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Championship gold in the strawweight and atomweight divisions will be on the line when Invicta Fighting Championships makes its debut on AXS TV next month.

The promotion announced Wednesday that Invicta on AXS TV will be headlined by a clash between Karina Rodriguez and Daiana Torquato for the vacant 125-pound belt on May 21. In the co-main event, Alesha Zappitella will defend her 105-pound title against Jessica Correa Delboni.

Five other bouts were confirmed for the card: Emily Ducote vs. Liz Tracy at strawweight; Taneisha Tennant vs. Hope Chase at bantamweight; Juliana Miller vs. Claire Guthrie at flyweight; Josee Storts vs. Maria Favela at flyweight and Fatima Kline vs. Ariana Melendez at strawweight.

Mexico’s Rodriguez has compiled a 4-2 mark with Invicta since 2017 and is coming off a decision loss to current Bellator talent Vanessa Porto at Invicta FC 38 in November 2019. She owns notable wins over DeAnna Bennett and Milana Dudieva and is 8-4 as a professi…

Professional Fighters League is expanding its broadcast reach.

The promotion announced on Wednesday deals that will allow it to air in Germany, France and Belgium for the 2021 season. PFL will be broadcast in Germany on BILD, which is that nation’s largest media brand and daily newspaper, and via RMC Sport in France and Belgium.

As part of the agreement, BILD and RMC Sport will be the exclusive providers of PFL content in Germany and France, respectively.

“Our distribution partnerships with BILD in Germany and RMC in France represent the growing demand around the world for the PFL’s 2021 season live events and content,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray. “Come this Friday, April 23, MMA fans in Europe and throughout 160 countries will experience MMA 2.0, as the PFL is the future of the sport with star athletes, a win and advance season format and our new SmartCage experience.”

The PFL’s 2021 campaign kicks off Friday with a card headlined by a lightweight showdown betwe…

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Anthony Pettis will be the most recognizable figure in the Professional Fighters League lightweight field this season.

That’s just fine with the Roufusport stalwart, who has grown accustomed to such scrutiny after holding titles with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and World Extreme Cagefighting over the course of his MMA career.

Pettis will make his PFL debut in Friday’s main event against fellow UFC vet Clay Collard as the promotion kicks off its 2021 campaign. The main card airs on ESPN2 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on ESPN+ at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT.

“I was the champion in every organization I fought in, so I always had the target on my back,” Pettis said during a virtual media day to promote PFL’s season opener. “I kind of embraced that role. I know what these guys are looking forward to.

“The scariest thing about this is he (Collard) has nothing to lose. He can go …

Three fighters from this past Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 22 card are facing potentially lengthy layoffs.

The Nevada Athletic Commission recently released a full list of medical suspensions from Saturday’s card to mixedmartialarts.com. Chase Sherman (left knee, right foot, right tibia/fibia), Luis Pena (left hand) and Juan Espino (right elbow) all must receive doctor clearance for their respective ailments are they could be sidelined up to six months.

UFC on ESPN 22 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and saw Robert Whittaker earn a five-round verdict against Kelvin Gastelum in the evening’s middleweight headliner. Whittaker is suspended until May 18 with no contact until May 9 due to a hard fight, while Kelvin Gastelum received the same term due to a right eyelid laceration.

UFC on ESPN 22 Medical Suspensions:

Robert Whittaker: suspended until 5/18/21, no contact until 5/9/21 — hard fight

Kelvin Gastelum: suspended until 5/18/21, no contact until 5…

After leaving the UFC, Anderson Silva signed a contract to face Julio Cesar Chávez Jr. in a boxing match on June 19 at a soccer stadium in Jalisco, Guadalajara, México.

Eleven years older than the former world boxing champion, the 46-year-old former UFC middleweight king brought his boxing coach, Luiz Dorea, from Brazil to care of his training.

“We will have 11 weeks until the fight, which will be at a catchweight (182 pounds) in 8 rounds of 3 minutes. If Chavez has the age advantage, Anderson has the size advantage,” Dorea told Sherdog.com.

The boxing coach sees the matchup as a clash of opposite styles.

“What I like about that fight is that it will be a clash of totally different styles,” Dorea said. “Cesar Chavez is a tough guy who likes to close the distance, put his head on his opponent’s chest and use crosses, hooks and uppercuts in the infight, while Anderson has the movement and distance control as his differential, using more jabs and straight pun…

Lorenz Larkin will compete for the first time in more than a year when he meets Costello van Steenis at Bellator 258.

Sherdog.com confirmed the booking with a promotino official following an initial report from ESPN. Bellator 258 takes place at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut on May 7 and is headlined by a bantamweight title tilt between Juan Archuleta and Sergio Pettis. The main card will air on Showtime.

Larkin last appeared at Bellator 237 in December 2019, when he outpointed Keita Nakamura. The former UFC and Strikeforce competitor is currently on a four-bout winning streak that also includes wins over Andrey Koreshkov, Ion Pascu and Fernando Gonzalez.

A protege of Bellator middleweight champ Gegard Mousasi, Van Steenis scored the biggest win of his career to date in his last outing, when he took a split verdict over Fabian Edwards at Bellator Milan this past September. The 28-year-old Dutchman has been victorious in five of his six promotional appea…

Lance Palmer has established himself as the featherweight to beat in Professional Fighters League, that much is clear.

The Team Alpha Male representative is coming off back-to-back championships at 145 pounds in the PFL in 2018 and 2019. After a season off due to COVID-19 concerns, the 33-year-old Ohioan will return to defend his throne beginning on Friday against Bubba Jenkins. Despite that track record, Palmer doesn’t feel any added pressure heading into his third PFL campaign.

“I feel like the target on my back has been there since I was 10 years old in wrestling,” Palmer said during a PFL virtual media day. “I’m chasing my own goals and everybody just has to catch up to chase me. That’s the mentality that I have.”

The PFL has changed up much of its roster heading into 2021, so Palmer will be looking at a different 145-pound field than in years past. That, along with the ongoing COVID situation, which has created a bubble for PFL fighters, makes for a new s…

A heavyweight clash pitting Jairzinho Rozenstruik against Augusto Sakai has been targeted to headline a UFC Fight Night card on June 5.

Combate was first to report the booking. A venue and location have yet to be announced for the event.

Rozenstruik is coming off an unsuccessful main event appearance at UFC Fight Night 186, where he dropped a lackluster five-round verdict to Ciryl Gane on Feb. 7. The 33-year-old Surinamese heavyweight is 5-2 in UFC competition, with notable KO wins over Junior dos Santos, Alistair Overeem and Andrei Arlovski.

Sakai, meanwhile, had a six-bout winning streak snapped UFC Fight Night 176 last September, when he suffered a fifth-round TKO loss at the hands of Overeem. The former Bellator competitor began his UFC tenure with triumphs over Chase Sherman, Arlovski, Marcin Tybura and Blagoy Ivanov.

.@O2industries to provide free face coverings to fans attending #UFC261 and #UFC262 .

More information :https://t.co/mMVO3FyBYg

— UFC News (@UFCNews) April 20, 2021 The Ultimate Fighting Championship is making sure its first event in front of fans since March 2020 will proceed as safely as possible.

UFC 261 will take place at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., with no audience limitations for the 15,000-seat venue. According to the promotion, tickets for the event sold out in minutes, breaking the record for the highest gross in arena history.

With that comes enhanced COVID-19 protocols for fans who will attend UFC 261. The Las Vegas-based organization has partnered with CLEAR to provide that company’s Health Pass service to fans. According to a release, Health Pass “is a free, mobile experience by CLEAR that securely connects a user’s verified identity to multiple layers of COVID-19-related health information to…

Some six months after an impressive debut in the flyweight division where she defeated former No. 1 contender Katlyn Chookagian by TKO in the first round, ex-strawweight queen Jessica Andrade has earned a title shot against Valentina Shevchenko.

Andrade will enter UFC 261 on Saturday as the underdog against the reigning 125-pound champion. The Brazilian has a clear game plan in mind to dethrone Shevchenko.

“Jennifer Maia showed that If you can get a good throw, stabilize and attack with ground-and pound, that is a good way to put her in trouble. I’ll expose Valentina´s weak points,” Andrade told Sherdog.com. “I know exactly how strong I am when I grab my opponents on the cage and raise them from the floor. There is no way out. The interesting point in that fight is that my strong points are her weak points, and the smaller Octagon of [the UFC Apex] will be better for me in that fight.”

Andrade recognizes however that the champion has advantages in the …

Khamzat Chimaev is the REAL DEAL

INSANE. #UFCVegas11 pic.twitter.com/kqbhHJYJS3

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) September 20, 2020 It appears that Khamzat Chimaev is on the way to making a full recovery.

In an interview with ESPN, the burgeoning welterweight star revealed that he has resumed training and is hoping to return to UFC competition by August. Chimaev hinted at retirement in early March after lingering effects from COVID-19 forced him to pull out of proposed bookings against Leon Edwards on Jan. 20 and March 13.

"If you are sick, you cannot think about [a] fight," Chimaev told ESPN. "I was thinking, 'One month, sick. Then still, two months. When am I going to be finished with this s---?' I'm healthy now, hungry again. I want to get back and smash somebody and make money."

Chimaev was flown to Las Vegas earlier this year to receive treatment from UFC medical staff for his ongoing issues. He revealed in his latest interview th…

Tonight’s Jeremy Stephens x Drakkar Klose fight has been canceled, per the broadcast.

Klose suffered an injury as a result of this push at yesterday’s official weigh-ins, per sources. Specific injury details not disclosed at this time. pic.twitter.com/ImbpMQxHur

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 17, 2021 Last week, UFC on ESPN 22 lost a fight due to an incident that occurred at weigh-ins.

On Friday, Jeremy Stephens shoved Drakkar Klose during their face-off, which resulted in Klose having to withdraw from the fight. Klose said that he immediately felt his hand go numb and his neck tighten up after the shove, and the next day he suffered from nausea and a migraine. His team revealed that the fighter was diagnosed with a “brain concussion” and “sprain of cervical neck” as a result.

According to Dana White, matchmaker Sean Shelby was to blame for not preventing the weigh-in altercation between Stephens and Klose.

“Sean Shelby …

In an exchange of dueling head kicks, Nico Echeverry landed first, but Le'ville Simpson landed the one that counted, setting up a stunning second-round finish and winning Simpson the Fury Fighting Championship lightweight title.

Fury FC 45, which took place on April 18 at the Bayou Events Center in Houston, Texas, was the second show on Fury's new broadcast agreement with UFC Fight Pass. The main event featured Echeverry in his first defense of the belt, against Simpson, in his second attempt at winning it. The first round was conducted entirely on the feet, characterized by tense striking exchanges as Echeverry switched stances and worked to navigate the taller challenger’s reach. Simpson, perhaps expecting a takedown attempt, used lateral movement, push kicks and his long left jab to maintain distance.

Both men appeared more aggressive to begin the second frame, and 15 seconds into the round the champ threw a hard left high kick that Simpson took on the arm. Simpson…

Marlon Vera will square off against Davey Grant at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on June 19.

MMA DNA was first to report the bantamweight booking. The UFC Fight Night card takes place at an as yet to be announced location and is headlined by a featherweight duel pitting Chan Sung Jung against Dan Ige.

Vera and Grant initially fought in February 2016, with Grant taking a three-round verdict at UFC Fight Night 84.

Vera went 1-2 in three 2020 appearances, sandwiching a TKO win over Sean O’Malley between decision losses against Yadong Song and Jose Aldo. The 28-year-old Team Oyama representative is 10-6 during his promotional tenure and 16-7 as a professional overall.

Grant has been on a roll of late, posting three consecutive victories in the Octagon — including back-to-back knockouts of Martin Day and Jonathan Martinez. “The Ultimate Fighter 18” cast member has competed infrequently since his appearance on the reality show in 2013, compiling a 4-3…

Bellator MMA has parted ways with nine fighters, notably Brandon Girtz and Roger Huerta.

In addition to those two, the following athletes are also no longer on the California-based promotion’s roster: Callum Ellenor, Arbi Mezhidov, Frans Mlambo, Paul Redmond, Ryan Roddy, Richie Smullen and Gabriel Varga.

Sherdog.com confirmed the news with a promotion official on Monday following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com. It is unclear whether the aformentioned fighters were released or simply did not have their contracts renewed.

Girtz has been with Bellator since 2012, compiling an 8-8 mark over the course of his promotional tenure. During that time, he went 1-2 in an entertaining trilogy against Derek Campos and also posted wins over the likes of Saad Awad and Melvin Guillard.

Huerta, meanwhile, rose to fame in the UFC and even appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated for his fight with Leonard Garcia in April 2007. “El Matador” went 1-2 during a brief s…

Kelvin Gastelum is maintaining a positive attitude following his loss to Robert Whittaker in the UFC on ESPN 22 main event this past Saturday.

Gastelum shared “Fight of the Night” honors with his opponent for a bout in which he lost a unanimous decision at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. While Gastelum pressured Whittaker throughout the fight and displayed a sturdy chin, he had no answers for the ex-champion’s versatile offensive arsenal at the end of the night.

“The Ultimate Fighter 17” winner released a statement expressing a desire to still be “one of the best” on social media.

“Getting an onslaught of amazing messages and I’m glad [people] enjoyed the fight,” Gastelum wrote. “Thank you all for sending even the slightest positive gesture and messages.

I still believe I can get the job done and be one of the best! I wouldn’t say that just to say it, I believe it with my heart. I am learning so much from my opponents and I will make the necessary adjustments f…

Court McGee will square off against Claudio Silva in a welterweight duel at UFC Fight Night 188 on May 22.

AgFight was first to report the booking. UFC Fight Night 188 takes place at an as yet to be announced location and is headlined by a bantamweight showdown pitting Cody Garbrandt against Rob Font.

McGee, 36, has lost five of his last six Octagon appearances dating back to January 2017. Most recently, “The Ultimate Fighter 11” winner dropped a three-round verdict against Carlos Condit at UFC on ESPN 16 this past October.

The 38-year-old Silva began his promotional tenure with five consecutive triumphs before falling to James Krause via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 180 on Oct. 17. The loss to Krause was just the second in 16 professional appearances for the London Shootfighters representative.

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Billy Quarantillo will lock horns with Herbert Burns in a featherweight tilt at UFC Fight Night on July 17.

Quarantillo announced the pairing via social media. The event does not have an official location or headliner but is expected to include the return of Miesha Tate, as she faces Marion Reneau in a bantamweight matchup.

Quarantillo had an eight-bout professional winning streak halted at UFC 256, where he dropped a unanimous decision to Gavin Tucker. The Da…

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Legacy Fighting Alliance will crown its third-ever female strawweight champion on April 23.

The promotion recently announced that Pierangela Rodriguez Giunta will face Svetlana Gotsyk for 115-pound gold in the main event of LFA 105 at the Grand Event Center in Shawnee, Okla. The card will air on UFC Fight Pass at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The LFA strawweight belt became vacant after Lupita Godinez signed with the UFC.

Giunta has kicked off her professional career with five triumphs on the regional circuit in Panama and Spain. She has finished all but one of those victories by knockout or technical knockout.

A native of Ukraine, Gotsyk is a former strawweight title holder with the World Warriors Fighting Championship promotion. Her 13-4 career mark includes a notable TKO defeat to UFC champ Weili Zhang in 2016 and 12 wins inside the distance.

The rest of the LFA 105 main card is as follows: Jake C…

Combate Global will hold a one-night, four-man tournament to crown its inaugural North American lightweight champion on April 23.

The promotion announced the news in a release on Monday. Anthony Avila will face Alejandro Sanchez in one semifinal matchup, while Tommy Aaron will meet Luis Gomez in the other. Additionally, Cristian Perez will lock horns with Geraldo Rosa Almonte in a tournament alternate bout.

If one of the semifinal winners is unable to compete in the final, the winner of the alternate bout will take his place in the championship round.

“One night tournaments have become a part of Combate’s DNA, and we couldn’t think of a better way of crowning a new lightweight champion than making the champ earn the title by beating two opponents in one night,” said Combate Global CEO Campbell McLaren.

The event airs on April 23 at 12:30 ET/PT on Univision and at 12:30 ET/9:30 p.m. PT on TUDN USA from Univision’s studios in Miami, Florida. Two other bouts …

It’s getting more and more difficult to deny Robert Whittaker a chance to reclaim the UFC middleweight championship.

“The Reaper” earned his third consecutive triumph in the UFC on ESPN 22 headliner, as he put on a brilliant striking exhibition against Kelvin Gastelum for five rounds at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. While Whittaker’s lukewarm attitude toward a title shot might have cost him following a victory over Jared Cannonier this past October, the Sydney-based fighter made it pretty clear what he believes he deserves after besting Gastelum in impressive fashion.

“That’s kind of how I’ve always taken to the approach of fighting, is that if you beat ’em all, you’re eventually at the top,” Whittaker said. “It’s a simple path, and there is no other fight that makes sense to me other than that tile shot, and that’s the shot that I want and that I’m getting.”

After losing the 185-pound belt to Israel Adesanya via second-round knockout at UFC 243 in Octob…

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On an evening where UFC on ESPN 22 nearly tied a record for most split decisions on a fight card, Robert Whittaker’s clear-cut verdict over Kelvin Gastelum was an easy choice for “Fight of the Night.”

Whittaker and Gastelum each received $50,000 for Saturday’s middleweight headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Although Whittaker picked his opponent apart with crisp punching combinations and head kicks, Gastelum was a game opponent throughout the contest, and that made for a compelling 25 minutes of action. Ultimately, Whittaker was too much, as he swept the scorecards by identical 50-45 tallies.

Earlier, Gerald Meerschaert set a UFC middleweight submission record, earning himself a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus in the process. Meershaert secured his sixth submission in the Octagon by choking Bartosz Fabinski unconscious 2:00 into the opening round of their preliminary middleweight contest.

Finally, Tony Gravely garnered the card’s other $50,000 “Per…

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. Robert Whittaker is on the verge of getting a chance to reclaim the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight belt. The ex-champion put on a striking master class against Kelvin Gastelum in the UFC on ESPN 22 main event, sweeping the scorecards by a trio of 50-45 counts. Whittaker (23-5, 14-3 UFC) has now bested Gastelum, Jared Cannonier and Darren Till in succession since relinquishing the 185-pound title to Israel Adesanya in October 2019.

“I’m feeling on top of the world,” Whittaker said. “Obviously this was a very hard fight. I think a lot of people were selling Kelvin short because of where he’s ranked, but I think he’s a very tough fight.”

The PMA Super Martial Arts representative was one step ahead of Gastelum (16-6, 1 NC, 11-6, 1 NC UFC) for the entire 25 minutes. Whittaker set the tone when he briefly dazed Gast…