Jailton Almeida to Fight Curtis Blaydes in Upcoming UFC Fight Night

Posted on June 1, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Jailton Almeida has locked in a new opponent.

The 31-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist will face off against Curtis Blaydes in a marquee heavyweight matchup that will headline a UFC Fight Night in November, according to ESPN.Contracts have not been issued, but both sides have verbally agreed to a five-round main event on November 4. The UFC has not yet announced the event; however, it is expected to take place in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Blaydes and Almeida are the Nos. 4 and 9 ranked heavyweights in the UFC, respectively. Although Blaydes has the more established résumé, there is a lot of hype building around Almeida, particularly after a first-round submission win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the main event of a UFC on ABC card last month.

Almeida (19-2) is 5-0 in the UFC with five finishes. He has fought at light heavyweight and heavyweight, and he is best known for his submission skills on the ground.

Blaydes (17-4) has been one of the most consistent heavyweights of the past seven years, but he’s suffered major losses in key moments against names like Francis Ngannou, Derrick Lewis and Sergei Pavlovich. He lost to Pavlovich via first-round TKO in his most recent appearance in April.

Jon Jones is the UFC’s current heavyweight champion. There are expectations he might face Stipe Miocic in late 2023, however the UFC has not officially booked that matchup as of yet.

Irene Aldana to Fight Raquel Pennington in Rematch at UFC Fight Night in May

Posted on April 18, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Irene Aldana is readying for a rematch…

The 35-year-old Mexican professional mixed martial artist will meet Raquel Pennington in a rematch on May 20 in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card in Las Vegas, with the next UFC women’s bantamweight No. 1 contender likely to be decided with that fight.

Aldana and Pennington fought in July 2019, with Pennington winning a split decision.

ESPN has Pennington ranked No. 3 and Aldana ranked No. 6 in the world at women’s bantamweight.

The champion in that weight class, Amanda Nunes, will defend her title in a trilogy fight with Julianna Peña at UFC 289 on June 10 in Vancouver.

The Pennington vs. Aldana winner will likely fight the victor in that bout.

Pennington (15-8) has won five straight. The Colorado native has not lost since a 2020 bout with former champ Holly Holm. Pennington, 34, has the most bouts in UFC women’s bantamweight history (16).

Aldana (14-6) has won two in a row and four of her past five. The Mexican-born fighter is coming off a knockout of Macy Chiasson at UFC 279 in September.

Aldana has won seven of her past nine fights overall.

Jailton Almeida to Face Jairzinho Rozenstruik in UFC Fight Night in May

Posted on April 7, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Jailton Almeida headed to the Octagon…

The 31-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist will face Jairzinho Rozenstruik in a heavyweight matchup that will headline a UFC Fight Night on May 13, officials announced this week.

The event is scheduled to take place at Spectrum Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina.

It will mark the UFC‘s fourth trip to Charlotte and its first since January 2018.

Rozenstruik (13-4) will look to stay in title contention, after a much-needed knockout of Chris Daukaus in 23 seconds in December. The quick finish was Rozenstruik’s first win since June 2021.

Almeida (18-2) enjoyed a breakout year in 2022, when he went 3-0 inside the Octagon with three first-round finishes. He kept that momentum going in his first appearance of 2023, knocking out Shamil Abdurakhimov in the second round in January.

Renato Moicano to Fight Arman Tsarukyan in UFC Fight Night

Posted on March 23, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Renato Moicano is heading to the Octagon next month…

The UFC is finalizing a lightweight bout between Arman Tsarukyan and Renato Moicano as its headliner for a UFC Fight Night on April 29, sources confirmed to ESPN on Friday.

Moicano posted the news to his social media on Thursday, and sources told ESPN Tsarukyan has also agreed to the 155-pound bout. The UFC has not officially announced the pairing or a location for the event. MMA.Meta first reported the matchup.

Tsarukyan (19-3) is 6-2 overall in the UFC. His only losses have come against current champion Islam Makhachev in 2019 and Mateusz Gamrot last June. The 26-year-old is coming off a decision win against Damir Ismagulov in December.

Moicano (17-5-1) is a former featherweight, coming off a first-round submission win over Brad Riddell in November. Moicano has been with the UFC since 2014, and fought the likes of Jose Aldo, Cub Swanson, Brian Ortega, Rafael dos Anjos and Chan Sung Jung.

Tsarukyan and Moicano are the lightweights the UFC has ranked No. 8 and No. 13, respectively.

Jessica Andrade Filling In for Taila Santos in This Week’s UFC Fight Night

Posted on February 12, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Jessica Andrade is stepping up to the Octagon…

The 31- year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and former UFC women’s strawweight champion will fill in for Taila Santos in the UFC Fight Night main event on February 18 in Las Vegas.

Andrade will face top prospect Erin Blanchfield in a women’s flyweight contender bout.

Santos’ cornermen, including her husband, Pedro Barbosa, were denied visas multiple times, according to Santos’ manager Tiago Okamura. The team waited until a final denial Friday, Okamura said, and Santos decided to withdraw from the bout rather than compete without a corner.

ESPN has Andrade ranked No. 2 in the world at women’s flyweight. Blanchfield is unranked but could get a title shot with a win over Andrade.

Andrade (24-9) has won three straight. The Brazilian-born fighter who trains out of Las Vegas is coming off a dominant, unanimous-decision win over Lauren Murphy at UFC 283 last month. Andrade was the UFC women’s strawweight champion in 2019.

Blanchfield (10-1) has won seven straight, including her first four in the UFC. The New Jersey native is coming off a first-round submission win over Molly McCann at UFC 281 last November. Blanchfield, 23, was ranked No. 2 on ESPN‘s top 25 fighters under 25 years old for 2022.

Marlon “Chito” Vera to Fight Cory Sandhagen in UFC Fight Night in February

Posted on December 24, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Marlon “Chito” Vera has lined up his next opponent…

The 30-year-old Ecuadorian professional mixed martial artist will face Cory Sandhagen in the main event of UFC Fight Night on February 18 in Las Vegas, the UFC has announced.

Vera and Sandhagen, two of the best bantamweights in the world will meet with a title shot on the line.

Sources tell ESPN that bout agreements have been sent out and both sides are set to sign them shortly.

ESPN has Vera ranked No. 3 and Sandhagen at No. 6 in its divisional rankings.

Vera (20-7-1) has won four straight, most recently a head-kick knockout win over former champion Dominick Cruz. He has not lost a fight since December 2020 against legend Jose Aldo. Vera has won 10 of his past 12 fights overall.

Sandhagen (15-4) is coming off a fourth-round TKO win over Song Yadong in September. The Colorado-based fighter snapped a two-fight losing streak with that victory. Sandhagen, 30, has won eight of his 11 fights in the UFC.

Taila Santos to Fight Erin Blanchfield on UFC Fight Night in February

Posted on December 21, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Taila Santos is returning to the Octagon in February…

Before getting a rematch with champion Valentina Shevchenko, the 29-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist will take on top prospect Erin Blanchfield on a UFC Fight Night card on February 18 in Las Vegas, according to ESPN.

Blanchfield first mentioned the matchup on the Morning Kombat program Tuesday, saying she has signed a contract.

ESPN has Santos ranked No. 8 in the world at women’s 125 pounds. Blanchfield was ranked No. 2 on ESPN’s list of MMA fighters under 25 years old earlier this month.

Santos (19-2) fell to Shevchenko in a title fight at UFC 275 last June, a very close split decision mired by a clash of heads that caused Santos to suffer a broken orbital bone.

Santos was on a four-fight winning streak prior to that loss. Santos sports a 4-2 UFC record.

Blanchfield (10-1) is 4-0 in the UFC with two straight stoppage victories. The New Jersey native beat Molly McCann via first-round submission in her most recent outing at UFC 281 last month. Blanchfield, 23, has just one career loss, to fellow UFC fighter Tracy Cortez back in 2019 under the Invicta FC banner.

Amanda Lemos Pulls Off Upset Win Over Marina Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night

Posted on November 6, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Amanda Lemos has pulled off an upset…

The 35-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist finished Marina Rodriguez via TKO at 54 seconds of the third round on Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas.

Rodriguez was poised for a title shot if she won, but now Lemos has snatched her spot near the top of the rankings.

The finish came after a big counter overhand right by Lemos. The punch landed to Rodriguez’s forehead, as Rodriguez was coming in for a combination of her own. It stopped Rodriguez in her tracks and left her rocked. Lemos pressed forward with another big right hand and then flurried with right and left hooks until referee Jason Herzog stepped in to stop it.

“Her legs started wobbling a little bit,” Lemos said in her postfight interview. “I didn’t think twice. I’m going to finish the fight right there.”

ESPN had Rodriguez ranked No. 4 in the women’s strawweight division coming in, with Lemos at No. 9. The big stoppage victory should push Lemos closer to title contention.

She proposed the idea of being the backup fighter for the women’s strawweight title fight next week at UFC 281 between champion Carla Esparza and former champ Zhang Weili in New York.

Lemos (13-2-1) has won two straight and seven of her past eight fights. The Brazilian-born slugger has finished five of her seven UFC victories. That ties her with Rose Namajunas and Jessica Andrade for the most finishes in UFC strawweight history.

Lemos was coming off a second-round submission win over Michelle Waterson-Gomez in July. Her only loss at 115 pounds came against Andrade in April.

Rodriguez (16-2-2) had a four-fight winning streak snapped. The Brazilian-born fighter had only lost once before in her MMA career, to Esparza in July 2020.

Rodriguez, 35, was coming off signature wins against contenders Yan Xiaonan and Mackenzie Dern.

Thiago Santos Signs with Professional Fighters League

Posted on September 11, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Thiago Santos is headed to the PFL…

The 38-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist and former UFC title challenger has signed an exclusive deal with the Professional Fighters League (PFL), according to promotion president Ray Sefo.

Santos will make his PFL debut in 2023 when he competes in the promotion’s season format with a tournament championship purse of $1 million. Santos will fight in the 205-pound division.

“We are very excited to bring in Thiago Santos to the PFL light heavyweight division,” Sefo told ESPN. “He is known throughout the MMA world as a guy who delivers exciting fights, and I’m looking forward to seeing his elite knockout power up close.”

Santos most recently appeared in a UFC Fight Night main event against Jamahal Hill in August, losing via fourth-round TKO. Six of his past seven appearances in UFC were in main events, including a failed title shot against then-champion Jon Jones at UFC 239 in July 2019. Santos lost that fight via split decision.

He was nearing the end of his UFC contract, and the two sides ultimately decided to part ways. Santos had fought exclusively in UFC since 2013.

“It was an amicable separation with the UFC,” Santos’ manager Alex Davis told ESPN. “Thiago is very grateful for everything the UFC did for him, and he’s very grateful toward the PFL for signing with him. He’s looking forward to winning a million dollars.”

Fighting out of Brazil, Santos came close to dethroning Jones in their five-round title fight despite suffering a serious knee injury during the bout. He has struggled to regain his old form since the injury, suffering losses to Glover Teixeira, Aleksandar Rakic, Magomed Ankalaev and Hill. Nevertheless, he was still ranked No. 9 in UFC’s light heavyweight division.

The 2022 PFL finals are in November. The light heavyweight final will feature two former UFC veterans in Robert Wilkinson and Omari Akhmedov.

Dominick Cruz to Fight Marlon Vera in UFC Fight Night in August

Posted on June 8, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Dominick Cruz is heading back to the Octagon this summer…

The 37-year-old Mexican American mixed martial artist, a former two-time UFC bantamweight champion, will face off against Marlon Vera for a UFC Fight Night headliner, according to UFC president Dana White.

The bout is scheduled for August 13, and White said the card is expected to take place in San Diego.

ESPN has Vera ranked No. 6 and Cruz ranked No. 10 in the world at bantamweight.

Cruz (24-3) is one of the best bantamweight fighters in MMA history. A San Diego resident, he’s a two-time former UFC bantamweight champion with a total of three title defenses across both reigns.

Cruz has the most bantamweight wins in UFC/WEC history (13). He has won two straight and 15 of 17 overall.

Vera (19-7-1), 29, has won three straight and nine of his past 11. The fighter from Ecuador, who lives and trains in Orange County, California, is coming off a unanimous decision win over Rob Font in April.

He has the most finishes in UFC bantamweight history (9).

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