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In the COVID-19 era, it is always a relief when every fighter on the card makes weight without issue.

The Legacy Fighting Alliance kicks off a busy September of mixed martial arts action with LFA 90. The event will see the promotion crown a new bantamweight king as it pits undefeated prospects Zviad Lazishvili and Ricky Steele up against one other.

Lazishvili (5-0) impressed in his LFA debut last year as he won a decision over Josh Huber. His victory over “The Hellboy” was the biggest of his career to date and broke a six-fight win streak for the surging Huber. Although the promotion bills the Georgian at 12-0, several of those victories cannot currently be authenticated. Lazishvili will look to continue his perfection inside the cage by capturing LFA gold. The Georgian fighter had no issue making weight and officially came in at 133.8 pounds.

Making his promotional debut is Steele (6-0), who is coming off a split decision win over Phil Caracappa on Dana White's Cont…

Karol Rosa passa mal, é levada para o hospital e deixa luta contra Sijara Eubanks no UFC de sábado https://t.co/8IbreH8d8w pic.twitter.com/MXcK4N2pys

— Combate (@canalCombate) September 3, 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. Two hard weight cuts in the span of a few months got the better of Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight Karol Rosa. Combate was the first to break the news on Thursday that Rosa has been knocked out of her UFC Fight Night 176 matchup with Sijara Eubanks due to a bad weight cut. Rosa has been hospitalized, and her condition is currently unknown. The bout will be removed from the bill, per MMA Fighting, and Eubanks will take on Julia Avila at UFC Fight Night 177 on Sept. 12. Avila's management team confirmed this new bout shortly after the news broke, and it is unclear if Avila's October matchup with Ni…

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 staple Ed Herman just wants to fight someone. On Thursday, MMA Fighting reported that Herman (25-14, 1 NC) will be facing a new opponent at UFC Fight Night 177, this time in the form of Mike Rodriguez (11-4, 1 NC). Herman was originally set to lock horns with John Allan Arte, but the Brazilian was forced to pull out due to visa issues. An exasperated Herman confirmed the opponent change on his Instagram page.

“Short Fuse” has seen five matchups fall through in 2020, with two cancellations ahead of his matchup against Da Un Jung in May and then August. Gerald Meerschaert was set to replace the South Korean in August, but a positive COVID-19 test pushed the bout to September. Arte then stepped up after Meerschaert withdrew again, only to be pulled for an issue related to his visa. The 14-year U…

SWEET DREAMS!!

It only takes round for @JamahalH

#UFCVegas continues on @ESPN and E+ pic.twitter.com/XSiLSKQMhm — UFC (@ufc) May 30, 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. Several Ultimate Fighting Championship fighters have received official sentences after failing drug tests.

Per ESPN on Thursday, the Nevada State Athletic Commission has handed down numerous suspensions for competitors that failed drug tests. Jamahal Hill appeared at UFC on ESPN 9 in May, and his first-round win over Klidson Abreu was overturned to a no contest after failing a post-fight drug test for marijuana. He has been fined 15 percent of his purse and given a suspension for six months retroactive to the date of the test.

Like Hill, Tim Elliott and Luis Pena also were flagged in their post-fight tests for marijuana. The substance is only banned …

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 flyweight Ji Yeon Kim may have suffered more than just a loss at UFC Fight Night 175. According to promotional paperwork provided to mixedmartialarts.com on Thursday, three different competitors from the recent Fight Night card face lengthy suspensions. Headlining the event was a three-round light heavyweight bout, where Aleksandar Rakic captured a one-sided unanimous verdict against Anthony Smith. For his overwhelming defeat, Smith has been handed a 45-day suspension with no contact for one month by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Main card participant Kim dropped a unanimous decision to Alexa Grasso earlier on the card, and she may have broken her right orbital bone in the process. Absorbing 51 blows to the head caused a potential fracture, although Kim can be cleared by an oral and maxill…

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A pivotal light heavyweight clash pitting Glover Teixeira against Thiago Santos will no longer take place at UFC Fight Night 177 on Sept. 12.

Teixeira has tested positive for COVID-19, and as a result, the bout vs. Santos will be postponed until Oct. 3. Multiple outlets confirmed the news following an initial report from Combate.

UFC Fight Night 177 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and features a strawweight co-main event between Michelle Waterson and Angela Hill. It’s currently unclear if Waterson vs. Hill will be elevated to the new headliner.

Teixeira vs. Santos is now slated for UFC on ESPN 16, which will be held on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. That card is currently headlined by a women’s bantamweight tilt between Holly Holm and Irene Aldana. According to ESPN, the light heavyweight bout will now be …

Former UFC competitor Abel Trujillo was sentenced to two years’ probation in a child exploitation case in Castle Rock, Colorado, on Wednesday, according to 9News.

Trujillo was originally arrested in July 2019 and charged with with attempted sexual exploitation of a child, promotion of obscenity to a minor and sexual exploitation of a child – self/publish – all of which are felonies. Trujillo accepted a plea agreement in March and pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of promoting obscenity.

Had the felony charges remained, Trujillo would have faced up to 18 months in jail.

Castle Rock police were initially notified in October 2018 that the victim received inappropriate messages via social media from Trujillo. The girl first made contact with Trujillo in March 2018 and received a follow request from him on Instagram. According to an affidavit, she accepted the request “because Abel is a celebrity.”

Shortly thereafter, the girl began receiving direct mess…

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Bobby Green will step in for Rodrigo Vargas and square off against Alan Patrick Silva Alves at UFC Fight Night 177.

Promotion officials announced the change in the lightweight bout on Wednesday. Vargas withdrew from the contest for undisclosed reasons. UFC Fight Night 177 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Sept. 12 and is headlined by a light heavyweight scrap pitting Thiago Santos against Glover Teixeira.

Green is 2-0 thus far during his 2020 campaign after earning unanimous decision triumphs against Clay Guida at UFC on ESPN 11 and against Lando Vannata at UFC Fight Night 173. Prior to that, the former King of the Cage champion had been victorious in just one of his previous seven promotional appearances.

Patrick had a three-bout winning streak snapped at UFC 229, where he was knocked out by Scott Ho…

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

Would-be UFC competitor Aleksander Doskalchuk has accepted a 14-month suspension from USADA for a violation of the promotion’s anti-doping policy.

Doskalchuk tested positive for mesterolone metabolites in an out-of-competition sample collected on June 6. Mesterolone is a banned substance in the anabolic agents category. The flyweight fighter will not be eligible to compete until August 2021.

Doskalchuk received a reduced sanction after providing evidence that a doctor mistakenly provided him medication containing mesterolone. The 30-year-old Ukrainian received an additional reduction in his sanction thanks to his complete cooperation in the investigation.

A former M-1 Global flyweight champion, Doskalchuk was expected to compete at UFC Fight Night 172 on July 18 in Abu Dhabi but withdrew from a proposed bout against Malcolm Gordon. He owns a 10-1 professional record.

The full USADA statement …

The Bellator women’s flyweight division has another interesting contender.

The California-based promotion has signed former Invicta Fighting Championships 125-pound title holder Vanessa Porto to an exclusive, multi-fight contract. Sherdog.com confirmed the signing with a promotion official following an initial report from ESPN.

A date for Porto’s Bellator debut is currently unknown. Porto has vacated the Invicta FC belt as a result, and the all-female promotion will crown a new champion in November.

Porto claimed the Invicta FC crown with a victory over Pearl Gonzalez in February 2019 and then defeated Karina Rodriguez in a non-title affair in her last appearance at Invicta FC 38. The 36-year-old Brazilian owns a 22-8 career mark that includes wins over the likes of Roxanne Modafferi, Jennifer Maia, Germaine de Randamie and Tonya Evinger.

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Sean Strickland will make his first Octagon appearance in two years when he locks horns with Wellington Turman in a welterweight bout on Oct. 31.

Combate was first to report the booking. The UFC event is headlined by a middleweight showdown between Anderson Silva and Uriah Hall and is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Strickland hasn’t competed since he was injured and underwent knee surgery following a motorcycle accident in December 2018. Strickland last appeared at UFC Fight Night 138, where he scored a second-round TKO of Nordine Taleb in October 2018. “Tarzan” is 7-3 over the course of his promotional tenure.

Turman has lost two of his first three bouts in the Octagon. Most recently, the 24-year-old Brazilian suffered a first-round knockout loss at the hands of Andrew Sanchez at UFC Fig…

Two title belts will be up for grabs at Invicta Fighting Championships 43.

The promotion announced Wednesday that Invicta FC 43 will be headlined by a showdown for the vacant flyweight championship between Pearl Gonzalez and Erin Blanchfield, while Emily Ducote and Montserrat Ruiz will vie for strawweight gold in the evening’s co-main event.

Invicta FC 43 takes place on Nov. 20 in Kansas City and will stream on UFC Fight Pass beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The event takes place behind closed doors and will utilize open scoring. Additional bouts will be announced in the coming weeks.

A two-time UFC veteran, Gonzalez previously challenged for the flyweight crown at Invicta FC 34, where she fell to Vanessa Porto via technical decision. “The Chi-Town Princess” rebounded to outpoint Brogan Walker-Sanchez at Invicta FC 37 before dropping a unanimous verdict to Miranda Maverick at Invicta FC 39.

Blanchfield has been victorious in six of her first seven profess…

A women’s featherweight clash pitting Leslie Smith against Amanda Bell has been added to the Bellator 245 lineup.

Sherdog.com confirmed the bout with a promotion official on Wednesday. Bellator 245 takes place on Sept. 11 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, and is headlined by a light heavyweight rematch between Phil Davis and Lyoto Machida. Smith vs. Bell will take place on the preliminary card.

After a seven-bout stint with the UFC, Smith fought twice for Bellator in 2019. After earning a majority decision against Sinead Kavanagh in her promotional debut, Smith dropped a unanimous verdict to Arlene Blencowe in her most recent outing at Bellator 233. The 38-year-old is 11-8-1 over the course of a professional career that includes victories over the likes of Irene Aldana, Jennifer Maia and Raquel Pennington.

Bell, meanwhile, has compiled a 3-2 mark while competing for the Scott Coker-led organization. Most recently, “The Lady Killer” defeated Janay…

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Ever since reports surfaced that Brock Lesnar was no longer under contract with the WWE, speculation has run rampant regarding the massive superstar’s next move.

Though Lesnar himself has been quiet, a return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship has been a popular topic of conversation and more specifically, a showdown with former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Jones made it clear he was aware of Lesnar’s free agency when he directed a tweet at the former heavyweight king earlier this week.

While Jones vs. Lesnar is far from becoming a reality, UFC president Dana White would make the fight if Lesnar wanted to step into the Octagon again.

“If they both want to fight each other, I’m sure it’s a fight the fans want to see and it would be a good introduction for Jones into the heavyweight division,” White …

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 on Tuesday brought in more reinforcements through Dana White’s Contender Series, as flyweight Jimmy Flick, light heavyweight William Knight and bantamweight Ronnie Lawrence joined the roster on the strength of impressive Week 5 performances at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Flick submitted Nate Smith with an arm-triangle choke in the third round of their flyweight encounter. Smith (6-1) conceded defeat 3:15 into Round 3, the Elevation Fight Team prospect beaten for the first time as a professional.

Flick (15-5) was masterful on the ground. The Oklahoma-based Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt settled in top position in all three rounds and made passes at a variety of submissions throughout the first 10-plus minutes: a straight armbar, a brabo choke, a triangle choke, an armbar, an omoplata and multipl…

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Sherdog's live DWCS 2020 Week 5 coverage kicks off Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below.

Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores…

Bellator MMA has bolstered its talent pool by signing light heavyweight Viktor Nemkov and featherweight Cody Law.

Sherdog.com confirmed the Nemkov signing with a promotion official following an initial report from Tass, while the promotion announced the addition of Law via social media. A date for the Bellator debuts of Nemkov and Law has not been revealed.

Nemkov is the older brother of Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov. A former M-1 Global champion, Viktor Nemkov last competed under the Professional Fighters League banner, where he was eliminated from the light heavyweight tournament following a draw against Bozigit Ataev . The elder Nemkov is a gold medalist in the Russian Combat Sambo championships and owns notable wins over UFC veterans Gadzhimurad Antigulov and Ronny Markes.

Hello @BellatorMMA pic.twitter.com/chDZA4Zp8S

— Cody Law (@codylaw_160) September 1, 2020

Law, meanwhile, is a former Division I wrestler at…

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A rematch of the “BMF” title fight between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz is currently in the works for a future Ultimate Fighting Championship event.

TMZ Sports initially reported that the matchup would take place on the UFC 256 pay-per-view card on Dec. 12, but ESPN later revealed that a date has not been decided. However, it is unlikely that Masvidal and Diaz would agree to be on the undercard after headlining UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden this past November.

While both Masvidal and Diaz are reportedly interested in the rematch, no agreements have been signed. The contest could potentially headline the UFC’s January pay-per-view, per ESPN.

Masvidal defeated Diaz via doctor stoppage in the UFC 244 main event on Nov. 2. The bout was halted due to a cut on Diaz’s eye, but the Stockton, California, native later…

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Kamaru Usman’s next welterweight title defense will come against Gilbert Burns, and the bout has been targeted for UFC 256 on Dec. 12.

TMZ Sports was first to report the matchup, and it was later confirmed to ESPN by UFC president Dana White. UFC 256 also features a women’s featherweight title tilt between reigning champion Amanda Nunes and Megan Anderson. A location and venue for the event has not been announced.

Usman and Burns were originally supposed to meet at UFC 251 in Abu Dhabi on July 11, but Burns was forced to pull out of the contest after testing positive for COVID-19. Instead, Usman made his second successful title defense with a clear-cut five-round verdict against Jorge Masvidal in the evening’s main event. “The Nigerian Nightmare” has won 16 straight professional bouts – including 12 in the UFC.

Read more about Kamaru Usman Expected to Defend 170-Pound Title vs. Gilbert Burns at UFC 256 on Dec. 12

British heavyweight @AspinallBJJ gets his wish!

He faces Serghei Spivac on Oct 10 pic.twitter.com/OtFxhMcDiM

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) September 1, 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 heavyweight clash pitting Sergey Spivak against Tom Aspinall has been added to the lineup for the the UFC’s Oct. 10 offering.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the pairing on Tuesday. Additionally, MMA DNA has reported that a bantamweight scrap between Ali AlQaisi and Tony Kelley will take place on the card. The UFC Fight Night event is expected to be held on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi and is headlined by a bantamweight showdown between Marlon Moraes and Corey Sandhagen.

A native of Moldova, Spivak has split his first four Octagon appearances. Most recently, the 25-year-old captured a majority decision triumph over Carlos Felipe at U…

Former strawweight queen Jessica Andrade is expected make her 125-pound debut against Katlyn Chookagian at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Oct. 17.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the booking. Andrade was originally linked to a matchup with Jessica Eye, but that bout fell apart after Eye reportedly suffered an injury. The card is expected to be held on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and is headlined by a featherweight duel between Chan Sung Jung and Brian Ortega.

After losing the 115-pound belt to Weili Zhang in a 42-second TKO defeat last year, Andrade returned to the Octagon at UFC 251, where she dropped a split decision against Rose Namajunas. Prior to that two-bout skid, “Bate Estaca” had been victorious in seven of her previous eight promotional appearances. When she makes her flyweight debut, Andrade will have competed in three different weight classes within the Las Vegas-based organization.

Chookagian, meanwhile, challened for flyweight gold at U…

Legacy Fighting Alliance will close out its “Phase Two” series of cards with a middleweight scrap pitting Chidi Njokuani against Cristhian Torres.

The promotion announced that Njokuani vs. Torres will serve as the main event for LFA 91, which takes place at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on Sept. 11. The card will stream on UFC Fight Pass beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Six other bouts have been confirmed for the main card: Kyle Stewart vs. Tim Caron at middleweight; Jamal Pogues vs. Tim Hiley at light heavyweight; Hailey Cowan vs. Kelly Clayton at bantamweight; Nick Maximov vs. Johnny James Jr. at light heavyweight; Nate Togbah Richardson vs. Dariius Estell at featherweight and Josh Quinlan vs. Pete Keepers at welterweight.

Njokuani was released from Bellator in 2019 after a 5-3 stint with the California-based promotion. The 31-year-old last appeared at Bellator 224, where he dropped a unanimous verdict to Rafael Carvalho in July 2019.

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Jon Jones is preparing to make his heavyweight debut, and he’s already making a case as to why he should leapfrog Francis Ngannou to be the division’s No. 1 contender.

“Stipe [Miocic] doesn’t want to fight Francis again because the first fight really wasn’t close,” Jones wrote on Twitter. “Looking at it from Stipe’s point of view, fighting Francis again is definitely more of a lose situation than a win. Stipe asked for a new challenge, why not fight the light heavyweight GOAT?

“Besides, we’re way closer in size. What’s more exciting than that?”

Jones recently vacated his light heavyweight title in preparation for a move to heavyweight. A date for his debut in the big man’s division is unknown, but UFC president Dana White has stated that Ngannou is next in line to face Miocic, who is coming of a trilogy victory…

Brock Lesnar is a free agent once again.

According to a report from ESPN, the former UFC heavyweight champion is no longer under contract with World Wrestling Entertainment. WWE removed Lesnar’s merchandise from the organization’s online store over the weekend. Pro Wrestling Insider was first to bring word of Lesnar’s free agency.

The 43-year-old Lesnar captured the UFC heavyweight crown in 2008 and defended the belt twice before falling to Cain Velasquez via first-round TKO at UFC 123 in October 2010. He retired from the sport following a loss to Alistair Overeem in December 2011.

The multiple time WWE champion returned to the Octagon in July 2016, when he took a unanimous decision over Mark Hunt at UFC 200. However, that victory was overturned to a no contest after Lesnar tested positive for a banned substance.

In the past, Lesnar has been linked to a UFC return when there are negotiations involving his WWE contract. Most recently, he appeared in the ca…