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@ThugnastyMMA records the second twister EVER in the Octagon!

Action continues on @ESPN pic.twitter.com/vN85j7AAxC— UFC (@ufc) December 8, 2019

These days one can learn pretty much anything by watching YouTube, including rarely-seen mixed martial arts submissions.

Bryce Mitchell pulled off only the second twister in Ultimate Fighting Championship history on Saturday, as he tapped Matt Sayles with the maneuver 4:20 into the opening stanza at UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington, D.C. “Thug Nasty” says he initially picked up the move through observation.

“I’m a huge (10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu founder) Eddie Bravo fan and I got that from YouTube,” Mitchell said after the fight. “I worked so hard for this fight, I almost knew for sure that I was going to get him out of there.

“When I got a hold of Matt, I knew he was working every time he moved. I just had to be patient, you can’t go too early before they’re ready.…

The lineups are set for Thursday’s Quintet Ultra team grappling event.

Each team in the 5-on-5 event represents an influential mixed martial arts promotion: the UFC, Pride, Strikeforce and the WEC. The card takes place at Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas and streams on UFC Fight Pass at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

The rosters are as follows:

Team UFC: Anthony Smith, Anthony Johnson, Sean O'Malley, Clay Guida and Gilbert Burns

Team Pride: Kazushi Sakuraba, Takanori Gomi, Gregor Gracie, Hector Lombard and Yves Edwards

Team Strikeforce: Gilbert Melendez, Jake Shields, Muhammed Lawal, Gesias Cavalcante and Renato Sobral

Team WEC: Chad Mendes, Glover Teixeira, Mark Munoz, Cub Swanson and James Krause

Quintet Ultra utilizes a single-elimination format, where competitors are eliminated by a loss or draw, with the winner of each match remaining on the mat. A team loses when all five of its members are eliminated.

The event will also include the follow…

A strawweight clash pitting Karolina Kowalkiewicz against Xiaonan Yan has been added to the UFC Auckland lineup.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the matchup on Sunday. UFC Auckland takes place at Spark Arena on Feb. 22 and is headlined by a lightweight clash between Paul Felder and Dan Hooker. The card will likely air on ESPN+.

A former 115-pound title challenger, Kowalkiewicz enters the bout on a three-bout losing streak. In her last outing, the 34-year-old Pole dropped a unanimous verdict to Alexa Grasso at UFC 238.

Yan, meanwhile, has kicked off her promotional tenure with four consecutive triumphs. The China Top Team representative last appeared at UFC 238, where she outpointed Angela Hill on June 8.

Alistair Overeem was slated to face Walt Harris in the main event of UFC on ESPN 7 Saturday night and right about now, he probably wishes his opponent never changed.

Harris, who has been reeling from the tragic abduction and murder of his stepdaughter Aniah Blanchard, was replaced by unbeaten contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik. One of the sport’s hottest talents in a heavyweight division in desperate need of new blood, Rozenstruik cashed in on being a late addition to the card, which was held at Capital Arena in Washington, D.C.

Overeem (45-18) was doing well throughout most of their five-round heavyweight encounter, but Rozenstruik’s power bailed him out and the Surinamese fighter won via knockout with only four seconds remaining in the fight. Rozenstruik (10-0) was patient inside the Octagon and though he was losing on the cards late in their duel, he remained diligent in his pursuit of victory.

“I never give up,” he said after his triumph. “I work hard. I tried t…

Ben Rothwell earned a much-needed victory at UFC on ESPN 7, as he stopped Stefan Struve via technical knockout 4:57 into Round 2 of their featured heavyweight bout in Washington, D.C.

However, Rothwell’s victory will long be overshadowed by a pair of devastating low blows he landed on Struve over the course of the bout. The first kick found its way to Struve’s groin in the opening stanza, and the towering Dutchman needed all of his allotted recovery time before he could continue. The second occurred with a little more than one minute remaining in the second frame.

Rothwell had a point taken away after the second foul, but Struve faltered badly once the action continued. He initially appeared to hurt his leg after Rothwell checked a low kick, and then the International Fight League veteran unleashed a barrage of uppercuts near the fence that put Struve away at the 4:57 mark of the period.

Afterward, Rothwell addressed the low blows that might have turned the tide …

When you finish a fight with a submission that has previously been used only once in UFC history, it’s more than likely a post-fight bonus will be on the way.

Such was the case for Bryce Mitchell, who received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award for his twister submission of Matt Sayles in a preliminary featherweight scrap. Mitchell secured the maneuver 4:20 into the first frame to join Chan Sung Jung as the only fighters to successfully execute the move in the Octagon.

Elsewhere, Rob Font and Ricky Simon pocketed “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their entertaining bantamweight tilt. While Simon did his best to impose his will through takedowns, Font was able to keep the fight upright long enough to land a variety of jabs, right hands and uppercuts to capture a unanimous decision triumph.

Finally, Makhmud Muradov earned the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for a resounding knockout of Trevor Smith in a middleweight …

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC on ESPN+ live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Jairzinho Rozenstruik has a grand sense of timing. The undefeated Surinamese heavyweight knocked out former Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem with a sweeping right hook in the fifth round of their UFC on ESPN 7 headliner on Saturday at Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C. A late-notice substitution for Will Harris, Rozenstruik (10-0, 4-0 UFC) brought it to a close 4:56 into Round 5.

Overeem (45-18, 10-7 UFC) used a combination of guile and brawn to build a substantial lead, controlling significant portions of the first four-plus rounds with cautious but intelligent standup, a stifling clinch, tactical takedowns and ground-and-pound. Rozenstruik was seemingly headed for his first MMA defeat in the waning seconds, but he followed a shovel uppercut with a searing right hand. The impact split Overeem’s upper lip and sat him down at the…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC on ESPN+ live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Sherdog's live UFC on ESPN 7 coverage begins Saturday at 5:30 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:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Of…

Tim Means “The Dirty Bird” returns after a lengthy layoff and hasn’t missed a beat, finishing Thiago Alves in the first round. #UFCDC

pic.twitter.com/0kftmsHlrm

— WhatsUpMMA (@WhatsUp_MMA) December 8, 2019 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC on ESPN+ live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Tim Means created an opening and exploited it.

The former multi-division King of the Cage titleholder submitted Thiago Alves with a guillotine choke in the first round of their featured UFC on ESPN 7 prelim on Saturday at Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C. Means (29-11-1, 11-8 UFC) sealed the deal 2:38 into Round 1, authoring his first submission victory since April 2015.

Alves (23-15, 15-12 UFC) enjoyed some early success with a right cross-left hook combination and a wicked body kick that left a footprint on the ribcage of his counterpart. Means was undeterred. “The Dirty Bi…

Combate Americas heads down to Hidalgo, Texas, on Saturday for Combate: Tito vs. Alberto.

The main event sees a catchweight bout between former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight king Tito Ortiz (209) and ex-WWE champion "El Patron" Alberto Rodriguez (209).

Combate: Tito vs. Alberto airs live on pay-per-view on Saturday, with the main card kicking off at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The card also features the first-ever Combate women's strawweight title fight, as "Super Mely" Melissa Martinez (114) takes on "Dirty Dez" Desiree Yanez (114). Also, in a 150-pound catchweight affair, "Tonga" Gaston Reyno (149) meets "The Warrior" Rey Trujillo. Former professional wrestler "Sexy" Dulce Garcia (119.5) returns to face the debuting Anali Lopez Hernandez (118) in a 120-pound catchweight contest. In another catchweight battle, this time at 148 pounds, Levy Marroquin (147) goes head-to-head with "Baby Bull" Enrique Gonzalez (148). Rounding out the main card is a flyweight …

Combate Americas heads down to Hidalgo, Texas, on Saturday for Combate: Tito vs. Alberto.

The main event sees a catchweight bout between former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight king Tito Ortiz (209) and ex-WWE champion "El Patron" Alberto Rodriguez (209). Ortiz is coming off a first-round knockout victory over longtime rival Chuck Liddell under the Golden Boy MMA banner in November 2018. Rodriguez hasn't competed in MMA since 2010, and ended a six-fight win streak with a second-round TKO loss to Yamamoto Hanshi in Spain.

Combate: Tito vs. Alberto airs live on pay-per-view on Saturday, with the main card kicking off at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The card also features the first-ever Combate women's strawweight title fight, as "Super Mely" Melissa Martinez (114) takes on "Dirty Dez" Desiree Yanez (114). Also, in a 150-pound catchweight affair, "Tonga" Gaston Reyno (149) meets "The Warrior" Rey Trujillo. Former professional wrestler "Sexy" Dulce Garcia (119.5) ret…

Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki's final event of the year will take place Saturday in Gliwice, Poland, where it will see the return of its most popular champion.

The main event of KSW 52: Race sees former KSW middleweight king Mamed Khalidov (187.2) coming out of a one-year retirement after last fighting at KSW 46. He temporarily left the sport after consecutive losses to current light heavyweight champion Tomasz Narkun, and looking to ruin his comeback attempt is Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Scott Askham (186.51). The English fighter is currently on a four-fight win streak, where he picked up the vacant KSW middleweight strap at KSW 49 with a spectacular flying knee knockout over Michal Materla. However, no belt will be on the line as this will be a 187.4-pound catchweight affair.

Championship gold is on the line further down the card, though. Current KSW interim featherweight champ Salahdine Parnasse (144.62) will look to defend the belt he won back in April as he…

Frankie Edgar is the frontrunner to replace Brian Ortega versus Chan Sung Jung on Dec. 21, sources say. Looking good. Yes, he’s scheduled to fight Cory Sandhagen next month, but UFC is hoping to keep the fight in tact, too. They would have to assess after the South Korea fight.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 5, 2019

Editor's note: The story has been updated at 8 p.m. ET on 12/5/2019 to reflect new information.

Frankie Edgar has saved the Ultimate Fighting Championship's return to South Korea in December.

On Thursday, ESPN reported that Edgar (23-7-1) was being considered to replace Brian Ortega in the headliner of UFC Fight Night 165 on Dec. 21. MMAJunkie later reported that Edgar would indeed be taking the short-notice opportunity. The promotion confirmed this news on Thursday night.

The event was set to be headlined by Ortega against Chan Sung Jung (15-5), but Ortega was forced to withdraw on Wednesday after…

Fight Update! @ImDaOutlaw steps in to take on @MikeChandlerMMA December 28th on @ParamountNet!#BellatorJapan_________________________________

pic.twitter.com/2vI8uw9hCd

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) December 5, 2019 The debut event of Bellator MMA in Japan has just been shaken up.

Late Wednesday, the promotion announced that Benson Henderson has been forced to withdraw from his bout against Michael Chandler (19-5) at Bellator Japan on Dec. 28. Replacing Henderson will be Sidney Outlaw (14-3) on short notice, and they will face one another at a presumed catchweight affair in the co-main event.

Chandler is looking to bounce back from a knockout loss where he surrendered his lightweight throne to Patricio Freire in May. The upset defeat allowed Freire to become a simultaneous two-division champ, while snapping a three-fight win streak that allowed Chandler to get his belt back for the third time. "Iron Mike" is one of a sma…

The Professional Fighters League will have one opening prelim on its New Year's Eve event before the title fights.

On Thursday, the promotion announced via press release that Brendan Loughnane (18-3) will be squaring off with David Alex Duarte (11-4) at featherweight on the lone prelim of the 2019 PFL Championship. The two will square off on ESPN+ that evening, prior to the main card airing on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The event will take place at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York on Dec. 31. All six finals will take place on the card, with six title fights starting at heavyweight and ending with women's lightweight.

Loughnane earned a spot on the PFL roster after a successful outing against Bill Algeo on Dana White's Contender Series. His performance was lauded but derided by Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White, who claimed Loughnane's takedown attempt at the end of the fight cost him another chance to fight with the Las Vegas-ba…

Brian Ortega won’t be competing at all in 2019, as the former featherweight title challenger has withdrawn from a proposed clash against Chan Sung Jung at UFC Fight Night 165.

ESPN was first to report the news on Wednesday evening. The nature of Ortega’s injury was not disclosed, but the ailment is expected to sideline him for two to three months. According to the report, the promotion is working to find a replacement opponent for “The Korean Zombie.”

UFC Fight Night 165 takes place at Sajik Arena in Busan, South Korea and also features a pivotal light heavyweight clash pitting Volkan Oezdemir against Aleksandar Rakic.

Ortega last appeared at UFC 231 in December 2018, when he suffered a fourth-round TKO loss to Max Holloway in a featherweight championship bout. “T-City” began his pro career with a 14 victories and one no contest, a stretch that includes notable wins over the likes of Frankie Edgar, Cub Swanson, Renato Carneiro and Clay Guida.

Diego Sanchez will get to compete in his home state when he faces Michel Pereira at UFC Fight Night in Rio Rancho, N.M., on Feb. 15.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the welterweight bout on Wednesday. UFC Rio Rancho takes place at the Santa Ana Star Center and is headlined by a light heavyweight rematch between Jan Blachowicz and Corey Anderson.

Sanchez re-signed with the organization after concluding his previous contract with a decision loss to Michael Chiesa at UFC 239 in July. That snapped a two-fight winning streak for “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 1 winner, who was coming off back-to-back triumphs over Mickey Gall and Craig White.

One of the most flamboyant strikers to enter the promotion in recent memory, Pereira debuted in the Octagon with a memorable first-round KO of Danny Roberts at UFC Fight Night 152 in May. However, he struggled mightily in his next outing, losing a lackluster decision to Tristan Connelly at UFC Fight Night 158 on Sept. 14. …

Jiri Prochazka will defend his light heavyweight title against UFC veteran C.B. Dollaway at Rizin 20 on New Year’s Eve.

The Japanese promotion recently announced the booking. Rizin 20 takes place on Dec. 31 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama Japan and will also see Kai Asakura square off against Manel Kape for the vacant bantamweight crown. Asakura was initially supposed to face reigning champion Kyoji Horiguchi, but the American Top Team representative suffered a serious knee injury and vacated his belt.

Prochazka is currently on a nine-bout winning streak. During that time, the 27-year-old Czech Republic native has earned victories against the likes of Fabio Maldonado, Muhammed Lawal, Brandon Halsey, Jake Heun and Karl Albrektsson, among others. He owns a 25-3-1 professional mark overall.

Dollaway, meanwhile, parts ways with the UFC after a 20-bout stint with the promotion dating back to 2008. Dollaway is still serving a two-year USADA suspension after testing p…

Rena Kubota will attempt to avenge a previous defeat against Lindsey VanZant when the two fighters rematch at Rizin 20.

The Japanese promotion announced the matchup on Tuesday. Rizin 20 takes place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on New Year’s Eve and will see Kai Asakura square off against an undetermined opponent for the vacant bantamweight crown. Additionally, Ayaka Hamasaki will face Seo Hee Ham for the super atomweight crown.

Kubota and VanZandt initially squared off in a 112-pound contest at Bellator 222 on June 14, with VanZandt winning via technical submission in the opening stanza.

Kubota, a Shoot Boxing champion, returned to the win column at Rizin 19, where she stopped Alexandra Alvare Carlos in just 20 seconds on Oct. 12. VanZandt, meanwhile, dropped a split verdict against Jessica Correa Delboni in her next outing at Invicta FC 36 before stopping Shino VanHoose with a leg kick in just 39 seconds at Invicta FC 37.

A bantamweight clash pitting Macy Chiasson against Nicco Montano has been added to the UFC Rio Rancho lineup.

Promotion officials announced the pairing on Tuesday. Additionally, a light heavyweight bout between Devin Clark and Gadzhimurad Antigulov and a flyweight clash between Montana De La Rosa and Mara Romero Borella were also confirmed for the Feb. 15 event.

UFC Rio Rancho takes place at the Santa Ana Star Center in New Mexico and is headlined by a light heavyweight tilt between Jan Blachowicz and Corey Anderson. The card will likely air on ESPN+.

Chiasson, who won Season 28 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” suffered her first defeat in six career outings at UFC Fight Night 160, where she fell to Lina Lansberg via unanimous decision on Sept. 28. The Fortis MMA member began her promotional tenure with triumphs over Pannie Kianzad, Gina Mazany and Sarah Moras.

Montano was the UFC’s inaugural female flyweight queen but was stripped of the title before getting a c…

The featherweight grand prix quarterfinal matchup between Darrion Caldwell and Adam Borics has a date and venue.

Borics revealed via Instagram that he will face Caldwell in the co-headliner of Bellator 238 at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on Jan. 25. Sherdog.com subsequently confirmed the booking with a promotion official. Bellator 238 will feature a women’s featherweight title tilt pitting reigning champion Julia Budd against Cristiane Justino.

Caldwell advanced in the opening round of the 145-pound bracket with a unanimous decision triumph against Henry Corrales at Bellator 228. “The Wolf” moved up to featherweight after coming up short in back-to-back bantamweight title bouts against Kyoji Horiguchi under the Bellator and Rizin banners.

Borics, meanwhile, improved to 14-0 as a professional with a second-round TKO of ex-champ Pat Curran in the Round of 16 at Bellator 226 on Sept. 7. Borics has finished all five of his Bellator victories by knockout, technical…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ5m_EYk5hM&w=560&h=315]

Prosecutors in Alabama are seeking the death penalty for the lead suspect in the murder of Aniah Blanchard.

According to a report from the Montgomery Advertiser, an autopsy determined that Blanchard, the stepdaughter of UFC heavyweight Walt Harris, was killed by homicide and died due to a gunshot wound. Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes announced that he will seek the death penalty against Ibraheem Yazeed as a result.

“The process of seeing justice done for Aniah and her family will not be swift, but I can promise it will be thorough,” Hughes said.

Last week, human remains found in Macon County, Ala., were identified as belonging to Blanchard. Blanchard, 19, had been missing since Oct. 24, and her vehicle was later recovered about an hour away from her home in Auburn. Three suspects were arrested in connection with Blanchard’s disappearance, including Yazeed, who was arrested on charges of…

A pivotal light heavyweight bout between Corey Anderson and Jan Blachowicz is slated to headline UFC Fight Night in Rio Rancho, N.M., on Feb. 15.

ESPN was first to report the booking. Contracts have not yet been signed, but the contest has been verbally agreed to by both parties. UFC Fight Night takes place at the Santa Ana Star Center and will also include a flyweight clash pitting Ray Borg against Rogerio Bonotorin. The card is expected to air on ESPN+.

Anderson is currently on a four-bout winning streak in UFC competition. Most recently, “The Ultimate Fighter 19” winner scored a first-round TKO of Brazilian prospect Johnny Walker at UFC 244 on Nov. 2. He also owns victories against Ilir Latifi, Glover Teixeira and Patrick Cummins during his current hot streak.

Blachowicz, meanwhile, has won six of his last seven appearances within the Las Vegas-based promotion. In his last outing, the 36-year-old Poland native took a split verdict over former middleweight cont…

A rematch between Holly Holm and Raquel Pennington has been rescheduled for UFC 246.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the bantamweight booking. UFC 246 takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Jan. 18 and is headlined by a welterweight clash between Conor McGregor and Donald Cerrone. The evening’s main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN+ and ESPN.

Holm and Pennington were initially scheduled for their rematch at UFC 243 in Melbourne this past October, but Holm was forced to withdraw due to a torn hamstring. Holm defeated Pennington via split decision in her Octagon debut at UFC 184 in February 2015.

A former bantamweight champion, Holm has won just twice in her last seven UFC bouts. She last competed at UFC 239, where she suffered a first-round technical knockout loss to Amanda Nunes in a 135-pound championship bout.

Pennington, meanwhile, halted a two-bout skid with a split verdict over Irene Aldana at UFC on ESPN 4 this past July. T…