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Artem Lobov has been released by the UFC after compiling a 2-5 record within the Las Vegas-based promotion.

The SBG Ireland representative hinted at his departure Tuesday on Twitter, and multiple outlets have since confirmed the featherweight fighter’s release. Lobov expressed interest in multiple promotions, including Bellator, KSW, Rizin and One Championship. He also mentioned kickboxing or boxing as a possibility.

Locked and loaded, ready to take on anyone and everyone!!! Who wants it!!?! @BellatorMMA @KSW_MMA @rizin_PR @bareknucklefc @ONEChampionship @ACA_League

— Artem Lobov (@RusHammerMMA) January 29, 2019

K1 has always been on my radar, proper fights!!! Buakaw, Senchai....send them my way, it would be a huge honour to share the ring with them!!! @GLORY_WS

— Artem Lobov (@RusHammerMMA) January 29, 2019

Boxing is a great sport, but it lacks entertainment lately. Time to bring in the big g…

It’s all systems go for Jon Jones’ light heavyweight title defense at UFC 235.

After lengthy testimony from a number of experts during an evidentiary hearing on Tuesday, Jones was licensed by the Nevada Athletic Commission, clearing the way for him to put his belt on the line against Anthony Smith on March 2 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The license was granted to Jones on a one-fight, conditional basis by the commission, which required Jones to submit to and pay for random drug testing by the NAC until UFC 235. In order to be licensed again, Jones will have to continue to submit to regular drug testing from multiple organizations — USADA, VADA and NAC — throughout 2019 . NAC chairman Anthony Marnell said that the commission must immediately receive all tests results as soon as they are available.

Jones was initially called to the hearing because NAC declined to license the Jackson-Wink MMA product after trace elements of the anabolic steroid Turinabol were…

Bellator 214 attracted an average audience of 697,000 to Paramount Network for this past Saturday’s card, according to an industry source.

That figure is the highest for the California-based promotion since Bellator 192, which drew 770,000 viewers for a card headlined by a clash between Chael Sonnen and Quinton Jackson.

Bellator 214 took place at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and saw Ryan Bader claim the vacant heavyweight title with a 35-second stoppage of Fedor Emelianenko in the evening’s headliner. Ratings peaked at 1.2 million viewers for the abbreviated heavyweight grand prix final at 11:34 p.m. ET.

The co-main event, where Henry Corrales knocked out highly-touted prospect Aaron Pico in 67 seconds, averaged 808,000 viewers, while the debut of former professional wrestling star Jake Hager — better known as “Jack Swagger” — averaged 809,000.

Final ratings should increase with the addition of DVR +3 figures later in the week.

Conor McGregor Receives 6-Month Suspension, $50K Fine for UFC 229 Post-Fight Melee Rankings

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Tuesday’s Nevada Athletic Commission hearing might be a little less interesting than originally anticipated.

According to a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor have agreed to settlements with the state of Nevada and will not be present at the meeting tomorrow morning. The settlement agreements will be presented to the commission and voted upon by the five-member panel. Nurmagomedov and McGregor are facing discipline for their roles in a post-fight brawl following the UFC 229 headliner at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Oct. 6.

Terms of the settlement were not disclosed. Nurmagomedov teammates Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Zubaira Tukhugov have also reached settlements and will also not be present at the hearing, according to the report.

Nurmagomedov, the reigning lightweight king, and McGregor are still on temporary suspension, which means the 155-pound division has been in limbo until their fates are known. Both are fa…

As Daniel Cormier nears the end of his career, he can look back on his accomplishments with satisfaction — even if he never faces Jon Jones again.

While there remains a possibility that the two rivals square off for a third time in the near future, Cormier believes that Jones needs the fight more than he does.

“For what I’ve done, winning the heavyweight title, everything was so tied to him [Jones] initially that me getting the heavyweight title was something so completely separate, especially being that I was undefeated in the weight class prior,” Cormier told UFC.com. “Going up into a weight that was always thought to be my weight class, winning the UFC title, it helped me.

“I think for Jones to truly get back everything that he’s lost, it would be good for him and I to fight again. For me, I’ve established my career outside of him. He’s done things outside of me, too, but for him, it would be good if he got to fight me again.”

Jones returned from his mos…

Ryan Bader became the first two-division champion in Bellator MMA history when he stopped Fedor Emelianenko in the finals of the promotion’s heavyweight grand prix on Saturday night. Scott Coker believes that puts the 35-year-old Arizonan in some rarified air when it comes to the sport’s top pound-for-pound fighters.

He’s got to be right up there in the top two or three, in my opinion,” Coker told assembled media at the Bellator 214 post-fight press conference. “The guy is dangerous. I’m not sure if I’m just imagining but it seems like he’s becoming a better striker. Because the go-to move was always to go for the takedown, go for the shoot…but now with the ‘King Mo’ stoppage and this stoppage, I think he was setting up what he hit him with.”

Bader was rarely hit as he rolled through Muhammed Lawal, Matt Mitrione and Emelianenko to capture the California-based organization’s vacant heavyweight crown. The Power MMA Team product still sits atop the Bellator light heavywe…

Four title bouts will be on the docket when One Championship debuts in Tokyo on March 31.

One CEO Chatri Sityodtong recently announced that “A New Era” will include a trilogy fight between reigning champion Kevin Belingon and former champion Bibiano Fernandes for the 155-pound belt.

In their most recent meeting, Belingnon edged Fernandes via contentious split decision in a title unification bout this past November. “The Silencer has won seven fights in a row overall since being submitted by Fernandes in their first clash under the One banner in November 2016. The loss to Belingnon ended a 14-fight winning streak for Fernandes.

One Championship “A New Era” takes place at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo and will see Eduard Folyang defend his lightweight belt against Shinya Aoki in the evening’s main event. In the co-headliner, atomweight queen Angela Lee will face strawweight champion Jingnan Xiong, while two-division champion Aung La Nsang will put his middleweight str…

As a heavily hyped prospect, Aaron Pico jumped right into the fire in his Bellator MMA debut, squaring off against 10-fight veteran Zach Freeman in June 2017.

In that bout, Pico was clipped and submitted in 24 seconds, but he rebounded to post four consecutive first-round KO/TKO victories under the Bellator banner. In each bout, Pico’s opponent was significantly more experienced. That was again the case at Bellator 214, when the former Olympic hopeful dropped Henry Corrales with an early uppercut before being knocked out with a right hook and follow-up punches at the 1:07 mark of round one.

Pico’s inexperience was on display as he engaged with Corrales in close quarters, digging to the body in hopes of another finish. That left an opening for Corrales to strike the decisive blow. However, Pico seemingly has no desire to scale down the quality of his competition going forward.

“I have to sit down with my family and figure out, do we take lesser opponents? OK, then…

JUST LIKE THAT!!!! @RyanBader with the HUGE KO against Fedor Emelianenko!#Bellator214 pic.twitter.com/7fm2XFY1zh

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) January 27, 2019

Ryan Bader only needed two punches to become the first two-division champion in Bellator MMA history.

Bader (27-5, 5-0 Bellator) concluded the promotion’s heavyweight grand prix in emphatic fashion in the Bellator 214 headliner, knockout out Fedor Emelianenko (38-6, 2-2 Bellator) in the evening’s headliner at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif. on Saturday night. The first punch to land — a lead left hook from Bader — sent “The Last Emperor” to the canvas instantly.

As the dazed Russian attempted to sit up, Bader tagged his foe with a stiff right hand, essentially ending the contest. Bader landed a couple more hammerfists before referee Mike Beltran was able to intervene just 35 seconds after the bout began.

“I had a great night,” Bader said. “But first and foremost I want to give it…

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane will attempt to defend her women’s flyweight crown for a third time when she faces Veta Arteaga at a Bellator event on April 27.

The promotion announced the matchup during the Bellator 214 broadcast on Saturday night. The card will take place at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., and will feature a welterweight tournament bout between reigning champ Rory MacDonald and Jon Fitch. The previously reported MacDonald-Fitch bout was also confirmed on Saturday night.

Macfarlane captured the promotion’s inaugural women’s flyweight crown with a fifth-round submission of Emily Ducote at Bellator 186. The Hawaiian then tapped Alejandra Lara with a third-round armbar at Bellator 201 in her initial title defense before submitting former UFC strawweight title defender Valerie Letourneau on home soil at Bellator 213. “The Ilimanator” is unbeaten in nine professional appearances overall.

Arteaga, 31, has been victorious in three of her last four Bellator ap…

DAZN is the exclusive streaming partner of Bellator MMA. You can sign up for a free trial here.

Sherdog's live Bellator 214 coverage kicks off Saturday 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 Adam Martin scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin score…

A matchup of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series alums has been added to UFC 235, as Edmen Shahbazyan will square off against Charles Byrd.

The promotion confirmed the middleweight pairing to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. UFC 235 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on March and is headlined by a light heavyweight championship clash between Jon Jones and Anthony Smith. In the co-main event, Tyron Woodley will defend his welterweight bout against Kamaru Usman. The card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN+.

If the card stays intact, Shahbzyan vs. Byrd will be the 14th bout on the bill.

Shahbazyan is unbeaten in his first eight professional bouts. After earning a UFC deal with a 40-second stoppage of Antonio Jones on the Contender Series, the Edmund Taverdyan protege took a split verdict over Darren Stewart in his Octagon debut at “The Ultimate Fighter 28” finale on Nov. 30.

Byrd, meanwhile, won two contests on the Contender Series…

Harvey Park avoided a possible disqualification on his way to a controversial technical knockout of Jaleel Willis in the Legacy Fighting Alliance 58 main event on Friday at the Route 66 Casino Hotel in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

As the two lightweights were getting warmed up, Park (11-2) landed a left to the body and sent an off-balance Willis to the canvas. However, with Willis down on his knees and trying to get up, “Fightbot” connected with what appeared to be a glancing knee to the head. Referee Joe Coca did not intervene and allowed Park to rain subsequent punches until it was over.

A woozy Willis (9-2) protested, but the outcome was not changed. Replays showed the knee glanced off his shoulder and head, paving the way for the TKO at 3:17 of the first round.

Meanwhile, Joby Sanchez was on a two-fight losing streak, but those setbacks occurred inside the Ultimate Fighting Championship. In the LFA 58 co-headliner, Sanchez turned around his fortunes by dominating fellow…

DAZN is the exclusive streaming partner of Bellator MMA. You can sign up for a free trial here.

Bellator MMA is set to conclude its heavyweight tournament, with Fedor Emelianenko taking on light heavyweight kingpin Ryan Bader in the Bellator 214 main event on Saturday.

Emelianenko hit the scales at 236.2 pounds, as he prepares to face Bader (227.8) for the heavyweight tournament championship as the Bellator 214 main event this Saturday at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Co-headlining the event will be a featherweight matchup between highly touted prospect Aaron Pico (145.5) and Henry Corrales (145.7) -- all of whom made weight easily at Friday's official weigh-in.

Bellator 214 "Fedor vs. Bader," which airs live on Paramount and simulcast on DAZN at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, also features former professional wrestler "Jack Swagger" Jake Hager (238) making his MMA debut at heavyweight against J.W. Kiser (224.3). At bantamweight, Juan Archuleta (135.8) will meet Ricky Band…

Adriano Moraes is now a 6-TIME ONE Flyweight World Champion! #WeAreONE #HerosAscent #Manila #MartialArts pic.twitter.com/tXYTycMc6a

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) January 25, 2019

One Championship successfully made its first appearance in 2019 in the Philippines with One Championship: Hero's Ascent, which went down at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila.

Moraes Wins Rubber Match With Eustaquio, Takes Flyweight Title The main event showcased the first trilogy in promotional history, between Adriano Moraes and Geje Eustaquio. In their first encounter, Moraes submitted Eustaquio, then lost via split decision to the Brazilian in their rematch. Once again, the One flyweight championship was on the line.

The bout started with both fighters feeling each other out for the majority of the first stanza, Moraes controlling the center of the cage and Eustaquio taking the initiative and landing punches. The exchanges between the contenders became w…

The #LFA58 Public Weigh-In takes place this Thursday at #ENVYNightlife at @RT66Casino at 6 p.m. MT!

It will be streamed live on the @LFAfighting and @AXSTVFights Facebook pages.

ENVY Nightlife@RT66CasinoHotel14500 Central Ave SWI-40 Exit 140#Albuquerque , #NewMexico#MMA pic.twitter.com/XzfCoe7WHz— LFA (@LFAfighting) January 24, 2019

The Legacy Fighting Alliance is set to plant its flag in the Land of Enchantment for the first time with LFA 58.

Harvey Park hit the scales at 155.8 pounds, as he prepares to face Jaleel Willis (155.8) at lightweight in the LFA 58 main event this Friday at the Route 66 Casino Hotel in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Co-headlining the card will be a flyweight showdown between former Ultimate Fighting Championship combatant Joby Sanchez (125.6) and Demetrius Wilson (125.8), with all four making with ease at Thursday's weigh-ins.

LFA 58, which airs live on AXS TV on Friday, Jan. 25th at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, …

The Nevada State Athletic Commission has scheduled major hearings for their meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 29 to decide the fates of three of the Ultimate Fighting Championship's biggest stars.

According to the agenda released by the commission, hearings for Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor and Jon Jones will take place during the same meeting. MMAJunkie.com was first to report this news. The meeting is scheduled in Las Vegas at 9 a.m. local time, and any potential broadcasting plans have not yet been announced.

First on the docket will be the complaint against Nurmagomedov. He has been on suspension ever since his post-fight brawl at UFC 229, where he submitted McGregor and then jumped from the cage to attack one of McGregor’s cornermen. Both Nurmagomedov and McGregor are potentially facing fines as well as additional suspensions and other possible action, and the commission has not released Nurmagomedov’s entire fight purse from the event. Although attendance has been deem…

Two lightweights on the hunt for back-to-back wins @DamirHadzo vs Marco Polo Reyes comes to #UFCPrague! pic.twitter.com/OdbHwu3ZZC

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) January 24, 2019

You can sign up for a free seven-day trial of ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC on ESPN+ 3 live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s first foray into the Czech Republic just received a new lightweight attraction. On Thursday morning, the UFC Europe Twitter page announced that Damir Hadzovic (12-4) and Marco Polo Reyes (8-4) have agreed to meet at UFC on ESPN+ 3 on Feb. 23.

“The Bosnian Bomber” Hadzovic has gone 2-2 under the UFC banner. The Bosnian fighting out of Denmark made his UFC debut in 2016, but was knocked out in the first round by Mairbek Taisumov. Since then, he has bounced back with wins in two of his last three bouts, having defeated Marcin Held and Nick Hein. Half of the Art…

Kelvin Gastelum heads Down Under next month to attempt to dethrone Robert Whittaker for the middleweight belt, and despite marching into the champ’s home ground, he is brimming with confidence.

The 27-year-old Arizona native is feeling confident ahead of his bout against “The Reaper” and comes into the fight with back-to-back victories over former middleweight champion Michael Bisping and grappling ace Ronaldo Souza.

During a media day in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Gastelum said he’s riding high on confidence and predicted a short night for the Aussie next month.

“I’m predicting a first-round knockout,” Gastelum said. “I’ve put in so much work and I feel so confident in my abilities and confident in what I’ve done in the sport that I’m predicting a first-round knockout.”

The middleweight belt has gone through a transitional period changing hands a number of times in recent years since Anderson Silva’s reign ended in 2012 with a number of champions including Ch…

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Alexander Hernandez was one of three fighters from UFC Fight Night Brooklyn to receive a 60-day medical suspension.

The New York State Athletic Commission released a list of medical suspensions from the event on Wednesday. Hernandez suffered a technical knockout loss to Donald Cerrone thanks to a head kick and follow-up punches at the 3:42 mark of round two in a preliminary lightweight con…

Reigning welterweight champion Rory MacDonald will face Jon Fitch as part of the first round of the Bellator grand prix at an event in San Jose, Calif., on April 27.

MacDonald will also put his belt on the line in the five-round bout, with the winner moving on to the semifinals as the California-based promotion’s welterweight champion. MMAFighting.com was first to report the matchup, which is expected to take place at the SAP Center. Bellator has not officially confirmed the booking.

MacDonald is coming off a lopsided second-round TKO loss at the hands of Gegard Mousasi in a middleweight championship tilt at Bellator 206 this past September. “The Red King” debuted in the promotion with a submission of Paul Daley before taking a five-round verdict over Douglas Lima to claim 170-pound gold at Bellator 192.

Fitch enters the matchup on a five-fight winning streak, which includes a decision triumph over Daley at Bellator 199. Prior to that, the former UFC title challe…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is hoping that the third time is the charm for a middleweight clash between Yoel Romero and Paulo Henrique Costa.

According to a report from Combate, the Las Vegas-based promotion is targeting Romero vs. Costa for its UFC on ESPN 3 card at American Airlines Arena in Miami on April 27. Multiple outlets have since confirmed that the 185-pound bout is in the works.

Romero and Costa were originally scheduled to meet at UFC 230, but “The Soldier of God” was forced to withdraw due to lingering injuries from his UFC 225 clash against Robert Whittaker. The middleweights were later targeted for UFC Brooklyn on Jan. 19, but Romero again had to pull out of the contest.

Romero has lost two of his last three bouts, both in five round verdicts against Whittaker, the reigning middleweight champion. The American Top Team member began his promotional tenure on an eight-fight winning streak.

“Borrachinha” hasn’t competed since July, when he…

A previously rumored lightweight clash between Edson Barboza and Justin Gaethje is now official as the headliner for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s second card on ESPN network.

The Las Vegas-based promotion confirmed the lightweight matchup on Tuesday. UFC on ESPN 2 takes place at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on March 30 and is also expected to include a strawweight clash between Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Michelle Waterson.

Barboza has compiled a 14-6 mark in the Octagon since beginning his promotional tenure in 2010. The Brazilian last competed at UFC on Fox 31, where he authored a devastating beatdown of Dan Hooker en route to a third-round knockout victory.

Gaethje, the former World Series of Fighting lightweight champion, has gone 2-2 in UFC competition after beginning his professional career with 17 consecutive wins. “The Highlight” is coming off a first-round knockout of James Vick at UFC Fight Night 135 on Aug. 25.