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Paige VanZant wasn’t happy with the result in her latest slap fighting match but she takes responsibility for the foul that ultimately led to her draw against Chelsea Dodson on Thursday in Abu Dhabi.

The former UFC fighter and BKFC veteran landed an illegal blow in the second round of her sophomore match in Power Slap, which cost her a point and ultimately the decision. It was VanZant’s second strike thrown when she was penalized for “clubbing” after connecting more of her wrist and arm than the hand, which actually opened a small cut on Dodson’s face.

As a result, VanZant lost a point and without a knockout or knockdown to help even the score in the final round, she could only earn a draw.

“Well guys, Power Slap is over,” VanZant said on her Instagram. “Went home with the draw. I accidentally clubbed. That was my fault. Still learning. I was a little bit too close on one of my shots. Just got to get my distance right for the next one. Power Slap, you’re going to see me again.”

The match, which ended with 28-28 scores across the board, was VanZant’s second appearance in the Dana White owned promotion after she debuted there back in June. On that night, VanZant earned a unanimous decision win after she ate all three shots from her opponent and actually delivered a brutal knockdown along the way.

VanZant later stated that Power Slap was supposed to be a “bucket list” item to check off for her combat sports career but she enjoyed it so much that she booked a second match ahead of UFC 308 weekend in Abu Dhabi.

Despite the disappointing result, VanZant has now vowed to return with hopes to return to the win column in her next appearance.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Paige VanZant didn’t get the result she wanted in her second appearance in Power Slap after the UFC and BKFC veteran was penalized for an illegal blow in the second round in her match against Chelsea Dodson.

The 30-year-old combat sports star, who made her slap fighting debut back in June with a unanimous decision win, ended up going to a draw with Dodson — wife to former UFC title contender John Dodson — after she was deducted a point for “clubbing,” which is defined as “any strike other than a permitted slap to the permitted target area.”

In this case, VanZant delivered a shot where more of her arm connected with Dodson’s face than her hand, which resulted in a penalty being assessed.

The one-point deduction put VanZant in a tough position to either deliver a knockdown or a knockout in order to win the bout in the third round. Neither of those things happened, although VanZant did win both the first and third rounds on the scorecards.

Unfortunately the point deduction in the second round cost VanZant the match after both she and Dodson stayed standing following each blow delivered during the match. The final tally was 28-28 across all three scorecards with the bout declared a draw.

VanZant didn’t speak directly after the match, although she said after her Power Slap debut in June that she definitely planned on competing there again in the future.

“Kind of going into it was like, ‘I only have to do this one time, a bucket list thing, I want to go do Power Slap, prove that I can,’” VanZant told MMA Fighting in July after her debut. “But then afterward it was like, ‘Shoot, that was really fun.’”

It remains to be seen if Thursday’s match could lead to another VanZant appearance in Power Slap.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Usman Nurmagomedov is a man with a plan.

Younger brother of UFC bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov and cousin to lightweight GOAT Khabib Nurmagomedov, the undefeated Usman is currently the Bellator 155-pound champion. Recently, Usman Nurmagomedov successfully defended his title against Alexander Shabliy at in September, cementing himself as one of the best lightweights on Earth. But his ambition doesn’t stop there.

Speaking recently about his future plans, Nurmagomedov revealed he hopes to follow in his cousin’s footsteps by making the move to the octagon once training partner and UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev is done.

“I’m waiting for Islam to finish his career and then I will [go after the UFC title],” Nurmagomedov said on Gorilla Fighting’s YouTube. “I think if we get it right, we’ll be fighting in the UFC at 28. I’m 26 years old right now. Two years, I’ll get stronger and that’s it. Go into the UFC at 28 and compete until I’m 32.”

Undefeated for nearly a decade, Makhachev is currently the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in MMA, with three successful lightweight title defenses to his name. Before winning the belt, Makhachev found himself in a similar situation to Usman, serving as “the next man up” to Khabib Nurmagomedov. That played out exactly to the plan of the legendary coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, who developed all of these fighters, and according to Khabib, that plan also extended to Usman.

“This is what Abdulmanap envisioned,” Khabib said. “He strongly believed in Usman and always said that he would be the future champion. I didn’t see the potential when he was 16 years old. I saw the prospects and I believed, and from the very beginning, my father believed in it all, believed in Usman’s future.”

Of course, Nurmagomedov’s intention to go to the UFC is not exactly great news for the Bellator or its owner, the PFL. However, speaking with MMA Fighting on Wednesday, PFL co-founder Donn Davis dismissed this as a concern for the promotion.

“How many of you have said you’re going to move to Florida and retire in four years, and how many of you do it?” Davis said. “One in 10? One in five? … People say things all the time, and then they don’t do it.

“So might he go? Might not he go? Might he go in two years? Might he go in five years? Might he be the champion? Might not he be the champion? My goal is to make my man Usman happy. My goal is to make my man Usman successful, financially rich, and a champion, so that in two years he forgets he said this today.”

Whatever happens in two years, for the time being, Nurmagomedov remains signed with Bellator, where his next fight is likely a title defense against Paul Hughes, following the Irishman’s win over A.J. McKee at PFL Battle of the Giants this past Saturday.

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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) held its official pre-fight press conference on Thursday for the upcoming UFC 308 pay-per-view (PPV) event, locked and loaded for this Sat. (Oct. 26, 2024) at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE. All 10 main card combatants were on hand this morning and came face-to-face at the conclusion of the UFC 308 press conference festivities.

That includes event headliners Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway. “El Matador” makes this first defense of his 145-pound title against “Blessed,” who is certainly no stranger to championship titles. In addition, ex-middleweight kingpin Robert Whittaker returns to battle local hero Khamzat Chimaev, not long after Magomed Ankalaev and Aleksandar Rakic hook ‘em up at 205 pounds.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 308 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 10 a.m. ET, followed by the UFC 308 PPV main card start time at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 308: “Topuria vs. Holloway” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the complete UFC 308 fight card and PPV lineup click here.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts