UFC on ESPN 40 – Page 5 – Syndication Server

Ariane Lipski not medically cleared, UFC on ESPN 40 bout vs. Priscila Cachoeira rescheduled

A fight day scratch has left UFC on ESPN 40 with one less bout.

UFC on ESPN 40 has taken a hit on fight day.

The event will proceed at the UFC Apex with 11 fights following the scratch of [autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Priscila Cachoeira[/autotag]. The news was first reported by Combate.

On Friday, Lipski (14-7 MMA, 3-4 UFC) weighed in over the flyweight limit at 128.5 pounds. In her first weight miss during her UFC tenure, she was to be fined 20 percent of her purse and the bout was set to proceed. However, Lipski did not feel well after the weigh-ins and was taken to the hospital. According to the report, Lipski had COVID-19 during her training camp, which her team believes is what led to the weight miss.

Just hours before the event, doctors deemed her medically unfit to compete against Cachoeira (11-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) and the bout has been scratched from the card.

The matchup will be rescheduled for next week’s UFC on ESPN 41 in San Diego, which is headlined by former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz vs. Marlon Vera.

The rescheduled bout will take place at 135 pounds in an effort to eliminate back-to-back weight cuts, according to a report from MMA Fighting.

With the removal, the UFC on ESPN 40 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET)

Thiago Santos vs. Jamahal Hill
Vicente Luque vs. Geoff Neal
Zac Pauga vs. Mohammed Usman
Juliana Miller vs. Brogan Walker
Augusto Sakai vs. Serghei Spivac
Erick Gonzalez vs. Terrance McKinney

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 7:30 p.m. ET)

Sam Alvey vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
Bryan Battle vs. Takashi Sato
Nate Landwehr vs. Zubaira Tukhugov
Miranda Granger vs. Cory McKenna
Stephanie Egger vs. Mayra Bueno Silva

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UFC on ESPN 40 play-by-play and live results (7 p.m. ET)

Check out live play-by-play and official results from UFC on ESPN 40 in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 40 event, and you can join us for live play-by-play and official results beginning at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT).

UFC on ESPN 40 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

In the main event, former light heavyweight title challenger Thiago Santos (22-10 MMA, 14-9 UFC) takes on Jamahal Hill (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC). In the welterweight co-feature, Vicente Luque (21-8-1 MMA, 14-4 UFC) meets Geoff Neal (14-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC).

And in a pair of finals from Season 30 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Zac Pauga (5-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) fights Mohammed Usman (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) for the heavyweight crown, and Juliana Miller (2-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) vs. Brogan Walker (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is set for the women’s flyweight tournament championship.

Follow along with our round-by-round updates and official results beginning at approximately 7 p.m. ET for the prelims on ESPN/ESPN+ and 10 p.m. ET for the main card on ESPN/ESPN+.

To discuss the show, be sure to check out our UFC on ESPN 40 discussion thread. You can also get behind-the-scenes coverage and other event notes from on-site reporter Ken Hathaway (@kenshathaway) on Twitter.

Enjoy the fights, everyone.

UFC on ESPN 40 discussion thread

UFC on ESPN 40 takes place Saturday in Las Vegas, and you can discuss the event here.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 40 event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT). You can discuss the event here.

Be sure to follow along with the latest card updates in our UFC on ESPN 40 live results post, and then discuss the event in the comments section below.

Round-by-round updates and official results begin at approximately 7:30 p.m. ET for the preliminary card and 10 p.m. ET for the main card.

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UFC on ESPN 40 faceoff highlights video, photo gallery from Las Vegas

All the pre-fight activities are in the books for UFC on ESPN 40. Check out the weigh-in faceoff highlights, as well as our photo gallery.

LAS VEGAS – All the pre-fight activities are in the books for UFC on ESPN 40 following Friday’s official weigh-ins and faceoffs.

At the conclusion of the official weigh-ins, the fighters came face to face for final staredowns. Check out the highlights in the video above and a photo gallery from the weigh-ins and faceoffs below.

UFC on ESPN 40 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 40.

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Vicente Luque: Khamzat Chimaev the favorite, but Nate Diaz ‘can make it complicated’

Vicente Luque isn’t counting Nate Diaz out against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 279 next month.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] isn’t counting [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] out against [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag].

Diaz (20-13 MMA, 18-12 UFC) is a heavy underdog heading into his UFC 279 main event against unbeaten Chimaev (11-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) on Sept. 10 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. But Luque thinks Diaz’s cardio and toughness could play a factor if he’s able to weather the early storm.

“I’m excited for it,” Luque told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 40 media day. “I love to see Nate fight. I’m just excited that he’s going to fight again. Chimaev, he’s a tough guy. He showed that in his last fight. So I would put Chimaev as the favorite for this one, but Nate can make it complicated. If he survives those first two rounds – he doesn’t get tired. Nate never gets tired, so he can bring the pressure and make it complicated against Chimaev. So I’m excited for that one for sure.”

Luque (21-8-1 MMA, 14-4 UFC) called for the Diaz fight on numerous occasions, but didn’t get his wish. Instead, he’ll look to rebound from his loss to Belal Muhammad in April when he meets Geoff Neal in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 40 co-main event, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 40.

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UFC on ESPN 40 predictions: Santos or Hill? And who will be next ‘TUF’ winners?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ESPN 40 main card, which includes two “Ultimate Fighter” finals.

	Santos vs. Hill	Luque vs. Neal	Pauga vs. Usman	Miller vs. Walker	Sakai vs. Spivac	Cachoeira vs. Lipski
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 127-74	Hill (77%)	Luque (86%)	Pauga (56%)	Walker (57%)	Spivac (78%)	Lipski (73%)
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 136-70 2018 Champion	Hill	Luque	Pauga	Miller	Spivac	Cachoeira
Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 132-74 2014 Champion	Hill	Luque	Pauga	Miller	Spivac	Lipski
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 132-74	Hill	Luque	Usman	Walker	Spivac	Lipski
Matthew Wells @MrMWells 128-78	Hill	Neal	Usman	Miller	Spivac	Lipski
Simon Samano @SJSamano 127-79	Hill	Neal	Pauga	Walker	Sakai	Lipski
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 126-80	Santos	Luque	Usman	Miller	Spivac	Lipski
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 125-81	Hill	Luque	Pauga	Walker	Spivac	Lipski
Nolan King @mma_kings 123-83	Santos	Luque	Pauga	Miller	Sakai	Lipski
Brian Garcia @thegoze 121-85 2017 Champion	Hill	Luque	Pauga	Walker	Spivac	Cachoeira
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 114-92	Hill	Luque	Usman	Walker	Sakai	Cachoeira
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 101-105	Hill	Luque	Pauga	Walker	Sakai	Lipski

The UFC is back in its Las Vegas home base this week with a key light heavyweight bout, plus a pair of finals for Season 30 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

UFC on ESPN 40 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, former light heavyweight title challenger [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag] (22-10 MMA, 14-9 UFC) takes on [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC). Hill is a big -340 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Santos is +250. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers largely are taking Hill with a big 9-2 picks lead.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] (21-8-1 MMA, 14-4 UFC) takes on [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) at welterweight. Luque is a 2-1 favorite at the betting window and like Hill has a 9-2 lead from our pickers.

In the heavyweight final of Season 30 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” [autotag]Zac Pauga[/autotag] (5-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) meets [autotag]Mohammed Usman[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), the brother of UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. Pauga is the biggest favorite on the main card at -290, but he has just a 7-4 lead in the picks.

In the “TUF 30” women’s flyweight final, it’s a close fight at the sportsbook between [autotag]Juliana Miller[/autotag] (2-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and [autotag]Brogan Walker[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC). Miller is a slight favorite at -125, but Walker has a 6-5 picks edge.

[autotag]Augusto Sakai[/autotag] (15-4-1 MMA, 4-3 UFC) takes on -280 favorite [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) at heavyweight. But despite the big odds in Spivac’s favor, he has just a 7-4 picks lead.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Priscila Cachoeira[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) meets [autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag] (14-7 MMA, 3-4 UFC) in a women’s flyweight bout. Lipski nearly is a 2-1 favorite and has an 8-3 lead from our staff members.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Hill (77 percent), Luque (86 percent), Pauga (56 percent), Walker (57 percent), Spivac (78 percent) and Lipski (73 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 40.

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UFC on ESPN 40 weigh-in results: Santos, Hill, ‘TUF’ finalists on weight, but Lipski misses mark

Check out the results from the official UFC on ESPN 40 fighter weigh-ins.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie was on scene and reporting live from Friday’s official UFC on ESPN 40 weigh-ins, where all but one fighter on Saturday’s card hit their marks.

In the main event, former light heavyweight title challenger Thiago Santos (22-10 MMA, 14-9 UFC) takes on Jamahal Hill (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC). Santos was the first fighter to the scale in the two-hour window and was 206 pounds. Hill weighed in at 205.

The event also features the tournament finals in a pair of divisions from Season 30 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Zac Pauga (5-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was 239 pounds for his heavyweight final against 236.5-pound Mohammed Usman (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), the brother of UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.

And in the “TUF 30” women’s flyweight final, Juliana Miller (2-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was 125 pounds for her fight against Brogan Walker (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who was 125.5.

[autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag] (14-7 MMA, 3-4 UFC) who was 128.5 pounds for her women’s flyweight bout against Priscila Cachoeira (11-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC), who was 125.5. Lipski will be fined 20 percent of her purse. The weight miss was Lipski’s first in what will be her eighth UFC appearance.

[autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag] (33-17-1 MMA, 10-12 UFC) was the final fighter to come to the scale. He was heard telling the commission official, “Just say I’m perfect.” But he was not. He was 187 pounds on his first attempt. Alvey was given an additional hour to hit the non-title middleweight limit of 186 pounds. When he weighed in just near his one-hour limit, he was good at 186. His opponent, Michal Oleksiejczuk (16-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC), was 185.5. Alvey has not won since June 2018 and is 0-7-1 in his past eight fights, most of which, including a submission loss in February, were at light heavyeight.

The weigh-ins took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The same venue hosts Saturday’s card, which airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 40 weigh-in results included:

MAIN CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET)

Thiago Santos (206) vs. Jamahal Hill (205)
Vicente Luque (170.5) vs. Geoff Neal (171)
Zac Pauga (239) vs. Mohammed Usman (236.5) – TUF 30 heavyweight final
Juliana Miller (125) vs. Brogan Walker (125.5) – TUF 30 women’s flyweight final
Augusto Sakai (260) vs. Serghei Spivac (249.5)
Priscila Cachoeira (125.5) vs. Ariane Lipski (128.5)*

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)

Sam Alvey (186)** vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk (185.5)
Erick Gonzalez (155) vs. Terrance McKinney (155.5)
Bryan Battle (171) vs. Takashi Sato (170.5)
Josh Quinlan (169) vs. Jason Witt (170)
Miranda Granger (115.5) vs. Cory McKenna (115.5)
Stephanie Egger (134.5) vs. Mayra Bueno Silva (135.5)

*Lipski missed the women’s flyweight limit and will be fined 20 percent of her purse.
**Alvey missed the middleweight limit on his first attempt, but was given an additional hour and made weight on his second try.

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UFC on ESPN 40 video: Jamahal Hill, Thiago Santos make weight for light heavyweight clash

Watch Thiago Santos and Jamahal Hill make weight for their light heavyweight main event at UFC on ESPN 40 in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – The main event for Saturday’s UFC event is set.

Ranked light heavyweight contenders [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] and [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag] had no issue making the 206-pound limit for their light heavyweight clash at UFC on ESPN 40.

The Friday weigh-ins took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The same venue hosts Saturday’s card, which airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

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Hill (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) is coming off arguably the best win of his career in his first UFC headliner when he flattened Johnny Walker with a violent right hand. The win put his streak at two, joining a 48-second knockout win over Jimmy Crute in December. His only loss came by TKO due to injury against Paul Craig in June 2021.

Santos (22-10 MMA, 14-9 UFC), a former UFC title challenger, is looking to bounce back from a unanimous decision loss to Magomed Ankalaev in March. The defeat was his fourth in five fights. The lone win in that stretch was a unanimous decision over Walker in October 2021.

Check out the video above for Santos and Hill’s trips to the scale.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 40.

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UFC on ESPN 40’s Augusto Sakai made big changes after three-fight skid

When he opened his UFC tenure with five straight wins, Augusto Sakai was on the verge of heavyweight stardom.

LAS VEGAS – When he opened his UFC tenure with five straight wins, [autotag]Augusto Sakai[/autotag] was on the verge of heavyweight stardom.

Then he ran into a buzzsaw in Alistair Overeem in September 2020 and had his momentum halted with a fifth-round TKO loss. Midway through 2021, he was knocked out by Jairzinho Rozenstruik and experienced a skid for the first time. And later that year, Tai Tuivasa shut him down with a second-round KO.

With three straight setbacks, Sakai (15-4-1 MMA, 4-3 UFC) seems to be in pretty desperate need of a win when he takes on Serghei Spivac (14-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) on the UFC on ESPN 40 takes main card Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

Sakai said at Wednesday’s media day, though, that he’s made some major changes to his fight preparation heading into the bout with Spivac. Will they be what puts him over the top to snap his skid?

Check out Sakai’s full media day interview in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 40.

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Priscila Cachoeira sees recent surge as validity for spot in UFC

After a three-fight skid to start her tenure in the UFC, Priscila Cachoeira was on thin ice for a spot on the roster.

LAS VEGAS – After a three-fight skid to start her tenure in the UFC, [autotag]Priscila Cachoeira[/autotag] was on thin ice for a spot on the roster.

The Brazilian started her pro career 8-0, but was submitted by current women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko in her 2018 promotional debut. After that, she lost decisions to current fan favorite Molly McCann and Luana Carolina for three straight losses.

But in February 2020, she finally broke through with a bonus-winning 40-second knockout of Shana Dobson in New Zealand. And after a stumble with a weight cut later that year, she knocked out Gina Mazany in May 2021 for two straight.

In February, Cachoeira rebounded from a loss to Gillian Robertson with a victory over Ji Yeon Kim, giving her three wins in four fights – and the confidence that she belongs on the UFC’s roster.

Saturday, Cachoeira (11-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) meets Ariane Lipski (14-7 MMA, 3-4 UFC) to open the main card at UFC on ESPN 40 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

Check out Cachoeira’s full media day interview in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 40.

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