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With the original UFC 234 headliner scrapped due to Robert Whittaker’s emergency hernia surgery, Israel Adesanya and Anderson Silva took center stage in Melbourne on Saturday night.

While Silva has been in numerous high-profile bouts over the course of his illustrious career, it was some added pressure for Adesanya, who has been tabbed as one the promotion’s rising stars. Ultimately, “The Last Stylebender” came through, taking a unanimous decision over Silva in an entertaining affair that was more competitive than expected.

“That first round was like Kung Fu movie. It was a fun fight to watch with two guys who are incredibly talented,” UFC President Dana White said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I was saying [Friday], any oddsmakers that makes Anderson Silva 7-to-1 [underdog] is out of their mind. He’s a great martial artist; he’s always taking care of himself.

“But Israel went in with a sold-out house tonight and a lot of pressure on him…Anderson is…

David Branch will square off against Jack Hermansson in a middleweight clash at UFC on ESPN 2.

The promotion initially confirmed the pairing to The Philly Voice. UFC on ESPN 2 takes place at Well Fargo Center in Philadelphia and is headlined by a lightweight tilt pitting Edson Barboza against Justin Gaethje. The card airs on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+.

A former two-division champion in World Series of Fighting, Branch is 2-2 during his second UFC stint. Most recently, Branch suffered a second-round TKO loss against Jared Cannonier at UFC 230.

Sweden’s Hermansson has won four of his last five Octagon appearances, finishing all of his wins during that time. In his last outing, “The Joker” submitted Gerald Meerschaert in the opening stanza at UFC on Fox 31.

Dana White believes Sam Alvey could have been given a little more time in his technical knockout loss against Jim Crute at UFC 234.

The contest was halted 2:49 into the opening stanza, as the 22-year-old Australian unleashed a salvo of punches with Alvey on all fours. While many of the blows missed or glanced off of Alvey’s arm, referee Marc Goddard decided “Smile’n Sam wasn’t doing enough to defend himself and halted the bout. Alvey vehemently protested the stoppage, but at that point it was to no avail.

While White was impressed with Crute, a Contender Series alum who improved to 10-0 in victory, he believes that Alvey could have been allowed to recover.

“I think he looked damn good, and especially against a really tough guy,” White said of Crute at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I think there’s only been three people that have ever finished him [Alvey] out of 40-something fights. I didn’t agree with the stoppage – I thought it was a bad stoppage.

…

The UFC 234 main event bout between Israel Adesanya and Anderson Silva was more competitive than expected, and for their quality work, the middleweights received “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece.

Adesanya earned a unanimous decision over Silva at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia, on Saturday night, but “The Spider” was competitive for stretches of the fight. After Adesanya got off to a quick start, rocking the Brazilian with a short right to the jaw in the opening stanza, Silva rallied to connect with some combinations in round two. “The Last Stylebender” pulled away down the stretch, however, outlanding the former champion in the final stanza to earn the nod on the scorecards.

Elsewhere, Montana De La Rosa captured a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for her submission of Nadia Kassem in a featured flyweight tilt. De La Rosa quickly took Kassem down in the second stanza, where she moved to mount. Eventually she would transition to a fight-e…

One of the hottest young fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Israel Adesanya, took on and defeated his idol.

“The Last Stylebender” was brilliant against all-time great Anderson Silva in the replacement headline bout of UFC 234 Saturday night, out-striking Silva for three rounds. Adesanya (16-0) hurt “The Spider” with a short right to the jaw in the first, but he was unable to inflict enough follow-up punishment to put the Brazilian away.

Silva (34-9) rallied in the second by landing several combos of punches to the head, but the Nigerian regained control of the middleweight encounter with superb striking in the third. Adesanya peppered Silva’s right leg throughout the stanza, cracked him with scattered punches upstairs and nullified the 43-year-old’s attacks down the stretch.

In the end, Adesanya won the fight via unanimous decision with scores of 30-27 (twice) and 29-28. Silva, the greatest middleweight champion in the history of MMA, hinted at fighting at…

UFC 234 is now available on Amazon Prime.

Sherdog's live UFC 234 coverage kicks off Saturday at 6:15 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:Ben Duffy scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Adam Martin scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the rou…

Robert Whittaker has been forced out of his middleweight title defense against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 234 to undergo surgery for a hernia in his abdomen.

UFC President Dana White confirmed the news to ESPN on Saturday. Whittaker experienced pain in his abdomen late last night and was taken to a hospital, where he was diagnosed with a hernia. The issue is not believed to be related to his weight cut.

As a result, the middleweight co-main event between Israel Adesanya and Anderson Silva will be elevated to the new UFC 234 headliner. Adesanaya vs. Silva will remain a three-round contest. A lightweight clash between Lando Vannata and Marcos Rosa Mariano that was originally scheduled for the Fight Pass prelims has been moved to the pay-per-view lineup.

UFC 234 takes place at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia. Injury also forced Whittaker to pull out of his last scheduled title defense in Australia, a UFC 221 clash against Luke Rockhold. “The Reaper” last appeare…

Official Weights/Pesos Oficiales:Super Featherweight Championship - 12 RoundsGervonta Davis: 129.8 lbsHugo Ruiz: 129.4 lbs#TaleOfTheTape #DavisRuiz pic.twitter.com/a2I6aC1BGL

— MayweatherPromotions (@MayweatherPromo) February 8, 2019

Unbeaten Gervonta Davis was supposed to face former two-division world champion Abner Mares on Saturday, but he’ll be facing late replacement Hugo Ruiz instead. Either way, the WBA super featherweight championship will go on, though the luster has all but vanished.

At Friday’s official weigh-in, both Davis and Ruiz made weight. However, Davis initially was over by .2 pounds and had to use extra time to get down to super featherweight limit. With both fighters clearing the final and most crucial hurdle, the two can lock horns for Davis’s WBA 130-pound world championship. Showtime will televise the action inside the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, which goes live on the network at 10 p.m. ET (7 p…

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UFC 234 is now available on Amazon Prime.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is ready to take its first trip to Australia in 2019, giving middleweight champ Robert Whittaker the chance to defend his belt for the first time in his adopted country of Australia against Kelvin Gastelum.

Whittaker hit the scales at 185 pounds with a big boost from the crowd, as he prepares to face Gastelum (184) for the middleweight championship in the UFC 234 main event this Saturday at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia. Co-headlining the card will be a middleweight title eliminator bout between the undefeated Israel Adesanya (185) and longtime champion Anderson Silva (186). All four men made weight without issue.

UFC 234 "Whittaker vs. Gastelum," which airs live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, also features a bantamweight matchup between submission specialist Rani Yahya (135) and former Legacy Figh…

Back in Anderson Silva’s prime there was a never-ending call for “The Spider” to challenge either welterweight Georges St-Pierre or light heavyweight Jon Jones in a super fight to determine the best fighter on the planet. Unfortunately for fans neither fight took place.

The 43-year-old Silva, who is currently in Melbourne, Australia preparing for a fight against the rising superstar Israel Adesanya was asked by ESPN Brazil on his thoughts regarding the light heavyweight king Jones and how he would have hypothetically matched up to him in his prime with the Brazilian admitting “Bones” would have beaten him.

"Jon Jones," said Silva when asked who would have won. "He's an excellent fighter. I consider him like a younger brother and I believe he is the evolution of this sport."

If Silva defies the odds this weekend and upsets the favorite Adesanya, he will face the winner of Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum for the 185-pound belt later in the year.

Suited up. @BellatorMMA Newcastle media day. pic.twitter.com/FYfmTiEiOy

— Patricky Freire (@PatrickyPitbull) February 7, 2019

Bellator MMA is launching its European Series starting with Bellator Newcastle this weekend, and fans need not worry about how to watch the event any longer.

A source with the promotion told Sherdog.com that fight fans in the United States will be able to watch Bellator “Newcastle” in its entirety, live on the Bellator App. No cable authentication will be needed to access the event, and fans can simply log on to the app and view the event as it airs. For audiences in the U.K., this week the promotion announced a broadcasting deal with Channel 5 to televise these events in 2019 as well.

Bellator Newcastle "Pitbull vs. Scope" airs live at 3:00 p.m. ET for the preliminary bouts, and 5:00 p.m. ET for the main card. It is the first of a series of at least six events titled the European Series that will take place i…

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The pay-per-view landscape for the Ultimate Fighting Championship is still uncertain, as the organization has announced that due to failed negotiations, fight fans will not be able to order UFC events through DirecTV for the foreseeable future.

One of the largest pay-per-view providers in North and Central America, the company owned by AT&T Communications, DirecTV appears to be at an impasse with the UFC regarding their distribution deal. According to a brief statement on UFC's official website on Thursday, the UFC 234 pay-per-view event held in Australia will not be available for purchase on DirecTV for international consumers. In the statement, the promotion wrote, “Unfortunately, we have been unable to reach an agreement with one of our primary distributors, DirecTV. Though we continue to work to reach a resolution, UFC 234, live from Melbourne on Saturday, Feb. 9, will not be available on DirecTV.”…

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Former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker is a huge MMA fan who is often spotted in the crowd at Ultimate Fighting Championship events. As it turns out, he has firsthand experience with some of the athletes he watches in the cage.

Barker was a guest on a recent episode The Joe Rogan Podcast and told Rogan about the times he got to train with some high-level fighters including longtime UFC bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz.

Barker said he was in awe of Cruz’s abilities and how quick he was and was no match for the former bantamweight champ when they sparred together (via MMA Mania):

“He beat the shit out of me a couple of times,” Barker said. “We used to sponsor him a little bit when they didn’t have Reebok gear and he would come down and train. It was so difficult. He’d try to sleep me, like try to knock me out. He’s so quick, like with footwork, and then I’m wrestled to the ground and that’s a wrap, e…

After 51 professional fights, Wanderlei Silva is feeling the effects of a career filled with slugfests in the cage and ring.

In an interview with Brazilian outlet PVT, “The Axe Murderer” revealed that he is suffering from multiple concussion-like symptoms. Silva’s combat sports career spans 29 years overall, and his pro MMA tenure began in 1996.

“I was in a lecture about concussion and of the 10 symptoms the guy mentioned, I had eight,” Silva said (translation via MMAFighting.com). “The symptoms would be, for example, mood swings, getting angry very fast, forgetting some things, having difficulty sleeping.”

The former UFC and Pride Fighting Championships star has squared off with some of the sports biggest names over the years, including the likes of Mirko Filipovic, Quinton Jackson, Chuck Liddell, Mark Hunt, Dan Henderson, Vitor Belfort, Michael Bisping and Tito Ortiz, to name a few. While seven of Silva’s 14 career losses have come via KO or TKO, he’s also abso…

While Nick Diaz was briefly linked to a matchup with Jorge Masvidal, at least one person close to the Stockton, Calif., native believes he’s retired from mixed martial arts.

That’s according to Skrap Pack stablemate and friend Gilbert Melendez, who provided an update on the former Strikeforce champion’s status during an appearance on Chael Sonnen's ”You’re Welcome” podcast.

“I would love to see him come back, but last time I checked, he’s retired,” Melendez said.

UFC President Dana White confirmed that the promotion was close to finalizing a Diaz vs. Masvidal bout at UFC 235. Shortly thereafter Diaz backed out of the fight and White was back to doubting the likelihood of a comeback for the controversial fighter.

Melendez wouldn’t entirely rule out a Diaz return to the Octagon, but it would have to be the right offer. So far, nothing has enticed him. Diaz last appeared at UFC 183 against Anderson Silva in January 2015, losing a five-round decision that was l…

Over the weekend, Anthony Johnson generated a little bit of buzz when he appeared on the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship’s broadcast.

While there was initially some confusion about Johnson’s role within the company, “Rumble” made it clear that he had not signed on to fight in the organization.

“I’m in charge of fighter relations,” Johnson said on “The Luke Thomas Show” on Sirius XM. “Getting fighters and other opportunities to help the company grow, that’s what I’ll be a part of.

“Rumble” retired from MMA following a second-round submission loss to Daniel Cormier in a light heavyweight title bout at UFC 210. Johnson didn’t completely rule out a return.

“If the price is right, anything can happen,” he said.

.@Anthony_Rumble says he’s open to a return at heavyweight 'if the price is right' #TLTS@lthomasnews pic.twitter.com/dg72PJ4Xav

— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) February 6, 2019

However, Johnson said he hasn’t had an…

Khabib Nurmagomedov has the opportunity to have his nine-month Nevada State Athletic Commission suspension reduced if he produces an anti-bullying PSA, but it appears as though the UFC lightweight champion isn’t willing to cooperate.

Nurmagomedov was suspended nine months and fined $500,000 for inciting a post-fight melee following his victory over Conor McGregor in the UFC 229 main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Oct. 6. With the reduced suspension, “The Eagle” would be eligible to return to the Octagon as soon as April.

“[The NSAC] said to take part in a social campaign… the state of Nevada is a place where they allow drugs, prostitution and gambling,” Nurmagomedov told Russian Website sportbox.ru. “Let them work on themselves [and their own behavior]. There were fighters who didn’t fight for two years and didn’t have their belts taken for a year and a half.

“I’m ready to fight, they were the ones who banned me.”

Nurmagomedov’s manager, Ali Ab…

A trio of contests were officially announced for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s March 23 visit to Nashville.

The bouts confirmed for the UFC Fight Night 148 lineup were as follows: John Makdessi vs. Nasrat Haqparast at lightweight; Bryce Mitchell vs. Bobby Moffett at featherweight and Chris Gutierrez vs. Martin Day at bantamweight.

UFC Fight Night 148 — also known as UFC on ESPN+ 6 — takes place at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., and is headlined by a welterweight tilt between Stephen Thompson and Anthony Pettis. The card will stream on ESPN+.

A 15-fight Octagon veteran, Makdessi enters the matchup on the strength of consecutive triumphs over Abel Trujillo and Ross Pearson. After losing his promotional debut, Haqparast has outpointed Marc Diakiese and Thibault Gouti in his last two UFC appearances.

Mitchell improved to 10-0 as a professional with a majority decision triumph over Tyler Diamond at “The Ultimate Fighter 27” finale on July 6. Moffe…

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Former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title challenger Francis Ngannou returns to the Octagon on Feb. 17 at UFC on ESPN 1 when he faces off against former champion Cain Velasquez in what could prove to be a fight to determine the No. 1 contender in the division.

Ngannou is one of the most feared strikers in the sport due to his outrageous punching power; however he’s coming up against Velasquez who is not only is an outstanding wrestler but has the cardio to ensure he makes his opponents work the entire fight.

If there is one big question mark over Ngannou’s skillset it would be his wresting defense, which was severely exposed when he took on Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight title last January. Most fans believe if “The Predator” doesn’t land an early shot to put Velasquez away, it could be a long night for the 32-year-old.

In a recent edition of the Joe Rogan MMA podcast, UF…

Charles Oliveira endured multiple eye pokes during his bout with David Teymur at UFC Fight Night 144, and those fouls could potentially sideline “Do Bronx” for a lengthy amount of time.

Oliveira, who defeated Teymur via second-round submission, is facing a potential 180-day medical suspension unless an ophthalmologist clears his eyes. At a minimum, he is suspended 30 days with 21 days of no contact. Teymur is also suspended 180 days pending ophthalmologist clearance along with a 30-day suspension with 21 days of no contact.

The Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission (CABMMA) recently released a full list of medical suspensions from Saturday’s event. UFC Fight Night 144 took place Centro de Formacao Olimpica do Nordeste in Fortaleza, Brazil and saw Marlon Moraes defeat Raphael Assuncao by submission in the opening stanza of the evening’s bantamweight main event. Moraes is suspended 14 days with seven days of no contact, while Assuncao is out 45 days with 30 days of no contac…

Zebaztian Kadestam will defend his welterweight crown against Georgiy Kichigin in the One Championship “Reign of Valor” headliner on March 9.

The Singapore-based promotion announced the booking on Monday. “Reign of Valor” takes place at Thuwunna Indoor Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar and also includes a bantamweight clash pitting Cage Warriors champion Toni Tauru against Gary Mangat.

Kadestam claimed the vacant title with a fifth-round knockout of Tyler McGuire at One Championship “Warrior’s Dream” this past November. The 28-year-old Swede is 3-1 in the promotion, with his only setback coming at the hands of former champion Ben Askren in September 2017.

Kichigin, 29, enters the contest on a 13-fight winning streak. Most recently, the Kazakhstan native scored a first-round technical knockout win over UFC veteran Rousimar Palhares at Russian Cagefighting Championship 5 on Dec. 15. Kichigin has earned 15 of his 19 career victories by way of submission.

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New UFC welterweight Ben Askren has a talent for getting under people’s skin. Add Kamaru Usman, the division’s current No. 1 contender, to that list.

In a video posted by Anatomy of a Fighter, Usman and Askren get into a verbal altercation backstage prior to the UFC 235 press conference, which took place last week in Las Vegas. Askren mentioned the confrontation during the presser saying, “Marty tried attacking me 20 minutes ago.”

Things didn’t get quite that serious, but there seems to be some heat between the two fighters. Their exchange was as follows:

Askren: Are me and Marty sitting next to each other?

Usman: Do you know me?

Askren: Yeah.

Usman: How do you know me?

Askren: I know you because we used to hang out. We used to hang out at the Olympic training center.

Usman: Be quiet. You don’t know me.

Askren: I offered to fight you. There’s not much more to be s…

He’s not exactly a spring chicken anymore, but Demian Maia certainly looked more than capable inside the Octagon on Saturday.

Arguably the greatest jiu-jitsu practitioner to compete for the UFC, Maia was surgical against Lyman Good in one of the featured bouts of UFC Fight Night 144 in Fortaleza, Brazil. The 41-year-old patiently stalked the New Yorker early and shot in for a takedown. “Cyborg” defended the attack, but Maia was relentless and finally took him down. But even though Good climbed back to his feet, he was submerged in deep water.

Maia immediately latched onto Good’s back like a parasite and feverishly worked for a rear-naked choke. Good stood against the cage in an attempt to peel himself free, but the submission savant eventually sunk it in deep and forced the tap out at the 2:38 mark of round one. In victory, Maia became the first fighter to submit Good in 26 professional MMA bouts.

Maia had lost his last three bouts – albeit against top competitio…

Not all that long ago, Conor McGregor was public enemy No. 1 in Brazil for his pre-fight trash talk and subsequent 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo at UFC 194.

McGregor was never a villain the level of say, Colby Covington, however, and the Irish superstar has designs on competing in the South American country before his career is through. Watching UFC Fight Night 144 in Fortaleza, Brazil on Saturday, which featured spectacular victories for both Aldo and Marlon Moraes, only served to enhance that desire.

“What an amazing atmosphere at UFC Brazil tonight,” McGregor wrote on Twitter. “I would LOVE to compete there for all the passionate Brazilian fans at some stage of my career. I was so close to securing a bout in Rio last year. It was essentially a done deal. Maybe next time. Ui Vai Morrer!! I’m still here.”

What an amazing atmosphere at UFC Brazil tonight.I would LOVE to compete there for all the passionate Brazilian fans at some stage of my…