Nathan Maness – Syndication Server

Ray Borg out of UFC on ESPN+ 31; Nathan Maness expected to fight Johnny Munoz

The bad luck continues for Ray Borg.

The bad luck continues for UFC bantamweight [autotag]Ray Borg[/autotag].

Borg (13-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) has fallen out of a fight once again, this time from his UFC on ESPN+ 31 matchup against [autotag]Nathan Maness[/autotag]. Borg is out for undisclosed reason.

A replacement has been found, however. Maness (11-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is now expected to fight fellow promotional newcomer [autotag]Johnny Munoz[/autotag] pending bout finalization. The fight will be contested up a weight class at featherweight.

Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the change early Friday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion had yet to make an announcement just hours before-weigh-ins.

Borg now has missed back-to-back bookings. At UFC on ESPN 10 in June, Borg was supposed to fight Merab Dvalishvili. However, two days before the bout, Borg left Las Vegas and returned home for personal reasons.

A former flyweight title challenger, Borg’s history includes four weight misses, a withdrawal from the first scheduled date for his shot at then-flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson in 2017, and removal from UFC 223 when he was a victim of Conor McGregor’s attack on a fighter van following a media day.

Maness, 29, is a former TKO MMA champion. The Kentucky-based fighter has picked up six finishes (four knockouts and two submissions) in 12 professional bouts. His lone career loss was suffered to former UFC bantamweight Taylor Lapilus in May 2019.

Munoz (10-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) comes into UFC on ESPN+ 31 as the KOTC bantamweight champion. Out of 10 professional victories, Munoz has finished eight inside the distance. Prior to signing with the UFC, Munoz was expected to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series this summer.

UFC on ESPN+ 31 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card streams on ESPN+ after prelims simulcasted on ESPN/ESPN+.

With the change, the UFC on ESPN+ 31 lineup includes:

Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
Joanne Calderwood vs. Jennifer Maia
Randy Brown vs. Vicente Luque
Bobby Green vs. Lando Vannata
Trevin Giles vs. Kevin Holland
Jonathan Martinez vs. Frankie Saenz
Ed Herman vs. Gerald Meerschaert
Nate Maness vs. Johnny Munoz
Markus Perez vs. opponent TBA
Vincent Cachero vs. Jamall Emmers
Cody Durden vs. Chris Gutierrez

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Ray Borg gets newcomer Nathan Maness at UFC event on Aug. 1

Ray Borg is back, and he’s taking on an opponent making his UFC debut.

[autotag]Nathan Maness[/autotag] is one of the newest members of the UFC roster, but he’s already paired up with a former title challenger.

The promotion has booked Maness (11-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) to fight Ray Borg at the promotion’s return to American soil on Aug. 1. The event is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

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

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Borg (13-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC) returns to action after a last-minute withdrawal in mid-June. At UFC on ESPN 10, Borg was supposed to fight Merab Dvalishvili. However, two days before the bout, Borg left Las Vegas and returned home for personal reasons. Borg is 2-2 in his most recent four outings and is coming off a loss to Ricky Simon in May.

With the addition, the current Aug. 1 lineup includes:

Holly Holm vs. Irene Aldana
Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
Markus Perez vs. Eric Spicely
Yana Kunitskaya vs. Ketlen Vieira
Trevin Giles vs. Jun Yong Park
Ed Herman vs. Da Un Jung
Randy Brown vs. Vicente Luque
Viviane Araujo vs. Jennifer Maia
Jonathan Martinez vs. Frankie Saenz
Chris Gutierrez vs. Luke Sanders
Ray Borg vs. Nathan Maness

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Combat Rewind, May 24: Baby-faced teenager Jorge Masvidal shows off his slick striking

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:

TKO 48: [autotag]Cyril Gane[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Roggers Souza[/autotag] – May 24, 2019
King of the Cage – Future Legends 23: [autotag]Nicco Montano[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Leann Acosta[/autotag] – May 24, 2014
Cage Warriors Fight Night 6: [autotag]Jarrah Hussein[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Houthaifa Gdouda[/autotag] – May 24, 2012
K-1 Braves ’98: [autotag]Ernesto Hoost[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jean Riviere[/autotag] – May 24, 1998
King of the Cage – Future Legends 23: [autotag]Brent James[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Victor Orquiz[/autotag] – May 24, 2014
TKO 48: [autotag]Taylor Lapilus[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Nathan Maness[/autotag] – May 24, 2019
King of the Cage – Future Legends 23: [autotag]Carlo Rodriguez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Mike Silva[/autotag] – May 24, 2014
HOOKnSHOOT – Absolute Fighting Championships 3: [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Brandon Bledsoe[/autotag] – May 24, 2003

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.