Category: MMA News

Vince Murdock Takes 20-Month Suspension From USADA, Postponing UFC Debut

Vince Murdock’s UFC debut has been put on a back burner after being slapped with a USADA Anti-Doping Policy suspension.

Per USADA’s statement, Murdock “tested positive for GW1516 metabolites GW1516 sulfoxide and GW1516 sulfone as the result of an out-of-competition urine sample collected on July 6, 2019.” This makes Murdock’s projected eligibility to compete in March of 2021.

Murdock won’t be eligible to compete for 20-months, with the suspension starting back in July. His UFC debut in June was cancelled against Jordan Griffin after not being medically cleared to compete.

 

Matt Schnell versus Alexandre Pantoja Added To UFC Fight Night Busan

The first fight on UFC’s last 2019 show has been announced. Reported by Combate and MMAFighting, news broke on Thursday that flyweights Alexandre Pantoja and Matt Schnell will square-off at UFC on ESPN+ 23, which takes place in Busan, Korea on December 21st.

Making his third appearance of 2019, Alexandre Pantoja will try to bounce back from a July loss to Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 240. Before then, he had three victorious performances within the division, defeating Brandon Moreno, Ulka Sasaki and Wilson Reis.

Matt Schnell is currently riding a four-fight winning streak, with the two latest wins via first-round triangle chokes.

Schnell is currently ranked 10th in the flyweight division, as Alexandre Pantoja is up in 4th. Making a successful turn around from his first two UFC fights, Schnell currently holds a 4-2 record within the promotion.

Austin Vanderford To Face Debuting Grachik Bozinyan At Bellator 234

Shortly after his last win, Austin Vanderford has another booking. Originally reported by MMAFighting, it was announced that Vanderford will face Grachik Bozinyan in Tel Aviv, Israel at Bellator 234 in November.

Vanderford extended his undefeated professional career two weekends back, defeating Joseph Creer via a second-round doctor’s stoppage. It was “The Gentleman’s” second fight within the promotion.

With a 10-3 record, Russian fighter Grachik Bozinyan will be a tough opponent. Coming from the Absolute Championship Berkut promotion, Bozinyan has quite the portfolio of submission finishes.

Bellator 234 is currently scheduled to be headlined by Sergei Kharitonov and Linton Vassell. Kharitonov recently defeated Matt Mitrione, coincidentally on the same card as Vanderford. Vassell will attempt to break a losing streak which was kicked off nearly two years ago.

Scheduled to take place on November 14th at the Menora Mivtachim Arena, Bellator 234 will be the promotion’s fourth appearance in Tel Aviv, Israel. Here’s the full card so far:

  1. Sergei Kharitonov (30-7) vs. Linton Vassell (19-8) (Heavyweight)
  2. Roger Huerta (24-11-1) vs. Sidney Outlaw (13-3) (Lightweight)
  3. Olga Rubin (6-1) vs. Sinead Kavanagh (5-4) (Featherweight)
  4. Austin Vanderford (8-0) vs. Grachik Bozinyan (10-3) (Middleweight)

Cody Stamann versus Yadong Song Set For UFC on ESPN 6

It was reported on Wednesday by Gene Wang of the Washington Post that ranked UFC bantamweights Cody Stamann and Song Yadong would face off on December 7th. The fight joins seven other bouts scheduled for “UFC on ESPN 6,” which will be live from the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., USA.

Song Yadong is riding a seven-fight winning streak, being 4-0 within the UFC. He is currently ranked 13th in the bantamweight division.

While Cody Stamann doesn’t have as flawless as a recent record, he sure comes close to it, holding a 4-1 UFC record, recently defeating Alejandro Perez. Before his loss to Aljamain Sterling in 2018, the “Spartan” had won 10 bouts in a row.

The show is currently headlined by UFC veterans Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris. Overeem previously main evented a card against Alexey Oleinik, getting a finish near the end of the first round. Coincidentally, Walt Harris also beat Oleinik in his last fight, but in a much more sudden 12-second finish.

Here’s the full card for UFC on ESPN 6:

  1. Alistair Overeem (45-17) vs. Walt Harris (13-7) (Heavyweight)
  2. Aspen Ladd (8-1) vs. Yana Kunitskaya (12-4) (Bantamweight)
  3. Claudia Gadelha (17-4) vs. Cynthia Calvillo (8-1) (Strawweight)
  4. Stefan Struve (29-11) vs. Ben Rothwell (36-12) (Heavyweight)
  5. Carlos Condit (30-13) vs. Mickey Gall (6-2) (Welterweight)
  6. Cortney Casey (8-7) vs. Virna Jandiroba (14-1) (Strawweight)
  7. Bryce Mitchell (11-0) vs. Matt Sayles (8-2) (Featherweight)
  8. Cody Stamann (18-2) vs. Yadong Song (Bantamweight)

Paul Redmond Pulls Out of Bellator 227 Bout with Brandon Girtz, Replaced By Jon Tuck

Bellator 227 lost a main card fight in Brandon Girtz versus Paul Redmond on Wednesday. The news was broken by MMAFighting that Redmond would not appear on the card. Due to injury, the fight was lost due to Redmond suffering a fracture tibia. Redmond was the focus of the fight, as he would be competing in his hometown of Dublin, Ireland.

The replacement opponent for Girtz has already been announced, that fighter being Jon Tuck. The fighter from Guam will be making his Bellator debut after an extensive run in the UFC which dates back to 2012. The “Super Saiyan” will be fighting for the first time after a year-long layoff.

Paul Redmond had just made his Bellator debut back in February, earning a decision victory over Charlie Leary. Prior to that, Redmond fought at a high level of MMA, competing in various promotions. Among them were UFC, KSW, BAMMA and Cage Warriors.

Brandon Girtz is one of the many fighters who has made his career in Bellator. Starting with the promotion in 2012, Girtz has attained a record of 8-6 over the years. His recent win was earned against Saad Awad at Bellator 219.

Bellator 227 is headlined by Irish prospect James Gallagher and Cal Ellenor. The card will also feature big names in Michael “Venom” Page, Benson Henderson, Ryan Scope and more. The card will take place at the 3Arena in Dublin on September 27th.

 

Greg Hardy To Face Returning Jarjis Danho At UFC Fight Night Singapore

UFC’s most polarizing prospect Greg Hardy is back on assignment. First reported by MMAFighting, Hardy is scheduled to face Jarjis Danho at UFC on ESPN+ 20 on October 26th, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore, which is headlined by Ben Askren and Demian Maia.

Hardy is coming off a win against Juan Adams, making it his 5th professional win, also continuing his habit of not escaping the first round when he wins. Syrian fighter Jarjis Danho has prior UFC experience, being 0-1-1. It’s worth noting that Danho’s last fight was in 2016.

Hardy’s past opponents have also been somewhat inexperienced. Two of the three of Hardy’s prior opponents in the UFC were making their promotional debut in their respective fight.

Hardy had two appearances on Dana White’s Contender Series prior to his signing. A former NFL athlete, Hardy has his fair share of controversy around him due to domestic violence charges which were dropped after the victim wasn’t present to testify at the appeal for his case.

This is the current lineup for the UFC on ESPN+ 20 card:

  1. Demian Maia (27-9) vs. Ben Askren (19-1) (Welterweight)
  2. Ciryl Gane (4-0) vs. Dontale Mayes (7-2) (Heavyweight)
  3. Michael Johnson (19-14) vs. Stevie Ray (22-9) (Lightweight)
  4. Ian Heinisch (13-2) vs. Brad Tavares (17-5) (Middleweight)
  5. Beneil Dariush (16-4-1) vs. Frank Camacho (22-7) (Lightweight)
  6. Greg Hardy (5-1) vs. Jarjis Danho (5-1-1) (Heavyweight)
  7. Sergey Pavlovich (13-1) vs. Maurice Greene (8-2) (Heavyweight)

Fights Announced For PFL Playoffs

The full lineups for the PFL opening playoff fights were unveiled on Wednesday. The three events over the course of October in the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA will determine the finalists for every weight class. The grand finale of the tournament is set to take place on New Year’s Eve.

The first of three nights will be on October 11th. The evening will feature the women’s lightweight and men’s welterweight tournament. The prelims will air on ESPN+, with the main card on ESPN2. Here’s the current lineup:

  1. Sarah Kaufman (#1) vs. Larissa Pacheco (#4) (Women’s Lightweight)
  2. Kayla Harrison (#2) vs. Genah Fabiam (#3) (Women’s Lightweight)
  3. Glaico Franca (#1) vs. Andre Fialho (#8) (Men’s Welterweight)
  4. Magomed Magomedkerimov (#2) vs. Chris Curtis (#7) (Men’s Welterweight)
  5. Sadibou Sy (#3) vs. Ray Cooper III (#6) (Men’s Welterweight)
  6. John Howard (#4) vs. David Michaud (#5) (Men’s Welterweight)
  7. Men’s Welterweight Semi-Final Match #1
  8. Men’s Welterweight Semi-Final Match #2

The second night in Las Vegas will be just under a week later on October 17th. The evening will feature the tournament bouts for the male featherweight and lightweight brackets. The first hour and a half of the broadcast will take place on ESPN2 before the broadcast flips to ESPN+.

  1. Lance Palmer (#1) vs. Gadzhi Rabadanov (#8) (Men’s Featherweight)
  2. Movlid Khaybulaev (#2) vs. Daniel Pineda (#7) (Men’s Featherweight)
  3. Luis Rafael Laurentino (#3) vs. Jeremy Kennedy (#6) (Men’s Featherweight)
  4. Alex Gilpin (#4) vs. Andre Harrison (#5) (Men’s Featherweight)
  5. Natan Schlute (#1) vs. Ramsey Nijem (#8) (Men’s Lightweight)
  6. Islam Mamedov (#2) vs. Loik Radzhabov (#7) (Men’s Lightweight)
  7. Chris Wade (#3) vs. Nate Andrews (#6) (Men’s Lightweight)
  8. Akhmed Aliev (#4) vs. Rashid Magomedov (#5) (Men’s Lightweight)
  9. Men’s Featherweight Semi-Final Match #1
  10. Men’s Featherweight Semi-Final Match #2
  11. Men’s Lightweight Semi-Final Match #1
  12. Men’s Lightweight Semi-Final Match #2

The final appearance in the desert for PFL will take place on October 31st, Halloween, in the Mandalay Bay Events Center. The night will showcase the playoff fights for the male light heavyweight and heavyweight fighters.

  1. Emiliano Sordi (#1) vs. Sigi Pesaleli (#8) (Men’s Light Heavyweight)
  2. Maxim Grishin (#2) vs. Jordan Johnson (#7) (Men’s Light Heavyweight)
  3. Vinny Magalhaes (#3) vs. Rashid Yusupov (#6) (Men’s Light Heavyweight)
  4. Bozigit Ataev (#4) vs. Viktor Nemkov (#5) (Men’s Light Heavyweight)
  5. Denis Goltsov (#1) vs. Satoshi Ishii (#8) (Men’s Heavyweight)
  6. Muhammed DeReese (#2) vs. Jared Rosholt (#7) (Men’s Heavyweight)
  7. Alex Nicholson (#3) vs. Francimar Barroso (#6) (Men’s Heavyweight)
  8. Kevin Tiller (#4) vs. Ali Isaev (#5) (Men’s Heavyweight)
  9. Men’s Light Heavyweight Semi-Final Match #1
  10. Men’s Light Heavyweight Semi-Final Match #2
  11. Men’s Heavyweight Semi-Final Match #1
  12. Men’s Heavyweight Semi-Final Match #2

Cris Cyborg Signs “Multi-Fight, Multi-Year” Deal With Bellator

After a seven-fight stint in the UFC, Cris Cyborg will now call Bellator her home. The deal was announced by Bellator promoter Scott Coker on Monday afternoon via Twitter. The tweet included a video from Cyborg, who said at the end “I just want to say Cyborg Nation, welcome to Bellator!”

Shortly after the news broke, Scott Coker hopped on ESPN podcast “Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show,” touting the importance of the deal. “I think we have the biggest contract put together in the history of women’s MMA… We all know what the value of Cyborg is and I think we represent it in our deal.” The fight was announced as a multi-year and multi-fight deal.

When asked about how Cyborg was treated in the UFC, Coker said “I don’t think the UFC knew what to do with her. They’re not in the 145 pound weight class business.” Bellator’s current female Featherweight Champion is Julia Budd, a 15 fight veteran who has spent just under half of her career within Bellator.

Bellator’s first Women’s Featherweight Championship fight took place in March 2017, a month after UFC declared their first champ. The current UFC Featherweight Champion is Amanda Nunes, who defeated Cyborg for the belt in December of 2018.

The partnership won’t be the first time that Cris Cyborg has worked with Scott Coker. The Brazilian fighter had a five-fight run earlier in her career in Strikeforce, who was managed by Coker at the time.

Bellator currently has nine events scheduled in 2019, including a big upcoming event on September 28th, with Patricio Freire putting his Featherweight Championship on the line against Juan Archuleta at The Forum in Inglewood, California.

Gilbert Burns To Take Short Notice Bout Against Alexey Kunchenko At UFC Montevideo

Yesterday, news broke that Alexey Kunchenko wouldn’t see Laureano Staropoli at UFC Montevideo due to a broken nose. In a days time, Kunchenko has gotten a replacement in Gilbert Burns.

Gilbert Burns is taking the fight on short notice, as the event takes place on August 10th. Normally a lightweight fighter, Burns will be making the move up to welterweight for this bout. He is currently on a two-fight winning streak, recently defeating Mike Davis on an April Fight Night card. Kunchenko will be the first undefeated opponent that Burns has faced since his UFC debut against Andreas Stahl in 2014.

Alexey Kunchenko will have his trilogy fight in the UFC on the 10th, picking up wins against Yushin Okami and Thiago Alves back in 2018. Prior to joining the promotion, he saw success in the Russian MMA promotions M-1.

While 13 fights are currently scheduled for UFC Montevideo, a replacement opponent for Ariane Carnelossi is yet to be seen. The card is headlined by Valentina Shevchenko and Liz Carmouche, with Shevchenko attempting to defend her UFC Flyweight Championship in a rematch. Here’s the current status of the card:

  1. Valentina Shevchenko (17-3) vs. Liz Carmouche (13-6) (UFC Flyweight Championship)
  2. Volkan Oezdemir (15-4) vs. Ilir Latifi (14-6) (Light Heavyweight)
  3. Vicente Luque (16-6-1) vs. Mike Perry (13-4) (Welterweight)
  4. Humberto Bandenay (14-6) vs. Luiz Eduardo Garagorri (12-0) (Featherweight)
  5. Oskar Piechota (11-1-1) vs. Rodolfo Vieira (5-0) (Middleweight)
  6. Cyril Gane (3-0) vs. Raphael Pessoa (9-0) (Heavyweight)
  7. Enrique Barzola (15-4-1) vs. Bobby Moffett (14-4) (Featherweight)
  8. Tecia Torres (10-4) vs. Marina Rodriguez (11-0-1) (Strawweight)
  9. Raulian Paiva (18-2) vs. Rogerio Bontorin (15-1) (Flyweight)
  10. Alex da Silva (20-2) vs. Rodrigo Vargas (11-2) (Lightweight)
  11. Gilbert Burns (15-3) vs. Alexey Kunchenko (20-0) (Welterweight)
  12. Polyana Viana (10-3) vs. Veronica Macedo (5-3-1) (Flyweight)
  13. Geraldo de Freitas (12-4) vs. Chris Gutierrez (13-3-1) (Bantamweight)

Luana Carolina Off UFC Shenzen Card Due To Fractured Spine

Yanan Wu has been left without an opponent for UFC Shenzen after an injury to Luana Carolina. Monday night the news was broken by MMA Fighting that Carolina suffered a fractured spine, taking her off the late August card.

With just over a month before the card, UFC will have to find someone quickly if they plan on finding a replacement opponent. Wu was scheduled to be one of the five Chinese fighters on the card.

Jessica Andrade will attempt to make her first defence of the UFC Strawweight Championship against China’s own Weili Zhang. Here’s the card after the recent scratch:

  1. Jessica Andrade (20-6) vs. Weili Zhang (19-1) (UFC Strawweight Championship)
  2. Elizeu Zaleski (21-5) vs. Jingliang Li (16-5) (Welterweight)
  3. Saparbeg Safarov (9-2) vs. Da Un Jung (11-2) (Light Heavyweight)
  4. Anthony Hernandez (6-1) vs. Jun Yong Park (10-3) (Middleweight)
  5. Mark De La Rosa (11-2) vs. Kai Kara-France (19-7) (Flyweight)
  6. Karol Rosa (11-3) vs. Lara Procopio (6-0) (Bantamweight)
  7. Movsar Evloev (11-0) vs. Mike Grundy (12-1) (Featherweight)
  8. Andre Soukhamthath (13-7) vs. Su Mudaerji (11-4) (Bantamweight)
  9. Damir Ismagulov (18-1) vs. Thiago Moises (12-3) (Lightweight)
  10. Kenan Song (14-5) vs. Derrick Krantz (24-11) (Welterweight)