A women’s flyweight matchup between Roxanne Modafferi and Lauren Murphy is in the works.
A UFC women’s flyweight matchup is in the works for the June 20.
[autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag] is slated to fight [autotag]Lauren Murphy[/autotag]. MMA Junkie confirmed the matchup after an initial report from MMA Fighting. The news came after Murphy announced signing a bout agreement but didn’t reveal her opponent on Instagram.
The UFC’s June 20 event does not yet have a name or location, nor is there streaming or broadcast information at this time.
Modafferi (24-16 MMA, 3-4 UFC) is coming off an upset win over Maycee Barber at UFC 246, bouncing the highly touted prospect out of the ranks of the unbeaten. Since her second stint in the UFC, Modafferi has alternated wins and losses and will look to notch back-to-back wins for the first time in the octagon when she faces Murphy.
Since moving down to flyweight, Murphy (12-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC) is enjoying the best stretch of her UFC career, winning three of her last four. The former Invicta FC bantamweight champion is coming off two straight wins over Mara Romero Borella and Andrea Lee.
UFC fighters Carlos Condit and Roxanne Modafferi are among those who will compete at Submission Underground 12.
A few notable names on the UFC roster are set to put their grappling skills to the test later this month.
Former UFC interim welterweight champion [autotag]Carlos Condit[/autotag] will face UFC veteran and recently retired [autotag]Jake Ellenberger[/autotag] on March 29 at Submission Underground 12, which is set to take place in at Roseland Theater in Portland, Ore.
Condit, who hasn’t competed since December 2018, has been on a rough patch lately, losing his last five MMA fights in a row. He was scheduled to face Mickey Gall at UFC on ESPN 7 last December but was forced to withdraw because of a detached retina.
Since retiring from MMA in 2018, Ellenberger competed in a grappling match last May, defeating UFC welterweight Diego Sanchez at Submission Underground 8.
[jwplayer sdxGMY3X-FLu19iir]
Also taking part at SUG 12 is [autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag], who faces jiu-jitsu ace Amanda Loewen. Modafferi is coming off a big upset win over highly touted prospect Maycee Barber at UFC 246.
SUG 12 will be headlined by UFC and Bellator veteran Kevin Casey, who takes on IBJJF world no-gi champion Craig Jones. The card streams live exclusively on UFC Fight Pass.
***OFFICIAL SUG 12 POSTER***
Chael Sonnen's Submission Underground returns on Sunday, March 29th in Portand! Fans can watch all of the submission only grappling action by streaming it live exclusively through @UFCFightPass#SUG12 is proudly sponsored by @cbdmd_usapic.twitter.com/2jEZu0Q86l
See who champs Jon Jones and Valentina Shevchenko should fight next after their title defenses at UFC 247.
After every event, fans wonder whom the winners will be matched up with next.
With another night of UFC action in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker for UFC 247’s key winning fighters.
Those included light heavyweight champ [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) and women’s flyweight titleholder [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] (19-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC), who defended their respective belts in the main and co-main event from Toyota Center in Houston, as well as [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC), [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 14-5 UFC) and [autotag]Lauren Murphy[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC).
* * * *
Lauren Murphy
Roxanne Modafferi
Should fight: [autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag] Why they should fight: Whether or not you agree with the result, Murphy got the split-decision win over Andrea Lee and is now 3-1 since dropping down to the flyweight division.
Murphy is among the most durable and fearless fighters at 125 pounds, and it seems the former Invicta FC champion could be near a title shot. She called out Modafferi (24-16 MMA, 3-4 UFC) post-fight, and that’s a pretty perfect scenario given the lay of the land. Modafferi responded shortly thereafter on social media, announcing she was all for it.
Joanne Calderwood is probably the frontrunner to next fight champ Shevchenko, so a matchup between Murphy and Modafferi would be perfect to determine who is next in the queue.
Derrick Lewis
Curtis Blaydes
Should fight: [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] Why they should fight: Lewis won over Ilir Latifi by the skin of his teeth, taking a unanimous decision in front of his hometown crowd after a performance loaded with lots of flying knees and questionable fight IQ.
“The Black Beast” came out triumphant, though, and now he’s riding back-to-back wins since his title-fight loss to Daniel Cormier and in position for another big fight in the heavyweight division. The matchup with Latifi didn’t make a whole lot of sense, and it’s hard to determine whether it helped or hurt Lewis’ stock.
If he wants to get through the top of his weight class, however, he’s going to have to overcome those type of styles. He mentioned Blaydes (13-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) pre-fight as an opponent of interest next, and that would be a really tough matchup. Blaydes is essentially a stylistic nightmare for Lewis, but they are both side-by-side in the rankings, and from that standpoint, it’s the fight to make.
Dan Ige
Shane Burgos
Should fight: [autotag]Shane Burgos[/autotag] Why they should fight: Ige pushed his featherweight winning streak to five when he edged Mirsad Bektic by split decision for what has to be considered the biggest win of his career.
After stumbling in his UFC debut a few years ago, Bektic has rattled off a promising run of victories and definitely has some attributes in his game that can make for many fun fights at 145 pounds.
A clash with Burgos (13-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) stands out as one pairing that could be quite compelling. Burgos is coming off a pair of notable wins over Cub Swanson and Makwan Amirkhani and, like Ige, is a promising rising name in the division. The only problem is he’s currently a free agent, but assuming the UFC makes the smart choice and signs him, a matchup with Ige would be great.
Valentina Shevchenko
Joanne Calderwood
Should fight: [autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag] Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Shevchenko should fight Calderwood (14-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) next for her fourth title defense.
Jon Jones
Corey Anderson
Should fight: Winner of [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN+ 25 Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Jones should fight the winner of the UFC on ESPN+ 25 main event between Anderson (13-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) and Blachowicz (25-8 MMA, 8-5 UFC) for his fourth title defense.
Lauren Murphy and Dan Ige were among those with specific names in mind for their next fight after UFC 247.
Earning wins in the UFC is certainly no easy task, but what comes next is often even more important: the post-fight callout.
So after Saturday’s UFC 247 event in Houston, TX., who took advantage of their time on the mic? See below for this week’s Callout Collection – and just how realistic each one is.
* * * * *
First up, let’s take a look at the night’s prelim winner.
Lauren Murphy
Wants to fight: [autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag] or Joanne Calderwood
The callout: “I called out Roxanne in the octagon, but really I’d face her or Jojo [Calderwood] next. Either one. I think they are the only ones in the top 5 because Viviane [Araujo] is coming from a loss, [Jennifer] Maia and [Jessica] Eye both missed weight. So Jojo and Roxanne are the only ones right now coming from wins and making weight, so they are the only ones I’m interested in facing next.”
The reality: Following her win over Mara Romero-Borella last time out, [autotag]Lauren Murphy[/autotag] picked up a big win against Andrea Lee to claim notable back-to-back victories, and her callout of Roxanne Modafferi seems perfectly pitched, too.
Modafferi is a tough test for anyone in the division and probably isn’t someone too many of her fellow 135ers will readily accept, so the UFC matchmakers are likely to welcome Murphy’s callout, and a meeting between the pair later this year may prove to be a useful addition for one of the UFC’s summer cards.
“When you end the fight with the fight result you expected, it’s the best feeling that you ever can feel.”
HOUSTON – [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] is proud of her work.
The UFC women’s flyweight champion, Shevchenko (19-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) successfully defended her belt for the third time Saturday when she defeated Katlyn Chookagian by third-round TKO in the UFC 247 co-main event.
While speaking to the media at the post-fight news conference, a beaming Shevchenko expressed pride in her performance as her hard work paid off once again.
“I feel amazing,” Shevchenko said backstage at Toyota Center. “It’s not only because of the performance, the past couple months was a lot of work – a lot of hard training, mental pressure, physical pressure, and everything. When you end the fight with the fight result you expected, it’s the best feeling that you ever can feel.”
Through five fights as a flyweight, Shevchenko has been unbeatable. While, the reoccurring questions of her interest in potential superfights continue to arise, Shevchenko sees three possibilities for opponents within her 125-pound division.
“We just watched the rankings of flyweight with Laura Sanko, and it was after Katlyn (Chookagain) (and) Jessica Eye. It was [autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag], [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag], and [autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag],” Shevchenko said. “These three girls I think are strong fighters. They have very good skills. Each one, they have different styles of fighting. I would love to fight any one of them.”
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Calderwood has won three out of her last four fights, with her lone loss coming to Chookagian by decision. Modafferi has won two out of three with her only defeat suffered at the hands of Maia, who has won two out of three but is coming off a loss to Chookagian in November.
Additionally, Maia has missed weight for back-to-back fights. If Maia was to be placed in a title fight, however, Shevchenko thinks the Brazilian would take her cut more seriously.
“I think if it’s going to be a matter of the title fight, she’s going to take it more seriously, probably,” Shevchenko said.
As for a timeline for her return, Shevchenko is ready – like, the “right now” kind of ready.
“It doesn’t matter,” Shevchenko said. “I don’t know – tomorrow, probably. Yes, I’d love to fight soon.”
Check out Shevchenko’s full UFC 247 post-fight news conference in the video above.
John Wood thinks that Roxanne Modafferi, even at 37, is just getting started with how great she can be.
LAS VEGAS – At UFC 246, [autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag] cashed in as a massive underdog once again when she upset highly-touted and previously undefeated prospect Maycee Barber to earn a lopsided unanimous decision win.
It was the second time Modafferi took the zero from an undefeated fighter’s record following her previous win over Antonina Shevchenko last April in Russia.
But while Modafferi’s wins over more fancied opposition have come as a surprise to some, one person who wasn’t shocked is her head coach. Syndicate MMA’s John Wood knew Modafferi would get the job done and said he thinks the 37-year-old is only just starting to hit her stride.
“She did exactly what she was supposed to do, what we planned to do,” Wood told MMA Junkie. “It was one of those rare occasions where everything you think was going to happen, happened, and the game plan didn’t have to deviate at all. She went out there and performed perfectly. She looked sharp, I think she looked the fastest, most balanced that she’s ever looked, and I think she’s going to continue to keep getting better, better, and better, and this one is going to take her up to the next level,and she’s going to give a lot of girls in the division a problem.”
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Modafferi (24-16 MMA, 3-4 UFC) has alternated wins and losses in her last seven bouts, but Wood chalks up her recent losses to the circumstances not being in Modafferi’s favor.
“Roxanne’s always the underdog, and every fight she ever has she’s a massive underdog,” Wood said. “The only fights that she’s really lost in the UFC, one was the title fight with Nicco Montano, which was on less than 24-hour notice (against) a lefty. We switched it all up, and she still went all five rounds. And then two opponents, which both missed weight. With bigger opponents she’s had struggles and things with that. But with the people who come in on weight, I really think that Roxanne, she shows up no matter what.”
The win over Barber was a big one for Modafferi, and Wood thinks the veteran flyweight is starting to put things together and still has a long career ahead of her.
“People don’t realize, she looks awkward and goofy and stuff, but when she gets in there, she’s gameday,” Wood said. “Her ground is phenomenal, and now I really think her striking is going to hit that next level.”
He continrued, “I think this fight is going to set the tone for a lot of other fights coming up. I think she has stepped up, figured out how to make her striking work even that much more, the strength and conditioning is great, everything is kind of working together. We have a really good combination, she is learning and getting better all the time, so I think she’s got a long road ahead of her. As far as fighting, I don’t see any end to her career anytime soon.”
The Nevada Athletic Commission has released it’s full list of UFC 246 medical suspensions.
[autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] is facing a lengthy medical suspension as a result of his UFC 246 loss to [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag].
Cerrone, a former UFC title challenger, was defeated by McGregor on Saturday due to strikes just 40 seconds into their headliner. As a result of damage suffered from a kick, punches, and even a trifecta of shoulder strikes, “Cowboy” is facing a lengthy 180-day suspension.
McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC), on the other hand, walked away from the main event unscathed.
The Irishman wasn’t the only fighter to walk away suspension-less. Co-main event participants [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] and [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] were among six other fighters who won’t be mandated to sit out.
[autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag], who suffered an apparent ACL tear vs. [autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag], was handed a 180-day suspension. Pending doctor clearance, she could return sooner than July.
[autotag]Maurice Greene[/autotag], [autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag], [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag], [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag], and [autotag]J.J. Aldrich[/autotag] are also looking at potential 180-day suspensions for injuries suffered in their respective bouts.
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UFC 246 took place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
MMA Junkie acquired the full list of medical suspensions from the Nevada Athletic Commission, which you can see below:
J.J. Aldrich: Suspended 180 days or until right hand x-ray is cleared by physician; also suspended 21 days with no contact for 14 days
[autotag]Sabina Mazo[/autotag]: No suspension
[autotag]Justin Ledet[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
[autotag]Aleksa Camur[/autotag]: No suspension
[autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days with no contact for 45 days
[autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days
[autotag]Askar Askarov[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
[autotag]Andre Fili[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
Sodiq Yusuff: Suspended 180 days or until right foot x-ray is cleared by physician; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
Maycee Barber: Suspended 180 days or until left knee MRI is cleared by orthopedic physician; also suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days do to laceration on left side of forehead
Roxanne Modafferi: No suspension
Anthony Pettis: Suspended 180 days or until right foot is cleared by orthopedic physician; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
Diego Ferreira: Suspended 180 days or until right knee MRI is cleared by orthopedic physician; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
[autotag]Ode Osbourne[/autotag]: Suspended 21 days
[autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag]: No suspension
Maurice Greene: Suspended 180 days or until right elbow MRI and right foot x-ray are cleared by orthopedic physician; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
[autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days
Raquel Pennington: No suspension
Holly Holm: No suspension
Conor McGregor: No suspension
Donald Cerrone: Suspended 180 days or until nasal fracture and possible mild orbital fracture are cleared by maxillofacial physician; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
Conor McGregor’s victory leaves a lot of questions to be answered. And what about Maycee Barber’s stuning loss and Kanye West moment?
Welcome to “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. In this week’s episode, “Gorgeous” George, “Goze” and John Morgan unpack the ramifications of [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]’s quick TKO win over Donald Cerrone in his return fight at UFC 246, as well as an odd post-fight situation that played out.
SHOW RUNDOWN:
We got through an entire McGregor fight week with zero antics, zero drama, nothing crazy from “The Notorious” one. Is this a new, reinvented McGregor moving forward? And if so, what do we think of that?
All right, so now that McGregor got the victory – and in dominant fashion, no less – he has a plethora of options in front of him: [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] rematch? [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag]? [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag]? [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] trilogy? A boxing match? It’s clear what UFC president Dana White wants. But what will actually happen?
Speaking of which, [autotag]Floyd Mayweather[/autotag] is in the UFC’s plans for 2020 and vice versa, according to White. What could this possibly mean for McGregor and others, and is this something we want?
The odd man out in all of the talk about McGregor and the UFC lightweight title picture is [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag], who is probably the rightful No. 1 contender after champion Nurmagomedov and Ferguson fight in April. White admitted that he and Gaethje are not on the same page. What’s the right move here with Gaethje?
Outside of McGregor-Cerrone, perhaps the biggest story coming out of UFC 246 was [autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag]’s huge upset of star prospect [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag], who was dominated in her first loss. To boot, the 21-year-old Barber suffered a torn ACL during the fight. And afterward, she gave us a Kanye West moment by stealing the mic to address the crowd before Joe Rogan could interview Modafferi – which was weird, even if she meant well. What do we make of all this?
For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 12 of “Spinning Back Clique.”
UFC 246 went from bad to worse for star prospect Maycee Barber.
UFC 246 went from bad to worse for star prospect [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag], who suffered a full ACL tear in her first professional loss.
According to ESPN, Maycee’s father, Bucky Barber, said they think Barber injured her knee in Round 1 of her fight with [autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag] before tumbling from a grazing punch in Round 2.
Barber (8-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) held her knee on the way down and struggled with mobility for the remainder of the fight. After the end of the second round, a ringside doctor for the Nevada Athletic Commission examined Barber’s knee, proceeding to nonchalantly to tell the referee that she had a “small, partial ACL tear” but was fine to continue.
Modaferri, who was the biggest underdog on the UFC 246 card, would go on to defeat Barber via unanimous decision.
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Speaking at the post-fight press conference Saturday, UFC president Dana White was just as confused as everyone at the events that transpired with Barber in between Rounds 2 and 3.
“So weird,” White said. “I know, man. I don’t know. It was weird. Where’s Hunter at? Did you ever find out what that was about? He wanted to check her knee. All right.”
Barber, 21, is expected to be out for about nine months.
UFC 246 took place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
After every event, fans wonder whom the winners will be matched up with next.
With another night of UFC action in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker for UFC 246’s key winning fighters.
Those included [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC), who defeated Donald Cerrone (36-14 MMA, 23-11 UFC) by first-round TKO in the welterweight headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, as well as [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC), [autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag] (17-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC), [autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag] (24-16 MMA, 3-4 UFC) and [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC).
* * * *
Sodiq Yusuff
Josh Emmett
Should fight: [autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag] Why they should fight: Yusuff continued to be on a tear to begin his UFC tenure when he won an entertaining featherweight bout against Andre Fili by unanimous decision to improve to 4-0 inside the octagon.
Before and after the win, Yusuff said he felt this fight against Fili would propel him into a ranked matchup at 145 pounds. In a fair world, he’s absolutely right.
Emmett (15-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) was recently forced to pull out of a fight due to injury, and while it’s unknown how long his timeline is for a return, he would be the perfect opponent if the timing lines up between his return and Yusuff’s next fight date. Both men hit very hard, and there’s a good chance this one ends in a knockout.
Roxanne Modafferi
Jessica Eye
Should fight: [autotag]Jessica Eye[/autotag] Why they should fight: Modafferi shined brightest in one of the most important moments of her career when, as high as a 10-1 betting underdog, the cagey veteran temporarily derailed the hype of Maycee Barber with a bloody unanimous decision win.
The UFC has a habit of putting Modafferi in fights the world believes she will lose. Sometimes it has gone that way, but in recent years she’s surprised with wins over Barber and Antonina Shevchenko. How far can she take this trend? Why not find out against someone who just recently fought for the belt.
Eye (15-7 MMA, 5-6 UFC) may have been blown out of the water when she fought Valentina Shevchenko for UFC gold, but she rebounded with a win over Viviane Araujo at UFC 245 in December. “Evil” is looking to get back to another crack at UFC gold, and Modafferi would help her on the way. The fight could only happen, though, if Eye makes weight – something she was unable to do in her previous contest.
Diego Ferreira
Al Iaquinta
Should fight: [autotag]Al Iaquinta[/autotag] Why they should fight: Few saw this rise up the UFC lightweight pecking order from Ferreira, but after six consecutive wins, the Brazilian can only be taken seriously as a real contender.
Ferreira handled former UFC champ Anthony Pettis with relative ease, controlling the action before finishing the fight with a choke in the second round. It was the signature win Ferreira needed, and one that puts him in position for a top 10 fight at 155 pounds.
Given who is available in the weight class, Iaquinta (14-6-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) is a name who could make for a solid fight. Iaquinta is coming off a pair of losses but he still holds the name value that could carry Ferreira forward into even bigger fights.
Holly Holm
Irene Aldana
Should fight: [autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag] Why they should fight: Holm got a very important victory for her career longevity when she once again beat Raquel Pennington on the scorecards in their rematch.
At 38, the former UFC champ said she’s determined to get back to the belt. She’s one fight removed from losing to Amanda Nunes, and given the number of generous title shots “The Preacher’s Daughter” has already received, she’s going to need more before getting another one.
The women’s bantamweight division is relatively barren on super interesting fights for Holm, but Aldana (12-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC) is an opponent she has yet to share the cage with. Aldana is coming off a thunderous knockout win over Ketlen Vieira at UFC 245 in December, and she’s the perfect foe for Holm at this point.
Conor McGregor
Jorge Masvidal
Should fight: [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why McGregor should fight Masvidal (35-13 MMA, 12-6 UFC) next.
