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 from Feb. 20-26.
Bryan Barberena will step in on short notice against Gunnar Nelson when the UFC returns to London next month.
[autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag] will step in on short notice against [autotag]Gunnar Nelson[/autotag].
With [autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag] out, Nelson (18-5-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) now will face Barberena (18-9 MMA, 9-7 UFC) at UFC 286 on March 18 at The O2 in London, promotion officials announced. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
Daniel Rodriguez is out! ❌@GunniNelson will now face @Bryan_Barberena at #UFC286 in London! 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/uTea2uJv64
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) February 24, 2023
Barberena is coming off a second-round submission loss to former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos at UFC on ESPN 42 in December. Prior to that, “Bam Bam” was enjoying his best octagon run with three straight wins, including a TKO of ex-welterweight champ Robbie Lawler at UFC 276.
Nelson has split his past four appearances. In his most recent octagon outing, the 34-year-old returned from a two-and-a-half year layoff when he defeated Takashi Sato at UFC Fight Night 204 last March. The win snapped a two-fight losing skid.
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With the change, the current lineup for UFC 286 includes:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.
A welterweight matchup between Gunnar Nelson and Daniel Rodriguez is the latest addition to UFC 286.
A welterweight matchup between [autotag]Gunnar Nelson[/autotag] and [autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag] is the latest addition to UFC 286.
Nelson (18-5-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) faces Rodriguez (17-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) on March 18 at The O2 in London, the promotion announced Monday on social media.
Nelson returned from a two-and-a-half year layoff last March when he defeated Takashi Sato in his first bout of a new multifight deal. The win snapped a two-fight losing skid.
After winning four straight over the likes of Kevin Lee and Li Jingliang, Rodriguez saw his winning streak snapped this past November when he was submitted by Neil Magny at UFC Fight Night 214.
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With the addition, the UFC 286 lineup includes:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.
Gunnar Nelson had been out of action long enough that he didn’t know what it was like to fight in the UFC’s pandemic era.
LONDON – [autotag]Gunnar Nelson[/autotag] had been out of action long enough that he didn’t know what it was like to fight in the UFC’s pandemic era.
Nelson lost back-to-back fights to Leon Edwards and Gilbert Burns in 2019 and had been on the sidelines ever since then. So his Saturday return at UFC Fight Night 204 in London was one of the most highly anticipated fights on the card.
Nelson (18-5-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) dominated late replacement Takashi Sato (16-5 MMA, 2-3 UFC), who stepped in for Claudio Silva, and won a unanimous decision with a trio of 30-26 scores from the judges at The O2. It was Nelson’s first win since December 2018 – and the first time he had to go the distance for a win in more than eight years.
“I felt good. I felt very good,” Nelson said at his post-fight news conference. “I’ve been saying this week even though I’ve been away for two and a half years, everything feels so familiar. It’s kind of like meeting an old friend after many, many years – it’s just the same. It’s just the same as it was before. … I really enjoyed it, and obviously I really enjoyed walking in from the crowd and getting this win tonight, for sure.”
Nelson doesn’t seem to want to have another big layoff like the one he just experienced. He said he’ll have a quick return to the gym, and that could mean a fairly quick return to another fight booking.
And though on one hand, he said he’s ready to fight anyone the UFC puts in front of him, he also said a rematch against Santiago Ponzinibbio is one he’s wanted for a while.
“Right now, I’m itching to get back in the gym, to be honest,” Nelson said. “There’s a few things in there I could feel fresh in my mind and my body is really fresh, so I feel like I could train tonight. There’s no injuries or nothing and I feel really fresh, so I’m looking forward to getting back in the gym and working.
“I don’t care (who I fight next), to be honest. Anyone. I’ve said that many times (I want to fight Ponzinibbio), and I’ll say it again. If I can pick, it would be him.”
The two welterweights competed in the UFC Fight Night 113 headliner in July 2017, when Ponzinibbio finished Nelson with strikes in 82 seconds.
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Check out all the facts and figures from UFC Fight Night 204, which saw a record-setting nine bonuses issued on a historic card.
The UFC put on one of the most memorable events in its storied history on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 204, which went down at The 02 in London and featured a remarkable nine finishes out of 12 bouts.
The show closed with a swift and decisive performance from [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC), who submitted fellow heavyweight contender [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] (34-10 MMA, 8-4 UFC) in the first round of their fight to stay unbeaten inside the octagon.
For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for 53 post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 204.
Gunnar Nelson returned from the longest layoff of his career at UFC Fight Night 204 and outgrappled Takashi Sato to a decision.
LONDON – [autotag]Gunnar Nelson[/autotag] returned from a two-and-a-half year layoff at UFC Fight Night 204 and had his way with [autotag]Takashi Sato[/autotag].
After various circumstances kept him out of the cage for the longest stretch of his career, Nelson (18-5-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) came back and used his superior grappling to outwork Sato (16-5 MMA, 2-3 UFC) and secure a unanimous decision victory by three 30-26 scores.
The welterweight bout was part of the UFC Fight Night 204 main card at the O2. It streamed on ESPN+.
After feeling each other out on the feet for the first few minutes, Nelson and Sato finally tangled up in a grappling exchange and within moments, Nelson had Sato’s back. He landed strikes from the back and methodically worked toward a choke. He couldn’t get it, though, and Sato survived the round.
It was more of the same in Round 2. Nelson was happy to stay standing with Sato, until he decided otherwise and secured the takedown. Nelson advanced to the back and spent almost the entire round working for the choke, but couldn’t get it done.
The action picked up where it left off in the final round. Nelson got the takedown on Sato at will, moved to the back and chipped away at attempts to finish the fight by submission. He couldn’t do it again, though, and cruised to the final bell to get the win on the scorecard.
“I wanted to do things differently on the ground and be a little more patient,” Nelson said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “It feels great (to be back). It’s awesome. (I’m) very happy to be here.”
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The best facts and figures about UFC Fight Night 204, which will see Tom Aspinall and Arnold Allen attempt to keep their runs alive.
The UFC makes its long-awaited return to Europe on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 204, which takes place at The O2 in London and streams on ESPN+.
A clash of heavyweight contenders is featured in the main event of the card. Russia’s [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] (34-9 MMA, 8-3 UFC) will take on England’s [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in a matchup that will determine who takes the next step forward in title contention.
For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 32 pre-event facts going into UFC Fight Night 204.
Gunnar Nelson will still make his highly anticipated return in London.
[autotag]Gunnar Nelson[/autotag] will still make his highly anticipated UFC return in London.
[autotag]Takashi Sato[/autotag] will replace an injured Claudio Silva and face Nelson (17-5-1 MMA, 8-5 UFC) on March 19 at UFC Fight Night 204 from The O2 Arena. MMA Junkie confirmed the news following an initial report from ESPN.
Nelson is set to return after a more than two-year layoff. The 33-year-old hasn’t competed since back-to-back losses to Leon Edwards and most recently Gilbert Burns in September 2019.
Meanwhile, Japan’s Sato has split his first four UFC appearances. After needing just 48 seconds to finish Jason Witt at UFC on ESPN 12, the Sanford MMA fighter was submitted by Miguel Baeza in November 2020.
With the change, UFC Fight Night 204 includes:
Claudio Silva is out of UFC Fight Night 204 with an injury, putting the return of Gunnar Nelson in jeopardy.
UFC’s return to London has just taken a hit as the injury bug forced a welterweight matchup off the card.
[autotag]Claudio Silva[/autotag] was set to welcome [autotag]Gunnar Nelson[/autotag] back to action on March 19 at UFC Fight Night 204 at O2 Arena in London, but will be unable to compete at the event due to a knee injury. MMA Junkie confirmed the news following an initial report from MMA Fighting.
Silva (14-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) was hoping to snap a two-fight skid against Nelson (17-5-1 MMA, 8-5 UFC), who has not competed since September 2019. Prior to his recent setbacks, Silva won his first five UFC bouts, including a split decision win over Leon Edwards in 2014.
Nelson, who is on a two-fight skid of his own, may have to wait a little longer to return to action for what was set to be his first bout in nearly two and a half years. Nelson was last in action against Gilbert Burns at UFC on ESPN+ 18, a bout he lost via unanimous decision. At the time of writing, it is unclear if the promotion will seek a replacement opponent to keep him on the card.
With the update, UFC Fight Night 204 includes:
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Gunnar Nelson is back.
[autotag]Gunnar Nelson[/autotag] is back.
Nelson (17-5-1 MMA, 8-5 UFC) meets [autotag]Claudio Silva[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) at the UFC’s “Fight Night” show on March 19, which is expected to take place at O2 Arena in London with a broadcast on ESPN and ESPN+.
A person with knowledge of the booking confirmed the news to MMA Junkie after an initial report by by an Italian MMA journalist. The person requested anonymity because the UFC has yet to make an official announcement.
Nelson will return to action for the first time since losing a unanimous decision to Gilbert Burns in September 2019. The 33-year-old recently inked a new four-fight deal with the UFC and will aim to snap his losing skid when he faces Brazil’s Silva. Nelson’s last octagon win came in a submission over Alex Oliveira at UFC 231.
Silva, 39, will also look to rebound from a two-fight losing streak. After amassing a 14-fight unbeaten run, including a win over Leon Edwards, Silva suffered setbacks to James Krause, and most recently Court McGee at UFC Fight Night 188 in May.
With the addition, the UFC’s London card now includes:
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