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Joshua Van may be rough around the edges, but he has the look of a future contender in the Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight division.

Stellar takedown defense and superior standup carried the onetime Fury Fighting Championship titleholder to a unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten Rei Tsuruya in their featured UFC 313 prelim on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 30-27 for Van (13-2, 6-1 UFC).

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Tsuruya (10-1, 1-1 UFC) offered little outside of repeated takedown attempts, many of which went nowhere. Van called upon an effective sprawl and peppered the ex-Pancrase champion with a variety of strikes to the head and body. Frustration built for Tsuruya over time. Van increased the intensity of his attacks down the stretch, putting even more distance between himself and his one-dimensional opponent.

Meanwhile, Brazilian TKO standout Brunno Ferreira bounced back from his Oct. 26 submissio…

An icon for fighters and fight fans everywhere 🫡

THANK YOU @Ruthless_RL! Welcome to the #UFCHOF 🤝 | #UFC313 pic.twitter.com/98AHoX9Cvi

— UFC (@ufc) March 9, 2025

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Robbie Lawler is headed to the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.

It was announced on the UFC 313 broadcast that the former welterweight champion will be enshrined in the Modern Wing as part of a ceremony held during International Fight week this June. Lawler’s fight with Rory MacDonald at UFC 189 had previousy earned a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame’s Fight Wing.

“Robbie Lawler is one of the most badass athletes to every step inside the Octagon,” said UFC CEO Dana White. “Robbie was an absolute killer, and I have a ton of respect for his toughness and his fighting style, which helped grow the sport of MMA and UFC by attracting a lot of new fans. Robbie had an amazing career, and it will be an honor to induct him into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.”

…

UFC 313 will move forward with 10 bouts after losing a pair of preliminary contests on the day of the event.

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The Las Vegas-based promotion on Saturday announced that both Curtis Blaydes and John Castaneda have withdrawn from their respective fights due to undisclosed illnesses. Blaydes was supposed to face Rizvan Kuniev at heavyweight, while Castaneda was slated to meet Chris Gutierrez in a featherweight clash.

UFC 313 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a light heavyweight championship showdown between Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev. In the co-main event, Justin Gaethje will square off against Rafael Fiziev at lightweight. The main card airs on pay-per-view via ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. The prelims begin at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ESPN+/Disney+ and continue at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ESPNEWS/ESPN+/Disney+.

Blaydes has lost two of his last three Octagon appearances, including a first-round KO defeat to Tom…

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Things got heated between Jean Silva and Bryce Mitchell at the recent UFC 314 press conference.

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Silva and Mitchell are scheduled to trade leather at UFC 314 on April 12 at the Kaseya Center in Miami. The two recently came across each other at a press conference promoting the event at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Nevada.

Known for his controversial opinions, Mitchell was already getting booed by the crowd when Silva amped them up further by starting a “F--k Bryce Mitchell” chant.

Mitchell recently made headlines with anti-Semitic and homophobic comments, for which he later apologized. Silva later called out Mitchell, promising to teach him a lesson for the polarizing comments. Silva also brought a globe to the recent presser, promising to change Mitchell’s well-known opinion of a flat earth.

This will be yet another quick turnaround for “Lord,” who quickly rose to stardom with four consecutive finishes since his UFC debu…

😳 Fluffy Hernandez vs Robert Whittaker next?

“He’s a f*cking G, you know what I mean? He’s been in this sport forever. I would love to fight him. That would be a f*cking fun one.”

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🎥: @JakeNoeckerMMA x @Home_of_Fight

Full Anthony Hernandez interview:https://t.co/WiQBy0nmXy pic.twitter.com/CPIv8GFcNl

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) March 7, 2025

Anthony Hernandez (14-2) would like to have some room for error if he fights Robert Whittaker (26-8).

Making his way to the upper echelon of the middleweight division, Hernandez is now on the verge of attaining contender status. When asked about a potential clash against Whittaker next, Hernandez was excited by the idea.

“Fluffy” said that he would prefer five rounds against the former champ. Known for getting better as the fight progresses, Hernandez often gets tagged in the opening frame of the fight.

“I would love it. That would be an honor, he’s a G,” …

[embedded content] The Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight championship will be on the line as the main event of UFC 313 is now official after the weigh-ins took place.

Headlining the pay-per-view is a five-round championship bout between defending titleholder Alex Pereira and challenger Magomed Ankalaev. Both men had no trouble making weight, so the fight will go forward as planned. All of the rest of the card also made weight, so all 12 fights will move forward.

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Undefeated since moving up to light heavyweight, Pereira (14-2) has defended the 205-pound belt three times since winning it against Jiri Prochazka. All four of Pereira's light heavyweight title fights have ended in a knockout win for the Brazilian. "Poatan" rides a five-fight win streak into his latest test and stepped on the scale weighing 205 pounds on the dot.

Meanwhile, Ankalaev (19-1-1, 1 NC) arrives on a 13-fight unbeaten streak. While his previous title opportunity a…

🤯 BUSINESS JUST PICKED UP 🤯

Lazar Todev 🇧🇬 and Will Fleury 🇮🇪 get their hands on each other tomorrow night at OKTAGON 68.

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Who will leave Stuttgart as the baddest man in OKTAGON MMA?

📺 https://t.co/TVP7NaDRbZ & RTL+ pic.twitter.com/wMdXzwfnYh

— OKTAGON MMA (@OktagonOfficial) March 7, 2025 After stints in Bellator MMA and Professional Fighters League, it took Will Fleury only three fights to cement himself as a force in Oktagon MMA.

Since wrestling the light heavyweight title from Karlos Vemola last December, the new champ has set his eyes on another prize. On Saturday, he’ll look to add the heavyweight strap around his waist when he challenges No. 1-ranked challenger Lazar Todev for the vacant belt at Oktagon 68 at the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer Hall in Stuttgart, Germany.

Fleury (14-3, 1 NC) will ride a seven-fight win streak into Saturday’s main event. A year ago, he was looking for a home promotion after…

Caio Borralho has the utmost of confidence in his teammates at the Fighting Nerds.

Borralho will be in the corner of Mauricio Ruffy on Saturday, who will be squaring off with Bobby Green on the UFC 313 main card. Their burgeoning fight camp has been exploding with talent, with a number of impressive names on its roster including Carlos Prates, Jean Silva, Bruna Brasil and the aforementioned Borralho and Ruffy. The middleweight contender discussed his teammate Ruffy with Sherdog on Thursday, where he believes that no matter how it turns out, Ruffy vs. Green will end before the final bell.

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“TKO by Ruffy in the second round,” Borralho prognosticated. “Key point for him is not to get frustrated if he misses some punches, but I truly believe he is better than Green everywhere.”

The belief in one another in the Fighting Nerds stable is high as can be given the recent success by its members currently competing in the UFC. Borralho had high praise for Ruff…

UFC heavyweight Marcos Rogerio de Lima can’t get out of his own way.

On Thursday, Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) announced through the UFC that Rogerio de Lima had failed a drug test out of competition on Jan. 13. The Brazilian tested positive for anastrozole, a hormone modulator, that is prohibited at all times by the drug testing agency. It is the second time he has tested positive for this substance, first getting flagged in 2017 for the same thing. As this is his second doping violation on the roster, he has been suspended for one year, and will be allowed to compete again starting Jan. 24, 2026.

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Rogerio de Lima reportedly cooperated fully with the investigation, providing samples, putting the agency in contact with his physician and other things. He stated that the substance is used to treat a medical condition, but he never sought out a therapeutic use exemption to be permitted to take it. Because of this reasoning, CSAD handed down a lighter…

[embedded content] The art of bracketology is officially coming to the Professional Fighters League this year.

The organization, which ran a points-based playoff system for a tournament since its inception as PFL, has changed up how it will operate its eight grand prix divisions. In its stead will be a single-elimination tourney, with the eight classes each sporting eight participants plus a couple alternates for each weight category. The eight division are the following: heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight and women’s flyweight—of note, the league is re-adding 185 pounds while bringing the 135-pounders to the table for the first time.

On Thursday, the PFL sent out a press release announcing that it will be airing its bracket reveal show on ESPN+ this coming Tuesday, March 11. On that, the company will unveil the seeding of every competitor in the tournament, showing the path they will have to traverse in…

There appears to be a tentative timeline in place for Jon Jones’ next fight.

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During an appearance on "The Jim Rome Show” on Wednesday, UFC CEO Dana White hinted that Jones’ return to the Octagon might be sooner than most expected.

“The plan is to fight Jon this summer,” White said. “Obviously, when, where and all that stuff is being determined. My goal this year is to make that fight [with] Aspinall.”

Shortly after Jones defended his title at UFC 309 in November, White guaranteed that he would eventually put together a championship unification bout between “Bones” and Aspinall. However, Aspinall recently claimed that while both he and the UFC are on board for the fight, Jones is the one holding up negotiations. With that being said, Jones has made it clear that it would take a lucrative offer for him to accept a fight against the British heavyweight.

White also hinted that Saturday’s UFC 313 headliner could have an effect on the heavy…

With a title fight on the horizon, Magomed Ankalaev hasn’t been able to strictly adhere to his normal religious practices.

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This year, Muslims are observing Ramadan from Feb. 28 through March 29. Part of that observance involves abstaining from food or drink during that 30-day period from sunrise to sunset. Ankalaev, who faces Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight championship in the UFC 313 main event on Saturday, admitted that he had to break his fast during fight week — but only slightly.

“I have been following the fast strictly except for this week, where I will have to break it a few times because I need to make sure I drink water to have a successful weight cut,” Ankalaev told Ag.Fight. “But apart from that, I started with Ramadan. I have been fasting. And after the fight, I will obviously also follow the rules of religion as it has to be.”

The 32-year-old Ankalaev is unbeaten in his last 13 Octagon appearances and is coming off a 2024 …

French standout Manon Fiorot will take a seven-fight promotional winning streak into her title bout against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 315.

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Fiorot’s grappling coach, Flávio “Peroba” Santiago, revealed to Sherdog.com that the No. 1 flyweight contender has evolved a lot on the ground in recent years.

“Manon's work ethic is really impressive,” said the Luta Livre black belt, who has been living in France since 2001. “Since I started training her on the ground in December 2022, she only stopped to have surgery on her knee. Seven months later, she started the camp to fight Rose [Namajunas]. Ten months after the surgery she fought. After the fight with Rose, she stopped for a month and then started training for [Erin] Blanchfield.”

According to the Brazilian coach, the five rounds against Blanchfield were important preparation for this long-awaited fight against the champion.

"I believe Valentina will come to exchange punches but with the go…

One Shot to WIN. One Shot to ADVANCE. One Shot at a WORLD TITLE 🏆

Get to know the Heavyweights set to compete in the 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣5️⃣ #PFLWorldTournament

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[ #PFLWorldTournament | Thursday , May 1st | 📺 10PM EST | ESPN 2 | B2YB @Valrenergy ] pic.twitter.com/uAHVEMqpV9 — PFL (@PFLMMA) March 5, 2025

The entire lineup for the 2025 Professional Fighters League World Tournament is now in place.

On Wednesday, the promotion announced the rosters for the eight-man brackets at heavyweight and light heavyweight. Two alternates were also set for the 205-pound field. Alternates at heavyweight were not provided.

The heavyweight lineup includes the Oleg Popov, who fell to Denis Goltsov in the 2024 PFL finals and Alexander Romanov, who went 7-3 in the UFC before being released from the Las Vegas-based organization. Former Bellator MMA interim heavyweight king Valentin Moldavsky will also be a participant.

Read more about PFL Announces Heavyweight, Light Heavyweight Rosters for 2025 World Tournament

BOOOOOOM!!!!! Boxing here we come pic.twitter.com/XBRBT5mr3P

— danawhite (@danawhite) March 5, 2025

It isn’t exactly Zuffa Boxing, but after years of speculation, UFC CEO Dana White is finally getting directly involved with the Sweet Science.

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The new boxing promotion comes from a partnership between TKO Group Holdings — the parent company of the UFC and WWE — Turki Alalshikh and entertainment congomerate Sela.

“We have just done a deal to start a new boxing league with Turki, who absolutely loves the sport of boxing,” White said in a video on social media.

“The model is proven to deliver the fights that the fans want to see. The best will fight the best and the fighters will continue to move up the rankings and become world champions. We will continue to make announcements on where you can watch and all the rest of the details on the business as we get closer to the launch.”

“I am very happy today,” Alalshikh said…

Not everyone from Brazil will be on Alex Pereira’s side this Saturday.

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After a meteoric rise that saw him capture UFC belts in two divisions, “Poatan” has become perhaps the biggest idol of MMA in Brazil today. When he steps into the Octagon to make his fourth title defense against Dagestan’s Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313, Pereira will certainly have the gigantic Brazilian audience behind him.

Two Brazilians, however, are exceptions and will certainly be on Ankalaev’s side: UFC veteran and Porrada Training Center leader Ronny Markes, and former Professional Fighters League heavyweight champion Bruno Cappelozza. Both Markes and Cappelozza recently signed with the Global Fight League. 

Markes recently explained how the partnership with Ankalaev began.

“The first time Ankalaev trained with us here at Porrada TC was in 2021,” Markes told Sherdog.com. “But he also trained at Xtreme [Couture]. For this fight, however, he trained the last three…

Alex Pereira reacts to Magomed Ankalaev claiming he goes to UFC events for “free alcohol”

“I know the pain of the people. He is playing with the feelings of the fans, feelings of the people who go through that.”

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🎥 @AlexPereiraUFC #UFC313pic.twitter.com/G1yDUWOrNi — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 4, 2025

Alex Pereira overcame a significant obstacle in his life to become a Ultimate Fighting Championship title holder.

A former Glory kickboxing champ, Pereira’s career might have ended if not for a taunt from Israel Adesanya. While Adesanya had gone on to become a UFC champ, he once said that the only man to beat him twice in kickboxing must be drinking in a bar in Brazil. That motivated Pereira to start training and transition to MMA. The rest is history.

Pereira is scheduled to defend his light heavyweight title against Magomed Ankalaev in the main event at UFC 313 on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Ve…

👀Colby Covington nearly ran into former teammate Themba Gorimbo at UFC PI

🎥 @ColbyCovMMA ▫️pic.twitter.com/tZEjFHD3eL

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) March 4, 2025

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Colby Covington recently went out of his way to avoid crossing paths with former teammate Themba Gorimbo.

Gorimbo and Covington were once teammates at the MMA Masters gym in Florida. Gorimbo previously defended Covington, saying that the outspoken fighter was often misunderstood. Gorimbo admittedly had $6 left in his bank account leading up to his second UFC outing. The Zimbabwean later revealed that Covington used to bring him food when he was broke.

However, the two have since fallen out, allegedly due to a misconduct by Covington. According to Gorimbo, Covington threw him out of the UFC Performance Institute while “Chaos” was cutting weight for a title fight against Leon Edwards in 2023. What hurt “The Answer” even more was that Covington sent someon…

🌹😤 Movsar Evloev wants to go after Ilia Topuria to Lightweight division even if the title is not on the line.

☝️ Adds that it's nothing personal, he just wants to prove that he is the best Featherweight since Ilia beat everyone.🎥 @Home_of_Fight pic.twitter.com/qTHKtoQWYK

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) March 3, 2025

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Movsar Evloev wants to prove himself against Ilia Topuria, regardless of whether there’s a title on the line.

Topuria won the featherweight title against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 last year and defended it by knocking out Max Holloway for the very time in his career at UFC 308. While Evloev and Diego Lopes were the frontrunners for the next featherweight title shot, Topuria recently vacated the belt in favor of a move to lightweight. Lopes is now scheduled to fight Volkanovski for the vacant title at UFC 314 on April 12 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.

Meanwhile, Evloev has an unfulfille…

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Alex Pereira believes he can hold his own on the ground against Magomed Ankalaev.

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Pereira puts his light heavyweight title on the line against Ankalaev in the main event at UFC 313 on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Many expect it to be the toughest test yet for Pereira, who hasn’t faced a grappler of Ankalaev’s caliber in the UFC. However, “Poatan” promises to display his wrestling skills, which he has been honing under the tutelage of his friend and mentor, former champ Glover Teixeira.

Pereira recently posted a video of himself grappling with Teixeira in the snow. Ankalaev, who sounds supremely confident going into the fight, wondered aloud in the comments whether Pereira could do that for five rounds. Responding to Ankalaev, Pereira retorted back with the same question. Pereira believes if Ankalaev can’t grapple him for 25 minutes, the fight will take place on the feet, where the Brazilian expects to have a massi…

Caio Borralho is looking to move up the middleweight rankings.

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Borralho recently issued a callout to former 185-pound champion Robert Whittaker for a summer matchup. While Whittaker had recently called out Sean Strickland, Borralho urged “The Reaper” to stop calling out higher ranked opponents after a loss. “The Natural” wants to fight Whittaker at UFC 317 during the International Fight Week in June.

“Hey [Robert Whittaker], stop calling guys ahead of you in the rankings after [you] lose a fight bro!” Borralho wrote. “Let’s fight UFC 317 June [28] on International Fight Week! What do you think? What do you all fans think?”

Hey @robwhittakermma stop calling guys ahead of you in the rankings after u lose a fight bro!

Let’s fight UFC 317 June 29 on International Fight Week!

What do you think?What do you all fans think?

— Caio Borralho (@BorralhoCaio) March 3, 2025

The co-founder of The Fighting Nerds tea…

🗿🤼‍♂️ Movsar Evloev doesn't think that Magomed Ankalaev needs to wrestle to beat Alex Pereira this weekend.

He also added about Pereira:"Pereira doesn't defend himself very well. He just believes in his power."🎥 @Home_of_Fight pic.twitter.com/NzoFWJYI0j

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) March 3, 2025

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Movsar Evloev has a bold prediction for the upcoming title fight between Alex Pereira (12-2) and Magomed Ankalaev (19-1).

Ankalaev challenges Pereira for the light heavyweight title in the main event at UFC 313 on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Many expect Ankalaev’s wrestling to pose the biggest threat to knockout artist Pereira. However, Evloev believes Ankalaev doesn’t have to wrestle to beat the former Glory Kickboxing champ. According to Evloev, Pereira’s striking defense has enough holes for Ankalaev to exploit and get the win.

“Even if [Ankalaev] do not use his wrestling, I think he have enough ski…

Jean Silva recently took a dig a Movsar Evloev for mocking Diego Lopes.

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Ilia Topuria recently vacated the featherweight title to move up to lightweight. Lopes is now scheduled to fight Alexander Volkanovski for the vacant title in the main event at UFC 314 on April 12 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. This matchup didn’t go over well with Movsar Evloev, who is expected to be the next contender at featherweight. Evloev called Lopes his “chicken,” predicting Volkanovski to beat the Brazilian.

“[Alexander Volkanovski] good luck for your next fight,” Evloev wrote on X. “I know you’re gonna beat this guy. He’s my chicken.”

@alexvolkanovski good luck for your next fight. I know you’re gonna beat this guy. He’s my chicken.

— Movsar Evloev (@MovsarUFC) March 1, 2025

Silva, a surging force in the division, hit back at Evloev for his comments. “Lord” blamed Evloev’s inactivity for Lopes surpassing him for the title s…

Raul Rosas Jr. will return to action against Vince Morales at UFC Mexico City.

Multiple outlets confirmed the bantamweight pairing following an initial report from ESPN Deportes. UFC Mexico City — also known as UFC on ESPN 64 — takes place at Arena CDMX on March 29 and is headllined by a flyweight scrap pitting Brandon Moreno against Steve Erceg.

The 20-year-old Rosas Jr. has been victorious in four of five Octagon appearances since earning a UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series in September 2022. In his last outing, “El Nino Problema” went the distance in victory for the first time during his promotional tenure, taking a unanimous verdict against Qileng Aori at UFC 306.

Since beginning his second UFC stint last year, Morales has dropped back-to-back decisions agianst Taylor Lapilus and Elijah Smith. Morales went 3-5 during his first go-round in the promotion before winning five straight bouts on the regional circuit to earn another shot in the …