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Just three bouts into his Ultimate Fighting Championship tenure, Bo Nickal has already set a pretty high bar.

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That’s probably why his second-round submission of Cody Brundage in his third outing at UFC 300 was met with a collective shrug from the MMA community. After all, Nickal’s first five professional appearances all ended inside of a round. For whatever it’s worth, the former NCAA national champion wrestler wasn’t too impressed with his performance, either.

“I feel good, but it’s definitely mixed emotions because I felt like I could have performed better,” Nickal said in a backstage interview with the UFC. “I don’t judge based on wins and losses, I judge based on how I feel I performed. i could have done a lot better in certain areas. Given the time off, I was a little too amped up. And given the fact that I finished everybody pretty fast, I was trying to knock the guy out. So it’s just a good lesson and stuff that I’ll be appreciative of movi…

Arman Tsarukyan punched a fan during his walkout to fight Charles Oliveira 😅 pic.twitter.com/DMoX27o8H1

— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) April 14, 2024

The fan who was the target of an Arman Tsarukyan punch during the fighter’s walkout at UFC 300 doesn’t plan on taking legal action against the promotion.

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Video surfaced of Tsarukyan throwing a punch into the crowd as he walked to the Octagon for his lightweight bout against Charles Oliveira at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. The fan, who has been identified as Obed Ardon, has issued a statement regarding his actions at the event.

“I’d like to apologize to Arman for provoking him by flipping him off. I was buzzing all day and the moment got to me,” Ardon told Bloody Elbow.

“It was my first time attending a live UFC event and it was absolutely incredible. I’m glad the incident wasn’t as bad as it could have been. I do want to make clear that I didn’t pull…

Former Bellator MMA champion Patricky Freire’s debut in the Professional Fighters League against Clay Collard was one of the most anticipated fights of the organization’s 2024 season.

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The bout lived up to the hype, as the Brazilian floored Collard in the opening stanza before suffering a technical knockout loss at the 1:32 mark of Round 2 on Friday at the Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas.

Freire revealed that his change in demeanor late in the opening frame was due to an injury that plagued him in his camp.

“This camp was very tough for me,” Freire told Sherdog.com. “I had tendonitis in my knee that forced me to have an injection 10 days ago, otherwise I wouldn't be able to fight.

"A lot of people asked me after the fight why I changed my aggressive posture after the knockdown. [It was because] I felt some kicks he landed in addition to the injury.”

Freire revealed that he is scheduled to undergo a healing stem cell treatmen…

🦁🔥 #ufc300 pic.twitter.com/5VYCApO0Ke

— Amanda Nunes (@Amanda_Leoa) April 14, 2024

Kayla Harrison didn’t take long to respond to the video published by former two-division Amanda Nunes in the aftermath of the Olympic judoka’s successful Octagon debut at UFC 300.

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“I didn’t say her name because for me Amanda was already retired,” Harrison told Brazilian journalist Diego Ribas. “If I knew she was planning to return, of course I would call her out. But if she wants to come back, I will welcome her with open arms.”

While Harrison looked strong in her first fight at 135 pounds, she admitted that making the cut was challenging.

“The last pound was mentally very hard,” Harrison said. “I slept really bad that night, but whenever I set a goal in my life I always achieve it.”

Current bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington recently stated that Harrison should not be able to fight for a UFC title in just her second pr…

Aljamain Sterling is well aware that his victory over Calvin Kattar at UFC 300 won’t be enough to propel him into an immediate title shot at 145 pounds.

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While “The Funkmaster” controlled the fight with takedowns and control to sweep the scorecards in his featherweight debut, it wasn’t the type of effort that turned heads, particularly on a night filled with memorable performances. Sterling elected to move to 145 pounds after losing the bantamweight crown to Sean O’Malley at UFC 292 last August, ending a reign that spanned three successful title defenses.

“Everyone’s telling me to cheer up, but I’m just a little bit down on the performance,” Sterling said in a backstage interview with the UFC on Saturday night. “Mentally, from my internal perspective, it felt like if I’m going to challenge for a belt, I need to be able to do a little bit more. I’m my own worst critic sometimes. I know I did well. It’s just I felt like, is that championship material?…

Things did not go as planned for Holly Holm at UFC 300.

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The former bantamweight title holder offered little resistance against Kayla Harrison, as she suffered a second-round submission defeat in a preliminary bout on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. While the former boxing champion figured to have an advantage at range against Harrison, a two-time gold medalist in judo, Holm instead elected to clinch with her opponent. Although “The Preacher’s Daughter” was able to reverse Harrison early, she was largely overmatched against the former Professional Fighters League lightweight champion.

“Well, none of that went how I had envisioned over the last 10 weeks of this training camp. I have no excuses. I had all the best coaching, the best teammates, the best sparring, all the help I could have even dreamed of asking for,” Holm said in a video post on Instagram.

“I went out there and I lost all focus on the game plan. I did nothing that we …

Bobby Green claims Paddy Pimblett would have done better to not mention his name at all.

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Green earned a unanimous decision win over Jim Miller at UFC 300 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday. He then called out Pimblett for the UFC’s rumored card in Manchester, England, in June.

“Paddy how dare you? You slimy, sugary little snake,” Green said in his post-fight interview. “How dare you say my name? I’m coming after you. July, I’m coming to your backyard, to your people and kick your ass.”

Green later explained that he was only returning Pimblett’s favor by calling out the Liverpudlian.

“Because he called me,” Green said during a post-fight media scrum. “He shouldn’t have said my name. He should have kept it to those other guys. This guy right here will find you. And when I line it up, when I get the sights right, you’re gonna pay dearly.”

Pimblett and Green have appeared to be on a collision course for a while now. Pimble…

Arman Tsarukyan punched a fan during his walkout to fight Charles Oliveira 😅 pic.twitter.com/DMoX27o8H1

— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) April 14, 2024

Arman Tsarukyan has a stern warning for fans after one instigated him to throw a punch during his UFC 300 walkout.

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Tsarukyan defeated former 155-pound champ Charles Oliveira via closely-contested split decision at UFC 300 on Saturday. The Armenian-Russian also had a brief physical altercation with a fan while walking out for the fight. Tsarukyan could be seen nonchalantly throwing a right hand at someone before resuming his walkout.

Lock this violent criminal up for assault. Roid raging thug pic.twitter.com/VpyPuS11Dl

— ape (@qpe) April 14, 2024

Tsarukyan later explained that a fan flipped him the bird and wanted to punch him, inciting the reaction that was captured on video. “Ahalkalakets” warned fans against harassing fighters, as it could lead …

Ilia Topuria wants to defend his featherweight title against Max Holloway after the Hawaiian’s phenomenal performance at UFC 300 on Saturday.

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Holloway moved to lightweight to challenge Justin Gaethje for the BMF title at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. A sizeable underdog going into the matchup, Holloway delivered one of his career best performances, piecing “The Highlight” apart before knocking him out cold in a buzzer beater. “Blessed” also walked away with both the “Fight of the Night” and “Performance of the Night” honors, which were raised to $300,000 each for the special card.

Holloway’s performance was enough to catch the attention of the featherweight champion. While he had called out Islam Makhachev, Conor McGregor and even Khabib Nurmagomedov after his title win over Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February, “El Matador” finally claims to be sure of who he wants to fight next.

"Its clear for me, my next fight is against Max Hol…

While Jiri Prochazka appreciates the $300,000 bonus he received for his UFC 300 performance, he insists that mixed martial artists don’t fight for money.

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Prochazka scored a come-from-behind second round technical knockout win over Aleksandar Rakic on the UFC 300 preliminary card at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday. Prochazka also won one of two “Performance of the Night” bonuses, which was raised to $300,000 from $50,000 for the iconic card.

Known for his embodiment of the samurai mindset, Prochazka insists that he and all fighters fight to put on a show and not for money. However, “BJP” certainly appreciates the freedom to do good deeds that comes with money.

“You know I thought about that a few minutes ago when they told me that,” Prochazka told The Schmo. “For all the fighters, there is a point, we’re not fighting for the money, we’re fighting because it’s in our blood. It’s our will to win the fight, to make a best performance,…

Max Holloway had to remind the doubters at UFC 300 that he was one-half of the BMF title fight for a reason.

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Based primarily on a previously-unsuccessful venture to 155 pounds in 2019 and opponent Justin Gaethje’s well-earned reputation as a wrecking machine, Holloway entered Saturday’s fight as the underdog. And don’t think for a second that the former featherweight champion wasn’t well aware of public perception.

“Brother, I was counted out,” Holloway said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “People were telling me, ‘What are you doing? Justin’s too big, too strong,’ just a lot of stuff. People needed to get reminded, and I let them know. I was telling people all week, ‘I’m him. I’m here,’ and you guys need a reminder.”

What transpired in the Octagon was one of the most complete performances of Holloway’s career. “Blessed” appeared to break Gaethje’s nose with a spinning back kick to the face at the end of Round 1, and he poured it on …

There wasn’t anything that could stop Alex Pereira from leaving UFC 300 with the light heavyweight title still in his possession.

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The former Glory Kickboxing champion suffered a broken pinkie toe in the weeks ahead of his bout against Jamahal Hill, then brushed off a groin shot just moments before authoring a devastating knockout victory 3:14 into the opening round of Saturday’s headliner at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC CEO Dana White revealed Pereira’s injury during Saturday’s post-fight press conference, but it wasn’t something “Poatan” planned on letting affect his performance.

“That happened in the last couple of weeks,” Pereira said. “It’s not something that I was going to pull out of the fight. I had to push through. It happened in the moment of my camp that I had to be slowing down my training, so I had to just push through.”

After a measured beginning from both light heavyweights, referee Herb Dean was about to step in and pau…

Diego Lopes wants to avenge the lone Ultimate Fighting Championship loss of his career after an impressive finish over Sodiq Yusuff.

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Lopes knocked out Yusuff in under 90 seconds to score his third consecutive first-round stoppage win at UFC 300 on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Lopes jumped over the Octagon immediately after his victory and could be seen having a conversation with Dana White. Lopes subsequently revealed that he was asking the UFC CEO for a rematch against Movsar Evloev, who spoiled the Brazilian’s UFC debut in May 2023. Lopes came close to submitting Evloev on short notice at UFC 288, but he ultimately went on to lose via unanimous decision.

“Movsar is next in the International Fight Week, give me the rematch… I think the first fight speaks for itself,” Lopes said during a post-fight media scrum. “I think whatever fights came after that, they say I deserve a rematch.”

While Lopes has since racked up three…

Kayla Harrison believes she has moved a step closer to bringing Amanda Nunes out of retirement with her dominant Ultimate Fighting Championship debut win over Holly Holm.

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Harrison scored a second-round submission win over the former UFC bantamweight champion at UFC 300 on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The former two-time Olympic gold medalist judoka called for a title shot next, vowing to be champion by the end of 2024.

“I want my title next, Joe [Rogan],” Harrison said in her post-fight interview. “That’s what I came over for here, one thing and one thing only. I don’t care if it’s Raquel [Pennington], I don’t care if it’s Julianna [Pena], by the end of the year I will be UFC champion.”

Harrison’s performance certainly caught the attention of consensus women’s MMA GOAT Amanda Nunes. “The Lioness” retired after defending her bantamweight title against Irene Aldana at UFC 289 in June 2023 but has since alluded to a possib…

Deiveson Figueiredo believes his UFC 300 victory over Cody Garbrandt warrants a title shot next.

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After going toe-to-toe in a close first round, Figueiredo dominated Garbrandt on the ground en route to a rear-naked choke submission in Round 2. Making his case for a title shot next, the 36-year-old noted that he handed the former bantamweight champ the first submission loss of his professional career.

“Cody, he’s a former champion, a magnificent guy, you know, he’s a really big name here,” Figueiredo said during a post-fight media scrum (via YouTube translation). “And I’ve never seen anyone submit Cody Garbrandt, and today I came and dominated the fight against him and I submitted him. And I really hope to have this opportunity to fight for the belt.”

While Figueiredo called for a title shot next, No.1 contender Merab Dvalishvili is expected to get his long overdue title shot against Sean O'Malley sometime later this year. The Brazilian doesn’t…

Islam Makhachev’s next title defense will come against Dustin Poirier in the UFC 302 main event.

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UFC CEO Dana White announced the booking during the UFC 300 post-fight press conference on Saturday night. UFC 302 takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on June 1. Meanwhile, a five-round clash pitting Sean Strickland against Paulo Costa will serve as the evening’s middleweight co-headliner.

Makhachev will carry a 13-bout UFC winning streak into the matchup with Poirier. The Dagestani standout last appeared at UFC 294, where he scored a first-round knockout of ex-featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski this past October.

This will mark Poirier’s third attempt at capturing undisputed lightweight gold after falling to Khabib Nurmagomedov in September 2019 and to Charles Oliveira in December 2021. “The Diamond” is coming off a second-round KO of Benoit St. Denis at UFC 299 on March 9.

Strickland will be fighting for the first …

The long-awaited showdown between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler finally has a date.

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UFC CEO Dana White announced on Saturday night that McGregor and Chandler will square off in the main event of UFC 303 on June 29. The fight will be contested at 170 pounds. UFC 303 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and marks the conclusion of International Fight Week.

McGregor and Chandler served as opposing coaches on “The Ultimate Fighter 31,” but their fight has been delayed on multiple occasions since the conclusion of the reality show this past summer.

McGregor will be competing for the first time since July 2021, when he suffered a badly broken leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. The former UFC two-division champion has lost three of his last four Octagon appearances, with his lone victory during that time coming via first-round TKO against Donald Cerrone at UFC 246.

Chandler, a former Bellator lightweight king, has also…

When all is said and done, Max Holloway will likely go down as the star of stars at the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s 300th event.

The Hawaiian star earned a whopping $600,000 in bonus money for his efforts at UFC 300 in a BMF title bout against Justin Gaethje at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Not only did Holloway earn $300,000 for “Performance of the Night,” but he received another $300,000 for sharing “Fight of the Night” honors with Gaethje. The fight ended in the most memorable fashion possible, as Holloway and Gaethje traded blows in the waning seconds of the fifth round until “Blessed” rendered his opponent unconscious at the 4:59 mark, tying it for the latest finish in a five-round fight in UFC history.

Elsewhere, Jiri Prochazka captured the card’s other $300,000 “Performance of the Night” check by virtue of his stoppage of Aleksandar Rakic in a preliminary light heavyweight clash. After struggling with his opponent’s low kicks in…

A fight we will never forget 👏

Silva vs Sonnen 1, welcome to the UFC HOF! #UFC300 pic.twitter.com/MaN0f0rqZk

— UFC (@ufc) April 14, 2024

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The first time Chael Sonnen locked horns with Anderson Silva, he nearly shocked the world.

To this day, the UFC 117 bout between the two middleweight rivals ranks among the most memorable in promotion history, which is why it will be enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame “Fight Wing” this summer. While Sonnen controlled the majority of the fight with his wrestling, Silva avoided the upset when he locked in a triangle armbar at the 3:10 mark of Round 5 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

“The first fight between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen was incredible,” said UFC CEO Dana White. “This is the fight that made Anderson a star and showed the world that Chael could compete with anyone in the division. This incredible dogfight had everything you want in a five-round title fig…

The otherworldly power of Alex Pereira claimed another victim, this time under the brightest of all spotlights.

Pereira punched out Jamahal Hill to retain his undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight crown in the first round of their UFC 300 headliner on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Pereira (10-2, 7-1 UFC) tagged his latest challenger’s figurative toe 3:14 into Round 1.

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Hill (12-2, 6-2 UFC) answered leg kicks from the Brazilian with a few of his own but provided the champion with no real cause for concern. Pereira stalked forward behind stabbing jabs to the body, bided his time and marked his territory with a cold stoicism. He calmly brushed aside referee Herb Dean after absorbing an accidental kick to the groin, decked Hill with a left hook mere seconds later and then pounced with punches and hammerfists to cap a near-flawless performance.

Meanwhile, Syndicate MMA’s Weili Zhang waded through considerable difficulty t…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s journey from its modest origins in the early 90s to its current status as a global phenomenon has been nothing short of extraordinary.

Throughout this journey, specific moments stand out as turning points, with very few as prominent as Saturday’s UFC 300 showcase. This landmark event is poised to spotlight the pinnacle of mixed martial arts competition on April 13 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In the main event, Alex Pereira will attempt to defend the light heavyweight title against Jamahal Hill, the former king who did not lose his throne in competition. The co-main event pits Weili Zhang against Xiaonan Yan in the first all-Chinese championship fight in UFC history. Stay tuned to Sherdog.com as we bring you live coverage and play-by-play of all the action as it unfolds inside the Octagon starting at 6 p.m. ET.

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BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Figueiredo (-310), Garbrandt (+250)Round 1 Sherdog Scores …

Jiri Prochazka deals in unadulterated violence.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight titleholder dispatched Aleksandar Rakic with punches in the second round of their featured UFC 300 prelim on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Rakic (14-4, 6-3 UFC) checked out 3:17 into Round 2, as he bounced back from his Nov. 11 knockout loss to Alex Pereira.

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Prochazka (30-4-1, 4-1 UFC) endured some initial suffering. Rakic tortured him with devastating kicks to the lower leg for much of the first five minutes, forcing him to switch stances. Prochazka was undeterred. He wobbled Rakic with right hands on multiple occasions in the second round, eventually set him on skates and gave chase with follow-up punches and a knee strike to the head along the fence. It was the beginning of the end. Rakic ultimately collapsed in the center of the cage, absorbing a barrage of elbows and punches before he turned away from contact. A few more punche…

Professional Fighters League’s second card of 2024 witnessed light heavyweight and lightweight competitors go to war in Las Vegas to make a push towards the playoffs.

PFL 2’s light heavyweight action undoubtedly left fans mesmerized as every clash at 205 ended with a finish in the first frame. PFL 2022 light heavyweight king Rob Wilkinson, Joshua Silveira, Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov, 2023 light heavyweight tournament winner Impa Kasanganay and Antonio Carlos Jr. all walked away with the maximum six points thanks to their Round 1 finishes.

Meanwhile, lightweight Michael Dufort earned five points courtesy of a Round 2 submission triumph against Mads Burnell; Clay Collard returned to the win column and bagged five points, scoring a Round 2 technical knockout win against Patricky Freire; Brent Primus also racked up five points in the divisional standings with a submission victory over Bruno Miranda in Round 2; Elvin Espinoza knocked out Adam Piccolotti with a flying knee …

Israel Adesanya isn’t too happy with reigning champion Dricus Du Plessis’ refusal to compete at UFC 300.

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The former middleweight champion, who lost his belt to Sean Strickland at UFC 293, was eagerly hoping to return to action against reigning champion du Plessis at the marquee event that goes down on Saturday. In fact, “The Last Stylebender” had been training for around three to four weeks leading up to the revelation that a fight with Du Plessis at UFC 300 was off the table.

“I was heartbroken, because I thought it was us and I was like, ‘Oh! they’ll announce, they’ll announce it and Tim [Adesanya’s manager] was holding out because he and Hunter, shoutout Hunter and Dana, they were like going back-and-forth and then. I'm glad Tim called me before they announced it, like, I think three minutes before they announced Jamahal [Hill] versus Alex [Pereira] because if I found out on Instagram, I would have been like, Dana would have got calls, because …