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According to Khabib Nurmagomedov, there’s a major difference between Dagestani wrestling and American wrestling.

The debate has taken on added significance as Nurmagomedov prepares to defend his undisputed lightweight crown against interim king Justin Gaethje in the UFC 254 main event on Saturday. Gaethje has been known as a dangerous striker throughout his MMA career, but those skills are backed by a wrestling pedigree that saw him earn NCAA All-American honors at the University of Northern Colorado.

“I didn’t watch any tape on Kahbib. I’ve watched his fights thoughout his career because I’m a huge fan of MMA. But I didn’t go back when I got him as an opponent to analyze him,” Gaethje said at UFC 254 press conference on Wednesday. “I’ve always focused on being my best self. He hasn’t fought somebody who has wrestled or grappled as long as he has. That is me, I have.

“Everyone says they’re ready [for Nurmagomedov]. I will not allow him to put me on the fence. I…

Marlon Moraes won’t have to wait long to rebound from his loss to Cory Sandhagen, as he has been scheduled to square off against Rob Font at a UFC Fight Night card on Dec. 19.

MMA journalist Mike Russell was first to report the bantamweight booking, which has since been reported by multiple outlets. The event takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and does not currently have a headliner.

Moraes fell victim to a spinning wheel kick and follow-up punches from Sandhagen in the UFC Fight Night 179 main event. Prior to that, the former WSOF champion took a controversial split verdict against Jose Aldo at UFC 245. “Magic” is 23-7-1 as a professional, with notable wins against the likes of Aldo, Aljamain Sterling, Raphael Assuncao, Jimmie Rivera, John Dodson and Miguel Torres.

Font, meanwhile, enters the bout on a two-fight winning streak after scoring back-to-back unanimous decision triumphs over Sergio Pettis and Ricky Simon. The Team Sityodtong representative is …

Ovince St. Preux will meet Jamahal Hill in a light heavyweight scrap at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Dec. 5.

Multiple outlets confirmed the pairing following an initial report from Cageside Press. The card takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a middleweight showdown between Darren Till and Jack Hermansson.

After a brief foray at heavyweight, which resulted in a loss to Ben Rothwell at UFC Fight Night 171, St. Preux returned to 205 pounds at UFC Fight Night 176, where he knocked out Alonzo Menifield in the second round on Sept. 5. “OSP” is 15-10 over the course of his tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion.

A competitor on Season 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series, Hill is unbeaten in eight professional outings thus far. However, a first-round TKO of Klidson Abreu at UFC on ESPN 9 was overturned to a no contest after Hill tested positive for marijuana. He debuted in the Octagon with a unanimous verdict over Darko Stosic.

An intriguing welterweight duel has been added to the Bellator 252 card, as Ukrainian Yaroslav Amosov will square off with fellow unbeaten fighter Logan Storley on Nov. 12.

Prime Fight Management, which represents Amosov, confirmed the booking to Sherdog.com. Bellator 252 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut and includes a pair of featherweight grand prix matchups: Patricio Freire vs. Pedro Carvalho and Daniel Weichel vs. Emmanuel Sanchez.

The 27-year-old Amosov is unbeaten in 24 career outings – including five under the Bellator banner. “Dynamo” has already earned notable victories in the California-based promotion against the likes of Ed Ruth, Gerald Harris, David Rickels and Erick Silva. He has finished 19 of his 24 career triumphs inside the distance.

A four-time NCAA All-American wrestler at Minnesota, Storley is 11-0 thus far in his professional tenure. The Sanford MMA representative is 6-0 thus far in Bellator and is coming off a fi…

As the most important fight of her career approaches, Jennifer Maia spoke to Sherdog.com about her final weeks of preparation for her upcoming fight against flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko in the UFC 255 co-main event.

With victories in three of her last four Octagon appearances, the former Invicta FC title holder is optimistic about her chances against “Bullet.”

“This has been the best camp of my life. Everything is running according with our plans,” Maia said. “Valentina never makes mistakes during the fight, so I don’t see she changing her usual strategy against myself. My main focus will be to impose my rhythm and not let her get comfortable in any moment of the fight.”

Maia also praised former opponent Jessica Andrade, who made her 125-pound debut last weekend with a first-round TKO of Katlyn Chookagian in the UFC Fight Night 180 co-headliner. The Parana, Brazil, native previously defeated Andrade via unanimous decision at Samurai FC 9 “Water vs. Fi…

UFC 254 is pretty big deal, that much is well documented.

Earlier this week UFC president Dana White revealed that the card is trending to be the promotion’s top-selling pay-per-view of all time, potentially surpassing the blockbuster showdown between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor in 2018.

For Justin Gaethje, UFC 254 is significant beyond pay-per-figures and the chance to unseat Nurmagomedov as the organization’s reigning lightweight champion. It’s about long-term security for his family. Both Gaethje’s mom and dad will be in attendance when he stands across from Nurmagomedov at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. That will be a memorable moment in itself.

“My parents have never flown international,” Gaethje said at a pre-fight press conference on Wednesday. “They got to fly business class [to Abu Dhabi]. They’ve never flown business class.

“My dad retired a little over a year ago. He worked 37 years in the copper mines. My mom is going to…

It appears that Rafael dos Anjos and Islam Makhachev have a new date.

According to information released by MMA DNA and later confirmed by Combate.com, the fight between dos Anjos and Makhachev has been rescheduled for a UFC event on Nov. 14. It is currently unclear if the lightweight bout will serve as the headliner for the card, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is expected to be UFC Fight Night 182.

Dos Anjos and Makhachev were initially scheduled to meet at UFC 254 on Oct. 24. However, dos Anjos tested positive for COVID-19 during his camp at Nova Uniao in Rio de Janeiro and the matchup was postponed. Dos Anjos revealed to Sherdog.com that the illness was really bad for the first week, but after that he recovered began his training following a 14-day quarantine.

A former UFC champion at 155 pounds, dos Anjos will return to lightweight for the first time since 2016 following a 4-4 stint as a welterweight. The 35-year-old Brazilian last comp…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6s-yUSN-UAs&w=560&h=315]

Jared Cannonier heads into the UFC 254 co-main event as the man targeted by reigning middleweight champion Israel Adesanya as the No. 1 contender-in-waiting.

However, before “The Killa Gorilla” can get his title shot, he must first vanquish former title holder Robert Whittaker on Saturday at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi.

“I have all the respect for anybody who’s competing in this sport. If they respect, me I’m going to definitely reciprocate it,” Cannonier said at a virtual media event on Tuesday. “I’ve said it before, I’ve been a fan of Izzy before he was in the UFC. He definitely sees guys coming up doing their thing, and I guess I caught his attention. He vocalized that in front of the world and now the world is eating it up.

“But I’ve got fights ahead of me and I’m not really resting on my laurels based on what someone else says about me. I’m doing what I’ve got to do to make sure I get what I…

Fighting for the second time in Abu Dhabi in 2020, Alex Oliveira will face the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 254 on Saturday.

Coming off back-to-back decision wins against Max Griffin and Peter Sobotta, the 18-time UFC veteran told Sherdog that he is really motivated to welcome the fighter from Kazakhstan to the Octagon.

“I don’t care if it’s a veteran or a young talent who is making his debut in UFC, when I step in the Octagon my main focus is to maintain my winning streak and return to the place I belong, which is the top of the rankings of the welterweight division,” he said.

Andre Tadeu, Oliveira’s head coach, recognizes Shavkat as a tough challenge, but said that the experience his fighter had in his 18 UFC appearances will make the difference in the result.

“The guy is pretty tall for the division and has a nice striking technique, always walking forward. But I saw all his 12 fights. He never had a hard time, or bled,” Tadeu said. “Saturday wi…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7gdSBthCKg&w=560&h=315]

There’s still a few days left before Saturday, but UFC 254 is already generating a lot of interest.

“This thing’s trending off the charts for us right now,” UFC president Dana White told TMZ Sports. “It’s the end of Tuesday going into Wednesday…On Monday, this thing was trending to be the biggest fight we’ve ever had. Not Thursday, not Friday — Monday.”

UFC 254 takes place at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi on Saturday and is headlined by a highly-anticipated lightweight title unification bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje. Nurmagomedov’s victory over Conor McGregor at UFC 229 in October 2018 holds the pay-per-view record, with a reported 2.4 million buys.

However, even White admitted that things could change by the weekend, and sales could be affected by the fact that the main card begins at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT in the United States.

“It’s trending bigger than that [UFC 229] r…

Bellator 250 has its co-headliner, as Henry Corrales will square off against Brandon Girtz in a featherweight affair.

Sherdog.com confirmed the booking with a promotion official on Tuesday following a report from MMAjunkie.com. Bellator 250 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Oct. 29, and is headlined by a middleweight title tilt between Gegard Mousasi and Douglas Lima.

Corrales was eliminated in the opening round of the featherweight grand prix by Darrion Caldwell at Bellator 228 before falling to Juan Archuleta in his most recent appearance at Bellator 238 on Jan. 25. Prior to that, the 34-year-old Fight Ready representative had won five straight bouts within the California-based promotion, a streak that included triumphs against the likes of Aaron Pico, Noad Lahat and Georgi Karakhanyan.

Girtz, meanwhile, has won just two of his last seven fights dating back to 2016. In his first appearance of 2020, the Genesis Training Center ex…

UFC heavyweight Chase Sherman has been suspended for nine months for an anti-doping violation related to an in-competition sample collected on May 13, USADA announced Tuesday.

Sherman tested positive for anastrozole during a drug test at UFC Fight Night 171. Anastrozole is in the class of hormone and metabolic modulators and is banned at all times, according to the UFC Anti-Doping Policy.

Sherman provided evidence that he used the banned substance prior to entering the UFC Anti-Doping program, but he still faces a violation because he did not declare anastrozole on his onboarding declaration form. Sherman received a reduced sanction by providing full and complete cooperation with USADA, meaning he provided evidence that he did not intend to enhance his performance by using the substance and was honest and prompt regarding all requests for information.

Sherman’s suspension began on May 13, so he will be eligible to compete again on Feb. 13, 2021.

“The Vanilla Gori…

The UFC is targeting a showdown between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor for Jan. 23, though there is much to be decided before the bout is finalized.

That includes the weight at which the fight will be contested. When Poirier and McGregor first met at UFC 178 in 2014, the matchup took place at featherweight. Both men have since moved up to 155 pounds, but McGregor has also taken multiple bouts at welterweight, including his last Octagon appearance — a 40-second TKO of Donald Cerrone at UFC 246.

However, Khabib Nurmagomedov says if either Poirier or McGregor wants their matchup to yield a No. 1 contender at 155 pounds, then they must fight at that weight.

“I still feel this but you have to fight at 155,” Nurmagomedov told TSN. “If they fight at 170 or 185, this is not lightweight contender fight. If you want to fight at lightweight contender for the belt you have to fight at lightweight. What is this, like? ‘OK, I’m champion at 155. OK, give me a fight at 170. …

After taking 2020 off due to COVID-19 concerns, Professional Fighters League is set to return with a full campaign next year.

The organization announced Tuesday that its format will begin a month earlier than previous years with a regular season event on April 23. Other season events will take place on April 29, May 6, June 10, June 17 and June 25.

The first three regular-season events will allow fighters to accumulate points, while the final three will determine playoff seeding. Playoff events will be announced at a later date, though the PFL Championship will remain on New Year’s Eve as it has in the past. Winners in each weight class receive a $1 million prize.

“We’re thrilled to announce an early start date for the 2021 PFL Season and we look forward to building on the positive momentum experienced in a historic first season on ESPN,” PFL CEO Peter Murray said.

“In 2021, the PFL will deliver an elevated, immersive, and interactive fan viewing experienc…

Credit: Bellator MMA Credit: Bellator MMA Credit: Bellator MMA

Jake Hager will return to action for his fourth professional mixed martial arts bout when he meets Brandon Calton at Bellator 250.

Sherdog.com confirmed the heavyweight booking with a promotion official following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com. Bellator 250 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut on Oct. 29 and is headlined by a middleweight championship clash between Gegard Mousasi and Douglas Lima.

Hager, who was known as “Jack Swagger” during his tenure with WWE, began his Bellator tenure with back-to-back first-round submission victories against T.J. Jones and J.W. Kiser. In his most recent outing, a showdown with Anthony Garrett at Bellator 231 in a no contest due after Hager landed multiple knees to the groin of his opponent. Hager was an All-American wrestler at the University of Oklahoma before embarking on an approximately 11-year tenure with WWE.

Calton is 2-0 a…

Mason 'The Dragon' Jones is THE MAN.

A TKO victory in the first round - he is now the double champ. DOUBLE DRAGON #CW116 pic.twitter.com/Pb2vev6E03

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) September 26, 2020 Mason Jones, a two-division champion with Cage Warriors, is head to the UFC.

The European promotion’s lightweight and welterweight ruler announced the news in an Instagram post. A date for Jones’ promotional debut is currently unknown.

“Friday, Oct. 9 I signed a [four] fight contract with [UFC] the biggest [and] best mma organization in the world,” Jones wrote. “The moment when my dream became a reality.”

In his most recent bout, Jones claimed the vacant 170-pound belt with a first-round stoppage of Adam Proctor at Cage Warriors 116. One fight prior, the 25-year-old Welshman claimed lightweight gold with a technical knockout of Joe McColgan at Cage Warriors 113.

Jones is 10-0 thus far as a professional, with all but one of tho…

Tecia Torres and Angela Hill will run it back at UFC 256.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the strawweight rematch. The two fighters initially squared off at UFC 188, with Torres winning a unanimous decision.

UFC 256 is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Dec. 12 and features a women’s featherweight title tilt between Amanda Nunes and Megan Anderson along with a bantamweight championship clash pitting Petr Yan against Aljamain Sterling.

Torres snapped a four-bout skid at UFC on ESPN 11, where she outpointed Brianna Van Buren on June 20. Torres’ slump prior to that victory included losses to three current or former champions: Weili Zhang, Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Jessica Andrade. Torres owns notable wins over the likes of Michelle Waterson, Felice Herrig, Rose Namajunas and Paige VanZant over the course of her professional career.

When she faced Torres at UFC 188, Hill was in just the third bout of her professional career. She would be re…

The knee injury James Krause revealed he suffered in his victory over Claudio Silva at UFC Fight Night 180 could keep him out of action for a significant period of time.

Krause is facing a 180-day medical suspension unless he is cleared by an MRI on his right knee. At a minimum, Krause is suspended 30 days with 21 days of no contact. The UFC, which served as its own regulating body for Saturday’s event, released a full list of medical suspensions to mixedmartialarts.com.

UFC Fight Night 180 took place at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi on Saturday and saw Brian Orega take a five-round verdict over Chan Sung Jung in the evening’s featherweight headliner. Ortega received a 30-day sit with 21 days of no contact for a hard bout, while Jung got 45 days with 30 of no contact due to a right eyelid laceration suffered in the contest.

UFC Fight Night 180 Medical Suspensions:

Brian Ortega: 30 days for hard bout and 21 days no contact

Chan Sung Jung: 45 days for…

記者会見で正式に発表されました。

11月21日に大阪で朝倉未来選手とフェザー級王座決定戦をやります。

試合まで約1ヶ月を悔いなく過ごして試合に勝ちます。

たくさんの応援をお願いします。 pic.twitter.com/jdNrzcnG60

— 斎藤裕 Yutaka Saito (@yutakasaito1008) October 19, 2020

Mikuru Asakura and Yutaka Saito will vie for Rizin Fighting Federation’s inaugural featherweight championship in the Rizin 25 main event on Nov. 21.

The Japanese promotion announced the card on Monday. Rizin 25 takes place at Osaka Jo Hall in Osaka, Japan, and will include a blend of MMA and kickboxing bouts. According to a release, 6,000 fans will be allowed to attend — 50 percent of the venue’s capacity.

Four other MMA bouts were confirmed for Rizin 25: Yojiro Uchimura vs. Kyohei Hagiwara; Hiromasa Ougikubo vs. Kenta Takizawa; Ryuichiro Sumimra vs. Gota Yamashita and Tatsuki Saomoto vs. Daichi Kitakata.

The 28-year-old Asakura enters the matchup with Saito …

A catalyst that can attract fan interest and sell pay-per-views, rivalries have been a key factor in the growth of mixed martial arts.

Produced by Ciranda Films in association with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the series — which has aired on the Brazilian Combate channel since Sept. 28 — is entitled “The Greatest Rivalries of MMA”, and in six episodes highlights some of the greatest rivalries in the sport since it was known as Vale Tudo.

Some of the rivalries covered include: the Santanas vs. the Gracies in the 1950s; muay Thai vs. jiu-jitsu in the ‘80s; jiu-jitsu vs. Luta-Livre in the ‘90s as well as BTT vs. Chute Boxe and Sakuraba vs. the Gracies, the two biggest rivalries of Pride era. The documentary also shows the most remarkable UFC rivalries.

“We shared those 18 rivalries in six episodes. Each one has three parts, starting and finishing with a UFC rivalriy and incorporating a historic rivalry,” said Bruno Duarte, who directed the series.

“We …

Chan Sung Jung doesn’t have much recollection of the latter stages of his UFC Fight Night 180 loss to Brian Ortega on Saturday night.

“The Korean Zombie” never got going against a rejuvenated Ortega in a five-round decision defeat at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, and as a result, lost out on a chance to challenge for Alexander Volkanovski’s featherweight title.

“I don’t remember the third, fourth and fifth rounds,” Jung wrote in a statement on Instagram (translation via MMAjunkie.com). “I can’t remember, but it’s amazing to see how I’m fighting..haha.. I have to find out why I lost when I lose the game. Right, I’m just a fool. Ortega was so good… I just feel so embarrassed about me now. Still, thank you for supporting me a lot. I’m sorry.”

Jung entered the bout riding the momentum of back-to-back first round stoppages of Renato Carneiro and Frankie Edgar and would have been on a four-bout winning streak were it not for a last second KO loss to Yair Rodriguez in…

Alexander Volkanovski was an interested observer during the UFC Fight Night 180 headliner – and for good reason.

Brian Ortega’s unanimous decision victory over Chan Sung Jung provided some much-needed clarity in the featherweight title picture. That pleased Volkanovski, who previously had been forced to consider the possibility of a third meeting with Max Holloway despite two victories against the Hawaiian star.

“Finally we have some direction in this division, get in there and take that [No. 1] spot…that’s all I wanted,” Volkanovski wrote on Twitter.

Finally we have some direction in this division, get in there and take that #1 spot....that’s all I wanted!! #ufcfightisland6

— Alex Volkanovski (@alexvolkanovski) October 18, 2020

Volkanovski’s first victory over Holloway was more decisive than his most recent, a contentious split decision at UFC 251 in July. Even UFC president Dana White questioned the judging for the rematch at the …

Thanks to his viral knockout of Impa Kasanganay at UFC Fight Night 179, Joaquin Buckley has been getting plenty of shine this past week.

However, James Krause is not so enamored of the man known as “New Mansa.” Krause’s animosity stems from an interaction when Buckley attempted to train at Glory MMA & Fitness last summer. While Krause gives Buckley respect for his spectacular KO, he believes people have a false sense of who he truly is.

“The dude’s a clown, man,” Krause said following a victory over Claudio Silva at UFC Fight Night 180 on Saturday. “Listen, this dude – people just know him from his viral video, for his viral knockout. (It was a) beautiful knockout. I’m not going to rag on that. The dude’s a s--tbox. He’s from my neck of the woods and all he does is sit on social media and talk s--t all day.

“He called me to come train and I told him to get f---d. I don’t want that type of culture in my gym, I don’t need that type of culture. No. He took offe…

HOLLAND ENDS IT WITH ONE SHOT!! #UFCVegas6 pic.twitter.com/fgjtLxlkbM

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) August 9, 2020

Kevin Holland continues to have a busy 2020.

Holland will step in for the injured Krzysztof Jotko and meet Makhmud Muradov at UFC Fight Night 181 on Oct. 31. Cageside Press was first to report the new bout, while Jotko announced his injury on social media.

“Unfortunately, my next fight against Makhmud won’t happen,” Jotko wrote. “This camp wasn’t easy from the start. Few days ago at sparrings I broke my toe, so there is no way to fight.

“So sorry Makhmud Muradov that I’m out from the fight with two weeks’ notice. Hope to see you soon in the octagon!”

Unfortunetly, my next fight against Makhmud won’t happen. This camp wasn’t easy from the start. Few days ago at sparrings I broke my toe, so there is no way to fight. So sorry @MakhmudMuradov that I’m out from the fight with 2 weeks notice. Hope to see y…