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Francis Ngannou went from being “The Next Big Thing” in the UFC to being labeled a bust in just a few short fights.

On Saturday at UFC Fight Night 141, “The Predator” took some steps to regain some of the luster he lost in forgettable performances against Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis earlier this year. Ngannou returned to his previous headhunting form at Cadillac Arena in Beijing, where he stopped the surging Curtis Blaydes in just 45 seconds.

Ngannou’s mentality was questioned after back-to-back bouts in which he looked nothing like the finishing machine he appeared to be during a six-fight winning streak to begin his UFC tenure. Ngannou’s performance against Lewis was especially troubling, as he looked tentative to pull the trigger on the heels of his first promotional defeat.

That was not an issue in Beijing.

“I came back tonight to have fun,” Ngannou said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “My last fight wasn’t that good, just because I …

career KOs!@AlistairOvereem hands the undefeated standout his first career loss! #UFCBeijing pic.twitter.com/xRgvc2ADhp

— UFC (@ufc) November 24, 2018

Alistair Overeem became a No. 1 contender in the UFC’s heavyweight division during his time at Jackson-Wink MMA in Albuquerque, N.M.

But after suffering back-to-back knockout losses at the hands of Curtis Blaydes and Francis Ngannou in his last two outings, “The Reem” decided a change in scenery was necessary, so he relocated to Elevation Fight Team in Colorado. The 38-year-old Netherlands native credited his new camp for his success at UFC Fight Night 141, where he earned a first-round stoppage of Octagon newcomer Sergei Pavlovich.

”We changed the gym and, I don’t know, it was a really good chemistry with all the coaches and I just started to work and we put in a lot of hours,” Overeem said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I like the chemistry and I like all the things that t…

B O N U S E S

POTN: @Francis_Ngannou and @UFCJingliang

FOTN: @AlexMoronoMMA vs Song Kenan#UFCBeijing pic.twitter.com/JPmclqhCF6

— UFC (@ufc) November 24, 2018

Francis Ngannou, Jingliang Li, Alex Morono and Kenan Song all received $50,000 bonuses for their work at UFC Fight Night 141 in Beijing.

Ngannou earned a “Peformance of the Night” check for his first-round technical knockout victory over Curtis Blaydes in the evening’s heavyweight headliner at Cadillac Arena. An early overhand right from Ngannou floored Blaydes, and the American wrestler never recovered, succumbing to punches 45 seconds into the opening frame.

Elsewhere, Li garnered the card’s other “Performance of the Night” award for his third-round knockout of David Zwada in a featured welterweight affair. A kick to the body from “The Leech” put Zwada on his seat in the third stanza, and a barrage of follow-up blows finished the job at the 4:07 mark of the frame. Read more about UFC Fight Night 141 Bonuses: Ngannou, Li, Morono, Song Garner $50K

Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 141 coverage kicks off Saturday at 3:30 a.m. ET.

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

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

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLacv7A2wy0&w=560&h=315]

It’s on.

Chuck Liddell hit the scales at 203.4 pounds, as he prepares to face Tito Ortiz (204.8) for the third time in the Golden Boy MMA main event this Saturday at The Forum in Inglewood, CA. This is the first time Ortiz has weighed more than Liddell in any of their three bouts, with Liddell weighing 204 and 205 pounds compared to Ortiz at 202 and 205 in their previous respective meetings. Co-headlining the event will be a light heavyweight contest between former UFC fighter turned pro wrestler Tom Lawlor (199.6) and the undefeated Deron Winn (205.6), who both made weight without issue at Friday’s weigh-ins.

Golden Boy MMA: Liddell vs. Ortiz 3 will air on pay-per-view via Fite.tv, with the main card starting at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The event will also feature a 160-pound catchweight clash between bout between longtime UFC lightweights Gleison Tibau (159.4) and Efrain Escudero (159.8). Rounding ou…

At 48 years of age, one would think former Ultimate Fighting Championshiphall of famer Chuck Liddell would be enjoying retirement. However, Liddell got the itch to compete again and has decided to face-off in a trilogy fight against one of his biggest rivals in Tito Ortiz who he meets this Saturday night inside The Forum in Inglewood, California under Golden Boy Promotions which is owned by former professional boxer Oscar De La Hoya.

However, unlike the 43-year-old Ortiz, who has explicitly stated that he plans for this to be his last fight, this may not be a one-off for Liddell, who has plans on fighting a number of other veterans as part of his comeback.

“The Iceman” recently spoke to TMZ and said that depending on how he performs against Ortiz this weekend, he’d like to face-off with a number of other veterans, including a trilogy fight with Quinton Jackson.

“If I perform the way I think I’m going to on Saturday then I’m definitely going to be looking fo…

Santiago Ponzinibbio’s knockout victory at UFC Fight Night 140 in Buenos Aires, Argentina proved to be more valuable than anyone could have imagined.

On Thursday, Ponzinibbio posted on social media that he had received the key to the city of La Plata, capital city of the Argentinian province Buenos Aires, from Mayor Julio Garro.

According to MMAFighting, the key to the city had only been given to four other recipients prior to Ponzinibbio, all musicians: The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Ed Sheeran and Alejandro Lerner. In addition, he was bestowed the honor of “Illustrious Citizen of Buenos Aires.” Given only to Argentine natives or longtime residents, that honor is bestowed by the legislature for exemplary work in the fields of culture, science, politics or sports. “Gente Boa” prevailed at the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s debut event in Argentina, knocking out Neil Magny in the fourth round of the main event. Having not suffered defeat since a “Fight of the N…

https://t.co/wUm0UnAxVB & https://t.co/W1tR0FXnXd both posted the UFC will come to Prague, Czech Republic on February 23rd in the O2 Arena.

Can confirm this myself with multiple sources. UFC will host their first event in the Czech Republic.

UFC FN 145/UFC on ESPN+ 3 pic.twitter.com/3eoAXs1y8A

— MaRCeL DoRFF (@BigMarcel24) November 22, 2018

The Ultimate Fighting Championship will soon check one more country off the list while on its quest established in 2014 to “reshape the sports world.”

On Thursday, it was announced by both Fightclubnews.cz and SvetMMA.sk that the UFC will be making its first appearance in the city of Prague, Czech Republic, for a Fight Night event on Feb. 23, 2019. No fights have yet been announced by the promotion, but it is reportedly intending to put Czech bantamweight Lucie Pudilova on the card. Only a few Czech fighters have ever appeared inside the Octagon, including Karlos Vemola, Viktor Pesta and…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1spQPoXHZc&w=560&h=315]

It seems the mega fight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title between Daniel Cormier and Brock Lesnar early next year may be in jeopardy, with rumors circulating that Lesnar may have decided to pull out of the bout after signing a new deal with the World Wrestling Entertainment in the wake of one of their biggest stars, Roman Reigns, leaving the promotion as he prepares to undergo treatment for leukemia.

However, Lesnar’s manager, Paul Heyman, dismisses those rumors. Heyman spoke to TMZ Sports and claimed that as long as Cormier is up for the fight next year and the money is right, his client will be there, ready to challenge for the heavyweight belt.

“As long as Daniel Cormier has the balls to step into the Octagon and put his title up against Brock Lesnar and UFC comes up with the money for Brock Lesnar, I don’t see anything that would keep Brock Lesnar from taking the fight,” …

In spite of being the first and only man to defend the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title three times, Stipe Miocic has thus far been denied a chance to regain that belt, and he’s getting tired of being overlooked.

Miocic agreed to take on light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier back in July for the UFC’s first ever champion-versus-champion title fight featuring the promotion’s two heaviest divisions. Miocic was dispatched at the end of the opening round with Cormier going on to become only the second ever dual-division champion, behind Conor McGregor.

Back in October, the UFC made the surprise announcement that Derrick Lewis had been offered a short notice fight against Cormier to save the main card at UFC 230 after Dustin Poirier versus Nate Diaz was scrapped due to an injury suffered by “The Diamond.” Given that Lewis was fresh off his late win over Alexander Volkov in October, it left observers -- particularly Miocic -- perplexed at the decisi…

When UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell announced his intention to return to mixed martial arts some eight years after three consecutive knockout losses ended his Octagon run, there were plenty of concerns regarding the “Iceman’s” health.

Recent training footage, including last week’s open workouts, did little to quiet those concerns. Tito Ortiz, his opponent in Golden Boy MMA’s main event Saturday night, is not among those who are not worried about Liddell’s health and safety.

The former UFC light heavyweight champion was clear about his intentions when facing Liddell.

“I don’t care about his safety at all. I want to smash him,” Ortiz told Sherdog.com. “I want to hurt him. That’s what he wants to do to me. If he thinks he’s a big enough man, he’s an adult. If he thinks he should fight, he should fight.”

Ortiz was quick to shoot down any talk of reconciliation with his longtime rival and former training partner.

“I don’t care about burying the hatc…

The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., will play host to the trilogy fight between former UFC light heavyweight champions Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, when the two veterans square off in the main event of Golden Boy Promotions first mixed martial arts card.

However, another conflict for Ortiz preceded Saturday’s show. Shortly following the pre-fight press conference, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” had a brief confrontation with former manager Dave Thomas. Speaking with Sherdog.com, Thomas went into detail about his issues with his former client.

“I managed him and put him in Bellator,” Thomas said. “We had a falling out over money. He didn’t want to pay and that’s what our issue was.”

Thomas, who now represents Liddell, was on stage at the presser. During his time on the microphone, Ortiz referenced his 25-year- history with Thomas and called his former manager a “good friend.” Ortiz also spoke of a friendship with Liddell’s trainer, Antonio McKee. Because of tho…

In a rare occurrence, the UFC Fight Night 140 preliminary card outdrew the main card this past Saturday night on Fox Sports 1.

According to ShowBuzz Daily , the UFC Fight Night 140 prelims – which featured four bouts from 8 p.m. ET to 10 p.m. ET -- averaged 707,000 viewers on FS1, while the six-bout main card averaged 632,000. Prior to the UFC event, FS1 televised a college football game between Michigan and Indiana, which could have resulted in a larger audience at the beginning of the card. That game averaged 2.273 million viewers.

UFC Fight Night 140 took place at Parque Roca Arena in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and was headlined by a welterweight clash between Santiago Ponzinibbio and Neil Magny. Ponzinibbio won the bout via fourth-round knockout.

The prelims featured bout was a lightweight tilt pitting Michel Prazeres against Bartosz Fabinski. Prazeres earned his eighth consecutive UFC win with a guillotine choke at the 1:02 mark of the first round.

Read more about UFC Fight Night Argentina Prelims Earn Better Ratings Than Main Card on FS1

A bout originally scheduled for ”The Ultimate Fighter 28” finale finale as Gilbert Melendez vs. Arnold Allen has gradually transformed into Kevin Aguilar vs. Rick Glenn.

The promotion recently confirmed the updated featherweight matchup on its website. Melendez was the first to withdraw from the bout due to injury, and the former Strikeforce champion was replaced by Glenn. Shortly thereafter, Allen pulled out of the contest and was replaced by Aguilar.

The “TUF 28” finale takes place at the Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas on Nov. 30 and is headlined by a welterweight clash between Kamaru Usman and Rafael dos Anjos. The event will also feature the heavyweight and women’s featherweight finals from the reality show.

Aguilar has won seven consecutive bouts since a loss to UFC veteran Leonard Garcia at Legacy FC 26 in December 2013. “The Angel of Death” last appeared on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series, where he earned a spli…

Colby Covington has set his crosshairs on the newest high-profile addition to the Ultimate Fighting Championship 170-pound division, former One Championship and Bellator MMA welterweight champion Ben Askren.

With the ink on Askren’s UFC contract barely dry, Covington wasted no time tearing into the undefeated wrestler on a recent episode of BJPenn.com Radio. According to “Chaos,” it is comical that the UFC has handed Askren a debut fight with a top-5 opponent in former champ Robbie Lawler, considering the level of his previous opposition.

“He’s a 34-year-old virgin,” Covington said. “Who retires before they even get to the UFC? Losers. That’s who. But let’s be honest, the guy… I mean, can they even approve a fight for him in the top five? Can they? Can the commission do that when he hasn’t won a fight against anybody in the top 50? The guy’s a complete joke. I mean, it should be criminal that they even let him in there with a top-5 fighter.”

“I mean, the gu…

“This is another game changer for the sport, UFC, and potential athletes throughout Asia."

Coming in 2019. pic.twitter.com/ZEqJWUbjNJ

— UFC PI (@UFCPI) November 20, 2018

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is planning to make serious inroads in China with the opening of a state-of-the art MMA training and development center in Shanghai in 2019.

According to a release, “UFC Performance Institute Shanghai will serve as a training hub to develop and support MMA athletes from mainland China and the greater Asia-Pacific region. UFC will also utilize the building as its headquarters in Asia, housing UFC employees and UFC Performance Institute staff, including experts in the fields of MMA, strength and conditioning, sports science, physical therapy and nutrition.”

The facility will also have production capabilities and spectator seating to allow the promotion to produce and distribute live events. Other features include hospitality suite…

Bellator MMA has bolstered its roster with the signings of decorated jiu-jitsu practitioner A.J. Agazarm and taekwondo black belt Valerie Loureda.

Sherdog.com confirmed the signings on Monday with a promotion official. Agazarm initially announced his Bellator deal on "Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show, while MMAjunkie.com was first to report the acquisition of Loureda.

Agazarm, a Gracie-Barra black belt who is based in Los Angeles, won the IBJJF world no-gi championship in 2014 and finished second at the ADCC that same year. Agazarm also competed as a collegiate wrestler at Ohio State University.

Loureda is a 4th dan taekwondo black belt and a former member of the United States Olympic team. The 20-year-old has three amateur bouts under her belt and is currently training at American Top Team in Florida.

Debut dates for Agazarm and Loureda in Bellator have not been announced.

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

Daniel Cormier’s grand scheme of fighting Brock Lesnar and then retiring before his 40th birthday might not come to fruition after all.

After “DC” submitted Derrick Lewis to retain his heavyweight title in the UFC 230 headliner on Nov. 3, he targeted UFC 235 on March 2 for his potentially lucrative showdown with Lesnar. However, while Lesnar initially entered the Octagon to challenge Cormier after the American Kickboxing Academy standout claimed heavyweight gold at UFC 226 in July, there are no still no guarantees the World Wrestling Entertainment star returns to the Octagon for a third promotional stint.

Speaking recently with TMZ Sports, UFC President Dana White wasn’t sure if Lesnar would be on the agenda or if the proposed matchup would indeed be Cormier’s last fight.

“I don’t know. We don’t know that either yet,” White said. “Cormier’s got a couple left in him.”

According to White, …

Rachael Ostovich has been hospitalized for “major injuries” after allegedly being attacked in Honolulu, according to a report from TMZ Sports.

Ostovich is believed to have suffered a broken orbital bone during the incident, although the specific nature of her injuries is currently unknown. The UFC flyweight was reportedly attacked by someone close to her.

Ostovich, 27, is a native of Honolulu with a 4-4 professional record in MMA. She went 2-2 during a four-bout stint in Invicta Fighting Championships before appearing on Season 26 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” She made her debut in the Octagon with a first-round submission of Karine Gevogyan at the “TUF 26” finale before tapping out to a rear-naked choke against Montana De La Rosa at the “TUF 27” finale in her most recent outing.

Ostovich was scheduled to return to action against Paige VanZant at a UFC Fight Night card in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Jan. 19, an event which will mark the promotion’s debut on ESPN+.

Cynthia Calvillo had an intriguing fight lined up before a Nevada State Athletic Commission suspension sidelined her for nine months. Now she wants that opportunity back.

After her first-round submission victory against Poliana Botelho at UFC Fight Night 140 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Saturday, Calvillo revealed that a deal was in place to face Michelle Waterson earlier this year. However, the NSAC sanction for a positive marijuana test in relation to her bout against Carla Esparza at UFC 219 derailed those plans.

“I have some unfinished business,” Calvillo said. “I signed a contract earlier this year to fight Karate Hottie. I hope she will follow through with that as well, I had the contract before my suspension. Hopefully, we can run that back and get that finished.”

It was a welcome return to the win column at UFC Fight Night 140 for Calvillo, who suffered her first career defeat to Esparza last December. Calvillo was able to ground her foe in the fi…

Neil Magny was on his last legs — literally — in the waning moments of the UFC Fight Night 140 headliner in Buenos Aires, Argentina ,on Saturday night.

Santiago Ponzinibbio battered Magny’s legs repeatedly with low kicks during their welterweight clash, so much so that the Elevation Fight Team member was nearly immobilized. Still, Magny was appreciative that the fight wasn’t halted earlier, even as he struggled to move.

“Live by the sword, die by the sword,” Magny said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I’m in there to protect myself at all times.

“I think I would be more disappointed in myself if I were to quit or if my coaches were to call it early. I’d rather fight tooth-and-nail until the last possible second and give it all I’ve got.”

Magny certainly did that, but he was a sitting duck when Ponzinibbio connected with a right hand to the jaw that sent him tumbling face first to the canvas at the 2:36 mark of round four. That ended a modes…

Santiago Ponzinibbio, Johnny Walker, Laureano Staropoli and Hector Aldana all received an extra $50,000 for their work at UFC Fight Night 140 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Saturday night.

Ponzinibbio garnered a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his fourth-round knockout of Magny in the evening’s welterweight headliner. “El Gente Boa” hindered his foe’s movement with a steady diet of leg kicks, then made him fall face first to the canvas with a right hand to the jaw at the 2:36 mark of round four.

Elsewhere, newcomer Johnny Walker earned the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for his upset victory over Khalil Rountree in a featured light heavyweight affair. Walker knocked his adversary out cold with a short-range elbow 1:57 into the opening stanza to make for a memorable Octagon debut.

Finally, Laureano Staropoli and Hector Aldana received “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their preliminary welterweight clas…

Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 140 coverage kicks off Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.

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

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

Here's the full fight between Michel Prazeres and Bartosz Fabinski. Man, what an ass kicking. "Trator" (26-2) extends his UFC win streak to eight! #UFCArgentina pic.twitter.com/RfJ54rgOAc

— Tanuki Usman (@Hamderlei) November 18, 2018

Michel Prazeres was like a man possessed in the UFC Fight Night 140 featured preliminary bout as he tore through Poland’s Bartosz Fabinski with ease.

The welterweights stormed out of their respective corners and swung for the fences, but “Trator” landed a massive right to the jaw, sending “The Butcher” onto his back and nearly out. After landing follow-up punches and staying all over Fabinski (14-3) during an ensuing scramble, the Brazilian latched on a standing guillotine, rolled him down onto the canvas and mounted him. Moments later with the guillotine even tighter, Fabinski had choice but to tap out. Prazeres (26-2) nabbed the submission in just 62 seconds.

Flyweight contender Alexandre Pantoja conti…