Anderson Silva plans to continue fighting: ‘It’s not over yet’
(https:)It’s been 11 months since Anderson Silva stepped foot inside the Octagon, but he’s looking forward to coming back as soon as possible.
“The Spider” has not fought since February 2017, a unanimous decision victory over Derek Brunson at UFC 208 that snapped a four-year winless drought. Silva, 42, was supposed to fight Kelvin Gastelum in Shanghai, China, this past November, but he was removed from the bout after failing an out-of-competition drug test.
USADA suspends Jessica Penne 18 months for failed drug test
(https:)Jessica Penne will miss most of 2018 due to a UFC anti-doping policy violation.
The women’s mixed martial arts veteran tested positive for the presence of an anabolic steroid of exogenous origin following an out-of-competition test in relation to a sample taken March 20, 2017, USADA, the UFC’s anti-doping partner, announced Friday.
Aspen Ladd vs. Leslie Smith slated for April
(https:)Bantamweight prospect Aspen Ladd will be looking to extend her undefeated streak later this year.
Ladd vs. veteran Leslie Smith is slated for a yet-to-be announced UFC event on April 21, MMA Fighting has learned.
Tim Means vs. Sergio Moraes, Douglas de Andrade vs. Marlon Vera added to UFC-Belem
(mmajunkie.com)A pair of fights has been added to the UFC’s return to Brazil next month, bringing the fight card up to a dozen bouts.
Tim Means (27-9-1 MMA, 9-6 UFC) is set to meet Sergio Moraes (12-3-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) in a welterweight fight. And at bantamweight, Douglas de Andrade (24-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) will take on Marlon Vera (10-4-1 MMA, 4-3 UFC). UFC officials recently announced the new bookings.
Charles Rosa out of UFC 220 due to injury, Dan Ige gets new opponent
(https:)Charles Rosa won’t be competing in his native state later this month.
The American Top Team fighter suffered an undisclosed injury and was forced to withdraw from his featherweight bout with Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series alumni Dan Ige at Boston’s UFC 220. The news was announced by the UFC on Wednesday.
Ige will still be making his promotional at UFC 220, as he will now face short-notice replacement and fellow DWTNCS alumni Julio Arce. The 26-year-old Ige enters UFC 220 on a six-fight win streak and with a pro MMA record of 8-1.
John Dodson to fight Pedro Munhoz at UFC Belem
(https:)“The Magician” is taking his act to Brazil for the first time.
John Dodson is set to fight Pedro Munhoz in a bantamweight bout at UFC Belem on Feb. 3. Officials announced the bout on Thursday following an initial report by Combate’s .
Robbie Lawler suffered torn ACL, meniscus in decision loss to Rafael dos Anjos
(https:)Robbie Lawler’s fight against Rafael dos Anjos at UFC on FOX 26 was more harrowing than previously realized.
Lawler, the former UFC welterweight champion, suffered a torn ACL and meniscus in his knee midway through his headlining bout against dos Anjos, which he ultimately lost via unanimous decision. MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani confirmed the news Thursday following a Yahoo! Sports interview with UFC president Dana White which saw White speak about Lawler’s injuries.
Matt Brown willing to come out of retirement to ‘lock horns’ with Carlos Condit
(https:)There is still hope out there for one of the most anticipated welterweight matches that never quite came to fruition.
Four years ago at UFC on FOX 9, Matt Brown and Carlos Condit were set to face each other in what looked to be a surefire Fight of the Night, if not a Fight of the Year contender. Unfortunately, the injury bug intervened when Brown sustained a back injury that forced him out of the fight. The bout never got re-booked and with Brown’s recent statements about potentially retiring from MMA after fight at UFC Norfolk last November, along with Condit’s own waning interest in the sport, it looked like it may never come to pass.
But not so fast! Speaking recently with the Fight Society podcast, Brown suggested that he would postpone his “semi-retirement” if a fight with Condit was on the table.
Jimi Manuwa vs. Jan Blachowicz rematch booked for UFC Fight Night 127 in London
(mmajunkie.com)A light-heavyweight rematch is set for UFC Fight Night 127 in London.
Officials today announced Jimi Manuwa (17-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) and Jan Blachowicz (21-7 MMA, 4-4 UFC) are slated to fight at the event.
UFC Fight Night 127 takes place March 17 at The O2 in London, and tickets go on sale this week. The entire card streams on UFC Fight Pass, though the full fight card and bout order haven’t been finalized.
UFC Fight Night 124 lineup official with 4 fights on main card for St. Louis debut
(mmajunkie.com)The lineup is set for a rare UFC fight card on Sunday.
MAIN CARD (FS1, 10 p.m. ET)
Jeremy Stephens vs. Dooho Choi
Vitor Belfort vs. Uriah Hall
Jessica-Rose Clark vs. Paige VanZant
Emil Meek vs. Kamaru Usman
PRELIMINARY CARD (FS1, 8 p.m. ET)
Darren Elkins vs. Michael Johnson
James Krause vs. Alex White
Matt Frevola vs. Marco Polo Reyes
Thiago Alves vs. Zak Cummings
PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass, 6 p.m. ET)
Jessica Eye vs. Kalindra Faria
Irene Aldana vs. Talita Bernardo
J.J. Aldrich vs. Danielle Taylor
Mads Burnell vs. Mike Santiago
Kyung Ho Kang vs. Guido Cannetti
Dana White: Amanda Nunes vs. Cris Cyborg ‘is the fight to make’
(https:)Dana White is saying all the right things about what’s next for Cris Cyborg.
This past weekend saw Cyborg defend the women’s featherweight championship with a commanding unanimous decision over Holly Holm in the main event of UFC 219 and the outcome raised questions as to who could possibly challenge Cyborg next. The 32-year-old Brazilian is undefeated in 20 consecutive bouts since suffering her lone professional loss in May 2005, and the UFC’s current 145-pound roster is non-existent.
Both Holm and the woman Cyborg defeated last July to win the inaugural title, Tonya Evinger, moved up from 135 pounds to fight Cyborg.
Next up could be another bantamweight, as White told Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports that his plan is to match Cyborg up with fellow champion Amanda Nunes.
Dana White talks timetable for Conor McGregor, says Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov could be next
(https:)The state of the UFC lightweight division was thrust deeper into limbo this past Saturday when Khabib Nurmagomedov scored a thunderous victory over Edson Barboza at UFC 219, adding to the logjam at the top of the ranks between absentee champion Conor McGregor and interim champion Tony Ferguson.
McGregor hasn’t fought in MMA since his Nov. 2016 title victory over Eddie Alvarez, and many assumed that a title unification bout against Ferguson would be next for the Irishman. McGregor said as much late last year. Still, in the aftermath of Nurmagomedov’s performance at UFC 219, and Nurmagomedov’s subsequent Twitter dialogue with McGregor, rumblings started emerging about Nurmagomedov potentially skipping the queue and jumping straight into a fight against McGregor.
UFC president Dana White addressed those rumors as well as McGregor’s timetable for a return Thursday in an interview with Yahoo! Sports‘ Kevin Iole.
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