Former women’s featherweight title challenger Felicia Spencer has a new opponent later this month.
Former women’s featherweight title challenger [autotag]Felicia Spencer[/autotag] has a new opponent later this month.
[autotag]Danyelle Wolf[/autotag] (1-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was set to make her UFC debut against Spencer (8-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 188. But with Wolf out, Spencer instead will take on [autotag]Norma Dumont[/autotag] (5-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC). UFC officials announced the change Thursday.
UFC Fight Night 188 takes place May 22 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.
Dumont was supposed to fight Erin Blanchfield in a bantamweight bout a month ago. But she came in heavy for the second straight time and the Nevada Athletic Commission canceled the fight. Now she’ll move up to featherweight. This past November, she rebounded from a loss to Megan Anderson with a decision win over Ashlee Evans-Smith.
Spencer, a former Invicta FC featherweight champion, fell short in her pursuit of UFC gold when she lost a unanimous decision to two-division champion Amanda Nunes in June 2020. The Canadian has split her four octagon appearances, including finishes of Megan Anderson and Zarah Fairn Dos Santos.
Three-time USA national boxing champion Wolf punched her ticket to the UFC when she defeated Taneisha Tennant by unanimous decision at Dana White’s Contender Series 33 this past September. It what was her first MMA fight. But now her UFC debut is on hold.
With the addition, the UFC Fight Night on May 22 lineup includes:
After Norma Dumont missed weight at the UFC on ABC 2 weigh-ins, the Nevada Athletic Commission scrapped her fight vs. Erin Blanchfield.
Less than 24 hours before the first prelim, UFC on ABC 2 has lost a fight.
After [autotag]Norma Dumont[/autotag] missed the bantamweight limit by 3.5 pounds Friday, her fight against [autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag] was scrapped, a person with knowledge of the cancellation told MMA Junkie shortly thereafter.
According to Blanchfield’s manager, Oren Hodak, his fighter agreed to compete against Dumont despite the weight miss. However, the NAC ultimately pulled the fight from the lineup.
The miss was the second straight time Dumont has come in at 139.5 pounds for a bantamweight bout. In November, Dumont defeated Ashlee Evans-Smith by unanimous decision in a fight she missed weight for by 3.5 pounds.
The fight was scheduled to mark the promotional debut for Blanchfield, who accepted it on short notice at a weight division above where she normally competes.
Blanchfield was willing to fight, per her manager @ko_reps, but it was pulled by the NAC after Dumont missed weight by 3.5 pounds. Story coming to @MMAjunkie.
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:
Anthony Smith: No suspension.
Devin Clark: No suspension.
Miguel Baeza: No suspension.
Takashi Sato: Suspended 180 days or until fractured left orbital floor is cleared by a doctor; also suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
Parker Porter: Suspended 180 days or until left hand x-ray is cleared by a doctor; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
[autotag]Josh Parisian[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days with no contact for 45 days.
Bill Algeo: Suspended 180 days or until left hand x-ray is cleared by a doctor; also suspended 12 days with no contact.
[autotag]Spike Carlyle[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
Norma Dumont: Suspended 180 days or until right hand x-ray is cleared by a doctor; also suspended 12 days with no contact.
Ashlee Evans-Smith: Suspended 180 days or until left hand x-ray is cleared by a doctor; also suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to a nasal laceration.
Jonathan Pearce: Suspended 180 days or until right foot is cleared by a doctor; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
[autotag]Kai Kamaka[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
[autotag]Anderson Dos Santos[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Martin Day[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Gina Mazany[/autotag]: Suspended 14 days with no contact for seven days.
Rachael Ostovich: Suspended 180 days or until right hand x-ray is cleared by a doctor; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
[autotag]Su Mudaerji[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Malcolm Gordon[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days with no contact for 21 days.
[autotag]Nate Maness[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Luke Sanders[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to upper lip laceration.
Joseph Benavidez is among seven fighters facing medical suspensions after UFC on ESPN+ 27.
[autotag]Joseph Benavidez[/autotag] is among seven fighters facing medical suspensions after UFC on ESPN+ 27.
Tuesday, MMA Junkie acquired a list of medical suspensions from the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, the commissioning body that oversaw the event.
In his third UFC title fight, Benavidez (28-6 MMA, 15-4 UFC) was once again unsuccessful. In Round 2, Benavidez was bloodied by a clash of heads and knocked out moments later by Deiveson Figueiredo.
As a result of injuries sustained, Benavidez was suspended 90 days by regulatory body. Public documents show a suture as a reason for suspension.
Complete UFC on ESPN+ 27 medical suspensions:
[autotag]Norma Dumont[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days with no contact, or until cleared by physician.
[autotag]Aalon Cruz[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact, or until cleared by physician.
[autotag]TJ Brown[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact, or until cleared by physician.
[autotag]Tom Breese[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact, or until cleared by physician.
[autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact, or until cleared by physician.
Joseph Benavidez: Suspended 90 days with no contact, or until suture is cleared by physician.
[autotag]Zarah Fairn[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days with no contact or until left orbital x-ray is cleared by physician.
UFC on ESPN+ 27 took place Saturday at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Va. It streamed on ESPN+.
All the notable stats and figures to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 27, which saw Deiveson Figueiredo beat Joseph Benavidez in the main event.
The UFC returned to Virginia for the fifth time in company history on Saturday with UFC on ESPN+ 27, which went down at Chartway Arena in Norfolk and streamed on ESPN+.
A new flyweight champion should’ve been crowned in the main event. However, despite knocking out [autotag]Joseph Benavidez[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 15-4 UFC) in the second round of the headliner, [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) was ineligible to take home the gold because he missed weight.
For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for 35 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 27.
[autotag]Megan Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Jordan Griffin[/autotag], [autotag]Kyler Phillips[/autotag] and [autotag]Gabriel Silva[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN+ 27 fight-night bonuses.
UFC on ESPN+ 27 drew an announced attendance of 7,098 for a live gate of $402,958.
Betting favorites went 6-6 on the card.
Betting favorites fell to 4-2 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 12-bout card was 1:36:08.
Main card
Deiveson Figueiredo
Figueiredo has earned 15 of his 18 career victories by stoppage.
Figueiredo has earned four of his five UFC stoppage victories by knockout.
Benavidez became the seventh fighter in UFC history to go 0-3 in title fights.
Benavidez has suffered both of his career stoppage losses by knockout.
[autotag]Felicia Spencer[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has earned six of her eight career victories by stoppage. That includes both of her UFC wins.
[autotag]Zarah Fairn[/autotag] (6-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC) suffered the first knockout loss of her career.
[autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag]’s (13-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) four-fight UFC winning streak at light heavyweight is tied with Jon Jones for the longest active streak in the division.
Ankalaev has earned all three of his UFC stoppage victories by knockout.
[autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag] (15-5 MMA, 4-4 UFC) suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
Megan Anderson
Anderson’s (11-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) three victories in UFC women’s featherweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Cris Cyborg (four).
Anderson’s three stoppage victories in UFC women’s featherweight competition are most in divisional history.
Anderson’s two knockout victories in UFC women’s featherweight competition are tied with Cyborg for most in divisional history.
[autotag]Norma Dumont[/autotag] (4-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) had her four-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of her career.
[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has earned 14 of his 15 career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Darrick Minner[/autotag] (24-11 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered 10 of his 11 career victories by stoppage.
Preliminary card
Gabriel Silva vs. Kyler Phillips
Silva (8-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) has suffered consecutive losses after starting his career 8-0.
Silva has suffered both of his career losses by decision.
[autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned 13 of his 14 career victories by stoppage. That includes both of his UFC wins.
[autotag]Tom Breese[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) fell to 1-1 since he moved up to the UFC middleweight division in May 2018.
Breese suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
[autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career.
[autotag]Steve Garcia[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered three of his four career losses by decision.
[autotag]TJ Brown[/autotag] (14-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered six of his seven career losses by stoppage.
[autotag]Spike Carlyle[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned eight of his nine career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Aalon Cruz[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has suffered all three of his career losses by stoppage.
Cruz suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
[autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag] (12-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned both of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Ismail Naurdiev[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has suffered both of his UFC losses by decision.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
Fighters from around the globe dream of the day they’ll step into the octagon the first time – so how did the seven newcomers perform on Saturday?
Fighters from around the globe dream of the day they’ll step into the UFC octagon for the first time. For seven athletes, Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 27 event marked that special moment in their career.
Check out this week’s rookie report to see what kind of first impression they made on the sport’s biggest stage from Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Va.
[autotag]Spike Carlyle[/autotag] certainly isn’t an average MMA featherweight, and he gave us a glimpse of his potential with an impressive quickfire finish of fellow debuting prospect Aalon Cruz.
“The Alpha Ginger” danced his way to the octagon and giggled his way through Bruce Buffer’s introduction before blasting Aalon Cruz to a first-round TKO defeat in a performance that was as impressive as it was clinical.
After Cruz had started with a succession of range-finding kicks, Carlyle stunned Cruz with a superb leaping left high kick of his own as he closed the distance and looked to rough up the taller, leaner man at close quarters.
Cruz looked to grab a double-leg, but the California native stuffed the takedown and connected with a huge elbow behind the ear that clearly rocked his opponent. A host of elbows later, Cruz was on the mat with Carlyle unloading a barrage of punches until the referee dived in to call it after just 85 seconds.
All in all, it was hugely impressive against a man who had produced a highlight-reel performance in Dana White’s Contender Series to earn his UFC deal. Carlyle proved he certainly deserved his, then showed his unique personality with a short, to-the-point post-fight interview with Michael Bisping.
Carlyle looks like a man who’s going places, and we may find out more about how fast and how far when he gets his next assignment, which might come pretty quickly.
UFC on ESPN+ 27 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.
NORFOLK, Va. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 27 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $119,500.
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+ 27 took place Saturday at Chartway Arena. The entire card streamed ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN+ 27 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
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:
“UFC on ESPN+ 27: Benavidez vs. Figueiredo” – $119,500
Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 27 event in Norfolk, Va.
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.
Inside, see what the fighters from UFC on ESPN+ 27 went with as their backing tracks in Norfolk, Va.
Megan Anderson picked up a key win on Saturday night, then called for a title shot against Amanda Nunes.
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[autotag]Megan Anderson[/autotag] made a solid case for the next women’s featherweight title shot Saturday.
The Australian fighter stopped [autotag]Norma Dumont[/autotag] in the first round with a well-placed straight right to the chin. The knockout came at the 3:31 mark of the opening round.
The women’s featherweight bout was part of the UFC on ESPN+ 27 main card at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Va. It streamed on ESPN+.
Right from the bell, Anderson (10-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) was pressed against the cage by Dumont (4-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC). The former Invicta FC champion defended well against the takedowns, but was pinned against the cage for the majority of the first half of the round. Upon the first break, Anderson found an opening and only needed one punch to put Dumont away.
In her post-fight interview, Anderson called for the next featherweight title shot against dual champion Amanda Nunes.
“I’m the only featherweight who’s on a win streak, so let’s (expletive) go,” Anderson said.
The 30-year-old fighter is now on a two-fight winning streak with victories over Zarah Fairn and Dumont. She’s also 3-1 in her most recent four bouts with her lone loss coming to fellow former Invicta champ Felicia Spencer.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN+ 27 results include:
Megan Anderson def. Norma Dumont via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 3:31
In the main event, two-time flyweight title challenger [autotag]Joseph Benavidez[/autotag] (28-5 MMA, 15-3 UFC) gets his third crack at the belt when he takes on [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC). Figueiredo is not eligible to win the title after he missed weight by 2.5 pounds Friday. Benavidez is just a slight favorite from the oddsmakers at -145, but he pitched a shutout in the picks from our 14 MMA Junkie editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers.
The co-main event features one of three other unanimous picks on the five-fight main card. [autotag]Felicia Spencer[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) is the biggest favorite on the card at 8-1 against [autotag]Zarah Fairn[/autotag] (6-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in their women’s featherweight bout. Not surprisingly, Spencer has a 14-0 picks shutout.
[autotag]Megan Anderson[/autotag] (9-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC), who like Spencer is a former Invicta FC champion, also has a unanimous nod from our pickers against [autotag]Norma Dumont[/autotag] (4-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who is making her UFC debut. Anderson is a -235 favorite in the fight.
And [autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] (14-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), who is a 4-1 favorite in his featherweight fight against [autotag]Darrick Minner[/autotag] (24-10 MMA, 0-0 UFC), is our fourth unanimous pick in five fights on the main card.
The only contentious fight among our pickers is at light heavyweight. Still, [autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), a -225 favorite, has a big lead in the picks against [autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC). Only three of our 14 pickers are taking Cutelaba in an upset.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Benavidez (71 percent), Spencer (95 percent), Ankalaev (63 percent), Anderson (82 percent) and Dawson (87 percent) are the choices.
