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Max Holloway wants “real life BMF” Mark Coleman to wrap the belt around the winner of his UFC 300 clash against Justin Gaethje.

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Gaethje puts his BMF title on the line in a lightweight clash against “Blessed” at the milestone event on April 13 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The BMF title has historically been presented by a notable personality, first by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to Jorge Masvidal and then a retired Masvidal presenting it to Gaethje after the latter’s victory.

When asked whom Holloway would like to present the belt for his fight against Gaethje, the Hawaiian said there’s only one correct answer: Coleman. Holloway labeled Coleman a “real life BMF” owing to the former UFC heavyweight champion’s recent heroic actions.

Coleman’s childhood home in Fremont, Ohio, recently caught fire when the former Olympian was visiting his parents. It was the family pup, “Hammer,” that awakened Coleman, who then saved both his parents. Coleman …

Nate Landwehr wouldn’t advise anyone to become a professional fighter even though he admittedly loves his job “more than he probably should.”

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In his first fight as a father, Landwehr scored a come-from-behind Round 1 technical knockout win over Jamall Emmers (20-8) at UFC Atlantic City on Saturday. However, the Ultimate Fighting Championship fan favorite would never even wish for his worst enemy to pursue a career in mixed martial arts, let alone his son. Landwehr would in fact start by discouraging his son, which he believes is the first test to pass.

“That’s a tough one. I almost wouldn’t even wish this life on my worst enemy,” he said "The MMA Hour”. “I would try to discourage him [son], as that first little discouragement. And if he could get past, then he [could go ahead]. That’s why I always tell people, ‘Don’t do it.’ If me telling you, ‘Don’t do it,’ is gonna break you then you ain’t got what it takes. That’s always my go to. Somebody tel…

Ten fighters from UFC on ESPN 54 have been suspended indefinitely following Saturday’s card.

The New Jersey State Athletic Control Board on Monday released a full list of medical suspensions from the event. UFC on ESPN 54 took place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and saw Manon Fiorot defeat Erin Blanchfield via unanimous decision in the evening’s flyweight main event.

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Fiorot is one of the fighters facing an indefinite term, as she must have her right arm cleared by an orthopedic doctor befoe she can compete. At a minimum, the French standout is out 60 days with no contact. Blanchfield, meanwhile, is suspended 30 days due to facial lacerations.

Nine other fighters from UFC on ESPN 54 are also facing indefinite terms, which can be lifted through doctor clearance: Chris Weidman (needs head CT scan); Bruno Silva (left eye), Sedriques Dumas (right eye), Herbert Burns (needs neurologist clearance); Connor Matthews (needs neurologist clea…

Marcelo Golm will step in for Tyrell Fortune and face Daniel James at PFL 1 on Thursday night.

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The organization announced the new heavyweight bout on Monday. Golm vs. James is scheduled for the evening’s preliminary card. A reason for Fortune’s withdrawal was not given.

PFL 1 takes place at the Boeing Center in San Antonio, Texas, and features regular season bouts for heavyweights and women’s flyweights. The card is headlined by a heavyweight clash pitting Ante Delija against Valentin Moldavsky. The main card airs at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on ESPN2 and ESPN+, while prelims stream on ESPN+ at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟: Your Updated PFL San Antonio Fight Card

•Tyrelle Fortune is OUT•New Matchup: Marcelo Golm v. Daniel James•𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: Early Card starts at 6:30pm ET | Main Card starts at 10pm ET

[ #PFLRegularSeason |Thursday , April 4th |10PM ET | 🎟️… pic.twitter.com/sw8yUgRyb0

— PFL (@PFLMMA) …

Guilherme Bravo has weighed in on the eye-poke controversy that occurred in the bout between Chris Weidman and Bruno Silva at UFC on ESPN 54.

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Bravo, a key figure in MMA judging and refereeing in Brazil, offered some critiques of referee Gary Copeland on his weekly YouTube program, “Momento Bravo.” While the bout was initially a stoppage win for Weidman, it was later changed to a technical decision victory for the ex-middleweight champion when it was determined that Silva was affected by eye pokes during the stoppage.

"He clearly used double standards,” Bravo said of Copeland. “In Herbert Burns' fight against Julio Arce, he made perfect use of the video replay. Immediately after warning Burns that he had applied an illegal knee, he used the replay to check a second knee and removed the points immediately.”

Bravo also criticized Copeland’s attitude in the Weidman-Silva fight.

"Lately we have had a change in the conduct of fouls caused by finge…

Bruno Silva wasn’t pleased with referee Gary Copeland’s approach during his controversial loss to Chris Weidman at UFC on ESPN 54.

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"Before the fight, the referee comes to the dressing room and advises all fighters that open hands are not allowed and can be considered a foul,” Silva told Sherdog.com. “Weidman was unfair during the whole fight.”

“Blindado” pointed out that Copeland wasn’t as lenient earlier in the evening, when he took a point from Herbert Burns for an eye poke in the opening round of his bout against Julio Arce.

"He took one point from him after the second eye poke,” Silva said. “I got eye poked four times, and he did absolutely nothing.”

Silva said that his team didn’t initially understand why he fell to the ground during the final sequence against Weidman until they viewed the replay. While the bout was initially a stoppage win for Weidman, it was later changed to a technical decision victory for the ex-middleweight champio…

Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Dominick Reyes is ready to return to action after battling through potentially serious issue.

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Reyes revealed in a video post on Instagram that he has received a “clean bill of health,” clearing the way for him to fight again in the near future. “The Devastator” had been dealing with blood clots in his leg, which put a potential booking against Carlos Ulberg at UFC on ESPN 54 on hold.

“Hey everyone, I just got out of my appointment at Victor Valley Imaging and I got a clean bill of health. No evidence of deep vein thrombosis anymore. I’m pretty excited,” Reyes said. “I just got to finish off these next few days of blood thinners and I’m good to go, 100%. Thank you, everybody, for the kind words, the love, and reaching out and everything. Time to get back at it, baby. I’m ready to go.”

Reyes, who is perhaps best known for taking Jon Jones to the brink of defeat at UFC 247, has lost four straight O…

Urijah Faber’s return to combat sports has been confirmed.

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Faber announced in March that he would be returning to action under the banner of his own promotion, A1 Combat, but he didn’t specify an opponent. The promotion on Sunday officially announced a rematch between Faber and Jeff Curran that will headline A1 Combat 21 on May 25 at the Visalia Convention Center in California. The matchup will take place under combat jiu-jitsu rule set, which allows open palm strikes.

Faber and Curran faced each other for the first time at WEC 31 in 2007 with Faber’s featherweight title on the line. “The California Kid” went on to successfully defend his strap via a second-round submission.

Faber initially announced his retirement in 2016 following a unanimous decision win over Brad Pickett at UFC on Fox 22. He returned to competition in 2019, knocking out Ricky Simon in under a minute. Faber then suffered a brutal knockout loss to Petr Yan later that sa…

Julio Arce had a lot of pressure to deliver going into his UFC Atlantic City bout against Herbert Burns, and deliver he did.

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Arce scored a second-round KO win over Burns in his first bout since November 2022. Arce’s return was delayed when he was forced out of a UFC 285 booking against Cody Garbrandt in January 2023 due to an ACL tear that required surgery.

With the undeniable jitters of coming back from an injury already in his mind, Arce also had a bizarre weight miss. Arce initially weighed in at 147 pounds, a pound over the non-title featherweight limit, and was given an hour to shed the extra weight. While Arce claims to have tried his best to sweat it out, he miraculously gained half a pound the second time he weighed in. However, Arce doesn’t want to make any excuses about the odd weight miss and vows to make weight in future.

“I got on the scale, it said 147, we had an hour,” Arce said during a post-fight media scrum. “Because I know…

Igor da Silva is looking for a second chance after being cut from the Ultimate Fighting Championship for biting his opponent.

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Da Silva and Andre Lima squared off during the UFC on ESPN 53 preliminary card on March 23. The fight got off to a promising start, but the bout was called to stop in the second round with Lima complaining of a bite from da Silva. Referee Chris Tognoni briefly halted the contest before calling it off, as Lima’s right bicep showed an evident bite mark. Lima was declared the winner via disqualification and da Silva lost his UFC contract along with his perfect record.

While da Silva doesn’t have any explanation for his actions, he claims to have gone into “autopilot mode” after absorbing an elbow from Lima.

“There’s no plausible explanation [for the bite], right? I remember exchanging strikes with him, a close fight, but I was in autopilot mode after that elbow,” da Silva told MMAFighting.com. “I don’t remember anything af…

Nursulton Ruziboev wants to settle the score for Uzbekistan against Gerald Meerschaert after his UFC on ESPN 54 victory on Saturday.

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Ruziboev defeated Sedriques Dumas via technical knockout to score his second consecutive first-round finish in the UFC. Ruziboev called out Meerschaert in his post-fight Octagon interview and later elaborated on it during a media scrum.

Ruziboev is one of only three Uzbek fighters in the UFC, along with Bogdan Guskov and Makhmud Muradov, who suffered a submission loss to Meerschaert in 2021. Ruziboev now wants to avenge his fellow countryman’s loss against “GM3.”

“There’s only three Uzbek fighters in the UFC and one of them was beaten by Gerald Meerschaert. So, I want to revenge that loss and I wanna show that Uzbek fighters are not weak,” Ruziboev said.

With Meerschaert coming off a submission victory against Bryan Barberena earlier this month, the turnaround time might be perfect for a clash between the two.…

It wasn’t the cleanest of victories for Chris Weidman at UFC on ESPN 54, but given his struggles in recent years, the former middleweight champion will take a win any way he can get it.

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Weidman defeated Bruno Silva technical decision in their middleweight clash at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on Saturday night. It was a bout filled with controversy due to multiple eye pokes, including two that occurred during what initially appeared to be the finishing sequence. After Weidman poked his opponent in both eyes, he connected with a glancing left hook, and Silva tumbled to the canvas. From there, Silva covered up in pain as “The All-American” unloaded with ground-and-pound to force the stoppage at the 2:18 mark of Round 3.

Upon further review, the fight was scored where the eye pokes occurred, and Weidman was instead awarded with a technical decision triumph. At the post-fight press conference (video via MMAjunkie.com), Weidman claimed …

BUCKLEY HAMMERS HIS WAY TO A BIG WIN 🔨 #UFCAtlanticCity pic.twitter.com/wt09AB2Wiz

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 31, 2024

It was a strange sight to see Vicente Luque pull guard during his co-main event showdown with Joaquin Buckley at UFC on ESPN 54 on Saturday night.

After all, Luque is well-known for his finishing ability, as he ranks second all-time in the UFC’s welterweight division in that category with 13 career victories inside the distance. However, with Buckley getting the better of their clash at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, “The Assassin” opted for a different route, one which ultimately led to his demise. Once Luque pulled guard, Buckley unloaded with a salvo of ground-and-pound that led to the bout being halted at the 3:17 mark of Round 2.

“I laughed actually. I chuckled when he pulled guard,” Buckley said at the post-fight press conference. “This whole time I was thinking about Vicente. We all know he’s a tale…

Nate Landwehr is establishing himself as must-see TV in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The former M-1 Global champion garnered a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his knockout of Jamall Emmers in a preliminary featherweight bout at UFC on ESPN 54 in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Saturday night. Landwehr survived behing hurt early, rallying to put his adversary away with a massive uppercut and follow-up punches at the 4:43 mark of Round 1.

Elsewhere, Dennis Buzukja received the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for his stoppage of Connor Matthews in a preliminary featherweight affair. Buzukja dropped his foe with a right cross-left hook combination, then swarmed with hammerfists for the finish 22 seconds into the third stanza.

Finally, Ibo Aslan and Anton Turkalj earned “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 for their spirited rematch at light heavyweight. While both men had their moments over the first 10 minutes, A…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship women's flyweight division has a new top contender as Manon Fiorot impressed against Erin Blanchfield in the UFC on ESPN 54 main event.

The five-round fight began with Blanchfield (12-2) threatening with a guillotine choke as a counter to a takedown by Fiorot (12-1). The French fighter would survive the submission scare and find her rhythm on the feet. Using a steady jab and leg kicks, Fiorot kept Blanchfield at range and picked apart her foe. "Cold Blooded" lived up to her nickname as she adjusted and started throwing more recklessly in the fourth and fifth rounds. However, it wound up being too little too late for the American as she lost a unanimous decision with three scorecards of 50-45 for Fiorot.

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"The Beast" is now 6-0 inside the Octagon. Buckley Powers Past Luque The co-main event saw Joaquin Buckley cement himself as a welterweight contender against Vicente Luque. The first round was a more tepid affair, …

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Atlantic City, New Jersey, this weekend for UFC on ESPN 54. The event, which is set to unfold on Saturday at Boardwalk Hall, boasts an exciting mix of established names and emerging prospects. Experience the intensity of the event first-hand 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: Loughran (-355), Pacheco (+280)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Malkoun (-205), Petroski (+170)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Crit…

NATE THE TRAIN PULLS OUT OF THE STATION 🚂💨@NateTheTrain gets the FIRST ROUND KO at #UFCAtlanticCity pic.twitter.com/tDLbOVlj6w

— UFC (@ufc) March 31, 2024

Nate Landwehr made a statement at the expense of Jamall Emmers in the UFC on ESPN 54 featured prelim.

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The three-round featherweight fight saw Emmers (20-8) take control early, as his sharp punches cut Landwehr (18-5) above his left eye. However, "The Train" was as hard-hitting as his nickname and delivered a perfectly-timed uppercut that knocked out Emmers. Landwehr followed his foe to the floor with some punches and the fight was stopped at 4:43 of Round 1.

The 35-year-old has now won four of his last five fights, with the lone defeat coming to Dan Ige.

Jandiroba Edges Godinez Women's strawweight contender Virna Jandiroba passed a tough test by edging out Lupita Godinez over 15 minutes.

Jandiroba (20-3) finished a back-and-forth opening round strong by taki…

UFC 302 is official for Newark, New Jersey, and the June 1 card has a few new matchups, as well.

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The promotion announced the following bouts during the UFC on ESPN 54 broadcast on Saturday night: Ailin Perez vs. Joselyne Edwards at bantamweight; Phil Rowe vs. Jake Matthews at Jake Matthews at welterweight and Mickey Gall vs. Bassil Hafez at welterweight.

UFC 302 takes place at the Prudential Center and will also see Roman Dolidze face Anthony Hernandez at middleweight, while Grant Dawson will take on Joe Solecki at lightweight.

Perez has won two straight in the Octagon, including a unanimous verdict over Lucie Pudilova in her last outing at UFC Fight Night 232. Edwards, meanwhile, had a three-fight winning streak snapped in her last appearance when she fell to Nora Cornolle via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 226.

Rowe is coming off a split-decision defeat to Neil Magny at UFC on ABC 5, a loss that snapped a three-bout winning str…

Top 15 heavyweights will duke it out in St. Louis 👊@TheBeast_UFC vs @ZeColmeiiia is your #UFCStLouis main event! pic.twitter.com/NCIWb21V2b

— UFC (@ufc) March 30, 2024

A heavyweight clash pitting Derrick Lewis against Rodrigo Nascimento will headline UFC on ESPN 56.

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The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the booking on Saturday. UFC on ESPN 56 takes place at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis on May 11. The main card airs on ESPN and ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on ESPN and ESPN+ beginning at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.

Lewis, the UFC’s all-time leader in knockout victories with 14, has lost four of his last five Octagon appearances. Most recently, “The Black Beast” suffered a five-round unanimous decision loss to Jailton Almeida at UFC Fight Night 231 last November. Lewis’ lone victory during his current slump came when he stopped Marcos Rogerio de Lima in 33 seconds at UFC 291.

Nascimento is 4-…

The lineup for Bellator Champions Series Dublin continues to grow, as a lightweight showdown pitting Yancy Medeiros against Peter Queally has been added to the June 22 card.

Bellator Champions Series Dublin takes place at the 3Arena and is headlined by a welterweight title tilt between reigning champion Jason Jackson and Ramazan Kuramagomedov. The card will air on Max in the United States.

A 15-time UFC veteran, Medeiros will be making his third appearance under the Bellator MMAbanner. After debuting with a unanimous decision win over Emmanuel Sanchez at Bellator 279, the Hawaiian’s most recent outing against Charlie Leary at Bellator 295 — initially a submission victory — was overturned to a no contest.

Queally, meanwhile, is winless in his last four outings. Most recently, the Irishman’s clash against Daniele Miceli at Bellator 299 ended in just 26 seconds when his opponent landed an illegal soccer kick.

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Mike Sloan/Sherdog.com Credit: Mike Sloan/Sherdog.com Credit: Mike Sloan/Sherdog.com

A bantamweight clash pitting Cody Stamann against former Ares Fighting Championship bantamweight champion Taylor Lapilus has been added to the UFC Fight Night event set to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on June 8.

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

Stamann (21-6), will enter the Octagon on the heels of a unanimous decision loss to Douglas Silva de Andrade in May last year. The loss snap…

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Despite all the noise surrounding his next booking, Steve Erceg is laser-focused on his upcoming flyweight title meeting with Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301 and is hoping to walk away with a statement win over the Brazilian in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

Much has been made of Erceg (12-1) receiving a title shot just three wins and 11 months into his Ultimate Fighting Championship tenure. And while the Australian admittedly got the opportunity perhaps because he was “at the right place at the right time,” that won’t deter him from attempting to walk away with a decisive win over “The Cannibal.”

While “Astro Boy” sees Pantoja as a class act with superior grappling, the 28-year-old also sees himself soundly defeating the Brazilian, “especially on the feet.”

“Well, I like the way he carries himself; he carries himself respectfully. He has a great heart, super tough, obviously great grappling, he looks very strong. I just think there's a lot of hol…

If the skills explained by her coach come to fruition, Manon Fiorot is going to give Erin Blanchfield fits on Saturday.

Undefeated in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and riding a six-fight win streak in the organization itself, French striking ace Fiorot hired an important reinforcement for the camp to face Blanchfield on Saturday in Atlantic City, New Jersey: Brazilian luta-livre and jiu-jitsu black belt Flavio “Peroba” Santiago. Living in France since 2002, Santiago joined up with the burgeoning flyweight in December. He spoke to Sherdog ahead of her headlining appearance at UFC on ESPN 54, where he explained how training has fared thus far.

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“I’m really impressed by her work ethic,” Santiago gushed. “Every time I taught her some new technique, she repeated [it] until [getting] it done perfectly, and every new sparring, she came with some notes to ask me.”

The coach revealed that he was not just teaching her instructions from afar. Roughly …

A slow start did nothing to slow down Seiya Matsuda in his ONE Championship debut.

Multiple takedowns, ground-and-pound and a near submission carried the unbeaten Blue Dog Gym export to a split decision over Mikhail Gritsanenko in a ONE Friday Fights 57 catchweight showcase on Friday at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Two of the ringside judges struck scorecards for Matsuda (4-0, 1-0 ONE), who was overcome by emotion following the three-round battle at 163 pounds.

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Gritsanenko (3-2, 0-1 ONE) leaned on deft footwork and sharp counterattacks throughout much of the first round, where he let fly with two- and three-punch combinations, occasionally punctuating them with thudding kicks to the body. It was not enough to throw Matsuda off the scent. The 28-year-old organizational newcomer took down Gritsanenko in Round 2, moved to the north-south position and locked in a kimura. Pain contorted the Russian’s face, as he tried and failed to free …