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Charles Oliveira has Conor McGregor on the brain.

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The former UFC lightweight champion has called for a fight with the Irish star repeatedly in recent months, and it seems to be something he won’t put behind him. Oliveira relinquished the 155-pound belt when he missed weight prior to UFC 274, but a finish of Justin Gaethje in the main event means “Do Bronx” will almost certainly get to compete for the vacant title in his next promotional appearance.

In a recent interview with ESPN Brazil, Oliveira reiterated that McGregor would be his first choice of opponent in that title bout.

"It would be a very good fight for me," Oliveira said. "It would put a lot of money in my pocket, and [at this moment] that's the most important thing. And it would also be really good for my legacy, for me to have in my story. Regardless, if he's coming from defeat or not, he's a guy who's made history, so I think it would be great, but it's not just up to me. If it we…

A featherweight showdown pitting Lando Vannata against Andre Fili is on tap for an Ultimate Fighting Championship card on Sept. 17.

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Fili confirmed the booking on social media following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com. The UFC Fight Night card does not yet have a location or headliner.

Vannata’s first bout of 2022 did not go as planned, as “Groovy” suffered a first-round submission loss to Charles Jourdain at UFC Fight Night 205 on April 23. The Jackson’s MMA Acoma member is 4-6-2 in the Las Vegas-based promotion and will be making his third appearance at 145 pounds after previously competing at lightweight.

Fili also tasted defeat in his first outing this year, falling to Joanderson Brito via TKO in 41 seconds at UFC on ESPN 35 on April 30. The Team Alpha Male product has won just once in his last five UFC bouts — a split verdict against the aforementioned Jourdain in June 2020.

Patricky Freire will defend his lightweight crown against Sidney Outlaw at Bellator 283 on July 22.

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Promotion officials announced the headlining bout on Tuesday. Bellator 283 takes place at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Wash., and will also see Douglas Lima square off against Jason Jackson in the evening’s co-main event, while Usman Nurmagomedov meets Chris Gonzalez at lightweight in another featured contest. The main card airs on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

Three preliminary bouts were also confirmed for Bellator 283: Adam Piccolotti vs. Tofiq Musayev at lightweight; Romero Cotton vs. Dalton Rosta at middleweight and Gadzhi Rabadanov vs. Bobby King at lightweight.

Freire claimed 155-pound gold at Bellator 270, when he defeated Peter Queally via second-round TKO in their rematch on Nov. 5. The 36-year-old “Pitbull” brother has competed under the Bellator banner since 2011, compiling a 15-8 mark and earning wins over the likes of B…

Herb Dean will be the third man in the cage when Israel Adesanya defends his middleweight crown against Jared Cannonier in the UFC 276 main event.

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The Nevada State Athletic Commission revealed during a meeting on Tuesday that the veteran official will oversee the 185-pound title affair. Dean was also the referee for Adesanya’s last Octagon appearance, a split-decision triumph over Robert Whittaker at UFC 271 on Feb. 12.

Derek Cleary, Sal D’Amato and Junichiro Kamijo will serve as cageside judges for the Adesanya vs. Cannonier.

Meanwhile, Marc Goddard will officiate the featherweight championship trilogy clash between Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway in the evening’s co-headliner. Goddard did not referee either of the first two meetings between Volkanovski and Holloway, both of which were won by the Australian champion.

D’Amato, Mike Bell and Ron McCarthy will score the 145-pound title tilt from cageside.

UFC 276 takes place…

The back-and-forth battle between Glover Teixeira and Jiri Prochazka in the main event of UFC 275 was considered by many fans as one of the best fights in UFC light heavyweight history.

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Shortly after relinquishing the light heavyweight belt to Prochazka, Teixeira reflected on the bout’s impact on the ”Papo de Luta” podcast.

"I just saw the fight and it reminds me Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson, which was one of the most exciting fights I saw live,” Teixeira said. “Of course, when you know the result the emotion is different, but I was able to understand why people are saying it was so exciting.”

In hindsight, Teixeira doesn’t regret going for a guillotine choke while having his opponent rocked in the fifth round.

"Of course, when I look at that guillotine, I want to cry. From an outside [perspective], it was pretty clear to see how dazed Jiri was, but people need to understand that since Day 1 of the camp my strategy was to take him…

Shortly after she vanquished Joanna Jedrzejczyk with a spinning backfist knockout at UFC 275 to cement her status as the strawweight division’s No. 1 contender, Weili Zhang proposed a date and location for a title clash with reigning champion Carla Esparza.

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“I want [to] fight with Carla in Abu Dhabi because I know there’s a fight there in October,” Zhang said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I think Carla is a special fighter, too, and I know that can be a really good fight. Also, for me and for her – not China or the U.S. So we can fight in another country, so it’s fair for both of us.”

Not so fast, Esparza says. While there’s no debate that Zhang is next in line, “Cookie Monster” recently told the New York Post that an end of the year timeline works best for her as she recovers from some “nagging injuries.” However, she refuses to let the challenger dictate the terms of that engagement.

“I definitely don’t feel like I’m in a po…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLu3jNEmVl4&w=560&h=315]

The Floyd Mayweather exhibition tour will continue under the Rizin Fighting Federation banner in September.

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The Japanese promotion announced during a press conference that Mayweather will face Mikuru Asakura under boxing rules in an event that will air on the new Rizin Fight Pass service. An exact date for the event was not revealed.

Mayweather, who was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame over the weekend, retired from professional boxing with a 50-0 record following a victory over former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor in 2017. Since then he has appeared in three exhibition contests, including a three-knockdown performance against Tenshin Nasukawa at Rizin 14 that prompted the kickboxing standout’s corner to throw in the towel. “Money” also went the distance for eight rounds against YouTube personality Logan Paul and squared off against former training partne…

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

“The Ultimate Fighter 29” winner Bryan Battle will drop to 170 pounds for a matchup with Takashi Sato at UFC on ESPN 40.

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Both fighters confirmed the booking on social media following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. UFC on ESPN 40 takes place on Aug. 6 at an an as yet to be announced location and is headlined by a light heavyweight showdown between Jamahal Hill and Thiago Santos.

Both of Battle’s first two promotional triumphs have come at middleweight. The 27-year-old Hayastan MMA Charlotte representative submitted Gilbert Urbina at UFC on ESPN 30 to complete his run through “TUF 28” and then outpointed Tresean Gore in his second Octagon appearance at UFC Fight Night 200. Battle has currently won six straight professional outings overall.

Sato, meanwhile, has lost three of his last four UFC appearances. Most recently, the Sanford MMA member dropped a unanimou…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sX-UfPnqC9k&w=560&h=315]

Holly Holm was officially enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame’s Class over the weekend.

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The ceremony took place in Verona, N.Y., on Sunday and also included inductees from 2020 and 2021 who were not honored in previous years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Holm is part of a 2022 class that also includes Roy Jones Jr., Miguel Cotto, James Toney and female champion Regina Halmich, among others. Floyd Mayweather Jr., originally slated to be inducted in 2021, was among the other notables in the three groups that were enshrined.

Holm compiled a 33-2-3 record in the Sweet Science, winning 14 championships in three weight classes over the course of an 11-year professional career. “The Preacher’s Daughter” was named “Female Fighter of the Year” by Ring Magazine in 2005 and 2006 and was a popular draw in her hometown of Albuquerque, N.M.

““You want to talk about loya…

Jiri Prochazka (@jiri_bjp) receives a Hero’s welcome in his hometown of Brno. He is the first UFC Champion from the Czech Republic in history. pic.twitter.com/EIh22iXfd6

— Paradigm Sports (@ParadigmSports) June 13, 2022

Jiri Prochazka’s UFC championship reign is a big deal in the Czech Republic.

The newly-crowned light heavyweight king returned to his hometown of Brno on Monday, where he was greeted by a rowdy throng of fans on hand to celebrate his achievement. Prochazka submitted Glover Teixeira at the 4:32 mark of Round 5 in the UFC 275 headliner to become the promotion’s first-ever champion from the Czech Republic.

Prochazka’s management, Paradigm Sports, shared footage of the scene via Twitter. The former Rizin title holder is in the midst of a 13-fight professional winning streak that includes 11 consecutive victories inside the distance.

A man of the people.@jiri_bjp pic.twitter.com/Qgu9AwU3Sz

— …

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

Undefeated welterweight prospect Ian Garry will look to take the next step in his MMA career when he locks horns with Gabriel Green at UFC 276.

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The promotion recently confirmed the 170-pound pairing. UFC 276 takes place on July 2 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a middleweight title tilt pitting Israel Adesanya against Jared Cannonier. In the co-main event, Alexander Volkanovski will square off against Max Holloway in a featherweight championship trilogy.

Garry, 24, has yet to taste defeat in nine professional outings. The former Cage Warriors champion debuted in the Octagon with a first-round knockout of Jordan Williams before outpointing Darian Weeks in his most recent appearance at UFC 273 this past April.

The 29-year-old Green has rebounded from a loss to Daniel Rodriguez in his promotional debut to post back-to-back victories against Philip Rowe and Yohan Lain…

While an accidental clash of heads may have hindered Taila Santos in the championship rounds of the UFC 275 co-main event, flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko was also apparently limited during Saturday’s fight in Singapore.

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Shevchenko revealed at the UFC 275 post-fight press conference that she was at less than 100 percent due to a foot injury. “Bullet” didn’t reveal the specifics behind the ailment, but pulling out was never an option. It did, however, prevent her from engaging in her traditional celebratory post-fight victory dance.

“Coming into the fight, I was injured. My foot was injured. All week, fight week, UFC Performance Institute, physical therapists they were working on my foot to get it back into the best shape,” Shevchenko said. “The few kicks that I had like super strong, it injured my foot … I hope it’s nothing serious that could delay my return to the Octagon, but this is the reason why I didn’t dance.

“Considering pulling ou…

Weili Zhang left no doubt in her second meeting with Joanna Jedrzejczyk, finishing her Polish rival with a spinning back fist in the second round of their UFC 275 encounter.

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It was a far cry from their first bout, when the two strawweights engaged in what many have called the greatest female fight of all-time at UFC 248 in March 2020. Zhang, who was the 115-pound champion at the time, emerged from that battle with a narrow split-decision triumph. Jedrzejczyk announced her retirement in the cage following the knockout loss to Zhang on Saturday night in Singapore, ending an era in the division. Zhang had nothing but praise for the Polish star in the aftermath of that decision.

“Before I became a UFC fighter, Joanna was the champion,” Zhang said at the UFC 275 post-fight press conference. “She is like a role model. I want to chase her [accomplishments] every day …”

Not only was Zhang’s latest triumph a strong contender for “Knockout of the Year…

The accidental clash of heads that left Taila Santos with significant swelling near her right eye in the UFC 275 co-main event will force the Brazilian to go under the knife in the near future.

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Santos’ manager, Tiago Okamura, told MMAFighting.com that Santos suffered a broken orbital bone under her right eye as a result of the collision with Valentina Shevchenko that occurred in the third round of their flyweight championship clash. Shevchenko would go on to win a closely-contested split-decision triumph to retain her belt. Santos will travel home to Brazil to have the surgery.

“We had two options,” Okamura said. “To have surgery here [in Singapore], and God knows how long we’d have to stay and how the recovery would take, or wait two weeks for the swelling to reduce a little bit and then have the surgery.

“The doctors said the long flight [back to Brazil] would not be a problem, and we would have a better support back home, since [Santos] …

Glover Teixeira was less than 30 seconds from successfully defending his light heavyweight title at UFC 275, but that amount of time proved to be a relative eternity.

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Teixiera succumbed to a rear-naked choke from Jiri Prochazka at the 4:32 mark of the fifth round in Saturday’s main event at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore, ending his six-fight winning streak in the process. After the defeat, Teixeira released a brief statement on Instagram in his native Portuguese.

“We got hit a little bit there but I gave my best in this fight,” Teixeira said (translation via MMAFighting.com). “But the hand came in the neck, I was very tired, and I think I didn’t believe [in the submission]. I should have turned, but now it’s too late to cry over spilled milk. Live by the sword, die by the sword.

“I gave my best and it wasn’t enough, but let’s go for the next one. Thank you to all of you that root for me for the support. I’m fine, just a few …

While Jiri Prochazka emerged from the UFC 275 headliner with the light heavyweight belt in his possession, he found plenty of room for improvement in his title-winning effort against Glover Teixeira.

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“From my side it was a horrible fight, horrible performance,” Prochazka said at the UFC 275 post-fight press conference. “Honestly. You saw that fight. I just survived some moments.

“My life’s plan is to be dominant in the fight and not just be a survivor. To be a hunter, and that will be my next fight, and I will show that. I don’t want to fight like that. It’s tough, it’s full of blood, and it’s not beautiful – maybe it’s beautiful for you, you like to be entertained. But for a fighter, I like to fight clean.”

In a bout full of momentum swings, Prochazka was less than a minute from a loss on the scorecards when he locked in a rear-naked choke for an improbable submission victory at the 4:32 mark of Round 5. The Czech light heavyweight was in d…

Joanna Jedrzejczyk, perhaps the most accomplished strawweight in Ultimate Fighting Championship history, is calling it a career at 34 years old.

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The former champion announced her decision following a loss to Weili Zhang in a rematch at UFC 275 in Singapore on Saturday. Jedrzejczyk succumbed to a spinning back fist from her Chinese opponent at the 2:28 mark of round 2. It was the Polish standout’s first Octagon appearance in more than two years, when she fell to Zhang via split decision in a “Fight of the Year”-winning performance at UFC 248 in March 2020.

"I'm retired, guys. I love you so much. Thank you for this opportunity. UFC, Dana, so sorry I let you down,” she said.

“It’s been 20 years. I’m turning 35 this year. I want to be a mom. I want to be a business woman. I’ve been training two decades, more than half of my life. I appreciate you all. I love you guys.”

Jedrzejczyk exits the sport with a 16-5 career mark. She made her UFC debut in…

One of the greatest fights we have ever seen had to be tonight's FOTN 👏👏👏

[ @GloverTeixeira @Jiri_BJP | #UFC275 | B2YB @ToyoTires ] pic.twitter.com/sNdinPZ3Ql

— UFC (@ufc) June 12, 2022

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UFC 275 will go down as one of the greatest events in the Ultimate Fighting Championship history and that statement is bolstered by the fact that eight post-fight bonuses were handed out.

Anchored by a mesmerizing main event that saw rising star Jiri Prochazka come back from near certain defeat multiple times to submit reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira in the waning seconds of the fifth round. Both men were battered and bloody; each were seriously rocked by punches to the head and the two warriors waged one of the wildest, most insane fights in recent memory. Prochazka’s rear-naked choke of Teixeira earned him a $50K Performance of the Night bonus to coincide with the same-dollar bonus both men received for Fig…

Jiri Prochazka was the last man standing in an extraordinary war of wills between two of the sport’s most violent competitors.

The 29-year-old Czech submitted Glover Teixeira with a no-hooks rear-naked choke and laid claim to the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championshiplight heavyweight title in the UFC 275 headliner on Saturday at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Teixeira (33-8, 16-6 UFC) capitulated 4:32 into Round 5, suffering the first submission defeat of his 41-fight career.

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Back and forth they went for four-plus rounds, exchanging takedowns, dominant positions, submission attempts and heavy leather. Neither man was willing to give in to the pain or punishment. Teixeira carved out a horrendous gash above his opponent’s left eye with a savage elbow strike in the second round before Prochazka (29-3-1, 3-0 UFC) returned the favor in the third, opening a cut across the bridge of the venerable Brazilian’s nose.

As they entered Rou…

Sign up for ESPN+ and order UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka Sherdog's live UFC 275 “Teixeira vs. Prochazka” coverage will begin Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.

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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: Edwards (-170), Pascual (+150)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Mike Sloan scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Mike Sloan scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Mike Sloan scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Juarez (-150), Liang (+130)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Mike Sloan scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Mike Sloan scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettr…

This fight is BANANAS 🍌

[ #UFC275 | Prelims LIVE on ESPN2 & @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/2BsqPQD2ip

— UFC (@ufc) June 12, 2022

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Former Hex Fight Series titleholder Joshua Culibao took a significant step forward in the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division, as he was awarded a split decision over Seung Woo Choi in their featured UFC 275 prelim on Saturday at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. All three judges scored it 29-28, two of them siding with Culibao.

Culibao (10-1-1, 2-1-1 UFC) had his counterpart reeling in the first round, where he staggered the Korean with a left hook, dropped him with another and swarmed for a potential finish. Choi (10-5, 3-4 UFC) weathered the assault but wandered into peril yet again in the middle stanza. There, Culibao stepped into a right hand that had the onetime Top Fighting Championship titlist somersaulting across the cage to avoid further punishm…

This rematch comes with much higher stakes 🏆@Usman84KG vs @Leon_EdwardsMMA

[ #UFC278 | Aug 20 | @VivintArena | @StateOfSport 🔗 https://t.co/MZCFJcbyqL ] pic.twitter.com/9JYMQUVM4F

— UFC (@ufc) June 12, 2022

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Kamaru Usman will look to defend his Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title on Aug. 20 in the headlining bout of UFC 278 against Leon Edwards.

Usman (20-1) will aim for not only his sixth consecutive title defense, but also secure his 20th straight victory inside the cage. “The Nigerian Nightmare” has been a dominant champion and holds big wins over the likes of Jorge Masvidal (twice), Gilbert Burns and two against arch rival Colby Covington.

Looking to upend Usman’s magnificent run is Edwards (19-3, 1 NC), a man who is on a similar hot streak, having won his last 10 battles. Edwards, the No. 2 ranked welterweight in the UFC, hasn’t lost since late 2015; the man who beat him was none other than w…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58Mn1hUVRd4&w=640&h=360] The Ultimate Fighting Championship's latest pay-per-view offering is set as all UFC 275 participants successfully made weight in Singapore.

The card is headlined by two title fights with Glover Teixeira's first light heavyweight title defense against Jiri Prochazka getting top billing. In the co-main event, UFC flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko will look to put away another challenger in the 19-1 Taila Santos. A pound-for-pound talent, Shevchenko (22-3) enters on an eight-fight win streak.

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On a surprising career-best run at 42, Teixeira (33-7) most recently submitted Jan Blachowicz to claim the title. The Brazilian is on a six-fight win streak that has seen him make comebacks in several of the bouts after being in danger, further proving his veteran savvy and toughness. Teixeira will look to prove his recent success isn't a fluke by defending his championship. The champion official…

Sign up for ESPN+ and order UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka

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When opportunity presented itself, Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight Alexandre Pantoja ensured his greatest chance for success possible.

Brazil’s Pantoja (24-5) signed up for a match at the end of July against former title challenger Alex Perez (24-6) at UFC 277, fully recovered from his knee injury that forced him out of a championship fight at the beginning of 2022. Pantoja was slated to rematch Brandon Moreno, a foe he has topped twice before, once in 2018 in the UFC and earlier in 2016 on their season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Following its announcement and confirmation by the fighters, Pantoja spoke to Sherdog about the matchup.

“I just signed the contract, now I can talk about,” Pantoja said coyly.

As Pantoja is a top-ranked flyweight, the UFC wanted him to step him and replace Askar Askarov on the July 16 event to retain a pivotal match on that Fight Night lineup. His manage…