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Current Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight interim champion Colby Covington has been uncharacteristically quiet since the UFC announced that he would not be fighting champion Tyron Woodley next month at UFC 228, and that Woodley would instead be fighting Liverpool’s Darren Till.

“Chaos” was originally offered the fight to unify the belts but told the UFC that he was unavailable to fight in September due to the fact he had just undergone nasal surgery. While the decision to deny Covington first crack at the champion may seem harsh, the UFC chose not to hold up the division any longer, with Woodley’s last fight coming over a year ago in July last year against Demian Maia.

Covington told MMAJunkie.com that he felt that the UFC were rushing him to accept the fight rather than promoting it to drive interest given the pair’s history.

“Why are they trying to rush a camp?” Covington said. “This fight needs a build-up, man. It needs a 12-week promotional bu…

Better than my English. Im looking for fight on semptember on #UFCMoscow but if you're afraid to come, then we can fight in your backyard. It doesn't matter to warrior

— Alexander Volkov (@AlexDragoVolkov) July 28, 2018 Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweights Derrick Lewis and Alexander Volkov have verbally agreed to fight in to co-main event of UFC 229 in a pivotal matchup for the division, ESPN reported on Wednesday.

Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor was just announced as the main event for UFC 229, and the card is already shaping up to be one of the biggest UFC events of the year. Volkov (30-6) is coming off of a fourth-round knockout over former heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum back in March and is undefeated in the UFC, having won six fights in a row since his last loss in Bellator MMA back in 2015.

The former Bellator heavyweight title holder will take on “The Black Beast,” who is currently on a two-f…

Rustam Khabilov vs Kajan Johnson Rebooked For UFC Moscow - https://t.co/WvXDdrx2gr pic.twitter.com/Hdiq997lmu

— MMASucka (@MMASucka) August 8, 2018

Kajan Johnson will be making a quick turnaround as he prepares to take on Rustam Khabilov at UFC Moscow in September after submitting to an armbar by Islam Makhachev on July 28, according to a report by MMASucka.

Johnson (23-13-1) was originally scheduled to fight Khabilov back in March, but an injury forced the Dagestani out of the bout at the last minute. Johnson went on to defeat Stevie Ray instead, who filled in on short notice.

Prior to the submission loss to Makhachev, “Ragin’” Kajan was on an impressive four-fight winning streak, punctuated by a massive knockout victory over Adriano Martins last year.

Meanwhile, Khabilov (22-3) has won five fights in a row himself, but hasn’t fought since September 2017, making the fight with Johnson almost a year to the day since his last fi…

Mark Burnett, Kevin Hart, Tony Robbins Invest in MMA Startup Professional Fighters League https://t.co/gYvSfLxtKM

— Variety (@Variety) August 8, 2018

The Professional Fighters League’s pockets just got a lot deeper after several high profile investors, including the likes of comedian Kevin Hart and life coach Tony Robbins, announced a $28 million investment in the playoffs-based mixed martial arts outfit.

PFL, which changed its name from World Series of Fighting last year, has differentiated itself from the likes of Bellator MMA and the Ultimate Fighting Championship by holding point-based regular seasons with a $1 million grand prize for each divisional finalist. The league has a television deal with NBC Sports and has steadily gained the attention of more casual MMA fans over the last few months.

With that added attention comes more willing investors; Hart and Robbins are joined by fellow PFL investors Mark Burnett, Chairman of Wor…

Welp, Greg Hardy (2-0) looked frightening tonight. The rightly-maligned former NFL star obliterates Tebaris Gordon in 17 seconds. #DWTNCS pic.twitter.com/p5IFtBd5AP

— Tanuki Usman (@Hamderlei) August 8, 2018

Greg Hardy can sling some leather.

The disgraced former NFL all-pro destroyed Tebaris Gordon in the first round of their heavyweight feature on Season 2, Week 8 of Dana White’s Contender Series on Tuesday at the UFC Training Center in Las Vegas. Gordon (3-1) succumbed to punches 17 seconds into Round 1.

Hardy (2-0) showed no regard for his adversary’s skills. He marched across the Octagon and let his hands go. Gordon did what he could to answer back, but the difference in speed, power and athleticism between the two heavyweights was massive. Hardy connected with a right hand as he flurried, dropped the North Carolinian and closed it out.

The 30-year-old Hardy will remain on a developmental deal with the Ultimate Fighting Ch…

BREAKING: @MishaC911 battles @OfficialDurkin at #UFCMoncton! pic.twitter.com/zbYHyd9irg

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) August 7, 2018

Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweights Misha Cirkunov and Patrick Cummins have just been added to UFC Fight Night 138 in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, on Oct. 27.

Cirkunov was a blue chip prospect with title shot aspirations before two knockout losses to Volkan Oezdemir and Glover Teixeira set him back. Meanwhile, “Durkin” recently ended a two-fight winning streak with a loss to Corey Anderson in April.

The UFC also announced a lightweight bout between Thibault Gouti and Nasrat Haqparast, as well as a light heavyweight matchup between Gian Villante and Ed Herman for the card, which will be the first UFC event ever hosted in the Canadian city.

Cirkunov is currently ranked as the No. 10 light heavyweight while Cummins comes in at No. 13.

Sherdog's live Tuesday's Contender Series kicks off Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. Greg Hardy headlines tonight's event, which is the final edition of Season 2.

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

Bellator MMA officially announced the first round of its welterweight tournament, with a Douglas Lima vs. Andrey Koreshkov trilogy fight and a Paul Daley vs. Michael Page grudge match highlighting the the announcement.

Former Bellator welterweight champions Lima (29-7) and Koreshkov will open the tournament in September and are currently 1-1 against each other, with Lima brutally knocking Koreshkov (21-1) out in their 2016 rematch. “The Spartan” has since scored two first round knockouts, while Lima has since gone on to lose the title to current divisional champion Rory MacDonald.

As for MacDonald, after he challenges Gegard Mousasi for the promotion's 185-pound crown at Bellator 206, he will defend his 170-pound title against former Ultimate Fighting Championship standout Jon Fitch, while “Semtex” and MVP will finally settle their grudge match at a date yet to be determined.

Undefeated welterweight prospects Ed Ruth and Neiman Gracie will fight as a part of the f…

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

Former two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship king Georges St. Pierre isn’t necessarily a gambling man, but he knows who he has his money on for the newly-announced Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov lightweight title fight at UFC 229 in October.

GSP said the safe bet is Nurmagomedov when asked on Submission Radio this past week. However, at the same time, the former welterweight and middleweight champion didn’t discount a McGregor victory.

“If I had to bet, if I had to put my house on it -- (laughs) the biggest one -- I would have to choose Khabib over Conor. Khabib never lost, he never lost, and Conor has lost before. He’s lost on the ground. He has a few losses and he lost on the ground. That’s where Khabib is good, that’s where Khabib is more competent.

“However, Khabib is sometimes a slow starter and he gets punched a lot. Yes, he didn’t look good in the beginning of that (Michael J…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RiZKE1nKSE&w=560&h=315]

The term “superfight,” once understood to mean a matchup between the champions of two weight divisions -- the most recent example being Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier facing off against heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic -- has been thrown around a lot recently. UFC President Dana White says the term is being “completely overused.”

Over the weekend at UFC 227 in Los Angeles, the flyweight division crowned a new champion when former Olympic wrestling gold medalist Henry Cejudo dethroned Demetrious Johnson via split decision. At the end of the fight, Cejudo requested to fight the winner of the main event bantamweight championship bout between T.J. Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt. Dillashaw won the fight and accepted the offer to fight Cejudo when asked during his post-fight interview with color commentator Joe Rogan.

While Cejudo’s challenge and Dillashaw’s ready…

Kevin Holland was a winner on Dana White’s Contender Series earlier this year, but he didn’t initially win over the man for whom the event is named.

“He’s a talented guy and he won his fight, but he wouldn’t shut up. The entire fight he was talking to me – the whole fight,” White said at the UFC 227 post-fight press conference… This guy comes in and is talking s—t the entire fight. So I said, ‘I’m not signing this guy. I don’t want him; I’m not interested.’”

Holland defeated Will Santiago Jr. via unanimous decision at the UFC Training Center on June 12 for his fourth consecutive win, but the UFC president was true to his word. The 25-year-old known as “Trailblazer” did not initially receive a deal with the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Things changed a few weeks later, when veteran knockout artist Thiago Santos was in need of an opponent at UFC 227. While the identity of the Brazilian’s original foe was unclear, only Holland was willing to step in on short not…

During his streak of 11 consecutive flyweight title defenses, Demetrious Johnson rarely lost rounds as he usually outclassed every opponent put in front of him.

Henry Cejudo was one of those victims, losing to “Mighty Mouse” by technical knockout in the first round at UFC 197 in April 2016. The Olympic gold medalist continued to improve after that setback, and he entered the rematch at UFC 227 on a three-fight winning streak. In a tension-filled bout, Cejudo emerged with a split-decision triumph at the Staples Center in Los Angeles in a strong 2018 “Upset of the Year” candidate.

When Cejudo made his MMA debut on the regional circuit, Johnson was already flyweight champion. A little more seasoning was all an athlete of Cejudo’s caliber needed to pull an upset. Even then, the scorecards could have just as easily gone against him.

“It was a close fight. Demetrious is a guy that you really have to adjust to. That’s all it was. I know it could’ve gone either way…

Beijing bound on November 24th! #UFCBeijing pic.twitter.com/yZeX3nxowj

— UFC_Asia (@UFC_Asia) August 5, 2018

The Ultimate Fighting Championship will make its second visit to mainland China – and first trip to Beijing – this fall.

The Las Vegas-based promotion recently announced that it will hold a Fight Night card at Cadillac Arena on Nov. 24. No bouts were announced for the event. According to a release, the UFC will work with Endeavor China, a subsidiary of the UFC’s ownership group, Endeavor, to deliver the event.

“Endeavor China is excited to once again bring UFC – the world’s premier professional MMA organization – to Chinese audiences. After the great success of last year’s event in Shanghai, we are happy to announce that this year’s UFC Fight Night event will take place in the country’s capital, Beijing,” said Endeavor China CEO Michael Ma said in a release. “MMA’s popularity is quickly rising in China, and we look forward to br…

It’s not every night that a record title reign comes to an end.

With that in mind, it’s no surprise that Henry Cejudo and Demetrious Johnson received “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their five-round nail-biter in the UFC 227 co-headliner at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Saturday. Ultimately, Cejudo made the necessary adjustments from his first-round TKO defeat to “Mighty Mouse” in April 2016 to capture a hard-fought split decision verdict and end Johnson’s stranglehold on the division.

Meanwhile, T.J. Dillashaw had a pretty good night at the office as well, getting a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for his first-round knockout of rival Cody Garbrandt in the evening’s main event. As the action got more and more frenzied, it was Dillashaw who found a home for the devastating counter that put “No Love” on his heels. That set the stage for the reigning bantamweight champion to swarm, and he put Garbrandt away with a barrage of offen…

T.J. Dillashaw left no doubt as to who the best at bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship is as he torched hated rival Cody Garbrandt in the main event of UFC 227 Saturday night at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The two enemies traded low kicks early but once Dillashaw slipped during an exchange, “No Love” opened up with a flurry of punches. Dillashaw waded through the attack and, just like in their first match, blasted Garbrandt with a counter right cross to the jaw. Garbrandt (11-2) stumbled and once Dillashaw knew his foe was rocked, he unloaded an endless stream of punches on the ground and against the cage.

Finally, after a knee and follow-up punches rubberized Garbrandt, referee Herb Dean intervened, ending the fight officially at 4:10 of the first to allow Dillashaw (17-3) to retain his bantamweight title.

Cejudo Dethrones Johnson Henry Cejudo did the unthinkable Saturday night in the co-featured bout as he dethroned Demetrious Johnson. Cejudo fo…

UFC 227 is now available on Amazon Prime.

Sherdog's live UFC 227 coverage kicks off Saturday at 6:30 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 Scor…

THE FIGHT IS ON!@TeamKhabib vs @TheNotoriousMMA Oct. 6 in Las Vegas at #UFC229! pic.twitter.com/GHNzmj4eWY

— #UFC227 (@ufc) August 3, 2018

The betting odds are in for the newly announced Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov superfight, and they might be closer than you’d think for a fighter who hasn’t fought since Nov. 2016.

McGregor is a modest underdog at +155 while Nurmagomedov is a -185 betting favorite, in what oddsmakers are calling a wrestler versus striker format.

The lightweight title fight was officially announced for Oct. 6 at UFC 229 on Friday, with the Vegas odds coming out shortly thereafter. Oddsmaker Nick Kalikas revealed the factors that led to these odds in a BetDSI press release:

"This should be more of your a classic wrestler versus striker matchup. Style wise, it’s a nightmare for Conor. He needs to stay off his back, which will be tough to do. Nurmagomedov has been one of the most dominant wrestlers the …

Nate Andrews sang a lullaby to D'Juan Owens, and he was asleep in no time.

The once-beaten Andrews choked Owens unconscious with a first-round triangle to retain his lightweight championship in the CES MMA 51 headliner on Friday at the Twin Rivers Casino in Lincoln, Rhode Island. Owens (15-12-1) went limp 94 seconds into Round 1.

Andrews (14-1) yielded a takedown after delivering a partially blocked head kick to his dreadlocked challenger. Owens set up shop in full guard but wandered into immediate danger. Andrews framed his triangle choke, locked it in place and squeezed until the job was done.

The 34-year-old Andrews has recorded eight consecutive victories, the last six by submission.

In the co-main event, Youngs MMA export Bruce Boyington submitted Sean Soriano with a second-round rear-naked choke to capture the vacant CES MMA featherweight championship. Soriano (11-5) conceded defeat 1:55 into Round 2, his modest two-fight winning streak a thing of the …

Confirmado! ⠀

O brasileiro @gloverteixeira enfrenta o inglês @POSTERBOYJM na luta principal do #UFCSP, dia 22 de setembro.

Os ingressos para o evento começarão a ser vendidos a partir do dia 9 de agosto

— UFC Brasil (@ufc_brasil) August 3, 2018

Two light heavyweight sluggers are set to throw down in the main event of UFC Sao Paulo in September, with Glover Teixeira and Jimi Manuwa scheduled for five rounds, the Ultimate Fighting Championship announced on Friday.

Both Teixeira (27-7) and Manuwa (17-4) are coming off of recent setbacks, with Manuwa on the heels of a disappointing two-fight losing streak and Teixeira dropping a decision to Corey Anderson last month. The two light heavyweights were recently top contenders in the division, making a win for either man crucial in their pursuit of UFC gold.

Manuwa especially will be looking to bounce back from a deflating 42-second knockout loss to Volkan Oezdemir last year. Mean…

Choked out in the first round! @NatanSchulte scores the first round submission win, earning 6 points and a spot in the PFL Lightweight Playoffs. #PFL5 #PFLmma pic.twitter.com/rAhyOfjA7n

— #PFLmma (@ProFightLeague) August 3, 2018

Natan Schulte dominated Jason High is every aspect of their lightweight battle until he put him to sleep in the first.

The two highlighted the latest Professional Fighters League 2018 Playoff eliminator event inside Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York. The Brazilian scored a pair of foot sweep takedowns, the second of which paved the way toward a highlight-reel submission win. Schulte passed his opponent’s guard, seized his back and from there, worked his submission mastery until the rear-naked choke was sunk. High tried crazily to escape but Schulte’s choke was locked in, eventually putting the Kansas City native into dreamland. The end came at the 4:18 mark of the opening frame, allowing “Russo” to earn six …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oggJsBts2qk&w=560&h=315]

UFC 227 is now available on Amazon Prime.

Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight ace Demetrious Johnson wants the winner of Saturday night’s bantamweight title fight between T.J. Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt, but only if the money is right. Both Dillashaw and Garbrandt have expressed great interest in dropping down a weight class in an effort to dethrone the flyweight king, however “Mighty Mouse” is only game if the UFC shows him the big bucks.

Johnson of course will have to get past Henry Cejudo again at UFC 227 on Saturday, right before the two bantamweights battle it out in the main event. But if “Mighty Mouse” dispatches Cejudo like he did the first time they fought in 2016, a superfight with either Dillashaw or Garbrandt is absolutely in the cards:

“Obviously, if the money's right. I've always had an interest in it. If the money's right, then we'll make it happen,” Johnson told TMZ. Read more about Money Talks: Demetrious Johnson Open to Fight Against Winner of Dillashaw-Garbrandt at UFC 227

.@POTUS @realDonaldTrump and @UFC’s @DanaWhite in the Oval Office earlier today at the @WhiteHouse.... pic.twitter.com/JC9jPsn4zm

— Dan Scavino Jr. (@Scavino45) August 2, 2018

Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White paid a visit to the White House on Tuesday to see his old pal, U.S. President Donald Trump, and came bearing a UFC championship belt.

A photo emerged later in the week of the two men, who were all smiles as a piece of UFC gold adorned the President’s desk. While it may seem out of the blue, the two share quite the history together, with Trump carrying the UFC through it’s darkest days, at a time when the promotion had extreme difficulty in finding venues willing to host the then-controversial sport of mixed martial arts.

Trump allowed the UFC to host a slew of events at his casino properties in Atlantic City when no other venues would host the controversial events. Flash forward to 2018, and the once-fledgling…

UFC lightweight Jared Gordon was far from 100 percent for his last Octagon appearance, but he has a good reason for it.

Gordon was involved in a street fight outside a barber shop in Queens, N.Y., this past December that resulted in him nearly losing three fingers. Gordon and a friend who trains Brazilian jiu-jitsu were talking to one of the friend’s former students when the group was attacked by what Gordon called “two gang members.” One of the two gang members spat in the ex-student’s face and took a swing at him, and that’s when Gordon and his friend stepped in to intervene.

“That’s when I jumped him,” Gordon told Bloody Elbow. “We all started fighting. My friend starts fighting the other kid, and they bumped into me and the kid I was fighting. We hit the storefront window, and the whole thing came down on us.”

Gordon and his friend were able to win the altercation but let the two men go free before doing any serious damage. However, Gordon wasn’t as f…

A flyweight bout between top contenders Sergio Pettis and Jussier da Silva is in the works for UFC 229.

Multiple outlets have confirmed the booking following an initial report from ESPN.com. UFC 229 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Oct. 6. A headliner has not been announced for the card. The Pettis-da Silva winner could presumably be the next No. 1 contender for the 125-pound title.

Pettis rebounded from a loss to Henry Cejudo in December to earn the biggest win of his career to date, as he took a split decision over Joseph Benavidez at UFC 225 on June 9. The 24-year-old Roufusport product has won five of his last six Octagon appearances, with other notable triumphs coming against Brandon Moreno, John Moraga and Chris Cariaso.

Da Silva, meanwhile has won three of his last four promotional appearances. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt last appeared at UFC 221, where he choked out Ben Nguyen in the third frame on Feb. 10. The 33-year-old Br…