UFC on ESPN 43 – Page 7 – Syndication Server

UFC on ESPN 43 faceoff highlights video: Flyweight contenders separated as accusation hurled

Things got a little heated at the UFC on ESPN 43 faceoffs in San Antonio.

SAN ANTONIO – The UFC on ESPN 43 ceremonial weigh-ins took place Friday and the fighters went face to face one final time before Saturday’s event.

The weigh-ins took place Friday at AT&T Center. The same venue hosts Saturday’s event, which has a main card on ESPN following a preliminary card on ESPN+.

Bantamweight contenders [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] (20-7-1 MMA, 14-6 UFC) and [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC), as well as women’s bantamweights [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) and [autotag]Yana Santos[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 4-3 UFC), each got one final look at their opponents as the fighters have top billings as main and co-main event fights respectively.

The most heated faceoff of the 11 matchups on the card, however, belonged to flyweight contenders [autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag] (18-6 MMA, 3-2 UFC) and [autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag] (24-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC), who had to be separated by UFC president Dana White and other promotion officials.

Things got physical when Kape grabbed the back of Perez’s neck, which was returned with a shove. Kape then could be heard accusing Perez of having “snitches” watch his training camp before he was ushered off stage by security.

Watch the video above to see the athletes from all 11 scheduled matchups face off.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.

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UFC on ESPN 43 faceoff video: Holly Holm, Yana Santos remain respectful

Holly Holm gets one last look at Yana Santos ahead of her UFC return in San Antonio.

SAN ANTONIO – Former UFC champion [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] faced off for the final time [autotag]Yana Santos[/autotag] on Friday at UFC on ESPN 43 ceremonial weigh-ins.

Holm (14-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) makes her first appearance in almost a year as he takes on Santos (14-6 MMA, 4-3 UFC) in Saturday’s co-main event at UFC on ESPN 43. The card takes place Saturday at AT&T Center with the main card on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

Holm, 41, was accompanied Friday by longtime coach Mike Winklejohn, of Jackson Wink. Meanwhile, Santos (nee Kunitskaya) was joined on stage by her husband, former UFC middleweight title challenger Thiago Santos, and her 11-month-old daughter.

Watch the final faceoff between Holm and Santos in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.

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UFC on ESPN 43 faceoff video: Marlon Vera and Cory Sandhagen bring the intensity

Watch the intensity Marlon Vera and Cory Sandhagen brought in their UFC on ESPN 43 pre-fight faceoff.

SAN ANTONIO – [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] and [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] brought the intensity and excitement at UFC on ESPN 43 ceremonial weigh-ins.

Two fan-favorite bantamweights faced off in front of fans and media Friday at AT&T Center, the site of Saturday’s event that streams on ESPN/ESPN+.

Vera (20-7-1 MMA, 14-6 UFC) and Sandhagen (15-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) have been perennial 135-pound contenders in recent years, and the winner of their matchup will take one step closer to a crack at title gold.

Watch the final faceoff between Vera and Sandhagen in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.

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Video: Watch Friday’s UFC on ESPN 43 ceremonial weigh-ins live on MMA Junkie

Check out a live video stream of the UFC on ESPN 43 ceremonial weigh-ins in San Antonio, featuring Marlon Vera vs. Cory Sandhagen.

SAN ANTONIO – UFC on ESPN 43 ceremonial fighter weigh-ins take place Friday, and you can catch a live video stream of the proceedings here on MMA Junkie at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT).

The weigh-ins take place at AT&T Center in San Antonio. The same venue hosts Saturday’s event, which has a main card on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

In addition to the video stream above, you can check out the early and official UFC on ESPN 43 weigh-in results from earlier in the day.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.

Austin Lingo says Nate Landwehr already was on his radar before short-notice shot at UFC on ESPN 43

Two weeks after he had a long-awaited return yanked out from under him, Austin Lingo is ready to get back to work at UFC on ESPN 43.

SAN ANTONIO – Two weeks after he had a long-awaited return yanked out from under him, [autotag]Austin Lingo[/autotag] is ready to get back to work.

Lingo was set to take on Ricardo Ramos at UFC Fight Night 221 in Las Vegas earlier this month, but Ramos missed weight badly enough that the fight was canceled the day before. That left Lingo at the alter when he was hoping to get back in the cage for the first time since August 2021.

Fortunately for the featherweight, he didn’t have to wait too much longer. Lingo (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) will take on Nate Landwehr (16-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) in a featured bout Saturday at UFC on ESPN 43 at AT&T Center in San Antonio. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

“I had two injuries last year, so that set me back a little bit,” Lingo said at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 43 media day. “It wasn’t long-term injuries, so I wasn’t too beat up about it. No surgery, thank God, but I did rehab a lot throughout the year and got it done.”

The long layoff wasn’t something that did Lingo any favors to build on the momentum of his back-to-back wins after a loss in his promotional debut in February 2020. He said he hopes for three or four fights in 2023 to help make up for it.

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In Landwehr, he gets a tough opponent on short notice when he steps in to replace Landwehr’s original opponent, Alex Caceres.

“He’s (good at) everything, and he’s pretty good on the ground,” Lingo said. “I’m good at all that stuff, too, so it’s going to be a good fight – meet in the middle and let’s see who’s better. I see the first round, just feeling it out. One of us might land a head (shot) or might land a heavy blow – see how it goes from there.

“I’ve seen him and I’ve seen him fight, and I definitely wanted to fight a guy that’s (like him) – he’s got the same style, same everything. It was definitely somebody that was on my radar.”

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

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.

UFC on ESPN 43 predictions: Vera or Sandhagen, Holm or Santos in San Antonio?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ESPN 43 main card in San Antonio, featuring Marlon Vera vs. Cory Sandhagen.

	Vera vs. Sandhagen	Holm vs. Santos	Landwehr vs. Lingo	Barber vs. Lee	Kape vs. Perez	Duraev vs. Njokuani
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 32-22	Vera (62%)	Holm (80%)	Landwehr (74%)	Barber (72%)	Kape (63%)	Njokuani (79%)
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 34-20	Vera	Holm	Landwehr	Barber	Kape	Njokuani
Nolan King @mma_kings 33-21/em>	Sandhagen	Holm	Landwehr	Barber	Kape	Njokuani
Simon Samano @SJSamano 32-22	Vera	Holm	Landwehr	Barber	Perez	Njokuani
Matt Erickson @MattE 32-22	Sandhagen	Holm	Landwehr	Barber	Kape	Duraev
Matthew Wells @MrMWells 31-23	Vera	Holm	Lingo	Barber	Kape	Njokuani
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 30-24	Sandhagen	Holm	Landwehr	Barber	Perez	Njokuani
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 30-24	Sandhagen	Holm	Landwehr	Barber	Kape	Njokuani
Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 29-25 2014 Champion	Vera	Holm	Landwehr	Barber	Kape	Njokuani
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 29-25	Vera	Holm	Landwehr	Barber	Kape	Njokuani
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 29-25 2018, 2022 Champion	Sandhagen	Holm	Landwehr	Barber	Kape	Njokuani
Brian Garcia @thegoze 28-26 2017 Champion	Vera	Holm	Landwehr	Barber	Kape	Njokuani

The UFC has touched down in the “Lone Star State” this week with four bantamweights at the top of the bill.

UFC on ESPN 43 takes place Saturday at AT&T Center in San Antonio. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

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

In the main event, [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] (20-7-1 MMA, 14-6 UFC) takes on [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) in a fight between perennial bantamweight contenders. Sandhagen is a -170 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Vera is +145. But our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have slight underdog Vera ahead at 6-5 in the picks.

In the co-feature, former women’s bantamweight champion [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) takes on [autotag]Yana Santos[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 4-3 UFC). Holm just signed a new six-fight deal with the UFC and is a -250 favorite at the betting window. She’s also the only unanimous pick from our staff members.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Nate Landwehr[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) meets short-notice replacement [autotag]Austin Lingo[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) at featherweight. Landwehr is more than a 2-1 favorite and is a near-unanimous pick at 10-1.

Our second unanimous pick is the biggest favorite on the main card. [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) is a -270 favorite at the sportsbook and has a shutout in our picks against [autotag]Andrea Lee[/autotag] (13-6 MMA, 5-4 UFC) in their women’s flyweight bout.

[autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag] (18-6 MMA, 3-2 UFC) is a nearly 2-1 favorite in his flyweight bout against [autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag] (24-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC). He doesn’t have a shutout, but he has a big 9-2 lead in the picks.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Chidi Njokuani[/autotag] (22-8 MMA, 2-1 UFC) is a near-unanimous pick in his middleweight fight against [autotag]Albert Duraev[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC). Njokuani is the smallest favorite on the main card at -155, but he’s got a near-shutout in our picks at 10-1.

In the MMA Junkie consensus picks, Vera (62 percent), Holm (80 percent), Landwehr (74 percent), Barber (72 percent), Kape (63 percent) and Njokuani (79 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 43.

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Manuel Torres medical issue scraps Trey Ogden fight at UFC on ESPN 43

A fight from the UFC on ESPN 43 preliminary card has been scrapped the day before the event.

SAN ANTONIO – A fight from the UFC on ESPN 43 preliminary card has been scrapped the day before the event.

The lightweight fight between [autotag]Trey Ogden[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and [autotag]Manuel Torres[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is off following a medical issue for Torres. UFC announcer Brendan Fitzgerald announced the fight’s removal from the card at the end of the UFC on ESPN 43 official weigh-ins.

UFC on ESPN 43 takes place Saturday at AT&T Center in San Antonio. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

A UFC official told MMA Junkie Torres’ medical issue was not related to his weight cut. The card will proceed with 11 bouts.

The 28-year-old Torres, from Mexico, has won four straight fights. He earned a shot in the UFC through Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021 with a first-round knockout. In his promotional debut in May 2022, he knocked out Frank Camacho in the first round.

Ogden came to the UFC in 2022 on the heels of a Fury FC lightweight title win in 2021. He dropped a split decision to Jordan Leavitt in his promotional debut, but bounced back this past September with a decision over Daniel Zellhuber.

It is not yet known if the UFC will keep the fight intact and move it to a future event or if the fighters will be rebooked against new opponents later.

With the cancellation, the UFC on ESPN 43 lineup now includes:

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

Marlon Vera vs. Cory Sandhagen
Holly Holm vs. Yana Santos
Nate Landwehr vs. Austin Lingo
Maycee Barber vs. Andrea Lee
Manel Kape vs. Alex Perez
Albert Duraev vs. Chidi Njokuani

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 4:30 p.m. ET)

Tucker Lutz vs. Daniel Pineda
Lucas Alexander vs. Steven Peterson
Trevin Giles vs. Preston Parsons
Daniel Da Silva vs. CJ Vergara
Victor Altamirano vs. Vinicius Salvador

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.

UFC on ESPN 43 weigh-in results: Main card set but one prelim bout canceled

Check out the results from the official UFC on ESPN 43 fighter weigh-ins from San Antonio.

SAN ANTONIO – MMA Junkie was on scene and reporting live from Friday’s official UFC on ESPN 43 fighter weigh-ins.

The early weigh-ins took place at the UFC host hotel in San Antonio and precede the ceremonial weigh-ins for the fans, which take place at 6 p.m. ET at AT&T Center in San Antonio. The same venue hosts Saturday’s event, which has a main card on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

Among those weighing in were Marlon Vera (20-7-1 MMA, 14-6 UFC) and Cory Sandhagen (15-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC), who meet in the bantamweight main event, and former women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm (14-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) and Yana Santos (14-6 MMA, 4-3 UFC), who fight in the co-feature. All four featured athletes had no issues on the scale, as they made their respective bouts official.

It's official! Cory Sandhagen and Marlon Vera have made weight for the #UFCSanAntonio headliner and we're now just one day away from fireworks. 💥

Full story: https://t.co/XSMnysxKis pic.twitter.com/pecF3h9Umh

— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) March 24, 2023

Former UFC champ Holly Holm and former Invicta FC champ Yana Santos are on weight for the #UFCSanAntonio co-main event. 💪

Full story: https://t.co/PkAsOn8Idw pic.twitter.com/Osao37LzVx

— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) March 24, 2023

The lone hiccup at weigh-ins came with the preliminary-card lightweight matchup between Trey Ogden and Manuel Torres. After Ogden made weight on his end, UFC commentator Brendan Fitzgerald announced that Torres was dealing with “weight management issues” and would not step on the scale. The bout was subsequently canceled.

The full UFC on ESPN 43 weigh-in results include:

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

Marlon Vera (136) vs. Cory Sandhagen (135.5)
Holly Holm (135.5) vs. Yana Santos (135)
Nate Landwehr (145.5) vs. Austin Lingo (146)
Maycee Barber (125.5) vs. Andrea Lee (126)
Manel Kape (125.5) vs. Alex Perez (126)
Albert Duraev (186) vs. Chidi Njokuani (185)

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

Tucker Lutz (146) vs. Daniel Pineda (145.5)
Lucas Alexander (146) vs. Steven Peterson (146)
Trevin Giles (170.5) vs. Preston Parsons (171)
Daniel Da Silva (126) vs. CJ Vergara (126)
Trey Ogden (155.5) vs. Manuel Torres ()**
Victor Altamirano (124.5) vs. Vinicius Salvador (126)

** Torres did not weigh in due to medical issues; fight with Ogden canceled

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.

UFC on ESPN 43 video: Holly Holm, Yana Santos make weight for co-main event

The UFC on ESPN 43 co-feature is set after former women’s bantamweight champ Holly Holm and Yana Santos made weight Friday in San Antonio.

SAN ANTONIO – The UFC on ESPN 43 co-feature is set after both fighters made weight Friday.

Ahead of Saturday’s event in San Antonio, which takes place at AT&T Center with a main card on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+, [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] and [autotag]Yana Santos[/autotag] stepped on the scale at the official weigh-ins.

Former women’s bantamweight champion Holm (14-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) just signed a new six-fight deal with the UFC and intends to make another title run at 135 pounds. It will have to start with Santos (14-6 MMA, 4-3 UFC) in the UFC on ESPN 43 co-main event. Holm weighed in a few minutes into the two-hour window and was 135.5 pounds. Santos was not far behind her and was 135.

Check out the video from their trips to the scale above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.

UFC on ESPN 43 video: Marlon Vera, Cory Sandhagen make weight for main event

The UFC on ESPN 43 headliner is set after both fighters made weight Friday in San Antonio.

SAN ANTONIO – The UFC on ESPN 43 headliner is set after both fighters made weight Friday.

Ahead of Saturday’s event in San Antonio, which takes place at AT&T Center with a main card on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+, [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] and [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] stepped on the scale at the official weigh-ins.

Vera (20-7-1 MMA, 14-6 UFC) and Sandhagen (15-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) are perennial contenders at 135 pounds and the winner will stay in the near-term title picture in the division. Sandhagen was the first fighter to the scale in the two-hour window and was 135.5 pounds. Vera was right behind him and was 136 to make their fight official.

Check out the video from their trips to the scale above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.