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The UFC women’s bantamweight division will crown a new champion at the beginning of 2024.

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Raquel Pennington will face Mayra Bueno Silva for the 135-pound title at UFC 297 in Toronto on Jan. 20. Multiple outlets confirmed the booking following an initial report from Ag.Fight. The bantamweight belt was vacated when Amanda Nunes announced her retirement following a victory against Irene Aldana at UFC 289 in June.

Pennington, who came up short in her first title bid against Nunes at UFC 224 in May 2018, enters the matchup on five-fight winning streak. Most recently, “Rocky” garnered a split decision triumph over Ketlen Vieira at UFC Fight Night 214 on Jan. 14. Her resume also includes victories against the likes of Aspen Ladd, Macy Chiasson, Pannie Kianzad, Aldana, Miesha Tate and Jessica Andrade.

Bueno Silva appeared to have earned a signature triumph when she submitted Holly Holm in the second round of their clash at UFC on ESPN 49 this past Ju…

pic.twitter.com/VgZaKVvBxg

— Vinc Pichel 🇺🇸 (@FromHellPichel) November 3, 2023

Vinc Pichel is understandably disappointed with Ismael Bonfim for his massive weight miss that ultimately led to their scheduled UFC Sao Paulo clash being canceled.

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Pichel (14-3) was set to make his return to the Octagon against the younger Bonfim brother (19-4) following a unanimous decision loss to Mark O. Madsen back in April 2022.

However, while Madsen tipped the scales at 155.5 pounds with some additional time, Bonfim weighed in at 159.5 pounds; a whopping 3.5 pounds above the lightweight limit. As a result, the promotion announced that the scheduled main card opener between Pichel and Bonfim had been scrapped.

Soon after the announcement, Pichel took to social media to issue a statement addressing the weight-miss debacle. The 40-year-old made it clear that he had no intention of taking on a fight against an opponent that “didn't …

When Jonathan Haggerty gets you hurt there’s only a matter of time before you’re out. Just ask Fabricio Andrade.

The ONE Championship 145-pound muay thai champion added another belt around his slender waist after dismantling the ONE 145-pound mixed martial arts champion in the second round of their kickboxing chlash in the ONE Fight Night 16 main event at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok.

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“The General” entered the bout on a five-fight win streak fresh off his first-round annihilation over Nong-O Hama in his last fight. The confidence to take out another champion early was evident in Haggerty’s approach.

Throughout Round 1 Haggerty exposed Andrade’s heavy feet by circling and cracking the MMA champion with hard shots. Despite Andrade’s background in kickboxing, Haggerty’s feints and explosiveness kept the Brazilian in constant danger.

The beginning of the end came in Round 2 after Haggerty converted a switch knee into a roundhouse kick over An…

Sherdog's live ONE Fight Night 16 coverage kicks off Friday at 8 p.m. ET. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round: The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:J.L. Kirven sc…

[embedded content] Several fighters ahead of the Ultimate Fighting Championship's return to Brazil appear to have forgotten their weight classes.

The UFC Fight Night 231 main event will see heavyweight prospect Jailton Almeida take on former title challenger Derrick Lewis. Both men weighed under the limit, with Lewis coming in 29 pounds heavier than the 236-pound Brazilian. However, four undercard fighters missed weight. Ismael Bonfim came in 3.5 pounds over the lightweight limit for his fight against Vinc Pichel, who also came in a pound heavy. Additionally, Victor Hugo Silva and Eduarda Moura both came in heavy for their respective bouts. All fighters have been fined a percentage of their purses.

Almeida (19-2) is undefeated since entering the UFC. His first main event opportunity saw him submit Jairzinho Rozenstruik with a rear-naked choke after just 3:43. Lewis (27-11, 1 NC) is coming off a quick 33-second win over Marcos Rogerio de Lima that snapped a three-figh…

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Jamahal Hill believes Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira have different ways of winning their UFC 295 matchup.

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Hill (12-1) will officially become a former Ultimate Fighting Championship king the moment Pereira vs. Prochazka kicks off inside the Octagon on Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. While “Sweet Dreams” put on an incredible performance against Glover Teixeira (33-9) at UFC 283 to claim the vacant heavyweight title, the Michigan native ruptured his Achilles tendon back in July while playing a game of pickup basketball.

Considering how Prochazka was quick to let the division move on when he suffered a disastrous shoulder injury while holding the belt, Hill took the same route and verbally relinquished his title with the assurance that he would receive a title shot on his return regardless of the circumstances.

While Pereira and Prochazka gear up for their upcoming title bout, Hill is not only focused on …

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Beneil Dariush aims not to let his most recent setback deter him from realizing his full potential as a mixed martial artist.

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Dariush (22-5) had his inspiring eight-fight winning streak snapped against former champion Charles Oliveira (34-9). In a bout that served as a title eliminator, “Benny” suffered a devastating Round 1 technical loss.

However, Dariush isn’t one to dwell on his losses and obsess over his mistakes.

“You know, the best way I can explain is it that I was off that night. It wasn't my best performance and Charles had a great performance,” Dariush told ESPN’s Marc Raimondi. “I really don't have any other excuses besides that. I don't think I performed to the best of my abilities and I think he fought really well. So, congrats to him and that's it. I don't really know what else to tell you, unfortunately. And as far as what I take away from it is just, came home and said ‘I'm going to spend some time with my …

Let’s go!🇧🇷 https://t.co/X1thtJaXX3

— Felipinho Bunes (@BunesFelipinho) November 3, 2023 A flyweight clash has been added to the first Ultimate Fighting Championship card of 2024.

Brazil's Felipe Bunes (13-6) will make his UFC debut against Denys Bondar (14-4) on an event that will also feature former heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta. The news of this flyweight pairing was first reported by Eurosport.NL, and confirmed by Bunes in a subsequent social media post. The currently unnamed UFC Fight Night event will play out inside of the UFC Apex on Jan. 13.

Bunes was initially set to make his organizational debut against Zhalgas Zhumagulov in June at UFC on ESPN 47. However, the former Legacy Fighting Alliance champ was barred from competing after testing positive for metabolic modulator GW1516. Bunes was suspended for six months and fined by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. The bout will mark Bunes' return to co…

Updates to #UFCSP: https://t.co/CfeeUQxFo4

— UFC News (@UFCNews) November 3, 2023 The scales proved a greater threat than expected for UFC Fight Night 231 on Friday morning.

Ahead of the UFC Sao Paulo event on Nov. 4, in the promotion’s return to the Brazilian city for the first time since late 2019, four fighters initially missed weight. A rarity in combat sports, both Ismael Bonfim (159.5) and Vinc Pichel (157) came in heavy for their lightweight match. While Pichel returned to hit his proper marks at 155.5 pounds, Bonfim declined to continue cutting weight, and the fight has been canceled. Additionally, Victor Hugo Silva clocked in at 138.5 pounds ahead of his bantamweight battle with Daniel Marcos (136), and the organization announced it scrubbed that bout from the lineup as well.

Eduarda Moura exceeded the strawweight cap by 3.5 pounds prior to her matchup with Montserrat Ruiz (114), and Moura has received a 30% fine as the fight …

J.Butler out. Lucas Alexander in, will fight Jeka Saragih at #UFCVegas82 on November 18th. #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN #UFC2023 pic.twitter.com/J5Mr06VTw6

— Marcel Dorff 🇳🇱🇮🇩 (@BigMarcel24) November 1, 2023

Indonesian standout Jeka Asparido Saragih will debut in the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Nov. 18.

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Saragih (13-3) was originally scheduled to make his promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 232 against lightweight newcomer Jesse Butler (12-5), who was coming off a first-round knockout loss to Jim Miller in his first Octagon appearance back in June. However, the promotion announced last week that Saragih was in need of a new opponent after Butler was forced to pull out due to an injury.

While there were brief talks of a clash between Saragih and Charlie Campbell, that potential matchup also fell through. However, the Indonesian has finally found himself an opponent two weeks ahead of his scheduled debut.

Saragih…

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Jailton Almeida believes one half of the UFC 295 co-main event has a clear edge over the other.

Sergei Pavlovich (18-1) will take on fellow surging contender Tom Aspinall (13-3) at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 11 for the interim heavyweight title. The replacement bout was announced a little more than two weeks before Jon Jones’ scheduled title defense against Stipe Miocic fell through, as “Bones” suffered a torn pectoral muscle in training.

While Aspinall is a slight -130 favorite on some sportsbooks in the evenly-matched booking, Almeida (19-2) sees Pavlovich having an advantage. It is worth noting that the Russian was originally supposed to weigh-in as the backup for the title fight between Jones and Miocic.

Keeping that in mind, Almeida believes Pavlovich will have an edge as he was already in a title-fight mindset as opposed to his English opponent, who was just training as usual.

“Jones’ injury opens up opportuni…

The Future @iangarryMMA has arrived to Chute Boxe Academy to prep for UFC 296 🇧🇷 @betr⚡️ pic.twitter.com/zRVr4IUR6I

— betr ⚡️Combat (@betrcombat) October 31, 2023

Ian Garry recently revealed that he has been removed from Leon Edwards’ Team Renegade gym in Birmingham, England.

While Garry (13-0) has trained in several gyms throughout his career, his recent squads have been Kill Cliff FC (formerly Sanford MMA) in Florida and Edwards’ Team Renegade. However, the undefeated welterweight prospect was recently booted from Team Renegade. Something he isn’t very happy about. According to Garry, Edwards (21-3) and his coach Dave Lovell were concerned about training with another ranked contender inside the gym.

“Leon and his head coach had an issue with me training on the mats and recently have asked me not to train there, because ‘Leon doesn’t want any insecurities or doubts on his own mats, within the gym,’ which I don’t fully understand,” Gar…

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Former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight king Francis Ngannou (17-3) may not return to full mixed martial arts anytime soon.

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Ngannou parted ways with the UFC earlier this year after failed contract negotiations. “The Predator” subsequently bagged a lucrative deal with Professional Fighters League that gave him equity in the company, a seat on its athlete advisory board and made him chairman of PFL Africa.

Ngannou also secured a boxing super fight against lineal heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury, which went down in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 28. To the surprise of many around the world, the Cameroonian took the WBC champ to a controversial split decision, even knocking down “The Gypsy King” in Round 3.

PFL founder Donn Davis has now suggested that the Cameroonian is unlikely to return to “pure” MMA in the immediate future simply due to a lack of interesting opponents. Prior to his UFC exit, Ngannou was expec…

The seventh event of Rizin Fighting Federation’s Landmark series has some last-minute lineup modifications.

Former Eagles Fighting Championship flyweight ace Mehman Mamedov (6-6) was scheduled to take on Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Justin Scoggins at Rizin Landmark 7, which goes down at National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Nov. 4. However, promotional debutant Ferit Goktepe (1-1) has now stepped up on short notice to replace Scoggins after the American pulled out due to a “medical condition that needed immediate treatment.” The change was announced via press release.

In his most recent outing, Goktepe, 25, scored a decision win over Ibragim Moussa last November to be crowned Baku Open Prix 2022 bantamweight champion.

Mamedov, 35, saw his promotional debut foiled by a first-round knockout loss to Motonobu Tezuka last October. The Azerbaijani has since rebounded with a knockout of his own over Yusaku Nakamura back in April.

Paul Felder (17-6) has taken another step towards coming out of retirement.

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After confirming a return to the UFC’s drug testing pool in September, the Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor turned commentator has now submitted his first test samples. The news was reported this week by Damon Martin of MMA Fighting.

Felder hasn’t fought since dropping a split verdict against Rafael dos Anjos in November 2020. It was the Philadelphia native’s second split decision loss in a row, and “The Irish Dragon” announced his retirement while on commentary duty during a UFC Fight Night broadcast in May 2021, citing the lack of a drive to compete anymore.

However, an iconic clash of veterans Max Holloway and Chan Sung Jung at “UFC Singapore” in August got Felder thinking about a possible return to the Octagon. The 38-year-old wrote on social media in the aftermath of the fight, “@KoreanZombieMMA got me wanting to go once more… damn you zombie. Seeing hi…

While it might seem like Joshua Silveira has enjoyed a rapid rise to stardom in Professional Fighters League that isn’t really the case.

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Silveira will face Impa Kasanganay in the light heavyweight final at the PFL Championships on Nov. 24 at the Anthem in Washington, D.C. As the son of American Top Team coach Marcus “Conan” Silveira, the former Legacy Fighting Alliance two-division champion has been embedded in the sport from a very young age.

“This is a lifetime of work,” Silveira said during a PFL media day session. “This goes back all the way to career day in elementary school. I was saying cagefighting before MMA was even a phrase. ‘Vale Tudo,’ that’s what I was telling people back in the day. Anything goes, that’s what I want to be. It went from being kind of silly to people to becoming ‘Holy s—t, this guy is actually doing it.’”

Before he became a prospect to watch, Silveira was working hard in the gym, doing what he could to assist the m…

Enjoy Olivier Aubin-Mercier while he’s around, because his days in mixed martial arts could be numbered.

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“The Canadian Gangster” has won nine straight bouts under the Professional Fighters League banner, and he will attempt to capture his second lightweight title in the organization when he faces Clay Collard at the 2023 PFL Championships on Nov. 24. After that fight, Aubin-Mercier plans on going on a lengthy hiatus at the very least. There’s only one thing that could entice him to return sooner than planned, if he returns at all.

“For sure I’m gonna take a big break,” Aubin-Mercier said during a recent media day session. “There’s no question about that. I don’t think you’re going to see me next year. If PFL wants to come to Montreal, and they want to give me some good money, and have some friends of mine on the card, then for sure I’m going to fight one more time.

“But other than that I have no interest in doing the next season. I have no inte…

Derrick Lewis isn’t taking his recent arrest for reckless driving too seriously.

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“The Black Beast” was caught driving 136 miles per hour in a 50 mph zone while behind the wheel of a red Lamborhini in Harris County (Texas) last week. He reportedly passed a law enforcement officer while “weaving in and out of traffic and making unsafe lane changes.”

Lewis was given a $100 personal recognizance bond and released from custody the same day as his arrest. His next court date is scheduled for Dec. 27.

When asked about the incident during a media scrum ahead of UFC Fight Night 231 in Sao Paulo, Lewis responded in lighthearted fashion.

“Nah, I don’t even think that was me,” Lewis said. “That guy had hair. You seen the picture? I don’t got no hair. That ain’t me.”

Lewis’ remarks are in reference to the arrest report, which state that the man detained had black hair and was 6-foot-2, 215 pounds. Lewis is bald and weighed in at 264 pounds a…

The UFC Sao Paulo card has undergone yet another change only a few days before fight night.

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Esteban Ribovics (12-1) is out of his scheduled lightweight clash against fellow Brazilian standout Elves Brener (15-3). Ribovics was coming off his first promotional win against Kamuela Kirk at UFC 290 in July after a foiled debut against Loik Radzhabov at UFC 285 in March.

Ribovics will be replaced by fellow countryman and Dana White's Contender Series graduate Kaynan Kruschewsky (15-2). “Bahia” steps up on three days’ notice for his UFC debut, which will also be a quick turnaround after a first-round submission win over Dylan Mantello on Dana White’s Contender Series in September.

The news was first reported by Octagon MMA on social media. The new booking will is expected to take place at a 165-pound catchweight.

Brener made his UFC debut in February, picking up a split decision win over Russian veteran Zubaira Tukhugov. The 26-year-old was a …

The heavyweight title clash between Tyson Fury (34-0-1) and Oleksandr Usyk (21-0) has been pushed back a few months after the Brit’s near upset loss against Francis Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last weekend.

A +800 underdog going into his boxing debut, Ngannou took the WBC heavyweight champ to a controversial split decision, which didn’t go the Cameroonian’s way despite him having scored the lone knockdown of the bout. Most of the combat sports fraternity, including the former UFC heavyweight champ himself, called it a robbery. Usyk, who was in attendance for the fight, entered the ring after the bout to cut a promo for his upcoming fight against Fury.

Fury vs. Usyk was announced just weeks before the Ngannou fight despite Fury’s disapproval of the timing. While the clash was originally targeted for Dec. 23 in Riyadh, it has now reportedly been pushed back to February for a yet-to-be-decided date. The change in date was first reported by ESPN.

The fig…

A flyweight clash has been added to the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s card in Shanghai, China, on Dec. 9.

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Undefeated Japanese standout Tatsuro Taira (14-0) will take on Carlos Hernandez (9-2) at an event that marks the Las Vegas-based promotion's return to China after four years. Both fighters confirmed the pairing on social media following an initial report from Eurosport NL.

Taira last fought at UFC 290 in July, notching a dominant decision win over Edgar Chairez. While the 23-year-old was originally scheduled to take on Kleyson Rodrigues at UFC Jacksonville in June, the fight fell through after the Brazilian missed weight by three pounds. Taira’s win over Chairez marked his fourth promotional win in 14 months, which includes two submissions.

Meanwhile, Hernandez is coming off a technical decision win over Denys Bondar back in June. After dominating Bondar throughout the fight, the American landed a last-minute takedown and proceeded to …

X Series 011 is here 🤩@liljarviss and @bdave69 top a card filled with 50/50 battles, live on @DAZNBoxing 🔥

Tickets on sale Friday, 10am 👉 https://t.co/cxuEWQjj2D#XSeries011 | November 17, York Hall | @MF_DAZNXSeries | @PrimeHydrate | @KickStreaming pic.twitter.com/kgtAqyIn0s

— Misfits Boxing (@MisfitsBoxing) October 31, 2023

Anderson Silva's son, Gabriel Silva, is set to take on YouTube personality Okem Jibunor Rose in a boxing match under the Misfits Boxing banner.

Silva and Rose will clash on the undercard of Misfits Boxing 11, which goes down at the York Hall in London on Nov. 17. The card will be headlined by influencers Jarvis and BDave, with Jully Poca and Alaena Vampira clashing for the women’s cruiserweight title in the co-main event.

While the 26-year-old Silva has been competing in kickboxing since 2019, he made his pro boxing debut back in April at Hollywood Fight Nights, where he earned a decision win against Angelo…

Derrick Lewis was recently arrested in Harris County (Texas) for reckless driving.

According to a report from Texas affiliate ABC 13, Lewis was caught driving 136 miles per hour in a 50 mph zone while behind the wheel of a red Lamborghini. He reportedly passed a law enforcement officer while “weaving in and out of traffic and making unsafe lane changes.”

Lewis was given a $100 personal recognizance bond and released from custody the same day as his arrest. His next court date is scheduled for Dec. 27.

“The Black Beast” is expected to face Jailton Almeida in the UFC Night Night 231 main event in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Saturday. Lewis was a short-notice replacement for the injured Curtis Blaydes. The Houston native last appeared at UFC 291, where he halted a three-fight skid with a 33-second stoppage of Marcos Rogerio de Lima on July 29.

UFC Sao Paulo is down to 13 bouts after David Onama was forced to pull out of a proposed featherweight clash against Lucas Alexander due to injury.

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Onama announced the news via social media. Alexander is not expected to remain on the UFC Fight Night 231 card.

“Unfortunately due to injury, I’ve had to pull out of my upcoming fight in Sao Paulo,” Onama wrote. “I apologize to Lucas and his team. I know my health comes first and I hope to be back next year. Thank you all for the love and support.”

Unfortunately due to injury, I’ve had to pull out of my upcoming fight in São Paulo. I apologize to Lucas and his team. I know my health comes first and I hope to be back next year. Thank you all for the love and support pic.twitter.com/jFvDbCAkel

— David A. Onama (@DavidOnama145) October 26, 2023

UFC Fight Night 231 takes place on Saturday at Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and is headlined by a heavyweight tilt…