Tag: UFC on ESPN+ 38

With Magomed Mustafaev out, Guram Kutateladze steps in to face Mateusz Gamrot at UFC’s Oct. 17 event

Two of Europe’s brightest prospects Guram Kutateladze and Mateusz Gamrot will make their octagon debuts on Oct. 17.

Two of Europe’s brightest prospects will make their octagon debuts on Oct. 17.

[autotag]Magomed Mustafaev[/autotag] has been forced out of next week’s UFC on ESPN+ 38 event, and [autotag]Guram Kutateladze[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC)) will step in on short notice to face [autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag] (17-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. MMA Junkie confirmed the replacement after an initial report from Russian reporter Igor Lazorin.

Kutateladze joins a wave of Georgian fighters such as Ilia Topuria, Giga Chikadze, Roman Dolidze and Merab Dvalishvili who have signed with the UFC in the past couple of years. The Allstars Training Center lightweight has won his past eight in a row and is coming off a 44-second knockout of UFC veteran Felipe Silva last November at BRAVE CF 29.

Gamrot, a KSW lightweight champion, is unbeaten in his pro MMA career with five knockouts and four submissions among his 17 career victories. In his past outing in August, Gamrot defended his lightweight belt in a unanimous decision win against Marian Ziolkowski in the main event of KSW 54.

With the addition, the latest Oct. 17 lineup includes:

  • Brian Ortega vs. Chan Sung Jung
  • Ante Delija vs. Ciryl Gane
  • Modestas Bukauskas vs. Jimmy Crute
  • Said Nurmagomedov vs. Mark Striegl
  • Krzysztof Jotko vs. Makhmud Muradov
  • Jessica Andrade vs. Katlyn Chookagian
  • David Zawada vs. opponent TBA
  • Jun Yong Park vs. John Phillips
  • Jamie Mullarkey vs. Fares Ziam
  • Gadzhimurad Antigulov vs. Maxim Grishin
  • Poliana Botelho vs. Gillian Robertson
  • Mateusz Gamrot vs. Guram Kutateladze
  • James Krause vs. Claudio Silva

Mounir Lazzez tests positive for COVID-19, out of David Zawada fight at UFC on ESPN+ 38

Mounir Lazzez has been forced out of his Oct. 17 fight due to testing positive for COVID-19.

[autotag]Mounir Lazzez[/autotag] has been forced out of what would have been his second UFC fight due to testing positive for COVID-19.

Lazzez (10-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) was scheduled to face [autotag]David Zawada[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC) at UFC on ESPN+ 38 on Oct. 17 at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, but the Dubai-based Tunisian has been hit with the coronavirus.

Multiple sources with knowledge of the situation recently informed MMA Junkie of the news but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Lazzez made history in July, when he became the first fighter born and raised in an Arab country to sign with UFC. He shined in his promotional debut, upsetting knockout artist Abdul Razak Alhassan at UFC on ESPN 13, claiming a “Fight of the Night” bonus in the process.

Germany’s Zawada was also coming off an upset of his own, when he earned the “Performance of the Night” bonus for submitting Abubakar Nurmagomedov in the first round at UFC on ESPN+ 21 last November.

The latest UFC on ESPN+ 38 lineup includes:

  • Brian Ortega vs. Chan Sung Jung
  • Ante Delija vs. Ciryl Gane
  • Modestas Bukauskas vs. Jimmy Crute
  • Said Nurmagomedov vs. Mark Striegl
  • Krzysztof Jotko vs. Makhmud Muradov
  • Jessica Andrade vs. Katlyn Chookagian
  • David Zawada vs. opponent TBA
  • Jun Yong Park vs. John Phillips
  • Jamie Mullarkey vs. Fares Ziam
  • Gadzhimurad Antigulov vs. Maxim Grishin
  • Poliana Botelho vs. Gillian Robertson
  • Mateusz Gamrot vs. Magomed Mustafaev
  • James Krause vs. Claudio Silva

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James Krause in for Muslim Salikhov vs. Claudio Silva at UFC on ESPN+ 38

James Krause regularly says he’s ready to step in on short notice for the UFC, and he’ll do it again later this month.

[autotag]James Krause[/autotag] regularly says he’s ready to step in on short notice for the UFC, and he’ll do it again later this month.

Krause (27-8 MMA, 8-4 UFC) will step in as a replacement for [autotag]Muslim Salikhov[/autotag] (17-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) to take on [autotag]Claudio Silva[/autotag] (14-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) in a welterweight bout at UFC on ESPN+ 38. MMA Junkie confirmed the news with people close to the booking following an initial report from MMAFighting.com.

UFC on ESPN+ 38 takes place Oct. 17 at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The card streams on ESPN+.

Krause will be back at welterweight after moving up to middleweight for a short-notice fight against Trevin Giles at at UFC 247 in February. He lost that fight by split decision, and not without controversy, to see a four-fight winning streak snapped.

Silva hasn’t lost since his pro MMA debut in November 2007. He first fought in the UFC in 2014 and had two decision wins over Brad Scott and Leon Edwards. But then he didn’t fight for three and a half years till a May 2018 return with a submission win over Nordine Taleb. He had two more submission wins in 2019 to give him 14 straight wins, but his fight with Krause will be his first in more than 14 months.

Salikhov was looking for his fifth straight win after a submission loss to Alex Garcia in his UFC debut in November 2017. After that setback, he had a TKO win over Ricky Rainey, a knockout of Nordine Taleb and decisions over Laureano Staropoli and Elizeu Zaleski on his way up the level of competition in the welterweight division. Now his quest for five straight is on hold.

With the change, the UFC on ESPN+ 38 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)

  • Brian Ortega vs. Chan Sung Jung
  • Krzysztof Jotko vs. Makhmud Muradov
  • Ante Delija vs. Ciryl Gane
  • Jessica Andrade vs. Katlyn Chookagian
  • Modestas Bukauskas vs. Jimmy Crute
  • Mounir Lazzez vs. David Zawada
  • Nikita Krylov vs. opponent TBA

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

  • Mateusz Gamrot vs. Magomed Mustafaev
  • James Krause vs. Claudio Silva
  • Jun Yong Park vs. John Phillips
  • Jamie Mullarkey vs. Fares Ziam
  • Gadzhimurad Antigulov vs. Maxim Grishin
  • Said Nurmagomedov vs. Mark Striegl