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Junior Tafa In for Injured Justin Tafa Against Marcos Rogerio de Lima at UFC 298

Against all odds, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will still have 12 fights on the UFC 298 billing.

On Friday morning, the UFC announced during the UFC 298 weigh-in show that Justin Tafa had suffered an injury that would be keeping him from his heavyweight fight with Marcos Rogerio de Lima (21-9-1). An hour later, the promotion stated that it was working on a replacement fighter to keep Lima on the card. That fighter would be Tafa’s brother, Junior Tafa (5-1), who was cleared and allowed to weigh in and serve as the replacement. This is the first such occasion of one brother replacing another in organizational history, but not the first overall in the sport of MMA.

Lima stays on the lineup in hopes of putting a 33-second knockout loss to Derrick Lewis in July 2023 behind him. Before getting lamped by “The Black Beast,” the Brazilian had strung together two wins over Andrei Arlovski and Waldo Cortes-Acosta—while landing a rare submission on the former in quick fashi…

UFC 298 Weigh-in Results: Title Fight Set; Junior Tafa Replaces Justin Tafa

[embedded content] On extremely short notice, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has pulled off the 'ol switcheroo.

Headlining the 12-fight UFC 298 event is a featherweight title tilt between champion Alexander Volkanovski and challenger Ilia Topuria. Both men successfully made weight for the fight, as did the remainder of the lineup. While one fight was nixed before the weigh-ins when Justin Tafa suffered an injury, Tafa's brother, Junior Tafa (249), was cleared to replace him against Marcos Rogerio de Lima (261.5).

Volkanovski (26-3) is looking to make his sixth successful title defense. However, "The Great" has lost two of his last three fights as he fell short against Islam Makhachev in two bids to win the lightweight championship. The 35-year-old is coming off his first knockout defeat since 2013 and will look to show he still has plenty left in the tank. Volkanovski officially weighed 144.5 pounds.

Meanwhile, the undefeated Topuria (14-0) is…

Wanderlei Silva Plans to ‘Hang’ Quinton Jackson on the Ropes in Fifth Fight

Rarely has a rivalry been so prolific that the competitors want to face one another a fifth time.

At Pride Final Conflict 2003, Wanderlei Silva and Quinton Jackson battled it out in the finals of the 2003 middleweight (205 pounds) tournament. After six-plus minutes of combat, Silva emerged the victor courtesy of a seemingly unending series of knees and soccer kicks. The two met again nearly one year later at Pride 28, this time for the Pride middleweight strap on the line. Silva ultimately decimated his rival with knees in the second stanza, causing a bloodied “Rampage” to fall through the ropes after getting knocked out.

The story was not over despite two knockout victories in favor of the Brazilian, as both former Pride Fighting Championships fighters made their way to the Ultimate Fighting Championship after the former’s dissolution. At UFC 92 in December 2008, the 205-pound sluggers met for a third time in a title eliminator, and Jackson got t…

Blanchfield-Fiorot Elevated to UFC Atlantic City Headliner; Luque vs. Buckley Co-Main

After some rejiggering, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is now making a flyweight title eliminator a five-rounder in Atlantic City.

At the end of January, the scheduled main event of UFC on ESPN 54 between Sean Brady and Vicente Luque fell through due to the former’s injury. While Luque is getting a new opponent, per the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey—the venue of the fight card—it will not remain as the main attraction. In its place will be the 125-pound tilt between Erin Blanchfield (12-1) and Manon Fiorot (11-1), likely for a shot at the belt. The UFC announced this change on Thursday.

Since joining the promotion in 2021, New Jersey native Blanchfield has been a woman possessed as she moved up through the division. Starting with a pair of decisions that year over Sarah Alpar and Miranda Maverick, Blanchfield began finishing women in the Octagon the following year. In her 2022 campaign, “Cold Blooded” tapped J.J. Aldrich with a guillotine choke and …

Paulo Costa Expects to Show ‘Better Version of Myself’ at UFC 298

It’s been approximately a year and a half since Paulo Costa last competed under the Ultimate Fighting Championship banner, but that doesn’t mean “Borrachinha” has been stagnant in his development.

Costa will face former middleweight champ Robert Whittaker in the UFC 298 co-main event on Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. It will be his first appearance since he defeated Luke Rockhold via unanimous decision at UFC 278 in August 2022. In the meantime, the Brazilian was sidelined by a combination of prolonged negotiations with the promotion and injury. Costa notably lost a high-profile booking against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 this past October when he was forced to pull out of the event due to an infection in his elbow.

“I tried really hard to keep the fight, but doctors don’t allow me to keep the fight,” Costa said during UFC 298 media day. “Right after that, I just tried to be healthy and in shape to fight as soon as I could.”<…

Henry Cejudo Confirms He’ll Retire with Loss at UFC 298: ‘This is All or Nothing’

A few weeks back, Henry Cejudo indicated that he would call it a career if things didn’t go his way at UFC 298.

At media day on Wednesday, the Olympic gold medalist and former UFC two division champion doubled down on that statement. If he beats Merab Dvalishvili at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, on Saturday, Cejudo would eventually like to make a run at featherweight gold — event though the winner of their bout would be perhaps the top contender at 135 pounds. A loss, however, would lead to Cejudo retiring for a second time.

“My goal, and you guys are probably gonna give me a lot of s—t for this, the goal is still 145 pounds,” Cejudo said. “I’ve already defended my 135-pound [title]. Yeah, I lost my last fight by split decision, but I’m not wavering from the goal of going up. I feel like a win over Merab and then get the winner out of [Marlon Vera and Sean O’Malley]. [Then] I want whoever has that belt at 145 pounds. I feel like I’ve e…

Dana White on Conor McGregor’s Return: ‘I Need to Know the Guy’s in a Full Camp’

Dana White doesn’t seem to have any especially enlightening updates when it comes to Conor McGregor’s UFC return.

During a recent interview with Kevin Iole, the UFC CEO cited McGregor’s recovery from a broken leg and the Irishman’s wealth as the primary culprits as to why the former two-division champion doesn’t yet have a date for his next fight.

McGregor suffered badly broken leg in his last Octagon appearance, a loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. The Dublin native coached opposite Michael Chandler on “The Ultimate Fighter 31” last year, but so far, nothing has been confirmed regarding a potential meeting between the two.

“First of all, he is coming back from one of the nastiest injuries you can come back from,” White said. “How long was Anderson Silva out when he did it? How long was Chris Weidman out when he did it? The guys who break that bone [are out a long time], so that’s an issue right there, No. 1. No. 2 is, Conor McGr…

Former Invicta FC, LFA Competitor Ashley Nichols Dead at 37

Our thoughts go out to the family of former Invicta fighter Ashley Nichols. Rest in peace. https://t.co/1Ge1HHn4jT pic.twitter.com/SkyHB3WDmg

— Invicta FC (@InvictaFights) February 13, 2024

Former Invicta Fighting Championships and Legacy Fighting Alliance talent Ashley Nichols has died at 37 years old.

Invicta FC confirmed news of Nichols’ passing on social media. A cause of death is unknown at this time.

Several members of the MMA community paid tribute to Nichols, including her former coach, Jeff Harrison.

“We lost a vibrant champion last night,” Harrison wrote via Instagram on Tuesday. “I found this indigenous female upstart when I taught in London. She went on to become one of MAS Thai boxing’s most decorated professional champions in muay thai. Truly the most technical and ferocious female striker that Canada has EVER SEEN. IFMA world champ, WMF world Champ, WPMTF world champ. She was imbedded in the MMA sce…

Ilia Topuria Explains Why Alexander Volkanovski Will Be One of His ‘Easier Fights’

To say that Ilia Topuria is confident going into his first Ultimate Fighting Championship title fight against reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 would be an understatement.

“El Matador” has repeatedly claimed that Volkanovski will be one of his easiest fights, updated his mixed martial arts record on his social media to 15-0 and is shooting a movie that will document his journey to claiming the UFC featherweight title.

Much has been made of the Spaniard’s exuberance going into his first title shot, especially his belief that Volkanovski will be one of his easier matchups inside the Octagon.

Responding to criticism from fans who believe Topuria may be taking Volkanovski too lightly, the Spaniard recently offered some reasoning behind his bold prediction in an interview with ESPN.

“[It will be one of my easier fights] at the moment he is right now,” Topuria said. “Because he lost his last fight. He talked about his mental prob…

Edmen Shahbazyan vs. A.J. Dobson Slated for UFC on ESPN 53 on March 23

UFC on ESPN 53 on March 23 has undergone a change due to recent fight cancellations.

Edmen Shahbazyan (12-4), who was initially scheduled to face Dusko Todorovic (12-4) on the card, will now take on A. J. Dobson in a middleweight clash at the event. The news was first announced by Dobson’s management on social media.

The matchup seems to have been put together following a last-minute cancellation of Dobson’s UFC 298 meeting with Tresean Gore this weekend after the “The Ultimate Fighter” finalist was forced to withdraw from the bout due to an undisclosed injury.

Shahbazyan, once a promising prospect, has gone 1-4 in his last five promotional outings and will enter the Octagon on the heels of a Round 3 technical knockout loss at the hands of Anthony Hernandez in May of last year.

Meanwhile, Dobson will enter the Octagon on the heels of his first UFC victory, a unanimous decision over Tafon Nchukwi this past August. That triumph saw him …

Henry Cejudo Claims Dismissal of Coach Eric Albarracin Was a Prank

Henry Cejudo claims to have pulled a fast one on the MMA community during the UFC “Countdown” show.

During one of the episodes, Cejudo is shown parting ways with longtime coach Eric Albarracin ahead of UFC 298.

“You were with me for my last Olympic trials, and you’ve been there for me, but as of right now, I just want to let you know that for this camp, dude, I’m getting rid of specific coaches – and that’s you included,” Cejudo said to Albarracin on the show.

What appeared to be a very public dismissal drew criticism from a few prominent figures in the sport, including Alexander Volkanovski, Ray Longo and Matt Brown. However, Cejudo recently reunited with Albarracin in a video post on Instagram, where both men claimed that the whole scene was an elaborate prank.

“Bill Belichick-Tom Brady, Phil Jackson-Michael Jordan. Come on, you think they would ever break up? Come on, man,” Albarracin said in the video.

While Brady did actually l…

‘Bigfoot’ Silva Says He’s Fighting ‘TUF 28’ Winner Juan Espino on March 23 in Spain

Despite being mired in a lengthy losing streak, former UFC heavyweight title challenger Antonio Silva continues to soldier onward.

The Brazilian known as “Bigfoot” on Tuesday announced via social media that he will square off against fellow UFC veteran Juan Espino on March 23 at Gran Canaria Arena in Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain. The event is entitled “La Despedida,” or The Farewell. Rules for the bout were not revealed.

“I am very happy to fight against [someone I respect] in my career, someone who motivates me to be a better fighter and I admire,” Silva wrote on Instagram (via translated text). “A fight full of respect where victory or defeat is not sought but to thank all the fans who have supported us with a great show.”

Including boxing and bare knuckle boxing, Silva has lost 11 consecutive professional fights dating back to November 2015, with all but two of those defeats coming via knockout or technical knockout. The 44-year-ol…

PFL’s Cedric Doumbe ‘100 Percent Sure’ He’s Face of French MMA

While he’s already an accomplished combat sports athlete, Cedric Doumbe is still relatively young when it comes to his mixed martial arts career.

The former two-time Glory Kickboxing champion will take a 5-0 record into his showdown with Baissangour Chamsoudinov at PFL Europe on March 7. The card takes place at Accor Arena in Paris, and Doumbe calls his bout “the biggest MMA fight in French history.”

Though Doumbe is already a big star, fellow Frenchman Benoit St. Denis recently disputed the notion that the kickboxing ace is already the face of MMA in the country. According to St. Denis, UFC heavyweight Ciryl Gane currently deserves that honor.

“Of course I do not agree with that,” Doumbe said during a media call on Tuesday. “I’m 100% sure I am the face of MMA in France and everybody knows that. For some people, if you’re not in the UFC you can’t be the face of MMA. They think UFC is the top guys. That’s not wrong, but still you don’t have to…

UFC Fighter Sedriques Dumas Arrested for Battery in Florida

UFC fighter Sedriques Dumas was arrested in Florida on a battery charge, according to Escambia County Jail inmate records.

Dumas was booked at 6:13 a.m. local time on Tuesday. TMZ Sports was first to report the UFC middleweight’s arrest. A video on Dumas’ Facebook page depicts a tense confrontation between Dumas and two police officers in front of a home.

“I’m beyond f—-ing pissed,” Dumas can be heard saying in the video. “…How am I disturbing the peace when I was walking.”

One officer can be overheard saying that they responded to a call from a woman claiming “her boyfriend was banging on the door and ringing the doorbell.” Dumas responds that he is no longer in a relationship with the woman in question.

Dumas appears to be taken into custody as the video ends.

“What are you doing?” Dumas says in the video. “This is bulls—t.”

Dumas has a lengthy criminal history that was brought to light prior to his UFC debut. This includes al…

Tresean Gore Injured, UFC 298 Bout vs. A.J. Dobson Canceled

UFC 298 is down to 12 fights after Tresean Gore withdrew from a proposed middleweight clash against A.J. Dobson due to injury.

The promotion announced the cancellation of the bout on Tuesday. The nature of Gore’s injury was not revealed. UFC 298 takes place on Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, and is headlined by a featherweight title tilt pitting Alexander Volkanovski against Ilia Topuria.

A finalist on Season 29 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Gore picked up his first promotional triumph at UFC Fight Night 213 in October 2022, when he earned a second-round submission victory against Josh Fremd. Gore has not competed in the Octagon since then.

Dobson, meanwhile, is 1-2 in the Las Vegas-based promotion after appearing on Dana White’s Contender Series in September 2021. The Strong Style Fight Team member halted a two-bout skid in his last outing, as he outpointed Tafon Nchukwi at UFC on ESPN 51 this past August.

James Gallagher vs. Jeremy Kennedy, Several Other Bouts Confirmed for Bellator 302

A showdown between James Gallagher and Jeremy Kennedy is one of several matchups that were recently made official for Bellator 302.

The promotion also announced that Gallagher vs. Kennedy will be a No. 1 contender’s bout at featherweight. Meanwhile, a lightweight clash pitting Tim Wilde against former PFL Challengers Series competitor Manoel Sosa will round out the event’s five-fight main card.

Bellator 302 takes place at SSE Arena in Belfast on March 22 and is headlined by a light heavyweight title bout between Corey Anderson and Karl Moore. Three new preliminary bouts were also announced for the event: Ciaran Clarke vs. Darius Mafi at bantamweight; Nathan Kelly vs. Vikas Singh Ruhil at featherweight and Abraham Bably vs. Isaiah Pinson at heavyweight.

The 27-year-old Gallagher has been victorious in five of his last six appearances under the Bellator MMA banner. Most recently, the Irish fighter garnered a split-decision triumph against Jame…

Austin Hubbard vs. Michal Figlak Added to UFC Fight Night Event on April 27

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

A lightweight clash between Austin Hubbard and Michal Figlak has been added to a UFC Fight Night event on April 27.

The news was first reported by MMA Mania’s Alex Behunin and later confirmed by Hubbard on Instagram. The event is set to take place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas with no headliner announced yet.

Hubbard (15-7) will enter the Octagon on the heels of a Round 2 submission loss to Kurt Holobaugh in "The Ultimate Fighter” lightweight finals at UFC 292. Prior to his recent appearance on “TUF,” the Elevation Fight Team product racked up a two-fight win streak on the regional scene in 2022. Hubbard went 3-4 during his initial Ultimate Fighting Championship stint from 2019 to 2021.

Meanwhile, Poland’s Figlak (8-1) is coming off his first professional mixed martial arts loss to Fares Ziam in his promotional debut in September 2022. The lightweight prospect has not com…

ONE Championship Issues Statement on Sage Northcutt’s Visa Situation

ONE Championship has responded to Sage Northcutt’s claims that the Singapore-based promotion was responsible for the cancelation of his ONE 165 lightweight clash against Shinya Aoki on Jan. 28 in Tokyo, Japan.

While Northcutt was set to face “Tobikan Judan” in a highly-anticipated bout on the pay-per-view, the organization announced that the American had withdrawn from the card due to unforeseen circumstances.

However, Northcutt shared a different version of events that led to his withdrawal in an Instagram post.

ONE Championship has now responded to Northcutt’s statement, describing the situation as a misunderstanding caused by “work visa processing issues.”

Furthermore, the promotion made it clear that it would like to alleviate all of Northcutt’s concerns and move to resolve the situation amicably.

“ONE Championship empathizes with Sage Northcutt in regards to the situation he faced at ONE 165, where two of his coaches were not allowed to …

Terrance McKinney to Face Esteban Ribovics at UFC Event on May 11

A lightweight showdown pitting Terrance McKinney against Esteban Ribovics is on tap for an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on May 11.

Ribovics confirmed the booking on social media following an initial report from ESPN KnockOut commentator Gaston Reyno. The UFC Fight Night event doesn’t currently have an announced location or headliner.

McKinney is coming off back-to-back first-round technical knockout victories over Mike Breeden and Brendon Marotte in the second half of 2023. The Spokane, Washington, native is 5-3 during his tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion, with all of his triumphs coming inside of a round.

Argentina’s Ribovics is 1-1 in the Octagon following a first-round knockout of Thomas Paull on Dana White’s Contender Series in August 2022. After dropping a decision against Loik Radzhabov in his promotional debut at UFC 285, “El Gringo” rebounded to outpoint Kamuela Kirk at UFC 290 in his most recent appearance.

Tofiq Musayev vs. Alfie Davis, Fabian Edwards vs. Aaron Jeffery Set for Bellator 302

The lineup for Bellator 302 continues to take shape, as a lightweight clash between Tofiq Musayev and Alfie Davis and a middleweight scrap pitting Fabian Edwards against Aaron Jeffrey have been added to the March 22 event in Belfast, Ireland.

Sherdog.com confirmed the bouts with a promotion official following an intial report from MMAjunkie.com. Bellator 302 takes place at the SSE Arena and is headlined by a showdown between Corey Anderson and Karl Moore for the promotion’s vacant light heavyweight crown.

Musayev is 1-1 in Bellator MMA competition, with a 27-second stoppage of Sidney Outlaw and a third-round TKO defeat against Alexandr Shabliy on his ledger. More recently, the Azerbaijan native scored back-to-back knockout victories over Akira Okada and Koji Takeda under the Rizin Fighting Federation banner.

Anchored at London Shootfighters, Davis owns a 16-4-1 professional mark. He’ll enter the matchup with Musayev on a two-fight winning s…

Alexander Volkanovski Plans to Make Ilia Topuria ‘Eat Some of His Words’ at UFC 298

[embedded content]

Alexander Volkanovski has no shortage of motivation heading into his latest title defense at UFC 298.

Not only is the City Kickboxing standout coming off back-to-back losses to reigning lightweight king Islam Makhachev, but he will be facing a dangerous, undefeated challenger in Ilia Topuria. If he had gotten his way, Volkanovski would have faced Topuria even sooner.

“The good thing is about someone like that, I’m always trying to fight or find a No. 1 guy. A clear contender for me to face in this featherweight division and Ilia is it, right?” Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel. “He was the next, it’s clear. They signed the date. I actually wanted him straight after Yair [Rodriguez at UFC 290]. I told him come jump the fence and get a faceoff because he was undefeated. I didn’t want anyone else fighting him. I wanted to make sure I got a young, hungry undefeated guy that’s got hype around him.

“He likes to talk. So, i…

Henry Cejudo Removed Longtime Coach Eric Albarracin from Team Ahead of UFC 298

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Longtime coach Eric Albarracin was not a part of Henry Cejudo’s camp ahead of the former two-division champion’s fight with Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 298.

Cejudo parted ways with Albarracin, who has been his coach since before his MMA career began, on an episode of the UFC “Countdown” show. It was unclear exactly when that particular episode was filmed.

At least on camera, Albarracin seemed to take his dismissal in stride.

“The goal has always been the same, for you to be the greatest combat athlete of all-time,” Albarracin said. “To me, that was a dream come true.”

Cejudo, meanwhile, commended the coach for his classy response.

“This is why this man is the GOAT coach — the m…

Joe Pyfer Reacts to First UFC Defeat: ‘I Wasn’t Supposed to Be Here Anyway’

Joe Pyfer’s response to his loss at #UFCVegas86 pic.twitter.com/krginPS7PH

— MMA Mania (@mmamania) February 11, 2024

Joe Pyfer has come a long way since badly dislocating his elbow on Dana White's Contender Series in August 2020.

Pyfer recovered from that injury to author a five-bout winning streak that included three finishes in UFC competition, a run that led to him to a headlining spot opposite Jack Hermansson at UFC Fight Night 236 on Saturday night. Relying on a stiff jab, increasingly effective leg kicks and a solid gas tank, Hermansson derailed Pyfer’s momentum with a unanimous decision triumph at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The tide truly began to turn in Round 3, when “The Joker” rocked his opponent with a hard jab. Pyfer admitted that he was never able to fully recover from that point forward.

“I’m OK, despite how my face looks,” Pyfer said in a video on his Instagram stories. “I wasn’t rocked. I got …

Dan Ige Couldn’t Let Friendship with Andre Fili ‘Get in the Way of Business’

Sometimes when two close friends square off in the cage, it makes for a less-than-stellar product on fight night.

That wasn’t the case in the UFC Fight Night 236 co-main event, where Dan Ige authored a vicious knockout of friend and onetime training partner Andre Fili at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Ige floored his opponent with a massive overhand right and then left no doubt with one final standing-to-ground shot to earn a knockout victory 2:43 into Round 1.

For Ige, it was just business.

“I love Andre, man. He’s like one of my most favorite people in this fight game,” Ige said on the ESPN+ post-fight show. “I couldn’t let that get in the way of the business. That’s just how it goes sometimes. You fight people you like. I knew if I went in there and was his friend in there, he would have had much more success. I had to go in there and have some mean intentions, and I got it done.”

While Ige and Fili have trained together in …

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