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Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight Carlos Prates began his habit of smoking cigarettes at a young age.

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Prates recently shut down Charlie Radtke with a violent knee to the body in the first round of their UFC on ESPN 57 clash earlier this month. The Brazilian was seen smoking a cigarette when he learned that his victory earned a “Performance of the Night” bonus. Prates also revealed that smoking before and after a fight is a fairly common ritual for him..

Prates recently opened up further on his smoking habits during an appearance on the ”Show Me the Money” podcast. Prates revealed that he had started smoking at the age of 12 or 13 — though the habit has increased over the years. The pandemic affected Prates, and “The Nightmare” started smoking a lot of marijuana. When he noticed adverse effects of cannabis on his mental health, Prates decided to stick to cigarettes.

“I think I started to smoke when I was 12 or 13. Not like today, of…

Kelvin Gastelum believes his upcoming clash against Daniel Rodriguez has both of their Ultimate Fighting Championship contracts at stake.

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Gastelum is scheduled to face Rodriguez at UFC on ABC 6 on Saturday at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Gastelum’s UFC career has been on somewhat of a downward spiral, as he has gone 2-5 since his interim middleweight title loss to Israel Adesanya in 2019. Gastelum dropped back to welterweight after nine years for his most recent outing, where he suffered a submission loss against Sean Brady in December 2023.

With his “back against the wall,” Gastelum feels a win against Rodriguez is imperative for him to stay with the UFC. Gastelum also believes it’s a must-win situation for his opponent to extend his UFC contract, as well. “D-Rod” is coming off consecutive stoppage losses against Neil Magny and Ian Garry after winning his previous four Octagon appearances. While the thought of not getting his contr…

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Olympic gold medalist and World Freestyle wrestling champion Zaurbek Sidakov is reportedly considering a switch to MMA, according to UFC fighter Muhammadjon Naimov.

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A three-time world champion, Sidakov won the gold in Men’s Freestyle Wrestling at 74 kilograms (163 pounds) at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. However, Sidakov isn’t eligible to compete in the upcoming Paris Olympics as his name didn’t appear on the recently published list of Russian and Belarusian athletes approved to compete by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Russian and Belarusian athletes were initially banned from competing at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. However, the IOC later permitted the athletes to participate as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) approved by the Individual Neutral Athletes Eligibility Panel (AINERP). Athletes had to prove their dissociation from the war and their countries’ military forces …

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Israel Adesanya recently made his prediction for the upcoming UFC on ABC 6 headliner on Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

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Robert Whittaker (25-7) will face unranked prospect Ikram Aliskerov (15-1) in the main event at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. Aliskerov stepped up on nine days’ notice, replacing Whittaker’s originally scheduled opponent Khamzat Chimaev, who withdrew from the card due to severe illness.

Adesanya is picking Whittaker to emerge victorious. “The Last Stylebender” believes Whittaker should be able to hold his own against Aliskerov on the ground, as he was already preparing for an elite wrestler in Chimaev. According to Adesanya, “Bobby Knuckles” will likely dispatch Aliskerov in Round 3 or 4.

“Rob was ready to wrestle this fight anyway, so the wrestling’s gonna be f—-ng top tier in this fight, I think. Striking will be nice. Banger. I like this banger of a fight,” Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “Also this guy …

The interim strawweight (125-pound) belt will be on the line when Jarred Brooks and Gustavo Balart square off at ONE on Prime Video 24 on Aug. 2.

The Singapore-based promotion on Tuesday announced the bout, which was necessitated by an injury to reigning 125-pound champion Joshua Pacio. ONE on Prime Video 24 takes place at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, and airs on Prime Video. According to a release, Pacio will be sidelined indefinitely due to a torn ACL.

Brooks lost the 125-pound title when he was disqualified for using an illegal slam on Pacio in their bout at ONE 166: Qatar this past March. Prior to that, “The Monkey God” had been victorious in his first four promotional appearances. Brooks claimed the divisional throne with a five-round verdict over Pacio in their first meeting at ONE 164 in December 2022.

Balart, a decorated wrestler from Cuba, has won four straight contests under the ONE banner. “El Gladiator” is coming off a split-d…

After a two-year absence due to multiple knee surgeries, former Professional Fighters League light heavyweight champion Antonio Carlos Jr. made a successful return to the cage in April, submitting Simon Biyong in the opening stanza at PFL 2 on April 12.

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While that earned “Cara de Sapato” six points in the PFL standings, four other light heavyweights earned quicker finishes than the Brazilian at the event. That means Carlos Jr. enters his PFL 5 matchup with Alex Polizzi in fifth place, so he will need another impressive showing to assure himself a place in the postseason.

“It never happened in PFL history. Five fighters getting a quick six in the first phase. Nobody is guaranteed [a spot] in the playoffs. It´s like we are all starting now,” Carlos Jr. told Sherdog.com.

Carlos Jr. expects Polizzi to try to use his wrestling to control their fight at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

"He has an excellent folk wrestling technique and prob…

Baissangour Chamsoudinov has parlayed a victory over Cedric Doumbe into long-term security with the Professional Fighters League.

It was announced on Tuesday that Chamsoudinov has signed an exclusive contract with the promotion that will allow him to compete for the PFL, PFL Europe and Bellator Champions Series. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, and a date for Chamsoudinov’s next bout was not revealed.

“I'm very happy to have signed with PFL as they are growing more and more just like myself as a developing fighter, so it's perfect,” Chamsoudinov said in a release. “The goal for my career has remained the same since the beginning, to become the best fighter on the planet. I'm here to clean out the division.”

Known as “Baki,” the 22-year-old Frenchman gained notoriety after earning a controversial third-round TKO win against Doumbe at PFL Europe 1 on March 7. While the bout ended when referee Marc Goddard waved off the fight due to a Doumbe toe injury,…

1 Mike, 2 Mikes, 3 Mikes, 4

The fact is every opponent has touched the floor

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5 months until Tyson and I go to war

So in the meantime me & Perry are going to make Tampa roar

I fear no man, anytime, anywhere, anyplace

On July 20th it’s going to be another W, so let us say… pic.twitter.com/SIu6K0VbD5

— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) June 18, 2024

The date that once was reserved for Mike Tyson now belongs to Mike Perry.

Perry has agreed to face Jake Paul in a boxing match on July 20 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. The fight will be contested over eight rounds in the cruiserweight (200 pounds) division and will be available via pay-per-view through Dazn. Paul was originally slated to meet Tyson on July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, but that bout was postponed until Nov. 15 due to ulcer-related medical issues for Tyson.

“When Paul vs. Tyson was rescheduled, I knew immediately that I wanted…

Olena Kolesnyk has withdrawn from a proposed featherweight showdown against Sara Collins at Bellator Champions Series Dublin on Saturday.

Sherdog.com confirmed the cancellation with a promotion official on Tuesday. A reason for Kolesnyk’s exit was not disclosed. Since Collins will not remain on the card, Bellator Dublin will proceed with 13 bouts. Bellator Champions Series Dublin takes place at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland, and is headlined by a welterweight title tilt between Jason Jackson and Ramazan Kuramagomedov. The card airs in its entirety on Max beginning at noon ET/9 a.m. PT.

Kolesnyk was going to be making her Bellator MMA debut after competing exclusively for Professional Fighters League since 2021. “Cannon” earned regular season wins over Yoko Higashi and Aspen Ladd before falling to Larissa Pacheco in the PFL postseason in 2023.

Collins is undefeated in five professional outings. The 33-year-old Australian rose to prominence with a first-round …

Usman Nurmagomedov will defend his lightweight crown against Alexandr Shabliy in the main event of Bellator Champions Series San Diego on Sept. 7.

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The promotion announced the bout in a release on Tuesday. The event takes place at Pechanga Arena and will air on Max in the United States. It is part of a Bellator itinerary for September that includes events on back-to-back weekends. One week after Bellator San Diego, Johnny Eblen will defend his middleweight belt in a rematch with Fabian Edwards at Bellator Champions Series London.

“September is set to be a huge month for Bellator Champions Series, and we’re continuing to step up our game to deliver incredible cards that we know the MMA community across the globe will love. Both San Diego and London are massive markets for us, and we’re confident we’ll put on a show that the fans in attendance and those watching around the world on Max and Dazn deserve,” PFL CEO Peter Murray said in a release. “Our …

Mike Davis will not be competing at UFC on ESPN 59 in Denver as originally anticipated.

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The 31-year-old former Dana White's Contender Series competitor revealed via Instagram that he suffered a torn bicep during sparring earlier this month. As a result, “Beast Boy” will no longer face Drew Dober in their proposed lightweight bout on July 13. It’s unclear if Dober will remain on the card against a replacement opponent.

“Yes, I need surgery. They have to reattach the tendon by drilling it back into the bone,” Davis wrote. “I’m so f—ing disappointed … I try so f—ing hard … I’m dealt such a s—t hand in life full of skill and talent that I can’t even use.”

Davis recently returned to action following nearly a year-and-a-half absence at UFC Fight Night 239, where he submitted Natan Levy in the second round of their March 16 encounter. The Fusion X-Cel representative has been victorious in his last four Octagon appearances after dropping his promoti…

A middleweight championship rematch between Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards will serve as the main event for Bellator Champions Series London on Sept. 14.

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The promotion announced the pairing on Tuesday. Bellator Champions Series London takes place at the OVO Arena Wembley and will mark the organization’s eighth trip to England’s capital city.

Eblen initially defended his title against Edwards at Bellator 299 this past September, winning via third-round knockout. The American Top Team standout has competed once since then, taking a hard-fought split decision over Impa Kasanganay at a PFL vs. Bellator event on Feb. 24. Eblen owns a 15-0 career mark that includes two successful title defenses under the Bellator banner.

Edwards rebounded from the loss to Eblen by taking a unanimous verdict against Aaron Jeffery at Bellator Champions Series Belfast on March 22. The younger brother of UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards has won four of his las…

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Ikram Aliskerov believes Robert Whittaker was well aware of his existence even before their fight got booked.

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Whittaker was originally scheduled to face Khamzat Chimaev in the main event at UFC on ABC 6 on June 22 in Saudi Arabia. Chimaev was forced out of the fight due to severe illness, and Aliskerov stepped up on short notice to replace “Borz”. The weight cut was not an issue for Aliskerov, as he was originally scheduled to face Brazilian debutant Antonio Trocoli at UFC on ESPN 58 on June 15.

While Whittaker was grateful to Aliskerov for stepping up on short notice, “Bobby Knuckes” claimed to have never heard of the Dagestani standout before their fight was announced. A seasoned veteran on the regional scene, Aliskerov believes Whittaker was lying and had repeatedly watched his tape even before their fight got booked. Aliskerov’s lone professional loss came via a first-round knockout against Chimaev under the Brave Combat Fed…

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While Steve Erceg found Alexandre Pantoja to be respectful leading up to their UFC 301 fight, he didn’t like the champ’s post-fight demeanor.

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Erceg earned the opportunity of a lifetime, jumping several spots in the rankings for a title shot against Pantoja at UFC 301 in Brazil on May 4. While Pantoja retained his flyweight strap with a unanimous decision win, Erceg showed that he can hang with the best by giving the champ a real run for his money.

While Erceg had nothing but respect for Pantoja leading up to the fight, the Australian has now developed mixed feelings due to some post-fight comments “The Cannibal” made. During an appearance on the "Show Me the Money" podcast, Pantoja said that Erceg hits like a girl. Taking issue with Pantoja’s comments, Erceg notes that the Brazilian certainly didn’t look like he had been hit by a girl after their fight.

“He’s a nice guy, obviously to his family. I liked the way he carried hi…

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Michael Chandler recently weighed in on his canceled fight with Conor McGregor.

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After months of anticipation, Chandler was finally scheduled to headline UFC 303 against McGregor on June 29. However, Dana White confirmed last week that the fight was off, as McGregor pulled out due to an injury. Chandler addressed the situation for the first time since that announcement in a video on social media.

“Well it’s Monday morning, on the trail right now, getting my mind right, thinking about what has transpired over the last couple of days…Got the rug pulled out from underneath me at the last possible moment,” Chandler said. “I had just got done with my last sparring session Thursday morning. I’d been hearing rumblings since Monday obviously but really got the call about an hour after my last sparring session was completed… The happiest and healthiest and hardest to kill, most dangerous man I have ever been in my entire life in that moment…

A matchup of middleweight prospects has been added to a UFC Fight Night event in August.

Zachary Reese (7-1) will face Bolivian debutant Jose Medina (11-3) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Aug. 24. The matchup was first reported by MMA Latinoamerica.

It will be a quick turnaround for Reese after he knocked out veteran Julian Marquez in 20 seconds at UFC on ESPN 57 in Louisville earlier this month. The bonus-winning victory saw “Savage” bounce back from his lone pro loss, which came via a slam KO against Cody Brundage in his UFC debut in December 2023.

Meanwhile, Medina gets his UFC call despite coming up on the short side of a unanimous decision in his Dana White's Contender Series bout against Magomed Gadzhiyasulov in October 2023. Medina has finished 10 of his 11 pro wins so far and was riding a six-fight winning streak before the Contender Series loss.

Things definitely haven’t gone as planned for the Ultimate Fighting Championship in June.

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The biggest setback for the promotion occurred last week, when Conor McGregor officially withdrew from his headlining clash against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 due to injury. The former two-division champ is the UFC’s biggest star, but he hasn’t competed for nearly three years since breaking his leg in July 2021. While McGregor vowed to be back soon in a statement released on social media, the exact nature of his injury — as well as a timeline for his recovery — is unclear.

After a hectic couple of weeks, UFC CEO Dana White won’t speculate on when McGregor might be ready to return to action.

“It’s the business, man. This is the way it goes,” White told the Sports Business Journal. “And from here on I’m not going to talk about it until when he’s healed and he’s right. Then we’ll look at the landscape and see what we can figure out.”

The promotion w…

While Khamzat Chimaev has not been especially active in recent years, the Chechen-born Swede has no plans of stepping away from mixed martial arts.

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In a brief statement issued to MMAjunkie.com, Chimaev’s manager, Majdi Shammas, denied retirement rumors that have persisted since the middleweight withdrew from a headlining clash against Robert Whittaker at UFC on ABC 6 due to a severe illness.

“It’s absolutely not true,” Shammas said. “We’re planning on getting to the bottom of this situation, the problems. He will be back.”

Shammas painted a grave picture of Chimaev’s status in a separate post on social media over the weekend. However, he also stated in that post Chimaev’s UFC return would be “immediately rescheduled” once the fighter was healthy.

“The persistent illness that Khamzat has been battling for major parts of training camp could not be cured in time. He has been in and out of hospitals several times,” Shammas wrote on Instagram. “T…

☀️🌍🌘The SUN of Africa is the same sun that lights up our planet.The SUN will set and will rise again until you walk into it. 🌅The SUN, enjoy while it shines. Darkness falls when it’s gone. pic.twitter.com/u5Swlzr6TW

— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) June 17, 2024

It appears that Israel Adesanya will have a chance to regain the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight crown later this year.

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“The Last Stylebender” announced on social media that he will face reigning middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305 in Perth on Aug. 17. Du Plessis subsequently confirmed the news in a series of posts on his Instagram Stories. UFC CEO Dana White later confirmed the pairing during an appearance on "The Jim Rome Show" on Monday.

EXCLUSIVE: UFC President @danawhite confirms Israel Adesanya will fight Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305 on August 17th in Perth. pic.twitter.com/mUkcGPGxaK

— Jim Rome (@jimrom…

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Bo Nickal claims to have been offered a short-notice booking against Robert Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia, which he couldn’t accept due to some unfortunate circumstances.

Whittaker was originally scheduled to fight Khamzat Chimaev in the main event at UFC on ABC 6 on Saturday. However, Chimaev pulled out of the fight nine days before the event due to health concerns. Chimaev will now be replaced on short notice by Ikram Aliskerov.

While the fight has now been finalized, Nickal revealed that he was also on the list of potential contenders to replace Chimaev. Nickal claims to have received a call to step up for UFC Saudi Arabia, which he couldn’t answer as he didn’t have service. After three days in the mountains of Montana with no network signal, Nickal returned to multiple messages requesting callbacks. However, by then it was too late, as the UFC had already finalized the new main event for Saudi Arabia. Besides, Nickal wasn’t too keen on tra…

Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Marc Diakiese recently explained the reasoning behind his move to rival promotion Professional Fighters League.

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Diakiese announced his move to the PFL earlier this month after a 15-fight UFC career. Diakiese revealed that his UFC contract had expired following his second-round submission loss to Joel Alvarez at UFC London in July 2023. While exploring free agency, the Englishman was offered a short-notice clash against Kaue Fernandes at UFC Sao Paulo in November 2023, which he went on to win via split decision.

Diakiese expected the UFC to renew his contract in time for the promotion’s pay-per-view event in Manchester on July 27. However, that offer never arrived, and “Bonecrusher” instead accepted a deal with the PFL.

“So, the fight in London, that was the last fight on my contract,” Diakiese told MMAjunkie.com. “And I got sent to Brazil last minute and it was just there, so I knew I was a free agent. B…

Rose Namajunas recently detailed an “uncalled for” interaction with the father of upcoming opponent Maycee Barber.

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Namajunas and Barber will meet in a flyweight contender matchup in the main event at UFC on ESPN 59 on July 13. Thanks to a six-fight winning streak, Barber is oozing confidence going into her clash against the two-time UFC champ. While Namajunas has no issue with Barber’s confidence, she felt that “The Future’s” father was disrespectful towards her.

“I love when fighters are confident. I like when they believe in themselves,” Namajunas told MMAjunkie.com. “To me, as long as she ain’t being disrespectful I’m cool with it. Her dad was kind of disrespectful I kind of felt, like back in the day. But that’s him. You know, so whatever. But her, I think she should keep doing what she’s doing, and I respect everything that she’s done. I think she’s really developed into an impressive prospect that I’m looking forward to facing.”

The inc…

UFC on ABC 6 has taken yet another hit with less than a week to go before fight night.

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Melsik Baghdasaryan announced via Instagram Stories that he is out of his featherweight matchup against Muhammadjon Naimov due to a torn labrum in his left shoulder. UFC on ABC 6 takes place on Saturday at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It is currently unknown if Naimov will remain on the card against a replacement opponent.

“Hello everyone, I have bad news,” Baghdasaryan said. “My fight got canceled. I got injured, torn labrum on my left shoulder. Thanks everyone for support. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

Melsik Baghdasaryan confirms he is out of his scheduled fight in Saudi Arabia against Muhammad Naimov. #UFCSaudiArabia

📽 Baghdasaryan IG Stories pic.twitter.com/5bErTE6lMP

— Marcel Dorff 🇳🇱🇮🇩 (@BigMarcel24) June 17, 2024

This is the latest in a series of last-minute blows for the UFC Saudi Arabia card, sta…

Brady Hiestand and Garrett Armfield evidently harbored no ill feelings for each other after their UFC on ESPN 58 clash on Saturday.

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Hiestand survived a knockdown from Armfield in the second round and pulled off a third-round submission win in one of the most competitive outings of the night. Both fighters subsequently shared screenshots of Instagram DMs revealing the mutual respect between the two, along with other things.

After an initial show of respect, Armfield asked Hiestand if his armbar attempt on “Bam Bam” in the first round was tight.

“You got some heart bro. Was the armbar tight at least?” Armfield wrote.

Hiestand replied that an alleged fart from Armfield during the armbar attempt was the most fatal move of the fight.

“Bro that fart was more deadly than anything! All jokes aside that was a good one,” Hiestand replied.

Armfield didn’t dispute the accusation in his response.

“Bahahahhahahhha. I’m dead,” he wrote. Read more about Brady Hiestand, Garrett Armfield Share Humorous Post-Fight Exchange via DMs