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Kayla Harrison is willing to replace either Raquel Pennington or Julianna Pena in their UFC 307 title fight if needed.

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The promotion recently announced Pennington’s title defense against Pena as the co-main event at UFC 307 on Oct. 5 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Meanwhile, Harrison fights Ketlen Vieira on the same card, with the winner expected to get the next bantamweight title shot.

Harrison doesn’t necessarily agree with the matchups and considers herself deserving of a title shot already. However, she plans to put on a performance that will set her levels apart from not only her opponent, but also from the other two bantamweights fighting for the title.

“I don’t necessarily agree with the decision, but if they want me to smash another skull, I’ll smash another skull,” Harrison told MMAjunkie.com. “I think Ketlen’s good. I’m just at a different level. I’m at a different level from all of them. I’m gonna go out on Oct. 5 and…

Khalil Rountree Jr. receiving a title shot did not sit well with some other light heavyweight contenders.

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It was announced on Friday that Rountree will challenge Alex Pereira for the 205-pound crown at UFC 307 on Oct. 5 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Former champs Jan Blachowicz and Jamahal Hill immediately took issue with the announcement.

Blachowicz believes the Pereira is receiving “special protection” from the UFC, which the Brazilian doesn’t need.

“With all due respect to Khalil but there are at least two higher ranked contenders who are ready to fight Poatan,” Blachowicz wrote on X. “He doesn’t need special protection.”

With all due respect to Khalil but there are at least two higher ranked contenders who are ready to fight Poatan. He doesn’t need special protection.

— Jan Blachowicz (@JanBlachowicz) August 16, 2024

Meanwhile, Hill, who was scheduled to fight Rountree at UFC 303 in June, broug…

Danny Sabatello says he could be done fighting after a disappointing result in his Professional Fighters League debut.

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Sabatello faced fellow debutant Lazaro Dayron at PFL 8 on Friday, a fight which marked the launch of the promotion’s bantamweight division as well. It was a closely-contested affair, with Lazaro dropping Sabatello in the first round and “The Italian Gangster” answering back with dominant wrestling in the second frame.

While they went toe-to-toe in the final round, a point was deducted from Dayron for a blatant fence grab. However, the fight ended in a controversial majority draw, which has left Sabatello in shock. Without diving into the analysis of their performances, Sabatello believes the point deduction should have been enough to sway the scorecards in his favor.

“I have to go back and look but I don’t see any scenario how he would have won that fight, given they took the point away…And this is huge, this isn’t like a foo…

Daniel Cormier asks Dricus du Plessis how he's getting his opponents emotional:

"I think I might be the problem. Obviously because it's 2/2." 😭😭

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🎥 @ufc #UFC305 #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/fnjV5eJWsq — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) August 16, 2024

Dricus Du Plessis certainly has a knack for making his opponents emotional.

This initially surfaced prior to Du Plessis’ title win over Sean Strickland at UFC 297 this past January, when he touched a nerve with his opponent during a pre-fight press conference. “Stillknocks” broached the tender subject of Strickland’s abusive childhood, which led to the then champ threatening to stab Du Plessis.

Du Plessis is now scheduled to defend his title against former champ Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia. The two have long been feuding over the legitimacy of their status as real African champs. While Du Plessis, who lives and trains in South Africa, claims to be the …

[embedded content] The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Australia with a middleweight championship fight atop the card.

Both champion and challenger made weight for the main event grudge match. Middleweight titleholder Dricus Du Plessis came in at 185 pounds on the dot, while former champ Israel Adesanya weighed 184 pounds. All other fighters on the 12-fight card also made weight with the exception of would-be flyweight Jesus Santos Aguilar, who came in 1.5 pounds over the limit for his fight against Stewart Nicoll. Aguilar will be fined a percentage of his purse as a result.

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Du Plessis (21-2) is undefeated inside the Octagon. The South African fighter is on an impressive nine-fight win streak that includes his title win over Sean Strickland and a TKO shocker over Robert Whittaker. "Stillknocks" is looking to cement his title reign at the young age of 30.

Adesanya (24-3) is looking to bounce back after a lackluster decision defeat to Stric…

The Professional Fighters League determined its light heavyweight and lightweight finals during its PFL Hollywood card.

The 11-fight card was headlined by an intriguing light heavyweight rematch between 2023 champion Impa Kasanganay and Joshua Silveira. Kasanganay (17-4) won the first encounter less than a year ago, which caused Silveira (13-3) to come out far more aggressively and find success during the first frame. Kasanganay would have a much better second round, although "Coninha" landed some slick uppercuts late. The final five minutes saw both men land hard shots and the result was up in the air as it went to the judges' scorecards.

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Ultimately, the judges preferred the work of Kasaganay, who took a unanimous decision with scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 in his favor. He'll advance to his second-straight light heavyweight final and will look to repeat.Yagshimuradov Decisions Wilkinson The co-main event saw former champion Rob Wilkinson battle…

Sherdog's live PFL 8: 2024 Playoffs coverage will begin Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:

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Round 3 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship great Cain Velasquez has entered a plea that should keep him out of prison for life.

The Santa Clara District Attorney’s office released a statement on Friday announcing that Velasquez has pleased no contest for his charges of attempted murder, felony assault and additional gun charges. Due to this, he will not need to go to trial that was scheduled for Sept. 9, in front of a jury. His sentencing hearing is set for Oct. 18, according to the East Bay Times.

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In 2022, Velasquez fired a handgun at a truck holding multiple people including a man Velasquez accused of molesting his son. Velasquez, who himself was driving while chasing after the other vehicle, fired several shots from his .40 pistol that struck another individual. During the excursion, the former UFC fighter shot at the man accused of molestation near a school, and was apprehended by police in Morgan Hill, California, shortly thereafter.

“This defend…

Pereira vs Rountree! #UFC307 from the @deltacenter, Utah on October 5th!@StateofSport pic.twitter.com/EJJcjJgUMf

— danawhite (@danawhite) August 16, 2024 The Ultimate Fighting Championship is making sure that its big October show will be one to remember.

On Friday, the UFC announced a slew of matchups for its UFC 307 show on Oct. 5. While it also revealed its main and co-headlining attractions for the evening at Salt Lake City’s Delta Center, a few additional fights worthy of headlining their own Fight Nights were set for this card. It is currently unclear the card placement of the bouts, but Roman Dolidze (13-3, 1 NC) will step in to replace Chris Curtis against Kevin Holland (26-11, 1 NC) at middleweight, and welterweights Stephen Thompson (17-7-1) and Joaquin Buckley (19-6) will throw down.

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In June, Georgia’s Dolidze stepped up on short notice to replace Carlos Ulberg in a round robin affair of changed matches to u…

Utah, we're back for #UFC307 in a BIG way 🏆@AlexPereiraUFC vs @KhalilRountree@RockyPMMA vs @VenezuelanVixen@StateOfSport | #StateOfSport | @DeltaCenter | #DeltaCenter pic.twitter.com/HjFbqbxtTx

— UFC (@ufc) August 16, 2024 Alex Pereira is the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s most reliable champion these days.

Last week, the promotion officially confirmed that UFC 307 would be held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Oct. 5. A number of bouts were set in stone at that time, including Kayla Harrison vs. Ketlen Vieira at 135 pounds. The organization announced on Friday the main card lineup, including two championship affairs that would sit atop the billing. In the co-main attraction, Raquel Pennington (16-8) will be putting her 135-pound throne up for grabs against ex-champ Julianna Pena (11-5). The headliner will see Pereira (11-2) defend his light heavyweight crown against Khalil Rountree (13-5, 1 NC).

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“Poatan” …

A little over two weeks after the matchup came together, a scintillating Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight tilt is on ice.

At the end of July, the promotion booked Chris Curtis (31-11, 1 NC) against Kevin Holland (26-11, 1 NC) for the UFC 307 card on Oct. 5. Due to a foot injury revealed by “The Action Man” on Wednesday, Curtis has been forced out of the matchup. Curtis sustained the injury during sparring, fracturing his foot and also suffering a Lisfranc injury where small ligaments were torn or damaged. As a result, Curtis will be on the shelf for a few months, and he hopes to return to action in December. The UFC has not yet announced a replacement opponent for Holland.

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"I'm fine, guys," Curtis wrote. "Bit of a fracture in my left foot, caught [Caio Borralho] on the knee, at the very end of the last round of sparring. The bigger problem is I have something called a Lisfranc injury as well, which means I'm not even supposed to be walking…

The first rule of UFC Fight Club: don’t mention Francis Ngannou’s name…

Here’s a look at the clip from the UFC 305 Countdown episode versus what Adesanya actually said at the UFC 305 Pre-Sale Press Conference.

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It’s no surprise, but the UFC’s attempt to erase Ngannou from its… pic.twitter.com/PZpA7UAtSe — AFeldmanMMA (@afeldMMA) August 13, 2024 Former Ultimate Fighting Championship champ Israel Adesanya is not pleased by how his company is handling Francis Ngannou’s legacy.UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now! At UFC 305 media day on Wednesday, Adesanya spoke up on the UFC seemingly erasing mentions of Ngannou on its broadcasts and postings. This was partially in response to AFeldmanMMA, who posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, a side-by-side video comparison on Tuesday, showing that the promotion had edited out Adesanya invoking the name of Ngannou when talking about legacy for Afri…

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The Professional Fighters League returns with an 11-fight card featuring four semifinal fights.

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Headlining the card is a light heavyweight fight between Impa Kasanganay and Joshua Silveira. Both men have proved to be finishers, so it should end the night with some excitement. The winner of Kasanganay (17-4) and Silveira (13-3) will face whoever emerges victorious between Rob Wilkinson and Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov in the co-main event. All four men successfully made weight, as did every competitor on the card except for pro debutant Brian Stapleton. Stapleton exceeded the lightweight limit by 4.5 pounds, receiving an undisclosed fine prior to his match with Biaggio Ali Walsh.

The lightweight semifinalists had no issue on the scales on Thursday. Brent Primus will face off against Clay Collard in what will be a fan-friendly striking matchup. Meanwhile, Gadzhi Rabadanov, who is undefeated within the PFL, will look to go up against …

The Octagon is headed BACK to Macau 🚨#UFCMacau is locked in for Nov 23 at Macau Galaxy Arena!

Learn more 👉 https://t.co/Em93FXMmKe pic.twitter.com/YvVTcEcEdw

— UFC (@ufc) August 15, 2024 After over 10 years away, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will be heading back to the “Las Vegas of the East.”

Per the organization on Wednesday night, a UFC Fight Night event on Nov. 23 is planned for the Galaxy Arena in Macau, China. This non-pay-per-view offering will serve as the organization’s first trip to the special administrative region in China since UFC Fight Night 48 in 2014. While that last event was held in the Cotai Arena, the promotion has upgraded to the Galaxy Arena, which serves as Macau’s largest indoor arena sporting 16,000 seats. No fights have been announced as of yet.

Once in 2012 and twice in 2014, the company traveled to Macau to stage an event. Cung Le sparked Rich Franklin in the inaugural Macau show, which also was …

THE RETURN TO THE NORTH! 🇨🇦

We’re back in Canada with #UFCEdmonton Saturday November 2nd!

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[ Tickets On Sale Sept. 20th | Register your interest at https://t.co/AeOlqnw9GM ] pic.twitter.com/IJneFSivIB — UFC (@ufc) August 15, 2024

A women’s flyweight clash pitting Erin Blanchfield against Rose Namajunas will serve as the main event for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return to Edmonton on Nov. 2.

UFC CEO Dana White initially confirmed the news to Sportsnet on Wednesday night. In the co-main event, Derrick Lewis will square off against Alexander Romanov at heavyweight. The UFC Fight Night event will be held at Rogers Place and will also include the following four bouts: Ariane da Silva vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius; Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Dustin Stoltzfus; Jamey-Lyn Horth vs. Ivana Petrovic and Chad Anheliger vs. Cody Gibson.

GET READY EDMONTON! 🗣️

In an interview with @aaronbronsteter,…

Former Strikeforce competitor Lumumba Sayers has been arrested after allegedly killing a man to avenge the death of his son, according to a report from Denver7.

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According to an arrest affadavit obtained by the network, Sayers was arrested on Saturday after he allegedly approached a man and shot him in the head at a child’s birthday party at Pioneer Park in Commerce City, Colorado. The victim was identified as Malcolm Watson, who was believed to have been a friend of the man accused of killing Sayers’ son last year. According to witness accounts, Sayers allegedly walked back to the man’s body and attempted to shoot him again, but the gun “jammed.” Witnesses also claimed that Sayers removed a set of keys from Watson’s pocket and attempted to plant a gun near his body.

Tyrell Braxton was arrested in connection with the death of Sayers’ son, but the murder case has since been dismissed, according to the report. The exact nature of the relationship betw…

Tai Tuivasa hit a low point when he dropped his fourth consecutive UFC bout earlier this year.

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After a first-round submission loss to Marcin Tybura at UFC Fight Night 239 on March 16, Tuivasa told Fox Sports Australia that he exited the UFC Apex almost immediately, walking barefoot in Las Vegas while still wearing his fight gear.

“I was so angry,” Tuivasa said. “And my head, it was everywhere. I just kept saying to myself, ‘How s—t is this…how s—t is it to be a loser?’”

The 31-year-old Tuivasa quickly became a fan favorite in the promotion thanks to his affable nature, penchant for knockouts and post-fight shoey celebrations. “Bam Bam” had endured a three-fight losing streak earlier in his UFC tenure, but he rebounded with a five-fight tear that culminated with a brutal elbow finish of knockout king Derrick Lewis at UFC 271 in February 2022.

Since then, however, Tuivasa has fallen on hard times, suffering losses to Tybura, Alexander Volkov, …

Dricus Du Plessis could help bring an Ultimate Fighting Championship event to his home country if he successfully defends his middleweight title on Saturday night.

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The South Africa native will face Israel Adesanya in the UFC 305 main event at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Tension for the championship bout initially began to build last summer, when Du Plessis and Adesanya had a heated face-off in the Octagon at UFC 290. While it took some time for their grudge match to materialize, the stakes remain high heading into the bout.

“You have one of these situations where, both guys, everything is on the line, especially because they dislike each other so much,” UFC CEO Dana White said at the post-fight press conference for the Contender Series on Tuesday night. “And if [Du Plessus] can beat Izzy and bring that belt back to South Africa, obviously we’ll do an event there. And if Izzy can retain and win the title, it’s huge for him and his legacy — …

Caio Borralho has received some valuable advice from Sean Strickland heading into the first Ultimate Fighting Championship main event of his career.

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Borralho will headline UFC on ESPN 62 opposite veteran middleweight contender Jared Cannonier on Aug. 24 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Originally a part of The Fighting Nerds team in Brazil, Borralho is training at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas for his upcoming bout.

Borralho has the added guidance of one of the biggest names in the gym, Strickland, who has previously faced Cannonier. Strickland suffered a razor-thin split decision loss against “The Killa Gorilla” in a UFC Fight Night headliner in December 2022.

Drawing from that loss, Strickland has advised Borralho to put together a corner who can scream loud. Strickland seemingly believes that while he landed the more effective punches on Cannonier, it was the consistent applause from his opponent’s corner that swayed the judges scorecards. Read more about Caio Borralho Reveals Sean Strickland’s Advice for Him Going into Jared Cannonier Fight

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UFC 305 debutant Stewart Nicoll recently revisited his childhood growing up in the Solomon Islands, which was then embroiled in turmoil.

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The Solomon Islands were in political and ethnic chaos in the late 90s, leading to a coup d'état in 2000 and subsequent years of violence involving rape, murder, torture and abductions. While Nicoll’s family was caught right in the middle of it, the undefeated flyweight, who makes his UFC debut this weekend, doesn’t remember much of the trauma. What he vividly remembers is an image of his father sailing away in a dugout canoe from a beachfront in the Solomons, unsure whether he’d return.

“Because my memory, it isn’t that great. I’m forgetting things all the time,” Nicoll told Fox Sports Australia. “But that image of dad leaving? Man, it’s seared onto my brain. As if it happened yesterday. Like maybe I was asleep for the other stuff.”

The reason Nicoll’s father went away was because dangerous…

Usman Nurmagomedov is more than grateful for the guidance of his cousin, Khabib Nurmagomedov.

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Usman looks to defend his lightweight title against Alexandr Shabliy in the main event at Bellator Champions Series on Sept. 7 at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California. While Khabib had taken a short hiatus from all things MMA last year, “The Eagle” has recently taken a more active role in helping his teammates and relatives from Dagestan, including the likes of Umar Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev.

Khabib is also helping the undefeated Bellator lightweight champ for his upcoming title defense and will be cornering him as well. Usman says the training environment is just different in Khabib’s presence. According to Usman, Khabib’s knowledge of the sport is second to none and it is a divine gift to have the UFC Hall of Famer by his side.

“For us, this is gift from God,” Usman said during a recent Bellator media call. “People like Khabib, this …

BREAKING: Dana White confirms that Sean Strickland will fight the winner of Du Plessis vs. Adesanya fight

(Via @jimrome) pic.twitter.com/htxyio6dL2

— Cageside Access (@CagesideAccess) August 13, 2024

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Dana White has provided some clarity to the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title picture — at least for now.

Dricus Du Plessis will put his middleweight strap on the line against former champ Israel Adesanya in the main event at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, on Saturday. A few candidates appear to have a legitimate claim to the next title shot once that fight has concluded.

One potential contender would be the winner of a bout between Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev scheduled for UFC 308 in October. However, No.1 ranked contender Sean Strickland remains adamant on fighting for the title next, even turning down a potential matchup against Whittaker if “Bobby Knuckles” defeats Chimaev. During an appearan…

Lone’er Kavanagh knows how to make an entrance.

The Great Britan Top Team prospect was one of four hopefuls to nail down an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract during Week 1 of Dana White’s Contender Series, as he punched out An Tuan Ho in the first round of their flyweight showcase on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Kavanagh (7-0, 1-0 DWCS) froze the MMA Lab export with a wicked left hook 2:35 into Round 1.

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A brief feeling-out process gave way to a series of leg kicks and a few standup exchanges between the two men. Kavanagh stepped into a lightning bolt of a lunging left hook midway through the first round, connected with surgical precision and separated his previously unbeaten counterpart from his senses. Ho (6-1, 0-1 DWCS) remained prone and motionless for several tense moments before exiting the cage.

Featherweight Jose Delgado, middleweight Mansur Abdul-Malik and light heavyweight Bruno Lopes are set to join Kavanagh on the UFC r…

Sherdog's live DWCS 2024 Week 1 coverage will begin Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET. Round 1 Herb Dean will get the assignment for the first bout of the eighth season of Contender Series, and it’s a matchup of undefeated flyweights that may both be UFC ready. Kavanagh absorbs a leg kick from Ho, who misfires on a head kick. Kavanagh counters an inside leg kick, and the Englishman follows up with a front kick to the body. Ho cracks his man with a straight right and absorbs a calf kick in return. It’s been a kick heavy approach early — especially for Kavanagh — but both men are still trying to make reads on their opponent. And then just like that, Kavanagh lands a front kick and then leaps in with a left hook that detonates on Ho’s chin. The MMA Lab product collapses in a heap on the canvas, so there’s no need for any follow-up blows. Meanwhile, Kavanagh punctuates his victory with a superhero back flip in the Octagon. Ho stays down for a couple minutes until he is helped to his feet. T…