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: Matt Mitrione (@mattmitrione)-Tyrell Fortune (@FortuneOverFam) and Linton Vassell-Marcelo Golm (@MarceloGolm) added to #Bellator262 main card.https://t.co/KwS4GHvtYH

— Bellator Public Relations (@BellatorPR) June 17, 2021 A pair of heavyweight battles and more are now a part of Bellator MMA’s July 16 card.

According to a press release on Thursday, Bellator 262 has just been beefed up by four new matchups. The organization further confirmed the previously announced Ronny Markes vs. Said Sowma slugfest, while adding two more heavyweight matches, a women’s featherweight tilt and a 145-pound bout between two prospects. The bout that may serve in the co-main event sees top-10 heavyweights Tyrell Fortune (10-1, 1 NC) take on Matt Mitrione (13-8, 1 NC).

Since suffering the first loss in his career – a first-round knockout to upcoming title challenger Timothy Johnson – Fortune has looked nigh-unstoppable. Although he kneed Jack May in the groi…

.@LFAfighting set to go International in July with two events in Brazil!

: https://t.co/gqOUXojn4L#LFA111 on Friday, July 16#LFA112 on Sunday, July 18#UpperArena#RioDeJaneiro, #Brazil#MMA#LFANation@UFCFightPass pic.twitter.com/rzuspcesTb

— LFA (@LFAfighting) June 16, 2021 The Legacy Fighting Alliance is leaving the United States in search of Order and Progress.

On Wednesday, the organization announced via press release that it would go international for the first time with a pair of shows in Brazil. The Las Vegas-based promotion plants its flag in the Federative Republic of Brazil with LFA 111 and LFA 112, which will both go down at the Upper Arena in Rio de Janeiro. LFA 111 will take place on July 16, while LFA 112 will go on a couple days later on July 18. The promotion has yet to announce any official matchups for the Brazilian cards, but they will be available to watch on UFC Fight Pass starting at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on their respec…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the PFL live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. The current Professional Fighters League heavyweight landscape is virtually unrecognizable when compared to its iteration a few months ago. The PFL sent out a press release on Thursday to announce a series of changes in its upcoming PFL 6 card on June 25 at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J. The conclusion of the regular season will feature fighters in four weight categories, but it will primarily be stocked with heavyweight and women’s lightweight matchups.

The promotion’s changes to this card start with the loss of 2019 heavyweight champ Ali Isaev, who has not been medically cleared for competition. Adding to the recent removal of Fabricio Werdum from the bracket and a few other shakeups, four men will be joining the heaviest section of the tournament: Chandler Cole, Stuart Austin, Klidson Abreu and Jamelle Jones. …

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 Ultimate Fighting Championship has lost a much-anticipated headliner a month before it was set to go down. ESPN Deportes first announced on Thursday that the UFC on ESPN 26 headliner has fallen through, as Max Holloway (22-6) suffered an injury and has been forced to withdraw from his featherweight contest against Yair Rodriguez (13-2, 1 NC). As a result, Rodriguez has been pulled from the card as well, as the promotion is rebooking the fight on a future date. There is no current replacement announcement for the July 17 main event, and the UFC Apex card in Las Vegas’ highest billed matchup now may be Miesha Tate vs. Marion Reneau at bantamweight.

Holloway snapped a rare losing streak in January by busting up Calvin Kattar in the year’s sure-fire “Beatdown of the Year” candidate, landing more significant strikes in the fight t…

PFL 2021 5 Weigh-insCredit: PFL MMA PFL 2021 5 Weigh-insCredit: PFL MMA PFL 2021 5 Weigh-insCredit: PFL MMA PFL 2021 5 Weigh-insCredit: PFL MMA PFL 2021 5 Weigh-insCredit: PFL MMA PFL 2021 5 Weigh-insCredit: PFL MMA PFL 2021 5 Weigh-insCredit: PFL MMA PFL 2021 5 Weigh-insCredit: PFL MMA PFL 2021 5 Weigh-insCredit: PFL MMA PFL 2021 5 Weigh-insCredit: PFL MMA PFL 2021 5 Weigh-insCredit: PFL MMA PFL 2021 5 Weigh-insCredit: PFL MMA PFL 2021 5 Weigh-insCredit: PFL MMA PFL 2021 5 Weigh-insCredit: PFL MMA PFL 2021 5 Weigh-insCredit: PFL MMA PFL 2021 5 Weigh-insCredit: PFL MMA PFL 2021 5 Weigh-insCredit: PFL MMA PFL 2021 5 Weigh-insCredit: PFL MMA PFL 2021 5 Weigh-insCredit: PFL MMA PFL 2021 5 Weigh-insCredit: PFL MMA PFL 2021 5 Weigh-insCredit: PFL MMA PFL 2021 5 Weigh-insCredit: PFL MMA PFL 2021 5 Weigh-insCredit: PFL MMA PFL 2021 5 Weigh-insCredit: PFL MMA PFL 2021 5 Weigh-insCredit: PFL MMA PFL 2021 5 Weigh-insCredit: PFL MMA PFL 2021 5 Weigh-insCredit: PFL MMA PFL 2021 5 Weigh-in…

Credit: Joao Baptista/Sherdog.com “Gorets” had to pull out from his scheduled fight on June 26.

It appears that the upcoming UFC Fight Night 190 card has just lost one of its welterweight clashes. According to a report from MMA Fighting, the bout between Ramazan Emeev and Warlley Alves dropped off the card after Emeev exited. At the moment of publication, the fighter hasn’t disclosed the reason. Alves is currently looking for a new opponent at 170.

Two-time M-1 Global 185-pound kingpin Emeev (20-4, 5-1 UFC) is currently looking for his third-straight victory inside the Octagon. In his previous appearances, the 34-year old Russian upended Niklas Stolze via unanimous decision and edged David Zawada thanks to a narrow split decision at UFC on ESPN 14 and UFC on ABC 1, respectively. The only fighter to top “Gorets” inside the UFC was Anthony Rocco Martin at UFC Fight Night 163, where Martin outpointed Emeev.

Most recently, Alves (14-4, 6-4 UFC) put away Mounir Lazzez wit…

"The Phoenix” will be eligible to fight again in April 2022.

On Wednesday, USADA announced that former Ultimate Fighting Championship contender Erik Koch had accepted his 18-month suspension. "The Phoenix” tested positive for a metabolite of stanozolol called 3′-hydroxy-stanozolol. The test was carried on Oct. 3, 2020, coinciding with the date when his period of ineligibility begins.

Koch (16-6) most recently competed at UFC 240 in July 2019, when he outpointed Kyle Stewart via unanimous decision. That night, the World Extreme Cagefighting vet snapped a two-bout skid in addition to registering his first win since May 29, 2016. Previously, he dropped back-to-back decisions to Clay Guida and Bobby Green.

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC, PFL and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

On Dec. 23, 2020, the news broke out that “The Phoenix” was laid off by the UFC. Th…

Per sources, Khalil Rountree will take on Modestas Bukauskas in a 205lbs clash in an upcoming UFC Fight Night card on Sept. 4. Sources couldn't confirm the location, but previous reports indicated the UFC is targeting London, England, for the event. More coming on @sherdogdotcom.

— Tudor Leonte (@MrTudorLeonte) June 16, 2021

Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweights will collide in the Octagon soon. According to Sherdog sources, Khalil Rountree will face Modestas Bukauskas in a 205-pound showdown in an upcoming UFC Fight Night card, which will go down on Sept. 4. Sources couldn't confirm the location of the fight.

Rountree (8-5, 4-5 UFC) dropped a decision to Marcin Prachnio during their tilt on the preliminary UFC 257 preliminary card in his last action. Previously, the 31-year old fighter was stopped with elbows by Ion Cutelaba at UFC Fight Night 160. The latest victory of “The War Horse” dates back to April 2019, when he upende…

Upper Deck and the Professional Fighters League announced today a multi-year deal for licensed collectibles and memorabilia products and exclusive for trading cards. Collectors will be able to buy, open, collect, and trade their first PFL card beginning on June 18, 2021.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 16, 2021

It appears that fans will be able to collect their favorite Professional Fighters League fighters.

On Wednesday morning, PFL announced that it had signed a multi-year deal with Upper Deck for memorabilia products for its athletes and licensed collectibles, including trading cards. It will be Upper Deck’s first foray into professional fighting trading cards. The partnership will include collectibles that feature autographs and trading cards available in both physical and digital forms.

“Professional Fighters League is excited to partner with Upper Deck to provide MMA fans with unique collectibles of their favorite fighters as…

BREAKING

Unfinished business in the Octagon will be settled on September 18th. Ion Cutelaba vs. Devin Clark is rescheduled for that date in the Light-Heavyweight division. Location TBA.

The fight was originally supposed to happen earlier this year on May 1st. pic.twitter.com/A4315GhELp — MMA DNA (@MMADNANL) June 16, 2021

A light heavyweight clash has been added to the upcoming Sept. 18 UFC Fight Night card in Las Vegas.

Ultimate Fighting Championship 205-pound contenders Ion Cutelaba and Devin Clark will lock horns in the Octagon on Sept. 18, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to Sherdog. MMA DNA reported was the first to report the pairing. “The Hulk” and Clark should have clashed at UFC on ESPN 23, but Clark pulled out of the contest due to an undisclosed injury and was replaced by Dustin Jacoby.

Unfortunately for Cutelaba (15-6-1 1NC, 4-5-1 UFC), his clash with Jacoby ended in a split draw. That night, “Th…

Tim Means and Nicolas Dalby will square off at UFC Fight Night 190 after both men lost previously scheduled opponents.

The promotion announced the new welterweight bout on Tuesday. UFC Fight Night 190 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on June 26 and is headlined by a heavyweight clash between Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov.

Means was originally slated to meet Danny Roberts at UFC on ESPN 25 this Saturday, but Roberts had to exit the card due to COVID-19 protocols. Meanwhile, Sergey Khandozhko, Dalby’s original foe, suffered an injury and had to withdraw from UFC Fight Night 190.

Means has been victorious in three of his last four promotional appearances. “The Dirty Bird” is coming off a unanimous decision triumph over Mike Perry at UFC 255 this past November. The 37-year-old FIT-NHB stalwart is 31-12-1 over the course of a pro career that began in 2004.

Dalby is unbeaten in his last seven professional outings. He is 2-0 with one no contest during …

A pivotal welterweight bout between Michael Chiesa and Vicente Luque is on tap for UFC 265.

Multiple outlets confirmed the booking following an initial report from Cageside Press. UFC 265 takes place on Aug. 7 at an as yet to be announced location and is headlined by a women’s bantamweight title tilt pitting Amanda Nunes against Julianna Pena.

Chiesa is 4-0 since moving to 170 pounds from lightweight in 2018. The 33-year-old Sikjitsu representative kicked off his 2021 campaign with a lopsided five-round verdict over Neil Magny in the UFC on ESPN 20 headliner on Jan. 20. “Maverick” also owns welterweight triumphs against Rafael dos Anjos, Diego Sanchez and Carlos Condit.

Luque has won nine of 10 Octagon appearances dating back to October 2017, with his only defeat during that time coming at the hands of Stephen Thompson. Luque’s current three-bout winning streak features finishes of Niko Price, Randy Brown and Tyron Woodley.

I could fight this Moron if he show to fight like that. pic.twitter.com/xQnS3rcqaN

— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) June 14, 2021

Paulo Costa has responded to Marvin Vettori’s challenge.

“The Italian Dream” called out the Brazilian middleweight shortly after his loss to Israel Adesanya in the UFC 263 headliner.

“To be honest, I’d like to really destroy this drunk guy that can’t even stay off drinking,” Vettori said of Costa. “It’s ‘Borrachinha’ … I’d definitely like to smack this guy.”

Costa replied in turn, accepting Vettori’s callout while mockingly posting a photo of Vettori from a Venum photo session.

“I can fight this moron if he shows up like that,” Costa wrote.

Costa has not stepped into the Octagon since September, when he suffered a second-round technical knockout loss to Adesanya in a title bout at UFC 253. Since then, “Borrachina” has been involved in a public dispute with the promotion regardin…

I will not be fighting the 19th. New fight news on the way.

— tim means (@MeansTim) June 15, 2021

A welterweight clash pitting Tim Means against Danny Roberts has been removed from UFC on ESPN 25.

MMAFighting.com initially confirmed that cancellation following a post from Means on social media. UFC on ESPN 25 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday and is headlined by a featherweight tilt between Chan Sung Jung and Dan Ige.

Means has been victorious in three of his last four Octagon appearances. Most recently, “The Dirty Bird” outpointed Mike Perry at UFC 255 on Nov. 21.

Roberts, meanwhile, halted a two-bout skid with a second-round knockout of Zelim Imadaev in his most recent outing at UFC Fight Night 163 on Nov. 9.

One of the biggest fights in Bellator MMA history now has a date.

On Thursday night, MMA Fighting reported that the featherweight grand prix final will take place on July 31. At the event expected to be named Bellator 263, Patricio Freire (32-4) will come to blows with A.J. McKee (17-0) with the 145-pound throne, the million-dollar prize and significant pound-for-pound consideration on the line. Sherdog.com has since confirmed the date of the event with a source close to the situation.

Current two-division champ Freire – “Pitbull” is the featherweight and lightweight champ concurrently – will put his title up for grabs at 145 pounds and look to extend his promotional record for the most consecutive defenses in one reign. Since suffering a broken leg against Benson Henderson in 2016, Freire has looked nigh-unbeatable as he racked up wins over the likes of Michael Chandler, Daniel Straus and Emmanuel Sanchez twice. “Pitbull” holds or is in contention for most of the to…

A heavyweight matchup between Curtis Blaydes and Jairzinho Rozenstruik has been targeted for UFC 266.

MMAFighting.com was first to report that both parties have verbally agreed to the booking. UFC 266 takes place at an as yet to be announced location and features a light heavyweight championship tilt between Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira. A location for the event has not been revealed. MMAFighting.com also reported that the date for UFC 266 has been moved from Sept. 4 to Sept. 25.

Blaydes had a four-bout winning streak snapped in his last outing, when he suffered a second-round KO defeat to Derrick Lewis at UFC Fight Night 185 on Feb. 20. Prior to that, the man known as “Razor” had earned successive triumphs over Alexander Volkov, Junior dos Santos, Shamil Abdurakhimov and Justin Willis.

Rozenstruik is 2-2 in his last four Octagon appearances. Most recently, “Bigi Boy” defeated Augusto Sakai via technical knockout 4:59 into Round 1 of their headlining bout…

A light heavyweight main event clash between Thiago Santos and Johnny Walker has been moved back one week.

According to a report from MMAFighting.com, the Santos vs. Walker will now take place at a UFC card on Oct. 2. The bout was originally slated for Sept. 25, which is now reportedly the date for the UFC 266 pay-per-view card.

Santos will look to end a three-bout losing streak when he squares off against Walker. After fallling to then champion Jon Jones in a competitive split decision at UFC 239, “Marreta” returned from multiple knee surgeries to drop back-to-back fights against Glover Teixeira and Aleksandar Rakic. The 37-year-old Brazilian was victorious in eight of nine Octagon appearances from February 2017 to February 2019.

Walker, meanwhile, snapped a two-fight skid with a first-round knockout of Ryan Spann at UFC Fight Night 178 in September 2020. The former Brazilian Contender Series competitor began his promotional tenure with three straight first ro…

A bantamweight showdown pitting Marlon Moraes against Merab Dvalishvili has been targeted for UFC 266.

Dvalishvili’s coach, Ray Longo, first brought word of the matchup on the Anik and Florian podcast. UFC 266 takes place on Sept. 25 at an as yet to be announced location and is headlined by a light heavyweight title bout between Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira.

A former 135-pound title challenger, Moraes has lost three of his last four Octagon appearances. Most recently, the former WSOF champion suffered a first-round TKO defeat to Rob Font at UFC Fight Night 183 on Dec. 19.

Dvalishvili has been on a roll, winning six consecutive UFC outings dating back to September 2018. “The Machine” is coming off a three-round verdict against Cody Stamann at UFC on ESPN 23 on May 1.

https://t.co/u7LZPJGvJ2 pic.twitter.com/HGFx17Aa69

— Anik & Florian Podcast (@AnikFlorianPod) June 15, 2021

What a fight!

29-2829-2829-28

Brad Riddell does enough to score a unanimous decision victory at #UFC263 pic.twitter.com/sNgxQEU1d6 — UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) June 13, 2021

Brad Riddell showcased his mettle at UFC 263.

After nearly being knocked out by Drew Dober in the first round of their lightweight bout, the City Kickboxing representative took control over the final 10 minutes, repeatedly landing a solid right hand while also forcing his opponent to defend against multiple takedown attempts. The end result was a unanimous decision triumph, Riddell’s fourth consecutive victory within the Las Vegas-based promotion.

“I had to mix up that stand-and-brawl style between the stick and move. I think that’s what won it for me and those random shots and takedowns,” Riddell said. “I think the striking was making him like not too tired. It was the wrestling that made him a little more tired maybe.

“I could feel and hear him …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAldssU886g&w=560&h=315]

If he gets his way, Deiveson Figueiredo will have a third meeting with Brandon Moreno in the near future.

Shortly after his submission loss to Moreno in the UFC 263 co-main event, the former flyweight champion spoke to UFC Brasil.

“I had a terrible time in the weight cut process,” he said. “I was really slow in the fight, but I don’t want to make excuses. Tonight was Moreno´s night. He fought a great fight and deserved the belt. All I want is toreturn home, sit down with my team, correct my mistakes and fight the trilogy with Moreno.”

Figueiredo’s manager, Wallid Ismail, was upset that the translator didn’t pass along Figueiredo’s request for “four months to train to have an immediate rematch with Moreno” during his in-cage interview following the bout. Still, Ismail also gave Moreno his due.

“That´s what fight business is about. Deiveson just didn’t show up Saturday and Moreno had a great fi…

De locos la reacción en el gimnasio Entram de Tijuana al ganar @theassassinbaby #UFC263 pic.twitter.com/Z7hI5VQdnT

— UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) June 13, 2021

Brandon Moreno’s championship triumph set off a raucous celebration at his home gym in Tijuana, Mexico.

After battling Deiveson Figueiredo to a majority draw at UFC 256 this past December, Moreno claimed flyweight gold with a third-round submission victory in the rematch at UFC 263 this past Saturday. The win made Moreno the first Mexican-born champion in UFC history, and led to a rowdy scene at his home base, Entram Gym. Check out a video of the celebration above.

While virtually any observer who witnessed the UFC 263 headliner would have given the nod to Israel Adesanya without any question, Marvin Vettori has remained in denial about the final verdict.

“The Italian Dream” was seen arguing with Adesanya over the scorecards in the aftermath of their middleweight title bout on Saturday night, and he reiterated that sentiment in an interview with BT Sport following the event. At the end of the night, “The Last Stylebender” received a trio identical 50-45 tallies from the cageside judges.

“I think I did a lot of good things,” Vettori said. “I was having a lot of success with the boxing exchanges. Story of this fight was the leg kick, I guess. I went back and I talked to my coaches, I think the 50-45 was definitely not the right decision but it is what is.”

Vettori’s game plan was to use his wrestling to neutralize the versatile striking arsenal of the reigning champion. Though the Kings MMA product landed four takedowns in t…

A strawweight rematch between Tecia Torres and Angela Hill has been booked for UFC 265.

MMA DNA was first to report the bout. UFC 265 takes place on Aug. 7 at an as yet to be announced location and features women’s bantamweight title tilt between Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena. Torres defeated Hill via unanimous decision in their first meeting at UFC 188 in June 2015.

Torres and Hill were initially supposed to square off for a second time at UFC 256 this past December before Hill withdrew due to a positive COVID-19 test. Torres instead faced Sam Hughes, winning via corner stoppage TKO after one round. “The Tiny Tornado” has won back-to-back fights in the Octagon after losing four straight appearances from February 2018 to August 2019.

Hill, meanwhile, snapped a two-bout skid with a decision triumph over Ashley Yoder at UFC Fight Night 187 on March 13. “Overkill” has won four of her last six promotional outings, with her defeats against Claudia Gadelha and Miche…

Nate Diaz didn’t win at UFC 263, but he nonetheless authored the most talk-about moment of his five-round clash with Leon Edwards on Saturday night.

After being outclassed for the first four rounds, the Stockton, Calif., native put Edwards in retreat mode when he staggered him with a left hand in the final frame. Diaz pursued a finish but was unable to put his opponent away in the waning moments of the bout, as he went on to lose a clear-cut unanimous decision.

“The fight was a wrap,” Diaz said. “In a real fight, in the real world, that fight’s a wrap. He was sleepwalking.”

For most of the bout, Edwards blended a varied striking arsenal with takedowns to keep Diaz off balance and remain unbeaten in his last 10 UFC welterweight appearances. The Cesar Gracie protege didn’t hesitate to credit his adversary, although he did so in the most Diaz way possible.

“At the end of the day I feel like he won or whatever, but I feel like I’m the better fighter still, reg…