Vinicius De Jesus

Bellator 272 adds Emmanuel Sanchez vs. Jeremy Kennedy, three other fights

Emmanuel Sanchez, Jeremy Kennedy, and Killys Mota are among the additions.

The Bellator 272 lineup continues to build with four recent additions including a bout between two top featherweight contenders.

Two-time Bellator title challenger [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] (20-6 MMA, 12-5 BMMA) will look to end a recent losing skid when he battles former UFC fighter [autotag]Jeremy Kennedy[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) in a three-round featherweight bout.

A promotion official informed MMA Junkie of the booking on Thursday, in addition to a lightweight booking between [autotag]Mike Hamel[/autotag] (8-5 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) and [autotag]Killys Mota[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 1-1 BMMA).

The Bellator official also confirmed a bantamweight bout between [autotag]Tommy Espinosa[/autotag] (6-3 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Jornel Lugo[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA), which was initially reported by My MMA News, as well as a welterweight fight between [autotag]Levan Chokheli[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Vinicius de Jesus[/autotag] (9-4 MMA, 3-2 BMMA), which was first reported by Cageside Press.

Bellator 272 takes place Friday, Dec. 3 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

With the additions, the Bellator 272 lineup includes:

Champ Sergio Pettis vs. Kyoji Horiguchi – for featherweight title
Jeremy Kennedy vs. Emmanuel Sanchez
Josh Hill vs. Jared Scoggins
John de Jesus vs. Keoni Diggs
Killys Mota vs. Mike Hamel
Levan Chokheli vs. Vinicius de Jesus
Tommy Espinosa vs. Jornel Lugo

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With Chris Curtis out of Bellator 251, Austin Vanderford now meets Vinicius de Jesus

Thursday’s Bellator 251 card has encountered three lineup changes.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – [autotag]Austin Vanderford[/autotag] has a new opponent for Thursday’s Bellator 251 card at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Originally expected to fight [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag], Vanderford (9-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) now faces former LFA welterweight title challenger and current CES MMA welterweight champion [autotag]Vinicius de Jesus[/autotag] in a middleweight bout.

A promotion official informed MMA Junkie of the booking Monday but did not give a reason for Curtis’ withdrawal. MyMMANews recently reported Curtis withdrew from the fight due to a positive COVID-19 test.

De Jesus (9-3 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) has four of his most recent five fights. Six of his nine pro wins have come by knockout.

Curtis isn’t the only fighter to have withdrawn from Bellator 251. A promotion official also informed MMA Junkie that [autotag]Nainoa Dung[/autotag] is out of his prelim fight against [autotag]Piankhi Zimmerman[/autotag] (5-4-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and is replaced by [autotag]Ali Zebian[/autotag] (4-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA).

Additionally, the light heavyweight fight between [autotag]Terrance Jean-Jacques[/autotag] (5-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Gustavo Trujillo[/autotag] (3-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) has been canceled for unknown reasons, per a promotion official.

With the changes, the Bellator 251 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (CBS Sports Network/DAZN, 7 p.m. ET)

Corey Anderson vs. Melvin Manhoef
Tyrell Fortune vs. Said Sowma
Vinicius de Jesus vs. Austin Vanderford
Derek Anderson vs. Killys Mota

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, TBA)

Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Bryce Logan
Julius Anglickas vs. Alex Polizzi
Janay Harding vs. Jessy Miele
Ali Zebian vs. Piankhi Zimmerman
Jaylon Bates vs. Joe Supino
Sumiko Inaba vs. Jessica Ruiz

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LFA announces second string of four events in four weeks starting Aug. 21 in South Dakota

LFA is ready to keep rolling with closed-door events.

On Tuesday, the promotion announced that it will return Aug. 21 with LFA 88 and four consecutive weeks of events at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.

In addition to LFA 88, the promotion also will host LFA 89 (Aug. 28), LFA 90 (Sept. 4), and LFA 91 (Sept. 11). All four events will stream live on UFC Fight Pass.

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Sanford Pentagon was the site of LFA’s July return from hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The promotion crowned four new champions during that run. In this second phase of events, two title fights have been booked. Only main events were announced for its next four shows, except for LFA 91, which is expected at a later date.

The three other headliners include:

LFA 88

[autotag]Vinicius de Jesus[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jaleel Willis[/autotag] – for vacant welterweight title

LFA 89

[autotag]Joe Giannetti[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Brant Moore[/autotag]

LFA 90

[autotag]Zviad Lazishvili[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ricky Steele[/autotag] – for vacant bantamweight title

7 fighters who should fill remaining spots on Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 4

Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 4 is right around the corner – and its lineup is filling up quickly.

While many top regional fighters and high-ceiling prospects have been snatched up by the promotion, some very worthy prospects still remain without a contract.

The UFC is working on fights for the first six events but the final four still seem largely open. Here are five of the most deserving candidates to snatch one of the final slots.

Johnny Munoz (Bantamweight, 10-0)

One of the best pound-for-pound prospects in North America, it’s about time for [autotag]Johnny Munoz[/autotag] to be noticed. One of the faces of King of the Cage for the past five years, Munoz is ready to venture outside the promotion. A versatile, multi-faceted finisher, Munoz presents a puzzle no opponent has been able to figure out yet. He holds an 80 percent finishing rate with five submissions and three knockouts. He currently holds the KOTC bantamweight title. To put it simply, Munoz on DWCS is an absolute no-brainer.

Nikolas Motta (Lightweight, 11-3)

[autotag]Nikolas Motta[/autotag] first entered the national and international spotlights as a participant on “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4.” He went through the proverbial wringer, competing in Shooto Brasil in his native country. All the while, he trained with UFC champs Jose Aldo and Renan Barao. Dedicated to his craft, Motta moved to the United States in order to find fights, where he began training with Eddie Alvarez. He competed for 864 Fighting Championship, then took on a plethora of challenges and won the vacant CFFC title. Sure he’s had a couple losses, but the final product is better because of them. He’s already ready, but if the UFC needs him to prove that one more time on DWCS, so be it.

More fighters on next page:

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10 welterweights you can expect to see on Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 4

The return of Dana White’s Contender Series isn’t far off, and here are 10 welterweights who are candidates to appear on the show.

Dana White’s Contender Series has become a destination point for fighters on the regional scene. Since its inception in 2017, the UFC Fight Pass-turned-ESPN+ summer original removed some of the guesswork for up-and-comers trying to make it big.

With UFC president Dana White and matchmakers Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby cageside, the stakes are high. Have an impressive, exciting victory on the show, and you’re in the UFC.

Rumored for a late-June 2020 start date, DWCS Season 4 is almost here. The lineups haven’t been announced yet, but advanced planning is underway. While there are hundreds of fighters qualified to compete on the show, we’ll be narrowing each divisional pool to 10 fighters you should expect to see on the show this summer.

Up next, the welterweights…

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Image via Australian Fighting Championships (AFC)

Theo Christakos

Record: 11-2
Age: 29
Height: 6’3″
Birthplace: Australia

One of the top pound-for-pound prospects in the Australia/New Zealand regional scene, [autotag]Theo Christakos[/autotag] has quietly built a solid resume. He’s picked up two titles along the way, under the BRACE MMA and Australian FC banners. In his most recent outing at Australian FC 23, Christakos outpointed and submitted fellow up-and-comer Andrew Mills in Round 2. The rear-naked choke win was the sixth of his career by that submission. Win or lose, Christakos has only seen the judges’ scorecards once in his pro career. A do-or-die fighter? Sounds like Christakos fits the DWCS mold.

Record: 9-2
Age: 30
Height: 5’10”
Birthplace: Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

The current CES MMA welterweight champion and a Bellator veteran, [autotag]Vinicius de Jesus[/autotag] presents a lot of problems for fighters of all skillsets. A third-generation Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, he usually sticks to his striking, which consists largely of power shots from the outside and heavy leg kicks. He holds legitimate wins over Jeremiah Wells, Tim Caron, James Boran, and Chris Lozano. He’s only lost once sine 2013 – a controversial split decision defeat at the hands of Joaquin Buckley. De Jesus’ knockout power, combined with his mic skills, makes him a prime candidate to be a target of DWCS.

More fighters on the next page:

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