The event at Ginasio Do Ibirapuera features a heavyweight tilt between [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] and [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag]. Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.
Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing in MMA and boxing Nov. 3-5.
Scroll below to see how the UFC veterans fared last week, and see the names and details of this weekend’s competitors.
Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 14, which saw Robert Whittaker score a main-event win over Darren Till in Abu Dhabi.
The final stop of the UFC’s inaugural “Fight Island” stretch took place Saturday with UFC on ESPN 14, which went down at Flash Forum on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi with a record 15-fight card that aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
Former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 12-3 UFC) rebounded from losing the title to Israel Adesanya last October when he outworked [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] (18-3-1 MMA, 6-3-1 UFC) to a unanimous decision in the main event.
For more on the numbers behind the historic fight card, check below for 50 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN 14.
The six fight-night bonuses issued at UFC on ESPN 14 set a single-event record for the company.
UFC on ESPN 14 drew an announced attendance of zero for a live gate of $0.
Betting favorites went 11-4 on the card.
Betting favorites improved to 14-6 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 15-bout card was 2:40:24.
Main card
Robert Whittaker
Whittaker improved to 9-1 since he moved up to the UFC middleweight division in November 2014.
Whittaker has earned seven of his 12 UFC victories by decision.
Till fell to 1-1 since he moved up to the middleweight division in November.
Till suffered the first decision loss of his career.
[autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag]’s (27-11-1 MMA, 11-9-1 UFC) 23 victories in UFC/PRIDE light-heavyweight competition are the most in combined divisional history.
[autotag]Antonio Rogerio Nogueira[/autotag] (23-10 MMA, 6-7 UFC) fell to 2-5 in his past seven fights dating back to July 2014.
Nogueira has suffered six of his 10 career losses by decision.
Werdum (24-9-1 MMA, 12-6 UFC) improved to 10-4 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2012.
Werdum has earned 18 of his 24 career victories by stoppage. That includes eight of his 12 UFC wins.
[autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag]’s (18-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since May 2017.
Gustafsson was unsuccessful in his heavyweight debut.
Gustafsson fell to 3-6 in his past nine UFC appearances dating back to his first title fight against Jon Jones in September 2013.
Carla Esparza
[autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) improved to 7-3 since losing the UFC strawweight title to Joanna Jedrzejczyk in March 2015.
Esparza’s eight victories in UFC strawweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Jedrzejczyk (10).
Esparza’s four-fight UFC winning streak at strawweight is the fourth longest active streak in the division behind Tatiana Suarez (five), Yan Xiaonan (five) and Zhang Weili (five).
Esparza has earned seven of her eight UFC victories by decision.
Esparza’s 39 takedowns landed in UFC strawweight competition are most in divisional history.
[autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag] (13-1-2 MMA, 2-1-2 UFC) had her 15-fight unbeaten streak snapped for the first defeat of her career.
Craig (13-4-1 MMA, 5-4-1 UFC) has earned all of his career victories by stoppage.
Craig became the first fighter in UFC history to win three separate fights by triangle choke submission.
Craig’s five submission victories in UFC light heavyweight competition are tied with Jones, Misha Cirkunov, Ovince Saint Preux, and Glover Teixeira for most in divisional history.
[autotag]Gadzhimurad Antigulov[/autotag] (21-6 MMA, 3-2 UFC) has suffered all eight of his career losses by stoppage.
Antigulov suffered his first submission loss since Apr. 27, 2013 – a span of 2,646 days (more than seven years) and 18 fights.
[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] (21-8-1 MMA, 11-6 UFC) improved to 9-5 (with one no contest) in UFC welterweight competition.
[autotag]Peter Sobotta[/autotag] (17-7-1 MMA, 4-6 UFC) fell to 4-3 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in May 2014.
Sobotta has suffered four of his six UFC losses by decision.
Khamzat Chimaev
Chimaev (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) set a record for fastest time between UFC wins with two victories in 10 days.
Chimaev earned a fight-night bonus for both of his wins.
Chimaev has earned all eight of his career victories by stoppage. He’s finished five of those wins in Round 1.
[autotag]Rhys McKee[/autotag] (10-3-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered both of his career stoppage losses by knockout.
Preliminary card
Francisco Trinaldo
[autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag]’s (26-7 MMA, 16-6 UFC) 15 victories in UFC lightweight competition are tied for fourth most in divisional history behind Jim Miller (19), Donald Cerrone (17) and Gleison Tibau (16).
[autotag]Jai Herbert[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered both of his career losses by knockout.
Ronson (22-10 MMA, 1-3 UFC) was successful in his return to the UFC after going winless in his first stint from 2013-2014.
[autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag] (18-4-1 MMA, 2-3-1 UFC) fell to 1-1 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in September.
Dalby suffered the first submission loss of his career.
Aspinall (8-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned all eight of his career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) was unsuccessful in his UFC heavyweight debut.
Collier has alternated wins and losses over his past eight fights.
Collier has suffered four of his five career losses by stoppage.
[autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] (13-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has earned all three of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Mike Grundy[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) had his nine-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.
Grundy suffered the first decision loss of his career.
Tanner Boser
Boser (19-6-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) earned his second UFC victory in a 28-day stretch. He also won at UFC on ESPN 12 on June 27.
Raphael Pessoa (10-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered both of his career losses by stoppage.
Pessoa suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
[autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has earned nine of her 12 career victories by decision. That includes both of her UFC wins.
[autotag]Ramazan Emeev[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC) improved to 3-1 since he dropped to the UFC welterweight division in May 2018.
Emeev improved to 16-2 in his past 18 fights.
Emeev has earned all four of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Niklas Stolze[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered all four of his career losses by decision.
[autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC) earned his first decision victory since Nov. 14, 2015 – a span of 1,715 days (nearly five years) and 11 fights.
[autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
UFC on ESPN 14 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.
ABU DHABI – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 14 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $209,500
The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.
UFC on ESPN 14 took place at Flash Forum in Yas Island. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN 14 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $3,500 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,000; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.
In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.
Full 2020 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 14 event.
While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.
See what the fighters from UFC on ESPN 14 went with as their backing tracks in Abu Dhabi.
[autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag]: “I’m A Man” by Black Strobe
[autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag]: “Run This Town” by Jay-Z
The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.
In the main event, former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (20-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) is the overwhelming favorite with from our panel of 14 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts. Just two of the panel have picked England’s [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] (18-2-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) to spring the upset.
In the co-main event, [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] (26-11-1 MMA, 6-6 UFC) is even more strongly favored, with all 13 of the 14 panelists siding with “Shogun”, who currently stands at 2-0 in his personal series against [autotag]Antonio Rogerio Nogueira[/autotag] (23-9 MMA, 10-9-1 UFC).
Also on the main card, former UFC light heavyweight title challenger [autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] (18-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC) is set to move up a division to take on former UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] (23-9-1 MMA, 11-6 UFC), and the panel has given its near-unanimous backing to the big Swede, with 12 of the 14 panelists picking “The Mauler” to pick up a huge win on his divisional debut.
The women’s strawweight battle between former champion [autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] (16-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) and Brazilian contender [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag] (12-0-2 MMA, 2-0-2 UFC) was the tightest matchup on the card in terms of the reader vote, with Rodriguez edging it 56 percent to 44. The bout also split our panel, with seven selecting Esparza as their predicted winner and seven siding with Rodriguez.
The panel was split again for the light heavyweight fight between [autotag]Gadzhimurad Antigulov[/autotag] (20-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) and [autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag] (12-4-1 MMA, 4-4-1 UFC) with the Scot edging it 8-6 with our panel. The readers also lean towards “The Bearjew” to get the victory, with 63 percent picking him to get the win on Saturday night.
And to open the main card, Brazilian [autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] (21-8-1 MMA, 10-6-1 UFC) was a near-unanimous selection for our panel, with only one member picking his opponent, [autotag]Peter Sobotta[/autotag] (17-6-1 MMA, 4-5 UFC). “Cowboy” was also a very popular pick with our readers and, with 86 percent of the votes, he is the second-biggest reader favorite on the main card.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Whittaker (65 percent), Rua (87 percent), Gustafsson (80 percent), Rodriguez (56 percent), Craig (63 percent) and Oliveira (86 percent) are the choices.
The best facts and figures about UFC on ESPN 14, which features a Robert Whittaker vs. Darren Till middleweight main event.
The final event of the UFC’s inaugural “Fight Island” stint goes down Saturday with UFC on ESPN 14, which aires on ESPN and streams on ESPN+ from Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
A high-stakes matchup between middleweight contenders takes center stage in the main event. Former champ [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (20-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) returns for the first time since losing the belt to Israel Adesanya in October when he meets [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] (18-2-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC), who looks to go 2-0 since moving to 185 pounds.
For more on the numbers behind the first 15-fight lineup in modern UFC history (and second overall along with UFC 2 in 1993), check below for 55 pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN 14.
* * * *
Main event
Robert Whittaker
Whittaker is the only New Zealand-born fighter in history to win a UFC championship.
Whittaker is 8-1 since he moved up to the UFC middleweight division in November 2014.
Whittaker and Yoel Romero combined for 239 significant strikes landed at UFC 225, the single-fight record for a five-fight UFC middleweight fight.
Whittaker’s seven fight-night bonuses for UFC middleweight bouts are tied for third most in divisional history behind Anderson Silva (11) and Romero (eight).
Darren Till
Till was successful in his middleweight debut when he beat Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 244 in November.
Till has outlanded his opponent in all but one of his UFC victories.
Till is one of five fighters in UFC history to land zero significant strikes in a championship bout defeat, as he did against Tyron Woodley at UFC 228. His 9:19 of cage time is the most of any fighter in the group. The previous high was 3:54.
Co-main event
Mauricio Rua
[autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] (26-11-1 MMA, 10-9-1 UFC) competes in his 21st UFC light heavyweight bout, the second most appearances in divisional history behind Jon Jones (22).
Rua’s 22 victories in UFC/PRIDE light-heavyweight competition are the most in combined divisional history.
Rua’s 18 stoppage victories in UFC/PRIDE/WEC/Strikeforce competition are fourth most in combined organizational history behind Mirko Filipovic (21), Wanderlei Silva (20) and Donald Cerrone (20).
Rua’s 17 knockout victories in UFC/PRIDE light-heavyweight competition are the most in combined divisional history.
Rua’s eight knockout victories in modern UFC light-heavyweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Chuck Liddell (nine).
Rua is the only light heavyweight in UFC history to earn his first six victories with the organization by knockout.
Rua’s 14 knockdowns landed in UFC light-heavyweight competition are tied with Liddell for most in divisional history.
Rua’s eight fight-night bonuses for UFC light-heavyweight fights are tied with Jones for most in divisional history.
[autotag]Antonio Rogerio Nogueira[/autotag] (23-9 MMA, 6-6 UFC), 44, is the oldest active fighter in the UFC light-heavyweight division.
Nogueira, 44, is the oldest of the 30 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
Remaining main card
Fabricio Werdum
[autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] (23-9-1 MMA, 11-6 UFC) is 9-4 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2012.
Werdum and Marcin Tybura combined for 282 significant strikes landed at UFC Fight Night 121, the second most in a UFC heavyweight bout Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier (304) at UFC 241.
[autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] (18-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC) moves up to the UFC heavyweight division for the first time. He made his previous 16 octagon appearances at light heavyweight.
Gustafsson is one of eight fighters UFC history to go at least 0-3 in championship fights. Joseph Benavidez Dan Henderson, Chad Mendes, Kenny Florian, Urijah Faber, Pedro Rizzo and Chael Sonnen have also come up short in three title fights.
[autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] (16-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) was the first UFC strawweight champion. She lost the belt to Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 185 in March 2015.
Esparza is 6-3 since losing the UFC strawweight title to Jedrzejczyk in March 2015.
Esparza competes in her 12th UFC strawweight bout, tied for the fourth most appearances in divisional history behind Angela Hill (15), Randa Markos (14) and Jedrzejczyk (13).
Esparza’s seven victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind Jedrzejczyk (10).
Esparza has earned six of her seven UFC victories by decision.
Esparza has completed at least one takedown against 10 of her 11 UFC opponents.
Esparza’s 34 takedowns landed in UFC strawweight competition are tied with Claudia Gadelha for most in divisional history.
[autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag] (13-0-2 MMA, 2-0-2 UFC) four-fight UFC unbeaten streak at strawweight is tied for the fourth longest active streak in the division behind Tatiana Suarez (five), Yan Xiaonan (five) and Zhang Weili (five).
Rodriguez is the only female fighter in UFC history to fight to multiple draws.
[autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag] (12-4-1 MMA, 4-4-1 UFC) has earned all 12 of his career victories by stoppage.
Craig’s victory at 4:59 of Round 3 at UFC Fight Night 127 is the latest submission in a three-round UFC fight.
[autotag]Gadzhimurad Antigulov[/autotag] (20-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has earned 19 of his 20 career victories by stoppage. He’s earned 17 of those wins in Round 1.
[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] (20-8-1 MMA, 10-6 UFC) is 8-5 (with one no contest) over his multiple stints in UFC welterweight competition.
Oliveira vs. Yancy Medeiros at UFC 218 is the only fight in UFC history to feature two knockdowns for each fighter.
[autotag]Peter Sobotta[/autotag] (17-6-1 MMA, 4-5 UFC) is 4-2 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in May 2014.
Khamzat Chimaev
[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) makes his second UFC appearance in a 10-day stretch. He won at UFC on ESPN 13 on July 15.
Chimaev can set the record for fastest time between UFC wins with a victory at 11 days.
Chimaev has earned all seven of his career victories by stoppage. He’s finished four of those wins in Round 1.
[autotag]Rhys McKee[/autotag] (10-2-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), 24, is the youngest of the 30 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
Preliminary card
Francisco Trinaldo
[autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag] (25-7 MMA, 15-6 UFC) 12 UFC victories in Brazil are the most in company history.
Trinaldo is the only fighter in UFC history to earn two arm-triangle submission victories from half-guard.
Trinaldo’s nine decision victories in UFC lightweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Gleison Tibau (11).
[autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag] (18-3-1 MMA, 2-2-1 UFC) was successful in his return to the UFC for a second stint when he won at UFC on ESPN+ 18 in September.
[autotag]Jesse Ronson[/autotag] (21-10 MMA, 0-3 UFC) returns to the UFC for the first time since July 2014. He went 8-5 between stints with the promotion.
[autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since Nov. 11, 2017. The 987-day layoff is the longest of his nearly 10-year career.
Collier moves up to the UFC heavyweight division after spending his previous octagon appearances at light heavyweight and middleweight.
Collier can become the 11th fighter in UFC history to win in three weight classes.
Collier has alternated wins and losses over his past seven fights. He won his most recent bout at UFC Fight Night 120 in November 2017.
Collier is one of five fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a spinning back kick to the body. He accomplished the feat at UFC Fight Night 88.
Tanner Boser
[autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag] (18-6-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) makes his second UFC appearance in a 28-day stretch. He won at UFC on ESPN 12 on June 27.
[autotag]Bethe Correia[/autotag] (11-4-1 MMA, 5-4-1 UFC) competes in her 11th UFC women’s bantamweight bout, tied for the third most appearances in divisional history behind Raquel Pennington (13) an Amanda Nunes (12).
Correia and Marion Reneau fought to the first draw in women’s UFC history at UFC Fight Night 106.
[autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has earned 14 of his 16 career victories by stoppage. That includes all three of his UFC wins.
Wood’s three submission victories in UFC bantamweight competition are tied for fifth most in divisional history behind Urijah Faber (six), Rani Yahya (five), Aljamain Sterling (four) and Marlon Vera (four).
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 14 event in Abu Dhabi.
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 14 event in Abu Dhabi.
Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC on ESPN 14 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC on ESPN 14 takes place Saturday at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
Make your picks for all six main card fights inside:
A light heavyweight battle between Gadzhimurad Antigulov and Paul Craig has been added to the card for ‘UFC Fight Island’ on July 25.
The British contingent set to descend on “UFC Fight Island” continues to grow, with Scottish light heavyweight [autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag] the latest fighter from the U.K. booked for action in Abu Dhabi.
Craig (12-4-1 MMA, 4-4-1 UFC) has built a reputation as a fighter with a never-say-die approach to his bouts and owns the record for the latest finish in a three-round UFC fight thanks to his last-second submission of Magomed Ankalaev at UFC Fight Night 127 back in 2018.
Since that victory, the 32-year-old from Coatbridge, Scotland, has alternated losses and wins until his most recent outing last November, when he earned a split draw against Brazilian legend Mauricio Rua at UFC on ESPN+ 22.
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“The Bearjew” will return to action against Russia’s [autotag]Gadzhimurad Antigulov[/autotag] in a light heavyweight bout at UFC Fight Night on Yas Island on July 25 – the final of the UFC’s four-event “Fight Island” season. The fight was announced by the UFC’s official European Twitter account.
Antigulov heads into the fight looking to claim his first UFC win since May 2017, when he secured a first-round submission of Joachim Christensen at UFC 211. Since then, the 33-year-old has suffered a pair of first-round knockout losses to Ion Cutelaba and Michal Oleksiejczuk, as well as a host of canceled fight bookings.
Antigulov’s scheduled bouts against Aleksandar Rakic, Sam Alvey, Roman Dolidze, Ed Herman, Devin Clark, and Klidson Abreu all have fallen through due to a combination of injuries and the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. But now the 33-year-old is ready to return for his first appearance since April 2019.
With the addition, the current July 25 lineup includes:
A light heavyweight matchup between Kildson Abreu and Gadzhimurad Antigulov is the latest addition to the UFC’s first trip to Kazakhstan.
A light heavyweight matchup is the latest addition to the UFC’s first trip to Kazakhstan.
[autotag]Klidson Abreu[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) will face [autotag]Gadzhimurad Antigulov[/autotag] (20-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) at the event. Abreu posted about the matchup on his social media following an initial report from Combate.
UFC Kazakhstan is expected to take place June 13 at Astana Arena in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. The event has not been officially announced by the promotion.
Abreu failed to make good on his UFC debut in February 2019 when he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Magomed Ankalaev. He bounced back against Sam Alvey for his first promotional win, but was edged out in his most recent fight by Shamil Gamzatov at UFC on ESPN+ 21.
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After a 14-fight unbeaten run in which he went the distance only once, Antigulov has dropped two in a row with stoppage setbacks to Ion Cutelaba and, most recently, Michal Oleksiejczuk in April 2019. He will look to avoid a three-fight losing skid when he takes on Brazil’s Abreu.
With the addition, the current UFC Kazakhstan lineup includes:
Former UFC champion Nicco Montano is set to return to the octagon on home turf.
Former UFC champion[autotag] Nicco Montano[/autotag] is set to return to the octagon on home turf.
Montano, who trains out of Jackson Wink MMA in Albuquerque, N.M., will meet [autotag]Macy Chiasson[/autotag] in a bantamweight bout at UFC Rio Rancho. That fight, along with [autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Gadzhimurad Antigulov[/autotag] at light heavyweight, are the latest additions to the card set for Feb. 15 at Santa Ana Star Center.
Montano (4-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC), the inaugural UFC women’s flyweight champ after winning “The Ultimate Fighter 26,” will look to rebound from a loss in her UFC bantamweight debut against Julianna Pena in July.
Chiasson (5-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), the Season 28 winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” as a featherweight, hasn’t competed at 145 pounds in three fights since the show ended. She’d won two straight at bantamweight before losing to Lina Lansberg by unanimous decision in September at UFC on ESPN+ 18.
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Clark (10-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) and Antigulov (20-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) also will be looking to rebound from losses in their fight. Clark has alternated wins and losses and is 2-3 in five fights since October 2017. Antigulov, meanwhile, is on a two-fight skid and most recently was knocked out by Michał Oleksiejczuk in April.
With the additions, the latest UFC Rio Rancho fight card includes:
