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Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC Nikolas Motta had a good reason for pulling out of UFC 287. Motta, a 30-year-old veteran of the UFC’s Contender Series, was slated to face Ignacio Bahamondes on April 8 in a lightweight bout on UFC 287’s undercard. However, Motta revealed over the weekend that he has been forced to withdraw from the matchup after suffering a deep gash due to an accidental headbutt he sustained in practice. Motta’s full statement can be read below. The second slide features a up-close-and-personal picture of the cut that forced Motta out of UFC 287. (Warning: Potentially NSFW.) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nikolas Motta (@nikolasmotta) Don’t swipe left if you have a weak stomach. I had this accident couple days by a headbutt in wrestling practice and my coaches and people that i trust made the decision to ask to to pull back my fight 3 weeks to have enough time to heal this or it would easily open in the fight and they would stop the fight by doctor stoppage. I had a lot stitches all my career but never had one deep like that, this white part on my cut in the second picture is my tendon, it got very swollen and inflamed. So even if felt unbelievable that something like that happened right before my fight, after thinking a lot i could see that was the right choice from my coach that i trust. I been focused and always in shape since after my fight in September last year and didn’t go home for the first time to see my family in the end of the year to stay ready to fight in December or beginning of the year and i been focused since then. So i just need couple weeks to heal that 100% trust the process and finally be back. Motta (13-4) holds a 1-1 record over two UFC appearances. After winning a decision over Joseph Lowry on Contender Series, he lost his octagon debut via second-round TKO to Jim Miller before bouncing back with a first-round TKO of Cameron VanCamp. At the time of this writing, it is unclear whether a replacement opponent will be found to keep Bahamondes on the card. UFC 287 takes place at the Miami-Dade Arena in Miami, Fla.

Paddy The Baddy, YouTube Paddy Pimblett is tired of hearing about Jared Gordon. The UFC lightweight released a video Sunday calling out Gordon from a hospital bed following ankle surgery to fix an injury Pimblett says he suffered in the opening round of his UFC 282 bout against Gordon, which he won via controversial unanimous decision. “When I told [doctors] it happened in the first round of a fight, within the first minute, and they said, ‘Oh, did you fight finish there,’ and I was like, ‘No, I’d done another two and a half rounds,’ they went, ‘What?’” Pimblett said on the video, which was uploaded to his YouTube channel. “They said, ‘You should’ve just sat on your stool and not have carried on fighting.’ “I said, ‘Are you mad? You think I’m some p****?’ People are like, ‘Oh, Jared Gordon did so well.’ He only done well because me ankle was f*****. You stupid t***. And he’s just being a bitter little girl, going on every interview site, ‘Oh, I won that fight, I won that fight.’ Well lad, Joe Solecki beat you [in 2021] but you got a split decision, so shut your mouth.” Pimblett was then asked by his cameraman whether he wanted to rematch Gordon. “Yeah, I want to punch his head in toward the end of the year,” Pimblett responded. “I am going to run it back. I hope he beats Bobby Green, because I’ll snap his arm for him in a round. Had a boxing match with him and I still won, because you’re s***. “I hope he watched this. You’re f****** dog s***. At my worst, you couldn’t beat me at your best. Injured, everything going wrong, and you couldn’t beat me on my worst day, and I beat you on your best, because you’re a little bum.” Pimblett, 28, is unbeaten through four fights in his UFC career. His battle with Gordon was the first bout of his octagon run to go to the judges and remains mired in controversy. Twenty-three of the 24 media scores posted to MMADecisions.com scored the fight for Gordon, as did 90.8 percent of the fan scoring on the database website. Pimblett said on his Sunday video that he expects his ankle to heal within six to 10 weeks. Gordon is currently scheduled to face Bobby Green on April 22 at UFC Vegas 72.

Esther Lin, MMA Fighting Donald Cerrone is the latest inductee into the UFC Hall of Fame. During the broadcast of UFC San Antonio, fans were treated to a video package of Cerrrone’s career highlights before his family joined him ringside to surprise him with the announcement. “Cowboy” had previously announced his retirement following his submission loss to Jim Miller last July. To date, Cerrone is tied for second-most wins, (23), second-most finishes, (16), most post-fight bonus awards (18), third most bouts (38), and most knockdowns (20) in UFC history. Cerrone also joins Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo, and Jens Pulver in the 2023 Hall of Fame class. See how some of his fellow fighters reacted to the announcement below. Riding right into the Hall of Fame! @CowboyCerrone is officially joining the #UFCHoF induction class of 2023! [ B2YB @ToyoTires ] pic.twitter.com/pCcsqbOxmF— UFC (@ufc) March 25, 2023 Congratulations Cowboy!!— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) March 25, 2023 Well deserved to the legend of Cowboy Cerrone https://t.co/nG5fa2yewB— #OnAmission4Gold (@KelvinGastelum) March 25, 2023 Donald was the man never missed his fights https://t.co/4wvZyZap6E— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) March 25, 2023 Congratulations @Cowboycerrone on the HOF nod! Legend #UFCSanAntonio— Alan Jouban (@AlanJouban) March 25, 2023 It was such an honor to share the cage with you. Congrats on the hall of fame. Well deserved sir! #ufc pic.twitter.com/ZTre21MnrF— Niko Price (@Nikohybridprice) March 25, 2023 A true legend! Congrats @Cowboycerrone #UFCHallOfFame pic.twitter.com/9Ovqmu2D6S— Anthony Pettis (@Showtimepettis) March 25, 2023 Congrats Cowboy #UFCSanAntonio #HOF pic.twitter.com/nEdwyYTwAP— Proper. Mike Malott (@Michael_Malott) March 25, 2023 — Rafael dos Anjos (@RdosAnjosMMA) March 25, 2023 How awesome was this moment pic.twitter.com/wzprWtlNJ7— bjpenndotcom (@bjpenndotcom) March 25, 2023 Congratulations Cowboy #donaldcerrone #hof— Boston Salmon (@bostonboomboom) March 25, 2023 One of the best to ever do it. Never missed an opportunity to watch a cowboy fight https://t.co/Cx4KmHc5SS— Damien Brown (@beatdown155) March 25, 2023 Congrats @donaldcerrone #HallOfFame— Jamie Mullarkey (@jamie_mullarkey) March 25, 2023

Marlon “Chito” Vera | Photo by Louis Grasse/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Marlon Vera is moving on from a disappointing UFC San Antonio performance. “Chito” lost a split decision to Cory Sandhagen in Saturday’s main event, dropping two scorecards to his fellow bantamweight contender to suffer his first setback in five fights. Later that evening, Vera took to Twitter to issue a statement, making no excuses for the result. View this post on Instagram A post shared by MMAFighting.com (@mmafighting) “Fell short today got zero excuses just remember something I won’t stop,” Vera wrote. “This sucks but f**** it’s life.” Vera also wrote a message in Spanish to thank supporters from his home country of Ecuador. Gracias a todos los ecuatorianos presente hoy ! Intente y me quede corto pero nunca me quedaré donde estoy. Se vive y se sigue ❤️ — C H T O V E R A (@chitoveraUFC) March 26, 2023 With the loss, Vera takes a step back in the deep bantamweight contenders line, but likely won’t be lamenting the outing for long. He told the media prior to the bout that he wasn’t assuming he’d earn a title shot with a win over Sandhagen anyway with former two-division champion Henry Cejudo challenging Aljamain Sterling for the UFC title next and the top of the division being in constant flux. “The way that the rankings are done, it’s really hard to predict things,” Vera said this past Wednesday. “You’ve got [Sean] O’Malley No. 1 after he beat [Petr] Yan, you’ve got Merab [Dvalishvili] No. 1 after he beat Yan. Yan wasn’t No. 1 in his last fight and you beat the guy and you go to No. 1, so it really doesn’t f****** matter. You can be No. 10 and fight for the title. It’s whatever the f*** the UFC wants to do at this point, and so I’m OK with that because I’m putting in work, I’m winning the way they want me to win, and the fans are cheering for me. There’s a reason this is in front of an arena. There’s a reason I’m fighting three main events in a row. “I just keep making money and eventually the belt will come to me, because the harder you chase things, they might get away from you. I’m just going with the flow. I know I’m working hard, so I’m not worried about anything.”

Caleb Plant and David Benavidez | Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images Watch David Benavidez vs. Caleb Plant full fight video highlights from the Benavidez vs. Plant main event, courtesy of Showtime Boxing and other outlets. Benavidez vs. Plant took place March 25 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. David Benavidez (27-0) and Caleb Plant (22-2) faced off in the night’s main event with the WBC interim super middleweight title on the line. The fight aired live on Showtime pay-per-view. Catch the video highlights below. David Benavidez is making his way to the ring for the MAIN EVENT RIGHT NOW!Order on FITE #BenavidezPlant is available in select Intl markets on FITE* pic.twitter.com/47qQK2XAZW— FITE (@FiteTV) March 26, 2023 Caleb Plant has his sights set on a rematch with Canelo.#BenavidezPlant is available in select International markets on FITE* pic.twitter.com/pqsiHHyaKT— FITE (@FiteTV) March 26, 2023 There was no way these two would touch gloves.#BenavidezPlant is available in select International markets on FITE* pic.twitter.com/hicmbzI0qS— FITE (@FiteTV) March 26, 2023 #BenavidezPlant is cookin Order https://t.co/BYO7umzWX0 pic.twitter.com/4PzuZ1FKMx— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) March 26, 2023 Jab work for @Benavidez300 #BenavidezPlant pic.twitter.com/aE6MYzCucK— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) March 26, 2023 #BenavidezPlant meeting in the middle of ring Order: https://t.co/BYO7umzWX0 pic.twitter.com/TY33xDLUCn— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) March 26, 2023 WHAT A FIGHT Give it up to @Benavidez300 & @SweetHandsPlant #BenavidezPlant pic.twitter.com/sdAx0gthcE— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) March 26, 2023 WHAT A FIGHT #BenavidezPlant pic.twitter.com/qMmWAw8Kyi— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) March 26, 2023 David Benavidez is the bad man in Sin City @Benavidez300 earns the massive UD win to stay unbeaten. #BenavidezPlant pic.twitter.com/fD5nH9twTC— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) March 26, 2023 Forging respect in the most violent way possible @Benavidez300 @SweetHandsPlant #BenavidezPlant pic.twitter.com/jWfKwHw2CC— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) March 26, 2023 Always a warrior @SweetHandsPlant | #BenavidezPlant pic.twitter.com/qGui6CfXTV— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) March 26, 2023 For more on Benavidez vs. Plant, check out the live blog by MMA Fighting’s Alexander K. Lee. Round 1: Plant comes forward first, Benavidez calmly backing up to the ropes as he defends. Benavidez with a glancing right to the body. Plant jabs the body. Another right to the body for Benavidez. Benavidez with a short right inside as they tie up. Quick left connects for Plant. Benavidez lands a left hook. Plant snaps a jab at Benavidez. Close round. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Plant. Round 2: Plant with a quick flurry to open the second round. He dodges out of the way of a couple of Plant body shots. Benavidez wins an exchange with a good left. Plant goes back to his jab. Benavidez lands a left hook. Plant circling out, firing fast punches to the body. The left hook scores again for Benavidez. Plant goes to the body and scores. He clinches up to avoid getting cornered. Plant with another combination that ends with a body shot. He jabs at Benavidez as Benavidez stalks him. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Plant. Overall, 20-18 Plant. Round 3: Plant aggressive opening the round with a left hand that lands. Benavidez trying to cut him off, he scores with a counter left. Plant utilizing good head movement as Benavidez stars to open up. Left hook up high by Plant. There’s an in-close exchange and Plant quickly ties Benavidez up. Plant with another combination, but Benavidez might be figuring out the timing. Benavidez fires to the body, then follows with a jab. Plant doubles up on a jab as Benavidez retreats. Overhand right by Benavidez. Plant smiles. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Benavidez. Overall, 29-28 Plant. Round 4: Benavidez with a couple of punches to the body. Palnt fires back with a body shot combination of his own. Plant advancing as he continues to work the body. Benavidez searching for a spot to land his power, but Plant staying evasive. Jab by Benavidez, then a swing and a miss. Benavidez pokes at the body. He follows with a hard left, but Plant counters to the body and backs out of there. Left hook from Benavidez connects and Plant has to grab him to slow the action again. Referee Kenny Bayless warns Benavidez about using his elbows. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Plant. Overall, 39-37 Plant. Round 5: Benavidez immediately goes to the body. Plant showing that hand speed, attacking the body as Benavidez is against the ropes. Plant avoids a left hook. Benavidez beckons Plant to meet him in the center of the ring, Plant isn’t biting. Pawing jab by Plant. They clinch, but the referee lets them work their way out of it. Benavidez corners Plant and lands a left hook before Plant circles out. Another good right from Benavidez. Both guys horsing around now, looking to take their opponent off of their game. Plant closes the round with a left hook. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Plant. Overall, 49-46 Plant. Round 6: Plant circling to start. He’s jabbing at Benavidez but then he eats a straight shot that was clearly felt. Plant finds his rhythm again and is just chipping away at Benavidez, who continues to march forward and look to land with power. Left hook by Benavidez. Another short left hook from Benavidez connects. There’s the right hook now for Benavidez. Plant avoiding the worst of the damage, but that’s a good round for Benavidez. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Benavidez. Overall, 58-56 Plant. Round 7: Straight right scores for Benavidez. Plant with a right of his own, Benavidez walks through it and lands that heavy left. Benavidez goes to the body looking to set up a bomb. Nice counter right by Plant. Benavidez pops him with a jab. Benavidez putting on the pressure with a left hook and follow-up punches as Plant runs out of space. Plant goes to the body and backs Benavidez up with a straight left. Left hook by Benavidez. Plant making Benavidez miss. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Plant. Overall, 68-65 Plant. Round 8: Plant sticking and moving. Benavidez tags him with a left. Plant tries to tie Benavidez up, but he eats a right hand and looks a little shaky. Benavidez comes forward and hits a hard shot to the body. Plant circling, but he eats another right as he tries to fire back. Two more rights connect and Plant has to clinch to survive. Benavidez continuing to throw as Plant goes for a tie-up. Bayless pauses the action for a Plant cut to be checked out. Benavidez with a power left to the body, then the head. He’s pulling away in this fight. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Benavidez. Overall, 77-75 Plant. Round 9: Plant hits Benavidez below the belt seconds into the ninth round. Quick pause in the action and they’re back in the center of the ring. Plant working to reestablish his body work. Benavidez punishes him with a counter left. Plant’s hands are going, Benavidez staying patient and keeping his guard up. Benavidez connects with a hard left. Plant fires a combination and Benavidez tells him to bring it on. Plan tot the body, Benavidez with a short left hand. Plant jabs Benavidez. Benavidez just misses with an uppercut. Right hand by Benavidez and then a couple of short lefts inside. They end the round firing and Benavidez catches Plant with a left. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Benavidez. Overall, 86-85 Plant. Round 10: Benavidez lands a straight right. He’s consistently hitting that punch from range. He does it again off of a break. Plant busy with punches inside. Benavidez letting his left hand fly and Plant has to tie him up once more. Right to the body by Plant. Plant goes to the body, but the bigger boxer wades through it and finds a home for his uppercut. Another right for Benavidez. Plant is pushing Benavidez to the ropes, but he’s eating a lot of punches. Plant eating that right hand now, but he’s still firing back. Benavidez just keeps firing as Plant tries to clinch. Left to the body for Benavidez. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Benavidez. Overall, 95-95. Round 11: Benavidez seeing Plant’s punches well now. Plant firing his right hand out there, but he takes a Benavidez left hook. Another left hand lands clean for Benavidez. Right hand connects for Benavidez, then a left hook that has Plant hurt. Plant recovers, but is mostly clinching in this round when Benavidez attacks. Benavidez smacking Plant with his jab. A trio of quick uppercuts score for Benavidez. Left hook by Benavidez. Benavidez looking for the exclamation point shot. He’s loading up on shots as Plant tries to pin his arms. Target practice for Benavidez in this round. Right hand ont he money for Benavidez and somehow Plant makes it to the final round. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Benavidez. Overall, 105-104 Benavidez. Round 12: Benavidez working his way past Plant’s jab. Plant staying busy, to his credit. Left hook on point for Benavidez. Benavidez with a couple of quick punches inside. He’s walking forward, he wants the knockout. Benavidez not letting Plant get inside on him. Plant having success with the body work, which wakes Benavidez up. A couple of power punches connect for Benavidez. Two more uppercuts for Benavidez, then a right hook. Plant going down swinging. Benavidez with the counter left, but Plant sneaks in a couple of good shots of his own before this one is over. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Benavidez. Overall, 115-113 Benavidez. Official result: David Benavidez def. Caleb Plant via unanimous decision (115-113, 116-112, 117-111)