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Jessica Andrade’s one-punch knockout of Karolina Kowalkiewicz at UFC 228 may have earned her another strawweight title shot down the road, but “Bate Estaca” would have been willing to fight for championship gold on Saturday in Dallas.

The 26-year-old Brazilian told reporters at the post-fight press conference that she offered to step in and face Valentina Shevchenko in the co-main event after flyweight champion Nicco Montano withdrew from the bout due to weight-cut issues. However, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation nixed that idea.

In the end, the co-main event encounter between Montano and Shevchenko was canceled. UFC President Dana White announced that Montano would be stripped of the belt and Shevchenko would face a different opponent for the vacant title at a later date.

“I even offered to fight for the belt if they agreed to, but since they had already weighed me and done all the work, I wasn’t allowed by the athletic commission,” Andrad…

A welterweight clash pitting Lorenz Larkin against Erick Silva has been added to the Bellator 207 lineup.

ESPN.com was first to report the booking. Silva, who recently signed with the California-based promotion, will serve as a replacement for the injured Yaroslav Amosov. Bellator 207 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., on Oct. 12 and is headlined by a heavyweight grand prix semifinal clash between Ryan Bader and Matt Mitrione. Larkin vs. Silva is an alternate bout for the Bellator welterweight grand prix.

Larkin halted a two-bout skid in his most recent outing, as he outpointed Fernando Gonzalez at Bellator 193 on Jan. 26. The UFC and Strikeforce veteran began his promotional tenure with back-to-back losses against Douglas Lima and Paul Daley.

After a 7-8 stint in the UFC that ended with consecutive losses to Jordan Mein and Yancy Medeiros, Silva returned to the win column with a first-round submission of Nick Barnes at Legacy Fighting A…

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Nicco Montano has broken her silence for the first time since being stripped of the flyweight title. “The Ultimate Fighter 26” winner released a lengthy statement via Instagram, criticizing both the UFC for taking her belt and proposed opponent Valentina Shevchenko for making statements Montano claims are “completely false.”

“I want to say thank you to all my supporters, unfortunately my first time ever missing weight means the loss of my title that I’ve worked my ass off for,” Montano wrote. “And if you ask me that is completely uncalled for. There have been plenty other fighters who have not been punished for a lot more. Unfortunately, I’m not the one to be running my mouth, so I don’t bring in the big bucks.”

Montano was supposed to face Shevchenko in the UFC 228 co-main event on Saturday in Dallas, but the fight was scratched after the FIT-NHB product was transported to the hospital prior to Fri…

Jessica Andrade put in a career-defining performance at UFC 228 on Saturday, scoring a brutal first-round knockout over Karolina Kowalkiewicz to become the first woman to ever finish the Polish fighter with strikes.

Andrade was vocal about her quest for a title shot against incumbent champion Rose Namajunas, and made that case emphatically as she takes her place as the No. 1 strawweight contender inan ever-growing division.

The Brazilian striker broke down her performance at the post-fight press conference following her dominant knockout victory, and gave her thoughts on a potential showdown with strawweight champion Rose Namajunas as well.

“We wanted to make a statement in this fight. We knew standing with Karolina was important, so she [Jessica] had private muay Thai classes every day. We were looking for the knockout, it came quicker than expected but it came so all the hard work paid off.

“I noticed I got her a little bit wobbly early into the fir…

Now that UFC 228 is in the books, Colby Covington has some thoughts on what reigning welterweight champion Tyron Woodley should do next.

Woodley retained his belt with a second-round submission of Darren Till in Saturday’s headliner at American Airlines Arena in Dalllas, giving him his fourth successful championship defense. “The Chosen One” was originally scheduled to face Covington at the event, but “Chaos” could not compete on the desired date after undergoing surgery to correct a nasal issue.

Covington, who was stripped of the interim title he won by defeated Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 225 earlier this year, took to Twitter to call for a showdown with Woodley at Madison Square Garden. That of, course, is the site of UFC 230, which takes place on Nov. 3 and does not yet have a headliner confirmed.

.@Twooodley Tyrone! You didn't blow it!!! Time for you to come see me in @TheGarden. America's Champ has another promise to keep. #ufc228 #th…

UFC 228 is now available on Amazon Prime.

Sherdog's live UFC 228 coverage will kick off at 6:15 p.m. ET.

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

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"The Panda" Jingnan Xiong forces Samara Santos to tap to strikes, defending her ONE strawweight title & improving to 13-1. The standing hammer fist was first given credit for the finish, but it was the turning back kick to the body that apparently did the damage #BeyondTheHorizon pic.twitter.com/bNJL3oZbwF

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) September 8, 2018

Jingnan Xiong retained her One Championship women’s strawweight title with a dominant performance against Samara Santos Cunha to set up the biggest fight of her career. With her performance at “ Beyond the Horizon,” Xiong will now go on to meet atomweight champion Angela Lee in Singapore this November.

Xiong looked immediately to assert dominance over her Brazilian opponent on Saturday at Baoshan Sports Center in Shanghai, China, who was making her One Championship debut. Marching forward in a boxing-like stance, throwing out looping overhead punches, the champion seemed like she wanted to…

The latest gem produced by the powerhouse Roufusport camp planted his flag in Legacy Fighting Alliance soil.

Raufeon Stots was stellar in his organizational debut, as he disposed of Ryan Lilley with punches in the third round of their LFA 48 headliner on Friday at the Viaero Center in Kearney, Nebraska. A protégé of former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight titleholder Bas Rutten, Lilley (9-4) succumbed to blows 3:00 into Round 3.

It took some time for Stots (10-1) to crack his counterpart’s code, but he slowly imposed his well. He staggered Lilley with a crisp right hand in the second round, delivered a takedown and applied his ground-and-pound, nearly finishing it with a rear-naked choke. Stots secured another takedown in the third, climbed to full mount and let the punches fly until referee Bobby Wombacher had seen enough.

Stots, 29, has recorded back-to-back victories since his 15-second knockout loss to Merab Dvalishvili in June 2017.

In…

STATEMENT ON #UFC228: As a precautionary measure, UFC flyweight Nicco Montaño was transported to a medical facility Friday morning due to health concerns. The scheduled championship bout between Montaño & Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 228 has been cancelled.https://t.co/C8PeYFSxNI

— UFC News (@UFCNews) September 7, 2018

UFC 228 is now available on Amazon Prime.

The weigh-ins nowadays have become a big part of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s overall show; with so many fighters missing weight at the last minute, every weigh-in is a gamble.

That kind of weigh-in trepidation was justified this morning when the first-ever women’s flyweight champion, Nicco Montano, was transported to the hospital Friday ahead of the weigh-ins. She has been removed from the card and her bout against No. 1 contender Valentina Schevchenko (124.5) is officially off.

There was no such drama for the main event, as Tyron Woodley (170) and Darren Till…

Darren Till weight update: His nutritionist says he's sitting at 178lbs. #UFC228

— Shaheen Al-Shatti (@shaunalshatti) September 6, 2018

UFC 228 is now available on Amazon Prime.

Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight No. 1 contender Darren Till is preparing for the biggest fight of his mixed martial arts career as he takes on champion Tyron Woodley in the main event of UFC 228 on Saturday night.

Till has notoriously faced weight-cutting issues in the past, having most recently come in four pounds overweight in his last fight against Stephen Thompson back in May.

Fight fans and pundits have expressed concern over whether or not the massive welterweight will be able to make the 170 pound limit at tomorrow’s weigh-ins, but his nutritionist says he’s only 178 pounds on Thursday, just a day before he’s set to weigh in.

Till himself has told the press he’s “a light heavyweight frame fighting at welterweight,” saying he rou…

Conor McGregor has not fought in the Octagon since capturing the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight belt from Eddie Alvarez in November 2016.

Since that fight, McGregor has taken on one of the greatest boxers of all-time in Floyd Mayweather Jr. Despite losing the bout, McGregor took home a purse estimated at over $100 million.

Many fans believed the Irishman was done with MMA after the fight with Mayweather but despite being scheduled to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov next month, the question of retirement is again a hot talking point. “The Notorious” has accrued an enormous amount of money in his relatively short career -- but is known to live extravagantly -- and he’s realistically accomplished everything he could in the UFC by becoming a dual-division champion.

McGregor’s striking coach at Straight Blast Gym (SBG), Owen Roddy, was a guest on a recent episode of Eurobash and admitted that he’s unsure if McGregor will hang up the gloves after Oct. 6. Read more about Owen Roddy Doesn’t Think Conor McGregor Will Retire After UFC 229

Manny Gamburyan has the itch again.

The UFC and WEC veteran is planning to come out of retirement for an Octagon return in mid-to-late 2019. “The Anvil” must first re-enter the USADA drug testing pool before he is cleared to compete again. Gamburyan confirmed his decision via social media following a report on the "Ariel and the Bad Guy” show on Wednesday.

Gamburyan initially announced his retirement in 2016 following a second-round technical knockout loss to Johnny Eduardo, his second straight TKO defeat in the promotion.

"This might surprise a lot of people, even my family and friends," Gamburyan said then. "It's been tough, this has been a long road, this is my first time being in Brazil. I had a great time, but, I think this is it for me, guys. I'm going to call it a career, probably.”

As it turns out, “probably” was the key word. “The Ultimate Fighter 5” finalist owns a 15-10 career record, including a 6-8 mark with two no contests in the UFC. He…

Khabib Nurmagomedov has his long awaited showdown with Conor McGregor looming at UFC 229, but according to his father, there is still plenty of interest in another potential opponent down the road.

In an interview with Russian journalist Azamat Bostanov (translation via RT Sport), Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov said that he will be pulling for Tony Ferguson to defeat Anthony Pettis on the same Oct. 6 card in Las Vegas. Nurmagomedov and Ferguson have been booked to fight on four different occasions — UFC 223, UFC 209, UFC on Fox 19 and “The Ultimate Fighter 22” finale — and each time, for various reasons, the bout has been canceled.

“For the hype, for the money, to bury Conor’s era it (the situation) is even better for us. But if we talk purely sports-wise — we still want the Ferguson fight,” Addulmanap Nurmagomedov said. “I really want him to come back and defeat Pettis. The intrigue is still there, and the whole world is interested. It would be 11-0 Khabib [in the UFC]…

It seems as though Diego Sanchez has been with the Ultimate Fighting Championship forever. At 36 years of age one might think the former “Nightmare” would be ready to hang up the gloves. According to the veteran, the hunger still burns and he wants to make one last run at the welterweight belt before he retires.

Sanchez joined the UFC in 2005 after winning the inaugural season of “The Ultimate Fighter” by defeating Kenny Florian in the middleweight tournament. Since that night he has amassed an astonishing 26 fights in the Octagon with notable wins over Nick Diaz, Joe Stevenson and his unforgettable rock ‘em sock ’em war against Clay Guida.

“The Dream” is coming off of back-to-back first-round TKO losses to Matt Brown and Al Iaquinta, a streak he will need to snap if he is serious about making that run.

While age and form are against him, the fact he is not currently ranked in the welterweight division doesn’t deter Sanchez, who says he’ll be looking to harness hi…

Anyone who has been following mixed martial arts for a while knows that Leonard Garcia and Donald Cerrone have a bond as tight as brothers.

So when Diego Sanchez took a shot at Cerrone for his comments about Mike Winkeljohn and Jackson-Wink MMA, Garcia felt the need to speak up on Cowboy’s behalf. “Bad Boy” who hasn’t competed since 2014, offered to face Sanchez in a bare-knuckle boxing match to help settle the score. Garcia, Cerrone and Sanchez were all at one time staples of the renowned Albuquerque, N.M.-based gym headed by Greg Jackson and Winkeljohn.

“Let Cowboy and [Mike Perry] handle their business!,” Garcia wrote in a message directed at Sanchez. “That’s signed and dated and I’m sure they can hash things out without anyone chiming in!

“If you feel like you have to get involved then I’m sure [World Bare Knuckle Fighting Federation] would give us free reign to get whatever it is off our chests! Cowboy has a brother that will always be around!”

C…

Andrea Lee will put aside the difficulties in her personal life and return to the Octagon to meet Jessica-Rose Clark at UFC on Fox 31.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the flyweight pairing on Tuesday. UFC on Fox 31 takes place in Milwaukee on Dec. 15. The main card will be the UFC’s last on the Fox Network, while prelims will kick off on UFC Fight Pass. A headliner for the card has not yet been revealed.

Lee has been in headlines recently after her husband, Donny Aaron, was charged with false imprisonment and domestic violence battery at the couple’s Shreveport, La., home last month. The 29-year-old made her promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 129, where she outpointed Veronica Macedo to run her career mark to 9-2.

Clark began her Octagon tenure with triumphs over Carina Damm, Bec Rawlings and Paige VanZant but dropped a unanimous verdict to Jessica Eye in her most recent outing at UFC Fight Night 132 on June 23. The 30-year-old Australian is 9-5 w…

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Paige VanZant has been cleared to compete and will appear on the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s first ESPN card next year.

VanZant announced the news on her YouTube channel on Monday. The “Dancing with the Stars” runner-up had undergone multiple surgeries after breaking her arm in a loss to Jessica-Rose Clark at UFC Fight Night 124 on Jan. 14.

“The verdict is I can go for it,” VanZant said. “I can punch people again — well I’m not able to punch people yet — but in like six weeks I can punch people. But I can start training and working out again and I’m going to be fighting in January.”

Multiple outlets recently reported that VanZant would square off against Rachael Ostovich at an as-yet-to-be announced card on Jan. 18. VanZant initially denied those reports at the time, claiming that she hadn’t yet been medically cleared.

While VanZant didn’t reveal her opponent in her video, she did c…

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Justin Gaethje got back on the winning track in a big way at UFC Fight Night 135, knocking out surging lightweight James Vick 1:27 into the opening round of their Aug. 25 headlining bout.

That halted a two-bout skid for one of the sport’s premier action fighters, who had been finished in back-to-back bouts by Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier. Now that he’s established some momentum, the former World Series of Fighting Champion will be taking a keen interest in the happenings at UFC 229.

That event, of course, is headlined by a blockbuster lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor.

“We’re right back in the mix,” Gaethje recently told TMZ Sports. “Another one or two wins and I’m in it. Another finish like that. I’ll even fight the loser of Khabib and Conor.”

Another pivotal lightweight bout will take place on Oct. 6 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, as Tony F…

Two more bouts have been added to the UFC on Fox 31 lineup, as Bobby Green will face Drakkar Klose at lightweight, while Jack Hermansson will meet Gerald Meerschaert at middleweight.

The promotion confirmed the matchups to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel on Monday. UFC on Fox 31 takes place at Wisconsin Entertainment and Sports Center in Milwaukee on Dec. 15. The card will be the final to air on Fox Network following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

Green halted a four-fight winless streak at UFC on Fox 27 with a unanimous verdict over Erik Koch on Jan. 27. Klose, meanwhile, has been victorious in three of four Octagon appearances, including a decision over Lando Vannata in his most recent outing at UFC 226.

Hermansson scored a third-round TKO of Thales Leites at UFC 224 for his third win in four outings with the Las Vegas-based promotion. Meerschaert has won four of five fights in the UFC, with all of his victories coming inside the distance.

“ I offered to fight Manuwa in Sao Paulo but he declined. I get it! He is coming off 2 losses doesnt need a 3rd!!!! @ufc @ufc_brasil @canalCombate

— Thiago Marreta (@TMarretaMMA) August 15, 2018

in coming to take this boys head

— JIMI MANUWA (@POSTERBOYJM) August 17, 2018

Gonna show this boy the meaning of respect ,through violence.

— JIMI MANUWA (@POSTERBOYJM) August 17, 2018

Heavy-handed Brazilian middleweight Thiago Santos will make his fourth appearance this year when he takes on fellow knockout artist Jimi Manuwa at light heavyweight at UFC Fight Night 137 on Sept. 22. Santos replaced Manuwa’s original opponent, Glover Teixeira, who was forced to pull out of the bout due to injury.

The 34-year-old revealed during a UFC media day on Tuesday in Brazil that he only got the fight after he got under the skin of Manuwa on Twitter courtesy of manager Alex Davis, who encouraged the B…

UFC President Dana White tends to be prone to hyperbole when it comes to forecasting pay-per-view buys for his promotion. He is predicting especially big numbers for UFC 229, which is headlined by a lightweight championship clash between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor.

“I am confident it will do 2 million on pay-per-view,” White recently told Yahoo! Sports.

If White’s projections turn out to be true, it would be the largest pay-per-view in UFC history. He has good reason to be confident, as cards involving McGregor have been some of the largest draws in organization history. While the promotion doesn’t release official numbers, industry estimates have four cards involving the Irishman exceeding the 1 million mark.

Tickets for UFC 229 sold out in three hours, and the event is expected to produce a record gate. Normally the promotion will comp free tickets for its fighters, but that will not be the case for the Oct. 6 card at the T-Mobile Arena in Las…

An intriguing bantamweight matchup pitting Ricardo Ramos against Ricky Simon is in the works for UFC Fight Night 139.

MMAFighting.com was first to report the bout, which has not been officially signed. UFC Fight Night 139 takes place at the Pepsi Center in Denver on Nov. 10 and is headlined by a featherweight showdown between Frankie Edgar and Chan Sung Jung.

Ramos enters the bout on a four-fight winning streak, including a trio of victories inside the Octagon. In his most recent outing, the 23-year-old Brazilian took a split verdict against Kyung Ho Kang at UFC 227. Ramos owns a 12-1 professional mark, with nine triumphs coming inside the distance.

Simon, a former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion, is riding the wave of a seven-fight winning streak. That run includes victories against Montel Jackson and Merab Dvalishvili in UFC competition. The 26-year-old is 14-1 as a pro and has finished seven of his wins by knockout, technical knockout or submission.

Virna Jandiroba (14-0) is still your Invicta FC Strawweight Champion, defending her strap for the first time with a second-round arm triangle choke on Janaisa Morandin. The self-proclaimed "female Demian Maia" has finished 11 of 14 victories, each by submission. #InvictaFC31 pic.twitter.com/xCl6zMmADz

— Kyle Johnson (@Maldobabo) September 2, 2018

Virna Jandiroba defended her Invicta Fighting Championships strawweight title for the first time Saturday.

Jandiroba was spectacular yet again, moving to 14-0 with a relatively easy submission win over tough contender Janaisa Morandin in the main event of Invicta 31 at Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City. “Carcara” took “Evil Princess” down in the first and landed some solid ground-and-pound and then finished her fellow Brazilian in the second frame.

Jandiroba took her opponent down about two minutes into the second, swiftly scooted to side control and matter-of-factly locked on a textbook a…

Soren Bak (11-1) quells the Liverpool faithful, pillaging Paddy Pimblett en route to a decision win and the Cage Warriors strap. A deep RNC from Paddy nearly finished it in the first, but "The True Viking" roared back with relentless pressure and a stellar top game. #CW96 pic.twitter.com/Oanjqh28eX

— Kyle Johnson (@Maldobabo) September 1, 2018

Two new champions were crowned Saturday in Liverpool, England, at Cage Warriors 96.

Soren Bak showed a glacial calm and survived a tight rear-naked choke for the majority of the first round. After the opening period was dominated by Paddy Pimblett, who was attempting to become a two-division Cage Warriors champ, Bak started to feel more comfortable in the cage. The fighter from Denmark went on to win the vacant lightweight title with a sold unanimous decision (48-44, 48-45, 48-46).

Germany's Jonas Billstein (20-5-1) is your new Cage Warriors Middleweight Champion, submitti…