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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…

[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…

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

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…