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Romance can be quite a powerful motivator.

Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight contender Matheus Nicolau has grand designs on his division, and he does not plan on being at the top by himself. The upcoming UFC on ESPN 33 card on Saturday will have two important chapters to set up the future of flyweight division, and Nicolau aims to cement his place as a top contender with a decisive win.

Besides the fight between Askar Askarov and Kai Kara France, ranked two and six, respectively, there is one more matchup pitting top-10 flyweights against one another. The Columbus, Ohio, event will also feature a fight between Brazilian Nicolau (17-2-1) and the surging David Dvorak (20-3), with the latter coming off three straight UFC wins. Nicolau spoke to Sherdog about his upcoming bout, and what he plans after it takes place.

“David is a pretty solid fighter [and] well-rounded,” Nicolau admitted. “He has the same number of knockouts and submissions. For being very experience…

UFC finalizing undefeated Casey O’Neill (@kingcaseymma) vs. Jessica Eye (@jessicaevileye) for UFC 276 on July 2, per sources. O’Neill looking to improve to 5-0 in the UFC. Eye looking to hang on to her No. 10 ranking. Who you like in this one? pic.twitter.com/hQ3GNeyAVl

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) March 25, 2022 Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight Jessica Eye will try to hold the line in the top 10 in July.

Per the UFC’s broadcast partner of ESPN on Friday, Eye (15-10, 1 NC) will be making her return to the cage after just under a year off against Casey O'Neill (9-0) at UFC 276. The event will be held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 2, as the conclusion of the promotion’s annual International Fight Week celebration. The fight is expected to be official soon, with O’Neill remarking on the upcoming matchup on her Instagram stories on Thursday.

“Evil” Eye expected to be back in action far sooner than July 2022, with her la…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrpOL-OLSvY&w=560&h=315] Two-time Professional Fighters League champ Natan Schulte will return to action in the organization’s first regular season event of 2022.

The 2022 PFL tournament will kick off on April 20 at the Esports Stadium Arlington in Arlington, Texas, with lightweights and light heavyweights on tap for the first fight card. PFL 1: 2022 Regular Season had the lion’s share of its lineup announced, and sources close to the situation informed Sherdog on Friday of its final pairing in the lightweight division. 2018 and 2019 tourney champ Schulte (21-4-1) will be coming back to fight at this event, and he will be taking on Olivier Aubin-Mercier (13-5) in the lightweight division.

Schulte was once booked to fight Aubin-Mercier at PFL 7: 2021 Playoffs in August 2021, but he was forced to withdraw for undisclosed reasons. In the initial event of the 2021 season, Schulte lost for the first time since PFL’s rebranding when …

WE HAVE A MAIN EVENT!@RazorBlaydes265 is in at 259 pounds ⚖️

[ #UFCColumbus | TOMORROW | LIVE on @ESPN ] pic.twitter.com/IE1bt8yYE6

— UFC (@ufc) March 25, 2022 The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Ohio for UFC on ESPN 33. The card is headlined by a heavyweight bout between Curtis Blaydes and Chris Daukaus, who both had no issue coming in under the 265-pound limit. The rest of the 13-fight card also made weight, as there was little to no drama on the scale.

Blaydes enters his fifth UFC main event with a 15-3 record. The heavyweight most recently rebounded from a Derrick Lewis KO defeat by winning a decision over Jairzinho Rozenstruik. "Razor" is 5-1 in his last six bouts, and stepped on the scale weighing 259 pounds.

This is the second main event for Daukaus, who was knocked out by the aforementioned Lewis in his last time out. Prior to the setback, Daukaus had won five straight bouts, four of which were inside the Octago…

Exclusive @GamebredFighter headed to jail on an aggravated battery charge after his alleged attack on @ColbyCovMMA Exclusive video and story on @WPLGLocal10 pic.twitter.com/HGJhTz25Kj

— Rosh Lowe (@roshloweWPLG) March 24, 2022 Ultimate Fighting Championship star Jorge Masvidal has entered a plea of not guilty for his charges of battery and criminal mischief.

According to online court records from the Miami-Dade County Clerk of the Courts office, Masvidal has entered a written plea of not guilty for his charges. On Wednesday, “Gamebred” was charged with aggravated battery and criminal mischief, both felonies, following his alleged altercation with Colby Covington on Monday night. Additionally, Masvidal has issued a demand for a trial by jury, and he and his team have requested discovery as well as a waiver to not require his presence at any pre-trial conference. The court date is set for April 21.

Masvidal posted bail after his arrest on …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jfm0bexz9I?start=2144&w=560&h=315] Paige VanZant will once again be the top name on a marquee, capping off the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship’s first foray into Great Britain this July.

First reported by Ariel Helwani, BKFC head David Feldman announced on the BKFC Show on Thursday that VanZant (0-2 BK) will be headlining the first BKFC event held in Europe. The fight card will be held on July 9 at the Alexandra Palace in London. No additional bouts have been announced, nor did Feldman state the name of her opponent. Feldman also stated that the European tour would continue with a show in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on Aug. 6.

Despite going 0-2 in her first pair of fights under the BKFC banner, she will be competing in the main event of this fight night. The flyweight known as “12 Gauge” left the Ultimate Fighting Championship after losing three of her last four, and she debuted with the bare-knuckle league in February 2021. Van…

#ufc #FamilyFirst pic.twitter.com/dhxTq1DnXI

— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) March 24, 2022 Former Ultimate Fighting Championship champ Khabib Nurmagomedov has chosen a side in the Jorge Masvidal-Colby Covington fracas.

On his social media on Thursday, Nurmagomedov called for fighters to stop accepting matches with Covington based on the American’s conduct when building up fights. The former champ took issue with some of the things Covington said in his buildup against Masvidal at UFC 272 in March. Masvidal claimed that Covington spoke ill of his family, including his children, and that did not sit well with “Gamebred” or Nurmagomedov. Masvidal himself promised that it would be “on sight” – meaning that if they ran into one another on the street, they would fight – following their encounter in the Octagon, and Nurmagomedov believes that Covington crossed a line that should never been crossed.

“If you are stronger than someone insid…

.@BellatorMMA’s version of March Madness pic.twitter.com/Ez9zgy2MFM

— Scott Coker (@ScottCoker) March 24, 2022 The Bellator MMA bantamweight tournament is now on the books.

Per the organization, through its broadcast partner on CBS Sports, the Bellator bantamweight grand prix has its bracket. Instead of eight men, there will be ten, although two will be eliminated on April 28 to make it an even eight. Parts of the tourney, including the Bellator 279 meetings of Juan Archuleta vs. Raufeon Stots for the interim strap, as well as Patrick Mix vs. Kyoji Horiguchi, had already been announced previously. The new additions include Jornel Lugo, Danny Sabatello, Enrique Barzola and Josh Hill.

At Bellator 278 on April 22, the two wild card bouts will go on to determine who faces Leandro Higo and Magomed Magomedov in the quarterfinals. James Gallagher was initially expected to take on Magomedov, but he withdrew due to an injury that will require surg…

The Week 6 Heavyweights face off one last time before they meet again inside the cage on Fight Night!

Dont miss the action tomorrow night on https://t.co/ThxOqQwa7H 9pm ET!#PFLonFuboTV pic.twitter.com/cYn4K3n8WM

— PFL (@PFLMMA) March 24, 2022 Professional Fighters League's Challenger Series continues with PFL Challenger Series 6, which features a slew of heavyweight prospects. As expected of an all-heavyweight card, no fighters missed weight. The four-fight billing is headlined by a bout between Bevon Lewis and Marcelo Nunes. It's also worth noting that Brett Martin was replaced by Billy Swanson due to "management issues."

Lewis is a 7-3 fighter that is coming off a 1-3 stint inside the Octagon, with his only victory coming against Dequan Townsend. "The Extraordinary Gentleman" will look to regain momentum after being finished by Trevin Giles in his last bout. This also marks a significant step up in weight, as the former middleweight s…

Exclusive @GamebredFighter headed to jail on an aggravated battery charge after his alleged attack on @ColbyCovMMA Exclusive video and story on @WPLGLocal10 pic.twitter.com/HGJhTz25Kj

— Rosh Lowe (@roshloweWPLG) March 24, 2022

Jorge Masvidal has been arrested and is currently in custody for his alleged attack on UFC rival Colby Covington outside a Miami restaurant on Monday night.

The UFC welterweight was booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami on Wednesday at approximately 10:27 p.m. local time on charges of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and criminal mischief. Bail has been set at $15,000.

News of Masvidal’s arrest was first reported by WPLG Local 10 News, which posted video of the fighter entering the facility in handcuffs. Masvidal ran inside without responding to any questions.

Masvidal appeared virtually for a Nevada State Athletic Commission meeting earlier Wednesday to discuss licensing…

UFC superstar Conor McGregor was arrested in Dublin for dangerous driving, according to a report from The Independent.

McGregor was pulled over by the Gardai while traveling between Lucan and Palmerstown in West Dublin. The former UFC two-division champion was reportedly driving his Bentley Continental GT, valued at $187,000, at the time. The vehicle was seized but has since been returned to McGregor.

McGregor was released on bail from the Lucan garda station but is facing charges of dangerous driving. If convicted, the “Notorious” one faces a fine of more than $5,000 and/or six months in prison.

A Gardai spokesperson confirmed to the Independent that a man was detained on Tuesday in relation to the incident but did not name McGregor due to Irish privacy laws.

“Gardaí arrested a man aged in his 30s in relation an incident of dangerous driving in the Palmerstown area yesterday evening, Tuesday 22nd March 2022,” the department said in a statement. “The man …

Benson Henderson still has more to accomplish in Bellator MMA.

The former UFC lightweight champion has signed an exclusive, multi-fight contract with the promotion, Bellator officials announced on Wednesday. Henderson concluded his previous deal at Bellator 273, winning a split decision over Islam Mamedov on Jan. 29.

Shortly after that victory, Henderson mulled the possibility that he had competed for the last time within the California-based organization.

“I don’t know how much longer I’ll be doing this for Bellator, so I wanted to soak it all in,” Henderson said at the Bellator 273 post-fight press conference. “I’m not sure if this is going to be my last fight or not, so I wanted to enjoy it, wanted to enjoy the ‘W,’ enjoy getting my hand raised. I might keep going, I might not, so we’ll find out.”

Ultimately, “Smooth” decide to make another run in Bellator. He’ll enter his new contract on the momentum of his win over Mamedov, who had been unbeaten in 20…

After submitting the undefeated Nasrudin Nasrudinov on Dana White’s Contender Series to earn a UFC contract, Jailton Almeida impressed yet again with a first-round TKO of Danilo Marques in his Octagon debut on Feb. 5.

Now, the Brazilian known as “Malhadinho” is eagerly anticipating his return to action against Maxim Grishin at a UFC Fight Night event on May 21.

“I’m happy UFC gave me another tough test. Maxim has almost three times more MMA fights than I, but I´ll show on May 21 how well trained I am and shock the world again,” Almeida told Sherdog.com. “I´m going the be the Khabib Nurmagomedov of 205-pound division.”

While he admires Brazilian icons such as Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo, Mauricio Rua, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Wanderlei Silva, Almeida points to the likes of Nurmagomedov and Khamzat Chimaev as fighters that he admires most.

“I study their game a lot,” he said. “My goal is always to mix their grappling style with my jiu-jitsu submissions and…

An intriguing welterweight showdown has been booked for May 21, as Santiago Ponzinibbio has agreed to face Michel Pereira at a UFC Fight Night event.

The Underground was first to report the booking. The UFC Fight Night card is headlined by a women’s bantamweight bout between Holly Holm and Ketlen Vieira but does not have an official location or venue at this time.

Ponzinibbio will be making his first appearance of 2022 when he meets Pereira. “The Argentine Dagger” returned after more than a two-year hiatus in 2021, going 1-2 in the Octagon with losses to Jingliang Li and Geoff Neal and a victory against Miguel Baeza. The 35-year-old notably authored a seven-bout winning streak in UFC competition from 2015 to 2018.

Pereira, meanwhile, has won his last four Octagon appearances. Most recently, the 28-year-old Brazilian known as “Demolidor” garnered a unanimous decision triumph over Andre Fialho at UFC 270 on Jan. 22. His current run also includes victories over t…

With Yaroslav Amosov currently occupied defending his native Ukraine from Russian invasion, Bellator has called an audible for the main event of its May 13 card in London.

The promotion announced on Wednesday that Logan Storley will replace the reigning welterweight champion and square off against Michael Page in an interim 170-pound title clash in the Bellator 281 main event.

“Like the rest of the world, we’ve been shocked by the tragic events in Ukraine and the thoughts of everyone at Bellator MMA are with Yaroslav and all the Ukrainian people during this time,” Bellator president Scott Coker said in a statement. “We wish he and his family the best and look forward to seeing him return safely to happier times, both inside and out of the Bellator cage.”

Bellator 281 takes place at the OVO Arena Wembley in London and will also see Douglas Lima square off against Jason Jackson at welterweight in the co-headliner. The main card airs on Showtime in the United Sta…

Brutal ground and pound gets Alexandr Romanov the W

[ #UFCVegas39 | Prelims LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/lm6KCi7EVT

— UFC (@ufc) October 9, 2021 Alexander Romanov will step in for the injured Rodrigo Nascimento and lock horns with Tanner Boser in a heavyweight bout at UFC Fight Night 205.

TSN was first to report the new pairing. The nature of Nascimento’s injury was not disclosed. UFC Fight Night 205 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on April 23 and is headlined by a strawweight tilt pitting Jessica Andrade against Amanda Lemos.

Romanov has yet to taste defeat in 15 professional outings. He is 4-0 in the Las Vegas-based promotion, a mark that includes a second-round TKO triumph against Jared Vanderaa in his last appearance at UFC Fight Night 194.

Boser, meanwhile, will return for the first time since UFC Fight Night 190 on June 26, when he snapped a two-bout skid with a second-round knockout of Ovince St. Preux.

A flyweight clash pitting Tim Elliott against Amir Albazi is in the works for an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on June 25.

MMA Ideas was first to report the pairing, which is the first bout for the UFC Fight Night event. The card doesn’t have an official location or venue at this time.

A former flyweight title challenger, Elliott has been victorious in three of his last four Octagon appearances. In his last outing, the 35-year-old Glory MMA & Fitness product took a unanimous decision over Tagir Ulanbekov at UFC 272 on March 5.

Albazi is a veteran of Brave Combat Federation and Bellator MMA and has won 14 of his 15 professional bouts overall. The London Shootfighters export has kicked off his UFC tenure with a submission of Malcolm Gordon at UFC Fight Night 172 and a decision win against Zhalgas Zhumagulov at UFC 257.

Gegard Mousasi is expected to make his next Bellator middleweight title defense against Johnny Eblen at an event in June.

The targeted 185-pound booking was initially reported by Ariel Helwani. An exact date and venue are currently unknown at this point in time, as Bellator has not formally announced its schedule for June.

Mousasi last appeared at Bellator 275 on Feb. 25, when he made short work of the previously undefeated Austin Vanderford in a first-round technical knockout victory. The Armenian-born Dutchman has been victorious in seven of eight appearances within the California-based promotion and is on his second term as middleweight champion.

American Top Team’s Eblen has kicked off his professional tenure with 11 consecutive triumphs, including seven victories under the Bellator banner. Most recently, Eblen cruised to a three-round verdict over former title challenger John Salter at Bellator 276.

Good morning to everyone except those that think talking about someone’s kids is cool

— Jorge Masvidal UFC (@GamebredFighter) March 22, 2022

More details have emerged regarding the altercation that occurred between UFC rivals Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington in Miami on Monday night.

According to a Miami Beach police report, Masvidal is facing felony battery charges after he allegedly attacked Covington while he was walking outside the Miami restaurant Papi Steak. Covington’s name was redacted in the police report, but MMAFighting.com confirmed that he was the victim in the incident.

Covington told police that Masvidal ran up on his left and sucker punched him two times – once in his mouth and once in his left eye -- which resulted in a fractured left tooth. Covington also suffered an abrasion on his left wrist. After the alleged attack, Covington claims he heard Masvidal say, “You shouldn’t have been talking about my kids.” Masvidal m…

Alexandre Pantoja will be an interested observer when Askar Askarov and Kai Kara France square off at UFC on ESPN 33 this Saturday.

After back-to-back wins against Manel Kape and Brandon Royval, Pantoja was supposed to face Brandon Moreno for the flyweight title at UFC 270, but a knee injury knocked him out of the bout and Deiveson Figueiredo got the opportunity instead.

“I had defeated Moreno twice and since he was the champion, the trilogy made sense, but unfortunately I had to withdraw from the fight to have knee surgery,” Pantoja told Sherdog.com. “Deiveson got the belt back in another close fight. There are a lot of possibilities on the table, but personally I believe UFC is going to make the fourth fight between Moreno and Deiveson. I just hope this one gets a clear winner, so the division can go on."

Askarov, along with Figueiredo, is one of only two mean to beat Pantoja in his last eight fights. Pantoja believes that if Askarov wins on Saturday, it will …

Juliana Velasquez will make her second flyweight championship defense when she faces Liz Carmouche in the Bellator 278 main event on April 22.

Sherdog.com confirmed the booking with promotion officials following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com. Bellator 278 takes place at the Neil S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii. The event is will be free to attend for military veterans and first responders.

The 35-year-old Velasquez is undefeated in 12 professional outings. She captured the 125-pound strap with a five-round verdict against Ilima-Lei Macfarlane at Bellator 254 before notching her first successful defense in a split-decision triumph over Denise Kielholtz at Bellator 262.

Carmouche is no stranger to title fights. In her final Octagon appearance before signing with the California-based promotion, “Girl-Rilla” dropped a five-round verdict to Valentina Shevchenko in a 125-pound championship clash at UFC Fight Night 156 in August 2019. She also helped ushe…

Chael Sonnen is facing 11 charges — including felony battery by strangulation — for his role in an alleged hotel fight in Las Vegas this past December.

TMZ Sports first brought word that prosecutors filed the charges against the UFC veteran last week. Sonnen is also facing 10 misdemeanor battery charges for the incident. According to court records, Sonnen committed battery against six victims during the altercation. Sonnen is accused of choking one man, striking a woman and punching or kneeing others in the face at the Luxor Hotel and Casino.

Sonnen was initially hit with five battery citations, but was not arrested because police did not witness the incident, although video showed the former fighter being led away in handcuffs. The case was dismissed in Nevada court “without prejudice,” which means the state had the option of refiling the case.

A cause for the incident is unknown, but Sonnen was seen banging on the door of a hotel room at approxmately 7 a.m. …

Bellator bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis will not be part of Bellator’s bantamweight grand prix as originally planned.

An injury has forced Pettis to withdraw from a proposed opening round clash against Raufeon Stots at Bellator 279, and as a result, Juan Archuleta will step in for the reigning 135-pound champion. Promotion officials confirmed the news following an initial report from CBS Sports. An interim title will be on the line when Archuleta and Stots square off on April 23.

The exact nature of Pettis’ injury was not disclosed, but the Roufusport standout did release a statement via social media revealing that his ailment will require surgery and a lengthy recovery process.

“Well, some things aren’t meant to be,” Pettis wrote. “Unfortunately hurt myself bad last week during training, was waiting for the results and it turns out I’ll be out for the next [six to nine] months. I’ll be getting my first surgery after years of competing which happens to be…

Bellator will head to Ireland for a third time within a one-year span with a card featuring two of the country’s fan favorites.

The California-based promotion announced on Tuesday that it will return to the 3Arena in Dublin on Sept. 23, and both Peter Queally and Sinead Kavanagh will compete at the event. Opponents and other bouts are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. Bellator 275 took place in Dublin on Feb. 25, as did Bellator 270 this past November.

Queally will return to action after an injury forced him to withdraw from a proposed bout against Kane Mousah at Bellator 275. The Dublin native last appeared at Bellator 270, where he fell to Patricky Freire via second-round TKO in a rematch with the lightweight title on the line.

Kavanagh, meanwhile, is coming off a unanimous decision win over Leah McCourt at Bellator 275. Kavanagh had been tabbed for a championship rematch against Cristiane Justino, but a knee injury suffered against McCourt delayed…