Khabib Nurmagomedov now targeting first UFC title defense sooner than expected
(https:)After winning the UFC lightweight title with a five-round decision over Al Iaquinta at UFC 223, Khabib Nurmagomedov said he wasn’t planning to return to fighting until November or December of this year. But now it looks like the champ will be back sooner than anticipated.
Speaking with his fans during a live chat Tuesday, Nurmagomedov announced that his team had begun talks with the UFC about returning to action this fall, either for the September or October pay-per-view event.
Sara McMann announces pregnancy
(https:)Baby number two is on the way for Sara McMann.
On Wednesday, the one-time women’s bantamweight title challenger announced on Instagram that she is three-months pregnant.
Nick Diaz mugshot released, court date set after domestic battery arrest
(https:)Nick Diaz has his next day in court date scheduled.
The popular UFC fighter will have to appear in Las Vegas Justice Court on June 6 at 8:30 a.m. before judge Amy Chelini, a court rep confirmed with MMA Fighting on Tuesday.
Diaz was arrested Friday on charges of domestic battery by strangulation and domestic battery in the first degree. The former is a felony. His booking photo was released Tuesday by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
Charles Oliveira in to fight Clay Guida at UFC 225 after Bobby Green withdraws
(https:)Bobby Green has been forced to withdraw from a matchup against Clay Guida, and Charles Oliveira will now step in to face the longtime veteran on short notice at UFC 225.
Guida (34-17 MMA, 14-11 UFC) today posted word of Oliveira’s (22-8 MMA, 10-8 UFC) sub for Green (24-8-1 MMA, 5-3-1 UFC) on Instagram, and his manager, John Fosco, confirmed the new booking to MMAjunkie.
Former UFC champion, 'TUF' winner Michael Bisping announces retirement
(https:)
Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping has decided against a final fight and today announced he is officially retired.
On his “Believe You Me” podcast, Bisping indicated vision problems were behind his decision to hang up his gloves and added he has nothing left to prove as a fighter.
“It ain’t worth it,” Bisping said. “What else am I going to do? I won the belt, I’ve had tons of wins. I’ve done everything I set out to achieve.
“What’s the point of flogging a dead horse? Not that I’m a dead horse, but what’s the point? … I’ve used my platform to open other doors. You’ve got to know when to walk away. I’m almost 40 years old – the time is now.”
UFC Liverpool bonuses: Tom Breese leads list of four fighters to cash in
(https:)Tom Breese and Claudio Silva came back from long layoffs and were handsomely rewarded in their comeback fights.
Returning from absences of two years and four years respectively, Breese and Silva picked up first-round finishes at UFC Liverpool at the Echo Arena on Sunday as well as $50,000 Performance of the Night bonuses for their efforts.
In lieu of a Fight of the Night award, two more fighters were given performance bonuses, Darren Stewart and Arnold Allen.
Darren Till re-weighs in at 187.3 pounds, UFC Liverpool main event vs. Stephen Thompson is on
(https:)The main event of UFC Liverpool is a go.
A potential disaster for the UFC was averted as officials announced that Darren Till was able to make 187.3 pounds at a scheduled weigh-in around 1 p.m. local time in Liverpool, England, making him eligible to face Stephen Thompson in the main event of Sunday’s show at the Echo Arena. Till was required to hit the scales again after failing to make the welterweight limit (171 pounds for a non-title bout) at Saturday’s official weigh-ins, where he came in heavy at 174.5 pounds.
Nick Diaz arrested for alleged domestic violence in Las Vegas
(https:)Nick Diaz has been arrested following an alleged domestic violence incident Thursday evening in Las Vegas.
A person within the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department identified Nickolas R. Diaz, 34, who is listed in an online in-custody search for the Clark County Detention Center, as UFC fighter Nick Diaz. The person spoke to MMAjunkie on condition of anonymity because the person wasn’t authorized to speak on the matter.
Diaz has been charged with felony domestic battery by strangulation, as well as misdemeanor domestic battery for the alleged incident.
Davey Grant vs. Manny Bermudez scratched from Sunday's UFC Liverpool lineup
(https:)Sunday’s UFC Fight Night 130 lineup is down one of its scheduled main card bouts.
Davey Grant (9-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has been pulled from his planned bantamweight bout with Manny Bermudez (11-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) due to a staph infection, MMAjunkie verified with a UFC official following an initial report from MMANYTT.com.
A replacement is not expected to be sought for Bermudez with weigh-ins for the event less than 48 hours away.
Cub Swanson vs. Renato Moicano official for UFC 227
(https:)A pair of top-10 featherweights are coming to the City of Angels.
Cub Swanson will take on Renato Moicano at UFC 227 on Aug. 4 in Los Angeles, the UFC officially announced Thursday. The Los Angeles Times first reported the fight was in the works earlier this month.
Aleksei Oleinik vs. Mark Hunt in the works for UFC Moscow main event
(https:)With Fabricio Werdum currently sidelined while he deals with a potential USADA suspension, Mark Hunt could step in to take his place in Moscow.
Sources told MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani that a matchup between Hunt and Werdum’s originally scheduled opponent Aleksei Oleinik is in the works to headline the UFC’s debut in the Russian capital, which is set to take place on Sept. 15.
Streaking Alejandro Perez meets Eddie Wineland at UFC Fight Night 133 in Boise
(https:)A bantamweight bout between Alejandro Perez and Eddie Wineland is the latest addition to July’s UFC Fight Night 133 lineup.
UFC officials recently announced the Perez (20-6-1 MMA, 6-1-1 UFC) vs. Wineland (23-12-1 MMA, 5-6 UFC) matchup.
UFC Fight Night 133 takes place July 14 at CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho. The card is expected to air on FS1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass, though the full bout order and fight card haven’t been finalized.
Georges St-Pierre opens up about Nate Diaz fight that didn’t happen, future UFC plans
(https:)Earlier this month, UFC president Dana White announced that a blockbuster fight between Georges St-Pierre and Nate Diaz was in the works for Aug. 4 at UFC 227. Momentum for the matchup even reached a point where betting odds were released and Diaz responded to the rumblings with a very Diaz-like Facebook post accusing St-Pierre of steroid use and accusing White of selling “wolf tickets” to fight fans.
Ultimately, that was the end of it though. The matchup never came to fruition.
However, speaking Wednesday during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, St-Pierre revealed that discussions of a potential UFC 227 return against Diaz were very much a real thing, and that “GSP” and his team at Tristar actually contemplated the idea.
Ex-champ Chris Weidman targets fall UFC return after second hand surgery
(https:)Things are beginning to look up for former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman.
Weidman (14-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) hasn’t seen action since a submission victory over Kelvin Gastelum at UFC on FOX 25 in July. He’s had left hand issues that taken multiple surgeries to fix, but according to the former titleholder, the worst of it is behind him.
According to Weidman, 33, who spoke about his injury during a Tuesday “EA UFC 3” Twitch stream, the most recent surgery on his thumb went well and he could be cleared for training as soon as this week.
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