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Edson Barboza didn’t feel like a man on a three-fight losing streak heading into his matchup with Makwan Amirkhani at UFC Fight Night 179.

However, that’s exactly what the Brazilian’s record showed following a skid that included back-to-back split-decision defeats at the hands of Paul Felder and Dan Ige. So one can’t blame Barboza if he felt a sense of relief after a unanimous decision victory in Saturday’s co-main event at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

“I feel like I take a couple hundred thousand pounds off my shoulder,” Barboza said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “It’s hard. I thought I win my last two fights against Paul and Ige. Thank God I’m back to get my ‘W,’ and I’m very, very happy.”

Barboza was explosive and efficient against Amirkhani, flooring his opponent twice in the second stanza in a convincing performance. Making the performance more impressive was the fact that Barboza had to make some adjustments when Amirkhani replac…

Cory Sandhagen provided the type of finish on Saturday night that gives him serious leverage in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s bantamweight division.

The Elevation Fight Team standout dispatched Marlon Moraes in spectacular fashion, knocking out the former 135-pound title challenger with a spinning wheel kick and follow-up punches 63 seconds into Round 2 of their headlining bout at UFC Fight Night 179 in Abu Dhabi.

While it seems inevitable that the Las Vegas-based promotion will eventually book Aljamain Sterling against reigning bantamweight king Petr Yan, there’s always a possibility Sandhagen could skip to the front of the line – even with a first-round submission loss to “The Funkmaster” on his resume. It wouldn’t be the first time merit took a backseat in a sport that places a premium on entertainment.

“I would feel really bad if they did me and Yan, and they did that to Sterling,” Sandhagen said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “That being…

THE MOST UNBELIEVABLE KO IN UFC HISTORY #UFCFightIsland5 pic.twitter.com/O7BOJg8h9c

— UFC (@ufc) October 10, 2020

Joaquin Buckley could have received the UFC’s entire allotment of bonus money on Saturday night and few outside of those competing on the card would have complained.

As it stands, Buckley received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for a “Knockout of the Year” candidate against Impa Kasanganay in a preliminary middleweight contest at UFC Fight Night 179 in Abu Dhabi. After Kasanganay caught a kick from his opponent, Buckley capitalized with a jumping spinning back kick to the face. The blow rendered Kasanganay unconscious before he hit the canvas, and the contest ended at the 2:03 mark of Round 2.

Meanwhile, headliner Cory Sandhagen received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award for a spectacular knockout of his own. The Elevation Fight Team product finished former World Series of Fighting champ Marlon Moraes wit…

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. Cory Sandhagen appears to have shed the dark horse label once and for all. The fast-rising Elevation Fight Team star moved one step closer to a shot at the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight crown, as he blew away Marlon Moraes with a spinning wheel kick and follow-up punches in the second round of their UFC Fight Night 179 headliner on Saturday at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Moraes (23-7-1, 5-3 UFC) bowed out 63 seconds into Round 2.

Sandhagen (13-2, 6-1 UFC) used his height and length to his advantage throughout the first round, where he chopped away at the Brazilian’s legs and body with kicks. His fluid stance switches paid dividends, as well, allowing him to connect with jabs from both hands that led to significant damage near Moraes’ right eye. Sandhagen moved forward roughly a minute into …

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Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 179 coverage will begin Saturday at 5 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 roun…

THE MOST UNBELIEVABLE KO IN UFC HISTORY #UFCFightIsland5 pic.twitter.com/O7BOJg8h9c

— UFC (@ufc) October 10, 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.

Joaquin Buckley ensured his permanent residence on future Ultimate Fighting Championship highlight reels.

The Finney’s Hit Squad product knocked out Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Impa Kasanganay with a spinning back kick to the face in the second round of their middleweight prelim at UFC Fight Night 179 on Saturday at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. A short-notice replacement for Abu Azaitar, Kasanganay (8-1, 1-1 UFC) hit the deck 2:03 into Round 2.

The two men engaged in a firefight, until Buckley (11-3, 1-1 UFC) authored an all-time finish. Kasanganay blocked a head kick and caught the Bellator MMA veteran’s foot. However, he held on for too…

Timothy Johnson spoiled the Frenchman’s party for the first-ever Bellator event in France. 

Johnnson (15-6) defeated Cheick Kongo (30-11-2) via split decision in a heavyweight matchup of Ultimate Fighting Championship veterans in the Bellator Paris headliner at Accor Arena in Paris, France, on Saturday. In the opening stanza, Johnson exploited a careless leg kick from Kongo to take his opponent on the canvas. The American fighter pressed on the accelerator from there and almost closed the contest early with a flurry of punches. But Kongo was able to survive the sticky situation once Johnson’s pace slowed.

In the second stanza, the French veteran showed off some of his skills from the Thai clinch before moving the action to the ground himself and controlling Johnson on the canvas. In the last stanza, the two contenders clinched for most of the time against the fence, where it seemed that Johnson prevailed in the exchanges. At the end of the contest, tw…

ICYMI: MamedKhalidov landed one of the best knockouts ever seen in KSW tonight! #KSW55 pic.twitter.com/1bKnY9KXZm

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) October 11, 2020

The greatest fighter in KSW history turned back the clock—and won back the belt that had once been his.

In the main event of KSW 55 on Saturday, 40-year-old Mamed Khalidov returned to the cage in the wake of three straight losses and two announced retirements to face middleweight champion Scott Askham, who had thoroughly dominated him in their previous meeting at KSW 52 last December. Askham, holding the KSW middleweight title that Khalidov had vacated in 2018 to pursue a pair of champ-vs.-champ bouts with light heavyweight champion Tomasz Narkun, was the substantial favorite, but once the action began, Khalidov was the aggressor. After a couple of tentative early exchanges, Khalidov leapt forward and threw a jumping switch kick, his right foot landing perfectly on the champ’s jaw. Askham went…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZc_wzZWFec&w=560&h=315] The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s latest stint on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, continues on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 179. The 13-fight card is now official after all fighters made weight and is set to be headlined by bantamweight contenders Marlon Moraes and Cory Sandhagen.

Finishes over Raphael Assuncao, Jimmie Rivera and Aljamain Sterling have proven Moraes (23-6-1) as one of the most dangerous fighters in the division. While “Magic” came up short against former titleholder Henry Cejudo, he bounced back with a split decision win over Jose Aldo. The Brazilian will look to earn another crack at the belt with a win and came in at 136 pounds.

Sandhagen (12-2) is looking to rebound over a disappointing performance against Sterling that saw him get choked out in less than 90-seconds. Prior to that defeat, the Colorado native won decisions over Assuncao and John Lineker. Sandhagen took full advantage of t…

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

Bellator MMA’s France debut is officially set. Split into two cards called Bellator 248 and Bellator Paris, there are 12 fights in total set. All fighters officially made weight, so no drama preceded the first major mixed martial arts card in the country.

Bellator 248 is headlined by a 175-pound catchweight bout between Michael Page and Ross Houston. Page (17-1) is a knockout artist that has rebounded nicely since his lone loss to Douglas Lima, even if he hasn’t faced top competition. “Venom” will look to extend his knockout streak to four against Houston (8-0, 1 NC), an undefeated fighter out of Scotland. A former Cage Warriors champion, “The Hitman” has wins over Stefano Paterno, Nathan Jones, and Aaron Khalid.

The Bellator Paris half of the card is second and will see Cheick Kongo look to continue his impressive nine-fight undefeated streak against fellow Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Tim…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-p5zCo_Cvc&w=560&h=315]

Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki returns this weekend with its third card of 2020. The event is headlined by a rematch between middleweight champion Scott Askham and former titleholder Mamed Khalidov. All eight fights are now official after the weigh-ins.

Unlike their bout last year, the rematch will not be contested at a catchweight and is for the title that Askham (19-4) holds. Khalidov (34-7-2) was the longtime titleholder of KSW’s middleweight championship but retired after losing two catchweight bouts against light heavyweight champion Tomasz Narkun. Like most retirements in mixed martial arts, it didn’t stick and Khalidov came back just a year later to unsuccessfully challenge Askham.

KSW 55 will stream live on Dazn starting at 2 p.m. ET.

KSW 55 Weigh-in Results: Scott Askham (185) vs. Mamed Khalidov (185)Aleksandar Ilic (186) vs. Michal Materla (186)Andreas Gustafsson (186) vs. Damian Janikowski (186…

January 16th business is boomin pic.twitter.com/uDyYXSfoAz

— Baldy Ed (@brianboom135) October 9, 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 fun scrap nixed in September has been rescheduled for a newly announced Ultimate Fighting Championship card in January. The news first coming out on Friday from MMA Fighting, Brian Kelleher (22-11) has since confirmed on Twitter that he will be competing on a Jan. 16 UFC event. On this fight card, he will be facing Ricky Simon (16-3) at bantamweight, in a bout previously booked on UFC Fight Night 176 only to fall off when one of Simon’s cornermen tested positive for COVID-19. There is not currently a venue set, although it is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas due to the coronavirus pandemic still affecting the U.S. There are no other bouts currently set for the event.

Kelleher …

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 major strawweight battle between two elite grapplers is on the books for to the year-end Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view event. On Friday, MMA Fighting first reported that Mackenzie Dern (9-1) has agreed to take on Virna Jandiroba (16-1) at strawweight at UFC 256. Other outlets have since confirmed the booking arrangement, while noting that the two have not yet signed their contracts. Should this bout come to fruition on Dec. 12 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, it will be between two jiu-jitsu masters that have earned a combined 19 submission victories across their 25 career wins.

Dern recently competed at UFC Fight Night 178 in September, where she tapped Randa Markos with a first-round armbar. In that bout, Dern became the first fighter to put Markos on a losing streak, as the Canadian had never before lost consecu…

Fifteen years ago, the rivalry between Brazilian Top Team and Chute Boxe used to make Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba hostile territory for anyone representing the opposing team.

Wanderlei Silva adopted the phrase “time is the best medicine,” launching his autobiography on Thursday titled “Sem Coleira” in former rival city Rio de Janeiro. Unconcerned with a hostile reception, those in attendance including even former enemies gave him a hero’s welcome, and “The Axe Murderer” was truly moved from the fans in the city. In his release party, Silva was able to celebrate with the fans and former rival teams in Rio de Janeiro, in a beautiful tribute for the legend of the sport.

Those in attendance included fans, journalists, Luta Livre members, Nova Uniao and even former enemies from BTT.

“Fifteen years ago, it would be impossible for me to be here,” expressed BTT founder “Bebeo” Duarte. The Carlson Gracie black belt was also joined by Carlos Barreto at the ceremony. “I would …

WHAT A FINISHSam-A knocks out Josh Tonna in the second round to retain the ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Title! #ReignOfDynasties #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/NnsN646la0

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) October 9, 2020 One Championship returned to Singapore with a solid MMA card and a muay Thai title on the line in the main event.

One: Reign of Dynasties was headlined by a strawweight championship clash pitting Sam-A Gaiyanghadao against Josh Tonna. It took one round to Sam-A to figure Tonna out, as the opening stanza developed at a slower pace than expected. In the second round, the Thai champion pressed on the accelerator and dropped his opponent three times. The final count came after a series of devastating combinations that mixed punches in with head kicks. The bout’s official end came at the 2:30 mark, courtesy of the promotion’s muay Thai three knockdown rule.

Reece "Lightning" McLaren…

pic.twitter.com/tqEPHn1PRq

— Rafael dos Anjos (@RdosAnjosMMA) October 8, 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. The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s upcoming six-fight main card pay-per-view has taken a hit. Rafael dos Anjos posted on Twitter on Thursday night that he has contracted COVID-19 and can no longer compete at UFC 254. Dos Anjos was set to face Islam Makhachev on the main card, which is set to go down on Oct. 24 on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is unclear if the promotion will seek a replacement or if Makhachev will be removed from the event altogether.

Dos Anjos made a change in camps from his own RDA Academy and splitting time with Evolve MMA to go down to Nova Uniao and train with Andre Pederneiras and Jose Aldo. The former lightweight king has lost four of five bouts, with a fourth-round submission…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOxjpQ45664&w=560&h=315] Ultimate Fighting Championship and Professional Fighters League veteran Rashid Magomedov is returning to compete in his home country of Russia.

Magomedov (23-5-1) was originally billed to face Eduard Vartanyan in his first outing with Absolute Championship Akhmat, but Magomedov was forced withdraw from that bout due to health reasons. ACA officials told Sherdog on Thursday that Magomedov will now be taking on fellow ACA newcomer Artem Damkovsky (23-11). The two will square off at lightweight at ACA 113, which will be held on Nov. 6 in Moscow.

Magomedov had competed six times under the UFC banner, losing only once to current top contender Beneil Dariush. Leaving the promotion of his own accord in 2018 to compete for the PFL with visions of winning the million-dollar prize, things did not go as smoothly for him. The 2018 season saw “Gorets” reach the 2018 championships on the strength of two wins and a dra…

Emotional moment of Daniel jubileu MMA pic.twitter.com/JM5Hqbmr8a

— ACAMMA (@ACA_League) October 6, 2020 The ACA 112 event in Grozny, Russia, consisted of only 10 fights, but according to the president of Absolute Championship Akhmat, the shortening of the card actually improved its quality.

The main event and most striking of the evening was the fight between the champion “Jubileu” Deivi Daniel Oliveira de Almeida and Abdul-Rakhman Dudaev. ACA President Alexey Yatsenko admitted to Sherdog that he changed his mind several times during the fight about who would win it.

“I knew from the very beginning that it would be an interesting bout,” explained Yatsenko. “Of course, the audience was disappointed with the defeat of the local star, one of the best Russian fighters. But we knew how Jubileu broke into our league. In February 2019, he came on as a substitute, not in his weight, agreeing to fight five days before the event. And he simply too…

THE TRILOGY STRIKES BACK.

Cage Warriors 117, 118 and 119 will take place on the 10th, 11th and 12th of December.

Multiple world title fights PLUS some big new signings to announce!

York Hall, London. pic.twitter.com/50cZ2M16us

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) October 8, 2020 Cage Warriors Fighting Championship is running a trio of consecutive events again soon.

With Cage Warriors’ success promoting “The Trilogy,” the three back-to-back nights of fight action staged in September, the promotion is using the same strategy again. On Thursday, the British organization announced three more consecutive cards. "The Trilogy Strikes Back” events will consist of CW 117, CW 118 and CW 119. All three will go down at the York Hall in London, England, on December 10, 11 and 12, respectively.

“Reaction to the first Trilogy series was off the charts, so we knew we had to do it again,” wrote Cage Warrior president Graham Boylan in a press releas…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NfgOytZCpI&w=560&h=315] Join DAZN free for 30 days and live-stream fight night anywhere!

Bellator MMA is splitting up its upcoming card to air on various platforms.

The promotion put out a press release on Thursday announcing the official lineup for Bellator 248, which consists of 12 fights and two headliners. The first show, officially titled Bellator 248, will feature of four bouts topped by Michael Page vs. Ross Houston at a 175-pound catchweight. The event will then transition to the title of Bellator Paris, where it will relocate its broadcast for eight bouts ending with the Cheick Kongo vs. Saul Rogers vs. Arbi Mezhidov will move to Channel 5 in the UK.

With this release, the organization officially confirmed the loss of the Davy Gallon vs. Brian Hooi matchup, as news broke on Wednesday that Hooi tested positive for COVID-19. Additionally, it was formalized that Melvin Manhoef will not be facing Simon Biyong on the car…

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. One way or another, Thomas Almeida will fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship shortly. MMA Junkie first broke the news on Thursday morning that Almeida (21-3) will be taking on Jonathan Martinez (12-3) at featherweight on UFC Fight Night 180 on Oct. 17. Almeida was originally booked against Alejandro Perez at UFC Fight Night 179 on Oct. 10, but a failed COVID-19 test for Perez scuttled the matchup. Although both Almeida and Martinez typically fight at 135 pounds, the short-notice nature of the pairing forced it to be contested at featherweight. Martinez has since confirmed the booking on his Instagram page.

Attempting to make his first appearance since UFC 220 in 2018, Almeida is looking to snap his first-ever losing streak. A massive 20-fight win streak to open his career came to a violent end when Cody Garbrandt kn…

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 few days after conflicting reports over a Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight matchup came out, a fight has materialized. One day after his dominant performance against Heili Alateng at UFC on ESPN 16, Casey Kenney (15-2-1) was rumored to have an upcoming fight booked against Nathaniel Wood (17-4). Both fighters denied that they had been offered the fight, but it soon came to fruition. The report first came from MMA H.E.A.T. Podcast on Sunday, and on Thursday, Kenney confirmed on his Instagram he would be facing Wood at UFC 254.

At UFC on ESPN 16, Kenney battered Alateng for 15 minutes with repeated vicious left kicks to the body and head to put himself on a two-fight win streak. Two appearances on Dana White's Contender Series did not lead to Kenney’s initial signing with the promotion, as he had to go win interim…

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. An exciting welterweight clash in the Ultimate Fighting Championship has received an equally exciting replacement. On Wednesday night, AgFight first reported that Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (22-7) has been forced to withdraw from his bout against Shavkat Rakhmonov (12-0) at UFC 254. The two were set to collide on Oct. 24 at the Flash Forum in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, but Zaleski dos Santos pulled out due to an injury. He will be replaced by fellow countryman Alex Oliveira (22-8-1, 2 NC), and Rakhmonov has since confirmed the news on his Instagram.

Oliveira will be looking to extend his win streak to three with a short-notice opportunity against the unbeaten Rakhmonov. “Cowboy” has not won three consecutive bouts since a stretch in 2015 early in his UFC tenure. The thrilling Brazilian, who has competed both at…

Spoke with the legendary Georges St-Pierre and asked why he would want to step back into the UFC pressure cooker when he could be comfortably retired.

His reply: "Why step back in? But why NOT step back in? We only live once! So that's the question that I'm facing now." pic.twitter.com/IxYLhBE68O

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) October 7, 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 seems that “Rush” might be considering fighting again, but only against one opponent.

On Feb. 21, 2019, Georges St. Pierre announced his official retirement from mixed martial arts at a press conference at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada. Since then, the former UFC champion decided to focus on his acting career, closing the door for a return in the Octagon.

In a recent interview with ESPN, St. Pierre confessed that he has "mixed feelin…