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VICIOUS elbows for the finish for Alessandro Costa 💥 #UFCVegas75 pic.twitter.com/XLksrikZgq

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 18, 2023

Alessandro Costa found a weak point and attacked without remorse.

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The former Lux Fight League champion put together a punishing performance in a technical knockout victory against Jimmy Flick on the UFC on ESPN 47 preliminary card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Costa (13-3, 1-1 UFC) ended the bout with a series of brutal elbows from top position at the 1:03 mark of the second stanza. The Brazilian Warriors export has finished 10 of his 13 professional triumphs inside the distance. Costa laid the foundation for his victory by chopping away at Flick’s left leg, an approach that gradually immobolized the Oklahoman. In between, Costa unloaded with rapid-fire punching volleys to the head and body. Outgunned on the feet, Flick was unable to initiate any takedowns and by the beginni…

Vadim Nemkov added another high-profle name to his resume, as he took a lopsided unanimous verdict against former UFC middleweitht title challenger Yoel Romero in the Bellator 297 main event on Friday night.

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“I’m very happy about this win,” Nemkov said at the Bellator 297 post-fight press conference. “It was very important to me. He’s a great fighter. He’s a legend. He’s an Olympian, so to win over somebody like him who was fighting with a lot of great fighters, top fighters, it means a lot to me.”

Romero absorbed copious amounts of punishment in the bout, but his durability carried him through to the final horn. “The Soldier of God” had his best moment in Round 5, when he was able to take Nemkov down, but other than that the most entertaining portions of the contest occurred when the Cuban feigned being stunned by stumbling around the cage.

Nemkov came away impressed by his opponent’s toughness.

“I was surprised about his head. It’s r…

We told you that tonight could get interesting 👀

The faceoff that you all were waiting for #PFLRegularSeason pic.twitter.com/lLonBECFUY

— PFL (@PFLMMA) June 17, 2023

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It’s probably the closest Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou will get to a confrontation for the foreseeable future.

The heavyweight stars came face-to-face on Friday at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. Jones was at the venue to corner training partner Maurice Greene, who lost a decision to Ante Delija in the PFL 5 main event. Ngannou, meanwhile, was on hand after recently signing with PFL as a highly-coveted free agent.

During the interaction, Jones can be heard telling Ngannou, “You don’t want no smoke” but the conversation appeared to be mostly cordial, and the fighters shook hands multiple times. Ngannou parted ways with the UFC earlier this year when he was unable to come to terms with the promotion for a new contract after his existing deal expired. …

Ante Delija made sure someone would be there to keep him company on the outside looking in when the Professional Fighters League playoffs start in August.

The Mirko Filipovic protégé bounced back from a tepid start to outstrike and outgrapple Maurice Greene to a unanimous decision across three rounds in the PFL 5 headliner on Friday at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28 for Delija (24-5, 8-2 PFL).

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Greene (11-8, 1-2 UFC) did his best work in Round 1, where he stalled the Croatian in the clinch, kneed the legs and secured a takedown. Momentum, as it often does, proved fleeting. Delija found his rhythm in the middle stanza, where he engaged his 36-year-old counterpart at close range, fed him a steady diet of power punches and applied merciless pressure. Greene failed to alter the narrative down the stretch. Delija executed a takedown midway through the third round and dialed up just enough ground-and-pound to av…

The best of the best! 🔥

Another phenomenal victory for Vadim Nemkov. Can anyone stop the light-heavyweight king here in Bellator? 🤔#Bellator297 pic.twitter.com/warQbO5UEu

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) June 17, 2023

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Yoel Romero hoped to turn back the clock and win his first world title, but Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov was having none of it.

The defending champion picked, prodded and peppered Romero with shots for 25 minutes, cruising to another successful title defense (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) in the Bellator 297 main event Friday night at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

Nemkov quickly gained control of the circle and took advantage of Romero’s notorious workrate. At age 46, Romero’s reliance on explosive blitzes and heavy-handed shots failed him early. Nemkov’s (17-2) jab and discipline on the outside carried the champ throughout the fight and routinely opened up Romero’s guard. In round three, Romer…

The 2023 Professional Fighters League Regular Season marches on with 2023 PFL 5 at 6:30 p.m. ET. The action airs live on ESPN+ and then continues on ESPN at 10 p.m. ET. Round 1 The PFL continues its second stage of the regular season in Atlanta, this week with the heavyweight and women’s featherweight divisions on full display – plus one amateur fight tossed in. The action for the day begins in a non-tournament matchup between two younger heavyweights, relatively speaking. At 28, the South Carolina native Pinson (2-0, 1-0 PFL) will look to claim his third pro win, while local Georgia fighter Freeman (4-0, 1-0 PFL) wants to secure his fourth knockout in what would be his fifth victory. When the dust settles, one man will lose their shiny 0, and referee Blake Grice will be among the first to know. The big men, who combine for a bit over 510 pounds, come together and tap their fingers to start off the night. Freeman is immediately ready to begin slugging, and he gets in Pinson…

Sherdog's live Bellator 297 coverage will begin Friday at 6 p.m. ET. Round 1 Featherweights Chavez and Law get things started off from Chicago, with set to referee the opening bout of the evening. Chavez is southpaw, Law orthodox as they exchange pawing jabs. Law catches a Chavez kick and counters with a punch upstairs. Chavez is sliding laterally around the outside of the cage as Law gives chase. Law backs Chavez up into the fence and tries to tee off with punches, but Chavez slips most of them and gets out of danger. Law's right cross has landed enough, halfway through the round, that Chavez's face is visibly marked up. Law changes levels for an easy takedown and settles in his opponent's guard near the base of the fence. Law slides around to the back and tries to get a hook in. Chavez fights Law's hands and does a good job of denying hooks. Law is still on Chavez's back with under a minute left. Chavez gets back to his feet, but Law drags him back down and punishes him wi…

One half our main event is OFFICIAL 👏

Jared Cannonier in at 185.5 for #UFCVegas75!

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Tomorrow | Main Card 10pmET on @ESPN pic.twitter.com/pXu44cBH1Z — UFC (@ufc) June 16, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to ESPN airwaves this Saturday for UFC on ESPN 47, and all 24 fighters hit their proper marks.

The 12-fight card is headlined by a middleweight bout between contenders Marvin Vettori and Jared Cannonier. Both headliners successfully made weight, as did the other 22 competitors ahead of the event.

"The Italian Dream" bounced back by defeating Roman Dolidze in his last outing. That made Vettori (19-6-1) 2-2 in his last four fights, with a victory over Paulo Costa coming sandwiched between losses to Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya. Vettori will look to show that he still has upward trajectory, and officially weighed in at 185.5 pounds.

This marks the fifth UFC main event for Cannonier (16-…

🚨BREAKING NEWS 🚨

The Boss just announced main events for:🇺🇸 #UFCNashville - August 5🇸🇬 #UFCSingapore - August 26🇫🇷 #UFCParis - September 2 pic.twitter.com/MueA05dT71

— UFC (@ufc) June 15, 2023 A potential top contender at the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight division may emerge at night’s end.

Via the UFC on Thursday, its comeback to Paris on Sept. 2 has been made official. There is currently one fight scheduled for this UFC Fight Night card's lineup, which was just announced between Ciryl Gane (11-2) and Sergey Spivak (16-3). The two heavyweights will battle it out for upwards of five rounds in front of fans at the Accor Arena. This will be the second jaunt for the UFC to France, as it first made the trip with a Gane-featured show on September 2022.

In March, Gane vied for the newly vacated heavyweight throne, and he faced off against former light heavyweight king Jon Jones. After about two minutes, Jones throttled Ga…

🚨BREAKING NEWS 🚨

The Boss just announced main events for:🇺🇸 #UFCNashville - August 5🇸🇬 #UFCSingapore - August 26🇫🇷 #UFCParis - September 2 pic.twitter.com/MueA05dT71

— UFC (@ufc) June 15, 2023 An all-action Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight scrap will treat fans atop the August event in Singapore.

On Thursday, the UFC announced the main attraction of its next show at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore on Aug. 26. While only one other fight is currently on the books for the UFC Fight Night event on that date – a bantamweight matchup between Rinya Nakamura and Fernando Garcia – the marquee fight will come at featherweight between former champ Max Holloway (24-7) and perennial contender Chan Sung Jung (17-7). Additionally, the company stated that the Road to UFC semifinals events would be going down on Aug. 27 in the same building, to set the stage for the finals of that contract-earning tourney.

Other than to cha…

Dana White with some BIG fight announcements...

Aug 5: #UFCNashville – Cory Sandhagen vs Umar NurmagomedovAug 26: #UFCSingapore – Max Holloway vs Korean ZombieSept 2: #UFCParis – Ciryl Gane vs Sergei Spivak pic.twitter.com/JOEVBX5aIB

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) June 15, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship has formalized its return to Music City on the first weekend of August.

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According to the promotion on Thursday, the UFC will be returning to Tennessee on Aug. 5. The fight card, currently an unnumbered Fight Night show due to the uncertainty of its broadcasting destination, will be headlined by a bantamweight barnburner between Cory Sandhagen (16-4) and Umar Nurmagomedov (16-0). This will be the UFC’s first event in Nashville since UFC Fight Night 148 in March 2019, which saw Anthony Pettis take on Stephen Thompson. It will be held inside of the Bridgestone Arena.

Sandhagen is currently riding high after two vic…

This haircut is 2-0 in ufc even without appearing in the octagon. Another opponent doesn’t want to take his chance and pulled out 🤦🏻‍♂️ 😡 pic.twitter.com/kwvoFIsx2i

— Zhalgas Zhumagulov (@ZhakoZhumagulov) June 15, 2023 Editor's note: The article has been updated on 6:15 p.m. ET to reflect the change in event for Zhumagulov.

The latest Ultimate Fighting Championship card has just experienced a few shake-ups the day before weigh-ins.

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On Thursday, a pair of matchups at UFC on ESPN 47 – the fight card that will take place inside of the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on June 17 – changed. The first, the news came courtesy of the promotion itself, which announced that Miles Johns suffered an injury and is out of his bantamweight battle with Raoni Barcelos. The fight has subsequently been pulled from the lineup.

Johns, who declared he suffered an injury on Wednesday night during training, posted on social media shortly after word sp…

⚖️Heavyweight Main Event bout is official!Ante Delija: 251 lbsMaurice Greene: 255.4 lbs

[Fri, June 16th | 6:30ET on ESPN+ | 10pm ET on ESPN | #PFLRegularSeason] pic.twitter.com/rYv8rsHQDQ

— PFL (@PFLMMA) June 15, 2023 The heavyweight and women's featherweight divisions will get the spotlight at PFL 5.

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A heavyweight clash between Ante Delija and Maurice Greene will headline the latest Professional Fighters League event. All fighters on the card made weight except for Evelyn Martins, who came in at 147 pounds. As a result, she'll be deducted a point in the playoff standings and will forfeit 20% of her purse to opponent Marina Mokhnatkina.

Delija weighed 251 pounds and enters the main event contest at 23-5. The Croatian is on a four-fight win streak and defeated Matheus Scheffel in the 2022 PFL Championships. Meanwhile, Greene (11-7) weighed 255.4 pounds and is 1-1 inside the promotion. After losing to Denis Goltsov in…

Editor's note: The article has been updated at 2:40 p.m. ET to add a statement from the UFC. It was edited again at 3:10 p.m. ET to reflect a statement from the Miami Heat.

Ultimate Fighting Championship star Conor McGregor and his team have denied the allegations.

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According to TMZ on Thursday, a woman represented by attorney Ariel Mitchell penned demand letters claiming that she was raped by McGregor on June 9. McGregor was present at the fourth game of the NBA Finals between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat, and he was involved in a halftime skit that sent the Heat’s mascot to the hospital when it went awry. After the game ended, per the letters, a member of McGregor's security team forced the woman into a stadium restroom, and McGregor allegedly assaulted her in it.

TMZ relayed that the letters wrote, “security refused to let [the woman] exit or allow anyone else, including her friend, inside the bathroom.” They then stated that McGregor came o…

𝗟𝗘𝗚𝗔𝗖𝗬 𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘 🔥

An explosive night at the @WintrustArena sees BW champ @SergioPettis defend gold against #P4P No.1️⃣ @PatricioPitbull. Who wins? 👊#Bellator297 LIVE FRIDAY:🇺🇸 @SHOsports at 9pm ET/6PM PT🌍 Find out how to watch ▶️ https://t.co/jPjMHzLhCd pic.twitter.com/ffP1jtUzZF

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) June 15, 2023 Patricio Freire is officially a bantamweight, and he will try to make MMA history on Friday.

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Headlining the 15-fight Bellator 297 card is a light heavyweight title fight where champion Vadim Nemkov will take on Yoel Romero. Meanwhile, the co-main event will see Patricio Freire attempt to earn a belt in his third weight class as he takes on bantamweight titleholder Sergio Pettis. All four men in championship matchups made weight, as did the rest of the card.

Nemkov (15-2, 1 NC) is coming off an impressive unanimous decision win over Corey Anderson in their rematch. The light heavyweight champion w…

It appears Ultimate Fighting Championship great Jose Aldo is taking his burgeoning boxing career seriously.

Per sources close to the situation, Aldo (0-0-1, 0 KOs) will be entering the ring for the third time as a boxer on Sunday. Aldo will square off against Argentinian Esteban Gabriel Espindola (0-1-1, 0 KOs) at Shooto Boxing 2. The event, held inside of the Upper Arena in Rio de Janeiro, will be kicking off locally at 8 p.m. on July 2 – or 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The former UFC featherweight king, who ended his pro MMA career at 31-8, already has another fight planned after Espindola, as he will be rematching Jeremy Stephens at an undisclosed date. The two fought to a draw on the Gamebred Boxing 4 show in April.

The match will last six rounds, and it will take place at 63.5 kg (139.7 pounds). Aldo’s previous pairing in Shooto Boxing against Emmanuel Zambrona was considered an exhibition, in what was slated to be his professional debut at the time. It is currently uncle…

While Sergio Pettis is the one defending the bantamweight championship at Bellator 297 on Friday, he still seems like the B-side to Patricio Freire in many respects.

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For one, much has been made of Freire’s cut to 135 pounds and his quest to become a title holder in three different divisions. Meanwhile, Pettis has been flying under the radar during an absence that has lasted more than a year and a half due to recovery from a knee injury. “The Phenom” isn’t concerning himself with any of the external chatter, however.

“I’m not worried about this whole narrative of three-time champion or me coming back,” Pettis said during Bellator media day. “I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better in the sport and as a person. This whole narrative is cool for social media, but I’m going to go out there and get the job done. I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do to win.”

Pettis added that he doesn’t think he will be negatively affected by the layoff.

“I don’t know a…

A light heavyweight bout pitting Carlos Ulberg against Da Woon Jung is on tap for UFC 293.

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The Las Vegas-based promotion recently announced the pairing via social media. UFC 293 takes place on Sept. 9 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia and is also expected to include a flyweight showdown between Viviane Araujo and Casey O’Neill.

Ulberg has won four straight UFC appearances since dropping his Octagon debut against Kennedy Nzechukwu in March 2021. Most recently, the 32-year-old City Kickboxing representative defeated Ihor Potieria via first-round TKO at UFC on ABC 4 on May 13.

Jung, meanwhile, kicked off his promotional tenure by going unbeaten in his first five bouts. The South Korean has since dropped back-to-back fights against Dustin Jacoby at UFC on ABC 3 and to Devin Clark at UFC Fight Night 218.

After a rough stretch earlier in her career that saw her lose three straight fights in Bellator MMA, Amber Leibrock seems to be hitting her stride.

The 35-year-old Californian made a statement in her Professional Fighters League debut, knocking out 2022 postseason participant Martina Jindrova with a first-round headkick in their PFL 2 bout on April 7. It was the fourth consecutive victory for Leibrock — all inside the distance — and it sets her up for a showdown with Larissa Pacheco at PFL 5 on Friday night at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta.

Leibrock has pinpointed two key reasons for her career turnaround.

“Everyone asks me, ‘How did you go from the skid to where you’re at now?’ I think it’s accountability,” Leibrock said during a PFL virtual media day. “It’s easy in the fight game to blame somebody else or change camps. At the end of the day it’s all within you, so you have to look at yourself. What are you doing? What are you not doing? How hard are you rea…

While Denis Goltsov might be one of the most experienced competitors in the PFL heavyweight field, he knows that can be overrated in the big man’s division.

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“Of course it’s nice to have that (experience),” Goltsov said through an interpreter during a PFL virtual media day. “However, in a fight one punch can change the outcome of everything, especially at heavyweight. I just have to do my job and concentrate on getting the win.”

Goltsov will square off against Yorgan De Castro at PFL 5 on Friday at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. The main card airs on ESPN and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while the prelims stream on ESPN+ beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT. Goltsov vs. De Castro is currently slated for the preliminary portion of the event.

Golstov is sitting pretty for a postseason birth following a first-round finish of Cezar Ferreira at PFL 3. The 33-year-old Russian is well aware of the challenges his upcoming opponent, a UFC veteran,…

Past results are clearly influencing the odds for a potential rematch between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira.

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According to online oddsmaker BetOnline, Makhachev is currently listed as a -350 favorite for a second meeting with “Do Bronx.” Oliveira, meanwhile, is a +285 underdog. Makhachev was also favored in their first bout at UFC 280, but those odds ranged from -166 to -205.

The lightweights initially squared off for the vacant lightweight belt at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 22, 2022. Makhachev claimed the throne with a dominant performance, winning via second-round submission and ending Oliveira’s 11-bout promotional winning streak in the process. Oliveira returned for the first time since that defeat at UFC 289, where he earned a technical knockout over top lightweight contender Beneil Dariush in the first round of the evening’s co-main event. After that emphatic victory, the Brazilian immediately set his sights on a rematch.

Thoug…

Ian Garry will take a step up in competition when he meets Geoff Neal at UFC 292 in Boston.

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RTÉ Sport was first to report the welterweight booking. UFC 292 takes place at TD Garden on Aug. 19 and is headlined by a bantamweight title tilt pitting Aljamain Sterling against Sean O’Malley.

A 25-year-old native of Dublin, Garry is undefeated in 12 bouts since beginning his professional tenure in 2019. The ex-Cage Warriors champion is 5-0 within the Las Vegas-based promotion, including a first-round technical knockout victory over Daniel Rodriguez in his last outing at UFC on ABC 4 on May 13. He’s finished seven of his career triumphs by knockout or technical knockout.

Neal had a two-bout winning streak snapped in his most recent Octagon appearance, when he suffered a third-round submission defeat to Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 285. Prior to that, “Handz of Steel” had earned back-to-back victories over Santiago Ponzinibbio and Vicente Luque. The Fort…

Nate Diaz is going to have the opportunity to put his vaunted gas tank to work when he faces Jake Paul in a boxing match on Aug. 5.

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According to ESPN, Diaz requested to extended his fight with Paul from eight rounds to 10 rounds, and Paul agreed to those terms. Now both parties are waiting on approval of the change from the Texas Combative Sports Program.

“Nate Diaz wants 10 rounds. I guess he has good cardio,” Paul wrote on Twitter. “OK Nathan, 10 rounds it is.”

Nate Diaz wants 10 rounds. I guess he has good cardio. Ok Nathan, 10 rounds it is.

— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) June 13, 2023

Assuming the request is approved, Diaz vs. Paul will take be contested at 185 pounds over 10 rounds using 10-ounce gloves. The fight takes place at American Airlines Center in Dallas and airs via pay-per-view via DAZN as well as through all major cable and satellite providers.

Diaz ended his Octagon tenure last September following…

Renan Ferreira and Matheus Scheffel both suffered losses in the first leg of the 2023 PFL season.

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However, the Brazilian heavyweights have new life after opponents Rizvan Kuniev and Bruno Cappelozza tested positive for banned substances in relation to their fights.

Ferreira and Scheffel likely need a victory to advance to the PFL heavyweight postseason, and both are focused on earning the six points that come with a first-round finish. Ferreira and Scheffel will square off on the PFL 5 main card on Friday at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta.

“I'm not going to lose that second chance,” Ferreira told Sherdog.com. “Matheus has heavy hands, but I'm 100% focused on getting a quick victory to guarantee a place in the playoff.

While the 6-foot-9 Ferreira, who was nicknamed “Problema” due to the difficulties he gave his sparring partners, might be perceived as the favorite, Scheffel isn’t fazed by the odds.

“In all my fights I go in as i…