Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.
MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.
But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.
Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.
Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from Dec. 20-26.
Check out who took home bonuses after the incredible UFC Fight Night 193 pay-per-view event in Las Vegas.
The UFC handed out post-fight bonuses to four fighters after Saturday’s pay-per-view event. Two fighters took home “Performance of the Night” bonuses while
UFC Fight Night 193 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out the $50,000 winners below.
Watch Alejandro Perez make his UFC return in style, snatching a unique arm-bar finish at UFC Fight Night 193.
[autotag]Alejandro Perez[/autotag]’s UFC return came with a memorable finish.
The winner of season one of “The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America” submitted fellow veteran Johnny Eduardo with a scarf hold armbar to kick off the preliminary card of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 193 in Las Vegas. The stoppage came at the 4:13 mark of Round 2.
Below is Perez’s (22-8-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) submission win:
Turned the tables on 'em! 🔄
🇲🇽 @TurboPerezUFC grabs the sub in RD 2!
[ #UFCVegas38 |Prelims LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/n90hXkrgAV
— UFC (@ufc) October 2, 2021
[lawrence-related id=1196985]
The bout marked Perez’s first fight since July 2019. “Turbo” snapped a two-fight losing skid with the win. Prior to the pair of defeats, Perez was on a seven-fight unbeaten run, which included notable names such as Eddie Wineland, Scott Jorgensen, and Iuri Alcantara.
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqvpne7c1q486dvv player_id=01f5k5h8pz3brj4xqb image=https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
[vertical-gallery id=1212531]
All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.
MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.
But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.
Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.
Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from July 26-Aug. 1:
A bantamweight matchup between Alejandro Perez and Johnny Eduardo is in the works for UFC Fight Night on Oct. 2.
A bantamweight matchup is in the works for UFC Fight Night on Oct. 2.
[autotag]Alejandro Perez[/autotag] (21-8-1 MMA, 7-3-1 UFC) is set to take on [autotag]Johnny Eduardo[/autotag] (28-12 MMA, 3-4 UFC) at an event that doesn’t yet have a known venue or location.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the booking Saturday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Perez will look to snap his first-career losing skid. After going unbeaten in seven consecutive fights, “The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America” winner dropped back-to-back bouts to Cody Stamann and, most recently, Song Yadong in July 2019. Perez was scheduled to face Thomas Almeida at UFC Fight Night 179 in October 2020, but he was forced out after testing positive for COVID-19.
Brazil’s Eduardo hasn’t competed since getting submitted by Nathaniel Wood in June 2018. The 42-year-old was scheduled to return against Anthony Birchak at UFC on ESPN 21 in March, but he withdrew due to visa issues. His last win in the octagon came in November 2016 when he scored a second-round TKO of Manny Gamburyan.
With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for Oct. 2 includes:
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqvpne7c1q486dvv player_id=none image=https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
Thomas Almeida will still get to compete on “Fight Island,” but a week later against Jonathan Martinez on Oct. 17.
[autotag]Thomas Almeida[/autotag] will still get to compete on “Fight Island,” but it will be one week later than originally expected.
[autotag]Alejandro Perez[/autotag] has been forced out of the UFC’s Oct. 10 event due to a positive COVID-19 test and [autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) will now step in to face Almeida (21-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) one week later at UFC on ESPN+ 38, which takes place at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
Multiple people with knowledge of the situation recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Almeida hasn’t fought since his second-round stoppage loss to Rob Font in January 2018 and returns after an almost three-year long layoff due to an eye injury that required surgery. The long-hyped prospect has earned a bonus in all five of his UFC wins.
Winner of his past three of four, Factory X’s Martinez is coming off a third-round finish of Frankie Saenz at UFC on ESPN+ 31 in August.
With the addition, the UFC on ESPN+ 38 lineup includes:
[vertical-gallery id=422251]
Thomas Almeida needs a new opponent for his long-awaited return to the octagon at UFC on ESPN+ 37.
[autotag]Thomas Almeida[/autotag] needs a new opponent for his long-awaited return to the octagon this month at UFC on ESPN+ 37.
[autotag]Alejandro Perez[/autotag] (21-8-1 MMA, 7-3-1 UFC), who was scheduled to face Almeida (21-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) in a bantamweight bout on the Oct. 10 card, which takes place at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, has been forced out due to a reported positive coronavirus test.
MMA Junkie verified news of Perez’s removal from the matchup with a person close to the situation following an initial report from Milenio.com.
The promotion now seeks a new opponent for Almeida, who hasn’t competed since a TKO loss to Rob Font at UFC 220 in January 2018. The Brazilian, who was once unbeaten at 20-0, hasn’t won since November 2016.
The latest UFC on ESPN+ 37 lineup now includes:
[vertical-gallery id=337431]
Thomas Almeida returns after a nearly three-year layoff to face Alejandro Perez at the UFC’s Oct. 10 event.
[autotag]Thomas Almeida[/autotag] is back.
Almeida (21-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) will return after an almost three-year long layoff when he faces [autotag]Alejandro Perez[/autotag] (21-8-1 MMA, 7-3-1 UFC) at the UFC’s Oct. 10 event, which is expected to take place at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and will either air on ESPN or stream on ESPN+, though nothing has been officially announced.
MMA Junkie verified the booking with multiple people close to the situation following an initial report from Milenio.com.
Almeida hasn’t fought since his second-round stoppage loss to Rob Font in January 2018. He has since been sidelined due to an eye injury that required surgery and was finally cleared for full-contact training in December 2019.
The formerly unbeaten prospect has lost three of his past four, but has earned a bonus in all five of his UFC wins. He was briefly linked to a bout with Cory Sandhagen in January 2019, then slated to face Marlon Vera at UFC 235, but was forced out of both matchups.
After notching six straight wins, “The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America” winner Perez has dropped two straight for the first time in his career, suffering losses to Cody Stamann and most recently Song Yadong in July 2019.
With the addition, the current Oct. 10 lineup includes:
[vertical-gallery id=337431]
