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Aleksandar Rakic needed less than a minute to leave no doubt that a post-fight bonus check would be in his possession when UFC Stockholm reached its conclusion.

The surging Austrian contender received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award for his vicious knockout of Jimi Manuwa in Saturday’s light heavyweight co-main event at Ericcson Globe, his fourth consecutive victory at 205 pounds. Rakic followed a straight right hand with a left high kick that bounced his opponent’s head off the canvas, ending the contest 42 seconds after it began.

Meanwhile, Anthony Smith garnered a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus by virtue of his fourth-round submission of hometown favorite Alexander Gustafsson in the evening’s headliner. After enduring a difficult round three, Smith found an opening to land a takedown and move to his adversary’s back. From there, “Lionheart” flattened his man out and dropped some elbows before securing a rear-naked choke at the 2:38 mark of round…

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Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 153 coverage kicks off Saturday at 10 a.m. ET.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below.

Round 1 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:John Brannigan scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:John Brannigan scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:John Brannigan scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:John Brannigan scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:John Brannigan scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:…

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Sherdog's live Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz Jr. play-by-play will begin at approximately 11:20 p.m. ET Saturday evening.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below.

Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz Jr. Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Round 6 Round 7 Round 8 Round 9 Round 10 Round 11 Round 12 The Official Result

A lovely combo punctuates round !

How do you have it scored? #UFCStockholm pic.twitter.com/lGtT7OGF8d

— UFC (@ufc) June 1, 2019 You can sign up for a free seven-day trial of 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 debuting Sergey Khandozhko (27-5-1, 1-0 UFC) handed the Swedish crowd its first loss of the night by taking a competitive decision over fellow Octagon debutant Rostem Akman (6-1, 0-1 UFC) in the featured UFC Fight Night 153 preliminary bout.

The men went strike for strike over three hard-fought rounds, with the commentary team noting that their significant strikes were equal heading into the final stanza. Khandozhko varied his attack more, landing a few spinning kicks on the Swede and stymying many of Akman's takedown attempts. Khandozhko dropped Akman in the second and had his foe hurt at the end of the third, doing enough …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_JjXGqytOs&w=640&h=360] Tonya Evinger is an Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight whose 2017 Octagon debut took place 10 pounds up against the legendary Cristiane "Cyborg" Justino. Losing to her opponent by TKO in the third round kicked off a disappointing start to Evinger's UFC career.

After a devastating leg injury that saw "Triple Threat's" UFC journey halted for a year, Evinger returned in October 2018 at UFC 229 to face rising prospect Aspen Ladd. Ladd defeated the Houston wrestler with a ground-and-pound onslaught in round one.

The 37-year-old is a former Invicta Fighting Championship bantamweight champion who defended her title multiple times before departing the female-only league for the big show. But being on a two-fight losing streak in the UFC has left Evinger facing questions about her future with the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Evinger (19-8) told John Hyon Ko of Kumite TV that she still has a few fights left …

¡ESTAMOS EN VIVO! No te pierdas el pesaje de #CombatePeru desde Lima, por nuestra página de Facebook https://t.co/P9JKieZKXe

— Combate Americas (@combateamericas) May 30, 2019

Combate Americas heads to Lima, Peru, for the first time with Combate 38, this Friday, May 31.

In the main event, two undefeated lightweights square off as Daniel Zellhuber (154.8) prepares to fight Peru’s own Gian Franco Cortez (155.1). The co-main event sees another Peruvian fighter in Luis Marlon Gonzales Campos (145.6) take on Pablo Villaseca (148.9) at a 150-pound catchweight bout.

Combate Americas 38 takes place on Friday, May 31, in Lima, Peru, where it will air live in English on Dazn and in Spanish on Univision and UDN. In the featherweight division, Kevin Moreya (145.6) collides with Bruno Pereira da Silva (145.6). In a women's strawweight scrap, Maria Paula Buzaglo (114.4) takes on undefeated Alitzel Mariscal (113.3). While in the bantamweigh…

The main and co-main events at #LFA68 are going to be! @rkruck previews the matchups! @patmiletich @microphonephoen @nastynatemma @RaufeonStots pic.twitter.com/rBSXaPTpzM

— AXS TV Fights (@AXSTVFights) May 30, 2019

The Legacy Fighting Alliance is back this Friday, May 31, in Prior Lake, Minnesota, for LFA 68.

In the main event, Nate Jennerman hit the scales at 146 pounds as he prepares to take on Rafael Barbosa (*147) in a featherweight tilt. Co-headlining the card, Raufeon Stots (136) will meet Ralph Acosta (134.4) in a bantamweight bout.

LFA 68, which airs live on AXS TV on Friday, May 31, at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, also features a welterweight scrap between Bobby Lee (170) and Maicon Mendonca (170). At light heavyweight, former Ultimate Fighting Championship and Bellator MMA veteran Mike Rhodes (206) returns to the cage to fight Cristhian Torres (206). In the lightweight division, Leville Simpson (155.6) collides with Lucas C…

Ultimate Fighting Championship strawweight queen Jessica Andrade and her wife were robbed at gunpoint early Thursday morning.

First reported by Brazilian news site Ag. Fight on Thursday, newly minted champion Andrade (20-6) and her wife Fernanda Gomes Andrade were robbed in Niteroi, a municipality within Rio de Janeiro.

According to Fernanda's social media, their car -- a grey Honda HRV -- and cellphones were taken, but they are safe and unharmed. Reportedly, the whereabouts of the robber are unknown. Speaking with MMAFighting.com, Andrade's coach Gilliard Parana reaffirmed that the two were not hurt during the robbery.

Andrade recently won the strawweight belt when she knocked out Rose Namajunas with a second-round slam at UFC 237 earlier this month. In doing so, she became the first female UFC fighter to ever record a slam knockout, and also earned the distinction as the only strawweight to ever earn multiple knockouts in the division's history. With 11 victori…

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Last week the UFC released four fighters, including two well-known veterans in Elias Theodorou and Wilson Reis. While it came as less of a surprise that the promotion decided to cut the Reis, given his record of 1-4 in his last five fights, eyebrows were raised when Theodorou’s name was listed.

The decision to cut the 30-year-old “Spartan” on the back of a single decision loss to Derek Brunson hasn’t sat too well with some as the Canadian held a respectable 8-3 record during his time in the UFC including a three-fight winning streak coming into that bout. Theodorou’s performance against Brunson was met with great frustration from the home crowd as he kept moving away from his opponent rather than engaging, which apparently sealed his fate in the promotion.

This week, UFC color commentator Joe Rogan stated on his “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast that he didn’t agree with the decision to cut Theodorou …

It appears that UFC 240 has its co-headliner, as Cristiane Justino and Felicia Spencer are likely to meet at the July 27 event in Edmonton.

UFC president Dana White confirmed to ESPN.com on Wednesday that the fight has been offered to both “Cyborg” and Spencer. UFC 240 will be held at Rogers Place and is headlined by a featherweight championship clash pitting Max Holloway against Frankie Edgar. The main card is available on pay-per-view through ESPN+.

Justino hasn’t fought since losing the featherweight title in a first-round knockout loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 232 on Dec. 29. That ended a 21-fight unbeaten streak for the 33-year-old Brazilian, who has finished 17 of her career triumphs by KO or TKO. Justino is reportedly on the final bout of her UFC deal.

Spencer, meanwhile, scored a first-round submission of fellow former Invicta FC queen Megan Anderson in her Octagon debut at UFC Rochester. “FeeNom” is now 7-0 as a professional, with four wins via submission …

A women’s bantamweight clash between Germaine de Randamie and Aspen Ladd is expected to serve as the headliner for UFC Sacramento.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the 135-pound pairing. UFC Sacramento takes place at Golden1 Center on July 13 and will also include the return of Urijah Faber, as he faces Ricky Simon in a featured bantamweight contest. The evening’s main card will air on ESPN+.

A former UFC featherweight champion, De Randamie enters the contest on a four-bout winning streak in the Octagon. “The Iron Lady” last appeared at UFC Fight Night 139, where she outpointed Raquel Pennington on Nov. 10.

A five-time Invicta FC veteran, Ladd is unbeaten in eight professional outings. That includes triumphs over Lina Lansberg, Tonya Evinger and Sijara Eubanks in UFC competition. The 24-year-old has finished five of her victories by KO/TKO and one via submission.

Felicia Spencer made her Octagon debut against Megan Anderson at UFC Rochester on May 18, maintaining her undefeated record with a first-round submission victory. For the ex-Invicta titlist, it was about as perfect as a fight could go. 


“Yeah, it really did. Everything we trained for happened. It really did go down perfect,” Spencer said to Sherdog.com.

Not only was it a dominant win for Spencer, but it was even more satisfying considering the fact that “Feenom” entered the fight as the underdog. However, Spencer enjoys proving everyone wrong.

“She deserved to be the favorite, she was already in the UFC,” Spencer said. “I love to be in that situation.”


After the fight, talks of Spencer facing Cristiane Justino next began almost immediately. Many thought the two could fight for an interim title, and “Cyborg” has even changed her Twitter handle to read Spencer vs. Cyborg #UFC240. But, according to Spencer, she is unsure what is next for her.


"I …

The lineup for UFC 240 is beginning to take shape, as the promotion on Tuesday confirmed a trio of contests for the July 27 event.

The newly-announced bouts are as followed: Lauren Murphy vs. Mara Romero Borella at flyweight; Gillan Robertson vs. Sarah Frota at flyweight and Erik Koch vs. Kyle Stewart at welterweight.

UFC 240 take place at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and is headlined by a featherweight championship clash between Max Holloway and Frankie Edgar. The main card airs on pay-per-view through ESPN+, with prelims airing on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

Murphy is 2-4 during her promotional tenure and is coming off a decision loss to Sijara Eubanks at UFC Fight Night 131. Borella, meanwhile, has won two of her three Octagon appearances, including a split verdict over Taila Santos in her most recent outing at UFC Fight Night 144.

Robertson has won three of her four promotional outings and is coming off a second-round submission of Veronica Macedo at…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftUG_2vrN3I&w=640&h=360] After a year layoff from mixed martial arts, Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight Makwan Amirkhani is set to return to the Octagon at UFC Stockholm this Saturday and will face English native Chris Fishgold.

"Mr. Finland" stepped away from MMA for almost a year to focus solely on the "Sweet Science." Amirkhani (14-3) told Ariel Helwani that he dedicated 10 months of his life to boxing. "I did six amateur boxing fights and I was training 10 months just pure boxing, not a single day of MMA." Amirkhani only added MMA back into his regimen two months ago.

Amirkhani's goal with going all-in on boxing was to elevate his striking game to the level of his wrestling game. The 27-year-old confessed that he also underwent a complete lifestyle change, eliminating all form of distraction and treating himself like a true professional athlete. The complete dedication to his sport has left Amirkhani feeling like a…

An intriguing featherweight bout between Mirsad Bektic and Josh Emmett has been confirmed for UFC Sacramento, according to MMAjunkie.com and Farah Hannoun. 

Bektic last fought at UFC 225, where he beat Ricardo Lamas by decision. He was then expected to take on Renato Carneiro at UFC 231 but had to withdraw due to an undisclosed injury. The Bosnian fighter is currently on the bubble in Sherdog’s official mixed martial arts rankings.

Emmett, meanwhile, returned the Octagon at UFC Philadelphia and knocked out Michael Johnson to get back into the win column. Before the win, Emmett lost by knockout to Jeremy Stephens and was out of action for 13 months. Like Bektic, he too has a win over Lamas, but he knocked “The Bully” out in the first round. The 34-year-old is also on the bubble in Sherdog’s rankings for the featherweight division. 


UFC Sacramento goes down on July 13 and currently, no headliner has been announced for the ESPN+ card.

Former middleweight champion Rafael Carvalho will square off against Chidi Njokuani at Bellator 224 on July 12.

Sherdog.com confirmed the booking on Monday with a promotion official following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. Bellator 224 takes place at Winstar World Casino in Thackerville, Okla., and will feature a women’s featherweight title clash between Julia Budd and Olga Rubin.

After relinquishing the middleweight crown to Gegard Mousasi in a first-round TKO defeat at Bellator 200, Carvalho dropped a split verdict to former UFC light heavyweight titlist Lyoto Machida in his most recent outing at Bellator 213. Prior to those setbacks, the 32-year-old Rio de Janeiro native had won 15 consecutive bouts — including six in Bellator.

Njokuani, meanwhile, has lost two of his last three appearances within the California-based promotion, sandwiching a decision win over Hisaki Kato between a TKO loss to Andrey Koreshkov and a submission defeat against John Salt…

Urijah Faber recently hinted that he would like to come out of retirement, and now it appears those plans are more concrete.

In a recent interview with UFC analyst Dan Hardy, Faber confirmed that he has already accepted a fight. The Las Vegas-based promotion has not confirmed a date or opponent for Faber’s return, but the Hall of Famer previously indicated that he would like to fight at the upcoming UFC Sacramento card.

“Looking at today’s landscape, I just know that I can compete easily,” Faber told Hardy (via The Mac Life). “I’ve stayed in great shape. It sounds like fun and the reason I stopped is because I wanted to. The reason I’m coming back is I have decided I want to … I just accepted a fight yesterday. I don’t know if that’s supposed to be put out yet.”

Faber added that he had been encouraged to return to the sport by former two-division champion Conor McGregor in past conversations.

“Conor McGregor and I talk on occasion and he’s always, like, cla…

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Robesiy Ramirez has signed a multi-year contract with Top Rank. The 25-year-old southpaw is expected to make his professional debut later this year.

Ramirez, who defected from Cuba last year, currently resides in Gulfport, Florida, and will train under Rob Mendez. Looking to compete as a featherweight, Ramirez is now on the same playing field and in the same promotion as Shakur Stevenson and Michael Conlan, boxers who Ramirez defeated during his gold-winning runs in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic games.

"What a gift to sign a two-time Olympic gold medalist like Robeisy Ramirez," said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. "The last two-time gold medalist that we signed out of the amateurs, Vasiliy Lomachenko, has become a big star. We anticipate the same from Robesiy. He is truly a special talent, and he has what it takes to get to the top of the featherweight division in short order."

In addition to besting Conlan in the 2012 Olympic flyweight semi…

Elias Theodorou’s latest performance apparently didn’t score him any points with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The middleweight was among four fighters recently released by the Las Vegas-based promotion, joining Wilson Reis, Marcelo Golm and Eric Shelton. The news was first reported by Combate and later confirmed by TSN.

Perhaps the most surprising of those is Theodorou, who had won five of six promotional appearances prior to a decision loss to Derek Brunson in the UFC Ottawa co-main event on May 4. However, while the 30-year-old Canadian has been largely successful in compiling an 8-3 UFC record, his bouts – including the loss to Brunson – aren’t usually known for their entertainment value.

Reis, a former flyweight title challenger, exits the UFC having lost four of his last five appearances. Most recently, the 34-year-old Brazilian suffered a first-round technical knockout loss to Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 236.

After submitting Christian Colombo in …

Alex Oliveira is wanted for allegedly attacking his ex-wife and taking their infant son on his motorcycle, according to reports from multiple Brazilian outlets.

G1 was first to report the news regarding the UFC welterweight, and it was also confirmed by UOL and ESPN Brasil.

According to the reports, the incident occurred at the home of Oliveira’s parents, where the fighter allegedly was intoxicated and wanted to take his 5-month-old son on a motorcycle ride. Oliveira then allegedly punched his ex-wife and pulled her hair and broke windows and a door before leaving with the infant on the vehicle.

“According to his former partner, he appeared to be drunk and wanted to take the child and leave with the motorcycle,” precinct chief Andre Lourenco told UOL (translation via MMAjunkie.com). “They started an argument, and he would have attacked her with punches to the head and slaps. His parents intervened, put her in the house, but he, very agitated, would have broken th…

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The lineup for UFC Stockholm is complete with 13 bouts, as Rostem Akman will step in on short notice to face Sergey Khandozhko, according to multiple reports.

Akman replaces Bartosz Fabinski, who recently withdrew from the welterweight contest. UFC Fight Night 153 takes place at Ericcson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden on Saturday and is headlined by a light heavyweight showdown between Alexander Gustafsson and Anthony Smith. The main card airs on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN2.

A Stockholm native, Akman is unbeaten in his MMA career thus far. The Fightzone Stockholm representative last appeared at Superior Challenge 19, where he scored a third-round technical knockout of Mauricio Reis.

Moscow’s Khandozhko has compiled a 25-5-1 mark since beginning his pro tenure in 2011. However, the 27-year-old is just 7-4 since 2015 after losing just once in his first 20 MMA appearances.

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida carries lofty goals as he prepares to make his second Bellator MMA entrance on June 14. The 40-year-old is scheduled to face another mixed martial arts luminary in Chael Sonnen at Bellator 222 in New York. Taking place at the iconic Madison Square Garden, Machida is moving up from middleweight to light heavyweight to face his 42-year-old opponent.

In a recent interview with Danny Segura of MMA Fighting, Machida admits that moving up from 185 pounds to 205 pounds was almost an inevitability. "As I said, I like to be busy, and in order to be busy, I have no choice sometimes. So I said to Bellator that I would like to fight even if it would be 205, I would like to accept any fight and Bellator came up with Chael's name, and I said this is gonna be great, man, this is gonna be outstanding, because especially here in New York, in Madison Square Garden, it means a lot to me."

Machida, who debuted i…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight Bryan Caraway is set to make his first appearance for Battlefield Fighting Championship, the South Korean combat sports promotion that also recently signed former Bellator lightweight champion Will Brooks. This Battlefield FC news also serves to inadvertently confirm that Caraway is no longer with the UFC, information that was unknown prior to the disclosure of this July 27 matchup.

Caraway holds a 21-9 professional mixed martial arts record, with his UFC tally at 5-4. His last bout in the Octagon resulted in a first-round loss against Pedro Munhoz. "Kid Lightning" earned notable UFC wins over Eddie Wineland and Aljamain Sterling before losing two in a row against rising prospect Cody Staman and Munhoz.

The 34-year old MMA veteran will now travel from his native Washington state to Macau, China, to fight on Battlefield FC 2 against Raja Shippen. Shippen (18-11-1) competed in the inaugural Battlefield FC show back in Mar…