Tag: UFC 291

Paulo Costa returns to meet Ikram Aliskerov at UFC 291

Ikram Aliskerov will get a big jump in competition when he faces former title challenger Paulo Costa at UFC 291.

[autotag]Ikram Aliskerov[/autotag] will get a big jump at middleweight.

Aliskerov (14-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has been booked against former title challenger [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] (14-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) at UFC 291 on July 29 from Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, promotion president Dana White announced Tuesday.

In just his second UFC fight, Aliskerov is drawing a top-ranked contender. The Combat Sambo world champion is fresh off a first-round knockout of Phil Hawes less than two weeks ago at UFC 288. Aliskerov’s lone career loss came to Khamzat Chimaev by knockout in 2019. Since then, Aliskerov has won six consecutive fights, with five by finish.

Costa’s most recent octagon appearance came at UFC 278 in August, when he defeated former champion Luke Rockhold in a Fight of the Night battle. The bout was the final one on his UFC contract. The promotion then announced a fight between Costa and Robert Whittaker for UFC 284 in February, but Costa said he never agreed to the fight.

“Borrachina” was vocal about his discontent with his pay, stating he’s been getting paid the same ever since his UFC debut in 2017.

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The current UFC 291 lineup includes:

  • Justin Gaethje vs. Dustin Poirier – for BMF title
  • Jan Blachowicz vs. Alex Pereira
  • Paulo Costa vs. Ikram Aliskerov
  • Michael Chiesa vs. Kevin Holland
  • Tony Ferguson vs. Bobby Green
  • Derrick Lewis vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
  • Michel Pereira vs. Stephen Thompson
  • Vinicius Salvador vs. CJ Vergara

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.

Tony Ferguson booked against Bobby Green at UFC 291

Tony Ferguson will look to snap a five-fight losing streak when he returns to meet Bobby Green at UFC 291.

Former UFC interim lightweight champion [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] has been scheduled for a fight amidst ongoing legal issues.

Ferguson (25-8 MMA, 15-6 UFC) is set to meet [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] (29-14-1 MMA, 10-9-1 UFC) UFC 291 on July 29 from Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, promotion president Dana White announced Tuesday.

Ferguson was arrested earlier this month on a charge of DUI after he allegedly crashed his truck into two parked cars outside a nightclub in Hollywood, Calif. Ferguson is facing a misdemeanor DUI charge, as well as other potential charges after he reportedly refused to take a field sobriety test.

Ferguson, 39, recently fell out of the lightweight rankings for the first time in more than seven years. He is on a five-fight skid, most recently getting submitted by Nate Diaz last September at UFC 279.

After scoring back-to-back wins over Al Iaquinta and Nasrat Haqparast, Green is winless in his past three octagon appearances. The 36-year-old is coming off a no contest against Jared Gordon at UFC Fight Night 222 in April, where an accidental clash of heads led to Gordon getting knocked out.

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The current UFC 291 lineup includes:

  • Justin Gaethje vs. Dustin Poirier – for BMF title
  • Jan Blachowicz vs. Alex Pereira
  • Paulo Costa vs. Ikram Aliskerov
  • Michael Chiesa vs. Kevin Holland
  • Tony Ferguson vs. Bobby Green
  • Derrick Lewis vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
  • Michel Pereira vs. Stephen Thompson
  • Vinicius Salvador vs. CJ Vergara

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.

Alex Pereira draws former champ Jan Blachowicz in light heavyweight debut at UFC 291

Alex Pereira has his first light heavyweight test, and it’s the division’s former champion, Jan Blachowicz, at UFC 291.

[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] has his first light heavyweight test, and it’s the division’s former champion.

The divisional debut is set as Pereira (7-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC), the former UFC middleweight champion, battles Jan Blachowicz (29-9-1 MMA, 12-6 UFC) in the UFC 291 co-main event, promotion president Dana White announced Tuesday. The event takes place July 29 at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City.

Pereira is moving up a weight class after a title loss to Israel Adesanya by knockout at UFC 287. The April 8 defeat was the first time Pereira lost to Adesanya in four combat sports matches.

Rather than pursue the trilogy immediately, in the days that followed, Pereira and White both indicated light heavyweight was likely next. Now he has a date, location and opponent.

Pereira, 35, had not lost in the UFC prior to the Adesanya defeat. Wins against Andreas Michailidis, Bruno Silva, and Sean Strickland led him to the first Adesanya fight, which he won by fifth-round TKO at UFC 281 in November.

Blachowicz, 40, has not competed since UFC 282 in December when he drew with Magomed Ankalaev in a vacant light heavyweight title fight. The draw moved him to 1-1-1 in his most recent three outings.

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The current UFC 291 lineup includes:

  • Justin Gaethje vs. Dustin Poirier – for BMF title
  • Jan Blachowicz vs. Alex Pereira
  • Paulo Costa vs. Ikram Aliskerov
  • Michael Chiesa vs. Kevin Holland
  • Tony Ferguson vs. Bobby Green
  • Derrick Lewis vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
  • Michel Pereira vs. Stephen Thompson
  • Vinicius Salvador vs. CJ Vergara

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.

The ‘BMF’ title returns: Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje 2 to headline UFC 291 in Salt Lake City

The UFC is headed back to Salt Lake City with a big pay-per-view headlined by a BMF title fight between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje.

The UFC is bringing the “BMF” title back into the fold – and it’s vacant.

With Jorge Masvidal retired, [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] and [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] will headline UFC 291 in a five-round bout, promotion president Dana White announced Tuesday.

UFC 291 will take place July 29 at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City and will also feature a co-headliner between former UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag], who welcomes former 185-pound titleholder [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] to the division.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] returns against [autotag]Ikram Aliskerov[/autotag]; [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] battles [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]; and [autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag].

Poirier (29-7 MMA, 21-6 UFC) and Gaethje (24-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) have angled for a rematch against one in another in recent months. The two first fought at UFC on FOX 29 in April 2018 when Poirier defeated Gaethje by fourth-round TKO in a Fight of the Year candidate.

Since that meeting, Poirier is 6-2, including two wins over Conor McGregor and an interim title victory over Max Holloway. The two losses, however, were both for undisputed titles, submission defeats to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira.

Gaethje has the same record over that period of time with losses to the same two men as Poirier after consecutive knockouts of James Vick, Edson Barboza, Donald Cerrone, and Tony Ferguson before he was submitted by Nurmagomedov. A Fight of the Year candidate vs. Michael Chandler led to another title fight, which Gaethje lost against Oliveira.

In March, Gaethje won a majority decision against Rafael Fiziev.

There has only been one other BMF title fight in history, which took place at UFC 244 in November 2019 when Masvidal defeated Nate Diaz. The promotion hadn’t displayed public interest in reinstating the title in recent years, though the question was repeatedly asked.

Also on the UFC prelims, [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] faces [autotag]Marcos Rogerio de Lima[/autotag], and [autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag] in a bout originally expected for UFC 289 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

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The current UFC 291 lineup includes:

  • Justin Gaethje vs. Dustin Poirier – for BMF title
  • Jan Blachowicz vs. Alex Pereira
  • Paulo Costa vs. Ikram Aliskerov
  • Michael Chiesa vs. Kevin Holland
  • Tony Ferguson vs. Bobby Green
  • Derrick Lewis vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
  • Michel Pereira vs. Stephen Thompson
  • Vinicius Salvador vs. CJ Vergara

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.

UFC 291 adds Michael Chiesa vs. Kevin Holland

The UFC is headed back to Salt Lake City with a card expected to include Michael Chiesa vs. Kevin Holland.

Two top welterweights will square off in Utah as part of the second UFC pay-per-view event in the month of July.

[autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag] and [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] have agreed to scrap at UFC 291 on July 29 at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City.

A person with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the targeted booking, which UFC president Dana White announced Tuesday.

Chiesa (16-6 MMA, 11-6 UFC) looks to snap a two-fight losing skid after defeats to Vicente Luque and Sean Brady. He was supposed to fight at UFC 287 in April but was removed after opponent Li Jingliang withdrew from the bout due to injury. Prior to his current skid, Chiesa won four straight fights.

Holland (24-9 MMA, 11-6 UFC) competed at UFC 287 when he defeated Santiago Ponzinibbio by third-round knockout. During the fight, Holland barely used his right hand, a limb he had surgery on in the weeks prior. The win ended a two-fight skid that included finishing defeats to Stephen Thompson and Khamzat Chimaev.

With the addition, the UFC 291 lineup includes:

  • Justin Gaethje vs. Dustin Poirier – for BMF title
  • Jan Blachowicz vs. Alex Pereira
  • Paulo Costa vs. Ikram Aliskerov
  • Michael Chiesa vs. Kevin Holland
  • Tony Ferguson vs. Bobby Green
  • Derrick Lewis vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
  • Michel Pereira vs. Stephen Thompson
  • Vinicius Salvador vs. CJ Vergara