Kyle Stewart in for Dwight Grant, meets Chance Rencountre at UFC Brooklyn
(https:)The game of musical chairs that will be the UFC’s first fight of 2019 continues, but now may be finally set.
After Dwight Grant (8-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) was not cleared to compete by the New York State Athletic Commission, newcomer Kyle Stewart (11-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will take on Chance Rencountre (12-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) to open UFC on ESPN+ 1 on Saturday.
Dwight Grant steps in vs. Chance Rencountre to finalize UFC on ESPN+ 1 lineup
(https:)Dwight Grant will be fighting on just six days’ notice when he steps into the octagon against Chance Rencountre on Saturday at UFC on ESPN+ 1.
Grant (8-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) will fill in for Randy Brown, who was pulled from the card for still unknown reasons, against Rencountre (12-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in a welterweight bout at the first UFC event of the year.
MMAjunkie verified Grant as the replacement opponent for Rencounter with a person close to the situation following an initial report from ESPN.com. The person requested anonymity because the UFC has yet to make an official announcement.
Cory Sandhagen Welcomes Mario Bautista To The UFC
(https:)Nolan King has reported that Mario Bautista 6-0 MMA will replace John Lineker and will be welcomed by Cory Sandhagen 9-1 MMA (2-0 UFC) at UFC on ESPN+ 1 next weekend in Brooklyn.
Sandhagen is riding a four-fight winning streak into the bout with his last, a second-round TKO over Iuri Alcantara at UFC Fight Night 135 last August. His only defeat came in 2017, where he dropped a unanimous decision to Jamall Emmers at LFA 5. Six of his nine victories coming by stoppage with four via KO/TKO.
Petr Yan vs. John Dodson slated for UFC Prague
(https:)UFC bantamweight Petr Yan has signed a new contract, and he has a new fight lined up for February 23rd.
Exciting Russian bantamweight Petr Yan is one of the top names to watch in 2019, and his next fight will be against a former UFC title challenger.
ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reports that Yan is set to face John Dodson at UFC Fight Night: Prague on February 23rd. Yan announced on Twitter that he has also signed a new four-fight contract with the promotion.
Yan (11-1) has fought three times in the UFC, stopping Teruto Ishihara in his debut, winning a wildly entertaining decision over Jin Soo Son, and most recently prompting Douglas Silva de Andrade’s team to invoke the rare MMA corner stoppage due to a prolonged beating. The 25-year-old is clearly a gifted fighter with potential to make his way towards a title shot if he keeps on churning out the wins.
Corey Anderson: What did Anthony Smith do to get the title shot over me?
(mixedmartialarts.com)To close the calendar year, Corey Anderson picked up a dominant win at UFC 232 over top 5 contender Ilir Latifi. The win prompted some to call for a title shot for Anderson, who advanced his win streak to three, including wins over Glover Teixeira and Patrick Cummins. Among those who considered Anderson to be a viable contender for the belt was newly crowned champion Jon Jones, who sent some trash talk Anderson’s way.
Ion Cutelabra and John Lineker both oFF the ESPN card
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The UFC’s first event in its ESPN broadcast era is undergoing some late changes about a week before the card.
Ion Cutelaba (14-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) is out of his light heavyweight fight against former title challenger Glover Teixeira (27-7 MMA, 10-5 UFC) at UFC on ESPN+ 1. That bout was set to open the main card. UFC officials removed Cutelaba from the official bout order.
In addition, bantamweight John Lineker (31-8 MMA, 12-3 UFC) is out of his fight against Cory Sandhagen (9-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), according to a report from AGFight.com, though UFC officials have not made a formal announcement of that change.
Polyana Viana to fight Hannah Cifers at UFC 235
(https:)Strawweight prospects Polyana Viana and Hannah Cifers will be looking to rebound in Las Vegas.
MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz confirmed with sources that Viana and Cifers will fight at UFC 235 on March 2 at T-Mobile Arena following an initial report by ESPN.
Rose Namajunas to defend strawweight belt vs. Jessica Andrade at UFC 237
(https:)UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas has agreed to defend her title in enemy territory later this year, according to UFC president Dana White.
Namajunas will face Brazilian challenger Jessica Andrade at UFC 237 on May 11 in Brazil. The 115-pound title fight is expected to serve as the co-main event at UFC 237, White told ESPN on Monday.
The UFC has not yet announced an official venue, but the fight will take place in Brazil.
Ex-champ Cody Garbrandt returns vs. Pedro Munhoz at UFC 235
(https:)A bantamweight bout between former UFC champion Cody Garbrandt and Brazilian contender Pedro Munhoz is the latest addition to March’s stacked UFC 235 lineup.
Garbrandt (11-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) verified the matchup with Munhoz (17-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) on social media following an initial report from ESPN.com (via Twitter):
Tyron Woodley set to defend title vs. Kamaru Usman – not Colby Covington – at UFC 235
(https:)Finally, the UFC welterweight title picture is clear – and champion Tyron Woodley will get to defend, after all.
After weeks of trash talk and finger pointing on social media between Woodley, Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman, it’s Woodley and Usman who have won out in the end.
A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to MMAjunkie that Woodley will meet Usman on March 2 at UFC 235 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. ESPN.com first reported the booking Sunday after a tweet from Usman’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, hinted that the bout was a done deal.
Jon Jones set to defend title vs. Anthony Smith at UFC 235
(https:)Contingent upon a license from the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Jon Jones’ next fight will be against Anthony Smith at UFC 235.
UFC President Dana White late Saturday night confirmed with TMZ the promotion’s plan to book the light heavyweight title fight for March 2 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. MMAjunkie subsequently confirmed with Smith (31-13 MMA, 7-3 UFC) that he has signed a bout agreement for the fight. Jones (23-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC) and his reps were not immediately reachable for comment.
Jones still needs to appear before the NSAC to address an adverse drug-test finding that prompted the move of UFC 232 from Nevada to California. A Dec. 9 test revealed low levels of a long-term metabolite of oral turinabol, the same steroid found in Jones’ system after an in-competition drug test for his fight against Daniel Cormier in July 2017.
Jimmy Smith announces departure from UFC
(https:)Jimmy Smith’s time with the UFC has come to an end.
The veteran color commentator announced Tuesday via social media that the UFC chose not to re-sign him after completing his first year of work with the promotion.
UFC 232 bonuses: Amanda Nunes, Ryan Hall awarded for epic finishes
(https:)On Saturday, Amanda Nunes cemented her legacy as one of the greatest fighters in UFC history, and picked up a nice bonus to boot.
“The Lioness” was awarded a $50,000 Performance of the Night award for her 51-second drubbing of the seemingly indomitable Cris Cyborg in the co-main event of UFC 232 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. It was the first loss for Cyborg in her last 22 bouts dating back to Nov. 20, 2005 and her first-ever loss by knockout.
Amanda Nunes wins UFC featherweight title in electrifying upset of Cris Cyborg
(https:)UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes shocked the world with an electrifying performance on Saturday night at UFC 232 at The Forum, needing just 51 seconds to knock out featherweight champion Cris Cyborg.
With the win, the American Top Team competitor by way of Salvador, Brazil, became the first simultaneous women’s two weight-class champion in UFC history. She also handed Cyborg her first defeat since 2005.
Walt Harris carrying boxing lessons with Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder into MMA
(https:)As much as anyone on the UFC roster, Walt Harris is eager to show off his hands.
That might sound obvious given his line of work, but few fighters can claim to have the recent boxing experience that Harris can. The 35-year-old has had the opportunity to train with both WBC champion Deontay Wilder, a fellow Alabama native, and Wilder’s recent foe, former WBA, WBO, and IBF champion Tyson Fury.
Chad Mendes determined to avoid gatekeeper label at UFC 232
(https:)Chad Mendes knows what everyone is thinking.
A long layoff. Back-to-back bookings against lesser known opponents. His 10th anniversary as a pro fighter having just passed.
If Mendes’s next fight is any indication, he’s not being pushed to compete for a UFC title, something the 33-year-old has had the opportunity to do on three occasions. And it’s entirely possible Mendes is actually being used to prop up the résumé of Alexander Volkanovski, his opponent Saturday at UFC 232 in Inglewood, Calif., a featherweight prospect who has won all five of his fights inside the Octagon so far.
Daily Debate results: Would you have bought UFC 232 if Jones-Gustafsson was scrapped?
(https:)Today’s UFC 232 started the week with plenty of controversy.
The promotion’s year-end pay-per-view blockbuster had been set for T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. But when headliner Jon Jones had a drug test result that was abnormal, it left the Nevada State Athletic Commission in position to not be able to license him to fight – so the entire event moved to California.
Now UFC 232 takes place tonight at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.
Dana White defiant on UFC 232 criticism: 'Other people’s opinions mean nothing to me'
(https:)UFC 232 is happening tonight in California instead of Nevada as originally booked. And while UFC President Dana White admits it’s “not the ideal situation,” he couldn’t care less about the backlash all week that’s been caused by his last-minuted decision.
“When I pull the trigger, man, we roll,” White told MMAjunkie on Friday. “I don’t ever go, ‘We made the wrong decision.’ I don’t listen to criticism. Other people’s opinions mean nothing to me. I make decisions, and we roll. That’s it.”
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