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Kelvin Gastelum has agreed to replace Paulo Costa and square off against Robert Whittaker in the UFC on ESPN 22 headliner on April 17.

ESPN was first to report the new booking. Costa was forced to pull out of the middleweight contest because an illness had limited his training leading up to the fight. UFC on ESPN 22 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Gastelum was intially supposed to face Whittaker in a middleweight title bout at UFC 234 in February 2019 before Whittaker withdrew on the day of the fight to undergo surgery for a hernia.

Gastelum would later challenge for the interim 185-pound belt, losing a five-round decision to Israel Adesanya in Sherdog.com's 2019 “Fight of the Year.” That was the start of the three-bout losing streak for “The Ultimate Fighter 17” finalist, who snapped the skid with a unanimous decision victory over Ian Heinisch at UFC 258 on Feb. 13.

After losing the 185-pound belt to Adesanya in a first-round knockout at UFC…

In mixed martial arts, fighters generally receive at least one warning — if not more — before a point is deducted for an eye poke.

After being on the receiving end of such a foul against Leon Edwards in the UFC Fight Night 187 headliner, Belal Muhammad thinks more decisive action should be taken by officials in those instances. Prior to the eye poke that rendered Muhammad unable to continue 18 seconds into Round 2, Edwards was warned for a similar violation in the opening stanza. Additionally, Muhammad told ESPN that he asked veteran referee Herb Dean to keep on eye on Edwards’ fingers in the fight.

"We trained for this," Muhammad said. "We know he likes to keep distance and put his palm out. We literally told Herb Dean before the fight, 'We're going to be trying to get in on him and he puts his hands out, please watch his fingers.’

"Refs need to take a point right away, no warning. That will stop guys from doing that. You saw it with Petr Yan's illegal knee [a…

A severe case of the flu has forced Paulo Costa to withdraw from a scheduled clash with Robert Whittaker at UFC on ESPN 22.

AgFight was first to report that the bout was in jeopardy, and multiple outlets have since confirmed that an illness has resulted in Costa’s exit from the card. This particular case of the flu has hindered the Brazilian’s ability to properly prepare for the fight, which ultimately forced him to pull out of the event.

The Las Vegas-based promotion is reportedly looking into moving Costa vs. Whittaker to May 1 or May 8, but nothing has been finalized. It appears unlikely that Whittaker will receive a replacement opponent.

"We just need two more weeks because Paulo got a strong flu and had to stop his training," Costa's manager, Walllid Ismael, told Sherdog.com. "Actually, the entire team of trainers and sparring partners were hit by the virus."

Ismael emphasized that Costa's sickness was a normal flu, not COVID-19.

"Actually Paulo caug…

Belal Muhammad is not one of the five competitors who could be sidelined up to six months following UFC Fight Night 187, but he will require doctor clearance before he can step into the Octagon again.

A full list of medical suspensions from this past Saturday’s event, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, were released to mixedmartialarts.com. The evening’s headliner ended 18 seconds into Round 2 when an accidental eye poke from Leon Edwards rendered Muhammad unable to continue in their welterweight matchup. Muhammad must have his right eye cleared by an ophthalmologist before he can compete again. At a minimum he is suspended until April 13 with no contact until April 4.

Meanwhile, the following five fighters from the card must receive doctor clearance or they will be suspended for six months: Ashley Yoder, Marcelo Rojo (facial fractures), Nasrat Haqparast (left fibula), Rafa Garcia (right elbow) and Cortney Casey (right foot, right hand).

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The Professional Fighters League announced Tuesday that the first installment of its four-part documentary series entitled “The Randy Couture Story” will debut Saturday on ESPN at 2:30 p.m. ET.

The series will highlight the career of UFC champion and Hall of Famer Randy Couture, including his fighting career, Hollywood exploits and his commentary duties with PFL. According to a release, all four episodes of the documentary will be available on demand via ESPN+ following the conclusion of the premiere.

“It’s an awesome feeling to have my own documentary series chronicling my journey as an MMA athlete and everything I’ve done outside of the cage,” Couture said. “The PFL is a global fighter-first organization and I wholeheartedly believe in the format and everything they are doing as a leader in the sport. I’ve been through so much in my life and I know how hard the PFL team has worked on this series. I can’t wait to watch it — it’s going to be special.” 

Th…

WE ARE BACK!!!!!!#UFC261 April 24th. Jacksonville, FL. FULL CROWD. pic.twitter.com/5dy7wb4OWE

— danawhite (@danawhite) March 16, 2021

For the first time in more than a year, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will hold an event in front of a capacity crowd.

UFC president Dana White announced Monday that UFC 261 will take place at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., on April 24. The 15,000-seat venue is where the UFC initially went to hold a trio of events in May 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down operations for approximately two months.

The card will be headlined by a welterweight championship rematch between Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal. Two previously reported title bouts will also be featured, as Valentina Shevchenko faces Jessica Andrade for the women’s flyweight crown, while Weili Zhang defends the strawweight strap against Rose Namajunas. The main card will air on pay-per-view via ESPN+.

“I have bee…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6plinJXPK4&w=560&h=315]

Chan Sung Jung was so desperate to find a fight recently that he contemplated moving up a weight class.

In a video update recently posted to his YouTube channel, “The Korean Zombie” shared some of the difficulties he has had in trying to find an appropriate matchup in the UFC’s featherweight division. Jung hasn’t competed since dropping a five-round decision to Brian Ortega in the UFC Fight Night 180 headliner last October.

“All of the fighters that the UFC has given me to fight are now fighting each other. I’m just kind of stuck in a pickle,” Jung said (translation provided by Jung’s YouTube channel). “The UFC gave me a list of fighters to fight and [matchmaker] Sean Shelby believed that they’d return to the ring in time for me to fight. Even though I was down to fight, our schedules did not match and it didn’t work out. Everyone in the Top 10 are scheduled to fight one another, leaving me with no one.<…

A featherweight showdown between Hakeem Dawodu and Movsar Evloev is on tap for UFC 263.

MMA DNA was first to report the booking. UFC 263 takes place at a currently undisclosed location and features a flyweight championship rematch between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno.

The 29-year-old Dawodu has been on a roll, winning his last five appearances within the Las Vegas based promotion. Four of those victories have gone the distance, including a split verdict over Zubaira Tukhugov in his most recent outing at UFC 253 last September.

A former M-1 Global champion, Evloev has run his professional mark to 14-0 with triumphs in his first four UFC bouts. That resume notably includes a decision over English prospect Mike Grundy at UFC on ESPN 14 and a split-decision victory against the now-retired Nik Lentz at UFC 257.

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

Julian Erosa will lock horn with Seng Woo Choi in a featherweight scrap at UFC Fight Night on June 19.

Both fighters confirmed the pairing on social media following an initial report from John Hyon Ko on Twitter. The event does not have a confirmed headliner or location but is also expected to feature a welterweight showdown pitting Matt Brown against Dhiego Lima.

Erosa is currently on a three-bout winning streak that includes a pair of finishes in UFC competition. “The Ultimate Fighter 22” cast member has enjoyed three separate stints in the Las Vegas-based promotion while compiling a 3-4 mark in the Octagon. His latest stretch is highlighted by a third-round submission of Sean Woodson at UFC on ESPN 12 and a 56-second TKO of Nate Landwehr at UFC Fight Night 185.

South Korea’s Choi began his promotional tenure with a pair of losses…

After 11 months of suffering due to an acute pain in the pubis (pelvic) area without having an accurate diagnosis from four different doctors in the United States, Rafael dos Anjos decided to come to Brazil to consult Dr. Rickson Moraes. 

An othropedic shoulder specialist who treats UFC fighters such as Jose Aldo and Ronaldo Souza, Moraes conducted a series of exams with colleagues Reinaldo Fernandes and Lourenco Peixoto, both of whom are hip specialists. In a interview with Brazilian Youtube channel OSS conducted by journalist Mario Filho, Dr. Moraes explained why dos Anjos elected to have surgery.

"RDA was feeling that acute pain for last 11 months. But the scenario got worse five months ago, three months before the fight with [Paul] Felder, when he was running stairs. He was able to fight but the pain worsened, and after a series of exams in U.S., he came to me in Brazil and I referred him to these two specialists who work with me,” Moraes said.

Aft…

Gavin Tucker entered UFC Fight Night 187 with some solid momentum, having won four of his first five promotional appearances.

He left the Octagon on Saturday in stunned disappointment after a 22-second knockout loss to Dan Ige at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It was the sixth-fastest KO in the history of the UFC’s featherweight division. Tucker, who was a short-notice replacement for Ryan Hall, relased a statement regarding the setback on his Instagram account.

“I don’t know much, but I know for sure we don’t get what we don’t go after. I went after it. But I lunged after it,..and in a straight line. Small mistakes, big consequences,” Tucker wrote.

“Saturday night I walked onto a well-timed right hand and experienced my first KO loss. I’m not gonna hide from it or downplay it. I’m heartbroken. But I can’t change what happened. I can only control how I move forward. Regretfully I didn’t get to show the work or represent the efforts and strides made from this great …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p2CqHNvHm8&w=560&h=315]

Leon Edwards first bout since June 2019 did not go as planned.

After a solid opening stanza against Belal Muhammad, Edwards inadvertantly poked his opponent in the eye, ending the UFC Fight Night 187 main event 18 seconds into Round 2. Due to the foul, the fight was ruled a no contest.

Former interim welterweight champion Colby Covington believes Edwards was fortunate to avoid a having a loss added to his ledger, and as far as “Chaos” is concerned, the English fighter still hasn’t broken his lengthy streak of inactivity after that performance.

“He still hasn’t fought in two years. He has a no contest which, by the way, that should have been a disqualification,” Covington told Submission Radio. “He did poke the guy in the face in the first round and backstage I know that Herb Dean gave him the warning, ‘Hey, don’t poke anyone in the eyes,’ because that’s the instruction they give every time before …

At UFC Fight Night 187, Dan Ige demonstrated in emphatic fashion that he possesses staying power in the promotion’s featherweight division.

One bout removed from a five-round decision loss to Calvin Kattar and booked against a dangerous short-notice opponent in Gavin Tucker, Ige authored the sixth-fastest knockout in the history of the division. The former Dana White’s Contender Series competitor needed just one punch to do the job, as he blasted Tucker with a right hand 22 seconds into their featured encounter at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. The finish ended Tucker’s three-bout winning streak.

“I was expecting a war, Gavin is a tough kid,” Ige said. “I’m pretty sure the line on this fight was pretty even and could’ve just as easily been me there on the canvas, but we trained hard, I saw everything in there and landed the first shot. The rest is history.”

According to Ige, the key to his success was attention to detail during his camp at Xtreme C…

There was some gamesmanship involved with Ryan Spann’s decision to walk out to J.Cole’s “Middle Child” ahead of his UFC Fight Night 187 co-main event bout against Misha Cirkunov.

“Tonight I walked out to ‘Middle Child’ and the significance behind that song is the fact that there is three light heavyweights in [Fortis MMA] right now: Kennedy Nzechukwu, myself and Alonzo Menifield,” Spann said.

“Kennedy just fought last week [at UFC 259], I just fought this week. Shout out to Kennedy! I had to beat his time. I couldn’t let him go out there and knock somebody out faster than I could, so now Zo, it’s on you. Zo is in the week after the next and I’m the middle one. That’s why I walked out to ‘Middle Child’, because I have these guys on my back.”

Indeed Spann’s 71-second finish of Cirkunov arrived quicker than Nzechukwu’s second-round knockout of Carlos Ulberg the previous weekend, and more importantly, it allowed him to rebound from his own first-round KO loss to Joh…

It appears that Belal Muhammad will be fine after an eye poke prematurely ended his night against Leon Edwards, but the harsh feelings toward his opponent may have only just begun.

Muhammad was unable to continue just 18 seconds into Round 2 of the Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 187 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, when Edwards’ inadvertent foul left him visibly distressed and in considerable pain. Though the scene initially seemed to be dire, “Remember the Name” later provided an update of a more positive nature.

“My heart is shattered my first main event ended like that, but God’s the best of planners,” he wrote. “I’m sorry to the fans and the [UFC], you deserved a full fight .. Alhamdillah the vision is coming back and no permanent damage to the eye. I’ll be back and want to run it back.”

My heart is shattered my first main event ended like that but Gods the best of planners im sorry to the fans and the @ufc you deserved a full fight..…

Not the first or last time @Nasrat_mma will be confused for @KelvinGastelum #UFCVegas21 pic.twitter.com/I2rHGTIHwM

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 13, 2021

Nasrat Haqparast has been tabbed by many in the mixed martial arts community as a prospect to watch at 155 pounds in the coming years.

The 25-year-old Afghanistan native added to his resume on Saturday night with a unanimous decision triumph over the previously-unbeaten Rafa Garcia in a preliminary affair at UFC Fight Night 187, giving him five victories in seven outings with the Las Vegas-based promotion. Garcia was a replacement opponent for Don Madge, who was forced out of the fight due to visa issues.

“My team, we are always like this. When we get the name, it doesn’t matter his record, doesn’t matter his experience, we always take him very seriously,” Haqparast said. “He had nothing to lose. He had five days’ notice, six days’ notice, stepped in … It was a good experience also for me …

Leon Edwards’ first bout since June 2019 had an anticlimactic ending.

The British welterweight contender showed no signs of ring rust in the early stages of the UFC Fight Night 187 headliner against Belal Muhammad, as his striking looked crisp and he rattled his opponent with a head kick in the opening stanza. However, the action screeched to a halt when Edwards inadvertently poked Muhammad in the eye 18 seconds into Round 2. When Muhammad confirmed he could not continue, the fight was waved off and declared a no contest.

Edwards was understandly disappointed with the result.

“First, I want to apologize to Belal Muhammad. A long, long year for me and I prepped so hard. I wish him well, I wish him a full recovery,” Edwards said on the UFC on ESPN+ post-fight show. “Going into it, I said I didn’t believe in ring rust…I showed it tonight.

“I was just getting into the flow of it. To have that freak accident happen, I’m heartbroken. It’s been a long year and h…

The #UFCVegas21 bout between Eryk Anders and Darren Stewart has been declared a "No Decision, due to an illegal blow." pic.twitter.com/aFKWrSwda8

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 14, 2021

For the second week in a row, an illegal knee prematurely ended a bout on an Ultimate Fighting Championship card.

The stakes were significantly lower on Saturday, when Eryk Anders landed a knee to the head on a downed Darren Stewart at UFC Fight Night 187, than they were a week ago when the bantamweight crown changed hands due to a foul by Petr Yan against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259.

There also appears to be less bad blood involved, as Anders quickly took to social media to apologize for his transgression after the bout.

“1,000 apologies to [Darren Stewart]. I know he wanted to keep going,” Anders wrote. “I made a critical error in the heat of the moment and it cost us and the fans a barn burner.”

1000 apologies to @Darren_m…

Ryan Spann, Dan Ige, Davey Grant and Matthew Semelsberger all received $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonuses for their work at UFC Fight Night 187.

Spann rebounded from a September loss to Johnny Walker in the evening’s co-main event, as he defeated Misha Cirkunov via technical knockout 1:11 into the first round of their light heavyweight bout. The former Legacy Fighting Alliance champ dropped Cirkunov with a right hand and continued the assault with a barrage of punches to force the stoppage shortly after the contest began.

Meanwhile, Ige needed just one punch to dispatch short-notice foe Gavin Tucker in a featured 145-pound affair. The Dana White’s Contender Series alum wiped his foe out with a straight right hand in just 22 seconds for his seventh win in his last eight appearances.

Earlier, Grant earned some extra cash for his second consecutive KO, a Round 2 stoppage of Jonathan Martinez at bantamweight. “The Ultimate Fighter 18” finalist ended Martine…

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. This was the one outcome for which no one was prepared. An inadvertent second-round eye poke from Leon Edwards led to a no contest in the UFC Fight Night 187 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, leaving both he and Belal Muhammad in a state of limbo within the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s welterweight division. When a visibly and audibly distraught Muhammad (18-3, 9-3 UFC) indicated he could not see out of his damaged right eye, referee Herb Dean waved it off 18 seconds into Round 2.

Edwards (18-3, 10-2 UFC) controlled a majority of the exchanges up until the foul. He staggered Muhammad with a head kick in the first round and swarmed for a potential finish before resetting and relying on sharp one-twos. Not long after Round 2 began, the situation went awry for everyone involved.

Spann Shreds Cirkunov in 71 …

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 Fight Night 187 coverage will begin Saturday at 5 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:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Tyler Treese sco…

IN ABSOLUTE CONTROL! #UFCVegas21 pic.twitter.com/O4SEVvizpV

— UFC (@ufc) March 14, 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.

Everything went according to plan for Angela Hill.

The former Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder outstruck and outmaneuvered Ashley Yoder to a unanimous decision in the featured UFC Fight Night 187 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All three cageside judges struck 30-27 scorecards for Hill (13-9, 8-9 UFC), who rebounded from back-to-back decision losses to Claudia Gadelha and Michelle Waterson.

Yoder (8-7, 3-6 UFC) was woefully ineffective. Hill drove home one clubbing right hand after another, kept her honest with occasional leg kicks and blew up any efforts to turn the tide in the clinch. She enjoyed her clearest her success when she targeted the body with straight punches …

It's OVER! #LFA101 pic.twitter.com/4Pvja4fx38

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) March 13, 2021 LFA 101 "The Undefeated" lived up to its billing as six fighters tasted defeat for the first time during Legacy Fighting Alliance's latest event.

The final fight of a night filled with action was between Tee Cummins and Anthony Kalani, who missed the light heavyweight limit by 4.4 pounds. Both men started the fight looking to trade strikes with Cummins (3-0) landing a number of leg kicks. Kalani (5-1) was throwing the heavier punches, but Cummins' speed advantage saw him land at a higher frequency. Cummins' capped off an impressive performance with a beautiful left hook that knocked Kalani (5-1) down. After a series of punches, the fight was mercifully stopped at 1:20 of Round 3.

The second-to-last match saw Treston Vines face Jalin Fuller, who unprofessionally was 6.2 pounds over the welterweight limit. Vines (4-1) clipped Fuller (5-0) early but…