeted for Oct. 3 will not proceed as planned. According to a report by Combate, Santos is out of his scheduled fight against Glover Teixeira at UFC on ESPN 16. “Marreta” allegedly tested positive for COVID-19 and he won't be able to travel to Yas Island.

Santos (21-7) was supposed to make his long-awaited return after a hiatus that lasted more than a year. The last time he competed, he challenged former divisional kingpin Jon Jones at UFC 239. “Bones” emerged victorious via split decision after a back-and-forth battle, but “Marreta” fought to the bitter end. That loss snapped Santos’ four-bout winning streak that included victories over Jan Blachowicz and Jimi Manuwa.

UFC vet Teixeira (31-7) is currently living experiencing a resurgence. After dropping a decision in front of Corey Anderson back at UFC Fight Night 134, the former 205-pound title contender scored a series of three straight v…

Daniel Cormier says he discovered something was off with him thanks to a smart ring device.

COVID-19 impacted DC’s life this summer. In a recent interview with Yahoo Sports, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship two-division king revealed that he started to guess something was wrong midway through his training camp for UFC 252. On July 1, one of Cormier's teammates tested positive for the virus. Even though the tests of Cormier -- who immediately wanted to make sure he had not been infected -- came back negative a few days later, he began to feel symptoms by the end of that week.

“But over the weekend, I started feeling a little sick,” Cormier said. “Things weren't exactly ... well, let me put it this way: I wasn't sick, but I got a little tired and peaked. Monday comes, I go to practice and I spar and I worked out three times. I felt OK, but I was a little bit tired is, I guess, how I would put it.”

The constant fatigue summed up with an unusually high resting h…

It appears that the second fight of “Moicano” in the 155-pound division will have to wait.

According to a report by Ag Fight, Renato Carneiro is unable to leave the United States and won't compete against Magomed Mustafaev on Oct. 17. The UFC is currently looking to reschedule the fight for later this year.

In his latest appearance, Carneiro (14-3-1) scored an impressive first-round submission of Damir Hadzovic back in March. The UFC Fight Night 170 encounter also marked the debut of "Moicano" in the lightweight division after a stint at 145 that ended with a 5-3 record, including victories against Cub Swanson and Calvin Kattar.

Mustafaev (14-3) is also looking to bounce back after dropping a decision to Brad Riddell at UFC Fight Night 168.

The upcoming UFC Fight Island event is taking place in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 17. The main event will feature a featherweight clash between Brian Ortega and Chan Sung Jung, better known as “The Korean Zombie.” The card will…

It seems that one of the protagonists of Saturday’s Ultimate Fighting Championship event is out.

Fans will have to wait to see the clash between Luiz Eduardo Garagorri and Mirsad Bektic. According to a report by MMA Fighting, a test of someone from Garagorri's team tested positive for COVID-19 and the Uruguayan fighter was forced to pull out. The UFC is currently looking for a new opponent for Bektic.

Garagorri (13-1) made his promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 156, where he edged Humberto Bandenay via decision. In his subsequent cage appearance, he got submitted by Ricardo Ramos at the 3:57 mark of the first stanza at their UFC Fight Night 164 encounter, losing for the first time in his professional career.

Bektic (13-3) is looking to bounce back after a couple of unsuccessful battles. The last time he competed, he dropped a decision to Dan Ige at UFC 247. Prior, he lost to Josh Emmett via first-round TKO at UFC Fight Night 155. Bektic's latest victory date…

BELLATOR EUROPEAN SERIES RETURNS⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀eptember - Edwards vs. Van Steenisctober - Gallagher vs. Ellenor⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Both events take place in Milan, Italy and will be broadcast live on Channel 5 pic.twitter.com/54gzu4BShj

— Bellator Europe (@Bellator_Europe) September 15, 2020

The Bellator European Series is back with two more dates: Sept. 26 and Oct. 3.

On Tuesday, Bellator MMA announced the dates for two Bellator European Series events that will go down in Milan, Italy. The Oct. 3 card will feature a bantamweight clash in its main event as James Gallagher (10-1) will take on Callum Ellenor (8-2).

“The Strabanimal” will put his three-bout winning streak on the line against longtime rival Ellenor. In his latest cage appearance, the Irishman submitted Roman Salazar thanks to a slick guillotine choke at Bellator 227. Prior, he upended Jeremiah Labiano and submitted Steven Graham at Bellator 223 and Bellator 217, respectively. So far, only Ri…

BELLATOR EUROPEAN SERIES RETURNS⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀eptember - Edwards vs. Van Steenisctober - Gallagher vs. Ellenor⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Both events take place in Milan, Italy and will be broadcast live on Channel 5 pic.twitter.com/54gzu4BShj

— Bellator Europe (@Bellator_Europe) September 15, 2020

Bellator MMA is returning to Bel Paese with two early fall events.

On Tuesday morning, Bellator MMA announced the return of the Bellator European Series with events scheduled for Sept. 26 and Oct. 3 in Milan, Italy. The first of the two cards will be headlined by a middleweight meeting between Fabian Edwards and Costello van Steenis. The pair were supposed to clash in London back in May, but the COVID-19 outbreak forced the California-based organization to cancel the bill.

Edwards (9-0) has gathered a 4-0 record under the Bellator banner. In his latest cage appearance, he edged former BAMMA middleweight champion Mike Shipman in the co-main event of 2019's Bellator L…

A clash of red-hot lightweights has been added to the UFC Fight Night 182 card.

The matchup between rising contenders Drew Dober and Diego Ferreira, originally scheduled for May, has been announced as part of the UFC Fight Night 182 card in November. The news was first reported by ESPN. Dober and Ferreira had been scheduled to meet on the May 2 card that was cancelled entirely due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Dober (23-9, 1NC) is riding a three-bout winning streak since being submitted by Beneil Dariush at UFC Fight Night 146, all three by knockout or TKO. Dober got back on track by smashing Marco Polo Reyes in the opening stanza of their UFC on ESPN 3 encounter, then scored a highlight-reel KO of Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 246 and his latest Octagon appearance, at UFC Fight Night 171, he scored a second-round TKO of Alexander Hernandez.

Ferreira (17-2), undefeated in over five years, will put an impressive six-fight streak on the line against Dober. Last time…

It appears that Dana White’s well-known admiration for President Trump is mutual.

President of the United States, Donald Trump, whose early support for the Ultimate Fighting Championship is frequently mentioned in the narrative of the promotion’s rise, affirmed his close relationship with UFC President Dana White at a campaign rally on Sept. 13. In his remarks, Trump praised White, stating that White not only helped make MMA a popular sport, but also made a lot of money when the UFC was sold to Endeavor.

"He can make everything," Trump said. "He is so smart, so tough, so cunning. He's been a friend of mine for a long time. I've been a friend of his."

The friendship between White and Trump dates back to 2001, when Trump allowed the UFC to host events at the Trump Taj Mahal and other Trump venues while other arenas rejected them. At the 2016 Republican National Convention, White publicly endorsed Trump, support that he has reaffirmed ahead of the 2020 electio…

It's time for a HUGE REMATCH! #KSW55 has a main event!

@scottaskham1 and Mamed Khalidov will meet again but this time in the championship bout pic.twitter.com/qkwNc15xLi

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) September 14, 2020 Two of Europe’s best fighters will meet again, with a title on the line.

On Monday, KSW announced that the title rematch between Scott Askham and Mamed Khalidov will headline the upcoming KSW 55 card.

After an unsuccessful Ultimate Fighting Championship stint that ended with back-to-back defeats, Askham (19-4) found his way back to success in Europe. After upending Luke Barnatt via decision in a back-and-forth battle at ACB 70, Askham landed a fast knockout victory at the expense of Michal Materla at KSW 42. He then went on to join the KSW Middleweight Tournament, scoring a first-round TKO victory against Marcin Wojcik at KSW 45 and another highlight-reel knockout of Materla—with a flying knee this time—in the tournament final at…

“Here’s Lookin’ At You Kid” Pay the man @danawhite @ufc Love ya’ll but let’s give the Hardcore & Casual fans what they deserve, a good fight Sir -CSO- @DustinPoirier #ufc254 pic.twitter.com/uVwwZIUtSd

— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) September 14, 2020

It seemed like the matchup fans—and the fighters—wanted, but for now at least, they will have to wait.

A rumored bout between Dustin Poirier (26-6, 1 NC) and Tony Ferguson (25-4) for UFC 254 next month had fans buzzing, as the two lightweight contenders discussed the possibility on social media. Even though the Ultimate Fighting Championship never officially announced the matchup, the organization was said to be actively negotiating with both fighters.

On Thursday, it was reported that the matchup was in doubt, due primarily to Poirier’s financial requests. At the press conference after Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 177, UFC President Dana White confirmed that the bout was off and that…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship boss was frustrated enough with the officiating Saturday night that he invoked one of his least favorite names.

In the light heavyweight bout between Ed Herman and Mike Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night 177, Rodriguez was in control of the fight when he landed a vicious knee to Herman's body, midway through the second round. Herman dropped to the ground and referee Chris Tognoni, apparently mistaking the body shot for a low blow, allowed “Short Fuse” a timeout to recover. Tognoni’s call led to the awkward scene of the veteran Herman wisely taking his time to regroup while replays repeatedly showed the completely legal nature of the strike in question.

What might have been an embarrassing but largely harmless gaffe became a serious issue in the third round, however, when Herman—still taking a beating from the younger man—locked up a kimura from the bottom, forcing Rodriguez to tap out. Considering that the fight might well have been stop…

Aliskerov’s return new co-main event for BRAVE CF 41, as Mineiro drops out of Luan rematch.Read more at https://t.co/OmJTcJigPL.#KombatKingdom #BRAVECF41 pic.twitter.com/c6GAJEHAzt

— BRAVE Combat Federation (@bravemmaf) September 13, 2020

This week’s Brave Combat Federation card will soldier on without one of its most anticipated matchups.

On Sunday morning, the Bahraini promotion announced that Ultimate Fighting Championship alum Lucas Martins (20-5), who was scheduled to meet Luan Santiago Carvalho (15-4) in the co-main event of Brave CF 41, has been forced to withdraw after suffering an undisclosed injury. As a consequence, the Denis Tiuliulin vs. Ikram Aliskerov middleweight battle has been promoted to the co-main event spot.

M-1 Global veteran Tiuliulin (8-4, 1 NC) is making his Brave debut on the strength of a three-bout winning streak, all three by TKO. Only one of his career wins has been by decision. Aliskerov (9-1) has a…

One of the greatest welterweights of all time left his gloves in the cage on Saturday night.

In the co-main event of Bellator 246 on Saturday night, former Bellator MMA and Ultimate Fighting Championship title challenger Jon Fitch (32-8-2-1NC) clashed with Neiman Gracie. After being forced to tap to a nasty heel hook in the second stanza, the 42-year-old veteran announced his retirement from MMA after a run that lasted more than 18 years.

Speaking at the Bellator 246 post-fight press conference, Fitch revealed that he is still having a lot of fun fighting, but admitted that time is catching up with him.

"I had a lot of fun, but at the same time, the body doesn't react the way I want it to anymore. The recovery's not quite the same," Fitch said. "I don't want to go down a dirty road, so I think it's a great time. 32-8-2-1, it's pretty good. I've got the titles I've won. Neiman is a great fighter and a great guy and a total class act, I hope he keeps moving forwa…

Conor McGregor’s onetime boss doesn’t know much about what’s going on with him either.

On Sept. 12, the news broke that former UFC two-division champ McGregor (22-4) was arrested once again. McGregor was taken into custody on suspicion of attempted sexual assault and indecent exposure while he was on vacation in Corsica. The police released McGregor without charges and a spokesman for McGregor denied the accusations shortly afterward.

At the UFC Fight Night 177 post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White was asked if McGregor's current situation could prevent the superstar Irishman’s hypothetical return to the cage.

"I don't know enough about the Conor situation," he said. "I know what you've read. I've read the same things. Conor is retired. I haven't talked to him. I'm sure he doesn't need my help or advice, but if he did, he can call."

The UFC President went on to draw a comparison between McGregor and fellow multidivisional champion Henry Ce…

"The best birthday present I can give myself."-@JArchMMA#Bellator246 pic.twitter.com/OErk6RAKaY

— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) September 13, 2020

Dazn is the exclusive streaming partner of Bellator MMA. You can sign up here and live stream 100+ fight nights a year.

The second time was the charm for Juan Archuleta, birthday boy and newest Bellator MMA champion.

In the main event of Bellator 246 on Saturday, almost exactly a year after his unsuccessful shot at the Bellator featherweight title held by Patricio Freire, “The Spaniard” outworked and outlasted Patrick Mix down the stretch to pick up a well-deserved unanimous decision. In the early going, however, all the momentum seemed to be with Mix, who secured takedowns with relative ease in the first round, took Archuleta’s back and then threatened with a variety of submissions for most of the round. The second round began in similar fashion, as "Patchy" landed a quick takedown, then looked …

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. Michelle Waterson and Angela Hill were rewarded financially for their exciting five-round scrap at UFC Fight Night 177.

While "The Karate Hottie" won a split decision from the judges, both are receiving $50,000 bonuses after being awarded the "Fight of the Night" award. The pair went back-and-forth over 25 minutes with each woman having strong moments throughout the fight.

Kevin Croom's Octagon debut gets even sweeter as his shocking 31-second submission of Roosevelt Roberts earned him a $50,000 "Perormance of the Night" bonus. "The Hard-Hitting Hillbilly" was the largest underdog on the card, but now walks away with a spot in the Ultimate Fighting Championship after the impressive upset.

Finally, Ottman Azaitar's demolition of Khama Worthy was also given a "Performance of the Night" bonus. "Bulldozer" swarmed Worth…

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. In five-round battle that was as closely-contested as they come, Michelle Waterson had just a little bit more in the tank down the stretch. The former Invicta Fighting Championships title holder edged Angela Hill via split decision in the UFC Fight Night 177 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night in a high-paced five-round affair. Waterson received 49-46 and 48-47 tallies from the cageside judges, while a third saw the fight 48-47 in favor of Hill. In victory, “The Karate Hottie” improves to 2-1 in UFC main event bouts and halts a two-bout skid.

Coming off a split-decision loss to Carla Esparza in her most recent outing, Waterson (18-8, 6-4 UFC) was happy to emerge on the right side of the scorecards this time around. Hill, meanwhile, is now 0-3 in contests that go to split decision in the Octagon.

“I was…