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Magomed Ankalaev sent a statement to the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight division after defeating former title challenger Thiago Santos in the main event of UFC Fight Night 203.

The fight began with Santos (22-10) looking to throw bombs, but Ankalaev (16-1) was able to dodge the strikes and counter with his own. "Marreta" struggled to find his range as the Russian walked him down and never stopped advancing. However, Santos finally landed a punch that wobbled Ankalaev late in Round 2, which tilted the frame decisively in his favor.

The power of Thiago Santos 😳

[ @TMarretaMMA | #UFCVegas50 ] pic.twitter.com/JrKaKM61vj

— UFC (@ufc) March 13, 2022 After a tepid third round that could've gone either way, Santos started off hot in Round 4 by winging punches and going for a flying knee. However, Ankalaev would battle back and land a takedown to finish the round in top position. The fifth and final frame was spent on the …

A bit of fun from both @AdamBorics and @Burnellmma 😅

We are LIVE on @SHOsports with #Bellator276👇https://t.co/TbKTQ7lKsu pic.twitter.com/erF5WCDC3L

— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) March 13, 2022 Adam Borics entered Saturday’s Bellator 276 main event as one of the promotion’s best featherweight contenders; he’s now set to fight for the championship in his next outing.

Borics (18-1) stood toe-to-toe for virtually 25 minutes with Denmark’s Mads Burnell to win a unanimous decision in what was the best performance of his career. Borics landed dozens of thudding and stinging leg kicks and popped Burnell (16-4) with two- and three-punch combos. Burnell was ferocious with an endless assault of body punches and sizzling combos up top, but Borics landed the harder, more telling blows throughout.

Borics dropped Burnell with a slick right hook late in the second round, but even though he busted the Dane up and nearly closed his right eye, he was…

Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 203 coverage will begin Saturday at 4 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:Tyler Treese scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the…

A clean sweep across the board for @SemiTheJedi! 🧹

[ #UFCVegas50 | Prelims are LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/Gs1hP4Ii9U

— UFC (@ufc) March 13, 2022 UFC Fight Night 203's featured prelim saw Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight prospects Matthew Semelsberger and A.J. Fletcher battle for supremacy. Fletcher (9-1) managed to take the fight to the ground early with a strong double leg takedown and then navigated his way to mount. Semelsberger (10-3) would have more success in Round 2 and even managed to get top position on Fletcher. Round 3 would mirror the previous frame with Semelsberger riding out the round in top position and landing solid punches. The judges all saw the fight 29-28 in the favor of Semelsberger.

With the win, "Semi the Jedi" improves to 4-1 inside the Octagon.

Aldrich Handles Robertson In the women's flyweight division, J.J. Aldrich took on fellow UFC mainstay Gillian Robertson.

The first round was co…

Sherdog's live Bellator 276 coverage kicks off at 6 p.m. ET.

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

Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Mike Sloan scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Mike Sloan scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Mike Sloan scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Mike Sloan scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Mike Sloan scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Mike Sloan scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Mike Sloan scores t…

Do Gyeom Lee's Cornerman calls the fight after the 2nd round. Boston Salmon gets the TKO Win!#PFLonFuboTV LIVE NOW🇺🇸 https://t.co/R67yD8VVFQ🌍 https://t.co/StPf5kcxnW pic.twitter.com/PhoT2XH3Vn

— PFL (@PFLMMA) March 12, 2022

The only fighter to score a finish Friday night was rewarded with a spot on the upcoming Professional Fighters League 2022 Regular Season.

Ultimate Fighting Championship alum Boston Salmon was the worthiest man at PFL Challenger Series 4. Salmon (8-3, 1-0 PFL) went to war with Do Gyeom Lee (8-5, 0-1 PFL), exchanging wild strikes for 10 minutes. In Round 2, Salmon’s educated jab found the way to its target more freely, inflicting major damage to Lee’s mouth. The Korean — who missed weight by 2.6 pounds the day before the fight — attempted to battle through the pain, but his corner called it a night between the second and third stanzas. In addition to the promotional contract, “Boom Boom” also pocketed a $5,000 perform…

? @MoTownPhenom drops @DiegoSanchezUFC late in the third!#EagleFC46: Lee vs. Sanchez | LIVE NOW on @EagleOnFLX | Sign up to watch LIVE and FREE at https://t.co/QslxaipV9R pic.twitter.com/KfztaJCFMi

— Eagle FC (@EagleFightClub) March 12, 2022

Kevin Lee's (19-7) stock has fallen a lot in the past few years.

The former can't-miss prospect exited the Ultimate Fighting Championship having lost four of his last five fights, most recently a miserable decision loss to Daniel Rodriguez. Nevertheless, he was expected to dominate a 40 year-old Diego Sanchez (30-14), a man who seemed like he had no business fighting for a while now, looking woefully out of shape and offering little resistance in his last appearances.

Moreover, Sanchez had recently been hospitalized for Covid. The expectation was that Lee would dominate him everywhere at Eagle FC 46 in Miami, as he opened as a -400 favorite and closed at an astronomical -4000. Yet, to everyone's sh…

What a way to close out a WILD fight#LFA126 pic.twitter.com/jdTICWYdKZ

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) March 12, 2022 Despite having two vacant title fights, the Legacy Fighting Alliance crowned only one champion in its return to Brazil.

The main event of the evening was for the LFA featherweight championship, however, only Jonas Bilharinho could win it as late replacement opponent Jose Mauro do Amaral Delano came in one pound heavy. This was more than just a footnote as Delano (10-2) offered up much more of a fight than many pundits expected.

Armed with an unorthodox striking style, Delano was able to get Bilharinho (9-2-1) off his game early on and control the fight at distance by keeping up the pressure and landing damaging flurries of punches. "Joshua" would finally come to life in Round 4, and would have quite a few moments in the final frame, but it was too little, too late as Delano kept walking down his fellow Brazilian. After fi…

The trash talk is heating up, but not between the fighters involved in the potential matchup.

On Tuesday, undefeated free agent Kayla Harrison (12-0) re-signed with Professional Fighters League when the organization utilized matching rights to keep her under contract. Offers from the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Bellator MMA were beaten by the PFL’s unexpectedly large war chest, thereby keeping the two-time Olympic gold medalist under its banner. Following the signing, Bellator chief Scott Coker expressed his disappointment to MMA Junkie that Harrison was kept under lock and key with PFL.

“With Kayla right now, I don’t know who she’s going to fight over there,” Coker said in his interview with MMA Junkie Radio. “She’s got to fight the girls that are the dominant girls in that weight class, [who] are ‘Cyborg’ [Cristiane Justino], to me, the greatest female fighter of all time, Amanda Nunes, and then Kayla. She’s growing, she’s doing very well, but she’s got to figh…

Eight out of ten fights ended by knockout in the latest One Championship event, one appropriately titled “Lights Out.”

Lights OUT! 💡@ThanhLeMMA 🇻🇳🇺🇸 uncorks a looping right hand on Garry Tonon to close the show and retain his ONE Featherweight World Title! #ONELightsOut pic.twitter.com/GAM5Mn1BlB

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) March 11, 2022 The One: “Lights Out” headliner saw Thanh Le notch his first title defense against grappling ace Garry Tonon at 155 pounds. The fight itself only lasted 56 seconds, the time for the two contestants to study one other and exchange a few shots. When the Dana White's Contender Series vet Le (13-2, 5-0 One) started reaching his opponent with a few combinations, Tonon (6-1, 6-1 One) dropped low in pursuit of a heel hook. Le resisted the first submission attempt, and Tonon switched to a kneebar after a remarkable transition. At the same time, the John Danaher protégé left himself exposed to his opponent shot…

First to the scales, Thiago Santos is in at 205.5 🔨

[ @TMarretaMMA | #UFCVegas50 | TOMORROW on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/PoRkKJ2s1s

— UFC (@ufc) March 11, 2022 The Ultimate Fighting Championship's busy March continues with UFC Fight Night 203. The card is headlined by a light heavyweight bout between contenders Thiago Santos and Magomed Ankalaev, who both successfully made weight. The weigh-ins were devoid of any drama, as all 14 bouts are going ahead with all 28 fighters successfully hitting their marks.

A former title challenger, Santos (22-9) bounced back from three straight defeats by beating Johnny Walker in his last outing. While the fight didn't live up to the hype, "Marreta" will look to give a more exciting showing here. Santos officially weighed 205.5 pounds for his sixth UFC main event.

Meanwhile, this is the first UFC headlining spot for Ankalaev (15-1). The Russian fighter hasn't lost a bout since his UFC debut in …

#Bellator276 Official Weigh-In Results: Adam Borics (@AdamBorics) - 145.8 lbs. pic.twitter.com/mOKyi7W7dw

— Bellator Public Relations (@BellatorPR) March 11, 2022 Bellator MMA's lone event of March is upon us as Bellator 276's featherweight main event featuring Adam Borics and Mads Burnell is now official.

While both main event fighters and the bulk of the card made weight, the lone exception was late replacement Josh Weston. Weston missed the welterweight limit by 4.8 pounds, and his fight has been scrapped as a result. All other bouts on the card remain intact.

Borics (17-1) has bounced back from his lone career defeat to Darrion Caldwell and is riding a three-fight win streak. "The Kid" most recently defeated Jeremy Kennedy by decision, and weighed 145.8 pounds for the main event. Meanwhile, Burnell (16-3) is 3-0 inside the Bellator cage, recording finishes in two of those three victories. Burnell, who most recently defeated Emmanuel S…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phfK4BtdU20&w=560&h=315] A rare triplicate of title throwdowns will top the next tentpole card for Rizin Fighting Federation in April.

In a press conference on Wednesday night, the organization announced its next event, Rizin 35, which will take place on April 17. The event will be held not in Saitama, Japan, but instead in Tokyo at the Musashino Forest Sport Plaza. The three championship tilts on one evening ties a record set at Rizin 20 in 2019, when three belts were on the line plus a tournament took place that night as well. This blockbuster card will draw lightweights on the marquee, as Roberto de Souza (13-1) aims to defend his throne against the returning Johnny Case (27-7-1).

“Satoshi” fought three times in 2021, claiming the inaugural belt against Tofiq Musayev at Rizin 28 and holding on to it six months later when he tapped out Yusuke Yachi at Rizin 33. With six wins under the Rizin banner, every one has ended within two…

Two top-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweights with recent decision losses to the champ will square off this May.

On Thursday, Ariel Helwani brought word that Robert Whittaker (23-6) will be entering the Octagon in June against Marvin Vettori (18-5-1) in the middleweight division at UFC 275. Whittaker had spoken to The MMA Hour on Wednesday, hinting that he would be facing his opponent in Singapore on June 11. Vettori’s manager has since confirmed the pairing in an interview with Helen Yee on Thursday night.

Former champ Whittaker had a three-fight win streak snapped when he faced Israel Adesanya in a rematch to get his belt back in February. Although he was not knocked out like the first meeting, he did drop a close five-round decision to the champion. Before suffering his second defeat to Adesanya, “Bobby Knuckles” had rattled off a trio of decision wins over Darren Till, Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum to earn another crack at the crown.

Vettori ha…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmyzFeCDJ1E&w=560&h=315] Much of the interest on an upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship card is not the main event or even the co-headliner, but the main card opener.

Brazilian fans will have the opportunity to see two ranked fighters, Thiago Santos against Russia’s Magomed Ankalaev and Marlon Moraes taking on China’s Yadong Song. Rather than the main or co-main, many are focused on unranked clash of strikers on UFC Fight Night 203. Two Brazilian strikers in Alex Pereira and Bruno Silva will throw down in the middleweight division with hopes of earning a place among the top 15 with a dominant win.

The man named “Poatan” made his name not for his achievements in an MMA setting, but rather for his kickboxing accolades. In 2016, and then again in 2017, Pereira defeated currently UFC middleweight king Israel Adesanya in the ring. The first meeting, Pereira won a five-round decision, and the rematch 11 months later saw Pereira cle…

.@ReinaldoEkson1 vs Mike Barnett is official for the Challenger Series Week 4 main event!#PFLonFuboTV pic.twitter.com/oqzGh8qJ3g

— PFL (@PFLMMA) March 10, 2022 Professional Fighters League's Challenger Series continues trucking along with PFL Challenger Series 4, which highlights several featherweight prospects.

Both main eventers successfully made weight for the four-fight card, as Reinaldo Ekson and Mike Barnett stepped on the scale weighing 145.8 pounds each. Most of the rest of the card followed suit, along with alternate Edward Massey making weight. However, Do Gyeom Lee failed to hit the featherweight cap, coming in heavy at 148.6 pounds.

Ekson (17-5) is riding a three-fight win streak and has won six of his last seven bouts. The Brazilian most recently submitted three straight opponents in EFC Global, and posts seven submission wins throughout his career.

Barnett holds a 10-3 record and successfully bounced back from the third lo…

The official scorecard from Rodriguez-Torquato 2 #InvictaFC46 @MMADecisions pic.twitter.com/s88lBuCLdf

— Rob Tatum (@RobTatum303) March 10, 2022

Karina Rodriguez is now 2-0 against Daiana Torquato, but only by the slimmest of margins.

Rodriguez retained her flyweight crown with a split-decision triumph over Torquato in the Invicta FC 46 headliner on Wednesday at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan. Rodriguez (10-4, 6-2 Invicta) secured scorecards of 48-47 and 49-46 from the cageside judges, while a third saw it 48-47 in favor of Torquato (10-5, 0-2 Invicta). Torquato was elevated from the co-main event on less than a week’s notice after Kelten Souza was forced to withdraw from the card.

Forward movement and combination punching propelled Rodriguez to her successful title defense. Torquato made things interesting through clinch work, the occasional takedown and held her own in striking exchanges, but Rodriguez’s role as the aggressor — inc…

A bantamweight showdown between Rob Font and Marlon Vera is expected to serve as the main event for a UFC Fight Night card on April 30.

The bout is expected to be finalized soon, according to ESPN. The UFC Fight Night event does not have an official venue or location as of now, but it is likely to take place in Las Vegas.

Font had a four-bout winning streak snapped in his last outing, when he dropped a five-round verdict to Jose Aldo in the UFC on ESPN 31 headliner on Dec. 4. The 34-year-old Boston native owns notable wins against the likes of Cody Garbrandt, Marlon Moraes, Ricky Simon and Sergio Pettis, to name a few.

Vera, meanwhile, has won three of his last four UFC bouts, with his only defeat during that stretch coming at the hands of Aldo. Most recently, the 29-year-old Ecuadorian scored a spectacular front kick KO of Frankie Edgar at UFC 268.

A potential “Fight of the Night” candidate is on tap for UFC 274, as Michael Chandler and Tony Ferguson have agreed to lock horns on May 7.

Sports Illustrated was first to report the lightweight booking. UFC 274 takes place at the Footprint Center in Phoenix and is headlined by a 155-pound title tilt between Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje.

Chandler had a memorable first year in the UFC, going 1-2 in the Octagon while establishing himself as one of the promotion’s most exciting talents. After defeating Dan Hooker via first-round TKO in his debut at UFC 257, the former Bellator ruler fell to Charles Oliveira via second-round TKO in a title bout at UFC 262. Most recently, the former University of Missouri wrestler dropped a unanimous decision to Gaethje at UFC 268 in Sherdog’s 2021 “Fight of the Year.”

After winning 12 consecutive promotional appearances from 2013 to 2019, Ferguson has fallen on hard times of late. In his last three appearances, “El Cucuy” h…

As its second United States event draws near, Khabib Nurmagomedov-led promotion Eagle FC has made a slew of big-name signings.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos has signed with the organization and will meet follow Octagon vet Yorgan De Castro in the heavyweight headliner of an Eagle FC card on May 20. Additionally, new additions Hector Lombard and Thiago Silva will lock horns in the co-main event. Nurmagomedov confirmed the bookings to ESPN on Wednesday.

Dos Santos, 38, was released by the UFC on the heels of a four-bout losing streak, which included a second-round TKO defeat to Ciryl Gane in his last outing in December 2020. “Cigano” was regarded as one of the Las Vegas-based promotion’s top heavyweights for years, claiming championship gold with a 64-second knockout of Cain Velasquez at UFC on Fox 1 in November 2011. More recently, the Brazilian veteran was supposed to face boxing heavyweight contender Kubrat Pulev in a mixed rules bout under the T…

After two postponements, Bibiano Fernandes and John Lineker will finally square off on Friday at One Championship “Lights Out” with the bantamweight (145-pound) belt on the line.

Lineker made no effort to disguise his strategy in a recent interview with Sherdog.com.

“I have no doubt Bibiano is a great champion,” Lineker said. “No doubt he is the best jiu-jitsu fighter I´ve ever faced, but the fight starts standing up, and I'm sure that he’s never faced someone with the power I have in my hands.”

Over the course of the past 18 months, Lineker has posted wins over Muin Gafurov, Kevin Belingon and Troy Worthen under the One banner. “Hands of Stone” is skeptical that Fernandes will keep his word and test his standup skills.

“I truly hope he keeps his word and exchanges punches with me, because I´ll keep mine to look for the knockout from the first second,” Lineker said. “I´m physically ready for a five-round war, if necessary, but I don’t see that fight going …

Perhaps one of the biggest surprises in recent memory on Dana White’s Contender Series occurred when Jonas Bilharinho wasn’t awarded a UFC contract following his spinning wheel kick knockout of Canaan Kawaihae this past November.

On Friday, Bilharinho will get another opportunity to gain White’s attention when he headlines LFA 126 in Rio de Janeiro with the promotion’s featherweight belt on the line. Bilharinho was supposed to face Rafael Barbosa at the event, but the fighter withdrew from the card after medical exams revealed two small aneurysms. According Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission (CABMMA) doctor Fabio Costa, the condition isn’t dangerous for Barbosa’s normal life, but it could expose him to “unnecessary risks” in an MMA fight. Brazilian Top Team’s Jose Mauro do Amaral Delano , who was originally slated to face Rafael Braga on the undercard, has been tabbed as Barbosa’s replacement.

LFA 126 will also feature a welterweight title clash between Gabriel de Sou…

The PFL Challenger Series will unveil an interesting concept for its April 1 offering, as every fighter on the card will be making their mixed martial arts debut.

The card will be topped by a welterweight clash between Serbian kickboxer Andrija Stankovic and American grappler Louis Brewington, who takes a four-bout amateur winning streak into his pro debut.

The PFL Challenger Series takes place at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla., and airs exclusively on FuboTV at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. One winner from the “MMA Debuts” card will be selected to receive a contract to compete in the 2022 PFL season or a developmental deal with the promotion.

The other four bouts for the event are as follows: American Top Team Atlanta export Christian Turner vs. South Florida-based Cuban Chayanne Serrano at lightweight; Alexei Pergande vs. Joe Hamm at lightweight; Santino Zurita vs. Rakim Talley at heavyweight and Jaylong McDaniel vs. Daeri Alderman at featherweight.

“The Pr…

Bellator MMA will make a splash when it returns to Hawaii with a pair of events on April 22 and 23.

Bellator 279 on April 23 will feature a pair of title fights, as Cristiane Justino defends her featherweight crown against Arlene Blencowe in a rematch, while reigning 135-pound king Sergio Pettis will face Raufeon Stots with a belt on line in the opening round of the promotion’s bantamweight grand prix.

Also at Bellator 279, Kyoji Horiguchi will lock horns with Patrick Mix in another first-round pairing in the bantamweight grand prix, while former flyweight queen Ilima-Lei Macfarlane will face Justin Kish. KHON2 was first to report the bouts.

Bellator 278 does not currently have any fights announced. Both events will take place at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu and mark the promotion’s first events in Hawaii since 2019. The main cards will air on Showtime.

Justino defeated Blencowe via second-round rear-naked choke in their first meeting at Bella…