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A bantamweight clash pitting Said Nurmagomedov against Montel Jackson has been added to the UFC Fight Night event set to go down at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 22.

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The news was first announced by Jackson's management, Iridium Sports Agency, in a post to X (formerly known as Twitter). The event will mark the Las Vegas-based promotion’s first visit to Saudi Arabia and will be headlined by a high-caliber middleweight matchup pitting Khamzat Chimaev against former champion Robert Whittaker.

Jackson (13-2) is currently on a four-fight winning streak, most recently securing an impressive Round 1 knockout victory over Rani Yahya in April 2023. The Dana White’s Contender Series alum also has wins over the likes of Brian Kelleher, Julio Arce, J.P. Buys, and Jesse Strader, among others.

The 32-year-old Nurmagomedov (18-3) will enter the Octagon on the heels of a Round 1 submission victory over Muin Gafurov at UFC 294 that saw …

There could be a rivalry brewing in the Professional Fighters League women’s flyweight division.

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Both Dakota Ditcheva and former Ultimate Fighting Championship contender Taila Santos recorded Round 1 finishes in their PFL 1 appearance at the Boeing Center in San Antonio Texas on Friday night. While both got the job done in the first frame, Ditcheva currently occupies the top spot in the rankings since she managed to finish Lisa Mauldin three seconds before Santos ended her clash with Ilara Joanne.

Following a successful PFL debut, Santos was quick to divulge who she’d like to take on next during a post-fight media apperance.

“I'd like to fight Dakota,” Santos said. “I feel like she is on a hype train right now. I don't feel like she has fought anyone as tough.”

While Ditcheva is more than happy to face the challenge of going up against a former UFC contender, “Dangerous” was also quick to hit back with a retort of her own after learn…

There could be a rivalry brewing in the Professional Fighters League women’s flyweight division.

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Both Dakota Ditcheva and former Ultimate Fighting Championship contender Taila Santos recorded Round 1 finishes in their PFL 1 appearance at the Boeing Center in San Antonio Texas on Friday night. While both got the job done in the first frame, Ditcheva currently occupies the top spot in the rankings since she managed to finish Lisa Mauldin three seconds before Santos ended her clash with Ilara Joanne.

Following a successful PFL debut, Santos was quick to divulge who she’d like to take on next during a post-fight media apperance.

“I'd like to fight Dakota,” Santos said. “I feel like she is on a hype train right now. I don't feel like she has fought anyone as tough.”

While Ditcheva is more than happy to face the challenge of going up against a former UFC contender, “Dangerous” was also quick to hit back with a retort of her own after learn…

An intriguing featherweight clash has been added to UFC 303.

Longtime featherweight contender Cub Swanson (29-13) will lock horns with Andre Fili (23-11) at UFC 303, which will go down at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on June. 29. The news was first reported by Fili's management, Iridium Sports Agency, in a post to X (formerly known as Twitter).

Swanson has gone 4-2 in his last six Octagon outings and is coming off a unanimous decision victory against Hakeem Dawodu in August, last year. The win against Dawodu allowed the 40-year-old to bounce back from a devastating Round 2 technical knockout loss against Jonathan Martinez in October 2022.

As for Fili, the Team Alpha Male product is coming off a Round 1 knockout loss against Dan Ige at UFC Fight Night 236 in February. "Touchy" has gone 2-3 in his last five bouts, notably recording a Round 1 TKO win against Lucas Almeida before suffering his most recent loss to Ige.

𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟: Your Updated PFL Las Vegas Fight Card 🎲🎲🎲

•Phil Davis is OUT•New Matchup: Rob Wilkinson v. Tom Breese• 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗧 𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘: Main Card: 9PM ET | Early Card: 6:30PM ET

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[ #PFLRegularSeason | Friday , April 12th | 9PM ET | 🎟️… pic.twitter.com/Lqvl66L5XJ — PFL (@PFLMMA) April 5, 2024

One of Professional Fighters League’s most accomplished light heavyweight athletes will not be competing next week.

The organization announced on Friday that Phil Davis is out of a proposed clash against Rob Wilkinson at PFL 2. As a result, Tom Breese will step in and face Wilkinson. A reason for Davis’ withdrawal from the event was not given.

PFL 2 takes place on April 12 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas and features regular season bouts at light heavyweight and lightweight. The card is headlined by a 205-pound clash pitting Impa Kasanganay against Alex Polizzi.

A former Bellator MMA light heavyweight champ…

There’s a new king in ONE Championship, and his name is Alexis Nicolas. The undefeated French kickboxing phenom shocked the world Friday night by dethroning lightweight kickboxing champion Regian Eersel by unanimous decision in the ONE Fight Night 21 main event at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Nicolas had his work cut out for him in this one. Eersel entered confidently after winning his last 22 fights over the past eight years and claiming both ONE’s 170-pound kickboxing and muay thai titles. Eersel’s confidence showed early as the champ looked to land heavy punches and knees on Nicolas.

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Nicolas would make the champ pay for his overconfidence in Round 2 after catching Eersel on the temple. The champ hit the canvas for a second before immediately popping up and continuing his attack.

From that moment, the fight was a war, with Nicolas withstanding everything coming his way. Both men landed beautiful blows, and the fight could’ve gone…

Prepare for an adrenaline-fueled experience as ONE Fight Night 21 aims for an evening filled with a whirlwind of intense action and pulse-pounding excitement. Tune in on April 5 at 8 p.m. ET for real-time updates of every action-packed moment as it transpires inside the historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok.

Witness history in the making as Regian Eersel defends his ONE 170-pound kickboxing world title against undefeated French powerhouse Alexis Nicolas. Also catch the Ruotolo brothers, Ben Tynan, and Vladimir Kuzmin as they face off against formidable challengers.

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Round 1 Our first muay thai fight of the night begins with Kiatsongrit eating a steep from Silva. Kiatsongrit is composed and fires back with a hard leg kick. Both men are having success with kicks. Kiatsongrit starts firing to the body more with punches and is hurting Silva. An explosive 1-2 lands for Kiatsongrit. Silva seems outgunned as the power differential is clear. Big right …

The moment we've all been waiting for ? Submission grappling phenom Kade Ruotolo makes his MMA debut on June 7 when he faces fellow American Blake Cooper at ONE 167!#ONE167 | Jun 7 at 8PM ET???? Watch Live on Prime???? Watch Live on Sky Sports? Live TV broadcast in 190+? pic.twitter.com/A79zfWcOEA

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) April 5, 2024 One of the famed Ruotolo brothers is transitioning over to MMA very soon.

According to ONE Championship on Friday, Kade Ruotolo (0-0) will be springboarding into MMA competition at ONE 167. In his professional debut, the grappler will take on Blake Cooper (2-1) at 170 pounds, and they will come to blows inside of the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

The 21-year-old from Huntington Beach, California, has exclusively competed as a submission grappler thus far. Currently the ONE Lightweight submission grappling champ, he will be next rolling with Francisco Lo at One on Prime 21 at 18…

AND NEW 👑 Superbon outpoints Marat Grigorian to win the ONE Interim Featherweight Kickboxing World Title!

Watch the ONE Friday Fights 58 full event replay on https://t.co/8MeKhRvqhy#ONEFridayFights58 | 🔴 Live Now⁰🌍 Global PPV on https://t.co/eBUfsOmxDL | 9PM ICT/10AM ET… pic.twitter.com/Nn50YnrPwg

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) April 5, 2024 Superbon Singha Mawynn now celebrates two victories over longtime rival Marat Grigorian.

The Thai national recorded a unanimous decision victory against Grigorian to earn the ONE Championship interim featherweight kickboxing strap in their rubber match at ONE Friday Fight 58. The all-kickboxing and muay thai card did not feature any MMA matches and went down at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Thailand on Friday.

While Grigorian forced Superbon to fight off his back foot for most of the contest, the former ONE featherweight kickboxing champion’s accurate counterstrikes kept his adversary hones…

Almost time for action 👊

Chris Curtis hits the scale at 186lbs!

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[ #UFCVegas90 | TOMORROW on @ESPNPlus | 6pmET/3pmPT ] pic.twitter.com/d8KulliuRm — UFC (@ufc) April 5, 2024 The UFC Fight Night 240 weigh-ins were a bit of a catastrophe, as four competitors missed the mark by multiple pounds.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship kicks off its busy April with a card that officially still has 13 bouts on the billing, for now. Headlining the event is an intriguing middleweight rematch between Brendan Allen and Chris Curtis. Both contenders stepped on the scale weighing 186 pounds on the dot. Several combatants failed to hit their proper marks as four fighters missed weight: Alexander Hernandez, Cynthia Calvillo and would-be bantamweight opponents Nora Cornolle and Melissa Dixon. All four fighters exceeded their respective weight limit by at least two pounds, and Calvillo vs. Piera Rodriguez has been canceled by the promotio…

Valentin Moldavsky's finishes may be rare, but they’re electric.

The former Bellator MMA heavyweight surged onto the Professional Fighters League scene with a first-round TKO win over 2022 PFL king Ante Delija in the 2024 Season Opener main event on Thursday at Boeing Center in San Antonio, Texas.

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Moldavsky hasn’t finished an opponent since 2018 but wasted little time taking out Delija. With a body kick midway through the first round, Moldavsky stunned the former champ and pounced until the fight was stopped (2:17). With the win, Moldavsky picked up six points and is headed to the top of the PFL playoff standings.

Denis Goltsov took his first step back toward the PFL heavyweight crown after TKOing former Bellator title contender Linton Vassell in the third round (3:11). Goltsov was worked over for most of the opening period but turned the tide once Vassell’s energy ran out in the second. Neither man could barely stand, but Goltsov found enough e…

The Professional Fighters League will kick off its 2024 campaign with 2024 PFL Regular Season 1 at 6:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+) on April 4 at Boeing Center in San Antonio, Texas. The main card begins at 10 p.m. on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

As the event ushers in the onset of the regular season, fighters in the heavyweight and women’s flyweight divisions will seize the maiden opportunities to accrue crucial points in the standings, laying the groundwork for potential playoff contention as summer draws closer. Dive into the heart of the action with Sherdog’s live play-by-play coverage and scoring, delivering a real- time account of every gripping encounter within the cage.

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Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round: Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the ro…

Brunno Ferreira is dead set on fighting Sharabutdin Magomedov before it is all over.

In January, the Brazilian middleweight known as “The Hulk” triumphantly rebounded after his first career defeat by smashing Phil Hawes before the end of the first round. This win righted the ship after a humbling 77-second knockout loss to Nursulton Ruziboev. Ferreira (11-1) will return to the cage on June 8, but it is not against the foe he wanted. The Brazilian TKO fighter would have preferred a match with Magomedov, but he will take on Dustin Stoltzfus (15-5) at that UFC Fight Night show instead.

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“Unfortunately, Shara Magomedov escaped from me for a second time,” Ferreira told Sherdog. “We had a fight prescheduled for June 22 in Saudi Arabia, but he escaped from me and accepted an easier opponent where he doesn’t run any risk from being taken down. But fortunately, [the] UFC found [me] Stoltzfus, which is a great opponent to me. Just like Hawes, he will permit me t…

PFL Featherweights Brendan Loughnane, Pedro Carvalho, Bubba Jenkins and Kai Kamaka are about to meet for a presser before their April 19 card in Chicago.

Stay tuned for updates. #PFLRegularseason

— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom) April 4, 2024

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Winds of change have blown into the Professional Fighters League this year, so it’s fitting that the promotion will make a stop in Chicago. But before the PFL blows into Wintrust Arena on April 19, a few of the organization’s top featherweights doubt this season will be a breeze for anyone.

Featherweight 2022 champion Brendan Loughnane has faced nearly the same group of fighters since signing with PFL in 2019. It’s not that he doesn’t enjoy fighting Bubba Jenkins or Chris Wade on a yearly basis, but the Manchester, England, native fancies a new challenge. That’s exactly what he’ll get this season against former Bellator MMA contender Pedro Carvalho and other debuting fighters.

“I…

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Kade Ruotolo will hope to break a funny “curse” when he shares the ONE on Prime Video 21 card with his twin brother, Tye Ruotolo.

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The ONE Championship lightweight submission grappling champion will face innovative Brazilian standout Francisco Lo in a 180-pound catchweight matchup at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok on April 5. Ruotolo has coincidentally never picked up a finish in any of the cards he previously shared with Tye, who, on the other hand, managed to submit his opponent every time. But Ruotolo insists it wasn’t due to a lack of effort on his part.

“It was the funniest thing because that’s been my ONE Championship curse as of recently,” the 21-year-old said during the ONE Fight Night 21 media day. “You know, it’s my style, it’s no lack of effort, I’m coming close in almost every match. In the Shinya [Aoki] match, I had the buggy choke at the end, which was real tight. The Tommy [Langaker] one, I finished in a triangle that…

Ben Tynan is looking to maintain his perfect stoppage streak against Duke Didier at ONE on Prime Video 21.

Tynan (5-0) will take on Didier (8-2) at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok on April 5 in what will be his sophomore ONE Championship outing. Tynan made his promotional debut in November 2023 with a third-round submission win over Ji Won Kang, which was the longest “Vanilla Thunder” ever competed as a professional or amateur.

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Looking back at the matchup, Tynan admits that Kang’s initial aggression took him by surprise.

“I thought I was going to have to bring the striking out, and he was what I was expecting,” the 30-year-old said during ONE Fight Night 21 media day. “Going into the fight, I figured a guy like that, he's probably going to be more cautious of my fighting. So I thought maybe he would like to stick with the jab, stay lower, and move, but he came out guns blazing, and it actually surprised me at first. And I was like, ‘Oh, cool, al…

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Cris Cyborg will return to the sweet science.

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Cyborg (3-0 Boxing, 27-2 MMA) is booked to headline Green Bay Fight Night opposite Widnelly Figueroa (0-2) at the Watering Hole in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on April 27. The fighter’s team reported the booking through a press release.

Promoted by Roughhouse Promotions and Salomon Becerra, the bout is scheduled for four two-minute rounds with 10-ounce gloves at 154 pounds.

Cyborg scored a first-round knockout over Kelsey Wickstrum in January to extend her perfect record to 3-0 in the ring. Meanwhile, Figueroa returns to action for the first time since 2017, still in search of her first pro win.

Cyborg’s return to boxing comes amidst long drawn-out negotiations regarding a mixed martial arts clash against Professional Fighters League featherweight champ Larissa Pacheco. The Bellator MMA featherweight champ was surprisingly not a part of the champ vs. champ card that went down i…

Pedro Falcao will make his Octagon debut on less than a week’s notice against Victor Hugo Silva at UFC Fight Night 240.

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Falcao is a late replacement for Heili Alateng, who was forced to withdraw from the bantamweight contest for undisclosed reasons. Multiple outlets confirmed the new booking following an initial report from MMA Mania. UFC Fight Night 240 takes place on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a middleweight bout pitting Brendan Allen against Chris Curtis.

Falcao will enter his first promotional foray with a 16-3 career mark that includes 11 victories inside the distance. The 31-year-old Brazilian scored a third-round knockout of James Barnes on Dana White's Contender Series in 2021 but did not receive a UFC contract as a result of that performance. Most recently, he choked out two-time UFC veteran Leonardo Morales Tuff-N-Uff 134 this past November.

Hugo, meanwhile, is in the midst of a 13-bout winning strea…

According to Manel Kape, a rib injury forced him to withdraw from a proposed flyweight clash against Matheus Nicolau in the UFC on ESPN 55 main event.

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“This is the first time I’ve ever [pulled] out of a fight,” Kape wrote on X. “I broke the cartilage of my rib, and I couldn’t move for a week. On Thursday last week, my surgery went extremely well. [Bear] in mind that all my fights that got canceled in the past [were] due to my opponents.

“Where I came from we used to fight for free. I’m not bragging about [it]. I’m just being honest, so don’t ever think I’m like some of you guys.”

This is the first time I’ve ever pull out of a fight, I broke the cartilage of my rib and I couldn’t move for a week. On Thursday last week my surgery went extremely well. Bare in mind that all my fights that got cancelled in the past was due to my opponents.

Where I came from…

— マネル・ケイプ موسى Manel Kape (@ManelKape) April 3, 202…

Friends and family members of athletes competing at the UFC Apex will have the opportunity to watch them fight under a new ticket policy recently introduced by the Las Vegas-based promotion.

UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell sent out a memo on Tuesday revealing that fighters will receive four seats to “watch their fight only” at the Las Vegas facility. The policy will begin with Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 240 card. MMAjunkie.com was first to report the news.

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“Beginning with UFC Fight Night this Saturday, April 6, athletes who compete on cards at UFC Apex will receive four (4) seats for friends and family to watch their fight only,” Campbell wrote in the memo. “Following the bout, your guests will be escorted out of Apex. This practice will be in effect for all events at UFC Apex going forward.

“UFC Event Operations VIP Hosts will coordinate all details with you during fighter check-in of your respective fight weeks at the host hotel. All …

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The headliner for Professional Fighters League’s first regular season event of 2024 is now official.

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Heavyweight competitors Ante Delija and Valentin Moldavsky hit their contracted marks without issue at Wednesday’s weigh-ins. Delija tipped the scales at 244 pounds, while Moldavsky checked in at 237.4 pounds.

It wasn’t smooth sailing for everyone on the card, however. Daniel James (267) missed weight by one pound for a heavyweight bout against Marcelo Golm (264.4), while Shanna Young (128.6) came in 2.6 pounds heavy for a flyweight clash against Kana Watanabe (125).

PFL 1 takes place on Thursday night at the Boeing Center in San Antonio, Texas. The main card airs on ESPN2 and ESPN+ beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while prelims air on ESPN+ at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

A 2021 PFL finalist and a 2022 champion, Delija has been victorious in his last five bouts. The Mirko Filipovic protege is coming off a unanimous d…

LFA announces May schedule of events in Brazil and California! 💥#LFA183 🇧🇷Friday, May 3@RibaltaRJ#RioDeJaneiro, #RJ, #Brazil#LFA184 🌴Friday, May 17@CommerceCasino#Commerce, #California

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— LFA (@LFAfighting) March 28, 2024

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After recently holding an event at Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, Legacy Fighting Alliance is returning to the city one day prior to UFC 301.

This time, the event will be held on May 3 at Complexo Ribalta in Barra da Tijuca, an upper class area in West Rio de Janeiro that is just a short distance away where the UFC’s pay-per-view card will take place.

No fights have been announced for the LFA card, but it is expected to include some big names from the Brazilian scene since UFC executives will likely be in attendance.

“The proximity of LFA 183 to UFC 301 creates an atmosphere of international prominence, in …

While Brendan Allen knows his elite welterweight teammates are probably on a collision course, he hopes they don’t have to fight.

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Allen will meet Chris Curtis in a rematch in the main event at UFC Fight Night 240 on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Currently riding a six-fight winning streak that includes five submissions, “All In” will likely get significantly closer to a title shot with a win over Curtis.

Allen considers himself the frontrunner to be potentially crowned the next champion from his gym, Kill Cliff FC in Florida. If not him, Allen believes welterweight teammates Belal Muhammad and Shavkat Rakhmonov are next in line. While Muhammad is undefeated in his last 10 outings, the title shot has inexplicably evaded him so far. Meanwhile, Rakhmonov has finished all 18 of his career wins, six of them in the UFC.

Allen is rallying for Muhammad to receive the next title shot at welterweight. However, the Wisconsin native also ackno…

Dakota Ditcheva has a simple game plan for her upcoming clash against Lisa Mauldin.

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Ditcheva (10-0) and Mauldin (6-3) will kick off the PFL main card in the women’s flyweight category at the Boeing Center in San Antonio, Texas, on Thursday.

A rare knockout artist at flyweight, Ditcheva has finished nine of her 10 career wins — eight of them via knockout. Going into the first flyweight season in Professional Fighters League history, Ditcheva just plans to continue being “vicious.” The Englishwoman also believes that some of her opponents underestimate her power until they get cracked.

While she expects her opponent to inevitably shoot for a takedown, “Dangerous” claims she is as comfortable on the ground.

“Just to be vicious which is what happens when I get in… I kind of, my switch flicks and that’s it,” Ditcheva said during a PFL media day. “I think I’ll just get in there and do what I always do. But I know these girls are gonna come …