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The Ultimate Fighting Championship is making the unorthodox decision of having an interim champ defend their throne.

In the co-headliner of UFC 304 on July 27, Tom Aspinall (14-3) will collide with Curtis Blaydes (18-4, 1 NC) once again, this time for the interim heavyweight strap. The two first met at UFC Fight Night 208 in 2022, and Aspinall blew his knee out in 15 seconds to suffer the loss. While Jon Jones is currently the division’s disputed champ, the promotion opted to have Aspinall defend while keeping Jones available to presumably face Stipe Miocic at some future date. The Aspinall-Blaydes rematch booking was first announced on Thursday by the UFC, putting together a likely main card for the Co-op Live pay-per-view offering in Manchester, England.

Greater Manchester native Aspinall burst onto the scene in the UFC’s heavyweight class by demolishing five straight foes in the span of less than two years. Aspinall wrecked Jake Collier and Alan Baudot in under tw…

At long last, Belal Muhammad is getting his shot at Ultimate Fighting Championship gold.

The UFC announced on Thursday that UFC 304 now has its main attraction. Atop the billing at the Co-op Live in Manchester, England, is a welterweight title tilt pitting Leon Edwards (22-3, 1 NC) against Muhammad (23-3, 1 NC). The two first tangled in 2021, and the bout ended via no contest after Edwards landed an accidental eye poke. This July 27 show will feature a champ on a 13-fight unbeaten streak compared to the challenger who has not lost in his last 10 outings.

Edwards claimed the 170-pound throne from Kamaru Usman in 2022, laying waste to the champ with a “Knockout of the Year”-worthy head kick. Their rematch about seven months later also went the Brit’s way, as he prevailed by majority decision. His first defense against someone not named Usman came in December against Colby Covington, and Edwards cruised to a decision by winning four rounds to one. On his run to gold, Ed…

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After taking part in a multi-million dollar ad campaign for Brazilian TV that featured Jean Claude Van Damme and five other Brazilian martial arts legends, Anderson Silva’s retirement fight will come against an old rival.

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Silva will square off against former Ultimate Fighting Championship foil Chael Sonnen in a bout that will be contested under boxing rules. Sherdog confirmed the pairing on Wednesday following an initial report from TATAME magazine. While specifics regarding the bout are unknown, the event will be entitled Spaten Fight Night. Word of the fight, which is part of the Spaten Beer Marketing Campaign, began to spread when Silva posted “Spider Grande Finale June 15” on his Instagram stories. According to a source close to the situation, the fight will take place in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It will be a closed event with only 600 VIP guests allowed to attend. Other fights on the card are expected to be announced in the coming d…

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After taking part in a multi-million dollar ad campaign for Brazilian TV that featured Jean Claude Van Damme and five other Brazilian martial arts legends, Anderson Silva’s retirement fight will come against an old rival.

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Silva will square off against former Ultimate Fighting Championship foil Chael Sonnen in a bout that will be contested under boxing rules. Sherdog confirmed the pairing on Wednesday following an initial report from TATAME magazine. While specifics regarding the bout are unknown, the event will be entitled Spaten Fight Night.

Word of the fight, which is part of the Spaten Beer Marketing Campaign, began to spread when Silva posted “Spider Grande Finale June 15” on his Instagram stories. According to a source close to the situation, the fight will take place in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It will be a closed event with only 600 VIP guests allowed to attend. Other fights on the card are expected to be announced in the coming…

The days of Rafael dos Anjos making the cut to 155 pounds appear to be a thing of the past.

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In a post on social media, the former UFC lighweight champion requested to be removed from the promotion’s rankings at 155 pounds. Dos Anjos’ last Octagon appearance was at lightweight, as he dropped a unanimous verdict to Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 299 on March 9.

“Get me out of [the lightweight] rankings,” dos Anjos wrote on X. “For you [lightweights calling me out, I don’t compete at [lightweight from] now on. I have nothing to prove to nobody. I walk around 195 at 39 years old. There’s lots of fights that make sense to me at 170. I want to fight in July. [UFC] get me back in that Octagon.”

Get me out of LW rankings. For you LW out there calling me out I don’t compete at LW now on. I have nothing to prove to nobody, I walk around 195 at 39 years old. There’s lots of fights that make sense to me at 170.I want to fight in July @ufc ge…

Michel Pereira is more than just a flashy performer in the cage. He also has a good heart.

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The UFC middleweight standout has been doing his part to assist those who have been affected by the massive floods in the Rio Grande do Sul region of Brazil. Pereira has posted multiple updates to his Instagram account, which include scenes of him rescuing stranded animals in areas ravaged by the flood. “Demolidor” has also started an online crowdfunding campaign to raise money for the victims.

“The last few days have been like this: a lot of struggle, but also a lot of satisfaction in each animal except for this gigantic flood,” Pereira wrote.

“The scenes I’ve been seeing are scary. I’ve never seen something like this even in a movie, but I’m sure of one thing: we’re going to win this fight here too.”

The death toll has reportedly y reached 149 in the Brazilian state, with more than 100 people still missing. Additionally, more than 600,000 people hav…

Merab Dvalishvili was fortunate to walk away unscathed after being involved in a multi-car accident in New York.

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Dvalishvili’s friend, Giorgi Kiknadze, shared a video of the aftermath of the crash on social media. The accident apparently occurred while Dvalishvili was riding in an Uber, but further details regarding the cause of the incident are unknown.

“I am in New York for one day, a couple of hours, and I got in a huge accident,” Dvalishvili said. “I was in Uber and our car got hit by some other cars. Look at the damage. I was sitting here and got hit, thank God I’m OK. F—k. Now my bags are inside.”

While the status of the others involved in the accident is unclear, Dvalishvili provided a positive update on his group via Instagram stories.

“Everything is good. Everyone is safe,” he wrote.

Dvalishvili is on a 10-fight winning streak in UFC competition and is expected to be next in line to challenge reigning bantamweight champ…

Paul vs. Tyson & Taylor vs. Serrano undercard announcement 🥊

Two of the hottest, undefeated prospects in the game: 🇺🇸 H2O Sylve vs. 🇺🇸 ‘Kid Austin’ Floyd Schofield

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A battle for redemption: World Champion Boxer vs. UFC Star 🇲🇽 Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. 🇬🇧 Darren Till

More… pic.twitter.com/wVzc8Jo3X2

— Netflix (@netflix) May 15, 2024

Darren Till will have a lot of eyes on his professional boxing debut.

The former UFC welterweight title challenger will face Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on the undercard of the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul event on July 20. The bout will be contested over six rounds at 190 pounds. Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions announced the pairing on Wednesday.

Till will be making his first combat sports appearance since December 2022, when he was submitted in the third round by current middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 282. The 31-year-old Liverpool native lost five of his…

Aljamain Sterling is confident regarding the outcome of a rematch with Sean O’Malley.

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O’Malley dethroned Sterling via second-round knockout in the main event at UFC 292in August 2023. “Sugar” has since defended his strap via a unanimous decision win over Marlon Vera at UFC 299 this past March.

Meanwhile, Sterling scored a unanimous decision win over Calvin Kattar at UFC 300 in his featherweight debut last month. “Funkmaster” claims he didn’t have the best camp for the O’Malley fight due to a quick turnaround from a unanimous decision win over Henry Cejudo in May 2023. Sterling also noted that O’Malley had nearly a year to prepare, sitting on the sidelines since a split-decision win over Petr Yan in October 2022.

Sterling is confident that he would beat O’Malley in a rematch given he gets as much time as “Sugar” got for his first title defense against “Chito.”

“I had to take a month off for my Henry Cejudo fight cause my shins was so bea…

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Ian Garry claims to be game enough to fight down the rankings.

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Garry has long since been calling out Colby Covington, who has avoided the matchup so far. Garry has now given up hopes of fighting “Chaos,” whom the Irishman claims will be sidelined until September due to an injury. Garry also claims to have no other options of fighting higher-ranked opponents with everyone ranked above him either injured or already engaged elsewhere.

However, eager to stay active, “The Future” has now shifted focus to Michael Page. While the UFC’s return to Manchester would make sense for the potential matchup, Garry insists on being a part of UFC 303 on June 29 which will be headlined by the return of Conor McGregor against Michael Chandler.

“I’ve said yes. I’ve said yes to that name. Him and his coaches are deciding because he feels a bit heavy, he’s a bit heavy to make weight in seven weeks’ time, but I’ve said yes,” Garry told talkSPORT abo…

Belal Muhammad could be gearing up to challenge Leon Edwards for the welterweight title at UFC 304.

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UFC 304 will mark the promotion’s return to Manchester, England, for the first time since 2016. Edwards, the reigning welterweight champ and a Birmingham, England, native, will most likely be a part of the card. Longtime UFC commentator Jon Anik has now hinted at Muhammad finally getting his much-awaited title shot against Edwards at UFC 304 on July 27.

“Flight booked for Manchester, England. See you there, [Belal Muhammad],” Anik wrote x (Formerly known as Twitter).

Flight booked for Manchester, England. See you there, @bullyb170.

— Jon Anik (@Jon_Anik) May 14, 2024

Muhammad is currently undefeated in 10 Ultimate Fighting Championship outings, including a no contest against Leon Edwards due to an accidental eye poke. While “Remember the Name” was initially expected to challenge Edwards at UFC 296 in December 2023…

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A matchup of light heavyweight debutants has been rearranged with less than a week to go before UFC Fight Night 241.

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Undefeated French standout Oumar Sy (9-0) was scheduled to meet Brazil’s Antonio Trocoli (12-3) at the UFC Apex on Saturday. However, Trocoli has now withdrawn due to undisclosed reasons and will now be replaced by another promotional debutant in George Tokkos (10-3). The change was first reported by Al Zullino on X (Formerly known as Twitter). The promotion has since confirmed the new bout.

Trocoli first earned a Ultimate Fighting Championship contract with a Dana White’s Contender Serieswin in 2019 but was released after failing a drug test. He was then scheduled to debut against Ovince St. Preux in 2022 but withdrew from the bout.

Sy is currently undefeated in nine pro outings, which includes seven finishes. The 28-year-old signed with the promotion in October 2023 on the back of consecutive Round 1 stop…

Magomed Magomedov hopes to right two of the wrongs in his mixed martial arts career before the year is through.

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That begins with a rematch against reigning bantamweight champion Patrick Mix in the main event of Bellator Champions Series Paris at the Accor Arena in Paris, France on Friday. Magomedov initially faced Mix in the semifinals of the bantamweight grand prix at Bellator 289, falling via second round submission in their December 2022 bout.

Mix went on to win the tournament with a first-round KO of Raufeon Stots, and he unified the 135-pound belt with a submission of Sergio Pettis this past November. At this point in his career, Mix is regarded as one of the best bantamweights in the world, regardless of promotion.

Magomedov is willing to give Mix his due, but he knows he has a golden opportunity to change that perception.

“Today he is one of the best in the world,” Magomedov said through a translator during a media call on Tuesday. “O…

Aspen Ladd has firsthand experience with Kayla Harrison inside the cage, so she wasn’t surprised when the two-time Olympic gold medalist enjoyed a dominant Ultimate Fighting Championship debut.

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While Ladd went the distance in a unanimous decision loss to Harrison in a 150-pound catchweight bout at the 2023 PFL Championships, Holly Holm had a much rougher night, as she absorbed a beating from Harrison en route to a second-round submission defeat at UFC 300 on April 13. Making the victory more impressive was the fact that the two-time Professional Fighters League lightweight champion successfully made the cut to 135 pounds for the first time without issue.

Ladd, who will meet Katerina Shakalova at Bellator Champions Series Paris on Friday, expected Harrison to be successful in her first Octagon forway.

“Kayla Harrison did exactly what I thought she was gonna do, especially when I heard the matchup. Obviously people think that’s a tough fight, …

A pivotal strawweight clash pitting Virna Jandiroba against Amanda Lemos has been booked for the UFC’s July 20 card.

Jandiroba confirmed the pairing on social media following an initial report from MMA Melotto. UFC Fight Night is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and also includes a women’s flyweight showdown between Tracy Cortez and Miranda Maverick and a middleweight scrap between Brad Tavares and Jung Yong Park. A headliner has not been confirmed for the event.

A former Invicta FC champion, Jandiroba has been victorious in her last three Octagon appearances. Most recently, the 35-year-old Brazilian outpointed Lupita Godinez at UFC on ESPN 54 on March 30. She has also earned decision wins over Marina Rodriguez and Angela Hill during her current winning streak.

After coming up short in a 115-pound title bid against Weili Zhang at UFC 292 last August, Lemos returned to the win column in her last outing, as she took a unanimous verdict aga…

City of Love, we're coming BACK! 👊

See you in September! #UFCParis

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More information: https://t.co/WvN9Cd6bHr pic.twitter.com/0v2hRRhu5Y — UFC (@ufc) May 14, 2024

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is set to return to Paris this fall.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced on Tuesday that it will hold an event at Accor Arena in Paris on Sept. 28. This will be the third consecutive year that the UFC will travel to France. No bouts were announced for the card.

“We are returning to Paris for the third straight year,” said UFC CEO Dana White in a release. This is another one of those destinations that I would have to tell fans if you’ve never been to a fight in Paris, you should probably order your tickets now. See you there in September!”

The promotion made its inaugural trip to Paris on Sept. 3, 2022 for UFC Fight Night 209. In the main event, Ciryl Gane defeated Tai Tuivasa via third-round TKO, while …

Tracy Cortez will meet Miranda Maverick in a flyweight bout at a UFC Fight Night event in July.

Cortez (11-1) and Maverick (13-5) will trade leather on a UFC Fight Night card scheduled for July 20 at the promotion’s Apex in Las Vegas. The matchup was confirmed by both competitors on their social media accounts.

Cortez hasn’t lost a fight since her pro debut in August 2017 and is undefeated in five promotional outings — all decision wins. In her most recent clash, the 30-year-old earned a unanimous decision win over Canadian standout Jasmine Jasudavicius at Noche UFC in September 2023.

Meanwhile, Maverick is riding a two-fight win streak that saw her bounce back from a unanimous decision loss against Jasudavicius. Maverick will enter the Octagon fresh off a unanimous decision win over Andrea Lee in her most recent outing at UFC 298 this past February.

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

Ramiz Brahimaj’s recovery from a grievous spinal injury is truly inspirational.

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Brahimaj hasn’t competed since a first-round submission win over Michael Gilmore in February 2022. Brahimaj was scheduled to fight Carlston Harris in February 2023 but was forced out due to a neck injury. The 31-year-old is now finally slated to return to action against Themba Gorimbo at UFC Fight Night 241 on Saturday. Brahimaj recently detailed his injury in an interview with MMAMania.com.

“I had a brachial plexus injury and an injury to my C-5 from spinal stenosis and disc injuries. It set me back a lot, man. I dealt with a lot of different things, and it’s pretty messy when that stuff happens. So, for about two to three months, I really had limited function and ability in my arm, and it kept happening. So, it sucked, but I’m here, I’m happy.”

Brahimaj suffered the injury during wrestling drills. While most…

Colby Covington is frequently shifting focus when it comes to deciding his next potential opponent.

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Covington is seemingly not interested in a fight against welterweight up-and-comer Ian Garry, who has been calling “Chaos” out for a considerable amount of time now. The former interim champ has instead called out Belal Muhammad, who is expected to be next in line for a 170-pound title shot.

Covington argued against Muhammad’s case for a title shot, citing “Remember the Name’s” inactivity since a lopsided decision win over Gilbert Burns in May 2023.

“I would like [to fight] Belal; he's talked a lot of smack…He’s out there saying that I only got my title shot cause of [Dana] White privilege… Now he's squatting on his ranking, guys; he should have to come out and fight,” Covington recently told Submission Radio. “I think we should fight; I think that’s the fight that should be next. He doesn’t deserve a title fight, guys. How long’s he sat out? H…

Seasoned middleweights Brad Tavares and Jun Yong Park are slated to trade leather in July.

Tavares (20-9) and Park (17-6) will meet at UFC Fight Night on July 20 at the promotion’s Apex facility in Las Vegas. The matchup was first announced by Park’s representatives, First Round Management Asia, on social media.

Tavares is currently 1-3 in his last four and will enter the Octagon fresh off a technical knockout loss to Gregory Rodrigues in February. Tavares will make his 25th UFC appearance against Park.

Meanwhile, Park is coming off a controversial split-decision loss to Andre Muniz in February that snapped a four-fight winning streak that included three submissions. Prior to that, “The Iron Turtle” suffered a Round 2 knockout loss against the aforementioned Rodrigues in 2021.

There has been some reshuffling among recent bookings in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s flyweight division.

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As a result of those changes, Alex Perez will now square off against Tatsuro Taira in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card on June 15. Perez was originally scheduled to face Tagir Ulanbekov at the event, while Taira was supposed to face Joshua Van at UFC 302 on June 1. Now, Ulanbekov and Van will lock horns on June 15. Multiple outlets confirmed the new 125-pound pairings following an initial report from Marcel Dorff.

Perez snapped a three-bout skid in his last outing, as he knocked out Matheus Nicolau in the second round of the UFC on ESPN 55 headliner. The former title challenger is 7-4 during his stint with the Las Vegas-based promotion.

The 24-year-old Taira has kicked off his Octagon tenure with five consecutive triumphs to raise his overall professional mark to 15-0. The Okinawa, Japan, native capped off a 3-0 campaign …

A women’s flyweight bout with No. 1 contender implications has been targeted to headline an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on July 13.

Former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas is expected to face Maycee Barber in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card in Denver. Multiple outlets confirmed that the bout is in the works following an initial report from Ariel Helwani. A venue for the event has not been announced.

Namajunas is 1-1 since moving to 125 pounds following a successful stint at strawweight that included two title reigns. After dropping a unanimous verdict against Manon Fiorot in her flyweight debut at UFC Fight Night 226, “Thug” Rose rebounded with a five-round decision triumph over Amanda Ribas in her last outing in the UFC on ESPN 53 main event.

Barber, meanwhile, enters the matchup on a six-bout winning streak within the Las Vegas-based promotion. The 25-year-old Dana White's Contender Series alum earned her most significant victory t…

🚨 We're very excited to announce that one of the most exciting young fighters in the game, #TeamIridium beast @JaySquabbles (8-1), is taking his talents to the @PFLMMA cage ✍🏾 #TheDarkside pic.twitter.com/5fuJidi5iZ

— IridiumSportsAgency (@TeamIridiumISA) May 13, 2024

Cage Fury Fighting Championships featherweight king Jose Perez is taking his talents to Professional Fighters League.

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Perez’s management, Iridium Sports Agency, announced the signing on Monday, and Sherdog.com later confirmed the news with PFL officials. According to the event page of PFL broadcast partner ESPN, Perez is slated to face Tyler Diamond at PFL 6 on June 28.

The 29-year-old Perez has compiled an 8-1 mark as a professional, with all but one of his appearances coming under the CFFC banner. He last appeared at CFFC 123 this past September, when he took a unanimous decision against Chris Vasil. Perez has earned four of his career triumphs via …

Ryan Bader won’t be in action for at least a few more months after joining the cast of "The Smashing Machine.”

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The Bellator MMA heavyweight champion recently announced on social media that he has landed a role in the biopic on UFC and Pride Fighting Championships veteran Mark Kerr, who will be played by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

“Putting the MMA game on pause a bit as I head to Vancouver for about three months,” Bader wrote on Instagram. “Excited to be part of an amazing project by [director] Benny Safdie. Giving ode to a couple legends of the sport, Mark Kerr and Mark Coleman. The highs and lows that come with this crazy ass sport.”

Produced by A24, “The Smashing Machine” will also star Emily Blunt and is expected to be released sometime in 2025. It is currently unknown exactly what role Bader will play in the film, which is based on a 2002 documentary of the same name. According to imdb.com, the movie will be “based on the true events su…