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Former UFC heavyweight champion Mark Coleman is recovering in a hospital after suffering a heart attack last week.

The news was first shared by MMA documentarian Will Harris, who shared a screenshot from the Instagram story of Coleman’s daughter, Morgan.

“Thank you for all the kind words and support,” Morgan wrote. “[Coleman] is recovering well from his heart attack but still has more test to be done.”

Prayers for the legend @Markcolemanmma , who is recovering from a heart attack Recover like the beast you are brotha. Keep your thoughts on him MMA family. #UFCVegas13 pic.twitter.com/itv6id2G6T

— Anatomy of a Fighter (@WillHarrisAOAF) November 8, 2020

Coleman later issued a statement from his own Instagram account in which he shared that he drove to the hospital after feeling tightness in his chest and numbness in his arms. It was then discovered that Coleman had blockage in an artery and will need to undergo a procedure to have a …

Jan Blachowicz came away impressed by the seemingly ageless Glover Teixeira after the Brazilian veteran dispatched Thiago Santos in the UFC on ESPN 17 headliner Saturday night.

“Great fight and incredible run by [Glover Teixeira],” Blachowicz wrote on Twitter. “You totally deserve to fight for the title and get a taste of the #legendaryPolishPower.”

“If Adesanya can’t wait till March, let’s go.”

Great fight and incredible run by @gloverteixeira. You totally deserve to fight for the title and get taste of the #LegendaryPolishPower.

If Adesanya can't wait till March, let's go #UFCVegas13

— Jan Blachowicz (@JanBlachowicz) November 8, 2020

Last week, UFC president Dana White announced that Blachowicz would make his first light heavyweight title defense against 185-pound champion Israel Adesanya at a future event. Meanwhile, the Polish veteran revealed that he wouldn’t be able to return to action until March at the earliest, citi…

Sergei Kharitonov KO's Oli Thompson 2:54 into R1 #ParusMMA pic.twitter.com/RQq8b6qC9g

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) November 7, 2020

Sergei Kharitonov still possesses plenty of power in his hands.

The 40-year-old Russian veteran authored a highlight-reel KO at Paurus FC on Saturday, as he stopped UFC veteran Oli Thompson with a punch 2:50 into the opening stanza of their heavyweight clash. A powerful right hand sent Thompson plunging face first into the canvas, giving Kharitonov his second consecutive win following a four-bout stint in Bellator MMA.

Kharitonov has competed for organizations such as Pride Fighting Championships, Strikeforce, M-1 Global, Dream and Bellator over the course of a career that began in 2000. He has finished 21 of his triumphs by knockout or technical knockout during that time.

It’s been 20 years since Andrei Arlovski made his Octagon debut against Aaron Brink at UFC 28 “High Stakes” at Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Two decades and 33 UFC appearances later, the 41-year-old Belarusian is still finding ways to win fights. On Saturday, “The Pit Bull” held off surging heavyweight Tanner Boser, who entered the bout on the strength of back-to-back KO finishes, to win a unanimous decision in the UFC on ESPN 17 co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

While Arlovski’s output was lacking, when he did connect, he landed with more authority than his 29-year-old opponent, whose primary offense was a steady diet of leg kicks. In a fight where signature moments came at a premium, that was enough for the American Top Team product to earn the nod from the cageside judges. For Arlovski, a man who has competed in four different decades now, a conservative approach can be prudent.

“I can understand understand why commentators and Dana White…

It’s been more than six years since Glover Teixeira last challenged for UFC light heavyweight gold, but the Brazilian veteran is knocking on the door for another title shot in what should be the twilight of his career.

The 41-year-old Teixeira won his fifth straight fight in the UFC on ESPN 17 headliner, submitting Thiago Santos with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their clash at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Making the victory even more impressive was the fact that Teixeira finished the man who battled pound-for-pound superstar Jon Jones to a split decision at UFC 239 in 2019.

After his victory, Teixeira pleaded for another chance to claim UFC gold.

“I want that belt, man. It’s a dream,” Teixeira said on the ESPN+ post-fight show. “I live a simple life. I don’t fight for the money, I fight for the belt. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I’m disciplined. That’s why I work so hard. That’s my dream.

“I know it’s not an easy task. There’…

IN ONE ROUND.@JaredVanderaa opened the night with RELENTLESS finishing shots

[ Tune in on #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/UCQSGCS7tY

— UFC (@ufc) November 5, 2020 A heavyweight matchup pitting Sergey Spivak against Jared Vanderaa is in the works for UFC 256 on Dec. 12.

MMAFighting.com was first to report the booking. UFC 256 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a women’s featherweight championship clash between Amanda Nunes and Megan Anderson. In the co-main event, Petr Yan will defend the bantamweight crown against Aljamain Sterling.

Spivak, 25, is 2-2 in four Octagon appearances. In his last outing, the Moldovan fighter earned a majority decision against Carlos Felipe at UFC Fight Night 172 on July 18. Spivak is 11-2 as a professional with 10 triumphs coming inside the distance.

Vanderaa, meanwhile, earned a UFC contract thanks to a first-round technical knockout victory over Harry Hunsucker at Dana White…

Raoni Barcelos and Khalid Taha brought the heat for 15 full minutes at UFC on ESPN 17.

The bantamweight competitors were rewarded for their efforts with “Fight of the Night” and $50,000 apiece on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Barcelos set a tremendous pace throughout the bout and appeared to be on the verge of putting his opponent away on a few occasions, but Taha stayed in the fight and made it to the final horn. Still, it was Barcelos who emerged with a well-deserved unanimous decision triumph.

Elsewhere, Giga Chikadze pocketed a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award for a quick finish of replacement foe James Krause-Simmons in a featured featherweight matchup. After a feeling-out process, Chikadze felled Krause-Simmons with a body kick followed by a head kick. Standing-to-ground punches ended the bout 3:51 into the first frame.

Finally, heavyweight submission artist Alexander Romanov earned the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” c…

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. Glover Teixeira refused to give in. The respected Brazilian veteran on Saturday likely cemented himself as the No. 1 contender in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s light heavyweight division, as he submitted Thiago Santos with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their UFC on ESPN 17 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. In his first appearance since July 6, 2019, Santos (21-8, 13-7 UFC) capitulated 1:49 into Round 3.

Teixeira (32-7, 15-5 UFC) walked through hellfire to secure one of the most significant victories of his 39-fight career. Hurt on multiple occasions, the former Shooto Brazil champion turned to his takedowns, world-class grappling and destructive ground-and-pound to neutralize another knockout-minded opponent. He dominated Santos in the second round and cinched a rear-naked choke in the closing seconds of …

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. Sherdog's live UFC on ESPN 17 coverage will begin Saturday at 7:30 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 Critc…

#UFCVegas13 is LIVE TONIGHT on @espn at 10pm ET pic.twitter.com/dUbmcIyi6g

— danawhite (@danawhite) November 8, 2020

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.

It was gruesome enough to inspire widespread dry heaves.

Former Tachi Palace Fights champion Max Griffin prompted an injury stoppage against Ramiz Brahimaj in the third round of their UFC on ESPN 17 welterweight prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, as he nearly took off the Fortis MMA rep’s left ear with a well-placed elbow strike. Brahimaj (8-3, 0-1 UFC) was declared unfit to continue 2:03 into Round 3, then likely sought out the nearest plastic surgeon.

Griffin (16-8, 4-6 UFC) spent most of the first two rounds burying jabs into his opponent’s face, opening multiple cuts and leaving visible damage to both of his eyes. Midway through the third, he dazed Brah…

Bryan Barberena will not face Daniel Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night 182 as expected after undergoing emergency surgery.

According to an announcement on his Instagram page, Barberena had an “emergency exploratory laparotomy due to internal bleeding from a couple ruptured arteries in his omentum.” It is currently unclear if a replacement opponent will be found for Rodriguez.

The full statement regarding Barberena is as follows:

Bryan had an emergency exploratory laparotomy due to internal bleeding from a couple ruptured arteries in his omentum. He had 1.5 liters of blood in his abdomen. Bryan’s surgery was successful. He is having pain, which is expected, but he is doing good. The doctor said because he is young and healthy he will have a quick recovery. Unfortunately, due to the surgery, Bryan will not be fighting on November 14th. He is extremely disappointed, and was ready to put on a show, but he will be back ASAP (once he’s healed). He apologizes to his oppone…

UFC on ESPN 17 is now down to 10 bouts after a positive COVID-19 test “involving” Ian Heinisch ahead of his middleweight showdown with Brendan Allen.

As a result, the contest has been canceled, and a featherweight clash between Giga Chikadze and James Krause-Simmons has been promoted to the main card. The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the news in a statement on Saturday.

UFC on ESPN 17 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a light heavyweight tilt pitting Thiago Santos against Glover Teixeira. The main cad airs on ESPN and ESPN+ beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on ESPN+ at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.

Heinisch and Allen were previously slated to meet at UFC on ESPN 12 on June 27 before Heinisch withdrew from the bout due to injury. The 32-year-old Heinisch snapped a two-fight skid with a first-round stoppage of Gerald Meerschaert in his most recent outing at UFC 250 on June 6.

Allen has kicked off his prom…

Antonio Silva wants to share his side of the story.

After leaving the main event of Taura MMA 11 in Florida last Friday due to problems with the organization, Silva (19-12-1) already agreed to fight against American Chris Barnett (21-6). The two heavyweights are set to come to blows in France on Dec. 12 in fledgling organization Arena Fight Championship. On Wednesday, “Bigfoot” spoke to Sherdog, where he explained the whole situation involving Taura MMA.

“It was absurd,” Silva said flatly. “They [Taura MMA] promised to pay me some advanced money in August in order to help my camp expenses and never deposited. In the week of the fight, they found out that one exam I sent in October needed to be made again, and they guaranteed there was no time left for that, which is not true. Unfortunately, the event was not professional with me. Actually, they were doing two events at the same time, one week in Brazil and the next one in USA, and didn’t have enough people to take c…

Respect after all! pic.twitter.com/X8dqV4saVA

— ACAMMA (@ACA_League) November 6, 2020 Azamat Kerefov remains on the Absolute Championship Akhmat flyweight throne after ACA 113.

In the main event, Kerefov (14-0) and Kurban Gadzhiev (16-3) clashed once again, this time for the 125-pound championship. In their first contest, Kerefov took a unanimous verdict over Gadzhiev after a three-round clash. Running it back two years later, the result was much the same after five rounds. The challenger started strong, inflicting visible damage to the body of the champion in the opening round. In the second stanza, Kerefov showed off some of his grappling skills as he dominated his opponent on the ground for most of the round. The third round was fairly even, with both contenders exchanging shots and attempting to impose their will on one other.

In the first championship round, Kerefov looked to be the fresher man as he outgrappled his seemingly fatigued…

Breaking: Injury has forced Darren Till out of his UFC Fight Night main event against Jack Hermansson on Dec. 5 in Las Vegas. Kevin Holland steps in as a replacement. pic.twitter.com/8R5V0yk4Vc

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) November 6, 2020 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 rising Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight prospect is quickly finding his way up his division. ESPN announced on Friday that Darren Till (18-3-1) has suffered an injury and has been forced to withdraw from his headlining contest against Jack Hermansson (21-5). In his stead atop the Dec. 5 Fight Night card will be Kevin Holland (20-5). According to ESPN, Hermansson wanted to face a ranked opponent, but as others declined, Hermansson decided he would remain on the card and take on Holland.

“Trailblazer” is riding an impressive four-fight win streak bu…

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. For the first time in Ultimate Fighting Championship history, the promotion has signed a fighter from Hong Kong. On Friday, MMA DNA reported that Sasha Palatnikov (5-2) has signed with the UFC to meet fellow newcomer Louis Cosce (7-0) at UFC 255. The two welterweights will lock horns at the UFC Apex on Nov. 21. Cosce has since confirmed his appearance on the card on his Instagram page. He will be competing alongside his brother Orion Cosce, when the latter takes on Nicolas Dalby also at welterweight.

Cosce earned a contract on Dana White's Contender Series when he flattened Victor Reyna in 72 seconds in August. Throughout his relatively young pro career that also saw him win by knockout in 18 seconds at a Combate Americas card in 2019, Cosce has finished all of his opponents in the opening round. Both he and his brother are …

The long awaited return is finally here

@TMarretaMMA makes the walk tomorrow night!

[ LIVE on ESPN2 & #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/ThAydIFk9t — UFC (@ufc) November 6, 2020 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. It’s all systems go for this weekend’s Ultimate Fighting Championship event, with every fighter on the card making weight and not a catchweight contest in sight.

The UFC returns to the ESPN airwaves on Saturday with a Las Vegas card headlined by Thiago Santos and Glover Teixeira. It’s a light heavyweight bout with potential title implications, although Israel Adesanya’s plan to climb to 205 may have thrown a wrench in that.

In his last bout, Santos (21-7) came painstakingly close to dethroning Jon Jones. While “Marreta” ultimately lost a split decision, he earned plenty of fans after his spirited performance. The B…

WHAT A COMEBACK! Kiamrian Abbasov retains the ONE Welterweight World Title with a fourth-round knockout of James Nakashima! #InsideTheMatrix2 #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/K8G2U3Xyet

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) November 6, 2020 The One Championship welterweight belt returned to Kyrgyzstan after the dust settled at One: Inside the Matrix 2.

The card’s main event saw Kiamrian Abbasov put his welterweight belt on the line against the undefeated James Nakashima. The challenger started strong in the opening rounds, breaking the nose of the champ with one of his combinations. Despite the injury, Abbasov bit the bullet and tried his best to ride out Nakashima offense. The American dominated the first few rounds, especially on the ground.

In the fourth stanza, Abbasov felt the urgency to make a statement. After recovering from an involuntary low blow, Abbasov rushed towards his opponent. Nakashima changed levels for a tak…

Corey Anderson made a successful Bellator MMA debut against Melvin Manhoef in the headliner of Bellator 251.

Anderson (14-5) immediately took down Manhoef (32-15-1, 2 NC) and pummeled "No Mercy" with punches on the ground. This cycle was repeated in Round 2, but "Overtime" was able to land several huge elbows that forced the referee to step in at 2:34.

The co-main event saw heavyweights Tyrell Fortune and Said Sowma face off. Fortune (9-1, 1 NC) was able to get back into the win column after suffering his first defeat earlier this year. However, Sowma (6-2) made the bout a competitive one and was the more active fighter later on. After 15 minutes of action, all three judges scored the bout 29-28 Fortune.

Middleweight prospect Austin Vanderford stayed undefeated against Vinicius de Jesus. The one-sided affair lasted a full 15 minutes as Vanderford (10-0) was able to outgrapple de Jesus (9-4). Vanderford took a unanimous decision victory earning scores of 30-26, 30-2…

Brutal!#AndNew - Amin Ayoub conquers Lightweight gold with this nasty knockout of Cleiton ''Predator''!#BRAVECF44 pic.twitter.com/o2BRR5twjH

— BRAVE Combat Federation (@bravemmaf) November 5, 2020 A French revolution took place in Bahrain on Nov. 5.

The Brave CF 44 main event featured an intriguing clash as Cleiton Pereira da Silva (15-3) put his lightweight title on the line against Amin Ayoub (15-4). The defending champion imposed his striking skills over Ayoub early on before taking his opponent to the canvas. The French contender looked very comfortable with his back on the canvas and answered with a relentless submission offensive. “Fierceness” attempted multiple armbars, but the champion shrugged them off and kept scoring with strikes on top.

The tide changed by the end of the third round, when Ayoub shook “Predator” with a few shots. Although Silva was saved by the bell, the damage was done. Sensing that his time to shine was near, …

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. Ultimate Fighting Championship strawweight Randa Markos will be looking to break her first career losing streak when she steps into a fight on short notice. On Tuesday, The Canadian Press put out a story that Randa Markos (10-9-1) was stepping in for Livinha Souza (14-2) to face Kanako Murata (11-1) at strawweight at UFC Fight Night 182. Confirming the news on Thursday was Combate, while also writing that Souza suffered an injury to her shin that will keep her out of action until January.

Markos returns less than two months removed from a first-round armbar defeat to Mackenzie Dern in September. With 20 career fights under her belt, the setback to Dern follows one from Amanda Ribas in March, setting the Canadian on her first losing skid. On the other hand, Markos has not won consecutive bouts since starting her career off at 3-…

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 title challenger Thiago Santos does not expect his upcoming headliner will last long. Sixteen months after a historic five-round title battle against Jon Jones, Santos is returning to the Octagon to face another Brazilian and former title challenger beaten by Jones. His thriller with Jones earned him surgeries in both knees, and confined “Marreta” to a wheelchair for two months. Despite the long absence, Santos is ready to pick up where he left off.

“Glover is a complete fighter that looks for the knockout or submission all the time,” Teixeira told Sherdog. “I would bet that this fight is not going to reach the 5th round. The only assurance I have is that fans will have a lot of fun in our fight.”

Santos also spoke about this matchup on Tuesday to Brazilian journalist Luis Coutinho, whe…

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 title challenger Thiago Santos does not expect his upcoming headliner will last long. Sixteen months after a historic five-round title battle against Jon Jones, Santos is returning to the Octagon to face another Brazilian and former title challenger beaten by Jones. His thriller with Jones earned him surgeries in both knees, and confined “Marreta” to a wheelchair for two months. Despite the long absence, Santos is ready to pick up where he left off.

“Glover is a complete fighter that looks for the knockout or submission all the time,” Teixeira told Sherdog. “I would bet that this fight is not going to reach the 5th round. The only assurance I have is that fans will have a lot of fun in our fight.”

Santos also spoke about this matchup on Tuesday to Brazilian journalist Luis Coutinho, whe…

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 beefed up its ranks by signing four competitors -- heavyweight Jared Vanderaa, featherweight Luis Saldana, welterweight Ignacio Bahamondes and light heavyweight Carlos Ulberg -- from Week 8 of Dana White’s Contender Series on Wednesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Perhaps the most intriguing talent to land a contract, Ulberg blew away American Top Team’s Bruno Oliveira with punches in the first round of their encounter at 205 pounds. Oliveira (8-2) bowed out 2:02 into Round 1, losing for the first time in more than four years.

Operating out of the City Kickboxing camp in New Zealand, Ulberg (3-0) measured distance with leg kicks and waited for an opportune time to strike. The Israel Adesanya stablemate countered a lazy jab from Oliveira with a ferocious multi-punch burst -- right and left ho…