Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Check out which veterans of the UFC are in MMA and bareknuckle boxing action this weekend across the globe.
The UFC returns after a week off for UFC Fight Night 218, which takes place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Elsewhere, many other MMA events are taking place that feature familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.
These 8 veterans of the global MMA leader are competing in MMA bareknuckle boxing this week from Feb. 2-4.
Check out the names and details about their bouts below.
Upcoming event information from Tapology.
Agy Sardari and Jack Cartwright retained their titles in contrasting circumstances on an eventful night at Cage Warriors 121 in London.
Cage Warriors lightweight champion [autotag]Agy Sardari[/autotag] was made to work for it, but the 27-year-old Dutchman successfully defended his title after a hard-fought battle at Cage Warriors 121.
Sardari (14-2) was pushed to the limit by short-notice challenger [autotag]Donovan Desmae[/autotag], who answered the call to replace Mehdi Ben Lakhdhar on just 10 days’ notice at the York Hall in Bethnal Green, London. But, after five grueling rounds of action, the champion edged a split decision to hang on to his title and register his first title defense.
The first three rounds of their lightweight title fight were virtual coin-flip calls as Belgian challenger Desmae (14-6) made light of his short-notice preparation by going toe to toe with the champion. But as the fight went into the championship rounds, Sardari turned up the pressure and made use of his takedowns to do just enough to take the victory on the scorecards. The judges scored the bout 48-47, 47-48, 48-47 in the Dutchman’s favor.
And Still 🏆
Agy Sardari successfully defends his LW Title at #CW121 👏🐺 pic.twitter.com/BphTk6NmDr
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) March 19, 2021
Two titles are on the line on the second night of fights at Cage Warriors’ latest “Trilogy” series in London.
The second night of fights at Cage Warriors’ latest “Trilogy” in London boasts a packed card with a pair of title fights at the top of the bill.
The main event of Cage Warriors 121 sees the Cage Warriors lightweight title on the line as newly crowned champion [autotag]Agy Sardari[/autotag] (13-2) looks to complete the first defense of the title against short-notice replacement [autotag]Donovan Desmae[/autotag] (14-5).
The bantamweight belt is up for grabs in the co-main event, as undefeated champion [autotag]Jack Cartwright[/autotag] (9-0) takes on Polish challenger [autotag]Sylwester Miller[/autotag] (9-3).
The card also features two semifinals in Cage Warriors’ welterweight title tournament, with two-time lightweight title challenger [autotag]Jack Grant[/autotag] (16-6) moving up to 170 pounds to take on Latvia’s [autotag]Madars Fleminas[/autotag] (8-2). The second semifinal sees unbeaten Irish contender [autotag]Ian Garry[/autotag] (5-0) take on Sweden’s [autotag]Rostem Akman[/autotag] (6-2).
Cage Warriors 121 takes place Friday at York Hall, Bethnal Green, London. The card streams on UFC Fight Pass.
Full Cage Warriors 121 results include:
MAIN CARD
PRELIMINARY CARD
Cage Warriors 121 will feature two semifinal tournament bouts as the promotion looks to crown a new welterweight champion in 2021.
A welterweight tournament will crown Cage Warriors’ new 170-pound champion, with the two semifinal bouts set to take place in London at Cage Warriors 121.
The event, which forms the second leg of the promotion’s latest “Trilogy” series in the English capital, will feature both title eliminator bouts on the main card. The event takes place Friday, March 19 at York Hall, Bethnal Green. The card streams live on UFC Fight Pass.
The first semifinal will see undefeated Irishman [autotag]Ian Garry[/autotag] take on Swedish former UFC athlete [autotag]Rostem Akman[/autotag]. Garry (5-0) impressed with back-to-back stoppage victories in 2020 as he scored a second-round knockout of George McManus at Cage Warriors 115, then followed up with a ground and pound TKO finish of Lawrence Tracey at Cage Warriors 119 last December.
He’ll take on Akman (6-2), who went 0-2 in the UFC after falling to unanimous decision losses to Sergey Khandozhko and Jake Matthews in 2019. He will make his Cage Warriors debut against Garry, knowing that a win over one of the promotion’s hottest rising prospects will catapult him straight into a title fight.
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The second semifinal will pit two promotional veterans head to head, with England’s former two-time lightweight title challenger [autotag]Jack Grant[/autotag] moving up to 170 pounds to take on Latvian [autotag]Madars Fleminas[/autotag].
Grant (16-6) has been a longtime contender in the promotion’s lightweight division, but his two attempts to capture championship gold at 155 pounds ended in defeat to Jai Herbert and Agy Sardari at Cage Warriors 106 and 119, respectively.
Now the 29-year-old will move up a weight class in search of a title, and will take on Fleminas (8-2), who is 2-2 under the Cage Warriors banner, with his most recent performance a unanimous decision victory over Mick Stanton at Cage Warriors 118.
The two winners will then move on to face off for the vacant 170-pound title at the promotion’s next “Trilogy” series in June.
With the additions, the Cage Warriors 121 lineup includes:
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The UFC is trimming its roster as 2019 comes to an end, with 11 fighters parting ways.
As 2019 winds down, the UFC has trimmed its roster. A dozen fighters have been released from their contracts or not re-signed in recent weeks, MMA Junkie has learned.
Each fighter listed has announced the release, or a member of his or her team has informed MMA Junkie of the news. The order in which they appear is alphabetical, not chronological.
The exact time frames and terms of the releases (i.e. end of contract vs. severance) were not disclosed to MMA Junkie.
Rostem Akman | Welterweight (6-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC)
Sweden’s [autotag]Rostem Akman[/autotag] debuted at UFC on ESPN+ 11 in early June. Taking a fight against Sergey Khandozhko in enemy territory, Akman lost a unanimous decision. Akman suffered the same fate in his sophomore outing, losing a unanimous decision to Jake Matthews at UFC 243 in October.
Allen Crowder | Heavyweight (10-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC)
Heavyweight [autotag]Allen Crowder[/autotag] has retired, according to a report from BJPenn.com. Crowder has decided to step away from due to ongoing memory issues caused by concussions. The North Carolina-based big man’s lone UFC win came against Greg Hardy in January. Crowder won by disqualification due to an illegal knee. His lone victory with the promotion was bookended by knockout losses to Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Justin Willis.
