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It was one of the cleanest victories of Randy Brown’s Ultimate Fighting Championship career.

Brown quickly dispatched Muslim Salikhov in their featured welterweight clash at UFC Fight Night 235 on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, earning himself a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus in the process. Brown followed a double jab with a perfectly-placed right cross that sent Salikhov crashing to the canvas. Though the contest was all but over, Brown landed one standing-to-ground shot before the bout was waved off at the 3:17 mark of Round 1.

Elsewhere, fan favorite Molly McCann received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for a successful strawweight debut against Diana Belbita. In a rematch of a 2019 bout that was contested at 125 pounds, McCann was aggressive on the feet before forcing a tap with an armbar 4:59 into the opening frame. “Meatball” snapped a two-bout skid in victory.

Finally, Charles Johnson and Azat Maksum secured “Fight of…

Nassourdine Imavov took care of business, even if it was messy in practice.

The Frenchman made his pitch as a Top 10 contender in the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight division, as he outstruck and outlasted Romand Dolidze to a majority decision in the UFC Fight Night 235 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Judges Derek Cleary and Sal D’Amato saw it 49-44 and 48-46 for Imavov, while Ron McCarthy scored it a 47-47 draw.

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Imavov (13-4, 5-2 UFC) was docked a point for an illegal head kick in the fourth round but otherwise controlled the majority of the match with sharp striking. He wobbled Dolidze with a right hand inside the first five minutes, forced him to the canvas with a series of follow-up shots, including a brutal knee strike to the body, and nearly authored a quick finish with ground-and-pound. Perhaps undercut by fatigue, Imavov was hesitant from that point forward yet still managed to extend his lead against a woeful…

Molly McCann put her naysayers in timeout.

The Next Generation MMA mainstay downshifted to the Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s strawweight division and disposed of Diana Belbita with an armbar in the first round of their featured UFC Fight Night 235 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Belbita (15-9, 2-5 UFC) conceded defeat 4:59 into Round 1 but not before her limb bent the wrong way.

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McCann (14-6, 7-5 UFC), who had beaten the Romanian by unanimous decision back in 2019, was far more decisive in their rematch. She closed the distance without fear and unleashed a variety of weapons, from overhand rights and spinning back kicks to push kicks and her patented spinning back elbow. McCann delivered a late takedown, climbed to full mount and uncorked a series of elbows before she transitioned to the armbar for the finish.

Meanwhile, former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Charles Johnson rallied from an inauspicious start to stun t…

Considered one of the greatest grapplers in history, Marcelo Garcia has emerged from what he called the most difficult fight of his life.

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The four-time ADCC champion and five-time World Jiu-Jitsu champion spoke to Sherdog.com after a long battle against esophagus cancer that required eight chemotherapy sessions.

"I moved from New York to Hawaii with my wife and two kids and lived one year totally focused on defeating this cancer,” Garcia said. “And this is the first interview I'm giving after that long battle.”

After revisiting the most important moments of his brilliant career, such as his historic match against Ricco Rodriguez in the 2005 ADCC absolute division and wins over jiu-jitsu legends such as Andre Galvao, Demian Maia, Renzo Gracie and Robert Drysdale, Garcia revealed an interesting episode that made him change his opinion about grappling star Gordon Ryan.

"In the past I didn't like his attitude,” Garcia said. “When I arrived to a j…

Geoff Neal is determined to not let his upcoming UFC 298 meeting with Ian Garry go the distance.

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Garry and Neal were initially slated to compete at UFC 292 in August. However, Neal was forced to pull out of the bout due to undisclosed reasons and was eventually replaced by Neil Magny.

Garry then went on to record a unanimous decision win against Magny in a dominant showing and has now been rebooked to face Neal at UFC 298 on Feb. 17 after being forced out of his UFC 296 clash with Vicente Luque due to a severe case of pneumonia during fight week.

Infamous for his trash talk and antics, the undefeated Garry has grabbed any and every opportunity available to belittle and intimidate his opponent, including selling T-shirts with Neal’s mugshot on them.

Neal doesn't seem to be perturbed by Garry’s actions outside the Octagon and is looking forward to capitalizing on all the attention on “The Future” by finishing the Irishman before the final hor…

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A flyweight clash pitting Brazil’s Alessandro Costa against Peru’s Kevin Borjas has been added to the UFC 301 pay-per-view scheduled to take place on May 4 at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

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The booking was first reported by ESPN Deportes’ Carlos Contreras Legaspi.

Costa (13-4) will enter the Octagon on the heels of a unanimous decision loss to Steve Erceg at UFC 295 in November. Prior to that, “Nono” secured a technical knockout victory in the second frame against Jimmy Flick in June, bouncing back from a Round 3 knockout loss in his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut at the hands Amir Albazi.

Meanwhile, Borjas (9-2) is coming off a unanimous decision loss against Myanmar’s Joshua Van in h…

A heavyweight clash between two former Dana White’s Contender Series competitors has been added to a UFC Fight Night event scheduled for April 27.

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Brazil’s Jhonata Diniz is set to make his first walk to the Octagon against Florida native Austen Lane. The news was first announced by Diniz’s management company, All In Sports, on social media.

Undefeated in his professional mixed martial arts career, Diniz (6-0) is a former professional kickboxer who transitioned to the sport of MMA in May 2022. Over the course of his MMA journey, the Brazilian has displayed an incredible affinity for finishing fights early, recording six first-round finishes in as many outings. The 32-year-old most recently recorded a Round 1 technical knockout victory against Eduardo Neves in an appearance on the Contender Series in September to earn himself a UFC contract.

Meanwhile, Lane (12-4) is coming off a Round 1 KO loss to Justin Tafa at UFC 293 in a matchup that had…

The #UFCVegas85 main event is LOCKED IN 🔒@Imavov1 is on weight at 185 lbs 👊 pic.twitter.com/94TFwlgVan

— UFC (@ufc) February 2, 2024 The UFC Fight Night 235 weigh-ins took place, and now the 13-fight card is now official.

The main event will be an intriguing middleweight fight between Ultimate Fighting Championship contenders Roman Dolidze and Nassourdine Imavov. Both men successfully made weight for the five-round fight. All fighters made weight with the exception of Luana Carolina, who came in at 129 pounds for her flyweight fight against Julija Stoliarenko. Carolina will be fined a percentage of her purse for coming in 3 pounds overweight.

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The pride of Georgia, Dolidze (12-2) is coming off a disappointing setback to Marvin Vettori. Prior to the decision defeat, "The Caucasian" had won four straight fights inside the promotion. This includes knockout wins over Jack Hermansson and Phil Hawes. Dolidze officially weigh…

Kayla Harrison understands that meeting the 136-pound limit for her promotional debut against former champion Holly Holm at UFC 300 will be a challenge, but it’s one she’s willing to embrace.

Harrison (16-1) has mostly competed in the lightweight division throughout the course of her mixed martial arts career, leading to questions regarding her ability to safely make the cut to bantamweight and remain effective inside the cage.

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However, Harrison, a former Olympic gold medalist in judo and a two-time Professional Fighters League tournament winner, argues that she never cut a lot of weight while competing in the PFL to begin with but is willing to do so considering the platform the Ultimate Fighting Championship provides.

“There’s a misperception out there that I walk around at like 180 pounds or something,” Harrison told Kevin Iole. “I have walked around most of my MMA career at 165, 160, because I don’t like cutting weight. I don’t believe in cutt…

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 A clash between two promising bantamweight prospects has been added to March 23’s UFC on ESPN 53, which is set to go down at the Apex in Las Vegas.

Payton Talbott (7-0) is gearing up to face South Africa’s Cameron Saaiman (9-1) for his sophomore appearance in the Las Vegas-based promotion. The news was first reported by MMA Fighting.

Undefeated as a professional, Talbott earned his Ultimate Fighting Championship contract thanks to a unanimous decision victory against Reyes Cortez Jr. in an appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series in August 2023. The 25-year-old will enter the Octagon against Saaiman on the back of a Round 3 submission victory against Nick Aguirre in his promotional debut back in November…

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Dominick Reyes considers himself extremely lucky to be alive after surviving a life-threatening medical condition.

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The former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight title challenger was slated to face City Kickboxing product Carlos Ulberg on March 30 but later withdrew from the matchup.

Reyes (12-4) has now revealed that a massage session to reduce pain in his calf led to the revelation that he was suffering from deep-vein thrombosis blood clots in his leg.

“God puts us through some trials, and I’m having another hard go right now,” Reyes told MiddleEasy. “Me and Carlos were slated to fight Jan. 20. He pulled out, I don’t know why. It’s an injury, obviously, but he’s not going to say what his injury is. And then a week later, I ended up getting blood clots. Deep vein thrombosis. So yeah, I’m out for a minute.”

The California native has been prescribed blood thinners and a break from all strenuous activity …

Forgive Carlo Bumina-ang if he gives off runaway freight train vibes in the ONE Championship bantamweight division.

The 29-year-old unbeaten Team Lakay MMA prospect on Friday choked Zhipeng Xie unconscious with an arm-triangle in the first round of their ONE Friday Fights 50 showcase at historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Xie (3-1, 0-1 ONE) lost his grip on reality 1:29 into Round 1.

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Bumina-ang (4-0, 4-0 ONE) was off to the proverbial races after he decked the Sunkin International Fight Club rep with a counter right hand inside the first 10 seconds. Xie staggered back to a standing position after being threatened with a guillotine, only to be dropped a second time with a clean left hook. Bumina-ang took top position with heavy ground-and-pound—elbows, knees and standing-to-ground punches worked together in perfect harmony—and framed the fight-ending choke. Squeeze and technique did the rest.

Meanwhile, Raqobat prospect Avazbek Kh…

20-year-old fighter from Nurmagomedov MMA School was shot dead on Wednesday night in Dagestan’s capital city of Makhachkala. Magomedrasul Mutaev made his debut in professional MMA last November and was scheduled to have his second fight in February. According to media reports… pic.twitter.com/Stq2J6eKHv

— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) February 1, 2024

A tragic incident in Russia has shocked the world of combat sports.

Twenty-one-year-old professional mixed martial arts fighter Magomedrasul Mutaev was reportedly shot dead in Makhachkala, the capital city of the Republic of Dagestan, Russia. Disturbing video of the shooting was caught on camera and published by redcorner.mma on social media.

As per media reports, an arrest warrant has been issued for a 19-year-old Dagestan native in relation to the incident.

Mutaev picked up a unanimous decision win over Elgun Yusibov in his professional mixed martial arts debut this past No…

It’s finally going to happen! Rampage vs Shannon Briggs in Qatar this summer 🥊 my 1st boxing match don’t miss it pic.twitter.com/kh8zTEiJfK

— Rampage Jackson (@Rampage4real) January 31, 2024

Quinton Jackson is ready to return to action, this time inside the boxing ring.

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The former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champ announced on X (formerly known as Twitter) that he’ll be making his boxing debut this year.

Jackson, 45, will take on former heavyweight boxing champion Shannon Briggs (60-6-1), in Qatar on June 1.

“I finally got the contract. It’s been over two years in the making of me hearing Mr. Shannon Briggs’ mouth. I get to shut him up once and for all in Qatar, on June 1. I got to sign this contract,” Jackson said in the announcement video.

“Shannon, you’re going to regret even calling me out all those years ago and you’ve been posting just ungodly videos of me, tagging me in ungodly…

It wasn’t easy for Raquel Pennington to share the UFC 297 fight card with Sean Strickland.

UFC 297 featured former middleweight champ Strickland against Dricus Du Plessis in the main event, while Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva co-headlined the card with the vacant women’s bantamweight title on the line. Known for voicing his unfiltered opinions on controversial topics, Strickland was true to brand in the leadup to the card in Toronto.

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“Tarzan” showed up to media day wearing a T-shirt that read “A woman in every kitchen, a gun in every hand” and went on a rant when a reporter asked him if he still stood by his previous comments on LGBTQ+ topics. Pennington, who is gay and has a daughter with fellow UFC fighter Tecia Torres, certainly didn’t agree with Strickland but tried her best to stay focused on her fight.

“At the end of the day, people are going to talk,” Pennington said on The MMA Hour. “They’re always going to have their own opinions. You’r…

I’m coming out of retirement. I’ll fight MMA again. Idk when, where, or who yet but I’m dropping weight and getting into shape now.

— Kevin Lee MTP (@MoTownPhenom) January 31, 2024

Mixed martial arts veteran Kevin Lee misses the sport and is officially coming out of retirement.

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Lee took to social media on Wednesday to announce that he’ll be returning to competition, likely at a lower weight class with no specific timeline in mind.

“I’m coming out of retirement. I’ll fight MMA again. [I don’t know] when, where or who yet but I’m dropping weight and getting into shape now,” Lee wrote in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter.)

“The Motown Phenom” retired in July of last year after being submitted by Rinat Fakhretdinov in under a minute. The fight marked his return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship after being released from the promotion in 2021. It remains unclear if Lee will still be under UFC contract when he…

The rivalry between former UFC heavyweight champions Junior dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum was once considered one of the sport’s fiercest.

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After spending 15 years taking shots at each other through the media, dos Santos and Werdum buried the hatchet over three rounds at Gamebred Fighting Championship 5 this past September. Despite losing a spllit decision, Werdum was moved by dos Santos’ respectful post-fight speech and decided to end the rivalry by inviting “Cigano to participate on his “Dos Nossos” podcast.

“Last year I recorded 65 editions in Florianopolis, where I live, but it was difficult to bring guests from Rio and Sao Paulo,” Werdum told Sherdog.com. “Now I’m starting a new phase recording in a studio in Sao Paulo, and ‘Cigano ‘was the first one I invited. Even though he’s in the middle of a camp to face Alan Belcher for the Gamebred heavyweight title, ‘Cigano’ immediately accepted my invitation. It's going to be historical. Me and Ci…

A proposed headling bout between Sean Brady and Vicente Luque won’t happen at UFC Atlantic City as originally announced.

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Multiple outlets on Wednesday confirmed the cancellation following an initial report from Harry Mac. According to MMAjunkie.com, Brady was battling injury issues and never signed an official bout agreement. It is currently unclear if Luque will remain on the card against a replacement opponent.

UFC on ESPN 54 takes place on March 23 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City and also includes a pivotal women’s flyweight showdown pitting Erin Blanchfield against Manon Fiorot.

Brady was victorious in his first 16 professional outings – including five in UFC competition – before falling to Belal Muhammad via second-round TKO at UFC 280. The Philadelphia native rebounded in his most recent Octagon appearance, submitting Kelvin Gastelum in the third round of their matchup at UFC on ESPN 52 this past December.

Luque, meanwhile, sna…

ONE Championship co-founder Victor Cui has returned to the Singapore-based promotion.

ONE chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced the news in a post on LinkedIn. Cui will serve as the promotion’s CEO of International, where he will help ONE expand into the U.S. and other markets. Deal Street Asia was first to report Cui’s return.

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“We were together on Day ONE of this crazy adventure and it is only fitting that Victor returns back to lead the charge in the world's biggest sports market,” Sityodtong wrote. “Mark my words. We will change the game again.”

Cui co-founded ONE in 2011 and served in a number of roles with the promotion before departing in 2022 for a nearly two-year stint president and CEO for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League.

“Today I’m excited to return to ONE and lead our most challenging goals to date — our entry and success into the U.S. market and our global expansion,” Cui wrote on LinkedIn.

ONE…

Mark O. Madsen is hanging up the four-ounce gloves at 39 years old.

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A silver medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2016 Olympics, Madsen recently announced his retirement from mixed martial arts through Danish outlet Ekstra Bladet.

“The time is right,” Madsen said. “…The sport has shaped me as a person, and I am grateful for everything it has given me and my family.”

Madsen made his professional MMA debut in September 2013 and was victorious in his first 12 bouts. This included four UFC appearances, where he secured victories against the likes of Vinc Pichel, Clay Guida, Austin Hubbard and Danilo Belluardo. He ended his career with back-to-back losses against Grant Dawson and Jared Gordon, where he was finished in both outings. His last fight, against Gordon, came at UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden this past November.

“A large part of your identity lies in the job,” Madsen said. “Especially as an elite athlete, where the structure …

UFC Fight Nights at the promotion’s Apex facility in Las Vegas have recently faced criticism from both fans and fighters.

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After lightweight fan favorite Renato Moicano recently claimed that "nobody likes the Apex," flyweight Charles Johnson has followed suit by complaining about repeatedly fighting at the venue. Following his promotional debut at UFC London in July 2022, all of Johnson’s next five outings have been at the Apex.

As the Missouri native goes into another Fight Night clash against Azat Maksum this weekend, “InnerG” feels he has been deprived of the full UFC experience. Apart from not getting an opportunity to compete in front of an arena, even Johnson’s request for a Fight Night ticket for his wife was allegedly turned down more than once.

“For a time, I enjoyed it but now I’m just kind of irritated with it because I don’t feel like I’ve been afforded the full UFC experience. My whole career is gonna be in the f—king Apex, you …

UFC on ESPN 53 has a few updates to its lineup, the promotion announced in a release on Tuesday.

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First, a middleweight clash between Edmen Shahbazyan and Dusko Tudorovic has been added to March 23 card.

Shahbazyan signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the age of 20 and went 4-0 to start his promotional tenure — including three first-round stoppages. However, the once promising prospect has since lost four of his last five, though all of his losses have come against top-tier competition.

Meanwhile, Tudorovic has gone back and forth in his UFC journey since his debut in 2020, notching a 3-4 promotional record. The Serbian suffered a first-round technical knockout loss against Chris Leroy Duncan due to a knee injury in his most recent outing in March 2023.

Meanwhile, heavyweights Junior Tafa and Karl Williams, two competitors who made their promotional debuts last year, will also clash at UFC on ESPN 53.

After starting his pr…

Tyron Woodley claims to have received the same paycheck as Donald Cerrone during his Ultimate Fighting Championship days, and he isn’t happy about it.

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Woodley won the UFC welterweight title in 2016 and defended it four times before losing it to Kamaru Usman in 2019. “The Chosen One” revealed that he made $500,000 for his last title fight against Usman and was planning to part ways with the promotion years prior over fighter pay.

“I was going to leave the UFC after [fighting] Darren Till.” I told them, ‘F—-ing cut me, dog. Ya’ll don’t want me here. Why ya’ll keep holding on to me, dog?’ We [kept] fighting and s—t every fight because you know how I was. I was a gorilla... I knew the numbers so well. I knew what everybody was making. I’m not [going to] go out there and be making the same as 'Cowboy' Cerrone.” Woodley said on the Mighty Cast podcast with Demetrious Johnson.

“That motherf—-er ain’t never touched gold in his life. That’s just a pr…

For those looking for more mixed martial arts viewing options, Legacy Fighting Alliance has you covered.

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The promotion announced on Wednesday that it will stream “live premium regional MMA events” on its YouTube channel, which was already home to LFA’s preliminary bouts and content library. This will begin with Attitude MMA Fights 29 on Feb. 10. It was not specified which regional cards will be streamed in the future.

“The LFA has launched the careers of over 300 athletes that have reached the pinnacle of MMA by competing in the UFC,” said LFA CEO Ed Soares in a release. “We also work with commentators and television talent that are currently working for the UFC or are aspiring to work cage side at UFC events.

“Now we are excited to provide a platform for top regional fighters from around the world by launching the LFA Fight Network on our popular YouTube channel. We currently have over a half million loyal subscribers that are hungry for …