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Your MAIN EVENT is Official@SB_RENA and @MiyuuYamamoto both make weight to headline this weekend's Okinawa event!

[ PPV @livenowglobal ]https://t.co/vNqrSYFo1m#RIZIN #RIZIN32 #MMA pic.twitter.com/aGPpq8gUPJ

— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) November 19, 2021 Japan's Rizin Fighting Federation returns for its seventh event of the year. Headlining Rizin 32 is a women's super atomweight contest between former title challenger Miyuu Yamamoto and 2017 grand prix runner-up Rena Kubota. Both women made weight for the card, which features 10 mixed martial arts bouts. All fighters managed to hit their contracted marks.

Kubota (11-3) is currently on a three-fight win streak, but is coming back after a layoff of over a year. Her opponent Yamamoto (6-5) has seen mixed results recently, as she's 1-2 in her last three having lost to Seo Hee Ham and Ayaka Hamasaki for the Rizin belt. This matchup is a rematch over five years in the making, as Yamamot…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd-Qx5HLqYc&w=560&h=315] 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 weeks before his event, Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight Brendan Allen is going from a ranked opponent to one that is unranked. The news first broke on Thursday from Fight Bananas that Brad Tavares has been forced out of his Dec. 4 match with Brendan Allen (17-4) for undisclosed reasons. When interviewed by Fight Bananas shortly after the news broke, Allen expressed his frustrations for losing his highly touted opponent at UFC on ESPN 31, and stated that Roman Dolidze (9-1) would be taking Tavares’ place. The two will middleweights will come to blows likely on the main card of the last ESPN show of the year, one that will take place inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

“Well man, honestly, the fight just changed, so no Brad,” Allen said in his interview.…

The rivalry between Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey helped boost women’s mixed martial arts to a whole new level.

Some might even say that their first meeting under the Strikeforce banner on March 3, 2012 served as a lauching point to bring women into the UFC. Now, females are a part of virtually every card held by the Las Vegas-based promotion, including Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 198, which is headlined by a bantamweight tilt between Tate and Ketlen Vieira.

Tate returned from a nearly five-year hiatus at UFC on ESPN 26 on July 17, when she defeated Marion Reneau via third-round technical knockout. Rousey’s last MMA appearance came in 2016, when she was stopped in the opening round by Amanda Nunes in a 135-pound title bout at UFC 206. Unlike Tate, Rousey’s has shown no interest in a comeback, and she recently gave birth to her first child with former UFC heavyweight Travis Browne.

In an interview with ESPN, Tate said a “dream” scenario would be a third meeting w…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_fdeztF3Rk&w=560&h=315]

Undefeated Brave Combat Federation veteran Muhammad Mokaev has signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the signing on Wednesday. A date for Mokaev’s debut is unknown.

A former International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) champion, Mokaev brings a 6-0 professional record and a 23-0 amateur mark into his Octagon debut. Mokaev last appeared at Brave CF 54, where he submitted Blaine O’Driscoll with a rear-naked choke in the second round on Sept. 25. Known as “The Punisher,” Mokaev went 4-0 with one no contest under the Brave CF banner.

NEW SIGNING

Former @IMMAFed ChampUndefeated MMA Record

Welcome to the UFC @MuhammadMokaev

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) November 17, 2021

The 21-year-old Mokaev hails from Dagestan but is based in England and trains with KHK MMA Team.

Mike Sloan/Sherdog.com

Bob Bennett will step down from his role as Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director at the end of 2021.

Bennett announced his plans during an NSAC meeting, which was held via conference call, on Wednesday. Bennett recommended chief assistant Jeff Mullen as his replacement, and that recommendation was unanimously approved by the rest of the commission.

“I never said it would be easy,” Bennett said. “I only said it would be worth it. That captures my last seven-and-a-half years. It’s been a team effort. I’d like to thank the fighters, because without them, we wouldn’t be here. It’s been a privilege to serve in this capacity.”

A former FBI agent and boxing judge, Bennett was named NSAC executive director in 2014. Bennett took over for Keith Kizer, who served in the same position from 2006 to 2014. Mullen was one of the finalists to replace Kizer during the selection process before Bennett won the position in a unanimous vot…

Kevin Lee has been suspended for six months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after testing positive for a banned amphetamine in relation to his UFC on ESPN 30 loss to Daniel Rodriguez on Aug. 28.

Lee reached a settlement with the NSAC during a Wednesday hearing in which he received a reduced suspension due to the circumstances of the positive test and his cooperation in the case. Normally a failed drug test of this nature would result in a sanction ranging from nine to 24 months. “The Motown Phenom” was also fined $19,526. He will be eligible to return to active competition on Feb. 28, 2022.

Lee received a temporary suspension last month when it was initially confirmed that he tested positive for Adderall. Lee apologized for his failed test, while revealing that the drug had been prescribed to him to deal with Adult ADHD. However, he did not apply for a therapeutic use exemption with the NSAC prior to UFC on ESPN 30.

“It was never my intention to gain an…

Reigning middleweight champion Mamed Khalidov will lock horns with welterweight king Roberto Soldic in the KSW 65 main event on Dec. 18.

The bout, which KSW is billing as the biggest in promotion history, was announced on Wednesday. KSW 65 takes place at Gliwice Arena in Gliwice, Poland, and will also see Daniel Torres face Salahdine Parnasse in a featherweight championship rematch in the evening’s co-headliner. The event will be available on KSWTV.com.

Khalidov returned from two retirements at KSW 55, where he recaptured the 185-pound belt with a jumping switch kick knockout of Scott Askham in October 2020. That victory halted a three-bout losing streak for the 41-year-old, who is a two-time middleweight champion and former light heavyweight title holder. The Chechen-born Pole owns a 35-7 career mark and is widely regarded as the greatest fighter in KSW history.

Soldic will enter his bid to become a two-division champion on a six-bout winning streak in which h…

Azamat Murzakanov will make his promotional debut against Philipe Lins in a light heavyweight bout at UFC on ESPN 31.

VestnikMMA first brought word of the matchup. UFC on ESPN 31 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Dec. 4 and is headlined by a bantamweight tilt between Jose Aldo and Rob Font.

Murzakanov is coming off a contract-winning appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series, when he defeated Matheus Scheffel via first-round TKO on Aug. 31. The 35-year-old Russian is 10-0 is a professional, with notable wins over the likes of Guto Inocente and Andre Muniz.

Lins, a former Professional Fighters League heavyweight champion, will be making his 205-pound debut. The 36-year-old went 0-2 in UFC competition in 2020, falling to Andrei Arlovski and Tanner Boser. Since then, he has had proposed bouts against Ovince St. Preux, Ben Rothwell and Don’Tale Mayes fall through for various reasons.

Well-traveled Irish veteran Paul Redmond has announced his retirement from mixed martial arts following a 24-bout professional tenure.

Redmond initially considered not making an announcement but ultimately elected to reveal his decision on Instagram. The 35-year-old exits the sport with a 15-9 mark over the course of a career that began in 2010.

I was just gonna fade off into the background and not mention it but a lot of people keep asking me, ‘When am I out again next? and I always say ‘ah soon, etc. etc.’ But the truth is you’re probably not going to see me do my thing in an MMA cage again,” Redmond wrote.

“I’ve thought long and hard about this, talked to the big lad [Coach Andy Ryan], my family, etc., and I think now is a good a time as ever to step away from MMA. Twenty-five pro fights, a full amateur career, but the injuries are starting to mount up every fight camp and I haven’t made the last two fights because of them.

“Along with other stuff I hav…

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The UFC 270 card is official with 14 bouts, including two title fights at the top of the bill.

The Las Vegas-based promotion confirmed the lineup in a release on Tuesday. UFC 270 takes place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., and is headlined by a heavyweight championship unification bout between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane. In the co-main event, Brandon Moreno will square off against Deiveison Figueiredo in a flyweight title trilogy. The main…

Seven athletes from UFC Fight Night 197 are facing potentially lengthy medical suspensions, including co-main event combatants Marcos Rogerio de Lima and Ben Rothwell.

Lima, who defeated Rothwell via technical knockout 32 seconds into their heavyweight clash, must have an X-ray on his right hand and receive doctor clearance or he will be out until May 13. At a minimum, he is suspended until Dec. 14 with no contact until Dec. 5. Rothwell, meanwhile, must have an X-ray on his nose and receive clearance from an ear, nose and throat doctor or he too will be sidelined until May 13. At a minimum, Rothwell is suspended until Dec. 29 with no contact until Dec. 14.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission recently released a full list of medical suspensions from the event to mixedmartialarts.com. UFC Fight Night 197 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas this past Saturday and saw Max Holloway defeat Yair Rodriguez via unanimous decision in the featherweight headliner. Holloway …

Cheyanne Buys will step in for Montserrat Ruiz and face Mallory Martin at UFC on ESPN 31 on Dec. 4.

MMAFighting.com was first to report the new strawweight booking. A reason for Ruiz’s withdrawal is currently unknown. UFC on ESPN 31 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a bantamweight showdown between Jose Aldo and Rob Font.

After dropping a unanimous verdict to Ruiz in her Octagon debut, Buys secured her first promotional triumph at UFC on ESPN 28, when she stopped Gloria de Paula in 60 seconds on July 31. The former Dana White’s Contender Series and Legacy Fighting Alliance competitor is 6-2 over the course of her professional career.

Martin has lost two of her first three UFC appearances. Most recently, the Elevation Fight Team representative was submitted by Polyana Viana in the opening round at UFC 258 on Feb. 13. Martin’s 7-4 mark includes wins with Invicta FC, the Contender Series and LFA.

New UFC light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira was recently honored with a parade and the key to the city in his adopted hometown.

Teixeira became the oldest first-time champion in promotion history at age 42 when he submitted Jan Blachowicz in the second round of the UFC 267 headliner in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 30. The Brazilian is a longtime resident of Danbury, Conn., where he runs Teixeira MMA and Fitness.

Teixeira has won six straight fights dating back to January 2019, a stretch that includes finishes of Anthony Smith, Thiago Santos and Blachowicz. His championship victory came more than seven years after his first title opportunity, a loss to Jon Jones at UFC 172 in April 2014.

Watch video of Teixeira’s acceptance speech below:

After hearing rumors that Jorge Masvidal wasn’t seriously training for their announced clash at UFC 269, Leon Edwards wasn’t surprised when “Gamebred pulled out of their welterweight fight last week.

"I knew he was going to," Edwards told ESPN. "I heard some news coming back that he was looking a bit fat, he was looking chubby still. I didn't think he was training for it to be honest. I always knew he was going to run away. It's been three years since the incident in London and he's been dodging me ever since.”

Interest in a grudge match between Edwards and Masvidal began after UFC Fight Night 147 in London, when the two men had an altercation backstage following the event. Masvidal went viral after hitting Edwards with a “three-piece and a soda” combination during that scuffle, which helped raise his profile significantly. It’s been more than two years since then, and Masvidal has enjoyed the spoils of stardom with a headlining bout at Madison Square Garden and a pa…

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

A light heavyweight showdown between Thiago Santos and Magomed Ankalaev is in the works to serve as the main event for an Ultimate Fighting Championship card on March 12.

ESPN was first to report the booking, which is in the process of being finalized. The event does not yet have a location.

A former light heavyweight title challenger, Santos halted a three-bout skid in his last outing, when he took a five-round verdict against Johnny Walker in the UFC Fight Night 193 main event on Oct. 2. After a lengthy stint at middleweight, “Marreta” earned a title shot following finishes of Eryk Anders, Jimi Manuwa and Jan Blachowicz at 205 pounds. The 37-year-old Brazilian gave then champ Jon Jones a difficult test, falling to “Bones” via split decision at UFC 239.

Ankalaev, 29, is one of the fastest-rising talents in the light heavyweight division. The Dagestani has won seven consecutive contests …

Streaming now: Suspect allegedly stabbed doctor in the neck with a bone https://t.co/TbmUSH5ssd

— KUAM News (@kuamnews) November 10, 2021

Professional mixed martial artist Akmal Khozhiev was arrested in Guam after an argument over the COVID-19 vaccination turned deadly.

According to multiple reports, 27-year-old Khozhiev was charged with first-degree felony aggravated murder with a deadly weapon and second-degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the stabbing of Dr. Miran Ribati on Nov. 7 at the Poinciana Apartments in Tamuning, Guam. Bail has been set at $1 million.

“Sir it’s me, I killed him,” Khozhiev allegedly told police prior to his arrest. Ribati was declared dead at the scene.

According to the Guam Daily Post, Khoziev and Ribati, 42, knew each other from a local gym and reportedly returned to Khozhiev’s residence to have dinner after spending the day at the beach. A witness said that the two men bega…

Khama Worthy’s Ultimate Fighting Championship tenure got off to a spectacular start, but he was unable to maintain that momentum.

The lightweight competitor recently announced that he was released from the Las Vegas-based promotion in a post on his Instagram account. The 35-year-old known as “The Deathstar” went 2-3 in UFC competition.

“I just got word from my management team that I’ve been cut by the UFC,” Worthy wrote.

“…One door closes and another one opens, this lion still has the hunger in him, back on the hunt we go.”

Worthy’s Octagon debut came on less than a week’s notice, when he stopped Devonte Smith via technical knockout in the opening round at UFC 241. The Pittsburgh native followed that victory with a third-round submission of Luis Pena at UFC on ESPN 12. Since then, Worthy has suffered three consecutive first-round TKO defeats, falling to Ottman Azaitar, Jamie Mullarkey and Jai Herbert in succession.

Worthy is 16-9 over the course of a profes…

Max Holloway further strengthened his case for a trilogy bout against reigning featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski with a memorable performance in the UFC Fight Night 197 headliner on Saturday night.

Holloway emerged with a hard-fought five-round verdict over the returning Yair Rodriguez on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas for his second consecutive triumph. The Hawaiian standout shook off a strong start from Rodriguez — including numerous damaging low kicks — to gradually impose his will through multi-punch combinations, takedowns and clinch work. Rodriguez gave one final push in the fifth round, but it wasn’t enough to sway the scorecards in his favor.

“It’s one of the best fights I’ve ever seen,” UFC president Dana White said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “The fact that Yair was off for two years and comes in and puts on a performance like this, unheard of. It’s incredible.

“Then Max, I didn’t think he was going to make it out of the s…

Wasting NO time, @Pezao011 gets it done in under 1 minute

[ #UFCVegas42 | Main Card Live NOW on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/a3W6Nb5C9S

— UFC (@ufc) November 13, 2021 There was no question that Marcos Rogerio de Lima had Ben Rothwell reeling prior to the bout’s stoppage during their co-main event clash at UFC Fight Night 197 on Saturday.

However, referee Herb Dean created some confusion when he appeared to step in and halt the heavyweight bout before backing off as de Lima battered his foe with power punches. After the veteran official’s near intervention, Rothwell dropped for a desperation takedown, only to pull de Lima on top of him. De Lima turned to Dean while in top position to indicate he was no longer attacking, and at that point, Dean officially called off the fight.

The manner in which the stoppage occurred drew some criticism from UFC president Dana White at the post-fight press conference.

“Herb needs to stop touchin…

A lightweight clash between Nasrat Haqparast and John Makdessi is in the works for an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Feb. 19.

ESPN was first to report the matchup. The event does not yet have an official location or headliner.

Haqparast last appeared a UFC 266, where he had a two-bout winning streak snapped in a unanimous decision loss to Dan Hooker on Sept. 25. The 26-year-old Tristar Gym representative is 5-3 in UFC competition and 13-4 as a professional overall.

Makdessi, meanwhile, has been victorious in four of his last five UFC bouts. Most recently, “The Bull” garnered a split decision triumph against Ignacio Bahamondes at UFC on ABC 2 on April 10. Makdessi has fought once per year dating back to 2017.

What this sport's all about

Max and Yair share a moment after #UFCVegas42 pic.twitter.com/q5sdPPp1Wy

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) November 14, 2021 Neither Max Holloway nor Yair Rodriguez was able to attend the UFC Fight Night 197 post-fight press conference due to damage absorbed in their headlining bout, but that didn’t prevent the two featherweight contenders from sharing a post-fight moment.

Before Holloway and Rodriguez were transported to the hospital, they paid respects to each other once more and shared a photo-op inside Rodriguez’s ambulance.

Holloway defeated Rodriguez via unanimous decision at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, earning scorecards of 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47 from the cageside judges in a “Fight of the Year” candidate.

@BlessedMMA and @panteraufc both taking a ride to the hospital. Max climbed in to Yair’s ambulance to congratulate Yair for one of the best fights ever. pic.twitter.com/Sl8m9O75aC<…

These two left it all in the Octagon

@BlessedMMA & @PanteraUFC earn your FOTN honors.

[ B2YB @ToyoTires | #UFCVegas42 ] pic.twitter.com/1wNwMGX6x5 — UFC (@ufc) November 14, 2021

The UFC Fight Night 197 main event met the lofty expectations that preceded it, and both Max Holloway and Yair Rodriguez received some extra financial compensation as a result.

Holloway vs. Rodriguez was an easy choice for “Fight of the Night,” as both featherweights received $50,000 apiece for their five-round battle at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday. Rodriguez pushed the former champ in the opening round and the final round, but in between, Holloway was able to effectively blend striking and grappling for a unanimous decision triumph — his second straight in the Octagon.

Elsewhere, Kalinn Williams garnered a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check thanks to a technical knockout of Miguel Baeza in the featured welterweight clash. After de…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC, PFL, Dana White’s Contender Series and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Max Holloway was all smiles after he passed one of the most difficult tests of his career. The former undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight titleholder grinded through five amazing rounds with “The Ultimate Fighter Latin America” winner Yair Rodriguez and exited the Octagon with a unanimous decision in the UFC Fight Night 197 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All three judges sided with Holloway (23-6, 19-6 UFC): 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47.

Leaving it all on the line

[ #UFCVegas42 | Main Card Live NOW on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/sP1CvuphtX

— UFC (@ufc) November 13, 2021 Rodriguez (13-3, 8-2 UFC) made his intentions known after a two-year absence, as he targeted the Hawaiian’s base with repeated kic…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC, PFL, Dana White’s Contender Series and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 197 coverage will begin Saturday at 1 p.m. ET. Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. Round 1 Welcome back to the UFC Apex, a building we will remain for four of the last five UFC cards this year. After two supermassive pay-per-view black holes, we return to Fight Night fare, with a potentially thrilling main event but only a few other ranked fighters across the remainder of the bill. We will try to catch our breath from the madness that was UFC 278 with an 11-fight offering that begins in the light heavyweight division. Two strikers that vastly prefer the knockout while sporting just one submission win between them come to blows at 205 pounds, when Nzechukwu (9-1, 3-1 UFC) meets Jung (14…