Tag: Azamat Murzakanov

Two UFC 309 fighters withdraw in week prior to Madison Square Garden event

The UFC’s return to Madison Square Garden takes multiple lineup hits just 10 days out from the event.

Two fighters have withdrawn from UFC 309 less than two weeks before the event.

Light heavyweight [autotag]Azamat Murzakanov[/autotag] and featherweight [autotag]Lucas Almeida[/autotag] are out of their respective Nov. 16 bouts that were scheduled for Madison Square Garden in New York.

Four people with knowledge of the changes recently informed MMA Junkie of them but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Murzakanov (30-9 MMA, 11-7 UFC) was expected to fight [autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag] (14-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in a UFC-ranked battle, but withdrew for undisclosed reasons. It is unclear if Krylov will remain on the card.

Almeida (15-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) is also out for reasons undisclosed. He was scheduled to fight [autotag]David Onama[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC), who will remain on the card against a new opponent to be determined. News of Almeida’s withdrawal was first reported by MMA Fighting.

  • Champion Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic – for heavyweight title
  • Michael Chandler vs. Charles Oliveira – five-round bout
  • Viviane Aruajo vs. Karine Silva
  • Paul Craig vs. Bo Nickal
  • Eryk Anders vs. Chris Weidman
  • Jhonata Diniz vs. Marcin Tybura
  • Mauricio Ruffy vs. James Llontop
  • Nikita Krylov vs. TBA
  • Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee
  • Damon Jackson vs. Jim Miller
  • David Onama vs. TBA
  • Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Mickey Gall
  • Oban Elliott vs. Bassil Hafez
  • Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

UFC 309 full fight card announced for Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic event

How would you rate UFC 309 on a scale of 1-10?

With UFC 308 in the books, the promotion’s attention turns to its yearly New York pay-per-view.

UFC 309 takes place Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden and is headlined by a highly anticipated heavyweight title fight between champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] and former champion [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag].

During the UFC 308 broadcast Saturday, the promotion officially announced the full 13-fight lineup with five main card fights and eight prelims. The main card takes place on ESPN+ pay-per-view after prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

In the co-main event, lightweight stars [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] and [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] throw down in a five-round bout. The main card rounds out with [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Karine Silva[/autotag], [autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag], and [autotag]Eryk Anders[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag].

The featured prelim is currently half-unknown with [autotag]Mauricio Ruffy[/autotag] in need of a replacement for the withdrawn [autotag]Charlie Campbell[/autotag].

Other notable prelims include [autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Azamat Murzakanov[/autotag], [autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marcus McGhee[/autotag], and [autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag].

Check out the full UFC 309 lineup below:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Champion Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic – for heavyweight title
  • Michael Chandler vs. Charles Oliveira – five-round bout
  • Viviane Aruajo vs. Karine Silva
  • Paul Craig vs. Bo Nickal
  • Eryk Anders vs. Chris Weidman

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPNews, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Mauricio Ruffy vs. TBA
  • Nikita Krylov vs. Azamat Murzakanov
  • Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee
  • Damon Jackson vs. Jim Miller

EARLY PRELIMINARY CARD

  • Lucas Almeida vs. David Onama
  • Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Mickey Gall
  • Oban Elliott vs. Bassil Hafez
  • Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

UFC 309 adds Nikita Krylov vs. Azamat Murzakanov to New York lineup

The UFC’s annual Madison Square Garden show is up to four fights.

A UFC-ranked light heavyweight battle is headed to Madison Square Garden.

[autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag] and [autotag]Azamat Murzakanov[/autotag] will collide Nov. 16 at UFC 309 in New York.

Two 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. The news was first reported by Russian news outlet Match TV.

Krylov (30-9 MMA, 11-7 UFC) rides into the matchup on a three-fight winning streak that includes victories over Alexander Gustafsson, Volkan Oezdemir and Ryan Spann.

Murzakanov (14-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) has slowly risen up the UFC ranks. He has yet to lose through four UFC appearances, with wins over Tafon Nchukwi, Devin Clark, Dustin Jacoby, and most recently Alonzo Menifield.

With the addition, the UFC 309 lineup includes:

  • Eryk Anders vs. Chris Weidman
  • Viviane Araujo vs. Karine Silva
  • Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

UFC on ABC 7 video: Azamat Murzakanov moves to 14-0 with thunderous KO of Alonzo Menifield

Azamat Murzakanov knocked out Alonzo Menifield at UFC on ABC 7 to move to 14-0, then called for a top five name at light heavyweight.

[autotag]Azamat Murzakanov[/autotag] was confident in his ability to knock out [autotag]Alonzo Menifield[/autotag] at UFC on ABC 7, and he did exactly that.

After both men traded shots and got their licks in over the course of more than a round, a final back-and-forth exchange in the second stanza saw Murzakanov (14-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) land a slick multi-punch combination that dropped Menifield (15-5-1 MMA, 8-5-1 UFC) to the mat for the knockout finish at the 3:18 mark.

The Russian elevated his undefeated record with the result, which you can watch below (via X):

After the performance, Murzakanov declared himself as ready for the elite of the light heavyweight division.

“I’d like to ask UFC a question: 14-0, nobody is worried about that?” Murzakanov told Daniel Cormier through an interpreter in his post-fight interview. “Maybe you want to give me someone in the top five next?”

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ABC 7 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 7.

Azamat Murzakanov vs. Alonzo Menifield in the works for UFC on ABC 7

A battle between rising UFC light heavyweight contenders Azamat Murzakanov and Alonzo Menifield is headed to Abu Dhabi.

A battle between rising light heavyweight contenders is headed for UFC on ABC 7 as [autotag]Azamat Murzakanov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alonzo Menifield[/autotag] is in the works to take place Aug. 3 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the news to MMA Junkie following an initial report from Vestnik MMA.

Murzakanov (13-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) hasn’t competed since defeating Dustin Jacoby in April 2023. Prior to that, the undefeated Russian knocked out his past four opponents. He was scheduled to face Khalil Rountree last December at UFC on ESPN 52 but withdrew due to pneumonia.

Menifield (15-4-1 MMA, 8-4-1 UFC) suffered his first setback in five fights when he was knocked out by Carlos Ulberg in just 12 seconds earlier this month at UFC on ESPN 56. He will make a less than three-month turnaround to face Murzakanov.

Below is the updated card for UFC on ABC 7:

  • Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
  • Nick Diaz vs. Vicente Luque
  • Michael Chiesa vs. Tony Ferguson
  • Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Marlon Vera
  • Mackenzie Dern vs. Loopy Godinez
  • Alonzo Menifield vs. Azamat Murzakanov

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 7.

Anthony Smith replaces ill Azamat Murzakanov to face Khalil Rountree at UFC Fight Night 233

Azamat Murzakanov is out of his scheduled fight against Khalil Rountree, who will now face Anthony Smith on short notice in Las Vegas.

[autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] lost his opponent and will no longer be competing at UFC on ESPN 52. However, a former title challenger has stepped up as a replacement for a fight to take place a week later.

Rountree (12-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) was scheduled to face Azamat Murzakanov at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas on Dec. 2. However, UFC CEO Dana White has announced the undefeated Murzakanov (13-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has pneumonia and will no longer be able to compete.

All is not lost for Rountree though, as former light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith has stepped up as a replacement. The new matchup announced by White in a video posted to Instagram will now take place a week later at UFC Fight Night 233 on Dec. 9 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0DFRDYv6OL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Smith (37-18 MMA, 12-8 UFC) will compete for the third time in 2023. In his last outing, “Lionheart” picked up a split decision win in a rematch against Ryan Spann at UFC Fight Night 225. The result snapped a two-fight skid for the former title challenger, marking Smith’s first win since defeating Spann by submission in their first meeting.

Rountree gets to ensure a fight camp doesn’t go to waste by fighting a week later than originally planned. The fight will be Rountree’s second of 2023, following a knockout finish of Chris Daukaus at UFC on ESPN 51 in August.

With the change, the current lineup on Dec. 9 includes:

  • Song Yadong vs. Chris Guiterrez
  • Anthony Smith vs. Khalil Rountree
  • Andre Muniz vs. Junyong Park
  • Nasrat Haqparast vs. Jamie Mullarkey
  • Carlos Hernandez vs. Tatsuro Taira
  • Su Mudaerji vs. Allan Nascimento
  • Sung Hyun Park vs. Shannon Ross
  • Kevin Jousset vs. Song Kenan
  • Stephanie Egger vs. Luana Santos
  • Talita Alencar vs. Rayanne dos Santos

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Sept. 18-24)

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 Sept. 18-24.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Aug. 7-13)

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 a promotion from Aug. 7-13.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (June 19-25)

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 a promotion from June 19-25.

Light heavyweights Volkan Oezdemir, Azamat Murzakanov booked for UFC Paris

Azamat Murzakanov will look to crack the light heavyweight top 10 when he takes on a perennial contender and former UFC title challenger.

[autotag]Azamat Murzakanov[/autotag] will look to crack the UFC light heavyweight top 10 when he takes on a perennial contender.

Murzakanov (13-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) meets [autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag] (18-7 MMA, 6-6 UFC) at a UFC Fight Night event Sept. 2 from Accor Arena in Paris, promotion officials announced Wednesday.

Undefeated in his professional career, Murzakanov has knocked out four of his past five opponents. The 34-year-old most recently defeated Dustin Jacoby by unanimous decision in April at UFC on ESPN 44.

Former title challenger Oezdemir has lost three of his past four to top-ranked light heavyweights, including former champion Jiri Prochazka. His lone win in that stretch came last July over Paul Craig, who was unbeaten in his previous six fights going into their bout.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup includes:

  • Ciryl Gane vs. Serghei Spivac
  • Nora Cornolle vs. Joselyne Edwards
  • Hailey Cowan vs. Zarah Fairn
  • Azamat Murzakanov vs. Volkan Oezdemir

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