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'Baby Fedor' signs with Bellator, fights Adam Keresh in Israel on 11/15
Kirill Sidelnikov is a longtime training partner of the heavyweight G.O.A.T. Fedor Emelianenko, which earned him the nickname 'Baby Fedor'. Now 11-5 and 5-1 his last six, Sidelnikov has signed an exclusive, multi-fight deal with Bellator. The first fight is vs. Israeli Adam Keresh at Bellator 209 on November 15 in Tel Aviv. The event will stream on DAZN.
Anik signs 4-year contract extension
The UFC is moving from FOX to ESPN and ESPN+ in 2019, and play-by-play commentator Jon Anik says he will remain: “It’s a multi-year extension, and it’s very exciting for me to be able to be a part of this new era with ESPN ... as a lot of people know, that’s where I sort of cut my teeth in television and radio, and that’s where I really starting covering mixed martial arts back in 2007 and 2008, so it sort of feels like we’re coming full-circle a little bit. Now, 10 years later, the UFC and ESPN have the whole domestic package aligned, so it’s a good time ... this is where I wanted to be. This has become the foremost passion in my life, and I just couldn’t imagine my life without UFC being a big part of it. I’m thankful that it got done.” H/T MMAjunkie
Cormier: I might not be giving up the light heavyweight title
Jon Jones fights Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232 on 12/29 for the belt that will have been stripped from champ champ Daniel Cormier, as the bell rings. However, during a UFC 230 media scrum, DC, who defends the heavyweight belt vs. Derrick Lewis at UFC 230 on 11/3 at MSG, said not so fast: "If I lost to Derrick, then who’s to say I don’t go, hey, I’m going to go defend my light heavyweight title. Now you can’t take it. Maybe that adds a whole other part to the equation. You can’t take both of my belts if I lost that one. I am the light heavyweight champion until those guys fight. If the light heavyweight champion loses his heavyweight title, well, wait, I’m willing to defend my belt. Now we have some conversations to have." H/T MMA Weekly
There will be breaking: Imanari added to Friday's ONE 82
Leg lock monster Masakazu 'Ashikan Judan' Imanari vs. Singapore’s Radeem Rahman (3-1) has been added to Friday ONE 82, which streams live and free on the ONE Super App. Imanari has 25 subs in his 36 career wins, with two techniques named for him - the Imanari Roll and Imanari choke. Now 42, he is currently on a two fight losing streak.
Cyborg hopes to train 'Cash Me Outside' girl
Danielle 'Bhad Bhabie' Bregoli, found a head-scratching fame after appearing on Dr. Phil and yelling at the audience to “Cash me outside, how 'bout dat!” She beame the youngest female rap artist to debut on the Hot 100 after her single “These Heaux” reached 77 on the Billboard Hot 100. Cris Cyborg appeared on her latest video, and offered some thoughts to TMZ Sports: “The first day I met her she said, ‘I don’t like gloves, I like a street fight.’ ... Soon we’re gonna train together and I think mixed martial arts teaches kid discipline. I think you learn a lot. When I started training I learned a lot, you know, respect. I think you learn a lot of things and kids should learn mixed martial arts for discipline."
Albert Del Rio talks about return fighting, in Combate America's La Jaula
“The first day I went back to the MMA gym I said, ‘F*** no, I’m not sure if I really want to do this," he said to TMZ. "I went home slept it over and then the next day in the morning, I opened my eyes, got up from bed, and was like, ‘F*** yes.’ ... after three weeks of training and getting my cardio back, my stamina back, my endurance back, just two days ago the jiu-jitsu instructor, who is also a black belt in jiu-jitsu…. I tapped him out two days ago. I’m doing this for the right reasons, to prove something to myself, to prove me that I’m back, to prove me that I still have it, to prove to my children that dad is a f***ing superhero.” H/T WrestleZone
DC: UFC won't do me dirty and give Lesnar fight to Jones
Champ champ Daniel Cormier fights Derrick Lewis, then has one more fight vs. Brock Lesnar, and then plans to retire. DC was asked if he thinks the UFC might instead match Lesnar with Jon Jones, who fights Alexander Gustafsson for Cormier's vacated light heavyweight belt: “No. I’ve got to be honest with you: Over the course of my career, I haven’t been done like that. I haven’t had anything promised to me that hasn’t been delivered. The UFC’s been good to me. I don’t worry about that. I know I’m going to fight Lesnar. There’s nobody or anything that could change that. They’ve never done me like that, so there’s no reason to believe it would start now.” H/T MMAjunkie
Carmouche: Why I deserved the Shevchenko fight
Inaugural women's flyweight champ Nicco Montano saw her title stripped after she was hospitalized during a failed weight cut, and now former strawweight champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk fights bantamweight title contender Valentina Shevchenko. But former bantamweight title contender Liz Carmouce holds a KO win over 'Bullet' in 2010, and argues she deserved the shot: “I’m the only one who has ever finished her in MMA. Not in Muay Thai or kickboxing. I’m talking MMA. So, that would just, you think that would make sense for me to be the one to compete against her. ... I understand you always want drama leading up to the fight. You want whatever publicity you can get for it. It’s more appealing for fans, for media for everything. So I understand why everyone wants that.” H/T MMA Fighting
EFC's Sylvester Chipfumbu dreams of bringing MMA to Zimbabwe
5-1 Zimbabwean flyweight Sylvester 'Gladiator' Chipfumbu is shining brightly in South Africa's EFC, and harbors dreams of pioneering the sport in his home nation. “I want to introduce the sport to the people back home. Having been involved in martial arts in the country before, I believe there is so much potential and if we can introduce as many guys as we can to the sport, there’s no doubt we’ll have world champions in future. That said, the most important part for me is to work my way up to the biggest MMA organisation in the world, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and become a champ thereWell, for now I just want to focus on the next fight. The plan is to take it one step at a time. I want to build a legacy, repay the effort my teammates and coaches put in by winning my fights and flying my country’s flag high. I want to be the first Zimbabwean champion in the world of MMA, and fly the flag high." H/T Zimbabwe Standard
Khabib awarded ‘1st Russian UFC champ’ cup at Anzhi Arena in Dagestan
UGer reaches out to Dustin Poirer
Russian prospect Nikolay Aleksakhin eyes fruitful free agency, possible UFC Signing
22-5 Russian welterweight Nikolay Aleksakhin is on a four-fight win streak, the last three vs. UFC vets: “My Fight Nights Global contract expires in November, and I had a lot of talks with scouts. Absolute Championship Berkut, Russian Cagefighting Championship, M-1 Global, and ONE Championship have approached me. I’m still thinking. Depends on who will offer the best terms. I have beaten UFC fighters. And the contract with UFC? I will leave that with no comment.” H/T MMAjunkie
Nick Diaz calls out Canelo 'Gingerbread' Alvarez, no offense
Mousasi: I thought I lost my eye, plan to retire in three
Bellator middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi appeared recently on The MMA Hour and said that thinking he was blind after fighting former champ Alexander Shlemenko in 2017 led him to decided to retire after his three-fight contract runs out: “I was in a hospital. I couldn’t move and I didn’t know if I lose my eye or not. People didn’t see those parts. ... For a long time I was in the dark. Thank god it was no serious injury to the eye. ... I want to make money but I want to end up healthy. ... if you fight 100 times, eventually you’re going to see a punch that you’re not going to see or it’s going to land in the wrong place. ... [Shlemenko] got me in the first minute and s*** happens. If I have wins like [vs. MacDonald] and I’m just winning without any damage without any injury, of course I could go another three fights. But to be honest I’m looking to see how the next three fights will go and then to be honest, I’ll quit yeah.” H/T MMA Fighting
UFC on FOX 31 poster is cooler than usual
Alvarez about to take a deep dive into ONE's lightweight division
"[ONE Championship] put a pullout of possible opponents to fight, and that was kind of the first time I understood who the top contenders there are. I study my opponents. Some of them I’m sure I’m going to find out their pets’ names within the next month or so. I kind of do a deep dive into understanding who they are, what their strengths and weaknesses are. I’ll know who’s who and what’s what very soon. ... I’ll take each opponent one by one. Whether it’s Aoki or whoever the other guys are, the opponent right now is not really my concern. ... I probably haven’t taken an easy fight in – I can’t think of the last time I had an easy fight. I don’t imagine getting an easy fight." H/T MMAjunkie
DC: There will be no Hail Mary for The Black Beast
Champ champ Daniel Cormier on his fight vs. Derrick Lewis at UFC 230 on November 3, 2018 at Madison Square Garden: "I respect what he's had to accomplish to get to where he is today. But, again, I won’t let him off the hook. There’s no Hail Mary’s when you’re fighting someone like me. He’s going to have to set up that strike more than he’s ever had to set up that strike in his career. I’m not just going to hang my chin out there for him to hit.” H/T MMA Fighting
