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Jonathan Martinez has some of the most dangerous leg kicks in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and he proved it again on Saturday night.

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The Factory X representative joined Edson Barboza as the only two fighters in promotion history to earn two finishes via leg kicks with his second-round stoppage of Adrian Yanez in a featured bantamweight bout at UFC Fight Night 230 in Las Vegas. “Dragon” hobbled his adversary with repeated leg kicks until Yanez could no longer stand, ending the contest at the 2:26 mark of Round 2. Martinez has won six consecutive UFC appearances, including five in a row at 135 pounds.

“When I said I wanted a second round finish and it happened, I was really excited about that —just all the hard work we put in there,” Martinez said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “He’s a really good boxer so we had to take his legs out, and after that, his hands wouldn’t be dangerous as much.

“To me, if you check the kick, I’m sti…

A matchup of flyweights has been added to the first Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view card of 2024.

Malcolm Gordon (14-7) is set to trade hands against Jimmy Flick (16-7) at UFC Fight Night 297, which will go down on Jan. 20. in Toronto. Flick broke the news while cutting a promo during an MMA event in Oklahoma.

Flick made his UFC debut in December 2020, pulling off a first-round submission win over Cody Durden. “The Brick” announced his retirement from the sport just four months later, only to return to the United States Anti-Doping Agency testing pool the following year. Flick commenced his second Octagon stint earlier this year, suffering a first-round technical knockout loss against Charles Johnson in January. The Oklahoma native went on to record another stoppage loss against Alessandro Costa in June and will be looking to get back in the win column against Gordon.

Meanwhile, Gordon has gone back and forth in his UFC career, starting his jou…

Edson Barboza and Sodiq Yusuff were an easy choice for “Fight of the Night” on Saturday.

The featherweights received $50,000 apiece for their back-and-forth, five-round battle in the UFC Fight Night 230 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Yusuff had Barboza reeling early in Round 1, but the Brazilian veteran displayed tremendous resilience in a remarkable comeback performance. He dropped Yusuff with a spinning wheel kick in the third frame and relied on consistent body work to earn a hard-fought unanimous decision triumph.

Elsewhere, Jonathan Martinez utilized punishing leg kicks to earn a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus in a victory over Adrian Yanez in a featured bantamweight affair. Martinez hobbled his foe over the course of the bout, ultimately forcing a stoppage due to the barrage of kicks at the 2:26 mark of Round 2.

Finally, Michel Pereira garnered a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for a successful UFC middleweight debut. “Demolidor…

Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 230 coverage will begin Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Ducote (-340), Yoder (+270)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Gutierrez (-250), Alateng (+200)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIE…

Edson Barboza has electrified Ultimate Fighting Championship fans for over 14 years and shows no sign of slowing down after pulling off one of the biggest comebacks of the year in the in the UFC Fight Night 230 main event Saturday at the UFC Apex.

Barboza was done. Or so we thought. Sodiq Yusuff was putting a beating on the Brazilian legend in the first round of their featherweight clash and referee Herb Dean could’ve stepped in at any time.

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Dean however continued to let Barboza compete and fight fans around the world are thankful as Barboza recollected himself and put on a masterful performance over the next four rounds to snatch away the unanimous decision victory (48-46, 49-46, 48-46).

Yusuff couldn’t believe his eyes. After bulldozing Barboza in the first, Barboza responded with his textbook body attack in the second before dropping Yusuff with his trademark spinning wheel kick in the third.

At this point Barboza had all the momentum as Yu…

Darren Elkins did damage to force the tap 👏 #UFCVegas81 pic.twitter.com/KO4VmrGiH3

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 14, 2023

Even at 39 years old Darren “The Damage” Elkins continues to be a tough night at the office for Ultimate Fighting Championship opponents.

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Elkins turned back the clock with a beautifully executed rear naked choke on T.J. Brown at the 2:23 mark of the third round of their featherweight clash at UFC Fight Night 230.

Elkins has been cut more than Michelin star chefs but fans were surprised to see him clean after two rounds of consistent scrambling with Brown.

Despite Brown’s 10 submission wins, Elkins seemed unfazed by the Westside MMA prospect. Elkins settled into top control and made life miserable with the constant pace.

Heading into Round 3, the fans finally got what they wanted. As the blood streamed down Elkins face, Brown’s eyes grew frantic once “The Damage” sunk into an RNC that would…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight contender Derek Brunson had his reasons for choosing to move on from the Las Vegas-based promotion to the Professional Fighters League.

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Brunson was initially slated to face Roman Dolidze at UFC 295 on Nov. 11 in New York. However, halfway through September, Brunson's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, confirmed that the UFC and "The One" had mutually parted ways.

Brunson is now signed with the PFL, where he will face two-time welterweight champion Ray Cooper III in his promotional debut on Nov. 24.

In a recent interview with ESPN, Brunson shared why he chose to leave the Las Vegas-based promotion and eventually join the PFL.

“It just didn't work out, you know,” Brunson said. “I don't know, PFL is just a great opportunity for me, a new challenge, new venture, I'm motivated. I would say with the UFC, just being on these streaks and not getting my title shot, which I felt I deserved. I was on two fiv…

Read the full statement from USADA CEO Travis T. Tygart here: https://t.co/3vfuhx5haD pic.twitter.com/MNGgnDN6U6

— USADA (@usantidoping) October 11, 2023

Dana White isn't too pleased with the way United States Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart handled the news of the Ultimate Fighting Championship not renewing its contract with the drug-testing agency.

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On Wednesday, the USADA CEO released a statement announcing that the testing agency would cease to serve as the UFC's anti-doping partner effective beginning Jan. 1, but that wasn't all.

Tygart insinuated that the relationship between the promotion and USADA became "untenable" due to the UFC's hope that USADA would excuse Conor McGregor from the six-month testing window, which is mandatory for any fighter who has been out of the testing pool.

While White had assigned chief business officer Hunter Campbell and senior vice president of athlete health and performance…

JUST. LIKE. THAT!!! 👊 #KSW87

🇷🇸 Darko Stosic silences the Czech fans. pic.twitter.com/9Y9dCxBpEJ

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) October 14, 2023

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KSW 87 took place in the beautiful Czech Republic and featured plenty of local talent.

In the headliner, No. 1 ranked heavyweight and Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Darko Stosic (19-6, 5-1 KSW) faced No. 3 Michal Martinek (10-5, 1-2 KSW). Stosic went 1-3 in the UFC, with his last outing a decision loss to current light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill, but had gone 5-2 since leaving the organization, including four thunderous knockouts. Stosic already had a crack at KSW heavyweight champion Phil De Fries but was been forced to retreat late in Round 5. Stosic was hoping a big win could get him a rematch.

Martinek, meanwhile, was looking to right the ship and electrify the home crowd after a split decision verdict against another UFC veteran, Daniel Omielanczuk, went against …

Fans might have to wait a while before they get to see Israel Adesanya back inside the Octagon.

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The Former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion is coming off a shocking unanimous decision loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293.

After the bout, Adesanya opted out from his post-fight press conference duties, assigning his coach the responsibility of talking to the media. Apart from a short interview uploaded to his YouTube channel, “The Last Stylebender” has mostly kept to himself, seemingly taking much-needed time to regroup and recalibrate.

However, the former middleweight champion recently made an appearance on "The Rock" radio show, where he addressed several topics relating to his fighting career — including his UFC return timeline.

“Before this fight I was very like, ‘I know I’m on the back end of my career, so I want to do as many as I can' because I know when I’m done with this I’m going to miss it... I’m trying to do as mu…

And just like that - tomorrow's main event is OFFICIAL!@EdsonBarbozaJR in at 146lbs for #UFCVegas81 💪 pic.twitter.com/nhVa8dlSMs

— UFC (@ufc) October 13, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to the UFC Apex this weekend, this time with an intriguing featherweight main event.

UFC Fight Night 230 is headlined by rising contender Sodiq Yusuff and fan-favorite veteran Edson Barboza. Ever the professionals, both main event fighters had no issue making weight. As for the rest of the card, all fighters made weight with the exception of Christian Rodriguez. The would-be bantamweight came in 4 pounds over the limit at 140 for his fight against Cameron Saaiman and has been fined a percentage of his purse as a result.

Yusuff (13-2) is coming off two statement wins -- a unanimous decision over Alex Caceres and a 30-second guillotine choke submission against Don Shainis. Prior to a setback to Arnold Allen, "Super" was 4-0 inside the Octa…

Join us for the #KSW87 ceremonial weigh-ins later today! 😤

🎥 Facebook & YouTube | 6pm CET - 5pm BST pic.twitter.com/CaWXTH5QEq

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) October 13, 2023 Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki returns for its October offering, which is headlined by a heavyweight clash.

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The KSW 87 main event will see Darko Stosic take on Michal Martinek. As expected, both heavyweights had no issue making weight. As for the rest of the card, all fighters made weight with the exception of one. Ahmed Abdulkadirov came in one pound over the 159-pound catchweight limit for his fight against Sahil Siraj and has been fined 30 percent of his purse as a result.

Martinek (10-4) is attempting to get back on track after going 1-2 in his last three outings. "Blackbeard" most recently lost a split decision to Daniel Omielanczuk and stepped on the scale weighing 241 pounds. Stosic (18-6) will be the slightly larger fighter as he weighed in at 244 pound…

Soon after Charles Oliveira's withdrawal from UFC 294’s lightweight title fight against Islam Makhachev was confirmed, the leader of Chute Boxe Sao Paulo, Diego Lima, took to social media to give his take on the situation involving his charge.

Considering the severity of the cut, “do Bronx” received a lot of criticism from fans and members of the mixed martial arts community alike for engaging in “hard” sparring sessions merely a few days away from the scheduled main event.

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Detailing the sequence of events that led to the nasty cut over Oliveira’s eyebrow, Lima provided clarity to the situation on Instagram.

“I'm here to explain some things about what happened. I know that many don't make a living from this sport and, therefore, give wrong opinions. In relation to sparring [training that simulates fighting], it is one of the best training sessions to take the fight time, press the gas and work on the strategy. The sessions are always done, but thei…

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Ultimate Fighting Championship Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell has issued a scathing response to an announcement recently made by United States Anti-doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart.

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In a statement released on Wednesday, Tygart announced that the partnership between USADA and the UFC will officially end on Jan. 1, 2024.

Additionally, the USADA CEO implied that negotiations for a renewal of the partnership reached a screeching halt due to discussions surrounding former UFC two-division king Conor McGregor's return to the USADA testing pool.

USADA has publicly reiterated the need for McGregor to return to the testing pool for a period of six months before being eligible to compete inside the Octagon. “Notorious” suffered a gruesome leg break in his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier a little over two years ago and has not competed since.

According to the statement issued by Tygart, the anti-doping agency felt pressured b…

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As the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s partnership with the United States Anti-Doping Agency comes to an end in December 2023, the Las Vegas-based promotion already has another deal with a sport drug testing organization in place.

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In a Thursday press conference, UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell and Senior Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance Jeff Novitzky revealed that the UFC will be partnering with Drug Free Sport International for their anti-doping program starting Jan 1. 2024.

While many wondered what route the promotion would take in terms of drug testing following the less than amicable split with USADA, it is clear the UFC intends to stick to a third-party independent organization overseeing their anti-doping program.

“Drug Free Sport International currently handles collection duties for the following professional sports leagues, they have 325 long-term tenured sports clients including the NFL, …

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It seems Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis won't be getting a shot at the middleweight title any time soon.

Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White confirmed that the winner of the recently revealed middleweight clash between former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman (20-3) and Khamzat Chimaev (12-0) at UFC 294 will be next in line for a title shot against Sean Strickland.

Initially, “Borz” was slated to face Paulo Costa at UFC 294 before a staph infection in Costa’s elbow derailed the bout. That opened the door for former welterweight king Kamaru Usman to make his middleweight debut against Chimaev on just 10 days' notice. Considering the last-minute reshuffling and Usman's championship mettle, fans speculated the newly formed matchup would serve as a middleweight title eliminator.

Addressing the topic in a recent appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” the UFC head honcho made the rumors official.

“That is an absolute fa…

The UFC will take a card to Saudi Arabia for the first time in March 2024.

It's worth noting this happened just weeks after UFC merged with WWE under TKO Group Holdings — WWE has a lucrative $50 million per year deal to hold events in Saudi Arabiahttps://t.co/FV2MPNgKyD

— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) October 11, 2023

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship will soon make its debut in Saudi Arabia, a destination that has swiftly become a major player in global sports.

A UFC Fight Night has been scheduled to go down in Saudi Arabia on March 2, 2024. The news was confirmed by Damon Martin following an initial report by ESPN.

Word of the event follows the aftermath of a merger with World Wrestling Entertainment under the banner of TKO Group Holdings. WWE entered an arrangement with the nation after finalizing a reported $50 million deal with the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia, where they stage two marque…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has decided to end its partnership with the United States Anti-Doping Agency starting January 2024.

USADA has been the UFC’s independent drug testing partner since 2015. However, things have now seemingly turned sour over the mandatory testing window for former two-division champ Conor McGregor’s return to action. According to USADA CEO Travis Tygart, the relationship with the UFC became “untenable” over recent comments made by the promotion's leaders and one commentator. Tygart was likely referring to popular podcaster and longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan, who recently called for the promotion to cut ties with USADA over the six-month testing window and ban on certain peptides. Tygart said in a written statement:

“The relationship between USADA and UFC became untenable given the statements made by UFC leaders and others questioning USADA’s principled stance that McGregor not be allowed to fight without being in the tes…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s marquee card in Abu Dhabi has suffered its second major change in the past 24 hours.

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After the scheduled main event of UFC 294 fell through on Wednesday when Charles Oliveira withdrew from his scheduled rematch with lightweight champ Islam Makhachev, the co-main event has also undergone a change with Paulo Costa (14-2) not being cleared to compete due to a staph infection on his elbow. In place of “Borrachinha,” former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman (20-3) will step up on 10 days' notice for his middleweight debut against Khamzat Chimaev. UFC CEO Dana White made the official announcement on Instagram.

Usman has not competed since UFC 286 in March, when came up short in a bid to win his title back from Leon Edwards. Prior to the back-to-back losses to Edwards, Usman had enjoyed a 15-fight win streak in the promotion including a long reign atop the welterweight division. Meanwhile, the upcoming bout will…

Invicta Fighting Championships’s Boston debut later this month has been stacked with several new high-profile matchups.

Invicta FC 54 will now feature a strawweight co-main event between mixed martial arts veteran Kalindra Faria (19-9) and fellow Brazilian and former champion Valesca Machado (12-4). “Tina Black” will replace Faria’s originally scheduled opponent Isis Verbeek, who was forced out of the card recently. A three-time Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran, Faria has faced former Invicta champs Jennifer Maia and Vanessa Porto, as well as contenders Claudia Gadelha, Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Joanne Calderwood, over a career spanning more than a decade. Additionally, a bantamweight clash between Canada’s Maria Djukic (2-1) and Massachusetts-based Brazilian Fernanda Araujo (2-3) has been added to the card.

Invicta FC 54 takes place Oct. 27 at Citizens House of Blues in Boston. In the main event, Invicta strawweight champion Danni McCormack (7-2) will …

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Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White was in attendance as the Las Vegas Sphere debuted this weekend with concerts by Irish rock band U2. White was so impressed with everything about the Sphere that he’s now admittedly “obsessed” with putting on a UFC event at the venue. The UFC head honcho has been in regular contact with concerned parties as he plots the “greatest live combat sports event anybody has ever seen.”

Interestingly, White wants the card to go down on Mexican Independence Day in September 2024, which according to him should also be the first live sports event at the venue. The 54-year-old is confident in his ability to put on a show that will set the precedent for live events at the Sphere.

Moreover, White vehemently dismissed the possibility of any boxing promotion securing the bid before him as he believes none of the promoters have the money required.

“I will put on the greatest live combat sports event anybody has…

🚨 Breaking 🚨

Cameron Smotherman (@Lilcampster) and Mando Gutierrez (@MandoGoes4Gold) will throw down in the main event of Fury FC Challenge Series 10 which takes place November 12th. pic.twitter.com/jXzfsSmuuq

— Alex Behunin (@AlexBehunin) October 10, 2023

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Cameron Smotherman and Mando Gutierrez will trade leather in the main event at Fury Fighting Championship Challenger Series 9 on Nov. 12. The booking was first reported by Alex Behunin of MMA Mania on Wednesday.

Smotherman (8-4) will look to defend his Fury FC bantamweight title against Gutierrez in a five-round affair that will go down in Houston. “The Baby-Faced Killer” dethroned former champ Peter Caballero with a stunning Round 2 knockout to top off a four-fight win streak back in February.

Smotherman subsequently made an appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7, Week 2 in a bid to earn an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract, where he wa…

Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes (17-4) recently pulled out of his scheduled clash against Jailton Almeida (19-2).

Blaydes was slated to clash against Almeida on Nov. 4 in the UFC Sao Paulo main event, which will mark the Las Vegas-based promotion’s return to the Brazilian city after four long years. However, the booking recently fell through with “Razor” being replaced by knockout artist Derrick Lewis (27-11), although the reason for Blaydes’ withdrawal hasn’t been disclosed.

Blaydes has now released a statement on Facebook addressing his withdrawal while offering an apology to his fans. The perennial heavyweight contender is seemingly dealing with several injuries suffered during camp, all of which will require a considerable amount of rehabilitation.

While it took him a while to realize the same, Blaydes now plans to take time off from training and solely focus on recovery.

“Injuries from camp weren’t healing …

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The main event of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s upcoming card in Abu Dhabi has suffered a massive blow with just 10 days to go before fight night.

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Former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira (34-9) has withdrawn from his UFC 294 title rematch against Islam Makhachev (24-1) due to a cut suffered in training. Featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski (26-2) will step up on short notice to take on Makhachev in his second bid for lightweight gold. The news was first reported by OverDogs Podcast on Instagram and subsequently confirmed by Carlos Contreras Legaspi of ESPN Deportes.

UFC President Dana White officially confirmed the news on Tuesday at the post-fight press conference for DWCS 2023, Week 10. White revealed that “do Bronx” was forced to pull out after having his eyebrow split open during sparring the night before he was supposed to fly down to Abu Dhabi. The UFC president also expressed his displeasure with Olivei…