Tag: UFC Fight Night 211

44-year-old UFC lightweight Francisco Trinaldo is not thinking about retirement. Here’s why.

Francisco Trinaldo still has the fire despite being 44 years old.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag] has no plans to stop fighting for the time being.

The Brazilian is the oldest fighter in the UFC’s lightweight division at 44, and the second oldest in the UFC roster, right behind Aleksei Oleinik, who’s 45. Despite his age, Trinaldo (28-8 MMA, 18-7 UFC) is not contemplating retirement.

“I don’t think about it,” Trinaldo told reporters, including MMA Junkie, through an interpreter at Wednesday’s media day. “As long as the spark is there, and that flame is there, and I wake up in the morning eager to train, to run, to box, to wrestle, I’ll continue to do it.

“Right now it’s there and that’s what I like to do. I want to continue to give work to those young guns that are coming up.”

[lawrence-related id=2584165,2583854]

Trinaldo has been competing under the UFC banner for an entire decade, and he returns to further that run this Saturday. “Massaranduba” takes on Randy Brown in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 211.

Trinaldo enters the fight on a two-fight winning streak and 5-1 in his past six outings. Although in a good position at 155 pounds, Trinaldo is not thinking about the rankings or title contention.

“It’s not to enter the rankings or fight for a belt, this is what I love to do,” Trinaldo said. “I look in the mirror and I ask myself, ‘What would you be doing instead?’ I love doing this. At first, I wanted to buy a house, a house for my brothers, a better life, but now I do this for myself. I love doing this.”

[vertical-gallery id=463411]

Mackenzie Dern not expecting title shot if she beats Yan Xiaonan, feels a former champ is ‘good next step’

Mackenzie Dern doesn’t want a title shot, for now.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag]’s ultimate goal is to be UFC champion, but she still feels she needs to get a bit more experience before getting the opportunity.

The UFC strawweight contender returns to the cage this Saturday, as she’s set to take on Yan Xiaonan in the main event of UFC Fight Night 211. It’s a big fight for the division and one that can have big consequences.

As one of the more popular names in the weight class, some think Dern (12-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) could be knocking on the door of a title shot if victorious over Xiaonan (15-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC). However, the 29-year-old doesn’t want to fight for UFC gold, at least not yet.

“I think if I have a dominant performance, (a former champion) would be a next good step for me,” Dern told reporters at the UFC Fight Night 211 media day on Wednesday. “I don’t want to fight exactly for the belt, I mean, I’m not going to be the person that says, ‘No. No. I don’t want a title fight.’ If they offer it, maybe we’ll take it. But for me, if I had a choice, I would like to do one more fight against a former champion – Rose Namajunas, Jessica Andrade, maybe even the loser of Zhang Weili and Carla Esparza.

“I think that would be a good test for me. And if I beat a former champion, then I can fight the real champion.”

[lawrence-related id=2572801,2553761]

Dern is coming off a split decision over Tecia Torres back in April at UFC 273. Prior to that, she had lost to top contender Marina Rodriguez in a Fight of the Night main event last October.

Dern, who’s 5-1 in her past six fights, believes Xiaonan is the perfect next step to put her MMA evolution to a test.

“She’s got high volume, good technique, strong punches, she hits in the right spots, but at the same time, as a grappler, that’s good because it’s a little easier to take them down,” Dern said. “… I’m at a really good moment in my career to fight someone like that, (someone) that’s going to try to put on the pressure on me, because I’m finally starting to settle in on my striking.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 211.

[vertical-gallery id=413983]

[pickup_prop id=”26923″]

Yan Xiaonan: Grappling is Mackenzie Dern’s ‘only way’ to win UFC Fight Night 211 headliner

Yan Xiaonan thinks she has a clear path to victory in the UFC Fight Night 211 main event against Mackenzie Dern.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag] thinks she has a clear path to victory in the UFC Fight Night 211 main event, and it’s keeping off the ground with Mackenzie Dern.

That should come as no surprise given Dern (12-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) is one of the most decorated grapplers on the UFC roster – female or male – going into Saturday’s strawweight main event with Xiaonan (13-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) at the UFC Apex, which streams on ESPN+.

However, Xiaonan is focused on exactly what she needs to do.

“She may do something standing,” Xiaonan told reporters, including MMA Junkie, through an interpreter at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 211 media day. “But it’s just for setup to drag me to the ground, because that is the only way she can win this fight, I believe.”

[lawrence-related id=2582877]

The fight represents a big moment for Xiaonan’s career. It’s the first time she’s been placed at the top of the billing in her UFC tenure. With that comes added attention, and for Xiaonan it’s a key opportunity to rebound from back-to-back losses against top contender Marina Rodriguez and current champ Carla Esparza.

“This fight they put me in the main event, so I think UFC, they saw something special in me,” Xiaonan said. “They saw some very high-level things from myself. So that’s why they put me in the main event.

Xiaonan said she’s confident her conditioning will hold up over five rounds against Dern, if needed, and if she can keep sharp on her takedown defense and grappling counters, she expects a smooth night at the office.

The Chinese fighter is absolutely not underestimating Dern, though, and that’s why she’s not putting any energy into where this win would put her in the division.

“I don’t think about the next step or what’s going to happen after this fight yet,” Xiaonan said. “I’m only focused on Saturday night.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 211.

[vertical-gallery id=493004]

UFC Fight Night 211: Make your predictions for Mackenzie Dern vs. Yan Xiaonan

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 211 event in Las Vegas.

UFC Fight Night 211: Make your predictions for Mackenzie Dern vs. Yan Xiaonan
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 211 event in Las Vegas.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC Fight Night 211 main card staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC Fight Night 211 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

Make your picks for the fights below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 211.

UFC Fight Night 211 free fight: Yan Xiaonan batters Karolina Kowalkiewicz

Yan Xiaonan’s rise to her first main event at UFC Fight Night 211 included a drubbing of ex-title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz.

[autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag] will attempt to return to winning form in the next main event on the UFC schedule.

Xiaonan (13-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) is slated to meet Mackenzie Dern (12-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) in the UFC Fight Night 211 main event on Oct. 1 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and she seeks a rebound from a current two-fight losing skid.

Prior to dropping back-to-back fights against Marina Rodriguez and Carla Esparza, Xiaonan put together six consecutive victories to begin her UFC tenure.

One of those wins came against former title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz (13-7 MMA, 6-7 UFC), who Xiaonan thoroughly defeated by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 168 on Feb 23, 2020 in Auckland.

The matchup, which was the featured contest on the card in the strawweight division, saw China’s Xiaonan overwhelm her Polish foe in all areas, even picking up a 10-8 round on the scorecards.

The win elevated Xiaonan’s stock in the 115-pound division, and just over two years later she finds herself in a UFC main event for the first time.

Watch the video above to see Xiaonan’s performance against Kowalkiewicz (courtesy of the UFC’s YouTube channel), and check out MMA Junkie’s photo gallery below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 211.

[vertical-gallery id=493004]

UFC free fight: Mackenzie Dern taps out Nina Nunes with first-round armbar

Ahead of her main event matchup with Yan Xiaonan, relive Mackenzie Dern’s finish of Nina Nunes at UFC on ABC 2.

It didn’t take long for [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] to take [autotag]Nina Nunes[/autotag] into her world.

Looking to make it four straight wins, Dern welcomed Nunes back to the octagon on the main card of UFC on ABC 2 last April.

Dern rushed Nunes with some hard combinations until she managed to clinch up and stack her against the cage. Nunes broke free, but Dern was able to latch onto a single leg and trip her to the mat. The ADCC champion controlled Nunes in top position and eventually transitioned to an armbar. Nunes fought hard, but once Dern was able to separate her arm, she forced the quick tap from Nunes.

Dern (12-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) returns to action Oct. 1 when she takes on [autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in the main event of UFC Fight Night 211, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Before she faces Xiaonan, relive Dern’s finish of Nunes in the video above.

[vertical-gallery id=413983]

Cody Garbrandt in need of opponent after Rani Yahya withdraws from UFC Fight Night 211

Rani Yahya has been forced to withdraw against Cody Garbrandt for a second straight time.

[autotag]Rani Yahya[/autotag] has been forced to withdraw against [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag] for a second straight time.

Yahya (28-10-1 MMA, 13-4-1 UFC) is out of his UFC Fight Night 211 bout against Garbrandt (12-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) on Oct. 1 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas for undisclosed reasons. It is unknown if Garbrandt will remain on the card.

A person with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the withdrawal after an initial report from Eurosport NL.

Garbrandt and Yahya originally were booked for UFC on ESPN 39 on July 9, but Yahya withdrew due to a neck injury. The bout was rescheduled for Oct. 1, but has been scrapped once again.

Garbrandt was set to return to 135 pounds after a failed stint at flyweight, where he was knocked out by Kai Kara-France at UFC 269 this past December. The former bantamweight champion has lost five of his past six. His lone win in that stretch was a knockout of Raphael Assuncao in June 2020.

Yahya has won two in a row. He submitted Ray Rodriguez in March 2021, then took a unanimous decision over Kyung-Ho Kang this past November.

With the change, the UFC Fight Night 211 lineup includes:

  • Mackenzie Dern vs. Yan Xioanan
  • Chris Daukaus vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
  • Brendan Allen vs. Krzysztof Jotko
  • Randy Brown vs. Francisco Trinaldo
  • Ilir Latifi vs. Aleksei Oleinik
  • Jessica Penne Tabatha Ricci
  • Guido Cannetti vs. Randy Costa
  • Chelsea Chandler vs. Julija Stoliarenko
  • John Castaneda vs. Daniel Santos
  • Cody Garbrandt vs. TBA
  • Raoni Barcelos vs. Trevin Jones
  • Jesse Ronson vs. Joaquim Silva
  • Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Mike Davis
  • Don Shainis vs. Sodiq Yusuff

[vertical-gallery id=340759]

Sodiq Yusuff off UFC Fight Night 210, booked to face promotional newcomer Don Shainis on Oct. 1

Sodiq Yusuff won’t get to compete at UFC Fight Night 210, but has been booked two weeks later.

[autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag] won’t get to compete at UFC Fight Night 210, but has been booked two weeks later.

Yusuff (12-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) was scheduled to face Giga Chikadze on Saturday’s card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, but the bout was scrapped when Chikadze withdrew due to injury.

Instead, Yusuff will meet promotional newcomer [autotag]Don Shainis[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 211 on Oct. 1, promotion officials announced Tuesday.

Winner of seven of his past eight, Yusuff rebounded from his first octagon setback to Arnold Allen with a unanimous decision win over Alex Caceres at UFC Fight Night 203 in March.

Shainis will enter his UFC debut on a five-fight winning streak with three straight knockouts. He currently holds the Cage Titans featherweight title and the FAC lightweight belt.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for Oct. 1 includes:

  • Mackenzie Dern vs. Yan Xiaonan
  • Chris Daukaus vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
  • Brendan Allen vs. Krzysztof Jotko
  • Randy Brown vs. Francisco Trinaldo
  • Ilir Latifi vs. Aleksei Oleinik
  • Jessica Penne vs. Tabatha Ricci
  • Guido Cannetti vs. Randy Costa
  • Chelsea Chandler vs. Julija Stoliarenko
  • John Castaneda vs. Daniel Santos
  • Cody Garbrandt vs. Rani Yahya
  • Raoni Barcelos vs. Trevin Jones
  • Jesse Ronson vs. Joaquim Silva
  • Mike Davis vs. TBA
  • Don Shainis vs. Sodiq Yusuff

[vertical-gallery id=481407]

Manager thinks Mackenzie Dern vs. Yan Xiaonan ‘very close’ to UFC strawweight title eliminator

When the calendar turns to October, Mackenzie Dern and Yan Xiaonan will set off an important trio of fights in the UFC strawweight division.

When the calendar turns to October, [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] and [autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag] will set off an important trio of upcoming fights in the UFC strawweight division.

Dern (12-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC), who is No. 5 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings at 115 pounds, and No. 9 Xiaonan (15-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) will headline UFC Fight Night 211 on Oct. 1 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Dern and Xiaonan are Nos. 5 and 6 in the official UFC rankings, which underscores the significance of their matchup.

After that, the fights in the division only get bigger.

At UFC 280 on Oct. 22, No. 3 Marina Rodriguez – who owns wins over Dern and Xiaonan – takes on No. 8 Amanda Lemos at UFC 280. And then there’s the biggest fight happening Nov. 12 at UFC 281 in New York, where champion Carla Esparza will put her title on the line against former champ Zhang Weili.

With Esparza dethroning previous champ Rose Namajunas earlier this year, the strawweight division is in the middle of change. According to Tim Simpson of Paradigm Sports, who manages Dern and Xiaonan, the opportunity to leave a lasting impression is huge after those other two fights play out behind them.

“I think it’s very close to (a title eliminator),” Simpson told MMA Junkie. “(Strawweight) is kind of wide open at the moment, when you have a new champion. It’ll be interesting to see what they do. Mackenzie’s back on a really good streak. You have to pay respect to Marina Rodriguez, who’s right there and has a win over both of those girls, and she’s got a fight coming up to. Obvious respect to the former champ, Rose Namajunas. So it’s interesting at 115, and it’s about making a statement.”

Dern got back in the win column in her most recent fight at UFC 273 where she beat Tecia Torres by split decision. That result came after the loss to Rodriguez snapped her five-fight winning streak.

A Xiaonan loss would be detrimental to her title aspirations as it would serve to be her third straight after dropping back-to-back fights to Esparza and Rodriguez.

“When it’s crowded and you’re not really sure what’s gonna happen next, who’s gonna make a statement?” Simpson said. “Both Xiaonan and Mackenzie have an opportunity to make a statement in what’s now becoming a top-heavy division. It’s exciting for both of them.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 211.

[vertical-gallery id=413983]

With Cheyanne Vlismas out, Jessica Penne steps in to face Tabatha Ricci at UFC Fight Night 211

Jessica Penne will return to action in October when she steps in to face Tabatha Ricci at UFC Fight Night 211.

[autotag]Jessica Penne[/autotag] will return to action in October.

Vlismas has been forced out of UFC Fight Night 211 due to personal reasons and Penne (14-6 MMA, 3-4 UFC) will step in to face [autotag]Tabatha Ricci[/autotag] (7-1, 2-1 UFC) on Oct. 1 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the replacement but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Dama de Ferro MMA was first to report the booking.

Penne is 2-1 since returning from a layoff of nearly four years in April 2021. The 39-year-old is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Emily Ducote at UFC on ABC 3 in July. Prior to that, she scored two straight wins over Loopy Godinez and a first-round armbar of Karolina Kowalkiewicz.

Ricci is currently riding a two-fight winning streak. Since dropping her UFC debut to flyweight contender Manon Fiorot, the 27-year-old Brazilian has defeated Maria Oliveira and Polyana Viana.

With the change, the UFC Fight Night 211 lineup now includes:

  • Mackenzie Dern vs. Yan Xiaonan
  • Brendan Allen vs. Krzysztof Jotko
  • Randy Brown vs. Francisco Trinaldo
  • Cody Garbrandt vs. Rani Yahya
  • Raoni Barcelos vs. Trevin Jones
  • Chris Daukaus vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
  • Ilir Latifi vs. Aleksei Oleinik
  • Jessica Penne vs. Tabatha Ricci
  • Guido Cannetti vs. Randy Costa
  • Chelsea Chandler vs. Julija Stoliarenko
  • John Castaneda vs. Daniel Santos
  • Jesse Ronson vs. Joaquim Silva
  • Mike Davis vs. Uros Medic

[vertical-gallery id=663517]