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Interim Bellator MMA bantamweight champion Raufeon Stots showed he could handle the grind of a notorious grinder.

A persistent jab and a balanced sprawl carried Stots to a split decision over Danny Sabatello in the Bellator 289 headliner on Friday at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, where he successfully defended his title and punched his ticket to the final of the promotion’s $1 million bantamweight grand prix. Judge Douglas Crosby struck a 50-45 scorecard for Sabatello, while Eric Colon and Bryan Miner saw it 48-47 for Stots.

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Sabatello (13-2, 3-1 Bellator) secured multiple takedowns and piled up more than 10 minutes of control time but exacted little damage with his efforts. Stots (19-1, 7-0 Bellator) stayed patient on the feet, fed the American Top Team export a steady diet of jabs and mixed in the occasional combination. He also made Sabatello’s life difficult on the ground, refusing to concede positions and even threatening h…

Sherdog's live Bellator 289 coverage will begin Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET. Round 1 Our first match is refereed by Bryan Miner. Bell comes out throwing and Scoggins misses with a head kick. Both bantamweights are aggressive and a low blow pauses the action briefly before it restarts. Bell lands several leg kicks. Scoggins kicks a leg and gets Bell up against the fence. Scoggins has kept Bell up against the fence for well over a minute. Both land knees to one another, but neither is doing any damage. Bell finally reverses position with 10 seconds left and the round ends uneventfully. 10-9 Scoggins.

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Round 2 A slow start but Scoggins gets a big takedown a minute in. Scoggins holds on for a minute but does no damage. Bell escapes and lands a knee to the body. Bell gets a takedown of his own and is in half-guard. A small cut has opened above Scoggins' right eye. Scoggins is happy to play in guard with two minutes left. Bell lands a solid elbow. Another cut opens o…

First to the scale! ⚖️@JanBlachowicz in at 204.5lbs for his shot to reclaim LHW gold tomorrow #UFC282 pic.twitter.com/m9aARrhrRQ

— UFC (@ufc) December 9, 2022 Editor's note: the article has been updated at 2:15 p.m. ET on Dec. 9 to reflect a fight cancellation.

The UFC 282 card is now official after the weigh-ins, and the vacant Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight championship will be on the line.

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While the former light heavyweight champ Jan Blachowicz and top contender Magomed Ankalaev both made weight without issue, one fighter failed to hit his mark. Daniel da Silva came in three pounds overweight at 129 pounds for his flyweight fight against Vinicius Salvador. Although he was initially fined 20% of his purse, the match has since been removed from the UFC 282 lineup.

After losing the title to Glover Teixeira last year, Blachowicz (29-9) will now have a chance to regain the belt he once held. The Pol…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship champion Charles Oliveira is taking a little time off, but will be ready to come back soon with a vengeance.

At UFC 280 in October, Oliveira lost his chance to reclaim his lightweight throne when Islam Makhachev submitted him in the main event. According to coach Diego Lima, Oliveira is recovering and getting his mind right instead of diving straight back into action. Although he was offered a spot on UFC 283 in January in his home country of Brazil, he and his team declined the offer as it was too short of a turnaround for “Do Bronx.”

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“[The] UFC knew how much Charles wanted to fight in Brazil and kept their offer, but the time to recover was really short. We had a meeting with the whole team and decided it was too short a time. He came from four wars in 17 months [against Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje and Makhachev] against all top five, [one] war after another, so we decided that it was time …

We're kicking our 30th anniversary off with a 𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐆 💥 pic.twitter.com/g7l1VLveXQ

— UFC (@ufc) December 9, 2022 In the next few months, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is venturing out beyond the walls of the UFC Apex more and more.

At the end of the UFC 282 press conference on Thursday, the organization announced the majority of its fight card lineup from January to March 2023. Notably, the promotion did not mention a jaunt to South Korea on Feb. 4 that already has several fights on the books. Three of the first six UFC events of next year will go down in Las Vegas, with three shows at the UFC Apex on Jan. 14, Feb. 18 and Feb. 25. The others will be international, with Rio de Janeiro and Perth, Australia, already confirmed.

The UFC formalized the date and location of UFC 285 in its announcement as well, which will take place on March 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The following week, the promotion will remain in Las Vegas, bu…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s next trip to Australia is jam-packed with local talent.

On Thursday, MMA Junkie broke the news that Nasrat Haqparast (14-5) will take on Jamie Mullarkey (15-5) at UFC 284. The two lightweights will battle it out at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, on Feb. 11. Both Haqparast and Mullarkey subsequently confirmed their appearances at the event on their respective Instagram pages.

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Born in Germany to Afghan parents and currently representing Morocco, Haqparast concluded his first winless streak in September by taking a decision over John Makdessi. The victory reversed his fortune after two straight decision losses to Dan Hooker and Bobby Green in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Each of the last five outings for Haqparast have seen the final judges’ scorecards, but prior to that, he had sparked Joaquim Silva early in the second round only to get blasted by Drew Dober in 70 seconds a few months later.

Australia native…

Just found out that the UFC is looking to book Amanda Ribas on the March 4 event (UFC Fight Night 221).

— Christian Stein (@CopperHeartCT) December 8, 2022 A fan-favorite flyweight up-and-comer in the Ultimate Fighting Championship should be back in action within a few months.

According to a source close to the situation on Thursday, Amanda Ribas (11-3) is being targeted for a flyweight fight at UFC 285 on March 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Her opponent is still to be determined, but it is not expected to be Tracy Cortez. Options being considered include a rematch with Katlyn Chookagian, or fresh matchups against either Viviane Araujo or Taila Santos.

Ribas and Cortez were slated to face off against one another at UFC on ESPN 42 on Dec. 3 in Florida, but Cortez was pulled shortly after the weigh-ins concluded. Cortez had successfully made weight, with the medical scratch reportedly unrelated to her weight cut. This put an end to …

The talk is over.

Tomorrow @RaufeonStots & @ShockThisWorld will finally fight. #Bellator289 pic.twitter.com/EhmYJSePcJ

— Scott Coker (@ScottCoker) December 8, 2022 Bellator MMA ends its year with a card containing a pair of title fights, and every fighter on the bill has made weight.

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Interim bantamweight champion Raufeon Stots (134.4) made weight for his title defense against Danny Sabatello (135), and so did women's flyweight champion Liz Carmouche (124.8) for her rematch with Juliana Velasquez (124.2). It was a drama-free day on the scale, as all fighters for Bellator 289 successfully made weight.

Stots (18-1) is coming off an impressive knockout over Juan Archuleta that saw him claim the interim title. He'll go up against "The Italian Gangster" in the Bellator bantamweight grand prix semifinals, as the trash-talking Sabatello (13-1) is on an impressive seven-fight win streak. The winner will square off against…

It's happening! We're taking #UFC286 to London and it's going to be a big one! 🇬🇧

Register now for early access to tickets 🎟️ https://t.co/wg9VkLrok2 pic.twitter.com/6z9065E6jn

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) December 7, 2022

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship is headed overseas for a pay-per-view event in March.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced on Wednesday that UFC 286 will take place at The O2 Arena in London on March 18. It will be the first pay-per-view event in England since UFC 204, which saw Michael Bisping retain his middleweight crown with a five-round verdict over Dan Henderson in the evening’s main event on Oct. 8, 2016. No bouts have been confirmed for the upcoming event.

The organization twice traveled to England in 2022. UFC Fight Night 204 was held at The O2 Arena on March 19 and saw Tom Aspinall defeat Alexander Volkov via first-round submission in the headliner, while UFC Fight Night 208 return…

Sabah Homasi will face Brennan Ward in a potential welterweight slugfest at Bellator 290.

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Bellator president Scott Coker announced the booking on Tuesday evening. Bellator 290 takes place at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on Feb. 4 and is headlined by a heavyweight title tilt pitting Ryan Bader against Fedor Emelianenko. The evening’s main card will air on CBS at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Homasi went 2-0 under the Bellator banner in 2022. After scoring a first-round submission of Jaleel Willis at Bellator 273 on Jan. 29, “The Sleek Sheik” knocked out Maycon Mendonca in 58 seconds at Bellator 282 on June 24. The American Top Team product is 5-2 in the California-based promotion, with losses to Paul Daley and Andrey Koreshkov.

After more than four years away from the cage, Ward returned to active competition at Bellator 274, where he defeated Brandon Bell via second-round TKO. He followed that performance with a second-round stoppage of Kassius Ka…

Israel Adesanya likely won’t face criminal charges for taking brass knuckles through security at JFK Aiport in New York last month.

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According to TMZ Sports, the Queens County (N.Y.) District Attorney issued Adesanya an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal (ACD), which means that the charges will be dismissed in six months if he isn’t arrested again in the county.

Adesanya was detained at JFK Airport on Nov. 16 when airport security discovered the brass knuckles in his luggage. The fighter’s manager, Tim Simpson, released a statement claiming that the weapons were given to Adesanya by a fan and that the charges were dismissed after the former UFC champion complied with authorities.

As it turns out, Adesanya was facing fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, which comes with a maximum sentence of one year in jail or three years’ probation if convicted , and he was ordered to appear in court on Tuesday. According to MMAFighting.co…

It looks like Ovince St. Preux won’t be competing at UFC 282 after all.

The former interim light heavyweight title challenger has been removed from Saturday’s card after Antonio Trocoli, St. Preux’s third prospective opponent, withdrew as a result of visa issues. MMAFighting.com was first to report Trocoli’s exit from the event, while MMAjunkie.com confirmed that the promotion was unable to find a fourth replacement for “OSP.”

UFC 282 will proceed with 13 bouts. That card takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a light heavyweight championship clash between Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev. The main card airs on pay-per-view via ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Prelims begin on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT and move to ESPN2 and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

The 39-year-old St. Preux was previously scheduled to face Alexander Gustafsson and Philipe Lins at UFC 282 before both opponents pulled out of the event. The former University o…

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At the age of 29, bantamweight Luan Lacerda is the newest representative of Brazil in the UFC.

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The Macapa, Brazil-born Nova Uniao representative will make his Octagon debut against Cody Stamann at UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro on Jan. 21, the fighter confirmed to the site Psicoticos por Vale Tudo.  

  The path to the UFC, however, was not easy. Born in Amapa, Luan started training jiu-jitsu at the age of 12. During this same period his father took him to a Vale Tudo/MMA event, where the fighter fell in love with the sport for good. From that day on he already knew he wanted to fight.  

Lacerda is currently the Shoot Brazil bantmaweight champion and owns a 12-1 career record since making his professional debut in 2012. In his last appearance, Lacerda submitted Marcirley Alvis da Silva at LFA 132 this past May.

Currently living in Rio de Janeiro, where he trains under the command of master Andre “Dedé” Pederne…

Professional Fighters League has added champions from three regional promotions to its roster.

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The promotion announced on Tuesday that it has signed Eagle FC heavyweight champ Rizvan Kuniev, Standout Fighting Tournament lightweight title holder Manoel Sousa and Jungle Fights welterweight king Quemeul Ottoni. The Ottoni signing was recently reported by Sherdog.com. It is unclear when the three new signings will make their respective promotional debuts.

“We are excited to add these elite fighters to our global roster,” PFL president of fighter operations Ray Sefo said. “The PFL will put these athletes on the global stage.”

Russia’s Kuniev will bring an 11-fight winning streak into his PFL debut. After a third-round technical knockout victory against Edivan Santos on Dana White’s Contender Series failed to net a UFC contract in September 2021, Kuniev captured the Eagle FC belt with a first-round submission of Anthony Hamilton this past March. Read more about PFL Signs Eagle FC Heavyweight King Rizvan Kuniev, Two Other Regional Champions

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After welcoming Alex Pereira to mixed martial arts with a rear-naked choke victory at Jungle Fight 82 in 2015, Quemuel Ottoni followed a totally different path than the current UFC middleweight champion.

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While “Poatan” decided to focus on his kickboxing career and won Glory belt in two divisions, Ottoni kept on the MMA track, capturing the Jungle Fight welterweight title seven years after defeating Pereira. Now, Ottoni is excited to compete at 170 pounds for Professional Fighters League in 2023.

“I've waited a long time to have my chance to fight in the United States, where everything happens, and I'll finally have that chance,” he told Sherdog.com.

Quemuel considers the point system of PFL the best for his style.

"I love the point system of PFL [because it is] based on meritocracy. The most impressive wins get more points, and that's really good for an offensive fighter like me,” he said. “I´m working harder than ever to br…

Alex Morono has agreed to meet Santiago Ponzinibbio on less than a week’s notice at UFC 282.

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Ponzinibbio needed a new opponent after Robbie Lawler withdrew from Saturday’s card due to an undisclosed injury. The new booking was first reported by David Van Auken on Twitter. UFC 282 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a light heavyweight championship clash between Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev. Morono vs. Ponzinibbio will be contested at a 180-pound catchweight.

Morono, 32, is in the midst of a four-bout UFC winning streak. The Fortis MMA representative last appeared at UFC 277, where he outpointed Matthew Semelsberger on July 30. Morono has also earned victories over Mickey Gall, David Zwada and Donald Cerrone during his current winning streak. “The Great White” is 11-4 with one no contest over the course of his tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Ponzinibbio, meanwhile, has lost three of his last f…

After one last failed run at Ultimate Fighting Championship gold, T.J. Dillashaw has elected to hang up the four-ounce gloves.

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Dillashaw recently informed the UFC of his retirement, and the Twitter account UFC Roster Watch confirmed his removal from the promotion’s roster on Monday. Micheal Wonsover was first to report the news via Twitter. Dillashaw’s agent, Tiki Ghosn, later cofirmed the fighter’s retirement to ESPN.

Dillashaw is coming off a loss to Aljamain Sterling in a bantamweight title bout at UFC 280 on Oct. 22. After falling to Sterling via second-round technical knockout, Dillashaw revealed that he entered the bout with a shoulder injury. Rather than pull out of the contest, the Californian essentially fought Sterling with one arm because he didn’t want to wait on a title shot. Dillashaw underwent shoulder surgery on Nov. 10 and could require more procedures, according to ESPN.

“Yeah it popped out right away. I’ve got to apolog…

Former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler has pulled out of UFC 282 due to an undisclosed injury.

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Lawler was slated to face Santiago Ponzinibbio on Saturday’s main card at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The promotion is seeking a replacement opponent for Ponzinibbio. ESPN was first to report the news. UFC 282 is headlined by a light heavyweight title tilt between Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev.

The 40-year-old Lawler is just 1-5 in his last six promotional appearances, with his lone victory coming against Nick Diaz in September 2021. Most recently, “Ruthless” suffered a second-round technical knockout loss to Bryan Barberena at UFC 276 on July 2.

Ponzinibbio, meanwhile, has lost three of his last four bouts and is coming off a split-decision defeat to Michel Pereira at UFC Fight Night 206 in his lone appearance of 2022.

A flyweight (135-pound) championship trilogy bout pitting Demetrious Johnson against Adriano Moraes will serve as the headliner for One Championship’s United States debut.

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The Singapore-based promotion announced on Monday that Johnson vs. Moraes 3 will take place on May 5 at 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colo., as the featured bout on the One on Prime Video 10 card. The card will air in primetime on Prime Video in the United States.

“This is a monumental day in the history of One Championship as we announce our U.S. on-ground debut in Colorado on Friday, May 5,” One CEO Chatri Sityodtong said in a release. “We are very grateful for the support of the state athletic commission and look forward to putting on an unforgettable show for our passionate fanbase in the U.S. and watching around the world.”

Johnson and Moraes initially squared off at One on TNT 1 in April 2021, when Moraes became the first person to finish “Mighty Mouse” with a second-…

Scott Holtzman is calling it a career at 39 years old.

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The Knoxville, Tenn., native left his gloves in the Octagon following a split-decision loss to Clay Guida at UFC on ESPN 42, signaling the end of a professional MMA tenure that began in 2012. “Hot Sauce” went 7-6 in UFC competition after making his promotional debut in 2015 but ended his career with successive losses to Guida, Mateusz Gamrot and Beneil Dariush.

“It’s bittersweet, man,” Holtzman said at a post-fight press conference (via MMAFighting.com). “I was coming off two bad losses in a row to what turns out to be really good guys. All my losses, killers. I got into the UFC when I was 30 years old. I was just a guy from Tennessee, an athlete. I started being pretty good at fighting and just rode the wave. All of a sudden I’m up here in the UFC with these world champions and jiu-jitsu black belts and Division I wrestlers. I’m just a kid from Tennessee. It’s been a hell of a ride. I’ve had…

Nate Diaz is a big deal in his hometown.

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The longtime UFC star was presented a key to the city for Stockton, Calif., by Mayor Kevin J. Lincoln at a Stockton Kings game — the G-League affiliate of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings —on Sunday.

“We want to thank you for the grit and determination that you display every time you step into a fight,” Lincoln said during the ceremony. “And I want you to know that that grit and determination is built into the very fabric of the city that you represent.”

The 37-year-old Diaz has frequently referenced Stockon during his rise to stardom in the UFC. Diaz completed his contract with the Las Vegas-based promotion with a submission of Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 in September and officially became a free agent last week.

“I want say it’s an honor, thank you very much to Stockton, California, for rocking with me,” Diaz said. “I’ve been rocking with Stockton this whole time ... I’m going to be forever rocking St…

Stephen Thompson and Kevin Holland had a sort of gentlemen’s agreement heading into their headlining bout at UFC on ESPN 42.

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It resulted in one of the year’s most entertaining bouts, as Thompson and Holland engaged in a standup-friendly affair that resulted in a technical knockout victory for “Wonderboy” after four rounds. While Holland landed a pair of takedowns in the contest, on both occasions he elected to let his opponent up rather than rack up top control time. That was a theme for the entire fight.

“It was kind of one of those unwritten rules that we had going into this fight,” Thompson said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I know later on in rounds he was shooting, I know he had a busted hand, but I think I fell down in the first round and he let me back up. He told me in the first round, he’s like, ‘Hey, I’m not taking you down.’ I’m like, ‘All right, man. Sounds good to me.’”

Early on, that seemed to favor Holland, who s…

Kevin Holland wasn’t at 100 percent for the majority of his UFC on ESPN 42 headlining clash against Stephen Thompson.

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Holland’s management team, KO Reps, revealed that the fighter broke his hand in the first round of the bout. Not surprisingly, that was his most effective period, as he staggered “Wonderboy” with a right hand early. As time wore on, however, Holland didn’t throw the right nearly as much, and Thompson took control en route to a fourth-round technical knockout victory.

. @Trailblaze2top broke his right hand landing a cross in the first round.Hand is very swollen. Being transported to the hospital. Congrats to @WonderboyMMA and team. #UFCOrlando pic.twitter.com/axGM1tzRpp

— KOreps (@ko_reps) December 4, 2022 “[Kevin Holland] broke his right hand landing a cross in the first round,” the statement read. “Hand is very swollen. Being transported to the hospital. Congrats to [Stephen Thompson] and team.”

ESPN …

Stephen Thompson and Kevin Holland put on a show in the UFC on ESPN 42 headliner.

The welterweight combatants were rewarded for their efforts, as they received “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece on Saturday night at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. In a bout that was contested almost entirely on the feet, “Wonderboy” pulled away thanks to a versatile striking arsenal, ultimately forcing Holland’s corner to stop the fight after four entertaining rounds.

Elsewhere, surging heavyweight contender Sergei Pavlovich pocketed a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award thanks to a quick finish of Tai Tuivasa in a featured bout. Pavlovich overwhelmed his Australian adversary with powerful punches to secure his fifth consecutive KO/TKO victory just 54 seconds into Round 1.

Finally, a creative finish earned Roman Dolidze the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check. The 34-year-old Georgian used a calf slicer to immobilize opponent Jack Hermanss…