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Damon Jackson with sub No. in his UFC return.

[ Tune in - LIVE on #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/qD349adm0j — UFC (@ufc) September 19, 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.

Persistence was Damon Jackson’s strongest ally.

The Fortis MMA mainstay returned to the Ultimate Fighting Championship for the first time in nearly five years and did so with spectacular results, as he submitted Mirsad Bektic with a mounted guillotine choke in the third round of their UFC Fight Night 178 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Bektic (13-4, 6-4 UFC) waved the white flag 1:21 into Round 3.

Jackson (18-3-1, 1-1-1 UFC) refused to be denied. Bektic largely dominated the first two rounds with takedowns, ground-and-pound and positional control. In response, Jackson employed an active submission game, thre…

“The Lion” once again reigns on the Absolute Championship Akhmat lightweight division.

The ACA 111 main event on Saturday in Russia pitted Abdul-Aziz Abdulvakhabov (18-2) against Alexander Sarnavskiy (37-8) for the 155-pound championship vacated by former titleholder Ali Bagov following his move to the welterweight division. Sarnavskiy started working Abdulvakhabov’s body early in the fight, and, for a while, it seemed the strategy was paying its dividends. Right before the end of the third round, Abdulvakhabov hit Sarnavskiy with a violent series of elbows that changed the fight’s direction.

Entering the championship rounds, Abdulvakhabov made the most out of his experience as former Absolute Championship Berkut champion, hunting his opponent across the cage with several vicious shots that transformed Sarnavskiy’s face into a bloody mask. During the last seconds of the fight, both fighters brawled and exchanged wild shots. Eventually, all five judges rewarded Abdulvakh…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has cut ties to “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 14 winner and two-time flyweight title challenger John Dodson. MMAFighting.com was first to report his release from the organization.

Dodson debuted in the UFC in 2011 and compiled a 10-6 record with the promotion during what was something of an uneven tenure marked be exhilarating highs and disappointing lows. The Jackson-Wink MMA mainstay twice fought for the flyweight crown, losing five-round decisions to an all-time great in Demetrious Johnson at UFC on Fox 6 and UFC 191. Dodson returned to the bantamweight division in April 2016 but lost five times in nine appearances at 135 pounds, never again regaining his championship-level footing. He last competed at UFC 252, where he wound up on the wrong side of a unanimous verdict against Merab Dvalishvili on Aug. 15.

Now 35, Dodson will carry a well-established reputation as one of MMA’s most durable fighters to his next destination. He has…

@ColbyCovMMA makes our main event official!

[ LIVE on #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/Sj5QelpVjk

— UFC (@ufc) September 18, 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 the last Ultimate Fighting Championship card in Las Vegas for a while.

Heading to “Fight Island” next week, the UFC is going out with a bang with a jampacked card headlined by a pivotal welterweight bout between Colby Covington and Tyron Woodley. Both men former champs, the victor from the UFC Fight Night 178 main event will almost certainly cement themselves as a top contender once again. The 14-fight card is now official after the weigh-ins took place and everyone successfully made weight.

Covington (15-2) is coming off his first loss since 2015 as he came up short against current champion Kamaru Usman, who knocked “Chaos” out in Round …

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship has arguably made its highest profile acquisition.

On Friday, Fight Bananas first reported and a BKFC representative subsequently wrote that former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight king Frank Mir (19-13) has opted not to retire from combat sports. The 41-year-old recently became a free agent after his Bellator MMA contract ended, and he has reportedly elected to join the ranks of bare-knuckle boxing. He will become part of an organization with a roster that includes other ex-UFC names like Gabriel Gonzaga, Antonio Silva, Thiago Alves and Chris Leben, to name a few.

One of the most dangerous grapplers to ever set foot inside the Octagon, Mir left the promotion with eight submission wins on his ledger – good for the most in UFC heavyweight history. In Mir’s last eight victories, four came by knockout; this number accounts for 80 percent of his total victories due to strikes. On the other hand, Mir has been knocked out 10 time…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMzXRLXj2L8&w=560&h=315] Dazn is the exclusive streaming partner of Bellator MMA. You can sign up here and live stream 100+ fight nights a year. Legendary Dutch kickboxer Melvin Manhoef is not finished yet. On Friday morning, Bellator MMA revealed in a press release that Manhoef (32-14-1, 1 NC) will be taking on Simon Biyong (7-1) in a light heavyweight clash that will go down at the upcoming Bellator Paris card. In addition, the promotion announced a series of other matchups at the event, including multiple natives of France.

The last time he fought, former title challenger Manhoef smashed Yannick Bahati with a barrage of heavy ground-and-pound halfway through the first stanza. In his post-fight interview, the 44-year-old Dutch fighter was non-committal regarding his fighting future, but it seems that he has found the motivation to keep going.

Born in Cameroon but fighting out of Italy, Biyong makes his Bellator debut on a fou…

Petchmorakot retains his ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Championship belt with a third-round finish of Magnus Andersson! #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/BEBmnOfBia

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) September 18, 2020 If One: A New Breed 3 is any indication, it could be a great while until someone dethrones One Championship featherweight king Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy.

The defending champion put his muay Thai title on the line for the third time since winning it in 2019 against Magnus Andersson, with the two vying for the strap in the tape-delayed main event that aired on Sept. 18. It did not take long for Petchmorakot to establish dominance over his Swedish opponent through his far superior striking skills. Petchmorakot dictated the pace of the match until he decided to put an end to it in the third stanza. The Thai fighter first landed a violent left hand that visibly shook Andersson. Even though the Swedish contend…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYVPUuVKLw8&w=560&h=315]

Alesha Zappitella channeled her inner Ovince St. Preux and gave a figurative nod to Jason Von Flue when Invicta Fighting Championships gold was on the line.

The 4-foot-11 Scorpion Fighting System standout dispatched Ashley Cummins with a shoulder choke in the fourth round of their Invicta 42 headliner, as she captured the promotion’s vacant atomweight title on Thursday at the Police Athletic League in Kansas City, Kansas. Submitted for the first time in her 13-fight career, Cummins (7-6, 4-6 Invicta) conceded defeat 1:20 into Round 4.

Zappitella (8-2, 5-1 Invicta) trudged through considerable difficulty across the first 10 minutes. Cummins flexed her superiority in the standup exchanges, staggered her counterpart more than once with thudding right hands and largely nullified her wrestling advances. However, the tide began to shift in Round 3, where Zappitella executed a takedown inside the first minut…

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 upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view card has undergone a sudden change on a preliminary match. On Thursday, Ludovit Klein (16-2) announced on his Instagram page that he will be making his promotional debut at UFC 253 on Sept. 26. MMA Junkie then reported that Klein will be stepping in for Nate Landwehr after Landwehr tested positive for COVID-19. Klein will be facing Shane Young (13-4) at featherweight on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

According to Klein, he would be the first fighter from Slovakia to ever compete inside the Octagon. Since a 2017 loss in Cage Warriors Fighting Championship, Klein has rattled off seven victories including six finishes. His last win came against former UFC vet Lukasz Sajewski, where Klein smashed Sajewski in under four minutes at an Oktagon MMA event in Feb…

What a story for Mohammad Fakhreddine! The new champion has knocked out Daniel Gaucho to capture the title!#BRAVECF41 pic.twitter.com/9VPdJ0YSGs

— BRAVE Combat Federation (@bravemmaf) September 17, 2020 The Brave Combat Federation middleweight division has a new kingpin after Brave CF 41.

The bill was headlined by a middleweight championship battle between the champion Daniel Souza Pereira (9-3) and mixed martial arts veteran Mohammad Fakhreddine (14-4, 1 NC). Both fighters put on a show for the fans watching the event as long as the bout – and the stream – lasted. "Gaucho" Pereira showed off his boxing skills matched by Fakhreddine’s kicks. In the first two rounds, it seemed that the challenger had the edge over the Brazilian champion as Pereira's leg started swelling up absorbing several heavy leg kicks. In the third stanza, "Gaucho" accidentally poked his opponent in the eye. The Lebanese fighter recovered from it soon enough, but it looked…

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 Ultimate Fighting Championship vet has found his way back to the promotion on short notice this weekend. On Thursday, Bloody Canvas first broke the story that Damon Jackson (17-3-1, 1 NC) will be returning to the UFC on Sept. 19 at UFC Fight Night 178. He will be stepping in the Octagon against Mirsad Bektic (13-3) at featherweight, pending a COVID-19 test. Luiz Eduardo Garagorri was originally slated to face Bektic, but the Uruguayan was pulled after one of his cornermen tested positive for COVID-19. Jackson has since confirmed the matchup on his Facebook page.

Jackson will be making his way back to the UFC after a lengthy stretch in the Legacy Fighting Alliance and an unfortunate 10-second stint in the Professional Fighters League. His May 2019 bout in the PFL saw him separated from his consciousness in 10 seconds with …

Angela and Christian have got company! Please welcome IMMAF Junior World Champion Victoria Lee @angelaleemma @ChristianLeeMMA #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/2w406oIem5

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) September 17, 2020 One Championship loves the Lee family, and the Lee family loves One Championship.

On Thursday morning, the promotion revealed via press release that it had signed Victoria Lee, the younger sister of champs Christian Lee and Angela Lee. The youthful fighter has not made her professional MMA debut, but she will be competing at promotion’s atomweight division of 115 pounds, where her sister A. Lee is the champion. She does not currently have an opponent scheduled nor does she have a date set for her debut. It is not uncommon for international fighters to have their professional debuts prior to their 18th birthday, and One recently featured Supergirl Jaroonsak Muaythai on a card at the age of 16.

About her si…

Dana White announces that the UFC has signed Michael Chandler and he will be a backup for Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje if one falls out.#UFC254

— Keith Shillan (@KeithShillanMMA) September 17, 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. Bellator MMA champ Michael Chandler is now on the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster, and he is in prime position for a huge opportunity should things go his way. On Thursday, UFC President Dana White announced on ESPN that Chandler (21-5) has signed with the UFC. His first scheduled matchup will actually be as a backup opponent in case either Khabib Nurmagomedov or Justin Gaethje cannot compete at UFC 254. That event, the final on a five-card stretch on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, is scheduled for Oct. 24. After much was made about Chandler’s free agency status, he elected …

The vacant Invicta Fighting Championships atomweight title will soon have a new address.

Ashley Cummins checked in at 104.9 pounds on the eve of her showdown with Alesha Zappitella (104.4) in the Invicta 42 headliner, where they are set to decide the fate of the promotion’s 105-pound championship on Thursday at the Police Athletic League in Kansas City, Kansas.

Cummins, 33, has rattled off four wins across her past six appearances. “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 23 alum last competed at Invicta 39 in February, when she wound up on the wrong side of five-round unanimous decision against former champion Jinh Yu Frey. Cummins trains out of a 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu affiliate in San Diego.

Zapata enters the cage on the strength of back-to-back victories. The 25-year-old Scorpion Fighting System rep last appeared at Invicta 40, where she eked out a split decision over Lindsey VanZandt on July 2. Zapata owns a 4-1 mark under the Invicta banner, having lost only to Viviane Pe…

The controversy between Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White and Dustin Poirier is still unfolding.

Much to the fans’ regret, it doesn't look like Dustin Poirier and Tony Ferguson will clash anytime soon. The fight never got the chance to be officially announced by the promotion, but hype was already skyrocketing for the intriguing clash. During the recent DWCS 2020 Week 7 post-fight news conference, the UFC president shared some details about the failure of the negotiations for the Poirier-Ferguson matchup.

“Listen, I like Dustin,” White said on Tuesday. “I'm not going to sit up here and say anything negative about Dustin, he's a great kid. I don't know if it was he didn't want to fight in Abu Dhabi or what his deal was – he didn't want to fight. Listen, there's a lot of different ways to turn down a fight. Negotiating yourself out of one is one of the ways you can do it. So for whatever reason, he didn't want to take this fight. Only he knows that.” Read more about Dana White Accuses Dustin Poirier of Negotiating Himself out of the Tony Ferguson Fight

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then astream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. “The Eagle” is flattered by the comparison, but prefers to fly low. The massive popularity of Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight ace Khabib Nurmagomedov (28-0) prompted some to compare him to the iconic Muhammad Ali. While talking to True Gym MMA, "The Eagle" expressed some satisfaction in hearing that. Still, he wanted to restrain the enthusiasm by pointing out all the activism of the late Olympic medalist.

“I think comparing Ali and me is probably wrong,” he said. “Only if we talk about the fact that we are both champions and both muslims. But all the things he did outside the ring, with this, I cannot be compared indeed. At the time when he was a champion, he was…another race, and at that time in America, black people were treated badly, and according to his stories, he was not even served in restaurants. He threw awa…

Michel Pereira has grown in stature with Brazilian fans following his impressive submission win over Zelim Imadaev at UFC Fight Night 176 on Sept. 5. The scene of Pereira kissing his own hand before slapping Imadaev with it was shown across most of the well-known news channels in Brazil and sent laughter rippling across his homeland.

Pereira’s dominant showing was also recognized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship—and not just in the form of a $50,000 performance bonus. According to “Demolidor,” UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby contacted his manager immediately after the bout.

“Mr. Shelby asked him when I would be ready for my next fight,” Pereira said. “I would love to fight again by November.”

Pereira pointed to a hypothetical pairing with Jorge Masvidal in the immediate aftermath of his latest victory, but he admits there are a number of potential opponents who interest him.

“I don’t know my division’s rankings well,” he said. “To tell you the truth, my main go…

Two fighters are making their Octagon return after nearly a two-year hiatus.

According to Brazil's Combate, Jessin Ayari and Luigi Vendramini will clash in the lightweight division on the upcoming Oct. 3 UFC on ESPN 16 card.

Ayari (16-5) is looking to rebound after back-to-back defeats. His latest Octagon appearance dates back to October 2018, when he dropped a decision in front of Steven Ray at UFC Fight Night 138. Prior, he also lost via decision to former welterweight championship contender Darren Till. So far, the only victory of “Abacus” under the UFC banner came when he edged Jim Wallhead in their UFC Fight Night 93 encounter back in 2016.

Vendramini (8-1) has yet to score his first UFC victory. “The Italian Stallion” made his promotional debut when he stepped up to face Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos after Belal Muhammad dropped out of their scheduled bout at UFC Fight Night 137. That night, Vendramini suffered a second-round TKO.

UFC on ESPN 16 will go…

Per @arielhelwani, UFC is the front-runner to sign free agent Michael Chandler, who has "been discussed" as a potential opponent for Tony Ferguson. pic.twitter.com/LBved7TTL1

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 16, 2020

All signs lead to the Ultimate Fighting Championship being the front-runner to sign “Iron.”

ESPN reported Wednesday that the UFC is in “advanced talks” with former Bellator MMA lightweight king Michael Chandler, although the deal is yet to be finalized. “Iron” is one of the few top lightweight contenders who has yet to step into the Octagon.

Chandler (21-5) has spent most of his career under the Bellator MMA banner, where he managed to capture 155-pound championship three times. The third championship arrived at the end of the back-and-forth Bellator 212 battle that ended with the former collegiate wrestler edging his long-time rival Brent Primus. In his next match, Chandler lost his belt to Patricio Freire via first-round …

Yogibo presents RIZIN.24 追加対戦カード

朝倉海 @kai_1031_

昇侍 @shou0424

：9/27() 16:00開始（予定）：さいたまスーパーアリーナ：https://t.co/E57gUNvfKQ#RIZIN #RIZINFF #RIZIN24 pic.twitter.com/aTb5qelUnr

— RIZIN FF OFFICIAL (@rizin_PR) September 15, 2020

The upcoming Rizin 24 card has gained two intriguing matchups.

Rizin Fighting Federation announced Tuesday that Kai Asakura is fighting Shoji Maruyama in a bantamweight non-title match and Rena Kubota is clashing with Emi Tomimatsu in a women’s strawweight showdown.

Asakura (15-2) made a name for himself after scoring a highlight-reel first-round KO victory against former Rizin and Bellator MMA 135-pound champion Kyoji Horiguchi in their non-title encounter that went down at Rizin 18.

Rizin newcomer Maruyama (16-12-1) is 1-2 in his latest appearances, losing to both Koichi Ishizuka and Takeya Mizugaki via KO and decision, respectively. However he managed to bounc…

Sunday work at the garage! @TatamiFightwear @Sanabul pic.twitter.com/KwIEfrQIDG

— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) September 13, 2020

Gilbert Burns will face Kamaru Usman for the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight crown at UFC 256 on Dec. 12, so it was something of a surprise when the champion paid a recent visit to the challenger’s camp. According to Brazilian outlet Combate.com, Usman showed up at a Sanford MMA training session on Sept. 14.

“The Nigerian Nightmare” was once part of the Sanford MMA team but elected to move to Elevation Fight Team in Colorado in June. While Usman’s visit was celebrated by some of his former stablemates, Burns considered it a “psychological test” from the champion.

“I think he wanted to intimidate me, but somehow, I had a feeling that he was going to show up, so it was not a big surprise to me,” Burns said. “I went there and talked to him: ‘How are you? Everything fine?’ He a…

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. Jordan Williams removed all doubt about whether or not he was major league-ready. The Nor-Cal Fighting Alliance rep wiped out Gregory Rodrigues with punches in the first round of their middleweight showcase during Week 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Rodrigues (7-3) melted 2:19 into Round 1, closing the book on his six-fight winning streak.

Williams (8-3) made the most of his third DWCS invite. He walked through a sweeping right hand and a glancing head kick, backed the Brazilian to the fence and staggered him with a counter left hook. Seeing Rodrigues’ knees buckle, he then flurried with punches against the cage and kept throwing until the job was done.

The 29-year-old Williams, a Type 1 diabetic, was one of three competitors awarded contracts by the Ultimate Fighting Champion…

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 DWCS 2020 Week 7 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 Kicking off the last episode of Contender Series before the October break is a featherweight affair pitting “Sweetbread” Paiva (13-7, 0-0 DWCS) against American Kickboxing Academy product Driscoll (11-3, 0-0 DWCS). This will be Paiva’s first bout outside the CES promotion, having spent his entire career with the New England-based organization before now. Referee Mark Smith will keep tabs on this card opener, and with a touch of gloves, the fight is on. Driscoll walks forward with a jab as he pump-fakes a right leg kick, and Paiva catches a kick and cracks him with a right hand to send Driscoll tumbling to the canvas. Paiva allows him to return to his feet, so Dri…

Saturday's Ultimate Fighting Championship event suffered another change.

AG Fight is reporting that Miguel Baeza isn't locking horns with Mickey Gall at the upcoming UFC Fight Night 178 event after Gall pulled out of the scheduled contest due to an undisclosed injury. Instead, Baeza will clash with UFC newcomer Jeremiah Wells.

Baeza, 9-0, a Dana White’s Contender Series alum earned his UFC contract after edging Victor Reyna back in June 2019. After joining the big leagues, he scored two second-round TKO victories at the expense of Hector Aldana at UFC Fight Night 161 and Matt Brown UFC on ESPN 8.

Former Cage Fury Fighting Championships champion Wells (8-2-1) is making his first Octagon walkout by riding a two-streak bout. In his latest cage appearance, he submitted Marco Smallman via rear-naked choke in the second stanza of their CFFC 78 championship encounter. Wells also captured the Classic Entertainment and Sports MMA belt when he overcame Jason Norwood…