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With a massive gash over her left eye, Britain Hart refused to back down, instead dishing out a whole lot of punishment to defend her strawweight title in the BKFC 63 main event.

Despite blood flowing down her face and a valiant effort from challenger Taylor Starling, it was Hart who connected with the better punches and kept the pressure on for all five rounds. While Starling had her moments, Hart connected with the harder punches and the better impact to secure the decision, with the judges scoring the fight 48-47, 49-46, and 48-47 as she retains her belt.

“I feel f*cking badass,” Hart said after her win. “I told you, I’m the baddest female to do it. I’m here to show no matter what, we can still smile and look good doing it.”

There was no feeling out process in this title fight, as Starling charged forward to start the contest and Hart met her with a series of vicious counter-punches. Hart seemingly had complete disregard for Starling’s power, as she just marched forward in every exchange and unloaded flurries of punches in succession.

Starling swung wild, but Hart connected with much cleaner punches, including a combination that rattled the challenger just before the end of the opening round. Even with a strong start, Hart still went to her corner with a cut over her left eye.

Hart continued to apply forward pressure as Starling circled away to avoid the biggest punches coming from the strawweight champion. When Starling finally tagged Hart with a big right hand, she ate one of her own and seemed like she got the worst of it.

As the cut on her eye really began dripping blood and Starling started to connect with a good jab, Hart grew even more determined to draw Starling into a brawl. With seconds ticking away in the third round, Hart charged ahead with a barrage of punches and several slipped through Starling’s defense as she backed up against the ropes.

While the stats showed Starling landing more punches, she still appeared to be absorbing more punishment. That being said, Starling kept coming at Hart and connected with some of her best shots in the fourth round as the champion slightly slowed down.

Even when she was getting the worse of the exchanges, Hart’s ability to make the most of the closing seconds of the rounds allowed her to inflict a lot of damage on Starling and her face showed it. That really was the story of the fight, with Starling staying ahead early and then Hart delivering the bigger shots late.

The victory serves as Hart’s third title defense, but there’s no rest for the weary with Tai Emery fresh off a vicious knockout win as the next contender in line.

“I’m here,” Hart said when asked about Emery. “I’ve been here. I’ve fought them all from UFC, pretend faces, ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ Australian b*tches, so bring it all on.”

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After having his own run in the UFC as a dominant undefeated champion years ago, Khabib Nurmagomedov is now helping to mentor others toward their own reigns. Islam Makhachev already has secured the lightweight title, and now cousin Umar Nurmagomedov may be next.

Umar secured a clear decision win over Cory Sandhagen in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi. The bout seemingly served as a bantamweight title eliminator, and “The Young Eagle” is most likely next in line to challenge the winner of the Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili title fight that takes place at The Sphere on September 14.

Following Umar’s win, Khabib Nurmagomedov was asked about his thoughts on who his cousin might have a better matchup with when it comes to claiming the gold. The former lightweight champion says the undefeated up-and-comer will be prepared regardless of who is holding the title.

That’s not to say he doesn’t have a preference, though…

Khabib Nurmagomedov Says Cousin Umar Nurmagomedov Is Ready To Be UFC Champion

“I want Merab to be honest, because he’s from Georgia. [Dagestan and Georgia are] neighbors. I want Merab to win because it’s going to be a very interesting fight. White papakha vs. black papakha. But if O’Malley wins, it’s going to be white papakha vs. pink papakha.

“He’s going to be good competition for O’Malley. A very good fight, high-level fight for all of the fans all over the world. It’s not easy to beat Umar. And it’s not easy to beat Merab or Sean O’Malley. This is high level. Anything can happen, but in my opinion, Umar is ready.”

Umar Nurmagomedov is now 6-0 in the UFC (and 18-0 overall) since entering the promotion in 2021.

O’Malley, meanwhile, won the bantamweight championship by defeating Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292. He retained the title against Marlon “Chito” Vera at UFC 299 in Miami this past March.

For his part, Dvalishvili has won 10 straight fights, clinching himself a title shot after defeating former champion Henry Cejudo at UFC 298 in February.

• Read More: ‘Khabib With Striking Skills’ – Fans React As Umar Nurmagomedov Wins ‘Chess Match’ Against Cory Sandhagen In UFC Fight Night Abu Dhabi Main Event

Continue Reading Khabib Names Who He’d Rather Umar Nurmagomedov Fight For The UFC Bantamweight Title Out Of Sean O’Malley & Merab Dvalishvili at MMA News.

MMA News

Former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson returned to the welterweight division on Saturday in Abu Dhabi against Michael Chiesa.  Both fighters were needing a win in the worst way.  

Ferguson hadn’t won a fight since 2019 and entered the bout on a staggering seven-fight losing streak.  Chiesa entered the octagon at Etihad Arena having lost his last three fights.  

Ferguson came out pressuring Chiesa.  Chiesa moved along the outside.  Chiesa delivered a kick to the body followed by a left hand.  Ferguson responded with a leg kick.  Ferguson continued to press forward.  Chiesa landed a combination.  Ferguson landed his jab.  Chiesa clinched and took Ferguson down.  He took Ferguson’s back and worked to lock on a rear-naked choke.  Ferguson tried to defend the chock but was forced to tap out.  

The loss was Ferguson’s eighth consecutive defeat.  The official time of the stoppage came at 3:44 of the first round.  Following the fight, Ferguson took off one glove and teased his retirement from fighting.  

“I don’t want to retire.  I really don’t, but I love the UFC and I don’t want to go anywhere else,” Ferguson said in his post-fight interview.  “So I’m not going to put both gloves down.  I’m going to put one, and I’m going to keep the other one just in case.”   

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Watch Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov full fight video highlights from their main event showdown Sunday night, courtesy of multiple outlets.

Crawford vs. Madrimov took place Aug. 4 at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. Terance Crawford (41-0) and Israil Madrimov (10-1-1) squared off in the the main event clash. The fight aired live on pay-per-view on DAZN and PPV.com.

Official result: Terence Crawford defeats Israil Madrimiov via UD 116-112, 115-113, 115-113.

Catch all the video highlights below.

For more on Crawford vs. Madrimov, check out the live blog below.

Round 1: They touch ‘em up and we’re off. Crawford opens by switching stances and snapping off a left hook. Madrimov backs him up into the corner then resets. Madrimov jabs to the body. Crawford does the same. Plenty of caution being shown from both men as they download information off one another. Crawford chucks off a right, Madrimov answers with a counter. Crawford connects on combination at the bell. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Crawford.

Round 2: Madrimov takes the center of the ring, Crawford circles and paws out his jab. Crawford moves left and doubles up his jab. Madrimov blocks a one-two. Madrimov is doing a stellar job at cutting off the ring so far. Two right hands from Madrimov find a home on Crawford. The crowd is getting a little restless already. Madrimov lunges into a right hand that misses. Crawford jabs to the body. Right hand by Madrimov. These are close, close rounds. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Madrimov. (19-19 overall.)

Round 3: They meet in the center and Crawford fires off a right hand. Three-punch combination from Crawford. He goes back to the right hand. Crawford doubles up his jab but eats a counter from Madrimov. Madrimov is playing a patient game. Crawford snaps off another right hand. Madrimov lands a right hand, but Crawford answers back with a nice uppercut. Crawford repeatedly paws out his right hand as the crowd murmurs in distress. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Crawford. (29-28 Crawford.)

Round 4: Quick right hand from Crawford. He lunges inside and goes head-body. Madrimov eats a jab. Crawford just misses with a one-two. Crawford peppers Madrimov with short right hands. Madrimov answers with a few rights of his own. Crawford smacks him to the body. Oh, nasty left hand to the jaw by Crawford. Madrimov dives into the clinch. One-two from Crawford. He’s blazing fast right now. Madrimov shakes out his arms and walks Crawford into the ropes, jabbing to the body. Slick right hand by Madrimov but Crawford fires back with an uppercut. Crawford eats a right hand. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Crawford. (39-37 Crawford.)

Round 5: Madrimov comes out aggressive, firing right hands. Madrimov pushes the pace and goes to the body. Crawford flurries in response. Madrimov goes over the top with his left only to get smacked with a one-two by Crawford. Things are starting to heat up. Crawford pops off a few jabs to measure distance. Oh, Crawford goes down but that appeared to be a trip. Yep, Madrimov hit him with a glancing blow but that was definitely a trip. We’re back. Madrimov loads up for an overhand right then sneaks an uppercut into Crawford’s chin. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Madrimov. (48-47 Crawford.)

Round 6: Feints galore coming from Madrimov right now. Madrimov leads with his jab and walks Crawford to the ropes. Crawford answers with a flurry. He sneaks a left hand past Madrimov’s guard. Right hand from Madrimov, Crawford throws out a combination. There appears to be a mouse developing under Crawford’s right eye. Madrimov whiffs on a big overhand. Madrimov lunges into an uppercut, Crawford ties up. Nasty body work by Crawford to close out the round. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Madrimov. (57-57 overall.)

Round 7: Some scattered boos start to rain down from the crowd. Madrimov marches him into the ropes but can’t do anything with it. Lots of feinting and circling in this round. Slick counter by Madrimov. Now the boos are really picking up. Crawford goes one-two. Another combination by Crawford. He slams a left hand into Madrimov. Not much happening in that round but Crawford stole it at the end. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Crawford. (67-66 Crawford.)

Round 8: Madrimov’s trainer is begging for combinations. Crawford triples up on his jab. Madrimov feints and feints and feints. He is not respecting his corner’s wishes. Crawford fires off another jab. More boos. This is officially a bad fight so far. Madrimov connects with a pair of right hands and that draws a reaction from Crawford. Nice exchange in the center of the ring. Crawford tries to sneak in a shovel hook right hand. Madrimov smacks Crawford with a slick overhand right. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Madrimov. (76-76 Madrimov.)

Round 9: This is an extremely difficult fight to score with the lack of action. Crawford circles and flurries as Madrimov nearly falls out of the ropes. They reset in the center of the ring. Big left hand misses for Madrimov, but he finds a home with a follow-up right. Crawford circles to the right and pumps his jab. Crawford eats a one-two. Stiff counter left connects on the chin for Madrimov. This is easily his best round. Crawford goes back to his jab. More circling and jabbing for Crawford. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Madrimov. (86-85 Madrimov.)

Round 10: Crawford comes out firing to the body. Slick uppercut by Crawford. He grins after that one. Madrimov eats a right hand. Monster right hand from Crawford just misses its mark. One-two from Crawford. Madrimov slams a right hand through the guard. Crawford shakes his head. Another right connects for Madrimov. Crawford stays in his face and doubles up his jab. Big exchange from both men. Man, this is tense. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Crawford. (95-95 overall.)

Round 11: Madrimov storms out aggressive. Lots of feints and left hands coming from the champ right now. Crawford flurries and clinches. One-two from Crawford. Crawford puts together a slick three-punch combination, but Madrimov answers with a right hand that finds its mark. Crawford sneaks in a nice uppercut during a flurry. Madrimov pitches a right to the midsection. Huge counter left uppercut from Crawford! That was the best shot of the round. Madrimov clinches. Madrimov barely misses with a lunging left. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Crawford. (105-104 Crawford.)

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

It’s always an impressive knockout when you get Conor McGregor’s attention.

That’s exactly what Josh Dyer delivered on Saturday night after he demolished William Albrecht with a stunning right hook that sent him flying face first into the canvas.

It was a wild exchange with both fighters just launching bombs with Albrecht charging forward but it was a vicious right from Dyer that twisted his head around and sent him to the ground in a heap.

Replays showed the punch landing clean on the jaw as Albrecht’s eyes roll back before he falls face first to the canvas.

Seated next to BKFC founder David Feldman, McGregor jumped out of his seat in reaction to Dyer’s unbelievable knockout.

The win moved Dyer to 4-1 inside the BKFC ring but perhaps more importantly, he got a knockout that impressed McGregor and that’s even bigger now that he owns a piece of the bare-knuckle company.

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The UFC octagon was at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.  The fight card was headlined by a bantamweight fight between second-ranked Cory Sandhagen and undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov.

Sandhagen (17-4) entered the fight riding a three-fight winning streak. Nurmagomedov (17-0) hadn’t tasted defeat and had finished three of his five UFC opponents. Ranked 10th in the division, Nurmagomedov had the opportunity to pick up the biggest win of his career.

Sandhagen pressed forward.  They exchanged leg kicks and Nurmagomedov grabbed a leg and went for a single-leg takedown.  He took Sandhagen’s back.  Sandhagen escaped the position and circled free.  Nurmagomedov connected with a left hand.  Nurmagomedov looked for another takedown but Sandhagen remained standing.  Sandhagen switched stances and they exchanged leg kicks.  Sandhagen looked comfortable.  He delivered a hard leg kick and then went to the body with a left hand.  Nurmagomedov secured a takedown with 20 seconds left on the clock.  MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Sandhagen.  

 Nurmagomedov landed first in the second round with a kick to the body.  They exchanged legs kicks and Nurmagomedov looked to get the fight to the ground.  He got behind Sandhagen but Sandhagen broke free and connected with a left hand.  Sandhagen was dictating the pace.  They traded leg kicks.  Sandhagen went to the body and Nurmagomedov answered with a hard leg kick.  Sandhagen connected with a counter left hand.  Nurmagomedov caught a kick and took Sandhagen down.  He trapped an arm.  Sandhagen scrambled and stood.  He turned and got free.  Nurmagomedov tried to trip him but Sandhagen got to his feet.  MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Nurmagomedov.  

Sandhagen pressed forward in the third.  Nurmagomedov checked a leg kick.  The pace slowed a bit.  Both fighters continued to deliver leg kicks.  With two minutes remaining, Nurmagomedov took Sandhagen down.  Sandhagen broke the grip and escaped the position.  Nurmagomedov connected with a right hand.  Nurmagomedov landed to the body with a right hand.  He landed a left hand to the body and took Sandhagen down.  He took Sandhagen’s back.  Sandhagen rolled and the round ended.  MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Nurmagomedov.  

Sandhagen inched forward.  Nurmagomedov landed a leg kick.  Sandhagen responded with a jab.  Nurmagomedov landed a leg kick and Sandhagen countered with a left hook.  Sandhagen was more aggressive in the fourth.  Nurmagomedov connected with a right hand.  He followed up with a combination.  Sandhagen responded with a left hand.  Nurmagomedov answered with a counter combination.  Sandhagen went to the body with a left hand.  They exchanged kicks to the body.  

Sandhagen connected with an uppercut and Nurmagomedov responded with a combination.  Nurmagomedov changed levels and took Sandhagen down late in the round.  Sandhagen rolled and the round ended.  MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Nurmagomedov.

They exchanged leg kicks.  Sandhagen briefly looked for a takedown.  Nurmagomedov moved away.  Nurmagomedov connected with a counter left hand followed by a body kick.  Nurmagomedov began pressing forward.  He took Sandhagen down.  For the first time in the fight, Nurmagomedov was able to control Sandhagen on the ground.  Sandhagen delivered elbows from the bottom.  He tried to scramble but Nurmagomedov maintained top position.  He delivered a few short punches before the round ended.  MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Nurmagomedov.   

The judges scored the fight for Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision.  The scorecards read 50-45, 49-46, and 49-46.

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