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Yair Rodriguez’s situation in the UFC has taken an unexpected turn.

It appeared as if Rodriguez’s days in the UFC were done, but now it seems that “Pantera” and Zabit Magomedsharipov have verbally agreed to a fight at UFC 228 in September, according to a report from ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto.

I'm told UFC is rescinding its termination letter to Yair Rodriguez, essentially reinstating his contract. The Magomedsharipov fight is not signed yet, but is UFC 228 on Sept. 8. No location finalized for that event.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) June 1, 2018

According to multiple reports, Rodriguez had been released from his UFC contract just a couple of weeks ago after turning down an August fight against Magomedsharipov at UFC 227.

“We offered him fights, he turned down the fights. There was a lot more back and forth that went on with that. If you don’t want to fight, this isn’t the place to be. There’s plenty of places out there that wi…

A scheduled strawweight bout between Jessica Aguilar and Jodie Esquibel has been removed from UFC Fight Night 131 hours before the event.

The promotion announced the cancellation in a statement on Friday:

"Due to a medical issue involving strawweight athlete Jessica Aguilar, the New York State Athletic Commission has cancelled her scheduled bout against Jodie Esquibel,” the statement read. “Tonight's UFC Fight Night: Rivera vs. Moraes card will proceed with 12 bouts, beginning at 6:55 pm ET / 3:55 pm PT.”

The UFC didn’t disclose the medical issue that forced Aguilar off the card. However, Din Thomas, Aguilar’s coach, told MMAjunkie.com that the New York State Athletic Commission elected to pull the fighter from the card due to chapped lips.

“[Thursday], the commission doctor saw her lips and thought it may have been some sort of infection,” Thomas said. “They rushed her to a dermatologist as soon as she stepped off the scale. The dermatologist said no…

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UFC 225 is now available on Amazon Prime.

On June 9 at UFC 225, former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight king Rafael dos Anjos will lock horns with Colby Covington for the interim welterweight belt.

During Thursday’s UFC 225 media call, things got heated between the pair in the lead up to their big fight next weekend. As expected, Covington tried to get under the skin of his opponent, although Dos Anjos was having none of it and stayed calm and composed during the interview, explaining that he had heard it all before in the lead up to his fight with Conor McGregor, which didn’t materialize due to an injury sustained by the Brazilian.

Dos Anjos explained that trash talk by his opponents doesn’t faze him as he’s grown up with much worse and believes Covington is doing a poor job imitating McGregor.

“I grew up in Brazil in the favelas, man. Bullies, trash talking, doesn’t work with…

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A pair of bantamweight contenders have received the all clear to do battle.

Jimmie Rivera (134.6) and Marlon Moraes (135.4) were on target with their weight Thursday morning in Utica, New York, making official the UFC Fight Night 131 headliner at Adirondack Bank Center.

It what feels to be a bit unusual in the current weight-cutting climate, there was no drama Thursday, as all 26 competitors hit their marks.

UFC Fight Night 131 Weigh-in Results: Jimmie Rivera (134.6) vs. Marlon Moraes (135.4)Gregor Gillespie (155.6) vs. Vinc Pichel (155.8)Walt Harris (253) vs. Daniel Spitz (243.8)Jake Ellenberger (170.4) vs. Ben Saunders (169.4)Julio Arce (145.4) vs. Daniel Teymur (145.8)Gian Villante (205.2) vs. Sam Alvey (204.8)Sijara Eubanks (125.6) vs. Lauren Murphy (125.6)Nik Lentz (155.4) vs. David Teymur (155.8)Belal Muhammad (170.2) vs. Chance Rencountre (170.6)Desmond Green (155.4) vs. Gleison Tibau (15…

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On Sunday night, Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight contenders Stephen Thompson and Darren Till locked horns in the main event of UFC Fight Night 130 in Liverpool England. Till, who was born and raised in Liverpool, edged out Thompson over five rounds according to the judges who were unanimous in their decision in their scoring (48-47, 49-46, 49-46).

Thompson was a recent guest on “The MMA Hour” and told host Ariel Helwani he was confident he did enough throughout the fight to win and believes the judges were swayed by the hometown support for Till.

“I know close fights are very hard in the moment,” Thompson said. “But there seems to be a lot of that happening recently. But I think [I would have won if the fight was not in Liverpool]. I really do. I think so. Darren is definitely a tough guy, man. He’s a very confident person. Definitely built for the fight game. And yeah, I think I would …

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Fresh off being crowned the Bellator MMA middleweight champion, Gegard Mousasi has already told fans he wants his first fight as the champion to be against Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald.

Mousasi took on Rafael Carvalho at Bellator 200 on Friday, winning impressively with a first-round TKO. During the post-fight interview, Mousasi called out MacDonald and “The Red King” wasted no time to respond by congratulating the newly crowned champion and tagging Bellator officials on Twitter, requesting the fight.

@mousasi_mma congratulations on you dominant victory, @ScottCoker @rich_chou i know you wanted a title defense from me before challenging at middle weight. but myself vs @mousasi_mma is the fight to make right now, so lets make this happen!?

— Rory MacDonald (@rory_macdonald) May 25, 2018

MacDonald and Mousasi were both guests on “The MMA Hour” Monday and…

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On Sunday at UFC Fight Night 130, Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight Elias Theodorou took on Trevor Smith in a preliminary contest inside the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England. Theodorou was victorious, winning by unanimous decision.

Theodorou, who won “The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia,” is 4-1 in his last five fights, and is now eyeing a more prestigious opponent after beating the likes of Sam Alvey, Cezar Ferreira, Daniel Kelly and Smith.

It appears he already has someone in mind in the form of UFC veteran and former light heavyweight Lyoto Machida (via MMAJunkie.com):

“I’ve said it before: I kind of fancy myself the poor man’s Machida, and I’d love to take on the real one. It’s the case of, essentially, you train hard enough, you compete long enough and your idols eventually become your competition. He fought someone who wasn’t ranked two fights ago (Eryk Anders),…

It appears as though Charles Oliveira will step in for Bobby Green and face Clay Guida at UFC 225.

Guida revealed the change via Instagram, and the new bout was subsequently confirmed by MMAjunkie.com. The promotion has not officially announced the matchup. UFC 225 takes place at the United Center in Chicago on June 9 and is headlined by a middleweight title clash between Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero.

Oliveira, 28, has lost three of his last four Octagon appearances, including a second-round TKO defeat at the hands of Paul Felder in his most recent appearance at UFC 218. “Do Bronx” does own a first-round submission of former Bellator champ Will Brooks at UFC 210 during that stretch.

Guida is coming off back-to-back wins over Joe Lauzon and Erik Koch in 2017. “The Carpenter” is 14-11 during his promotional tenure and 34-17 as a professional overall.

Currently on a three-bout winning streak, Mauricio Rua will return to the Octagon to face former light heavyweight title challenger Volkan Oezdemir at UFC Fight Night 134 in Hamburg, Germany, on July 22.

The Brazilian has chosen to hold his entire training camp in Brazil, just as he did in his last few fights, under the remote supervision of Kings MMA leader Rafael Cordeiro.

"He is my head coach, he will continue to spend all the coordination of my training along with Eduardo [Alonso]. It was like that in the last two fights, so it's the way that makes me comfortable,” Rua said at a press conference. “I'm a person who cannot adapt outside [the country]. If I went outside, I would stay two months without my family, and I really cannot adapt outside without my family. So I opted for Brazil with the master supervising my training normally.”

“Shogun” is coming off successive triumphs over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Corey Anderson and Gian Villante. Currently No.…

Ideally, Sijara Eubanks would have fought Nicco Montano for the inaugural women’s flyweight crown at “The Ultimate Fighter 26” finale.

Instead, a disastrous weight cut hospitalized Eubanks one day before the bout, and she was replaced by Roxanne Modafferi. Montano then went on to claim 125-pound gold with a five-round verdict over “The Happy Warrior” this past December.

Eubanks was seeded 12th out of 16 fighters in the house, while Montano was No. 14, and both bested more experienced and celebrated opponents to make it to the finale. However, Eubanks’ Octagon debut won’t come until Friday, when she faces Lauren Murphy in a preliminary flyweight contest at UFC Fight Night 131 in Utica, N.Y.

Meanwhile, Montano hasn’t defended her belt since winning it at the “TUF 26” finale. She initially targeted a summer return after rehabbing an injured foot that plagued her even before the clash with Modafferi. However, a rumored UFC on Fox 30 date with Valentina Shevchen…

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There will be no swan song for Michael Bisping.

After flirting with the possibility of a farewell fight over the past few months, the former UFC middleweight champion announced his retirement on his “Believe You Me” podcast Monday.

“Obviously I’ve teased this for a long time now. I might fight again, I might not. Unfortunately, there’s not a fight that I’m announcing,” Bisping said. “I am going to announce my official retirement from mixed martial arts.”

The 39-year-old Englishman hasn’t competing since being finished twice in a three-week span this past November in losses to Georges St. Pierre and Kelvin Gastelum. Bisping, who suffered a detached retina in his right eye earlier in his career, said he began experiencing issues with his left eye following the loss to Gastelum at UFC Fight Night 122 on Nov. 25.

“You can’t do it forever. I’ve done it for a long time. Of course, I’ve got is…

Anastasia Yankova tasted defeat for the first time in her young MMA career last week, as she dropped a unanimous decision to Kate Jackson at Bellator 200 in London.

Yankova recently released a statement via Instagram following that loss. The message was positive, as the Russian kickboxer vowed to return to action soon.

“[Friday] I lost, but if you choose to be a fighter, take challenges, fight strong opponents, then you also accept the fact that this can happen,” Yankova wrote. “..To those who stay with me, regardless of the fact that [at Bellator 200] the referee [didn’t raise my hand], I am very grateful and happy that [you’re] in my life…Nothing ends, it's just the beginning. My face is slightly dented, but I don’t have injuries, so I'll see you soon.”

Yankova wasn’t especially competitive against Jackson in their flyweight bout. Jackson controlled the contest with takedowns and ground-and-pound, leaving her opponent’s nose a mangled mess at the conclusi…

When the Ultimate Fighting Championship signed its seven-year contract with Fox back in 2011, it felt like a pretty big deal.

According to Dana White, the promotion’s new agreement with ESPN surpasses that.

“Obviously if you look, ESPN wouldn’t cover us not too long ago and now we’re on ESPN,” White said at the UFC Fight Night 130 post-fight press conference. “We’re in business with Disney. It’s probably the most monumental thing that has happened in the history of this company – in the history of this sport.”

Last week, it was revealed that ESPN had acquired full broadcast rights for the UFC beginning in 2019. The new deal will bring 10 events to ESPN’s various cable networks and 20 cards to its streaming service, ESPN+. Additionally, preliminary bouts for the UFC’s 12 pay-per-views will air on the Worldwide Leader.

The deal is believed to be worth a total of $1.5 billion — or $300 million per year for five years. The UFC’s contract with Fox — wroth about $…

Darren Till is on a four-fight winning streak, with back-to-back high profile triumphs over Stephen Thompson and Donald Cerrone.

And yet, following a contentious decision win over Thompson in the UFC Fight Night 130 headliner in his hometown, he doesn’t believe a welterweight title shot should be on the horizon.

“I couldn’t care less,” Till said at the post-fight press conference. “I think Stephen deserves the interim [belt] more than I do myself. I just beat him in a close fight. Give it to Stephen. He made weight and he’s beaten more contenders. I’m not gonna sit here and bullsh--t anyone.”

Till, of course, missed weight by 3.5 pounds on Saturday. In order to be cleared to compete on Sunday, he had to check in below 188 pounds. Till did so, weighing in at 187.3 pounds to make the fight official. At the time, Till’s miss was attributed to a family emergency. He declined to elaborate beyond that after the fight.

“I missed weight. I can’t talk about it…

Oftentimes when a person repeatedly uses the phrase, “It is what it is,” they’re holding something back.

Such could be the case for Stephen Thompson following his narrow decision loss to Darren Till in the UFC Fight Night 130 headliner in Liverpool, England on Sunday. After five closely-contested frames, many observers – including 22 of the 24 media members tracked by MMADecisions.com – felt that “Wonderboy” deserved the nod. The cageside judges, however, felt differently, as Thompson fell to 1-2-1 in his last four Octagon appearances.

“I thought I edged it out, but he’s definitely a big boy,” Thompson said on Fox Sports 1. “You could feel his weight out there a little bit. But you know what, it is what it is.”

Thompson makes reference to Till’s weight, as the English fighter came in 3.5 pounds over the welterweight limit on Saturday. Till was required to weigh less than 188 pounds on Sunday in order to be allowed to compete, and he checked in at 187.3 poun…

Darren Till used all five rounds to reel in his biggest fish yet.

The undefeated Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight contender used clubbing overhand lefts and clever leg kicks to outpoint Stephen Thompson in the UFC Fight Night 130 headliner on Sunday at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England. Scores were 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46, as Till (17-0-1, 5-0-1 UFC) cleared another significant hurdle in his development.

It felt closer than the scores indicated. Thompson (14-3-1, 9-3-1 UFC) leaned on his lateral movement, darting punches and occasional flurries. However, the South Carolina-based karateka spent most of the fight moving backwards, with Till in relentless pursuit. Thompson also wound up on the wrong side of the most decisive moment in the 25-minute affair when his British counterpart dropped him with a thudding left in the fifth round. “Wonderboy” recovered quickly and returned to his feet, but the damage had been done and an already raucous crowd was whipped …

Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 130 coverage kicks off Sunday at 10 a.m. ET.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. Have a question for Sherdog.com's medical expert? Tweet The Fight Doctor via @FightMedicine.

Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official…

Khabib Nurmagomedov delivered a message to Conor McGregor on Saturday.

“Conor the game has changed, now you have to play like a grown up man,” Nurmagomedov wrote on Instagram. “There will no longer be locked buses with security inside and outside, now you have to solve these problems alone, and if you do not want it, just say so, everybody will understand.”

A potential showdown between Nurmagomedov and McGregor would be one of the biggest fights the UFC could make. Their rivalry only intensified when McGregor and his crew attacked a bus carrying Nurmagomedov and other UFC fighters and employees ahead of UFC 223 in Brooklyn last month. The Irishman threw a dolly through the bus window, shattering glass and injuring fighters Ray Borg and Michael Chiesa.

As a result, McGregor is facing charges of assault and criminal mischief and is due in court on June 14. The “Notorious” one is expected to meet with UFC president Dana White in Liverpool over the weekend to d…

Shortly after Gegard Mousasi dispatched Rafael Carvalho to claim the middleweight crown at Bellator 200, he called out 170-pound champion Rory MacDonald.

It didn’t take long for “The Red King” to accept the challenge, as he took to Twitter to tell Bellator president Scott Coker and matchmaker Rich Chou that it was “the fight to make right now.”

@mousasi_mma congratulations on you dominant victory, @ScottCoker @rich_chou i know you wanted a title defense from me before challenging at middle weight. but myself vs @mousasi_mma is the fight to make right now, so lets make this happen!?

— Rory MacDonald (@rory_macdonald) May 25, 2018

Mousasi was dominant in London on Friday. He took Carvalho down multiple times, landed ground-and-pound and advanced to full mount. Eventually, the Brazilian gave up his back, and the former UFC and Strikeforce competitor sealed his victory with more punches 3:35 into the first round. Mousasi has won seven figh…

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s first visit to Liverpool, England, is off to a shaky start.

Liverpool natives Darren Till and Molly McCann missed weight Saturday morning at the official UFC Fight Night 130 weigh-ins.

Despite being given extra time due to a “family emergency,” Till weighed in at 174.5 pounds, 3.5 pounds over the welterweight limit. His opponent, Stephen Thompson (171), has accepted the bout, but will take 30 percent of Till’s purse. Also, Till cannot weigh more than 188 pounds at 1 p.m. local time tomorrow.

McCann, who weighed 127 pounds -- one pound over over the flyweight limit -- will also be fined, but her duel with Gillian Robertson (125) is a go.

UFC Fight Night 130 Weigh-in Results Stephen Thompson (171) vs. Darren Till (*174.5)Neil Magny (171) vs. Craig White (171)Arnold Allen (146) vs. Mads Burnell (146)Makwan Amirkhani (146) vs. Jason Knight (146)Claudio Henr…

Congrats t the NEW middleweight champion @mousasi_mma! #Bellator200 pic.twitter.com/Iv2DIxwrxF

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 26, 2018

Gegard Mousasi took care of business and did so with clinical precision, as he stopped Rafael Carvalho with first-round punches to capture the undisputed Bellator MMA middleweight championship in the Bellator 200 headliner on Friday at the SSE Arena in London. Carvalho (15-2, 6-1 Bellator) wilted 3:35 into Round 1. The loss was his first since Dec. 17, 2011 and closed the book on his 15-fight winning streak.

Mousasi (44-6-2, 2-0 Bellator) made it look easy, like hot-knife-through-butter easy. The 32-year-old “Dreamcatcher” executed multiple takedowns, softened Carvalho with ground-and-pound and climbed to full mount. Unable to escape, the Brazilian surrendered his back and covered up, with Mousasi cutting loose with right hands until the job was finished.

In the welterweight co-main event, undefeat…

-- BREAKING --IT APPEARS Nick Diaz HAS BEEN ARRESTED IN LAS VEGAS https://t.co/gHr4hnQQmp DOMESTIC BATTERY BY STRANGULATIONDOMESTIC BATTERY, (1ST). pic.twitter.com/n7N4ophjoh

— FrontRowBrian (@FrontRowBrian) May 25, 2018

According to multiple reports, Nick Diaz has allegedly been arrested and charged with felony domestic battery by strangulation, as well as misdemeanor domestic battery. The news was first reported on Twitter by mixed martial arts personality Front Row Brian.

MMA Junkie later reported that an unnamed person within the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department identified the arrested party as Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Nick Diaz. The victim was female and was transported to a local hospital.

According to MMAJunkie, Diaz was allegedly combative with officers during the arrest and his bail was set at $18,000. He reportedly remains in custody and will likely post bail after a court hearing scheduled for Saturda…

OUCH!#Bellator200 prelims LIVE now on the Bellator app! pic.twitter.com/lgetmX5lBr

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 25, 2018

British fighter Tom Mearns had an unpleasant Bellator MMA debut Friday at Bellator 200 inside SSE Arena in London.

The featherweight was in the middle of his scheduled bout against Mike Ekundayo when he suffered a nasty arm injury, which appears to be a dislocated elbow.

The referee was forced to stop the contest 62 seconds into round two, after Mearns’s arm bent at an unnatural angle as he grappled with Ekundayo.

Bellator 200 Weigh-insCredit: Bellator MMA Bellator 200 Weigh-insCredit: Bellator MMA Bellator 200 Weigh-insCredit: Bellator MMA Bellator 200 Weigh-insCredit: Bellator MMA Bellator 200 Weigh-insCredit: Bellator MMA Bellator 200 Weigh-insCredit: Bellator MMA Bellator 200 Weigh-insCredit: Bellator MMA Bellator 200 Weigh-insCredit: Bellator MMA Bellator 200 Weigh-insCredit: Bellator MMA Bellator 200 Weigh-insCredit: Bellator MMA Bellator 200 Weigh-insCredit: Bellator MMA Bellator 200 Weigh-insCredit: Bellator MMA

Bellator MMA has reached a milestone with its 200th event.

Bellator 200 goes down at SSE Arena in London, and will be headlined by a middleweight title fight pitting champ Rafael Carvalho against Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Gegard Mousasi.

Both men cleared the final hurdle for combat Thursday at the official weigh-ins, as both champ and challenger hit the mark at 185 pounds precisely.

Also on the main card, Michael Page (170.5) and David R…