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IT'S ON 😤 Japanese legend Shinya Aoki faces off with American superstar Sage Northcutt on January 28 in Tokyo! 👊💥 @a_ok_i @sagenorthcutt #ONE165 | January 28 at 6PM JST🎟️ Tickets 👉 https://t.co/9BTfk5i7f8🌍 Global broadcast details coming soon pic.twitter.com/l71TsJVwRn

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) November 30, 2023

Sage Northcutt is gearing up to do battle with Japanese legend Shinya Aoki next year.

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Northcutt (12-3) and Aoki (47-11) will meet in a lightweight clash at ONE 165 on Jan. 28 at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, which also marks the promotion’s return to Japan. The card will be headlined by ONE 135-pound muay thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Japanese kickboxing star Takeru Segawa.

Northcutt parted ways with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2018 for ONE Championship, where his debut was spoiled by kickboxing veteran Cosmo Alexandre via a 29-second knockout. “Super” then went on a three-y…

Colby Covington has brushed several people the wrong way over the years, including lightweight contender Dustin Poirier.

A perennial welterweight contender, Covington (17-3) has also assumed a heel persona by crossing boundaries with his trash talk on several occasions.

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“Chaos” was allegedly sucker punched by former friend and teammate Jorge Masvidal outside a Miami restaurant hardly two weeks removed from his lopsided decision win over “Gamebred” at UFC 272.

However, Masvidal apparently isn’t the only fighter who had a problem with Covington at American Top Team in Florida. A part of ATT since 2011, Covington parted ways with the gym in 2020 over growing tensions with Masvidal, Dustin Poirier and Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

Covington even issued an uncharacteristic public apology to Poirier (29-8) prior to his exit from ATT after coach Dan Lambert imposed a no-trash talk rule. However, “Chaos” has since gone back and forth with Poirier on multiple occ…

Brandon Moreno is tired of waiting for his next Octagon assignment and wants to return to action as soon as possible.

Moreno injured his hand in his split-decision title loss to Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 290 in July. The defeat marked Moreno’s second career loss at the hands of “The Cannibal.”

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However, while Moreno has fully recovered from the injury, there has been almost no talk of his next booking.

Moreno claims the Ultimate Fighting Championship had reached out to him about a fight against surging contender Amir Albazi (17-1) in December but nothing concrete was laid out.

“They told me, Amir. They told me about December, but nothing was real, nothing was official. So right now, I’m waiting for a specific name to make it official. I know Amir is there. I think it’s the most logical fight in line for me with Amir. The winner can fight for the title in the next one. I know Amir is there,” Moreno told MMA Junkie.

“The Assassin Baby” admits tha…

Dana White: “Every time he’s [Dillon Danis] around, sh*t’s going down.” 🗣️

🎥 @fullsendpodcast

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White doesn’t sound too keen on bringing Danis to the UFC.

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— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) November 28, 2023 Dillon Danis’ antics outside of actual competition might be the biggest detriment to his aspirations of becoming an Ultimate Fighting Championship athlete.

Having initially gained attention as Conor McGregor's training partner, Danis has managed to stay relevant ever since by getting involved in several feuds with influencers and fighters. The biggest highlight of Danis’ career is arguably his involvement in the infamous UFC 229 brawl between the camps of McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Danis also recently threw a microphone at Logan Paul, cutting open “The Maverick” ahead of their boxing clash. While they went ahead with the fight, Danis lost via disqualification after starting a braw…

Lupita Godinez will square off against Virna Jandiroba in a matchup of strawweight contenders at UFC Fight Night on March 30.

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Multiple outlets — along with Jandiroba herself — confirmed the pairing following an initial report from MMA Melotto. The UFC card doesn’t have an official location or headliner at this time.

Godinez enjoyed an active 2023 campaign, as she was victorious in all four of her Octagon appearances. Most recently, “Loopy” garnered a split-decision triumph against Tabatha Ricci at UFC 295 on Nov. 11. Her year also included wins over Elise Reed, Emily Ducote and Cynthia Calvillo.

Jandiroba, meanwhile, has won three of her last four within the Las Vegas-based promotion. In her last outing, the former Invicta FC champ outpointed Marina Rodriguez at UFC 288 on May 6.

Olivier Aubin-Mercier had previously hinted that he would be taking a hiatus from mixed martial arts following the conclusion of the 2023 Professional Fighters League season.

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Now his absence will likely be much longer than that.

Aubin-Mercier officially announced his retirement on Wednesday in a post on his Instagram account.

“Feeling incredibly grateful today as I hang up my gloves, I must give a massive shout out to [the PFL],” he wrote. “PFL believed in me. They recognized a fighter in a kid from Quebec who just wouldn’t quit. It has been an honor to step into the cage under their banner.

“As I move on from competition, I hope that the path I've trodden serves as an invitation to other Quebecois fighters. May you find in the PFL the same support, the same faith, and the same opportunities to showcase our Québécois tenacity.

“To everyone behind the scenes who has been part of this journey—merci from the bottom of my heart. I had so mu…

A middleweight clash pitting Roman Dolidze against Nassourdine Imavov will serve as the headliner for an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Feb. 3.

The booking was initially reported by MMA TIME. Dolidze also recently confirmed the bout on social media. The UFC Fight Night card does not yet have an official location or venue. According to MMAjunkie.com, Dolidze vs. Imavov was initially slated to take place at UFC Fight Night 233 on Dec. 9.

Dolidze had a four-bout winning streak snapped in his last outing, when he suffered a unanimous decision loss to former title challenger Marvin Vettori at UFC 286 on March 18. “The Caucasian” is 6-2 in UFC competition, with four KO/TKO victories to his credit.

Imavov, meanwhile, is coming off a bout against Chris Curtis at UFC 289 that ended 3:04 into Round 2 due to an accidental clash of heads. Prior to that, the Frenchman dropped a five-round verdict against current middleweight king Sean Strickland in the UFC Fi…

Professional Fighters League founder Donn Davis recently said that Bellator featherweight champion Cristiane Justino will face 2023 PFL 145-pound champ Larissa Pacheco in her next bout.

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Carlos Barreto has other ideas. The UFC Fight Pass Brazil commentator declared on his "Papo de Luta" podcast that he believes Kayla Harrison should be the next opponent for “Cyborg.”

"We know that the idea is to pit champion versus champion, but just like [Francis] Ngannou vs. [Bellator heavyweight champ] Ryan Bader should take place instead of Bader vs. Renan Ferreira, because that would be a more entertaining fight for the audience, I believe Mr. Davis should use the same thought process to put Kayla and Cyborg first,” he said.

According to Barreto, the reason is not just fan interest but the possibility of “Cyborg” losing to Pacheco.

"Brazilian fans would probably rather see Cris vs Larissa, but we are talking about world marketing,” he said. “Kayla…

Marlon Vera is confident that he’ll take the fight out of Sean O’Malley in their upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight title clash.

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Vera (23-8) will meet O’Malley (17-1) in a rematch in the main event at UFC 299 with O’Malley's bantamweight title on the line. “Chito” handed “Sugar” his lone pro defeat in 2020 by damaging his foe’s peroneal nerve with leg kicks before subsequently securing the finish with an onslaught of strikes at the 4:40 mark of the opening frame.

Vera believes he will put a lopsided beating on the champ in their rematch. While “Chito” acknowledges O’Malley’s athleticism and knockout power, he believes the fight will go out of “Sugar” when he gets into a “hard fight.”

“I beat the f-k out of him and walk away with a bag of cash and the belt. I really believe I’m going to make him quit. I really believe I’m going to make him just be a shell of himself and just kick his ass, almost like beg me to stop kind of th…

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Brendan Allen claims to have witnessed Ian Garry being knocked out cold during a sparring session at Kill Cliff FC.

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As a result, Allen also believes Ian Garry knows exactly which names he shouldn’t mention to avoid having that footage become public. Garry has been in the headlines in recent times, although not necessarily for the right reasons. “The Future” recently claimed to have been barred from Leon Edwards’ Team Renegade over the champ’s "insecurities." However, Edwards’ teammate Veronica Hardy subsequently revealed that Garry has been banned from several gyms in the U.K. Additionally, Liverpudlian star Paddy Pimblett claimed to have heard reports of Edwards knocking Garry out in training.

According to Allen, Garry has also been knocked out during training at his other haunt, Kill Cliff FC in Florida. Referring to a video of Shavkat Rakhmonov wrestling Bellator champ Jason Jackson, Allen also hinted that he is not a big fan …

After 14 fights in the flyweight division, former champion Deiveson Figueiredo will make his bantamweight debut on Saturday against Rob Font at UFC on ESPN 52 in Austin, Texas.

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In an exclusive interview with Sherdog.com, Figueiredo revealed that he held his entire training camp with Henry Cejudo in the United States.

"Actually I left Brazil and started my camp before the UFC decided my opponent,” the Brazilian said. “The UFC gave me three options, and among them I chose Font, who had already said that he wanted to welcome me to the 135-pound division. Because of that I chose him.”

According to Figueiredo, the fact that he didn’t need to spend his whole camp on a strict diet to reach 125 pounds made it one of the best camps of his life.

"It's much better to do a camp happy and healthy,” he said. “Besides that, the whole atmosphere here in Fight Ready is really good. Cejudo is surrounded by amazing people. To complete …

Beneil Dariush recently revealed that Dustin Poirier was a potential opponent for his upcoming main-event assignment.

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Dariush (22-5) is slated to take on up-and-coming contender Arman Tsarukyan (20-3) in the main event at UFC on ESPN 52 on Saturday in Austin, Texas. “Benny” claims Poirier’s name was also mentioned as an alternative opponent, but the booking never came to fruition. Dariush recently told Submission Radio:

“They called me for that and they said, ‘Hey, would you be willing?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, of course. My weight’s good, I’m obviously in camp right now, I can do a fight with Dustin Poirier.’ And they said, ‘Okay, we’ll get back to you.’ It didn’t materialize and then they called me again and they said, ‘Okay, what about Dustin Poirier for December 2?’ I said, ‘Okay.’ Then I just waited and it didn’t materialize.”

“Afterward they said they were going to stick with Arman and it’s gonna be five rounds. I never hear the other side. I’…

While Dana White guarantees that Conor McGregor will return next year, he also claims to have a blockbuster matchup in the works that does not involve the Irish superstar.

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McGregor (22-6) hasn’t fought since suffering a broken leg in a trilogy clash against Dustin Poirier in July 2021. While “Notorious” has since featured as Michael Chandler’s (23-8) rival coach on “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 31, their clash which was expected to follow hangs in the balance. Following his re-entry into the United States Anti-Doping Agency drug testing pool, McGregor was targeting a return in April 2024. However, according to his coach, John Kavanagh, McGregor is unlikely to make a return before the summer.

Nevertheless, UFC CEO White recently assured fans of McGregor’s 2024 return without finalizing the name of an opponent in an appearance on the Full Send Podcast. White also took the opportunity to point out Chandler's ability to sit out without competing for a …

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Demetrious Johnson believes his accomplishments are more than enough to place him among mixed martial arts’ all-time elite.

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“Mighty Mouse” ranked himself No. 2 on his own personal GOAT list, behind only current UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

“For my No. 1, I have Jon ‘Bones’ Jones. That is the only man that I’ll put ahead of me because this man, I feel like every single time he has been inside the cage he could just destroy his opponent however you want it,” Johnson said on his YouTube channel. “He also has wins by knockout, putting people to sleep, decisions, everything on the list.”

Meanwhile, Johnson ranked Georges St. Pierre at No. 3 and Anderson Silva at 4. The former UFC flyweight champion and ONE Championship 135-pound king explained his logic for ranking himself second.

“Nobody has been able to do what I’ve been able to do in the flyweight division or in any division,” Johnson said. “Eleven consecutive title def…

Dan Hooker recently went under the knife for the injury that led to his withdrawal from the UFC on ESPN 52 co-main event.

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“The Hangman” broke his arm during sparring shortly ahead of his proposed lightweight showdown against Bobby Green. As a result, Jalin Turner stepped in to face Green on Saturday at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

“Surgery done and dusted this morning,” Hooker wrote Monday on Instagram. “Not my first and definitely won’t be my last time under the knife… Can see how this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I’m built for this game. Just a scratch baby, can’t wait to scrap again.”

Hooker has dealt with a series of setbacks in recent months. That includes his last outing at UFC 290, where he suffered a broken arm in a victory over Jalin Turner. According to the City Kickboxing representative, that injury never fully healed.

“My hunger to compete got the best of me. I was too eager to fight under the lights again and put …

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It appears to be all systems go for Alexander Volkanovski as he begins preparations to face Ilia Topuria in the UFC 298 main event on Feb. 17.

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The UFC featherweight champion revealed in a post on his YouTube channel that he has begun sparring after clearing concussion protocols. Volkanovski suffered a head-kick knockout loss to Islam Makhachev in a lightweight title bout at UFC 294 on Oct. 21. The City Kickboxing standout lobbied for a quick turnaround in the aftermath of the defeat, which raised concerns that he might be coming back too quickly.

“Just had my first spar,” Volkanovski said. “So, obviously had to follow all the protocols, concussion, back to training. So, followed all the protocols to a tee, no symptoms, kept it rolling, kept it rolling. Felt real good. No knocks, no symptoms still. So, we’re rolling. We’re going to keep this baby rolling. Very, very happy with it.

“Very thankful for the team behind me … and a…

One of MMA’s most intriguing free agents is weighing his options in the wake of his former promotion’s recent high-profile merger.

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Michael Page (21-2), former Bellator MMA welterweight title challenger and longtime star, announced free agency earlier this year after parting ways with his former organization. Known for a plethora of highlight-reel knockouts, Paige was immediately courted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. However, Page claims things haven’t moved beyond courtship with the UFC, though he recently had his first in-person interaction with its CEO, Dana White. “MVP” said on ‘The MMA Fan Show’:

“I wish I could say for certain that we have or we haven’t. Honestly speaking, we’re not there yet. There’s still a few hurdles we need to jump over, but like I said, we’re flirting.”

Page’s former promotion was recently acquired by the Professional Fighters League, with some of its biggest stars on hand at last week’s PFL World Champi…

Joseph Pyfer foresees a changing of the guard in his upcoming clash with Jack Hermansson.

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Rising middleweight prospect Pyfer (12-2) is brimming with confidence going into the first main event assignment of his UFC career against promotional veteran Hermansson (23-8) on Feb. 10. Pyfer, who broke his arm during a Dana White's Contender Series appearance in 2020, claims that most of his confidence stems from staying injury-free. “Bodybagz” recently said on The MMA Hour:

“A lot of my issues are injuries man. F***ing since 24 years old I’ve just been injury prone. And sometimes things get to my head or they affect my training and preparation. It doesn’t stop me, I’ll just bite through the pain sometimes but it’s like man, at a certain point I’m gonna hurt myself again real bad. So you know, I’ve been trying to take care of my body, take care of my health.”

That aside, Pyfer also doesn’t think his upcoming opponent is great in any particular aspec…

Paddy Pimblett views his upcoming fight against Tony Ferguson as a lose-lose situation, regardless of the outcome of the bout.

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Pimblett will bring a six-fight winning streak into his matchup with Ferguson — who is on a six-bout skid — at UFC 296 on Dec. 16 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Despite their starkly contrasting records in recent times, some fans expect “El Cucuy” to defeat Pimblett, especially after the Liverpudlian’s controversial decision win over Jared Gordon in his last outing back in December 2022.

Pimblett believes he’s going to receive flak from fans regardless of the outcome of his clash against Ferguson. “The Baddy” noted that despite Ferguson having lost only to elite opponents in his recent skid, the former interim lightweight champ is being viewed as well past his prime. Hence, Pimblett would be slammed for losing to a washed-up Ferguson if he lost, and a win would also be dismissed on similar grounds.

“I don’t even…

Michael Morales doesn’t like anything about fellow welterweight contender Ian Garry.

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Morales previously called out Garry after his unanimous decision win over Max Griffin at UFC on ESPN 48 in July. Reiterating his callout in a recent interview, Morales shared that he wants to fight Garry due of his dislike for the Irishman.

“Ian Garry, Ian Garry. If I get the opportunity to fight him, I’ll welcome that,” Morales told MMAjunkie.com. “He’s someone I want to fight. If I get the opportunity to fight him, that would be great. I really dislike that guy. There’s nothing I like about him, but it’s not whatever I like or dislike, it’s whatever the UFC wants for me next. So if I get the chance to fight him, then thank you very much, but if it’s not him, I also welcome it. Whoever is next can get it.”

In addition to his personal dislike for Garry, Morales also remembers “The Future” mentioning him as a potential opponent in the past.

“He said some…

It appears that Larissa Pacheco, not Kayla Harrison, will be Cristiane Justino’s first opponent on the heels of Professional Fighters League’s acquisition of Bellator MMA.

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Pacheco became the first two-division champion in PFL history when she defeated Marina Mokhnatkina in their featherweight final on Friday night in Washington, D.C. “Cyborg,” meanwhile, is coming off a first-round stoppage of Cat Zingano in a 145-pound title defense at Bellator 300.

Although Harrison has long been mentioned as an opponent for “Cyborg,” PFL founder Donn Davis believes it makes more sense for Pacheco to face Justino first. While Bellator will continue to run separately in 2024, it was announced that there will also be a champions vs. champions event featuring both promotions. That could be the ideal time to book Pacheco vs. Justino. In the meantime, Harrison vs. “Cyborg” isn’t off the table — it will just be planned for a later date.

“It’s champ vs. champ,” D…

Further details regarding ONE Championship’s plans for its 2024 schedule have come to light.

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In an interview with the South China Morning Post, ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong revealed that the Singapore organization will return its focus to mixed martial arts following a 2023 that saw a heavy emphasis on muay thai and other combat sports.

“You’re going to see MMA back in full force,” Sityodtong said. “We have our U.S. stadium shows, we have Qatar, Japan. In the Philippines we have one or two shows.

“ONE Friday Fights and the muay thai product are very much on a firm footing now. We’ve laid the groundwork and feel very comfortable it’s running on autopilot, and now we’re able to scale up. We’ve firmly established we have the No. 1 striking property on the planet. The focus will be sharply back onto mixed martial arts.”

If all goes as planned, ONE will have a busy itinerary in the coming year. Sityodtong revealed that Christian Lee will return to a…

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— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) November 27, 2023

UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland has posted a video of him holding a man at gunpoint in front of his Las Vegas home.

In the footage from Ring.com, a man is initially seen stumbling into Strickland’s driveway before crouching in between two cars. The UFC veteran — along with another individual in a red shirt — follow the man into the street, where Strickland appears to shove him to the ground while pointing a gun in his direction. “Sit the f—k down,” Strickland can be overheard saying. Sirens also appear to be flashing in the background.

According to Strickland, he initially thought the man was trying to steal his car. Instead, Strickland claims that the man was involved in a domestic violence incident where he “was drunk stomping out a girl.”

“The guy was drunk stomping out a girl, a security guard seen it, he jumped in his car and drove off,” …

Erin Blanchfield expects her next fight to be against fellow contender Manon Fiorot — preferably for the interim UFC women’s flyweight title.

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Both Blanchfield and Fiorot are undefeated in six UFC appearances, making them the top two female contenders in the promotion at 125 pounds. However, the title picture is complicated due to the status of reigning flyweight queen Alexa Grasso and ex-champ Valentina Shevchenko. The two rivals battled to a split draw in their rematch at Noche UFC, and the controversy regarding the scorecards in that bout left the door open for a trilogy. The third meeting could be delayed after both Grasso and Shevchenko recently underwent hand surgeries.

Blanchfield is fairly certain that a matchup against Fiorot is next for her, but she wants it to have interim title relevance if the Grasso-Shevchenko trilogy is delayed.

“Yeah, it’s definitely stalling. I feel like I’ve had a couple No. 1 contender fights now. But you …