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Cub Swanson will return to the featherweight division for a clash with Hakeem Dawodu at UFC on ESPN 51.

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Multiple outlets confirmed the booking after Swanson initially announced the bout via Instagram. UFC on ESPN 51 takes place on Aug. 12 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight duel pitting Vicente Luque against Rafael dos Anjos.

Swanson is coming off a bantamweight appearance at UFC Fight Night 212, where he suffered a second-round technical knockout loss to Johathan Martinez this past October. Prior to that, the World Extreme Cagefighting veteran had won three of his last four Octagon appearances dating back to October 2019.

Dawodu has lost two of his last three under the UFC banner. Most recently, the 31-year-old Canadian dropped a three-round verdict to Julian Erosa at UFC 279 last September.

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One-time UFC heavyweight competitor Braxton Smith has accepted a two-year USADA suspension after multiple failed drug tests.  

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Smith tested positive for exogenous administration of testosterone and/or its precursors in out-of-competition samples on April 19 and May 4 and in-competition on May 6. According to USADA, Smith’s three positive tests were combined into one violation because he was not notified of his first positive test when he second and third samples were collected.

“Smith’s urine sample was analyzed using a specialized test, known as Carbon Isotope Ratio (CIR) testing, that differentiates between anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) naturally produced by the body and prohibited anabolic agents of external origin,” the USADA statement read. “The CIR test confirmed the presence of testosterone and/or its metabolites of external origin in Smith’s urine sample. A…

It was an afternoon to forget for Justin Tafa.

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The Australian’s heavyweight clash with Austen Lane ended just 29 seconds into Round 1 of their UFC on ABC 5 clash when Tafa was rendered unable to continue after being poked in the eye. As a result, the bout was ruled a no contest.

It was one of the more gruesome eye pokes in recent memory, and Tafa later expressed his frustration on Twitter. “I deserve my win bonus. That’s a DQ, man,” he wrote. Meanwhile, Lane apologized shortly thereafter.

Fortunately, it appears that Tafa won’t suffer any permanent damage as a result of the foul. “Bad Man” recently offered a relatively positive update on his condition via social media.

“Cleared of any major damage to both eyes but both eyes did suffer some damage,” Tafa wrote. “Right eye still in some pain, sensitive to light and blurred vision on the [left] but I thank God nothing that was going to end my career or cause serious damage to my eye. Than…

[embedded content] Brunno Ferreira walked into his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut against Gregory Rodrigues as a -275 underdog and proceeded to throw oddsmakers a 12-to-6 curveball that took the form of a devastating one-punch knockout. Only one question remains: What does he do for an encore?

The undefeated Dana White’s Contender Series graduate will ride a wave of momentum into his battle with Nursulton Ruziboev in their featured UFC on ESPN 48 middleweight attraction this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. While Ferreira’s upset of Rodriguez was a surprise to many, it held little shock value for him.

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“I know my potential,” he told Sherdog.com. “I believe in my fighting style. I played my game. I was a little anxious, but it didn’t go much differently than what I expected. As soon as I knew I may be booked against Gregory, I started studying him. That was even before it was official. My coaches and I figured out the best strategy. It pl…

James Gonzalez will replace Cris Lencioni and lock horns with James Gallagher at Bellator 298.

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MMAFighting.com was first to report the new booking. Lencioni was removed from the card after suffering cardiac arrest during training earlier this month. Bellator 298 takes place on Aug. 11 at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and is headlined by a welterweight showdown pitting Logan Storley against Brennan Ward.

Gallagher will compete for the first time since November 2021, when he had a four-bout winning streak snapped in a third-round submission loss to Patrick Mix at Bellator 270. The SBG Ireland product is 8-2 during his Bellator tenure.

Anchored at Longo and Weidman MMA, Gonzalez is coming off a decision loss against Aaron Pico at Bellator 295 on April 22. The 33-year-old known as “The Alley Cat” owns a 10-6 career mark that includes fights in PFL Challenger Series, Ring of Combat and Cage Fury Fighting Championships.

Steven Ray hinted that once his run in the 2023 Professional Fighters League season was done, he’d call it a career.

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“Braveheart” recently made good on that promise, announcing his retirement via Instagram over the weekend.

“Fourteen years of service done. Time to pass on my knowledge and experience,” Ray wrote.

The 33-year-old Scotland native fought for the last time at PFL 6 this past Friday, when he suffered a second-round technical knockout loss to Clay Collard. Had he advanced to the postseason, Ray would have continued for at least one more fight.

Ray initialy announced his retirement in 2020 following a 7-4 stint with the UFC, citing chronic knee issues as the reason for his exit. He returned with the PFL in 2022, earning a pair of victories over ex-UFC champ Anthony Pettis before falling to Olivier Aubin-Mercier in the lightweight final.

A former Cage Warriors lightweight champion, Ray ends his career with a 25-13 record that i…

Shane Burgos earned a flat $100,000 for his unanimous decision triumph over Yamato Nishikawa at PFL 6 this past Friday.

The UFC veteran was one of five fighters from the card to take home a six-figure payday. Burgos was the only one of those whose earnings didn’t include a win bonus. The Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission recently released salary figures from the event. PFL 6 took place at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta.

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Defending lightweight champion Olivier Aubin-Mercier and returning welterweight king Sadibou Sy earned $100,000 apiece for their victories in the evening’s featured bouts. Aubin-Mercier defeated Anthony Romero ($15,000) via third-round knockout in the PFL 6 main event, while Sadibou Sy scored a spectacular spinning wheel kick KO of Shane Mitchell ($10,000) in the co-headliner. Additionally, Magomed Magomedkerimov and Natan Schulte earned $100,000 apiece for wins over David Zawada ($20,000) and Raush Manfio ($30,000), resp…

A quartet of Irish fan favorites will compete on the Bellator 299 draw in Dublin on Sept. 23.

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The California-based promotion announced the following four bouts on Monday: Peter Queally vs. Daniele Miceli at welterweight; Ciaran Clarke vs. Przemyslaw Gorny at featherweight; Darragh Kelly vs. Jelle Zeegers at featherweight and Charlie Ward vs. Gregory Babene at middleweight. All four contests are currently slated for the Bellator 299 preliminary card.

Bellator 299 takes place at 3Arena in Dublin and is headlined by a middleweight championship clash between Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards. The main card airs on Showtime at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on the Bellator MMA YouTube channel and Pluto TV at 11 .m. ET/8 a.m. PT.

A former lightweight title challenger, Queally has lost his last three promotional appearances, including a second-round TKO defeat against Bryce Logan at Bellator 291 on Feb. 25. Italy’s Micele will be fighting …

Chris Curtis will square off against Anthony Hernandez at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Sept. 16.

MMAFighting.com was first to report the middleweight pairing. The card is expected to take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a women’s flyweight title bout between Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko.

Curtis is coming off a UFC 289 matchup against Nassourdine Imavov that was ruled a no contest 3:04 into the second round due to an accidental clash of heads. Prior to that, “Action Man” dropped a three-round verdict to Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 287. The 35-year-old Xtreme Couture member is 4-2 with one no contest in the Octagon and 30-10 as a professional overall.

After losing two of his first three UFC appearances, Hernandez has won four straight fights within the Las Vegas-based promotion. Most recently, “Fluffy” defeated Edmen Shahbazyan via third-round TKO at UFC Fight Night 223 on May 20.

Maycee Barber had heard the rumblings, so it’s easy to understand why she was quite pleased to put Amanda Ribas away inside the distance at UFC on ABC 5.

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“The Future” earned her first finish since 2019, defeating Ribas via second-round TKO in Saturday’s co-main event at Vystar Veteran’s Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.

“It means everything,” Barber said. “Every time I step out in the cage, I’m going out for a finish, and the competition is getting tougher, but at the same time I really needed to step it up and just get into that zone again, and just put myself in that position where I’m like, ‘You know what? There’s no way out of this except for me finishing this girl.’

“I think that with my last few performances, people are probably like, ‘Oh, well, she’s going to go to a decision, she’s backing down.’ But I’m not backing down and I’m coming to finish these girls again.”

Barber has won five consecutive UFC appearances and has been v…

Ilia Topuria lived up to the hype at UFC on ABC 5.

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“El Matador” was absolutely dominant against former interim title challenger Josh Emmett, battering his foe with crisp combinations and damaging low kicks while evading many of his opponent’s return offerings in a lopsided unanimous decision triumph on Saturday in Jacksonville, Florida. Topuria was dominant enough to earn scorecards of 50-44 and 50-42 as he earned his sixth consecutive triumph within the Las Vegas-based promotion.

If Topuria were to face reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski, he is confident the result would be the same.

“I showed it tonight that no one can match my level of skill inside the cage,” Topuria said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I think everyone agrees with me. I know that I can finish anyone in this division. Just it was tough tonight. But I beat him pretty easy. It’s not going to be different with Alex. The recipe is going to be the same. I’m go…

These performances had us ON OUR FEET 🙌@DavidOnama145 & @MayceeBarber are your POTN winners for #UFCJacksonville!

B2YB @KudoSnacks pic.twitter.com/AVd8RGPCd9

— UFC (@ufc) June 24, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship awarded four fighters performance bonuses following the UFC on ABC 5 card.

Ilia Topuria made the most of his UFC main event slot as he dominated Josh Emmett over five action-packed rounds, and both men are $50,000 richer as a result of winning the Fight of the Night bonus. Topuria impressed over five rounds and dished out a ton of damage, with Topuria winning a unanimous decision with scores of 50-44, 50-42 and 49-45 in his favor. Emmett's toughness made it all the more memorable as the veteran fighter refused to wilt under pressure.

Two other fighters earned performance of the night bonuses with impressive knockouts. First was David Onama, whose impressive win over Gabriel Santos earned him an extra $50,000. …

Unbeaten featherweight prospect Ilia Topuria passed the toughest test of his career Saturday after outclassing Josh Emmett (50-44, 50-42, 49-45) in the UFC on ABC 5 main event at Vystar Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jacksonville.

Coming in ranked No. 9 in the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight standings, Topuria (14-0) has been stellar throughout his five fight UFC run, but a showdown against No. 5 Emmett was a clear step up in competition. Both fighters willingly kept the fight on the feet and Topuria took advantage. Using short, efficient crisp counters, Topuria pierced Emmett on the feet and had the former interim title challenger leaking blood early in the bout.

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Emmett’s (18-4) toughness was on full display, but the 38-year-old contender was a step behind "El Matador" all evening. Topuria’s efficiency forced Emmett to rely heavily on haymakers and out of range combinations. As the fight went on, Topuria mixed in heavy leg kicks to furth…

Locks in his 21st UFC victory 👏👏👏@NeilMagny is going home with the win at #UFCJacksonville!

[ We are now live on @ABCNetwork ] pic.twitter.com/LMAYgRYm66

— UFC (@ufc) June 24, 2023 In a scrappy, clinch-filled fight between two tall welterweights, No. 11 ranked Neil Magny (28-10) protected his ranking against the surging Philip Rowe in the featured preliminary bout at UFC on ABC 5 in Jacksonville (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Magny and Rowe did very little to separate themselves throughout the fight. Both sported a lanky 6-foot-3 frames and similar braided hairstyles that made them almost indistinguishable. Rowe found success with his jab early but Magny’s pace began to show in Round 2. The final period was another back-and-forth stanza that was tough to judge, but ultimately it would be the Haitian Sensation’s hand that was raised.

Brown Denies Turman's Plans at 170 Former middleweight Wellington Turman had his hands full in his welterweigh…

There was a price to pay for the forgettable fight between Natan Schulte and Raush Manfio at PFL 6 on Friday night.

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Schulte defeated Manfio via unanimous decision in a lightweight bout at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta to clinch a spot in the postseason. However, the fight resembled little more than a sparring match, which perhaps shouldn’t have been a surprise since the two athletes are longtime friends, training partners and the godfathers of each other’s children. As a result of the lackluster fight, the PFL has suspended both fighters and removed Schulte from the postseason.

“Last night Natan Schulte and Raush Manfio did not meet the standards which all PFL fighters agree to uphold in competition,” read a statement from the organization. “All fighters in their PFL Fight Agreements agree to use their best efforts ... skills and abilities as a professional athlete to compete ... and defeat any opponent.

“It was very clear that Natan and R…

Kleber Koike's strength remains eternal!

[ #RIZIN43 | @FiteTV | PPV link in bio ] pic.twitter.com/5NYGGyx3Hc

— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) June 24, 2023

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The latest Rizin Fighting Federation event was a festival of knockouts, submissions and drama.

The Rizin 43 headliner saw Kleber Koike Erbst face Chihiro Suzuki in what should have been Erbst’s first attempt to defend the featherweight championship. Unfortunately, the Brazilian missed weight by .9 pounds the day before and was stripped of the title, making Suzuki the only fighter eligible to win the crown. During the fight, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert Erbst (31-6-1, 1NC; 6-1, 1 NC Rizin) dominated Suzuki (10-3, 1NC; 5-1, 1NC Rizin) from top to bottom. After a minute of striking exchanges on the feet, Erbst dragged his opponent on the mat and quickly gained the mount position. Once there, Erbst landed sporadic punches while threatening his foe with submissio…

The possibility of a repeat remains in play for defending Professional Fighters League lightweight champion Olivier Aubin-Mercier.

Aubin-Mercier waylaid Anthony Romero with a beautiful knee strike in the third round of their PFL 6 headliner on Friday at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta, where the Tristar Gym standout clinched his spot in the postseason in style. Blindsided by the fight-ending blow, Romero (12-2, 1-1 PFL) checked out 28 seconds into Round 3.

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The 34-year-old Aubin-Mercier (19-5, 8-0 PFL) was calculated and efficient, and a brief brush with adversity—Romero buckled his knees with a first-round front kick—did nothing to knock him off his mark. He routinely cut off the cage against his fellow Canadian, forced him onto the back foot and scored with check right hooks and slicing straight lefts. No one saw the finish coming, least of all Romero. Aubin-Mercier backed him to the fence, caught him ducking and connected with a perfectly timed k…

The 2023 Professional Fighters League Regular Season marches on with 2023 PFL 6 at 6 p.m. ET. The action airs live on ESPN+ and then continues on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round: The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the r…

[embedded content] Editor's note: The article has been updated when one of the previously heavy fighters came back to successfully make weight.

The weigh-ins for the Ultimate Fighting Championship's return to Jacksonville were anything but smooth.

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The 14-fight UFC on ABC 5 card is headlined by Josh Emmett vs. Ilia Topuria. Both featherweights successfully made weight for the five-round contest. However, the same could not be said for the entirety of the undercard.

Loik Radzhabov came in at 157.25 pounds, or 1.25 pounds over the lightweight limit, and has been fined 20% of his purse, which will go to opponent Mateusz Rebecki (155.5). Additionally, Kleydson Rodrigues checked in three pounds overweight for his flyweight pairing against Tatsuro Taira (126), and per ESPN Deportes, the fight has been canceled. Finally, Jamall Emmers initially clocked in one pound over for his featherweight fight against Jack Jenkins (145.5), but he returned having chopp…

Sherdog's live UFC on ABC 5 coverage will begin Saturday at 11:30 a.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Brundage (-195), Dumas (+165)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:

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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: Emmers (-200), Jenkins (+170)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: Pe…

Two high-level matchups have been added to the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return to Singapore in August.

On Friday, Instagram account Freak MMA first broke the story that Taila Santos (19-2) would be battling it out with Erin Blanchfield (11-1) at 125 pounds on Aug. 26. The two flyweights will duke it out at UFC Fight Night 225 inside of the Singapore Indoor Arena in Kallang, Singapore. Blanchfield confirmed this fight on her own Instagram right after the fight news dropped.

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This will be Santos’ first walk to the Octagon since she lost an ultra-close split decision to former champ Valentina Shevchenko in June 2022. While some observers including one judge thought she did enough to dethrone Shevchenko, a clash of heads caused major swelling around Santos’ right eye to potentially compromise her in the later rounds. Before the championship defeat, Santos had strung together four straight wins, including a trio of decisions over Molly McCann, Gil…

What A Fight!!@RoseNamajunas will face @ManonFiorot_MMA at #UFCParis!!

Get your tickets 🎟️ https://t.co/vwLifSPSne pic.twitter.com/0b15gjUB9c

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) June 23, 2023 The former two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship strawweight queen is taking her trade to a new division.

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According to MMA Junkie on Friday, Rose Namajunas (11-5) will be relocating to 125 pounds on Sept. 2. At that UFC Fight Night 226 event in Paris, she will be meeting top contender Manon Fiorot (10-1). News of this pairing has since been confirmed by the UFC shortly after it broke.

This will be the former 115-pound titleholder’s first trip back to flyweight since she was an amateur, all the way back in 2011. “Thug Rose” surrendered her throne to Carla Esparza a second time in May 2022, dropping a razor-close split decision to her nemesis. That defeat snapped an impressive three-fight win streak, with a revenge decision over Jessica …

#RIZIN43 北海道大会💥計量結果💥

⚔️第13試合⚔️メインイベントRIZIN MMAルール 66.0kg

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🟥クレベル・コイケ【66.40kg】🧍‍♂️178cm💪ﾘｰﾁ183cm@KoikeKleberーーー🆚ーーー🟦鈴木千裕【65.95kg】🧍‍♂️173cm💪ﾘｰﾁ177cm@Chihiro__0514

📅6/24(土)12:30~📡全試合無料配信https://t.co/FdfbqVl0kD pic.twitter.com/bW39wWe6fB

— RIZIN FF OFFICIAL (@rizin_PR) June 23, 2023 Rizin Fighting Federation has stripped Kleber Koike Erbst of the featherweight championship. Rizin Fighting Federation returns for its first event of the summer with Rizin 43.Taking place in Hokkaido, Japan, the event features 12 mixed martial arts fights. Headlining the card is what was supposed to be a featherweight title fight between Erbst and Chihiro Suzuki. However, Erbst failed to make weight, exceeding the championship limit by coming in at 146.3 pounds. As a result, he's been stripped of his title, penalized with a yellow card costing him 20% of his purse, and only Suzuki will be…