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Max Holloway had an inkling that Chan Sung Jung might go for broke in their headlining bout at UFC Fight Night 225.

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That’s exactly what happened in Round 3, when “The Korean Zombie” threw caution to the wind before Holloway landed the decisive blow to win via knockout 23 seconds into the period. Shortly thereafter, Jung laid down his gloves in an emotional farewell.

“I think he knew exactly what had to be done,” Holloway said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I think he knew what the job was. It was kill or be killed. I was just lucky that I was on top on the other side of it. We both threw right hands. Mine just landed a tad quicker. A half-second slower, who knows, his lands first what would have happened? I don’t know if I would have ate it or a lot of stuff could have gone wrong.

“I think I hurt him in the second round good. Between the second and the third, he was sitting there and being like, ‘I’m not going to coast through a fi…

Max Holloway once again proved his legitimacy as the second-best featherweight in the world after finishing the indestructible Chan Sung Jung in the UFC Fight Night 225 main event at Singapore’s Indoor Stadium.

For years Holloway (25-7) and "Korean Zombie" have circled each other as potential opponents in the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division. Despite Jung’s decline in age, the Zombie’s high-octane, all-guts style brought out the violence in the blessed one.

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Holloway came out poised and patient as usual but seemed shocked by the spring in the Zombie’s step. Jung (17-8) landed several hard shots and forced Holloway to sit on his punches and trade. After the first round, it was clear that it wasn’t going to be a walk in the park for the UFC’s No. 1 ranked featherweight contender.

Heading into the second round, Holloway looked to put Zombie away and nearly did after dropping him with a hard right hand. Holloway pounced on the chok…

Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 225 coverage will begin Saturday at 5 a.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Choi (-180), Errens (+150)Round 1 Featherweights Choi and Errens kick off the proceedings from Kallang, Singapore, with Thomas Fan set to oversee the proceedings. Both men are in orthodox stance. Errens springs forward with lunging low kicks to the leg and front kicks to the body. They throw simultaneous low kicks that clash shin-on-shin. A minute and a half in, most of the offense from both fighters has been kicks, but Errens lands a crisp one-two. Choi catches the onrushing Errens with a nasty short right that buckles his legs. Errens manages to grab a clinch and shove Choi to the fence while he regains his wits. Choi reverses the position and pushes Errens into the chain link. Errens with an overhook. They break up and resume throwing leather. Errens stings Choi with a hard left hand. A minute left in the round and Errens is still throwing everything har…

HEAVY SHOTS FROM Waldo Cortes-Acosta 🫣 #UFCSingapore pic.twitter.com/ruoBvIgmKB

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 26, 2023 After two straight first-round finishes, there was no way heavyweight bruiser Waldo Cortes-Acosta was gonna break the steak. "Salsa Boy" (10-1, 3-1 UFC) closed out the UFC Fight Night 225 prelims in devastating fashion with a first-round knockout of Poland’s Lukasz Brzeski.

Out of the five finishes on the prelims, Acosta’s may have been the most violent. With just over two minutes left in the round, Acosta parried Brzeski’s jab and made him pay dearly with an overhand right carrying the entirety of his 264-pound frame. Brzeski’s legs stopped, dropped and rolled until he finally face-planted in his own corner. Brzeski, a former DWCS product, has lost his first three fights in the UFC.

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Armfield Steamrolls Kazama Garrett Armfield steamrolled Toshiomi Kazama to secure his first UFC win in bantamweight actio…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship awarded four fighters performance bonuses following the UFC Fight Night 225 card.

As expected, the fight of the night was a no-brainer as Max Holloway and Chan Sung Jung put on a thrilling fight in front of the fans. "Korean Zombie" was knocked out in the third round and retired after the fight, which saw Holloway land some incredible punches, including a right hook that ended the career of the fan-favorite South Korean fighter. Both men earned an extra $50,000 as a result.

The two Performance of the Night bonuses went to two impressive knockout artists. Michal Oleksiejczuk earned one for his comeback TKO win over Chidi Njokuani. "Hussar" picked up the finish at the 4:16 mark of Round 1. Finally, Junior Tafa needed just 1:24 to finish Parker Porter. While it took 18 seconds longer than his brother Justin Tafa, "The Juggernaut" was just as impressive, blasting Porter with a number of elbows and punches that put away the heavyweigh…

According to her coach, top Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight Mayra Bueno Silva should be ready to return to competition sooner than later.

On July 15, Silva secured the biggest win of her pro career by submitting Holly Holm with a ninja choke in their main event of UFC on ESPN 49. However, the Brazilian announced in August that she had failed her post-fight drug test, breaking the news before it spread from other sources. Silva claimed that she did not intentionally violate the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency ban on the substance, later determined to be ritalinic acid, a stimulant also known as Ritalin or Concerta. She stated that she took the prescribed medication to treat her ADHD, and that she stopped taking it a week before the fight to let it clear out of her system.

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Sherdog spoke to Silva’s coach at American Top Team, Marcos da Matta, more famously known as “Parrumpinha,” who discussed her situation. Da Matta thanked the UFC for working with…

The grizzled Ultimate Fighting Championship vet known as “The Damage” is not finished yet.

Darren Elkins (27-11) revealed on Thursday on his Instagram page that he will be competing on Oct. 14. His first pairing of 2023 will come at the featherweight division, where he will battle it out with T.J. Brown (17-10) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Both men are coming off losses, having dropped two of their last three.

The ultra-durable Elkins split his 2022 campaign with a win over Tristan Connelly followed by a December decision loss to Jonathan Pearce. The 17-10 record in the Octagon for the Team Alpha Male product is the exact same as the entire professional record for his opponent. Since joining the roster over 13 years ago, “The Damage” has secured wins over names like Dennis Bermudez, Mirsad Bektic, Michael Johnson and Hatsu Hioki, to name a few.

Brown cannot currently celebrate a winning record in the UFC, as his three victories are opposed by four defeats. M…

A Ultimate Fighting Championship fight previously booked between Chris Curtis and Anthony Hernandez has completely transformed.

On Wednesday, Hernandez announced that he had suffered an injury during training, and that he has been forced out of the Noche UFC event in September. At one time, middleweights Curtis and Hernandez were set to square off, but Curtis also sustained an injury that knocked him out of the pairing. Roman Kopylov (11-2) tagged in to face Hernandez, and now Josh Fremd (11-4) will be taking Hernandez’ place. Fremd confirmed his short-notice appearance on Instagram on Wednesday.

Fremd appeared earlier in August to snag a decision over Jamie Pickett, and in the process put himself on a win streak in the Octagon. In March, Fremd snapped a two-bout skid by tapping out Sedriques Dumas in the second round. Before then, Fremd unsuccessfully debuted in the promotion against Hernandez in April 2022, and Tresean Gore put him to sleep with a guillotine cho…

Clay Collard had to earn his first Professional Fighters League Championship appearance the hard way.

In a surefire “Fight of the Year” contender, Collard held off a hard-charging Shane Burgos to win a closely-contesting unanimous decision triumph in the PFL 9 headliner at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York on Wednesday night. All three cageside judges submitted tallies in favor of Collard: 29-28, 29-28 and 29-28. The UFC veteran will advance to face defending PFL champion Olivier Aubin-Mercier in the lightweight final on Nov. 24.

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Collard (24-10, 6-2 PFL) set the tone early, utilizing his trademark volume punching to the head and body to rack up a lead on the scorecards. He backed Burgos (16-5, 1-2 PFL) into the fence with a left hook-right hand combination in the opening stanza and sat his foe down with a left hook in Round 2. The Team Tiger Schulmann product was undeterred, however. He targeted Collard with inside low kicks throughou…

Sergio Batarelli, the creator of International Vale Tudo Championship (IVC), an event that showcased MMA legends such as Wanderlei Silva and Pedro Rizzo in the 1990s, is starting a new promotion.

Batarelli revealed to Sherdog.com that MMA Fight Sport will hold its debut event in Qatar later in 2023. According to Batarelli, it will be a tournament with qualification matches leading to a "knockout" stage, with a total prize of $1 million in cash per category. In addition, there will be different rules and weight categories, to be announced soon.

"It will be a cage-style event, with weekly editions starting from November 2023 and a pay-per-view event every three months,” Batarelli said. “Anyone who holds or has an official title can send us their information.

Interested competitors can send their fight information via email to [email protected].

#COLLISION6 | NOV. 4 | RICO VS. OSARO

Register for the presale now at https://t.co/mtc7jeFgDP pic.twitter.com/DZIw51XNp1

— GLORY Kickboxing (@GLORY_WS) August 23, 2023

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Rico Verhoeven will square off against Tariq Osaro in a heavyweight championship unification bout at Glory Collision 6 on Nov. 4.

The kickboxing promotion announced the pairing on Wednesday. Glory Collision 6 takes place at the GelreDome in Arnhem, Netherlands, and will be available to view on GloryFights.com.

After a knee injury derailed Verhoeven’s return to action earlier this year, the “King of Kickboxing” will fight under the Glory banner for the first time since a fourth-round TKO win against Jamal Ben Saddik on Oct. 23, 2021. That marked Verhoeven’s 10th successful defense of the Glory heavyweight crown. The Dutchman is undefeated in his last 16 bouts overall, a streak that goes back nearly a decade.

Osaro, meanwhile, is coming off a k…

𝑨𝑳𝑳 𝑹𝑶𝑨𝑫𝑺 Lead To 11.24.23

Washington DC. Get Ready. The #PFLWorldChampionship is 𝑪𝑶𝑴𝑰𝑵𝑮 🏆💰 pic.twitter.com/npeuRSetk9

— PFL (@PFLMMA) August 23, 2023

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Professional Fighters League has a location and venue for its premier event.

The organization announced on Wednesday that the 2023 PFL Championships will take place at The Anthem in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 24. The event will see fighters from six different weight classes vying for titles and $1 million apiece. It was also announced that Celsius Essential Energy drink will be the presenting partner for the event, a sponsorship that includes branding on all championship athlete fight kits.

“We are thrilled to announce the 2023 PFL World Championship is coming to the nation’s capital, at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. to host the richest night in MMA on Friday, November 24,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray. “The PFL World Championship presented by our great partners at Ce…

The 2023 Professional Fighters League Playoff semifinals wrap up on Wednesday in New York City at PFL 9. The undercard airs live on ESPN+ at 6:30 p.m. ET, with the main card starting on ESPN at 9 p.m. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round: The Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:The Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Lev Pis…

Zachary Reese thrives on the quick finish.

The undefeated War Training Center prospect was one of three competitors to earn an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract during Week 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series, as he disposed of Eli Aronov with an armbar in the first round of their middleweight headliner on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Reese (6-0, 1-0 DWCS) brought it to a close 74 seconds into Round 1.

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Faced with a six-inch height and five-inch reach deficits, Aronov (6-1, 0-1 DWCS) unleashed a multi-punch burst, tripped his adversary to the floor and pressed his advantages with ground-and-pound. Reese kept his composure, isolated the Israeli’s right arm and drew him deeper into his guard before activating his hips to force the tapout.

Reese has stopped all six of his opponents inside one round.

Featherweight Luis Pajuelo and welterweight Oban Elliott completed the latest crop of UFC signees, bringing the season total to 13.

C…

Sherdog's live coverage of DWCS 2023, Week 3 will begin at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Round 1 Jacob Montalvo will oversee the first fight of the evening. Ring begins things with an outside leg kick. Ring sticks a jab, and then Pajuelo makes him stumble with a heavy leg kick. Ring catches a low kick and counters with an overhand. Ring backs up his foe with a combination and then follows him into the fence with a knee. Pajuelo waves him on and they trade more punches. Ring is throwing combinations well early. Pajuelo walks forward and trades with Ring. It’s a firefight early, but Pajuelo buckles Ring with a clean straight shot, who shoots out of desperation. Pajuelo punches the ribs of his opponent but then gets his ankle caught, allowing Ring to land the takedown. Pajuelo scoots to the fence and works his way to a knee. The Pervuian punches the ribs as Ring works to get him back down. Pajuelo stands and lands a knee in close. They separate and get back to trading. Pajuelo works the…

Charles Oliveira will have a chance to regain the lightweight crown when he meets Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 21.

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Diego Lima, Oliveira’s coach, dismissed the idea that the time zone difference and a long flight played a role in the Brazilian’s loss to Makhachev in their first meeting, which was also in Abu Dhabi.

"Charles is a guy who hardly feels jet lag, he adapts to the time zone very quickly. Every individual reacts differently, and Charles adapted well to Abu Dhabi,” Lima said. “If we were fighting in Mexico City, for example, we would have to arrive much earlier due to the altitude. In the case of Abu Dhabi, we didn't need to arrive so far in advance. Also, Charles doesn't like being far away from home."

In his last outing, Oliveira defeated Beneil Dariush at UFC 289 in Canada, a place where he had never won before. Despite not being a local, “Do Bronx” had the support of the Canadian crowd behind him on that night.…

A women’s featherweight showdown pitting Sara McMann against Leah McCourt has been added to the Bellator 300 lineup.

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A promotion official confirmed the pairing to Sherdog following an initial report from Severe MMA. Bellator 300 takes place at Pechanga Arena in San Diego on Oct. 7 and is highlighted by four championship fights on the main card. The event is headlined by a heavyweight title clash between Ryan Bader and Linton Vassell.

A former UFC bantamweight title challenger, McMann enjoyed a successful promotional debut, as she outpointed Arlene Blencowe at Bellator 294 on April 21. The Olympic silver medalist has won three of her last four professional outings, including triumphs over Karol Rosa and Lina Lansberg in the UFC.

After winning six consecutive bouts from 2018 to 2021, McCourt has lost two of her last three appearances within the California-based promotion. Most recently, she dropped a unanimous decision to Cat Zingano at Bellat…

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Carlos Leal Miranda will be facing an uphill climb if he is to advance to the Professional Fighters League Championships in November.

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Miranda tipped the scales at 172 pounds for his welterweight semifinal clash against defending champion Sadibou Sy (170.8) at PFL 9. As a result, Miranda will be fined 20% of his purse and deducted one point heading into the bout. Additionally, John Caldone (148.6) missed weight for his featherweight showcase against Nathaniel Grimard (145.8) and has been fined 20% of his purse. Everyone else on the card hit their contracted marks without issue.

PFL 9 takes place on Wednesday night at The Theater at Madison Square Garden and is headlined by a lightweight semifinal between Clay Collard (155) and Shane Burgos (156). The main card airs on ESPN and ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on ESPN+ at 6:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.

A UFC veteran with professional boxing experience, Collard i…

John Lineker will make a quick return to action when he faces Stephen Loman at One on Prime Video 14 on Sept. 29.

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Promotion officials confirmed the bout following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. Additionally, Blake Cooper, the brother of former PFL champ Ray Cooper II, will make his One Championship debut against Maurice Abevi on the same card. MMAjunkie.com first brought word of that fight.

One on Prime Video 14 takes place at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore, and is headlined by an atomweight (115-pound) title tilt pitting Nong Stamp against Seo Hee Ham. The card will stream live in the United States on Amazon Prime Video.

Lineker last appeared at One on Prime Video 13 on Aug. 4, when he knocked out Jae Woong Kim with four seconds remaining in the third round of their 145-pound bout. “Hands of Stone” is 5-1 with one no contest in the Singapore-based promotion.

Loman has been victorious in 16 of 18 professional …

From the 𝙎𝙌𝙐𝘼𝙍𝙀𝘿 𝘾𝙄𝙍𝘾𝙇𝙀 to the 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗖𝗮𝗴𝗲 @Savmarshall1 ready to take on the new challenge 👊 pic.twitter.com/fxnAwVwnKI

— PFL (@PFLMMA) August 22, 2023

Super middleweight boxing champion Savannah Marshall has signed a multi-year contract with Professional Fighters League.

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Terms of the deal were not disclosed, and a date for Marshall’s PFL debut was not revealed. Marshall owns a 13-1 career mark in professional boxing, with her lone defeat coming against current PFL talent Claressa Shields last October.

Accordng to a release, Marshall, Shields, former PFL lightweight champ Kayla Harrison and featherweight boxing Amanda Serrano will be the foundation for PFLW, “which will put the focus on women in combat sports while continuing the PFL’s fighter first merit-based approach to MMA.”

“I want to welcome two-time boxing world champion, Savannah Marshall to the Professional Fighters League,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray. “It’…

Ronys Torres is a true MMA veteran.

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At 37 years of age, the Amazonian from Manacapuru boasts an extensive record of 41-9, with a stint in the UFC and a collection of belts to his name. On Friday, he will attempt to add to his collection when he faces Pedro Paulino Vinagre for the welterweight title at Shooto Brazil 119.

“I was taken by surprise by this call, but I had left my name available for the event, since I prepared myself and didn't fight in the March edition because my opponent on that occasion didn't show up,” Torres said. I’m happy with this opportunity.”

Torres has finished 33 of his 41 career victories inside the distance — including 20 via submission. His opponent, though two years older, has only 11 fights on his record. He’s won 10 of them, including six by way of submission.

“I'm pretty sure we’ll both want to go to the ground, and I confess that I'm even rooting for him to want that. All my opponents run from the ground with …

Mayra Bueno Silva has failed a drug test in relation to her victory over Holly Holm on July 15.

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The Brazilian announced on Monday that she tested positive for a “substance that is consistent with the prescription medication I take for my ADHD.” Bueno Silva says she is cooperating with the Nevada State Athletic Commission and USADA regarding the failed test and has fully acknowledged the banned substance in her system.

Bueno Silva is on the agenda for Thursday’s NSAC hearing, where she will likely receive a temporary suspension.

The 31-year-old American Top Team representative submitted Holm with a ninja choke 38 seconds into Round 2 of their headlining clash at UFC on ESPN 49 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. With four straight victories to her credit — including three inside the distance — Bueno Silva had emerged as a top contender for the bantamweight championship vacated by Amanda Nunes earlier this year.

Bueno Silva’s full statement is as fol…

Michel Pereira’s weight miss ahead of a proposed clash against Stephen Thompson at UFC 291 has prompted the Brazilian striker to change divisions.

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Pereira will move to 185 pounds for a clash against Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC Fight Night on Oct. 14. Multiple outlets confirmed the booking following an initial report from Laerte Viana. The card is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and includes a featherweight duel between Sodiq Yusuff and Edson Barboza.

Pereira missed weight by three pounds prior to UFC 291, which led to “Wonderboy” turning down the fight. The 29-year-old known as “Demolidor” has been victorious in his last five appearances within the Las Vegas-based promotion. Most recently, he took a split verdict over Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC Fight Night 206 in May 2022.

Canada’s Barriault has won three of his last four fights under the UFC banner. “Power Bar” is 2-0 thus far in 2023, with victories against Julian Marqu…

Shane Burgos wasn’t supposed to be here.

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He’s well aware of that fact. But now that he is, the UFC veteran plans to make the most of his second chance by defeating Clay Collard in their lightweight semifinal matchup at PFL 9 on Wednesday night in New York.

“This is the fight everybody wanted to see,” Burgos said at a PFL media day. “Before I was in the weight class, it’s a fight I had my eyes on for a while. I’m ready for it. It’s one of those matchups, it can’t be boring. It’s gonna be a firefight from the first bell to the last bell. I’m doing everything in my power to get this finish, my first PFL finish over a guy like Clay is going to mean the world to me.”

After losing his PFL debut to Olivier Aubin-Mercier and then earning a decision against Yamato Nishikawa in his second appearance, Burgos snuck into the postseason under unusual circumstances. Based on points alone, Natan Schulte would have been in the playoffs, but the league ultimatel…