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Lightweights Ismael Bonfim and Vinc Pichel will lock horns at UFC 301 on May 4 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

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The news was first reported by Eurosport Nl’s Marcel Dorff on X (formerly known as Twitter) and later confirmed by Bonfim on his social media accounts. UFC 301 will be headlined by a flyweight title clash between reigning champion Alexandre Pantoja and Steve Erceg.

Bonfim (19-4) will enter the Octagon coming off a Round 1 submission loss to Frenchman Benoit St. Denis in his sophomore promotional outing in July last year. The loss snapped the promising Brazilian’s 13-fight win streak, which included eight finishes.

Pichel (14-3), a former “Ultimate Fighter” contestant, will enter the Octagon coming off a unanimous decision loss to Mark O. Madsen in April 2022. The loss to O. Madsen spoiled a three-fight win streak for the American, which included wins over the likes of Jim Miller, Austin Hubbard and Roosevelt Roberts.

Bonfim and Pich…

A featherweight clash pitting Alex Caceres against Missouri's own Sean Woodson has been added to the UFC Fight Night event set to take place at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri, on May 11.

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The bout was first announced by Woodson’s management, Iridium Sports Agency, on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Caceres (21-14) will face Woodson coming off a unanimous decision loss to Giga Chikadze in August of last year. “Bruce Leeroy” has emerged victorious in seven of his last nine Octagon outings, only recording decision losses against Soddiq Yussuf and the aforementioned Chikadze.

Meanwhile, Woodson (11-1) will enter the Octagon on a five-fight undefeated streak, most recently clinching a hard-fought split-decision victory against Charles Jourdain at UFC 297. The Dana White’s Contender Series alum has wins over the likes of Kyle Bochniak, Terrance McKinney, Dennis Buzukja and Collin Anglin.

UFC on ESPN 56 will notably feature a lig…

THAT'S WHY HE'S THE CHAMP!

🇧🇷Roberto Satoshi Souza stops K-Taro Nakamura in under 2 minutes!

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Order the replay on #RIZIN TV!🔗https://t.co/YZq8qSBHwN

[ #RIZIN_LANDMARK9 ] pic.twitter.com/QE5XITai0b

— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) March 23, 2024 Rizin Fighting Federation lightweight champion Roberto Satoshi de Souza made a strong statement in his quick and punishing main event victory on Saturday at Rizin “Landmark Vol. 9” in Kobe, Hyogo, Japan. De Souza destroyed multi-time UFC veteran Keita Nakamura with a barrage of strikes early in their non-title matchup to cap off the 14-fight card. De Souza (16-3, 9-2 Rizin) nearly knocked out Nakamura (36-12-2, 1 NC, 2-1 Rizin) with a head kick and punches during the opening minute of the evening’s headliner, but Nakamura narrowly survived the onslaught. De Souza stood over his downed foe and unleashed a series of soccer kicks before Nakamura finally got back to his feet…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship brings Octagon excitement to the Apex Facility in Las Vegas for the second consecutive time with UFC on ESPN 53. Stay plugged into the pulse of the event with Sherdog’s live play-by-play coverage, capturing every moment as it unfolds inside the cage starting at 7 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Parkin (-142), Usman (+120)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Lima (-180), da Silva (+150)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay…

Ten years after winning "The Ultimate Fighter," Corey Anderson finally accomplished his life dream and claimed a world title after outworking Karl Moore over five rounds to win the vacant Bellator Championship Series light heavyweight title Friday in the Bellator Champions Series Belfast main event at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

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For Anderson (18-6, 1 No Contest), the victory was emotional and long-awaited. After falling short of the Ultimate Fighting Championship title, Anderson signed with Bellator in 2020 to get a fresh start. Four years and two disappointing cracks at Vadim Nemkov’s title later, Anderson finally claimed his shot at gold.

Moore (12-3) wouldn’t make it easy, however. In the first round, the Belfast native ignited the crowd after he cracked Anderson with a left hand, which was followed by a head kick that made his legs buckle. Anderson staggered back to the fence but the vet recovered calmly and won the round with…

Sherdog's live Bellator Champions Series Belfast coverage will begin Friday at 12:55 p.m. ET.

The fervent excitement surrounding the Bellator Champion Series is primed to captivate Belfast, Ireland, with a thrilling showcase of two championship battles atop the billing.

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The event will be headlined by a monumental clash for the light heavyweight championship, featuring former title contender Corey Anderson against hometown favorite, Karl Moore. In the co-main event, featherweight king Patricio “Pitbull” Freire will lock horns with Jeremy Kennedy in a bid to defend his 145-pound strap. The card also features Ireland’s James Gallagher taking on Leandro Higo, who steps up to the featherweight division to settle a feud with “The Strabanimal.” Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the …

BELLATOR RETURNS TO DUBLIN! 🇮🇪

🇯🇲 Jason Jackson 🆚 Ramazan Kuramagomedov 🇷🇺👑 Bellator Welterweight Championship

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Tickets on sale next week. Stay tuned for further information. 🎟️ #BellatorDublin | SAT JUNE 22 | 3Arena, Ireland pic.twitter.com/TPhsUcufpQ — Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) March 22, 2024

The time has come yet again for Jason Jackson to live up to his nickname.

The 33-year-old “Ass Kicking Machine” will put his Bellator Championship Series welterweight title on the line for the first time on June 22 when he faces undefeated Ramazan Kuramagomedov at 3Arena in Dublin.

The fight was announced on Friday during the Bellator Champions Series Belfast telecast and will mark the third card in the Bellator Championship Series 2024 lineup, following a trip to Paris on May 17.

This marks the first title defense for Jackson (18-4) since winning the belt in devastating fashion at Bellator 301. Jackson des…

Kara-Ool Changy dominated China’s Gexi Sanlang on his way to a second-round technical knockout in their ONE Friday Fights 56 strawweight showcase on Friday at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The end came 4:25 into Round 2. It was the lone mixed martial arts bout on the ONE Championship card.

It did not take long for Changy to put Sanlang on his back with a kick in the opening seconds of the first round. The Russian kept circling his downed adversary and managed to land a couple of thudding shots to the body before letting him back to his feet. The undefeated prospect continued to pressure his opponent with slick counterstrikes from the southpaw stance, later dropping Sanlang with a left hook while exiting the clinch. The Russian continued to land shots to the head and body from top until the ref allowed the Chinese national to get back to his feet. Sanlang seemed to have no answer for Changy’s constant pressure, ultimately ending the opening stanza on his back…

#RIZIN_LANDMARK9 in KOBE🚢📣 Weigh-in Results 💥

⚔️ Match 12 ⚔️ Main EventRIZIN MMA Rules 71.0kg

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🟥Roberto Satoshi Souza【70.85kg】🧍‍♂️Height: 180cm 💪Reach: 185cm@ToshiJJーーー🆚ーーー🟦K-Taro Nakamura【70.80kg】🧍‍♂️Height: 180cm 💪Reach: 187cm@ktanakamura#RIZIN in Kobe… pic.twitter.com/gnhM7BzCq6 — RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) March 22, 2024 The Rizin Fighting Federation returns with its Landmark 9 card, although it looks different than originally planned. Two fighters missed weight for the card, which is headlined by Roberto Satoshi de Souza vs. Keita Nakamura. This caused one of the fights to be canceled and the other in potential jeopardy.

First, Arman Ashimov came in 5.2 pounds over the flyweight limit. The fight against Yusaku Nakamura will only proceed if Ashimov's weight is below 134.4 pounds on the day of the event. If it does go forward, only Nakamura will be eligible to win with an Ashimov victory or draw re…

Thug Rose is READY 🌹@RoseNamajunas is on weight at 125.5 lbs and the #UFCVegas89 main event is official!

[ TOMORROW on @ESPNPlus | 7pmET/4pmPT ] pic.twitter.com/zGev0bJCGg

— UFC (@ufc) March 22, 2024 The Ultimate Fighting Championship continues its busy March with a return to ESPN airwaves.

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UFC on ESPN 53 headliners Rose Namajunas and Amanda Ribas both made weight for the five-round flyweight main event. It is supported by a heavyweight co-main event between Karl Williams and Justin Tafa. The card is now official with 13 fights and all fighters made weight.

"Thug" Rose is looking to rebound from two straight setbacks, which included a dud against Carla Esparza and a return to flyweight against Manon Fiorot. Staying at 125 pounds, Namajunas (11-6) will now look to enter the rankings against a top-10 opponent. The former strawweight queen officially weighed 125.5 pounds.

Meanwhile, this marks the first UFC main …

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has filled out the lineup of its final April fight card.

Per a press release from the organization on Thursday, the UFC on ESPN 55 billing is now complete. The UFC confirmed multiple announced matchups for the April 27 show at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, while adding several others. Chief among the additions is the new co-main event, which comes at light heavyweight between Ryan Spann (21-9) and Bogdan Guskov (15-3).

“Superman” Spann will be coming into this matchup on his first losing streak since 2017, having dropped his last two to Nikita Krylov and Anthony Smith for an unsuccessful 2023 campaign. Before then, the Fortis MMA product had run roughshod over Ion Cutelaba and Dominick Reyes in a combined 3:42 to stamp his place as an elite 205er. Six of the last seven outings for Spann have concluded in the first round, win or lose.

Uzbekistan’s Guskov introduced himself to the UFC against Volkan Oezdemir in September 2023, and h…

Undefeated featherweight prospects will meet in a potential banger of a mixed martial arts clash at ONE Fight Night 22 on May 3. The event will air on Amazon Prime in the U.S. and Canada.

Sherdog learned Thursday that Kyrgyz standout Akbar Abdullaev (10-0, 2-0 ONE) will face Turkey’s Halil Amir (10-0, 3-0 ONE) in a three-round clash at the prestigious Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok. The news was confirmed by a source close to the negotiations.

Abdullaev has finished all 10 of his career wins, which includes two ONE Championship outings, only advancing past the first-round once. “Bakal” made his promotional debut in March 2023, knocking out Ho Taek Oh in under a minute. In his most recent bout in July 2023, the 26-year-old scored a spinning back kick technical knockout against previously-undefeated Aaron Canarte, again in less than a minute.

Meanwhile, Amir has gone the distance only once in his 10 career wins and is coming off a stoppage win over Ahmed Mujta…

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While she has managed to endure it mentally, Rose Namajunas believes cutting down to strawweight is no longer healthy for her body.

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Namajunas (11-6) made her flyweight debut in September 2023, coming up on the short side of a unanimous decision against top contender Manon Fiorot. “Thug” is slated to make her sophomore flyweight appearance this Saturday against Amanda Ribas (12-4) in the main event at UFC on ESPN 53.

Going into the matchup, Namajunas feels healthier not being bogged down by the additional turmoil of a strawweight cut. Along with an increased confidence in absorbing head strikes, Namajunas also believes her punches have gotten harder with the extra weight.

“My body is feeling great,” Namajunas said at UFC Media Day. “I definitely put on more muscle for this fight. I’m around the same size as I was last time but I’m just more filled in and more dense. So yeah, muscles are recovering, definitely was a very int…

Walt Harris will be ineligible to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship until 2027 after testing positive for multiple banned substances.

Harris (13-10) tested positive for anabolic steroids drostanalone and testosterone, as well as an aromatase inhibitor anastrozole, across multiple drug tests. Harris tested positive on drug tests administered on June 24 and July 12. Despite being informed of the adverse finding, Harris’ urine sample collected on Aug. 6 included anastrozole along with the previous steroids.

Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD), the company that took over the UFC’s drug testing program from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), imposed a four-year ban on Harris, which the UFC officially announced Wednesday. Harris’ ban came into effect on July 11, the date when he was informed of a provisional suspension due to his first failed drug test.

When Harris’ bout against Josh Parisian scheduled for July 15 fell through due to the failed dru…

👀

Which of the 4⃣marquee fights are you looking forward to most...❔

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(POLL BELOW) pic.twitter.com/d3IWdD2kKH — RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) March 19, 2024

Rizin Landmark 9 will take place on March 23 at World Memorial Hall in Kobe, Japan.

The Landmark series card replaced Rizn 46, which was the originally planned card for the date and venue.

Reigning lightweight champ Roberto Satoshi de Souza (15-3) will take on Keita Nakamura (36-11) in a non-title affair in the main event. The bout is scheduled for three five-minute rounds under Rizin mixed martial arts rules, which allow knees and kicks to the head of a grounded opponent.

De Souza’s five-fight winning streak, which included three title fights, was snapped by a decision loss to A.J. McKee in a non-title bout at the first Rizin vs. Bellator event in 2022. The Japanese Brazilian bounced back with a decision win over Spike Carlyle, but went on to suffer…

OVERTIME! ⏱️

Corey Anderson makes weight ahead of his main event matchup against Karl Moore for the Bellator Light Heavyweight Title! 🤝

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Presented by @ThatPrizeGuy#BellatorBelfast | TOMORROW 1PM ET | SSE Arena, Belfast 🎟️ On Sale NOW. Link in bio pic.twitter.com/s0AOL0PYue — Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) March 21, 2024 Bellator MMA returns for its first event since being purchased by the Professional Fighters League.

The Bellator 302 main event will see Corey Anderson take on Karl Moore for the vacant light heavyweight championship. Both men weighed 204.6 pounds for the title fight. Additionally, featherweight king Patricio Freire will put his belt on the line against Jeremy Kennedy in the co-main event after both weighed 145 pounds on the dot. Only one fighter missed weight as Vikas Singh Ruhil came in one pound over the featherweight limit for his prelim fight against Nathan Kelly.

"Overtime" is looking to claim…

[embedded content] Bellator MMA returns for its first event since being purchased by the Professional Fighters League.

The Bellator 302 main event will see Corey Anderson take on Karl Moore for the vacant light heavyweight championship. Both men weighed 204.6 pounds for the title fight. Additionally, featherweight king Patricio Freire will put his belt on the line against Jeremy Kennedy in the co-main event after both weighed 145 pounds on the dot. Only one fighter missed weight as Vikas Singh Ruhil came in one pound over the featherweight limit for his prelim fight against Nathan Kelly.

"Overtime" is looking to claim his first title after coming up short in 2022 against Vadim Nemkov. Since then, Anderson (17-6, 1 NC) has picked up a split decision win over Phil Davis. Looking to derail Anderson's attempt at glory is Ireland's Moore (12-2), who is riding a four-fight win streak inside the promotion. While three wins have been via decision, the Belfast native also hol…

Get ready for the launch of @BellatorMMA 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦 this Friday March 22nd! @KarisaMaxwell breaks down everything you need to know about Bellator’s new home in the US! Streaming exclusively on @SportsonMax 📝#BellatorBelfast pic.twitter.com/lvjp8YJXr9

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) March 20, 2024

The Professional Fighters League vowed to give Bellator MMA a makeover, but the organization's face remains the same -- just ask Eric Albarracin.

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“There will never be anybody to pass the Bellator GOAT because we’re in a new home,” Albarracin said of Bellator featherweight king Patricio Freire during a Zoom conference Wednesday. “Patricio started with MTV2 and then MTV, and then he was on the Spanish channel, Spike, Paramount, Showtime; and now we’re debuting on Max. Patricio has been a champion for all of that.”

The 36-year-old “Pitbull” will defend his title against Jeremy Kennedy on Friday at SSE Arena in Belfast, Nort…

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Hardly a couple of days after voicing frustration with the Ultimate Fighting Championship over a lack of communication, Conor McGregor claims to have received confirmation on his potential return to the Octagon.

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McGregor has been sidelined since breaking his leg in a trilogy clash with Dustin Poirier in July 2021. After recovering, McGregor went back and forth with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) before finally returning to their drug testing pool in October 2023. While “Notorious” has since teased multiple return dates, things seemingly weren't panning out at the negotiation table with the UFC. However, McGregor has now confirmed a return to action this summer, which isn’t the first time he has done so.

“We got confirmation a few days ago that it's all systems go,” McGregor told ESPN. “And ‘The Mac,’ ‘The Notorious,’ will be returning in the UFC Octagon this summer.”

McGregor starred opposite Michael Chandler (…

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Ovince St. Preux recently gave a breakdown of his drop to light heavyweight and Jon Jones’ 205-pound success translating to a move up to heavyweight.

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St. Preux scored a closely-contested split decision win over surging prospect Kennedy Nzechukwu at UFC Fight Night 239 on Saturday. While he has juggled between the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions throughout his career, “OSP” hasn’t competed at heavyweight in his last three outings, since a knockout loss to Tanner Boser in 2021. St. Preux has a simple explanation for his decision to stick around at 205 pounds: heavyweights hit harder and are harder to knock out.

“I mean they [are] big and they hit hard,” The 40-year-old told The Schmo. “The heavyweights now [are] a little bit different than the heavyweights back then because they’re a lot faster. Like a lot of heavyweights now, they’re a lot smaller, but they’re still bigger; they’re faster, stronger and of course heavy…

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Former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion Sean Strickland recently weighed in on Jon Jones and Conor McGregor’s future in the Octagon.

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Jones is sitting on the sidelines recovering from surgery with no timeline in sight for his heavyweight title defense. Despite multiple callouts from interim champ Tom Aspinall, “Bones” is expected to defend his strap against Stipe Miocic who hasn’t fought since 2021.

Aspinall recently had a run-in with Jones at the Arnold Sports Festival in Birmingham, England, which turned slightly awkward as “Bones” removed the Englishman’s hand from his shoulder and refused to pose for a face-off picture with the interim champion.

While Strickland (28-6) didn’t watch the interaction, he seemingly doesn’t have a high opinion of Jones in general.

“Eh, you know, at the end of the day, dude, Jon Jones is a piece of sh*t,” Strickland told the Schmo. “I know that the whole world knows …

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

Robelis Despaigne will attempt to build upon a spectacular Octagon debut when he faces Waldo Cortes-Acosta at UFC on ESPN 56.

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Multiple outlets confirmed the heavyweight pairing following an initial announcement from Despaigne’s manager on social media. UFC on ESPN 56 takes place on May 11 at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. A headliner has not been announced for the event.

Despaigne turned heads at UFC 299, where he knocked out Josh Parisian in just 18 seconds on March 9 at the Kaseya Center in Miami. The 35-year-old Cuban has finished all five of his opponents inside of a round — including four in 18 seconds or less.

Cortes-Acosta has been victorious in four of his five appearances after earning a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series. Most recently, “Salsa Boy” outpointed Andrei Arlovski at UFC Fight Night 234 on Jan. 13.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗘𝗿𝗮 𝗢𝗳 𝗠𝗠𝗔 𝗜𝘀 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲! @SportsonMax is the 𝗛𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 @BellatorMMA 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦 in the US! 🇺🇸

It all kicks off this Friday March 22nd at #BellatorBelfast, exclusively on MAX 📺 pic.twitter.com/usaHYwaZce

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) March 19, 2024

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Bellator MMA has a new broadcast home in the United States.

Professional Fighters League, which purchased the promotion last year, announced Tuesday that it has inked an exclusive media rights agreement with Warner Brothers Discovery to air Bellator Champions Series events on Max. This will include eight fight cards in 2024, beginning with Friday’s event in Belfast. Bellator Champions Series will be available on all Max plans, according to a release.

In addition to live events, Max subscribers will have access to a Bellator library of more than 300 previous events and 3,000 fights. Two new docu-series – Fight Camp Confidential and Fight Week – will debut toda…

While Sean Strickland has emerged as a success story in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, he is still haunted by his personal demons.

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The former UFC middleweight champion shared his struggles with mental health in a video on his Instagram account Monday night. According to Strickland, he has “everything I could ever want,” but that still isn’t a cure for what ails him.

Strickland’s full video statement is as follows:

“Man, all week I’ve been f—-d up, dude. I’ve been on the Twitter saying crazy s—t, just just f—-ing spiraling. I woke up and I told my girl, I was like, ‘Babe, I feel like a danger to people. I don’t feel like I should be out in the world.’ And I think that, you know, I have everything: I’m rich, I’m famous. Like, I have everything I’ve ever f—-ing wanted, and I still am mentally unwell. And I get in these like, mindsets, to where like, I want to burn everything down in the world. Like, I want to have nothing so I could just f—i…