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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…

Por sumisión! Finaliza @thedeathstar_1 en round 3! #UFCVegas4 pic.twitter.com/z6JSJ5hGuy

— ufcespanol (@UFCEspanol) June 27, 2020

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Khama Worthy is thriving as an underdog in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Worthy pulled off his second consecutive upset in the Octagon at UFC on ESPN 12, tapping out the favored Luis Pena with a guillotine choke in the third round of a lightweight preliminary bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. The end came 2:53 into Round 3, as Worthy won his seventh straight professional outing overall. Worthy shocked prospect Devonte Smith in his short-notice promotional debut last August.

Worthy (16-6, 2-0 UFC) attacked Pena (8-3, 4-3 UFC) with crisp counter punching and kicks to the legs and body in the opening round, but “The Deathstar”…

Danny Sabatello barely broke a sweat.

The once-beaten American Top Team prospect captured the vacant Titan Fighting Championship bantamweight crown, as he submitted Raymond Ramos with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their Titan 61 headliner on Friday at the Intercontinental Hotel and Resort in Miami. Ramos (5-4, 2-1 Titan) capitulated 1:56 into Round 1, his three-fight winning streak at an end.

Sabatello (8-1, 3-1 Titan) closed the distance, moved to the back and kicked off the fence to create space and ground the Fight Time Promotions veteran. Having secured back-to-chest position, he went in for the kill. Sabatello lassoed the neck, tightened his grip and forced the tapout.

In the lightweight co-main event, Hard Knocks 365 rep Landon Quinones Stewart extended his run of consecutive victories to three with a three-round unanimous decision over Geralbert Castillo. Stewart (5-1-1, 5-1 Titan) swept the scorecards with 29-28, 30-27 and 29-28 marks from the judges.…

"I'm just grateful."@DustinPoirier reacts to finding out today's news #UFCHonors pic.twitter.com/7NXm30ZlPN

— UFC (@ufc) June 26, 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. Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight Dustin Poirier will be the first fighter to receive the “Forrest Griffin Community Award” for his volunteer and charity work. Ahead of his UFC on ESPN 12 encounter with Dan Hooker on Saturday, Poirier was bestowed this award for the work he has done for his community. The “Forrest Griffin Community Award” was introduced this year, as part of the UFC’s annual award ceremonies. Poirier is the first earn this honor, and with it, he will receive a $25,000 donation to any charity he chooses. The donation will be granted by Toyo Tires, a sponsor for the promotion.

After being informed that he had won this award, "The Di…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TOYLUc5irM&w=560&h=315] Marvin Vettori never would have imagined that 2020 would turn out to be such a crazy year for him.

After overcoming Andrew Sanchez at UFC Fight Night 161 in October, Vettori was scheduled to fight to face Darren Stewart on March 21 in London. Unfortunately for the Italian, the UFC canceled the event due to the COVID-19 outbreak. After that, things started to go downhill for "The Italian Dream" for a while.

First, he should have met Karl Roberson on April 25, but the UFC against postponed the card. Then, Vettori and Karl Roberson should have locked horns on May 13 at UFC Fight Night 171. The day before the fight, "Baby K" weighed in 1.5 pounds over the middleweight limit. A few hours later, Roberson was removed from the fight due to rhabdomyolysis, or a severe injury to his muscles from them breaking down. Shortly after, they had an altercation in a Jacksonville, Florida, hotel lobby. The UFC noted the animo…

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Win or lose at UFC 251, Paige VanZant is set on testing free agency following her July 11 bout against Amanda Ribas on “Fight Island.”

VanZant is on the last fight of her current contract, and she hopes to secure a more lucrative deal no matter where she might land.

“I have my heart set and nobody is going to change my mind that I’m fighting my contract out,” VanZant told ESPN. “I don’t know where my future lies – I truly don’t. I think that’s kind of an exciting thing in my life. I’ve been with the UFC for six years now, and through this time I’m still – which is crazy – on the same contract before I fought Rose [Namajunas] at 22 years old, and I’m 26 now.

“…I just feel like a regular extension isn’t what I want. I want to prove my worth and my value and I want a brand new contract. I’m really excited to get the…

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Invicta FC veteran Miranda Maverick will have to wait to make her UFC debut.

The flwyeight has suffered an injury and was forced to pull out of a scheduled clash with Mara Romero Borella at UFC on ESPN 12 this Saturday. Combate was first to report the news. It is currently unknown if Borella will receive a replacement opponent.

Maverick completed her run through the Invicta Phoenix Rising Series 2 flyweight tournament by submitting DeAnna Bennett with a neck crank in the third round of the bracket’s finals last September. The 22-year-old Springfield Fight Club representative then outpointed former UFC talent Pearl Gonzalez in her next bout at Invicta FC 39 on Feb. 7 to run her professional mark to 7-2.

UFC on ESPN 12 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a lightweight tilt between Dustin Po…