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Leonardo Damiani (10-2-1) with the RNC to win it. Really good fight for the main event of their first Fight Pass show. Both guys showed up and fought an entertaining competitive battle.#TGC3 pic.twitter.com/Etjzn34qLF

— Dusty Andrews (@Fight_Expert) February 6, 2021

After nearly a year of inactivity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Italian MMA returned with the action-packed third event of The Golden Cage series on Saturday.

In The Golden Cage 3 main event, Leonardo Damiani (10-2-1) took on Marco Saccaro (6-3) in a rematch of an October 2018 bout won by Damiani. The promoter never communicated the weigh-in results, but the 180-pound catchweight bout was nonetheless valid for the welterweight belt. Both fighters lived up to their reputations as heavy strikers and exchanged some hards shots early in the opening stanza as Damiani scored with his kicks and Saccaro connected with his punches. After a quick scramble phase against the fence, Damiani …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDkZB2lUmBU&w=560&h=315]

UFC Fight Night 184 is down to 12 bouts after a preliminary clash pitting Askar Askar against Cody Stamann was canceled.

The promotion announced Saturday that Askar was not medically cleared to compete in the featherweight contest. Askar, who made weight on Friday at 145 pounds, was a short notice replacement for Andre Ewell, who was removed from the event due to COVID-19 protocols.

UFC Fight Night 184 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a heavyweight showdown between Alistair Overeem and Alexander Volkov. The card streams in its entirety on ESPN+.

Anchored at Midwest Training Center, the 26-year-old Askar was entering his Octagon debut on the strength of a three-round verdict over Kevin Wirth at LFA 92 this past October. Askar has won 11 of his 12 professional fights overall.

Stamann, meanwhile, last appeared at UFC on ESPN 13, where he dropped a unanimous decision …

for Drago!

@AlexDragoVolkov is official for #UFCVegas18. pic.twitter.com/rSn3axY1s9

— UFC (@ufc) February 5, 2021 After opening 2021 with a series of “Fight Island” cards, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to its home base in Las Vegas with an event that saw every fighter make weight. Headlining UFC Fight Night 184 is a heavyweight bout between decorated veterans Alistair Overeem and Alexander Volkov. While Overeem (47-18, 1 NC) has never tasted gold inside the Octagon, the 40-year-old is a former Strikeforce and Dream heavyweight champion. 4-1 in his last five, Overeem has only faltered in a shocking late fifth-round stoppage to the hard-hitting Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Most recently, “The Demolition Man” has picked up TKO wins over Walt Harris and Augusto Sakai. The Dutch fighter weighed in at 255.5 pounds.

Similar to his opponent, Volkov (32-8) has found sizable success outside of the UFC with Bellator MMA and M-1 Global heav…

Alyona Rassohyna shocks the world by submitting Stamp Fairtex in Round 3! #ONEUnbreakable3 #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/URBYVDEEdI

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) February 5, 2021 All but one battle ended inside the distance of the pre-recorded final part of One Championship's "Unbreakable" series..

The main event of One: Unbreakable 3 saw Alyona Rassohyna (13-4) inflicting the first MMA defeat to Nong Stamp (5-1) in an incredible turn of events. The Ukrainian fighter attempted to immediately impose her wrestling style over Stamp by taking her down. However, “Stamp Fairtex” scrambled her way on top and punished Rassohyna with a couple of knees to the head on the canvas. After a wild scramble that saw both contenders alternate in dominating positions, Stamp bounced back on the feet and ended the first stanza with an emphatic elbow on Rassohyna.

In the second round, Stamp warned the Ukrainian fighter of insisting to ta…

@TheNotoriousMMA I know your last fight was not your best showing, stand tall you are a legend & will continue to have more legendary success! It looks to be cowboy for my UFC finale. Sanchez versus McGregor will always be in the ether! HMU in the dm I might Have a bone for you.

— Diego Sanchez UFC (@DiegoSanchezUFC) February 4, 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. Two grizzled veterans and former training partners are going to dance in May. Diego Sanchez (30-13) first posted the news of his upcoming match when calling out Conor McGregor on Twitter on Thursday, stating that his final MMA bout would likely come against Donald Cerrone (36-15-1, 2 NC). While Sanchez regretted that he would not face the Irishman, his claim was substantiated by an MMA Fighting report and confirmed by ESPN shortly thereafter. The two, who trained toge…

bunch of new names removed from eligibility on the UFC fan rankings:

Peter BarrettAntonio Carlos JuniorSpike CarlyleAnthony IvyJacob KilburnVanessa MeloSarah MorasVinicius MoreiraMarkus PerezCole Williams

— Tom Feely (@omgitsfeely) February 4, 2021 The Ultimate Fighting Championship just made a wave of cuts from fighters largely on losing streaks. MMA Junkie made the first report that the promotion let several fighters go, including Antonio Carlos Jr., Carlton Minus and Rhys McKee. MMA Fighting subsequently released a list of other names to bring the tally to an even dozen. In addition to the aforementioned three, Vanessa Melo is not part of the roster but is looking to sign a new deal. Broadcast partner ESPN confirmed all of the cuts shortly after their initial announcements.

The list of fighters reads as follows: Peter Barrett (11-5), Carlos Jr. (10-5, 1 NC), Spike Carlyle (9-3), Anthony Ivy (8-4), Jacob Kilburn (8-4), McKee (10-4-1),…

***BREAKING NEWS***

Cub Swanson returns on May 1st. "Killercub" takes on the Canadian Gavin Tucker in a Featherweight bout. pic.twitter.com/yCcIf6zEl5

— MMA DNA (@MMADNANL) February 4, 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. Cub Swanson is looking to push his win streak to three against a tough Canadian adversary in May.

On Thursday, MMA DNA first reported that Swanson (27-11) would be returning to the cage to face Gavin Tucker (13-1) at featherweight. The two are reportedly set to square off at the recently announced UFC Fight Night card on May 1, which should take place either in the UFC Apex in Las Vegas or in Abu Dhabi, Untied Arab Emirates. The 145-pounders should join another featherweight matchup recently discussed for this event, between T.J. Laramie and Damon Jackson, per MMA Lock of the Night on Twitter.

Swanson…

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Conor McGregor seems to believe he’s in a good place even after his second-round knockout loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 257.

The former UFC two-division champion authored a lengthy post on Instagram Wednesday, where he examined his defeat and the mistakes he made against Poirier in-depth. He also claimed that using Poirier as a “precursor” to a potential boxing match against Manny Pacquiao might have been a mistake. Overall, though, he claims that he is on "the correct path for evolution."

“Thoughts on the bout: I enjoyed racking up some more time inside the famed UFC Octagon. 40 seconds in 3 years is all I’d had up to this bout,” McGregor wrote. “I was savoring very second and enjoying my work. A little single disciplined in my approach and stance with mostly boxing. It’s what I get for picking this bout and opponent as a precursor to a boxing match against ‘Pacman.’ I deserved to get the legs kicked off me going in with this thinking. This is not the game to play a…

Sodiq Yusuff will lock horns with Arnold Allen in a featherweight affair at UFC Fight Night on April 10.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the booking. UFC Fight Night is headlined by a middleweight showdown between Darren Till and Marvin Vettori. A location for the event has not been formally announced.

An alum of Dana White’s Contender Series, the 27-year-old Yusuff has emerged as a top prospect at 145 pounds with victories in his first four Octagon appearances. Yusuff hasn’t competed since January 2020, when he outpointed Andre Fili at UFC 246. He was forced to withdraw from a scheduled October bout vs. Edson Barboza for undisclosed reasons.

Arnold, meanwhile, is on a nine-bout professional winning streak that includes seven triumphs in the UFC. The 27-year-old Tristar Gym representative has socred notable wins over Gilbert Melendez and Nik Lentz during that span and is 16-1 over the course of his career.

A women’s banamweight clash between Marion Reneau and Macy Chiasson has been postponed for three weeks due to Reneau testing positive for COVID-19.

Reneau announced the news on her Instagram account Wednesday. As a result, the fight has been moved from UFC Fight Night 184 on Saturday to UFC Fight Night 186 on Feb. 27.

“The fight between Macy Chiasson and I has been canceled for this weekend,” she wrote. “Unfortunately, I tested positive for COVID. I am feeling 100 percent fine with no symptoms.

“Macy and I have agreed to run it back on February 27! I appreciate Macy and her camp for being professional and willing to make this fight happen.”

Reneau is currently mired in a three-bout skid, including a decision loss to Raquel Pennington in her most recent outing at UFC on ESPN 11. Chiasson, meanwhile, bounced back from her first career defeat with a unanimous decision victory against Shanna Young at UFC Fight Night 167 in February 2020.

UFC Fight Ni…

Although his Professional Fighters League debut is expected for April 23, former UFC champion Fabricio Werdum still doesn’t know who he will face.

  “While they don’t give my opponent’s name, I heard it would be a Brazilian,” Werdum said. “I´m keeping myself in shape doing some cardio here in Brazil, but on Feb. 20 I'm going to Los Angeles, where I'll start my camp with master Rafael Cordeiro at Kings MMA.”

In the meantime, Werdum will keep on eye on this Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 184 headliner between Alistair Overeem and Alexander Volkov. Werdum, who has losses to both Volkov and Overeem (twice) on his resume, gives the Dutch veteran the edge in this instance.

“Overeem has both knockout power and experience to control the distance,” Werdum said. “I believe he is a bad matchup for Volkov.”

As for the following week, Werdum likes Gilbert Burns to pull the upset against Kamaru Usman to claim welterweight gold in the UFC 258 headliner. “Vai Cavalo” bel…

A women’s flyweight clash pitting Tracy Cortez against Justine Kish is expected for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s April 17 event.

Cortez confirmed the booking folllowing an initial report from MMAjunkie.com. The UFC Fight Night card will be headlined by a middleweight scrap between Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa.

Cortez has won eight consecutive contests since losing her pro debut to Cheri Muraski at Invicta FC 25 in August 2017. The 27-year-old Fight Ready representative earned a UFC deal with a decision win over Mariya Agapova on Season 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series and has gone on to post decision triumphs against Vanessa Melo and Stephanie Egger in her first two Octagon appearances.

Kish has lost three of her last four in UFC competition. Most recently, the 32-year-old Black House product was submitted by Sabina Mazo in the third round of their UFC Fight Night 177 encounter this past September.

#KSW58 pic.twitter.com/kLZXh4QaMH

— El amigo de lo ajeno (@AjenoAmigo) January 30, 2021

Shamil Musaev and Uros Jurisic have each been fined following their post-fight brawl at KSW 58 this past Saturday.

Shortly after Musaev earned a unanimous verdict over Jurisic in a featured welterweight bout in Lodz, Poland, the two men reconvened in the cage. What momentarily looked like it would be a sportsmanlike embrace instead resulted in Musaev slamming his opponent on the canvas. What followed from there was an all-out melee, with both corners diving on the pile while officials attempted to separate the combatants.

The final takedown. Both fighters sliding away from the pack to meet in the free area.#KSW58 pic.twitter.com/8MDxxQmaNl

— Dusty Andrews (@Fight_Expert) January 30, 2021

KSW officials have reviewed all available video, and as a result of the incident, Musaev has been fined 50 percent of his purse, and Juri…

The exhibition boxing match between retired world champion Floyd Mayweather and YouTube star Logan Paul that was originally scheduled for Feb. 20 has been postponed.

Fanmio founder and CEO Solomon Engel confirmed the news to ESPN on Monday. Fanmio, an online platform that connects fans and celebrities through fan experiences, was supposed to host the event.

"After an absolutely tremendous response to the fight announcement, we're hoping to announce a new date very soon along with some new exciting details,” Engel said.

Initial details regarding the rules of the bout were scarce. The pay-per-view would supposedly increase in price as it got closer to the event. The first million sold would be $24.99 before going up to $39.99. Increases to $59.99 on Dec. 29 and to $69.99 on Feb. 11 were to follow.

Mayweather hasn’t competed in an official bout since he dispatched Conor McGregor via technical knockout in the 10th round of their clash in August 2017. That vi…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYuHQ1dh5V8&w=560&h=315]

A bantamweight matchup pitting Sean O'Malley against Thomas Almeida is expected for UFC 260.

O’Malley initially announced the bout on his YouTube channel, and multiple outlets subsequently reported that verbal agreements are in place. UFC 260 takes place on March 27 and is headlined by a heavyweight championship rematch between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou.

The 26-year-old O’Malley suffered his first loss in 13 professional outings at UFC 252, when he injured his ankle and then was stopped with elbows and punches by Marlon Vera 4:40 into the opening round of their Aug. 15 encounter. Prior to that, the Dana White’s Contender Series standout had established himself as a prospect to watch with UFC triumphs over Terrion Ware, Andre Soukhamthath, Jose Alberto Quinonez and Eddie Wineland.

Before O’Malley, Almeida was a red-hot bantamweight talent, with victories in his first 21 professional appearanc…

Raphael Assuncao will not square off against Raoni Barcelos at UFC Fight Night 186 as originally planned.

The Brazilian veteran revealed via Twitter that a positive COVID-19 test has forced him to withdraw from the bantamweight bout. UFC Fight Night 186 takes place on Feb. 27 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a heavyweight clash between Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis. It is currently unclear if Barcelos will receive a replacement opponent.

2021 started a bit bumpy for sure... a car accident with nagging elbow/arm injury and COVID unfortunately has forced me out of my Feb 27 fight against countryman Barcelos .PT is underway intensively, be back sooner than later.Thx all

— Raphael Assuncao (@RaphaAssuncao) February 3, 2021 Assuncao was hoping to halt a three-bout skid against Barcelos. Most recently, the 38-year-old Ascension MMA product suffered a second-round knockout loss to Cody Garbrandt at UFC 250 this past June.

Barcel…

NDA soldier 170 lbsCome get you some of the real pic.twitter.com/d97Qqunr0I

— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) February 2, 2021

The date and opponent for Nate Diaz’s next Ultimate Fighting Championship remains a mystery, but the Stockton, California, native does appear to have a weight class in mind.

On Tuesday, Diaz hinted at another welterweight bout on Twitter. Diaz’s last four UFC appearance have all occurred at 170 pounds. He hasn’t competed since falling to Jorge Masvidal via third-round TKO at UFC 244 in November 2019.

“[Nick Diaz Army] soldier at 170 pounds,” Diaz wrote. “Come get you some of that real.”

Recently, Diaz has been linked to a matchup with Dustin Poirier as well as a long-awaited trilogy with Conor McGregor. Diaz later targeted Poirier on social media, though that matchup would seemingly have to take place at lightweight. The two were initially slated to meet at UFC 230 before the bout fell through. Diaz’s last lightwe…

Andre Fialho. Just beautiful. Watch this. #XMMA pic.twitter.com/vysz81frka

— ShayMyName (@ImShannonTho) January 31, 2021

James Vick couldn’t right the ship on the regional scene, and now “The Texecutioner” is calling it a career.

Vick returned to action after more than a year away this past Saturday at XMMA in Palm Beach, Florida, where he suffered a second-round technical knockout loss to Bellator MMA veteran Andre Fialho. The 15-time UFC veteran absorbed at least 20 punches in the finishing sequence, and he says the injuries suffered in the bout were enough to convince him that he’d fought his last fight.

“[A] few days ago I took the worst loss of my career,” Vick wrote on Instagram. “I went out on my shield like I always have, like a warrior. I am very sorry to everyone who helped and believe in me so much this last year. The truth is I haven't felt that passion/love for fighting the way I [used] to in a long time. But I have always be…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXoCvsFK_A0&w=560&h=315]

ESPN Personality Stephen A. Smith Speaks Against Women Fighting in MMA It’s well-known that ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith is not the most well-versed analyst when it comes to mixed martial arts.

Nonetheless, he is one of the biggest names in sports media, so when he says something controversial about MMA, it tends to draw a reaction. Such was the case for Smith during an appearance with Larry Willmore on the "Black on Air" podcast, when he was asked about women taking more prominent positions in sports management or coaching, such as the Miami Marlins hiring Kim Ng as the first female general manager in Major League Baseball or San Antonio Spurs assistant Becky Hammon stepping up to head coach duties when Greg Popovich was ejected from a recent game.

In those cases, Smith is on board with the progress.

“First of all, I love it,” he said. “I think there’s an awful lot of women who are incredibl…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8vXc2Knqq8&w=560&h=315]

A positive COVID-19 test has knocked Andre Ewell out of UFC Fight Night 184 just days before his matchup with Cody Stamann.

As a result, Stamann with square off with replacement foe Askar Askar on Saturday. Multiple outlets confirmed the new bantamweight bout following an initial report from Fighter Path. UFC Fight Night 184 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a heavyweight duel between Alistair Overeem and Alexander Volkov. The card streams in its entirety on ESPN+.

Askar will make his first promotional foray with an 11-1 career mark, that includes stops in promotions such as Legacy Fighting Alliance, Titan FC, Victory Fighting Championship and Island Fights. Most recently, Askar took a unanimous verdict over Kevin Wirth at LFA 92 this past October.

Stamman, meanwhile, is coming off a decision defeat against Jimmie Rivera at UFC on ESPN 13 in his last outing. The Michiga…

Lance Palmer and Natan Schulte will have some new blood standing in their way in their quest to three-peat as champions in Professional Fighters League.

The organization on Tuesday announced the full rosters for the featherweight and lightweight divisions for the upcoming 2021 season. Palmer is a two-time champion at 145 pounds, while Schulte has won back-to-back crowns at 155 pounds. The winner of each weight class, of course, earns a $1 million prize at the end of the season.

Some of the more notable newcomers at featherweight include former Bellator MMA competitor Bubba Jenkins and Dana White’s Contender Series alum Brendan Loughnane. Meanwhile, high-profile UFC signee Anthony Pettis heads up the field at lightweight, joining the likes of Clay Collard and Olivier Aubin-Mercier.

“We’re excited to officially unveil the first two rosters for the 2021 season,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray. “Our fighter roster is top-tier, and we are looking forward to having fighters from …

Two lightweight veterans will lock horn on short notice at UFC 258 when Jim Miller meets Bobby Green.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the matchup. UFC 258 takes place on Feb. 13 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight title clash 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 air on ESPN+ beginning at 6:15 p.m. ET/3:15 PT and on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Miller will make his 37th promotional appearance at UFC 258. The New Jersey native went 1-2 in 2020 and is coming off a unanimous decision loss against Vinc Pichel at UFC 252 this past August.

Green was productive during the pandemic, as he rattled off successive decision triumphs over Clay Guida, Lando Vannata and Alan Patrick to begin his 2020 campaign. Most recently, however, “King” was outpointed by Thiago Moises at UFC Fight Night 181 on Oct. 31.

Jessica Penne will return following a 20-month USADA suspension to square off against Hannah Goldy at UFC 260.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the strawweight booking. UFC 260 takes place on March 27 and is headlined by a heavyweight title rematch between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou.

Penne was sanctioned after testing positive for metabolites of stanozolol, 16β-hydroxystanozolol and 3’-hydroxystanozolol, synthetic steroids that are banned both in and out of competition. An initial four-year suspension was eventually reduced when the anti-doping organization determined that Penne did not intentionally take the substance to gain an advantage. The former Invicta FC atomweight queen returns to the Octagon on a three-fight losing streak, which includes a decision setback to Danielle Taylor in her most recent outing in April 2017.

Goldy, meanwhile, earned a UFC contract on Season 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series. She suffered her first professional defeat i…