Tag: Ji Yeon Kim

UFC Fight Night 202 pre-event facts: Islam Makhachev is the least-hit fighter in UFC history

Islam Makhachev is the least-touched fighter in UFC history going into Saturday’s main event with Bobby Green.

The UFC closes its busy February schedule on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 202, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streams entirely on ESPN+.

After an injury forced Beneil Dariush out of the headliner on less than two weeks’ notice, a 160-pound bout will now serve as the main event of the card. [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (21-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) will attempt to continue his winning streak when he takes on short-notice replacement [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] (29-12-1 MMA, 10-7-1 UFC), who will look to add his name to the list of quickest non-tournament turnaround wins with his second bout in 14 days.

For more on the numbers around the card, check below for 30 pre-event facts about UFC Fight Night 202.

Priscila Cachoeira books next UFC fight, meets Ji Yeon Kim on Feb. 26

Despite the controversy surrounding her most recent fight, Priscila Cachoeira will make her octagon return in February.

Despite the controversy surrounding her most recent fight, [autotag]Priscila Cachoeira[/autotag] will make her octagon return in February.

Cachoeira (10-4 MMA, 2-4 UFC) meets [autotag]Ji Yeon Kim[/autotag] (9-4-2 MMA, 3-4 UFC) at UFC Fight Night on Feb. 26 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Two people with knowledge of the booking confirmed the matchup to MMA Junkie on Thursday but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. John Hyon Ko was first to report the news.

Cachoeira’s fight against Gillian Robertson at UFC 269 was full of controversy. Not only did she come in three pounds over the flyweight mark, she gouged Robertson’s eye when trying to get out of a rear-naked choke submission in the first round. But Robertson was able to keep her grip and eventually forced the Brazilian to tap with just one second left in the round.

The desperation and illegal move caused a public outrage, even prompting the likes of renowned UFC commentator Joe Rogan to call for Cachoeira to be cut by the promotion. Cachoeira’s manager came to the defense of his client, saying she unintentionally stuck her fingers in Robertson’s right eye and was only attempting to fight the choke. Prior to the Robertson loss, Cachoeira was coming off back-to-back knockout wins over Shana Dobson and Gina Mazany.

Kim was scheduled to face Poliana Botelho at UFC 270 on Jan. 22, but the fight was scrapped when Botelho withdrew. The South Korean fighter has split her past six appearances and is coming off two straight setbacks to Alexa Grasso and, most recently, Molly McCann in a Fight of the Night effort.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for Feb. 26 includes:

  • Beneil Dariush vs. Islam Makhachev
  • Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Marcin Tybura
  • Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Rong Zhu
  • Hannah Goldy vs. Jinh Yu Frey
  • Joel Alvarez vs. Arman Tsarukyan
  • Misha Cirkunov vs. Makhmud Muradov
  • Victor Altamirano vs. Carlos Hernandez
  • Terrance McKinney vs. Fares Ziam
  • Ion Cutelaba vs. Ryan Spann
  • Gregory Rodrigues vs. Armen Petrosyan
  • Jonathan Martinez vs. Alejandro Perez
  • Micheal Gillmore vs. Jonny Parsons
  • Priscila Cachoeira vs. Ji Yeon Kim

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Poliana Botelho vs. Ji Yeon Kim scrapped from UFC 270 on Jan. 22

The UFC 270 card has taken another hit.

The UFC 270 card has taken another hit.

[autotag]Poliana Botelho[/autotag] (8-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) is out of her fight against [autotag]Ji Yeon Kim[/autotag] (9-4-2 MMA, 3-4 UFC) on Jan. 22 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. and as a result, the flyweight contest has been scrapped.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the canceled booking but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Botelho is 1-2 since moving back up to 125 pounds. The 33-year-old Brazilian picked up a unanimous decision win over Lauren Mueller at UFC 236, then suffered back-to-back losses to Gillian Robertson and Luana Carolina.

Kim would’ve also looked to snap a two-fight losing skid. The South Korean fighter has split her past six appearances and is coming off setbacks to Alexa Grasso, and most recently Molly McCann in a “Fight of the Night” effort.

The UFC 270 lineup now includes:

  • Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane
  • Brandon Moreno vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
  • Ilia Topuria vs. TBA
  • Greg Hardy vs. Aleksei Oleinik

Preliminary ESPN, ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET

  • Trevin Giles vs. Michael Morales
  • Said Nurmagomedov vs. Cody Stamann
  • Tony Gravely vs. Saimon Oliveira
  • Andre Fialho vs. Michel Pereira

Preliminary ESPN+, 6:15 p.m. ET Edit Delete

  • Jack Della Maddalena vs. opponent TBA
  • Kay Hansen vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius
  • Matt Frevola vs. Genaro Valdez
  • Wellington Turman vs. Rodolfo Vieira
  • Raoni Barcelos vs. Victor Henry

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UFC Fight Night 191 bonuses: Tom Aspinall’s first-round finish, Paddy Pimblett’s debut TKO among extra $50k earners

Paddy Pimblett’s spectacular debut finish was among four bonus-earning performances on Saturday.

The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses after Saturday’s card, including two individual performances and an incredible back-and-forth scrap in the women’s flyweight division.

UFC Fight Night 191 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out the $50,000 winners below.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (May 17-23)

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 May 17-23.

UFC on ESPN+ 33: Despite wins, Mallory Martin, Polyana Viana could face six-month suspensions

Despite picking up wins, Polyana Viana and Mallory Martin could be facing up to six months on the sidelines.

Despite picking up wins at UFC on ESPN+ 33, [autotag]Polyana Viana[/autotag] and [autotag]Mallory Martin[/autotag] could potentially face up to six months on the sidelines due to medical suspensions.

MMA Junkie obtained the full list of suspensions from MixedMartialArts.com, the Association of Boxing Commission’s official record keeper.

In the night’s opener, Martin (7-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) picked up a comeback submission finish of [autotag]Hannah Cifers[/autotag] (10-7 MMA, 2-5 UFC) at this past weekend’s event, which took place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. In the second fight of the night, Viana (11-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC) submitted [autotag]Emily Whitmire[/autotag] (4-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC) with an armbar in the first round.

Also potentially facing several months on the shelf is [autotag]Ji Yeon Kim[/autotag], who suffered a unanimous decision loss to [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC). Kim (9-3-2 MMA, 3-3 UFC) has to have her right orbital non-displaced fracture cleared or she could be facing six months.

Despite the one-sided loss to [autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag] in the main event, [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] (32-16 MMA, 8-4 UFC) will only be facing 45 days, whereas Rakic (13-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) did not receive a suspension.

[autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] (28-15 MMA, 13-9 UFC) will be facing 45 days for nasal lacerations in his co-main event loss to [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag], whereas Magny (24-7 MMA, 17-6 UFC) will be facing 45 days until the cut on his right elbow is cleared by a doctor.

Below is the full list of UFC on ESPN+ 33 medical suspensions:

  • Anthony Smith: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
  • Aleksandar Rakic: No suspension.
  • Robbie Lawler: Suspended 45 days with no contest for 30 days due to nasal lacerations.
  • Neil Magny: Suspended 45 days or until cut on right elbow cleared by doctor or no contest until Sept. 11.
  • Ji Yeon Kim: Must have right orbital non-displaced fracture cleared by oral and maxillofacial doctor or ophthalmologist or no contest until Feb. 26; minimum suspension until Oct. 14 with no contact until Sept. 29.
  • Alexa Grasso: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Ricardo Lamas[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
  • [autotag]Bill Algeo[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Maki Pitolo[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to facial lacerations.
  • [autotag]Impa Kasangay[/autotag]: Must have right eye laceration cleared by doctor or no contest until Oct. 14; minimum suspension until Sept. 11.
  • [autotag]Alessio Di Chirico[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
  • [autotag]Zak Cummings[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Alex Caceres[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Austin Springer[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Christian Aguilera[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to right eyebrow and nose lacerations.
  • Polyana Viana: Must have right thumb MRI and x-ray of
    right foot. If positive, then must have orthopedic doctor clearance or no contest until Feb. 26, 2021; minimum suspension until Sept. 29 with no contact until Sept. 20.
  • Emily Whitmire: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 30 days due to left elbow pain.
  • Mallory Martin: Must have right knee MRI. If positive, must have orthopedic doctor clearance or no contest until Feb. 26, 2021; minimum suspension until Oct. 29 with no contact until Oct. 14.
  • Hannah Cifers: Must have nose cut cleared by doctor or no contest until Oct. 14; minimum suspension until Sept. 29 with no contact until Sept. 20.

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Ji Yeon Kim spoke to the media ahead of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 33 event in Las Vegas

Ji Yeon Kim spoke to the media ahead of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 33 event in Las Vegas

Ji Yeon Kim spoke to the media ahead of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 33 event in Las Vegas

Alexa Grasso moves up to flyweight, faces Ji Yeon Kim at UFC Austin

Alexa Grasso moves up to flyweight to take on Ji Yeon Kim at UFC Austin.

[autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] is set for her flyweight debut on June 27.

Grasso (11-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) will face [autotag]Ji Yeon Kim[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) in a UFC event that will take place in Austin, Texas, the promotion announced Friday morning.

Grasso was scheduled to face Claudia Gadelha at UFC 246, but after missing the 116-pound non-title strawweight limit by a whopping 5.5 pounds, the commission decided to cancel the fight. It was Grasso’s second time to miss weight, previously coming in at 119 pounds for her bout against Randa Markos in 2017.

In her last outing, Grasso was edged out by former UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza, in a “Fight of the Night” effort in her home country of Mexico. Following the weight miss at UFC 246, Grasso released a statement announcing that she would be moving up to flyweight.

Winner of three of her last four, Kim has had weight issues of her own, missing the flyweight mark in her last two outings. After knocking out Nadia Kassem at UFC 243, Kim called Grasso out, and she will get her wish when the two meet in Austin.

With the addition, the UFC Austin lineup now includes:

  • Viviane Araujo vs. Jennifer Maia
  • Alexa Grasso vs. Ji Yeon Kim

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