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Both Francis Ngannou and Joseph Benavidez appeared to solidify their positions as No. 1 contender in their respective divisions at UFC on ESPN 3 this past Saturday.

Ngannou earned his third consecutive first-round finish in the evening’s headliner at the Target Center in Minneapolis, as he thumped Junior dos Santos in just 71 seconds. “The Predator’s” current winning streak also includes stoppages of Cain Velasquez and Curtis Blaydes. Ngannou has regained nearly all of the momentum he lost after consecutive defeats to Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis took much of the shine off his quick rise to prominence within the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Benavidez, meanwhile, remains one of the best fighters to never capture a title in a major organization. On Saturday, he took out Jussier Formiga for a second time in the co-main event, giving him nine wins in his last 10 UFC appearances. Included in that stretch is a split-decision victory over reigning 125-pound champion Henry Cej…

Kelvin Gastelum needed some time to recover after a memorable five-round interim title fight with Israel Adesanya at UFC 236. Now that he’s cleared to train and fight again, “The Ultimate Fighter 17” winner has his sights set on a return date.

“I’m a little too excited! The doctor just gave me good news and cleared me to fight and start training,” Gastelum wrote on Instagram. “After the war I had with Stylebender I had to make sure to take time off and make sure that when I get cleared, I was physically, brand spankin new. [Eleven] weeks later that day has come and I’m ready to start looking for a return date! And my eyes are set for November. I want to thank you all for the continued support! Let’s continue this mission for gold!”

The 27-year-old Yuma, Ariz., native already has an opponent in mind for his next UFC appearance, as he has targeted a future showdown with Jack Hermansson. The 31-year-old Swede has established himself as a person of interest in the middlewe…

Angela Lee, Aung La N Sang and Bibiano Fernandes have title defenses scheduled for One Championship’s 100th event in Tokyo on Oct. 13.

One Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced the news on Sunday. Lee will face Jingnan Xiong in an atomweight (115-pound) title clash; N Sang will defend the light heavyweight crown against heavyweight king Brandon Vera and Bibiano Fernandes will put the bantamweight (145-pound) strap on the line against Kevin Belingon.

One Championship “Century” will also feature the finals of the promotion’s lightweight and flyweight tournaments for MMA and the finals of the featherweight grand prix for kickboxing. Cross-promotional bouts pitting fighters from Shooto against competitors from Pancrase will also take place on the card; those matchups will be announced in the coming weeks.

Lee, who is already booked to face Michelle Nicolini at a One Championship event in Malaysia on July 12, moved up a division to challenge Xiong for the flywe…

Image credit: Mike Jackson/Fury FC

Anthony Ivy killed two birds with one stone Saturday night in Houston, retaining his Fury Fighting Championship welterweight title and avenging a previous loss with a second-round mauling of Jason Langellier at Fury FC 33.

The Fury FC 33 headliner looked close to bring stopped at the end of the first round, as “Aquaman” was applying heavy ground-and-pound to Langellier in the final minute, with referee Jeff Rexroad looking on closely. Langellier survived to hear the final bell, but the second round offered more of the same: Ivy once again grounded “The Slim Reaper,” navigated the lanky grappler’s submission attempts and pounded him with punches and hammerfists from back mount. Rexroad finally intervened at 4:13, giving Ivy (6-2) the TKO win and running his win streak to three straight. Langellier, who appeared to have suffered a leg injury in one of the final exchanges, falls to 8-2.

In the co-main event, Adrian Yanez (9-3…

Four “Performance of the Night” checks were awarded at UFC on ESPN 3 on Saturday, as Francis Ngannou, Joseph Benavidez, Alonzo Menifield and Eryk Anders all received $50,000 for their efforts in Minneapolis.

Ngannou capitalized on Junior dos Santos’ aggression in the heavyweight headliner, as he rocked “Cigano” with several heavy shots and finished him with follow-up shots on the mat 71 seconds into the first frame to pad his bank account. It was the third consecutive first-round finish for “The Predator,” who once again looks like a top contender in the division

Meanwhile, Benavidez garnered a performance award thanks to a second-round TKO of Jussier Formiga in the flyweight co-main event. Benavidez rocked the Brazilian with a head kick and then finished him with a barrage of punches at the 4:47 mark of the period.

Menifield continued to establish himself as a light heavyweight prospect to watch, earning a bonus check for a first-round knockout of Paul Craig. Th…

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. Sherdog's live UFC on ESPN 3 coverage begins Saturday at 6 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:Cole Shelton scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:Cole Shelton scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:Cole Shelton scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:Cole Shelton scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:Cole Shelton scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:Cole Shelton scores the round:The Offic…

Eryk Anders (12-4) reclaims some shine and snaps a three-fight skid, ransacking Vinícius Castro while the ref stares on! The former Alabama linebacker has stopped nine, eight by knockout, and seven in round one. #UFCMinneapolis pic.twitter.com/fD6ylhP9l8

— Kyle Johnson (@VonPreux) June 30, 2019

The ordering process for Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-views has changed: UFC 239 is only available on ESPN+ in the U.S.

Former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Eryk Anders steadied himself inside the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s light heavyweight division, as he knocked out Vinicius Moreira with punches in the first round of their UFC on ESPN 3 prelim on Saturday at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Moreira (9-3, 0-2 UFC) bit the dust 1:18 into Round 1, as he was finished for the second time in as many appearances.

Anders (12-4, 4-4 UFC) denied the Brazilian’s bid for takedowns and even moved into full mount at one point…

Official Results: Martin def. Ferreira via DQ Illegal Stikes at 3:21 into Round 1. pic.twitter.com/yaAWuzuJ0D

— AXS TV Fights (@AXSTVFights) June 29, 2019

Renan Ferreira just couldn’t seem to follow the rules against Brett Martin, but Legacy Fighting Alliance is ready to crown a new heavyweight champion following LFA 70.

Team Nogueira’s “Problema” rocked Martin immediately and kept the pressure on. A series of punches to the back of the head from Ferreira prompted referee Rob Hinds to stop the fight and dock two points from the Brazilian.

Martin briefly took advantage of the opportunity, as he was able to gain top position after Ferreira fell down attempting a leg kick. The fight came to a screeching halt after Ferreira (5-2) reversed position and landed additional right hands to the back to the head. Hinds had seen enough and called it a match at just 3:14 of the opening frame.

With the victory, Martin (3-1) landed a m…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEWh0-0LdWU&w=640&h=360] Anthony Rocco Martin got off to a shaky start with his Ultimate Fighting Championship career. Joining the league in 2014, Martin went 1-3 in his first four UFC fights, earning his first two losses back-to-back, getting a win, then losing again all before the summer of 2015.

Since last year, the Boston native has gone 4-0 and will now face his toughest challenge in perennial top contender Demian Maia. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace has almost 40 professional mixed martial arts bouts to his name, and before his February win over Lyman Good, had lost three in a row (albeit to a murderer's row of opponents: Tyron Woodley, Colby Covington, Kamaru Usman).

Martin, 29, understands what's at stake for his career with such a significant matchup. Not only because Maia is still a big name in the welterweight division, but also because many of the top fighters at 170 implement a grapple-heavy strategy.

"This is the…

World Boxing Council super-flyweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada, fresh off of a spectacular victory over Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, has just secured a promotional deal with Matchroom Boxing USA and Zanfer Promotions.

"El Gallo" first lost his WBC title to Rungvisai in February 2018. After adding two wins to his record in the latter part of 2018, Estrada was granted an April 2019 rematch against the man who took his belt. Facing him once again at the Forum in Inglewood, California, the 29-year-old Mexican outclassed his opponent, earning a unanimous decision victory, regaining his WBC super-flyweight strap, and adding the Ring Magazine junior bantamweight belt to his collection.

Estrada is expected to announce a title defense in the coming weeks. "I'm very excited to be fighting again on DAZN where I won the WBC title," said Estrada. "I look forward to defending my title for Mexico and for all my fans and hopefully I can soon unify titles with the other champions of th…

Jon Jones has stated in the past that he may look at moving up to the heavyweight division in the future to challenge himself, and one of the UFC’s most powerful heavyweights, Francis Ngannou, would love to welcome him there.

“The Predator” is scheduled to fight former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos in the main event at UFC Minneapolis on Saturday night and if he beats him, it could set up a potential super fight down the line.

Jones, who takes on heavy-hitting Brazilian Thiago Santos in the main event UFC 239 at July 6, recently told TMZ that he would be open to moving up to the heavyweight division. Jones singled out Ngannou as one of those fighters against whom he would like to test himself (via MMA Mania):

“[Ngannou] is a scary dude,” Jones said. “But, that’s why I’m in it, for it to be hard. I’m aware that the greater the challenge, that’s what makes it great. The hard is what makes it great. There’s a lot of fights at the heavyweight division th…

UFC on ESPN 3 in Minneapolis has taken a hit.

Vince Murdock, who was set to make his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut against Jordan Griffin announced on Instagram that he has withdrawn from the fight. He accepted the fight two weeks ago after Chas Skelly was originally set to face Griffin, but Skelly had to pull out due to an injury.

The 28-year-old Murdock says the UFC will not clear him to fight, and will need to run more tests in order to clear him. He adds that he believes with the upcoming test he will complete, he will be allowed to fight soon.

As of now, there is no word on if the Las Vegas-based promotion will seek a replacement opponent for Griffin. The UFC has not yet commented on if this will change the start time or the bout order for UFC on ESPN 3. Potentially losing his opportunity to compete on this card, "The Native Psycho" was planning to return from a loss to Dan Ige in his UFC debut.

Murdock's statement on his Instagram page says the fo…

One Championship has confirmed a welterweight showdown for its Aug. 2 event in Manila, Philippines. Dubbed "Dawn of Heroes," the main card will now also include a bout between American James Nakashima and veteran mixed martial artist Yushin Okami.

The Pacific island will also host the return of two former Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholders in flyweight Demetrious Johnson and lightweight Eddie Alvarez. Johnson won his debut appearance with One, but Alvarez was felled by Timofey Nastyukhin. Alvarez will be looking for redemption when he faces off against former One titleholder Eduard Folayang.

For his part, Nakashima will be eager to make a statement against a Japanese MMA pioneer who has been fighting in cages since 2002. At 30 years old, "Nako" remains undefeated with a professional MMA record of 11-0. The Arizona native last fought in April, defeating Luis Santos in the second round due to injury.

Okami's record runs much longer, with the "Thunder" from …

Ryan Bader’s career has gone from strength to strength since his move from the Ultimate Fighting Championship to Bellator MMA, where he has captured the promotion’s heavyweight and light heavyweight titles.

The dual-division champion is currently riding a seven-fight win streak after a successful heavyweight tournament run where he won the heavyweight belt by knocking out Fedor Emelianenko at Bellator 214.

“Darth” is currently eyeing future opponents in both the Bellator light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions and has said he wants a rematch against Lyoto Machida so he can avenge his previous loss to him when both men were fighting in the UFC. Bader and Machida met back in August 2012 at UFC on Fox: Shogun vs. Vera where “The Dragon” knocked Bader out cold.

MMAJunkie.com spoke to Bader, who outlined some fights he’d like to have down the line to defend his belts, and said he’d jump at the chance to even the score with “The Dragon” after getting knocked out in…

Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight Desmond Green is facing 20 charges – including DUI manslaughter – for his involvement in a five-vehicle crash that killed two women last summer.

According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Green is currently being held in Broward County (Fla.) jail on bonds totaling $194,000.

On Aug. 18, Green lost control of his Dodge Durango while driving north on Sheridan Street on northbound Interstate 75 in Pembroke Pines, Fla, and veered into the path of a tractor-trailer. That triggered a five-car crash that killed two women, Emelina Morfa and Emma Suarez of Miami. Two others, Mily Vita-Vega and Teresa Jaramillo, were seriously injured in the accident and taken to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Fla.

Green, meanwhile, sustained only minor injuries. According to an arrest report, Green was seen throwing a metal object over a highway barrier wall after the crash. The object was later recovered and determined to be a mariju…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0asBeZ5oZd0&w=640&h=360] Lightweight mixed martial artist Jared Gordon last fought in December 2018 on n UFC on Fox 31. In that end-of-year bout, the 30-year-old from Queens, New York, lost to Joaquin Silva via TKO in round three.

"Flash" is returning to the Ultimate Fighting Championship Octagon six months later to face Dan Moret at UFC on ESPN 3 on the prelims portion of the Minneapolis card. Gordon revealed to James Lynch of The Score MMA that the reason for his long absence from the cage was due to a hamstring tear suffered in his December clash against Silva.

"Yeah, he put me in that Pavel stretch, it's called, I think. And I felt a tearing and I heard popping, but I knew there was only 10 seconds left, and I was like 'screw it, I'm not gonna tap.' And it turned out that my hamstring came off my pelvis, and it was close to a full tear," revealed Gordon.

Fortunately for Gordon, his injury was such that surgery was not require…

Credit: Gleidson Venga/Sherdog.com Credit: Gleidson Venga/Sherdog.com Credit: Gleidson Venga/Sherdog.com Credit: Gleidson Venga/Sherdog.com

When Darren Till fought Tyron Woodley for the title at UFC 228, he had a ton of hype behind him. He was 17-0-1 as a pro, but it wasn’t enough as Woodley gave him his first loss by submission in the second round.

Then, in March, he took on Jorge Masvidal, where the American knocked him out cold in the second round to put him on a two-fight losing streak.

The Englishman is now ranked 10th in Sherdog’s welterweight rankings, and according to UFC president, Dana White, he believes the promotion rushed Till too soon.

“I think Till went back to the drawing board,” White said to ESPN. “He’s a young guy. After the win over [Donald Cerrone], we may have pushed him too soon. It happens sometimes when a guy gets that much steam behind him. Pump the breaks a little here. Let him get back and work on the things he needs to work on. He’s g…

Miles Johns and Miguel Baeza left the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Tuesday with Ultimate Fighting Championship contracts in hand.

Johns manhandled CES MMA veteran Richie Santiago to a unanimous decision in their three-round encounter at 135 pounds, as the reigning Legacy Fighting Alliance bantamweight champion kept his undefeated record intact on Episode 2, Season 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series. The unbeaten Johns (8-0) swept the cards with 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26 scores.

Santiago (7-2) lacked the physical tools he needed to contend with the Fortis MMA brute. Johns paired power punching combinations with thudding takedowns and the occasional bid for a submission. He floored Santiago with a clean two-punch volley in the second round and drove him back to the canvas with knees and punches in the third before uncorking a burst of hammerfists.

Meanwhile, Baeza cruised to a unanimous verdict over Victor Reyna in a three-round welterweight clash. An undefeated MMA Masters stan…

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.

Sherdog's live DWTNCS Season 3, Episode 2 coverage kicks off Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.

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

Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Keith Shillan scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Keith Shillan scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Keith Shillan scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Keith Shillan scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Keith Shillan scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critc…

- "The only thing that he can do is just run around, he's not good at boxing."

Andy Ruiz Jr has said he will be even more prepared for his rematch against Anthony Joshua after his shock win in New York earlier this month: https://t.co/WsOezasmNr pic.twitter.com/AjIyT99b93

— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) June 24, 2019 Newly crowned heavyweight boxing champion Andy Ruiz Jr. shocked the world, and his opponent, last month when he finished British boxing star Anthony Joshua in the seventh round of their Madison Square Garden showdown in New York. Ruiz recently declared his intentions for the expected November/December rematch to gathered media. "I know his flaws," he said. "I can do a lot better. The only thing that he can do is just run around, he's not good at boxing."

After Ruiz's standout performance against the once-heavyweight king, the Mexican-American from Imperial, California, has enjoyed a waterfall of accolades a…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhK45k4AJH8?start=6&w=560&h=315]

The Romanian MMA community was shaken by the tragic news of the sudden death of Cosmin Dusa on Tuesday.

Dusa had been scheduled fight Lilian Grosu at Eagles Fighting Championship - Eagles Elimination on June 22. According to Alba24.ro, the Romanian bantamweight made weight on Friday morning without any apparent health problems. On Saturday morning, however, he was found by his team, collapsed in his hotel room. Dusa was rushed to a local hospital and placed in intensive care, but died on Tuesday morning, just a few days shy of his 29th birthday. The exact cause of death remains undisclosed, but is expected to be announced tomorrow.

Eagles Fighting Championship released the following official statement this morning:

“Sincere condolences to the family, friends and supporters of Cosmin Dusa, a good fighter who was about to fight for the first time in Eagles Fighting Championship. Unfortu…

Colby Covington’s next Octagon appearance will not be a title shot as initially anticipated. Instead, the former interim welterweight titlist will square off against Robbie Lawler in the UFC on ESPN 5 headliner.

UFC President Dana White told ESPN on Monday that the promotion is close to finalizing the contest. UFC on ESPN 5 will take place on Aug. 3 in Newark, N.J. Both fighters have reportedly agreed to the matchup. According to the report, Covington would have faced Usman, but the reigning champion is not ready to defend his title as he is still recovering from injuries.

Covington hasn’t competed since winning the interim 170-pound strap with a unanimous verdict over Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 225 in June 2018. “Chaos” was stripped of the crown due to inactivity. The American Top Team product is currently on a six-fight winning streak. He has won nine of his 10 UFC appearances overall.

Lawler, meanwhile, is coming off a controversial submission loss to Ben Askren …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcy6_tYYw18&w=640&h=360] Bellator MMA president Scott Coker recently arranged a cross-promotion deal with Rizin Fighting Federation's leader Nobuyuki Sakakibara to exchange fighters, where appropriate, for exciting headlining events. The most recent example of this creative matchmaking occurred on June 14 at Bellator 222 in New York.

Bellator's bantamweight champion, Darrion Caldwell faced off against Rizin's bantamweight title holder Kyoji Horiguchi in a rematch of their December 31 bout in Japan. In that tilt, Horiguchi won Rizin's inaugural 135-pound belt by submitting Caldwell in the third round.

Ready to settle the score and represent for his promotion, "The Wolf" battled it out against Horiguchi in a five-ground grapple-fest that saw Horiguchi walk away with another victory over Caldwell and a new belt around his waist.

Despite the unexpected result, Coker, who openly rooted for Caldwell to win, is not shying away from embr…

One of the most beloved fighters on the UFC’s roster is back on the winning track, and it might not be very long before Chan Sung Jung finds himself in the thick of things at the top of the featherweight division.

Jung (15-5) obliterated Renato Carneiro Saturday night in Greenville, S.C., in the main event of UFC Fight Night 154, stopping the Brazilian via punches in just 58 seconds. The triumph marked the first time “The Korean Zombie” had his hand raised since losing to Yair Rodriguez with a second remaining in the fifth round last November, and Jung is excited to be ascending the 145-pound ladder again.

“I was prepared for afive5-round-fight, but I’m beyond happy to be eligible for a title shot,” Jung said immediately following his main event win. “It’s becoming closer and closer. I never plan my fights to be exciting, but they usually turn out like that.”

Before “The Korean Zombie” can find himself opposite the current featherweight champion, he’ll need to em…