Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported 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 or officially announced by the promotions from Oct. 2-8.
The rumored UFC return to Toronto targets Arnold Allen vs. Movsar Evloev to its 2024 fight card.
A key featherweight bout is targeted for the first UFC pay-per-view of 2024.
At UFC 297 on Jan. 20, contenders [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] (19-2 MMA, 10-1 UFC) and [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] (17-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) will collide in a three-round bout, pending finalization. While no location has been announced for the event, Toronto has been rumored as the frontrunner.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the targeted booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. News of the matchup was first reported by Twitter user @judobetter995 with the date first reported by ING.fights.
Allen, 29, looks to bounce back from a loss to Max Holloway in April. Despite a five-round unanimous decision defeat, Allen was competitive and was cheered heavily by the Kansas City, Mo. crowd for his effort. The defeat was his first in the UFC and snapped a 12-fight winning streak.
Evloev, 29, is a former M-1 Global champion who’s struggled to find willing opponents in the UFC. Key victories include wins over Dan Ige and Hakeem Dawodu. He most recently competed in May when he defeated promotional newcomer and short-notice replacement Diego Lopes by unanimous decision.
No other fights have been announced for UFC 297 at this time.
Nobody saw the endings to these UFC main events coming.
While the term “freak injury” might not be appropriate to use when discussing a sport that is inherently dangerous, 14 UFC main events have ended in unforeseen injuries – broken legs, separated shoulders, eye pokes, etc. – that don’t typically come in the sequence of MMA combat.
Scroll below to see a chronology of UFC main events that ended in that nature.
Note: Injuries sustained on a TKO due to strikes or tapout due to a submission are not included, nor are retirements on the stool due to extended fight damage or exhaustion. Laceration-based stoppages also are not included since they come as an intentional result of the opposition’s attack.
Hyder Amil seeks the opportunity to avenge Gilbert Melendez’s loss to Arnold Allen.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Hyder Amil[/autotag] seeks the opportunity to avenge [autotag]Gilbert Melendez[/autotag]’s loss to [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag].
Amil (8-0) earned a UFC contract Tuesday at Dana White’s Contender Series 58 when he defeated Emrah Sonmez (14-5) by unanimous decision.
An El Nino Training Center fighter, Amil knows he still has ways to go, but hopes to climb the ranks someday and face top featherweight contender Allen, who’s the last man to defeat his mentor Melendez.
“Give me one or two fights, and then I want Arnold Allen,” Amil told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “I want payback.”
Amil remained unbeaten, but was disappointed not to get the finish.
“I’m going to finish the next guy, OK?” Amil said. “And my next fight, I’m really going to put on a show and that’s not happening again.”
Amil admits he was nervous that his performance wasn’t enough to earn him a contract, but was grateful that White recognized his talent.
“If you’ve seen my other fights, I put on a show every fight,” Amil said. “I usually finish people and stuff like that, so going forward, expect more from me, expect me to start putting on some shows and finishing people.”
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For more on the card, check out MMA Junkie’s event hub for Dana White’s Contender Series 58.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from April 2023.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from April 2023: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for April.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.
Arnold Allen sees Brian Ortega as the perfect matchup to return to UFC featherweight title contention.
[autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] sees [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] as the perfect matchup to return to UFC featherweight title contention.
Allen’s (19-2 MMA, 10-1 UFC) 10-fight winning streak was snapped when he dropped a unanimous decision to former champion Max Holloway in the UFC on ESPN 44 headliner earlier this month. Allen came on strong in Round 5, but it was too little too late.
“Almighty” is yet to get his crack at featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and thinks former title challenger Ortega is the key to getting him there.
“That’s probably the matchup that makes the most sense,” Allen told Sky Sports. “We’re both in the same position. We’re looking for redemption. He’s had his title shot. I’m still trying to earn mine. That’s the guy to put me right back in there. A win there, 100 percent we’ll be back in that title talk.”
Ortega (15-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) is coming off a first-round TKO loss due to injury after dislocating his shoulder against Yair Rodriguez last July. Despite Ortega’s recent rough patch, Allen is fully aware of the dangers he presents.
“He’s fantastic. He’s a great competitor,” Allen said. “Really good jiu-jitsu, he’s showing some really good knockout power, he has out-struck some great strikers, as well, so he’s not just the one-trick pony. I’m sure he’s gonna come back better than ever off this injury. So, he’s looking to rebound and earn himself a title shot again. I’m looking to rebound. It would be a great fight. I think that’s a headliner for sure.”
Ortega has lost three of his past four, but his setbacks have come against the highest level of competition in former champ Holloway, current champ Volkanovski, and current interim champ Rodriguez.
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The Missouri commission issued medical suspensions after UFC on ESPN 44, the longest of which went to fighters who were knocked out.
Three fighters face 60-day medical suspensions as a result of stoppage losses by strikes at UFC on ESPN 44.
The event took place this past Saturday at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. The event was overseen by the Missouri Division of Professional Regulation, which suspended 13 of 28 fighters from the card for medical reasons after their bouts, according to a list published Wednesday by the commission.
It’s important to note fighters can return sooner than the expiration date of their medical suspension should they receive proper medical clearance from a doctor. In addition, the commission does not list reasons for medical suspensions – just durations.
Scroll below to see the full list of UFC on ESPN 44 medical suspensions.
Arnold Allen had his 10-fight UFC winning streak snapped by Max Holloway at UFC on ESPN 44, but there are still more big fights ahead.
(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Max Holloway after UFC on ESPN 44 win?)
[autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] met his sternest test on paper in former featherweight champion Max Holloway at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 44, and in practice it turned out to be a test he couldn’t pass.
Allen (19-2 MMA, 10-1 UFC) offered a valiant effort over five rounds at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo., but in the end Holloway (24-7 MMA, 20-7 UFC) was a level above and left with the unanimous decision win, giving “Almighty” his first blemish inside the octagon.
It was a setback for Allen, but not one that caused a significant hit to his stock or indicated he can’t reach the very top. It just wasn’t his time yet.
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What does the loss mean for Allen? Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on his future after UFC on ESPN 44.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 44.
Thoughts and analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC on ESPN 44, including Max Holloway’s title hopes and much more.
What mattered most at UFC on ESPN 44 in Kansas City, Mo.? Here are a few post-fight musings …
Check out the numbers from UFC on ESPN 44, where Max Holloway hit more milestones – including being the first to land 3,000 octagon strikes.
The UFC returned to Missouri after six years Saturday at UFC on ESPN 44, and the card delivered with half the fights ending by stoppage.
One of the bouts to go the distance was the main event, where former champion [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (24-7 MMA, 20-7 UFC) once again displayed his greatness in ending the winning streak of [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] (19-2 MMA, 10-1 UFC) with a unanimous decision. In the process, “Blessed” made more history to add to his one-of-a-kind octagon resume.
For more on the numbers to come out of the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 44.
