Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Check out the UFC, PFL, and Bellator fights 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, PFL, and Bellator.
Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Feb. 12-18.
Check out the UFC, PFL, and Bellator fights 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, PFL, and Bellator.
Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Jan. 15-21.
Find out who joined the UFC in September and learn more about them here.
The UFC roster is bigger than ever – and it continues to expand.
Fresh faces appear on nearly every card, whether onboarded as short-notice opening fillers, “Dana White’s Contender Series” signees, or rare straight-up additions. Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of the hustle and bustle of the mixed martial arts news beat, but here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got you covered.
“Fresh Ink” is your list of fighters added to the UFC roster the previous month and provides background on who they are and where they came from.
Check out the September 2023 list below.
After falling short once on Dana White’s Contender Series, Julia Polastri knew she had to perform.
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LAS VEGAS – After falling short once on Dana White’s Contender Series, [autotag]Julia Polastri[/autotag] knew she had to perform.
That’s exactly what Polastri (12-3) did when she submitted Patricia Alujas (9-3) in Round 2 of their strawweight bout to earn a UFC contract Tuesday at Dana White’s Contender Series 62.
Polastri’s first opportunity at a UFC contract came against Jasmine Jasudavicius in September 2021, but she lost the fight by unanimous decision. She rebounded with three straight wins before getting another shot at DWCS, and she wasn’t about to waste it.
“I think I grew a lot in my personal life since the fight, and I needed to learn many things that I hadn’t an idea in that time,” Polastri told reporters during the DWCS 62 post-fight news conference. “Learning all those things clearly made all the difference right now, because I think I’m a person with the mind in the right place now. I got in there, and I knew I needed to show all my potential, all I’ve got to get the contract, and that’s what I did.”
For her UFC debut, Brazil’s Polastri hopes to make a quick turnaround and squeeze in a fight before the end of the year.
“I’d really like to fight this year yet, but now I’m going to have a break of about one or two weeks to relax a little,” Polastri said. “I came to a very long camp since the beginning of the year, and I’m going to take that break. But I’m ready to, when they need me, I’m here, and I hope I can fight before the year is finished.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 62.
Season 7, Week 6 of Dana White’s Contender Series may have been one of the best in history. Five fighters will join the UFC as a result.
LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie was at Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series 62 event at the UFC Apex.
Dana White’s Contender Series cards see prospects fighting for the opportunity to sign a UFC deal, with UFC president Dana White on hand to make the decisions.
The sixth episode of Season 7 saw 10 fighters compete for their shots at UFC contracts. When the dust settled, UFC CEO White offered contracts to all five winners: bantamweight Jean Matsumoto, strawweight Julia Polastri, featherweight Steven Nguyen, heavyweight Jhonata Diniz, and lightweight James Llontop.
The action, particularly through the first three fights, had White and the matchmakers on their feet. White even entered the cage following the conclusion of the opening bout between JeaMatsumoto and Tanner, which was a three-round striking war.
Two losing fighters, Tanner and A.J. Cunningham, were paid their win bonuses for their efforts, according to White.
Full results of Dana White’s Contender Series 62 include:
Ten fights are on the docket for Season 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series.
The lineup for Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 5 is slowly coming to form. Contracts are going out and fighters are putting their names on the dotted lines.
The upcoming installment has a different flare than recent years, with a large percentage of the roster coming from outside North America. The majority are from Brazil, Russia and beyond. Of the fights that have surfaced thus far, only a few Americans are set to partake in Season 5, which is set to begin in August.
Portions of Dana White's Contender Series S5 roster have leaked. Many international fighters and it's not a coincidence, I'm told. That was the intent from the start.#UFC was looking to increase talent level anyway, but this also offsets limited international signings in 2020.
— Nolan King (@mma_kings) May 26, 2021
The first known event date is Aug. 31. The series will extend at least through mid-October, with the latest event on the schedule currently set for Oct. 12.
A number of fights have leaked prior to the UFC’s official announcements. Scroll below to see the fights MMA Junkie has confirmed thus far.
