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Bellator MMA continues to bolster its light heavyweight division, as the California-based promotion has signed Absolute Championship Akhmat title holder Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov to an exclusive contract.

Sherdog.com confirmed the deal following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com. A date for Yagshimuradov’s debut is currently unknown.

A 31-year-old native of Turkmenistan, Yagshimuradov will enter his Bellator debut on an eight-bout winning streak. Yagshimuradov claimed ACA gold with a second-round submission of Batraz Agnaev in May 2018 and has since defended the crown with a TKO of Karol Celinski and a decision win against Aleksei Butorin.

Other notable fights on Yagshimuradov’s resume include a first-round KO of ex-UFC competitor Joachim Christensen and a unanimous decision loss to currentl UFC light heavyweight contender Magomed Ankaleav. He has finished 15 of his 18 victories inside the…

Junior dos Santos still hasn’t gotten over the finishing sequence that led to his demise at UFC 256.

The former heavyweight champion suffered a second-round technical knockout defeat to Ciryl Gane on Dec. 12 — his fourth consecutive defeat in the Octagon. Dos Santos protested the stoppage in the aftermath, pointing to what he believes what was an elbow to the back of the head landed by Gane during the finish.

“Cigano” took to social media to speak out about the stoppage, and his stance remains the same.

“I know I hadn’t spoken out about my last fight yet because I expect that the [Nevada State] Athletic Commission and the UFC would have watched the replay of the fight and seen for themselves, which is very clear, that the elbow that knocked me out was illegal,” Dos Santos said. “If you watch the fight, there’s no other understanding possible, but this is not what’s happening among these ‘MMA specialists’ out there.

“OK, even if his forearm may have touch…

Santiago Ponzinibbio has a new opponent for his Octagon return at UFC Fight Night 184.

According to a report from MMAFighting.com, Jingliang Li has agreed to replace Muslim Salikhov and face Ponzinibbio at the Jan. 16 event. Salikhov withdrew from the bout due to health issues that came from contracting COVID-19 this past September.

UFC Fight Night 184 takes place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and is headlined by a featherweight showdown between Max Holloway and Calvin Kattar. The card is currently expected to stream on ESPN+.

Li competed once in 2020, dropping a unanimous decision to Neil Magny at UFC 248 on March 7. Prior to that, “The Leech” had been victorious in seven of his previous eight Octagon appearances.

Ponzinibbio hasn’t competed in the Octagon since November 2018, when he knocked out Neil Magny in the fourth round of the UFC Fight Night 140 headliner. The 34-year-old Argentinian is currently on a seven-fight winning streak.

Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Greg Jackson, who has been one of the most respected mixed martial arts coaches in the sport for more than a decade, is considering a run for Congress in New Mexico.

Axios is reporting Jackson would run as an independent for the U.S. House seat in the state that is being vacated by Deb Haaland, who was chosen by newly elected President Joe Biden to lead the Department of the Interior. According to the report, Haaland’s impending departure “has set off a scramble by aspiring political stars who want the marquee seat representing Albuquerque.”

Jackson is the co-owner of Jackson-Wink MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he has served as a primary trainer for a litany of UFC stars over the years such as Jon Jones, Georges St. Pierre, Holly Holm, Diego Sanchez, Rashad Evans, Carlos Condit, John Dodson and Michelle Waterson, to name a few.

A New Mexico native, Jackson is unaffiliated with any political party but leans Democratic. Jacks…

A pivotal strawweight clash between Nina Ansaroff and Mackenzie Dern is in the works for a UFC card on April 10.

ESPN was first to report the matchup. The Las Vegas-based promotion has not formally announced a location or headliner for the event.

After the birth of her daughter in 2018 and a loss to Amanda Ribas in her promotional return, Dern has enjoyed a productive 2020 in UFC competition. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu standout has won three consecutive bouts at 115 pounds, including a unanimous decison over Virna Jandiroba in her last outing at UFC 256 on Dec. 12. Dern suffered a broken nose in that victory and will undergo a minor procedure that will allow her to train for Ansaroff.

Ansaroff emerged as a person of interest at 115 pounds from 2017 to 2018, when she authored a four-bout winning streak that featured victories against the likes of Claudia Gadelha and Angela Hill. After a decision loss to Tatiana Suarez at UFC 238 in June 2019, Ansaroff more than a y…

Alex Oliveira will lock horns with Randy Brown in a welterweight scrap at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Feb. 27.

Multiple outlets confirmed the booking following an initial report from Combate . UFC Fight Night is headlined by a light heavyweight tilt pitting Dominick Reyes against Jiri Prochazka. A location for the event has not been formally announced.

Oliveira, 32, had a two-bout winning streak snapped at UFC 254, where he was submitted in the opening stanza by Shavkat Rakhmonov on Oct. 24. The Brazilian “Cowboy” is 11-7-1 with one no contest during his tenure with the Las Vegas based promotion.

Brown is coming off a second-round KO defeat to Vicente Luque at UFC Fight Night 173 on Aug. 1. Prior to that, the 30-year-old Jamaican had scored back-to-back finishes of Bryan Barberena and Warlley Alves in the Octagon.

Tenshin Nasukawa and Takanori Gomi return to action. Pay-Per-View to be featured on LIVENow platform, Frank Trigg and Joe Ferraro provide with English commentary.

Yogibo presents #RIZIN26Dec 31, 2020 2:00PM（JST）Saitama Super Arenahttps://t.co/J8mFeQ0UKC

— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) December 21, 2020 Former Pride Fighting Championships superstar Takanori Gomi and kickboxing sensation Tenshin Nasukawa will compete at Rizin Fighting Federation’s New Year’s Eve event.

The Japanese promotion announced the late additions to Rizin 26 on Monday. Rizin 26 takes place on Dec. 31 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama Japan and is headlined by a bantamweight championship clash between Kai Asakura and Kyoji Horiguchi. Additionally, Ayaka Hamasaki and Miyuu Yamamoto will square off for the atomweight belt.

Gomi will square off against kickboxer Koji Tanaka in a special standing bout in which both fighters “will only be allowed to punch with t…

A featherweight championship bout pitting Amanda Nunes against Megan Anderson has been rescheduled for UFC 259.

ESPN was first to report the matchup. Nunes and Anderson were initially slated to meet at UFC 256 on Dec. 12 before the Brazilian champion withdrew from the contest for undisclosed reasons. UFC 259 takes place on March 6 and also includes a light heavyweight clash between Thiago Santos and Aleksandar Rakic. A location for the event has not been revealed, and its unclear if Nunes vs. Anderson will serve as the headliner.

A UFC champion at featherweight and bantamweight, Nunes is currently riding an 11-bout winning streak headling into her matchup with Anderson. The 32-year-old American Top Team representative, who is Sherdog.com's No. 1 pound-for-pound ranked female fighter, is coming off a five-round verdict over Felicia Spencer in a 145-pound title defense at UFC 250 on June 6. “Lioness” owns other notable wins against the likes of Germaine de Randamie (t…

ICYMI: #KSW58 is Official!!

@szymonkolecki Zawada@salahparnasse Torres

January 30th - Live on KSWTV pic.twitter.com/tqSZ3MySG9 — KSW (@KSW_MMA) December 19, 2020

Olympic gold medal-winning weightlifter Szymon Kolecki will square off against Martin Zawada in the KSW 58 headliner.

The Polish promotion announced the booking over the weekend. KSW 58 takes place in Lodz, Poland, on Jan. 30 and will see Salahdine Parnasse defend his featherweight crown against Daniel Torres in the co-main event. The event can be viewed via pay-per-view on KSWTV.com.

Kolecki, who won gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, is 8-1 since making his mixed martial arts debut in 2017. The 39-year-old Pole rebounded from his first career defeat to earn first-round stoppages of Mariusz Pudzianowksi and Damian Janikowski in his first two KSW bouts in 2019. Kolecki has finished all eight of his triumphs by knockout or technical knockout.

Germany’s Zawada is …

It wasn’t an easy lead-up to UFC Fight Night 183 for Geoff Neal, and once he stepped in the cage, it didn’t get any better.

Neal suffered his first promotional defeat in Saturday’s headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, falling to former welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson via unanimous decision. The Fortis MMA product was hospitalized with heart trouble earlier this year, an issue that forced him to withdraw from a proposed clash with Neil Magny on Aug. 29. And on Saturday, “Handz of Steel” was without his usual group of cornermen due to COVID-19. That included Fortis MMA head Sayif Saud.

“So much adversity dealing leading up to this fight,” Neal wrote on Instagram. “Sepsis, congestive heart failure, three of my corners testing positive for covid, with one of them being the General Sayif Saud, but I still made that walk and fought that fight.

“Couldn’t see out of my right eye for four rounds and still managed to hang in there with a guy who’s been …

@MarcinTybura FLEXING THE POLISH POWER! The G&P closes it out! #UFCVegas17 pic.twitter.com/WmgYmbNLd4

— UFC (@ufc) December 20, 2020

Saturday’s loss to Marcin Tybura exposed a glaring weakness in Greg Hardy’s game.

After an opening round in which the former NFL Pro Bowler’s standup looked as good as it ever has in the Octagon, he appeared to be just as helpless on the canvas in Round 2. Once Tybura executed a takedown, it was academic from there, as Hardy wilted under an onslaught of punches and hammerfists 4:31 into the second period.

The image of a defenseless Hardy covering up against Tybura’s ground-and-pound should be ammunition for future opponents. Prior to UFC Fight Night 183, Hardy had only absorbed three significant ground strikes in seven Octagon appearances.

Hardy admitted that he is still a work-in-progress as a mixed martial artist following the discouraging defeat.

“Gotta take my Ls like a man. Always have …

Jose Aldo displayed his versatility in a much-needed victory against Marlon Vera in the UFC Fight Night 183 co-main event on Saturday night.

The former featherweight king had a strong opening round that was highlighted by numerous ripping body shots, but Vera seized momentum in the Round 2 behind a steady diet of leg kicks and clinch work. Aldo shifted gears in the final stanza, when he landed a takedown and spent the majority of the round attached to Vera’s back. That was enough to seize the scorecards by a trio of 29-28 counts.

“I knew I had a very good first round. In the second round, he came more aggressive. That told me I needed to win the third round,” Aldo said. “That position is one I train a lot. I know it’s very strong. That’s why I was able to win the round.”

That snapped a three-bout skid for the Nova Uniao star, who was coming off a brutal beating in the late rounds against Petr Yan in a bantamweight title bout this past July. Prior to that, Aldo …

Faced with an opponent who had decimated all opposition in his path, Stephen Thompson made it look easy on Saturday night.

“Wonderboy” was in prime form in the UFC Fight Night 183 headliner, as he outstruck Geoff Neal for the better part of five rounds in a unanimous decision victory at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. As a result, Thompson re-established himself as one of the welterweight division’s top contenders. It wasn’t all easy, however, because the South Carolina native suffered an apparent knee injury late in the fight which hindered his trademark movement.

“After the fourth round, I thought it was my kneecap. I felt this stiffness in my right leg. I looked down and saw this ball and thought it was my kneecap,” Thompson explained. “I tried to bend my knee and it ended up being muscle. Hopefully it’s not too bad and I don’t have to have surgery.”

A veteran of two title bouts and six 25-minute fights in the UFC overall, Thompson let experience take over down th…

Faced with an opponent who had decimated all opposition in his path, Stephen Thompson made it look easy on Saturday night.

“Wonderboy” was in prime form in the UFC Fight Night 183 headliner, as he outstruck Geoff Neal for the better part of five rounds in a unanimous decision victory at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. As a result, Thompson re-established himself as one of the welterweight division’s top contenders. It wasn’t all easy, however, because the South Carolina native suffered an apparent knee injury late in the fight which hindered his trademark movement.

“After the fourth round, I thought it was my kneecap. I felt this stiffness in my right leg. I looked down and saw this ball and thought it was my kneecap,” Thompson explained. “I tried to bend my knee and it ended up being muscle. Hopefully it’s not too bad and I don’t have to have surgery.”

A veteran of two title bouts and six 25-minute fights in the UFC overall, Thompson let experience take over down th…

The wheel kick by @Showtimepettis had Morono on wobbly legs #UFCVegas17 pic.twitter.com/MiS6tylLIy

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 20, 2020

Anthony Pettis earned his second consecutive victory at 170 pounds at UFC Fight Night 183, but it appears that a return to lightweight is in his future.

After a decision victory against Alex Morono on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, the former 155-pound champion admitted that his own habits have been holding him back in recent years, which is why he hasn’t been cutting weight as often. Four of Pettis’ last four Octagon appearances have taken place at welterweight.

“Guys at 170 are big dudes. It’s a different beast than 155. The reason I wasn’t at 155 is pure laziness,” Pettis said. “It was me outside the Octagon getting fat and just not caring like I should care about my career. I was doing some of the extracurricular things like clubs, the partying scene and all the food that comes with that. …

The Ultimate Fighting Championship ended the year by handing out $50,000 “Performance of the Night” awards to Stephen Thompson, Rob Font, Marcin Tybura and Jimmy Flick for stellar efforts at UFC Fight Night 183.

Thompson led the way on Saturday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, as he used accurate straight punches, a variety of kicks and constant movement to earn a five-round verdict against Geoff Neal in the evening’s main event. It was the first appearance for “Wonderboy” since a triumph against Vicente Luque at UFC 244 in November 2019.

Elsewhere, Font also made an impressive return from a lengthy hiatus with a quick stoppage of former title challenger Marlon Moraes in a featured bantamweight encounter. A crisp jab from Font had Moraes stumbling backward, and he sent his foe to the canvas with an uppercut. From there, a barrage of powerful ground-and-pound brought an end to the bout 3:47 into Round 1.

Tybura survived a difficult opening stanza against Greg…

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. When Stephen Thompson fights at his pace and on his terms, he remains a sight to behold and one of the toughest outs in the sport. “Wonderboy” outstruck and outmaneuvered rising Fortis MMA star Geoff Neal across five rounds and kept his spot in line in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s welterweight division, as he was awarded a unanimous decision in the UFC Fight Night 183 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Thompson (16-4-1, 11-4-1 UFC) pitched a shutout, earning 50-45 scores from all three cageside judges.

Both men battled through serious cuts, the result of an inadvertent clash of heads in the first round. Neal (13-3, 5-1 UFC) had issues with the karateka’s movement and speed for much of the 25-minute confrontation, enjoying brief periods of success when he managed to close the distance. However, Thompson w…

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. Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 183 coverage will begin Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Cri…

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.

Anthony Pettis will enter 2021 with some welcomed momentum in his back pocket.

The former World Extreme Cagefighting and Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder overcame an inauspicious start, put some of his otherworldly skills to use and picked up a unanimous decision over Alex Morono in the featured UFC Fight Night 183 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All three judges sided with Pettis (24-10, 11-8 UFC), casting 29-28 scorecards in his favor.

Morono (18-7, 7-4 UFC) capitalized on an early slip in the first round, pounced on the Roufusport mainstay, progressed to the back and bloodied his nose in the process. Pettis withstood his efforts, called upon his deep reservoir of experience and took advantage of the one-minute respite between rounds. “Showtime” slowly seized control with superior strik…

GNP finish for Phil de Fries. And still KSW heavyweight champ #KSW57 pic.twitter.com/0MlJLc5ARn

— Will (@ChillemDafoe) December 19, 2020

Philip De Fries closed out Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki’s 2020 schedule with a dominant display against Michal Kita.

De Fries (19-6) retained his heavyweight crown with a technical knockout victory over Kita (20-12-1) in the KSW 57 headliner at Wytwornia Club in Lodz, Poland, on Saturday. Following an early sequence that saw “Masakra” catch De Fries with a couple of heavy combinations, “F-11” shifted gears and took his opponent down. De Fries punished the Polish fighter with many shots of ground-and-pound, and it didn’t take long before Kita’s face started bearing the marks of De Fries’ offense. At the end of the first stanza, the referee and the physician checked Kita’s condition very carefully, but the Polish fighter insisted on continuing.

In the second stanza, “F-11” immediately took his opponent to the …

So its official I am Covid-19 positive. And feel like hell

Posted by Paul Varelans on Saturday, December 12, 2020 Early Ultimate Fighting Championship vet Paul Varelans is currently engaged in the fight of his life.

Varelans first posted about his COVID-19 diagnosis on Facebook on Dec. 12, writing, “So its [sic] official I am COVID-19 positive. And feel like hell.”

The 6-foot-8 former UFC fighter struggled with the illness, writing on Dec. 13, “Best way I can compare the feel of COVID-19 in my experiance [sic] is it’s like fighting a guy who specializes in kidney punches they never stop coming.” The next day, he wrote, “Now for food pangs I’d kill for candied salmon WTF.” This was his last post, as he has since been hospitalized in Atlanta due to the illness.

Paul Varelans... (The Polar Bear)... has been diagnosed with Covid 19. He's on a ventilator and struggling. I urge everyone in the MMA world, to say a quick prayer for Paul. God speed...!!!<…

Love you guys

— Sergio DaSilva (@thesavage125) December 16, 2020 Sergio da Silva, a former Bellator MMA and Cage Fury Fighting Championships competitor, has died at age 34.

MyMMANews first reported the unfortunate news of da Silva’s passing on Friday. UFC lightweight and friend of da Silva Jared Gordon has since confirmed this Instagram. Da Silva's management team informed Sherdog on Friday that da Silva passed on Wednesday evening, and that the remainder of the details are being withheld out of respect to his family's privacy.

“(Insert generic caption of mental illness/addiction and other various reasons for why all your friends die and wish they had reached out first) f--- this world. Love you Sergio,” Gordon wrote on his Instagram page on Friday about da Silva.

Da Silva was convicted of third-degree robbery for holding up a bank in Queens, N.Y., in August 2017. Although initially found guilty by the jury, he was not sentenced to priso…

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. A huge bantamweight scrap is in the works for the 2021 Ultimate Fighting Championship card on Super Bowl weekend. According to ESPN on Friday, Cory Sandhagen (13-2) will be taking on Frankie Edgar (24-8-1) in the co-main event of the UFC Fight Night card on Feb. 6. That event is expected to take place at the Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Emirates. The two were originally paired against one another in January, but Edgar was pulled from that bout to remain at featherweight.

Sandhagen rebounded from a title eliminator defeat to Aljamain Sterling in June by knocking out Marlon Moraes with a rare spinning wheel kick in October. In doing so, he became the first fighter from below lightweight to notch this kind of knockout in company history. His defeat to Sterling before the Moraes knockout snapped an impressive seven…

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. UFC 256 took its toll on its competitors. According to promotional paperwork provided to mixedmartialarts.com on Friday, seven different Ultimate Fighting Championship fighters from the recent pay-per-view card face lengthy suspensions. Headlining the event was a flyweight championship affair, where Deiveson Figueiredo fought to a thrilling draw to retain his belt against Brandon Moreno. For their hard-fought battle that raged on for 25 minutes, both men are facing potential 180-day suspensions from the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Figueiredo needs to get his broken toe and right bicep cleared, while Moreno sustained damage to his left shoulder and left forearm that also requires clearance.

Figueiredo and Moreno were not the only two fighters on the main card staring down the barrel of lengthy suspensions, as Tony Ferguson …