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Although it has been delayed a while, the Bellator MMA featherweight grand prix will be back sooner than most expect.

Bellator's 145-pound tournament was put on hold this past March after the promotion was forced to cancel events due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The organization confirmed to Sherdog today that the tournament will start back up in November with a trio of major bouts.

Bellator lightweight and featherweight champion Patricio Freire (30-4) will defend his 145-pound belt against Pedro Carvalho (11-3) in a quarterfinal matchup of the tournament. The scrap will headline Bellator 252, which will take place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Nov. 12. The two were originally slated to do battle back at Bellator 241 this past March, but the entire event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Freire reached the quarterfinals after besting current Bellator bantamweight champion Juan Archuleta. “Pitbull” took a unanimous decision in the openi…

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 almost three years away from the Octagon, Brazilian bantamweight Thomas Almeida will finally make his return against Jonathan Martinez at the featherweight division. “I’m really glad Martinez accepted that fight on such short notice,” Almeida told Sherdog. “When I was in London, getting the connecting flight to Abu Dhabi, [UFC matchmaker Sean] Shelby called us telling [me] my opponent got [COVID-19]. I got really upset. After almost the years away, after all the diet, the strong camp, that was unbelievable. But Shelby told me, ‘don’t worry, you will fight.’ And when I got in Abu Dhabi, he already got Martinez. The only point is that he couldn’t reach bantamweight on time so I accepted to fight in featherweight. What actually turned into being an amazing experience.

“I don’t recall [ever being allowed to eat] an ice cream one…

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 path back to Ultimate Fighting Championship title contention for Anthony Smith will begin with an unranked opponent. The news first coming from MMA Junkie on Thursday, Smith (33-16) will be competing again at the light heavyweight division against Devin Clark (12-4). The two will come to blows at the Nov. 28 UFC Fight Night card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Clark was originally booked against Shamil Gamzatov, but the Russian pulled out due to visa issues. In his stead will be Smith, and the matchup has since been confirmed by other outlets.

Although Smith discussed a potential return to the middleweight division after a pair of one-sided losses to Glover Teixeira and Aleksandar Rakic, the former light heavyweight title challenger is staying at 205 pounds for the foreseeable future. “Lionheart” moved to light heavyweight 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. Jessica Andrade is ready to become the first female fighter to compete in three Ultimate Fighting Championship weight classes on Saturday, and she is willing to move around the divisions depending on her options. Gilliard Parana, the head coach of PRVT Girls, spoke with Sherdog about Andrade’s upcoming fight against the #1 ranked flyweight contender Katlyn Chookagian this weekend.

“Last time in Abu Dhabi [at UFC 251], Jessica faced the hardest experience of her life to reach the limit of strawweight division due to a series of factors like jet lag, local temperature and also the fact that Jessica’s body is getting old,” Parana told Sherdog. “Actually, she is only 29, but her body already faced 28 battles [so] of course it’s getting harder to lose weight.”

Parana believes that moving the whole PRVT team to Las Vegas in 2021 w…

It appears that Conor McGregor is willing to back off on his original demand of a fight before the close of 2020.

Shortly after UFC president Dana White revealed that the promotion had offered Dustin Poirier as an opponent to McGregor on Jan. 23 and was unwilling to book the fight any earlier, the former two-division champion accepted the date on Twitter. McGregor added that he is targeting Cowboys Stadium as a potential venue for the event, which has not been formally announced by the promotion.

“I accept, Jan 23rd is on!” McGregor wrote on Twitter. “My goal is to see this fight take place in Cowboy stadium. Proper Style! [Cowboys owner] Jerry Jones is a friend and the stadium can hold our crowd. I will be ready for Texas and Texas will be ready for my fans! Then Manny.”

I accept, Jan 23rd is on!My goal is to see this fight take place in Cowboy stadium. Proper Style! Jerry Jones is a friend and the stadium can hold our crowd. I will be rea…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLLpdD_Ey6w&w=560&h=315]

Bellator has signed the only man to defeat UFC bantamweight king Petr Yan.

In an interview with CBS Sports, Bellator president Scott Coker revealed that the promotion has signed former ACB (now Absolute Championship Akhmat) bantamweight champion Magomed Magomedov to an exclusive, multi-fight deal.

“We’re very excited for this signing of Magomed Magomedov,” Coker said. “My team and I continue to search the planet for the top up-and-coming-fighters and we feel that Magomedov has the potential to be a world champion in the sport.”

A date for Magomedov’s debut is currently unknown. The 28-year-old Moscow native owns a 16-1 professional record that includes a five-round split verdict over Yan in March 2016. Yan later regained the ACB 135-pound crown with a unanimous decision triumph in a rematch approximately a year later. Magomedov hasn’t competed since a first-round submission of Walter Pereira Jr. a…

A KO UNLIKE ANY OTHER.

Four days later and we still can't wrap our heads around this @Newmansa94 finish pic.twitter.com/QyeqWZ7kg8

— UFC (@ufc) October 14, 2020 Joaquin Buckley won’t have to wait too long to capitalize on the momentum of his “Knockout of the Year” contender at UFC Fight Night 179.

According to ESPN, Buckley will square off against Jordan Wright in a middleweight bout at UFC 255 on Nov. 21. The card is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a flyweight title bout between Deiveson Figueiredo and Alex Perez.

Buckley went viral with his spinning back kick KO of Impa Kasanganay on Oct. 10 in Abu Dhabi. The LFA and Bellator MMA veteran debuted in the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 174, where he suffered a third-round TKO loss to Kevin Holland. “New Mansa” 11-3 with eight KO/TKO wins over the course of his pro career.

Wright, meanwhile, is unbeaten in 12 professional outings, though a TKO …

The UFC Fight Night 180 headliner between Brian Ortega and Chan Sung Jung will serve as a No. 1 contender bout for the featherweight division.

"It's absolutely a No. 1 contender fight," UFC president Dana White told ESPN. "First of all, this fight should have happened a long time ago. We're finally here. All the crazy stuff that's happened. Crazy stuff always happens in this sport. Zombie [Jung] vs. Ortega. Absolutely, the winner of this fight should be the next title shot.”

Ortega and Jung were scheduled to meet at UFC Fight Night 165 on Dec. 21, but Ortega was forced to withdraw from the contest due to a knee injury.

Ortega hasn’t competed since falling to Max Holloway via four-round doctor stoppage at UFC 231 in December 2018. Prior to that, “T-City” had won six straight Octagon appearances. Ortega is 14-1 with one on contest as a professional overall.

After Ortega exited their proposed clash, Jung dispatched replacement foe Frankie Edgar via first-ro…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s 2020 calendar is full, but Conor McGregor has the opportunity to fight Dustin Poirier early next year if he wishes to accept the promotion’s offer.

UFC president Dana White told ESPN that he wants to book McGregor vs. Poirier for Jan. 23. However, McGregor recently wrote on Twitter that he wants to fight before the end of the year and would accept dates on Nov. 21, Dec. 12 and Dec. 19.

Hello Dustin! I accepted the @ufc offer to fight you, but told them it must happen in 2020. I’m ready for Nov 21st, given that cards recent injury issues, as well as any of the December dates, the 12th and the 19th. I’ll also still donate the $500k to The Good Fight Foundation https://t.co/23hN4AHtoI

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) October 8, 2020

"We offered him a fight. We got him his own date," White told ESPN. "We didn't have a date this year. We have everything laid out for this year, with world champions fighti…

Islam Makhachev will not compete at UFC 254.

The Dagestani lightweight was supposed to face Rafael dos Anjos in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 24, but dos Anjos withdrew from the bout after testing positive for COVID-19. UFC president Dana White revealed to Yahoo Sports on Wednesday that a replacement opponent was not found for Makhachev, and a subsequent release from the promotion regarding the event did not include the Eagles MMA representative. As a result, UFC 254 will move forward with a five-bout main card.

Makhachev is currently on a six-bout winning streak in UFC competition. He went 2-0 in 2019, posting decision triumphs against Davi Ramos and Arman Tsarukyan. A training partner of lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov, the 29-year-old is 18-1 since beginning his professional career in 2010.

UFC 254 takes place at the Flash Forum and is headlined by a 155-pound title unification bout between Nurmagomedov and interim champ Justin Gaethje. The main card airs on pay-…

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

Petr Yan is expected to make his first bantamweight title defense against Aljamain Sterling in the UFC 256 co-headliner.

Yahoo Sports was first to report the matchup. Contracts have not been signed as of yet, but the promotion is working on finalizing the 135-pound bout. UFC 256 takes place on Dec. 12 and also includes a women’s featherweight title tilt between Amanda Nunes and Megan Anderson.

Yan takes a 10-bout professional winning streak into his matchup with Sterling. That stretch includes seven straight victories in the Octagon, with notable triumphs over the likes of Urijah Faber, Jimmie Rivera and John Dodson. “No Mercy” claimed the vacant bantamweight crown with a fifth-round TKO of Jose Aldo at UFC 251 on July 11.

Since suffering a first-round knockout defeat to Marlon Moraes in December 2017, Sterling has reeled off five consecutive wins in UFC competition. Most recently, “The Funk Master…

Hooray for expeditious heavyweight knockouts! Justin Tafa (4-1) detonates Juan Adams in about two minutes to notch his inaugural UFC win. #UFC247 pic.twitter.com/N57vBLERb0

— Kyle Johnson (@VonPreux) February 9, 2020

A heavyweight showdown pitting Carlos Felipe against Justin Tafa has been added to the lineup for an Ultimate Fighting Championship card on Jan. 16.

Combate was first to report the booking. A location and venue have not been announced for the event, which is also expected to include a bout between Brian Kelleher and Ricky Simon.

Felipe suffered his first professional defeat in his Octagon debut, dropping a majority decision against Sergey Spivak at UFC Fight Night 172 on July 18. The 25-year-old Brazilian rebounded at UFC on ESPN 16, where he outpointed Yorgan De Castro to improve to 9-1 as a professional.

Tafa, meanwhile, rebounded from a first-round KO loss to De Catro in his promotional debut to stop Juan Adams via …

Due to contract issues, Ante Delija has been removed from his heavyweight matchup against Ciryl Gane this Saturday at #UFCFightIsland6 and the bout has been canceled.

More info

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) October 14, 2020 UFC Fight Night 180 has lost its co-main event after “contract issues” caused Ante Delija to be pulled from a proposed heavyweight matchup with Ciryl Gane.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the news on Wednesday. As a result, a women’s flyweight clash pitting Katlyn Chookagian against Jessica Andrade has been elevated to the evening’s co-main event. Due to the short-notice nature of Delija’s exit, a replacement opponent will not be sought for Gane.

UFC Fight Night 180 takes place at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi on Saturday and is headlined by a featherweight scrap between Brian Ortega and the Korean Zombie. The main card airs on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, while the prelims stream immediately prior beginning …

.@LFAfighting brings the Women's #Strawweight Championship to #Kansas at #LFA94!

Champion@Monster_Demovs.Challenger@LoopyGodinez

: https://t.co/28e5sbk4AM

Friday, October 30@HartmanArena#ParkCity, #Kansas#MMA#LFANation@UFCFightPass pic.twitter.com/OFiHrG9PBE

— LFA (@LFAfighting) October 14, 2020

Crystal Vanessa Demopoulos will defend her strawweight crown against Lupita Godinez in the Legacy Fighting Alliance 94 main event on Oct. 30.

The promotion announced the matchup on Wednesday. LFA 94 takes place at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kansas, and will have a “limited” number of tickets on sale to attend the event, per a release. LFA 94 airs on UFC Fight Pass at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Demopoulos became the promotion’s inaugural strawweight queen with a fourth-round submission of Sam Hughes at LFA 85 on July 17. She attempted to earn a UFC contract on the Contender Series in August but fell to Cory McKenna via unanimous dec…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99ij9FPSkmw&w=560&h=315]

The women’s featherweight title bout between Cristiane Justino and Arlene Blencowe will proceed as planned after both competitors made weight on Wednesday.

“Cyborg” tipped the scales at 145 pounds, while Blencowe checked in at 144.5. Bellator 249 takes place on Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut and will also see Patricky Freire (155.5) square off against Jaleel Willis (159) in the evening’s co-main event. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network and Dazn at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while the prelims stream on Bellator’s YouTube channel and Dazn at 7:15 p.m. ET/4:15 p.m. PT.

It wasn’t smooth sailing for everyone on the scales, as Willis missed weight by three pounds for his lightweight showdown with Freire, as did Leandro Higo (139) for a featured bantamweight clash against Ricky Bandejas (136).

A former 145-pound champion with the UFC, Strikeforce and Invicta, Justino captured …

Ronaldo Souza will lock horns with Marvin Vettori in a middleweight matchup at UFC 256.

Vettori’s trainer, Emanuele Lochner, announced the news on the The Scramble MMA Show, and the bout was also confirmed by UFC broadcast partner ESPN. Vettori was initially expected to face Omari Akhmedov at UFC 256, but that bout did not come to fruition.

UFC 256 takes place on Dec. 12 and features a women’s featherweight title tilt between Amanda Nunes and Megan Anderson. A location for the event has not been announced.

Souza was supposed to square off against Uriah Hall at UFC 249 on May, but a positive COVID-19 test forced “Jacare” to withdraw from the card. The 40-year-old Brazilian is coming off a brief foray to light heavyweight, where he dropped a split decision to current 205-pound champ Jan Blachowicz at UFC Fight Night 164.

Vettori, meanwhile, has won three consecutive Octagon appearances since dropping a split verdict to reigning middleweight king Israel Ade…

I don’t play fighting I fight so get your soft body to Vegas and I will smoke you on dec 19. You are a real fighter so let’s go @NateDiaz209

— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) October 13, 2020

Khamzat Chimaev is on the prowl for a marquee matchup, and he just added Nate Diaz to his list of potential targets.

On Tuesday, Diaz reacted to Conor McGregor’s proposal of a charity exhibition bout between the Irish star and Dustin Poirier this December outside the confines of the Octagon. The UFC has since countered by offering a rematch to the two contenders for an undetermined event.

“Let’s don’t get it twisted I already smoked these [two] now they play fighting,” Diaz wrote on Twitter.

Chimaev responded to Diaz’s post, calling for a December showdown with the Stockton, California, native.

“I don’t play fighting, I fight, so get your soft body to Vegas and I will smoke you on Dec. 19,” Chimaev wrote. “You are a real fighter so let’s go […

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2xpt6J0Zck&w=560&h=315]

After Magomed Ismailov defeated Aleksander Emelianenko by third-round technical knockout at Absolute Championship Akhmat 107, the promotion has found a new challenge for the 34-year-old Russian known as “Bald Hawk.”

Ismailov (16-2-1) will face Ivan Shtyrkov (17-1-1) in the ACA 115 main event on Dec. 12. A location and venue for the event will be announced at a later date.

The 34-year-old Ismailov will make his debut in the light heavyweight division to participate in this bout. Prior to facing Emelianenko in a heavyweight affair, Ismailov had previously only competed at middleweight. But in order to meet "The Grim Reaper, he gained nearly 29 pounds – and was still outweighed by approximately 44 pounds. Now, Ismailov seems to have found a middle ground in terms of weight.

Ismailov is currently on an 11-fight unbeaten streak, with a draw against Vladimir Mineev the only blemish on his ledger during t…

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Bellator MMA has signed the cousin of UFC heavyweight contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

Sherdog.com confirmed with a promotion official on Tuesday that the California-based organization has signed Gregory Milliard to a multi-fight contract. MMAjunkie.com was first to report the news. Milliard is expected to compete in the Bellator cage before the end of the year.

A light heavyweight, Milliard has been victorious in eight of his last nine professional appearances while competing on the regional circuit. “The Arubian Assassin” began his career with a 2-4 record, which included a loss to Francois Ambang at Bellator 68 in May 2012.

Milliard has finished six of his professional triumphs by KO/TKO, one via submission and three by decision. He last fought in April 2019, scoring a second-round TKO victory in the main event of a card staged in Aruba.

The lineup for One Championship “Inside the Matrix” is now complete.

The promotion announced Monday that a lightweight matchup between Eduard Folayang and Antonio Caruso and an atomweight clash pitting Ritu Phogat against Nou Srey Pov will round out the six-bout card on Oct. 30.

One “Inside the Matrix” will be held at Singapore Indoor Stadium behind closed doors with only athletes, officials and production crew at the venue. Four title bouts will top the card: Aung La N Sang vs. Reinier de Ridder at middleweight; Christian Lee vs. Iuri Lapicus at lightweight; Martin Nguyen vs. Thanh Le at featherweight and Jingnan Xiong vs. Tiffany Teo at strawweight.

A three-time one lightweight champion, Folayang has lost three of his last our appearance, including a split-decision setback against Pieter Buist on Jan. 31. Caruso lost for the first time in eight professional outings in his promotional debut, falling to Buist via unanimous decision at One “Dawn of Valor” in October 201…

Khabib Nurmagomedov has no interest in a reality TV gig opposite Conor McGregor.

The reigning lightweight champion confirmed a recent statement made by his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, that he vetoed the possibility of coaching a season of “The Ultimate Fighter” against the Irish superstar.

"'The Ultimate Fighter' with him is good attention for him," Nurmagomedov told ESPN. "I don't want to give him this. I never give him this. Even if they give me $5 billion -- even if they gave me the UFC -- I never do this. This is good attention for him.

"It's done. Everything is done Oct. 6, 2018. I finish him. I finish everything about him.”

After months of bad blood, Nurmagomedov submitted McGregor in the fourth round of their 155-pound title bout at UFC 229 on that aforementioned date. After his victory, the Dagestani jumped out of the Octagon to confront McGregor’s corner, prompting a melee that resulted in fines and suspensions for both fighters as well as members o…

Orion Cosce, the card's biggest underdog, got the third-round finish from the crucifix #DWCS pic.twitter.com/xLxvijmznH

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 19, 2020

Dana White’s Contender Series alum Orion Cosce will make his Octagon debut against Nicolas Dalby at UFC 255.

Cosce initially announced the booking via social media. UFC 255 takes place on Nov. 21 and is headlined by a flyweight title clash between Deiveson Figueiredo and Alex Perez. In the co-main event, Valentina Shevchenko defends her 125-pound belt against Jennifer Maia.

Cosce earned a UFC contract by rallying for a third-round TKO victory against Matt Dixon in a Contender Series bout on Aug. 18. The 26-year-old Californian is 7-0 as a professional, with all of his triumphs coming inside the distance.

Dalby, meanwhile, had a five-bout unbeaten streak snapped at UFC on ESPN 14, where he was submitted by Jesse Ronson in the opening stanza on July 25. A former Cage Warriors tit…

It appears that Cory Sandhagen did not emerge unscathed from his highlight-reel victory over Marlon Moraes at UFC Fight Night 179.

The Elevation Fight Team member is facing a potential 180-day medical suspension unless he receives clearance from an ophthalmologist. At a minimum, Sandhagen is suspended 30 days with 21 days no contact. Moraes, who was stopped by a spinning wheel kick and follow-up punches in the second round of Saturday’s bantamweight headliner, is suspended 45 days with 21 days of no contact.

The UFC, which acted as its own regulating body for the event, recently released a full list of medical suspensions to mixedmartialarts.com. UFC Fight Night 179 took place at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi on Saturday night. Everyone who competed received at least a seven-day mandatory suspension.

Five other fighters from the card are facing potential 180-day sits: Tom Breese, Rodrigo Nascimento Ferreira, Impa Kasanganay, Tony Kelley and Omar Morales.

…

A proposed middleweight clash between Joe Schilling and Curtis Millender has been removed from Bellator 249.

Sherdog.com confirmed the news with a promotion official on Monday following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com. The bout was canceled after the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulations denied Schilling a license to fight at the event for undisclosed reasons. Millender will not receive a replacement opponent.

As a result, Bellator 249 will proceed with 11 bouts. The event takes place on Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, and is headlined by a women’s featherweight title tilt between Cristiane Justino and Arlene Blencowe. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT following prelims on Bellator’s YouTube channel at 7:15 p.m. ET/4:15 p.m. PT.

Millender rejoined Bellator after a 3-2 UFC stint and has kicked off his 2020 campaign with a decision win over Moses Murrietta at Bellator 238 and a decision los…