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Vitor Belfort’s brief retirement from mixed martial arts isn’t going to stick.

The former UFC champion revealed during an interview on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday that he is in talks with various organizations in hopes of a comeback next year.

“I’m going to keep going — not stopping. I am a free agent," Belfort said. "We are in conversation [with promotions]. In 2019 I will come back.”

“The Phenom” stated prior to his UFC 224 meeting with Lyoto Machida in May that it would be his last fight. Belfort lost to Machida via second-round knockout in Rio Janeiro to conclude his tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion. The 41-year-old had won just two of his last seven Octagon appearances.

Belfort didn’t rule out signing a new UFC contract, but the Brazilian also expressed interest in organizations such as One Championship, Bellator and Rizin.

“I could not choose a better time for me to be a free agent and what I can bring to the table,” Belfort said…

Dominick Cruz just can’t seem to stay healthy.

The former UFC bantamweight champion revealed on Monday during Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show that he tore two ligaments in his shoulder while sparring and will require surgery. The overall process — including recovery — will keep him out of action for a year.

Cruz, who called the injury “basically an ACL of the shoulder,” had been booked to face John Lineker at the now-canceled UFC 233 event on Jan. 26. Prior to that, “The Dominator” was scheduled to meet Jimmie Rivera at UFC 219 last December but had to withdraw due to a broken arm.

He also endured an extended absence from 2011 to 2014 due to multiple ACL surgeries. Cruz regained the bantamweight crown with a split decision win over T.J. Dillashaw in January 2016 and defended the belt against Urijah Faber at UFC 199. He relinquished the strap to Cody Garbrandt in a decision defeat at UFC 207, his third fight of 2016.

“It’s part of my journey, and it’s going to be a…

Lyoto Machida made his much-anticipated Bellator MMA debut on Saturday at Bellator 213, earning a close split-decision win over former middleweight champion Rafael Carvalho.

The 40-year old former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion parted ways with his former employers earlier this year after 11 years and was excited to be making his debut for Bellator against a tough opponent like Carvalho.

After the fight, “The Dragon” admitted the feeling was different than what he was used to under the UFC and despite some debut jitters, he managed to get the job done against his opponent (via MMAJunkie.com):

“Tough opponent, tough fight,” Machida said. “I believe because it was my first fight in Bellator, in the beginning, I was kind of lost. Even though I have a lot of fights under my belt, many years in the UFC and other events, Bellator is different. Every time you step in a different cage, you can feel the difference, and that’s what I felt at the …

Sean Strickland could be out for a few months after recently being injured in a motorcycle accident.

The UFC welterweight posted a pair of video updates on his Instagram account regarding the incident, in which he said he was hit by a car while leaving Kings MMA in California.

“I was riding back from Kings, and I got in an accident. It wasn’t my fault, but I’ve been blacked out for a good minute. I just came to after surgery,” Strickland said in his first video. “It’s going to be a long road back, but I love fighting, so I’ll get back on the ball and make it happen. Thanks for the support.”

After that initial prognosis, Strickland revealed that he underwent knee surgery following the accident and that he expects to be back within a “few months.”

“I was going straight and a car turned into me, and I got into an accident going 45 miles per hour. I was unconscious for about three hours. I got knee surgery last night,” he said. “The doctor said it’s not that bad. I sh…

Kevin Lee entered UFC on Fox 31 as a sizable favorite to avenge a previous loss to Al Iaquinta. He left Saturday’s headliner at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee a little bit confused regarding the judges’ verdict and contemplating his future at 155 pounds.

Lee dropped a close five-round verdict to Iaquinta in their lightweight battle, as he was consistently outstruck on the feet and was unable to capitalize on taking his opponent’s back in both the second and third frames. Still, “The Motown Phenom” believes he won three rounds, even with strong finish from Iaquinta down the stretch.

“I thought for sure [I won] the first three rounds,” Lee said in a post-fight media scrum (video via MMAjunkie.com). “I don’t know what the judges were seeing the first round. I don’t know if they were giving him points for attempted takedowns that weren’t even….I honestly don’t know. I have to rewatch the fight in order to see, but he didn’t hit me with anything in the first three rounds.

…

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Edson Barboza unleashed a savage beating on Dan Hooker in the UFC on Fox 31 co-main event, but “The Hangman” showed incredible toughness for surviving as long as he did.

While Barboza finished the fight with a left hook to the liver at the 2:19 mark of round three, it was all the damage that Hooker absorbed leading up to that point that was truly concerning. The Brazilian battered his opponent with wicked kicks to the legs and body while attacking at various levels with his punches, as well. The body blows were especially brutal, but somehow Hooker seemed inhuman as he continued coming forward.

“Dan is a really tough guy, he is top 15 in the world for a reason. He’s young and has a great future. I landed good, clean shots, but I fight the best guys in the world, so I just had to keep going,” Barboza said.

After the bout, UFC president Dana White followed Hooker backstage to check on the New Zealand …

McFarland triangle choked, armbarred, elbowed in the face Valerie #AndStill pic.twitter.com/2hNfk5ikoG

— Jolassanda (@Jolassanda) December 16, 2018

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Ilima-Lei Macfarlane was emotional as she walked down to the Bellator MMA cage and after she won, the Hawaiian said it was the best day of her life.

Macfarlane took a little time to get things going against Canada’s Valerie Letourneau in the main event of Bellator 213 at the Neil S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii, but once she did, it was over. “The Ilimanator” used her superb grappling prowess to send the sell-out crowd into a frenzy, becoming the first person to submit Letourneau in a mixed martial arts match.

Macfarlane (9-0) scored a takedown early in the third and quickly moved to her foe’s back. Macfarlane threatened with a rear-naked choke, but “Trouble” was able to fend it off. How…

Al Iaquinta was the better man yet again.

The longtime Serra-Longo Fight Team standout made another significant move in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s lightweight division, as he captured a unanimous decision over Kevin Lee in the UFC on Fox 31 headliner on Saturday at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. All three judges sided with Iaquinta (14-4-1, 9-3 UFC): 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46.

Lee (17-4, 10-4 UFC) had “The Ultimate Fighter 15” finalist right where he wanted him on more than one occasion: He advanced to Iaquinta’s back, secured his position with a body triangle and fished for the rear-naked choke in the second and third rounds. However, “The Motown Phenom” could not close the deal. Iaquinta weathered his efforts and put his foot on the gas in the fourth and fifth rounds, where he blasted the Xtreme Couture export with a variety of strikes and set him on unsteady legs.

Iaquinta has won six of his past seven bouts, a decision loss to current champion Khabib Nurmagom…

Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 142 coverage 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.

Damir Ismagulov vs. Alex Gorgees Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Result

Mizuto Hirota vs. Christos Giagos Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Result

Elias Garcia vs. Kai Kara-France Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Result

Keita Nakamura vs. Salim Touahri Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Result

Wilson Reis vs. Ben Nguyen Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Result

Alexey Kunchenko vs. Yushin Okami Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Result

Jim Crute vs. Paul Craig Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round…

Off to Las Vegas!@TeciaTorres meets the rising Weili Zhang at #UFC235! pic.twitter.com/UNYlbWHIxk

— UFC (@ufc) November 30, 2018

Coming off her huge win less than a week ago over Jessica Aguilar, Weili Zhang has been given a big step up in competition when she faces off against top ranked Tecia Torres.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship posted on social media Thursday night that at strawweight, Torres (10-3) will face off against the surging Zhang (18-1) at UFC 235 in Las Vegas in March.

Torres is looking to bounce back from a two-fight losing streak with decision losses to Jessica Andrade and former champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk. She started off her career with wins over Paige VanZant, Felice Herrig and current strawweight champion Rose Namajunas before signing with the UFC, where she then defeated the likes of Juliana Lima and Michelle Waterson. Torres has gone to the scorecards in 12 of her 13 career bouts, and she has never been finished. Read more about Weili Zhang To Meet Tecia Torres At UFC 235 In March

Breaking: Per multiple sources, UFC close to finalizing a rematch between Raphael Assuncao and Marlon Moraes to headline UFC Fight Night on Feb. 2 in Fortaleza, Brazil. Full story coming to @ESPN shortly. pic.twitter.com/IfeOyAJiJC

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) November 29, 2018

It appears Raphael Assuncao and Marlon Moraes are going to run it back in a five-rounder to headline an Ultimate Fighting Championship event in Brazil this coming February.

According to Brett Okamoto of ESPN, Raphael Assuncao (27-5) will be facing Marlon Moraes (21-5-1) in the main event at UFC Fight Night 144 in Fortaleza, Brazil, on Feb. 2.

Assuncao currently rides a four-fight win streak with wins over Moraes, Aljamain Sterling and Rob Font along the way. Despite a record of 11-2 with the promotion, Assuncao has never received that elusive title shot, with his lone loss across his last 12 fights coming against current champion T.J. Dillashaw. Once fighting as …

Cro Cop se neće boriti na staru godinu, otkrivamo zbog čega! https://t.co/XLrGtCjgo4

— Večernji list (@vecernji_list) November 29, 2018

In an interview with Croatian newspaper Vecernji List on Thursday, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic stated that he would not be appearing on Rizin FF 14’s New Year’s Eve card in Japan due to budgetary reasons. Among the topics discussed in his interview was that the cost of bringing Floyd Mayweather to compete at Rizin Fighting Federation was so high, they were reportedly unable to bring in many other high-salaried fighters, including himself.

A translated excerpt of the interview reads: “Yes, this year I will not fight at Rizin’s New Year's Eve [event]. Rizin decided to bring the famous boxer Floyd Mayweather to perform an exhibition match with Tenshin Nasukawa, and considering that Floyd was the most expensive athlete of the day, he himself exhausted Rizin's budget by not calling any of the foreign fighters, but…

Anderson Silva recognizes Georges St. Pierre as a fellow all-time great, but he does not hesitate to point out what he feels is the major difference between them.

Silva returns to the Octagon next February at UFC 234 against the surging Israel Adesanya in what could determine the No. 1 contender to fight the winner of Robert Whittaker’s title defense against Kelvin Gastelum, which takes place on the same card.

Silva was interviewed on Wednesday by ESPN.com and said that during negotiations for his return to the Octagon, two former champions entered the discussion in Conor McGregor and Georges St. Pierre. According to Silva, a McGregor a bout may materialize in the future despite the size disparity between them.

“At first, I talked to Dana about a fight with McGregor, because McGregor challenged me,” Silva said. “Maybe that will be my second fight after this layoff. We’ll see.

While a McGregor versus Silva fight seems like a good chance of happening, the sam…

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UFC President Dana White didn't hold back when criticizing Oscar De La Hoya for his first venture as a mixed martial arts promoter. On Wednesday, the former boxing champion had some strong words for White in response.

In an interview on the “UFC Unfiltered” podcast, White called the Golden Boy MMA head a “f—-ing cokehead” and ripped him for allowing 48-year-old Chuck Liddell to fight following an eight-year hiatus. White led the effort to convince “The Iceman” to retire from the UFC in 2010 following three consecutive knockout losses in the Octagon. Liddell met a similar result in his return, as he suffered a first-round knockout loss to Tito Ortiz at Golden Boy MMA’s debut event at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., this past Saturday night.

“I love Chuck Liddell and I don’t ever want to bad mouth Chuck Liddell,” White said. “People even think I’m remotely bad mouthing Chuck Liddell, but the reality is — fi…

Cynthia Calvillo will make a quick turnaround from her last Octagon appearance when she meet Cortney Casey at UFC 233.

The promotion confirmed the pairing to the Orange County Register on Wednesday. UFC 233 takes place at the Honda Center in Anaheim and features a flyweight championship clash between Henry Cejudo and T.J. Dillashaw.

Calvillo is coming off a first-round submission of Poliana Botelho at UFC Fight Night 140 on Nov. 17. Calvillo has been victorious in four of her five promotional appearances, with her lone defeat coming to Carla Esparza at UFC 219. The Team Alpha Male owns a 7-1 career record overall.

Casey halted a two-fight skid at UFC Fight Night 135, where she took a split verdict over Angela Hill on Aug. 25. The 33-year-old Phoenix native is 4-5 in the Octagon and 8-6 as a professional overall.

Renato Carneiro won’t be competing at UFC 231 after originally scheduled foe Mirsad Bektic was forced to withdraw due to injury. But “Moicano” will be in Toronto for the event in order to provide the promotion with a backup plan.

The Las Vegas-based organization announced on Wednesday that Carneiro vs. Bektic has officially been scrapped from UFC 231, and the Brazilian will not remain on the card against a replacement opponent. Instead, Carneiro will serve as an alternate for the featherweight championship headliner between Max Holloway and Brian Ortega.

“Moicano” will be in Canada during fight week and will go through the process of making weight to be ready in case either Holloway or Ortega is forced to withdraw from the bout. Holloway was supposed to defend his belt against Ortega at UFC 226 but was pulled from the card just days before the event due to concussion-like symptoms.

Carneiro is 13-1 as a professional and 5-1 in the UFC, with his only setback comin…

Four fighters from UFC Fight Night 141 could be looking at lengthy medical suspensions.

UFC Fight Night 141 took place at Cadillac Arena in Beijing, China on Nov. 24. The UFC, which regulated the event, released medical suspensions to mixedmartialarts.com.

Alex Morono (needs ophthalmologist clearance), Pingyuan Liu (needs orthopedist clearance), Martin Day (right hand) and John Phillips (left hand) were all suspended for 180 days pending medical clearance.

UFC Fight Night 141 saw Francis Ngannou defeat Curtis Blaydes via technical knockout 45 seconds into their headlining bout. Blaydes was suspended for 30 days due to the TKO defeat as well as a laceration to his left eyelid. Ngannou was given a mandatory seven-day sit for rest.

UFC Fight Night 141 Medical Suspensions: Francis Ngannou: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest.

Curtis Blaydes: Suspended 30 days for TKO and left eyelid laceration with 21 days no contact.

Alistair Overeem: Suspended…

As someone who urged Chuck Liddell to retire from the UFC, Dana White was never a fan of seeing “The Iceman” make a comeback.

The UFC president feels even more strongly after watching Liddell lose to Tito Ortiz via first-round knockout in the Golden Boy MMA headliner this past Saturday at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif. And he had plenty of choice words for lead promoter Oscar De La Hoya, who recently claimed White had no place telling fighters when to retire.

“I love Chuck Liddell and I don’t ever want to bad mouth Chuck Liddell,” White said on the "UFC Unfiltered” podcast. “People even think I’m remotely bad mouthing Chuck Liddell, but the reality is — first of all, I heard last week the cokehead ‘Oscar De La Weirdo’ is talking shit that I don’t have any place to tell guys when to retire. First of all, it’s called ‘friendship’ you f—-ing cokehead. I’ve been friends with Chuck Liddell for 20 years and the reality is that Chuck Liddell retired when he should have retired…

The trilogy bout between Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell drew plenty of criticism throughout the MMA community, particularly because Liddell was eight years removed from his last professional appearance.

“The Iceman” looked like a fighter nearing 50 years old this past Saturday, as he suffered a knockout loss to Ortiz 4:24 into the opening stanza of the Golden Boy MMA headliner at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif. Ortiz, while nowhere near his prime, still had 10 bouts to his credit since Liddell’s first retirement.

Ortiz recently attempted to justify the booking against Liddell in a lengthy Instagram post.

“I’ve had some time to think about this fight [vs. Chuck Liddell],” Ortiz wrote. “How [did] it come to be? This is something that Chuck wanted, I was OK doing my businesses. He called me out. Yes, I [agreed] and helped make it happen with [Golden Boy Boxing].”

After losing to Liddell in two previous Octagon bouts more than a decade earlier, Ortiz said he…

Anthony Getschel, the man accused in the hit-and-run death of former UFC fighter Ryan Jimmo, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in an Edmonton court on Monday, according to a report from CBC.

Jimmo was killed in a truck driven by Getschel following an argument in the parking lot of a bar in Edmonton on June 26, 2016. Jimmo was transported to a local hospital and died of his injuries at age 34.

According to a statement of facts read in court, Getschel was drinking at a bar with his friend and girlfriend but left after fighting with other patrons. Getschel encountered Jimmo’s jeep on the way to a different bar and followed him into the parking lot. That led to a confrontation between the two parties before Getschel struck Jimmo with his vehicle and drove away. Getschel and Jimmo reportedly did not know each other prior to the incident.

After fleeing the scene, Getschel hid his truck and returned for it a day later. He then removed the license plate and ordered a …

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As Jon Jones’ Octagon return against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232 draws near, the former light heavyweight champion will make more and more appearances on national media shows to address his history with USADA and two failed drug tests within the Las Vegas-based promotion.

During an appearance on ESPN’s “First Take” Monday, Jones responded to skeptics who don’t believe has been a clean athlete. “Bones” was specifically asked to address comments from rival Daniel Cormier, who has been outspoken in his belief that Jones is not innocent.

“Screw Daniel Cormier,” Jones said. “Screw Daniel Cormier. My last situation was a terrible situation, steroid allegation type of thing. It wasn’t an allegation — I did have a trace amount of steroids in my body. Thank goodness USADA went through their whole process to prove my innocence. Through science, we were able to prove that there was a very trace amount of s…

Credit: Pro Fight League Credit: Pro Fight League Credit: Pro Fight League

Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison will make her third mixed martial arts appearance when she faces Moriel Charneski at Professional Fighters League’s championship event on Dec. 31.

The promotion announced the lightweight matchup on Monday. The card takes place at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden and features world championship bouts in six different weight classes, with the winners receiving $1 million apiece. The headlining contest will see Ray Cooper III face Magomed Magomedkerimov for the welterweight crown. The card will be televised on NBC Sports Network.

Harrison began her MMA tenure with a first-round submission of Brittney Elkin at PFL 2 before earning a third-round technical knockout victory against Jozette Cotton at PFL 6 on Aug. 16. Harrison won gold medals in judo for the United States at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.

Charneski, 29, owns a 3-4 professional mark. She…

It was never a sentiment rooted in reality, but Chuck Liddell’s performance at Golden Boy MMA’s inaugural event clinched it: Jon Jones won’t even humor “The Iceman” the next time the UFC Hall of Famer calls him out.

In recent years, Liddell has made it known that he would like a shot at Jones, and he reiterated that desire after announcing his comeback earlier this year.

However, Liddell looked far removed from his prime in a first-round knockout loss to Tito Ortiz in the Golden Boy MMA headliner at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on Saturday. Considering that Liddell is 48 years old and was eight years removed from his last bout, the result shouldn’t have been all that surprising. Nonetheless, Jones felt the need to close the book on any future speculation.

“Yeah it’s official, I am never replying to Chuck calling me out again,” wrote Jones, who in the past has replied to the former champion via social media.

Yeah it’s official, …

Chuck Liddell’s return to mixed martial arts following an eight-year absence went about as one might expect it would.

The 48-year-old “Iceman” looked slow and vulnerable against longtime rival Tito Ortiz in the Golden Boy MMA headliner at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on Saturday night, ultimately losing via knockout 4:24 into the opening frame of their bout. It was Liddell’s fourth consecutive KO/TKO defeat dating back to a second-round knockout loss against Rashad Evans at UFC 88 on Sept. 6, 2008.

“I showed up, no excuses,” Liddell said at a post-fight press conference on Saturday (video via MMAjunkie.com). “I was in great shape, ready to go, and he was the better man. So, there it is.”

In his prime, Liddell went 2-0 against Ortiz, winning via second-round knockout at UFC 47 and third-round technical knockout at UFC 66. While the two former friends haven’t seen eye to eye for years, Liddell said he respects “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy.”

“I don’t…