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UFC 290 emanates live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, where we’ll see UFC Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski return to the Featherweight division to take on current interim champion Yair Rodriguez in a winner-takes-all slugfest. Volkanovski is unbeaten in the featherweight division and would love to continue his dominance once more. To do so, he’ll have to defeat former “The Ultimate Fighter” winner Rodriguez, who enters with a 16-3 record. UFC 290: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez airs this Saturday, July 8 on ESPN+. Early prelims start at 6 p.m. Et, with prelims kicking off at 8 p.m. Et, and the main card beginning at 10 p.m. Et. You can watch the action with a Subscription to ESPN+ and purchasing the PPV for $79.99.

How to Watch UFC 290: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez When: Saturday, July 8 at 6 p.m. Et (early prelims), 8 p.m. Et (prelims), 10 p.m. Et (main card) Where:...

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Two belts are on the line this weekend at UFC 290 — the culmination of International Fight Week in Las Vegas.

UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski and interim titleholder Yair Rodríguez head up the UFC 290 card, while Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja will face off for Moreno’s flyweight belt in a co-main bout. A win for Volkanovski (25-2) could cement the Australian as the greatest 145-pounder in UFC history,...

Ufc star Tyron Woodley says he's very confident he'll be ready to fight again this summer -- despite having a jacked up right hand -- and he's already working with the Ufc to book a date.   The former Ufc welterweight champ recently pulled out of his June 29 bout with Robbie Lawler -- explaining on this week's 'Hollywood Beatdown' that his hand simply isn't ready to go.  Woodley says he consulted with a top hand specialist...

Ufc rising star "Platinum" Mike Perry is making a Hard push to step in and fight Robbie Lawler next month ... telling Dana White, "It's my time, bro!" Perry is coming off a Very impressive victory over "Cowboy" Alex Oliveira on April 27 -- and says he's already looking for another high-profile fight!!! And, now with Tyron Woodley pulling out of his June 29 scrap with Lawler -- Perry says he's ready, willing and able to replace T-Wood...

Tyron Woodley says he'll Definitely avenge his loss to Kamaru Usman and win back his Ufc championship belt -- and believes he's Still the greatest welterweight of all time.  Despite taking his first L since 2014 on Saturday night, Woodley was in pretty good spirits on Sunday at the L.A. release party for his new album, "Chaos Theory." "You can't have a bad night in the Octagon," Woodley explained ... "Everybody knows that wasn't characteristic Tyron Woodley.

Dana White says he wishes nothing but the best for Demetrious Johnson now that he's leaving Ufc for another Mma promotion -- and tells TMZ Sports he hopes DJ finally gets the respect he deserves from fans.  The Ufc worked out a trade with One Championship -- in which Johnson will leave Ufc and in exchange, One has sent over their welterweight champion Ben Askren.  Johnson was a beast during his Ufc run -- breaking...

[[tmz:video id="0_t3soe5ri"]] Ufc badass Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone says he doesn't give a Damn if Jon Jones blows an entire Swiss Alps ski slope of cocaine ... as long he beats the hell outta people in the Octagon. Cowboy and Jones train together -- so, we asked how the ex-champ is lookin' as he prepares for his upcoming showdown with Daniel Cormier.  The good news -- Jones looks awesome. Then Cowboy dropped this gem: "If Jon wants to do drugs and still kick ass,...

[[tmz:video id="0_plv534nt"]] Ex-ufc fighter Tim Kennedy says he's reenlisted in the U.S. Army Special Forces -- and he's Fired Up about it ... thanks to President Donald Trump.  37-year-old Kennedy has a 24-6 record as a pro Mma fighter -- with impressive wins over guys like Michael Bisping and Robbie Lawler.  But he's also a U.S. Army soldier and tells TMZ Sports he decided to re-enlist with the Green Berets when Trump was elected to the White House back in November.

[[tmz:video id="0_mw11fx8z"]] Tyron Woodley says he's beaten some of the best fighters in the world ... and tells TMZ Sports the way his career's going, he's a lock for the Hall of Fame. The Ufc's reigning welterweight champ is clearly upset he isn't getting the respect he believes he deserves and told Espn on Wednesday his race is a factor. "Let's put the cards on the table ... real is real. If I was a different complexion, I think...

Robbie Lawler has pulled out of his big fight against Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone at Ufc 205 in NYC ... TMZ Sports has learned. Unclear why Lawler backed out of the Nov. 12th fight at Madison Square Garden -- we're working on it.  We're told Cowboy will still fight and the Ufc is currently looking for a new opponent.  34-year-old Lawler last fought at Ufc 201 back in July -- and lost the Ufc welterweight championship belt to Tyron Woodley...

[[tmz:video id="0_kfsx4ydb"]] Nick Diaz is Fired Up -- telling TMZ Sports he's still the Best Fighter in his weight class ... and he's down to fight Tyron Woodley ... or Anyone the Ufc throws at him, if the price is right. Woodley called Diaz out after he beat Robbie Lawler at Ufc 201 this weekend -- and now that Diaz finished his suspension and can fight again ... Nick says he's ready to take on the world. "I want to fight the best guy.

[[tmz:video id="0_zqxj5etv"]] With Muhammad Ali hospitalized in Arizona ... we asked Ufc champ Robbie Lawler to tell us what "The Greatest" of all time means to him as a fighter. Check out the clip ... it's nothing but respect and well-wishes for Ali.  #GetWellSoon Read more...

wikipedia / wwe.com

While many have speculated on former WWE champion Cm Punk making his octagon debut at Ufc’s big show in July, the heavily anticipated Ufc 200, it appears there has been a change in plans: according to Ufc President Dana White, Punk’s first Ufc fight will now take place a little earlier, at Ufc 199 in June.

White broke the news while appearing on the Toucher and Rich show in Boston, promoting this past weekend’s Ufc Fight Night 81.

That’s big news for a number of reasons. For starters, it’s the closest fans have had to a firm date thus far. The Ufc 200 rumor made a certain amount of sense, as Punk’s debut will draw eyeballs, but on the flip side, Ufc 200 will likely do big numbers with or without Cm Punk on the card. It was never confirmed by the Ufc, but eventually, the...

John Locher/AP

The final events of 2015 were tremendous success stories for Ufc, anchored by the drawing power of superstars Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor and supported by some outstanding performances up and down each card. It was an awesome way to cap off a pivotal year for the promotion in which they suffered from oversaturation, fighter injuries and controversies. As the first show of 2016, Ufc 195 has hopefully set the tone for the kind of year we’re in for.

And that tone was a beautiful symphony of violence conducted by two of the most entertaining composers to ever do it.

Robbie Lawler and Carlos Condit had the misfortune of headlining a pay-per-view on the heels of back-to-back shows starring Mma’s two biggest active draws, and while the buyrate and gates will surely see a decrease from the preceding events, the two welterweight warriors delivered in every way possible.

Ufc

Ufc 195 follows in the wake of two of the promotion’s biggest events in recent years: Ufc 193, which saw the shock upset defeat of bantamweight queen Ronda Rousey by former boxing champ Holly Holm, and Ufc 194, where Conor McGregor lived up to the hype and dethroned featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo, ending a decade-long undefeated streak in the process.

That brings us to the first Ufc event of 2016 in Ufc 195, which has a main event of welterweight champion Robbie Lawler taking on the Natural Born Killer Carlos Condit. That bout has all the makings of an instant classic: Lawler is coming off one of the most violent, epic welterweight title fights ever with Rory MacDonald, while Carlos Condit is known for always being a game opponent. Both like to engage in standup wars, so you can expect this bout to be brutal.

The rest of the card? Well, it features...

[[tmz:video id="0_yjp6yri1"]] Robbie Lawler is no Vin Diesel -- 'cause even though Vin is getting his 7-year-old daughter into Mma right now ... the Ufc superstar says his kid will have to wait 'til he's 8.  It's actually an interesting question among parents -- with Mma exploding as a sport, more kids want to get involved at a younger age.  But Robbie -- who began his martial arts training at age 9 -- says, "I'm gonna try to keep my...

Here's what 2 black eyes, 1 broken nose and a broken foot look like ... courtesy of Ufc stud Rory MacDonald.  Rory battled it out with Robbie Lawler at Ufc 189 in one of the most violent brawls of all time ... and even though Rory lost the fight, everyone is hailing him as a champ for fighting through the blood and the pain.   In fact, both fighters were hurt so badly, they each went to the hospital Directly after...

Twitter @benaskren

The hardcore Mma fanbase is up in arms over the Ufc signing of Cm Punk. Visit the comments section of many of the major Mma sites and you’ll see some pretty passionate fans questioning the signing of a fighter with no pro experience and limited mixed martial arts training by the world’s premier Mma promotion. At a time when they’re trying to be taken seriously as a sport, Ufc have perhaps blundered with Punk.

So, as a disclaimer, yes, the signing of Punk is for spectacle, not sport. However, as much as it’s important for the sport of mixed martial arts to be taken seriously, the company – Zuffa and all its holdings – needs to make money. And with Cm Punk comes money, thanks to his legion of WWE fans.

That’s not a condemnation of Cm Punk or the Ufc either. In Punk’s...

Ufc

Ufc 181 was the promotion’s biggest, and most successful, card since Ufc 175 back in the summer, which coincidentally also featured two title fights (Chris Weidman taking on Lyoto Machida, and Ronda Rousey meeting Alexis Davis). With welterweight champion Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler II as the main event, and lightweight champion Anthony Pettis vs. Gilbert Melendez as the co-main event, you already had serious star power.

Add in Travis Browne vs. Brendan Schaub, a returning Todd Duffee, and Urijah Faber on the preliminary card, and you had enough big names to generate some serious interest.

Without question, top to bottom, Ufc 181 was a success, and the Ufc can breathe easy: entering into their key end-of-the-year events (the Tuf 20 finale, Ufc on Fox 13, and Ufc 182 in early January), they’ve building momentum. Ufc 181 got plenty of good reviews from fans in in the media, and the promotion can bask in...

Ufc

Ufc 181 boasted a tremendous lineup on paper, but the odds were that this card was going to change dramatically due to the injury curse that has plagued the promotion. Besides some minor changes, the meat and potatoes of the card were left on the plate which was a refreshing change of pace.

Because of two sensational title fights, along with several results that hold divisional significance, and the signing of a free agent that no one saw coming this show was worth the price of admission.

Of course, what would be a Ufc event be without a judging controversy in the main event? Those who scored the fight for Johny Hendricks were stunned to hear Bruce Buffer utter the words “And New” as Dana White placed the welterweight strap around the waist of Robbie Lawler.

Those in the camp that believe the right decision was rendered that evening witnessed...

wikipedia / Ufc 167 Promotional Poster

Ufc Welterweight Champion Johny Hendricks has discussed the possibility of rematching with Mma legend Georges St-Pierre. Speaking at a media luncheon this week, Hendricks stated “It could be dangerous for him to come back [and fight me].”

The first time the two men fought, at Ufc 167 in November 2013, St-Pierre won a very close decision. Many fans booed the result, as they felt that Hendriks had done enough to win over five rounds. The old saying “never leave it in the hands of the judges” comes to mind.

St-Pierre then disappeared from the sport, vacating the Welterweight title. As a result, Hendricks was able to fight for the vacant title against Robbie Lawler at Ufc 171 in March of this year. Hendricks won that fight, becoming the champion in a decision victory.

Hendricks and Lawler will rematch this weekend at Ufc 181, and then the spectre of Gsp could end up revealing itself.

Ufc

December’s first event in Ufc land marks the start of an exciting string of events for the promotion. After suffering through several cards decimated due to injury, the Ufc has a number of stacked events ready to go, and the first of those, Ufc 181 (taking place Saturday, December 6th in North America – the promo shot above is for the Australian market), has managed to avoid any major losses to the injury bug with just a week to go before the event.

That’s great news for some simple reason: fight week generally sees fighters scaling back in their training. Fight camps are wrapped up. There’s still the matter of weight cuts, and fluke illness, but for the most part, we should see the majority of fighters make it to the octagon Saturday night. And yes, before you ask, we are looking for a large chunk of wood to knock on right now,...

Julie Jacobson/AP/Press Association Images

Let’s face the facts, it’s an amazing feat of athleticism just to make it to the Ufc. However, everyone worth their salt as a competitor wants one thing: to wear the championship belt. Unfortunately for the athletes on this list, chances are that they will never hear Michael Buffer refer to them as the New Ufc Champion.

Olympic competition, collegiate wrestling, championships in other organizations, being in the best Mma camp in the world; none of these things guarantee even a title opportunity in the Ufc. This is a list of popular fighters. Most of them have the charisma to put butts in the seats. Many of them are knowledgeable enough to coach. But the hard facts say they just aren’t going to get that Ufc belt.

10. Hector Lombard

Matt Strasen/AP/Press Association Images

Current Welterweight, 34-4-1 (1 Nc), Age 36

One of the scariest,...

Ufc on Fox 12 had a fair number of big names spread throughout its card: Robbie Lawler, Matt Brown, Anthony Johnson, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (a.k.a. Lil Nog). Bobby Green, Josh Thompson, and Clay Guida are all guys who are capable of headlining or co-headlining an event, and all of them were packed onto the main card last night.

Some fighters, like Lawler and Thompson, are still cashing in on Strikeforce contracts, while others, like Brown and Guida, have worked their way up through the Ufc ranks to get to the point where they can earn a decent wage.

A number of fighters went home happy even in defeat, while others, despite hefty win bonuses, might not have banked what you would expect for a top draw.

Payouts in the Ufc are always an interesting situation, since so much depends on how good a contract an agent can procure for a fighter,...

Jeff Chiu/AP/Press Association Images

Ufc on Fox 12 took place live from San Jose, CA Saturday night, and despite a slow start, the main card ensured there was a solid night of action to enjoy.

Headlined by a title eliminator between “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler and Matt “The Immortal” Brown, Ufc on Fox 12 started slow, with seven of the first eight bouts going to decision. Some of these were entertaining, such as Jorge Masvidal’s defeat of The Ultimate Fighter alum Daron Cruishank, or a women’s catchweight bout (originally set for strawweight) between Julianna Lima and Joanna Jędrzejczyk. Some, however, lost the crowd in attendance, like Patrick Cummin’s sound wrestling-based drubbing of the returning Kyle Kingsbury, who had not fought since 2012 and showed signs of considerable ring rust.

There was plenty of action on the main card however, with bouts between Bobby Green and Josh Thompson (Green, entering...

On a few occasions, many writers have labeled a Ufc event on Fox as the best card of the year on paper. We heard it for Ufc on Fox 5 and just recently for Ufc on Fox 11. Now the Ufc is on their twelfth show for Fox and it’s being considered as the best card on paper. That is completely understandable given the matchups on the card.

Besides Michael Johnson, no injuries have derailed this card unlike past Fox events. It will be headlined by a number one contender’s bout in the welterweight division between Robbie Lawler and Matt Brown. I’m ecstatic that the Ufc is using Fox to showcase number one contender fights in popular divisions. That is the best way to keep fans interested, if you can’t have a title fight on the card.

Anthony Johnson is back to face the returning Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

Live from San Jose, California, Ufc on Fox 12 (though it’s still being called Fight Night by the Ufc, it’s a Ufc on Fox event) features the billed main event of Robbie Lawler vs. Matt “The Immortal” Brown, a welterweight title eliminator which will determine who meets champion Johny Hendricks in the octagon later this year.

In a co-main event that also holds possible title implications, recently returned light heavyweight Anthony “Rumble” Johnson meets “Lil Nog” – Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. It’s new breed against old guard in this bout, and it might not last long.

Rounding out the four-fight main card are matches between the popular Clay Guida against Dennis Bermudez, and Josh Thompson versus Bobby Green, in his first fight back since the murder of his younger brother. Whether Green can keep his focus in the cage remains to be seen, but it will no doubt be an...

It’s out with the old, in with the new over at Bellator this Summer, as founder Bjorn Rebney has been cut loose, and Strikeforce founder Scott Coker has been brought in to replace him. Coker has a lot of goodwill in the Mma world with both fans and fighters from his Strikeforce days. Originally a kickboxing promotion, Strikeforce got into the Mma game in 2006 and quickly became the number two promotion in the world, with fights airing live on Showtime. With a solid TV deal behind him, Coker handed out lucrative contracts to the likes of Jake Shields, Dan Henderson, Gilbert Melendez, Nick Diaz, Josh Barnett, Fabricio Werdum, Robbie Lawler, Nate Marquardt, Andrei Arlovski, Alistair Overeem, and most importantly, Fedor Emelianenko.

Fans who for years had wanted to see Fedor fight big name heavyweights got their wish, as Strikeforce built the best heavyweight division in Mma (they probably didn...

Here's professional Ufc face-puncher Robbie Lawler spoofing Justin Bieber's deposition ... and really trying to capture Jb's natural brattiness and stupidity. Lawler -- who's fighting Johnny Hendricks at Ufc 171 this weekend -- nails the orneriness and angst Justin displayed in the original video, which was part of a case involving an alleged altercation with a bodyguard. Lawler even throws a Bieber-style tantrum before storming out of frame. So, what's Justin gonna say when he sees the spoof?...

Georges St-Pierre has dominated as a welterweight in the Ufc for years, but has decided to step away from the sport, effectively giving up his title.

Georges St-Pierre Steps Away From Ufc

St. Pierre, while announcing that he’s taking his leave of the Ufc, didn’t completely shut the door on the idea that he could return sometime in the future. "One day when I feel like it, I might come back," St-Pierre said. "But right now I need a break."

"I don't want to make nobody wait," St-Pierre added. "I want to [come back] when I feel like it. I'll become stronger when I will. It has to be up to me. It has to be on my terms."

</div> <div> <A data-cke-saved-href="http://msn.foxsports.com/ufc/video?vid=8d175559-01fc-4be6-9828-9d34fc36f155&videoId=8d175559-01fc-4be6-9828-9d34fc36f155&from=shareembed-syndication&src=v5:embed:syndication:" href="http://msn.foxsports.com/ufc/video?vid=8d175559-01fc-4be6-9828-9d34fc36f155&videoId=8d175559-01fc-4be6-9828-9d34fc36f155&from=shareembed-syndication&src=v5:embed:syndication:" target="_new" title="Gsp announces indefinite leave">Video: Gsp announces indefinite leave</A></div> <div> Personal Life Root Cause of St-Pierre's Departure

It’s been speculated that St. Pierre, who referred to his personal life as being "like a freakin' zoo,...

The Ufc made history this weekend when it hosted its first ever women’s mixed martial arts match, its first ever women’s championship defense, its first ever openly gay/lesbian fighter, and its first ever female headliner. Yes, all of that in a single event that has already shattered a few records. This was not the first ever Wmma bout to be sure, but with the prestige, power, and position of the Ufc, holding a women’s fight anoints the growing movement within the sport with legitimacy and belonging.

It’s Ladies Night. Mitchell Stucky and I cover all of the action in the prelims (including a FotY candidate with Bermudez v. Grice) in part 1 of the Getting Lucky Mma Podcast and the entire main card in part 2.

Summary: The prelims saw the usual mix of exciting finishes and back-n-forth action throughout the Facebook and FX card with a few notable stinkers.

New York (Dec. 15, 2011)—Showtime Networks Inc. and world championship mixed martial arts (Mma) promotion Strikeforce have entered into a new broadcast agreement to continue producing live Mma events on the premium television network, Showtime. The agreement was announced jointly today by Stephen Espinoza, Evp and General Manager, Showtime Sports, Dana White, Ufc President, and Scott Coker, Strikeforce CEO. Under the new agreement, Showtime will produce and televise up to eight live events. Strikeforce athletes such as lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez, middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, women’s featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Santos, women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate and other world-class Mma fighters will continue to compete for the organization on Showtime. The new deal kicks off during the network’s Free Preview Weekend, Saturday, Jan. 7, as champion Rockhold defends the Strikeforce 185-pound title against dangerous veteran Keith Jardine at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, live on Showtime at 10 p.