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A flyweight clash pitting Alex Perez against Matt Schnell has been rebooked for UFC 271.

Promotion officials recently announced the rescheduled 125-pound bout. Perez and Schnell were supposed to square off at UFC 269, but the bout was canceled when Schnell was not medically cleared to compete. UFC 271 takes place at the Toyota Center in Houston on Feb. 12 and is expected to be headlined by a middleweight title rematch between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker.

Perez will return to action for the first time since falling to Deiveson Figueiredo via first-round submission in a flyweight title bout at UFC 255. Prior to that, the Team Oyama representative had been victorious in six of his first seven promotional appearances.

Schnell, meanwhile, has lost two of his last three UFC bouts. Most recently, “Danger” dropped a three-round verdict to Rogerio Bontorin at UFC 262 on May 15. Schnell is 5-4 in the Octagon overall, including a four-fight winning streak from Oct…

Sean O'Malley was one of the big winners at UFC 269, but it could be a while before he makes his return to the Octagon.

O’Malley, who defeat Raulian Paiva via first-round technical knockout, was suspended six months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission pending an X-ray and MRI of his right hand and thumb. If he receives doctor clearance, he can fight before June 10. At a minimum, the bantamweight star is suspended until Jan. 11 with no contact until Jan. 2.

A full list of medical suspensions from the event was released to mixedmartialarts.com. UFC 269 took place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday and saw Charles Oliveira successfully defend his lightweight belt with a third-round tapout of Dustin Poirier in the evening’s main event. Both Oliveira and Poirier are suspended until Jan. 11 with no contact until Jan. 2.

Three other fighters from UFC 269 are facing potential six-month terms pending doctor clearance: Pedro Munhoz (right foot), Miranda M…

With accomplishments that separate her from virtually everyone else in women’s mixed martial arts, Amanda Nunes has earned the right to an immediate rematch following her shocking loss to Julianna Pena at UFC 269.

“It’s a big rematch if she wants it,” UFC president Dana White said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference.

Pena outdueled the heavy-handed Nunes in a slugfest, and when the Brazilian fatigued, “The Venezuelan Vixen” took her opponent down with ease and submitted her with a rear-naked choke at the 3:26 mark of Round 2. It’s an upset that ranks among the greatest in the history of the sport, one that White compared to Matt Serra’s victory over Georges St. Pierre at UFC 69 in 2007.

“Julianna is a person who always believed in herself and that she could win this fight if she got it. She did it [at UFC 269],” White said. “It’s one of the things that makes this sport so incredible, when somebody is that big of an underdog.”

If there was any doubt a…

Sean O'Malley and Cody Garbrandt once appeared to be on a collision course in the Octagon. While they may yet meet, their fighting careers are currently headed in two very different directions.

O’Malley won for the seventh time in eight promotional appearances, scoring a first-round stoppage of Raulian Paiva in a bantamweight clash at UFC 269 on Saturday night. One bout later, Garbrandt was finished inside of a round by Kai Kara France in his flyweight debut — his fourth defeat in his last five outings.

O’Malley has been handled carefully thus far by UFC matchmakers, but White says the Contender Series alum has earned a step up in competition with his latest performance.

“The guy he beat tonight is a real guy, a very real guy,” White said at the UFC 269 post-fight press conference. “And he did it tonight in spectcualr fashion. When you talk to him, two things: He wants to get paid and he wants to fight higher level competition.

“Looks like we’re gonna have…

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

Kai Kara France may have been the so-called “B-side” heading into his UFC 269 matchup with Cody Garbrandt, but he changed perceptions in relatively short order on Saturday night.

Kara France earned the most high-profile victory of his career to date, as he defeated the former bantamweight title holder via first-round technical knockout in a featured bout at the T-Mobile Arena. The City Kickboxing member floored “No Love” with an overhand right during an early exchange and then later put Garbrandt away with a salvo of heavy punches against the fence at the 3:21 mark of Round 1.

“I had to go to the body first. I know he’s got good head movement, one of the best boxers in the UFC,” Kara France said in a post-fight interview. “So I knew the head would be moving a lot, but the chest and the body, it’s gonna stay still. I had to pick my spots. Once I landed the first right hand, he’s wobbled. I thought, OK it could be fi…

After suffering an elbow injury in his last fight against Paul Craig at UFC 255 in November 2020, Mauricio Rua elected not to undergo surgery.

“It was the same place I injured against [Mark] Coleman in Pride,” Rua said. “My doctor thought it was better to recover without surgery and that's what I did. Last August I started to train and now I feel 100 percent, so I´ll ask my manager Eduardo Alonso to set my next fight by March.”

“Shogun” revealed that his plan is to have two more fights before retiring from MMA. He is also interested in the prospect of facing longtime Brazilian Top Team rival Ricardo Arona under submission rules.

“I´m driven by challenges,” Rua said. “My focus is totally on the UFC. I want to fight twice more. But if ADCC or another grappling event promoter invited me to face Arona in submission rules, with all the respect I have for him, I would accept that offer and would fight to win.”

As far as the top of the UFC light heavyweight division, R…

Two fighters who competed on the latest season of Dana White’s Contender Series were suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Monday.

Lukasz Brzeski was suspended nine months and fined $750 after testing positive for clomiphene in relation to his third-round submission victory against Dylan Potter at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Sept. 14. Brzeski, who received a UFC contract for his efforts, will be eligible to return to action on June 14, 2022. Clomiphene is typically used to treat infertility in women, but it can also help regulate estrogen levels for someone who may have been using performance enhancing drugs.

It’s unclear if the positive test will affect Brzeski’s status with the UFC. The Krakow, Poland native is 9-1-1 as a professional with eight victories coming inside the distance.

Meanwhile, Muin Gafurov was suspended for six months and fined $750 after testing positive for the diuretic canrenone in relation to a split-decision loss to Chad A…

There has already been a change to the main event for Eagle Fighting Championship’s United States debut.

According to an initial report from ESPN, Sergei Kharitonov will step in for Antonio Silva and face Tyrone Spong in the three-round heavyweight headliner. Eagle FC 44 takes place on Jan. 28 at FLX Arena in Miami and is also expected to include the return of former UFC champion Rashad Evans.

A veteran of Pride Fighting Championships, Strikeforce, Bellator, K-1 and Dream, Kharitonov went 1-1 in mixed martial arts bouts in 2021. After suffering a second-round submission loss to Cheick Kongo at Bellator 265, the 41-year-old Russian defeated Fabio Maldonado via first-round TKO at Parus Fight Championship on Nov. 6. Kharitonov also defeated Osborn Machimana in a boxing match at M1 Fight Night this past June.

Spong, meanwhile, has not competed in MMA since going 2-0 under the World Series of Fighting banner from 2012 to 2013. The 36-year-old Suriname native is an a…

One of the biggest stars in Chute Boxe history relished Charles Oliveira’s victory in the UFC 2699 headliner.

A betting underdog heading into the main event, Oliveira submitted Dustin Poirier in the third round of their lightweight championship bout at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Mauricio Rua reflected on the triumph of the Chute Boxe Diego Lima product in a recent interview with Sherdog.com.

“What a fight! To tell you the truth, I couldn’t understand the odds having Dustin as favorite after Charles beat all the submission records and has the most finishes in promotion history,” Rua said. “Once again, he had an amazing performance based on his versatility. I hope the critics finally understand why he is wearing the lightweight belt.”

After the bout, Conor McGregor called for a clash with Oliveira in a post on social media. “What date am I fighting Oliveira,” wrote McGregor, who is still recovering from a broken leg suffered in a loss to Poirier i…

Geoff Neal needed a little extra motivation heading into the third round of a closely-contested welterweight clash with Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 269.

Enter Fortis MMA head coach Sayif Saud, who delivered a fiery pep talk that propelled Neal into his best round of that fight. “Handz of Steel” outlanded his opponent 46 to 39 in significant strikes over a definitive final stanza, helping seal a split-decision triumph.

“It jarred me a lot. He was being truthful,” Neal said of the corner talk during a post-fight interview. “I needed that round. Just in case a judge wanted to pull split-decision bulls—t, I had to take that round.”

And what exactly was the game plan heading into Round 3?

“Just go forward and punch him in the face,” Neal said. “I wasn’t punching him in the face enough in the first two rounds, so I just had to punch him more in the third round.”

It turns out Neal’s intuition was correct. When the final verdict was announced, the Texan emer…

Ryan Bader and Valentin Moldavsky will square off in a heavyweight championship unification bout at Bellator 273 on Jan. 29.

Promotion officials announced the headlining matchup on Monday. Bellator 273 takes place at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz., and will also see former bantamweight king Darrion Caldwell face UFC veteran Enrique Barzola. The evening’s main card will air on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while the prelims stream at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on Showtime Sports YouTube channel, the Bellator YouTube channel and Pluto TV.

Bader’s last three promotional appearances have come at light heavyweight. After losing the 205-pound belt in a second-round TKO defeat to Vadim Nemkov at Bellator 244, Bader entered the light heavyweight grand prix, where he outpointed Lyoto Machida in the opening round before falling to Corey Anderson via TKO in just 51 seconds in the semifinals on Oct. 16. The Power MMA Team stalwart claimed heavyweight with a grand prix run th…

If Amanda Nunes had won as expected at UFC 269, it could have set the stage for a massive showdown with one of the sport’s top free agents.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist and Professional Fighters League champion Kayla Harrison was in attendance at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night when Nunes suffered a second-round submission loss to Julianna Pena in arguably the biggest upset of 2021. At the evening’s post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White addressed what might have been.

“These are those things, man,” White said. “For like a Kayla Harrison, the Amanda Nunes fight was huge. I mean, if they would have faced off, it would have been a massive, you know, mega-million-dollar fight.”

Harrison became a free agent after winning the PFL 155-pound title for a second time this past October. The judoka is 12-0 thus far in her professional career and has rarely been challenged inside the cage while amassing 10 finishes. Her next destination has not been determ…

Even in retirement, Khabib Nurmagomedov looms large over the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s lightweight division.

While Charles Oliveira has respect for the undefeated Dagestani, he believes his accomplishments have allowed him to escape the shadow of the former 155-pound title holder. Oliveira earned his 10th consecutive triumph in the UFC 269 headliner on Saturday, submitting Dustin Poirier with a rear-naked choke 62 seconds into the third round of their championship encounter at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“[Khabib Nurmagomedov] was a great fighter, a great champion,” Oliveira said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “He had his history and his legacy, but he retired and now legacy and history have a new name at lightweight, and it’s Charles Oliveira.”

Despite entering UFC 269 as the defending champion, Oliveira was an underdog against Poirier, who turned down a title shot earlier this year in favor of a lucrative trilogy against Conor McGregor.…

When you beat an opponent that was widely regarded as the greatest female fighter of all-time, you get a little bit more power at the bargaining table. That doesn’t mean Julianna Pena is going to make Amanda Nunes wait, however.

Pena scored arguably the biggest upset of 2021 — and one of the biggest in UFC history — when she submitted Nunes to claim the bantamweight crown in the UFC 269 co-main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Given Nunes’ track record, it seems possible that a rematch could be imminent, and that’s something Pena is willing to embrace.

“We can do it next, I’m free next month, two months from now – whenever they want to do it I’m ready,” Pena said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “If she wants to do a rematch, we can do a rematch. I’ve always been a company girl. Whatever they want to do — we’ll talk about that later. I just want to enjoy the moment right now.”

After dropping the opening round to the reigning …

After five minutes in the Octagon with Charles Oliveira in the UFC 269 main event, Dustin Poirier liked his chances.

“I felt good,” Poirier said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “After the first round sitting on my stool going into the second, [I’m] drinking water and thinking ‘I’m gonna be the world champion tonight.’ It’s such a crazy thing that we do.”

Poirier flashed his power in Round 1, dropping Oliveira while landing a whopping 54 significant strikes in the frame. Momentum shifted in the second stanza, however, when he rolled to escape an armbar attempt and ended up on his back. Poirier would spend the rest of the round on the canvas as Oliveira battered him with elbows from above. Poirier’s efforts to scramble out of the position were limited because he didn’t want to risk being submitted, but as it turned out, that approach only delayed the inevitable.

“I knew his jiu-jitsu was some of the best — most submissions in UFC history coming into thi…

ABSOLUTE CHAOS AND FANFARE AFTER PEÑA WON #UFC269 pic.twitter.com/e0dNAdKBkn

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 12, 2021

Julianna Pena’s upset victory over Amanda Nunes shocked fans and fighters alike, but Michael Chiesa’s attempt to celebrate with his teammate, while well intended, ultimately was a moment to forget.

When Pena submitted Nunes with a rear-naked choke in the second-round in the UFC 269 co-main event, video footage from promotion broadcast partner ESPN captures Chiesa climbing over the railing in an attempt to rush the Octagon in the immediate aftermath of the fight. According to UFC president Dana White, Chiesa suffered some minor cuts and bruises before being escorted out of the arena by police. The incident was later confirmed by MMAFighting.com with someone from Chiesa's camp.

“How do I say this without embarrassing the guy,” White said at the UFC 269 post-fight press conference. “He had a little bit too much to drink this …

Following a memorable year-end pay-per-view at UFC 269, the promotion was feeling generous with its post-fight bonus payouts.

All told, eight fighters received $50,000 checks, including reigning lightweight champion Charles Oliveira and newly-crowned bantamweight queen Julianna Pena.

Oliveira received a “Performance of the Night” bonus — one of six awarded on the evening — for his third-round submission of Dustin Poirier in the evening’s main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “Do Bronx” absorbed some heavy shots early, turned the tide in Round 2 with ground-and-pound and then quickly tapped his foe with a rear-naked choke 62 seconds into the third frame to defend the 155-pound belt.

Pena also garnered a “Performance of the Night” award thanks to a victory that may very well go down as the “Upset of the Year” in 2021. Pena baited Amanda Nunes into a brawl in the second round, and when the Brazilian fatigued, “The Venezuelan” landed a takedown and secured …

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 269 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. The cries of those who question Charles Oliveira’s validity as champion have grown faint, their sound blunted by yet another virtuoso performance from the finely tuned Brazilian. “Do Bronx” retained the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title, as he submitted Dustin Poirier with a standing rear-naked choke in the third round of their UFC 269 headliner on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Poirier (28-7, 20-6 UFC) surrendered 62 seconds into Round 3.

Oliveira (32-8, 20-8 UFC) assaulted the Louisianan with vicious kicks and knees to the body for much of the first round, all while pushing a merciless pace. Poirier answered in spurts and even dropped the Chute Boxe rep with a right hook, but it soon became clear that the champion’s strategy was taking its intended toll. Oliveira scrambled into top position e…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 269 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Sherdog's live UFC 269 “Oliveira vs. Poirier” coverage will begin Saturday at 6 p.m. ET. Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the …

A long-rumored middleweight title rematch between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker is now official for UFC 271.

The promotion announced the bout during the UFC 269 broadcast on Saturday. UFC 271 takes place at the Toyota Center in Houston on Feb. 12. Adesanya defeated Whittaker via second-round knockout at UFC 243 to claim the 185-pound belt on Oct. 5, 2019.

Since his first meeting with Whittaker, Adesanya has gone 3-1 in UFC competition, with successful 185-pound title defenses against Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori. “The Last Stylebender” suffered his first career defeat at UFC 259, when he moved up a division and fell to Jan Blachowicz via unanimous decision in a light heavyweight title bout this past March.

Whittaker, meanwhile, has gone 3-0 since his loss to Adesanya, with a decision wins over Darren Till, Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum solidifying his status as the division’s No. 1 contender. The 30-year-old PMA Super Martial Arts rep…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 269 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

Power was once again the great equalizer for Josh Emmett.

The Team Alpha Male mainstay kept his name relevant in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s featherweight division, as he took a three-round unanimous decision from Dan Ige in the featured UFC 269 prelim on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Scores were 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27, all for Emmett (17-2, 8-2 UFC).

Ige (15-5, 7-4 UFC) faced an uphill climb after a difficult first round. Emmett decked him with a thudding right hand, jumped into top position with his ground-and-pound and established an early advantage. Ige answered in Round 2, where he dazed the Phoenix native with a left hook and followed it with a burst of punches in a bid to finish. Those efforts failed to net the desired result, and Emmett slowly but surely regained his faculties. Ige appeare…

Things are heating up ! pic.twitter.com/SJOtON9vkn

— ares_fighting (@ares_fighting) December 11, 2021

After taking a long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ares Fighting Championship returned for its sophomore event on Saturday at Marcel Cerdan Arena in Paris, France.

The Ares FC 2 headliner was a showdown between former Ultimate Fighting Championship 125-pound title challenger Wilson Reis and fellow UFC alum Taylor Lapilus. The contestants tested each other’s skills on the feet in the first frame. In front of a partisan crowd, Lapilus denied all his opponent’s takedowns and dropped Reis (24-12, 0-1 Ares) once. The Brazilian immediately bounced back and swept his opponent in hopes of securing a rear-naked choke. Lapilus escaped the tough spot and retaliated with some punches, finishing the round on top.

In the second frame, Lapilus scored with knees to his opponent’s body before staying true to his “Double Impact” nickname and knocking…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHuSeTGEc_o&w=640&h=360] Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 269 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Not every fight on the final Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view card on the year will make it to the finish line, but both championship tilts are official. The main event will see lightweight champion Charles Oliveira take on Dustin Poirier in a heavily anticipated clash. Meanwhile, the co-main event sees bantamweight queen Amanda Nunes look to make another defense of her title against Julianna Pena. While all championship fighters made weight, preliminary competitors Priscila Cachoeira and Alex Perez were both heavy by three pounds and .25 pounds, respectively. As a result of medical issues for Perez' opponent Matt Schnell, the fight has been scrubbed from the lineup.

This marks the first title defense for "Do Bronx," who won the belt after picking up a T…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight champion Renan Barao has the date of his comeback set.

Barao (34-9, 1 NC) saw his release from the promotion in 2019 on the heels of five losses. The Brazilian has attempted several times to compete since then, with a Taura MMA event scuttled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Most recently, Barao was booked against Tyson Duckworth at Premier FC 32 in Massachusetts on Nov. 19, but Duckworth never boarded his plane from Alaska and withdrew from the match due to personal reasons within his camp. “The Baron” already has arranged for his next fight.

On Wednesday, Barao revealed to Super Lutas the date, location and organization of his comeback: Jan. 28 in Miami at Eagle FC 44. Sherdog has since confirmed the signing, although his opponent has not yet been determined.

“I had an excellent camp at Pitbull Brothers to fight at PFC in November in Springfield, [Mass.], but unfortunately the fight was canceled, now I’m back to Na…