Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past two weeks.
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 April 18-May 1.
Analyzing Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 34 odds and lines between Caio Borralho vs. Gadzhi Omargadzhiev, with MMA picks, tips and predictions.
In a middleweight bout in the co-main event, Caio Borralho and Gadzhi Omargadzhiev meet Saturday at UFC on ESPN 34 at the UFC’s APEX Facility in Las Vegas. Below, we analyze the UFC on ESPN 34 Borralho vs. Omargadzhiev odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
The prelim fights can be viewed on ESPN+ at 5:30 p.m. ET, and the main card starting at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+.
Borralho, a Brazilian prospect, will make his UFC debut. His most recent showing was a KO/TKO in the first round against Jesse Murray in Oct. 2021 at Dana White’s Contender Series: Season 5, Week 8. He takes the walk to the octagon giving up three inches in height to his counterpart but owning a significant four-inch reach advantage.
The switch-stance Russian fighter Omargadzhiev is a beast on the canvas, and that’s where he’ll be trying to get this fight as early as possible. He, too, will be making his UFC debut, last appearing in Oct. 2021 in Dana White’s Contender Series: Season 5, Week 9, with a first-round submission against Jansey Silva. In 13 career pro bouts, he has eight KO/TKO wins, three submission victories and two victories via decision.
Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:10 a.m. ET.
[tipico]
Records: Borralho (10-1-0) | Omargadzhiev (13-0-0)
We get two top prospects squaring off in the co-main event, and it’s a shame one of these fighters will kick off their career with the company with a loss.
OMARGADZHIEV (-125) looks to be the more well-rounded fighter, with both knockout ability and a devastating ground game. While he gives up four inches in reach to Borralho, the challenger is not nearly the wrestler he is. If Borralho is taken to the mat by Omargadzhiev, he is going to get tapped.
NO (-160): FIGHT TO GO THE DISTANCE is the best play here. We have two eager young fighters make their debuts, and each will be throwing the kitchen sink at the other trying to impress. They’re not going to leave it in the hands of the judges. I think Omargadzhiev gets the win, and playing OMARGADZHIEV BY SUBMISSION (+570) is worth a roll of the dice for a big payday, too.
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With two middleweights out, their UFC Fight Night 199 opponents have agreed to fight.
Changes have hit the UFC Fight Night 199 lineup.
[autotag]Caio Borralho[/autotag] will have to wait a little longer for his promotional debut because of visa issues ahead of his Dec. 18 fight vs. [autotag]Dustin Stoltzfus[/autotag].
Borralho isn’t the only one to lose his opponent on that card. [autotag]Abusupiyan Magomedov[/autotag] has withdrawn from his fight, so [autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag] (33-14 MMA, 8-6 UFC) and Stoltzfus (13-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) have been paired up. Contracts have not yet been signed, but agreements are in place.
Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the changes Friday but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Meerschaert, 33, has won back-to-back fights after a knockout loss to Khamzat Chimaev in September 2020. Thus far in 2021, Meerschaert has submitted Bartosz Fabinski and Makhmud Muradov.
Stoltzfus, 30, signed with the UFC after a DWCS win in 2020. Through two UFC appearances against Kyle Daukaus and Rodolfo Vieira, Stoltzus still seeks his first promotional victory.
UFC Fight Night 199 takes place at the UFC Apex and streams on ESPN+. Check out the current lineup below.
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqvpne7c1q486dvv player_id=01eqvpqbw4ymnv0rjh image=https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
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 Nov. 22-28.
Ten fights are on the docket for Season 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series.
The lineup for Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 5 is slowly coming to form. Contracts are going out and fighters are putting their names on the dotted lines.
The upcoming installment has a different flare than recent years, with a large percentage of the roster coming from outside North America. The majority are from Brazil, Russia and beyond. Of the fights that have surfaced thus far, only a few Americans are set to partake in Season 5, which is set to begin in August.
Portions of Dana White's Contender Series S5 roster have leaked. Many international fighters and it's not a coincidence, I'm told. That was the intent from the start.#UFC was looking to increase talent level anyway, but this also offsets limited international signings in 2020.
— Nolan King (@mma_kings) May 26, 2021
The first known event date is Aug. 31. The series will extend at least through mid-October, with the latest event on the schedule currently set for Oct. 12.
A number of fights have leaked prior to the UFC’s official announcements. Scroll below to see the fights MMA Junkie has confirmed thus far.
