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Alex Pereira and Anthony Smith squash the beef 🤝

🎥 @espnmma #UFC #MMA #UFC307 pic.twitter.com/tIYQ2sfejd

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 30, 2024

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Alex Pereira and Anthony Smith have finally squashed their beef.

The feud initially started when Smith, during his commentary duties, claimed Pereira’s rapid rise to UFC success occurred without having his grappling tested. “Poatan” felt Smith was constantly downplaying his achievements whenever on the mic.

This led to a series of back and forths between the two, with Pereira calling “Lionheart” washed up. Pereira was also in attendance for Smith’s upset submission win over Vitor Petrino at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro this past May. Pereira posted a video of himself pretending to nap as Smith’s fight was about to start. “Poatan” also subsequently challenged Smith to a $50,000 grappling match, which the latter verbally accepted.

However, that never came to frui…

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Kamaru Usman is expecting an upset in the UFC 307 headliner.

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Alex Pereira (11-2) defends his light heavyweight title against Khalil Rountree (13-5) in the main event at UFC 307 on Saturday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. There was lot of criticism when Rountree was initially granted a title shot over Magomed Ankalaev, widely considered the rightful No. 1 contender.

However, the tide is gradually shifting as fight night draws near, with even Pereira feeling fans’ excitement growing. In addition to the hype behind the fight, some also expect Rountree, who has been tabbed as a significant underdog by oddsmakers, to upset the heavily-favored “Poatan.” That includes former welterweight champ Usman.

UFC 307: Pereira vs. Rountree Jr. Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now!

Usman notes that “crazy things” happen in Utah, referring to his upset head-kick KO loss against Leon Edwards at UFC 278 in 2022. “The Nigerian Night…

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Julianna Pena wants to deliver justice to Raquel Pennington for being a bad roommate.

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Pena challenges Pennington for the women’s bantamweight throne in the co-main event at UFC 307 on Saturday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. While this is the first time they will square off in the Octagon, Pena and Tate previously spent a lot of time together representing Team Miesha Tate against Team Ronda Rousey on “The Ultimate Fighter 18” in 2013.

It became evident during the course of the season that Pena and Pennington weren’t the best of buddies. Although they were seemingly always on a collision course, the matchup never materialized until now. Along with the lure of winning a title for the second time, Pena also has the chance to avenge alleged transgressions by “Rocky” during their time at the “TUF 18” house.

UFC 307: Pereira vs. Rountree Jr. Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now!

“Raquel and I have had our history of …

After defeating Benoit St. Denis by doctor stoppage in the second round of the UFC Fight Night 243 headliner, Renato Carneiro revealed some of the behind-the-scenes details surrounding the bout.

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In a video on his YouTube channel, “Moicano” began by discussing the nature of the shoulder injury he had going into the lightweight bout.

“First thing I have to say is that my shoulder was really injured. I suffered a ligament rupture (AC joint level 5 shoulder clavicle dislocation). Actually it was a surgery case, but I had to fight in that main event, so I kept training every day and going every day to physiotherapy,” Carneiro said. “It was such a hard experience, but I couldn't give up because ‘Moicano’ can´t afford to lose.”

Carneiro also confirmed Brendan Allen’s complaints regarding the French Mixed Martial Arts Federation (FMMAF). According to Allen, only he and “Moicano” were subject to blood and urine tests following weigh-ins. Their oppone…

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The usual suspects will be on the call for UFC 307 on Saturday.

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Jon Anik will work play-by-play for the event, while Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier will offer color commentary. Meanwhile, Megan Olivi will be the on-site reporter. MMAFighting.com was first to confirm the broadcast assignments.UFC 307: Pereira vs. Rountree Jr. Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now!

UFC 307 takes place at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is headlined by a light heavyweight championship clash between Alex Pereira and Khalil Rountree. In the co-main event, Raquel Pennington will defend her bantamweight crown against Julianna Pena.

The UFC 307 main card begins at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT and airs on pay-per-view via ESPN+. The prelims begin on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT before moving to ESPNEWS and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Week 8 of Dana White's Contender Series is official, as all 10 athletes slated to compete made weight on Monday.

The Contender Series takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Tuesday night and features a light heavyweight clash between Diyar Nurkozhay (206) and Bartosz Szewczyk (206). The card airs on ESPN+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

A former Eagle FC title holder, Nurkozhay has been victorious in his first nine professional outings. Most recently, the Kazakhstan native scored a first-round TKO of former PFL champ Emiliano Sordi at UAE Warriors 50 on May 18.

Poland’s Szewczyk will enter the bout on a three-fight finishing streak. He is coming off a body-kick stoppage of Marcin Lazarz in a title fight at FEN 52 on Feb. 17.

Contender Series Weigh-in Results: 
 Diyar Nurkozhay (206) vs. Bartosz Szewczyk (206)Carlos Calderon (145.5) vs. Alberto Montes (145.5)David Martinez (136) vs. Xavier Franklin (135)Abdelah Er-Ramy (186) vs. Torrez Finney (186)Jaco…

𝙇𝘼𝙕𝙔 𝙆𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙑𝙎. 𝙋𝙀𝙋𝙄 𝙄𝙉 𝙇𝙔𝙊𝙉! 🇫🇷🇦🇷

BREAKING: The PFL Europe Championships in Lyon are headlined by Abdoul Abdouraguimov taking on Laureano Staropoli on Saturday 14th December!@LazyKingMMA is one of the most exciting and polarising characters in the sport,… pic.twitter.com/quCzaATnGC

— PFL Europe (@PFLEurope) September 30, 2024

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A welterweight clash pitting Abdoul Abdouraguimov against Laureano Staropoli will serve as the main event for the PFL Europe Championships on Dec. 14.

The promotion announced the booking on Monday. The PFL Europe final takes place at LDLC Arena in Lyon, France, and features championships bouts at welterweight, lightweight, bantamweight and women’s flyweight. The event will stream on DAZN in France and the U.K.

“France has quickly become one of the biggest MMA destinations in the world, not only due to the high-level athletes that are being produced by the country, but the incredible fans that…

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Stephen Thompson promises to put on a show against Joaquin Buckley at UFC 307.

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The fan-friendly strikers will meet in a welterweight clash in the featured preliminary matchup at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday night. Meanwhile, the main card action will be kicked off by a middleweight matchup between Roman Dolidze and Kevin Holland, whom “Wonderboy” defeated via corner stoppage in 2022.

On one hand, Thompson is glad to have the featured preliminary spot, as it means a lot less hassle behind the scenes. However, Thompson thinks his matchup against Buckley, a potential “Fight of the Night,” deserved to be on the main card. That being said, Thompson acknowledges that he has only dropped a submission loss against Shavkat Rakhmonov in December 2023 since his victory over Holland. Meanwhile, “Trailblazer” has since gone 3-2, most recently breaking Michal Oleksiejczuk’s arm to earn a first-round stoppage at UFC 302 …

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If any further proof of Alex Pereira’s power needed, it has arrived in the form of confirmation from Glover Teixeira.

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The pace at which Pereira rose to Ultimate Fighting Championship stardom is arguably unprecedented. Pereira had just four MMA fights to his name when he made his UFC debut in 2021. The Brazilian went on to defeat former Glory Kickboxing foe Israel Adesanya to win the middleweight title within a year of his UFC debut.

While “Poatan” lost the title in their immediate rematch, he has since established a light heavyweight title reign. Teixeira, who is Pereira’s coach and mentor, lost the light heavyweight title via submission against Jiri Prochazka and retired after a subsequent failed bid for the vacant belt against Jamahal Hill. Pereira went on to avenge both losses, winning the vacant title against Prochazka before defending it against Hill. He also defeated Prochazka in a rematch at UFC 303. All three of those afo…

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Alex Pereira wants Khalil Rountree to put his money where his mouth is.

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Pereira puts his light heavyweight title on the line against Rountree in the main event at UFC 307 on Saturday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Rountree getting a title shot over Magomed Ankalaev came as a surprise to many, including Pereira.

However, “The War Horse” has consistently defended his gold bid as a clash of fan-friendly styles. Both proven knockout artists, Pereira and Rountree have a combined total of one takedown attempt in their UFC careers. And Rountree promises that won’t change on Saturday night.

UFC 307: Pereira vs. Rountree Jr. Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now!

However, Pereira isn’t buying it unless Rountree wagers something. The former Glory Kickboxing champion has had former opponents make the same promise and not follow up on it. “Poatan” has dared Rountree to publicly promise a portion of his UFC 307 fight purse …

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Khalil Rountree was in a dark place in life before starting MMA.

Rountree challenges Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight title in the main event at UFC 307 on Saturday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. “The War Horse” recently detailed how the sport helped him out from difficult spot in life years ago.

Rountree was just 2 years old when he lost his father, who once worked as a bodyguard for Muhammad Ali. Without the presence of someone to assure him about life, Rountree feels he wasn’t strong enough to face some challenges.

“When I was 2 years old, my father was murdered,” Rountree said on the UFC 307 Countdown show. “He was a manager for Boyz II Men, New Edition. There was a time in his career where he was a personal bodyguard for Muhammad Ali. At his funeral I remember there being hundreds and thousands of people… I think the biggest thing was that I didn’t the courage to face certain challenges because I didn’t have anyon…

A bantamweight clash between Jose Aldo and Mario Bautista has been elevated to the UFC 307 main draw.

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The promotion officially announced the pay-per-view lineup during the UFC Paris broadcast on Sauturday. The shift comes after a featherweight showdown between Aljamain Sterling and Movsar Evloev was postponed until UFC 310.

UFC 307 takes place on Saturday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is headlined by a light heavyweight championship bout between Alex Pereira and Khalil Rountree. The main card airs on pay-per-view via ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. The prelims begin on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT before moving to ESPNEWS and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

UFC 307: Pereira vs. Rountree Jr. Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now!

Aldo has won four of his last five fights at bantamweight. The former featherweight champion returned from retirement at UFC 301, where he captured a unanimous decision win against Jonathan Martinez on…

When Raquel Pennington and Julianna Pena were part of “The Ultimate Fighter 18” cast in 2013, it seemed as though they would be destined to meet — either on the show or shortly thereafter.

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However, the two bantamweights didn’t cross paths on the show, and it took more than a decade before they were finally booked to meet within the Las Vegas-based promotion. On Saturday, Pennington will defend her 135-pound belt against Pena in the UFC 307 co-main event at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. In a recent interview with MMAjunkie.com, Pennington looked back on her interactions with Pena on “TUF 18,” where she quickly learned that their personalities didn’t mesh.

“I’m not going to sit here and say I hate Julianna. I don’t hate anybody. I don’t have all these ill emotions towards her,” Pennington said. “Did she get under my skin on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’? Absolutely. On top of being taken out of your comfort zone, you’re living with somebody, but…

Kayla Harrison might very well be the person nobody in the UFC women’s bantamweight division wants to face.

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After a dominant stoppage win against Holly Holm in her promotional — and 135-pound — debut at UFC 300, the two-time Olympic gold medalist will return to action to face Ketlen Vieira at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday. On that same card, reigning bantamweight queen Raquel Pennington will defend her belt against Julianna Pena in the co-main event. Both Pennington and Pena have not been shy about voicing their displeasure when it comes to Harrison’s quick ascent through the division.

"I think everyone knows that it is only a matter of time [before I become champion]," Harrison recently told ESPN. "When the truth don't hurt, they start telling lies.”

Pena, who hasn’t fought since a July 2022 title loss to Amanda Nunes, has questioned whether Harrison is a clean athlete.. The former PFL champion has consistently brushed off t…

Brendan Allen believes he can beat Dricus Du Plessis even though he lost to Nassourdine Imavov on Saturday.

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Allen faced Imavov in the co-main event at UFC Fight Night 243 at the Accor Arena in Paris. While Allen controlled Imavov on the ground in the opening stanza, the Frenchman outstruck “All In” on the feet as the fight progressed to earn a unanimous decision win.

Allen has long been eyeing reigning champ Du Plessis and was expecting a title shot against the South African if he beat Imavov. Du Plessis didn’t miss the chance to take a dig at Allen immediately after his loss at UFC Paris.

Tough luck @BrendanAllenMMA JK you suck loser 🤣

— Dricus Du Plessis (@dricusduplessis) September 28, 2024

Allen wasted no time in responding, accusing Du Plessis of consistently ducking him. Allen also claims he can beat the middleweight champ even though it wasn’t his night against Imavov.

“Says the one been ducking me s…

⏱️ 2️⃣ 1️⃣ SECONDS?! AND STILL💥

👑 LIGHTWEIGHT KING ROBERTO SATOSHI SOUZA GETS THE KO IN NO TIME 🇧🇷

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Featuring Michael Schiavello and Damien Brown on the mic! 🎤 #RIZIN #RIZIN48 #RIZINTV pic.twitter.com/c2Ummo0Bug

— RIZIN.tv (@RIZINTV_) September 29, 2024 Rizin Fighting Federation lightweight champion Roberto Satoshi de Souza scored the fastest victory in his 11-year MMA career at Rizin 48 in Saitama, Japan. De Souza, who now has 14 first-round finishes on his resume, knocked out title challenger Luiz Gustavo in just 21 seconds to cap off an entertaining card. Shortly after the opening bell, de Souza (17-3, 10-2 Rizin) landed a body kick and a right hook to the temple of Gustavo (14-3, 6-3 Rizin), who was trying to close the distance. The punch badly hurt Gustavo, who fell to his knees and then briefly rose to his feet before de Souza se…

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Sean Strickland thinks Khalil Rountree Jr. has nothing to offer Alex Pereira in their upcoming title fight.

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Pereira will defend his light heavyweight title against Rountree in the main event at UFC 307 on Oct. 5 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Strickland is currently in Utah, helping his former foe train for his upcoming fight.

Strickland suffered a knockout loss against “Poatan” in 2022 and has since repeatedly acknowledged the Brazilian’s power and skillset. The former foes have trained together on multiple occasions. The former middleweight champ also has his own history with Rountree, having trained together in the past. Strickland first went off on Rountree for an emotional post-fight interview in 2022, calling the light heavyweight contender “a special needs adult.” Strickland has recently renewed his onslaught on Rountree leading up to UFC 307, recalling alleged instances from their past encounters.

UFC 307:…

Alex Pereira DENIES avoiding the Magomed Ankalaev fight:

“You gotta sort that with the organization…

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It’s not my fault that Ankalaev has such a boring style of fighting that nobody wants to watch.”

🎥 @KevinI #UFC #MMA #UFC307 pic.twitter.com/42OS04SuHr

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 28, 2024 Alex Pereira maintains that he never turned down an offer to fight Magomed Ankalaev.

Pereira defends his light heavyweight title against Khalil Rountree Jr. in the main event at UFC 307 on Oct. 5 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. While he is riding a five-fight winning streak with four finishes, Rountree surpassing Ankalaev for a title shot was nonetheless a bit of a surprise.

Currently unbeaten in his last 12 outings, Ankalaev will face Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308 on Oct. 26 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. While many consider Ankalaev the rightful contender, Pereira previously hinted that the R…

A picture-perfect knee made Fares Ziam $50,000 richer on Saturday in Paris.

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The Kill Cliff FC-trained Frenchman secured one of four “Performance of the Night” bonuses awarded by the promotion at UFC Fight Night 243 for his third-round knockout of Matt Frevola in a featured lightweight encounter. Ziam rendered his opponent unconscious — dislodging his mouthpiece in the process — with a vicious knee in close quarters at the 2:59 mark of Round 3.

Elsewhere, Bryan Battle overwhelmed Kevin Jousset with striking volume to garner a $50,000 check in a welterweight bout. “The Ultimate Fighter 29” winner put Jousset on his heels for good in the second stanza and sealed his victory with one final barrage at the 3:47 mark of the period.

Meanwhile, Morgan Charriere did his best to match countryman Ziam with a highlight-reel knockout of Gabriel Miranda in a featherweight showcase. “The Last Pirate” caught his foe off guard with a sneaky left hook 27 secon…

Renato "Moicano" Carneiro could be a dark horse contender for "Fighter of the Year." With wins over Drew Dober and Jalin Turner, Carneiro cemented himself as an elite lightweight contender with a bloody beatdown of Benoit St. Denis in front of thousands of opposing French fans in the UFC Fight Night 243 main event Saturday at the Accor Arena in Paris.

Carneiro (20-5-1) battered St. Denis throughout the opening stanza, busting his eyes and nose open with elbows and nasty ground-and-pound. The “God of War” was forced to cover up and wait out the bell to find peace. St. Denis’ corner pleaded with him to wake up or he would be humiliated in front of his hometown fans, but there was little he could do to slow down the Brazillian.

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Caneiro kept the leather on St. Denis in the second round. With both eyes swollen and blood profusely leaking out his face, St. Denis sat on the stool, stunned, as his corner worked to clean him up. Their work was impressive, but…

THE SCOTTISH TWISTER RETURNS! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Stevie Ray stops Lewis Long via submission in front of his family and his home crowd! #PFLGlasgow | LIVE NOW ON DAZN pic.twitter.com/J5oxpXNQIq

— PFL Europe (@PFLEurope) September 28, 2024 PFL Europe 3 determined the 2024 playoff finals and saw several Scottish fighters compete in Glasgow.

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Headlining the 14-fight Professional Fighters League event was a welterweight fight between hometown favorite Steven Ray and Lewis Long. There was immediate drama as Long (19-8) went for a takedown and got stuck in a tight guillotine choke attempt by the Scottish fighter. Ray (26-13) would later get an extended armbar put on Long, who showed incredible heart by battling out of it. The third time was the charm, though, as Ray would counter a takedown attempt by securing up a twister submission.

The tap officially came at 4:24 of Round 1.

Whiteford Outstrikes Huerta The co-main event saw Ro…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Paris Saturday at noon ET with UFC Fight Night 243. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores …

Ion Cutelaba edged KSW veteran Ivan Erslan over three rounds to close out the UFC Fight Night 243 prelims at Accor Arena in Paris.

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“The Hulk” (18-10-1, 7-9-1 UFC) came into the bout having lost four of his last five fights and needed an impressive performance over the UFC debutant. Cutelaba’s heavy hands carried the day early as The Hulk walked down Erslan with heavy haymakers. Cutelaba wobbled and dropped Erslan while trading in the pocket in the second round and even scored an easy takedown.

Cutelaba should’ve stayed on his feet and pressed the action but an ill-time takedown allowed Erslan to climb back into the fight. Erslan rode Cutelaba for most of the final round before Cutelaba reversed position in the closing seconds. The fight looked like a clear 29-28 verdict for Cutelaba, but fans held their breath in fear as the scorecards were read. Luckily for Cutelaba, a split decision verdict (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) wasn’t enough to wipe away his fi…

Sherdog's live 2024 PFL Europe 3: Playoffs coverage will begin Saturday at noon ET. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round: The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores …