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The ordering process for Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-views has changed: UFC 246 is only available on ESPN+ in the U.S.

Conor McGregor recently posted a photo of a new, beefed-up physique on Instagram as he prepares to face Donald Cerrone at welterweight in the UFC 246 headliner.

So far, it seems that competing at 170 pounds is a positive for the former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion. According to UFC president Dana White, the promotion’s medical staff has been impressed with McGregor leading up to Saturday’s fight.

“I’m hearing he’s in phenomenal shape right now,” White told TMZ Sports. “The UFC doctor is actually saying he thinks Conor is in the best shape he’s ever seen him in.

“[His] head seems to be in the right place. Ring rust is real – I believe in it. We’ll see how that goes. And I think that the level of disrespect shown to ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone by the media, a lot of…

Demetrious Johnson will square off against reigning One Championship flyweight titlist Adriano Moraes on April 11 in China.

One CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced the matchup on Sunday evening.

Johnson earned a shot at the belt after besting Yuya Wakamatsu, Tatsumitsu Wada and Danny Kingad in the promotion’s flyweight grand prix last year. “Mighty Mouse” exited the UFC after losing his 125-pound belt in a split-decision to Henry Cejudo at UFC 227 in August 2018. In One, Johnson is essentially competing at 135 pounds due to the organization’s weight class parameters.

Moraes recaptured flyweight gold with a five-round verdict over Geje Eustaquio at One Championship “Hero’s Ascent” on Jan. 25. He previously lost to Eustaquio via split decision in June 2018. The Brazilian owns an 18-3 career mark, with all three of his defeats coming via split decision.

Jorge Masvidal already has experience facing one of the competitors in the UFC 246 headliner, and the other could be a future opponent if he is victorious.

In a recent interview with Submission Radio, “Gamebred” offered his thoughts on Saturday’s welterweight battle between Conor McGregor and Donald Cerrone. Like many in the MMA community, Masvidal is well aware of McGregor’s penchant to start quickly.

“Conor’s amazing off the blocks,” Masvidal said. “I think he’s got great timing. While guys are getting their timing, Conor’s already coming in with the timing. He already has their timing by the time you go to your timing. Good power, good confidence in it. I would rank Conor one of the better starters of the sport.

Masvidal also acknowledged Cerrone’s tendency to take some time to find a rhythm in his fights, which could be an issue against an opponent who looks for a quick knockout.

“Donald, on the other hand, is more of a rhythm fighter. He takes a little…

Credit: Joao Baptista Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

A middleweight matchup pitting Punahele Soriano against Eric Spicely has been added to the UFC Columbus lineup.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the bout. UFC Columbus takes place at Nationwide Arena on March 28 and is headlined by a heavyweight tilt between Francis Ngannou and Jairzinho Rozenstruik. The card will air on ESPN.

After outpointing Jamie Pickett on Dana White’s Contender Series to earn a contract this past June, Soriano knocked out Oskar Piechota in his Octagon debut at UFC 245 on Dec. 14. “Story Time” is 7-0 as a professional, with all but one of his victories coming inside the distance.

Spicely’s second promotional stint began on June 22, when he dropped a unanimous verdict to Deron Winn at UFC Fight Night 154. The CES MMA veteran is 2-5 in UFC competition and 12-5 as a professional overall.

According to Conor McGregor, welterweight is the perfect place to make his Octagon return after more than a year on the sidelines.

In an interview with ESPN, the Irishman revealed that he weighted “160 and a bit” approximately one week before UFC 246, where he will meet Donald Cerrone in the evening’s headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The former two-division UFC champion believes 170 pounds is best for Cerrone, and it also creates many options for himself down the road.

“I know, I could have [made things difficult for Cerrone],” he said. “I just don’t think he looks well at 155. He’s a 170 fighter. I’d beat him at any weight. I’d beat him if I had the flu. I don’t need that. I just want to focus on my training and keep me sharp. I don’t want to cut and then build, and then cut. I’m happy where I’m at.

“170 is an exciting one for me,” he added. “I like 170. I like what’s going on in the 170 division at the minute. You’ve got Jorge [Masvidal] with that (‘BM…

A matchup of female bantamweight contenders has been targeted for UFC Columbus, as Aspen Ladd and Julianna Pena are expected to clash on March 28.

ESPN was first to report the pairing. Contracts for the bout have not yet been signed, but the fight is close to being finalized by the promotion. UFC Columbus takes place at Nationwide Arena and is headlined by a heavyweight tilt between Francis Ngannou and Jairzinho Rozenstruik. The card will air on ESPN.

After suffering her first career defeat in a 16-second technical knockout against Germaine de Randamie in July, Ladd bounced back to score a third-round stoppage of Yana Kunitskaya at UFC on ESPN 7 in her most recent outing. The 24-year-old also owns wins over Sijara Eubanks, Tonya Evinger and Lina Lansberg in UFC competition.

Pena returned from a more than two-year absence at UFC Fight Night 155, where she outpointed former flyweight queen Nicco Montano. Pena is 5-1 during tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion …

Anthony Pettis will return to the division where he once reigned at UFC 246.

“Showtime” will square off against Diego Ferreira in a lightweight bout on the pay-per-view main card on January 18 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Ferreira is currently on a five-bout winning streak in the Octagon.

“It’s exciting for me because it’s time to fight,” Pettis told UFC News. “Like honestly, I was waiting for an opponent. I was ready right after the Diaz fight. I told the UFC I wanted to go, they kept giving me some like hinters, who could have been, they fell through and he was ready, that’s what it is.”

Pettis is coming off a two-bout stint at 170 pounds. Most recently, he dropped a unanimous verdict to Nate Diaz at UFC 241 this past August. The former UFC and WEC 155-pound champion had to do a little soul searching after that contest, but now he’s in a good place heading into his matchup with Ferreira.

“I don’t make excuses,” Pettis said “Diaz fought his ass…

Jessica Penne is concerned that her recent suspension from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency will put an end to her career.

On her Instagram on Friday, Penne posted a lengthy statement discussing her issues with USADA. In the post, she claimed, "USADA has effective bullied and forced me into retiring from MMA," and compared the organization to the "High Sparrows" of "Game of Thrones." She explained that during the investigation of her 2019 drug test failure, the process proved far more antagonistic and she was allegedly told she would be issued a four-year suspension unless she exposed other fighters or team members that were also using banned substances.

Penne tested positive for an anabolic steroid in April 2017 and was handed down an 18-month suspension, when it was determined was prescribed dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) by her physician and did not receive an exemption to use the substance. Upon returning from the forced layoff, Penne was set to face Jodie Esquibel i…

Stamp Fairtex runs through Puja Tomar in DOMINANT fashion, winning by first-round TKO on her quest for a third ONE World Title! #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship #ANewTomorrow pic.twitter.com/IVCQR3AsGr

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) January 10, 2020

The first of 50 events announced for 2020 by One Championship went down at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, on Jan. 10.

In the mixed martial arts main event of One Championship: A New Tomorrow, One atomweight kickboxing and muay Thai champion Nong Stamp (4-0) not only managed to keep her record clean from defeat but she also stepped forward in her path to claim the One MMA atomweight title and become One’s first three-sport champion. “Stamp Fairtex” locked horns with Indian fighter Puja Tomar, who managed to do little to derail the Thai fighter’s hype train. After catching one of “Stamp Fairtex”’s lethal kicks, Tomar attempt a clumsy judo throw, but Fairtex was able to revers…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship continues to build its March event in Las Vegas, adding an intriguing lightweight matchup to the already impressive card.

On Thursday, MMA Junkie reported that Mark O. Madsen (9-0) will lock horns with Austin Hubbard (11-3) at UFC 248. The event will take place on March 7 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where Weili Zhang will defend her strawweight strap against former divisional queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Additionally, former middleweight kingpin Robert Whittaker will collide with the surging Jared Cannonier in the co-headlining bout.

Madsen, a 2016 Olympic silver medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling, made his promotional debut in September by laying waste to Danillo Belluardo in 72 seconds. The former welterweight has yet to taste defeat as a professional, and he dropped down to 155 pounds for the first time in his UFC debut. With his perfect record across nine bouts, "The Olympian" has won three by knockout, another three by sub…

January 25, 2020. I’m stepping back in the octagon. @bellatormma Can’t Wait! #bellator pic.twitter.com/4OJEY3bEEu

— AVA KNiGHT (@A_V_A_Knight) January 8, 2020

On the heels of a triumphant MMA debut, former WBC boxing champ Ava Knight is returning to Bellator MMA in January.

On Thursday, MMA Junkie reported that Knight (1-0) will be squaring off against Emilee Gettys (3-4) at strawweight division at Bellator 238. The matchup was later confirmed by Knight and her coach Jay Glazer. The bout will take place on the main card, which goes down on Jan. 25 at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Headlining the card is a massive featherweight championship matchup as Julia Budd looks to defend her throne against Cristiane Justino.

Knight made her successful debut in the sport when she dispatched Shannon Goughary at Bellator 228 in September with a punch to the body. Her stoppage marked only the fifth time a women's strawweight bout…

Sean O’Malley Accepts Sanction for Second Violation of UFC Anti-Doping Policy https://t.co/nbzouPbWOd

— USADA | UFC Anti-Doping Program (@USADA_UFC) January 9, 2020

Sean O'Malley will be on the shelf a little while longer as he sits out following multiple drug test failures for tainted supplements.

According to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency on Thursday, O'Malley has been suspended for six months dating back to a positive test for ostarine on Aug. 6. O'Malley was flagged on two separate tests on Aug. 6 and Aug. 12 for the same substance, as well as other positive results later that month. Due to his cooperation and an investigation that followed, O'Malley was not found at fault for intentionally using this substance. "Sugar" will be eligible to return to active competition on Feb. 6, and his matchup with Jose Alberto Quinonez has been relocated to UFC 248 in March to accommodate his eligibility.

The investigation into O'Malley's…

Not one but two featherweight tournament bouts are headed to Bellator 241 in March.

On Thursday, Bellator MMA announced via press release that Bellator 241 is scheduled for March 13 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Headlining the event will be a featherweight grand prix quarterfinal matchup as Patricio Freire (30-4) locks horns with Pedro Carvalho (11-3) for the 145-pound strap. Additional, the promotion announced a second tournament tilt between Daniel Weichel (40-11) and Emmanuel Sanchez (19-4) will be taking place the same night. All quarterfinals and subsequent matches will be five-round affairs, regardless of if the belt is in the line.

Freire has not lost since suffering an injury in 2016 against Benson Henderson. In that span, "Pitbull" tapped Daniel Straus to take the featherweight throne, and went on to defend it twice against Weichel and Sanchez. Moving up to lightweight, Freire knocked out Michael Chandler in just over one minute at Bellat…

Credit: Keith Mills/Sherdog.com Credit: Keith Mills/Sherdog.com Credit: Keith Mills/Sherdog.com Credit: Keith Mills/Sherdog.com

A pair of new bouts have been added to UFC Auckland, as Maki Pitolo will face Takashi Sato at welterweight, while Konklak Suphisara will meet Hannah Goldy at strawweight.

The promotion initially confirmed the matchups to the New Zealand Herald. UFC Auckland takes place on Feb. 22 and is headlined by a lightweight clash pitting Paul Felder against Dan Hooker. The card will stream on ESPN+.

After earning a contract on Season 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series, Pitolo fell to Callan Potter via unanimous decision in his promotional debut at UFC 243. A longtime veteran of the Pancrase promotion, Sato is 1-1 in UFC competition with a second-round TKO of Ben Saunders and a submission loss to Belal Muhammed in 2019.

Suphisara, who is better known as “Loma Lookboonme,” made a successful Octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 162, where she captured a s…

Luis Pena lives up to the @violentbobross moniker with this finish #UFCGreenville pic.twitter.com/n6O9NICyAX

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 22, 2019

Luis Pena will face Alex Munoz in a lightweight matchup at UFC Norfolk, promotion officials recently announced.

UFC Norfolk takes place at Chartway Arena on Feb. 29 and is headlined by a flyweight championship bout between Joseph Benavidez and Deiveson Figueiredo. The card will air on ESPN+.

Pena had a two-bout winning streak snapped at UFC Fight Night 161, as he dropped a split decision to Matt Frevola on Oct. 12. “Violent Bob Ross” is 3-2 during his promotional tenure and 7-2 as a professional overall.

Munoz will be making his Octagon debut after earning a dominant unanimous verdict against Nick Newell on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018. The Team Alpha Male product owns a 5-0 professional mark.

Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

UFC Raleigh is down a fight, as Josh Emmett has pulled out of a proposed featherweight clash against Arnold Allen.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report Emmett’s withdrawal. Emmett reportedly suffered an injury in training, but the severity of the ailment is unclear. It is not yet known if Allen will remain on the card.

UFC Raleigh takes place at PNC Arena on Jan. 25 and is headlined by a heavyweight showdown between Curtis Blaydes and Junior dos Santos. In the co-main event, Rafael dos Anjos will square off against Michael Chiesa at welterweight. The card will stream on ESPN+.

Emmett has won four of his last five contests in the Las Vegas-based promotion. The Team Alpha Male product last appeared at UFC Fight Night 155, where he defeated Mirsad Bektic via first-round technical knockout on July 13.

The card for UFC Norfolk continues to fill rapidly, as the Las Vegas-based promotion confirmed four contests for the Feb. 29 event.

The newly official bouts are as follows: Ion Cutelaba vs. Magomed Ankalaev at light heavyweight; Sergey Spivak vs. Marcin Tybura at heavyweight; Mike Davis vs. Giga Chikadze at featherweight and Jordan Griffin vs. T.J. Brown at featherweight.

UFC Norfolk takes place at Charway Arena and is headlined by a clash between Joseph Benavidez and Deiveson Figueiredo for the vacant flyweight crown. In the co-main event, Felicia Spencer will meet Zarah Fairn dos Santos in a women’s featherweight scrap.

The 26-year-old Cutelaba has won three of his last four Octagon appearances, including a first-round TKO of Khalil Rountree in his most recent outing at UFC Fight Night 160. Ankalaev has lost just once in 13 professional bouts and is currently riding a three-bout winning streak in the promotion.

Spivak improved to 10-1 as a professional wh…

Ryan Hall has fought just once a year for the past two years in the UFC, and the grappling ace is getting frustrated with being on the sidelines.

On Tuesday, “The Wizard” took to Instagram to call out former champions Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar for potential fights. In his post, Hall claims that multiple opponents have turned down bouts against a “skinny, blinky kid from the suburbs.”

“Never thought I’d have to go this route, but then again, I also never imagined a laundry list of ranked professional tough guys turning down a fight with a skinny, blinky kid from the suburbs... Frankie Edgar and Jose Aldo are two people for whom courage won’t ever be an issue and it’s for that reason I have looked up to both since I first saw them compete years ago,” Hall wrote. “Maybe one of them would be willing to step in to show everybody else how it’s done?

“Pick the time and place, boys. I’ll be there.”

On problem with Hall’s callout could be the division. While “The …

Decorated grappler Rodolfo Vieira will square off against Saparbek Safarov at UFC 248.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the middleweight bout on Tuesday. UFC 248 takes place on March 7 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and features a strawweight title tilt between Weili Zhang and Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

A former ADCC gold medalist and five-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion, Vieira has finished all six of his MMA opponents thus far. “The Black Belt Hunter” made his Octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 156, where he submitted Oskar Piechota in the second round on Aug. 10.

After losing to Gian Villante and Tyson Pedro in his first two Octagon appearances, Safarov scored his first triumph within the Las Vegas-based promotion with a unanimous verdict against Nicolae Negumereanu at UFC Fight Night 147. The 33-year-old Dagestani owns a 9-2 professional mark overall.

Georges St. Pierre announced his retirement from mixed martial arts in early 2019, and in his speech he cited an inability to come to terms with the UFC for a mega-fight with reigning lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov as one of the reasons behind his decision.

That doesn’t mean people aren’t still talking about the hypothetical matchup, however. In an interview with the fightTIPS podcast, Firas Zahabi, St. Pierre’s longtime coach at Tristar Gym in Montreal, discussed how a matchup with the Dagestani grappler might play out.

While Nurmagomedov has mauled the majority of his opponents with his suffocating pressure and wrestling, Zahabi believes that aspect of the fight would look quite different against St. Pierre.

“Even if Khabib would take Georges down, let’s give the best case scenario: I think Georges is getting up, personally,” Zahabi said. “He’s going to get up. Georges’ jiu-jitsu is impeccable. It’s impeccable. It’s not going to be like holding down a…

Former UFC and Strikeforce competitor Jordan Mein has signed a multi-fight contract with Bellator MMA.

Sherdog.com confirmed the signing with a promotion official following an initial report from TSN on Monday. Mein will compete in the welterweight division, but a date and opponent for his promotional debut were not revealed.

The 30-year-old Mein began fighting professionally at 16 years old and has compiled a 31-12 mark over the course of his career. “Young Gun” ended a nine-bout UFC stint with back-to-back decision wins over Erick Silva and Alex Morono, with his last Octagon appearance coming at UFC on Fox 30 in July 2018.

Mein, who lost to Rory MacDonald in his pro debut in 2006, owns notable wins over the likes of Joe Riggs, Marius Zaromskis, Evangelista Santos, Dan Miller and Mike Pyle. The Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, native briefly retired from the sport in July 2015 but he returned to action a little more than a year later in a loss to Emil Meek at UFC 206.

FIGHT NEWS! @RD_Goat returns to the cage on January 25th in LA to take on Jason “The Asian Persuasion” King at #Bellator238. pic.twitter.com/V1fh5dGsdv

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) January 6, 2020

Flashy kickboxing star Raymond Daniels will make his third professional mixed martial arts appearance at Bellator 238 when he faces Jason King.

The California-based promotion announced the contest on Monday. Bellator 238 takes place at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on Jan. 25 and is headlined by a women’s featherweight title clash pitting Julia Budd against Cristiane Justino.

Daniels, the welterweight champion in Bellator Kickboxing, scored a highlight-reel knockout victory over Wilker Barros at Bellator “Birmingham” on May 4. That was “The Real Deal’s” first MMA bout since losing to Jeremiah Metcalf via second-round submission at a Strikeforce event in June 2008.

Known as “The Asian Persuasion,” King has compiled an 8-5 prof…

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While UFC president Dana White has hinted that Conor McGregor could get a rematch with reigning lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov as soon as his second Octagon appearance, the Dagestani fighter’s team seems to have other ideas.

In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, manager Ali Abdelaziz claimed that a return date with McGregor is hardly a priority for “The Eagle.” Nurmagomedov submitted McGregor in the fourth round of their title bout at UFC 229 in October 2018. A post-fight melee that ensued after the bout resulted in suspensions for both fighters, and interest in a rematch remains high for the Irish star. The event reportedly set a record for pay-per-view buys, which explains the promotion’s interest in a rematch.

“Listen, Dana’s the greatest promoter in history; I respect the man very much,” Abdelaziz said. “He has to make people care about Conor. And by mentioning Khabib’s name, he is making C…

A featherweight contest between Jeremy Stephens and Calvin Kattar is in the works for UFC 248.

MMAjunkie.com first reported the booking. UFC 248 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on March 7 and will feature a strawweight title tilt between Weili Zhang and Joanna Jedrzejczyk. The main card will air on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN+ and ESPN. Stephens and Kattar have verbally agreed to the matchup but bout agreements have not yet been finalized.

Stephens is winless in his last four Octagon appearances after losing a unanimous decision to Yair Rodriguez at UFC on ESPN 6. The 33-year-old known as “Lil Heathen has also lost to Zabit Magomedsharipov and Jose Aldo during his current skid, while an initial meeting with Rodriguez was declared a no contest due to an accidental eye poke.

Kattar had a two-bout winning streak halted at UFC Fight Night 163, where he dropped a unanimous decision to Magomedsharipov on Nov. 9. Prior to that defeat, “The Bost…