Blog

Scott Coker just announced to media here in Hawaii that @BellatorMMA has signed Liz Carmouche. pic.twitter.com/m0vUpmOIjB

— Dan Tom (@DanTomMMA) December 20, 2019

The Ultimate Fighting Championship's loss is Bellator MMA's gain, with the latter promotion picking up a fighter suddenly released earlier in the month.

According to Bellator President Scott Coker at a media event on Friday, Liz Carmouche (13-7) has been signed by Bellator. While the weight class she will pursue has not been stated nor has she been given an opponent yet, flyweight queen Ilima-Lei Macfarlane welcomed an opportunity to face off against her training partner. Prior to her signing, Carmouche remarked that "Bellator would be a perfect fit, because I already know them and I have a good relationship with them."

The former bantamweight and flyweight title challenger was unceremoniously released from her UFC contract two weeks prior, and has rejoined former S…

I've been told Deiveson Figueiredo has already accepted the fight. But, sources say the UFC still does not know if they plan on stripping Cejudo or making this for an interim belt. https://t.co/RZP75RmtYR

— Cole Shelton (@ColeShelton91) December 20, 2019

Henry Cejudo has decided to give up his flyweight belt, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship will put it up for grabs in February.

According to a report from BJPenn.com on Thursday evening, Joseph Benavidez (28-5) will contend with Deiveson Figueiredo (17-1) for the flyweight strap. MMA Junkie later reported that the vacant belt would be on the line as two-division champ Cejudo would be giving up his flyweight crown. ESPN confirmed this news with Cejudo on Thursday night. Benavidez and Figueiredo will come to blows in the headliner of UFC Norfolk on Feb. 29 at the Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.

Benavidez has won his last three, and nine of his last ten, dating back to…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9snoyYfKfUk&w=640&h=360] The final Ultimate Fighting Championship event of the year takes place Saturday as UFC Fight Night 165 goes down in the Sajik Arena in Busan, South Korea.

The event is fittingly headlined by "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung, who has yet to fight in his native country since 2008. He will be facing another featherweight mainstay in Frankie Edgar, who took the bout on short notice after Brian Ortega suffered a knee injury. Jung (15-5) is coming off a dominant first-round TKO over Renato Carneiro earlier this year, whom he dispatched in under a minute. Jung had no issues making weight, and took full advantage of the one-pound allowance by coming in at 146 pounds.

Edgar (23-7) is still penciled in to make his bantamweight debut on Jan. 25 against Cory Sandhagen, so it's clear that "The Answer" is looking to stay busy despite being 38. Edgar last fought in July, where he lost a lopsided decision to then-UFC f…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzybiXwe_FQ&w=640&h=360] The first of two Bellator MMA events will take place this Friday as Bellator 235: Salute the Troops emanates from Neil S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu.

The main event will see legendary mixed martial arts heavyweight Josh Barnett (251.6) make his promotional debut against Ronny Markes (250). "The Warmaster" last fought in 2016, where he submitted Andrei Arlovski. His career then spent nearly two years in limbo after the United States Anti-Doping Agency accused him of a doping violation that wound up being the result of a contaminated supplement. Barnett (35-8) stayed busy during his layoff by returning to professional wrestling and facing off against the likes of Bobby Lashley and Minoru Suzuki.

Looking to derail Barnett's Bellator debut is another Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran in Markes (19-7). The 31-year-old is coming off a 2-2 stint in the Professional Fighters League, ending with a TKO win over…

John Dodson will square off against Nathaniel Wood at UFC Fight Night in Rio Rancho, N.M., on Feb. 15.

Sherdog.com confirmed the bout with sources close to the event on Wednesday evening. UFC Rio Rancho takes place at the Santa Ana Star Center and is headlined by a light heavyweight rematch between Corey Anderson and Jan Blachowicz.

A former two-time UFC flyweight title challenger, Dodson is 3-4 since moving up to 135 pounds. The 35-year-old Albuquerque, N.M., native is coming off consecutive decision losses to Petr Yan and Jimmie Rivera. “The Magician” has bested Pedro Munhoz, Eddie Wineland and Manny Gamburyan at 135 pounds and is 9-6 in his promotional tenure overall.

Wood enters the matchup on an eight-bout winning streak. The 26-year-old Englishman has kicked off his UFC career with submission victories over Johnny Eduardo, Andre Ewell and Jose Alberto Quinonez after a stint as Cage Warriors bantamweight champion. “The Prospect” is 16-3 since making his pro …

Credit: Joao Baptista Credit: Joao Baptista

Three-time UFC flyweight competitor Priscila Cachoeira has accepted a four-month suspension for an anti-doping violation stemming from an out of competition drug test, USADA announced Wednesday.

Cachoeira tested positive hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) and its metabolites chlorothiazide and 4amino-6chloro-1,3-benzenedisulfonamide (ACB), which are in the category of diuretics and masking agents. The Brazilian received a reduced sanction because she was able to prove that the positive test was a result of a blood pressure medication.

Her four-month suspension is retroactive to Oct. 12, the date the positive sample was collected. Cachoeira will be eligible to return to active competition in February.

Cachoeira began her pro career with an 8-0 mark before losing her first three Octagon appearances, including a notable beatdown at the hands of reigning 125-pound queen Valentina Shevchenko in her promotional debut at UFC Fight Nig…

Daniel Pineda will not get to compete for $1 million at the Professional Fighters League final on New Year’s Eve.

The Nevada Athletic Commission on Wednesday postponed Pineda’s disciplinary hearing until January, which means he won’t be eligible to face Lance Palmer in the featherweight championship on Dec. 31 at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. As a result, alternate Alex Gilpin will replace Pineda in the bout.

Pineda failed a drug test in relation to his two PFL playoff wins in October. According to ESPN, Pineda had a high ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone in his system, and further testing revealed the presence of exogenous testosterone. Pineda has denied knowingly taking any banned substance.

Pineda was a surprise story in the PFL featherweight bracket, as he stopped Movid Khaybulaev via TKO in 29 seconds before submitted Jeremy Kennedy at the 4:00 mark of Round 1 on Oct. 17. If Pineda’s appeal is not successful, he is likely to have …

UFC lightweight contender Justin Gaethje is doing his part to give back to the Denver community.

According to 9News, Gaethje wrote a check for $1,538 to pay off all the lunch debts for students at West Early College High School and and Middle School in Denver. Gaethje, who is based at Grudge Training Center in Denver, is friends with one of the teachers at West Early College, according to the report.

The payment will cover lunch debts for the entire first semester. The school posted a message of gratitude on its Facebook page.

"West Early College families received a wonderful holiday gift today. Shout out to Justin ‘The Highlight’ Gaethje who is a champion UFC fighter and friend to our Cowboys," the post says. "We love and appreciate your generous gift! Thank you."  

A former World Series of Fighting Champion, Gaethje is known as one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC today. “The Highlight” is currently on a three-bout winning streak that include…

Geoff @handzofsteelmma Neal melts Platinum #UFC245 pic.twitter.com/wtgEJtMIvV

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 15, 2019

The UFC 245 preliminary card attracted an average audience of 865,000 to ESPN2, according to ShowBuzz Daily.

That figure checks in slightly below the UFC 244 preliminary card, which drew 910,000 viewers to ESPN2 for a Nov. 2 card at Madison Square Garden headlined by Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz. Overall, UFC 245 drew the sixth-highest ratings for a pay-per-view preliminary card of the 11 that have aired on ESPN, ESPN2 or FX in 2019. The highest ratings occurred during the UFC 235 prelims, which drew 1.48 million viewers to ESPN in March.

The featured bout of Saturday’s preliminary card saw rising welterweight prospect Geoff Neal defeat Mike Perry via TKO 1:30 into the opening round of their bout. Perry vs. Neal peaked at 1.2 million viewers. In other notable action on the prelim card, Irena Aldana scored a firs…

Brian Ortega did everything in his power to remain on Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 165 card in Busan, South Korea, but it simply wasn’t meant to be.

The former featherweight title challenger revealed on the "UFC Unfiltered” podcast that he suffered a partially torn ACL in training over Thanksgiving weekend.

“It was during wrestling,” Ortega said. “It was a Friday, Thanksgiving Friday or somewhere around there and I went to spar, regular sparring, whatever did everything. I have two fresh guys every two and a half minutes, fourth round I had the second fresh guy and he went for a single leg against the wall and I tried to get out of it.

“He hiked it up, my knee stayed against the wall, my ankle went up and I just heard a big old tear. I heard a crazy noise in it and trying to figure out what it was and he thought it was the Velcro from my shin pad. I was like no dude, that was my knee.”

The injury forced Ortega to withdraw from a headlining clash against Chan …

Some of the main components of this past Saturday’s UFC 245 card are facing potentially lengthy layoffs — including headliners Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington.

Both Usman and Covington looking at 180-day terms, according to medical suspensions released by the Nevada Athletic Commission. Usman, who retained his welterweight crown via fifth-round TKO at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, is out for sixth months unless an x-ray of his left thumb is cleared by a physician. At a minimum, the champ is suspended for 30 days with no contact for 21 days.

Covington, meanwhile, will be sidelined 180 days unless his jaw injury is cleared by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. “Chaos” is also suspended for 60 days with no contact for 45 days.

New featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is suspended 180 days unless he receives clearance on an x-ray of his right hand. Volkanovski defeated Max Holloway by unanimous decision in the UFC 245 co-main event to claim 145-pound gold…

It appears that Megan Anderson will return to the Octagon in early 2020.

Anderson announced on her website that she will be facing promotional newcomer Norma Dumont at UFC Norfolk on Feb. 29. No other bouts have been confirmed for the event, which takes place at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Va.

A former Invicta featherweight champion, Anderson is coming off a first-round submission of Zarah Fairn dos Santos at UFC 243 this past October. The 29-year-old is 2-2 in the Las Vegas-baed promotion and 9-4 as a professional overall.

“I really felt like I was able to showcase so much more of my skills and diversity in my last fight at UFC 243, and I’m finally in a place where I can truly show my potential inside the cage,” Anderson wrote on her blog. “I know a lot of people consider me solely a striker, and while I do prefer to punch people in the face haha I was so freaking excited to show all the hard work and improvements I’ve made in my wrestling and grappling!”

B…

It may be a little while before Colby Covington returns to the Octagon, but when he’s healthy, UFC president Dana White has an opponent in mind for the controversial American Top Team standout.

Covington lost to Kamaru Usman via fifth-round technical knockout in the UFC 245 headliner on Saturday, and the man known as “Chaos” suffered a “non-displaced midline mandible fracture” during the action.

“I don’t have a problem with him. I don’t have a problem with Covington,” White said at the UFC 245 post-fight press conference. “I’d love to do him and [Tyron] Woodley next. That would be a fun fight, but if he has a broken jaw, he ain’t going to be around for a minute. After a war like this, he’s going to have to go rest, take care of himself for a while and then we’ll see what he wants to do.”

Covington appeared to be on a collision course with Woodley after capturing the interim welterweight crown with a decision win over Rafael dos Anjos in June 2018. However, Coving…

Brandon Moreno was one of the casualties when it appeared the UFC was doing away with the flyweight division.

However, after a tenuous period, the weight class appears to have a home within the Las Vegas-based promotion and so too does “The Ultimate Fighter 24” alum. On Saturday, Moreno earned his first Octagon triumph since April 2017, as he outpointed Kai Kara-France in a matchup of young 125-pound contenders at UFC 245.

“I feel amazing. I feel a lot of peace in my heart, last year the UFC released me and that was a really dark part of my life,” Moreno said. “I went to fight in LFA and became their flyweight champion and started to feel better, but I always wanted to come back to UFC. I came back in September and got the draw, so it wasn’t as sweet, but now I’m back with my first official win again and I’m happy.”

After winning a title in Legacy Fighting Alliance, Moreno battled Askar Askarov to a split draw in his promotional return at UFC Fight Night 159 on S…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyQR5RhT7GU&w=560&h=315]

With UFC 245 in the books, anticipation is already building for next month’s blockbuster matchup between Conor McGregor and Donald Cerrone.

Over the weekend, the Las Vegas-based organization released the first promotional video for the UFC 246 headliner between McGregor and Cerrone. UFC 246 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Jan. 18 and airs on pay-per-view.

It will be McGregor’s first fight since falling to Khabib Nurmagomedov in a lightweight title bout at UFC 229 in October 2018. Cerrone is one of the UFC’s most popular fighters and will return to welterweight for the matchup with the Irish star.

After going more than four years with out suffering a defeat in the Octagon, Max Holloway had a rough campaign in 2019 – at least by his standards.

“Blessed” lost for the second time in his last three outings at UFC 245, dropping a unanimous decision to Alexander Volkanovski and relinquishing his featherweight crown in the process. In April, Holloway lost a five-round verdict to Dustin Poirier in a bid for the interim lightweight belt at UFC 236.

Judges scored Saturday’s contest 48-47, 48-47 and 50-45 in favor of Volkanovski, who battered Holloway with low kicks and never allowed Holloway to unleash his trademark volume. Still, Holloway did get stronger as the bout progressed, and he felt he did enough to get the nod.

“First round, I was feeling him out, so he did what he did in the first round,” Holloway said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “Second round I thought I was taking over and then three, four, five, I thought was mine.

“But they saw it…

Kamaru Usman said leading up to his headlining bout at UFC 245 on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas that he had no intention of losing his welterweight title.

When he exited the famed Octagon on Saturday night, he left no doubt that he is the world’s best at 170 pounds as he turned away hated rival Colby Covington by technical knockout at the 4:10 mark of the fifth round. But the contest was not a walk in the park, as the Nigerian withstood an early storm from the polarizing Covington (15-2) before finally getting the finish.

Covington stormed out of his corner in the first and dished out a seemingly endless volley of punches, most notably his overhand left. Usman absorbed plenty of strikes and in the first few minutes of their showdown, it seemed as though “The Nigerian Nightmare” might lose in his first world title defense. However, Usman (16-1) remained calm, stuck to his team’s game plan and eventually turned the tables on his challenger.

Usman apparent…

Colby Covington did not accept his defeat at UFC 245 gracefully.

The outspoken welterweight took to Twitter shortly after his loss to Kamaru Usman in Saturday’s headliner at the T-Mobile Arena to blast referee Marc Goddard. Covington lost by technical knockout in the fifth frame when he was dropped twice and finished with punches on the canvas at the 4:10 mark, but “Chaos” took issue with the stoppage in the aftermath.

“Normally, people do their f—-ing in the bedroom, not the Octagon [Marc Goddard]!” Covington wrote on Twitter. “I go in there to kill or be killed. You robbed me of that. You robbed the people of a fair fight.

“You should be ashamed of yourself. Fake nut shot. Fake eye poke. Fake stoppage. Fake ref.”

Normally people do their fucking in the bedroom, not the octagon @marcgoddard_uk! I go in there to kill or be killed. You robbed me of that. You robbed the people of a fair fight. You should be ashamed of yourself. Fak…

The ordering process for Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-views has changed: UFC 245 is only available on ESPN+ in the U.S.

Sherdog's live UFC 245 coverage will begin at 6:30 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:Keith Shillan scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Keith Shillan scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Keith Shillan scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Keith Shillan scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Keith Shillan scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Keith Shillan scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Officia…

» Call in to the show! +1 (917) UFC-TALK! That's +1 (917) 832-8255 » TJDeSantis is on Mixlr

Powered by Between Rounds, TJ De Santis returns Saturday night to field listener calls (+1 917 832-8255) and recap all of the action from UFC 245.

Click here if you are having problems listening, or would like to open the stream on your mobile device.

Digging the soundtrack to the Sherdog Radio Network? Check out Odin Smith on Twitter.

Video: UFC 245 ‘Usman vs. Covington’ Post-Fight Press Conference Rankings

Latest Featured

Rank by weight class

Infographics

Pictures

Featured gallery

Latest galleries

Forum

Featured Threads

Popular threads

Latest Threads

The ordering process for Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-views has changed: UFC 245 is only available on ESPN+ in the U.S.[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTYILKTNtag&w=560&h=315] Fight Finder

Geoff @handzofsteelmma Neal melts Platinum #UFC245 pic.twitter.com/wtgEJtMIvV

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 15, 2019

The ordering process for Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-views has changed: UFC 245 is only available on ESPN+ in the U.S.

A new threat has emerged in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s welterweight division, and they call him “Handz of Steel.”

Fortis MMA mainstay Geoff Neal extended his winning streak to seven fights, as he dispatched Mike Perry with a head kick and follow-up punches in the first round of their featured UFC 245 prelim on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Perry (13-6, 6-6 UFC) wilted 90 seconds into Round 1, bowing to strikes for the first time in his 19-fight career.

Neal (13-2, 5-0 UFC) picked his spots. The 29-year-old blindsided Perry with a left high kick, pursued him to the fence and unleashed a volley of pinpoint lefts and rights. Referee Chris Tognoni gave “Platin…

Combate Americas returns to Stockton, California, this Friday for its first event on Axs TV.

The North America vs. South America-themed card will be headlined by a featherweight bout between Mexico's Horacio Gutierrez (145.4) and Peru's Luis Marlon Gonzales Campos (145). Gutierrez went 0-2 inside the Ultimate Fighting Championship but is undefeated within "La Jaula." "The Punisher" is coming off a knockout win over Chase Gibson, and will be looking to pick up a win over the far more experienced Campos. "Fortaleza" made his successful promotional debut in May after edging out a split decision over Pablo Villaseca, and will be looking to extend his win streak to four.

The Combate Americas: Stockton main card is set to air live on Axs TV on Friday at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

Combate Americas Stockton Weigh-in Results Luis Marlon Gonzales Campos (145) vs. Horacio Gutierrez (145.4)Maritza Sanchez (134.8) vs. Kristina Pettigrew (135.3)Javier Reyes Rugeles (144.7) vs. Joe Nea…

One Championship will take to the Philippines in January with the 125-pound belt up for grabs.

The promotion released the lineup via press release on Thursday for the event titled "Fire & Fury." The card will take place on Jan. 31 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines. Competing for the strawweight (125-pound) strap will be champ Joshua Pacio (15-3) against Alex Silva (9-4). The event will also feature at least three Muay Thai bouts along with this title fight.

Pacio won his belt back against Yosuke Saruta in April when he knocked out his Japanese foe with a head kick in the fourth frame. He has since defended that title against Rene Catalan in November, tapping "D'Challenger" with an arm-triangle choke in Round 2. For "The Passion," 13 of his 15 career victories have come by stoppage, and he displayed his unusual submission prowess with a first-of-its-kind hammerlock submission of Pongsiri Mitsatit in 2018 with the promotion.

Silva has rattled of…