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Another fight has been added to the Rizin Fighting Federation 33 lineup, as former Pride Fighting Championships standout Takanori Gomi will meet kickboxing star Tenshin Nasukawa under “special standing bout rules” on New Year’s Eve.

The Japanese promotion recently announced the pairing, which does not have a formally announced weight class but will reportedly be a two-round exhibition under boxing rules. Rizin 33 takes place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and features a lightweight title bout between Roberto de Souza and Yusuke Yachi as well as the semifinals and finals of the bantamweight grand prix. The event is available via pay-per-view here.

Gomi, 43, last appeared at Rizin 26, where he bested Koji Tanaka in a special rules bout in December 2020. His most recent MMA appearance came in July 2018, when he snapped a six-fight losing streak with a first-round knockout of fellow UFC veteran Melvin Guillard.

The bout is expected to be Nasukawa’s last under t…

A 165-pound matchup between Kevin Lee and Diego Sanchez is in the works for an Eagle Fighting Championship card on March 11.

Multiple outlets confirmed the booking has been targeted, while Sanchez announced the pairing on social media. The fighters have verbally agreed to the contest, but contracts have not yet been signed. The Eagle FC event is expected to take place in Miami, though a venue has not been formally announced.

Lee was a high-profile signing by the Khabib Nurmagomedov-led promotion following his UFC release. The former interim lightweight title challenger lost four of his last five Octagon appearances, including a unanimous decision loss to Daniel Rodriguez in his first welterweight foray at UFC on ESPN 30 on Aug. 28.

Sanchez, meanwhile, is coming off a serious case of COVID-19 in which he was hospitalized due to complications from the virus. Prior to that, he was released from the UFC following a dispute with the promotion and his former coach, …

Michel Prazeres Accepts Sanction for Second Violation of UFC Anti-Doping Policy https://t.co/gWqyGG6EtI

— USADA (@usantidoping) December 23, 2021

Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight Michel Prazeres has waived the white flag on a four-year suspension for a second violation of UFC Anti-Doping Policy.

Prazere, 40, tested positive for multiple prohibited substances -- clomiphene and its metabolites (desethyl-clomiphene, clomiphene M1, and clomiphene M2), oxandrolone metabolites, and the exogenous administration of testosterone and/or its precursors via urine samples -- and will be banned from competition until Aug. 27, 2025. Prazeres previously tested positive for boldenone in March of 2019 and served a two-year ban.

The United States Anti-Doping Agency on Thursday revealed the suspension and issued the following statement:

Prazeres’ urine sample was analyzed using a specialized test, known as Carbon Isotope Ratio (CIR) testin…

Ex-UFC champion Vitor Belfort will square off against ex-multi-division boxing title holder Chad Dawson at Triad Combat 2.

Triller Fight Club, which promotes the event, recently confirmed the booking to multiple outlets. Triad Combat 2 is expected to take place in February and is headlined by a clash between Junior dos Santos and Kubrat Pulev. The rule set is presented as a hybrid of boxing and MMA, but knees, kicks and elbows are not allowed in fights. Shannon Briggs and Quinton Jackson will serve as team captains for the card, which follows a boxing vs. MMA theme.

Belfort’s most recent combat sports appearance came in September, when he defeated a 58-year-old Evander Holyfield via first-round technical knockout in an exhibition boxing match. The 44-year-old Brazilian hasn’t competed in MMA since May 2018, when he suffered a second-round KO loss to Lyoto Machida at UFC 224.

Dawson owns a 36-5 mark in professional boxing, a record that includes notable triumphs …

Cub Swanson was in top form at UFC Fight Night 199, as he overwhelmed fellow veteran Darren Elkins in a first-round technical knockout victory this past Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Although the 38-year-old featherweight has been victorious in three of his last four Octagon appearances, he is considering a change in weight class late in his UFC career.

“I had talked about maybe dropping to 135, just to switch it up, try something new. I know I can make it,” Swanson said at the post-fight press conference (via MMAjunkie.com). “I don’t know how difficult it would be. This was one of the easier cuts I’ve had. I just feel like I’m naturally a little lighter than I used to be. I guess I’m just not holding on muscle like I was before. That’s a possibility.”

Swanson’s promotional tenure reached 21 fights on Saturday, and he has at least one item left on his bucket list, though it involves the UFC hitting the road again for Fight Night events. Currently, the …

Tomasz Narkun will soon return to attempt his sixth title defense in January.

A person with knowledge of the situation told Sherdog that the Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki 205-pound champion Narkun would face Ibragim Chuzhigaev on the upcoming KSW 66 card in the co-main event. The source asked to stay anonymous since the Polish promotion hasn’t officially confirmed the matchup.

In his latest appearance, Narkun (18-4, 10-3 KSW) failed in his attempt to become a two-division champion after current heavyweight kingpin Philip De Fries stopped “Giraffe” with punches at the 3:37 mark of Round 2 in their rematch, which served as the KSW 60 headliner. Before that, Narkun was on a two-bout winning streak after submitting both Przemyslaw Mysiala and Ivan Erslan via rear-naked choke at KSW 50 and KSW 56, respectively. The 32-year-old titleholder seems particularly vicious in his light heavyweight championship fights, as none of his opponents have survived for more than two rounds.

…

After defeating Tony Ferguson, Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier in a period of 12 months, Charles Oliveira was selected as Sherdog.com's 2021 “Fighter of the Year.”

“I’m really happy and moved by that and everything that is going on in my life lately,” Oliveira told Sherdog.com. “UFC champion in one of the most difficult divisions. I set records for most submissions and bonuses, [and rank] fifth in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings. To finish that amazing year being chosen as ‘Fighter of the Year’ by one of the most respected outlets in the world, I’m so happy and moved that I don’t know what to talk about. I´m just thankful to God.”

As for what’s next, Oliveira pointed to a possible showdown with Conor McGregor when UFC 274 heads to Rio de Janeiro on May 7.

"May would be a wonderful date,” he said. “Conor challenged me asking a date, and tweeted Ireland vs. Brazil 2. Not only him, but also myself and all the world wants to see that fight. So let's m…

Former heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos is set to make his first combat sports appearance since being released by the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

A bout between dos Santos and Kubrat Pulev is in the works for the Triller-promoted Triad Combat early next year. TMZ Sports was first to report the matchup, which is currently being targeted for February. The Triad Combat rule set is touted as a hybrid of boxing and MMA. Fighters are 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.

Triller Triad Combat held its inaugural event on Nov. 27. In the main event, Pulev authored a standing KO of another former UFC heavyweight king, Frank Mir, 1:59 into the first-round of their bout. Pulev owns a 28-2 professional boxing record, with his only two losses coming against Anthony Jos…

Credit: Getty/UFC

Though he only recently became of person of interest in the UFC’s middleweight division, Bruno Silva’s journey with the promotion began some seven years ago.

"When I look back and see all the challenges I overcame, like accepting a short-notice invitation to participate in [“The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3”] in 2014 and facing the very best heavyweights we had in Brazil back then with only the experience of fighting on small northeast [Brazil] regional events, I just think how it was all worth it,” Silva told Sherdog.com.

Coincidentally, Paulo Costa also participated on that edition of the reality series, but among the middleweights. Silva, meanwhile, ended up facing heavyweight finalist Vitor Miranda in the first qualifying fight and ended up suffering the only knockout loss of his career in the second round. Nonetheless, he impressed his idol, Wanderlei Silva, and his current trainer, Andre Dida, with his performance.

“It was such a war. …

Raphael Assuncao could be sidelined for a significant period of time following his second-round knockout loss to Ricky Simon at UFC Fight Night 199.

The veteran Brazilian bantamweight needs a left knee MRI and doctor clearance or he will be out until June 17. At a minimum, Assuncao is suspended until Feb. 2 with no contact until Jan. 18. A full list of medical suspensions from the event was recently released to mixedmartialarts.com.

UFC Fight Night 199 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas this past Saturday. In the evening’ main event, Derrick Lewis defeat Chris Daukaus via first-round knockout in a heavyweight tilt. Daukaus is suspended until Feb. 17 with no contact until Feb. 2 for laceration repair on his nose. Lewis emerged from the bout with a clean bill of health.

Five other fighters from UFC Fight Night 199 are facing potential six-month terms: Cub Swanson (right finger), Justin Tafa (right thumb, left finger), Harry Hunsucker (left knee), Don'Tale Mayes (l…

The lineup for Rizin Fighting Federation’s New Year’s Eve card continues to grow.

The Japanese promotion announced the following three additions to the Rizin 33 lineup: Rena Kubota vs. Si Woo Park at atomweight; Shinobu Ota vs. Kazuma Sone at featherweight and Kota Miura vs. Yushi Sakura at featherweight under Rizin challenge rules, which consists of three, three-minute rounds with no face stomps or knees to a ground opponent allowed.

At a press conference, promotion CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara announced that the card for Rizin 33 has not yet been finalized.

“Fuji television will be broadcasting this event and they have committed to a five hour, 45 minute window on New Year’s Eve this year,” Sakakibara said. “We will be announcing three fights today, but we are not finalized yet. We would like to continue to negotiate to put on the best card that we can.”

Rizin 33 takes place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan and features a lightweight championship bout…

Credit: Getty/UFC

Coming off a streak of three consecutive knockouts in the UFC, Bruno Silva might have another striking battle lined up for his next Octagon appearance.

According to Brazilian outlet Combate.com, the UFC is working a fight between Silva and Alex Pereira for its March 12 Fight Night card. Sherdog.com contacted “Blindado,” who confirmed that the bout was in the works but revealed the contract had not yet been signed. Multiple outlets have since confirmed the fight has been targeted by the promotion.

"As soon as I sign the contract, I´ll be happy to talk about my next fight,” Silva said. “All I can say for now is how happy I´m happy about what's happening in my life right now. If the UFC is giving me great names, it means they are liking my work.”

A former M-1 Global champion, Silva has kicked off his promotional tenure with finishes off Wellington Turman, Andrew Sanchez and Jordan Wright. The 32-year-old Brazilian has won his last seven professio…

While Nick Diaz gave a game effort at UFC 266, it wasn’t a vintage performance from the Stockton, Calif., native.

More than six years since his last Octagon appearance, Diaz faced Robbie Lawler in a rematch on Oct. 25 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where he suffered a TKO defeat when he declined to continue 44 seconds into the third round of their middleweight bout.

While Diaz was able to unleash some of his renowned multi-punch combinations, he fatigued badly down the stretch — something that would have been unheard of in years past — which led to him asking out of the fight in the final stanza. In an interview with ESPN, UFC president Dana White said he’d prefer not to see Diaz step into the Octagon again.

“Regardless of how good he looked or what he did after such a huge layoff, I don’t think Nick should fight,” White said. “It’s not that I was in favor of it. He’s a grown man and can do whatever he wants to do. I just don’t think that Nick does it becau…

Belal Muhammad entered a new tier of welterweight contenders at UFC Fight Night 199, where he earned a convincing unanimous decision victory over former title challenger Stephen Thompson in the evening’s co-main event.

Muhammad is unbeaten in his last seven promotional appearances, and most recent was arguably his best to date, as he grounded “Wonderboy” seven times en route to earning scorecards of 30-25, 30-26 and 30-26 from the cageside judges. It’s a statement victory that Muhammad believes should put him into consideration for a championship opportunity.

“Who’s ever beaten ‘Wonderboy’ 30-26? Who’s ever beaten ‘Wonderboy’ that style? Nobody’s ever beaten him that way,” Muhammad said at the UFC Fight Night 199 post-fight press conference. “‘Wonderboy’s’ fought for the title twice, Demian Maia has fought for the title twice, I beat both of those guys in dominant fashion. So, like, you’re telling me Leon Edwards deserves it over me? He almost got knocked out by Nate…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

Former American Top Team stablemates Mariya Agapova and Maryna Moroz will square off at UFC 272.

Both fighters confirmed the flyweight booking on social media following an initial report from Combate. UFC 272 takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on March 5 and is also expected to include a featherweight bout pitting Edson Barboza against Bryce Mitchell.

Agapova has been victorious in two of her first three Octagon appearances. Most recently, the 24-year-old Kazakhstan native submitted Sabina Mazo in the third round of their encounter at UFC Fight Night 194 on Oct. 9. The former Contender Series and Invicta FC competitor is 10-2 as a pro, with eight victories coming inside the distance.

Moroz, meanwhile, will enter the bout on a two-fight winning streak after besting Mazo and Mayra Bueno Silva in her last two promotional outings, the most recent of which occurred in March 2020. The 30-year-old Ukraine native is 5-3 in U…

Gleison Tibau, wrestling and jiu-jitsu coach of KSW double champion Roberto Soldic, is impressed by the potential of the Croatian fighter.

"His power is not normal. The only fighter I faced with similar power was Khabib [Nurmagomedov], but his strength was for grappling and throws. Soldic has similar power but for striking,” Tibau told Sherdog.com. “I´ve already trained with Colby [Covington], [Robbie] Lawler and many other top fighters from the UFC, and I´ve never seen anything like this. Everytime I train with him I need two days to recover.”

Soldic became a two-division champion this past Saturday, when he knocked out Mamed Khalidov in the second round to capture middleweight gold in the KSW 65 headliner. Soldic was already the Polish promotion’s welterweight title holder. According to Tibau, Soldic’s feat will attract attention from the world’s largest MMA organizations.

"Soldic has one more fight in KSW ,and if KSW doesn't make an excellent proposal to rene…

After some initial hesitation from the UFC, it appears the promotion is ready to book a strawweight championship rematch between Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza.

UFC president Dana White confirmed in an interview with ESPN that Esparza is next in line for a 115-pound title shot. A date for the proposed bout was not revealed.

“Carla Esparza (is next),” White said. “100 percent.”

Esparza and Namajunas initially squared off at “The Ultimate Fighter 20” finale with the promotion’s inaugural strawweight title at stake. Esparza captured the belt via third-round submission in the December 2014 bout but relinquished the crown in a second-round KO loss to Joanna Jedrzejczyk in her next outing. “The Cookie Monster” went 3-3 in UFC competition from 2016 to 2018 before embarking on a five-bout winning streak that propelled her to her current No. 1 contender status.

Namajunas, meanwhile, is currently on her second championship reign in the strawweight division. She re…

A bantamweight showdown pitting Marlon Moraes against Yadong Song is in the works for UFC Fight Night on March 12.

MMAjunkie.com confirmed the booking after Song initially announced the fight on the UFC’s Migu channel. The UFC Fight Night card is expected to be headlined by a light heavyweight clash between Magomed Ankalaev and Thiago Santos. A location and venue has yet to be announced.

A former World Series of Fighting champion and UFC bantamweight title challenger, Moraes has dropped four of his last five outings in the Octagon. Most recently, Moraes rocked Merab Dvalishvili early in their UFC 266 encounter before falling via technical knockout at the 4:25 mark of Round 2. The American Top Team product’s other recent defeats have come at the hands of Rob Font, Cory Sandhagen and Henry Cejudo.

Song, meanwhile, has compiled a 7-1-1 mark during his tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion. After falling to Kyler Phillips via unanimous decision in his first ap…

Derrick Lewis took sole possession of the all-time UFC knockout record on Saturday night, but he wasn’t overly impressed with the achievement.

“It means something, I guess, because of all the greats that were here before me,” Lewis said at the UFC Fight Night 199 press conference on Saturday night. “But really it doesn’t change anything, because there’s still a lot of other guys that are active and have been doing pretty good as well.

“I preferred to get the win in Houston [at UFC 265] than here in the APEX, so it didn’t really erase anything. I’m still going to be thinking about [the Ciryl Gane loss] late at night.”

Lewis ended Chris Daukaus’ five-bout promotional winning streak in resounding fashion, as he knocked out the Philadelphia-based police officer with power punches 3:36 into the opening round of their heavyweight headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It was an impressive bounceback effort from “The Black Beast,” who fell to Gane in an interim title…

Reigning strawweight queen Jingnan Xiong will defend her belt against Ayaka Miura in the main event of One Championship “Heavy Hitters” on Jan. 14.

The Singapore-based promotion recently confirmed the booking, which will be contested at 125 pounds according to One’s weight class rules. One “Heavy Hitters” takes place at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore and will also see light heavyweight kickboxing champion Roman Kryklia defend his title against Murat Aygun in the co-main event.

The rest of the card will include a mix of combat sports disciplines, including the following MMA matchups: James Nakashima vs. Saygid Izagakhmaev at lightweight; Senzo Ikeda vs. Jeremy Miado at strawweight; Yushin Okami vs. Leandro Ataides at middleweight; Shuya Kamikubo vs. Troy Worthen at bantamweight; Tiffany Teo vs. Meng Bo at strawweight and Robin Catalan vs. Elipitua Siregar at strawweight.

The 33-year-old Xiong has been victorious in 11 of her last 12 professional o…

Chael Sonnen received five battery citations after an alleged brawl at the Four Seasons hotel in Las Vegas on Saturday night, according to a report from TMZ Sports.

The former UFC title challenger was detained but not arrested because police did not witness the incident. However, TMZ Sports did obtain video of Sonnen being led away in handcuffs. Authorities are still investigating the incident.

According to an eyewitness account provided to TMZ, Sonnen was seen banging on the door of a room at the hotel at approximately 7 p.m. local time. Shortly thereafter, a couple allegedly walked by and a physical altercation began. A reason for the incident is unknown.

Sonnen was getting the better of the scuffle with the man, according to the witness, before the woman began to scream and the police were called. That ultimately led to Sonnen being taken away in handcuffs and detained. Paramedics also responded to the scene, but it’s unclear if anyone was treated for injurie…

Jordan Young, who fought under the Professional Fighters League banner just this past October, has died at age 27.

Young’s death was announced by his boxing coach, Derik Santos, via Instagram. His passing was later confirmed on social media by his camp, American Top Team, as well as the PFL account. The cause of Young’s death is currently unclear.

It’s with a heavy heart, we have learned about the passing of our teammate Jordan Young. Our team is shocked and deeply saddened by this news. A great teammate, he will be deeply missed by all of us.

Thoughts and prayers to his family. RIP to this warrior

— American Top Team (@AmericanTopTeam) December 19, 2021

PFL is saddened to learn about the passing of Jordan Young. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family during this tragic time. May he Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/PsPAyOxy2y

— PFL (@PFLMMA) December 19, 2021

“Life throws challenges at yo…

the ringside angle of the Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley fight #PaulWoodley2 pic.twitter.com/7etlnpt8TI

— Kyng (@KyngSpoilerz) December 19, 2021

The first matchup between Jake Paul and Tyron Woodley didn't exactly leave fans clamoring for a second go-round, but the rematch at least delivered a definitive finish.

In the cruiserweight main event of "Paul vs. Woodley 2" on Saturday in Tampa, Florida, Paul crushed Woodley with a right hook in the sixth round, leaving the former Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight champ prone and unconscious on the canvas. It was a shocking conclusion to an unexpected headline fight that had been thrown together on just 10 days' notice when Paul's originally scheduled opponent, professional boxer Tommy Fury, withdrew due to a combination of injury and illness. In stepped Woodley, who had lost to Paul by decision in a tepid fight on Aug. 29. With the devastating knockout win, Paul goes to 5-0 as a professi…

Darren Elkins is known for his ability to absorb punishment and keep going. Cub Swanson is now $50,000 richer for changing the narrative.

Swanson received a “Performance of the Night” bonus for his first-round stoppage of Elkins in a matchup of veteran featherweights at UFC Fight Night 199 at the UFC Apex on Saturday night. Swanson was able to remain upright and rock Elkins with multi-punch combinations before ultimately putting his opponent away with a glancing wheel kick 2:12 into Round 1 for his third win in four outings.

Elsewhere, Amanda Lemos and Angela Hill earned “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their competitive strawweight bout. Lemos started quickly when she rocked Hill with a front kick to the face and followed her foe to the canvas in pursuit of the finish. Hill recovered and made things interesting over the final two frames, even making her Brazilian adversary stumble to the mat with a spinning back elbow in Round 3. It ultimately wasn…