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Georges St. Pierre remains the gold standard by which all welterweights are compared in mixed martial arts.

So when Kamaru Usman surpassed the former champion’s record for most consecutive wins at 170 pounds on Saturday not, it was only natural that talk turned to how the current title holder might fare against the division’s GOAT. Usman, for one, said he would welcome the challenge.

“Of course, I would like Georges. But I don’t want Georges because of money or anything like that. Like I said, I’m a competitor. I want Georges because Georges left on top. Georges can still do it. I see him training. Georges, I’m watching you. I see you training. Georges can still do it.

“So, if there’s potential for that big fight and Georges wants to come back, then of course, Georges can cut the line, absolutely.”

However, St. Pierre’s interest in such a pairing doesn’t seem to be high at the moment. The Canadian discussed the possibility during an appearance on SN590’s "…

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

Polish strongman Mariusz Pudzianowski will square off against Senegalese heavyweight wrestling champion Serigne Ousmane Dia in the KSW 59 main event.

Promotion officials announced the pairing on Monday. KSW 59 takes place on March 20 and will also see bantamweight champion Antun Racic face an as yet to be determined opponent. The event can be viewed on pay-per-view via KSWTV.com.

The 44-year-old Pudzianowski hasn’t competed since November 2019, when he defeated Erko Jun by second-round technical knockout at KSW 51. The 43-year-old made his MMA debut in 2009 and has compiled a 13-7 record with one no contest. All but one of his professional appearances have come under the KSW banner. He has bested the likes of Rolles Gracie, Bob Sapp, Oli Thompson, Sean McCorkle and Jay Silva over the course of his tenure.

Known as “Bombardier,” Dia is listed at 6-foot-3, 330 pounds and is a two-time “King of the Ar…

Despite a 17-fight winning streak that includes 13 triumphs in the world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion, Kamaru Usman was feeling a little bit overlooked after UFC 258.

After defeating former teammate Gilbert Burns by third-round technical knockout in Saturday’s headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, “The Nigerian Nightmare” issued a demand for respect that he feels he hasn’t received as of yet in his career. In particular, Usman pointed to pound-for-pound rankings, where he feels he has been slighted.

“That pound-for-pound list is not a popularity contest, you know? I haven’t really lost rounds in here – I control what goes on inside the cage,” he said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “Just because I’m not the loudest guy in the room, I’m not the most braggadocious, I don’t get in trouble outside [the cage], I’m not in headlines all the time.

“Let’s be honest, they kind of disrespect me in a sense. That pound-for-pound list is not a popularit…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

Maycee Barber emerged from a contract-winning performance on Dana White’s Contender Series with big ambitions for her Ultimate Fighting Championship career.

Ahead of her Octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 139 in November 2018, Barber announced her plans to break Jon Jones’ record by becoming the youngest champion in promotion history.

“I’ve always said it: I’m going to be the youngest UFC champion,” Barber said prior to the event. “But it’s better to just let your actions speak and talk a little less. We’re going to say less, do more. And, yeah, you guys know. You’ll see where I go.”

The hype began to build in earnest as Barber dispatched Hannah Cifers, J.J. Aldrich and Gillian Robertson via technical knockout in her first three promotional appearances. She hit a speed bump at UFC 246, however, suffering a torn ACL in an upset loss to Roxanne Modafferi in January 2020. After more than a year on the sidelines, “The Future” retu…

Stefan Struve announced his retirement on Monday after a 42-fight professional career that began in 2005.

The 7-foot Dutchman revealed his decision on social media, citing an ear condition that worsened when he was hit during a recent UFC bout. Struve has dealt with vertigo, hearing loss and a ringing noise in his ear as a result of the condition, which is permanent but doesn’t affect his day-to-day life when he’s not training for a fight. Struve said he elected to call it a career after the UFC recently reached out to offer him a fight.

“I was able to take my space and time the last couple of months to overthink this, so this time it really is for good,” Struve said. “I’ve had an inner ear issue I’ve been battling since May last year. I caught a viral infection that has damaged my vestibular system and the hearing nerve in my right ear. After new tests done recently we learned that the vestibular system is not working properly, the first conclusion in May was that it…

Former Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist Rodolfo Vieira was one of the biggest favorites at UFC 258.

In the early moments of his bout with Anthony Hernandez, it looked like all would go as planned, as he took his foe down and hunted for submissions. Once Hernandez escaped, it was an entirely different matter. Vieira quickly fatigued, and Hernandez capitalized with a barrage of power punches.

Vieira made it to Round 2, but Hernandez remained on the offensive, rocking his foe with a head kick and a pair of standing elbows. With Vieira fading fast, Hernandez added a shocking punctuation to his victory by tapping the five-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion with an arm-in guillotine choke at the 1:53 mark of the period.

“That was one of the fights that we picked to be a great fight and it was,” UFC president Dana White said at the post-fight press conference. “Even the commentators were talking about, nobody wants to …

Sorry y’all. No performance of the night for me on Feb 27th @Cagesidepress @ufc pic.twitter.com/8giaZg4gy3

— Sam Hughes (@samhughesmma) February 14, 2021

UFC Fight Night 186 has lost a strawweight clash between Sam Hughes and Emily Whitmire.

Hughes confirmed the cancellation on social media following an initial report from Cageside Press. The bout was reportedly scrapped because Whitmire was forced off the card for undisclosed reasons.

It’s currently unknown if the bout will be rebooked for a future event or if Hughes will receive a replacement foe. UFC Fight Night 186 takes place on Feb. 27 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a heavyweight tilt pitting Jairzinho Rozenstruik against Ciryl Gane.

A three-time Legacy Fighting Alliance veteran, Hughes is coming off a first-round TKO loss to Tecia Torres in her promotional debut at UFC 256. Whitmire, meanwhile, is 2-3 in the Octagon and is coming off back-to-back submission…

Kamaru Usman showcased some different aspects to his game at UFC 258.

First, he displayed the ability to overcome adversity when he recovered from being rocked by an overhand right from Gilbert Burns in the opening stanza of Saturday’s welterweight championship headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Then, as the bout progressed, “The Nigerian Nightmare” utilized a powerful jab from both the southpaw and orthodox stance, and it was that very maneuver that floored Burns in the finishing sequence at the beginning of Round 3.

“I’ve been waiting for this fight for a year. I was excited for this fight,” UFC president Dana White said at the post-fight press conference. “I knew it was gonna be great. For all the attributes that Usman has, his chin is probably the best one. He’s got a chin from hell. He took some big shots tonight and just kept coming forward … He said he used to get hit with that punch when they used to spar. It basically just made him mad.…

Before she set foot in the UFC’s Octagon, Alexa Grasso was tabbed as a potential superstar who could make inroads for the Las Vegas-based promotion in the potentially lucrative Mexican market.

Grasso looked the part too, compiling an 8-0 mark that included four triumphs in Invicta Fighting Championships. Once she arrived in the UFC, Grasso struggled to find consistency as she alternated wins and losses through her first six appearances at 115 pounds.

It’s only recently that the Lobo Gym MMA representative has begun to deliver on that potential. After throttling Maycee Barber at UFC 258, Grasso has won consecutive fights in the UFC for the first time in her career. Both of those victories have come since she moved to 125 pounds. That the latest triumph came against Barber, who not long ago was one of the most highly-touted prospects in any women’s division, makes the achievement all the more impressive in the eyes of UFC president Dana White.

“She looked incredib…

Gilbert Burns believes he followed the wrong blueprint once he hurt Kamaru Usman in the opening round of the UFC 258 headliner.

“I think I got over excited. I went Cody Garbrandt crazy as soon as I hurt him,” Burns said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “It was the second time [in my career]. I think I made the same mistake when I fought Dan Hooker. I got over excited. To become a champion, I cannot make those mistakes.”

Burns hurt Usman when an overhand right during an early exchange in their welterweight title bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. From there, the Brazilian blitzed for the finish and ultimately wound up slipping on a head kick. Burns couldn’t entice Usman into his guard, and the champion gradually regained his bearings.

Garbrandt, the former UFC bantamweight champion, became known for biting down on his mouthpiece and throwing caution to the wind during a three-bout skid in which he suffered knockout losses to T.J. Dillashaw (twice) and P…

For a moment, it appeared as though Kamaru Usman’s reign as welterweight champion would end inside of a round at UFC 258.

Early on in Saturday’s headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, former training partner Gilbert Burns rattled Usman with a massive overhand right. Though it didn’t quite drop “The Nigerian Nightmare,” the champion was clearly reeling. However, he managed to survive the ensuing onslaught from his opponent and make it to the end of the round.

As the fight progressed, Usman regained his faculties and took control, relying on a powerful jab that would floor Burns twice in the fight. The second of those instances occurred early in Round 3, and Usman followed up with devastating ground-and-pound to force a stoppage 34 seconds into the frame.

“That’s the thing. I’m the best at recomposing myself in fights, I’m the best in the world at that,” Usman said. “It’s a funny thing, that’s pretty similar to how a lot of our sparrings went. I know he counters …

Four “Performance of the Night” awards were handed out following UFC 258 on Saturday night.

Kamaru Usman received $50,000 for his third-round technical knockout victory against Gilbert Burns in the evening’s main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. After getting rocked in the opening stanza, “The Nigerian Nightmare” gradually took control behind a powerful jab, ultimately flooring his former foe and finishing the victory with ground-and-pound 34 seconds into the third frame to retain his 170-pound belt.

Earlier on the main card, Julian Marquez pocketed $50,000 for a come-from-behind victory against Maki Pitolo in a featured middleweight affair. “The Cuban Missile Crisis” struggled defending his opponent’s wrestling for two rounds befoe rallying to submit Pitolo with an anaconda choke at the 4:17 mark of Round 3.

Elsewhere, Anthony Hernandez garnered $50,000 for a shocking submission of former Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold me…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 258 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Kamaru Usman remains the master of his domain and now owns the longest winning streak in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s welterweight division. Usman retained his undisputed welterweight crown with a stirring third-round technical knockout of former Sanford MMA stablemate Gilbert Burns in the UFC 258 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Burns (19-4, 12-4 UFC) bowed out 34 seconds into Round 3, his run of six consecutive victories at an end.

It was far from a typical title defense for the champion. Burns had “The Nigerian Nightmare” reeling with an overhand right in the first round and appeared to have him out of sorts. Usman (18-1, 13-0 UFC), however, slowly regained his faculties and started to seize command. He relied more and more on a devastating jab from both hands and floored Burns with t…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 258 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Sherdog's live UFC 258 coverage will begin Saturday at 6:30 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 Critchfield s…

ANTHONY HERNANDEZ BY SUBMISSION! @ILovebamf with a huge performance to close the prelims #UFC258 pic.twitter.com/aEoULOkWM6

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) February 14, 2021 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 258 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. It was an outcome no one could have foreseen. Anthony Hernandez submitted five-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion and 2015 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist Rodolfo Vieira with a guillotine choke in the second round of their featured UFC 258 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Viera (7-1, 2-1 UFC) bowed out 1:53 into Round 2. Odds of a Hernandez submission victory were set at 30-to-1.

Vieira executed a takedown inside the first minute, progressed to the back and threatened with submissions, first with a rear-naked choke and later with an armbar. Hernandez (8-2, 2-2 UFC) managed…

UFC 258 is down to 10 bouts after a “non-COVID related issue” forced Gillian Robertson to withdraw from a proposed clash against Miranda Maverick.

Promotion officials announced the news a few hours before UFC 258 was scheduled to begin on Saturday. Robertson vs. Maverick was slated for the preliminary portion of the card. UFC 258 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight championship tilt between Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns. The main card airs on pay-per-view via ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT and ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

“Heartbroken is the only way to describe it,” Robertson wrote in an Instagram post. “After a great camp and an easy weight cut I unfortunately woke up this morning at 4 a.m. vomiting and my condition has yet to improve. So for the first time in my career my team has decided it would be best to pull myself from this fight.

“My greatest apologies to …

Reigning! Defending!

@Usman84kg makes championship weight ahead of #UFC258.

[ Get the PPV: https://t.co/Fz9xihbdua ] pic.twitter.com/gvQwsO6l9l — UFC (@ufc) February 12, 2021 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 258 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. For the second week in a row, there were no issues on the scales ahead of a big Ultimate Fighting Championship fight card.

The UFC will put on its second pay-per-view of 2021 this weekend. Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns.

Looking to win his 13th straight fight inside the Octagon is Usman (17-1). Since defeating Tyron Woodley to win the championship, “The Nigerian Nightmare” has been dominant knocking out Colby Covington and winning a one-sided decision over Jorge Masvidal. Although Usman hit the scales initially at 170.5 pounds, upon removing his mask and socks, Usman weighed 170 pounds on the dot.

Looking at…

Main event time at #LFA99! pic.twitter.com/qryMmEquJO

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) February 13, 2021 The Legacy Fighting Alliance light heavyweight title is vacant no more as Myron Dennis and Fabio Cherant clashed for gold in the main event of LFA 99.

The first round saw the striking of Cherant (7-1) shine as he landed blistering punches. Showing versatility, "The Water Buffalo" grappled with Dennis (18-8) and showed off his kicking game in Round 2. However, Cherant slowed down in the third frame, which allowed "Lightskin Dynamite" to land some damaging shots of his own. Cherant opened the championship rounds with a flying knee and dug deep to outstrike his opponent over the last 10 minutes. After five rounds of action, the judges awarded Cherant the vacant light heavyweight title with scores of 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47. The new champion dedicated his victory to his late mother, who passed away earlier this year.

The lightweight co-main…

Bobby Green apparently collapsed backstage #UFC258

— José Youngs (@JoseYoungs) February 12, 2021 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 258 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. One of the more intriguing matchups ahead of the Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view card this weekend has been pulled after a scary incident. Shortly after the UFC 258 weigh-in ceremony, Bobby Green, who made weight ahead of his match with Jim Miller, passed out backstage. UFC President Dana White announced this unfortunate situation in a media scrum on Friday. White explained that doctors were examining the lightweight. After the review, per ESPN, the bout was removed from the card.

“Bobby Green just collapsed back there,” White explained. “Doctors are looking at him. They’re trying to rehydrate him right now.”

While White stated that the medical staff was looking to rehydrate Green, he…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4x-qW6-NSU?start=163&w=560&h=315] 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. Former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champ Jon Jones has a clear path set to the heavyweight title. On Friday, UFC President Dana White spoke with TMZ about a variety of issues involving major fighters, including ex-champ Jones (26-1, 1 NC). “Bones” has long-since planned a move up to heavyweight, and his sights were set on the top of the division immediately. His goal is to fight the champion of the division, whether it is Stipe Miocic or Francis Ngannou, who will lock horns in March.

“We know what [Jones] wants,” White explained. “He wants the winner of Stipe and Francis, so that fight’s gotta happen first.”

When asked about whether Jones would get a crack at the winner of that fight, White did not need to expound on the merits …

Khamzat Chimaev is out of Leon Edwards fight on March 13. Full details on ESPN. https://t.co/k560o2EZtu pic.twitter.com/4H9NkF6Mp6

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) February 11, 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 event on March 13 is under assault on Thursday. Hours after the news broke that Ryan Hall would no longer be competing in his significant UFC Fight Night 187 main card tilt with Dan Ige, the March 13 event has taken another massive hit. ESPN announced on Thursday that Khamzat Chimaev (9-0) has been forced out of his welterweight pairing with Leon Edwards (18-3) due to persistent symptoms and issues after contracting COVID-19. The two were originally booked against one another in December, but Edwards pulled out after coming down with the coronavirus. Their meeting in January was similarl…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsQzUEpKOH0&w=560&h=315] The light heavyweight title fight for the Legacy Fighting Alliance is official after the weigh-ins.

The LFA returns for its first of two February events. LFA 99 will crown a new light heavyweight champion as Myron Dennis and Fabio Cherant battle for the vacant belt. While the nine-fight card has been checked in following the weigh-ins, two preliminary competitors came in heavy and have both been fined.

While nicknamed "The Future," Dennis (18-7) has already had a lengthy career spanning back to 2010. An alumnus of "The Ultimate Fighter 23," Dennis has put together three straight wins including a split decision victory over Dylan Potter. The Oklahoma fighter had no issue making championship weight and came in at 203.6 pounds.

Also looking to secure championship gold is Cherant (6-1). "The Water Buffalo" impressed in his promotional debut last year by choking out Erick Murray. While he was stopped by Alek…

BREAKING: Multiple sources have informed me Ryan Hall has been forced to withdraw from his fight against Dan Ige on March 13. The UFC is now looking for a replacement. #UFC https://t.co/Gfm9ppxcGl

— Cole Shelton (@ColeShelton91) February 11, 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 return of Ryan Hall was on the books for less than a month before it fell through. BJPenn.com was the first to report the news on Thursday, stating that Hall (8-1) has been forced out of his featherweight tilt with Dan Ige (14-3) due to an injury sustained while training. News of Hall getting his first fight since 2019 was announced in January. Per the report, which was later confirmed by other outlets, the promotion is currently searching for a replacement opponent against Ige at UFC Fight Night 187.

Since his win ov…

It's official. Jiri Prochazka (@jiri_bjp) will face Dominick Reyes in a light heavyweight bout on May 1. #GP pic.twitter.com/uOWlzifsaG

— Paradigm Sports (@ParadigmSports) February 11, 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 major light heavyweight bout scratched from an upcoming card has been pushed back to May. Paradigm Sports, the management team of Jiri Prochazka (27-3-1), announced on Thursday that his battle with Dominick Reyes (12-2) has been re-booked on the May 1 UFC Fight Night event. The two were initially set to headline UFC Fight Night 186 on Feb. 27, but Reyes suffered an undisclosed injury that forced him out of the matchup. It is currently unclear if the light heavyweights will be placed in the main event of this May 1 card.

Prochazka made a spectacular first impression by shutting Volkan Oezdemir’s lights out in Ju…