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One of Professional Fighters League’s most vocal critics is now a free agent.

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PFL chairman and founder Donn Davis announced via social media on Tuesday that Patricio Freire has been released from the promotion, and Sherdog.com subsequently confirmed the news with a promotion official. In recent months, Freire had been critical of both his contract and lack of activity since PFL purchased Bellator in late 2023.

“[The PFL] is all about opportunity,” Davis wrote. “I founded this company to create new great opportunities for top fighters. PFL has and will continue to do that for all top fighters who want to be here.”

We are releasing @PatricioPitbull @PFLMMA is all about opportunity

I founded this company to create new great opportunities for top fighters

PFL has and will continue to do that for all top fighters who want to be here #PFLMMA

— Donn Davis (@DonnDavisPFL) January 14, 2025

One of the top feat…

ALL fighters now integrated and connected in one powerful roster

One Brand 👊@PFLMMA 👊One Roster

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Professional Fighters League #PFLMMA pic.twitter.com/JcylkqFQSA — Donn Davis (@DonnDavisPFL) January 14, 2025

The Bellator MMA brand is officially a thing of the past.

Professional Fighters League chairman and founder Donn Davis released a statement clarifying Bellator’s status on Tuesday, announcing that “all fighters [are] now integrated and connected in one powerful roster.” In short, that means the Bellator name will not be associated with any fighters or events under the PFL umbrella.

The full statement posted by Davis on social media is as follows:

Professional Fighters League acquired Bellator MMA one year ago primarily for its great fighter roster. The PFL brand has become synonymous with the “win and advance” format and product innovation. PFL has established itself as a premium brand doing things diffe…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

A featherweight clash pitting Nathaniel Wood against Morgan Charriere was one of four bouts announced for UFC London on Tuesday.

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The Las Vegas-based promotion also confirmed the following three fights for the event: Nathan Fletcher vs. Caolan Loughran at bantamweight; Lone'er Kavanagh vs. Felipe dos Santos at flyweight and Jai Herbert vs. Chris Padilla at lightweight.

UFC London takes place at the O2 Arena on March 22 and is expected to be headlined by a welterweight scrap between ex-champ Leon Edwards and Jack Della Maddalena.

A former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship champion, Wood has been victorious in four of his last five Octagon appearances. Most recently, “The Prospect” took a unanimous decision over Daniel …

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Justin Gaethje (25-5) is preparing to return to action against Dan Hooker (24-12).

Gaethje is currently at a crossroads in his career. Gaethje has dropped two lightweight title bids, against Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2020 and Charles Oliveira in 2022. “The Highlight” then bounced back with a decision win over Rafael Fiziev followed by a highlight-reel head kick KO against Dustin Poirier.

With a lightweight title shot still not in sight, Gaethje then took on Max Holloway in a BMF title fight at UFC 300 in April 2024. In a shocking upset, Holloway beat down Gaethje for five rounds, challenged him to a slugfest in the final seconds and knocked him out in a buzzer beater.

Gaethje is now back in training and already has a date and opponent in mind for his return. While he is yet to put pen to paper, the 36-year-old is in talks for a clash against Hooker at UFC 313 on March 8 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“So there’s no official fight …

Jiri Prochazka is confident he can become a UFC champ once more.

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Prochazka takes on Jamahal Hill at UFC 311 on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles in a high stakes light heavyweight matchup. “BJP” initially won the title against Glover Teixeira in 2022 but vacated it months later due to a shoulder injury. He faced Teixeira’s protege, Alex Pereira, for the vacant title at UFC 295 in 2023, when he suffered a second-round TKO loss. While he bounced back with a stoppage win over Aleksandar Rakic, the Czech has since dropped his rematch against “Poatan” at UFC 303 in June 2024.

However, Prochazka claims to have since made significant changes in his lifestyle, which could propel him towards a third title fight with Pereira.

“I said that many times, and I mean that very seriously,” Prochazka told MMAjunkie.com. “Everything that I say, I mean very seriously. I believe that I’ve made improvements to my style, to my life, in everything so I can…

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Khabib Nurmagomedov won’t step away from coaching until his teammates are done.

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Nurmagomedov put Dagestan on the MMA world map with his spectacular reign at the top of the UFC lightweight division. However, “The Eagle” is only the leader of a long list of elite fighters trained by his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.

Nurmagomedov retired from the sport in 2020 at the age of 32 after the death of his father due to COVID-19 complications. Nurmagomedov has since stepped into coaching shoes, guiding his teammates and cousins to world titles across every promotion in the world. While he once hinted at stepping away from coaching in 2023, the MMA GOAT contender couldn’t stay away for long.

Nurmagomedov has a busy fortnight ahead with three of his teammates competing in title fights. Islam Makhachev (26-1) defends his UFC lightweight title against Arman Tsarukyan (22-3) in the main event at UFC 311 on Saturday at the Intuit Dome i…

👀Robert Whittaker says there is a 'skill gap' between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan:

“I just feel there is a skill gap. Islam is in a very good place right now. I find it very hard to see him getting defeated.”

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🎥 @MMArcadePodcast ▫️ pic.twitter.com/5YSwG7Eeku — Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) January 13, 2025

Robert Whittaker doesn’t think Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan are on the same level.

Makhachev puts his lightweight title on the line in a rematch against Tsarukyan in the main event at UFC 311 on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. Tsarukyan previously dropped a hard-fought unanimous decision against Makhachev in his short-notice UFC debut in 2019. Tsarukyan has since lost only once in 10 outings and comes off a split-decision win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 in April 2024.

Meanwhile, Makhachev has defended his title three times since winning it against Oliveira in 2020. The Dage…

It’s the end of an era for Holly Holm and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

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The former bantamweight queen has been granted her UFC release to explore other options. Ariel Helwani was first to report the news on Wednesday. According to longtime agent Lenny Fresquez, Holm could pursue fights in either MMA or boxing. Though she parted ways with the UFC with two fights left on her contract, there is no animosity between fighter and promotion.

“It’s been a great relationship,” Fresquez told the Albuquerque Journal. “This is just about Holly taking advantage of other opportunities in her last few fights.”

In addition to being a former UFC title holder, the 43-year-old Holm is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame who has compiled a 32-2-3 mark in the Sweet Science. Holm initially made the transition to MMA in 2011 and won seven consecutive bouts before making her UFC debut in 2015. “The Preacher’s Daughter” skyrocketed to stardom wit…

🚨 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 🚨

PFL Road To Dubai: Usman Nurmagomedov 🆚 @paulhughesmma will be streaming EXCLUSIVELY LIVE on January 25th in the US on @SportsonMax 📺#RoadToDubai | Sat Jan 25 | Coca-Cola Arena | Dubai, UAE | 10:30AM ET | Streaming on @SportsonMax pic.twitter.com/wNAfUCDu6e

— PFL (@PFLMMA) January 13, 2025

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The mystery surrounding broadcast details for Professional Fighters League’s Road to Dubai Champions Series event is no more.

The promotion announced Monday that Road to Dubai will live on Max in the United States — much like Bellator Champions Series Events in 2024. The 12-bout card will begin at 10:30 a.m. ET/7:30 a.m. PT.

Road to Dubai takes place at Coca-Cola Arena on Saturday in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is headlined by a lightweight title clash between Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes. In the co-main event, former Bellator light heavyweight king Vadim Nemkov will face Tim Johnson in a heavyweig…

A video of retired UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov being escorted off an Alaska Airlines flight has gone viral.

It appears staff reported feeling 'uncomfortable' with his apparent grasp of English as he sat in an exit row seat where he would need to assist in an emergency. pic.twitter.com/Bf7S7jLji6

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) January 12, 2025

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Frontier Airlines has released its side of the story regarding an incident where UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov was removed from one of its flights over the weekend.

On Sunday, video surfaced of Nurmagomedov having an argument with a flight attendant about his seat on the exit row. The source of the disagreement appeared to be regarding Nurmagomedov’s ability to assist others in the event of an emergency. Though Nurmagomedov left the plane without incident, it prompted the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) to call for an investigation into potential racial a…

#BJJ #Grappling #BJJTournament #NoGi #JiuJitsu #RenzoGracie #HugoDuarte #RGI #RenzoGracieInvitational #HugoDuarteLutaLivre #USALutaLivre #USALutaLivreNationals #LutaLivreAmericanNationals #LutaLivre #SubmissionWrestling #RGI2025 pic.twitter.com/5IavLmUf6Y

— USA Luta Livre (@usalutalivre) January 9, 2025

As initially reported in August 2023, former Brazilian rivals Renzo Gracie and Hugo Duarte have joined forces as partners at an academy in Texas.

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“Definitely the world turns around. After years of war, I found out that one of my biggest rivals is such a unique person, and turned into a great friend and business partner,” Duarte told Sherdog.com.

“Those crazy times were very important to forge who we are today,” Gracie added. “A man is the enemy he has, and I have the honor and glory of having Hugo as enemy, because that motivated me to be stronger. One year after he came here to the United States, I´m pro…

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It should come as no suprise that Tom Aspinall is on board for a heavyweight title unification bout against Jon Jones.

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After enjoying a break for the holidays, the interim heavyweight king recently returned to the gym with an eye on a future date against Jones.

“Got to get back to reality now and get back training for the biggest fight in MMA at the moment,” Aspinall said on his YouTube channel.

Aspinall has been lobbying for a title unification bout for months, long before Jones returned to action to dispatch Stipe Miocic via third-round technical knockout at UFC 309 on Nov. 16. In the aftermath of the bout, Jones indicated that a hefty financial offer might convince him to accept a fight against an opponent that he has otherwise been reluctant to acknowledge. For now, Aspinall doesn’t have any updates on negotiations for the bout, other than what is happening on his side — and that, of course, is the simple part.

“I …

Billy Elekana will replace Johnny Walker and square off against Bogdan Guskov at UFC 311.

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The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the new light heavyweight booking on Monday. Walker recently revealed that he would be forced to withdraw from UFC 311 due to a “bad injury.”

A native of Apple Valley, California, Elekana has been victorious in seven of his eight professional outings since beginning his career in 2021. The 29-year-old has notably earned victories competing for Professional Fighters League and Legacy Fighting Alliance. In his lone appearance of 2024, Elekana stopped Jureall Simmons in the opening stanza at Lights Out Extreme Fighting 18 this past July.

After suffering a first-round submission loss to Volkan Oezdemir in his Octagon debut, Guskov has rebounded to score back-to-back KO/TKO wins against Zac Pauga and Ryan Spann in UFC competition.

UFC 311 takes place on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles and is headline…

A welterweight showdown pitting ex-champ Leon Edwards against rising contender Jack Della Maddalena has been targeted to headline UFC London.

The booking was initially reported by Benny P, and MMAFighting.com has since confirmed that the bout is in the works. The UFC has not officially confirmed the booking. UFC London — also known as UFC Fight Night 255 — takes place on March 22 at the O2 Arena in London, England, and is also features a light heavyweight bout between Jan Blachowicz and Carlos Ulberg.

Edwards will return to action for the first time since relinquishing the 170-pound strap to Belal Muhammad in a unanimous decision defeat at UFC 304 this past July. Prior to that, “Rocky” had gone unbeaten in 13 consecutive Octagon appearances, a run that included successful title defenses against Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington.

Della Maddalena, meanwhile, will carry a 17-fight professional winning streak into the matchup with Edwards. The 28-year-old Aussi…

While Mackenzie Dern entered the Ultimate Fighting Championship with a fair amount of hype behind her, it has taken some time for her to develop into more of a complete mixed martial artist.

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That evolution was on display in the UFC Vegas 101 headliner on Saturday, as Dern outstruck Amanda Ribas on the feet before eliciting a tapout from her Brazilian foe with an armbar at the 4:56 mark of Round 3. The triumph allowed Dern to avenge a previous defeat against Ribas that occurred in October 2019. Though Dern believes she is improving in all facets, the ultimate goal remains the same.

“I feel like the striking and everything is setting up more of my jiu-jitsu. I feel like when I get a submission, it’s not because I was focusing on being a striker. But I think it means my striking and my takedowns are getting better. It’s giving me more opportunities to still get the fight to the ground,” Dern said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference.

“I’m a…

A video of retired UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov being escorted off an Alaska Airlines flight has gone viral.

It appears staff reported feeling 'uncomfortable' with his apparent grasp of English as he sat in an exit row seat where he would need to assist in an emergency. pic.twitter.com/Bf7S7jLji6

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) January 12, 2025

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Former UFC lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov champion was apparently forced to exit a Frontier Airlines flight following a dispute regarding his seat in an exit row.

In a video uploaded from the TikTok account viceplayer28, Nurmagomedov is seen arguing with a flight attendant about his seat on the plane. The area of disagreement appears to be regarding Nurmagomedov’s ability to assist others in the event of an emergency. While Nurmagomedov did not agree with the flight staff’s assessment, he appears to exit the plane without further incident.

The conversation with the flight …

Carlos Prates sends a message to Belal Muhammad 👀🔜

(via. IG / @thenightmare170) #UFC #MMApic.twitter.com/isshDoAAVI

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) January 11, 2025

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Carlos Prates (21-6) has lofty aspirations early into his Ultimate Fighting Championship career.

Prates recently sent a warning to Belal Muhammad after exchanging a few words with the welterweight champ last year. Muhammad was cornering teammate Charlie Radtke, who was riding a six-fight winning streak when he took on Prates at UFC Louisville in June 2024. “The Nightmare” finished Radtke with a devastating knee to the body in the closing seconds of the opening round. Muhammad’s reaction of a bewilderment immediately after was captured on camera. Prates walked towards the champ and exchanged a few words, which weren’t audible.

Prates recently reminded Muhammad of their exchange, warning him of a potential meeting soon.

“Remember my words champ,…

Giga Chikadze (15-4) is set to return to action against David Onama (13-2).

Chikadze and Onama will trade leather in a featherweight matchup at a UFC Fight Night on April 5 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The matchup was first reported by @MagicM_MMABets on X. Onama subsequently confirmed the pairing via social media.

Chikadze started his UFC journey on a seven-fight unbeaten streak, a run that included a few spectacular finishes. However, the Georgian has since dropped two out of his last three, albeit against top-tier competition. “Ninja” last suffered a unanimous decision loss against Arnold Allen at UFC 304 in July 2024.

Meanwhile, Onama is riding a three-fight winning streak after going 2-2 in his first four UFC bouts. “Silent Assassin” is coming off a unanimous decision win over debutant Roberto Romero at UFC 309 this past November.

The second verse was different from the first.

Mackenzie Dern avenged a 2019 decision defeat to Amanda Ribas and continued to reassert herself as serious contender in the Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s strawweight division, as she submitted the Brazilian with an armbar in the third round of their UFC Fight Night 249 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Ribas (13-6, 7-5 UFC) raised the white flag 4:56 into Round 3.

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The rivals traded strikes, takedowns and positional control through two competitive rounds. Ribas grounded the 2015 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Fighting World Championships gold medalist early in the third, only to slowly wander into danger. Dern swept into mount under threat of an armbar and pounded away with elbows and punches before once again isolating a limb. She sat back on the armbar, activated her hips with time running out and left Ribas no choice but to capitulate.

Meanwhile, American Top Team mains…

Sherdog's live UFC Vegas 101 coverage will begin Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. The event is also known as UFC Fight Night 249. Round 1 The UFC is back in your life, which means the glorious Sherdog play-by-play is in full swing again. Around 42 events from this promotion in 2025 will be covered in this fashion, plus the major offerings of the PFL and other big shows dropping this year. The first of all of them comes in the world-famous Octagon, although the cage is plopped down in the UFC Apex instead of in front of thousands of adoring fans. Those few in the building—before the major renovations begin—will be given their money’s worth in terms of actual bouts, with 14 on the docket, although only two combatants of the 28 are ranked, while around half are coming off losses. Combat commences in the overstuffed lightweight category, as unbeaten Tajikistan native Aliev (9-0, 1-0 UFC) tries to emerge from the pack against relative divisional veteran Solecki (13-5, 5-3 UFC). The two w…

Jacobe Smith managed to exceed the hype.

The undefeated Fortis MMA prospect filled in for Andreas Gustafsson on short notice and flashed blue-chip talent in his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut, as he punched out Preston Parsons in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 249 welterweight prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Parsons (11-6, 2-4 UFC) checked out 73 seconds into Round 1.

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A onetime NCAA All-American wrestler at Oklahoma State University, Smith (10-0, 1-0 UFC) pressed forward behind leg and body kicks, crisp punches and a stepping knee to the body. He lured Parsons into range, set off an exchange in the center of the cage and floored the Floridian with a sweeping left hook. Smith, 28, pounced with a few more punches before referee Mike Beltran could arrive on the scene to wave it off.

Meanwhile, Marco Tulio put away former World Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Ihor Potieria with punches in the first round of…

😳Victoria Dudakova slapped one of her coaches after her loss

pic.twitter.com/JJ6f29RZ5W

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) January 11, 2025

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Victoria Dudakova seemingly didn’t take her first technical knockout loss too well.

Dudakova was dominated by Fatima Kline on the ground at UFC Vegas 101, managing to land only one significant strike throughout the nearly 10-minute affair. Kline took the Russian down twice in the second round and landed vicious elbows to earn the finish at the 4:27 mark of Round 2. Dudakova was then seen slapping one of her coaches, who came to console her after the official verdict was announced.

Dudakova has now dropped two fights in a row after beginning her professional career with eight consecutive triumphs — including two under the UFC banner.

According to one translation on X, Dudakova told her coach the following: "You didn't even come over. You just sat there. That's how little y…

Cesar Almeida rallied from the brink of defeat to author a very early candidate for 2025 “Knockout of the Year.”

The 36-year-old Brazilian received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his one-punch knockout of Abdul Razak Alhassan in a featured middleweight bout at UFC Vegas 101 on Saturday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. After being rocked during an early exchange, Almeida kept his wits and rendered his opponent unconscious with a vicious counter left hook at the 4:16 mark of Round 1.

Elsewhere, Mackenzie Dern garnered the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award for her submission of Amanda Ribas in the evening’s strawweight main event. After two competitive rounds, Dern went to work in Round 3, methodically working her way into position for an armbar to force the tap from her Brazilian foe 4:56 into the period.

Finally, Roman Kopylov and Chris Curtis earned “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their back-and…

ASTRO BOY IS BACK 🚀

Australia's Steve Erceg will take on Asu Almabayev at #UFCVegas103! pic.twitter.com/DxN6EjDjld

— UFC_AUSNZ (@UFC_AUSNZ) January 10, 2025

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Former flyweight title challenger Steve Erceg will be back in against against rising contender Asu Almabaev at UFC Vegas 103.

The Las Vegas-based promotion recently confirmed the 125-pound pairing. UFC Vegas 103 — also known as UFC Fight Night 253 takes place on March 1 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a flyweight showdown between Brandon Royval and Manel Kape.

Erceg won his first three Octagon appearances before receiving a surprise title shot at UFC 301, where he was competitive in a unanimous decision loss to Alexandre Pantoja last May. His next outing was less encouraging, as he suffered a first-round TKO defeat to Kai Kara-France at UFC 305 in August.

Kazakhstan’s Almabaev has kicked off his promotiona tenure with four consecutive t…