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After a fight week full of bad blood, Merab Dvalishvili got the last laugh.

The Serra Longo Fight Team product relied on relentless pressure and the constant threat of the takedown to wear down Petr Yan and capture a unanimous decision triumph in the UFC Fight Night 221 headliner at the Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, Nev., on Saturday night. Dvalishvili (16-4, 9-2 UFC) received a trio of 50-45 tallies from the cageside judges to secure his ninth straight victory in the Octagon.

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While Dvalishvili didn’t come close to landing all of his takedown attempts, the constant threat of his wrestling created openings for “The Machine” to succeed in other aspects of the bout. That was especially evident on the feet, as Dvalishvili attacked with punching combinations, standing elbows and kicks to various levels. Most notably, a calf kick from the Georgian seemed to compromise Yan’s left leg in the second stanza, and the Russian was often forced to switch …

Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 221 coverage will begin Saturday at 3 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Harris (-300), Gooden (+250)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: Silva (-195), Nam (+165)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 …

Davey Grant with the reverse triangle submission 😱 #UFCLasVegas pic.twitter.com/XIPSrJ5Ab8

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 11, 2023

Davey Grant showed a flair for the dramatic at UFC Fight Night 221.

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“The Ultimate Fighter 18” alum rallied for a third-round submission victory over Raphael Assuncao in their preliminary bantamweight clash at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, Nev., on Saturday. The 37-year-old Englishman used an inverted triangle choke to render Assuncao (28-10, 12-7 UFC) unconsicous at the 4:43 mark of Round 3. Assuncao, who has lost five of his last six Octagon appearances, left his gloves in the center of the cage and announced his retirement following the defeat. Assuncao blended grappling with smart counterstriking to rack up an early lead on the scorecards, but action really picked up in the final stanza. Grant (15-6, 6-5 UFC) stumbled Assuncao with a right hand early on, a blow that seemed to s…

Benson Henderson called it a career on Friday night, laying his gloves in the cage following a first-round submission loss to Usman Nurmagomedov in the Bellator 292 main event.

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“These last four fights I signed with Bellator, I told myself that if I lose at all any of these last four fights, then it’s about that time,” Henderson said in the cage immediately after the bout.

“I’ve had a nice, long run. I’ve done a lot of great things and was able to do a lot of amazing accomplishments, and thank you to everybody around the world. Thank you guys for your love and support, I appreciate that.”

The 39-year-old former UFC and WEC lightweight champion further elaborated on his decision at the Bellator 292 post-fight press conference. He said that while he’ll still be involved with the sport, the focus will be on his wife’s fighting career. Maria Henderson is scheduled to make her second pro appearance against Mackenzie Stiller at Bellator 293 on Marc…

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A documentary starring inaugural UFC women’s flyweight champion Nicco Montano is now available for viewing on multiple platforms.

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The film, which is entitled "Warrior Spirit," is directed by Landon Dyksterhouse and focuses on the dangers of extreme weight cutting in the UFC. The documentary was featured in a segment on “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.” It was also an official DOC NYC selection and was recognized as the ImagineNative “Best Doc Feature.”

“Warrior Spirit” followed Montano as she prepared for her scheduled title defense against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 228. Montano’s difficulty with her weight cut led to her being hospitalized and as a result, the fight was canceled and she was stripped of her belt.

The film also examines issues such as fighter pay, insurance and unionization and includes appearances from Ariel Helwani, Justin Gaethje, Tim Means and Dana White. It is available to rent or buy on the following …

Usman Nurmagomedov could not have been more imposing in starting his run in the Bellator MMA lightweight grand prix.

The undefeated American Kickboxing Academy standout retained his undisputed lightweight championship and did so in spectacular fashion, as he submitted Benson Henderson with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their Bellator 292 headliner on Friday at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. Henderson (30-12, 7-7 Bellator) raised the white flag of surrender 2:37 into Round 1, as he was submitted for the first time since 2013. Afterward, the 39-year-old MMA Lab cornerstone announced his retirement from mixed martial arts.

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Nurmagomedov (17-0, 6-0 Bellator) decked the former Ultimate Fighting Championship and World Extreme Cagefighting titleholder with an exquisite question mark kick inside the first minute. He then pounced with punches, attached himself to the dazed Henderson’s back and continued to apply his ground-and-pound whi…

In what ultimately turned into a battle of the highlights, light heavyweight Impa Kasanganay secured himself a Professional Fighters League contract during PFL Challenger Series 2023 Week 7 on Friday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.

Kasanganay (11-3) closed the show with a devastating first-round knockout of Osama ElSeady in the final bout of the four-fight card on FuboTV. ElSeady (8-3) and Kasanganay traded blows early in the round before the former’s gas tank depleted. The 29-year-old fighting out of Charlotte walked ElSeady across the cage before knocking him out cold with 45 seconds left in the opening frame.

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Kasanganay won his second consecutive fight and secured the contract, but it’s debatable that he won the night.

In the fight prior, Taylor Johnson buried Trey Williams with an overhand right from the underworld in round 1.

Johnson ate several crisp shots before eventually timing Williams with an overhand right to the temple. …

Sherdog's live Bellator 292 coverage will begin Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round: The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the…

Sherdog's live PFL Challenger Series 7 coverage kicks off Friday at 9 p.m. ET. The action will be broadcast live and free on fuboTV. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Lev Pisarsky scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:

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

First to the scale this morning!@PetrYanUFC in at 136lbs for tomorrow's #UFCLasVegas main event 💪 pic.twitter.com/J21q00CqTk

— UFC (@ufc) March 10, 2023 Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight Ricardo Ramos seems to have forgotten his weight class.

Headlining UFC Fight Night 221 is a top contender match between former 135-pound titleholder Petr Yan and the surging Merab Dvalishvili. Both main event fighters made weight for their five-round affair, although a few members of the undercard weren't entirely as professional.

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Notably, Ramos and Jared Gooden checked in nowhere close to their weight limits for their respective fights. Ramos came in eight pounds overweight at 154 pounds for his featherweight scrap against Austin Lingo. Meanwhile, late replacement Gooden hit the scales at 177 pounds for his welterweight fight against Carlston Harris, or six pounds above the non-title cap. Ramos vs. Lingo has since been canc…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Middleweight Sedriques Dumas will carry a 7-0 professional mixed martial arts record into his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut on Saturday in Las Vegas, where he clashes with Josh Fremd at UFC Fight Night 221. The 27-year-old Floridian signed with the UFC in 2022 after a 47-second submission win over Matej Penaz on Dana White’s Contender Series.

Dumas’ fight in front of UFC President Dana White took place on Aug. 30, less than two months after a previously unreported altercation involving the fighter spilled out of the Seville Quarter—a bar in Pensacola, Florida. According to a Pensacola Police Department report filed on July 3, which was obtained by Sherdog.com, Dumas allegedly struck Alyssa Lewis, a 21-year-old woman, in the face during an incident that unfolded across several blocks of downtown Pensacola.

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The case was closed days later without arrests being made. However, eyewitness acc…

𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭! 🔥@Usmannmgdv (154.8) and @BensonHenderson (154.6) have weighed in ahead of the #BellatorLWGP. #Bellator292 pic.twitter.com/MTUwwlxz3h

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) March 9, 2023 The Bellator MMA lightweight championship will be on the line as the undefeated Usman Nurmagomedov takes on former UFC champion Benson Henderson in the Bellator 292 main event.

The weigh-ins were relatively drama free as Nurmagomedov and "Smooth" both had no issue making weight. Only one fighter had trouble making weight, but they certainly made it count. Would-be bantamweight Cass Bell came in an entire division over, as he weighed 145.2 pounds for his fight against Josh Hill. The fight will continue with Bell being fined half of his purse.

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Nurmagomedov (16-0) is coming off an impressive title win over Patricky Freire in his last outing. After picking up a dominant unanimous decision victory, he'll look to take on a toug…

Weighed In and Ready ✅

Week 7⃣Light Heavyweights are ready to put on a show for a PFL contract!

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Fights are 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 & 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 on @fuboSports

[ #PFLonFubo | Light Heavyweights | Fri, March 10th | 9pm ET] pic.twitter.com/kPogNt5NRY

— PFL (@PFLMMA) March 9, 2023 This week's Professional Fighters League Challenger Series event will feature eight fighters in the light heavyweight division.

All PFL Challenger Series Week 7 fighters made weight for the four-fight card. Headlining the card will be a fight between UFC veteran Impa Kasanganay and Osama ElSeady.

Since being released from the UFC after going 2-2, Kasanganay (10-3) has had mixed results. After suffering a split decision defeat to Raimond Magomedaliev, "Tshilobo" bounced back with a TKO win over Jared Gooden. Now the 29-year-old will look to secure a PFL contract against Egypt's ElSeady, who posts an 8-2 professional record. The Brave Combat Federation v…

Even ex-Ultimate Fighting Championship title challenger Thiago Santos was surprised at how easy Jon Jones’ win was at UFC 285.

Ahead of Jones’ heavyweight championship encounter with Ciryl Gane, Jones invoked Santos’ name when discussing his former opponents. When Jones suggested Santos was arguably his toughest test, Santos replied positively about their five-round battle UFC 239 in 2019. Telling Sherdog about his expectations about Jones’ performance, Santos believed Jones would prevail. What he did not expect was the speed in which "Bones" did it, and he spoke again with Sherdog following the event.

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“When Gane said he was lazy to train wrestling out of camp, I thought it was like a trap for Jones. But in the fight, we found out that it was true, and thanks to that JJ made it look so easy, which brightened [his win even more],” Santos remarked.

While Jones was able to handle Gane thanks to superior wrestling, “Marreta” believes that Jones’ next o…

𝐀𝐓𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐀! Get Ready! PFL returns to the @OvertimeElite Arena! #2023PFL4: June 8th#2023PFL5: June 16th#2023PFL6: June 23rd pic.twitter.com/2nm9anlZ0M

— PFL (@PFLMMA) March 9, 2023 The Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta will serve as the stage for the latter half of Professional Fighters League’s 2023 season.

A press release from the PFL on Thursday indicated that the promotion would be returning to the 1,300-seat arena to run three events this June. The organization, which has its regular season kicking off on April 1 in Las Vegas, will be holding three events at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in that city, and then turns to Atlanta in June. The events are slated to go down on June 8, June 16 and June 23, and the PFL would then move towards its playoffs that will likely take place in August or September. This venue played host to the second half of PFL’s 2022 regular season as well.

The first of three fight cards in this building will be PFL 4…

Fighting for the first time since his release by the Ultimate Fighting Championship last year, Mark Striegl’s quest for redemption will pick up where his Octagon journey began.

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According to a source with knowledge of the matchup, the 34-year-old Filipino will take on Italy’s Walter Cogliandro in a 150-pound catchweight bout at UAE Warriors 39 on March 18 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The source asked to remain anonymous since the fight has yet to be announced officially.

Former Universal Reality Combat Championship titleholder Striegl (18-4, 1 NC) joined the UFC in 2020 after compiling a four-fight win streak with one no contest. His debut, at UFC Fight Night 180 in Abu Dhabi’s Flash Forum, nicknamed “Fight Island” by the promotion, ended in a knockout loss to Said Nurmagomedov. His second UFC appearance, at UFC Fight Night 201 last February, saw him lose to Chas Skelly in similar fashion, leading to his release in May.

SBG Ireland representa…

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?? PUDZIANOWSKI ??? ARTUR SZPILKA ?

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XTB #KSWColosseum2 | @eBiletPL pic.twitter.com/PG5GnCjplK — KSW (@KSW_MMA) March 8, 2023

Popular Polish strongman Mariusz Pudzianowski will return to action when he faces Artur Szpilka at KSW Colosseum 2 on June 3.

The promotion announced the booking on Wednesday. KSW Colosseum 2 takes place at the PGE Nardowy in Warsaw, Poland, and is available via pay-per-view at KSW.TV.

Pudzianowski had a five-bout winning streak snapped in his last outing, when he suffered a first-round technical knockout loss against Mamed Khalidov at KSW 77 this past December. The 46-year-old Pole is 17-8 with one no contest over the course of his professional tenure.

Szpilka owns a 24-5 career mark as a pro boxer, notably losing to Deontay Wilder via knockout in 2016. He is 2-0 since transitioning to MMA in 2022, including a second-round TKO of Serhii Radch…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

Some 13 months after having a two-bout winning streak snapped by rising welterweight star Shavkat Rakhmonov, Carlston Harris is eager to return to the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 221 on Saturday.

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In order to adapt to the local climate, Harris and trainer Marcio Cromado arrived in Las Vegas two weeks ahead of time of an expected matchup against Abubakar Nurmagomedov. Things changed during the week of the event, however, as the promotion informed Harris that the Russian was out and offered Jared Gordon as a replacement opponent.

"I just signed the new contract to face this guy Jared. I think UFC didn’t even release his name officially,” Harris recently told Sherdog.com.

According to the Luta Livre fighter, Gordon was the seventh prospective foe he had received since the beginning of his camp.

“I can say this was a complete camp since I trained for all type of fighters, southpaws, orthodox…

Kyoji Horiguchi will square off against recent free-agent acquisition Ray Borg at Bellator 295.

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MMA Mania first brought word of the flyweight booking. Bellator 295 takes place on April 22 at the Neil S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, and is headlined by a bantamweight grand prix final between Raufeon Stots and Patrick Mix.

A former Bellator and Rizin bantamweight champion, Horiguchi enters the matchup on a two-fight winning streak. In his last outing, the American Top Team product took a unanimous decision over Hiromasa Ougikubo in a flyweight bout the Bellator vs. Rizin event on New Year’s Eve. Horiguchi was also a flyweight title challenger in the UFC, falling to Demetrious Johnson via submission in 2015.

Borg, 29, has been victorious in his last three professional outings. After a 7-5 stint in the UFC that saw him come up short in a bid for flyweight gold against Johnson in October 2017, “The Tazmexican Devil” has earned successive…

[embedded content] Vitor Petrino spent countless hours preparing for this moment.

The 25-year-old CM System prospect will make his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut when he tackles Anton Turkalj in a UFC Fight Night 221 light heavyweight showcase on Saturday inside The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. Petrino enters the Octagon with a perfect 7-0 record, with six of his victories having resulted in finishes. He last appeared on Week 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series, where he put away Rodolfo Bellato with punches in the second round of their Sept. 6 pairing.

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In this exclusive interview with Sherdog.com, Petrino traces his path to becoming a mixed martial artist, outlines his plans for the future and touches on his motivations:

Sherdog.com: You are undefeated as a pro and also had at least four amateur fights—a rarity in Brazil. Can you share some details about your career thus far?Petrino: Actually, I had seven amateur bouts, of which I…

After a one-fight stint at 125 pounds, Miesha Tate will return to bantamweight for her next Octagon appearance.

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The former 135-pound champion will lock horns with Mayra Bueno Silva at a UFC event on June 3. The bout was initially reported by Dama de Ferro MMA and later confirmed by MMAFighting.com. The card does not yet have a location or headliner.

Tate made her flyweight debut at UFC on ABC 3, where she dropped a unanimous decision to Lauren Murphy. “Cupcake” is 1-2 since ending a nearly five-year retirement in 2021. She has lost four of her last five UFC appearances overall.

Silva, meanwhile, has been building momentum since moving to bantamweight. The 31-year-old Brazilian is 3-0 in the weight class, with victories over Lina Lansberg, Stephanie Egger and Yanan Wu to her credit.

After a successful heavyweight debut, Jon Jones is a considerable betting favorite in a proposed bout against Stipe Miocic.

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According to online oddsmaker BetOnline, Jones was a -355 favorite against Miocic as of Tuesday afternoon. Miocic, meanwhile, was listed as a +290 underdog. While Jones vs. Miocic is not official, the heavyweight championship fight is expected to take place in July — likely at UFC 290 during International Fight Week.

Jones returned following a three-year absence at UFC 285, where he submitted Ciryl Gane with a guillotine choke 3:04 into the first round to claim the vacant heavyweight title. Due to uncertainty regarding his heavyweight debut, “Bones” wasn't as heavily favored by online oddsmakers heading into the matchup.

Miocic hasn’t fought since March 2021, when he lost the heavyweight belt to Francis Ngannou via second-round KO at UFC 260. The 40-year-old Strong Style Fight Team standout holds the UFC heavyweight rec…

New Jersey, stand UP 🙌#UFC288 takes over the @PruCenter May 6th and we're bringing a HUGE lightweight fight with us!@CharlesDoBronxs vs @BeneilDariush 🔥

[ Register your interest here: https://t.co/ZyP75aSn9y ] pic.twitter.com/J8PHzz3xro

— UFC (@ufc) March 7, 2023

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship will return to the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., for its May 6 pay-per-view event.

UFC 288 will mark the promotion’s first event at the venue since UFC on ESPN 5 on Aug. 3, 2019. That card saw Colby Covington take a five-round verdict over Robbie Lawler in the welterweight main event.

“I am thrilled to bring another massive pay-per-view to Newark,” UFC President Dana White said in a release. “UFC has a long history with New Jersey, which has played host to many huge fights in the past. I can’t wait to rock Prudential Center with another world-class UFC event.”

While the promotion did not announce a headliner f…

Bo Nickal entered UFC 285 as one of the most hyped prospects in recent memory.

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The three-time NCAA national champion wrestler from Penn State University largely delivered on that hype, as he submitted Jamie Pickett with an arm-triangle choke 2:54 into Round 1 of their featured middleweight bout. That performance came on the heels of back-to-back first-round finishes on Dana White’s Contender Series, which seems to forecast a bright future for the 27-year-old.

“I had a lot of questions about him and when you saw his opponent, the guy is huge, he’s got like 25 fights, tons of experience. I thought, listen, he’s a human being. I don’t care what level of wrestling he is. This isn’t wrestling,” UFC president Dana White said at Saturday’s post-fight press confernce. “This is a completely different game here. There’s adrenaline dumps, the nervous energy, all the things of performing in the UFC for the first time, and he blew that all out of the water. He …