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The Lioness’ hunt comes to an end.

Amanda Nunes capped off her hall-of-fame career by masterfully defending her Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight title Saturday night, cruising to a unanimous decision victory (50-44, 50-44, 50-43) over Irene Aldana in the UFC 289 main event at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

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Nunes easily picked apart Aldana on the feet and took advantage of the challengers’ slow pace. Nunes (23-5) landed hard jabs, right hands, leg kicks and basically anything she wanted as Aldana refused to open up. Nunes tripled Aldana’s output and barely broke a sweat. Aldana’s corner begged for the Guadalajara, Mexico, native to go for broke, but Aldana was helpless to Nunes’ control on the feet and ground.

At age 35, many wondered what would come next for the champion. Archrival and former bantamweight champion Julianna Pena was in attendance. Pena was slated to face Nunes in a trilogy bout before pulling out due to injury. Nunes …

Sherdog's live UFC 289 coverage will begin Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Belbita (-115), Oliveira (-105)Round 1 Last week, at the beginning of the play-by-play, we remarked that the UFC was starting off a stretch of a dozen straight Saturdays (or more) of consecutive live coverage. What a difference a week makes. Now, with the news of Aug. 26 and Sept. 2 cards rolling in, fight fans are in week 2 of a record-setting 17 straight weekends of UFC shows. That string includes five pay-per-views, and the first one of which is UFC 289 tonight in Vancouver, Canada – marking the UFC’s return to the northernmost North American nation after over three years away (UFC Fight Night 158, Sept. 2019). This relatively shorter show starts things off in the women’s strawweight division between two women who are in dire need of a win to hold onto their roster spot. Romania’s Belbita (14-7, 1-3 UFC) may have a popular Instagram account, but she has won just once…

Our Featured Prelim's over early.

It will be ruled a no contest due to an accidental clash of heads #UFC289 pic.twitter.com/YOyydQ0lGw

— UFC (@ufc) June 11, 2023

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No. 14 Chris Curtis and No. 12 Nassourdine Imavov, came in looking to get back into the win column but neither fighter left the Octagon satisfied after the bout was called by referee Jason Herzog in Round 2 thanks to an accidental headbutt in the featured UFC 289 preliminary match.

Imavov started the fight strong and kept Curtis guessing by mixing clinical muay thai with crafty wrestling. Staying on the outside, Imavov picked apart Curtis’ leg with hard calf kicks before stepping off line and taking The Action Man’s back. Imavov proved that his slick takedown wasn’t a fluke after catching Curtis with the same trap only minutes later. This time however, Imavov nearly ended the fight with a rear-naked choke but Curtis managed to survive till the bell.

Imav…

Regian Eersel 🇸🇷 in 46 SECONDS: wow! #ONEFightNight11 pic.twitter.com/n4bQn7pXYj

— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom) June 10, 2023

ONE Fight Night 11 featured an eclectic, electric mix of mixed martial arts, muay thai, Western kickboxing and even submission grappling.

In the main event, arguably the best muay thai kickboxer in the world today, Regian Eersel, faced superb contender Dmitry Menshikov. Eersel was the reigning ONE champion and had been perfect in the promotion, with his last loss, since avenged, occurring all the way back in 2016. Menshikov was no slouch either, having last lost since 2017 and at 25 years old, getting better and better with each outing. However, the tantalizing contest lasted just 46 seconds. Eersel scored a body kick to draw the challenger's attention away then landed a left hook to the temple so pretty one could frame it over the fireplace. Menshikov crashed to the canvas and was on wobbly feet, prompting a stoppage…

Sherdog's live ONE on Prime Video 11 coverage kicks off Friday at 8 p.m. ET. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round: The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:J.L. Kirven …

[embedded content] The UFC 289 card is now officially set after the weigh-ins took place, as every combatant hit their proper marks.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship women's bantamweight title will be up for grabs as champion Amanda Nunes and challenger Irene Aldana both made weight. Both women set the standard for the event as all fighters on the 11-fight card successfully made weight. Additionally, main event alternate Raquel Pennington weighed 134.5 pounds.

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This will be Nunes' first fight since she avenged her defeat to Julianna Pena and regained the title. "Lioness" battered Pena over five rounds and has now won 13 of her last 14 fights. Nunes (22-5) officially weighed 135 pounds for the title fight.

This marks the biggest fight in the career of Aldana (14-5). Since losing a unanimous decision to Holly Holm, the Mexican fighter has won two straight by knockout. Finishes over Macy Chiasson and Yana Santos earned Aldana the opportunity at gold.…

A lightning bolt from Jesus Pinedo altered the direction of the Professional Fighters League season in an instant.

The Peruvian featherweight wiped out Brendan Loughnane with an exquisite knee strike and follow-up punches in the PFL 4 headliner on Thursday at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. Pinedo (21-6-1, 1-1 PFL) drew the curtain 1:34 into Round 1, eliminating the defending league champion from postseason contention in a shocking turn of events.

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Loughnane (26-5, 9-2 PFL) was never allowed to get in gear. The gangly Pinedo met him with fluid stance switches and shots from various angles. A perfectly placed knee to the head at close range froze Loughnane where he stood before he collapsed to the canvas in a dazed-and-confused state. Pinedo then pounced with punches, forcing referee Keith Peterson to call for the stoppage.

Meanwhile, the undefeated Movlid Khaybulaev dismissed “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 27 semifinalist Tyler Diamond with an ar…

The 2023 Professional Fighters League Regular Season marches on with 2023 PFL 4 at 6:30 p.m. ET. The action airs live on ESPN+ and then continues on ESPN at 10 p.m. ET. Round 1 Come hell or high water, the PFL is carrying on its season with a number of cancellations and historic amount of drug test failures, with a landscape drastically different than it was mere months ago. Featherweights and light heavyweights will conclude their regular season stints tonight, in search of enough points to qualify for the four-man playoffs. Before those matches begin, the promotion is plugging in two “showcase” matches at 145 pounds, with the first between a young man that reached the league through the Challenger Series in Pergande (2-0, 2-0 PFL) and a 35-year-old company debutant without a lot of miles on him in Bashir (3-1, 0-0 PFL). Referee Blake Grice draws the first assignment of the night, and the fight begins with a touch of gloves. Bashir strikes with a leg kick, and Pergande imm…

🚨 BREAKING 🚨

Per source, Phil De Fries' next opponent is PFL alum Szymon Bajor at #KSW84. De Fries is looking for his 10th promotional win and 9th heavyweight championship defense. Bajor is a former FEN heavyweight champion.

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Story coming to @sherdogdotcom — Tudor Leonte (@MrTudorLeonte) June 8, 2023

July 15’s Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki card will see the return of heavyweight kingpin Philip De Fries in an intriguing matchup with Szymon Bajor.

According to sources with knowledge of the situation, De Fries and Bajor will collide in the KSW 84 headliner at PolSat Plus Arena in Gdynia, Poland.

De Fries (23-6, 1 NC; 9-0 KSW) is the most dominant champion in KSW history, with eight title defenses under his belt. The Ultimate Fighting Championship alum captured the vacant heavyweight championship with a first-round stoppage over Michal Andryszak at KSW 45 in 2018. He then overcame challengers such as former 205-p…

[embedded content] The Professional Fighters League’s 2023 playoffs will wrap up in New York City over the span of six days.

Via press release, the organization announced Thursday that it would be staging its second and third playoff events for the 2023 season in Aug. 18 and Aug. 23. Those two shows will post up inside of The Theater at Madison Square Garden – the recently renamed Hulu Theater – in New York. That Friday the 18th, heavyweights and women’s featherweights will decide the finalists. Five days later on the 23rd, the league will put up its welterweight and lightweight divisions to determine the final combatants up for the $1 million prize.

PFL CEO Peter Murray touched on returning to this venue, one that the PFL has made a second home out of the last few years, stating, “The PFL is thrilled to return to New York City and the ‘World's Most Famous Arena’ with two nights of PFL Playoff action. On August 18 and August 23, the world's best fighters will enter the…

𝗠𝗔𝗜𝗡 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗜𝗦 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 ✅

[ Thursday, June 8th | 10pm ET on ESPN | #PFLRegularSeason | 🎟️ https://t.co/Skcq84VUo6] pic.twitter.com/Fd6wZSyHH1

— PFL (@PFLMMA) June 7, 2023

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All but one athlete slated to compete at PFL 4 made weight without issue on Wednesday.

Featherweight headliners Brendan Loughnane and Jesus Pinedo both hit their contracted marks, with each tipping the scales at 146 pounds. The same couldn’t be said for light heavyweight competitor Ty Flores, who checked in at 211.2 pounds for his showdown with Dan Spohn (206). As as a result, Flores will be deducted one point from the PFL standings and forfeit 20% of his purse to his opponent.

PFL 4 takes place on Thursday at the Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. The main card airs on ESPN and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on ESPN+ beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

After winning the 2022 featherweight championship, Loughnane kic…

The lineup for the Bellator MMA-Rizin Fighting Federation card continues to grow, as two bouts were announced for the Bellator portion of the show on Tuesday.

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Danny Sabatello will square off against Magomed Magomedov in a bantamweight clash, while Lorenz Larkin will face Andrey Koreshkov in a welterweight rematch on July 30 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Bellator vs. Rizin 2 features a lightweight grand prix showdown between A.J. McKee and Patricky Freire as well as a clash for the promotion’s inaugural flyweight championship pitting Kyoji Horiguchi against Makoto Takahashi. The promotion announced that the Bellator portion of the card, which takes place in a cage, will be broadcast live in the United States on Showtime at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT. The Rizin part of the card, which will be contested in a ring, will not air on Showtime.

A former wrestler at Purdue University, Sabatello has made a name for himself due to his outspoken p…

Nicknamed the “fighting scientist” by Patricio Freire, Francisco “Chikão”' Freitas is the man behind the Bellator champion’s move to bantamweight.

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A nutritionist, physiologist and physical trainer, Freitas discussed how Freire reached 145 pounds three weeks ahead of schedule in his weight cut. Already the reigning 145-pound champion, Freire is scheduled to challenge Sergio Pettis for bantamweight gold at Bellator 297.

"Actually, since the [Adam] Borics fight when Bellator started to consider the bantamweight belt as a possibility, we started to change his whole preparation to make it an easy weight cut process. And when you work with a hard worker and focused champion like Patricio, every goal turns out easier,"Freitas revealed.

Freire’s measurements have impressed Freitas.

"I’ve been working with Patricio for the last five years,” Freitas said. I have all his numbers noted from every camp. His power, his hormones and the whole physiologic pr…

Je reste positif et je reviens au plus vite ⏰🤜🏾 Jarrah a de la chance cette fois mais il ne peut pas se cacher. @pflmma c’est chez moi maintenant, alors je vais botter les fesses de tous ces poids welters … #ticTac ⏰ #PoignetMort #AlHamduliLlah pic.twitter.com/uP0JpZGttT

— Cédric Doumbè (@CedricDoumbe) June 7, 2023

Cedric Doumbe’s highly-anticipated Professional Fighters League debut will have to wait.

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The organization announced on Wednesday that Doumbe has withdrawn from a proposed welterweight clash against Jarrah Al-Silawi at PFL 6 on June 23. As a result, Zach Juusola will step in and face Al-Silawi at the event.

Doumbe took to social media to reveal that a wrist injury was the reason behind his exit.

“Now, we are training, we trained, we trained a lot. Everything was good. At the grappling training I don’t know why but my wrist hurt, I told myself it will heal. There’s always little injuries during the tra…

Marlon Moraes enters PFL 4 on a six-bout losing streak in which he has been finished by knockout or technical knockout in all of those defeats.

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Despite those struggles, Moraes doesn’t feel any added pressure as he prepares to face Gabriel Braga on Thursday at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta.

“Every fight is pressure,” Moraes said during PFL 4 media day. “You always want to win and you always want to finish. I don’t see any difference. Every fight is pressure.”

Moraes established himself as one of the top bantamweights in the world from 2012 to 2019, when he won 16 of 18 bouts while reigning as World Series of Fighting champion and challenging for UFC gold. His recent losing streak has been tough mentally, but Moraes knows that it comes with the territory of his chosen career.

“It’s the other side,” Moraes said. “I’ve been on both sides. It’s not easy to deal with. But that’s what I chose for my life, to be a fighter.

“I’m not in a good…

The lineup for the second leg of the Professional Fighters League regular season changed significantly when 10 fighters failed drug tests after the organization’s first three events of 2023.

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The light heavyweight field was notably affected, as defending champion Rob Wilkinson was one of four athletes — along with Thiago Santos, Will Fleury and Krzysztof Jotko — who was removed from the campaign as a result of those failed drug tests.

One fighter who remains in contention for the light heavyweight crown is Ty Flores, who is coming off a unanimous decision triumph against Delan Monte at PFL 1. The Elevation Fight Team representative was not surprised to see so many of his counterparts test positive for banned substances.

“I don’t think that PFL is alone in that,” Flores said at PFL 4 media day. “People are gonna cheat in sports. There’s always gonna be cheaters no matter what. I’m never gonna be shocked, especially in a sport like MMA.”

Flores …

After beating Abubakar Nurmagomedov by split decision last Saturday at UFC on ESPN 46 in Las Vegas, Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos disappointed his fans by not calling out a future opponent in his Octagon interview.

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He didn’t make the same mistake when speaking to Evelyn Rodrigues for UFC Fight Pass Brazil shortly thereafter.

“I already have two names I want to face, Gunnar Nelson and Neil Magny, so I'm ready,” he said. “As soon as the UFC decides, you can call me, and I'll be ready for the fight.”

The Brazilian veteran also revealed that he never stopped training during the time he was suspended by USADA for a doping violation.

“I took advantage of this period to evolve and correct mistakes using the excellent training material we have at CM System,” he said.

While his first victory in more than a year and a half made him happy, dos Santos is more excited for the significant life event that is on the horizon.

"I'm anxious. My f…

After 16 bouts, Ilir Latifi and the Ultimate Fighting Championship have parted ways.

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The 39-year-old heavyweight and light heavyweight fighter is no longer on the UFC roster. The news was initially reported by Twitter account UFC Roster Watch and later confirmed by multiple outlets. Latifi reportedly completed his deal and did not have his contract renewed by the promotion.

The Swede known as “The Sledgehammer” last competed on May 20, when he dropped a split decision to Rodrigo Nascimento at UFC Fight Night 223. Latifi went 9-7 during his promotional tenure, earning wins over the likes of Alexey Oleynik, Ovince St. Preux and Gian Villante.

In addition to Latifi, the following fighters are no longer on the UFC roster: Makwan Amirkhani, Tony Gravely, Trevin Jones, Mounir Lazzez, Omar Morales and Batgerel Danaa. All completed their contracts and were not re-signed by the UFC, according to MMAFighting.com.

Chris Weidman will make his first Octagon appearance in more than two years when he faces Brad Tavares at UFC 292.

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Newsday was first to report the middleweight booking. It will be Weidman’s first fight since he suffered a gruesomely broken leg 17 seconds into his clash with Uriah Hall at UFC 261 on April 24, 2021. Weidman, who broke his right fibula and tibia on a checked low kick, had to undergo multiple surgeries to recover from the injury.

UFC 292 takes place on Aug. 19 at TD Garden in Boston and is expected to be headlined by a bantamweight title tilt between Aljamain Sterling and Sean O'Malley. In the co-main event, Weili Zhang will defend her strawweight crown against Amanda Lemos.

A former UFC middleweight champion, the 38-year-old Weidman is just 2-6 within the Las Vegas-based promotion since December 2015 — which dates back to when he relinquished the belt to Luke Rockhold at UFC 194. Weidman’s most recent victory came at UFC Fight…

UFC veteran Tony Ferguson has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence after flipping his truck in Hollywood, California, last month.

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TMZ Sports was first to report the news. Ferguson entered his not guilty plea at an arraignment on June 1. The former interim lightweight champion allegedly crashed his truck into two parked cars while driving by a Hollywood nightclub on May 7, and Ferguson’s vehicle flipped onto its side. One of the cars in the crash reportedly belonged to rapper Cash Gotti, who arrived at the scene to find his vehicle totaled.

Ferguson was uninjured in the wreck but refused to take a field sobriety test and was “very uncooperative” at the scene, according to law enforcement officials. One officer revealed that Ferguson also “reeked” of alcohol and had bloodshot eyes. He was arrested with bail set at $30,000 but was later released on his own recognizance. Ferguson is due back in court for a hearing…

Magnifique! We are going back to #UFCParis on Sept 2! 🇫🇷

Find out how to get your tickets early ⤵️

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🎟️ https://t.co/IFdZXeHT2U pic.twitter.com/OS9BkEdHxz — UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) June 5, 2023

Approximately one year after its debut in the City of Light, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is headed back to Paris for a second time.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced on Monday that a UFC event will take place in the French capital at Accor Arena on Sept. 2. No bouts were confirmed for the card.

“After fifteen years in the making, our first show in Paris was insane. Sold out event and the fans and atmosphere were incredible,” UFC president Dana White said in a release. “The arena was packed from the first fight of the night with everyone on their feet and I can’t wait to deliver another unforgettable night.”

After the ban on mixed martial arts in France ended in 2020, the promotion held its debut even…

Kai Kara-France is taking his contentious split-decision loss to Amir Albazi in stride.

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Despite outlanding his opponent by a significant margin on the feet, “Don’t Blink” was on the wrong side of the scorecards in the UFC on ESPN 46 headliner. Judges Sal D’Amato and Chris Lee scored the contest 48-47 for Albazi, and that made all the difference — despite the vast majority of media members awarding the bout to Kara-France. While statistics favored Kara-France, Albazi was moving forward the majority of the fight and also came the closest to a finish with a third round rear-naked choke attempt.

“This is the sport at the highest level,” Kara-France said on the ESPN+ post-fight show. “It’s a game of inches and I know I’ve said that before but it’s subjective to what the judges are scoring. If they’re scoring damage, if they’re scoring control, aggression, all of these things.

“I was feeling confident when they were calling the announcement but ha…

Amir Albazi believes he proved himself to the world with his split-decision triumph against Kai Kara-France in the UFC on ESPN 46 headliner on Saturday night.

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“That was a Top-3 ranked flyweight in the world and I got the win against him,” Albazi said at the post-fight press conference. “I went five rounds. So I know I can go with these guys for five whole rounds, and I know I’m ready for the title. I just want to go on to the next one, get my belt and keep climbing. Keep becoming the king that I know I am.”

Albazi’s latest triumph was not without controversy, as many observers felt that Kara-France deserved the decision based on superior striking volume. Still, Albazi was the one who came closest to a finish with a tight rear-naked choke in Round 3, and he also felt that his willingness to advance and land heavy strikes made a significant difference. Albazi admitted that he spent more time standing with Kara-France because he wanted to prove himse…

Don’t look now, but Alex Caceres has quietly won seven of his last eight appearances in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

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“Bruce Leeroy” put on a show at UFC on ESPN 46, earning “Fight of the Night” honors for his unanimous decision triumph over Daniel Pineda in Saturday’s co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

“I felt it was a good performance. I felt I was dominant, especially in the first and third rounds,” Caceres said at the post-fight press conference. “The second round he had a pretty good grappling exchange on me. Other than that I felt I showed a lot of heart, showed a lot of skill. It was a fun fight.”

Caceres appeared to be on the verge of finishing his opponent with some brutal body work in the third frame, but Pineda displayed his toughness in making it to the final horn. Caceres commended his opponent for his tenacity.

“I hit him in the body pretty hard. I caved him down with leg kicks. I almost shook him a whole bunch o…