Tag: UFC 256

Kevin Holland vs. ‘Jacare’ Souza added to UFC 256

Kevin Holland didn’t have to wait a day to find a new date and opponent as he tries to go 5-0 in 2020.

[autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] lost an upcoming main event slot due to a recent COVID-19 diagnosis, but he’s already got another fight lined up — and it will be one of the biggest names he’s ever faced.

He’ll now meet former Strikeforce middleweight champion [autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag] at UFC 256 on Dec. 12. The UFC announced the bout during Saturday night’s UFC on ESPN 18 broadcast.

Holland (20-5 MMA, 9-2 UFC) was scheduled to meet Jack Hermansson in the main event of UFC on ESPN 19 on Dec. 5, but was pulled from the fight Saturday after word of his COVID diagnosis broke. Hermansson will now fight Marvin Vettori instead.

Holland is looking to go 5-0 in 2020. He has wins over Anthony Hernandez, Joaquin Buckley, Darren Stewart and Charlie Ontiveros, with three of those victories by finish.

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Souza (26-8 UFC, 9-5 UFC) makes a long-awaited octagon return. He was scheduled to fight Uriah Hall at UFC 249, but the day before the show, he became the first UFC fighter to test positive for COVID-19 during the current era and withdrew. He’ll try to shake off a two-fight skid.

Souza was initially slated to fight Vettori at UFC 256 before Vettori was shuffled to the Hermansson fight.

UFC 256, which will be held at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, will be headlined by Deiveson Figueiredo’s flyweight title defense against Brandon Moreno, with both fighters competing on 21-day turnarounds.

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Charles Oliveira: UFC 256 ‘war’ with Tony Ferguson will prove ‘it’s my time’

Charles Oliveira is ready to prove he belongs in the title discussion in the lightweight division by beating Tony Ferguson at UFC 256.

[autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] is ready to prove he belongs in the title discussion in the lightweight division by beating [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] at UFC 256.

Oliveira (29-8 MMA, 17-8 UFC), who is currently riding a seven-fight winning streak with all finishes, gets an opportunity to take his career to the next level when he meets Ferguson (25-4 MMA, 15-2 UFC) in a crucial bout for the division in the Dec. 12 co-main event, which takes place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Ferguson is a former interim 155-pound titleholder and one of the most established and successful names in the weight class over the past decade. Oliveira is eager to take his spot, though, and said the motivation to capitalize on this opportunity is immense.

“I’m taking this fight on less than 20 days notice, but it’s a chance to display my talent and show I’m ready to fight any top 5 ranked guy, like I’ve been saying for a while now”, Oliveira told UFC.com on Tuesday. “The time has come. I will shock the world on Dec. 12.”

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Ferguson, No. 4 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie MMA lightweight rankings, has been pushing for a return to the octagon since he suffered a fifth-round TKO loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 249 in May. The defeat snapped a 12-fight winning streak for “El Cucuy,” but it appeared to set a fire under him.

It seemed the stars were aligning for a matchup between Ferguson and former Bellator champ Michael Chandler was going to come together, but then the UFC went another direction with Oliveira.

That was exactly what the Brazilian was hoping for, because No. 6-ranked Oliveira has been calling out the top-ranked fighters in his division for the past few years. He got a solid win over Kevin Lee at UFC Fight Night 170 in March, and now he can leave no question where he stands by beating Ferguson.

Between Oliveira and Ferguson, there’s a record 28 combined UFC fight night bonuses. No matchup in history has had that type of track record for bonuses, and Oliveira thinks that creates an epic fight at UFC 256.

“I’m expecting this fight to be a war, because we’re both good on the feet and on the ground,” Oliveira said “We both like to fight, we both move forward Fans can be sure this is going to be a war, but they can also be sure that when it’s done, my arm will be raised. It’s my moment. I respect Ferguson in every way – he’s tough, a fantastic guy – but now it’s my time.”

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Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling bantamweight title fight off UFC 256

A bantamweight title fight pitting Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling has been removed from UFC 256 on Dec. 12.

UFC 256 has lost another championship fight.

The bantamweight title bout between champion [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and challenger [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (19-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) has been scrapped from UFC 256 on Dec. 12 in Las Vegas.

MMA Junkie confirmed the news with a person with knowledge of the change following an initial report by MMA Island. The person requested anonymity because the UFC has not made a formal announcement. The person told MMA Junkie “personal reasons” for Yan led to the change.

A timeline for a rebooking of the fight is unknown, but Sterling posted Sunday that he hopes he meets the champ sooner rather than later:

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UFC 256 recently lost a women’s featherweight title fight between dual champion Amanda Nunes and challenger Megan Anderson. Nunes was forced to withdraw from the card due to injury.

The UFC now is expected to have a flyweight title bout atop the card between champ Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno. Both fought Saturday at UFC 255. Figueiredo defended his title in the main event against Alex Perez and Moreno defeated Brandon Royval to move into top contender status.

The latest UFC 256 lineup now includes:

    • Champ Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno – for flyweight title
    • Tony Ferguson vs. Charles Oliveira
    • Dwight Grant vs. Li Jingliang
    • Ronaldo Souza vs. Marvin Vettori
    • Angela Hill vs. Tecia Torres
    • Mackenzie Dern vs. Virna Jandiroba
    • Omari Akhmedov vs. opponent TBA
    • Serghei Spivac vs. Jared Vanderaa
    • Dalcha Lungiambula vs. Karl Roberson
    • Peter Barrett vs. Chase Hooper
    • Billy Quarantillo vs. Gavin Tucker
    • Andrea Lee vs. Gillian Robertson
    • Rafael Fiziev vs. Renato Moicano

Positive COVID-19 test pushes Renato Moicano vs. Rafael Fiziev to UFC 256

Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 18 card has lost a key lightweight matchup – but it didn’t go too far.

Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 18 card has lost a key lightweight matchup – but it didn’t go too far.

[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] (14-3-1 MMA, 6-3 UFC) was set to take on [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) this week, but a positive COVID-19 test for Moicano has pushed the bout to next month.

Instead, Moicano vs. Fiziev will take place at UFC 256, which takes place Dec. 12 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. MMA Junkie confirmed the move with a person with knowledge of the matchup following an initial report from MMAFighting.com.

After compiling a 5-3 record as a featherweight in the UFC, including wins over Calvin Kattar and Cub Swanson, Moicano moved up to lightweight and submitted Damir Hadzovic in just 44 seconds at UFC on ESPN+ 28 in March. He was scheduled to face Magomed Mustafaev in October, but was forced out due to undisclosed reasons.

Fiziev dropped his promotional debut to Mustafaev in April 2019, but rebounded with back-to-back wins over Alex White and, most recently, Marc Diakiese at UFC on ESPN+ 30 in July.

With the change, the UFC 256 lineup includes:

  • Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling
  • Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno
  • Tony Ferguson vs. Charles Oliveira
  • Dwight Grant vs. Li Jingliang
  • Ronaldo Souza vs. Marvin Vettori
  • Angela Hill vs. Tecia Torres
  • Mackenzie Dern vs. Virna Jandiroba
  • Omari Akhmedov vs. TBA
  • Serghei Spivac vs. Jared Vanderaa
  • Dalcha Lungiambula vs. Karl Roberson
  • Peter Barrett vs. Chase Hooper
  • Billy Quarantillo vs. Gavin Tucker
  • Andrea Lee vs. Gillian Robertson
  • Rafael Fiziev vs. Renato Moicano

Tony Ferguson booked to fight Charles Oliveira at UFC 256

Tony Ferguson has been granted his wish to fight once more before the end of the year.

[autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] has been granted his wish to fight once more before the end of the year.

Ferguson (25-4 MMA, 15-2 UFC), a former interim UFC lightweight champion, will meet [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] (29-8 MMA, 17-8 UFC) on Dec. 12 at UFC 256 in Las Vegas.

MMA Junkie confirmed the matchup with multiple people close to the situation following an initial report from UFC broadcast partner ESPN. The people requested anonymity because the UFC has yet to make an official announcement.

Ferguson is fighting for the first time since losing an interim lightweight title fight to Justin Gaethje last May at UFC 249.

Oliveira, meanwhile, is looking to extend a seven-fight winning streak at 155 pounds – all of which have come by stoppage.

With the addition, the latest UFC 256 lineup now includes:

  • Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling – for bantamweight title
  • Tony Ferguson vs. Charles Oliveira
  • Dwight Grant vs. Li Jingliang
  • Ronaldo Souza vs. Marvin Vettori
  • Angela Hill vs. Tecia Torres
  • Mackenzie Dern vs. Virna Jandiroba
  • Omari Akhmedov vs. opponent TBA
  • Serghei Spivac vs. Jared Vanderaa
  • Dalcha Lungiambula vs. Karl Roberson
  • Peter Barrett vs. Chase Hooper
  • Billy Quarantillo vs. Gavin Tucker
  • Andrea Lee vs. Gillian Robertson

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Andrea Lee vs. Gillian Robertson in the works for UFC 256

A women’s flyweight bout pitting Andrea Lee vs. Gillian Robertson is headed for UFC 256 in December.

[autotag]Andrea Lee[/autotag] will look to end her worst career skid next month.

A fight between Lee and [autotag]Gillian Robertson[/autotag] is in the works for on Dec. 12 at UFC 256 in Las Vegas, with verbal agreements in place. A person with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the impending booking but asked to remain anonymous since the UFC has yet to make an announcement.

Lee (11-5 MMA, 3-3 UFC), who’s currently on a three-fight losing streak, will attempt to get back in the win column in her seventh UFC bout. The 31-year-old is coming off a decision loss to veteran Roxanne Modafferi back in September at UFC Fight Night 177. Lee sits at No. 10 in the official UFC women’s flyweight rankings.

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On the other hand, Robertson (9-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC), who’s ranked 12th, enters with a good amount of momentum. The Canadian is on a two-fight winning streak and 4-1 in her last five bouts. Robertson most recently was in action last month when she defeated Poliana Botelho at UFC Fight Night 180.

With the addition, the UFC 256 lineup now includes:

  • Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling – for bantamweight title
  • Andrea Lee vs. Gillian Robertson
  • Dwight Grant vs. Li Jingliang
  • Ronaldo Souza vs. Marvin Vettori
  • Angela Hill vs. Tecia Torres
  • Mackenzie Dern vs. Virna Jandiroba
  • Omari Akhmedov vs. opponent TBA
  • Serghei Spivac vs. Jared Vanderaa
  • Dalcha Lungiambula vs. Karl Roberson
  • Peter Barrett vs. Chase Hooper
  • Billy Quarantillo vs. Gavin Tucker

Megan Anderson says Amanda Nunes out of UFC 256, title fight pushed to 2021

It appears Megan Anderson’s shot at the woman widely regarded as the best female fighter in MMA history will have to wait.

It appears [autotag]Megan Anderson[/autotag]’s shot at the woman widely regarded as the best female fighter in MMA history will have to wait.

Anderson (11-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) was set to take on women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 13-1 UFC) for the 145-pound title at UFC 256 next month. But now, the fight reportedly is off.

Anderson on Monday posted on Twitter three broken-heart emojis, leaving her message open to interpretation. But less than an hour later, she posted another message saying she is wishing Nunes a fast recovery in response to a tweet from UFC broadcast partner ESPN saying the title fight is off.

Anderson said the UFC will rebook the title fight for early 2021.

Anderson was set to challenge Nunens at UFC 256, which takes place Dec. 12 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas

Nunes is riding an 11-fight winning streak that dates back nearly six years. She’s been on a tear after the lone loss of her UFC career to Cat Zingano in September 2014. She won the women’s bantamweight title at UFC 200 in July 2016 and has defended it five times.

In addition, she ran through the previously near-unstoppable Cris Cyborg in just 51 seconds to win the featherweight title in December 2018, making her a simultaneous two-division champion.

Unlike other UFC dual champs, Nunes has not had to relinquish one of the belts. Instead, she’s been able to defend both titles. In June, she put the 145-pound strap up for the first time against a gritty Felicia Spencer and won a unanimous decision at UFC 250. It was her eighth straight title fight victory spread out over the two divisions.

Anderson is a former Invicta FC featherweight titleholder, but has had ups and downs since coming to the UFC in 2018. She lost her promotional debut to former bantamweight champ Holly Holm, but picked up a TKO win over Zingano in December 2018 in controversial fashion when the fight was stopped in part because Zingano couldn’t see from an accidental eye poke.

After that win, Anderson fought fellow ex-Invicta champ Spencer and was submitted in the first round. Spencer went on to a title shot with Nunes from that win. But in October 2019, Anderson bounced back with a submission of Zarah Fairn at UFC 243, and in February she knocked out Norma Dumont for her first UFC winning streak.

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Sergey Spivak vs. Jared Vanderaa in the works for UFC 256

A recent DWCS winner will get his wish in his UFC debut.

It seems [autotag]Jared Vanderaa[/autotag] got what he wanted.

The Contender Series alumni is targeted to fight [autotag]Sergey Spivak[/autotag] for his UFC debut on Dec. 12 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. MMA Junkie confirmed the news with sources after an initial report from MMA Fighting.

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Vanderaa (11-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) called for a bout with Spivak following his Contender Series victory over Harry Hunsucker on Wednesday, claiming Spivak dodged him in the regional circuit.

Vanderaa stopped Hunsucker in the first round to win a UFC contract. Vanderaa is 5-1 in his past six outings. The 28-year-old trains out of Team Quest.

Meanwhile, Spivak (11-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) last fought in August at UFC on ESPN+ 30, defeating Carlos Felipe via majority decision. With the victory, Spivak bounced back from a decision loss to Marcin Tybura in February.

Below is the updated lineup for UFC 256:

  • Amanda Nunes vs. Megan Anderson – for women’s featherweight title
  • Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling – for bantamweight title
  • Dwight Grant vs. Li Jingliang
  • Ronaldo Souza vs. Marvin Vettori
  • Angela Hill vs. Tecia Torres
  • Mackenzie Dern vs. Virna Jandiroba
  • Omari Akhmedov vs. TBA
  • Dalcha Lungiambula vs. Karl Roberson
  • Peter Barrett vs. Chase Hooper
  • Billy Quarantillo vs. Gavin Tucker

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Hablemos MMA #14: Entrevista con Santiago Ponzinibbio, resumen de UFC 254, noticias, y más

Escucha el episodio 14 de Hablemos MMA con Santiago Ponzinibbio.

(Editor’s note: Hablemos MMA is MMA Junkie’s weekly Spanish-language podcast hosted by reporter Danny Segura. New episodes are released every Monday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more of your favorite podcasting platforms. You can also stream or download the latest episode here.)

 En el episodio 14 de Hablemos MMA, Danny Segura entrevista a [autotag]Santiago Ponzinibbio[/autotag] acerca del estatus de su carrera, cuando podrá volver al octágono, su trabajo como comentarista en UFC Español, [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag], y mucho más.

También analizamos los resultados de UFC 256, y repasamos las ultimas noticias de la semana incluyendo el retiro de [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag], [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag], la última pelea de [autotag]Anderson Silva[/autotag], y mucho y más.

UFC 256 adds Tecia Torres vs. Angela Hill rematch to Dec. 12 lineup

Angela Hill and Tecia Torres are going to run back a fight they had in Mexico City in 2015.

[autotag]Tecia Torres[/autotag] and [autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag] are going to run it back.

At UFC 256 on Dec. 12, two longtime members of the UFC’s 115-pound division, Hill (12-9 MMA, 7-9 UFC) and Torres (11-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC), will meet in a rematch of their clash from more than five years ago.

Multiple people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

While no official announcement has been made, UFC 256 is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas with a main card on pay-per-view following prelims on a combination of ESPN and ESPN+.

The first fight between Hill and Torres took place in October 2015 at UFC 188, which was the UFC’s first event in Mexico. That night, Torres beat Hill by unanimous decision.

Since that fight, Hill has gone 10-8 and briefly was cut from the UFC before re-signing with the promotion in early 2017 after a stint as Invicta FC’s strawweight champion. Torres has gone 5-5 in 10 UFC appearances since their first matchup.

Hill will look to rebound from back-to-back split decision losses to Michelle Waterson and Claudia Gadelha. Torres will be looking to turn a recent win over Brianna van Buren into a winning streak.

With the addition, the UFC 256 lineup includes:

  • Amanda Nunes vs. Megan Anderson – for UFC women’s featherweight title
  • Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling – for UFC bantamweight title
  • Mackenzie Dern vs. Virna Jandiroba
  • Ronaldo Souza vs. Marvin Vettori
  • Dwight Grant vs. Li Jingliang
  • Angela Hill vs. Tecia Torres

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