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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxG_eACYQCw&w=560&h=315] Several current or former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighters wanted to weigh in on a hotly anticipated contest this Saturday.

Even having two belts on the line on Saturday in the main and co-main events of UFC 273, much of the attention on the fight card is on the welterweight battle between Gilbert Burns and Khamzat Chimaev. Burns (20-4) will come in as a huge betting underdog despite being in the top three of his division and a former title challenger. He will take on unbeaten wrecking machine Chimaev (10-0), a man has never needed more than two rounds to dispatch an opponent. On Wednesday, Sherdog spoke to several Brazilian fighters that either currently fight for the UFC or did so in the past to get their opinions on the matchup.

Fabricio Werdum, former UFC heavyweight champ: “No doubt Chimaev is one of the most talented fighters that appeared in UFC lately. And it’s not for being undefeated, bu…

The Challenger Series Week 8 Main Event!

Carlos Leal vs @chrisbreezymma #PFLonFuboTVFri, April 8th | Live 9pm ET pic.twitter.com/bFFDXsMzLV

— PFL (@PFLMMA) April 7, 2022 Several fighters ahead of the Professional Fighters League's "Second Chance" event are not making the most of their opportunities. Headlining PFL Challenger Series 8, with a billing that was announced on Thursday, is a catchweight bout between Carlos Leal Miranda and Chris Brown. The main event was initially announced as a welterweight contest on Thursday morning, but neither fighter hit their scheduled marks. Beyond the main eventers coming in over the welterweight limit, Ali Zebian also missed weight, who weighed in 2.2 pounds heavy for his featherweight bout against Aaron Blackie.

Miranda (15-3) is coming off a quick 56-second TKO win over Korey Kuppe and is undefeated since 2015. "The Lion" officially weighed 171.2 pounds for the main event, just a shade over the …

Middleweight Rodolfo Vieira has been cleared to resume his mixed martial arts career after an abnormal brain scan earlier this year forced him to withdraw from UFC 270.

Vieira revealed via Instagram that he was at AdventHealth Orlando to receive a cerebral angiography, which provides images of blood vessels around the brain and can detect abnormalities such as aneurysms.

“After months of waiting I just had the cerebral angiography I needed, everything went well,” Vieira wrote. “Now I'm here in the room waiting for the doctor to come and tell me what I really have and if I'm going to be able to continue fighting MMA.

Without a doubt today is the hardest day of my life. Whatever it is, I trust in my God and I know that he will do the best for my life as hd always did!”

According to MMAFighting.com, Vieira received medical clearance to compete after the examination. The 32-year-old Brazilian withdrew from a proposed clash against Wellington Turman at UFC 27…

Andre Muniz will not remain on the UFC on ESPN 34 card against a replacement opponent.

MMAFighting.com was first to report Muniz’s exit from the card. Promotion officials were reportedly seeking a replacement opponent for the Brazilian after original foe Uriah Hall pulled out of the matchup. While Dricus Du Plessis revealed on “The MMA Hour” that he was among those offered the fight, ultimately no one accepted a short-notice matchup with the Brazilian submission specialist.

UFC on ESPN 34 takes place on April 16 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight showdown between Vicente Luque and Belal Muhammad. Muniz vs. Hall was slated to be the card’s co-main event.

Muniz, 32, has won his last eight professional bouts. The Dana White’s Contender Series alum has bested his last three UFC opponents — Eryk Anders, Ronaldo Souza and Bartosz Fabinski — via first-round submission. “Sergipano” is 22-4 over the course of a career that began in 2009, wit…

Francis Ngannou is on the road to recovery after recently undergoing knee surgery.

The UFC heavyweight champion shared a video on Instagram of his rehabilitation folllowing the procedure. Ngannou suffered a torn MCL and a damaged ACL in sparring ahead of his unanimous decision victory over interim title holder Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. Ngannou underwent surgery last month and could be sidelined for nine months.

UFC president Dana White admitted that the promotion could create another interim heavyweight title as a result of Ngannou’s absence. “The Predator” fought out his eight-fight deal with the UFC at 270 and hasn’t reached a new agreement with the Las Vegas-based promotion.

The Professional Fighters League has issued a statement pertaining to April 1’s PFL Challenger Series 7 event, which was actually recorded on March 25 in Orlando, Florida.

“Week 7 of the Professional Fighters Leagues' (PFL) 2022 Challenger Series was pre-recorded on Friday, March 25, 2022,” read a statement sent from PFL to Sherdog Tuesday evening. “As such the PFL did not include any betting lines, content, or promotion in connection with the program. Further, PFL did not distribute any betting data, lines, or content to its partners.

“Any sports books that took bets on the prerecorded program did so without the consent or knowledge of the PFL.

“The PFL will further evaluate the matter. The PFL continues to advocate for responsible sports gaming.”

Sherdog staff was able to obtain a recording of April 1’s tape-delayed broadcast and independently verified that PFL gambling personality Ian Parker, who was present for prior editions of the Challenger Series, was n…

Due to conflicting schedules, welterweight contender Vicente Luque was not able to help friend and teammate Gilbert Burns with preparation for his highly-anticipated bout against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273.

"We normally do most of our camps together, but this time was different,” said Luque, who is scheduled to face Belal Muhammad in the UFC on ESPN 34 main event on April 16. “While he stayed in the U.S., I came to Brasilia, but we talked almost every day about our daily routine since I’ll fight Belal seven days after [his bout].”

  Despite not being able to help Burns, Luque has no doubt that his teammate’s strength and cardio will force Chimaev to answer questions that he is not accustomed to answering.

“Chimaev's first round is very strong. On the other hand, ‘Durinho’ is not easy to take down and dominate,” Luque said. “I’ve trained with him for a long time, and it's really impressive the pace he can keep fighting five rounds. In my opini…

Kayla Harrison will begin her bid for a three-peat as Professional Fighters League champion on May 6.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist will face Marina Mokhnatkina in a 155-pound bout that will serve as the PFL 3 main event at the Esports Stadium Arlington in Arlington, Texas. In the co-headliner, 2021 welterweight champion Ray Cooper III will square off against Magomed Umalatov at 170 pounds. The main card airs on ESPN2 beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on ESPN+ at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT.

Two other bouts complete the evening’s main card: Anthony Pettis vs. Myles Price in a rescheduled lightweight bout that was originally supposed to take place at PFL 1, and Rory MacDonald vs. Brett Cooper at welterweight.

Seven bouts were announced for the preliminary draw: Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. Joao Zeferino at welterweight; Genah Fabian vs. Julia Budd at lightweight; Sadibiou Sy vs. Nikolai Aleksakhin at welterweight; Larissa Pacheco vs. Zamzagul Fayza…

Kyle Daukaus and Roman Dolidze will try it again on June 18.

Daukaus revealed via social media that a middleweight clash with Dolidze has been rescheduled for UFC Fight Night on June 18. Daukaus vs. Dolidze was initially slated for November, but the bout was scrapped due to COVID-19 protocols.

Daukaus rebounded from a no contest against Kevin Holland at UFC 193 in his most recent outing, as he used a brabo choke to tap Jamie Pickett in the opening stanza at UFC Fight Night 201 on Feb. 19.

Dolidze has kicked off his promotional tenure with victories in three of his first four Octagon appearances. Most recently, the 33-year-old Georgian outpointed Laureano Staropoli at UFC Fight Night 189 on June 5.

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

A heavyweight duel pitting Josh Parisian againt Alan Baudot is on tap for a UFC Fight Night card on June 25.

Both fighters announced the bout via social media. The event is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and also includes a flyweight clash between Tim Elliott and Amir Albazi. A headliner for the card has not been confirmed.

A two-time winner on Dana White’s Contender Series, Parisian has come up short in two of three UFC appearances thus far. Most recently, the 32-year-old Scorpion Fighting System product suffered a third-round TKO loss to Don’Tale Mayes at UFC Fight Night 199 this past December.

France’s Baudot is still looking for his first Octagon triumph after a pair of losses and a no contest in his initial three promotional outings. Baudot is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Parker Porter at UFC Fight Night 201 on Feb. 19.

A middleweight matchup pitting Joaquin Buckley against Abusupiyan Magomedov has been targeted for the UFC’s June 4 offering.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the booking. The event doesn’t have an official location at this time but is likely to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card is also expected to include a featherweight clash between Dan Ige and Movsar Evloev.

Buckley, who gained fame for his viral knockout of Impa Kasanganay at UFC Fight Night 179 in October 2020, has been victorious in four of his last five promotional appearances. Most recently, he defeated Abdul Razak Alhassan via split decision at UFC Fight Night 201 on Feb. 19.

Magomedov is slated to make his first Octagon foray against Buckley after previously scheduled bouts against Gerald Meerschaert and Aliaskhab Khizriev fell through. The 31-year-old Germany-based fighter notably reached the PFL middleweight finals in 2018 before falling to Louis Taylor at the promotion’s champions…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEE0BfgPQUM&w=560&h=315]

Aljamain Sterling has heard all the naysayers over the past year.

Sterling’s championship victory over Petr Yan at UFC 259 in March 2021 has come with an asterisk for many in the MMA community due to the nature of the “The Funk Master’s” victory, which came when he was rendered unable to continue due to an illegal knee in the fourth round. As a result, Sterling was able to take the 135-pound belt home thanks to a disqualification victory. Yan was ahead on two of the three judges’ scorecards at the time of the stoppage.

The rematch between the two bantamweights has been delayed as Sterling recovered from neck surgery, a procedure that helped to alleviate an issue that has plagued him for years. Sterling was sidelined longer than originally anticipated, which of course subjected him to more negative comments.

Sterling will finally get the chance to settle the score when he faces Yan for a second tim…

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…