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According to Anderson Silva, he didn’t say exactly what he meant to say in an interview that became a hot topic heading into this weekend’s fight with Jake Paul.

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Concerns regarding Silva’s health became a focus earlier this week when “The Spider” said in an interview that he had been knocked out twice in sparring during camp.

“I talked to my coach and even said, ‘Coach, let me tell you something, why the guys knock me out two times?’” Silva told MMA Weekly at a press conference for the event on Sept. 13. “And the coach said, ‘You need to prepare for war, and you prepare for war.’”

The interview prompted the Arizona Gaming Department, which is regulating the event, to look into the matter. However, Silva recently issued a statement via TMZ Sports claiming that he misspoke during the interview with MMA Weekly.

"After seeing the reports and concern for me, I'd like to clarify two important things. One, I was NEVER knocked out in sparring. I mis…

Bellator MMA has signed former UFC flyweight competitor Poliana Botelho to an exclusive, multi-fight deal.

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AgFight was first to report the signing. A date for Botelho’s promotional debut is currently unknown, and terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Botelho went 3-4 during a seven-bout UFC stint from 2017 to 2022. She ended her tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion on a three-fight losing streak that included a first-round submission defeat to Karine Silva at UFC Fight Night 207 this past June.

The 33-year-old Nova Uniao product returned to the win column at Invicta FC 49 on Sept. 28, when she defeated Helen Peralta via unanimous decision. Botelho is 9-5 over the course of a professional career that began in 2013.

A.J. McKee will face Rizin Fighting Federation lightweight king Roberto de Souza in the main event of Bellator vs. Rizin-themed offering on New Year’s Eve.

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Four of the five main-card matchups for the event were announced during a press conference on Wednesday. In the co-headliner, reigning Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Freire will lock horns with Rizin 145-pound title holder Kleber Koike Erbst. Additionally, former Bellator bantamweight king Juan Archuleta will lock horns with two-division Road FC kingpin Soo Chul Kim, while Kyoji Horiguchi returns to the flyweight division to take on Rizin grand prix winner Hiromasa Ougikubo. A fifth main-card pairing will be announced at a later date.

The event is officially entitled Rizin 40 and takes place on Dec. 31 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The fights will be contested in a ring under Rizin rules, which allow soccer kicks and knees to a grounded opponent. Rizin 40 will be broadcast …

After an impressive win over Marvin Vettori at UFC Fight Night 209 on Sept. 3, Robert Whittaker returned to Australia feeling confident that a trilogy with Israel Adesanya was on the horizon.

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At least that was what his head coach, Alex Prates, told Sherdog.com when asked about the alternate possibility of having “Bobby Knuckles” face Paulo Costa at UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro.

“That fight would make no sense to Robert,” Prates said then. “To tell you the truth, the UFC is planning a pay-per-view event in Perth, Australia, in February, and we’re almost positive the UFC will make the trilogy with Adesanya there.”

But after the UFC announced Adesanya’s next title defense would come against Alex Pereira in the UFC 281 main event, the team’s plans had to be recalculated.

“We had to face two possibilities,” Prates said. “If ‘Poatan’ beats Adesanya, it would make sense for the UFC to give [Adesanya] an immediate rematch, and that would put us in total…

At least for now, it appears that the UFC is moving forward with the Jiri Prochazka-Glover Teixeira rematch as the headliner for its final pay-per-view event of 2022.

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The Las Vegas-based promotion announced in a release on Tuesday that Prochazka vs. Teixeira will serve as the main event for UFC 282 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 10. The timing is interesting considering earlier in the day former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones tweeted that he is preparing as if he will face Stipe Miocic at UFC 282.

Prochazka and Teixeira initially squared off at UFC 275, with Prochazka claiming the 205-pound belt with a rear-naked choke at the 4:32 mark of Round 5. Had Teixeira survived until the final horn, he likely would have won a unanimous decision. The UFC is currently promoting a potential light heavyweight title eliminator between Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev as the evening’s co-main event.

Several other undercard bouts were …

If it’s up to Jon Jones, the former light heavyweight champ will make his highly-anticipated Octagon return before the end of the year.

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Jones revealed Tuesday via Twitter that he is training to face Stipe Miocic at UFC 282 on Dec. 10. “Bones” also indicated that any potential holdup isn’t coming from his side.

“I’m preparing to fight Stipe December 10 in Las Vegas,” Jones wrote. “Not really sure what’s going on between Stipe and the UFC but I’m ready to compete! I’m going to control what I can and stay in shape.”

I’m preparing to fight Stipe December 10 in Las Vegas. Not really sure what’s going on between Stipe and the UFC but I’m ready to compete! I’m going to control what I can and stay in shape. https://t.co/3Ouu9Xk8Ns

— BONY (@JonnyBones) October 25, 2022

Jones hasn’t fought since defending his 205-pound belt with a five-round verdict over Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 in February 2020. The now 35-year-old engage…

Despite an eight-fight winning streak, Beneil Dariush still feels overlooked when it comes to the lightweight title picture.

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The Kings MMA product earned a significant triumph at UFC 280 over the weekend, taking a hard-fought unanimous decision over Mateusz Gamrot, a former KSW champion who entered the matchup on a four-bout winning streak within the Las Vegas-based promotion. Even with the latest addition to his growing resume, it appears the UFC is leaning toward booking a lightweight championship clash between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski.

“Remember when I told you I still don’t think people are going to take me serious after this? We’re still exactly where we were before, nothing’s changed,” Dariush told Submission Radio. “Does it sound like I’m getting a title shot? I don’t think so.

“Maybe I’m getting some extra credit here and there from people. I think still no title shot. If anything, people are probably like, ‘Maybe Gamr…

Brandon Royval will square off against Amir Albazi at UFC Fight Night 216.

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Eurosport was first to report the flyweight pairing. UFC Fight Night 216 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Dec. 17 and is headlined by a middleweight tilt pitting Jared Cannonier against Sean Strickland.

Royval was recently scheduled to face Askar Askarov at UFC Fight Night 212 on Oct. 16, but the bout was canceled after his opponent experienced issues with his weight cut. The former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion is 2-0 in the Octagon this year, with victories over Rogerio Bontorin and Matt Schnell to his credit.

Sweden’s Albazi has won 15 of 16 professional outings and is 3-0 in UFC competition. Most recently, “The Prince” choked out Franciso Figueiredo in the opening stanza of their clash at UFC 278. Albazi was initially slated to meet Alex Perez at UFC Fight Night 216 before Perez withdrew for unknown reasons.

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

A pair of up-and-coming featherweights who recently had opponents fall through have been targeted to meet at UFC 282.

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According to multiple reports, Bryce Mitchell and Ilia Topuria have agreed to square off at the promotion’s final pay-per-view event of 2022. Fight Bananas was first to bring word of the booking. UFC 282 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 10 and features a light heavyweight title tilt between Jiri Prochazka and Glover Teixeira.

Mitchell was originally scheduled to lock horns with Movsar Evloev at UFC Fight Night 214 on Nov. 5 before Evloev pulled out of the event due to injury. Topuria, meanwhile, was paired with Edson Barboza at UFC Fight Night 213 on Oct. 29, but his foe also withdrew due to injury.

Mitchell has kicked off his professional tenure with 15 consecutive wins. He is 6-0 in UFC competition, including a three-round verdict over Barboza in…

A welterweight matchup pitting Magomed Magomedkerimov against Gleison Tibau is set for the PFL Championships on Nov. 25.

The promotion confirmed the pairing to Sherdog.com on Monday. The PFL Championships take place at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York and feature fighters in six weight classes competing for a $1 million prize. The evening’s main card is headlined by a women’s lighweight title fight between Kayla Harrison and Larissa Pachecho and air on pay-per-view at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The prelims, which include Magomedkerimov vs. Tibau as a showcase fight, will be broadcast on ESPN+ beginning at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.

Magomedkerimov has been victorious in 14 of his last 15 professional outings, a stretch that includes a PFL championship in 2018. He also appeared in the PFL finals in October 2021, when he fell to Ray Cooper via third-round KO — his first defeat since 2015. The 32-year-old Dagestani last appeared at PFL 6, where he earned a sec…

The UFC Fight Night 213 card is undergoing some changes with less than a week to go before the event.

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According to MMAFighting.com, Legacy Fighting Alliance flyweight champion Carlos Mota will step in on short notice to face Cody Durden on Saturday’s card. Mota is a replacement for Kleydson Rodrigues. It is unclear why Rodrigues was removed from the event.

The 27-year-old Mota has compiled an 8-1 career mark with stints in both LFA and Shooto Brazil. Most recently, “Tizil” knocked out Rizvan Abuev in the opening round at LFA 140 to claim the promotion’s 125-pound belt.

Durden is 1-1 in the Las Vegas-based promotion thus far in 2022. He suffered a 58-second submission loss to Muhammad Mokaev at UFC Fight Night 204 before rebounding to defeat J.P. Buys via TKO in the first round of their encounter at UFC on ESPN 38 on June 25.

Meanwhile, Garrett Armfield announced Monday on social media that a staph infection has forced him to withdraw from a…

.@BellatorMMA vs. @rizin_PR

History will be made on New Year's Eve in Japan. pic.twitter.com/z9QdafBdWJ

— Scott Coker (@ScottCoker) October 24, 2022

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Bellator MMA and Rizin Fighting Federation will go head-to-head this New Year’s Eve.

The California-based promotion announced on Monday that five Bellator athletes will square off against five Rizin competitors on Dec. 31 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The five-bout main card will be contested inside the Rizin ring. The card will air in the United States on Showtime beginning at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

While Bellator and Rizin have engaged in cross-promotional events in the past, this will mark the first time that fighters from the organizations have faced each other over the course of an entire card. Four of the five fighters that will represent Bellator were announced in a release: reigning featherweight champion Patricio Freire, former 145-pound champ A.J. McKee, …

Aljamain Sterling wasn’t a fan of T.J. Dillashaw’s attempt to take some of the shine from his second bantamweight title defense at UFC 280.

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After Sterling’s second-round technical knockout win in the evening’s co-main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, Dillashaw revealed that he suffered a shoulder injury earlier this year and that it popped out at least 20 times during that process of training camp.

“For him to go out and do that, I think it just kind of shows his personality,” Sterling said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “And I said it before, for a guy who needs to do PEDs, they have a chink in the armor for this guy to lose and the first thing he went for was that. I’m like dude, you’re just gonna make it seem like your shoulder just came out by itself, brother? I like to think I had something to do with that.”

The fight itself was never competitive. Sterling took Dillashaw down early, and the former title holder was seen grima…

While the end result was controversial, Sean O'Malley took a massive step forward in his evolution on Saturday night.

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The Dana White’s Contender Series alum defeated former bantamweight champion Petr Yan via split decision in a featured bout at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi on Saturday night. The victory could potentially set O’Malley up for a title shot against reigning champion Aljamain Sterling. At the time, however, another fight was the furthest thing from O’Malley’s mind.

“It’s hard to make fights right after. I’m sore, I have a headache, I’m tired. I don’t want to fight anyone. I want to go home and see my princess,” O’Malley said at the UFC 280 post-fight press conference.

He then acknowledged that his time at the top of the bantamweight division is on the horizon.

“It’s inevitable,” he said. “I turn 28 [on Sunday], and I’m going to be in this sport for a long time. People want me to be champ, so it’s going to happen sooner than later.”

…

A strawweight clash pitting Marina Rodriguez against Amanda Lemos has been elevated to main event status at UFC Fight Night 214.

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The move comes after Movsar Evloev was forced to withdraw from the card’s original main event bout against Bryce Mitchell due to injury. A replacement opponent for Mitchell was not found, and the promotion announced the new UFC Fight Night 214 headliner during the UFC 280 broadcast on Saturday. Rodriguez and Lemos were initially slated to meet at UFC 280 before their bout was rescheduled.

UFC Fight Night 214 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Nov. 5 and also includes a welterweight scrap between Neil Magny and Daniel Rodriguez as well as a lightweight showdown between Mark O. Madsen and Grant Dawson.

Rodriguez is in the midst of a four-bout winning streak in UFC competition. During that run, the Brazilian muay thai specialist has knocked off the likes of Xiaonan Yan, Mackenzie Dern, Michelle Waterson-Gomez…

"VOU PEGAR!" 🇧🇷

KLEBER KOIKE IS INEVITABLE‼️

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[Watch #RIZIN39 ➡️ https://t.co/40DpcCYUQV] pic.twitter.com/qihhdRiUnG — RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) October 23, 2022

There’s death, taxes, and Kleber Koike Erbst submitting his opponents due to triangle choke maneuvers.

In the Rizin 39 main event, Erbst quickly dispatched Juntaro Ushiku (20-7, 2-1 Rizin) to become the new Rizin Fighting Federation featherweight champion. Former Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki title challenger Erbst (31-5-1, 6-0 Rizin) imposed his grappling-oriented strategy straight out of the gate, making the most out of Ushiku’s decision to pull guard. Once on the canvas, Erbst stayed on top of Ushiku (20-7, 2-1 Rizin) for most of the opening frame, teasing some submission attempts from time to time.

In Round 2, Erbst’s strategy paid dividends during a scramble phase when the Brazilian found himself in the position to attack with a triangle choke att…

Having just claimed the lightweight crown with a scintillating second-round submission of Charles Oliveira in the UFC 280 headliner, Islam Makhachev didn’t take long to set his sights on even bigger goals.

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“I have to be No. 1 pound-for-pound champion,” Makhachev said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “After that moment we will see. We’re going to think about this. But right now, I have to defend this belt many times.”

Makhachev was in peak form against Oliveira, as he landed takedowns and defended against his opponent’s vaunted submission game in Round 1 before flooring the Brazilian in Round 2 and closing the show with an arm-triangle choke. It was an impressive showing, especially against a champion who entered the bout on an 11-fight winning streak.

“I’ve been saying all week, you have two of the absolute best in the world facing in their prime and facing off. And when I went up in the Octagon after, Khabib [Nurmagomedov] said, ‘I t…

T.J. Dillashaw never really had a chance against Aljamain Sterling.

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The former bantamweight champion entered the UFC 280 co-main event with an existing injury to his shoulder, and it flared up very quickly in their title bout on Saturday night at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. With Dillashaw clearly compromised, Sterling dominated en route to a technical knockout stoppage at the 3:44 mark of Round 2.

In his post-fight interview, Dillashaw revealed that the shoulder had been giving him problems since the beginning of his camp, and that continued into the fight.

“Yeah it popped out right away. I’ve got to apologize to the weight class, I kind of held it up. I completely blew my shoulder out end of April,” Dillashaw told Daniel Cormier. “I probably dislocated it a good 20 times throughout training camp. This is by far the toughest training camp I’d been through because of that emotionally.

“That’s why I was talking so much s—t about his weak standu…

Khamzat Chimaev and Abubakar Nurmagomedov went from 0-100 wtf pic.twitter.com/Qmbt5zx4xs

— Out Of Context MMA (@oocmma) October 22, 2022 There appears to be bad blood between Khamzat Chimaev and the Khabib Nurmagomedov camp.

Multiple videos posted online captured an altercation in the crowd at UFC 280 between Chimaev, who was seated cageside, and Abubakar Nurmagomedov, who competed earlier on the card. The incident occurred while newly-crowned lightweight champion Islam Makhachev was doing an in-cage interview following his victory over Charles Oliveira in the main event. The two UFC fighters had to be separated by security at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

The origin of the scuffle is currently unclear, but according RT Sport, Abubakar sent Chimaev a warning on social media in 2021 after Chimaev said he would “tear apart” Khabib Nurmagomedov. Abubakar is the cousin of the former UFC lightweight champion.

Abubakar Nurmagomedov defeat…

While many observers might not have agreed with the official result, Sean O'Malley and Petr Yan undeniably put on a show at UFC 280.

O’Malley and Yan received “Fight of the Night” and $50,000 for their spirited bantamweight clash at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. While O’Malley did damage with his rangy standup, Yan blended striking and takedowns effectively throughout the contest. Ultimately, “Sugar” Sean emerged with a contentious split-decision triumph.

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Elsewhere, Islam Makhachev captured a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus to go with his newly-claimed championship hardware for a submission victory against Charles Oliveira in the evening’s headliner. The Dagestani landed multiple takedowns before dropping his opponent in Round 2, setting the stage for an arm-triangle finish at the 3:16 mark of the period.

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

Finally, Belal Muhammad secured the card’s other $50,000 “Pe…

Islam Makhachev’s time has arrived.

The American Kickboxing Academy export completed his years-long climb to the top of the mountain, as he seized the vacant Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title by submitting Charles Oliveira with an arm-triangle choke in the second round of their UFC 280 headliner on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Oliveira (33-9, 21-9 UFC) bowed out 3:16 into Round 2, suffering his first defeat since Dec. 2, 2017.

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Makhachev (23-1, 12-1 UFC) was utterly brilliant. He assumed top position in the first round and successfully navigated the treacherous Oliveira guard, setting the stage for what was to come. Makhachev decked the Brazilian with a right hook in the second round, pursued him to the canvas and locked in the arm-triangle. He then cleared Oliveira’s legs, tightened his crushing squeeze and drew out the tap.

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

Sterling Wre…

Sherdog's live UFC 280 coverage will begin Saturday at 10:30 a.m. ET.

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

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Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Rosa (-295), Lansberg (+245)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:John Brannigan scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:John Brannigan scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:John Brannigan scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Mokaev (-850), Gordon (+600)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:John Brannigan scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:John Brannigan scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay P…

pic.twitter.com/vLo8gBOnVL

— 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.

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

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…