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Alex Pereira Responds to Former Kickboxing Foe Artem Vakhitov’s Callout

Alex Pereira recently shut down a callout from Artem Vakhitov, who was the last man to beat him in kickboxing.

Pereira defeated Vakhitov via split decision in their first encounter at Glory 77 in January 202, to win the light heavyweight title. Vakhitov exacted revenge in their rematch later that year, defeating Pereira via majority decision to win back the title at Glory 78.

Pereira had finalized his Ultimate Fighting Championship signing a day before that fight, marking the end of his kickboxing career. “Poatan” has gone on to become a two-division champ, earning four victories in title bouts within less than three years in the promotion.

Meanwhile, Vakhitov competed in one muay thai bout after his win over Pereira before switching to MMA, where he is currently 2-1. Vakhitov is motivated by the idea of a potential trilogy clash against Pereira in MMA.

The Russian believes Pereira has room for improvement in his striking defense which was e…

Cesar Gracie ‘Not Involved’ with Nick Diaz’s Camp for UFC Abu Dhabi Bout

It appears that Cesar Gracie won’t be part of Nick Diaz’s camp for his upcoming fight against Vicente Luque at UFC on ABC 7 in Abu Dhabi on Aug. 3.

Diaz’s longtime coach doesn’t like a few aspects of the booking, including the overseas travel and the matchup against Luque. It will be Diaz’s first Octagon appearance since a third-round TKO loss due to retirement against Robbie Lawler at UFC 266 in September 2021.

“I’m really not involved in that fight. I’m going to be perfectly honest with you. That wasn’t my idea. It wasn’t a fight I would have had,” Gracie recently told Submission Radio. “Like if I was advising Nick, I wouldn’t have advised him to do that fight. It’s in Abu Dhabi. I wouldn’t advise to go fight overseas at this point, especially [because] Luque is a very tough guy. You know Nick is a tough guy, but it just doesn’t make that much sense for me where Nick is at in his career.

“And I don’t know. It’s not the fight I would have mad…

After Recent LFA Triumph, Carlos Leal Miranda Dreams of Receiving UFC Deal

Carlos Leal Miranda delivered one of the biggest highlights at LFA 187 this past Saturday, when he defeated Manuel Mena via first-round technical knockout in a Brazil vs. Latin America-themed event.

After the victory, Leal revealed to Sherdog that he wants to fight for the LFA welterweight title he once held, but his real dream is to compete in the UFC.

“I showed in this fight that I am already at the level of fighting in the biggest event in the world against the best in the world,” the former Professional Fighters League talent said. “In fact, I didn't lose the LFA belt, I left it vacant when I went to the PFL. The ideal for me is to compete for the title again here at LFA. If the invitation to fight in the UFC doesn't come, I'm going to wait.”

Leal also revealed the reason why he departed from the PFL after losing to Sadibou Sy in the 2023 postseason.

“The PFL is a very good organization,” he said. “I grew and matured as a man and…

UFC on ESPN 59 Gets Two Late Additions to Denver Card

Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 59 card will end up looking a lot different than originally intended.

This includes two late additions to the lineup: a bantamweight clash between Montel Jackson and Da'Mon Blackshear and a women’s flyweight tilt pitting Jasmine Jasudavicius against Fatima Kline. The promotion recently confirmed the bookings on its website. Jasudavicius was originally slated to meet Viviane Araujo before the Brazilian withdrew from the event.

UFC on ESPN 59 takes place at Ball Arena in Denver and is headlined by a 125-pound showdown between Rose Namajunas and Tracy Cortez. The main event was one of six fights on the card that either changed or was canceled entirely, as Cortez is a replacement for Maycee Barber.

Jackson has been victorious in his last four promotional appearances. Most recently, he scored a first-round knockout of Rani Yahya at UFC Fight Night 222 in April 2023.

Blackshear, meanwhile, had a two-bout winning streak …

UFC Lightweight Bobby Green Announces Name Change to ‘King’

Bobby Green will have a different name when he makes the walk to the Octagon at UFC 304 later this month.

The veteran lightweight recently announced in a social media post that he has gone through the process to officially change his name to “King Green.” In a video on Instagram, Green displayed the paperwork that made the name change legal.

“Just to let people know. I wasn’t playing. I really changed my name,” Green said in the video.

“King,” of course, was Green’s nickname as a fighter before he made it his official first name. The 37-year-old former King of the Cage champion is scheduled to face Paddy Pimblett in a featured bout at UFC 304 on July 27 at the Co-op Live in Manchester, England. Green has won three of his last four Octagon appearances and is coming off a lopsided three-round verdict over Jim Miller at UFC 300.

“I worked so hard at Bobby Green, but the point was to show [you] go from nothing to a King,” Green wrote in a c…

Dricus Du Plessis: Robert Whittaker Should Face Sean Strickland Next

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While Dricus Du Plessis has been immensely impressed by Robert Whittaker’s latest wins, he believes “Bobby Knuckles” is still another victory away from a title shot.

Whittaker suffered a second-round TKO loss against Du Plessis at UFC 290 in July 2023. While Du Plessis was the only person to beat Whittaker other than Israel Adesanya since 2014, many discounted “The Reaper” following that loss.

However, Whittaker rebounded with a unanimous decision win over Paulo Costa at UFC 298 this past February. Whittaker was then scheduled to headline UFC on ABC 6 in a title eliminator against Khamzat Chimaev last month before “Borz” pulled out due to illness. Chimaev was replaced on nine days’ notice by unranked prospect Ikram Aliskerov, who went on to suffer a first-round knockout loss.

Closely watching the fight, Du Plessis was very happy with Whittaker’s dominant win and believes the Australian would have beaten Chimaev as well. For D…

Aljamain Sterling Calls Out Diego Lopes for UFC 306 Clash at The Sphere

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Aljamain Sterling is latest featherweight to rally for a slot at UFC 306 in September at The Sphere in Las Vegas.

Sterling scored a unanimous decision win over Calvin Kattar in his featherweight debut at UFC 300 this past April. The former bantamweight champ has since been teasing a potential clash against Movsar Evloev. While both parties initially expressed interest in the matchup, that seems to have fizzled out now.

While Evloev has accused Sterling of ducking him, “Funkmaster” claims the undefeated Russian is unwilling to accept his terms. Sterling has now redirected focus to streaking Brazilian Diego Lopesfor a clash at UFC 306 on Sept. 14.

“I’m thinking about Aljamain Sterling vs. Diego Lopes at the Sphere. It has a nice ring to it,” Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “Movsar [Evloev], I don’t know what the hell he’s doing. I gave him a date and he hasn’t accepted yet, started making all these excuses. So, either you …

Marc Goddard Reveals Why He Will Never Officiate a Leon Edwards Fight

Marc Goddard reveals why he’ll never referee a Leon Edwards fight. 👀

Full episode: https://t.co/ISAltc1GC9 pic.twitter.com/eFENek2ISk

— OverDogs Podcast | Kanpai Media (@OverDogsPodcast) July 7, 2024

Referee Marc Goddard doesn’t want the slightest personal involvement with fighters whose bouts he officiates.

While refereeing is one of the toughest parts of all sports, combat sports referees arguably have a heavier burden on their shoulders due to the lethal nature of the sport. Hence, to avoid any conflict of interest, referees at the highest level are not allowed to coach fighters.

This has also stopped Goddard from refereeing the fights of UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards. The Scottish referee hasn’t been seriously involved in coaching for a while now other than a weekly class at his friend’s gym. However, Goddard revealed that he was Edwards’ first MMA coach back when “Rocky” was just an amateur. To avoid risking alleg…

Coach Makes Case for Charles Oliveira to Receive Next UFC Lightweight Title Shot

Longtime Charles Oliveira coach Diego Lima believes “do Bronx” is the most logical contender for the next lightweight title shot.

Oliveira was dethroned by Islam Makhachev via second round submission at UFC 280 on October 2022 in Abu Dhabi. Oliveria subsequently knocked out Beneil Dariush to earn an immediate rematch against Makhachev at the same venue a year later at UFC 294. However, “do Bronx” was forced out on 10 days’ notice due to a gruesome cut suffered in sparring. The Brazilian was replaced by Alexander Volkanovski, who suffered a brutal head kick knockout against Makhachev.

Oliveira then dropped split decision against fellow contender Arman Tsarukyan in a title eliminator at UFC 300. While Tsarukyan was offered an immediate title shot against Makhachev, who was adamant on fighting in the summer, “Ahalkalakets” turned it down due the quick turnaround.

Although Makhachev had expressed interest in fighting Justin Gaethje as well, “The …

Alibeg Rasulov Eyes Title, Not Christian Lee, After Successful ONE Championship Debut

Alibeg Rasulov is focused on the ONE Championship 170-pound title rather — though not necessarily current champion Christian Lee — after a successful promotional debut on Friday.

Rasulov made his debut against former lightweight (170-pound) champ Ok Rae Yoon in the main event at ONE on Prime Video 23 at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Thailand. The Turkish controlled the action against Yoon for the most part of 25 minutes to earn a unanimous decision win and extend his perfect record to 15-0.

“You know, it was a pretty difficult fight,” Rasulov said at the post-fight press conference. “I'm really happy to have won and my opponent, he was strong, but still I won. But I just can say that I can do much better.”

Rasulov and Yoon were originally slated to compete for the ONE Championship interim 170-pound title, with the winner going on to challenge lineal champ Lee. However, Rasulov was ineligible to win the belt because while he passed hydration t…

Nico Carrillo Claims He Hasn’t Yet Hit His Prime After TKO Win Over Saemapetch

Nico Carrillo claims he hasn’t hit his peak despite compiling a winning streak against some of the beset muay thai has to offer.

Carrillo left yet another veteran in his wake with a second-round TKO win over Saemapetch Fairtex in the co-main event at ONE on Prime Video 23. The Scotsman knocked Saemapetch down twice before scoring the final knockdown to secure the finish. Carrillo admitted that he faced initial difficulty with Saemapetch’s unorthodox defense but was sure of securing the finish once he had made the necessary adjustments.

“I'm not surprised [at Saemapetch’s durability]. I think he had a bit of a weird tactic,” Carrillo said at the post-fight press conference. “He was ducking his head when I was coming in close, and I had to readjust to that, because it was taking the power out of my shots. That was a bit strange. But after I readjusted, yeah, I knew he wasn't going to be able to take the shots.”

This marked the second consecuti…

Oumar Kane: Quick KO Win Proves Mamadou Kamara Not at My Level

Oumar Kane believes his win over countryman Mamadou “Boucher Ketchup” Kamara firmly established the wide gap in their skillsets.

Kane and Kamara met in a kickboxing clash at ONE on Prime Video 23 at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Thailand on Friday. Kamara looked out of his depth against “Reug Reug” before the ONE Championship heavyweight knocked him out at the 2:08 mark of Round 1.

While they both traded several barbs leading up to the bout, for Kane it was nothing more than a fight.

“Yes, but this is [just a] fight. In a fight, you come in hungry. And this is a fight,” Kane said at the post-fight press conference. “You come in [here] all the time and you're hungry. You just gotta beat this guy. He's talking too much, this guy, since [before] the fight.”

Kane noted that his social media influencer opponent, who now lives in the Bronx, New York, continues to have a massive following in their home country of Senegal. Kane wants everyone to kn…

Tye Ruotolo Content with Grappling Decision Win Over Jozef Chen on ‘Worst Day’

Tye Ruotolo claims to have faced health issues going into his bout against Jozef Chen at ONE on Prime Video 23.

Ruotolo took on the 19-year-old prodigy in a submission grappling bout at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on Firday. While Ruotolo managed to maintain his undefeated record with a unanimous decision win, the South African gave him a run for his money.

Although Ruotolo isn’t proud of his performance, he claims to have had a bad camp to blame for it. However, the 21-year-old is happy to have roped in the decision victory even on his “worst day.”

“For sure, I could have performed a lot better,” Ruotolo said at the post-fight press conference. “It’s not a performance that I'm very proud of. I didn't have the best camp, and I didn't feel the best way going through the fight — unless it's the fact that I won even on my worst day. It makes me happy. But that's not a performance that I like to have, especially in a place like Lumpinee. I have …

Video: Darren Till’s Boxing Debut Ends in Brawl After TKO Victory

Darren Till just got into a brawl at Social Knockout after his opponent couldn’t continue… #mma #boxing pic.twitter.com/cyVxq71p7h

— Mase (@cutman_mase) July 6, 2024

Darren Till’s first foray into the Sweet Science was memorable, though not necessarily for the right reasons.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran’s bout against Mohammad Mutie at Social Knockout 3 in Dubai was halted in the second round when Mutie complained that he had been hit in the back of the head. Ultimately, Till was awarded a technical knockout victory when it was determined that Mutie couldn’t continue.

That’s when things got chaotic. Mutie approached Till to apparently complain about the illegal punch and a brawl ensued, with other individuals entering the ring to join in the fray. Till and Mutie went to the canvas before eventually being separated.

“This is fighting – you get hit. If you don’t want to continue fighting, don’t fight. He’s not a f…

Leah McCourt vs. Sara Collins, Marc Diakiese vs. Tim Wilde Added to Bellator London

The lineup for Bellator Champions Series London continues to grow, as a women’s featherweight clash between Leah McCourt and Sara Collins and a lightweight scrap between Marc Diakiese and Tim Wilde have been booked for the Sept. 14 event.

The promotion recently announced the bouts. Bellator Champions Series London takes place OVO Wembley in London and is headlined by a middleweight title rematch between Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards. The event will air in its entirety on Max. McCourt vs. Collins is slated to be the evening’s co-main event.

McCourt has been victorious in seven of her nine Bellator appearances. Most recently, the Northern Ireland native defeated former UFC title challenger Sara McMann via first-round TKO at Bellator 300 this past October.

Collins is undefeated in five professional outings, including triumphs over Sinead Kavanagh and Pam Sorenson under the Bellator banner. Collins was scheduled to meet Olena Kolesnyk at Bell…

Strawweights Yazmin Jauregui, Ketlen Souza to Meet at UFC 306

Yazmin Jauregui will square off against Ketlen Souza at UFC 306 on Sept. 14.

Multiple outlets confirmed the strawweight booking following an initial report from ESPN Deportes. UFC 306 takes place at The Sphere in Las Vegas and will be a celebration of Mexican Independence Day. A headliner has not been announced for the card.

Jauregui has been victorious in 11 of her first 12 professional appearances. She is 3-1 in UFC competition and is coming off a three-round verdict over Sam Hughes at UFC Fight Night 237. Her lone defeat was a 20-second TKO loss to Denise Gomes at UFC 290.

A former Invicta FC flyweight champion, Souza has split her first two UFC bouts. After suffering a first-round submission loss to Karine Silva in her Octagon debut, the 29-year-old Brazilian rebounded with a decision win over Marnic Mann at UFC on ESPN 55.

ONE Fight Night 23 ‘Ok vs. Rasulov’ Play-by-Play & Results

ONE Championship’s latest installment in its U.S. primetime series will host several key contests at the core of ONE Fight Night 23. Sherdog's round-by-round coverage will kick off at 8 p.m. ET. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round: The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round…

Interim Lightweight Title Stays Vacant After ONE Fight Night 23 Main Event

Alibeg Rasulov takes Ok Rae Yoon to ELBOW CITY 💪

Tune in to Prime Video and Sky Sports NOW to catch the rest of ONE Fight Night 23!#ONEFightNight23 | 🔴 Live Now🇺🇸🇨🇦 Watch Live on Prime 👉 https://t.co/SeNWVyNS9p🇬🇧🇮🇪 Watch Live on Sky Sports🌍 Live TV broadcast in 190+… pic.twitter.com/IjdIO6zTbm

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) July 6, 2024 The interim One Championship lightweight mixed martial arts championship was up for grabs in the One Fight Night 23 main event but no one took it home.

In the five-round headliner, South Korea's Rae Yoon Ok took on Turkey's Alibeg Rasulov, who missed weight and was thus ineligible to win the title. Ok (17-4) came out composed, landing kicks on the outside and sneaking in elbows when clinched, although as the round went on, Rasulov (14-0) managed to control the pace and positioning. The second frame would see Ok start to find success with his jab and land knees to the body inside. …

Avazbek Kholmirzaev Extends Streak, Armbars Kara-Ool Changy at ONE Friday Fights 69

Avazbek Kholmirzaev might soon be in line for a ONE Championship promotion.

The 23-year-old sambo stylist disposed of the previously unbeaten Kara-Ool Changy with an armbar in the first round of their ONE Friday Fights 69 catchweight showcase on Friday at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Kholmirzaev (8-1, 4-0 ONE) brought their encounter at 125.6 pounds to a close 3:39 into Round 1.

Changy (6-1, 2-1 ONE) seized the reins with a takedown roughly 90 seconds into the first round, transitioned to the back and threatened the neck before being reversed. He scrambled on top, freed himself from an attempted guillotine choke and moved to briefly moved to side control before settling in full guard. Kholmirzaev answered the Russian’s aggression with technique, swung his hips into position and bit down on a belly-down armbar to force an immediate tapout.

Kholmirzaev now finds himself on a six-fight winning streak.

Meanwhile, BMF Space repres…

Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal Boxing Match Set After Both Make Weight

Nate Diaz VS. Jorge Masvidal WEIGH IN LIVESTREAM" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen> There was just bad blood rather than drama on the scales as both Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal successfully made weight for their 175-pound boxing match.

The boxing pay-per-view main event will be a rematch of sorts, despite taking place in a different martial art, as Diaz (21-13 MMA) and Masvidal (35-17 MMA) famously squared off in the main event of UFC 244 for the inaugural BMF title. Masvidal would ultimately get his hand raised via TKO, getting a doctor's stoppage in the third round. Both men made weight for the 175-pound limit for the 10-round boxing match.

Diaz is 0-1 as a professional boxer. His debut took place last year against former Disney star Jake Paul (6-1). Paul won a clear unanimous decision and kn…

Jean Silva Steps in to Face Drew Dober at UFC on ESPN 59 in Denver

Jean Silva will make a quick turnaround following his victory over Charles Jourdain at UFC 303.

The 27-year-old Brazilian will compete two weeks later, when he meets Drew Dober at UFC on ESPN 59. Silva is a replacement for Mike Davis, who pulled out of the lightweight bout due to injury. While Silva normally competes at 145 pounds, he missed weight for the fight against Jourdain and will move up to 155 pounds to square off against Dober. The promotion announced the new booking on Wednesday.

UFC on ESPN 59 takes place on July 13 at Ball Arena in Denver and is headlined by a women’s flyweight bout pitting Rose Namajunas against Tracy Cortez.

Silva has won his last 10 professional outings, including two in the UFC. In addition to besting Jourdain, the Fighting Nerds representative owns a first-round technical knockout victory over Westin Wilson in the Octagon.

Dober, meanwhile, has lost two of his last three promotional outings. Most recen…

Brian Ortega Reacts to UFC 303 Withdrawal: ‘My Body Gave Out on Me’

Brian Ortega did everything he could to make it to fight night at UFC 303. Unfortunately, his body didn’t cooperate.

Ortega agreed to face Diego Lopes on short notice as part of a the promotion’s renovation of the UFC 303 card. The bout was initially slated for 145 pounds, but when Ortega began to struggle with his weight cut, he and his opponent agreed to move the bout to lightweight. Ultimately, Ortega developed a fever on the day of the fight and was forced to withdraw hours before the UFC 303 co-main event.

On Wednesday, “T-City” released a statement addressing the situation.

“Come fight week, I felt off and I didn’t feel right. I thought it was just the residual effects from the [weight] cut. I was 178 pounds when I accepted this fight on 15 days’ notice,” Ortega wrote on Instagram. “Thursday night after seven straight hours, I could not break 151 pounds. Later, I would find out that I was battling a fever and I could not break into the fi…

Rafael dos Anjos Takes Issue with Michael Chandler’s ‘See You At the Top’ Mantra

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos revealed to Sherdog last month his decision to permanently return to the welterweight division, even requesting that his name be removed from the lightweight rankings.

“That’s my decision. Unless there was an interesting proposal or some fight that made sense among the lightweights,” dos Anjos said then.

But this week the Brazilian seemed to find an interesting narrative to accept a return to the division where he conquered the gold in 2015. After watching Michael Chandler challenge Islam Makhachev for the 155-pound belt, the Brazilian sent a harsh message to the American on social media.

“How much is the opportunity to become a world champion worth? For some of us, there is no price on a UFC belt. Mine is certainly not for sale,” dos Anjos wrote on X. “Chandler should stop with his 'see you at the top' motivational speeches. It’s embarassing…”

Chandler didn't take l…

Jingliang Li vs. Carlos Prates Added to UFC 305 Lineup in Perth

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com Credit: Taro Irei/Sherdog.com Credit: Taro Irei/Sherdog.com Credit: Taro Irei/Sherdog.com Credit: Taro Irei/Sherdog.com Credit: Neil Atkinson Credit: Neil Atkinson Credit: Dave Mandel Credit: Dave Mandel

Jingliang Li will lock horns with Carlos Prates in a welterweight tilt at UFC 305.

Prates confirmed the booking on social media following an initial report from UFC Weibo. UFC 305 takes place at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, on Aug. 17 and is headlined by a middleweight championship clash between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya.

Li hasn’t competed since September 2022, when he suffered a split-decision loss against Daniel Rodriguez at UFC 279. Th…

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