Blog

Statement made by Joel Alvarez

[ #UFCVegas42 | LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/Ck4myVEAEq

— UFC (@ufc) November 13, 2021 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. Joel Alvarez planted his flag in the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight division and shoved Thiago Moises out of the way while doing so. The surging Spaniard discarded Moises with elbows and punches in the first round of their featured UFC Fight Night 197 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Moises (15-6, 4-4 UFC) met his end 3:01 into Round 1, as the former Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion lost for the second time in as many outings.

Alvarez (19-2, 4-1 UFC) bullied the American Top Team representative from start to finish, leaning on six-inch height and reach advantages. He backe…

Those who dare to stand and trade with Cristiane Justino do so at their own peril.

“Cyborg” retained the undisputed Bellator MMA women’s featherweight championship in resounding fashion, as she knocked out Sinead Kavanagh in the first round of their Bellator 271 headliner on Friday at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Kavanagh (7-5, 4-5 Bellator) bit the dust 92 seconds into Round 1, her name having been added to the Brazilian juggernaut’s long list of victims.

Justino (25-2, 4-0 Bellator) blitzed out of the gate, settled into the clinch and then drifted back to open space. The two women traded shots along the fence, and though Kavanagh circled out and connected, her chin could not withstand the return fire. Justino folded her with a clean right hook, trailed her to the canvas and drew the curtain with hammerfists.

Meanwhile, Sanford MMA export Linton Vassell won for the third time in as many outings, as he took a split decision from Tyre…

Sherdog's live Bellator 271 coverage kicks off at 7 p.m. ET.

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

Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Bellator Women's Featherweight Title Bout:Cris Cyborg (145) vs. Sinead Kavanagh (145) Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 The Official Result

Max makes our Main Event official, coming in at 146 lbs

[ #UFCVegas42 | Tomorrow | Prelims 1 | Main Card 4 | Live on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/mRR8CNV1Y5

— UFC (@ufc) November 12, 2021 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. Fighters are beginning to pay more for missing weight, with 30% fines coming out for those heavy by 1.5 pounds or more.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns with UFC Fight Night 197 this weekend, which features a high-stakes matchup between featherweight contenders Max Holloway and Yair Rodriguez.

While the headliners had no issue making weight, two prelim fighters failed to hit their agreed-upon weights. Joel Alvarez came in 1.5 pounds over the lightweight limit for his bout against Thiago Moises, and Liana Jojua came in 2.5 pounds heavy for her flyweight contest against Cortney Casey. Both mat…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUpbGm9M67I&w=560&h=315] It appears as though the support of the Pitbull brothers has helped former Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight titleholder Renan Barao rediscover his love for mixed martial arts. Barao will return to the cage to vie for the Premier Fighting Championship featherweight title when he faces Tyson Duckworth on Nov. 19 in Springfield, Massachusetts.

“I definitely regained my desire to train and fight with the Pitbull brothers, and now I’m returning in great shape,” said Barao, who arrived in the United States early for a variety of reasons. “There’s a lot of bureaucratic red tape due to the pandemic, so I decided to get here before the fight, not only to avoid possible problems but also to get adapted to the climate and time zone.”

Barao held the UFC bantamweight championship between 2012 and 2014 and was considered one of the Top 5 pound-for-pound fighters on the planet. However, after he surrendere…

Can’t wait for this one. Morono with the violence https://t.co/I5uq8hlCnu

— Ramiz Brahimaj (@170Ramiz) November 12, 2021 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. Action Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweights will throw down inside the Octagon in under a month. On Friday, MMA Junkie first reported that Alex Morono (20-7) will come to blows with Mickey Gall (7-3) in what should be an entertaining 170-pound clash on Dec. 4. The two will lock horns at UFC on ESPN 31, which will take place inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Sherdog has since confirmed the news of this booking with a source close to the situation.

Morono has won his last two, prevailing twice in 2021 over Donald Cerrone and David Zawada. “The Great White” knocked Cerrone out in the first round in May, and went on to capture a clear-cut unanimous decision in September over t…

Khabib Nurmagomedov'un kardeşi Moskova'da gözaltına alındı. Usman Nurmagomedov'un bir polis memurunu ezdiğinden şüpheleniliyor. pic.twitter.com/Tjw4KWy7gs

— RUSEN Press (@RusenPress) November 11, 2021 Bellator MMA lightweight prospect Usman Nurmagomedov has been taken into custody for reportedly running a police officer over at an airport in Russia.

Early Thursday morning, Rusen Press posted a document that included a potential mugshot for Nurmagomedov and a friend, while noting that he had been detained under suspicion of “crushing a police officer.” Russian outlet TASS then reported that Nurmagomedov and friend Kamal Idrisov had indeed been arrested at the Kaspiysk airport.

Per the press office of a department of the Russian Interior Ministry, “They are suspected of running over a policeman with a car at the checkpoint of Kaspiysk Airport.”

According to the report, two men in a Toyota Camry with tinted windows and no license plates were…

It wasn’t the outcome fans were hoping for, but the fight was fun until it lasted.

The “One: NextGen 2” main event saw Rittewada Petchyindee cut former One bantamweight muay Thai title challenger Saemapetch Fairtex open with an elbow to force a doctor stoppage. Saemapetch adopted a wait-and-see approach, absorbing some of his opponent’s front kicks so that he could answer with three-punch combinations. The 2017 Lumpinee Stadium champ Rittewada scored a spinning back elbow, but a few seconds later, Saemapetch retaliated with a series of punches that knocked his opponent down. Although Rittewada beat the count, he lost the opening round due to the knockdown.

Like a hot knife through butter Rittewada takes home the TKO over Saemapetch due to doctor stoppage! #ONENextGen2 #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/0ygdQqAtPC

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) November 12, 2021 In the second frame, Saemapetch looked comfortable as he stumb…

No elevators to the top I’ll take the stairs pic.twitter.com/Q1z5nM3nmf

— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) November 11, 2021 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 Ultimate Fighting Championship is not done building up its year-end card on Dec. 18. MMA Junkie first reported on Thursday that Stephen Thompson (16-5-1) will be facing Belal Muhammad (19-3, 1 NC) at UFC Fight Night 199. The two welterweights will go to battle on Dec. 18 inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Shortly after the booking was announced, Muhammad confirmed the fight on Twitter.

Thompson had a two-fight win streak snapped when he met Gilbert Burns at UFC 264 in July, falling short to his fellow former 170-pound title challenger by unanimous verdict. The setback blunted the momentum that “Wonderboy” had gained by defeating surging contenders Vicente Luque in 2019 and Geof…

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. In the span of a few weeks, Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight Kyle Daukaus has flipped through a litany of opponents and fight dates. Daukaus (10-2, 1 NC) was initially booked in a rematch against Kevin Holland at UFC Fight Night 197 on Nov. 13, but Holland suffered an injury and was forced out of their bout. They first fought in October, and an inadvertent clash of heads led to a no contest ruling. When Holland withdrew, the fight card shuffled and Daukaus ended up planning on meeting Roman Dolidze. This too dematerialized when Dolidze was removed from the card due to COVID-19 protocols.

As the organization was unable to book a replacement opponent a couple day before the event, Daukaus was pulled from the card. On Thursday, MMA Junkie was the first to break the story that Daukaus will now be fighting on Feb. 19 …

We kick off December with Regian Eersel vs. Islam Murtazaev for the ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Title, Stamp Fairtex vs. Ritu Phogat for the ONE Women's Atomweight World Grand Prix Title, and MORE! @PhogatRitu @MarcusBuchecha #ONEWinterWarriors #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/4BccRTs0mc

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) November 11, 2021 In less than a month, the One Championship atomweight grand prix will come to a close.

On Thursday, One sent out a press release announcing its six-fight card that will take place on Dec. 3. The show, titled “Winter Warriors,” will see the atomweight (115 pounds) tournament finals as well as a lightweight (170 pounds) kickboxing strap on the line in its live card. In the main event, Regian Eersel will put up his 170-pound kickboxing belt as he takes on Islam Murtazaev.

In the co-headlining bout, the finals of the 115-pound women’s tourney will see Nong Stamp (7-1) take on Ritu Phog…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkNaOR3Xf5c&w=640&h=360] Editor's note: The article has been updated at 3 p.m. ET on Nov. 11 to reflect that an additional fighter had missed weight.

Bellator 271's headline bout for the Bellator MMA women's featherweight championship is now official.

Both women had no issue making weight with Justino (24-2) weighing 145 pounds exactly, and Kavanagh (7-4) coming in at the same weight. However, a prelim bout between Shane O'Shea vs. Jordan Newman has been canceled after O'Shea didn't weigh in for an undisclosed reason. Additionally, Robert Turnquest (177.8) came in 6.8 pounds above the welterweight limit, and his matchup with Roman Faraldo may be in jeopardy.

Justino comes into the bout undefeated inside the Bellator cage. "Cyborg" most recently defeated Leslie Smith in a dominant performance, and before that, she submitted Arlene Blencowe after finishing Julia Budd to win the belt. Meanwhile, Kavanagh has strung together two wi…

Gym owner and former MMA fighter Scott Fairlamb was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for punching a police officer during the Capitol riot that took place in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, according to Politico.

Fairlamb, 44, is the first defendant charged with assaulting an officer to face sentencing. Royce Lamberth, the federal judge who imposed the sentence, said he expects Fairlamb’s term will be lower than the others who are facing charges stemming from the riot. Fairlamb’s decision to plead guilty and expression of remorse helped lower his sentence, according to Lamberth.

“Had you gone to trial, I don’t think there’s any jury that could have acquitted you or would have acquitted you,” Lamberth said. “You couldn’t have beat this.”

Fairlamb will also face 36 months of supervised release after he gets out of prison.

Fairlamb was reportedly one of the first people to enter the Capitol on Jan. 6, carrying a stolen police baton on his way throu…

Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards will have to settle their differences another day.

UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell informed promotion broadcast partner ESPN on Wednesday that Masvidal has withdrawn from the highly-anticipated UFC 269 clash due to an undisclosed injury. According to MMAFighting.com , Edwards is not expected to remain on the card against a replacement opponent. Instead, the British welterweight will seek a title shot against Kamaru Usman.

If Edwards were to have a change of heart, he’d have several willing suitors. Since news of Masvidal’s exit came to light, Khamzat Chimaev, Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns all expressed interest in facing Edwards on short notice. UFC 269 takes place on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a lightweight title bout between Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirier.

Edwards and Masvidal famously crossed paths at UFC Fight Night 147 in London on March 16, 2019. Masvidal defeated Darren T…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

A heavyweight scrap between Tanner Boser and Sergei Pavlovich has been removed from the UFC on ESPN 31 lineup.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the cancellation, and Boser then confirmed that the fight was off, though he did not offer specific details. “Sorry guys, I hope to have this resolved soon,” Boser wrote on Twitter.

UFC on ESPN 31 takes place on Dec. 4 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a bantamweight clash between Jose Aldo and Rob Font.

Boser snapped a two-bout skid in his last outing, when he knocked out Ovince St. Preux in the second-round at UFC Fight Night 190. The 30-year-old Canadian is 4-3 during his tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion and 20-8-1 as a professional overall.

Pavlovich will look to return to action after having a 2020 booking against Ciryl Gane fall through due to injury and a September matchup with Tom Aspinall canceled as a result of visa issues. The Eagles MMA repr…

Angela Hill has agreed to step up and face Amanda Lemos on short notice at UFC Fight Night 199.

Hill is a replacement for Nina Nunes, who withdrew from the bout for undisclosed reasons. Ag Fight was first to report the new strawweight booking. UFC Fight Night 199 takes place on Dec. 18 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a heavyweight tilt between Derrick Lewis and Chris Daukaus.

Hill has lost three of her last four Octagon appearances. Most recently, the Alliance MMA representative dropped a unanimous verdict to Tecia Torres in a rematch at UFC 265. Earlier in 2021, “Overkill” took a decision win over Ashley Yoder at UFC Fight Night 187 in March.

After falling to Leslie Smith in her promotional debut in July 2017, Lemos has reeled off four consecutive victories in UFC competition. So far this year, the 34-year-old Brazilian has scored back-to-back first-round TKO wins over Livinha Souza and Montserrat Ruiz.

GOOD NIGHT Carlos Ulberg finds the chin and ends the night!

[ Contracts up next on #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/JB1vYDZXi5

— UFC (@ufc) November 5, 2020 A light heavyweight bout pitting Carlos Ulberg against Fabio Cherant is in the works for UFC 271.

Cageside Press was first to report the booking. UFC 271 takes place on Feb. 12 at an as yet to be announced venue. A headliner for the event has not been revealed.

Anchored at City Kickboxing, Ulberg earned a UFC deal with a first-round KO of Bruno Oliveira on Dana White’s Contender Series in November 2020. He came up short in his Octagon debut, falling to 3-1 after a second-round knockout loss to Kennedy Nzechukwu at UFC 259 this past March.

A former Legacy Fighting Alliance light heavyweight title holder, Cherant seeking his first promotional triumph after suffering back-to-back losses against Alonzo Menifield and William Knight in his first two UFC appearances.

A lightweight clash pitting Diego Ferreira against Mateusz Gamrot has been added to the UFC Fight Night 199 lineup.


 MMAjunkie.com was first to report the pairing, and it was later confirmed by Gamrot on his Instagram account. UFC Fight Night 199 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a heavyweight bout betwene Derrick Lewis and Chris Daukaus.

The 36-year-old Ferreira won six consecutive fights from 2016 to 2020 but has dropped back-to-back fights to Beneil Dariush and Gregor Gillespie in his last two promotional appearances. The Fortis MMA product is 8-4 in UFC competition and 17-4 as a professional overall.

A former KSW champion, Gamrot has won two straight UFC outings after suffering his first career defeat against Guram Kutateladze in his promotional debut in October 2020. The 30-year-old Pole has since rebounded to post finishes of Scott Holtzman and Jeremy Stephens in 2021.

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

A proposed middleweight clash between Kyle Daukaus and Roman Dolidze at UFC Fight Night 197 has been scrapped.

MMAFighting.com was first to report the cancellation of the bout, which was due to COVID-19 protocols involving Dolidze’s camp. UFC Fight Night 197 will proceed with 11 bouts. The event takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a featherweight tilt between Max Holloway and Yair Rodriguez.

Daukaus was supposed to face Kevin Holland and Dolidze was slated to face Eryk Anders before they were paired up after their original opponents fell off the UFC Fight Night 197 card.

Daukaus had a submission win against Holland overturned at UFC Fight Night 193 on Oct. 2 when it was determined the fight was altered due to an accidental clash of heads. The Martinez BJJ representative has just one victory in four Octagon appearances — a decision win against Dustin Stoltzfus at UFC 255.

Dol…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAIzG2CAX-k&w=560&h=315]

Triller’s latest combat sports offering will feature a hybrid of boxing and MMA rules with a handful of recognizable names from the UFC and Bellator.

The promotion revealed the full lineup and rule set for Triller Triad Combat on Tuesday. The card will be headlined by a nine-round clash between former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir and heavyweight boxing contender Kubrat Pulev. Fighters on the card will be allowed to throw strikes from the clinch as well as spinning backfists and hammerfists. Kicks, knees, elbows are not allowed, nor is fighting on the ground. Combatants are allowed to stand on their opponent’s foot while throwing punches, however.

In the co-main event, Bellator and UFC veteran Matt Mitrione will square off against Alexander Flores in a seven-round affair. In another featured matchup, UFC veteran Mike Perry will lock horns with former WBC super middleweight champion Sakio Bika. Other…

A heavyweight showdown between Ovince St. Preux and Philipe Lins will not be contested at UFC Fight Night 197 as originally planned.

The promotion announced St. Preux’s withdrawal from the card over the weekend, and on Tuesday, UFC officials confirmed that Lins will not receive a replacement opponent. UFC Fight Night 197 takes place on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a featherweight clash between Max Holloway and Yair Rodriguez. A reason for St. Preux’s exit was not given.

St. Preux is currently on a two-bout skid after suffering back-to-back KO/TKO losses against Jamahal Hill and Tanner Boser. The former University of Tennessee football player has won just three of his last nine outings dating back to 2018.

Lins joined the UFC after winning the 2018 Professional Fighters League heavyweight title. The 36-year-old Kimura Nova Uniao product has since fallen to Andrei Arlovski via decision at UFC Fight Night 171 and lost to Boser via firs…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Mike Fridley/Sherdog.com

Eryk Anders will replace the injured Dricus Du Plessis and meet Andre Muniz at UFC 269.

MMA DNA first brought word of Du Plessis’ exit, while Muniz initially confirmed the new middleweight matchup on his Instagram story. UFC 269 takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 12 and is headlined by a lightweight championship clash pitting Charles Oliveira against Dustin Poirier.

Anders has competed twice thus far in 2021, with both bouts coming against Darren Stewart. The first meeting ended in a no contest due to an illegal knee in March, and Anders won a unanimous decision in the rematch at UFC 263.

A two-time winner on Dana White’s Contender Series, Muniz haa kicked off his promotional tenure with three consecutive triumphs. Most recently, the Brazilian broke Ronaldo Souza’s arm at UFC 262 to run his career mark to 21-4. Muniz has won his last seven professional outings.

Frankie Edgar was engaged in a competitive bout with Marlon Vera at UFC 268 before a front kick from his opponent abruptly ended his night 3:50 into Round 3.

Considering the circumstances, it was impressive that Edgar was able to compete as well as he did prior the finish. On the "Champ and the Tramp"podcast (h/t MMAFighting.com), Edgar revealed that he underwent hip replacement surgery this past April.

“I never really made it public. That’s an accomplishment in itself, coming back from that,” Edgar said. “That’s something I wanted to prove to myself. A lot of people think you get something like that, it’s the end of something. And not only did I do it, I f—king did it quickly. I felt amazing, my hip f—king felt amazing.”

Edgar has also been struggling with “nerve issues” in his back, which were alleviated somewhat through he surgical procedure he underwent at 18. Now, however, it’s something he will need to receive additional treatment for to manage. Edgar sa…

Newly-crowned light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira is facing a potentially lengthy medical suspension following his victory over Jan Blachowicz in the UFC 267 headliner.

Teixeira must be cleared by an orthopedic doctor for a right shoulder injury or he will be sidelined for 180 days. At a minimum, the Brazilian is suspended for 30 days with no contact for 21 days. UFC 267 took place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi and saw Teixeira submit Blachowicz with a rear-naked choke 3:02 into Round 2 of their 205-pound clash. Blachowicz, like every fighter on the card, received a mandatory seven-day term.

The UFC, which self-regulated the event, released a full list of medical suspensions to mixedmartialarts.com.

Five other fighters from the event are facing 180-day medical suspensions: Albert Duraev (facial laceration), Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (right foot, right hand), Benoit St. Denis (needs ENT clearance), Michal Oleksiejczuk (left hand) and Tagir Ulanbekov (left…