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

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

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

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

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

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

"I'm anxious. My f…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Find out how to get your tickets early ⤵️

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Incredible knockouts coming from the rookie and the vet 🔥@JimMiller_155 & Muhammad Naimov take home tonight's POTN honors 💸 #UFCVegas74 pic.twitter.com/kSrJ8Gmd5I

— UFC (@ufc) June 4, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship awarded four fighters performance bonuses following the UFC on ESPN 46 card.

Co-main event fighters Alex Caceres and Daniel Pineda each took home an additional $50,000 as they received fight of the night honors. The back-and-forth fight saw Caceres ultimately prevail, although both men had their moments through out. Thanks to the high pace that lasted the entire 15 minutes, both men received a bonus for their thrilling performance.

Two other fighters earned performance of the night bonuses with impressive knockout wins. Jim Miller scored the fastest knockout win of his career over late replacement Jesse Butler. A beautiful combination of punches from Miller slept Butler. Finally, Muhammadjon Naimov received $50…

Amir Albazi showed he was ready for the step up in competition.

The Iraqi flyweight won his sixth straight fight — including five in the Octagon — by taking a split-decision triumph over former interim title challenger Kai Kara-France in the UFC on ESPN 46 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Judges Sal D’Amato and Chris Lee scored the bout 48-47 for Albazi (17-1, 5-0 UFC), while Mike Bell submitted a 48-47 tally for Kara-France (24-11, 7-4 UFC).

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“I know it was a close fight. It’s not how I planned this fight to go, but it is what it is,” Albazi said. “I showed my guts.” Albazi was competitive throughout, but he did his most definitive work in Round 3, when he grounded Kara-France, logged more than three minutes of control time and drew a grimace from his opponent with a tight rear-naked choke attempt. Kara-France, meanwhile, appeared to have an edge on the feet, landing quick straight punching combinations while effectively ble…

Sherdog's live UFC on ESPN 46 coverage will begin Saturday at 6 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Grishin (-135), Lins (+115)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: Lacerda (-145), Blackshear (+125)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 …

Back and forth action through all three rounds 😤

Daniel Santos going home with a win! #UFCVegas74 pic.twitter.com/iMGVFPzlOs

— UFC (@ufc) June 4, 2023

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Daniel Santos made Johnny Munoz Jr. pay for his willingness to play guard.

Top control and ground-and-pound carried Santos to a unanimous decision victory over Munoz Jr. in their UFC on ESPN 46 clash at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday. All three judges scored the contest 29-27 in favor of the Chute Boxe Diego Lima member.

It was a rough outing for Munoz Jr., who weathered a pair of kicks to the groin — the second which led to a point deduction — and struggled to mount significant offense from his back. The former King of the Cage champion had his best moments in Round 1, when he landed a series of upkicks against Santos before briefly trapping his Brazilian foe in a triangle choke.

For the most part, however, Santos was comfortable working from top positio…

WOOOW!!! MAMED KHALIDOV!!!

He does it again!!! XTB #KSWColosseum2 pic.twitter.com/IIAZGTfZ8i

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) June 3, 2023

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In front of a fully-packed PGE Narodowy Arena in Krakow, Poland, KSW 83 "Colosseum 2" delivered a contender for the “Card of the Year” honors with entertaining battles, submissions, knockouts and last-minute drama.

The stacked card was headlined by the highly-anticipated rubber match between former two-division titleholder Mamed Khalidov and former middleweight champion Scott Askham. Khalidov dropped a unanimous decision in his first clash with Askham, but he rebounded with back-to-back knockout victories over his opponent — including on Saturday — to win the trilogy. Khalidov (37-8-2, 21-4-2 KSW) dominated the first stanza thanks to a well-timed takedown and ground position. Askham (19-6, 4-2 KSW) looked for scrambles but never seemed to control the fight’s direction.

The contestants spent muc…

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐅𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭.

🇵🇱 Khalidov vs. @scottaskham1 🇬🇧

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Their final chapter will be written on the biggest stage in MMA! XTB #KSWColosseum2 @ViaplaySportsUK | KSWTV | @viaplaypl pic.twitter.com/81Kc3ab4GT — KSW (@KSW_MMA) June 2, 2023 Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki's Colosseum 2 event is set, although it has one less title fight than initially planned.

The bantamweight title fight between Jakub Wiklacz and Werlleson Martins Ribeiro was scratched after Ribeiro failed to make weight. The challenger came in over 10 pounds heavy at 147.2 pounds. Wiklacz declined to face another opponent, and the fight was replaced with a last-minute fight between newcomers Sebastian Romanowski and Mariusz Joniak at a 163-pound catchweight.

The card will go ahead with its main event between Mamed Khalidov and Scott Askham, along with lightweight and middleweight title fights. The lightweight title fight will see Marian Ziolkow…

Kyle Driscoll needed to bounce back and did so in dominant fashion under the Cage Warriors Fighting Championship banner. The CW 155 main event did not even last a full round, as Driscoll (14-4, 2-1 CW) stopped James Lynch in less than four minutes on Friday at the Sycuan Casino Resort in San Diego.

𝗗𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗖𝗢𝗟𝗟 𝗗𝗢𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡! 😱

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He takes our #CW155 main event in the very first round with an incredible TKO win 👏 pic.twitter.com/ZDSiIIex49 — Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) June 3, 2023 Right out of the gate, Driscoll cut loose with powerful shots that forced his opponent to play self-preservation defense. Lynch (6-4, 4-3 CW) partially managed to intercept his counterpart’s strikes with hooks and some timid calf kicks, but he looked much slower than Driscoll. The key moment arrived with a right hand from Driscoll that impacted cleanly on Lynch’s chin, knocking him down. In a split second, Driscoll jumped into full-mount and landed hard g…

Our #UFCVegas74 main event is official ‼️@KaiKaraFrance weighs in at 125.5 💪

UFCVegas74 | Prelims 6pmET on ESPN+ | Main Card 9pmET on ESPN pic.twitter.com/DAaBM1OmNJ

— UFC (@ufc) June 2, 2023 After a rare week off, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to ESPN airwaves with an intriguing flyweight main attraction.

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Headlining UFC on ESPN 46 is a 125-pound fight between contenders Kai Kara-France and Amir Albazi. Both flyweights successfully made weight for what is the first UFC main event for both. The rest of the card also all made weight.

The main event showcase comes after Kara-France (24-10, 1 NC) came up short in an interim title fight against Brandon Moreno. "Don't Blink" ultimately succumbed to a body kick and punches in Round 3. Despite the setback, the 30-year-old will look to show that he still has plenty left in the tank. The New Zealand fighter officially weighed 125.5 pounds.

This marks the bi…

[embedded content] A fighter from the early days of the Ultimate Fighting Championship wants to face another elder statesman…with a catch.

MMA legend Mark Coleman, at the age of 58, has started training again and is actively cornering fighters. Perhaps to get his name out again or because he felt the itch of competition again, Coleman called out Conor McGregor for a bare-knuckle boxing fight. McGregor famously appeared at BKFC 41, at the conclusion of the event helmed by Mike Perry vs. Luke Rockhold, where he entered the ring and even faced off against the victor. Count former rival, Carlos Barreto, who currently commentates on UFC Fight Pass for Brazilian broadcasts, against that idea.

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“Coleman is one of the biggest legends of our sport,” Barreto stated on his YouTube show “Papo de Luta.” “He passed through a very difficult time lately and showed his big heart overcoming alcoholism and also a heart attack. He was giving a great example to everybody […

An all-Brazil strawweight battle is headed towards a Ultimate Fighting Championship card in the late summer.

First reported by MMA Fighting on Friday morning, the promotion has put together a strawweight tilt between Polyana Viana (13-5) and Iasmin Lucindo (14-5). The two will toe the line at a currently unnumbered UFC on ESPN card on Aug. 12. The fight will take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and it has been confirmed by Lucindo on her Instagram.

Since starting off her UFC tenure at 1-3, Viana has turned things around, going 3-1 in her last four dating back to 2020. After the trio of defeats to J.J. Aldrich, Hannah Cifers and Veronica Hardy, Viana bounced back by finishing the likes of Emily Whitmire, Mallory Martin and Jinh Yu Frey, all in the opening round. Along the way, her lone loss came to Tabatha Ricci by decision. In her pro career dating back to 2013, “Dama de Ferro” has secured all 13 of her wins by stoppage, with all but one coming in Round 1.

Read more about Polyana Viana-Iasmin Lucindo Match Added to Aug. 12 UFC on ESPN Show

Two pure finishers will collide at the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s upcoming trip to Boston.

Per Andre Petroski’s (9-1) Instagram page on Friday, he has announced he will be competing in New England this August. At UFC 292 inside of the TD Garden in Boston, the “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 29 competitor will be squaring off with Gerald Meerschaert (35-16). The two will be toeing the line at middleweight on Aug. 19, and they combine for 41 finishes in their 44 pro victories.

On the 29th season of TUF, Petroski reached the semifinals only to fall short to eventual victor Bryan Battle. Since then, the New Jersey native has rattled off four straight wins in the UFC, including three inside the distance. Most recently, Petroski topped Wellington Turman on the scorecards, ending his stretch of three straight stoppages. Before the Turman fight, Petroski had dispatched fellow TUF 29 castmate Micheal Gillmore, Yaozong Hu and Nick Maximov in the span of less than nine mo…

The “Pitbull” brothers of Bellator MMA may be considering a four-division championship reign.

Entering the lightweight grand prix, ex-champ Patricky Freire had goals of winning his title back. In November 2022, Freire surrendered his throne to the unbeaten Usman Nurmagomedov, who handled him on the scorecards at Bellator 288. The Brazilian joined the 155-pound tournament, and found himself matched against former featherweight titleholder A.J. McKee. The two will be competing at the co-promoted Bellator vs. Rizin Fighting Federation event on July 30 in Saitama, Japan. The two leagues will run an event that will feature both a ring and a cage, and McKee vs. Freire will be held inside of a cage under the Unified Rules of MMA. Freire spoke to Sherdog about his upcoming fight as well as his brother’s, Patricio Freire.

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“Fighting in Japan again will be great, unfortunately Rizin rules will not be allowed,” Freire relayed with disappointment. “I would love to…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has booked a headliner for a show five months from now.

The UFC will be returning to Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Nov. 4 for a UFC Fight Night offering. The event, which will likely be held inside of the Ibirapuera Gymnasium, will feature a heavyweight main attraction of Curtis Blaydes (17-4, 1 NC) vs. Jailton Almeida (19-2). This fight and location were first reported by MMA Junkie on Thursday, and it was subsequently confirmed by other outlets. This would be the UFC’s first jaunt to the largest city in Brazil since UFC Fight Night 164 in November 2019.

Elevation Fight Team product Blaydes last competed in April, where he squared off against Sergei Pavlovich in a likely title eliminator match. Blaydes suffered a first-round knockout at the hands of the Russian, thereby halting a three-fight win streak Blaydes had amassed. In late 2021, Blaydes topped Jairzinho Rozenstruik on the scorecards, and “Razor” had a successful 2022 campaign by e…

Two of the heftier ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweights will slug it out in a month.

MMA Junkie broke the matchup news on Thursday that Alexander Romanov (16-2) and Blagoy Ivanov (19-5) will be meeting on July 1. The heavyweight clash, taking place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, will like serve as part of UFC on ESPN 48’s main card. The fight was confirmed shortly after its announcement by Romanov on Instagram.

Moldova’s Romanov has seen better days of late, as he is currently riding the only losing streak of his career. In August 2022, Romanov threw down with Marcin Tybura, and he dropped a majority verdict. A rebound effort against higher-ranked Alexander Volkov in March did not go his way either, as the Russian punched him out in a little over two minutes. Those losses ended a triumphant opening to his career, where he won 16 fights and never heard the final bell. Along that run, one that included five wins in the UFC, “King Kong” had never needed mo…

🚨🚨BREAKING🚨🚨

Jesse Butler steps in on short notice to take on Jim Miller this Saturday at #UFCVegas74 in Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/HcGfwwi8X4

— Marcel Dorff 🇳🇱🇮🇩 (@BigMarcel24) June 1, 2023 The gap in Octagon experience for this short-notice Ultimate Fighting Championship match will be historic.

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Earlier in May, Jim Miller (35-17, 1 NC) was slated to face Ludovit Klein at UFC on ESPN 46. A few weeks before the match, Jared Gordon stepped in to replace Klein against Miller. On Thursday, news broke from Fight Bananas that Gordon was forced out of the fight that will be happening on Saturday. The promotion cobbled together another replacement option, per Eurosport NL, and Miller will now be squaring off with newcomer Jesse Butler (12-4) on June 3 at the UFC Apex. The lightweight pairing has been confirmed by Butler on Twitter shortly after its announcement.

Miller is still aiming to rebound from his first loss in a few …

Our #CW155 San Diego main event is 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟! ⚖️

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) June 1, 2023 Cage Warriors Fighting Championship makes its return to San Diego, where 21 of the 22 athletes successfully made weight.

Headlining CW 155 is a lightweight fight between James Lynch and Kyle Driscoll. Ever the professionals, both men hit their proper marks. As for the rest of the card, one preliminary headlining participant was the lone competitor to miss on the scales. Ahead of his bantamweight clash with James Settle (135.6), Frans Linsol Sormin (136.4) checked in .4 pounds over the limit, and he has been fined a percentage of his purse.

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Lynch (6-3) recently rebounded from a knockout loss to Erick Sanchez by winning a decision over Georgii Eivas. "Jamey" has won three out of his last four and is 3-2 inside the promotion overall. Lynch weighed 155.9 for the main event.

Meanwhile, Driscoll had an eight-fight win streak snapp…