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UFC Oklahoma City newcomer Levi Rodrigues Jr. confident he’ll become a 3-division champion

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9 hours ago

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UFC Oklahoma City newcomer Levi Rodrigues Jr. confident he’ll become a 3-division champion

Levi Rodrigues Jr. makes his octagon debut against fellow Brazilian light heavyweight Felipe Franco at UFC Oklahoma City, and believes that it will be the start of a historic career.

“Baby Monster†is undefeated as a professional MMA fighter with five finishes and one no-contest going into his three-round clash with Franco at the Paycom Center, having fought at both light heavyweight and heavyweight previously in his MMA career — plus middleweight bouts in muay Thai and kickboxing. After Alex Pereira came up short in his attempt to win a third belt this past June, losing to Ciryl Gane, Rodrigues Jr. says he will get to do that one day.

“‘Poatan' was the only one to try it, but still hasn't managed to win a third title,†Rodrigues Jr. told MMA Fighting. “Ever since I was 12 years old, my dream was to make it to the UFC. Today I have the opportunity to be in the UFC. In my very first interview, I said, in the name of the Lord Jesus, that if God gave me the opportunity, I will win the 205, 185, and heavyweight titles.â€

Rodrigues Jr. joins the UFC after a first-round knockout over Freddy Vidal on Dana White's Contender Series, a fight that was later overturned to no-contest after he failed a drug test for a metabolite of nandrolone. “Baby Monster†said he was given injections after almost being left paralyzed with an injury suffered in a jiu-jitsu match and spending six months in bed. The banned substance, which he claims he was unaware of, remained in his system for his DWCS bout.

After serving the suspension, and still given a contract with the UFC, Rodrigues Jr. fulfills a life-long dream of entering the UFC octagon for the first time.

“It's been my dream since I was a little kid,†Rodrigues Jr. said. “You can be sure that every one of my fights is going to be a war. No matter who the opponent is, who gets knocked out or who gets submitted, I'll be there to put on a great show and entertain the fans. The people who are coming to watch deserve a show, they don't deserve an ugly fight. I want to entertain and give the fans a great show.â€

Franco, his UFC Oklahoma City opponent, makes his return to the 205-pound division after losing a short-notice decision against heavyweight prospect Mario Pinto in his promotional debut this past March. The 25-year-old is a teammate of Jailton Almeida, and that's the type of fight Rodrigues Jr. expects to deal with Saturday.

“I don't think he's going to want to stand and trade with me,†Rodrigues Jr. said. “I think he'll try to take me down. I think he'll do that ‘Malhadinho' style and try to put me on the ground, but we're ready for everything. … I never underestimate my opponents. I'm not the kind of guy who talks trash about other fighters. I believe everyone who's in the UFC has talent and is trying to build a career and improve their family's life. I think he's a very capable fighter, and may the better man win.â€

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MMA

Ex-Amanda Nunes UFC title foe Irene Aldana no longer on roster

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7 hours ago

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July 17, 2026

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Ex-Amanda Nunes UFC title foe Irene Aldana no longer on roster

A combatant who battled Amanda Nunes for UFC gold is no longer a UFC contracted athlete. As reported by MMA Fighting, Irene Aldana is the fighter in question who will not be continuing her journey with the Ultimate Fighting Championship as of this juncture.

The Mexican standout has not competed since a Fall 2024 setback to Norma Dumont, but Aldana still remained in the top ten rankings for contenders at 135 pounds before her departure from the promotion. The 38-year-old debuted in the UFC on the heels of notching multiple first-round finishes via strikes inside the Invicta FC cage.

Aldana began her UFC run in a bit of an inauspicious fashion with back-to-back losses to Leslie Smith and Katlyn Cerminara before then embarking on a three-fight winning streak. That stretch saw victories secured over Talita Bernardo, Lucie Pudilova, and Bethe Correia before Aldana lost a split decision to eventual UFC champion Raquel Pennington.

Irene Aldana's UFC run continued

Aldanda bounced back with wins over Vanessa Melo and Ketlen Vieria before taking a loss to former UFC bantamweight titleholder Holly Holm. The defeat saw Irene Aldana recalibrate and put together consecutive wins over Yana Santos as well as Macy Chiasson. This led to the aforementioned title shot, which saw Aldana fall short to women's MMA icon Amanda Nunes by way of a unanimous decision at UFC 289.

A win over Karol Rosa eventually gave way to the aforementioned Dumont defeat on the UFC's first-ever Noche event. Overall, Aldana had fourteen bouts in the promotion.

Of note, that June 2023 title defense still marks the last time that Amanda Nunes has stepped into the cage to compete. There were discussions around a superfight with Nunes vs. Kayla Harrison in January before the former two-time Olympic gold medalist had to pull out of the high-stakes bout with Nunes. The Brazilian legend is targeting a return, possibly for later this year, as Nunes aims to battle Harrison for the latter's UFC bantamweight belt.

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Sean Strickland gives "a lot of motivation" to reinspired Johnny Eblen before PFL Austin title bout

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7 hours ago

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July 17, 2026

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Sean Strickland gives "a lot of motivation" to reinspired Johnny Eblen before PFL Austin title bout

Sean Strickland helms the UFC's middleweight division and steadily gets in work with someone vying for gold in another promotion this weekend. The combatant in question is Johnny Eblen, who runs it back with Impa Kasanganay for a rematch with the interim middleweight belt on the line at PFL Austin on July 18th. The winner will battle lineal PFL middleweight champion Costello Van Steenis at a later juncture when the 185-pound titleholder gets off the shelf from his injury.

Speaking to the motivational component, getting to work with the UFC champion and potential future UFC Hall of Famer in Sean Strickland, who really touts Johnny Eblen's skills in quite a high regard, Eblen said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],

“Yeah, absolutely. A lot of motivation. Especially when you lose to a guy that you know you can beat [Costello Van Steenis]. It definitely gave me motivation to stay with the PFL and right that wrong. Cuz around that time, I was kind of like running through everybody, beating everybody, and I wanted to find new competition outside of the PFL cuz I fought everybody in the PFL.â€

“But having that loss, and then having Bryan Battle come over, and now I get to run it back with Impa [Kasanganay]. Some people thought I might have lost that fight with Impa because it was a split decision and now I have a road back to redemption with Costello [Van Steenis]. It truly spiced up the division and it truly motivated me, I think.â€

Sean Strickland foresees a UFC title fight with Johnny Eblen someday

Sean Strickland and Johnny Eblen have often got in work inside the gym together, whether in Florida or Nevada, with the former envisioning a fight with the latter transpiring someday. Touching upon that during a recent training excursion taken at American Top Team, Strickland stated [via Bloody Elbow],

“First session done with Johnny [Eblen], this guy is a savage… This guy is going to win the [PFL] belt. Then he's going to come to the UFC, he's going to win a fight and then we're going to fight for the belt. And I don't know who's going to f***ing win but I know we're going to fight.â€

To that, Eblen responded,

“It's going to be fun.â€

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MMA

UFC Oklahoma City ‘Du Plessis vs. Usman’ play-by-play, results & round scoring

Published

8 hours ago

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July 17, 2026

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UFC Oklahoma City ‘Du Plessis vs. Usman’ play-by-play, results & round scoring

Sherdog’s live
UFC Oklahoma City coverage will begin Saturday at 5 p.m. ET/2
p.m. PT. The event is also known as
UFC Fight Night 281.

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 3

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Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

The Official Result

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Round 2

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Round 3

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The Official Result

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Round 2

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Round 3

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The Official Result

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Round 2

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Round 3

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The Official Result

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Round 2

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Round 3

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The Official Result

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The Official Result

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Round 3

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The Official Result

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Round 2

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Round 3

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The Official Result

Round 1

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Round 2

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Round 3

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The Official Result

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Round 2

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Round 3

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The Official Result

Round 1

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Round 2

Sherdog Scores

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Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 3

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Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Ben Duffy scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:

Round 3

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Round 4

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Round 5

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Tyler Treese scores the round:

The Official Result

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