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Reigning welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is a significant favorite heading into his title defense against short-notice foe Jorge Masvidal.

As of Sunday evening, Usman was listed as a -313 favorite in the UFC 251 main event, according to online oddsmaker BetOnline. Masvidal, meanwhile, checks in as a +263 underdog. Masvidal accepted the fight on less than one week’s notice after Gilbert Burns was forced to withdraw from the event due to a positive COVID-19 test. Odds are subject to change as the fight draws near.

Usman has won 11 consecutive fights in UFC competition. He claimed the 170-pound belt with a dominant five-round verdict over Tyron Woodley at UFC 235 and defended the crown with a fifth-round stoppage of Colby Covington this past December. He also owns notable wins over the likes of Rafael dos Anjos, Demian…

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 best-laid plans of mice and the Ultimate Fighting Championship often go awry when the coronavirus is involved. Late Friday night, MMA Junkie reported that Gilbert Burns tested positive for COVID-19 and has been forced out of his welterweight title fight with Kamaru Usman at UFC 251. The two were originally scheduled to headline the pay-per-view and first event on “Fight Island,” which will be located on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Usman will not be receiving a short-notice replacement opponent, and the promotion currently plans to reschedule the bout for a later date.

In addition to Burns, his brother Herbert Burns and coach Greg Jones also tested positive for the virus. The UFC set up a series of screening protocols, where fighters take tests for COVID-19 prior to flying to the hub city to gather for overs…

Marina Rodriguez vs. Carla Esparza off of July 15 UFC event due to positive COVID-19 test (@guicruzzz) https://t.co/aAN41Qry5C

— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) July 3, 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. The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s July 15 card has been thoroughly ravaged by the coronavirus. MMA Fighting first reported on Friday that one of Marina Rodriguez’ corners tested positive for COVID-19. This positive test, despite Rodriguez’ own coming back negative, has made the UFC pull her from her fight with Carla Esparza. The two were set to come to blows on the UFC Fight Night card on July 15, with the bout taking place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is unclear if the promotion will seek a replacement, or if the match will be relocated to a future card.

Potentially unaware of this news, Rodriguez pos…

Anderson "Berinja" dos Santos tested positive for COVID-19 and is out of his ‘Fight Island’ bout with Jack Shore, sources told me. Story coming to @MMAFighting.

— Guilherme Cruz (@guicruzzz) July 3, 2020 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. It seems that COVID-19 has forced the Ultimate Fighting Championship to change some of its plans for an upcoming “Fight Island” show. On Friday, MMA Fighting reported that Anderson dos Santos has tested positive for COVID-19. Dos Santos (20-8) should have locked horns with Jack Shore on the upcoming “Fight Island” card on July 15.

“Berinja” is now in quarantine at a hotel in Sao Paulo, Brazil, along with his coach Marcos “Babuino,” who also tested positive for COVID-19. The 34-year old Brazilian fighter was looking to bounce back from his two-bout skid against “Tank.” In his latest Octagon appearan…

UFC remarca a luta entre Ricardo Lamas e Ryan Hall. Combate, que é válido pelo peso-pena, será no evento agendado para o dia 29 de agosto, ainda sem local definido pelo Ultimate. #feedMMA

— Marcelo Barone (@marbarone) July 3, 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. The Ultimate Fighting Championship is putting back together a noteworthy featherweight fight. Late Thursday night, Combate reported that the UFC has decided to match Ryan Hall (8-1) against Ricardo Lamas (19-8) again at featherweight. The two were set to meet in May, but the coronavirus pandemic scratched the event, and the matchup has remained intact months later. They will be squaring off at the UFC Fight Night card on Aug. 29, which will be held in the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Grappling wizard Hall has competed less than once per year since winning Season 24 of “The Ultim…

Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov (r) with his son at UFC Fight Night 163 in Moscow last November. (Valery Sharifulin/TASS via Getty Images)

Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, father of Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and a prominent figure in combat sports in his native Dagestan, has passed away in Moscow at age 57.

On Friday morning, Russian news agency TASS was the first to report the news, based on a Telegram post by Ramzan Kadyrov, Head of the Chechen Republic. According to the reports, Nurmagomedov's father contracted COVID-19 in his homeland in April, then was moved to a military hospital in Moscow, where he underwent heart bypass surgery. Shortly afterward, doctors placed him in a medically-induced coma and connected him to a life support machine. His condition deteriorated after a few days in which he was conscious and able to breathe on his own. Eventually, he died due to some health complications.

The reports are consistent w…

Emily Ducote once again weaponized her resolve.

The Bellator MMA veteran won for the third time in four appearances and made her case for a rematch with reigning Invicta Fighting Championships strawweight titleholder Kanako Murata, as she laid claim to a unanimous decision over Juliana Lima in the Invicta 40 headliner on Thursday at the Police Athletic League Gym in Kansas City, Kansas. All three judges scored it 29-28 for Ducote (9-6, 2-1 Invicta).

Lima (10-7, 1-3 Invicta) started strong but faded down the stretch. She utilized an effective jab, occasional uppercuts and close-quarters knees throughout much of the first round, exploiting her advantages in the clinch. However, Ducote turned the tide in Round 2, where she struck for a takedown, achieved full mount and opened a cut under the Brazilian’s right eye with a well-placed elbow strike. She moved forward behind chopping right hands across the final five minutes, refused to give ground and delivered another takedow…

Back at it on August 22. This time I don’t get to eat all the goodies. Back down to my original weight class. #ufc pic.twitter.com/w9G1DP2KwQ

— Ovince Saint Preux (@003_OSP) July 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. The trip up to heavyweight was short-lived for former Ultimate Fighting Championship title challenger Ovince St. Preux. St. Preux (24-14) tweeted on Thursday to announce that he will be returning to the light heavyweight division in August, where he will take on Shamil Gamzatov (14-0). The two will throw down at the UFC Fight Night event on Aug. 22 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. MMA Fighting was the first outlet to report this pairing.

In his tweet, St. Preux said that he will not “get to eat all the goodies” while proclaiming that he will be going “back down to my original weight class.” St. Preux also included a sc…

The Bearjew gets the call! @PCraigMMA vs @Antigulov_MMA at #UFCFightIsland3#InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/46gkLnNrO0

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) July 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. The final Ultimate Fighting Championship event on “Fight Island” has undergone some sudden changes. On Thursday, the UFC announced that Paul Craig (12-4-1) will be facing Gadzhimurad Antigulov (20-6) at light heavyweight at the UFC Fight Night event on July 25. This card will take place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Craig was originally set to square off against Ryan Spann in March, but his event was scratched due to the coronavirus pandemic. Antigulov encountered a similar situation when his event on June 13 – one later rescheduled from Kazakhstan to the U.S. – was similarly impacted by COVID-19 and his pairing w…

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A women’s flyweight matchup pitting Andrea Lee against Roxanne Modafferi is in the works for an Ultimate Fighting Championship card on Sept. 12.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the bout. The event is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, but it has not been officially announced by the promotion. Modafferi and Lee initially squared off at Invicta FC 10 in 2014, with Modafferi capturing a split-decision triumph.

After beginning her Octagon tenure with three straight triumphs, Lee has dropped back-to-back split decision against Joanne Calderwood and Lauren Murphy. The 31-year-old LFA and Invicta FC veteran has compiled an 11-4 career mark.

Modafferi has alternated wins and losses in her last eight bouts dating back to May 2017. Most recently, “The Happy Warrior” was outpointed by Murphy at UFC on ES…

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Dustin Poirier did not emerge from his memorable clash with Dan Hooker unscathed.

On Wednesday, “The Diamond” shared a photo of a severely swollen ankle. Poirier was seen limping out of the cage following his five-round verdict over Hooker in the UFC on ESPN 12 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on June 27.

Kankle pic.twitter.com/ofUaa2qcZG

— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) July 1, 2020

Poirier received a 60-day medical suspension with 45 days of no contact from the Nevada State Athletic Commission after the bout. The former lightweight title challenger was unsure of a timetable for his next Octagon appearance in the immediate aftermath of his victory.

“Maybe I’ll fight at the end of the year. Maybe I’ll fight next year. I just want to go home to my daughter. I’m a winn…

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August will be a busy month for Ultimate Fighting Championship fans.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission on Wednesday approved nine dates for the promotion, a total that includes five UFC events and four Dana White’s Contender Series cards. All of the events will take place behind closed doors at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The UFC has not formally announced the majority of the fights or events slated for next month.

The August schedule is highlighted by UFC 252 on Aug. 15, which is headlined by a heavyweight championship trilogy clash between Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier. That main card will air on pay-per-view via ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while the prelims begin on ESPN and ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.

The rest of the cards are Fight Night events: Aug. 1 is headlined by Holly Holm vs. Irene Aldana; Au…

Recent strawweight title challenger @ducote_brunette takes on Brazilian @juthaimma in our main event of tomorrow night! Don't miss #InvictaFC40 LIVE on @UFCFightPass at 8/7c! pic.twitter.com/30mt2m7MgY

— Invicta FC (@InvictaFights) July 1, 2020

Invicta Fighting Championships returns for the promotion’s first show since March 6.

The all-female card is now official as all fighters stepped on the scales, but it wasn’t without some drama as DeAnna Bennett was removed from her bout against Victoria Leonardo after suffering a medical issue while cutting weight. Leonardo has been paid her show money and the card will proceed with one less fight. The event is headlined by a strawweight bout between former title challenger Emily Ducote and Ultimate Fighting Championship vet Juliana Lima.

Looking to bounce back from a heartbreaking split decision loss to Kanako Murata for Invicta’s strawweight championship, Ducote will attempt to prove that she’s …

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship continues to draw solid ratings with its recent string of cards on ESPN.

According to ShowBuzz Daily, Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 12 main card attracted an average audience of 1.07 million viewers to the network — the fifth most of the ESPN era. The card drew higher ratings than the promotion’s previous two main draws: UFC on ESPN 11 “Blaydes vs. Volkov” (912,000) and UFC on ESPN 10 “Eye vs. Calvillo (908,000).

UFC on ESPN 12 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and saw Dustin Poirier earn an entertaining unanimous decision against Dan Hooker in the evening’s lightweight headliner. Poirier vs. Hooker has since been lauded as a “Fight of the Year” candidate. In the co-main event Mike Perry, who enjoys something of a cult following in the sport, earned a three-round verdict over Mickey Ga…

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Justin Gaethje will be one of six members of University of Northern Colorado’s 2020 Hall of Fame class.

The college recently announced the news in a release. UNC Hall of Fame inductees are chosen because “they have gone on to be at the top of their sports and bring great recognition to the university and athletic department after leaving Greeley.”

Gaethje was an NCAA All-American for the school at 157 pounds in 2010, the first wrestler to earn that honor since the program rejoined the Division I level. He qualified for the NCAA championship three times and earned first team All-Western Wrestling Conference honors and won the NCAA West Regionals title as a freshman.

The induction ceremony is expected to take place in 2021. Gaethje reflected on the honor in an Instagram post.

“Got a call that I was being ente…

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A women’s strawweight clash pitting Michelle Waterson against Angela Hill is expected to go down at the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Aug. 22 event.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the matchup. The card is likely to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is also expected to include a middleweight showdown between Yoel Romero and Uriah Hall.

Waterson is coming off the second two-fight losing streak of her UFC tenure. After losing a five-round verdict to Joanna Jedrzejczyk in the UFC Fight Night 161 headliner this past October, “The Karate Hottie” dropped a split verdict against Carla Esparza at UFC 249 on May 9. The Jackson-Wink MMA member is 5-4 in the Las Vegas-based promotion and 17-8 as a professional overall.

Hill, meanwhile, has been victorious in four of her last six Octagon appearances. The forme…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6vt0-nHMt8&w=560&h=315]

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship has released a trailer for its “Fight Island” series that has a distinct summer blockbuster movie feel.

“Legend spoke of an island where only the strong survive,” the trailer begins, while alternating between tranquil island shots featuring peaceful music and highlight clips of some of the focal points of the coming month’s UFC events.

Over the course of the next month, the Las Vegas-based promotion will hold events on July 11, 15, 18 and 25 on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi in order to help accommodate international fighters who were unable to enter the United States due to travel restrictions imposed to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

That series of events begins with UFC 251 on July 11, which is headlined by a welterweig…

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After missing weight and losing the chance to win the UFC flyweight title against Joseph Benavidez on Feb. 29, Deiveson Figueiredo will get another chance to claim 125-pound gold in their rematch at UFC “Fight Island” on July 18.

He promises not to disappoint the fans like the last time, when he knocked out Benavidez in the second round at UFC Fight Night 169 but could not bring the belt home to Brazil due to his issues on the scale.

“Now is a question of honor to me. I fought eight times in UFC and never missed weight,” Figueiredo told Sherdog.com. “Unfortunately that ended up happening in the most important fight of my life. It will never happen again.”

In order to avoid a repeat performance on the scale, Figueiredo totally changed the weight-cutting process.

“I was used to arriving in the fight week weig…

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Mickey Gall was as surprised as anyone that Mike Perry got the best of him during their grappling exchanges in the UFC on ESPN 12 co-main event this past Saturday night.

Perry’s ability to control positioning and land ground-and-pound played a major role in his unanimous decision triumph over Gall in their welterweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. While Gall enjoyed success early with straight punches and kicks to the body in Round 1, Perry continued to assert himself as the fight progressed.

“No excuses. Wasn’t really my night tonight,” Gall said in a video post on Instagram. “I feel like I was getting the better of the standup, but not in the grappling. Go figure, right?

“He was strong, stuffed some of my transitions. Hat’s off to Mike. I hope we get to fight again. I’ve got a good feeling we will fight a…

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Kamaru Usman moved his training camp for moments like these.

In a brief video posted on Instagram, the reigning UFC welterweight champion can been seen training body shots with interim lightweight king Justin Gaethje as coach Trevor Wittman looks on.

“Iron sharpens iron,” Gaethje wrote. “How much would you pay to watch this for a few rounds? [Kamaru Usman] is looking like a straight killer. Glad to have him in the room. Just two dudes having fun.”

Usman recently revealed that he left Hard Knocks 365 in Florida to train under Wittman in Colorado. Usman will defend his 170-pound belt against former stablemate Gilbert Burns in the UFC 251 headliner at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi on July 11.

Gaethje, after claiming the interim lightweight crown at UFC 249 in May, is expected to face Khabib Nurmagomedov in a title…

Kyle Daukaus gets dropped right at the horn #UFCVegas4 pic.twitter.com/pK2H7rSJe8

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 28, 2020

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Brendan Allen’s victory over Kyle Daukaus at UFC on ESPN 12 proved to be costly for the middleweight prospect.

According to manager Brian Butler, Allen suffered a trio of facial fractures in his nose and orbital floor in Saturday’s bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. As a result, the 24-year-old Roufusport product will likely be out for the rest of this year. Butler added that Allen is considering moving up to 205 pounds for his next Octagon appearance.

UPDATE: @BrendanAllenMMA suffered 3 fractures in his nose and orbital floor in last nights fight. Likely out the remainder of the year but considering return at 205lbs. pic.twitt…

We head into the corner of Mike Perry. #UFCVegas4 pic.twitter.com/2KPOMrSeio

— UFC (@ufc) June 28, 2020

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Between rounds of Saturday’s co-main event clash against Mickey Gall, Mike Perry felt a sense of calm that he claims he wouldn’t have experienced with one or more coaches in his ear.

Trusting his own instincts and experience proved to be enough, as Perry earned a convincing unanimous verdict over Gall in a welterweight bout at UFC on ESPN 12 in Las Vegas.

“I did my thing, and I kept my cool. It was helpful not having a corner,” Perry said during Saturday’s post-fight show on ESPN+. “I felt like the whole time I was in the corner I was thinking about how the next round was going to be, how I needed to be and I was my own coach. I pulled it off tonight in a big way.”

Inst…

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 longer the fight went, the more Dustin Poirier was able to assert himself. The American Top Team product weathered a strong start from Dan Hooker to capture a unanimous decision triumph in the UFC on ESPN 12 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Two judges scored the lightweight bout 48-47, while a third saw it 48-46 — all in favor of Poirier (26-6, 18-5, 1 NC UFC).

Hooker (20-9, 10-5 UFC) set the tone in the first two rounds, as he battered his opponent with left hooks, low kicks and uppercuts to the body. The combatants traded willingly, particularly in close quarters, but it was the Kiwi who rocked his foe with a knee and a barrage of punches near the fence at the end of the second frame. Poirier was able to survive until the final horn.

“I came in here and pulled another one out,” Poirier said. “I …

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Sherdog's live UFC on ESPN 12 coverage will begin Saturday at 6 p.m. ET. Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Triste…