Category: Featured

Video: ONE Championship 103 open workouts

ONE Championship is heading Beijing, China, and now you can watch this week’s open workout highlights.

Asia’s largest MMA promotion is back in action on Friday, as ONE Championship heads to mainland China.

“ONE Championship 103: Age of Dragons” goes down at Cadillac Arena in Beijing, and will air in the United States on B/R Live.

In the main event of the MMA portion of the evening’s proceedings in a multi-combat-sport event, [autotag]Lauren Ballin[/autotag] (11-5 MMA) squares off with [autotag]Meng Bo[/autotag] (13-5) in a strawweight fight. Aregntina’s Ballin is looking to shake off a two-fight losing streak; while the Chinese Bo carries a three-fight winning streak into her ONE Championship debut.

Can’t wait until Friday for ONE Championship to start? Then whet your appetite for the exciting event by clicking on the open workouts video linked above.

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UFC’s Walt Harris says he believes missing stepdaughter may have been ‘set up’

The UFC heavyweight competitor appeared with his wife on “The Dr. Phil Show” and discussed the ongoing case of Aniah Blanchard.

For the first time since the disappearance of his stepdaughter, Aniah Blanchard, UFC heavyweight competitor [autotag]Walt Harris [/autotag] made televised statements about the ongoing case.

Harris, and his wife, Angela, appeared on the nationally syndicated “The Dr. Phil Show” on Wednesday to talk about the situation involving the 19-year old Blanchard.

Ibraheem Yazeed is in custody in Lee County, Ala., and has been charged with kidnapping in the case. Blanchard, of Auburn. Ala., was last seen at a convenience store on Oct. 23. Blanchard’s vehicle has since been recovered, and a DNA test from blood found in the card matches Blanchard. Blanchard has not yet been found.

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On the show, both Walt and Angela Harris, while understandably distraught over what has transpired, also believed that that some sort of a set up occurred and that this wasn’t just a random happening.

“There’s a lot of things that don’t make sense to us. It seems like it was actually set up and it was something that was planned,’’ Walt Harris said.

Angela Harris believes her daughter knew whomever is responsible for what transpired.

“Personally, I feel that if it was a set-up, it was someone that knew Aniah and that knew her well and it’s someone that would be running with those type of people,’’ she said.

The Harrises also went on to express that while the police indicated based on forensic evidence that Blanchard suffered a life-threatening injury after she disappeared, they’re holding out hope that she survived and will be found and brought home.

You can watch the Harris’ appearance on “The Dr. Phil Show” in the video below.

 

Rayden Overbay feeling love from MMA community after VIP treatment at Bellator 233

Rayden Overbay had been bullied in the past, but at Bellator 233, it was nothing but love.

THACKERVILLE, Okla. – The past few months have been a rollercoaster ride for 12-year-old Rayden Overbay.

It would be difficult for anyone, regardless of age, to deal with the challenges Rayden deals with on a day-to-day basis. Dealing with ADHD, ADD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, diabetes and deafness in one ear, Rayden’s plate is full.

Being bullied and beaten by his classmates turned an already tough situation into a nightmare. That’s when Rayden went viral.

In October, Rayden was interjected into the international conversation on bullying when videos of him being punched in a school bathroom and jumped by numerous classmates outside the school swept across the internet. The videos touched and aggravated viewers all over the world. Rayden’s parents began receiving messages of support and help offerings from all walks of life.

While many people had good intentions, Rayden’s father, Danny Overbay, told MMA Junkie it became difficult for him to decipher who was genuinely trying to help out his son and who was in it to help themselves.

“We had several people reach out to us like, ‘Hey we want to represent you. We want to do this. We want to do that,'” Danny Overbay said. “After going through some of the Facebook (posts) and stuff and looking at those people reaching out, they were just doing it for numbers of kids. ‘How many kids I got to help today,’ or whatever – just to get their name bigger.”

Despite the attention, Overbay said he wasn’t trying to make his child’s situation into a publicity stunt. All he wanted to do was find solutions for the problems at hand.

Enter Bellator heavyweight [autotag]Justin Wren[/autotag].

Wren reached out to the family and offered help without any strings attached. All Wren wanted to do, according to Overbay, was offer to be Rayden’s friend. The gesture came across as genuine and went a long way with the Overbay family.

“What made us choose Justin so much and what he’s got going is he personally reached out to me through Facebook Messenger and left me a few short messages about how he wanted to be a part of my son’s life,” Overbay said. “And he just wanted to help out and step up and give him the friend he needed who wasn’t his dad. And that to me means a lot.

“… He took a bad situation, and he’s made it nothing but positive. That’s for (Rayden), for his little brother, for me, for his mom. It just touches me as a dad to know Justin and I fall from the same tree when it comes to the path Rayden’s on.”

Rayden had been bullied heavily in the past, but at this past Friday’s Bellator 233 event in Thackerville, Okla., it was nothing but love. Alongside Wren and fellow Bellator fighters [autotag]Rafael Lovato Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Gerald Harris[/autotag], Rayden was a special guest at Friday’s event. Rayden and his newfound Bellator friends even got to be introduced by Michael C. Williams and be on the big screens at WinStar World Casino and Resort.

Wren’s charitable ventures have been documented in the past. A rising UFC heavyweight, Wren walked away from MMA after struggles with drugs, alcohol and mental health. He eventually turned his life around and made it his mission to help out the Pygmy people of the Congo in Africa. He started a nonprofit organization, Fight for the Forgotten, which helps provide clean drinking water to the tribes.

Wren, who admitted he was picked on throughout his youth, said his organization now expands to another “forgotten” group: bullied children.

“Taking up the cause ‘Stand with Rayden,’ I was in the same shoes as him – so was his dad, and even Rafael,” Wren said. “Growing up, (we’d) gotten bullied. Our mission for Fight for the Forgotten has expanded beyond just the Pygmy people who were suppressed and the most bullied group on the planet. But now also here Stateside, we’ve been working on a bully-prevention curriculum for well over a year now.

“When this happened, it was just serendipitous or synchronicity. It was supposed to happen – how do we turn this really bad thing into something really good and positive for Rayden, his brother Brock, his family, the community?”

Lovato, Bellator’s middleweight champion, lives in Oklahoma, as does Rayden. The 36-year-old fighter plans on training Rayden and his brother Brock in MMA starting in early 2020.

“It was right in our backyard, so it was even more responsibility to jump in, and I’m looking forward to having Rayden and his brother Brock join my martial arts academy very soon,” Lovato said. “… We can’t wait to have Rayden on the mats and learning the martial arts lifestyle – empowering him through martial arts and just continue the work that Justin started and keep spreading the love in martial arts throughout for all the kids.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up in Rayden’s name. The money raised will go toward providing Rayden with a new home, so he no longer has to live with his grandparents. Additionally, it will help pay for Rayden’s medical bills and more.

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5 burning questions heading into UFC on ESPN+ 22

MMA Junkie’s Dave Doyle previews UFC on ESPN+ 22 with the top storylines heading into the Brazil card.

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A stretch of weekly UFC events dating back to Aug. 31 winds to its conclusion Saturday, as the company heads back to one of its most reliable international markets, Brazil, for UFC on ESPN+ 22, before things shut down for a couple of weeks.

As is usually the case when the promotion goes to one of the sport’s true hotbeds, there’s an interesting array of matchups featuring several big names in consequential fights. 

This includes the main event, an important light heavyweight showdown with potential championship-picture implications between [autotag]Jan Blachowicz [/autotag]and [autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag].

UFC on ESPN+ 22 takes place Saturday at Ginasio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo. The card streams on ESPN+.

Without further ado, here are five burning questions heading into UFC on ESPN+ 22.

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How will the move up to light heavyweight go for ‘Jacare’ Souza?

After dropping two of his past three fights and three of his past five, former Strikeforce middleweight champion Souza (26-7 MMA, 9-4 UFC) makes the move up to 205 pounds for his main event bout with Jan Blachowicz (24-8 MMA, 7-5 UFC).

It’s hard not to draw a comparison to the other former champs who have recently attempted to refresh their careers with moves up in weight. 

And, well, it hasn’t exactly gone so well.

Luke Rockhold made the jump earlier this year at UFC 239, where he get mauled in short order by Blachowicz. Chris Weidman tried it out last month, and he didn’t last two minutes before he was finished by Dominick Reyes.

Add in that “Jacare” is a month shy of his 40th birthday, and, well, it doesn’t look good on paper. Until you look a little deeper, that is.

Rockhold, who spent years sparring hard in the gym with bigger fighters in Cain Velasquez and Daniel Cormier at American Kickboxing Academy, was knocked out badly by Michael Bisping and Yoel Romero at middleweight before moving up. Weidman, for his part, was on an even worse string of results, including getting stopped by Souza and Rockhold.

“Jacare,” on the other hand, lost a debatable split decision to Kelvin Gastelum and accepted a dangerous short-notice foe in Jack Hermansson last time out, where he still went the distance before losing.

Blachowicz is no less dangerous for Souza than he was Rockhold, but the simple fact of the matter is this move doesn’t seem to present the same red flags as his fellow standouts who have made the jump. 

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Owen Roddy confirms he’ll be in Conor McGregor’s corner, discusses potential ‘Cowboy’ matchup

Owen Roddy discusses Conor McGregor’s return, a potential Donald Cerrone fight and gives his thoughts on “BMF” title winner Jorge Masvidal.

BAHRAIN – The band will indeed be back together for [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]’s return.

Amidst rumors of a potential rift between McGregor and his longtime coaches, Owen Roddy confirmed that he and John Kavanagh will certainly be in McGregor’s corner for his next fight.

“Yup, yup, yup – yeah definitely, yeah,” Roddy told MMA Junkie.

McGregor (21-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) recently announced that he will be making his return on Jan. 18, but no official date or opponent have been confirmed by the promotion. UFC president Dana White did, however, say that the targeted opponent for McGregor’s return fight would be [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag], and that’s a matchup that Roddy would very much like to see.

“If it is ‘Cowboy,’ it would be an exciting fight, yeah,” Roddy said. “I said this a couple of months ago: ‘Cowboy’ and Conor is a great fight for the fans. Two guys that are exciting strikers – although ‘Cowboy’ is phenomenal on the ground, as well, but I think if it was a fight between them, it would be a striking battle, and I think it would be one for the fans, so if it is that, it’ll be an exciting one.”

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And with McGregor’s recent mapped out plan of a Jan. 18 fight, followed by the winner of the “BMF” title fight and then a rematch with Nurmagomedov, Roddy says McGregor is in good spirits, ready to make his return.

“I know he’s working very hard,” Roddy said. “There’s no official date set yet, but Conor’s been training very hard, as you can see. He’s in good nick. If you’re looking at any of the pictures, he’s in phenomenal shape, he’s ready to go. I’m sure everybody’s excited to see him back.”

In his last outing, McGregor failed to recapture his lightweight title and was submitted by Nurmagomedov in the fourth round of their October 2018 matchup at UFC 229. Numragomedov was able to impose his will, as he has done with all his past opponents, nullifying McGregor’s striking. The bad blood continued to boil over after the fight as a brawl ensued, suggesting that the chapter on that rivalry may not be completely closed.

McGregor chalked it up due to being too defensive minded, and while Roddy agrees to a certain extent, he believes that McGregor just wasn’t himself in the fight.

“Potentially, yeah, it was a tricky fight, and take nothing away from Khabib, he came in with a great gameplan,” Roddy said. “He got off, and he executed. but I just don’t think Conor was anywhere near the best of his ability. He wasn’t as good as he can be, and Conor on a night, at 100 percent, can beat anybody in the world.”

Meanwhile, the concept of the “BMF” belt has amassed mixed reviews, but Roddy admits he’s a fan of the idea. And with McGregor saying he’d fight the winner of the “BMF” title fight earlier this month at UFC 244, Roddy believes a potential fight with Jorge Masvidal would be another fan-favorite matchup.

“I thought it was brilliant; great marketing from the UFC,” Roddy said. “Obviously it was Nate (Diaz) that kind of brought it into an existence, but yeah, I love it. I love the idea, it’s a lovely belt, and Masvidal last week, he put on an amazing display and he’s rightfully the ‘BMF’ at the moment, but yeah, that would be a cool one down the line.”

“Yeah, most definitely, who wouldn’t want to see that fight? It would be a cracking fight.”

But for now, Roddy just wants to see McGregor back, shortly after “The Notorious” celebrated the three-year anniversary of his historic double champ feat at UFC 205, one of the many iconic moments in his career.

“I just want to see Conor back in,” Roddy said. “I think everybody just wants to see Conor back in the UFC, bring back that spectacle that is his fights. Nobody does it like Conor, and for me, I just want to see him back in there. Whatever happens after that, who knows?”

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5 burning questions heading into Bellator 234 in Israel

MMA Junkie highlights the burning questions that need answering ahead of Bellator 234 in Tel Aviv, Israel.

The Bellator cage lands in Tel Aviv, Israel for Bellator 234, with a pivotal heavyweight bout headlining the card, a returning veteran in search of a much-needed victory, and an Israeli father-son combination looking to follow in the footsteps of Bellator’s McKee family by securing a double celebration on fight night.

Here are our five burning questions ahead of Bellator 234:

Can ‘The Paratrooper’ drop himself into a title fight?

[autotag]Sergei Kharitonov[/autotag] may be as little as one win away from a shot at the Bellator heavyweight title, but he needs to eliminate any lingering doubts about his status as the top contender before he’ll get his opportunity.

Kharitonov (30-7 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) is undefeated since his flash knockout at the hands of Javy Ayala back at Bellator 163 in 2018, and you have to go as far back as the summer of 2011 for his last defeat before that. In short, “The Paratrooper” has been on some solid form over the last eight years.

Standing in his way is a British powerhouse looking to make an impact in a new weight class, [autotag]Linton Vassell[/autotag]. Two-time light heavyweight title challenger Vassell (18-8 MMA, 7-5 BMMA) has moved up a division to take advantage of his powerful frame, and while he lost out on the scorecards on his return to heavyweight, “The Swarm” looks to be in prime condition ahead of one of the toughest tests of his career.

If Vassell can take Kharitonov off his feet and work his ground and pound, the Brit could walk away with a big win and upset the heavyweight applecart. But Kharitonov knows that a shot at glory could be just one solid punch away, and you can bet he’ll be looking to connect early in a bid to score a quick KO and deliver a statement to the division.

Who will prevail – the power-punching former kickboxer, or the British former light heavyweight contender?

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Off Guard: Retired from fighting, Robert Drysdale explains unique coaching mindset

Undefeated as a fighter, Robert Drysdale has officially called it quits and is turning his attention to coaching.

[autotag]Robert Drysdale[/autotag] is calling it quits on his fighting career.

Well technically, he retired awhile back, but he didn’t let anyone know it right away. However, in a recent post on Facebook, Drysdale (7-0) officially announced the end of the road.

Earlier this month, he opened up to MMA Junkie about the decision to call it quits despite going undefeated as a pro.

“I just didn’t want to do it anymore,” Drysdale said. “My heart wasn’t in the right place. I always told myself I was going to do it for the right reasons … because basically I wanted to prove to myself I could. … There were some things missing that I would have liked to have done, but nothing’s perfect.”

What’s next for Drysdale? The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, like many other retired fighters, will continue his legacy in MMA as a coach. Unlike his fellow retirees, however, a coaching position is where Drysdale started out in MMA – not as a fighter.

“There’s a reason why people turn into coaches once they retire,” Drysdale said. “And my career was backwards in that regard. I was cornering UFC title fights when I was 0-0 into my late 20s. So it’s not something I was prepared for. It’s very different now.”

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Drysdale believes the unusual journey to this point will give him an advantageous mindset as a coach. Throughout his MMA career, he was able to analyze the coaching he received from a coach’s perspective.

“My mindset as a coach is a reflex to my mistakes as a fighter or the things that I thought my coaches weren’t doing right in my opinion,” Drysdale said. “I’ve learned from that experience. … I think there’s a lot more to MMA than being technically and physically and mentally ready.”

Drysdale was successful inside the cage, but that doesn’t mean he always felt comfortable. The mental and emotional toll of fighting weighed on Drysdale, which is one aspect he won’t have to weigh as a coach.

“I’m more confident about this than I ever was about my fighting career,” Drysdale said. “Fighting was always something very difficult because I had to confront my fears and anxiety. I was terrified of fighting, and it was very difficult for me emotionally.

“Because some these guys walk into the cage like it’s nothing. To me, it was very hard. I overcame that even though it was very difficult. Even though I did well, I was never as confident about that career as I am about my career as a coach. Because I really feel that this is my calling more than fighting was.”

In his lone UFC appearance, Drysdale submitted Keith Berish at The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale in July 2014. The victory was eventually ruled a no contest after Drysdale tested positive for elevated testosterone levels. He was subsequently released by the UFC.

After he served his suspension, Drysdale return to pro MMA action at Legacy FC 58 in July 2016 when he submitted future UFC light heavyweight Ryan Spann by second-round rear-naked choke.

Check out MMA Junkie’s full “Off Guard” interview with Robert Drysdale in the video above.

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‘Shogun’ Rua and the last of PRIDE in the UFC

A look at one of the final seven remaining PRIDE veterans on the UFC roster whose run was the stuff of legend.

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MMA legend [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] will return to the octagon on Saturday when he meets Paul Craig in the UFC on ESPN+ 22 co-main event.

“Shogun,” though still only 37, is essentially a relic of the sport these days. He’s among the last of a dissolving generation of fighters who made their fame outside of the UFC. Rua’s pre-octagon stage was with PRIDE Fighting Championships.

The Japan-based promotion, which held its final event in April 2007, was a breeding ground for some of the sport’s biggest stars before it was bought out and had much of its top talent transferred to the UFC. Rua’s run of success with PRIDE was among the best in company history, though, and he will forever be among the prominent names built under the PRIDE banner.

It won’t be long until fighters with PRIDE bouts on their record fall by the wayside for good, though. Rua, a former UFC light heavyweight titleholder, is one of the few still representing in the UFC, and he’s having as much or more success than any of his fellow alumni, with five wins in his past six octagon appearances.

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These are the PRIDE veterans who are still part of the UFC roster, and where they stand today:

  • Nick Diaz (PRIDE record: 0-0 with one no contest): Diaz only fought once in PRIDE, throwing down a memorable gunslinger with Takanori Gomi at the promotion’s sophomore U.S. event in February 2007. His gogoplata submission win was overturned to a no contest because he failed a post-fight test for marijuana. It’s been nearly four years since Diaz fought, but he just recently pushed for a fight against Jorge Masvidal.
  • Robbie Lawler (PRIDE record: 1-0): Like Diaz, Lawler only made one PRIDE appearance, but it was memorable. He scored a 22-second flying knee knockout of Joey Villaseñor at PRIDE 32 in October 2006 before bouncing around various promotions for the next several years until returning to the UFC, where he would become welterweight champ. “Ruthless” is currently sitting on three straight losses, though, and is awaiting his next booking in 2020.
  • Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (PRIDE record: 8-2): Although he never achieved championship success in PRIDE like his brother, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, “Lil’ Nog” had many notable moments in PRIDE, including the 2005 “Fight of the Year” against Rua. Nogueira has been in the UFC for a decade and, at 43, has lost four of his past six. He said he plans to fight once more in 2020 before retiring from MMA.
  • Alistair Overeem (PRIDE record: 7-7): Overeem was a mainstay in PRIDE in the mid-2000s, fighting many of the biggest names the promotion had to offer with mixed success. It wasn’t until after PRIDE fizzled that Overeem retuned to heavyweight and changed his career trajectory. He went on a run that eventually landed him in the UFC, where he’s already fought once for the title. He’s trying to get back there now, too, and gets a big opportunity when he headlines UFC on ESPN 7 against Jair Rozenstruik on Dec. 7.
  • Mauricio Rua (PRIDE record: 12-1): Rua’s run through PRIDE was the stuff of magic. It’s one of the great stretches from any fighter in MMA history, and his only blemish in 13 fights with the organization came when he dislocated his arm 49 seconds into a fight with Mark Coleman. “Shogun” was among the faces of PRIDE during its final years, but eventually he would go to the UFC, where he would claim the light heavyweight belt. Injuries have plagued Rua’s octagon tenure, but he’s still won many fights and is on the cusp of a co-main event slot against Craig in his home country.
  • Anderson Silva (PRIDE record: 3-2): Silva’s PRIDE stint lasted less than three years and included the high of his flying knee knockout against Carlos Newton, as well as the low of his flying scissor heel hook loss to Ryo Chonan. He found his way to the UFC a couple years later and went on the greatest winning streak in company history at 16 fights. Those days seem long removed. “The Spider” is now 44 and has earned just one victory in his past eight fights.
  • Fabricio Werdum (PRIDE record: 4-2): Werdum’s run in PRIDE was relatively short, all things considered. He fought there six times over 17 months but was still very young in his MMA career. More than eight years would pass before the Brazilian would become UFC heavyweight champion, and it’s been more than three years since he lost it. Werdum is now 42 and in the middle of serving a USADA suspension that doesn’t expire until May 2020.

U.S. Customs had some questions about Demetrious Johnson’s supersized ONE belt

Getting that jumbo-sized hunk of metal back home took some explaining.

That was one large belt [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] won when he defeated Danny Kingad via unanimous decision at ONE Championship 100: Century last month in Japan, a victory that crowned him king of the promotion’s flyweight grand prix tournament.

The strap was so big, in fact, that “Mighty Mouse” jokingly pretended he was about to topple over when the belt was placed around his shoulder after he was announced the winner. And while the oversized title was a just reward for navigating his way through a field in which he won three fights, it presented a logistical problem: How was he going to get that thing home to the Seattle area from Tokyo?

Leaving it with the ONE office wasn’t an option. DJ didn’t go through all that work just to have his prize end up elsewhere. But that meant he had to lug the thing along on his long flight back to the U.S.

Needless to say, when he arrived home, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials had a few questions.

“Yeah, I got stopped,” Johnson told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “You can’t bring something like that through and not expect them to be curious. They were like, ‘What is that?’ And I’m like, ‘a belt.’ And then they were like, ‘Where did you get that?’ And I’m like, ‘in Asia.’ And then I guess they weren’t MMA fans, so I had to explain the whole deal with it.

“Not too many people pull through customs with huge title belts. So it took a while, but once I explained it they were cool.”

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In all seriousness, though, Johnson says the belt has special meaning. He was a well-decorated fighter even before he joined ONE in a historic trade that sent Ben Askren to the UFC last year.

Johnson had a legendary run as UFC flyweight champion, setting the record for most successful title defenses in a UFC reign with 11 and holding the belt for nearly six years before dropping a razor-thin split decision to Henry Cejudo at UFC 227 to lose the title. 

Johnson even, at one point, had a picture taken with 10 belts, representing what, at that point, was 10 victories in UFC title fights. But Johnson says the supersized ONE title is the favorite trophy in his collection, and that he’s having a special mantle made for the new house he and his family are about to move into. 

“This is my favorite one, man,” Johnson said. “This one means the most to me. Years ago I was a huge fan of PRIDE, and you’d see the belts guys like Mirko Cro Cop got when they won their grand prix tournaments. That was a special deal. So to go over to Japan with their history for tournaments and add my name to the list of people who have won tournaments and get the belt, yeah, that makes this one real special for me.” 

These days, Johnson is as well known in the gaming community as he is in the MMA world, and as an influencer, he’ll be a special guest at the PUBG Global Championship on Nov. 23-24 at Oakland Arena (formerly Oracle Arena) in Oakland, Calif. 

Thirty-two teams from around the world will converge to compete for a prize pool of $3 million, in a game which, according to promotional material, “in each match, 100 players are dropped onto a map where they find weapons, armor and other gear and then compete against each other to be the sole survivor of the match.” The PUBG grand finals will stream live over Twitch at 8 p.m. ET each night.

“This is basically the Super Bowl of PUBG,” Johnson said. “This is where all the best players in the world will come together, and I’m excited to be a part of it. I know there’s a lot of crossover between MMA fans and gamers, and they’ll be tuning in, but if you’ve been curious what this whole thing is all about, this is the best time to drop in and check it out.” 

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

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Andrea Lee vs. Lauren Murphy planned for Feb. 8 UFC card

An interesting flyweight fight is heading to a UFC card expected to land in Houston.

An interesting flyweight fight is heading to the UFC’s expected return to Houston.

[autotag]Andrea Lee[/autotag] and [autotag]Lauren Murphy[/autotag] will square off on the yet-to-be-announced Feb. 8 card which is being targeted for the Texas city. Both fighters announced the bout over their social media accounts, after a report from MyMMANews.

The 30-year-old Lee (11-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) isn’t wasting much time trying to shake off her first UFC loss. Lee dropped a split decision to Joanne Calderwood at UFC 242, which ended a streak in which she won her first three UFC bouts and seven overall.

Murphy (11-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC), meanwhile, has proven to be a dependable competitor over the years, always a tough out win or lose. The MMA Lab competitor is coming off a third-round TKO win at UFC on ESPN 5, which gave her two wins in her past three fights.

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