Check out which veterans of the UFC are in combat sports action around the globe this weekend.
This week, the UFC is travelling to New Jersey for a big pay-per-view event, which features the return of former two-division champion and Olympic gold medalist [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] challenging for [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag]’s bantamweight title in the main event of UFC 288.
Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.
This weekend, there are a total of 22 veterans of the global MMA leader competing in MMA and boxing this week from May 5-6.
Check out the names and details about their bouts below.
Check out the latest fight card from XMMA, a promotion which has centered around pairing notable names from the UFC and beyond.
XMMA is back for its first event of 2023 and putting on another card filled with notable names.
This time, seven UFC alumni and two former Bellator standouts are on tap for the event Wednesday. XMMA 6 will take place at John T. Rhodes Myrtle Beach Sports Center in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and streams free on YouTube.
The promotion launched in January 2021 with XMMA 1 in West Palm Beach, Fla., and was headlined by Andre Fialho vs. James Vick. XMMA 2 took place in July 2021 with a Ben Saunders vs. Ramsey Nijem main event. XMMA 3 followed shortly thereafter in October, headlined by Cody Gibson vs. John Dodson. XMMA 4 took place on April 2, headlined by John Dodson vs. Francisco Rivera. The most recent show the promotion put on was XMMA 5 in July, headlined by Will Brooks vs. Luis Pena.
Keeping with notable names as top-billing, XMMA 6 features nine major promotional notables from years past. Scroll below to see which UFC alums and other fighters are currently scheduled to compete.
Check out which UFC veterans are competing in combat sports events across the globe this weekend.
The UFC is back on U.S. soil this week, and it’s not another event at the UFC Apex. The promotion heads to San Antonio for UFC on ESPN 43 for a key bantamweight bout between [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] and [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag].
Elsewhere, many other MMA events are taking place that feature familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.
These nine veterans of the global MMA leader are competing in MMA bareknuckle boxing this week from March 24-26.
Check out the names and details about their bouts below.
XMMA 4 is loaded with former UFC fighters – and you can watch a free live stream on MMA Junkie starting at 6:30 p.m. ET.
There is no UFC, Bellator, PFL, ONE Championship or Eagle FC this weekend. There’s not even a BKFC.
So how are fight fans supposed to get their weekly helping of violence? That’s where XMMA comes in handy
XMMA 4 takes place Saturday at The Fillmore in New Orleans, and you can watch the entire card live and free on MMA Junkie in the video player above beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET.
A dozen UFC alumni are on the card, including main event participants [autotag]John Dodson[/autotag] and [autotag]Francisco Rivera[/autotag]. Other fighters with UFC experience include [autotag]Kyle Bochniak[/autotag], [autotag]Zak Ottow[/autotag], [autotag]Curtis Millender[/autotag] and [autotag]John Howard[/autotag].
The entire XMMA 4 fight card includes:
John Dodson vs. Francisco Rivera
[autotag]Jared Gooden[/autotag] vs. Curtis Millender
Zak Ottow vs. [autotag]Kyle Stewart[/autotag]
John Howard vs. [autotag]Ange Loosa[/autotag]
Kyle Bochniak vs. [autotag]Carlton Minus[/autotag]
[autotag]Kyron Bowen[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Sasha Palatnikov[/autotag]
[autotag]Tateki Matsuda[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Louie Sanoudakis[/autotag]
Cole Smith vs. [autotag]John Sweeney[/autotag]
[autotag]Adli Edwards[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Josh Harvey[/autotag]
[autotag]Tyrek Malveaux[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Westin Wilson[/autotag]
[autotag]Andrew Garrette[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Justin Mead[/autotag]
Over a dozen former UFC fighters including a former title challenger have been added to XMMA’s first event of 2022.
Over a dozen former UFC fighters have been added to XMMA’s first event of 2022.
XMMA 4 is set to take place Saturday, April 2 at The Fillmore in New Orleans. Viewing info has not yet been announced.
The promotion launched in January 2021 with XMMA 1 in West Palm Beach, Fla., and was headlined by Andre Fialho vs. James Vick. XMMA 2 took place in July 2021 with a Ben Saunders vs. Ramsey Nijem main event. XMMA 3 followed shortly thereafter in October, headlined by Cody Gibson vs. John Dodson.
Keep with the notable names as top-billing, XMMA features 14 fighters who made at least one appearance in the UFC. Scroll below to see which UFC alums are currently scheduled to compete.
[autotag]Francisco Rivera[/autotag] is back and in full force.
The longtime UFC bantamweight staple returned to MMA this past Saturday at XMMA’s first event in West Palm Beach, Fla. Rivera (12-7 MMA) knocked out Ryan Lilley in the first round of their featherweight co-main event.
The victory was the first fight for Rivera since his UFC run came to an end when he was given a four-year suspension by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in July 2016. At UFC 201, Rivera lost to Erik Perez by unanimous decision.
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In an out-of-competition test on July 23, 2016, Rivera tested positive for banned substance clenbuterol. He was originally given a two-year suspension, but an arbitrator determined Rivera had falsified evidence, and as a result, his standard two-year suspension was increased to four years.
The 39-year-old snapped a three-fight losing skid that came at the end of his career with the UFC, which ran from 2012 to 2016. He owns notable victories over Alex Caceres and George Roop.
Francisco Rivera, 39, is back following a lengthy USADA suspension.
Ex-UFC fighter [autotag]Francisco Rivera[/autotag] is back.
Following the conclusion of a four-year USADA suspension and subsequent COVID-19-induced delays, Rivera (11-7) has booked his return fight for XMMA. The event takes place Jan. 30 at Palm Beach Convention Center in Palm Beach, Fla., and will stream live on the promotion’s website.
Rivera, 39, competed at bantamweight for the duration of his 10-fight UFC tenure. However, he will move up to 145 pounds for this fight to take on Bellator and LFA alum [autotag]Ryan Lilley[/autotag] (10-6).
It’ll be 54 months in between fights for Rivera when he steps in the cage. His most recent fight took place at UFC 201 in July 2016, when he lost a unanimous decision to Erik Perez on the pay-per-view main card.
On July 23, 2016, Rivera presented an out-of-competition sample to USADA that, when analyzed, tested positive for banned substance clenbuterol. Rivera was the second fighter to receive a USADA suspension following the UFC’s implementation of the partnership program.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CKHom6KMTmL/
Rivera claimed he had traveled to Northern Mexico and ate meat contaminated with the substance – an issue that other UFC fighters had encountered. However, he was unable to provide independently verifiable evidence of his travels. Furthermore, an arbitrator determined Rivera had falsified evidence. As a result, his standard two-year suspension was increased to four years.
“I know I can still put on great shows,” Rivera told MMA Junkie. “I’m definitely one of the best bantamweight fighters who ever fought in the UFC that, the way I fight. I’m always looking for a knockout. I’m always looking for excitement. I’m never one to put on a boring fight and I think now would be the best time to make a comeback to the UFC because fans love the way I fight – especially now. I feel like it’s more entertainment now.”
XMMA’s Jan. 30 event also features UFC veterans James Vick, Marcelo Golm and Kyle Bochniak among other MMA notables.
Francisco Rivera’s USADA suspension is up in July, and he hopes he’ll be able to return to his original home with the UFC.
[autotag]Francisco Rivera[/autotag]’s USADA suspension is up in July, and he hopes he’s able to return to his original home.
Rivera (11-7 MMA, 4-6 UFC) tested positive for banned substance clenbuterol during an out-of-competition urine sample collected on July 23, 2016, and was subsequently handed a four-year suspension by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).
He has not competed since, and was recently given a license to compete anywhere in California, leading to a scheduled bout on March 20 for the promotion LXF, but the coronavirus outbreak forced the event to be canceled.
Now, with his USADA suspension set to be completed in three months’ time, “Cisco” said he’d love nothing more than a final chance to prove his worth inside the UFC octagon.
“I know I can still put on great shows,” Rivera told MMA Junkie. “I’m definitely one of the best bantamweight fighters who ever fought in the UFC that – the way I fight. I’m always looking for a knockout, I’m always looking for excitement. I’m never one to put on a boring fight and I think now would be the best time to make a comeback to the UFC because fans love the way I fight. Especially now, I feel like it’s more entertainment now.
“Now I feel like anybody who fights exciting and puts on a show, who puts on an act, can make a run in the UFC. Win or lose, and I’m definitely gonna try and make my way back – or if I could just get one more fight and see what happens and get back to doing what I do best, and that’s fighting.”
Though Rivera has lost his last three in a row in the UFC, he’s had some close and controversial losses to the likes of Brad Pickett and Uriah Faber, where wins could have sent his career on a different trajectory.
In his time away from fighting, 38-year-old Rivera has been spending time in Arizona with UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo, and has been mimicking Jose Aldo’s fighting style during training sessions with Cejudo before the Brazilian was eventually replaced by Dominick Cruz.
Now he’s ready to prove his own worth and show that he still has what it takes to compete in the UFC.
“I have Sean Shelby’s number,” Rivera said. “Me and Sean Shelby have been friends for all these years. We still text each other once in a while, and I know if I text him and tell him I’m ready, and maybe I could do it down at the PI and show him how good of shape I am, maybe he’ll give me a fight – or let me go out with one more fight and if I lose, retire. If I put on a show and win, just start from there. You never know. I’ve seen crazier things happen.”
