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Veteran official Herb Dean will be the third man in the cage for the UFC 266 headliner on Saturday night.

Dean was selected the oversee the featherweight title bout between Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega during a Nevada State Athletic Commission meeting on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Michael Bell, Sal D’Amato and Junichiro Kamijo will serve as judges for the fight.

Keith Peterson will officiate the co-main event, a women’s flyweight championship clash between Valentina Shevchenko and Lauren Murphy, while Dave Hagen, Eric Colon and Chris Lee will score the fight from cageside.

Both Dean and Peterson will earn $2,500 on Saturday night, while all six judges will receive $2,000 apiece for their work.

UFC 266 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and airs on pay-per-view via ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Prelims begin on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT and continue on ESPN and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

This Thursday, @GeorgesStPierre is set to take his rightful place amongst the legends in the UFC Hall of Fame.

[ #UFCHOF | Hall of Fame Presented by @ToyoTires | Thursday 7:30pmPT | Live on @UFCFightPass | https://t.co/Omnn5v2rYm ] pic.twitter.com/0Gmpx1qddI

— UFC (@ufc) September 21, 2021 A memorable UFC Hall of Fame class will be enshrined during a ceremony at Park Theater in Las Vegas on Thursday night.

The event, which is hosted by UFC commentator Jon Anik, will stream live on UFC Fight Pass beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT. Hall of Fame inductees include former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion Georges St. Pierre, UFC Senior Vice President of Government & Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner, former UFC heavyweight champion Kevin Randleman and the 2013 light heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson.

St. Pierre is part of the “Modern Wing” of the UFC Hall of Fame; Ratner will enter the “Con…

Oh no Conor

(via @PitchingNinja)pic.twitter.com/VrHefKzBNV

— br_betting (@br_betting) September 21, 2021 Conor McGregor definitely doesn’t have a future as a pitcher if he seeks an early retirement from combat sports.

The former UFC two-division champion was on hand to throw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Chicago Cubs game against the Minnesota Twins at Wrigley Field on Monday night. The result was disastrous, to say the least.

Decked out in a suit, McGregor launched the pitch well over the head of Cubs player Patrick Wisdom. The ball hit the backstop just a few inches from a couple of fans seated in the first row.

Some might recall that McGregor wasn’t much better at throwing a football, as he launched an awkward toss while attending a Dallas Cowboys game in 2018:

Conor McGregor tried to throw a football at the Dallas Cowboys game. #ufc #mma #ConorMcgregor pic.twitter.com/6QyD9zB75d

— The…

A.J. Dobson let his actions speak, and they spoke loudly.

The Strong Style Fight Team standout was one of four competitors to land Ultimate Fighting Championship contracts on Week 4 of Dana White’s Contender Series, as he submitted Hashem Arkhagha with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their middleweight feature on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Arkhagha (6-1) conceded defeat 4:21 into Round 1.

Dobson (6-0)—who was cornered by UFC hall of famer Mark Coleman—trusted his hands against the Jordanian, engaged him in a firefight and dropped him with a volley of power punches. After a prolonged ground exchange that had Arkhagha on the brink of being stopped, the two men were back on their feet. Dobson fired away with power punches, moved into a dominant position on the turtled K Dojo Warrior Tribe product and applied his ground-and-pound before snaking his arms in place for the fight-ending choke.

In addition to Dobson, UFC President Dana White awarded contr…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC, PFL, Dana White’s Contender Series and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Sherdog's live DWCS 2021 Week 4 coverage kicks off Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. Round 1 The lightweights touch glvoes and we’re underway, with Martinez looking to apply pressure. Martinez lands a left hook, prompting Rosales to shoot for a lw single leg, but Martinez defends nicely. Rosales looks to attack the lead leg of his opponent, but Martinez appears to be quicker to the punch in the early going. Rosales grabs a leg and this time gets Martinez to the canvas. Rosales works his way to the back as Martinez attempts to stand up. Rosales maintains a waist lock, and Martinez is warned by Mike Beltran for grabbing the fence as Rosales attempts to drag him back down. They separate and retu…

A bantamweight clash pitting Yadong Song against Julio Arce is on tap for a UFC card on Nov. 13.

MMA DNA was first to report the booking. The card is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a featherweight tilt between Max Holloway and Yair Rodriguez.

Song has lost just one of his first eight Octagon appearances, falling to Kyler Phillips via unanimous decision at UFC 259. Most recently, the 23-year-old Team Alpha Male representative garnered a split verdict against Casey Kenney at UFC 265 on Aug. 7.

Arce returned for the first time in nearly two years at UFC on ESPN 27, where he defeated Andre Ewell via second-round TKO on July 24. The Dana White’s Contender Series alum is 4-2 during his promotional tenure, with other wins over Julian Erosa, Daniel Teymur and Dan Ige.

An action-packed welterweight scrap pitting Matt Brown against Bryan Barberena is set for an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Dec. 4.

MMA DNA was first to report the booking. The card doesn’t have an official location or headliner but already includes several bouts of note: Rafael Fiziev vs. Brad Riddell; Jimmy Crute vs. Jamahal Hill and Brendan Allen vs. Brad Tavares, to name a few.

Brown halted a two-bout skid in his last outing, as he defeated Dhiego Lima via second-round knockout at UFC on ESPN 25 on June 19. “The Immortal” has won three of five Octagon appearances dating back to 2019, with wins over Ben Saunders and Diego Sanchez to his credit.

Barberena, meanwhile, is coming off a majority decision defeat to Jason Witt at UFC on ESPN 28 that earned “Fight of the Night” honors on July 31. “Bam Bam” has won just one of his last four Octagon appearances, a decision triumph against Anthony Ivy at UFC Fight Night 177.

The BIGGEST fight of the year!!

PUDZIANOWSKIBOMBARDIER

Tickets available right now!!PPV via KSWTV & KSW App!! pic.twitter.com/nbCWS2RI1Y — KSW (@KSW_MMA) September 21, 2021

The titanic showdown between former “World’s Strongest Man” Mariusz Pudzianowski and Senegalese wrestling champion Serigne Ousmane Dia has been rebooked for KSW 64.

The Polish promotion announced the rescheduled bout on Tuesday. KSW 64 takes place on Oct. 23 at Atlas Arena in Lodz, Poland. The event airs on KSWTV.com. Pudzianowski and the man known as “Bombardier” were initially slated to clash in the KSW 59 main event, but Ousmane Dia had to pull out of the contest due to appendicitis on the day of the fight.

Pudzianowski would still compete at KSW 59, where he scored a 61-second TKO victory against Nikola Milanovic, who was making his professional MMA debut. Most recently, the 44-year-old Polish strongman returned at KSW 61 to earn a third-round stopp…

THAT. IS. IT.@DonMadgeMMA finishes Edwards in round 2 with a CLEAN head kick! #UFCMoncton pic.twitter.com/GbpL5XtiyN

— UFC (@ufc) October 27, 2018

South African lightweight Don Madge will make his Professional Fighters League debut next month.

The two-time UFC veteran announced that he has signed with PFL and will square off against Nathan Williams at the organzation’s championship event on Oct. 27.

[Oct. 27] I’m showing why I’m the best [lightweight] out there,” Madge wrote on his Instagram story. “And I’m only just getting going.”

The PFL Championship takes place at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla., and will see fighters from six different weight classes vie for a $1 million prize. The card is topped by a women’s lightweight showdown between Kayla Harrison and Taylor Guardado. Madge vs. Williams will presumably take place on the preliminary draw.

Madge hasn’t competed since September 2019, when he took …

For the second consecutive pay-per-view event, a familiar face will be missing from the UFC broadcast team.

Longtime commentator Joe Rogan will miss UFC 266 on Saturday night, and as a result, will be replaced by retired lightweight contender Paul Felder in the booth. Felder will join play-play voice Jon Anik and fellow retired analyst Daniel Cormier on the cageside broadcast team. Rogan will miss the card to go on a hunting trip, according to a report from MMAjunkie.com. Felder, who retired in 2020, has been calling UFC events since 2017.

Rogan was also absent for UFC 265 in August due to scheduling conflicts with his comedy tour. Rogan has been working with the Las Vegas-based promotion since 1997 and has been a staple of the organization’s pay-per-view broadcasts.

UFC 266 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night and is headlined by a featherweight title clash between Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega, while Valentina Shevchenko …

Anthony Smith is one of six athletes from UFC Fight Night 192 who is facing a potentially lengthy medical suspension.

Smith defeated Ryan Spann via rear-naked choke at the 3:47 mark of Round 1 in their headlining light heavyweight bout on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. “Lionheart” must now have an MRI on his right knee and receive doctor clearance or he will be sidelined until March 18. Spann, meanwhile, is suspended until Oct. 19 with no contact until Oct. 10.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission recently released a full list of medical suspensions to mixedmartialarts.com.

Five other competitors from UFC Fight Night 192 are also facing a six-month sit pending doctor clearance: Devin Clark (alveolar ridge fracture, left ankle), Joaquin Buckley (left orbital fracture), Pannie Kianzad (right cornial abrasion), Zhu Rong (left thumb) and Gustavo Lopez (left infraorbital wall fracture).

UFC Fight Night 192 Medical Suspensions:

Anthony Smith: must have …

After leaving the UFC following a decision loss to Cory Sandhagen in April 2019, John Lineker elected to sign with Singapore-based promotion One Championship.

That decision has paid off to the tune of successive victories over Muin Gafurov, Kevin Belingon and Troy Worthen to begin his promotional tenure. As a result, “Hands of Stone” will get his chance to fight for the bantamweight (145-pound) belt against countryman Bibiano Fernandes on Dec. 5.

“He offended me personally with some statements, but I took it professionally,” Lineker told Sherdog.com. “I don’t like trash talking — my answer will be given in the fight.

“I have no doubt Bibiano is a great champion, but this is my turn. That´s the moment I´ve always dreamed,”Lineker continued. “He is one of the best jiu-jitsu fighters in MMA. For sure the best jiu-jitsu fighter I´ve ever faced, but the fight starts standing up, and I'm going to look for the knockout from the opening second. I´m sure he’s never …

Bellator MMA talent Dillon Danis has apparently recently encountered some trouble with law enforcement.

A video posted on Instagram shows Danis being taken away by police while wearing a brace on his right knee. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist is lifted off the ground, handcuffed and hauled away by officers outside of an establishment that is reportedly Beachcomber Bar and Grill in Seaside Heights, N.J., according to MMAjunkie.com.

Further details regarding the incident are currently unclear, although what appears to be a mugshot of Danis has also surfaced on Twitter.

Dillon Danis got arrested last night for trying to impersonate an MMA Fighter. pic.twitter.com/5aSbMS0uXF

— MMA Roasted (@MMARoasted) September 19, 2021

Meanwhile, Danis’ has only issued the following statement via Twitter:

you need people like me

— Dillon Danis (@dillondanis) September 20, 2021

A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt w…

One fighter missed weight ahead of Week 4 of Dana White’s Contender Series on Monday morning.

Hashem Arkhagha, who is slated to face Athlone Dobson in the card’s featured bout, tipped the scales at 189 pounds for their middleweight matchup. Dobson had no such difficulties, checking in at 184.5 pounds. The other eight fighters slated to compete all hit their contracted marks, as well.

The Contender Series takes place on Tuesday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and airs via ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. 

A native of Jordan, Arkhagha has kicked off his professional tenure with six consecutive triumphs, with four wins coming via KO/TKO and two via submission. “Cavaca” last appeared at UAE Warriors 13, where he knocked out Yuri Fraga 2:27 into the opening round of their September 2020 encounter. 

Dobson, meanwhile, is 5-0 with one no contest thus far in his burgeoning career. The Powell, Ohio, native has four first-round finishes to his credit, including …

Gerald Meerschaert will welcome Abusupiyan Magomedov to the Octagon at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Dec. 18.

UFD Sports Management first brought word of the middleweight booking, and it was later confirmed by MMAjunkie.com. The event does not have an official location and is also expected to include a strawweight clash between Nina Nunes and Amanda Lemos as well as a bantamweight tilt pitting Raphael Assuncao against Ricky Simon.

Meerschaert is 2-0 thus far in 2021 after posting submission wins over Bartosz Fabinski at UFC on ESPN 22 and against Makhmud Muradov at UFC on ESPN 30. The 33-year-old Roufusport product is 8-6 during his promotional tenure and 33-14 as a professional overall. He has finished 25 of his wins by submission.

The 33-year-old Magomedov has compiled a 24-4-1 career mark while competing in organizations such as KSW, Professional Fighters League and Superior Fighting Championship. The Germany-based fighter made the PFL finals i…

The potential UFC return of Kron Gracie remains a mystery, even to his father.

To help promote “Breathe,” a book about his life in Brazil, Rickson Gracie recently gave an interview on the Combate.com podcast "Mundo da Luta” discussing a number of topics — including his son’s next move.

 "He is living in Montana and I'm allowing him to have his own space to grow as a man and athlete,” Rickson said. “I don’t pressure him for information about his career and don’t know if he will return to the UFC.

“By the way, If you guys find out some news about him, please let me know," Rickson quipped.

Kron Gracie last appeared at UFC Fight Night 161 in October 2019, when he suffered a unanimous decision defeat to Cub Swanson. The 33-year-old Brazilian is 5-1 over the course of a professional career that includes a victory over Alex Caceres in UFC competition as well as triumphs against Tatsuya Kawajiri and Hideo Tokoro under the Rizin Fighting Federation banne…

Yoel Romero’s Bellator MMA debut didn’t go as planned, but promotion head Scott Coker is confident that “The Soldier of God” still has plenty left in the tank at 44 years old.

In his first fight since March 2020, Romero dropped a split decision to Phil Davis in the Bellator 266 headliner at the SAP Arena in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday night. The bout wasn’t as close as the scorecards indicated, as Davis gradually imposed his will over the course of the fight — including a dominant third stanza that saw him take down the Olympic silver medalist repeatedly.

Coker was more impressed with Davis, a former Bellator champion, than he was down on Romero’s performance.

“I think that Phil is an amazing fighter, as we all know, and he just delivered another solid performance,” Coker told media the Bellator 266 post-fight press conference. “He fought smart. Yoel is still dangerous. If he hits you, it’s over. I think Phil probably felt that power early on, so he tried to …

Kai Asakura (@kai_1031_) searching for the kill!

Buy the PPVhttps://t.co/1Ky6EkhwcQ#RIZIN #MMA #RIZIN30 #格闘技 #RIZINFF pic.twitter.com/v0xIPIxoYc

— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) September 19, 2021 Eight men collided at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on Sunday in hopes of eventually earning a shot at Rizin Fighting Federation bantamweight titleholder Kyoji Horiguchi’s belt. Now only four of those athletes are one step closer to that goal.

The Rizin 30 main card featured all four quarterfinal bouts of the Japanese promotion’s bantamweight grand grix. In the main event, former 135-pound kingpin Kai Asakura (18-3, 10-2 Rizin) extended his winning streak to two after defeating Alan Yamaniha (18-9-4, 1-1 Rizin) via unanimous decision. Both contenders started strong in the first couple of minutes in Round 1, as the 27-year-old Asakura aimed for “Hiro”’s body with wide right hooks and mixed it up with s…

Shortly after a decision loss to Aleksandar Rakic in the UFC Fight Night 175 main event — his second straight lopsided defeat in the Octagon — last August, Anthony Smith was contemplating a return to 185 pounds.

Since then, “Lionheart” has rattled off three consecutive light heavyweight triumphs to re-establish his place in the division. The most recent of those came on Saturday night in a quick submission triumph over Ryan Spann in the UFC Fight Night 192 headliner, after which Smith called for a rematch with Rakic.

“That’s what I wanted. That’s what I asked for,” Smith said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “That’s the fight I’ve been talking about. It’s nothing personal. Me and Rakic have had nothing but positive exchanges with each other both before and after the fight. It’s purely competitive. I want his spot. He took mine, I want to take it back.”

Shortly after Smith’s callout, Rakic seemingly accepted, tagging UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard in a Tw…

A Bellator press release describes it as the “chance of a lifetime” for Julius Anglickas.

Originally an alternate in the promotion’s light heavyweight grand prix, Anglickas will step in for Anthony Johnson against reigning 205-pound champ Vadim Nemkov in the Bellator 268 main event on Oct. 16. Promotion officials announced the new semifinal pairing after Johnson was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to an undisclosed illness.

Bellator 268 takes place at the Footprint Center in Phoenix and will also see Ryan Bader square off against Corey Anderson in the other half of the light heavyweight bracket. Anglickas’ original opponent, Karl Albrektsson, will now square off against Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov on the preliminary card. Two other bouts were also confirmed for the event: Jaylon Bates vs. Raphael Montini de Lima at bantamweight and Mukhamed Berkhamov vs. Jaleel Willis at welterweight. The main card will air on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while prelims …

Anthony Smith continues to put the two-fight losing streak of early 2020 further in his rearview mirror.

“Lionheart” earned a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award for his first-round submission of Ryan Spann in the UFC Fight Night 192 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Smith dropped Spann twice in the early going, advancing to his opponent’s back on the second occasion and locking in a rear-naked choke to force the tap 3:47 into Round 1 of the light heavyweight bout for his third consecutive victory.

Elsewhere, lightweight prospect Arman Tsarukyan garnered a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check by making short work of Christos Giagos in another featured pairing. The American Top Team prospect countered a body kick from Giagos with a left hook that put his foe on his seat near the fence. From there, Tsarukyan unloaded with ground-and-pound until the bout was halted 2:09 into the first frame.

Earlier, Nathan Maness captured a $50,000 “Perf…

Anthony Smith sent a loud-and-clear message to Ryan Spann: Gate closed.

“Lionheart” blocked Spann’s path to the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s light heavyweight elite, as he submitted the Fortis MMA export with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 192 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Spann (19-7, 5-2 UFC) conceded defeat 3:47 into Round 1.

Smith (36-16, 11-6 UFC) floored the former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion with a left hook, jumped into top position and threatened with an armbar before returning to an upright position. Once there, he staggered Spann with another left hook, folded him with a right cross and advanced to the back. Smith then secured his position, flattened out “Superman” and snaked his arms in place for the fight-ending choke.

@LionheartASmith is heated and wants his RESPECT! #UFCVegas37 pic.twitter.com/GHx9MsxIBV

— UFC (@ufc) September 19, 2021 Cutelaba Mauls Overmatch…

In a matchup of strength vs. strength, Phil Davis was too much for Yoel Romero to handle.

“Mr. Wonderful” gradually imposed his will on the Olympic silver medalist en route to a split-decision triumph in the Bellator 266 headliner at the SAP Arena in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday night. Judge Michael Bell had it 30-26 and Ron McCarthy saw it 30-27 — both for Davis — while Jerin Valel submitted a curious 29-28 scorecard in favor of Romero. It was Romero’s first light heavyweight appearance since a knockout loss to Rafael Cavalcant at a Strikeforce event in 2011.

“He’s a monster,” Davis said. “I felt that power more times than I wished I had tonight. He’s an incredibly powerful fighter.”

After a tentative opening round from both fighters in Round 1, the action picked up in the second frame. There, Davis began to find a rhythm connecting with his jab and straight right hand, including a one-two combination that prompted a yell of acknowledgement from Romero. Davis…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC, PFL, Dana White’s Contender Series and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 192 coverage will begin Saturday at 4 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:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben…