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Cory Sandhagen operated on a level to which Rob Font simply could not rise.

Well-timed takedowns, suffocating control and mild ground-and-pound spurred “The Sandman” to a unanimous decision over Font in the UFC on ESPN 50 headliner, as he took another step forward in the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight division on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. All three judges scored it 50-45 for Sandhagen (17-4, 10-3 UFC).

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A late-notice replacement for Umar Nurmagomedov, Font (20-7, 10-6 UFC) made almost no headway. Sandhagen executed two takedowns in the first round, incorporated some ground-and-pound elbows and put a serious dent in his opponent’s resolve. The scene repeated itself again and again over the next 20 minutes. The flummoxed Font managed to get back to his feet late in rounds but appeared too tired and frustrated to offer a meaningful retort. Sandhagen completed his final takedown some 90 seconds into Round 5 and e…

Sherdog's live UFC on ESPN 50 coverage will begin Saturday at 6 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Almabaev (-185), Osbourne (+154)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Woodson (-175), Buzukja (+145)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Officia…

Kyler Phillips still looks like a man who intends to make some significant noise in the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight division.

In his first appearance in more than 500 days, the MMA Lab standout outstruck and outmaneuvered Raoni Barcelos to a unanimous decision in the featured UFC on ESPN 50 prelim on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Scores were 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28—all for Phillips (11-2, 5-1 UFC).

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A short-notice substitution for Said Nurmagomedov, Barcelos, 36, looked his age at times and struggled to track down “The Matrix” in open space. Phillips sat him down with a clean one-two in the first round, troubled the Brazilian with a takedown in the second and managed to keep his head above water in the third. Barcelos surged late with takedowns and a right hook to the body, but by then, the die had been cast.Harris Choke Stuns Wells Onetime Brave Combat Federation titleholder Carlston Harris put Jeremiah Wells …

UFC welterweight prospect Ian Garry, who is undefeated in 12 professional outings, recently spent part of his camp in Sao Paulo, Brazil, at Chute Boxe Diego Lima.

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“He sent me a message on Instagram saying he really liked the energy of my team and would love to visit Chute Boxe. A few weeks later we finally met in person during fight week, and I officially invited him to come,” Lima told Sherdog.com.

According to Lima, the Irishman was welcomed with open arms to Charles Oliveira’s team.

"The guy has a great energy. Actually, he looks more like a Brazilian. Always smiling, treating everybody well,” Lima said. “After training he had lunch with the team. Plus his wife speaks Portuguese, which was great.”

Garry, who will face Geoff Neal at UFC 292 on Aug. 19, impressed Lima with his skill level.

"He is a very talented guy, very intelligent. He did very tough sparrng with everybody here and we had a pretty similar view of the tactics he…

The 2023 Professional Fighters League playoffs kicked off at the Boeing Center in San Antonio with semifinals at light heavyweight and featherweight, with the rest of the card showcasing various prospects, a few of which were indeed brilliant.

In the PFL 7: 2023 Playoffs main event, featherweight top seed Bubba Jenkins went to war with superb upstart Jesus Pinedo of Peru. Jenkins is a former NCAA Division 1 wrestling champion and has had continual success in the PFL since joining them in 2021, though the $1 million prize has thus far eluded him. Last year, he finished runner-up to Brendan Loughnane, who knocked him out in the fourth round. Speaking of Loughnane, he was the heavy favorite this year, but was knocked out of the fight and playoffs alike thanks to a 94 second beating by unheralded Peruvian Jesus Pinedo two months ago, who recently turned 27 years old. Pinedo struggled to make weight against Jenkins, weighing 0.4 pounds over the limit. This also meant he would b…

The 2023 Professional Fighters League Playoffs begin Friday in San Antonio with PFL 7 at 6:30 p.m. ET. The action airs live on ESPN+ and then continues on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET. Round 1

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Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result

Chingiz Allazov has waited nearly a decade to enact his revenge on rival Marat Grigorian. On Friday, he finally got his chance.

The One Championship featherweight kickboxing champion successfully defended his title for the first time after striking circles around Grigorian for five rounds in the ONE on Prime Video 13 main event at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

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Grigorian entered the fight having won seven of his last eight bouts by using a disciplined, high-octane, pressure heavy style, but Allazov had all the answers for it.

The champ used quick footwork to stay on the outside and pick Grigorian apart with leg kicks and teeps.

Grigorian seemed lost for most of the evening as he chased Allazov around the ring looking to land something big. He would nearly find it in the fifth. After dancing for the first 12 minutes, Allazov’s legs looked heavy for the final three. Grigorian hunted him down and forced his foe to slug it out to the…

Sherdog's live ONE on Prime Video 13 coverage kicks off Friday at 8 p.m. ET. Round 1

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Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 The Official Result

Sherdog's live ONE on Prime Video 13 coverage kicks off Friday at 8 p.m. ET. Round 1 Herb Dean is the referee for the opening bout. Sangiao lands a nice kick to the body. During a combination, Baatarkhuu eats a spinning back fist. Sangiao is throwing combination punches and then goes for a takedown. Baatarkhuu is able to get back to his feet with an armlock attempt. Baatarkhuu has a cut over his right eye. Both men are patient, with Sangiao landing some strong left hooks. A straight right floors Baatarkhuu, who pops right back up. Sangiao goes for another takedown and loses position. Baatarkhuu separates and Sangiao stands up. The round ends with Baatarkhuu landing a takedown after a back fist whiffs and time expires. 10-9 Sangiao.

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Round 2 A left head kick lands for Baatarkhuu to start Round 2. The attack is followed up with a brutal standing elbow that rocks Sangiao. Baatarkhuu gets top position and begins looking for an arm. Sangiao is defending well an…

Sept. 29’s One Championship card just gained an intriguing bantamweight muay thai matchup as Glory Kickboxing veteran Asa Ten Pow and Thailand knockout artist Rambolek Chor Ajalaboon will collide at One on Prime Video 14.

Ten Pow (13-2) is looking for his second straight triumph in the Singapore-based promotion. In his latest outing, he crushed Han Zi Hao 52 seconds into the third frame of their ONE on Prime Video 9 matchup. An all-around combat sports practitioner, “The American Ninja” also features a 1-0 (1 NC) mixed martial arts record.

Fighting out of Thailand, Rambolek (62-13-3) is looking to bounce back after suffering a narrow split-decision loss to Fariyar Aminipour at One Friday Fights 22 in June. Prior, he amassed back-to-back wins after knocking out Zhang Chenglong and Theeradet Chor Hapayak at One Friday Fights 13 and One Friday Fights 7, respectively.

One on Prime Video 14 will go down at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore on Sept. 29. In the…

First to the scale @CorySandhagen locks himself in for tomorrow night's main event 🔐#UFCNashville | TOMORROW | Live on @ESPN & @ESPNPlus 📺 pic.twitter.com/ENn8B0ipFh

— UFC (@ufc) August 4, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to ESPN airwaves for its first event of August.

The 12-fight UFC on ESPN 50 card is now official after the weigh-ins took place. The main event is a 140-pound catchweight battle between bantamweight contenders Cory Sandhagen and Rob Font, who both made weight. "The Sandman" was initially set to face Umar Nurmagomedov, although an injury to the Dagestani fighter led to Font (20-6) accepting the fight on short notice. All fighters on the card made weight except for late-notice replacement Dennis Buzukja, who came in .5 pounds over the featherweight limit.

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The surging Sandhagen (16-4) has turned a corner since back-to-back defeats to T.J. Dillashaw and Petr Yan. In his last two main ev…

⚖️Jesus Pinedo weighs in over the 146 pound limit for his 2023 Featherweight Semifinal bout

[ Friday, August 4th | 6:30ET on ESPN+ | 9pm ET on ESPN | #PFLPlayoffs] pic.twitter.com/bofCKcCVuT

— PFL (@PFLMMA) August 3, 2023 Professional Fighters League kicks off its 2023 playoffs this week with PFL 7.

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Eight playoff participants will compete on Friday, although only seven made weight. Jesus Pinedo missed the featherweight limit by coming in at 146.4 pounds for his main event clash against Buba Jenkins. The fight will continue, although Jenkins will be awarded 20 percent of Pinedo's purse.

The other featherweight semifinal will see Gabriel Braga take on Chris Wade. Meanwhile, the two light heavyweight semifinals will see Joshua Silveira face Ty Flores and Marthin Hamlet go up against Impa Kasanganay. The winning fighters will then face off at the 2023 championship event later in the year.

The PFL 7 main card will …

The upcoming Fight Nation Championship event will feature two behemoths colliding for the heavyweight title in an actual Roman Colosseum.

FNC 12 will be headlined by Michal Andryszak and Ivan Vitasovic, Sherdog has learned. The source asked for anonymity since the matchup hasn’t been made public. FNC 12 will go down at Arena Pula in Pula, Croatia, on Sept. 2.

Andryszak (25-10, 1NC) is best known for his Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki stint, where he went as far as challenging Philip De Fries for the heavyweight title in 2018, suffering a first-round stoppage. The résumé of “Longer” includes victories over the likes of Michal Kita and Guto Inocente. He’ll walk into his next assignment riding a three-bout winning streak.

Hailing from Pula, Vitasovic (11-5-1) has picked up five straight victories, including four finishes. Most recently, he forced a first-round doctor stoppage in his clash with veteran Geronimo dos Santos in their FNC 7 clash last September.

Undisputed featherweight boxing titleholder Amanda Serrano is the Professional Fighters League’s latest high-profile acquisition.

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🚨𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 🚨

Welcome to the Professional Fighters League @Serranosisters

“The Real Deal” is signed and set to fight in the PFL’s PPV Superfight division pic.twitter.com/38LgKRYdUD — PFL (@PFLMMA) August 2, 2023

On Wednesday, the PFL announced they added Serrano (2-0-1, 0-0 PFL) to the PPV Super Fight Division. The promotion hasn’t announced an opponent or a date for Serrano’s promotional debut. Serrano, a historic figure from Puerto Rico, holds an impressive 44-2-1 record in boxing, with 30 knockouts. Serrano is set to compete this weekend as she attempts to defend her titles against Heather Hardy on Aug. 5.

"I joined the PFL PPV Super Fight Division because of their revolutionary format that empowers fighters like never before. The PFL's commitment to promoting high-profile,…

Breaking news 🚨Unfortunately I received an injury and my fight with Shavkat Rakhmonov off/delayedFull video on my YouTube channel. pic.twitter.com/NXxvHjU54U

— #OnAmission4Gold (@KelvinGastelum) August 1, 2023

Sept. 16’s UFC Fight Night 227 Las Vegas card lost one of its protagonists after Kelvin Gastelum suffered an injury in training.

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Gastelum (18-8, 1NC; 12-8, 1NC UFC) took to his social media accounts to announce his assignment was off. According to the fighter, he suffered fractures following an elbow strike in training. The Fight Ready representative was scheduled to compete at 170 for the first time since moving up to middleweight in 2016. Gastelum picked up a victory in his latest foray, a unanimous decision win over Chris Curtis at UFC 287, bouncing back after back-to-back defeats at the hands of Robert Whittaker and Jared Cannonier.

“Unfortunate news, my fight with Shavkat Rakhmonov is off. I received an el…

Ben Duffy/Sherdog.com illustration

Nominees for the 15th annual fan-selected World MMA Awards have been announced, and your favorite outlet—hopefully—is up for MMA Media Source of the Year.

Fighters Only Magazine, which has covered mixed martial arts since 2005 and launched its annual awards in 2008, on Tuesday announced the nominees in over 20 categories for the 15th edition of its World MMA Awards. The contest year covers July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023. The categories cover a broad range of subjects including fighters, fight outcomes, coaches, promoters, ring card girls, media outlets, and the recently added “Fighting Spirit Award,” which honors fighters for courageous behavior in or out of the cage as well as good citizenship and philanthropy.

“I am honored and excited to have reached a 15-year anniversary with the Fighters Only World MMA Awards,” Fighters Only CEO Rob Hewitt said in a press release. “To see the growth of the sport during that time…

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

The third time is the charm—or so Sean Woodson must hope after seeing his opponent change that many times in the past few days.

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Woodson (9-1-1, 3-1-1 UFC) seems to have found his final opponent for the upcoming UFC on ESPN 50 event, as Mairon Santos Alves has stepped up to replace Jesse Butler on short notice. Originally a replacement for Steve Garcia, Butler was pulled out of the contest by the Nevada State Athletic Commission due to safety protocols, as he suffered a knockout loss 23 seconds into his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut against Jim Miller at UFC on ESPN 46 on June 3. Woodson confirmed the matchup on his socials, though it was not immediately clear whether the fight will take place at featherweight, as the Butler and Garcia matchups had both been scheduled to do, or at a higher weight.

A Dana White's Contender Series graduate, Woodson is coming off a rare split draw in hi…

Justin Gaethje wasn’t impressed that he captured Conor McGregor’s attention Saturday night in Salt Lake City.

Gaethje (25-4, 8-4 UFC) is coming off an impressive performance against Dustin Poirier in the UFC 291 headliner, a second-round knockout victory that earned “The Highlight” his second consecutive triumph and the symbolic “BMF” title. In victory, Gaethje also avenged the loss he suffered at the hands of Poirier in their first encounter in 2018. Moments after his win, Gaethje was called out by former Ultimate Fighting Championship two-division champion McGregor, who promised to “slap” Gaethje around in a since-then deleted Tweet.

On previous occasions, the former World Series of Fighting champ attempted to face McGregor in the Octagon, but the matchup never materialized. In the UFC 291 post-fight press conference, Gaethje stated he wasn’t interested in the McGregor fight anymore, implying “The Notorious” was taking illegal substances since he wasn’t in the USA…

[embedded content] Bellator MMA great Patricio Freire will be out of action for the foreseeable future.

Earlier in the week, Freire (35-7) volunteered for a short-notice fight against Chihiro Suzuki (11-3, 1 NC) at Super Rizin 2. The two agreed to the pairing with the same amount of notice, and agreed to square off at about 155 pounds. Just after the midpoint of Round 1, Suzuki toppled Freire with a ferocious right hand. The victory for the Japanese fighter immediately vaulted itself into consideration for one of the biggest upsets of the year, even one month removed from Freire’s loss at bantamweight to champ Sergio Pettis. Freire spoke to Sherdog shortly after the defeat, where he explained why he took the fight, and what he wants to do next.

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Freire initially traveled to Japan to corner his brother, Patricky Freire, who won earlier that night. Freire talked about his sudden decision to take a fight, saying, “They invited me to a fight. In my vein ru…

のむシリカ presents#超RIZIN2 powered by #UNEXT📣試合結果🔥

⚔️第8試合⚔️👑フェザー級王座戦RIZIN MMAルール 66.0kg

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🟥朝倉未来【LOSE】ーー🆚ーー🟦ヴガール・ケラモフ【WIN】🏆@vugar_karamov

1R 2分41秒 SUB(#タップアウト #リアネイキッドチョーク)https://t.co/FfSpJ8Qa2B pic.twitter.com/FhtvhEHva3

— RIZIN FF OFFICIAL (@rizin_PR) July 30, 2023 Super Rizin 2 saw the crowning of two champions and a titleholder securing her place in the 108-pound division.

In the headliner, Vugar Karamov rose as the new ruler of the Rizin Fighting Federation featherweight division after overcoming Mikuru Asakura. With the vacant title on the line, Karamov (19-4, 5-1 Rizin) took his time to feel out his opponent’s reactions and quickly came up with an effective strategy. Karamov surprised Asakura (17-4, 1NC; 11-3 Rizin) with his wrestling, grounding his foe with a well-timed takedown that allowed him to gain the mount position. Once there, “Vugi” puni…

Four MASSIVE finishes earn your #UFC291 POTN bonuses!

[ B2YB @PrimeHydrate ] pic.twitter.com/ZNGjB9kJSN

— UFC (@ufc) July 30, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship gave four fighters performance bonuses following the UFC 291 pay-per-view card.

Fresh off winning the "BMF" championship, Justin Gaethje also received $50,000 for his stunning head kick knockout of Dustin Poirier. The rematch came to an end one minute into the second round, with Gaethje landing a thudding head kick that took out Poirier. The win cements Gaethje as the top contender and likely earns the action fighter another lightweight title shot.

Two impressive submission victories were also awarded $50,000 bonuses. Bobby Green got the extra cash for his impressive last-second arm-triangle choke win over Tony Ferguson, which left his lightweight foe unconscious. Meanwhile, Kevin Holland's impressive brabo choke win over Michael Chiesa also received submission of th…

“The Highlight” remains as fitting a nickname today as the day it was given to him.

Justin Gaethje laid claim to the symbolic BMF title and established himself as the No. 1 contender for the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight crown, as he brought down Dustin Poirier with a perfectly placed head kick in the second round of the UFC 291 headliner on Saturday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Gaethje (25-4, 8-4 UFC) filed away his latest victory 60 seconds into Round 2.

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Poirier (29-8, 21-7 UFC) struggled to establish a rhythm throughout a competitive first round but managed to cut the former World Series of Fighting champion near his left eye with a clean one-two. Gaethje, meanwhile, invested in leg kicks and power punching combinations. Early in the second round, he backed up a right hand with an exquisitely timed head kick, his lower leg wrapping around Poirier’s defenses before detonating behind the ear. The Louisiana native cras…

Sherdog's live UFC 291 coverage will begin Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Maverick (-305), Cachoeira (+240)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Semelsberger (-205), Medic (+175)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Matthe…

SLICK SUBMISSION FROM BONFIM 😨#UFC291 is LIVE on ESPN+ PPV 🍿 pic.twitter.com/jIaAQnPaIH

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 30, 2023

All Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweights should be on high alert as it relates to Gabriel Bonfim.

The unbeaten Cerrado MMA export disposed of Trevin Giles with a guillotine choke in the first round of their featured UFC 291 prelim on Saturday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Giles (16-5, 7-5 UFC), who entered the cage on a two-fight winning streak, raised the white flag of surrender 1:13 into Round 1.

Bonfim (15-0, 2-0 UFC) applied maximum pressure from the outset, connected with a clubbing overhand left and secured a takedown inside the first 40 seconds. He caught the guillotine during a subsequent scramble, tightened his vice-like squeeze and elicited the tapout.

Vergara Outpoints Overweight Salvador Onetime Fury Fighting Championship titleholder C.J. Vergara outstruck and outworked Vinicius Sal…