Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.
MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.
But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.
Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.
Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Sept. 25-Oct. 1.
Check out which epic battle earned MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Year award for 2022.
With another action-packed year of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie takes a look at the best fights from January to December 2022.
As voted on by our entire staff, here are the top five and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Year.
Matt Schnell will find himself in the Comeback of the Year talks when 2022 is a wrap after a thrilling rally at UFC on ABC 3.
[autotag]Matt Schnell[/autotag] will find himself in the Comeback of the Year conversation when 2022 is a wrap after a thrilling rally against [autotag]Su Mudaerji[/autotag] on Saturday at UFC on ABC 3.
After getting worked over on the feet through the first and into the second round, Schnell (16-6 MMA, 6-4 UFC) turned the tables on Mudaerji (16-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) and landed shots of his own before locking in a savage triangle choke to finish the flyweight bout at USB Arena on Long Island.
The comeback set the MMA social media world ablaze, and you can check out the top reactions to Schnell’s comeback below.
Check out these photos from the UFC on ABC 3 ceremonial weigh-ins.
Check out these photos from the UFC on ABC 3 ceremonial weigh-ins which took place at the UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. (Photos courtesy of Gregory Payan, AP Images)
Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ABC 3 main card in Elmont, N.Y., on Long Island.
| Ortega vs. Rodriguez |
Lemos vs. Waterson |
Jingliang vs. Salikhov |
Mudaerji vs. Schnell |
Burgos vs. Jourdain |
Murphy vs. Tate |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 117-63 |
 Ortega (63%) |
 Lemos (65%) |
 Salikhov (64%) |
 Mudaerji (63%) |
 Burgos (74%) |
 Tate (72%) |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 123-62  2018 Champion |
Ortega |
Lemos |
 Jingliang |
Mudaerji |
Burgos |
 Murphy |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 119-66 |
Ortega |
Lemos |
Jingliang |
Mudaerji |
Burgos |
Tate |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 119-66 2014 Champion |
 Rodriguez |
Lemos |
Salikhov |
 Schnell |
 Jourdain |
Tate |
| Matthew Wells @MrMWells 117-68 |
Rodriguez |
Lemos |
Jingliang |
Mudaerji |
Jourdain |
Tate |
| Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 117-68 |
Ortega |
Lemos |
Jingliang |
Mudaerji |
Burgos |
Tate |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 116-69 |
Ortega |
Lemos |
Jingliang |
Mudaerji |
Burgos |
Tate |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 110-75 |
Rodriguez |
Lemos |
Salikhov |
Schnell |
Burgos |
Tate |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 110-75 |
Ortega |
Lemos |
Salikhov |
Mudaerji |
Burgos |
Tate |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 109-76 2017 Champion |
Ortega |
Lemos |
Jingliang |
Mudaerji |
Burgos |
Tate |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 103-82 |
Ortega |
Lemos |
Salikhov |
Schnell |
Burgos |
Tate |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 89-96 |
Rodriguez |
Lemos |
Salikhov |
Schnell |
Burgos |
Tate |
The UFC is back in New York on Long Island this week with a pair of featherweight contenders atop the lineup.
UFC on ABC 3 takes place Saturday at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. The main card airs on ABC and streams on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
In the main event, former featherweight title challenger [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] (15-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) takes on [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) in a key bout for the division. Ortega is a -190 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Rodriguez is +145. But it’s not a blowout with our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers, who have Ortega with a 7-4 lead in the picks.
In the women’s flyweight co-feature, [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag] (11-2-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) meets [autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag] (18-9 MMA, 6-5 UFC). Lemos is the biggest favorite on the main card at -320 and is our staff members’ only unanimous pick at 11-0.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Li Jingliang[/autotag] (18-7 MMA, 10-5 UFC) takes on [autotag]Muslim Salikhov[/autotag] (18-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) in a welterweight bout. Salikhov is a -160 favorite, but our staff pickers have Jingliang with a narrow 6-5 picks lead.
[autotag]Su Mudaerji[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) is a big -260 favorite against [autotag]Matt Schnell[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 5-5 UFC) in their flyweight bout, but he doesn’t have a blowout in the picks. He has just a 7-4 edge from our crew.
[autotag]Shane Burgos[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) is a -170 favorite in his featherweight fight against [autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag] (13-4-1 MMA, 4-3-1 UFC) and has a 9-2 lead in the picks.
And to open the main card, former women’s bantamweight champion [autotag]Miesha Tate[/autotag] (19-8 MMA, 6-5 UFC) makes her first appearance at flyweight. She’s more than a 2-1 favorite against Lauren Murphy (15-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) and is a near-unanimous pick at 10-1.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Ortega (63 percent), Lemos (65 percent), Salikhov (64 percent), Mudaerji (63 percent), Burgos (74 percent) and Tate (72 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 3.
[listicle id=2562049]
[vertical-gallery id=390506]
[listicle id=639757]
[listicle id=550405]
[pickup_prop id=”26024″]
An exciting flyweight matchup between Matt Schnell and Su Mudaerji is the latest addition to UFC on ABC 3.
An exciting flyweight matchup is the latest addition to UFC on ABC 3.
[autotag]Matt Schnell[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Su Mudaerji[/autotag] on July 16 at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. The main card will kick off at 3 p.m. ET and air on ABC and stream on ESPN+, with prelims set to begin at noon ET and air on ESPN and stream on ESPN+.
The promotion announced the booking Wednesday.
Schnell (15-6-1 MMA, 5-4-1 UFC) is coming off a first-round submission loss to Brandon Royval in May at UFC 274, where both men earned a Fight of the Night bonus. His most recent octagon win came in January 2021 when he defeated Tyson Nam at UFC on ESPN 20.
After dropping his UFC debut to Louis Smolka in November 2018, Mudaerji (16-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has won three straight, most recently a unanimous decision over Zarrukh Adashev at UFC on ESPN 20. The 26-year-old saw multiple bookings with Tim Elliott and Manel Kape scrapped and will return to action for the first time in 18 months.
The current UFC on ABC 3 lineup includes:
[vertical-gallery id=428330]
[vertical-gallery id=437692]
Tim Elliott will look to make it three straight when he meets surging flyweight Su Mudaerji on June 26.
[autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag] will look to make it three wins in a row when he meets a surging flyweight.
Elliott (17-11-1 MMA, 6-9 UFC) takes on [autotag]Su Mudaerji[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night on June 26 in an event that does not currently have a confirmed location or venue.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Elliott is coming off consecutive wins for the first time since 2016. After defeating Ryan Benoit via unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN 13 in July, the Glory MMA fighter picked up a lopsided decision win over Jordan Espinosa at UFC 259 earlier this month.
Since dropping his UFC debut to Louis Smolka in November 2018, Mudaerji has won three straight over Andre Soukhamthath, Malcolm Gordon and, most recently, Zarrukh Adashev at UFC on ESPN 20 in January, which earned him the No. 13 spot in the UFC’s official flyweight rankings.
With the addition to the card, the June 26 event now includes:
[vertical-gallery id=437692]
Mike Davis and Victoria Leonardo are facing potential six-month suspensions for injuries sustained in their fights.
[autotag]Mike Davis[/autotag] and [autotag]Victoria Leonardo[/autotag] are facing potential six-month medical suspensions after UFC on ESPN 20.
Davis (9-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC), who earned the “Fight of the Night” honor in a unanimous decision win over Mason Jones, needs clearance for his left thumb for his hard-fought battle with Jones.
Joining Davis with a potential 180-day term is Leonardo (8-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who needs clearance for her right forearm after suffering a second-round stoppage loss to Manon Fiorot.
MMA Junkie on Friday obtained the full list of suspensions from MixedMartialArts.com, the Association of Boxing Commissions’ official record keeper.
The full list of UFC on ESPN 20 medical suspensions includes:
[vertical-gallery id=581617]
Su Mudaerji spoke to the media following UFC on ESPN 20 on Fight Island, Abu Dhabi.
Su Mudaerji spoke to the media following UFC on ESPN 20 on Fight Island, Abu Dhabi.
Su Mudaerji will step in on short notice to replace Jeff Molina and face Zarrukh Adashev on Jan. 20.
[autotag]Zarrukh Adashev[/autotag] will still get to compete on “UFC Fight Island.”
With [autotag]Jeff Molina[/autotag] forced to withdraw from the UFC Fight Night event on Jan. 20, [autotag]Su Mudaerji[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) will step in to face Adashev (3-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC).
Two people with knowledge of the booking informed MMA Junkie of the plans but requested anonymity as the UFC has yet to make a formal announcement. The @bigpunches Instagram channel was first to report the news.
Adashev, a former kickboxer, was signed to the UFC in June after notching three straight wins. His winning streak came to a halt in his promotional debut when he was knocked out by Tyson Nam at UFC on ESPN 10.
After dropping his UFC debut to Louis Smolka in November 2018, China’s Mudaerji has won two in a row. The 24-year-old is coming off a 44-second “Performance of the Night” knockout of Malcom Gordon at UFC on ESPN 18.
With the change, the lineup for UFC Fight Night on Jan. 20 includes:
[vertical-gallery id=437692]
