Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
MMA junkie’s Mike Bohn plays matchmaker and looks ahead to what makes sense for Kevin Lee in this edition of “Sean Shelby’s Shoes.”
MMA junkie’s Mike Bohn plays matchmaker and looks ahead to what makes sense for Kevin Lee in this edition of “Sean Shelby’s Shoes.”
It was strange to hear Gilbert Burns screams echo through the stadium.
Gilbert Burns’ screams echoed throughout the arena during the co-main event at UFC on ESPN+ 28 in Brasilia, Brazil.
Burns (18-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) knocked out Demian Maia (28-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC), but the moment lacked the typical energy of a knockout. Under normal circumstances, Burns would be celebrating his win with thousands of fans in a raucous environment. Typically, the crowd would go wild after seeing him send Maia to the mat.
But because of the coronavirus, MMA took precautions to empty the arena for the event. There were no fans in attendance. (And of course, that may not have been a big enough precaution amid the COVID-19 outbreak, with the NBA, NHL and MLS suspending play altogether.) That made for an eerily quiet celebration, even after one of the most exciting moments of the evening. When the commentators stopped talking for a moment, it was just Burns’ yells. Here’s a look:
Left hands don't get cleaner than this one by @GilbertDurinho 😤 #UFCBrasilia pic.twitter.com/kP7a4lKLFh
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 14, 2020
Maybe fans couldn’t be in the arena to react, but they celebrated from home by participating in the conversation on social media.
Yo! That was swift! #UFCBrasilia #UFCTheRona
— Mike Jackson, Esq. (@TheTruthJackson) March 14, 2020
WHAT A HOOK FROM BURNS!
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) March 14, 2020
Wow! Really impressed with that entire performance! @GilbertDurinho was on point tonight #UFCBrasilia
— Shane Burgos (@HurricaneShaneB) March 14, 2020
And just when it seemed Maia would have an easy win Durinho knocked him out. Wow.
— Matheus Aquino (@MatheusDCAquino) March 14, 2020
Wow statement made
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) March 14, 2020
✅ left hook was nasty @GilbertDurinho congrats
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) March 14, 2020
My man!!!! @GilbertDurinho huge win!!!
— Jared Gordon (@JFlashGordonMMA) March 14, 2020
Surely, fans are taking comfort in watching sports in a difficult time. But this felt like a bad idea, considering most American sports are shutting down in an effort to honor the CDC’s request for social distancing.
[vertical-gallery id=900594]
[jwplayer uvJhnlLo-q2aasYxh]
UFC on ESPN+ 28’s status is up in the air after a five-day ban on large public gatherings was instituted in Brasilia, Brazil.
With each passing hour, it becomes increasingly clear the UFC is going to have to develop detailed backup plans for its upcoming schedule due to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.
Hours after Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced a ban on large gatherings in his state is forthcoming, which will affect UFC on ESPN 8 in Columbus scheduled for March 28, Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 28 also is in doubt.
The card, which is scheduled to be held at the Nilson Nelson Gymnasium in Brasilia, Brazil, could be canceled after Gov. Ibaneis Rocha declared Wednesday a ban on all large gatherings in response to the outbreak of coronavirus in the country’s capital.
The ban includes masses and other religious services, concerts, private and public schools, sporting events and any event with more than 100 people.
[lawrence-related id=498967,496506,483264]
There have been two confirmed cases of coronavirus in Brasilia. The ban will run until Monday.
A lightweight matchup between Kevin Lee and Charles Oliveira is scheduled to headline UFC on ESPN+ 28.
MMA Junkie reached out to UFC officials to get a response to the newly announced ban, but the promotion has yet to respond or comment on the matter.
According to Brazil’s Combate, the company is pondering the feasibility of proceeding with the show in an empty arena without fans.
In addition to the cards in Columbus and Brazil, other events on the upcoming UFC calendar include London on March 21; Portland, Ore., on April 11; and UFC 249, with the highly anticipated lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson, on April 18 in the New York City borough of Brooklyn.
Sports leagues across the country from the NBA to the NHL are wrestling with how to handle their response to the virus. The NCAA has been the most proactive among sports authorities. It announced Wednesday the men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments will proceed behind closed doors.
Check out the MMA junkie’s Dan Tom’s analysis and predictions for the Event Name main event between Kevin Lee and Charles Oliveira.
Check out the MMA junkie’s Dan Tom’s analysis and predictions for the Event Name main event between Kevin Lee and Charles Oliveira.
Check out the key facts, figures and footnotes for UFC ON ESPN+ 28, which is headlined by Kevin Lee vs. Charles Oliveira.
Check out the key facts, figures and footnotes for UFC ON ESPN+ 28, which is headlined by Kevin Lee vs. Charles Oliveira.
Antonio Carlos Junior is in need of a new opponent.
An injury has forced [autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag] out of his upcoming bout.
Tavares was scheduled to take on [autotag]Antonio Carlos Junior[/autotag] at UFC Brasilia but has suffered an injury that will force him out of the fight. A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the news to MMA Junkie after an initial report from Combate stated an injured knee is the reason for Tavares’ withdrawal.
With more than three months remaining until the March 14 event, it’s likely that the UFC will seek a replacement for Carlos Junior (10-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC).
Tavares (17-6 MMA, 12-6 UFC) made his return after a more than year-long layoff at UFC 244 against rising star Edmen Shahbazyan, who won by first-round knockout. After winning four straight fights, Tavares has lost his last two in a row to current UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, and Shahbazyan in November.
[lawrence-related id=474932,474211,467680]
Carlos Junior was also looking to get back on track and snap a two-fight losing skid. After compiling a five-fight winning streak, he has dropped back-to-back fights to Ian Heinisch and Uriah Hall.
UFC Brasilia takes place March 14 at Ginasio Nilson Nelson in Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil. The event is expected to stream on ESPN+.
The current UFC Brasilia lineup includes:
The UFC’s first card in Brazil in 2020 is starting to fill up, and includes an intriguing flyweight matchup.
The first Brazilian UFC card of 2020 is taking shape.
In a Thursday press release, the promotion announced a handful of fights for UFC Brasilia on March 14. Among them, a flyweight battle between [autotag]Jussier Formiga[/autotag] (22-6 MMA, 8-5 UFC) and [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] (16-5-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC).
Formiga looks to rebound from a second-round TKO loss to Joseph Benavidez in his last fight. That resulted ended a four-fight win streak. Moreno, meanwhile, gets right back to work after his unanimous-decision victory over Kai Kara-France at UFC 245. That kept the Tijuana native unbeaten (1-0-1) in his second UFC stint.
The promotion also announced a bantamweight bout between [autotag]Rani Yahya[/autotag] (26-10 MMA, 11-4 UFC) and [autotag]Enrique Barzola[/autotag] (16-5-1 MMA, 6-3 UFC). In the women’s bantamweight division, [autotag]Veronica Macedo[/autotag] (6-3-1 MMA, 1-3 UFC) returns to take on [autotag]Bea Malecki[/autotag] (3-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC).
The release also confirmed previously revealed fights including a welterweight matchup between Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos and Alexey Kunchenko, a women’s strawweight bout between Amanda Ribas and Paige VanZant, a light heavyweight fight between Johnny Walker and Nikita Krylov, and a middleweight fight between Brad Tavares and Antonio Carlos Junior.
The main event for UFC Brasilia has yet to be announced.
[lawrence-related id=474722,474799]
UFC Brasilia takes place Saturday, March 14 at Ginasio Nilson Nelson in Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil. The event is expected to stream on ESPN+.
With the additions, check out the full UFC Brasilia lineup below:
[vertical-gallery id=393317]
[vertical-gallery id=470974]
Johnny Walker will be preparing for his upcoming fight vs. Nikita Krylov at UFC Brasilia at Tristar Gym in Montreal.
After suffering his first UFC loss, [autotag]Johnny Walker[/autotag] will be making some changes.
Walker (17-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) is scheduled to take on [autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag] (25-7 MMA, 7-5 UFC) at UFC Brasilia on March 14, and will be preparing for the fight at the renowned Tristar Gym in Montreal, as he looks for another active year.
“I am doing my next camp at Tristar MMA under Firas Zahabi, so I am very excited to learn as much as possible there and get the ‘W,'” Walker told MMA Junkie. “Then, I want to ideally fight as much as possible – every month if the UFC lets me.”
After storming onto the UFC scene, picking up three straight first-round finishes – and three performance bonuses – Walker drew his sternest test to date in Corey Anderson at UFC 244 last month.
But in an unexpected outcome, Walker was the one taken out in the first round, and he was showered with criticism after the bout for his antics in and out of the cage.
[lawrence-related id=467680,459964,459128]
Don’t expect the wild dance moves and energy to change, though, as Walker insists that his fun character does not mean he underestimates his opponents.
“I am not disappointed, but I disagree,” Walker said of his critics. “I take everything very seriously. I am light-hearted, but I am not a guy who plays in the fights. I took Corey very seriously, as I took all my other fights.”
“Corey definitely keeps improving; all merit goes to him. He is becoming better and better as time goes by. That being said, I definitely underperformed. I had a lot of stress in my camp and in the week of the fight due to personal issues. Thankfully, it is all gone now, and I am ready to go back into focusing fully on my next opponent.”
Walker was quickly booked for his next fight in March, but he says if it were up to him, he would have fought even sooner.
“I love to fight, so I had actually asked to fight even earlier,” Walker said. “The UFC wanted me to fight in Brazil next, and I love fighting in my home country, so I took it as well.”
He takes on Krylov, who is coming off a split-decision loss to Glover Teixeira in September. Although ranked slightly below him, Walker expects an entertaining matchup against a guy who matches his incredible finish rate, having earned a stoppage in every single one of his wins.
“I am happy with the matchup,” Walker said. “Krylov is an exciting guy who has some nice fanbase, but I am not a guy to complain about matchups. I want to fight as much as possible against anyone and everyone. Nikita is a tough guy. He has a great chin and loves to strike. I am sure he has the style that I love to fight against. It’s going to be very fun.”
[vertical-gallery id=459186]
Johnny Walker will look to rebound from his first-round TKO loss to Corey Anderson.
A light heavyweight clash is in the works for the UFC’s March return to Brazil.
MMA Junkie today confirmed the promotion is targeting a fight between [autotag]Johnny Walker[/autotag] and [autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag] for March 14 on a Fight Night card at Ginasio Nilson Nelson in Brasilia.
A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the targeted bout to MMA Junkie following an initial report by ESPN.
Walker burst into the spotlight in 2018 when he knocked out Khalil Rountree with brutal elbows in his UFC debut. Continuing to add to his highlight reel, Walker followed up that performance with quick TKO victories against Justin Ledet and Misha Cirkunov.
At UFC 244 in early November, Walker was upset by surging contender Corey Anderson. New Jersey’s Anderson finished Walker with punches just 127 seconds into the opening round. Walker still sits at No. 11 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie light heavyweight rankings.
As for Krylov, the Ukrainian light heavyweight has dropped two out of his last three appearances. In September, Krylov dropped a split decision to former UFC title challenger Glover Teixeira in Vancouver. A victory over Ovince Saint Preux in April was preceded by a loss to Jan Blachowicz.
UFC Brasilia is expected to stream on ESPN+.
With the addition to the card, the UFC Brasilia lineup now includes:
[vertical-gallery id=387802]
[vertical-gallery id=399546]
A middleweight matchup between Antonio Carlos Junior and Brad Tavares has been added to UFC Brasilia.
A pair of middleweights each will look to avoid a three-fight losing skid in March.
[autotag]Antonio Carlos Junior[/autotag] (10-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) will take on [autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 12-6 UFC) when the UFC returns to Brasilia, Brazil. Following an initial report from Combate, MMA Junkie verified with a person with knowledge of the booking that verbal agreements are in place and bout agreements are expected to be finalized shortly.
UFC Brasilia takes place March 14 at Ginasio Nilson Nelson in Brasilia, Brazil’s capital city. Broadcast plans have not yet been announced, but the event is likely to stream on ESPN+.
After an impressive run in the 185-pound division, winning five straight, Carlos Junior has suffered back-to-back losses to Ian Heinisch and, most recently Uriah Hall in September. He will look to get back on track in his home country of Brazil when he takes on Tavares.
Tavares will also look to get back to his winning ways. He hast lost two in a row at the hands of current UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and, most recently, a first-round knockout loss to Edmen Shahbazyan in November at UFC 244.
With the addition, the current lineup includes:
[vertical-gallery id=442299]
