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Featherweight Vince Murdock has been granted a six-month reduction in what was originally a 20-month sanction after USADA found a “decreased degree of fault” in his anti-doping violation.

Murdock was initially suspended in September 2019 after testing positive for GW1516 metabolites in an out-of-competition urine sample. The fighter did not admit the use of the banned substance in his declaration form but did come forward before entering the USADA program.

“Recently, Murdock submitted new medical records regarding his diagnosis and treatment of Moyamoya, a rare neurological condition that can impact memory and cognition,” a USADA statement read. “These records allowed USADA to reevaluate Murdock’s degree of fault for his positive test and determine that it was appropriate to reduce his sanction from 20 months to 14 mo…

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Renato Carneiro will make his second lightweight appearance against Magomed Mustafaev at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Oct. 17.

Combate was first to report the 155-pound booking. The Fight Night card will be headlined by a featherweight showdown between Chan Sung Jung and Brian Ortega. A location has not been announced, but it will likely be held on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

Carneiro made his lightweight debut at UFC Fight Night 170 in March, when he submitted Damir Hadzovic in 44 seconds. “Moicano’s” move from featherweight to 155 pounds came on the heels of back-to-back losses at the hands of Jung and Jose Aldo.

Mustafaev has lost two of his last three Octagon appearances, including a split-decision setback against Brad Riddell at UFC Fight Night 168 on Feb. 23. The 32-year-old Russian in 3-2 in U…

Sherdog.com

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 home base will receive a significant new addition in the coming months. UFC president Dana White revealed following the Contender Series on Tuesday that the promotion is planning to build a hotel designed specifically for fighters at its growing campus in Las Vegas.

“The Apex has been incredible,” White said. “What we’ve been able to do during this thing has been unbelievable. I don’t even know if you guys know this but I’ll f—-in tell you anyway, we just bought another 10 acres. We’ll probably start building again next year.

“We’re gonna build our own hotel,” White added. “Then we’ll be completely self-sufficient. Obviously with what’s going on right now, having our own hotel would pay for itself quickly.”

The hotel will complement an area that already incl…

Troubled former mixed martial artist Jason Miller was arrested in California after being charged with multiple felonies, according to a report from Fox 11 Los Angeles.

The former UFC talent known as “Mayhem” pleaded not guilty to felony counts of first-degree burglary, unlawful taking of a vehicle and grand theft auto in court on Tuesday. The 39-year-old will be held without bail until a pretrial hearing on Sept. 2. According to Irvine Police Sgt. Karie Davies, Miller knew his victim, who was not identified in the report.

Miller, who was initially arrested at 6:24 p.m. local time this past Friday, was already on probation after pleading guilty to felony vandalism for smashing a large marble table, punching holes in and removing doors and derailing the garage door at his girlfriend’s residence.

Miller has had several altercations with law enforcement in recent years, including a 2014 incident in which he barricaded himself inside his house when police arrived to…

The semifinals of a welterweight grand prix will take place at Elite MMA Championship 5 on Sept. 5.

The promotion announced Wednesday that Ismail Naurdiev, Amiran Gogoladze, Pavel Kusch and Tymoteusz Lopaczyk will take part in the 170-pound bracket. The semifinals will go down on Sept. 5, and the winners will square off for the vacant welterweight crown at EMC 6 later this year.

EMC 5 will be held in Dusseldorf, Germany, and is headlined by a heavyweight championship clash between Satoshi Ishii and Stuart Austin.

Austria’s Naurdiev is a four-time UFC veteran who went 2-2 during his stint with the Las Vegas-based promotion. The 24-year-old has compiled a 19-4 professional mark and owns wins over Siyar Bahadurzada, Michel Prazeres and Ben Alloway.

Gogoladze is a 22-year-old prospect hailing from Akhaltsikhe, Georgia. The M-1 Challenge veteran has been victorious in 10 of his 11 professional appearances.

A native of Ukraine, Kusch is coming off a three-bout s…

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 once again bolstered its ranks through Dana White’s Contender Series. Middleweights Jamie Pickett and Collin Huckbody, flyweight Jeff Molina and featherweight Rafael Alves were all signed by the promotion after they emerged victorious on Week 4 of DWCS on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Sixteen fighters have been granted entry to the UFC since the season started less than a month ago.

In his third appearance on the Contender Series, Pickett cut down Ring of Combat champion Jhonoven Pati with punches in the second round of their middleweight confrontation. Pati (6-4) succumbed to blows 33 seconds into Round 2, buried by an avalanche of rights and lefts.

Pickett (11-4) controlled much of the first round with a punishing jab, a well-timed takedown and a tight guillotine choke that put…

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A featherweight clash pitting Andre Fili against Bryce Mitchell is on tap for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Halloween card.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the booking. The card does not have an official location but is expected to be headlined by a middleweight showdown between Anderson Silva and Uriah Hall.

Anchored at Team Alpha Male, Fili has won five of his last seven promotional appearances. Most recently, the 30-year-old garnered a split verdict over Charles Jourdain at UFC on ESPN 10 on June 13.

Mitchell has kicked off his professional career with 13 consecutive victories, including four in the Octagon. “Thug Nasty” followed his Twister-submission win over Matt Sayles at UFC on ESPN 7 in December with a decision triumph against Charles Rosa at UFC 249 on May 9.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WORkNdJT1r4&w=560&h=315]

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After 32 professional fights, Kevin Croom will get his first Ultimate Fighting Championship opportunity.

Croom will step in for Giga Chikadze in a featherweight matchup against Alex Caceres at UFC Fight Night 175 after Chikadze withdrew from the contest for undisclosed reasons. MMAFighting.com was first to report the change, and Croom later confirmed the news via social media.

UFC Fight Night 175 takes place on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a three-round light heavyweight tilt between Anthony Smith and Aleksandar Rakic. The main card streams on ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, while prelims air on ESPN and ESPN+ beginning at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.

The 33-year-old Croom will enter his Octagon debut with a 20-12 career mark t…

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 DWCS 2020 Week 4 coverage kicks off Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. Round 1 Breeden steps forward and lands a right hand after a feeling-out process from both lightweights. Breeden pressures and lands a body kick and a low kick. Romero has a left high kick blocked, but he follows up with a chopping low kick. Romero misses an uppercut but follows up with a high kick that’s partially blocked. Breeden and Romero trade calf kicks. Romero pumps his jab and snaps Breeden’s head back. Romero pressures with a combination. Breeden just misses on a big right hand. Romero has utilized solid head movement throughout the round. Breeen goes back to the well with a body kick, but he gets tagged by a Romero combination. Romero lands a hard low kick and…

Add Ali Isaev to the list of fighters who is unhappy with Professional Fighters League’s decision to suspend its entire season until 2021.

Isaev, who earned a $1 million prize as the PFL’s 2019 champion, revealed to RT Sport that he would prefer that the organization release him so he can fight elsewhere before the conclusion of 2020. Isaev turns 37 in December and acknowledges that he has a limited time left to compete, which is why he would like to remain as active as possible.

“I’ll be 37 soon. That’s why I wanted the PFL either to give me a fight or let me go, so that I can fight in other promotions before the end of the year,” he said. “Because I can’t wait and take a big break, I want to compete. Time goes by and I have to find new opportunities to make a statement and fight against the top guys.”

While PFL cut a number of fighters following its announcement, those that remain under contract are supposed to receive a monthly cash stipend to support them …

Vadim Nemkov might still be underrated when it comes to recognition among the sport’s top light heavyweights, but that isn’t the case in his home country.

Nemkov received a hero’s welcome upon arriving in Belgorod, Russia, after winning the Bellator light heavyweight title with a second-round knockout of Ryan Bader this past Friday. The 28-year-old was greeted by an appreciative throng while carrying his newly-won belt at what appears to be an airport.

The 28-year-old dropped Bader with a high kick and finished his foe off with punches 3:02 into the second round of the Bellator 244 main event at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Nemkov has won seven consecutive bouts, a string that includes notable wins over Phil Davis, Rafael Carvalho, Liam McGeary and Philipe Lins.

BREAKING!! Marian 'Golden Boy' Ziolkowski (21-7-1) will now challenge Mateusz Gamrot (16-0) for the KSW lightweight championship this Saturday. #KSW54

Ziolkowski replaces Shamil Musaev who sustained an injury. pic.twitter.com/AuHEcVe6tq

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) August 25, 2020 KSW 54 has undergone a last-minute change to its scheduled main event.

On Tuesday morning, Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki revealed that Shamil Musaev sustained a knee injury in training, and he won’t be able to challenge Mateusz Gamrot for the lightweight title at KSW 54. As a re-sult, the Polish promotion announced that "Gamer" is now locking horns with Marian Ziolkowski.

After tapping to former KSW featherweight champion Kleber Koike Erbst in his promotional debut, Ziolkowski (21-7-1) has scored back-to-back victories at the expense of both Grzegorz Szulakowski and Gracjan Szadzinski at KSW 46 and KSW 48, respectively. "Golden Boy" was already scheduled to clash with Maci…

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In the immediate aftermath of his loss to Frankie Edgar at UFC on ESPN 15, Pedro Munhoz wondered aloud if his opponent’s reputation might have helped him on the judges’ scorecards in a contentious split-decision triumph.

While Munhoz didn’t necessarily clamor for an immediate rematch initially, on Monday he changed his tone.

“I’ve always done my talking in the octagon but this needs to be said,” Munhoz wrote on Instagram. “I work too hard to get screwed by poor judges who have no training and even less accountability. Look at the stats and the damage. Look at the 17 of 20 media sites who agreed I won, 7 of which had it 49-46. Tell me how the deciding judge gave round 3 to Frankie. He’s a legend, but I won that fight and want a rematch now, [Dana White].”

Munhoz’s argument is true: the vast majority of media sco…

Despite having a light heavyweight title tilt at the top of the bill, Bellator 244 was not a ratings success for the California-based promotion.

According to ShowBuzz Daily, Friday’s main card averaged just 275,000 viewers on Paramount Network — the lowest of five cards held in 2020 by Bellator. The event was simulcast on Dazn, but viewership figures for the paid streaming service are not released.

Bellator 244 took place at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, and was headlined by a 205-pound championship clash between Vadim Nemkov and Ryan Bader. Nemkov claimed the light heavyweight throne with a second-round knockout of the former UFC standout, while former women’s featherweight queen Julia Budd earned a dominant three-round verdict over Jessy Miele in the co-main event.

The previous low for a Bellator card came on July 24, when Bellator 242 “Pettis vs. Bandejas” averaged 277,000 viewers on Paramount Network. Just two weeks prior, however, a Bellator…

Give him credit. He's dodges questions like Silva dodged punches vs. Griffin

Dana: Oh, Pitbull?Media: Yes, what do you think of him as a fighter.Dana: I don't know. I honestly couldn't tell you.#UFC pic.twitter.com/Av6hzcbEYx

— Jed I. Goodman (@jedigoodman) August 23, 2020 Patricio Freire didn’t take kindly to Dana White’s dismissal of a potential cross-promotional bout between fighters from Bellator MMA and the UFC.

White not only scoffed at the notion of Bellator’s light heavyweight division being superior to the UFC’s, but he also claimed not to be aware of other top talents on the California-based promotion’s roster, including the two-division champion Freire.

First, Freire reminded the world that he defeated Michael Chandler, a fighter whom White has recently expressed interest in signing as a free agent.

Hi [Dana White], I’m the one who destroyed steroids machine [Michael Chandler], whom you said deserves a talk, in 61 sec…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uey2Bl2rZsU&w=560&h=315]

Thor Silva, the son of mixed martial arts legend Wanderlei Silva, was victorious in his amateur boxing debut this past Saturday.

Wanderlei was in Thor’s corner along with Evolução Thai head coach Andre Dida. The 17-year-old Thor squared off against the far more experienced Vinicius Vina, who is also 17 but has 14 bouts under his belt.

“I followed a good part of Wand´s prime in Pride and the UFC and never saw him so nervous,” Dida told Sherdog.com.

The fight was the main event of a Venum Private Fight amateur card. Both Thor and his opponent were aggressive throughout the three-round affair, but the younger Silva ended up winning via decision.

“What impressed me the most about Thor is his mental toughness. It looks like he doesn’t feel the pressure to be Wanderlei Silva´s son,” Dida said. “Now we will have him train jiu-jitsu with Sergio Moraes and next year we want to make his MMA debut in an…

Air Machaev operating normally!#BRAVECF40 pic.twitter.com/1bZoSNhmdm

— BRAVE Combat Federation (@bravemmaf) August 24, 2020

Mochamed Machaev kept his perfect record intact against Shoaib Yousaf in the Brave Combat Federation 40 headliner in Sweden on Monday.

The opening stanza was the most competitive of the featherweight fight, with Yousaf (7-2) coming for-ward with his striking, while Machaev (10-0) answered with his wrestling skills. Starting the second stanza, it was pretty clear that "The Beast" had the edge over his opponent thanks to his relentless takedowns. Machaev dominated Yousaf on the mat over the course of the bout’s final 10 minutes, and all three judges rewarded Machaev with 30-27 scorecards for a unanimous decision victory.

In a post-fight interview, the Austrian fighter asked to compete for the vacant featherweight belt in his next cage appearance.

Who knew a submission win would make someone s…

HOLLAND ENDS IT WITH ONE SHOT!! #UFCVegas6 pic.twitter.com/fgjtLxlkbM

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) August 9, 2020

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A middleweight showdown between Kevin Holland and Darren Stewart is slated for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Sept. 19 offering.

Holland announced the pairing in an Instagram post. The card is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight clash pitting Colby Covington against Tyron Woodley.

Holland has posted a 2-0 mark in UFC competition during the pandemic, earning technical knockout triumphs over Anthony Hernandez and Joaquin Buckley. The 27-year-old Texan has won five of his last six Octagon appearances after falling to former light heavyweight title contender Thiago Santos in his promotional debut.

Stewart, meanwhile, has won…

Well-traveled veteran Satoshi Ishii will get a chance to capture the inaugural Elite MMA Championship heavyweight crown when he faces Stuart Austin on Sept. 5 in Dusseldorf, Germany.

The fledgling promotion announced on Monday that Ishii and Austin will square off in the EMC 5 main event. Two other bouts were confirmed for the event: Konrad Dyrschka vs. Walter Pugliesi at welterweight and Erko Jun vs. Damian Olszewski at heavyweight.

EMC is founded by Ivan and Tomi Dijakovic, who manage and coach notable MMA fighters such as Roberto Soldic, Antun Racic, Thiago Silva, David Zawada and Abus Magomedov. According to a release, more former UFC, PFL and Cage Warriors competitors will be announced for the card in the coming days.

Ishi, 33, has compiled a 23-11-1 career mark while competing for organizations such as Bellator MMA, Rizin Fighting Federation and Professional Fighters League. Most recently, the Osaka, Japan, native halted a three-bout skid with a first-roun…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A32pv7n2TRI&w=560&h=315]

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Ricardo Lamas has a new opponent at UFC Fight Night 175, as former Dana White’s Contender Series competitor Bill Algeo announced on Sunday that he will face the former featherweight title challenger.

Algeo, who revealed the news via social media, steps in for Ryan Hall after the jiu-jitsu ace pulled out of the clash due to injury. UFC Fight Night 175 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday and is headlined by a three-round light heavyweight showcase pitting Anthony Smith against Aleksandar Rakic. The card will stream on ESPN+.

A former Cage Fury Fighting Championships and Ring of Combat featherweight titlist, Algeo will make his promotional debut with a 13-4 career mark. He appeared on Season 3 of the Contender Series, dropping a three-rou…

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Daniel Rodriguez’s resilience made his action-packed scrap with Dwight Grant at UFC on ESPN 15 a solid contender for 2020’s “Round of the Year.”

Grant nearly made it a short night, as he dropped Rodriguez with a right hook and flurried for a finish on his reeling foe at the outset of the bout. Fortunately for Rodriguez, referee Chris Tognoni gave him plenty of leeway to recover. What followed was an impressive rally in which Rodriguez floored the American Kickboxing Academy product three times en route to a knockout victory at the 2:24 mark of Round 1.

“I knew he had power I didn’t expect to get hit with it so early,” Rodriguez said. “I kind of expected I might get hit eventually, because he had these wild, loopy punches… He caught me and I had never been in that situation before, ever. Especially when he pounced on m…

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. This past week, Bellator MMA president Scott Coker proudly proclaimed that his organization possessed the best 205-pound talent pool in mixed martial arts. That statement was based both on pound-for-pound king Jon Jones’ decision to move up to heavyweight in the UFC along with Bellator’s own growing stockpile of fighters at light heavyweight – a stable that now includes recent free-agent signee Corey Anderson.

Not surprisingly, UFC president Dana White isn’t buying it.

“Isn’t he cute?” White said of Coker at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 15 post-fight press conference.

“Everybody they have in their light heavyweight division we let go of. He’s got the best light heavyweight division? We let those guys all go. It’s like the f---ing dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” he later added. “But I get it. He’s got to try to f--ing do his…

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The UFC on ESPN 15 headliner between Pedro Munhoz and Frankie Edgar was undeniably a closely-contested fight.

While the cageside judges awarded Edgar a split-decision triumph, 17 of the 21 unofficial media scorecards tracked by MMADecisions.com had Munhoz winning the bantamweight fight. Munhoz also held the statistical edge, outlanding “The Answer” by a 166-to-135 count in significant strikes — a figure that included a 44-to-7 advantage in leg kicks.

“Not even [just] the leg kicks,” Munhoz said at the UFC on ESPN 15 post-fight press conference. “I was hurting him with jabs. I chase him (for) five rounds. He got a couple takedowns, but he couldn’t do anything with the takedowns. I got back up right away. I was looking for the finish.”

While Munhoz seemed to land with more power when he connected, Edgar certainl…

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Frankie Edgar became just the 11th fighter in UFC history to win a bout in three different weight classes when he earned a split-decision triumph over Pedro Munhoz in the UFC on ESPN 15 headliner on Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Making the feat even more impressive was the fact that the Toms River, N.J., native did so at 38 years old and as the third largest underdog on the card. Edgar, who did not attend Saturday’s post-fight press conference, was well aware of the naysayers heading into his matchup with Munhoz.

“It’s good to be on the winning side. That was a hell of a fight, Pedro is a stud,” Edgar said in a post-fight interview with UFC commentator Jon Anik. “I heard a lot of people barking that I’m old, I’m slow. I definitely proved them all wrong.

“I still got some fight in this tank and we’re going to mak…