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A pivotal light heavyweight showdown pitting Jan Blachowicz against Aleksandar Rakic has been rescheduled for an Ultimate Fighting Championship card on May 14.

Blachowicz and Rakic were initially slated to meet at UFC on ESPN 33 on March 26 before Blachowicz withdrew from the card due to a neck injury. Multiple outlets confirmed the new date following an initial report from Ariel Helwani. The event takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and also includes a women’s flyweight tilt between Katlyn Chookagian and Amanda Ribas.

Blachowicz saw a five-bout winning streak come to an end at UFC 267, when he relinquished the light heavyweight crown to Glover Teixeira in a second-round submission defeat. The 38-year-old Pole claimed the vacant strap with a second-round stoppage of Dominick Reyes at UFC 253 before outpointing middleweight king Israel Adesanya in his lone title defense at UFC 259. Blachowicz has won nine of his last 11 UFC appearances dating back to October 20…

Andre Fili will lock horns with Joanderson Brito in a featherweight scrap at UFC on ESPN 35.

Brito announced the pairing via Instagram and it was later confirmed by MMAFighting.com. UFC on ESPN 35 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on April 30 and is headlined by a bantamweight showdown pitting Rob Font against Marlon Vera.

Anchored at Team Alpha Male, Fili will return for the first time since UFC Fight Night 190, when his clash with Daniel Pineda ended 46 seconds into Round 2 due to an accidental eye poke. Fili has been up-and-down during his promotional tenure, compiling a 9-7 mark while never winning more than two straight fights in UFC competition.

Brito earned a UFC deal with a technical decision triumph over Diego Lopes on Dana White’s Contender Series this past August. The Brazilian saw a 10-bout winning streak snapped in his Octagon debut, when he fell to Bill Algeo via unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN 32.

Christian Leroy Duncan with the flying Knee KO! 🔥Incredible scenes at #CW136, a new middleweight champ is crowned!!#AndNew pic.twitter.com/I0DtGxIPUl

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) April 2, 2022

Cage Warriors Fighting Championship put on a serious Event of the Year candidate for its latest card at BEC Arena in Manchester, England, concluding with all 13 bouts ending before the final horn.

The main attraction at CW 136 was a middleweight championship affair between defending titleholder Djati Melan and Christian Leroy Duncan. Things appeared to be going the champion’s way as Melan (8-1, 2-1 CW) secured an excellent takedown early in the first frame and kept the challenger on the ground for almost the whole round before Duncan made his way up on the feet. The situation changed in the following stanza as Duncan pushed forward right out of the gate. The Englishman looked more at ease in hitting his adversary with a variety of punches and ki…

The UFC on ESPN 34 card has taken a hit, as Uriah Hall has been forced to pull out of a showdown against Andre Muniz on April 16.

MMAFighting.com was first to report Hall’s exit from the card. A replacement opponent for Muniz is reportedly being sought.

UFC on ESPN 34 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight rematch between Vicente Luque and Belal Muhammad. Muniz vs. Hall was supposed to be the evening’s co-main event.

Hall, 37, had a four-bout winning streak snapped in his most recent appearance, as he dropped a five-round verdict to Sean Strickland at UFC on ESPN 28 this past July. “The Ultimate Fighter 17” finalist is 10-8 during his tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Muniz is in the midst of an eight-fight winning streak that includes four triumphs in UFC competition. Most recently, the Brazilian submitted Eryk Anders in the opening stanza at UFC 269.

The UFC is hoping the third time is the charm when it comes to a middleweight booking pitting Phil Hawes against Deron Winn.

Hawes and Winn will lock horns at a UFC Fight Night event on June 18. Winn confirmed the pairing via Facebook following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. The card is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas but does not currently have a headliner.

Hawes and Winn were scheduled to fight on two different occasions in 2021, but both times Winn was forced to withdraw from the proposed bouts.

The 33-year-old Hawes had a seven-bout winning streak snapped in his last outing, when he suffered a first-round knockout loss to Chris Curtis at UFC 268 this past November. Hawes had kicked off his promotional tenure with successive triumphs over Jacob Malkoun, Nassourdine Imavov and Kyle Daukaus.

Winn is returning to action for the first time since December 2020, when he defeated Antonio Arroya via unanimous decision at UFC Fight…

pic.twitter.com/NuOJBq6GyU

— #OnAmission4Gold (@KelvinGastelum) April 2, 2022

Shortly after the promotion scrambled to find him a replacement opponent, an injury has forced Kelvin Gastelum to withdraw from UFC 273.

UFC officials recently announced Gastelum’s exit, but the nature of his injury was not disclosed. Du Plessis will not remain on the card.

“I wish it was an April Fool’s joke,” Gastelum said in a video on Twitter. “I wish this didn’t happen, but it did, and unfortunately, I have to withdraw from the fight. I was advised not to disclose the injury, but just know, I am compromised, and I can’t and won’t be heading into the fight compromised the way that I am.”

Gastelum was originally slated to face Nassourdine Imavov at the event before visa issues forced Imavov off the card. As a result, Du Plessis was pulled from a matchup against Anthony Hernandez and lined up as a replacement foe for Gastelum.

“I’ve just got to s…

Alexei Pergande submitted Joe Hamm with an arm-triangle choke in the second round of their PFL Challenger Series 7 lightweight attraction and in doing so netted a Professional Fighters League contract on Friday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. Pergande (1-0), who has spent time at the powerhouse Sanford MMA camp, brought it to a close 4:42 into Round 2.

Hamm (0-1) was largely ineffective. Pergande managed distance, controlled the clinch and shifted momentum with takedowns. He grounded Hamm with 90 seconds left in the second round, climbed to full mount and zeroed in with punches. From there, Pergande progressed to the back, transitioned to the choke and let his squeeze do the rest.

Meanwhile, Sanford MMA prospect Andrija Stankovic pieced together educated striking combinations, surprising takedowns and suffocating top control, as he banked a unanimous decision over Louis Brewington in a three-round welterweight feature. Stankovic (1-0) swept the scorecards wit…

A crossover matchup between a top-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight and another in the top 10 at strawweight will go down this May.

Combate was first to report the pairing in March, announcing that Katlyn Chookagian (17-4) will be squaring off with Amanda Ribas (11-2) at a currently unnumbered UFC Fight Night event on May 14. The two will face off in the flyweight division, with Chookagian re-signing a deal with the promotion after ending her contract while Ribas will come back to the division after two appearances at 115 pounds. Ribas was initially booked against Michelle Waterson for March, but the fight was postponed once to May and then called off again due to what Waterson called a “career-threatening injury.” Chookagian vs. Ribas has since been confirmed by multiple outlets as well as Chookagian herself on Instagram on Friday.

Chookagian concluded her last UFC deal after capturing a trio of decision wins over Cynthia Calvillo, Viviane Araujo and Jen…

It’s no April Fools’ joke, Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter William Knight is officially moving to heavyweight.

Late Thursday night, MMA Junkie reported that Knight (11-3) would be stepping up to the heavyweight division on April 16. At UFC on ESPN 34, he will be taking on fellow former light heavyweight Devin Clark (12-6) inside of the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. News of this short-notice booking has since been confirmed by other outlets as well as Knight himself on Instagram.

Knight last competed in February, where he dropped a decision to Maxim Grishin after missing weight by 12 pounds to make the matchup a de facto heavyweight contest. His weight miss clocked in as the largest among all bouts that have taken place inside the Octagon. The defeat to Grishin ended a two-fight win streak with a knockout of Fabio Cherant and a decision over Alonzo Menifield. Win or lose, every career bout for “Knightmare” has ended by knockout or decision, without a submission on his…

A huge win for Justin Burlinson! After a bell to bell war, he gets the win via submission

What do you think is next for Justin?#CW135 pic.twitter.com/KYGn1v2zNv

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) April 1, 2022 Cage Warriors Fighting Championship returned to the BEC Arena in Manchester, England, with a card chock full of finishes. In the CW 135 headliner, Dana White's Contender Series alum Justin Burlinson took on Daniel Skibinski in a welterweight tilt. Skibinski (18-7, 0-1 CW) relied on his fast hands to bust up his opponent’s face and ensure that Burlinson could not get off his powerful counters. In turn, Burlinson (7-1, 2-0 CW) kept advancing, and ended up waiting for the right moment to fire off a big right hand. Skibinski hurt his foe with a swarm of punches, coming inches away from notching a stoppage. Ultimately, Burlinson’s durability and youth advantage allowed him to survive and change strategies, where he began to unload with thuddi…

Weigh-ins are complete for #CW136, which is set for tomorrow night at Manchester's BEC Arena 🔥https://t.co/xBjWS5tV1F pic.twitter.com/drq0WjLkyr

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) April 1, 2022 Cage Warriors Fighting Championship caps off a busy weekend of back-to-back events with Cage Warriors 136, which will see the middleweight title up for grabs.

The main event will see Djati Melan defend his 185-pound strap against Christian Leroy Duncan. While both headliners made championship weight, two undercard fighters did not as both Luke Riley and Manny Akpan came in heavy for their respective bouts. Both men have been fined percentages of their respective purses, and the matches will otherwise continue as scheduled.

Melan has been perfect in his professional mixed martial arts career, amassing eight wins without a single defeat. He most recently claimed the title after winning a unanimous decision over Matthew Bonner. His first defense comes ag…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Everyone and their brother is excited for the upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight matchup between Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns.

Chimaev will be taking on vaunted grappler Gilbert Burns on the main card of UFC 273 in Florida on April 9. Chimaev is considered to be a huge betting favorite in this contest, and a welterweight title opportunity may be on the line. “Finfou” Alan do Nascimento, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach of Chimaev and a black belt from the notorious Checkmat academy, spoke with Sherdog this week about the upcoming fight of his student.

“As I told you a few months ago, the only problem a coach has with Khamzat is convincing him to train less,” Nascimento reiterated. “If you don’t control him, he trains all day long.”

Chimaev is not the only fighter involved in this serious training, as he has found a new comrade-in-arms in England’s Darren Till. Together, the two have worked a great deal to improv…

Fighter removed: Ben Rothwell

— UFC Roster Watch (@UFCRosterWatch) March 31, 2022 After 17 appearances under the Ultimate Fighting Championship banner, heavyweight vet Ben Rothwell’s time with the promotion has come to an unexpected end.

At the UFC Fight Night event on May 21 headlined by Holly Holm vs. Ketlen Vieira, Alexander Gustafsson and Rothwell were going to square off on the main card. On Thursday, plans changed, as the automated Twitter account UFC Roster Watch first noted that Rothwell had been released from the organization. Following this post, the UFC confirmed to MMA Fighting of Rothwell’s release for currently unknown reasons, despite his May booking.

Rothwell made his UFC debut back in 2009 when he took on future champ Cain Velasquez at UFC 104. Falling victim to Velasquez’ ruthless ground-and-pound, and then losing two of his next four after that defeat, the man once known as “Big Ben” finally notched a signature win when…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iSR1tS8AKQ&w=560&h=315] The son of Pride Fighting Championships talent Ryan Gracie may make his way to MMA someday.

Teddy Riner, a three-time Olympic judo gold medalist at heavyweight as well as a 10-time world champion, wanted to change things up in his training regiment, leaving his home country of France to do so. Heading down to Brazil, he joined up with the Brazilian national judo team and together with some Olympic France teammates. After one week of interchange, Riner asked the Brazilian Confederation (CBJ) to train with some Brazilian jiu-jitsu guys, CBJ called up Paulo Caruso -- a black belt in both judo and BJJ -- to coordinate a short, but intense four-day jiu-jitsu training series.

Among those who joined in were the sons of Brazilian MMA fighters Ryan Gracie and Marcio Cruz: Rayron Gracie and Renan Cruz. Born on Dec. 8, 2001, and not completely dwarfed by the 6-foot-8 Frenchman, Riner found Rayron to be a very suitabl…

Our Week 7 MAIN EVENT!

Andrija Stankovic vs Louis Brewington!#PFLonFuboTV pic.twitter.com/dvsO9enxcU

— PFL (@PFLMMA) March 31, 2022 Professional Fighters League will bring 10 MMA newcomers for its next installment of the Challenger Series, which hit a snag for its main event. Headlining PFL Challenger Series 7 is a bout between Andrija Stankovic (170.8) and Louis Brewington. The main event was initially booked at welterweight, but Brewington missed weight by 1.6 pounds to force the pairing to a 173-pound catchweight. Every other fighter on the card made weight.

A kickboxer from Serbia, Stankovic will look to make his overweight opponent pay after successfully hitting own marks at 170.8 pounds. To prepare for his transition to MMA, Stankovic has been training at renowned Florida-based team Sanford MMA. Despite missing weight, Brewington is quite experienced in the amateur ranks with a dozen matches under his belt, and the majority of his…

All fighters are on weight for #CW135, which goes down tomorrow night at Manchester's BEC Arena ? https://t.co/6GeUF76RaQ pic.twitter.com/86u9PHoNVm

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) March 31, 2022 Cage Warriors Fighting Championship kicks off its first of two April events on Friday with Cage Warriors 135, which is now official with 13 fights set.

All 26 fighters on the card successfully made weight. This includes the two main eventers, Daniel Skibinski and Justin Burlinson, who both easily made the welterweight limit. This veteran versus prospect bout will see Polish veteran Skibinski (18-6) look to rebound from his first loss in 13 bouts, while Burlinson (6-1) is coming off his first professional defeat.

Cage Warriors 135 will air live on UFC Fight Pass with the main card starting at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT and prelims beginning at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT.

Cage Warriors 135 Weigh-in Results: Daniel Skibinski (170.9) vs. Justin Burlinson (17…

It appears that Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight Ilir Latifi’s ailment will keep him out action a bit longer than he anticipated.

Hours before UFC on ESPN 33 was set to take place on March 26, Latifi fell out of his match with Alexey Oleynik (59-16-1) due to an illness unrelated to COVID-19 claimed by some to be a stomach bug. The promotion went ahead to reschedule the pairing for two weeks later, and they were to square off at UFC 273 in Jacksonville, Fla., on April 9. Per the UFC on Thursday, Latifi will not be competing on this card either, and in his stead will be Jared Vanderaa (12-7). Vanderaa has since confirmed his appearance at the event on his Instagram page.

Oleynik will gunning for his 60th victory at UFC 273, all while attempting to end the first three-fight skid in his illustrious career. Oleynik has not taken home a win since snaring a split decision over ex-champ Fabricio Werdum in May 2020, with a trio of setbacks to Derrick Lewis, Chris D…

Credit: Bellator MMA/Lucas Noonan Credit: Bellator MMA/Lucas Noonan Credit: Bellator MMA/Lucas Noonan Credit: Bellator MMA/Lucas Noonan

Former Dana White’s Contender Series competitor Anthony Adams will replace Khalid Murtazliev and lock horns with Lorenz Larkin at Bellator 280.

The California-based promotion announced the new middleweight contest at a press conference on Wednesday. A reason for Murtazliev’s withdrawal was not given. Bellator 280 takes place at Accor Arena in Paris on May 6 and is headlined by a light heavyweight championship clash between Ryan Bader and Cheick Kongo.

Adams defeated Murtazliev via unanimous decision in his promotional debut at Bellator 266 before signing a multi-fight deal with the organization. The Elevation Fight Team representative went 0-2 on the Contender Series, dropping a split decision to Chibwikem Onyenegecha and falling to Impa Kasanganay via unanimous decision. “Sugafoot” is 9-2 as a professional overall, with eight of …

Chael Sonnen received some good news on Wednesday regarding the charges he faces for his role in an alleged attack at a Las Vegas hotel this past December.

According to a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, prosecutors dropped a felony battery charge against the UFC veteran, who is accused of assaulting multiple people a Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas on Dec. 18. Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Joe Bonaventure allowed the prosecution to file an amended criminal complaint against Sonnen, which reduced his charges to six misdemeanors. Sonnen initially faced 11 charges – including one for felony battery by strangulation – when the prosecution filed charges earlier this month.

Last week, Christopher and Julie Stellpflug filed a lawsuit against Sonnen, claiming that the ex-fighter attacked them in the hallway of the Four Seasons “without provocation.” Sonnen initially faced five misdemeanor battery charges for altercations with five different people, but those wer…

Curtis Blaydes is one of four athletes facing an indefinite layoff following UFC on ESPN 33.

Blaydes, who defeated Chris Daukaus via second-round technical knockout in this past Saturday’s main event at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, is suspended indefinitely until he receives othropedic clearance on his right foot. Daukaus, meanwhile, is suspended 30 days to recover from a TKO defeat.

The Ohio Athletic Commission recently released a full list of medical suspensions from the event to MMAjunkie.com. While a vast majority of fighters on the card — 18 in total — didn’t receive a layoff of any kind, three others are also facing indefinite terms pending doctor clearance: Marc Diakiese (right hand, right foot), Viacheslav Borshchev (right wrist, right foot) and Batgerel Danaa (needs ophthalmologist clearance).

UFC on ESPN 33 Medical Suspensions:

Curtis Blaydes: Suspended indefinitely until right foot is cleared by orthopedic doctor

Chris Daukaus…

Curtis Blaydes had a short night at the office at UFC on ESPN 33, but he was nonetheless the event’s highest-paid athlete.

Blaydes took home $262,000 for his second-round technical knockout of Chris Daukaus ($80,000) in Saturday’s heavyweight headliner at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The Ohio Athletic Commission released a full list of salaries from the event to MMAFighting.com.

Elsewhere, longtime Octagon veteran Neil Magny pocketed $230,000 for a split-decision triumph against Max Griffin ($53,000) in a featured welterweight encounter. Three other fighters from UFC on ESPN 33 took home disclosed six-figure paychecks: Kai Kara France ($102,000), Bryan Barberena ($122,000) and Matt Brown ($105,000).

Note: The disclosed purses reported by state athletic commissions do not include any performance-based or discretionary bonuses that may be awarded to a fighter by the promotion. Additionally, the reported figures do not reflect any deductions made by the co…

It seemed that a fourth meeting between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno was a virtual certainty until the Brazilian flyweight champion recently used Instagram to challenge Kai Kara France for his next title defense.

"I was informed through international media that my next fight would be against Moreno, but I never accepted that,” Figueiredo told Sherdog.com. “My manager, Wallid, called me last week saying that the UFC wanted the [Moreno] fight and I told him that, as a champion, I should have the right to choose a challenger that motivates me. I fought this guy three times in 13 months. There are a lot of great talents in the division and the weight class must move forward. Moreno lost to [Alexandre] Pantoja twice. if he beats him, we can talk about a fourth fight, but not now.”

Figueiredo also admitted that what he claims have been racist attacks from Moreno’s team, which he mentioned on Instagram, motivated his decision to pursue a fight against Kara France.<…

A previously reported middleweight championship clash between Gegard Mousasi and Johnny Eblen has an official date and event.

The California-based promotion announced Tuesday that Mousasi will defend his 185-pound belt against Eblen in the Bellator 282 headliner on June 24 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card will air on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on the Bellator MMA YouTube channel, the Showtime Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.

Additionally, two bantamweight grand prix quarterfinals will take place at Bellator 282. Magomed Magomedov will face the Enrique Barzola-Josh Hill winner, while Leandro Higo will square off against the Jornel Lugo-Danny Sabatello winner. A preliminary clash pitting Alejandra Lara against Ilara Joanne was also confirmed for the card.

Mousasi last appeared at Bellator 275 on Feb. 25, when he made short work of the previously undefeated Austin Vanderford in a first-ro…

OH. MY. GOODNESS.

@DricusDuPlessis putting South Africa on the map! #UFC264 pic.twitter.com/kinqJld3o9

— UFC (@ufc) July 11, 2021 Kelvin Gastelum will remain on the UFC 273 card after all, as Dricus Du Plessis has agreed to step in and face “The Ultimate Fighter 17” winner on April 9.

Gastelum was originally slated to meet Nassourdine Imavov before the bout was canceled due to visa issues for his opponent. ESPN was first to report the new middleweight booking. Du Plessis was scheduled to fight Anthony Hernandez at UFC 273, but according to MMAFighting.com, Hernandez will remain on the bill and lock horns with promotional newcomer Josh Fremd.

This is the third different opponent for Du Plessis at UFC 273. Before being booked against Hernandez, he was supposed to square off against Chris Curtis, who pulled out due to a wrist injury. The former KSW and EFC champion has won four straight fights, including back-to-back knockouts of Trevi…