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Aljamain Sterling is willing to give credit where credit is due following his second-round technical knockout loss to Sean O'Malley in the UFC 292 headliner.

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“He was better than what I thought in his footwork,” Sterling said of O’Malley at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “That was one of the things I tried to get guys to emulate, because I knew that is a hard thing to do. I do it myself when I go side to side, but it’s different when someone else is doing it to you, and I can’t track this motherf—-er down. I tracked him down a couple of times, but then he would spin out at the last second. I think I threw a side kick, and he was able to pivot out beautifully. He did a couple things really, really well.

“I would have liked to get him down to the ground to really see how good he is down there, but the one thing I knew, we were doing a good job throwing that overhand right into the takedown. He threw the front kick, and I was like, ‘All right,…

Sean O'Malley is highly-confident in his skills — and for good reason.

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The counter right hand that dropped Aljamain Sterling in the second round of their title bout at UFC 292 was a thing of beauty, and it set the stage for O’Malley to claim the bantamweight throne on Saturday night at TD Garden in Boston.

“Punching backwards is a skill not a lot of people possess and I can punch going backwards and I knew he was going to be pressuring me and I know he likes to throw to shoot,” O’Malley said at the UFC 292 post-fight press conference. “He likes to throw for me to counter so he can shoot under. So I knew he was going to be lunging in with shots.

“It really wasn’t even a bad punch that he threw, it’s just I’m that f—-ing accurate. I sniped him. I’ve been saying all week, I’m a sniper. I’m going to snipe his chin. I’m going to find it and there we were. That’s definitely a punch I visualized all week.”

Making the victory that much more impressiv…

Weili Zhang was absolutely dominant against Amanda Lemos in the UFC 292 co-main event.

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The Chinese star relied on takedowns, top control and ground-and-pound to cruise to a unanimous verdict over Lemos on Saturday at the TD Garden in Boston. Zhang now has won three straight fights and has four victories in championship bouts to her credit.

“The only challenge or opponent to me is myself,” Zhang said through an interpreter at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “What we’re going to do every day is make (myself) better than who I was yesterday.”

Outside of a pair of brabo choke attempts from her back, Lemos rarely threatened the reigning champion. Zhang was more impressed with the Brazilian’s resolve in the 25-minute affair.

“The submission she had in the first round was not that deep. She didn’t really get my neck, so it’s not that dangerous to me,” Zhang said. “… She’s unbelievably tough. I respect her. There were so many moments in the f…

It was not a triumphant return to the Octagon for Chris Weidman at UFC 292.

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More than two years removed from suffering a gruesome broken leg against Uriah Hall at UFC 261 in April 2021, the former middleweight champion struggled mightily defending low kicks in a unanimous decision loss to Brad Tavares on Saturday night at TD Garden in Boston. Even worse for “The All-American” is that he might have suffered some more serious injuries in the bout.

At Saturday’s post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White cited those injuries while urging Weidman to call it a career.

“I love Chris Weidman. I love him. I love his family. I think he should retire,” White said. “We talked to Dr. [Jeff Davidson]. He thinks he blew his ACL, MCL … The guy is just coming back from a gruesome injury and, listen man, Father Time is not our friend at all. But definitely, if you’re a professional athlete. Depending on the damage to the knee, you’re talking anothe…

Hard to find to bigger wins than that!@SugaSeanMMA and @MMAWeili take home your #UFC292 POTN bonuses 🏆💰

[ B2YB @PrimeHydrate ] pic.twitter.com/NgEvA44Or7

— UFC (@ufc) August 20, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship gave four fighters performance bonuses following the UFC 292 pay-per-view card.

Fresh off winning the bantamweight championship, Sean O'Malley also received $50,000 for his shocking TKO win over Aljamain Sterling. The main event came to an end less than a minute into the second round after O'Malley landed a perfect counter right hand that dropped Sterling. After following up with pinpoint accurate ground and point, O'Malley claimed his first title win.

UFC women's strawweight champion Weili Zhang was also awarded a $50,000 bonus for her successful title defense. While Zhang didn't get the finish, she completely dominated challenger Amanda Lemos over five rounds. Finally, the fight of the night went to "The Ultimate F…

Sean O’Malley talked the talk for years, and he walked the walk when it mattered most.

The 2017 Dana White’s Contender Series graduate cut down Aljamain Sterling with punches in the second round of their UFC 292 headliner, as he captured the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight title on Saturday at the TD Garden in Boston. Sterling (23-4, 15-4 UFC) succumbed to blows 51 seconds into Round 2, suffering his first defeat in almost six years.

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O’Malley (16-2, 8-2 UFC) spent much of an uneventful first round getting reads and utilizing feints. He slipped on a misfired kick early in the second, returned to an upright position and lured in Sterling, who overextended on a straight left. O’Malley countered with a picture-perfect right cross that sent the champion into a nosedive onto all fours. He followed up with standing-to-ground hammerfists and continued to let the punches fly until referee Marc Goddard had seen enough.Zhang Dismantles L…

Sherdog's live UFC 292 coverage will begin Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Silva (-155), Moroz (+130)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Silva (-355), Lee (+280)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Petroski (-245), Meerschaert (+200)…

WEIDMAN WASN'T HAVING IT 😤 #UFC292 pic.twitter.com/Ilv3UCPfdb

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 20, 2023

Brad Tavares’ sympathies only go so far.

Destructive leg kicks, a punishing jab and bulletproof takedown defense carried the Hawaiian to a unanimous decision over returning former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion Chris Weidman in the featured UFC 292 prelim on Saturday at the TD Garden in Boston. All three cageside judges submitted 30-27 scorecards for Tavares (20-8, 15-8 UFC), who rebounded from back-to-back losses to Dricus Du Plessis and Bruno Silva.

In his first appearance since suffering a career-threatening leg injury in April 2021, Weidman (15-7, 11-7 UFC) looked tentative at times and outgunned at others. Tavares wrecked his lead leg with kicks and denied all of his takedown attempts. Weidman hobbled visibly on his compromised base in the second round and never fully recovered, as he was forced to switch stanc…

Incroyable!!!! 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲!?🤯

The French maestro 🇫🇷 @SalahdineP 👑👑 with another unforgettable finish!! xtb #KSW85 pic.twitter.com/Wnn6wDH8yS

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) August 19, 2023

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KSW double champ Salahdine Parnasse rules solidly over the 145-pound division.

Parnasse (18-1, 10-1 KSW) showcased his championship mettle as he secured a TKO victory over Robert Ruchala, unifying the KSW featherweight title in the KSW 85 headliner. The battle started with a burst of excitement as Ruchala (9-1, 6-1 KSW) dropped Parnasse with a crafty combination involving a spinning back elbow followed by a solid right punch in the opening round. Throughout the first rounds, Ruchala demonstrated his meticulous preparation, targeting Parnasse with the spinning back forearm technique that had proven to be the only effective technique against him to date. However, the Frenchman was never really in danger, displaying his resilience…

Renan Ferreira operating at peak performance should strike some fear into all of his peers.

The 6-foot-8 Brazilian dispatched Maurice Greene with first-round punches, as their Professional Fighters League heavyweight semifinal served as the PFL 8 headliner on Friday inside The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. Ferreira (11-3, 5-1 PFL) slammed the door 4:46 into Round 1.

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Greene (11-9, 1-3 PFL) tried to keep his counterpart at bay with leg kicks, but with each passing moment, the disparity in talent became more and more evident. Ferreira connected with body-head jabs, crisp low kicks of his own and clean multi-punch combinations. Eventually, he walked Greene into a devastating counter right hand. “The Crochet Boss” folded where he stood and hit the deck, where he was met with a burst of punches that separated him from his senses.

Riding high on the strength of back-to-back victories, Ferreira advances to face Denis Goltsov in the $1,000…

The 2023 Professional Fighters League Playoffs continue Friday in new York City with PFL 8 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The action airs live on ESPN+ and then continues on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET. Round 1 Tommy Santana is the referee for tonight's first fight. Mazar comes out swinging but comes up short. Neil throws a kick that is caught, and the two clinch against the cage. They separate, with not much happening besides a few knees. Neil lands a nice right hand that rocks Mazar. Neil is staying on the outside and using her range, forcing Mazar to try to swing to close the distance. Neil works the jab, although she's mostly punching air rather than connecting. Mazar lands a leg kick. Neil catches Mazar as she comes in and once again stumbles her opponent. Neil puts together her offense, connecting with a right hand after throwing a left high kick. Mazar clinches against the cage and the round expires after Neil lands a solid knee in the clinch. Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round: 1…

[embedded content] The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to pay-per-view with UFC 292.

Both title fights are official for the card, including the main event that sees bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O'Malley, as all fighters made weight. The co-main event will see titleholder Weili Zhang look to defend her strawweight strap against the surging Amanda Lemos.

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Sterling (23-3) is riding an impressive nine-fight win streak that dates back to 2018. Since claiming the title via DQ, "Funk Master" has picked up wins over Petr Yan, T.J. Dillashaw and Henry Cejudo. The champion weighed 135 pounds on the dot for what will be his fourth attempt at defending the belt.

Looking to make history is O'Malley (16-1, 1 NC). The 28-year-old is coming off a split-decision win over Yan, which cemented him as the number one contender. Prior to a no contest against Pedro Munhoz, O'Malley had strung together three straight TKO wins. "Sugar" officially w…

Peleón para coestelar de #NocheUFC!!! 🇲🇽

💥💥💥 Señor Kevin Holland vs Señor Jack Della Madalena 💥💥💥

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Boletos a la venta: https://t.co/qoFbHJ1LKh pic.twitter.com/8llGb2X6Ip — UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) August 18, 2023 On about a month’s notice, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has found a replacement co-headlining match for its Noche UFC event.

Per the organization on social media on Friday, Kevin Holland (25-9, 1 NC) will take on Jack Della Maddalena (15-2) in a potentially thrilling welterweight clash on Sept. 16. The two ranked 170-pounders will duke it out inside of the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas as part of UFC Fight Night 227, which has also been titled “Noche UFC” to celebrate Mexican Independence Day. This fight replaces a welterweight tilt between Kelvin Gastelum and Shavkat Rakhmonov that fell through due to a compound fracture to Gastelum’s nose suffered during training.

Fan-favorite Holland put himsel…

[embedded content] In 2022, Lorrany Santos captured titles from two organizations in Brazil, which ultimately earned her a place on the Bellator MMA roster.

At 26 years of age, Santos (6-1) recently signed a multi-fight deal with Bellator, according to sources close to the situation. The featherweight is targeting her promotional debut in October or November, but no destination or opponent has been set yet. Winner of six straight, Santos trains both at the Russao Muay Thai gym as well as the renowned Parana Vale Tudo, home of top talents Jessica Andrade, Karol Rosa and others. Additionally, she joins Team D.O.M. for sessions, where she rolls with black belts like Marcelo Maciel Quines Junior as well as Davi Costa.

Before signing with Bellator, Santos rattled off three victories under the Favela Combat and Mr. Cage organizations in Brazil, where she claimed championship belts in both leagues. Earlier into her pro tenure, she picked up a win over current Ultimate Fighti…

A Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter has taken it upon himself to unveil the news of his recent positive drug test.

Late Thursday night, Daniel Rodriguez (17-4) announced on Instagram that he had failed an out-of-competition drug test for ostarine. Due to the active investigation, he will no longer be competing at the upcoming Sept. 16 event, UFC Fight Night 227, also called “Noche UFC,” at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Rodriguez claimed that he did not intentionally take the banned substance, and that the low levels of ostarine in his system could be attributed to certain dietary supplements he takes.

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Rodriguez is not currently suspended by USADA or the UFC, but during the course of the review process, he will not be allowed to compete. This specific substance has been linked to multiple “tainted supplement” suspensions handed down by the organization, where the fighter did not intentionally ingest the substance, but it was inadvertently …

[embedded content] Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki returns for its August offering that features two championship fights.

Both title fights are now official, including the featherweight headliner that will see titleholder Salahdine Parnasse take on interim champion Robert Ruchala, as both men weighed in at 145 pounds. The co-main event puts the spotlight on light heavyweight champion Ibragim Chuzhigaev, who goes up against Bogdan Gnidko. Two undercard fighters missed weight, though. Sandra Succar came in .5 kg over the flyweight limit and was fined 20% of her purse. Meanwhile, Lukasz Rajewski was fined 40% of his purse for missing a catchweight limit by 1.9 kg.

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Parnasse (17-1) enters the title defense on a four-fight win streak. Since being knocked out by Daniel Torres, the French fighter has gotten revenge via unanimous decision and submitted three other fighters via rear-naked choke. Looking to claim the belt is the undefeated Ruchala (9-0). The Polish fi…

[embedded content] The weigh-ins ahead of Professional Fighters League's heavyweight and women's featherweight semifinals were far from drama-free.

The PFL 8 main event will see Renan Ferreira battle Maurice Greene at heavyweight. The lone semifinalist to miss weight was Olena Kolesnyk (147.8), who checked in 1.8 pounds over the featherweight limit. She will be fined 20% of her purse and docked a point for her trilogy match against Larissa Pacheco (146). As for the rest of the card, preliminary heavyweight Daiqwon Buckley (272.4) came in 6.4 pounds over the 266-pound cap, changing his matchup with Louie Sutherland (250.6) to a super heavyweight fight and earning Buckley at 20% fine. Additionally, a 155-pound pairing between Chris Mixan and Eddy George fell through when Mixan reportedly failed to attend the weigh-ins.

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Ferreira (10-3, 3 NC) is coming off a knockout win over Matheus Scheffel that came just 50 seconds into the fight. The towering 6-foot…

Bantamweight prospect Raul Rosas Jr. will attempt to bounce back from the first loss of his professional tenure when he faces Terrence Mitchell at UFC Fight Night 227.

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The 135-pound booking was first reported by ESPN Deportes. UFC Fight Night 227 takes place on Sept. 16 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a flyweight title rematch between Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko.

Rosas Jr. generated a great deal of buzz when he earned a UFC contract at 17 years old after besting Mando Gutierrez on Dana White’s Contender Series last year. He submitted Jay Perrin in the opening round of his Octagon debut at UFC 282, but dropped a three-round verdict to Christian Rodriguez in his last outing at UFC 287.

Mitchell, meanwhile, had an 11-bout winning streak snapped in his promotional debut, when he suffered a first-round TKO defeat to Cameron Saaiman at UFC 290.

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Rivals for over three decades — even considering themselves to be fierce enemies — Hugo Duarte and Renzo Gracie are now partners at a gym in the United States.

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The duo has rented a spot in downtown Houston, where Duarte will be the head instructor. It’s one of 12 gyms owned by Gracie. The new partners spent six days together last week.

Renzo and Hugo were on opposite sides in three highly significant clashes of the Brazilian jiu-jitsu vs. Luta Livre rivalry. Renzo stood with the Gracie side in the conflicts between Hugo and Rickson: one at Pepê Beach, Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, and another one a week later when Hugo sought a rematch and gathered over 50 students to invade the Gracie academy. At Pentagon Combat in 1997, Renzo faced Eugênio Tadeu and Hugo was in the Luta Livre representative’s corner. The event ended in a brawl that led to the banning of MMA in Rio de Janeiro.

After many, many years of rivalry, a friends…

Larissa Pacheco proved the doubters wrong in 2022 when she upset Kayla Harrison to win the Professional Fighters League lightweight crown.

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Now she’s the odds-on favorite to become a two-division champion heading into a featherweight semifinal matchup against Olena Kolesnyk at PFL 8 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York on Friday night. The evening’s main card airs on ESPN and ESPN+ beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

“Winning the belt and championship last year was my way of proving that I was right, that I should not have given up on my dream. I’m so happy I didn’t,” Pacheco said during a PFL media day. “This is the continuation of me building a legacy, me writing my name in the MMA history books.”

The first task at hand is to improve to 3-0 against Kolesnyk, whom Pacheco has already defeated twice via first-round stoppage. While some might want to draw parallels to Pacheco’s breakthrough against Harrison in their trilogy last year…

Jordan Heiderman might be most unknown commodity among the PFL heavyweight semifinalists.

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The former college football player fought just once during the PFL regular season, earning a spot in the playoffs thanks to a first-round finish of Patrick Brady on June 16. That has earned him a showdown with Denis Goltsov — perhaps the favorite in the field — on Friday at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. The evening’s main card airs on ESPN and ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT following prelims on ESPN+ 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

“I love being the new guy, the darkhorse,” Heiderman said during a PFL media day. “It’s a perfect fight. I love being the no-name. I’m gonna come in and turn some heads with my performance.”

Some might remember Heiderman from “The Ultimate Fighter 30,” where he fell to Zac Pauga in the semifinals of the reality show. The 31-year-old says he’s “evolved tremendously” since then.

“I definitely think I’m light years better …

Anthony Hernandez has a new opponent at UFC Fight Night 227.

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Chris Curtis has withdrawn from the Sept. 16 card after suffering an injury in training and as a result, Roman Kopylov will step in against Hernandez in a new middleweight booking. Hernandez confirmed the change on social media following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. UFC Fight Night 227 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a flyweight championship rematch between Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko.

“[Word’]s out, had to pull out from September 16. I jacked a rib up wrestling and [Ian Garry] landed the perfect kick to finish it off,” Curtis wrote on social media regarding his injury. “That’s the fight game sometimes... if I didn't have bad luck I would have no luck at all. Good luck and my apologies to Fluffy. Next time brotha.”

Words out, had to pull out from September 16. I jacked a rib up wrestling and @iangarryMMA …

Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady was virtually flawless in terms of execution.

The Fortis MMA lightweight was one of five prospective competitors to nail down an Ultimate Fighting Championship Championship contract during Week 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series, as he laid claim to a unanimous decision over George Hardwick on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Al-Selwady (15-3, 1-0 DWCS) swept the scorecards with matching 30-27 marks from all three judges.

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Hardwick (12-2, 0-1 DWCS) was never out of it but simply lacked enough of the necessary answers. Al-Selwady leaned on educated feints and stellar lateral movement, all while mixing in leg kicks and clean punching combinations. The former Fury Fighting Championship and Brave Combat Federation titleholder’s footwork kept him out of danger and allowed his hands and gas tank to work to maximum effect. When Hardwick landed, he was limited to single shots.

The 28-year-old Al-Selwady will carry a five-fight…

The possibility of a mixed martial arts bout between Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk has generated a fair amount of attention — both from the mainstream audience and the mixed martial arts community.

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Recently, One Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong shared his thoughts on how a fight between the two billionaires might look.

"I normally don't like to get involved in other people's spats, but I am compelled to say something on the latest development of the potential fight between Mark Zuckerberg vs Elon Musk,” Sityodtong wrote on Facebook. “A few hours ago, Elon said that he was planning to show up to Mark's house to fight him. Elon is one of the greatest entrepreneurs in history and I have a lot of respect for his guts, accomplishments, and intellect. However, I dislike bullying of any kind.

“First, Elon genuinely knows nothing about fighting or martial arts despite his claims to the contrary. As a lifelong expert martial artist who has been in my…