Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
There were 35 UFC fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.
MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.
But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.
Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC.
Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Jan. 8-14.
The UFC is set to debut in Saudi Arabia with four fights recently added to its slowly growing lineup.
The UFC heads to Saudi Arabia for the first time and while much of the lineup has yet to come to light, a handful of fights were signed in recent days.
The UFC Fight Night event takes place March 2 at Boulevard Hall in Riyadh and does not yet have a publicized main event.
Check out the recent additions and full fight card for UFC Saudi Arabia below.
Find out who joined the UFC in September and learn more about them here.
The UFC roster is bigger than ever – and it continues to expand.
Fresh faces appear on nearly every card, whether onboarded as short-notice opening fillers, “Dana White’s Contender Series” signees, or rare straight-up additions. Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of the hustle and bustle of the mixed martial arts news beat, but here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got you covered.
“Fresh Ink” is your list of fighters added to the UFC roster the previous month and provides background on who they are and where they came from.
Check out the September 2023 list below.
Vinicius Oliveira’s 15th career knockout led to a UFC contract.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Vinicius Oliveira[/autotag]’s 15th career knockout led to a UFC contract.
Oliveira (19-3) scored a walk-off knockout of Victor Madrigal (12-4) in the first round Tuesday at Dana White’s Contender Series 64.
The former UAE Warriors bantamweight champion has a wealth of experience at just 27, which had UFC CEO White confident that he could be thrown right in the deep end from his octagon debut.
“I feel so good,” Oliveira said during the DWCS 64 post-fight press conference. “This is my dream come true. I’ve been training for this moment since I started martial arts, and I knew it will happen one day– and this day was today.”
Oliveira’s left hook sent Madrigal crashing to the canvas, and the Brazilian is no stranger to highlight reel finishes – but none more special than Tuesday night’s.
“All fights are most important of my career, but this knockout is the most important because I was in the door to get into the UFC. (Because of) this knockout, I was able to get in the UFC.”
Oliveira hasn’t competed in Brazil since 2019, and would love to make his official UFC debut on the Nov. 4 UFC Fight Night card in Sao Paulo.
“I think it’ll be amazing to fight in Brazil, in my country. But if I’m not able to, I’m prepared to fight in any country – like December, November, anywhere,” Oliveira said.
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 64.
Season 7, Week 8 of Dana White’s Contender Series goes down Tuesday, and MMA Junkie will have live results from on-site at the UFC Apex.
LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie is on scene reporting live from Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series 64 event.
Dana White’s Contender Series cards see prospects fighting for the opportunity to sign a UFC deal, with UFC CEO Dana White on hand to make the decisions. And as has been the theme of the season, White was plenty generous in handing on contracts on arguably the best episode of the season so far.
White signed a season record six fighters to deals, including headliner Danny Barlow, who destroyed Raheam Forest with a flurry of strikes just 79 seconds into their welterweight matchup.
In addition to Barlow, White did not hold back on the deals. He signed multiple losing fighters. Contracts were issued to Danny Silva and Angel Pacheco after their unanimous decision brawl, which Silva won by unanimous decision. Ernesta Kareckaite and Carli Judice, who fought to a split decision with Kareckaite winning, were both signed. And, finally, Vinicius Oliveira, who scored one of the best knockouts of the year in the opening fight of the evening.
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Full results of Dana White’s Contender Series 64 include:
Continue reading below for more details about each fight.
Vinicius Oliveira brought a pen to Dana White after scoring a walkoff knockout at Dana White’s Contender Series 64.
[autotag]Vinicius Oliveira[/autotag] came prepared in more ways than one to win a UFC contract.
Kicking off the festivities at Dana White’s Contender Series 64, Oliveira (19-3) made a statement against Victor Madrigal. In the first round, Oliveira landed a devastating left hook that sent Madrigal (12-4) crashing to the canvas for a walkoff knockout.
To put the icing on the cake, someone from Oliveira’s team tossed him a writing pen, and then the Brazilian bantamweight went over to UFC CEO Dana White, signaling that he’s ready to sign his UFC contract.
Check out video of the finish below (via X):
Now THAT is how you kick off an episode #DWCS! @lokdogvinicius came for a contract tonight 👊
[ Watch the action LIVE on ESPN+ ] pic.twitter.com/et2hkvlobj
— UFC (@ufc) September 27, 2023
LO MANDA A DORMIRRR❗️ @lokdogvinicius noquea a Victor Madrigal para comenzar la semana 8 de #DWCS pic.twitter.com/frCDhX04Zx
— UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) September 27, 2023
The result was Oliveira’s second-straight first-round knockout, and the 15th of his career overall.
White appeared very impressed with the finish and his post-fight antics with the pen, which are signs that usually point to a fighter receiving a UFC contract at the end of the show.
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 64.
