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Chris Weidman will make his return to middleweight against Omari Akhmedov at a UFC event on Aug. 8.

Russian outlet TASS was first to report the pairing. The event will be headlined by a heavyweight showdown between Derrick Lewis and Alexey Oleynik and is expected to be held at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

A former 185-pound champion, Weidman moved up to light heavyweight at UFC on ESPN 6, where he suffered a first-round knockout loss to Dominick Reyes this past October. The 35-year-old New York native has lost five of his last six UFC outings — all via knockout or technical knockout.

Akhmedov is unbeaten in his last six UFC bouts, with a majority draw against Marvin Vettori the only blemish on his ledger during that time. Most recently, “Wolverine” outpointed Ian Heinisch at UFC 245 on Dec. 14.

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Over the weekend, UFC two-division champion Amanda Nunes revealed that retirement could be in her plans for the near future during an appearance on Brazilian TV Show "Esporte Espetacular.”

“Ah, I don’t know. I’ve achieved everything I wanted,” Nunes said (translation via MMAFighting.com). “I’m well. I can go on with my life, maybe a (take) new step, maybe find new talents, help some girls there … maybe be a coach, too.

“I’m in a moment that I can retire, you know, and I’m in a moment that I can fight. I’m fine. There’s nothing else to be done right now in the division. The Hall of Fame will come, for sure. My life going forward, if I do stop now, the UFC will give me every support I need to continue having my money and work.”

That revelation came as a surprise to Dana White, who revealed on the Schmozone Podcast …

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Justin Gaethje has a fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov in his future, but if he becomes the undisputed lightweight king, a date with Conor McGregor could loom.

McGregor recenty announced his retirement via Twitter, his third such announcement in recent years. On the other two occasions, McGregor eventually returned to the Octagon, and many believe his latest exit is another negotiating ploy. The “Notorious” also expressed disappointment that the promotion didn’t book him against Gaethje after “The Highlight” defeated Tony Ferguson at UFC 249.

Gaethje is especially confident that McGregor will end the latest hiatus if he knocks off Nurmagomedov in their bout, which is rumored for September. McGregor already lost to Nurmagomedov via submission in October 2018, and Gaethje isn’t as certain that the former two-division champi…

The midweek UFC “Fight Island” card has its headliner, as Calvin Kattar will square off against Dan Ige in a featherweight bout on July 15.

ESPN was first to report the pairing. The event will be held at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and is also expected to include a women’s strawweight clash pitting Carla Esparza against Marina Rodriguez.

Kattar has been victorious in five of his seven UFC appearances. “The Boston Strangler” is coming off a vicious knockout of Jeremy Stephens at UFC 249 on May 9. The 32-year-old also owns notable wins over Ricardo Lamas, Shane Burgos and Andre Fili.

A veteran of Season 1 of Dana White’s Contender Series, Ige has been on a roll since losing his Octagon debut to Julio Arce. The 28-year-old Xtreme Couture representative has rebounded from that defeat to post six consecutive triumphs, including a split verdict over Edson Barboza in his most recent outing at UFC on ESPN 8.

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The winners of the two featured bouts at UFC on ESPN 10 are facing potentially lengthy medical suspensions unless they receive medical clearance.

Cynthia Calvillo, who defeated Jessica Eye via unanimous decision in Saturday’s flyweight headliner, must have an MRI on her shoulder and receive clearance or she will be sidelined until Dec. 11. At a minimum Calvillo is suspended until July 14 with no contact until July 5.

Meanwhile, Marvin Vettori is also looking at a six-month sit following his first-round submission of Karl Roberson in the middleweight co-main event. “The Italian Dream” must have an MRI on his right knee and doctor clearance if the results are positive to avoid being out until Dec. 11. At a minimum, Vettori is suspended until July 14 with no contact until July 5.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission…

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Max Rohskopf will replace Joe Solecki and face Austin Hubbard in a lightweight clash at UFC on ESPN 11.

The Las Vegas-based promotion confirmed the new pairing on Monday. Solecki announced his withdrawal from the contest over the weekend, citing “reasons beyon my control.” UFC on ESPN 11 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday and is headlined by a heavyweight clash between Curtis Blaydes and Alexander Volkov. The card airs on ESPN and ESPN+.

The 25-year-old Rohskopf is 5-0 thus far in his MMA career, with all of his victories coming via submission inside of two rounds. Most recently, the Zenith MMA product tapped out Paulo Silva in 53 seconds at Titan FC 59 on Feb. 28.

A former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion, Hubbard has lost two of …

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Things did not go as planned for Jessica Eye in regards to UFC on ESPN 10.

First, the Ohio native missed weight on Friday, and then after a solid opening round, she was controlled the rest of the way by Cynthia Calvillo en route to losing a unanimous decision in Saturday’s headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The former flyweight title challenger seems to be taking her latest defeat in stride, even amid criticism for her issues on the scale and being part of a bout that was questioned by many fans as being main-event worthy.

“I am never ashamed of myself no matter what the outcome is in a fight in the octagon,” Eye wrote on Instagram. “I am beyond thankful for every moment that I have, whether it’s good or bad. I am grateful for the support and even more for the critical assholes that seem to just have nothing…

@TouchyFili #UFCVegas2 pic.twitter.com/G0KlZrXsZQ

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 14, 2020

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Though he won’t turn 30 until later this month, Andre Fili has already stepped inside the UFC’s Octagon 15 times.

His latest appearance at UFC on ESPN 10 was a success, but it wasn’t without some suspense, as he ultimately edged Charles Jourdain via split decision in a featured featherweight but at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

“I was begging God. Man, I don’t understand (the split decision),” Fili said. “I really feel like I didn’t perform as well as I could have. I’m my own hardest critic. If you scored that fight for him, I don’t know what fight you were watching. Respect to Jourdain. He was telling me I won the fight.”

After being dropped in the opening stanza, Fili …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLGCf1OIbf8&w=560&h=315]

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When it comes to attendance at Ultimate Fighting Championship events, it’s all or nothing for Dana White.

The UFC president addressed the possibility of holding cards at venues filled at a fraction of their capacity down the road, a retriction that would be imposed to enforce social distancing guidelines to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Given that option, White would prefer to remain at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas with closed-door events for the time being.

“I won’t do that,” White said at the UFC on ESPN 10 post-fight press conference. “I won’t do a 50 percent arena. I’ll just stay here. It makes more sense just to stay here.”

According to White, the promotion is in discussion with a few states regarding open events. Each state in the U.S. ha…

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. With just one appearance under her belt, Cynthia Calvillo already looks like a contender in the UFC women’s flyweight division. After a rocky opening round, Calvillo was impressive in earning a unanimous decision over former title challenger Jessica Eye in the UFC on ESPN 10 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Calvillo landed takedowns in each of the final four frames and also outlanded her opponent by a signficant margin.

“I felt great. It was kinda weird because I didn’t feel depleted or smaller [as] I do at strawweight,” Calvillo said during an interview on the ESPN+ post-fight show. “At [125] I feel so much [more] comfortable. My cardio felt way better. It was my first time doing a five-round fight. I wanted to see how I’d do with the nerves and evertything heading into the fifth round. I had plenty of ene…

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 on ESPN 10 coverage will begin Saturday at approximately 6:45 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:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the …

THE MACHINE - @MerabDvalishvil! #UFCVegas2 pic.twitter.com/ClBq38Bp5z

— UFC (@ufc) June 14, 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. Relentless pace, takedowns and top control carried Merab Dvalishvili to a clear-cut unanimous decision triumph over Combate Americas champion Gustavo Lopez in the UFC on ESPN 10 featured preliminary bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Two judges submitted 30-26 scorecards, while a third saw the catchweight bout 30-25 — all in favor of the Serra-Longo Fight Team member.

The largest underdog on the card, Lopez never had an answer for his opponent’s pressure. Dvalishvili landed multiple takedowns in each period, advanced position and picked his spots to land purposeful ground-and-pound. While Lopez (11-5, 0-1 UFC) was able to scramble back to his feet repeatedly, he often found himself planted back on the canvas …

Jessica Eye has missed weight for the #UFCVegas2 flyweight main event, coming in at 126.25 poundspic.twitter.com/fHfZoh46x0

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 12, 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 busy June schedule rolls on with UFC on ESPN 10, and there was plenty of drama surrounding the scales. The Saturday night event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas will now be headlined by a women’s catchweight bout between Jessica Eye and Cynthia Calvillo. Eye (15-7, 1 NC) is the more experienced of the two headliners with 12 fights inside the Octagon. “Evil” has won four of her last five with a brutal knockout at the feet of Valentina Shevchenko being the lone blemish in that stretch. Eye, who came in five pounds overweight for her last bout, still failed to come in under the flyweight limit by weighin…

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 has now added the 11th and 12th bouts on its upcoming pay-per-view in June. An initial report from Finnish site Sportii published an interview Makwan Amirkhani (15-4) had done where he claimed he will be facing Danny Henry (12-3) on July 11 at UFC 251. This match, and the one that follows, have been added to the first card that will be held on “Fight Island,” which will be in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Amirkhani lost by knockout for the first time in his career his last time out at UFC 244 in 2019, after Shane Burgos finished him with 28 seconds left in their bout. Prior to the punctuating defeat, “Mr. Finland” scored a split decision over Jason Knight in 2018 and became the first fighter to tap Chris Fishgold when he hit an anaconda choke in June 2019. Two-thirds of Amirkhani’s victories ha…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oU9PE4WM7cE&w=560&h=315] 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 flyweight Jessica Eye was unsurprisingly outspoken about her opportunity as a headliner as well as what it took to get there. As of June 5, Eye has competed as a pro in MMA for 10 years. She joined the UFC in 2013, and earned a split decision over Sarah Kaufman that was later overturned to a no-contest when Eye failed a post-fight drug test for marijuana. In her 13th outing with the Las Vegas-based promotion, Eye will be serving as the headliner of an ESPN card. When she received the call to serve in the marquis billing of a fight card, she was taken aback.

“I didn’t even hear the matchup when they talked to me,” Eye explained at UFC on ESPN 10’s Virtual Media Day. ”’Main event, hell yeah, who is it,’” she asked her manager. When her ma…

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 on 4:40 p.m. to reflect the new opponent for Dvalishvili. It was updated again at 5:20 p.m. to add a post from Borg. The upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Saturday has taken a hit, as Ray Borg has been forced to pull out of his scheduled match.

The news was announced at the end of UFC Virtual Media Day, after Merab Dvalishvili (10-4) and Borg (13-5) did not attend. According to UFC staff, Borg withdrew for personal reasons. He was set to face Dvalishvili at bantamweight, at the UFC on ESPN 10 event set to take place on June 13 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. This will be the eighth time that the hard-luck Borg has been forced to withdraw from a UFC fight, one shy of the record held by Thiago Alves.

Family first, see you soon son. pic.…

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 solid women’s flyweight matchup will be going down on a Ultimate Fighting Championship “Fight Island” card in July. Jim Edwards first reported the booking on Wednesday. Molly McCann (10-2) will be squaring off with Taila Santos (15-1) in the flyweight division at the Fight Night event on July 15. The card will be held on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. McCann has since confirmed the pairing on her Instagram page on Thursday.

Although unsuccessful in her debut against Gillian Robertson, former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship champ McCann has rattled off three wins -- all by unanimous verdict -- over Priscila Cachoeira, Ariane Lipski and Diana Belbita in 2019. Additionally, "Meatball" recently faced Abbie O'Toole in a grappling match and won on the scorecards. McCann was set to face Ashlee Evans-Smith in Marc…

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Former Cage Warriors light heavyweight king Modestas Bukauskas will make his first UFC foray against Vinicius Moreira Castro on July 15.

Bukaukas confirmed the pairing on Twitter following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com. The UFC event takes place at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. MMAjunkie also reported two other bouts for the July 15 card: Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Aleksander Doskalchuk at flyweight and Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Mounir Lazzez at welterweight.

Bukauskas will enter his Octagon debut on a five-bout winning streak, with all of those victories coming inside the distance. An alum of the Brazilian version of Dana White’s Contender Series, Castro has lost his first three UFC appearances — all inside of a round.

Dagestan’s Ulanbekov has lost just …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8UDG1x3Dq8&w=560&h=315]

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A flyweight showdown between former Fight Nights Global champion Zhalgas Zhumagulov and Raulian Paiva has been added to the UFC 251 bill.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the booking. UFC 251 takes place at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi on July 11 and is headlined by a welterweight championship clash between Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns.

Zhumagulov enters his promotional debut on a four-bout winning streak that includes notable wins against Ali Bagautinov and Tyson Nam. The 31-year-old Kazakhstan native owns a 13-3 professional mark and has finished seven of his triumphs inside the distance.

After beginning his promotional tenure with back-to-back losses, Brazil’s Paiva earned his first Octagon triumph at UFC Fight Night 167, where he knocked out Mark …

Getty/UFC

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. Luis Pena will square off against Khama Worthy at a UFC event on June 27.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the lightweight bout. The card takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a 155-pound matchup between Dustin Poirier and Dan Hooker.

A competitor on Season 27 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Pena has won three of his last four promotional outings. Most recently, “Violent Bob Ross” garnered a unanimous decision victory against Steve Garcia at UFC Fight Night 169 on Feb. 29.

Worthy, meanwhile, scored a considerable upset in his Octagon debut when he defeated Devonte Smith via first-round TKO at UFC 241 last August. Worthy is on a six-fight winning streak overall.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vgeaYcJTnA&w=560&h=315]

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Zarrukh Adashev will replace Ryan Benoit and face Tyson Nam at UFC on ESPN 10 this Saturday.

TSN was first to report the new booking. UFC on ESPN 10 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday and is headlined by a flyweight clash between Jessica Eye and Cynthia Calvillo. The card will air on ESPN and ESPN+.

After losing his professional debut, the 27-year-old Adashev compiled a three-fought winning streak in Bellator MMA, with two of those triumphs coming inside the distance. Adashev also has competed in Glory Kickboxing.

Nam is still looking for his first UFC triumph after dropping decisions to Sergio Pettis and Kai Kara-France in his first two Octagon appearances.

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A pair of new lightweight matchups have been added to the UFC’s June 20 bill, as Clay Guida will square off against Bobby Green, while Jim Miller will lock horns with Roosevelt Roberts.

Guida announced his clash with Green on social media, while MMAjunkie.com first brought word of Miller vs. Roberts. The card takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a heavyweight duel between Curtis Blaydes and Alexander Volkov.

Guida has lost two of his last three Octagon appearances since 2018 and is coming off a 58-second submission defeat against Jim Miller at UFC on ESPN 5. Green has been victorious in just one of his last seven UFC bouts — a three-round verdict over Erik Koch at UFC on Fox 27 in January 2018.

Miller had a modest two-bout winning streak snapped at UFC Fight Night 167, where he fell to Sco…

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The long-awaited trilogy bout between Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier finally has a date.

Dana White announced Tuesday on ESPN’s “First Take” that Miocic will defend his title against Cormier at UFC 252 on Aug. 15. A location for the event has yet to be disclosed, but it is expected to take place in the United States.

Miocic and Cormier first squared off at UFC 226, when “DC” become a two-division champion with a first-round knockout victory on July 7, 2018. Miocic got revenge in the rematch, as he rallied for a fourth-round technical knockout triumph to reclaim the heavyweight crown at UFC 241 last August.

Miocic has been sidelined recovering from eye surgery as a result of being poked in the eye during his most recent fight with Cormier. The Ohio-based firefighter owns notable wins over the likes of Francis Nga…

A bantamweight clash between Holly Holm and Irene Aldana will headline an Ultimate Fighting Championship card on Aug. 1.

The event is expected to be a UFC Fight Night and will take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card will also included a middleweight matchup pitting Derek Brunson against Edmen Shahbazyan. ESPN.com was first to report the bouts.

Holm, a former bantamweight champion, has won three of her last five UFC appearances. Most recently, the Jackson-Wink MMA staple took a unanimous decision over Raquel Pennington in a rematch at UFC 246 on Jan. 18.

Aldana has been on a roll of late, winning five of her last six in the Octagon. The 32-year-old Mexican bantamweight earned a signature victory in her last outing, as she knocked out Ketlen Vieira in the opening stanza at UFC 245.

Brunson went 2-0 in 2019, defeating both Ian Heinisch and Elias Theodorou by unanimous decision. The North Carolina native’s UFC tenure also includes wins over the likes …