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The rumors of Henry Cejudo’s second retirement were apparently premature, according to the man himself.

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This s*** is far from over! @danawhite I want @MerabDvalishvil head on a plate! #ufcboston pic.twitter.com/ME9ygzPaJG

— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) May 8, 2023 Things didn’t go according to plan for former Ultimate Fighting Championship two-division champ Cejudo (16-3, 10-3 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 288 headliner as “The Messenger” dropped a narrow split decision to bantamweight titleholder Aljamain Sterling. In the immediate aftermath of the fight, Cejudo removed his gloves in the cage and teased that he might be done with MMA once again. A few hours later, however, Cejudo announced via Twitter that he wanted to don the four-ounce gloves at least once more, against Sterling’s teammate and good friend Merab Dvalishvili.

“This s—t is far from over,” Cejudo wrote. “Dana White, I want [Dvalishvili’s] head on a plate.”

…

Ultimate Fighting Championship star Tony Ferguson is lucky he emerged uninjured.

According to TMZ on Sunday morning, Ferguson allegedly crashed his truck into a pair of parked cars in Hollywood, California. The lightweight was picked up around 2 a.m. local time for a misdemeanor charge of DUI, and according to the arrest record from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, his bail has been set at $30,000. TMZ subsequently stated that for refusing the field sobriety test, he might have his driver’s license suspended.

Ferguson was allegedly driving his truck by a Hollywood nightclub, where he struck the cars including one reported to be owned by rapper Cash Gotti. The truck flipped on its side and stopped moving. Remarkably, no persons were injured during the incident, including Ferguson himself, per TMZ. A law enforcement officer told TMZ that Ferguson “reeked of alcohol” while sporting “bloodshot eyes.”

A local news outlet of KTLA disputed the TMZ report o…

Diego Lopes gave Movsar Evloev a tougher test than anyone could have imagined, and both fighter’s bank accounts benefitted as a result.

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Evloev and Lopes garnered “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their entertaining featherweight feature bout at UFC 288 on Saturday night. Lopes, who accepted the bout on less than a week’s notice, rocked his foe with a right hand early and threatened with multiple submission attempts throughout the fight. Ultimately, Evloev prevailed via unanimous decision behind superior striking, pressure and wrestling.

Elsewhere, Xiaonan Yan earned a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for her first-round knockout of Jessica Andrade in a strawweight clash on the main card. Yan capitalized on her opponent’s reckless aggression, as she dropped Andrade with a counter right hand and finished the bout with follow-up punches on the canvas at the 2:20 mark of the period.

Finally, Matt Frevola received the even…

Aljamain Sterling remains the gold standard in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s bantamweight division.

Sterling (23-3, 15-3 UFC) retained his 135-pound belt with a hard-fought split-decision triumph over former two-division champion Henry Cejudo (16-3, 10-3 UFC) in the UFC 288 main event at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Saturday night. Judges Derek Cleary and Eric Colon both submitted 48-47 tallies in favor of “The Funk Master,” while Michael Bell saw it 48-47 for Cejudo. It was the first bout for the Olympic gold medalist since he retired following a victory against Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 in May 2020.

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Sterling utilized his reach advantage, working behind unorthodox movement, stance switches and a toolbox of kicks — with calf kicks being an especially effective weapon. The Serra-Longo Fight Team member set the tone in the opening stanza, when he landed some knees to the body in close quarters and secured a late takedown, working his …

Sherdog's live UFC 288 coverage will begin Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Ribeiro (-175), Holmes (+150)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Aliskerov (-210), Hawes (+180)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result BET…

STEAMROLLA DID THAT 👊 #UFC288 pic.twitter.com/isFkRr6lqe

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 7, 2023

Matt Frevola went toe-to-toe with Drew Dober and got the best of the encounter.

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The Dana White’s Contender Series alum added to his highlight reel with an explosive technical knockout victory against Dober in the UFC 288 featured prelim at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Saturday night. Frevola (11-3-1, 5-3-1 UFC) dropped his adversary with a counter right hand to the chin and then sealed the victory by swarming with ground-and-pound 4:08 into Round 1. Frevola has finished three straight fights in UFC competition. Frevola enjoyed success early behind a steady diet of straight right hands and kicks to the body. Dober took a little longer to find his range, but he was beginning to land more impactful offense before the fight-ending exchange occurred. When Dober attacked the body with a left, Frevola capitalized with a dev…

LOUGHRAN SILENCES THE CROWD!!!#CW154 pic.twitter.com/2CE7r8eJz3

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) May 6, 2023

Cage Warriors Fighting Championship crowned a new 135-pound kingpin in its second event in Rome, Italy, but it wasn’t the one for which Italian fans had hoped.

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In the Cage Warriors 154 headliner, Italy’s own Dylan Hazan took on Caolan Loughran for the vacant bantamweight championship. Hazan (9-1, 4-1 CW) looked faster with his punches while demonstrating intelligent in-and-out movement in the openzing stanza. Still, Loughran (8-0, 4-0 CW) kept his composure and retaliated with heavier shots. By the end of Round 1, “The Don” had already marked Hazan’s face with his haymakers. Things took an ugly turn for Hazan in the second frame, when Loughran pushed the pace and tested his adversary’s chin. A right hook-left uppercut combination shook Hazan before Loughran followed up with a couple more hooks and uppercuts that d…

A big knee to the body gets Kai Asakura the finish, and he will meet Juan Archuleta for the vacant Bantamweight title!

[ #RIZIN42 | @FiteTV | Link in bio ] pic.twitter.com/ShUh2NjRWI

— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) May 6, 2023

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Kai Asakura and Juan Archuleta are expected to square off for the vacant Rizin Fighting Federation bantamweight crown after earning key victories on Saturday.

Asakura (20-4, 12-3 Rizin) made a statement with a third-round stoppage of Yuki Motoya in the Rizin 42 headliner at Ariake Arena in Tokyo. The Tri-Force Akasaka representative put his foe on the defensive with a knee in the clinch while the combatants were engaged near the ropes. Asakura stalked his reeling opponent and threw a couple punches before stepping in with a left knee that folded Motoya (33-10 1 NC, 10-6 Rizin) to the canvas, bringing an end to the contest at the 2:25 mark of Round 3.

Asakura has won four of his last five …

[embedded content] The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to New Jersey with its latest pay-per-view offering.

UFC 288 is headlined by a bantamweight title fight between champion Aljamain Sterling and former titleholder Henry Cejudo. Both men successfully made weight, making the five-round fight official for Saturday. However, not all fighters were as professional as the fight between Rafael Estevam vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov was canceled after Estevam had weight issues. Additionally, Joseph Holmes came in 3 pounds overweight for his middleweight fight against Claudio Ribeiro and will be fined a percentage of his purse.

"Funk Master" will be looking to make his third defense of the bantamweight title. Sterling won the belt after Petr Yan was disqualified for an illegal knee in 2021 but then defeated Yan via split decision last year. Sterling (22-3) then followed up that impressive win with a quick TKO over an injured T.J. Dillashaw. Now he'll get to test himself again…

The king kept his crown.

Demetrious Johnson successfully defended the undisputed One Championship flyweight title with a unanimous decision over rival Adriano Moraes in the ONE on Prime Video 10 headliner on Friday at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. All three cageside judges sided with “Mighty Mouse,” who closed his trilogy against Moraes (20-5, 11-5 ONE) with a 2-1 advantage.

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Johnson (25-4-1, 5-1 ONE) pressured the Brazilian from the outset and forced him into one tactical error after another. Moraes engaged the AMC Pankration export in the clinch—an area in which Johnson has always excelled—for much of the 25-minute battle, choosing to swim against the current over the path of least resistance. Johnson tore into his body with knees, snuck in repeated short elbows to the head and mixed in some frustrating shoulder strikes to the face. Moraes never changed gears and walked away empty-handed as a result.

Now 36, Johnson has won 18 of his…

Sherdog's live ONE on Prime Video 10 coverage kicks off Friday at 7 p.m. ET. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Le…

[embedded content] Editor's note: The article has been updated at 1 p.m. ET on May 5 to add additional information including the identity of the shooter as well as his arrest and charging.

Ex-Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Jorge Masvidal is in the headlines again, but not for something he caused.

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According to an initial report from Fox Sports 640AM South Florida on Thursday afternoon, a shooting took place at Masvidal’s house earlier on Thursday. Per the report, and later confirmed by multiple outlets including TMZ, Masvidal's father, Jorge Masvidal Sr., allegedly shot another person during an argument. The early details of the incident were brought to light by local news outlets, including WPLG Local 10 in Miami. The retired fighter was not at his house at the time, as he is preparing to run a Gamebred bareknuckle event on Friday.

The Miami-Dade Police issued a statement to MMA Fighting, although it did not identify the parties. The arre…

[embedded content] Rizin Fighting Federation has had to invoke an infrequently used rule ahead of Rizin 42.

There was little drama on the scale as most of the fighters ahead of the show made weight, including main eventers Kai Asakura and Yuki Motoya for their bantamweight clash. However, Takuya Yamamoto failed to make weight for his featherweight match against Takeji Yokoyama. Yamamoto came in at 147.5 pounds, and as a result, he has received a red card penalty under the "no contest rule," which means he is penalized 50% of his points should his match go to decision, he will be ineligible to win the fight, and it will be declared a no contest if he prevails.

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As for the main event, former champ Asakura hit the scales at 134.2 pounds. The 19-4 fighter is looking to bounce back from a defeat to Hiromasa Ougikubo, which snapped a three-fight win streak. Meanwhile, Motoya (33-9, 1 NC) has won his last five fights, and checked in at 134.4 pounds.

Rizin …

FIERY FACE OFF 🔥

Dylan Hazan 🆚 @DonCaolan135 for the VACANT bantamweight title!

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📺 Watch #CW154 on @UFCFightPass from 9PM CEST tomorrow night pic.twitter.com/qOgoqTVsaS — Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) May 5, 2023 Dylan Hazan and Caolan Loughran have acquired their target: the vacant Cage Warriors Fighting Championship bantamweight title.

The unbeaten Hazan checked in at 135 pounds ahead of his high-stakes showdown with the undefeated Loughran (135) in the CW 154 main event on Saturday at the Fiera Roma in Rome. Meanwhile, Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Lean Aliu (186) and Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Darren Stewart (185.4) also met their contracted weight requirements without issue at Friday’s official weigh-in.

Cage Warriors 154 streams live to UFC Fight Pass at 11:30 a.m. ET/8:30 a.m. PT.

CAGE WARRIORS 154 WEIGH-IN RESULTS: Caolan Loughran (135) vs. Dylan Hazan (135)Darren Stewart (185.…

[embedded content] Ex-Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Jorge Masvidal is in the headlines again, but not for something he caused.

According to an initial report from Fox Sports 640AM South Florida on Thursday afternoon, a shooting took place at Masvidal’s house earlier on Thursday. Per the report, a male family member of Masvidal – suggested to be his father – allegedly shot another person during an argument. The incident was later confirmed by local news outlets, including WPLG Local 10 in Miami. The retired fighter was not at his house at the time, as he is preparing to run a Gamebred bareknuckle event on Friday.

The Miami-Dade Police issued a statement to MMA Fighting, although it did not identify the parties.

“According to the victim,” the statement received by MMA Fighting wrote, “he was involved in an argument that escalated when the subject produced a firearm and shot him. The adult male victim was transported to the hospital in stable condition…Th…

ONE Fight Night 10 Weigh-insCredit: One Championship ONE Fight Night 10 Weigh-insCredit: One Championship ONE Fight Night 10 Weigh-insCredit: One Championship ONE Fight Night 10 Weigh-insCredit: One Championship ONE Fight Night 10 Weigh-insCredit: One Championship ONE Fight Night 10 Weigh-insCredit: One Championship ONE Fight Night 10 Weigh-insCredit: One Championship ONE Fight Night 10 Weigh-insCredit: One Championship ONE Fight Night 10 Weigh-insCredit: One Championship ONE Fight Night 10 Weigh-insCredit: One Championship ONE Fight Night 10 Weigh-insCredit: One Championship ONE Fight Night 10 Weigh-insCredit: One Championship ONE Fight Night 10 Weigh-insCredit: One Championship ONE Fight Night 10 Weigh-insCredit: One Championship ONE Fight Night 10 Weigh-insCredit: One Championship ONE Fight Night 10 Weigh-insCredit: One Championship ONE Fight Night 10 Weigh-insCredit: One Championship ONE Fight Night 10 Weigh-insCredit: One Championship [embedded content]

Demetrious John…

#AndStill pic.twitter.com/rwGFJLdQIf

— CrisCyborg.Com (@criscyborg) May 4, 2023 Bellator MMA is holding on tight to its dominant women’s 145 champ.

The organization announced on Thursday that it had come to terms with champion Cristiane Justino (26-2, 1 NC), whose contract had concluded after her most recent defense in April 2022. After a pair of boxing matches for the Brazilian powerhouse, “Cris Cyborg” signed a new, exclusive deal with Bellator. The specifics have not been stated, other than that it was a multi-fight contract.

Justino was elated in her new arrangement with the promotion, saying in the press release, “After receiving multiple offers from several promotions I’m very happy that I was able to come to terms with Bellator and remain the face of their women’s featherweight division. Scott Coker is a promoter that I’ve worked with and respected for many years. He’s done so much to further women’s MMA and give us a platform to…

Rayanne Amanda dos Santos took her game to another level.

The Marajo Brothers product walked away with the undisputed Invicta Fighting Championships bantamweight title, as she cruised to a unanimous decision over Jillian DeCoursey in the five-round Invicta 53 headliner on Wednesday at ReelWorks in Denver. Scores were 50-45, 50-45 and 48-47—all for dos Santos (14-6, 2-0 Invicta). That the fight never felt particularly competitive was a testament to the Brazilian’s considerable efforts.

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Moments of success were few and far between for DeCoursey (6-4, 5-3 Invicta), who struggled and ultimately failed to match her challenger’s output, consistency and speed. Dos Santos tore into her with blinding combinations, incorporated leg kicks when the situation called for it and ran circles around her in the grappling exchanges. DeCoursey was left with significant damage to her left eye, multiple facial cuts and a ruptured cauliflower ear.

Meanwhile, Great Britai…

Conor McGregor has been in the public eye quite a bit recently, but so far there has been nothing to indicate that a date has been set for his fight with Michael Chandler.

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“The Ultimate Fighter 31” is set to air this month, and viewers will be able to see how McGregor and Chandler interact as opposing coaches on the long-running reality show. The two are then expected to square off in the Octagon some time after the season concludes in August. Exactly when that is remains unknown. In the meantime, McGregor was seen facing off against Mike Perry at the conclusion of the BKFC 41 main event this past weekend. He was also in attendance for the Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia boxing match one week prior.

While McGregor seems to be enjoying life, that has led to speculation that he won’t make it to his proposed bout with Chandler. The former Bellator lightweight champion discussed that possiblity during a recent interview with ESPN.

“I think he’s coming…

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It turns out that Jon Jones’ recent tweet about retirement had more truth to it than some might have initially thought.

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The UFC is targeting a heavyweight title bout between Jones and Stipe Miocic for Madison Square Garden later this year after “Bones” captured the belt with a first-round submission of Ciryl Gane at UFC 285. In an interview with Fox Sports Australia, Jones said that Miocic is likely his last fight unless circumstances change with former UFC champ Francis Ngannou.

“I feel like the Stipe fight will be plenty for me,” Jones said. “I really don’t feel like I have much to prove after beating Stipe Miocic. I’ve been in the game a long time, and in fighter years, I’m an old guy.

“I’ve got some small injuries and I just really want to be around — I want to be around for my family, I want to be around for my kids, I want to be able to play with my kids and have a good head on my shoulders, and joints that work. So y…

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

The card for Bellator 297 is now complete with the addition of seven new bouts.

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The California-based promotion announced the fights — highlighted by a preliminary clash between Austin Vanderford and Imamshafi Aliev — via release on Wednesday. The other newly-added matchups are as follows: Jordan Newman vs. Matthew Perry at middleweight; Mike Hamel vs. Shamil Nikaev at lightweight; Leandro Higo vs. Nikita Mikhailov at bantamweight; Cody Law vs. Edwin Chavez at featherwei…

It may not be how she envisioned, but Irene Aldana is now facing the opportunity of a lifetime.

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On Tuesday, Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White revealed in a Twitter video that bantamweight title challenger Julianna Pena had been forced to withdraw from her rubber match with Amanda Nunes at UFC 289 on June 10, due to broken ribs. White announced that Nunes would instead be defending her title against Irene Aldana, who had previously been scheduled to rematch Raquel Pennington in the main event of UFC Fight Night 224 on May 20.

Breaking news………… pic.twitter.com/pNvr9Qo3I2

— danawhite (@danawhite) May 3, 2023

The Nunes-Pena fight would have settled a series that sat at 1-1. At their first meeting at UFC 269 in December 2021, Pena turned the longtime two-division champ into a one-division champ, snatching Nunes' bantamweight strap by second-round submission in a near-consensus “Upset of the Year,” and one…

A welterweight bout pitting Neil Magny against Philip Rowe has been added to the UFC on ABC 5 lineup.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the booking. UFC on ABC 5 takes place at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., on June 24 and is headlined by a featherweight scrap between Josh Emmett and Ilia Topuria.

The 35-year-old Magny began his 2023 campaign with a first-round submission defeat to Gilbert Burns at UFC 283 on Jan. 21. “The Haitian Sensation” has 29 Octagon appearances to his credit, with notable victories over the likes of Geoff Neal, Robbie Lawler, Jingliang Li, Carlos Condit, Johny Hendricks, Hector Lombard and Kelvin Gastelum.

Rowe, meanwhile, has won three straight UFC fights since dropping his debut against Gabriel Green in February 2021. During that stretch, “The Fresh Prince” has finished Niko Price, Jason Witt and Orion Cosce via technical knockout.

#InvictaFC53: DeCoursey vs. Dos Santos Official Weigh-in Results https://t.co/GRYo5IYo5a pic.twitter.com/oa2xbjMfrK

— Invicta FC (@InvictaFights) May 2, 2023

Jillian DeCoursey will take on the role of the hunted at Invicta FC 53.

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DeCoursey made weight without issue ahead of her first atomweight title defense against Rayanne Amanda dos Santos. DeCoursey tipped the scales at 104.8 pounds, while dos Santos checked in at 104.3 pounds. The rest of the 12 athletes slated to compete on the card also hit their contracted marks.

Invicta FC 53 takes place at Reelworks Denver in Denver, Colo., on Wednesday and airs at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on AXS TV and the Invicta FC Youtube channel and Facebook page in the U.S.

DeCoursey claimed atomweight gold with a first-round submission of Jessica Correa Delboni at Invicta FC 49 this past September. The 38-year-old Queens, N.Y., native has won four of his last five professional appeara…