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UFC teases 'can't-miss event' announcement on Nov. 17
Save the date, fight fans. It appears the UFC will make a special announcement on Nov. 17.
The organization today sent reporters a save-the-date email, though few other details were given about the nature of the news.
According to the email, which included the caption “The Time is Now,” the announcement takes place Nov. 17 “for a can’t-miss event in Las Vegas.”
ufc-nov-17-announcementShare this image:The UFC, of course, is headquartered in Las Vegas.
The upcoming event comes two days after the UFC makes its debut in Mexico on Nov. 15. Mark Hunt and Fabricio Werdum fight in the headliner of the pay-per-view event, UFC 180, at Mexico City Arena. However, it’s not clear if the announcement has anything to do with the UFC 180.
So what’s your guess for the announcement? Georges St-Pierre or Brock Lesnar’s return? The signing of Gina Carano? A new UFC Fight Pass offering? A potential blue-chip sponsor? A long-rumored UFC uniform? “The Ultimate Fighter” coaches announcement? An event or venue announcement? Something else?
Save the date, fight fans. It appears the UFC will make a special announcement on Nov. 17.
The organization today sent reporters a save-the-date email, though few other details were given about the nature of the news.
According to the email, which included the caption “The Time is Now,” the announcement takes place Nov. 17 “for a can’t-miss event in Las Vegas.”
ufc-nov-17-announcementShare this image:The UFC, of course, is headquartered in Las Vegas.
The upcoming event comes two days after the UFC makes its debut in Mexico on Nov. 15. Mark Hunt and Fabricio Werdum fight in the headliner of the pay-per-view event, UFC 180, at Mexico City Arena. However, it’s not clear if the announcement has anything to do with the UFC 180.
So what’s your guess for the announcement? Georges St-Pierre or Brock Lesnar’s return? The signing of Gina Carano? A new UFC Fight Pass offering? A potential blue-chip sponsor? A long-rumored UFC uniform? “The Ultimate Fighter” coaches announcement? An event or venue announcement? Something else?
Former UFC champ Anderson Silva reportedly signs new 15-fight deal
It’s safe to assume former UFC middleweight champion and MMA great Anderson Silva will wrap up his career with the UFC.
The 39-year-old fighter has signed a new 15-fight deal with the organization, according to Combate, essentially assuring his final fight will take place in the octagon.
Although Silva (33-6 MMA, 16-2 UFC) is under no obligation to complete all 15 fights (and though the UFC can traditionally cut fighters at any point during a contract following a loss), the largely symbolic deal should carry Silva to retirement.
Silva still had a number of fights left on his previous contract, which the new one replaced.
“I had seven fights on my contract,” Silva told Combate. “I met (UFC executives) Lorenzo (Fertitta) and Dana (White) on Thursday, and that contract was canceled. We signed for another 15 fights. To make Dana crazy, I signed for 15 more fights. And to make my family crazy too.”
Silva has been out of action since suffering a broken leg in a December 2013 loss to middleweight champ Chris Weidman. Now recovered, he’s slated to fight former Strikeforce champ and UFC vet Nick Diaz (26-9 MMA, 7-6 UFC) in UFC 183’s pay-per-view headliner on Jan. 31.
The Brazilian fighter attended this past weekend’s UFC 179 event in Rio de Janeiro and received a huge ovation when he entered the arena.
In addition to the new fight contract, according to Combate, Silva is no longer sponsored by Nike but is in talks with Adidas.
It’s safe to assume former UFC middleweight champion and MMA great Anderson Silva will wrap up his career with the UFC.
The 39-year-old fighter has signed a new 15-fight deal with the organization, according to Combate, essentially assuring his final fight will take place in the octagon.
Although Silva (33-6 MMA, 16-2 UFC) is under no obligation to complete all 15 fights (and though the UFC can traditionally cut fighters at any point during a contract following a loss), the largely symbolic deal should carry Silva to retirement.
Silva still had a number of fights left on his previous contract, which the new one replaced.
“I had seven fights on my contract,” Silva told Combate. “I met (UFC executives) Lorenzo (Fertitta) and Dana (White) on Thursday, and that contract was canceled. We signed for another 15 fights. To make Dana crazy, I signed for 15 more fights. And to make my family crazy too.”
Silva has been out of action since suffering a broken leg in a December 2013 loss to middleweight champ Chris Weidman. Now recovered, he’s slated to fight former Strikeforce champ and UFC vet Nick Diaz (26-9 MMA, 7-6 UFC) in UFC 183’s pay-per-view headliner on Jan. 31.
The Brazilian fighter attended this past weekend’s UFC 179 event in Rio de Janeiro and received a huge ovation when he entered the arena.
In addition to the new fight contract, according to Combate, Silva is no longer sponsored by Nike but is in talks with Adidas.
Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort, Ronda Rousey vs. Cat Zingano official for UFC 184
A women’s bantamweight title fight between champ Ronda Rousey and Cat Zingano has now been moved from UFC 182 to UFC 184.
UFC President Dana White today announced on Instagram that the women’s 135-pound title fight joins a headliner featuring middleweight champ Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort at the Feb. 28 pay-per-view event at Los Angeles’ Staples Center.
Rousey and Zingano originally were scheduled to co-headline UFC 182 on Jan. 2 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena. The reason for the switch was not given.
Earlier today, Belfort tweeted he had signed a contract for the title shot, which was delayed a second time when Weidman suffered a knee injury that forced the UFC to postpone a scheduled meeting at UFC 181 on Dec. 6 in Las Vegas.
The two originally were set to meet in May at UFC 173 before Belfort was pulled from the card in the wake of the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s ban on testosterone-replacement therapy, of which Belfort was a multi-year participant. Weidman went on to fight Lyoto Machida and earned a unanimous decision.
More on this in just a moment.
A women’s bantamweight title fight between champ Ronda Rousey and Cat Zingano has now been moved from UFC 182 to UFC 184.
UFC President Dana White today announced on Instagram that the women’s 135-pound title fight joins a headliner featuring middleweight champ Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort at the Feb. 28 pay-per-view event at Los Angeles’ Staples Center.
Rousey and Zingano originally were scheduled to co-headline UFC 182 on Jan. 2 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena. The reason for the switch was not given.
Earlier today, Belfort tweeted he had signed a contract for the title shot, which was delayed a second time when Weidman suffered a knee injury that forced the UFC to postpone a scheduled meeting at UFC 181 on Dec. 6 in Las Vegas.
The two originally were set to meet in May at UFC 173 before Belfort was pulled from the card in the wake of the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s ban on testosterone-replacement therapy, of which Belfort was a multi-year participant. Weidman went on to fight Lyoto Machida and earned a unanimous decision.
More on this in just a moment.
Donald Cerrone vs. Myles Jury set for UFC Fight Night 59 in Boston
Although some squabbling over a fight date appeared as though it might spoil the matchup, lightweight contenders Donald Cerrone (25-6 MMA, 12-3 UFC) and Myles Jury (15-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) will, in fact, meet each other.
The fighters have agreed to fight at UFC Fight Night 59 in Boston. Cerrone today teased the matchup on Instagram, and FOXSports.com subsequently reported the fight. UFC officials, though, haven’t made a formal announcement.
The event takes place Jan. 18 at Boston’s TD Garden. The bulk of the card airs on FOX Sports 1 following prelims on UFC Fight Pass.
Cerrone and Jury join recently announced featherweight headliners Conor McGregor (16-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) and Dennis Siver (22-9 MMA, 11-6 UFC) on the card.
Cerrone is ranked No. 5 and Jury is No. 11 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings.
Earlier this month, it appeared the long-rumored matchup was in trouble when Cerrone said he wanted to fight by year’s end and Jury suggested an early-2015 date.
Cerrone, one of the most successful WEC imports, is 12-3 since joining the UFC and maintaining a busy fight schedule. The well-rounded 31-year-old recently pushed his winning streak to five fights and closed out a successful 4-0 2014 with wins over Adriano Martins, Edson Barboza, Jim Miller and Eddie Alvarez. Three of the four earned fight-night bonuses, and the latest one (over Alvarez) came in a pay-per-view co-headliner.
Jury, meanwhile, recently earned a TKO victory over Takanori Gomi, which followed a decision win over former title challenger Diego Sanchez. The 25-year-old, who lost to Al Iaquinta on “The Ultimate Fighter 15,” has remained perfect in official pro competition and has posted 12 stoppages in 15 career wins.
Although some squabbling over a fight date appeared as though it might spoil the matchup, lightweight contenders Donald Cerrone (25-6 MMA, 12-3 UFC) and Myles Jury (15-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) will, in fact, meet each other.
The fighters have agreed to fight at UFC Fight Night 59 in Boston. Cerrone today teased the matchup on Instagram, and FOXSports.com subsequently reported the fight. UFC officials, though, haven’t made a formal announcement.
The event takes place Jan. 18 at Boston’s TD Garden. The bulk of the card airs on FOX Sports 1 following prelims on UFC Fight Pass.
Cerrone and Jury join recently announced featherweight headliners Conor McGregor (16-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) and Dennis Siver (22-9 MMA, 11-6 UFC) on the card.
Cerrone is ranked No. 5 and Jury is No. 11 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings.
Earlier this month, it appeared the long-rumored matchup was in trouble when Cerrone said he wanted to fight by year’s end and Jury suggested an early-2015 date.
Cerrone, one of the most successful WEC imports, is 12-3 since joining the UFC and maintaining a busy fight schedule. The well-rounded 31-year-old recently pushed his winning streak to five fights and closed out a successful 4-0 2014 with wins over Adriano Martins, Edson Barboza, Jim Miller and Eddie Alvarez. Three of the four earned fight-night bonuses, and the latest one (over Alvarez) came in a pay-per-view co-headliner.
Jury, meanwhile, recently earned a TKO victory over Takanori Gomi, which followed a decision win over former title challenger Diego Sanchez. The 25-year-old, who lost to Al Iaquinta on “The Ultimate Fighter 15,” has remained perfect in official pro competition and has posted 12 stoppages in 15 career wins.
Report: Benson Henderson vs. Eddie Alvarez added to UFC Fight Night 59 in Boston
Makes perfect sense. This will be a banger!
Former UFC lightweight champ Benson Henderson (21-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) and former Bellator champ Eddie Alvarez (25-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) will look to rebound from recent losses in a meeting at UFC Fight Night 59, BostonHerald.com reports.
The decorated lightweights co-headline the Jan. 18 event at Boston’s TD Garden. The event’s main card airs live on FOX Sports 1 following prelims on FOX Sports 2 and UFC Fight Pass
Makes perfect sense. This will be a banger!
Former UFC lightweight champ Benson Henderson (21-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) and former Bellator champ Eddie Alvarez (25-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) will look to rebound from recent losses in a meeting at UFC Fight Night 59, BostonHerald.com reports.
The decorated lightweights co-headline the Jan. 18 event at Boston’s TD Garden. The event’s main card airs live on FOX Sports 1 following prelims on FOX Sports 2 and UFC Fight Pass
shitload of fights this weekend!
Tonight
Tachi PF 21: All of Nothing
Lemoore, California, United States
Main Card - Sherdog.com - 9pm ET / 6pm PT
Ricky Legere Jr. vs. Max Griffin - for TPF Welterweight title
Hector Alex Sandoval vs. Alex Perez - for TPF Flyweight title
Rolando Velasco vs. Sergio Cortez
Isaac de Jesus vs. Adrian Diaz
Luis Gonzalez vs. Anthony Figueroa
Dominic Clark vs. Mario Soto
Alex Crispim vs. Tony Llamas
Kenny Ento vs. JC Llamas
Art Hernandez vs. Josh LaGrange
Evan Solorio vs. Alex Barajas
Alberto Arreola vs. Oscar Martinez
Anthony Torres vs. Mike Tubera
Tomorrow
ONE FC 22: Battle of Lions
Kallang, Singapore
iPPV: ONE Fighting Championship - Livestream
Main Card - iPPV / Fight Network - 6am ET / 3am PT
Leandro Ataides vs. Igor Svirid - for ONE FC Middleweight title
Zorobabel Moreira Jr. vs. Koji Ando
Luis Santos vs. Bakhtiyar Abbasov
Brayan Rafiq vs. Tatsuya Mizuno
Dwayne Hinds vs. Christophe Vandijck
Cary Bullos vs. Major Overall
Martin Nguyen vs. Rocky Batolbatol
Amir Khan vs. Waqar Umar
Kirstie Gannaway vs. Adek Omar
Jeff Huang vs. Zuli Silawanto
UFC Fight Night 55
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Main Card - UFC Fight Pass - 10pm ET / 7pm PT
Luke Rockhold vs. Michael Bisping
Al Iaquinta vs. Ross Pearson
Clint Hester vs. Robert Whittaker
Walt Harris vs. Soa Palelei
Preliminary Card - UFC Fight Pass - 7:30pm ET / 4:30pm PT
Jake Matthews vs. Vagner Rocha
Guto Inocente vs. Anthony Perosh
Sam Alvey vs. Dylan Andrews
Louis Smolka vs. Richie Vaculik
Chris Clements vs. Vik Grujic
Daniel Kelly vs. Luke Zachrich
Marcus Brimage vs. Jumabieke Tuerxun
Glory 18: Return to Glory (kickboxing)
Shawnee, Oklahoma, United States
Main Card - Spike TV - 9pm ET / 6pm PT
Davit Kiria vs. Robin van Roosmalen - for GLORY Lightweight title
TBA vs. TBA - LHW Tournament Final
Wayne Barrett vs. Jason Wilnis
Brian Collette vs. Zack Mwekassa - LHW Tournament Semifinal
Saulo Cavalari vs. Danyo Ilunga - LHW Tournament Semifinal
RFA 20
Broomfield, Colorado, United States
Main Card - AXS TV - 10pm ET / 7pm PT
Luke Sanders vs. Jarred Mercado - for RFA Bantamweight title
Ben Smith vs. Josh Cavan
Bojan Velickovic vs. Gilbert Smith
Alvin Robinson vs. Fabio Serrao
Cody Mumma vs. Colton Vaughn
Boston Salmon vs. James DeHerrera
Saturday
Budo FC 5
Newcastle, England
Main Card - YouTube - 2pm ET / 11am PT
Brian Hyslop vs. Craig Derbyshire
Kieran Malone vs. David Stone
Craig McIntosh vs. Rhys Parker
Ronnie Pringle vs. David Young
Lee Johnson vs. Mark Stewart
Callum Murrie vs. Milad Ahady
Alexander Campbell vs. Robert Barry
Alex Davidson vs. Gary Worsfold
UFC Fight Night 56
Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Main Card - FOX Sports 1 - 10:30pm ET / 7:30pm PT
Mauricio Rua vs. Ovince Saint Preux
John Lineker vs. Ian McCall
Warlley Alves vs. Alan Jouban
Leon Edwards vs. Claudio Silva
Nina Ansaroff vs. Juliana Lima
Preliminary Card - FOX Sports 2 - 8pm ET / 5pm PT
Diego Rivas vs. Rodolfo Rubio
Caio Magalhaes vs. Trevor Smith
Dhiego Lima vs. Jorge Oliveira
Charlie Brenneman vs. Leandro Silva
Thomas Almeida vs. Tim Gorman
Preliminary Card - UFC Fight Pass - 7:30pm ET / 4:30pm PT
Colby Covington vs. Wagner Silva
Sunday
Road FC 19
Seoul, South Korea
Main Card - iPPV (Epicentre.tv) - 6am ET / 3am PT
Riki Fukuda vs. Dool Hee Lee
Dong Sik Yoon vs. Amilcar Alves
Jung Hwan Cha vs. Alexandre Barros
Hyo Kyung Song vs. Emi Tomimatsu
Kwang Hee Lee vs. Gi Bum Moon
Dae Sung Kim vs. Uh Jin Jeon
Tonight
Tachi PF 21: All of Nothing
Lemoore, California, United States
Main Card - Sherdog.com - 9pm ET / 6pm PT
Ricky Legere Jr. vs. Max Griffin - for TPF Welterweight title
Hector Alex Sandoval vs. Alex Perez - for TPF Flyweight title
Rolando Velasco vs. Sergio Cortez
Isaac de Jesus vs. Adrian Diaz
Luis Gonzalez vs. Anthony Figueroa
Dominic Clark vs. Mario Soto
Alex Crispim vs. Tony Llamas
Kenny Ento vs. JC Llamas
Art Hernandez vs. Josh LaGrange
Evan Solorio vs. Alex Barajas
Alberto Arreola vs. Oscar Martinez
Anthony Torres vs. Mike Tubera
Tomorrow
ONE FC 22: Battle of Lions
Kallang, Singapore
iPPV: ONE Fighting Championship - Livestream
Main Card - iPPV / Fight Network - 6am ET / 3am PT
Leandro Ataides vs. Igor Svirid - for ONE FC Middleweight title
Zorobabel Moreira Jr. vs. Koji Ando
Luis Santos vs. Bakhtiyar Abbasov
Brayan Rafiq vs. Tatsuya Mizuno
Dwayne Hinds vs. Christophe Vandijck
Cary Bullos vs. Major Overall
Martin Nguyen vs. Rocky Batolbatol
Amir Khan vs. Waqar Umar
Kirstie Gannaway vs. Adek Omar
Jeff Huang vs. Zuli Silawanto
UFC Fight Night 55
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Main Card - UFC Fight Pass - 10pm ET / 7pm PT
Luke Rockhold vs. Michael Bisping
Al Iaquinta vs. Ross Pearson
Clint Hester vs. Robert Whittaker
Walt Harris vs. Soa Palelei
Preliminary Card - UFC Fight Pass - 7:30pm ET / 4:30pm PT
Jake Matthews vs. Vagner Rocha
Guto Inocente vs. Anthony Perosh
Sam Alvey vs. Dylan Andrews
Louis Smolka vs. Richie Vaculik
Chris Clements vs. Vik Grujic
Daniel Kelly vs. Luke Zachrich
Marcus Brimage vs. Jumabieke Tuerxun
Glory 18: Return to Glory (kickboxing)
Shawnee, Oklahoma, United States
Main Card - Spike TV - 9pm ET / 6pm PT
Davit Kiria vs. Robin van Roosmalen - for GLORY Lightweight title
TBA vs. TBA - LHW Tournament Final
Wayne Barrett vs. Jason Wilnis
Brian Collette vs. Zack Mwekassa - LHW Tournament Semifinal
Saulo Cavalari vs. Danyo Ilunga - LHW Tournament Semifinal
RFA 20
Broomfield, Colorado, United States
Main Card - AXS TV - 10pm ET / 7pm PT
Luke Sanders vs. Jarred Mercado - for RFA Bantamweight title
Ben Smith vs. Josh Cavan
Bojan Velickovic vs. Gilbert Smith
Alvin Robinson vs. Fabio Serrao
Cody Mumma vs. Colton Vaughn
Boston Salmon vs. James DeHerrera
Saturday
Budo FC 5
Newcastle, England
Main Card - YouTube - 2pm ET / 11am PT
Brian Hyslop vs. Craig Derbyshire
Kieran Malone vs. David Stone
Craig McIntosh vs. Rhys Parker
Ronnie Pringle vs. David Young
Lee Johnson vs. Mark Stewart
Callum Murrie vs. Milad Ahady
Alexander Campbell vs. Robert Barry
Alex Davidson vs. Gary Worsfold
UFC Fight Night 56
Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Main Card - FOX Sports 1 - 10:30pm ET / 7:30pm PT
Mauricio Rua vs. Ovince Saint Preux
John Lineker vs. Ian McCall
Warlley Alves vs. Alan Jouban
Leon Edwards vs. Claudio Silva
Nina Ansaroff vs. Juliana Lima
Preliminary Card - FOX Sports 2 - 8pm ET / 5pm PT
Diego Rivas vs. Rodolfo Rubio
Caio Magalhaes vs. Trevor Smith
Dhiego Lima vs. Jorge Oliveira
Charlie Brenneman vs. Leandro Silva
Thomas Almeida vs. Tim Gorman
Preliminary Card - UFC Fight Pass - 7:30pm ET / 4:30pm PT
Colby Covington vs. Wagner Silva
Sunday
Road FC 19
Seoul, South Korea
Main Card - iPPV (Epicentre.tv) - 6am ET / 3am PT
Riki Fukuda vs. Dool Hee Lee
Dong Sik Yoon vs. Amilcar Alves
Jung Hwan Cha vs. Alexandre Barros
Hyo Kyung Song vs. Emi Tomimatsu
Kwang Hee Lee vs. Gi Bum Moon
Dae Sung Kim vs. Uh Jin Jeon
HOLY FUCCIN HELL!!! Did anybody watch the fight night 55 card?! Best card I've seen in a looooooong time. EVERY fight on the card ended in either ko or sub! From bottom to top the best card, too bad it was low key and on fight pass. I'll throw some GIF'S up soon.
Smolka v Vaculik
Brimage to open up the prelims
Smolka v Vaculik
Brimage to open up the prelims
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Dana White ‏
D
@DANA
white 3m3 minutes ago
UFC Sydney broke the record 11 fights 11 finishes!! FON- Whittaker vs Hester Performance- Smolka and Rockhold!! Amazing fights tonight
NOOOOOOOO
Dana White D @DANA white · 5m5 minutes ago
Looking like Ian McCall is sick and might not be able to fight tonight.
UFC Sydney broke the record 11 fights 11 finishes!! FON- Whittaker vs Hester Performance- Smolka and Rockhold!! Amazing fights tonight
NOOOOOOOO
Dana White D @DANA white · 5m5 minutes ago
Looking like Ian McCall is sick and might not be able to fight tonight.
RIP Guram Gugenishvili
Damn this is sad news. I was a big fan of him a couple years ago when he was M1 Heavyweight Champ. He was only 28.
M-1 Global: Former champ Guram Gugenishvili killed in car accident | MMAjunkie
Former M-1 Global heavyweight champion Guram Gugenishvili died in a car accident this weekend in his native Georgia, officials today announced.
Details of the accident weren’t disclosed.
Gugenishvili, 28, was a five-year pro who spent the bulk of his career with the Russian-based M-1 promotion.
“He was a great athlete and a kind, open-hearted person,” a statement on the organization’s Facebook page read. “RIP Guram.”
Gugenishvili won M-1 Ukraine, M-1 Selection Western Europe and M-1 Global titles during his career. He won his first 10 pro fights, nine via submission (and eight in the first round), before a pair of losses to Kenny Garner to close out the duo’s championship trilogy of fights.
After a 16-month break from the sport to recover from injuries, Gugenishvili returned to competition in April and scored a TKO victory over ONE FC and KOTC vet Tony Bonello at an IGF show in Japan. According to M-1, Gugenishvili planned to fight once more for IGF before year’s end and then return to M-1 in 2015.
Back in 2011, Gugenishvili traveled to the U.S. to train in Las Vegas with Xtreme Couture. While in the country, he stopped by the MMAjunkie Radio studio and discussed his childhood, in which he played forward on the Georgian junior national soccer team. A cousin, a former world and European arm-wrestling champion, initially got him involved in sports, which soon led to an interest in combat sports.
“Then I started to watch MMA a little bit,” Gugenishvili said. “Little by little, step by step, that’s how I realized that I really like it and I really want to go and try it myself.”
Damn this is sad news. I was a big fan of him a couple years ago when he was M1 Heavyweight Champ. He was only 28.
M-1 Global: Former champ Guram Gugenishvili killed in car accident | MMAjunkie
Former M-1 Global heavyweight champion Guram Gugenishvili died in a car accident this weekend in his native Georgia, officials today announced.
Details of the accident weren’t disclosed.
Gugenishvili, 28, was a five-year pro who spent the bulk of his career with the Russian-based M-1 promotion.
“He was a great athlete and a kind, open-hearted person,” a statement on the organization’s Facebook page read. “RIP Guram.”
Gugenishvili won M-1 Ukraine, M-1 Selection Western Europe and M-1 Global titles during his career. He won his first 10 pro fights, nine via submission (and eight in the first round), before a pair of losses to Kenny Garner to close out the duo’s championship trilogy of fights.
After a 16-month break from the sport to recover from injuries, Gugenishvili returned to competition in April and scored a TKO victory over ONE FC and KOTC vet Tony Bonello at an IGF show in Japan. According to M-1, Gugenishvili planned to fight once more for IGF before year’s end and then return to M-1 in 2015.
Back in 2011, Gugenishvili traveled to the U.S. to train in Las Vegas with Xtreme Couture. While in the country, he stopped by the MMAjunkie Radio studio and discussed his childhood, in which he played forward on the Georgian junior national soccer team. A cousin, a former world and European arm-wrestling champion, initially got him involved in sports, which soon led to an interest in combat sports.
“Then I started to watch MMA a little bit,” Gugenishvili said. “Little by little, step by step, that’s how I realized that I really like it and I really want to go and try it myself.”
Holly Holm suffers neck injury, out of UFC debut opposite Raquel Pennington
UFC women’s bantamweight and former boxing champ Holly Holm (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) sustained a neck injury in practice and will not be able to make her octagon debut next month opposite Raquel Pennington (4-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC), a source close to the fighter today told MMAjunkie.
The news was first reported by Portugese-language website MMA Byneko, who cited an undisclosed injury for the withdrawal. MMAjunkie’s source said the injury is “serious” but could not provide further details.
Holm, 32, was set to fight Pennington on the pay-per-view main card of UFC 181, which takes place Dec. 6 at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Events Center. The UFC has yet to confirm a replacement to fight Pennington, an official told MMAjunkie.
Undefeated in seven pro MMA fights, Holm signed with the UFC in July after negotiations with her management team broke down.
Holm’s team originally targeted an October or November debut after she suffered a broken arm in April during a fight under the Legacy FC banner. Champ Ronda Rousey welcomed a potential fight with the former boxing champ and said she is good for the women’s division.
There’s no word yet on Holm’s timeline for recovery, and no word on a possible replacement to fight Pennington.
UFC women’s bantamweight and former boxing champ Holly Holm (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) sustained a neck injury in practice and will not be able to make her octagon debut next month opposite Raquel Pennington (4-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC), a source close to the fighter today told MMAjunkie.
The news was first reported by Portugese-language website MMA Byneko, who cited an undisclosed injury for the withdrawal. MMAjunkie’s source said the injury is “serious” but could not provide further details.
Holm, 32, was set to fight Pennington on the pay-per-view main card of UFC 181, which takes place Dec. 6 at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Events Center. The UFC has yet to confirm a replacement to fight Pennington, an official told MMAjunkie.
Undefeated in seven pro MMA fights, Holm signed with the UFC in July after negotiations with her management team broke down.
Holm’s team originally targeted an October or November debut after she suffered a broken arm in April during a fight under the Legacy FC banner. Champ Ronda Rousey welcomed a potential fight with the former boxing champ and said she is good for the women’s division.
There’s no word yet on Holm’s timeline for recovery, and no word on a possible replacement to fight Pennington.
'Jacare' Souza vs. Yoel Romero middleweight clash set for UFC 184 in L.A.
The February UFC return to Los Angeles is headlined by a middleweight title fight, and there will be two other contenders on the bill, as well.
Yoel Romero (9-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) is set to meet Ronaldo Souza (21-3 MMA, 4-0 UFC) at UFC 184. Promotion officials announced the new bout on Thursday, saying verbal agreements are in place.
Featuring a pair of championship matchups with UFC middleweight champ Chris Weidman facing Vitor Belfort and UFC women’s bantamweight title holder Ronda Rousey facing Cat Zingano, UFC 184 takes place Feb. 28 at Los Angeles’ Staples Center. The evening’s main card airs on pay-per-view.
Romero will put his unbeaten UFC record on the line. He went a perfect 3-0 in 2014 with a pair of “Fight of the Night” wins. In January, he stopped Derek Brunson in the third round of a big comeback to win his first bonus of the year. And after a decision win over Brad Tavares in April, he stopped Tim Kennedy in the third round at UFC 178.
The win over Kennedy was a controversial one. Romero was saved by the bell in the second round and wobbled back to his corner. When the third round started, he didn’t get up from his stool, and there was confusion over who was to blame over his stool not being removed in a timely manner, conceivably giving him extra time to recover after the punishment he took late in the second. But just 38 seconds in the third, he stopped Kennedy with a TKO.
“Jacare” Souza has won seven straight fights since losing his Strikeforce middleweight title to Luke Rockhold a little more than three years ago, and six of those seven wins are by stoppage. Since coming to the UFC in the merger with Strikeforce, he has a “Submission of the Night” win over Chris Camozzi, a TKO of Yushin Okami, a decision win over Francis Carmont, and in September, a “Fight of the Night” submission of Gegard Mousasi.
Souza sits at No. 5 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie middleweight rankings, while Romero is at No. 10. “Jacare” also is an Honorable Mention in the current pound-for-pound rankings.
With the addition to the card, UFC 184 now includes:
•Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort
•Ronda Rousey vs. Cat Zingano
•Frank Mir vs. Antonio Silva
•Yoel Romero vs. Ronaldo Souza
The February UFC return to Los Angeles is headlined by a middleweight title fight, and there will be two other contenders on the bill, as well.
Yoel Romero (9-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) is set to meet Ronaldo Souza (21-3 MMA, 4-0 UFC) at UFC 184. Promotion officials announced the new bout on Thursday, saying verbal agreements are in place.
Featuring a pair of championship matchups with UFC middleweight champ Chris Weidman facing Vitor Belfort and UFC women’s bantamweight title holder Ronda Rousey facing Cat Zingano, UFC 184 takes place Feb. 28 at Los Angeles’ Staples Center. The evening’s main card airs on pay-per-view.
Romero will put his unbeaten UFC record on the line. He went a perfect 3-0 in 2014 with a pair of “Fight of the Night” wins. In January, he stopped Derek Brunson in the third round of a big comeback to win his first bonus of the year. And after a decision win over Brad Tavares in April, he stopped Tim Kennedy in the third round at UFC 178.
The win over Kennedy was a controversial one. Romero was saved by the bell in the second round and wobbled back to his corner. When the third round started, he didn’t get up from his stool, and there was confusion over who was to blame over his stool not being removed in a timely manner, conceivably giving him extra time to recover after the punishment he took late in the second. But just 38 seconds in the third, he stopped Kennedy with a TKO.
“Jacare” Souza has won seven straight fights since losing his Strikeforce middleweight title to Luke Rockhold a little more than three years ago, and six of those seven wins are by stoppage. Since coming to the UFC in the merger with Strikeforce, he has a “Submission of the Night” win over Chris Camozzi, a TKO of Yushin Okami, a decision win over Francis Carmont, and in September, a “Fight of the Night” submission of Gegard Mousasi.
Souza sits at No. 5 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie middleweight rankings, while Romero is at No. 10. “Jacare” also is an Honorable Mention in the current pound-for-pound rankings.
With the addition to the card, UFC 184 now includes:
•Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort
•Ronda Rousey vs. Cat Zingano
•Frank Mir vs. Antonio Silva
•Yoel Romero vs. Ronaldo Souza
Miesha Tate gets Sara McMann, not Bethe Correia, at UFC 183
Miesha Tate (15-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) will be back in action at UFC 183, but while she’s currently embroiled in a Twitter battle with Bethe Correia (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC), “Cupcake” will instead face Sara McMann (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC).
The new matchup was announced on Wednesday’s new edition of “UFC Tonight.”
Tate brings a two-fight winning streak to the cage after downing Rin Nakai and Liz Carmouche. The wins for the first two octagon victories of Tate’s career after suffering disappointing defeats to current UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and current top contender Cat Zingano.
Meanwhile, McMann suffered her only career defeat earlier this year in an attempt to unseat Rousey. However, she bounced back with an August win over Lauren Murphy. Both McMann and Tate then expressed their desire to meet, but Correia’s boisterous claims made it possible for her to potentially step in line. Instead, “Pitbull” now awaits another booking.
With the addition to the card, UFC 184 now includes:
•Nick Diaz vs. Anderson Silva
•Thiago Alves vs. Jordan Mein
•Sara McMann vs. Miesha Tate
•Tim Boetsch vs. Thales Leites
•Diego Brandao vs. Jimy Hettes
•Andy Enz vs. Thiago “Marreta” Santos
•Ildemar Alcantara vs. Richardson Moreira
Miesha Tate (15-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) will be back in action at UFC 183, but while she’s currently embroiled in a Twitter battle with Bethe Correia (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC), “Cupcake” will instead face Sara McMann (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC).
The new matchup was announced on Wednesday’s new edition of “UFC Tonight.”
Tate brings a two-fight winning streak to the cage after downing Rin Nakai and Liz Carmouche. The wins for the first two octagon victories of Tate’s career after suffering disappointing defeats to current UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and current top contender Cat Zingano.
Meanwhile, McMann suffered her only career defeat earlier this year in an attempt to unseat Rousey. However, she bounced back with an August win over Lauren Murphy. Both McMann and Tate then expressed their desire to meet, but Correia’s boisterous claims made it possible for her to potentially step in line. Instead, “Pitbull” now awaits another booking.
With the addition to the card, UFC 184 now includes:
•Nick Diaz vs. Anderson Silva
•Thiago Alves vs. Jordan Mein
•Sara McMann vs. Miesha Tate
•Tim Boetsch vs. Thales Leites
•Diego Brandao vs. Jimy Hettes
•Andy Enz vs. Thiago “Marreta” Santos
•Ildemar Alcantara vs. Richardson Moreira
Dan Henderson returns to 185, meets Gegard Mousasi in UFC on FOX 14 co-headliner
Dan Henderson (30-12 MMA, 7-6 UFC) is returning to the middleweight division and will co-headline UFC on FOX 14 in January.
UFC officials today announced the MMA legend will meet fellow ex-Strikeforce champion Gegard Mousasi (35-5-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) at the recently announced event.
UFC on FOX 14 takes place Jan. 24 at Tele2 Arena in Stockholm. The main card airs on FOX following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.
As announced earlier today, the headliner of the stadium show features a title eliminator between Alexander Gustafsson (16-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) and Anthony Johnson (18-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC).
Mousasi is ranked No. 8 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings. Henderson is ranked No. 9 at light heavyweight.
Henderson looks to snap out of a 1-4 skid that includes a recent submission loss to 205-pounder Daniel Cormier at UFC 173. A fight prior, the 44-year-old vet, who’s bounced between three weight classes during his 17-year career, halted a three-fight losing skid (to elite opponents like Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort) with a TKO win over Mauricio Rua, which earned “Fight of the Night” and “Performance of the Night” bonuses.
Henderson, who recently said he’d be open to a bout with Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, instead meets Mousasi, a 29-year-old who suffered a loss to Souza in September. Prior to the defeat, he was on a 7-1-1 run that included a “Performance of the Night” win over Mark Munoz and a “Fight of the Night” loss to Machida.
The latest UFC on FOX 14 card now includes:
•Alexander Gustafsson vs. Anthony Johnson
•Dan Henderson vs. Gegard Mousasi
•Matt Brown vs. Tarec Saffiedine
Dan Henderson (30-12 MMA, 7-6 UFC) is returning to the middleweight division and will co-headline UFC on FOX 14 in January.
UFC officials today announced the MMA legend will meet fellow ex-Strikeforce champion Gegard Mousasi (35-5-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) at the recently announced event.
UFC on FOX 14 takes place Jan. 24 at Tele2 Arena in Stockholm. The main card airs on FOX following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.
As announced earlier today, the headliner of the stadium show features a title eliminator between Alexander Gustafsson (16-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) and Anthony Johnson (18-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC).
Mousasi is ranked No. 8 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings. Henderson is ranked No. 9 at light heavyweight.
Henderson looks to snap out of a 1-4 skid that includes a recent submission loss to 205-pounder Daniel Cormier at UFC 173. A fight prior, the 44-year-old vet, who’s bounced between three weight classes during his 17-year career, halted a three-fight losing skid (to elite opponents like Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort) with a TKO win over Mauricio Rua, which earned “Fight of the Night” and “Performance of the Night” bonuses.
Henderson, who recently said he’d be open to a bout with Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, instead meets Mousasi, a 29-year-old who suffered a loss to Souza in September. Prior to the defeat, he was on a 7-1-1 run that included a “Performance of the Night” win over Mark Munoz and a “Fight of the Night” loss to Machida.
The latest UFC on FOX 14 card now includes:
•Alexander Gustafsson vs. Anthony Johnson
•Dan Henderson vs. Gegard Mousasi
•Matt Brown vs. Tarec Saffiedine