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It was supposed to be Cody Garbrandt standing across the Octagon from Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 255.

However, a bicep injury forced the former bantamweight champion to withdraw from the bout, and Alex Perez took “No Love’s” spot against the reigning champion. Figueiredo made short work of Perez on Saturday night, winning via guillotine choke 1:57 into Round 1 of the UFC 255 main event in Las Vegas. Garbrandt wasn’t particuarly impressed by the Brazilian’s quick victory.

“Alex Perez was just someone they gave Deiveson Figueiredo to build up our fight more,” Garbrandt recenty told ESPN. “I knock [Figueiredo] out in the first or second round. I’ll be ready by March.”

Garbrandt’s timeline could potentially work well for both Figueiredo and the promotion: The flyweight champion has already been booked for a quick turnaround against Brandon Moreno at UFC 256 on Dec. 12.

In a separate post on social media, Garbrandt revealed that he was affected by COVID-19 and…

Alex Perez didn’t get much of a chance to showcase his skills in the UFC 255 headliner.

The 28-year-old Team Oyama product succumbed to a Deiveson Figueiredo guillotine choke at the 1:57 mark of the opening stanza at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night, snapping a three-bout winning streak. Perez initiated a takedown early in the fight before Figueiredo transitioned from a leg lock to the fight-ending maneuver. Perez struggled valiantly to free himself from the predicament, but it was to no avail because the champion’s squeeze was too tight.

Perez released a statement regarding the defeat on his Instagram account.

“Well, it is what it is. It’s part of the business,” Perez wrote. “Stuff happens. I’ll be back. 2020 has been a crazy year for me. [Three] fights and finding out I’ll be a dad. I’m beyond blessed. Thank you for all the support. I’ll be back!

“Thank you to all my teammates, coach, family, friends and sponsors for all the support. Without …

Not only did Mauricio Rua fall to Paul Craig in their rematch at UFC 255, but the Brazilian legend apparently suffered a nasty elbow injury in the first round of that defeat.

“Shogun,” who tapped to strikes 3:36 into Round 2 of the featured light heavyweight bout, shared a photo of a severely swollen photo on his Instagram account.

“Unfortunately things didn’t go out the way I would have liked last night, and this is a part of our sport. I suffered an injury to my elbow on the first time I was taken down, but this serves as no excuse, as it is part of fighting and it doesn’t take way any merits from my opponent,” Rua wrote. “An athlete’s career is not only made of glory and thank God I was already blessed many times with the reward of victory, due to a lot of sacrifices and effort, that only those who live our everyday routine really know what we go through.”

Although Rua entered the rematch unbeaten in his last three Octagon appearances – including a split dr…

One title defense into his championship reign, Deiveson Figueiredo is already emerging as an extremely confident flyweight king.

After claiming the vacant 125-pound belt by choking Joseph Benavidez unconscious inside of a round at UFC Fight Night 172 this past July, Figueiredo tapped out Alex Perez with a guillotine choke 1:57 into Round 1 of the UFC 255 main event on Saturday night in Las Vegas.

According to Figueiredo, it was all part of the plan.

“I know this is my belt. I know I am going to be the champion for a long time,” Figueiredo said through a translator at Saturday’s UFC 255 post-fight press conference. “I have no pressure at all. I come here to do what I told everyone I am going to do: [I’m] going to submit [Moreno] in the first round. I said to everybody, I’m going to finish the fight in the first round. And I finished the fight in the first round.”

Though Figueiredo has a long way to go to match the excellence of former champ Demetrious Johns…

Valentina Shevchenko was as dominant as ever at UFC 255.

Though the reigning flyweight queen dropped the second round to Jennifer Maia in Saturday’s co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, she was otherwise unthreatened in cruising to a unanimous decision triumph. That makes four successful title defenses for “Bullet,” who insists that boredom won’t become an issue as her reign extends.

The 32-year-old Kyrgyzstan native says most people don’t realize how long it actually took her to get to this point. And after a stint at bantamweight where Shevchenko provided Amanda Nunes with one of her most difficult tests, the Tiger Muay Thai representative believes she is at a weight class best suited to showcase her talents.

“This is what I’m doing. It’s what I want because finally I’m in flyweight, my natural weight class, where I feel the most power, the technique, the speed, everything. Definitely I want to compete here for a long time to defend my belt against anyo…

Getty/UFC

UFC 256 is down to one title fight once again.

Shortly after Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno agreed to square off for flyweight gold at the Dec. 12 event, multiple outlets confirmed that the scheduled 135-pound championship clash between reigning champ Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling will no longer take place on the card. MMA Island was first to report the news.

Yan reportedly withdrew from the event for personal reasons that are not injury related. The Las Vegas-based promotion is hoping to rebook Yan vs. Sterling for an event in February.

“Everything happens for a reason,” Sterling wrote on Twitter. “I hope everything is good with you and your family. [Petr Yan], we will settle our business when you can be 100 [percent] focused and ready to give the fans the best show we can. See you soon.”

Everything happens for a reason. I hope everything is good with you and your family .@PetrYanUFC We will settle our busi…

Dana White isn’t shy about vocalizing when he thinks athletes on the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster should call it a career.

Following a non-competitive effort in a second-round technical knockout loss in a rematch with Paul Craig at UFC 255, Mauricio Rua is the UFC president’s latest target. Craig dominated the light heavyweight bout with grappling and takedowns before finishing off “Shogun” with punches from back mount — the Brazilian veteran tapped to the onslaught — at the 3:36 mark of Round 2.

“[Paul Craig] looked good and not to take anything away from him at all, he came and did what he had to do tonight but just being honest, Shogun didn’t look like Shogun to me tonight,” White said at the UFC 255 post-fight press conference.

“Shogun looked old and looked like a shell of his former self tonight. Yeah, I’d like to see him hang it up hopefully.”

Heading into Saturday night, the 38-year-old Rua had defied the odds to win five of his previous se…

Welcome to the UFC Hall of Fame, Mr. Marc Ratner!! #UFC255 pic.twitter.com/uyu5Nky3g3

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) November 22, 2020

Marc Ratner is the latest member of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s 2020 Hall of Fame class.

The UFC’s senior vice president of government and regulatory affairs will be inducted into the “Contributors” wing, the promotion announced during the UFC 255 broadcast on Saturday night. The 2020 Hall of Fame class will be honored at a ceremony next year along with the 2021 inductees.

“Marc Ratner is the most influential and respected regulator in combat sports history,” UFC President Dana White said in a release. “Marc was instrumental in getting the sport of mixed martial arts sanctioned and regulated globally and the tireless work he did educating athletic commissions about MMA paved the way for us to host events around the world. It will be an honor for me to induct him into the UFC Hall of Fame Class of 2020.” Read more about Marc Ratner to Be Inducted in UFC Hall of Fame ‘Contributors’ Wing

Marcin Tybura will look to score his fourth consecutive triumph when he faces Greg Hardy at UFC Fight Night 183.

The promotion announced the heavyweight pairing during the UFC 255 broadcast on Saturday night. UFC Fight Night 183 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Dec. 19 and is headlined by a welterweight duel pitting Leon Edwards against Khamzat Chimaev. The card will stream in its entirety on ESPN+.

Tybura has enjoyed a successful 2020 thus far, earning unanimous decision triumphs over Sergey Spivak, Maxim Grishin and Ben Rothwell. The 35-year-old Pole is 7-5 during his promotional tenure with other notable wins against the likes of Stefan Struve and Andrei Arlovski. The M-1 Global veteran is 20-6 over the course of a pro career that began in 2011.

Hardy, meanwhile, will attempt to go 3-0 in 2020 after posting wins over Yorgan De Castro in May and Maurice Greene in October. The former NFL Pro Bowler is 4-2 with one no contest during his UFC tenure an…

It looks like it could be a quick turnaround reigning UFC flyweight champion and the division’s top contender.

At Saturday’s UFC 255 post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White revealed that the promotion was working on booking Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno for a December event.

“We’re going to keep [Figueiredo] here,” White said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “He’s not going back to Brazil. We’re going to turn him right around [in] December. That’s what we’re working on.”

Shortly thereafter, ESPN reported that both Figueiredo and Moreno verbally agreed to square off at UFC 256, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Dec. 12. UFC 256 which recently lost a women’s featherweight championship bout between Amanda Nunes and Megan Anderson after Nunes exited the card.

Figueiredo made his first title defense at UFC 255, where he submitted Alex Perez with a guillotine choke 1:57 into Round 1. The Brazilian was initially su…

Lo noquea! @NewMansa94 con otro tremendo KO!!! #UFC255 pic.twitter.com/dZXpe4VmYu

— ufcespanol (@UFCEspanol) November 22, 2020

It probably won’t be a viral highlight, but Joaquin Buckley’s latest knockout at UFC 255 nonetheless made him $50,000 richer.

One fight removed from his “Knockout of the Year” candidate against Impa Kasanganay, Buckley received a “Performance of the Night” bonus for his second-round finish of Jordan Wright in a preliminary middleweight matchup on Saturday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Buckley rocked Wright toward the end of the first frame and his opponent was clearly still dazed at the outset of Round 2. The St. Louis native then dropped Wright with a left hook to end the bout 18 seconds into the period.

Elsewhere, Antonina Shevchenko garnered the card’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award on the strength of a dominant victory against former KSW champion Ariane Lipski at flyweight. Shevchenko im…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 255 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Deiveson Figueiredo’s otherworldly squeeze was a mountain too high for Alex Perez. Figueiredo retained the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight title, as he submitted Alex Perez with a guillotine choke in the first round of the UFC 255 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Perez (24-6, 6-2 UFC) conceded defeat 1:57 into Round 1, his bid to claim the 125-pound throne denied with resounding authority.

After eating a pair of powerful body kicks from the champion, Perez swooped in for a potential takedown. Figueiredo (20-1, 9-1 UFC) initiated a scramble with an attempted leg lock, then caught the guillotine when the Team Oyama rep made his move toward top position. A replacement for the injured Cody Garbrandt, Perez struggled vigorously to free himself but could not break out of the Brazilian’s clutches.<…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 255 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Sherdog's live UFC 255 “Figueiredo vs. Perez” coverage begins 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:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian K…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 255 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

Brandon Moreno removed the last remaining obstacle standing between him and a shot at the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight crown.

Moreno was awarded a technical knockout over Brandon Royval in the first round of their featured UFC 255 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Royval (12-5, 2-1 UFC) appeared to suffer a dislocated shoulder during an intense ground exchange and could not physically defend himself, resulting in the stoppage 4:59 into Round 1.

Both men had their moments in a brief but frenetic confrontation. Royval connected with a few standing knee strikes and a spinning back elbow but conceded a takedown that seemed to alter the direction of the fight. Moreno (18-5-1, 6-2-1 UFC) eventually jumped to his back and threatened with a rear-naked choke, his efforts giving way to the…

Jimmie Rivera and Pedro Munhoz will lock horns for a second time at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Jan. 30.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the pairing. A location for the card has not been announced. The UFC Fight Night event will also include a middleweight matchup pitting Kelvin Gastelum against Ian Heinisch.

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 at UFC on ESPN 13 on July 15.

Munhoz, meanwhile, is coming off a narrow split-decision defeat to Frankie Edgar at UFC on ESPN 15. Prior to that, “The Young Punisher” had a three-bout winning streak snapped in a decision loss to current No. 1 contender Aljamain Sterling at UFC 238.

A lightweight bout between Renato Carneiro and Rafael Fiziev that was originally scheduled for UFC on ESPN 18 on Nov. 28 has been moved to UFC 256.

The change cames as a result of “Moicano” testing positive for COVID-19. The news was first reported by Punchline MMA in an interview with Carneiro. UFC 256 takes place on Dec. 12 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and features a bantamweight championship tilt between Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling.

After a successful stint at featherweight, “Moicano” made his 155-pound debut at UFC Fight Night 170, where he submitted Damir Hadzovic in just 44 seconds on March 14. He was scheduled to face Magomed Mustafaev on Oct. 17 but withdrew from that contest.

After dropping his Octagon debut, Fiziev has scored back-to-back decision triumphs against Alex White at UFC Fight Night 162 and against Marc Diakiese at UFC Fight Night 172. The 27-year-old Kyrgyzstan native is 8-1 as a professional, with six triumphs coming inside the distance.

KHAOS WILLIAMS ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?? @KhaosOXWilliams in 30 SECONDS!! #UFCVegas14 pic.twitter.com/YmWLw7P2VU

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) November 15, 2020

Michel Pereira and Kalinn Williams will square off in a potentially entertaining welterweight clash at UFC Fight Night 184 on Dec. 19.

ESPN was first to report the matchup. UFC Fight Night takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight scrap between Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev.

Pereira halted a two-bout skid at UFC Fight Night 176, when he submitted Zelim Imadaev in the third round of their Sept. 5 encounter. Known as on of the promotion’s flashiest performers, “Demolidor” is 2-2 in UFC competition, with his other triumph coming via first-round KO against Danny Roberts.

The 26-year-old Williams has made a splash in the beginning of his promotional tenure. After knocking out Alex Morono in 27 seconds in his Octagon debut at UFC 247, “Khaos the Oxfighte…

A pivotal lightweight clash is in the works for UFC 256, as Tony Ferguson and Charles Oliveira are expected to square off on Dec. 12.

UFC president Dana White informed ESPN that the bout is nearly finalized. UFC 256 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a bantamweight championship tilt pitting Petr Yan against Aljamain Sterling.

Prior to the announcement of this bout, Ferguson campaigned for a showdown with Michael Chandler at UFC 256 before the ex-Bellator champ revealed that he was not available for the fight. “El Cucuy” is coming off a fifth-round technical knockout loss to Justin Gaethje in an interim 155-pound title tilt at UFC 249. Prior to that, Ferguson had won 12 consecutive Octagon appearances, besting the likes of Edson Barboza, Rafael dos Anjos, Kevin Lee, Anthony Pettis and Donald Cerrone in the process.

The UFC’s all-time submission leader, Oliveira enters the matchup with Ferguson on a seven-fight winning streak in which he…

Kayla Harrison just beat Courtney King into a bloody mess. Opened up a nasty cut on the bridge of her nose midway through the first and the mauling just continued. pic.twitter.com/3J7Cmhui7o

— Will (@ChillemDafoe) November 21, 2020

It was a mismatch on paper, and it was a mismatch in practice.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison put forth a near-flawless performance in her Invicta Fighting Championships debut, as she dismissed Courtney King with punches in the second round of their gory Invicta 43 headliner on Friday in Kansas City, Kansas. King (4-2, 1-2 Invicta) packed her bags 4:48 into Round 2, closing the book on her three-fight winning streak.

Harrison (8-0, 1-0 Invicta) brutalized the Fury Fighting Championship titleholder throughout the first round, turning their showcase into a bloodbath. The American Top Team export executed a takedown, settled in full guard and slashed open long vertical gash between King’s eyes w…

HOLY _____! Pereira's power is unreal!!! #LFA95 pic.twitter.com/0EAoY6z4fA

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) November 21, 2020 Two-division Glory kickboxing world champion Alexsandro Pereira made a successful Legacy Fighting Alliance debut in the main event of LFA 95.

Pereira (3-1) immediately hurt opponent Thomas Powell with a leg kick and started landing huge knees early in Round 1. Powell (4-5) unsuccessfully tried to grapple with the kickboxing great but got demolished with a huge left hook at 4:04 of Round 1.

The co-main event saw Myron Dennis face Dylan Potter, who missed the light heavyweight limit by over six pounds. Dennis (18-7) was able to outwork Potter (8-5) in a tight contest that went the full 15 minutes. While one judge saw the fight 29-28 in Potter's favor, "The Future" took the other two 29-28 scorecards to win a split decision. After the victory, Dennis said he's still improving at 31-years-old and wants a title shot nex…

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. Nova Uniao head coach Andre Pederneiras believes Brazilian greats Rafael dos Anjos, Jose Aldo and Patricio Freire will cement their statuses as all-time greats soon. Right after return from Las Vegas with dos Anjos, “Dede” Pederneiras spoke with Sherdog about his first experience in the corner of the former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion. Aware that dos Anjos was now the #6 ranked lightweight according to the UFC rankings, Pederneiras did not like the idea of dos Anjos as an alternate for the recently formalized Conor McGregor-Dustin Poirier rematch.

“If UFC offers that, [dos Anjos] is the one who should choose, but I don’t think that would be a nice idea. I have no doubt that Rafael is coming to fight for the belt, so he doesn't need to hurry for that”, said Pederneiras, before recalling everything the athl…

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. Nova Uniao head coach Andre Pederneiras believes Brazilian greats Rafael dos Anjos, Jose Aldo and Patricio Freire will cement their statuses as all-time greats soon. Right after return from Las Vegas with dos Anjos, “Dede” Pederneiras spoke with Sherdog about his first experience in the corner of the former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion. Aware that dos Anjos was now the #6 ranked lightweight according to the UFC rankings, Pederneiras did not like the idea of dos Anjos as an alternate for the recently formalized Conor McGregor-Dustin Poirier rematch.

“If UFC offers that, [dos Anjos] is the one who should choose, but I don’t think that would be a nice idea. I have no doubt that Rafael is coming to fight for the belt, so he doesn't need to hurry for that”, said Pederneiras, before recalling everything the athl…

Now that the #LFA95 weigh-in is in the books, which fight are you looking forward to the most tonight?

: https://t.co/eJrC4qcSiH

: https://t.co/aiIgZVyko3@ShellsDotCom@FredLoyaIns@USENDmoney@Krushmatized@PsoRite@GLCDirect2000@AthleticCBD@IncaKolaUSA@UFCFightPass pic.twitter.com/d5omcI0Fcd — LFA (@LFAfighting) November 20, 2020 The Legacy Fighting Alliance will still make it to fight day after multiple fights fell off the card.

LFA 95 is now going to be headlined by Alexsandro Pereira (185.8) vs. Thomas Powell (182) at middleweight after several major shakeups to the event. The original marquee matchup featured a title fight between Nick Browne and Arthur Estrazulas, but it and two other bouts have been scuttled from the event lineup due to COVID-19 protocols.

Glory kickboxing middleweight and interim light heavyweight champ Pereira may be a relative MMA neophyte, but he sports an impressive kickboxing resume that has seem him scor…

#InvictaFC43: King vs. Harrison Official Weigh-in Results https://t.co/nyxH3JlsCh

— Invicta FC (@InvictaFights) November 20, 2020 Invicta Fighting Championships lost its title fight shortly after weigh-ins, and it will carry on with five fights.

Invicta FC 43 will now be capped off by the promotional debut of unbeaten Professional Fighters League lightweight champion Kayla Harrison, who made featherweight for the first time at 145.9 pounds. Harrison will face former Legacy Fighting Alliance and Fury Fighting Championship competitor Courtney King, who sports a 75 percent career finish rate. King hit the scales at 145.2 pounds to make their upgraded match official.

Originally the top billing, Emily Ducote (114.5) and Montserrat Ruiz (113.3) were set to square off for the vacant strawweight title. The promotion announced shortly after the weigh-ins that the match has been scratched due to “enhanced COVID-19 safety protocols.”

One fighter…