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A bantamweight title bout pitting reigning champ Aljamain Sterling against Henry Cejudo has been targeted for UFC 288 on May 6.

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Multiple outlets confirmed the booking after Sterling announced it on his podcast. The May 6 date hasn’t been officially announced by the promotion, but it is expected to be a pay-per-view event. Sterling and Cejudo were initially rumored to meet earlier this year, but “The Funkmaster” revealed that he would need more time to heal from a torn bicep, putting that timeline on hold. UFC 288 doesn’t have a location or venue.

“I can’t wait for this matchup, because I think that it’s two guys that won’t back down, and I think the wrestling might cancel each other out – we will see if I’m able to rag-doll him,” Sterling said on Monday. “We’re going to figure it out in the first five minutes, and from there, we’ll figure out if we want to waste a ton of energy grappling, or do we want to put these [our fists] to the test and show…

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Jeff Novitzky is on board with the Combat Sports Commission of Western Australia’s statement that there is no evidence of illegal IV use regarding the athletes who competed at UFC 284.

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Shortly after Islam Makhachev defeated Alexander Volkanovski in the UFC 284 headliner, Volkanovski’s teammate, Dan Hooker, accused the lightweight champion of illegal IV use on social media. The allegation was later refuted by Makhachev’s manager in a statement, but the controversy continued unitl it was addressed by the Australian commission. In an interview with UFC commentator Brendan Fitzgerald, Novitzky, the UFC senior vice president of athlete health and performance, revealed that athletic commission’s rules regarding IV use differ from USADA’s. With that in mind, if the Combat Sports Commission of Western Australia says there’s no evidence of any wrongdoing, Novitzky is quite confident that Makhachev is in the clear.

“I think the Australian …

Tanner Boser will move to 205 pounds for a matchup with Ion Cutelaba at UFC Fight Night on April 15.

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Both fighters confirmed the booking on social media following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. UFC Fight Night takes place at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Kan., and is headlined by a featherweight scrap pitting Max Holloway against Arnold Allen.

Boser has gone 4-4 in the Octagon as a relatively undersized heavyweight. The 31-year-old Canadian has lost three of his last four outings, including a split-decision defeat to Rodrigo Nascimento in his most recent appearance at UFC Fight Night 210 this past September.

Cutelaba has struggled in recent years, compiling a 1-5-1 mark in the Las Vegas-based promotion since 2020. “The Hulk” is coming off an 0-3 campaign in 2022 in which he was finished by Kennedy Nzechukwu, Johnny Walker and Ryan Spann.

Lina Lansberg is calling it a career after 18 professional fights.

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“The Elbow Queen” announced her decision via social media following a second-round submission defeat to Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC Fight Night 219 on Saturday. Lansberg went 10-8 over the course of a career that began in 2012.

“Thank you so much for all the love and support. This has been a hell of a ride and to start fighting is the best thing I’ve ever done,” she wrote. “It has given me so so much. But now it’s time to move on. I’m done.”

Lansberg began her MMA tenure with victories in six of her first seven outings. She debuted in the Octagon with a second-round TKO loss to Cristiane Justino in a 140-pound catchweight bout in the UFC Fight Night 95 main event. The Swede would post a 5-7 record in the Las Vegas-based promotion, earning wins over the likes of Lucie Pudilova, Tonya Evinger and Macy Chiasson. The 40-year-old Redline Training Center product exits the sport on a fo…

William Knight’s performance at UFC Fight Night 219 was memorable for all the wrong reasons.

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The heavily-muscled light heavyweight attempted just 33 significant strikes — landing eight — while being picked apart at range by Marcin Prachnio in a unanimous decision defeat on Saturday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. For the majority of the bout, Knight was simply unwilling to engage, and that allowed Prachnio to control the distance, most notably with a steady diet of low kicks.

After the loss, Knight reacted to the fight in a video on his Instagram account. He didn’t offer any excuses for an effort that resulted in his third consecutive UFC defeat.

“At the end of the day, I went out there, froze up, I didn’t do my part, I lost the fight,” Knight said. “Some of y’all want me to win, some of y’all bet on me, I understand. I completely get it. In life, human beings aren’t perfect, but I’m taking ownership of my actions because I didn’t do s—t. I…

Erin Blanchfield made the most of her in-cage interview time following her victory over Jessica Andrade at UFC Fight Night 219.

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It wasn’t something that just happened in the heat of the moment. Instead, her call for the next flyweight title shot was by design.

“I always try to think of what I want to say after a win because it can be very emotional and it can be a little cloudy but I knew beating someone like her, especially if I finished her, that I could deserve that title next,” Blanchfield said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference.

With that in mind, Blanchfield figures to be an interested observer when Valentina Shevchenko defends her 125-pound belt against Alexa Grasso in the UFC 285 co-main event on March 4. Shevchenko has dominated the flyweight division and, along with Amanda Nunes, has ranked as one of the sport’s top pound-for-pound females for the past few years. That makes her the more attractive potential opponent for Blanc…

Erin Blanchfield’s time may have arrived sooner than expected.

The 23-year-old Elmwood Park, N.J., native earned a signature victory, as she submitted former strawweight queen Jessica Andrade (24-10, 15-8 UFC) in the UFC Fight Night 219 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Blanchfield (11-1, 5-0 UFC) locked in a rear-naked choke to force the tapout 1:37 into Round 2. “Cold Blooded” has won five straight fights in the UFC at 125 pounds, tying her for the second-longest active winning streak in the division. Now she has her sights set on capturing flyweight gold.

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“Give me the winner of Shevchenko vs. Grasso next,” Blanchfield said. “I’m going to win the title and become UFC champion.”

Blanchfield never appeared out of her depth against Andrade, who replaced original opponent Taila Santos on short notice. The Brazilian blitzed forward with her trademark barrage of power punches, but Blanchfield kept her composure and fired back wit…

Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 219 coverage will begin Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Carpenter (-280), Ronderos (+235)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Fletcher (-255), Gorimbo (+215)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Jack Dankoff scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT |…

A cut above Evan Elder's eye results in a TKO victory via Doctor's Stoppage #UFCVegas69 pic.twitter.com/MIK4Ien0Jr

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 19, 2023

An accidental clash of heads propelled Nazim Sadykhov to his first UFC triumph at the expense of Evan Elder.

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The Longo and Weidman MMA representative defeated Elder via doctor stoppage in their preliminary lightweight bout at UFC Fight Night 219 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. A cageside physician quickly waved off the contest 38 seconds into Round 3 due to Elder suffering a nasty cut above his right eye. The wound initially appeared to be a result of a knee from Sadykhov (8-1, 1-0 UFC) that landed directly on the eyebrow of his opponent, but the victor later revealed it occurred to due a clash of heads. Prior to the stoppage, Sadykhov and Elder (7-2, 0-2 UFC) engaged in a back-and-forth battle on the feet that saw both men land plenty of damaging offe…

These two are walking away with a little more than just a victory tonight 🤑

Congrats to @Blanchfield_MMA & @MayraSheetara! #UFCVegas69 pic.twitter.com/6HWkW2lg6Y

— UFC (@ufc) February 19, 2023

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UFC Fight Night 219 was a mixed bag of exciting finishes and clinch-heavy decisions.

The preliminary card started off with a bang as five out of the six bouts ended before the final bell. This included a back-and-forth battle between lightweights Nazim Sadykhov and Evan Elder, which resulted in a doctor’s stoppage victory after a fight-ending cut opened on the right eyebrow of Elder; the fight was awarded “Fight of the Night.” The prelims also featured a stunning kneebar submission by Mayra Bueno Silva, who was awarded “Performance of the Night” for her finish of Lina Lansberg.

The main card, however, saw four out of the five fights go the distance, in what each could be described as uneventful. The exception was the…

And just like that, your main event is LOCKED IN 🔒@JessicaMMAPro in at 124 for #UFCVegas69!

[ Tomorrow | Main Card 7pmET on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/KJIQEuwmD6

— UFC (@ufc) February 17, 2023 After a trip to Australia, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Las Vegas and the UFC Apex for UFC Fight Night 219.

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The 11-fight card features Jessica Andrade taking on Erin Blanchfield on short notice after Taila Santos withdrew from the headliner. Despite coming in as a replacement, Andrade (24-9) is no stranger to main events, and the former strawweight champion successfully checked in at 124 pounds for the flyweight bout. Blanchfield (10-1) also made weight for her first marquee matchup, coming in at 125.5 pounds. Every other fighters on the card hit their successful marks for a smooth weigh-in day.

While the best performances from "Bate Estaca" have come at strawweight, Andrade has recently excelled in the 125-p…

It seems the third time was a charm for Elvin Espinoza.

And just like that, the Professional Fighters League has a new lightweight prospect as the Nicaraguan won for the third time in as many tries in the PFL. After previously winning “showcase” bouts during the 2021 and 2022 PFL Playoffs, Espinoza punched his ticket to the major leagues with an impressive Round 2 submission of Damir Ferhatbegovic at PFL Challenger Series 4. Still unblemished at 8-0, Espinoza took the first frame on all three unofficial Sherdog score cards and then put a stamp on his performance by making Ferhatbegovic (6-3-1), who missed weight Thursday, tap to a tight rear-naked choke at the 1:53 mark.

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Former Ultimate Fighting Championship divisional rulers Tyron Woodley and Vitor Belfort were joined by 2014 NBA rookie of the year Michael Carter-Williams as celebrity judges for the event. Both the celeb panel and online fan vote handed the contract to Espinoza, who is expected t…

Sherdog's live PFL Challenger Series 4 coverage kicks off Friday at 9 p.m. ET. The action will be broadcast live and free on fuboTV. Round 1 Kicking off the PFL Challenger Series 4 card which features lightweights, Charles Decca (4-2-1) battles Jose Aguayo (5-2). Referee Josh Rutgers will work the first fight of the night. Aguayo has a weird stance from which he throws an overhand right and it knocks Decca down, though it's mostly from him being off-balance. Decca tries to get it back with his own punches, but Aguayo dodges. Decca does score with a leg kick though and Aguayo appears a little hurt. Decca scores another one. They clinch and Aguayo tosses Decca into the cage. They resume in the center of the cage and Decca lands a fancy switch kick to Aguayo's head. He then lands another leg kick and clinches, getting an easy pick-up and slam. Decca is now in the half-guard, throwing the occasional left hand. After a while, he starts scoring with right hands to the body, though…

Media Day. Official Weigh Ins. ✅1⃣More Sleep8⃣ Lightweights fight for a life changing opportunityA PFL Contract ✍️

Fights are 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 & 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 on @fuboSports

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[ #PFLonFubo | Lightweights | Fri, Feb 17th | 9pm] pic.twitter.com/VIA0mm07SP — PFL (@PFLMMA) February 16, 2023 The latest Professional Fighters League Challenger Series show will feature eight fighters in the lightweight division, although only seven made weight.

PFL Challenger Series Week 4 headliner Damir Ferhatbegovic failed to hit the 156-pound limit for his bout against Elvin Espinoza. "The Bosnian Barn Cat" came in at 157.2 pounds, or 1.2 pounds above the cap. The fight will move forward at a 158-pound catchweight, with Ferhatbegovic receiving a fine of a percentage of his purse.

Ferhatbegovic (6-2-1) hasn't been defeated since 2017, coming into this meeting with three wins and a draw since getting submitted by Jonathan Pearce. His last performance …

The card for Professional Fighters League’s first event of 2023 is nearly complete.

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The organization on Thursday announced the full main card — and the vast majority of the prelims — for PFL 1, which takes place on April 1 at the Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas and features featherweights and light heavyweights. As previously reported, a featherweight showdown between Brendan Loughnane and Marlon Moraes will serve as the evening’s main event, while a light heavyweight clash pitting Rob Wilkinson against Thiago Santos is set for the co-headliner.

Three other bouts will complete the main draw: Movlid Khaybulaev vs. Ryoji Kudo at featherweight; Chris Wade vs. Bubba Jenkins at featherweight and Omari Akhmedov vs. Will Fleury at light heavyweight. The main card will air on ESPN in primetime.

Meanwhile, three preliminary matchups were also confirmed: Marthin Hamlet vs. Mohammad Fakhreddine at light heavyweight; Joshua Silveira vs. Sam Kei at li…

A middleweight duel pitting Caio Borralho against Michal Oleksiejczuk is on tap for UFC Fight Night on April 29.

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Borralho confirmed the booking on social media following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. The UFC Fight Night event doesn’t yet have a location or headliner.

After earning a pair of victories on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021, Borralho is 3-0 in the UFC. Most recently, the 30-year-old Brazilian outpointed Makhmud Muradov at UFC 280 to run his career mark to 13-1.

Oleksiejczuk, meanwhile, has been victorious in four of his last five promotional outings. The 27-year-old Pole is coming off back-to-back first-round KO/TKO victories against Sam Alvey and Cody Brundage.

Alessio Sakara is the latest MMA veteran to go the bareknuckle boxing route, as the Italian fighter has signed a multi-fight contract with BKFC.

The organization announced the deal on Wednesday. A date and opponent for Sakara’s BKFC debut is currently unknown.

Sakara, 41, hasn’t competed in MMA since earning a 23-second technical knockout victory against Canaan Grigsby at Bellator 230 on Oct. 12, 2019. He was supposed to fight at Bellator Milan in October 2020 but was forced to withdraw from the card due to injury. According to MMAjunkie.com, Sakara remains under contract with Bellator but has been granted permission to fight in BKFC.

“Legionarius” has compiled a 21-13 mark in MMA while competing for Bellator and the UFC. He has finished 15 of those triumphs by knockout or technical knockout. Sakara also owns an 8-1 record as a professional boxer but has not competed in the sport since 2009.

A new challenger has arrived! pic.tw…

UFC flyweight Carlos Mota has been suspended for two years by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for a failed drug test.

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Mota tested positive for meldonium in relation to an Oct. 29 bout against Cody Durden at UFC Fight Night 213, which he lost via unanimous decision. According to USADA, meldonium is classified as a metabolic modulator and “may increase endurance, improve rehabilitation following exercise, and enhance activations of the central nervous system” in athletic competition.

Mota was fined $2,400 and must also pay $448.25 in legal fees. He will not be eligible to compete until Oct. 29, 2024.

A former Legacy Fighting flyweight champion, Mota accepted the bout against Durden on short notice. He owns an 8-2 career mark that also includes a stint in the Shooto Brazil organization.

Sara McMann will make her promotional debut against Arlene Blencowe in a featherweight bout at Bellator 294.

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The promotion confirmed the pairing on Wednesday. Also announced was a heavyweight showdown pitting Tim Johnson against Said Sowma. Both McMann vs. Blencowe and Johnson vs. Sowma are slated for the evening’s main card, which airs on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Bellator 294 takes place on April 21 at the Neil S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii, and is headlined by a flyweight title tilt between Liz Carmouche and DeAnna Bennett.

After competing as a bantamweight during a 13-bout UFC tenure, McMann is set to make her 145-pound debut against Blencowe. The Olympic silver medalist last competed at UFC on ESPN 33, where she captured a unanimous decision against Karol Rosa.

Blencowe is a two-time featherweight title challenger under the Bellator banner but has come up short on both occasions against reigning champ Cristiane Justino.…

Marc Goddard will be the third man in the cage when Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane square off for the vacant heavyweight crown in the UFC 285 main event.

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The Nevada State Athletic Commission selected the referees and judges for the two title bouts atop the UFC 285 bill during a meeting on Wednesday. Mike Bell, Sal D’Amato and Ron McCarthy will score Jones vs. Gane from cageside.

Interestingly enough, it will be the first time Goddard has officiated a bout involving Jones, who was last seen defending his light heavyweight belt in a unanimous decision triumph against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 in February 2020. Goddard was in the cage, however, for Gane’s last Octagon appearance, a third-round KO of Tai Tuivasa at UFC Fight Night 209 this past September.

Meanwhile, Jason Herzog will officiate the flyweight title clash between Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso in the co-main event. Ben Cartlidge, Derek Cleary and Chris Lee will serve as judges for …

[embedded content] Not much has gone according to plan for Philipe Lins since he made his way to the Ultimate Fighting Championship with a Professional Fighters League title in tow on May 13, 2020. In the more than 600 days that have elapsed since, he has competed just three times while watching no fewer than nine scheduled bouts evaporate for various reasons.

“After so many cancellations, I jokingly say that my nickname changed from ‘Monstro’ to ‘Drama Fighter,’” Lins told Sherdog.com. “Some of the cancellations were due to my injuries. On other occasions, my opponents got hurt; and sometimes, there were personal problems. In the end, the most important thing is that I’m back to work.”

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Lins will draw his first assignment of 2023 when he collides with Ovince St. Preux as part of the UFC Fight Night 219 undercard this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. St. Preux has lost six of his past 10 bouts but remains a viable threat at 205 pounds. The 39-…

For the second year in a row, Bellator MMA will hold an April doubleheader in Hawaii.

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The California-based promotion revealed to Hawaiian news outlet KHON2 that Bellator 294 and Bellator 295 will take place at the Neil S. Blasdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, on April 21 and April 22, respectively. Bellator 294 is headlined by a flyweight title bout between Liz Carmouche and DeAnna Bennett, while Bellator 295 features the bantamweight grand prix final pitting Raufeon Stots against Patrick Mix.

Carmouche is 5-0 since leaving the UFC to sign with Bellator. “Girl-Rilla” claimed flyweight gold with a fourth-round stoppage of Velasquez at Bellator 278 and defended the crown with a second-round submission of Velasquez in a rematch at Bellator 289 this past December. She defeated Bennett via third-round submission in her promotional debut at Bellator 246.

Bennett will enter the matchup with Carmouche on a three-bout winning streak that includes deci…

Mateusz Gamrot will replace the injured Dan Hooker and face Jalin Turner at UFC 285.

Multiple outlets confirmed the new lightweight pairing following an initial report from Fansided. Hooker was forced to withdraw from the contest after suffering a broken hand. UFC 285 takes place on March 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a heavyweight title clash between Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane.

Gamrot had a four-bout winning streak snapped in his last Octagon appearance, as he fell to Beneil Dariush via unanimous decision at UFC 280 this past October. Prior to that defeat, the former KSW champ had bested Scott Holtzman, Jeremy Stephens, Diego Ferreira and Arman Tsarukyan in succession.

Turner, meanwhile, is currently in the midst of a five-fight finishing streak in UFC competition. In his last outing, “The Tarantula” submitted Brad Riddell in just 45 seconds at UFC 276.