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Henry Cejudo was an interested observer on Saturday night when Alexander Volkanovski defeated Brian Ortega in a “Fight of the Year” candidate at UFC 266.

After the event, Cejudo tweeted at UFC president Dana White, with the following claim: “I’m gonna take Alexander the Average’s Soul.” That prompted a succint response from the featherweight champion at the UFC 266 post-fight press conference.

“He’s called out everyone. He’s called out females. Does he actually believe the s—t that comes out of his mouth? Nah, not worried about him. I’ll squash the little germ,” Volkanovski said.

In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Cejudo doubled down on his callout of Volkanovski, pleading with White to allow him to move up to 145 pounds.

“Not only do I believe that I can beat him, I know I can stop him,” Cejudo said. “As much as I saw good things from Volkanovski, there are still a lot of holes. I believe my height would be problem for him, because he is a couple inches tal…

A significant gap in experience will be on display when Greg Hardy locks horns with Alexey Oleynik at UFC 270.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the heavyweight booking. UFC 270 takes pace on Jan. 22 at an as yet to be announced location and will also include a pivotal middleweight bout between Derek Brunson and Jared Cannonier.

A former NFL Pro Bowl defensive lineman, Hardy has compiled a 7-4 mark with one no contest since turning pro in 2018. The American Top Team product is 4-4 in the Octagon and has suffered back-to-back KO/TKO defeats at the hands of Marcin Tybura and Tai Tuivasa in his last two UFC appearances.

The 44-year-old Oleynik will attempt to halt a three-fight UFC skid when he squares off against Hardy. Oleynik’s current slump includes knockout losses against Derrick Lewis and Chris Daukaus as well as a decision defeat to Sergey Spivak in his last outing at UFC on ESPN 25. “The Boa Constrictor” hasn’t tasted victory since earning a split verdict …

GLORY Collision 3 Main Card (per press release):

Rico Verhoeven vs. Alistair OvereemDonegi Abena vs. Sergej MaslobojevMichael Duut vs. John KingJamal Ben Saddik vs. Benjamin AdegbuyiJames McSweeney vs. Antonio PlazibatHamicha vs. Eyevan Danenberg#GLORYC3 #GLORY79 pic.twitter.com/yA2GJqFRGP

— Kris Dekker (@KrisDekkerMMA) September 28, 2021 The full card for Glory: Collision 3 has been unveiled, and it includes several new bouts.

Glory: Collision 3 takes place on Oct. 23 in Arnhem, The Netherlands and is headlined by heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven defending his title against former K-1 champion and UFC veteran Alistair Overeem. Earlier this month, Sherdog.com reported that Jamal Ben Saddik and Benjamin Adegbuyi were set to rematch in the co-main slot on the card.

In another new addition to the event, Hamicha returns after his first-round finish at Glory 78 on Sept. 4. With three straight first round knockouts, Hamicha is taking on…

A flyweight showdown between Zhalgas Zhumagulov and Manel Kape is on tap for an Ultimate Fighting Championship card on Dec. 4.

Zhumagulov recently announced the pairing via social media. The UFC Fight Night card takes place at an as yet to be revealed location and is expected to be headlined by a 135-pound scrap pitting Jose Aldo against Rob Font.

A native of Kazakhstan, Zhumagulov dropped decisions to Amir Albazi and Raulian Paiva in his first two promotional appearances before submitting Jerome Rivera in the opening frame at UFC 264 on July 10. The former Fight Nights Global title holder is 14-5 as a professional with seven wins via KO/TKO and one by way of submission.

Kape, meanwhile, is an ex-Rizin Fighting Federation bantamweight king with a 1-2 mark in UFC competition thus far. The AKA Thailand representative began his Octagon tenure with a unanimous decision loss to Alexandre Pantoja and a split-decision setback to Matheus Nicolau before scoring a first-r…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

It appears that Chris Daukaus will be taking a step up in competition for his next Octagon appearance.

UFC president Dana White told broadcast partner ESPN on Monday that Daukaus will square off against two-time heavyweight title challenger Derrick Lewis at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Dec. 18. The bout has not been finalized, but it will likely serve as the headliner for the Fight Night card once. The UFC Apex in Las Vegas is the probable venue.

Daukaus is currently on a five-fight professional winning streak, with four of those victories coming in UFC competition. Most recently, the Philadelphia native defeated Shamil Abdurakhimov via second-round TKO at UFC 266. All four of Daukaus’ promotional triumphs have ended inside of two rounds.

Lewis, meanwhile, is coming off a third-round TKO loss to Ciryl Gane in an interim heavyweight title tilt at UFC 265 on Aug. 7. That ended a four-bout winning streak for “The B…

A potential middleweight title eliminator is slated for UFC 270, as Derek Brunson will square off against Jared Cannonier on Jan. 22.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the booking. UFC 270 doesn’t currently have a location or headlliner, though the promotion is reportedly targeting a middleweight championship rematch between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker for the main event.

The 37-year-old Brunson is currently in the midst of the second five-bout winning streak of his UFC tenure. That stretch includes triumphs over the likes of Darren Till, Kevin Holland and Edmen Shahbazyan in headlining appearances in his last three outings. The North Carolina native previously authored a five-bout winning streak from August 2014 to September 2016 before losing four of his next six inside the Octagon.

Cannonier, meanwhile, was on the verge of securing a 185-pound title shot after successive triumphs against David Branch, Anderson Silva and Jack Hermansson, but a decisi…

The seminfinal matchups are in place for the One Championship atomweight grand prix.

Seo Hee Ham will square off against Nong Stamp, while Ritu Phogat will meet Itsuki Hirata in the other half of the bracket, the Singapore-based promotion recently announced. Fan voting voting determined the semifinal pairings.

The former Rizin atomweight queen, Ham earned a controversial split-decision triumph over Denice Zamboanga in the quarterfinals on Sept. 3. The One Championship competition committee reviewed the fight but ultimately elected not to oveturn the result. Ham has won her last seven outings dating back to June 2017.

The 23-year-old Stamp avenged a previous submission loss to Alyona Rassohyna in her quarterfinal bout, as she captured a split-decision triumph in the rematch. The Fairtex Gym product is 6-1 as a pro, with all of her bouts coming under the One banner.

Inda’s Phogat outpointed Meng Bo in the round of eight at One “Empower” to advance to the se…

A intriguing bantamweight clash pitting Jose Aldo against Rob Font is in the works for an Ultimate Fighting Championship even on Dec. 4.

Aldo’s trainer, Andre Pederneiras, mentioned the potential booking to Sherdog.com last week, and it has since been reported by "The MMA Hour" and Combate.

The event is likely to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, with Aldo vs. Font expected to serve as the main event. Other reported bouts for the event include Jimmy Crute vs. Jamahal Hill, Rafael Fiziev vs. Brad Riddell and Brendan Allen vs. Brad Tavares.

Regarded by some as the best featherweight of all-time, Aldo is coming off arguably his most complete performance to date since dropping to 135 pounds, a unanimous decision triumph against Pedro Munhoz at UFC 265 on Aug. 7. The Nova Uniao standout is 2-2 at bantamweight, with a decision victory over Marlon Vera also to his credit as well well as setbacks against Petr Yan and Marlon Moraes.

Font, meanwhile, enters…

Aljamain Sterling has been doing his best to prepare for a bantamweight title rematch against Petr Yan at UFC 267, but training hasn’t been going according to plan after the champ underwent neck surgery earlier this year.

“The Funk Master” took to Instagram to share the lingering issues he has dealt with in camp as a result of that procedure. It was reported over the weekend that Sterling had withdrawn from the Oct. 30 rematch with Yan.

“As always, I like to share the truth and be transparent with my fan base that actually give a shit about fighters’ health,” Sterling wrote. “Training has been going well but I’ve been struggling to get my body to push pass [two rounds] in sparring sessions. The fatigue that sets in and the cramping still lingers, which my surgeon said is due to the nerves still recovering from the long-term trauma, and surgery I just had. Nothing I can do about that, other than show up in another shell of myself and risk wasting the surgery and mayb…

The fight card for the Professional Fighters League Championships on Oct. 27 is official.

The promotion announced the full lineup — with the exception of one as yet to be announced preliminary bout — on Monday. The main card airs on ESPN2 and is headlined by a women’s lightweight title clash betweeen Kayla Harrison and Taylor Guardado. Three other $1 million championship bouts are set for the main card: Ray Cooper III vs. Magomed Magomedkerimov at welterweight; Bruno Cappelozza vs. Ante Delija at heavyweight and Movlid Khaybulaev vs. Chris Wade at featherweight.

Rounding out the main draw is boxing champion Claressa Shields second pro MMA bout, as she meets Abigail Montes.

Two championship fights will take place on the prelims: Antonio Carlos Jr. vs. Marthin Hamlet at light heavyweight and Loik Radzhabov vs. Raush Manfio at lightweight. The preliminary draw will also see Omari Akhemdov face Jordan Young at middleweight, while Don Madge meets Nathan Williams at …

It appears Tyron Woodley has finally made good on his promise to get ink honoring Jake Paul in the wake of his loss to the social media star in a boxing match on Aug. 29.

Woodley took to Instagram on Monday to showcase an “I love Jake Paul” tattoo on his middle finger. Tattoo artist Rubia Santana is credited for the work. Paul and Woodley made a bet prior to their bout that the loser would get the winner’s name tattooed on his body. Paul later said he would only grant Woodley a rematch if he got the aforementioned “I love Jake Paul” piece.

“I love you son. Now come and get this ass whippin cause I heard you been talking back to your elders,” Woodley wrote in the caption of the post.

Paul defeated Woodley via split decision (77-75, 75-77, 78-74) in an eight-round fight at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland last month. While Woodley made Paul stumble when he landed an overhand right in the fourth round, his inability to land with volume ultimately led to hi…

All but one athlete slated to compete on Week 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series made weight without issue on Monday morning.

The lone exception was Manuel Gaxhja, who tipped the scales at 160.5 pounds for a lightweight clash against Chris Duncan (156). Gaxhja will be fined 30 percent of his purse, and the bout will proceed as planned.

The Contender Series takes place on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and airs on ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The evening’s featured bout is a light heavyweight tilt pitting Lukasz Sudolski (205) against Ihor Potieria (203.5).

A native of Szczecin, Poland, Sudolski is undefeated in eight professional appearances. The 28-year-old Berserkers Team representative has finished six of those victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission — including five inside of a round.

Potieria, meanwhile, has been victorious in 18 of 20 bouts over the course of a career that began in 2015. The 25-year-old Ukraine native enters the Cont…

For two rounds, Nick Diaz took everything Robbie Lawler had to offer while returning fire with his trademark volume boxing in their middleweight bout at UFC 266.

It was an especially impressive effort from the Stockton, Calif., native considering that he had been out of action since 2015. By the third round, however, Diaz’s gas tank had waned and he elected not to continue after getting hit by a right hook and left uppercut 44 seconds into the third frame. It was a bizarre ending to an entertaining rematch, but Lawler believes his shots gradually took their toll on the former Strikeforce champion.

“I felt like it was an accumulation,” Lawler said at the UFC 266 post-fight press conference. “But I felt like I caught him with a little check hook and then a little left after that, then when he went down, I hit him with a little uppercut. Then when he went down he wanted me to come down with him and I was like, ‘Let’s continue the fun stuff.’

“He’s a warrior. He wa…

After a stellar performance in a unanimous decision triumph over Brian Ortega in the UFC 266 headliner on Saturday night, Alexander Volkanovski was already looking ahead to what’s next.

While Volkanovski acknowledges that the Nov. 13 main event between Max Holloway and Yair Rodriguez could produce his next challenger, the City Kickboxing standout doesn’t want to wait that long for his next Octagon appearance. Prior to UFC 266, Volkanovski hadn’t fought since July 2020.

“You’ve got the Yair-Max fight, so I’m guessing that’s for No. 1 contender. Whoever wins that gets that shot, right? That’s not til November. I want to fight,” Volkanovski said at the UFC 266 post-fight press conference.

In the name of staying active, Volkanovski isn’t opposed to testing his mettle at 155 pounds.

“So, do I move up to lightweight? Do something,” said Volkanovski, who added he is considering a relocation of his camp to avoid COVID-19 restrictions. “Maybe move up to lightweigh…

Valentina Shevchenko made it look easy against Lauren Murphy in the UFC 266 co-main event. But that was always kind of the goal.

The reigning flyweight queen pitched a virtual shutout for three rounds against a gun shy Murphy before pouring it on in Round 4 to earn a stoppage with elbows and punches at the 4:00 mark of the period at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

“Lauren, she’s a tough opponent,” Shevchenko said at the UFC 266 post-fight press conference. “She’s physical and very strong, but I wanted to play my game. My ultimate goal as a martial artist is to reach the level when your opponents, when they’re fighting each other, [they appear to be] furious, powerful, very strong. But when they fight me, it’s like, they cannot touch you, but you can finish them. It’s kind of like what I want [to] be as a martial artist: untouchable. This is kind of next level of martial artist.”

Shevchenko has come close to achieving that goal during her 125-…

Rafael dos Anjos recently revealed to Sherdog.com that he underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his knee approximately two weeks ago that may put his UFC 267 bout against Islam Makhachev in jeopardy.

The Nova Uniao-trained fighter says that he is doing everything he can to keep the bout intact. UFC 267 takes place on Oct. 30 in Abu Dhabi.

“I'm already walking without crutches, in 10 days I need to be able to sparring,” dos Anjos said. “I’m a fighter; I always want to fight. We already told the UFC what happened. By the way, the UFC was great at paying for all my surgery expenses. But of course I can't decide alone. I have to hear from my trainer, my doctor and physiotherapist. We must take the final decision in one week.”

If the bout is canceled, it would be the third time that dos Anjos vs. Makhachev has fallen through. A matchup at UFC 254 was scrapped after dos Anjos contracted COVID-19, while a rebooking in at UFC Fight Night 182 November 2020 was nixed due…

It had been more than six years since Nick Diaz last set foot in the Octagon, and while he wasn’t able to make a triumphant return against Robbie Lawler on Saturday night, he did provide some entertainment for as long as the fight lasted.

Diaz traded punches with Lawler for two rounds at UFC 266, often showcasing his trademark volume, but he eventually ran out of gas in Round 3. That’s when Lawler landed a right hook that dropped Diaz to a knee before connecting with a left uppercut that sent the Cesar Gracie protege to his back. Moments later, Diaz confirmed to referee Jason Herzog that he didn’t want to continue, ending the bout 44 seconds into the third frame.

All told, Diaz outlanded Lawler by a 150-to-131 count in significant strikes, becoming just the 12th fighter in UFC history to land that many strikes in a loss.

“I’m glad I at least put on a show,” Diaz said during an interview with Daniel Cormier in the Octagon. “I knew I had it coming. Old Rob. I had…

Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega put on a show in the Octagon in the UFC 266 headliner, and both men received a little extra compensation for their efforts at the end of the evening.

Volkanovski and Ortega garnered “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their featherweight championship bout at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. While Volkanovski ultimately prevailed via unanimous decision behind a relentless pace and volume striking, he endured a few precarious moments in the bout, most notably a pair of tight submission attempts in the third frame. Both men continued to stand in trade until the final horn in a clash that will undoubtely end up on some year-end awards lists.

Elsewhere, Merab Dvalishvili captured a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus by virtue of his come-from-behind triumph against Marlon Moraes in a preliminary bantamweight tilt. After nearly being finished by strikes in Round 1, the Georgian fighter regained h…

Alexander Volkanovski’s great was too good for Brian Ortega.

Volkanovski (23-1, 10-0 UFC) strengthened his grip on the undisputed UFC 266 headliner on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. All three cageside judges scored it for the Australian: 49-46, 50-45 and 50-44.

The story was told across five grueling rounds. Volkanovski let fly with powerful two- and three-punch combinations, pestered the Californian with his jab and refused to take his foot off the accelerator. Round 3 was sensational. Ortega (15-2, 7-2 UFC) knocked the champion off-balance with a left hand, jumped on a mounted guillotine choke and appeared to be a heartbeat or two away from finishing it. Volkanovski freed himself and moved into top position, only to find himself entangled in a triangle choke—the very maneuver from which the challenger’s nickname originates. Again, the Freestyle Fighting Gym rep managed to escape. Ferocious ground-and-pound followed, and an exhausted Ortega struggled to ge…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 266 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Sherdog's live UFC 266 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:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round…

What a comeback victory for @MerabDvalishvil

[ #UFC266 | Live on @ESPNPlus & ESPNews ] pic.twitter.com/tk1wM7wgbi

— UFC (@ufc) September 26, 2021 Merab Dvalishvili now has the world wondering whether or not he is human. The Serra-Longo Fight Team product staged a remarkable comeback and climbed another rung on the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight ladder, as he put away Marlon Moraes with punches in the second round of their featured UFC 266 prelim on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Dvalishvili (14-4, 7-2 UFC) brought it to a close 4:25 into Round 2, extending his current winning streak to seven fights.

Moraes (23-9-1, 5-5 UFC) slammed kicks into the former Ring of Combat champion’s lower leg, ripped combinations to the head and connected with a crippling left hook in the first round. He swooped in for a potential finish on the Georgian but emptied his gas tank and conceded a takedown. The indomitable Dvalishvili cle…

The long-awaited bantamweight championship rematch between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan won’t happen at UFC 267 as originally anticipated.

Sterling has withdrawn from the bout due to lingering issues with his neck. “The Funk Master” underwent surgery in April to repair a herniated disc in his neck that has plagued him for years dating back to his collegiate wrestling career. MMAFighting.com was first to report Sterling’s exit from the card.

Sterling captured bantamweight gold at UFC 259 on March 6, when Yan landed an illegal knee that rendered the Serra-Longo Fight Team member unable to continue. Yan, who had claimed the vacant belt with a stoppage of Jose Aldo, could remain on the UFC 267 card in an interim championship clash against Cory Sandhagen, according to a report from MMAjunkie.com. Bout agreements have not yet been issued to either Yan or Sandhagen, however.

Sterling is on a six-bout Octagon winning streak that also includes triumphs over the lik…

Keeping up with the Joneses is a full-time job, in light of ex-Ultimate Fighting Championship champ Jon Jones’ latest arrest.

ESPN broke the news on Friday that Jones had been arrested in Las Vegas on Friday morning for battery domestic violence and injuring or tampering with a vehicle to cause damage of greater than $5,000. Jones came to Las Vegas for his induction to the UFC Hall of Fame on Thursday night, for his 2013 title tilt against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165. “Bones” is still in custody, according to Clark County court records, and he is awaiting a probable cause DNA review for drug or alcohol intoxication. Jones' bail is currently set at $8,000, and he will be brought into court on Saturday.

In an interview before his Hall of Fame induction, Jones joked with media that at heavyweight he needed to “do more legally controversial s---” to stay relevant. This incident is one in a long chain of arrests throughout his career for various offenses. In 2020, he was …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STVsX7_ayL8&w=640&h=360] The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to pay-per-view with a duo of title fights and the return of Nick Diaz.

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 266 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

UFC 266 is headlined by two title fights as featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski faces Brian Ortega and flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko looks to add Lauren Murphy to her lengthy highlight reel. All fighters on the card made weight for the event, including Dan Hooker and Nasrat Haqparast, who both arrived in Las Vegas on Thursday.

Topping the card is the second title defense for Volkanovski (22-1). The Australian is undefeated inside the Octagon and hasn't lost a fight since 2013. "The Great" will go up against Ortega (15-1, 1 NC), who returned to fighting after a two-year layoff by defeating Chan Sung Jung via a dominant decision. T…