Page 18 - Top MMA News and Mixed Martial Arts Headlines

A high-profile middleweight bout is in the works for the UFC’s next event in New York City. Ronaldo Souza and David Branch are expected to face off at UFC 230 later this year, ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reported Thursday night. UFC officials have yet to confirm the news. The UFC wanted Souza vs. Branch to headline its upcoming event in Sao Paulo, Brazil this September, but the timing was too soon for Souza. Instead, the pair of 185-pound contenders will meet two months later in November.

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UFC welterweight Muslim Salikhov failed a drug test and has been notified of a potential UFC anti-doping policy violation. The promotion today released a statement confirming the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s notification of a potential violation, which stems from an out-of-competition drug test conducted June 7 in Russia. Salikhov (14-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) was unbooked at the time of his potential violation. Two days ago, however, he wrote on his Instagram page that he was preparing for a UFC fight.

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A light heavyweight bout between Sam Alvey and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira is the latest addition to September’s UFC Fight Night 137 lineup. A team source confirmed the planned Alvey (33-10 MMA, 10-5 UFC) vs. Nogueira (22-8 MMA, 5-5 UFC) matchup to MMAjunkie, though UFC officials have not yet made a formal announcement of the booking. It was first reported by Combate. UFC Fight Night 137 takes place Sept. 22 at Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo. The event airs on FS1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass, though the full card and bout order haven’t been finalized. The latest UFC Fight Night 137 card now includes: Belal Muhammad vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos Alex Chambers vs. Livia Renato Souza Sam Alvey vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

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After the initial surgery didn’t take, Paige VanZant went back under the knife today to repair the damage sustained to her arm in her most recent UFC fight. VanZant (7-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC) suffered a broken right arm in her unanimous-decision loss to Jessica-Rose Clark (9-6 MMA, 2-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 124 in January. She had surgery shortly after the flyweight contest, but months later it was discovered the healing process wasn’t going well. Likely a product of returning to training “too quickly”, doctors decided a second procedure was best for VanZant to make a complete recovery. Today in Las Vegas, “12 Gauge” had a nearly four hour operation where bone fragments were taken from the hip and moved to the arm. She is now recovering and will return home to Portland on Monday, MMAjunkie confirmed with a member of her team.

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UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway is still searching for answers after he was forced to withdraw from UFC 226, but it appears progress is being made. Holloway (19-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) pulled out of his scheduled title defense against Brian Ortega (14-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) on fight week with concussion-like symptoms and was taken to the hospital multiple times in the days leading up to the bout. The 145-pound champ was showing some worrisome signs, and his team decided to pull him out of the fight. There has been little in the way of medical updates from “Blessed” since. UFC President Dana White promised to exhaust all resources to find the solution to Holloway’s condition, and that includes extensive testing. Apparently that testing began today, as Holloway is in Las Vegas and shared an update from the doctor’s office (via Instagram)

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It didn’t take long for the UFC to find a replacement opponent for Angela Hill. After Alexa Grasso was forced to withdraw from the card due to undisclosed reasons, Cortney Casey (7-6 MMA, 3-5 UFC) will now step in to fight Hill (8-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) in a strawweight matchup next month at UFC Fight Night 135. A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the new matchup with MMAjunkie. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity since UFC officials haven’t made a formal announcement. ESPN.com first reported the news. The latest UFC Fight Night 135 bout now includes: Justin Gaethje vs. James Vick Cortney Casey vs. Angela Hill Andre Fili vs. Michael Johnson Antonio Braga Neto vs. Andrew Sanchez Eryk Anders vs. Tim Williams Iuri Alcantara vs. Cory Sandhagen Deiveson Figueiredo vs. John Moraga Luke Sanders vs. Rani Yahya Joanne Calderwood vs. Kalindra Faria Drew Dober vs. Jon Tuck Mickey Gall vs. George Sullivan Bryan Barberena vs. Jake Ellenberger

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English heavyweight Phil De Fries will defend his KSW title on home soil. KSW officials today told MMAjunkie that De Fries (15-6) will put his title on the line against Polish challenger Karol Bedorf (15-3) in the main event of KSW 45, which takes place Oct. 6 at London’s Wembley Arena. The full card streams live on KSWTV.com.

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Although a Tyron Woodley vs. Colby Covington title-unification bout seemed like the obvious next direction for the UFC welterweight division, a twist involving Darren Till has now emerged. Earlier today, Till (17-0-1 MMA, 5-0-1 UFC) took to social media and revealed he’d been offered a title shot against Woodley (18-3-1 MMA, 8-2-1 UFC). He said interim champ Covington (14-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) is “out” and that the promotion wanted to book him against “The Chosen One” instead, but the fight was declined (via Twitter)

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A key strawweight bout between Angela Hill and Alexa Grasso won’t be taking place at UFC Fight Night 135. Hill (8-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) needs a new opponent for next month’s event after Grasso (10-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) was forced to withdraw from the matchup for undisclosed reasons. MMAjunkie verified the change with a person with knowledge of the situation. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity since UFC officials haven’t made a formal announcement. ESPN.com first reported the news. The latest UFC Fight Night 135 bout now includes: Justin Gaethje vs. James Vick Angela Hill vs. TBA Andre Fili vs. Michael Johnson Antonio Braga Neto vs. Andrew Sanchez Eryk Anders vs. Tim Williams Iuri Alcantara vs. Cory Sandhagen Deiveson Figueiredo vs. John Moraga Luke Sanders vs. Rani Yahya Joanne Calderwood vs. Kalindra Faria Drew Dober vs. Jon Tuck Mickey Gall vs. George Sullivan Bryan Barberena vs. Jake Ellenberger

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Volkan Oezdemir has been forced out of an announced bout for the third time in two months. After visa issues prevented him from fighting at a May event in Chile and this weekend’s event in Germany, Oezdemir (15-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has now withdrawn from his scheduled UFC 227 fight against Alexander Gustafsson (18-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) due to injury. MMAjunkie verified the change with a person with knowledge of the situation. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity since UFC officials haven’t made a formal announcement. ESPN.com first reported the change. The latest UFC 227 card now includes: Champ T.J. Dillashaw vs. Cody Garbrandt – for bantamweight title Champ Demetrious Johnson vs. Henry Cejudo – for flyweight title Alexander Gustafsson vs. TBA J.J. Aldrich vs. Polyana Viana Renato Moicano vs. Cub Swanson Benito Lopez vs. Ricky Simon Brett Johns vs. Pedro Munhoz Irene Aldana vs. Bethe Correia Kyung Ho Kang vs. Ricardo Ramos Danielle Taylor vs. Weili Zhang Sheymon Moraes vs. Matt Sayles Alex Perez vs. Jose Torres Wuliji Buren vs. Marlon Vera

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The Bellator heavyweight grand-prix semifinal-round fight between Fedor Emelianenko and Chael Sonnen appears to have a date. Emelianenko (37-5 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) and Sonnen (31-15-1 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) are slated to headline an Oct. 13 event in New York. Newsday.com first reported the matchup, though Bellator officials haven’t made a formal announcement, and a message from MMAjunkie wasn’t immediately returned. The event is expected to take place at NYCB LIVE’s Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, home to in Uniondale, N.Y. (on Long Island), and it’s expected to air on Paramount following prelims on MMAjunkie. A day prior, the other half of the grand-prix semifinals – Matt Mitrione (13-5 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) vs. Ryan Bader (25-5 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) – takes place in Connecticut.

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The (new) main event is set for UFC Fight Night 136, which marks the UFC’s debut in Russia. As previously reported, Mark Hunt (13-12-1 MMA, 8-6-1 UFC) has replaced former heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum (23-8-1 MMA, 11-5 UFC), who’s sidelined by a potential doping violation, and now fights Aleksei Oleinik (56-11-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC). The latest UFC Fight Night 136 card includes: Mark Hunt vs. Aleksei Oleinik Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Andrei Arlovski Omari Akhmedov vs. C.B. Dollaway Merab Dvalishvili vs. Terrion Ware

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Marlon Vera will look to break a two-fight losing streak when he next steps into the octagon, and he’ll do it on short notice. UFC officials today announced that Ecuadorian bantamweight Vera (10-5-1 MMA, 4-4 UFC) will step in for India’s Bharat Kandare (5-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) and face China’s Wuliji Buren (9-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at UFC 227, which takes place Aug. 4 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The UFC 227 lineup currently includes: Champ T.J. Dillashaw vs. Cody Garbrandt – for bantamweight title Champ Demetrious Johnson vs. Henry Cejudo – for flyweight title Alexander Gustafsson vs. Volkan Oezdemir J.J. Aldrich vs. Polyana Viana Renato Moicano vs. Cub Swanson Benito Lopez vs. Ricky Simon Brett Johns vs. Pedro Munhoz Irene Aldana vs. Bethe Correia Kyung Ho Kang vs. Ricardo Ramos Danielle Taylor vs. Weili Zhang Sheymon Moraes vs. Matt Sayles Alex Perez vs. Jose Torres Wuliji Buren vs. Marlon Vera

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Paul Daley is headed to Bellator’s welterweight grand prix. Bellator President Scott Coker today told MMAjunkie that Daley (40-16-2 MMA, 6-3 BMMA) has signed a multi-fight, multi-year deal and is the 10th entrant into the promotion’s multi-stage competition, which kicks off Sept. 29 in San Jose, Calif. Daley’s tournament debut is not yet confirmed. News of Daley’s inclusion was first reported by ESPN.com. Although ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reported the current plan is for Daley to face rival Michael Page in the tournament’s first round, Coker said he has yet to be officially matched up with an opponent, as the promotion is considering a matchup between Page and Lorenz Larkin. Daley, however, could still be paired with Page (13-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA) if both parties agree.

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The Russian-Chinese investment fund, Mubadala Investment Company and the Ultimate Fighting Championship announced foundation of UFC Russia. The new company is going to promote MMA and organize new shows in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). M-1 Global is going to be a partner taking care of finding Russian athletes and preparing them for the fights. M-1 Challenge champions will get a unique opportunity to sign contracts with the UFC.

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A.J. McKee will put his unbeaten record on the line when he takes on longtime Bellator featherweight standout Pat Curran. Officials announced Wednesday that McKee and Curran will fight in the main event of Bellator 205 at the CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho on Sept. 21. Rafael Lovato Jr. will take on John Salter in the co-headliner. McKee, 23, has spent his entire pro career with Bellator, winning all 11 of his bouts. His last appearance saw him defeat Justin Lawrence by unanimous decision the co-main event of Bellator 197 this past April. He is the son of 15-year MMA veteran Antonio McKee. Curran (23-7) is currently on a three-fight win streak, though he has fought just three times since February 2015. Those victories have all been unanimous decisions against John Teixeira, Georgi Karakhanyan, and Emannuel Sanchez. The 30-year-old veteran has twice held Bellator gold at 145 pounds and been with the promotion for the past eight years.

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Nine fights have been made official for UFC 228 in Dallas, and finally we will see UFC flyweight champion Nicco Montano back in the octagon. Nine fights have been confirmed for the UFC’s return to Dallas - one of which is a women’s flyweight title fight between current champion, Nicco Montano, and former bantamweight title challenger Valentina Shevchenko. The fight was first reported by ESPN’s Ariel Helwani.

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The field is just about set for Bellator’s upcoming welterweight tournament. Ten of the promotion’s best at 170 pounds will be featured in the bracket, including current champion Rory MacDonald; former champions Douglas Lima and Andrey Koreshkov; undefeated welterweights Michael Page, Neiman Gracie, Ed Ruth, and Yaroslav Amosov; and former UFC standouts Lorenz Larkin and Jon Fitch. Yaroslav Amosov Jon Fitch Neiman Gracie Andrey Koreshkov Lorenz Larkin Douglas Lima Rory MacDonald Michael Page Ed Ruth

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ACB have reportedly cancelled their second fight card as many weeks with this weekends ACB 89 Cyprus not taking place. The ACB 89 fight card set for the Spyros Kyprianou Arena in Limassol, Cyprus this weekend has been cancelled. Sources close to MMANytt.com confirmed a report by Marcel Dorff earlier today on Twitter that the show is no longer taking place. At this point in time, we have been unable to confirm why the event has been cancelled. Shortly before publishing this report, we reached out to ACB officials for an official statement but have not yet heard back from them. We will update our report if we do. This news today comes just a week after the promotion announced that ACB 91 set for London, England on Aug. 11 had been also been cancelled. The event was set to feature the return of Brad “One Punch” Pickett who is still to have his fight with Jesse Brock rearranged. ACB’s next scheduled event is ACB 90 set to take place in Kazan, Russia on July 28. The event is set to be headlined by a lightweight bout pitting Musa Khamanaev against Leandro Silva. The co-main event slot is currently occupied by fan favourite Eduard Vartanyan taking on Erivan Pereira.

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BOISE, Idaho – Chad Mendes, Niko Price, Raoni Barcelos and Kurt Holobaugh each earned $50,000 fight-night bonuses at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 133 event. Mendes and Price picked up “Performance of the Night” awards, and Barcelos and Holobaugh took home “Fight of the Night” honors. UFC officials announced the winners after the card, which MMAjunkie attended.

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