Yoel Romero: Robert Whittaker title rematch set for UFC 225
(mmajunkie.com)Yoel Romero said his rematch with Robert Whittaker is set for June’s UFC 225 fight card.
Romero (13-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) announced the middleweight title fight against Whittaker (19-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC), which had been previously reported by ESPN.com and BJPenn.com, on today’s edition of the “JRE MMA Show” podcast with UFC commentator Joe Rogan.
John Lineker vs. Brian Kelleher slotted for UFC 224 in Brazil
(mmajunkie.com)UFC 224 has a new crackerjack of a bantamweight fight.
It features John Lineker (30-8 MMA, 11-3 UFC) vs. Brian Kelleher (19-8 MMA, 3-1 UFC). Combate first reported it, though UFC officials haven’t made a formal announcement.
UFC 224 takes place May 12 at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass, though the full fight card and bout order haven’t been finalized.
Thiago Alves disappointed with Millender loss, wants Yancy Medeiros next
(https:)Welterweight Thiago Alves laments his performance against Curtis Millender at UFC Fight Night 126, in Austin, Texas.
Former UFC welterweight title challenger Thiago Alves is disappointed with his latest UFC performance, when he was knocked out by Curtis Millender in Austin, Texas. Despite the violent KO loss, however, Alves wants to get back in the Octagon as soon as possible and already has an opponent in mind, as he told Combate.
Diego Nunes booked to face Yusuke Yachi at RIZIN 10
(mma-in-asia.com)RIZIN has made announced two additional fights for its RIZIN 10 event, set for Sunday 6 May at the Marine Messe in Fukuoka, Japan.
Headlining the event is former UFC contenders Kyoji Horiguchi and Ian McCall, who will fight under special RIZIN MMA rules at 61kg. Super atomweight queen Kanna Asakarura is set to face Canada’s Melissa Karagianis.
UFC Fight Night 132 heads to Singapore, including Kassem-Xiaonan, Lausa-Mokhtarian
(mmajunkie.com)It appears the UFC will head to Singapore this summer for the second straight year, and third time overall.
UFC Fight Night 132, though not yet announced by the promotion, will take place in Singapore according to a report from Combate journalist Raphael Marinho on Twitter.
The card will take place June 23, though a venue and specific broadcast deatils were not reported. It is likely the event will stream in full on UFC Fight Pass, which was the case for the promotion’s first two events there: UFC Fight Night 34 in January 2014 and UFC Fight Night 111 in June 2017. UFC Fight Night 34 took place in Marina Bay at Sands Expo and Convention Centre; UFC Fight Night 111 took place at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang.
Two bouts already are ticketed for the card. Nadia Kassem will meet Yan Xiaonan in a women’s strawweight bout, and Janel Lausa will take on Ashkan Mokhtarian at flyweight.
Mairbek Taisumov withdraws from UFC 223 due to visa delay
(https:)Mairbek Taisumov’s quest to secure a U.S. visa continues.
According to sources, there has been a delay with the Russian’s visa processing so his upcoming bout with Evan Dunham has been pulled from UFC 223. MMA Fighting understands that Taisumov’s visa process is still ongoing and his team is confident that he will compete in the U.S. in the near future. He has not been denied a U.S. visa.
“Beckan” has previously been forced off two previous UFC cards, UFC Fight Night 81 and UFC 203, due to visa issues.
Amanda Nunes vs. Raquel Pennington is on for UFC 224 after all
(https:)Amanda Nunes vs. Raquel Pennington is on, after all.
The UFC bantamweight title fight had long been expected for UFC 224 on Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 12.
The bout was called into question after last weekend’s UFC 222, when company president Dana White declared he was looking at the option of having Nunes next fight featherweight champ Cris Cyborg, who scored a one-sided win over Yana Kunitskaya in the evening’s main event.
But now the women’s superfight is on hold, and instead, Nunes vs. Pennington is official. The company tweeted Thursday the bout would be the main event of the May 12 card in Rio.
USADA suspends UFC’s Ion Cutelaba six months for prohibited ozone therapy administration
(https:)A UFC light heavyweight was suspended for use of an alternative medical treatment, but will be able to return to the Octagon soon.
USADA sanctioned Ion Cutelaba for six months due to a prohibited administration of ozone therapy, the UFC’s anti-doping partner announced Thursday. Ozone therapy is an alternative treatment that introduces ozone into the body with the goal of increasing oxygen. There is no peer-reviewed research supporting its effectiveness as a medical technique.
Cynthia Calvillo accepts six-month suspension for marijuana
(https:)Cynthia Calvillo’s failed drug test won’t keep her out of competition for long.
The 30-year-old strawweight has accepted a six-month suspension from the USADA after an in-competition drug test came in positive for Carboxy-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — a marijuana metabolite — last December, per a USADA release.
How did controversial judge Adalaide Byrd do in her return at UFC 222? Could've been worse
(mmajunkie.com)Fighters beware: Adalaide Byrd is back in as a judge in Nevada, and no one is safe from her questionable calls.
This was a point made, in no uncertain terms, during Saturday’s UFC 222 broadcast from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. UFC commentators made sure to mention that Byrd was back from a “breather” that the Nevada State Athletic Commission essentially forced upon her after her controversial scorecard in the Genaddy Golovkin-Canelo Alvarez boxing match this past September, and neither Joe Rogan nor fellow cageside commentator Daniel Cormier seemed to think that was a good thing.
“She’s a very nice person,” Rogan said after fellow UFC commentator Jon Anik pointed out that Byrd was back as a judge for the first time since that Golovkin-Alvarez bout. “So is my mom, (but) I wouldn’t want her calling any fights.”
Jon Fitch vs. Paul Daley set for Bellator 199 in San Jose
(https:)Bellator’s newest addition has his first assignment.
Former UFC welterweight title challenger Jon Fitch signed an exclusive contract with the promotion earlier this week, and on Friday night’s Bellator 195 card, it was announced that Fitch would be facing welterweight standout Paul Daley when the organization heads to San Jose for Bellator 199 on May 12.
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