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UFC 2020 and Beyond - Continuing the Legacy


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With an ever-growing market of new and exiting talents, UFC is making some changes behind the scenes. Long time employee and now former Senior Vice President of Talent Relations Sean Shelby is retiring from the world of Mixed Martial Arts.

 

ESPN Reporter Ariel Helwani broke the news earlier today on Twitter stating that Shelby had planned to retire for a while and that he informed UFC President Dana White two weeks ago. With a new decade looming, Shelby saw this as perfect timing to step down and hand over the responsibility to someone new, according to Helwani.

 

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According to sources to MMAJunkie, Shelby’s predecessor is already working with the company and has done so for the last 3 years. Former Legacy Fighting Championship (LFC) owner and current Vice President of Talent Relations Mick Maynard is the person tasked with replacing Sean Shelby as Senior VP. A role which includes organizing fights as well as both develop athletes on the roster and scout for new exciting potential UFC talents.

 

Maynard has got a lot of praise for his work with young and upcoming fighters especially from the popular show Dana White Tuesday Night Contender Series. Being interviewed in November last year, UFC President Dana White commented on Maynard’s work as being ”impressive and invaluable for the company”.

 

UFC is expected to announce the staff changes officially soon. Stay tuned for more on MMAJunkie.com.

 

By: Mike Bohn | January 3, 2020 | 3:30 pm

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<p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><img src=https://i.imgur.com/eYAV0hw.jpg></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>WEEK 1 - JANUARY 2020</strong></span></p><p><strong>

</strong><strong><span style="font-size:14px;">UFC Press Conference</span></strong></p><p> </p><p>

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<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Dana White: "Poirier vs Gaethje rematch set for UFC 249"</strong></span></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>

During today's UFC press conference to introduce fans and media members to the new year, president Dana White announced several things surrounding the company moving forward. The biggest news is regarding the stacked Lightweight title contention in what most fans regards as the companies elite weight class. With the long awaited title fight between undefeated 28-0 champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and title challenger Tony Ferguson, with 12 straight victories to his name, main eventing at the Barclay Center, the card lacked a proper co-main event, at least until now. Number 2 ranked Dustin Poirier (25-6-1) and Number 3 ranked Justin Gaethje (21-2) will face each other in a rematch. The first bout between the two ended in a TKO-victory for Poirier early in the 4th round.</p><p> </p><p>

"It's official. Poirier vs Gaethje will co-main event [uFC] 249 behind Khabib and Tony", Dana White said during the press conference. When asked about what's at stakes between Poirier vs Gaethje, White simply answered "The winner will get the next shot for the title, 100%".</p><p> </p><p>

White also confirmed the latest rumors regarding Sean Shelby's retirement and the staff changes UFC is making.</p><p> </p><p>

"Sean [shelby] has retired and left the company. It's really sad news for the company and especially for me personally because I've worked with him for almost 20 years now. But I understand his decision and wish him all the best", White said. "Mick Maynard has been promoted to fill the role as Senior Vice President of Talent Relations. He has done a phenomenal job during his time her and I have no doubt in my mind that Mick is ready for this opportunity. I've talked with him regarding the upcoming events and I can honestly say that you guys are in for a treat."</p><p> </p><p>

White also spoke about the scheduling for 2020 and how UFC will operate moving forward.</p><p> </p><p>

"We will continue putting on great shows every month. I've seen headlines about other companies putting up 50-60 shows a year, but I think that's overkill. We always value quality over quantity. I can't say exactly how many events we'll do this year but expect around 35-40", White said. "And I can promise you that we'll put on shows on new and exciting places all over the world."</p><p> </p><p>

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<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Leon Edwards vs Tyron Woodley official for UFC Fight Night 171</strong></span></p><p> </p><p>

UFC Fight Night 171 in London has finally its main event. After a lengthy time of rumors and speculations, UFC announced on Twitter today that Leon ”Rocky” Edwards (18-3) will face former UFC Welterweight champion Tyron ”The Chosen One” Woodley (24-4-1) in a bout many see as the true number #1 contender match.</p><p> </p><p>

Leon Edwards, who hails from Birmingham, England is on an impressive 8-fight win streak with wins over notable fighters like former UFC Lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos and Donald Cerrone. His last defeat came back in 2015 when he lost to current UFC Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in a hard fought decision.</p><p> </p><p>

This will be Tyron Woodleys first fight since losing the prestigious Welterweight title to the aforementioned Usman in March of last year. Woodley defended the title three times before losing it to the ”Nigerian Nightmare”. With impressive victories over notable names like Robbie Lawler, Darren Till and Stephen ”Wonderboy” Thompson, Woodley is looking to bounce back and reclaim the title once again.</p><p> </p><p>

UFC also announced that middleweight contenders Jack Hermansson (20-5) and Derek Brunson (20-7) will co-main event.</p><p> </p><p>

The main card of UFC Fight Night 171 in 02 Arena, London England looks currently like this:</p><p> </p><p>

Welterweigh Bout: (#4) Leon Edwards vs (#1) Tyron Woodley</p><p> </p><p>

Middleweight Bout: (#7) Jack Hermansson vs (#8) Derek Brunson</p><p> </p><p>

Women's Flyweight Bout: (#6) JoJo Calderwood vs (#11) Alexis Davis</p><p> </p><p>

Lightweight Bout: Marc Diakiese vs Steven Ray</p><p> </p><p>

Welterweight Bout: Danny Roberts vs Nicolas Dalby</p></div><p></p><p></p>

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What database you are use?

Personally I always like modern dynasties, so im awaiting long ufc reign :) and cant wait to see newcomers

 

I'm using mariochives latest version Modern Warriors, with myself editing a few bits and pieces such as latest events+results, added some fighters and other things you'll see in the future. I'm eager to make this as good as possible and to see what the MMA world has to offer in the near future. Thanks for the comment, it's always appreciated! :-)

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WEEK 2 - JANUARY 2020

UFC News

 

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Jon Jones injured - title fight against Dominick Reyes postponed

 

 

In some breaking news UFC announced on their website today that the Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones has withdrawn from his upcoming title fight against Dominick Reyes at UFC 248. According to Jones' team, he suffered a severe thigh injury during practice and will be out for the next couple of months.

 

ESPN spoke with Dominick Reyes about the news. "It's of course very frustrating but it's nothing we can do about it. Injuries are a part of the sport, like it or not. I wish Jon a speedy recovery and I hope I get my chance for the title when he's ready and healthy".

 

UFC president Dana White confirmed on the same show that the organization is not going to replace Jones with another fighter and keep Reyes on the card.

 

"The Light Heavyweight Title fight is postponed until we know for sure when Jon is back", White said. He also confirmed that the UFC is looking for a replacement main event of worthy caliber. "We're working hard on a new main event for the card. It's a big card so we must have a big fight. We'll announce it soon, I promise you that".

 

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Trio signs with the UFC - including former KSW Champ-Champ

 

It's been a busy day for UFC regarding big news. Three new faces are heading to the biggest MMA organization in the world.

 

Former undefeated KSW Lightweight & Featherweight champion Mateusz "Gamer" Gamrot (15-0-1 NC) has signed a lucrative 5 year contract with the UFC. Gamrot won the KSW Lightweight title against Grzegorz Szulakowski at KSW 42 early 2018 and later that year he topped Kleber Koike Erbst at KSW KSW 46 to cement his place as the polish organizations double champion. With a clear intent on wanting to go to the UFC, Gamrot vacated both is titles and opted not to renew is ending contract at KSW before signing a 5-year deal with UFC. It's not clear whether or not Gamrot will compete at Lightweight or Featherweight at his new home but reports indicate a Lightweight run for the 29-year old Polish fighter.

 

Anatoly Tokov (29-3), a staple in Bellator's Middleweight division for the last years, has also signed a 5-year deal with the UFC. Riding a win streak of 5 in a row, Tokov is looking to cement his place as a top contender in the razor sharp Middleweight division in the UFC. The 29-year old Russian fighter has openly said he wants to dethrone current Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, but Tokov has to go through some very tough obstacles to get his chance to fulfill his wishes.

 

The third and last signing UFC announced is a return of 28-year old Welterweight Albert "Einstein" Tumenov (20-5). The Russian-born fighter is back in the company after a 4 year absences in which he both won and defended the ACA(formerly ACB) Welterweight Championship and he's looking to prove to everyone that he is where he belong. Tumenov has fought 8 times in the UFC with 5 wins and 3 losses against Leon Edwards, Gunnar Nelson and Ildemar Alcantara.

 

Rumor has it that UFC is planning on another event in Russia later this year. It would be no surprise if either Tokov or Tumenov will fight on that card.

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WEEK 3 - JANUARY 2020

UFC 246: Conor vs Cowboy - Preview

 

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Dan Hardy: "Conor is the favorite, but never count 'Cowboy' out"

 

Tomorrow night we will finally get to see one of the most anticipated fights in recent history when former champ-champ "Notorious" Conor McGregor (21-4) squares off against the winningest UFC-fighter in history Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone (36-13-1 NC). Following a tough recent spell with losses against Floyd Mayweather in boxing and recently against Khabib Nurmagomedov in the Lightweight Title bout, many consider this fight against "Cowboy" as "do-or-die" for the 31-year old McGregor.

 

"I'm here to prove the doubters wrong. I'm the biggest draw in both MMA and Boxing and I'm the best fighter in the world. "Mystic Mac" predicts this one to end with a clean KO in the first round, just like I put away Aldo", said McGregor during the press conference leading up to the fight.

 

"Cowboy" however has a more laid back approach to the fight. "It's going to be fun as hell being in the octagon against Conor. Our paths have crossed multiple times during the years and I'm thrilled it'll finally happen. But it's not a "win or you're finished"-kind of deal for me. Don't get me wrong, I will do anything to beat Conor and have the best fight in my life but my career and legacy doesn't depend on this fight only", said "Cowboy" during the same press conference.

 

 

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During the ever so popular UFC preview show "Inside the Octagon" the prolific fight analyzer Dan Hardy named Conor as the favorite, but he warned the fans about counting the veteran "Cowboy" out.

 

"For me, it's clear that Conor is the favorite heading in to the fight. He has a phenomenal left hand and possess a lot more skills and abilities than he gets the credit for. He has a good takedown defence and great footwork combined with an elite level fighting IQ. But make no mistake about it, "Cowboy" will show up and be ready for a dog fight. He has the advantage with the stamina and the ground game and can finish opponents in many different ways. I know Conor is a huge fan favorite and many expect him to walk through "Cowboy" with ease but never count out Donald.

 

Earlier today, the ceremonial weigh-ins took place and every fighter on the card made weight. The only change in the card is the Drew Dober versus Nasrat Haqparast-fight where Dober pulled out earlier in the week citing injury. No replacement was found and the bout is now scrapped. The fight card looks like this:

 

 

UFC 246: Conor vs Cowboy

Date: January 18, 2020

Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Nevada

 

Main Event

Welterweight Bout: (#4 LW) Conor McGregor vs (#5 LW)Donald Cerrone

 

Co-Main Event

Women's Bantamweight Bout: (#4) Holly Holm vs (#6) Raquel Pennington

 

Main Card

Heavyweight Bout: (#12) Aleksei Oleynik vs Maurice Greene

 

Women's Strawweight Bout: (#6) Claudia Gadelha vs (#10) Alexa Grasso

 

Lightweight Bout: (#10) Anthony Pettis vs (#15) Carlos Diego Ferreira

 

ESPN Preliminary Card

 

Women's Flyweight Bout: (#7) Roxanne Modafferi vs (#8) Maycee Barber

 

Featherweight Bout: Andre Fili vs Sodiq Yusuff

 

Featherweight Bout: Chas Skelly vs Grant Dawson

 

ESPN+ Early Preliminary Card

 

Light Heavyweight Bout: Saparek Safarov vs Justin Ledet

 

Flyweight Bout: (#7) Tim Elliott vs (#12) Askar Askarov

 

Bantamweight Bout: Brian Kelleher vs Ode Osbourne

 

Women's Flyweight Bout: Sabina Mazo vs J.J. Aldrich

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WEEK 3 - JANUARY 2020

 

UFC 246: Conor vs Cowboy

Attendance: 14,769

Gate: $3,834,032

Critical Rating: 74%

Commercial Rating: 98%

 

Main Event

Conor McGregor def. Donald Cerrone by KO (Punch) in 0:21 of Round 1

 

 

Co-Main Event

Holly Holm def. Raquel Pennington by TKO (Strikes) in 4:19 of Round 1

 

 

Main Card

Aleksei Oleynik def. Maurice Greene by Unanimous Decision

 

Claudia Gadelha def. Alexa Grasso by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:25 of Round 1

 

Anthony Pettis def. Carlos Diego Ferreira by Submission (Guillotine) in 4:38 of Round 1

 

 

ESPN Preliminary Card

 

Maycee Barber def. Roxanne Modafferi by Submission (Armbar) in 4:59 of Round 1

 

Sodiq Yusuff def. Andre Fili by Unanimous Decision

 

Grant Dawson def. Chas Skelly by Submission (Guillotine) in 4:36 of Round 3

 

 

ESPN+ Early Preliminary Card

 

Justin Ledet def. Saparbek Safarov by Unanimous Decision

Askar Askarov def. Tim Elliott by Unanimous Decision

 

Brian Kelleher def. Ode Osbourne by Unanimous Decision

 

J.J. Aldrich def. Sabina Mazo by TKO (Strikes) in 1:05 of Round 3

 

Summary

Conor McGregor is once again the talk of the town after finishing Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone after just 21 seconds. The brutal left hand knockout was eerily similar to the one Conor dethroned José Aldo with a few years back and make no mistake about it - Conor is gunning for a title shot. During his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Conor expressed his desire to once again claim a championship but didn't want to specify if he meant the Lightweight title or the Welterweight title (or perhaps even the BMF-title?). In the Co-Main event Holly Holm once again defeated Raquel Pennington. This time she didn't need a decision to win as she finished her opponent late in the first round with some hard hits to the downed and out Pennington. Russian heavyweight veteran Aleksei Oleynik proved that experience is a key to victory when he outworked the up-and-coming Maurice Greene with his top level ground game. The unanimous decision victory earned Oleynik his 58th career win. During the first main card bout between lightweights Anthony Pettis and Carlos Diego Ferreira, it was the latter who dominated the first round with quick footwork and smooth stand up. Late in the first round Ferreira went for a takedown which Pettis reversed into a nasty Guillotine to secure the victory. The former Lightweight Champion called out every top contenders in the division during his post fight interview and I'm eager to see what's next for Pettis after this impressive submission finish. Last but not least, we have to mention both Maycee Barber's armbar victory against Roxane Modafferi and the spectacular fight between Andre Fili and Sodiq Yusuff. Both displays earned the respective fighters a $50k bonus together with Conor McGregor.

 

Bonus Awards

Fight of the Night: Andre Fili vs Sodiq Yusuff

Knockout of the Night: Conor McGregor

Submission of the Night: Maycee Barber

 

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WEEK 4 - JANUARY 2020

UFC News

 

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Anthony "Rumble" Johnson signs 4-year deal with UFC

 

 

Former Light Heavyweight title contender and fan favorite Anthony "Rumble" Johnson (22-6) is back with the UFC after signing a lucrative 4-year deal.

 

The California-native last fought Daniel "DC" Cormier in a title fight back in 2017 at UFC 210 where he was submitted by the then champ. After the fight, a tearful Johnson announced his retirement and left the Light Heavyweight landscape in a tumble, but UFC announced today via a press conference that the hard-hitting powerhouse has ended his retirement plans and once again signed for the company.

 

The newly promoted Senior VP of Talent Relations and Head Recruiter for the UFC - Mick Maynard spoke to the media during the press conference about the marquee signing. "It's fantastic news. Johnson is a big name and a favorite among the fans with obvious reasons. He's only 35-years old and in his prime, I definitely think that he has many more years in the sport", said Maynard about the returning Johnson.

 

According to Maynard it's still unsure which division "Rumble" will compete in, but it's leaning towards Heavyweight. "Everyone knows what he accomplished as a Light Heavyweight in his last run so it's absolutely a possibility for him to compete at that weight class once again but I think he has his mind set on Heavyweight for now. It's a division he's fought in only once before back when he knocked out Andrei Arlovski so it would be a fresh start and a new challenge for him there."

 

Whether or not the long awaited fight against Jon Jones will materialize once again for Johnson is not yet clear but Johnson himself has talked publicly about this prior to his signing. "After facing Jon Jones, I can finally say that my mission has been completed. Then I've fought the best of the best and that's my ultimate goal", said "Rumble" back in 2019 on the IntoTheWeeds podcast.

 

Johnson's return fight is not yet announced.

 

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UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs dos Santos - Preview

 

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Junior dos Santos (-110) opens as slight favorite against Curtis Blaydes (+110)

 

This Saturday, Heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes (12-2-1 NC) will face the former Heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos (21-6) in the main event of UFC Fight Night 166. The event will take place at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. This will be the first time that the UFC has hosted an event in Raleigh and the first in North Carolina since UFC on FOX: Brunson vs Jacaré II in January 2018.

 

Number 4 ranked Blaydes comes from 2 straight victories against ranked opponents in Shamil Abdurakhimov and Justin Willis. His last loss was against Francis Ngannou back in 2018. Ngannou is also responsible for Blaydes second ever loss which happened back in 2016. A victory against the former champion Junior dos Santos will likely result in either a title fight or a number one contender match for Blaydes in the near future.

 

Number 3 ranked Junior dos Santos is looking to bounce back from his recent loss against Francis Ngannou in June 2019, in which dos Santos was TKO:ed early in the first round. Prior to the loss, dos Santos was riding a 3-fight win streak against top opponents Derick Lewis, Tai Tuivasa and Blagoy Ivanov. A victory against Blaydes will likely result in another title fight for the 35-year old Brazilian.

 

A Welterweight bout between former Lightweight Champion Rafael dos Anjos and the resurgent Michael Chiesa will Co-Main event this UFC Fight Night-card. Both dos Anjos and Chiesa has looked good in their move up to Welterweight from Lightweight and it will be interesting to see how the fight develops. The Brazilian dos Anjos is a slight betting favorite heading into the event but the question about his motivation and willingness to dedicate his time for the sport is growing after his recent defeats at the hands of the Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, recent title challenger Colby Covington and title contender Leon Edwards. The rest of the card looks like this:

 

 

Main Event

Heavyweight Bout: (#4) Curtis Blaydes vs (#3) Junior dos Santos

 

Co-Main Event

Welterweight Bout: (#5) Rafael dos Anjos vs (#15) Michael Chiesa

 

Main Card

Flyweight Bout: (#8) Jordan Espinosa vs (#11) Alex Perez

 

Women's Strawweight Bout: Hannah Cifers vs Angela Hill

 

Light Heavyweight Bout: Jamahal Hill vs Darko Stosic

 

ESPN+ Preliminary Card

 

Women's Flyweight Bout: Justine Kish vs Lucie Pudilova

 

Bantamweight Bout: Montel Jackson vs Rani Yahya

 

Women's Bantamweight Bout: (#10) Sara McMann vs (#12) Lina Länsberg

 

Bantamweight Bout: Brett Johns vs Tony Gravely

 

Featherweight Bout: Gavin Tucker vs Suman Mokhtarian

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WEEK 4 - JANUARY 2020

 

UFC Fight Night 166: Blaydes vs dos Santos

Attendance: 4,044

Gate: $614,688

Critical Rating: 78%

Commercial Rating: 84%

 

Main Event

Curtis Blaydes def. Junior dos Santos by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 3:12 of Round 5

 

 

Co-Main Event

Rafael dos Anjos def. Michael Chiesa by TKO (Body Kick) in 1:48 of Round 1

 

 

Main Card

Alex Perez def. Jordan Espinosa by Unanimous Decision

 

Angela Hill def. Hannah Cifers by Unanimous Decision

 

Darko Stosic def. Jamahal Hill by Knock Out (Kick) in 1:57 of Round 1

 

 

ESPN+ Preliminary Card

 

Lucie Pudilova def. Justine Kish by TKO (Leg Kick) in 2:29 of Round 3

 

Rani Yahya def. Montel Jackson by Split Decision

 

Lina Länsberg def. Sara McMann by Majority Decision

 

Brett Johns def. Tony Gravely by Submission (Kimura) in 2:22 of Round 1

 

Gavin Tucker def. Suman Mokhtarian by Split Decision

 

Summary

A decent card on forehand turned out to be way better than most expected, thanks in large to the fantastic main event between top ranked Heavyweight contenders Curtis Blaydes and Junior dos Santos. It was a thrilling fight where it looked like the former title holder dos Santos had control during the first round - even stunning Blaydes with a ruthless right hook in the closing seconds of the second round but the number 4-ranked wrestler survived. Blaydes started gaining momentum around the halfway-mark in the third round even though experts gave Junior dos Santos a 10-9 advantage in all of the first three rounds. Entering the 5th round for the first time in his career, Blaydes started mauling trough a fatigued dos Santos. With 1 minut and 48 seconds left of the fight, which most likely would have gone dos Santos way, Blaydes sinked in a rear naked choke which dos Santos refused to tap to. Eventually the Brazilian went to sleep and Blaydes secured the victory in this instant classic. During the post-fight interview Blaydes took aim at Stipe Miocic title and asked for a chance of facing the champion in the near future. Other than the main event not much else made anyone raise an eyebrow for this Fight Night-card. Rafael dos Anjos finished Michael Chiesa with some brutal body kicks early in the first, Darko Stosic won Knockout of the Night with a beautiful head kick to finish the debuting Jamahal Hill also in the first round and Lina Länsberg versus Sara McMann was one of the worst fights in recent memory. All in all a solid card with a main event worth the ticket prize.

 

Bonus Awards

Fight of the Night: Curtis Blaydes vs Junior dos Santos

Knockout of the Night: Darko Stosic

Submission of the Night: Curtis Blaydes

 

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WEEK 4 - JANUARY 2020

UFC News

 

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UFC 247: Cejudo vs Sterling for the UFC Bantamweight Championship replaces Jones vs Reyes

 

In some breaking news coming UFC confirmed today that a Bantamweight title bout between Henry Cejudo and Aljamain Sterling will headline the UFC 247 card emerging from Texas next month. Initially a Light Heavyweight title fight between champion Jon Jones and challenger Dominick Reyes was marked as the main event but with Jones injured the event needed a replacement fight. After some rumors and speculations regarding the potential third fight between Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier, it’s now official that Cejudo will defend his Bantamweight title for the first time against the number 2 ranked Sterling on short notice.

 

Cejudo won the Bantamweight title against Marlon Moraes after previous champion T.J. Dillashaw vacated it in midst of his EPO-suspension. The Olympic gold medalist’s first title victory in the company happened back in 2018 when he defeated the long time reigning Flyweight champion and current ONE Championship Flyweight Grand Prix champion Demetrious Johnson. Since then Cejudo relinquished the Flyweight title to focus on the Bantamweight division instead. Therefor a UFC Flyweight title fight for the vacated title will take place next month between Joseph Benavidez and Deiveson Figueiredo. The bout against Sterling will be Cejudo's first title defence in the Bantamweight division.

 

Aljamain Sterling ​is on a 4-fight win streak with victories over top contenders like Pedro Munhoz and Jimmie Rivera. His latest loss came in 2017 against the aforementioned Marlon Moraes with a vicious knee knockout, but the New York-native has looked impressive in his latest fights. He has long called for this title fight and after finally getting his shot he expressed his happiness during an ESPN-interview. "Finally I'll get my hands on him [Cejudo]. I've been calling him out numerous times the latest months and he's always ducked me. I'm his biggest challenge in the division and I'll prove it next month. I can't wait," said Sterling. The rest of the UFC 247 card looks like this:

 

 

Main Event

Bantamweight Championship Bout: © Henry Cejudo vs. (#2) Aljamain Sterling

 

Co-Main Event

Women's Flyweight Championship Bout: © Valentina Shevchenko vs. (#1) Katlyn Chookagian

 

Main Card

Heavyweight Bout: Juan Adams vs. Justin Tafa

 

Heavyweight Bout: (#6) Derrick Lewis vs. Ilir Latifi

 

Lightweight Bout: (#14) Alexander Hernandez vs. Jim Miller

 

ESPN Preliminary Card

 

Featherweight Bout: Dan Ige vs. (#12) Mirsad Bektic

 

Middleweight Bout: Trevin Giles vs Alessio di Chirico

 

Bantamweight Bout: (#15) Marlon Vera vs (#7) Jimmie Rivera

 

ESPN+ Early Preliminary Card

 

Women's Flyweight Bout: Lauren Murphy (#7) vs Andrea Lee (#8)

 

Light Heavyweight Bout: Kennedy Nzechukwu vs Gökhan Saki

 

Welterweight Bout: Alex Morono vs Chad Laprise

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WEEK 1 - FEBRUARY 2020

 

UFC 247: Cejudo vs. Sterling

Attendance: 11,048

Gate: $2,349,808

Critical Rating: 77%

Commercial Rating: 75%

 

Main Event

Henry Cejudo def. Aljamain Sterling by Unanimous Decision to retain the UFC Bantamweight title

 

Co-Main Event

Katlyn Chookagian def. Valentina Shevchenko by Submission (Kimura) in 4:26 of Round 5 to win the UFC Women's Flyweight title

 

Main Card

Juan Adams def. Justin Tafa by Submission (Armbar) in 2:37 of Round 2

 

Derrick Lewis def. Ilir Latifi by Knockout (Punch) in 2:56 of Round 1

 

Alexander Hernandez def. Jim Miller by Unanimous Decision

 

 

ESPN Preliminary Card

 

Mirsad Bektic def. Dan Ige by Unanimous Decision

 

Trevin Giles def. Alessio di Chirico by Unanimous Decision

 

Jimmie Rivera def. Marlon Vera by Unanimous Decision

 

 

ESPN+ Early Preliminary Card

 

Lauren Murphy def. Andrea Lee by Knock Out (Punch) in 3:45 of round 2

 

Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Gökhan Saki by Unanimous Decision

 

Chad Laprise def. Alex Morono by TKO (Strikes) in 4:26 of Round 2

 

Summary

Henry Cejudo and Aljamain Sterling stepped up as a replacement main event after Jon Jones was forced to withdraw from the event, and after a decent title fight the former Olympic gold medalist Cejudo is still the UFC Bantamweight champion. The fight was a tactical chess game without any big moments other than a slam from Sterling on the champion and after 25 minutes of fighting the judges went with Cejudo has champion winning all but one round. A bigger shocker happened in the co-main event where the champion Valentina Shevchenko dominated more than 4 and a half rounds against the challenger Katlyn Chookagian. It was a one sided affair in which Shevchenko both outstroke and dominated her opponent on the ground. That was until Chookagian locked in a Kimura after taking the exhausted champion down. With only 34 seconds left of the fight, in which Shevchenko would have won the unanimous decision if it went the distance, Chookagian completed the upset and is now your new UFC Women's Flyweight champion. An immediate rematch is already rumored to take place later this year. Other than that, not much more noteworthy stuff happened this event. Hometown hero Derrick Lewis knocked out Ilir Latifi in the Swedes Heavyweight debut which in turn made him move back down to Light Heavyweight while the other hometown fighter Alexander Hernandez easily beat veteran Jim Miller. in a fantastic fight. After the event UFC also announced that they have released both Middleweight Alessio di Chirico and Light Heavyweight Gökhan Saki after their losses.

 

Bonus Awards

Fight of the Night: Alexander Hernandez vs. Jim Miller

Knockout of the Night: Derrick Lewis

Submission of the Night: Katlyn Chookagian

 

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WEEK 2 - FEBRUARY 2020

UFC News

 

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UFC Fight Night 170: Anderson Silva vs. Edmen Shahbazyan headlines Brazil-event

 

 

Former UFC Middleweight champion and GOAT-contender Anderson "The Spider" Silva (34-10-1 NC) returns after a year away from the sport of MMA next month. UFC is heading back to Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, and Silva main events the card together with rising, undefeated prospect Edmen Shahbazyan (11-0). This will the 44-year old 46th MMA bout in his illustrious career and speculations whether or not this is Silva's last fight or not is looming. Silva has only won 1 fight since losing his title to Chris Weidman back in 2013 after having his victory against Nick Diaz overturned due to testing positive for both drostanolone and androsterone.

 

22-year old Edmen Shahbazyan is a fairly new name to the UFC-fans but after his impressive start in the company, knocking Brad Tavares completely out a few months back at UFC 244, the California-native is being touted as the next big thing in the stacked Middleweight division. Shahbazyan trains with infamous trainer Edmond Tarverdyan at Glendale Fighting Club which is the same team former Women's Bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey trained in during her active career.

 

A Light Heavyweight clash between hype train Johnny Walker and the Ukrainian UFC-veteran Nikita Krylov will serve as the co-main event while Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Alexey Kunchenko, Amanda Rivas vs. Paige VanZant and Jussier Formiga vs. Brandon Moreno completes the main card portion of the event.

 

Main Event

Middleweight Bout: Anderson Silva vs. (#11) Edmen Shahbazyan

 

Co-Main Event

Light Heavyweight Bout: (#9) Johnny Walker vs. (#13) Nikita Krylov

 

Main Card

Welterweight Bout: Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Alexey Kunchenko

 

Women's Flyweight Bout: Paige VanZant vs. Amanda Ribas

 

Flyweight Bout: (#2) Jussier Formiga vs (#5) Brandon Moreno

 

 

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UFC 248: Card finalized with Zhang defending title against former champion Jedrzejczyk

 

Together with the news regarding Anderson Silva vs. Edmen Shahbazyan main eventing the upcoming Fight Night-card, UFC also announced that the card for UFC 248 in Las Vegas, Nevada has been finalized. A title fight between Women's Strawweight champion Weili Zhang (21-1) and former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk (19-3) is headlining the card emerging from the T-Mobile Arena while a Middleweight bout with title implications between former champion Robert Whittaker (25-5) and Jared Cannonier (17-4) is co-main eventing.

 

Another big fight this event takes place in the Light Heavyweight division where former title challenger Anthony "Lionheart" Smith (32-14) will face the Brazilian veteran Glover Teixeira (30-7). A victory for each of the contestants may lead to a future title shot against the champion Jon Jones when he returns from injury.

 

Fan favorites "Sugar" Sean O'Malley, with his undefeated (10-0) record, and Ryan Hall (8-1) will also fight on the main card of UFC 248. O'Malley faces the Mexican José Alberto Quiñonez (11-3) in the Bantamweight division while Hall faces ranked Featherweight Josh Emmett (15-2).

 

Main Event

Women's Strawweight Championship Bout: © Weili Zhang vs Joanna Jedrzejczyk (#4)

 

Co-Main Event

Middleweight Bout: (#3) Robert Whittaker vs (#4) Jared Cannonier

 

Main Card

Light Heavyweight Bout: (#2) Anthony Smith vs (#7) Glover Teixeira

 

Bantamweight Bout: Sean O'Malley vs José Alberto Quinoñez

 

Featherweight Bout: (#9) Josh Emmett vs (#13) Ryan Hall

 

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WEEK 2 - FEBRUARY 2020

 

UFC Fight Night 167: Anderson vs Blachowicz II

Attendance: 3,849

Gate: $769,800

Critical Rating: 71%

Commercial Rating: 69%

 

Main Event

Jan Blachowicz def. Corey Anderson by TKO (Strikes) in 4:43 of Round 2

 

 

Co-Main Event

Diego Sanchez def. Michel Pereira by TKO (Strikes) in 2:33 of Round 1

 

 

Main Card

Devin Clark def. Gadzhimurad Antigulov by Unanimous Decision

 

Montana de la Rosa def. Mara Romero Borella by Submission (Armbar) in 2:01 of Round 2

 

Lando Vannata def. Yancy Medeiros by Knockout (Punch) in 4:20 of Round 1

 

 

ESPN+ Preliminary Card

 

Nathaniel Wood def. John Dodson by TKO (Strikes) in 3:11 of Round 3

 

Ray Borg def. Rogerio Bontorin by Split Decision

 

Macy Chiasson def. Nicco Montaño by Submission (Leglock) in 0:58 of Round 1

 

Mark de la Rosa def. Raulian Paiva by Unanimous Decision

 

Abu Azaitar def. Keith Berish by TKO (Strikes) in 0:43 of Round 2

 

Summary

The rematch between the number 5 ranked Light Heavyweight fighter Corey Anderson and number 6 ranked Jan Blachowicz took place tonight in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. This was the first event ever held there. After losing the first bout back in 2015 by Unanimous Decision, the Polish-native Blachowicz vowed to change the outcome this time and after a fast-paced first round he had the upper hand against the slight favorite Anderson. The second round looked similar to the first with Blachowicz setting the pace and landing a few good shots to Anderson who struggled to take the durable striker down. Late in the round Blachowicz landed a beautiful combination of a jab, a straight cross and a spinning back fist which dropped Anderson and after some follow-up strikes referee Herb Dean stopped the fight. During the post-fight interview, Blachowicz said he was in the best shape of his life and that he would love to fight Jon Jones. He admitted that he'd would probably need to face one of the three contenders above him [Thiago Santos, Anthony Smith, Dominick Reyes] before getting the title shot but accepted anyone of them if the UFC wanted it. We also witnessed a great performance from the home town-hero Diego Sanchez when he TKO'd the flashy Michel Pereira early in the first round. After the fight Diego took the opportunity to call out former teammate Mike Perry, saying that the fight would be a must-watch for every UFC-fan. Other impressive performances this night came from Lando Vannata knocking Yancy Medeiros out, Nathaniel Wood for defeating the veteran John Dodson in the most entertaining fight on the card, Macy Chiasson for submitting the former Women's Flyweight champion Nicco Montaño in under one minute and husband and wife Montana and Mark de la Rosa for both being the first husband and wife competing on the same card in the UFC but also being the first husband and wife winning on the same card.

 

Bonus Awards

Fight of the Night: Nathaniel Wood vs. John Dodson

Knockout of the Night: Lando Vannata

Submission of the Night: Macy Chiasson

 

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WEEK 3 - FEBRUARY 2020

UFC News

 

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Olympic gold medalist Abdulrashid Sadulaev to make UFC debut 2020

 

It's finally official, 2016 Olympic gold medalist in Rio de Janeiro and perhaps the greatest freestyle wrestler on the planet Abdulrashid Sadulaev has signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC. Rumors about Sadulaev's transition to MMA has been growing larger and larger with time and now with Russia's 4-year Olympics ban in place the Dagestan-born Wrestler has signed with the biggest MMA organization in the world.

 

23-year old Sadulaev has amassed an impressive 118-2 freestyle wrestling record with wins over the best wrestlers in the world like American Kyle Snyder and Azerbaijan-native Sharif Sharifov. He competes in the 86 kg division and the 97 kg division so he could both compete in the Light Heavyweight and in the Middleweight division upon his MMA-arrival which UFC confirmed will happen this year. No words have been made yet on which division Sadulaev will compete in, but it's most likely the Light Heavyweight division which is in big need of new and fresh talents.

 

With talks of UFC returning to Russia later this year, it would be a no-brainer if Sadulaev made his debut on that card. He's a enormous superstar in Russia and is equal to the Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov when it comes to star power over there. UFC has always been keen on expanding in the Russian market and Sadulaev will most likely be a key asset if his MMA career is as good as his wrestling career. Perhaps Sadulaev will join Henry Cejudo in being both an Olympic gold medalist and UFC Champion one day?

 

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UFC Fight Night 168: Felder vs. Hooker - Preview

 

This Saturday the UFC returns to Auckland, New Zealand when ranked Lightweights Paul Felder (19-4) and Dan Hooker (19-8) competes in the main event. After some back-and-forth between the two fighters where Felder notably said he wanted to "knock out Hooker in front of his family, friends and hometown fans", the stakes are high as both fighters are on 2-fight winning streaks against other ranked opponents. A victory for either Felder or Hooker will probably result in a top 5 ranked opponent next fight with hopes of getting that coveted title shot.

 

"I'm here to be the champion and I won't let anything or anyone stand in my way. I've been in the UFC since 2014 and I've had my ups and downs but it's my time now and I'm aiming for the title," said Felder during the press conference before the fight. Hooker also talked about going for the title fight, but he had some words to say to his opponent before. "He [Felder] made it personal when he talked about my family and friends. I didn't have anything against him before but I do now. He crossed the line. I'm gonna fold him like a deckchair. Trust me, I want a shot for the title more than anyone but this Saturday it's more important to me to make him pay than anything", said Hooker.

 

The rest of the main card consists of several interesting bouts. A featherweight bout between number 7 ranked Renato "Moicano" Carneiro (13-4-1) and former title challenger Ricardo Lamas (19-8) will co-main event the card where the Brazilian is looking to bounce back after two hard losses against both José Aldo and The Korean Zombie. Another exciting fight is the flyweight bout between home-town fighter Kai Kara-France (20-8-1 NC) and Alexandre Pantoja (22-4). Kara-France was initially booked the face Tyson Nam but Nam pulled out citing multiple injuries a month ago and the top ranked Pantoja stepped up as his replacement. The entirety of the card looks like this:

 

Main Event

Lightweight Bout: (#6) Paul Felder vs. (#7) Dan Hooker

 

Co-Main Event

Featherweight Bout: (#7) Renato Moicano vs. (#15) Ricardo Lamas

 

Main Card

Light Heavyweight Bout: (#14) Michal Oleksiejczuk vs. Jim Crute

 

Women's Strawweight Bout: (#13) Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Xiaonan Yan

 

Flyweight Bout: (#7) Kai Kara-France vs. (#3) Alexandre Pantoja

 

ESPN+ Preliminary Card

 

Lightweight Bout: Magomed Mustafaev vs. Brad Riddell

 

Featherweight Bout: Kevin Aguilar vs. Zubaira Tukhugov

 

Lightweight Bout: Jamie Mullarkey vs. Jalin Turner

 

Heavyweight Bout: Ben Sosoli vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima

 

Welterweight Bout: Jake Matthews vs. Emil Meek

 

Welterweight Bout: Callan Potter vs. Song Kenan

 

Women's Flyweight Bout: Rachael Ostovich vs. Shana Dobson

 

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WEEK 3 - FEBRUARY 2020

 

UFC Fight Night 168: Felder vs. Hooker

Attendance: 7,468

Gate: $800,298

Critical Rating: 70%

Commercial Rating: 62%

 

Main Event

Paul Felder def. Dan Hooker by Split Decision

 

 

Co-Main Event

Renato Moicano def. Ricardo Lamas by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 1:36 of Round 1

 

 

Main Card

Jim Crute def. Michal Oleksiejczuk by Unanimous Decision

 

Xiaonan Yan def. Karolina Kowalkiewicz by TKO (Strikes) in 4:57 of Round 2

 

Kai Kara-France def. Alexandre Pantoja by Unanimous Decision

 

 

ESPN+ Preliminary Card

 

Magomed Mustafaev def. Brad Riddell by Unanimous Decision

 

Zubaira Tukhugov def. Kevin Aguilar by Knock Out (Punch) in 4:44 of Round 3

 

Jamie Mullarkey def. Jalin Turner by TKO (Strikes) in 1:33 of Round 2

 

Ben Sosoli def. Marcos Rogerio de Lima by Submission (Armbar) in 4:26 of Round 3

 

Emil Meek def. Jake Matthews by TKO (Strikes) in 1:24 of Round 1

 

Song Kenan def. Callan Potter by Knock Out (Punch) in 0:15 of Round 2

 

Shana Dobson def. Rachael Ostovich by Unanimous Decision

 

Summary

"The Irish Dragon" Paul Felder took home the Split Decision in Auckland, New Zealand today after a hard-fought and bloody battle against home-town fighter Dan "Hangman" Hooker. Two judges deemed the fight 49-46 in favor of Felder while the third judge deemed it a 48-47 victory for Hooker. The boos echoed in the arena after the decision but the two fighters embraced after the fight burying the rivalry for now. Felder took the mic after the post show-interview and raised his opponent hand before calling out Conor McGregor for a showdown later this year. It's highly unlikely that Felder will get the shot against the biggest draw in the business but you never know. The other home-town fighter Kai Kara-France embraced his opportunity against the number 3 ranked Alexandre Pantoja with an excellent showing which earned him the Unanimous Decision and most likely a fight against whoever loses the upcoming title fight between Joseph Benavidez and Deiveson Figueiredo while Brandon Moreno and Jussier Formiga battle out who will be the next in line for a title shot at the Brazilian Fight Night-card two months from now.The last thing worth noting after this event is that Zubaira Tukhugov and Kevin Aguilar put on a fight which many fans already call an early contender for "Fight of the Year". The pair traded big power shots and stunned each other multiple times until the Russian Tukhugov finished the Texas-native late in the third round. After the event UFC announced that both Rachael Ostovich (4-6) and Jalin Turner (8-6) was released from the company.

 

Bonus Awards

Fight of the Night: Kevin Aguilar vs. Zubaira Tukhugov

Knockout of the Night: Song Kenan

Submission of the Night: Ben Sosoli

 

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WEEK 4 - FEBRUARY 2020

UFC News

 

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UFC Fight Night 172: Santiago Ponzinibbio returns against "Wonderboy" Thompson

 

Argentinian Welterweight Santiago Ponzinibbio (27-3) is finally set to return to the octagon after a one and a half year absent due to injury when he match up against the highly entertaining fan favorite Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson (15-4-1) at UFC Fight Night 172 in Hartford, Connecticut.

 

Ponzinibbio is riding a 7-fight win streak with notable victories against the likes of Mike Perry, Neil Magny and Gunnar Nelson. He has been sidelined since his latest victory over the aforementioned Magny back in 2018 due to multiple injuries. The Argentinian was initially booked to face former champion Robbie Lawler at UFC 245 but pulled out due to a staph infection. The fight against the former title challenger "Wonderboy" Thompson will make Ponzinibbio's 12th UFC bout and he's hoping to reclaim his position as one of the top ranked Welterweights in the company. "I'm so happy to be back. This has been a very difficult period in my life and my career but now I'm healthy and ready to go. I want to show everyone in the division that I'm back for real and that I'm pushing for a title shot", said Ponzinibbio to ESPN after the announcement was made.

 

In the co-main event the highly touted Lightweight prospect Gregor "The Gift" Gillespie (13-1) is looking to bounce back after his first professional defeat last fight against Kevin Lee at UFC 244. He will face the struggling James Vick (13-5) who's on a 4-fight losing streak at the moment. Vick, who recently lost against Niko Price back in October 2019, has talked open about this being a "do-or-die" fight for him. "Yeah, it's pretty obvious. If I don't win against this guy [Gillespie], I'm out. 5 losses in a row is not acceptable in the UFC and I know that. Of course it adds a lot of pressure on my but I do best when I'm pressured. I will give my all and hopefully I'll end his hype train with a victory", said Vick in an interview leading up to the fight. The rest of the main card looks like this:

 

Main Event

Welterweight Bout: (#10) Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. (#9) Stephen Thompson

 

Co-Main Event

Lightweight Bout: (#11) Gregor Gillespie vs. James Vick

 

Main Card

Heavyweight Bout: Tai Tuivasa vs. Junior Albini

 

Bantamweight Bout: Randy Costa vs. Johnny Eduardo

 

Women's Strawweight Bout: (#9) Marina Rodriguez vs (#8) Carla Esparza

 

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UFC Fight Night 169: Benavidez vs. Figueiredo - Preview

 

The crowning of a new UFC Flyweight Champion till take place this weekend at the Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia when former title challenger Joseph Benavidez (28-5) takes on the Brazilian Deivesion Figueiredo (17-1) in the main event championship bout. The title fight is a close one according to the oddsmakers. Benavidez is the slight betting favorite with a moneyline of about -150 while Figueiredo comes in at around +125. By all accounts the title fight will be very close and one person who will keep his eyes peeled on the fight is the former Flyweight champion and current Bantamweight title holder Henry Cejudo.

 

"I will watch it fore sure. It's a great fight, I mean not my level of greatness but second best. It's like watching two of your favorite toys fight, you know? Joe [benavidez] is a proven guy in the UFC and is in my eyes the best flyweight in the division after myself. Figueiredo on the other hand is flashy and unpredictable, he can win in multiple ways. I see it going the distance and Joe picking up the decision win. But no matter what, I'm willing to offer the winner a chance at the big boys belt whenever and wherever", said Cejudo during his interview with Ariel Helwani's MMA Show.

 

Main Event

Flyweight Championship Bout: (#1) Joseph Benavidez vs. (#3) Deiveson Figueiredo

 

Co-Main Event

Heavyweight Bout: (#9) Walt Harris vs. (#13) Augusto Sakai

 

Main Card

Light Heavyweight Bout: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Ion Cutelaba

 

Women's Featherweight Bout: (#2) Megan Anderson vs. Norma Dumont Viana

 

Middleweight Bout: Tom Breese vs. Brendan Allen

 

*Note: A Heavyweight bout between Marcin Tybura and Sergey Spivak was scheduled for the event but Spivak has pulled out due to injury and the fight has been scrapped.

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WEEK 4 - FEBRUARY 2020

 

UFC Fight Night 169: Benavidez vs. Figueiredo

Attendance: 2,743

Gate: $482,768

Critical Rating: 71%

Commercial Rating: 62%

 

Main Event

Joseph Benavidez def. Deiveson Figueiredo by TKO (Leg Kick) in 0:34 of Round 4 to win the UFC Flyweight title

 

 

Co-Main Event

Walt Harris def. Augusto Sakai by TKO (Strikes) in 3:21 of Round 2

 

 

Main Card

Ion Cutelaba def. Magomed Ankalaev by Submission (Arm Triangle) in 3:09 of Round 1

 

Megan Anderson def. Norma Dumont Viana by TKO (Strikes) in 4:08 of Round 3

 

Brendan Allen def. Tom Breese by Unanimous Decision

 

 

ESPN+ Preliminary Card

 

Mike Davis def. Giga Chikadze by Split Decision*

 

Teruto Ishihara def. T.J. Brown by TKO (Strikes) in 1:27 of Round 2

 

Felicia Spencer def. Zarah Fairn dos Santos by Unanimous Decision

 

Steven Peterson def. Aalon Cruz by Split Decision

 

*Mike Davis missed weight with 3lbs. He forfeited 20% of his purse to his opponent.

 

Summary

Bruce Buffer's voice echoed through the Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia when he announced that the 35-year old veteran Joseph "Joey Two Times" Benavidez is the new UFC Flyweight Champion. Benavidez displayed an outstanding performance when he totally shut down the opponent Deiveson Figueiredo's offence time after time and with a barrage of leg kicks the right leg of the Brazilian Figueiredo finally caved early in the 4th round. Visibly emotional and with tears of joy in his eye, Benavidez celebrated his first championship victory together with his team. After failing to capture gold three times in his career and being in the UFC since 2011 this was ultimately the San Antonio-native's night. During the post-fight interview with Jon Anik he took aim at former champion Henry Cejudo for turning his back on the division. "Cejudo, you're a punk. You talked a big game about saving the Flyweight division but you bailed out as soon as you could. I've beaten you before and I would beat you again, but I'm not here to pick Bantamweight over Flyweight. That's bs. If you want to come down and get your ass whopped, you're welcome. If not, I will defend this title against all challengers in the Flyweight division", said Benavidez. Whether or not we get the champ vs. champ fight or not is still up for debate but rumors has it that UFC is planning on strengthen the Flyweight division with an upcoming TUF-season with hopes of finding new and exciting prospects for Benavidez to face down the line.

 

Bonus Awards

Fight of the Night: Megan Anderson vs. Norma Dumont Viana

Knockout of the Night: Joseph Benavidez

Submission of the Night: Ion Cutelaba

 

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WEEK 1 - MARCH 2020

UFC News

 

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UFC announce four signings including ONE Welterweight Champion Georgy Kichigin

 

During a conference call earlier today, Senior Vice President of Talent Relations Mick Maynard announced that UFC has signed four new fighters including the current ONE Welterweight Champion Georgy Kichigin (24-6). The Russian-born fighter is 26-years old, 6 foot 1 and just recently beat the former ONE Welterweight Champion Zebaztian Kadestam in a rematch from last year. Kichigin will vacate the title with immediate effect and is expected to debut at the upcoming UFC on ESPN+ card in Russia later in August.

 

UFC also announced the resigning of former Women's Bantamweight fighter and Japanese star Rin Nakai (22-2-1). The 33-year old has fought two times in the UFC losing both times by decision against former champion Miesha Tate and most recently Leslie Smith back in 2016. Since getting cut from the company, Nakai has made a name for herself in Pancrase, RIZIN and DEEP Jewels as being the best Japanese female fighter in the world. She's currently on a 6-fight win streak, now fighting in the Women's Flyweight division instead. Rin Nakai will face Maryna Moroz (9-3) in her return to the company at UFC 249: Khabib vs Ferguson in Brooklyn, New York.

 

The former opponent of Nakai, former Invicta Strawweight Champion and current RIZIN Women's Super Atomweight champion Kanako Murata (12-1) has also signed with the UFC. Murata is 26-years old and is riding a 8-fight with victories over former UFC-fighters Seo Hee Ham and Angela Magana as well as former Bellator fighter Emily Ducote. Murata will fight in the Women's Strawweight division but has not been booked to fight yet.

 

The last signing is the return of French prospect Tom "Fire Kid" Duquesnoy (16-2). After a short retirement from MMA, where he wanted to temporary shift focus on other things in his life, the 26-year old has resigned with the company. His last stint in the UFC was a fairly successful one with 2 wins and 1 loss at the hand of ranked Bantamweight fighter Cody Stamann. The 5-time French national Sambo champion is set to return against Aiemann Zahabi when UFC returns to Poland in July.

 

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Joe Rogan: "UFC 248 has the potential of being a special card"

 

This Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada the Women's Strawweight champion Weili Zhang (20-1) will defend her title for the first time against the former champion and perhaps the greatest female Strawweight fighter ever in Joanna Jedrzejczyk (16-3). The oddsmakers has put both of the fighters at even odds coming in at -150 which ultimately tells you that this is as close as it can get. But it's not only the main event that's getting the hype this weekend. The main card is stacked with top contenders and massively interesting fighters through and through. Former UFC Middleweight champion Robert Whittaker (20-5) will face number 4-ranked contender Jared Cannonier (13-4) in the co-main event of the evening while Light Heavyweight contenders Anthony Smith (32-14) and Glover Teixeira (30-7) will battle it out before them. And if that wasn't enough, both Sean O'Malley (10-0) and Ryan Hall (8-1) is in action against José Alberto Quiñonez (8-3) and Josh Emmett (15-2) respectively. One person in particular is especially looking forward to this card, no other than UFC commentator and podcast king pin Joe Rogan.

 

"For real, this card is crazy good. I mean really crazy good. You've got the champ Weili Zhang - who's a beast - taking on Joanna Champ in the main event. Like, come on! That's a hell of a fight. And Robert Whittaker looking to bounce back after the Izzy-loss against a straight up killer in Cannonier, that's a great fight as well. Then you have "Lionheart" [Anthony Smith] taking on Glover in his first fight after retiring Alexander Gustafsson, dude! Plus, "Sugar" Sean O'Malley is back after his unjust suspension and you know he's putting on a show. And Ryan Hall, perhaps the best BJJ-fighter in the UFC, taking on the dangerous Josh Emmett. That's a crazy good card, it has the potential of being special. It's must see", said Rogan during his famous podcast "The Joe Rogan Experince".

 

The card as a whole looks like this:

 

Main Event

 

Women's Strawweight Championship Bout: © Weili Zhang vs. (#3) Joanna Jedrzejczyk

 

Co-Main Event

 

Middleweight Bout: (#2) Robert Whittaker vs. (#4) Jared Cannonier

 

Main Card

 

Light Heavyweight Bout: (#7) Glover Teixeira vs. (#2) Anthony Smith

 

Bantamweight Bout: Sean O'Malley vs. Jose Alberto Quiñonez

 

Featherweight Bout: (#9) Josh Emmett vs. (#13) Ryan Hall

 

ESPN Preliminary Card

 

Welterweight Bout: (#13) Vicente Luque vs. (#14) Gunnar Nelson

 

Women's Strawweight Bout: Cortney Casey vs. Livia Renata Souza

 

Featherweight Bout: Danaa Batgerel vs. Guido Cannetti

 

ESPN+ Early Preliminary Card

 

Middleweight Bout: Antonio Braga Neto vs. Charles Byrd

 

Heavyweight Bout: Juan Espino vs. Carlos Felipe

 

Bantamweight Bout: Kyler Phillips vs. Iuri Alcantara

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WEEK 1 - MARCH 2020

 

UFC 248: Zhang vs. Joanna

Attendance: 10,671

Gate: $2,423,917

Critical Rating: 81%

Commercial Rating: 99%

 

Main Event

Weili Zhang def. Joanna Jedrzejczyk by TKO (Strikes) in 3:18 of Round 3 to retain the UFC Women's Strawweight title

 

 

Co-Main Event

Robert Whittaker def. Jared Cannonier by TKO (Strikes) in 1:03 of Round 3

 

 

Main Card

Anthony Smith def. Glover Teixeira by Knock Out (Punch) in 1:08 of Round 1

 

Sean O'Malley def. Jose Alberto Quiñonez by Knock Out (Punch) in 0:27 of Round 1

 

Ryan Hall def. Josh Emmett by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:52 of Round 1

 

 

ESPN Preliminary Card

 

Vicente Luque def. Gunnar Nelson by TKO (Strikes) in 1:36 of Round 2

 

Livia Renata Souza def. Cortney Casey by Submission (Leglock) in 2:51 of Round 2*

 

Guido Cannetti def. Danaa Batgerel by Unanimous Decision

 

ESPN+ Early Preliminary Card

 

Antonio Braga Neto def. Charles Byrd by Submission (Triangle with Armbar) in 3:03 of Round 1

 

Juan Espino def. Carlos Felipe by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 1:42 of Round 3

 

Kyler Phillips def. Iuri Alcantara by Unanimous Decision

 

*Cortney Cased failed her post-fight drug test due to PED's. As result she was released from her contract.

 

Summary

There was a lot of hype surrounding the UFC 248 card hosted in the classic T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada when rising sensation in the Women's Strawweight division Weili Zhang made her first title defense against the former champion and the division's GOAT Joanna Jedrzejczyk. The odds was dead even heading into the event and the experts were divided with who would leave as champion. The fight started out like any other Joanna-fight with her pushing the pace and keeping the pressure on the champion while Zhang spent mostly of the first round counter-striking the Polish fighter. Both fighters scored big moments in the first round with Joanna landing a beautiful high kick which rocked Zhang, just like Zhang wobbled Joanna with a vicious right hook after a combination. The second round was more of the same but Joanna got the better of Zhang both in the strikes landed department and on the judge's scorecard. The fans in the arena started to feel like the old Joanna was back for real and that she was on her way to reclaiming her title but everything was put on it's back in the third round. Weili Zhang started becoming more and more aggressive, she adjusted to the situation and it made a huge difference. Around the half-way mark in Round 3 the final sequence happened. Zhang faked a left hook which lead to Joanna's head being wide open for the right head kick. Joanna dropped to the ground clearly in big trouble and the Chinese-champion unloaded on her with vicious ground strikes. Referee Marc Goodard gave Joanna the chance to fight back but ultimately he called of the fight. Weili Zhang successfully defended her title in a fantastic match and the consensus now is that she's here to stay. The rest of the card was also really, really good. Robert Whittaker bounced back after his devastating loss against the current champ Israel Adesanya with a masterful performance against the dangerous Jared Cannonier, ending him with some TKO-strikes in the third round. Anthony Smith made short work of Glover Teixeira and once again called for a rematch against the champ Jon Jones. Sean O'Malley stunned everyone when he knocked out Jose Alberto Quiñonez after only 27 seconds, showing that he's more than just a hype train. Ryan Hall also showed his high level skill set on the ground when he choked out a staple of the Featherweight division in Josh Emmett in the first round. All in all, this was the best card of the year so far. But not everything was positive. Cortney Casey, who lost to the Brazilian Livia Renata Souza during the ESPN Prelims, failed her post-fight drug test due to performance enhancing drugs which led to her being released from the company. This was the first drug test failure of 2020 and we certainly hope it was the last. Charles Byrd, who lost to Antonio Braga Neto on the ESPN+Early Prelims, was also released after the event with three straight losses in the UFC.

 

Bonus Awards

Fight of the Night: Weili Zhang vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk

Knockout of the Night: Sean O'Malley

Submission of the Night: Ryan Hall

 

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WEEK 2 - MARCH 2020

UFC News

 

<img src=https://i.imgur.com/nAwe4oz.jpg>

 

The Ultimate Fighter: Season 29 Announced - Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington coaches

 

Head's up every reality TV-fan out there, the classic MMA-reality show The Ultimate Fighter is returning next month. UFC announced today that the 29th season of the show is officially on and that we're on for a treat regarding the coaches for the upcoming show. No other than the hugely popular Jorge "Gamebred" Masvidal will coach against the most hated man in the UFC - Colby "Chaos" Covington. The rivalry between them is already boiling hot and UFC is trying to capitalize on it with the reality show.

 

"No doubt, these are two of the biggest fighters not just in the UFC but in the entirety of fighting right now. They legitimately hate each other. The history is there, former teammates turned bitter rivals with hatred and both wanting to almost kill each other, that's what the show has needed. If you look back at the old TUF, every great seasons had coaches with big rivalries. Rampage vs. Rashad, Tito vs. Chuck, B.J. vs. Pulver, Bisping vs. Mayhem. This list goes on and on. We're still high on the concept of TUF and we will give everything to make this work", said Dana White during the press conference announcing the show.

 

But what about the contestants? After all, the show is about the future stars of the UFC. This season, the Flyweight division is getting a much-needed shot in the arm with 16 contenders gunning for the victory. And that's not all, the winner of TUF: 29 will get a title shot against the newly crowned champion Joseph Benavidez. "The winner will get a title fight. We have high expectations for the contestants and I for one believe that you deserve a title shot after winning the show. Just like at what Matt Serra did against GSP, tell me that wasn't the best TUF-moment ever?", said White about the plans of the show.

 

According to Dana White, UFC has scouted top Flyweight prospects all over the world for the show. "The show will feature many high level fighters. You have kick boxing world champions, submission wrestling world champions, BJJ-black belts, world class Judo-fighters etc. It's a great mix of styles and personalities, just like TUF has always been. I believe this will be a great season of the show and I'm hyped about it, 100 perfect", said White. The 16 contestants for the season are:

 

Alder Schomp - 23 years old - National Judo

Amir Threatt - 28 years old - National Boxing

Antiere Terblanche - 26 years old - World Caliber Boxing

Bertie Carper - 26 years old - National Kick Boxing

Cesar Beaman - 26 years old - National Jiu Jitsu

Duane Sylvia - 24 years old - World Caliber Judo

Guthrie Heidtman - 26 years old - National Kick Boxing

Ilyas Forehand - 27 years old - National Wrestling

Jaymarion Woodley - 29 years old - National Wrestling

Kovan Falana - 25 years old - World Caliber Jiu Jitsu

Levon Theunissen - 26 years old - National Muay Thai

Mathew Haygood - 27 years old - World Caliber Sub Wrestling

Maximilian Hathaway - 27 years old - National Sub Wrestling

Oddmund Duus - 27 years old - National Wrestling

Ruaridh Griffen - 24 years old - National Taekwondo

Ryker Grainger - 23 years old - National Jiu Jitsu

 

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<p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><img src=https://i.imgur.com/eYAV0hw.jpg></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>WEEK 2 - MARCH 2020</strong></span></p><p><strong>

</strong><strong><span style="font-size:14px;">UFC Fight Night 170: Silva vs Shahbazyan - Preview</span></strong></p><p> </p><p>

<img src=https://i.imgur.com/vVsZfa5.jpg></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Anderson Silva: "I've got 3-4 more fights in me"</strong></span></p><p> </p><p>

The return of the Middleweight-GOAT Anderson Silva (34-10-1 NC) happens this Saturday against the 22-year old rising sensation Edmen Shahbazyan (11-0) in the capital of Silva's home nation Brazil. To step up in competition and face a fighter with the legacy of "The Spider" is something that can catapult a fighters career into stardom and the 22-year old is really looking forward to get his opportunity against one of the greats. "It's a big honor for me. Anderson is one of my idols, for sure. I've watched every fight of him and I know him very well, like everyone does. But I'm here to fulfill my destiny of becoming both the UFC Middleweight champion and becoming the greatest of all time and to accomplish these things I have to beat him", said Shahbazyan during the press conference leading up to the fight.</p><p> </p><p>

Anderson Silva is now 44-years old and many expect him to retire in the nearest future, perhaps even after this fight against Shahbazyan. But according to the Brazilian himself, he's not retiring anytime soon. "Look guys, I feel great. I really do. I feel like I'm in my early 30's and that's something you can't take for granted. If I feel great and can perform at the highest level, why would I quit? This is my life, I still have a lot left in me to aim for another title shot. It's a though road ahead but I have proven many times that I have what it takes. With this fight I see myself having 3-4 fights left in me. My perfect ending would be winning 3 fights in a row including this one and to finish my career getting a last title shot and retiring as the champ", said Silva during the same press conference.</p><p> </p><p>

In the co-main event of the Brazil-card, the unpredictable and charismatic Light Heavyweight-fighter Johnny Walker (17-4) is returning to the octagon after his latest defeat at the hands of Corey Anderson. He will face the young veteran Nikita Krylov (25-7), with twelve UFC-fights on his record, and many fans are eager to see if the prospect can bounce back and relight the fire after the hard loss to Anderson back at UFC 244. We also get to see a bout between two top ranked Flyweights when Jussier Formiga (23-6) takes on Brandon Moreno (16-5-1). The winner between those two will most likely get a title shot after the TUF 29 season is completed. </p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Main Event</strong></p><p>

Middleweight Bout: Anderson Silva vs. (#11) Edmen Shahbazyan</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Co-Main Event</strong></p><p>

Light Heavyweight Bout: (#9) Johnny Walker vs. (#13) Nikita Krylov</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Main Card</strong></p><p>

Welterweight Bout: Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Alexey Kunchenko</p><p> </p><p>

Women's Flyweight Bout: Paige VanZant vs. Amanda Ribas</p><p> </p><p>

Flyweight Bout: (#2) Jussier Formiga vs (#5) Brandon Moreno</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>ESPN+ Preliminary Card</strong></p><p>

Lightweight Bout: Alan Patrick vs. Nasrat Haqparast</p><p> </p><p>

Heavyweight Bout: Rodrigo Nascimento vs. Adam Wiezcorek</p><p> </p><p>

Middleweight Bout: Rodolfo Vieira vs. Andrew Sanchez</p><p> </p><p>

Women's Bantamweight Bout: Amanda Lemos vs. Tonya Evinger</p><p> </p><p>

Women's Flyweight Bout: Talia Santos vs. Isabella de Padua</p><p> </p><p>

</p></div><p></p><p></p>

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