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Daniel Rodriguez may have paid the price for agreeing to face Kelvin Gastelum at 185 pounds, but it wasn’t all bad news for the 37-year-old Californian.

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Rodriguez and Gastelum were initially supposed to square off at welterweight at UFC on ABC 6, but terms of the bout were altered when Gastelum arrived in Saudi Arabia for fight week overweight and requested the fight take place at middleweight. Rodriguez elected to go forward with the matchup and lost a unanimous decision on Saturday at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. However, “D-Rod” did reap some rewards as a result of competing at a heavier weight class than initially expected.

“All right, y’all. I’m done complaining about the fight. F—k it. It happened,” Rodriguez said in a video on his Instagram stories. “I knew the risk. With the risk, came great rewards. I lost the fight but I gained so much more in return: a ton a respect from the fight community, a nice raise, six-fight contract, 3…

Ramazan Kuramagomedov would like for anyone who competes in mixed martial arts to have the opportunity to experience what he did on Saturday.

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The 27-year-old Dagestani took a unanimous decision triumph over Jason Jackson in the Bellator Champions Series Dublin headliner, capturing the promotion’s welterweight title in the process. Kuramagomedov banked the first three rounds on the scorecards, then held off a late surge from Jackson to end his opponent’s eight-fight winning streak. Kuramagomedov is now 13-0 as a professional.

“This is crazy emotional for me. I can’t explain this. I wish for every [fighter] who comes to this sport, I want them to feel this moment, what I feel today,” Kuramgomedov said in a backstage interview with Bellator.

“Every night when I go to sleep, I was thinking about this belt. And every morning when I wake up I was thinking about this belt,” he added. “I was prepared for five hard rounds. Today I did five rounds and I…

Amanda Lemos and Virna Jandiroba will now have five rounds with which to work.

The strawweight bout has been elevated to the main event for the UFC on ESPN 60 on July 20. The news was announced during the UFC on ABC 6 broadcast on Saturday and has since been confirmed by multiple outlets. UFC on ESPN 60 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and also includes a women’s flyweight showdown between Tracy Cortez and Miranda Maverick.

A former Invicta FC champion, Jandiroba has been victorious in her last three Octagon appearances. Most recently, the 35-year-old Brazilian outpointed Lupita Godinez at UFC on ESPN 54 on March 30. She has also earned decision wins over Marina Rodriguez and Angela Hill during her current winning streak.

After coming up short in a 115-pound title bid against Weili Zhang at UFC 292 last August, Lemos returned to the win column in her last outing, as she took a unanimous verdict against Mackenzie Dern at UFC 298. The 36-year-old Br…

Robert Whittaker appreciates the respect Sharabutdin Magomedov has shown for him.

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Both Whittaker and Magomedov won “Performance of the Night” bonuses for their respective stoppage wins at UFC on ABC 6 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday. Whittaker took less than two minutes to knock out Ikram Aliskerov, who replaced Khamzat Chimaev on nine days’ notice in the main event of the night. Meanwhile, Magomedov put on a striking masterclass to secure a late stoppage over Brazilian debutant Antonio Trocoli, who took the fight on three days’ notice.

Whittaker, who watched Magomedov’s fight against Trocoli, was impressed by the Dagestani’s performance. However, “Bobby Knuckles” noted that Trocoli started to fatigue after a hectic flurry early in the first round.

“I did [watch his fight]. The guy he fought was tired man, very tired,” Whittaker said at the post-fight press conference. “Not taking anything away from Shara. I like the …

Tensions flared between Alexander Volkov and Sergei Pavlovich following their heavyweight bout on Saturday.

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Volkov picked Pavlovich apart from the outside to score a unanimous decision win in the co-main event at UFC on ABC 6 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. When Volkov walked up to his opponent to shake hands after the fight, Pavlovich shoved his fellow countryman and former sparring partner. Volkov subsequently revealed that Pavlovich cursed at him, which was out of character for the heavyweight. Volkov believes it is Pavlovich who has a problem with him and should be the one to initiate a resolution.

“To be honest this is the first time really that I ever heard Sergei curse because he kind of told me to, well I’m not sure what he said. But basically, I once in a while allow myself to curse, but this is the first time I heard him maliciously use curse words in my direction,” Volkov said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “So, I mean if he’s got …

VICIOUS GROUND AND POUND! 🔥

Paul Hughes stops Bobby King via second round TKO in his Bellator debut! 🇮🇪#BellatorDublin | LIVE NOW on MAX🌍 https://t.co/Dpuq4Xv6Jh pic.twitter.com/B2BbCtlGPZ

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) June 22, 2024

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Paul Hughes has a bold prediction for Ian Garry’s upcoming UFC fight.

Garry will trade leather with former Bellator MMA superstar Michael Page at UFC 303 on June 29 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Page, who has built a career off of highlight-reel finishes, expects to outclass Garry on the feet. While it is almost a pick ‘em matchup, Hughes predicts an easy night at the office for his friend and fellow countryman.

“I think it’s a very tough fight, but I honestly think that Ian’s gonna make it look easy,” Hughes said at the Bellator Dublin post-fight press conference. “I think he’s gonna make it look easy against MVP. I think he’s gonna chop him down low, and I think Ian’s obviously …

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

Felipe Lima credits his corner for helping him find the second wind in his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut on Saturday.

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Lima replaced Melsik Baghdasaryan against Muhammadjon Naimov on five days’ notice at UFC on ABC 6 on Saturday in Saudi Arabia. The Brazilian ,who usually fights at bantamweight, also stepped up to 145 pounds for his UFC debut against Naimov. While Lima wasn’t particularly concerned about his opponent’s six-fight winning streak going into the bout, he admitted to being a little nervous about fighting under the UFC’s bright lights.

“I mean yeah, I kind of was nervous, yeah,” Lima told ESPN. “It’s not because of the guy or anything like that. I was nervous [about] how I’m gonna perform in the UFC. Many people, bigger cage, it’s a dream come true. And just everything in less than one week, five days. It was hard but I managed.”

Lima went toe-to-toe with Naimov for two …

Sherdog's live Bellator Champions Series Dublin coverage will begin Friday at 12 p.m. ET. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Christian Stein scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Christian Stein scores the round:

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Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Christian Stein scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Christian Stein scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Christian Stein scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Christian Stein scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Christian Ste…

Robert Whittaker reminded everyone why he’s still one of the best in the sport at 185 pounds.

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Faced with a last-minute opponent change in the UFC on ABC 6 headliner, “The Reaper” pocketed a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for making short work of Iskram Aliskerov on Saturday at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The former middleweight king, who was originally slated to face Khamzat Chimaev, knocked his foe out at the 1:49 mark of Round 1 to secure his ninth career bonus with the UFC.

Meanwhile, Sharabutdin Magomedov received a $50,000 check for his finish of Antonio Trocoli in a featured middleweight affair. “Shara Bullet” began the fight-ending sequence with a knee to the chin before unloading with a series of punches to force the stoppage 2:27 into the third frame.

Elsewhere, former light heavyweight title challenger Volkan Oezdemir earned a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his knockout of Johnny Walker in a 205-p…

AND NEW! 👑

Ramazan Kuramagomedov continues on his unbeaten streak and captures the Bellator Welterweight Title after his unanimous decision win over Jason Jackson!#BellatorDublin | LIVE NOW on MAX🌍 https://t.co/Dpuq4Xv6Jh pic.twitter.com/APSUTfEcSm

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) June 22, 2024

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The Ramazan Kuramagomedov era has begun.

The undefeated Russian dethroned Bellator MMA welterweight champion Jason Jackson by a gritty unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) in Saturday’s Bellator Champions Series Dublin main event at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. Kuramagomedov (13-0) jumped out to an early lead with his dominant wrestling and slick southpaw counter-punching. Jackson (18-5) seemed hesitant to move forward, where he was often met with a left hand, calf kick or takedown attempt. It wasn’t until Round 4 when Jackson started to find momentum. The Kill Cliff FC staple took Kuramagomedov to the mat and threatened a gui…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight king Robert Whittaker (26-7, 17-5 UFC) was unfazed by a late opponent change and he proved again tonight that he is still one of the premier 185-pound competitors in mixed martial arts. Whittaker knocked out rising star Ikram Aliskerov (15-2, 2-1 UFC) in the UFC on ABC 6 main event, which took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Whittaker, who was originally slated to face Khamzat Chimaev, sent a message to the rest of the division by becoming the second man – after Chimaev – to defeat Aliskerov. After establishing his jab during the opening minute, Whittaker badly wobbled Aliskerov with a right hook. The Russian stumbled backward against the cage and Whittaker closed in with an uppercut that dropped him to his knees. Whittaker then landed three left hands to the side of a dazed and defenseless Aliskerov’s face before referee Marc Goddard waved off the fight at the 1:49 mark of Round 1. Whittaker has won two in a row this year…

Sherdog's live UFC on ABC 6 coverage will begin Saturday at 12 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Xiao (-115), Lee (-105)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Devin Tejada scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Devin Tejada scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Devin Tejada scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Gadzhiyasulov (-325), Ribeiro (+260)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Devin Tejada scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Devin Tejada scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Devin Tejada scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: G…

A heavyweight scrap pitting Tai Tuivasa against Jairzinho Rozenstruik has been added to the UFC 305 lineup.

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Multiple outlets confirmed the pairing after Tuivasa initially revealed the matchup on Alex Pereira’s video blog. UFC 305 takes place at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, on Aug. 17 and is headlined by a middleweight championship bout between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya.

🚨 Tai Tuivasa says he has a fight booked against Jairzinho Rozenstruik at #UFC305 in Perth 👀

🎥 YT / @AlexPereiraUFC #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/3GYA7a4vjX

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 21, 2024

Tuivasa is mired in a four-fight losing streak under the UFC banner. During that stretch, “Bam Bam” has been finished by the likes of Marcin Tybura, Alexander Volkov, Sergei Pavlovich and Ciryl Gane. That skid was preceded by a five-fight Octagon winning streak for the affable Aussie.

Rozenstruik, meanwhile, has won two of his las…

ITS OVER. IMPA GETS THE VICTORY AND IS BACK IN THE #PFLPLAYOFFS!#PFLRegularSeason LIVE NOW🇺🇸 ESPN & ESPN+🌎 https://t.co/jPNvomCxHI pic.twitter.com/9WMp6uMrgc

— PFL (@PFLMMA) June 22, 2024

Impa Kasanganay’s bid for a repeat is in full effect.

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The Kill Cliff FC standout secured the top seed in the Professional Fighters League light heavyweight playoffs with a second-round doctor stoppage victory against 2023 PFL Europe kingpin Jakob Nedoh at PFL 5 on Friday night at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

“I told myself this: How would I fight if I was leading Heaven’s armies? God put me here and God’s gonna take me out of here,” Kasanganay said. “No other man will. He’s a champion; you’ve got to take it from him.”

After besting Joshua Silveira to win the PFL title a year ago, Kasangany will get a rematch with the fourth-seeded “Coninha” in the light heavyweight semifinals on Aug. 16 at Hard Rock Live i…

Clay Collard came into the 2024 PFL 5 main event having already clinched a spot in the Professional Fighters League's lightweight playoffs but that didn't stop Mads Burnell from crashing the party.

Ever the composed striker, Collard (25-12, 1 NC) came out working his jab and landing body punches to establish his attack against Burnell (18-6), who would look to grapple later in the round. This late success gave Burnell a game plan to follow, as the Danish fighter would take the back of "Cassius" in Round 2. Likely even going into the third, Collard would use his volume punching to land more strikes than his opponent before being taken down and controlled for the final moments, with Burnell taking the back of the fan-favorite lightweight.

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After 15 minutes of action, Burnell took a unanimous decision win with a trio of 29-28 scorecards but won't make the playoffs. Instead, Collard will face top seed Brent Primus in the lightweight semifinals.

Read more about 2024 PFL Playoffs Set for Lightweight, Light Heavyweight Brackets

The Professional Fighters League’s regular season marches on with 2024 PFL 5 Regular Season at 5 p.m. ET. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:

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

While Conor McGregor is renowned for showing up on fight night no matter the circumstances, he wanted to make sure that he will be 100% healthy for his long-awaited Octagon return.

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In a post on social media, the Irish star revealed that a broken toe forced his late withdrawal from the UFC 303 headliner against Michael Chandler.

“Man we were so f—ing super ready for this fight, it is absolutely gut wrenching to take,” McGregor wrote on Instagram. “I want that new Bugatti! How I gone justify to myself getting that now without banking these fights. We had a lapse in concentration and engaged in a training session without wearing the full protective gear and I hit the toe off the elbow and broke the toe clean. It needs a few weeks that’s it. I couldn’t justify to my team, or fans, that I make the walk hindered again. That walk has been seen.

“This next walk has got to be, and it will be, 100 percent Conor McGregor. The fans deserve it and we are ge…

Roman Dolidze is moving up a weight class to face Anthony Smith on short notice at UFC 303.

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Dolidze will replace Carlos Ulberg, who withdrew from the event due to an undisclosed injury. The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the new light heavyweight bout on Friday. UFC 303 takes place on June 29 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a light heavyweight championship rematch between Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka.

Dolidze earned triumphs over Khadis Ibragimov and John Allan at 205 pounds in UFC competition before transitioning to the middleweight division. The 35-year-old Xtreme Couture representative has gone 4-3 since then and is coming off back-to-back decision defeats against Nassourdine Imavov and Marvin Vettori.

A former light heavyweight title challenger, Smith has been victorious in two of his last three Octagon appearances. Most recently, “Lionheart” submitted the previously unbeaten Vitor Petrino in the opening sta…

[embedded content] The Ultimate Fighting Championship makes its Saudi Arabia debut with an intriguing 11-fight card that is now set after the official weigh-ins took place.

The main event will see former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker take on short-notice replacement Ikram Aliskerov, who is filling in for an ill Khamzat Chimaev. Both men stepped on the scales looking ready to go all five rounds, with Whittaker coming at 186 pounds and Askerov arriving at a svelte 184 pounds. All 22 fighters on the card successfully made weight.

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This marks the second fight this year for "Bobby Knuckles." The Australian previously beat Paulo Costa to rebound from his defeat to now-champion Dricus Du Plessis. Whittaker, who is still just 33 and holds a record of 25-7, will look to show he's still a dangerous contender. The former titleholder comes into the fight having won two of his last three.

This is easily the biggest fight in the career of Aliskerov (15-1…

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The main event for PFL 5 is official, as both Clay Collard and Mads Burnell hit their contracted marks on Thursday.

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Collard tipped the scales at 155.8 pounds, while Burnell checked in at 155.6 ahead of their lightweight headliner, which is scheduled for Friday at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City. PFL 5, which features regular season bouts at lightweight and light heavyweight, begins with a preliminary card on ESPN+ at 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT before moving to the main draw on ESPN and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

A 2023 PFL lightweight finalist, Collard kicked off his current campaign with a second-round technical knockout victory against Patricky Freire on April 12. He currently sits xth in the PFL lightweight standings with five points.

Burnell has some work to do if he is to advance to the posteason. The UFC and Bellator MMA veteran had a two-bout winning streak snapped at PFL 2, where he suffered a second-round …

Ian Garry is not buying into any of the hype behind Michael Page.

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Garry (14-0) and Page (22-2) are slated to trade leather at UFC 303 on June 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It is a high-stakes matchup that could catapult the winner into the conversation for welterweight title contendership.

While rallying for the booking, Page aimed multiple shots and promised to punish Garry in “10 different ways,” also calling out the “fake” online image of the Irishman, who has been a dividing personality since the beginning of his Ultimate Fighting Championship tenure.

Responding to “MVP,” Garry has now declared himself levels above the former Bellator MMA star in every aspect.

“He’s a legend? You said that to line me up… I believe I’m levels above him in every single way, shape and form,” Garry said in an Instagram post. “And this is just an opportunity to show, to prove to people. I go, ‘You guys think this guy’s good? OK: I’ll use him a…

Saturday’s dynamic UFC on ABC 6 card has seen yet another change.

Joilton Lutterbach (38-9) is out of his fight against Sharabutdin “Shara Bullet” Magomedov, 12-0, which was scheduled to go down in Riyadh on June 22. Fellow Brazilian Antonio Trocoli (12-3) has stepped up to replace Lutterbach against Magomedov on three days’ notice. The change was first announced by Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White on social media. Lutterbach subsequently revealed that he wasn’t allowed to fight due a substance found in his urine.

This is Magomedov’s third opponent for his sophomore UFC outing after Ihor Potieria, who accepted a short-notice matchup against Michel Pereira at UFC 301. Meanwhile, Trocoli was scheduled to fight Ikram Aliskerov last weekend before the Dagestani agreed to replace Khamzat Chimaev against Robert Whittaker in Saturday’s main event. While this will mark Trocoli’s UFC debut, “Malvado” has been with the promotion for two years and has no…

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Ikram Aliskerov (15-1) claims Khabib Nurmagomedov’s coaching style is similar to that of his father.

Aliskerov is scheduled to fight Robert Whittaker (25-7) in the UFC on ABC 6 headliner on June 22 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Hailing from Dagestan, Aliskerov often trains with former lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov and his protégé Islam Makhachev. Like most other elite fighters from the region, Aliskerov has also had had the privilege of training under Nurmagomedov’s late father, Abdulmanap, who is widely regarded as the pioneer of mixed martial arts in the region.

Aliskerov recently detailed what made Nurmagomedov arguably one of the best coaches in the world. According to Aliskerov, it was Abdulmanap’s emphasis on discipline over talent that set him apart.

“You know the biggest thing about him and I always say this, he put a huge emphasis on discipline,” Aliskerov told Shakiel Mahjouri. “He even had this saying that ‘disci…

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Sharabutdin “Shara Bullet” Magomedov (12-0) had an interesting encounter with local law enforcement on a previous visit to Saudi Arabia.

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Magomedov is slated to face Brazilian debutant Antonio Trocoli (12-3) at UFC on ABC 6 on June 22 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. However, this isn’t Magomedov’s first visit to the region, where he has achieved surprising popularity. The Russian has previously been to the country for Hajj, which is the annual Islamic pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. While Magomedov hasn’t been out of the fighter hotel much this time, he was overwhelmed by fan support the one time he journeyed beyond.

“Yes, I’m surprised that people recognize me here like they do in Russia,” Magomedov told Red Corner MMA. “People ask to take pictures in the most unusual places. It’s nice. We’ll be taking over the whole Arabian peninsula. People know me in Saudi and the UAE. We’re conquering more shores. There’s nowher…