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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. Minutes after the Ultimate Fighting Championship officially accepted Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retirement, it put together a fight for his vacant belt. On Thursday night, UFC President Dana White stated on social media that he was ceasing his quest to retain Nurmagomedov’s services as the lightweight champion. Shortly after White’s post, ESPN broke the news that the organization was moving on with its next championship bout at 155 pounds. Charles Oliveira (30-8, 1 NC) will get his first crack at the title against ex-Bellator MMA kingpin Michael Chandler (22-5). The two top-ranked lightweights will square off at UFC 262 on May 15, at a to-be-determined location.

Oliveira finally gets a shot at gold after amassing a stellar eight-fight win streak, where the Brazilian has recorded victories over the likes of Jim Miller, Kevin Lee and T…

29-0 it is.

He is officially retired. It was incredible to watch you work @TeamKhabib thank you for EVERYTHING and enjoy whatever is next my friend. pic.twitter.com/QeoSP12zw2

— danawhite (@danawhite) March 19, 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. Editor's note: The article has been updated at 1 a.m. ET on March 19 to add a statement from the former champion.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight division formally has no champion any longer.

UFC President Dana White announced on social media that he was officially giving up the chase to keep Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0) active on the roster. The lightweight king announced his retirement after his victory at 254 over Justin Gaethje, with it being his final bout after his father’s passing in 2020. The UFC head persisted to change Nurmagomedov’s mind, but the Dages…

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’s bantamweight division is as alive as it has ever been. ESPN reported on Thursday night that T.J. Dillashaw (16-4) will be coming off his two-year suspension on May 8. There, he will take on surging contender Cory Sandhagen (14-2) in a possible bantamweight title eliminator match, as the main event for the evening’s UFC Fight Night foray. The event does not yet have a destination selected, as the promotion is still preparing for its April trip to Florida with a full crowd in attendance for UFC 261.

Dillashaw last competed in January 2019, when he tried to take the trip down to flyweight to become a two-division champion. Henry Cejudo turned him away in 32 seconds, thereby keeping Dillashaw’s career pattern of winning four fights only to lose the fifth intact. After the loss, Dillashaw surrender…

Per sources, Cody Garbrandt (@Cody_Nolove) vs. Rob Font (@RobSFont). May 22. Five rounds. Main event. Sick fight ... Who you got? pic.twitter.com/mAWt96o1jk

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) March 19, 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. A top-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight tilt is finding its way to a headliner near you in May. Late Thursday night, ESPN announced that Rob Font (18-4) would be squaring off with Cody Garbrandt (12-3) for major bantamweight divisional implications atop the UFC Fight Night event on May 22. The card does not yet have a destination or venue set, and it is unclear if the promotion will continue to use the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., following its trip there for UFC 261 in April.

Font has surged since a decision loss to Raphael Assuncao in 2018, taking two decis…

A SPINNING HEEL KICK! off the break and Manny Akpan gets it done in one

A sensational finish here at #CW120

Watch the #CW120 prelims now on @UFCFightPasshttps://t.co/7leygYh4QaYork Hall, London pic.twitter.com/SazQc1y3Gl — Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) March 18, 2021 “The Trilogy” is back with a vengeance for Cage Warriors Fighting Championship.

The CW 120 main event saw the promotional debut of Bellator MMA veteran Kent Kauppinen (13-6), who took on Jamie Richardson (9-7) at middleweight. Kauppinen worked his opponent’s legs with kicks on the inside and outside, but they did not appear to affect Richardson early. “Young Gun” replied with polished combinations, until he shot in and scored a takedown with seconds left in the round. Even though Kauppinen got back to his feet quickly, there was little time for more action before the horn sounded.

Richardson celebrated some success with his hands early in the second round, clipping Ka…

Ylies Djiroun has a debut to remember as he submits Abdul-Rakhman Makhazhiev in the third round of #BRAVECF48#ArabianNight pic.twitter.com/SDih8FBYih

— BRAVE Combat Federation (@bravemmaf) March 18, 2021 Ylies Djiroun, also known as “Broly,” announced to Brave Combat Federation that his power is maximum.

The Brave CF 48 main event saw Professional Fighters League vet Djiroun (17-6) debut with Brave against Rakhman Makhazhiev (9-6) at 155 pounds. “Broly” dropped Makhazhiev with a punch-head kick combination early in the first round. Djiroun pushed to finish “Ot Dushy Paren” with some hammerfists from side control, but the Russian recovered from the shots and composed himself. Sensing that he had an edge in the striking exchanges, the Frenchman got back to his feet and invited his opponent to follow him. Makhazhiev di not oblige, instead pressuring Djiroun with his wrestling to grind out the round.

In the second stanza, Djiroun managed to k…

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. Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight Ricardo Ramos only needed a month for his turnaround after losing a fight in March. MMA Junkie was first to report the booking of Ramos (14-3) against Bill Algeo (14-5) at UFC on ESPN 22. The April 17 event is expected to be held in the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, as the last fight card before the promotion travels to Florida to put fans in the building again. The pairing has since been confirmed by other outlets along with Algeo himself on his Twitter page.

Ramos was originally slated to face Zubaira Tukhugov at UFC Fight Night 187 in March, only for Tukhugov to suffer an injury and fall out of the bout roughly a week before the match. “Carcarinha” will be looking to notch his first win this decade, as the Brazilian suffered a knockout loss at the hands of Lerone Murphy in 2020. The los…

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. An intriguing Ultimate Fighting Championship prospect has her sophomore appearance on the books. On Wednesday, Casey O'Neill (6-0) posted on her Instagram that her contract had been signed for her next appearance. At nearly the same time, her prospective foe, Lara Procopio (7-1) did the same. MMA Fighting then reported on Thursday that the two would be coming to blows at a UFC Fight Night event on June 19, which still does not yet have a destination or venue in place.

O’Neill made her triumphant debut in February, when she smashed Shana Dobson in the second round to improve her unbeaten record to six up and none down. The 23-year-old from Australia made her way to the promotion from four victories on her father’s Eternal MMA league, followed by a battering of Christina Stelliou at an Abu Dhabi Warriors card in September.

…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feN2Mo3KNuQ&w=560&h=315] Former Ultimate Fighting Championship champ Junior dos Santos is looking to right a perceived wrong suffered before his release.

On Thursday, ESPN announced that dos Santos (21-9) will be appealing his UFC 256 loss to Ciryl Gane from Dec. 12. According to dos Santos’ agent Ana Guedes, the ex-champ has filed his appeal to the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Wednesday, while requesting a hearing before the commission. His claim, as he has levied in the past, is that he was struck illegally behind the head from Gane, which resulted in him being finished.

Dos Santos seeks the bout status – a TKO loss at 2:34 of Round 2 – to be overturned to a no-contest or even a disqualification, depending on the verdict of the commission. Although there was a January appeal that dos Santos’ team filed, the commission rejected it on the grounds that dos Santos did not clarify exactly what “a referee misinterpretation o…

We have signed 2x French Olympian Wrestler Cynthia Vescan to the PFL roster!

— PFL MMA (@ProFightLeague) March 18, 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 is looking for ways to bolster its lone women’s division, and did so by signing a talented international wrestler. The tournament-based league released a press statement on Thursday announcing that it had signed Cynthia Vanessa Vescan (0-0) to its roster. The French freestyle wrestler has not yet competed in MMA, and she had to delay her training by several years due to her involvement in both the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. Vescan competed at women’s heavyweight at 72 kg (158.4 pounds), where she placed 12th in 2012 and 16th in 2016. She also earned a bronze medal in the European championships in 2018.

PFL President of Fighter Operations Ray Sefo b…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siz5uuWcb4o&w=560&h=315] Glory two-division champ Alexsandro Pereira is not your average training partner.

Scheduled to face former Bellator MMA light heavyweight champion Ryan Bader in the first April 9 bracket of the grand prix, Lyoto Machida received two important reinforcements in the final weeks of his camp. Both Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran and next light heavyweight contender Glover Teixeira as well as Glory’s 185- and 205-pound champion ‘Poatan’ Pereira, and the latter spoke with Sherdog right after his arrival to Florida.

“It’s such an honor to be learning from these two MMA legends,” Pereira explained. “I came with Glover to help Lyoto, but I’m the one who is being helped here.”

After his impressive debut in Legacy Fighting Alliance, where he demolished Thomas Powell in the first round, Pereira has his sights set on ruling the kickboxing realm. Pereira is the only man to knock out UFC middleweight champion Is…

The second leg of the 2021 Cage Warriors Fighting Championship trilogy is good to go after every fighter made weight.

The CW 121 main event pits Agy Sardari against Donovan Desmae with the 155-pound championship on the line. In his latest performance, Sardari (13-2, 1-0 CW) edged Jack Grant via split decision, taking home the vacant belt and becoming the first Dutch Cage Warriors champion since Gegard Mousasi won the 185-pound belt in 2006. “The Wolverine” had no issues in making the championship weight as he tipped the scale at 154.8 pounds.

Desmae (12-6, 5-3 CW) earned a shot at the divisional title following back-to-back victories. Recently, the Belgian fighter submitted Tim Barnett with a rear-naked choke at the 2:49 mark of the opening stanza at CW 107. Before then, he smashed Alexander Jacobsen in the second stanza of the CW 105 co-main event. “Vegas” weighed in at 154.4 pounds to make the headliner official.

In the co-main event, 135-pound kingpin Jack Cartwrig…

Tai Tuivasa will remain on the UFC on ESPN 21 card against a new adversary, as Harry Hunsucker will step in for Don'Tale Mayes on Saturday.

MMAjunkie.com first reported the new pairing, and it was later confirmed on broadcast partner ESPN’s event listing. UFC on ESPN 21 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a middleweight tilt between Kevin Holland and Derek Brunson. The main card, including Tuivasa vs. Hunsucker, airs on ESPN and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

Hunsucker came up short in his bid to earn a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series this past November, when he suffered a first-round TKO defeat to Jared Vanderaa. The Elite Martial Arts & Fitness member owns a 6-3 professional mark, with all of his victories coming inside the distance.

Tuivasa halted a three-bout Octagon skid with a first-round KO of Stefan Struve in his most recent outing at UFC 254 this past October.

Credit: Joao Baptista Credit: Joao Baptista Credit: Joao Baptista

Shortly after manager Wallid Ismael confirmed Paulo Costa’s withdrawal from his April 17 headlining bout against Robert Whittaker, the Brazilian middleweight spoke with Sherdog.com to discuss the illness that has delayed his return to the Octagon.

Costa made it clear that his current ailment has nothing to do with COVID-19.

"I had COVID on New Year's. Once I didn’t have strong symptoms I kept training,” Costa said. “I just found out it was COVID when I decided to get tested, and by then it was longer contagious.

”The flu I have now infected eight members from the team, including sparring partners and trainers. That one was really strong. To tell you the truth in my whole life only once did I have such a strong strong flu; it was in 2015. The American filming team arrived here to produce the weight cut and I tried to train one day, but the following day I was totally broken. At that point I ta…

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

There will be a strong African connection on one side of the Octagon in the UFC 260 main event.

Francis Ngannou revealed on his YouTube channel that welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will be in his corner for the heavyweight championship rematch against Stipe Miocic on March 27. Ngannou was born in Cameroon, while Usman is originally from Nigeria.

“Kamaru Usman is gonna be in my corner for this fight,” Ngannou said in the video. “So it’s good having him here, helping me out with the fight. By this time you need everything. Basically, he’s gonna be in my corner and it’s good for him to train where I am and to bring his own asset into the game to help because this is a very decisive moment leading up to the fight. It’s very important to get with him, he’s gonna be in my corner helping me with my wrestling, which is great.”

Ngannou lost a five-round decision to Miocic in their first meeting at UFC 22…

GSP makes his way to the PIT

@GeorgesStPierre will join Season 3 of #KarateCombat as Season Sensei! pic.twitter.com/N1JyvFscA4

— Karate Combat (@KarateCombat) March 17, 2021 Georges St. Pierre is making a return to the combat sports realm, but he won’t be competing.

The former UFC middleweight and welterweight champion will join Karate Combat, a full-contact karate league founded in 2018, in a commentary role for the organization’s upcoming third season. St. Pierre’s official title will be “Season Sensei,” as he offers his “guidance, analysis and insights as the world’s top karate fighters battle for supremacy in The Pit, Karate Combat’s trademark fighting arena.”

“My first martial art was karate,” St. Pierre said in a release. “It was the foundation I built my career on. I always wanted to see an organization arise which would give a platform for elite full-contact karate fighters to compete, and that’s what I see in Karate Combat. …

A postponed heavyweight bout pitting Ben Rothwell against Philipe Lins has been rebooked for UFC Fight Night on May 8.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the rescheduled matchup. Rothwell and Lins were initially slated to meet at UFC Fight Night 187 on March 13, but the contest was scrapped after Rothwell suffered an injury. The May 8 card does not yet have an official headliner or location.

The 39-year-old Rothwell had a two-bout winning streak snapped in his most recently outing, when he dropped a unanimous decision against Marcin Tybura at UFC Fight Night 179 this past October.

After winning the 2018 Professional Fighters League heavyweight championship, Lins has struggled in the Octagon, falling to Andrei Arlovski and Tanner Boser in his first two promotional appearances.

Cage Warriors Fighting Championship will kick off it latest event trilogy with an event on Thursday.

The Cage Warriors 120 main event will see the promotional debut of Bellator MMA veteran Kent Kauppinen (12-6). The 29-year old Englishman alternated defeats and victories in his latest cage appearances, scoring a spectacular KO at the expense of Ultimate Fighting Championship alum Alessio Sakara and submitting Andy Manzolo but also dropping a couple of decisions to Melvin Manhoef and Will Fleury. Kauppinen looked good on the scale Wednesday, as he weighed at 185.4 pounds.

It will be up to Jamie Richardson (9-6) to welcome Kauppinen in his first foray under the CW banner. “Young Gun” is looking to get back on track after losing his chance to capture the middleweight championship when Nathias Frederick put him out of his senses 18 seconds into the third round at CW 118. Richardson had no issues in hitting the scale at 184.9 pounds.

In the co-main event, James H…

It’s been nearly a year since Henry Cejudo announced his retirement, but the former two-division UFC champ continues to make headlines by teasing potential matchups.

His latest focal point is former featherweight champion Max Holloway. In a recent interview with ESPN, the Olympic gold medalist explained why Holloway is potentially an interesting opponent for him.

"I have never called out Max Holloway," Cejudo said. "Even when he had the belt, I have never called him out. I feel like in the future, I would love to fight him. People would not believe me that I could beat him. He's so damn tall and what he's been able to do.

"I love that challenge. I love the fact people don't think I could beat him. He's taller than me and has inflicted more damage on different people, but I feel like I'm too smart and too skilled.”

Cejudo is a former flyweight and bantamweight title holder in the UFC. He called it a career in the Octagon after defending his 135-pound belt …

Kelvin Gastelum has agreed to replace Paulo Costa and square off against Robert Whittaker in the UFC on ESPN 22 headliner on April 17.

ESPN was first to report the new booking. Costa was forced to pull out of the middleweight contest because an illness had limited his training leading up to the fight. UFC on ESPN 22 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Gastelum was intially supposed to face Whittaker in a middleweight title bout at UFC 234 in February 2019 before Whittaker withdrew on the day of the fight to undergo surgery for a hernia.

Gastelum would later challenge for the interim 185-pound belt, losing a five-round decision to Israel Adesanya in Sherdog.com's 2019 “Fight of the Year.” That was the start of the three-bout losing streak for “The Ultimate Fighter 17” finalist, who snapped the skid with a unanimous decision victory over Ian Heinisch at UFC 258 on Feb. 13.

After losing the 185-pound belt to Adesanya in a first-round knockout at UFC…

In mixed martial arts, fighters generally receive at least one warning — if not more — before a point is deducted for an eye poke.

After being on the receiving end of such a foul against Leon Edwards in the UFC Fight Night 187 headliner, Belal Muhammad thinks more decisive action should be taken by officials in those instances. Prior to the eye poke that rendered Muhammad unable to continue 18 seconds into Round 2, Edwards was warned for a similar violation in the opening stanza. Additionally, Muhammad told ESPN that he asked veteran referee Herb Dean to keep on eye on Edwards’ fingers in the fight.

"We trained for this," Muhammad said. "We know he likes to keep distance and put his palm out. We literally told Herb Dean before the fight, 'We're going to be trying to get in on him and he puts his hands out, please watch his fingers.’

"Refs need to take a point right away, no warning. That will stop guys from doing that. You saw it with Petr Yan's illegal knee [a…

A severe case of the flu has forced Paulo Costa to withdraw from a scheduled clash with Robert Whittaker at UFC on ESPN 22.

AgFight was first to report that the bout was in jeopardy, and multiple outlets have since confirmed that an illness has resulted in Costa’s exit from the card. This particular case of the flu has hindered the Brazilian’s ability to properly prepare for the fight, which ultimately forced him to pull out of the event.

The Las Vegas-based promotion is reportedly looking into moving Costa vs. Whittaker to May 1 or May 8, but nothing has been finalized. It appears unlikely that Whittaker will receive a replacement opponent.

"We just need two more weeks because Paulo got a strong flu and had to stop his training," Costa's manager, Walllid Ismael, told Sherdog.com. "Actually, the entire team of trainers and sparring partners were hit by the virus."

Ismael emphasized that Costa's sickness was a normal flu, not COVID-19.

"Actually Paulo caug…

Belal Muhammad is not one of the five competitors who could be sidelined up to six months following UFC Fight Night 187, but he will require doctor clearance before he can step into the Octagon again.

A full list of medical suspensions from this past Saturday’s event, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, were released to mixedmartialarts.com. The evening’s headliner ended 18 seconds into Round 2 when an accidental eye poke from Leon Edwards rendered Muhammad unable to continue in their welterweight matchup. Muhammad must have his right eye cleared by an ophthalmologist before he can compete again. At a minimum he is suspended until April 13 with no contact until April 4.

Meanwhile, the following five fighters from the card must receive doctor clearance or they will be suspended for six months: Ashley Yoder, Marcelo Rojo (facial fractures), Nasrat Haqparast (left fibula), Rafa Garcia (right elbow) and Cortney Casey (right foot, right hand).

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