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Louis Smolka is set to fight again inside the Octagon on Saturday, but it was a long road to get there.


 It wasn’t that long ago when Smolka had lost four fights in a row and was cut by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. It left him wondering if he should continue mixed martial arts or give up. He decided to pursue his passion and got three wins outside of the promotion and then got another chance which he wasn’t expecting. 


“I was ready to give it all up,” Smolka said to Sherdog.com. “I was done, I was over it, I just wanted to quit. I lost so many fights and was like I’m done, I just want to drink, I’m over this. But, my fiancee wasn’t having any of it so she sent me to California to relocate and get my life back together. I quit drinking, so I gave it another run and did what I had to do and got the wins.”


Once he got the wins, his former promoter called him to fight at UFC Beijing in which "Da Last Samurai" knew it was must-win territory for him. “It was …

The lineup for Bellator 220 continues to grow, as Benson Henderson will square off with Adam Piccolotti at lightweight, while Phil Davis will face Liam McGeary in a light heavyweight rematch.

Sherdog.com confirmed the bouts on Tuesday with a promotion official following an initial report from ESPN. Bellator 220 takes place at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., and is headlined by a welterweight championship clash between Rory MacDonald and Jon Fitch, which also serves as a semifinal bout in the promotion’s 170-pound grand prix.

A former UFC lightweight champion, Henderson is coming off back-to-back triumphs over Roger Huerta and Saad Awad under the Bellator banner. Piccolotti, meanwhile, is also on a two-fight winning streak after besting James Terry and Carrington Banks in consecutive outings last year.

Davis earned a five-round verdict over McGeary to capture Bellator’s light heavyweight belt in November 2016 but is looking to rebound from an upset loss to Vad…

Jon Jones was dominant in his light heavyweight title defense against Anthony Smith at UFC 235, but he didn’t emerge from the event unscathed.

Jones is facing a 180-day suspension unless he receives doctor clearance on his left foot. At a minimum, “Bones is suspended 45 days with 30 days of no contact due to a left eye laceration.

UFC 235 took place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday and saw Jones defeat Smith via unanimous decision in the evening’s main event. Smith is also facing a 180-day sit unless he is cleared of potential nose and rib injuries with X-rays. The Nevada State Athletic Commission released a full list of medical suspensions from the event on Monday.

All told, 10 fighters from UFC 235 are facing potential six-month suspensions. That includes light heavyweight prospect Johnny Walker, who injured himself while celebrating his knockout victory over Misha Cirkunov. The Brazilian is out 180 days unless he receives MRI clearance for his le…

Nordine Taleb will face Siyar Bahadurzada in a welterweight bout at UFC Ottawa on May 4.

Promotion officials announced the pairing on Monday. UFC Fight Night 150 takes place at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and will also include a middleweight clash pitting Elias Theodorou against Derek Brunson. The card, which doesn’t yet have a main event, will stream on ESPN+.

Taleb will attempt to halt a two-bout skid after being finished by Sean Strickland and Claudio Henrique da Silva in his only two appearances of 2018. The 37-year-old Montreal native is 6-4 during his promotional tenure and 14-6 as a professional overall.

Afghanistan’s Bahadurzada had a three-bout winning streak snapped at UFC 232, where he dropped a unanimous verdict against Curtis Millender on Dec. 29. The 34-year-old is 4-3 in the Octagon since beginning his UFC career in 2012.

After a fight-week illness forced Marlon Vera out of a proposed clash with Frankie Saenz at UFC 235, the bantamweight bout has been rebooked for UFC Nashville.

The booking was confirmed on the ESPN.com event page. UFC Fight Night 148 takes place at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., on March 23 and is headlined by a welterweight tilt between Stephen Thompson and Anthony Pettis. The card will stream on ESPN+.

Vera enters the matchup on a two-fight winning streak after scoring finishes of Guido Cannetti and Wuliji Buren in his final two UFC appearances of 2018. The Ecuadorian fighter is 6-4 during his Octagon tenure.

Saenz has also won his last two bouts, earn a split verdict over Merab Dvalishvili at UFC Fight Night 123 before outpointing Enrique Briones at UFC Fight Night 129.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkYXhO6EL9s&w=560&h=315]

It appears that Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington are getting a head start on their proposed welterweight title fight.

Just one day after Usman authored a dominant win over Tyron Woodley in the UFC 235 co-main event, TMZ Sports captured “The Nigerian Nightmare” and Covington engaged in an altercation at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

It’s unclear what started the incident, but Usman and Covington exchange words while members of Usman’s group, including manager Ali Abdelaziz, appear to be more aggressive than the welterweight champion. The altercation occurred at the A.Y.C.E buffet, per the report.

According to TMZ Sports, more security showed up before the situation escalated, and both men were escorted out of the building. The police was not called, however.

After Usman defeated Woodley, UFC President Dana White said that Covington, the former interim champ, would receive the next title sho…

Coming to a city near you. pic.twitter.com/Q35dgG9IPs

— UFC (@ufc) March 3, 2019

The Ultimate Fighting Championship revealed the entirety of its second quarter schedule for 2019 on Saturday, and there are a few interesting additions to the upcoming slate.

In addition to previously confirmed events in April and May, the Las Vegas-based promotion announced that it will travel to the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y., for a UFC Fight Night event on ESPN+ on May 18.

Newly-announced events for June and July include an ESPN+ Fight Night card at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C., on June 22 and a UFC on ESPN event at the Target Center in Minneapolis on June 29.

Meanwhile, International Fight Week – scheduled from July 3-7 – will coincide with UFC 239 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 6.

Pedro Munhoz was a sizeable underdog against Cody Garbrandt at UFC 235 on Saturday night, but he walked away from the Octagon the victor thanks to a highlight-reel knockout.

Munhoz remained calm against “No Love,” even when the former UFC bantamweight champ rocked him badly with punches. Garbrandt clocked the Brazilian with clean punches to the face, but was never able to put him away, let alone off his feet. Munhoz weathered the storm, believed in his resolve and eventually greased Garbrandt with lethal punches of his own.

Munhoz put Garbrandt away with only nine seconds left in the opening round, but he said he knew it was going to happen in what was by far the biggest fight of his career up to now.

“I have been watching a lot of Cody’s fights, studying him, so I knew this would be the perfect match up for me,” Munhoz said after his conquest. “I’ve never been dropped in a fight or in practice, I believe in my chin more than anything. I knew I was capable of tak…

Pedro Munhoz and Cody Garbrandt received some extra compensation for their wild bantamweight slugfest at UFC 235.

Munhoz and Garbrandt garnered “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their work at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday. An entertaining opening stanza culminated in both fighters trading heavy punches in the round’s waning seconds, with Munhoz dropping his foe with a right and finishing the victory with follow-up punches 4:52 into the frame.

Elsewhere, rising light heavyweight star Johnny Walker captured a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” paycheck for his spectacular knockout of Misha Cirkunov. The Brazilian needed just 36 seconds to floor his opponent with a flying knee and follow-up punches, giving him three consecutive first-round finishes in UFC competition.

Finally, Diego Sanchez earned the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award for a second-round technical knockout victory over Mickey Gall in a preliminary…

LAS VEGAS -- Jon Jones made it look easy against Anthony Smith (31-14) in the UFC 235 main event Saturday night, but he nearly lost his light heavyweight title in the process.

“Bones” did whatever he wanted against his Nebraska-based challenger, landing punches and kicks from all angles. And whenever the defending champ got close enough, he either pressed “Lionheart” into the cage or took him down. A Jones elbow busted up Smith’s nose in the fourth, but that was also the stanza in which Jones nearly lost his title. Jones (24-1) was pouring on the attrition with Smith on the canvas, but when “Lionheart” was down on one knee, Jones landed a knee to the head. Referee Herb Dean intervened, watched the replay and swiftly took two points from the champ. With Jones avoiding a disqualification, he coasted down the stretch and won a lopsided unanimous decision.

All three judges had it 48-44 for Jones, who once again walked out of the Octagon with his 205-pound title around his sho…

UFC 235 is now available on Amazon Prime.

The UFC 235 main card airs live at 10 p.m. ET live on pay-per-view. Meanwhile, the main prelims will begin on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET and the Fight Pass prelims start 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:Tyler Treese scores the round:Cole Shelton scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Cole Shelton scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Cole Shelton scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Cole Shelton scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Cole Shelton scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Cole…

A lightweight clash pitting Saad Awad against Brandon Girtz will serve as the new Bellator 219 headliner following Lorenz Larkin’s withdrawal from the card.

Larkin was scheduled to face Andrey Koreshkov in the featured bout at the March 29 event, but “The Monsoon” was forced to pull out of the fight due to an undisclosed injury. It is unclear if Koreshkov will remain on the card. The California-based promotion announced the new headliner on Friday.

Bellator 219 takes place at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, Calif., and will see Daniel Straus face Shane Kruchten in the featherweight co-main event. The card will air on Paramount Network and DAZN at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, with prelims streaming immediately prior on Bellator.com and DAZN.

Awad last competed at Bellator 208, where he had a four-bout winning streak snapped in a unanimous decision loss to Benson Henderson. Girtz, meanwhile, has lost four of his last five appearances, including a first-round su…

.@Laraboxing vs. @brian_boxi. Who ya got? #LaraCastano pic.twitter.com/hjlmtDGim9

— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) March 1, 2019 The hardest part is over and now Erislandy Lara and Brian Castano can focus on what matters: beating each other up.

The two pugilists made weight and passed with flying colors on Friday, setting the stage for their Showtime-televised WBA super welterweight championship bout. The action will take place inside Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York City, beginning at 9 p.m. ET.

Lara (25-3-2, 14 KOs) is aiming to regain one of the belts he lost last April. The Cuban is one of the best all-around boxers in the sport and is looking to get back on track against Castano. Lara came in officially at 153.5 pounds. Castano (15-0, 11 KOs) is poised to make his first world title defense a success. The Argentinean came in right at the limit of 154 pounds.

Just two weeks removed from a win over Roy Nelson in Bellator MMA, Mirko Filipovic has retired from MMA after suffering a stroke.

The news broke on Friday following an interview Filipovic gave to Nove TV. In his interview, he stated via translation, "It's over, I hope I'm not going to cry, but that's the inevitable retirement." Following that, he said, "I will never enter the ring again, I cannot let someone hit me, I have to have a control magnet to do in three months, after that I will train again, boxing bags, and there is no such thing as a fight end, but that's right, that's life."

On his Instagram account, he posted a retirement message, which via translation reads: "My dear friends, last fight was my last fight. I have been announcing many times so many times and they came back because it was stronger than me but now it's really over. On Monday morning I got a stroke on the morning training. No longer, I had a huge luckily that he did not paralyze or deforme…

INTENSE.@Perrygoodwin10 and @RhysMcKee got heated at the #CW102 weigh ins! pic.twitter.com/yuZdhHVDph

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) March 1, 2019

Cage Warriors Fighting Championship is ready to make its return to the U.K. capital, where CW 102 will go down at O2 Arena. In tomorrow’s main event, London’s own James Webb (5-1) will lock horns with Norwegian Thomas Robertsen (7-1). The Cage Warriors middleweight title will be on the line, as both fighters made the championship weight this evening.

Additionally, the bill features the return of Craig White (14-9), who will wear the yellow gloves after a two-fight stint in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Lastly, the scheduled meetings between Adam Amarasinghe and Darren O’Gorman and between Carlos Graca and Michael Younis were scrapped from the card due to medical issues.

CW 102 will air on UFC Fight Pass Saturday March 2 starting at 4:00 p.m. ET.

Cage Warriors 120 Weigh-In Results…

BREAKING NEWS: I am thrilled to announce that UFC Legend Vitor Belfort is now a ONE Championship athlete! A former UFC Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight World Champion, Vitor holds the record for the most KOs in UFC history as well as the 2nd most finishes. #WeAreONE pic.twitter.com/Sbf15KPPua

— Chatri Sityodtong (@yodchatri) March 1, 2019

Rebounding relatively quickly following his short-lived retirement, Vitor Belfort has decided to sign with One Championship.

Late Thursday night, One Championship founder and CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced that the former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort (26-14, 1 NC) has signed with the promotion based in Singapore. First announcing the news was Ariel Helwani, and the official word came from Sityodtong shortly thereafter.

According to MMA Fighting, his introduction should take place at an upcoming One Championship media day in Las Vegas. This signing comes on the …

Lorenz Larkin out of Bellator 219 bout with Andrey Koreshkov (@davedoylemma) https://t.co/yFw4I7nBpn pic.twitter.com/TmhoYGeaMV

— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) February 28, 2019

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

Bellator MMA has lost part of a big main event for Bellator 219 at the end of March, after Lorenz Larkin has reportedly suffered an injury and withdrawn from his bout with Andrey Koreshkov.

According to MMAFighting on Thursday, Larkin (20-7, 1 NC) has been forced to withdraw due to an injury from his welterweight main event bout against Koreshkov (21-3) at Bellator 219 on March 29 in Temecula, California. The promotion is currently seeking a replacement for this bout.

Larkin left the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2016 riding a two-fight win streak, but quickly ran into stiff competition in the form of Douglas Lima and Paul Daley. After dropping those two bouts…

Chael Sonnen vs. Lyoto Machida is close to being finalized for this summer. More: https://t.co/LnVsBG3udU

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 28, 2019

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

In a few months, it will be time to say hello again to "The Bad Guy," as Bellator MMA is looking to book a bout between Chael Sonnen and Lyoto Machida this summer.

According to sources telling ESPN late Wednesday night, heavyweight tournament semifinalist Sonnen (30-16-1) will be dropping back down to light heavyweight to challenge former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight king Machida (25-8) at an unannounced event later this year. While no date or location has been announced, the promotion is reportedly considering scheduling this bout during the summer.

Three-time UFC title challenger Sonnen has had a tumultuous Bellator career so far, capturing decisions over Wanderlei…

Matt Hughes has denied what he calls “false accusations” that have surfaced after his wife and brother reportedly filed separate restraining orders against the former Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight king.

“Since my train accident in June of 2017, my life has been changed forever. Some days have been absolute hell,” Hughes wrote on Instagram. “The challenges and battles that I have faced have been far greater than anything I ever took on in a cage. I am not the same person since my accident, even though, everyday I continue to try to be as normal as someone with a brain injury can be.

“I understand that it is not fun to teach a grown man to learn to do everything all over again. I understand that I am a burden to those around me. I understand that I am an inconvenience to my family.

“Unfortunately, my marriage was not perfect long before the accident, but NEVER, NEVER, NEVER would I, or have I, physically hurt those who I care about most. I do not resent thos…

Royce White, a former first-round pick of the NBA’s Houston Rockets, is planning to see how his athletic talents translate to the mixed martial arts cage.

The 6-foot-8, 260-pound former power forward is aiming high, setting his sights on the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s heavyweight crown.

"I'm one of the best athletes in the world," White told ESPN. "Among the NBA community, part of my appeal as a draft prospect was my unique size, athleticism, vision and that I probably have one of the 10 biggest set of hands in the NBA. I think all of those things will translate beautifully to the UFC.”

White released a book on Wednesday entitled “MMA x NBA: A Critique of Modern Sport in America,” which will detail his thought process in changing sports. White, who will be 28 in April, says he has been training for “six or seven months.” He has been working at Minnesota Mixed Martial Arts Academy, a gym where Brock Lesnar and Sean Sherk have trained in the past.

"I'…

Cat Zingano has had her fair share of injuries during her time as an MMA fighter including a dislocated jaw, broken ribs and knee injuries, but they all pale in comparison to the pain she went through after she suffered an eye injury courtesy of a high-kick from Megan Anderson at UFC 232 in December.

Anderson’s toe caught Zingano in the eye in the opening round of their fight damaging “Alpha’s” retina and iris.

The MMA veteran says she will need to re-think her style the next time she steps into the Octagon as she doesn’t want a repeat of the injury where she feared she has lost her eye (transcribed via MMAJunkie.com):

“I’d have a baby 10 times before I’d do that again,” Zingano told reporters backstage recently at UFC on ESPN 1. After the head kick, Zingano feared the worst considering the pain she felt and the fact she couldn’t open her eye at all.

“I thought I lost my eye,” she said. “I thought if I opened my eye that it was going to spill out on to my f…

Jan Blachowicz is facing a potential 180-day suspension following his loss to Thiago Santos in the UFC Prague main event this past Saturday.

The promotion released a full list of medical suspensions from the event to mixedmartialarts.com on Tuesday. UFC Fight Night 145 took place at the O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic and saw Santos defeat Blachowicz via technical knockout 39 seconds into the third round of their light heavyweight bout.

Blachowicz must be cleared by a nasal X-ray or he will be sidelined 180 days. At a minimum, he is suspended 30 days with 21 days of no contact. Santos, meanwhile, received a mandatory seven-day sit for precautionary reasons.

Four other fighters from UFC Prague are facing potential 180-day suspensions: Marcos Rogerio de Lima (left knee), Magomed Ankalaev (right hand), Klidson Farias de Abreu (nasal fracture) and Chris Fishgold (left hand).

UFC Fight Night 145 Medical Suspensions:

Thiago Santos: suspended mandatory se…

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

A featherweight clash pitting Josh Emmett against Michael Johnson has been added to the UFC on ESPN 2 lineup.

The matchup was recently confirmed on the ESPN.com event page. UFC on ESPN 2 takes place at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on March 30 and is headlined by a lightweight bout between Edson Barboza and Justin Gaethje. The card will air on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+.

Emmett will return to the Octagon for the first time in more than a year following his second-round knockout loss to Jeremy Stephens at UFC on Fox 28 in February 2018. The Team Alpha Male representative is 4-2 during his promotional tenure, including a notable knockout of former title challenger Ricardo Lamas at UFC on Fox 26.

Johnson, meanwhile, is coming off back-to-back triumphs over Artem Lobov and Andre Fili in his last two Octagon appearances. Prior to that streak, “The Menace…

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

Former University of Missouri wrestler Johnny Eblen will make his promotional debut against Chauncey Foxworth at Bellator 218.

A promotion official confirmed the preliminary middleweight pairing to Sherdog.com on Tuesday. Bellator 218 takes place at Winstar World Casino in Thackerville, Okla., on March 22 and is headlined by a featherweight duel between Emmanuel Sanchez and Ashleigh Grimshaw. The main card will air on Paramount Network and DAZN following prelims on Bellator.com and DAZN.

The 27-year-old Eblen currently trains at American Top Team in Florida. He has compiled a 4-0 record while competing exclusively for the Shamrock FC promotion. Most recently, Eblen forced Tyler Lee to submit to punches 3:10 into the opening stanza of their Oct. 13 encounter.

A native of Hot Springs, Ark., Foxworth is 5-7 over the course of a professional career that has seen him compete in organizations such as Lega…