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The timing was right for Ikram Aliskerov.

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Originally scheduled to face Antonio Trocoli at UFC on ESPN 58 on Saturday, Aliskerov will instead get a much more high-profile booking when he faces Robert Whittaker at UFC on ABC 6 in Saudi Arabia on June 22. The change was necessitated when Khamzat Chimaev was forced to withdraw from the event. UFC CEO Dana White announced the new headliner —while adding that Chimaev was “violently ill” — on Thursday.

UFC on ABC 6 takes place at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and will also see Sergei Pavlovich square off against Alexander Volkov in the heavyweight co-main event.

Aliskerov’s lone defeat in 16 professional outings came against Chimaev at Brave Combat Federation 23 in April 2019. He has won seven consecutive fights since then — including two within the Las Vegas-based promotion. Most recently, the 31-year-old Dagestani stopped Warlley Alves in the opening stanza of their encounter at UFC 294. …

Tony Ferguson claims Khabib Nurmagomedov intentionally pulled out of their scheduled UFC 209 outing in 2017.

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Ferguson (25-10) and Nurmagomedov (29-0) share one of the more interesting rivalries in Ultimate Fighting Championship history that never got settled inside the Octagon. Ferguson and Nurmagomedov were initially set to meet on the finale of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 22 in December 2015, but “Eagle” pulled out due to a rib injury.

While the two were rebooked for a UFC on Fox event in February 2016, Ferguson pulled out due to a lung issue. After overcoming several complications, the promotion booked them for the third time as the co-main event at UFC 209 on March 4, 2017, this time with the interim lightweight title on the line.

However, Nurmagomedov pulled out just before the weigh-ins, citing weight cut issues.

While Dana White blasted Nurmagomedov’s team for not relying on the UFC to deal with the issue, Ferguson was more empa…

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Darren Till (18-5) doesn’t think very highly of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s middleweight division.

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Till parted ways with the UFC in February 2023 on the heels of a three-fight skid, vowing to return to the promotion and win a title in the future. The former UFC welterweight title challenger, who also competed at middleweight, was recently asked to weigh in on the current rosters of both divisions.

“I think middleweight is wide open mate,” Till recently told TalkSport. “This is going to [make people] mad. I know for a fact I can beat [Dricus Du Plessis], I know I can beat Sean Strickland, I know I can beat Paulo Costa. They’re all the guys at the top. Now I missed Izzy’s [Israel Adesanya] name out there cause that’s a fight that could have, would have or should have happened. Who knows one day? But that division I know is wide open for me to be the champion. It’s quite frustrating to be honest.”

However, Till isn’t…

Raul Rosas Jr. recently reflected on his relationship with late coach and teammate, Trevor Cooper.

Rosas Jr. (9-1) picked up a second-round submission of Ricky Turcios at UFC on ESPN 57 on June 8. “El Nino Problema” dedicated the win to Cooper, who passed away in April.

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Cooper was Rosas Jr.’s teammate at 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu in Las Vegas when the Mexican suffered his lone career loss against Christian Rodriguez at UFC 287 in April 2023. According to Rosas Jr., it was Cooper who contributed the most in identifying his mistakes from that loss and correcting them. Rosas Jr., who has earned 6 of his 9 career wins via submission, fondly admits that Cooper could submit him 10 times within a couple of minutes. Cooper, who also believed in Rosas Jr., had predicted an easy outing for the Mexican against Turcios, unlike the rest of their gym. Rosas Jr., 19, said on The MMA Hour:

“He meant a lot to me, he was like my brother, like my coach,” Rosas Jr. said o…

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The stage is set for Professional Fighters League to begin the second leg of its 2024 regular season.

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PFL 4 headliners Valentin Moldavsky and Linton Vassell made weight without issue on Wednesday for their trilogy bout. Moldvasky tipped the scales at 243 pounds, while Vassell checked in at 231.5.

PFL 4 takes place on Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, and features regular season fights in the heavyweight and women’s flyweight divisions. In the co-main event, Dakota Ditcheva (125.5) will square off against Chelsea Hackett (125.75). The main card airs on ESPN and ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on ESPN+ at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT.

Moldavsky bested Vassell via unanimous decision in their first meeting at Bellator 218 in March 2019, but “The Swarm” got his revenge in March 2023, when he knocked out his Russian adversary in the opening stanza at Bellator 292.

Moldavsky began hi…

Linton Vassell (23-9) believes his recent win over Valentin Moldavsky (13-3) gives him the edge going into their trilogy bout.

Vassell and Moldavsky will headline 2024 PFL 4 Regular Season, featuring heavyweights and women flyweights, on June 13 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The pair clashed for the first time at Bellator 218 in 2019, when Moldavsky beat Vassell via unanimous decision. “Big Swarm” exacted revenge in their rematch at Bellator 292 in March 2023, starching Moldavsky with a right hand followed by some ground-and-pound in the very first round. The two will now look to settle the rivalry in a trilogy clash.

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While Moldavsky has since rebounded with back-to-back wins, Vassell expects the Russian’s lone stoppage loss to loom large in the back of his mind going into PFL 4. Vassell also deemed Moldavsky shy to trade in his unanimous decision over his Kill Cliff FC teammate Steve Mowry.

“One hundred percent. I’m the only gu…

Dricus Du Plessis (21-2) says Robert Whittaker (25-7) doesn’t deserve an immediate title shot even with a potential win over Khamzat Chimaev (13-0).

Whittaker will headline UFC Saudi Arabia against Chimaev on June 22 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. This is the second top-tier matchup in the middleweight division in a single month, after Sean Strickland’s split decision win over Paulo Costa at UFC 302 on June 1.

Clearing some of the confusion in the middleweight title picture, du Plessis expressed interest in fighting Chimaev if he defeats Whittaker. However, for “Stillknocks” the same doesn’t apply to Whittaker if he beats Chimaev. The South African would like Whittaker to face Strickland in a title eliminator to earn another shot at the crown. But at the end of the day, Du Plessis being the champion is willing to face whoever the UFC puts him up against.

“Obviously, I have the world’s respect for Whittaker, I think he’s one of the greatest athletes ever,” Du Plessis…

Cory Sandhagen (17-4) believes bookmakers did not decide the odds of his upcoming clash against Umar Nurmagomedov (17-0) based on the caliber of the two fighters.

Sandhagen will confront Nurmagomedov in the main event at UFC Abu Dhabi on Aug. 3 in what has been billed as a No. 1 bantamweight contender matchup. Sandhagen is a +215 underdog going into the fight against Nurmagomedov, who is a -265 favorite.

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While Sandhagen doesn’t like the disparity in the odds, he isn’t much bothered by it. “Sandman” believes much of Nurmagomedov’s favorite status has to do with the success of the latter’s teammate, Islam Makhachev, who recently retained his lightweight title with a Round 5 submission over Dustin Poirier at UFC 302.

Sandhagen believes the stellar success of the Dagestani contingent influenced the odds for his upcoming clash against Nurmagomedov. While Sandhagen says the hype behind the Dagestani brigade is justified, he is against building an invincib…

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Taila Santos (20-3) declared that getting a Professional Fighters League championship belt wrapped around her waist would be the epitome of her career.

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A former Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight title challenger, Santos’ signing with the PFL in March came as a surprise to many. The Brazilian took a huge lead in the race to the PFL 2024 regular season playoffs with a first-round submission win over Ilara Joanne in her SmartCage debut in April.

Santos now takes on undefeated prospect Jena Bishop (7-0) at 2024 PFL 4 Regular Season on June 12 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. A win over Bishop would likely secure a playoff spot for Santos, where a path to the $1 million is laid. Santos claims a PFL championship victory will fulfill a lifetime of hard work and dedication.

“The experience with the PFL has been nothing short of amazing,” Santos said at PFL media day. “The guys up here are great; it’s be…

As far as Liz Carmouche is concerned, she is still the reigning Bellator MMA flyweight champion.

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But with that in mind, making her way through the Professional Fighters League season is currently the top priority.

“I didn’t vacate it,” Carmouche said of her Bellator belt during a recent PFL media call. “I don’t know where the standing is. My understanding is that all the women are given an opportunity to come over to the PFL, and that we chose to have the flyweight weight class added in for PFL. So that inclusion meant that there may not be a [125-pound] weight class in Bellator. I certainly don’t remove the idea that if I had an opportunity to defend my belt in Bellator I would, but right now my main focus is just trying to achieve getting to the finals and a belt for PFL.”

Carmouche will square off against Kana Watanabe at PFL 4 on Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. It’s a rematch of a June 2021 fight, which Carmouche…

Chelsea Hackett is essentially in win-or-go-home mode heading into her PFL 4 co-main event matchup with Dakota Ditcheva.

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However, Hackett is simply thankful to be competing on a regular basis after sitting on the sidelines for nearly three years on the heels of a loss to Victoria Leonardo on Dana White's Contender Series in November 2020. Thursday’s bout will mark Hackett’s third fight in approximately 10 months under the Professional Fighters League banner — a welcome change for the Australian muay thai specialist.

“The PFL has been a huge part of my career,” Hackett said during a recent media call. “I’m still only [24]. I’ve got more learning and growing to do as I get older and as I rack up fights. I’m a female fighter out of Australia. There is such a shallow pool of females — competitive and professional — in my neck of the woods. So I went almost three years without being able to get a matchup after I fought on Dana White’s Contender Serie…

Our new home @CBSSports is the perfect partner for @InvictaFights.

2024 will be a landmark year for us and we are excited to demonstrate why Invicta FC is the leading brand in women's MMA, giving fans around the world a front-row seat to the action on our biggest platform yet. pic.twitter.com/ouKNIz4R7G

— Shannon Knapp (@shanknapp) June 11, 2024

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Invicta Fighting Championships has a new broadcast home.

The all-female promotion announced on Tuesday that it has inked an exclusive U.S. television rights deal with CBS Sports. As a result of the agreement, Invicta will air five events in 2024 on CBS Sports Network. That will begin with Invicta FC 55 on June 28, a card that is headlined by a women’s bantamweight title tilt between Talita Bernardo and Olga Rubin. It is not stated whether the broadcast deal extends beyond 2024.

“CBS Sports is the perfect partner for Invicta FC,” said Invicta FC president Shannon Knapp. “…

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Ali Abdelaziz believes Kayla Harrison is levels above everyone in her division.

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Abdelaziz predicts Harrison will follow the trajectory of former UFC pound-for-pound leaders he has managed like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Kamaru Usman and reigning lightwweight king Islam Makhachev. Abdelaziz claims it has been difficult to find opponents for Harrison despite the UFC offering lucrative amounts of money. According to Abdelaziz, opponents ducking a fighter is sure sign of a future pound-for-pound great.

“Kayla will be the biggest female star in history, I’m telling you… It’s just a matter of time, like it’s happened to Khabib, nobody wanna fight him, happened to Islam Makhachev and now they’ve become the pound-for-pound king,” Abdelaziz told Submission Radio. “You have to understand, the last three guys who’s the pound-for-pound no. 1 — Kamaru Usman, we picking fights in hotel lobbies to get him fights. He become the pound-for-pound No. 1. …

Dustin Poirier is one of the few Ultimate Fighting Championship athletes thus far who has positive things to say about the promotion’s new gloves.

The UFC introduced the new gloves starting with UFC 302 on June 1. Along with several other issues, the gloves were designed to mitigate the eye pokes that have been rampant in the sport.

Poirier liked the new gloves, as he felt that they helped keep his fist closed better than the previous ones. However, Poirier noted that the gloves had thinner padding, as he showed off severely bruised knuckles even nine days after his fight against Islam Makhachev. Poirier further recalled that despite landing 178 significant strikes in his 2019 interim lightweight title win over Max Holloway, his knuckles weren’t as bruised as in his fight against Makhachev, where he landed only 74. Poirier shared his thoughts on the new golves during an appearance on "The MMA Hour.”

“I like them, I like them. My hands kind of got a littl…

Sean Strickland and Mike Perry recently engaged in a dispute regarding fighter pay in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.

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Strickland was asked about a potential career in the BKFC leading up to his UFC 302 clash against Paulo Costa on June 1. Strickland completely dismissed the idea.

“Oh f—k, how much will I fight f—ing bareknuckle for? Nothing they would pay me…They’re paying their guys shit… Breaking their hands, breaking their orbitals, they’re making a couple thousand bucks,” Strickland said.

Perry, who lost $50,000 by betting on Costa, later took a shot at the former UFC middleweight champ. Perry believes Strickland shouldn’t be talking about fighter pay, as he is probably making much less in the UFC than “Platinum” is in BKFC.

“Sean Strickland, he’s fighting for the UFC for pesos and I’m getting paid over here,” Perry said on the Overdogs podcast. “He’s always posting videos on Instagram where he walks outside of his garage or hi…

Alex Pereira is somewhat bewildered by Jamahal Hill’s delayed reaction to their UFC 300 fight.

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Pereira starched Hill in the opening frame of the UFC 300 headliner in April to defend his light heavyweight title. “Poatan” did the famous "Khaby Lame" reaction pointing towards a folded Hill.

Nearly two months after UFC 300, Hill has expressed his displeasure with Pereira’s post-fight celebration, which “Sweet Dreams” found to be disrespectful. Hill noted that he had nothing but respect for Pereira’s teammate, Glover Teixeira, after dethroning him at UFC 283 in January 2023.

Pereira knocked out Hill moments after brushing off an accidental low blow and stopping referee Herb Dean from intervening. Hill further claimed that the unusual sequence helped Pereira set up his knockout blow. Hill promised to exact revenge in a post on his Instagram account.

“Now I haven’t really spoke on this but I went to Brazil and DOGG WALKED your guy in one of th…

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The moment Zachary Reese earned his first Ultimate Fighting Championship victory on Saturday, he remembered his late brother Austin, who had pushed him toward this journey.

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Having grown up watching the UFC, Reese has been dreaming of being a fighter since high school. “Savage” started his pro career with six consecutive first round finishes — including one on Dana White's Contender Series last year to earn his UFC contract. However, Reese’s hype train was derailed in his promotional debut by a first-round knockout loss against Cody Brundage at UFC Austin in December 2023.

Reese returned to the win column on Saturday with a 20-second knockout of Julian Marquez at UFC on ESPN 57.

“I feel like a million bucks man,” Reese said in a backstage interview with the UFC. “I’m just like all you fans, when I was in high school I used to beg my parents for pay-per-view money or we’d go to Buffalo Wild Wings when we couldn’t scrounge up the bucks. And ye…

Sean O'Malley doubts Umar Nurmagomedov will show up for his upcoming clash against Cory Sandhagen.

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Sandhagen and Nurmagomedov are scheduled to headline UFC on ABC 7 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Aug. 3. O’Malley will keep an eye on what has been billed as a title eliminator matchup if it does come to fruition.

O’Malley took a dig at Nurmagomedov, accusing the Dagestani of pulling out of fights habitually. Nurmagomedov was previously scheduled to fight Sandhagen at UFC Nashville in August 2023 but a shoulder injury forced him out of the event.

O’Malley is also surprised at underdog status of Sandhagen, whom “Sugar” considers to be one of the most skilled fighters on the entire UFC roster. The bantamweight champ believes Sandhagen is better than Nurmagomedov and replied in affirmative when asked if he is picking “Sandman” in the upcoming UFC Abu Dhabi headliner.

“Yeah, I mean I’ll tune it if it happens,” O’Malley told MMAFighting.c…

“I felt so much pressure.”

Punahele Soriano (@puna185) contemplated retirement before making his welterweight debut, getting his first win since July 2022 and feels like he has new life in a new division.#UFCLouisville Results, Interviews & More ➡️: https://t.co/gAKitEJGRT

— UFC News (@UFCNews) June 9, 2024

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Punahele Soriano had a lot on his mind going into his UFC on ESPN 57 clash against Miguel Baeza on Saturday.

Coming off consecutive stoppage losses and 1-4 in his last five bouts overall, Soriano was admittedly feeling the pressure ahead of his welterweight debut. However, “Story Time” grew confident as he entered fight week, which translated quite well into his performance at UFC Louisville. Soriano bounced back in a strong manner, barely falling short of getting the finish in a dominant unanimous decision win over Baeza. The Hawaiian also set records for the most significant ground strikes landed in a single UF…

Carlos Prates certainly doesn’t function like most elite fighters.

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Prates knocked out Charlie Radtke with a knee to the body at UFC on ESPN 57 on Saturday. Prates was seen smoking a cigarette when he found out that he would be returning home with a $50,000 bonus for his performance.

Before finding out about his bonus win, Prates revealed that he had smoked even on the day of the fight. Having spent more years of his life as a smoker than as a non-smoker, it is now just a part of the routine for “Carlao.”

“I think I smoke since [I was] 15 years old,” Prates told Full Send MMA. “I have more time living smoking than without smoking. So for me it’s normal, I smoke before the fight, on the day of the fight, it’s normal. Now we here in Louisville, so I try to go drink some whiskey because here is capital of whiskey and I really like whiskey.”

Prates also admits that’s he is a difficult fighter to work with due to his lifestyle habits. The 30-…

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While Tom Aspinall isn’t keen on having a nickname, one possibility is starting to grow on him.

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Aspinall became the interim heavyweight champ with a first-round knockout win in a short-notice clash against Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 in November 2023. Aspinall embraced the nickname “Honey Badger” proposed by Daniel Cormier ahead of the bout, though it wasn’t made official at the time.

Aspinall recently explained how that nickname came to be. When Aspinall told Cormier and Jon Anik at the fighter-commentator meeting that he performs better under threat, “DC” likened him to a honey badger. Usually attacking only when threatened by predators, honey badgers are arguably one the fiercest fighters of the animal kingdom, known to take on larger animals like leopards and lions. While Aspinall was still reluctant to have a nickname, “Honey Badger” certainly got his attention.

“I’ve always been against nicknames, like for myself, not …

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

RIZIN Bantamweight Champion Kai Asakura is vacating his title and going to the UFC.

Watch on #RIZIN TV!🔗https://t.co/CXiPKkswl0

[ #RIZIN47 ] pic.twitter.com/WSAZMDU7i1

— RIZIN.tv (@RIZINTV_) June 9, 2024

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s bantamweight division is about to receive an upgrade.

Rizin Fighting Federation champion Kai Asakura announced during Rizin 47 on Sunday that he is vacating his belt to sign with the UFC. The Las Vegas-based promotion has not formally announced the acquisition. As part of his farewell, Asakura paid tribute to the organization and Rizin CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara.

“I am giving up my belt and going to the UFC,” Asakura said. “I think there will be an announcement from the UFC soon, but it’s official that I’m going. This should be exciting news, but right now I feel very lonely. I believe that thanks to RIZIN, I, who was originally no one, was recognized as a…

Dominick Reyes was responsible for perhaps the biggest feel-good moment at UFC on ESPN 57.

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By knocking out Dustin Jacoby in the first round of their co-main event clash on Saturday at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Reyes ended a victory drought that spanned nearly five years.

“It’s a relief, absolutely,” Reyes said at the post-fight press conference. “When he hit me, that was a relief. I was like, ‘I’m still here.’ I had so many questions — just questioning myself. Then I saw my performance. I felt it out there. I was like, ‘I really do love this, and I’m not going anywhere.’”

It was Reyes’ first appearance since November 2022 and his first victory since a first-round KO of Chris Weidman on Oct. 18, 2019. After the Victorille, California, native took Jon Jones to the brink of defeat in their fight at UFC 247, it would have been hard to imagine that Reyes would have endured a slump that lasted this long. As his triumphant moment unfolded, it…