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Carlton Haselrig, a former Pittsburgh Steeler who had a brief mixed martial arts tenure and a wildly successful NCAA wrestling career, died Wednesday at the age of 54.

The Johnstown Tribune-Democrat confirmed with the Cambria County coroner that Haselrig died of natural causes. An autopsy will be conducted, but friends of Haselrig revealed that he had been suffering from liver disease.

Haselrig won an unprecedented six national championships — three in Division II and three in Division I — for the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. The NCAA has since changed the rules that allow Division II and Division III champions the opportunity to compete for the Division I title, meaning that Haselrig’s feat will not be repeated.

Despite not having played football collegiately, he was drafted in the 12th round by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1989. He went on to play five seasons in the NFL, earning All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors as a left guard in 1992.

Some 15 years …

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A strawweight clash pitting Konklak Suphisara against Jinh Yu Frey is in the works for an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Oct. 3.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the pairing. The event has not been announced by the promotion and a location has yet to be determined.

Suphisara, who is more commonly known as “Looma Lookboonme,” is the first Thai-born fighter in the UFC. She defeated Aleksandra Albu via split decision in her debut at UFC Fight Night 162 before dropping a unanimous verdict against Angela Hill in her last outing at UFC Fight Night 168 on Feb. 23.

A former Invicta FC atomweight tilist, Frey came up short in her first promotional foray, suffering a submission loss to Kay Hansen at UFC on ESPN 12 on June 27. The 35-year-old Genesis Jiu-Jitsu representative is 9-5 as a professional overal.

Latin American mixed martial arts promotion Combate Americas has elected to postpone its return due to the recent increase of COVID-19 cases in Florida.

The organization recently revealed plans for three shows — beginning on Aug. 28 — at a closed studio in Miami. It would have been Combate Americas first event since its card on Feb. 28 in Fresno, California. Cards on Sept. 11 and Sept. 25 in Miami were also postponed. Combate Americas CEO Campbell McLaren announced the decision in a statement to the Associated Press.

“This is not a decision we took lightly, and is based entirely on our focus to prioritize the safety of our employees, broadcast partners, fighters and the broader MMA community,” McLaren said in a statement. “We explored many alternatives to avoid this measure, including the possibility of moving our in-studio fights to Los Angeles. Unfortunately, the state of California is in a similarly precarious situation with COVID outbreaks, and it seems untenable to…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWuR5CK4ki0&w=560&h=315]

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Like so many retirements in MMA, Alexander Gustafsson’s was short-lived.

“The Mauler” laid his gloves in the Octagon following a fourth-round submission loss to Anthony Smith in the UFC Fight Night 153 headliner on June 1, 2019. Considering that he was just 32 years old at the time, there was plenty of skepticism regarding the announcement. Gustafsson, however, seemed to be sincere in his intentions.

“It feels like I don’t have it in me anymore, to be honest,” he said on the ESPN+ post-fight show that day. “I just have that feeling it’s time now. I don’t want to be a journeyman. I don’t want to do this because I’m getting paid. I want to do this because I love it. I want to be at the top.”

In the ensuing months, Gustafsson hinted that his retiremen…

Steve Mowry won’t be competing at Bellator 242.

The undefeated heavyweight prospect announced on Instagram that he tested positive for COVID-19 and is off Friday’s card. Mowry was supposed to face Rudy Schaffroth in a preliminary contest streamed on the promotion’s YouTube page. It is unclear if Schaffroth will receive a replacement opponent on short notice.

“So, uhhh, long story short I’m not fighting because of a positive COVID-19 test,” Mowry wrote. “2020, am I right?”

Mowry trains at Sanford MMA with Gilbert Burns and Aung La N Sang, both of whom also recently tested positive for coronavirus. The Pittsburgh native is 7-0 thus far in his professional career, including three triumphs under the Bellator banner.

Bellator 242 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut and is headlined by a bantamweight showdown between Sergio Pettis and Ricky Bandejas. The main card airs on Paramount Network at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT, while the preliminary …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6yNjLh10tA&w=560&h=315]

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After relinquishing the middleweight crown to Israel Adesanya at UFC 243 last October, Robert Whittaker took some time away from the sport to reset his priorities.

During his run to the 185-pound title and subsequent reign, “The Reaper” began to experience burnout from the constant grind of training, traveling and fighting. So, he took a step back and focused on his family life.

Whittaker will return to the Octagon for the first time since that defeat when he squares off against Darren Till in the main event of UFC on ESPN 14 in Abu Dhabi on Saturday night. During a virtual media session, Whittaker was asked if the toll of two brutal five-round fights against Yoel Romero contributed to his hiatus.

“I don’t want to give all the credit for having a …

She's a STRAWWEIGHT!@ViviAraujoMMA wins her Octagon debut - at bantamweight - by KO! Wow! #UFC237 pic.twitter.com/j5phUibTXB

— UFC (@ufc) May 11, 2019

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Viviane Araujo has been forced to pull out of a proposed flyweight bout against Jennifer Maia at UFC Fight Night 173 after testing positive for COVID-19.

MMAFighting.com first brought word of Araujo’s withdrawal from the card. According to Combate, Joanne Calderwood has been targeted as a replacement opponent for Maia, but that bout has not been finalized. Calderwood had been scheduled to challenge reigning champion Valentina Shevchenko prior to the pandemic at UFC 251 in Australia on June 6, but Shevchenko had to withdrew from the event due to injury. At the time, the bout was expected to be rebooked at a later date.

UFC Fight Night 173 t…

As Raufeon Stots continued to rack up the victories in reputable regional promotions like Legacy Fighting Alliance and Victory Fighting Championship, he still found himself overlooked when it came to making it to the next level.

That was in large part, Stots admits, because he had a singular focus on reaching the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As a wrestling coach at Roufusport in Milwaukee, Stots crossed paths with the Las Vegas-based promotion’s matchmakers on numerous occasions at events, yet he never seemed to receive a satisfying response during their interactions.

“I went up to matchmakers to their face and was like, ‘Hey bro, what’s going on? Because I’m being told that I’m next. What’s the deal?’ I kept getting runaround answers,” Stots told Sherdog.com. “I’m not in this thing forever. I can’t just sit and wait on somebody to feel like I’m worthy. You’re gonna hop on or you’re gonna miss out. That’s where I was at.

“I was getting the runaround. [They’d …

Enrico "The Killing Machine" Cortese just tapped his opponent due to some VICIOUS elbows. DAMN! #BRAVECF35 pic.twitter.com/gX4wHYDtg5

— Al Zullino (@phre) July 20, 2020

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The first of the many shows Brave Combat Federation is scheduled to hold in Europe this summer went down at the Beraria H in Bucharest, Romania, on Monday. 

In the main event of Brave CF 35, Enrico Cortese (7-2) forced Claudiu Axinte (0-1) to tap in the latter's MMA pro debut. Cortese should have initially faced Mohammad Fakhreddine, but "The Latest" was unable to travel to Romania due to Covid-19 flight restrictions. The Italian fighter adjusted his game plan and shot for a takedown early in the opening round, exploiting the fact that Axinte is a kickboxing veteran. On the canvas, "The Killing Machine" …

Just getting started

@KChimaev gave us a debut to remember!

Watch the main card on @ESPN / E+. #UFCFightIsland1 pic.twitter.com/AUZvVbHZPn — UFC (@ufc) July 16, 2020

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After an impressive Octagon debut last Wednesday, Khamzat Chimaev will compete for the second time in 10 days when he faces Rhys McKee at UFC on ESPN 14.

The welterweight pairing was announced by the promotion on Saturday. UFC on ESPN 14 takes place at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi and is headlined by a middleweight tilt pitting Robert Whittaker against Darren Till. The card airs on ESPN and ESPN+ beginning at 5 p.m. ET/ 2 p.m. PT.

Chimaev will return to his natural weight class after submitting John Phillips with a brabo choke in the second round of their matchup at UFC on ESPN 13 on July 15. The Brave CF veteran…

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With a surprising heel-hook submission of Kelvin Gastelum on Saturday night, Jack Hermansson re-established himself as a person of interest in the UFC’s middleweight division.

“People don’t know, the heel hook has been part of my game for a long time,” Hermansson said at the UFC Fight Night 172 post-fight press conference. “But you don’t see me on bottom too much. That’s why you haven’t seen the heel hook so much before. Should I end up there again, you’re going to see another heel hook.”

Hermansson has won five of his last six Octagon appearances, with his lone setback coming at the hands of Jared Cannonier this past September. In the aftermath of his most recent triumph, “The Joker” targeted the winner of this weekend’s middleweight headliner between Robert Whittaker and Darren Till.

“The winner between Robert …

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Joseph Duffy is calling it a career after 21 professional MMA bouts.

The 32-year-old Irishman took to Instagram to announce his decision following a first-round submission loss to Joel Alvarez at UFC Fight Night 172 in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. It was Duffy’s third consecutive defeat within the Las Vegas-based promotion.

“Thank you all so much for all your messages of support all week. I have been blessed on this journey in MMA and am truly grateful for every experience,” Duffy wrote. “I felt great all through camp and even warming up. I believed I was back to my former self then when I went in there it just falls to pieces.

“I think it’s time to realize that I haven’t got what it takes any more. Congrats to Joel Alvarez and thank you to the UFC for all the opportunities. I’m sorry I didn’t achieve what I set out to…

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Not only did Deiveson Figueiredo claim the vacant flyweight belt on Saturday night, but he’s also $50,000 richer for his work.

Figueiredo received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his first-round submission of Joseph Benavidez in the UFC Fight Night 172 main event at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi. The Brazilian floored Benavidez on multiple occasions before choking him unconscious at the 4:48 mark of Round 1.

Elsewhere, Rafael Fiziev and Marc Diakiese earned “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their featured lightweight scrap. In a bout that featured a number of entertaining standup exchanges, it was the brutal body work and aggression of Fiziev that earned the nod from the cageside judges.

Finally, former KSW champion Ariane Lipski lived up to her “Queen of Violence” moniker, as she …

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 Fight Night 172 coverage will begin Saturday at 5 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:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Crit…

RUN IT BACK! @Daico_Deiveson vs @JoeJitsu

Prelims on ESPN / E+ | Main Card on E+ #InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/ELl8gRfyrv

— UFC (@ufc) July 17, 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. There were no complications this time as Deiveson Figueiredo and Joseph Benavidez will once again face off for the vacant Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight championship at UFC Fight Night 172.

Figueiredo (18-1) would be the current champion had he not missed weight for his previous bout against Benavidez (28-6). After an unintentional clash of heads, the Brazilian knocked out the Xtreme Couture ace in Round 2 of their February 2020 encounter. “Daico” will look to do it again on Saturday night, only this time he made weight by coming in at 125 pounds.

Benavidez has been one of the most accomplished mixed martial artist…

Vanessa Demopoulos! #LFA85 pic.twitter.com/rpF6jPD90m

— ShayMyName (@ImShannonTho) July 18, 2020

Crystal Vanessa Demopoulos exploited the narrowest opening.

The Black House rep laid claim to the inaugural Legacy Fighting Alliance women’s strawweight championship and did so in spectacular fashion, as she choked Sam Hughes unconscious with an inverted triangle in the fourth round of their LFA 85 headliner on Friday at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Demopoulos (5-1, 4-1 LFA) cut off blood flow to the brain 2:21 into Round 4.

Hughes (4-1, 1-1 LFA) built a commanding lead across three-plus rounds with volume punching, leg kicks and merciless pressure. She also benefitted from a foul at the end of Round 2, where Demopoulos connected with an upkick that resulted in her being deducted a point. It mattered not. Bleeding from her nose and mouth, Demopoulos remained true to her submission grappling roots in the fourth round, a…

Per sources, UFC adding Macy Chiasson (@macy_chiasson) vs. Sijara Eubanks (@SarJnCharge) to a UFC Fight Night on Sept. 5.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) July 17, 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. A women’s bantamweight matchup between two women eyeing the top 10 has been added to the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s upcoming show in September. On Friday, ESPN announced that the promotion has added a bantamweight battle between Macy Chiasson (6-1) and Sijara Eubanks (5-4) to its Sept. 5 event. The UFC Fight Night card on this date is scheduled for the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

“The Ultimate Fighter: Heavy Hitters” featherweight winner Chiasson bounced back from her first career defeat with a one-sided drubbing of late replacement Shanna Young in February. For that bout, Chiasson was originally set to square off against former flyw…

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Calvin Kattar experienced Dan Ige’s trademark durability firsthand in the UFC on ESPN 13 main event on Wednesday night.

Coming off a devastating KO victory over Jeremy Stephens, “The Boston Finisher” gradually pulled away from Ige for a unanimous decision triumph at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi. Though Kattar connected with numerous combinations and landed a career-best 105 significant strikes, he couldn’t put his tenacious Hawaiian foe away.

Regardless, Kattar was pleased to go five rounds for the first time in his career. It’s the type of preparation he will need as he nears the top of the UFC’s featherweight division.

“I feel great, my lungs were great, my cardio felt good,” he said. “It was good to go and get five rounds because we’re eyeing that belt and we’re ready for five round fights. We had to do that w…

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2020 hasn’t been the best year for anyone, but it’s been especially rough for Jimmie Rivera.

Things took a turn for the positive on Wednesday, as he earned a three-round verdict over Cody Stamman in a featured featherweight contest at UFC on ESPN 13 at the Flash Forum on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. Both Rivera and Stamann were fighting up a division after accepting the fight on extremely short notice.

While Rivera wasn’t overly pleased with his performance, he nonetheless delivered a workmanlike effort to capture his first victory since September 2018.

“I’m a perfectionist, I’m very hard on myself when it comes to things,” Rivera said. “Even the wins I’ve had in the past, always in my head, there’s more I can do, there’s better than I can do. It was tough, taking the fight on three days’ notice and not being where I…

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Mounir Lazzez, Khamzat Chimaev, Lerone Murphy and Modestas Bukauskas walked away with $50,000 bonus checks for their work at UFC on ESPN 13 on Wednesday night.

Lazzez’s welterweight duel with Abdul Razak Alhassan received “Fight of the Night” honors, but only Lazzez, who won via unanimous decision in a featured contest, was eligible for a bonus on account of Alhassan missing weight on Tuesday. As a result, the promotion handed out three other “Performance of the Night” awards.

Murphy took home a “Performance of the Night” bonus by making short work of Ricardo Ramos in a preliminary featherweight scrap. The Englishman took his foe down and ultimately vanquished the Brazilian with heavy ground-and-pound at the 4:18 mark of Round 1.

Chimaev impressed in his Octagon debut, earning a performance bonus for a second-rou…

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. Calvin Kattar navigated a minefield for five rounds to at least maintain his position in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s featherweight pecking order. The New England Cartel rep utilized a robust jab, clean punching combinations and airtight takedown defense, as he laid claim to a unanimous decision over Dan Ige in the UFC on ESPN 13 headliner on Wednesday at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. All three judges struck scorecards in Kattar’s favor: 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47. He has posted 14 wins across his past 16 outings.

Ige (14-3, 6-2 UFC) acquitted himself well in his first main event assignment. He appeared to break Kattar’s nose with a left hook in the second round and countered effectively in spurts. However, fatigue became an issue in the second half of the fight. Kattar (22-4, 6-2 UFC) stalked the Hawaii…

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 13 coverage will begin Wednesday at 7 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:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:The Official Re…

VICIOUS! @BulldozerBoser with a BRUTAL combo to end the night!

Action continues on @ESPN. #UFCVegas4 pic.twitter.com/Y6uCSOhCMN

— UFC (@ufc) June 27, 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.

Tanner Boser will setp in for the injured Justin Tafa and face Raphael Pessoa at UFC on ESPN 14.

MMAjunkie.com first reported the change to the heavyweight bout. UFC on ESPN 14 takes place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi on July 25 and is headlined by a middleweight clash between Robert Whittaker and Darren Till.

Boser will make a quick turnaround after scoring a first-round knockout of Philipe Lins at UFC on ESPN 12 on June 27. The 28-year-old Canadian has won three of his last four professional outings and is 18-6 over the course of a career that began in 2012.

Pessoa bounced back from a submission loss to Ciryl Gane in his Oc…

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

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Former Bellator MMA talent Jahreau Shepherd was stabbed to death at his 30th birthday party in London, according to the Evening Standard.

Shepherd was found with stab wounds on the Black Prince Estate in Kennington a little after 10 p.m. local time on Saturday. After efforts from paramedics to stop the bleeding, Shepherd was pronounced dead at the scene.

The fighter was reportedly celebrating with family and friends at a barbecue on the lawn of the estate. Scotland Yard is treating the death as a murder and has launched an investigation, but no arrests have been made. Shortly after Shepherd’s death, a 26-year-old man arrived at a local hospital with stab wounds believed to have been suffered at the same party.

“Jay was a great friend, fighter, trai…