Tag: UFC Fight Night 194

Chris Curtis vs. Phil Hawes not happening at UFC Fight Night 194 after all

It looks like Chris Curtis’ last-minute weight cut for UFC Fight Night 194 was for naught.

It looks like Chris Curtis’ last-minute weight cut for UFC Fight Night 194 was for naught.

Curtis (26-8 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was set to step in on extreme short-notice for his UFC debut and made weight Friday at 184.5 pounds for a fight against [autotag]Phil Hawes[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC). Curtis was to take the place of [autotag]Deron Winn[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC), who was ruled out of the fight with Hawes for a non-weight cut medical reason.

But in the middle of the official weigh-ins for UFC Fight Night 194 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas – after Curtis made weight, but prior to Hawes stepping on the scale – MMA Junkie confirmed with a person with knowledge of the booking the fight no longer will be part of Saturday’s card. MMA Fighting was first to report the news.

UFC broadcast partner ESPN subsequently reported that Hawes declined the fight against the new opponent.

The bout’s removal leaves UFC on ESPN 194 with nine fights. The original Hawes-Winn fight was set to open the five-fight main card. It is not yet known if the main card will go on with four fights, or if one of the five prelims will move up to the main card – though all will stream on ESPN+.

Curtis, a former CES welterweight champion, posted short videos on his Instagram stories early Friday showing him in the sauna, as well as covered in towels in a weight cut ahead of the official weigh-ins for UFC Fight Night 194.

Curtis, who trains in Las Vegas, had a shot at the UFC in 2018 on Dana White’s Contender Series. But despite a third-round TKO win, he wasn’t awarded a contract. He went on to sign with the PFL, where he went 1-3 in the promotion’s inaugural 2019 season.

But since three straight setbacks in PFL, Curtis is on a five-fight winning streak. Most recently, he outworked former longtime UFC fighter Kenny Robertson for a unanimous decision at XMMA 2 in July.

Hawes has a seven-fight winning streak. He got his UFC shot after a 78-second knockout win on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020, then knocked out Jacob Malkoun in just 18 seconds in his promotional debut at UFC 254. Since then, he has back-to-back decision wins over Nassourdine Imavov and Kyle Daukaus in 2021.

UFC Fight Night 194 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

With the removal, the UFC Fight Night 194 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)

  • Mackenzie Dern vs. Marina Rodriguez
  • Randy Brown vs. Jared Gooden
  • Tim Elliott vs. Matheus Nicolau
  • Mariya Agapova vs. Sabina Mazo

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 1:30 p.m. ET)

  • Felipe Colares vs. Chris Gutierrez
  • Alexandr Romanov vs. Jared Vanderaa
  • Damon Jackson vs. Charles Rosa
  • Loopy Godinez vs. Sam Hughes
  • Steve Garcia vs. Charlie Ontiveros

With Deron Winn out, Chris Curtis gets short-notice shot vs. Phil Hawes at UFC Fight Night 194

Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 194 event has an 11th hour change to the lineup.

Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 194 event has an 11th hour change to the lineup.

With [autotag]Deron Winn[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) out of his welterweight fight to open the main card against [autotag]Phil Hawes[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC), [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag] (26-8 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will take an extreme short-notice fight for his UFC debut.

A person with knowledge of the booking informed MMA Junkie of Curtis’ short-notice opportunity Friday. The new booking first was reported by MMA DNA.

Curtis, a former CES welterweight champion, posted short videos on his Instagram stories early Friday showing him in the sauna, as well as covered in towels in an apparent weight cut ahead of the official weigh-ins for UFC Fight Night 194. The videos were presented without commentary.

UFC Fight Night 194 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

Curtis, who trains in Las Vegas, had a shot at the UFC in 2018 on Dana White’s Contender Series. But despite a third-round TKO win, he wasn’t awarded a contract. He went on to sign with the PFL, where he went 1-3 in the promotion’s inaugural 2019 season.

But since three straight setbacks in PFL, Curtis is on a five-fight winning streak. Most recently, he outworked former longtime UFC fighter Kenny Robertson for a unanimous decision at XMMA 2 in July.

Hawes has a seven-fight winning streak. He got his UFC shot after a 78-second knockout win on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020, then knocked out Jacob Malkoun in just 18 seconds in his promotional debut at UFC 254. Since then, he has back-to-back decision wins over Nassourdine Imavov and Kyle Daukaus in 2021.

The UFC has not yet made a formal announcement about Winn’s withdrawal from the card.

With the change, the UFC Fight Night 194 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)

  • Mackenzie Dern vs. Marina Rodriguez
  • Randy Brown vs. Jared Gooden
  • Tim Elliott vs. Matheus Nicolau
  • Mariya Agapova vs. Sabina Mazo
  • Chris Curtis vs. Phil Hawes

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 1:30 p.m. ET)

  • Felipe Colares vs. Chris Gutierrez
  • Alexandr Romanov vs. Jared Vanderaa
  • Damon Jackson vs. Charles Rosa
  • Loopy Godinez vs. Sam Hughes
  • Steve Garcia vs. Charlie Ontiveros

UFC Fight Night 194 weigh-in results and live video stream (noon ET)

Check out the results from the official UFC Fight Night 194 fighter weigh-ins, featuring Mackenzie Dern vs. Marina Rodriguez.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Friday’s official UFC Fight Night 194 fighter weigh-ins, which kick off at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

The weigh-ins take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The same venue hosts Saturday’s card, which streams on ESPN+.

Among those weighing in are Mackenzie Dern (11-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) and Marina Rodriguez (14-1-2 MMA, 4-1-2 UFC), who meet in the women’s strawweight main event.

The full UFC Fight Night 194 weigh-in results include:

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)

  • Mackenzie Dern () vs. Marina Rodriguez ()
  • Randy Brown () vs. Jared Gooden ()
  • Tim Elliott () vs. Matheus Nicolau ()
  • Mariya Agapova () vs. Sabina Mazo ()
  • Phil Hawes () vs. Deron Winn ()

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 1:30 p.m. ET)

  • Felipe Colares () vs. Chris Gutierrez ()
  • Alexandr Romanov () vs. Jared Vanderaa ()
  • Damon Jackson () vs. Charles Rosa ()
  • Loopy Godinez () vs. Sam Hughes ()
  • Steve Garcia () vs. Charlie Ontiveros ()

The MMA Road Show with John Morgan, No. 341: Mackenzie Dern, Vicente Luque

Episode No. 341 of “The MMA Road Show with John Morgan” podcast is now available for streaming and download.

Episode No. 341 of “The MMA Road Show with John Morgan” podcast is now available for streaming and download.

MMA Junkie lead staff reporter John Morgan hosts the show while traveling the world to cover the sport.

Morgan and Cold Coffee sit down in Las Vegas to preview UFC Fight Night 194 and discuss the biggest headlines in the sport. Along the way, hear from UFC headliner [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag], as well as top UFC welterweight [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag].

Check it out on iTunes or at themmaroadshow.com. You can also subscribe via RSS.

UFC Fight Night 194 breakdown: Will Mackenzie Dern’s grappling or Marina Rodriguez’s striking prevail?

MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom takes a closer look at the UFC Fight Night 194 headliner between Mackenzie Dern and Marina Rodriguez.

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MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main event for UFC Fight Night 194.

UFC Fight Night 194 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

Jamie Pickett out of UFC Fight Night 194, bout vs. Laureano Staropoli rescheduled for Oct. 23

Jamie Pickett vs. Laureano Staropoli is off Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 194 due to COVID-19.

[autotag]Jamie Pickett[/autotag] will have to wait a little longer to fight [autotag]Laureano Staropoli[/autotag].

Pickett (11-6 MMA, 0-2 UFC) has been pulled from his matchup against Staropoli (9-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC) at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 194 after one of his coaches tested positive for COVID-19 during fight week in Las Vegas. The news of the withdrawal was first reported by AgFight on Tuesday and later confirmed by MMA Junkie.

Pickett also shared a message about the situation on his Instagram story:

“Fight has been canceled and I’m stuck in vegas. One of my coaches tested positive for covid and now we have to stay here for 10 days. I’m pissed the f*ck off but everything is everything. I’ll get through this somehow.”

MMA Junkie also learned from sources that Staropoli will not be given a replacement opponent for Saturday’s event. Instead, the middleweight matchup will be rescheduled for the UFC Fight Night event on Oct. 23.

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Staropoli is coming off a three-fight losing streak, which ended his 2-0 start in the promotion. The bout with Pickett will be the second fight at 185 pounds for the Argentinian, as he was previously fighting at welterweight.

Meanwhile, Pickett is in search of his first UFC win. The 33-year-old has lost both of his UFC bouts since earning a contract with the promotion at Dana White’s Contender Series back in August 2020.

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Chas Skelly out of UFC Fight Night 194; Mike Trizano awaits replacement opponent

The event is headlined by strawweights Mackenzie Dern and Marina Rodriguez.

UFC Fight Night 194 has taken a hit.

Featherweight [autotag]Chas Skelly[/autotag] is out of his scheduled fight vs. [autotag]Mike Trizano[/autotag] and the promotion is currently seeking a replacement for the Oct. 9 event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Two people with knowledge of the change recently informed MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Skelly (18-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) has encountered tough luck recently as his four most recent fights have been canceled. He’s only competed once since November 2018, a fight in which he defeated Jordan Griffin via unanimous decision. Skelly, 36, is 1-1-1 in his most recent three fights.

Trizano (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), “The Ultimate Fighter,” Season 27 lightweight tournament winner, enters the fight with the momentum of a May victory over Ludovit Klein. Thus far in his UFC tenure, Trizano has also defeated Luis Pena and Joe Giannetti. His lone promotional loss came via submission against Grant Dawson.

The latest UFC Fight Night 194 lineup now includes:

  • Marina Rodriguez vs. Mackenzie Dern
  • Damon Jackson vs. Charles Rosa
  • Alexandr Romanov vs. Jared Vanderaa
  • Loopy Godinez vs. Sam Hughes
  • Jamie Pickett vs. Laureano Staropoli
  • Phil Hawes vs. Deron Winn
  • Tim Elliott vs. Matheus Nicolau
  • Felipe Colares vs. Chris Gutierrez
  • Mariya Agapova vs. Sabina Mazo
  • Steve Garcia vs. Charlie Ontiveros
  • Mike Trizano vs. opponent TBA
  • Randy Brown vs. Jared Gooden

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