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Merab Dvalishvili continues to call out Petr Yan:

“Great fight Petr. I like your callout, and I like your respect. Let’s go again, after 2 years. March 8th, T Mobile. Let’s f***ing go.”

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🎥 @MerabDvalishvil #UFC #MMApic.twitter.com/pKx2kxwAYC — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 23, 2024

Merab Dvalishvili wants to defend his title against Petr Yan next.

Yan earned a shutout unanimous decision win over former flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo in the main event at UFC Macau on Saturday. Yan subsequently called for a rematch against Dvalishvili, who beat him via unanimous decision in March 2023. Dvalishvili wasted no time in accepting the rematch against “No Mercy.” “The Machine” wants to defend his bantamweight strap against Yan at UFC 313 on March 18 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“Great fight Petr. I like your callout, and I like your respect,” Dvalishvili said in a video on social media. “Let’s go agai…

Bogdan Grad (14-2) will make his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut against Lucas Alexander (8-4) in February.

The Austrian will take on Alexander at a UFC Fight Night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Feb. 1. The matchup was initially reported by Marcel Dorff and subsequently confirmed by Grad on social media.

Grad has finished 11 of his 14 career wins, eight of them via knockout. “The Unleashed” was riding a five-fight winning streak when he got his first Dana White's Contender Series shot in August 2023. However, Grad went on to suffer a first-round stoppage loss against Australian prospect Tom Nolan. Grad subsequently racked up back-to-back finishes on the regional circuit to earn another chance at redemption on the Contender Series. The 29-year-old edged out a hard-fought split decision win over Michael Aswell this past August to make his way into the UFC.

Meanwhile, Alexander came into the UFC as a highly-touted prospect riding a five-fight winning str…

Top light heavyweight contenders will collide at UFC 311 in January.

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Former champs Jiri Prochazka (30-5) and Jamahal Hill (12-2) are scheduled to fight at UFC 311 on Jan. 18 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. The matchup was announced during the UFC Macau post-fight show and subsequently confirmed by “BJP” on Instagram. Multiple outlets have since confirmed the pairing.

🚨 On the #UFCMacau post-fight show, Dan Hellie said that Jamahal Hill will be fighting Jiri Prochazka in January 👀

(h/t @certifiedzester) #UFC #MMApic.twitter.com/a1D8ySvemr

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 23, 2024

Both Prochazka and Hill are coming off losses against champion Alex Pereira. Prochazka saw a 13-fight winning streak snapped with a title loss against Pereira at UFC 295 last year. The Czech bounced back with a come-from-behind stoppage win over Aleksandar Rakic but went on suffer another stoppage loss in a failed title remat…

SPINNING WHEEL KICK KO 🤯 #UFCMACAU pic.twitter.com/25KJ8OqmSx

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 23, 2024

Muslim Salikhov has a knack for spinning offense.

“The King of Kung Fu” received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his first-round finish of Kenan Song in their welterweight clash at UFC Macau on Saturday at Galaxy Arena. Salikhov dropped his adversary with a perfectly placed spinning wheel kick and sealed his victory with a standing-to-ground hammerfist at the 3:49 mark of Round 1. It is the second time the 40-year-old has used a spinning wheel kick to end a contest in UFC competition.

Elsewhere, Gabriella Fernandes garnered a $50,000 bonus for her upset victory over Cong Wang in a women’s flyweight bout. Wang appeared to have a comfortable lead on the scorecards when Fernandes hurt her foe with a head kick and dropped her with an ensuing left hand. From there, the MMA Masters product secured a rear-naked choke to get …

Petr Yan reminded his peers he still possesses all the tools that could someday see him return to power in the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight division.

“No Mercy” outboxed, outfoxed and outhustled Deiveson Figueiredo to a five-round unanimous decision in their UFC Fight Night 248 headliner on Saturday at Galaxy Arena in Macau, China. Yan (18-5, 10-4 UFC) swept the cards with identical 50-45 scores from the judges, further distancing himself from the three-fight skid that plagued him from April 9, 2022 to March 11, 2023.

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Figueiredo (24-4-1, 13-4-1 UFC) had no answer for the volume and variety the former 135-pound titleholder brought to bear. Yan kept him off-balance with feints and stance switches, creating openings for his finely tuned offensive weapons. Biting leg kicks, accurate punching combinations and slashing uppercuts at close range tipped his spear, but he also found time to mix in a few flying knees, a spinning backfist and a j…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to China Saturday at 3 a.m. ET with UFC Macau. The event is also known as UFC Fight Night 248. Round 1 Put the kettle on, it’s early morning fights for much of the planet. The locals in China will experience a show catered to their time zone instead of having to stay up to the wee hours of the morning to take in 13 fights at the Galaxy Arena in Macau. It is a bit of a scattershot fight card light on divisional relevance and heavy on UFC newcomers, and three-quarters of the latest Road to UFC season will wrap up by night’s end. We start things off in a non-tourney tilt at 155 pounds, as China tries to get on the board early with Hayisaer (10-3, 2-2 UFC) against the hard-swinging Motta (14-5, 1 NC; 2-2, 1 NC UFC). Both men sport .500 UFC records so their backs aren’t entirely against the wall here, but a win goes a long way in this weight class. Referee Kevin Sataki will receive the first assignment of the show, clocking the two in…

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Myktybek Orolbai is a beast of nature.

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The Kyrgyz mixed martial artist’s second-favorite sport is just as challenging as MMA — if not more. Orolbai recently revealed that his other love is the traditional sport of Kok Boru. Generated among nomadic Asian tribes, Kok Boru is known as Kokpar in Kazakhstan and Buzkashi in Afghanistan, where it is also the national sport. Also played by Uzbeks, Tajiks, Uyghurs and other tribes, the sport consists of two teams on horseback wrestling to carry a goat carcass to the other team’s goal post. The competition is usually fierce, and players cover themselves with thick gear to avoid opponents’ whips and shoes.

While it is believed that a skilful Kok Boru player is usually in his 40s, the 26-year-old Orolbai already claims to be champion of the sport.

“Kyrgyz sport that’s called Kok Boru… It’s on horseback – Kok Boru. I love that sport… There a lot of horses… You take a goat’s carcass on yo…

Tom Aspinall believes activity will be a factor in the upcoming rematch between Ciryl Gane (12-2) and Alexander Volkov (38-10).

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Gane and Volkov will run it back at UFC 310 on Dec. 7 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The two initially met back in 2021, when the Frenchman outpointed Volkov in a lackluster unanimous decision.

However, Aspinall believes things might play out differently this time. While Volkov bounced back from the Gane loss with a decision win over Marcin Tybura, he went on suffer a submission loss against Aspinall immediately afterwards. But “Drago” has since racked up four consecutive wins — including three finishes — within a span of two years. The Russian is fresh off a lopsided unanimous decision win over former training partner Sergei Pavlovich this past June.

Meanwhile, Gane has gone 3-2, alternating between wins and losses since his victory over Volkov. “Bon Gamin” hasn’t fought since a technical knockout win over Serg…

Dustin Poirier retweeted a tweet thanking him for knocking out Conor McGregor after he was found liable for sexual assault#UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/CENfSL8ZEr

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 22, 2024

The verdict in Conor McGregor’s civil lawsuit has incited some strong reactions from several prominent figures in the combat sports community.

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The Dublin High Court on Friday found McGregor liable for the sexual assault of Nikita Hand in 2018. While Hand had claimed that McGregor and James Lawrence raped her that night, the court didn’t find Lawrence liable for sexual assault. “Notorious” has been ordered to pay 248,603.60 euros ($259,025) to Hand in damages. The former UFC two-division champ was not found guilty of any charges, as it was civil lawsuit. Breaking his silence on the topic, McGregor has vowed to appeal the decision.

Former foes Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier, who have never been on the bes…

BREAKING: Nikita Hand speaks outside court. pic.twitter.com/H1K4eit8Ug

— Paul Healy (@Healyhack) November 22, 2024 A jury has found Ultimate Fighting Championship star Conor McGregor liable for the sexual assault of Nikita Hand in 2018.

The trial of McGregor has come to an end, with the Dublin High Court finding that McGregor assaulted Hand during their 2018 encounter. She testified earlier that both he and another man, James Lawrence, raped her at the Beacon Hotel in Dublin on Dec. 9, 2018. The jury did not find that Lawrence had assaulted her. As a result of the civil case decision, according to the Irish Mirror and RTE, “Notorious” has been ordered to pay 248,603.60 euros ($259,025) to Hand in damages.

McGregor denied all accusations of harmful contact, claiming any activity was consensual when describing the acts he believed she had consented to. Hand relayed a number of injuries including bruising all over her body, to which McGr…

Heading full steam into Saturday night 😮‍💨@PetrYanUFC comes in at 135.5 pounds for #UFCMacau

[ Live SATURDAY on @ESPNPlus | 6amET/3amPT ] pic.twitter.com/SNXMcSZS4H

— UFC (@ufc) November 22, 2024 The Ultimate Fighting Championship makes its return to China with a 13-fight Fight Night card.

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All 26 fighters on the card made weight for UFC Fight Night 248. That includes the two former champions in the main event, Petr Yan and Deiveson Figueiredo, who both came in under 136 pounds. The card will move on as planned, with all fights streaming from the Galaxy Arena in Macau.

A former 135-pound champion, Yan (17-5) is looking to show he still is a danger to all fighters in the division. "No Mercy" rebounded from a three-fight skid by winning a decision over Yadong Song in his last outing. The 31-year-old Russian stepped on the scale at 135.5 pounds.

Meanwhile, Figueiredo (24-3-1) has looked great since moving to banta…

A few years later, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is trying again with an interesting lightweight tilt.

On Thursday, Fight Bananas brought to light the rebooking between Grant Dawson (22-2-1) and Diego Ferreira (19-5) for Jan. 18. The two 155ers will come to blows at UFC 311 inside of the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. The pairing has since been confirmed by Dawson on his Instagram on Thursday. This will be the second attempt to put this bout together, as the two were previously booked for UFC Fight Night 193 in 2021 only for a Ferreira injury to scuttle the matchup.

Dawson bounced back from his first loss in years in a big way, outworking Joe Solecki and stopping Rafa Garcia in 2024. The defeat, a 33-second knockout to Bobby Green, put an end to a nine-fight unbeaten streak in the Octagon that included victories over names like Jared Gordon and Julian Erosa. With an 82% finish rate in tow, “KGD” worked his way to the promotion in 2017 as part of the first season of …

2nd generation fighter Taisei Sakuraba set to make his MMA debut in RIZIN, 31 December 2024. He brings a judo black belt background along with the amateur and catch wrestling lineage of his father, Kazushi. #RIZIN @KS_SAKU39 @rizin_PR pic.twitter.com/vR9ZdXKHfm

— Sᴛoo Fᴜʟᴛᴏɴ (@_StewartFulton) July 29, 2024 A Sakuraba will be competing in MMA again very soon.

In preparation for the Rizin 49 Decade event on Dec. 31, Rizin Fighting Federation sent out a press release announcing a trio of new matchups for the show at the Saitama Super Arena. Most notable of the three is the debut of Taisei Sakuraba (0-0), son of MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba. He will be competing at 155 pounds, and his first bout in a ring will be against longtime vet Yusuke Yachi (27-14).

Sakuraba first began training while a teenager, studying judo until it blossomed into full-bore MMA practice. The youngster made his way on the scene in 2023, appearing at Quintet 4 and tapp…

A matchup of bantamweight prospects has been added to the UFC 311 card.

Ricky Turcios (11-3) will trade leather with Bernardo Sopai (12-4) at UFC 311 on Jan. 18 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. The matchup was first reported by Damon Martin. Turcios and Sopai were originally scheduled to headline UFC Vegas 100 in November but an injury forced Turcios out after weighing in for the contest.

Turcios has fought only four times in the UFC since his debut in 2021, going 2-2. “Pretty” most recently suffered a submission loss against Raul Rosas Jr. in his Octagon return after a hiatus of over a year and a half this past June.

Meanwhile, Albania’s Sopai came into the UFC as a highly-touted prospect with a near 100% finish rate. However, his UFC debut was foiled by Vinicius Oliveira with a vicious flying knee this past March.

🚨 Eddie Alvarez x Jeremy Stephens at BKFC Knucklemania V on Jan. 25 at Wells Fargo Center in Philly, per @arielhelwani pic.twitter.com/y0VlDAxOFL

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) November 19, 2024

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship stars will meet in a bare knuckle clash in January 2025.

Former UFC lightweights Eddie Alvarez (30-8) and Jeremy Stephens (29-21) are set to clash at BKFC Knucklemania 5 on Jan. 25 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The matchup was first reported by Ariel Helwani.

Stephens exited the UFC with a five-fight winless streak in 2021. “Lil’ Heathen” went on to compete in the Professional Fighters League’s 2022 Season, where he came up short in the semi-finals. Stephens then competed in a couple of boxing matches before signing with the BKFC last year. The 38-year-old has since picked up consecutive victories over Jimmie Rivera and most recently Bobby Taylor in September.

Meanwhile, Alvarez had a…

Shamil Gaziev will fight Thomas Petersen at #UFCSaudiArabia on February 1st. (first rep. @realkevink) #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN #UFC2025 pic.twitter.com/RwiLww3qD0

— Marcel Dorff 🇳🇱🇮🇩 (@BigMarcel24) November 20, 2024

A heavyweight matchup has been announced for UFC Saudi Arabia.

Shamil Gaziev is set to meet Thomas Petersen at a UFC Fight Night event on Feb. 1 at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Gaziev (13-1) made his promotional debut as an undefeated prospect at UFC 296 last year, where he knocked out Martin Buday. The Bahraini then faced a steep climb in competition against Jairzinho Rozenstruik, who handed him his first career loss by rendering him unable to continue beyond the fourth stanza. Gaziev has since bounced back with a unanimous decision win over Don'Tale Mayes in August.

Meanwhile, Petersen (9-2) earned his Ultimate Fighting Championship contract with a keylock submission win over Chandler Cole on the Dana Whit…

🚨Rematch!🚨

Brendan Allen will fight Anthony Hernandez on February 22, 2025, per sources

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The UFC event is eyed for Seattle pic.twitter.com/w1HMRZPycp — Alex Behunin (@AlexBehunin) November 19, 2024

Brendan Allen is set to trade leather against Anthony Hernandez in February 2025.

The middleweight prospects will meet in a rematch on Feb. 22, likely in Seattle. The matchup was first reported by Alex Behunin.

They first met in the LFA 32 main event in 2018 where “All in” dropped a unanimous decision against Hernandez. Hernandez (13-2) got a spot on Dana White’s Contender Series immediately after and a subsequent Ultimate Fighting Championship contract. While Hernandez went 1-2 to start his UFC journey, “Fluffy” has since completely turned his career around. Hernandez is currently on a spectacular six-fight winning streak with five finishes, leaving behind the likes of Marc-Andre Barriault, Roman Kopylov and M…

Dana White is NOT happy with the updated pound-for-pound rankings after Jon Jones' win at #UFC309

"I have to get rid of these CLOWNS!!"#UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/8ORJpjmVvS

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 19, 2024

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Dana White is so angry about the Ultimate Fighting Championship rankings system that he might change it for good.

The UFC rankings are decided by the votes of a panel of media members whom White has been criticizing for years. The UFC head honcho’s primary grouse seemingly is Jon Jones (28-1) not topping the pound-for-pound list.

Jones refused to unify his heavyweight title against interim champ Tom Aspinall (15-3) and chose to fight Stipe Miocic (20-5), who was inactive for three years. However, White thoroughly defended “Bones,” also rallying for him to be branded the P4P king. Jones successfully defended his strap with a third-round technical knockout over Miocic at UFC 309 in New York l…

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Michael Page is anticipating a standup fest in a potential clash against Sharabutdin Magomedov.

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Two of the most dynamic strikers on the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster, Page (23-3) and Magomedov (15-0) have recently been teasing a clash for UFC Saudi Arabia in February 2025. Page acknowledged Magomedov’s unorthodox striking, which was further highlighted by a double spinning backfist knockout win over Armen Petrosyan at UFC 308 last month.

“Very fast but a bit unpredictable because some of the angles and some of the stuff that he throws, like that double [backfist],” “MVP” told Red Corner MMA. “Obviously, it seemed like he’s trained that before but certain things like that. He looks like the kind of guy that doesn’t even know what he’s going to throw next.”

When asked about his gameplan for a clash against Page, Magomedov recently vowed that he won’t be the one shooting for takedowns. While Page has heard similar pro…

Professional Fighters League MENA breakout star Hattan Alsaif will face Lilia Osmani on Nov. 29 at #PFLWorldChampionship pic.twitter.com/9BpiTHgkjW

— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom) November 19, 2024

On Nov. 29, the Professional Fighters League returns to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for a special one-night championship event, and they’re showcasing some special talent from the region.

In what will see all six of the PFL Global Championships matchups, the league will also be holding their MENA finals on the same card, which features the return of Saudi Arabia’s own Hattan Alsaif.

The first ever woman from Saudi Arabia to sign with the PFL, Alsaif has been an electrifying addition to its roster. In her first two amateur fights, Alsaif has picked up two stoppages in the second round, including a viral head kick in her SmartCage debut. Alsaif will face Lilia Osmani on Nov. 29.

PFL MENA is another expansion league to what the PFL is doing gl…

Bo Nickal is asked what he was thinking when he heard the crowd chant "Overrated".

Later, Nickal talks UFC 309 broadcast team criticism: It was a little disappointing to hear some of those comments from people I respect a lot.#HelwaniShow pic.twitter.com/HVQb90mXFe

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) November 18, 2024 Many fans and pundits were not impressed with Bo Nickal’s performance.

On the main card of UFC 309, Nickal (7-0) picked up a unanimous decision win over Paul Craig (17-9-1) in striking contest where the vaunted wrestler did not even attempt a single takedown. The lackluster back-and-forth did not thrill the audience or commentary team, drawing chants of “overrated” from those in attendance. The multiple-time NCAA Division I champ suggested in his post-fight interviews that he did not wish to put himself in danger of an unlikely submission from “Bearjew,” and ran a risk-adverse strategy he thought went well. Nickal, however, di…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is making a first in Saudi Arabia this February.

According to Canadian outlet Sportsnet and immediately confirmed by the promotion on Monday, Mayra Bueno Silva (10-4-1, 1 NC) will be returning to flyweight for an encounter on Feb. 1. The Brazilian will come to blows with Jasmine Jasudavicius (12-3) at UFC Saudi Arabia, also known as a currently unnumbered UFC Fight Night event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The venue has not been made official as to whether it will be held at the Kingdom Arena like the past UFC show in the city or at the building named “The Venue.”

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The two ladies will serve as the first women’s bout in the Octagon in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is not the first female match for the promotion in the Middle East, with that honor going to Sarah Moras vs. Liana Jojua at UFC 242 in 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. This event will be organization’s second jaunt to Saudi Arabia, with the first UFC on…

Signs are pointing to a Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight championship unification battle in the not-too-distant future.

At UFC 309, disputed heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones (28-1, 1 NC) defended his throne against Stipe Miocic, dispatching the longtime titleholder with a spinning back kick and follow-up punches. In his post-fight interview, Jones expressed that he would not likely be retiring after his victory, while not naming his next opponent as he noted there are plenty of options going forward. According to one of those options, Tom Aspinall (15-3), he will be the next challenge to “Bones.”

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Despite the excitement potential of a title unification, Jones was not entirely sold on the endeavor. He suggested that instead, light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira should move up to try to become the UFC’s first beltholder in three weight classes. The New Yorker again flirted with retirement if he does not battle “Poatan” next, but the UFC might not …

Darren Till will take on Tommy Fury inside the squared circle in January.

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Till and Fury will trade leather at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester on Jan. 18, 2025. The matchup was confirmed by Ariel Helwani.

Breaking:

Darren Till x Tommy Fury is going down Jan. 18 on @DAZNBoxing. pic.twitter.com/zNbkErIfGO

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) November 17, 2024

Former UFC welterweight and middleweight contender Till put his MMA career on hiatus last year on the back of a three-fight losing streak to pursue other ventures. “The Gorilla” made his exhibition boxing debut against Mohammad Mutie this past July, earning a technical knockout win as Mutie was rendered unable to continue due to an injury. However, the fight was marred by controversy thanks to a massive post-fight brawl.

Meanwhile, Fury is best known for being the younger brother of multiple-time heavyweight champ Tyson Fury, and for being the first fight…