Jessica Aguilar pulled from tonight's UFC Utica fight vs. Jodie Esquibel – reportedly due to chapped lips
(https:)Just hours before she was to fight, Jessica Aguilar has been pulled from her bout against Jodie Esquibel at UFC Fight Night 131.
Team representatives for both Aguilar (19-6 MMA, 0-2 UFC) and Esquibel (6-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) confirmed the news to MMAjunkie following an initial report from ESPN Radio’s Jordan Sherwood on Twitter. UFC officials have not yet made a formal announcement of the cancellation.
According to MMAfighting.com’s Ariel Helwani on Twitter, the New York State Athletic Commission asked for additional medical clearance on Thursday for Aguilar – and received it. But today, the commission reportedly decided to scrap the fight despite the thumbs up the day before.
Aguilar coach and cornerman Din Thomas said chapped lips was the culprit, confirming a report on Twitter from Helwani.
Yair Rodriguez reconciles with UFC, agrees to fight Zabit Magomedsharipov at UFC 228
(https:)It appears featherweight contender Yair Rodriguez and UFC officials have patched up a seemingly broken relationship.
This past month, UFC officials released Rodriguez (10-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC), who’s No. 15 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA featherweight rankings, after UFC President Dana White said he turned down a fight with Zabit Magomedsharipov (15-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) at UFC 227.
Now, though, Rodriguez and UFC officials have apparently mended fences – and the fight is back on for UFC 228, according to ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto
Video chronicles Darren Till’s brutal weight cut before UFC Liverpool
(https:)Darren Till missed weight last weight by 3-1/2 pounds. But certainly not from lack of trying.
Till’s weight cut ahead of his fight with Stephen Thompson at UFC Liverpool was chronicled in a video released Thursday by his sponsor Paddy Power. Till can be seen unable to stand up in sauna. And at one point he told his coaches he could not see, prompting them to stop the weight-cutting process.
Cris Cyborg battery case dismissed after fine, anger management course
(https:)Cris Cyborg is in the clear with regards to her legal issues.
The UFC women’s featherweight champion issued a submittal plea in Las Vegas Municipal Court after being cited for battery last year in an incident involving fellow fighter Angela Magaña, a court spokesperson confirmed with MMA Fighting. Cyborg paid a $398 fine and the case was recently dismissed.
Kelvin Gastelum to make his studio analyst debut at UFC Utica
(https:)Add Kelvin Gastelum to the list of fighters giving the commentary game a go.
FOX Sports announced Thursday the middleweight contender and former TUF winner will make his debut on the studio desk commentary team for UFC Utica on Friday night.
Gastelum will be joined in studio for the FS1 card by Kenny Florian, Brandon Fitzgerald, and in an interesting twist, welterweight champion Tyron Woodley.
Danny Roberts vs. Alan Jouban booked for UFC Hamburg
(https:)A meeting of knockout artists has been announced as Danny Roberts and Alan Jouban are set to clash at UFC Hamburg on Jul. 22.
The UFC announced the lightweight meeting through its social media channels on Thursday afternoon following an initial report from FloCombat.
Khabib Nurmagomedov now targeting first UFC title defense sooner than expected
(https:)After winning the UFC lightweight title with a five-round decision over Al Iaquinta at UFC 223, Khabib Nurmagomedov said he wasn’t planning to return to fighting until November or December of this year. But now it looks like the champ will be back sooner than anticipated.
Speaking with his fans during a live chat Tuesday, Nurmagomedov announced that his team had begun talks with the UFC about returning to action this fall, either for the September or October pay-per-view event.
Sara McMann announces pregnancy
(https:)Baby number two is on the way for Sara McMann.
On Wednesday, the one-time women’s bantamweight title challenger announced on Instagram that she is three-months pregnant.
Nick Diaz mugshot released, court date set after domestic battery arrest
(https:)Nick Diaz has his next day in court date scheduled.
The popular UFC fighter will have to appear in Las Vegas Justice Court on June 6 at 8:30 a.m. before judge Amy Chelini, a court rep confirmed with MMA Fighting on Tuesday.
Diaz was arrested Friday on charges of domestic battery by strangulation and domestic battery in the first degree. The former is a felony. His booking photo was released Tuesday by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
Charles Oliveira in to fight Clay Guida at UFC 225 after Bobby Green withdraws
(https:)Bobby Green has been forced to withdraw from a matchup against Clay Guida, and Charles Oliveira will now step in to face the longtime veteran on short notice at UFC 225.
Guida (34-17 MMA, 14-11 UFC) today posted word of Oliveira’s (22-8 MMA, 10-8 UFC) sub for Green (24-8-1 MMA, 5-3-1 UFC) on Instagram, and his manager, John Fosco, confirmed the new booking to MMAjunkie.
Former UFC champion, 'TUF' winner Michael Bisping announces retirement
(https:)
Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping has decided against a final fight and today announced he is officially retired.
On his “Believe You Me” podcast, Bisping indicated vision problems were behind his decision to hang up his gloves and added he has nothing left to prove as a fighter.
“It ain’t worth it,” Bisping said. “What else am I going to do? I won the belt, I’ve had tons of wins. I’ve done everything I set out to achieve.
“What’s the point of flogging a dead horse? Not that I’m a dead horse, but what’s the point? … I’ve used my platform to open other doors. You’ve got to know when to walk away. I’m almost 40 years old – the time is now.”
UFC Liverpool bonuses: Tom Breese leads list of four fighters to cash in
(https:)Tom Breese and Claudio Silva came back from long layoffs and were handsomely rewarded in their comeback fights.
Returning from absences of two years and four years respectively, Breese and Silva picked up first-round finishes at UFC Liverpool at the Echo Arena on Sunday as well as $50,000 Performance of the Night bonuses for their efforts.
In lieu of a Fight of the Night award, two more fighters were given performance bonuses, Darren Stewart and Arnold Allen.
Darren Till re-weighs in at 187.3 pounds, UFC Liverpool main event vs. Stephen Thompson is on
(https:)The main event of UFC Liverpool is a go.
A potential disaster for the UFC was averted as officials announced that Darren Till was able to make 187.3 pounds at a scheduled weigh-in around 1 p.m. local time in Liverpool, England, making him eligible to face Stephen Thompson in the main event of Sunday’s show at the Echo Arena. Till was required to hit the scales again after failing to make the welterweight limit (171 pounds for a non-title bout) at Saturday’s official weigh-ins, where he came in heavy at 174.5 pounds.
Nick Diaz arrested for alleged domestic violence in Las Vegas
(https:)Nick Diaz has been arrested following an alleged domestic violence incident Thursday evening in Las Vegas.
A person within the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department identified Nickolas R. Diaz, 34, who is listed in an online in-custody search for the Clark County Detention Center, as UFC fighter Nick Diaz. The person spoke to MMAjunkie on condition of anonymity because the person wasn’t authorized to speak on the matter.
Diaz has been charged with felony domestic battery by strangulation, as well as misdemeanor domestic battery for the alleged incident.
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