Johnny Eduardo – Syndication Server

UFC Fight Night 193 medical suspensions: Thiago Santos, Johnny Walker face 180-day terms

Headliners Thiago Santos and Johnny Walker are both looking at six months after UFC Fight Night 193.

Although [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag] and [autotag]Johnny Walker[/autotag] didn’t deliver the barnburner fans expected, they are both looking at six months after UFC Fight Night 193.

Former title challenger Santos defeated Walker via unanimous decision in the main event on Saturday, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streamed on ESPN+.

After their five-round battle, Santos will need doctor clearance on his left ring finger, left foot, left knee, and an X-ray on his left ribs before he can resume competition. Meanwhile, Walker needs an X-ray on his left foot before getting cleared.

Also potentially sidelined for 180 days is [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag], who needs an X-ray on his left knee after defeating Alex Oliveira; [autotag]Krzysztof Jotko[/autotag], who needs an X-ray on his left foot after edging out Misha Cirkunov; [autotag]Devonte Smith[/autotag], who needs his right orbital fracture cleared by a doctor after his knockout loss to Jamie Mullarkey, and [autotag]Johnny Eduardo[/autotag], who also needs his right orbital fracture cleared after his submission loss to Alejandro Perez.

The full list of UFC Fight Night 193 medical suspensions can be seen below:

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (July 26-Aug. 1)

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 July 26-Aug. 1:

UFC targets Alejandro Perez vs. Johnny Eduardo for Oct. 2 event

A bantamweight matchup between Alejandro Perez and Johnny Eduardo is in the works for UFC Fight Night on Oct. 2.

A bantamweight matchup is in the works for UFC Fight Night on Oct. 2.

[autotag]Alejandro Perez[/autotag] (21-8-1 MMA, 7-3-1 UFC) is set to take on [autotag]Johnny Eduardo[/autotag] (28-12 MMA, 3-4 UFC) at an event that doesn’t yet have a known venue or location.

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

Perez will look to snap his first-career losing skid. After going unbeaten in seven consecutive fights, “The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America” winner dropped back-to-back bouts to Cody Stamann and, most recently, Song Yadong in July 2019. Perez was scheduled to face Thomas Almeida at UFC Fight Night 179 in October 2020, but he was forced out after testing positive for COVID-19.

Brazil’s Eduardo hasn’t competed since getting submitted by Nathaniel Wood in June 2018. The 42-year-old was scheduled to return against Anthony Birchak at UFC on ESPN 21 in March, but he withdrew due to visa issues. His last win in the octagon came in November 2016 when he scored a second-round TKO of Manny Gamburyan.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for Oct. 2 includes:

Thiago Santos vs. Johnny Walker
Grant Dawson vs. Diego Ferreira
Jared Gordon vs. Joe Solecki
Bethe Correia vs. Karol Rosa
Fernando Padilla vs. Sean Soriano
Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. Gaetano Pirrello
Kyle Daukaus vs. Kevin Holland
Jimmy Crute vs. Jamahal Hill
Jamie Mullarkey vs. Devonte Smith
Macy Chiasson vs. Aspen Ladd
Johnny Eduardo vs. Alejandro Perez

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UFC on ESPN 21: Make your predictions for Derek Brunson vs. Kevin Holland

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 21 event in Las Vegas.

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 21 main card staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC on ESPN 21 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event streams on ESPN+.

Make your picks for the fights below.

Johnny Eduardo returns from 33-month layoff, fights Anthony Birchak at March 20 UFC event

Johnny Eduardo, 42, last competed June 1, 2018, when he was defeated by Nathaniel Wood.

[autotag]Johnny Eduardo[/autotag] hasn’t stepped foot in a UFC cage since June 1, 2018.

On March 20, that’ll change when Eduardo (28-12 MMA, 3-4 UFC) returns from a 33-month layoff to fight [autotag]Anthony Birchak[/autotag] (16-7 MMA, 2-3 UFC). The UFC Fight Night event is scheduled to take place at the UFC Apex and stream on ESPN+/ESPN.

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

Eduardo, 42, has lost three of his most recent four outings. He was finished in those three defeats against Aljamain Sterling, Matthew Lopez and, most recently, Nathaniel Wood. The victory in that stretch came against Manny Gamburyan at UFC Fight Night 100 in November 2016.

Birchak, 34, returned to the UFC in November following five fights outside the promotion, which included stops in RIZIN, Combate Americas and LFA. Upon his return, he was submitted by Gustavo Lopez with a first-round rear-naked choke.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night on March 20 lineup includes:

Derek Brunson vs. Kevin Holland
Cheyanne Buys vs. Kay Hansen
Julia Avila vs. Julija Stoliarenko
Max Griffin vs. Song Kenan
Gustavo Lopez vs. Adrian Yanez
Dricus Du Plessis vs. Trevin Giles
Paul Craig vs. Jamahal Hill
Don’Tale Mayes vs. Tai Tuivasa
Grant Dawson vs. Leonardo Santos
JP Buys vs. Bruno Silva
Anthony Birchak vs. Johnny Eduardo