UFC 2020 and Beyond - Continuing the Legacy

Pontarii · January 15, 2020

WEEK 2 - MARCH 2020

UFC News

Flyweight veteran Ian McCall comes out of retirement - new UFC-deal signed

The resurgence of the UFC Flyweight division continues. In the wake of the upcoming TUF-season airing it's first episode this Wednesday, another big news concerning the division was made official today and it’s a big one. One of the pioneers of the Flyweight division and former title challenger Ian ”Uncle Creepy” McCall (13-7-1) has announced that he’s returning to the octagon this year after a brief retirement. McCall, who was one of four fighters involved in the inaugural UFC Flyweight title crowning tournament, hasn’t fought in 2 years. The last image we saw of McCall was him being defeated against ONE Championship’s new Flyweight acquisition as well as former UFC title challenger Kyoji Horiguchi. The fight lasted only 9 seconds and directly after the devastating third loss in a row for "Uncle Creepy", he called it quits and left the sport entirely.

But it’s now official that the 35-year old is returning to both MMA and UFC. He announced the news himself on his Instagram, describing the latest changes made in the division as a motivating factor behind his return. ”It’s a great opportunity for me to go back to what I do best and that’s fighting. I genuinely believe that I’m the best 125-pounder in the world and I have the track record to prove it. My problem has always been bad luck and bad timing with injuries and such, but I’m 100 percent healthy and have been for the last year and a half. I’ve been to the gym and trained like a professional everyday since my retirement. With everything UFC is doing for the division now and with a possibility to once again face the likes of DJ [Demetrious Johnson] and Kyoji [Horiguchi] if the chance to do it arise, then it’s the perfect timing for me to return. I’m ready to show the world who Ian McCall is once again”, said McCall in his Instagram-post. With victories over the likes of top contender Jussier Formiga and UFC-veterans like Dustin Ortiz and Brad Pickett, the hope for another big run is high for Ian McCall. His return will happen later this year, but it’s still not announced who he’s facing.

Pontarii · January 15, 2020

WEEK 2 - MARCH 2020

UFC Fight Night 170: Silva vs. Shahbazyan

Attendance: 2,974

Gate: $614,131

Critical Rating: 70%

Commercial Rating: 83%

Main Event

Edmen Shahbazyan def. Anderson Silva by Knock Out (Kick) in 0:19 of Round 4

Co-Main Event

Johnny Walker def. Nikita Krylov by Unanimous Decision

Main Card

Alexey Kunchenko def. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos by TKO (Strikes) in 0:53 of Round 1

Paige VanZant def. Amanda Ribas by Split Decision

Jussier Formiga def. Brandon Moreno by Unanimous Decision

ESPN+ Preliminary Card

Nasrat Haqparast def. Alan Patrick by Unanimous Decision*

Adam Wieczorek def. Rodrigo Nascimento by Knock Out (Punch) in 4:59 of Round 1

Rodolfo Vieira def. Andrew Sanchez by Submission (Kneebar) in 1:26 of Round 3

Amanda Lemos def. Tonya Evinger by Submission (Kimura) in 3:02 of Round 1

Isabella de Padua def. Talia Santos by Unanimous Decision

*Alan Patrick failed his post-fight drug test due to TRT-usage. He's been released from the UFC.

Summary

The future facing the past was the headline for the UFC Fight Night 170: Silva vs. Shahbazyan-event when the most dominant Middleweight of all time in Anderson Silva faced the rising 22-year old prospect Edmen Shahbazyan at the Nilson Nelson Gymnasium in Brasilia, Brazil. Entering the bout as a slight favorite, Shahbazyan looked sharp in the first round while Silva was his old self with the taunting and with his unique fighting style which doesn't generate a lot of points on the scorecard but no one can minimize it's effectiveness. During the second round Silva started gaining more momentum with some high level striking but Shahbazyan stayed true to his game plan of keeping the distance and combining combinations with leg kicks as the finish touch. The second round also went in favor of Shahbazyan but the turning point in the fight came in the third round when Silva started working at a higher pace than before, which in turn made Shahbazyan more vulnerable. Silva had a near-victory moment when he knocked his opponent down, but his eagerness to finish the fight worked against him as Shahbazyan turned the momentum over. The fourth round was a short one but man, was it something special. Silva landed a clean right hook which dazzled Shahbazyan a bit, but missing his followed-up left cross was a devastating error for the Brazilian as it led to the ending of the fight. Shahbazyan countered with a jab and a brutal and powerful right head kick, similar to the one he knocked out Brad Tavares with at UFC 244. Not since Chris Weidman's first victory over the man they call "The Spider" had we seen the Brazilian get knocked out in such a convincing fashion. It was truly a great moment that most likely catapults the 22-year old Edmen Shahbazyan into stardom, especially with his now trademark way of knocking people out with head kicks. The question now is not if he gets a shot at a top 5-ranked opponent, the question is when he does. For Silva the KO was of course unexpected and tragic, but he vowed during the post-fight press conference to come back even stronger. During the rest of the card, we also saw important victories for both Johnny Walker and Paige VanZant, two so-called "hype trains" that got derailed but who's now looking to get back on track. Jussier Formiga established his place as a contender for Joseph Benavidez' Flyweight title with a dominating decision victory over Brandon Moreno while Tonya Evinger, the former title challenger and former Invicta Bantamweight Champion, lost for the fourth time in a row against Amanda Lemos. The loss resulted in her getting released from the company, together with Brazilian Alan Patrick who failed his post-fight drug test for TRT-usage.

Bonus Awards

Fight of the Night: Anderson Silva vs. Edmen Shahbazyan

Knockout of the Night: Edmen Shahbazyan

Submission of the Night: Rodolfo Vieira

<img src=https://i.imgur.com/e2zZfFB.jpg

Pontarii · January 15, 2020

WEEK 3 - MARCH 2020

UFC News

Breaking News: Anderson Silva suspended 2 years for second USADA Violation - UFC contract terminated

In some breaking news from the MMA world, UFC has announced that the former Middleweight champion and one of the all time greatest fighters Anderson "The Spider" Silva (34-11-1 NC) has failed his post-fight drug test after his 4th round loss to Edmen Shahbazyan last week. The news came as a surprise for many as Silva openly talked about "the lowest point of his life" when he discussed his first drug-related suspension following his fight against Nick Diaz back in 2015. Silva was also suspended another time in 2017 in his first USADA violation due to contaminated supplements which led to a year on the sideline. This time, after testing positive for PED's yet again, Silva is facing a two-year suspension which will most likely end his professional MMA career. It has definitely cost him his UFC-career, according to Dana White.

"Anderson is done. He screwed up big time and there's no excuse for this stuff. He has tarnished his legacy for good, it's both shocking and frustrating. All the great moments with him as champion is destroyed, it's ruined. I'm heartbroken and disappointed. If he wants to fight in other promotions where they don't give a shit about this stuff it's fine, I'm done with him", said White to news site TMZ.com when asked about the situation. UFC later confirmed on it's website that Anderson Silva has been released from his UFC contract with immediate affect, which ends his 14 year relationship with the company on an extremely sour note.

After the news broke, Anderson himself hosted a press conference in his native Brazil where he took the full blame. "I'm so sorry guys. I cannot express my sadness and disappointment enough for you today. I know what I did was wrong but I have to be a man and accept my fate. I did it and no one else. No tainted supplements, nothing like that. I did it. It's hard to look myself in the mirror knowing that I've let my family, my friends, my teammates, my fans, the UFC and myself down. I take full responsibility and blame for this and I understand that you're angry with me. You have all the right to criticize me as you should. I didn't fight this thing because I know what I did and I know it was a stupid mistake. I'm sorry", said a tearful Silva during the press conference.

It's still unclear whether or not Anderson will retire from MMA after this suspension, but if he doesn't - his career will continue elsewhere but UFC.

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Aldo vs. Sandhagen and Dos Anjos vs. Maia announced as upcoming UFC Fight Night-events

After the devastating news about Anderson Silva, it's time to shift focus to something positive and exciting and it's nothing better for UFC-fans than new events being announced officially. The company announced two new events for the upcoming months; UFC Fight Night 173: Aldo vs. Sandhagen and UFC Fight Night 174: dos Anjos vs. Maia.

UFC returns to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma for the first time since 2017 when Kevin Lee defeated Michael Chiesa in a controversial submission victory. The event will feature a Bantamweight bout between former UFC Featherweight champion José Aldo (28-6) and highly touted prospect Cory Sandhagen (12-1) in the main event. The Brazilian Aldo is making his second Bantamweight fight in the UFC after his razor sharp and questionable decision loss against former title challenger Marlon Moraes. Sandhagen on the other hand is making his 6th UFC-fight after lastly defeating top contender Raphael Assuncao back at UFC 241. Sandhagen is riding a 7-fight win streak and he's been open with his ambition to fight for the title this year. A Women's Strawweight bout between former champion Jessica Andrade (20-7) and number 5-ranked Nina Ansaroff (10-6).

UFC will also return to Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California for a Welterweight main event between the two Brazilian top contenders Rafael dos Anjos (30-12) and Demian Maia (28-9). The number 5-ranked dos Anjos is coming from a victory against Michael Chiesa at UFC Fight Night 166: Blaydes vs dos Santos-card earlier this year while Maia hasn't fought since defeating Ben Askren in Singapore last year. Both dos Anjos and Maia has been in the UFC for many years but they have never faced each other until now, which make the interesting stylistic fight between the pair even more exciting. The co-main event will feature the return of former Middleweight champion and California-native Luke Rockhold (16-5) against the Russian Omari Akhmedov (20-4-1) who sits in the number 15-rank in the division. Rockhold is returning to the Middleweight division after suffering a brutal KO-loss in his Light Heavyweight debut against Jan Blachowicz last year. According to rumors, Rockhold contemplated retirement after the defeat but has now announced his return back to the division he once ruled. The two main cards looks like this:

UFC Fight Night 173: Aldo vs. Sandhagen

Main Event

Bantamweight Bout: (#9) José Aldo vs. (#3) Cory Sandhagen

Co-Main Event

Women's Strawweight Bout: (#2) Jessica Andrade vs. (#5) Nina Ansaroff

Main Card

Heavyweight Bout: (#12) Blagoy Ivanov vs. (#13) Sergey Pavlovich

Lightweight Bout: Matt Wiman vs. Mark O'Madsen

Featherweight Bout: Hakeem Dawodu vs. Alex Caceres

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UFC Fight Night 174: dos Anjos vs. Maia

Main Event

Welterweight Bout: (#5) Rafael dos Anjos vs. (#6) Demian Maia

Co-Main Event

Middleweight Bout: Luke Rockhold vs. (#15) Omari Akhmedov

Main Card

Women's Bantamweight Bout: (#6) Ketlen Vieira vs. (#8) Yana Kunitskaya

Lightweight Bout: (#15) Beneil Dariush vs. Francisco Trinaldo

Women's Strawweight Bout: (#12) Randa Markos vs. (#10) Cynthia Calvillo

Pontarii · January 16, 2020

WEEK 3 - MARCH 2020

UFC Fight Night 171: Edwards vs. Woodley

Attendance: 15,761

Gate: $2,015,777

Critical Rating: 76%

Commercial Rating: 90%

Main Event

Leon Edwards def. Tyron Woodley by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 4:25 of Round 4

Co-Main Event

Jack Hermansson def. Derek Brunson by Unanimous Decision

Main Card

JoJo Calderwood def. Alexis Davis by Unanimous Decision

Marc Diakiese def. Steven Ray by Split Decision

Danny Roberts def. Nicolas Dalby by TKO (Strikes) in 3:29 of Round 1

ESPN+ Preliminary Card

Molly McCann def. Ji Yeon Kim by Knock Out (Punch) in 1.27 of Round 1

Darren Stewart def. Marvin Vettori by Knock Out (Punch) in 3:22 of Round 3

Themba Gorimbo def. Ryan Spann by TKO (Strikes) in 1:11 of Round 1*

Tom Aspinall def. Raphael Pessoa by Submission (Kimura) in 2:14 of Round 1

Chi Lewis-Parry def. Alexander Romanov by Unanimous Decision

*Originally Ryan Spann vs. Paul Craig. Themba Gorimbo replaced Paul Craig who pulled out of the fight due to injury.

Summary

Your new number one contender for Kamaru Usman's Welterweight title is officially Leon "Rocky" Edwards. During the anticipated main event against former champion Tyron Woodley, in the O2 Arena in London, England, Edwards showed off his impressive skill set when he controlled mostly of the fight until the finish late in the fourth round. Edwards kept Woodley guessing with his striking and stuffed several takedowns with a few exceptions, but Woodley wasn't far off in the exchanges. The finishing sequence happened when a visibly tired Woodley was being hurt on the feet and try to recover with a sloppy takedown which Edwards defended. He then proceeded to work Woodley on the ground to the point when he got his back and sinked in a Rear Naked Choke to defeat "The Chosen One" with 35 seconds left of the fourth round. Edwards talked with his infamous trademark calmness during the post-fight interview proclaiming that a championship showdown between himself and Usman as inevitable. Usman, who watched the fight from the front row, nodded to the camera after Edwards' call out and a future title bout is most certainly being discussed while the other contenders Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington is set to face each other down the line. When it will happen is still unclear but Edwards didn't get damaged as much in this fight so a nearby fight is a probability. In the co-main event, the Swede Jack Hermansson bounced back after his recent loss against fellow top Middleweight contender Jared Cannonier with a dominant display against Derek Brunson. Hermansson took home the decision victory and is eager to once again assert himself in the title picture. The event as a whole was a good one with some few expected results, like Molly McCanns victory over Ji Yeon Kim and a few unexpected results, like Danny Roberts defeating Nicolas Dalby, but nothing came close to the upset of Themba Gorimbo's victory against Ryan Spann in the Light Heavyweight division. Gorimbo, originally a Welterweight in the South African-promotion EFC, took the fight against Spann on 1-weeks notice when Spann's original opponent Paul Craig pulled out due to injuries. Gorimbo was a huge +750 betting underdog but rose to the occasion with a TKO-victory over the favorite Spann who was riding a 7-fight winning streak before the loss. Gorimbo's victory led to him signing with the UFC permanently and it has also garnered a lot of fan interest in him as a result. MMA is truly the most unpredictable sport in the world. As for Alexis Davis, the former Women's Bantamweight title contender, she was released from the company after her fourth consecutive loss.

Bonus Awards

Fight of the Night: Leon Edwards vs. Tyron Woodley

Knockout of the Night: Themba Gombino

Submission of the Night: Leon Edwards

Pontarii · January 16, 2020

WEEK 4 - MARCH 2020

UFC News

UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs Rozenstruik - Preview

Saturdays Heavyweight showdown between former title challenger Francis Ngannou (14-3) and rising, undefeated sensation Jairzinho Rozenstruik (10-0) is a big one, no pun intended. The Cameroonian Ngannou is on a big 3-fight win streak with victories over two former champions in Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez as well as over fellow top contender Curtis Blaydes. A victory against Rozenstruik will most likely guarantee him a shot at the title, and if the rumors are to believe it's going be against the winner between current champ Stipe Miocic and former champ Daniel Cormier in their trilogy fight. That fight hasn't been announced yet but everything is pointing to it at this moment. Jairzinho Rozenstruik on the other hand is a fairly new addition to the top tier of the Heavyweight division after defeating perennial contender Alistair Overeem in that controversial early stoppage in the 5th round last year. If he's to win against Ngannou, his rise will continue even more and a future number one contender fight against Curtis Blaydes is the most likely scenario in that case. Either way, the main event is shaping up to have serious implications on the division.

In the co-main event former UFC Bantamweight champion Cody Garbandt (11-3) is set to face the Brazilian Raphael Assuncao (27-7) with both fighters riding losing streaks. Garbrandt has lost three in a row, with two losses against the suspended T.J. Dillashaw as most notable, while Assuncao has two losses in row against top names Marlon Moraes and Cory Sandhagen. It's definitely an important fight for both fighters. Garbrandt has spoken publicly about wanting to have another shot at the title down the line, but he also admits being far off right now. "My goal is to reclaim my title and defend it. It's no question about it. I lost two times to the cheat Dillashaw and I lost to Munhoz in a fight I dominated. It's three losses that could go either way. I'm not minimizing the fact that I'm way off track for a title fight as of right now, but I genuinely believe that I'm taking back the title next year", said Garbrandt before the fight.

The rest of the card is a pretty solid one as well. The ever-so controversial Greg Hardy (5-2-1 NC) returns to the octagon against undefeated Heavyweight prospect and former Dana White's Tuesday Night Contenders-series contestant Yorgan de Castro (6-0) in a fight that looks promising for a knock out-fans out there. Khalil Rountree (8-4-1 NC) is perhaps making his final fight of his career when he faces Sam Alvey (33-13-1 NC)) and two Welterweight-sluggers in the veteran Matt Brown (22-16) and the durable Mike Perry (13-6) will also square of.

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Undefeated Bellator-prospect Joey Davis signs with the UFC

UFC has signed the Bellator-prospect and undefeated 26-year old Joey "Black Ice" Davis (8-0) to a multi-fight deal, first reported by ESPN-reporter Brett Okamoto. The news is surprising to many as Davis has been one of Bellator's top prospect and according to sources, they were very keen on keeping him but he ultimately rejected the option to stay in favor of his UFC-move. He lastly defeated E.J. Brooks last month and has looked really impressive in all his eight pro-fights. He's primary a wrestler with an impressive wrestling-college background at the highly regarded Notre Dame College in Ohio, but he also has a solid background in boxing. Davis himself expressed his joy and excitement with the signing during an interview with ESPN.

"It's a dream come true for me to sign with the biggest MMA-company in the world. UFC is the place to be and every fighter dreams of fighting here, and I'm no different. It's still early in my career so I've a tall mountain to climb before reaching the biggest fights, but I'm constantly improving and my undefeated record speaks for itself. I'm here to prove to everyone and myself that I'm one of the best fighters in the world. There's no better place to do that than the UFC. I think we're going to see many talented and skillful fighters coming here in the near future, and I'm happy to be one of the first to do it", said Davis during his phone-interview with ESPN's Brett Okamoto.

Davis is currently serving a medical suspension of 2 months and is currently ineligible to make his debut as of right now, but a couple of potential debut fights is on the horizon for the 26-year old.

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Pontarii · January 16, 2020

WEEK 4 - MARCH 2020

UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. Rozenstruik

Attendance: 4,437

Gate: $869,652

Critical Rating: 77%

Commercial Rating: 94%

Main Event

Francis Ngannou def. Jairzinho Rozenstruik by Unanimous Decision

Co-Main Event

Cody Garbrandt def. Raphael Assuncao by Unanimous Decision

Main Card

Greg Hardy def. Yorgan de Casto by Knock Out (Punch) in 3:24 of Round 1

Sam Alvey def. Khalil Rountree TKO (Strikes) in 3:34 of Round 2

Matt Brown def. Mike Perry by Knock Out (Punch) in 4:16 of Round 2

ESPN+ Preliminary Card

Todd Duffee def. Amir Aliakbari by Knock Out (Punch) in 3:07 of Round 1

Louis Smolka def. Davey Grant by Split Decision

Mizuki Inoue def. Tecia Torres by Knock Out (Kick) in 4:39 of Round 1

Devonte Smith def. Nad Narimani by TKO (Strikes) in 0:26 of Round 3

Tristan Connelly def. Philip Rowe by Submission (Kimura) in 2:49 of Round 1

Summary

The tension between Heavyweight top contenders Francis Ngannou and Jairzinho Rozenstruik was apparent during the entirety of the main event fight at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. It was clear for the viewers that both fighters was very tactical in their approach to the fight, neither one went all out for the knock out preferring instead to pick their shots patiently and calculating. The odds-on favorite Ngannou was the controlling fighter for the first four rounds with dynamic attacks and thoughtful combinations while Rozenstruik relied on his counter striking during these rounds. In the fifth and final round, the desperation in Rozenstruik started to appear and he became more aggressive knowing that he was well behind on the judges scorecards. He tried his best to knock out the Cameroonian with one big punch but Ngannou showed great awareness and defensive ability which makes a potential rematch against Stipe Miocic, or even a fight between Daniel Cormier even more interesting. It's obvious that Ngannou has learned from his losses and returned with a far better skill set and a whole new understanding of the game. That's perhaps the scariest thing of them all, knowing that he can both knock anyone out cold but also fight the tactic game. Cody Garbrandt also bounced back with a clear victory over the Brazilian gatekeeper of the Bantamweight division Raphael Assuncao. Every judge scored the bout 30-26 in favor of Garbrandt, which shows his dominance in the fight. During the post-fight interview, Garbrandt called out Marlon Moraes for a future fight which makes for an interesting spectacle. Greg Hardy knocked out Yorgan de Castro and continues his rise through the Heavyweight division to many fans disapproval while Khalil Rountree announced that he's unsure whether or not to retire after the loss to Sam Alvey in a fight he actually dominated before getting dropped. Rountree said during his post-fight interview that he's planning on taking a break from MMA for at least a year and when, or if, he returns is going to announce his future plans. Fight of the Night went to, as predicted, Matt Brown and Mike Perry for their brawl. Both fighters were almost knocked out a couple of times during their fantastic two round-war but eventually it was "The Immortal" Matt Brown who got the better of his opponent. After the event, UFC announced that they had released both Tecia Torres, who lost her fourth consecutive fight, and Davey Grant, who lost his fourth fight in five fights.

Bonus Awards

Fight of the Night: Matt Brown vs. Mike Perry

Knockout of the Night: Mizuki Inoue

Submission of the Night: Tristan Connelly

<img src=https://i.imgur.com/Db1KbT0.jpg

Pontarii · January 17, 2020

WEEK 1 - APRIL 2020

UFC News

UFC 250 announced - Jon Jones vs. Dominick Reyes main events the milestone event

Fight fans, get ready because the following breaking news is a juicy one. UFC announced today on social media that the highly anticipated Light Heavyweight title bout between the champion Jon Jones and the challenger Dominick Reyes will headline the UFC 250 milestone event in Las Vegas, Nevada. But that's not all, we've got a stacked card on our hands. Amanda Nunes will defend the UFC Women's Bantamweight title against the 25-year old Aspen Ladd in the co-main event, with many picking Ladd as the potential upset victor against the consensus female GOAT in MMA. Also on the card, we have an extremely interesting match-up between Middleweight top contenders Darren Till and Yoel Romero, as well as the return of the former UFC Bantamweight champion and fan favorite Dominick Cruz. He faces the dangerous knock-out artist and submission specialist Pedro Munhoz, who famously knocked out Cody Garbrandt in his latest victory. The final portion of the main card will feature another highly anticipated fight, this time between former UFC Strawweight champion Rose Namajunas and the dominant wrestler Tatiana Suarez. All in all, we have 2 current champions and 2 former champions as well as 2 current title contenders and 2 former title contenders on the main card. Stacked card indeed. And as the featured fight on the ESPN Preliminary Card, we have the Featherweight debut of Edson Barboza who faces another former title challenger in Cub Swanson. Also, highly touted Heavyweight prospect and training partner of one Francis Ngannou, Ciryl Gane is set to face number 10-ranked Shamil Abdurrakhimov. Very interesting and exciting indeed, just ask Dana White.

"This card is something special. It's kinda like an anniversary with this being UFC 250 and all, and we had to make it special for you guys. Jones vs. Reyes is back on now when Jon is fully healed up and ready to go, that's a great fight. Amanda will defend her title against Aspen Ladd, who has had a rocket career in the UFC as of late, that's also a great fight. Till vs. Romero I don't even have to tell you how exciting that match-up is, it's a dream fight for both guys. And to have "Dom" [Dominick Cruz] back is great, he's one of the greatest fighters of all time and he's ready to comeback permanently now after all his injuries, that's fantastic news for everyone involve but don't sleep on Munhoz, man. He knocked out Cody a while ago, he can finish anyone in the division. Plus, Rose vs. Tatiana. I mean come on, that's an amazing fight as well. All five fights could main event every card this year without a doubt. Just like the prelim fight between [Edson] Barboza and Cub [swanson] could main event a card. You're in for a treat, you guys", said Dana during the press conference announcing the event.

The card as a whole looks like this:

Main Event

Light Heavyweight Championship Bout: © Jon Jones vs. (#4) Dominick Reyes

Co-Main Event

Women's Bantamweight Championship Bout: © Amanda Nunes vs. (#3) Aspen Ladd

Main Card

Middleweight Bout: (#5) Darren Till vs. (#2) Yoel Romero

Bantamweight Bout: Dominick Cruz vs. (#7) Pedro Munhoz

Women's Strawweight Bout: (#1) Rose Namajunas vs. (#3) Tatiana Suarez

ESPN Preliminary Card

Featherweight Bout: Edson Barboza vs. (#15) Cub Swanson

Heavyweight Bout: (#14) Ciryl Gane vs. (#10) Shamil Abdurakhimov

Women's Strawweight Bout: Nadia Kassem vs. Loma Lookboonmee

ESPN+ Early Preliminary Card

Welterweight Bout: Sheldon Westcott vs. Mickey Gall

Women's Bantamweight Bout: Karol Rosa vs. Sarah Alpar

Middleweight Bout: Anthony Hernandez vs. Marcelo Guimares

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Raphael Assuncao suspended 1 year for USADA Violation - UFC contract terminated

Raphael Assuncao has been released from the UFC with immediate effect following his failed post-fight drug test after his loss against Cody Garbrandt at UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. Rozenstruik. The news was announced earlier today on the UFC website where it was stated that Assuncao has been tested positive for banned substances related to PED's. This is the second high profile doping suspension in 2 weeks for the company following the devastating news regarding Anderson Silva's failed drug test and ensuing 2-year suspension. According to ESPN-reporter Ariel Helwani, UFC told Assuncao that he was on the verge of being cut following his third straight loss but initially they were keen on giving him another chance because of his position in the rankings. But now, with the one year suspension taking place, the company opted to release him immediately instead. Assuncao commented on the situation during an interview with Ariel Helwani.

"I'm innocent Ariel. I have never knowingly taken anything of this kind of stuff and I'm as shocked and disappointed as everyone else. If not more. I have devoted my life to this sport and I have never cheated, nor would I ever cheat. This goes against all my belief in a clean and fair sport. I'm very disappointed in the UFC for releasing me, but I understand why they did it. I'm on a 3-fight losing streak and combined with this, it's not a good look for me but I promise you and everyone in the world that I didn't do this on purpose. It's got to be tainted supplements or something like that", said Assuncao after the announcement was made.

One person who was more angry than anyone else was Assuncao's former opponent Cody Garbrandt. "This is bullshit for real, this is total bullshit. First the cheating snake [T.J. Dillashaw] twice and now this clown [Raphael Assuncao]. It sucks big time. I'm so mad right now, but no cheaters can stop me from getting my hand raised", said Garbrandt on his Instagram following the news.

Pontarii · January 17, 2020

WEEK 2 - APRIL 2020

UFC News

UFC Fight Night 175: Yair Rodriguez vs. Zabit Magomedsharipov finally happening

As of today, UFC has officially announced two new Fight Night-cards taking place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and in Poland respectively, and the first one features a highly anticipated bout between two of the most promising fighters on the entire roster. Top ranked Featherweights Yair Rodriguez (13-2-1 NC) and Zabit Magomedsharipov (18-1) has been rumored to fight each other for a very, very long time. The fight was initially booked for UFC 228 back in 2018 but Yair pulled out three weeks before the fight, prompting negative critique from fans. It was once again planned to headline an event i Mexico a year later but the fight never came to fruition, until now.

The Bell Centre in Montreal will host the anticipated bout this June with the winner almost certainly getting the next title shot after the Volkanovski vs. Holloway-saga comes to an end. Both Yair and Zabit has openly talked about wanting to face each other to determine the true number one contender in the division. The Mexican Rodriguez has notable wins over the toughest opponents in the division like Jeremy Stephens, The Korean Zombie and the Lightweight Dan Hooker while Zabit also has a notable victory over Jeremy Stephens as well as against the tough Calvin Kattar. It's going to be a fun fight between two of the most entertaining fighters, not just in the Featherweight division but in the entire roster.

In the co-main event slot, another anticipated bout has been booked - the Lightweight fight between Kevin Lee (18-5) and Islam Makhachev (18-1). Both Lee and Makhachev has been calling out each other on social media for a while now and it's finally official that they'll square off. Lee has resurfaced in the division after handing the then undefeated top prospect Gregor Gillespie's first loss with a brutal head kick knockout while Makhachev has gained momentum with nice performances in the octagon. He famously grew up with the Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who defends his title against Tony Ferguson at the upcoming UFC 248-card in Brooklyn, New York, and he still trains with him to this day.

The rest of the UFC Fight Night 175: Yair vs. Zabit main card looks like this:

Main Event

Featherweight Bout: (#5) Yair Rodriguez vs. (#3) Zabit Magomedsharipov

Co-Main Event

Lightweight Bout: (#9) Kevin Lee vs. (#13) Islam Makhachev

Main Card

Light Heavyweight Bout: (#9) Aleksandar Rakic vs. (#11) Shogun Rua

Women's Bantamweight Bout: (#12) Bethe Correia vs. Sarah Moras

Lightweight Bout: Mateusz Gamrot vs. John Makdessi

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UFC Fight Night 176: Heavyweight clash between Volkov and Overeem main events when UFC returns to Poland

Two of the ground pillars in the Heavyweight division, the Russian former Bellator Heavyweight champion Alexander Volkov (31-7) and the Dutch former Strikforce Heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem (45-18-1 NC), will main event when UFC returns to European soil in Krakow, Poland. The fight between two of the best European fighters in the world, which was originally booked back in 2019 but was scrapped due to Volkov pulling out, is a big one for the specific market and will surely attract not only the Polish fans but the European fans close by. Overeem returns after the brutal KO-loss against Jairzinho Rozenstruik late last year in which he shattered his upper lip in gruesome fashion. Volkov on the other hand was originally booked to face Junior dos Santos in his latest fight but the Brazilian had to pull out due to injury. Instead, Volkov soundly defeated Greg Hardy in Russia.

The rest of the Poland-card is predominantly filled up with both Polish fighters and a lot of other European fighters. Ranked Middleweight contender Krzysztof Jotko will face the Brazilian Antonio Carlos Junior in the co-main event while Heavyweight legend Andrei Arlovski will face another Russian in Sergey Spivak. The card also features the return of Tom Duquesnoy in the prelim section of the card when he takes on the Canadian Aiemann Zahabi.

The UFC Fight Night 176: Volkov vs. Overeem main card looks like this:

Main Event

Heavyweight Bout: (#7) Alexander Volkov vs. (#9) Alistair Overeem

Co-Main Event

Middleweight Bout: Antonio Carlos Junior vs. (#15) Krzsysztof Jotko

Main Card

Heavyweight Bout: Andrei Arlovski vs. Sergey Spivak

Middleweight Bout: Karl Roberson vs. Oskar Piechota

Bantamweight Bout: (#12) Yadong Song vs. (#11) Rob Font

cecede123 · January 17, 2020

Great read as usual ! Looking forward to see if you're gonna use Charles Jourdain on the Montreal card since he has the potentiel to be the next Canadian Star with his recent KO of Doo Ho Choi !

Looking forward for the next cards !

Pontarii · January 18, 2020

Great read as usual ! Looking forward to see if you're gonna use Charles Jourdain on the Montreal card since he has the potentiel to be the next Canadian Star with his recent KO of Doo Ho Choi !

Looking forward for the next cards !

Thank you very much! Charles Jourdain is booked against Charles Rosa in the last prelim fight on the Quebec card, hopefully he's going to continue his form he showed against Choi.

I'm trying to book a number of hometown fighters on each card, just like Jourdain in Quebec. It's not always possible due to me booking multiple shows at once, but if it's possible I'm doing it. More realistic and more exciting for the fans, just how I intend to play

Pontarii · January 18, 2020

WEEK 2 - APRIL 2020

UFC Fight Night 172: Ponzinibbio vs. Thompson

Attendance: 6,020

Gate: $1,204,000

Critical Rating: 75%

Commercial Rating: 95%

Main Event

Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Stephen Thompson by Unanimous Decision

Co-Main Event

Gregor Gillespie def. James Vick by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 3:32 of Round 3

Main Card

Junior Albini def. Tai Tuivasa by TKO (Strikes) in 1:15 of Round 1

Johnny Eduardo def. Randy Costa by Unanimous Decision

Carla Esparza def. Marina Rodriguez by TKO (Strikes) in 2:32 of Round 1

ESPN+ Preliminary Card

Marcin Prachnio def. Aleksa Camur by TKO (Strikes) in 3:44 of Round 1

Brok Weaver def. Jessin Ayari by Knock Out (Punch) in 1:41 of Round 1

Tracy Cortez def. Ashlee Evans-Smith by Split Decision

Tyson Nam def. Martin Day by Unanimous Decision

Julian Marquez def. Andre Muniz by Unanimous Decision

Summary

UFC Fight Night 172 featured an interesting Welterweight main event bout between the returning Argentinian Santiago Ponzinibbio and the always entertaining and flashy Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson. Questions about Ponzinibbio's status and form following his many injuries was many but after the 5 rounds, many of them were answered. The Argentinian took control over the fight and neutralized Thompsons patient offence with high pressure and a formidable ground game. According to two of three judges, Ponzinibbio won every round of the fight. It was like he never left, and the possibilities for him rising through the stacked Welterweight division is very, very interesting. Put him against any of the 9 fighters from Usman in the title spot down to Robbie Lawler in the ninth spot and you've got one hell of a fight. Hopefully the 33-year old can stay fit and healthy to further climb the rankings in his hunt for gold. For "Wonderboy", this was yet another let down just like the one against Anthony Pettis last year. He's proven that he's better than everyone under him in the rankings, with his dominant showing against Vicente Luque to prove it, but he's struggling against the fighters above him. Perhaps a move up to Middleweight would be a good choice for the now 37-year old. In the co-main event slot, we saw former undefeated prospect Gregor Gillespie redeem himself after his tough loss against Kevin Lee with a dominant performance over James Vick. Even though the fight lasted three rounds, it was never any doubt that Gillespie was the better fighter in every aspect of the game which he showed when he choked out Vick with the Rear Naked Choke. For Vick, the defeat was not the only bad news as he was released from his contract after the fight following his fifth straight loss - something he openly admitted he knew was going to happen before the fight. It was also bad news for Tai Tuivasa, the former hyped heavyweight from Australia, who lost his fourth fight in a row against the Brazilian Junior Albini which also resulted in him being released from the company. German welterweight Jessin Ayari, who lost his third in a row, and Ashlee Evans-Smith, who lost her fourth fight in five bouts, was also released from their contracts following their losses. But, to end on a positive note, the fight between Johnny Eduardo and Randy Costa was deemed fantastic and the fans loved every second of the third round war between the two bantamweights.

Bonus Awards

Fight of the Night: Johnny Eduardo vs. Randy Costa

Knockout of the Night: Brok Weaver

Submission of the Night: Gregor Gillespie

<img src=https://i.imgur.com/c7QhoLT.jpg

Pontarii · January 18, 2020

WEEK 3 - APRIL 2020

UFC 249: Khabib vs. Ferguson - Preview

Dan Hardy: "Khabib vs. Tony is the biggest fight in Lightweight history"

It's almost time for the most anticipated fight in the entirety of the modern day UFC when undefeated Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov (28-0) takes on his biggest threat yet in Tony Ferguson (25-3). UFC fans all around the world has looked forward to this fight for years and just the thought of watching the division's most dominant fighter against the hyper-dangerous and unorthodox "El Cucuy" who's riding an unbelievable 12-fight winning streak is enough to get the fans going, especially after it getting canceled and postponed so many, many times. If nothing unusual happens, which is a big possibility considering that the unusual Tony Ferguson is in the picture, the fight will take place this Saturday in the sold out Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

The fighters hasn't slowed down the trash talk between them either. Ferguson has verbally accused Khabib of being a cheater and an unprofessional fighter while Khabib claims that Tony is not "100% alright in the head", referring to the rumors about Tony having mental issues after getting a restraint order filed against him by his own wife. There's absolutely bad blood between the two and the rivalry will get settled for the moment this Saturday. Will it be the 29th career victory for Khabib or will Tony be the new Lightweight champion with his 13th straight victory?

During the popular preview show "Inside the Octagon", UFC expert and former Welterweight title challenger Dan Hardy named this fight as the biggest fight in the history of the Lightweight division. "For me, it's as big as it gets. The biggest until now for me is Conor [McGregor] vs. Khabib [Nurmagomedov. Conor vs. Eddie [Alvarez] was big, Frankie [Edgar] vs. [Gray] Maynard II likewise as well as B.J. Penns title fights but this is bigger than those fights. Khabib vs. Tony has all the tools of being both the biggest and the best Lightweight fight in history. It's the dream fight of all dream fights", said Hardy during the show.

Another firecracker of a fight is the co-main event where a rematch between the two Lightweight contenders Justin Gaethje (21-2) and Dustin Poirier (25-6) will compete for the chance at taking on the winner of the title fight. Poirier famously won the first fight between the two in a great bout, but he's not facing the same reckless opponent. Instead, Gaethje has looked better than ever with a more strategic and calculating way of fighting without losing the unpredictable side of his game plan. It's going to be one hell of a fight and one that most certain will be a Fight of the Night-contender.

The rest of the card looks like this:

UFC 249: Khabib vs. Ferguson

Date: April 18, 2020

Venue: Barclays Center, New York

Main Event

Lightweight Championship Bout: © Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. (#1) Tony Ferguson

Co-Main Event

Lightweight Bout: (#2) Dustin Poirier vs. (#3) Justin Gaethje

Main Card

Middleweight Bout: (#9) Jacaré Souza vs. (#11) Uriah Hall

Women's Bantamweight Bout: (#10) Marion Reneau vs (#6) Julianna Peña

Lightweight Bout: (#11) Al Iaquinta vs (#12) Charles Oliveira

ESPN Preliminary Card

Light Heavyweight Bout: (#10) Misha Cirkunov vs. (#11) Ovince St. Preux

Welterweight Bout: Dwight Grant vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan

Women's Flyweight Bout: Rin Nakai vs. Maryna Moroz

ESPN+ Early Preliminary Card

Lightweight Bout: Desmond Green vs. Roman Bogatov

Welterweight Bout: Sean Strickland vs. Lyman Good

Martel123 · January 18, 2020

UFC 249: Khabib vs. Ferguson

Date: April 18, 2020

Venue: Barclays Center, New York

Main Event

Lightweight Championship Bout: © Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. (#1) Tony Ferguson

Co-Main Event

Lightweight Bout: (#2) Dustin Poirier vs. (#3) Justin Gaethje

Main Card

Middleweight Bout: (#9) Jacaré Souza vs. (#11) Uriah Hall

Women's Bantamweight Bout: (#10) Marion Reneau vs (#6) Julianna Peña

Lightweight Bout: (#11) Al Iaquinta vs (#12) Charles Oliveira

ESPN Preliminary Card

Light Heavyweight Bout: (#10) Misha Cirkunov vs. (#11) Ovince St. Preux

Welterweight Bout: Dwight Grant vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan

Women's Flyweight Bout: Rin Nakai vs. Maryna Moroz

ESPN+ Early Preliminary Card

Lightweight Bout: Desmond Green vs. Roman Bogatov

Welterweight Bout: Sean Strickland vs. Lyman Good

Pontarii · January 18, 2020

WEEK 3 - APRIL 2020

TUF 29: Team Masvidal vs. Team Covington

Round 1 - The Journey Begins

The show kicks off with the coaches Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington, together with UFC president Dana White, arriving at the UFC gym. Both coaches starts the verbal assault on each other but White reminds them that they're here for the competitors. The fighters arrive and some of them are introduced via confessionals, the video package highlights the fighters high-level backgrounds in the various fighting styles. White welcomes the fighters and announce that there's big money involved in this season with every fight finish resulting in $5,000 bonus while the Knockout of the Season and Submission of the Season as well for the Fight of the Season will result in $25,000 bonuses. After analyzing the qualification fights and the fighter evaluations, Dana flipped the coin for the choice of either picking the first fighter or the first bout. Colby won the coin flip and chose the option of picking the first fighter. In a strategic move to avoid Masvidal getting the world caliber boxer, Colby picked the Nigerian Antiere Terblanche as his first pick. Jorge went for a similar strategy when he picked Mathew Haygood, a world caliber submission wrestler, as his first pick. Masvidal picked his fourth pick and the eight pick total Levon Theunissen, with a national Muay Thai background, against Covington's last pick Guthrie Heidtman hoping for a big knock out early.

Team Covington

#1 Pick: Antiere Terblanche

#3 Pick: Duane Sylvia

#5 Pick: Jamarion Woodley

#7 Pick: Cesar Beaman

#9 Pick: Amir Threatt

#11 Pick: Bertie Carper

#13 Pick: Alder Schomp

#15 Pick: Guthrie Heidtman

Team Masvidal

#2 Pick: Mathew Haygood

#4 Pick: Kovan Falana

#6 Pick: Maximilian Hathaway

#8 Pick: Levon Theunissen

#10 Pick: Ilyas Forehand

#12 Pick: Oddmund Duus

#14 Pick: Ruaridh Griffen

#16 Pick: Ryker Grainger

Week 1 - Levon Theunissen def. Guthrie Heidtman by Knock Out (Knee)

- Masvidal's strategy of choosing the #8 pick Levon Theunissen to face the #15 pick Guthrie Heidtman worked in his favor. The 26-year old South African won via a knee knock out in the second round which got the other fighters hyped up.

With the first victory of the season, Masvidal's team celebrated big and the coach began his taunting of the opposition's coach Colvington. A verbal fight broke out between the coaches and they had to be separated. Still in control of picking the fights, Team Masvidal picked their first pick Mathew Haygood against Covington's fifth pick Amir Threatt, with a background in boxing on national level.

Week 2 - Mathew Haygood def. Amir Threatt by Submission (Rear Naked Choke)

- Another victory for Team Masvidal when the world caliber submission wrestler Mathew Haygood submitted Amir Threatt with a Rear Naked Choke in the first round. Haygood looked really dominant out there, looking like a potential winner of the entire show.

Even though Haygood won and was the center of this episode, the star of the show is turning out to be Maximilian Hathaway of Team Masvidal. He's showing how entertaining he can be, similar to Forrest Griffin when he was in TUF. Masvidal had control over the fights and picked his second pick Kovan Falana to fight Covington's seventh pick Alder Schomp.

Week 3 - Kovan Falana def. Alder Schomp by Unanimous Decision

- The 25-year old BJJ-black belt Kovan Falana controlled the fight against the Judo practitioner Alder Schomp and took home Unanimous Decision victory advancing to the quarter-finals. This was Team Masvidal's third straight win.

With tensions rising for every episode, Covington was visibly angry and upset over his team's performance. He gathered his team during practice to scold them claiming that they didn't show enough passion. Masvidal continued laughing at Covington's coaching saying that this is the easiest fight in his life. Picking the fourth fight in a row, Masvidal picked Ilyas Forehand to face Jaymarion Woodley in a wrestler vs wrestler match.

Week 4 - Ilyas Forehand def. Jaymarion Woodley by Unanimous Decision

- In the most lackluster fight so far, the two wrestlers won each round which prompted a sudden death round. Ilyas Forehand of Team Masvidal did enough to get the Unanimous Decision, much to the delight of coach Masvidal.

This was the final straw for Covington as he rushed the octagon to confront Masvidal after the fight. Both team also rushed into the octagon to stop the ensuing fight, where both coaches landed a shot on each other. Dana White threatened them to fire them both from the show and cancelling their future fight. Team Masvidal controlled the fifth fight picking their last pick Ryker Grainger to face Covington's first pick Antiere Terblanche. Masvidal explained the choice as a way to embarrass Covington when his last pick defeats the opposition's first pick.

Week 5 - Antiere Terblanche def. Ryker Grainger by Unanimous Decision

- Finally a victory for Colby's team when the Nigerian boxer Terblanche dominated the Jiu Jitsu-fighter Grainger to win the judges decision. Perhaps Masvidal let emotions get the better of him with this match up.

Relief and happiness for Team Covington with their first win of the season. Masvidal played it off as being a fluke victory, but Covington reassured him that there's nothing fluky about him or his team. With the chance to bounce back after a though loss, Covington picked his fourth choice Cesar Beaman to face Masvidal's seventh pick Ruaridh Griffen.

Week 6 - Cesar Beaman def. Ruaridh Griffen by Unanimous Decision

- It turned out to be a good choice for Team Covington as the Jiu Jitsu-practitioner Beaman worked the Taekwondo-fighter Griffen to win a clear decision victory.

Back at the house, we saw a rivalry taking form when the big showman of the season so far Maximilian Hathaway almost came to blows with Team Covington's Duane Sylvia. Both fighters pleaded to their respective coaches to face each other. With Team Covington in control of the fights, Sylvia got his wish granted as he faces Hathaway this week.

Week 7 - Duane Sylvia def. Maximilian Hathaway by Knock Out (Elbow)

- Sylvia, the world caliber Judo-fighter, used his great takedowns to put Hathaway on his back. While on top, Sylvia unleashed powerful elbows to the submission wrestler. The last elbow landed perfectly, knocking Hathaway out cold and putting Sylvia as one of the favorites to win the entire show.

The other fighters were stunned after the elbow knock out and Sylvia's status in the house was automatically raised after the fight. Hathaway brushed of the loss and continued his entertaining ways. With one fight left in the first round, a lot of pressure was put on the two last remaining fighters Bertie Carper of Team Covington and Oddmund Duus of Team Masvidal to get their respective team in a controlling position in the first quarter-final round.

Week 8 - Bertie Carper def. Oddmund Duus by Knock Out (Kick)

- It was the kick boxer Carper who won the last fight in the first round when he defeated the Danish wrestler and team mate of current UFC fighter Mark O. Madsen with a head kick in round 2. This means that Team Covington has control over the first quarter-final fight.

Pontarii · January 19, 2020

WEEK 3 - APRIL 2020

UFC 249: Khabib vs. Ferguson

Attendance: 19,147

Gate: $4,717,821

Critical Rating: 76%

Commercial Rating: 100%

Main Event

Khabib Nurmagomedov def. Tony Ferguson by Unanimous Decision to retain the UFC Lightweight title

Co-Main Event

Justin Gaethje def. Dustin Poirier by Split Decision

Main Card

Jacaré Souza def. Uriah Hall by Split Decision

Marion Reneau def. Julianna Peña by Submission (Guillotine) in 1:48 of Round 3

Charles Oliveira def. Al Iaquinta by Submission (Guillotine) in 2:22 of Round 1

ESPN Preliminary Card

Misha Cirkunov def. Ovince St. Preux by Submission (Armbar) in 1:48 of Round 2

Abdul Razak Alhassan def. Dwight Grant by Knock Out (Punch) in 3:13 of Round 1

Maryna Moroz def. Rin Nakai by Unanimous Decision

ESPN+ Early Preliminary Card

Desmond Green def. Roman Bogatov by Unanimous Decision

Sean Strickland def. Lyman Good by Split Decision

Summary

The hype was immeasurable beforehand when two of the most popular and skilled fighters not only in the Lightweight division but in the entire roster finally squared off in Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson. The deafening sound of exciting cheers when both fighters walked out was huge, would the fight live up to the expectations or would it fall flat? During the first round, we saw the fight going the way most, if not all, Khabib fights does with him putting a lot of pressure on his opponent with constant takedowns and crushing strikes on the ground. Ferguson defended well though with some nice work from his back, but not enough. The second and third round was similar to that with Khabib controlling and almost dominating Ferguson, with a few exceptions of good strikes on the feet by "El Cucuy". The fourth round was Ferguson's best one with him almost submitting the champion Khabib with a triangle choke but the Dagestani wrestler pushed through the attempt and continued controlling both the fourth and fifth round totally. When the final horn sounded it was obvious that Khabib had won all five rounds comfortably. He thanked everyone for the support and praised his opponent Ferguson for a tough fight, before saying he will face Justin Gaethje next after his great Split Decision victory over Dustin Poirier earlier in the evening. When asked about whether or not Conor McGregor would get a rematch, he quickly shot down the question saying "he doesn't deserve anything before winning against a top 5-contender in the division". In the other fights on the main card, the veteran Ronaldo "Jacaré" Souza earned a hard fought Split Decision victory over the flashy Uriah Hall while both Marion Reneau and Charles Oliveira earned upset submission victories via guillotines over their respective opponents Julianna Peña and Al Iaquinta. During the Prelims and Early Prelims we sav Abdul Razak Alhassan knocked out Dwight Grant while Misha Cirkunov defeated Ovince St. Preux via submission. It was a though return for Rin Nakai losing against Maryna Moroz but she showed determination and heart, so we'll see her again soon. All in all, the card was a good one with both highs and lows but as expected the hype level didn't match the entertainment quality for the casual fan.

Bonus Awards

Fight of the Night: Justin Gaethje vs. Dustin Poirier

Knockout of the Night: Abdul Razak Alhassan

Submission of the Night: Charles Oliveira

<img src=https://i.imgur.com/UUUn4v2.jpg

Martel123: 3 out 10 correct picks

boydy · January 19, 2020

Awesome diary Ponterli, you inspired me to play WMMA again as UFC.

I didn't even know you could ask fighters to come out of retirement.

I managed to get GSP, Ronda Rousey, Anthony Johnson and Forrest Griffin amongst others out fo retirement.

Keep up the good work in your diary as I am enjoy reading them.

Pontarii · January 19, 2020

WEEK 4 - APRIL 2020

UFC News

UFC 251: Trilogy fight between Miocic and Cormier official when UFC returns to Mississippi

The rumors about the third Heavyweight fight between current champion Stipe Miocic (19-3) and the former champion Daniel Cormier (22-2-1NC) has loomed large for a while now, and as of today the bout has finally been made official. In two months from now, at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi, the Heavyweight championship-saga between Stipe and "DC" will finally come to a conclusive end. Having won the first encounter in a quick fashion and almost dominating the second fight before getting stopped by Miocic, the former champ Cormier opens up as a -150 favorite while the current champ is a slight betting underdog with +150.

In the co-main event slot, we will get another chance of seeing the anticipated Featherweight bout between The Korean Zombie (16-5) and Brian Ortega (14-1-1NC). The pair was originally scheduled for the South Korea-card back last year but a severe knee injury made Ortega pull out of the fight. He was eventually replaced by Frankie Edgar who got knocked out in the first round. Ortega is now back from the injury and is focused on first beating the durable Korean Zombie before getting another shot at the Featherweight title. "That's my goal. I'm going to be a champion, either this year or 2021. It's a big goal and a though one, but I'm confident in my abilities", said Ortega during an interview with ESPN-reporter Brett Okamoto.

The rest of the UFC 251: Miocic vs. Cormier main card looks like this:

Main Event

Heavyweight Championship Bout: © Stipe Miocic vs. (#1) Daniel Cormier

Co-Main Event

Featherweight Bout: (#4) The Korean Zombie vs. (#2) Brian Ortega

Main Card

Welterweight Bout: (#12) Neil Magny vs. (#14) Gilbert Burns

Women's Bantamweight Bout: (#2) Germaine de Randamie vs. (#4) Irene Aldana

Featherweight Bout: (#8) Jeremy Stephens vs. Al Iaquinta*

*Originally Jeremy Stephens vs. Calvin Kattar but Kattar pulled out due to injuries. Al Iaquinta stepped up and is moving down a division to take the fight on short-notice.

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Ronaldo "Jacaré" Souza suspended 1 year for USADA Violation

The problem regarding top ranked Brazilian fighters and USADA violations continue for UFC. First Anderson Silva, last Raphael Assuncao and now the number 9-ranked Middleweight Ronaldo "Jacaré" Souza. The popular grappler has been found guilty of TRT-usage following his Split Decision victory over Uriah Hall at UFC 249, a result that has now been overturned to a No Contest instead. News about the failed post-fight drug test was announced today and USADA announced on its website that the Brazilian has been suspended for a year starting, he will be eligible once again i April 2021.

"Jacaré" himself was very upset over the suspension and findings, claiming he would never cheat and that he would never do anything like this knowingly. According to him, the tests are either wrong or something along those line. "I can't explain why this has happened, I don't know why. I'm a clean fighter and I hate cheaters and cheating, so for me to be labeled as a cheater is the worst thing that has ever happened to me. It's not right, I'm innocent and I will prove it together with my team and family. No matter how much money it will cost me, I will prove my innocence", said "Jacaré" in a press release following the news.

According to sources, UFC will not release him from his contract like they did with Assuncao and Silva. The reasoning behind this is still unclear, but maybe it indicates that the company believes the Brazilian's story.

Pontarii · January 20, 2020

WEEK 1 - MAY 2020

UFC News

Nick Diaz: "I'm fighting in the UFC in 2020"

Stockton 209, do we got some big news for you! After years of speculations, rumors and hopes it's finally official: Nick Diaz is returning to MMA and to the UFC after a five year layoff. The former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion and WEC Welterweight Champion hasn't fought since 2015 when his initially loss to Anderson Silva was overturned to a No Contest following Silva's failed post-fight drug test, but he's always been very popular as well as controversial in the world of Mixed Martial Arts.

Nick Diaz (26-9-2NC) started his UFC-career way back in 2003 when he debuted against Jeremy Jackson in their trilogy fight, winning via an Armbar submission. After that he fought a young and inexperienced Robbie Lawler knocking him out, but the good start was followed up with a mixed result of wins and losses. During his first stint with the company, he racked up a 4-4 record losing three straight to big names like Diego Sanchez, Joe Riggs and Sean Sherk. This led to him being released by the company, but he returned for a few winning fights against Josh Neer and Gleison Tibau. The return was short lived however as he opted to sign with Pride instead. While in Pride he only fought once, but the fight was one of the best fights in the history of the sport as he submitted Takanori Gomi. The victory was eventually overturned to a No Contest after he tested positive for marijuana.

After some stints in EliteXC, DREAM and most notably Strikeforce, Diaz eventually returned to the UFC in a victory over fellow legend B.J. Penn. Following the victory over Penn, Diaz was involved in two title fights against both Carlos Condit and Georges St-Pierre losing to decision both times. He's always been a popular figure among fans and ever since his fight against Anderson Silva, every MMA-fan has been waiting hopefully and patiently for the long-awaited return. And now, after a breaking news-interview on the Ariel Helwani's MMA Show, he officially announced that he indeed will fight in the UFC this year.

"The cat's out of the bag, Ariel. I've just signed the contract. I will return to the UFC this year and I will fight one of the best Welterweights in the world when I do return. I'm not allowed to say who it is yet but trust me, it's a big fight for everyone. Keep your eyes peeled homie", said Diaz during the interview. When asked about if he will give up smoking marijuana now that he's back in the UFC, he simply stated "not in a million years. People have always said that marijuana will ruin my career. On the contrary, my fight career is getting in the way of my marijuana smoking. It's all about priorities man".

With the UFC rumored to Japan this fall, perhaps no fighter is better equipped to headline the card than the legendary Nick Diaz.

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José Aldo: "Title fight guaranteed with win over Sandhagen"

This Saturday, one of the best fighters in the history of the UFC as well as the former Featherweight champion, José Aldo (28-6) returns to the octagon when he faces Cory Sandhagen (12-1) in his second Bantamweight fight ever. The fight, taking place at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a major one regarding the title contention on the competitive division and if Aldo is to be believed, he's been guaranteed a title shot if he wins.

"UFC has guaranteed me a title shot against [Henry] Cejudo when I win this Saturday against [Cory] Sandhagen. It's not strange at all considering I've been the Featherweight champion for a long, long time and as everybody know I beat Marlon Moraes last fight. I don't care what the incompetent judges said, everyone knows I won that fight. Dana White admitted it after the fight as well, I won that fight and I will win this fight. Just like I will win the fight against Cejudo and bring home the belt to Brazil once again", said Aldo during the Ariel Helwani's MMA Show.

The rest of the main card features some interesting fights as well. Former Women's Strawweight champion Jessica Andrade returns after losing her title to Weili Zhang last year when she faces Nina Ansaroff in the co-main event. Ranked Heavyweights Blagoy Ivanov and Sergey Pavlovich will square of and the winner will certainly get a high profile fight next considering the landscape of the division. We also see the hyped Danish Olympic wrestler Mark O. Madsen returning to the octagon. He takes on the veteran Matt Wiman in a Lightweight bout. Last but not least, another veteran in Alex Caceres will face the powerful kick boxer Hakeem Dawodu. That fight oozes of potential fight of the night-caliber.

The main card of UFC Fight Night 173: Aldo vs. Sandhagen looks like this:

Main Event

Bantamweight Bout: (#9) José Aldo vs. (#4) Cory Sandhagen

Co-Main Event

Women's Strawweight Bout: (#2) Jessica Andrade vs. (#5) Nina Ansaroff

Main Card

Heavyweight Bout: (#12) Blagoy Ivanov vs. (#13) Sergey Pavlovich

Lightweight Bout: Matt Wiman vs. Mark O. Madsen

Featherweight Bout: Hakeem Dawodu vs. Alex Caceres

</div>

Martel123 · January 21, 2020

Bantamweight Bout: (#9) José Aldo vs. (#4) Cory Sandhagen

Co-Main Event

Women's Strawweight Bout: (#2) Jessica Andrade vs. (#5) Nina Ansaroff

Main Card

Heavyweight Bout: (#12) Blagoy Ivanov vs. (#13) Sergey Pavlovich

Lightweight Bout: Matt Wiman vs. Mark O. Madsen

Featherweight Bout: Hakeem Dawodu vs. Alex Caceres

Pontarii · January 21, 2020

WEEK 2 - MAY 2020

UFC Fight Night 173: Aldo vs. Sandhagen

Attendance: 6,633

Gate: $1,326,000

Critical Rating: 75%

Commercial Rating: 95%

Main Event

José Aldo def. Cory Sandhagen by Knock Out (Knee) in 2:10 of Round 1

Co-Main Event

Jessica Andrade def. Nina Ansaroff by Unanimous Decision

Main Card

Sergey Pavlovich def. Blagoy Ivanov by Unanimous Decision

Mark O. Madsen def. Matt Wiman by Unanimous Decision

Hakeem Dawodu def. Alex Caceres by Unanimous Decision

ESPN+ Preliminary Card

Tony Martin def. Tim Means by Knock Out (Kick) in 0:41 of Round 3

Melinda Fabian def. Miranda Granger by TKO (Strikes) in 4:14 of Round 2

Dusko Todorovic def. Wellington Truman by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:34 of Round 2

Peter Sobotta def. Chance Rencountre by TKO (Strikes) in 0:41 of Round 2

J.P. Buys def. Benito Lopez by Unanimous Decision

Summary

A solid night in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma finished with a stunning knee knock out by the illustrious José Aldo in the first round of his second ever Bantamweight bout against fellow top contender Cory Sandhagen. Aldo looked like one of his best versions, putting intense pressure on the much taller Sandhagen. 2 minutes and 10 seconds in the fight, Sandhagen went for a takedown which Aldo calculated with a devastating knee to the face knocking him completely out cold. The victory, which Aldo has claimed guarantees him a title fight against Henry Cejudo, was a big one and Aldo celebrated with passion and desire to once again fight for a title in the UFC. During his post-fight interview, he also payed respect to Anderson Silva who according to sources has decided to retire from MMA following his recent 2-year drug suspension. If Aldo gets his title shot up next or not is still unclear but considering that the other top contenders Petr Yan and Marlon Moraes is rumored to headline the upcoming Russia card, it's not unlikely. Another former champion who went home victorious this evening is Jessica Andrade. She defeated Nina Ansaroff in a dominant decision victory and spoke openly about her title loss against Weili Zhang, claiming that she was injured heading into the fight and that a rematch would look very different. The rest of the main card ended in identical fashion with Unanimous Decision through and through. It was also a notable victory for South African-fighter J.P. Buys in his UFC debut defeating Benito Lopez with a Unanimous Decision. The future looks bright for the 25-year old which is a good turnaround after his loss against Joby Sanchez in the Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender-series back in 2017.

Bonus Awards

Fight of the Night: Hakeem Dawodu

Knockout of the Night: José Aldo

Submission of the Night: Dusko Todorovic

<img src=https://i.imgur.com/nlCw58n.jpg

Martel123: 4 out 5 correct picks

Pontarii · January 21, 2020

WEEK 3 - MAY 2020

UFC News

Calvin Kattar sidelined for 1 year following groin injury

It's been a though couple of weeks for the number 11-ranked Featherweight fighter Calvin Kattar. Preparing for a big fight on the UFC 251 card against the hard-hitting Jeremy Stephens, Kattar injured himself and had to pull out of the fight being replaced by the Lightweight Al Iaquinta. At first, the injury didn't look as severe but following his recent medical check-up it was found that the groin injury requires surgery. The procedure means that Kattar, who last fought Zabit Magomedsharipov in an impressive decision loss, will be sidelined for over a year.

"Sadly it's true. The injury is much more severe than we first thought and the timeline I've been given for a potential return is around one year from now. It's a hard pill to swallow. I've felt that my performance recently had garnered some steam and being matched up with a true UFC veteran and ranked fighter in Jeremy Stephens was proof of me doing something right and then this happens. But it is what it is, I will come back even stronger. Mark my words", said Kattar during an interview with ESPN-reporter Marc Raimondi

As previous mentioned, the Lightweight veteran Al Iaquinta has stepped up to replace Calvin Kattar in the first main card-fight of UFC 251 in June against Jeremy Stephens. It's a quick turnaround following Iaquinta's recent loss against Charles Oliveira last month losing via a guillotine early in the first round. The New York-native Iaquinta has talked openly about a potential move to the Featherweight division after not being able to crack the absolute top level of the shark tank that is the Lightweight division. It's still unclear whether or not this will be a permanent move down for the former title challenger or not, but it's certainly an interesting one.

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UFC Fight Night 177: Santos vs. Özdemir announced

UFC is looking to expand their market in the United States, and one way of doing this is to host events in states that hasn't hosted events before or in a long time. Dana White has spoken publicly about wanting to widen the american UFC fan base with new and exciting events in not the standard places with states like Hawaii and Arkansas being rumored to host their first UFC-events in the upcoming future. One state that has hosted UFC-events before is Alabama but not since 1999 has the worlds leading Mixed Martial Arts organization hosted an event in The Cotton State. At least until now.

Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama will host the upcoming UFC Fight Night 177 where the former Light Heavyweight title contender Thiago Santos (21-7) faces the top ranked Volkan Özdemir (17-4) in the main event. The bout has serious implications for the Light Heavyweight division as there's a lack of proper challengers for the undisputed champion Jon Jones' title. A victory of either Santos or Özdemir would probably result in a title fight, or at least a title eliminator fight down the line against either Anthony Smith or Jan Blachowicz.

In the co-main event of the Birmingham-card, the former Middleweight champion Chris Weidman (14-5) returns also in the Light Heavyweight division as the takes on the veteran Ed Herman (25-14-1NC). Weidman has had a though spell recently losing his divisional debut against the former title challenger Dominick Reyes via knock out as well as losing four out of five Middleweight bouts before that. Herman on the other hand is a true UFC veteran having fought in the company since 2006 with a mixed record of 12 wins and 10 losses. He recently won against the Russian Khadis Ibragimov last year. The card also features the return of one of the most promising fighters in the UFC today, the charismatic Chase Hooper of the Featherweight division.

The main card of UFC Fight Night 177: Santos vs. Özdemir looks like this:

Main Event

Light Heavyweight Bout: (#1) Thiago Santos vs. (#4) Volkan Özdemir

Co-Main Event

Light Heavyweight Bout: Chris Weidman vs. Ed Herman

Main Card

Heavyweight Bout: Ben Rothwell vs. (#15) Marcin Tybura

Women's Flyweight Bout: (#2) Jessica Eye vs. (#3) Jennifer Maia

Featherweight Bout: Chase Hooper vs. Shane Young

Pontarii · January 21, 2020

WEEK 3 - MAY 2020

TUF 29: Team Masvidal vs. Team Covington

Round 2 - Ultimate Proving Ground

After a great first round of the season so far, Dana White kicks off the 9th episode informing that starting from now there's going to be two quarter-finals bouts per episode. When the quarter-finals are over, four fighters will advance to the 11th and final episode where the two finalists will be crowned. With Colby Covington having the control over the fights, he trash talks both the opposite coach Jorge Masvidal and his team claiming that they're "weak as shit and not worthy of being on the same show as himself and his team". A small brawl ensues where Duane Sylvia of Team Covington takes a shot at Kovan Falana of Team Masvidal. This sets up the first fight of the show when Sylvia pleads to Covington for the fight, which the coach accepts with no hesitation.

Week 9 - Kovan Falana def. Duane Sylvia by Submission (Guilotine)

- The BJJ-black belt and world class BJJ-practitioner Kovan Falana took revenge on the judoka Duane Sylvia when he sinked in his trademark guillotine choke in the first round. Sylvia claimed he didn't tap but video evidence showed he indeed tapped and that referee Yves Lavigne was right in his call. The fighters continued their rivalry after the fight when Sylvia refused a hand-shake from Falana.

Getting the first victory of the second round, Team Masvidal celebrated with the coach buying his fighters a fancy dinner. Team Covington was visibly envy of the gesture from the opposition coach but Covington ensured them that no dinner would make them better fighters. Instead, his team put in some extra practice hours to strengthen both the remaining fighters and the team cohesion. Team Masvidal had control over the fights during the last fight of the episode and picked their fourth pick Levon Theunissen against Covington's sixth pick Bertie Carper.

Week 9 - Levon Theunissen def. Bertie Carper by Majority Decision

- A lackluster fight between the muay thai-fighter Theunissen and the kick boxer Carper looked promising on forehand but was not as entertaining as expected. After two rounds, the judges ruled the fight as a majority victory for Team Masvidal's Levon Theunissen making him the second South African in the semi-finals along with team mate Kovan Falana.

The 9th episode ended with Team Masvidal celebrating their second victory in the quarter-finals. The beginning of the 10th episode saw Colby Covington confronting Jorge Masvidal in hopes of getting a reaction, but "Gamebred" remained as calm and collected as ever. His team was in control of the fights as he pitted fifth pick Ilyas Forehand against Covington's fourth pick Cesar Beaman.

Week 10 - Cesar Beaman def. Ilyas Forehand by Unanimous Decision

- A highly exciting fight between the two Americans saw Beaman, a jiu-jitsu fighter from Kansas City, Missouri, defeating Ilyas Forehand, a wrestler from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Forehand almost finished Beaman with a submission late in the second round but the time ran out and Beaman secured his spot in the semi-finals.

Cesar Beaman was hailed as a hero for Team Covington after he secured his spot in the semi-finals, but the honest and likeable Beaman admitted that Forehand was close to finish him. Nevertheless Team Covington got a well-needed motivation boost with the victory as they prepared for the last quarter-finals fight where the most anticipated fight was about to take place. Both team's number one picks Antiere Terblanche of Team Covington and Mathew Haygood of Team Masvidal would battle it out for the last remaining semi-finals spot.

Week 10 - Antiere Terblanche def. Mathew Haygood by Unanimous Decision

- It was Team Covington's first pick, the Nigerian Antiere Terblanche, who went on to win the anticipated fight against Mathew Haygood. Terblanche controlled the fight and utilized his elite level striking to nullify Haygood's offense. The victory means that there's three African-born fighters in the semi-finals, a truly remarkable feet on the heels of Israel Adesanya's, Francis Ngannou's and Kamaru Usman's accomplishments in the sport.

10 weeks have passed and next team, we'll see the final episode of the show determining the two fighters who will fight for the title shot at the Ultimate Fighter finale. According to the oddsmakers, the four fighters betting lines for a potential season victory looks like this:

1. Kovan Falana = -300

2. Antiere Terblanche = -150

3. Cesar Beaman = +150

4. Levon Theunissen = +450

Pontarii · January 22, 2020

WEEK 4 - MAY 2020

UFC 250: Jones vs. Reyes - Preview

Dominick Reyes: "I'm the biggest threat to Jon Jones' title reign

It's only a couple of days left until the anniversary-like UFC event in Las Vegas, Nevada where Jon Jones (26-1-1NC) defends his Light Heavyweight title against the undefeated challenger Dominick Reyes (12-0). The bout was originally scheduled for UFC 247 but was postponed due to Jones' injuries, but this Saturday it's finally time for the big fight. It's always been a huge interest in the division's title bouts mostly because the champion Jon Jones is one of, if not the greatest MMA fighter of all time. No one besides Alexander Gustafsson has been really close to stop Jones' formidable title reign, whether or not Dominick Reyes will be the one to successfully claim the title is up for debate but according to the man himself he's the biggest threat of all time.

"[Jon] Jones is a great champion with impressive victories and dominant performances, but he's not unstoppable. He has holes in his game just like everyone else and I truly believe that I have what it takes to not only be victorious against him but also to finish him. My knockout power is the best of the division, I'm undefeated and I'm prepared for a war. With all due respect to [Alexander] Gustafsson, [Daniel] Cormier, [Vitor] Belfort and every other legend that has tried and failed against Jones but I'm the biggest threat to his title reign. Mark my wards, on Saturday I'll be crowned the Light Heavyweight champion and the "Dominick Reyes Era" will begin", said Reyes during the press conference leading up to the fight.

During the milestone event, we'll also see another title bout when the champ-champ and female GOAT Amanda Nunes (19-4) takes on the extremely talented prospect Aspen Ladd (9-1) for the Women's Bantamweight title. Many experts and notable MMA-profiles, including the former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen, has picked Ladd as the potential upset victor. If the betting odds is to be believed, Nunes is a slight favorite heading into the fight with a -100 odds while Ladd is around a +150 underdog. The entire UFC 250 card is stacked from top to bottom with highly exciting bouts through and through, it's truly a must-see for fight fans all around the world.

The rest of the card looks like this:

UFC 250: Jones vs. Reyes

Date: May 30th, 2020

Venue: T-Mobile Center, Las Vegas

Main Event

Co-Main Event

Main Card

Middleweight Bout: (#5) Darren Till vs. (#2) Yoel Romero

Bantamweight Bout: Dominick Cruz vs. (#8) Pedro Munhoz

Women's Strawweight Bout: (#1) Rose Namajunas vs. (#3) Tatiana Suarez

ESPN Preliminary Card

Featherweight Bout: Edson Barboza vs. (#15) Cub Swanson

Heavyweight Bout: (#14) Ciryl Gane vs. (#10) Shamil Abdurakhimov

Women's Strawweight Bout: Nadia Kassem vs. Loma Lookboonmee

ESPN+ Early Preliminary Card

Welterweight Bout: Sheldon Westcott vs. Mickey Gall

Women's Bantamweight Bout: Karol Rosa vs. Sarah Alpar

Middleweight Bout: Anthony Hernandez vs. Marcelo Guimares</div>

Pontarii · January 22, 2020

WEEK 4 - MAY 2020

UFC 250: Jones vs. Reyes

Attendance: 22,307

Gate: $5,790,897

Critical Rating: 71%

Commercial Rating: 100%

Main Event

Jon Jones def. Dominick Reyes by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 3:37 of Round 1 to retain the UFC Light Heavyweight title

Co-Main Event

Amanda Nunes def. Aspen Ladd by TKO (Strikes) in 4:28 of Round 3 to retain the UFC Women's Bantamweight title

Main Card

Darren Till def. Yoel Romero by TKO (Strikes) in 2:06 of Round 1

Dominick Cruz def. Pedro Munhoz by Unanimous Decision

Tatiana Suarez def. Rose Namajunas by Unanimous Decision

ESPN Preliminary Card

Edson Barboza def. Cub Swanson by Unanimous Decision

Ciryl Gane def. Shamil Abdurakhimov by Knock Out (Punch) in 3:54 of Round 1

Nadia Kassem def. Loma Lookboonmee by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:48 of Round 2

ESPN+ Early Preliminary Card

Sheldon Westcott def. Mickey Gall by Unanimous Decision

Karol Rosa def. Sarah Alpar by TKO (Strikes) in 4:11 of Round 2

Anthony Hernandez def. Marcelo Guimares by TKO (Strikes) in 1:49 of Round 2

Summary

Who is truly the greatest Mixed Martial Arts fighter of all time? Perhaps you can claim that Anderson Silva is considering his peak, just like you can can claim that Georges St-Pierre is considering his longevity. But with both Silva and GSP out of the game, one fighter is staking his claim for being the best ever and he continues to do so against all challengers - none other than Jon "Bones" Jones. The talk before the fight was similar to every other Jones' fight, a new challenger arise and everyone gets hyped for the possibility of him becoming the one to dethrone the champion but ultimately they all fall down to the greatness of Jon Jones. Dominick Reyes was the challenger during the UFC 250 main event, a very talented fighter with scary knock out power with both hands and feet. Many fans speculated that Reyes could knock out Jones, but when referee Herb Dean started the fight it was clear that Jones once again had laid out a perfect game plan. He fought very close to Reyes and locked him up early in a thai clinch, working with lethal knees before tripping down his opponent to the ground. Reyes, who hasn't really been tested on the ground in his impressive but short MMA career struggled against the elite level ground-fighter Jones which in turn led to Jones getting Reyes' back. With a nasty rear naked choke, Jon Jones made Reyes tap out halfway through the first round cementing his status as not only the best Light Heavyweight fighter of all time but also the best MMA fighter of all time. This was also true for Amanda Nunes in the co-main event, as she put away the talented contender Aspen Ladd in the third round. The female GOAT Nunes had some trouble early with Ladd almost getting knocked out by a hard left hook but Nunes rose back to her feet and regained her control of the fight, finishing Ladd with a beautiful TKO. Both Jones and Nunes has almost wiped out every contender in their respective weight class, one has to imagined who's left to beat for both of them. During the main card portion of the card, we also saw Darren Till shocking the MMA world when he became the first man in the UFC and the second man ever to finish the almost indestructible monster of a man in Yoel Romero, in the first round nevertheless. The former Welterweight title challenger is really enjoying life in his new division, winning against two of the hardest Middleweight fighters in both Gastelum and Romero. It would be no surprise if Till gets the next title shot after Paulo Costa to Israel Adesanya's Middleweight Championship. We also saw the successful return of Dominick Cruz with a trademark dominant decision victory over Pedro Munhoz, while Tatiana Suarez most likely secured the next Women's Strawweight title shot when she won against former champion Rose Namajunas. It was really a good card in Las Vegas, Nevada and it lived up to the hype but the fight that really stole the show was the ESPN Preliminary card-fight between Nadia Kassem and Loma Lookboonmee. The fight lasted one and a half round but despite the short amount of time, the two warriors put on the best fight of the card which in turn will garner more eyes on future women's bouts, as result both fighters were rewarded with a $50k bonus.

Bonus Awards

Fight of the Night: Nadia Kassem vs. Loma Lookboonmee

Knockout of the Night: Ciryl Gane & Darren Till

Submission of the Night: Jon Jones

<img src=https://i.imgur.com/JCmRrw6.jpg

</div>

Pontarii · January 22, 2020

WEEK 1 - JUNE 2020

UFC News

UFC bolsters roster with multiple signings including PFL Tournament Winner Lance Palmer & UFC-veteran Lorenz Larkin

UFC is making some big waves in the free agent business of MMA with the announcement of multiple new signings for the company earlier today. A total of five highly touted and talented fighters has signed with the UFC as the world's biggest Mixed Martial Arts organization is bolstering their already stacked roster. Most notably, one of the Professional Fighters League's [PFL] recent tournament winners, the Featherweight Lance Palmer (24-3) has put pen to paper with lucrative multi-bout deals. Palmer is regarded as one of the best Featherweights in the world, having won the PFL Featherweight tournament two times in a row. He has a strong wrestling background and has amassed an impressive 12-fight winning streak in the PFL. Palmer's contract ended after his latest victory against former UFC-veteran Rony Jason, ending his tenure with PFL after seven years.

His fellow PFL-colleague Chris Wade (19-6) who fights in the Lightweight division has also signed a multi-bout deal with the UFC, returning to the company after 3 years away. Wade went 5-2 in the UFC during his last stint and has lost in the semi-finals of the PFL Lightweight tournament two years in a row. Wade has, just like Palmer, a strong wrestling-based style which would fit perfectly in with the current landscape of the 155-division.

UFC has also re-signed former 10-fight veteran Lorenz Larkin (24-7-1NC) after his stint with rival organization Bellator has ended with him not re-signing his contract due to issues regarding his worth and his salary. Larkin is currently on a 6-fight winning streak with victories over the likes of Andrey Koreshkov and Neiman Gracie, while he went 5-5 in the UFC his last tenure with notable victories over big names like Jorge Masvidal and Santiago Ponzinibbio. Larkin named the "possibility of fighting the best fighters in the world" as his motivation for returning to the UFC after a 4-years away from the organization.

Last but not least, UFC has also bolstered their Women's Flyweight and Women's Featherweight divisions respectively with the acquisitions of former Bellator Women's Champion Zoila Frausto Gurgel (15-6) and PFL Women's Lightweight Tournament finalist Larissa Pacheco (15-4). Frausto is one of the pioneers of women's MMA, having made her debut in 2009 and winning the first ever Bellator Women's Championship a year later. She has since then fought in multiple organizations including Invicta FC and she describes her move to the UFC Women's Flyweight division as a "dream come true" for the 36-year old. Pacheco on the other hand has fought in the UFC earlier going 0-2 with the company during her first tenure, losing to two former champions in Germaine de Randamie as well as Jessica Andrade. During her stint with the PFL, she fought in the Lightweight division and despite being a Bantamweight originally she managed to get to the finals only losing to the eventual tournament winner Kayla Harrison. Pacheco has signed a 3-year deal with the UFC and she will compete both in the Women's Bantamweight as well as the Women's Featherweight division. She has notable victories over current UFC-fighters Irene Aldana and Karol Rosa.

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Two fighters suspended 1 year for USADA violations

The bad trend of fighters getting suspended for USADA violations continues for the UFC. Following the recent UFC 250-card where Jon Jones defended his championship title against Dominick Reyes, two fighters failed there post-fight drug test and will therefor serve a minimum of 1 year suspension. The fighters in question are ranked Heavyweight Shamil Abdurakhimov and Middleweight fighter Marcelo Guimaraes.

The 38-year old Russian Shamil Abdurakhimov lost to Ciryl Gane during the ESPN Preliminary Card, getting knocked out cold with a devastating punch from the Frenchman. According to sources, Abdurakhimov tested positive for recreational drugs which is prohibited by USADA when used without an approved license. This is the first time Abdurakhimov has tested positive and will therefor be suspended for one year. He will be eligible for a return in June, 2021.

The 37-year old Brazilian Marcelo Guimaraes lost to Anthony Hernandez via Unanimous Decision during the ESPN+ Early Preliminary Card. According to sources, Guimaraes tested positive for Testosterone Replacement Therapy, TRT, which is prohibited by USADA when used without permission. Exemptions to this prohibition can be made when used with permission due to illness or conditions, but in Guimares case the usage was not permitted and therefor he will receive a 1-year suspension. Guimaraes will be eligible for a return in June, 2021.

</div>

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