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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…

The first ever UFC PPV in South East Asia is coming, and it is STACKED

Register your interest now - https://t.co/6O0EJtkELc 🔗

[ #UFC275 | @VisitSingapore | #UFCSingapore | #PassionMadePossible | #SingapoReimagine ] pic.twitter.com/JytxBSv2tc — UFC (@ufc) March 29, 2022

Singapore will host an Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view event for the first time ever on June 11.

The Las Vegas-based promotion confirmed on Tuesday that UFC 275 will be held at Singapore Indoor Stadium and is headlined by a light heavyweight title tilt between Glover Teixeira and Jiri Prochazka. The card will also see women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko defend her belt against Taila Santos, while ex-middleweight champion Robert Whittaker takes on Marvin Vettori in a pivotal middleweight clash.

Two other bouts were also announced for UFC 275: Brendan Allen vs. Jacob Malkoun at middleweight and Kyung Ho Kang vs. Saimon Oliveira at feath…

A matchup between 2021 heavyweight champion Bruno Henrique Cappelozza and Englishman Stuart Austin will serve as the headliner for Professional Fighters League’s second regular season card on April 28.

PFL 2 will be held at Esports Stadium Arlington in Arlington, Texas, and features a lineup of heavyweights and featherweights. The main card airs on ESPN2 and ESPN+ 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. In the co-main event, Dana White’s Contender Series alum and Cage Warriors veteran Brendan Loughnane will square off against Japanese prospect Ryoji Kudo at 145 pounds.

Two other heavyweight pairings round out the main draw, as Ante Delija meets Matheus Scheffel while Renan Ferreira takes on Jamelle Jones.

The evening begins with the following six bouts on the preliminary card: Lance Palmer vs. Chris Wade at featherweight; Bubba Jenkins vs. Sung Bin Jo at featherweight; Denis Goltsov vs. Sam Kei at heavyweight; Ali Isae…

Emily Ducote will welcome Alesha Zappitella to the strawweight division in a title fight at Invicta FC 47 on May 11.

The all-female promotion announced the headlining bout on Tuesday. A location and broadcast details for the card will be announced in the coming weeks. Recent Invicta events have aired on the organization’s YouTube channel.

Five other bouts were also confirmed for Invicta FC 47: Courtney King vs. Chelsea Chandler at featherweight; Lindsey VanZandt vs. Jillian DeCoursey at atomweight; Lisa Verzosa vs. Serena DeJesus at bantamweight; Janaisa Morandin vs. Liana Pirosin at flyweight and Jennifer Chieng vs. Alyssa Linduska at strawweight.

Ducote claimed the 115-pound strap with a head kick knockout of Daniell Taylor at Invicta FC 44 this past August. The Bellator MMA veteran has been victorious in four of her last five professonal outings. Ducote is 10-6 over the course of a tenure that began in 2015.

Zappitella will be making her strawweight deb…

UFC 273 has undergone a couple changes with less than two weeks remaining before the pay-per-view event.

A welterweight showdown between Kelvin Gastelum against Nassourdine Imavov has been canceled due to visa issues for Imavov. Gastelum will not be given a replacement opponent. It is unclear if the matchup will be rescheduled, but Gastelum posted on Twitter that “we’re trying to figure out other options.”

Unfortunately my opponent was unable to obtain a visa.Hopefully that gets worked out ASAP.We’re trying to figure out other options.So stay tuned…..#UFC273

— #OnAmission4Gold (@KelvinGastelum) March 28, 2022

Meanwhile, a heavyweight tilt pitting Ilir Latifi against Alexey Oleynik has been added to the UFC 273 bill. Latifi vs. Oleynik was originally slated for UFC on ESPN 33 before Latifi pulled out hours before the card due to illness.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the updates on Monday. UFC 273 takes place at Vystar Vete…

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https://t.co/TrFZh8ylKA @BellatorMMA @arielhelwani

— Vechtsport Info (@vechtsport_Info) March 28, 2022

Melvin Manhoef reportedly made a trio of would-be burglars regret targeting his residence.

Manhoef revealed to Dutch outlet Vechtsport Info that he chased down three men who tried to break into his house near Landsmeer, Netherlands, on Monday. The fighter then reportedly ran the burglars’ vehicle off the road and smashed one of the car windows with his bare fist.

Manhoef said he then made the three men wait on their knees until police arrived. The burglars were allegedly seen around Manhoef’s home will he was doing a promotional visit to Paris for Bellator MMA before making their robbery attempt the second time around.

Manhoef is slated to return to action against former UFC title challenger Yoel Romero in a light heavyweigh bout at Bellator 280 on May 6 in Paris. It will be his first fight since suffering a second-round TKO defea…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTq7MfaUgnk&w=560&h=315]

For nearly three months, Paulo Costa insisted on a rematch with Marvin Vettori, a fight that didn’t make much since to either Vettori or the UFC.

That focus shifted after Sean Strickland defeated Jack Hermansson via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 200 in February and then challenged the Brazilian on social media. By the time “Borrachinha” responded to Strickland’s callout, it was too late. Strickland is now expected to face Alex Pereira at UFC 277 on July 30.

Carlos Borracha, Costa’s brother and head coach, discussed Costa’s next move backstage after Jungle Fight 106 with PVT journalist Leonardo Fabri.

“Strickland challenged ‘Borrachinha’ a long time ago, [but] when He accepted, Strickland ran from us and they ended up giving him to ‘Poatan,’” Borracha said. “Strickland chickened out, but we have other ranked fighters in our target like [Derek] Brunson.

“We truly hope Brunson keeps his…

You’d have to go back to 2014 to find the last time Alexa Grasso finished a professional mixed martial arts bout, but the Lobo Gym MMA product’s stoppage of Joanne Wood on Saturday was far more significant for her career.

Grasso defeated Wood via rear-naked choke at the 3:57 mark of Round 1 in the UFC on ESPN 33 co-main event on Saturday at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, for her third consecutive triumph in the promotion at 125 pounds.

“It feels amazing. Finally, three wins [in a row] in the UFC and my first finish – my first submission on my record,” Grasso said at the post-fight press conference.

Prior to Saturday, all five of Grasso’s previous UFC victories had gone the distance. That wasn’t by design.

“Of course, as a fighter you always want to finish a fight,” she said. “It took a long time … but now I feel great. As I’m getting older, too, I feel more mature – my mind, my body, and my fight game.”

Grasso has always been best known for …

Chris Daukaus is trying to focus on the positive following his second consecutive defeat in the Octagon.

The Philadelphia police officer released a brief statement via Twitter in the aftermath of UFC on ESPN 33, where he fell to Curtis Blaydes via technical knockout 17 seconds into Round 2 of their headlining heavyweight bout at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, this past Saturday.

“There’s always negativity from people after a loss, often we linger too long on that,” Daukaus said. “I’m very appreciative for the people who have not done that and who have reached out with positivity. You guys are the best, especially @[email protected] thank you.”

There’s always negativity from people after a loss, often we linger too long on that. I’m very appreciative for the people who have not done that and who have reached out with positivity. You guys are the best, especially @Boogerbeard1 @MacMallyMMA thank you.

— Chris Daukaus (@ChrisDaukau…

Grant Dawson will replace Rafael Alves and lock horns with Jared Gordon in a lightweight scrap at UFC on ESPN 35.

mixedmartialarts.com was first to report the new booking. A reason for Alves’ withdrawal was not disclosed. UFC on ESPN 35 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on April 30 and is headlined by a bantamweight duel pitting Rob Font against Marlon Vera.

After earning a contract on Season 1 of Dana White’s Contender Series, Dawson was victorious in his first five promotional appearances before battling Ricky Glenn to a majority draw in his sixth outing at UFC Fight Night 196 this past October. The Glory MMA & Fitness representative is 2-0-1 at lightweight after beginning his UFC tenure at 145 pounds. He owns a career mark of 17-1-1.

Gordon, 33, has been victorious in his last three UFC appearances. Most recently, the Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu product earned a split verdict against Joe Solecki at UFC Fight Night 193 this past October. “Flash” is 6-…

If this was indeed it for Bryan Barberena, at least he went out with a bang.

Barberena’s split-decision triumph over Matt Brown at UFC on ESPN 33 received “Fight of the Night” honors on Saturday, a fitting recognition for two athletes who have been known to deliver action in their bouts.

At Saturday’s post-fight press conference, Barberena revealed that he completed the last fight on his current UFC contract. The 32-year-old MMA Lab representative has won three of his last four Octagon appearances and is 8-6 during his promotional tenure overall. If the UFC is not interesting in re-signing him, Barberena would rather hang up the four-ounce gloves than take his talents elsewhere.

“I’m really glad [the Brown fight] happened because this is the last fight on my contract,” Barberena said. “I haven’t been open about that, but this is the last fight on my contract. The UFC didn’t say anything about renegotiating. I tried to ask about it.

“Dana White, let’s talk.…

Curtis Blaydes has certainly experienced his setbacks in UFC competition – KO losses to Francis Ngannou and Derrick Lewis immediately come to mind – but he’s also gradually built a resume that ranks among the best in the heavyweight division during his promotional tenure.

He added to his list of achievements with a second-round technical knockout victory against Chris Daukaus in the UFC on ESPN 33 main event on Saturday, a victory that stood out because the Octagon’s all-time heavyweight takedown leader relied on his striking, not his wrestling, to get the job done at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. After winning for the sixth time in his last seven UFC appearances, Blaydes called for an interim heavyweight title shot.

He reiterated that desire at Saturday’s post-fight press conference.

“I feel that way but that does not mean the world feels that way,” Blaydes said. “That’s really what matters. What do the fans want to see? I do believe I deserve an inte…