[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) vs. [autotag]Abdul Razak Alhassan[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 5-4 UFC) is off UFC on ESPN 32 on Jan. 15 after Alhassan withdrew for undisclosed reasons. There is a tentative plan to reschedule the bout, but a new date has not yet been finalized.
Two people with knowledge of the situation recently informed MMA Junkie of the cancellation but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Buckley, owner of one of the greatest knockouts in UFC history, was able to bounce back from his knockout loss to Alessio Di Chirico with another “Performance of the Night” finish when he came from behind to starch Antonio Arroyo in the third round at UFC Fight Night 192 in September.
In his past outing in August, Alhassan snapped a three-fight losing skid with a blistering 17-second head kick knockout of Di Chirico at UFC on ESPN 30. All five of Alhassan’s octagon wins have come by first-round stoppage.
With the change, the UFC on ESPN 32 lineup now includes:
Calvin Kattar is facing an uphill climb against Giga Chikadze at UFC Fight Night 200 if the odds are any indication.
For the second consecutive year, [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] will do the honors of opening the UFC’s calendar in a main event spot. He is facing underdog status for the second consecutive year, as well.
Kattar (22-5 MMA, 6-3 UFC) is currently the betting underdog going into the UFC on ESPN 32 main event vs. [autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] (14-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC), which takes place Jan. 15 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
Current odds for the featherweight contender matchup from Tipico, the exclusive sports betting and iGaming provider for USA TODAY Sports and MMA Junkie, have Chikadze as a -240 favorite, meaning a successful bet of $240 would be needed to secure a $100 win. Kattar, for his part, sits at +150, meaning a successful bet of $100 would secure a $150 win.
Kattar, No. 9 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie featherweight rankings, hasn’t fought since his unanimous decision loss to Max Holloway at UFC on ABC 1 in January 2021. He took significant damage in the bout, and followed it with a lengthy layoff.
He’ll attempt to rebound against streaking No. 12-ranked contender Chikadze, who is riding a run of seven consecutive octagon victories. The Georgian striking specialist is coming off a main event knockout of Edson Barboza at UFC on ESPN 30 in August.
Here are the top four honorable mentions and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Knockout of the Year” award for 2020.
With another action-packed year of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie takes a look at the best knockouts from January to December. Here are the top five and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Knockout of the Year” award for 2020.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice for “Knockout of the Year.”
Four fighters are facing lengthy suspensions as a result of their UFC on ESPN+ 32 injuries.
Four fighters are facing potential six-month suspensions for injuries sustained in their respective UFC on ESPN+ 32 bouts.
[autotag]Yana Kunitskaya[/autotag] (neck and arm), [autotag]Scott Holtzman[/autotag] (facial fractures), [autotag]Peter Barrett[/autotag] (left ribs), and [autotag]Irwin Rivera[/autotag] (right hand, right wrist, and left eye) will not be able to fight until Feb. 5, 2021, unless they are cleared by a doctor beforehand.
On Wednesday, MMA Junkie obtained the full list of suspensions from MixedMartialArts.com, the Association of Boxing Commission’s official record keeper.
Headlining victor [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] did not receive a suspension, while his opponent, [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag], received a 45-day suspension for lacerations sustained in the fight.
Former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] and his opponent, [autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag], both received 30-day suspensions after their co-main event bout.
[lawrence-related id=543758,543764]
Below is the full list of UFC on ESPN+ 32 medical suspensions:
Derrick Lewis: No suspension.
Aleksei Oleinik: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to left eye and lip lacerations.
Chris Weidman: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to a “hard fight.”
Omari Akhmedov: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to laceration under left eye.
[autotag]Darren Stewart[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to left scalp laceration.
[autotag]Maki Pitolo[/autotag]: No suspension.
Yana Kunitskaya: Suspended 180 days or until MRI of neck and right arm are cleared by orthopedic doctor; Also suspended 21 days with no contact for 14 days.
[autotag]Julija Stoliarenko[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
Scott Holtzman: Suspended 180 days or until left inferior orbital floor fracture cleared by maxillofacial surgeon; Also suspended for 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
[autotag]Tim Means[/autotag]: Suspended 21 days with no contact for 14 days.
[autotag]Laureno Staropoli[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: Suspended 21 days with no contact for 14 days due to left eye laceration.
[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to left eye lacerations.
[autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to left eye laceration.
[autotag]Alexander Munoz[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days, or until right eye is cleared by doctor.
[autotag]Andrew Sanchez[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Wellington Turman[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days with no contact for 45 days.
[autotag]Gavin Tucker[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Justin Jaynes[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Youssef Zalal[/autotag]: No suspension.
Peter Barrett: Suspended 180 days or until x-ray of left ribs is cleared by an orthopedic doctor; Also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
Irwin Rivera: Suspended 180 days or until x-ray of right hand and wrist is cleared by doctor and possible left eye corneal abrasion is cleared by an ophthalmologist.
[autotag]Ali Alqaisi[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to sutures on nasal bridge.
Take a look inside Nasrat Haqparast’s win over Alexander Munoz at UFC on ESPN+ 32 in Las Vegas.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag] beat Alexander Munoz with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN+ 32 in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Haqparast, who handed Munoz the first loss of his pro career.
“It was for sure a very big moment for me personally. I had a lot of pressure and I really just wanted to show my real skill set. In my last fight against Drew Dober, I was immature. I wanted to kill him – my emotions took the best of me. Today, I really got to show my skill set and it’s just the beginning.”
Haqparast on not underestimating his opponent
“Alex was 6-0 and you should not forget he is the wrestling coach of Team Alpha Male. In the octagon, it’s always 0-0. It’s not the guy with the biggest experience against the other one. Sometimes we see big upsets. You should never take anyone lightly just because he doesn’t have UFC fights. It was his debut. He had a lot of pressure. He was trained for years. He was a super athlete and had a good chin. It was a good test for me just to improve my skills, improve my octagon confidence. In my opinion, I have the best team in the world. We can beat everybody with good preparation. It takes time. We will get better and I really think we have the potential to do something great.”
Haqparast on what he wants next
“Now I’ll go back to Germany, take some family time, take some rest because of some injuries, then I’ll go back to training.”
To hear more from Haqparast, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
Take a look inside Youssef Zalal’s win over Peter Barrett at UFC on ESPN+ 32 in Las Vegas.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Youssef Zalal[/autotag] beat Peter Barrett with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN+ 32 in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Zalal, who moved to 3-0 with three decision wins in the UFC since signing earlier this year.
Result:Youssef Zalal def. Peter Barrett via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27) Updated records: Zalal (10-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC), Barrett (11-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) Key stat: Zalal more than doubled up on Barrett in the striking department, 85-41, and had nearly six and a half minutes of control time on the canvas.
Zalal on the fight’s key moment
“I feel good! I had a lot of things to prove to myself from that last fight, so I came in today – I don’t know if you guys saw me in the corner just talking to the coaches. I really didn’t listen in the last fight. It kind of messed me up. I’m young. I just learn every day and every fight. So I did a lot better than the last fight. I’m happy with that. I wish I got a finish. I’m so mad that I didn’t get a finish, but you move on to move on.”
Zalal on making the most of his opportunities
“This is my second fight in six weeks. It just shows the hard work that we did for the past, I don’t know how many years. I’ve got an amazing team, amazing people around me. I’m blessed and grateful for the opportunities. These opportunities don’t come around that often, so when you have the chance, you take them.”
Zalal on what he wants next
“Before 2020, we sat down with the coaches and decided it was really time to go and grow, really just push it, and see where life takes us. We never knew we would have three fights in 2020. We just went with the flow and really focused on getting better as a mixed martial artist – as a person in general. So for me, that was the main focus and fights came to me. I didn’t really have to rush for fights. Fights came in and I took them. I took the opportunities, and thank God – I’m grateful and blessed that I’m doing great.”
To hear more from Zalal, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
Take a look inside Yana Kunitskaya’s win over Julija Stoliarenko at UFC on ESPN+ 32 in Las Vegas.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Yana Kunitskaya[/autotag] beat Julija Stoliarenko with a unanimous decision Saturday on the main card at UFC on ESPN+ 32 in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Kunitskaya, who bounced back from a loss to Aspen Ladd this past December.
“I’m really happy and I want to thank Julija for taking this fight on short notice. For me, at this time, it wasn’t so important (an opponent’s) ranking. It would be good if my opponent was higher in the rankings, but I’m so happy that they were able to find a replacement. She is such a good fighter. She was a champion at Invicta. She was on a good winning streak. So I don’t think I fought a no-name.”
Kunitskaya on changing things up
“It’s been a hard time for everyone with this pandemic and a lot changed in my life. I was stuck in Brazil for six months, then I moved to Florida. It was hard, but I’m so happy with this opportunity and for being able to fight.”
Kunitskaya on what she wants next
“Everyone thinks I’m a striker because I started with striking, but I think I have a good potential in wrestling. I’ll try to improve in this part and be more well-rounded. Maybe in the future it will be my strongest area.”
To hear more from Kunitskaya, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
Monday’s episode of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here!
On Episode 3,077 of the podcast, the guys look back at Bellator 243 and UFC on ESPN+ 32, plus look ahead to some key matchups that were booked the past few days.
Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio, or check it out above. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.
All the notable stats to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 32, which took place in Las Vegas, and saw Derrick Lewis knock out Aleksei Oleinik.
The UFC’s loaded August schedule continued on Saturday with UFC on ESPN+ 32, which went down at UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streamed on ESPN+.
The UFC’s busiest heavyweight picked up another notable win in the headliner when [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] (24-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC) overcame the grappling prowess of [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] (59-14-1 MMA, 8-5 UFC) to net a second-round TKO and extend his current winning streak to three fights.
“The Black Beast” made UFC history with his finish, and for more on the numbers, check below for 35 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 32.
[autotag]Darren Stewart[/autotag], [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag], [autotag]Andrew Sanchez[/autotag] and [autotag]Gavin Tucker[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN+ 32 fight-night bonuses.
UFC on ESPN+ 32 drew an announced attendance of zero for a live gate of $0.
Betting favorites went 10-2 on the card.
Betting favorites improved to 15-7 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 12-bout card was 2:10:09.
Main card
Derrick Lewis
Lewis’ 15 victories in UFC heavyweight competition are tied with Junior Dos Santos for third most in divisional history behind Andrei Arlovski (18) and Frank Mir (16).
Lewis’ 11 stoppage victories in UFC heavyweight competition are tied with Arlovski, Gabriel Gonzaga and Stefan Struve for second most in divisional history behind Mir (13),
Lewis’ 11 knockout victories in UFC competition are tied for second most in company history behind Vitor Belfort (12).
Lewis’ 11 knockout victories in UFC heavyweight competition are most in divisional history.
Lewis’ 11 knockout victories in UFC competition since 2014 are tied with Thiago Santos for most among active fighters in the organization.
Oleinik has suffered all four of his UFC stoppage losses by knockout.
[autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] (15-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) was successful in his return to the middleweight division.
Weidman earned his first UFC victory where he failed to outland his opponent in strikes.
[autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag] (20-5-1 MMA, 8-4-1 UFC) fell to 3-1-1 since he returned to the UFC middleweight division in December 2017. He’s 4-1-1 in the weight class overall under the UFC banner.
Akhmedov suffered the first decision loss of his career.
Stewart (12-4 MMA, 5-4 UFC) improved to 5-3 since he dropped to the UFC middleweight division in November 2017.
[autotag]Maki Pitolo[/autotag] (12-6 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered five of his six career losses by stoppage.
Yana Kunitskaya
[autotag]Yana Kunitskaya[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) improved to 3-1 since she returned to the UFC women’s bantamweight division in October 2018.
Kunitskaya outlanded her opponent 209-to-30 in total strikes. The +179 margin is largest in UFC women’s bantamweight history.
Kunitskaya has earned all three of her UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] (19-4-1 MMA, 13-4-1 UFC) earned the eighth knockout in UFC history stemming from a spinning backfist.
Dariush’s four-fight stoppage streak in UFC competition is tied with Justin Gaethje and Francis Ngannou for second longest among active fighters on the roster behind Charles Oliveira (seven).
[autotag]Scott Holtzman[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) suffered the first stoppage loss of his career with his knockout defeat.
Preliminary card
Tim Means
[autotag]Tim Means[/autotag] (30-12-1 MMA, 12-9 UFC) improved to 10-7 (with one no contest) since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in May 2014.
[autotag]Laureano Staropoli[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has suffered both of his UFC losses by decision.
[autotag]Alexander Munoz[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) had his six-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.
[autotag]Wellington Turman[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) suffered the first stoppage loss of his career with his knockout defeat.
[autotag]Justin Jaynes[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) suffered the first stoppage loss of his career with his submission defeat.
[autotag]Youssef Zalal[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has earned all three of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Peter Barrett[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
“I feel like the anger and emotion kind of slowed me down a bit,” Stewart said during his post-fight news conference. “Everyone said I performed well. I need to watch it back. But tomorrow? I think it’s gone, finally. I needed to let it out somehow.”
Stewart offered up advice to others who might be suffering from loss, encouraging them to talk with others or pick up hobbies to keep their minds off of tragedies.
“If you’re going through something like that, speak to someone about it – or go do something you love,” Stewart said. “It was hard at home. I’m upset. People won’t see it. I laugh and joke on Instagram. I make little TikToks here and there. But outside of that, I was hurt. … I want to just do something – that kind of thing because I’m just angry of what happened to him. I know I need to fight. I need to fight, man. We could do this on the street, but I’m happy I took the fight.”
As for what’s next, Stewart said he considered implementing an on-call lifestyle, just in case the UFC needs a fighter on short-notice. However, Stewart has had second guesses.
“At first, I wanted to do that, but I didn’t know how hard it was to miss weight,” Stewart said. “It’s crazy. Because of the heat (in Las Vegas), you think it’s hard to make weight … It’s a madness – oh my God. I’ll be good. I’ll be good. If I can fly, I’ll come back again and quarantine again. Yeah, I’ll do it. After this fight, I’m trying to stay ready.”
UFC on ESPN+ 32 took place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streamed on ESPN+.
