Tag: UFC 266

Dan Hooker eager to fight at UFC 266 – and wants Nate Diaz or Tony Ferguson

Dan Hooker is dead set on competing at UFC 266 and there are two particular names that gauge his interest.

[autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] is dead set on competing at UFC 266, and there are two particular names that gauge his interest.

Hooker (20-10 MMA, 10-6 UFC) tried to join teammates Israel Adesanya and Brad Riddell on the UFC 263 card this past Saturday, but matchmakers couldn’t find him an opponent who was healthy or willing to go on that date.

Wanting to make sure he doesn’t end up without his corner on fight night, Hooker is looking at UFC 266 on Sept. 25, when featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is targeted to defend his title against Brian Ortega.

Hooker is willing to fight anyone on that date, but after seeing [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] (20-13 MMA, 15-11 UFC) say that he’s ready to turn around in three or four months, he couldn’t help but put his hand up.

“Definitely, that fight has my interest,” Hooker told MMA Junkie. “I had just seen the video of him saying he wants to get back in there in three or four months, and if you want to fight put your hand up, and that’s something I’m quite well known for – is putting my hands up for fights and taking opportunities and not staying silent in moments like that. I’m not afraid to ask for things that I want. I just see a good fight. I just feel I’ll bring the kind of fight that would do a Diaz brother justice, and it works in the timeline.

“He said three or four months – that September card, Volkanovski’s card. That’s three or four months. But that’s my date. My date is set for that. If he wants it, he wants it. We can get it done and we can get in there whatever weight class. But I’m not going to hang around and wait and hold my breath. That’s my date. I’ve got my date set. If he wants it, he wants it. If he doesn’t want it, I’m just going to chew my way down the list until I can get a name that says yes.”

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Another name Hooker thinks would make for a barnburner is [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] (25-6 MMA, 15-4 UFC), who’s also looking to get back on track after dropping three fights in a row.

“That’s just a fight that gets me excited, and that’s what the fans want to see,” Hooker said. “They want to see you in fights that you’re excited to be in. That Tony Ferguson-Dan Hooker fight, I feel like that’s a bloodbath. I feel like that’s an absolute war, and that’s a fight that definitely gets me up and gets me excited – so it’s on my list.”

Hooker hasn’t competed since a TKO loss to recent title challenger Michael Chandler in the first round at UFC 257 in January. The loss marked his second straight setback after a three-fight winning streak to land in the UFC’s top 10 lightweight rankings.

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Curtis Blaydes vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik added to UFC 266

A matchup of heavyweight contenders will go down in September when Curtis Blaydes meets Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC 266.

A matchup of heavyweight contenders will go down in September when [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] meets [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] at UFC 266.

MMA Junkie on Tuesday verified with multiple people close to the situation that Blaydes (14-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) and Rozenstruik (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) have agreed to meet at the upcoming event. MMAFighting.com was first to report the news.

UFC 266 takes place Sept. 25, but does have an announced location or venue. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims expected on ESPN and ESPN+

Blaydes, No. 4 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie heavyweight rankings, will return to the octagon after having his momentum toward a title shot snapped by Derrick Lewis with a highlight-reel knockout at UFC Fight Night 185 in February.

He’ll take on No. 7-ranked Rozenstruik, who is coming off a first-round TKO of Augusto Sakai in the UFC Fight Night 189 main event this month. “Bigi Boy” is 2-2 in his past four bouts.

The latest UFC 266 lineup now includes:

  • Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira
  • Jessica Andrade vs. Cynthia Calvillo
  • Uros Medic vs. Jalin Turner
  • Merab Dvalishvili vs. Marlon Moraes
  • Curtis Blaydes vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik

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Marlon Moraes vs. Merab Dvalishvili targeted for UFC 266 on Sept. 25

Merab Dvalishvili will get the matchup he was hoping for when he faces Marlon Moraes at UFC 266.

[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] will get the matchup he was hoping for.

Dvalishvili (13-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) is targeted to meet former title challenger [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] at UFC 266 on Sept. 25. A venue and location have not yet been announced for this card.

MMA Junkie confirmed the booking with a person with knowledge of the matchup after it was announced by Dvalishvili’s coach Ray Longo on the Anik Florian Podcast.

Following his win over Cody Stamann in May, Dvalishvili mentioned that the UFC was looking to match him up with Moraes, an idea that got him excited. The Georgian fighter has won his past six in a row and will look to enter the upper echelon of the division when he takes on a former title challenger.

Moraes (23-8-1 MMA, 5-4 UFC) is currently enduring the roughest stretch of his career having lost three of his past four. After rebounding from his bantamweight title loss to Henry Cejudo with a win over former featherweight king Jose Aldo at UFC 245, Moraes has dropped two straight stoppage losses to Cory Sandhagen, and most recently Rob Font at UFC Fight Night 183 in December.

With the addition, the UFC 266 lineup now includes:

  • Champ Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira – for light heavyweight title
  • Manon Fiorot vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
  • Uros Medic vs. Jalin Turner
  • Jessica Andrade vs. Cynthia Calvillo
  • Merab Dvalishvili vs. Marlon Moraes

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Jessica Andrade vs. Cynthia Calvillo set for UFC 266 on Sept. 25

After a failed bid for the women’s flyweight title, Jessica Andrade will get back to work this fall.

After a failed bid for the women’s flyweight title, [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] will get back to work this fall.

Andrade (21-9 MMA, 12-7 UFC) is set to take on [autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag] (9-2-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) at UFC 266 in September. MMA Junkie confirmed the booking with a person with knowledge of the matchup following an initial report from ESPN Deportes.

UFC 266 takes place Sept. 25. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+. A venue and location have not yet been announced.

Andrade fought champion Valentina Shevchenko for the 125-pound title in April after a first-round TKO win over Katlyn Chookagian in October 2020 when she moved to the division. It was enough to get a title shot, but Shevchenko continued her dominance with a second-round TKO win.

Prior to her return to flyweight, Andrade won the strawweight title with a slam knockout of Rose Namajunas in May 2019. But she lost the belt in her first attempted defense when Zhang Weili stopped her with a 42-second TKO. She then lost a rematch to Namajunas 11 months later before her move up to 125 pounds.

Calvillo will be looking to bounce back from a loss, herself. This past November, she lost a decision to Chookagian at UFC 255. Before that, she was unbeaten in her previous four fights with a first-round submission of Poliana Botelho, decisions over Cortney Casey and Jessica Eye, and a majority draw with Marina Rodriguez.

With the addition, the UFC 266 lineup now includes:

  • Champ Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira – for light heavyweight title
  • Uros Medic vs. Jalin Turner
  • Jessica Andrade vs. Cynthia Calvillo

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (May 17-23)

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 May 17-23.

Jan Blachowicz to defend light heavyweight title against Glover Teixeira at UFC 266

Jan Blachowicz’s next title defense is set for this fall when he meets Glover Teixeira at UFC 266.

[autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag]’s next title defense is set for this fall.

The UFC light heavyweight champion, Blachowicz (28-8 MMA, 11-5 UFC) will meet [autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] (32-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC) at UFC 266 on Sept. 4, Dana White revealed Wednesday to the promotion’s broadcast partner, ESPN. No venue or location has been announced for the event, nor have any additional fights been announced.

Poland’s Blachowicz will seek his second title defense. After he claimed the vacant 205-pound title with a second-round knockout of Dominick Reyes at UFC 253 in September, Blachowicz successfully defended his title for the first time against middleweight champ Israel Adesanya at UFC 259. The loss bounced Adesanya out of the ranks of the unbeaten. The 38-year-old fighter was able to take Adesanya down to the mat multiple times en route to a unanimous decision win.

Meanwhile, Teixeira, 41, has finally earned a second crack at the title. The Brazilian failed to capture the light heavyweight belt in April 2014, when he was defeated by then-champion Jon Jones at UFC 172. In the fights that followed, Teixeira saw mixed results, until he went on an incredible five-fight winning streak. In his most recent two outings, Texiera finished two former title challengers. After a brutal beatdown of Anthony Smith in April 2020, Teixeira submitted Thiago Santos in September.

Shortly after the announcement, Teixeira issued a statement on Twitter which voiced his pleasure in finally getting his second stab at title status.

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