Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
The UFC has allotted some of its best broadcasting talent for a national audience at UFC on ABC 3 this Saturday.
The UFC schedule continues this week with UFC on ABC 3 on Saturday at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y.
As always, some marquee on-air talent will be there to help guide viewers through the experience.
Details of who will work as commentators and analysts for each event have been acquired by MMA Junkie through a person with knowledge of the situation, and you can see the scheduled broadcast team below.
Yair Rodriguez says he’s on deck for featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski with a win at UFC on ABC 3.
[autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag] says he’s on deck for UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski if he can win this weekend.
As Rodriguez (15-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) prepares to face Brian Ortega (13-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC on ABC 3 headliner, the stakes have been boosted.
According to Rodriguez, the UFC brass have informed him that if he secures a victory in the ABC-televised main event at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y, he will get a crack at reigning champ Volkanovski (25-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC).
“Yes, that has been said to me,” Rodriguez said Monday on “The MMA Hour.” “That’s what we’re looking for. First things first, I’m going to win this fight and then give the champ some time to heal and then go for it. Right now let’s just take it step-by-step. First things first is Brian Ortega.”
Rodriguez hasn’t competed since November when he battled Max Holloway to a decision loss in a Fight of the Year candidate. The Mexican fighter has been on the cusp of a title shot multiple times during his run, but injuries, key losses and other circumstances have prevented him from getting over the hump.
After Volkanovski dismantled Holloway in their trilogy bout at UFC 276 this month, there have been questions about who could be next for him. Josh Emmett has been campaigning for the shot after a five-fight winning streak, and former two-division UFC champ Henry Cejudo is keen to pursue a third belt.
Volkanovski already soundly defeated Ortega at UFC 266 in September, leaving the door open for Rodriguez to push him name to the front of the queue with a solid win.
Rodriguez knows Volkanovski is at the top of the game right now, and although he’s entirely focused on executing his game plan against Ortega, he heaped praise on the champ.
“He looked amazing (against Holloway),” Rodriguez said. “It was eye-opening for me, and I better get ready for that if I want to be the champion. If I want to be champion I’m going to have to put some work because he’s tough. He’s really tough.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 3.
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Brian Ortega still thinks he’s the man to dethrone UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.
[autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] still thinks he’s the man to dethrone UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag].
Ortega (15-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) came close to handing Volkanovski (25-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC) his first octagon loss when the pair squared off in a title fight last September at UFC 266. Although it was mostly a dominant performance for Volkanovski, Ortega had the champion in a world of trouble when he dropped him and quickly latched onto a deep guillotine choke in Round 3.
The choke had Volkanovski gargling, but he managed to power out of multiple submissions before turning things around. But with his gritty standup style and slick submission skills, Ortega is confident he has what it takes to stop Volkanovski if he gets another chance.
“I would love that personally because I feel like from what the world’s seeing is he’s won the belt, he’s defended the belt, and the one person that gave him the hardest time was me,” Ortega said in an interview with Inside Fighting. “(I) put him in the most danger he’s ever been in his career. …
“I just put him in the most danger and people noticed that, people saw. I’m just a deadly opponent for him. Obviously I’m always gonna train to win, to fight this guy and beat this guy. I believe I have the tools and capabilities to do so if I play my cards right. So it’s all about seeing how I can play my cards right and going in there and finishing this man.”
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But first, Ortega has to get through Yair Rodriguez (13-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC on ABC 3 main event in Long Island. Ortega’s only two losses have come in championship fights, but if he gets past Rodriguez, he’s not sure if it’s enough for another crack at the title.
“It’s hard for me to decide, honestly,” Ortega said. “I could see a lot of people lately be like, ‘This guy, you already got two shots.’ So at this point it ain’t my job anymore. I need to do may job and fight and win and basically see where politics and how this sh*t goes out.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 3.
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Lauren Murphy vs. Miesha Tate has a new date.
[autotag]Lauren Murphy[/autotag] and [autotag]Miesha Tate[/autotag] will still fight each other, just not this weekend.
The women’s flyweight bout, originally booked for UFC 276 this Saturday in Las Vegas, has been rescheduled for UFC on ABC 3 on July 16 in Long Island, New York due to COVID-19 protocols, the UFC announced Monday.
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The fight will mark Tate’s (19-8 MMA, 6-5 UFC) flyweight debut. The former UFC women’s bantamweight champion makes the drop to 125 pounds after coming up short in a unanimous decision against Ketlen Vieira in the UFC Fight Night 198 main event last November. Tate is 1-1 since returning from retirement in 2021. She stopped Marion Reneau by TKO in her first fight back and then lost to Vieira.
Meawnhile, Murphy (15-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) will look to rebound from her title loss to flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko last September. Prior to that, Murphy was on a five-fight winning streak, including wins over Andrea Lee and Joanne Wood.
With the addition, here’s the complete UFC on ABC lineup:
MAIN CARD (ABC, ESPN+, 3 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 12 p.m. ET)
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An exciting flyweight matchup between Matt Schnell and Su Mudaerji is the latest addition to UFC on ABC 3.
An exciting flyweight matchup is the latest addition to UFC on ABC 3.
[autotag]Matt Schnell[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Su Mudaerji[/autotag] on July 16 at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. The main card will kick off at 3 p.m. ET and air on ABC and stream on ESPN+, with prelims set to begin at noon ET and air on ESPN and stream on ESPN+.
The promotion announced the booking Wednesday.
Schnell (15-6-1 MMA, 5-4-1 UFC) is coming off a first-round submission loss to Brandon Royval in May at UFC 274, where both men earned a Fight of the Night bonus. His most recent octagon win came in January 2021 when he defeated Tyson Nam at UFC on ESPN 20.
After dropping his UFC debut to Louis Smolka in November 2018, Mudaerji (16-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has won three straight, most recently a unanimous decision over Zarrukh Adashev at UFC on ESPN 20. The 26-year-old saw multiple bookings with Tim Elliott and Manel Kape scrapped and will return to action for the first time in 18 months.
The current UFC on ABC 3 lineup includes:
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Emily Ducote didn’t want to be defined by her 2021 Knockout of the Year candidate – and now she has the chance to make new viral moments in the UFC.
Invicta FC strawweight champion [autotag]Emily Ducote[/autotag] is turning in her titleholder status for a pair of UFC gloves.
With [autotag]Brianna Fortino[/autotag] out of UFC on ABC 3 for undisclosed reasons, Ducote (11-6 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will step in to fight [autotag]Jessica Penne[/autotag] (14-5 MMA, 3-3 UFC) on approximately six weeks’ notice. The event takes place July 16 at UBS Arena in Elmwood, N.Y. with the main card airing on ABC.
Two people with knowledge of the booking confirmed the matchup Wednesday to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Ducote, 28, has won five of six outings since her Bellator departure in 2018 and subsequent drop down to 115 pounds. In August, she won the then-vacant Invicta FC strawweight championship with a Knockout of the Year headkick against former UFC fighter Danielle Taylor. She successfully defended her title for the first time in May when she defeated Alesha Zappitella by TKO due to doctor stoppage.
Penne, 39, is a former UFC women’s strawweight title challenger on a two-fight winning streak. Following a three-fight skid and a lengthy USADA suspension, Penne returned from hiatus in April 2021 and won back-to-back fights against Lupita Godinez and Karolina Kowalkiewicz.
With the addition, the UFC on ABC 3 lineup includes:
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UFC fights are returning to ABC this summer.
UFC fights are returning to ABC this summer.
The promotion on Wednesday announced that the previously revealed featherweight clash between [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] and [autotag]Yair Rodriguez [/autotag]will serve as the headliner for UFC on ABC 3 on July 16 at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. The main card will kick off at 3 p.m. ET and air on ABC and stream on ESPN+, with prelims set to begin at noon ET and air on ESPN and stream on ESPN+.
This marks the third time that the UFC will be televised on ABC. UFC on ABC 1 took place in January 2021 and was headlined by Max Holloway’s masterclass against Calvin Kattar. Just a few months later in April, UFC on ABC 2 featured a main event between Marvin Vettori and Kevin Holland, which Vettori won by unanimous decision.
UFC on ABC 3 will be a big spot for both Ortega (15-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) and Rodriguez (13-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC).
Ortega is fighting for the first time since a failed title bid against champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 266 in September. The bout was spirited throughout, but Ortega absorbed a heavy amount of damage. Volkanovski ultimately won via unanimous decision. The loss was Ortega’s second in three fights and his second unsuccessful UFC title challenge.
Rodriguez returns for only the second time since late 2019. While he lost a November main event to Holloway by unanimous decision, the bout was competitive and considered one of the best of 2021. Rodriguez is 2-1 with a no contest over his past four fights.
The card marks the promotion’s first on Long Island since UFC on FOX 25 in June 2017. The main event saw Chris Weidman defeat Kelvin Gastelum by submission at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
The current UFC on ABC 3 lineup includes:
