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After two dances in the Octagon with the ex-heavyweight champ, Junior dos Santos is pretty familiar with the skills Stipe Miocic brings to the table.

“Cigano” won a hard-fought five-round verdict over Miocic in the UFC on Fox 13 headliner in December 2014, but was stopped by the Ohio-based firefighter in the opening stanza in a title bout at UFC 211.

Miocic had the most successful reign of any heavyweight champion in UFC history, but it came to an end at the hands of Daniel Cormier this past Saturday in Las Vegas at UFC 226. The reigning light heavyweight champion initiated the clinch with Miocic and then floored his opponent with a right hook on the break. A flurry of hammerfists on the ground clinched the victory for “DC.”

According to dos Santos, the biggest mistake Miocic made was repeatedly wandering into Cormier’s comfort zone.

“That was a big surprise for me, you know. I thought Daniel Cormier could win that fight, but not the way he won — knoc…

Nicolas Dalby will look to turn around a three-fight skid on familiar soil. (Photo Credit: Ryan O'Leary)

Former Cage Warriors welterweight champion Nicolas Dalby will be back in action, back in the country where he won the title.

The 33 year-old “Lokomotivo” was announced as part of the Cage Warriors 96 card on Sept. 1 at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, UK. Dalby’s last appearance was an incredible three-round war with Carlo Pedersoli at Cage Warriors 96 in April, which the victorious Pedersoli used as a springboard to a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Dalby, meanwhile, steps back into the cage looking to overturn a three-bout skid that includes the Pedersoli fight as well as two consecutive losses to end his own four-fight UFC run.

Nine more names were announced for the incoming card by the British promotion on Wednesday morning: Sam Creasey, Jack Grant, Shawn Kenny, Elliot Jenkins, Coner Hignett, Adam Ventre, Mick Stanton, Liam Gittins and A…

Matt Sayles, one of the most recent contract winners from Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series, will make his Octagon debut against Sheymon Moraes at UFC 227.

The promotion announced the featherweight pairing on Tuesday evening. UFC 227 takes place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Aug. 4 and is headlined by a bantamweight championship rematch between T.J. Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt. Sayles vs. Moraes will headline the UFC Fight Pass portion of the preliminary card.

Sayles punched his ticket to the UFC with a first-round technical knockout of Yazan Hajeh on Episode 2 of the Contender Series on June 19. The 24-year-old Alliance MMA product owns a 7-1 career mark that includes six triumphs via knockout or technical knockout.

A four-time veteran of World Series of Fighting, Moraes debuted in the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 122, where he suffered a third-round submission defeat against Zabit Magomedsharipov on Nov. 25. The 27-year-old Brazilian is…

All went according to plan for Bevon Lewis.

The Jackson-Wink MMA prospect kept his perfect professional record intact, as he cut down Alton Cunningham with a volley of close-quarters knee strikes in the first round of their middleweight confrontation on Season 2, Episode 4 of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series at the UFC Training Center in Las Vegas. Cunningham (3-1) bit the dust 3:01 into Round 1.

Lewis (6-0) established himself as the superior fighter as the start and did not relent. He lured Cunningham into the clinch and picked him apart with knees, elbows and punches at close range. Lewis dropped the 25-year-old at the base of the cage, moved to the top ride and hunted a rear-naked choke. He then reset, sucked Cunningham back into the clinch and uncorked knees to the head until referee Mark Smith had seen enough.

Afterward, Lewis was awarded a UFC contract. He was not alone.

Luttrell’s MMA export Jordan Espinosa put away former Pacific Xtreme Co…

Greg Hardy’s mixed martial arts career will continue with another appearance at Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series.

Multiple outlets have confirmed that the troubled former NFL Pro Bowler will square off with Tebaris Gordon on Aug. 7 at “The Ultimate Fighter Gym” in Las Vegas. ESPN.com was first to report the news.

Hardy earned a four-fight developmental contract with the UFC after knocking out fellow former NFL player Austen Lane in 57 seconds in his professional MMA debut on June 12. Hardy went 3-0 as an amateur before his victory on the Contender Series.

Gordon, based out of North Carolina, owns a 3-0 professional record, with all of his victories coming by way of technical knockout. One of those victories occurred under the Legacy Fighting Alliance banner, where he stopped Chandler Cole 4:25 into round one in July 2017.

The UFC has received criticism for bringing Hardy into the fold due to his past domestic violence issues. In July 2014 H…

New heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier is one of three fighters from UFC 226 who could be looking at a lengthy time on the shelf due to injury.

The Nevada Athletic Commission released a list of medical suspensions from this past Saturday’s event, which took place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and saw Cormier dispatch Stipe Miocic via first-round knockout in the evening’s headliner. Cormier needs to have his right hand x-rayed and cleared by an orthopedic doctor or he will be suspended until Jan. 4. At a minimum, “DC” is suspended until Aug. 7 with no contact until July 29.

Meanwhile, Paul Felder must have his broken right ulnar, or forearm, cleared by an orthopedic doctor or he will be out until Jan. 4 as well. Felder lost a split decision to Mike Perry in a featured welterweight contest.

Finally, rising Brazilian star Paulo Henrique Costa must have his left ankle and foot x-rayed and cleared by an orthopedic doctor, or he will be sidelined until Jan.…

Brad Tavares showcased true grit and toughness in surviving five rounds against Israel Adesanya at "The Ultimate Fighter 27" finale, so it’s no surprise that he emerged from that contest with a couple potential injuries.

The 30-year-old Hawaiian lost a unanimous decision to Adesanya in Friday’s main event at the Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms, and he will be facing a six-month layoff unless he has a nasal fracture and a left ulnar fracture cleared by the appropriate doctors. At a minimum, Tavares is suspended until Sept. 5 with no contact until Aug. 21. Adesanya, meanwhile, emerged from the middleweight bout with a clean bill of health.

The Nevada Athletic Commission released a full list of medical suspensions from the event on Monday.

Six other fighters from the “TUF 27” finale are also looking a six-month sits pending medical clearance: Michael Trizano (right leg, left knee), Martin Bravo (right foot fracture), Julian Marquez (right shoulder), Luis Pe…

Paulo Henrique Costa has both the look and the penchant for finishing fights that could make him a talent to watch in the coming months.

The 27-year-old known as “Borrachinha” mowed down “The Ultimate Fighter 17” finalist Uriah Hall in their preliminary middleweight tilt at UFC 226, winning via technical knockout 2:38 into the second frame. The former Jungle Fight champion swarmed Hall near the fence, putting his opponent away with a devastating right uppercut to the body.

“This is just one more victory on my way to the world title,” Costa said. “Now I want to face a top fighter, I want to fight Chris Weidman. No one in this division can win against me, I’m the most powerful middleweight and I’m showing that in every fight. Uriah had very good timing and connected the jabs, but I knew he would not be able to handle my power. I’m ready for the next battle.”

Costa is now 4-0 in the Las Vegas-based promotion and 12-0 as a professional overall, with all of his …

Make no mistake, Daniel Cormier would still be up for a third bout with longtime rival Jon Jones.

But Cormier wants to make one thing clear: He no longer needs a win over Jones to secure his place among the sport’s all-time greats after knocking out Stipe Miocic at UFC 226 to become only the second simultaneous two-division champion in promotion history. That accomplishment, Cormier says, stands on its own.

“I think that with this, I don’t need him,” Cormier said at the UFC 226 post-fight press conference. “This, for everyone that said you’re a fake champion, you’re not a real champion. You can’t question this one. You may question that light heavyweight title, you can question it to the grave, but I have something completely separate from him. And I’m very grateful for it because everything was tied to that guy no matter how much I beat everybody up. It was always, ‘Well you lost to Jones.’

“…I’m a champion and I am one of the greatest fighters of all time…

Corey Anderson has signed a new contract with the Las Vegas-based promotion and will replace the injured Ilir Latifi against Glover Teixeira on the July 22 card in Hamburg, Germany. Anderson confirmed the news via Instagram following an initial report from Combate.com.

UFC Fight Night 134 takes place at Barclaycard Arena and is headlined by a 205-pound clash between Mauricio Rua and Anthony Smith. The card will air in its entirety on Fox Sports 1.

Anderson, 28, halted a two-bout skid in his most recent outing when he outpointed Patrick Cummins at UFC Fight Night 128 on April 21. “Overtime” is 7-4 during his promotional tenure and 10-4 as a professional overall.

Teixeira, a former light heavyweight title challenger, is coming off a first-round TKO win over Misha Cirkunov at UFC on Fox 26 in December.

Stipe Miocic was in a bit of a hurry to leave Las Vegas on Saturday night.

It wasn’t because he had just relinquished his heavyweight crown in a first-round knockout loss to Daniel Cormier in the UFC 226 headliner, however. It was, as the Ohio firefighter put it, because he had “bigger fish to fry.”

Miocic is expecting the birth of his first child soon, and he wanted to make his post-fight press conference appearance quick because he was eager to catch a plane back home to be with his wife. While the Strong Style Fight Team standout was disappointed to lose the heavyweight crown, it didn’t seem quite as important under the circumstances.

“It sucks, losing is not fun at all. It sucks,” Miocic said. “But in perspective, I look at it… I’m going home right now to my beautiful wife, who’s having my child. There’s better things in life than losing. It sucks, I want to come back and get a rematch, of course. Right now, it’s DC’s day, good for him.”

Miocic wa…

Four fighters at UFC 226 received “Performance of the Night” checks, as Daniel Cormier, Anthony Pettis, Khalil Rountree and Paulo Henrique Costa took home $50,000 apiece for their efforts at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

Cormier captured “Performance of the Night” honors for his first-round knockout of Stipe Miocic in the evening’s main event. A right hook following a break from the clinch dropped Miocic and a flurry of hammerfists ended the contest 4:33 into the frame. With the win, “DC” becomes the second fighter in UFC history to hold two belts at the same time.

Elsewhere, former lightweight champ Anthony Pettis earned his post-fight award with a second-round submission of Michael Chiesa in a featured lightweight encounter. Early in round two, Chiesa escaped a guillotine from Pettis to assume top position, only to find himself trapped in a triangle armbar. From there, Pettis forced the tapout 52 seconds into the frame.

Khalil Rountre…

Daniel Cormier took his place among the immortals.

The American Kickboxing Academy captain knocked out Stipe Miocic to claim the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title in the first round of their UFC 226 headliner on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Cormier (21-1, 10-1 UFC) brought it to a close 4:33 into Round 1, becoming the second fighter in UFC history -- Conor McGregor is the other -- to hold titles in two divisions simultaneously.

Miocic (18-3, 12-3 UFC) threw power punches in combination but moseyed too willingly into the clinch against the two-time Olympic wrestler and reigning light heavyweight champion. After a brief pause in the action due to a blatant eye poke from Cormier, the Strong Style Fight Team cornerstone again engaged “DC” at close range. Cormier fired a right hook on the break that folded the Ohio native where he stood. A burst of hammerfists followed, knocking Miocic unconscious before a stunned crowd.

Afterward,…

UFC 226 is now available on Amazon Prime.

Sherdog's live UFC 226 play-by-play kicks off Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. Have a question for Sherdog.com's medical expert? Tweet The Fight Doctor via @FightMedicine.

Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog S…

Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum will be coaching rivals on Season 28 of “The Ultimate Fighter” before squaring off in a middleweight championship bout later this year.

The UFC recently announced that Whittaker and Gastelum will coach “TUF 28: Heavy Hitters,” which features male heavyweights and female featherweights and premieres Aug. 29 on Fox Sports 1. A date was not announced for Whittaker’s title defense against Gastelum.

While nothing has been formally announced, “TUF 28” could possibly be the final iteration of the reality show that began in 2005. No mention of the series was made when the UFC announced its new broadcast deal with ESPN earlier this year.

Whittaker won “TUF: The Smashes” and began his promotional tenure as a welterweight before truly blossoming at 185 pounds. He captured the interim middleweight crown with a five-round verdict over Yoel Romero at UFC 213 and was promoted to undisputed champion when Georges St. Pierre vacated the c…

BREAKING: Dana White announces on @SportsCentre that UFC 231 will take place in Toronto on December 8, 2018 at Scotiabank Arena. https://t.co/ji1TEnOZ15 #UFC pic.twitter.com/wI5gJ9TVy7

— SportsCentre (@SportsCentre) July 7, 2018

The UFC will return to Toronto in December, UFC President Dana White announced on TSN’s SportsCentre on Friday.

UFC 231 is set to take place on Dec. 8 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, where UFC 206 was held two years ago.

The promotion has had smashing success in the Toronto MMA market; their first event there was UFC 129 in 2011, which broke the UFC’s attendance record with 55,000 tickets sold and an $11 million live gate revenue. That event was bolstered by a main event featuring Canadian MMA superstar and then-welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, who was the biggest pay-per-view draw the company had at the time.

Their last Toronto card was UFC 206 in 2016, featuring a main event featherweight t…

#TUF27Finale:Attendance: 2,123 (sold-out)Gate: $293,615.50Fight of the Night: Caceres vs. BravoPerformances of the Night: Israel Adesanya, Luis Pena

— Mike Fridley (@mikefridley) July 7, 2018

Israel Adesanya, Luis Pena, Alex Caceres, and Martin Bravo earened $50,000 bonuses Friday at “The Ultimate Fighter 27” Finale.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueJCpt6Mqng&w=560&h=315]

UFC 226 is now available on Amazon Prime.

As if this year’s International Fight Week weren’t dramatic enough, a new blood feud emerged between Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis during Thursday’s press conference.

Both fighters were gathered on stage to promote Saturday’s UFC 226, with Lewis taking on Francis Ngannou and Cormier fighting Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight belt, but there was more animosity between “The Black Beast” and “DC” than with their respective opponents.

Cormier revealed that Lewis had confronted him backstage just prior to Thursday’s press conference.

“I’ve already got a challenge in the back,” Cormier told MMA Junkie. “Derrick Lewis told me that he was going to knock me out before we walked out here. Derrick Lewis may knock out Francis then knock me out after. I know the guys that are li…

Daniel Cormier takes a scary fall following UFC 226 Press Conference. pic.twitter.com/FUgtAHLQUm

— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) July 6, 2018

UFC 226 is now available on Amazon Prime.

The curse of International Fight Week continued on Thursday, just a day after Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight champion Max Holloway was forced out of the co-main event of UFC 226 with concussion-like symptoms. Light heavyweight titleholder Daniel Cormier, who takes on heavyweight kingpin Stipe Miocic on Saturday’s headline fight, tripped while leaving the dais following a press conference and left with a noticeable limp.

Cormier fell face-first and had to be helped up by Dana White and UFC staff, limping all the way backstage. Although it won’t cause the 205-pound champ to pull out of Saturday’s title fight, fight fans are understandably unnerved after Holloway’s unceremonious removal from the card.

A member of DC’s camp told ESPN: “[Co…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46M01aonbv8&w=560&h=315]

“The Ultimate Fighter 27” Finale is taking place Friday, July 6 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be headlined by Brad Tavares taking on undefeated Israel Adesanya.

Tavares, who is riding a four-fight win streak, weighed-in Thursday at 186 pounds. Adesanya also tipped the scales at 186 and will be looking to maintain his perfect record.

The lone fighter to miss weight Thursday was Julian Marquez (*190), who was off target by four pounds. He will be fined 30 percent of his purse, which will go to Alessio Di Chirico (186).

Di Chirico's team has just informed me that Julian Marquez has to weigh-in tomorrow and he has to be within 210 pounds. Di Chirico will take 30% of his opponent's purse #UFC #TUF27 #TUF27Finale

— Tudor Leonte (@Tudor_leo) July 5, 2018

Also of note at Thursday’s weigh-ins, Thiago Santos (185.5) took to the scale as a backup for Tavares, who …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd0PUAJvg5Y&w=640&h=360]

Something wasn’t right with Max Holloway this week, and Michael Bisping noticed it before the featherweight champion pulled out of UFC 226.

During an interview on UFC Tonight, the retired former middleweight champion notices that Holloway doesn’t seem like his usual self.

“You say you feel great, and don’t be offended when I say this, but you look like you just got out of bed,” Bisping said. “Are you tired, what’s going on, how’s the weight cut? Are you drained? You look a little sleepy.”

Holloway denied that anything was amiss in his response.

“I’m good man. A little bit tired. They got me doing a bunch of media stuff, but I’ll be fine, Holloway said. “I can’t wait. I can’t wait to go out there and do the damn thing.”

Of course, that wasn’t actually the case, as Holloway was hospitalized earlier this week due to concussion symptoms before withdrawing from his title defense agains…

Max Holloway can’t seem to catch a break.

For the third time this year, the featherweight champion has been forced to withdraw from a fight — this time the UFC 226 co-main event against Brian Ortega. According to multiple reports, Holloway was struggling with concussion-like symptoms throughout the week, which eventually led to him being pulled from the card. ESPN was first to report the news of Holloway’s exit on Wednesday evening.

Holloway was hospitalized on Monday due to concussion symptoms before beginning his weight cut. Although he was released on Tuesday, his condition didn’t improve enough for him to go through with the fight.

Holloway’s management released the following statement regarding the 145-pound champion’s status:

Max’s team and UFC staff noticed Max was not normal since late last week. This became obvious to many watching his interviews and public appearances the past few days.

“He was showing concussion-like symptoms before h…

Brad Pickett’s brief retirement will officially come to an end when he locks horns with Jesse Brock at Absolute Championship Berkut 91 in London.

The promotion announced the pairing on Wednesday. ACB 91 takes place at Copper Box Arena on Aug. 11 and is headlined by a middleweight title tilt between reigning champion Albert Duraev and Piotr Strus.

Pickett announced his retirement following a third-round technical knockout loss against Marlon Vera at UFC Fight Night 107 in March 2017. The London native had lost six of his last six bouts within the Las Vegas-based promotion. The 39-year-old known as “One Punch” recently signed a multi-fight contract ACB. Pickett owns notable wins over the likes of Demetrious Johnson, Francisco Rivera, Damacio Page, Ivan Menjivar and Neil Seery, to name a few.

The 36-year-old Brock has won seven of his last eight fights while competing for a number of promotions including Bellator, World Series of Fighting and Resurrection Figh…

Bellator 201 drew an audience of 466,000 viewers to Paramount Network this past Friday night, according to figures released by ShowBuzz Daily.

That figure represents an increase over the previous two Bellator cards, both of which featured some high-profile stars, including Gegard Mousasi, Michael Page, Muhammad Lawal, Ryan Bader and Paul Daley, to name a few. Bellator 200, a tape-delayed offering, averaged 421,000 viewers, while Bellator 199 attracted 453,000 viewers to Paramount network (the card also averaged 152,000 viewers on CMT).

Bellator 201 took place at Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, Calif., and saw Ilima-Lei Macfarlane retain her flyweight crown with a third-round submission of Alejandra Lara in the evening’s main event.

Despite the slight upward trend, Bellator 201 is the eighth of 10 cards held by the California-based promotion to do less than 500,000 viewers in 2018. From 2013 to 2016, three Bellator cards total fell short of the 500,0…