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Vicente Luque’s headlining bout against Rafael dos Anjos at UFC on ESPN 51 will proceed as planned after the welterweight was cleared to compete at a Nevada State Athletic Commission hearing on Tuesday.

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During that meeting, the NSAC revealed that Luque suffered a brain hemorrhage in relation to a technical knockout loss to Geoff Neal at UFC on ESPN 40 in August 2022. NSAC executive Jeff Mullen initially confirmed the news to MMAjunkie.com.

“He suffered a brain bleed [a year ago],” Mullen said. “He had a suspension of one year. He had to bring before the commission clearance from a neurosurgeon and a neurologist independently who recommended he be licensed. We have that material. … I have faith in our doctors.”

Luque’s license was unanimously approved by the commission. If he fights again in Nevada after his Aug. 12 matchup with dos Anjos, he will likely have to submit to additional testing to confirm he is still healthy enough to compete. Read more about Vicente Luque Cleared to Fight After Suffering Brain Hemorrhage in KO Loss

Charles Oliveira claims that he wasn’t in the right mindset heading into his lightweight title bout against Islam Makhachev at UFC 280.

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In an interview with Brazilian outlet AgFight, Oliveira admitted that his mentality was affected by the tension surrounding the fight, which Makhachev won via second-round submission in October 2022. Part of that was due to statements made by Khabib Nurmagomedov expressing extreme confidence in his protege. Those, Oliveira says, caused him to “get too involved” in wanting to make a statement against his opponent.

“Do Bronx” has vowed that he won’t get distracted by outside comments before his rematch with Makhachev at UFC 294.

“I said some things for that fight that I shouldn't have said. That wasn't me. I ended up getting too emotionally involved,” Oliveira said. “I’ll never say I'm going to kill someone, curse or anything like that. And at times I ended up saying this about Islam: 'Oh, I'm going to kill th…

It appears that Molly McCann’s time as a UFC flyweight has run its course.

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The popular English fighter indicated that a move to strawweight is imminent in a social media post on Monday. McCann is coming off a first-round submission loss to Julija Stoliarenko in the UFC Fight Night 224 co-main event on Saturday.

“If there’s one thing I know, it’s how to always overcome adversity and this is no different,” McCann wrote. “20 months ago I was sitting in this same position, [back to back] losses and ready to pack it in. Then a boss run and my world changed forever.

“We have one more adjustment to make and I believe that will make all the difference in the world, the smallest in the division makes it tough when the opponents are so much bigger. So for me it’s time to drop down and face the girls who are the same size!”

McCann has competed primarily at 125 pounds during her tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion, compiling a 6-5 record alo…

And just like that... I get to smoke an insurrectionist. #TruthVsMiletichhttps://t.co/RZSSrWGFuN pic.twitter.com/V0jtYvX92E

— Mike Jackson, Esq. (@TheTruthJackson) July 24, 2023

UFC Hall of Famer Pat Miletich will return to mixed martial arts at 55 years old when he faces four-time Octagon vet Mike Jackson at a Caged Aggression event in October.

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The promotion recently announced the bout, which is part of a two-night event and takes place at the River Center in Davenport, Iowa. According to a release, “this confrontation between the two fighters encapsulates the broader societal divisions and political conflicts prevalent in today’s world.” The bad blood between the two apparently stems from Jackson’s reaction to Miletich’s participation during the now-infamous protests at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Miletich, a former UFC welterweight champion, hasn’t competed professionally in MMA since Dec. 11, 2008, when he d…

London has been a popular destination for the Ultimate Fighting Championship in recent months.

The latest visit occurred this past Saturday, as UFC Fight Night 224 took place at the O2 Arena and saw Tom Aspinall make a triumphant return with a first-round technical knockout of Marcin Tybura in the evening’s main event. According to UFC senior vice president Dave Shaw, the event was an all-around success — and maybe a little bit less hectic than the previous visit.

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“The trip was great. It feels like home. We’ve been here four times in the last 18 months,” Shaw said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “For us, coming off of [the UFC 286] pay-per-view in March, where it was a very intense week – big week, lots going on, big card, Dana [White] and the whole crew, everyone here – it felt a little bit more manageable. But it felt like home. We’ve been in The O2 so many times now. I think for our crews, for the teams, it was fairly straightforward. Re…

Tom Aspinall put the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s heavyweight division on notice Saturday.

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In his first fight in a year, the Englishman blitzed Marcin Tybura for a 73-second technical knockout victory in the UFC Fight Night 224 headliner at the O2 Arena in London. Aspinall’s blend of skill and athleticism was on full display, and he appears to be a difficult matchup for most anyone in the weight class. That includes Jon Jones, who Aspinall hasn’t been shy about mentioning as a desired opponent.

“I think I match up well,” Aspinall said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “It’s a dream fight of mine. I think I’m young and I’m fresh. I’ve not got loads of miles on the clock. I’m big. I can do everything well. I’m fast, I’m strong, I’m heavy, which is unlike a lot of his opponents who he’s fought in the past. I just think I bring something different to him, and I think he knows that, as well.”

Aspinall’s callout drew Jones’ attention, a…

EASY WORK for @AspinallMMA 👀

He gets the finish in the first round! #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/TtKd6uUR3f

— UFC (@ufc) July 22, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship awarded four fighters performance bonuses following the UFC Fight Night 224 card.

Tom Aspinall impressed in his return from injury as the heavyweight contender quickly ran through Marcin Tybura. Aspinall's slicing elbows and powerful punches put away Tybura in slightly over a minute. The impressive TKO win was enough for the British fighter to earn a Performance of the Night bonus and take home an extra $50,000. The fight was officially stopped at 1:13 of the first round.

The other Performance of the Night bonus went to Paul Craig. After a rough first round, "Bearjew" managed to put away Andre Muniz with a series of brutal elbows. Finally, Fight of the Night went to Danny Roberts and Jonny Parsons, which earned both fighters an extra $50,000. Parsons wound up fin…

Tom Aspinall didn’t miss a beat.

Almost a year to the day since he suffered a knee injury in a loss to Curtis Blaydes, Aspinall returned to form with a first-round technical knockout victory against Marcin Tybura in the UFC Fight Night 224 headliner at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday. The heavyweight bout was called off just 73 seconds after it began.

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“This is a whole new version of me. I’m not going to say that I’m back… I’m just different now than what I was last year,” Aspinall said. “My mind’s different. My body’s different. I’m going all the way.”

Aspinall didn’t give Tybura (24-8, 11-7 UFC) a chance to get going. The Englishman rattled his foe with a head kick at the outset of the fight, and then showcased his speed and mobility by making the Pole swing at air. Shortly thereafter, Aspinall (13-3, 6-1 UFC) stopped Tybura in his tracks with a step-in elbow before dropping him with a right hand. From there, the Team Kaobon standout unleash…

Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 224 coverage will begin Saturday at 12 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Filho (-125), Barez (+105)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Brasil (-150), Bannon (+130)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result …

JONNY PARSONS WITH SECONDS LEFT IN THE ROUND 😲 #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/DUn027uR21

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 22, 2023

Syndicate MMA product Jonny Parsons outdueled English veteran Danny Roberts during a wild second-round brawl for a technical knockout victory in the featured welterweight prelim at UFC Fight Night 224 in London on Saturday. Parsons brought the show to a close at the 4:57 mark of Round 2 for his sixth straight win. Roberts has lost three straight fights dating back to May 2022.

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Roberts (18-8, 7-7 UFC started well, using his reach and superior boxing to get the better of Parsons (9-3, 1-0 UFC) in the opening stanza. That changed in the second period when Parsons clipped his foe with a clean right to the jaw. From there, Roberts threw caution to the wind — to his detriment. Parsons had Roberts reeling with a series of knees and uppercuts against the fence, forcing “Hot Chocolate” to shoot for a takedown …

[embedded content] The Ultimate Fighting Championship's return to England is set after the official weigh-ins took place.

All 30 fighters on the UFC Fight Night 224 card successfully made weight, including heavyweight headliners Tom Aspinall and Marcin Tybura. It will be the local combatant that will be the heavier man in the cage on Saturday, as Aspinall checked in 12 pounds higher than Tybura. Both men are signed up for five potential rounds of action.

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This marks the first fight for Aspinall (12-3) since suffering a knee injury just 15 seconds into his encounter with Curtis Blaydes last year. Almost exactly one year later, Aspinall will look to return to the form that had him undefeated inside the Octagon. Prior to the setback, the English heavyweight had wreckedAlexander Volkov, Sergey Spivak and Andrei Arlovski in the span of about 13 months. Aspinall officially weighed 258 pounds, the heaviest in his UFC career to date.

This marks the second …

After weathering an early storm, a comeback late in the round secured the TKO win for Mick Stanton. He retains the CW Middleweight Title 🏆 what an incredible fight by both competitors 👏#CW157 pic.twitter.com/xIqxgm55It

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) July 21, 2023 Cage Warriors Fighting Championship mainstay Mick Stanton now knows the sweet taste of revenge.

For as long as it lasted, the CW 157 headliner was a slugfest starring Stanton (12-7, 9-5 CW) and James Webb (9-5-1, 8-5-1 CW) with the middleweight championship on the line. In their first clash, Webb defeated Stanton by unanimous decision. This time, the match was far, but much was more intense. Webb rocked his adversary right out of the gate with powerful strikes, keeping Stanton guessing until dropping him with a powerful body shot. Stanton recovered quickly enough and fired back with a vengeance. Thanks to a series of quick fists and a well-timed uppercut, Stanton rebounded and dropped…

[embedded content] The Legacy Fighting Alliance returns for its second event of July.

Headlining the nine-fight LFA 163 card is featherweight championship collision for the vacant belt between Elijah Johns and Javier Garcia. Both participants made weight for the five-round bout. However, there were three main card weight misses, as Johnny Hopper, Matheus Pereira and Angel Alvarez all came in heavy for their respective bouts.

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An LFA mainstay, Johns (9-2) bounced back from a 2021 split decision defeat to Bruno Souza by defeating Brandon Phillips and Masuto Kawana both by unanimous decision. Winner of seven of his last eight appearances, the Dallas native stepped on the scale weighing 144.6 pounds.

Meanwhile, Garcia (10-5) has won three of his last four after also losing on the scorecards to the aforementioned Souza. Recent victories over Leandro Gomes and Albert Morales earned "El Mariachi" a shot at championship gold. The 31-year-old officially weig…

[embedded content] A Ultimate Fighting Championship vet has grown his team in Brazil beyond his wildest dreams.

Back in 2009 when he was still on the roster, UFC vet Cristiano Marcello decided he would move on from his original institution of Chute Boxe. Rather than join up with another team – he did train occasionally with Team Alpha Male in California, as coach Urijah Faber was also his trainer on his season of “The Ultimate Fighter” – the Rio de Janeiro native formed his own team and called it CM System. Over the years, it has drawn notable competitors like Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, Matheus Scheffel and Geraldo Coelho de Lima Neto, among others. Speaking with Sherdog on Thursday, Marcello had an announcement to make: his team had purchased the facilities of American Top Team in Curitiba, Brazil, and he claims that he now runs the largest training center in the country.

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“I’m so glad I started the team in 2009 when I was still competing in UFC and …

Cory Sandhagen will now fight Rob Font at a catchweight in the main event of UFC Nashville on Aug. 5, sources told ESPN. Five-round fight.

— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) July 20, 2023 A few injuries to top-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship contenders have resulted in some significant card switches.

Per ESPN on Thursday, Rob Font (20-6) has been tapped as the replacement for the injured Umar Nurmagomedov for UFC Nashville. The Aug. 5 headliner now set as a 140-pound catchweight affair, it will play out between Font and Cory Sandhagen (16-4) over the course of five rounds. Font was initially planning on facing Yadong Song at UFC 292 two weeks later, but an injury to Song allows for Font to take this matchup on short notice.

In April, Font bounced back from a two-decision skid to Jose Aldo and Marlon Vera by clocking Adrian Yanez in the first round at UFC 287. Prior to the pair of five-round defeats to Aldo and Vera, the Boston native …

Editor's note: The article has been updated at 1:55 to reflect a dispute about the veracity of the fighter's confirmation of the grappling match.

One of the greatest fighters of all time is going to change disciplines to take on one of the best grapplers to ever compete in MMA.

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According to FloGrappling on Thursday, former Ultimate Fighting Championship two-division champion Georges St. Pierre has an opponent for his grappling debut in December. At Fight Pass Invitation 6, which will likely be held at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, St. Pierre will ply his trade against Brazilian submission icon Demian Maia. The rules will likely be submission-only, with special overtime provisions that will be announced at a later date. News of this pairing, one that will headline the Dec. 14 event airing on UFC Fight Pass, was confirmed by Maia on social media.

Every now and then, something comes up that still does really motivate you.Grappling @…

[embedded content] One Championship is planning on ramping up its stateside presence next year in a big way.

The Singapore-based organization announced on Thursday that it planned on running four fight cards in the U.S. in 2024. Putting on bouts across multiple different disciplines, the league was able to travel to Colorado this past May with its various rule sets and weigh-in procedures approved by the Colorado Combative Sports Commission. No date or locations have been provided, other than that the events will air on Amazon Prime.

One head Chatri Sityodtong included a statement in the release, saying, “I am thrilled to announced that One Championship is coming back to the U.S. with four massive events in 2024. When we made our historic U.S. debut with One Fight Night 10 on Prime Video, I was blown away by the support we received from our fans in the U.S.”

This follows the April agreement One made with Amazon Prime to extend their broadcasting contract for sev…

The Rematch is 🔛

📺 Watch Mick Stanton 🆚 James Webb 𝗜𝗜 headline #CW157 tomorrow night on @UFCFightPass! pic.twitter.com/wzMjXu2yUB

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) July 20, 2023 Both Cage Warriors Fighting Championship and the Ultimate Fighting Championship will be putting on 15-fight showcases in London this weekend.

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The Cage Warriors middleweight championship will be on the line in the CW 157 main event. Reigning titleholder Mick Stanton will put his belt up for grabs against challenger James Webb in a highly anticipated rematch. Both men made weight, as did the rest of the card, with the exception of Tom Mearns (150.4). The would-be featherweight came in 4.4 pounds heavy for his fight against Bailey Gilbert, and has been fined a hefty 50% of his purse.

Stanton (11-7) claimed the title in his last fight, a unanimous decision win over Will Currie. The Liverpool native has won five of his last six fights, with the lon…

Abu Dhabi we're back and we're bringing a STACKED card with us!!@DanaWhite just announced the first three fights for #UFC294 in October 🔥

[ Tickets on sales this week | @VisitAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | #InAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/9mgcbIwbB8

— UFC (@ufc) July 20, 2023

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Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira are going to run it back after all.

UFC president Dana White announced on Wednesday evening that a lightweight championship rematch between Makhachev and Oliveira will headline UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 21. Additionally, Paulo Costa will meet Khamzat Chimaev at middleweight, while Nassourdine Imavov will face Ikram Aliskerov in another 185-pound bout. Costa and Alikerov were initially slated to face each other at UFC 291 before the new fights were revealed.

Makhachev and Oliveira first squared off at UFC 280, with the Dagestani claiming the vacant 155-pound belt with a second-round submission triumph. Makhache…

Umar Nurmagomedov has withdrawn from the UFC Nashville main event on Aug. 5 for undisclosed reasons.

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Multiple outlets confirmed Nurmagomedov’s exit on Wednesday following an initial report from The Schmozone. The Las Vegas-based promotion is reportedly seeking a replacement opponent for Cory Sandhagen. UFC on ESPN 50 takes place at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennesee, and is also expected to include a strawweight clash pitting Tatiana Suarez against Jessica Andrade.

The 27-year-old Nurmagomedov is undefeated in 16 professional outings. He has kicked off his UFC tenure with four consecutive victories, including three inside the distance. Most recently, the Eagles MMA product knocked out Raoni Barcelos in the opening stanza of their UFC Fight Night 217 encounter on Jan. 14.

A former interim bantamweight title challenger, Sandhagen is coming off back-to-back triumphs against Marlon Vera and Yadong Song in main event bouts. The Elevation Fi…

OFFICIAL: Updated 2023 #PFLPlayoffs San Antonio Card

Movlid Khaybulaev is out. @CWadeMMA steps in and will now face @Gabrielbragab.

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[Fri, August 4th |#PFLPlayoffs | 🎟️ https://t.co/FD4ZBDPl3o] pic.twitter.com/ibwdkISqVU — PFL (@PFLMMA) July 19, 2023 Movlid Khaybulaev’s 2023 Professional Fighters League campaign has reached a premature end.

The organization announced on Wednesday that Khaybulaev is out of his featherweight semifinal matchup against Gabriel Braga. As a result, Chris Wade will get a spot in the postseason and square off against Braga on Aug. 4.

A reason for Khaybulaev’s exit was not given. A PFL champion in 2021, Khaybulaev rolled through the 2023 regular season with victories over Ryoji Kudo and Tyler Diamond. The 32-year-old Dagestani is unbeaten in 23 professional outings and has won seven straight bouts since a no contest against Daniel Pineda in 2019.

Wade has made the PFL playoffs on four…

It's getting heated!@TheProspectMMA and @LeroneMurphy just bumped into each other at the #UFCLondon hotel... 👀 pic.twitter.com/0RsFWQa9qG

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) July 19, 2023

There appears to be some lingering animosity between Lerone Murphy and Nathaniel Wood.

The featherweight competitors recently crossed paths at the UFC London fighter hotel, where Murphy took issue with some comments Wood made about putting on a “masterclass” ahead of their proposed matchup at UFC 286. Wood was forced to withdraw from the contest due to a “freak accident” in training.

“You pulled out bro,” Murphy says to Wood during the encounter, which never got physical.

Both athletes now have other, more pressing matters at hand. Murphy is booked against Joshua Culibao at UFC Fight Night 224 on Saturday at the O2 in London, while Wood will lock horns with Andre Fili on the same card.

H E A T E D 🔥 #TUF31 pic.twitter.com/dfc89L3gfm

— The Ultimate Fighter (@UltimateFighter) July 5, 2023

While many fans believe the fight between “The Ultimate Fighter 31” coaches Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler will be postponed until 2024, Gilbert Burns has heard otherwise.

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In a recent interview with Sherdog.com, Burns claims that Chandler, a training partner at Kill Cliff FC, told him the bout will happen in December.

"He was already relaxed when he met [UFC president Dana White] backstage at UFC 290 and Dana told him to be ready, that it will happen by the end of the year,” Burns said. “The following day Chandler posted a Christmas tree [on Twitter]. So I think it's on and will happen in December.”

Burns does not believe that the current version of McGregor matches up well with Chandler.

"If we were talking about the prime Conor, who beat [Jose] Aldo and [Eddie] Alvarez, that guy was really a badass and I …

Super Rizin 2 has a new matchup for promotion’s vacant bantamweight championship.

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Hiromasa Ougikubo will replace the injured Kai Asakura and square off against Juan Archuleta for the 135-pound belt on July 30 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The promotion announced the new bout after Asakura recently revealed he would have to withdraw from the event.

A former Bellator bantamweight king, Archuleta has won his last three outings — two of which occurred under the Rizin banner. “The Spaniard” last appeared at Rizin 42, where he outpointed Naoki Inoue on May 6. He also owns victories over Soo Chul Kim and Enrique Barzola during his current streak.

Ougikubo, meanwhile, is coming off back-to-back defeats against Kyoji Horguchi and Soo Chul Kim in 2022. Prior to that, the 36-year-old Paraestra Matsudo representative won five consecutive bouts under the Rizin banner, including a decision against Asakura, the man he replaced.