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[embedded content] The Ultimate Fighting Championship hosts its first pay-per-view event of 2024 this weekend.

Atop the UFC 297 card is a middleweight title clash between champion Sean Strickland and No. 1 contender Dricus Du Plessis. Both fighters successfully made weight, as did Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva, who will vie for the vacant bantamweight title. There were two weight misses as Malcolm Gordon came in 1.5 pounds over the flyweight limit for his fight against Jimmy Flick, and would-be bantamweight Ramon Taveras weighed 139.75 pounds for his scheduled scrap versus Serhiy Sidey. Both men will be fined a percentage of their purses as a result.

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Strickland (28-5) is coming off a shocking upset of Israel Adesanya. Over five rounds, Strickland outpointed "The Last Stylebender" with his jab and solid fundamentals. "Tarzan" is now on a three-fight win streak, having also outclassed Abusupiyan Magomedov and Nassourdine Imavov. The American…

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ONE Fight Night 19 is shaping up to be a scintillating card with the addition of a 155-pound muay thai clash between promotional newcomer Luke Lessei and muay thai veteran Eddie Abasolo, Sherdog.com has learned.

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The two will face each other in a three-round affair on the Feb. 16 card, which goes down at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok and will be headlined by a 145-pound muay thai clash between reigning champion Jonathan Haggerty and top contender Felipe Lobo.

Lessei will enter the bout on the heels of a tightly-contested loss against Jo Natawutt in his promotional debut at ONE Fight Night 17 in December 2023.

Meanwhile, Abasolo will also look to rebound after dropping a competitive loss against muay thai legend Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong at ONE Friday Fights 22 in June 2023.

Before the loss to Sitsongpeenong, the 37-year-old recorded a Round 2 knockout of Niclas Larsen at One on Prime Video 8 in March 2023.

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship has found a replacement for its lost co-headliner on Feb. 10.

MMA Junkie first broke the news on Friday that Andre Fili (23-10, 1 NC) would be stepping in for Lerone Murphy at UFC Fight Night 236 on Feb. 10. The veteran featherweight will be facing Dan Ige (17-7) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on that date, likely still in the co-main event slot. This pairing has since been confirmed by other outlets.

“Touchy” Fili returned to the win column in December by knocking out Lucas Almeida in the first round at UFC 296. The Team Alpha Male product has not put a win or losing streak together since 2019 when he won two straight against Myles Jury and Sheymon Moraes. As he has pinballed around the featherweight ladder, Fili has beaten the likes of Bill Algeo and Charles Jourdain but come up short against names like Nathaniel Wood and Bryce Mitchell.

Hawaii’s Ige saw his own win streak come to a close in September 2023 when Mitchell picke…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship great Anderson Silva is crestfallen about the death of his friend, Diego Braga.

The Brazilian mixed martial arts community was shocked by the killing of former MMA fighter Diego Braga on Monday. The news spread all across televised news broadcasts, opening another chapter of the criminal territory dispute between militias and narco criminals in Rio de Janeiro. A litany of famed names in the sport attended the fighter’s funeral on Wednesday at the Jardim da Saudade Cemetery.

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In addition to son Gabriel Braga, a Professional Fighters League finalist in 2023, others in attendance included Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Davi Ramos, Gustavo Machado and Anderson Silva. The UFC legend, who had trained muay thai with Braga in his last MMA fights, was devastated and declined to speak to the press. Instead, “The Spider” published a lengthy message on his Instagram in honor of his fallen friend and condemned authorities for the i…

Professional Fighters League competitor Gabriel Braga is receiving support from much of the MMA community after the death of his father.

Less than a day after his father, Diego Braga, was killed in Rio de Janeiro, Gabriel Braga was officially confirmed on the inaugural PFL vs. Bellator MMA event in Saudi Arabia. Braga is scheduled to take on Bellator standout Aaron Pico at 145 pounds in Riyadh on Feb. 24. Many teammates and competitors have wondered if Braga can compete with a clear mind, given that his father primarily trained Braga. To help him prepare for the matchup—providing it stays together—Marcus Silveira, the head of American Top Team, told Sherdog that he has offered to train the 25-year-old for his upcoming engagement.

“Gabriel and Joshua [Silveira] fought on the same card for the whole 2023 season,” the coach noted. “And thanks to that and, obviously the fact that me and Diego were former vale tudo fighters helping our sons to keep our road and go beyond […

Kara-Ool Changy looks like a real problem for the rest of the ONE Championship strawweight division.

The undefeated 26-year-old Russian prospect kept his perfect professional record intact in what was a stellar promotional debut, as he battered Arsenio Balisacan Jr. to a doctor stoppage in their ONE Friday Fights 48 showcase on Friday at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. A weary and bloodied Balisacan (4-3, 0-1 ONE) bowed out in between the second and third rounds.

Changy (5-0, 1-0 ONE) wore down his Filipino counterpart with a series of trip takedowns and suplexes in the first round, pairing them with suffocating control and steady ground-and-pound. Balisacan simply had no recourse with which to respond. Changy turned up the heat near the end of the middle stanza, where he executed another takedown, hammered the body with knees and opened multiple cuts with a series of brutal elbow strikes from above. As Balisacan wandered back to his corner, it became cl…

While fans can expect Conor McGregor to return to action this year, the details regarding his return are still not being publicly shared by Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White.

In a social media post back in December, the former two-division champion announced his long-awaited return to the Octagon against Michael Chandler at 185 pounds on June 29 at International Fight Week in Las Vegas.

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However, in a recent interview with Sportsnet’s Tim Micallef ahead of UFC 297, White refused to divulge any details regarding McGregor's return fight apart from confirming his return to the Octagon this year.

“McGregor will be back this year. Possibly him and Chandler, we’ll see how this whole thing plays out.”

McGregor has been out of action since UFC 264 in July 2021, where he suffered a Round 1 technical knockout loss to Dustin Poirier due to a devastating leg break. Since then, the Irishman has been nursing himself back to health.

McGre…

Former two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship strawweight queen Rose Namajunas is hoping to make a statement in her second outing in the flyweight division.

Following a split-decision loss to Carla Esparza at UFC 274, Namajunas (11-6) moved up to the 125-pound division in 2023 and faced No. 3-ranked Manon Fiorot at UFC Fight Night 226 .

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Despite suffering a broken right hand in the first round of the bout, Namajunas put on a competitive fight, even securing two of the judges' scorecards in the third frame. However, the French national walked away with the unanimous decision victory thanks to her performance in the first two stanzas.

“Thug Rose” is now slated to take on the No. 8-ranked Amanda Ribas (12-4) in a UFC Fight Night main event duel on March 23 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Having time to get more accustomed to the new weight class, the former champ feels more confident and prepared for her upcoming flyweight contest.

“I actually f…

🚨 @CedricDoumbe vs. @BaysangurHanma IS 𝙊𝙁𝙁𝙄𝘾𝙄𝘼𝙇!

🇫🇷 𝟱-𝟬 vs. 𝟴-𝟬 🇫🇷No Risk, No Reward.#PFLParis | LIVE on DAZN

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Tickets will SELL FAST… so make sure you grab them NOW at https://t.co/RSB9QpB8DE or by clicking the link in our bio.

Stay tuned to @pfleurope across… pic.twitter.com/GLst0SuWpd

— PFL Europe (@PFLEurope) January 18, 2024 The Professional Fighters League is wasting little time to get its next European season started.

Via press release on Thursday, the organization announced that PFL Europe’s 2024 Season will begin on March 7. The first event of the year-long tournament will be held at the Accor Arena in Paris, with the promotion returning to the city it first planted its flag in September 2023. Instead of the Zenith Paris La Villette, the fights will post up in the larger arena that has played host to the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Bellator MMA in the past. Just one fight has been announced, and it…

In case you were wondering about that one Charles Jourdain tweet ... 😳 pic.twitter.com/h2dMtw9f4o

— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) January 17, 2024

While Charles Jourdain is known for having a brazen social media personality, one particular post from his X, formerly known as Twitter, account attracted extra attention recently.

Jourdain (15-6) is scheduled to take on Sean Woodson (10-1) in front of his home crowd at UFC 297 this weekend at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Jourdain acknowledged his reach disadvantage against Woodson while also revealing an awkward counter-strategy.

“For this fight, I'm at [a] disadvantage because of the reach. I will use the same strategy I use with my stepsister: penetrate and dominate,” Jourdain wrote.

While the post raised eyebrows for most who saw it, The Mac Life’s Oscar Willis dared to ask Jourdain about it during UFC 297 media day.

“It’s important to take chances in life. I should’ve phrased…

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Israel Adesanya expects a new middleweight king to be crowned at UFC 297 this weekend.

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Sean Strickland (28-5) will defend his strap against Dricus Du Plessis (20-2) in the UFC 297 main event on Jan. 20 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. While Adesanya respects Strickland, having lost to him, “The Last Stylebender” believes du Plessis will be crowned champ via submission.

“I’m going to go with Dricus,” Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “Is it going to go the distance? I’m going to say no. Not that I don’t respect Sean or his skills; the guy beat me. Of course, I respect his skills. I’ll say [submission]. He’ll submit him.”

While Adesanya was originally scheduled to defend his strap against du Plessis at UFC 293 this past September, Strickland replaced an injured “Stillknocks” on short notice. “Tarzan” shocked the world with one of the best defensive striking displays of recent times and went on to score a massive upset wi…

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Dricus Du Plessis confirmed that Sean Strickland did indeed reach out to him on social media and threaten to attack him if the South African decided to bring up his abusive childhood ahead of their UFC 297 clash.

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Strickland (28-5) is scheduled to defend his middleweight strap in the UFC 297 main event on Saturday. The bad blood between the two started during a seasonal press conference last month where du Plessis (20-2) brought up Strickland’s abusive childhood in response to the champ alleging a sexual relationship between “Stillknocks” and his coach.

Strickland went on to attack du Plessis while attending UFC 296 the next day before being escorted out of the T-Mobile Arena by law enforcement. Strickland subsequently admitted that he was triggered by the trash talk and even revealed intimate details about his abusive childhood on a podcast with Theo Von.

While Strickland is known for voicing his unabashed and oftentimes c…

Popular UFC fighters Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann are primed to share the screen in a reality show produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation.

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The show, which is entitled “Paddy & Molly: Show No Mersey,” will air on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer in the U.K., with a launch date to be revealed soon. The title is a nod to Merseyside, which is the hometown for both Pimblett and McCann and will be featured prominently on the show.

According to a release, “this frank, funny and up-close series will follow Paddy and Molly’s journey inside and outside of the cage as they take on the biggest fights of their lives — which will determine their legacy in the MMA world — all whilst juggling their relationships with friends and family.”

“We can’t wait for you all to see what a day in the life for us both entails,” said Pimblett and McCann in a joint statement. “It’s not all sunshine and rainbows and a lot goes into what we do. You won’t believe i…

Even though he has lost four of his last five Ultimate Fighting Championship appearances, Bruno Silva promises that he has never been more motivated to return to the Octagon.

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“Blinadado” will face Chris Weidman at UFC Atlantic City on March 30.

“I’m motivated by big challenges. My goal has always been to fight the very best,” he said. “Chris Weidman is a former champion, a legend of the sport, a guy who defeated legends of the sport like Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort. If the UFC chose me to face him on March 30, it is because they know that win or lose, I always deliver great fights and am looking to finish at all times.”

Silva is well aware of Weidman’s wrestling and grappling credentials. To prepare for that challenge, the Brazilian has been driving 300 miles across Brazil from Curitiba to Criciuma to improve his grappling skills with no gi world champion Henrique Ceconi.

“Weidman is a complete fighter, but I believe he w…

Tatiana Suarez doesn’t expect to be sidelined for too long after an injury forced her to withdraw from UFC 298.

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The strawweight contender was slated to face former title challenger Amanda Lemos on Feb. 17 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Instead, Mackenzie Dern will step in on short notice to square off against the Brazilian.

Suarez took to Instagram to address her injury. While she didn’t go into specifics, the 33-year-old Californian offered a relatively positive outlook regarding her Octagon return.

“I’m making this post because I know there are many people who support me that are concerned. I won’t be out for long. A minor setback,” Suarez wrote on Instagram. “I asked to postpone just a few weeks so I could heal up and train. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Sometimes it’s just not meant to be.”

I apologize to [Amanda Lemos]. Some things are just out of our control. Injuries happen; it’s part of the game. I’m thankful …

Dan Hooker is the latest in a long list of fighters who wants in on Conor McGregor’s return to the Octagon.

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After a nearly three-year hiatus due to injury rehab and other factors, McGregor recently announced that he will be returning to the Octagon opposite Michael Chandler on June 29.

However, McGregor’s word cannot be taken as confirmation of the booking without any official announcement, as the Irishman has teased a return on several occasions in the past.

Hooker, meanwhile, has now offered to be the backup fighter for that matchup if it comes to fruition. “The Hangman” welcomed Chandler to the UFC in January 2021, where he suffered a brutal Round 1 knockout loss that allowed his opponent to secure a lightweight title shot.

On one hand, Hooker has the lure of avenging a loss against Chandler, and on the other lies the promise of a hefty payday against McGregor.

“You obviously get to play the roulette. You get to take the gamble, the…

Sean Strickland still doesn’t think highly of Israel Adesanya’s approach to life.

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Strickland went hard at Adesanya with his trash talk even before they were matched up during the UFC 276 presser in July 2022. He later landed a title shot against Adesanya by a stroke of luck, replacing an injured Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 293 in September 2023.

Strickland vocally questioned Adesanya’s lifestyle in the lead-up, targeting everything from his painted nails to his love for anime. While Adesanya vowed to knock his opponent out, Strickland emerged with a unanimous decision triumph in one of the biggest upsets in recent memory.

“Tarzan” is now slated to defend his strap against Du Plessis (20-2) at UFC 297 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Adesanya is potentially looking to return to the Octagon in the second half of the year. The former middleweight champ was also recently arrested in New Zealand for driving under t…

The wheels are officially in motion for Vadim Nemkov to transition to the heavyweight division.

Nemkov has vacated his Bellator MMA light heavyweight crown, Sherdog.com confirmed with a promotion official on Wednesday following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com. The 31-year-old will make his his first heavyweight appearance on the Professional Fighters League vs. Bellator main card against former PFL heavyweight winner Bruno Cappelozza on Feb. 24.

Currently No. 1 in Sherdog’s 205-pound rankings, Nemkov has widely been regarded as one of the world’s best light heavyweights regardless of promotion. The Fedorteam representative went unbeaten in 10 Bellator appearances, claiming the belt with a second-round stoppage of Ryan Bader in August 2020. His championship reign spanned five successful defenses, including a run through the organization’s 205-pound grand prix that culminated in a five-round verdict over Corey Anderson at Bellator 288. He owns a 16-2-1 car…

Renato Carneiro believes his impressive post-fight speeches deserve a better platform than the UFC Apex.

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While Moicano started off with a Portuguese translator for his post-fight interviews, the Brazilian has quickly learned how to speak English, which he claims to have picked up from playing Call of Duty. Moicano’s post-fight speeches peaked in his last two wins at UFC 281 in November 2022.

Moicano’s interviews have certainly worked in his favor as he admittedly got a better deal while renegotiating his contract. The Brazilian also enjoys a significant following on YouTube.

“I don’t think about it at all,” Carneiro told MMAjunkie.com. “After the fight, I usually get so emotional because people who don’t fight cannot understand how hard it is to go through the training camp and the dieting and all that stuff. So, when you go over there and everything went well and you have a great performance, [it’s hard to explain] how happy you are.”

“Defi…

Heavyweight fan favorite Chris Barnett is set to return to action on March 23.

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Barnett will take on former ”Ultimate Fighter” winner Mohammed Usman (10-2) at a UFC Fight Night event at the promotion’s Apex facility in Las Vegas. The matchup was announced by multiple outlets and confirmed by both fighters on social media.

One of the most entertaining fighters on the heavyweight roster, Barnett has scored 18 of his 23 career wins via knockout. However, “Beastboy” is equally loved for his post-fight dance celebrations, where he busts gravity-defying moves without inhibition. Barnett has gone 2-2 since his UFC debut in 2020 and hasn’t fought since a technical knockout win over Jake Collier at UFC 279 in September 2022.

Meanwhile, Usman is the brother of former Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight king Kamaru Usman. “Motor” earned his contract by winning “TUF 30” in 2022 in the heavyweight category. Usman is currently on a three-fight win…

A light heavyweight clash has been added to a UFC Fight Night event in March.

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Light heavyweight veteran Ovince St. Preux will make his 27th walk to the Octagon against an up-and-coming Kennedy Nzechukwu (on March 16 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The booking was first reported by MMAjunkie.com and subsequently confirmed by Nzechukwu on Instagram.

St. Preux, who has been with the promotion for over a decade now, has lessened his activity in recent times, only fighting once every year since 2021. “OSP” has gone 1-3 in his last four and is coming off a Round 1 knockout loss against Philipe Lins at UFC Fight Night 219 in February 2023.

Meanwhile, Nzechukwu will look to bounce back from a first-round technical knockout loss against Dustin Jacoby in August 2023. The 31-year-old also saw a three-fight win streak snapped by his loss to Jacoby.

The UFC Fight Night event on March 16 will be headlined by a heavyweight clash between Tai Tuivasa a…

UFC 300 has another marquee matchup, as Justin Gaethje will defend his “BMF” title against Max Holloway in a five-round lightweight bout.

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UFC CEO Dana White announced the pairing via social media on Tuesday. Additionally, Jim Miller will square off against Bobby Green in another 155-pound affair. UFC 300 takes place on April 13 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will also include a strawweight championship showdown between Weili Zhang and Xioanan Yan.

A former World Series of Fighting champion, Gaethje has been victorious in three of his last four Octagon appearances. Most recently, he defeated Dustin Poirier via second-round knockout at UFC 291 to claim the “BMF” belt this past July. “The Highlight” has twice challenged for the UFC lightweight crown and was considered among the leaders to face reigning champ Islam Makhachev next before the fight against Holloway was revealed.

Holloway previously competed at 155 pounds at UFC 236, where…

Mackenzie Dern will step in for Tatiana Suarez and square off against Amanda Lemos at UFC 298.

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The Orange County Register was first to report the new strawweight booking. Suarez was forced to withdraw from the event due to an “unspecified injury,” according to the report. UFC 298 takes place on Feb. 17 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California and is headlined by a featherweight championship clash pitting Alexander Volkanovski against Ilia Topuria.

Dern, 30, split a pair of appearances in 2023. After taking a unanimous verdict over Angela Hill in the UFC Fight Night 223 headliner on May 20, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt suffered a second-round TKO defeat against Jessica Andrade in her last outing at UFC 295. Dern is 8-4 during her promotional tenure, with other notable wins over the likes of Tecia Torres, Nina Nunes and Virna Jandiroba.

Lemos, meanwhile, came up short in a championship bid at UFC 292 this past August, when she lost a u…

The first Professional Fighters League vs. Bellator MMA card is official for Feb. 24 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

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The event will feature four champion vs. champion bouts: PFL 2023 heavyweight king Renan Ferreira vs. Bellator champ Ryan Bader at heavyweight; 2023 PFL light heavyweight champ Impa Kasanganay vs. Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen at 185 pounds; 2023 PFL featherweight champion Jesus Pinedo vs. Bellator featherweight title holder Patricio Freire and 2023 PFL welterweight champion Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. Bellator welterweight champion Jason Jackson.

A handful of other matchups were also confirmed for the event: Bruno Cappelozza vs. Vadim Nemkov at light heavyweight; Clay Collard vs. A.J. McKee at lightweight; Thiago Santos vs. Yoel Romero at light heavyweight and Gabriel Braga vs. Aaron Pico at featherweight. Boxing champion Claressa Shields is also expected to fight on the card against Kelsey DeSantis, while Biaggio Ali Walsh …