Tag: UFC San Diego

Sara McMann announces Aspen Ladd out of UFC San Diego fight

Sara McMann is hoping to remain on the card against a replacement after Aspen Ladd tested positive for COVID-19.

[autotag]Sara McMann[/autotag] announced on Monday that her bantamweight fight with [autotag]Aspen Ladd[/autotag] is off.

McMann (13-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) and Ladd (9-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) were booked to square off Aug. 13 at UFC Fight Night in San Diego, but McMann said on Instagram that Ladd has been forced to withdraw after testing positive for COVID-19 with less than two weeks to go.

“I’m really crossing my fingers and hoping that the UFC is able to find a replacement,” McMann said. “I hope to still fight on that card. I hope that somebody really wants the challenge and wants to get in there and scrap.”

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Ladd, 27, is on a recent downswing after a an 8-0 start to her career. In her past four fights, Ladd is 1-3 with back-to-back losses to Norma Dumont and most recently Raquel Pennington this past April at UFC 273.

McMann, 41, is coming a unanimous decision win over Karol Rosa in her most recent fight this past March. A former UFC bantamweight title challenger, McMann is 2-3 in her past five bouts.

The updated UFC San Diego lineup includes:

  • Dominick Cruz vs. Marlon Vera
  • Viviane Araujo vs. Alexa Grasso
  • Aspen Ladd vs. Sara McMann
  • Devin Clark vs. Azamat Murzakanov
  • Gerald Meerschaert vs. Bruno Silva
  • Lukasz Brzeski vs. Martin Buday
  • Yazmin Jauregui vs. Iasmin Lucindo
  • Gabriel Benitez vs. Charlie Ontiveros
  • Nate Landwehr vs. David Onama
  • Tyson Nam vs. Ode Osbourne
  • opponent TBA vs. Allan Nascimento

 

 

Marlon Vera expects ‘total destruction’ of Dominick Cruz at UFC San Diego

“I just see it as total destruction. “How? When? I don’t know what round, who cares, but he’s gonna be down and I’m gonna move forward.”

COSTA MESA, Calif. – [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] is oozing confidence ahead of his big fight against [autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag].

Looking to enter title contention, Vera (21-7-1 MMA, 13-6 UFC) meets Cruz (24-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) in the UFC Fight Night in San Diego headliner on Aug. 13.

Two-time UFC bantamweight champion Cruz proved he’s still in top form after back-to-back wins over Casey Kenney and Pedro Munhoz, but “Chito” expects to be too much for him on the night.

“I just see it as total destruction,” Vera told MMA Junkie. “How? When? I don’t know what round. Who cares. But he’s going to be down and I’m going to move forward.”

The bantamweight division’s all-time leader in finishes is fresh off a main event win against Rob Font in April and sees himself leapfrogging the other contenders if he can make an impressive statement against Cruz.

“Honestly, since they already booked all the top five and all are great fighters, I really feel whoever gets the best win is going to jump all of them,” Vera said. “Because all of them are high stakes. Dominick was a dominant champion, (Jose) Aldo is fighting Merab (Dvalishvili), Song Yadong is fighting (Cory) Sandhagen.

“So I just feel whoever puts on a better performance, and depending on who fought who in the past, is going to get it. I don’t give two f*cks about what happens in any of those fights. I’m just worried about taking the head off Dominick, kick his ass, finish him and then see what’s going on.”

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Jared Gordon looks for UFC career reinvention back at featherweight: ‘This is what I needed’

It’s a new chapter in Jared Gordon’s fighting career ahead of UFC San Diego.

[autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag] is on the verge of entering a new chapter in his fighting career.

The 31-year-old will return to his original weight class of 145 pounds for the first time since 2017 when he takes on Matt Sayles on May 16 at UFC San Diego. The shift to featherweight is paired up with many significant changes in Gordon’s life heading into his seventh UFC fight.

For this bout, Gordon (15-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) is now living in a different state, training under a new team, and he’s engaged. Although this amount of change might seem overwhelming, “Flash” is content that it’s all happening at once.

“This is what I need. I find it rejuvenating, and it’s a new chapter,” Gordon told MMA Junkie.

“It’s my resurgence back, to put together a win streak, and I truly believe this is where I’m supposed to be, so I’m really excited. I’m pumped up and excited to see how camp goes, how I feel, and it’s given me a new purpose and a new mission. I believe my strengths as a fighter will be shown more, and I really do think this is what I needed.”

Gordon was training at Roufusport with coach Duke Roufus in Milwaukee, but he made the move to South Florida in December, as that’s where his fiancee lives. Gordon now trains with Sanford MMA (formerly Hard Knocks 365) with Henry Hooft.

“When I was at Roufusport, I went there and thought I was going to be there for a a really long time, and it didn’t turn out that way,” Gordon said. “But I took what I needed, and it got me to where I’m at right now. It got me a new UFC contract and won my first UFC fight there.

“So my first UFC contract, my last fight on that was with Duke, and although I lost that fight, I got ‘Fight of the Night’ (a $50,000 bonus), and they gave me a new contact. Then I won my first fight on my new contract, and then I took a chance. I fought (Charles) Oliveira and lost that fight. So it got me to where I am right now.

“Then I got engaged, and my life changed pretty drastically. In Florida, my training and my living space, it’s in one area – I don’t have to spread myself thin. Also going back to 145, so a lot of things are changing. I truly believe this is the way they’re supposed to be, so here I am.”

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Gordon suffered a broken orbital bone in the loss to Oliveira. It was his second orbital bone injury, and he now has metal plates underneath both eyes.  Despite the severity of the injury, Gordon is now healthy and believes there are major positives to take away from the experience.

“I took a chance fighting Oliveira,” Gordon said. “I wasn’t supposed to fight Oliveira. I was supposed to fight someone else, and they pulled out. They couldn’t get Oliveira a fight because he’s on a tear, and nobody wanted to fight him in his hometown in Sao Paulo. Nobody in front of him wanted to fight him, no one closely ranked behind him wanted to fight him, so they gave me the opportunity, and it didn’t go my way obviously.

“But now I’m looking at it like a blessing because I was fighting at 155 pounds, and I truly believe that I’m too small, too short. Dude, I have a 66-inch reach. That’s like a reach of a 135er, so I believe I really was fighting out of my wight class. But if I would’ve won that fight, I would’ve been ranked at 155, and then I would’ve been fighting people ranked after Oliveira – all monsters, they’re all huge and technically really good. So I truly believe I’m supposed to be at 145 in order to be successful and go where I want to go.”

Gordon is well aware of the impact the recent coronavirus outbreak is having in the U.S. and on UFC events. Gordon admits there are concerns about the event potentially not happening, but will move forward with his fight preparations for now.

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Jared Gordon vs. Matt Sayles booked for UFC San Diego

UFC San Diego adds a lightweight fight between Jared Gordon and Matt Sayles to its growing lineup.

Another lightweight bout is on tap for UFC San Diego.

[autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Matt Sayles[/autotag] is the latest addition to the promotion’s return to California, multiple persons with knowledge of the matchup told MMA Junkie on Sunday.

UFC San Diego is scheduled to take place May 16 at Pechanga Arena. The card is expected to stream on ESPN+.

Gordon (15-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) has dropped three of his past four fights. His losses have come to Diego Ferreira, Joaquim Silva and Charles Oliveira – all by knockout or TKO. His lone victory in the stretch came at UFC on ESPN 3 this past June, when he beat Dan Moret by unanimous decision.

Dana White’s Contender Series signee Sayles (8-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has bookended his lone UFC victory over Kyle Nelson with losses to Sheymon Moraes and Bryce Mitchell. In his most recent fight in December against Mitchell, Sayles was on the receiving end of a first-round twister submission. It’ll be a homecoming for Sayles, who resides in the San Diego area.

With the addition, the latest UFC San Diego lineup includes:

  • Dustin Poirier vs. Dan Hooker
  • Anthony Hernandez vs. Puna Soriano
  • Luana Carolina vs. Ariane Lipski
  • Cortney Casey vs. Lara Procopio
  • Kai Kara-France vs. Alex Perez
  • Jared Gordon vs. Matt Sayles

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Dan Hooker: Seeing Israel Adesanya, Alexander Volkanovski with UFC belts makes it very attainable for me

City Kickboxing’s recent championship success has inspired Dan Hooker.

City Kickboxing’s recent success has inspired [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag].

Hooker (20-8 MMA, 10-4 UFC) was one of the first staples of the New Zealand MMA scene to make it to the UFC and now finds himself potentially a fight or two away from title contention.

He is currently projected to face former UFC interim lightweight title challenger Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC San Diego in what would be his second straight headliner.

And while his own stock is on the rise, Hooker said watching teammates [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag], the reigning UFC middleweight champion and [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag], the current UFC featherweight champion, rise to the occasion gives him confidence that he is ever-so-close to his ultimate goal.

“Now I have two teammates, I have Alex Volkanovski and Israel Adesanya, walking around the gym with world title belts, and that makes it very attainable for me,” Hooker told MMA Junkie. “I know what I’m capable of inside the gym and my results inside of the octagon. I know that I can compete and beat the best guys in the world, so I just need the opportunity. So now, No. 5, I’m working my way towards that belt. You’re putting yourself and you’re now jockeying for position for title contention, and title contention is the next goal that I’ve set myself.”

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Hooker, who’s won seven of his last eight, is coming off a five-round battle last month in Auckland, edging out Paul Felder in a “Fight of the Night” effort.

He’s called his shot before when he previously asked fort Felder, and it appears will get his wish once more with Poirier, as he continues to map out his next step one fight at a time.

“Me, like I’m a realist,” Hooker said. “Israel Adesanya is known from day one that he was going to be world champion, he’s going to be headlining pay-per-views but me, it’s whatever I can see in front of me is the next biggest goal. As I achieve those goals, I set something else in front of me, so my progression has always been incremental and very slow.”

Check out the full interview with Hooker in the video above.

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Alex Perez vs. Kai Kara-France booked for flyweight fight at UFC San Diego

Alex Perez returns to fight in his home state of California when he takes on Kai Kara-France at UFC San Diego.

Flyweights are headed to San Diego.

[autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag] returns to fight in his home state of California when he takes on [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag] at UFC San Diego, two persons with knowledge of the booking told MMA Junkie on Friday. They asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

UFC San Diego takes place May 16 at Pechanga Arena. The card is expected to stream on ESPN+.

Perez (22-5 MMA, 4-1 UFC), who inked a new four-fight deal in addition to his bout agreement, has won back-to-back fights. After losing to Joseph Benavidez in November 2018, Perez returned and defeated Mark De La Rosa by unanimous decision. His most recent outing took place in January when he submitted Jordan Espinosa with an arm-triangle choke in the first round.

Kara-France (21-8 MMA, 4-1 UFC), a product of City Kickboxing in New Zealand, is fresh off a unanimous decision victory over Tyson Nam on Feb. 22. In his five-fight UFC tenure, Kara-France’s lone loss came to Brandon Moreno. He also holds wins over De La Rosa, Raulian Paiva and Elias Garcia.

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With the addition, the latest UFC San Diego lineup includes:

  • Daniel Hooker vs. Dustin Poirier
  • Anthony Hernandez vs. Puna Soriano
  • Luana Carolina vs. Ariane Lipski
  • Cortney Casey vs. Lara Procopio
  • Kai Kara-France vs. Alex Perez

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Ariane Lipski vs. Luana Carolina added to May 16 UFC event

The UFC has booked a fight between Ariane Lipski and Luana Carolina for a yet-to-be-announced event on May 16.

A flyweight matchup is on tap for May 16.

The UFC has booked a fight between [autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag] and [autotag]Luana Carolina[/autotag] for a yet-to-be-announced event on May 16. While unofficial, San Diego is currently the frontrunner city to host the event. No broadcast information has surfaced at this time.

Both fighters confirmed the booking on their respective Instagram pages after an initial report from AG Fight.

In addition to providing confirmation of her fight booking, Lipski (12-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC) announced she’s signed a six-fight extension deal with the UFC. A former KSW champion, Lipski signed with the UFC shortly after winning the Polish promotion’s title. After dropping her first two promotional appearances to Joanne Calderwood and Molly McCann, Lipski picked up her first UFC win over Isabella de Padua in November.

As for Carolina (6-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), she has won six straight fights since losing her professional debut in 2015. Carolina punched her ticket to the UFC after an impressive performance on Dana White’s Contender Series Brazil in 2018. At UFC 237 in May, Carolina made a successful UFC debut when she defeated Priscila Cachoeira by unanimous decision.

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Hi Guys!! I have the best new ever, I signed a new contract with the biggest MMA organization in the world @ufc and I’m so grateful 🙏🏽 to be able to show my best version as a fighter in every fight 👑 So, my next fight will be in May 16th in San Diego, California. Thank you for the support of each one of you guys, Let’s go 👊🏾🔥 Muito feliz em anunciar que estou assinando meu novo contrato com o @ufc o maior evento de MMA do mundo e tenho muito orgulho em fazer parte do crescimento do esporte que mudou a minha vida!!! Muito feliz em saber que vou poder me preparar e mostrar a melhor versão de mim como atleta a cada vez que subir no octógono. Também acabei de assinar o contrato da minha próxima luta: 16/05/2020 em San Diego/ Califórnia 🔥 Conto com a torcida de todos para essa nova fase, em busca da melhor posição da minha categoria. Obrigada por fazer tudo se tornar real @renatorasta ❤️ Obrigada a todos que estão comigo nessa caminhada, vamos juntos ao topo 💫 #wmma #mma #ufc #arianelipski #rasthai #queenofviolence #THANKSGOD

A post shared by Ariane Lipski (@arianelipski) on

With the addition, the UFC’s latest May 16 lineup includes:

  • Anthony Hernandez vs. Puna Soriano
  • Luana Carolina vs. Ariane Lipski

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Puna Soriano out of UFC on ESPN 8, rebooked for May event; Eric Spicely gets new opponent

Two cards have been shaken up after one fighter was shifted off of UFC on ESPN 8.

[autotag]Puna Soriano[/autotag] won’t compete at UFC on ESPN 8 after all, but it didn’t take long for his next fight to be booked.

Originally expected to face [autotag]Eric Spicely[/autotag] March 28 in Columbus, Ohio, Soriano (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) now will meet [autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag] on May 16 at an event expected to take place in San Diego.

As for Spicely (12-5 MMA, 2-5 UFC), the submission will remain on UFC on ESPN 8 card to take on [autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag] instead.

Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the Soriano-Hernandez booking but asked to remain anonymous as the UFC has yet to make an announcement. The promotion announced Spicely vs. Kopylov (8-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) on Friday.

After earning a UFC contract on “Dana White’s Contender Series,” Soriano made his promotional debut at UFC 245 in December. Taking on Oskar Piechota, Soriano leveled his Polish opponent en route to a knockout victory in Round 1. Soriano, 27, has finished six of seven opponents with five knockouts and one submission to his name.

Also a DWCS signee, Hernandez (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) will look to turn a win into a winning streak. His most recent fight came in August, when he submitted Jun Yong Park by second-round anaconda choke. A former LFA champion, Hernandez has gone to decision only once. The MMA Gold Fight Team product has five submission victories.

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