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[embedded content] Even with little left to prove at this stage of his remarkable career, current Bellator MMA featherweight champion Patricio Freire still finds ways to keep himself motivated.

“Pitbull” will face reigning Rizin Fighting Federation champion Kleber Koike Erbst when the companies they represent link arms to co-promote Rizin 40 on Saturday at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Only bragging rights and company pride are on the line in the co-main event.

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“The belts are not at stake,” Freire told Sherdog.com. “This is organization versus organization and champion versus champion.”

Erbst, 33, marches into the three-round confrontation at 145 pounds on the strength of a seven-fight winning streak. The Bonsai Jiu-Jitsu representative last competed at Rizin 39, where he dispatched Juntaro Ushiku with a triangle choke in the second round of their Oct. 23 pairing. Erbst prefers to do his business on the canvas.

“Kleber is a tough …

[embedded content] Two of the world's top mixed martial arts promotions will clash at Bellator MMA vs. Rizin.

The card will feature five key cross-promotional fights, with Rizin lightweight champion Roberto Satoshi de Souza facing off against A.J. McKee in the main event. Also notable is the co-main event, which will see Bellator MMA featherweight titleholder Patricio Freire take on Rizin featherweight king Kleber Koike Erbst. No belts are on the line in any of the five matches on this section of the card, while the weigh-in information of the additional participants at Rizin 40 has not yet been disclosed.

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De Souza (14-1) is currently on a five-fight win streak since losing via TKO to Johnny Case in 2019. The Brazilian captured the throne in 2021 by submitting Tofiq Musayev, then defended it against Yusuke Yachi before getting revenge against Case in April. De Souza weighed 156 pounds on the dot.

Meanwhile, McKee (19-1) made his lightweight debut i…

2023 PFL Challenger Series returns to Universal Studios in Orlando, FL!

The Heavyweights are set to throw down in Week

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[ #PFLonFuboTV | Heavyweights | Fri, Feb 10th | 9pm ET] pic.twitter.com/NrlomaeWqX — PFL (@PFLMMA) December 29, 2022 The Professional Fighters League is bring the boom with eight up-and-coming heavyweights vying for a contract.

On Thursday, the PFL sent out via press release the four heavyweight matchups that will be airing on the PFL Challenger Series show on Feb. 10. The all-heavyweight event, which will air on Fubo TV at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, will include eight competitors that have only gone to six combined decisions. The marquee attraction will see unbeaten Brazilian Giacomo Lemos (8-0) throw hands with fellow countryman and ex-Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Danilo Marques (12-4).

The remainder of the heavyweight affairs for the third week of the Challenger Series are as follows:…

The first Ultimate Fighting Championship show of the new year has taken a big hit.

According to reporter Igor Lazorin on Thursday morning, Geoff Neal (15-4) has suffered an injury and has been forced out of his pairing with Shavkat Rakhmonov (16-0) at UFC Fight Night 217. The two welterweights were set to toe the line in the co-headliner of the UFC Vegas-based event on Jan. 14. Per Lazorin, the promotion is looking to find a new opponent for the top-10 170-pounder Rakhmonov. Neal, however, confirmed this news, while stating that he seeks keeping the fight together and pushing it to a later date.

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“Fights [sic] off people…looking to rebook Shavkat later. Nobody’s scared,” Neal wrote on Facebook shortly after the news broke.

Neal was aiming to lift a two-fight win streak to three straight, as he had previously topped Santiago Ponzinibbio at the end of 2021 and came back in mid-2022 to knock Vicente Luque out. “Handz of Steel” was intent on derailing…

[embedded content] Flexibility was always one of Roberto Satoshi de Souza’s strong suits.

A world-class Brazilian jiu-jitsu player by all viable measures, he initially made the decision to test the waters in mixed martial arts as a means to improve his skills as a grappler. Satoshi de Souza fought only once in 2013, 2014 and 2015. However, the results were impossible to ignore, even for him.

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“I was looking to gain experience and be a better instructor for my students,” Satoshi de Souza told Sherdog.com. “MMA was the best way to gain experience, even though my biggest passion was still jiu-jitsu.” The situation—most notably the size of his paychecks—evolved during the ensuing years, and the Rizin Fighting Federation brought him aboard in 2019. He was 7-0 with seven first-round finishes at the time. “That’s when things totally changed,” Satoshi de Souza said. “It’s when I started dedicating myself 100% to MMA.”

The Bonsai Jiu-Jitsu representative eve…

A middleweight showdown between Dricus Du Plessis and Derek Brunson has been added to the UFC 285 lineup.

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ESPN reported that the bout is in the works for the March 4 event. UFC 285 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. A headliner has not been announced for the card.

A former KSW and EFC title holder, Du Plessis has won his last six professional outings — including four under the UFC banner. The South African earnd his biggest win to date at UFC 282, as he submitted former welterweight title challenger Darren Till in the third round of their Dec. 10 encounter.

Brunson competed just once in 2022, falling to Jared Cannonier via second-round knockout in a title eliminator bout at UFC 271 on Feb. 12. Prior to that, the 38-year-old North Carolina native had compiled a five-bout winning streak within the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Freire can look back on 2022 as a year to remember.

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After regaining the 145-pound belt in a rematch against A.J. McKee at Bellator 277 in April, Freire successfully defended the crown against Hungarian contender Adam Borics at Belaltor 286 this past October. He’ll conclude his campaign with a cross-promotional matchup against Rizin Fighting Federation champion Kleber Koike Erbst on New Year’s Eve.

"I screamed so loud about the importance of having cross promotion challenges that someone on the other side of the world heard,” Freire told Sherdog.com. “I truly hope this show promoted by Bellator and Rizin is the first of many and serves as an example for other organizations.”

Freire is well aware of the challenges his opponent presents. Erbst has won his last seven bouts and sports a career mark of 31-5-1 — with 27 triumphs coming by way of submission.

“Koike is very dangerous. Everybody who underestimat…

Three fights, including the return of Doo Ho Choi, were recently announced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship for its Feb. 4 event.

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Choi will lock horns with Kyle Nelson at featherweight; Tatsuro Taira will face Jesus Santos Aguilar at flyweight and Jun Yong Park will meet Denis Tiuliulin at middleweight at UFC Fight Night 218. The event takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a heavyweight duel between Derrick Lewis and Sergey Spivak.

Choi will see action for the first time since December 2019, when he suffered a second-round TKO defeat to Charles Jourdain – his third consecutive loss in the Octagon. “The Korean Superboy” was slated to face Danny Chavez in July 2021 but withdrew from the contest due to injury.

Canada’s Nelson has lost four of his five promotional appearances. Most recently, he was outpointed by Jai Herbert at UFC Fight Night 208 on July 23.

Undefeated in 12 professional outings, Taira has emerged as …

Former UFC heavyweight title challenger Antonio Silva is retiring from mixed martial arts following a 34-fight professional career that began in 2005.

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The Brazilian known as “Bigfoot” announced his decision in an interview with Canal Encarada. Silva, who turned 43 this past September, exits the sport with a 19-14-1 career mark. He lost his last seven MMA appearances dating back to 2015 — with all but one of those defeats coming via knockout or technical knockout. His most recent bout came this past June, when he suffered a second-round KO defeat to Oleg Popov at an event in Russia. That proved to be the last straw for Silva.

“I fought the best, I beat the best and also lost to the best,” Silva said (translation via MMAFighting.com). “There’s a time in life when you can’t… I fought in Russia, back-to-back fights basically, and I’m not taking anything away from my MMA opponent, but I never saw myself losing to this guy three or four years ago. This …

Former UFC bantamweight title challenger Sara McMann has signed a multi-fight contract with Bellator MMA.

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The promotion announced the news on Tuesday. The former Olympic silver medalist will move up a division in Bellator to compete at 145 pounds, where Cristiane Justino is the reigning champion.

"I am thrilled to have joined Bellator. Bellator has the deepest roster at women’s featherweight, and I look forward to tough scraps with these ladies,” McMann said in a release. “I want to thank the Bellator team, especially Mike Kogan and Scott Coker, for putting together such an outstanding offer, and I’d like to thank many Bellator fighters, including Cris Cyborg, for their collective support and encouragement. Everything about this feels right, and I am grateful and looking forward to 2023!”

McMann challenged for bantamweight gold in just her second Octagon appearance, falling to Ronda Rousey via first-round technical knockout at UFC 170 on Feb.…

Photo courtesy of JMOC

Since its inception in 2017, the Japan MMA Officials Committee has worked to standardize rules and regulations and to develop the next group of officials in Japan to oversee MMA’s growth in the future. Much like its North American counterpart, the Association of Boxing Commissions, did previously, JMOC set out to create a more unified experience for fighters, referees and judges alike.

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Led by veteran MMA officials Masato Fukuda, Minoru Toyonaga, Tomoki Matsumiya and Naoya Uematsu, JMOC is preparing to oversee one of Japan’s biggest MMA events of the past decade, Rizin 40: Bellator MMA vs. Rizin, on New Year’s Eve in Saitama. The group spoke with Sherdog.com ahead of the event to discuss JMOC’s goals, working with North American officials and the continued evolution of MMA regulation in Japan.

Sherdog: First of all, I would like to ask you to describe what kind of organization JMOC is, starting with the character…

Michel Pereira won’t get to fight at UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro like he had hoped, but he did receive an intriguing matchup as a consolation prize.

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Pereira, who has won five straight in UFC competition and recently entered the promotion’s welterweight rankings, will face Sean Brady at UFC on ESPN 43 in San Antonio, Texas, on March 25.

"I thought that my hard time finding opponents was due to the fact that I was out of the rankings, but that was a huge mistake,” Pereira told Sherdog.com in a video interview. [UFC matchmaker Sean] Shelby did everything he could to find me someone to face at UFC Rio, but nobody wanted to fight me. I was really mad until the UFC came with the name of Sean Brady, and it looks like we will fight on March 25.”

Currently on vacation at a Brazilian friend’s home in Kansas, Pereira said that he doesn’t yet have much information on his opponent.

"All I know is that he is a wrestler. I saw his fight with Belal [Muham…

Tracy Cortez has been working on getting her mind right, and for the time being, that’s put her mixed martial arts career on hold.

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The UFC flyweight shed some light on what led to a last-minute withdrawal from a proposed clash against Amanda Ribas one day before their Dec. 3 bout in Orlando. The promotion’s statement cited a “medical issue,” but according to Cortez, it’s a little more complex than that.

“I want to say I haven’t been in the right head space since sometime in August,” Cortez wrote on Instagram. “Life has been testing me under circumstances that I least expected. I’m currently healing, I’m prioritizing my mental health [and] just taking life a day at a time.”

The 29-year-old Phoenix native has emerged as an intriuging talent since earning a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019, winning her first four bouts within the Las Vegas-based promotion. In her lone appearance of 2022, Cortez defeated Melissa Gatto via unani…

Bellator 290 has a new co-main event.

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Reigning light heavyweight king Vadim Nemkov has withdrawn from his title defense against Yoel Romero for undisclosed reasons, and as a result, a middleweight title tilt between Johnny Eblen and Anatoly Tokov has been booked as the card’s new co-feature. Promotion officials initially confirmed the change to ESPN. It is currently unclear if Nemkov vs. Romero will be rebooked at a later date.

Bellator 290 takes place on Feb. 4 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and is headlined by a heavyweight championship rematch pitting Ryan Bader against Fedor Emelianenko. The card will air on CBS, marking the promotion’s debut on network television.

Eblen claimed middleweight gold in his last outing at Bellator 282, when he took a five-round verdict over former Strikeforce title holder Gegard Mousasi on June 24. The 31-year-old American Top Team representative is 12-0 as a professional, with eight of those triumphs c…

Santiago Ponzinibbio isn’t one to back down from a challenge.

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Shortly after Khamzat Chimaev declared on his video blog that four different opponents have turned down a fight against him, Ponzinibbio called out the Chechen star for a clash in the Octagon.

"I thought he was going to fight Colby [Covington], and I was planning to ask UFC to put me as reserve fighter in case either one of them got hurt,” he told Sherdog.com. “Now that I know the fight hasn’t been finalized, it’s even better. Hey UFC, I’m here.”

Ponzinibbio dealt with some adversity recently, as he lost back-to-back fights for the first time in his career, falling to Geoff Neal and Michel Pereira via split decision.

"I never lost two fights in a row” he said. “Personally I don’t think I lost to Neal or Pereira, but what counts is the red mark on your Sherdog [profile],” he said. Ponzinibbio returned to the win colum at UFC 282, defeating Alex Morono via third-round technical knock…

Sean Brady will lock horns with Michel Pereira in a welterweight bout at UFC on ESPN 43.

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Multiple outlets confirmed the booking after Pereira announced the pairing on PVT. UFC on ESPN 43 takes place on March 25 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, and is also expected to include a women’s bantamweight showdown pitting Holly Holm against Yana Kunitskaya.

Brady suffered his first loss in 16 professional outings at UFC 280, when he fell to Belal Muhammad via second-round TKO at UFC 280. The ex-Cage Fury Fighting Championships title holder began his UFC tenure with five straight triumphs, a run that included victories over the likes of Michael Chiesa, Jake Matthews and Court McGee.

Pereira, meanwhile, has won his last five Octagon appearances. Most recently, “Demolidor” took a split verdict over Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC Fight Night 206 on May 21. The 29-year-old Brazilian is 28-11 with two no contests over the course of his profession…

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Khamzat Chimaev is the man nobody in the UFC wants to face.

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The 28-year-old Allstars Training Center representative is ready to return to the Octagon, but finding a willing opponent has been something of a challenge.

“They gave me four different countries, four different opponents,” Chimaev recently said on his video blog. “Nobody wants to fight.

“I’m gonna fight somebody, I don’t know who. They change opponents all the time. Every week I have new opponent, but nobody wants to fight … I’m always ready.”

Though he doesn’t have a dance partner at this point in time, Chimaev seems hopeful that his next Octagon appearance will come at UFC 285.

“We’ll see what’s gonna happen now. I think we’ll be, hope so, March [in Las Vegas] but I don’t know who,” he said.

Chimaev last appeared at UFC 279 this past September, where he dispatched Kevin Holland via first-round submission in a 180-pound catchweight bout. “Borz” is 12-0…

Jeff Molina is the latest member of Glory MMA & Fitness to experience the fallout from the ongoing UFC betting probe.

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According to ESPN, the UFC flyweight has been handed what has been currently labeled as an “uncategorized” suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission pending its next meeting in January. Molina’s suspension was initially listed on his profile page at mixedmartialarts.com.

While NSAC officials couldn’t comment on the nature of the suspension, ESPN confirmed that Molina is linked to the investigation that began as a result of suspicious betting activity ahead of the Nov. 5 UFC fight between Darrick Minner and Neurdanbieke Shayilan. Odds shifted significantly in Shayilan’s favor a few hours before the bout — including significant wagering on the Chinese fighter to win inside the distance. Shayilan defeated a hobbled Minner by technical knockout in 67 seconds, and speculation ensued that Minner was injured heading into th…

Stephan Bonnar, whose fight with Forrest Griffin at “The Ultimate Fighter 1” finale propelled the UFC to a new level of popularity, has died at 45 years old.

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The UFC announced Bonnar’s passing in a statement on Saturday. The cause of death was revealed to be “presumed heart complications while at work.”

"Stephan Bonnar was one of the most important fighters to ever compete in the Octagon," said UFC President Dana White. "His fight with Forrest Griffin changed the sport forever, and he will never be forgotten. The fans loved him, related to him and he always gave them his best. He will be missed."

Bonnar is perhaps best known was his time on “TUF 1,” where he reached the finals of the reality show and received a UFC contract after losing a unanimous decision to Griffin in a memorable clash on April 9, 2005. That bout was later enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame’s “Fight Wing.”

That led to a seven-year career with the Las Vegas-based promo…

After three first-round finishes in as many Octagon appearances, Jailton Almeida figures to be a fan favorite for the Brazilian audience at UFC 283.

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Thanks to his admiration for the Khabib Nurmagomedov’s style and his penchant for taking down and dominanting opponents, “Malhadinho” is now being called “Malhadomedov” in his home country. Almedia got his “Malhadinho” moniker because his father was a boxer known as “Malhado” during his fighting career.

"Brazilian fans are really funny they gave a nickname to my nickname,” Almeida told Sherdog.com. “But I’m really honored by that. As I said before, I admire [Khamzat] Chimaev and Khabib´s game, but I added jiu-jitsu to that. Instead of just punishing my opponent, I always go for the submission.”

Almeida, who owns a 17-2 professional mark, isn’t resting on his laurels. He is expecting a tough fight against UFC 283 opponent Shamil Abdurakhimov, who enters the bout on a three-fight losin…

Considered to be on the the biggest MMA stars to ever come from Brazil, Mauricio Rua will write the final chapter of his storied career at UFC 283.

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“Shogun’s” swan song will come against Ihor Potieira, a man 15 years his junior who is coming off a second-round technical knockout loss to Nicolae Negumereanu in his Octagon debut at UFC 277.

“I’m studying a lot his fights,” Rua told Sherdog.com. “He is a southpaw and very aggressive. Of course I have to be cautious, but my nature will always push me to try to win via knockout.”

According to Rua, he will be 100% retired after UFC 283, no matter what the result of his 42nd professional fight may be.

“That’s guaranteed. I’m not going to look for boxing matches or superfights. I´m totally satisfied with my 20-year career. My goal now is dedicate time to my family and also give more attention to my Shogun Team academies.”

Rua claims that there will be 80 franchises with the Shogun Academy name …

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A flyweight showdown between Manel Kape and Alex Perez is in the works for UFC on ESPN 43.

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MMAFighting.com was first to report the booking. Perez was supposed to face Kai Kara France at UFC 284 before Kara France recently announced his withdrawal from the event due to injury. UFC on ESPN 43 takes place at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, and also includes a women’s bantamweight clash pitting Holly Holm against Yana Kunit…

Marcin Tybura will square off against Blagoy Ivanov in a heavyweight clash at UFC Fight Night 218.

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Multiple outlets confirmed the booking following an initial report from MMA Underground. UFC Fight Night 218 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a heavyweight scrap between Derrick Lewis and Sergey Spivak.

Tybura has been victorious in six of his last seven UFC bouts. In his last outing, the former M-1 Global champion ended Alexander Romanov’s undefeated run with a majority decision triumph at UFC 278.

A former World Series of Fighting title holder, Ivanov ended a two-bout skid in his lone appearance of 2022, as he outpointed Marcos Rogerio de Lima at UFC 274 this past May. The Bellator veteran is 3-2 in the Octagon, with other wins against Tai Tuivasa and Ben Rothwell.

Neiman Gracie vs. Michael Lombardo in the works as the latest addition to the upcoming #Bellator290 card taking place at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles on Feb. 4.

The main card will air on CBS.

— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) December 22, 2022

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The upcoming Bellator 290 card gained an intriguing welterweight matchup as Neiman Gracie will take on Michael Lombardo. A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the bout to Sherdog following an initial report from MMAFighting.com.

Former Bellator MMA welterweight title contender Gracie (11-4, 9-4 Bellator) is looking to rebound following back-to-back defeats at the hands of Logan Storley and Goiti Yamauchi. Gracie’s latest victory dates back to September 2021, when he crushed Mark Lemminger with punches and elbows.

Professional Fighters League and Dana White’s Contender Series alum Lombardo (13-3, 1 NC; 1-1 Bellator) is coming off a first-round knockout over Mark …