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@RyanBader scoring yet another takedown, now in the third round.

Watch #Bellator256 and the #BellatorLHWGP LIVE NOW on @SHOSports.#MMA #BellatorOnShowtime pic.twitter.com/lTH1AsR3ov

— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) April 10, 2021 Ryan Bader is the first fighter to advance in the Bellator MMA light heavyweight grand prix. The Bellator 256 main event saw Bader (28-6, 1 NC) get a chance at revenge against former Lyoto Machida, who knocked out "Darth" in 2012. Early on, the superior footwork of Machida (26-11) allowed him to stay away from Bader's right hand and land some hard kicks to the body. However, the wrestling of the American became a factor as the fight continued. The reigning Bellator heavyweight champion kept the Brazilian grounded and delivered constant punishment from top position during the final three rounds. An exhausted Machida had accepted his fate when the scorecards were read and Bader picked up scores of 49-46, 49-45 and 4…

Sherdog's live Bellator 256 coverage kicks off Friday at 6 p.m. ET.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. Round 1 To kick things off, Douma (4-2 | 1-1 Bellator) and “Sriracha” Smith (3-2 | 0-1 Bellator) meet in a bantamweight contest. Bryan Miner is your referee. They exchange jabs and low kicks from matching orthodox stances. Smith lands a long jab to the body, then one to the head. Douma is pursuing as Smith gives ground and throws more jabs. Smith with heavy feints, briefly switching stances. Not much damage from either man halfway into the round, but Smith’s jabs are easily the most effective weapon. Douma drops for his first takedown attempt and hauls Smith to the canvas at the base of the fence. He lands a couple of heavy punches to the head and Smith turns, exposing his back. Douma jumps on, sinks his hooks and works for a rear-naked choke or perhaps a neck crank. One minute left. Smith is fighting off the cho…

ROSTER UPDATES:- Lazar Stojadinovic replaces Jason Soares for the 2021 PFL Season- Curtis Millender replaces David Michaud for the 2021 PFL Season pic.twitter.com/2phZfdbG2n

— PFL MMA (@ProFightLeague) April 9, 2021 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 Professional Fighters League 2021 season has been shaken up weeks before its kickoff. On Thursday, David Michaud revealed that he had been diagnosed with a rare heart condition that forced him to withdraw from the 2021 PFL season and possibly cut short his career. The promotion, with its second headliner in jeopardy, acted quickly to replace Michaud, according to MMA Junkie on Friday. Curtis Millender (18-6) will be joining the welterweight bracket against Rory MacDonald (21-6-1), and this news has since been confirmed by the PFL.

Millender will be competing at 170 pounds on short n…

Cool. Calm. Reserved.

@Trailblaze2top returns as a new man on @ABCNetwork. #UFCVegas23 pic.twitter.com/r4lvRJkUVa

— UFC (@ufc) April 9, 2021 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. The move to bantamweight for Norma Dumont has been anything but successful, as her second bad weight miss in a row caused a bout cancellation.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to ABC airwaves for the second time on Saturday. UFC on ABC 2 is headlined by a middleweight bout between contenders Marvin Vettori and Kevin Holland.

Looking to cement himself as a future title challenger, Vettori (16-4-1) is on the best stretch of his career. The Italian fighter impressed in a one-sided beating of Jack Hermansson in his last fight, and previously submitted Karl Roberson in a grudge match. Before these two statement-making victories, the Italian …

Full Metal Dojo’s Fight Circus 3 is off the books for now, but it should be back again soon.

On Wednesday afternoon, FMD President Jon Nutt posted on his Facebook account that the event could no longer allow spectators at the Sea Galleri by Katathani Resort in Phuket, Thailand. Local regulations prohibited any fans from attending the event, and Nutt explained that tickets would be refunded and potential attendees would be barred from entry. Late Thursday night, Nutt made another announcement: the event was being postponed, but not canceled outright. Sherdog has confirmed this news with sources close to the situation.

Nutt explained, “As of last night, when I was doing last night – I met up with all my people, [a representative] of [the Katathani Resort], I met up with everybody, and last night we made sure that we were refunding all the cash, no guests were allowed, nothing was doing anything, we were taking care of it for COVID and making a COVID bubble. We were tryin…

So this is gonna be a tough post. After multiple tests on my heart including a Cardiac MRI and talking with multiple Cardiologists, I have been informed that I got a bad ticker. I have a Congenital bicuspid aortic valve with dilated aortic root. Unfortunately I was born with this

— David Michaud (@bulldawg_170) April 8, 2021 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. 2019 Professional Fighters League welterweight finalist David Michaud may be forced to retire for health reasons. On Thursday, Michaud posted on Twitter that he had been diagnosed with a rare condition called a congenital bicuspid aortic valve along with a dilated aortic root. This ailment, which was identified by multiple cardiologists, could result in major damage including an aortic dissection – where a layer inside the heart actually tears. Due to this unfortunate health crisi…

A popular young Bellator MMA up-and-comer has her next fight booked in a month.

On Thursday, Maxim was the first to reveal that Valerie Loureda (3-0) has her next opponent set for Bellator 258. The May 7 card will feature the Taekwondo star against organizational newcomer Hannah Guy (2-1). Loureda confirmed that she had a bout signed on Wednesday, and the promotion has since confirmed the booking on Thursday.

Loureda has competed for Bellator in all three of her pro appearances, winning all three including a pair of knockouts. Her debut in 2019 against Colby Fletcher saw her finish her foe in under three minutes, and she returned a few months later to capture a decision over Larkyn Dasch. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 22-year-old was away for more than a year before her most recent bout, but she made the most of it by putting Tara Graff away at exactly the 10-minute mark with a barrage of punches.

“The Hurricane” will be making her Bellator debut against L…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GV2e2UNzPHc&w=660&h=480] It's all systems go for the start of Bellator MMA's light heavyweight grand prix.

Bellator's second show on Showtime will see its light heavyweight grand prix begin as former champion Ryan Bader rematches ex-Ultimate Fighting Championship champ Lyoto Machida in the Bellator 256 main event. The five-round main event is now official after the weigh-ins took place. Both veteran headliners had no trouble making weight, and 25 of the 26 mixed martial artists on the 13-fight card made their contracted weights. The lone exception was Jeffrey Glossner, who came in 1.8 pounds over the bantamweight limit.

Looking to rebound from losing his light heavyweight title, Bader (27-6, 1 NC) is still the promotion's heavyweight king. Last time out, the 37-year-old was knocked out by Vadim Nemkov. Since Bader's prior fight was a no contest against Cheick Kongo, his last win was in January 2019 against heavyweight legend Fedo…

ADRIANO MORAES KOs DEMETRIOUS JOHNSON #ONEonTNT1 pic.twitter.com/r49jMmrx9u

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 8, 2021

Adriano Moraes did what no one in the UFC was ever able to do: finish Demetrious Johnson.

Moraes retained his One Championship flyweight belt in emphatic fashion, knocking out Johnson in the One on TNT 1 headliner at Singapore Indoor Stadium in front of a national television audience on Wednesday night. The end came 2:24 into Round 2, as “Mighty Mouse” was finished for the first time in 35 professional bouts.

“It’s part of the game,” said Johnson, who has long been regarded as one of the top pound-for-pound talents in the sport. “You’re in the game for so long, it’s bound to happen one of these days, right?

“He did a good job keeping the range and distance. He caught me slipping and was able to catch me.”

Johnson led the dance early in the fight, as he initiated the clinch and landed some knees in cl…

Andrei Arlovski will step in for Parker Porter and fight Chase Sherman at UFC on ESPN 22.

Fight Bananas was first to report the change to the heavyweight contest. UFC on ESPN 22 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on April 17 and is headlined by a middleweight clash between Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum.

Arlovski last appeared at UFC Fight Night 185, where the former heavyweight champ was submitted by Tom Aspinall in the second frame on Feb. 20. Prior to that, the 42-year-old Belarusian had earned back-to-back decision triumphs against Philipe Lins and Tanner Boser.

Sherman will enter the matchup on a four-bout professional winning streak. After three consecutive triumphs under the Island Fights banner, “The Vanilla Gorilla” returned for a second stint in the Octagon with a second-round TKO of Isaac Villanueva at UFC Fight Night 171 in May 2020.

Sherdog's live One on TNT 1 coverage will begin at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below.

Round 1 Senegalese wrestler “Reug Reug” (2-0 | 1-0 One FC) looks to continue his reign of terror against late replacement opponent Schmid (0-0), an MMA neophyte who was previously scheduled to appear in a kickboxing match on this card. The referee for this heavyweight affair is Mohammed Suleiman. A touch of gloves, and they’re off! Both men in orthodox stance. Schmid is coming forward, throwing outside low kicks and reaching with jab. Kane charges forward behind big left and right hooks and catches Schmid with five or six punches as he stumbles backward. Kane gets an underhook and trip near the fence and dumps Schmid onto his back. The Swiss kickboxer scrambles and wriggles away, but “Reug Reug” is all over him, landing in north-south, then finally to the side of a kneeling Schmid, throwing huge punches to the side …

STILL UNBEATEN.

Khizriev wastes no time - no energy at #DWCS.

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

UFC on ABC 2 is down to 14 fights after a middleweight bout between Kyle Daukaus and Aliaskhab Khizriev was pulled from the card due to COVID-19 protocols.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the news on Wednesday. Daukaus vs. Khizriev is expected to be rescheduled for a future event.

UFC on ABC takes place on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a middleweight clash between Marvin Vettori and Kevin Holland. The main card airs on ABC and ESPN+ at 3 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT, while the prelims stream on ESPN and ESPN+ beginning at noon ET/9 a.m. PT.

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 Cag…

A showdown between welterweight contenders Geoff Neal and Neil Magny has been targeted for UFC on ESPN 24.

UFC broadcast partner ESPN was first to report that the bout has nearly been finalized. UFC on ESPN 24 takes place on May 8 and is headlined by a bantamweight clash pitting Cory Sandhagen against T.J. Dillashaw. A location for the card has not been confirmed.

Neal and Magny were initially scheduled to clash on Aug. 29 at UFC Fight Night 175 but Neal was forced to withdraw due to health reasons.

After beginning his promotional tenure with five consecutive triumphs, Neal hit a speed bump in the UFC Fight Night 183 headliner, where he lost a five-round verdict to former 170-pound title challenger Stephen Thompson on Dec. 19. The Contender Series alum finished four of his first five UFC opponents, only needing to go the distance in victory against Belal Muhammad.

Magny last appeared at UFC on ESPN 20, where he had a three-bout winning streak snapped in …

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Ronda Rousey recently took a trip down memory lane, commemorating her MMA victories in permanent fashion.

The former UFC bantamweight queen posted a video in which she receives a tattoo on her forearm with the time, in seconds, of each of her 15 wins – including three at the amateur level. Rousey also reminisces on the circumstances behind those victories as the tattoo artist does his work, sharing behind-the-scenes details.

Rousey began her career with 12 consecutive triumphs, besting the likes of Miesha Tate (twice), Julia Budd, Sarah Kaufman, Liz Carmouche, Sarah McMann, Cat Zingano and Alex Davis in short order. Not only was Rousey the first woman, along with Carmouche, to compete in the UFC, but she was also one of the promotion’s biggest stars during her rise to prominence.

The Olympic judoka relinquished her crown in an upset loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193 in November 2015. After a year hiatu…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

A matchup of female flyweight prospects will go down on July 24.

UFC president Dana White informed promotion broadcast partner ESPN that Maycee Barber and Miranda Maverick will square off at a Fight Night card this summer. The event does not currently have a location or main event.

A former Legacy Fighting Alliance competitor and a winner on Season 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series, Barber began her MMA career with eight consecutive triumphs — including three in UFC competition. That momentum screeched to a halt in her last two outings, as she dropped back-to-back unanimous decisions to Roxanne Modafferi and Alexa Grasso.

Maverick, meanwhile, will enter the clash on a five-bout winning streak. After defeating Liana Jojua via first-round doctor stoppage in her Octagon debut at UFC 254, Maverick outpointed Gillian Robertson in her last outing at UFC 260. The Invicta FC veteran in 9-2 as a professional overall.

Former MMA fighter Tyler East was shot and killed in a domestic dispute in Los Lunas, N.M., on Monday, according to New Mexico State Police.

East was involved in a domestic dispute with his girlfriend on a property near State Road 314, when East brandished a weapon, shot her and dragged her out of the residence. Outside, East was shot by another unidentified man who was also at the residence, per the report. The man who shot East fled the scene before authorities arrived.

When deputies arrived at the property, East, 30, was pronounced dead. His girlfriend, who was not identified, is in stable condition at an Albuquerque, N.M., hospital. The investigation is currently active.

It’s not the first time East has been involved in a domestic violence incident. In 2012, he was arrested on domestic violence charges after an ex-girlfriend accused him of assaulting her while on a “cocaine binge.” He was indicted on charges of kidnapping, aggravated burglary, aggravated b…

Combate Global regresa este viernes 9 de abril, transmitiendo en Estados Unidos por Univisión a las 12:30 am ET/11:30 pm CT y por TUDN a las 12:30 am ET/9:30 pm PT, y en México por Televisa Canal 5 a las 11:30 pm. #ChairezvsMonterroso #CombateGlobal #MuchaMásAcción pic.twitter.com/F0tNmp3k0u

— Combate Global (@combateglobal) April 6, 2021

Combate Global has revealed the full fight card for the kickoff event of its partnership with Univision, and a championship bout is at the top of the lineup.

The promotion announced Tuesday that Edgar Chairez will face Mefi Monterroso for the inaugural North American Flyweight Championship in Friday’s main event at Univision Studios in Miami, Fla. In the co-main event, David Martinez will square off against Mefi Monterroso.

The Combate Global card airs live in the U.S. on Univision at 12:30 a.m. ET/PT and TUDN USA at 12:30 a.m. ET/9:30 p.m. PT. Combate Global recently announced a five-year agreement w…

Two more bouts are official for Bellator 257, as Julia Budd will face Dayana Silva at featherweight, and Pedro Carvalho will lock horns with Jay-Jay Wilson at featherweight.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the bookings. Budd vs. Silva was initially slated for Bellator 256 on Friday but was relocated one week later. Carvalho, meanwhile, was originally slated to fight Daniel Weichel but has received a new opponent for undisclosed reasons.

Bellator 257 takes place on April 16 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and is headlined by light heavyweight grand prix quarterfinal between reigning champ Vadim Nemkov and Phil Davis. The card will air on Showtime.

After losing her featherweight crown to Cristiane Justino at Bellator 238, Budd bounced back to defeat Jessy Miele by TKO in her last outing at Bellator 244 in August. A former competitor on the Brazilian version of Dana White’s Contender Series, Silva enters her Bellator debut with a 9-5 career mark.

In …

ROSTER UPDATE: @Mmartinez_alex steps in for Johnny Case at #PFL1

PFL 1 Friday, April 235:30P ET ESPN+ | 9P ET ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/eE4X9aSDu8

— PFL MMA (@ProFightLeague) April 6, 2021 Alex Martinez will step in for Johnny Case and face Loik Radzhabov in a lightweight bout at the Professional Fighters League’s season premiere event on April 23.

The promotion announced the news via social media on Tuesday. Case’s removal from the card comes on the heels of his arrest for domestic battery in Las Vegas this past Thursday. TMZ Sports was first to report the news of Case’s arrest. PFL did not make mention of Case’s legal issues in its announcement.

Case released a statement via Instagram denying the allegations against him.

“It is with a heavy heart that I announce I have been withdrawn from the PFL tournament,” Case wrote. “I am absolutely crushed. All of my hard work and sacrifices have been taken away [by] allegations that are n…

Aspen Ladd will return to the Octagon after a year-and-a-half absence when she meets Macy Chiasson at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on July 24.

ESPN was first to report the bantamweight pairing. The card does not yet have an official location or headliner.

Ladd hasn’t competed since earning a third-round TKO against Yana Kunitskaya at UFC on ESPN 7 in December 2019. In 2020, knee injury forced Ladd out of a proposed bout with Sara McMann on June 27 and sidelined her for the rest of the year. The 26-year-old has lost just once in 10 pro outings, a 16-second stoppage defeat to Germaine de Randamie at UFC Fight Night 155.

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 28 winner, Chiasson has been victorious in five of her six Octagon appearances thus far. The 29-year-old Fortis MMA representative secured her first triumph of 2021 at UFC on ESPN 21, where she outpointed Marion Reneau.

Erik Perez will clash with Brian Moore in a bantamweight bout at Bellator 258.

Milenio was first to report the pairing. Bellator 258 takes place on May 7 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and is headlined by a 135-pound championship tilt pitting Juan Archuleta against Sergio Pettis.

The 31-year-old Perez is still searching for his first Bellator win after falling to Toby Misech and Josh Hill in his first two promotional appearances. Prior to that, “El Goyito” had compiled a five-bout winning streak over stints in the UFC and Combate Americas.

Ireland’s Moore is coming off back-to-back triumphs over Binh Son Le and Simone D’Anna under the Bellator banner. The SBG Ireland representative is 4-3 during his promotional tenure and 13-7 as a professional overall.

Oumar Kane will face an adversary who was originally scheduled to take part in a kickboxing match at Wednesday’s One on TNT 1 card.

Promotion officials announced that “Reug Reug” will meet Patrick Schmid in a heavyweight MMA bout at Singapore Indoor Stadium. Kane was originally slated to meet Mehdi Barhi, while Schmid was supposed to face Rade Opacic in a heavyweight kickboxing affair. Both Barhi and Opacic were pulled from the card due to health and safety protocols. MMAFighting.com was first to report the news.

Additionally, a 155-pound kickboxing bout pitting Chingiz Allazov against Enriko Kehl, which was originally slated for One on TNT 3, has been added to the card.

One on TNT 1 is headlined by a flyweight championship clash between Adriano Moraes and Demetrious Johnson, while Eddie Alvarez squares off against Iuri Lapicus in the co-main event.

The One on TNT 1 main card airs on TNT at 10 p.m. ET and the Watch TNT app beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. …

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The Venum era has officially begun in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

On Tuesday, both the Las Vegas-based promotion and the apparel company revealed the fighter uniforms that will be worn by athletes in the UFC for at least the next three years. The UFC’s seven-year outfitting partnership with Reebok ended after UFC 260 on March 27. Venum has been producing combat-sports related gear since 2005.

The UFC has made Venum Fight Night Kits and Fight Week Collection apparel available at the UFC Store. The fight kits will make their debut at UFC on ABC 2 this Saturday for a card headlined by a middleweight showdown between Marvin Vettori and Kevin Holland.

When you find the perfect fit… it just feels right

UFC Authentic Fight Night Kits | @Venum

[ Now on @UFCStore: https://t.co/j5B1Dgf6fJ ] pic.twitter.com/ql5RT64q2C

— UFC (@ufc) April 6, 2021

A description …

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The COVID-19 infection that forced Alexander Volkanovski from a title defense at UFC 260 proved to be a difficult experience for the reigning featherweight champion.

Volkanovski shared the details of his experience battling coronavirus in a video posted to his YouTube account. The symptoms began after the UFC informed Volkanovski of his positive test.

“I started feeling it in the lungs a little bit, and I started feeling uncomfortable,” Volkanovski said “I started coughing up phlegm, and it was coming up pinky bloody with a bit of blood in there … That’s when I thought maybe we should start looking into this. I was having bad fevers and headaches, but that’s sort of common. So I started talking with him about it, and that’s when I was thinking maybe we need a check up.

“They end up doing some scans on my chest and lungs and Dr. Davidson comes back to me and says, ‘Look, we’ve done scans and you’ve …