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The 2018 Bellator MMA heavyweight grand prix has begun to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Ryan Bader checked in at 225.1 pounds in advance of his tournament quarterfinal opposite Muhammed Lawal (217.4) in the Bellator 199 main event on Saturday at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. Meanwhile, welterweights Jon Fitch (171) and Paul Daley (170.3) at Friday’s official weigh-in were given the go-ahead to proceed as planned with their three-round co-headliner.

Bellator 199 “Bader vs. King Mo” -- which airs live on Paramount at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT -- will also feature a heavyweight encounter matching Cheick Kongo (241.7) with Javy Ayala (265.5), a lightweight clash pitting Carrington Banks (155.6) against Adam Piccolotti (155.3) and a featherweight battle pairing Aaron Pico (145.7) with Lee Morrison (144).

Bellator 199 Weigh-in Results:Ryan Bader (225.1) vs. Muhammed Lawal (217.4)Paul Daley…

If you’ve been a clean athlete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship for a significant period of time, your efforts will not go unrecognized.

USADA announced on Wednesday that it will honor the first 19 UFC fighters who have passed 25 consecutive drug tests. USADA’s anti-doping partnership with the UFC will reach its three-year anniversary on July 1.

Those fighters will receive a T-shirt branded with “#FollowMyLead” and “25x” as well as the slogan “Train Clean, Fight Clean.” Additionally, those with 25 clean drug tests will be featured on a new Twitter account (@USADA_UFC) launching this week, which according to a release, “provides stories, advisories, and messages specific to athletes competing in the UFC, as well as their fans and followers.”

“Participating in a robust anti-doping program requires a year-round commitment to competing clean, both by being available for testing without notice and in being diligent in what you consume,” USADA CEO Travis T. …

Former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion Georges St. Pierre has opened as a 2-to-1 favorite in potential bout with Nate Diaz, according to oddsmaker Bovada.

St. Pierre is listed as a -200 favorite, while Diaz checks in as the underdog at +160 in the fight, which would be contested at 155 pounds. St. Pierre and Diaz must square off sometime in 2018 for the odds to be valid. Those odds are likely to fluctuate over time if they bout is formally announced.

Earlier this week, UFC President Dana White confirmed that the promotion is targeting St. Pierre vs. Diaz for UFC 227 in Los Angeles on Aug. 4. The lightweight matchup would serve as the co-main event, while a bantamweight championship clash pitting T.J. Dillashaw against Cody Garbrandt will be the evening’s headliner.

“We’ve been offering Nate Diaz fights for however long,” White said. “In his contract, and Nick Diaz, I have to give them three fights a year. Per the contract, I need to give them thr…

Retired boxing superstar Oscar De La Hoya recently revealed plans to launch his own mixed martial arts promotion, Golden Boy MMA.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of those plans is that De La Hoya has targeted former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell as his first big signing. In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, De La Hoya hinted that a third meeting between Liddell and Tito Ortiz could be in the works for Golden Boy MMA.

“We’re finalizing contracts, getting everything rolling,” said De La Hoya. “I’m excited. I’ve been talking to Chuck and Tito. They have a crazy history among both of them. Both guys are beasts. If they want to fight each other, I’m ready.”

Liddell hasn’t competed since June 12, 2010, when he suffered a first-round knockout loss to Rich Franklin at UFC 115. “The Iceman” was one of the UFC’s biggest stars ever during his heyday, but he ended his tenure with brutal knockout losses in four of his last six bouts. UFC President D…

Credit: Gleidson Venga/Sherdog.com Credit: Gleidson Venga/Sherdog.com Credit: Gleidson Venga/Sherdog.com Credit: Gleidson Venga/Sherdog.com

Darren Till has been taking some heat for some of his sparring tactics after posting footage of a session in which he got the better of a training partner.

In a video posted to his Instagram account on Tuesday, Till rocks and drops his sparring partner during one exchange and then attacks with a flurry of punches up against the cage moments later. The sequence drew plenty of criticism from those in the comments section, many of whom accused Till of bullying a less talented teammate.

Till, who is preparing to face Stephen Thompson in the UFC Fight Night 130 headliner in Liverpool, took exception to the sentiment that he was bully in sparring. To prove his point, Till posted another video on Tuesday where he was the one absorbing the hard shots in training during a December session.

“For all you dumb c—-s commenting on my prev…

An intriguing featherweight bout has been added to the UFC 227 lineup.

According to a report from the Los Angeles Times, Zabit Magomedsharipov and Yair Rodriguez will square off on Aug. 4 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The 145-pound bout has not been formally announced by the promotion.

UFC 227 is headlined by a bantamweight championship rematch between T.J. Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt. The proposed pay-per-view card could also include a lightweight showdown between Georges St. Pierre and Nate Diaz as well as a light heavyweight duel pitting Alexander Gustafsson against Luke Rockhold, UFC President Dana White recently confirmed.

Magomed Sharipov has established himself as a rising star in the division after beginning his UFC tenure with victories over Mike Santiago, Sheymon Moraes and Kyle Bochniak. The Dagestani fighter is 15-1 as a professional, with 12 of those triumphs coming via knockout, technical knockout or submission.

Rodriguez, meanw…

Alex Caceres will lock horns with Martin Bravo in a featherweight fight at "The Ultimate Fighter 27” finale.

The promotion confirmed the pairing to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The “TUF 27” finale takes place at the Pearl Theater in Las Vegas on July 6 and is headline by a middleweight tilt between Brad Tavares and Israel Adesanya.

Caceres was supposed to fight Artem Lobov at UFC 223, but the bout was scrapped due to Lobov’s involvement in the Conor McGregor bus incident. “Bruce Leeroy” has lost three of his last four contests, including a split-decision defeat to Guan Wang at UFC Fight Night 122 on Nov. 25.

Bravo, meanwhile, suffered the first defeat of his pro career when he suffered a 26-second knockout loss to Humberto Bandenay at UFC Fight Night 114. The 24-year-old Mexico native begin his tenure with 11 straight victories, including a second-round stoppage of Claudio Puelles in his Octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 98.

With UFC 224 in Rio de Janeiro set to take place on Saturday, the Las Vegas-based promotion has already confirmed its next trip to Brazil.

Sherdog.com has confirmed with a source close to the Las Vegas-based promotion that the UFC will hold an event in Sao Paulo at Ibirpuera Gymnasium on Sept. 22. No fights have been announced for the card, which will likely be a UFC Fight Night.

Including the upcoming card, the Las Vegas-based organization has held a total of seven events in Sao Paulo. Most recently, UFC Fight Night 119 took place in Sao Paulo on Oct. 28 and saw Derek Brunson take a first-round knockout victory over Lyoto Machida in the evening’s main event.

Before any of them really got into the sports entertainment business, Ronda Rousey, Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir referred to themselves as “The Four Horsewomen.”

While that group — at least outside of Rousey — experienced varying levels of success in mixed martial arts, they could have a chance to reunite in the WWE in the near future. On Monday, the organization announced that Duke and Shafir will be training at the WWE Performance Center to prepare for their in-ring debut. Rousey and Baszler are already under WWE contract.

Rousey made her WWE debut at WrestleMania last month, and was widely praised for her performance. Baszler, meanwhile, won a title in the WWE’s NXT.

Duke, a cast member on Season 18 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” went 1-3 during a brief tenure in the UFC. She then dropped back-to-back fights to Irene Aldana and Cindy Dandois under the Invicta FC banner in 2016 to fall to 3-5 with one on contest in her career. She hasn’t co…

On the heels of the first two-fight losing streak of his professional career, Mike Perry is looking to change things up a little bit.

To help improve his overall game, the welterweight knockout artist has relocated his camp to Jackson-Wink MMA in Albuquerque, N.M., the renowned gym led by coaches Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn and home to fighters such as Jon Jones, Holly Holm and Carlos Condit, to name a few. Sherdog.com confirmed the move with Jackson-Wink general manager Michael Lyubimov on Monday.

According to Lyubimov, Perry said that he plans on holding his full camp in New Mexico. However, Perry’s manager, Malki Kawa, told MMAjunkie.com that the fighter will spend part of his camp for his UFC 226 bout against Yancy Medeiros at Jackson-Wink before concluding his training at home in Orlando, Fla. UFC 226 takes place on July 7 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Regardless of the specifics, it’s clear that Perry is seeking a change after dropping back…

Brazilian kickboxing champion Aleksandro Pereira will get an opportunity to earn a UFC contract this summer.

Sources close to the situation confirmed that “Poatan” will likely be part of the Brazilian version of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. The show is expected to be taped at “The Ultimate Fighter” gym on Aug. 9-11 and will be released at a later date via tape delay in Brazil, according to mmajunkie.com. Those with the most impressive performances on the Contender Series are often selected to receive a UFC contract.

Pereira owns a 2-1 mixed martial arts record. He last competed at Jungle Fight 87 in May 2016, when he scored a second-round TKO of Marcus Vinicius Fialho da Silveira.

The Sao Paulo native is best known for his exploits in the kickboxing ring. He has competed in promotions such as SUPERKOMBAT, It’s Time, WGP Kickboxing and Glory. Pereira won the Glory middleweight contender tournament in 2014 and was the WGP Kickboxing middleweight cham…

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When her current UFC contract expires, Cristiane Justino wants to try her hand at professional boxing.

“Cyborg” was in attendance at Saturday’s boxing match between Cecilia Braekhus and Kali Reis in Carson, Calif., and she addressed her future plans in a video interview posted by Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole. Breakhus has expressed an interested in facing the UFC featherweight queen in the ring down the road.

“Of course, I need time for training. I think I need four, six months training,” Justino said. “Gonna be maybe perfect because I have two fights left MMA and then I can focus on boxing. We can do my first boxing fight with her, but I need a little time to train.”

Justino last appeared at UFC 222, where she defended her featherweight belt with a first-round stoppage of Yana Kunitskaya in the evening’s main event on March 3. The 32-year-old Brazilian captured the vacant title with a win over T…

Ian McCall’s second appearance under the Rizin Fighting Federation banner did not go as planned.

“Uncle Creepy” suffered a nine-second knockout loss to Kyoji Horiguchi in Sunday’s main event at Marine Messe Fukuoka in Fukuoka, Japan. Horiguchi slipped a punch from McCall, then countered with a left hook of his own, bringing the contest between two UFC veterans to a surprisingly abrupt end.

The 33-year-old Team Oyama representative issued a statement on Sunday via Twitter following that defeat.

“I went out on my shield as warriors dream of,” McCall wrote. “To the negative….I’m still better than you f---ks. To the positive thanks for the love [and] support. Live by the sword die by the sword. I’m broken but still smiling and proud.”

I went out on my shield as warriors dream of. To the negative I’m still better than you fucks. To the positive thanks for the love & support. Live by the sword die by the sword. I’m broken but still …

WOW #RIZIN10 pic.twitter.com/Q5StvGr3O9

— FITE (@FiteTV) May 6, 2018

Kyoji Horiguchi just keeps gathering momentum.

The Japanese standout made short work of fellow Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Ian McCall in the Rizin Fighting Federation 10 headliner, as he stopped “Uncle Creepy” just nine seconds into their bout in Fukuoka Japan on Sunday.

Horiguchi slipped a left hand from McCall and countered with a clean left hook, which sent his opponent tumbling to his seat. The fight was halted shortly thereafter before Horiguchi could land any follow-up blows on the canvas.

The American Top Team product has won nine straight fights as he continues to put the memory of his loss to Demetrious Johnson in a flyweight title bout at UFC 186 further in his rear-view mirror. McCall, who was making his second appearance under the Rizin FF banner, lost his third consecutive bout.

“Thank you very much Ian for taking the fight,” Horig…

The vacant atomweight belt will be up for grabs when Jinh Yu Frey meets Minna Grusander in the Invicta Fighting Championships 31 headliner.

The matchup was announced by the promotion on Friday night. Invicta FC 31 takes place on July 21 at the Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Mo. The card will be streamed in its entirety on UFC Fight Pass.

The 105-pound title was recently vacated by Ayaka Hamasaki, who is currently competing for Rizin Fighting Federation.

Frey is 4-2 under the Invicta FC banner, including a decision triumph over Ashley Cummins in her most last promotional appearance in July 2017. Most recently, Frey suffered a first-round knockout loss to Seo Hee Ham at Road FC 45 on Dec. 23.

A 29-year-old native of Finland, Grusander earned a second-round technical knockout victory against Fernanda Priscila Barros Pinheiro in her first promotional foray at Invicta FC 28. “Brutski” is 6-1 as a professional overall, with five of her wins coming ins…

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The Rizin 10 headliner is official, as both Kyoji Horiguchi and Ian McCall made weight ahead of their bout scheduled for Sunday.

Horiguchi tipped the scales at 134 pounds, while McCall checked in at 133.9 for the bantamweight bout. Rizin 10 takes place at Marine Messe Fukuoka in Fukuoka, Japan, and is available via online pay-per-view at RizinFF.com. Meanwhile, Yusaku Nakamura (127.1) and Tenshin Nasukawa (127.5) both were cleared for the co-main event matchup, which is a kickboxing contest.

Horiguchi has established himself as one of the top smaller-weight fighters in the world while competing at both 135 and 125 pounds. The 27-year-old American Top Team representative has won eight consecutive bouts since coming up short in a flyweight title bid against Demetrious Johnson at UFC 186. In 2017, the Japanese fighter won four bouts under the Rizin banner to win the organization’s bantamweight grand p…

Class was in session, and Sarah Kaufman was doing the teaching.

Kaufman laid claim to the vacant Invicta Fighting Championships bantamweight title in the Invicta 29 headliner, as she submitted the previously undefeated Katharina Lehner with a third-round rear-naked choke on Friday at the Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Missouri. Lehner (7-1, 1-1 Invicta) bowed out 4:30 into Round 3.

The resurgent Kaufman (20-4, 3-0 Invicta) tagged the German prospect with repeated right hands, countered effectively and showed off the well-rounded skills that have made her one of the most accomplished female fighters in MMA history. She executed a takedown in the second round, framed an arm-triangle choke and nearly finished it there. Though Lehner escaped, Kaufman was undeterred. The Canadian secured another takedown in the third round, applied her ground-and-pound and moved to side control before making a smooth transition to the back. Soon after, the choke was in place, prompting…

Fans of One Championship will get full access to the Asian promotion’s live events on a newly launched-application. A press release distributed to the media Friday morning declares that their complete library of digital content will be available in full HD to view completely free of charge.

“We are pleased to enter into this MOU with communications giant, the Singtel Group, on a range of initiatives,” said One Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong. “One Championship is focused on bringing the unique action and adrenaline of our live ONE Championship events straight to our audience on all platforms, making sure that millions of martial arts fans around the world have access to our digital content. I am excited to work with Singtel in executing this vision, delivering the unique experience of Asian martial arts to the world.”

Content will also provide users with statistical information and detailed background on One Championship talent. Available on Android and iOS mobile pl…

Let's make it official shall we! @GloverTeixeira vs. @LatifiMMA is on for #UFCHamburg

https://t.co/vCHiFptkF8 pic.twitter.com/VXgE6vszQg

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) May 4, 2018

The Ultimate Fighting Championship officially announced a light heavyweight clash between 205-pound notables Ilir Latifi (14-5) and Glover Teixeira (27-6). The men will collide July 22 at Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Germany at UFC Fight Night 134.

The 34-year-old Latifi picked up a “Performance of the Night” bonus in his last appearance in the Octagon after choking out Ovince St. Preux. The Swede has won four of his last five fights and he is now riding a two-bout winning streak.

Teixeira is a knockout artist who put away Misha Cirkunov in his most recent action. Previously, the 38-year-old Brazilian was defeated by Alexander Gustafsson at UFC Fight Night 109 in Sweden.

A bout between Paul Felder and James Vick is set to be included as part of the UFC Fight Night card in Boise, Idaho, on July 14.

Ultimate Fighting Championship officials have not officially announced the bout, but Vick confirmed the news on his Instagram following an initial report by MMA Today.

Felder, who recently worked as a color commentator at UFC Fight Night 128, was scheduled to fight Al Iaquinta at UFC 223 in April. Although the pair never got to compete as Iaquinta was offered the chance to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC lightweight belt in the main event after Nurmagomedov’s original opponent, Max Holloway, was forced to withdraw due to concerns with his weight cut.

Felder (15-3) will now focus on extending his winning streak to four when he meets Vick. Vick will have his hands full as The Irish Dragon’s recent victories have all come way of knockout or TKO.

As for Vick (13-1), he’s riding a four-fight winning streak and has an im…

Invicta FC 29 Weigh-insCredit: Dave Mandel/Invicta FC Invicta FC 29 Weigh-insCredit: Dave Mandel/Invicta FC Invicta FC 29 Weigh-insCredit: Dave Mandel/Invicta FC Invicta FC 29 Weigh-insCredit: Dave Mandel/Invicta FC Invicta FC 29 Weigh-insCredit: Dave Mandel/Invicta FC Invicta FC 29 Weigh-insCredit: Dave Mandel/Invicta FC Invicta FC 29 Weigh-insCredit: Dave Mandel/Invicta FC Invicta FC 29 Weigh-insCredit: Dave Mandel/Invicta FC Invicta FC 29 Weigh-insCredit: Dave Mandel/Invicta FC Invicta FC 29 Weigh-insCredit: Dave Mandel/Invicta FC Invicta FC 29 Weigh-insCredit: Dave Mandel/Invicta FC Invicta FC 29 Weigh-insCredit: Dave Mandel/Invicta FC Invicta FC 29 Weigh-insCredit: Dave Mandel/Invicta FC Invicta FC 29 Weigh-insCredit: Dave Mandel/Invicta FC Invicta FC 29 Weigh-insCredit: Dave Mandel/Invicta FC Invicta FC 29 Weigh-insCredit: Dave Mandel/Invicta FC Invicta FC 29 Weigh-insCredit: Dave Mandel/Invicta FC Invicta FC 29 Weigh-insCredit: Dave Mandel/Invicta FC Invicta FC 29 Weigh-…

Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Roger Huerta (24-10-1, 1 NC) has signed a new multi-fight deal with Bellator MMA, according to a report from MMAFighting on Thursday.

Huerta’s second stint in the promotion will continue, despite his recent submission loss to Benson Henderson at Bellator 196, a bout he took on short notice.

“I wasn’t pleased with my performance in Budapest. I froze,” Huerta told MMAFighting. “Take nothing away from Benson (Henderson), but now that’s out of the way, it’s time to get down to business.”

The guys timing of this really seems to be good considering what is going on. Bravo lol stolen trade secrets. https://t.co/zBt8lJlOGU

— Ray Borg (@tazmexufc) May 3, 2018

Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight contender Ray Borg (11-3) is being sued by his former management team, Wild Bunch Management LLC, according to a report by MMAJunkie.

The one-time title challenger is accused of breaching contract, committing fraud and stealing trade secrets.

Tom Vaughn, who according to the suit owns Fit NHB owner operates Wild Bunch Management LLC, claims the fighter severed a five-fight deal after the first bout. Per the report, Borg agreed to pay 20 percent of his gross earnings under $9,999, and 10 percent for earnings over $10,000.

This past month, Borg was scheduled to meet Brandon Moreno at UFC 223, but glass shards entered his eye as the result of a bus attack by former UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor. The bout was reboo…

Even though he’s been away from the Octagon for nearly two years, Nate Diaz has no shortage of potential suitors now that his return could be imminent.

One of those is Kevin Lee, who raised his stock considerably with a dominant fifth-round doctor stoppage victory over Edson Barboza in the UFC Fight Night 128 headliner on April 21. While “The Motown Phenom” does covet a showdown with lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, he believes that Diaz might make more sense for his next bout. Nurmagomedov recently said that he is targeting November or December for his first 155-pound title defense.

Diaz, meanwhile, is reportedly in talks with the promotion for a bout at UFC 227 on Aug. 4 in Los Angeles. The Stockton, Calif., native hasn’t competed since losing a majority decision to Conor McGregor at UFC 202 in August 2016.

“I’m turning my focus to Nate. I think that fight is out there to be had,” Lee said on MMA Tonight on SiriusXM. “He’s already run away from m…