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It has been a busy two weeks for Diego Lima, the head coach of Chute Boxe Sao Paulo.

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Shortly after Charles Oliveira’s victory over Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 this past Saturday, Lima headed to Las Vegas – accompanied by Oliveira – to corner fighters Allan Patrick and Allan Nascimento for their bouts at UFC on ESPN 36 this Saturday. Shortly after their first sparring session on Monday, Lima gave an exclusive interview to Sherdog.com, where he commented on the weigh-in controversy involving Oliveira that occurred last Friday. “Do Bronx” was stripped of the lightweight belt when he missed weight by 0.5 pounds but regained top contender status by submitting Justin Gaethje one day later.

"Since Charles went up to 155, we always go to sleep on Thursday with the weight made. In order to not have problems with different scale setups, this time, we didn’t bring our scale in order to follow the official one,” Lima said. “We even published a photo on our socia…

It has been a busy two weeks for Diego Lima, the head coach of Chute Boxe Sao Paulo.

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Shortly after Charles Oliveira’s victory over Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 this past Saturday, Lima headed to Las Vegas – accompanied by Oliveira – to corner fighters Allan Patrick and Allan Nascimento for their bouts at UFC on ESPN 36 this Saturday. Shortly after their first sparring session on Monday, Lima gave an exclusive interview to Sherdog.com, where he commented on the weigh-in controversy involving Oliveira that occurred last Friday. “Do Bronx” was stripped of the lightweight belt when he missed weight by 0.5 pounds but regained top contender status by submitting Justin Gaethje one day later.

"Since Charles went up to 155, we always go to sleep on Thursday with the weight made. In order to not have problems with different scale setups, this time, we didn’t bring our scale in order to follow the official one,” Lima said. “We even published a photo on our socia…

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

Molly McCann will get her second fight on home soil in as many appearances when she faces Hannah Goldy at UFC London on July 23.

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Promotion officials announced the flyweight booking on Tuesday. UFC Fight Night takes place at the O2 in London and is headlined by a heavyweight tilt pitting Tom Aspinall against Curtis Blaydes. The event is also expected to include a middleweight showdown between Darren Till and Jack Hermansson.

A former Cage Warriors champion, McCann won her second consecutive fight at the organization’s London event earlier this year, as she vanquished Luana Carolina with a spinning back elbow at UFC Fight Night 204 on March 19. “Meatball” is 5-3 in UFC competition and 12-4 as a professional overall.

Goldy, meanwhile, snapped a two-bout skid in her last outing at UFC Fight Night 192, where she tapped Emily Whitmire with an arm-bar in the opening stanza. …

Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara France are expected to vie for the interim flyweight crown at UFC 277.

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News of the matchup was first reported by Ariel Helwani. An interim belt was reportedly created because reigning 125-pound king Deiveson Figueiredo is still recovering from an injured finger. Otherwise, the promotion wanted to book Figueiredo vs. Moreno 4. Moreno and Kara France initially fought at UFC 245, with Moreno winning a three-round verdict.

UFC 277 takes place on July 30 and is also expected to include a middleweight showdown between Paulo Costa and Luke Rockhold as well as a light heavyweight tilt pitting Magomed Ankalaev against Anthony Smith. A location has not been revealed, but Dallas is rumored to be the top option.

Moreno is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Figueiredo in a trilogy bout at UFC 270 on Jan. 22. “The Assassin Baby” is 1-1-1 against the Brazilian, with a third-round submission victory at UFC 263 and a majority…

One thing is certain: Charles Oliveira will be one half of the next UFC lightweight title bout.

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“Do Bronx” earned that right when he submitted Justin Gaethje in the opening round of the UFC 274 headliner after being stripped of the belt due to missing weight one day prior. What’s still up in the air is who Oliveira will face, along with the date and venue.

Shortly after Oliveira’s triumph, ex-lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov lobbied for training partner Islam Makhachev to receive the next shot. Makhachev has won 10 consecutive fights at 155 pounds in the Las Vegas-based promotion and is coming off a first-round stoppage of Bobby Green at UFC Fight Night 202.

“Is there really a more interesting [fight] in the UFC at the moment than Islam vs. Charles?” Nurmagomedov wrote on Twitter. “Just bring these fighters to Abu Dhabi on Oct. 22. Let the undisputed champion be determined.”

Dana White wouldn’t commit to Oliveira vs. Makhachev at the UF…

Yoel Romero earned his first mixed martial arts win in more than four years at Bellator 280, as he defeated Alex Polizzi via third-round technical knockout in Friday’s co-main event at Accor Arena in Paris.

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The former UFC middleweight title challenger has his next fight booked against Melvin Manhoef in another 205-pound clash at Bellator Dublin on Sept. 23. However, there is already some buzz surrounding a potential booking against reigning Bellator middleweight champ Gegard Mousasi down the road.

Bellator president Scott Coker confirmed interest in that matchup at the Bellator 280 post-fight press conference.

“One of the reasons we brought Yoel Romero in was to eventually fight Gegard Mousasi,” Coker said. “If Yoel keeps winning, I think you’ll see a collision at some point at either 185 or 205.”

During pre-fight promotion, Romero said if a bout against Mousasi comes to fruition, he would prefer that it take place at middleweight beca…

Rose Namajunas experienced a wide array of emotions following her loss to Carla Esparza at UFC 274.

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Initially there was defiance. “Thug” Rose appeared shocked when it was announced that Esparza was the new strawweight champion following a split-decision triumph in what was a forgettable bout, and that was reflected in some of her comments at Saturday’s post-fight press conference.

“I struck to the strategy. I felt as if I landed more shots. I even took her down. None of her takedowns were significant or with any control time,” Namajunas said. “I’d say she hit me with one good punch. … I felt like I did the damage. I controlled the fight. I’m proud of myself because I stuck to my strategy.

“I know that in all of Carla’s fights she just baits people in, and she tries to get people to attack her. I’ve been in slugfests before. I’ve gotten my nose broken. I’ve stood there and shed blood in the octagon. I stuck to the strategy, and she didn’t really…

For a round, Tony Ferguson appeared to be closer to peak form than he had been in quite some time at UFC 274.

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After a competitive opening stanza with Michael Chandler, Ferguson succumbed to a highlight-reel front kick from his opponent that sent him face first to the canvas 17 seconds into Round 2. Although the former interim lightweight champion has lost four straight fights, UFC president Dana White came away impressed by “El Cucuy.”

“Everybody was asking me this week leading up to this fight: Is this a make or break for Tony Ferguson? And I said no. He’s still one of the top 10 guys in the world, and he looked damn good in that first round, but that was a vicious knockout,” White said at the UFC 274 post-fight press conference.

“I think what needs to happen now is Tony needs to take some time off after that knockout, and I don’t know. But it’s not like, ‘Oh my God, Tony got dominated and looks like he doesn’t even belong here.’ Tony looked…

Count Jessica Andrade among those who was not impressed by the UFC 274 co-main event.

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Shortly after Carla Esparza edged Rose Namajunas via split decision to claim the strawweight belt in a lackluster affair, ex-champ Jessica Andrade took to Twitter to criticize the fight.

“Any of the Top 5 would have fought better than the boredom champion did yesterday,” Andrade wrote. “Shame on the division. Worst fight in the division’s history. It was a disgrace to women’s MMA, arena booing the fight. Fans did not expect this … I can’t wait to rip your head off.”

Any of the top 5 would have fought better than the @CarlaEsparza1 boredom champion did yesterday Shame on the division. worst fight in the division's history. it was a disgrace to women's MMA. arena booing the fight. fans did not expect this.

— Jessica Andrade UFC (@jessicammapro) May 8, 2022

I take advantage that you didn't block me on twitter, I…

It was an emotional roller coaster of a weekend for Charles Oliveira.

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“Do Bronx” lost his lightweight title on the scales one day prior to UFC 274 when he missed weight by 0.5 pounds, but he assured himself of an opportunity to regain that belt when he submitted Justin Gaethje in the opening round of their headlining bout on Saturday at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz.

"The most difficult part was listening to my father cry when I called him right after the UFC stated that I lost my belt,” Oliveira told Combate. “That was definitely the hardest moment. As I’ve always done since I came down to lightweight, I reached 155 [pounds] on Thursday night. But that´s over.

“What I came to do I did. I took [two] knock downs, stood up, knocked him down and submitted him. How long will they say I'm a quitter? This time it was the scale. What will they will do next time? Tie me up?”

The former champion also discussed his post-fight callout of …

Following a spectacular front kick finish of Tony Ferguson that UFC president Dana White later called “the most vicious knockout I’ve ever seen,” Michael Chandler admitted that the maneuver is little more than an afterthought in his offensive repertoire.

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“I don’t even know if I saw it in the moment,” Chandler said at the UFC 274 post-fight press conference. “I think my body just moved and foot [landed] to face and a couple back flips [after]…Sometimes I think the fights materialize exactly how you want them to. Sometimes you stay within your normal box of what you always use and it works, sometimes it doesn’t work. And sometimes you throw something that you never, ever thought you would ever land, let alone knock someone out with.”

Chandler is well-known for knockout power in his hands, but there’s a decent chance his front kick KO — one of nine such finishes in promotion history — will end up on more than a few year-end award lists.

“It’s not …

As conservative as it might have been, Carla Esparza stuck to her game plan at UFC 274 — and the end result was a championship victory.

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Esparza emerged from an action-starved bout with a split-decision triumph over “Thug” Rose to claim strawweight gold at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz., on Saturday night. It was a perplexing performance from both athletes, as neither was willing to engage for the majority of the contest, which predictably brought out the boo birds throughout the 25-minute affair. For Esparza, pressing the action too recklessly would have only set her up for defeat.

“I felt that I fought a smart game plan,” Esparza said at the UFC 274 post-fight press conference. “I felt that if I would have gotten too wild and too reckless, I would have set myself up to be a highlight reel. Rose has incredible timing and placement on her strikes. She’s had some awesome head-kick finishes and dropped people, so I didn’t feel like it was a s…

Donald Cerrone was supposed to help kick off the UFC 274 pay-per-view with a fan-friendly matchup against fellow action fighter Joe Lauzon.

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Instead, a last-minute illness, which was attributed to food poisoning, forced “Cowboy” to withdraw from the event just hours before he was scheduled to compete. It was a devastating blow for Cerrone, who has typically been on of the promotion’s most active fighters and was looking forward to fighting in front of his son. Cerrone commented on the situation via Instagram on Sunday.

“My heart is broken and torn,” Cerrone said. “I can’t believe I had to make that call. If you know me, you know I only pulled out because I had to. Thank you for the UFC and the medical division for helping me as far as we could, try and make that buzzer, but we just couldn’t get it.”

The 39-year-old Cerrone is in the midst of a six-bout winless streak in UFC competition, and the finish line is in sight for the BMF Ranch foun…

Donald Cerrone was supposed to help kick off the UFC 274 pay-per-view with a fan-friendly matchup against fellow action fighter Joe Lauzon.

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Instead, a last-minute illness, which was attributed to food poisoning, forced “Cowboy” to withdraw from the event just hours before he was scheduled to compete. It was a devastating blow for Cerrone, who has typically been on of the promotion’s most active fighters and was looking forward to fighting in front of his son. Cerrone commented on the situation via Instagram on Sunday.

“My heart is broken and torn,” Cerrone said. “I can’t believe I had to make that call. If you know me, you know I only pulled out because I had to. Thank you for the UFC and the medical division for helping me as far as we could, try and make that buzzer, but we just couldn’t get it.”

The 39-year-old Cerrone is in the midst of a six-bout winless streak in UFC competition, and the finish line is in sight for the BMF Ranch foun…

Charles Oliveira didn’t carry himself like someone who was stripped of the lightweight title following his first-round submission of Justin Gaethje in the UFC 274 main event.

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“I went into the Octagon to defend the title,” Oliveira said through a translator at the UFC 274 post-fight press conference. “I don’t have to get it back. The champion is Charles Oliveira, and we all know that.”

Oliveira was undeniably impressive as he survived some heavy artillery from Gaethje early, then recovered to floor him with a right hand before submitting him with a rear-naked choke 3:22 into Round 1 of their bout at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz., on Saturday night. Oliveira has won 11 consecutive fights in UFC competition and assured himself a spot in a fight for the now-vacant 155-pound belt in the future.

“He’s the guy,” UFC president Dana White said. “He didn’t make weight. We have rules, he didn’t make the weight, the belt is vacant. But I’m sure in th…

A featherweight showdown between Brian Ortega and Yair Rodriguez has been targeted for the main event of a UFC card on July 16.

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ESPN Deportes was first to report that both fighters have verbally agreed to the pairing. A location for the event has not been determined.

The 31-year-old Ortega is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Alexander Volkanovski in a 145-pound title bout at UFC 266 last September. “T-City” is 0-2 in championship fights, with a fourth-round stoppage loss to Max Holloway in December 2018 on his resume. Ortega is 15-2 as professional with notable wins over the likes of Chan Sung Jung, Frankie Edgar, Cub Swanson, Renato Carneiro and Clay Guida.

Rodriguez, meanwhile, last appeared at UFC Fight Night 197 this past November, when he dropped a five-round verdict against Holloway in his first bout since October 2019. The Mexican featherweight is 8-2 with one no contest in the Las Vegas-based promotion and owns notable triumph…

A long-rumored middleweight championship clash between Israel Adesanya and Jared Cannonier has an official date and location.

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The promotion announced on Saturday that the fight will serve as the headliner for UFC 276 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 2. The card will also include a featherweight championship trilogy between Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway in the co-main event.

Adesanya will attempt to make his second successful title defense of 2022 after besting Robert Whittaker in a rematch in the UFC 271 headliner on Feb. 12. “The Last Stylebender” is 11-0 in UFC competition as a middleweight — including four successful championship defenses. His lone career defeat came in a move to 205 pounds, when he lost a decision to Jan Blachowicz in a light heavyweight title bout at UFC 259.

Cannonier enters the matchup with victories in five of his last six Octagon appearances. He rebounded from a decision loss to Whittaker at UFC 25…

Former two-division champion Daniel Cormier will be enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame’s “Modern Wing” in a ceremony later this year.

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The promotion announced Cormier’s induction during the UFC 274 broadcast on Saturday night. The ceremony will take place on Thursday, June 30 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas as part of the UFC’s International Fight Week festivities.

“Daniel Cormier is one of the most badass competitors of all time,” said UFC president Dana White. “‘DC’ faced the greatest athletes in the world on every level of wrestling and MMA. He is also the ultimate professional. As an active fighter, he always took time for the media, which led him to become one of the best TV analysts in all of sports. ‘DC’ is one of the greatest ambassadors UFC has ever had, and it’s going to be an honor to induct him into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.”

Cormier is one of only four athletes in UFC history to be a simultaneous two-division champion. “…

Michael Chandler padded his bank account on Saturday night with a knockout that ranks among the year’s best.

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The former Bellator champion received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus after rendering Tony Ferguson unconscious with a spectacular front kick to the chin in their featured lightweight bout at UFC 274. After a competitive opening stanza, Chandler’s move abruptly halted the contest 17 seconds into Round 2, sending Ferguson face first into the canvas. It’s just one of nine front kick knockouts in promotion history.

Elsewhere, Brandon Royval and Matt Schnell garnered “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for a spirited flyweight scrap on the preliminary card. Schnell dropped Royval during an initial exchange, but after a series of scrambles, Royval jumped on a guillotine choke and elicited a tapout 2:14 into the opening round.

Finally, Andre Fialho pocketed the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check t…

Charles Oliveira certainly didn’t fight like a man who had no chance of winning a belt.

Oliviera (33-8, 21-8 UFC) won his 11th consecutive bout in the UFC 274 headliner, submitting Justin Gaethje (23-4, 6-4 UFC) with a rear-naked choke 3:22 into the first round of their lightweight clash at the Footprint Arena in Phoenix, Ariz., on Saturday night. Because Oliveira missed weight by 0.5 pounds, the Ultimate Fighting Championship 155-pound title will remain vacant. However, “Do Bronx” is assured a spot in the next championship bout by virtue of his victory.

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Oliveira, who now ranks fifth in promotion history with 21 career victories, was defiant in the aftermath of his latest effort.

“This is a message to the entire division,” he said. “I’m a problem for the entire division …. I’m the champion. This is my title. It should be here.”

The best LW in the world 🌎

[ @CharlesDoBronxs| #UFC274 ] pic.twitter.com/dwEB7NaZ0E Read more about Charles Oliveira Chokes Out Justin Gaethje at UFC 274, Lightweight Belt Remains Vacant

43 & still going strong 💪

[ @MassarandubaMMA | #UFC274 ] pic.twitter.com/k25S4gi6nV

— UFC (@ufc) May 8, 2022

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Even at 43 years old, Francisco Trinaldo still has plenty left in the tank.

The Brazilian veteran improved to 2-1 at 170 pounds, defeating Danny Roberts via unanimous decision in a preliminary welterweight bout at UFC 274 at Footprint Arena in Phoenix, Ariz., on Saturday night. All three judges submitted tallies in favor of the Evolucao Thai export: 29-28, 30-26, and 30-27. “Massaranduba” has won five of his last six appearances within the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Roberts had some success with rangy kickboxing techniques in the opening stanza, but he couldn’t match his opponent’s power in the long run. Trinaldo put “Hot Chocolate” on skates with a short right early in Round 2, and doubled him over with a body shot against the fence before spending much of the period in top position. Roberts (18-6, 7-…

Hey look who it is!!!@JonnyBones #CES68 pic.twitter.com/Bs0HETER3u

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) May 7, 2022

Jon Jones has offered a little more insight into what might be delaying his rumored matchup against former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.

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Jones appeared on the UFC Fight Pass broadcast for CES MMA 68 in Fargo, N.D., and discussed a potential date and location for his heavyweight debut. The ex-light heavyweight king was at the event to accompany training partner Maurice Greene.

“I heard originally it’d be July,” Jones said. “I think when Stipe got that date, I’ve heard he’s been doing a lot of weight-lifting and not a lot of MMA training. He wanted to put his best foot forward. I respect that. He’s a great champion. He deserves that. I think he asked for Sept. 24. I’m hoping that’s going to be in Las Vegas.

’ve been training about three times a day for about two years. I’m this close, why not wait …

After his victory tonight, @YoelRomeroMMA has been rescheduled to face Melvin Manhoef (@team_manhoef) in Dublin on Fri., Sept 23 pic.twitter.com/Y1jaQzYPMe

— Bellator Public Relations (@BellatorPR) May 6, 2022

A light heavyweight clash pitting Yoel Romero against Melvin Manhoef as been rebooked for Bellator Dublin on Sept. 23.

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The California-based promotion announced the matchup on Friday. Romero and Manhoef were initially slated to lock horns in the Bellator 280 co-main event, but Manhoef had to withdraw due to an injury suffered while apprehending three men who attempted to rob his home. “No Mercy” reportedly smashed the burglars car window with his hand, resulting in an injury that required stitches.

Bellator Dublin takes place at 3Arena in the Irish capital and is also expected to include a lightweight clash between Benson Henderson and Peter Queally. The evening’s main card will air on Showtime.

Romero remain…

Two-time Professional Fighters League women’s lightweight champion Kayla Harrison was dominant once again, but her performance in the PFL 3 Regular Season main event on Friday wasn’t up to snuff and she was blunt about it.

Still, Harrison won virtually every second of her contest against Marina Mokhnatkina (6-3) and took home three points in the PFL women’s lightweight season bracket, winning a lopsided unanimous decision along the way. Harrison landed a few takedowns in the fight and dished out more than enough punishment on the feet, but Mokhnatkina was slick and continuously tried rolling the two-time Olympic gold medal-winning judoka into various leg locks.

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Harrison never truly had Mokhnatkina in any serious peril, but she nullified every attack the Miami-based fighter tried. As the fight wore away, it was obvious that Harrison was frustrated and tried scoring a stoppage late, but Mokhnatkina was hip to her attacks and survived. All three judges…