Tag: John Castaneda

UFC Fight Night 185 medical suspensions: Derrick Lewis among 10 facing lengthy layoffs

Headliner Derrick Lewis is among 10 fighters who could be facing lengthy time off after UFC Fight Night 185.

Despite notching a huge victory at UFC Fight Night 185, [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] may be forced to sit out for a long period of time.

Lewis (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC), who scored a big knockout win of [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) in the second round of their main event clash in Las Vegas, will need doctor clearance for his right hand and wrist or he could face up to six months on the sidelines.

Also facing potential 180-day terms is [autotag]Charles Rosa[/autotag], who suffered a unanimous decision loss to [autotag]Darrick Minner[/autotag]. Rosa (13-5 MMA, 4-5 UFC) must have an X-ray on his right hand.

Surging heavyweight [autotag]Chris Daukaus[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 3-0 UFC) also needs an X-ray on his right hand after stopping [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] in the first round.

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

The full list of UFC Fight Night 185 medical suspensions includes:

  • Derrick Lewis: Needs X-ray of right hand and wrist, and clearance by doctor, otherwise suspended 180 days; minimum suspension is 21 days with 14 days no contact.
  • Curtis Blaydes: Suspended 60 days with 45 days no contact.
  • [autotag]Yana Kunitskaya[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Ketlen Vieira[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact due to right forehead laceration.
  • Darrick Minner: Suspended 21 days with 14 days no contact.
  • Charles Rosa: Needs X-ray of right hand, and clearance by doctor, otherwise suspended 180 days; minimum suspension is 45 days with 30 days no contact due to forehead laceration.
  • Chris Daukaus: Needs X-ray of right hand, and clearance by doctor, otherwise suspended 180 days
  • Aleksei Oleinik: Suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact.
  • [autotag]Phil Hawes[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with 21 days no contact due to left eyebrow and right cheek lacerations.
  • [autotag]Nassourdine Imamov[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with 21 days no contact.
  • [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with 21 days no contact.
  • [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag]: Needs X-ray of right foot, and clearance by doctor, otherwise suspended 180 days; minimum suspension is 45 days with 30 days no contact.
  • [autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with 21 days no contact.
  • [autotag]Danny Chavez[/autotag]: Needs X-ray of right foot, and clearance by doctor, otherwise suspended 180 days; minimum suspension is 45 days with 30 days no contact
  • [autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag]: Needs X-ray of right hand, and clearance by doctor, otherwise suspended 180 days; minimum suspension is 21 days with 14 days no contact.
  • [autotag]Eddie Wineland[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact due to left eyebrow and nose lacerations.
  • [autotag]Julian Erosa[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Nate Landwehr[/autotag]: Needs X-ray of nose, and clearance by doctor, otherwise suspended 180 days; minimum suspension is 45 days with 30 days no contact.
  • [autotag]Casey O’Neill[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with 21 days no contact.
  • [autotag]Shana Dobson[/autotag]: Needs left eye cleared by doctor, otherwise suspended 180 days; minimum suspension is 45 days with 30 days no contact due to blurry vision.
  • [autotag]Jamall Emmers[/autotag]: Needs MRI of lumbar, and clearance by doctor, otherwise suspended 180 days; minimum suspension is 21 days with 14 days no contact due to back spasms.
  • [autotag]Aiemann Zahabi[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Drako Rodriguez[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days with 45 days no contact.
  • [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag]: Suspended 21 days with 14 days no contact.
  • [autotag]Jared Vanderaa[/autotag]: Needs doctor clearance for nasal bone fracture, otherwise suspended 180 days; minimum suspension is 45 days with 30 days no contact due to eyebrow laceration.

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Eddie Wineland vs. John Castaneda verbally agreed to for UFC Fight Night on Feb. 20

Former WEC champion Eddie Wineland has a return date for 2021.

[autotag]Eddie Wineland[/autotag] has a return date for 2021.

Wineland, a former WEC champion, and [autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag] have verbally agreed to a bantamweight bout for UFC Fight Night on Feb. 20.

Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the impending booking Monday but asked to remain anonymous since the UFC has yet to make an announcment.

For Wineland (24-14-1 MMA, 6-8 UFC), this will mark his 40th professional fight since making his debut in early 2003. The seasoned veteran last fought in June, losing to Sean O’Malley by first-round knockout. Prior to the setback, Wineland had a TKO win over Grigory Popov. The 36-year-old Wineland has fought once a year since 2017.

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Meanwhile, Castaneda (17-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) looks to follow up on an unsuccessful UFC debut. The 28-year-old took a short-notice fight with Nathaniel Wood back in July for his first outing with the promotion.

With this addition, the updated Feb. 20 lineup includes:

  • Chris Daukaus vs. Aleksei Oleinik
  • Danny Chavez vs. Jared Gordon
  • Shana Dobson vs. Casey O’Neill
  • Eddie Wineland vs. John Castaneda

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UFC on ESPN 14 post-event facts: Khamzat Chimaev’s record might be untouchable

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.

* * * *

General

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The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $209,500.

Debuting fighters went 1-4 at the event.

[autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag], [autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag], [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag], [autotag]Jesse Ronson[/autotag], [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] and [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN 14 fight-night bonuses.

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.

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UFC on ESPN 14 rookie report: Grading the newcomers at ‘UFC Fight Island’

Fighters from around the globe dream of the day they’ll step into the octagon the first time. How did the five newcomers perform Saturday?

Fighters from around the globe dream of the day they’ll step into the UFC octagon for the first time. For five athletes, Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 14 event marked that special moment in their respective careers.

Check out this week’s rookie report to see what kind of first impression they made on the sport’s biggest stage from Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

* * * * *

John Castaneda

Division: Bantamweight
Result: Nathaniel Wood def. John Castaneda via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Record: (17-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Grade: C-

[autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag] may not have picked up the victory he would have hoped for in his short-notice UFC debut, the 28-year-old did an admirable job as he held his own against highly-rated British prospect Nathaniel Wood in their preliminary card opener.

Castaneda made good use of his leg kicks early and had particular success on his exits from the clinch. But “Sexi Mexi” also found himself caught by Wood’s strikes throughout a competitive opening round.

Castaneda’s aggression continued in the second round as the Minnesota native pushed forward, but that willingness to step forward saw him present a relatively easy target for Wood to hit and a slick three punch combination from the Brit left him with a cut above the right eye.

He was forced to switch to orthodox from his usual southpaw stance as a result of Wood’s thumping leg kicks, but the debutant kept pushing forward and applying pressure, despite coming off second best in the exchanges.

Encouraged to “fight like a lion” by his corner, Castaneda did just that in the final round as he returned to southpaw and loaded up on his strikes. But Wood’s slicker, more relaxed striking continually punished Castaneda when he stepped into striking range.

All in all, it was a solid debut against a fighter who has been tipped to go a long way in the UFC’s bantamweight division.

Next up: Low strike output costs German debutant dear.

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UFC on ESPN 14 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Main event combines for $15k payout

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:

* * * *

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag]: $20,000
def. [autotag]Antonio Rogerio Nogueira[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag]: $15,000
def. [autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag]: $15,000

[autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Gadzhimurad Antigulov[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag]: $15,000
def. [autotag]Peter Sobotta[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Rhys McKee[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag]: $20,000
def. [autotag]Jai Herbert[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Jesse Ronson[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Mike Grundy[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Raphael Pessoa[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Bethe Correia[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Ramazan Emeev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Niklas Stolze[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag]: $3,500

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:

Year-to-date total: $3,497,500
2019 total: $7,370,500
2018 total: $6,901,000
2017 total: $6,295,000
2016 total: $7,138,000
2015 total: $3,185,000
Program-to-date total: $34,502,000

Fight Tracks: The walkout songs of UFC on ESPN 14, including Darren Till’s ‘intentional silence’

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.

* * * *

Robert Whittaker def. Darren Till via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag]: “Can’t Be Touched” by Roy Jones Jr.

[autotag]Darren Till[/autotag]: No walkout song

Mauricio Rua def. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

[autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag]: “Under Pressure” by David Bowie & Queen

[autotag]Antonio Rogerio Nogueira[/autotag]: “Uma Vida Inteira Em Um Dia Recall” by Khadija

Fabricio Werdum def. Alexander Gustafsson via submission (armbar) — Round 1, 2:30

[autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag]: “Fabricio Werdum” by Felipe Name

[autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag]: “Training Montage (Rocky IV Soundtrack)” via Vince DiCola

Carla Esparza def. Marina Rodriguez via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)

[autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag]: “I’m Shipping Up To Boston” by Dropkick Murphys

[autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag]: “Born To The Fight” by Waylander

Paul Craig def. Gadzhimurad Antigulov via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 2:06

[autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag]: “Victory Over The Sun” by Biffy Clyro

[autotag]Gadzhimurad Antigulov[/autotag]: “Lezginka Super” by Kavkaz

Alex Oliveira def. Peter Sobotta via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag]: “Deus é por Nós -” by MC Marks

[autotag]Peter Sobotta[/autotag]: “Bad Boys” by Inner Circle

Khamzat Chimaev def. Rhys McKee via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:09

[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]: N/A

[autotag]Rhys McKee[/autotag]: “Congratulations” by Post Malone feat. Quavo

Francisco Trinaldo def. Jai Herbert via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:30

[autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag]: “Promontory (The Last of the Mohicans)” by Trevor Jones

[autotag]Jai Herbert[/autotag]: “Know Better” by Headie One feat RV

Jesse Ronson def. Nicolas Dalby via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:48

[autotag]Jesse Ronson[/autotag]: “Sh*t Hits The Fan” by Obie Trice feat. Dr. Dre

[autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag]: “Der Er Et Yndigt Land (There Is A Lovely Country)” by Dzifa

Tom Aspinall def. Jake Collier via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:45

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag]: “Move On Up” by Curtis Mayfield

[autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag]: “Hold Strong” by Rob Bailey & The Hustle Standard

Movsar Evloev def. Mike Grundy via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

[autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag]: N/A

[autotag]Mike Grundy[/autotag]: “Wonderwall” by Oasis

Tanner Boser def. Raphael Pessoa via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:36

[autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag]: “Motorcycle” by Colter Wall

[autotag]Raphael Pessoa[/autotag]: “Papai Dos Status” by MC Bobo

Pannie Kianzad def. Bethe Correia via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

[autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag]: “Take A Chance On Me” by ABBA

[autotag]Bethe Correia[/autotag]: “Feel This Moment” by Pitbull feat. Christina Aguilera

Ramazan Emeev def. Niklas Stolze via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

[autotag]Ramazan Emeev[/autotag]: “Because I Am A Highlander” by Marat

[autotag]Niklas Stolze[/autotag]: “No Diet” by Digga D

Nathaniel Wood def. John Castaneda via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

[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.

UFC taps John Castaneda to replace Umar Nurmagomedov, will fight Nathaniel Wood on ‘Fight Island’

Nathaniel Wood won’t be fighting Umar Nurmagomedov on UFC ‘Fight Island’ – but he’ll still be fighting.

[autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag] won’t be fighting [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] on July 25 – but he’ll still be fighting.

Expected to fill in for Nurmagomedov to fight Wood (16-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) is a former Combate Americas bantamweight champion, [autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC). The event will take place on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi as the fourth event the promotion will hold in 15 days.

Multiple people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the targeted booking Thursday but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Castaneda will make his long-awaited UFC debut 22 fights into his professional career. From May 2015 to November 2017, Castaneda won 11 straight fights. He also competed on Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 1, defeating Cheyden Leialoha by unanimous decision. He is 1-2 in his most recent three bouts.

Conversely, Wood will look to rebound from his first UFC loss. After defeating Johnny Eduardo, Andre Ewell and Jose Quinonez in succession to kick off his promotional tenure, Wood was finished via strikes by John Dodson in February.

With the changes, the current July 25 lineup includes:

  • Darren Till vs. Robert Whittaker
  • Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Mauricio Rua
  • Alex Oliviera vs. Peter Sobotta
  • Alexander Gustafsson vs. Fabricio Werdum
  • Carla Esparza vs. Marina Rodriguez
  • Nicholas Dalby vs. Jesse Ronson
  • Tom Aspinall vs. Jake Collier
  • Raphael Pessoa vs. Justin Tafa
  • Movsar Evloev vs. Mike Grundy
  • Bethe Correia vs. Pannie Kianzad
  • John Castaneda vs. Nathaniel Wood
  • Ramazan Emeev vs. Niklas Stolze
  • Jai Herbert vs. Francisco Trinaldo
  • Gadzhimurad Antigulov vs. Paul Craig

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