Category Archives: Bloodyelbow.com

Bellator has put together a fantastic new million-dollar Grand Prix tournament for 2023, featuring lightweight champ Usman Nurmagomedov.

Bellator has made a habit of putting their divisional titles on the line through massive year-long tournaments in recent years. Featuring some of the best talent the promotion has to offer, fighters face off in a series of five round bouts, with everyone from champions to top contenders taking part.

Last year, Vadim Nemkov defended his title three times, defeating Phil Davis, Julius Anglickas, and Corey Anderson in the light heavyweight Grand Prix picking up the $ 1 million in prize money in the process. Likewise, Raufeon Stots captured & defended the interim bantamweight title with victories over Juan Archuleta, Danny Sabatello, and Patchy Mix.

It looks like 2023 is set to start out on the right foot, then, with the Wednesday, January 11th announcement that Bellator would be hosting a lightweight tournament featuring champion Usman Nurmagomedov, in an 8-man field, including former champ Patricky Pitbull, former UFC champ Benson Henderson, and former featherweight champ AJ McKee.

24-year-old Nurmagomedov (cousin of former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov) captured Bellator gold just back in November, with a unanimous decision over Patricky Pitbull. Currently sitting at 16-0, the AKA talent is unbeaten since first stepping into the cage back in 2017. He took his first Bellator bout in April of 2021, racking up four straight victories on his way to his first title shot.

Much like Nurmagomedov, Pitbull enters this bout fresh off their contest in November where he lost his lightweight title. Elder brother to Bellator’s featherweight champion, the 36-year-old hasn’t been in the best form lately (even despite his title win), dropping three of his last four bouts—starting with a decision loss to Tofiq Musayev at RIZIN 20 in the final leg of that promotion’s 2019 lightweight GP.

A former RIZIN tournament champion, many felt Musayev was badly overlooked when Bellator granted the lightweight title shot to Nurmagomedov instead of the 33-year-old from Azerbaijan. Musayev just made his Bellator debut back in July of last year, beating Sidney Outlaw via first round knockout. That win provided a much needed bounceback after suffering a first round submission loss at RIZIN 28 to Roberto de Souza.

A former Titan FC champion, the 30-year-old Outlaw made his Bellator debut in 2019, with a victory over Roger Huerta. The American Top Team product had the inglorious honor of being one of the final fights in Michael Chandler’s tenure before he jumped ship for the UFC, losing that bout via first round KO. Outlaw rebounded with a pair of victories before losing to Musayev last July.

One of Bellator’s top rising prospects for the last half decade, AJ McKee made good on his potential back in 2021, when he defeated Patricio Pitbull to win the Bellator featherweight championship. Unfortunately for him, the 27-year-old didn’t fair nearly so well in the rematch, dropping a unanimous decision, after which he made the move to the lightweight division, winning two straight fights. Most recently he defeated the aforementioned de Souza at RIZIN’s 2022 NYE Bellator crossover event.

Russia’s Alexander Shabily enters the lightweight Grand Prix with a years long reputation as one of the most talented lightweights in the world not fighting for a major promotion. He finally made his debut stateside back in 2021, with a 19-3 record, and immediately rattled off three straight victories for Bellator. It could be that 2023 is the year that finally sees him in contention for a notable piece of MMA hardware.

Mansour Barnaoui already has a million-dollar tournament win to his name, marching his way through a field of 16 over two years with ROAD FC to take home the Korean promotion’s lightweight crown. Due to the COVID pandemic 30-year-old Tunisia-born Frenchman didn’t compete for more than three years between 2019 & 2022, but made a welcome return to action in October of last year, beating Adam Picoolotti via second round submission at Bellator 287.

A former UFC champion, Benson Henderson has already had two shots at capturing Bellator gold. ‘Smooth’ made his debut with his new promotional home back in 2016 for a welterweight title fight against then-champion Andrey Koreshkov. Despite losing that bout, he got a crack against Michael Chandler later that same year for the lightweight title, after an injury stoppage win over Patricio Pitbull. Since then he’s gone 6-4 fighting for Bellator, including a rough 3-fight losing streak in 2020-2021. But he bounced back last year with a pair of victories over Islam Mamedov and Peter Queally.

The lightweight Grand Prix tournament kicks off on March 10th in San Jose, CA at Bellator 292. On that card, Usman Nurmagomedov is expected to take on Benson Henderson in a five round lightweight title fight main event. Tofiq Musayev and Alexander Shabily will battle it out for five-rounds as well in a non-title fight co-main.

Bloody Elbow – All Posts

Now that he’s out of the UFC, Mike Jackson wants to settle the score with Jake Shields, whom he had an altercation with weeks ago.

As of Monday, welterweight Mike Jackson is no longer part of the UFC roster. The 37-year-old fighter, who is known for his (overturned) win over C.M. Punk, confirmed the news with MMA Fighting.

Jackson noted that his release was in no way related to his physical altercation with fellow UFC veteran Jake Shields a few weeks ago at the Performance Institute. Both men are planning to take legal action against each other, as Shields was supposedly banned from the P.I.

But for Jackson, there is still a score to settle.

“My mindset wasn’t to beat the f–k out of Jake Shields — it was to not get punched in the face,” he said. “So he’s in my DMs, talking a bunch of shit, but then his tune changed, and he was like, ‘Do you want me to come to Houston to box? I’ll come box you.’

“I haven’t responded yet, but that’s my new thing. He’s going to come to Houston, or we’re going to find somewhere to meet, and I’ll beat the f–k out of him for the shit that he did.”

Shields also got in touch with MMA Fighting and agreed to the callout.

“I’ll fly to Houston and fight him if I know for sure he will show, but he keeps making excuses,” Shields stated via text. “I contacted his trainer directly to make sure he will be at the gym, and he seems to think he won’t actively fight me.”

As for his UFC release Jackson, (1-2, 1 NC), whose lone win came via DQ, says it’s no big deal.

“I understand the business side of this. But for me, it doesn’t matter. I made way more money not fighting than fighting.”

Jackson last fought in October against Pete Rodriguez and lost via first-round knockout.

Bloody Elbow – All Posts

The controversial kingdom’s Public Investment Fund is reportedly interested in purchasing the world’s largest wrestling organization. 

In the wake of Vince McMahon rejoining the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) board of directors to begin a potential sale process for his company, Saudi Arabia has reportedly emerged as a potential frontrunner to purchase the world’s largest wrestling promotion.

According to various reports, the controversial kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has shown interest in adding WWE to its growing sports and entertainment portfolio. The PIF controls more than $ 600 billion in assets and serves as the majority owner of English Premier League football club Newcastle United. It also finances the professional golf tour, LIV golf.

While the notion of WWE being sold isn’t new, the latest reports come following McMahon rejoined the company last week.

McMahon stepped down in July 2022 following a sexual misconduct scandal that found he had paid several women more than $ 14 million to cover up claims of sexual assault and misconduct. He returned to the company as a board member following a six-month hiatus and quickly suggested plans to explore a potential sale.

“WWE is entering a critical juncture in its history with the upcoming media rights negotiations coinciding with increased industry-wide demand for quality content and live events and with more companies seeking to own the intellectual property on their platforms,” McMahon said in a statement last week.

“The only way for WWE to fully capitalize on this opportunity is for me to return as Executive Chairman and support the management team in the negotiations for our media rights and to combine that with a review of strategic alternatives. My return will allow WWE, as well as any transaction counterparties, to engage in these processes knowing they will have the support of the controlling shareholder.”

WWE already has a lucrative, long-term partnership with Saudi Arabia, whereby the organization earns approximately $ 50 million for each event held in Saudi Arabia. And while the partnership has been lucrative for the wrestling company, the events have been criticized of laundering the kingdom’s reputation as a human rights abuser and warmonger, a process known as sportswashing.

Over the past few years, Saudi Arabia has spent billions on high-profile international sports and entertainment events. The strategic investment is part of the kingdom’s ‘Vision 2030’ masterplan that aims to reduce Saudi’s economic dependence on oil but it also serves to distract from ongoing human rights abuses committed by the kingdom with impunity, as well its ongoing war in Yemen that has resulted in a humanitarian crisis among the worst in the world.

The kingdom’s sports portfolio includes a Formula One Grand Prix, the Saudi Cup horse race, several boxing showdowns, massive investments in esports and gaming, the Newcastle United football club, and the LIV professional golf tour financed by the Public Investment Fund (PIF).

It is unclear how much the WWE will change its operations if the reported Saudi deal goes through. However, it is worth noting that the company is home to a sizeable women’s roster, LGBTQ+ wrestlers, and a handful of notable talent—Sami Zayn, John Cena, and Kevin Owens included—who have refused to compete in the controversial kingdom.

About the author: Karim Zidan is an investigative reporter for Bloody Elbow focusing on the intersection of sports and politics. His work is also a contributor to The New York Times and The Guardian. (full bio)

Bloody Elbow – All Posts

Diego Sanchez has apparently been given the all clear to face Austin Trout in a bare knuckle boxing match on February 17, 2023.

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship’s Knuckle Mania 3 is going down on February 17th in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In a somewhat surprising turn, the promotion just announced that the official co-main event of the evening will include longtime UFC veteran, Diego Sanchez, in a bare knuckle boxing bout against former WBA light middleweight champion, Austin Trout.

This past December, BKFC received approval from the New Mexico Athletic Commission to host their event at Tingley Coliseum. What did not get approved at the time, however, was the matchup between the now 41-year-old Sanchez and the 37-year-old Trout. That was voted against by NMAC members based off of the state of Sanchez’s fitness level after a high-milage MMA career.

As recorded by the Albuquerque Journal, NMAC Commissioner, Jerome O’Connell, originally told the former lightweight title challenger at the time, “With all due respect to Mr. Sanchez … I just need to say on this fight, I cannot support it.”

Sanchez’s agent, Ricky Kottenstette, responded to that statement by telling the commission that his client would provide results of MRIs and other neurological tests to the commission, and followed up that he was “confident that (the tests) will show no issues.”

Fast forward to January 10th, and it seems Sanchez has been cleared to move forward as a bare knuckle boxer. Bloody Elbow has reached out to the New Mexico Athletic Commission on the reason behind their change of heart, but have yet to hear back at the time of publishing.

After realizing a King of the Cage title in 2004, Sanchez made his way to The Ultimate Fighter Season 1, and ended up winning the show by stopping Kenny Florian with strikes at the TUF 1 finale. From there, Diego went on to fight his way to a title shot against BJ Penn in 2009, but was stopped in the fifth round after a head kick opened up a nasty gash on his forehead.

Sanchez never won three fights in a row after that, but he was consistently booked in the UFC for another 11-years. He ended up walking away from the UFC in 2020 with a promotional record of 19-13, and then dropped a unanimous decision to Kevin Lee at Eagle FC 46 in 2022. His overall MMA record currently stands at 30-14.

What about Austin Trout? The former WBA light middleweight champion, has a boxing record of 36-5-1, and is currently on a five-fight winning streak. His last victory was a unanimous nod over Jose Sanchez Charles just back in December of 2022. His most notable win came way back in 2012, when he defended his belt against Miguel Cotto. Trout dropped his title to Canelo Alvarez the very next year.

Alongside Trout vs. Sanchez, Knuckle Mania 3 the fight card is set to be headlined by a light heavyweight (185 lbs) championship fight between title holder Lorenzo Hunt and challenger Mike Richman. A former regional MMA talent, Hunt has competed exclusively in bare knuckle boxing—to the tune of a 9-1 record—following a 2018 loss to current UFC middleweight Joe Pyfer. A longtime Bellator fighter, Richman turned to boxing in 2018 after a pair of 2017 losses in LFA. He’s currently 5-0 (1 NC) as a bare knuckle boxer.

Bloody Elbow – All Posts

It seems like Henry Cejudo is 100% down to fight Sean O’Malley if Aljamain Sterling isn’t going to be available soon.

Could the UFC be on the cusp of creating another interim title? With the upcoming bout quadrilogy bout between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno, the UFC could potentially head into 2023 with all their championship titles unified. The ‘Assassin Baby’ is currently the only interim champ on the UFC roster, after Aljamain Sterling beat Petr Yan back in April and Francis Ngannou beat Ciryl Gane in January of last year.

But it just might be that a new fracture in title supremacy is on the horizon, with Sterling announcing that he will not be fighting for the immediate future, as he rehabs a long-standing bicep injury. According to the ‘Funk Master’ his last two title fights, against Yan & Dillashaw, occured while battling the ailment. Now it’s time for some much needed R-n-R

While no next title defense had been set in stone for the longtime Serra-Longo talent, two notable names were on the horizon. Former two-division champion Henry Cejudo seemed to be at the top of the list, with an expected 2023 return from retirement. The other name, former Dana White’s Contender Series product and fast rising star ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley.

If Sterling isn’t about to take on either of them, it only makes sense that they could fight one another.

MMA matchmaking is rarely so simple, as fighters tend to have their own plans to pursue alongside the UFC’s schedule and fan hopes. But maybe this time around fate has given everyone a golden opportunity. Shortly after Sterling’s announcement, O’Malley took to twitter to call out Henry Cejudo. A challenge, Cejudo appears to have accepted with his trademark charm.

Still only 35-years-old, Cejudo hasn’t competed professionally since a 2020 title defense victory over former champion Dominick Cruz. After the bout, the one-time Olympic gold medalist made a sudden announcement that he was vacating his title and ending his combat sports career. In the nearly three years since, the ‘Messenger’ has become a fixture in the MMA coaching scene, notably working with newly re-crowned strawweight champion Weili Zhang among a host of other UFC fighters.

For O’Malley, the 28-year-old is fresh off the biggest win of his career—having snatched a controversial split decision over former champion Petr Yan at UFC 280 just back in October. That win makes the MMA Lab talent unbeaten in his last five bouts, and with just a single loss to his record over ten fights and five years inside the Octagon.

Hopefully both men are willing to stick to this plan and fans will get a thrilling, high profile bantamweight bout sometime in the not too distant future.

Bloody Elbow – All Posts

Light heavyweight Thiago Santos would like to start his Professional Fighters League career with a money fight.

Light heavyweight Thiago Santos has yet to make his Professional Fighters League debut after signing with the promotion back in September 2022, but he wants a big match to get things started.

Upon hearing the news that the PFL has also signed a deal with YouTube star turned boxer Jake Paul, who is now expected to make his mixed martial arts debut under their banner in 2023, ‘Marreta’ took to Twitter to make himself available to welcome the 25-year-old sensation.

Although nothing has been confirmed yet, both athletes are still set to make their PFL debuts in 2023, with Paul said to compete in the new Super Fight division, where athletes are promised to keep at least 50% of the promotion’s pay-per-view revenue. Meanwhile, Santos is expected to enter the company’s light heavyweight tournament, to compete for it’s coveted one million dollar prize money.

Santos (22-11) left the UFC on a two-fight losing skid and decided not to renew his contract after defeats to Magomed Ankalaev and Jamahal Hill. During his time in the promotion, the 39-year-old amassed a 14-11 record, with wins over notable names in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, such as Jan Blachowicz, Kevin Holland, Jack Hermansson and Johnny Walker.

Bloody Elbow – All Posts

Senators say Endeavor’s “silence speaks volumes.”

Since Dana White was caught on video slapping his wife, Endeavor, UFC, and their broadcast partners ESPN and TBS have all remained silent on the matter. Given their inaction, a group of US legislators have now called for White’s “immediate removal” as UFC President following the appalling and “alarming” incident.

California Senator Nancy Skinner has penned an open letter to Ari Emanuel on behalf of 17 US Senators and and 32 Assemblywomen, telling the Endeavor CEO and UFC owner that “it is time to remove Mr. White from his leadership role.”

The letter, which comes from the bipartisan organization California Legislative Women’s Caucus, also called out Emanuel’s “hypocrisy” as his previous strong views seemingly don’t apply now that it’s his bottomline that’s involved.

“In the days since the video was released, you have remained silent,” the letter reads. “Your continued silence speaks volumes. As you once wrote: “Silence and inaction are not an option.” We agree — and we are urging you to take immediate action.

“…The head of a major sporting organization cannot claim to be for the safety of women while a video of him striking his wife continues to circulate online without a response from you. The hypocrisy is astounding. Enough is enough. It is time to remove Mr. White from his leadership role, to allow him and his partner to get the help they need while reminding the world of what Endeavor stands for and that violence against women is not a conduct that you condone.”

As the letter referenced, Emanuel has been vocal about past controversies, with the Hollywood mogul recently penning two op-eds speaking out against antisemitism from the likes of Kanye West and Dave Chappelle. He called for a boycott of West, saying “it’s up to all of us to stop regarding silence as an acceptable option.”

He also previously called for Hollywood to shun Mel Gibson for his bigoted comments, “even if it means a sacrifice to their bottom line.”

The UFC is one of the main drivers of Endeavor’s business, with the MMA promotion now making over a billion dollars a year.

The open letter can be read in full below:

Dear Mr. Emanuel,

We write with deep concern about the recent violent video we have seen online from the Ultimate Fighting Championship (U.F.C.) President Dana White. Our caucus, which is both bicameral and bipartisan, is composed of women across the State of California who are committed to creating better lives for women and girls. We care deeply about intimate partner violence, and we have seen how partner violence affects the lives of children and families. Most importantly, we are deeply aware of how impactful our actions are on the minds of young people, who learn from what we tolerate and what we condemn.

Given Mr. White’s previous remarks against domestic partner violence, we believed that Endeavor and the U.F.C. shared this commitment to safety, respect, and accountability. You yourself have written extensively about the need to speak out and act when we see things that are not in line with our values.

And yet, we have seen the video of U.F.C. President Dana White, where he strikes his wife at a New Year’s Eve celebration with a closed fist. We were appalled. It was alarming to say the least.

In the days since the video was released, you have remained silent. Your continued silence speaks volumes. As you once wrote: “Silence and inaction are not an option.”

We agree — and we are urging you to take immediate action. Like you, we are people who live by our values.

We, too, are people of action. We are allies against violence, advocates for women, and we are parents like yourself. This is why it is clear to us: we are calling for the immediate removal of Mr. White as President of the U.F.C.

Every day that Mr. White’s actions go unaccounted for, your silence becomes more piercing and troubling. At this point, thousands of young men, women, and adults worldwide have seen the video of Mr. White striking his wife. We have also seen his apology. What we have not seen is any consequences for his actions.

As Chief Executive Officer of Endeavor, the U.F.C.’s parent company, you have the authority to decide who leads the U.F.C., which is one of the world’s most watched sporting leagues, with millions of fans across the globe. Mr. White is not only the external face of the U.F.C., he is the leader who sets the expectations for the athletes as well. He is the leader who has explained in years past that he stands firmly against domestic violence. If an athlete were to commit violence against their partner, Mr. White is the leader within U.F.C. who will have to determine the consequence. The eyes of the world are on him and on Endeavor.

The head of a major sporting organization cannot claim to be for the safety of women while a video of him striking his wife continues to circulate online without a response from you. The hypocrisy is astounding. Enough is enough. It is time to remove Mr. White from his leadership role, to allow him and his partner to get the help they need while reminding the world of what Endeavor stands for and that violence against women is not a conduct that you condone.

Sincerely,

Nancy Skinner, Chair
Senator, 7th District

Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, Vice Chair
Assemblymember, 4th District

Other Hollywood actors and sports stars have also recently spoken out about the uneven media coverage on the issue.

About the author: Anton Tabuena is the Managing Editor for Bloody Elbow. He’s been covering MMA and combat sports since 2009, and has also fought in MMA, Muay Thai and kickboxing. (full bio)

Bloody Elbow – All Posts

How to watch all the action from MF & DAZN: X Series 004.

Wildly popular influencer KSI is back with a boxing card this weekend. And this time, he’s in the main event. The man who arguably started this latest trend of celebrity boxing will be facing pro Esports player FaZe Temper after Bellator and BJJ veteran Dillon Danis pulled out.

KSI vs. Temper is another chapter in the rivalry between gaming clans Sidemen and FaZe. This will be KSI’s third pro boxing bout. He won the past two, over British rapper Swarmz and Mexican boxer Luis Alcarez Pineda (on the same night, no less). The fight will be for KSI’s MF cruiserweight title.

The co-main event is Slim, who KO’d FaZe Temper last year, defending his MF light heavyweight title vs. British reality TV star Tom Zanetti.

Also on the card is Only Fans’ Elle Brooke vs. TikTok’s Faith Ordway.

The event begins at 2 p.m. ET. The main event ringwalks are expected at 5 p.m. ET.

Full Fight Card

MF cruiserweight championship: KSI (c) vs. FaZe Temper

MF light heavyweight championship: Slim (c) vs. Tom Zanetti

Cruiserweight: Salt Papi vs. Josh Brueckner

Cruiserweight: Ryan Taylor vs. Swarmz

Cruiserweight: Joe Fournier vs. Tony Christodoulou

Super lightweight: Elle Brooke vs. Faith Ordway

Light heavyweight: Anthony Taylor vs. Idris Virgo

Live Stream

MF & DAZN: X Series 004 will be a PPV on DAZN. In addition to a DAZN subscription you’ll need to pay the following based on your location:

• US — $ 39.99
• CA — CAD$ 39.99
• UK & Ireland — £11.99 / €11.99
• France — € 9.99
• Australia — $ AU 14.99
• New Zealand – $ NZ 14.99
• Sweden– SEK 99
• Netherlands — € 9.99
• Mexico — $ MXN 99

Viewers in Argentina, Chile and Colombia can only watch the fight if they download the DAZN app from the Apple App Store or Android Google Play store and sign up as a subscriber there instead of via a web browser.

In the US DAZN costs $ 19.99 a month or $ 99.99 per year.

In Canada a monthly subscription to DAZN is $ 20 and an annual subscription is $ 150. In the UK you can get a monthly subscription for £7.99.

DAZN can be viewed on the following devices:

Mobile Devices

• iPhone, iPad
• Android phones, tablets
• Amazon Fire tablet

TV & Streaming Devices

• Amazon Fire TV
• Amazon Fire TV Stick
• Android TV
• Apple TV
• Google Chromecast
• LG Smart TV, Smartcast
• Panasonic Smart TV
• Samsung Smart TV
• Sony Smart TV

Games Consoles

• PlayStation 4
• PlayStation 5
• XBox One
• XBox Series X | S

Pay-Per-View events are available to watch either live or on-demand. Events will be available to buy, and to watch, for 7 days after they go live.

Live news, updates and round-by-round commentary is available here on Bloody Elbow.

Bloody Elbow – All Posts

The flyweight champ has been looking for a matchup for months now.

Valentina Shevchenko is frustrated. The long-time women’s flyweight champion has been constantly training for a bout, but it seems that the UFC has no one lined up for her.

In a conversation with UFC.com, the champ is understandably puzzled by the fact that everyone talks about getting a belt, yet no one seems willing to step up to the plate and meet her in the Octagon right now:

“I wanted to fight in December, but it’s my understanding that it was hard to find an opponent. I’m just here, training all the time, almost every day, waiting for the call. I’ve been ready since, I don’t know, since September?

“I want to fight frequently, but I realize this is a problem for the UFC to find opponents in order for me to fight frequently. My understanding is that everyone would love to fight for a title, so what’s happening with you girls? Why so quiet?”

Two women she feels are ready for a shot are Manon Fiorot and Alexa Grasso. Fiorot is undefeated in the UFC thus far at 5-0, while Grasso is on a four-fight winning streak since moving to 125 pounds. Despite taking out two former title challengers in a row, Fiorot has stated that she’d like one more bout before challenging Valentina.

“If she can’t fight, then Alexa – let’s go. It’s time.”

Other options include a third fight against Amanda Nunes, or a superfight with strawweight champ Zhang Weili. Shevchenko is open to anything:

“After this break, I would like to defend my belt once more for the next one. But yes, I’m definitely ready for Amanda (Nunes) and Weili. Weili did a very good fight her last fight. She got stronger, and it’s very interesting to watch her fight. I’m definitely open to fight any of these girls.”

Bloody Elbow – All Posts

Check out all the fights announced over the past week in the UFC, Bellator and other promotions.

Fights on Tap is a weekly roundup of all the fights booked in the UFC, Bellator and other promotions.

We have made it through the holiday break! Fights are back, and we start our 2023 with ONE on Prime Video 6 on Friday and UFC Vegas 67 on Saturday. With those events coming up, let’s take a look at what else we have on the schedule.

The UFC either announced or finalized 23 fights this week, and a pair of ranked women’s flyweights is the latest addition to UFC 286.

For her next UFC appearance, undefeated contender Casey O’Neill gets a one-time title challenger in Jennifer Maia. The women’s flyweight fight is joining the line-up of UFC 286, the upcoming pay-per-view event scheduled for March 18 at the O2 in London.

O’Neill is 4-0 in the UFC, with her most recent win coming against MMA pioneer Roxanne Modafferi at UFC 271 this past February. As the ‘King’ was preparing for her next fight — Jessica Eye at UFC 276 — she was forced to withdraw after suffering a ‘fully torn’ ACL in training. As for Maia, she snapped a two-fight losing streak with a unanimous decision over Maryna Moroz at UFC Vegas 65 in November.

UFC 283 — January 21

Thiago Moisés vs. Melquizael Costa — lightweight
First rep. by Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting

UFC Vegas 68 — February 4

Anshul Jubli vs. Jeka Saragih — lightweight
Jeong Young Lee vs. Yi Zha — featherweight
Toshiomi Kazama vs. Rinya Nakamura — bantamweight
Seung Guk Choi vs. Sung Hyun Park — flyweight

UFC 284 — February 11

Jack Della Maddalena vs. Randy Brown — welterweight
First rep. by Brown on Twitch and later confirmed by Marcel Dorff of Eurosport Nederland
Jamie Mullarkey vs. Francisco Prado — lightweight
First rep. by Gaston Reyno

UFC Vegas 69 — February 18

Josh Parisian vs. Jamal Pogues — heavyweight
First rep. by Iridium Sports Agency

UFC Vegas 70 — February 25

Mike Malott vs. Yohan Lainesse — welterweight
José Johnson vs. Garrett Armfield — bantamweight
First rep. by Marcel Dorff of Eurosport Nederland
Alex Reyes vs. Trevor Peek — lightweight
First rep. by Nolan King of MMA Junkie
Tatiana Suarez vs. Montana De La Rosa — women’s flyweight
First rep. by De La Rosa on OnlyFans
Nurullo Aliev vs. Rafael Alves — lightweight
First rep. by Nolan King of MMA Junkie

UFC 285 — March 4

Geoff Neal vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov — welterweight
Neal vs. Rakhmonov was already confirmed, but shifted from UFC Vegas 67 to UFC 285, per Brett Okamoto of ESPN
Kamuela Kirk vs. Esteban Ribovics — lightweight
First rep. by Carlos Contreras Legaspi of ESPN Deportes
Bo Nickal vs. Jamie Pickett — middleweight
Nickal vs. Pickett was already confirmed, but shifted from UFC 282 to UFC 285, per Nolan King of MMA Junkie

UFC Vegas 71 — March 11

Raphael Assunção vs. Kyler Phillips —bantamweight
First rep. by Iridium Sports Agency

UFC 286 — March 18

Jennifer Maia vs. Casey O’Neill — women’s flyweight
First rep. by Dama De Ferro MMA
Jai Herbert vs. Ľudovít Klein — lightweight
First rep. by Marcel Dorff of Eurosport Nederland
Lerone Murphy vs. Nathaniel Wood — featherweight
First rep. by Al Zullino

UFC San Antonio — March 25

Daniel Pineda vs. Tucker Lutz — featherweight
First rep. by Nolan King of MMA Junkie
Trevin Giles vs. Preston Parsons — welterweight
First rep. by Marcel Dorff of Eurosport Nederland

UFC 287 — April 8

Cynthia Calvillo vs. Lupita Godinez — women’s strawweight
First rep. by Carlos Contreras Legaspi of ESPN Deportes

Announced Bellator fights:

Bellator 290 — February 4

Steve Mowry vs. Ali Isaev — heavyweight
Lorenz Larkin vs. Mukhamed Berkhamov — welterweight
Darrion Caldwell vs. Nikita Mikhailov — bantamweight
Isaiah Hokit vs. Peter Ishiguro — featherweight

Announced Professional Fighters League (PFL) fights:

PFL Challenger Series Week 4 — February 17

Elvin Espinoza vs. Damir Ferhatbegovic — lightweight
Mandel Sousa vs. Paulo Henrique — lightweight
Antonio Caruso vs. Anthony Romero — lightweight
Charlie Decca vs. Jose Aguayo — lightweight

Announced KSW fights:

KSW 78 — January 21

Roman Szymański vs. Raul Tutarauli — lightweight
Borys Dzikowski vs. Damian Mieczkowski — middleweight

Bloody Elbow – All Posts