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Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Two Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight grapplers with equal 92 percent finish rates will toe the line in June. Seventeen years will separate Alexey Oleynik (59-15-1) and Sergey Spivak (12-2) when they meet at UFC on ESPN 25 on June 19, per a report from Russian outlet Vetnik MMA on Thursday. Spivak has since confirmed the heavyweight pairing on his Instagram, with the two meeting at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The 43-year-old Oleynik is currently on a two-fight knockout loss skid, with Derrick Lewis and Chris Daukaus both putting him away with punches. Against Lewis, Oleynik very nearly had “The Black Beast” finished with a scarf hold, but Lewis survived and blasted him in the next round. The Russian submission magician sports an incredible 46 wins by submission over the years, as one of the very few MMA fighters in histor…

#2021PFL4 Featherweight and Lightweight matchups are OFFICIAL! pic.twitter.com/bFNqftIOZh

— PFL (@PFLMMA) May 13, 2021 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the PFL live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Even though Anthony Pettis lost his first Professional Fighters League fight, the promotion is placing him higher on his next card than the man that beat him. On Thursday, the PFL released its lineup for PFL 4: 2021 Regular Season, which takes place at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J., on June 10. Ten fights throughout the featherweight and lightweight divisions have been matched for this event, plus the previously announced women’s lightweight non-tournament battle between Claressa Shields (0-0) and Brittney Elkin (3-6) which will be high on the main card and possibly even the headliner. The tournament main event comes at lightweight, as Anthony Pettis (24-11) takes on…

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 time may soon come where Ultimate Fighting Championship announcer Bruce Buffer has to say the words “Huggy Bear” at an event. A report from Fight Bananas came out on Thursday stating that Ben Rothwell (38-13) has a new opponent. Rothwell, once booked against Philipe Lins and then later Askar Mozharov, will now be meeting UFC newcomer Chris Barnett (21-6) at UFC Fight Night 188. Ukraine’s Mozharov was forced to withdraw due to visa issues. The news of this heavyweight clash at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas has since been confirmed by multiple outlets.

Barnett, a frequent super heavyweight, has bounced around promotions like Road FC and Island Fights over the years. The man known as “Huggy Bear,” and more recently as “Beastboy,” is riding a six-fight win streak with four knockouts into his signing. His level of competition throu…

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. Ultimate Fighting Championship fan-favorite Jeremy Stephens is getting a new opponent for his return to lightweight. On Thursday, MMA Junkie reported that Stephens (28-18, 1 NC) is still planning a trip back to 155 pounds, but it will not be against the previously planned Drakkar Klose any longer. Instead, Stephens will greet Mateusz Gamrot (18-1, 1 NC) inside the Octagon on July 17. The UFC Fight Night card on that date does not yet have a location or venue set, although it is expected to take place inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas due to the pandemic still raging on. Gamrot has since confirmed the news of this booking on his Instagram.

Stephens was booked against Klose at UFC on ESPN 22 in April, but a weigh-in altercation where Stephens grabbed Klose’s neck, inflicting damage on Klose and forced the latter out of the fight. Kl…

A middleweight clash of contenders pitting Darren Till against Derek Brunson has nearly been finalized for the main event of an Ultimate Fighting Championship offering on Aug. 14.

ESPN initially brought word of the matchup. The booking is contingent upon Till recovering from a broken collarbone which forced him out of a proposed showdown with Marvin Vettori at UFC on ABC 2 on April 10. The location for the UFC Fight Night event has yet to be announced.

Till has lost three of his last four promotional apppearances. In his last outing, the Liverpool native fell to 1-1 at 185 pounds following a five-round defeat to Robert Whittaker in the UFC on ESPN 14 headliner.

The 37-year-old Brunson is enjoying yet another resurgence thanks to a four-fight winning streak that dates back to May 2019. His last two appearances have been arguably the most impressive, as he has upended middleweight prospects Edmen Shahbazyan and Kevin Holland in consecutive fights.

A matchup between lightweight prospects is in the works, as Islam Makhachev and Thiago Moises are expected to square off in a three-round bout on July 17.

The UFC is close to finalizing the 155-pound contest, according to broadcast partner ESPN. A main event and location for the card have yet to be determined.

A teammate of former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev is currently on a seven-bout winning streak within the Las Vegas-based promotion. Most recently, the 29-year-old Dagestani submitted Drew Dober with an arm triangle in the third round of their UFC 259 clash on March 6.

Moises, meanwhile, is on a three-bout winning streak in the Octagon. After submitting Michael Johnson, the 26-year-old American Top Team representative has earned consecutive decision triumphs over Bobby Green and Alexander Hernandez.

Credit: Joao Baptista Credit: Joao Baptista Credit: Joao Baptista

Paulo Costa and Jared Cannonier will headline a UFC event on Aug. 21.

ESPN was first to report the middleweight booking, which is expected to be finalized soon. The location for the card has yet to be determined.

Costa hasn’t competed since suffering a second-round TKO loss to Israel Adesanya in a middleweight championship bout at UFC 253 last September. “Borrachinha” was slated to face Robert Whittaker on April 17 but was forced to pull out of the bout due to illness. The 30-year-old Brazilian was victorious in his first 13 pro outings before falling to Adesanya.

Cannonier was tabbed as a title contender in waiting following a trio of TKO victories against David Branch, Anderson Silva and Jack Hermansson. That momentum was derailed, however, in a decision defeat to Whittaker at UFC 254 in October.

The whiskey business has been quite lucrative for Conor McGregor.

The former UFC two-division champion checked in at No. 1 on Forbes’ list of highest paid athletes for 2021. McGregor’s ranking was due in large part to selling a majority stake of Proper No. Twelve for $150 million.

According to Forbes, McGregor earned a total of $180 million the past 12 months, and that includes $158 million outside of his fighting career. The Irish superstar joins Tiger Woods and Roger Federer as the only athletes to garner in excess of $70 million outside of their sport while still actively competing.

While whiskey was the main source of McGregor’s rise to the top of the list, he also secured endorsements with DraftKings, the video game Dystopia: Contest of Heroes and Roots of Fight. McGregor previously made the Forbes Top 10 in 2018 with $99 million in earnings following his boxing match against Floyd Mayweather.

McGregor, who ranked just ahead of soccer stars Lionel M…

A matchup of Brazilian light heavyweights has been targeted for an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Sept. 25.

Former 205-pound title challenger Thiago Santos is expected to lock horns with Johnny Walker on the card, which hasn’t been official announced by the promotion. While verbal agreements are in place for the fight, contracts have not been signed. Combate was first to report the booking. The event doesn’t have an official location or headliner at this time.

Santos will look to end a three-bout losing streak when he squares off against Walker. After fallling to then champion Jon Jones in a competitive split decision at UFC 239, “Marreta” returned from multiple knee surgeries to drop back-to-back fights against Glover Teixeira and Aleksandar Rakic. The 37-year-old Brazilian was victorious in eight of nine Octagon appearances from February 2017 to February 2019.

Walker, meanwhile, snapped a two-fight skid with a first-round knockout of Ryan Spann at UFC…

Charles Oliveira’s coach is confident that his fighter will be able to finish Michael Chandler inside the distance at UFC 262.

Diego Lima, the leader of Chute Boxe Sao Paulo, spoke to Sherdog.com shortly after arriving in Houston for fight week along with Oliveira and Jorge Macaco. He said that preparations for the lightweight title bout have gone much smoother than they did for “Do Bronx’s” last Octagon appearance.

“Our last fight against [Tony] Ferguson was such a stressful atmosphere due to the short notice of one week,” Lima said. “Besides not having a normal camp, we had a pretty tough weight cut, plus [dealing with] all the visa and COVID-19 processes.

“This time, everything went perfectly. We tested negative in Sao Paulo and here in Houston. And, besides being very well trained, Charles just needs to cut 11 pounds by Friday.”

Lima revealed that the whole Chute Boxe team collaborated in helping Oliveira prepare for his title fight with Chandler.

…

Have peace in the process and joy in the journey! @RoSimonJr @Fast7v7 @Deestroying @KevinLamarCole1 @vitorbelfort pic.twitter.com/d84AsY9mdT

— Davi Belfort (@DaviBelfort) March 7, 2021

Davi Belfort, the 16-year-old son of former UFC champion Vitor Belfort, has drawn the attention of several colleges thanks to his quarterbacking abilities.

“He followed me in the gym since he was very young. Certainly that routine helped him to fall in love with football, because I never forced him or my daughters to fight,” Belfort told Sherdog.com.

According to the elder Belfort, Davi drew interest ahead of schedule for his abilities on the gridiron. The quarterback prospect attends Cardinal Newman in West Palm Beach, Fla.

“I was really impressed how focused he is and how he uses social media to make good connections to improve,” Vitor said. “Now, for example, he is training with (University of Alabama quarterback) Bryce Young in Costa Mesa. Bryce in…

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

Rizin Fighting Federation has once again shuffled its upcoming event schedule.

The Japanese promotion has postponed Rizin 29 from May 30 to June 13 in order to allow fan attendance at the event. Rizin CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara announced the news during a press conference.

“I have made the decision to postpone the event after consulting with the fighters, staff and organizers,” Sakakibara said. “Everyone was willing to adapt and put on the show for fans a month later.

“It has been nearly a year with reduced attendance, but the fans’ presence and support is what pushes the fighters to put on the best shows.”

Rizin 29 takes place at Maruzen Intech Arena Osaka in Osaka, Japan and features four bouts in the opening round of the promotion’s bantamweight grand prix. The latest postponement comes after the organization rescheduled Rizin 28, slated for the Tokyo Dome on May 23, to June 13 due to a “sta…

Paul Daley will square off against Jason Jackson in a 175-pound catchweight affair at Bellator 260.

Promotion officials announced the bout on Wednesday. Bellator 260 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., on June 11 and is headlined by a welterweight title clash pitting Douglas Lima against Yaroslav Amosov. The main card airs on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Daley is riding the momentum of a three-bout winning streak within the California-based organization. Most recently, “Semtex” scored a second-round TKO of Sabah Homasi at Bellator 257 on April 16. The 38-year-old British fighter has also bested Saad Awad and Erick Silva during his current run and is 42-17-2 over the course of a pro tenure that began in 2003.

Jackson, meanwhile, has won five of six Bellator appearances. His last two outings have been his most significant, as he has earned back-to-back decision triumphs over Benson Henderson and Neiman Gracie. “The Ass Kicking Machine” is 14…

Credit: Getty/UFC

Maurice Greene’s time with the Ultimate Fighting Championship has apparently come to an end.

The heavyweight announced his release in a post on his Instagram account Tuesday. “The Crochet Boss” dropped a three-round verdict to Marcos Rogerio de Lima in a featured bout at UFC on ESPN 24 this past Saturday. In that defeat, Greene surrendered three takedowns and 14:06 of control time to his Brazilian opponent.

“When one door closes another one opens. I have had ups and downs with the [UFC] and today that relationship comes to an end,” Greene wrote. “Look at the bright side: I’m still in the best shape of my life. I’m physically and mentally [strong] than ever and the next chapter I am excited for.

“This game is unforgiving, but hey, I’m down for the challenge of making my name with a new promotion or the road back. The best is yet to come.”

The 34-year-old Jackson-Wink MMA member begin his promotional tenure with three consecutive triumphs, …

It appears that the UFC Apex in Las Vegas will remain the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s home base for the time being.

The Nevada Athletic Commission approved events on June 5, June 19 and June 26 at the promotion’s own venue, which has been the setting for the vast majority of UFC bouts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The only other event scheduled for next month, UFC 263, takes place at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz. on June 12. There are no audience restrictions in place for that card.

UFC Fight Night 189 takes place on June 5 and is headlined by a heavyweight clash between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Augusto Sakai; UFC on ESPN 25 goes down on June 19 and is topped by a featherweight duel between Chang Sung Jung and Dan Ige and UFC Fight Night 190 on June 26 features a heavyweight matchup between Alexander Volkov and Ciryl Gane.

The promotion is hoping to have crowds return to Las Vegas for UFC 264 on July 10, which is headlined by a trilogy bout bet…

A flyweight scrap pitting Alexandre Pantoja against Brandon Royval has been targeted for a UFC event on Aug. 21.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the matchup. The event does not currently have a location or headliner.

Pantoja was successful in his first appearance of 2021, as he outpointed former Rizin bantamweight champ Manel Kape at UFC Fight Night 184 on Feb. 6. The Brazilian is 7-3 over the course of his Octagon tenure.

Royval, meanwhile, saw a four-bout professional winning streak come to an end in a first-round TKO defeat against current No. 1 contender Brandon Moreno at UFC 255. The former Legacy Fighting Alliance standout began his promotional tenure with submission wins over Tim Elliott and Kai Kara-France.

Credit: Getty/UFC

The UFC 263 lineup has expanded to 15 bouts with the addition of two more matchups.

The promotion announced Tuesday that Eryk Anders will face Darren Stewart at light heavyweight, while Pannie Kianzad will square off against Alexis Davis at bantamweight. UFC 263 takes place on June 12 at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz., and is headlined by a middleweight title tilt pitting Israel Adesanya against Marvin Vettori. Fans will be allowed to attend the event at full capacity.

Anders vs. Stewart is a rematch of a UFC Fight Night 187 bout that ended prematurely when Anders landed an illegal knee against his opponent at the 4:37 mark of Round 1. While that bout was contested at middleweight, the rematch will take place at 185 pounds.

Kianzad enters the showdown with Davis on a three-fight winning streak with triumphs over Jessica-Rose Clark, Bethe Correia and Sijara Eubanks to her credit. A former bantamweight title challenger, Davis snapped a three…

Three fighters from this past Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 24 card could be sidelined for a significant period of time due to injuries suffered in their respective bouts.

Maurice Greene (right knee), Michael Trizano (right hand, right knee, right ankle) and Carlston Lindsay Harris (left ribs) are all facing six-month suspensions unless they receive doctor clearance. The Nevada Athletic Commission released a full list of medicals from UFC on ESPN 24 to mixedmartialarts.com.

UFC on ESPN 24 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and saw Marina Rodriguez take a unanimous verdict against Michelle Waterson in the evening’s flyweight headliner. Though Rodriguez experienced some swelling on her jaw after absorbing a head kick in the fifth round, she only received a one-month term with no contact until May 30. Waterson is also suspended until June 8 with no contact until May 30.

UFC on ESPN 24 Medical Suspensions:

Marina Rodriguez: suspended until 6/8/21, no contact u…

Even if Jon Jones doesn’t get an immediate heavyweight title shot, there are some interesting possibilities in the big man’s division for the former 205-pound king.

UFC president Dana White has been making the media rounds in advance of Saturday’s UFC 262 card, and one of the hot topics of conversation has been the potential booking between heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and Jones. At the moment, it appears that the promotion has moved on from that fight and is targeting a rematch between Ngannou and Derrick Lewis for the next heavyweight title bout.

“We’re working on that fight [Ngannou vs. Lewis],” White told TSN. “That fight is going to happen this summer.”

Jones has been quite vocal regarding his desire for a more lucrative contract to go with his move to heavyweight. Thus far, negotiations between the fighter, who recently parted ways with his management team, and the UFC have not been especially productive.

"I haven't [spoken to Jones], but […

It was an eventful weekend for Anthony Johnson.

One day after knocking out Jose Augusto Azevedo Barros in the second round at Bellator 258 in his first fight in more than four years, “Rumble” was arrested in Connecticut.

Accoring to a report from the Greenwich Daily Voice, Johnson was taken into custody by New Caanan (Conn.) police and charged with identity theft, receipt from the illegal use of a credit card, and cited for spending less than $500 on a revoked payment card.

The charges stem from a complaint made by an area resident whose credit card was used without permission to purchase a round-trip ticket from Newark to Fort Lauderdale in November 2019. Authorities then obtained a warrant for Johnson, who was allegedly the passenger on that illegally purchased flight.

New Canaan police located Johnson at the Mohegan Sun Casino and transported him back to headquarters, where he was released on $500 bond. He is scheduled to make a court appearance later…

Michael Chandler knows the dangers that await him in the Octagon when he squares off against Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight crown at UFC 262 on Saturday.

"I trained a lot of jiu-jitsu because Charles is very good, probably the scariest opponent I´ve ever faced in my whole career,” the former Bellator title holder recently told Combate.

That said, Chandler believes that if he can survive Oliveira’s initial blitz, he will be the stronger fighter over the course of a five-round championship bout.

"If He can't get the submission or knock out really fast, he starts to get tired and that's where I start to shine,” Chandler said. “I have no doubt that my athleticism will be a turning point in a 25- minute fight.

“Charles will start strong but will get tired and I´m not. I hope to get a knockout in the first two rounds, but the fans can also expect a 25-minutes war.”

UFC 262 takes place at the Toyota Center in Houston and will also T…

For the first time in 18 months, Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki will have fans in attendance at an event.

The Polish promotion announced on Tuesday that KSW 61 will allow 50 percent audience capacity, per government guidlines, on June 5 at Ergo Arena in Gdansk Poland. KSW last had fans in attendance for KSW 52 on Dec. 7, 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the organization to cancel multiple events. After KSW returned to operations, it held its last eight cards behind closed doors.

KSW 61 is headlined by a heavyweight showdown between Mariusz Pudzianowski and Lukasz Jurkowski. The card is available via pay-per-view at KSWTV.com.

According to a release, “this clash between two Polish MMA legends and icons will serve as a fitting main event to welcome fans back at a KSW showcase for the first time in over 18 months. Both Pudzianowski and Jurkowski are credited with helping the sport of MMA grow in this part of the world and are true fan favorites.”

Alan Jouban is calling it a career after 24 professional mixed martial arts bouts.

The 38-year-old Lafayette, La., native announced his decision in a post on his Instagram account Monday night.

“I’d like to officially announce my retirement from MMA,” Jouban wrote. “Fighting and the UFC have given me everything I have today! I would not change a single thing from my journey because I got to live my dream and not know what was next. My coaches, my teammates, those of you that were [a part] of this, I appreciate you so much! Thank you to my supporters and even my opponents along the way.

“Injuries, age and life have shown me that it’s time. If I can’t compete to my fullest, then I won’t,” he continued. “So I’ll focus my time now on broadcasting where I can still share my passion and knowledge for the sport with with everyone at home. Thank you to everyone for all the love over the years. I look forward to becoming a staple in the sport from this end now as well.”<…

It looks like Donald Cerrone will receive another opportunity to step into the Octagon.

UFC president Dana White confirmed to TSN that the popular veteran will get another fight in the promotion following a first-round technical knockout loss to Alex Morono in the UFC on ESPN 24 co-main event this past Saturday night. Cerrone was originally slated to face Diego Sanchez in a 170-pound bout on the card, but plans changed when “The Ultimate Fighter 1” winner was released from the promotion shortly before the event.

“‘Cowboy’ again steps up, Diego falls out of the fight, he steps up and takes a last-minute replacement, co-main event. What he wants to do – he accepted the Diego fight because they both said they would fight at 170,” White said. “He wants to move down to [155] and get another fight, and I’m going to let him do that.”

Cerrone is winless in his last six UFC appearances and has been finished in four of those fights. White confirmed that the BMF Ranch fou…