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UFC Tampa was, at least in part, a showcase for the old guys.

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While 41-year-old Cub Swanson’s knockout of Billy Quarantillo in the co-main event deservedly garnered the lion’s share of the attention, 38-year-old Michael Johnson had a spectacular finish of his own, scoring a vicious KO of Ottman Azaitar on the evening’s uncard at Amalie Arena on Saturday night.

Johnson, who was a finalist on “The Ultimate Fighter 12” in 2010, never envisioned his career lasting as long as it has.

“I did not think I would be fighting til I was 38,” he said at the UFC Tampa post-fight press conference (video via MMAjunkie.com). “My plan was to get in the UFC, fight the best guys, win, get a title, be financially able to retire around 30….so eight years past that, and I’m still going. It feels great. I have no problem with missing my first goal. Now I’m on to my second goal and that’s what keeps me motivated.”

While Johnson hasn’t seriously approached championshi…

Khabib Nurmagomedov is confident in cousin Umar Nurmagomedov leading up to the latter’s upcoming title fight against Merab Dvalishvili.

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Umar challenges Dvalishvili for the bantamweight title in the co-main event at UFC 311 on Jan. 18 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. Dvalishvili was initially loathe to fight Umar, deeming him undeserving of a title shot.

While Umar didn’t seem to say anything inflammatory about the bantamweight champion, Dvalishvili claims he felt disrespected by the Dagestani. While announcing the UFC 311 matchup, Dana White revealed that Dvalishvili agreed to the matchup because he was done feeling disrespected by his opponent. While “The Machine” continues to voice his respect for Umar’s teammates leading up to UFC 311, he hasn’t stopped taking shots at his upcoming foe.

Khabib believes Dvalishvili was initially pretending to be nice guy but couldn’t handle his championship status very well. Dvalishvili has re…

Khabib blames DJ for making his cousin Abubakr lose a fight 😭

Khabib: “Because of you, you take him all the time to game, he lose one fight.”

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DJ: “I haven’t seen him play in a long time.”

Khabib: “Because we break his computer.” 😭😭

🎥 @MightyMousepic.twitter.com/WSmRLU3wCl — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) December 16, 2024

Khabib Nurmagomedov claims his cousin Abubakar Nurmagomedov lost a fight because of Demetrious Johnson.

“Mighty Mouse” is currently helping coach Khabib prepare Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov prepare for their upcoming title fights. While Makhachev will defend his lightweight title against Arman Tsarukyan in the main event, Umar challenges Merab Dvalishvili for the bantamweight strap in the co-main event at UFC 311 on Jan. 18 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

Johnson recently uploaded footage from the Dagestani camp where he can be seen spending some quality time with the tea…

Bibiano Fernandes will call it a career in February, but not before he squares off against Kevin Belingon one more time.

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The fifth meeting between Fernandes and Belingon was among a trio of new bouts recently announced for ONE 171: Qatar on Feb. 20. Additionally, former KSW champion Roberto Soldic will face Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev at 185 pounds, while Shamil Gasanov will meet former ONE two-division king Martin Nguyen at 155 pounds.

The 44-year-old Fernandes is a former bantamweight (145-pound champion) with the Singapore based promotion. He is 3-1 against Belingon, most recently defeating his rival via second-round submission at ONE “Century Part 2” in October 2019. The AMC Pankration-trained Brazilian is on a two-fight losing streak but hasn’t competed since November 2022.

A native of Manila, the 37-year-old Belingon has also been dormant since November 2022 and has lost his last five professional outings — all under the ONE banner. Bel…

The only man to defeat Islam Makhachev has been a valuable presence in Arman Tsarukyan’s camp.

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Adriano Martins, who knocked out the reigning UFC lightweight champion in October 2015, traveled from Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, to American Top Team to help Tsarukyan prepare for his main event clash with Makhachev at UFC 311 on Jan. 18 in Los Angeles.

"Master Parrumpa [Marcos DaMatta] believes I have a similar game to Islam and could help Arman a lot in this camp. Since I have a fight on Dec. 27 in Russia, he invited me to have my camp here at ATT,” the 42-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt told Sherdog.com.

After training with Tsarukyan on a daily basis for a month, Martins believes his teammate has the potential to defeat Makhachev. Tsarukyan initially faced Makhachev in his Octagon debut, falling via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 149 on April 20, 2019.

"Arman has a pretty solid game: good striking, great wrestling and also a…

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It should come as no surprise that Colby Covington has a different perspective on the happenings at UFC Tampa this past Saturday night.

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The three-time welterweight title challenger returned for the first time in a year, falling to Joaquin Buckley via third-round technical knockout in the evening’s main event at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. The bout was halted by a cageside doctor at the 4:42 mark of Round 3 due to a significant cut above Covington’s right eye.

It was unclear exactly what caused the wound, but Covington seemed to believe it occurred due to a clash of heads. While Buckley appeared to be in clear control of the fight prior to the stoppage, Covington contends that he was robbed of an opportunity to shift momentum down the stretch.

“We came in close contact, and I felt like there was a headbutt, and as soon as it cut in the first round, I couldn’t see,” Covington said on his YouTube channel. “I had blurred vis…

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Javier Mendez isn’t excited about Ilia Topuria’s lightweight plans.

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Topuria recently said that he might be done competing at featherweight after only one title defense. The undefeated champ wants to instead move up to lightweight and fight Charles Oliveira with reigning 155-pound title holder Islam Makhachev already booked for his next defense.

Makhachev puts his belt on the line against Arman Tsarukyan in the main event at UFC 311 on Jan. 18 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. While Topuria has taken multiple shots at Makhachev in the recent past, Mendez, the Dagestani’s long-term coach, isn’t paying heed just yet. Mendez is more focused on Makhachev’s upcoming defense against “Ahalkalakets,” whom he already beat via a hard-fought unanimous decision in 2019.

Mendez also reiterated Makhachev’s double-champ aspirations with a possible move up to welterweight. At the end of the day, Mendez promises Makhachev will ac…

⚡️ Bryce Mitchell got a DM from his future wife after Bryce had an interview with Tucker Carlson.

They ended up getting married and now their son is named after Tucker! 👏🎥 @dc_mma pic.twitter.com/bvw0FmVPtu

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) December 15, 2024

Bryce Mitchell has Tucker Carlson partly to thank for the beautiful family he has today.

Mitchell is quite an interesting character in several ways. The UFC featherweight is a flat earther who loves farming and lives a secluded life on his ranch in Arkansas. Mitchell is married to Erin Handlow, with whom he had a son earlier this year. “Thug Nasty” named his son Tucker after Carlson, whom he credits for helping him connect with Handlow.

While Mitchell has done multiple interviews with Carlson over the years, a particular one from 2022 went viral due to “Thug Nasty’s” wild theories and views on the government. Mitchell revealed that Handlow messaged him on Instagram after wa…

Joaquin Buckley kept things short and sweet during his appearance at the UFC Tampa post-fight press conference on Saturday night.

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“New Mansa” secured his sixth consecutive triumph in the evening’s main event, earning a technical knockout victory via doctor stoppage against Colby Covington at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. When he addressed media after the card, Buckley answered just one question but did manage to address of number of topics in his response.

“My first main event was a big success,” Buckley said. “I feel like the whole card was very successful, getting a lot of knockouts. I feel like my fight shouldn’t have been stopped. It is what it is. You’ve got to protect the fighters. I feel like 2025 is definitely my year and we definitely taking over. With this being said, this is on a six-fight winning streak. I’ve got eight knockouts within the UFC.

“I feel like I’ve done enough to really put myself in a position to, yet again, fight…

Cub Swanson knows he has the ideal opportunity to ride off into the sunset on a high note — but he isn’t closing the door on his mixed martial arts career just yet.

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The 41-year-old WEC veteran authored a memorable performance in the UFC Tampa co-main event on Saturday night, as he knocked out hometown favorite Billy Quarantillo at the 1:36 mark of Round 3 following a back-and-forth battle that garnered “Fight of the Night” honors. In his post-fight interview, Swanson revealed that he had told his wife beforehand that “this might be the last one.” However, he also acknowledges that the fighting itch won’t go away completely.

“I’m always going to be tempted. We’ll see how I heal up,” Swanson said at the post-fight press conference. “I’ve got three little kids that are getting a little bit older now and definitely want my attention more. I’ve got a bunch of fighters, my Team Bloodline, my guys I manage and coach. I put a lot of effort into them and t…

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Dana White is supremely confident that Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall will square off in the Octagon, so much so that he is willing to guarantee the heavyweight title fight happens at some point next year.

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“Yeah, I’ll say 100 percent [guaranteed],” White said at the UFC Tampa post-fight press conference on Saturday night.

Aspinall recently revealed that he had a conversation with the UFC CEO at UFC 309, where White assured him that he would get his desired showdown with Jones sometime down the road.

Jones returned to action in the UFC 309 headliner, where he dispatched Stipe Miocic via third-round technical knockout in the evening’s main event at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 16. It was a fight that Jones insisted on keeping intact even after Aspinall become the promotion’s interim heavyweight king and defended the strap over the course of the past year while the New Mexico resident healed from a pectoral injury. In the aftermath…

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Jan Blachowicz is attending a secret training camp for his upcoming fight.

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Blachowicz is scheduled to fight Carlos Ulberg at UFC Fight Night 255 at the O2 Arena in London on Feb. 22. While the former light heavyweight champ primarily has a striking-heavy game, Blachowicz won’t hesitate to use his wrestling if needed. Although Blachowicz will be returning to the Octagon after a hiatus of more than a year and a half, the matchup against Ulberg could be a potential title eliminator. And the Polish powerhouse plans to focus on rallying for a title shot if he gets his hand raised.

“He [is a] standup fighter, I am standup fighter,” Blachowicz recently told James Lynch. “But you know, if I have to go use my wrestling, I will go and do it. It’s MMA, so… But I like fighting standup so for sure people are gonna see a lot of punches…I would like to win before time… I think if I win this fight in a good way, anyway I will start talking only a…

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿⚔️ Aljamain Sterling is looking to fight Brian Ortega or return in March on the UK card and fight Arnold Allen.

🎥 @Home_of_Fight pic.twitter.com/Rraprn2Ux2

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) December 14, 2024

Aljamain Sterling is aiming up the rankings despite a recent loss.

Sterling took on undefeated featherweight contender Movsar Evloev on the prelims at UFC 310 earlier this month. While “Funkmaster” dropped a unanimous decision against Evloev, the Russian arguably faced his toughest test to date.

Sterling isn’t even considering it a complete loss based on his performance. The former bantamweight champ doesn’t think he deserves to fight down the rankings after splitting his first two 145-pound appearances.

Sterling recently called out Arnold Allen, which would ideally go down at the O2 Arena for the UFC’s return to London on March 22. Sterling is otherwise eyeing former title challenger Brian Ortega within the sam…

CUB SWANSON WITH THE WALK-OFF K.O. 💥 #UFCTampa pic.twitter.com/21HA1szYbt

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 15, 2024

Cub Swanson and Billy Quarantillo put on a show for the folks in Tampa on Saturday night.

As a result, the featherweight combatants took home “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their co-main event clash at UFC Tampa. Both fighters had their moments in a back-and-forth affair, but it was Swanson who put a lasting stamp on the bout when he rendered Quarantillo unconscious with a right cross 1:36 into Round 3.

Meanwhile, Dustin Jacoby earned a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for his knockout of Vitor Petrino in a featured light heavyweight affair. After a measured opening 10 minutes, Jacoby found his desired opening in the final frame, when he dropped his Brazilian foe with a right cross and sealed his victory with a few follow-up shots at the 3:44 mark of the period.

Finally, Michael Johnson …

Pools of blood on the Octagon floor provided proof of Joaquin Buckley’s dominance.

“New Mansa” moved ever closer to title contention in the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight division, as he stopped Colby Covington on a cut in the third round of their UFC on ESPN 63 main event on Saturday at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Referee Dan Miragliotta waved it off on the advice of the cageside physician 4:42 into Round 3.

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A late replacement for Ian Garry, Covington (17-5, 12-5 UFC) encountered immediate difficulty. Buckley (21-6, 11-4 UFC) hacked open a cut on his right eyelid with a slashing uppercut in the first round and turned up the heat from there. Power punching combinations paired with excellent takedown defense paved the way to the most significant victory of his career. The wound grew in size and depth as the minutes passed, and Covington was warned after the second round that the fight was on the verge of being halted. Buckley continu…

Bantamweight bully Lewis McGrillen-Evans (10-1) could be one of the most exciting additions to the Professional Fighters League Global roster next season after the Manchester native won the organization’s European bantamweight title with an outstanding second-round TKO over Alexander Luster at the PFL Europe 2024 Finals in Lyon, France.

McGrillen opened the fight very strong, dropping the German with a left hook, but Luster wouldn’t go away quietly. Luster shook off the cobwebs and cut McGrillen over his eye with his own heavy shots, and just like that, it was on. The two warriors slugged it out until the Manchester Top Team standout put Luster (9-2) flat on his back with another picture-perfect left hook. It would only take a few more finishing blows to cap off the performance. At 24, McGrillen–Evans could be a rising star in the PFL. Last season, he was stopped short of PFL Europe glory, but he redeemed himself on Saturday with an unforgettable performance.

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Michael Johnson still has more than enough firepower to make noise in the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight division.

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 12 finalist punched out former Brave Combat Federation champion Ottman Azaitar in the second round of their featured UFC on ESPN 63 prelim on Saturday at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. In his first appearance since July 15, 2023, Azaitar (13-3, 2-3 UFC) crashed and burned 2:03 into Round 2.

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A tepid and mostly uneventful first five minutes gave way to a highlight-reel finish for one of the UFC’s most seasoned competitors. Azaitar set off a wild exchange in the center of the cage, showing no regard for his own safety. Johnson (23-19, 15-15 UFC) ducked out of danger and cut loose with a crushing right hook on the counter. Azaitar was out before he hit the mat, where he was met with a few more punches before referee Jason Herzog could cordon off the scene.

Meanwhile, Bandog Fight Club star Joel …

Professional Fighters League will conclude its historic year with the PFL Europe 2024 Finals in Lyon, France. Sherdog’s live coverage will kick off with the first bout at 11 a.m. ET.

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Play-by-play unavailable due to technical issuesThe Official Result Oscar Ownsworth def. Claudio Pacella via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) PFL Europe Welterweight Showcase Bout:Brice Belghazi (167.5) vs. Eoin Sheridan (170.8) Round 1 Ireland’s towering Sheridan and Lyon hometown favorite Belghazi face off, with Dan Movahedi the third man in the cage. Belghazi rushes straight in, clinches and shoves Sheridan to the fence, where he launches a couple of knees up the middle. Sheridan reverses him, knees him and fights off a takedown attempt. Sheridan then uses a trip of his own, to deposit the Frenchman on the canvas at the base of the fence. Belghazi kicks him off and they return to the feet, still clinched against the cage. Two minutes down, and Sheridan turns Belgh…

Sherdog's live UFC on ESPN 63 coverage will begin Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. The event is also known UFC Tampa. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Knutsson (-230), Rodriguez (+190)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Taveras (-130), Grant (+110)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian K…

#UFCSaudiArabia is back with a BANG 💥@Stylebender vs @Imavov1 @Shara_Bullet77 vs @MichaelPage247

[ #RiyadhSeason | @RiyadhSeason ] pic.twitter.com/wCKv38qCmg

— UFC (@ufc) December 14, 2024

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A middleweight showdown pitting Israel Adesanya against Nassourdine Imavov will serve as the headliner for UFC Saudi Arabia on Feb. 1.

Additionally, Michael Page will square off against Sharabutdin Magomedov in another middleweight clash in the co-main event. UFC CEO Dana White announced the bouts on Saturday. UFC Fight Night 250 takes place at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and also includes a heavyweight tilt between Sergei Pavlovich and Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

Adesanya will be competing in his first non-title fight since he bested Anderson Silva at UFC 234 on Feb. 9, 2019. “The Last Stylebender” has lost three of his last four Octagon appearances and is coming off a fourth-round submission defeat against Dricus Du Pless…

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Tom Aspinall (15-3) claims he has been guaranteed a fight against Jon Jones (28-1).

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Jones was originally scheduled to defend his title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 in November 2023 before being forced out with an injury. Tom Aspinall went on to knock out Sergei Pavlovich in an interim title fight on the same card.

With no timeline in sight for Jones’ return at that point, Aspinall initially called for “Bones” to be stripped off the title. The Brit later changed tune and started calling for a title unifier upon Jones’ return. However, Jones remained adamant on preserving his matchup against Miocic, whom he defeated via third-round stoppage at UFC 309 last month.

Despite Aspinall having even defended his title against Curtis Blaydes in the meantime, Jones is still loathe to fight the interim champ. While Jones was teasing retirement leading up to UFC 309, he is now plotting a mega fight against former champ Alex Pereira . Jon…

Curtis Blaydes (18-5) will welcome debutant Rizvan Kuniev (12-2) to the Octagon at UFC Seattle.

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Blaydes and Kuniev will meet in a heavyweight matchup at UFC Fight Night 252 on Feb. 22 at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Multiple outlets have confirmed the pairing after the matchup was first reported by Kuniev’s teammate Jairzinho Rozenstruik in an interview with James Lynch.

Blaydes challenged Tom Aspinall for the interim title in a rematch at UFC 304 this past July. “Honey Badger” knocked out Blaydes in just one minute, also avenging his lone UFC loss, where he blew his knee in the opening seconds back in 2022. Meanwhile, “Razor” has now sandwiched a win over Jailton Almedia between losses against Sergei Pavlovich and Aspinall.

Kuniev earned his UFC contract with a first round technical knockout win over Hugo -Cunha-52825">Hugo -Cunha-227763">Hugo Cunha on the Dana White's Contender Series this past August. While Kuniev entered D…

[embedded content] The Ultimate Fighting Championship completes its 2024 schedule this weekend with UFC on ESPN 63, which is now official after the weigh-ins took place.

All 26 fighters made weight for the promotion's final card of the year. Headlining the card is a fight between welterweight contenders Colby Covington and Joaquin Buckley. Both men came in weighing 171 pounds for the five-round main event. In total, the card will feature 13 fights.

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Covington (17-4) will look to bounce back into the win column after coming up short in a title fight against Leon Edwards. "Chaos" has now lost two of his last three fights, with a win against Jorge Masvidal coming in between decision losses to Edwards and Kamaru Usman. The 36-year-old's best days are likely behind him, but we'll see how much he has in the tank in his lone fight of 2024.

Meanwhile, this marks the biggest fight in the career of Buckley (20-6). "New Mansa" is riding an impressive five-fig…

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A busy year for the Professional Fighters League wraps up on Saturday as the PFL Europe 4: 2024 Finals will take place.

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The event features four championship fights in the welterweight, lightweight, bantamweight and women's flyweight divisions. However, the card will be headlined by a welterweight showcase fight between Laureano Staropoli and Abdoul Abdouraguimov. All fighters successfully made weight, so the card will move forward with 12 fights.

Staropoli (13-6) enters the fight looking to rebound from a loss to Murad Ramazanov. Prior to the setback, "Pepi" had put together four straight wins. Meanwhile, Abdouraguimov (18-1, 1 NC) is riding eight straight victories into the main event. "The Lazy King" most recently won a split decision over Jack Grant. Staropoli came in at 170.8 pounds, while Abdouraguimov came in at 170.6 pounds.

PFL Europe 4: 2024 Finals will air live on Dazn starting at noon ET/9 a.m. PT.

PFL Europ…