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The semifinals of the Bellator light heavyweight grand prix have a date and a venue.

The promotion announced Saturday that Vadim Nemkov vs. Anthony Johnson and Ryan Bader vs. Corey Anderson will take place on Oct. 16 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz. The main card airs on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on the Bellator MMA YouTube channel, the Showtime Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV beginning at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. Addtional bouts will be announced at a later date.

Nemkov claimed the 205-pound belt with a second-round TKO of Ryan Bader at Bellator 244 last August before outpointing Phil Davis in the quarterfinals of the grand prix at Bellator 257 on April 16. The 29-year-old Russian is currently on an eight-bout winning streak.

Johnson returned to action for the first time since 2017 at Bellator 258, where he survived some early adversity to score a second-round knockout of Jose Augusto Azevedo Barros on May 7. The 37-year-o…

UFC on ESPN 28 is down yet another fight.

On Saturday, Rani Yahya announced that he has withdrawn from Saturday’s co-main event bout against Kyung Ho Kang due to a positive COVID-19 test. As a result the card will move forward with 10 fights. UFC on ESPN 28 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a middleweight tilt pitting Uriah Hall against Sean Strickland. Yahya vs. Kang is the fifth bout that has been canceled from the card over the course of the past week.

“Hey guys, my fight just got cancelled. I tested positive for the COVID-19 test that was made yeasterday, “ Yahya wrote on Instagram. “I feel very good physically, and I believe that everything happens for a reason. Thank you all for the support!!”

Yahya ended a two-bout winless skid at UFC Fight Night 187, when he submitted Ray Rodriguez in the second round on March 13. The 36-year-old Constrictor Team representative is 12-4-1 with one no contest since beginning his tenure with th…

Coming in at 185.5

@UriahHallMMA is all business for #UFCVegas33.

[ LIVE Tomorrow on @ESPN & E+ ] pic.twitter.com/kbXuGMRBED — UFC (@ufc) July 30, 2021 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. For the third week in a row, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will put on a card airing on ESPN, but it lost multiple fights during its dramatic weigh-ins.

UFC on ESPN 28 is headlined by a bout between middleweight mainstays Uriah Hall and Sean Strickland and both main eventers made weight. A middleweight with tremendous knockout potential, Hall (17-9) is always a wildcard when he enters the Octagon. "Primetime" is on the best streak of his career having put together four straight wins inside the UFC. In his last time out, Chris Weidman suffered a gruesome leg injury from the first kick at the beginning of their bout. Prior to that, Hal…

One Championship returned with its first live event in months, and its main MMA fight did not disappoint.

The “One: Battleground” headliner pitted strawweight muay Thai champ Sam-A Gaiyanghadao against Prajanchai PK.Saenchai Muaythaigym. While many expected a surgical performance from the titleholder, his young opponent surprised with his audacity and recklessness. The defending champion did not fare well in the early going, getting dropped right at the end of the round with a big right hand. Sam-A composed himself in the second stanza, but Prajanchai carried his momentum into quick attacks and flashy combinations in the second and third rounds.

As the fight advanced in the championship rounds, the challenger seemed to slow down, with inexperience possibly playing a factor as he fatigued. Sam-A tried to keep his opponent’s aggression at bay with body kicks, and his strategy paid dividends as the clash continued. The defending champion hunted for a knockout, hoping that …

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. An all-action Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight barnburner is being targeted for November. According to ESPN on Friday, Justin Gaethje (22-3) has agreed to take on Michael Chandler (22-6) at 155 pounds on UFC 268. This event, which is slated for Nov. 6, does not official have a venue or location. However, the fight card is being considered for Madison Square Garden in New York. Both men will be coming off of championship stoppage losses.

Gaethje, who posts a stellar 91 percent career finish rate, is coming off the first submission loss of his career. The interim champ looked to unify his strap against Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2020, and he fell short, getting put to sleep by a triangle choke in the second round. The loss snapped a four-fight knockout streak where “The Highlight” dispatched James Vick, Edson Barboza,…

Thomas Petersen didn't come to wrestle tonight!!!!!#LFA113 pic.twitter.com/crwInLwGlX

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) July 31, 2021 Thomas Petersen is the new Legacy Fighting Alliance heavyweight champion after defeating Vernon Lewis in the LFA 113 main event.

Petersen made short work of the veteran and proved he's a prospect to watch. A big left hand floored Lewis (8-5) and a swarm of punches ended the bout. Petersen improves to 5-0 with the victory and shared the news that he's becoming a father next rather than calling out any future opponents.

The co-main event saw bantamweight Ricky Camp and Greg Fischer test their skills. The bout went three hard-fought rounds with Camp (12-4) controlling most of the action on the feet while Fischer (10-3) attempted to wrestle. The judges awarded the fight to Camp via split decision with scores of 28-29, 30-27, 29-28.

Welterweights Chris Brown and Glaucio Eliziario had the first competitive bout o…

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. Hours after missing weight for her now-canceled Ultimate Fighting Championship fight this weekend, bantamweight Nicco Montano wanted to clear the air. Montano was set to face Yanan Wu at UFC on ESPN 28 on July 31 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, but the former flyweight champ hit the scales at 143 pounds, or seven above the division’s cap. Upon evaluation, the promotion and commission promptly pulled the bout from the card. Montano previously lost her 125-pound title ahead of UFC 228 in 2018, when she was hospitalized due to her weight cut and it was stripped from her.

Montano posted a statement on Instagram about what happened to cause this issue:

“Hi all of my supporters. I wanted to give a [PSA] on what happened. I was dedicated through camp to this fight, training four hours a day, including my fasted 4-5 mile runs and…

A giant novelty check with a very real prize awaits the winner of the Bellator MMA featherweight grand prix on Saturday.

Bellator 263, which takes place on July 31 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., will conclude the organization’s featherweight tournament. To the victor belong the spoils – the winner of the Patricio Freire vs. A.J. McKee clash will earn a tournament title, the promotion’s featherweight championship strap and a $1 million check. Both finalists will also earn large payouts simply for competing in this bout, as the only two on the card that will clear six figures no matter the result. Current two-division king Freire will take home $250,000 to show, and his win bonus is $1 million; his opponent McKee will earn $150,000, plus the possible $1 million prize. The California State Athletic Commission released the event salaries, as first reported by MMA Junkie on Friday.

The next top earner of the card is two-time 145-pound title challenger Emmanuel Sanchez, …

Things went zero to 60 at the #Bellator263 presser

Watch @PatricioPitbull vs. @ajmckee101 in the #BellatorFWGP final SATURDAY on @Showtime: https://t.co/eXPmkdlk5J. pic.twitter.com/DIW9LJEC93

— SHOWTIME SPORTS (@SHOsports) July 29, 2021 Weigh-ins were not just a formality ahead of Bellator MMA's tentpole event this weekend. Bellator MMA returns to Saturday night for one of the promotion's biggest cards of the year, one topped by a heavily anticipated featherweight title fight between Patricio Freire and A.J. McKee. Both men in the Bellator 263 main event did make weight, but McKee had to hit the scales twice after initially coming in .2 pounds above the championship limit. Every other competitor on the card made weight, but one bout was pulled off after Justin Barry did not pass his medicals. Daniel Compton weighed 189.6 pounds for their 190-pound catchweight contest, and he will receive his show money as a result.

Freire (32-4), who h…

It's #FightWeek and @LFAfighting brings the #Heavyweight Championship to Texas at #LFA113! #VernonLewisvs.@PeteHWT

Friday, July 30@BellCountyExpo#Belton, #Texas#MMA#LFANation@UFCFightPass pic.twitter.com/UnczLXKVjf

— LFA (@LFAfighting) July 28, 2021 The Legacy Fighting Alliance returns to American soil for LFA 113 with a heavyweight title fight. All 14 fighters on the Saturday card officially made weight, and the main event title tilt has been cleared. The seven-fight show ends with a heavyweight championship affair, as unbeaten prospect Thomas Petersen vies for the vacant strap against Texas-based knockout artist Vernon Lewis.

Petersen comes into this headliner with a perfect 4-0 record, and he has won all four by knockout. Only Odell Pantin has lasted more than three minutes against him, while he also celebrates a 19-second clobbering of Richard Luis in January. The Minnesota fighter officially weighed in at 242 pounds.

With…

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. Deiveson Figueiredo will have to look elsewhere to get the high-level training partners he desires. Right after losing the flyweight belt to Brandon Moreno at UFC 263, Brazil’s Figueiredo declared that one of the reasons for his bad performance was the fact of having the same routine of sparring.

“It’s important to be challenged every day,” he said. “I’ve already talked to Fabio Prado. My next camp will be done in Team Alpha Male, where I’ll have the best level of sparring in the world for my division.”

From an interview with Sherdog on Tuesday, however, those plans have changed. Fabio Prado, the grappling coach of Team Alpha Male, revealed that Cody Garbrandt’s decision to move down to flyweight has halted that camp switch. Per Prado, the team has rescinded its invitation to the former flyweight king.

“Few years ago,…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojv092NLxo8&w=560&h=315] Should the Anderson Silva-Logan Paul boxing match come to fruition, famed boxing coach Luiz Dorea expects that Silva will crush his opponent.

After training Silva (34-11 MMA, 2-1 Box) to outbox Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (52-6, 34 KOs Box), Dorea has his hands full with new talent. Dorea, who also has coached Junior dos Santos and Vitor Belfort, will be taking charge of Robson Conceicao’s (16-0, 8 KOs) championship campaign against Oscar Valdez (29-0, 23 KOs) in September. The trainer has his sights set not just on this upcoming match, but on the future of Silva in the ring, and he spoke to Sherdog about Silva’s future.

“Logan proved to be a very brave and talented kid doing an exhibition fight against the legend [Floyd] Mayweather,” Dorea stated. “But, of course, if it were in official rules, the result would be different. Let’s see if he will keep hiding under exhibition rules or if he will test himself in t…

Juancamilo Ronderos Alvis Accepts Sanction for Violation of UFC Anti-Doping Policy https://t.co/6NJOd8AVSF

— USADA (@usantidoping) July 29, 2021 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. When it rains, it pours for Ultimate Fighting Championship debutant Juancamilo Ronderos. On extremely short notice, Ronderos (4-1) stepped in at UFC Fight Night 188 in May to take on David Dvorak (20-3) at flyweight. Dvorak was originally slated to face Raulian Paiva, but the Brazilian was hospitalized due to his weight cut. Following his appearance and subsequent loss to Dvorak, Ronderos failed a post-fight drug test for cocaine. He has been handed a one-month suspension from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, a suspension that has already ended.

While USADA can allow for exemptions for certain fighters that disclose they have taken substances prior to their U…

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. A top-10 spot at flyweight will be on the line for the Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Oct. 9. On this Oct. 9 UFC Fight Night event inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Tim Elliott (17-11-1) takes on Matheus Nicolau (16-2-1) at 125 pounds, per MMA Fighting on Thursday. The fight has since been confirmed by other outlets.

Former title challenger and “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 24 winner Elliott finds himself on his first UFC win streak since his first stint in 2012. Elliott has beaten Ryan Benoit and Jordan Espinosa by decision in his last two appearances, putting an end to a trio of setbacks against Deiveson Figueiredo, Askar Askarov and Brandon Royval. Should the Glory MMA & Fitness product emerge victorious, it will be his first three-fight win streak inside the Octagon.

Nicolau will be also looking to put a …

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. A top-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight battle has been put back on the books for October. On Thursday morning, a fight recently canceled has a new home at the upcoming Oct. 2 show, according to ESPN. The UFC Fight Night event on this date will now play host to Aspen Ladd (9-1) vs. Macy Chiasson (7-1) at bantamweight, in a bout that was once set for UFC on ESPN 27. The fight fell apart on fight week due to an injury to Chiasson’s leg, and it will be recovered by October. Chiasson has since confirmed this pairing on her Instagram.

Ladd will be looking to make her first trip to the Octagon since a third-round knockout of Yana Kunitskaya in December 2019. The win successfully rebounded Ladd from the first loss of her career, a controversial stoppage against Germaine de Randamie that was nearly overturned by t…

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 assault on Ultimate Fighting Championship co-main events continues, as an upcoming pay-per-view card has just lost a major bout. ESPN broke the news on Thursday that Amanda Nunes (21-4) had contracted COVID-19, according to UFC exec Hunter Campbell. Due to her positive test, her UFC 265 championship tilt on Aug. 7 with Julianna Pena (10-4) is off. The promotion will look to rebook the matchup following Nunes’ recovery, and her timetable for return is currently unknown. Per MMA Junkie, Nunes, her wife Nina Nunes and their infant daughter all have COVID-19.

Nunes was planning on making her return to bantamweight after a pair of successful trips to featherweight to defend that title twice. In June 2020, Nunes battered Felicia Spencer to record a lopsided decision verdict, and she came back in March to tap out Megan Anderson in j…

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. It appears that Norma Dumont vs. Felicia Spencer in May was not in fact the final Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s featherweight match. MMA Fighting was first to report on Wednesday that Holly Holm (14-5) would be making her comeback in the featherweight division against Dumont (6-1) on Oct. 16. The UFC Fight Night event on that date will likely go down inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and it is unclear but unlikely this matchup will serve as its headliner. Holm subsequently confirmed the news on her Instagram on Thursday.

Holm, who will turn 40 the day after this expected matchup, has proved that she is not done competing at the highest level yet. The former bantamweight queen is currently riding a two-fight win streak with decisions over Raquel Pennington and Irene Aldana, both of which came in 2020. This winning streak …

Two of the protagonists of the “UFC Vegas 32” main card have some medical time off ahead of them.

Going into last Saturday, former Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight kingpin T.J. Dillashaw had been absent from competition since Jan. 19, 2019. Still, he took home a narrow split decision against Cory Sandhagen in the UFC on ESPN 27 headliner. The fight took a toll on Dillashaw (17-4, 13-4 UFC), who is now facing a six-month suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission (via mixedmartialarts.com). The 35-year old already underwent a left knee MRI, which revealed that he suffered a displaced “bucket handle” tear of the lateral meniscus and a lateral collateral ligament (LCL) rupture, requiring surgery.

Bad news for Adrian Yanez (14-3, 3-0 UFC) as well, who is facing potential six-month terms. The 27-year-old fighter stopped Randy Costa with punches at the 2:11 mark of the second stanza. Now, Yanez must have an x-ray of his nasal bones and will requi…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC, PFL and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Things aren’t going well for Chris Weidman, who will need to go under the knife soon. In a recent interview with MMA Today on SiriusXM, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship 185-pound titleholder revealed that his injury is more severe than expected. Weidman broke his right fibula and tibia on a low kick checked by Uriah Hall in their clash at UFC 261. “The All-American” had surgery a few hours later and has been dealing with rehabilitation since.

“I’m actually getting another surgery, I just found out,” Weidman said. “I’m getting another surgery, most likely on Aug. 11. They’re going to have to plate the fibula bone because it’s considered a non-union, so the bones aren’t healing the way it’s supposed to, which kind of sucks, but I did expect setbacks and issues with this type of traumatic inj…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC, PFL and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Two European fighters will join two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison in 2022. The Professional Fighters League 2021 Season isn’t over yet, but the orginization is already planning its next move. On Wednesday morning, the PFL announced that sambo world champion Marina Mokhnatkina and former ISKA K-1 kickboxing queen Martina Jindrova would participate in the women’s 155-pound division in the 2022 season. The roster also includes Harrison and Larissa Pacheco, among the names fighting for the $1 million prize.

“We are very excited to bring two women of this caliber into our women’s lightweight division,” said PFL President of Fighter Operations Ray Sefo in a press release. “The goal has been to elevate our roster each year and that will be the case once again in 2022. These signings, along wit…

Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

It appears that Tatiana Suarez will have to wait a bit longer before making her Octagon return. On Tuesday night, ESPN reported that Suarez pulled out of her scheduled strawweight UFC 266 clash with Roxanne Modafferi due to an injury. The Ultimate Fighting Championship is currently looking for a replacement to keep Modafferi on the card. Shortly after the news broke, Suarez herself took to her social media to reveal that she needs to undergo surgery to heal her knee.

“Life really hits us hard sometimes,” she wrote. “I’d lie and say I have it together but I don’t. It’s been tough to say the least. I was really excited to fight again and I felt so ready and up for the task. I still can’t believe this is my reality. It’s heartbreaking to say the least. I was in this same position a little over two years ago. I had to suck it up and focus on gettin…

On Tuesday, Invicta Fighting Championships announced its return to pay-per-view with the upcoming Invicta FC 44: A New Era. It will be the promotion’s first pay-per-view since Invicta FC 7, which took place on Dec. 7, 2013. After that, the promotion signed a deal to broadcast its events on UFC Fight Pass. The agreement held since Invicta FC 43, after which the promotion aired on Axs TV.

Fans can order the Invicta FC 44 event on Fite.tv for $19.99 in the United States, $14.99 in Canada and $9.99 in the rest of the world. For the occasion, the card will feature a pair of title fights. The main event will crown a new straight queen as Emily Ducote and Danielle Taylor clash for the vacant championship. In the co-main event, Lisa Verzosa faces Taneisha Tennant for the bantamweight title.

“I'm excited for our athletes to showcase their skills on pay-per-view again,” said Invicta FC President Shannon Knapp in a press release. "These title fights feature some of the most tale…

Another hit for #UFCVegas33, the new co-main event of Lazzez-Stolze is off. Lazzez has visa issues (shouldn't he have been in Vegas by now?) and Stolze will remain on the card against an unnamed replacement, per Stolze's Instagram. pic.twitter.com/mFfUtAXdkP

— Jay Pettry (@jaypettry) July 27, 2021

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

In a short span of time, UFC on ESPN 28 has lost two main card fights.

On Tuesday news broke that Mounir Lazzez won’t fight Niklas Stolze in a welterweight scrap on Saturday. Stolze took up to his social media accounts to share the information, revealing that his opponent had some visa issues that prevented him from entering the United States. On Tuesday, sources in Stoltze's camp informed Sherdog that Stoltze has been offered a non-co-main event matchup with Jared G…

OFFICIAL: 2x PFL Lightweight World Champ @NatanSchulte faces off against @oliaubin in the 2021 #PFLPlayoffs Prelim headliner on Friday, August 13!

https://t.co/qRUFMymxAv pic.twitter.com/nnIS3LzWBx

— PFL (@PFLMMA) July 27, 2021 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC, PFL and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. One of the most anticipated fights in Professional Fighters League will take place on Aug. 13.

On Tuesday morning, PFL revealed the full lineup for its upcoming playoff event. As announced last week, the card will feature the semifinals at lightweight and welterweight. The bill is headlined by a clash between Rory MacDonald and Ray Cooper III. In the co-main event, Joao Zeferino (26-9, 5-1 PFL) will square off with Magomed Magomedkerimov (27-5, 9-0 PFL). The winners will advance to the finale, where the winner will take home the much-cov…