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Former UFC middleweight No. 1 contender Paulo Costa recently did a live session on his YouTube channel in which he revealed a desire to face Robert Whittaker for the interim 185-pound belt.

“Whitaker is No. 1 in the rankings, I’m No. 2,” Costa said. “Once [Israel] Adesanya goes up to light heavyweight, it makes sense to have an interim title fight. I’ve already talked to [UFC president Dana White] and he said he would love to see that fight.”

There is recent precedent for such a move in the middleweight division: When Whittaker, who was the reigning champion at the time, was unable to compete at UFC 236 because he was recovering from hernia surgery, the promotion booked an interim title clash between Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum. With Adesanya expected to move to 205 pounds to challenge reigning light heavyweight king Jan Blachowicz, it’s unclear how long it will be until “The Last Stylebender” makes another title defense at 185 pounds.

In the same live session,…

UPSET CITY

@KevinCroom_MMA, welcome to the Octagon!

[ #UFCVegas10 - LIVE now on #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/mPG9x6PL6e — UFC (@ufc) September 12, 2020

UFC lightweight Kevin Croom and Dana White’s Contender Series alum Jose Flores each received four-and-a-half month suspensions from the Nevada Athletic Commission after testing positive for marijuana in relation to recent bouts.

The NAC issued the sanctions during a teleconference on Wednesday. Additionally, Contender Series heavyweight Chad Johnson received a nine-month term for testing positive for a banned amphetamine, while UFC welterweight Niko Price had a temporary suspension extended after testing positive for the prohibited cannabinoid carboxy THC in relation to his bout at UFC Fight Night 178 on Sept. 19.

Croom scored a major upset in his Octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 177, where he submitted Roosevelt Roberts with a guillotine choke 31 seconds into Round 1. Croom te…

Tito Ortiz can now add elected official to his list of achievements.

The UFC Hall of Famer won a seat on the Huntington Beach city council on Tuesday night. There were three seats open for four-year terms, and Ortiz finished first among 15 potential candidates. “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” received 34,901 (14.3 percent) of 244,792 votes to join Dan Kalmick (11 percent) and Natalie Moser (10.9 percent) in earning a seat.

Ortiz identifies as a Republican conservative and has ties to President Donald Trump dating back to his appearance on the reality show “The Celebrity Apprentice.” Ortiz has continued to be a vocal Trump supporter since his election in 2016.

According to his campaign website, Ortiz’s platform is focused on supporting law enforcement, promoting a healthy business community, legal immigration, school choice and addressing the homeless problem in the community, among other things.

“I am committed to representing Huntington Beach with honor a…

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

Corey Anderson’s Bellator MMA debut is now official, as both he and Melvin Manhoef made weight on Wednesday ahead of their light heavyweight showdown.

Anderson tipped the scales at 205 pounds, while Manhoef weight 204.2 for their bout, which will top the Bellator 251 card at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut on Thursday. The evening’s main card will be televised on CBS Sports Network and Dazn at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, while the prelims stream on Bellator’s YouTube channel and Dazn at 4:45 p.m. ET/1:45 p.m. PT.

A winner on Season 19 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Anderson makes his first promotional foray following a 15-bout stint in the UFC. The 31-year-old known as “Overtime” was on the verge of a light heavyweight title shot following a four-bout winning streak before a first-round KO loss to Jan Blachowicz ended those dreams at UFC Fight Night 167 this past February. Anderson signed with Bellato…

Anthony Birchak will make his first Octagon appearance since 2016 when he steps in on short notice to face Gustavo Lopez at UFC on ESPN 17.

Birchak is a replacement for Felipe Colares, who recently tested positive for COVID-19. Fansided was first to report the new bantamweight bout. UFC on ESPN 17 takes place on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a light heavyweight clash pitting Thiago Santos against Glover Teixeira.

Birchak enters the matchup with Lopez on a three-fight winning streak, with each of those victories coming inside of a round. In his last outing, the 34-year-old Arizonan scored a first-round submission of Erik Radleim at Combate Americas “Tucson” in October 2019. Birchak went 2-2 during a brief UFC stint from 2014 to 2016 before transitioning to Rizin, where he went 0-3 in the Japanese organization in three 2017 appearances.

A nine-time Combate Americas veteran, Lopez had a three-fight winning streak snapped in his debut wi…

Nick Browne by sub #LFA76 pic.twitter.com/CVu7cBz68R

— ShayMyName (@ImShannonTho) September 14, 2019

The event schedule for Legacy Fighting Alliance continues to roll on, as the promotion announced that its Phase 4 slate of events will kick off later this month.

While Phase 3 concluded with LFA 94 on Oct. 30, Phase 4 will begin with LFA 95 at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kansas on Nov. 20. LFA 95 will be headlined by a lightweight championship clash between Nick Browne and Arthur Estrazulas.

The rest of the LFA 95 main card is as follows: Myron Dennis vs. Dylan Potter at light heavyweight; Alexsandro Pereira vs. Thomas Powell at middleweight; Victor Altamirano vs. Lloyd McKinney at flyweight; Natan Levy vs. Bruno Assis de Souza Filho at featherweight; Michael Stack vs. Jordan Mapa at featherweight and Tabatha Ricci vs. Flore Hani at strawweight.

The second and final event of Phase 4 will be LFA 96 on Dec. 4. That card will feature a …

Saturday will be an evening of strong emotions for former UFC heavyweight contender Pedro Rizzo.

In addition to cornering Raoni Barcelos in his fifith Octagon appearance against Khalid Taha in a featured bantamweight bout at UFC on ESPN 17, he will also witness a fight between two of his very close friends in the main event when Glover Teixeira squares off against Thiago Santos in a battle of light heavyweight contenders.

“Glover Teixeira is like a brother to me. When he came to Brazil in 2008, we trained together every day for almost five years. We even lived together for almost one year in Florida,” Rizzo told Sherdog.com. “‘Marreta’ is a student who trained with me for four years. Actually, when UFC announced they would fight, I promised that I would go to my farm where my telephone and TV don’t work. That was my plan until UFC invited Raoni to the same card.”

Even though he doesn’t enjoy watching two friends fight, Rizzo recognizes the logic behind the matc…

One fighter missed weight on Tuesday for the latest edition of Dana White’s Contender Series.

Edson Gomez tipped the scales at 174 pounds for his welterweight clash against Ignacio Bahamondes (168.5). The fight will go forward as planned, but Gomez has been fined 20 percent of his purse. Meanwhile, all of the other six competitors slated to compete hit their contracted marks.

There were other issues with Wednesday’s card: A strawweight clash between Pauline Macias and Gloria de Paula has been postponed to a Contender Series event on Nov. 17 after de Paula tested positive for COVID-19. De Paula revealed the news on social media.

Dana White’s Contender Series takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Wednesday and airs on UFC Fight Pass at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The card will be headlined by a light heavyweight tilt between Bruno Oliveira (203) and Carlos Ulberg (202).

Oliveira, 36, has won eight of his first nine professional outings. He last appeared at Titan FC…

Ex-Rizin Fighting Fighting Federation champ Manel Kape is expected to finally make his Octagon debut against Alexandre Pantoja at a UFC Fight Night event on Dec. 19.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the bantamweight booking. The card takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and will likely be headlined by a welterweight showdown between Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev.

Kape claimed the vacant Rizin bantamweight crown with a second-round technical knockout of Kai Asakura on Dec. 31. The 26-year-old AKA Thailand representative has won four of his last five professional outings — with each of those victories coming inside the distance. Kape was previously slated to make his promotional debut against Rogerio Bontorin at UFC 252 before his opponent withdrew from the bout due to injury.

Pantoja, meanwhile, is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Askar Askarov at UFC Fight Night 172 on July 18. Prior to that defeat, “The Cannibal” had been victorious in four of h…

Both Uriah Hall and Anderson Silva are facing potential six-month layoffs following their headlining bout at UFC Fight Night 181.

Mixedmartialarts.com recently released a full list of medical suspensions from the event. UFC Fight Night 181 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas this past Saturday and saw Hall defeat Silva via technical knockout at the 1:24 mark of Round 4 in their middleweight clash. The bout was expected to be the last in UFC competition for “The Spider.”

Hall is suspended for 180 days unless both hands and his right foot receive doctor clearance. At a minimum, “Primetime” is not allowed contact until Dec. 1. Silva, meanwhile, is also facing a 180-day sit unless his broken nose is cleared by a doctor. At a minimum he is suspended for 60 days with 45 days no contact due to a left upper eyelid laceration.

Three other fighters from UFC Fight Night 181 are looking at potential six-month terms: Bryce Mitchell (left hand), Bobby Green (left eye) a…

Credit: One Championship Credit: One Championship Credit: One Championship

Kyrgyzstan native Kiamrian Abbasov will defend his welterweight title for the first time against American James Nakashima at One Championship “Inside the Matrix 2” on Nov. 6 at Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Prime Fight Management, which represents Abbasov, first brought word of the matchup. Abbasov's title defense against Nakashima was scheduled for April, but it was postponed several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2016, Abbasov became the champion of the Prime Selection Grand Prix and also won the MixFace/Tech-Krep FC Grand Prix belt, scoring three victories in one evening. In February 2018, the athlete signed a One Championship contract and three weeks later had a 10-bout winning streak snapped in a unanimous decision loss to Luis Santos.

Abbasov rebounded to finish Agilan Thani and Yushin Okami under the One banner before claiming the title with a five-round verdict over Zebaztian …

An intriguing strawweight showdown between Michelle Waterson and Amanda Ribas is on tap for UFC 257 on Jan. 23.

ESPN was first to report the booking. UFC 257 does not yet have a location or venue but will reportedly be headlined by a lightweight tilt between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. That contest has not been finalized, however.

Waterson is coming off her third headlining appearance in the Las Vegas-based promotion, as she edged Angela Hill via split decision in the UFC Fight Night 177 main event on Sept. 12. That snapped a two-bout skid for “The Karate Hottie," who had previously dropped back-to-back bouts against Carla Esparza and Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

The 27-year-old Ribas has emerged as an interesting prospect at 115 pounds following victories in her first four Octagon appearances. The Brazilian last competed at UFC 251, where she submitted Paige VanZant in the opening stanza at UFC 251 on July 11.

A flyweight bout pitting Katlyn Chookagian against Cynthia Calvillo has been targeted for UFC 255.

ESPN was first to report the pairing. Contracts have not been signed, but the Las Vegas-based promotion is close to finalizing the matchup. UFC 255 takes place on Nov. 21 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a men’s flyweight title fight between Deiveson Figueiredo and Alex Perez, while Valentina Shevchenko puts her 125-pound strap on the line against Jennifer Maia in the co-main event.

UFC 255 will mark Chookagian’s fourth Octagon appearance of 2020. She suffered a third-round TKO loss to Shevchenko in a title bout at UFC 247 before outpointing the champion’s sister, Antonina Shevchenko, at UFC on ESPN 9. Most recently, “Blonde Fighter” fell to Jessica Andrade via first-round KO at UFC Fight Night 180.

Calvillo, meanwhile, made a successful foray to flyweight with a five-round verdict over former No. 1 contender Jessica Eye at UFC on ESPN 10 on June …

A positive COVID-19 test has knocked Pearl Gonzalez out of a matchup with Erin Blanchfield for the vacant flyweight crown at Invicta FC 43 on Nov. 20.

Gonzalez announced the news in a tearful video on her Instagram account Monday.

“I’m really sorry, but I’m not fighting on Nov. 20,” Gonzalez said in a video. “I got COVID and I’m really sick these last couple of days. My camp, [Invicta FC President] Shannon [Knapp], myself, just decided it would be best and that if I hold out. One, I might not be cleared of the COVID test anymore and two, I’m really f—-ing sick. This is really f—-ing brutal.

“I just wanted to tell you guys that I’m really sorry. I’m heartbroken. But I’m gonna focus on getting stronger.”

A promotion official confirmed to MMAFighting.com that Gonzalez vs. Blanchfield will be postponed until a later event. Meanwhile, a strawweight championship showdown between Emily Ducote and Montserrat Ruiz will serve as the new Invicta FC 43 main event.

I…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uux1xueBB-o&w=560&h=315]

The COVID-19 virus has caused a couple changes to Thursday’s Bellator 251 lineup.

Both Chris Curtis and Nainoa Dung have withdrawn from the event due to positive COVID-19 tests. Curtis was slated to face Austin Vanderford, while Dung was scheduled to meet Piankhi Zimmerman. As a result, Vanderford will square off against current CES MMA champ Vinicius de Jesus in a main card affair at middleweight, while Zimmerman will lock horns with Ali Zebian on the preliminary draw at lightweight.

Meanwhile, a preliminary light heavyweight clash pitting Terrance Jean-Jacques against Gustavo Trujillo has been canceled for unknown reasons.

Sherdog.com confirmed the updates to the card with a promotion official on Monday following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com. MyMMANews first brought word of Curtis’ positive COVID-19 test.

Bellator 251 takes place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticu…

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…