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It might not come as a surprise to hear that Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White doesn’t intend to hold back his criticism of fighters if he feels it is warranted.

White is a unique character in that he is the public figurehead of the largest MMA promotion in the world but at times finds himself at loggerheads with fighters on a raft of issues including weight cutting, performance inside the Octagon or a fighter’s personal life.

In a recent interview with Fox News, White maintained that if his fighters put on bad performances, he will continue to call them out (via MMA Weekly):

“Well guess what? This isn’t the fun business,” White said. “You don’t get to go out and put on a terrible performance and act like you just did something incredible. The guys that I went after and the guys that I did that to, if you watched their performances and what happened that night, most of them deserved it.”

However controversial his methods may be, the…

When it comes to gruesome injuries, Bryce Mitchell will probably have a leg up on most of his peers.

“The Ultimate Fighter 27” cast member revealed on Tuesday that he suffered a horrific accident with a drill that “ripped my nutsack in half.” Mitchell offered a more detailed account of the incident on Twitter:

Imma be out for a little bit. pic.twitter.com/Lah1c47225

— Bryce Mitchell (@ThugnastyMMA) August 21, 2018

Mitchell also shared a picture of his bloody underwear from the accident. Apparently they will hold a special place in his heart.

pic.twitter.com/FYEy9sfWqB

— Bryce Mitchell (@ThugnastyMMA) August 21, 2018

Someone asked me to auction off the bloody boxers but yal got me fucked up. That’s a good pair Ima bleach em and keep wearin em.

— Bryce Mitchell (@ThugnastyMMA) August 22, 2018

Mitchell made it to the semifinals of “TUF 27,” where he suffered a third-round submission l…

Hector Lombard is looking to change things up in order to halt a six-fight winless streak.

Lombard, who had a long-time affiliation with American Top Team, has relocated to Sweden’s Allstars Training Center in preparation for his UFC Fight Night 137 showdown with Thales Leites. Lombard confirmed the move following a report from MMAjunkie.com.

At Allstars Training Center, Lombard will work alongside the likes of Alexander Gustafsson, Ilir Latifi and Jimi Manuwa. Gustafsson recently posted a photo on Instagram that included the newest addition to the team.

The 40-year-old former Bellator MMA champion hasn’t tasted victory since March 2014, when he outpointed Jake Shields at UFC 171. Lombard’s current slump includes three KO/TKO defeats and a disqualification loss to C.B. Dollaway in his most recent outing at UFC 222.

UFC Fight Night 137 takes place at Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo on Sept. 22 and is headlined by a light heavyweight clash between Manuwa an…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydlaMD5x2dM?start=3920&w=560&h=315]

Kamaru Usman has been officially named by the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a back-up for the UFC 228’s welterweight title fight between the current champion Tyron Woodley and Liverpool, England’s Darren Till.

While fans have generally welcomed the idea of a backup fighter for the bout, some have also seen it as an indication the promotion has concerns with Till making the 170 pound limit. Till has missed weight twice in his last four fights, most recently by 3.5 pounds in May against Stephen Thompson by 3.5 pounds. The issue of Till’s size reared its head again when he and Woodley squared off against each other at the official fight announcement, as the size disparity between the two was glaring.

Usman was a recent guest on The MMA Hour and was asked about his status as a replacement for both fighters before stating his belief that Till would struggle again to make weight.

“Fo…

“The Ultimate Fighter 27” winner Michael Trizano will lock horns with fellow cast member Luis Pena at UFC Fight Night 139, the promotion announced via the Denver Post on Monday.

UFC Fight Night 139 takes place at the Pepsi Center in Denver on Nov. 10 and is headlined by a featherweight duel pitting Frankie Edgar against Chan Sung Jung. The card will likely air on Fox Sports 1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

After besting Thai Clark and John Gunther on the reality show, Trizano took a decision over Joe Giannetti at the “TUF 27” finale to earn a UFC contract. Giannetti was recently released by the promotion. Trizano is 7-0 during a prior career that includes appearances in Bellator MMA and Ring of Combat.

Pena was forced to withdraw from the “TUF 27” competition due to injury following a win over Jose Martinez Jr. in the quarterfinals. However, “Violent Bob Ross” returned at the “TUF 27” finale to submit Richie Smullen with a first-round guillotine choke.

The Shreveport Police Department has officially issued an arrest warrant for the husband of UFC flyweight Andrea Lee.

Donny Aaron is being charged with one count of domestic battery abuse and one count of false imprisonment after allegedly choking Lee and attempting to put out a cigarette on her arm in the couple’s Shreveport, La., home.

Authorities are asking anyone with information regarding Aaron to contact investigators. Police believe that Aaron might currently be in Georgia. His bond is set at $2,500. The full statement from the Shreveport Police Department, as provided to MMAFighting.com, is as follows:

Shreveport Police have procured a warrant for a man in connection with an early August domestic incident.

On Aug. 5, 2018, Shreveport Police received reports of a domestic abuse battery that occurred in the 4200 block of Wildwood Drive. Arriving officers learned that 43-year-old Donald Aaron, of the 4200 block of Wildwood Drive, allegedly batter…

Joe Giannetti didn’t make much of a first impression at “The Ultimate Fighter 27” finale, and now he’s no longer part of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The “TUF 27” finalist recently announced his UFC release via Instagram. Giannetti submitted Allan Zuniga and John Gunther on the reality show but dropped a lackluster split decision to Michael Trizano with a UFC contract on the line on the “TUF 27” finale on July 6. In many cases, multiple competitors from “TUF” get UFC contracts, but Giannetti’s debut performance wasn’t enough to earn him another shot within the Las Vegas-based promotion just yet.

“The UFC has decided to let me go,” Giannetti wrote. “I don’t blame them. I didn’t fight like I wanted to or carry myself as I should.”

Giannetti will return to the cage on Nov. 3 against Dan Dubuque for the Cage Titans FC lightweight title. The 23-year-old known as “Skeletor” began his MMA career with six consecutive victories under the Cage Titans FC banner, defea…

Deep veteran Jin Soo Son will step in for the injured Douglas Silva de Andrade and face Petr Yan at UFC Fight Night 136.

Yan confirmed the change on Instagram following an initial report from ESPN.com. UFC Fight Night 136 takes place at Olympic Stadium in Moscow, Russia and is headlined by a heavyweight tilt between Mark Hunt and Alexey Oleynik. The card will stream in its entirety on UFC Fight Pass.

Son, a 25-year-old native of South Korea, has won his last four bouts under the Deep banner. Most recently, he earned a second-round technical knockout triumph against Toshiaki Kitada on April 28. Son owns a 9-2 professional record, with six of those triumphs coming inside the distance.

Yan, meanwhile, had an impressive Octagon debut, as he stopped Teruto Ishihara with punches 3:28 into the opening stanza of their encounter at UFC Fight Night 132 on June 23. The 25-year-old Russian is 9-1 with four wins by KO/TKO and one via submission.

Amanda Nunes and Nina Ansaroff will be tying the knot in the near future.

Nunes, the reigning UFC bantamweight queen, and Ansaroff, a strawweight in the Las Vegas-based promotion, announced their engagement via social media on Saturday. The couple used the hastags “#Isaidyes" and “#shesaidyes” to caption their photos on Instagram.

Nunes is coming off her third successful title defense, a fifth-round stoppage of Raquel Pennington at UFC 224 on May 12. “Lioness” is currently unbeaten in her last seven Octagon appearances and will reportedly be booked in a superfight against Cristiane Justino at UFC 232 on Dec. 29. That fight has not been finalized, however.

Ansaroff is riding a three-fight winning streak at 115 pounds. Most recently, the American Top Team product garnered a decision triumph over Randa Markos at UFC on Fox 30 on July 28.

Now that Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor is official for the UFC 229 headliner, there figure to be plenty of suitors willing to face the winner of that blockbuster lightweight championship bout.

That includes former middleweight and welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, who recently said he’d be interested in facing the winner of the Oct. 6 contest.

“I would be interested in that fight,” St. Pierre said a recent press conference filmed by Submission Radio. “That’s a win-win situation. That’s a win-win situation. It’s a legacy upgrade and it’s good money. It’s going to be a big fight.

“However, I fought at 170. I relinquished the title [in 2013]. Then I fought at 185. I relinquished the title [in 2017]. I don’t think the UFC will let me fight for the title at 155. They will be afraid that I’ll relinquish and leave the division in ruins again.”

St. Pierre’s intuition has proven to be correct. In an interview on "The BBC MMA Show," UFC Preside…

Credit: Pro Fight League Credit: Pro Fight League Credit: Pro Fight League

Another location and venue is set for the Professional Fighters League semifinals.

According to a report from the Washington Post, one PFL semifinal round will take place in Congress Heights at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 20. The promotion confirmed the news on its website Friday.

The PFL’s regular season concludes on Aug. 30 at Ocean Resort Casino in Atlantic City, N.J. The lineup for that card has yet to be revealed. PFL playoff rounds will be held on Oct. 5, Oct. 13 and Oct. 20, with the championship event set for Dec. 31.

The first playoff event will take place at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans on Oct. 5. Locations and venues for the Oct. 13 and Dec. 31 cards have not yet been announced. The PFL’s postseason will be a single-elimination format.

The PFL began its regular season with 72 fighters in six weight classes. The…

Highly-touted SBG Ireland prospect James Gallagher was served a heaping helping of humble pie at Bellator 204 on Friday night.

As usual, the previously unbeaten Irishman talked a big game heading into his showdown with Ricky Bandejas at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D., but for the first time in his burgeoning career, he failed to deliver. A straight right to the jaw from Bandejas put Gallagher on his seat during an exchange about halfway through the first round, and from there the underdog didn’t let up, as he rocked “The Strabanimal” with a side kick to the face before clinching the win with a barrage of vicious ground-and-pound at the 2:49 mark of the frame.

More than a few observers were happy to see Gallagher humbled, especially considering his antics just prior to the opening bell.

.@StrabanimalMMA tryin' to get started early! #Bellator204 pic.twitter.com/OK4xcAeQJ0

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) August 18, 2018

Eve…

Reigning Bellator MMA bantamweight monarch Darrion Caldwell looked right at home at featherweight in the Bellator 204 main event on Friday night.

“The Wolf” trounced Noad Lahat and stopped him via punches in the second frame. Caldwell took the Israeli down repeatedly and dominated him on the canvas for as long as the bout lasted. “Neo” remained patient with Caldwell on top, looking for openings to sweep or escape, but the New Jersey native never allowed Lahat to get into rhythm.

Caldwell ignited the capacity crowd inside Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, when he hovered over Lahat and slammed punches from all angles. The champ never stopped throwing hands until Lahat (12-4) collapsed against the cage and referee Mike Beltran rushed in to save him. Lahat bowed out officially at 2:46, allowing Caldwell to win his fourth fight in a row. After the match, Caldwell (13-1) called out reigning Bellator 145 champ Patricio Freire.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/…

Annnnnd another 1st round finish! #Bellator204 pic.twitter.com/zqz71vLRrq

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) August 18, 2018

Knockouts were plentiful on the Bellator 204 preliminary card inside Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Friday night.

Venezuela’s Omar Antonio Morales Ferrer improved to 7-0 by blowing away Troy Nawrocki (3-1) in the featured preliminary bout. The lightweight prospect slammed a series of unanswered punches that destroyed Nawrocki’s equilibrium, eventually knocking him out in just 58 seconds.

The undercard had five other knockouts: Jason Jackson (8-3) lived up to his “The Ass-Kicking Machine” moniker by pummeling fellow welterweight Jordon Larson (9-5) with punches and ending things 3:58 into the first; 170-pounder David Michaud rose to 12-4 by greasing Corey Davis (2-1) with punches at 1:42 of the opening frame; middleweight Romero Cotton rocketed to 3-0 by crushing Willie Whitehead (2-3) with knees and …

Three minutes was all it took... #UFC229 pic.twitter.com/iUdePPDZUa

— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) August 17, 2018

UFC 229 sold out within three minutes after tickets went on sale this week, likely due to the return of Conor McGregor. “The Notorious” is set to take on Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in an effort to reclaim the belt McGregor won at UFC 205 back in 2016.

McGregor hasn’t stepped foot in the Octagon since then, but did take a detour into boxing last summer in a losing effort to undefeated legend Floyd Mayweather. McGregor was eventually stripped of both the featherweight and lightweight titles during his extended hiatus from MMA.

The appetite for McGregor’s UFC return is palpable, and the numbers already show extreme interest, with tickets for the Las Vegas event selling out in three minutes flat.

“It’s pretty clear that fans have a huge appetite to see Conor McGregor’s retu…

It has been reported for a number of weeks now that a matchup between former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champions Luke Rockhold and Chris Weidman was in the works for UFC 230 in November at Madison Square Garden, New York although nothing has been made official yet.

The pair previously met back in December 2015 at UFC 194 where Rockhold knocked out then-champion Weidman. Weidman has been sidelined for over a year now with a nagging injury as a result of a torn ligament he suffered in his thumb. “The All-American” last featured inside the Octagon in July 2017 where he snapped a three-fight losing streak by defeating Kelvin Gastelum.

Rockhold last fought back in February at UFC 221 for the interim UFC middleweight title against Yoel Romero. Romero missed weight for the fight ruling him out of contention for the title but managed to put the disappointment behind him to knock out Rockhold in the third round.

Rockhold spoke to reporters at an e…

18 SECONDS! Ray Cooper III ends it in a hurry and locks up the top seed at welterweight. #PFL6 #PFLmma pic.twitter.com/CDR3KtOJB4

— #PFLmma (@ProFightLeague) August 17, 2018

Ray Cooper III proved to be the far superior welterweight when he torched Pavel Kusch in the main event of PFL 6 on Thursday night inside Ocean Resort Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

“Bradda Boy” stormed out of his corner like a wolverine and tore into the Ukrainian with a maelstrom of punches to the head. Kusch (23-6) was caught off-guard and never recovered; his legs eventually turned to gelatin and his consciousness effectively removed from the onslaught of fists.

Cooper III never stopped throwing bombs until referee Keith Peterson finally intervened, ending the blitzkrieg in just 18 seconds. The sensational knockout win allowed the Hawaiian to not only rise to 15-4, but also clinched the number-one seed in the 2018 PFL Playoffs at welterweight with six p…

Bellator 204Credit: Bellator/Lucas Noonan Bellator 204Credit: Bellator/Lucas Noonan Bellator 204Credit: Bellator/Lucas Noonan Bellator 204Credit: Bellator/Lucas Noonan Bellator 204Credit: Bellator/Lucas Noonan Bellator 204Credit: Bellator/Lucas Noonan Bellator 204Credit: Bellator/Lucas Noonan Bellator 204Credit: Bellator/Lucas Noonan Bellator 204Credit: Bellator/Lucas Noonan Bellator 204Credit: Bellator/Lucas Noonan Bellator 204Credit: Bellator/Lucas Noonan Bellator 204Credit: Bellator/Lucas Noonan Bellator 204Credit: Bellator/Lucas Noonan Bellator 204Credit: Bellator/Lucas Noonan Bellator 204Credit: Bellator/Lucas Noonan Bellator 204Credit: Bellator/Lucas Noonan Bellator 204Credit: Bellator/Lucas Noonan [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30sS4s4-byI&w=560&h=315]

The official weigh-ins for Friday’s Bellator 204 have concluded, and two fighters missed their mark, with one coming in 15 pounds overweight.

Bellator MMA bantamweight champion Darrion Caldwell easily ma…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEODAVvUv78?start=4516&w=560&h=315]

Colby Covington is at it again, suggesting that the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s next pay-per-view event, UFC 228, which features a title bout between welterweight champion Tyrone Woodley and Darren Till, won’t generate much interest without him.

Covington is the UFC’s interim welterweight champion after dominating Brazilian Rafael dos Anjos back in June. “Chaos” underwent nasal surgery after defeating dos Anjos and when UFC matchmakers called him for the title unification bout with Woodley on Sept. 8 at UFC 228 he rejected the offer, stating he wouldn’t be ready. Rather than wait, the UFC elected to strip his title and book Woodley against Till to avoid holding up the welterweight division any longer.

In a recent appearance on BJ Penn Radio, Covington said without his presence on the UFC 228 card, it will fail to generate many PPV buys as he feels fans aren’t interested in watching …

The cards for Bellator’s doubleheader weekend in October continue to grow.

Cheick Kongo will welcome recent signee Timothy Johnson to the promotion at Bellator 208 on Oct. 13, while Kevin Ferguson Jr. will compete against an as-yet-to-be determined foe at Bellator 207 on Oct. 12. Sherdog.com confirmed the news with a promotion official on Wednesday following an initial report from ESPN.com’s Ariel Helwani.

Kongo is currently on a six-fight winning streak within the California-based promotion. Most recently, the 43-year-old Frenchman scored a first-round knockout of Javy Ayala at Bellator 199 on May 12.

Johnson will make his promotional debut after compiling a 4-3 record in the UFC. He last appeared at UFC Fight Night 125, where he earned a unanimous decision over Marcelo Golm.

Ferguson Jr., the son of the late Kimbo Slice, has won three consecutive fights since falling to Aaron Hamilton in his first promotional foray. In his last outing, the Team Body…

Professional Fighters League has successfully created a niche identity for itself amidst a mixed martial arts promotion industry dominated by a corporate titan.

The PFL hasn’t tried to compete with the Ultimate Fighting Championship since their first event; the NBC Sports-based promotion is a strictly a playoffs-based format, with the eventual divisional champs winning a $1 million prize. The PFL doesn’t hold their events on Saturday nights like the UFC or even Friday nights like Bellator usually does. PFL events are on Thursdays, and there’s nothing better than MMA on a Thursday night.

Thursday’s PFL 6, which is a part of the 2018 regular season, features the quick return of Ray Cooper III, who avenged his father’s loss to Jake Shields by knocking Shields out last month. That is a distinction Cooper III (14-4) shares with just two other fighters throughout Shields’ 43-fight career.

“Bradda Boy” faces Pavel Kusch, who himself advanced in PFL’s welterweight…

Donny Aaron, the husband of UFC flyweight Andrea Lee, is facing charges of false imprisonment and domestic violence battery stemming from an incident that occurred earlier this month.

MyMMANews.com was first to report the news of Aaron’s alleged attack on Lee, which occurred on Aug. 4 and into the early morning hours of Aug. 5 in Shreveport, La. An arrest warrant is forthcoming for Aaron, according to a report from MMAFighting.com.

A police report states that officers responded to a domestic incident involving a married couple of five years who have one child together. There was a weapon used in the alleged attack, and Lee suffered a minor injury, but no contact was made with the suspect.

MMA fighter Andy Nguyen, who lives with Lee and Aaron, offered a more vivid description in a witness statement to the police that was obtained by MyMMANews.com. Nguyen claimed that Aaron attempted to burn Lee with a cigarette and choked her. She added that Aaron has hit Le…

Benson Henderson will meet Saad Awad in a lightweight contest at Bellator 208.

Sherdog.com confirmed the pairing with a promotion official on Tuesday following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com. Bellator 208 takes place on Oct. 13 at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y., and will be headlined by a heavyweight grand prix semifinal showdown between Fedor Emelianenko and Chael Sonnen. The main card will be televised on Paramount Network.

Henderson halted a two-fight skid with a second-round submission of Roger Huerta at Bellator 196 on April 6. The former UFC lightweight champion is 2-3 thus far during his tenure with the California-based promotion, with his defeats coming at the hands of Patricky Freire, Michael Chandler and Andrey Koreshkov.

Awad, meanwhile, enters the matchup with Henderson riding the momentum of a four-bout winning streak. Most recently, the Milennia MMA representative scored a first-round TKO of Ryan Couture at Bellator 201. The longtime…

The UFC is billing the lightweight championship bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor as the biggest fight in promotion history, and the ticket prices reflect that boast.

According to a release, the cheapest ticket for UFC 229 will be $205 (not including fees), while the most expensive is $2,505. The other available seats are priced as follows: $2,005, $1,505, $1,005, $755, $555, $405, $355, $305 and $255. Tickets will go on sale Aug. 17 at 1 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT and are available for purchase online at www.axs.com.

UFC 229 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Oct. 6 and will see Derrick Lewis take on Alexander Volkov in the heavyweight co-main event. The card also includes a pivotal flyweight clash between contenders Sergio Pettis and Jussier da Silva as well as a light heavyweight showdown pitting Ovince St. Preux against Dominick Reyes.

The prices are significantly higher than McGregor’s last appearance in Sin City, when he faced…