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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. Two fun matchups have been added to the first Ultimate Fighting Championship event in June. On Friday, MMA Junkie reported that Youssef Zalal (10-4) would be facing Sean Woodson (7-1) at the UFC Fight Night card on June 5. The event does not officially have a location set, although it is anticipated to be held in either the UFC Apex in Las Vegas or on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Zalal confirmed the matchup on his social media. There is no headliner set for this event, but an expected main card tilt comes at heavyweight between Marcin Tybura and Walt Harris.

Zalal came into the UFC and blasted off with a three-fight win streak in 2020, recording wins over Austin Lingo, Jordan Griffin and Peter Barrett. When attempting to approach the record later set by Kevin Holland for appearances in 2020, Ilia Topuria ha…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLp9fkCLJgk&w=560&h=315] 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. Former Ultimate Fighting Championship strawweight champ Jessica Andrade truly believes she has what it takes to upset Valentina Shevchenko. Training hard to face UFC flyweight queen Shevchenko in the co-main event of UFC 261, Andrade spoke with Sherdog about what could be the toughest challenge of her 10-year MMA career.

“I’ve always said Valentina is the most frightening woman in this sport,” Andrade admitted. “Besides strong, fast and sharp, she is good everywhere, but MMA is not an exact science. In our sport, knockout power and a good hand in the right place can surprise all the odds.”

Using Shevchenko’s last performance against Jennifer Maia as an example, “Bate Estaca” guaranteed that her Brazilian countrywoman’s losing effort helped her master Gilliard…

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. Chalk up one more acquisition for the Ultimate Fighting Championship from the Invicta Fighting Championships ranks. On Friday, Mexican outlet Milenio reported that Montserrat Ruiz (9-1) would be stepping up on short notice to compete at UFC on ESPN 21 on March 20. The fighter out of Mexico will be replacing Kay Hansen, as the latter suffered an injury and was forced to withdraw from the contest. Ruiz will meet fellow debutant Cheyanne Buys (5-1), and she confirmed that she would be making her Octagon debut on this card on her Instagram.

Ruiz made her Invicta debut in 2018, where she dropped a decision verdict to UFC vet Danielle Taylor and suffered her first career loss in the process. Some 19 months later, “Conejo” returned to face former Invicta strawweight title challenger Janaisa Morandin, and she pulled off a thrilling …

The currently unnamed Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view in May has just made some major additions.

Three bouts were added the last few days to UFC 262, which will take place on May 15 presumably at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event does not have a headliner, but it has a few significant matches to bolster it including a lightweight clash between Tony Ferguson (25-5) and Beneil Dariush (20-4-1), as reported by MMA Junkie on Friday. UFC’s broadcast partner ESPN subsequently confirmed that this booking was being finalized shortly after the news broke.

Ferguson, once the proud owner of a spectacular 12-fight win streak where he captured an interim lightweight belt only to lose it due to injury, has fallen on hard times in 2020. “El Cucuy,” who is currently on the first multiple-bout skid of his career, vied for the interim strap once again against Justin Gaethje at UFC 249, only to fall short while suffering his first career knockout loss. Ferguson returned to…

Our quarterfinal matchups for the ONE Atomweight World Grand Prix! Who makes it to the next round? @_itsuki_h_ @PhogatRitu #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/rW44NBsoRf

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) March 12, 2021 The One Championship atomweight tournament will officially begin on May 28.

On Thursday night, ESPN announced that One would commence its atomweight (115 pounds) grand prix on May 28. Although the existence of the tournament and its field was previously publicized, the brackets have now been unveiled. Additionally, the event titled “Empower” will exclusively consist of female fighters for the promotion, and it will take place in Singapore. Finally, a strawweight (125 pounds) title tilt will sit atop the event. One shared this information shortly after the ESPN report via press release, while stating that other bouts may be added to this card in the future.

In the main event, Jingnan Xiong (15-2) will put her 125…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mWMbVxRVus&w=560&h=315] Not one but two fighters ahead of LFA 101 missed weight by over four pounds.

The Legacy Fighting Alliance puts on its first of three March events this weekend. Atop LFA 101: The Undefeated is a 210.4-pound catchweight match between Anthony Kalani and Tee Cummins. As the name suggests, the card is largely comprised of fighters that haven’t suffered a loss yet. The eight-fight event is now official as the weigh-ins took place on Thursday, but multiple fighters missed weight.

Fighting out of Huntington Beach, Calif., Kalani (5-0) has the most impressive undefeated record on the card. This will be the HB Ultimate product’s first fight inside the LFA. The Gladiator Challenge veteran has finished four of his five pro bouts, and will look to create another highlight on Friday night. Unfortunately, Kalani officially weighed in at 210.4 pounds, officially 4.4 pounds over the light heavyweight limit.

This will be…

Just to clear a few things up... https://t.co/xxHKs7x7Ai pic.twitter.com/jAq7HGw8e5

— Dan Hardy (@danhardymma) March 10, 2021 Former Ultimate Fighting Championship title challenger Dan Hardy has put out a statement to dispel rumors about his dispute with the organization.

On Wednesday, Hardy released a statement from his personal Full Reptile webpage, where he explained what happened between him and the unnamed UFC staffer he allegedly argued with. The rumors swirled in recent days, which emanated from Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, stating that Hardy had been let go from the UFC due to an “incident” with a female employee while covering an event on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Hardy then disputed a report from BJPenn.com about the alleged altercation, while stating that he is no longer working with the UFC and that the gender of the staff member involved was not relevant.

In his statement, Hardy discussed …

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 burgeoning Ultimate Fighting Championship star is set to make a quick turnaround in April. The UFC announced on Thursday from a press release and later on its Twitter page that Julian Marquez (8-2) will be stepping up to take on Sam Alvey (33-14-1, 1 NC) in just under a month. The two will square off at middleweight at UFC on ABC 2, which takes place on April 10 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Alvey was originally slated to face Zak Cummings, but the latter withdrew for currently undisclosed reasons and has been replaced by his Glory MMA & Fitness teammate Marquez.

Marquez made his triumphant return to form after over two and a half years away by submitting Maki Pitolo at UFC 258. Marquez endeared himself to fans after his performance by calling out pop star Miley Cyrus, asking her to be his valentine -- she later agreed…

Fight 10 (Main Event)

"Omak" Abdysalam Uulu Kubanychiev (18-3) dominates Rolando Dy (14-10) forcing him to quit between rounds. Excellent timing and range w/ the jabs & boxing combined with takedowns and a strong top game. Title shot next for Omak. pic.twitter.com/pJbcmsDwYj

— Dusty Andrews (@Fight_Expert) March 11, 2021 Brave Combat Federation put on an action-packed show with ten fights that brought nine finishes including eight knockouts. The Brave CF 47 main event featured a lightweight battle between Abdisalam Kubanychbek (17-2) and Ultimate Fighting Championship alum Rolando Dy (14-10-1). “The Incredible” looked good in the first part of the opening frame as his educated jab found his way to the Kyrgyz fighter’s chin. Kubanychbek was slow in finding his pace, but once he did, he closed the distance and shot for takedowns. After taking “The Incredible” to the mat, Kubanychbek trapped Dy with his back against the fence and punished…

Welcome to #TrillerFightClub @ivan_redkach @RPrograis @thefrankmir @AntonioTarver #JoeFournier & @reykon! Grab your PPV tickets at https://t.co/agXiM6B4sV pic.twitter.com/aIe3wBfZf2

— TRILLER (@triller) March 11, 2021 > A former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight king will be testing out the sweet science with gloves on first.

From a press release sent out by Triller Fight Club on Thursday, the April 17 boxing event headlined by Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren has gained a trio of matches for its undercard. In the first, Frank Mir (19-13 MMA) will square off against Antonio Tarver (31-6-1, 22 KOs) in a match previously reported by Mir in February. The heavyweight boxing clash was awaiting clearance from the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission, but it has now been made official. Additionally, a super lightweight bout between Regis Prograis (25-1, 21 KOs) and Ivan Redkach (23-5, 18 KOs) has been added to the card. Finally, ligh…

The mixed martial arts world lost one of its most-regarded referees from Europe.

On Wednesday, the news of referee Neil Hall’s death hit home. Hall, 55, passed away after battling with COVID-19. Hall’s family announced the sad news, revealing that he caught the virus after being hospitalized to treat a silent infection developed after a back operation.

“Sadly, Neil Hall passed away today,” they wrote. “He had a back operation in August and picked up an infection in the surgery area which wasn’t found till late January. He went into hospital for intravenous antibiotics for a week then came home, unfortunately it was with COVID. He spent three weeks trying to fight Covid pneumonia but sadly he lost his fight today. Over the years, Neil has met many people from all over the world and has had lots of fantastic experiences. Today we have to say goodbye to him.”

Hall had a few professional bouts as an MMA fighter, competing under the Pride and Glory and the Cage Warr…

【パンクラス】王者ISAOと最強チャレンジャー中島太一が激突、21年はフェザー級タイトル戦で開幕＝5.30新木場#ISAO #中島太一 #PANCRASEhttps://t.co/PAdMQiMJFH

— eFight（イーファイト）格闘技＆フィットネス情報 (@efight_twit) March 10, 2021

A legendary Japanese promotion has announced its first event for 2021.

On Wednesday morning, Pancrase announced that Isao Kobayashi would put his 145-pound championship on the line against Taichi Nakajima in the headliner of Pancrase 321. It will be the first number series show of the year for the Japanese promotion, whose latest event dates back to Dec. 13, 2020.

Kobayashi (26-5-4) captured the interim featherweight championship at the expense of Koyomi Matsushima after his opponent landed an illegal knee at Pancrase 295. After defending his title by upending Nazareno Malegarie at Pancrase 305, the Never Quit-representative was promoted to undisputed champion. He then edged Kyle Aguon via split decision at 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.

An upcoming card has just lost its co-main event.

It appears that Jamahal Hill hasn’t recovered yet after testing positive for COVID-19. The Dana White’s Contender Series graduate was slated to clash with Paul Craig in the UFC on ESPN 21 co-feature, but announced he was positive a few days ago. On Wednesday morning, Craig took to his social media accounts to announce that his opponent hasn’t recovered yet and that the match is off.

Hill (8-0, 2-0 UFC) won his Ultimate Fighting Championship contract after overcoming Alexander Poppeck with punches and elbows at the 4:29 mark of their Contender Series encounter in July 2019. In his latest cage appearance, the Black Lion Jiu-Jitsu-representative smashed Ovince St. Preux with punches in the second stanza of their 205-pound co-main event at UFC on ESPN 19. Prior, he …

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 third time is the charm, they say. On Wednesday morning, MMA Junkie reported that Merab Dvalishvili and Cody Stamann are set to clash in a bantamweight affair on the UFC Fight Night card that will go down on May 1. The pair should have already locked horns at UFC on ESPN 19, but Stamann pulled out due to undisclosed reasons a few days after the matchup was announced. The clash between “The Machine” and “The Spartan” was rescheduled for UFC Fight Night 184, but Dvalishvili withdrew due to COVID-19 complications before they could meet in the cage.

Dvalishvili (12-4, 5-2 UFC) is riding a five-fight winning streak into his upcoming assignment. In his latest Octagon appearance, he upended “The Ultimate Fighter 14” winner John Dodson in a three-round bantamweight feature at UFC 252. Prior, “The Machine” recorded similar decision vi…

STILL UNBEATEN.

Khizriev wastes no time - no energy at #DWCS.

[ Watch LIVE on #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/7PDkNUHK8W — UFC (@ufc) September 9, 2020

Kyle Daukaus will meet Aliaskhab Khizriev in a middleweight bout at UFC Fight Night on April 10.

Promotion officials recently announced the pairing through social media. UFC Fight Night takes place at an as yet to be confirmed location and is headlined by a 185-pound showdown between Darren Till and Marvin Vettori.

After suffering his first professional defeat to Brendan Allen at UFC on ESPN 12, Daukaus rebounded in his sophomore promotional outing, outpointing Dustin Stoltzfus at UFC 255 this past November. The former Cage Fury Fighting Championships titlist owns a 10-1 career mark that also includes a victory on Season 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series.

Khizriev will make his UFC debut with a 13-0 record. He earned a contract with the Las Vegas-based promotion by submitt…

UFC Fight Night 187 is down another bout, as a heavyweight tilt between Ben Rothwell and Philipe Lins has been pulled from Saturday’s card.

Fightful was first to report the news. According to MMAFighting.com, an undisclosed injury resulted in the removal of the bout from the UFC Fight Night 187 lineup, but it is expected to be rebooked for a future event.

UFC Fight Night 187 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight clash between Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad. The card will stream in its entirety on ESPN+.

The 39-year-old Rothwell had a two-bout winning streak snapped in his most recently outing, when he dropped a unanimous decision against Marcin Tybura at UFC Fight Night 179 this past October.

After winning the 2018 Professional Fighters League heavyweight championship, Lins has struggled in the Octagon, falling to Andrei Arlovski and Tanner Boser in his first two promotional appearances.

A featherweight pairing pitting Daniel Weichel against Pedro Carvalho has been targeted for Bellator 257.

Sherdog.com confirmed with a source close to the situation that the matchup is in the works following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. Both Weichel and Carvalho have agreed to the bout, but contracts have not been signed.

Bellator 257 takes place at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., on April 16 and features a pair of light heavyweight grand prix quarterfinals: Vadim Nemkov vs. Phil Davis and Yoel Romero vs. Anthony Johnson. The card will air on Showtime.

Weichel has lost three of his last four promotional appearances, a stretch that includes split-decision setbacks against Patricio Freire and Goiti Yamauchi as well as a five-round unanimous verdict to Emmanuel Sanchez in the quarterfinals of the 145-pound tournament. The 36-year-old German also posted a decision win over Saul Rogers in the opening round of the bracket during that time.

After s…

A featherweight clash pitting Ricardo Ramos against Zubaira Tukhugov will not take place at UFC Fight Night 187 as originally planned.

According to an initial report by MMA journalist Igor Lazorin, Tukhugov was forced to pull out of the fight due to injury. MMAFighting.com has since confirmed that Ramos will not remain on the card after the promotion was unable to find a replacement opponent for him.

UFC Fight Night 187 takes place on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight tilt between Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad. The card will stream in its entirety on ESPN+.

Tukhugov split a pair of bouts in 2020, defeating Kevin Aguilar via first-round TKO at UFC Fight Night 168 before dropping a split decision to Hakeem Dawodu at UFC 253.

Ramos has been victorious in five of his seven Octagon appearances but is coming off a first-round stoppage loss to Lerone Murphy at UFC on ESPN 13 this past July.

Holly Holm has confirmed her withdrawal from proposed May 8 bout against Julianna Pena.

In a video on Instagram, the former bantamweight queen revealed that she was diagnosed with a kidney condition called hydronephrosis. According to kidney.org, “hydronephrosis is the swelling of a kidney due to a build-up of urine. It happens when urine cannot drain out from the kidney to the bladder from a blockage or obstruction. Hydronephrosis can occur in one or both kidneys.”

Holm said that she expects to make a relatively quick recovery and hopes to have the Pena fight rebooked by the summer.

“Last Wednesday I had super abdominal pains, and I went to urgent care. It’s been something kind of reoccurring but hasn’t driven me to urgent care until last Wednesday,” Holm said. “Lo and behold I have hydronephrosis, which is where the kidney does not drain to the bladder correctly.

“So they admitted me that night to get a little procedure done, to get a stent put in ther…

Jan Blachowicz may want a minimum six-month rest following his light heavyweight title defense at UFC 259, but opponent Israel Adesanya could potentially join him in being sidelined that long for different reasons.

“The Last Stylebender” must have clearance on left foot and left ankle X-rays or he will be suspended until Sept. 3. At a minimum, Adesanya is suspended until April 21 with no contact until April 6. Blachowicz, meanwhile, is suspended until April 6 with no contact until March 28.

A full list of medical suspensions from this past Saturday’s event was released to mixedmartialarts.com. UFC 259 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and saw Blachowicz take a five-round verdict against Adesanya in the evening’s headliner.

Meanwhile, Aljamain Sterling, who claimed the vacant bantamweight title via disqualification victory after absorbing an illegal knee from Petr Yan, is suspended until May 6 with no contact until April 21. Yan emerged with a clean bill of…

Two of Professional Fighters League’s biggest stars will anchor the organization’s third regular season card on May 6.

The promotion announced Tuesday that recent free-agent signee Fabricio Werdum will square off against Renan Ferreira in the evening’s heavyweight headliner, while 2019 women’s lightweight champ Kayla Harrison will face Mariana Morais in the co-main event. The card will feature heavyweights and women’s lightweights.

PFL 3 takes place at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J., in a ”state-of-the-art” bubble environment, with fighters required to check in 17 days prior to their bouts. The main card airs on ESPN2 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, with prelims streaming on ESPN+ at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT.

In the other two main card matchups, 2019 heavyweight champ Ali Isaev will face Hatef Moeil, while Genah Fabian will lock horns with Laura Sanchez at 155 pounds. Meanwhile, six bouts will comprise the ESPN+ prelims: Mohammed Usman vs. Brandon Sayles …

A women’s flyweight clash pitting Veta Arteaga against Desiree Yanez has been added to the Bellator 257 preliminary card.

Sherdog.com confirmed the pairing with a promotion official on Monday following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com. The fight was initially slated for Bellator 250 in October, but Arteaga was forced to withdraw on the day of the event due to a positive COVID-19 test.

Bellator 257 takes place on April 16 at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut and is headlined by a light heavyweight grand prix quarterfinal matchup between reigning 205-pound champion Vadim Nemkov and Phil Davis. In the co-main event, Yoel Romero will lock horns with Anthony Johnson in another light heavyweight quarterfinal. The evening’s main card will air on Showtime.

Arteaga is coming off back-to-back losses against Alejandra Lara and Ilima-Lei Macfarlance in 2019. The 33-year-old Combat Fitness product is 5-4 over the course of her professional tenure, with all but…

While it appears that the particulars of Jan Blachowicz’s next light heavyweight title defense are already set, it could be some time before the Polish champion returns to the Octagon.

After a five-round unanimous decision victory over middleweight king in the UFC 259 headliner on Saturday, Blachowicz laid out a desired timeframe for his next promotional appearance.

“[I want a] short break – minimum half-year break,” Blachowicz said. “I want to spend some time with my family. I am a father. My child was just born and I don’t spend any time with him because I have to prepare for my fight. If he wants to wait, (Glover Teixeira) will be my next opponent.”

That means the former KSW title holder wouldn’t compete again until September at the earliest. Blachowicz’s first child, Jan. Jr., was born in December, and the fighter has mostly been in camp preparing for Adesanya since then. That signals an even longer layoff for Teixeira, who UFC president Dana White said was “100 pe…

#TrillerFightClub @jakepaul vs @Benaskren April 17 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. PPV tickets now available on https://t.co/ePBwAGe5aj pic.twitter.com/ys1l2xm3od

— TRILLER (@triller) March 8, 2021

The pay-per-view boxing match between Ben Askren and Jake Paul officially has a location and a price point.

Triller Fight Club announced Monday that the April 17 bout will take place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the home of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons. Askren vs. Paul will cost $49.99 on pay-per-view and will be available via iNDemand in North American, while Fite TV will handle distribution internationally. International price points may vary. The four-hour card begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, while the pay-per-view kicks off at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

There will be no ticket sales to the public, but a limited number of guests and fans will be invited to attend the event. The card will also reportedly included a showdown between former UFC heavywe…