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 from Jan. 2-8.
UFC featherweights Tucker Lutz and Daniel Pineda look to reenter the win column when they square off in San Antonio.
A featherweight bout is the newest addition to the upcoming UFC card in San Antonio.
[autotag]Tucker Lutz[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) will square off with Texas’ own [autotag]Daniel Pineda[/autotag] (27-14 MMA, 4-5 UFC) at UFC on ESPN 43, which takes place March 25 at AT&T Center.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Lutz, 28, split his UFC appearances to date. Following a debut win over Kevin Aguilar at UFC 262 in May 2021, Lutz lost to Pat Sabatini in November 2021. The defeat snapped a 12-fight winning streak that dated back to his second pro fight.
Pineda, 37, returns for his first MMA fight since June 2021 when he suffered a fight-ending inadvertent eye poke vs. Andre Fili. He was briefly linked to a matchup against Jamall Emmers in May, but the bout was canceled. In his second UFC stint, Pineda is 1-1 with a no contest across three bouts.
With the addition, the UFC on ESPN 43 lineup includes:
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Tucker Lutz needs a new opponent for UFC Columbus.
[autotag]Tucker Lutz[/autotag] needs a new opponent for UFC Columbus.
Due to an undisclosed injury, [autotag]Seungwoo Choi[/autotag] is out of his matchup with Lutz at UFC on ESPN 33, which takes place March 26 at Nationwide Arena. The main card airs on ESPN after prelims on ESPN+. The promotion is currently seeking a replacement.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the withdrawal but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
After defeating Kevin Aguilar in his promotional debut at UFC 262, Lutz (12-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) saw his 12-fight winning streak snapped at the hands of Pat Sabatini this past November at UFC Fight Night 198.
Choi (10-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) had also seen his winning streak snapped in his past outing when he was submitted by veteran Alex Caceres in October. Prior to that defeat, Choi picked up three straight wins over Suman Mokhtarian, Youssef Zalal, and Julian Erosa.
The current UFC Columbus lineup includes:
Two of the UFC’s rising featherweights will look to get back in the win column following recent losses.
The UFC is headed to Columbus, Ohio and a featherweight fight is going with it.
Rising 145-pounders [autotag]Seungwoo Choi[/autotag] and [autotag]Tucker Lutz[/autotag] are targeted to fight on March 26 at Nationwide Arena in the first UFC Fight Night event to be held in front of an audience post-pandemic. Verbal agreements are in place with contracts expected to be issued in the coming days.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Choi (10-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) had a three-fight winning streak snapped in October when he was submitted by longtime UFC fighter Alex Caceres. Prior to that defeat, Choi had strung together victories over Suman Mokhtarian, Youseff Zalal, and Julian Erosa.
Lutz (12-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) also had a streak snapped in his most recent fight. Following a 12-fight winning streak, Lutz lost a unanimous decision to Pat Sabatini in November. The loss was his first since his pro debut in October 2015.
With the addition, the UFC Columbus lineup includes:
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Check out all the facts and figures from UFC Fight Night 198, which saw a near-record 10 fights end in a decision.
UFC Fight Night 198 took place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and with 10 decision results, it turned out to be one of the more forgettable events of the year.
It won’t be remembered that way for [autotag]Ketlen Vieira[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC), though, as she put a signature win on her resume when she outworked [autotag]Miesha Tate[/autotag] (19-8 MMA, 6-5 UFC) to a unanimous decision in the women’s bantamweight headliner.
For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 35 post-event facts to come out of UFC Fight Night 198.
All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken 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 from Oct. 18-24.
Pat Sabatini is going to need to keep these Tuckers straight.
[autotag]Pat Sabatini[/autotag] is going to need to keep these Tuckers straight.
Sabatini (15-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC) was set to take on [autotag]Gavin Tucker[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) next month at UFC Fight Night 198. But Tucker is out, and a fight for Sabatini against [autotag]Tucker Lutz[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) now is in the works, a person with knowledge of the new matchup told MMA Junkie. The person requested anonymity because the UFC has not yet made a formal announcement.
Lutz was scheduled to fight [autotag]Lando Vannata[/autotag] (12-5-2 MMA, 4-5-2 UFC) a week earlier at UFC Fight Night 197. His shift to the Sabatini fight leaves Vannata without an opponent. It is not yet known if Vannata will remain on the card against a new opponent or will fight at a later date.
UFC Fight Night 197 takes place Nov. 13 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. UFC Fight Night 198 takes place at the same venue a week later on Nov. 20. Both cards will stream on ESPN+.
Lutz dropped his pro debut in 2015, but is on a 12-fight winning streak since then. After a pair of wins on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020, he made his promotional debut in May and took a unanimous decision against Kevin Aguilar at UFC 262.
Sabatini has won four straight fights. After he won the CFFC featherweight title in December 2020, he signed with the UFC. He won his promotional debut in April with a decision over Tristan Connelly. In August, he submitted Jamall Emmers in the first round.
With the change, the UFC Fight Night 198 lineup now includes:
The UFC Fight Night 197 lineup includes:
The best facts and figures to come out of UFC 262, which saw Charles Oliveira make history with his title-winning TKO of Michael Chandler.
The UFC’s seventh pay-per-view of the year delivered in a big way on Saturday with UFC 262 at Toyota Center in Houston.
Charles Oliveira (31-8 MMA, 19-8 UFC) became the new lightweight champion in the main event when he scored a thrilling second-round TKO win over Michael Chandler (22-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC), setting all types of UFC records in the process.
For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 55 post-event facts to come out of UFC 262.
Despite finding success at lightweight, Tucker Lutz is looking to return to his original home of featherweight after securing UFC contract.
LAS VEGAS —Despite finding success at lightweight, [autotag]Tucker Lutz[/autotag] is looking to return to his original home.
Lutz (11-1), who’s currently riding an 11-fight winning streak, earned a UFC contract by defeating formerly unbeaten Sherrard Blackledge via unanimous decision at Dana White’s Contender Series 36 at the UFC Apex.
Though he has no timetable for his UFC debut due to a nagging cartilage issue in his chest, Lutz is planning to drop down to featherweight, where he spent a good portion of his early career.
“Most of my professional fights have actually been down at ’45, and I’ve been walking around significantly lighter, so I think that’ll be the move,” Lutz told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at the post-fight press conference. “I’ve really gotta address this injury that I have, so I’m gonna be getting an MRI when I get back home to Baltimore and go from there. But I think my future is honestly at ’45 from here on out.”
The second time was the charm for Lutz, who failed to secure a UFC contract two months ago, when he defeated Chase Gibson via unanimous decision at Dana White’s Contender Series 31.
This time around, Lutz vowed to accept whatever outcome he was presented, a mentality which paid off for him at the end.
“I was nervous, but it was a dog fight I thought,” Lutz said. “It was a grindy fight which I don’t prefer, but they’re fun every now and again so I was at peace with what happened, whether I got the contract or not. It was a good showing.”
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Check out the results from Monday’s official Dana White’s Contender Series 36 fighter weigh-ins.
LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie was on scene and reporting live from Monday’s official Dana White’s Contender Series 36 fighter weigh-ins, where all 10 fighters hit their marks for Tuesday’s card.
Dana White’s Contender Series cards see prospects fighting for the opportunity to sign a UFC deal, with UFC president Dana White on hand to make the decisions.
In the featured bout, a pair of Dana White’s Contender Series return to the show, with South African flyweight [autotag]JP Buys[/autotag] (8-2) following up on a 2017 appearance to face [autotag]Jacob Silva[/autotag] (6-3), who suffered a decision loss in his DWCS debut in August.
In terms of weigh-ins, the most interesting matchup takes place at heavyweight, where Diaz brothers protege [autotag]Nick Maximov[/autotag] (5-0), who normally competes at light heavyweight, moves up a division to take on Mexico’s [autotag]Oscar Cota[/autotag] (11-2). The two fighters weighed in on opposite ends of the heavyweight division, with Maximov at 209 pounds and Cota at 263.5, resulting in a rarely seen 54.5 pound weight difference between the two competitors.
The early weigh-ins took place at the UFC host hotel in Las Vegas. The UFC Apex hosts Tuesday’s card, which streams on ESPN+. Due to scheduling conflicts, the ceremony did not feature faceoffs between the fighters.
The full Dana White’s Contender Series 36 weigh-in results included:
MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
