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Ray Borg will make his return to the flyweight division when he faces Rogerio Bontorin at UFC Fight Night in Rio Rancho, N.M.

The 125-pound bout was first reported by Jorge Hernandez on Twitter. UFC Rio Rancho will take place at the Santa Ana Star Center on Feb. 15 and will likely air on ESPN+. A main event for the card has not been announced.

Borg won five of his first seven Octagon appearances to earn a title shot against Demetrious Johnson at UFC 216, where he succumbed to a spectacular armbar submission in the fifth stanza. The 26-year-old Albuquerque, N.M., native halted a two-bout skid with a decision triumph over Gabriel Silva at 135 pounds at UFC on ESPN 4.

The 27-year-old Bontorin has emerged as an interesting prospect since besting Gabriel Silva on the Brazilian version of Dana White’s Contender Series in August 2018. The Brazilian debuted in the Octagon with a split verdict over Magomed Bibulatov at UFC Fight Night 144 before earning a TKO stoppage aga…

New Mexico bound

We'll see you in February! #UFCRioRancho pic.twitter.com/M0nq9hdXjZ

— UFC (@ufc) November 25, 2019 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC on ESPN+ live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. The Octagon will return to the “Land of Enchantment.”

On Feb. 15, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will hold a Fight Night card at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, a suburb of Albuquerque. The promotion announced the news on Monday.

This is set to be the promotion’s second trip to the state. On June 7, 2014, the Las Vegas-based organization was in Albuquerque for UFC Fight Night 42, where Benson Henderson defeated Rustam Khabilov by submission in the main event. The card also featured the likes of Diego Sanchez, John Dodson, Rafael dos Anjos, Bryan Caraway and Sergio Pettis.

It should be expected that Jackson-Wink MMA fighters will be featu…

#BREAKING: Lee County DA Brandon Hughes confirms that human remains believed to be missing 19-year-old Aniah Blanchard have been locatedhttps://t.co/TLKHq4OQKP pic.twitter.com/vTHHLkyA2R

— CBS 42 (@CBS_42) November 25, 2019

All of our thoughts at Sherdog.com are with Walt Harris and his family.

On Monday, WRBL News 3 reported that the search for Harris' missing stepdaughter, Aniah Blanchard, has discovered her remains. Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes stated, "I can confirm that the human remains have been found and we have good reason to suspect they are that of Aniah Blanchard." Later speaking with the Montgomery Advertiser, he reiterated that law enforcement has "strong reason to believe" the remains were Blanchard's. Harris and his family have been notified of this news.

The first suspect, Ibraheem Yazeed, was arrested on Nov. 7 and extradited to Alabama, where he is currently on trial for first-degree kidnappi…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC on ESPN+ live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. In November 2018, the Ultimate Fighting Championship announced they had signed former One Championship and Bellator MMA welterweight king Ben Askren, who arrived to the promotion riding a huge wave of hype with many believing it would only be a matter of time before he would add a UFC belt to his list of achievements. Fast forward to a little over a year and the man affectionately known as “Funky” has decided to hang up the gloves after suffering back-to-back losses, including a UFC-record fastest knockout, courtesy of Jorge Masvidal.

Askren’s head coach, Duke Roufus, talked to MMAFighting about his fighter announcing his retirement and said if the promotion had signed him earlier he is confident he would have been a UFC champion.

“He would be champion,” Roufus told MMA Fighting. “He’d be the triple champ. One, Bellator, and UFC. …

WILDER KO'S ORTIZ IN THE 7TH ROUND!!!!! #BronzeBomber pic.twitter.com/433BziacnB

— I'M SEEING GHOSTS (@FTBeard11) November 24, 2019 Deontay Wilder promised that his initial knockout of Luis Ortiz a few years back was no fluke and he proved just that on Saturday night.

Wilder (42-0-1) scooped up his 41st career knockout when he flattened rival Ortiz with one punch. It took “Bronze Bomber” several rounds to get going but once he did, he ended things in spectacular fashion. Wilder blinded the Cuban with a series of left jabs and when he picked his shot, the Alabama native uncorked that devastating right hand of his and crushed Ortiz’s face.

Wilder’s punch detonated on Ortiz’s forehead, but there was so much force from the perfect leverage that “King Kong” was doomed once it landed. Ortiz crumbled onto the seat of his trunks and was somewhat tangled in the ropes. The Cuban tried his best to somehow climb back to his feet, but his …

Bellator MMA returns Saturday to London’s SSE Arena in Wembley. As the latest installment in the promotion’s European Series, Bellator London features a welterweight main event pitting Michael Page against Giovanni Melillo.

Page bounced back from his first professional defeat to Douglas Lima with a knockout of Richard Kiely in September. Melillo, meanwhile, defeated Will Chope at a Fight Clubbing event on May 4 on May 4 and makes his Bellator debut as a short-notice replacement for Derek Anderson. Meanwhile, undefeated prospect Fabian Edwards meets Mike Shipman in the middleweight co-headliner, while lightweights round out the main card, with Terry Brazier taking on Soren Bak.

The Bellator London prelims kick off at 11:30 a.m. ET, while the main card starts at 5 p.m. ET. They can be viewed exclusively on the Bellator mobile app.

Bellator London Main Card: 170: Michael Page vs. Giovanni Melillo185: Fabian Edwards vs. Mike Shipman155: Terry Brazier vs. Soren BakBel…

Deontay Wilder (219.5) and Luis Ortiz (236.5) are expected to make their way to the ring at approximately 12:00 p.m. ET.

Round 1 Veteran referee Kenny Bayless is our referee for this, the main event for the World Boxing Council heavyweight title. The MGM Grand is loaded with fans, but not sold out. Wilder looks focused and confident while Ortiz surprisingly looks a little nervous. The bell sounds and here we go. They paw with their respective jabs as Ortiz slowly moves forward. Ortiz digs a left to the body and then has a follow-up volley of punches blocked. Ortiz dips inside and clips Wilder with a loopy left hook and it shakes Wilder briefly. Wilder misses a lethal right upstairs and narrowly avoids a counter left hook to the jaw. A short left hook on the inside from Wilder cuts Ortiz around his right temple, though it’s nothing threatening. It’s a slow opening round and Ortiz takes it based on a higher punch output. 10-9 Ortiz.Round 2 Wilder with a few stiff jabs earl…

WOW!@Michaelpage247 with a huge right hand! #BellatorLondon pic.twitter.com/SF07Ub8X1m

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) November 23, 2019

Michael Page treated Giovanni Melillo with utter contempt and disdain.

The charismatic London Shootfighters star cut down Melillo with an overhand right in the first round of their Bellator London headliner on Saturday at the SSE Arena Wembley. A short-notice replacement for Derek Anderson, Melillo (13-5, 0-1 Bellator) hit the deck 1:47 into Round 1 and became the latest victim in the Brit’s brilliant run through the Bellator MMA welterweight division.

Page (16-1, 12-1 Bellator) backed up the Italian with a variety of kicks and explosive punching bursts, as he made sure he broke a sweat before moving in for the kill. Melillo was met with a crushing counter right hand while trying to throw a leg kick and fell backward in an unconscious heap. Page raised his arms in triumph, knowing his night’s …

Brandon Royval pulled off quite the magic trick: He made Nate Williams disappear in 23 seconds.

The surging Royval captured the vacant Legacy Fighting Alliance flyweight championship in spectacular fashion, as he submitted the 5-foot-1 Williams with a first-round armbar in the LFA 79 headliner on Friday at 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. A blinding burst of offense was over in less than half a minute.

Royval (10-4, 6-2 LFA) launched a flying knee and a head kick inside the first 10 seconds, caught his counterpart in a triangle during a subsequent exchange and then moved to an omaplata. From there, the Factory X export made a smooth transition to the armbar and forced the tapout. A short-notice replacement for Jared Scoggins, Williams (29-19, 0-1 LFA) never stood a chance.

In the bantamweight co-main event, repeated takedowns, damaging ground-and-pound and a sturdy chin carried Zviad Lazishvili to a three-round unanimous decision over Josh Huber. All three cagesi…

#WilderOrtiz2 weigh-in:

Deontay Wilder - 219.5lbsLuis Ortiz - 236.5lbs pic.twitter.com/l0Eq6tmC9C

— All Of The Belts (@AllOfTheBelts) November 22, 2019 After the dust settled, Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz both made weight with ease for their upcoming heavyweight rematch.

Wilder (41-0-1, 40 KOs) weighed in at 219.5 pounds as he makes his second walk to the ring in 2019 as he battles Ortiz (236.5). The WBC heavyweight champ is coming off of a vicious first-round knockout win over Dominic Breazeale in May. Before that, he fought to a controversial draw with Tyson Fury in December. In March 2018, the American faced Ortiz and won by TKO in the 10th round.

Ortiz (31-1, 2 NCs; 26 KOs) has gone on a three-fight winning streak since suffering the first loss in his career to Wilder. In those fights he finished Razvan Cojanu and Travis Kauffman, while needing ten full rounds to beat Christian Hammer. This will be his second attemp…

Nathias Frederick, Cage Warriors Middleweight Champion #CW111 pic.twitter.com/eJFBTqtmxs

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) November 22, 2019

Two titles were on the line at CW 111, the latest offering from Cage Warriors Fighting Championship, which went down on Friday at the O2 Arena in London.

The headliner saw the middleweight title up for grabs as James Webb and Nathias Frederick locked horns once again. The two clashed back at CW 106, where they put on a 25-minute back-and-forth show which ended by majority draw. The two Englishmen didn't spare themselves either this time, exchanging hard shots on one another and trying to overcome their opponent in every aspect of the game. Eventually, Frederick cracked Webb with a series of hard punches that made the defending champ unable to protect himself. The end of the contest came in the very last second of the fourth stanza, and Frederick became the new champion in dramatic fashion. Read more about Nathias Frederick Smashes James Webb to Win Middleweight Belt at CW 111

Bellator MMA is taking a page out of the playbook from Dana White's Contender Series, giving ten different fighters a shot at Bellator contracts.

The promotion announced via press release on Friday that 10 competitors will be added to the two upcoming events held in Hawaii in December. All 10 appeared for tryouts the organization held recently to see who could be in the running for a contract. The winners of these bouts will be eligible to earn multi-fight Bellator contracts, but it is not guaranteed that each victor will receive a contract. The fighters given this opportunity are: Benjamin Wilhelm (3-0), Braydon Akeo (3-0), Cheyden Leialoha (7-1), Hunter Ewald (0-0), Jamie Thorton (6-5), Kaylan Gorospe (0-0), Keoni Diggs (7-0), Pierre Daguzan (5-3, 1 NC), Scotty Hao (4-2) and Swayne Lunasco (0-0).

Akeo will be slotted on the main card of Bellator: Salute the Troops, and he will face former featherweight grand prix participant Tywan Claxton (5-1) in a 145-pound con…

Breaking: Jon Jones (@JonnyBones) vs. Dominick Reyes (@DomReyes) to officially headline UFC PPV on Feb. 8 in Houston, per UFC president Dana White (@danawhite). More on @ESPN shortly.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) November 22, 2019

The trip to Houston for the Ultimate Fighting Championship just got a whole lot bigger with a light heavyweight title fight on top.

Jon Jones (25-1, 1 NC) will be defending his light heavyweight throne against Dominick Reyes (12-0) at UFC Houston. While currently billed as UFC 247, in the event that the promotion is unable to secure a suitable headliner for their bout slated as UFC 246 in Las Vegas, this card may be renumbered to UFC 246 and the Las Vegas card turned into a Fight Night event. The matchup was first reported by ESPN on Friday, coming from UFC President Dana White.

Jones had previously hinted at this bout one week ago, posting on social media that his upcoming opponent had something…

The Legacy Fighting Alliance is in Colorado for its final event of the year with LFA 79, and one prelim fighter has missed weight.

In the flyweight title fight headliner, Brandon Royval hit the scales at 124 pounds as he prepares to take on Nate Williams (123.8). Royval returned to the win column last time out when he submitted Joby Sanchez in the first round at LFA 65. Williams, meanwhile, is replacing former headliner Jared Scoggins, and holds a two-fight win streak coming into this bout on short notice. In the co-main attraction, Josh Huber (136) battles Zviad Lazishvili (135.6) at bantamweight.

At lightweight, Jonathon Wyderko (155.8) locks horns with Eric Grant (155.2). Justin Wetzell (135.2) looks to make it three in a row as he collides with Michael Aquila (135.4) at bantamweight. At a 140-pound catchweight, Youssef Zalal (139.4) takes on Jaime Hernandez (139). Opening up the main card is a flyweight tilt between George Martinez (125.8) and Carlos do Carmo Mot…

#CW111 card update

Paddy Pimblett vs Joe Giannetti has been removed from tomorrow night's card.

Giannetti failed to make weight at this afternoon's weigh-ins, coming in 7.7lbs over the lightweight limit at 163.7lbs.

Pimblett weighed in successfully at 154.9 lbs.— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) November 21, 2019

The much-anticipated bout between Paddy Pimblett and Joe Giannetti will not happen at Cage Warriors 111 after all.

James Webb hit the scales at 184.3 pounds as he looks to defend his middleweight title against Nathius Frederick (184). The two first fought at Cage Warriors 106, in Webb's first title defense, and the bout was ruled a majority draw. In the co-main attraction, Modestas Bukauskas (203) puts his light heavyweight belt on the line against Riccardo Nosiglia (203.4).

Cage Warriors 111 which airs live on UFC Fight Pass at 4 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 22, also features Mads Burnell (144.5) vs. Steve…

Breaking: Rafael dos Anjos vs. Michael Chiesa agreed to for UFC Fight Night on Jan. 25 in Raleigh, North Carolina, per sources.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) November 21, 2019

Fans in North Carolina will be in for quite a treat in January, as the Ultimate Fighting Championship has added a big matchup to the Raleigh card.

ESPN announced on Thursday that Rafael dos Anjos has agreed to meet Michael Chiesa, presumably at welterweight, at the upcoming Fight Night card in Raleigh on Jan. 25. It will be headlined by a major heavyweight matchup between Curtis Blaydes and Junior dos Santos, while Frankie Edgar will make the drop to bantamweight in the co-main event against ranked contender Cory Sandhagen.

Dos Anjos last competed at UFC on ESPN 4 in July, where he dropped a decision over five rounds to Leon Edwards. Dating back to 2018, the Brazilian has lost three five-round decisions to Colby Covington, Kamaru Usman and Edwards, wh…

Elbow Queen! @LinaLansberg looks to make it straight when she faces @Sara_McMann at #UFCRaleigh! pic.twitter.com/rcDWOzLskv

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) November 20, 2019 Two top-15 bantamweights will lock horns at UFC Raleigh on Jan. 25 as Sara McMann will battle Lina Lansberg.

McMann, who is currently ranked ninth in the division is on a two-fight losing streak and has not fought since February of 2018. There, she was submitted by Marion Reneau, and before that lost by submission to Ketlen Vieira. She has been sidelined due to maternity leave and then was expected to face Nicco Montano in July but pulled out due to an injury.

Lansberg, on the other hand, is on a two-fight winning streak after beating Macy Chiasson by decision last time out. Before that, she edged out a decision win over Tonya Evinger to get back into the win column after a loss to Yana Kunitskaya. In the Ultimate Fighting Championship she is 4-3 where in her de…

A man has testified that he saw Ibraheem Yazeed kidnap Aniah Blanchard, the stepdaughter of Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight Walt Harris.

During a preliminary hearing in Lee County District Court on Wednesday, the witness said he didn’t come forward sooner because his wife told him to stay out of it, according to WTVM13. The news outlet also reported that when Yazeed walked into the court room he looked into the direction of the Blanchard family and shook his head.

During the hearing, the judge ordered Yazeed to submit a DNA sample, after police believe a man was inside Blanchard’s car. He has also been denied bond.

The Blanchard family currently has a gag order meaning they are not allowed to speak to the media as this case is ongoing. The gag order will not be lifted until at least Dec. 4.

Aniah was last seen on Oct. 23 in Auburn, Alabama, and it was determined the 19-year-old is a victim of foul play.

Anyone with information is asked to contact …

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC on ESPN+ live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Former Ultimate Fighting Championship dual-division champion Conor McGregor sent social media into overdrive last month when he announced that he would be making his long-awaited return to the Octagon on Jan. 18. “The Notorious” revealed the news while touring Russia to promote his Proper 12 whiskey brand and said at the time that an opponent has not been announced, with both Donald Cerrone and Justin Gaethje the two most likely fighters set to face the Irishman. UFC President Dana White claimed earlier this month that negotiations were underway for McGregor to face Cerrone, although nothing has been made official.

McGregor’s manager Audie Attar recently talked with the South China Morning Post and said talks are still progressing between all parties and they hope to have an announcement in the coming weeks.

“I would say that talk…

James Gallagher and Callum Ellenor will share the cage after all.

The two will now be the main event of Bellator Dublin on Feb. 22. The two fighters were originally set to fight this past September in Dublin, but Ellenor was forced off the card after a concerning brain scan came back. However, after a second opinion, it was determined Ellenor was misdiagnosed and he is cleared to fight.

“Ellenor has been medically cleared by a licensed physician to return to active competition, following an incorrect reading initially provided by a doctor in South Africa,” Bellator MMA officials said in a statement. “Bellator MMA, as well as the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulations which oversees the organization’s international events, maintains that athletes pass all medical requirements, ensuring they are held to the highest standards in safety and regulation.”

Gallagher is coming off of a submission win over Romas Salazar, and before that edged out a decision win o…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC on ESPN+ live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. After Israel Adesanya’s sensational stoppage of former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champ Robert Whittaker back in October, all eyes turned to his first title defense, which was meant to be against the juggernaut Paulo Henrique Costa. It wasn’t to be with Costa suffering an arm injury, forcing the Brazilian out until the New Year. Adesanya and Costa have been very vocal about fighting one another and the injury means the UFC will look at other potential 185 pounders, with the impressive Jared Cannonier and former title challenger Yoel Romero leading the race for their shot.

“The Last Stylebender” recently spoke to MMAFighting.com and said Costa’s injury and surgery may be very costly to the Brazilian’s title aspirations.

“I guess he wasn’t ready to fight,” Adesanya said of Costa in an interview with MMA Fighting. “I…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppuH_4RC_oI&w=560&h=315]

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC on ESPN+ live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

The rivalry between Nick Diaz and Jorge Masvidal continues to heat up, with the former World Extreme Cagefighting and Strikeforce welterweight champion looking to dish out some revenge to Masvidal after the Miami native put a beating on Diaz’s younger brother Nate Diaz at UFC 244.

Diaz has accused Masvidal of disrespecting his younger brother by claiming he “baptized” him in their fight and has shown interest in stepping inside the Octagon to settle the score.

Diaz’s former coach, Cesar Gracie, likes the idea of the pair fighting for the BMF belt and believes it’d sell really well with MMA fans (via MMAMania.com):

“That is his belt. The BMF belt, Nick is the BMF, if you will. That’s the perfect belt for Nick," said Gracie during a recent interview on Ar…

Thiago Santos has a huge task ahead of him this weekend at UFC 239 when he attempts to shock the world by dethroning the most dominant light heavyweight in UFC history in Jon Jones.

Santos is the betting underdog and most pundits have chalked the bout down on Saturday night to another Jones victory despite the Brazilian’s impressive recent form, including finishes in his last three fights against Jan Blachowicz, Jimi Manuwa and Eryk Anders.

In a recent interview ahead of his bout against Jones, “Marreta” compared his skillset to that of the champion and said he’ll be looking at picking his shots like a sniper to ensure maximum efficiency (Translation via Bloody Elbow):

“He is full of surprises, just like me,” Santos told Globo Esporte. “So I don’t think there’s one specific thing I need to worry about. I need to be concerned in a more general manner, he is very well-rounded, a one-of-a-kind kind of guy. I’m going to feel it out, find the right moment to attack, a…

Undefeated light heavyweight prospect Jordan Young will return to action for the first time in seven months when he meets Joel Bauman at Bellator 224.

Sherdog.com confirmed the matchup with a promotion official on Monday following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com. Bellator 224 takes place at Winstar World Casino in Thackervile, Okla., on July 12 and is headlined by a women’s featherweight championship tilt between Julia Budd and Olga Rubin.

The 24-year-old Young has kicked off his professional tenure with 10 straight victories, including five under the Bellator banner. The American Top Team product moved to light heavyweight in 2018 and has since posted back-to-back submission triumphs over Jamal Pogues and Anthony Ruiz within the California-based promotion. All but two of Young’s career wins have come via tapout.

Bauman will make his promotional debut after compiling a 3-0 mark under the Legacy Fighting Alliance banner. Most recently, the 20-year-old Minneso…