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— MMA Fire 2.0 (@FireMMAVids) October 22, 2022

Non-stop pressure was the name of the game for Belal Muhammad.

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The VFS Academy product proved his worth in the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight division yet again, as he took out the previously unbeaten Sean Brady with punches in the second round of their featured UFC 280 prelim on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Muhammad (22-3, 13-3 UFC) brought it to a close 4:47 into Round 2, posting his first victory via knockout or technical knockout since September 2016.

Brady (15-1, 5-1 UFC) tried to keep the former Titan Fighting Championship titleholder at bay with leg kicks and counters but never managed to draw the action to the canvas, where his world-class jiu-jitsu skills might have come into play. Muhammad connected with an overhand right late in the second round, hit the accelerator and unleashed a burst of …

A lightweight clash pitting Paddy Pimblett against Jared Gordon is on tap for UFC 282.

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The promotion announced the booking on Saturday. UFC 282 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 10 and features a light heavyweight championship rematch between Jiri Prochazka and Glover Teixeira.

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A former Cage Warriors champion, Pimblett has emerged as a rising star at 155 pounds after finishing Luigi Vendramini, Rodrigo Vargas and Jordan Leavitt in his first three Octagon appearances. The 27-year-old Englishman known as “The Baddy” is 19-3 as a professional, with 15 of those triumphs coming inside the distance.

Gordon, meanwhile, has been victorious in four of his last five promotional outings. Most recently, he outpointed Leonardo Santos at UFC 278 on Aug. 20. The former Cage Fury Fighting Championships title holder is 7-4 in UFC competition since beginning his promotiona…

The One Championship bantamweight throne sits vacant—for now.

Fabricio Andrade connected with an accidental knee strike to the groin that resulted in a no contest against John Lineker in the third round of their ONE on Prime Video 3 headliner on Friday at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Lineker (35-9, 4-0 ONE), who was stripped of the 145-pound title prior to the match due to his failure to make weight, was unable to continue 2:44 into Round 3.

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Andrade (8-2, 5-0 ONE) appeared to be nearing a career-defining victory at the time of the foul. The Marrok Force export operated behind a punishing jab, incorporated clean one-twos and zeroed in on the body with knees. Lineker gained the occasional foothold with winging hooks and well-timed takedowns but absorbed significant damage for his trouble. He rose from his corner for the start of Round 3 with a massive hematoma beneath his left eye, his vision almost certainly compromised. Andrade continued t…

Sherdog's live ONE on Prime Video 3 “Lineker vs. Andrade” coverage kicks off Friday at 8 p.m. ET.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below.

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Round 1 The opening bout is being overseen by Herb Dean. Bivins opens up with a kick and rushes forward. Grandjean is able to clinch and is landing some nice dirty boxing before tripping her opponent to the ground. Grandjean is kicking the legs of Bivins and settles in guard to throw punches. Bivins looks for an armbar but it goes nowhere. Dean stands up the fighters. They clinch again with Bivins landing a few standing knees. Bivins defends a takedown attempt from Grandjean, who then throws a wild overhand right. Grandjean is landing some solid leg kicks and Bivins looks tired with 90 seconds left in the round. Grandjean keeps landing kicks and follows them up with a straight right hand to the body that stuns Bivins. Grandjean keeps the pressure on and floors Bi…

🇧🇷 BIG NEWS 🇧🇷 ONE Championship is partnering with Globo, the largest media company in Latin America, to broadcast events live in Brazil on @Combate! The multi-year deal, which calls for at least 12 annual events, kicks off in January 2023! 🙌#ONEChampionship #Combate pic.twitter.com/plBCYuc2SO

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) October 21, 2022 One Championship is expanding its South American presence in a big way.

Via press release on Friday, One announced that it had entered into a broadcasting arrangement with Combate. The multi-year agreement will allow for a dozen events to be aired live in Brazilian primetime, although it is unclear if it means that events will be staged specifically in Brazil or shown on the airwaves. The deal will commence in January 2023, and it is slated to be the sole distributor of One fight cards in the country.

Combate head Rafael Gruenbaum spoke highly of the new partnership, saying in the release, “The…

A blazing-hot Ultimate Fighting Championship prospect is going to need to cool things down to heal up.

According to MMA Junkie on Friday, Bo Nickal (3-0) will no longer be competing at UFC 282 on Dec. 10. His middleweight match against Jamie Pickett (12-8) has been nixed from the event due to an injury Nickal suffered during training. It is unclear at this time if Pickett will be rebooked against a new opponent, or if the matchup will be preserved. The organization is considering March 4 for Nickal’s return, which is rumored to be the pay-per-view offering of UFC 285. The fight scratch has since been confirmed by other outlets.

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Nickal, oft-discussed as one of the greatest collegiate wrestlers ever, surged into MMA in 2021 with a pair of speedy finishes on the amateur circuit. The Colorado-born Nickal then debuted as pro in June 2022 on iKon Fighting Championship 3, where he decimated John Noland in 33 seconds. The 26-year-old, with one pro win unde…

Jonathan Di Bella DROPS "The Fighting Rooster" in the FINAL MINUTE! 🤯#ONE162 | #ONEChampionship🇺🇸🇨🇦🇬🇧🇹🇭🇧🇷🇸🇦 Watch live on ONE YouTube 👉 https://t.co/uL1aHqdmel🌍 Watch live 👉 https://t.co/8MeKhRvqhy pic.twitter.com/bEUGmhEeJJ

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) October 21, 2022 Italy can now boast of one more champion among the ranks of One Championship.

The One 162 main event featured a clash for the vacant kickboxing strawweight championship between Peimian Zhang and Jonathan Di Bella. The pair put on an entertaining back-and-forth battle, showing off their best offensive skills. Zhang answered the Italian’s fast hands with quick kicks as both contestants produced a remarkable striking output. Neither man backed down from relentless exchanges, nor could they gain a significant advantage as the battle progressed. In Round 5, Di Bella landed a perfectly timed head kick that nearly cold-cocked “The Fighting Rooster.” While the Chinese combatan…

[embedded content] There was no trouble on the scales this time for Charles Oliveira.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champ successfully made weight for his UFC 280 showdown against Islam Makhachev. "Do Bronx" was first to the scales and weighed 154.5 pounds. This was a far cry from Oliveira's previous weigh-in, which saw the Brazilian lose his lightweight belt on the scale. Makhachev was next up and also weighed 154.5 pounds.

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While Oliveira (33-8, 1 NC) was disgraced at the UFC 274 weigh-in, he impressed the night after by him impressively choking out Justin Gaethje in just over 3 minutes. The Brazilian is on an incredible 11-fight win streak that includes dramatic finishes over Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler and Kevin Lee. Oliveira will look to reclaim the lightweight championship to start his second reign.

This marks a huge step up in competition for Makhachev (22-1). The Dagestani fighter has only suffered one defeat in…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship beltholder Robert Whittaker is getting a local matchup for the first time in over three years.

Frequently rumored and discussed across the MMA community, the UFC officially confirmed that Whittaker (24-6) will be squaring off against Paulo Costa (14-2) at UFC 284. The two 185ers will toe the line at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, on Feb. 11. The promotion did state that the bout has not yet been cleared by the Western Australia Combat Sports Commission, but there do not appear to be any obstacles on paper for it coming together. It is the first fight set for this Australian event, which will be the UFC’s first journey to the Commonwealth of Australia since October 2019 – an event in which Whittaker headlined.

Whittaker bounced back from a close defeat to Israel Adesanya by beating Marvin Vettori on the scorecards in September. “Bobby Knuckles” moved up to the middleweight division after beating Mike Rhodes in 2014, and he rattl…

BREAKING

The DAZN x PFL era begins in 2023

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DAZN will become the exclusive home of PFL in 53 international markets. pic.twitter.com/lDNBVDFUFN — PFL (@PFLMMA) October 20, 2022 The Professional Fighters League is bringing broadcaster Dazn back into the sport of MMA.

Per a press release on Thursday, the PFL and Dazn are teaming up to put PFL Europe together. This regional league will serve as the feeder to the main PFL organization, and European fans will be able to watch these events on Dazn. Additionally, Dazn will become the provider for every PFL fight card for the “53 international markets” that Dazn covers, including Spain, Ireland and the United Kingdom. According to PFL, this branch of the company will serve as “a pathway to becoming European champion and springboard into the PFL global league.”

The four-year deal does not have additional terms announced, and it will only be for those unspecified nations and…

Eric Albarracin, the wrestling coach of Patricio Freire and Patricky Freire, will spend about half of 2022 in Natal, Brazil.

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After actively participating in Patricio “Pitbull's” entire camp for his recent fight with Adam Borics, “Captain America” returned to Rio Grande do Norte, where he is helping Patricky “Pitbull” prepare for his title defense against Usman Nurmagomedov at Bellator 288 on Nov. 18.

“Patricky is ready in all areas. Kennedy Monday’s help has been really important in this camp. It will be a confrontation between two great schools, and I'm sure Patricky will return with the belt for Natal,” Albarracin told Sherdog.com.

In regards to another Brazil vs. Dagestan matchup, Albarracin shared his thoughts on the lightweight championship fight between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev at UFC 280 on Saturday.

“If Charles does what he said and pulls guard, it will make Makhachev's life easier,” Albarracin said. “These Russians have e…

A one-night tournament to determine the next strawweight champion will headline Invicta FC 50 next month.

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The promotion announced the event on Wednesday. Invicta FC 50 takes place at Reelworks Denver in Denver, Colo., on Nov. 16 and airs on AXS TV and the Invicta FC YouTube and Facebook pages at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

The four tournament participants are as follows: Dana White’s Contender Series alum Valesca Machado, four-time UFC veteran Gloria de Paula, 20-year-old former Legacy Fighting Alliance competitor Edianna Silva and two-time KSW veteran Karolina Wojcik. Both the semifinals and finals will consist of three, five-minute rounds and will take place on the same card. Matchups for the bracket will be drawn at weigh-ins on Nov. 15.

Order UFC 280 "Oliveira vs. Makhachev" exclusively on ESPN+

Invicta FC 50 will also include two tournament reserve matchups in case anything happens to the originally scheduled participants. Sharon Jacobso…

An intriguing lightweight showdown between Magomed Mustafaev and Yamato Nishikawa will not be happening at UFC 280 as originally planned.

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The Las Vegas-based promotion confirmed the cancellation on Tuesday, citing “multiple issues” in a statement. It was initially rumored that the bout was scrapped because Nishikawa was still under contract with another organization, but the Japanese fighter denied those reports.

Order UFC 280 "Oliveira vs. Makhachev" exclusively on ESPN+

UFC 280 will move forward with 13 bouts. The card takes place on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi and is headlined by a lightweight title clash between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev. The main card airs on pay-per-view via ESPN+ beginning at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT, while prelims are broadcast on ESPN and ESPN+ at 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT.

Mustafaev hasn’t competed since February 2020, when he dropped a split decision to Brad Riddell at UFC Fight Night 168. The …

A pivotal women’s flyweight clash pitting Jessica Andrade against Lauren Murphy has been booked for UFC 283.

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MMAFighting.com was first to report the pairing. UFC 283 takes place at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro on Jan. 21 and features the fourth flyweight championship clash between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno.

Order UFC 280 "Oliveira vs. Makhachev" exclusively on ESPN+

Andrade, who owns victories in three different weight classes in the Octagon, is coming off a first-round submission of Amanda Lemos in a 115-pound clash at UFC Fight Night 205 this past April. “Bate Estaca” has won three of her last four bouts, with her lone defeat coming against Valentina Shevchenko in a flyweight title tilt at UFC 261.

Murphy, meanwhile, rebounded from a title fight loss to Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 266 by spoiling Miesha Tate’s flyweight debut in a unanimous decision triumph at UFC on ABC 3 on July 16. The 39-year-old known as “Lucky…

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Zuffa Boxing may no longer be on the horizon, but that doesn’t mean UFC president Dana White isn’t interested in letting competitors show off the skill in their hands in a different way.

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On Tuesday, the Nevada State Athletic Commission approved a petition for slap fighting to be regulated in Nevada, clearing the way for Dana White’s Power Slap League to run events in the state in the near future. The organization is expected to debut at the UFC Apex in late 2022 with an ownership group that includes White, Lorenzo Fertitta, Frank Fertitta, “The Ultimate Fighter” producer Craig Piligian, UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell and UFC chief operating officer Lawrence Epstein. MMAjunkie.com was first to report White’s interest in bringing slap fighting to Nevada.

Order UFC 280 "Oliveira vs. Makhachev" exclusively on ESPN+

According to slapfight.com, “slap fighting is a rapidly growing sport where two robust fighters take tur…

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The Nevada State Athletic Commission on Tuesday handed heavyweight Ilir Latifi a temporary suspension for competing with a staph infection at UFC Fight Night 211.

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Latifi initially revealed the ailment during a post-fight interview following a unanimous decision victory against Alexey Oleynik on Oct. 1 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

“Even this week, my leg is swollen. I didn’t even tell my coaches, but I got a staph infection two days ago," Latifi said in the cage. "As you can see, my leg is all swollen. It’s an amazing sport, but the margins are so small. You put in so much work, and this thing happens the last day. Today, actually when I woke up, my leg was swollen. I was like, ‘I can’t cancel again.’ So I had to fight like this with a fever and a staph infection. That’s part of being a fighter.”

Order UFC 280 "Oliveira vs. Makhachev" exclusively on ESPN+

As a result of that revelation, Latifi will not be allowed to c…

Former UFC competitor Bobby Nash has signed an exclusive, multi-fight deal with Bellator MMA.

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The California-based promotion confirmed the news following a report from MMAFighting.com on Tuesday. Nash will reportedly make his Bellator debut late this year or in the first quarter of 2023.

Order UFC 280 "Oliveira vs. Makhachev" exclusively on ESPN+

The 32-year-old Nash won eight of his first nine professional outings before hitting a speed bump in the Octagon. The East Lansing, Mich., native went 0-3 in the UFC in 2017, suffering a trio of KO/TKO losses at the hands of Jingliang Li, Danny Roberts and Kenan Song.

Nash returned to action in 2019 and has since scored four consecutive first-round finishes on the regional scene to run his career mark to 12-4.

Vegas hating . 209 !!!! Let’s get this money . Stockton slap #UFC279 pic.twitter.com/F6IQruT4Tj

— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) September 8, 2022

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has updated its code of conduct to prohibit its athletes from betting on fights within the promotion.

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UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell wrote in a memo initially obtained by Yahoo Sports that fighters, members of their teams and “certain others” are no longer allowed to wager on Octagon bouts.

“In light of clear direction that we have received from regulators responsible for the regulated sports betting industry in the United States, we are compelled at this time to recognize in the UFC Athlete Conduct Policy certain restrictions relating to wagering by our athletes, members of their teams and certain others,” Campbell wrote.

“As you may already be aware, most states in which regulated sports betting is conducted prohibit athle…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty Images/Zuffa

Karol Rosa will open the show against Lina Lansberg at Saturday’s highly-anticipated UFC 280 card.

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The Brazilian is confident she can rebound from a loss to Sara McMann in her last outing to continue her rise in the bantamweight division.

“I had four straight wins until my last fight,” Rosa told Sherdog.com. “I know Lina likes to fight on her feet and so do I. She is coming off two straight defeats, I am coming off one, but I don't feel pressure. I'm really hungry to get back in the win column.”

Order UFC 280 "Oliveira vs. Makhachev" exclusively on ESPN+ If she is victorious against Lansberg, Rosa already has her next potential opponent in mind.

“I really wanted to fight Raquel Pennington. She's fifth in the [UFC] rankings and it would be a good fight for me because her fighting style fits well with mine. But she already has a fight scheduled [against Ket…

Former lightweight contender Paul Felder will step in for Joe Rogan as part of the broadcast team at UFC 280.

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Felder will join play-by-play veteran Jon Anik and analyst Daniel Cormier on the call for the card at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. MMAFighting.com recently confirmed the lineup with UFC officials.

Order UFC 280 "Oliveira vs. Makhachev" exclusively on ESPN+

Rogan no longer serves as a commentator for the at the Las Vegas-based promotion’s international pay-per-view events. At UFC 275 in Singapore, for example, Michael Bisping stepped in for the popular podcast host.

UFC 280 is headlined by a lightweight championship clash between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev, while Aljamain Sterling will defend his bantamweight crown against T.J. Dillashaw in the co-main event. The main card airs on pay-per-view via ESPN+ at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT, while prelims stream on ESPN and ESPN+ beginning at 10 a.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

Raphael Assuncao was realistic heading into his fight with Victor Henry at UFC Fight Night 212.

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A loss would be his fifth straight within the Las Vegas-based promotion, and with it would have come with some tough decisions. Instead, Assuncao blended savvy counterstriking with takedowns and top control to earn a unanimous decision triumph.

In the aftermath of his first victory since July 2018, Assuncao admitted that retirement would have been on the table if he had come up short, or at the very least, a change in weight class.

“To be honest, probably …I’m not being proud about it,” he said after the fight. “I would have probably made the switch to featherweight, but I’m not positive if I still would’ve been in the UFC. Five losses (in a row) is probably not a good number to be in the UFC. If I decided not to retire if I had lost today, I would probably move up in weight class just because I feel I was losing muscle. Just [contemplating] all t…

Alexa Grasso passed the first five-round test of her professional career on Saturday night.

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The Mexican standout outdueled Viviane Araujo for a unanimous decision triumph in the UFC Fight Night 212 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and she was quite pleased with the end result.

“This was my first time fighting five rounds,” Grasso said at the post-fight press conference. “The training was super hard. The fight was hard too. She’s a tough warrior. I think we did a great job. I did everything I trained for.”

Grasso was able to outland her opponent in significant strikes, but perhaps even more impressively, she stuffed the majority of Araujo’s takedown attempts. And when she was taken down, she was able to return to her feet in relatively swift fashion.

“I’m super proud. She’s a Brazilian (jiu-jitsu) black belt,” Grasso said. “She’s the toughest opponent I’ve faced. I had two fights with two amazing wrestlers. Every fight that is hard for…

Jonathan Martinez has won five of his last six UFC appearances, but even he has to admit that the latest victory was a little more special.

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The Factory X member spoiled Cub Swanson’s bantamweight debut in the UFC Fight Night 212 co-main event, winning via technical knockout 4:19 into the second round at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

“All this week I wasn’t thinking about who I was fighting,” Martinez said at the post-fight press conference. “After I got the win, I was like, ‘I just beat Cub Swanson,’ so I’m really excited.”

Swanson is the biggest name on Martinez’s resume to date, and the 28-year-old Plainview, Texas, native admitted to feeling a little bit overlooked by his opponent heading into the fight. The reason for that sentiment was Swanson’s bizarre media day, where he had a teammate answer questions for him while he sat in silence.

“It felt kind of disrespectful when he was interviewing, he didn’t say anything,”…

Jonathan Martinez received a little extra compensation for his wicked striking display in the UFC Fight Night 212 co-headliner.

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The Factory X standout garnered a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his second-round technical knockout victory over Cub Swanson in the bantamweight bout on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Martinez battered Swanson with kicks to the body, knees and elbows, but it was a series of vicious leg kicks that led to stoppage at the 4:19 mark of Round 2. It was the 14th stoppage stemming from leg kicks in promotion history.

Meanwhile, Dusko Todorovic and Jordan Wright earned “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their back-and-forth middleweight scrap. Wright controlled the action in Round 1 with takedowns, submission defense and ground-and-pound, but momentum shifted considerably in the second stanza, when Todorovic swarmed his fatigued foe, powered into mount and finished the fight with elbows and …