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Tony Ferguson was widely believed to the biggest potential threat to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s lightweight title reign at one point in time.

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Ferguson, who won 12 consecutive UFC bouts from 2013 to 2019, was booked to fight Nurmagomedov five times — but each time the matchup fell through due to various unfortunate circumstances. The potential fight was shelved for good when Nurmagomedov retired from the sport in 2020 shortly after the death of his father.

Meanwhile, Ferguson went on a six-fight skid that began with a brutal beatdown against Justin Gaethje at UFC 249. Scheduled to fight English prospect Paddy Pimblett at UFC 296 on Dec. 16, Ferguson recently admitted during an interview on "The MMA Hour” that a part of him was forever gone with Nurmagomedov’s retirement.

“I know when Khabib left, a little part of me left with that,” Ferguson said. “It kind of sucked a little bit because we’ve always had that, I don’t want to say negative energy, bu…

French combat sports standout Cedric Doumbe doesn’t mince any words while voicing his sentiments about MMA Factory head coach Fernand Lopez.

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Doumbe made his Professional Fighters League debut last weekend against Jordan Zebo, scoring a nine-second highlight-reel knockout win. Doumbe subsequently called out Lopez in front of French fans, accusing the coach of domestic violence with an ex-wife.

Lopez has since addressed the allegations, admitting to being sentenced for four months due to an incident of domestic violence in 2018. Lopez claims to have slapped his ex-wife before turning himself in to the police and also called his actions “inexcusable.”

Doumbe addressed his post-fight victory speech, further detailing his issues with Lopez during an appearance on "The MMA Hour.”

“In France, I’m a big part of associations fighting against domestic violence,” Doumbe said. “So it’s not a secret that I don’t like Fernand Lopez, people know that.…

While it appears December isn’t in the cards for Sean O'Malley, the newly-crowned bantamweight king is likely to be the featured attraction for his next Ultimate Fighting Championship appearance.

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After he defeated Aljamain Sterling to claim bantamweight gold at UFC 292, O’Malley called for a rematch against Marlon Vera at the end of the year. The Las Vegas-based promotion had other ideas, as it announced that Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington would headline UFC 296 on Dec. 16.

Instead, O’Malley revealed during a recent appearance on the JRE MMA Show Show that he will likely return for a UFC main event in early 2024.

“I really, really did truly want to fight in December,” O’Malley said. “I called out ‘Chito’ for December, but then I talked to the UFC and … they were trying to get Colby and Leon together. I asked them, and they want me to main event my own show, which I think is f—ing dope. I’m down with that.”

Vera, who handed O’Malley his lon…

Cain Velasquez will be in the corner of American Kickboxing Academy teammate Usman Nurmagomedov at Bellator 300 on Saturday.

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Velasquez, who is expected to go on trial for attempted murder in January, received permission to work the event through a court order, which was initially confirmed by California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster to MMAFighting.com on Monday. While Velasquez has traveled for sponsorship duties and to appear on a professional wrestling card, this will be his first time cornering a fight since his arrest in February 2022.

Velasquez is facing attempted murder and other charges after allegedy chasing and shooting at Harry Goularte, who has been accused of molesting Velasquez’s young son. During a high-speed chase, Velasquez fired at the vehicle containing Goularte and allegedly hit and injured his stepfather, Paul Bender. Velasquez has pleaded not guilty to the charges. If found guilty, he faces 20 year…

Week 9 of Dana White’s Contender Series will proceed with four bouts after Lucas Rocha came in heavy for a proposed flyweight clash against Davi Costa.

Rocha tipped the scales at 131 pounds, and as a result his fight with Costa was canceled. Costa made weight without issue, checking in at 125 pounds on Monday.

The Contender Series takes place on Tuesday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and airs on ESPN+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The evening’s featured bout is a light heavyweight pairing pitting Rodolfo Bellato (205) against Murtaza Talha Ali (203.5).

After falling to Vitor Petrino on the Contender Series in September 2022, Bellator has rebounded to earned back-to-back victories under the Legacy Fighting Alliance banner. Most recently, he claimed the promotion’s 205-pound belt with a decision win over Acacio dos Santos at LFA 159 on May 27.

Ali will take a 6-0 mark into his matchup with Bellato. The Bahrain native is coming off a 2-0 campaign in 2…

Bellator 300 is down one title fight.

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A heavyweight championship clash pitting Ryan Bader against Linton Vassell has been scratched after Vassell was forced to withdraw from the event due to illness. Sherdog confirmed the news with a promotion official following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com. Bader vs. Vassell was previously announced as the Bellator 300 headliner, but Saturday’s card still features three title bouts on the main card.

Bellator 300 takes place at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California, and will proceed with a three-fight main card, per promotion officials. That includes the following: a women’s featherweight title tilt between Cristiane Justino and Cat Zingano; a women’s flyweight championship matchup between Liz Carmouche and Ilima-Lei Macfarlane and a lightweight grand prix showdown between reigning 155-pound champ Usman Nurmagomedov and Brent Primus. The main draw airs on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

Bader and…

Sean Strickland challenged Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title at UFC 293 at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney last month, claiming the belt in one of the year’s biggest upsets.

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As member of the City Kickboxing Gym in New Zealand and training partner of Australian stars like Alexander Volkanovski, it was general perception that Adesanya was the home fighter. However, Strickland started showering praise on Australia from the moment he landed in Sydney. He went on to further connect with the audience during the presser and had them rallying behind him on fight night.

Former middleweight champ Robert Whittaker, who lost his strap to Adesanya in front of his home crowd in Australia at UFC 243 in 2019, believes he knows why the crowd rallied behind Strickland. While the newly-crowned middleweight champ is known for his polarizing opinions, Whittaker believes Australians don’t get offended easily. “The Reaper” also noted that Adesanya just tends to r…

After Sean Strickland’s shocking win over Israel Adesanya last month, Xtreme Couture coach Eric Nicksick is plotting yet another massive upset.

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Francis Ngannou left his previous gym, The MMA Factory in Paris, in 2020 for Xtreme Couture after his loss to Stipe Miocic in their first encounter. “The Predator” would go on to become UFC heavyweight champion under Nicksick’s tutelage.

Ngannou left the UFC earlier this year after failed contract negotiations and is now scheduled to fight heavyweight boxing champ Tyson Fury in a crossover match on Oct. 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. If the Cameroonian can beat arguably the greatest heavyweight pugilist of all time in his boxing debut, it certainly would go down in the history books.

Nicksick believes Ngannou has a fair shot. Nicksick noted how Deontay Wilder scored an almost fight-ending knockdown over “The Gypsy King” in their first encounter. According to the Xtreme Couture coach, it is unorthodox sty…

Francisco Trinaldo is looking to venture into bare knuckle boxing following his release from the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

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The UFC parted ways with the former welterweight competitor after a decision loss against Randy Brown in October 2022. “Massaranduba” racked up a 18-8 promotional record over the course of a decade with wins over the likes of Paul Felder, Jim Miller and Bobby Green.

Trinaldo is now looking to dip his foot into bare knuckle boxing and wants to make his debut against Mike Perry, who is arguably one of the biggest draws in the sport today. Perry has made quite a name for himself in recent times under the the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) banner with wins over the likes of Luke Rockhold and Michael Page.

Trinaldo claims he wanted to fight Perry during their UFC days but “Platinum” was always handpicking his opponents.

“I can’t want to beat up this a—hole. I’m sure I can go to BKFC and put a beating on …

Renzo Gracie revealed that he loaned his Abu Dhabi apartment to Paulo Costa and his team ahead of UFC 294.

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“He was using four rooms in a local hotel with his team, and I told him to stay in my apartment,” Gracie said.

Gracie also told Sherdog.com that Costa recently underwent surgery for an injury on his elbow but guaranteed that the Brazilian’s fight with Khamzat Chimaev would still proceed as planned.

“Costa had a little problem on his elbow that required a small surgery,” Gracie said. “But everything is fine now, and later this week he is returning to the normal training. ‘Borrachinha’ brought an excellent team of [sparring partners] to help him there. [Eric] Albarracin brought two wrestlers from Uzbequistan.”

Shortly thereafter, Albarracin sent a message to Sherdog.com correcting Gracie on the nationalities of Costa’s training partners.

“Actually we brought wrestlers from Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan,” Albarracin wrote…

Going into enemy territory to reclaim the lightweight title wasn’t Charles Oliveira’s first choice.

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Oliveira will challenge Islam Makhachev for the 155-pound belt at the Ultimate Fighting Championship's annual event in Abu Dhabi next month. However, UFC 294 on Oct. 21 isn’t the first time Oliveira and Makhachev will meet at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

The Brazilian was on an 11-fight win streak and the uncrowned champ of the 155-pound division when Makhachev submitted him almost exactly a year prior at the same venue. Even back then, Oliveira had openly voiced his displeasure at having to go to Abu Dhabi, which Makhachev’s mentor and teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov famously labeled “our territory.”

The Brazilian also doesn’t think it's “necessarily fair” that the rematch is taking place in Abu Dhabi. However, having been in the fight game for a long time, "do Bronx" understands his position as a challenger well.

“I don’t necessarily thi…

Aljo has a message for the bantamweight champ #POLARIS25 pic.twitter.com/fUyJ9oY3rh

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) September 30, 2023

Aljamain Sterling took the opportunity to demand a rematch against Sean O’Malley after winning a grappling match at Polaris 25 in Wales on Saturday.

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“Funk Master” picked up a decision win over Mike Grundy in a 10-minute match to return to the win column after losing his Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight title to O’Malley last month.

“Sugar” floored Sterling in the second frame, ultimately securing a technical knockout victory in their UFC 292 headliner clash on Aug. 19. This also opened up the title picture for Sterling’s close friend and training partner, Merab Dvalishvili, who had avoided fighting for the strap during his friend’s title reign. “The Machine” has since clarified that he will only fight for the title next, even if he must wait for Sterling to get a rematch.…

Alex Pereira has seemingly moved on from the Ultimate Fighting Championship's middleweight division for good.  

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Pereira was just three fights and a year into his stint with the promotion when he secured a middleweight title shot against Israel Adesanya. “Poatan” won the strap, lost it in a rematch, moved up to light heavyweight and is now slated to make another gold bid — all within the span of another 12 months.  

As Pereira goes into his UFC 295 clash against Jiri Prochazka for the vacant light heavyweight belt, the Brazilian seems to have moved on from the prospect of competing for the middleweight strap down the line.  

The former two-division kickboxing champion recently shared that he has no plans of cutting back down to 185 pounds, especially with the recent change in the title picture.  

“Poatan” would have considered a trilogy clash against former champ and long-time rival Adesanya, who w…

A tough fight until the final bell!

[ @FiteTV PPV https://t.co/eEpfmslhPp ] pic.twitter.com/oLif6Jre3Z

— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) October 1, 2023 Grappling specialist Alan Yamaniha outworked 23-year veteran Hideo Tokoro to take a unanimous decision victory in Sunday’s bantamweight main event at Rizin Fighting Federation Landmark Vol. 6 in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.

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Yamaniha (20-10-4, 4-2 Rizin) took advantage of an early mistake from Tokoro (35-33-1, 3-5 Rizin), who slipped while attempting a stomp and gave up his back in the process. Yamaniha maintained back control for the rest of the round, and then continued his dominance in Round 2 by hurting Tokoro with a punching flurry and following up with elbows to Tokoro’s face after taking him down.

Tokoro’s best success came during the final five minutes. While working from Yamaniha’s guard, Tokoro used body punches to set up a tight shoulder choke that had Yamaniha in s…

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Bobby Green appears to have zero doubt regarding the winner of a potential fight between him and National Basketball Association superstar LeBron James.  

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The 5-foot-10 lightweight is scheduled to take on Grant Dawson in the UFC Fight Night 229 headliner on Saturday.  

Nicknamed “King,” Green recently found out that his opponent’s nickname “KGD” stands for “King Grant Dawson.” That prompted Green to issue a challenge to Dawson.  

“There can only be one King,” Green said in an interview with TMZ Sports. “I just found out that Grant Dawson's fight name is ‘KGD.’ There can only be one king. Let's go find out. The other one's going to get his head cut off!” 

Of course, the most famous athlete to use the “King” moniker is James, the star forward for the Los Angeles Lakers. Although speaking in good humor, Green is confident regarding the outcome of a potential scrap against the NBA’s all-time l…

HOLY ! DOUMBE WITH THE FINISH IN SECONDS!#PFLParis EN EXCLUSIVITE sur RMC Sport INTERNATIONALLY LIVE on DAZN pic.twitter.com/UTRWWAF9qL

— PFL Europe (@PFLEurope) September 30, 2023

Cedric Doumbe raised the bar for himself, perhaps exponentially.

The former Glory champion dazzled in his Professional Fighters League debut, as he punched out Jordan Zebo in the first round of their PFL Europe 3 headliner on Saturday at Zenith Paris La Villette in Paris. Zebo (4-1, 0-1 PFL) crashed and burned just nine seconds into Round 1, a ripple of shock-and-awe electricity rippling through the crowd.

Doumbe (5-0, 1-0 PFL) caught a head kick, countered with a leg kick and sent a blazing left hook crashing into his opponent’s face. Zebo collapsed and ate a right hook on his way down to the mat. A few hammerfists followed before referee Marc Goddard could arrive on the scene.

In the co-main event, former Brave Combat Federation titleholder Abdo…

Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweights Jonathan Pearce and Joanderson Brito are reportedly set to face off at UFC Fight Night 232, scheduled for Nov. 18 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. News of the pairing broke on Friday and was first reported by MMA Junkie.

Currently on a five-fight winning streak, Pearce (14-4) will look to continue his winning ways as he returns to the Octagon following his decision victory over Darren Elkins in December 2022.

While Pearce was slated to face Bryce Mitchell at UFC 288 after his win over Elkins, the Fight Ready product suffered an ACL, PCL and meniscus tear leading up to the match, ultimately causing his exit from the card.

Brito (15-3) is coming off an impressive Round 1 knockout over Westin Wilson back in July. The Brazilian is on a three-fight winning streak with all wins coming via finish in the first frame.

Stamp Dance x “Fast Forward”

Tune in to Prime Video NOW to catch the rest of ONE Fight Night 14!#ONEFightNight14 | Live Now Watch live on Prime https://t.co/Il4tPmkSbR Live TV broadcast in 190+ countries (check local listings) Also available on… pic.twitter.com/37YUIYrsl3

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) September 30, 2023 Stamp Fairtex picked up One Championship's atomweight mixed martial arts world championship in the main event of ONE on Prime Video 14.

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The fight was preceded by an announcement from Angela Lee that she was retiring from mixed martial arts and relinquishing the atomweight title. Fairtex had a stern test in Seo Hee Ham, who withstood many thudding kicks early on. However, Ham would knock Fairtex down with a counter punch and make a statement in the second frame. Fairtex would strike back in a major way in the third frame as a right hand to the body would stun Ham, and follow-up punch…

Sherdog's live ONE Fight Night 14 coverage kicks off Friday at 8 p.m. ET. Round 1 Lightweights get the party started, as the unbeaten Cooper (2-0, 0-0 ONE) makes his promotional debut opposite Maurice Abevi (6-1, 0-1 ONE) at 170 pounds. Abevi finds himself on the rebound following his first professional setback—a unanimous decision loss to Halil Amir in April. Mohamad Sulaiman draws the officiating assignment. Abevi paws with his jab and tries to use his length and reach to his advantage. Cooper closes the distance with a powerful right hand, shoots on a takedown and briefly capitalizes on a failed flying submission attempt from his counterpart. Cooper clinches, then dives on a single-leg but cannot get it to the floor. Abevi fires front kicks to the body, drifts into open space and once again zeroes in on the midsection with some sharp shin-to-skin contact. Abevi sticks the Hawaiian with a straight right, forces him onto the back foot and denies another takedown. Cooper lan…

[embedded content] Time truly heals all wounds.

When anyone recalls the most remarkable episodes of the jiu-jitsu and luta livre rivalry on the streets of Rio de Janeiro in the ‘80s and ‘90s, three chapters are always remembered as the most violent and tense ones: The fight between the luta livre head Hugo Duarte and Rickson Gracie in Pepe Beach in 1988; the invasion of Gracie Academy by almost 100 luta livre students led by Duarte one week later; and the historic riot of Pentagon Combat in 1997 during the main event between Renzo Gracie and Eugenio Tadeu that led to the prohibition of vale tudo for almost six years.

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In all of those instances, Renzo Gracie and Duarte were two of the most important leaders of both sides. In August, Gracie and Duarte shocked the Brazilian mixed martial arts world by announcing a partnership for a new academy in Texas.

“Definitely the world turns around, after years of war, I found out that one of my biggest rivals …

Dan Ige held his own despite not remembering the second half of his recent bout.

Renowned mixed martial arts coach Eric Nicksick offered his take on his student, Ige's (17-7) performance against Bryce Mitchell (16-1) at UFC Fight Night 228. Coming off two back-to-back victories against Nate Landwehr and Damon Jackson, Ige failed to secure the victory against Mitchell, dropping a hard-fought decision.

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“50k” managed to cut Mitchell under the eye in the first round and displayed his defensive grappling by stopping his opponent's takedown attempts until the last few minutes of Round 1. However, it was a left hand landed by Mitchell in Round 2 which seemingly hurt Ige. “Thug Nasty” followed the strike up with a takedown and went on to control the Xtreme Couture product for the remainder of the round.

Discussing his student's performance in his Thursday appearance on “Remember the Show,” Nicksick said:

“Looking back at it now, we watched the fight …

OFFICIAL: Updated #PFLParis fight card

•Alex Chizov is out. Geisym Derouiche is in•New Semifinal Matchup: John Mitchell vs. Geisym Derouiche

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•Manuela Marconetto did not meet the Women’s Flyweight Limit•Valentina Scatizzi v. Manuela Marconetto is off•New Start Time:… pic.twitter.com/3CsQBv0tI5 — PFL (@PFLMMA) September 29, 2023 The Professional Fighters League continues its European season with a playoff event in Paris, France.

PFL Europe 3 will be headlined by a welterweight fight between Cedric Doumbe and Jordan Zebo. Both men successfully made weight, as did most of the card. However, a few last-minute changes were made to the event as Manuela Marconetto did not make weight, and her flyweight fight against Valentina Scatizzi was called off. Additionally, Alex Chizov was forced out of his lightweight semifinal fight against John Mitchell and has been replaced by Geisym Derouiche.

The main event will see tw…

Danielle Kelly and Jessa Khan run it back for the inaugural ONE Atomweight Submission Grappling World Title! Who you got?#ONEFightNight14 | Friday at 8PM ET Watch live on Prime https://t.co/Il4tPmkkmj Live TV broadcast in 190+ countries (check local listings) pic.twitter.com/vTvnLvlHcC

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) September 28, 2023 Jessa Khan’s confidence could not be higher heading into her rematch against Danielle Kelly for the inaugural One Championship atomweight submission grappling title in a ONE on Prime Video 14 co-feature this Friday at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore.

Khan captured her first world title in June at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation World Championship in Long Beach, California. Preparing for the two-day tournament took months of dedicated training and game planning for the best grapplers on the planet. Khan claims shifting her focus from a tournament to a single match ha…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC A place in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s top 15 at flyweight looms for the victor.

On Thursday, Ag. Fight first broke the news that Casey O'Neill (9-1) will be stepping into the Octagon against Ariane Lipski (16-8) on Dec. 16. The two flyweights will tangle likely on the preliminary portion of UFC 296, which will be held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. This 125-pound affair has been confirmed by both women via their Instagram Stories pages.

Born in Scotland and trained in Australia, O’Neill suffered her first career defeat in March. Her nine-fight win streak, which included four triumphs inside the Octagon, fell by the wayside courtesy of Jennifer Maia. On her way up the 125-pound ladder, O’Neill rapidly ascended when she dispatched Shana Dobson, Lara Procopio and Antonina Shevchenko in the span of less than eight months. A lone 2022 effort against Roxanne Modafferi also went her way by split decisio…