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A welterweight showdown between Abdoul Abdouraguimov and Laureano Staropoli will top the PFL Europe Championships card in Lyon, France, on Dec. 14, the company announced Monday.

Abdouraguimov has won his past eight with seven stoppages to his credit, while Staropoli aims to rebound from a loss to Murad Ramazanov this past April, which snapped his four-fight winning streak.

The Lyon event features four European season finals. The matchups were set this past Saturday, when PFL held a show in Glasgow, Scotland.

Lewis McGrillen knocked out Dean Garnett to set up a bantamweight final with Alexander Luster, who tapped Julien Pierre Lopez. In the welterweight division, Daniele Miceli and Florim Zendeli collide for the PFL Europe title following wins over Ibrahima Mane and Jack Grant, respectively.

The third championship contest has Connor Hughes taking on Jakub Kaszuba in the lightweight division. Hughes clinched the spot with unanimous decision over Ignacio Capella, while Kaszuba advanced with a decision against Daniele Scatizzi.

The 2024 PFL Europe women’s flyweight champion will be crowned when Paulina Wisniewska meets Shanelle Dyer in a battle of undefeated talents. Both flyweights scored decision victories in the semifinals against Karolina Wojcik and Valentina Scatizzi, respectively.

“France has quickly become one of the biggest MMA destinations in the world,” PFL CEO Pete Murray stated in a release, “not only due to the high-level athletes that are being produced by the country, but the incredible fans that bring world-class atmosphere every single time we visit. It was an easy decision to bring the PFL Europe Championships here, and there was no better time to make our debut in Lyon. Our PFL Europe Championships will see the continent’s best mixed martial artists compete for our prestigious title and a $ 100,000 prize, and with everything on the line, we know the fans are in for a night of MMA that will be talked about for years to come.”

Check the updated PFL Europe Championships Lyon lineup below.

• Abdoul Abdouraguimov vs. Laureano Staropoli
• Daniele Miceli vs. Florim Zendeli
• Connor Hughes vs. Jakub Kaszuba
• Lewis McGrillen vs. Alexander Luster
• Shanelle Dyer vs. Paulina Wisniewska

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

The UFC 307 fight card, start time is for all the UFC action at Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday night.

In the main event, UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira puts his belt on the line against Khalil Rountree. This marks the third defense for Pereira, who is coming off a Performance of the Night bonus with his second-round TKO of Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303 this past June.

Raquel Pennington defends the UFC bantamweight title against former UFC champion Julianna Peña in the co-main event. This is Pennington’s first title defense. Peña hasn’t fought since losing the title in a rematch against Amanda Nunes at UFC 277 on July 30, 2022.

The UFC 307 prelims begin on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET, and the main card is on ESPN+ pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET.

Check out the UFC 307 fight card below.

Main Card (ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET)

Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.

Raquel Pennington vs. Julianna Peña

Jose Aldo vs. Mario Bautista

Ketlen Vieira vs. Kayla Harrison

Roman Dolidze vs. Kevin Holland

Preliminary Card (ESPNEWS/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET)

Stephen Thompson vs. Joaquin Buckley

Marina Rodriguez vs. Iasmin Lucindo

Cesar Almeida vs. Ihor Potieria

Austin Hubbard vs. Alexander Hernandez

Early Prelims (ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET)

Ryan Spann vs. Ovince Saint Preux

Carla Esparza vs. Tecia Pennington

Court McGee vs. Tim Means

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

On the first episode of UFC 307 Embedded, UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira goes hiking with his team, former bantamweight champion Julianna Peña gets ready for fight week, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson trains his grappling, Roman Dolidze goes camping in the mountains, Khalil Rountree has a run-in with Big Foot, and more.

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Shock the world
| BJPenn.com

UFC

Sean Strickland has daddy issues.

That may explain his disdain for “weird father roles” and paternal “cowards” … though it’s also possible that “Tarzan” just has a few screws loose. Either way, his personal “demons” and “violent thoughts” are no match for the jungle hardness of Alex Pereira.

“The problem with Alex is that he hits really f*cking hard, you guys — really f*cking hard. But let me tell you why,” Strickland told The Schmo (transcribed by MMA Junkie). “When you get raised in the jungles of Brazil where you don’t have running water and surviving off tapir and wildebeest as an infant, and then you get worked in a tire shop, that’s a hard man to fight. It’s hard, bro, and my daddy issues don’t make up for that level of hardness. So it was good work.”

One of the lasting side effects of that particular upbringing is “Jungle Brain.”

Strickland was brought in to help Pereira train for his light heavyweight title defense opposite No. 8-ranked contender Khalil Rountree Jr., who will try to replicate this stunning performance at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City and take home the 205-pound crown. “Poatan” stopped “Tarzan” when they went to war at UFC 276 back in summer 2022.

“I just can’t see Khalil pulling it off,” Strickland told Helen Yee. “I think I may have watched him fight Anthony Smith. I just can’t see it happening. I don’t think he has the tools in the toolbox to beat Alex. He’s not knocking him out. He’s not outstriking him. He’s not outwrestling him. I think Alex is going to make easy work of this fight.”

We’ll find out this weekend in “The Beehive State.”

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 307 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPNN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 307: “Pereira vs. Rountree Jr.” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 307 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Is Renato Moicano ready for the top of the lightweight division? More importantly, is the top of the lightweight division ready for “Money” after he ran through Benoit Saint Denis and then cut another lively promo in front of a rabid UFC Paris crowd?

On an all-new edition of On To the Next One, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee discuss what’s next for Moicano following an absolute drubbing of Saint Denis. Additionally, future matchups are discussed for Nassourdine Imavov who continued to roll by beating Brendan Allen, William Gomis after improving to 4-0 in the UFC on Saturday, plus is Bryan Battle the best-kept secret in the welterweight division? Also, what’s next for main card standouts Morgan Charriere, Fares Ziam, and more.

Audio-only versions of the podcast can be found below, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

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