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The Professional Fighters League 2022 regular season officially has a pair of host cities for its events.

The promotion announced Monday that Esports Stadium Arlington in Arlington Texas, will be the site for regular season cards on April 20, April 28 and May 6, while events on June 17, June 24 and July 1 will be held in Atlanta. A venue was not announced for the Atlanta dates.

“After our renewal with ESPN, the Professional Fighters League Season is back and we’re excited to bring the best fighters in the world to Arlington and Atlanta,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray. “The PFL continues to disrupt the sport of MMA with our unique season format, innovative SmartCage technology and elite talent, with 2022 set to be our biggest year yet.”

The kickoff event for PFL’s 2022 campaign will feature lightweights and light heavyweights on April 20. The prelims air on ESPN+ and ESPN at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT, while the main card will be broadcast on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvr-bUb3p-E&w=560&h=315]

Francis Ngannou just knocked off one interim heavyweight champion when he defeated Ciryl Gane in a title unification bout at UFC 270 this past January.

He may very well have to do it again when he returns from knee surgery. Shortly after Ngannou took a five-round verdict over Gane, his manager revealed that “The Predator” would undergo surgery to repair injuries to his MCL and ACL suffered in training ahead of that bout. The ensuing recovery process would require at least nine months. Ngannou underwent the procedure on Friday in Los Angeles, which included a full reconstruction on his ACL.

At the UFC Fight Night 204 post-fight press conference on Saturday, Dana White acknowledged the possibility that another interim heavyweight belt could be created in Ngannou’s absence.

“It’s very possible,” White said. “We find out this week [how long he’s out].

“If nine months is true, if it’s going to tak…

Raise the stakes, and Arnold Allen promises that he’ll only keep getting better.

The Englishman won his ninth consecutive bout in the UFC Fight Night 204 co-main event, stopping former lightweight contender Dan Hooker via TKO at the 2:33 mark of Round 1 in their 145-pound clash at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday. After a run of four straight decision wins, Allen knew it was important to make a statement. That he did, going toe-to-toe with one of the sport’s renowned action fighters and winning a firefight in emphatic fashion.

“It’s huge. To be honest, I know I’m a finisher,” Allen said at the post-fight press conference. “I know I’m a decision guy really, I’m pretending now, but I’ve got the power in my hands. All my coaches tell me I hit hard, I put people down with body shots in sparring. It just doesn’t come out in the fight. I think the kind of style of opponents I’ve fought haven’t allowed me to fight that way. I nearly had it in the last fight (vs. Sodiq Yus…

As impressive as Tom Aspinall was at UFC Fight Night 204, he says he only scratched the surface regarding his overall skillset in a first-round submission of Alexander Volkov in Saturday’s main event.

“I didn’t really show much,” Aspinall said at the post-fight press conference. “I keep it that way every time if I can. I want to be the biggest mystery in heavyweight MMA. These people think they know about me — nobody knows about me. These people think they know what they’re up against — nobody knows what they’re up against. Let’s keep it a secret.”

Aspinall became the first person since 2010 to make Volkov tap, and looked more impressive than highly-ranked heavyweights such as Ciryl Gane and Curtis Blaydes have against the Russian veteran.

“It couldn’t have gone any better,” Aspinall said. “That was the ideal performance. I truly thought I was gonna go five rounds. To get a guy like Volkov — who has been finished twice [in the UFC] — out of there in the first ro…

Outside of its pay-per-view schedule, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has been content to hold events at its home base of the UFC Apex the past two years.

That’s due in large part to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has made traveling throughout the year a far more difficult task. The Las Vegas-based promotion returned to London on Saturday for the first time since before the pandemic, and the UFC Fight Night 204 card delivered in a big way.

All told, the event set gate records for the O2 Arena and for a UFC Fight Night card. The fighters performed as well and were rewarded for their efforts: All nine who scored finishes received $50,000 bonuses at the end of the night. As it stands, UFC Fight Night 204 is an early frontrunner for “Event of the Year.”

“It seriously could not go any better. It was f—-ing unbelievable,” UFC president Dana White said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “Everybody’s been locked up for two and a half years. So many kid…

There was a special feel to Paddy Pimblett’s victory at UFC Fight Night 204 at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday.

While it was only the second Octagon appearance for the former Cage Warriors title holder, and he was facing a relatively unheralded foe in Rodrigo Vargas, Paddy “The Baddy” electrified the crowd in his home country with a rear-naked choke victory at the 3:49 mark of Round 1 in a featured lightweight bout. Pimblett is now 2-0 in the UFC, and it feels as though he might be someone the promotion would be willing to throw its marketing might behind.

“Without being a big-headed tool, I am the star of the show,” Pimblett said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “It’s that simple.Expect me to take over the show. I told you this. This is the ‘Baddy’ show. Swept The O2 right up.”

The performance would seemingly set the stage for a future clash with Ilia Topuria, who authored a scintillating knockout of Jai Herbert at 155 pounds on the main card. Pimb…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return to London proved to be one of the promotion’s best events so far in 2022, and the the athletes on the card were compensated accordingly.

During the ESPN post-fight show, UFC president Dana White revealed that every fighter on the card who secured a finish would receive a $50,000 post-fight bonus. The promotion typically hands out four post-fight bonuses and has on a few occasions given out six. It probably didn’t hurt that the card, which took place at the O2 arena in London, was the highest-grossing event in venue history and the highest grossing Fight Night in UFC history, according to promotion officials.

“Nine bonuses tonight,” White said. "Every finish. “And I couldn’t be happier to do it.”

That includes the two winners at the top of the card, as Tom Aspinall pocketed an extra $50,000 for his first-round armlock submission of Alexander Volkov in the heavyweight headliner, while Arnold Allen earned an additional $50,000 f…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has a new heavyweight contender on its hands.

Tom Aspinall submitted former Bellator MMA and M-1 Global champion Alexander Volkov with a straight armlock in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 204 headliner on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London. Volkov (34-10, 8-4 UFC) conceded defeat 3:45 into Round 1, as he was submitted for the first time in nearly 12 years.

The 28-year-old Aspinall (12-2, 5-0 UFC) was flawless on the big stage. He tore into Volkov with a three-punch combination, executed a takedown and drew blood with a series of elbows to the head. The 6-foot-7 Russian returned to an upright position, only to be taken down a second time. From there, a calm and calculated Aspinall isolated his left arm, bent his elbow beyond its bounds and forced his surrender.

Aspinall has finished eight straight opponents, seven of them inside one round.

Big Tom got his beers 🍻 #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/YOa2Y…

Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 204 coverage will begin Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET.

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

Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen …

Mr. Finland gets it done in England 🇫🇮

[ #UFCLondon | LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/Pd4u5t6bR7

— UFC (@ufc) March 19, 2022 Makwan Amirkhani steadied himself in the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division, as he put Mike Grundy to sleep with an anaconda choke in the first round of their featured UFC Fight Night 204 prelim on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London. Grundy (12-4, 1-3 UFC) lost consciousness 57 seconds into Round 1.

Amirkhani (17-7, 7-5 UFC), who entered the cage in a three-fight tailspin, countered an ill-conceived takedown with the choke. Sensing he was in real danger, Grundy rolled and repositioned himself in a bid to escape. However, Amirkhani was wise to those efforts, zip-tied one of his legs to create additional leverage and waited for the Team Kaobon export to go limp.

The win was Amirkhani’s first since July 11, 2020.

Pavlovich Buries Reeling Abdurakhimov Ex-Fight Nights Global champion Se…

He does it again!! Another incredible performance from @SalahdineP #KSW68 pic.twitter.com/dEAqJBQfos

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) March 19, 2022

Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki returned to the Sports Hall in Radom, Poland, for a fight night full of finishes.

The KSW 68 headliner saw two-time KSW 145-pound titleholder Salahdine Parnasse putting his championship on the line against Daniel Rutkowski. Parnasse (17-1-1, KSW 8-1) attempted to rely on his remarkable grappling skills right out of the gate but was easily denied by Rutkowski, who kept the fight standing. The Frenchman adapted to the situation by attacking with his jab, but it was Rutkowski (13-3, 1-1 KSW) who dictated the pace and picked the place of the fight. Thanks to an aggressive striking mixed with some fine grappling activity, Rutkowski was arguably ahead on the scorecards going into the championship rounds.

In the first seconds of the fourth frame, Parnasse caught his adversary with a head k…

PFL Challenger Series 5Credit: PFL MMA PFL Challenger Series 5Credit: PFL MMA PFL Challenger Series 5Credit: PFL MMA PFL Challenger Series 5Credit: PFL MMA PFL Challenger Series 5Credit: PFL MMA PFL Challenger Series 5Credit: PFL MMA PFL Challenger Series 5Credit: PFL MMA PFL Challenger Series 5Credit: PFL MMA PFL Challenger Series 5Credit: PFL MMA PFL Challenger Series 5Credit: PFL MMA PFL Challenger Series 5Credit: PFL MMA PFL Challenger Series 5Credit: PFL MMA PFL Challenger Series 5Credit: PFL MMA PFL Challenger Series 5Credit: PFL MMA PFL Challenger Series 5Credit: PFL MMA PFL Challenger Series 5Credit: PFL MMA PFL Challenger Series 5Credit: PFL MMA PFL Challenger Series 5Credit: PFL MMA PFL Challenger Series 5Credit: PFL MMA PFL Challenger Series 5Credit: PFL MMA PFL Challenger Series 5Credit: PFL MMA PFL Challenger Series 5Credit: PFL MMA PFL Challenger Series 5Credit: PFL MMA PFL Challenger Series 5Credit: PFL MMA PFL Challenger Series 5Credit: PFL MMA PFL Ch…

Jordan Vucenic successfully defends his title! With a beautiful back take, he slipped in a choke for the 2nd round finish #AndStill #CW134 pic.twitter.com/Vz31WMb3M4

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) March 18, 2022 Based on his performance on Friday night, Jordan Vucenic may expect a call up to the major leagues in the near future.

After a long absence from the venue due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cage Warriors Fighting Championship returned to the iconic Indigo at the O2 Arena in London, England. The CW 134 main event featured a featherweight championship affair as Vucenic (9-1, 5-0 CW) put his belt on the line against James Hendin. The challenger Hendin (6-2, 5-2 CW), a short-notice replacement for Paul Hughes, showcased stifling wrestling to nullify his opponent’s sophisticated striking game early on. While “The Honeybadger” was able to ground Vucenic for much of the round, he was unable to put any major offense together and threaten for a fi…

Before locking down her opponent for April, former Ultimate Fighting Championship strawweight champ Jessica Andrade targeted foes from 115 pounds all the way to bantamweight.

Despite being the top-ranked UFC flyweight contender, former strawweight champion Andrade decided to return to her original division. On April 23 at UFC Fight Night 205, she will take on fellow Brazilian and 10th ranked Amanda Lemos. In an interview with Sherdog, Andrade explained how she made the decision to return to her old division.

“I was having a hard time finding opponents in the flyweight division,” she said. “We tried Alexa Grasso, even Miesha Tate in bantamweight, but nobody wanted to fight with me, so my master Gilliard Parana convinced me that in strawweight the amount of possibilities would grow, making the matchmakers lives easier.”

According to “Bate Estaca,” the weight cut will no longer be a problem.

“Brazilian food made the weight-cut process very hard for me,” she admitted…

We have our sights set on 𝐀𝐁𝐔 𝐃𝐇𝐀𝐁𝐈 this October

Visit here for details https://t.co/qxqMNvVjkW

[ #UFC281 | @VisitAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | #InAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/RJusAhNipT — UFC (@ufc) March 18, 2022 A big Ultimate Fighting Championship show and a full week’s worth of related events are slated to go down in a popular destination this October.

The promotion released the news on Friday that it would be heading back down to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, for UFC 281. This Oct. 22 card would serve as the finale for what is titled “Abu Dhabi Showdown Week,” which states that it will be capped off by a “crowd-pleasing” title bout. No details have been provided about any matchup for this event seven months away, other than its date and location of the Etihad Arena.

In 2010, the UFC first came to Abu Dhabi, putting on UFC 112 on Yas Island with a pair of championship tilts on tap. B.J. Penn lost his lightweight belt to Frankie E…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBA_6EHqthU&w=560&h=315] Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki returns for its third event of 2022 with a featherweight championship bout headlining KSW 68.

Both featherweight champion Salahdine Parnasse and challenger Daniel Rutkowski made their title fight official as they hit their marks. Along with the headliners, the remaining 16 fighters on the card made weight without any issue.

Parnasse (16-1-1) has become a mainstay within KSW. The French fighter has won every fight in the promotion aside from a loss to Daniel Torres that he avenged in his most recent outing. In between matches with Torres, Parnasse submitted Filip Pejic with a rear-naked choke. The champion officially weighed 145 pounds.

This is only the second KSW bout for Rutkowski (13-2, 1 NC). The Polish fighter impressed in his debut by scoring a head kick knockout of Pejic to claim an early title opportunity. Rutkowski also weighed 145 pounds for the championship pairing. Read more about KSW 68 Weigh-in Results: 9 Fights Set

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq52MXGVNSM&w=560&h=315] After several years away due to the pandemic, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to England for UFC Fight Night 204.

Atop the bill is a heavyweight bout between contenders Alexander Volkov and Tom Aspinall. Just as the heavyweights had no trouble hitting their marks, every participant on the entire card successfully made weight. However, it is worth noting that a preliminary bout between Nathaniel Wood and Vince Morales was called off on Thursday after Wood fell ill.

Volkov bounced back from a decision loss to Ciryl Gane with a win over Marcin Tybura. "Drago" is 8-3 inside the Octagon, and is looking to show that he still has another run at the title left in him at age 33. Volkov stepped on the scale at 253 pounds.

While Volkov has multiple UFC main events under his belt, this marks the first for Aspinall (11-2). The English fighter is undefeated inside the Octagon with four straight finishes. …

Do not mess with Jaqueline Amorim on the ground!!! #AndNew#LFA125 pic.twitter.com/a1jrEe93X8

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) February 26, 2022

Jaqueline Amorim put herself on the radar when she submitted Lovethpatra Young with a kneebar and captured the vacant Legacy Fighting Alliance women’s strawweight championship in the LFA 125 main event on Feb. 25 at the Seneca Niagara Resort and Casino in Niagara Falls, New York. Amorim, 26, brought it to a close 1:26 into Round 1.

It was a gruesome finish that drew a visceral reaction from those who saw it.

“I could feel noise coming from her leg,” Amorim told Sherdog.com. “I overextended it, but she wasn’t tapping. I gave up on that position and reapplied the submission by having her leg under my armpit. That’s when she tapped, and I won by submission.”

The American Top Team -trained Amorim has finished all five of her opponents inside one round, four of them by submission.

Bruno Miranda Official Weight 156.2 lbs ⚖️#PFLonFuboTV pic.twitter.com/kUHrFCXFAm

— PFL (@PFLMMA) March 17, 2022 Professional Fighters League's Challenger Series continues with PFL Challenger Series 5, which highlights several lightweight prospects.

All fighters made weight for the event except for headliner Bruno Miranda. "Robusto" wound up coming in at 156.2 pounds, which is .2 pounds over the lightweight limit. His bout against Carson Frei will still go forward, though.

Miranda (13-3) is a lightweight prospect out of Brazil. The Road FC veteran has won his last four bouts. Meanwhile, Frei (9-4) is an American that has won three of his last four fights. The 28-year-old most recently submitted Westin Wilson and weighed 155.2 pounds for the main event.

PFL Challenger Series 5 streams live to FuboTV on Friday at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

PFL Challenger Series 5 Weigh-in Results: Bruno Miranda (156.2)* vs. Carson Frei (155.2)Damir Ferhatbeg…

A strawweight title rematch between Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza will serve as the co-main event at UFC 274 on May 7.

Multiple outlets confirmed the booking following an initial report from Sports Illustrated. Namajunas and Esparza competed on Season 20 of “The Ultimate Fighter” and then squared off at the show’s finale in December 2014, with “Cookie Monster” claiming the promotion’s inaugural 115-pound belt with a third-round submission victory.

Namajunas would go on to win nine of her next 11 Octagon appearances. She is in the midst of her second championship reign at strawweight and is coming off a split-decision triumph over Weili Zhang in a title defense at UFC 268. Her resume includes wins over the likes of Zhang (twice), Jessica Andrade, Joanna Jedrzejczyk (twice), Michelle Waterson and Tecia Torres.

Esparza, meanwhile, would relinquish the crown in a lopsided loss to Jedrzejczyk in her first title defense at UFC 185. The Team Oyama has compiled a f…

Miesha Tate’s first flyweight foray is going to take place a little bit later than originally anticipated.

Tate’s matchup with Lauren Murphy, originally slated for a UFC Fight Night event on May 14, will now happen at UFC 276 on July 2. The change was initially reported by Ariel Helwani. A reason for the postponement is unclear.

UFC 276 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will serve as the centerpiece for the promotion’s International Fight Week. No other bouts have been announced for the card.

Tate returned from a five-year retirement this past July, where she scored a third-round TKO win over Marion Reneau at UFC on ESPN 26. In her next outing, “Cupcake” fell to Ketlen Vieira via unanimous decision in the UFC Fight Night 198 main event on Nov. 20.

Murphy hasn’t competed since falling to Valentina Shevchenko via fourth-round TKO in a flyweight title tilt at UFC 266. Prior to that, the former Invicta FC champion had been victorious in her p…

Greg Hardy saw the writing on the wall following his last Ultimate Fighting Championship appearance, and no it appears the Las Vegas-based promotion has officially parted ways with the controversial former NFL star.

Hardy joins Sabina Mazo, Davi Ramos and Jared Gooden as athletes that are no longer on the UFC roster, according to a report by MMAFighting.com. All four fighters recently completed their contracts with the promotion and are not likely to be re-signed.

Hardy indicated that his run in the Octagon was over following a first-round TKO loss to Sergey Spivak at UFC 272 on March 5.

“What a run, ya boy is far from done just got some fine tuning to do,” Hardy wrote on Instagram. “Thank you to all my fans and haters. I appreciate you all. Mostly I appreciate my coaches, family, and the UFC for giving me the opportunity to shine bright.”

Given his history with domestic violence, Hardy was a controversial addition to the Dana White’s Contender Series lin…

Two-time UFC competitor Cody East was arrested in New Mexico following a domestic violence incident over the weekend.

Albuquerque, N.M.-based station KRQE was first to report the news. East is charged with child abuse, false imprisonment and battery.

According to a criminal complaint, East got into a fight with his wife and then allegedly refused to allow her or their kids to get out of their car. The woman told police that East pushed her and made threatening comments when she tried to stop him.

East was released on Tuesday from the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center due to “Release on Recognizance.” He is due in court for a preliminary hearing on April 26.

It’s not the first time East has run afoul of the law for domestic violence. In 2016, East was arrested for aggravated battery against a household member, false imprisonment and aggravated assault against a household member.

East has multiple other transgressions on his record. He …

A women’s flyweight clash pitting Tracy Cortez against Melissa Gatto has been added to teh UFC 274 lineup.

ESPN Deportes was first to report the booking. UFC 274 takes place at the Footprint Center in Phoenix on May 7 and is headlined by a lightweight championship bout between Charles Oliveirea and Justin Gaethje.

A contract winner on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019, Cortez has been victorious in her first three Octagon appearances. Most recently, the 28-year-old Fight Ready representative took a split verdict over Justine Kish at UFC ON ESPN 22. Cortez has won nine consecutive professional outings.

Gatto, meanwhile, has yet to taste defeat in 10 pro fights, although she does have a pair of draws on her ledger. The 25-year-old Brazilian in 2-0 in UFC competition, with finishes of Victoria Leonardo and Sijara Eubanks to her credit.