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A previously rumored lightweight clash between Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler now has a date and venue.

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UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell informed promotion broadcast partner ESPN on Wednesday that the fight will take place at UFC 281 on Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York. In addition to that news, Chandler has signed a new, multi-fight deal with the UFC. Poirier vs. Chandler will be contested over three rounds, although Poirier reportedly wanted it to be a five-round bout. Chandler, meanwhile, initially hoped for the matchup to take place in December.

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Tensions are already high between the two lightweights. Poirier and Chandler were involved in a brief confrontation while attending UFC 276 at the T-Mobile Arena in Vegas on July 2. While it’s unclear what started the altercation, both men had to be separated by security while they yelled obscenities and threats at…

One on Prime Video 3 will feature a pair of title fights at the top of the bill.

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Reinier de Ridder will defend his middleweight (205-pound) strap against Shamil Abdulaev in the headliner, while John Lineker will put his bantamweight (145-pound) belt on the line against Fabricio Andrade in the co-main event. The Singapore-based promotion confirmed the bookings following an initial report from MMAFighting.com.

One on Prime Video 3 takes place at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Oct. 21, and the card airs live in the United States on Amazon Prime Video beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

A title holder at both light heavyweight and middleweight in One, de Ridder is 16-0 as a professional. In his most recent outing, “The Dutch Knight” submitted Vitaly Bigdash in the opening round of their bout at One Championship 159 to defend his middleweight crown.

Dagestan’s Abdulaev will make enter his One debut with a 13-1 career mark. The CSKA…

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

Darren Till and Dricus Du Plessis have agreed to a middleweight bout at UFC 282.

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ESPN was first to bring word of the pairing, which is close to being finalized. UFC 282 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 10 and is expected to feature a light heavyweight championship rematch between Jiri Prochazka and Glover Teixeira.

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Till has yet to compete in 2022 after being forced to withdraw from a proposed matchup against Jack Hermansson in July due to injury. The former welterweight title challenger has lost four of his last five Octagon appearances and is coming off a third-round submission defeat to Derek Brunson at UFC Fight Night 191 in September 2021.

A former KSW champion, Du Plessis is 3-0 thus far in UFC competition. Most recently, the South African defeated Brad Tavares via uanimous decision at UFC 276 to ru…

Vitor Petrino Salvo left nothing to chance.

The undefeated Brazilian was one of four fledgling mixed martial artists to nail down an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract during Week 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series, as he disposed of Rodolfo Bellato with punches in the second round of their light heavyweight showcase on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Salvo (7-0) tagged his countryman’s figurative toe 3:36 into Round 2.

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Bellato (8-2) knocked down the CM System standout and climbed to his back in the first round but failed to net the desired finish. It did not turn out well for the Team Nogueira export. Salvo ducked an ill-advised spinning backfist in the middle stanza and countered with a left hook that sent “Trator” crashing to the canvas in a supine position. A diving standing-to-ground right hand froze Bellato in place before referee Mark Smith could arrive on the scene. In addition to Salvo, the UFC signed welterweight Gabriel Souza…

The super atomweight grand prix semifinals are set for Rizin 38, as Ayaka Hamasaki will face Si Woo Park, while Seika Izawa will square off against Anastasiya Svetkivska on Sept. 25.

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The Japanese promotion recently announced the pairings. Svetkivska is a replacement for Rena Kubota, who withdrew from the bracket due to injury. Rizin 38 takes place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and features a bantamweight clash pitting Kyoji Horiguchi against Yuto Hokamura. The event also includes a Super Rizin portion of the card that is topped by an exhibition boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Mikuru Asakura. A featherweight showdown between Kota Miura and Bunchuai Phonsungnoen was recently added to that portion of the bill.

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A former Rizin champion, Hamasaki advanced to the semifinals with a three-round verdict over Jessica Aguilar at Rizin 37. That snapped a two-fight skid for the 40…

After Robert Whittaker earned a dominant decision win over Marvin Vettori at UFC Paris on Saturday, Paulo Costa called out the former champion for a fight at UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro this January.

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when I fight whittaker it won't be by decision, I'll go for the knockout. I hope he doesn't change divisions before then.

— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) September 4, 2022

While Brazilian fans were intrigued by the possibility, Whittaker’s coach, Alex Prates told Sherdog.com that there is no chance that “The Reaper” will face Costa in Brazil.

“I have no idea where that came from, but it's not true,” Prates said.

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According to Prates, Whitaker is planning to return to action in February in his home country with a belt on the line.

“It´s almost confirmed. UFC is planning to hold an event in Perth, Australia, in February and we are going to …

Marvin Vettori isn’t giving up his dream of being champion following his loss to Robert Whittaker in the UFC Fight Night 209 co-main event this past Saturday.

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The Italian middleweight recently released a statement via social media after dropping a clear-cut unanimous decision to the former 185-pound title holder at the Accor Arena in Paris.

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“Starting from Mezzocorona and getting to the MMA world summit didn’t happen overnight,” Vettori wrote. “Against all odds and working steadily through these years, many have become passionate and inspired by my journey, where my determination has always prevailed. For this, I thank you from first to last. What you’ve seen so far is not the top of the mountain. We will climb back to conquer higher peaks. It’s a promise.

“This game ain’t for the faint of heart. We got big shoulders, and we don’t quit. There is just one way, and that is forward. I …

𝙄𝙏'𝙎 𝙊𝙁𝙁𝙄𝘾𝙄𝘼𝙇 @jakepaul vs. @SpiderAnderson Oct. 29 LIVE on @Showtime PPV from @GilaRiverArena. #PaulSilva pre-sale available now: https://t.co/SCgGwEQmns pic.twitter.com/CQgA0YYb6z

— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) September 6, 2022

A previously rumored boxing match between social media personality Jake Paul and former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva is now official.

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Showtime Sports and Paul’s company, Most Valuable Promotions, announced on Tuesday that the fight will take place on Oct. 29 at Gila River Arena in Phoenix, Ariz. The bout will be contested over eight rounds at a 187-pound catchweight. The event will air live via pay-per-view on Showtime. The two men are expected to meet face-to-face at consecutive media events on Sept. 12 in Los Angeles and on Sept. 13 in Phoenix.

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“Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva is the most versatile fighter the wo…

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Things are heating up ahead of Khamzat Chimaev’s first headlining appearance in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

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On Monday, Chimaev was involved in an altercation with former middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas. Costa, who was training with Jake Shields at the facility, posted a reaction and video of the incident on his YouTube channel. Shields is a training partner of Nate Diaz, who is Chimaev’s opponent in the UFC 279 main event.

“I met Chimaev there, and man, he was scared,” Costa said on his YouTube channel. “The guy stood there and he froze. He froze. I actually was not surprised. As I said before, cupcake Chechen, gourmet Chechen is a bully with small guys.”

Costa added that he told Chimaev that he would like to fight the Allstars Training Center product if he is victorious against Diaz on Saturday. The altercation primarily consisted of both fighters yelling across …

Italian middleweight Alessio Di Chirico is calling it a career.

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Di Chirico announced his retirement via social media on the heels of a third-round knockout loss to Roman Kopylov at UFC Fight Night 209 at Accor Arena in Paris this past Saturday. The 32-year-old known as “Manzo” has lost five of his last six appearances within the Las Vegas-based promotion.

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“I can't think of how much I have made all the people who love me suffer, and even all those who simply believe in me,” he wrote (text translated from Italian via Google Translate). “I feel that the time has come to hang up the gloves. I know it's a tipping point, I know I'll miss it like crazy in a few years. But now there are more reasons that tell me to stop than to continue. Thank you very much for being close to me in this last battle.”

Di Chirico added that he plans to remain involved in combat sports even as he exits MMA as…

Sherdog's live DWCS 2022 Week 6 coverage will begin Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below.

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Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round: Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:The Official Result ODDS: Silva (-280); Dudakova (+235)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:The Official Result Roun…

On Saturday, Khamzat Chimaev will headline UFC 279 against Nate Diaz.

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His jiu-jitsu trainer, Alan Finfou Nascimento, expects an impressive win over Diaz at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas but revealed to Sherdog.com that Chimaev is not in a rush to challenge for welterweight gold in the event of a victory.

“Of course our priority would be the title bout, but in case UFC wants to make the trilogy between Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman, he would like to do a fight in the middleweight division,” Nascimento said.

The coach also thanked Caio Borralho for his help with Chimaev’s camp over the past couple weeks.

“Caio came to help us, he added a lot to the preparation, and he's with us here in Vegas,” Nascimento said. “I hope he continues to help us. He's a top fighter, and he helped Chimaev a lot.”

According to Nascimento, Chimaev will go with him to Rio de Janeiro after the fight for the premiere of the film "Faixa Preta,” which is…

Khamzat Chimaev can take another step closer to a title shot with a victory over Nate Diaz in the UFC 279 headliner on Saturday, but he’s willing to weigh his options if the promotion goes in a different direction.

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After Leon Edwards upset of Kamaru Usman in the UFC 278 headliner, a decent possibility exists that an immediate trilogy — potentially in England — could be in store given Usman’s run of dominance prior to that defeat. If that turns out to be the case, Chimaev told ESPN that he could turn his attention to the middleweight division and the winner of the title fight between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira slated for UFC 281.

“If they want to do [the trilogy], for me no problem,” Chimaev said. “I’m gonna take some other fight, and we will see what’s happening. Maybe Israel Adesanya or the other guy, Pereira. Who wins that, maybe fight with them. I don’t know.”

Prior to UFC 278, Usman had a 15-bout winning streak in the Octagon and ha…

It was smooth sailing at weigh-ins for Week 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series, as all 10 athletes scheduled to compete hit their contracted marks.

The Contender Series takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Tuesday night and airs on ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The evening’s featured contest is a light heavyweight affair pitting Rodolfo Bellato (205) against Vitor Petrino Salvo (203.5). The bout is a rematch of a Max Fight 22 encounter in May 2019 won by Salvo via first-round knockout.

A product of the Team Nogueira camp, Bellato brings an 8-1 career mark into the Contender Series. He has finished all of his victories inside the distance, including a pair of first-round submissions under the Legacy Fighting Alliance banner.

Salvo is undefeated in six professional appearances, including the aforementioned triumph against Bellato. Most recently, the 25-year-old CM System product scored a second-round KO of six-time UFC veteran Gadzhimurad Antigulov at UAE W…

Nate Diaz is about to make a foray into the business of promoting combat sports.

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According to a release from Team Diaz, the Stockton, Calif., native will be applying for his license to promote events for an organization called Real Fight, Inc. The promotion will feature boxing, mixed martial arts and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Diaz himself announced the news on Sunday via instagram with the following caption: “Real Ninjas. Real Fighters. Real Shit.. Real Fight, Inc.”

According to the statement, Diaz’s new endeavor will not affect his status as a fighter, as he plans to remain active in that realm.

“Real Fight, Inc. is his expansion into the business side of the sport where he has been a fixture for close to 20 years,” a statement reads. “The promotion will look attract fighters from around the world, whether it be up and coming prospects or household names who fit the brand of ‘Real Ninjas. Real Fighters. Real S—…’”

Diaz is scheduled …

In his previous 11 professional mixed martial arts appearances, Ciryl Gane had never been hit the way Tai Tuivasa hit him on Saturday in Paris.

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“Yeah, 100 percent [the hardest puncher I’ve faced],” Gane said at the UFC Fight Night 209 post-fight press conference. “Ngannou never touched me during the fight, so it’s impossible to compare. But today, Tai Tuivasa touched me. Francis Ngannou can touch very well. That’s not a question. But today, [Tuivasa] was the first guy to put me on my ass.”

“Bon Gamin” appeared to be on cruise control before Tuivasa dropped him with a massive right hand in the second round of their headlining bout at the Accor Arena in Paris. That set off a thrilling sequence in which the heavyweights went back and forth before Gane put his opponent away with a series of heavy punches 4:23 into Round 3. For a few moments, however, Gane was going on pure instinct after hitting the canvas.

“I don’t have time to put question in my…

In the UFC Fight Night 209 co-main event, Robert Whittaker proved once again that he’s a cut above most of the middleweight division.

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The former champion picked apart fomer title challenger Marvin Vettori for three rounds, ultimately winning a clear-cut unanimous decision at Accor Arena in Paris on Saturday. Whittaker has won 13 of his last 15 promotional appearances, with his only two setbacks coming at the hands of reigning 185-pound king Israel Adesanya.

“I’m the most dangerous man in the division,” Whittaker said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “Israel’s the champ. He beat me twice, hats off to him for that. He’s a great fighter, he really is. And I think stylistically he’s a great fighter, but I still think I’m the most dangerous man in the division, because I win. I win a lot and I make people hate fighting. I take the fight out of them, because that’s what I do. I get in there and I get to work.”

Adesanya knocked Whittaker ou…

Francis Ngannou still owns bragging rights over Ciryl Gane thanks to his victory over the Frenchman at UFC 270 in January.

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With that in mind, the reigning heavyweight champion isn’t going over the top with his praise of Gane following his third-round knockout victory over Tai Tuivasa in the UFC Fight Night 209 headliner in Paris on Saturday. “Bon Gamin” has been victorious in eight of nine promotional appearances, with his lone defeat coming via unanimous decision against Ngannou.

“I know he’s a great fighter,” Ngannou said on the ESPN+ post-fight show. “It’s hard to respond to that question for the guy that I beat – if I’m impressed with him. He’s here for a reason. I fought him for a reason because he was probably the No. 1 contender. Yes, he’s good, but I’m the champ. Yeah, so it’s really hard to be impressed.”

Gane had to survive some adversity to emerge victorious against Tuivasa. The heavy-handed Aussie became the first person to land …

本日、ハワイ州庁舎にグレン・ワカイ上院議員を表敬訪問し、来年に開催を目指すハワイ大会への協力をお願いして来ました！全面的にサポートをして頂ける確約を頂きましたよ！ pic.twitter.com/xfa3QiNypV

— NOBUYUKI SAKAKIBARA (@nobu_sakakibara) September 1, 2022

Rizin Fighting Federation plans on expanding its reach next year.

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The Japanese promotion announced during a press conference in Hawaii that it plans on holding an event in the Aloha State sometime in 2023. An exact date and venue were not specified. The event was attended by Rizin CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara along with a trio of notable fighters with Hawaiian roots: Enson Inoue, Egan Inoue and B.J. Penn.

"Starting today, we will attempt to host RIZIN’s first international event here in Hawaii, next year,” Sakakibara said. “Of course, we understand that RIZIN is still not a common name, but we will do our best to become the most dynamic and dramatic combat sports event in Hawaii.…

Tai Tuivasa made sure Ciryl Gane knew he had been in a fight, and that paid dividends for both men.

Gane and Tuivasa received “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their heavyweight clash in the UFC Fight Night 209 headliner on Saturday at Accor Arena in Paris. Gane appeared to be cruising to victory when Tuivasa floored the Frenchman with a massive right hand in the second stanza. “Bon Gamin” would recover, however, and he rallied to put his Australian foe away with a salvo of powerful punches 4:23 into Round 3.

Elsewhere, promotional newcomer Abusupiyan Magomedov earned a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for making short work of Dustin Stoltzfus in a preliminary middleweight bout. The PFL veteran rocked his foe with a front kick at the outset of the fight and swarmed with follow-up punches for a technical knockout victory just 19 seconds into Round 1 — the fourth-fastest finish for a debuting fighter in UFC history.

Finally, Benoit St. Den…

The brutality was beautiful.

Ciryl Gane strengthened his position as the top contender in the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight division, as he took out Tai Tuivasa with punches in the third round of their UFC Fight Night 209 headliner on Saturday at Accor Arena in Paris. Tuivasa (14-4, 8-4 UFC) succumbed to blows 4:23 into Round 3, suffering his first defeat in nearly three years.

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Gane (11-1, 8-1 UFC) did not escape unscathed. Tuivasa floored him with a clubbing right hand to touch off a remarkable sequence in the second round that saw both men badly hurt on multiple occasions. Gane worked over the Aussie’s midsection and forced him to double over more than once with savage kicks, knees and hooks to the cut. From there, the Frenchman found another gear in what turned into a potentially star-making performance. He once again zeroed in on the body with a series of front kicks, slipped a counterpunch and connected with a crushing right hand t…

Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 209 coverage will begin Saturday at 12 p.m. ET.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below.

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BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Egger (-285), Perez (+240)Round 1 Vive la France! The UFC has now officially placed the Octagon in L’Hexagone, with Paris its first staging ground. A dozen fights will play out with levels of varying intrigue, and a large number of Frenchmen (five!) will be appearing throughout the night and hoping they can win one for the motherland. Up first, instead of a French man or woman, is a Swiss fighter in Egger (7-3, 2-2 UFC) who hopes to get the European-proud crowd pumped up early as she tries to shake the stigma of a recent confusing armbar loss. She will be facing late replacement and twerking enthusiast Perez (7-1, 0-0 UFC) out of Argentina, in which “Fiona” has not lost a fight other than by her own recklessness in a disqualification. Fight…

WHAT A DEBUT FOR ABUS MAGOMEDOV 👏 #UFCParis pic.twitter.com/5rV1V8Ds3W

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 3, 2022

Abusupiyan Magomedov took the scorched-earth approach.

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The 32-year-old Russian wowed the crowd in his long-awaited Ultimate Fighting Championship debut, as he obliterated Dustin Stoltzfus with a front kick to the face and follow-up punches in the first round of their featured UFC Fight Night 209 prelim on Saturday at Accor Arena in France. A short-notice replacement for Makhmud Muradov, Stoltzfus (14-5, 1-4 UFC) bowed out 19 seconds into Round 1.

Magomedov (25-4-1, 1-0 UFC) forced the Dana White’s Contender Series alum to retreat after eating the front kick, backed it up with a right uppercut and leveled him with hooks from both hands before he pounded away with punches for a spectacular stoppage. It was the sixth sub-minute finish of the former two-division Superior Fighting Championship titleholder’s car…

[embedded content] The Ultimate Fighting Championship's debut card in France is set, as all fighters made weight for UFC Fight Night 209.

The historic card is headlined by a heavyweight bout between top contenders Ciryl Gane and Tai Tuivasa. Tuivasa, who weighed in at the division's max of 266 pounds, will be 19 pounds heavier than Gane, who stepped on the scale at 247 pounds.

A former interim champion, Gane (10-1) is looking to bounce back from his first career defeat after being outwrestled by Francis Ngannou. The French striker will look to outstrike Tuivasa (14-3), who is riding an impressive five-fight win streak. "Bam Bam" is hoping to earn his first title fight inside the Octagon and is coming off five straight knockouts.

UFC Fight Night 209 will stream live on ESPN+ on Saturday. Prelims begin at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT, while the main card kicks off at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT.

UFC Fight Night 209 Weigh-in Results: Ciryl Gane (247) vs. Tai Tuivasa (266)Marv…