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In the midst of a four-bout winning streak, Khalil Rountree appears to be in peak form — but he still has greater goals to achieve.

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“The Ultimate Fighter 23” alum kept his momentum going at UFC on ESPN 51 with a first-round technical knockout victory over converted heavyweight Chris Daukaus in a featured 205-pound clash at the UFC Apex on Saturday night. Rountree has finished three of his four opponents during his current hot stretch, and now he believes he’s ready to test himself in a main event.

“The reason why I want to fight five rounds is because I want to be ready for a championship fight as soon as possible,” Rountree said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I’m ready for a title, but I have to fight five rounds before I can fully say that.

“I’ve never fought a main event before. Where my mind is and where I’m going, I’m here to fight the best. I’m here to go after it and be a contender. So whoever makes sense in a five-round mai…

This one meant a little bit more to Vicente Luque.

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After suffering a brain bleed following his loss to Geoff Neal in August 2022, Luque was sidelined for a year before returning to the Octagon at UFC on ESPN 51, where he earned a unanimous decision triumph against Rafael dos Anjos in Saturday’s main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

“It was like having the most amazing win for me, just because of everything,” Luque said on the ESPN+ post-fight show. “So many changes in my life. I moved to Florida, moved my family, a new way of life and just training and going through the injury. At the beginning, not knowing if I was ever going to be able to do this again and then I got cleared. Then going through the training camp, I’m going to fight a legend like Rafael. It’s a special win.

“I feel blessed. I feel amazing. Now it’s like all the decisions that were taken and everybody that was around to help me, we did the right moves and we’re victorious…

Cub Swanson looked as surprised as anyone when his unanimous decision victory over Hakeem Dawodu in the UFC on ESPN 51 co-main event was announced.

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“I felt like I was in the moment and having fun,” Swanson said during his Octagon interview. “I thought I took more shots. I always beat myself up so I’d have to watch it again. I was so worried going into this fight. I got a name now and people expect greatness.”

Each round was closely contested, but according to MMADecisions.com, 11 of the 13 media members who scored the bout saw it in favor of Dawodu. However, all three cageside judges submitted 29-28 tallies in favor of Swanson. At the post-fight press conference, the World Extreme Cagefighting veteran reiterated his earlier sentiment that he thought his opponent would get the nod.

“I’m always hard on myself,” Swanson said. “I didn’t think I won the first round. Everyone in my corner said I did, and that it was an easy one to call. I thought …

Da'Mon Blackshear gets the third twister submission in UFC history 🤯 #UFCVegas78 pic.twitter.com/XGt0lN46X6

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 12, 2023

Da'Mon Blackshear scored himself a piece of history at UFC on ESPN 51, and he was compensated accordingly for his work.

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Blackshear was an easy choice to receive a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus, as he utilized the rarely-seen twister to submit Jose Johnson 3:47 into the opening round of their preliminary bantamweight clash. Blackshear is just the third person in promotion history to finish a fight with that maneuver.

Meanwhile, Khalil Rountree pocketed an additional $50,000 for his first-round technical knockout victory against Chris Daukaus in a featured light heavyweight affair. A powerful straight left dropped Daukaus, and Rountree sealed his triumph with a couple follow-up strikes on the mat at the 2:40 mark of Round 1.

Strawweight prospect Isamin Lucindo…

Vicente Luque remains a force in the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight division.

Repeated takedowns and a grinding clinch game carried the Kill Cliff Fight Club standout to a unanimous decision over Rafael dos Anjos in the UFC on ESPN 51 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Scores were 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47—all for Luque (22-9-1, 15-5 UFC), who passed his first test since suffering a career-threatening brain bleed.

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Dos Anjos (32-15, 21-13) stood his ground for much of the 25-minute battle but had no real answer for the size and strength deficits with which he was faced. Luque bullied him at close range, stole momentum with takedowns and frustrated his fellow Brazilian across wide swaths of time. Dos Anjos was effective in open space—he even cut loose with a flying elbow at one point—but struggled to manage distance consistently.Swanson Decision Stings Dawodu World Extreme Cagefighting holdover Cub Swanson rebounded from hi…

Sherdog's live UFC on ESPN 51 coverage will begin Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Santos (-155), Miller (+130)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Blackshear (-280), Johnson (+220)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:The Official Result BE…

MARCUS MCGHEE DID THAT 💥 #UFCVEGAS78 pic.twitter.com/d3S78uzMP4

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 12, 2023

A narrow opening was enough for Marcus McGhee to strengthen his position on the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster.

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The MMA Lab rep on Saturday punched out a reeling J.P. Buys in the featured UFC on ESPN 51 bantamweight prelim at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Buys (9-6, 0-4 UFC)—a short-notice substitution for Gaston Bolanos—packed his bags 2:19 into Round 1, his unsightly losing streak having been extended to four bouts.

McGhee (8-1, 2-0 UFC) utilized fluid stance switches, walked through a few chopping right hands from the South African grappler and let his quick, powerful punches fill in the blanks. After he stunned Buys with a clean one-two, the 33-year-old John Crouch disciple stepped into a counter right hook that dropped his adversary to all fours. It soon became apparent to everyone, including referee Jas…

Cody Garbrandt has pulled out of a proposed clash against Mario Bautista at UFC 292.

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Garbrandt’s exit from the bantamweight bout was announced during the UFC on ESPN 51 broadcast on Saturday night. The nature of Garbrandt’s injury was not revealed. The promotion is currently seeking a replacement opponent for Bautista. UFC 292 takes place on Aug. 19 at the TD Garden in Boston and is headlined by a bantamweight title clash between Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley.

Garbrandt returned to the win column at UFC 285, where he captured a unanimous verdict against Trevin Jones on March 4. The 32-year-old Team Alpha Male product has struggled in recent years, going 2-5 in UFC appearances since 2017.

Bautista, meanwhile, has won four straight in UFC competition after falling to Jones via second-round TKO at UFC 259.

SEEEEEK AND DESTROOOOOYYY! 😱🔥🔥

Logan Storley aplica uma chuva de ossos em Branna Ward e fica com a vitória na luta principal! 🔥💀

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Só na minha tela você curte todas as emoções do Bellator 298 ao vivo e com exclusividade! Assine já! (link na bio)#BellatorNoCombate #Bellator pic.twitter.com/q7zragJzIq — Combate (@combate) August 12, 2023

Logan Storley unleashed a hurricane of punishment on Brennan Ward in the Bellator 298 main event at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Fall, South Dakota.

Storley, a South Dakota native, electrified the crowd after taking Ward to the ground and dominating him with repeated punches and elbow strikes before referee Jason Herzog was forced to call it 4:05 into the second round.

Fresh off his defeat in the rematch with champion Yaroslav Amosav, Storley wasted little time on Friday. Ward came in riding high off a 3-fight knockout streak but wasn’t given a chance to unload.

Moldavsky Crus…

Sherdog's live Bellator 298 coverage will begin Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET. Round 1 Bobby Wombacher draws the officiating assignment for this match at 145 pounds. Oliver (0-0, 0-0 Bellator) was a four-time NCAA All-American wrestler at Oklahoma State University, where he won two national championships. Triolo (0-1, 0-0 Bellator) made an unsuccessful pro debut in the Legacy Fighting Alliance in April 2022. Oliver walks through a few leg kicks, connects with a thudding right hand and completes a takedown. Soon after, he frames an arm-triangle choke and prompts the tapout.

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The Official Result Jordan Oliver def. Andrew Triolo—Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) 1:05 R1 Round 1 Wombacher remains in the cage as the referee for this bantamweight tilt. Alves da Silva (11-3, 0-0 Bellator) makes his promotional debut on the strength of a two-fight winning streak. Hodge (10-3, 0-0 Bellator) captured the interim LFA bantamweight championship in March before signing with Bel…

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.

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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.

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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!!!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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“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.

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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.

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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…