Tag: UFC 267

Magomed Ankalaev vs. Volkan Oezdemir moves to UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi

Magomed Ankalaev vs. Volkan Oezdemir will join an already stacked UFC 267 lineup.

[autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag] will join an already stacked UFC 267 lineup.

Originally slated for the UFC Fight Night 191 card on Sept. 4, Ankalaev (15-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) vs. Oezdemir (17-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC) has moved to the Oct. 30 pay-per-view card, which takes place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The event is expected to air on ABC.

A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. MMA DNA was first to report the news.

Since dropping his UFC debut in a comeback loss to Paul Craig, Russia’s Ankalaev has emerged as one of the top contenders in the light heavyweight division. Currently riding a six-fight winning streak, which includes back-to-back finishes of Ion Cutelaba, Ankalaev is coming off a unanimous decision win over Nikita Krylov in February.

Oezdemir will look to bounce back from his knockout loss to Jiri Prochazka at UFC 251 in July 2020. Prior to that, the former title challenger scored two straight wins over Ilir Latifi and rising contender Aleksandar Rakic.

With the addition, the UFC 267 lineup now includes:

  • Champ Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira – for light heavyweight title
  • Champ Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan – for bantamweight title
  • Rafael dos Anjos vs. Islam Makhachev
  • Marcin Tybura vs. Alexander Volkov
  • Magomed Ankalaev vs. Volkan Oezdemir
  • Khamzat Chimaev vs. Li Jingliang
  • Virna Jandiroba vs. Amanda Ribas
  • Walt Harris vs. Tai Tuivasa
  • Shamil Gamzatov vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
  • Ricardo Ramos vs. Zubaira Tukhugov
  • Makwan Amirkhani vs. Tristan Connelly
  • Allan Nascimento vs. Tagir Ulanbekov

[vertical-gallery id=495486]

[vertical-gallery id=473623]

Zubaira Tukhugov meets Ricardo Ramos at UFC 267

The UFC has rebooked Zubaira Tukhugov vs. Ricardo Ramos after their March matchup fell through.

The UFC has rebooked [autotag]Zubaira Tukhugov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ricardo Ramos[/autotag] after their March matchup fell through.

Tukhugov (19-5-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC) faces Ramos (15-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) at UFC 267, which will take place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi and air on ABC.

Two 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.

Tukhugov was scheduled to face Ramos at UFC Fight Night 187 in March but was forced to withdraw due to an undisclosed injury. The 30-year-old Russian hasn’t competed since losing a split decision to Hakeem Dawodu at UFC 253 in September, with his last octagon win coming over Kevin Aguilar in February 2020.

Since moving back up to 145 pounds, Brazil’s Ramos has won two of his past three, most recently defeating Bill Algeo via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 188 in May.

With the addition, the UFC 267 lineup now includes:

  • Champ Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira – for light heavyweight title
  • Champ Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan – for bantamweight title
  • Virna Jandiroba vs. Amanda Ribas
  • Khamzat Chimaev vs. Li Jingliang
  • Shamil Gamzatov vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
  • Walt Harris vs. Tai Tuivasa
  • Rafael dos Anjos vs. Islam Makhachev
  • Allan Nascimento vs. Tagir Ulanbekov
  • Marcin Tybura vs. Alexander Volkov
  • Ricardo Ramos vs. Zubaira Tukhugov

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqvpne7c1q486dvv player_id=01f5k5h8pz3brj4xqb image=https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[vertical-gallery id=463420]

UFC announces return to Abu Dhabi for UFC 267 on Oct. 30

The octagon is back on Fight Island for UFC 267 on Oct. 30.

The UFC is back on “Fight Island.”

The promotion officially announced that UFC 267 will take place Oct. 30 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The numbered event is expected to air early afternoon in the U.S. live on ABC, with tickets expected to go on sale soon.

UFC 267 will also mark the return of Abu Dhabi Showdown Week, where a series of fan events, fitness showcases and much more set to take place starting Oct. 21.

“We are going back to Abu Dhabi in October,” UFC president Dana White stated. “Abu Dhabi is incredible – I love that place and the people. I have been talking about all of the things we are working on. I plan on getting all the deals buttoned up this summer. I can’t wait to go back and share everything we are working on together.”

While the promotion did not officially reveal any bouts for the event, several contests have already been reported.

In the main event, light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz (28-8 MMA, 11-5 UFC) is expected to put his title on the line against Glover Teixeira (32-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC), with a bantamweight title fight between champion Aljamain Sterling (20-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) and Petr Yan (15-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) also expected to take place.

The current UFC 267 lineup includes:

  • Champ Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira – for light heavyweight title
  • Champ Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan – for bantamweight title
  • Virna Jandiroba vs. Amanda Ribas
  • Khamzat Chimaev vs. Li Jingliang
  • Shamil Gamzatov vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
  • Walt Harris vs. Tai Tuivasa
  • Rafael dos Anjos vs. Islam Makhachev
  • Allan Nascimento vs. Tagir Ulanbekov
  • Marcin Tybura vs. Alexander Volkov

[vertical-gallery id=583226]

Alexander Volkov vs. Marcin Tybura added to UFC 267 on Oct. 30

Marcin Tybura will look to enter the upper echelon of the division when he meets Alexander Volkov.

[autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag] will look to enter the upper echelon of the division when he meets a towering heavyweight.

Tybura (22-6, 9-5 UFC) is set to meet [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] (33-9 MMA, 7-3 UFC) on Oct. 30 at UFC 267, which is expected to take place in Abu Dhabi and air on ABC.

A person 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. MMA Fighting was first to report the booking.

[lawrence-related id=659675]

Winner of his past, Tybura experienced a career resurgence. With his back against the wall having lost four of five at one point, he was able to string together one of the most impressive winning streaks in the division and is coming off back-to-back “Performance of the Night” TKO wins over Greg Hardy and Walt Harris.

Meanwhile, Volkov will look to get back in the win column. After scoring two consecutive second-round finishes of Harris and Alistair Overeem, the former Bellator champion dropped a unanimous decision to current interim title challenger Ciryl Gane in June.

With the addition, the UFC 267 lineup includes:

  • Champ Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira – for light heavyweight title
  • Virna Jandiroba vs. Amanda Ribas
  • Khamzat Chimaev vs. Li Jingliang
  • Shamil Gamzatov vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
  • Rafael dos Anjos vs. Islam Makhachev
  • Marcin Tybura vs. Alexander Volkov

[vertical-gallery id=391998]

Jiri Prochazka to serve as UFC 267 backup for Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira title fight

Jiri Prochazka officially has been tabbed as the backup fighter for the UFC 267 main event.

[autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] officially has been tabbed as the backup fighter for the UFC 267 main event.

[autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag](28-8 MMA, 11-5 UFC) is set to defend his light heavyweight title against [autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] (32-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC) on Oct. 30, and should either fighter fail to make it to the fight, Prochazka (28-3-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) will fill in.

MMA Junkie confirmed the news with a person close to the situation following an initial report from MMA Fighting.

[lawrence-related id=609898]

Prochazka, who has taken the division by storm with two knockouts of former title challengers Volkan Oezdemir and Dominick Reyes, will fly to Abu Dhabi and weigh in as a backup fighter.

Though rising contender Aleksandar Rakic called for a No. 1 contender bout with Prochazka, the former Rizin light heavyweight champion firmly has his eyes set on gold and previously claimed he was willing to wait for the winner of Blachowicz and Teixeira.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqvpne7c1q486dvv player_id=none image=https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (July 19-25)

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 July 19-25:

Khamzat Chimaev targeted to return against Li Jingliang at UFC 267 in October

Khamzat Chimaev is expected to make his long awaited return at UFC 267 against Li Jingliang.

[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] will make his long-awaited return in the place he started out his UFC career.

Verbal agreements are in place for Chimaev (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) to take on [autotag]Li Jingliang[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) on Oct. 30 at UFC 267, which is expected to take place in Abu Dhabi.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the targeted booking to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous since the UFC has yet to make an official announcement. Octagon Bet first reported the matchup.

After a long, hard battle with lingering COVID-19 effects, Chimaev will return for the first time since September 2020. The unbeaten All Stars Gym Sweden prospect took the UFC by storm when he notched two octagon wins in the span of 10 days and continued to prove his hype when he needed just 17 seconds to knock out Gerald Meerschaert at UFC Fight Night 178 this past fall.

China’s Jingliang is riding some momentum of his own. The 33-year-old has won eight of his past 10 and is coming off an upset first-round knockout of perennial contender Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC on ABC 1 in January, which earned him a “Performance of the Night” bonus.

With the addition, the UFC 267 lineup now includes:

  • Champ Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira – for light heavyweight title
  • Virna Jandiroba vs. Amanda Ribas
  • Khamzat Chimaev vs. Li Jingliang

[vertical-gallery id=553382]

[vertical-gallery id=437617]

Aljamain Sterling doesn’t want ‘pissing war’ with Dana White over Petr Yan rematch date

Aljamain Sterling isn’t keen on the idea of going to Abu Dhabi to defend his UFC bantamweight title against Petr Yan.

[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] isn’t keen on the idea of going overseas to defend his UFC bantamweight title against [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag]. However, he’s not going to make a stink about it.

According to UFC president Dana White, the promotion is targeting the Sterling (20-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) vs. Yan (15-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) rematch for October, which would line up with UFC 267 on Oct. 30, which is expected for Abu Dhabi.

Making that type of travel isn’t attractive to Sterling, especially when the organization has events targeted for his home state of New York in November, as well as a December show in Las Vegas, where he currently lives.

“To be 100 percent honest with you, I love the date, but I don’t love the location,” Sterling told MMA Junkie Radio on Thursday. “Mainly because of the hours we would have to fight at. I just had one of my worst performances – maybe not the worst – but I had some hiccups on fight day because I didn’t realize how much into the day I fought. … It would’ve been nice to fight in New York or Vegas again. But Oct. 30, I’m good with that.”

[lawrence-related id=606398]

Although Sterling vocalized his opposition to the location, he said he’s not willing to make a hard stance. He admitted he’s had his spats with the UFC brass before but doesn’t want to start another one with White over his lack of desire to travel to the Middle East.

“I think you guys know how it goes with telling Dana White no, so I don’t think there’s much negotiation here,” Sterling said. “If I’m being 100 percent honest and transparent, I don’t think they’re going to give me an opportunity to negotiate that. I’m not looking to get in a pissing war with Dana again. So if that’s what they want, that’s what they want.”

Regardless of where it happens, though, Sterling said he’s looking forward to getting his hands on Yan again. The pair had a highly controversial first meeting, with Yan getting disqualified for an illegal knee and thus giving up the belt to Sterling.

Sterling underwent neck surgery in the aftermath of the fight but said he’s days away from getting clearance to get back into training, and will be ready to fight in the fall.

“I don’t keep grudges, but when someone is a sh*tty person, I just don’t want to be around you,” Sterling said. “So, I’m all about good energy, good vibrations. At the end of the day we’re going to have a fight. We’re going to go out there and settle the score, and we’ll be able to figure it out. If we’re meant to be friends or meant to be cordial, then we’ll do that. But at the end of the day I have no respect for this guy right now. The guy talks so much sh*t for something that he did, and I get the backlash for it, which is the most bizarre thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

 

Amanda Ribas vs. Virna Jandiroba added to UFC 267 on Oct. 30

After multiple canceled bouts, Amanda Ribas will return in the fall when she faces Virna Jandiroba at UFC 267.

After multiple canceled bouts, [autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag] will return in the fall.

Ribas (10-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) faces [autotag]Virna Jandiroba[/autotag] (17-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) at UFC 267 on Oct. 30, which is expected to take place in Abu Dhabi.

A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous since the UFC has yet to make an official announcement. Combate first reported the matchup.

Ribas hasn’t competed since her first octagon loss to Marina Rodriguez at UFC 257. After starting her UFC tenure at 4-0, including a win over strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern, Ribas was stopped by Rodriguez in January. She then was scheduled to face Angela Hill at UFC on ESPN 24 in May, but withdrew the day of the event after testing positive for COVID-19. Her fight with Hill was rebooked for June, but Ribas was forced out once again due to lingering effects from COVID.

Jandiroba, a former Invicta FC strawweight champion, has won three of her past four. After losing a unanimous decision to Dern at UFC 256 in December, Jandiroba rebounded with a second-round TKO win over Kanako Murata in June. She dislocated the Japanese flyweight standout’s elbow during the first round with a deep armbar.

With the addition, the UFC 267 event includes:

  • Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira – for light heavyweight title
  • Virna Jandiroba vs. Amanda Ribas

[vertical-gallery id=452183]

[vertical-gallery id=468681]