Tag: Nicolas Dalby

UFC 255 pre-event facts: Valentina Shevchenko’s resume is downright scary

The best facts and figures about UFC 255, which features champs Deiveson Figueiredo and Valentina Shevchenko.

The UFC makes its return to pay-per-view Saturday with UFC 255 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

A championship doubleheader is atop the card. In the main event, flyweight champ [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] (19-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) looks to get his reign off to a positive start when he meets challenger [autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag] (23-5 MMA, 5-1 UFC), who stepped in as a replacement for Cody Garbrandt.

The co-headliner sees all-time great [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] (19-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) look to extend her women’s flyweight reign with a fourth defense when she takes on Brazilian challenger [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] (18-6-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC).

For more on the numbers behind the two title fights, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 60 pre-event facts about UFC 255.

With Orion Cosce out, Daniel Rodriguez steps in to face Nicolas Dalby at UFC 255

After having his fight scrapped at UFC Fight Night 182, Daniel Rodriguez will step in to face Nicolas Dalby at UFC 255.

[autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag] won’t have to wait too long after his recent fight was scrapped.

[autotag]Orion Cosce[/autotag] has been forced out of UFC 255 and Rodriguez (13-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) will now step in to face [autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag] on Nov. 21, multiple people with knowledge of the booking told MMA Junkie on Thursday. They asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Rodriguez was initially scheduled to face Bryan Barberena in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 182, but Barberena was forced out due to emergency exploratory laparotomy surgery and, as a result, the fight was removed from the card. Unbeaten in the UFC, Rodriguez will get to compete just a week later when he faces Denmark’s Dalby (18-4-1 MMA, 2-3-1 UFC).

After notching three finishes, including capturing the Cage Warriors interim welterweight title, Dalby returned to the UFC in September 2019 and picked up a unanimous decision win over Alex Oliveira on home soil in Copenhagen. However, in his most recent outing, he saw his winning streak snapped when he was submitted by Jesse Ronson at UFC on ESPN 14.

With the change, the latest UFC 255 lineup includes:

  • Champ Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Alex Perez – for flyweight title
  • Champ Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jennifer Maia – for women’s flyweight title
  • Mike Perry vs. Tim Means
  • Cynthia Calvillo vs. Katlyn Chookagian
  • Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval
  • Paul Craig vs. Mauricio Rua
  • Ariane Lipski vs. Antonina Shevchenko
  • Jared Gooden vs. Alan Jouban
  • Joaquin Buckley vs. Jordan Wright
  • Kyle Daukaus vs. Dustin Stoltzfus
  • Nicolas Dalby vs. Daniel Rodriguez

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UFC on ESPN 14 post-event facts: Khamzat Chimaev’s record might be untouchable

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 14, which saw Robert Whittaker score a main-event win over Darren Till in Abu Dhabi.

The final stop of the UFC’s inaugural “Fight Island” stretch took place Saturday with UFC on ESPN 14, which went down at Flash Forum on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi with a record 15-fight card that aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

Former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 12-3 UFC) rebounded from losing the title to Israel Adesanya last October when he outworked [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] (18-3-1 MMA, 6-3-1 UFC) to a unanimous decision in the main event.

For more on the numbers behind the historic fight card, check below for 50 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN 14.

* * * *

General

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The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $209,500.

Debuting fighters went 1-4 at the event.

[autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag], [autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag], [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag], [autotag]Jesse Ronson[/autotag], [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] and [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN 14 fight-night bonuses.

The six fight-night bonuses issued at UFC on ESPN 14 set a single-event record for the company.

UFC on ESPN 14 drew an announced attendance of zero for a live gate of $0.

Betting favorites went 11-4 on the card.

Betting favorites improved to 14-6 in UFC headliners this year.

Total fight time for the 15-bout card was 2:40:24.

Main card

Robert Whittaker

Whittaker improved to 9-1 since he moved up to the UFC middleweight division in November 2014.

Whittaker has earned seven of his 12 UFC victories by decision.

Till fell to 1-1 since he moved up to the middleweight division in November.

Till suffered the first decision loss of his career.

[autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag]’s (27-11-1 MMA, 11-9-1 UFC) 23 victories in UFC/PRIDE light-heavyweight competition are the most in combined divisional history.

[autotag]Antonio Rogerio Nogueira[/autotag] (23-10 MMA, 6-7 UFC) fell to 2-5 in his past seven fights dating back to July 2014.

Nogueira has suffered six of his 10 career losses by decision.

Werdum (24-9-1 MMA, 12-6 UFC) improved to 10-4 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2012.

Werdum has earned 18 of his 24 career victories by stoppage. That includes eight of his 12 UFC wins.

[autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag]’s (18-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since May 2017.

Gustafsson was unsuccessful in his heavyweight debut.

Gustafsson fell to 3-6 in his past nine UFC appearances dating back to his first title fight against Jon Jones in September 2013.

Carla Esparza

[autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) improved to 7-3 since losing the UFC strawweight title to Joanna Jedrzejczyk in March 2015.

Esparza’s eight victories in UFC strawweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Jedrzejczyk (10).

Esparza’s four-fight UFC winning streak at strawweight is the fourth longest active streak in the division behind Tatiana Suarez (five), Yan Xiaonan (five) and Zhang Weili (five).

Esparza has earned seven of her eight UFC victories by decision.

Esparza’s 39 takedowns landed in UFC strawweight competition are most in divisional history.

[autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag] (13-1-2 MMA, 2-1-2 UFC) had her 15-fight unbeaten streak snapped for the first defeat of her career.

Craig (13-4-1 MMA, 5-4-1 UFC) has earned all of his career victories by stoppage.

Craig became the first fighter in UFC history to win three separate fights by triangle choke submission.

Craig’s five submission victories in UFC light heavyweight competition are tied with Jones, Misha Cirkunov, Ovince Saint Preux, and Glover Teixeira for most in divisional history.

[autotag]Gadzhimurad Antigulov[/autotag] (21-6 MMA, 3-2 UFC) has suffered all eight of his career losses by stoppage.

Antigulov suffered his first submission loss since Apr. 27, 2013 – a span of 2,646 days (more than seven years) and 18 fights.

[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] (21-8-1 MMA, 11-6 UFC) improved to 9-5 (with one no contest) in UFC welterweight competition.

[autotag]Peter Sobotta[/autotag] (17-7-1 MMA, 4-6 UFC) fell to 4-3 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in May 2014.

Sobotta has suffered four of his six UFC losses by decision.

Khamzat Chimaev

Chimaev (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) set a record for fastest time between UFC wins with two victories in 10 days.

Chimaev earned a fight-night bonus for both of his wins.

Chimaev has earned all eight of his career victories by stoppage. He’s finished five of those wins in Round 1.

[autotag]Rhys McKee[/autotag] (10-3-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered both of his career stoppage losses by knockout.

Preliminary card

Francisco Trinaldo

[autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag]’s (26-7 MMA, 16-6 UFC) 15 victories in UFC lightweight competition are tied for fourth most in divisional history behind Jim Miller (19), Donald Cerrone (17) and Gleison Tibau (16).

[autotag]Jai Herbert[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered both of his career losses by knockout.

Ronson (22-10 MMA, 1-3 UFC) was successful in his return to the UFC after going winless in his first stint from 2013-2014.

[autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag] (18-4-1 MMA, 2-3-1 UFC) fell to 1-1 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in September.

Dalby suffered the first submission loss of his career.

Aspinall (8-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned all eight of his career victories by stoppage.

[autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) was unsuccessful in his UFC heavyweight debut.

Collier has alternated wins and losses over his past eight fights.

Collier has suffered four of his five career losses by stoppage.

[autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] (13-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has earned all three of his UFC victories by decision.

[autotag]Mike Grundy[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) had his nine-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.

Grundy suffered the first decision loss of his career.

Tanner Boser

Boser (19-6-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) earned his second UFC victory in a 28-day stretch. He also won at UFC on ESPN 12 on June 27.

Raphael Pessoa (10-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered both of his career losses by stoppage.

Pessoa suffered the first knockout loss of his career.

[autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has earned nine of her 12 career victories by decision. That includes both of her UFC wins.

[autotag]Ramazan Emeev[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC) improved to 3-1 since he dropped to the UFC welterweight division in May 2018.

Emeev improved to 16-2 in his past 18 fights.

Emeev has earned all four of his UFC victories by decision.

[autotag]Niklas Stolze[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered all four of his career losses by decision.

[autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC) earned his first decision victory since Nov. 14, 2015 – a span of 1,715 days (nearly five years) and 11 fights.

[autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career.

UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.

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UFC on ESPN 14 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Main event combines for $15k payout

UFC on ESPN 14 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.

ABU DHABI – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 14 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $209,500

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC on ESPN 14 took place at Flash Forum in Yas Island. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 14 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag]: $20,000
def. [autotag]Antonio Rogerio Nogueira[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag]: $15,000
def. [autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag]: $15,000

[autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Gadzhimurad Antigulov[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag]: $15,000
def. [autotag]Peter Sobotta[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Rhys McKee[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag]: $20,000
def. [autotag]Jai Herbert[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Jesse Ronson[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Mike Grundy[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Raphael Pessoa[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Bethe Correia[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Ramazan Emeev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Niklas Stolze[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag]: $3,500

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $3,500 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,000; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2020 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $3,497,500
2019 total: $7,370,500
2018 total: $6,901,000
2017 total: $6,295,000
2016 total: $7,138,000
2015 total: $3,185,000
Program-to-date total: $34,502,000

Fight Tracks: The walkout songs of UFC on ESPN 14, including Darren Till’s ‘intentional silence’

Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 14 event.

While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.

See what the fighters from UFC on ESPN 14 went with as their backing tracks in Abu Dhabi.

* * * *

Robert Whittaker def. Darren Till via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag]: “Can’t Be Touched” by Roy Jones Jr.

[autotag]Darren Till[/autotag]: No walkout song

Mauricio Rua def. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

[autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag]: “Under Pressure” by David Bowie & Queen

[autotag]Antonio Rogerio Nogueira[/autotag]: “Uma Vida Inteira Em Um Dia Recall” by Khadija

Fabricio Werdum def. Alexander Gustafsson via submission (armbar) — Round 1, 2:30

[autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag]: “Fabricio Werdum” by Felipe Name

[autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag]: “Training Montage (Rocky IV Soundtrack)” via Vince DiCola

Carla Esparza def. Marina Rodriguez via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)

[autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag]: “I’m Shipping Up To Boston” by Dropkick Murphys

[autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag]: “Born To The Fight” by Waylander

Paul Craig def. Gadzhimurad Antigulov via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 2:06

[autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag]: “Victory Over The Sun” by Biffy Clyro

[autotag]Gadzhimurad Antigulov[/autotag]: “Lezginka Super” by Kavkaz

Alex Oliveira def. Peter Sobotta via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag]: “Deus é por Nós -” by MC Marks

[autotag]Peter Sobotta[/autotag]: “Bad Boys” by Inner Circle

Khamzat Chimaev def. Rhys McKee via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:09

[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]: N/A

[autotag]Rhys McKee[/autotag]: “Congratulations” by Post Malone feat. Quavo

Francisco Trinaldo def. Jai Herbert via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:30

[autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag]: “Promontory (The Last of the Mohicans)” by Trevor Jones

[autotag]Jai Herbert[/autotag]: “Know Better” by Headie One feat RV

Jesse Ronson def. Nicolas Dalby via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:48

[autotag]Jesse Ronson[/autotag]: “Sh*t Hits The Fan” by Obie Trice feat. Dr. Dre

[autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag]: “Der Er Et Yndigt Land (There Is A Lovely Country)” by Dzifa

Tom Aspinall def. Jake Collier via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:45

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag]: “Move On Up” by Curtis Mayfield

[autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag]: “Hold Strong” by Rob Bailey & The Hustle Standard

Movsar Evloev def. Mike Grundy via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

[autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag]: N/A

[autotag]Mike Grundy[/autotag]: “Wonderwall” by Oasis

Tanner Boser def. Raphael Pessoa via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:36

[autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag]: “Motorcycle” by Colter Wall

[autotag]Raphael Pessoa[/autotag]: “Papai Dos Status” by MC Bobo

Pannie Kianzad def. Bethe Correia via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

[autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag]: “Take A Chance On Me” by ABBA

[autotag]Bethe Correia[/autotag]: “Feel This Moment” by Pitbull feat. Christina Aguilera

Ramazan Emeev def. Niklas Stolze via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

[autotag]Ramazan Emeev[/autotag]: “Because I Am A Highlander” by Marat

[autotag]Niklas Stolze[/autotag]: “No Diet” by Digga D

Nathaniel Wood def. John Castaneda via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

[autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag]: “I’m A Man” by Black Strobe

[autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag]: “Run This Town” by Jay-Z

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

UFC on ESPN 14 pre-event facts: Khamzat Chimaev makes record turnaround on historic 15-fight card

The best facts and figures about UFC on ESPN 14, which features a Robert Whittaker vs. Darren Till middleweight main event.

The final event of the UFC’s inaugural “Fight Island” stint goes down Saturday with UFC on ESPN 14, which aires on ESPN and streams on ESPN+ from Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

A high-stakes matchup between middleweight contenders takes center stage in the main event. Former champ [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (20-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) returns for the first time since losing the belt to Israel Adesanya in October when he meets [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] (18-2-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC), who looks to go 2-0 since moving to 185 pounds.

For more on the numbers behind the first 15-fight lineup in modern UFC history (and second overall along with UFC 2 in 1993), check below for 55 pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN 14.

* * * *

Main event

Robert Whittaker

Whittaker is the only New Zealand-born fighter in history to win a UFC championship.

Whittaker is 8-1 since he moved up to the UFC middleweight division in November 2014.

Whittaker and Yoel Romero combined for 239 significant strikes landed at UFC 225, the single-fight record for a five-fight UFC middleweight fight.

Whittaker’s seven fight-night bonuses for UFC middleweight bouts are tied for third most in divisional history behind Anderson Silva (11) and Romero (eight).

Darren Till

Till was successful in his middleweight debut when he beat Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 244 in November.

Till has outlanded his opponent in all but one of his UFC victories.

Till is one of five fighters in UFC history to land zero significant strikes in a championship bout defeat, as he did against Tyron Woodley at UFC 228. His 9:19 of cage time is the most of any fighter in the group. The previous high was 3:54.

Co-main event

Mauricio Rua

[autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] (26-11-1 MMA, 10-9-1 UFC) competes in his 21st UFC light heavyweight bout, the second most appearances in divisional history behind Jon Jones (22).

Rua’s 22 victories in UFC/PRIDE light-heavyweight competition are the most in combined divisional history.

Rua’s 18 stoppage victories in UFC/PRIDE/WEC/Strikeforce competition are fourth most in combined organizational history behind Mirko Filipovic (21), Wanderlei Silva (20) and Donald Cerrone (20).

Rua’s 17 knockout victories in UFC/PRIDE light-heavyweight competition are the most in combined divisional history.

Rua’s eight knockout victories in modern UFC light-heavyweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Chuck Liddell (nine).

Rua is the only light heavyweight in UFC history to earn his first six victories with the organization by knockout.

Rua’s 14 knockdowns landed in UFC light-heavyweight competition are tied with Liddell for most in divisional history.

Rua’s eight fight-night bonuses for UFC light-heavyweight fights are tied with Jones for most in divisional history.

[autotag]Antonio Rogerio Nogueira[/autotag] (23-9 MMA, 6-6 UFC), 44, is the oldest active fighter in the UFC light-heavyweight division.

Nogueira, 44, is the oldest of the 30 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.

Remaining main card

Fabricio Werdum

[autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] (23-9-1 MMA, 11-6 UFC) is 9-4 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2012.

Werdum and Marcin Tybura combined for 282 significant strikes landed at UFC Fight Night 121, the second most in a UFC heavyweight bout Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier (304) at UFC 241.

[autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] (18-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC) moves up to the UFC heavyweight division for the first time. He made his previous 16 octagon appearances at light heavyweight.

Gustafsson is one of eight fighters UFC history to go at least 0-3 in championship fights. Joseph Benavidez Dan Henderson, Chad Mendes, Kenny Florian, Urijah Faber, Pedro Rizzo and Chael Sonnen have also come up short in three title fights.

[autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] (16-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) was the first UFC strawweight champion. She lost the belt to Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 185 in March 2015.

Esparza is 6-3 since losing the UFC strawweight title to Jedrzejczyk in March 2015.

Esparza competes in her 12th UFC strawweight bout, tied for the fourth most appearances in divisional history behind Angela Hill (15), Randa Markos (14) and Jedrzejczyk (13).

Esparza’s seven victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind Jedrzejczyk (10).

Esparza has earned six of her seven UFC victories by decision.

Esparza has completed at least one takedown against 10 of her 11 UFC opponents.

Esparza’s 34 takedowns landed in UFC strawweight competition are tied with Claudia Gadelha for most in divisional history.

[autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag] (13-0-2 MMA, 2-0-2 UFC) four-fight UFC unbeaten streak at strawweight is tied for the fourth longest active streak in the division behind Tatiana Suarez (five), Yan Xiaonan (five) and Zhang Weili (five).

Rodriguez is the only female fighter in UFC history to fight to multiple draws.

[autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag] (12-4-1 MMA, 4-4-1 UFC) has earned all 12 of his career victories by stoppage.

Craig’s victory at 4:59 of Round 3 at UFC Fight Night 127 is the latest submission in a three-round UFC fight.

[autotag]Gadzhimurad Antigulov[/autotag] (20-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has earned 19 of his 20 career victories by stoppage. He’s earned 17 of those wins in Round 1.

[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] (20-8-1 MMA, 10-6 UFC) is 8-5 (with one no contest) over his multiple stints in UFC welterweight competition.

Oliveira vs. Yancy Medeiros at UFC 218 is the only fight in UFC history to feature two knockdowns for each fighter.

[autotag]Peter Sobotta[/autotag] (17-6-1 MMA, 4-5 UFC) is 4-2 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in May 2014.

Khamzat Chimaev

[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) makes his second UFC appearance in a 10-day stretch. He won at UFC on ESPN 13 on July 15.

Chimaev can set the record for fastest time between UFC wins with a victory at 11 days.

Chimaev has earned all seven of his career victories by stoppage. He’s finished four of those wins in Round 1.

[autotag]Rhys McKee[/autotag] (10-2-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), 24, is the youngest of the 30 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.

Preliminary card

Francisco Trinaldo

[autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag] (25-7 MMA, 15-6 UFC) 12 UFC victories in Brazil are the most in company history.

Trinaldo is the only fighter in UFC history to earn two arm-triangle submission victories from half-guard.

Trinaldo’s nine decision victories in UFC lightweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Gleison Tibau (11).

[autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag] (18-3-1 MMA, 2-2-1 UFC) was successful in his return to the UFC for a second stint when he won at UFC on ESPN+ 18 in September.

[autotag]Jesse Ronson[/autotag] (21-10 MMA, 0-3 UFC) returns to the UFC for the first time since July 2014. He went 8-5 between stints with the promotion.

[autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since Nov. 11, 2017. The 987-day layoff is the longest of his nearly 10-year career.

Collier moves up to the UFC heavyweight division after spending his previous octagon appearances at light heavyweight and middleweight.

Collier can become the 11th fighter in UFC history to win in three weight classes.

Collier has alternated wins and losses over his past seven fights. He won his most recent bout at UFC Fight Night 120 in November 2017.

Collier is one of five fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a spinning back kick to the body. He accomplished the feat at UFC Fight Night 88.

Tanner Boser

[autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag] (18-6-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) makes his second UFC appearance in a 28-day stretch. He won at UFC on ESPN 12 on June 27.

[autotag]Bethe Correia[/autotag] (11-4-1 MMA, 5-4-1 UFC) competes in her 11th UFC women’s bantamweight bout, tied for the third most appearances in divisional history behind Raquel Pennington (13) an Amanda Nunes (12).

Correia and Marion Reneau fought to the first draw in women’s UFC history at UFC Fight Night 106.

[autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has earned 14 of his 16 career victories by stoppage. That includes all three of his UFC wins.

Wood’s three submission victories in UFC bantamweight competition are tied for fifth most in divisional history behind Urijah Faber (six), Rani Yahya (five), Aljamain Sterling (four) and Marlon Vera (four).

UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.

With Danny Roberts out, Jesse Ronson steps in to face Nicolas Dalby on UFC’s July 25 event

Six years after his last octagon appearance, Jesse Ronson has been recalled to the UFC and will step in to face Nicolas Dalby on July 25.

Almost six years after his last octagon appearance, [autotag]Jesse Ronson[/autotag] is on his way back to the UFC.

British welterweight Danny Roberts has been forced out of the UFC’s July 25 event due to injury and Ronson (20-10 MMA, 0-3 UFC) received the call to step in and face [autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag] on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

A person with knowledge of the booking told MMA Junkie on Friday, after an initial report from TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter. They asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Ronson was released from the UFC in 2014 after suffering three straight split-decision losses to Michel Prazeres, Francisco Trinaldo and Kevin Lee. He went on to compete in numerous other promotions around the world, winning both the welterweight and lightweight titles at Canadian promotion TKO. His most recent stint was with the PFL, but he was unsuccessful in his quest to capture the $1 million prize after suffering back-to-back losses to Natan Schulte and Nikolay Aleksakhin. Most recently, Ronson picked up a first-round submission victory for regional Canadian promotion BTC in February.

Dalby (18-3-1 MMA, 2-3-1 UFC), who’s won his last four in a row, made a triumphant return to the octagon last September in his home country of Denmark, when he defeated Alex Oliveira by unanimous decision. He was originally booked to face Roberts in London in March, but that event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the bout was rebooked for July 25. Now the Dane will face Ronson as he bids to register back-to-back victories in his second UFC stint.

With the change, the current July 25 lineup includes:

  • Darren Till vs. Robert Whittaker
  • Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Mauricio Rua
  • Alex Oliviera vs. Peter Sobotta
  • Alexander Gustafsson vs. Fabricio Werdum
  • Nicolas Dalby vs. Jesse Ronson
  • Tom Aspinall vs. Jake Collier
  • Raphael Pessoa vs. Justin Tafa
  • Movsar Evloev vs. Mike Grundy
  • Bethe Correia vs. Pannie Kianzad
  • Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Nathaniel Wood
  • Ramazan Emeev vs. opponent TBA
  • Gadzhimurad Antigulov vs. Paul Craig
  • Jai Herbert vs. Francisco Trinaldo

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Two fighters drop out of UFC ‘Fight Island’ event on July 25

The UFC’s July 25 card has taken multiple hits.

The UFC’s July 25 event has taken multiple hits.

Both [autotag]Danny Roberts[/autotag] and [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag] are out of their respective bouts, according to two people with knowledge of the situation, who asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Reasons for both Roberts and Rakhmonov withdrawing were not disclosed. No replacement has been found for either of their opponents, Nicolas Dalby and Ramazan Emeev.

Roberts (17-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC), who snapped a two-fight losing streak with a knockout over Zelim Imadaev last November, originally was slated to face Dalby on March 21 in London, but the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fight was rebooked for the July 25 on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, but Roberts has been forced to withdraw.

Rakhmonov (12-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will have to wait once again to make his UFC debut. He was initially scheduled to face Bartosz Fabinski on March 21 in London before the event was canceled. The undefeated Kazakhstani fighter was then matched up with Emeev on July 25 but has been forced out.

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With the changes, the current July 25 lineup includes:

  • Darren Till vs. Robert Whittaker
  • Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Mauricio Rua
  • Alex Oliviera vs. Peter Sobotta
  • Alexander Gustafsson vs. Fabricio Werdum
  • Nicholas Dalby vs. opponent TBA
  • Tom Aspinall vs. Jake Collier
  • Raphael Pessoa vs. Justin Tafa
  • Movsar Evloev vs. Mike Grundy
  • Bethe Correia vs. Pannie Kianzad
  • Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Nathaniel Wood
  • Ramazan Emeev vs. opponent TBA
  • Jai Herbert vs. Francisco Trinaldo

Brits are back: 5 matchups to follow as U.K. fighters take over UFC ‘Fight Island’

MMA Junkie’s resident Brit, Simon Head, takes a look at five key matchups involving U.K.-based fighters on the UFC’s “Fight Island.”

The launch of the UFC’s “Fight Island” events in Abu Dhabi next month marks the moment for a group of fighters from the international roster to return to action.

That group includes a host of U.K.-based fighters who, up to now, have been in MMA exile while international travel restrictions keep them from traveling to the U.S. to compete.

The advent of “Fight Island” and the UFC’s detailed travel regimen for fighters jetting into Abu Dhabi have opened the door for some of the promotion’s most exciting fighters from the U.K. to return to action.

Ahead of the UFC’s four-event run on Yas Island, here are five fights to keep an eye on that feature returning U.K. fighters.

Without further ado …

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Molly McCann vs. Talia Santos, July 15

There’s been something special about some of the matchups we’ve seen during the UFC’s lockdown era so far, and you can bet your last dollar (or British pound) that [autotag]Molly McCann[/autotag] will look to add to that growing list of memorable fights.

McCann (10-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) arrived in the UFC as the Cage Warriors women’s flyweight champion, but was submitted by Gillian Robertson on her debut in her hometown of Liverpool. But since that defeat McCann has bounced back superbly with a trio of unanimous decision victories over Priscilla Cachoeira, Ariane Lipski and Diana Belbita.

“Meatball” is getting better with every fight, and will be keen to show her latest improvements against Contender Series graduate [autotag]Talia Santos[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who is bidding to claim her maiden UFC victory after suffering her first career defeat on her UFC debut against Mara Romero Borella.

The fight represents the toughest assignment of McCann’s UFC career since her debut, but a fourth straight win for the energetic Evertonian will push the 30-year-old toward the division’s big names later in 2020.

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Next up: Striking aces get ready to throw down

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