Following Thursday's Bellator 202 weigh-ins, Julia Budd is set to make the second defense of her featherweight title.

Daniel Cormier became only the second fighter in Ultimate Fighting Championship history behind Conor McGregor to hold two UFC titles simultaneously after his knockout of former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic last Saturday night at UFC 226.

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz has opened up about his frustration with his most recent injury and the fact he’s only now fit for a return to Octagon after being out for so long.

Jorge Masvidal’s plan, now that he can’t find a soul courageous enough to stand across from him in the octagon, is reality TV – naturally.

Back at UFC 160 in 2013 former heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos earned a second heavyweight title shot with a victory over Mark Hunt.

Watch the official UFC Fight Night 133: Dos Santos vs. Ivanov live official weigh-in from Boise, Idaho.

New UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith is not happy to have been ignored by UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier.

It is still unknown to the public what the medical

Kelvin Gastelum questions whether or not Robert Whittaker will be the same fighter at back-to-back wars with Yoel Romero.

Last week, former UFC welterweight champ and new UFC Hall of Famer Matt Serra made headlines after a video of him taking down a troublesome drunk went viral. Shortly after this video surfaced, current UFC interim welterweight champion Colby Covington took to Twitter, where he went off on Serra in a series of savage Tweets. …

Portland anti-ICE activists were caught on camera berating a black ICE agent and repeatedly referring to him as a “f–king n—-r.” The racist incident took place on Wednesday as a bus was leaving the ICE facility and several protesters had already been arrested. A protester can be heard screaming “you’re a f–king n—-r to the …

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Sherdog’s divisional and pound-for-pound rankings are compiled by a panel of Sherdog.com staff members and contributors: Tristen Critchfield, Mike Fridley, Brian Knapp, Jesse Denis, James Nietering, Eric Stinton, Ben Duffy, Josh Stillman, Nathan Zur, Kevin Wilson, Edward Carbajal, Jason Burgos, Anthony Walker, Tudor Leonte, Mike Sloan, Mark Raymundo, Jordan Colbert, Jordan Breen and Joao Baptista.

Professional Fighters League begins the second half of its season next Thursday at the Nassau Coliseum in Garden City, New York. Carlos Silva, the PFL League President, talked with Sherdog about the season so far, what gives the league unique value and other PFL-related topics. "The core of what we do is always fighters first,” Silva told Sherdog. “It’s not the ‘Professional Fight League,’ It’s the Professional Fighters League. It’s their league too.” Silva seems to genuinely feel the PFL and its format are more pro-fighter than any other promotion to date. From the league president you would expect to read nothing less, yet he may have a point. The PFL’s configuration is about putting a fighter’s monetary windfall in their own hands. Social media followers and the ability to self-promote will not dictate payouts. In the league’s points-based regular season standings, the only way fighters can maximize their chance to grab the million-dollar prize at the end of the season is by winning -- and winning quickly, as stoppage victories are weighted more heavily than decisions.

Daniel Weichel heads into Bellator 203 this Saturday in the pursuit of championship vindication, as he challenges Bellator MMA featherweight titleholder Patricio Freire for the second time. Having been knocked out by Freire in June 2015, Weichel claims to be a more focused and well-rounded fighter ahead of their rematch. When he looks back on what cost him, the former M-1 Global champion’s thoughts are clear. “I think it was just my [mind telling me], ‘I want to finish this fight. I want to get this belt,” Weichel said, “and I got a little bit too pumped up.” Late in the first round, Weichel had “Pitbull” on the brink of defeat. “I felt him want to close the distance and move forward, so I instantly did a side backstep and countered with the right hand,” he said. The right hand connected and left Freire badly stunned. It should have been a prelude to victory, but unfortunately for Weichel, the bell sounded and essentially saved the defending champion. “My corner told me do exactly what you did in the first round,” he said.

“I’m glad I’m getting to talk to you cause I haven’t done this yet. I was thinking about it a lot yesterday and I was thinking about it this morning and ever since Stipe sent me that message — do it again, congratulations and all that — when you get in the moment of some of the stuff that’s happening, you don’t stop and think about everyone else. I was in fight mode and then fight build mode with [Brock] Lesnar so I kind of feel bad that Stipe had to kind of sit through that after the fight,”

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Although it’s been nearly four years since Zingano tasted victory, she said she’s not putting any extra pressure on herself to get her hand raised. She’s pleased with the preparation she’s put in for UFC Fight Night 133, and so long as her effort inside the octagon against Reneau matches up with that, she’ll be able to live with the outcome.

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why? because he spoke truth?😂 brocks body has been formed from steroids lmao, hes taken them for so long he doesnt even need to take them anymore, hes already reaped the benefits for life hes taken so many

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and he's right. the whole "I'm not yes man" shit only works in promos, the company needs to make money and Ortega is basically telling them he isn't going to work for them. Call it admirable or the right thing to do on his part, but the company doesn't care about feelings.

“I’m going to do my job and finish (Weichel) for good so he either moves up a division or doesn’t want to fight me anymore,” Freire says. “As a champion, I’m determining now that I won’t do any more rematches. It’s over. If I lose, it’s ethical of Bellator to give me a rematch to get the title, but that’s the only way I’d take another rematch.”

Sick of this all this “baddest man on the planet” bs. I’ll fight for any title at Any weight. @Ufc wants to make bs wwf fights with guys that fight like shit and put on an act. @dc_mma would look way worse than I do in this pic if he fought Anderson the way I did but instead he decided to wrestle fuck him for five rounds in front of his whole life And still almost got finished off in the last round with Silva only having two or three weeks notice @danawhite should give me this fight instead of dick chest Brock Lesnars cheating ass #dontbescaredhomie nothing personal I love Dc but I don’t like what he does-constantly embarrassed for him and the sport I started doing MMA because it’s not WWF and I’ve never put on A bs act in my life I’m sure fans would like to see a real fight @nick_diaz_academy

For one, Lesnar remains under suspension by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for testing positive to a banned substance stemming from his UFC 200 bout with Mark Hunt. Lesnar initially defeated Hunt, but that was later changed to a no-contest after he was found to have had clomiphene in his system. Instead of fulfilling his USADA imposed suspension for violating the UFC’s Anti-Doping Policy, Lesnar retired. That caused USADA to put a freeze on his suspension and he now has to fulfill that suspension before he can fight again.

Team Alpha Male trained Sage Northcutt is making his way back up to the UFC’s welterweight division in this weekend’s co-main event.

This should be the Olympic Karate ruleset #KarateCombat pic.twitter.com/WfCxDRdRDC — caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) April 27, 2018 Sherdog.com has learned from a source close to the promotion the date and location for Karate Combat’s second event, as the first mainstream professional full-contact karate league will stream live from Athens on July 28. Four-time UK national champion Jerome Brown will take on European champ and 11-time French national ace Davy Dona, while world champion finalists Achraf Ouchen and Franklin Mina will collide in a heavyweight contest in the co-main event. Karate Combat’s second event will take place at the historic Zappeion Courtyard, just steps away from the Parthenon, where the first Olympics were held. "This location for our League’s second event of the season has me awestruck,” said Michael DePietro, CEO of Karate Combat. “I am proud to launch the live European Karate Combat debut from this hallowed ground.” Former Ultimate Fighting Championship champion Bas Rutten will be joined by Sean Wheelock, the former voice of Bellator MMA , in the commentating booth.

Tony Ferguson has a serious history of near-misses with recently-crowned Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov . The two have been scheduled to fight four times and all four times, one or the other has been forced to withdraw. Each man has pulled out of the scheduled bout twice, with several of those unceremonious exits occurring the week of the event. Yet despite all of the times the Nurmagomedov fight has fallen through, Ferguson remains undeterred in his desire to make it happen. “Obviously [Nurmagomedov is] the one I prepared for the most,” Ferguson told TSN in response to whether he’d prefer to fight Nurmagomedov or McGregor next. “I mean, obviously if the money is right and Conor wants to fight, we’ll make it happen and obviously we’ll talk.” The two lightweights were most recently booked to fight for the interim lightweight belt at UFC 223 in April, but a freak injury during a publicity event forced Ferguson out of the fight just days before the event. “El Cucuy” was replaced by Al Iaquinta ; “Ragin” Al ultimately lost to Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision in a five-round, non-title affair.

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Each event, I calculate a ‘Dwyer Score’ for the card. It essentially gives a numeric value to the momentum of fighters competing at any one event. I do this by assigning a figure to each fighter’s current streak; a fighter on a five-fight winning streak contributes +5 to an event’s score, whilst a fighter on a two-fight losing streak contributes -2 to the score. Only UFC results are considered and a fighter coming off a no-contest, a draw, or a bout with another promotion has a streak of 0. When you tally up the scores for every fighter on a card, you get a total for the event- the ‘Dwyer Score.’ This score does not claim to predict or measure the quality or excitement of any one card, but it does give you an idea of the general momentum of fighters heading into a specific event. The graphic to the above-right displays some of the highest-scoring events of all time, to help give some context to this score.

International Fight Week 2018 has come and gone and we are now left with the fallout of some of the best and worst performances of the year. UFC 226 was the biggest card of the year, and despite losing a title fight between Max Holloway and Brian Ortega , it still delivered some of the most exciting fights of the year. Today we go over the best moves from UFC 226 prelims. Don’t Sleep on Hooker It was a big weekend for New Zealand fighters, with Dan Hooker providing the first memorable moment from UFC 226 with his spectacular knockout of Gilbert Burns . Early in the fight, Hooker dropped Burns with a beautiful counter right straight that just grazed the nose. Sensing the finish was near, Hooker picked up the pace and backed Burns against the cage before landing a counter lead hook that finished the grappling prodigy. Hooker has been with the Ultimate Fighting Championship since 2014 but hasn’t garnered the respect from fans and media that he deserves. He has proved to be one of the best strikers in the division and at only 28 years old, he has a bright future in the UFC’s most stacked division.

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This is hilarious. Yes, Joe Rogan, one of my best friends has played a significant role in my post fight career, no doubt, you’re right about that DW. Two tv shows, sold out world wide comedy tour, two successful podcast, and just booked my first major movie. Super grateful. HOWEVER, if it weren’t for the Fertitta’s loaning your ass millions of dollars to invest into an idea that wasn’t yours from the start you wouldn’t be (EXPLETIVE). How’s it feel to know once the real businessmen/Brains left, the UFC has been a shell of its self with you at the forefront. You’ve tried it all CM Punk experiment, begging Brock to come back, and praying at night for a Conor text. Tough job to do with out Lorenzo holding your hand making sure you don’t mess it all up. Can’t feel good. You’d be a cardio kick boxing coach in Boston in your late 40’s, hoping to grab a ticket to my stand up front row if Lorenzo Fertitta didn’t save your ass. Also, this is NO way Eskimo brothers should talk to one another. Last warning. 🤫

In the rivalry between the UFC’s two heaviest female champions, Cris Cyborg just took things a little far in regards to her back and forth with Amanda Nunes.

a boxing like model would mean more buyers of talent in the marketplace. Less restrictive contracts. higher pay for the elite fighters. Current UFC Mid and lower tier, not sure how they would do. Not much demand for them.

Last Saturday, former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar reentered the UFC, officially, as a heavyweight title challenger.

“Such a f—kin tool!!!!” White commented. “What the f—k does this idiot know about the sport or the business??? @stylebender for u to be listening to one word from this MORON is a waste of ur time. Guy went 6-5 in the UFC!!! The only thing he could teach u is how to get KO’d. Tune idiots like this OUT.”

Twenty-two-year-old ONE Championship mixed martial arts star Pongsiri Mitsatit isn’t just one of Thailand’s most decorated athletes, he is also a member of the Pingnakorn Rescue Chiang Mai volunteer group, where he offers his spare time to help out in situations when duty calls.

“I like the pressure,” Kowalkiewicz said. “I know she’s a great fighter, very, very tough. It will be really tough fight, but I like challenge.”

It absolutely could. Yoel Romero is a scary dude for anybody, and against Cormier he matches up particularly well. I also think that, while it’s a far more legitimate and athletically meaningful fight than Cormier vs. Lesnar, it would bring in a fraction of the profits. The connoisseurs and the MMA heads would love that fight. The masses would flock to DC-Lesnar like it’s another superhero movie.

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This is hilarious. Yes, Joe Rogan, one of my best friends has played a significant role in my post fight career, no doubt, you’re right about that DW. Two tv shows, sold out world wide comedy tour, two successful podcast, and just booked my first major movie. Super grateful. HOWEVER, if it weren’t for the Fertitta’s loaning your ass millions of dollars to invest into an idea that wasn’t yours from the start you wouldn’t be (EXPLETIVE). How’s it feel to know once the real businessmen/Brains left, the UFC has been a shell of its self with you at the forefront. You’ve tried it all CM Punk experiment, begging Brock to come back, and praying at night for a Conor text. Tough job to do with out Lorenzo holding your hand making sure you don’t mess it all up. Can’t feel good. You’d be a cardio kick boxing coach in Boston in your late 40’s, hoping to grab a ticket to my stand up front row if Lorenzo Fertitta didn’t save your ass. Also, this is NO way Eskimo brothers should talk to one another. Last warning. 🤫

“I’m treating this like it’s the biggest fight of my life – and it is,” Mendes said. “This is a fight that I need to go out there and prove to people (that) I’m back. I didn’t leave. I took a little bit of time off, but I’m still an animal. I’m still going to go out there and try to knock your head off. I can take you down when I want and put that pressure on you.

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Whether or not the new two-division champion of the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions, Daniel Cormier is actually wanting to set up a fight with Yoel Romero…he sure is by continuing the back and forth with the top-ranked middleweight.

Looking to stop dos Santos’ momentum is the American Muhammad, 30, who is on a nice four-fight winning streak of his own. He’s doing his best to make people “Remember The Name” with his run of victories, which most recently featured a unanimous decision win over Chance Rencountre at UFC Fight Night 131 in June.

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JW RAW with M&M Ep. 47 - Coach Wink's Favorite Sparring Partner, Branden Hussey

The highly anticipated 28th season of The Ultimate Fighter  will see UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker coach opposite No. 4 ranked contender Kelvin Gastelum. Following the series, which debuts Wednesday, August 29 on FS1, the two will clash for the middleweight title at a date that will be determined in the near future.

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Next month’s UFC Fight Night 135 event and return to Nebraska has two new bouts.

BJPENN.COM is your premier source for all MMA News. We serve you with the latest breaking news, exclusive fighter interviews, videos and more. It is also the home of 2X UFC Hall of Fame Champion. BJ "The Prodigy" Penn. After a decade of on-line operation BJP has evolved into the most reliable destination for all of your MMA needs. Contact us: contact@bjpenn.com

Looking to snap Perez’s streak and continue his own is Torres, 25. “Shorty’ will make a rather quick turnaround from his UFC debut in June, which was a rather memorable one. The former two-division Titan FC champ took a fight with Jarred Brooks on short notice at UFC Fight Night 131 and came out the winner by second-round knockout after his opponent knocked himself out with a slam .

In our latest Daily Debate question, we asked MMAjunkie readers and MMAjunkie Radio listeners if Romero should get a fight with Cormier. Earlier this week, Romero (13-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC), who’s missed weight in his past two bouts (including a planned middleweight title fights with Robert Whittaker), called for a light-heavyweight title fight with two-division champ Cormier (21-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC), who won his second belt after dethroning Stipe Miocic in this past Saturday’s UFC 226 headliner.

See Junior dos Santos, Blagoy Ivanov and the other fighters weigh in at the UFC Fight Night 133 official weigh-ins from Boise, Idaho. Go to http://www.MMAWeekly.com/ for all the latest mixed martial arts news, videos, and rumors.