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UFC news: Marijuana no longer violates anti-doping policy. https://t.co/SE25ebYQyh

— Jeff Novitzky (@JeffNovitzkyUFC) January 14, 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 Ultimate Fighting Championship and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency are turning the corner on marijuana in the sport. Per MMA Junkie on Thursday, the promotion and agency announced together that the marijuana policies in effect for the UFC athletes has changed drastically. As a result, fighters that test positive for marijuana, no matter the level or threshold the fighter reaches, will not be found in violation of the anti-doping policy. This new policy also applies to various substances found in CBD products. Instead, fighters will be evaluated for if they used the substance for “performance-enhancing purposes.”

This change will not impact commissions or federations…

Miranda Maverick will square off against Gillian Robertson in a flyweight contest at UFC 258.

Maverick initially announced the bout on her Instagram account and it was later confirmed by MMAFighting.com. UFC 258 is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Feb. 13 and is headlined by a welterweight title tilt between Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns.

Maverick has won four consective fights, including a first-round stoppage of Liana Jojua at UFC 254 on Oct. 24. The Invicta FC veteran’s current winning streak includes triumphs over Pearl Gonzalez and DeAnna Bennett.

Robertson, meanwhile, had a two-fight winning streak snapped in a decision loss to Taila Santos at UFC Fight Night 183 on Dec. 19. Prior to that Robertson had posted victories over Poliana Botelho and Cortney Casey in the Octagon.

Carlos Condit will enter his UFC on ABC 1 bout against Matt Brown on the final fight of his current promotional deal.

“The Natural Born Killer” isn’t looking too far ahead, however. Not after ending a five-bout losing streak with a much-needed decision triumph over Court McGee this past October.

“My performance over the last couple years has not been stellar,” Condit said during a virtual media session on Wednesday. “It has not been the best period of my career as far as wins and losses. What’s really important is putting on a good show on Saturday night, and then I think I’ll be in a good position to kind of figure out exactly what I want to do.”

UFC president Dana White said that the promotion would make more than 60 cuts before the conclusion of 2020, and while it’s unclear if that figure has been reached, notably names such as Yoel Romero and Anthony Pettis are no longer with the Las Vegas-based organization.

If Condit doesn’t deliver a victory on Sat…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is heading back to Sin City next month.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission approved UFC events for Feb. 6, Feb. 13, Feb. 20 and Feb. 27 during a meeting on Wednesday. None of the cards have been officially announced by the promotion, but it is likely that all four will take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

As it stands, UFC Fight Night on Feb. 6 is expected to be headlined by a heavyweight tilt between Alistair Overeem and Alexander Volkov; UFC 258 on Feb. 13 features a welterweight championship clash between Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns; UFC Fight Night on Feb. 20 is topped by a heavyweight bout pitting Curtis Blaydes against Derrick Lewis and UFC Fight Night on Feb. 27 will see a light heavyweight main event between Dominick Reyes and Jiri Prochazka.

That means the Las Vegas-based organization is likely to return to U.S. soil following a trio of events on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 16, Jan. 20 and Jan. 23.

The GLORY family is heartbroken to learn of Melissa Van Roosmalen’s passing and critical injuries sustained to Robin Van Roosmalen in a car accident. We send our deepest condolences to the Van Roosmalen family and their loved ones. pic.twitter.com/A1SMuCLMh4

— GLORY Kickboxing (@GLORY_WS) January 13, 2021

Robin Van Roosmalen has been hospitalized with injuries suffered in a serious car accident on Wednesday, according to a report from RTV Utrecht.

Van Roosmalen and his sister, Melissa Van Roosmalen, were pulled over in their car on the shoulder of the road in Nieuwegein, Netherlands, when they were hit by a truck. Melissa Van Roosmalen died as a result of the crash, while Van Roosmalen remains hospitalized. According to the report, the driver of the truck was arrested.

Further details regarding Van Roosmalen’s condition are currently unavailable. Both Bellator, where Van Roosmalen is currently under contact, and Glory Kickboxing, where Va…

Spencer Fisher will never be the same following a 33-fight MMA career that included 17 bouts in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

In a heart-wrenching feature on MMAFighting.com, Fisher revealed that he suffered severe brain trauma as a result of fighting and has been battling numerous symptoms that hinder him in daily activities. Fisher, who was forced to retire when diagnosed with brain lesions that signaled the onset of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), has dealt with issues such as memory loss, dizziness, vertigo and depression while struggling to hold a regular job since the conclusion of his UFC tenure.

UFC officials did not comment for the feature on Fisher, but Dana White did address the ex-fighter’s condition when speaking with MMAjunkie.com on Wednesday. White said that the promotion is working to study athlete brain health through its collaborative venture with the Cleveland Clinic, and the UFC also recently donated $1 million to the Lou Ruvo Cen…

Credit: UFC Credit: UFC

The Nevada State Athletic Commission has suspended Bevon Lewis six months for a positive marijuana test stemming from his Nov. 7 bout at UFC on ESPN 17.

Lewis, who was also fined $1,200, will be eligible to return to action on May 7 pending payment of his fine and $145.36 in legal fees. Lewis’ sanction was determined at a monthly NSAC meeting on Wednesday.

Lewis suffered a third-round technical knockout loss to Trevin Giles at UFC on ESPN 17. The Dana White’s Contender Series alum went 1-3 within the Las Vegas-based promotion before reportedly being released late last year.

In addition to Lewis, the NSAC has handed down marijuana-related sanctions to the likes of Jamahal Hill, Tim Elliott, Kevin Croom, Niko Price, Luis Pena and Trevin Jones in 2020.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s March 13 event looks like it will have some pivotal bouts at the top of the card.

The highly-anticipated welterweight clash between Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev has been rescheduled for that date after twice falling through due to positive COVID-19 tests. MMAjunkie.com was first to report the booking. Edwards and Chimaev were initially supposed to square off at UFC Fight Night 183 on Dec. 19 before the Englishman tested positive for COVID-19, and they were rebooked for UFC on ESPN 20 on Jan. 20, but on that occasion Chimaev fell victim to coronavirus. Edwards vs. Chimaev will serve as the headliner for the event.

Meanwhile, a heavyweight showdown between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Ciryl Gane is also in the works for March 13. La Sueur was first to report that verbal agreements were in place for the matchup. The UFC card does not yet have an official venue or location.

Edwards did not compete at all in 2020 due to having p…

A middleweight clash between Omari Akhmedov and Tom Breese has been moved from UFC on ABC 1 on Jan. 16 to UFC on ESPN 20 on Jan. 20.

The promotion announced the rescheduled bout on Tuesday, citing “COVID-related issues.” Further details were not revealed. UFC on ESPN 20 takes place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi and is headlined by a welterweight tilt between Michael Chiesa and Neil Magny.

Akhmedov, 33, had a six-bout unbeaten streak snapped in his last outing, when he dropped a unanimous decision to Chris Weidman at UFC Fight Night 174 on Aug. 8. The Dagestani known as “Wolverine” is 8-4-1 during his promotional tenure and 20-5-1 as a professional overall.

Breese, meanwhile, has alternated wins and losses in his last four Octagon appearances. Most recently, th 29-year-old Birmingham England native scored a first-round TKO of K.B. Bhullar at UFC Fight Night 179 on Oct. 10. Breese began his UFC career at welterweight, going 3-1 before moving up to 185 pounds.

Pat Miletich’s participation in the protests that turned into a violent coup at the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6 might have cost him his job with Legacy Fighting Alliance.

Multiple social media posts showed Miletich with a group of protestors supporting President Donald Trump, who marched from the White House to the Capitol, where hundreds entered the building to interrupt a ceremonial event affirming Joe Biden’s victory in the November election. In the riot that ensued, five people were killed — including a Capitol police officer — and the Senate was forced to evacuate.

Of course Pat Miletich was in DC on Jan 6th. pic.twitter.com/nVp1yayVAp

— John S. Nash (@heynottheface) January 11, 2021

While it doesn’t appear that the UFC Hall of Famer entered the builiding, he announced that he was let go from his commentating position with LFA.

“I just want to let you guys know that I just got a call from the folks at the LFA and they basi…

After finishing 2020 with a five-round war against Brandon Moreno that turned out to be one of the year’s best bouts, flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo is completely focused on his brother Francisco Figueiredo’s debut at UFC on ESPN 20 next week.

“My brother is entering in the biggest promotion in the world to make history,” Deiveson said. “He is really tough. He is the one who pushes me to train more every day [even after a bad session at the gym]. I´m sure he will neutralize Jerome Rivera wherever this fight goes, on the feet or on the ground.”

Deiveson eventually envisions a scenario in which his brother’s success at flyweight will force him to move to the bantamweight division.

“After two or three fights I have no doubt he will be on the top,” Deiveson said. “So I don’t have to fight my brother, I’ll go up to the bantamweight division as I planned.”

Figueiredo is so confident that he will beat Moreno in their rematch, which is tentatively planned …

A bantamweight clash pitting Umar Nurmagomedov against Sergey Morozov will take place three days earlier than expected, as it has been moved from UFC 257 on Jan. 23 to UFC on ESPN 20 on Jan. 20.

MMA journalist Igor Lazorin was first to report the change. UFC on ESPN 20 takes place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi and is headlined by a welterweight scrap between Neil Magny and Michael Chiesa.

Nurmagomedov was scheduled to make his Octagon debut on three separate occasions — including against Morozov at UFC 254 — in 2020, but each time the bout was scrapped for various reasons. The Eagles MMA representative is 12-0 as a professional, with stints in the Professional Fighters League and Fight Nights Global promotions on his resume.

Morozov will enter his first promotional foray on a five-bout winning streak. The 31-year-old M-1 Global champion is coming off a title defense against Josh Rettinghouse at M-1 Challenge 105 in October 2019. A native of Kazakhstan, Morozov…

Former One Championship lightweight title holder Shinya Aoki will return to action to face James Nakashima in the co-main event of One “Unbreakable” on Jan. 22.

The Singapore-based promotion announced the booking on Tuesday. One “Unbreakable” takes place at Singapore Indoor Stadium and is topped by a showdown for the organization’s bantamweight kickboxing crown between Alaverdi Ramazanov and Capitan Petchyindee Academy. Three other MMA bouts were announced for the event: Zebaztian Kadestam vs. Gadzhimurad Abdulaev at welterweight; Meng Bo vs. Samara Santos Cunha at atomweight and Getu Hexi vs. Lito Adiwang at strawweight.

Aoki, 37, has won six of seven bouts since 2018 and is coming off a decision win against Kimihiro Eto under the Shooto banner in September.

A former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion, Nakashima is unbeeaten in 12 professional appearances — including a three-round verdict over Yushin Okami at One “Dawn of Heroes” in his most recent outing in Aug…

Credit: Mike Sloan/Sherdog.com Credit: Mike Sloan/Sherdog.com

The Ultimate Fighting Championship may have plans to move its events beyond Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi in 2020.

UFC president Dana White indicated as much when talking about the promotion’s plans for reigning strawweight queen Weili Zhang in an interview with ESPN.

“We’re working on her, too,” White said. “Obviously, the fight everybody wants to see is her and Rose [Namajunas]. Hopefully we can get that done. If not, the next one in line would probably be Carla Esparza. We’re looking to do that fight this year – and in Asia.”

Zhang last appeared at UFC 248, where retained her belt with a split-decision over Joanna Jedrzejczyk in a bout that was selected as Sherdog.com's "Fight of the Year” for 2020. She first claimed the 115-pound title with a first-round stoppage of Jessica Andrade in Shenzhen, China, in August 2019.

The UFC will have fans in a venue for the first time since Zhang vs. Jedrzejczyk…

Dana White and Conor McGregor weren’t on the best of terms for much of last year, but the UFC president and the former two-division champion seem to have repaired their relationship.

In a recent interview with ESPN, White discussed the rift that occurred when McGregor released a series of private messages regarding a fight with longtime UFC veteran Diego Sanchez. At the time, White called it “one of the dirtiest things you can do.”

"We were in a really bad place then, I was really upset," White said. "It wasn't because he put out private messages. We were talking about another fighter. And I like >Diego Sanchez. I have a lot of respect forDiego Sanchez. I care about Diego Sanchez. I talked to Diego face-to-face about it, and being the great human being he is, we're all good.

"I was really upset with Conor, but we fixed that and now we're all good."

McGregor will return to action for the first time in a year when he faces Dustin Poirier in a rematch in the UFC…

A middleweight clash between Trevin Giles and Dricus Du Plessis is in the works for an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on March 20.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the booking. The card is headlined by a 185-pound tilt pitting Kevin Holland against Derek Brunson. A location for the event has yet to be announced.

Giles entered 2020 on a two-bout skid in the Octagon but turned things around with a split decision triumph over James Krause at UFC 247 and a third-round TKO of Bevon Lewis at UFC on ESPN 17. The 28-year-old is 4-2 during his promotional tenure and 13-2 as a professional overall.

South Africa’s Du Plessis enjoyed a successful promotional debut when he knocked out Markus Perez in the opening stanza at UFC Fight Night 179 on Oct. 10. The former Extreme Fighting Championship and KSW title holder is 15-2 over the course of his career, with all of his victories coming inside the distance.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTv2KoClNsw&w=560&h=315]

After losing to Israel Adesanya in a middleweight title bout last September, Paulo Costa has been staying in shape while he awaits word on his next opponent from the UFC.

According to Costa´s manager, Wallid Ismail, Robert Whittaker is the target. 

“No. 1 against No. 2, that's the fight to be made,” Ismail told Sherdog.com. “UFC wants it and we want it. We have a [preliminary] agreement about it.”

Alex Prates, Whittaker’s coach, also mentioned a preliminary agreement with the UFC to Sherdog, but he did not confirm the opponent.

"Robert never chooses opponents,” Prates said. “[It] doesn’t matter if it will be Adesanya, Costa or [Marvin] Vettori. The only thing Whitaker cares about is that UFC promised him a fight for the belt next. If it will be a linear or interim [belt], he doesn’t care. But it has to be for the title.”

In the meantime, Costa is training hard and ad…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9V7QEUadNY&w=560&h=315]

Absolute Championship Akhmat President Alexey Yatsenko has set the dates for the first two events of his promotion in the new year.

ACA 117 will take place on Feb. 12 and ACA 118 will take place on Feb. 26. Despite facing heavy sanctions from the United States Department of the Treasury, ACA is picking up the pace: nine events are planned for the first half of 2021 alone — ACA held 13 events during the entirety of 2020.

In December, U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) placed sanctions on Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadryov “for serious human rights abuses,” including kidnapping, torture and killing of those in the LGBTI community as well as journalists and political activists. As a result, ACA, which is owned by Kadryov, is blocked from doing business with anyone in the United States. “OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. person or within (or t…

It appears that “Mystic Mac” has returned ahead of his headlining matchup with Dustin Poirier at UFC 257.

During a clip on the UFC 257 “Countdown” show, Conor McGregor predicts that he’ll make short work of Poirier when they square off at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 23.

“I like Dustin. I think he’s a good fighter,” McGregor said. “He’s even a great fighter. But great is still levels below me. I’ll knock Dustin out inside 60 seconds.”

Earlier in his UFC career, McGregor made a habit of predicting the demise of his opponents -- and was often surprisingly accurate. If this forecast proves true, it will be the second time McGregor has finished Poirier inside of a round: The SBG Ireland representative earned a technical knockout win 1:46 into Round 1 against “The Diamond” when they met at featherweight at UFC 178 in September 2014.

McGregor’s most recent Octagon appearance was abbreviated, as well. He stopped Donald Cerrone in just 40 seconds following…

The time for Dana White’s long-awaited meeting with Khabib Nurmagomedov is fast approaching, and the UFC president remains resolute that the lightweight champion will step into the Octagon one last time.

"I'm obviously meeting with him because I think that he should fight again," White told ESPN. "Look at what he did to Justin Gaethje [in October]. Look at what he's done to every opponent he has faced. ... I think he should fight again and I'm going to press him as hard as I can for one more."

Nurmagomedov announced his retirement in the cage following his victory over Gaethje at UFC 254, citing a promise he made to his mother before the bout. The Dagestani star endured a difficult 2020 that saw him lose his father and coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, to complications related to COVID-19. The UFC has not vacated Nurmagomedov’s lightweight title, but “The Eagle” recently said that he expects the winner of the Conor McGregor-Dustin Poirier headliner at UFC 257 to be cr…

Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com Credit: Jeff Sherwood/Sherdog.com Credit: Jeff Sherwood/Sherdog.com Credit: Gleidson Venga/Sherdog.com Credit: Gleidson Venga/Sherdog.com Credit: Gleidson Venga/Sherdog.com Credit: Gleidson Venga/Sherdog.com Credit: Gleidson Venga/Sherdog.com Credit: Gleidson Venga/Sherdog.com Credit: Dave Mandel Credit: Dave Mandel Credit: Mike Fridley Credit: Mike Fridley Credit: Dave Mandel Credit: Dave Mandel Credit: Dave Mandel Credit: Dave Mandel Credit: Dave Mandel Credit: Dave Mandel Credit: Alan Oliveira Credit: Marcelo Alonso Credit: Dave Mandel Credit: Dave Mandel Credit: Dave Mandel Credit: Dave Mandel Credit: Dave Mandel Credit: Dave Mandel Credit: Dave Mandel Credit: Dave Mandel Credit: Dave Mandel Credit: Dave Mandel Credit: Dave Mandel Credit: Dave Mandel Credit: Dave Mandel Credit: Dave Mandel Credit: Dave Mandel Credit: Dave Mandel Credit: Dave M…

.@UFC will host three events in just seven days, which will welcome a limited number of fans at Etihad Arena.

More information :https://t.co/KmrSbXmjF1

— UFC News (@UFCNews) January 8, 2021 For the first time since early 2020, fans will be allowed to attend Ultimate Fighting Championship events in a limited capacity.

The UFC will return to Abu Dhabi for three fight cards on Jan. 16, Jan. 20 and Jan. 23, and Etihad Arena, which has a normal capacity of 18,000 people, is expected to host approximately 2,000 spectators per event. With that in mind, the venue has revealed a list of enhanced protocols to combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

All those attending must adhere to the guidelines or they will not be granted entry to the events. Those safety measures, which can be viewed on the venue’s website, are as follows:

1. Upon arriving to the venue entrance, all spectators will undergo a check of their valid 48-hour PCR test, ther…

Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

If all goes as planned, Tatiana Suarez will resume her pursuit of a UFC title sometime this summer.

The strawweight contender recently confirmed the targeted timeframe to MMAjunkie.com. Suarez hasn’t competed since defeating Nina Ansaroff via unanimous decision at UFC 238 on June 8, 2019. A neck injury has sidelined “The Ultimate Fighter 23” winner since then.

“Yes, my team and I are thinking summer,” Suarez said. “At first I thought spring, but I want to make sure my neck will make it through a camp before committing to a fight. I tried to spar and my neck hurt after a few rounds so I cut the session. But, slowly but surely I’m introducing live training back in.”

The 30-year-old Milennia MMA representative has kicked off her professional with eight triumphs, including notable triumphs over Ansaroff, Carla Esparza and Alexa Grasso in U…

Petr Yan’s camp will look a little different ahead of his bantamweight title defense at UFC 259.

Yan recently posted a photo of himself on Instagram at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, which indicates that “No Mercy” will training at the renowned gym before facing Aljamain Sterling on March 6.

“In general, everything is fine so far,” Yan wrote. “Acclimatization is taking place — sometimes we speed it up. Thanks to everyone who supports. There is a lot of work to do.”

MMAjunkie.com later confirmed that Yan chose to train at ATT because his customary camp at Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket, Thailand, would require a two-week quarantine period, which would mean a shorter camp.

Yan claimed the vacant 135-pound belt with a fifth-round TKO of Jose Aldo at UFC 251 on July 11. The 27-year-old Russian has won 10 consecutive fights — including seven in the Octagon.

UFC 259 is headlined by a light heavyweight championship clash between Jan Blachowicz a…