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Anthony Smith is putting people away at light heavyweight and padding his bank account in the process.

Smith received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his third-round submission of Volkan Oezdemir in the UFC Fight Night 138 headliner in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, on Saturday night. “Lionheart” survived some rough patches early to tap out the former title challenger with a rear-naked choke 4:26 into the third frame. Smith has finished all three of his wins since moving to light heavyweight.

Elsewhere, Nasrat Haqparast and Thibault Gouti received “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their three-round lightweight battle. Haqparast rocked Gouti repeatedly with heavy punches and a kick to the body, but the Frenchman managed to survive the assault to make it to the final bell. Still, Haqparast’s barrage was enough to earn a unanimous decision on the scorecards.

Finally, South African newcomer Don Madge pocketed the evening’s other…

Sherdog's UFC Fight Night 138 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.

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

All business tonight for Sean Strickland, as he gets the TKO victory. pic.twitter.com/TBN2rihAKF

— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) October 28, 2018

Welterweight contender Sean Strickland ventured all the up to the Great White North and came out on top in the UFC Fight Night 138 prelims headliner as he stopped quasi-local fighter Nordine Taleb in the second frame.

Strickland (20-3) dropped Taleb with a powerful right to the head in the second, but couldn’t put him away with his initial follow-up flurry. However, moments after Taleb (14-6) sprung back up to his feet, “Tarzan” drilled him with another right to the face. Taleb fell again and tried to recover his guard, but the Californian rained down a storm of punches until referee Eric Nevitt had to pull him off.

The end came officially at 3:10 of the second.

Haqparast Bests Gouti In a pairing of European lightweights, it was Afghanistan native Nasrat Haqparast who had his hand raised…

David Rickels will face Guilherme Vasconcelos in the Bellator 210 co-main event, the promotion recently announced.

Bellator 210 takes place on Nov. 30 at WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla., and is headlined by middleweight clash pitting Melvin Manhoef against Chidi Njokuani. The card airs on Paramount Network and streams on DAZN.

The 29-year-old Rickels had a two-bout winning streak snapped at Bellator 200, where he suffered a second-round TKO defeat against Michael Page. “The Caveman” is 13-5 with two no contests over the course of a promotional tenure that began in 2011.

Vasconcelos has won three of his last four bouts under the Bellator banner. Most recently, the 32-year-old “Bomba” tapped out Ivan Castillo in the opening stanza at Bellator 192.

Breaking: Frankie Edgar out of UFC Fight Night on Nov. 10 in Denver against Korean Zombie ... Yair Rodriguez in, on short notice, per Dana White. Full story coming to ESPN shortly.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) October 27, 2018

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion Frankie Edgar has pulled out of his highly-anticipated featherweight showdown with Chan Sung Jung due to an injury, ESPN reported late Friday.

The consolation prize for fight fans is Yair Rodriguez stepping in to face “Korean Zombie” instead in the main event of UFC Fight Night 139 in Denver next month.

Rodriguez (10-2) will finally return to action following a TKO loss to Edgar back at UFC 211 last year. Contract issues with UFC brass nearly caused “El Pantera” to leave the promotion entirely before the two sides were able to negotiate a new contract.

Meanwhile, fan-favorite “Korean Zombie” (14-4) hasn’t fought since a first-round knockout ove…

Florida-based MMA promotion Combat Night found itself smack dab in the middle of Friday’s media frenzy regarding the arrest of Cesar Sayoc, the man police say is responsible for mailing bombs to media figures and politicians over the last several days.

Combat Night’s logo, as well as two stickers bearing the logo of Florida MMA mainstay American Top Team, was plastered on Sayoc’s van, which police impounded shortly after his arrest on Friday. The van was also adorned with pro-Donald Trump stickers and a slew of far-right rhetoric.

Combat Night, which was formerly owned in part by the late Ultimate Fighting Championship and “The Ultimate Fighter” veteran Josh Samman, denied any kind of affiliation with the 56-year-old Sayoc in a statement sent to MMA Fighting.

Combat Night is not in any way affiliated with the individual arrested today in connection with this week’s terrorist acts. Combat Night absolutely disavows any political violence or threats of violence. We …

UFC lightweight Vinc Pichel was the victim of a hit-and-run motorcycle accident last weekend, according to Pichel’s Instagram page.

Pichel (11-2) said the hit-and-run occurred on Sunday and left him hospitalized in emergency care.

“So I was involved in a hit-and-run accident last Sunday on my Harley and spent most of the day in the ER,” Pichel wrote in the caption. “I don’t know exactly what happened. I just know I was clipped from the back and thrown off of my bike several feet without any time to react.”

“My back is fully ‘road-rashed’ along with my knees, forearms and I have stitches in my left elbow and I can barely move, but other then that I’m ok.

“My license plate’s smashed off. My whole left side’s mashed. My shock’s f*cked up, my case is f**ked up, my bars are bent, I had to bend ‘em back to get ‘em semi-straight so I could ride back home. My fanning’s f*cked up,” Pichel went on to say in his Instagram post. No arrests have been made as of Thur…

Kevin Kay is one of the most important figures in the history of MMA. He greenlit UFC on Spike and advocated for Bellator to Viacom. He has played a massively influential role in MMA's growth. This is shocking and sad. https://t.co/zXr4rtUzks

— Luke Thomas (@lthomasnews) October 25, 2018

Kevin Kay, the Viacom executive who was instrumental in getting the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Spike TV more than a decade ago, is no longer with the network after some restructuring at Viacom.

Kay spent over two decades at the network, and was a central figure in Spike’s rebranding process into Paramount Network, which is now home to Bellator MMA. Kent Alterman will serve as Kay’s replacement in handling Paramount Network, Bellator and TV Land alongside Comedy Central.

Back in 2004, Kay took a chance on a reality TV show called “The Ultimate Fighter” and green lit the project. The program was instrumental in the UFC’s growth, and the finale b…

Per sources, UFC close to finalizing a welterweight bout between Gunnar Nelson and Alex 'Cowboy' Oliveira for UFC 231 on Dec. 8 in Toronto. Fun addition to a card I'm already in love with between Holloway/Ortega and Valentina/Joanna.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) October 24, 2018

Longtime Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight contender Gunnar Nelson is finally set to make his Octagon return at UFC 231 against Alex Oliveira following a 17-month lay-off due to injuries. The pairing was first reported by ESPN.

Nelson (16-3-1) hasn’t fought since a first-round knockout loss to Santiago Ponzinibbio back in July 2017. A knee injury forced him out of a scheduled bout with Neil Magny back in May.

Meanwhile, “Cowboy” Oliveira (19-5-1 2 NC) has had an outstanding year thus far, fighting two times and notching a submission victory over Carlos Condit in April and a first-round knockout of Carlo Perdersoli Jr. last month.

UFC 231 ta…

Credit: Bellator Credit: Bellator Credit: Bellator

Bellator MMA’s recent wave of European fighter signings continues to make its presence felt, as a Sherdog source reports that SBG Ireland representative Luka Jelcic is ready to lock horns against Italy’s Luca Vitali at Bellator 211.

Jelcic (10-3) is coming off a loss by first-round TKO to Brandon Girtz in his promotional debut at Bellator 190. That loss snapped Jelcic’s four-bout winning streak.

Luca “The Ace” Vitali (11-4) is riding high, making his Bellator debut with a five-bouts winning streak. He also has the help of a bit of advance scouting: Vitali trains with Danilo Belluardo, who faced Jelcic at FFC 27.

Sherdog’s source also reports that the Genoa card will also feature a welterweight bout between Walter Pugliesi and Andrea Fusi. Bellator 211 is headlined by the light heavyweight contest between Italy’s Alessio Sakara and Kent Kauppinen.

Adam Wieczorek will replace Ruslan Magomedov and face Marcos Rogerio de Lima in a heavyweight bout at UFC 230.

The promotion recently confirmed the change. Magomedov was unable to compete on the Nov. 3 card at Madison Square Garden due to visa issues, according to MMAjunkie.com. UFC 230 is headlined by a heavyweight championship fight between Daniel Cormier and Derrick Lewis.

A 26-year-old native of Chorzow, Poland, Wieczorek is currently on a nine-bout winning streak. “Siwy” kicked off his Octagon tenure with back-to-back triumphs over Anthony Hamilton and Arjan Singh Bhullar. Wieczorek’s only career setback came against UFC talent Marcin Tybura in November 2011.

De Lima has alternated wins and losses in his last six bouts. In his last outing, the 33-year-old Brazilian was submitted in the second round by Ovince St. Preux at UFC Fight Night 108.

The first mixed martial arts trade in the sport's history is nearly a done deal, as the UFC will send Demetrious Johnson to One Championship in exchange for Ben Askren.

ESPN.com reported the trade on Monday , and the news has since been confirmed by multiple outlets. The proposed transaction is close to being finalized and would release Johnson from his UFC contract to fight for One, while Askren would be released from his contract with the Singapore-based promotion to compete in the Octagon. Both fighters have multiple fights left on their current deal, according to the report.

Johnson was the UFC’s inaugural flyweight champion and broke Anderson Silva’s record for consecutive title defenses last year. “Mighty Mouse” saw a 13-bout winning streak come to an end in a split-decision defeat to Henry Cejudo at UFC 227. Johnson’s coach at AMC Pankration, Matt Hume, is One’s vice president of operations.

Askren is unbeaten in 19 professional bouts, including 170-…

On Saturday night, UFC Moncton plays host to two of the heaviest hitters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight division when Volkan Oezdemir battles with the surging Anthony Smith in the main event of UFC Fight Night 138.

Oezdemir is making his first appearance inside the Octagon since his one-sided loss to 205-pound champion Daniel Cormier back in January. The 29 year-old Swiss fighter went into the fight against “DC” at UFC 220 high on confidence after knocking his previous two opponents out in under a minute.

Despite those quick fire knockout wins, Oezdemir was unable to replicate that success against Cormier with the former Olympic wrestler masterfully dispatching the heavy hitter. Oezdemir will now go back to the drawing board to prepare himself for another title run which starts this weekend against Smith.

As “DC” is no longer the 205 pound champion after the UFC decided to strip the title from him, a rematch bout for the vacant tit…

Count Ali Abdelaziz among those who was unimpressed by Conor McGregor’s breakdown of the UFC 229 main event.

Abdelaziz, who manages lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, called McGregor a “weak soul” and claimed that the Irishman “and his sorry ass team [are] already making some stupid ass excuses” for his fourth-round submission defeat on Oct. 6. The Instagram post is presumably in response to McGregor’s round-by-round analysis of the fight that he posted on social media.

A seemingly humbled McGregor also added that it would be “no problem” if he couldn’t get an immediate rematch with Nurmagomedov, as he would be more than willing to “face the next in line.”

Abdelaziz scoffed at the notion of a rematch and hinted that it would only be worthwhile for Nurmagomedov if he could earn $100 million. The Dagestani earned a disclosed $2 million purse at UFC 229, but that doesn’t include pay-per-view points or any other type of income.

“If you can’t make u…

UFC veteran and current One Championship heavyweight titlist Brandon Vera will reportedly defend his strap very soon.

“The Truth” hasn’t fought since December 2016, but he is expected to defend his belt against Italian newcomer Mauro Cerilli at an as-yet-to-be determined event. The news was first reported by MMA-Today.

Vera, a 16-time UFC competitor, has experienced something of a resurgence since joining the Singapore-based promotion. He is currently on a three-bout winning streak under the One banner, with all three victories coming inside of a round.

Cerilli, 35, has never lost while fighting in the heavyweight division. His only two defeats came during a brief stint at 205 pounds. Most recently, “The Hammer” knocked out Irish star Karl Moore in 15 seconds at Cage Warriors 92 on March 24. He is currently riding a five-bout winning streak.

Credit: Mike Fridley/Sherdog.com Credit: Mike Fridley/Sherdog.com Credit: Mike Fridley/Sherdog.com Credit: Mike Fridley/Sherdog.com

Sean O'Malley will undergo surgery on his right hip, a procedure he estimates will keep him sidelined for approximately four months.

The rising bantamweight star announced his plans via Twitter on Tuesday. The timing works out well for O’Malley, as he is awaiting a ruling from USADA on a potential anti-doping violation that resulted in him being pulled from a proposed UFC 229 matchup against Jose Quinonez.

“Surgery on Thursday on my right hip,” O’Malley wrote. “This will put me off the mats for about [four] months. Still waiting on the USADA situation to get sorted out. This year has been the best year and toughest year of my life.”

Surgery on Thursday on my right hip. This will put me off the Mats for about 4 months. Still waiting on the USADA situation to get sorted out . This year has been the best year,…

Conor McGregor isn’t dead set on an immediate return date with Khabib Nurmagomedov following his setback to the Dagestani lightweight champion in the UFC 229 headliner.

The Irishman took to Instagram to offer a lengthy breakdown of the Oct. 6 fight, which ended with Nurmagomedov winning via tapout in the fourth stanza. McGregor analyzed each round in the post, pointing out both the good and bad in his performance.

Perhaps more noteworthy, the former two-division champion claimed he would be willing to fight the “next man in line,” and that it would be no problem if he wasn’t granted a rematch in his next Octagon appearance.

“It was a great fight and it was my pleasure. I will be back with my confidence high. Fully prepared,” McGregor wrote. “If it is not the rematch right away, no problem. I will face the next in line. It’s all me always, anyway. See you soon my fighting fans I love you all.”

McGregor did not mention the post-fight brawl that ensued b…

David Branch will get to remain on the UFC 230 bill, as Jared Cannonier has agreed to face the Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu product on short notice.

The promotion announced the new middleweight matchup on Monday. Branch’s original foe, Ronaldo Souza, was elevated to the co-main event against Chris Weidman after Luke Rockhold pulled out of the card due to injury.

UFC 230 takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 3 and is headlined by a heavyweight championship clash between Daniel Cormier and Derrick Lewis.

Cannonier was previously scheduled to square off against Alessio Di Chirico at UFC Fight Night 140 in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Nov. 17. It is unclear if Di Chirico will get a new opponent for that card. “The Killa Gorilla” will attempt to halt a two-fight skid at UFC 230 after dropping back-to-back fights at the hands of Dominick Reyes and Jan Blachowicz at 205 pounds. Cannonier is 3-4 in the Octagon and 10-4 as a professional overall.

A …

Jon Anik will remain part of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s broadcast team as the promotion transitions into its partnership with ESPN next year.

According to a report from MMAjunkie.com on Monday, Anik has signed a four-year extension to remain the lead play-by-play man for the Las Vegas-based organization. Anik later cconfirmed the deal via social media.

“It’s a multi-year extension, and it’s very exciting for me to be able to be a part of this new era with ESPN,” Anik told MMAjunkie. “I think, as a lot of people know, that’s where I sort of cut my teeth in television and radio, and that’s where I really starting covering mixed martial arts back in 2007 and 2008, so it sort of feels like we’re coming full-circle a little bit.

“…“This has become the foremost passion in my life, and I just couldn’t imagine my life without UFC being a big part of it. I’m thankful that it got done and just excited to continue to hit the ground running.”

Anik joined the U…

Ray Cooper III was one of the few bright spots for the Professional Fighters League during a lengthy PFL 10 card on Saturday in Washington, D.C.

Cooper III (17-5) steamrolled everybody in his path St. Elizabeths East Entertainment and Sports Arena, as the powerhouse Hawaiian vanquished two men he had fought previously. In the welterweight quarterfinals, he took on former Strikeforce, Shooto and EliteXC champion Jake Shields (33-11-1) -- a man he put away with second-round punches at PFL 3 in July. Cooper III was even more impressive in the rematch.

Shields tried to use his guile and grappling prowess to stem the tide of violence coming his way, but they were of no use. The Californian was rocked by a right to the head during a scramble to his feet, and Cooper III kept punching until referee Kevin Mulhall intervened 3:10 into the first round.

Cooper III was like a man possessed in his semifinal match with Brazil’s Handesson Ferreira (13-2-1), who forced Rick Story …

Respect #CW98 pic.twitter.com/y59jtsUYrl

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) October 20, 2018

It was a magical night in Birmingham, England, as the Cage Warriors Fighting Championship promotion hit the stage on Saturday at the Genting Arena. The Cage Warriors 98 main event gave rise to a new welterweight champion, as Ross Houston dethroned Stefano Paterno by split decision after five dramatic rounds.

The Scotsman dictated the pace of the match with early takedowns and third-round knockdown, though Paterno clipped him with a right hand that had him reeling for a few seconds. The shot could have changed the course of the fight, but Houston displayed a champion’s heart and withstood the adversity.

Meanwhile, Aiden Lee displayed amazing jiu-jitsu skills in the co-feature, as he submitted Paull McBain with only 18 secs remaining in Round 1. The Birmingham native closed the deal with a slick rear-naked choke and improved to 5-1 in his last six…

Weidman vs. Jacare is done, per Dana White. UFC trying to keep David Branch, who was scheduled to fight Jacare, on the card. Jared Cannonier is a possibility, but not done.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) October 20, 2018

After the dust settled following Luke Rockhold’s injury withdrawal from UFC 230 rematch against Chris Weidman, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza has stepped in to face Weidman.

Following his initial report this evening, Brett Okamoto of ESPN confirmed that ‘Jacare’ would be elevated from his middleweight bout against David Branch into the co-main event against Weidman. Branch currently has no opponent at UFC 230, although the Ultimate Fighting Championship is attempting to secure a replacement for Souza.

Coming off a “Fight of the Night” split-decision loss to current middleweight title challenger Kelvin Gastelum last May, Souza has earned four post-fight bonuses in his last five fights.

Facing a major opponent change is…

Chris Gutierrez squeezed the fight right out of Ray Rodriguez.

The Bellator MMA and World Series of Fighting alum dazzled in his Legacy Fighting Alliance debut, as he submitted Rodriguez with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their LFA 52 headliner on Friday at the Bell County Expo Center in Belton, Texas. Rodriguez (13-5) raised the white flag 4:47 into Round 1, the defeat snapping his run of eight straight victories.

Gutierrez (12-3-1) executed a takedown, maintained his composure despite being reversed and freed himself from an attempted kimura. The Factory X standout assumed top position, applied his ground-and-pound and made a slick transition to Rodriguez’s back. Gutierrez then snaked his arms in place, closed off potential avenues for escape and elicited the tapout.

In the co-main event, Jimmy Flick dispatched C.J. Hamilton with a second-round arm-triangle choke. Flick (11-4) sealed the deal 4:09 into Round 2, having secured back-to-back victories fo…

Luke Rockhold is out of UFC 230 versus Chris Weidman due to leg injuries. First reported by my colleague @bokamotoESPN.

Plan is to keep Weidman on the card. One name that is being discussed, per sources, is Jacare Souza, who was scheduled to fight David Branch on the same card.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 19, 2018

The hits keep coming for UFC 230, where the Nov. 3 card in Madison Square Garden has lost another huge fight.

According to Brett Okamoto from ESPN, middleweight Luke Rockhold has been forced to withdraw from his newly-appointed co-main event against Chris Weidman due to injury. Shortly afterward, ESPN’s Ariel Helwani added the report that one potential solution involved pulling Ronaldo Souza from his main-card tilt with David Branch, and making Weidman vs. “Jacare” the new co-main event.

Rockhold was making his return after suffering a knockout at the hands of Yoel Romero this February, and every one of hi…