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Russia, get ready!

The Octagon makes its debut at #UFCStPetersburg April 20!

pic.twitter.com/cvwQOEV7G9— UFC (@ufc) February 22, 2019

You can sign up for a free seven-day trial of ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC on ESPN+ live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is heading back to Russia in 2019, taking a trip to St. Petersburg, Russia, with an event headlined by Alexander Volkov and Alistair Overeem.

In their official press release, the organization confirmed that they would be heading to St. Petersburg, Russia, on April 20 at the Yubileyny Sports Complex. The event, UFC Fight Night 149, or UFC on ESPN+ 7, will broadcast in its entirety on ESPN+, and tickets are set to go on sale on March 1. Headlining the card will be a heavyweight slugfest between Russian Alexander Volkov (30-7) and former title challenger Alistair Overeem (44-17, 1 NC).

…

Anderson Silva will get his wish to compete in front of home country fans once again, as he is slated to meet Jared Cannonier at UFC 237 this May.

According to ESPN via Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White late on Wednesday, former middleweight king Silva (34-8, 1 NC) will compete in his native country of Brazil against former heavyweight-turned-middleweight Jared Cannonier (11-4). They will lock horns at UFC 237 this May at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro.

Silva last competed at UFC 234, where on fight day he was upgraded to headliner status, and dropped a competitive decision to upcoming title challenger Israel Adesanya. Although he once maintained a UFC-high win streak of 16 consecutive victories stretching from 2006 to 2012, since losing his middleweight crown he has only won once in his last seven bouts -- a contentious decision win against Derek Brunson at UFC 208. This appearance in Brazil will be his first since final victory on the aforementio…

I’m announcing my retirement from the UFC and mixed martial arts competition. I intend to keep training and practicing martial arts for as long as I live, but now is the time that I chose to end my career as a professional MMA athlete. Read my official statement in the images. pic.twitter.com/uMP0LE5XeF

— Georges St-Pierre (@GeorgesStPierre) February 21, 2019

The era of Georges St. Pierre has officially come to a close.

At a press conference in Montreal, Quebec on Thursday morning, St. Pierre sat down in front of cameras with two Ultimate Fighting Championship belts flanking him at his table. Without any notes or written statements other than the contents of his cell phone, St. Pierre stated that he did not want to have to keep referring to a piece of paper because it could get “boring.”

Starting the press conference purely in French, St. Pierre (26-2) went on to apologize for having to do this in multiple languages, and then translated hi…

Anthony Smith has was surprised by the amount of hostile feedback he received when his light heavyweight title shot was announced, but he claims much of that negative energy has reversed itself.

Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight contender Smith was a recent guest on MMAFighting.com‘s “The MMA Hour” and said he was he was the target of a large number of toxic messages on social media after the announcement, but more and more of them seem to be hoping he can pull off the huge upset and beat “Bones” when they meet next month:

“When it first happened, it was a little bit shocking when I first started,” Smith said. “But honestly, at this point I’ve kinda gotten used to it, and as the fight gets closer and closer, I do see that it’s changing a little bit. I don’t see as many ‘Jon Jones is going to beat your ass, you p---y’ comments as much anymore. I see a lot of guys hoping. I don’t see a whole lot of believers, but I see a lot of people that really, re…

Patricio and Patricky Freire will continue to showcase their talents in Bellator MMA for the foreseeable future.

Both “Pitbull” brothers have signed multi-fight, multi-year extensions to remain with Bellator, the California-based promotion. Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed.

“When I think about the talent on the Bellator roster, the Pitbull brothers are two of the fighters that immediately come to mind,” said Bellator President Scott Coker in a release. “They started early on in their careers here, have climbed to the top of their respective divisions and have come to represent what this promotion is all about. I’m thrilled that we’ll continue to see them compete inside the Bellator cage for our fans around the world for many years to come.”

Patricio Freire, 31, is scheduled to move up to 155 pounds to face reigning lightweight champion Michael Chandler on May 11 in Chicago. The featherweight king is currently on a three-fight winning streak that in…

The UFC 236 lineup is beginning to take shape, as a pair of contests were added to the lineup for the April 13 card.

Paige VanZant will make a quick turnaround to face Poliana Botelho at flyweight, while Wilson Reis will lock horns with Alexandre Pantoja in a 125-pound clash. Combate was first to report the bookings. UFC 236 doesn’t have a location or venue yet but is also expected to feature an interim middleweight title clash between Kelvin Gastelum and Israel Adesanya.

VanZant halted a two-bout skid at UFC Brooklyn, where she submitted Rachael Ostovich with an armbar in the second round on Jan. 19. Botelho was victorious in her first two promotional appearances before being choked out by Cynthia Calvillo in her last outing at UFC Fight Night 140.

Reis, a former flyweight title challenger, snapped a three-fight losing streak with a three-round verdict against Ben Nguyen at UFC Fight Night 142 on Dec. 1. Pantoja has won four of his five Octagon appearances, incl…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s debut on ESPN Network appears to be a success.

According to ShowBuzz Daily, the UFC on ESPN 1 main averaged 1.463 million viewers on Sunday night, making it the highest rated Fight Night card on cable television since UFC Fight Night 81 averaged 2.288 million viewers for an event headlined by a bantamweight title bout between T.J. Dillashaw and Dominick Cruz in January 2016.

UFC on ESPN 1 took place at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix and was headlined by a heavyweight showdown between Francis Ngannou and former champion Cain Velasquez. Ngannou. Ngannou spoiled Velasquez’s return, winning via technical knockout in just 26 seconds.

The card, which saw Paul Felder defeat James Vick via unanimous decision in the co-main event, drew an 0.86 share in the 18-to-49 demographic and was above average in all demographics.

Meanwhile, the UFC on ESPN 1 prelims averaged 988,000 viewers on ESPN. That portion of the card was headl…

Cat Zingano’s technical knockout loss to Megan Anderson at UFC 232 will stand.

The California State Athletic Commission upheld Anderson’s win in the Dec. 29 featherweight bout by a 6-1 vote on Tuesday. MMAFighting.com was first to report the ruling.

Anderson won the fight in 61 seconds after her toe injured Zingano’s eye during a kick. Zingano’s team contended that a toe to the eye should be viewed as a foul just the same as a finger to the eye. However, a strike to the eyes from a punch or kick is not regarded as a foul according to the unified rules of MMA.

Zingano said after the fight that the kick left her with a “damaged iris, damaged retina, hemorrhage in the back of my eye, increased globe pressure and of course the laceration.” The former bantamweight title challenger revealed more recently that the eye is still giving her issues, including fatigue and a loss of depth perception and dexterity. She is expected to have a follow-up appointment with an eye do…

Japanese veteran Yushin Okami has signed with Singapore-based promotion One Championship.

One CEO Chatri Sityodtong revealed the news via Twitter on Tuesday. A date for Okami’s promotional debut was not announced.

Please join me in welcoming Japanese MMA legend Yushin Okami to ONE Championship!

— Chatri Sityodtong (@yodchatri) February 20, 2019

Okami last appeared at UFC Fight Night 142 on Dec. 1, when he lost a unanimous decision to Alexy Kunchenko in Adelaide, Australia. “Thunder” went 14-7 over two separate UFC stints, coming up short in a middleweight title bid against Anderson Silva in August 2011.

The 37-year-old owns a 35-12 career mark that also includes bouts in World Series of Fighting, Pancrase, Deep and Pride. Okami has earned wins over the likes of Nate Marquardt, Mark Munoz, Evan Tanner, Mike Swick, Hector Lombard and Alan Belcher, among others.

Robert Whittaker is still recovering from the hernia surgery that led to his last-minute withdrawal from UFC 234, so Kelvin Gastelum and Israel Adesanya will vie for the interim middleweight strap at UFC 236.

UFC President Dana White confirmed the booking to ESPN.com on Tuesday. UFC 236 takes place on April 13 and airs on pay-per-view. The location and venue for the event have yet to be announced. It is unclear if Gastelum vs. Adesanya will serve as the card’s headliner.

Gastelum was supposed to face Whittaker in the UFC 234 main event before the champion was forced to withdraw. “The Ultimate Fighter 17” winner began his promotional tenure at welterweight but has found more success at 185 pounds. Gastelum is coming off back-to-back wins over Ronaldo Souza and Michael Bisping.

Adesanya has established himself as one of the sport’s rising stars with victories in his first 16 appearances. That includes a 5-0 mark in the UFC, where “The Last Stylebender” has earned n…

Francis Ngannou believes he’s ready for a title shot following his 26-second finish of Cain Velasquez at UFC on ESPN 1, but Dana White has other ideas.

White appeared on Sunday’s post-fight show on ESPN+, where he acknowledged that Ngannou’s team was already angling for an opportunity to face reigning heavyweight king Daniel Cormier.

“Cormier has a date set right now with somebody else right now,” White said. “He’s injured, so we’re waiting for him to heal up and get him his fight that he’s looking for. We’ll see what’s next for Francis.”

When asked if he could reveal Cormier’s opponent, White declined due to the champion’s uncertain status at the moment.

“Nothing can be released until he’s healthy and we know he’s ready to go,” White said. “Until he gives me the call that he’s ready to fight again…no.”

Cormier recently confirmed that he will fight on past his 40th birthday, which was his original target date for retirement. “DC” is still recovering f…

With its welterweight tournament currently underway and its heavyweight bracket in the books, Bellator MMA is planning an event bigger grand prix — albeit in a smaller weight class — this fall.

During an appearance on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday, Bellator President Scott Coker revealed that the California-based promotion will hold a 16-man featherweight tournament beginning in October. Coker said that he is interested in doing the entire opening round in one night or during back-to-back shows on the same weekend.

Bellator’s reigning featherweight champion, Patricio Freire, will move up to challenge reigning lightweight king Michael Chandler in his next bout in May. The 145-pound division features numerous other interesting names including A.J. McKee, Henry Corrales, Aaron Pico, Darrion Caldwell, Emmanuel Sanchez, Leandro Higo and Sam Sicilia, to name a few.

The heavyweight grand prix recently concluded, with Ryan Bader claiming the vacant strap by virtue o…

The brief glimmer of hope that Nick Diaz would compete in the Octagon in 2019 seems to be growing more faint by the day.

Not long ago, Dana White revealed that the promotion was close to finalizing a fight between Diaz and Jorge Masvidal at UFC 235 before eventually announcing that the bout was off. More recently, training partner Gilbert Melendez had this to say about Diaz’s status: “I would love to see him come back, but last time I checked, he’s retired.”

On Sunday, Diaz himself squashed the notion of a potential comeback at this point in time. Of course, everything would change if the right offer was presented to the Stockton, Calif., native, but at this point it remains a mystery as to what it would take to get the former Strikeforce champion back into the Octagon.

“I’m no role model, I’m 35 years old,” Diaz wrote on Instagram, “but I definitely wouldn’t advise anybody to take a fight for less than their worth or fight for free. Which is practically what I w…

If his fights weren’t proof enough, no there is now even more evidence that Paul Felder is as tough as they come.

According to a statement released by Felder’s management, Sucker Punch Entertainment, “The Irish Dragon” suffered a “small collapse” to his lung during his win over James Vick at UFC on ESPN 1 on Sunday night. According to a report from ESPN, the injury was sustained when Felder took a blow to the ribs late in the third round of the lightweight fight at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix.

The fighter is being held at an area hospital an extra day for observation. As a result of his injury, Felder has been removed from commentary duties at the upcoming UFC Prague event on Saturday. The man himself seems to be taking everything in stride:

I got two lungs... I just want a beer for shitsake

— Paul Felder (@felderpaul) February 18, 2019

The Philadelphia native scored a unanimous verdict over Vick in Sunday’s co-main event for…

There may have been several more bouts remaining when Vicente Luque and Bryan Barberena concluded their wild welterweight duel, but it was clear that one post-fight award was already secured.

Luque and Barberena received “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their featured clash at UFC on ESPN 1 in Glendale, Ariz., on Sunday, and when all is said and done, it may be a contender for “Fight of the Year” as well. The combatants traded punches liberally, combining to land a whopping 332 significant strikes before Luque ended the contest with knees and punches at the 4:54 mark of the third round.

Elsewhere, Kron Gracie garnered a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award for his first-round submission of Alex Caceres in a featured featherweight tilt. Gracie didn’t wait long to get Caceres down, move to his foe’s back and sink in a rear-naked choke, forcing a tapout 2:06 into the period.

Finally, Luke Sanders captured the evening’s other $50,000 “Performanc…

You can sign up for a free seven-day trial of 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 1 kicks off Sunday 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 Adam Martin scores the round:Ant Walker scores the round:Jordan Colbert scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Ant Walker scores the round:Jordan Colbert scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Ant Walker scores the round:Jordan Colbert scores the round:The Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Ant Walker scores the round:Jordan Colbert scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Ant Walker scores the round:Jordan Colbert scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Ant Walker scores the ro…

On the attack!@FunkMaster_UFC is applying the pressure! #UFCPhoenix pic.twitter.com/owzq46ssYd

— UFC (@ufc) February 18, 2019

You can sign up for a free seven-day trial of ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC on ESPN+ live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

Aljamain Sterling could not have fought smarter.

The Serra-Longo Fight Team star on Sunday made his latest move in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s bantamweight division, as he cruised to a unanimous decision over Jimmie Rivera in the featured UFC on ESPN 1 prelim at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix. All three cageside judges struck 30-27 scorecards for Sterling (17-3, 9-3 UFC).

Rivera (22-3, 6-2 UFC) never got in gear. Sterling kept the former King of the Cage champion off-balance with a hyperactive kicking game -- he fired at the legs, body and head -- while luring him in to clinch and takedown range, at which point he pre…

.@Michaelpage247 advances to the next round of the #BellatorWGP to take on @PhenomLima! #Bellator216 pic.twitter.com/XV8mBar9Hu

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) February 17, 2019

DAZN is the exclusive streaming partner of Bellator MMA. You can sign up for a free trial here.

Michael Page and his supporters can breathe a sigh of relief.

The undefeated London Shootfighters export advanced to the semifinals of the Bellator MMA welterweight grand prix with a unanimous decision over Paul Daley in the five-round Bellator 216 headliner on Saturday at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Page (14-0, 10-0 Bellator) carried 48-47 scores on all three cards.

After an uneventful first five minutes, Daley (40-17-2, 6-4 Bellator) turned to takedowns and enjoyed success with the tactic. He grounded Page in the second, third, fourth and fifth rounds but did not do enough with advantageous positions. Daley appeared to hit a wall once it becam…

DAZN is the exclusive streaming partner of Bellator MMA. You can sign up for a free trial here.

Sherdog's live Bellator 216 kicks off Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below.

Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy sco…

Renan Barao comes in heavy at 138 pounds for his bantamweight bout #UFCPhoenix pic.twitter.com/vSLF91VLwc

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 16, 2019

You can sign up for a free seven-day trial of ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC on ESPN+ live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is ready to host its first event on the flagship network of ESPN, bringing an exciting card headlined by a major heavyweight clash between Francis Ngannou and Cain Velasquez.

Ngannou hit the scales at 258 pounds, as he prepares to face former UFC heavyweight champion Velasquez (248) in the UFC on ESPN 1 main event this Sunday at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. Co-headlining the card will be a lightweight bout between Paul Felder (155.5) and James Vick (156), and all four made weight easily at Saturday's weigh-ins.

UFC on ESPN 1 "Ngannou vs. Velasquez," which airs …

Liu Peng Shuai (6-4) ends it in the third, subbing Elipitua Siregar with a clutch kimura! Now 3-1 in his last four, Liu has finished all six of his wins. #ClashOfLegends pic.twitter.com/AO3KHqwvJz

— Kyle Johnson (@VonPreux) February 16, 2019

After a short pause of three weeks in its scheduled events agenda, One Championship came back with “Clash of Legends.” Since the bill went down in the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, all the bouts were fought in a ring and not in the traditional One circular cage.

In the main MMA attraction, Dae Hwan Kim faced Shuya Kamikubo. The script of the bout is quite easy to describe, as the 25-year-old from Japan kept the Korean on the canvas all three rounds. Even when Kim made his opponent bleed thanks to some blows landed while being on his back, the superiority of Kamikubo was evident.

Thanks to the impressive dominance, the judges awarded Kamikubo (10-1-1) an unanimous decision victory, putting an end t…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33Y_BQZRyNk&w=560&h=315]

The Invicta Fighting Championships flyweight title that was left open last July when Jennifer Maia bolted for the Ultimate Fighting Championship is vacant no more.

A former two-time title challenger for the promotion, Vanessa Porto finally cashed in and captured the title in the main event of Invicta 34 at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas, on Friday night. The Brazilian was masterful against Pearl Gonzalez, but her triumph was anticlimactic.

Porto picked “The Chi-Town Princess” apart on the feet with sizzling leg kicks and timely punching upstairs, and whenever she took the Illinois native down, Porto (21-8) dominated her. Gonzalez never folded under the intense pressure from the Brazilian but was a step behind of her from the start both in terms of striking and takedowns. However, an errant eye poke from Gonzalez (9-4) in the fourth ended the fracas when the cageside physician deemed the damage was …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2WOQMfuB3Q&w=560&h=315]

The Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles will serve as the host location for an intriguing world championship bout and since both combatants made weight on Friday, it’s all systems go.

Leo Santa Cruz is set to defend his WBA featherweight title against late-replacement opponent Rafael Rivera in the main event of a Fox-televised card on Saturday. The featherweight division is stacked from top to bottom and Santa Cruz rules the roost and is a massive betting favorite going in.

Rivera (26-2-2, 17 KOs) was the first of the featured fighters to weigh in and he nailed it. The Tijuana fighter stepped to the scale and clocked in at 125.25 pounds, setting the stage for the biggest fight of his career. “Big Bang” recently bounced back from back-to-back losses by knocking out Jose Ramos in October, but he’s never faced anybody even close to the caliber of Santa Cruz. As of this writing, Rivera is a +1600 under…

its played out, Colby. Its not funny anymore. Stop throwing shade at my fight. Also, I heard you have a issue with me getting a title fight... next time I see you, we should talk about that. Or you gonna tuck your tail and hide in the corner of the gym like you did in Chicago?

— Anthony Smith (@lionheartasmith) February 14, 2019

Colby Covington is at it again on Twitter this time taking aim at Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion Jon Jones for his history of failed drug tests.

Jones is set to defend his belt at UFC 235 on March 2 against the surging Anthony Smith at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The co-main event features a welterweight title bout between Tyron Woodley and Kamaru Usman.

Replying to a recent post on Twitter by the UFC to promote UFC 235, Covington took aim at Jones, stating, “Hey @JonnyBones. Nobody’s looking. Go snort a few picograms.”

Jones’ opponent at UFC 235, Smith, wasn’t too impr…