Tag: UFC on ESPN 30

Dana White: Tresean Gore out of TUF 29 Finale with knee injury, Gilbert Urbina steps in as replacement

Dana White announced Tresean Gore is out due to injury and will be replaced by Gilbert Urbina for The Ultimate Fighter 29 Finale.

“The Ultimate Fighter 29” season finale has been shaken up due to injury.

Following the last episode of the season on Tuesday night, the middleweight finals were set between [autotag]Tresean Gore[/autotag] and [autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag] to determine who would win the 29th season of the show and earn a UFC contract.

On the final episode of the season, Gore punched his ticket to the finale by knocking out Gilbert Urbina with a counter-left hook in the second round.

However, according to UFC president Dana White, Gore (3-0) has suffered a knee injury and will be unable to compete at UFC on ESPN 30 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

“Tresean Gore is injured, it looks like his meniscus,” White told TMZ. “I think a lot of people figured that this kid could win it. Obviously, (it would have been) a great fight with him and Bryan Battle. Gore is out. Probably going to be out for six months.”

Gore’s replacement? The man he knocked out, Urbina (6-1).

Fights during the season of ‘TUF’ are considered exhibitions, therefore Urbina’s loss to Gore does not affect his professional record. His lone official professional loss came against current UFC welterweight Sean Brady via unanimous decision.

White said when Gore is healthy, he will be granted the opportunity to fight on an official UFC card.

The TUF Finale will take place as a part of UFC on ESPN 30 on Aug. 28 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event is headlined by Edson Barboza vs. Giga Chikadze.

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Kevin Lee rips Mike Perry for not fighting him: ‘He can never say he’s from Michigan again’

While he sees Daniel Rodriguez as a worthy opponent, Kevin Lee is disappointed the Mike Perry fight never materialized.

While he sees Daniel Rodriguez as a worthy opponent, [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag] is disappointed the [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag] fight never materialized.

Lee (18-6 MMA, 11-6 UFC) initially called Perry out in May, but Perry said he needed more time. Lee then was booked to face Sean Brady at UFC 264 in July, but was forced out due to a rib injury. The pair was then rescheduled for UFC on ESPN 30, but Brady had to withdraw.

Insisting to remain on the card, “The Motown Phenom” took the opportunity to re-divert his attention to Perry, but it was Rodriguez (15-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) who stepped in to take the fight, which has Lee thinking Perry wants no part of him.

“Mike Perry would have been a good one,” Lee told Submission Radio. “That would have been a good name. Honestly, it would have been a softball, and I was kind of looking for a softball. I ain’t had one yet in my career, and Perry would have been that. But he didn’t want to give it to me. So me and him, I lost a lot of respect for the man after that. I asked for that fight in May. He said give him a little bit more time. So I moved on and wanted to fight Sean Brady in July.

“He said he needed a few more weeks up there in July, but then Aug. 28 rolls around and he still ain’t say nothing. So I lost a lot of respect for the man. And I say one thing, and it’s going to be the end of it between me and him: He can never say he’s from Michigan again. If I hear it, anything come out of his mouth, that he’s from Flint, that he’s from Michigan, we’re going to have some serious problems. There ain’t going to be none of that picture-taking and hand-shaking when he sees me. That’s not how we get down where I’m from.”

Perry currently is enduring the roughest stretch of his career with losses in four of his past five fights. Never one to back down from a fight, Perry responded to Lee’s second callout by saying he’s game, but that he now leaves the decisions up to his team while he looks to invent himself.

“The man doesn’t even have a coaching staff,” Lee said. “You mean leave it to his girl? And if it’s on his girl’s decision, well then now I really lose a lot of respect. So best of luck to him. Best of luck to him. I hope he does something. But to me, if you’re not stepping up and you don’t want to fight, then get the f*ck out the way and let somebody else get in here. Do what you do, but get the f*ck out the way. You’re holding up some other kid’s dream that wants to be in here. So I ain’t got no respect for it.”

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Sara McMann highlights three late withdrawals from UFC on ESPN 30

The UFC on ESPN 30 lineup took hit after hit after hit Tuesday.

The UFC on ESPN 30 lineup took hit after hit after hit Tuesday.

Former women’s bantamweight title challenger Sara McMann announced on Instagram that she was forced to withdraw from her fight with Ketlen Vieira “because of a reinjury.” McMann did not say specifically what she reinjured but expressed disappointment at being forced out.

“The worst part is that I was so healthy and having a really great camp,” McMann wrote. “I know I’ll keep the gains I’ve made, but I was really hoping to get the reward for all of the work I’ve put in the last few months.”

It’s unclear if Vieira will remain on the Aug. 28 card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

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Also on Tuesday, Aliaskhab Khizriev was forced out of his fight with Alessio Di Chirico because of an undisclosed injury, according to MMA Fighting, which added that the UFC is seeking a replacement for Khizriev. Meanwhile, MMA Island reported that Mario Bautista tested positive for COVID-19 and is out of his fight with Guido Cannetti. It’s unclear if Cannetti will remain on the card.

With the changes, the updated UFC on ESPN 30 lineup includes:

  • Edson Barboza vs. Giga Chikadze
  • Kevin Lee vs. Daniel Rodriguez
  • Ketlen Vieira vs. Opponent TBA
  • Gerald Meerschaert vs. Makhmud Muradov
  • Joselyne Edwards vs. Zarah Fairn
  • Kevin Croom vs. Marcelo Rojo
  • Guido Cannetti vs. Opponent TBA
  • Jamall Emmers vs. Pat Sabatini
  • Dustin Jacoby vs. Darren Stewart
  • Tracy Cortez vs. J.J. Aldrich
  • Sam Alvey vs. Wellington Turman
  • Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Antonio Neto
  • Alessio Di Chirico vs. Opponent TBA

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Sean Brady out of UFC on ESPN 30; Kevin Lee fight canceled for second time

Once again, a fight between Sean Brady and Kevin Lee has fallen apart. 

Once again, a fight between [autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag] and [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag] has fallen apart.

Brady has been ruled out of the Aug. 28 welterweight bout slated for UFC on ESPN 30 because of an undisclosed injury, MMA Junkie learned Saturday from two people with knowledge of the situation. The people requested anonymity since the UFC has yet to make an announcement.

It’s unclear at this time of Lee will remain on the card against a replacement opponent or wait to rebook with Brady.

This marks the second time that Brady vs. Lee has been canceled. They were booked to fight each other July 10 at UFC 264, but Lee withdrew roughly two weeks out after suffering a rib injury.

Brady, 28, is yet to experience defeat in his professional MMA career, which began in August 2014. Brady (14-0 MMA,4-0 UFC) made his UFC debut in October 2019 and has reeled off four victories against Court McGee, Ismail Naurdiev, Christian Aguilera, and most recently Jake Matthews at UFC 259. Brady is currently ranked No. 14 in the official UFC welterweight rankings.

Lee, also 28, is a former UFC interim lightweight title challenger who tried his hand at 170 pounds once before, losing by fourth-round submission to Rafael dos Anjos in May 2019. Lee’s decision to move up in weight then was because of his struggles to make the lightweight limit. Since that fight, Lee (18-6 MMA, 11-6 UFC) returned to 155 pounds and defeated Gregor Gillespie by knockout. In his most recent bout in March 2020, Lee was submitted in the third round by Charles Oliveira after missing weight by two-and-a-half pounds.

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