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 July 17-23
Miguel Baeza says he’s out of his return fight against Jake Mathews at UFC 291.
[autotag]Miguel Baeza[/autotag]’s comeback will have to wait.
On Wednesday evening, Baeza (10-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) announced that he no longer will be competing in a welterweight bout against Jake Matthews on July 29 at UFC 291 in Salt Lake City. Baeza did not cite a reason for his withdrawal and didn’t give a timeline for a potential return.
“I hate to do this, but I will not be competing July 29,” Baeza wrote on his Instagram Stories. “I want to apologize to the UFC, my opponent, and all those who supported me throughout. I will be back, just been the comeback had just been postponed.”
The UFC has yet to officially acknowledge Baeza’s withdrawal. It’s uncertain if Matthews (18-6 MMA, 11-6 UFC) will get a replacement oppoennt for the July 29 event.
Baeza hasn’t competed since April 2022 when he suffered a first-round TKO to Andre Fialho. The 30-year-old is currently on a three-fight losing streak, a run that halted a 10-0 start to his professional MMA career.
With Baeza’s withdrawal, the UFC 291 lineup now includes:
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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 June 26-July 2.
Welterweights Jake Matthews and Miguel Baeza will throw down in July at UFC 291 in Salt Lake City.
Welterweights [autotag]Jake Matthews[/autotag] and [autotag]Miguel Baeza[/autotag] will throw down in July.
Matthews (18-6 MMA, 11-6 UFC) takes on Baeza (10-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) at UFC 291 on July 29 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City with the main card on pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN/ESPN+, promotion officials announced Thursday.
🚨 BOUT DROP 🚨
🇦🇺@JakeMatthewsUFC makes his way to Utah to face 🇺🇸Baeza at #UFC291! pic.twitter.com/Egu8n2dtVu
— UFC_AUSNZ (@UFC_AUSNZ) June 30, 2023
Matthews hasn’t competed since dropping a unanimous decision to Matthew Semelsberger at UFC Fight Night 216 in December. Prior to that, the 28-year-old Aussie scored a Performance of the Night knockout of Andre Fialho at UFC 275.
Baeza will also look to rebound. After an unbeaten start to his professional MMA career – including three UFC finishes, Baeza has lost three in a row to Santiago Ponzinibbio, Khaos Williams, and most recently Fialho in April 2022.
With the addition, the UFC 291 lineup includes:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.
Watch Andre Fialho put away Miguel Baeza in brutal fashion at UFC on ESPN 34.
[autotag]Andre Fialho[/autotag]’s first UFC win came in impressive fashion.
The UFC welterweight picked up his first victory by putting away a tough [autotag]Miguel Baeza[/autotag] on the main card of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 34. Fialho (15-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC) won by TKO, stopping Baeza (10-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) at the 4:39 mark of Round 1.
It was a bout in which Baeza shined early, connecting with good combinations that had Fialho backing up. In an exchange while clinching, Fialho hurt Baeza with a couple of uppercuts and then followed up with a series of shots that dropped Baeza.
You can watch Fialho’s win in the video below (via Twitter):
Fialho finishes Baeza with authority 👊⚡️ ️#UFCVegas51 pic.twitter.com/6SynvSvxL2
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 17, 2022
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Fialho was coming off a decision loss to Michel Pereira in January, which marked the start of his UFC career. Prior to that, Fialho was on a four-fight winning streak.
On the other hand, Baeza, who was once regarded as one of the best prospects at welterweight, is now on a three-fight losing streak. Two of the three defeats came by TKO. His last win came against Takashi Sato in late 2020, which earned him a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 34 results include:
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Welterweights Miguel Baeza and Dhiego Lima will look to rebound when they square off in April.
Welterweights [autotag]Miguel Baeza[/autotag] and [autotag]Dhiego Lima[/autotag] will look to rebound when they square off in April.
Baeza (10-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) meets Lima (15-9 MMA, 4-7 UFC) at a UFC Fight Night event on April 16, which doesn’t yet have a publicly known venue or location.
Both fighters confirmed the booking on social media Monday following an initial report from Best Fight Picks.
Baeza, a Dana White’s Contender Series graduate, will look to snap a two-fight losing skid after an unbeaten start to his pro MMA career. After a “Fight of the Night” war against Santiago Ponzinibbio in June, Baeza was stopped in the third round by Khaos Williams at UFC Fight Night 197 in November.
Lima is also coming off back-to-back losses. “The Ultimate Fighter 25” finalist scored three straight octagon wins, including a victory over Court McGee, but then dropped a decision to Belal Muhammad and, most recently, a knockout loss to Matt Brown in June.
With the addition, the UFC Fight Night on April 16 lineup includes:
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Analyzing Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 197 odds and lines between Miguel Baeza vs. Khaos Williams, with MMA picks, tips and predictions.
In a welterweight bout on the main card, Miguel Baeza meets Khaos Williams Saturday at UFC Fight Night 197 – also known as UFC Vegas 42. Below, we analyze the UFC Fight Night 197 Baeza vs. Williams odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
The card can be viewed on ESPN+ with the prelims at 1 p.m. ET and the main card at 4 p.m. ET.
Baeza enters the octagon standing two inches taller than Williams, but he gives up 2.5 inches in reach. Baeza holds a slim 5.30-to-5.20 significant strikes landed per minute lead, with a 51.01-to-42.73 significant strikes accuracy percentage advantage.
Baeza lost to Santiago Ponzinibbio by unanimous decision his last time out in June, his first loss in four fights at the UFC level. His previous three fights ended as victories via stoppages, including two second-round knockouts.
Williams picked up a unanimous-decision win over Matthew Semelsberger his last time out in June. Like Baeza, Williams is 3-1 in four fights since arriving at the UFC level, with two first-round knockouts and a pair of decisions.
Odds via Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:37 a.m. ET.
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Records: Baeza (10-1-0) | Williams (12-2-0)
I like WILLIAMS (+120) for the slight upset here. These two fighters are very evenly matched, but Khaos is a better value, and I like his slight reach advantage to keep Baeza at bay and perhaps deliver a knockout victory.
As such, WILLIAMS BY KO/TKO (+225) is worth a small-unit play for a chance to more than double up.
NO (-180): FIGHT TO GO THE DISTANCE is a little on the steep side, but it’s worth a look. Both of these guys have a high punch rate and are very energetic, not looking for the judges to decide their fate.
I also like a two-round block on WILLIAMS TO WIN IN ROUND 2 (+720) and WILLIAMS TO WIN IN ROUND 3 (+1500). Yes, you’ll lose one of the ends even if he wins in Rounds 2-3, but you’ll still be quite a bit ahead.
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Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC Fight Night 197 main card, featuring Max Holloway vs. Yair Rodriguez.
| Holloway vs. Rodriguez |
de Lima vs. Rothwell |
Letson vs. Spencer |
Baeza vs. Williams |
Arce vs. Yadong |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2021: 190-104 |
 Holloway (88%) |
 Rothwell (72%) |
 Spencer (86%) |
 Baeza (51%) |
 Yadong (81%) |
| John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2021: 194-100 |
Holloway |
Rothwell |
Spencer |
Baeza |
Yadong |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 2021: 188-106 |
Holloway |
Rothwell |
Spencer |
Baeza |
Yadong |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2021: 184-110  2014 Champion |
Holloway |
Rothwell |
Spencer |
Baeza |
Yadong |
| Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2021: 182-112 2020 Champion |
Holloway |
Rothwell |
Spencer |
Baeza |
 Arce |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 2021: 182-112 |
Holloway |
Rothwell |
Spencer |
Baeza |
Yadong |
| Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2021: 181-113 |
Holloway |
 de Lima |
Spencer |
 Williams |
Yadong |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2021: 177-117 |
Holloway |
Rothwell |
Spencer |
Baeza |
Yadong |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2021: 177-117 2018 Champion |
Holloway |
Rothwell |
Spencer |
Baeza |
Yadong |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2021: 172-122 |
Holloway |
Rothwell |
Spencer |
Baeza |
Arce |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 2021: 171-123 2017 Champion |
Holloway |
Rothwell |
Spencer |
Baeza |
Yadong |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2021: 169-125 |
Holloway |
Rothwell |
Spencer |
Baeza |
Yadong |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2021: 169-125 |
Holloway |
Rothwell |
Spencer |
Baeza |
Yadong |
| Matthew Wells @MrMWells 2021: 110-68 |
Holloway |
de Lima |
Spencer |
Baeza |
Yadong |
The UFC is back home in Las Vegas this week with a former champion at the top of the lineup.
UFC Fight Night 197 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
In the main event, former featherweight champion [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (22-6 MMA, 18-6 UFC) takes on [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC), who is fighting for the first time in more than two years. Holloway is a huge -800 favorite at Tipico; the comeback on Rodriguez is +470. Given those odds, it’s not surprising that not a single one of our 13 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers is picking against Holloway.
In the co-feature, [autotag]Marcos Rogerio de Lima[/autotag] (18-7-1 MMA, 7-5 UFC) meets [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] (39-13 MMA, 9-7 UFC) at heavyweight. And though Rothwell only is a -165 favorite, he’s got the support of 11 of our 13 staff members.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Leah Letson[/autotag] (5-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) takes on former Invicta champion and former UFC women’s featherweight title challenger [autotag]Felicia Spencer[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC). Spencer is a big -320 favorite, and she’s our other unanimous pick.
[autotag]Miguel Baeza[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) may be just a -150 favorite at welterweight against [autotag]Khaos Williams[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC), but he’s got a near-unanimous picks lead at 12-1.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (17-5-1 MMA, 6-1-1 UFC) is a slim -140 favorite at featherweight against [autotag]Julio Arce[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC). Yadong has most of our backing – he’s an 11-2 pick.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Holloway (88 percent), Rothwell (72 percent), Spencer (86 percent), Baeza (51 percent) and Yadong (81 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
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Seven fighters could be out six months due to injuries sustained during their fights.
Seven fighters face six-month suspensions as a result of their respective UFC on ESPN 18 fights – but headliners [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag] walked away unscathed.
Neither the winner, Smith, nor the loser, Clark, received a medical suspension from the Nevada Athletic Commission medical staff.
On Tuesday, MMA Junkie obtained the full list of medical suspensions from MixedMartialArts.com for UFC on ESPN 18, which took place this past Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Fighters can return to action sooner than their suspensions indicate should they receive medical clearance from a doctor.
Among the pack of those suspended, co-main event participant [autotag]Takashi Sato[/autotag] was given a 180-day term for a potentially fractured left orbital in his loss to [autotag]Miguel Baeza[/autotag].
Main card winners [autotag]Parker Porter[/autotag], [autotag]Bill Algeo[/autotag], and [autotag]Norma Dumont[/autotag] could be looking at 180-day suspensions due to potentially broken hands.
[autotag]Ashlee Evans-Smith[/autotag] (left hand), [autotag]Jonathan Pearce[/autotag] (right foot), and [autotag]Rachael Ostovich[/autotag] (right hand) also were handed the same 180-day suspensions.
The full list of UFC on ESPN 18 medical suspensions includes:
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Thoughts and analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC on ESPN 18, which took place Saturday in Las Vegas.
What mattered most at UFC on ESPN 18 in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings …
