Blog

[embedded content] Not much was expected from Elves Brener in his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut, as evidenced by the fact that he closed as a 4-to-1 underdog against Zubaira Tukhugov at UFC 284 in February. Four-plus months and a contentious split decision over Tukhugov later, and the oddsmakers continue to show him precious little respect.

Brener will draw his second Octagon assignment when he meets the heavily favored Guram Kutateladze as part of the UFC on ESPN 48 undercard this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Having established a modest foothold in the organization’s lightweight division, the Brazilian vowed to take a more aggressive approach in his sophomore appearance.

Advertisement

“Now that I’m on my second bout, I can go for a knockout or a submission,” Brener told Sherdog.com. “It’s what I like. I like feeling like I’m in a war. Against Tukhugov, I found my distance early on, so it was easier to keep scoring points without exposing myself …

Craig Jones needed overtime to defeat 2017 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist Felipe Pena in the UFC Fight Pass Invitational 4 headliner on Thursday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Jones, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor for reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder Alexander Volkanovski, was credited with the fastest escape time in OT and awarded the victory. Neither man budged during regulation, as they dug in their heels in a virtual stalemate.

Meanwhile, Nicky Rodriguez submitted Dan Manasoui with a rear-naked choke in overtime to win the $30,000 absolute tournament. Rodriguez turned away Roberto Jimenez in the quarterfinals, then tapped Vagner Rocha with an overtime rear-naked choke in the semis. Manasoui had put away Gabriel Arges with a heel hook in 3:21 and dispatched Fedor Nikolov with a kneebar in 38 seconds to punch his ticket to the final.

In other action, Glover Teixeira took a unanimous decision f…

Since Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight Tracy Cortez last fought, her upcoming opponent has competed three times.

Per MMA Junkie on Thursday, Cortez (10-1) will return to the cage to take on fellow 125er Jasmine Jasudavicius (9-2) at UFC Fight Night 227. This event, a Fight Night card playing out at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, will be a rare show to feature a championship bout without a pay-per-view attached. News of this ranked flyweight pairing has since been confirmed by Cortez on her social media.

This will be Cortez’ first jaunt to the Octagon since May 2022, where she picked up a unanimous decision over Melissa Gatto. Since dropping her professional debut back in 2017, Cortez has not lost. Victor of 10 straight outings, including four in the UFC – one per year since joining the league in 2019 – Cortez has reached the rankings courtesy of four decisions wins over the likes of Gatto, Justine Kish and Stephane Egger. Each of the last six appearances fo…

Some important news...

Unfortunately, I won't be able to compete on Aug 19 at UFC 292. I have a tear in my right shoulder that requires rehab.

Advertisement

I wish I could've got in there w/ Chito, but I won't be able to make a full recovery in time.@jimmybars

📽️: https://t.co/Ar7JQbsQPL pic.twitter.com/06ZEoKE7b4

— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) June 29, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return show in Boston has taken a big hit on the main card. On Thursday, Henry Cejudo announced that a shoulder injury will be keeping him from competing at UFC 292. The ex-two division champ stated that he will require around six to eight weeks for recovery, and does not plan on getting surgery if he can help it. The promotion has not currently indicated if a replacement will be sought to face Marlon Vera on that Aug. 19 show at the TD Garden in Boston.

“August 19th is the 15-year anniversary when ‘Triple C’ won his Olympic gold medal,”…

OFFICIAL: PFL San Antonio card is set as Featherweights and Light Heavyweights look to book their ticket to the 2023 #PFLWorldChampionship 🏆💰

[Fri, August 4th |#PFLPlayoffs | 🎟️https://t.co/FD4ZBDPl3o] pic.twitter.com/GeZw1elvmX

— PFL (@PFLMMA) June 29, 2023 The first of the three Professional Fighters League playoffs events is now on the books.

Advertisement

Per a release from the promotion on Thursday, it has populated its Aug. 4 billing at the Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio, Texas. Featherweights and light heavyweight semifinal matches are slated atop the PFL 7: 2023 Playoffs event, along with six additional “showcase” bouts to prepare for future tournaments or even potential Challenger Series slots. The company will then switch gears after this playoff card for two shows in New York later in the month.

Headlining the ESPN-based evening will be a 145-pound semifinal between top seeded Bubba Jenkins (21-6) and no. 4 s…

[embedded content] Heightened stakes stare right back at Luana Carolina when she looks in the mirror every day.

The 30-year-old Brazilian flyweight could be battling for her spot on the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster when she toes the line against undefeated promotional newcomer Ivana Siric Petrovic as part of the UFC on ESPN 48 undercard this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Carolina’s immediate concerns are clear.

Advertisement

“My goal is to win, renew my contract and fight on the Sao Paulo card in Brazil in November,” she told Sherdog.com. “With each camp, my main objective is to improve upon my previous performance, both physically and technically. It won’t be any different this time. As an MMA fighter, I train to be prepared for any situation that may arise in the Octagon.”

Recent history has not been kind to Carolina. She has suffered back-to-back setbacks, including a vicious spinning back elbow knockout defeat to onetime Cage Warriors Fig…

Rising welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov will welcome Kelvin Gastelum back to 170 pounds in the co-main event of a UFC Fight Night card on Sept. 16.

Advertisement

UFC president Dana White announced the booking on Wednesday evening. The UFC Fight Night event is being held in honor of Mexican Independence Day and is headlined by a flyweight championship rematch between Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko. The card takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will air on ESPN+.

Undefeated in 17 professional appearances, Rakhmonov is a rising star in the UFC’s welterweight division. The 28-year-old Kazakhstan native is coming off a third-round submission of Geoff Neal in his last outing at UFC 285 this past March. The former M-1 Global title holder also owns wins over Neil Magny, Carlston Harris, Michel Prazeres and Alex Oliveira in the Octagon.

Gastelum has endured his share of struggles in recent years, going 2-5 in UFC competition since 2019. Mos…

Cris Lencioni is out of the intensive care unit after going into cardiac arrest during training earlier this month, but plenty of uncertainty remains regarding the Bellator fighter’s recovery.

Advertisement

Lencioni’s wife, Marca, revealed to MMAFighting.com that her husband suffered a heart attack during a jiu-jitsu exercise on June 8. An MRI later revealed that Lencioni suffered also brain damage as a result of the heart attack.

Lencioni has made some physical progress, including smiling and removing his hand from a bag of ice, but he remains in a “state of disordered consciousness” due to the traumatic brain injury. At this point, doctors are unable to give a clear prognosis on his recovery.

“The neurologists were basically like, ‘We have to wait to see what he can do and what he shows us,’” Marca told MMAFighting. “Because he was so, so healthy when this happened and is young and an athlete, they’re not really sure what’s gonna happen.

“The brai…

After more than a year on the sidelines, Michel Pereira will return to the Octagon against Stephen Thompson at UFC 291 on July 29.

Advertisement

The Brazilian is not accustomed to such a lenghty layoff.

"Since I entered in UFC I´m used to fighting three times a year,” he told Sherdog.com. “Man, I’m living in Las Vegas with a high [cost of living]. I cannot go 15 months without fighting. But finally the UFC found a ranked oponent with the balls to face me.”

Pereira, who did part of his camp at Xtreme Couture, is especially excited at the stylistic matchup with “Wonderboy.”

"I love to entertain the fans and when I face grapplers, they want to avoid my stand up game,” Pereira said. “I cannot show my new skills, [but] that will not happen with Stephen ‘Wonderboy.’ He is a karate black belt just like myself.”

Pereira is confident that their similar backgrounds will work in his favor.

"As a karate fighter, I know exactly what a karate fighter doesn’…

Both Ilia Topuria and Josh Emmett have been suspended indefinitely following their featherweight headliner at UFC on ABC 5 this past Saturday.

The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation released a full list of medical suspensions from the event, which took place at Vystar Veteran’s Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. Topuria was impressive in taking a dominant unanimous verdict over Emmett in the evening’s featured bout. The FDBPR does not disclose the exact nature of each fighter’s medical suspension, but indefinite terms can typically be shortened with doctor clearance.

Advertisement

Four other fighters from UFC on ABC 5 are also facing indefinite terms: Amanda Ribas, Wellington Turman, Mateusz Rebecki and Loik Radzhaboz.

UFC on ABC 5 Medical Suspensions:

Ilia Topuria: Suspended indefinitely

Josh Emmett: Suspended indefinitely

Amanda Ribas: Suspended indefinitely

Justin Tafa: Suspended indefinitely

Gabriel Santo…

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

Advertisement

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

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

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

Credit: Lucas Noonan/Bellator MMA Credit: Lucas Noonan/Bellator MMA Credit: Lucas Noonan/Bellator MMA Credit: Lucas Noonan/Bellator MMA Credit: Lucas Noonan/Bellator MMA Credit: Lucas Noonan/Bellator MMA Credit: Lucas Noonan/Bellator MMA Credit: Lucas Noonan/Bellator MMA Credit: Bellator MMA/Lucas Noonan Credit: Bellator MMA/Lucas Noonan Credit: Bellator MMA/Lucas Noonan Credit: Bellator MMA Credit: Bellator MMA Credit: Bellator MMA Credit: Bellator MMA Credit: Bellator MMA Credit: Bellator MMA Credit: Bellator MMA Credit: Bellator MMA Credit: Bellator MMA Credit: Bellator MMA Credit: Bellator MMA Credit: Bellator MMA Credit: Bellator MMA Credit: Bellator MMA Credit: Bellator MMA Credit: Bellator MMA Credit: Bellator MMA Credit: Bellator MMA Credit: Bellator MMA Credit: Bellator MMA Credit: Bellator MMA Credit: Bellator MMA Credit: Bellator MMA Credit: Lucas Noonan/Bellator MMA Credit: Lucas Noonan/Bellator MMA Credit: Lucas Noonan/Bellator …

Credit: One Championship Credit: One Championship Credit: One Championship

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

Advertisement

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

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

It was an afternoon to forget for Justin Tafa.

Advertisement

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

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

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

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

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

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

Advertisement

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

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

Advertisement

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

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

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

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

Advertisement

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Advertisement

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

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

Advertisement

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Advertisement

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

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

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

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

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

Advertisement

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

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

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

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

B2YB @KudoSnacks pic.twitter.com/AVd8RGPCd9

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

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

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

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

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

Advertisement

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