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Jailton Almeida called out heavyweight contender Ciryl Gane after a lopsided decision win over Derrick Lewis at UFC Fight Night 231 on Saturday.

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Almeida (20-2) was a heavy favorite going into his headlining clash against the feared knockout artist in the UFC’s return to Sao Paulo, Brazil after four years. Unsurprisingly, “Malhadinho” used a grappling-heavy approach to completely nullify Lewis’ (27-12) offense, notching a new heavyweight control time record of over 21 minutes.

However, Almeida’s performance raised certain concerns in the commentary booth, particularly for Michael Bisping. Bisping and Brendan Fitzgerald felt Almeida could have looked harder for a finish, with the referee having to call for activity in a thoroughly lopsided fight. Meanwhile, Dominick Cruz repeatedly gave credit to Almeida’s composure and for not risking giving away any positions against Lewis.

Almeida himself felt he had put on a show. However, he also claims t…

A featherweight bout has been added to the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s last event of the year.

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Andre Fili (22-10) and Lucas Almeida (14-2) are set to trade leather at UFC 296 on Dec. 16. The booking was first announced by Almeida on social media.

Almeida had never gone the distance in 12 pro wins when he made an appearance on “Dana White’s Contender Series” e in 2021. While he suffered his first pro loss against Daniel Zellhuber via unanimous decision, Almeida got a UFC call after picking up another finish on the regional circuit. Almeida scored a technical knockout win over Michael Trizano in his UFC debut in June 2022 but went on to suffer a submission loss against veteran Pat Sabatini this past June. The Brazilian was scheduled to fight Wiliam Gomis at UFC Paris in September, but the 32-year-old was forced out due to an injury.

Meanwhile, Fili has only won one of his past five outings since 2020 — a split decision victory against top…

Currently unranked at middleweight, Caio Borralho has his sights set on top contender Dricus Du Plessis.

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Borralho (15-1) took on Russian standout Abusupiyan Magomedov (25-6) in front of his home fans, as the UFC returned to Sao Paulo, Brazil, after four years on Saturday night. “The Natural” displayed immense composure in taking his opponent to deep waters and roping in an emphatic decision, just barely falling short of a finish. The Brazilian is also now on the second-longest win streak in the promotion's middleweight division (five), trailing only his next target, Du Plessis (six).

“Dricus Du Plessis, you cannot run from me anymore,” Borralho said during his post-fight interview in the Octagon. “I just won [against] a guy that lost to the champion. So now I want your head and after that I’m coming to [get] my belt.”

While Borralho is likely to break into the UFC middleweight rankings in the next update, the Brazilian certainly did shoot for…

Even Dana White had to acknowledge the sheer shock of Francis Ngannou’s performance against Tyson Fury in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 28.

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Ngannou was a massive underdog going into his boxing debut, a non-title clash against World Boxing Council heavyweight champ Tyson Fury. Fight odds aside, Ngannou’s career was also under the keen scrutiny of detractors who believed the former Ultimate Fighting Championship champ “fumbled the bag” by exiting the promotion over contract disputes earlier this year.

However, “The Predator” emerged as the biggest winner of the night, knocking Fury down en-route to a controversial split decision loss for which he reportedly earned upwards of $10 million.

White has previously not had much praise for Ngannou, hinting that the Cameroonian was mistaken in thinking that he had a McGregor-Mayweather-esque booking at hand. However, even the UFC head honcho couldn’t help but acknowledge the caliber of the near upset by N…

Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight contender Jailton Almeida is coming into his own as a star.

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A month before going into a headlining clash against Derrick Lewis in Sao Paulo, Almeida was pleasantly surprised with a visit from one of Brazil’s biggest superstars, Wagner Moura. Moura is known for playing roles like Pablo Escobar in Netflix’s “Narcos” and colonel Nascimento in “Elite Squad.” Moura, 47, is also a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

During a recent visit to his hometown of Salvador, Moura contacted Almeida’s physical therapist regarding a training session with the UFC star. While Almeida was in touch with Moura ahead of their training session on Oct. 5, “Malhadinho” had no idea he was talking to a superstar.

“He texted me saying his friend Wagner was a fan of mine and wanted to train, so I was like, ‘Sure, tell him to stop by for our gi session on Thursday,’” Almeida told MMAFighting's Trocação Franca podcast. “He sent …

Dalby hands Bonfim the first loss of his career 😳 #UFCSP pic.twitter.com/HAox22gqv9

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 5, 2023

The UFC Fight Night 231 co-main event was a tale of two rounds.

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Highly-touted Dana White’s Contender Series alum Gabriel Bonfirm controlled the opening stanza, but Nicolas Dalby turned up the pressure in Round 2, eventually overwhelming his foe for a technical knockout victory at the 4:33 mark of the period. Those momentum swings helped Dalby and Bonfim earn “Fight of the Night” and $50,000 apiece for their efforts in an entertaining welterweight scarp.

Elsewhere, Elves Berner received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for laying waste to short-notice foe Kaynan Kruschewsky in their featured 165-pound catchweight affair. The Chute Boxe representative caught his foe with a perfectly-placed left hand behind the ear, sending Kruschewsky face-first to the canvas at the 4:01 mark of Round 1. Read more about UFC Fight Night 231 Bonuses: Dalby, Bonfim, Brener, Petrino Garner $50K

Jailton Almeida took a step toward an Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title shot after rag-dolling former title challenger Derrick Lewis (50-44, 50-44, 50-45) in the UFC Fight Night 231 main event at Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo.

Almeida (20-2) had his way all night with Lewis on the ground. “Malhadinho” has finished 12 fights by submission in his career but cautiously and calmly contained the devastating Lewis (27-12).

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Unfortunately for the 32-year-old Brazilian, the victory still left much to be desired. Almeida’s respect for Lewis’ power was on full display.

Despite spending most of the fight in mount, Almeida took little risks in trying to finish Lewis. Referee Marc Goddard even warned Almeida several times to work, ignoring the effort needed to hold down the 265-pounder.

Almeida controlled most of the 25 minutes and even staggered Lewis with a head kick in the first round. There were moments when Lewis found space and let …

Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 231 coverage will begin Saturday at 6 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Diakiese (-155), Fernandes (+130)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Moura (-550), Ruiz (+410)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Gomes (-125), Hill (+10…

What a battle! ⚔️

The judges have called this fight a majority draw.#UFCSP pic.twitter.com/UpfbiGfQhW

— UFC (@ufc) November 5, 2023

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Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos was a follow-up punch or two away from pulling off one of the biggest comebacks of the year.

Dropped in the opening minute by the heavy-handed welterweight Rinat Fakhretdinov, dos Santos ate overhand rights from the Russian like they were free samples at UFC Fight Night 231.

Fakhretdinov, who entered the fight on a 20-bout win streak, fell in love with his fist and went away from his wrestling background in Round 2. This allowed dos Santos enough time to find and home for his snapping lead body kick.

Tired and tender heading into Round 3, Fakhretdinov succumbed under the assault of dos Santos’ body attack and was nearly finished before being saved by the bell. Two judges scored the third round 10-8 for dos Santos and the war was ultimately scored a majorit…

Hear from @AlexPereiraUFC after he became the third inductee into the GLORY Hall of Fame. pic.twitter.com/lNunza8c9T

— GLORY Kickboxing (@GLORY_WS) November 4, 2023

Alex Pereira has been inducted into the Glory Kickboxing Hall of Fame, the promotion announced over the weekend.

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Pereira captured titles at middleweight and light heavyweight while compiling an 11-4 mark in the kickboxing organization. He also set the record for most championship defenses in Glory middleweight history. “Poatan” joins Joe Valtellini and Semmy Schilt as the third fighter to be inducted into the promotion’s Hall of Fame.

“Alex Pereira was one of the greatest champions in Glory history,” said Scott Rudmann, co-founder and vice chairman of Glory. “His accomplishments in the GLory ring speak for themselves, as the only man ever hold the champions belt in two weight classes simultaneously.

“Alex continues to make huge waves in combat sports w…

Shortly after becoming a newly-crowned two-sport world champion, Jonathan Haggerty is already looking forward to the next challenge.

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Haggerty (20-4), ONE Championship’s reigning bantamweight muay thai champion, took on reigning mixed martial arts champion Fabricio Andrade (29-1) in a meeting for the vacant bantamweight kickboxing title at ONE on Prime Video 16 on Friday.

While many expected a competitive bout, “The General” managed to dismantle his Brazilian adversary via knockout in the second frame at the 1:57 mark. Haggerty's speed and precision proved too much for “Wonder Boy” to handle. It was a clean head kick that landed on Andrade a minute into Round 2 that began the finishing sequence for the Brit. Ultimately, he managed to knock down the MMA champion with punches and earn himself the rare honor of being crowned a two-sport world champion.

“The General” isn't done chasing gold, either.

“Fabricio, I want your MMA belt,” he annou…

Known for his keen interest in mixed martial arts, META CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently ran into the first roadblock of his MMA journey.

The Facebook founder took to Instagram on Friday to reveal that he'd undergone surgery for an ACL tear sustained during a training session in preparation for his first "competitive MMA fight early next year."

Despite the seriousness of the injury, the 39-year-old is confident he will make a full recovery and is still looking forward to a potential bout once he's cleared to compete.

“Tore my ACL sparring and just got out of surgery to replace it,” Zuckerberg wrote on Instagram. “Grateful for the doctors and team taking care of me. I was training for a competitive MMA fight early next year, but now that’s delayed a bit. Still looking forward to doing it after I recover. Thanks to everyone for the love and support.”

Interestingly, rumors of a possible MMA bout between the Facebook founder and Elon Musk began making the …

WOW!!🤯

Suzuki gets the KO from bottom position and is the new RIZIN Featherweight Champion!

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📡 Watch on @FITEtv !🔻https://t.co/eEpfmslhPp pic.twitter.com/fsvLfe9ZKD — RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) November 4, 2023 After coming up short in his first title bid in June, Chihiro Suzuki made the most of his second opportunity by scoring a crushing first-round knockout victory on Saturday at Rizin Fighting Federation “Landmark Vol. 7” in Baku, Azerbaijan. Suzuki finished Vugar Karamov with a vicious upkick and punches 88 seconds into the opening round to claim the Rizin featherweight title.

Suzuki (12-3, 1 NC, 7-1, 1 NC Rizin) found himself on the mat following an early takedown from Karamov (19-5, 5-2 Rizin), who postured up and punched from the top. When Karamov stood up to try to pass Suzuki’s guard, Suzuki countered with an upkick from the bottom. His heel connected flush with Karamov’s jaw and the dazed Azerbaijani fig…

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

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

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

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

pic.twitter.com/VgZaKVvBxg

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let’s go!🇧🇷 https://t.co/X1thtJaXX3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Saragih…

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

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

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

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

“Jones’ injury opens up opportuni…