Tag: UFC Fight Night 185

Dalcha Lungiambula vs. Isi Fitikefu joins UFC ‘Fight Island’ lineup for Jan. 20

Dalcha Lungiambula returns to the octagon to fight a training partner of former UFC middleweight champ Robert Whittaker.

A middleweight matchup is the latest addition to UFC Fight Night on Jan. 20.

[autotag]Dalcha Lungiambula[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) will face [autotag]Isi Fitikefu[/autotag] (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi.

A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie on Tuesday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. MMA Island was the first to report the news.

Lungiambula, a former EFC two-weight champion, has split his first two UFC appearances. After stopping Dequan Townsend in his promotional debut in June 2019, he suffered a knockout loss to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC on ESPN+ 21. He was scheduled to face Karl Roberson next but saw multiple bookings scrapped after Roberson tested positive for COVID-19.

Fitikefu, a training partner of former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, is undefeated in his pro MMA career. He weighed in as a reserve for the Ankalaev vs. Ion Cutelaba fight at UFC 254 in October but didn’t end up competing as both fighters made weight.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for Jan. 20 includes:

  • Leon Edwards vs. TBD
  • Michael Chiesa vs. Neil Magny
  • Viviane Araujo vs. Roxanne Modafferi
  • Tyson Nam vs. Matt Schnell
  • Francisco Figueredo vs. Jerome Rivera
  • Dean Barry vs. Mike Jackson
  • Pedro Munhoz vs. Jimmie Rivera
  • Matt Brown vs. Carlos Condit
  • Zarrukh Adashev vs. Jeffrey Molina
  • Lerone Murphy vs. Douglas Silva de Andrade
  • Vinicius Moreira vs. Ike Villanueva
  • Manon Fiorot v. Victoria Leonardo
  • Mike Davis vs. Mason Jones
  • Isi Fitikefu vs. Dalcha Lungiambula

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Neil Magny, Kevin Holland want Leon Edwards fight with Khamzat Chimaev out of UFC headliner

If the UFC wants a replacement for its January 20 headliner, it has some solid options.

The UFC has no shortage of options for a replacement to its UFC Fight Night headliner on Jan. 20, as it appears that both [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] and [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] are willing to jump in.

After news emerged Tuesday morning that Khamzat Chimaev has been ruled out of his welterweight bout with [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag], Magny and Holland took to social media to expressed interest in replacing Chimaev.

In response to MMA Junkie’s Instagram post about Chimaev’s withdrawal, Magny made things pretty clear by commenting, “Let’s make it happen!”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CJYp42JnivP/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Holland, meanwhile, said he’s ready to “do work” on Jan. 20 in a tweet.

Magny (24-7 MMA, 17-6 UFC) is currently slated to fight Michael Chiesa in the night’s co-main event, making him a potentially more logical option should the UFC seek a replacement. “The Haitian Sensation” had a sneaky good 2020 after a 16-month layoff, racking up three wins over Li Jingliang, Anthony Rocco Martin, and most recently former UFC champion Robbie Lawler in August.

Holland (21-5 MMA, 8-2 UFC) is coming off a historic 2020 in which he went 5-0 in a span of 210 days, winning four of those fights by stoppage and capping it off with a “Knockout of the Year” candidate against “Jacare” Souza at UFC 256. After that win, Holland took shots at Chimaev and expressed interest in fighting him.

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Mike Davis vs. Mason Jones added to UFC Fight Night card on Jan. 20

Two-division Cage Warriors champion Mason Jones will draw a stern test in his UFC debut when he meets Mike Davis on Jan. 20.

Two-division Cage Warriors champion [autotag]Mason Jones[/autotag] has drawn a stern test in his UFC debut.

Jones (10-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will face [autotag]Mike Davis[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night on Jan. 20, which takes place on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi.

People 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 Island was the first to report the news Tuesday.

Undefeated Welshman Jones became a two-division Cage Warriors champion in 2020 before signing his first contract with the UFC. He stopped Joe McColgan to capture the vacant lightweight title at Cage Warriors 113 in March, then added the vacant welterweight title with a finish of Adam Proctor at Cage Warriors 116 in September, before issuing an impassioned call to Dana White to sign him to the UFC.

Davis hasn’t competed since October 2019, when he knocked out Thomas Gifford at UFC on ESPN+ 19 in one of the most one-sided beatings in UFC history. The win marked Davis’ first in the UFC.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for Jan. 20 includes:

  • Leon Edwards vs. TBD
  • Michael Chiesa vs. Neil Magny
  • Viviane Araujo vs. Roxanne Modafferi
  • Tyson Nam vs. Matt Schnell
  • Francisco Figueredo vs. Jerome Rivera
  • Dean Barry vs. Mike Jackson
  • Pedro Munhoz vs. Jimmie Rivera
  • Matt Brown vs. Carlos Condit
  • Zarrukh Adashev vs. Jeffrey Molina
  • Lerone Murphy vs. Douglas Silva de Andrade
  • Vinicius Moreira vs. Ike Villanueva
  • Manon Fiorot v. Victoria Leonardo
  • Mike Davis vs. Mason Jones

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Khamzat Chimaev ruled out of UFC Fight Island headliner with Leon Edwards

Undisclosed reasons have forced Khamzat Chimaev out of his Jan. 20 main event clash with Leon Edwards on “UFC Fight Island.”

The matchup between [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] and [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] has been scrapped once again.

Chimaev (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has been forced out of the UFC Fight Night headliner on Jan. 20 due to undisclosed reasons. MMA Junkie confirmed the news with a person with knowledge of the situation following an initial report from FrontKickOnline.

The pair were initially scheduled to face off in the main event of UFC Fight Night 183 on Dec. 19, but Edwards withdrew after testing positive for COVID-19. His battle with coronavirus was severe, with the Birmingham, England native losing 12 pounds during his illness.

Edwards (18-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC), who hasn’t fought since July 2019 when he defeated former UFC champion Rafael dos Anjos, has had a rough 2020 to say the least. The Brit was scheduled to face former champion Tyron Woodley in London in March, but the U.K. government’s coronavirus restrictions forced the event to be canceled.

Edwards’ campaign to compete in 2020 remained unsuccessful, with travel restrictions making his pursuit of a matchup even more difficult. Edwards called out the likes of Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington, but finally ended up drawing rising prospect Chimaev instead.

Chimaev’s rise in 2020 has been unparalleled. The Chechen-born fighter took the UFC by storm when he picked up three dominant finishes in the span of three months, as he became one of the hottest prospects in the sport.

The updated line up for UFC Fight Night on Jan. 20 includes:

  • Leon Edwards vs. TBD
  • Michael Chiesa vs. Neil Magny
  • Viviane Araujo vs. Roxanne Modafferi
  • Tyson Nam vs. Matt Schnell
  • Francisco Figueredo vs. Jerome Rivera
  • Dean Barry vs. Mike Jackson
  • Pedro Munhoz vs. Jimmie Rivera
  • Matt Brown vs. Carlos Condit
  • Zarrukh Adashev vs. Jeffrey Molina
  • Lerone Murphy vs. Douglas Silva de Andrade
  • Vinicius Moreira vs. Ike Villanueva
  • Manon Fiorot vs. Victoria Leonardo

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Jose Aldo vs. Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera booked for UFC Fight Night 185

Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera got what he wanted: A fight with a legendary former champ.

[autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] got what he wanted.

The rising UFC bantamweight contender has been booked to fight former UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] on Dec. 19 at UFC Fight Night 185 in Las Vegas.

MMA Junkie confirmed the news with sources following an initial report by BJPenn.com.

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Speaking with MMA Junkie a few months back, “Chito” expressed interest in fighting one more time in 2020 against a few names, one of which was Aldo. Vera (18-6-1 MMA, 10-5 UFC) is coming off a TKO win over Sean O’Malley in the co-main event of UFC 255 in August. The Ecuadorian fighter is 6-1 in his last seven bouts with his lone defeat being a controversial decision loss to Song Yadong.

Meanwhile, Aldo (28-7 MMA, 10-6 UFC) is coming off a TKO loss to current champion Petr Yan in a fight for the vacant bantamweight belt back in July at UFC 25. This will be Aldo’s third fight at 135 pounds.

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