Heavyweights Travis Browne And Alexey Oliynyk Clash At UFC 213
(mmaweekly.com)Heavyweights Travis Browne and Alexey Oliynyk will meet at UFC 213 on July 8 during the fight promotion’s International Fight Week. UFC officials announced the matchup on Wednesday.
Browne (18-6-1) debuted in the UFC in 2010 and quickly made a name for himself winning four of his first five fights inside the Octagon. He holds wins over Alistair Overeem, Josh Barnett and Stefan Struve, but has lost his last three fights. “Hapa” hopes to get his career back on track when he takes on the Russian submission specialist at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Heather Hardy signs with Bellator, to fight Alice Yauger in New York
(https:)Heather Hardy, who has put together a perfect 20-0 record en route to becoming arguably the most popular female boxer in the U.S., has signed with Bellator and will fight on its June 24 card at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Hardy, who is a major draw in New York for boxing, will face Alice Yauger in a three-round flyweight fight in one of the online preliminary fights at Bellator 180.
Lethbridge fighter Jordan Mein to battle Belal Muhammad in UFC 213
(calgaryherald.com)
Jordan Mein will be back in the octagon this summer.
The Lethbridge native has been the most high-profile Albertan fighter in recent years, and his next fight will be against Belal Muhammad (11-2-0) on July 8 at UFC 213.
Muhammad’s stock is high after beating Randy Brown in February at UFC 208, and the 28-year-old Chicago native has hit .500 so far in his UFC career, going 2-2 over four fights.
Mein, meanwhile, is coming off a tough loss at UFC 206 last December in Toronto to Emil Meek.
Gokhan “The Rebel” Saki set to make his UFC debut in Rotterdam
(mmaplus.co.uk)After weeks of speculation over the future of kickboxing legend Gokhan Saki, the UFC has today confirmed the signing of “The Rebel” to a multi-fight deal.
The news was officially announced by the promotion on Thursday morning.
Saki (0-1), 33, will make his debut in the light-heavyweight division and is expected to feature on the UFC Rotterdam card on Sept. 2. Saki was born in the city of Schiedam, which is located west of Rotterdam. His opponent has yet to be named.
Bracket A for RIZIN Bantamweight GP announced
(mixedmartialarts.com)RIZIN’s World GP series has become part of its staple concepts ever since their launch in 2015. King Mo was crowned the winner of the monumental -220 lbs GP in 2015. Mirko Crocop won the Openweight GP last year by finishing all four opponents. Now in 2017, RIZIN will be holding its World GP at Bantamweight (-135).
The opening rounds of the 14 man tournament (with 2 wild card slots) for the Quarter Finals, will be executed over the course of 2 events – 3 fights for Bracket A on July 30th, and 3 fights for Bracket B in October. The total of 6 winners from the opening round plus the 2 wild card fighters who get the bye, will gather on December 29th for the quarter finals. The winner of the GP will earn 15,000,000 Japanese yen ($135,000), Second place with 3,000,000 Japanese yen ($27,000) and Third place at 1,000,000 Japanese yen ($9,000,000).
Garbrant-Dillashaw out of UFC 213, Romero-Whittaker in
(mixedmartialarts.com)UFC president Dana White spoke recently with ESPN‘s Brett Okamoto, and announced that some big fights had been reshuffled. The Cody Garbrandt vs. TJ Dillashaw bantamweight title fight at UFC 213 on July 8 has been canceled due to Garbrandt’s back injury.
Dillashaw will instead fight Demetrious Johnson in August.
Nadia Kassem the latest Aussie to break into UFC ranks
(dailytelegraph.com.au)NADIA Kassem is Australia’s newest UFC fighter — and also its most unlikely.
Unknown to all but the most seasoned Sydney fight fans, 21-year-old Kassem will make her Octagon debut at UFC Auckland on June 11.
Fighting for only two years, the undefeated Wentworthville product was given the surprise call up during a recent coffee break at DHL Pharmaceuticals, where she works in customer service.
And in a further twist, the rising strawweight will also be joined on the Auckland card by fellow UFC newbie Ashkan Mokhtarian — who doubles as the brother of her boyfriend/coach, Suman.
Cris Cyborg, Angela Magana involved in physical altercation at UFC Athlete Retreat
(mmafighting.com)Cris Cyborg and another UFC female fighter had an altercation at the UFC Athlete Retreat on Sunday and things got physical.
Upset over tweets posted by Angela Magana, Cyborg confronted Magana during the event in Las Vegas, sources told MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani. After heated words, Cyborg punched Magana in the face, sources said. Magana was rocked a bit by the punch, but did not fall down. She was then taken away, sources said.
Dana White: Georges St-Pierre will face UFC welterweight champion upon return
(mmamania.com)
Now that Georges St-Pierre is out of a proposed Middleweight bout against division champion Michael Bisping, the 185-pound weight class is no longer clouded.
So what’s next for the former UFC Welterweight champion of the world? It’s back to his old stomping grounds, as company president Dana White has confirmed that “Rush” will now fight for the 170-pound strap when he’s good and ready.
Russian MMA fighter accused of attacking official
(washingtontimes.com)Two Russian mixed martial arts fighters face punishment following an alleged attack on an official after a decision went against one of them in the ring.
Up-and-coming fighter Gadzhimurad Khiramagomedov lost a split decision to fellow Russian Georgy Kichigin at an event in Kazakhstan on Friday night.
Sergio Pettis vs. Brandon Moreno headlines UFC Fight Night 114 in Mexico City
(mmajunkie.com)A pair of surging flyweights, including one from Mexico, will headline the UFC’s return to Mexico City this summer.
Sergio Pettis (15-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) is set to take on Brandon Moreno (14-3 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in the main event of UFC Fight Night 114 in Mexico City. The promotion announced the new booking today for its fourth visit to Mexico City and fifth trip to Mexico overall.
Cris Cyborg, Angela Magana involved in physical altercation at UFC Athlete Retreat
(mmafighting.com)Cris Cyborg and another UFC female fighter had an altercation at the UFC Athlete Retreat on Sunday and things got physical.
Upset over tweets posted by Angela Magana, Cyborg confronted Magana during the event in Las Vegas, sources told MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani. After heated words, Cyborg punched Magana in the face, sources said. Magana was rocked a bit by the punch, but did not fall down. She was then taken away, sources said.
Bellator 179 post-event facts: Cheick Kongo is winningest heavyweight in Bellator history
(mmajunkie.com)Rory MacDonald’s long journey back to the win column finally came to an end Friday when the former UFC title challenger was victorious in his Bellator debut against Paul Daley at Bellator 179.
MacDonald (19-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) dismantled Daley (39-15-2 MMA, 5-2 BMMA) with a superior ground game en route to a second-round submission finish in the welterweight contender bout at The SSE Arena in London, giving “The Red King” his first victory in 31 months.
The Canadian wasn’t the only one to deliver a notable performance at Bellator’s 10th event of the year, though. For more, check below for 25 post-event facts to come out of Bellator 179.
Woodley wants GSP, calls Bisping fight ‘the cowardly move’
(mmafighting.com)By all accounts, the next man challenging for the UFC welterweight champion will be Demian Maia. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu savant earned that right after capturing his seventh straight win at UFC 211 with a hard-fought split decision over Jorge Masvidal.
That’s just fine with reigning UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. Woodley said Monday on The MMA Hour that UFC officials haven’t yet asked him about Maia, but if they do, he’ll be more than willing to face the 39-year-old contender. However, if “T-Wood” had his druthers, a different name would still fall at the top of his wish list.
Paul Daley, Michael Page get into skirmish at Bellator 179
(mmafighting.com)Two of Bellator’s top British fighters just about came to blows Friday.
Following his fight with Rory MacDonald in the main event of Bellator 179 in London, Paul Daley and Michael Page had a physical confrontation in the arena, according to multiple reports from the scene. Daley mentioned Page on the microphone after the fight and things escalated from there.
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