Category: UFC

Montana De La Rosa vs. Mara Romero Borella in the works for UFC event on Feb. 15

A 125-pound women’s matchup is in the works for a yet-to-be-announced UFC event this February.

A fight between women’s flyweights [autotag]Montana De La Rosa[/autotag] and [autotag]Mara Romero Borella[/autotag] is in the works for a Feb. 15 UFC card the promotion has yet to announce.

A person with knowledge of the situation told MMA Junkie of the booking Friday, but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. While no location is set, the promotion is targeting Rio Rancho, N.M.

Neither fighter has officially confirmed the matchup, but De La Rosa announced her participation on the Feb. 15 card in an Instagram post Friday.

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Focused. #ufc #125 #fightnewscoming

A post shared by Montana De La Rosa (@montana.delarosa) on

De La Rosa (10-5 MMA, 3-1 UFC) had a four-fight winning streak snapped in June at UFC on ESPN+ 12, where she faced former LFA champion Andrea Lee. In her first loss in the UFC, De La Rosa dropped the bout by unanimous decision.

Prior to the defeat, De La Rosa had submitted all comers placed in her way in the UFC. In her promotional debut in December 2017, De La Rosa submitted Cristina Marks. Follow-up submission victories over Rachael Ostovich and Nadia Kassem propelled her into the UFC rankings.

Italy’s Romero Borella (12-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has split her two UFC appearances to date. After she won her lone Invicta fight in 2017, Romero Borella was inked to a UFC contract. She submitted Kalindra Faria in her debut, but lost a split decision to Kaitlyn Chookagian in her sophomore UFC outing.

In February, Romero Borella defeated Taila Santos by split decision. In her most recent fight in August, Romero Borella was finished by Lauren Murphy in the third round due to strikes.

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Jon Jones to defend UFC light heavyweight title vs. Dominick Reyes on Feb. 8

Jon Jones’ next UFC title defense will be against the opponent of his choice.

[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] has his next title fight lined up.

The UFC light heavyweight champion will take on undefeated contender [autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag] on Feb. 8 in Houston, UFC president Dana White told ESPN on Friday.

The race to challenge Jones was between top contenders [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] and Reyes, but Jones made it pretty clear in the last couple of weeks he was only interested on fighting Reyes.

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Jones (25-1 MMA, 19-1 UFC) was last seen in action in July, when he out-pointed Thiago Santos to defend his belt in the main event of UFC 239. The 32-year-old Jackson Wink MMA product remains one of the most dominant champions in the UFC, with his lone loss coming via disqualification against Matt Hamill back in 2009.

Meanwhile, Reyes (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) recently picked up the biggest win of his career. Last month, Reyes scored a first-round knockout over former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman in the main event of UFC on ESPN 6. Reyes, 29, sits fourth in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie light heavyweight rankings.

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UFC champ Zhang Weili believes Rose Namajunas is toughest test at strawweight

Joanna Jedrzejczyk is a worthy challenger to the UFC champion, but she’s not the toughest one.

UFC strawweight champion [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] likely will make her first title defense vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

And while Weili believes Jedrzejczyk is a formidable opponent, she doesn’t believe she’s the best in the division. Weili bestows that title to former champion [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag].

“I always want to fight the best, but it is not my job to determine who the best is,” Weili told MMA Junkie in a direct message. “If you are asking me if I think Joanna is the best then the answer is no. Joanna is a worthy opponent and is among the best, but in my opinion Rose is the best martial artist. And when the time is right, it will be an honor to test my skills against hers.”

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Namajunas (8-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) was en route to a masterclass in her last outing, when she attempted to defend her title vs. Jessica Andrade at UFC 237. But a crucial mistake cost her as she latched onto a Kimura while being lifted and was unable to protect herself when she was slammed, getting knocked out in Round 2.

Despite the loss, Weili (20-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) still sees Namajunas as the toughest test and hopes to get the opportunity to share the octagon with her in the near future. Good news for Weili is that Namajunas, who contemplated retirement after losing her belt, recently announced her intention to continue fighting.

“I think Rose is a true master and know our paths will cross,” Weili said. “I like Rose very much, and to share the octagon with her will be the true test. I look forward to seeing her return, and I wish her good health and prosperity.”

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Claudio Silva tired of flying under radar, wants ranked opponent next at UFC London

Tired of flying under the radar, the streaking Claudio Silva wants a ranked opponent at UFC London next.

[autotag]Claudio Silva[/autotag] quietly has put together a solid winning streak in the UFC’s stacked welterweight division, and thinks it’s about time people started mentioning his name.

Silva (14-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) has won all five of his UFC fights, and since coming back from his nearly four-year layoff in 2018 has submitted three straight opponents.

Silva thinks he’s earned the right to face a ranked fighter next, but is not willing to trash talk to get attention. He says it’s the UFC’s job to promote fighters like him who are flying under the radar.

“I think 5-0 in the UFC is something big because it’s difficult for me to do my own media,” Silva told MMA Junkie. “I think the UFC should pay more attention to fighters. We are fighters – we are busy training. We’ve got to train, think about camps, work hard – that’s a difficult thing. Some people, they talk (expletive) and they get all the attention. I think the UFC should promote the fighters more, especially the up-and-comers that have many victories. So definitely, I think I’m under the radar.”

With the UFC announcing its return to London for March 21, Silva, who has spent more than 10 years in the U.K., would like nothing more than to compete on the card – preferably, of course, against a top-ranked fighter.

“Definitely, I would like to fight in March. I can be on the main card in London,” Silva said. “I’ve been living here for 12 years. I beat a lot of big names, good names: Leon Edwards, Nordine Taleb, I beat all those guys – Danny Roberts. I’m definitely a big name in the U.K., so they should give me the main card in London.”

Silva, who’s currently applying for a British passport, has competed in all but three of his pro fights in the U.K., and said the issue is none of the ranked fighters want to fight him in fear of losing their spots.

“I definitely want to fight a top 15 guy, but they don’t want to fight me,” Silva said. “I’m too risky for them. I don’t understand the rankings thing, how I’m going to get a ranked fighter, because they don’t want to fight me. They refuse me right now, so how am I going to get there if they refuse me?

“It’s not an easy situation. I don’t know how to get in the rankings. I know I’m the best fighter, but they just don’t want to lose their position and that’s why they keep avoiding me.”

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Maycee Barber: Paige VanZant turned me down, but Roxanne Modafferi way better anyway

“My career will be successful no matter what, if I beat her up or not.”

[autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] wanted to fight [autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag].

According to Barber, however, the same can’t be said the other way around. After multiple callouts of VanZant, Barber is set to take on [autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag] at UFC 246 on Jan. 18.

In an interview with Submission Radio, Barber (8-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) revealed the fight was offered to VanZant (8-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC), who turned it down. Barber claims VanZant wants to fight at 115 pounds and needs more time to prepare.

“They offered it to Paige at 125, (and) she said no,” Barber said. “From what I heard, she said she wanted a fight at 115, but she would need more time. So, as far as I know, it’s offered to her at 125 when she wants to take the fight at 125. And other than that, it’s kind of like, I’m just gonna keep doing what I do with my career, and when she decides to fight, we’ll fight.”

Is Barber disappointed she won’t be facing VanZant? Not really. Barber said VanZant would just be an added “bonus” to her resume of work.

“My career will be successful no matter what, if I beat her up or not,” Barber said. “That was kind of like a bonus – like, beat her up and prove a point. But that’s it.”

Additionally, Barber compared VanZant and Modafferi (23-16 MMA, 2-4 UFC). She said she views Modafferi as a more challenging matchup and criticized VanZant’s evolution (or lack thereof) as a fighter.

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“Roxanne is way better of a fighter than Paige VanZant,” Barber said. “And there’s a lot of women out there who are a tougher fight. Paige VanZant just did the marketing well, and that was because the UFC got behind her on that.

“But like I’ve said multiple times, she didn’t hold up her end of the deal and she didn’t continue to progress as a fighter, she just continued to progress on the more marketing and media side of that. So, yeah, there’s a lot more girls that had been working there their butts off a lot more than Paige has.”

Barber’s tune when speaking on VanZant compared to Modafferi was night and day. Barber voiced her respect for one of the most experienced fighters in the history of women’s MMA. She sees the fight as a passing of the guard, of sorts.

“(Roxanne’s) been there so long within the sport,” Barber said. “She has so many fights. She has like 39 fights. And I don’t know if that includes her amateur career or not. She’s been around for a lot of fights and through a lot of the women in MMA. So, it’s really a very historic fight for us. Because we’re taking someone who has pretty much gone and done and seen it all, and then you have someone who’s been working their whole life just to be where they are right now.

“And I’m super young and super new in my career. So you kind of have the new and the old, and I think people are gonna be shocked. They expect, like, oh, you’re fighting her and she’s got so much experience over you. But what they don’t realize is that I’ve been working my whole life, and I’m 21, but that’s like 17 years of work that I’ve put into this.”

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Floyd Mayweather says he’s coming out of retirement, will work with UFC boss Dana White

Floyd Mayweather announces that he will be coming out of retirement in 2020 and will be working with UFC president Dana White.

It appears [autotag]Floyd Mayweather[/autotag] has gotten the itch to compete again, and may be working alongside an old friend.

That friend could be none other than UFC president Dana White, who was courtside next to Mayweather at the Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Clippers game Wednesday in Los Angeles. After images emerged of the two talking, Mayweather took to Instagram to confirm that they do indeed intend on working together once again, and that he will be coming out of retirement in 2020.

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Coming out of retirement in 2020

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White helped put together “The Money Fight” in August 2017, a boxing match between former UFC dual champion Conor McGregor and the undefeated Mayweather. Mayweather took out McGregor in the 10th round with a TKO. That was more than two years ago and was the last time Mayweather competed.

Considering how successful the event was for all parties, it’s no surprise that the two want to work together again. With the launch of White’s Zuffa Boxing imminent, it appears he’ll be playing a part in Mayweather’s next fight.

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Aleksei Oleinik vs. Maurice Greene added to UFC 246 in January

A heavyweight matchup between Aleksei Oleinik and Maurice Greene is the latest addition to UFC 246 on Jan. 18.

A heavyweight matchup is the latest addition to the UFC’s first event of 2020.

[autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] (57-12-1 MMA, 6-4 UFC) will take on [autotag]Maurice Greene[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) at UFC 246, a person with knowledge of the booking told MMA Junkie. The person requested anonymity since the UFC has yet to make an announcement.

Oleinik has dropped his past two in a row, suffering knockout losses at the hands of Alistair Overeem and, most recently, Walt Harris at UFC on ESPN 4 in July. With more than 70 pro fights on his resume, the Russian veteran will look to avoid a three-fight losing skid when he takes on “Ultimate Fighter” alum Greene.

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Greene, who started off his UFC tenure at 3-0, recently saw his winning streak come to a halt when he lost by first-round TKO to Sergei Pavlovich in October.

UFC 246 doesn’t have an announced location yet, but is expected to take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims expected for ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.

With the addition, the UFC 246 lineup now includes:

  • Maycee Barber vs. Roxanne Modafferi
  • Drew Dober vs. Nasrat Haqparast
  • Grant Dawson vs. Chas Skelly
  • Maurice Greene vs. Aleksei Oleinik

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UFC confirms London return on March 21

The UFC will make its 12th trip to London on March 21, 2020.

The UFC is heading back to London for its annual date at The O2 Arena.

Friday morning, the promotion announced that they are set to make their return to the English capital on Mar. 21.

Tickets are expected to go on sale to the general public on Jan. 31, with Fight Club tickets available earlier on Jan. 29, in what will be the promotion’s 12th trip to London.

The last UFC event that took place in London, featured England’s own Darren Till, who suffered a second-round knockout at the hands of Jorge Masvidal.

UFC Fight Pass 500 moments video: Conor McGregor walks out to Sinead O’Connor

The UFC recently held its 500th live event, and the organization is marking the occasion with a list of 500 unforgettable moments.

UFC 244 marked the promotion’s 500th live event, and the organization is marking the occasion with “an internally curated list of 500 Unforgettable Moments from UFC history.”

Scheduled to be released in seven installments, UFC Fight Pass 500 Moments shines a spotlight on some of the most memorable highlights – and lowlights – from the UFC’s 26-year run, both in and out of the cage.

UFC Fight Pass officials have committed to sharing video of a few of those key moments with MMA Junkie, as well. This time, we bring you one of the most memorable nights in MMA history, UFC 194 on July 11, 2015 in Las Vegas.

The MGM Grand Garden Arena was already abuzz after Robbie Lawler finished Rory MacDonald to retain the welterweight title in a bout name-checked by many as the greatest in UFC history.

Then came the walkout for the main event, when a heavily Irish crowd was treated to legendary singer Sinead O’Connor’s live performance for [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]’s walkout. He then went out and finished [autotag]Chad Mendes[/autotag] in the second round to claim the interim featherweight belt.

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You can watch some behind-the-scenes footage in the video above. And check out a few more memorable moments below:

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.

Elias Theodorou matched up with fellow UFC vet in first fight since release

Former UFC middleweight Elias Theodorou returns to action for the first time since being cut from the promotion earlier this year.

Former UFC middleweight [autotag]Elias Theodorou[/autotag] will return to action for the first time since being cut from the promotion earlier this year.

Theodorou (16-3 MMA) takes on fellow UFC veteran [autotag]Hernani Perpetuo[/autotag] at Prospect Fighting Championships 12, the promotion announced on their Facebook page.

The event takes place Saturday, Dec. 6 at St. Denis Centre in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

“The Ultimate Fighter 25” winner Theodorou was on a three-fight winning streak when he dropped an unanimous decision to Derek Brunson at UFC on ESPN+ 9 in Ottawa in early May. One loss was enough for the UFC brass to sever ties, as Theodorou was released shortly after the event.

Theodorou’s release came as a surprise to many, who pegges the decision to his fighting style. Only two of his 11 UFC fights ended inside the distance. A member of the UFC’s roster since 2014, Theodorou had compiled an 8-3 record for the promotion.

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As for Perpetuo (20-8 MMA), the 34-year-old Brazilian competed two times for the UFC in 2014. He lost both efforts by unanimous decision to Jordan Mein and Tim Means. Since his UFC departure, Perpetuo has competed all over the world for notable promotions such as ONE Championship, Fight Nights Global, and Shooto Brazil.

Check out the official Theodorou vs. Perpetuo announcement below:

https://www.facebook.com/prospectmma/posts/2581251415322803?__xts__[0]=68.ARDv4IKDQY2rr1v-Z8vsjDWPVsoN-jsN-PXljA2S2N2n9kJXRx6USObJjaJL3OMAO0C40fBkT63HCzD7MlV3Q2UPM-Jn6vG5ZPyg8wvuYJ8YFysIszZTa1yn9NRHvoisUI7dxxNIF8G7AWAVs88X7ChEUo5OyFmyjhSZJ0q2tKrnPHBTe0kE2EtgVaK7HhoA_MBUJKWKmFeukHzkipvH75CzasOT9hrrQLvCcrL83lOL7u0JC9qlPDK9niFFD2LurdoTkVOHUJhKhbbn26wSqF2K_3k8Htm9mkhhOqLcyAxdvuCNO7xKMXX–KRdvebQRIK2z2CkiQAtDY4aqBieWXti8A&__tn__=-R

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