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Diego Sanchez will get to compete in his home state when he faces Michel Pereira at UFC Fight Night in Rio Rancho, N.M., on Feb. 15.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the welterweight bout on Wednesday. UFC Rio Rancho takes place at the Santa Ana Star Center and is headlined by a light heavyweight rematch between Jan Blachowicz and Corey Anderson.

Sanchez re-signed with the organization after concluding his previous contract with a decision loss to Michael Chiesa at UFC 239 in July. That snapped a two-fight winning streak for “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 1 winner, who was coming off back-to-back triumphs over Mickey Gall and Craig White.

One of the most flamboyant strikers to enter the promotion in recent memory, Pereira debuted in the Octagon with a memorable first-round KO of Danny Roberts at UFC Fight Night 152 in May. However, he struggled mightily in his next outing, losing a lackluster decision to Tristan Connelly at UFC Fight Night 158 on Sept. 14. …

Jiri Prochazka will defend his light heavyweight title against UFC veteran C.B. Dollaway at Rizin 20 on New Year’s Eve.

The Japanese promotion recently announced the booking. Rizin 20 takes place on Dec. 31 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama Japan and will also see Kai Asakura square off against Manel Kape for the vacant bantamweight crown. Asakura was initially supposed to face reigning champion Kyoji Horiguchi, but the American Top Team representative suffered a serious knee injury and vacated his belt.

Prochazka is currently on a nine-bout winning streak. During that time, the 27-year-old Czech Republic native has earned victories against the likes of Fabio Maldonado, Muhammed Lawal, Brandon Halsey, Jake Heun and Karl Albrektsson, among others. He owns a 25-3-1 professional mark overall.

Dollaway, meanwhile, parts ways with the UFC after a 20-bout stint with the promotion dating back to 2008. Dollaway is still serving a two-year USADA suspension after testing p…

Rena Kubota will attempt to avenge a previous defeat against Lindsey VanZant when the two fighters rematch at Rizin 20.

The Japanese promotion announced the matchup on Tuesday. Rizin 20 takes place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on New Year’s Eve and will see Kai Asakura square off against an undetermined opponent for the vacant bantamweight crown. Additionally, Ayaka Hamasaki will face Seo Hee Ham for the super atomweight crown.

Kubota and VanZandt initially squared off in a 112-pound contest at Bellator 222 on June 14, with VanZandt winning via technical submission in the opening stanza.

Kubota, a Shoot Boxing champion, returned to the win column at Rizin 19, where she stopped Alexandra Alvare Carlos in just 20 seconds on Oct. 12. VanZandt, meanwhile, dropped a split verdict against Jessica Correa Delboni in her next outing at Invicta FC 36 before stopping Shino VanHoose with a leg kick in just 39 seconds at Invicta FC 37.

A bantamweight clash pitting Macy Chiasson against Nicco Montano has been added to the UFC Rio Rancho lineup.

Promotion officials announced the pairing on Tuesday. Additionally, a light heavyweight bout between Devin Clark and Gadzhimurad Antigulov and a flyweight clash between Montana De La Rosa and Mara Romero Borella were also confirmed for the Feb. 15 event.

UFC Rio Rancho takes place at the Santa Ana Star Center in New Mexico and is headlined by a light heavyweight tilt between Jan Blachowicz and Corey Anderson. The card will likely air on ESPN+.

Chiasson, who won Season 28 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” suffered her first defeat in six career outings at UFC Fight Night 160, where she fell to Lina Lansberg via unanimous decision on Sept. 28. The Fortis MMA member began her promotional tenure with triumphs over Pannie Kianzad, Gina Mazany and Sarah Moras.

Montano was the UFC’s inaugural female flyweight queen but was stripped of the title before getting a c…

The featherweight grand prix quarterfinal matchup between Darrion Caldwell and Adam Borics has a date and venue.

Borics revealed via Instagram that he will face Caldwell in the co-headliner of Bellator 238 at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on Jan. 25. Sherdog.com subsequently confirmed the booking with a promotion official. Bellator 238 will feature a women’s featherweight title tilt pitting reigning champion Julia Budd against Cristiane Justino.

Caldwell advanced in the opening round of the 145-pound bracket with a unanimous decision triumph against Henry Corrales at Bellator 228. “The Wolf” moved up to featherweight after coming up short in back-to-back bantamweight title bouts against Kyoji Horiguchi under the Bellator and Rizin banners.

Borics, meanwhile, improved to 14-0 as a professional with a second-round TKO of ex-champ Pat Curran in the Round of 16 at Bellator 226 on Sept. 7. Borics has finished all five of his Bellator victories by knockout, technical…

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Prosecutors in Alabama are seeking the death penalty for the lead suspect in the murder of Aniah Blanchard.

According to a report from the Montgomery Advertiser, an autopsy determined that Blanchard, the stepdaughter of UFC heavyweight Walt Harris, was killed by homicide and died due to a gunshot wound. Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes announced that he will seek the death penalty against Ibraheem Yazeed as a result.

“The process of seeing justice done for Aniah and her family will not be swift, but I can promise it will be thorough,” Hughes said.

Last week, human remains found in Macon County, Ala., were identified as belonging to Blanchard. Blanchard, 19, had been missing since Oct. 24, and her vehicle was later recovered about an hour away from her home in Auburn. Three suspects were arrested in connection with Blanchard’s disappearance, including Yazeed, who was arrested on charges of…

A pivotal light heavyweight bout between Corey Anderson and Jan Blachowicz is slated to headline UFC Fight Night in Rio Rancho, N.M., on Feb. 15.

ESPN was first to report the booking. Contracts have not yet been signed, but the contest has been verbally agreed to by both parties. UFC Fight Night takes place at the Santa Ana Star Center and will also include a flyweight clash pitting Ray Borg against Rogerio Bonotorin. The card is expected to air on ESPN+.

Anderson is currently on a four-bout winning streak in UFC competition. Most recently, “The Ultimate Fighter 19” winner scored a first-round TKO of Brazilian prospect Johnny Walker at UFC 244 on Nov. 2. He also owns victories against Ilir Latifi, Glover Teixeira and Patrick Cummins during his current hot streak.

Blachowicz, meanwhile, has won six of his last seven appearances within the Las Vegas-based promotion. In his last outing, the 36-year-old Poland native took a split verdict over former middleweight cont…

A rematch between Holly Holm and Raquel Pennington has been rescheduled for UFC 246.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the bantamweight booking. UFC 246 takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Jan. 18 and is headlined by a welterweight clash between Conor McGregor and Donald Cerrone. The evening’s main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN+ and ESPN.

Holm and Pennington were initially scheduled for their rematch at UFC 243 in Melbourne this past October, but Holm was forced to withdraw due to a torn hamstring. Holm defeated Pennington via split decision in her Octagon debut at UFC 184 in February 2015.

A former bantamweight champion, Holm has won just twice in her last seven UFC bouts. She last competed at UFC 239, where she suffered a first-round technical knockout loss to Amanda Nunes in a 135-pound championship bout.

Pennington, meanwhile, halted a two-bout skid with a split verdict over Irene Aldana at UFC on ESPN 4 this past July. T…

Ronaldo Souza’s light heavyweight debut did not go as planned, as he dropped an underwhelming split decision to Jan Blachowicz in the UFC Fight Night 164 headliner on Nov. 16.

It was the third loss in four outings for the former Strikeforce middleweight champion, and it now seems that “Jacare” is already pondering a return to the weight class he has called home for the majority of his career.

“My manager and my team are talking which weight class I’ll fight next, so there’s a lot going on here right now,” Souza recently told MMAFighting.com. “We’ll make a decision really soon on what’s best for us. We’re looking at staying at 205 or going back to 185.”

Souza struggled to take down the larger Blachowicz in Sao Paulo, and as a result, he was outstruck in a slow-paced, five-round bout. After the defeat, the Brazilian revealed that he battled an illness leading up to the fight.

Even at 40 years old, Souza seems willing to revisit the weight cut that he was just…

Francis Ngannou is a man on a mission, and currently his primary objective is a fight with fellow heavyweight contender Alexander Volkov.

“The Predator” took to Twitter on Saturday to propose a matchup with the Russian at UFC 246, which is scheduled for Jan. 18 in Las Vegas. As it stands now, Ngannou vs. Volkov could conceivably make a solid co-main event for a pay-per-view card headlined by Conor McGregor and Donald Cerrone.

“What’s your schedule for [Jan. 18] look like?” Ngannou wrote to Volkov. “Let me offer you a free trip to the most entertaining city in the world.”

@AlexDragoVolkov What's your schedule for January 18th looks like?! Let me offer you a free trip in the most entertaining city in the world ( @LasVegas ). #UFC246 @ufc#whathappensinvegas

— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) November 30, 2019

It’s not the first time Ngannou has called out Volkov. The Frenchman began his pursuit of the Russian after Volkov …

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Despite a lengthy career spanning multiple organizations and combat disciplines, Alistair Overeem still has a strong passion for fighting. That spirit was something that was ingrained in him long before he was collecting a paycheck for throwing punches and kicks.

“I think I’ve always been a fighter,” Overeem said in a recent interview with UFC.com. “I’ve always kicked ass – even before I was professionally a fighter. I’d have fights in the street and it even got me in trouble a couple of times.

“Some people will never be fighters, and then some people are born fighters. Not really by choice I guess.”

The 39-year-old Dutchman has captured championships in Strikeforce, Dream and K-1 during his professional tenure, but the UFC title has thus far eluded him. He challenged for the belt at UFC 203, falling to Stipe Miocic via first-round knockout on Sept. 10, 2016. Since then Overeem has gone 4-2 in the O…

Jorge Masvidal’s marketability is at an all-time high, and “Gamebred” is looking for the most lucrative fights possible — even at the expense of an immediate title shot.

Kamaru Usman will defend the 170-pound title against Colby Covington in the UFC 245 headliner on Dec. 14, and after impressive wins over Darren Till, Ben Askren and Nate Diaz in 2019, Masvidal would seem to be the No. 1 contender in waiting. However, the Miami native has his eye on a couple of opponents that could potentially draw more interest than the Usman-Covington winner.

“They’re fighting for the spot to fight me,” Masvidal told Yahoo Sports regarding the UFC 245 main event combatants. “I’m the ticket at 170 pounds. I’m going to go and get the biggest, best and toughest fights.

“So it’s looking like we might fight Nick Diaz next, it’s looking like it might be Conor McGregor. Obviously those fights come first because of the paycheck and everything it brings while these guys are settling the …

Breaking: WE GOT A FIGHT. Per Tony Ferguson’s (@TonyFergusonXT) management Ballengee Group, Tony has signed his contract to face Khabib Nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) on April 18 in Brooklyn. More coming to @espn shortly. pic.twitter.com/cgwCucPl3v

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) November 30, 2019

The fifth time should be the charm for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, as Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson is official for lightweight gold in April.

According to ESPN on Friday, Nurmagomedov (28-0) and Ferguson (25-3) will finally meet for the lightweight belt. The two will square off at an upcoming pay-per-view card on April 18, which will be held in Brooklyn, New York, at a yet unannounced venue -- although each of the three UFC trips to the city have been held at the Barclays Center. The two have been matched up four times in the past, with each man falling out of the fight twice for various reasons.

Nurmagomedov and Fergus…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is continuing to build on the first event of the year with UFC 246, adding a significant flyweight matchup the card.

According to his Instagram on Friday, Askar Askarov (10-0-1) will be facing Tim Elliott (15-9-1) at flyweight at UFC 246. The event will be held on Jan. 18 in Las Vegas, presumably at the T-Mobile Arena.

Elliott is ranked in the #8 spot on the UFC's official rankings, while he is currently unranked at flyweight on the Sherdog.com rankings. The former 125-pound title challenger and "The Ultimate Fighter" Season 24 winner has alternated wins and losses since making his return to the promotion in 2016. While he defeated Louis Smolka on the scorecards and became the first fighter to ever stop Mark De La Rosa in 2017, he has suffered first-round submission defeats to Ben Nguyen and Deiveson Figueiredo.

Askarov made his organizational debut in surprising fashion, fighting to a split draw with Brandon Moreno at UFC F…

Shocker,,,

Cowboy Cerrone will be Conor McGregor's return fight. The obvious bout to make.

Will do huge volume - can't wait.

McGregor up to -250 (opened -165 in October).

68% of the bets so far on the Irishman.— Dave Mason (@DaveMasonBOL) November 29, 2019

For the exciting January main event of UFC 246, betting lines have opened, putting Conor McGregor as a significant favorite against Donald Cerrone.

On Friday, sportsbook BetOnline opened a fight line on the UFC 246 welterweight headliner between McGregor (21-4) and Cerrone (36-13, 1 NC). "Notorious" opened with a sizeable advantage as a -225 favorite, against Cerrone as a +190 underdog. Essentially, one would need to bet $225 on McGregor in order to win $100, while someone putting $100 on Cerrone would make them an additional $190 -- if that respective fighter won. Since the line opened, other sportsbooks have shifted from McGregor as a -210 favorite to up…

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Former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight king Robert Whittaker says he feels like the pressure valve has been released after losing his belt to Israel Adesanya at UFC 243 in October.

“The Reaper” was on the receiving end of a second-round knockout from Adesanya, losing his title on home soil in spectacular fashion. The 28-year-old, who was a recent guest on The Ariel Helwani MMA Show, said while he was disappointed he lost the belt, there was a sense of relief of not having to deal with the expectation as the champion (via MMA Mania):

“Yeah I kind of, I didn’t really like it that much. It’s one of those things that, it comes with some pros, but the cons really starting distracting me,” Whittaker said. “There’s a lot of media, a lot of expectations a…

Breaking: Per Dana White (@danawhite), Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) has signed to face Donald Cerrone (@Cowboycerrone) at UFC 246 on Jan. 18, at welterweight.

"Conor has signed and Cerrone is ready to go."

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) November 28, 2019 The Ultimate Fighting Championship has given fans quite an announcement on Thanksgiving.

According to ESPN on Thursday, Conor McGregor (21-4) will return at UFC 246, where he will meet Donald Cerrone (36-13, 1 NC) at welterweight. The event will take place on Jan. 18, and is expected to be held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, although there have been rumors claiming it may take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena instead due to potential scheduling issues.

McGregor has not competed since 2018, when he dropped his lightweight title fight to Khabib Nurmagomedov by fourth-round neck crank. The first two-division champion in promotional history won the featherweigh…

Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight Walt Harris has posted a statement on social media mourning the loss of his stepdaughter Aniah Blanchard.

On Monday, Blanchard's remains were believed to be found, and they were confirmed to be hers on Wednesday. On Thursday, Harris posted a heartfelt statement on Instagram thanking his daughter for "helping [him] change life for the better."

Harris wrote:

"My sweet baby girl... I just wanna thank you for helping me change my life for the better... For teaching me how to be a man and a better father! For being my biggest fan win, lose, or draw! For always knowing what to say to put a smile on my face and lift me up when I was down and wanted to give up. You light up my world [in] so many ways. This pain is unbearable... I know you want me to be strong but it so hard baby it so hard. I’m gonna find [a way] I promise you I will. Right now nothing makes sense and I’m so lost. I just want you back. I hope I made you prou…

The lineup for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s recently-announced card in Auckland, New Zealand continues to grow, as the promotion announced three new bouts for the event on Wednesday evening.

Jake Matthews will meet Emil Meek at welterweight; Tyson Pedro will square off against Vinicius Moreira Castro at light heavyweight and Ben Sosoli will lock horns with Marcos Rogerio de Lima at heavyweight.

UFC Auckland takes place at Spark Arena and is headlined by a lightweight contest pitting Paul Felder against Dan Hooker. The card will likely air on ESPN+.

Matthews has won four of his last five promotional appearances, including a unanimous decision triumph over Rostem Akman in his most recent outing at UFC 243. Meek, meanwhile, did not compete this year after dropping a pair of decisions to Kamaru Usman and Bartosz Fabinski in 2018.

Pedro was also inactive in 2019 after concluding 2018 with back-to-back setbacks at the hands of Ovince St. Preux and Maurici…

Kyoji Horiguchi’s reign as a two-promotion champion was short-lived.

Approximately two weeks after revealing that a serious knee injury would force him to withdraw from Rizin 20 and relinquish the Japanese promotion’s bantamweight title, Horiguchi has vacated the Bellator 135-pound strap, as well.

“I feel terrible for Kyoji [Horiguchi] about the injury he suffered to his knee, but in the true spirit of martial arts and being a true champion, he has elected to vacate his title and allow the division to move forward in his absence,” Bellator President Scott Coker said. “After fully healing, we plan to give Kyoji an immediate title shot.”

According to a release, Bellator plans to book a bout for the vacant bantamweight crown in the coming months.

Horiguchi recently underwent surgery for a torn ACL and damaged meniscus and could be sidelined until November 2020. He was scheduled to face Kai Asakura in a rematch at Rizin 20 on New Year’s Eve after Asakura scored…

It is with heavy hearts that we announce that the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences has positively identified the remains found in Macon County on Nov. 25 were those of Aniah Haley Blanchard: https://t.co/2Rh6Wx32BO

— City of Auburn, AL (@CityofAuburnAL) November 27, 2019

The human remains found in Macon County, Ala.,, earlier this week have been confirmed as those of Aniah Blanchard, the missing stepdaughter of UFC heavyweight Walt Harris.

“It is with heavy hearts that we announce that the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences has positively identified the remains as those of Aniah Haley Blanchard,” read a statement from the Auburn Police Division. “At this point, the case will move forward as a homicide investigation, and additional charges are forthcoming.”

Blanchard, 19, had been missing since Oct. 24, and her vehicle was later recovered about an hour away from her home in Auburn. Three suspects have been arrested i…

The Professional Fighters League and American Top Team have teamed up to deliver some Thanksgiving cheer to the South Florida community this holiday season.

On Wednesday, PFL CEO Peter Murray, PFL women’s lightweight contender Kayla Harrison and 2018 PFL lightweight champion Natan Schulte joined ATT members Sidney Outlaw and John Eblen to deliver turkeys to the renowned training gym as well as Gateway Community Outreach, “an organization committed to preventing homelessness and restoring self-sufficiency through food donations, job placement, credit counseling and more.”

The donations are part of promotion’s “Fight for the Community” initiative, which has partnered with organizations such as Atlantic City Rescue Mission and Randy Couture’s GI foundation in the past.

“On the steps to the PFL cage is the question, ‘What do you Fight For?’ Our elite athletes fight for honor, respect and family. At the PFL, we all fight for our community,” Murray said. “American To…

Mickey Gall will not be competing on the UFC on ESPN 7 card in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 7.

Gall was pulled from the card when promotion officials were unable able to find him a replacement opponent after original foe Carlos Condit withdrew due to a detached retina. MMAjunkie.com was first to report Gall’s exit.

UFC on ESPN 7 takes place at Capital One Arena and is headlined by a heavyweight clash pitting Alistair Overeem against Jairzinho Rozenstruik. The card, which is now scheduled for 12 bouts, airs on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+.

Gall began his UFC tenure with four consecutive wins, besting the likes of CM Punk and Sage Northcutt in the process. The 27-year-old Miller Brothers MMA representative is 2-2 in his last four appearances, including a decision win over Salim Touahri in his last outing at UFC on ESPN 5.

Veteran mixed martial artist Cindy Dandois was reportedly attacked outside her home in Antwerp, Belgium, last Friday.

The former UFC, Bellator and Invicta Fighting Championships competitor told Het Laatste Nieuws that she was assaulted by an ex-boyfriend as a result of a recent breakup.

He had been threatening me for a while, but I didn’t take those threats seriously – until he stood at my door,” Dandois said.

According to the report, the alleged assailant surprised Dandois and then attacked her with a key, leaving her with cuts on her face that required seven stitches. Dandois also suffered a broken nose in the assault.

“I was not prepared for the attack at all,” Dandois said. “Before I knew it, I got slapped in the face. My nose is broken and crooked. There is also a deep cut that was stitched with seven stitches. It will be a scar for life. Hopefully, they will be able to straighten my nose again. I should have taken the threats seriously from the beginn…