Check out a live video stream of the Bellator 201 ceremonial weigh-ins.

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane will put her flyweight title on the line for the first time at Bellator 201 opposite Alejandra Lara, following Thursday's weigh-in.

Very few fighters make their professional debut on a stage as big and brightly-lit as Kristina Williams.

John Kavanagh, who is the long-time head coach of former Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor, has weighed in on who he believes his star pupil should face in his return to the Octagon.

Last Friday, former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida made a surprising switch from the UFC to Bellator MMA.

Check out a live video stream of the Bellator 201 ceremonial weigh-ins.

One of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s most active fighters in Donald Cerrone has stated he would like to continue fighting for at least another five years, despite his recent struggles inside the Octagon.

Michael Chiesa blasts Conor McGregor for derailing his shot at the undisputed UFC lightweight title.

Aung La Nsang has never lost a fight in Yangon, and he doesn't intend to break the streak at ONE: Spirit of a Warrior.

Stipe Miocic defended his heavyweight belt against veteran Alistair Overeem in his hometown of Cleveland back at UFC 203 in 2016.

All four title-fight participants will take part in a UFC 226 conference call with the media.

Eyebrows were raised after Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight champion Max Holloway was deemed medically unfit to fight lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov on short notice at UFC 223.

Antonina Shevchenko, the older sister of UFC flyweight contender Valentina Shevchenko, and a Muay Thai world champion, punched her ticket to the UFC on Tuesday night.

Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight king T.J. Dillashaw has been very vocal about 125-pound ace Demetrious Johnson. In Dillashaw’s opinion, “Mighty Mouse” has been avoiding him since early 2017, when UFC President Dana White started to talk about the potential superfight.

While the UFC takes a hiatus to unwind and prepare for its International Fight Week extravaganza, Bellator returns for the first time since Memorial Day Weekend with a card headlined by a women’s flyweight championship tilt.

Lyoto Machida's jump from the UFC to Bellator was a move that almost no one saw coming. 

MMAjunkie Radio kicks off today at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) with Valentina Shevchenko, Antonina Shevchenko, Rick Story and Joe Giannetti.

Stream or download Wednesday’s episode of MMAjunkie Radio with guests Johny Hendricks, T.J Dillashaw, Emil Meek and Te Edwards.

TEMECULA, Calif. – MMAjunkie was on scene and reporting live from today’s early and official Bellator 201 fighter weigh-ins, where one preliminary fight was canceled.

Just hours after Felder (15-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) and Perry (11-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) lost their respective opponents for upcoming fights, they have now been paired against each other in a welterweight bout at UFC 226, a person with knowledge of the situation told MMAjunkie.

“I don’t know if he tried to get more money, but fighting Justin Gaethje is a tall order. If I’m a fighter, you have to pay me $1 million to fight Justin. And if he thinks he deserves more money to fight Justin, I can’t fight. It’s not personal. I know Justin is a little bit upset, but for me it’s OK. Whoever Justin is going to be fighting, it’s going to be an exciting fight. If you’re going to put a chair in the octagon, it’s going to be exciting.”

Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company, Evolve Media. * * * The battle for supremacy in the mixed martial arts world has been dominated by the Ultimate Fighting Championship since its acquisition of Pride Fighting Championships in 2007. Since then, every other promotion has been fighting for second place. Every so often, a company is able to make a name for itself and carve its own place in the market. The Scott Coker-led Strikeforce was probably the most notable example. The organization’s 2011 heavyweight grand prix garnered a great deal of attention as it featured some of the best the division had to offer, the nostalgic tournament idea, and juxtaposed itself against the historically top-heavy nature of the same weight class in the UFC. Behind the scenes, uncertainty and Zuffa’s habit of absorbing its competition led to the San Jose-based company being bought out that same year. Since the purchase, the fight for the No.

Funny how fast you become the old guy. I remember him fighting Matt Hughes way back in the day, and Hughes referring to him as the young inexperienced guy.. Congrats and respect on a great career. True pioneer of the sport! @JoshKoscheck

TEMECULA, Calif. – MMAjunkie was on scene and reporting live from today’s early and official Bellator 201 fighter weigh-ins, where one preliminary fight was canceled.

Though Hendricks was constantly one of the top fighters in the welterweight division, after he lost the UFC title to Robbie Lawler in December of 2014, he was never able to sustain his previous winning ways. Over the past four years, he holds wins over Matt Brown and Hector Lombard, but had a three-fight skid between them, and ends his career having lost his final two bouts to Paulo Costa and Tim Boetsch.

So, to summarize: 50 Cent has allegedly been paid $1 million dollars by Bellator. In return, they get the term “get the strap,” which seems to have something to do with clothing… or maybe Bellator-related programming on DAZN… Needless to say, the picture isn’t completely clear just yet. We’ll update you when Bellator sends out a press release on their deal with 50 Cent, which will surely provide a little more information. Whatever the case, it seems the promotion’s recent courtship of the rapper did have a purpose.

Illustration: Ben Duffy/Sherdog.com Fight Facts is a breakdown of all the interesting information and Octagon oddities on every card, with some puns, references and portmanteaus to keep things fun. These deep stat dives delve into the numbers, providing historical context and telling the stories behind those numbers. * * * The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday brought an event to Singapore for the second time, as UFC Fight Night 132 proved to be a card full of fun matchups that were worth a watch despite a 4:30 a.m. ET start. It featured a terrific showing for Chinese competitors, a fighter with a new lease on life in a new weight class and a rare variation of a classic submission maneuver. TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC FIGHTS: 4,691 TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC EVENTS: 442 THE CHINESE CONNECTION: All four Chinese fighters -- Jingliang Li , Yadong Song , Kenan Song and Xiaonan Yan -- won their bouts at UFC Fight Night 132. OCTAGON OVERLOAD: Leon Edwards has fought into the third round in each of his last eight UFC appearances and 11 of his last 12 bouts dating back to his time in the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts in 2014.

After starting his UFC career at welterweight and then making a long run at lightweight, Johnson, 32, will compete in his second featherweight bout at UFC Fight Night 135. He lost his divisional debut to Darren Elkins at UFC Fight Night 124 in January, dropping his record to 1-5 over the past three years.

“From her part, it’s more like a verbal agreement,” Shevchenko told reporters, including MMAjunkie, at The Ultimate Fighter Gym in Las Vegas. “But I don’t know. Should I believe in it, or is it just like some play of words? Because before, she was saying that she was ready for July 7. And she said that it will be nice to fight in the International Fight Week. And then, when the UFC came back to her and said, ‘Let’s do it July 28,’ it’s like more time. She said, ‘No, I will do my surgery, whatever, I’m not ready.’

“Sometimes people say, ‘You’ve got to go out there and grit your teeth and just throw,'” Thompson said. “That’s never been my style, but I think I need to be a little bit more aggressive instead of counterpunching. There are other parts of the game I can go work on to keep my opponent guessing. Everyone I fight in the future is going to be like, ‘All right, he doesn’t do too well with guys that aggressive.’ There are going to be different techniques we can work on so we don’t leave it in the judge’s hands. I know I can say that, but I’ve just got to go out there and I can’t make it close anymore.”

“Back in the day, they used to fight to the death, and that’s what he fights for,” Holloway told MMAjunkie. “He pretty much fights to the death. He fights for the finish. He’s dangerous all the time, he’s dangerous all rounds, so I’ve got to step up my game. I’ve got to be extra focused. He’s fought great competition, but now it’s time to fight the best, and the best is ‘Blessed.'”

TEMECULA, Calif. – MMAjunkie was on scene and reporting live from today’s early and official Bellator 201 fighter weigh-ins, where one preliminary fight was canceled.

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It looks like things will end up working out for “The Irish Dragon” Paul Felder who was looking like he would be missing out on his second fight in a row.

UFC will host a media conference call with all four athletes competing in championship bouts at UFC 226 on Thursday, June 28 beginning at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT. 1:00 (5p-5:30 p.m. ET/2-2:30 p.m. PT) – Max Holloway/ Brian Ortega 31:50 ( 5:30 p-6 p.m. ET/2:30-3 p.m. PT) – Stipe Miocic/ Daniel Cormier Subscribe to get all the latest UFC content: http://bit.ly/2uJRzRR Experience UFC live with UFC FIGHT PASS, the digital subscription service of the UFC. To start your 7-day free trial, visit http://www.ufc.tv/packages To order UFC Pay-Per-Views, visit http://www.ufc.tv/events Connect with UFC online and on Social: Website: http://www.ufc.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ufc Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ufc Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ufc Snapchat: UFC Periscope: http://Periscope.tv/ufc Connect with UFC FIGHT PASS on Social: Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ufcfightpass Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ufcfightpass Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ufcfightpass

UFC lightweight contender Al Iaquinta has pulled out of his scheduled bout against No. 7-ranked Justin Gaethje . Stepping in for Iaquinta in UFC’s inaugural event in Lincoln, Nebraska is No. 11-ranked James Vick , who is currently riding a four-fight win streak and has won 13 of his 14 professional fights. If the long-standing personal feud between them is any indication, Gaethje vs. Vick has all the makings of a ‘Fight of the Night’ contender as the two powerhouses meet in the five-round main event at Pinnacle Bank Arena on August 25th. Tickets for UFC Fight Night: Gaethje vs. Vick go on sale Friday, June 29 at 10 a.m. CT.

A pair of opponent changes has resulted in a new fight being put together as Paul Felder will move to welterweight to challenge Mike Perry at UFC 226 in Las Vegas .

“We’re both partners. De La Hoya wants his 40 percent and me and Chuck Liddell get to split 30 percent. So that’s on complete revenue of the whole fight in general. And this is the whole thing that I’ve been waiting for such a long time in mixed martial arts, to really make a difference, and we’re gonna do that with De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions.”

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Finally cleared to fight, Melendez (1-0) will make her MMA return on Friday in Temecula, Calif., against Tiani Valle (1-0) in a preliminary 115-pound bout.

Now that ONE Championship is promoting Muay Thai fights, it would make perfect sense for Sagetdao Petpayathai to step back from MMA. Why go to all the effort of learning wrestling and grappling when you can just compete using your world class striking skills?

“That is my primary focus. I’ve got all this other stuff. The acting is where my primary focus is,” Bisping said. “I’ve got a lot of passion for it. I’ve got a great agent, a lot of stuff bubbling, a lot of things going on. He’s been on me for a while ‘Mike, you need to retire so you can focus on this properly’. Now that wasn’t the reason [I retired]. The reason was because the time was right for me to move away.

On June 29 in Temecula, California, Ruth (5-0) moves down in weight to face Andy Murad (16-2) in a preliminary 170-pound bout at Bellator 201.

If he really is above 180 he will for sure be able to bulk back up after weigh-ins too. He probably wishes he had a little more weight, but thats honestly a good weight cut for the time he has

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“I apologize to all my supporters and Mike,” Medeiros said. “Every fight I’ve taken, I’ve always had an injury I could work around or through. I’ll always go out on my shield. Unfortunately I can’t even take my shield to war. I hate thinking I’ve let anyone down. I was looking forward to giving the world and my opponent the best of me. On the real, my bad, Mike. Hate to let you and all your fans down. This is the last thing I wanted.”

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Giannetti used his length and kicks to keep Zuniga on the outside.  Zuniga answered with leg kicks but was unable to get inside Giannetti’s reach.  As the opening round played out, Giannetti’s jab started to find a home regularly.  The second half of the frame, Giannetti mixed in combinations.  Zuniga pressed forward, but was met with punches and elbows.  Losing the exchanges, Zuniga opted to try and get the fight to the ground.  Giannetti sprawled and quickly applied a guillotine choke,  Zuniga desperately tried to escape the submission attempt.  Giannetti transitioned to a D’arce choke before locking down an anaconda choke that forced Zuniga to tap out.

Bellator 201 also features a preliminary card that is heavy on talent the promotion hopes will become stars sooner rather than later. Chief among those competitors is Ed Ruth , who makes his welterweight debut against Andy Murad .

TEMECULA, Calif. – MMAjunkie was on scene and reporting live from today’s early and official Bellator 201 fighter weigh-ins, where one preliminary fight was canceled.

Giannetti, a Massachusetts-based fighter, has all his official pro experience under the Cage Titans banner in his home state. Five of his six wins so far as a pro have been by submission. On Wednesday night’s episode of “TUF 27,” he submitted Allan Zuniga with a D’Arce choke to reach the final. In the opening round on the first episode of the season, he submitted Joe Gunther with a guillotine choke.

“With the DAZN investment, it gives us even more opportunity to pursue the right fighters for Bellator,” Bellator President Scott Coker said. “We will be aggressive. We will be smart. Some fighters will fit; some fighters won’t. Keep in mind, at the end of the day, it’s the fans that give us our report card. At the end of the day, we’re going to put on the fights that the fans want to see.

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“In the Cub [Swanson] fight, I said I want to get people’s attention. After the Frankie [Edgar] fight, I said the same thing. I finally got someone’s attention,” Ortega said about working with Downey. “Not only that but I feel like he feels me from how I grew up cause I didn’t realize but he’s been through way ups and downs as well, worse than I have. I feel like he’s seeing a little bit of that in me and he knows that I want to help people and he decided to help me help people, which is what I wanted.

“It would bother me because Alexander Gustafsson does not deserve to fight for an interim title. I fought for a belt just at the beginning of the year and went up to chase something so much bigger. So, no he doesn’t deserve an interim title he fought last May against Glover Texiera and he beat Jan Blachowicz…well, that’s two years ago, he fought twice in two years.