Blog

All eyes on these two welterweights tomorrow night 👀@VicenteLuqueMMA vs @RDosAnjosMMA#UFCVegas78 | TOMORROW | Live on ESPN+ 📺 pic.twitter.com/51OqxN9ncj

— UFC (@ufc) August 11, 2023 Vicente Luque can undoubtedly hear the whispers and would like nothing more than to quiet the doubters who believe him to be on the backside of an outstanding run in the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight division.

Luque tipped the scales at 170.5 pounds ahead of his UFC on ESPN 51 main event opposite Rafael dos Anjos (171) on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, where he will look to rebound from back-to-back losses for the first time in his 31-fight career. Featherweight co-headliners Cub Swanson (146) and Hakeem Dawodu (146) also met their contracted weight requirements without issue at Friday’s official weigh-in. The same could not be said across the board, as a pair of main-card middleweights missed the mark by multiple pounds apiece.

UFC on …

[embedded content] Jayme Sandall, well-regarded karateka and coach of former Ultimate Fighting Championship kingpin Vitor Belfort, weighed in on some of the most talented names in the UFC.

Largely considered the greatest champion in the history of the Japan Karate Association, Sandall worked with Belfort ahead of five bouts that culminated in Belfort taking on Anderson Silva in 2011. While currently a striking coach, Sandall’s own career stretched across 28 years with a whopping 445 victories in karate matches. For 21 of those years, Sandall represented the Brazilian national team for karate, which was led by Yoshizo Machida, the father of Lyoto Machida. Sandall spoke to Sherdog about some of the best strikers he sees in the UFC now, and how they can excel in potential matchups down the line.

Advertisement

Before pointing to any one fighter, Sandall noted that the top strikers he sees are not borne from karate disciplines. Instead, they are all kickboxers of some …

[embedded content] Jayme Sandall, well-regarded karateka and coach of former Ultimate Fighting Championship kingpin Vitor Belfort, weighed in on some of the most talented names in the UFC.

Largely considered the greatest champion in the history of the Japan Karate Association, Sandall worked with Belfort ahead of five bouts that culminated in Belfort taking on Anderson Silva in 2011. While currently a striking coach, Sandall’s own career stretched across 28 years with a whopping 445 victories in karate matches. For 21 of those years, Sandall represented the Brazilian national team for karate, which was led by Yoshizo Machida, the father of Lyoto Machida. Sandall spoke to Sherdog about some of the best strikers he sees in the UFC now, and how they can excel in potential matchups down the line.

Advertisement

Before pointing to any one fighter, Sandall noted that the top strikers he sees are not borne from karate disciplines. Instead, they are all kickboxers of some …

Thrilled to announce that the court in the UFC case has certified the class of mma fighters. We look forward to demonstrating our allegations that the UFC has abused its market power to suppress fighter pay before a jury in Las Vegas. The fight for fighter justice continues!

— Eric Cramer (@CramerEcramer) August 9, 2023 The antitrust case against the Ultimate Fighting Championship is moving forward in a big way.

First reported by Bloody Elbow on Wednesday, federal Judge Richard F. Boulware has granted class certification to the plaintiffs of the antitrust suit against the UFC. The lawsuit was first filed in late 2014, and it will now be considered a class action suit, which allows over 1,200 fighters to sue the UFC together. The class will encompass all fighters that competed for Zuffa from Dec. 16, 2010 to June 30, 2017. This specific “bout class” was certified, and not the “identity class,” opening the door for a case that will likely procee…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship may have secured the services of a fan-favorite heavyweight for the remainder of his career.

On Wednesday, UFC executives spoke to the media about a number of issues. One specific topic was raised, in regards to the recent free agency announcement of Derrick Lewis (27-11, 1 NC). The promotion confirmed he had been re-signed during the scrum, and the terms were announced early Thursday morning by The Mac Life. While the dollar amount was not disclosed, the UFC and Lewis agreed to an eight-bout contract. This is far from the first long-term deal the UFC has issued to fighters towards the end of their careers, as names such as Anderson Silva, Jon Jones and Michelle Waterson all signed similar contracts of this duration.

Lewis last appeared in the Octagon in July, where he was slotted up to the main card on short notice. Facing Marcos Rogerio de Lima, Lewis smashed his foe in 33 seconds and dramatically concluded his career-long three-fig…

🚨 #PFLPARIS 𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟 𝗙𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗗 🚨

🇫🇷 5 French Athletes on the card⚔️ Headlined by @CedricDoumbe vs @Jordan_Zebo👑 @LazyKingMMA PFL debut🏆 @PFLEurope Playoffs semifinals🌍 12 European Nations represented🎟 New limited wave of tickets released!!!

Advertisement

Follow… pic.twitter.com/HeWeA78R6g — PFL Europe (@PFLEurope) August 10, 2023 The Professional Fighters League has established its playoff event for its European tournament.

On Thursday, the organization released the 12-bout lineup of its PFL Europe 3: 2023 Playoffs event. The four weight classes of light heavyweight, lightweight, bantamweight and women’s flyweight will find their finalists at night’s end on Sept. 30. Eight bouts in those four weight categories will sort out the top two competitors from each in Paris. Headlining the fight card will be the highly anticipated debut of French kickboxer Cedric Doumbe (4-0), who will be taking on fellow unbeaten countryman Jordan Zebo (4-0…

[embedded content] A whole 34 fighters hit the scales ahead of the upcoming Bellator MMA fight card, and just one could not make their proper marks.

Former Bellator MMA interim welterweight champion Logan Storley will face off against a fan-favorite in Brennan Ward atop Bellator 298 on Saturday. Both contenders successfully made weight for their five-round affair, and the lone offender who has been fined a percentage of her purse was Diana Avsaragova (127.2). The unbeaten Russian woman clocked in 1.2 pounds over the flyweight limit ahead of her match with Justine Kish (125.6), and the bout will otherwise proceed as scheduled.

Advertisement

Storley (14-2) is looking to rebound from a failed unification bid against Yaroslav Amosov, who has defeated “Storm” twice – and is the only man to beat Storley to date. Prior to the setback, Storley scored wins over Michael Page and Neiman Gracie. For his first main event in Bellator in front of his home state crowd in South Da…

UFC 292 has taken another hit, as Geoff Neal has withdrawn from a proposed clash against Ian Garry on Aug. 19.

Advertisement

Garry posted a video of his reaction to Neal’s exit from the card on social media. Undisclosed health issues are reportedly the reason for Neal’s withdrawal.

On Wednesday evening, MMAjunkie.com reported that Neil Magny will replace Neil and face Garry at UFC 292. The 36-year-old Magny is coming off a split-decision triumph against Philip Rowe at UFC on ABC 5 on June 24. Magny is 21-9 in UFC competition overall and is the promotion's all-time wins leader at welterweight.

Garry is regarded as one of the top prospects at 170 pounds. The Irishman is undefeated in 12 professional outings -- including five in the UFC. He last appeared at UFC on ABC 4, where he scored a first-round TKO of Daniel Rodriguez.

UFC 292 takes place at the TD Garden in Boston and is headlined by a bantamweight championship tilt pitting Aljamain Sterling aga…

#Bellator300 takes place on Oct. 7 at @PechangaArenaSD with FOUR world title fights!! pic.twitter.com/yWzYfj0pog

— Scott Coker (@ScottCoker) August 9, 2023

Bellator MMA is planning an extravaganza for its 300th event.

The California-based promotion announced on Wednesday that Bellator 300 will feature four championship bouts at the top of the bill: Ryan Bader vs. Linton Vassell at heavyweight; Cristiane Justino vs. Cat Zingano at featherweight; Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Brent Primus at lightweight and Liz Carmouche vs. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane at flyweight. Nurmagomedov vs. Primus is part of the Bellator lightweight grand prix.

Bellator 300 takes place at Pechanga Arena in San Diego on Oct. 7. The main card airs on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. The undercard, which will be announced soon, streams on the Bellator MMA YouTube channel and Pluto TV. Bader vs. Vassell is slated to be the evening’s headliner.

“When I first joined Bellator, w…

Claressa Shields still plans on making on impact in mixed martial arts.

Advertisement

The two-time Olympic gold medalist and three-division world champion boxer has re-signed with Professional Fighters League, the organization announced on Wednesday. According to a release, Shields expects to return to the PFL sometime in 2024. Terms of the multi-year contract were not disclosed, though Shields called it a “great, seven-figure deal” in a video message on social media.

“My goal remains unchanged; I will be the first athlete to hold championships in both boxing and MMA simultaneously,” Shields said. “I have grown so much since my first MMA fight and cannot wait to put my skills on display.”

Shields fought twice under the PFL banner in 2021. After scoring a third-round technical knockout win against Brittney Elkin in her pro debut, she dropped a split verdict to Abigail Montes in October 2021. Since then, “T-Rex” has gone 3-0 in boxing, most recently earning …

When proposed UFC 291 opponent Michel Pereira missed weight by three pounds, Stephen Thompson made a business decision and elected not to take the fight.

Advertisement

“This isn’t the first time I’ve had an opponent miss weight and given how that played out previously, myself and my team ultimately felt that it’s not smart for us to move forward with the fight,” Thompson wrote as part of a lenghty statement on social media.

“Wonderboy” later went on "The MMA Hour” and revealed that though he hadn’t been paid his show money for the event, he expected that “the UFC is going to do right by me.” It appears there may be different perspectives on what “doing right” actually means.

At the Contender Series post-fight press conference on Tuesday night, UFC president addressed the Thompson situation.

“Guys just don’t get paid to not fight, that’s not how that works,” White said. “We’ve taken care of guys. If you come in and you’re making short money, we take care …

While Conor McGregor recently indicated that UFC was ready to move on from Michael Chandler as a potential opponent, Dana White says that’s not the case.

Advertisement

McGregor and Chandler have served as opposing coaches on “The Ultimate Fighter 31,” and the two are supposed to square off at the conclusion of the season. However, McGregor has yet to enter the USADA drug testing pool, which has put the status of his return in question.

“I talked to Conor, either yesterday or the day before, and yeah, he’s ready to fight,” White said at post-fight press conference for the Contender Series on Tuesday night. “I said, ‘Listen, get in shape and let’s figure this out.’”

After Justin Gaethje defeated Dustin Poirier in the UFC 291 headliner on July 29, McGregor called out the new BMF champion. In a since-deleted tweet, the Irish star claimed that the promotion might be interested in booking him against an opponent other than Chandler.

“I’ll do it if they wan…

Tom Nolan did not disappoint.

The undefeated Team Compton Training Centre prospect was one of five hopefuls to book spots on the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster during Week 1 of Dana White’s Contender Series, as he put away Bogdan Grad with punches in the first round of their lightweight showcase on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Grad (11-2, 0-1 DWCS) succumbed to blows 1:23 into Round 1, suffering his first loss since Sept. 25, 2020.

Advertisement

Nolan (6-0, 1-0 DWCS) offered the Ettl Brothers MMA export no opportunity to operate. The 6-foot-3 Australian floored Grad with a surgical straight left, jumped in top position, shed an attempted armbar and applied his ground-and-pound before he returned to his feet. Nolan flurried again soon after and slammed a concussive left hook into his opponent’s jaw. Grad crashed to the canvas in a dazed state and ate a follow-up standing-to-ground left before referee Kerry Hatley could arrive on the scene. Middle…

Sherdog's live DWCS 2023 Week 1 coverage will begin Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET. Round 1 Chris Tognoni will oversee the first Contender Series bout of the new season. Dias opens up with a lead leg kick. He targets the lead leg two more ties while feinting and moving, but it’s Borjas that lands a right hand. Borjas rips the body in an exchange. Dias just misses a big overhand right. The Brazilian pressures and lands a takedown near the fence. Dias laces Borjas’ legs as the Peruvian posts with his right arm. Dias peppers the ribs with left hands in the meantime. It’s early, but Dias already has a mouse under his eye. Borjas frees his legs and stands, but Dias maintains a body lock. He pulls Borjas down to his seat, but Borjas uses a wizzer to stand while landing a few rapid-fire punches. Dias still hasn’t broken his grip, however, and he presses Borjas into the fence. Dias knees the thighs from this position before spinning Borjas off the cage and onto the mat. Dias applies heavy sho…

BREAKING: Sydney, your #UFC293 main event is official!! 🚨🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/D2t7xTy8Ns

— UFC (@ufc) August 8, 2023

Israel Adesanya’s next middleweight title defense will not come against the opponent many initially anticipated.

Advertisement

UFC president Dana White announced on Tuesday that Adesanya will face Sean Strickland in the UFC 293 main event in Sydney, Australia on Sept. 9. Three other fights were confirmed for the card: Alexander Volkov vs. Taia Tuivasa at heavyweight; Kaia Kara-France vs. Manel Kape at flyweight and Austen Lane vs. Justin Tafa at heavyweight.

“This will be Adesanya’s 11th consecutive title fight. What I love about Israel is he’s always ready to take on the best in the world — anyone, anytime,” White said. “And Strickland is an absolute maniac who doesn’t back down from anyone. This will be a great fight.”

Adesanya was supposed to face top middleweight contender Dricus Du Plessis, as indicated by th…

Logan ‘The Maverick’ Paul is 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 🥊 @LoganPaul vs @dillondanis is CONFIRMED for the Prime Card in Manchester on Oct 14th live on @DAZNBoxing 💥 @PrimeHydrate | @MF_DAZNXSeries | #KSIFury | #PaulDanis pic.twitter.com/FlDFlD0sHh

— Misfits Boxing (@MisfitsBoxing) August 8, 2023

Dillon Danis is scheduled to make his return to combat sports in a boxing match against social media personality Logan Paul on Oct. 14.

Advertisement

The bout will be on the undercard of the KSI vs. Tommy Fury event and takes place at AO Arena in Manchester. The card will air on pay-per-view via Dazn. Danis vs. Paul is scheduled for six, three-minute rounds and will be contested at 195 pounds, according to MMAjunkie.com.

Danis, a training partner of Conor McGregor, drew attention for his brash personality after signing with Bellator MMA. He earned a pair of first-round submission victories from 2018 and 2019 but hasn’t competed for the organization since then. …

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

Dana White’s Contender Series alum Jose Johnson will step in on short notice to face Da'Mon Blackshear at UFC on ESPN 51 this Saturday.

Advertisement

Johnson is a replacement for Brady Hiestand, who withdrew from the card due to a “medical issue.” The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the new bantamweight pairing on Tuesday. UFC on ESPN 51 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight duel pitting Vicente Luque against Rafael dos Anjos.

Johnson enters the matchup on a three-fight winning streak. He last appeared at the Contender Series in August 2022, when he earned a unanimous decision triumph over Jack Cartwright. The 28-year-old Flint, Michigan, native owns a 15-7 career mark with appearances in Fury Fighting Championship and Legacy Fighting Championship to his credit.

A former Cage Fury Fighting Championships title holder, Blackshear is 1-1-1 since making is Octago…

Viviane Araujo will have both an opponent and venue change for her next fight.

Advertisement

Araujo was originally slated to face Casey O'Neill at UFC 293 in Sydney on Sept. 9 before her opponent withdrew from the bout. Instead, the Brazilian flyweight will lock horns with Jennifer Maia at a UFC Fight Night event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Oct. 14. The new bout was initially reported by Sherdog contributor Christian Stein.

Araujo will attempt to snap a two-fight skid against Maia. The 36-year-old Cerrado MMA export last appeared at UFC 285, where she suffered a unanimous decision loss to Amanda Ribas on March 4.

A former flyweight title challenger, Maia is coming off back-to-back decision wins against O’Neill and Maryna Moroz. The former Invicta FC title holder is 6-5 during her tenure with the Las Vegas based promotion.

Only a handful of fighters elected to reveal their payouts from UFC 291 following a change in policy from the Pete Suazo Utah Athletic Commission.

Advertisement

Kevin Holland ($356,000) topped the list of disclosed salaries from the July 29 event, which took place at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Bobby Green, Gabriel Bonfim and C.J. Vergara were the only other fighters who made their paydays public.

No other salaries were released, as the commission revealed that it entered into “confidentiality agreements” with athletes competing at UFC 291 ahead of the event. According to a statement from Utah commission executive director Scott Bowler, which was obtained by MMAjunkie.com, the fighters “expressed valid concerns regarding the public disclosure of the compensation amount in bout agreements, because public disclosure of their purse amounts will negatively impact their individual ability to negotiate compensation or purse amounts for future events.”<…

The first week for a new season of Dana White’s Contender Series is now official.

All 10 competitors made weight on Monday, including scheduled headliners Cesar Almeida (185.5) and Lucas Fernando (186). The Contender Series takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Tuesday, with fighters attempt to earn a UFC contract based on their performance in the Octagon. The card airs on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT — one hour earlier than normal.

A kickboxer with a 47-8-1 career mark, Almeida has been victorious in his first three professional MMA appearances. Most recently, the 35-year-old Lotus MMA member scored a 38-second knockout of Danilo de Souza Silva at Shooto Brazil 110 in December 2021.

Fernando will carry a 9-1 record into the matchup with Almeida. In his last outing, Fernando claimed the Legacy Fighting Alliance middleweight crown with a fourth-round KO of Jansey Silva at LFA 154 on March 10.

Contender Series Weigh-in Results:Cesar Almeida (185.5) vs. L…

Cory Sandhagen did quite well despite not fighting at full capacity.

Advertisement

Sandhagen received a six-month suspension following his unanimous decision victory over Rob Font in the UFC on ESPN 50 headliner at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Saturday night. The Elevation Fight Team product relied on a steady diet of takedowns and top pressure to neutralize Font, an approach that drew boos from the fans but led to a relatively clean victory in a short-notice catchweight matchup.

“Fully torn tricep in Round 1,” Sandhagen revealed on Instagram. “Wasn’t able to punch or elbow with that arm without pain and it feeling like s—t. Did what I had to do to win that night.

“Surgery this week — back soon.”

The Tennessee Athletic Commission released a full list of medical suspensions from Saturday’s event. The nature of the majority of those suspensions was not specified. Two other fighters from UFC on ESPN 50 are facing potential six-month sits: Gavin Tucker …

Things went exactly according to plan for Cory Sandhagen against Rob Font in the UFC on ESPN 50 main event.

Advertisement

Sandhagen relied on takedowns and suffocating top control to cruise to a five-round verdict in their 140-pound catchweight clash at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Saturday night. Those in attendance were not pleased with the performance, and while Sandhagen understands the angst, it was far more important for him to earn his third straight UFC victory.

“That was the game plan,” Sandhagen said at the post-fight press conference. “I thought that honestly he would have made some pretty good adjustments and stuff a couple of them later in the fight. Font doesn’t wrestle that good. He doesn’t have an immediate wrestler reaction. He doesn’t get up very well. The only way that he really gets up is on that underhook, and if I just shut that down, he’s not going to really get up.

“I know that there’s lots of boos and it’s not the most exciting…

If there was any question before, there isn’t now: Tatiana Suarez is back.

Advertisement

Viewed as a future title contender during her rise to prominence in the UFC from 2016 to 2019, injuries halted Suarez’s momentum and sidelined her until earlier this year. The 32-year-old Millennia MMA representative has made up for lost time, earning submission wins over Montana De La Rosa and Jessica Andrade in 2023. The latter was especially impressive, as Suarez outclassed Andrade, a former 115-pound champion, in the UFC on ESPN 50 co-main event before winning via second-round guillotine choke at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday night. Even before the finish arrived, Suarez was able to hold her own with Andrade during exchanges.

“I’m just really excited about this one, because I think a lot of people fear her on the feet. That’s where she has her most success, and of course, me, I decided to strike with her a lot more than I do in all my other fights,” Suarez said at Saturd…

pic.twitter.com/ZGHDFMR115

— UFC (@ufc) August 6, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship awarded five fighters performance bonuses following the UFC on ESPN 50 card.

Every fighter that earned a finish on the card was awarded an extra $50,000. The most notable finish came in the co-main event, which saw Tatiana Suarez return and impress against former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade. Suarez proved she hadn't lost a step and finished the veteran with a guillotine choke.

The lone knockout on the card came from Dustin Jacoby, who was able to starch Kennedy Nzechukwu with a series of punches in the very first round. The other three finishes were all submissions. These included Diego Lopes' impressive armbar win, the shocking guillotine choke comeback from Carlston Harris and Asu Almabaev's impressive rear-naked choke over Ode Osbourne.

UFC on ESPN 50 Bonuses: Tatiana Suarez - $50,000Dustin Jacoby - $50,000Diego Lopes - $50,000…