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

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

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[ #PFLWorldTournament | Friday , April 18th | 📺 7 PM EST | ESPN | B2YB @atturotires ] pic.twitter.com/A2NFQXAqMT — PFL (@PFLMMA) February 26, 2025

The lightweight field is official for Professional Fighters League’s 2025 World Tournament.

The promotion announced the eight competitors and two alternates in a release on Wednesday

The field is highlighted by Gadzhi Rabadanov, who navigated his way through the old PFL season format to capture a title at 155 pounds in 2024. Rabadanov scored at third-round knockout of Brent Primus, who will also be in the bracket, at the PFL Championships this past November. The 31-year-old Dagestani is in the midst of a 10-bout professional winning streak that dates back to February 2021.

Fan favorite Clay Collard is also part o…

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An unfortunate accident in sparring led to Dan Hooker’s withdrawal from UFC 313.

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Hooker, who was scheduled to face Justin Gaethje in a five-round, co-main event bout on March 8 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, offered further detail regarding the injury in a recent interview with Sky Sport New Zealand.

“One of the paws is not doing too well,” Hooker said. “I was sparring last night, as I do, just letting some hooks go, just throwing some bombs down range, and I just caught one of the boys on the top of the dome with my knuckle. I don’t think too much of it but they sent me off to get a CT scan. Had a little CT scan and they told me my hand is fractured.”

Hooker is unsure of the promotion’s plans in the aftermath of the injury. At the moment, a replacement opponent for Gaethje has not been announced with less than two weeks to go before UFC 313.

“So yeah, I obviously still would fight, but with the medicals they sque…

Melquizael Costa will make his second Octagon appearance in a little more than a month when he squares off against Christian Rodriguez at UFC Mexico City on March 29.

Ag.Fight was first to report the featherweight booking. UFC on ESPN 64 takes place at Arena CDMX in Mexico City and is headlined by a flyweight clash between Brandon Moreno and Steve Erceg.

Costa is coming off a first-round submission victory against Andre Fili at UFC Seattle this past Saturday. The 28-year-old Brazilian has won three of his last four Octagon appearances after falling to Thiago Moises in his promotional debut.

Rodriguez, meanwhile, has won five of his last six in UFC competition. The Roufusport representative last appeared at UFC Fight Night 249, where he removed Austin Bashi from the ranks of the unbeaten in a unanimous decision triumph.

Cristiane Justino’s next boxing match is just around the corner.

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“Cyborg” will face Karen Fernandes in a four-round bout on March 3 in Medellin, Colombia, at 154 pounds. The 39-year-old Brazilian announced the booking via social media. The bout is expected to stream via criscyborg.com.

Justino’s last appearance in the Sweet Science came in an exhibition bout against Aria Wild this past June, which she won via second-round stoppage. Her last professional outing occurred in January 2024, when she defeated Kelsey Wickstrum via first-round TKO.

The Chute Boxe standout’s lone MMA bout of 2024 occurred at PFL Super Fights "Battle of the Giants: Brace for Impact,” where she took a five-round verdict over former PFL two-division champion Larissa Pacheco. With a 28-2 record and titles in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Bellator MMA, Strikeforce and Invicta FC, “Cyborg” is one of the most accomplished female mixed martial artists of all-time. A…

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Robert Whittaker recently made his case for a matchup against Sean Strickland.

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While both Whittaker and Strickland have long been among the top middleweights in the UFC, they haven’t fought during their respective promotional tenures. Both are now at a crossroads in their careers and coming off losses. Whittaker believes it is the right time for a bout against “Tarzan.”

During a recent appearance on the "On Paper” podcast podcast with Anthony Smith, Whittaker revealed that he is excited by the idea of trying to figure out Strickland’s trademark defensive style.

“I think Strickland makes a good argument to have. Because I feel like we’ve both been in that top sort of pond for a while, circling each other,” Whittaker said. “For whatever reason we haven’t been matched up, but we’ve both been in proximity for a while. And it’s most likely the fight to make. I’m excited by that fight. I look at his style, and I find it curious. …

Elisandra Ferreira de Oliveira will defend her atomweight belt against Ana Palacios in the Invicta FC 61 main event.

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The promotion announced the bout on Wednesday. Invicta FC 61 takes place on April 4 at the Grand Casino Hotel & Resort in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and will also see Jamie Edenden square off against Jackie Cataline in the evening’s featherweight co-headliner. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on Invicta’s YouTube and Facebook page at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

Five other bouts were confirmed for the event: Emily Ducote vs. Sofiia Bagishvili at strawweight; Riley Martinez vs. Jaeleen Robledo at featherweight; Taynara Silva vs. Claire Lopez at atomweight; Joy Pendell vs. Marilia Morais at featherweight and Zoe Nowicki vs. Kellie Marin at flyweight.

Ferreira will take a four-bout winning streak into her first title defense. “Lili” claimed atomweight gold with a five-round verdict …

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

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

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[ #PFLWorldTournament | Friday , April 18th | 📺 7 PM EST | ESPN | B2YB @atturotires ] pic.twitter.com/DtfGVmhmwR — PFL (@PFLMMA) February 25, 2025

The lineup is official for Professional Fighters League’s upcoming middleweight tournament.

The bracket features 2023 PFL light heavyweight champion Impa Kasanganay, who is coming off a first-round knockout loss to Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov in the 205-pound finals this past November. Kasangany last competed at 185 pounds in February 2024, when he dropped a split decision to former Bellator champ Johnny Eblen.

The 185-pound roster also includes Fabian Edwards, a two-time title challenger under the Bellator MMA banner and Joshua Silveira, who lost to Kasanganay in the PFL light heavyweight final in 2023. Additionally, ex…

Jose Aldo will face Aiemann Zahabi in a bantamweight bout at UFC 315.

The promotion announced the pairing on Tuesday. UFC 315 takes place at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on May 10 and is headlined by a welterweight championship clash between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena. In the co-main event, Valentina Shevchenko will defend her flyweight crown against Manon Fiorot.

This is the third consecutive bout in which Aldo has been booked against a rising 135-pound talent. In 2024, the former featherweight king took a unanimous decision over Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301 before dropping a split verdict agianst Mario Bautista at UFC 307. The Nova Uniao standout is 4-4 since moving to bantamweight in 2019.

A native of Laval, Quebec, Canada, Zahabi will take a five-fight winning streak into the matchup with Aldo, with four of those victories coming at 135 pounds. Most recently, the Tristar Gym member earned a unanimous decision victory agai…

The UFC 313 card as taken a significant hit, as Dan Hooker will not be competing on the March 8 card.

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Hooker was supposed to face Justin Gaethje in a five-round, non-title bout in the evening’s co-headliner. However, “The Hangman” announced via his daughter’s YouTube channel that an injury has forced him to withdraw from the event.

“Dad had a fight, or was supposed to have a fight,” Hooker said. “But I’ve busted my paw.”

The UFC has not formally announced Hooker’s exit, so it’s unclear if Gaethje will remain on the card against a replacement opponent. UFC 313 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a light heavyweight championship bout between Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev.

Hooker had won his last three Octagon appearances, posting successive victories over Claudio Puelles, Jalin Turner and Mateusz Gamrot. Prior to that, the 35-year-old Kiwki had lost four of his previous five promotional outings. Hooker …

WE'RE BACK 💪🔥https://t.co/MtQtlR4dBb#CombateGlobal

— Combate Global (@combateglobal) February 25, 2025

Combate Global’s events will be available on YouTube next month.

The promotion on Tuesday announced that it will air its live events for free on the platform, beginning with “Combate Female” on March 13. According to a release, Combate Global is “YouTube’s first premium producer of live MMA programming for global distribution.” The Combate Global Events will be broadcast in Spanish.

“With YouTube in our corner as it grows its interest in live sports, Combate Global will be able to achieve its mission of delivering ‘Much More Action’ to a global Spanish-speaking audience via the biggest streaming video platform on the planet,” said Combate Global CEO Campbell McLaren in a release.  “Combate Global couldn’t ask for a better partner than YouTube as we launch full speed into the future and spearhead the rapid growth and engagement …

A flyweight showdown pitting Jasmine Jasudavicius against Jessica Andrade has been added to the UFC 315 lineup.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the bout on Monday. UFC 315 takes place at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and is headlined by a welterweight title bout between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena.

Canada’s Jasudavicius has been on a roll of late, winning her last four UFC outings. The 35-year-old Niagara Top Team represenative kicked off her 2025 campaign with a unanimous decision triumph over former bantamweight title challenger Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC Fight Night 250 on Feb. 1. She has also bested Ariane Lipski, Fatima Kline and Priscila Cachoeira during her current winning streak.

After posting back-to-back strawweight victories over Mackenzie Dern and Marina Rodriguez, Andrade returned to 125 pounds in her most recent appearance at UFC Fight Night 242, where she dropped a three-round verdict to Natalia Silva this pa…

Shortly after his hard-fought triumph against Brendan Allen in the UFC Seattle co-headliner, Anthony Hernandez alluded to struggling with some illness-related issues leading up to the bout.

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“I plan on getting better for the next one,” Hernandez told Michael Bisping in the Octagon. “I’m sorry about the performance. I just finished my antibiotics yesterday. I was sick as f—k. But I came here and I made the s—t happen. Hope you guys enjoyed the show.”

“Fluffy” was able to elaborate on what he was dealing with during Saturday’s post-fight press conference, while also revealing some additional injury issues that hindered his performance.

“Let’s just say I got off amoxicillin Friday,” Hernandez said. “I felt like s--t, and I’m not going to lie: I messed up my ribs two weeks ago. My ribs were f---ed before. It was just thank God for the [UFC Performance Institute]. They were here and they helped me every f---ing day. We got it to be good enough for th…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship and Bellator MMA competitor Guilherme Vasconcelos took his own life last year.

According to TMZ Sports, the case report from Oct. 15 reveals that police determined that Vasconcelos committed suicide the previous night at approximately 11:45 p.m. local time. “Bomba” was found by an unidentified woman in the garage of the Illinois residence at 9 a.m. the next day.

A suicide note was not found, and a toxicology report only revealed the presence of caffeine in Vasconcelo’s system. The house was searched and several vials of anabolic steroids were recovered. Two were nearly empty and two were unopened, according to the report. Vasconcelos was 38 years old.

Vasconcelos went 10-6 over the course of an MMA career that began in 2012. After competing on “TUF Brazil 3,” his lone Octagon appearance came at UFC 175, where he dropped a unanimous decision to Luke Zachrich on July 5, 2014. “Bomba” also went 3-3 during a six-bout stin…

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A welterweight clash between Mike Malott and Charlie Radtke has been added to the UFC 315 lineup.

The booking was recently confirmed by the Las Vegas…

While Fabricio Werdum prepares for his Global Fight League debut against Frank Mir, he has decided to hold a special event for up-and-coming mixed martial artists.

The MMA challenge will take place on Wednesday and features fighters weighing between 65 and 75 kilograms (143 to 165 pounds). The winner will get the opportunity to compete for the Brazil-based Jungle Fight promotion.

“When I started [fighting] I was so eager to have an opportunity,” Werdum said. “In some cases, I even paid my ticket to fight. The idea of the ‘Werdum Challenge’ is to provide that opportunity for fighters. I talked to Wallid [Ismael], who was the first to give me an opportunity, and he liked the idea. So we will start in Jungle Fight, but the idea is also to do it in other MMA promotions and also include grappling.”

According to Werdum, the first iteration of his challenge will air on his YouTube channel.

“The event will take place in Sao Paulo at the training center of …

Jean Silva and Bryce Mitchell appear to be on a collision course after UFC Seattle.

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Silva fought Melsik Baghdasaryan, who was returning after almost two years, at UFC Fight Night 252 on Saturday at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Silva starched Baghdasaryan with a right hand to score his fourth straight stoppage win in as many UFC outings. Silva then called out Bryce Mitchell in his post-fight Octagon interview.

Silva targeted Mitchell for his recent anti-semitic comments. Mitchell is flat earth theorist who recently praised Adolf Hitler and went on a widely criticized anti-semitic and homophobic rant. “Thug Nasty” later apologized for his remarks.

Silva elaborated on his callout of Mitchell at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “Lord” acknowledged Mitchell’s skillset while also criticizing his recent comments.

“I think that Bryce Mitchell is somebody who would offer me an opportunity for a very good renewed contract if I beat hi…

In the immediate aftermath of his controversial victory over Henry Cejudo in the UFC Seattle headliner, Yadong Song seemed more than willing to run it back against the Olympic gold medalist.

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It might not matter.

Song defeated Cejudo via technical decision when an inadvertent eye poke rendered “Triple C” unable to continue after three rounds. While the “Kung Fu Kid” appeared to be on his way to victory, Cejudo had been competitive enough up to that point to where the championship rounds might have been interesting had they occurred.

However, UFC CEO Dana White doesn’t appear interested in seeing a rematch between Song and Cejudo at a future event.

“Not at all,” White said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “Not even a little bit. I just don’t want to see it again.”

After Song committed the inadvertent foul in the third round, Cejudo took the full five minutes given to him by referee Jason Herzog to recover. When the round resumed…

🤝Paddy Pimblett squashes his beef with Dustin Poirier:

"I don’t feel disrespected. I understand what he’s saying… 'legends only.' I’m not a legend.

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Why retire after one fight? Stop being a b*tch arse. Fight a contract out."

🎥 @PaddyTheBaddy ▫️ pic.twitter.com/AgEabNtISb

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) February 22, 2025 Dustin Poirier believes Michael Chandler will end Paddy Pimblett’s winning streak at UFC 314.

Chandler will look to return to the win column in a lightweight clash against Pimblett at UFC 314 on April 12 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. Both Chandler and Pimblett have opened at nearly even odds on most sportsbooks. And Poirier advises bettors to wager heavy on former opponent Chandler for easy money.

“Even though he's a bitch, Chandler all day go heavy on the money,” Poirier wrote on X.

Even though he's a bitch, Chandler all day go heavy on the money https://t…

Alex Pereira responds to DC pic.twitter.com/QTMvuK5ae0

— Dovy🔌 (@DovySimuMMA) February 22, 2025

Alex Pereira recently alleviated Daniel Cormier’s concerns about his upcoming fight.

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Pereira will puts his light heavyweight title on the line against Magomed Ankalaev in the main event at UFC 313 on March 8 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Cormier recently expressed some concern about Pereira’s preparation for the upcoming fight based on his recent activity.

Pereira was spotted in Sydney, Australia, earlier this month when the promotion returned to the country for UFC 312. “Poatan” was also seen meeting and greeting rapper Drake during his concert in Sydney.

Cormier is worried about Pereira catching the infamous “Drake curse” if the musician bets on him. A betting enthusiast, Drake putting his money on an athlete or team is believed to be bad luck for them, often leading to loss. Fighters like Conor McGregor, Mike T…

Belal Muhammad believes he’s “better everywhere” compared to Jack Della Maddalena

“I think they just underestimate my hands and my striking…

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I think I’m gonna go in there and walk through [Jack].”

🎥 @remembertheshow #UFC315pic.twitter.com/UBOh6lG7xf

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 21, 2025 Belal Muhammad (24-3) thinks he is better than Jack Della Maddalena (17-2) in every aspect.

Della Maddalena challenges Muhammad for the welterweight title in the main event at UFC 315 on May 10 at the Bell Center in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Shavkat Rakhmonov, who was originally expected to fight Muhammad, was offered the shot but missed out due to injury.

While Muhammad is one of the best grapplers on the entire UFC roster, Della Maddalena possesses devastating knockout power in his hands. While the Australian is expected to have an advantage over Muhammad on the feet, the champ disagrees. “Remember the Name” …

If Diego Lopes is to be believed, the era of two-division champions is over in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

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While some fighters have won belts in two weight classes, only a few have enjoyed the privilege of holding two belts simultaneously, such as Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier and Amanda Nunes. However, Lopes claims that will no longer be the case.

Featherweight champ Ilia Topuria recently vacated his belt to move up to lightweight, setting the stage for Lopes to face Alexander Volkanovski for the vacant 145-pound title at UFC 314. UFC CEO Dana White announced that Topuria felt he had accomplished enough at 145 pounds and has difficulty making the weight now.

However, Lopes claims Topuria was forced to vacate his belt in order to move up to lightweight.

“They were very clear to us that they said that they are no longer giving [fighters the] chance to jump from one weight class to another,” Lopes told ESPN. “If you want to move up, y…

Michael Chandler predicts an early KO in his fight against Paddy Pimblett 👀

“It’s a bad matchup stylistically for [Paddy]… I’m gonna land a right hand or a left hook and put his lights out within the first couple rounds.”

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🎥 @espnmma #UFC314pic.twitter.com/XoQZoHXEUx — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 21, 2025

Michael Chandler (23-9) vows to derail Paddy Pimblett’s (22-3) hype train at UFC 314.

Chandler and Pimblett will meet in lightweight matchup at UFC 314 on April 12 at the Kaseya Center in Miami. Chandler intends to make Pimblett feel from the very first exchange that he’s fighting at a different level.

While Chandler admits that Pimblett is on a streak now, he intends to end it in Miami. “Iron” believes the Liverpudlian will fold under his pressure and go on the backfoot. Chandler will then look for the knockout blow to end the night early.

“I believe he’ll know within his very first exchange h…

There were not many bonuses handed out at UFC Seattle despite being a finish-heavy card.

Also known as UFC Fight Night 252, the bill went down at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. While none of the seven fights on the prelims card went the distance there were only two Performance of the Night bonuses doled out.

Bantamweight veteran Ricky Simon (21-6) was the only prelims fighter to earn an extra $50k bonus for his knockout win over Javid Basharat (14-2). While Simon had difficulty implementing his signature wrestling, he landed a perfect right hand to send Basharat to the shadow realm in the very first round. The win saw the 32-year-old rebound from a three fight skid.

Meanwhile, Jean Silva (15-2) received the second performance bonus of the night for the only stoppage on the main card. “Lord” was thoroughly entertaining right from his walkout, even engaging in a slap-fest with Melsik Baghdasaryan (8-3) before dropping the Armenian. Silva even waited for the ref…

Yadong Song took another step forward in the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight division—albeit an anticlimactic one—and settled for a technical unanimous decision over Henry Cejudo in the UFC Fight Night 252 headliner on Saturday at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. All three members of the cageside judiciary scored it for Song (22-8-1, 11-3-1 UFC): 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27.

An inadvertent eye poke left Cejudo (16-5, 12-5 UFC) unable to continue after the third round. Fans in attendance lustily booed the outcome.

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Song seemed to be in control up until the finish. The Team Alpha Male standout tore into Cejudo’s lead leg with damaging kicks, often forcing him to switch stances to shield the appendage from further exposure. Song countered effectively throughout, used occasional level changes to keep the onetime Olympic gold medalist honest and leaned into potent jabs. Cejudo was effective in spurts but seemed to be trending downward at the time th…