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Veteran action fighter Tim Means will replace Robbie Lawler and lock horns with Mike Perry at UFC 255.

ESPN was first to report the new booking. UFC 255 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Nov. 21 and is headlined by a flyweight championship clash between Deiveson Figueiredo and Alex Perez. In the co-main event, Valentina Shevchenko defends her 125-pound belt against Jennifer Maia.

Means has won two of his last three Octagon appearances and is coming off a three-round verdict against Laureano Staropoli at UFC Fight Night 174 on Aug. 8. The 36-year-old New Mexico native is 12-9 with one no contest over the course of his promotional tenure.

Perry, meanwhile, halted a two-bout skid with a unanimous decision triumph against Mickey Gall at UFC on ESPN 12 on June 27. The 29-year-old known as “Platinum” is 14-6 as a pro and 7-6 in UFC competition.

Keri Melendez will return to action when she faces Emilee King in a preliminary strawweight clash at Bellator 252.

Sherdog.com confirmed the bout with a promotion official on Monday along with two featherweight pairings: Gabriel Varga vs. Brandon Phillips and Lucas Brennan vs. Andrew Salas.

Bellator 252 takes place on Nov. 12 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, and is headlined by a featherweight grand prix matchup pitting Patricio Freire against Pedro Carvalho. In the co-main event, Daniel Weichel will square off against Emmanuel Sanchez another grand prix quarterfinal.

Melendez is 4-0 in her MMA career, with all of her victories coming under the Bellator MMA banner. Most recently, the wife of former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez outpointed Mandy Polk at Bellator 229 on Oct. 4.

After beginning her professional tenure with four consecutive defeats, King enters the matchup with Melendez on a four-bout winning streak. She enjoyed a successful …

Khalil Rountree is still going strong in his mixed martial arts career.

After announcing on social media in late 2019 that his next fight would be his last, the 30-year-old light heavyweight apparently has undergone a change of heart, revealing that he has re-signed with the UFC.

I’m extremely happy to announce that I’ve decided to extend my contract with the [UFC] and will be making my return at the start of 2021,” Rountree recently wrote on Instagram. “After being away from the sport for over one year now it feels like I have the opportunity to start fresh.

“I’m back in the game 100% like I’ve just begun, ready to put on the most exciting fights you’ve seen from me yet. I’ve had lots of down time to reflect, reinvent and tighten my circle. I’ve taken the time to look at myself from the inside out and I’ve shared with you all the ups and downs publicly. Now it’s time to bite down and fight harder than ever. I’m ready, and you should be too.”

The 30-year-o…

Jon Jones had to defend his property on Sunday night, and he has the video evidence to prove it.

In a video posted to his Instagram account, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, carrying a shotgun, chases away an alleged burglar from his property. The individual appears to be approaching the vehicles — and even opens the door of one car — at Jones’ home before the Albuquerque resident emerges from his garage to chase him away.

The last part of Jones’ confrontation with the intruder as described by the UFC star in his caption is not caught on camera.

“Ended up tapping on this guys driver side window with the muzzle of my shotgun last night. Next time you try to rob someone, make sure you’re fast enough to out run them,” Jones wrote on Instagram. “He’s lucky I’m smart enough to not shoot a man while he’s retreating. People I know times are getting hard but your life isn’t worth a few material possessions.

“What are your thoughts on this video, what w…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLFz1qt7Mhw&w=560&h=315]

There has been a late addition to the UFC on ESPN 17 lineup, as Giga Chikadze will square off against James Krause-Simmons in a featherweight contest.

Adjarasport.com was first to report the matchup, and Chikadze later confirmed the booking via social media. UFC on ESPN 17 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a light heavyweight showdown between Thiago Santos and Glover Teixeira.

A former Glory Kickboxing competitor, Chikadze enters the matchup with Krause-Simmons on a six-bout winning streak that includes four triumphs in UFC competition. The 32-year-old Kings MMA representative has been active thus far in 2020, posting decision triumphs over Jamall Emmers, Irwin Rivera and Omar Morales.

Krause-Simmons, meanwhile, has been victorious in seven of his nine career professional outings. He is currently on a three-fight finishing streak on the regional circuit.

For the time being, Khabib Nurmagomedov will remain the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s lightweight title holder.

“The Eagle” surprisingly announced his retirement following a second-round submission victory over Justin Gaethje in the UFC 254 headliner on Oct. 24. During a recent interview, UFC president Dana White said that he had a “feeling” Nurmagomedov would eventually return in hopes of pursing a 30-0 career mark.

Following UFC Fight Night 181 on Saturday, White reiterated that sentiment at the evening’s post-fight press conference.

“Well, he didn’t say that he’ll fight, but he didn’t say no,” White said. “He’s considering the 30-0. His father wanted it and I think that he was super-emotional. (He) had the mumps, measles or whatever, broken toe, trained on a stationary bike for that fight, and then came in and fought, and he was super emotional.”

When Nurmagomedov made his announcement, he said his decision was based on a promise he made to his moth…

Make it victories in 2020!

@Trailblaze2top keeps his electric year going.

[ #UFCVegas12 - LIVE on #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/RuxVTTAqDN — UFC (@ufc) October 31, 2020

Although Charlie Ontiveros had to be taken from the Octagon on a stretcher following his loss to Kevin Holland at UFC Fight Night 181, the Fury Fighting Championship veteran appears to be on track to make a full recovery.

Ontiveros, who accepted the middleweight matchup on short notice, verbally submitted after Holland secured a body lock and brutally slammed him to the canvas near the cage at the 2:39 mark of Round 1. Moments earlier, Holland had threatened with a Von Flue choke before his opponent momentarily scrambled to his feet.

“I didn’t feel like the slam was that hard, but I guess it was. It was a good slam,” Holland said. “I feel like it was the Von Flue that kind of sucked. I think when I slammed him again it hurt. You have to give the guy props. He li…

Uriah Hall became a part of history on Saturday night when he shared the Octagon with Anderson Silva in what will likely be the legendary Brazilian’s final UFC bout.

After a slow start, Hall gathered his composure and floored “The Spider” twice en route to a technical knockout victory at the at the 1:24 mark of Round 4. Shortly after the finish, the two middleweights shared an emotional moment of mutual respect in the cage. Hall was brought to tears by the exchange.

“It’s hard to describe when you’re in it. But just to share that moment, knowing it could be his last bout and him knowing how much I respect him, I couldn’t hold [the emotion] back. I feel good to have shared that moment. That was really important,” Hall said.

“I know for a fact that we respected each other. We were both trying not to show that as much. But we have so much respect for each other. We had to separate that. There’s nothing bad I can say about the guy. He knew I looked up to him and fol…

pic.twitter.com/VChhQnd97M

— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) October 31, 2020

If all goes as planned, 2021 will be the biggest year of Israel Adesanya’s mixed martial arts career.

Shortly after the conclusion of UFC Fight Night 181, Dana White revealed that the reigning middleweight champion’s next step would be to move up a weight class to challenge 205-pound king Jan Blachowicz. White did not give a timeframe for the champion vs. champion superfight.

Adesanya, who is in Las Vegas to support a teammate on Wednesday’s Contender Series show, confirmed on the ESPN+ post-fight show that he had a productive meeting with the UFC president, adding that he will become “champ squared” in 2021.

“Me and Dana had a meeting yesterday in the war room. We went to his office, he showed me around. We hashed it out. Within two minutes we got the fight figured out, who I’m gonna fight next,” Adesanya said. “It’s said and done.

“I’ve been playin…

Dana White tells @bokamotoESPN that @stylebender will challenge @JanBlachowicz for the UFC light heavyweight title in his next fight, with a date and location still to be determined. pic.twitter.com/ENrcpECAyJ

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 1, 2020

It appears that Israel Adesanya will get the opportunity to become a two-division UFC champ in the near future.

In an interview with ESPN, UFC president Dana White revealed that Adesanya will move up to challenge reigning 205-pound king Jan Blachowicz in his next Octagon appearance. Adesanya is coming off a second-round technical knockout of Paulo Costa to defend his middleweight crown at UFC 253 on Sept. 26.

“He and I met yesterday. Had a great time, had a great meeting,” White said of Adesanya. “I was adamant on him fighting [Robert] Whittaker for the title; it’s the thing that makes the most sense. And then Whittaker comes out after the fight and says he doesn’t want to fight him, which is wa…

Throughout the week and the evening of the event, UFC Fight Night 181 was billed as Anderson Silva’s farewell bout.

However, during a post-fight interview with former foe and current UFC commentator Michael Bisping following his loss to Uriah Hall in Saturday’s main event, “The Spider” hesitated when asked if he was 100 percent ready to call it a career.

“I don't know, first I go back home and I go see with my team everything,” Silva said. “Let's go see because it's tough to say it's my last or not because this is my air. This is what I do for my entire life and with my heart. Let's go see.”

Silva held his own with Hall for the bout’s opening 10 minutes, but meaningful moments were few and far between during the initial two stanzas. Hall turned the tide when he floored the 45-year-old Brazilian late in Round 3 and flurried with strikes in search of a finish before the horn sounded. A counter right hook by Hall dropped Silva again in the fourth frame, and this t…

Do you want to be a fighter!?

TUF returns March 2021 - exclusively on #ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/zSvCHrP27a

— UFC (@ufc) November 1, 2020 “The Ultimate Fighter” will make its return in 2021.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced during the UFC Fight Night 181 broadcast Saturday that Season 29 of the reality show will premiere on ESPN+ in March. “TUF 29” will feature bantamweights and middleweights, with tryouts for the show beginning in November.

Coaches for “TUF 29” will be announced at a later date. Initially, the promotion floated a possibility of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor as opposing coaches, but Nurmagomedov rejected that idea and then announced his retirement after UFC 254.

According to a release, the previous 28 seasons of “TUF” will be available for fans to watch on ESPN+.

The most recent iteration of the series, “TUF 28,” premiered in August 2018 and featured Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum as…

Kevin Holland, Alexander Hernandez, Adrian Yanez and Miles Johns each received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for their work at UFC Fight Night 181 on Saturday.

Holland overpowered Charlie Ontiveros in their featured middleweight showdown at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Early in Round 1, Holland secured a body lock and slammed the Fury Fighting Championship veteran to the canvas. The slam caused an apparent neck injury, which forced Ontiveros to verbally submit 2:39 into Round 1.

Hernandez earned his performance bonus on the strength of a first-round stoppage of Chris Gruetzemacher in a preliminary lightweight clash. The Factory X product had Gruetzemacher reeling early, as he dropped him with a left hook, and when his opponent returned to his feet, Hernandez teed off with a multi-punch combination for the TKO win at the 1:46 mark of Round 1.

Elsewhere, Dana White’s Contender Series alum Adrian Yanez took home some extra income for a quick finish of V…

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 Fight Night 181 coverage will begin Saturday at 4 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 Cri…

Uriah Hall sent his idol out on his shield.

The Fortis MMA standout overcame a slow start and perhaps some star-struck reverence, as he brought down former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight titleholder Anderson Silva with punches in the fourth round of their UFC Fight Night 181 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Silva (34-11, 17-7 UFC) — who stopped short of announcing his retirement in the immediate aftermath — bowed out 1:24 into Round 4 in what may have been his final appearance inside the Octagon.

"You're the reason why I'm doing this. Thank you so much."

Incredible. #UFCVegas12 pic.twitter.com/764LPSdgiF

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) November 1, 2020 Hall (16-9, 9-7 UFC) let the Brazilian icon lead the dance for two-plus rounds, as “The Spider” leaned on lateral movement, a steady stream of leg kicks and occasional bursts of punches. Everything turned in the waning seconds of Round 3. There, Hall dropped the …

Absolute Championship Akhmat title contender Magomedrasul Khasbulayev, who was supposed to fight reigning featherweight king Felipe Froes at ACA 113 on Nov. 6 in Moscow, was injured during training and has withdrawn from the bout.

ACA President Alexey Yatsenko recently informed Sherdog.com of Khasbulaev’s withdrawal.

“Magomedrasul Khasbulaev was diagnosed with a tear in the muscle fibers of the gastrocnemius muscle of his left leg, and will not be able to fight until the end of this year. However, the featherweight championship fight will certainly take place at the December ACA event,” Yatsenko said. “Froes will fly to Russia [soon] and will stay to train for the bout. He will fight Marat Balaev in ACA 116 headliner on Dec. 18.

“We will announce later the city of this event. And Magomedrasul Khasbulaev will have a chance after he recovers to face the champion.”

For Felipe Froes, this will be the first defense of the championship belt, which he took away f…

What a fight! We are headed to the 5th and final round! #LFA94 pic.twitter.com/VIcmA3eToT

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) October 31, 2020 Inaugural Legacy Fighting Alliance strawweight champion Crystal Vanessa Demopoulos came up short in her first title defense against Lupita Godinez at LFA 94.

From the opening bell, Godinez (5-0) had a clear advantage on the feet against Demopoulos (5-3). "Loopy" continued landing at will in Round 2 and bloodied up the champion. "Lil Monster" showed tremendous heart as she never stopped coming forward. Godinez would drop Demopoulos in Round 4, but the champ would fire back for her best round of the fight to that point.

Thanks to Kansas using open scoring, it was known that the champion needed a finish if she wanted to retain the belt. Demopoulos hit a takedown mid-round, which gave her a clear path to victory. However, Godinez was able to hang on and reversed position. After five rounds of action, Go…

For the final time.

@SpiderAnderson hits the scales for one last dance. #UFCVegas12 pic.twitter.com/iDE2EhDGun

— UFC (@ufc) October 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. Editor's note: The article has been updated at 3:00 p.m. ET on Oct. 30 to reflect that Greg Hardy officially made weight.

A few Ultimate Fighting Championship fighters may have cracked into their Halloween candy a little early this weekend.

After another eventful stint on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, the UFC returns to Las Vegas. Headlining the first-ever UFC Halloween event is former middleweight king Anderson Silva taking on Uriah Hall. It’s been over seven years since Silva (34-10, 1 NC) has held UFC gold. He’s won only one fight in his last eight, having been awarded a decision over Derek Brunson. His last two fights saw “The Spider” lose a decisio…

Now that the #LFA94 weigh-in is in the books, which fight are you looking forward to the most tonight?

: https://t.co/kNlYKe9wVP

: https://t.co/tgI7oFbNCd@PsoRite@ShellsDotCom@AthleticCBD@GLCDirect2000@USENDmoney@IncaKolaUSA@FredLoyaIns@HartmanArena@UFCFightPass pic.twitter.com/XWsNTxZ42A — LFA (@LFAfighting) October 30, 2020 The Legacy Fighting Alliance ends the month and its third phase with a title fight on Halloween weekend.

LFA 94 is headlined by a women’s strawweight title tilt as Crystal Vanessa Demopoulos (113.4) returns from an unsuccessful outing on Dana White's Contender Series to defend her LFA 115-pound crown. Demopoulos won the title in a thrilling battle against Sam Hughes in July, where she put “Sampage” to sleep with an ultra-rare inverted triangle choke. Her opponent Lupita Godinez (114.6) has yet to lose as a professional, with most of her bouts going the distance including a victory at Combate Americas show in 2019.…

After the dust settled, two of four championship belts up for grabs changed hands at One ‘Inside the Matrix’ on Friday.

In the main event, Aung La N Sang (26-11) put his One middleweight title on the line against Reinier de Ridder. It took less than a round to "The Dutch Knight" to tame "The Burmese Python" and inflict Aung La his first loss in three years. The defending champion started the bout by landing an uppercut, to which De Ridder answered with a takedown. Once on the canvas, the unbeaten Dutchman took his opponent’s back in no time. Aung La attempted to get out of the sticky situation, even by grabbing the fence, but there was nothing he could do. At the 3:26 mark, Aung La was forced to tap after De Ridder’s neck crank slid under the chin into a rear-naked choke. In the process, De Ridder became the first Dutch champion in One history.

Christian Lee finishes undefeated phenom Iuri Lapicus with DEVASTATING ground and pound to retain the …

The Bellator MMA middleweight championship is no longer vacant. Fighting for the belt previously held by Rafael Lovato Jr. were former 185-pound champion Gegard Mousasi and current welterweight champion Douglas Lima. In the end, Mousasi's hands were raised at the end of Bellator 250.

The superior grappling of Mousasi (47-7-2) was the story early as he took Lima (32-8) down and easily controlled the first round. The next three frames were contested on the feet, which saw Mousasi show off his slick jab and Lima was uncharacteristically tentative. Round 5 saw Mousasi go back to his grappling to secure the fight in his favor. After five rounds, Mousasi was awarded a unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46 and 49-46) and became a two-time middleweight champion in the promotion.

The co-main event saw Henry Corrales defeat Brandon Girtz. Corrales (18-5) was able to slightly outland Girtz (16-10) on the feet in what was a competitive bout spanning all three rounds. Two judges awar…

I have 15 minute interview with @ufc President @danawhite that will air tonight on @CBSSportsRadio at 8 PM Eastern/5 Pacific.

Dana told The Zach Gelb Show on CBS Sports Radio that he and @TeamKhabib have been talking & he expects Khabib to return & go for 30-0.

WOW! pic.twitter.com/UqAM19Y1SF — Zach Gelb (@ZachGelb) October 29, 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 retirement in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and a dollar can get you a cup of coffee in the morning.

Lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0) put Justin Gaethje to sleep with a triangle choke last Saturday at UFC 254, and he unexpectedly announced his retirement after the win. In his post-fight interview, “The Eagle” claimed that he made a promise to his mother to stop fighting after facing Gaethje, and that he could not continue competing without…

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 lightweight contender Charles Oliveira wants to go old school to determine a new champ in his division. Oliveira, who has won his last seven bouts all by stoppage, spoke to Sherdog on Wednesday about his thoughts on the future of the UFC lightweight class. As Khabib Nurmagomedov defended his title against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 and retired, the belt is presumably vacant. Like many fans, fighters and media members alike, Oliveira believes the best way to settle it is through a grand prix tournament.

“I [am a] guy who is coming from a sequence of seven wins, just beat the record of most submission wins in UFC history and never leaves the fights in judges’ hands. [I] should be at least respected [by] receiving some opponent placed above [me] in [the] ranking[s],” Oliviera stated firmly. “But I need…

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. Kevin Holland is still on track to have three Ultimate Fighting Championship fights in three months, no matter what. Late Wednesday night, MMA Fighting first reported that Holland (19-5) will no longer be facing Makhmud Muradov (24-6) at UFC Fight Night 181 on Saturday. Muradov’s removal was due to a positive COVID-19 test, the fighter announced this on Instagram shortly after the report came out. In Muradov’s stead will be newcomer Charlie Ontiveros (11-6), who will be stepping up a weight class to face Holland at middleweight on just a few days’ notice.

Ontiveros was previously tapped once before to step in and make his UFC debut in July, when he was planning on replacing Eric Spicely against Markus Perez. Ontiveros was not cleared for competition in time, so Perez had to wait several more months to compete. The former F…