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Joseph Benavidez did some soul searching after his loss to Deiveson Figueiredo in the UFC Fight Night 172 headliner this past July.

It was his fourth loss in a UFC flyweight title bout since 2012, and the division’s perpetual top contender had to make peace with the notion that his days of challenging for championship gold were over. It took some time, but Benavidez finally found the impetus he needed with a matchup against the unbeaten Askar Askarov at UFC 259 on Saturday.

“I think after my last title fight I came to the acceptance that was probably my last title fight,” Benavidez said during a virtual media day. “That’s kind of what I put in my mind. I had some fight offers earlier, and I wasn’t loving it.

“Then when I finally decided this was a good timeframe I want to fight in, and take a good break and fall back in love with training and the sport …. What’s the next best thing? I’m still wanti…

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Had one scorecard gone his way at UFC Fight Night 165, Aleksandar Rakic could have been on the precipice of really big things in the light heavyweight division right now.

Instead, Rakic dropped a split decision to Volkan Oezdemir in December 2019, his only loss in six UFC appearances thus far. The verdict was contentious, with seven of eight media scorers awarded the decision to Rakic. Despite being outlanded by a 75-to-63 count in significant strikes, Oezdemir made a lasting impression on the judges with his low kicks, which led to some grotesque swelling on the leg of his opponent.

On the brink of a showdown with Thiago Santos at UFC 259, Rakic seems to have moved past the ruling, but he hasn’t changed his mind about who won.

“It doesn’t matter. On this decision, I felt like a winner. Everybody who understands MMA and who saw that fight know that I am a winner,” Rakic said during a virtual media …

For the third time, Bellator MMA will attempt to make a fight happen between Paul Daley and Sabah Homasi.

The welterweights have been booked to square off at Bellator 257 on April 16. MMAjunkie.com was first to report the bout. Bellator 257 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, and features light heavyweight grand prix quarterfinal matchups between Vadim Nemkov and Phil Davis as well as Anthony Johnson and Yoel Romero.

Daley and Homasi were initially slated to meet at Bellator 232 in October 2019, but Homasi withdrew after suffering an injury. The two combatants were then booked for Bellator 241 in March 2020, but that event was scrapped due to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

After losing a five-round verdict to Michael Page in the promotion’s welterweight grand prix, Daley has rebounded with a decision triumph over Erick Silva at Bellator 223 and a technical knockout of Saad Awad at Bellator 232. “Semtex” has compiled an 8-4 mark…

Jim Miller will square off against Joe Solecki at UFC Fight Night on April 10.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the lightweight pairing. UFC Fight Night is headlined by a middleweight duel betwee Darren Till and Marvin Vettori. The card does not yet have an official location.

The 37-year-old Miller has won three of his last five promotional outings. Most recently, he lost a unanimous decision against Vinc Pichel at UFC 252 this past August. His matchup with Solecki will mark his 37th Octagon appearance, a UFC record. Miller was supposed to face Bobby Green at UFC 258 but the bout was scrapped after Green endured a difficult weight cut.

Solecki earned a UFC contract with a first-round submission of James Wallace on Season 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series. Since then, the 27-year-old has posted a decision win over Matt Wiman at UFC on ESPN 7 and a submission victory against Austin Hubbard at UFC on ESPN 15. Solecki has won his last five professional fights.

Roxanne Modafferi is slated to meet Taila Santos in a flyweight matchup at UFC Fight Night on May 8.

Multiple outlets confirmed the booking following an initial report from Combate. UFC Fight Night takes place at an as yet to be announced location and also features a women’s bantamweight tilt pitting Holly Holm against Julianna Pena.

Modafferi came up short in her first appearance of 2021, falling to Viviane Araujo via unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN 20 on Jan. 20. “The Happy Warrior” is 4-6 in UFC competition with wins over the likes of Andrea Lee, Maycee Barber and Antonina Shevchenko.

Santos, meanwhile, has scored back-to-back decision triumphs against Molly McCann and Gillian Robertson in her last two UFC appearances. The 27-year-old Astra Fight Team product has been victorious in 17 of 18 pro outings, with her lone defeat coming against Mara Romero Borella in her Octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 144.

Although Israel Adesanya is moving up a division at UFC 259, not much will change from his usual middleweight routine.

‘I’m gonna keep the same energy during my fight week,” Adesanya told ESPN. “I’m not gonna go crazy and f—-ing order Uber Eats and cakes and whatever. I’m just gonna keep the same energy.”

The reigning 185-pound king will attempt to become a two-division champion when he faces reigning light heavyweight title holder Jan Blachowicz Saturday’s headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Despite facing an opponent who has competed at 205 pounds for years, Adesanya didn’t adopt a plan to pack on extra weight.

“Put it this way,” Adesanya said. “I could still make 185 if I have to.”

That said, “The Last Stylebender” expects to weight below 200 pounds when he hits the scales and when he stands across the Octagon from Blachowicz.

“Don’t be surprised if I weigh in at like 193,” he said. “Don’t be surprised.”

For Adesanya, maintaining a routi…

JIMMY THE BRICK!!

First round sub to open his UFC career! What a performance #UFCVegas17 pic.twitter.com/iiWqtYC9D2

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) December 19, 2020 A flyweight clash between Jimmy Flick and Francisco Figueiredo has been booked for the UFC's May 8 offering.

Multiple outlets confirmed the pairing after Flick announced it on The Corner and The Casual podcast podcast. The event is expected to include a women’s bantamweight bout between Holly Holm and Julianna Pena as well as a welterweight tilt pitting Donald Cerrone against Diego Sanchez. A location has not been formally announced.

Flick turned heads in his Octagon debut when he submitted Cody Durden with a flying triangle 3:18 into the opening round of their encounter at UFC Fight Night 183 on Dec. 19. The 30-year-old Oklahoma native has won four straight fights overall, including appearances with Dana White’s Contender Series and Legacy Fighting Alliance.

Figueiredo is …

Edson Barboza will make his third featherweight appearance when he takes on Shane Burgos at UFC 262.

Multiple outlets confirmed the booking following an initial report from Combate. UFC 262 takes place on May 15 at an as yet to be announced location and also includes a flyweight scrap between Alex Perez and Matt Schnell.

The 35-year-old Barboza has lost five of his last seven UFC bouts but is 1-1 at 145 pounds. After dropping a narrow split decision against Dan Ige in his featherweight debut at UFC on ESPN 8, Barboza rebounded to outpoint Makwan Amirkhani in his most recent outing at UFC Fight Night 179 on Oct. 10.

Burgos began his tenure in the Las Vegas-based promotion with victories in six of his first seven appearances. The 29-year-old Team Tiger Schulmann representative came up short in his last bout, losing a unanimous decision to Josh Emmett at UFC on ESPN 11 on June 20.

Three fighters who competed at UFC Fight Night 186 are facing potential six-month layoffs after their bouts.

Thiago Moises, who took a three-round verdict against Alexander Hernandez in a lightweight contest, must have his right foot X-rayed and if positive, needs to be cleared by a doctor or he will be sidelined until Aug. 27. At a minimum he is suspended until March 30 with no contact until March 21.

After a decision loss to Alexis Davis at bantamweight, Sabina Mazo needs a left leg X-ray. If positive, she’ll need doctor clearance to avoid a being suspended until Aug. 27. At a minimum, Mazo is suspended until March 30 with no contact until March 21.

Finally, Ronnie Lawrence must have his left foot and left ribs X-rayed and receive cleareance or he will be out until Aug. 27. His minimum suspension is the same as Moises and Mazo. Lawrence defeated Vince Cachero via third-round technincal knockout in a preliminary bantamweight scrap.

A full list of medical…

A lightweight showdown pitting Scott Holtzman against Mateusz Gamrot has been booked for UFC Fight Night on April 10.

Multiple outlets confirmed the pairing following an initial report by Kuba Voranek on Twitter. UFC Fight Night is headlined by a middleweight tilt between Darren Till and Marvin Vettori. A location for the card has not been formally announced.

Holtzman last competed at UFC Fight Night 174, where he suffered a spinning backfist KO defeat at the hands of Beneil Dariush this past August. Heading into the matchup the man known as “Hot Sauce” had been victorious in five of his previous six promotional appearances.

A former two-division champion with KSW, Gamrot is looking for his first UFC triumph. In his Octagon debut, the 30-year-old Poland native dropped a split verdict against Guram Kutateladze at UFC Fight Night 180 on Oct. 17. Prior to that defeat, “Gamer” had been unbeaten in his first 18 professional appearances, with a no contest against Nor…

Matt Brown will meet Dhiego Lima at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on June 19.

MMAFighting.com was first to report the pairing. The UFC Fight Night event doesn’t have an official location or headliner at this time.

The 40-year-old Brown has lost five of his last seven promotional appearances. Most recently, “The Immortal” dropped a three-round verdict against Carlos Condit at UFC on ABC 1 on Jan. 16. Brown has earned wins over the likes of Stephen Thompson, Mike Swick, Mike Pyle, Tim Means, Diego Sanchez and Ben Saunders during a lengthy UFC tenure.

Lima, meanwhile, is coming off a clear-cut decision loss to Belal Muhammad at UFC 258 on Feb 13. Prior to that defeat, “The Ultimate Fighter 19” finalist had won three straight Octagon appearances, besting Chad Laprise, Court McGee and Luke Jumeau in succession.

Rory MacDonald will finally make his highly-anticipated Professional Fighters League debut in the main event of the promotion’s April 29 event against David Michaud.

The PFL announced the bout, along with the full card for its second 2021 regular season event, on Tuesday. The lineup will feature welterweights and light heavyweights, with the main card airing on ESPN2 and the prelims streaming via ESPN+.

The rest of the main card lineup is as follows: Ray Cooper III vs. Jason Ponet at welterweight; Jordan Johnson vs. Tom Lawlor at light heavyweight; and Emiliano Sordi vs. Chris Camozzi at light heavyweight.

Meanwile, the preliminary draw will feature a total of six contests: Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. Joao Zeferino at welterweight; Smealinho Rama vs. Jordan Young at light heavyweight; Cezar Ferreira vs. Nick Roehrick at light heavyweight; Gleison Tibau vs. Alexey Kunchenko at welterweight; Sadibou Sy vs. Nikolay Aleksakhin at welterweight; and Dan Spohn vs. Marth…

Lingering effects from COVID-19 continue to take their toll on Khamzat Chimaev.

The UFC welterweight prospect seemingly announced his retirement in a cryptic statement on Instagram Monday evening.

“I want to say thank you all so much for supporting me in my journey in this sport,” Chimaev wrote (translation via Google). “I think I’m done, yes I know I didn’t take the belt but it’s not the most important victory in his life. It may upset you but my heart and body tell me everything. I want to say a big thank you to my team [Allstars Training Center]. I want to say a big thank you to UFC.”

Additionally, Chimaev posted photos on Instagram Stories of what appeared to be blood in a sink. Chimaev was recently flown to Las Vegas by the UFC to receive additional medical care after he withdrew from UFC Fight Night 187 due to lingering symptoms from the virus. It was the second time he was forced to pull out of a fight vs. Leon Edwards due to COVID-19 issues after cont…

BOMBS AWAY

Michał Włodarek collides with the debuting @DarkoStosic92 at #KSW59 pic.twitter.com/CIdhRPE4gZ

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) February 25, 2021 Four-time UFC veteran Darko Stosic will make his promotional debut against Michal Wlodarek at KSW 59 on March 20.

The Polish promotion recently announced the booking, which will be contested at heavyweight. Four other contests were also confirmed: Damian Janikowski vs. Jason Radcliffe at middleweight; Lukasz Rajewski vs. Mateusz Legierski at lightweight; Sebastian Rajewski vs. Savo Lazic at lightweight and Krystian Kaszubowski vs. Michal Pietrzak at middleweight.

KSW 59 takes place in Lodz, Poland and is headlined by a super heavyweight clash between Mariusz Pudzianowski and Serigne Ousmane Dia. In the co-main event, Antun Racic defends his bantamweight crown against Sebastian Przybysz.

Stosic, 29, debuted in the Octagon with a first-round stoppage of Jeremy Kimball but then proceeded to …

BREAKING: 4 man Welterweight Title Tournament is confirmed

Rostem Akman vs Ian GarryJack Grant vs Madars Fleminas #CW121 // March 19th // #THETRILOGYMore info https://t.co/bIR1I74TFX pic.twitter.com/heo8fyyXWR

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) March 2, 2021 Cage Warriors will begin its journey to crown a new 170-pound champion with the semifinals of a welterweight tournament on March 19.

The European promotion recently announced that Ian Garry will face Rostem Akman and Jack Grant will meet Madars Fleminas at Cage Warriors 121. The winners of the semifinal bouts will advance to vie for welterweight gold later this year.

“The welterweight division needs a new champion and there is no shortage of contenders,” Cage Warriors president Graham Boylan said in a release. “MMA fans love nothing more than a grand prix, and I am so excited to see how this one plays out.”

Garry has amassed a 5-0 record under the Cage Warriors banner an…

Upon further review, Alexander Hernandez believes he deserved to win his lightweight clash with Thiago Moises at UFC Fight Night 186.

The San Antonio Texas native released a statement on Monday via Instagram regarding Saturday’s unanimous decision loss. All three cageside judges sided with Moises after three rounds: 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.

“Silence the commentary, watch this fight, and convince me I didn’t win 2 1/2 of 3 rounds,” Hernandez wrote. “It’s extremely difficult to rationalize and agree with the outcome, but it is the outcome. Three more fights to come this year. Onward.”

While the fight was competitive — Moises only held a 53-to-50 edge in significant strikes landed — all 21 unofficial media scorers tracked by MMADecisions.com agreed with the judges and submitted tallies for the ex-Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion.

“Just getting used to being in the Octagon, I train at ATT, the best in the world,” Moises said. “I get better every day,…

Shortly after vanquishing Felicia Spencer at UFC 250 last June, Amanda Nunes raised eyebrows by mentioning the word “retirement.”

“I’m in a moment that I can retire, you know, and I’m in a moment that I can fight. I’m fine,” Nunes said. “There’s nothing else to be done right now in the division. The Hall of Fame will come, for sure. My life going forward, if I do stop now, the UFC will give me every support I need to continue having my money and work.”

As it turns out, Nunes never got too serious about calling it a career, and now the two-division champion will return to defend her featherweight crown against Megan Anderson at UFC 259 on Saturday. The 32-year-old Brazilian is rejuvenated after having a daughter with her fiancee, UFC strawweight Nina Ansaroff. Now, Raegan Ann Nunes provides all the motivation she needs.

“What is gonna keep me moving forward?…This time it’s different. This time I’m gonna be able to share with my daughter,” Nunes told TSN. “To see…

Thirteen-time world jiu-jitsu champion Marcus Almeida will finally make his MMA debut on April 7 against South Korean Ji Won Kang under the One Championship banner.

Sherdog.com confirmed the heavyweight bout following an initial report from Combate.com. Kang is already scheduled to face Amir Aliakbari at One Championshp “Fists of Fury” on March 5. It is unclear if he will remain on this week’s card and face Almeida next month.

Kang made his MMA debut in 2018 and has won his first four appearances by knockout or technical knockout inside of a round. The 25-year-old last appeared at One Championship “Unbreakable 3” where he stopped Mehdi Barghi at the 4:50 mark of Round 1 on Feb. 5.

Almeida, who trains at American Top Team, recently retired from grappling competition to pursue an MMA career. The 30-year-old has won numerous gold medals and championships during his grappling tenure, including gold medals in the Pan American Championship and IBJJF World Championshi…

Those within the American Kickboxing Academy camp have high expectations for Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight Islam Makhachev.

Makhachev will return to action for the first time since September 2019 when he squares off against Drew Dober on the massive UFC 259 card in Las Vegas card Saturday. The event, if all remains intact, features a trio of championship fights at the top of the bill.

Former two-division champion Daniel Cormier and lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov both believe Makhachev will be in a similar position before too long.

"For 10 straight years, we've had title fights out of AKA," Cormier told ESPN. "How do we continue that? Islam is the guy. We all believe right now Islam is our next best chance to have someone great."

Makhachev has been victorious in 18 of 19 professional outings and is currently on a six-fight winning streak within the Las Vegas-based promotion. He’s had multiple matchups fall through since outpointing Davi…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

On paper, the UFC Fight Night 186 co-main event looked to be one of Saturday’s most entertaining pairings.

When Magomed Ankalaev and Nikita Krylov stepped into the Octagon, however, they ended up being one of eight fights on a nine-bout card that went the distance. And despite the finishing track record of both light heavyweights, the bout was a bit of a grinder as Ankalaev emerged with a unanimous decision victory.

“I was planning to fight standing up but once he started wrestling with me, I had to change my tactics and I also wrestled,” Ankalaev said.

“I feel great, but the fight didn’t go as I expected. I could say that it was a little boring, but the end result is that I’m happy with my win. I’m not disappointed because my victory is what matters.”

Ankalaev has now won six consecutive fights and is a rising star in the 205-pound division. He hopes that his latest victory can push him to a greater stage.

“I ho…

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All signs still seem to be pointing toward a trilogy bout between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor later this year.

Porier is coming off a second-round technical knockout victory against the Irish superstar at UFC 257 on Jan. 23, while McGregor stopped “The Diamond” via first-round TKO in their first meeting at UFC 178 in September 2014. During a recent appearance on "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast, Poirier discussed why a third matchup remains appealing.

“Conor wants the trilogy and I do too,” Poirier said. “We’re just trying to get the right deal structured. This is going to be a big fight. He knocked me out, I knocked him out. The trilogy. For sure one of the biggest fights this year, but maybe of all time... So I think the trilogy makes a lot of sense and a lot of money. So we’re just trying to get the right deal structured and see what the time frame is. Because for a guy like Conor, you want th…

Patrick Mix will square off against James Gallagher in a bantamweight showdown at Bellator 258.

MMA DNA was first to report the booking. Bellator 258 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, on May 7 and is headlined by a 135-pound championship tilt between Juan Archuleta and Sergio Pettis. The main card will air on Showtime 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

The 27-year-old Mix suffered his first professional defeat in 14 outings in a championship bout against Archuleta at Bellator 246 last September. The former King of the Cage standout began his tenure with the California-based promotion with victories over Ricky Bandejas and Isaiah Chapman before submitting Yuki Motoya in a crossover bout at Rizin 20.

Gallagher, meanwhile, has won four consecutive bouts since losing to Bandejas at Bellator 204 in August 2018. The 24-year-old SBG Ireland product last appeared at Bellator Milan, where he tapped out Callum Ellenor in the opening stanza on Oct. 3.

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that Ciryl Gane has only been a professional mixed martial artist for less than three years.

Such thinking might have tempered expectations at UFC Fight Night 186, when the Frenchman cruised to a forgettable five-round verdict against Jairzinho Rozenstruik in Saturday’s heavyweight headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It wasn’t the type of performance that will propel Gane to the top of the division, but it was nonetheless significant for an athlete who is still learning and progressing.

“This guy is really dangerous, he is really tough, he has big knockout power, so we have to manage the fight with this guy, manage the distance and be focused, be careful,” Gane said. “We did it, we did it well and we did more. We made pressure against the cage, we did maybe two, three takedowns, maybe more. I tried to finish the fight. I try, I try, but yes it was a good fight.”

It was also Gane’s first time going a full 25 minutes in the cage, …

Jairzinho Rozenstruik had an evening to forget at UFC Fight Night 186.

The Surinamese heavyweight was unable to get on track against Ciryl Gane, as he lost a five-round verdict in Saturday’s headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Rozenstruik never displayed his knockout power in a contest where Gane controlled the range and held a comfortable 102-to-42 edge in significant strikes landed. While Gane cruised, the bout was sorely lacking when it came to action.

After the loss, Rozenstruik released a brief video statement on social media.

“Fans, family, and friends, I just fought and the fight didn’t go my way,” he said. “I think it’s my worst performance ever if you ask me... So this is me explaining myself, I think I owe you guys this.

“I’m gonna go back home and work my ass off for my next fight. Don’t know when that’s gonna be. Respect to Ciryl, he win the fight, and he’s a professional fighter. This is what I can say.”

A first…