MMA news

• UFC Veteran Tank Abbott Says He ‘Died 5 Times’ on Operating Table During Liver Transplant

  12-12-2018 23:37 via sherdog.com
  UFC icon David "Tank" Abbott recently had a harrowing experience on the operating table, as a liver transplant nearly took his life.
  
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• Jose Aldo vs. Renato 'Moicano' in the Works for UFC Fight Night Fortaleza Co-Main Event

  12-12-2018 22:41 via sherdog.com
  An intriguing featherweight clash pitting Jose Aldo against Renato Carneiro has been targeted for UFC Fight Night in Fortaleza, Brazil, on Feb. 2.
  
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• UFC 233 Canceled; Promotion Still Expected to Hold 12 Pay-Per-Views in 2019

  12-12-2018 22:10 via sherdog.com
  UFC 233, which was set for the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Jan. 26, has been canceled.
  
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• Jose Aldo vs. Renato Moicano verbally agreed for UFC Fortaleza

  12-12-2018 22:00
  Renato Moicano is wasting no time.
  Days after serving as a backup fighter at UFC 231 in Toronto, the featherweight contender is now expected to face former 145-pound champion Jose Aldo in the co-main event of UFC Fortaleza on Feb. 2, sources told MMA Fighting following a report by MMAjunkie.
  Aldo last fought in July, improving to 27-4 in MMA with a first-round knockout victory over Jeremy Stephens. The Nova Uniao fighter, who lost three of his previous bouts, finished by Max Holloway (twice) an
  
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• UFC cancels UFC 233 card in Anaheim

  12-12-2018 21:12
  The UFC has pulled the plug on its scheduled Jan. 26 event in Anaheim, Calif.
  The company announced on Wednesday that UFC 233, which had been a pay-per-view event scheduled for the Honda Center, is no more. ESPN was the first to report the news.
  While the UFC will continue to run 12 pay-per-view events in 2019, the next numbered UFC PPV card, on Feb. 9 in Australia, will still be called UFC 234 as originally slated.
  UFC 233 was scheduled to be headlined by UFC flyweight champion Henry Cejudo&rs
  
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• Paul Redmond vs. Charlie Leary slated for Bellator 218 in Dublin

  12-12-2018 20:30
  Paul Redmond will make his return to the Bellator cage on Feb. 23 on the undercard of the recently announced Bellator 218 card in Dublin, Ireland when he takes on England’s Charlie Leary at 3 Arena.Bellator confirmed the lightweight fight to MMA Fighting on Wednesday.Redmond (14-7-0) recently had a three-fight win streak snapped by a knockout loss to Polish prospect Gracjan Szadzinski. In his last outing prior to that, he claimed a win in his Bellator debut against Sergio de Jesus Santos.
  
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• Fortunes changed for five at UFC 231

  12-12-2018 20:00
  On Saturday, Max Holloway silenced every doubter who believed something had gone wrong with him this year that would negatively impact his fighting career, as well as those who feared he wouldn’t make weight.
  Instead, after his incredible performance of speed, stamina and accuracy with clear top contender Brian Ortega, Holloway, after just two title defenses, was being talked of as perhaps the greatest featherweight of all-time.
  On one hand, it’s hard to argue with what happened Sat
  
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• Aljamain Sterling, Jimmie Rivera to Clash at UFC’s ESPN Debut in Phoenix

  12-12-2018 19:25 via sherdog.com
  A bantamweight showdown pitting Aljamain Sterling against Jimmie Rivera is set for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s debut on ESPN, according to a report from AZCentral.com.
  
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• Lucie Pudilova Moves to Flyweight, Meets Liz Carmouche at UFC Fight Night Prague

  12-12-2018 18:58 via sherdog.com
  Lucie Pudilova will drop from bantamweight to flyweight to face Liz Carmouche at UFC Fight Night Prague.
  
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• Four bouts added to Brave 21, including Mehdi Baghdad’s super lightweight debut

  12-12-2018 18:30
  Brave Combat Federation will close the year with a fight card in Jeddad, Saudi Arabia, on Dec. 28, and four bouts were just added to the event.
  Headlined by Jeremy Kennedy vs. Marat Magomedov at featherweight, Brave 21 will feature the super lightweight debut of UFC and TUF veteran Mehdi Baghdad, who meets Mohamad Ghorabi at 165 pounds, Brave officials told MMA Fighting.
  Baghdad (10-6), who scored his only win in the Octagon during the 22nd season of The Ultimate Fighter defeating Artem Lobov v
  
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• ‘Jacare’ Souza: Anderson Silva ‘is coming off doping’, doesn’t deserve title shot

  12-12-2018 18:00
  Ronaldo Souza is not happy with the possibility of either Israel Adesanya or Anderson Silva getting the next crack at the UFC middleweight championship.
  “Jacare” told MMA Fighting in November that he would sit and wait for a shot at the belt after a third-round knockout win over Chris Weidman. Five days later, UFC president Dana White revealed that Souza’s former teammate would be next in line if victorious against Adesanya at UFC 234 on Feb. 9.
  On a live chat with PVT on Tues
  
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• California commission, USADA butt heads on jurisdiction, Jon Jones case

  12-12-2018 17:00
  SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jon Jones had his mixed martial arts license reinstatement hearing Tuesday. Yet some of the things expressed during the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) meeting left Jones and his doping case as almost an afterthought.
  Jones had his license temporarily given back in unanimous vote by the commission and will be clear to fight Alexander Gustafsson for the UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 232 on Dec. 29 in Las Vegas. Jones, who tested positive for the banned
  
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• Chael Sonnen Wishes More Coaches Shared John Kavanagh's Mindset

  12-12-2018 16:45 via sherdog.com
  SBG Ireland head coach John Kavanagh made headlines recently for his claim that his superstar pupil, Conor McGregor, “would have to convince” him to coach him for another fight, a statement that has earned him at least one notable supporter.
  
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• Ricardo Ramos vs. Said Nurmagomedov added to UFC Fortaleza

  12-12-2018 16:30
  Ricardo Ramos will get to fight on home soil for the first time as a UFC fighter on Feb. 2, as he takes on Said Nurmagomedov in a bantamweight bout at UFC Fortaleza in Brazil. The match-up was first reported by Akhmat MMA.
  Ramos (12-1) has won three in a row since joining the UFC in 2017, including a bonus-winning spinning back elbow knockout over Alemann Zahabi at UFC 217. In his other fights, “Carcacinha” scored decisions over Michinori Tanaka and Kyung Ho Kang.
  The Brazilian was
  
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• Francis Ngannou's Coach Blames Camps Spent at UFC PI For Two-Fight Skid

  12-12-2018 16:30 via sherdog.com
  Francis Ngannou’s 45-second demolition of Curtis Blaydes at UFC Beijing last month sent the message that “The Predator” was back, but his head coach has an idea why Ngannou had been struggling to begin with.
  
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• Oscar De La Hoya: I'll Keep Promoting MMA As Long As The UFC Keeps Underpaying Fighters

  12-12-2018 16:15 via sherdog.com
  Oscar de la Hoya has heard the sniping about Golden Boy MMA’s debut event, but for the same reasons he got into mixed martial arts promotion in the first place, he claims he’s here to stay.
  
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• James Gallagher believes first career loss is ‘best thing that’s ever happened to me’

  12-12-2018 16:00
  James Gallagher believes that suffering a first-round loss to Ricky Bandejas—the first defeat of the Irish prospect’s career—has ultimately helped him to become a better fighter.“The Strabanimal” will take on Steven Graham in the main event of Bellator 218 in Dublin, Ireland on Feb. 23 and explained how his first professional loss has ushered in a change of mindset ahead of his headline bow in the Irish capital.“It’s the best thing that’s ever hap
  
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• Lucie Pudilova moves to flyweight, faces Liz Carmouche at UFC Prague

  12-12-2018 15:30
  Lucie Pudilova will be cutting extra 10 pounds for her next UFC fight.
  The Czech fighter announced on Wednesday that she will face Liz Carmouche in UFC’s debut in Prague, Czech Republic, on Feb. 23. The promotion confirmed the news.
  The event will take place at the O2 Arena and airs live on ESPN+. The UFC has yet to announce the main event.
  Pudilova (8-3) competed at bantamweight the majority of her professional career, but went 2-2 inside the Octagon over the past couple of years. &ldquo
  
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• The A-Side Live Chat: Jon Jones, UFC 231 aftermath, final FOX show, welterweight title picture, more

  12-12-2018 15:15
  This is The A-Side Live Chat on MMA Fighting.
  Today on the show, we’ll talk Jon Jones getting his license reinstated by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC). Why did Jones have to go through this process with his fight already booked? What were the main takeaways from the hearing? What was the significance of all the talk surrounding CSAC, USADA and VADA?
  We’ll also discuss the aftermath from a great UFC 231 card from last weekend, featuring Max Holloway’s incredibl
  
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• Joanne Calderwood talks Valentina Shevchenko vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk, ‘looking to jump the line’ in division

  12-12-2018 15:00
  LAS VEGAS — Ahead of her fight at UFC on ESPN+ 1, Joanne Calderwood discusses the bout with Ariane Lipski on Jan. 19, her thoughts on the Valentina Shevchenko vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk title fight, if she thinks a win could get her a title shot and more.
  
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• Peter Queally vs. Myles Price booked for Bellator 218 in Dublin

  12-12-2018 14:30
  Peter Queally will meet former teammate Myles Price in a lightweight main card bout in Dublin, Ireland on Feb. 23 at 3 Arena on the recently announced Bellator 218 card.Bellator confirmed the bout to MMA Fighting on Wednesday.Queally (11-4-1) was on the verge of fighting for the Fight Nights Global lightweight title following a first-round TKO of Russian fan favorite, David Khachatryan, in May. After parting ways with the Russian promotion, “The Showstopper” was snapped up by Bellat
  
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• Morning Report: Tony Ferguson responds to Dustin Poirier’s call out: ‘I liked you better when you were quiet kid’

  12-12-2018 14:00
  When Conor McGregor jumped the line and beat Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205, it sent the lightweight division into a tailspin. After McGregor involuntarily vacated his belt to go pursue a boxing megafight with Floyd Mayweather, the UFC was struck by poor planning an bad luck, unable to crown a legitimate champion in the absence of McGregor defending his title. Multiple title fights came together and fell apart. An interim belt was put on the line and then vacated, and all the while, more legitimate c
  
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• Oscar De La Hoya Plans to Hold Another MMA Event: ‘I’m Gonna Compete with Dana White’

  12-12-2018 04:58 via sherdog.com
  It sounds like Golden Boy MMA isn’t going away just yet.
  
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• Contender Series Alum Grant Dawson Has Anti-Doping Violation Case Dismissed

  12-12-2018 04:22 via sherdog.com
  Grant Dawson, who earned a UFC contract on Season 1 of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series, had his anti-doping case dismissed by USADA.
  
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• Grant Dawson sees USADA case dismissed

  12-12-2018 04:00
  Grant Dawson is free to resume his MMA career.
  The 24-year-old featherweight saw his USADA case officially dismissed by the organization according to a UFC statement released Tuesday. Dawson was flagged by the agency in November of last year and has been ineligible to compete during course of the investigation.
  Per the statement, Dawson’s case was dismissed based on the “likelihood that the ingestion of the prohibited substance occurred prior to Grant coming under the UFC Anti-Dopin
  
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• ONE Championship reaches deal to air live events on Turner Sports properties

  12-12-2018 03:30
  ONE Championship has made headlines in recent months by acquiring all sorts of name talent, from former UFC and Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez to former longtime UFC flyweight titleholder Demetrious Johnson to up-and-coming star Sage Northcutt.
  Now, fans who wondered how they’ll be able to follow some of their favorite fighters going forward will have a chance to see them on U.S. television.
  The Singapore-based promotion has come to terms on a three-year deal to air events on
  
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• Bellator 213 Countdown, Episode 2: ‘I’m a shark’

  12-12-2018 03:00
  In the second episode of the Countdown series leading up to Bellator 213 on Dec. 13 in Hawaii, flyweight champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane hits the pool for some unorthodox underwater training, Lyoto Machida’s father talks about raising his children to be samurai, and Rafael Carvalho and Valerie Letourneau visualize defeating their opponents.
  
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• USADA says ‘technical issue’ caused online Brock Lesnar drug-test number discrepancy

  12-12-2018 02:30
  Regarding the case of the mysteriously disappearing Brock Lesnar drug test, USADA says it’s much ado about nothing.
  Social media reports surfaced over the last few days about a discrepancy in the number of drug tests USADA was reporting for Lesnar in its public, online database. Late last week, Lesnar’s drug-test number oddly went from six to five, which was noted by several followers of USADA data.In a statement sent to MMA Fighting on Tuesday, USADA spokesperson Adam Woullard chal
  
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• UFC renews Canadian broadcast deals with TSN, RDS

  12-12-2018 02:00
  UFC, TSN and RDS on Tuesday confirmed details of what had been talked about over the weekend on TSN in its coverage of UFC 231, that TSN would become the exclusive English language television home for the company in Canada.
  TSN is Canada’s equivalent to ESPN, and has been the home of UFC since 2015, after the UFC moved from the No. 2 sports network in Canada, Rogers Sportsnet. Rogers was the home of the company during its peak of Canadian popularity, where per capita pay-per-view and tele
  
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• UFC 231 prelims average 786,000 viewers

  12-12-2018 01:04
  Saturday night’s prelims before UFC 231, headlined by the Max Holloway vs. Brian Ortega featherweight title match, did 786,000 viewers on FOX Sports 1.
  The number was aside from UFC 229, the Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov-led show, the best prelim number since April 7, for the Nurmagomedov vs. Al Iaquinta-led card.
  The number was likely up from recent months due to the lack of college football competition. The biggest competition was the Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Jose Pedraza card on
  
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• Jon Jones CSAC licensing hearing recap

  12-12-2018 00:03
  SACRAMENTO, Calif. — After Jon Jones’ licensing hearing in front of the California State Athletic Commission, MMA Fighting’s Marc Raimondi recaps the big takeaways from the proceedings. Jones had his license revoked by CSAC following his drug-test failure in July 2017, relating to UFC 214.More on this story here.
  
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