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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxM97qLGiMI&w=560&h=315] 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. Brazilian MMA fighters have captured belts in all Ultimate Fighting Championship men’s weight divisions except for welterweight, and one more will try to claim it this weekend. In 27 years of UFC history, Brazilian fans have only seen four fellow countrymen vie for the 170-pound title, and none have been successful to claim it. Jorge Patino was the first to try at UFC 18 in 1999, but he was defeated by Pat Miletich. Seven months later, Andre Pederneiras attempted to claim the welterweight throne from Miletich at UFC 21, but he too was rebuffed. A decade later, Thiago Alves pursued the crown from Georges St. Pierre, but his quest for gold was denied atop UFC 100. Finally, Demian Maia faced Tyron Woodley and lost a one-sided decision at UFC 214 in 2017. This series does…

The Best Moments. The Best Athletes. Season 2 had it all!

Season 3 of #KarateCombat // Coming this spring pic.twitter.com/9QP5FPtN6Q

— Karate Combat (@KarateCombat) February 9, 2021 Karate Combat, the full-contact karate league, is sprucing up its third season this spring with a big rematch for a title. The league sent out a press release on Thursday announcing that Josh Quayhagen (5-1 KC) will be taking on Dionicio Gustavo (5-2 KC) for the second time on the third season of Karate Combat. The organization has not announced the official start date of Season 3, but that it will come out in Spring 2021 and that it will consist of 12 episodes. Additionally, Bas Rutten will return on commentary joined by Layla Anna-Lee and play-by-play voice Josh Palmer.

Like Season 2, the events will take place in an undisclosed location, where they will be bolstered by digital scenery and landscapes transporting the fights to unusual locales. In the second…

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. After losing a fight on weigh-in day in January, Nasrat Haqparast is making a quick turnaround to compete in March. On Wednesday night, Haqparast (12-3) posted on Twitter that he had fight news, and that he would be back in the Octagon in less than a month. ESPN later clarified, according to Haqparast’s manager Ali Abdelaziz, that he would be stepping in to face Don Madge (9-3-1) at UFC Fight Night 187 on March 13. Haqparast confirmed the lightweight booking on Thursday on his Instagram.

Madge was originally slated to face Guram Kutateladze at this event, but the Georgian pulled put due to a self-reported knee injury. The South African will be competing for the first time since September 2019, when he took a unanimous verdict against Fares Ziam. A stalwart of the Extreme Fighting Championship organization in South Africa, Mad…

Bellator joins forces with @BBCSport

UK fans will be able to stream EVERY Bellator MMA event live on @BBCiPlayer in pic.twitter.com/3nntEaXPzH

— Bellator Europe (@Bellator_Europe) February 11, 2021 Fresh off its announcement with Showtime, Bellator MMA has secured its 2021 broadcasting schedule for audiences in the United Kingdom. On Thursday, the promotion announced that it has signed a deal to air its events this year on the British Broadcasting Corporation’s streaming service, BBC iPlayer. Showtime Sports is only available for U.S. audiences, so the organization needed to set its international lineup for its other fans. This deal will include the airing of every event of the year starting with Bellator 255 on April 2, and should contain both U.S.-based cards and those held internationally through its Bellator Europe wing.

This is not the first arrangement between Bellator and the BBC, as its first event aired on the BBC iPlayer was …

The California-based promotion has added a red-hot prospect to its roster – one with a familiar name.

According to a report by MMA Junkie, Khasan Magomedsharipov, younger brother of Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight contender Zabit Magomedsharipov, has signed with Bellator MMA, where he is expected to continue competing in the featherweight division. A date and a name for the Russian fighter’s debut have yet to be announced.

The 20-year-old Magomedsharipov is a perfect 5-0 since his professional debut just over two years ago, with four of those wins coming inside the distance, three by submission. In his most recent appearance at AMC Fight Nights 99 on Dec. 25, Magomedsharipov smashed Mikhail Tarkhanov at the 4:30 mark of the first stanza, pounding Tarkhanov out with a stream of unanswered punches from back mount.

Earlier this week, Bellator announced a series of events for the first half of 2021, as part of its arrangement with new broadcast part…

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On Tuesday, Bellator MMA announced its long-awaited return with a brand-new light heavyweight tournament that will likely take most of 2021. The new Grand Prix features current 205-pound titleholder Vadim Nemkov (12-2), who will be staking his belt each time he fights, as has been the custom with the promotion’s last several tournaments. He will attempt to navigate a tournament field that includes the last two Bellator light heavyweight champs in Phil Davis and Ryan Bader — who still holds the heavyweight title — as well as former Ultimate Fighting Championship 205-pound champion Lyoto Machida and two former UFC title challengers in Anthony Johnson and Yoel Romero.

Initial odds on some key upcoming Bellator MMA bouts, and the outcome of the newly announced light heavyweight Grand Prix, have been released by BetOnline. Unsurprisingly, Nemkov, who is undefeated in Bellator, riding a seven-fight winning stre…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

Cory Sandhagen is afraid his No. 1 contender spot will be usurped based on name, rather than accomplishment.

The past weekend, the “Sandman” (14-2) scored the most crucial victory of his career and secured a possible 135-pound title shot when he knocked out former lightweight champ Frankie Edgar with a flying knee in just 28 seconds. Now, it appears that he has some unsolved business with another former titleholder, two-time bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw, who has finished his two-year USADA suspension and is about to make his return. Sandhagen believes that Dillashaw, a onetime training partner, has no interest in fighting him for a spot at the top of the division.

“The guy was supposed to be back in January,” Sandhagen said this week on ESPN. “The time would’ve been perfect for us to fight, and he didn’t, so I don’t know what that’s about. I don’t think he wants the fight. I’m worried that…

“Violent Bob Ross” Will step up for a challenge on 10-day’s notice.

According to a report by MMA Fighting, Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Jai Herbert (10-2) is out of his scheduled fight against Drakkar Klose at the upcoming UFC Fight Night 185 event and Luis Pena will take on his spot in the 155-pound clash.

In his latest Octagon appearance, Klose (11-2-1) was finished for the first time in his career when Beneil Dariush delivered a knockout that put an end to their slugfest that went down at UFC 248. Prior, the 32-year old fighter went on a three-bout winning streak with victories over Lando Vannata, Bobby Green and Christos Giagos.

Pena (8-3) is eager to bounce back after gathering a victory and two defeats in his last three fights. After being edged by Matt Frevola at UFC Fight Night 161, “Violent Bob Ross” upended Steve Garcia at UFC Fight Night 169 back in February 2020. Most recently, Pena was submitted by Khama Worthy at UFC on ESPN 1…

A bantamweight clash between Pedro Munhoz and Jimmie Rivera has been removed from the UFC 258 card after someone involved in the bout tested positive for COVID-19.

MMAFighting.com was first to report the news. The promotion is reportedly targeting Feb. 27 to rebook the matchup. Munhoz vs. Rivera was scheduled to take place on the pay-per-view portion of Saturday’s card. UFC 258 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight championship matchup between Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns. According to the UFC's event page, Andre Ewell vs. Chris Gutierrez will replace Munhoz-Rivera on the pay-per-view draw.

Rivera and Munhoz initially squared off more than five years ago at UFC Fight Night 77, with Rivera claiming a split-decision triumph. That was part of a 20-bout professional winning streak for Rivera, who is just 2-3 in the Octagon since 2018. Most recently, “El Terror” snapped a two-bout skid with a three-roud verdict against Cody Stamann …

We are saddened by the passing of former Invicta athlete Sarah Patterson. Our thoughts go out to her friends and family. pic.twitter.com/Dd8BBggEtM

— Invicta FC (@InvictaFights) February 9, 2021

One-time Invicta FC competitor Sarah Patterson has died at 36 years old.

Fighter Alias, which previously sponsored Patterson, confirmed her passing in a post on Facebook. Details regarding Patterson’s cause of death are currently unknown.

“We are deeply saddened upon learning the passing yesterday of our friend and fighter, Team Fighter Alias’s Sarah Patterson. Sarah had an amazing spirit and was such a kind-hearted person,” the post read. “We were proud and honored to sponsor her at Invicta Fighting Championships 32! R.I.P. Sarah, you will be deeply missed.”

Invicta FC also released a statement of tribute to the deceased fighter.

“We are saddened by the passing of former Invicta athlete Sarah Patterson. Our thoughts go out to her frien…

The Light-Heavyweight Grand Prix kicks off April 9th! #BellatorOnShowtime is bringing you some light heavyweight action in with the #Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix. Who do you think will walk away with that $? #BellatorLHWGP pic.twitter.com/BjMxe5MmAC

— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) February 9, 2021

The lineup for the eight-man Bellator light heavyweight grand prix is now official.

The quarterfinals for the bracket will kick off at Bellator 256 on April 9 with a pair of 205-pound matchups: Ryan Bader vs. Lyoto Machida and Corey Anderson vs. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov. Meanwhile, Bellator 257 on April 16 will see reigning champion Vadim Nemkov square off against Phil Davis, while Anthony Johnson will meet Yoel Romero in the other two quarterfinal pairings.

The semifinals of the grand prix are expected to take place sometime in July, and the championship bout is currently slated for October.

Bader and Machida initially fo…

The cage is set. @BellatorMMA is now on @Showtime

#BellatorOnShowtime announcement LIVE: https://t.co/n9RpyBRNuX

Get a 30-day free trial, then just $4.99/mo for the next 6 mos. New subscribers only: https://t.co/eXPmkdCUXh pic.twitter.com/39zYDvDhqX — SHOWTIME SPORTS (@SHOsports) February 9, 2021

Bellator MMA will begin its 2021 schedule in a new broadcast home.

The California-based promotion announced Tuesday that it will air exclusively on Showtime beginning with a trio of events in April. In conjunction with that partnership, Showtime is offering a 30-day free trial followed by a monthly rate of $4.99/month for six months.

“We’ve been interested in MMA for quite a while. We have a long history in the sport going back 15 years,” Showtime president Stephen Espinoza said. “We’ve been talking to Scott [Coker] off and on since 2014 when he took over as Bellator president. When you look at the trajectory of Bellator, the time jus…

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

It appears that the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s schedule will continue to roll on in Las Vegas through March.

On Tuesday, the Nevada State Athletic Commission approved four UFC events for March 6, March 13, March 20 and March 27. Though it isn’t set it stone, that likely means that the cards will take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The March itinerary is a significant one for the Las Vegas-based promotion, with a pair of pay-per-views highlighting the month’s events. UFC 259 takes place on March 6 and is headlined by a light heavyweight title tilt between Jan Blachowicz and Israel Adesanya. The card also features a women’s featherweight champions…

Charlie Ontiveros has been suspended six months for failing a drug test in relation to his UFC Fight Night 181 loss to Kevin Holland.

The sanction was announced during Tuesday’s Nevada State Athletic Commission meeting. Ontiveros was also fined $1,800 along with $445.36 in legal fees. The welterweight tested positive for DHCMT M3 metabolites at the Oct. 31 bout. The substance is the long-term metabolite for oral Turinabol, a steroid that became prevalent approximately 50 years ago and came to the forefront in MMA when Jon Jones tested positive for trace amounts of the substance in 2018 stemming from a failed drug test one year prior.

Ontiveros must remain in a random drug-testing program and provide results less than 100 picograms in order to be reinstated by April 30. Former Dana White’s Contender Series competitor Taylor Moore was also sanctioned on Tuesday for DHCMT M3 metabolites in relation to a loss to Danny Sabatello on Nov. 10.

Ontiveros, who normally c…

A proposed light heavyweight bout between Johnny Walker and Jimmy Crute slated for UFC 260 on March 27 has been scrapped after Walker suffered a torn pectoral in training.

As a result, Anthony Smith has agreed to step in and face Crute at a UFC event on April 24. MMAFighting.com initially reported Walker’s injury, while ESPN brought word of the new 205-pound matchup. The card does not yet have an official location but could be designated UFC 261.

After a pair of lopsided defeats to Glover Teixeira and Aleksandar Rakic, Smith bounced back at UFC on ESPN 18, when he submitted Devin Clark with a triangle choke in the opening stanza of the evening’s headliner on Nov. 28. The former light heavyweight title challenger owns other notable wins against the likes of Alexander Gustafsson, Volkan Oezdemir, Mauricio Rua and Rashad Evans.

An emerging prospect at 205 pounds, Crute has been victorious in four of his first five Octagon appearances. The 24-year-old Australian ma…

With another meeting with UFC president Dana White looming, Khabib Nurmagomedov has some ideas on how he thinks the lightweight division should unfold.

“[Dustin] Poirier deserves to be champion, that’s my personal opinion,” Nurmagomedov said in an interview with Match TV (translation via RT Sport). “Look at who he’s fought. Jim Miller, Eddie Alvarez, Anthony Pettis, Max Holloway. He’s fought me, Conor. These are all top fighters, maybe fighters who will end up in the UFC Hall of Fame. I think intrigue will appear in the lightweight division as soon as they decide the title fight and eliminator.

“At the moment, it’s held up and not clear what Dana’s thinking. I think it’s going to be on fire in the lightweight division this summer. The lightweight division has always been the most competitive, the most interesting, with big stars. It will take new turns this summer. A new, younger, generation is already coming, plus there’s Chandler, Oliviera, Poirier, Gaethje, a lot …

OFFICIAL: The 2021 PFL Heavyweight & Women's Lightweight divisions are locked in and will compete at #PFL3 on Thursday, May 6th! pic.twitter.com/lZtwzf18Wg

— PFL MMA (@ProFightLeague) February 9, 2021

There will be some new faces in the Professional Fighters League heavyweight and women’s lightweight divisions this season.

The promotion announced the full rosters for both weight classes on Tuesday. Heavyweight is led by defending champion Ali Isaev, who bested Denis Goltsov — who is also returning — in the 2019 final. Notable newcomers include ex-UFC heavyweight champ Fabricio Werdum and Mohammed Usman, the brother of UFC welterweight king Kamaru Usman. Other new talents such as Justin Willis, Ante Delija, Renan Ferreira, Bruno Cappelozza and Brandon Sayles will also vie for the $1 million prize.

Meanwhile, the PFL’s most recognizable star, Kayla Harrison returns to defend her 155-pound title after defeating Larissa Pacheco in the 201…

Alistair Overeem could be sidelined until summer following his second-round technical knockout loss to Alexander Volkov in the UFC Fight Night 184 main event on Saturday.

The Dutch heavyweight must have a nasal bone fracture cleared by an ear, nose and throat doctor or he will be sidelined until Aug. 6. At a minimum, Overeem is suspended until April 8 with no contact until March 24. Volkov, meanwhile, emerged with a clean bill of health after the event.

Mixedmartialarts.com obtained a full list of medical suspensions from the event, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Frankie Edgar, who suffered a 28-second KO loss to Cory Sandhagen in the co-headliner, is suspended until April 8 with no contact until March 24.

Three other athletes from UFC Fight Night 184 are facing potential six-month suspensions pending doctor clearance: Alexandre Pantoja (hands), Mike Rodriguez (left shoulder) and Devonte Smith (right hand and wrist).

UFC Fight Night 184 M…

Alistair Overeem could be sidelined until summer following his second-round technical knockout loss to Alexander Volkov in the UFC Fight Night 184 main event on Saturday.

The Dutch heavyweight must have a nasal bone fracture cleared by an ear, nose and throat doctor or he will be sidelined until Aug. 6. At a minimum, Overeem is suspended until April 8 with no contact until March 24. Volkov, meanwhile, emerged with a clean bill of health after the event.

Mixedmartialarts.com obtained a full list of medical suspensions from the event, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Frankie Edgar, who suffered a 28-second KO loss to Cory Sandhagen in the co-headliner, is suspended until April 8 with no contact until March 24.

Five other athletes from UFC Fight Night 184 are facing potential six-month suspensions pending doctor clearance: Alexandre Pantoja (hands), Mike Rodriguez (left shoulder), Manel Kape (thumb), Karol Rosa (left hand), Joselyne Edwards (left sh…

Two-time former Bellator MMA featherweight champion Daniel Straus was arrested on Friday and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, according to a report from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Straus’ bond is set at $100,000, and he remained in jail as of Monday afternoon. During a Saturday hearing, Judge Terri-Ann Miller kept Straus’ bond at $100,000 while mandating that he not have contact with the alleged victim. Straus is also not allowed to possess weapons or ammunition.

During the hearing, Straus’ attorney, David Kubiliun, revealed that the allegation might be from “someone he was in a past relationship with.”

According to an arrest affadavit from the Hollywood (Fla.) Police Department initially obtained by MMAFighting, the alleged incident took place on Jan. 21 when Strauss and the alleged victim got into an argument over “infidelity issues in their relationship.” The confrontation turned physical when Strauss showed up to the victim’s plac…

Andre Ewell will square off against Chris Gutierrez in a last-minute addition to the UFC 258 lineup.

Multiple outlets confirmed the pairing after Gutierrez’s gym, Factory X, announced it via Instagram on Monday. Ewell vs. Gutierrez will be contested at a 140-pound catchweight. UFC 258 takes place on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight championship tilt between Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns.

Ewell was supposed to compete at this past weekend’s UFC Fight Night 184 event but was pulled from the card after testing positive for COVID-19. The 33-year-old Apex MMA member is coming off back-to-back split-decision triumphs against Jonathan Martinez and Irwin Rivera in 2020.

Gutierrez, meanwhile, saw a three-bout winning streak come to an end when he battled Cody Durden to a unanimous draw at UFC Fight Night 173. Prior to that, “El Guapo” had scored successive triumphs over Ryan MacDonald, Geraldo de Freitas Jr. and Vince Morales.

Frankie Edgar’s rise to contention in the UFC’s bantamweight division hit a major speedbump on Saturday night.

The former lightweight champion and featherweight title challenger was removed from consciousness 28 seconds into the UFC Fight Night 184 co-headliner when Cory Sandhagen connected with a perfectly placed flying knee. The knockout will likely top many year-end lists, and it halted the momentum Edgar built last summer with a decision win over Pedro Munhoz in his 135-pound debut.

As usual, Edgar is taking the defeat in stride. “The Answer” released a statement regarding the bout Monday on his social media accounts.

“I’ve licked my wounds long enough. I’m home with family, life is good,” Edgar wrote. On Saturday I was as prepared for a fight as I could have been. Props to Cory Sandhagen: he landed a perfectly timed and executed bomb on me. Luckily, I don’t remember it much.

This game can be a cruel bitch and Saturday night was just that, but I ain’t …

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Once upon a time, Donald Cerrone and Diego Sanchez were stablemates at Jackson-Wink MMA.

Now that both men have left the Albuquerque, N.M.-based gym, they will square off in a welterweight bout at a UFC event on May 8. The fight is expected to be Sanchez’s farewell to the Las Vegas-based promotion.

It’s something of a curious booking for Cerrone, who previously expressed a desire to compete more consistently at 155 pounds at this point in his career. “Cowboy” explained the decision to accept a welterweight matchup with Sanchez on his YouTube channel.

“Everyone was booked up,” Cerrone said. “All the fights were booked. Yeah, [155] is what I wanted to do. Then Diego Sanchez I guess, went and showed up to the UFC and begged and pleaded with them to make me his retirement fight. So they called me and they asked me. I said, ‘Sure.’

“With this fight, yeah, it is at [170] but that doesn’t mean I’m…

Alistair Overeem’s face was a bloody mess at the conclusion of his second-round technical knockout loss to Alexander Volkov in the UFC Fight Night 184 headliner.

According to the Dutch veteran, one of Volkov’s powerful punches broke his nose in the opening stanza of the heavyweight bout. All told, Volkov outlanded Overeem by a 54-to-10 count in significant strikes – including 47-to-3 in head strikes.

“You’re a true warrior, [Alexander Volkov]. Congrats on the win!” Overeem wrote on Instagram. “Yesterday wasn’t my night. I could not recover from that punch in the first round after I broke my nose.”

The 40-year-old former Strikeforce and K-1 champion entered the matchup with Volkov having won four of his previous five Octagon appearances. Another win could have once again propelled “The Demolition Man” into the championship discussion at heavyweight. Instead, it appears that Overeem’s UFC title dreams may have been extinguished for good.

Still, Overeem soun…