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American Kickboxing Academy rep Dwight Grant will attempt to build on back-to-back victories when he welcomes promotional newcomer Jared Gooden to the Ultimate Fighting Championship in a UFC on ESPN 15 welterweight showcase on Aug. 22 in Las Vegas. LineMovement.com was first to report the matchup.

Grant, 35, has compiled a 2-1 record in the UFC after a successful appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series resulted in his being offered a contract with the promotion. However, he has not fought since he eked out a split decision over Alan Jouban at UFC 236 in April 2019 some 16 months ago. Grant has delivered seven of his 10 career victories by knockout or technical knockout.

The well-traveled Gooden has plied his trade in various organizations, including Titan Fighting Championship and the Legacy Fighting Alliance. The 26-year-old operates out of the X3 Sports camp in Atlanta and will carry a three-fight winning streak into his UFC debut. Gooden last appeared at Ti…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgQLShN83Io&w=560&h=315]

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Professional Fighters League has launched an app to provide fight fans with access to hours of the promotion’s premium fight content.

The app will be available for free on Apple TV, Roku, Fire, Android and iOS devices. Some of the available content will include a full fight library, including never-before-seen World Series of Fighting bouts; original programming from PFL studios and behind-the-scenes interviews and footage.

“With the launch of our first OTT platform, we’re excited to fulfill the growing global demand for our product by providing fight fans around the world with free access to premium PFL content wherever, whenever and however they want to consume it,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray.

“Professional Fighters League is a media and co…

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Yair Rodriguez has been forced to pull out of a highly-anticipated featherweight showdown with fellow contender Zabit Magomedsharipov at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Aug. 29.

UFC president Dana White confirmed Rodriguez’s withdrawal during a post-fight media scrum following the Contender Series on Tuesday night. Mexican outlet Milenio was first to report the news.

“He’s got a high ankle sprain and a fracture, so he’s out,” White said.

Rodriguez vs. Magomedsharipov was expected to serve as the main event for the Aug. 29 card, which will take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. White confirmed that the promotion is seeking a replacement opponent for Magomedovsharipov.

The two featherweight standouts were initially scheduled to meet at UFC 228 in 2018, but Rodriguez suffered an injury and exited…

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 contracts were awarded to three competitors on Week 1 of Dana White’s Contender Series: Dustin Jacoby, Uros Medic and Jordan Leavitt. A former Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder, Jacoby abused Ty Flores for 10-plus minutes, then fought through serious fatigue to hang on for a unanimous decision in a three-round light heavyweight battle on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All three cageside judges scored it for Jacoby (12-5): 30-26, 29-27 and 29-27.

Flores (7-3) withstood a horrendous amount of punishment. Jacoby swarmed him with everything from flying knees, body kicks and power punches to vertical clinch elbows and backfists. The Factory X representative was close to a finish near the end of Round 2, where Flores teetered on the end of a right hand, collapsed to the canvas and ate a…

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 the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:The Official Result

It’s been a rough day for Dana White’s Contender Series hopeful Damonte Robinson.

After missing weight earlier in the day at 156.5 pounds, Robinson has been removed from his bout with Kenneth Cross due to an unrelated medical issue. According to MMA journalist James Lynch, Robinson was not cleared by doctors due to an “eye issue.”

As a result, the lightweight fight has been canceled and Week 1 of Contender Series will proceed with four bouts. The card takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Tuesday and streams on ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The evening’s featured matchup is a light heavyweight tilt pitting Dustin Jacoby against Ty Flores.

Robinson entered the Contender Series with a 6-1-1 mark that includes a loss to UFC talent Devonte Smith in 2017. He is currently riding the momentum of a two-bout winning streak.

Cross, meanwhile, was originally supposed to face Kevin Syler at the event before Syler tested positive for COVID-19. Cross owns a 10-3 professi…

HE ONLY NEEDED SECONDS!

Take a bow, @Trailblaze2top!

Tune in now LIVE on @ESPN. #UFCFL pic.twitter.com/Jpw2V3PS1M — UFC (@ufc) May 17, 2020

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As promised by UFC president Dana White, Kevin Holland will get to fight one week after his matchup with Trevin Giles was canceled on the day of the event.

Holland will square off with Joaquin Buckley at UFC Fight Night 174 on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. MMAjunkie.com was first to report the middleweight booking. UFC Fight Night 174 is headlined by a heavyweight duel between Derrick Lewis and Alexey Oleynik and streams on ESPN+.

Holland was supposed to face Giles at UFC Fight Night 173 this past Saturday before Giles fainted just before the bout and was transported to a nearby hospital. The 27-year-old “Trailblazer” has won fo…

IT. JUST. GOT. REAL. @GamebredFighter will go head to head against ACL Pro Cody Henderson during the 8 pm EST ESPN2 broadcast of the Man and Woman of the Year at the 2020 ACL World Championships on Wednesday 8/5! Full release at https://t.co/j3QF35ik0t pic.twitter.com/koh7UUb4xY

— American Cornhole League (@iplaycornhole) August 2, 2020

Jorge Masvidal will get to face another champion this week, but it won’t be in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Octagon.

Instead, “Gamebred” will meet American Cornhole League star Cody Henderson in a special five-round grudge match Wednesday on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m PT. The MMA-themed rules are as follows for the special cornhole game:

This 5 Round Grudge Match will begin with Masvidal being spotted 15 points and if a player reaches 21 points by the end of the 5th Round, that will be considered a knockout. If no player achieves a KO by the end of 5th Round we will go to the scoreboard to determine th…

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Edmen Shahbazyan’s hype train came crashing back to reality at UFC Fight Night 173.

The previously unbeaten middleweight prospect wilted under the wrestling and pressure of Derek Brunson, losing via technical knockout 26 seconds into the third round of their headlining clash at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

The 22-year-old Glendale Fighting Club representative had a solid opening stanza, but things went downhill once he went past the first round for only the second time in his professional career. After opening his UFC career with four straight triumphs — including three first-round finishes, Shahbazyan is taking the setback in stride.

“I’m OK everyone just need some stitches,” Shahbazyan wrote on social media. “Thank you for all your messages, love you all! Congrats to [Derek Brunson] tonight he …

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A heavyweight matchup pitting Andrei Arlovski against Tanner Boser is in the works for an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Oct. 3.

Multiple outlets confirmed the booking following an initial report from TSN. A location for the event has not been announced, but it will be headlined by a rescheduled tilt between Holly Holm and Irene Aldana. The card is also expected to include a women’s bantamweight showdown between Germaine de Randamie and Julianna Pena.

A former UFC heavyweight champion, Arlovski has been victorious in two of his last three Octagon appearances. Most recently, the 41-year-old Belarusian captured a unanimous verdict against former PFL champ Philipe Lins at UFC Fight Night 171 on May 13.

Boser, meanwhile, has made the most of his summer, scoring stoppages of Lins and Raphael Pessoa in a litt…

The card for Week 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series has been finalized.

The full lineup was announced during the broadcast for UFC Fight Night 173 on Saturday. The event takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Aug. 18 and is topped by a welterweight clash pitting Louis Cosce against Victor Reyna. It streams on ESPN+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Four other contests were also confirmed for the card: Cheyanne Buys vs. Hilarie Rose at strawweight, Orion Cosce vs. Matt Dixon at welterweight; Josh Parisian vs. Chad Johnson at heavyweight and Oron Kahlon vs. Collin Anglin at featherweight.

Louis Cosce has kicked off his professional tenure with six consecutive triumphs — all first-round by knockout, technical knockout or submission. The Arcata, California, native last appeared at Combate Americas “Stockton” in December, when he scored an 18-second KO of Art Hernandez.

Reyna, meanwhile, dropped a decision to Miguel Baeza on the Season 3 of the Contender S…

Joanne Calderwood gave up her title shot to stay active, and Jennifer Maia ended up being the primary beneficiary from that decision.

Maia staked her claim to a No. 1 contender spot at UFC Fight Night 173, as she submitted Calderwood with an armbar in the first round of their co-main event clash at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Afterward, the Brazilian called out Valentina Shevchenko, and the reigning 125-pound queen seemed to be impressed by Maia’s performance, simply responding, “See you soon, Jennifer Maia.”

See you soon Jennifer Maia

— Valentina Shevchenko (@BulletValentina) August 2, 2020

“Ever since I got in the UFC, I’ve never had an easy fight. I always test myself in those fights. I’m happy the champion is talking about me. I’m ready to fight for the title,” Maia said. “I want to fight with the champion. It’s going to be a pleasure to fight her.”

Maia has won nine of her last 11 fights in the UFC and Invicta da…

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 173 coverage will begin Saturday at 7 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 Crit…

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Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker will square off against surging contender Jared Cannonier at UFC 254.

ESPN was first to report the pairing. UFC 254 takes place on Oct. 24 and is headlined by a lightweight title bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje. A location for the pay-per-view event has not been confirmed.

Whittaker returned to the win column at UFC on ESPN 14, where he took a competitive five-round verdict over Darren Till. It was Whittaker’s first appearance since losing the 185-pound belt to Israel Adesanya at UFC 243 this past October.

Cannonier, meanwhile, will return to action for the first time since undergoing pectoral surgery in February. The former heavyweight and light heavyweight competitor has emerged as a contender at 185 pounds after successive TKO finishes of David…

OFFICIAL! @DerekBrunson locks in our main event. #UFCVegas5 pic.twitter.com/wdgmbdtIIb

— UFC (@ufc) July 31, 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. Try as they might, the Ultimate Fighting Championship could not salvage all three fights impacted by late-notice withdrawals. The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Las Vegas after a month in Abu Dhabi with UFC Fight Night 173. The event is headlined by two middleweight contenders as Derek Brunson and Edmen Shahbazyan will both look to get one step closer to a crack at UFC gold with a victory.

With a recent TKO loss to champion Israel Adesanya, Brunson (20-7) appeared further away than ever from a potential title fight. The North Carolina native has bounced back since that defeat with decision wins over Ian Heinisch and Elias Theodorou. The 36-year-old hit the scales at the midd…

Bryce Logan threw hands with a madman for 25 minutes and exited the cage none the worse for wear.

A devastating jab, effective counters and intermittent leg kicks spurred the Fight Ready export to a unanimous decision over Jacob Rosales, as he captured the vacant Legacy Fighting Alliance lightweight championship in the LFA 87 headliner on Friday at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Logan (12-4, 4-0 LFA) was awarded 48-47 marks on all three scorecards.

Rosales (12-6, 1-1 LFA) pressed the issue from the start and moved forward with no regard for his physical well-being. The approach proved costly. In the second round, Logan connected with a jab that appeared to break the CSW standout’s nose. Blood spatter covered the cage as Rosales resumed his march with a maniacal zest. Logan’s feet kept him out of danger, allowed him to outmaneuver Californian and paved his way to victory. Rosales made significant gains in the fifth round, only to see his advances cut o…

Montserrat Ruiz now qualifies as a known commodity.

The once-beaten Kings MMA prospect submitted Janaisa Morandin with a scarf hold armlock in the first round of their Invicta Fighting Championships 41 headliner on Thursday at the Police Athletic League in Kansas City, Kansas. Morandin (10-4, 1-4 Invicta), who missed weight for the match, conceded defeat 3:28 into Round 1.

Ruiz (9-1, 1-1 Invicta) swarmed with punches, lured the Brazilian into the clinch and delivered a head-and-arm throw along the fence. From there, she moved to a topside crucifix, controlled Morandin’s head and isolated the arm with her legs. Ruiz then elevated her hips, cranked on the shoulder and forced the tapout.

In the flyweight co-main event, Erin Blanchfield rode takedowns, stifling top control and heavy ground-and-pound to a clear-cut unanimous decision over Brogan Walker-Sanchez. Blanchfield (6-1, 4-1 Invicta) swept the scorecards with 30-26 marks across the board, extending her current winn…

We got ourselves a #Lightweight Title Fight in #SouthDakota tomorrow night at #LFA87! @LilBadger155 (155)vs.@BryceLogan23 (154.6)

TOMORROW!@SanfordPentagon#SiouxFalls, #SouthDakota#MMA#LFANation@UFCFightPass pic.twitter.com/ehcZMjpPAg

— LFA (@LFAfighting) July 31, 2020 The Legacy Fighting Alliance wraps up its month of title fights this week with LFA 87, and the seven-fight card is now official as all fighters made weight. Ending July with a bang is a vacant lightweight championship affair as Bryce Logan takes on Jacob Rosales. Logan (11-4) is riding a three-fight win streak inside the promotion, although he did lose bouts to Demarques Jackson and Nate Andrews elsewhere. His most recent appearances saw him pick up decision victories over Jonas Flok and Kenneth Glenn. Logan will look to capture his first championship, and had no issue making weight by coming in at 154.6 pounds.

Another lightweight that is undefeated under the LFA banne…

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. Last week’s Ultimate Fighting Championship headliner has suffered a torn MCL that will put him on the shelf for a little while. On Thursday, ESPN was informed by Darren Till’s coach Colin Heron that Till tore his MCL in his main event against Robert Whittaker at UFC on ESPN 14. Till believes that the injury took place during the second round, to which “The Gorilla” told his corner between rounds that he could not put weight on it. Till continued to fight to the end of the fifth round, and lost a decision to the former champ.

According to Till’s coach, Till’s injury surprised the doctors, who were in shock that Till could even stand up for the remainder of the fight. “Torn MCL, doctors are amazed he was able to stand up for the last three rounds,” Heron wrote. “He is in a cast for six weeks and then we’ll reassess. Hopefully i…

Ryan Bader will return to the light heavyweight division to defend his title against Vadim Nemkov at Bellator 244 on Aug. 21.

Multiple outlets confirmed the booking following an initial report from sports.ru. The fight has not been finalized, but bout agreements have been issued to both athletes. Bellator 244 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The card will air on Paramount Network and Dazn.

Bader and Nemkov were originally scheduled to square off on May 9 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced Bellator to put its event schedule on hold.

Bader hasn’t defended his light heavyweight belt since a second-round TKO of Linton Vassell at Bellator 186 on Nov. 3, 2017. He then became a two-division champion by besting Muhammed Lawal, Matt Mitrione and Fedor Emelianenko to win the promotion’s heavyweight grand prix. The Power MMA Team standout’s first heavyweight defense at Bellator 226 ended in a no contest when he poked Cheick Kongo in the eye last…

Valerie Loureda will make her return to the cage when she faces Tara Graff in a flyweight bout at Bellator 243. The California-based promotion announced the fight on Wednesday. Bellator 243 takes place on Aug. 7 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut and is headlined by a rematch between Michael Chandler and Benson Henderson. Loureda vs. Graff will take place on the prelims, which stream on Bellator’s YouTube channel beginning at 6:45 p.m. ET/4:45 p.m. PT.

.@ValerieLouredaa returns to the cage to take on @Graff_Tara next Friday at #Bellator243!

Catch all the prelims on our Youtube channel and the Bellator app. pic.twitter.com/HwPAxCYQ0P

— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) July 29, 2020

Anchored at American Top Team, Loureda has kicked off her Bellator tenure with victories over Colby Fletcher and Larkyn Dasch in her first two outings. She was initially scheduled to return against Graff at Bellator 238 in January but had to withdr…

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Stipe Miocic may be preparing for his trilogy with Daniel Cormier, but that doesn’t mean he can’t have some fun while helping promote a brand he supports.

The UFC heavyweight champion recently appeared in a humorous commercial for Fire Dept Coffee, which is founded, owned and produced by firefighters. Miocic, of course, is a full-time firefighter in Ohio along with his professional MMA career.

Miocic is slated to defend his heavyweight crown against Cormier in the UFC 252 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Aug. 15.

Here’s a further description of Fire Dept Coffee from its website:

Fire Dept. Coffee is a veteran-owned business dedicated to providing great-tasting, easy-drinking coffee to hardworking people everywhere. Every order is fres…

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Two fighters from UFC on ESPN 14 are facing a potentially lengthy time on the sideline following Saturday’s card.

Peter Sobotta, who dropped a unanimous decision to Alex Oliveira in a welterweight contest, is suspended 180 days unless his right forearm is cleared by an x-ray. At a minimum he is suspended 30 days for a left eyelid laceration.

Mike Grundy, who lost to Movsar Evloev by unanimous decision at featherweight, will be out 180 days unless he is cleared by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. At a minimum, Grundy is suspended 30 days with 21 days no contact.

The UFC, which oversaw the event, released a full list of medical suspensions to mixedmartialarts.com. UFC on ESPN 14 took place at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi and saw Robert Whittaker defeat Darren Till via unanimous decision in the evening’s headlin…

Former UFC heavyweight title challenger Antonio Silva is expected to make his return after a three-year absence against Brett Martin at Taura MMA 11 on Oct. 30.

Combate was first to report that Silva had signed with the Brazilian MMA promotion. Taura MMA 11 takes place in Kissimmee, Florida, and is also expected to include former UFC fighters Rousimar Palhares, Guto Innocente and William Macario on the card.

Silva hasn’t competed since June 2, 2017, when he suffered a second-round knockout loss against Vitaly Minakov at Fight Nights Global 68. “Bigfoot” has lost his last five professional outings dating back to a first-round TKO defeat to Mark Hunt at UFC 193. The 40-year-old Brazilian is 19-12-1 as a professional and owns notable wins over the likes of Alistair Overeem, Travis Browne, Fedor Emelianenko and Andrei Arlovski.

Martin, who is the Legacy Fighting Alliance heavyweight champion, enters the matchup on a five-bout winning streak. The 26-year-old Triumph …