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Two title belts will be up for grabs at Invicta Fighting Championships 43.

The promotion announced Wednesday that Invicta FC 43 will be headlined by a showdown for the vacant flyweight championship between Pearl Gonzalez and Erin Blanchfield, while Emily Ducote and Montserrat Ruiz will vie for strawweight gold in the evening’s co-main event.

Invicta FC 43 takes place on Nov. 20 in Kansas City and will stream on UFC Fight Pass beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The event takes place behind closed doors and will utilize open scoring. Additional bouts will be announced in the coming weeks.

A two-time UFC veteran, Gonzalez previously challenged for the flyweight crown at Invicta FC 34, where she fell to Vanessa Porto via technical decision. “The Chi-Town Princess” rebounded to outpoint Brogan Walker-Sanchez at Invicta FC 37 before dropping a unanimous verdict to Miranda Maverick at Invicta FC 39.

Blanchfield has been victorious in six of her first seven profess…

A women’s featherweight clash pitting Leslie Smith against Amanda Bell has been added to the Bellator 245 lineup.

Sherdog.com confirmed the bout with a promotion official on Wednesday. Bellator 245 takes place on Sept. 11 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, and is headlined by a light heavyweight rematch between Phil Davis and Lyoto Machida. Smith vs. Bell will take place on the preliminary card.

After a seven-bout stint with the UFC, Smith fought twice for Bellator in 2019. After earning a majority decision against Sinead Kavanagh in her promotional debut, Smith dropped a unanimous verdict to Arlene Blencowe in her most recent outing at Bellator 233. The 38-year-old is 11-8-1 over the course of a professional career that includes victories over the likes of Irene Aldana, Jennifer Maia and Raquel Pennington.

Bell, meanwhile, has compiled a 3-2 mark while competing for the Scott Coker-led organization. Most recently, “The Lady Killer” defeated Janay…

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Ever since reports surfaced that Brock Lesnar was no longer under contract with the WWE, speculation has run rampant regarding the massive superstar’s next move.

Though Lesnar himself has been quiet, a return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship has been a popular topic of conversation and more specifically, a showdown with former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Jones made it clear he was aware of Lesnar’s free agency when he directed a tweet at the former heavyweight king earlier this week.

While Jones vs. Lesnar is far from becoming a reality, UFC president Dana White would make the fight if Lesnar wanted to step into the Octagon again.

“If they both want to fight each other, I’m sure it’s a fight the fans want to see and it would be a good introduction for Jones into the heavyweight division,” White …

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 on Tuesday brought in more reinforcements through Dana White’s Contender Series, as flyweight Jimmy Flick, light heavyweight William Knight and bantamweight Ronnie Lawrence joined the roster on the strength of impressive Week 5 performances at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Flick submitted Nate Smith with an arm-triangle choke in the third round of their flyweight encounter. Smith (6-1) conceded defeat 3:15 into Round 3, the Elevation Fight Team prospect beaten for the first time as a professional.

Flick (15-5) was masterful on the ground. The Oklahoma-based Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt settled in top position in all three rounds and made passes at a variety of submissions throughout the first 10-plus minutes: a straight armbar, a brabo choke, a triangle choke, an armbar, an omoplata and multipl…

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Sherdog's live DWCS 2020 Week 5 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 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…

Bellator MMA has bolstered its talent pool by signing light heavyweight Viktor Nemkov and featherweight Cody Law.

Sherdog.com confirmed the Nemkov signing with a promotion official following an initial report from Tass, while the promotion announced the addition of Law via social media. A date for the Bellator debuts of Nemkov and Law has not been revealed.

Nemkov is the older brother of Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov. A former M-1 Global champion, Viktor Nemkov last competed under the Professional Fighters League banner, where he was eliminated from the light heavyweight tournament following a draw against Bozigit Ataev . The elder Nemkov is a gold medalist in the Russian Combat Sambo championships and owns notable wins over UFC veterans Gadzhimurad Antigulov and Ronny Markes.

Hello @BellatorMMA pic.twitter.com/chDZA4Zp8S

— Cody Law (@codylaw_160) September 1, 2020

Law, meanwhile, is a former Division I wrestler at…

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A rematch of the “BMF” title fight between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz is currently in the works for a future Ultimate Fighting Championship event.

TMZ Sports initially reported that the matchup would take place on the UFC 256 pay-per-view card on Dec. 12, but ESPN later revealed that a date has not been decided. However, it is unlikely that Masvidal and Diaz would agree to be on the undercard after headlining UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden this past November.

While both Masvidal and Diaz are reportedly interested in the rematch, no agreements have been signed. The contest could potentially headline the UFC’s January pay-per-view, per ESPN.

Masvidal defeated Diaz via doctor stoppage in the UFC 244 main event on Nov. 2. The bout was halted due to a cut on Diaz’s eye, but the Stockton, California, native later…

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Kamaru Usman’s next welterweight title defense will come against Gilbert Burns, and the bout has been targeted for UFC 256 on Dec. 12.

TMZ Sports was first to report the matchup, and it was later confirmed to ESPN by UFC president Dana White. UFC 256 also features a women’s featherweight title tilt between reigning champion Amanda Nunes and Megan Anderson. A location and venue for the event has not been announced.

Usman and Burns were originally supposed to meet at UFC 251 in Abu Dhabi on July 11, but Burns was forced to pull out of the contest after testing positive for COVID-19. Instead, Usman made his second successful title defense with a clear-cut five-round verdict against Jorge Masvidal in the evening’s main event. “The Nigerian Nightmare” has won 16 straight professional bouts – including 12 in the UFC.

Read more about Kamaru Usman Expected to Defend 170-Pound Title vs. Gilbert Burns at UFC 256 on Dec. 12

British heavyweight @AspinallBJJ gets his wish!

He faces Serghei Spivac on Oct 10 pic.twitter.com/OtFxhMcDiM

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) September 1, 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 heavyweight clash pitting Sergey Spivak against Tom Aspinall has been added to the lineup for the the UFC’s Oct. 10 offering.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the pairing on Tuesday. Additionally, MMA DNA has reported that a bantamweight scrap between Ali AlQaisi and Tony Kelley will take place on the card. The UFC Fight Night event is expected to be held on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi and is headlined by a bantamweight showdown between Marlon Moraes and Corey Sandhagen.

A native of Moldova, Spivak has split his first four Octagon appearances. Most recently, the 25-year-old captured a majority decision triumph over Carlos Felipe at U…

Former strawweight queen Jessica Andrade is expected make her 125-pound debut against Katlyn Chookagian at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Oct. 17.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the booking. Andrade was originally linked to a matchup with Jessica Eye, but that bout fell apart after Eye reportedly suffered an injury. The card is expected to be held on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and is headlined by a featherweight duel between Chan Sung Jung and Brian Ortega.

After losing the 115-pound belt to Weili Zhang in a 42-second TKO defeat last year, Andrade returned to the Octagon at UFC 251, where she dropped a split decision against Rose Namajunas. Prior to that two-bout skid, “Bate Estaca” had been victorious in seven of her previous eight promotional appearances. When she makes her flyweight debut, Andrade will have competed in three different weight classes within the Las Vegas-based organization.

Chookagian, meanwhile, challened for flyweight gold at U…

Legacy Fighting Alliance will close out its “Phase Two” series of cards with a middleweight scrap pitting Chidi Njokuani against Cristhian Torres.

The promotion announced that Njokuani vs. Torres will serve as the main event for LFA 91, which takes place at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on Sept. 11. The card will stream on UFC Fight Pass beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Six other bouts have been confirmed for the main card: Kyle Stewart vs. Tim Caron at middleweight; Jamal Pogues vs. Tim Hiley at light heavyweight; Hailey Cowan vs. Kelly Clayton at bantamweight; Nick Maximov vs. Johnny James Jr. at light heavyweight; Nate Togbah Richardson vs. Dariius Estell at featherweight and Josh Quinlan vs. Pete Keepers at welterweight.

Njokuani was released from Bellator in 2019 after a 5-3 stint with the California-based promotion. The 31-year-old last appeared at Bellator 224, where he dropped a unanimous verdict to Rafael Carvalho in July 2019.

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Jon Jones is preparing to make his heavyweight debut, and he’s already making a case as to why he should leapfrog Francis Ngannou to be the division’s No. 1 contender.

“Stipe [Miocic] doesn’t want to fight Francis again because the first fight really wasn’t close,” Jones wrote on Twitter. “Looking at it from Stipe’s point of view, fighting Francis again is definitely more of a lose situation than a win. Stipe asked for a new challenge, why not fight the light heavyweight GOAT?

“Besides, we’re way closer in size. What’s more exciting than that?”

Jones recently vacated his light heavyweight title in preparation for a move to heavyweight. A date for his debut in the big man’s division is unknown, but UFC president Dana White has stated that Ngannou is next in line to face Miocic, who is coming of a trilogy victory…

Brock Lesnar is a free agent once again.

According to a report from ESPN, the former UFC heavyweight champion is no longer under contract with World Wrestling Entertainment. WWE removed Lesnar’s merchandise from the organization’s online store over the weekend. Pro Wrestling Insider was first to bring word of Lesnar’s free agency.

The 43-year-old Lesnar captured the UFC heavyweight crown in 2008 and defended the belt twice before falling to Cain Velasquez via first-round TKO at UFC 123 in October 2010. He retired from the sport following a loss to Alistair Overeem in December 2011.

The multiple time WWE champion returned to the Octagon in July 2016, when he took a unanimous decision over Mark Hunt at UFC 200. However, that victory was overturned to a no contest after Lesnar tested positive for a banned substance.

In the past, Lesnar has been linked to a UFC return when there are negotiations involving his WWE contract. Most recently, he appeared in the ca…

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Though an inadvertent eye poke from Stipe Miocic hindered Daniel Cormier’s vision for the second half of their UFC 252 title bout, it looks like “DC” will be able to avoid surgery for the torn cornea he suffered on Aug. 15.

"The first week and a half, [the eye] was really bad, it wasn't opening, and it was completely blurry, but now it kind of feels like an eyelash is in it," Cormier said during his ESPN show on Monday. "I went and saw the doctor last week, and he told me I'm probably not going to have to have surgery, just kind of rest and recover. And today it feels good, but just feels like something in there, you know when you get an eyelash and can't get it out? It's just right in the corner.

"It was concerning initially, because they didn't know how severe the impact was going to be going forward. They didn't k…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ejj75W3qt3U&w=560&h=315]

Bellator MMA is hosting two cards in Milan, Italy, in September.

It seems that the Bellator European Series is ready to make its long-awaited return after the long hiatus forced by the ongoing COVID-19 health emergency. According to multiple sources, Italian fighter Chiara Penco will face Aleksandra Toncheva Plamenova in a 115-pound clash that will go down on an upcoming card in Milan, Italy, on Sept. 26. The sources asked for anonymity since the news isn’t official yet.

In her latest cage appearance, former Extreme Cage Fighting champion Penco (4-2) dropped a decision in front of Danni Neilan at Bellator 240. Prior, "Beasty Barbie" lost her divisional title to Karolina Wojcik after a close match that took place at EFC 76 back in December 2018. That loss snapped a four-bout winning streak that featured all submission victories.

IMMAF World and two-time European Champion Toncheva…

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Felipe Dias Colares is expected to square off against Gustavo Lopez at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Nov. 7.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the bantamweight bout. The location and venue for the card have yet to be announced.

A former Jungle Fight champion, Colares has dropped two of his first three Octagon appearances. Most recently, the 26-year-old Team Nogueira representative was outpointed by Montel Jackson at UFC Fight Night 166. “Cabocao” is 9-2 as a professional, with seven of those triumphs coming inside the distance.

Lopez, who previously held Combate Americas gold, lost a unanimous decision to Merab Dvalishvili in his promotional debut at UFC on ESPN 10 on June 13. That halted a three-bout finishing streak for the 31-year-old Xtreme Couture product, who is 11-5 with 10 finishes over the…

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 fifth week of Dana White’s Contender Series is now official, as all 10 competitors hit their contracted marks on the scales Monday. The only fighter who experienced any serious difficulty was William Knight, who weighed 207.5 pounds on his initial attempt. After being given an additional hour to cut weight, Knight checked in at 206 pounds for his light heavyweight clash with Cody Brundage (205).

Dana White’s Contender Series takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streams on ESPN+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The evening’s featured contest is a featherweight tilt pitting Melski Bagdasaryan (145) against Dennis Buzukja (145.5).

Anchored at Glendale Fighting Club in California, Bagdasaryan has kicked off his professional tenure with victories in four of his first five outings. Perhaps even more impressively, all …

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Frankie Edgar’s victory over Pedro Munhoz immediately made him a person of interest in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s bantamweight division. Now “The Answer” has his sets set on a fellow former champion.

During an appearance on Bruce Buffer’s ”It's Time” podcast, Edgar expressed interest in a future matchup with ex-bantamweight title holder Dominick Cruz. Cruz returned to action after more than three years away at UFC 249, where he suffered a second-round TKO loss to Henry Cejudo in a title bout on May 9.

Edgar believes Cruz makes for an ideal pairing as he waits for the title picture at the top of the bantamweight division to clear up.

“Another guy that’s also a little older and a legend himself is Dominick Cruz,” Edgar said (transcription via MMAFighting.com). “A lot of people are still talking about t…

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Brian Kelleher will welcome Kevin Natividad to the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 176 on Saturday.

Natividad is a replacement for Ricky Simon, who was pulled from the card after one of his cornermen tested positive for COVID-19. MMAjunkie.com was first to report the change to the featherweight bout. UFC Fight Night 176 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a heavyweight clash between Alistair Overeem and Augusto Sakai. The card streams in its entirety on ESPN+ beginning with prelims at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT followed by the main card at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Kelleher will be competing for the fourth time this year. After kicking off his 2020 campaign with finishes of Ode Osbourne at UFC 246 and Hunter Azure at UFC Fight Night 171, “Boom” dropped a unanimous verdict to Cody Stamann in his most recent a…

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Tensions between Dominick Reyes and Jon Jones seemed to have eased somewhat since “Bones” elected to vacate his light heavyweight crown earlier this month.

In the weeks following Jones’ controversial decision triumph over Reyes in the UFC 247 headliner, the challenger lobbied hard for an immediate rematch. Jones, meanwhile, was not particularly receptive to the idea.

However, now that Jones is focusing on a move to heavyweight, Reyes will square off against Jan Blachowicz for the vacant 205-pound belt at UFC 253 on Sept. 26. “The Devastator” took some time to reflect on his first title bout and buried the hatchet with Jones in the process. Of course, that doesn’t mean he would be opposed to a rematch down the road.

Hey [Jon Jones] thank you for the experience, man. I wish you the best of luck in your journey,” R…

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Alexa Grasso appears to have found a home in the flyweight division.

The Lobo Gym representative impressed in her 125-pound debut at UFC Fight Night 175, earning a unanimous verdict against former Deep Jewels champion Ji Yeon Kim at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

“The only thing I want to prove clear is that I belong here and I belong at the top of the division,” Grasso said. “I’m here to prove that every time I step in the Octagon.”

In a bout that featured a number of spirited exchanges, it was Grasso’s combination punching and low kicks that won the day. The 27-year-old Mexican outlanded Kim by an 88-to-68 count in significant strikes and punctuated her victory with a takedown in the late stages of Round 3.

“I knew she was a tough opponent. She has no expression when you hit her,” Grasso sa…

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It wasn’t that type of performance that leaves a lasting imprint on the minds of those who witnessed it, but there’s no denying that Aleksandar Rakic was in complete control against Anthony Smith in the UFC Fight Night 175 headliner.

The Austrian contender utilized leg kicks, positional dominance and ground-and-pound to cruise to a clear-cut unaniomus decision over the former light heavyweight No. 1 contender at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

“I [said] in my interviews this week I need to make a statement,” Rakic said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I’m not going to rush a finish, if the finish comes, it comes. If not, my goal is to make a great performance and this is what happened. In the third, I think I dropped him. I followed up, but I knew Anthony’s a tough guy. He can take a beating a…

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Anthony Smith never seemed further removed from his days as a top light heavyweight contender than he did at UFC Fight Night 175.

The former title challenger was largely overwhelmed by Aleksandar Rakic in Saturday’s three-round headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas en route to losing a clear-cut unanimous decision. Rakic battered “Lionheart” with low kicks, and when Smith attempted to initiate grappling exchanges, the Austrian stifled his opponent from top position while staying busy with ground-and-pound. The end result was a bout in which Smith, while he didn’t feel out of his depth, was rarely able to threaten a more powerful opponent.

“The first round I stayed in kicking range at the beginning, which is obviously stupid now. He beat up my lead leg. Then we got in our clinch and grappling exchanges, which I felt …

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Before all is said and done, Neil Magny could very well surpass Georges St. Pierre for the most victories in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s welterweight division.

Magny moved closer to GSP on Saturday night, as he captured a dominant unanimous decision against former champion Robbie Lawler in the UFC Fight Night 175 co-headliner in Las Vegas. The Elevation Fight Team representative now has 17 triumphs at 170 pounds — just two behind the legendary Canadian. Now he just needs the championship hardware to match St. Pierre.

“It feels great. Leading up to this week I was being put in the category as guys like Matt Hughes, Georges St. Pierre, and here tonight fighting Robbie Lawler,” Magny said in his post-fight interview. “I’m doing the right things, going in the right direction, it's only a matter of …