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Count Patricio Freire among those who was impressed by Patrick Mix’s first-round knockout of Raufeon Stots in the finals of Bellator’s bantamweight grand prix on Saturday.

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"No doubt it was a spectacular knockout,” Freire told Sherdog.com. “I have to admit that I was expecting a long, technical fight, but Mix knew what he was doing when he [timed that knee]. Very impressive. Mix is definitely a great opponent.”

Freire is scheduled to face Sergio Pettis for the undisputed bantamweight crown in the Bellator 297 co-main event on June 16 in Chicago. The reigning featherweight king revealed that his weight cut is going better than expected.

"I should be weighing [156 pounds] by Monday, but I reached that weight one week ago. Now it’s just a question of following the plans of my nutritionist, losing [11 pounds] in eight weeks naturally and leaving around [10 or 11 pounds to cut] during fight week. The most important thing is not to have my…

Sara McMann looked to be quite comfortable making the transition to featherweight at Bellator 294 on Friday night.

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The former UFC bantamweight title challenger earned a unanimous decision triumph against Arlene Blencowe in a 145-pound clash at the Neil S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was also the Bellator debut for the Olympic silver medalist, who left the UFC after compiling a 7-6 mark in the Las Vegas-based promotion from 2013 to 2022.

“It wasn’t as big of a difference as I thought,” McMann said of the change in weight class. “[Opponent Arlene Blencowe] is on caliber with all the girls I fought in the UFC. What a freaking introduction to a new promotion. I got one of the toughest chicks here.”

McMann relied on her takedowns, pressure and clinch work to control the first two rounds, but she had to survive being rocked early in Round 3 before making it to the final bell.

“I flashed for a second, but I did that in the first two ro…

Aaron Pico appeared to be back to 100 percent at Bellator 295.

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One bout removed from a shoulder injury suffered in a loss to Jeremy Kennedy last October, Pico was in peak form on Saturday night, as he earned a unanimous decision triumph over James Gonzalez at the Neil S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu Hawaii. According to Pico, the injury never entered his mind during the bout.

“That thought is out of my head,” Pico said at the Bellator 295 post-fight press conference. “I had surgery. If you have that hesitation going into the fight, you probably shouldn’t be fighting. I don’t let that thought enter my head. I throw with a lot of power, and I can’t have that kind of hesitation. No hesitation; we always say that in practice. No hesitation.”

Though Pico was in control of the fight throughout, he was unable to finish Gonzalez, a Longo and Weidman MMA product with wins over the likes of Pat Sabatini and Cody Law on his ledger.

“I knew this guy was …

Liz Carmouche was in serious dangerous of losing her flyweight belt as the Bellator 294 main event headed into the championship rounds.

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That’s when the Team Hurrican Awesome product found another gear, as she rallied to submit DeAnna Bennett with an arm-triangle choke at the 4:29 mark of Round 4 on Friday night at the Neil S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. Carmouche was down 3-0 on the scorecards before the finish, and though her opponent missed weight, the champion had agreed to vacate the flyweight title in defeat. Instead, she extended her Bellator MMA winning streak to six.

“I dug deep in myself. I’m not a quitter,” Carmouche said at the Bellator 294 post-fight press conference. “I’m gonna show them what it means to be a Marine. No matter what it takes, no matter how hard it gets, you get it done. I could see she was getting tired. My coach was like, ‘That’s it. You’ve given her three, now finish it and get it done.’ Once I got her clos…

The lineup for UFC 290 continues to grow, as a welterweight bout pitting Jack Della Maddalena against Sean Brady is in the works for the July 8 event.

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Multiple outlets confirmed the booking after an intial report surfaced via Twitter on Sunday. UFC 290 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a featherweight title tilt between Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez. In the co-main event, Brandon Moreno will defend the flyweight crown against Alexandre Pantoja.

A former competitor on Dana White’s Contender Series, Della Maddalena has emerged as a talent to watch at 170 pounds following four consecutive victories — all inside of a round — within the Las Vegas-based promotion. Most recently, the 26-year-old Aussie submitted Randy Brown in the opening stanza of their clash at UFC 284.

Brady, meanwhile, is coming off his first defeat in 16 professional outings: a second-round TKO loss to Belal Muhammad at UFC 280 this p…

With six consecutive first-round finishes under his belt, Sergei Pavlovich believes he’s done enough to be the UFC heavyweight division’s No. 1 contender.

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The heavy-handed Russian earned his most significant victory to date in the UFC Fight Night 222 headliner, stopping Curtis Blaydes with punches 3:08 into the opening stanza of their encounter at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. At the post-fight press conference, Pavlovich said he wouldn’t accept anything less than a heavyweight title fight in his next Octagon appearance.

“I’ll rest,” Pavlovich said through a translator. “I’ll eat. I’ll sleep. I’ll rest some more. I’ll wait.”

At the very least, it seems likely that Pavlovich will have to wait until the UFC schedules a heavyweight title clash between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic. That bout is not official, but it has been targeted for Madison Square Garden in New York, at an event that could potentially occur in November. When it c…

Though he’s known primarily as a submission specialist, Patrick Mix proved he has other weapons in his arsenal in the Bellator 295 headliner on Saturday night.

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The New York native completed his run through the Bellator bantamweight grand prix by knocking out Raufeon Stots with a perfectly-timed knee 1:20 into Round 1 of their encounter at the Neil S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. While it was just the second career KO/TKO triumph for Mix, it was something he anticipated heading into his matchup with Stots.

“I’ve been working that shot. Right before we walked out, we were drilling good, and it landed. We put him out,” Mix said at the post-fight press conference. “I developed that knee because, as a southpaw, I’m going against orthodox styles. I’ve been working that shot since 18 months ago in Ireland. I knew that Stots shoots. He’s so naive to think that I’m just a grappler. I’m a dog in the gym. No one outworks me. I know I don’t have a lot…

Sergei Pavlovich is beginning to make first-round knockouts look routine, even while picking up the biggest win of his career.

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In the main event of UFC Fight Night 222 on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, the 30-year-old Russian (18-1) faced longtime heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes (17-4, 1 NC), with a future title shot very possibly at stake. The narrative entering the “UFC Vegas 71” headliner was that of wrestler Blaydes versus Pavlovich the striker, but the American made only one earnest attempt at bringing the fight to the canvas, a double-leg in the center of the cage which Pavlovich snuffed out with ease. The rest of the action was conducted entirely on the feet, with both men having their moments of success, but Pavlovich’s advantage in power was glaringly obvious to all, including Blaydes, who never appeared fully comfortable. After a series of exchanges in which Pavlovich’s punches appeared to hurt Blaydes significantly, the ball t…

OUT COLD! 😱@TeamMixMMA KNOCKS OUT @RaufeonStots to win the #BellatorBWGP $1,000,000 crown.#Bellator295 | LIVE NOW | @SHOsports pic.twitter.com/l0smOYG2yr

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) April 23, 2023

So, who wants to be a millionaire?

Patrick Mix answered that question in a hurry after brutally knocking out Bellator MMA interim bantamweight champion Rafueon Stots with a devastating knee in the first round of the Bellator 295 main event Saturday night at Neil S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu.

Fresh off choking out Magomed Magomedov last December, Mix showed a few extra layers to his bag after catching a backpedaling Stots with a flush left knee to the chin 1:22 into the first round. With the shot, Mix claimed the Bellator Bantamweight World Grand Prix title and the $1 million prize.

Mix (18-1) is arguably one of the best bantamweights on the planet after cruising through the tournament. Dispatching Magomedov and Stots with ease …

OUT COLD! 😱@TeamMixMMA KNOCKS OUT @RaufeonStots to win the #BellatorBWGP $1,000,000 crown.#Bellator295 | LIVE NOW | @SHOsports pic.twitter.com/l0smOYG2yr

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) April 23, 2023

So, who wants to be a millionaire?

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Patrick Mix answered that question in a hurry after brutally knocking out Bellator MMA interim bantamweight champion Raufeon Stots with a devastating knee in the first round of the Bellator 295 main event Saturday night at Neil S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu.

Fresh off choking out Magomed Magomedov last December, Mix showed a few extra layers to his bag after catching a backpedaling Stots with a flush left knee to the chin 1:22 into the first round. With the shot, Mix claimed the Bellator Bantamweight World Grand Prix title and the $1 million prize.

Mix (18-1) is arguably one of the best bantamweights on the planet after cruising through the tournament. Dispatching Magomedov and S…

Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 222 coverage will begin Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Danaa (-140), Hiestand (+120)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Marshall (-205), Gomis (+175)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Tafa (-115)…

Sherdog's live Bellator 295 coverage will begin Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round: The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Score…

Christos Giagos parlayed nearly two years of frustration into focused aggression, and Ricky Glenn had the misfortune to be in harm’s way.

Giagos (20-10) entered the top preliminary bout of “UFC Vegas 71” on the first losing streak of his UFC career, having dropped his last two fights to Thiago Moises and Arman Tsarukyan by first-round submission and first-round TKO respectively. Perhaps feeling his back was against the wall, the “Spartan” came out with urgency against Glenn (22-7-2), who was returning for the first time since his majority draw against Grant Dawson over a year and a half ago. After some tentative early exchanges on the feet, Giagos caught Glenn with a pinpoint left hook to the temple, dropping him immediately. A pair of glancing follow-up shots were hardly needed, as referee Jared Montalvo was already diving in for the stoppage. The knockout win came officially at 1:35 of Round 1 and put Giagos back on track in emphatic fashion while elevating his UFC record …

Four performances worthy of some extra cash ?

Congratulations to @SPavlovich13, Bruno Silva, @CGiagos, & @Montello135 on getting tonight's POTN honors!!! #UFCVegas71 pic.twitter.com/t41bXygwqX

— UFC (@ufc) April 23, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship awarded four fighters performance bonuses on the UFC Fight Night 222 card.

Main event winner Sergei Pavlovish took home $50,000 extra on top of his purse for knocking out Curtis Blaydes in under a round. The Russian made easy work of Blaydes, who was unable to withstand the punishment that Pavlovich dished out. The TKO win came at 3:08 of the first frame.

Three other performance of the night bonuses went to other fighters that impressed with their finishing prowess. Bruno Silva's impressive win over Brad Tavares had a mildly controversial stoppage over whether it was early or not, but his knee and follow-up punch secured the Brazilian a bonus. Additionally, Christos Giagos…

WOOOW!!! Knockout!!! 💣

🇵🇱 @bartos_mma 👑 becomes the new KSW welterweight champion!! XTB #KSW81 pic.twitter.com/wJSYCYxunz

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) April 22, 2023

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The Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki 170-pound division has a new kingpin in Adrian Bartosinski.

The vacant welterweight championship was on the line in the KSW 81 headliner, where Bartosinski (13-0, 5-0 KSW) smote Artur Szczepaniak (9-2, 2-1 KSW) in the opening frame. “Bartos” studied his foe for a few seconds before landing a perfectly-timed takedown, but Szczepaniak rose to his feet quickly and kept grappling for a while against the fence before the pair disengaged. Szczepaniak looked eager to catch Bartosinski, only to be met by a hefty left hook directly on the chin. The strike was effective and dropped Szczepaniak on the canvas instantly, in addition to making his mouthpiece fly across the cage. Bartosinski followed up with a Dan Henderson-esque standing-to-ground p…

😱 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗟𝗟@iamgirlrilla weathers the storm to submit @DeAnnaDBennett in Round 4️⃣.#Bellator294 | LIVE NOW | @SHOsports pic.twitter.com/RbmtEeTskA

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) April 22, 2023

With her back up against the fence, Liz Carmouche proved why she’s still amongst the top female fighters in the world after rallying to defeat DeAnna Bennett in the Bellator 294 main event Friday night at Neil S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu.

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Heading into the fourth round down on the scorecards, Carmouche struggled to keep Bennett at bay on the feet. Bennett’s pressure kept Carmouche pinned on her back as she searched for any submission she could find. Keeping Carmouche on the defensive worked well for the Daniel Gracie protégé. Bennett’s commitment to wrestling and outworking the champ led the action until midway into the fourth round.

Sensing that her title was beginning to slip from her grasp, Carmouche caught Bennett in a hal…

😱 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗟𝗟@iamgirlrilla weathers the storm to submit @DeAnnaDBennett in Round 4️⃣.#Bellator294 | LIVE NOW | @SHOsports pic.twitter.com/RbmtEeTskA

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) April 22, 2023

With her back up against the fence, Liz Carmouche proved why she’s still amongst the top female fighters in the world after rallying to defeat DeAnna Bennett in the Bellator 294 main event Friday night at Neil S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu.

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Heading into the fourth round down on the scorecards, Carmouche struggled to keep Bennett at bay on the feet. Bennett’s pressure kept Carmouche pinned on her back as she searched for any submission she could find. Keeping Carmouche on the defensive worked well for the Daniel Gracie protégé. Bennett’s commitment to wrestling and outworking the champ led the action until midway into the fourth round.

Sensing that her title was beginning to slip from her grasp, Carmouche caught Bennett in a hal…

Jonathan Haggerty claimed the One Championship bantamweight muay thai world championship in the ONE on Prime Video 9 main event.

Haggerty needed less than a round to dismantle and knock out Nong-O Hama. The British striker would hurt Nong-O badly in the first round as a knockdown would put the former champion in danger. Haggerty took full advantage by rushing his foe, knocking him down again and then scoring a vicious knockout that left Nong-O slumped against the floor. The fight was waved off at 2:40 of the first round.

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The co-main event saw Halil Amir and Maurice Abevi face off in a battle between two undefeated mixed martial artists. It was Amir (9-0) that got off to a quick and aggressive start as he knocked his opponent down several times and went for a guillotine choke. Abevi (6-1) survived the initial onslaught and started to find more success on the feet as the fight continued. However, Amir would get a takedown and finish the fight by takin…

Sherdog's live Bellator 294 coverage will begin Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:The Official Result Cris Lencioni (152.4: Missed Weight) vs. Blake Smith (146.4: Missed Weight) Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores t…

Sherdog's live ONE on Prime Video 9 coverage kicks off Friday at 8 p.m. ET. Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 The Official Result

Weighing in at 2️⃣6️⃣2️⃣.5️⃣ 💪@RazorBlaydes265 makes his side official for Saturday night's main event #UFCVegas71 pic.twitter.com/EwhaXnKbny

— UFC (@ufc) April 21, 2023 Editor's note: The article has been updated at 3:10 p.m. ET on April 21 to reflect that William Gomis successfully returned to make weight.

The UFC Fight Night 222 card is set after the official weigh-ins took place today.

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship's latest UFC Apex offering is headlined by a marquee heavyweight fight between Sergei Pavlovich and Curtis Blaydes. As expected, neither man had trouble coming in under the 266-pound limit, as "Razor" checked in at 262.5 pounds while the Russian weighed 260.5 pounds.

One undercard fighter officially missed weight: Priscila Cachoeira, who came in four pounds over the flyweight limit at 130 pounds. As a result, her fight against Karine Silva has been canceled. Additionally, William Gomis initially …

Put another one together last night!!! @robwhittakermma @dricusduplessis #UFC290 pic.twitter.com/bczWzJo4b6

— danawhite (@danawhite) April 21, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship is going for broke with its yearly fight card at the end of International Fight Week.

The UFC announced on Friday a trio of matchups that will be taking place at UFC 290 on July 8. The promotion annually stages its International Fight Week in Las Vegas with fan events and various other competitions, with the pay-per-view on that Saturday. Thus far, two title fights are booked on the billing, and the main event is still not official. The promotion stated that on the card, Robert Whittaker (24-6) would be taking on Dricus Du Plessis (19-2) in a middleweight title eliminator, with the victor expected to face Israel Adesanya later that year in Sydney, Australia.

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“Bobby Knuckles” has been on an absolutely stellar run since his move to 185 pounds…

#Bellator295 update:

Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Ray Borg has been scrapped, Yancy Medeiros vs. Charlie Leary will now take place on the main card.

— Bellator Public Relations (@BellatorPR) April 21, 2023 Editor's note: The article has been updated at 5:10 p.m. ET on April 21 to add a statement from Borg's former management as well as a comment from Bellator head Scott Coker.

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Scheduling Ray Borg for a flyweight fight did not work out for Bellator MMA.

The promotion broke the news on Friday prior to the weigh-in ceremony that the 125-pound main card tilt between Borg (16-5) and Kyoji Horiguchi (31-5) was no longer happening at Bellator 295. Shortly after this came to light, MMA Fighting revealed that a Bellator official informed them it was due to “weight management issues” for Borg. As the fighters were set to hit the scale, an additional fight was canceled, per MMA Junkie, with Keoni Diggs (10-2) vs. Weber Almeida (7-1) fall…

Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight Juan Espino is deciding to hang up his gloves.

On Friday, Espino (10-2) announced on Instagram that he was retiring from active competition. The 42-year-old heavyweight from the Canary Islands of Spain will be leaving the promotion with three appearances inside the Octagon. Of note, he conquered the tournament from the 28th season of “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2018, eventually submitting Justin Frazier in the first round to secure the six-figure contract and trophy.

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“Well up to here. I RETIRE!!!,” Espino wrote on Instagram (via Google Translate). “An incredible journey to get to be among the best fighters in the world and I did it, maybe it wasn’t the way I wanted but the injuries left me no other option. I want to thank all the people who supported me in this adventure, UFC for giving me the opportunity and for all the sponsors who helped me, the coaches, training partners, teams, etc. I truly have a spec…