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 April 24-30.
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 Oct. 31-Nov. 6.
Juancamilo Ronderos was suspended nine months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after testing positive for marijuana and cocaine.
LAS VEGAS – UFC flyweight [autotag]Juancamilo Ronderos[/autotag] has been suspended nine months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and fined a total of $2,245.36 after testing positive for both marijuana and cocaine.
The commission issued the ruling at Thursday’s monthly meeting, which was held at the Grant Sawyer State Office Building in Las Vegas.
In July, Ronderos was retroactively suspended for one month by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, the UFC’s official anti-doping partner, following an in-competition test collected on May 22 at UFC Fight Night 188 that was positive for “cocaine and its metabolite benzoylecgonine,” according to the organization.
Ronderos (4-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who stepped into a bout with David Dvorak on just one day’s notice, was submitted in the first round of the fight.
However, because the contest fell under the jurisdiction of the NSAC, the commission also had to resolve the case. According to an agreement reached prior to the hearing, Ronderos was suspended nine months, leaving him eligible to return to competition on Feb. 22, 2022.
Additionally, he was fined $2,100 and ordered to pay prosecution fees of $145.36. Lastly, upon the completion of his suspension, he must submit clean drug tests to the commission 30, 15 and three days out from his first scheduled contest in Nevada.
In July, the NSAC elected to stop issuing punishments for marijuana, though it will continue to test for it. It has not applied that policy retroactively to any athletes who tested positive prior to the change.
Juancamilo Ronderos will step in on just a day’s notice to face David Dvorak at UFC Fight Night 188.
[autotag]Juancamilo Ronderos[/autotag] will step in on just one day’s notice to compete Saturday at UFC Fight Night 188.
Prior to weigh-ins Friday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, [autotag]Raulian Paiva[/autotag] was forced out due to a rough weight cut. Ronderos (4-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will step in on short notice to face [autotag]David Dvorak[/autotag] (19-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC), in a bout which will now take place on the prelims.
UFC officials informed MMA Junkie of the switch prior to Friday’s official weigh-ins. MMA Fighting was first to report that Paiva had withdrawn from the fight.
Colombia’s Ronderos hasn’t competed since December 2019, when he edged out ex-UFC fighter Eric Shelton to defend his Warrior Xtreme Cagefighting flyweight title. Prior to signing with the UFC, Ronderos was expected to face Fury FC flyweight champion C.J. Vergara on the upcoming season of Dana White’s Contender Series. Training out of Xtreme Couture, the unbeaten 26-year-old has won 13 straight dating back to his amateur career.
Boasting an impressive winning streak at 15 in a row, Dvorak has started his UFC tenure with back-to-back unanimous decision wins over Bruno Silva and most recently Jordan Espinosa at UFC Fight Night 178 in September. The performances were enough to project him into the UFC rankings after just two promotional performances.
With the change, the current UFC Fight Night 188 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)
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Check out the best highlights from this day in history with MMA Junkie’s “Combat Rewind.”
There’s “Flashback Friday” and “Throwback Thursday” (and Tuesday, too, if you want). But at MMA Junkie, we figured why not expand that to every day?
“Combat Rewind” brings you some of combat sports’ best highlights from every calendar day of the year. It’s a look back at history, courtesy of the UFC Fight Pass archives, featuring stellar finishes and classic moments in MMA and beyond on their anniversaries.
So kick back and relive the following bits of greatness in the video above:
Fight footage courtesy of UFC Fight Pass, the UFC’s official digital subscription service, which is currently offering a seven-day free trial. UFC Fight Pass gives fans access to exclusive live UFC events and fights, exclusive live MMA and combat sports events from around the world, exclusive original and behind the scenes content and unprecedented 24-7 access to the world’s biggest fight library.
“Combat Rewind” brings you some of combat sports’ best highlights from every calendar day of the year, courtesy of the UFC Fight Pass archives.
“Combat Rewind” brings you some of combat sports’ best highlights from every calendar day of the year, courtesy of the UFC Fight Pass archives.
The return of Dana White’s Contender Series isn’t far off, and here are 10 flyweights who are candidates to appear on the show.
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 flyweights…
* * * *
Record: 7-2
Age: 22
Height: 5’6″
Birthplace: Lakewood, N.J.
When it comes to in-cage appearances, [autotag]Jeffrey Molina[/autotag] is one of the most experienced 22-year-old fighters in all of MMA. The Glory MMA and Fitness product is one of the gym’s secret weapons, having won six straight fights. With a 100 percent finishing rate, Molina brings a kill-or-be-killed savvy to the flyweight division. In his most recent fight in February, Molina choked out 16-fight veteran Kenny Porter. There aren’t a ton of top flyweights on the regional scene, so true tests will be few and far between. Worst-case scenario, Molina gets on DWCS and loses. There’s no harm in that. It’ll be win or learn. One thing is for sure, though: Someday Molina will be in the UFC. The sky is the limit.
Record: 7-0
Age: 30
Height: 5’7″
Birthplace: Phoenix
It’s been a slow burn for [autotag]Richard Palencia[/autotag], but he’s starting to finally turn some heads. Since his professional debut in 2015, Palencia has competed for LFA, Combate Americas, and RITC, among other promotions. Training under John Crouch and Co. at The MMA Lab in Phoenix, Palencia is consistently getting reps against top-tier training partners. To date, Palencia has passed all tests put in front of him. Now it’s time for a step up in competition on Season 4 of DWCS.
