Tag: Irwin Rivera

Giga Chikadze gets late UFC on ESPN 8 replacement opponent after Mike Davis withdraws

Titan FC champion Irwin Rivera will answer the call on less than 48 hours’ notice.

Despite losing his original opponent, it appears [autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] will still fight at UFC on ESPN 8.

A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to MMA Junkie late Thursday night that Titan FC bantamweight champion [autotag]Irwin Rivera[/autotag] will meet Chikadze in a featherweight bout on less than 48 hours’ notice. Earlier Thursday, Mike Davis withdrew from the bout because of a medical issue not related to coronavirus, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

News of Rivera (9-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) serving as a replacement was first reported by Adjara Sport, and Rivera followed up with an announcement on Twitter.

Rivera, who trains out of Hard Knocks 365, lives in Delray Beach, Fla., about 300 miles south of Jacksonville where UFC on ESPN 8 will take place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. With the fight coming together on such short notice, it’s unclear if Rivera already has been tested for COVID-19 or if his testing will wait until Friday. Rivera had not responded to a request for confirmation as of early Friday morning, just 8 hours from official weigh-ins.

Rivera’s UFC debut will be his first fight in 2020 after going 3-0 last year, all finishes, which included claiming and defending the Titan FC 135-pound title.

Chikadze (9-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) enters the bout on a four-fight winning streak, which includes back-to-back wins in the UFC over Jamall Emmers and Brandon Davis.

With the change, the UFC on ESPN 8 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Alistair Overeem vs. Walt Harris
  • Claudia Gadelha vs. Angela Hill
  • Edson Barboza vs. Dan Ige
  • Eryk Anders vs. Krzysztof Jotko
  • Marlon Vera vs. Song Yadong

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Miguel Baeza vs. Matt Brown
  • Anthony Hernandez vs. Kevin Holland
  • Giga Chikadze vs. Irwin Rivera
  • Darren Elkins vs. Nate Landwehr
  • Mara Romero Borella vs. Cortney Casey
  • Don’Tale Mayes vs. Rodrigo Nascimento

10 bantamweights you can expect to see on Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 4

Dana White’s Contender Series is right around the corner. Check out 10 bantamweights who could be featured.

Dana White’s Contender Series has become a focal point for fighters on the regional scene. Since its inception in 2017, the UFC Fight Pass-turned-ESPN+ summer original removed some of the guesswork for up-and-comers trying to make it big.

With UFC president Dana White and matchmakers Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby cageside, the stakes are high. Have an impressive, exciting win on the show, and you’re in.

Rumored for a late-June start date, DWCS Season 4 is almost here. The lineups haven’t been announced quite yet, but advanced planning is underway. While there are hundreds of fighters qualified to compete on the show, we’ll be narrowing each divisional pool to 10 fighters you should expect to see on the show this summer.

Up next, the bantamweights…

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Jose Johnson

Record: 11-5
Age: 24
Height: 6’0″
Birthplace: Flint, Mich.

In November 2019, [autotag]Jose Johnson[/autotag] made his presence felt with a single, vicious elbow. At LFA 78, Johnson took on Rafael Costa, a top Brazilian prospect. As the fight approached the two-minute mark, Johnson landed a clean elbow that flattened Costa to the ground. The brutal manner in which the fight ended created a big-time highlight – one that went viral in a matter of hours. The knockout was Johnson’s fifth in as many fights. Eight of his 11 victories have come inside the distance. The UFC brass stresses how much they enjoy exciting fighters on DWCS. Johnson fits the mold.

Taylor Lapilus

Record: 16-3
Age: 27
Height: 5’6″
Birthplace: France

[autotag]Taylor Lapilus[/autotag]’ four-fight UFC tenure ended in surprising fashion. The French fighter went 3-1 in the UFC from 2015-2016 with wins over Rocky Lee, Ulka Sasaki, and Leandro Issa. His lone promotional loss came to Erik Perez. A training partner of Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane under coach Fernand Lopez, Lapilus is angling for a 2020 UFC return. With French MMA legalization going into effect in February, Lapilus seems like a layup signing for a home-country UFC return. What better way to get his foot back in the door than DWCS?

More fighters on the next page:

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