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Brendan Allen doesn’t agree with Khamzat Chimaev being ranked in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s middleweight division.

Chimaev (13-0) made his long-awaited permanent move to middleweight at UFC 294 last month against short-notice replacement Kamaru Usman (20-4), who also made his debut at 185 pounds. A -300 favorite on some sportsbooks going into the fight, “Borz” managed to eke out a majority decision.

While the fight was widely believed to be a middleweight title eliminator, Chimaev was allegedly not even discussed as a potential opponent while booking Sean Strickland’s upcoming defense against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 on Jan. 20.

However, “Borz” landed directly at No. 8 on the middleweight ladder as per the newly updated UFC rankings.

No. 10 ranked middleweight Brendan Allen slammed the UFC ranking system for giving Chimaev a spot in the Top 10 of the division, despite him having not fought a true middleweight, let a…

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Bellator MMA bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis is finally coming into his own as a mixed martial arts star and out of the shadow of his elder brother Anthony Pettis.

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Despite making his professional debut back in 2011, Sergio for the longest time felt he was known solely as the younger brother of former World Extreme Cagefighting and Ultimate Fighting Championship king Anthony. It was back-to-back losses against Rob Font and Jussier Formiga in his UFC days that changed things for “The Phenom.”

After exiting the UFC with a win over Tyson Nam, Pettis went on to rack up five consecutive wins under the Bellator banner, which includes three title fights. Pettis returned to action in June after an 18-month layoff due to an ACL surgery and successfully defended his throne against featherweight champ Patricio “Pitbull” Freire.

Pettis is now scheduled to defend his throne at Bellator 301 on Nov. 17 against Patrick Mix (18-1), who …

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Feared knockout artist Patricky “Pitbull” Freire is extremely confident going into his clash against striking ace Alexandr Shabliy.

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Freire (25-11) and Shabliy (23-3) will meet in the semi-final of Bellator MMA’s lightweight grand prix, which will open the action at Bellator 301. The event will go down at Wintrust Arena in Chicago on Nov. 17.

One of the biggest fan favorites in the world of mixed martial arts, Pitbull is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who has scored 17 of his 25 career wins via knockout or technical knockout.

Training out of Pitbull Brothers gym in Brazil alongside younger brother Patricio Freire, Patricky is confident of pulling off a first-round stoppage against Shabliy.

“Of course, I am ready. I have the best team in the world full of world champions,” said Patricky at the Bellator 301 pre-fight press conference. “I trained with this team for more than 10 years and I believe in my wrestling, my strikin…

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Welterweight contender Jason Jackson will draw from lessons learned by his teammate Logan Storley’s losses against Yaroslav Amosov when he challenges the reigning champ in the Bellator 301 headliner at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago on Nov. 17.

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Storley has faced Amosov (27-0) twice so far, dropping a closely-contested split decision loss in 2020 before suffering a lopsided unanimous decision this past February. Nevertheless, Storley’s Kill Cliff FC teammate Jackson (16-4) is registering every bit of information from those losses as he goes into his title bid against the undefeated Ukrainian.

“Logan told me everything. He left nothing out. I have been studying Amosov for years because I have always wanted to fight him since he is the best in the division,” Jackson said at the Bellator 301 pre-fight press conference. “If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.”

Currently riding a six-fight win streak with wins ov…

A middleweight showdown pitting Gregory Rodrigues against Brad Tavares has been booked for UFC Fight Night on Feb. 10.

Rodrigues announced the pairing on social media. The UFC Fight Night event doesn’t currently have an official location or headliner.

The 31-year-old Rodrigues has won three of his last four Octagon appearances. Most recently, “Robocop” knocked out Denis Tiuliulin with elbows in the opening stanza of their encounter at UFC 292. The Kill Cliff FC representative is 5-2 during his tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion, with all but one of those victories coming by knockout or technical knockout.

Tavares, meanwhile, is a 23-time Octagon veteran who made his first UFC appearance in 2010. Most recently, the 35-year-old Hawaiian snapped a two-fight skid with a unanimous decision triumph over former middleweight champ Chris Weidman at UFC 292.

It appears that UFC Fight Night 233 will be headed to the promotion’s home base.

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The card, which was originally supposed to be held in Shanghai, China, on Dec. 9, is changing locations to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas for reasons that are currently unknown. Multiple outlets confirmed the news following an initial announcement from MMA manager Shu Hirata on social media.

According to a report from MMAjunkie.com, the four Road to UFC bouts scheduled for UFC Fight NIght 233 will no longer take place on the card. Additionally, a light heavyweight bout pitting Brendon Ribeiro against Mingyang Zhang has been scrapped due to travel issues related to the change in location.

UFC Shanghai was slated to be the first event in China since 2019, when Weili Zhang defeated Jessica Andrade to capture the strawweight crown in the UFC Fight Night 157 main event.

Barring any further changes, UFC Fight Night 233 is expected to be headlined by a bantamweight cl…

In a somewhat controversial move, Francis Ngannou has been ranked by the World Boxing Council at heavyweight.

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As reported by Reuters, Ngannou has entered the WBC poll at No. 10 following a split-decision defeat to Tyson Fury on Oct. 28 in Saudia Arabia. The former UFC heavyweight champion scored a knockdown of Fury and was competitive throughout the fight, which allowed him to receive a 95-94 scorecard from one ringside judge. Fury, meanwhile, received tallies of 96-93 and 95-94 to get the split-decision nod.

While many observers believed Ngannou deserved to win the fight, it is rare for the WBC to rank an athlete with no professional wins on his record. “The Predator” was making his pro boxing debut after parting ways with the UFC earlier this year. Fury, meanwhile, will move on to an undisputed heavyweight championship fight against Oleksandr Usyk, which has been targeted for Feb. 17.

Ngannou is also signed to Professional Fighters League,…

Newly-crowned interim heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall caught Jamahal Hill’s attention with a first-round knockout win over Sergei Pavlovich in the co-main event at UFC 295.

Aspinall stepped up on less than three weeks’ notice, battled through crippling back pain and showed up to knock out the surging Russian, who was on a six-fight, first-round finishing streak. The Brit’s performance has Hill considering a move up to heavyweight in the future to test himself against the latest sensation.

“I think Tom is a stud, I think Tom is like the new prototype of what heavyweights are,” Hill told TNT Sports. “I definitely wanna do my thing at 205 and then go up and eventually see him too. So, Tom, get ready for me baby, someday. I think he has great movement. I think his coaches focus on a lot of good things, the right things to give him an edge in this game. A lot of them have the same philosophy as my coaches have and employ with me and things like that. I think he’s defi…

Contrary to popular belief, Khamzat Chimaev was reportedly not even considered as a potential opponent for Sean Strickland’s first title defense at UFC 297.

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After years of troublesome weight cuts and dominant finishes at welterweight, Chimaev (13-0) made a move to middleweight last month opposite Kamaru Usman, who also made his short notice debut at 185 pounds. “Borz” picked up a majority decision win over Usman in the co-main event at UFC 294. While the fight was believed to be a title eliminator, Chimaev’s victory wasn’t especially decisive.

Strickland (28-5) is now scheduled to defend his throne against South African standout Dricus Du Plessis (20-2) in the UFC 297 main event on Jan. 20 in Toronto. According to Strickland’s manager, Iridium Sports Agency’s Lance Spaude, Chimaev’s name didn’t come up during UFC 297 conversations.

“Never even brought up in the discussion,” Spaude said on the MMA Mania "Sound & Pound” podcast. “I don’t r…

Chase Hooper doesn’t want to rush his climb to the upper echelon of the Ultimate Fighting Championship's lightweight roster.

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Hooper (12-3) made his promotional debut in 2019 as an undefeated 10-0-1 prospect and went on to score a first-round stoppage win over Daniel Teymur. While “The Dream” continues to show flashes of brilliance, his career has since gone back and forth as he's encountered steeper competition.

Currently 4-3 in the UFC and coming off a decision win over Nick Fiore in May, Hooper is set to take on Jordan Leavitt (11-2) at UFC Fight Night 232 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday. Reflecting on his career so far, the 24-year-old from Enumclaw, Washington, recently detailed his career strategy to stay in the game for the long run.

“The Dream” believes a slow and steady approach is the way to ensure a lengthy successful career.

“My second fight in the UFC was against a 20-fight vet in [Alex] Caceres, and I felt like he …

Themba Gorimbo will return to action against Kiefer Crosbie on Feb. 3 at a yet-to-be-announced Ultimate Fighting Championship event.

Gorimbo confirmed the booking on social media following an initial report from MMA Mania. The card does have an official location or headliner.

Gorimbo (11-4) made headlines earlier this year due to his inspirational story, which came to light following his first promotional triumph against Takashi Sato at UFC Fight Night 223 on May 20. The South Africa native debuted in the Octagon with a loss to A.J. Fletcher at UFC Fight Night 219 after competing primarily on the African regional scene.

An SBG Ireland product, Crosbie will look to bounce back from a first-round submission loss against Kevin Jousset in his promtional debut at UFC 293. His 10-4 career mark notably includes a 3-3 stint in Bellator MMA.

UFC Fight Night 232 has undergone a couple of changes less than a week before Saturday’s card.

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Christian Leroy Duncan (8-1) was originally scheduled to welcome undefeated Brazilian debutant Cesar Almeida (4-0) to the Octagon at Saturday’s event at the UFC Apex. However, Almeida withdrew due to an infection and has now been replaced by Russia’s Denis Tiuliulin (10-8).

Duncan is coming off the first professional loss of his career via unanimous decision against Armen Petrosyan in June. The former Cage Warriors middleweight champ will look to return to the win column with a decisive victory over Tiuliulin, who is on a two-fight skid with a 1-3 promotional record so far.

The update was first reported by Vestnik MMA on Instagram and subsequently confirmed by multiple outlets.

Meanwhile, promotional newcomer Jonny Parsons (9-3) has withdrawn from his scheduled welterweight clash against Uros Medic (9-1) due to undisclosed reasons. Parsons wil…

A welterweight matchup has been added to the first Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view event of 2024, which is set to go down at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Jan. 20.

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Sam Patterson (10-2) will face Canada's Yohan Lainesse (9-2) in what will mark the Englishman's first professional fight in the welterweight division at UFC 297. The matchup was first reported by Eurosport Nederland’s Marcel Dorff on Nov. 3 but was just recently confirmed by the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Patterson, a Brave Combat Federation alum, made his Octagon debut at UFC 286 on the heels of a six-fight win streak, including a Round 2 submission victory against Vinicius Sacchelli Cenci in Dana White’s Contender Series.

Unfortunately for Patterson, his promotional debut didn't go as planned as the Team Crossface product suffered a brutal Round 1 knockout loss at the hands of Israeli fighter Yanal Ashmoz. Meanwhile, Lainesse is 2-2 in his last four. The Canadian …

For the most part, Kayla Harrison has been an extremely active competitor since making her professional mixed martial arts debut in 2018.

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With the exception of the COVID-altered 2020 campaign, the two-time Olympic gold medalist fought at least three times a year — and usually four — from 2018 through 2022. That changed this year, when Harrison was sidelined as the Professional Fighters League introduced a featherweight division. The two-time 155-pound champion revealed earlier in the year that it wasn’t necessarily her choice to sit out the season. However, she gained valuable perspective in multiple aspects of her life during her downtime.

Much of that had little to do with fighting.

“I was still in the gym training every day. I went from training twice a day pretty much year round to training once a day, focusing on where I can get better — a lot of the holes in my game,” Harrison said during a PFL media day. “But the biggest gains I feel li…

Clay Collard is probably more qualified than most to comment on Francis Ngannou’s professional boxing debut.

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Collard, who owns a 9-6-3 record as a professional boxer, was just as surprised as anyone to see Ngannou hold his own against Tyson Fury in their match on Oct. 28 in Saudia Arabia — especially after training alongside “The Predator” in the past.

“I’ve got to give him props,” Collard said during a recent PFL media day. “I trained with him a little bit back at Xtreme Couture, and I never would’ve guessed that would’ve been the case, him going in there and dropping Fury. A lot of people might have him winning.

“I wish him all the success. I think he can take it as high as he wants to go in boxing or mixed martial arts. Baddest man on the planet, PFL.”

While Collard has plenty of experience in the Sweet Science, his current focus is winning the PFL lightweight championship against Olivier Aubin-Mercier on Nov. 24 in Washington, D.C. Their …

The Nevada State Athletic Commission has adopted new thresholds for several previously prohibited substances, according to a report from MMAjunkie.com.

During a meeting on Tuesday, thresholds were approved for the following substances: GW1516, dehydrochloromethyltestosterone (DHCMT) long-term metabolite (M3), clomiphene, epitrenbolone (trenbolone metabolite), and selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMS). The new policy is designed to help distinguish between drug tests results that are “atypical” and those that are “adverse.”

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NSAC executive director Jeff Mullen offered further details on the newly-approved policy in a statement.

“Any positive test of a proposed substance which is below the respective proposed threshold would be considered atypical requiring additional investigation,” Mullen said. “This investigation may include, but not be limited to, review of the fighter’s test history, interviews, and possible additional testing. The resu…

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UFC Fight Pass commentator Carlos Barreto was disappointed by Alex Pereira’s decision to call out Israel Adesanya for a trilogy fight following his championship victory at UFC 295.

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“Adesanya tried to come up to light heavyweight and lost his first fight against Jan Blachowicz. ‘Poatan’ moved up, defeated Blachowicz and got the belt after beating another former champion, [Jiri Prochazka],” Barreto said on his weekly videocast, Papo de Luta. “Adesanya already said he is taking some time off and in addition, he has unfinished business to solve at middleweight with [Sean Strickland or Dricus Du Plessis).

“‘Poatan’ should understand that the best storyline for him is undoubtedly Jamahal Hill. Glover [Teixeira] was beaten by Prochaska, and ‘Poatan’ avenged him. It would have been a perfect time to use the microphone to say ‘Hill get well soon, I ́m waiting for you and I ́m going to beat you up and avenge Glover again.’ That's the narrat…

From visa complications to crippling back pain, Tom Aspinall had a lot going on in the lead up to his short-notice interim title fight against Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295.

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While Pavlovich was supposed to be the backup for the originally scheduled title clash between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic, Aspinall stepped up on less than three weeks’ notice when that fight fell through. The Brit recently revealed that he couldn’t even train for most of whatever little time he had due to severe backache.

Aspinall shared footage of when his back suddenly stiffened up during training due to no apparent reason. Unable to train or even walk for a couple of days after, Aspinall revealed on "The MMA Hour” that he considered pulling out of the fight.

“I just wanted to get one good spar under my belt before we basically leave and travel to the U.S.” Aspinall said. “This was in the fourth round of sparring. Never experienced anything like it before. I just had a c…

Dustin Poirier believes that the version of Charles Oliveira he faced can dethrone Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight king Islam Makhachev.

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Oliveira was coming off finishes of Michael Chandler, Poirier and Justin Gaethje when he was submitted by Makhachev in the second round of their title bout at UFC 280 in October 2022. The Brazilian bounced back with a first-round KO over Beneil Dariush at UFC 289 in June, securing a rematch against Makhachev.

Oliveira was 12 days away from having a chance to avenge his loss against Makhachev at UFC 294 when a gruesome cut suffered in sparring forced him out of the fight. Oliveira was replaced by featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski, who went on to suffer a brutal first-round KO loss.

Poirier believes “do Bronx” has what it takes to defeat the Dagestani champ if they run it back. According to the Louisiana native, Oliveira didn’t show up at his best when he lost the strap to Makhachev at UFC 2…

Leon Edwards claims there is no one exciting enough left for him at welterweight after his upcoming title defense against Colby Covington at UFC 296 on Dec. 16.

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Edwards dethroned Kamaru Usman in a shocking upset at UFC 278 before defending the belt via decision in a rematch at UFC 286 in March. While many expected Belal Muhammad to get his long due title shot next, Dana White was adamant on giving it to Covington, who hasn’t fought since a decision win over Jorge Masvidal in March 2022.

If he defeats Covington at UFC 296, Edwards is no longer interested in defending his title at 170 pounds. “Rocky” recently told Sky Sports that he is eyeing double-champ glory with a middleweight title shot in his next outing.

Edwards will be keenly watching the upcoming UFC 297 title fight between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis, both of whom he considers to be good matchups.

"One hundred percent, definitely [moving up to challenge the middleweight cha…

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Paddy Pimblett claims the ongoing feud between Leon Edwards and Ian Garry has already been settled inside the gym.

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Garry recently revealed that he was no longer welcome at Edwards’ Team Renegade, which has been one of his two major training homes along with Kill Cliff FC in South Florida. “The Future” called Edwards a “b—ch” for allegedly throwing him out of the gym to avoid “doubts and insecurities.” Meanwhile, Team Renegade said that the decision was primarily due to Garry’s nomadic nature, which wasn’t in line with the gym’s vision.

Pimblett has now added fuel to the fire by dropping a massive gym rumor. While discussing potential opponents for Edwards during a recent interview, Pimblett agreed that Shavkat Rakhmonov could go on to challenge “Rocky” if he gets past Stephen Thompson at UFC 296. However, Pimblett dismissed Garry’s name, claiming that debate has allegedly been settled with “The Future” getting knocked out by Edwa…

Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker will attempt to settle some unfinished business in the headliner of an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Jan. 13.

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John Kavanagh, Walker’s coach, announced the pairing on"The MMA Hour," and it was later confirmed by MMAjunkie.com. The card hasn’t been announced by the Las Vegas-based promotion, so it doesn’t have an official location or venue as of yet.

The first meeting between Ankalaev and Walker ended in controversial fashion at UFC 294. After Ankalaev landed an illegal knee on his opponent in the opening stanza, a cageside physician was called in to examine Walker. After a series of questions, the fight was waved off — much to the displeasure of both combatants.

It was the second straight disappointing outcome for Ankalaev, who battled Jan Blachowicz to a majority draw with the vacant light heavyweight title on the line at UFC 282. As a result, the belt remained vacant, and both Ankalaev and Blacho…

The possibility of Conor McGregor competing at UFC 300 now seems like a long shot at best.

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During an appearance on "The MMA Hour,” SBG Ireland head trainer John Kavanagh revealed that McGregor’s Octagon return has been delayed yet again.

“We were hoping for April. That was the hope. That was what we were told. And now it seems to be the summertime,” Kavanagh said.

“I don’t know [why]. That’s literally what we were having a bit of a back and forward [about] today.”

April is the expected month for UFC 300, which will likely be one of the promotion’s biggest events to date. McGregor re-entered the drug testing pool in October, which would align with an April return, and the former UFC two-division champion also targeted that timeframe for his first fight since breaking his leg in July 2021.

McGregor coached on “The Ultimate Fighter 31” opposite Michael Chandler, and the two were initially supposed to meet at some point in 2023. McGregor …

It might not happen anytime soon, but the odds slightly favor Jon Jones in a potential bout against newly-crowned interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.

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According to online oddsmaker BetOnline, Jones is listed as a -140 favorite against Aspinall, who is a +120 underdog. That is a stark contrast to odds for Jones vs. Stipe Miocic, where “Bones” is a far more significant favorite at -400.

In the case of Jones vs. Aspinall, the fight must take place by Aug. 31, 2024 for any betting action to be valid, and odds are subject to change based on various circumstances.

The far more likely option is that Jones will defend his heavyweight crown against Miocic next year once he heals from a torn pectoral suffered in training. Jones has targeted Miocic, who owns the all-time record for title defenses at heavyweight, as a legacy fight, and UFC CEO Dana White has been adamant that the promotion will rebook the bout at a later date.

Aspinall clai…