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Tyson Fury is set to take on former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in a crossover boxing match on Oct. 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Fellow Brit and UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall will be helping “The Gypsy King” as a training partner going into the bout. 

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Fury is close to Aspinall and has a high opinion UFC heavyweight contender, who is currently 6-1 in the promotion with all of his wins coming by way of submission or technical knockout in Round 1.

“I’m bringing him in as a sparring partner in preparation for a UFC champion. He’s a good fighter, probably could have made it as a pro boxer,” Fury recently told TNT Sports. “I was quite sure he would have gone on and won a world championship. But he had a derailment with his knee, and that fell out. Now he’s had his comeback trail. I think he can do it. He’s big enough, he’s got the power, he’s a black belt in jiu-jitsu.”

Aspinall recently scored a first-ro…

Jared Cannonier (17-6) is at a crucial juncture in his Ultimate Fighting Championship career.

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Currently No. 4 in the middleweight division according to the UFC rankings, Cannonier’s title aspirations have been reignited by Sean Strickland’s recent title win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 293. 

“The Killa Gorilla” scored a controversial split decision win over Strickland last December, which “Tarzan” contests to this day. Cannonier believes Adesanya’s performance against Strickland doesn’t warrant an immediate rematch and has made his case for the next title shot. 

Cannonier, who was also the backup for the UFC 293 headliner, has now been offered another fight, but he isn’t especially excited about the opportunity.

"They’ve offered me a fight already, and it’s not as tempting as a title fight,” Cannonier told Sportskeeda MMA Originals. “You know what I mean? Hell, it’s not even as tempting as my last fight, to be honest.” 

Th…

Valentina Shevchenko's reaction to Alexa Grasso allegedly throwing illegal knees in 1st round pic.twitter.com/8QAOKD8u6D

— Best MMA Moments (@XcellentMMA) September 17, 2023

Valentina Shevchenko (23-4) failed to reclaim the Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight title in the main event at UFC Noche as her rematch against Alexa Grasso (16-3) ended in a controversial split draw. However, the 10-8 fifth-round scorecard wasn’t the only controversial bit about the highly anticipated rematch that went down on Sept. 16.

During a scramble in the fourth frame, Grasso sprawled out of a takedown attempt by Shevchenko and landed multiple knees to the head while chasing “Bullet.” Shevchenko immediately protested the knees and later claimed the strikes were illegal as one of her hands was on the mat.

When speaking to MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, a Nevada State Athletic Commission Official cleared the air regarding the specifics of the “knees to…

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After the success of lightweight champion Roberto Satoshi and former featherweight title holder Kleber Koike Erbst, another Brazilian-Japanese fighter, middleweight Igor Tanabe (3-0), is quickly gaining a lot of attention in Rizin Fighting Federation. 

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Undefeated in MMA with victories over the experienced Melvin Manhoef and former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Daichi Abe, the 23-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace has his sights set on the Rizin belt. 

“Despite having only had one fight at Rizin, I really like the event. Of course the UFC is a possibility, but I want to be Rizin champion, which even gives me the opportunity to face fighters from other promotions,” said the undefeated prospect in an exclusive interview with Sherdog, referring to the Japanese promotion’s partnership with Bellator.

Tanabe will have a second opportunity to compete in the Japanese promotion on Oct. 1, when he will face Koji Shikuw…

The 2023 PFL Championships card is now complete with a couple of key additions to the preliminary lineup.

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The organization announced on Wednesday that Bubba Jenkins will square off against Chris Wade in a trilogy bout at featherweight, while Biaggio Ali Walsh will continue his amateur career against Joel Lopez at lightweight. Those two fights are part of the evening’s preliminary card on the ESPN+ prelims. Additionally, Khai Wu will face Phil Caracappa at bantamweight, while Jesse Stirn will meet Josh Blyden at featherweight.

The PFL Championships take place on Nov. 24 at The Anthem in Washington, D.C., and features title bouts in six different weight classes along with a showcase featherweight fight pitting Kayla Harrison against Julia Budd. The main card will air via pay-per-view on ESPN+.

Jenkins and Wade are currently 1-1 in their rivalry. Wade defeated Jenkins via unanimous decision in a PFL postseason matchup in August 2021, but “I’m a…

Jingnan Xiong has conquered nearly every challenge set in front of her since winning the inaugural One Championship strawweight title six years ago. With few challengers remaining in her division, the only way for “The Panda” to push herself is to limit her diverse skill set against one of the most dangerous strikers on the planet.

That is exactly what she will have to do when she faces muay thai phenom Nat “Wondergirl” Jaroonsak in a ONE on Prime Video 14 special rules match a on Sept. 29 at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. The bout prohibits kicks, knees, elbows and grappling but allows all forms of punching techniques. Jaroonsak could pose problems for ONE’s reigning strawweight empress, but Xiong believes her boxing prowess should not be underestimated.

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“I think there will be a different pressure, but I will turn this pressure into motivation,” she told Sherdog.com. “I think pressure is a very good thing and will motivate me to fin…

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Valentina Shevchenko will need to go under the knife for the hand injury she suffered in the opening round of her championship rematch with Alexa Grasso on Saturday night.

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The former flyweight queen revealed on social media that she has a “communited fracture that requires surgery.” According to MMAFighting.com, Shevchenko will be able to resume contact in approximately three months.

Yesterday got the results on my 1 st round hand injury.Comminuted fracture that requires surgery 💪💪💪

— Valentina Shevchenko (@BulletValentina) September 19, 2023

At the post-fight press conference following UFC Fight Night 227, Shevchenko speculated that she broke her thumb in the opening stanza. Despite that setback, “Bullet” was effective with her jab and grappling in a back-and-forth affair that ultimately ended in a split draw due to a controversial 10-8 scorecard awarded to Grasso in Round 5.

“I broke my thumb in the first round…

Hi everyone. My fight has been cancelled due to a drug test subject to further analysis. I have provided all the necessary information and I hope to have all this sorted out in the coming days so I can fight soon.

Thank you.

— Felipinho Bunes (@BunesFelipinho) June 16, 2023

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Felipe Bunes’ Ultimate Fighting Championship debut will have to wait a little longer.

The flyweight competitor was suspended for six months and fined $326 in legal fees at a Nevada State Athletic Commission meeting on Tuesday after testing positive for the metabolic modulator GW1516 earlier this year. As a result of the positive test, Bunes’ Octagon debut against Zhalgas Zhumagulov at UFC on ESPN 47 on June 17 was canceled.

Bunes, who will be eligible to return to active competition on Dec. 17, announced the failed drug test on social media shortly after he learned of the results.

A 33-year-old Pitbull Brothers export, Bunes has compiled …

Angela Lee dealt with untold physical and mental struggles that nearly led to her taking her own life some six years ago.

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The One Championship atomweight title holder suffered a concussion and other injuries during a car crash on her way to the gym in November 2017. It was initially reported that the accident occurred because Lee fell asleep while driving, but it turns out that wasn’t the case. In a first-person piece written on The Players Tribune, Lee revealed that she attemped suicide that day.

“It’s taken me a long time to get to this place, but I’ve now reached a point where I am comfortable and confident enough to speak the full truth,” Lee wrote. “Six years ago, I tried to end my life. My car crash in November 2017 was not an accident. It was a suicide attempt.

“For the longest time, I blocked that reality out of my mind in order to ‘protect myself.’ I put up barriers as a defense mechanism, to try and protect my mind and my heart from…

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UFC featherweight standout Bryce Mitchell is a flat earther who spends his time farming when he’s not training or fighting. While he is now building a house, “Thug Nasty” has so far lived in his 30-foot trailer on his 16-acre farm in Arkansas, which he claims will “feed the lord’s army” when the time comes.

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During a recent interview with UFC commentator Brendan Fitzgerald, Mitchell revealed that there has been a significant shift in his spirituality over the course of the past year. The 28-year-old’s belief in God was sealed courtesy of a particular incident which took place around the time of his UFC 272 victory over Edson Barboza.

Mitchell claims to have had an encounter with a possessed person who was ransacking his home as he watched helplessly. It was then that “Thug Nasty” fell back to his religious upbringing and successfully cast out the “demon” by taking the name of Jesus Christ.

“Well, I felt the presence of the H…

A quick update on my brother and Bellator fighter Cris Lencioni 🙏🏾

He had a heart attack, was in a coma, relearned to walk, and now just underwent his second procedure.

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If he returns to mma it’ll be the biggest comeback story ever pic.twitter.com/D12cnxviyX — Terrance McKinney (@twrecks155) September 18, 2023

Bellator featherweight Cris Lencioni continues to make positive progress in his recovery from cardiac arrest earlier this year.

Lencioni suffered a cardiac arrest during a jiu-jitsu session on June 8 in Spokane, Wash., while training for a Bellator 298 bout against James Gallagher that was ultimately canceled.

Though he was immediately rushed to a nearby area hospital by paramedics, the heart attack left Lencioni with brain damage. While doctors were initially doubting a complete return to normal, the 28-year-old has since showed significant progress, taking his first steps with support only a month after th…

Belal Muhammad takes on Tarek Suleiman in a No-Gi 3-round grappling fight at #ADXC1 on October 20th in Abu Dhabi. pic.twitter.com/VY8i64Tupo

— Marcel Dorff 🇳🇱🇮🇩 (@BigMarcel24) September 18, 2023

Belal Muhammad has been one of the most active among top-tier UFC welterweights in recent times. While Muhammad continues to await his long due title shot, “Remember The Name” has now chosen to stay active by taking up a grappling match.

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The UFC welterweight contender is slated to make his pro grappling debut against Tarek Suleiman at ADXC 1 on Oct. 20. The no-gi, three-round matchup will take place at middleweight and serve as the co-main event of the card, which goes down at the Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi.

A UAE Warriors standout, Suleiman has scored all of his 12 professional MMA wins inside the distance (including a disqualification victory). The 34-year-old hasn’t competed since March 2022 when he dropped a unanimous deci…

Valentina Shevchenko’s dominant flyweight title run, including seven defenses, came to an end with a huge upset loss against Alexa Grasso at UFC 285 earlier this year. “Bullet” looked to rebuild her legacy by regaining her title in their rematch in the Noche UFC main event this past Saturday.

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However, Grasso would retain her title as the fight ended in a controversial split draw after five rounds. While many observers argue that Shevchenko won the bout, nobody can overlook the 10-8 scorecard for the fifth round, which was doled out by judge Mike Bell in favor of Grasso.

Although Grasso took Shevchenko’s back in the final 90 seconds of the round, “Bullet” had dominated the rest of it with her accurate jab. While Shevchenko still demands an explanation from Bell, she believes the judge will bear the brunt of this controversial scorecard more than her.

The former flyweight champ is also proud of her showing at Noche UFC and expects her legacy t…

Sherdog’s coverage of DWCS 2023, Week 7 will begin Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round: Brian Knapp scores the round: Edwin Ayala scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round: Brian Knapp scores the round: Edwin Ayala scores the round: Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round: Brian Knapp scores the round: Edwin Ayala scores the round: The Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round: Brian Knapp scores the round: Edwin Ayala scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round: Brian Knapp scores the round: Edwin Ayala scores the round: Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round: Brian Knapp scores the round: Edwin Ayala scores the round: The Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round: Brian Knapp scores the round: Edwin Ayala scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield …

Nova Uniao featherweight prospect Kaue Fernandes hopes to follow in the accomplished footsteps of Nova Uniao stablemate Jose Aldo.

Fernandes recently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship with his debut expected for Nov. 4 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. An opponent has not been confirmed for the bout.

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A former Shooto Brazil featherweight champion who most recently competed under the Legacy Fighting Alliance banner, Fernandes has been tabbed by some as the heir apparent to the retired former UFC featherweight champion. Fernandes is a native of Rio de Janeiro who began practicing muay thai at age 7. Since finishing his studies, he didn't choose the natural path of his classmates. His university has been the gym, where he learns new techniques, hones the old ones and pursues his training as a professional fighter.

The presence of accomplished athletes at Nova Uniao provides motivation for the long journey. Inspiration, seen on television and in the ne…

After reaching the PFL Championships with a pair of first-round knockout victories, Larissa Pacheco is preparing to face Marina Mokhnatkina on Nov. 24 with $1 million on the line.

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Last week Pacheco traveled from Belem, Brazil, to Rio de Janeiro to film countdown videos for the PFL along with other Brazilian finalists Renan Ferreira (heavyweight) and Gabriel Braga (featherweight). Joshua Silveira was also present after arriving with his father, Conan Silveira, to learn more about his Carlson Gracie origins.

"Last Friday we woke up at 3 a.m. to do filming at Botafogo beach while the sun rose. I also renewed my visa and did a couple (social media posts),” Pacheco told Sherdog.com.

In regards to her opponent in the featherweight final, Pacheco did not express much concern.

"Her fights are pretty much the same. I predicted how she would win. Actually, she has a pretty similar game to Kayla [Harrison], but on another level. She will try to ta…

Jack Della Maddalena couldn’t resist engaging in a little back-and-forth with the notoriously chatty Kevin Holland in the Noche UFC co-main event.

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“I didn’t want to get involved, but it’s hard not to,” Maddalena said at the post-fight press conference. “I’ve never fought someone that does that sort of thing before, so it’s interesting.”

That friendly banter didn’t aversely affect the result in the Octagon for Maddalena, who emerged with a split-decision triumph over Holland in their welterweight bout at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Of course, there was that little bit of doubt that crept in when the Aussie heard that at least one scorecard was in favor of his opponent.

“I thought I was winning,” Maddalena said. “I feel like I was pushing the pace, landing the heavier shots. As soon as I heard the split decision, you never know. You never know with the judges.”

While Holland outlanded Maddalena by a 127-to-105 count in s…

Ovince St. Preux, a veteran of 26 Ultimate Fighting Championship appearances, has accepted a six-month USADA suspension after testing positive for a banned substance.

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USADA announced the sanctions in a statement on Monday. In his most recent violation, St. Preux tested positive for 3α-hydroxy-5α-androst-1-en-17-one — a long-term metabolite of 1-Androstenedione and/or 1-Testosterone — in out-of-competition samples collected on June 17 and July 11. Because St. Preux was not informed of the first positive test when the second sample was collected, the results were merged into one violation per the UFC’s anti-doping policy.

It was determined that St. Preux’s positive test resulted from a contaminated supplement, which according to USADA resulted in a reduced suspension. However, the former University of Tennessee football player also received a three-month sanction for using a contaminated supplement in October 2019. That resulted in St. Preux receivi…

Former flyweight champion Juliana Velasquez will return to action for the first time in nearly a year when she meets Paula Cristina dos Santos Silva on the Bellator 301 preliminary draw.

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Promotion officials announced the bout on Monday. Three other prelims were also confirmed for the event: Keri Melendez vs. Sabriye Sengul at flyweight; Archie Colgan vs. Pieter Buist at lightweight and Matheus Mattos vs. Richard Palencia at bantamweight.

Bellator 301 takes place at Wintrust Arena in Chicago on Nov. 17 and is headlined by a welterweight title tilt pitting Yaroslav Amosov against Jason Jackson. In the co-main event, Sergio Pettis will square off with Patrick Mix in a bantamweight championship unification bout. The main card airs on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, while prelims stream at the Bellator MMA YouTube channel, the Showtime Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV beginning at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT.

Velasquez, who will turn 37 in October, …

Week 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series is official, as all 10 athletes slated to compete made weight without issue on Monday.

The Contender Series takes place on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and features a heavyweight clash between Shamil Gaziev (259.5) and Greg Velasco (263.5). The card airs on ESPN+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Gaziev is undefeated in 10 professional appearances, with all but one of those triumphs coming inside the distance. Most recently, he scored a first-round stoppage of UFC veteran Darko Stosic at Brave CF 69 on Feb. 18.

Velasco, meanwhile, has compiled a 6-0 mark while competing exclusively under the Cage Fury Fighting Championships banner. In his last outing, “The Viking King” defeated Ronald Coleman via second-round TKO at CFFC 117 on March 31.

Contender Series Weigh-in Results:Shamil Gaziev (259.5) vs. Greg Velasco (263.5)Jacobi Jones (156) vs. Daniel James Allen (156)Stephanie Luciano (115.5) vs. Talita Alencar (115)…

Leon Edwards last defended his welterweight title in a trilogy clash against Kamaru Usman at UFC 286 in March.

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UFC president Dana White subsequently insisted on Colby Covington being next in line for the title shot, drawing protests from other elite welterweights like Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad.

While White has stood firm on his stance, there has since been a lull in fight talks, which has raised some concerns among fans. Fabian Edwards, who makes his own bid for gold at Bellator 299 at the 3Arena in Dublin on Sept. 23, recently addressed fans’ concerns about the delay in the UFC champ’s next title defense.

According to the champion’s younger brother, the delay is mainly due to negotiations, as “Rocky” is training and ready to go.

“Fans keep asking but he's ready to go, he's ready to get in there it's just about the negotiations,” Fabian told The Daily Star . “It’s about location and so many things. At the moment the focus is on…

Valentina Shevchenko challenged Alexa Grasso in a rematch for the UFC women’s flyweight title in the main event at Noche UFC on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Grasso retained her title when the contest was ruled a split draw following 25 back-and-forth minutes.

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Judge Mike Bell submitted a 10-8 fifth round in favor of the champ, a tally that Shevchenko blamed on the Mexican Independence Day “pressure.” Meanwhile, Grasso didn't seem too keen on a trilogy fight, although she said she would ultimately accept the UFC’s decision in regards to matchmaking.

UFC flyweight contender Erin Blanchfield also believes that the division needs some new blood. However, in case the trilogy takes place, “Cold Blooded” doesn’t mind proving herself one more time against French standout Manon Fiorot, who is trailing her in the UFC.com rankings.

“I feel like I definitely should be next,” Blanchfield said in an interview with The Schmo. “I feel like t…

Kevin Holland came up on the wrong side of split decision against Australian standout Jack Della Maddalena in the co-main event at Noche UFC on Saturday.

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While Holland immediately expressed his disappointment with the decision, many fans have accused “Trailblazer” of a lackluster showing.

Holland was coming off consecutive stoppage wins over Santiago Ponzinibbio and Michael Chiesa going into his Noche UFC clash against Maddalena. Holland has now issued a callout to welterweight veteran Neil Magny, who is ranked right above him. “Trailblazer,”who has made clear that title contention isn’t his immediate goal, proposed an unusual “loser cuts hair” matchup against Magny on his Instagram Stories.

“Props to [Jack], good guard. I'd like to go watch it back! I see y'all talking about poor performance. I really honestly thought I outworked dude but [what the hell] do I know? [For] those that ride with me, how about Neil Magny loser cuts [their] hair.…