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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICefRJtygBQ&w=560&h=315] Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight Raulian Paiva does not just think he will win next week, but he expects he will get a finish within two rounds.

On a three-fight win streak, Paiva (21-3) is scheduled to face Sean O'Malley (14-1) on the main card of UFC 269. Brazil’s Paiva spoke to Sherdog last Friday talking about his upcoming challenge.

“After three straight wins, I thought UFC would give me a ranked guy,” Paiva admitted, “but after all the hype over O’Malley, I think a clear win over him will take me to the rankings anyway.”

Training at Team Alpha Male in California for the last two months, Paiva believes the support of high-level sparring partners will give him an edge in the fight.

"Unlike O’Malley, I love to train hard and be pressured,” Paiva explained. “Here in Alpha Male, I can count on some of the best lightweights in the world. There are no easy days.”

Paiva continued, “…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Two top-10 Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweights will have 25 minutes to handle their business in February. The promotion’s broadcast partner of ESPN announced the headliner of the UFC Fight Night event on Feb. 5 on Friday. Across five rounds at 185 pounds, Jack Hermansson (22-6) and Sean Strickland (24-3) will toe the line in search of a top-five spot in the division. The fight is likely to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, although that has not yet been officially confirmed.

Sweden’s Hermansson has alternated wins and losses in his last five, with victories over Ronaldo Souza, Kelvin Gastelum and Edmen Shahbazyan interspersed by defeats to Jared Cannonier and Marvin Vettori. Leading up to his meeting with Cannonier, Hermansson had strung together four victories in a row, beating names like Ronaldo Souza and Gerald…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. The winner of this upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight matchup will either cement one’s place or enter another into the top 10. On Thursday, MMA Junkie first reported that Jessica Eye (15-10, 1 NC) would be taking on Manon Fiorot (8-1) at an upcoming UFC Fight Night card on March 5. The two 125-pounders are expected to fight inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, although that venue has not yet been made official. Both Fiorot and Eye confirmed the pairing on their respective social media pages.

Dating back to a 2020 meeting with Cynthia Calvillo, Eye has struggled inside the Octagon, dropping a trio of decisions to Calvillo, Joanne Wood and Jennifer Maia. The former title challenger last prevailed in 2019, snagging a unanimous verdict over Viviane Araujo. “Evil Eye” earned a crack at the belt by stringing three wins …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyemGfbA0hI&w=560&h=315] There were no issues during the weigh-in ceremony ahead of Senshi 10.

On Saturday, Kyokushin karate organization Senshi will hold its tenth event. The card is headlined by a non-title 176-pound clash between WAKO PRO K1 World titleholder Sergej Braun and Assane Bafeta. The 30-year-old Braun is pursuing his fifth victory under the Senshi banner, and is now facing a new opponent that stepped in during fight week. The German had no issues in hitting the mark as he weighed in at 175 pounds.

A short-notice substitute for Nikola Todorovic, European ISKA K1 champion Bafeta is ready to surprise the masses on Saturday. The Bulgarian organization will promote this contest under the KWU Full Contact rules, which prohibit elbow strikes and throws, but allow the fighters to box, kick, sweep and knee. The late replacement Bafeta looked good on the scales as he hit the 174-pound mark.

The co-main event is a heavyweight…

The final live One Championship card of the year turned out to be a blast.

In the One: “Winter Warriors” headliner, Regian Eersel put his kickboxing lightweight championship on the line against Islam Murtazaev. The two were originally slated to fight in February, but Murtazaev pulled out and was replaced by Mustapha Haida. In this 170-pound encounter, Eersel adopted a cautious approach in the first couple of rounds, while his Russian opponent took the initiative and landed the most impactful shots. Murtazaev scored with his jab and then moved away, frustrating the Surinamese champion who struggled to implement his game.

In the third frame, Eersel started settling in, and his strategy of chipping at Murtazaev’s leading leg began paying off. In the championship rounds, Eersel landed multiple knees and kicks to the body as his opponent struggled as his cardio started to fade, forcing the challenger to clinch up repeatedly. The excessive clinching from Murtazaev earned him …

Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight Geoff Neal will have to answer some important questions before his next fight in a little over a week.

On Thursday, courtesy of a document from the Collin County Sheriff’s Office received by MMA Junkie, Neal was arrested on Nov. 25 for driving while intoxicated and the unlicensed carrying of a weapon. Both charges misdemeanors, Neal was picked up at 3:47 a.m. local time and remained in jail that day. He was released that night at 8:08 p.m., and bonds were set at $1,000 for each charge.

The remaining details of his arrest, or even the identification of the specific weapon found on Neal, have not been made publicly available. Neal’s status on the main card of UFC 269 is not currently known, regarding his matchup with Santiago Ponzinibbio.

“Handz of Steel” is hoping to rebound from the first losing stretch of his career at UFC 269, as he dropped a pair of decisions within the year to Stephen Thompson and Neil Magny. The d…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl7o8OkJhlc&w=560&h=315] At just 31 years of age, Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight Felicia Spencer has decided to hang up her gloves.

Speaking to FightBananas on Thursday, Spencer told the outlet that she informed the UFC that she was retiring. This news comes less than a month removed from her victory over Leah Letson at UFC Fight Night 197, where she finished her opponent in the third round. Spencer turned 31 on Monday.

“I’ve made the decision to be done with my fighting career, if you want to call it a career, I call it more of an opportunity and I’m done pursuing the opportunity,” Spencer explained in the interview. “I’m really happy with where I left off and everything I’ve done. For me and for my personal decisions and everything, it’s time for me to be done, and part of the big reason just to inform everyone there’s not anything that happened to me, it’s just for me and my family, mental health is always been …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiCWBRnfi_w&w=640&h=360] The Bellator MMA bantamweight championship is now officially on the line in the main event of Bellator 272.

Both current champion Sergio Pettis and former titleholder Kyoji Horiguchi successfully made weight for the bout. This is Horiguchi's first bout with the promotion since he vacated the strap in 2019 due to injury. All other fighters made weight on the card except for Jared Scoggins, who came in four pounds over the bantamweight limit for his bout against Josh Hill.

Pettis (21-5) is finally living up to his nickname of "The Phenom," as he is currently undefeated within the promotion. Making his Bellator debut in 2020, the Milwaukee-based fighter rattled off wins over Alfred Khashakyan and Ricky Bandejas to earn a crack at the crown. In May, he topped champ Juan Archuleta to capture the throne. The defending champion officially stepped on the scale at 134 pounds.

Horiguchi (29-3) captured the Bellat…

.@DanaWhite starts Ep 200 by telling us he and his family have tested positive for Covid-19, despite being vaccinated. He says he’s in isolation, feels great & plans to make Sat night's promotion. Plus, updates on Conor, Chimaev, Gaethje & Usman.

LISTEN: https://t.co/el6HPXs9gu pic.twitter.com/2CS7ZD9kdU

— Jim Rome (@jimrome) December 1, 2021 Dana White might not be present at UFC on ESPN 31 this weekend after recently testing positive for COVID-19.

The UFC president revealed on the "Jim Rome Podcast” that he tested positive for the virus after a family gathering for Thanksgiving. According to White, he is fully vaccinated.

“We just went up to my place in Maine and for Thanksgiving it’s tradition we go up there, and somebody had it, and we get back, and we all tested positive for COVID,” White said. “Literally the whole family and my family up in Maine, too.”

White said he noticed that he had los his sense of taste and …

The past week of training camp was full of positive news for UFC lightweight champ Charles Oliveira and his head coach, Diego Lima.

In addition to receiving a visit from master Rudimar Fedrigo, founder of the Chute Boxe team, they also officially announced a historic partnership that will help not only their team, but also Brazilian MMA as a whole.

"We are very happy to announce the sponsorship with Prevent Senior Group and New One. From now on all Chute Boxe Diego Lima fighters will have a full health insurance program. From doctors to surgeries and physiotherapy — everything is included,” Lima told Sherdog. “Prevent has the biggest hospital network in the country. For sure that´s the first partnership between a team and a big health insurance company in Brazil and probably around the world, too.”

Regarding Oliveira’s first title defense against Dustin Poirier in the UFC 269 headliner on Dec. 11, Lima praised the champion’s work in camp.

“Rarely in his lo…

Former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz is expected to compete for the first time since losing the belt when he faces Aleksandar Rakic in the main event of an Ultimate Fighting Championship card on March 26.

The proposed 205-pound booking was first reported by Ariel Helwani, but the bout has not been finalized at this point in time. The event does not yet have an official location or venue.

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 2017.

Rakic, meanwhile, has been victorious in six of seven outings within the Las Vegas-based promotion. The 29-year-old Aus…

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

A middleweight showdown pitting Misha Cirkunov against Makhmud Muradov is slated for a UFC Fight Night card on Feb. 26.

Multiple outlets confirmed the booking following an initial report from MMA journalist Igor Lazorin. The UFC Fight Night event takes place at an as yet to be announced location and is headlined by a lightweight bout between Islam Makhachev and Beneil Dariush.

Cirkunov has won just two of his last seven Octagon appearances dating back to May 2017. Most recently, the 34-year-old Latvia native made his middleweight debut at UFC Fight Night 193, where he suffered a split decision loss to Krzysztof Jotko on Oct. 2. Cirkunov owns notable wins over the likes of Jimmy Crute, Patrick Cummins, Nikita Krylov and Ion Cutelaba.

Muradov, meanwhile, had a 14-bout professional winning streak snapped in his last outing, when he suffered a second-round submission defeat ot Gerald Meerscha…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoXEuXN02S0&w=560&h=315]

Octagon newcomer Darian Weeks will make his promotional debut on less than a week’s notice against Bryan Barberena at UFC on ESPN 31.

Promotion officials announced the new welterweight bout Tuesday. Weeks is a replacement for Matt Brown, who tested positive for COVID-19 and was forced to withdraw from the event. UFC on ESPN 31 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday and is headlined by a bantamweight tilt between Jose Aldo and Rob Font.

Weeks was supposed to face Josh Quinlan on Dana White’s Contender Series on Sept. 7 but was forced to pull out of the fight due to COVID-19 protocols. The 28-year-old Missouri native is 5-0 as a professional, including a second-round TKO of Craig Fairley at LFA 99 on Feb. 12. Weeks also owns a 1-1 mark as a professional boxer.

Barberena, meanwhile, has lost three of his last four Octagon appearances. Most recently, the MMA Lab product dropped a majority…

Kevin Lee has been released by the UFC after 18 appearances with the Las Vegas-based promotion.

MMAFighting.com was first to report Lee’s departure. “The Motown Phenom” has lost four of his last five Octagon appearances, including a unanimous decision defeat to Daniel Rodriguez in his most recent outing at UFC on ESPN 30 on Aug. 28. His lone victory during that stretch was a head-kick knockout of Gregor Gillespie at UFC 244 in November 2019.

Lee was suspended for six months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after testing positive for Adderall — which he said was used to treat adult ADHD — in relation to the fight against Rodriguez. Lee apologized for his failed test on social media while also revealing battles with sobriety and substance abuse. He is eligible to return to active competition on Feb. 28, 2022.

At one time, Lee was one of the top lightweight talents in the UFC, winning nine of 10 bouts from July 2014 to June 2017 to earn a shot against Ton…

Jon Jones will have to wait until early next year to learn if he’ll face criminal charges after being arrested for battery domestic violence and vehicle tampering in Las Vegas this past September.

Prosecutors on Tuesday were granted a continuance to file a criminal complaint against Jones, pushing the former UFC light heavyweight champion’s hearing to Jan. 31, according to the Associated Press. Neither Jones nor his attorney were present when the judge elected to change the date, the second time a continuance was allowed in the case. Jones remains free on $8,000 bail.

Jones was arrested on Sept. 24 for allegedly assaulting his fiancée, Jessie Moses, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and for head-butting a police vehicle as he was being taken into custody. Audio of the call from Caesars Palace to police was later released, depicting a bloodied Moses seeking assistance while simultaneously not admitting to that any type of domestic violence incident occurred. Jones was …

Yogibo presents #RIZIN33 at the Saitama Super Arena. Bantamweight GP Semi-Final matchups confirmed. Former Champion and favorite Kai Asakura gets Kenta Takizawa. Former UFC contender Naoki Inoue gets TUF runner up Hiromasa Ougikubo. #RIZIN #MMAhttps://t.co/XTqRMN4cep

— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) November 30, 2021

The Rizin Fighting Federation bantamweight grand prix will reach its conclusion at the promotion’s signature New Year’s Eve event.

The Japanese organization announced on Tuesday that Kai Asakura will meet Kenta Takizawa in one 135-pound semifinal at Rizin 33, while Naoki Inoue will square off against Hiromasa Ougikubo in the other half of the bracket. The finalists will lock horns later on the card.

Rizin 33 takes place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and will also see lightweight champion Roberto de Souza defend his crown against an as yet to be announced opponent. The card will be available internationally via…

Dana White’s Contender Series veteran Caio Borralho is expected to step in for the injured Anthony Hernandez and face Dustin Stoltzfus at UFC Fight Night 199.

Borralho announced the new middleweight bout via social media, and it was subsequently confirmed by MMAFighting.com. Borralho must receive a visa before the bout is finalized, however. UFC Fight Night 199 takes place on Dec. 18 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a heavyweight clash between Derrick Lewis and Chris Daukaus.

Borralho earned a pair of victories on the Contender Series in 2021. He was not awarded a UFC contract after outpointed Aaron Jeffrey on Sept. 28, but he impressed Dana White when he stopped Jesse Murray in the opening stanza of their Oct. 19 encounter. The 28-year-old Brazilian is 10-1 with one no contest over the course of a professional tenure that began in 2014.

Also an alum of the Contender Series, Stoltzfus is 0-2 in the Octagon after falling to Kyle Daukaus via unan…

Twenty-four fight MMA veteran Jake Heun has been sentenced seven years and nine months in prison after being convicted on drug trafficking charges in Australia.

The news was first reported by the Dail Mail. Heun was arrested while attempting to import 801 grams of methamphetamine after a package labeled “bath gel and cologne” broke open while in transit from France. The package was addressed to Heun’s apartment, which led to a police investigation that also found conversations on the fighter’s cell phone with his girlfriend regarding further drug trafficking.

Heun claimed that he was being paid $1,000 to receive the package, and he ultimately plead guilty to importation of a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug and another charge of trafficking cocaine. Images found on Heun’s found included a picture of a parcel containing cocaine, which he was attempting to send to his girlfriend through the mail. Heun was also believed to have mailed out 35 to 40 grams o…

Coming off his first loss in nine Octagon appearances, Nova Uniao standout Leonardo Santos is excited to make his promotional return on Saturday against Clay Guida at UFC on ESPN 31.

“I’m really motivated for this fight,” Santos said. “Guida is a legend of the UFC who has already defeated names like Takanori Gomi, Rafael dos Anjos and Anthony Pettis. The guy has almost 60 fights to his credit and despite being nearly 40 years old — like myself — he is still giving a hard time to many top talents of the division. It's gonna be an honor to share the Octagon with him.”

Santos was in camp with longtime friend and teammate Jose Aldo, who will fight Fob Font in the UFC on ESPN 31 main event. Santos revealed that he didn’t spend too much time sparring with the former featherweight champion.

“Nova Uniao is such a paradise of lightweight fighters,” Santos said. “Even when we were in close proximity, we needed to face different styles, so we didn’t spar too much. But from…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

A matchup of surging lightweights is in the works for an upcoming UFC Fight Night card, as Arman Tsarukyan and Joel Alvarez have agreed to square off on Feb. 26.

Multiple outlets confirmed the bout has been targeted following an initial report from Igor Larzorin. The Fight Night event takes place at an as yet to be announced location and is headlined by a pivotal 155-pound encounter between Beneil Dariush and Islam Makhachev.

After falling to Makhachev in his Octagon debut, Tsarukyan has rattled off four consecutive triumphs within the Las Vegas-based promotion. Most recently, the American Top Team-trained Russian scored a first-round technical knockout win against Christos Giagos at UFC Fight Night 192 on Sept. 18.

Spain’s Alvarez is also on a four-bout UFC winning streak after dropping a three-round verdict to Damir Ismagulov in his initial Octagon foray in February 2019. The 28-year-old Bandog Fight Club representative has…

A lightweight clash between Jay-Jay Wilson and Alfie Davis scheduled for Bellator 272 has been canceled.

As a result, a bantamweight scrap pitting Josh Hill against Jared Scoggins has been elevated to Friday’s main draw. MMAjunkie.com was first to report the removal of Wilson vs. Davis, and promotion officials confirmed the new Bellator 272 lineup on Monday. A reason for the cancellation is currently unclear.

Bellator 272 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and is headlined by a bantamweight championship tilt between Sergio Pettis and Kyoji Horiguchi. The evening’s main card airs on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT, while prelims begin on the Bellator YouTube channel, the Showtime Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

Hill earned decision wins against Erik Perez and Vinicius Zani in his first two promotional appearances before dropping a three-round verdict against Raufeon Stots in his last outing at Bellator 258.

A forme…

Khabib Nurmagomedov will bring Eagle Fighting Championship to the United States early next year.

The retired former UFC champion told ESPN that he plans to hold events in Miami with his mixed martial arts promotion in both January and March, with hopes for several more in the U.S. as the year progresses. Eagle FC is working with media company FLX on a production facility in Miami that will host the organization’s cards, which are expected to stream on the FLXcast app.

"If you want to become big in MMA, you have to be in USA," Nurmagomedov said. "For fighters, for promotion, you have to be in U.S. If you're not in U.S., you can never become No. 1 or best. It's almost impossible.”

Nurmagomedov told ESPN that the Eagle FC has signed multiple fighters with previous ties to major organizations like the UFC and Bellator. He hopes to add at least 50 fighters to his promotion for the coming year. Nurmagomedov, however, does not want to compete with other well-known MM…

A battle of lightweight contenders is in the works for early next year, as Beneil Dariush is slated to lock horns with Islam Makhachev on Feb. 26.

ESPN was first to report the booking, which will serve as the headliner for the UFC Fight Night card. In addition to agreeing to the bout, both Dariush and Makhachev have reportedly signed conract extensions with the Las Vegas-based promotion. A location for the event has not been announced.

Dariush enters the matchup on a seven-bout winning streak. The Kings MMA product went 2-0 in 2021, defeating Diego Ferreira via split decision at UFC Fight Night 184 before taking a unanimous verdict against Tony Ferguson at UFC 262. Dariush is 15-4-1 in UFC competition overall, with other notable wins against the likes of Drew Dober, Thiago Moises, Jim Miller and Michael Johnson.

Makhachev, meanwhile, has been victorious in his last nine Octagon appearances. Most recently, the Khabib Nurmagomedov training partner tapped Dan Hook…

Pneumonia Covid never give up pic.twitter.com/QshVGYiUvW

— Diego Sanchez UFC (@DiegoSanchezUFC) November 26, 2021 Beloved fan-favorite fighter Diego Sanchez is suffering from serious complications due to COVID-19.

A week ago, Sanchez posted on social media stating that he was undergoing a REGEN-COV monoclonal antibody therapy for COVID-19, also known as a Regeneron antibody infusion. Sanchez went on to explain that his condition had briefly improved, thanking fellow fighter Luis Palomino for recommending this treatment. The former Ultimate Fighting Championship mainstay lamented that the treatment was depriving him of sleep, and that he was “cleaning out all the poison.”

On Thursday night, Sanchez posted an unfortunate update that he had been hospitalized due to the virus. Showing a photograph of him being hooked up to machines, he stated that he had come down with pneumonia as well with low oxygen numbers. A few hours later, Sanchez said t…