Urijah Faber weighing in at UFC on ESPN 8 was unexpected, to say the least – and now there’s an explanation.
When [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] fights at UFC on ESPN 8, it could be against none other than UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Urijah Faber[/autotag].
According to a report from ESPN, [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (14-4-1 MMA, 4-0-1 UFC), who trains under Faber (35-11 MMA, 11-7 UFC) at Team Alpha Male, is experiencing a visa issue that could preclude him from competing against Vera on Saturday at UFC on ESPN 8.
No details were given as to what the visa issue is or why it’s coming up now, just one day before the scheduled fight.
To the surprise of many, Faber weighed in Friday morning to official serve as an alternate. He came in at 153 pounds, while Vera was 145.5. Both men usually compete at bantamweight. Yadong also tipped the scale at 145.5.
Faber, who last competed in December and lost to Petr Yan at UFC 245, has expressed his interest to continue fighting after breaking his previous retirement to return last July.
The matchup between Vera (17-5-1 MMA, 9-4 UFC) and Yadong was on-and-off leading up to fight week. After it was initially reported, Vera implied on Twitter that the fight wasn’t happening. Shortly thereafter, an Instagram post by Yadong indicated it was.
At Thursday’s media day, both fighters explained their side of the story. Yadong said it was a visa issue but that everything was straightened out.
UFC on ESPN 8 takes place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
The best facts and figures about UFC on ESPN 8, which features an Alistair Overeem vs. Walt Harris main event.
The final event in the UFC’s three-card stretch upon resuming operations from the coronavirus pandemic goes down Saturday with UFC on ESPN 8, which takes place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., and airs on ESPN.
The 11-fight lineup is topped by a heavyweight matchup. After several failed bookings, [autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag] (45-18 MMA, 10-7 UFC) will finally fight [autotag]Walt Harris[/autotag] (13-7 MMA, 6-6 UFC) in a matchup of contenders looking to take a step toward a championship fight.
The card has plenty more to offer too, though. For more on the numbers, check below for 55 pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN 8.
* * * *
Main event
Alistair Overeem
Overeem, 39, is the oldest of the 22 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
Overeem is one of 11 fighters in UFC history to earn 10 or more heavyweight wins.
Overeem has earned 40 of his 45 career victories by stoppage. That includes seven of his 10 UFC wins.
Overeem lands 73.4 percent of his significant strike attempts in UFC competition, the highest rate in company history.
Overeem has been on the losing end of the fifth and sixth largest statistical comeback finishes in UFC heavyweight history. He out-landed Antonio Silva by 30 significant strikes before being knocked out at UFC 156, and he out-landed Travis Browne by 27 significant strikes before his demise at UFC Fight Night 26
Overeem’s 14 knockout losses in MMA competition are the most of any active member on the UFC roster.
Overeem’s 12 knockout losses in UFC/WEC/PRIDE/Strikeforce competition are the most in combined organizational history.
Walt Harris
Harris is 6-4 (with one no contest) since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in April 2016.
Harris has earned all 13 of his career victories by knockout.
Harris’ 12-second knockout of Aleksei Oleinik at UFC on ESPN 4 is the third fastest in UFC heavyweight history. Todd Duffee holds the record with a seven-second finish at UFC 102.
Harris defends 61.6 percent of all opponent significant strike attempts in UFC heavyweight competition, the highest rate among active fighters in the weight class.
Co-main event
Claudia Gadelha
[autotag]Claudia Gadelha[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) six victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for fifth most in divisional history. Joanna Jedrzejczyk holds the record with 10.
Gadelha has alternated wins and losses over her past five fights. She won her most recent bout at UFC 239 in July.
Gadelha’s 33 takedowns landed in UFC strawweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Carla Esparza (34).
Gadelha has been awarded three fight-night bonuses for UFC strawweight bouts, tied for the third most in divisional history behind Jessica Andrade (six), Rose Namajunas (four) and Jedrzejczyk (four).
Angela Hill
[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag] (12-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC) competes in her 15th UFC strawweight bout, the most appearances in divisional history.
Hill is the only female fighter to earn two UFC victories in 2020.
Hill is 6-5 since she returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2017.
Hill’s seven victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied with Andrade and Esparza for second most in divisional history behind Jedrzejczyk (10).
Hill’s two knockout victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind Namajunas (three).
Remaining main card
Edson Barboza
[autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] (20-8 MMA, 14-8 UFC) drops to the featherweight division for the first time after making his previous 22 UFC appearances at lightweight.
Barboza is 1-4 in his past five fights dating back to December 2017.
Barboza’s seven knockout victories in UFC lightweight competition are tied with Melvin Guillard for most in divisional history.
Barboza’s 10 knockdowns landed in UFC lightweight competition are third most in divisional history behind Guillard (13) and Donald Cerrone (11).
Barboza is the only fighter in UFC history with knockout finishes stemming from a head kick, body punch, body kick, leg kicks and flying knee.
Barboza’s five knockout victories stemming from kicks and knees in UFC competition are the second most in company history behind Cerrone (seven).
Barboza is the only fighter in UFC history to earn two knockout victories stemming from leg kicks. He used them to stop Rafaello Oliveira at UFC 162 and Mike Lullo at UFC 123.
[autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]’s (13-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) five-fight UFC winning streak in featherweight competition is the fourth longest active streak behind Arnold Allen (seven), Zabit Magomedsharipov (six) and Alexander Volkanovski (six).
[autotag]Krzysztof Jotko[/autotag] (21-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) has earned seven of his eight UFC victories by decision.
Jotko defends 86 percent of all opponent takedown attempts in UFC middleweight competition, the second highest rate in divisional history behind Israel Adesanya (86.5 percent).
[autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (14-3-1 MMA, 4-0-1 UFC), 22, is the youngest of the 22 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
Marlon Vera
[autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag]’s (15-5-1 MMA, 9-4 UFC) five-fight UFC winning streak at bantamweight is the second longest active streak in the division behind Petr Yan (six).
Vera’s five-fight UFC stoppage streak is the second longest active streak in the company behind Charles Oliveira (seven).
Vera has earned eight of his nine UFC victories by stoppage.
Vera’s seven stoppage victories in UFC bantamweight competition are tied with Urijah Faber for second most in divisional history behind T.J. Dillashaw (eight).
Preliminary card
Matt Brown
[autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag] (22-16 MMA, 15-10 UFC) competes in his 26th UFC welterweight bout, tied with Thiago Alves for the most appearances in divisional history.
Brown’s 15 victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Georges St-Pierre (19) and Matt Hughes (16).
Brown’s 13 stoppage victories in UFC welterweight competition are the most in divisional history.
Brown’s 11 knockout victories in UFC competition are tied for second most in company history behind Vitor Belfort (12).
Brown’s 11 knockout victories in welterweight competition are the most in divisional history.
Brown lands 54.3 of his significant strike attempts in UFC welterweight competition, the second best rate in divisional history behind Gunnar Nelson (56.8 percent).
Brown’s 24 submission attempts in UFC welterweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Chris Lytle (31).
[autotag]Miguel Baeza[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is one of nine fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from leg kicks. He accomplished the feat at UFC on ESPN+ 19.
[autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) is the only fighter in UFC history to earn a victory and suffer a loss by anaconda choke submission.
Darren Elkins
[autotag]Darren Elkins[/autotag] (24-8 MMA, 14-7 UFC) competes in his 20th UFC featherweight bout, tied with Max Holloway for the appearances in divisional history.
Elkins’ three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since January 2018.
Elkins’ total fight time of 4:09:04 in UFC featherweight competition is second most in divisional history behind Holloway (4:32:00).
Elkins has landed 1,770 total strikes in UFC featherweight competition, the second most in divisional history behind Holloway (1,902).
Elkins’ 13 UFC featherweight victories are second most in divisional history behind Holloway (16).
Elkins’ 40 takedowns landed in UFC featherweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Dennis Bermudez (46).
Elkins’ 21 submission attempts in UFC featherweight competition are the most in divisional history.
[autotag]Cortney Casey[/autotag] (8-7 MMA, 4-6 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since Feb. 17, 2019. The 454-day layoff is the longest of her neatly seven-year career.
Casey moves up to the women’s flyweight division after spending her previous 10 UFC appearances at strawweight.
Casey is 1-3 in her past four fights since January 2017.
Casey’s six losses in UFC competition are tied for most among female fighters in company history.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
Betting odds and viewing guide for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card featuring Alistair Overeem vs. Walt Harris.
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The Ultimate Fighting Championship schedule keeps rolling along with UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Harris set for Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. Prelims begin at 6 p.m. ET with the main card set to start at 9 p.m. ET. The full event is available on ESPN+. Below, we look at the BetMGM betting odds for all 11 fights on the UFC Fight Night main card and prelims.
UFC Fight Night Overeem vs. Harris betting odds: Main card (9 p.m. ET)
Betting odds courtesy of BetMGM. All lines last updated Thursday, May 14 at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Alistair Overeem (+130) vs. Walt Harris (-154)
Heavyweight bout. No. 8 contender vs. No. 9 contender.
Claudia Gadelha (-189) vs. Angela Hill (+155)
Women’s strawweight bout. No. 6 contender vs. unranked.
Dan Ige (+115) vs. Edson Barboza (-139)
Featherweight bout. No. 15 contender vs. No. 11 contender.
Eryk Anders (+130) vs. Krzysztof Jotko (-159)
Middleweight bout. Unranked vs. unranked.
Song Yadong (-182) vs. Marlon Vera (+150)
Featherweight bout. No. 14 contender vs. No. 15 contender.
Want to place a bet on UFC Fight Night? Place bets at BetMGM online in CO, IN, NV, NJ and WV! New customer offer: Risk-free first bet! Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions. Bet now!
UFC Fight Night Overeem vs. Harris betting odds: Prelims (6 p.m. ET)
Matt Brown (+165) vs. Miguel Baeza (-200)
Welterweight bout. Unranked vs. unranked.
Anthony Hernandez (-115) vs. Kevin Holland (-106)
Middleweight bout. Unranked vs. unranked.
Mike Davis (-213) vs. Giga Chikadze (+175)
Featherweight bout. Unranked vs. unranked.
Cortney Casey (-154) vs. Mara Romero Borella (+130)
Women’s flyweight bout. Unranked vs. unranked.
Darren Elkins (-115) vs. Nate Landwehr (-106)
Featherweight bout. Unranked vs. unranked.
Rodrigo Nascimento (-104) vs. Don’tale Mayes (-118)
Heavyweight bout. Unranked vs. unranked.
How/Where can I watch UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Harris
Where is it? VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville
Get some action on UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Harris by placing a legal sports bets in Colorado, Indiana, Nevada, New Jersey and West Virginia at BetMGM. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 8 event in Jacksonville, Fla.
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 8 event in Jacksonville, Fla.
Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC on ESPN 8 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC on ESPN 8 takes place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The card airs on ESPN and streams ESPN+.
Make your picks for all five main card fights inside:
Marlon Vera and Song Yadong are on a collision course for the UFC’s May 16 event in Jacksonville, Fla.
[autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] and [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] are on a collision course.
The UFC is currently working on a fight between the two ranked bantamweights for the promotion’s May 16 event in Jacksonville, Fla. The event will be the third of three fights in a one-week for the promotion.
A person with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the booking, but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. MMA Fighting was the first to report the news.
The event takes place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The card is expected to air on ESPN and stream on ESPN+.
Vera (17-5-1 MMA, 9-4 UFC) rides a five-fight winning streak entering the fight. With as many finishes as fights during the streak, Vera finally earned himself a chance at a ranked opponent – the first for him since John Lineker in October 2017.
As for Yadong (15-4-1 MMA, 4-0-1 UFC), the Chinese fighter has not lost in eight in-cage appearances. After winning seven straight fights, Yadong fought to a draw against Cody Stamann at UFC on ESPN 7 in December.
With the addition, here’s the current UFC lineup for May 16:
MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn looks into his crystal ball to make 10 bold predictions for 2020 in UFC, Bellator and PFL.
The past decade was a time of great evolution and change in MMA, much of which even the most diehard fight fans couldn’t have seen coming. What will the first year of the next decade bring? Here are 10 bold predictions as the 2020 schedule gets set to kick off.
Without further ado …
* * * *
Khabib Nurmagomedov retires 30-0
UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] has made no secret that he doesn’t intend to have an extended career. His body has gone through the ringer due to various injuries over the years.
Moreover, Nurmagomedov already has etched out an undeniable legacy. If he can add a few more layers to that, he honestly doesn’t have much reason to keep going. If Nurmagomedov can get through what many believe to be his biggest obstacle in Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 in April, then there really aren’t many true challenges left for “The Eagle.” Another win after that would bring his career record to 30-0, and if that fight is a massive one, like his long-desired Georges St-Pierre superfight – or perhaps a Conor McGregor rematch – he pretty much will have done it all.
The only reason for Nurmagomedov to stick around beyond that would be to reap the benefits of being a massive star (far bigger than now), and that money is hard to walk away from. Everyone around Nurmagomedov has long said financial security is of no concern to him, though. If that’s true, it elevates the chances of this happening.
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Four current UFC title reigns end prior to a successful defense
Of the UFC’s current crop of champions, the following have yet to register a successful title defense during their current reign: [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] (heavyweight), [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (middleweight), [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (featherweight), [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] (bantamweight), [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] (women’s featherweight), and [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (strawweight).
More than half of those title reigns will go down as a flash in the pan.
Jon Jones’ UFC title record gets broken
Maycee Barber and Edmen Shahbazyan.
For more than eight years, [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]’ record for youngest champion in UFC history has gone largely unchallenged. Rose Namajunas had an opportunity to break his mark back in December 2014, but she fell short of winning the inaugural strawweight title.
2020, however, is the year Jones will be bumped from the history books. 21-year-old [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] (women’s flyweight or strawweight), 22-year-old [autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag] (middleweight) and 22-year-old [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (bantamweight) are all on the rise, and have already secured ranked positions in their respective weight classes.
They all have challenging paths, but one will claim UFC gold in the next 12 months.
A.J. McKee becomes champion and Bellator’s biggest star
A.J. McKee at Bellator 236. (Photo courtesy of Bellator)
Bellator has received criticism for the way its slow-played many of its prospects, but going into 2020, it’s difficult to look at [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] and argue Scott Coker mishandled the development of a young man who will soon be the face of the organization.
At just 24, McKee already holds a plethora of Bellator records. He’s validated himself in a big way over his past few fights, advancing to the semifinals of the ongoing Bellator featherweight grand prix. In order to win that tournament (and the featherweight belt), he’s going to have to go through some real tough competition, but if he comes out the other end on top – watch out.
McKee has spent his entire career with Bellator. His fighting style is tremendously entertaining to watch, and he has personality for days. If adds a belt to all that, there’s no reason Bellator shouldn’t push him to the moon.
UFC disbands at least one weight class
The UFC flyweight division and women’s featherweight division have been on shaky ground essentially since their inceptions, and 2020 could be the year one – or both of them – finally go.
Yes, Henry Cejudo “saved” the flyweight division, and there is a vacant title fight between Joseph Benavidez and Deiveson Figueiredo lined up for Feb. 29, but what comes next? As fun as the weight class can be, there’s just not a lot of money-making fights at 125 pounds.
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In comparison to the women’s featherweight division, though, flyweight is a thriving wonderland. Champion Amanda Nunes hasn’t defended her belt since winning it in December 2018, and although the promotion has signed a few new fighters to the weight class, there’s still not much going on. Nunes really wants to defend that 145 title for her legacy, but once that happens, the UFC could finally decide to pull the plug.
(Next page: PFL’s future, UFC vs. Bellator, and more)
Take a look inside Song Yadong’s majority draw with Cody Stamann at UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON – [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] and Cody Stamann fought to a majority draw Saturday on the main card at UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington, D.C.
Take a look inside the fight with Yadong, who was handed the first draw of his pro career.
“I was not surprised with the draw. I’m really disappointed in myself for losing the point in the first. It distracted me for the rest of the fight and I lost my flow and rhythm and the fight was difficult to get back under control.”
Yadong on training at Team Alpha Male
“I’m where I am today because of Team Alpha Male. They helped me prepare so well for this fight. I owe it all to my coaches.”
Yadong on what he wants next
“I just want to go back to the gym, figure out where I went wrong in this fight, and go back to improving. I won’t make a mistake like this again.”
To hear more from Yadong, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
UFC on ESPN 7 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.
WASHINGTON – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 7 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $177,000.
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 7 took place at Capital One Arena in Washington. The card aired on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN 7 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 2019 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
“UFC on ESPN 7: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik” – $177,000
Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 7 event in Washington, D.C.
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 7 went with as their backing tracks in Washington, D.C.
