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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Yuneisy Duben is about to get a UFC contract.

On Tuesday evening, Duben faced Shannon Clark in the first women’s fight of season eight of Contender Series and she took the opportunity to deliver one of the best knockouts in the history of the show, flattening Clark in the very first round.

Duben was a massive +800 underdog coming into this matchup of unbeaten prospects but she certainly didn’t look it as the Venezuelan fighter lit Clark up with combinations right from the start. Clark couldn’t figure out the range and continued to charge in on Duben, which ended in disaster for her as Duben stepped in with an overhand right that shut off the lights in violent fashion. The sensational knockout makes Duben the biggest underdog to ever win on Contender Series and almost certainly guarantees her a UFC contract.

Check out the highlight below.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

For the first time in his pro MMA career, Gilbert Burns has two consecutive losses on his record. He lost a decision to Belal Muhammad after getting injured early in the fight, followed by a late TKO loss to Jack Della Maddalena.

Despite the losses, fans aren’t overlooking Burns as he takes on Sean Brady this weekend. Brady’s last loss came against Muhammad as well, but he bounced back by submitting Kelvin Gastelum in December 2023.

Burns is hopeful about beginning another title run at welterweight by beating Brady, and he wants Muhammad to be the champion until he reaches the belt again…

Gilbert Burns Praises Belal Muhammad’s Approach As Champion While Hoping To Get His Rematch

Burns talked about his ambition to get another chance at becoming the UFC welterweight kingpin in an interview with MMA Junkie recently. He naturally needs to get past Brady first and hopes that Muhammad beats Shavkat Rakhmonov to remain champion.

“Durinho” not only wants to get his rematch but also likes how Muhammad has carried himself since becoming champ. For instance, “Remember the Name” aims to move up a weight class only after fighting all top contenders at welterweight.

Burns acknowledged that he’s trained with Rakhmonov quite a few times when they share camps. However, he’ll still be backing Muhammad to win as it’s the most ideal scenario for his rematch.

“I want Belal to stay champion when I fight for the title, you know, that’s my goal and then get the rematch for the title. That would be great so I’m team Belal Muhammad, you know, I want this guy to keep winning and then whenever I’m there, that’s the guy that I’m facing.”

The former title challenger also talked about how things have changed in the UFC welterweight division after Kamaru Usman’s dominant reign ended. He praised Muhammad for wanting to fight Rakhmonov over Usman as the former kingpin has now lost three UFC fights in a row.

“I like that Belal is being a good champion, you know, he said he wants to fight, face the number one contender guys, before thinking on moving up or moving, you know, fighting another champion. I like that, that’s my, that was my go-to you know. Go over there, beat the number one fighters, keep beating these guys and especially he, you know, he need to make that fan base, you know. He needs to make the fans excited. He’s doing a great job right now the way he talks and I think he’s gonna be a great champion.

Because he’s been saying the right things and wants to give his division’s contenders opportunities, Burns totally supports Muhammad to remain the champ for at least a year or two. Unsurprisingly, he would want to fight Muhammad again at his best and grab a UFC belt for the first time in his career.

• READ MORE: Tyron Woodley Reveals How Nate Diaz Backtrack Led To Dana White Feud

Continue Reading ‘I’m Team Belal Muhammad’ – Gilbert Burns Extends Support For UFC Welterweight Champ Against Shavkat Rakhmonov at MMA News.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

UFC 306 has a new flyweight matchup.

On Tuesday, news broke that Kevin Borjas is out of his scheduled fight at UFC 306. Instead, Edgar Chairez now faces Joshua Van, who steps in as a short-notice replacement. The switch was first reported by MMA Junkie and later confirmed by MMA Fighting.

One of eight Mexican fighters competing at the event branded “Noche UFC,” Chairez also competed on the original Noche UFC last year, where his bout with Daniel Lacerda resulted in a no contest following an error by referee Chris Tognoni. The two rematched earlier this year at UFC Mexico City, with Chairez pulling off a first-round submission.

Still only 22 years old, Van suffered the first loss of his UFC career when he was knocked out by Charles Johnson at UFC Denver in July. That defeat ended a three-fight win streak in the promotion, and now “Fearless” looks to get back on track at an event UFC CEO Dana White claims will be “the greatest live sporting event of all-time.”

UFC 306 takes place on September 14 at Sphere in Las Vegas and will be headlined by a bantamweight title fight between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili, while a women’s flyweight championship trilogy matchup between Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko serves as the co-main event.

Mike Heck contributed to this report.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

UFC’s return to Edmonton has a new main event, as former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno returns to action against Amir Albazi in a five-round matchup on Nov. 2 from Rogers Place.

UFC CEO Dana White announced the fight Tuesday on social media, with the previously announced headliner between Rose Namajunas and Erin Blanchfield shifting to the co-main event. Namajunas vs. Blanchfield is expected to remain a five-round bout.

The fight serves as Moreno’s return to action after suffering back-to-back split decision losses to Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Royval, then announcing plans to take a hiatus from the sport. Moreno ultimately opted to take some down time before booking his return, which is now set for November.

Meanwhile, Albazi competes for the first time since beating Kai Kara-France with a razor-close decision in June 2023 to put himself in title contention. Albazi was actually scheduled to face Moreno back in February, but a neck injury forced him to the sidelines to recover.

Now that he’s healthy again, Albazi resumes his career against Moreno with hopes that a win could vault him into a title shot against Pantoja in the future.

The UFC Edmonton card also features a pair of heavyweight fights, as knockout king Derrick Lewis takes on Jhonata Diniz and Alexandr Romanov clashes with Rodrigo Nascimento.

Here’s the full card as it currently stands, with a bout order still to be determined:

MAIN EVENT: Brandon Moreno vs. Amir Albazi

Rose Namajunas vs. Erin Blanchfield

Derrick Lewis vs. Jhonata Diniz

Aiemann Zahabi vs. Pedro Munhoz

Mike Malott vs. Trevin Giles

Caio Machado vs. Brendson Ribeiro

Alexandr Romanov vs. Rodrigo Nascimento

Chad Anheliger vs. Cody Gibson

Serhiy Sidey vs. Garrett Armfield

Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Dustin Stoltzfus

Ariane Da Silva vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius

Jamey-Lyn Horth vs. Ivana Petrovic

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Trump changes tune
| BJPenn.com

Newly-crowned featherweight champion Ilia Topuria will make his first 145-pound title defense against one of the greatest fighters in the history of MMA as former featherweight kingpin Max Holloway charges “El Matador” in the UFC 308 pay-per-view (PPV) main event this October on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi!

Event: UFC 308: “Topuria vs. Holloway”
Date: Sat., Oct. 26, 2024
Location: Etihad Arena on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Start times: ESPN+ PPV, ESPN, ESPN+ (10 a.m. ET Prelims | 2 p.m. ET Main Card)

UFC 308 Main Event On ESPN+ PPV:

145 lbs.: UFC Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway

UFC 308 Main Card on ESPN+ PPV:

185 lbs.: Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev
205 lbs.: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic
265 lbs.: Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov
145 lbs.: Lerone Murphy vs. Dan Ige

UFC 308 Prelims Card on ESPN/ESPN+:

170 lbs.: Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Nursulton Ruziboev
205 lbs.: Marcos Rogério de Lima vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu
170 lbs.: Geoff Neal vs. Rafael dos Anjos
185 lbs.: Abus Magomedov vs. Brunno Ferreira
205 lbs.: Ibo Aslan vs. Raffael Cerqueira
155 lbs.: Myktybek Orolbai vs. Mateusz Rębecki
185 lbs.: Shara Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan
135 lbs.: Farid Basharat vs. Victor Hugo

*Fight card, bout order and number of fights remain subject to change.*

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Francis Ngannou negotiated a unique deal when he joined PFL after his championship stint in the UFC, and Renan Ferreira will benefit greatly from it.

Ngannou’s contract with the promotion includes equity in the company, a role on the PFL board of directors and as chairman of PFL Africa, plus the freedom to box. He also not only negotiated a seven-figure deal for himself, but also made sure to request a guaranteed $ 2 million purse for each of his PFL opponents.

Ferreira and Ngannou will battle in the main event of PFL Super Fights on Oct. 19, and “Problema” said Ngannou has earned his respect for providing him a life-changing payday.

“My respect for him has only grown because of him seeking better opportunities for not only him as an athlete,” Ferreira said. “Not only for gaining space in the boxing scene as well, which we know is hard for MMA fighters to do that — although he didn’t have a good performance in his last fight [vs. Anthony Joshua] — but it was enormous of him to say that his opponent should be valued as well. It was very nice of him.”

Ferreira pocketed $ 1 million for winning the 2023 heavyweight season in PFL, aside from his four purses throughout the year, and will receive $ 2 million when he faces Ngannou in October. Ferreira’s purse for his nasty knockout win over Ryan Bader this past February was not disclosed.

“I feel honored with all that, and it only motivates me to get better and continue to show who am I as an athlete and be among the best, and be the best,” Ferreira said. “I’m happy to be there and to be fighting him. This turning point in my career is the culmination of a long road of hard work and dedication. I’m proud of the history I’ve created with honesty, never stomping on others. It makes me really happy.”

Ngannou left UFC with consecutive wins over Ciryl Gane, Stipe Miocic, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Junior dos Santos, Cain Velasquez, and Curtis Blaydes, and “Problema” knows it won’t be an easy night in the cage, although the Cameroonian heavyweight hasn’t competed in MMA since January 2022.

“Francis is an aggressive man and a knockout artist like myself, but I’m working in all areas,” Ferreira said. “I have good takedowns, I have good jiu-jitsu, so if the opportunity presents itself, I’ll definitely attack and take him down and use my heavy ground and pound, something I’ve always done. I’m working on that as well. My striking will definitely be sharper than ever. He hasn’t fought [MMA] in a while and that could make him less active in some areas, so I’ll explore all that.”

“To me, what matters the most is the win, but a nice win, a spectacular victory, like I’ve done many times before, it’s definitely gratifying,” he continued. “It shows that the work we’ve been going is well-made. But we have to be cautious in this fight. We have a tough and experienced guy on the other side, a man that has fought many great fighters. Winning is what matters, no matter how. Francis is a confident man, a big and imposing man, and I know it’s going to be a war. It’s going to be a very tough fight, and that motivates me to work hard every day.”

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