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Valentin Moldavsky's finishes may be rare, but they’re electric.

The former Bellator MMA heavyweight surged onto the Professional Fighters League scene with a first-round TKO win over 2022 PFL king Ante Delija in the 2024 Season Opener main event on Thursday at Boeing Center in San Antonio, Texas.

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Moldavsky hasn’t finished an opponent since 2018 but wasted little time taking out Delija. With a body kick midway through the first round, Moldavsky stunned the former champ and pounced until the fight was stopped (2:17). With the win, Moldavsky picked up six points and is headed to the top of the PFL playoff standings.

Denis Goltsov took his first step back toward the PFL heavyweight crown after TKOing former Bellator title contender Linton Vassell in the third round (3:11). Goltsov was worked over for most of the opening period but turned the tide once Vassell’s energy ran out in the second. Neither man could barely stand, but Goltsov found enough e…

The Professional Fighters League will kick off its 2024 campaign with 2024 PFL Regular Season 1 at 6:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+) on April 4 at Boeing Center in San Antonio, Texas. The main card begins at 10 p.m. on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

As the event ushers in the onset of the regular season, fighters in the heavyweight and women’s flyweight divisions will seize the maiden opportunities to accrue crucial points in the standings, laying the groundwork for potential playoff contention as summer draws closer. Dive into the heart of the action with Sherdog’s live play-by-play coverage and scoring, delivering a real- time account of every gripping encounter within the cage.

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Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Jay Pettry scores the round: Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the ro…

Brunno Ferreira is dead set on fighting Sharabutdin Magomedov before it is all over.

In January, the Brazilian middleweight known as “The Hulk” triumphantly rebounded after his first career defeat by smashing Phil Hawes before the end of the first round. This win righted the ship after a humbling 77-second knockout loss to Nursulton Ruziboev. Ferreira (11-1) will return to the cage on June 8, but it is not against the foe he wanted. The Brazilian TKO fighter would have preferred a match with Magomedov, but he will take on Dustin Stoltzfus (15-5) at that UFC Fight Night show instead.

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“Unfortunately, Shara Magomedov escaped from me for a second time,” Ferreira told Sherdog. “We had a fight prescheduled for June 22 in Saudi Arabia, but he escaped from me and accepted an easier opponent where he doesn’t run any risk from being taken down. But fortunately, [the] UFC found [me] Stoltzfus, which is a great opponent to me. Just like Hawes, he will permit me t…

PFL Featherweights Brendan Loughnane, Pedro Carvalho, Bubba Jenkins and Kai Kamaka are about to meet for a presser before their April 19 card in Chicago.

Stay tuned for updates. #PFLRegularseason

— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom) April 4, 2024

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Winds of change have blown into the Professional Fighters League this year, so it’s fitting that the promotion will make a stop in Chicago. But before the PFL blows into Wintrust Arena on April 19, a few of the organization’s top featherweights doubt this season will be a breeze for anyone.

Featherweight 2022 champion Brendan Loughnane has faced nearly the same group of fighters since signing with PFL in 2019. It’s not that he doesn’t enjoy fighting Bubba Jenkins or Chris Wade on a yearly basis, but the Manchester, England, native fancies a new challenge. That’s exactly what he’ll get this season against former Bellator MMA contender Pedro Carvalho and other debuting fighters.

“I…

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Kade Ruotolo will hope to break a funny “curse” when he shares the ONE on Prime Video 21 card with his twin brother, Tye Ruotolo.

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The ONE Championship lightweight submission grappling champion will face innovative Brazilian standout Francisco Lo in a 180-pound catchweight matchup at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok on April 5. Ruotolo has coincidentally never picked up a finish in any of the cards he previously shared with Tye, who, on the other hand, managed to submit his opponent every time. But Ruotolo insists it wasn’t due to a lack of effort on his part.

“It was the funniest thing because that’s been my ONE Championship curse as of recently,” the 21-year-old said during the ONE Fight Night 21 media day. “You know, it’s my style, it’s no lack of effort, I’m coming close in almost every match. In the Shinya [Aoki] match, I had the buggy choke at the end, which was real tight. The Tommy [Langaker] one, I finished in a triangle that…

Ben Tynan is looking to maintain his perfect stoppage streak against Duke Didier at ONE on Prime Video 21.

Tynan (5-0) will take on Didier (8-2) at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok on April 5 in what will be his sophomore ONE Championship outing. Tynan made his promotional debut in November 2023 with a third-round submission win over Ji Won Kang, which was the longest “Vanilla Thunder” ever competed as a professional or amateur.

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Looking back at the matchup, Tynan admits that Kang’s initial aggression took him by surprise.

“I thought I was going to have to bring the striking out, and he was what I was expecting,” the 30-year-old said during ONE Fight Night 21 media day. “Going into the fight, I figured a guy like that, he's probably going to be more cautious of my fighting. So I thought maybe he would like to stick with the jab, stay lower, and move, but he came out guns blazing, and it actually surprised me at first. And I was like, ‘Oh, cool, al…

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Cris Cyborg will return to the sweet science.

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Cyborg (3-0 Boxing, 27-2 MMA) is booked to headline Green Bay Fight Night opposite Widnelly Figueroa (0-2) at the Watering Hole in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on April 27. The fighter’s team reported the booking through a press release.

Promoted by Roughhouse Promotions and Salomon Becerra, the bout is scheduled for four two-minute rounds with 10-ounce gloves at 154 pounds.

Cyborg scored a first-round knockout over Kelsey Wickstrum in January to extend her perfect record to 3-0 in the ring. Meanwhile, Figueroa returns to action for the first time since 2017, still in search of her first pro win.

Cyborg’s return to boxing comes amidst long drawn-out negotiations regarding a mixed martial arts clash against Professional Fighters League featherweight champ Larissa Pacheco. The Bellator MMA featherweight champ was surprisingly not a part of the champ vs. champ card that went down i…

Pedro Falcao will make his Octagon debut on less than a week’s notice against Victor Hugo Silva at UFC Fight Night 240.

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Falcao is a late replacement for Heili Alateng, who was forced to withdraw from the bantamweight contest for undisclosed reasons. Multiple outlets confirmed the new booking following an initial report from MMA Mania. UFC Fight Night 240 takes place on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a middleweight bout pitting Brendan Allen against Chris Curtis.

Falcao will enter his first promotional foray with a 16-3 career mark that includes 11 victories inside the distance. The 31-year-old Brazilian scored a third-round knockout of James Barnes on Dana White's Contender Series in 2021 but did not receive a UFC contract as a result of that performance. Most recently, he choked out two-time UFC veteran Leonardo Morales Tuff-N-Uff 134 this past November.

Hugo, meanwhile, is in the midst of a 13-bout winning strea…

According to Manel Kape, a rib injury forced him to withdraw from a proposed flyweight clash against Matheus Nicolau in the UFC on ESPN 55 main event.

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“This is the first time I’ve ever [pulled] out of a fight,” Kape wrote on X. “I broke the cartilage of my rib, and I couldn’t move for a week. On Thursday last week, my surgery went extremely well. [Bear] in mind that all my fights that got canceled in the past [were] due to my opponents.

“Where I came from we used to fight for free. I’m not bragging about [it]. I’m just being honest, so don’t ever think I’m like some of you guys.”

This is the first time I’ve ever pull out of a fight, I broke the cartilage of my rib and I couldn’t move for a week. On Thursday last week my surgery went extremely well. Bare in mind that all my fights that got cancelled in the past was due to my opponents.

Where I came from…

— マネル・ケイプ موسى Manel Kape (@ManelKape) April 3, 202…

Friends and family members of athletes competing at the UFC Apex will have the opportunity to watch them fight under a new ticket policy recently introduced by the Las Vegas-based promotion.

UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell sent out a memo on Tuesday revealing that fighters will receive four seats to “watch their fight only” at the Las Vegas facility. The policy will begin with Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 240 card. MMAjunkie.com was first to report the news.

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“Beginning with UFC Fight Night this Saturday, April 6, athletes who compete on cards at UFC Apex will receive four (4) seats for friends and family to watch their fight only,” Campbell wrote in the memo. “Following the bout, your guests will be escorted out of Apex. This practice will be in effect for all events at UFC Apex going forward.

“UFC Event Operations VIP Hosts will coordinate all details with you during fighter check-in of your respective fight weeks at the host hotel. All …

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The headliner for Professional Fighters League’s first regular season event of 2024 is now official.

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Heavyweight competitors Ante Delija and Valentin Moldavsky hit their contracted marks without issue at Wednesday’s weigh-ins. Delija tipped the scales at 244 pounds, while Moldavsky checked in at 237.4 pounds.

It wasn’t smooth sailing for everyone on the card, however. Daniel James (267) missed weight by one pound for a heavyweight bout against Marcelo Golm (264.4), while Shanna Young (128.6) came in 2.6 pounds heavy for a flyweight clash against Kana Watanabe (125).

PFL 1 takes place on Thursday night at the Boeing Center in San Antonio, Texas. The main card airs on ESPN2 and ESPN+ beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while prelims air on ESPN+ at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

A 2021 PFL finalist and a 2022 champion, Delija has been victorious in his last five bouts. The Mirko Filipovic protege is coming off a unanimous d…

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ℹ️: https://t.co/GomOctcim2#MMA#LFANation@UFCFightPass pic.twitter.com/PAsISS8V2R

— LFA (@LFAfighting) March 28, 2024

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After recently holding an event at Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, Legacy Fighting Alliance is returning to the city one day prior to UFC 301.

This time, the event will be held on May 3 at Complexo Ribalta in Barra da Tijuca, an upper class area in West Rio de Janeiro that is just a short distance away where the UFC’s pay-per-view card will take place.

No fights have been announced for the LFA card, but it is expected to include some big names from the Brazilian scene since UFC executives will likely be in attendance.

“The proximity of LFA 183 to UFC 301 creates an atmosphere of international prominence, in …

While Brendan Allen knows his elite welterweight teammates are probably on a collision course, he hopes they don’t have to fight.

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Allen will meet Chris Curtis in a rematch in the main event at UFC Fight Night 240 on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Currently riding a six-fight winning streak that includes five submissions, “All In” will likely get significantly closer to a title shot with a win over Curtis.

Allen considers himself the frontrunner to be potentially crowned the next champion from his gym, Kill Cliff FC in Florida. If not him, Allen believes welterweight teammates Belal Muhammad and Shavkat Rakhmonov are next in line. While Muhammad is undefeated in his last 10 outings, the title shot has inexplicably evaded him so far. Meanwhile, Rakhmonov has finished all 18 of his career wins, six of them in the UFC.

Allen is rallying for Muhammad to receive the next title shot at welterweight. However, the Wisconsin native also ackno…

Dakota Ditcheva has a simple game plan for her upcoming clash against Lisa Mauldin.

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Ditcheva (10-0) and Mauldin (6-3) will kick off the PFL main card in the women’s flyweight category at the Boeing Center in San Antonio, Texas, on Thursday.

A rare knockout artist at flyweight, Ditcheva has finished nine of her 10 career wins — eight of them via knockout. Going into the first flyweight season in Professional Fighters League history, Ditcheva just plans to continue being “vicious.” The Englishwoman also believes that some of her opponents underestimate her power until they get cracked.

While she expects her opponent to inevitably shoot for a takedown, “Dangerous” claims she is as comfortable on the ground.

“Just to be vicious which is what happens when I get in… I kind of, my switch flicks and that’s it,” Ditcheva said during a PFL media day. “I think I’ll just get in there and do what I always do. But I know these girls are gonna come …

Valentin Moldavsky seconds Khabib Nurmagomedov’s past claim that combat sambo is a better base for mixed martial arts than Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

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Moldavsky (12-3) is scheduled to headline PFL 1 against Ante Delija (24-5) at the Boeing Center in San Antonio, Texas, on Thursday.

A former European and Russian combat sambo champion, Moldavsky shares his combat roots with the former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion Nurmagomedov.

Combat sambo has proven to be one of the best bases for MMA throughout history, with fighters transitioning extremely well. Moldavsky believes combat sambo is the more well-rounded discipline than Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

“So when I was in school I was attending different classes, I was doing some wrestling, sambo, judo. And then when I was progressing I realized that fight sambo was something that I really liked and as I was improving, I went all the way to become a medalist. And yeah, I think it's one of t…

Ante Delija was impressed with Tom Aspinall’s caliber after training with the Englishman ahead of his upcoming clash against Valentin Moldavsky.

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Delija (24-5) and Moldavsky (12-3) are slated to headline PFL 1 at the Boeing Center in San Antonio, Texas, on Thursday. Delija trained with Aspinall before entering fight camp and heaped praise on the interim Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion’s skillset.

“I trained with Tom Aspinall before my training camp,” Delija said during a PFL media day session. “I was impressed with his physical strength and also he is very, very technical. His father is training him since he was a kid so he deserves the place where he is right now.”

Delija is currently riding a five-fight winning streak topped off by a decision victory over Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Maurice Greene. Delija went on to win the bout despite breaking his leg in the opening round. “Walking Trouble” was able to mak…

Surging ONE Championship women’s atomweight contenders will meet in a potential title eliminator at ONE Fight Night 22 on May. 3.

Sherdog learned that Japan’s undefeated Chihiro Sawada (7-0, 2-0 ONE) will cross paths with French atomweight contender Noelle Grandjean (5-1, 2-1 ONE) in a three-round meeting at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok.

Sawada, currently on a seven-fight win streak, is coming off a clear decision win over Jihin Radzuan in March. The Tokyo native made her promotional debut in February 2023, going up against Sanaz Fayazmanesh and it didn’t take long for the 26-year-old to secure an impressive Round 2 keylock submission to announce her arrival on the ONE stage.

Meanwhile, Grandjean will enter on the heels of a unanimous decision over Victoria Souza at ONE on Prime Video 20 in March. The victory marked her return to winning ways after suffering the first loss of her professional mixed martial arts career via Round 2 triangle chok…

Manuel Kape - OUTAlex Perez - IN@NicolauMatheus vs @AlexPerezMMA is your NEW #UFCVegas91 Main Event 🔥 pic.twitter.com/d8Umh7yiNM

— UFC (@ufc) April 2, 2024

UFC on ESPN 55 has a new flyweight main event.

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The promotion announced on Tuesday that Alex Perez will replace Manel Kape and lock horns with Matheus Nicolau at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on April 27. A reason for Kape’s exit from the card was not given. Perez had been slated to face Tagir Ulanbekov on June 15 before the new pairing was announced.

A former title challenger at 125 pounds, Perez has lost his last three Octagon appearances. Most recently, the Team Oyama product dropped a unanimous verdict to Muhammad Mokaev at UFC Fight Night 238 on March 2. The Dana White’s Contender Series alum is 6-4 during his promotional tenure.

Nicolau, meanwhile, had a six-bout winning streak snapped in his last outing, when he suffered a first-round KO defeat to Brandon Ro…

The stakes will be different, but the opponent will be familiar when Liz Carmouche and Juliana Velasquez square off at PFL 1 on Thursday night.

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The flyweight rivals previously met twice in title bouts under the Bellator MMA banner. The first ended in controversial fashion, as Carmouche claimed the 125-pound belt with a fourth-round stoppage of Velasquez at Bellator 278. Velasquez, who was finished with elbows from the mounted crucifix, appealed the ruling on the grounds that none of the blows were significant enough to warrant a stoppage. That appeal was denied, and Carmouche retained the title in more emphatic fashion in the rematch, winning via second-round submission at Bellator 289.

Carmouche wasn’t especially excited to learn that Velasquez would be her first PFL regular season opponent, but she ultimately found the right mindset as she prepared for the trilogy.

“Initially I was disappointed,” Carmouche said during a media call on Wednesd…

It’s been a whirlwind few weeks for Mark Coleman.

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Coleman, who recently risked his life to save his parents from a fire at his childhood home in Ohio, will be in attendance for UFC 300 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on April 13. The UFC Hall of Famer was hospitalized due to severe smoke inhalation — and again for pneumonia — before being released from the hospital last month.

“I’m so excited today,” Coleman wrote on Instagram. “The UFC is bringing me in, giving me and my daughters tickets to the biggest show ever: UFC 300 in Las Vegas. So stoked, let’s go. The BMF belt, that’s the one I’m excited about. The main event is huge as well. The whole card is sick. See you there. What a great day to be alive. Be the best version of yourself you can be. You never know when you’re gonna need it.”

While nothing is confirmed, it’s now possible that Coleman will be able to grant Max Holloway’s request and present the BMF belt to the winner of the …

It will be a new beginning of sorts for Linton Vassell on Thursday night.

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The 40-year-old Englishman will make his Professional Fighters League debut at the organization’s first regular season event of 2024 when he meets Denis Goltsov in a featured heavyweight bout at the Boeing Center in San Antonio, Texas.

It wasn’t initially the matchup “Big Swarm” had in mind, but things changed when Ryan Bader suffered a first-round knockout loss to Renan Ferreira at PFL vs. Bellator on Feb. 24. Instead, Vassell will take part in the PFL season.

“I actually thought I would be fighting him [Bader] next. But he lost,” Vassell said during a media call. “… Who wouldn’t want to be in the tournament where you get a belt, you get money and you get to fight the champion at the end? I don’t think the Bader fight will happen now, to be honest. I’m on a different road.”

While Vassell will be competing under the PFL banner, he stil considers himself a Bellator ath…

𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟: @Savmarshall1 finally makes the walk to the PFL SmartCage

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 June 8th LIVE from the Utilita Arena in Newcastle, England

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Get your tickets today! 👇🎟️ https://t.co/uSa9X28XO5 pic.twitter.com/eFlh7i9xH9 — PFL (@PFLMMA) April 2, 2024

Savannah Marshall will make her first Professional Fighters League foray a little more than two months from now.

The organization announced on Tuesday that the boxing champion will compete at PFL Europe Newcastle on June 8 in the main event against an as yet to be announced opponent. PFL Europe Newcastle takes place at Utilita Arena in Newcastle, England, and airs on DAZN. The card will showcase bantamweights and women’s flyweights, with more bouts expected to be revealed in the coming weeks. Marshall will compete at 155 pounds.

“The Professional Fighters League prides itself on having the best athletes in the world on its roster and on June 8, PFL welcomes boxing wor…

Joaquin Buckley is looking to take big career steps in a short amount of time.

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Buckley scored a Round 2 technical knockout win over Vicente Luque in the co-main event at UFC Atlantic City on Saturday, which put him on a three-fight winning streak. Buckley then called for a quick turnaround to fight at UFC St. Louis which goes down at the Enterprise Arena in St. Louis, Missouri, on May 11.

“I can’t wait to get to St. Louis man and do the same thing… That’s the plan. We got to talk to the UFC and see what they're talking about, but yeah, I’m open to fighting in May,” said during Saturday’s post-fight press conference.

UFC St. Louis is currently scheduled to be headlined by a heavyweight tilt between Derrick Lewis and Rodrigo Nascimento. However, Buckley believes the UFC might promote him to the main-event spot for the first five-rounder of his career.

“They might change that. They will switch it up,” he said. “If I fight in St. Louis, they’re…

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 …