UFC Fight Night 134 bonuses: Anthony Smith messes up 'Shogun' for $50,000
(https:)Anthony Smith, Manny Bermudez, Danny Roberts and David Zawada each earned $50,000 bonuses for their performances at today’s UFC Fight Night 134 event.
Smith and Bermudez each won “Performance of the Night” honors. Roberts and Zawada earned the “Fight of the Night.”
UFC officials announced the winners following the event.
Smith (29-13 MMA, 6-3 UFC) dropped an absolute destruction on former light heavyweight champion Mauricio Rua (25-11 MMA, 9-9 UFC) in the main event. “Shogun” seemed to clip Smith early, but Smith recovered and put together a massive barrage that left Rua out cold in 89 seconds. It was his second straight win over a former champion after moving up to 205 pounds from light heavyweight.
Jacare vs. Branch targeted for UFC 230
(https:)A high-profile middleweight bout is in the works for the UFC’s next event in New York City.
Ronaldo Souza and David Branch are expected to face off at UFC 230 later this year, ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reported Thursday night. UFC officials have yet to confirm the news.
The UFC wanted Souza vs. Branch to headline its upcoming event in Sao Paulo, Brazil this September, but the timing was too soon for Souza. Instead, the pair of 185-pound contenders will meet two months later in November.
USADA notifies Muslim Salikhov of potential anti-doping violation
(https:)UFC welterweight Muslim Salikhov failed a drug test and has been notified of a potential UFC anti-doping policy violation.
The promotion today released a statement confirming the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s notification of a potential violation, which stems from an out-of-competition drug test conducted June 7 in Russia.
Salikhov (14-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) was unbooked at the time of his potential violation. Two days ago, however, he wrote on his Instagram page that he was preparing for a UFC fight.
Sam Alvey vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira slated for UFC Sao Paulo
(https:)A light heavyweight bout between Sam Alvey and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira is the latest addition to September’s UFC Fight Night 137 lineup.
A team source confirmed the planned Alvey (33-10 MMA, 10-5 UFC) vs. Nogueira (22-8 MMA, 5-5 UFC) matchup to MMAjunkie, though UFC officials have not yet made a formal announcement of the booking. It was first reported by Combate.
UFC Fight Night 137 takes place Sept. 22 at Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo. The event airs on FS1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass, though the full card and bout order haven’t been finalized.
The latest UFC Fight Night 137 card now includes:
Belal Muhammad vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
Alex Chambers vs. Livia Renato Souza
Sam Alvey vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
UFC flyweight Paige VanZant undergoes second arm surgery
(https:)After the initial surgery didn’t take, Paige VanZant went back under the knife today to repair the damage sustained to her arm in her most recent UFC fight.
VanZant (7-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC) suffered a broken right arm in her unanimous-decision loss to Jessica-Rose Clark (9-6 MMA, 2-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 124 in January. She had surgery shortly after the flyweight contest, but months later it was discovered the healing process wasn’t going well.
Likely a product of returning to training “too quickly”, doctors decided a second procedure was best for VanZant to make a complete recovery. Today in Las Vegas, “12 Gauge” had a nearly four hour operation where bone fragments were taken from the hip and moved to the arm. She is now recovering and will return home to Portland on Monday, MMAjunkie confirmed with a member of her team.
Ailing UFC champ Max Holloway back in Las Vegas for tests to 'try and figure this out'
(https:)UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway is still searching for answers after he was forced to withdraw from UFC 226, but it appears progress is being made.
Holloway (19-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) pulled out of his scheduled title defense against Brian Ortega (14-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) on fight week with concussion-like symptoms and was taken to the hospital multiple times in the days leading up to the bout. The 145-pound champ was showing some worrisome signs, and his team decided to pull him out of the fight. There has been little in the way of medical updates from “Blessed” since.
UFC President Dana White promised to exhaust all resources to find the solution to Holloway’s condition, and that includes extensive testing. Apparently that testing began today, as Holloway is in Las Vegas and shared an update from the doctor’s office (via Instagram)
Cortney Casey replaces Alexa Grasso, meets Angela Hill at UFC Lincoln
(https:)It didn’t take long for the UFC to find a replacement opponent for Angela Hill.
After Alexa Grasso was forced to withdraw from the card due to undisclosed reasons, Cortney Casey (7-6 MMA, 3-5 UFC) will now step in to fight Hill (8-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) in a strawweight matchup next month at UFC Fight Night 135.
A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the new matchup with MMAjunkie. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity since UFC officials haven’t made a formal announcement. ESPN.com first reported the news.
The latest UFC Fight Night 135 bout now includes:
Justin Gaethje vs. James Vick
Cortney Casey vs. Angela Hill
Andre Fili vs. Michael Johnson
Antonio Braga Neto vs. Andrew Sanchez
Eryk Anders vs. Tim Williams
Iuri Alcantara vs. Cory Sandhagen
Deiveson Figueiredo vs. John Moraga
Luke Sanders vs. Rani Yahya
Joanne Calderwood vs. Kalindra Faria
Drew Dober vs. Jon Tuck
Mickey Gall vs. George Sullivan
Bryan Barberena vs. Jake Ellenberger
Heavyweight champ Phil De Fries meets Karol Bedorf in KSW 45 headliner
(https:)English heavyweight Phil De Fries will defend his KSW title on home soil.
KSW officials today told MMAjunkie that De Fries (15-6) will put his title on the line against Polish challenger Karol Bedorf (15-3) in the main event of KSW 45, which takes place Oct. 6 at London’s Wembley Arena.
The full card streams live on KSWTV.com.
Darren Till says UFC champ Tyron Woodley declined title-fight offer with Colby Covington 'out'
(https:)Although a Tyron Woodley vs. Colby Covington title-unification bout seemed like the obvious next direction for the UFC welterweight division, a twist involving Darren Till has now emerged.
Earlier today, Till (17-0-1 MMA, 5-0-1 UFC) took to social media and revealed he’d been offered a title shot against Woodley (18-3-1 MMA, 8-2-1 UFC). He said interim champ Covington (14-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) is “out” and that the promotion wanted to book him against “The Chosen One” instead, but the fight was declined (via Twitter)
Angela Hill needs new opponent after Alexa Grasso withdraws from UFC Lincoln
(https:)A key strawweight bout between Angela Hill and Alexa Grasso won’t be taking place at UFC Fight Night 135.
Hill (8-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) needs a new opponent for next month’s event after Grasso (10-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) was forced to withdraw from the matchup for undisclosed reasons.
MMAjunkie verified the change with a person with knowledge of the situation. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity since UFC officials haven’t made a formal announcement. ESPN.com first reported the news.
The latest UFC Fight Night 135 bout now includes:
Justin Gaethje vs. James Vick
Angela Hill vs. TBA
Andre Fili vs. Michael Johnson
Antonio Braga Neto vs. Andrew Sanchez
Eryk Anders vs. Tim Williams
Iuri Alcantara vs. Cory Sandhagen
Deiveson Figueiredo vs. John Moraga
Luke Sanders vs. Rani Yahya
Joanne Calderwood vs. Kalindra Faria
Drew Dober vs. Jon Tuck
Mickey Gall vs. George Sullivan
Bryan Barberena vs. Jake Ellenberger
Injury knocks Volkan Oezdemir out of UFC 227 bout with Alexander Gustafsson
(https:)Volkan Oezdemir has been forced out of an announced bout for the third time in two months.
After visa issues prevented him from fighting at a May event in Chile and this weekend’s event in Germany, Oezdemir (15-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has now withdrawn from his scheduled UFC 227 fight against Alexander Gustafsson (18-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) due to injury.
MMAjunkie verified the change with a person with knowledge of the situation. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity since UFC officials haven’t made a formal announcement. ESPN.com first reported the change.
The latest UFC 227 card now includes:
Champ T.J. Dillashaw vs. Cody Garbrandt – for bantamweight title
Champ Demetrious Johnson vs. Henry Cejudo – for flyweight title
Alexander Gustafsson vs. TBA
J.J. Aldrich vs. Polyana Viana
Renato Moicano vs. Cub Swanson
Benito Lopez vs. Ricky Simon
Brett Johns vs. Pedro Munhoz
Irene Aldana vs. Bethe Correia
Kyung Ho Kang vs. Ricardo Ramos
Danielle Taylor vs. Weili Zhang
Sheymon Moraes vs. Matt Sayles
Alex Perez vs. Jose Torres
Wuliji Buren vs. Marlon Vera
Bellator's Fedor Emelianenko vs. Chael Sonnen tourney semifinal slated for Oct. 13 in New York
(https:)The Bellator heavyweight grand-prix semifinal-round fight between Fedor Emelianenko and Chael Sonnen appears to have a date.
Emelianenko (37-5 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) and Sonnen (31-15-1 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) are slated to headline an Oct. 13 event in New York.
Newsday.com first reported the matchup, though Bellator officials haven’t made a formal announcement, and a message from MMAjunkie wasn’t immediately returned.
The event is expected to take place at NYCB LIVE’s Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, home to in Uniondale, N.Y. (on Long Island), and it’s expected to air on Paramount following prelims on MMAjunkie. A day prior, the other half of the grand-prix semifinals – Matt Mitrione (13-5 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) vs. Ryan Bader (25-5 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) – takes place in Connecticut.
Mark Hunt vs. Aleksei Oleinik official as Moscow's UFC Fight Night 136 headliner
(https:)The (new) main event is set for UFC Fight Night 136, which marks the UFC’s debut in Russia.
As previously reported, Mark Hunt (13-12-1 MMA, 8-6-1 UFC) has replaced former heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum (23-8-1 MMA, 11-5 UFC), who’s sidelined by a potential doping violation, and now fights Aleksei Oleinik (56-11-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC).
The latest UFC Fight Night 136 card includes:
Mark Hunt vs. Aleksei Oleinik
Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Andrei Arlovski
Omari Akhmedov vs. C.B. Dollaway
Merab Dvalishvili vs. Terrion Ware
Marlon Vera replaces Bharat Kandare, faces Wuliji Buren at UFC 227
(https:)Marlon Vera will look to break a two-fight losing streak when he next steps into the octagon, and he’ll do it on short notice.
UFC officials today announced that Ecuadorian bantamweight Vera (10-5-1 MMA, 4-4 UFC) will step in for India’s Bharat Kandare (5-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) and face China’s Wuliji Buren (9-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at UFC 227, which takes place Aug. 4 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The UFC 227 lineup currently includes:
Champ T.J. Dillashaw vs. Cody Garbrandt – for bantamweight title
Champ Demetrious Johnson vs. Henry Cejudo – for flyweight title
Alexander Gustafsson vs. Volkan Oezdemir
J.J. Aldrich vs. Polyana Viana
Renato Moicano vs. Cub Swanson
Benito Lopez vs. Ricky Simon
Brett Johns vs. Pedro Munhoz
Irene Aldana vs. Bethe Correia
Kyung Ho Kang vs. Ricardo Ramos
Danielle Taylor vs. Weili Zhang
Sheymon Moraes vs. Matt Sayles
Alex Perez vs. Jose Torres
Wuliji Buren vs. Marlon Vera
Paul Daley signs Bellator contract, will compete in grand prix vs. opponent to be determined
(https:)Paul Daley is headed to Bellator’s welterweight grand prix.
Bellator President Scott Coker today told MMAjunkie that Daley (40-16-2 MMA, 6-3 BMMA) has signed a multi-fight, multi-year deal and is the 10th entrant into the promotion’s multi-stage competition, which kicks off Sept. 29 in San Jose, Calif. Daley’s tournament debut is not yet confirmed.
News of Daley’s inclusion was first reported by ESPN.com. Although ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reported the current plan is for Daley to face rival Michael Page in the tournament’s first round, Coker said he has yet to be officially matched up with an opponent, as the promotion is considering a matchup between Page and Lorenz Larkin. Daley, however, could still be paired with Page (13-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA) if both parties agree.
UFC and M-1 partner for UFC Russia
(https:)The Russian-Chinese investment fund, Mubadala Investment Company and the Ultimate Fighting Championship announced foundation of UFC Russia. The new company is going to promote MMA and organize new shows in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
M-1 Global is going to be a partner taking care of finding Russian athletes and preparing them for the fights. M-1 Challenge champions will get a unique opportunity to sign contracts with the UFC.
A.J. McKee vs. Pat Curran booked for Bellator 205 main event
(https:)A.J. McKee will put his unbeaten record on the line when he takes on longtime Bellator featherweight standout Pat Curran.
Officials announced Wednesday that McKee and Curran will fight in the main event of Bellator 205 at the CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho on Sept. 21. Rafael Lovato Jr. will take on John Salter in the co-headliner.
McKee, 23, has spent his entire pro career with Bellator, winning all 11 of his bouts. His last appearance saw him defeat Justin Lawrence by unanimous decision the co-main event of Bellator 197 this past April. He is the son of 15-year MMA veteran Antonio McKee.
Curran (23-7) is currently on a three-fight win streak, though he has fought just three times since February 2015. Those victories have all been unanimous decisions against John Teixeira, Georgi Karakhanyan, and Emannuel Sanchez. The 30-year-old veteran has twice held Bellator gold at 145 pounds and been with the promotion for the past eight years.
Nine fights confirmed for UFC 228, including Nicco Montano vs Valentina Shevchenko
(https:)Nine fights have been made official for UFC 228 in Dallas, and finally we will see UFC flyweight champion Nicco Montano back in the octagon.
Nine fights have been confirmed for the UFC’s return to Dallas - one of which is a women’s flyweight title fight between current champion, Nicco Montano, and former bantamweight title challenger Valentina Shevchenko. The fight was first reported by ESPN’s Ariel Helwani.
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