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As the opening round of his UFC on ESPN 24 matchup with Diego Ferreira drew to a close, Gregor Gillespie didn’t appear to be in a good place.

The former NCAA national champion wrestler struggled to hold Ferreira down in scrambles and ate several hard punches when the combatants were standing. After a grueling five minutes, Gillespie appeared to be on wobbly legs as he returned to his corner.

“A couple people have already told me I looked tired—because I was,” Gillespie said. “When people say ‘He’s out of shape,’ those are two different things. Being out of shape means you didn’t prepare correctly and you’re tired as a result. I was tired because of the pace we were doing.

“I’m not saying that was all me. He stuck with it. I had to really throw that at him and make it the pace of the fight, in the hopes he couldn’t keep doing it and knowing I probably could. I was extremely tired after Round 1, but I’m OK feeling that way.”

As it turned out, Gillespie was …

Marina Rodriguez earned a signature triumph against Michelle Waterson in the makeshift UFC on ESPN 24 headliner on Saturday night.

“It was a very good performance. I knew everything was going to be different, so I had to prepare my mind and come in with a different mindset than usual,” Rodriguez said. “I’m pretty happy with the performance. I wish I could have got a knockout, that’s what I came here for. It was still a great win over a great opponent.”

Though she didn’t get the finish, Rodriguez attacked with rapid-fire punching combinations, kicks to various levels and knees and elbows in the clinch against a durable opponent. The Brazilian appeared to have Waterson on the retreat a few times, but “The Karate Hottie” remained competitive for a full 25 minutes.

“I knew she was going to be very tough,” Rodriguez said. “I was able to hit her with some good punches. There was one hook where I thought the referee was going to stop it. She’s very tough. You can’t ta…

Donald Cerrone hasn’t tasted victory in UFC competition in his last six appearances, but the popular veteran remains determined to keep plugging away until he can exit the sport on his terms.

Cerrone suffered a first-round technical knockout defeat at the hands of short-notice foe Alex Morono in the UFC on ESPN 24 co-main event on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. A counter overhand right from Morono put Cerrone on the defensive, and “Cowboy” was unable to recover as his opponent swarmed with follow-up strikes to force the stoppage at the 4:40 mark of Round 1.

“It’s just a rough day in the office,” Cerrone told ESPN. “This game can get changed, all it takes is one big shot. He hit me with a good one, set me back. Hit me with another one. I could hear my coaches say grab a hold of him and it’s like I don’t know if I can take three of them.

“The kid came hungry, ready, no excuses on my end. I was ready. We warmed up great, came out started early, who knows.”…

While Geoff Neal was quite competitive against Neil Magny at UFC on ESPN 24, he simply lacked the overall volume and cage command to get the job done against a crafty veteran opponent.

That resulted in a unanimous decision defeat on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas — Neal’s second consecutive setback in the Octagon. The man known as “Handz of Steel” began his promotional tenure with five straight victories before being hospitalized and forced to pull out of a clash against Magny at UFC Fight Night 175 in August 2020. Since then, he has dropped back-to-back contests against Stephen Thompson and Magny.

In a post on his Instagram account, Neal said he probably needs to take some time away from the sport to allow his body to fully recover.

“Well there goes another one. Felt really good in the first round and the second one was close,” Neal said. “Even in defeat I'm still proud of this one as well. It was another honor to step in there with another crafty vete…

It was a tale of two rounds for Gregor Gillespie and Diego Ferreira at UFC on ESPN 24.

That type of back-and-forth action earned the lightweight competitors “Fight of the Night” honors on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, but Gillespie took home the entirety of the $100,000 bonus on account of Ferreira missing weight one day prior. While Ferreira got the better of his foe in the opening five minutes, it was Gillespie who had the last laugh, as his withering pace overwhelmed Ferreira to the tune of a TKO stoppage 4:51 into Round 2.

Elsewhere, Alex Morono’s short-notice effort proved to be quite lucrative, as he received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for a first-round technical knockout of Donald Cerrone in the welterweight co-main event. Morono rocked “Cowboy” with a massive counter overhand right, then swarmed with offense against the fence on his reeling foe force the stoppage 4:40 into Round 1.

Finally, newcomer Carlston Lindsay Harris had 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. While it wasn’t the headliner most initially expected, Marina Rodriguez and Michelle Waterson put on a striking showcase at UFC on ESPN 24. Ultimately, it was Rodriguez’s muay Thai stylings that won the day, as she outlanded Waterson over the course of five rounds to earn a unanimous decision triumph at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. All three judges saw the flyweight fight for the Brazilian: 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46. Rodriguez and Waterson, who both normally compete at 115 pounds, agreed to step in for a makeshift main event after the originally slated feature between T.J. Dillashaw and Cory Sandhagen fell through.

Rodriguez (14-1-2, 4-1-2 UFC) held a visible size advantage over her opponent, who once reigned as Invicta Fighting Championships’s atomweight queen. Over the course of the first 15 minutes, Rodriguez rac…

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. Sherdog's live UFC on ESPN 24 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:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfi…

Foot on the gas! @TheLoneWolfMMA came out swinging in round . #UFCVegas26 pic.twitter.com/Cr7cts4Inw

— UFC (@ufc) May 8, 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.

“The Ultimate Fighter 27” winner Michael Trizano captured a closely-contested unanimous verdict against Ludovit Klein in the UFC on ESPN 24 featured preliminary featherweight matchup at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. All three cageside judges submitted tallies in favor of Trizano: 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27.

Trizano (9-1, 3-1 UFC) controlled the cage for the majority of the fight and while Klein (17-3, 1-1 UFC) appeared to have an edge in volume early, the Team Tiger Schulmann representative connected with more authority. Trizano did his best work in the final stanza, when he dazed Klein with a right hand and increasingly found a rhythm with more offensive …

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

UFC on ESPN 24 has taken another hit just hours before the beginning of the card.

Amanda Ribas has tested positive for COVID-19, and as a result, her strawweight bout with Angela Hill has been canceled. Ribas confirmed the news following an initial report from MMAFighting.com.

"So, guys, as you can see, my hair was ready, I was ready, I came here with negative tests, and then I received the news that I have (tested positive),” Ribas said in a video on her Instagram story. “I hope you guys can still send the vibes for me. Kisses!”

UFC on ESPN 24 will proceed with nine bouts. The event takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a flyweight showdown between Michelle Waterson and Marina Rodriguez.

The card lost its original headliner of T.J. Dillashaw vs. Cory Sandhagen when the former bantamweight champion had to withdraw after suffering a significant cut in training. Also, Philipe Lins pulled out of a …

Sergio Pettis’ time has come.

Crisp jabs and clean counters carried the Roufusport standout to a unanimous decision over Juan Archuleta, as he captured the undisputed Bellator MMA bantamweight championship in the Bellator 258 headliner on Friday at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. All three cageside judges scored it for Pettis (21-5, 3-0 Bellator): 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46.

Archuleta (25-3, 7-2 Bellator) spent much of the fight playing into the challenger’s strengths. Pettis’ used the Californian’s aggression against him, snapping back his head with stinging jabs and sharp counterpunches from both hands. Even when Archuleta turned to takedowns, he failed to consolidate them with positional control or ground-and-pound.

Pettis will carry a four-fight winning streak into his first title defense.

Meanwhile, Anthony Johnson leveled Jose Augusto Azevedo Barros with a devastating right hand and sealed the deal with a follow-up hammerfist in the second ro…

Sherdog's live Bellator 258 coverage kicks off Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below.

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With its heavyweight champ tied up in the light heavyweight tournament, Bellator MMA is adding an interim heavyweight belt to the mix.

On Friday, MMA Junkie announced that Bellator is planning an interim heavyweight title tilt between Timothy Johnson (15-6) and Valentin Moldavsky (10-1) atop Bellator 261. The June 25 event will be held in the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and fans will reportedly be in attendance per Bellator head Scott Coker in a media scrum on Thursday. The promotion has since confirmed this news via press release.

Johnson punched his ticket to a title fight with a three-fight win streak over Tyrell Fortune, Matt Mitrione and Cheick Kongo in 2020. The burly brawler is currently on his longest win streak since a run from 2011 to 2015 where he finished eight consecutive foes to get into the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A tenure where Johnson alternated wins and losses in seven UFC bouts led to him joining the Bellator ranks, where he lost t…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFRXGeBkLrU&w=560&h=315] 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. Everyone has an opinion about the latest Professional Fighters League controversial stoppage. It’s been a long time since a fight result has brought so much controversy to the Brazilian MMA community. Considered one of the most popular MMA fighters in the country, former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum received strong support from the fans on social media after his last bout. Atop PFL 3: 2021 Regular Season, Werdum seemed to have forced Renan Ferreira to tap out to a triangle choke, but Ferreira denied this and went on to knock Werdum out. To shed some light on the matter, Sherdog spoke to three different parties: Werdum, Ferreira and respected Brazilian referee Osiris Maia.

“He got the triangle,” Ferreira admitted, “But it was n…

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 bantamweight Sara McMann will be looking to exact revenge in August. Per MMA Fighting on Friday, Ketlen Vieira (11-2) will once again be facing McMann (12-6) at bantamweight, with the two aiming to square off at the previously unannounced Aug. 28 UFC Fight Night card. The pairing has since been confirmed by other outlets. There has been no location announced for this event, nor are there any other matches slated for the card at the moment. The two first met in 2017, and Vieira landed an arm-triangle choke on the former Olympian to advance her record to 9-0.

Since posting a 10-0 record including four wins inside the Octagon, Vieira has run into some relatively hard times. Her first loss came at the quick hands of Irene Aldana, who punched her into unconsciousness at UFC 245 in 2019. Although she reb…

Main event official!

@KarateHottieMMA is officially in at 125 lbs for #UFCVegas26. pic.twitter.com/1XDKwR2flM

— UFC (@ufc) May 7, 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. In what should be a formality, the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s weigh-ins for its upcoming card were anything but.

The UFC on ESPN 24 headlining bout between Marina Rodriguez and Michelle Waterson is now official after the weigh-ins took place this morning. Neither main eventer had trouble making weight for the short-notice bout since they both normally compete at strawweight, but the same could not be said for the rest of the card.

A flyweight contest between Ryan Benoit and Zarrukh Adashev was called off after Benoit was ruled ineligible by doctors. Benoit was unable to stand still on his initial weigh-in try, then minutes later came in at 129 pou…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHFRd8ZrFRI&w=560&h=315]

The most significant victory of Renan Ferreira’s career will likely come with an asterisk attached.

Ferreira spoiled Fabricio Werdum’s hotly anticipated Professional Fighters League debut, as he took care of the former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight titleholder with punches in the first round of their 2021 PFL 3 headliner on Thursday at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Werdum (24-10-1, 0-1 PFL) met his end 2:32 into Round, and it was not without controversy.

A two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist, Werdum struck for an inside trip takedown, shifted to half guard and appeared poised to move to full mount. However, the 6-foot-8 Ferreira swept into top position and immediately wandered into a triangle choke. Werdum tightened his squeeze while being punched, appeared to elicit a tapout and then relaxed. Referee Keith Peterso…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the PFL and UFC on ESPN+ live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Sherdog's live PFL 2021 3 coverage will begin at 5:30 p.m. ET. Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result

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 failed Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight has decided to move back to the featherweight division. On Thursday, Felicia Spencer (8-2) spoke on the Fight Bananas podcast, where she announced that Danyelle Wolf has been forced out of her fight for undisclosed reasons. In Wolf’s stead will be one-time featherweight Norma Dumont (5-1), who will be returning to the division after a few ill-fated trips down to 135 pounds. The two will square off at UFC Fight Night 188 on May 22, which is set to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Dumont made her UFC debut in 2020 against Megan Anderson, and she was punched out by the future featherweight title challenger in the first round. The Brazilian attempted to drop down to bantamweight, and she missed weight badly against Ashlee Evans-Smith but won a decision. A subsequent att…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4ZbdkBLELg&w=640&h=360] The latest Bellator MMA weigh-ins largely went off without a hitch, as every fighter on the card made weight except for preliminary competitor Johnny Soto, who came in 2.5 pounds over the featherweight limit.

The bantamweight title is officially on the line at Bellator 258. Juan Archuleta and Sergio Pettis both made weight without issue, and the light heavyweight tournament quarterfinal between Anthony Johnson and Jose Augusto Azevedo Barros has also been cleared.

Archuleta (25-2) picked up the vacant bantamweight belt in his last bout, defeating Patrick Mix by decision and handing Mix his first career loss. Prior to his first title win, Archuleta bounced back from a defeat to Patricio Freire by winning a decision over Henry Corrales. "The Spaniard" officially stepped on the scales at 135 pounds on the dot.

Looking to claim his first title is Pettis (20-5). "The Phenom" is riding a three-fight win stre…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 262 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Three-time Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor Sean Soriano is coming back to the promotion after over six years away. MMA Junkie first reported the news on Thursday that Soriano (14-6) would be making his UFC comeback at UFC 262 in just over a week. At this event that will go down inside the packed Toyota Center in Houston on May 15, Soriano will meet Christos Giagos (18-8). Soriano will be replacing Joel Alvarez at lightweight, who was forced to withdraw from the pairing due to visa issues.

Soriano competed in the UFC from 2014 to 2015, facing Tatsuya Kawajiri, Chas Skelly and Charles Rosa in just over a year’s time. The New Englander suffered his first career defeat to Kawajiri, and he went on to lose to Skelly and Rosas as well to spell his release. The featherweight went on to compete across several American promotion…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pOZdAiNHUU&w=560&h=315]

Fabricio Werdum will begin his quest to add a Professional Fighters League championship belt to his trophy case on Thursday night.

The Brazilian heavyweight veteran made weight without issue ahead of the promotion’s third regular season event, as he tipped the scales at 241.4 pounds. His opponent, Renan Ferreira, also hit his contracted mark at 252 pounds.

There was one change to the card, however, as Muhammed DeReese (257.6) replaced Justin Willis and will face Denis Goltsov (240.4) in a heavyweight contest.

PFL 3 takes place at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J., and features heavyweights and women’s lightweights. The main card airs on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Prelims begin on ESPN+ at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT and then move to ESPN/ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

A former UFC champion, Werdum last competed at UFC on ESPN 14 in July 2020, when he submitted former Alexander Gustafs…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

Coming off a technical knockout win over Amanda Ribas, Marina Rodriguez will headline UFC on ESPN 24 against Michelle Waterson on Saturday.

In an exclusive interview with Sherdog.com, Rodriguez revealed that she was the one who requested that the fight with Waterson be contested at flyweight. Both Rodriguez and Waterson normally compete at 115 pounds.

“Actually we were negotiating that fight for July in our division,” Rodriguez said. “When they [the UFC] called 11 days before the event, we explained that the process to reach the weight on time would certainly compromise my performance, so we proposed to make at flyweight and they accepted.

“Actually, it ended up being great for both sides. Once the UFC recognized my effort in helping them save the event, they renewed my contract with better terms.”

However, Rodriguez has no interest in competing in the flyweight division after Saturday’s bout.

“Let´s say it will …

Burt Watson is back in business with a major mixed martial arts promotion.

The former UFC site coordinator has been hired by Bellator MMA to fill a similar position on a temporary basis. The position could become permanent if Watson proves to be a good fit with the California-based organization. Sherdog.com confirmed the news with a promotion official following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com.

“I’m at Mohegan Sun, but I’m not here to have fun, baby” Watson says in a post on his Instagram account. “I’m here to work. Bellator MMA, baby. All night long.”

Affectionately known as “The Babysitter to the Stars,” Watson spent 14 years with the UFC. In addition to motivating fighters with his popular catchphrases, Watson handled tasks such as fighter ticket allotment, weight-cutting, transportation, workout space and issuing equipment.

He parted ways with the Las Vegas-based promotion in 2015 after UFC 184, claiming that he was “approached wrong” and his “i…

UFC middleweight Oskar Piechota has accepted a 22-month suspension from USADA after an anti-doping violation.

USADA announced the sanction in a statement on Wednesday:

Piechota, 31, tested positive for growth hormone releasing peptide 2 (GHRP-2 or pralmorelin) and GHRP-2 (1-3) free acid, a metabolite of GHRP-2, as the result of a urine sample collected on September 25, 2020. GHRP-2 is a Specified Substance in the class of Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances and Mimetics and is prohibited at all times under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy and UFC Prohibited List.

Piechota received a reduction to the default two-year sanction based on his Full and Complete Cooperation. His 22-month period of ineligibility began on September 25, 2020, the date his positive sample was collected.

Piechota won’t be eligible to return to active competition until July 2022. The 31-year-old Pole is winless in his last four UFC appearances. Most recently, a technical kno…