Blog

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

— UFC (@ufc) August 8, 2023

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

Advertisement

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

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

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

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

— Misfits Boxing (@MisfitsBoxing) August 8, 2023

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

Advertisement

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

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

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

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

Advertisement

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

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

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

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

Advertisement

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

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

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

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

Advertisement

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Advertisement

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

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

“Surgery this week — back soon.”

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

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

Advertisement

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

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

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

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

Advertisement

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

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

pic.twitter.com/ZGHDFMR115

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

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

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

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

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).

Advertisement

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:

Advertisement

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).

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

“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

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

🚨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,…