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 or officially announced by a promotion from May 16-21.
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 3-9.
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 Dec. 12-18.
The numbers show that Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev is unlike any fight in UFC history.
The UFC makes its annual visit to Abu Dhabi on Saturday with UFC 280, which goes down at Etihad Arena on Yas Island with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNNews and ESPN+.
A championship doubleheader tops arguably the deepest fight card of the year. [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] (33-8 MMA, 21-8 UFC) and [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (22-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC) will meet for the vacant lightweight title in the main event, which marks the first time in history fighters on UFC winning streaks of 10 or more fights meet inside the octagon.
In the co-headliner, meanwhile, [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (21-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) puts his bantamweight belt on the line against [autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) in the co-headliner.
For more on the numbers behind the title bouts, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts for UFC 280.
Lucas Almeida believes he proved why he belongs in the UFC with his third-round finish of Mike Trizano
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Lucas Almeida[/autotag] showed everyone why he was brought into the UFC after picking up one win following his loss on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021.
The Brazilian featherweight returned to Jungle Fight, where he was champion of the lightweight division to record a first-round submission victory. A few months later, Almeida (14-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) was making the walk to the octagon at the UFC Apex to face the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 27, Mike Trizano.
Looking to “win and convince,” Almeida entered his UFC with the goal of finishing his opponent, and did just that in the third round. The first two frames of the bout were hotly contested, but Almeida clipped Trizano (9-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) with a hard left hook that led to the end of the fight.
“I’m just so happy, I woke up this morning and God spoke to me and said it’s going to be a war,” Almeida told reporters through an interpreter at the post-fight news conference. “I knew it was going to be a war. He also said you’re going to knock him out and that’s what I was able to do.”
[lawrence-related id=2551111,2551126]
Not only did Almeida pick up a win in his UFC debut, but he also took home an extra $50,000 as a part of the Fight of the Night bonus. Aside from a few bumps and bruises sustained during the back-and-forth moments of the fight, Almeida couldn’t be happier with the result considering the path he took to reach the UFC.
“My story is one of overcoming, and that’s exactly what happened,” Almeida said. “I knew I had to overcome, and that overcoming leads to a new Lucas. It’s going to be the story of this new era in my life of a new Lucas.
“I felt that I was not ready for the Contender Series. To go back to Jungle Fight was very important for me. I’ve been a champion there for quite some time, but I was not ready for Contender Series, but I was ready now. I proved why I’m here and why I belong.”
Check out who took home an extra $50,000 for their performance at UFC Fight Night 207 in Las Vegas.
UFC Fight Night 207 was an exciting event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas that saw finishes from the opening bout to the main event.
Nine of the 14 total fights ended early, giving the official judges an easy night at the office. The decision makers had plenty of options to choose from, but two debuting fighters, who both happen to be Dana White’s Contender Series veterans, caught their eye when it came time to issue bonuses.
Newcomer to the women’s flyweight division Karine Silva pulled off a first-round D’arce choke of Poliana Botelho with just seconds remaining in the first round. It was a slick finish after a solid round of work, and it was a strong enough performance on a card filled with finishes to earn an extra $50,000.
Check out who all earned a bonus for their performance at UFC Fight Night 207 below.
Watch Lucas Almeida put en end to his thrilling war with Michael Trizano at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 207.
[autotag]Lucas Almeida[/autotag] sure knows how to close out a show.
The Brazilian featherweight picked up a spectacular finish to close out a thrilling, back-and-forth war against [autotag]Michael Trizano[/autotag] on the main card of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 207 in Las Vegas.
Almeida (14-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) officially stopped Trizano (9-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) by TKO at the 0:55 mark of Round 3. It was Almeida’s debut with the promotion.
[lawrence-related id=2550899]
Both Almeida and Trizano were going toe-to-toe for the majority of the bout and both fighters were dropped throughout the course of their high-paced battle. But at the start of the final round, Almeida caught Trizano with a big left hook that had him out of his senses, scrambling to recover.
Almeida immediately jumped on Trizano and landed ground-and-pound to put get the referee to halt the action. It was an impressive showing by the Brazilian.
Below you can watch Almeida’s finish (via Twitter):
Almeida sensed the finish and was relentless 😨 #UFCVegas56 pic.twitter.com/uS90dRlEV0
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 4, 2022
Up-to-the-minute results of UFC Fight Night 207 include:
Analyzing Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 207 odds and lines between Michael Trizano vs. Lucas Almeida, with MMA picks, tips and predictions.
In a featherweight bout on the main card, Michael Trizano and Lucas Almeida meet Saturday at UFC Fight Night 207 – also known as UFC Vegas 56 – at the UFC’s APEX Facility in Las Vegas. Below, we analyze the UFC Fight Night 207 Trizano vs. Almeida odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
The fights can be viewed on ESPN+ with the prelims starting at 1 p.m. ET. and the main card at 4 p.m. ET.
Trizano is looking to rebound after a unanimous-decision setback to Hakeem Dawodu last time out in early February. He is 1-2 in his last 3 fights since a split-decision win over Luis Pena in Nov. 2018 in his UFC debut.
Almeida will be making his UFC debut in this fight. The 31-year-old Brazilian dropped Italo Trindade at JF: Jungle Fight 103 in Nov. 2021, winning by way of submission. He has just 1 loss via decision while winning 8 fights by way of TKO/KO and 5 via submission in his 14 career bouts. In addition to the Guillotine, which he used to top Trindade, he is also strong at the Arm Triangle and Rear Naked Choke.
Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:21 a.m. ET.
[tipico]
Records: Trizano (10-2-0) | Almeida (13-1-0)
Trizano (-240), a.k.a. “The Lone Wolf”, will cost you nearly two and a half times your potential return. Almeida is a tremendous prospect, but the experience factor for Trizano will be the difference here.
PASS.
YES (-155): FIGHT TO GO THE DISTANCE is a strong play. Almeida might be a little cautious in his UFC debut, and he certainly won’t be able to push around Trizano like some of the lower-level fighters he faced previously.
Trizano has had just 1 fight fail to go the distance in his last 6 pro bouts, including 3 of his 4 fights at the UFC level. Expect the judges to be involved, and TRIZANO BY POINTS (+102) at plus money is a good play for the method of victory.
Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.
Bet legally online with a trusted partner: Tipico Sportsbook, Sportsbook Wire’s official sportsbook partner in CO, NJ and soon IA. Bet now!
If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW, or try out our USA TODAY Parlay Calculator. Please gamble responsibly.
Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and us on Facebook.
Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA).
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=2559]
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.
