Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor suspended for UFC 229 brawl
(https:)UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor have been suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for their roles in the infamous UFC 229 brawl.
Nurmagomedov received nine months, while McGregor received six months. The suspensions are retroactive to the Oct. 6 fight card, which took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, meaning Nurmagomedov is able to return to the cage as soon as July 6 and McGregor on April 6.
UFC makes Jon Jones vs. Anthony Smith official for UFC 235 main event
(https:)It didn’t take the UFC long after learning Jon Jones’ fate to formalize its main event for a March return to Las Vegas.
Not long after light heavyweight champion Jones was given a conditional one-fight license by the Nevada State Athletic Commission at a hearing today in Las Vegas, the UFC made official the UFC 235 headliner.
Sam Alvey Replaces Ryan Spann vs. Jim Crute at UFC 234
(pwpnation.com)With Ryan Spann out, enter Sam Alvey.
With a history of accepting fights on short notice, Alvey (33-11 MMA, 10-6 UFC) will be making his way to Melbourne, Australia on Feb. 9 for UFC 234. First reported by News.com.au, Alvey will look to bounce back from his most recent loss to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira via TKO last September. Before the loss, Alvey rolled off back-to-back wins over Marcin Prachnio and Gian Villante in 2018. Alvey was originally scheduled to fight Gadhimurad Antigulov at UFC on ESPN+ 3.
LFA 58 video highlights with back-to-back highlight-reel KOs not to miss
(https:)If it was highlight-reel knockouts you were looking for Friday night, LFA 58 had you covered.
Harvey Park (11-2) took out Jaleel Willis (9-3) with a first-round TKO in the LFA 58 main event at Route 66 Casino Hotel in Albuquerque, N.M. The main card aired on AXS TV.
But the two biggest highlights came back-to-back, and they came quickly into their fights. First, Flavian Pilgrim (5-1) needed just 50 seconds to KO Sherwin Price (5-2) with a massive punch in their lightweight bout. And in the next fight, Luiz Gavinho (9-4) put out Vince Fricilone’s (8-2) lights with a flying knee in just 40 seconds.
UFC on ESPN+ 1 bonuses: Donald Cerrone doubles up for $100K
(https:)Henry Cejudo, Donald Cerrone and Alexander Hernandez each earned $50,000 bonuses for their performances at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 1 event. In the case of Cerrone, it was times two.
Winners Cejudo and Cerrone both took home “Performance of the Night” bonuses, and “Cowboy” also received a “Fight of the Night” bonus along with Hernandez.
UFC President Dana White announced the winners following the event, which MMAjunkie attended.
Stephen Thompson vs. Anthony Pettis in works for UFC Nashville
(https:)Maybe Stephen Thompson and Anthony Pettis have a future as matchmakers.
Following a social media exchange that saw Pettis asking fans if he should step up to welterweight to fight Thompson, and Thompson welcoming Pettis to try, MMA Fighting’s Marc Raimondi confirmed with sources that the two have verbally agreed to fight at 170 pounds on March 23 at a UFC on ESPN+ show in Nashville, Tenn.
Kyle Stewart in for Dwight Grant, meets Chance Rencountre at UFC Brooklyn
(https:)The game of musical chairs that will be the UFC’s first fight of 2019 continues, but now may be finally set.
After Dwight Grant (8-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) was not cleared to compete by the New York State Athletic Commission, newcomer Kyle Stewart (11-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will take on Chance Rencountre (12-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) to open UFC on ESPN+ 1 on Saturday.
Dwight Grant steps in vs. Chance Rencountre to finalize UFC on ESPN+ 1 lineup
(https:)Dwight Grant will be fighting on just six days’ notice when he steps into the octagon against Chance Rencountre on Saturday at UFC on ESPN+ 1.
Grant (8-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) will fill in for Randy Brown, who was pulled from the card for still unknown reasons, against Rencountre (12-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in a welterweight bout at the first UFC event of the year.
MMAjunkie verified Grant as the replacement opponent for Rencounter with a person close to the situation following an initial report from ESPN.com. The person requested anonymity because the UFC has yet to make an official announcement.
Cory Sandhagen Welcomes Mario Bautista To The UFC
(https:)Nolan King has reported that Mario Bautista 6-0 MMA will replace John Lineker and will be welcomed by Cory Sandhagen 9-1 MMA (2-0 UFC) at UFC on ESPN+ 1 next weekend in Brooklyn.
Sandhagen is riding a four-fight winning streak into the bout with his last, a second-round TKO over Iuri Alcantara at UFC Fight Night 135 last August. His only defeat came in 2017, where he dropped a unanimous decision to Jamall Emmers at LFA 5. Six of his nine victories coming by stoppage with four via KO/TKO.
Petr Yan vs. John Dodson slated for UFC Prague
(https:)UFC bantamweight Petr Yan has signed a new contract, and he has a new fight lined up for February 23rd.
Exciting Russian bantamweight Petr Yan is one of the top names to watch in 2019, and his next fight will be against a former UFC title challenger.
ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reports that Yan is set to face John Dodson at UFC Fight Night: Prague on February 23rd. Yan announced on Twitter that he has also signed a new four-fight contract with the promotion.
Yan (11-1) has fought three times in the UFC, stopping Teruto Ishihara in his debut, winning a wildly entertaining decision over Jin Soo Son, and most recently prompting Douglas Silva de Andrade’s team to invoke the rare MMA corner stoppage due to a prolonged beating. The 25-year-old is clearly a gifted fighter with potential to make his way towards a title shot if he keeps on churning out the wins.
Corey Anderson: What did Anthony Smith do to get the title shot over me?
(mixedmartialarts.com)To close the calendar year, Corey Anderson picked up a dominant win at UFC 232 over top 5 contender Ilir Latifi. The win prompted some to call for a title shot for Anderson, who advanced his win streak to three, including wins over Glover Teixeira and Patrick Cummins. Among those who considered Anderson to be a viable contender for the belt was newly crowned champion Jon Jones, who sent some trash talk Anderson’s way.
Ion Cutelabra and John Lineker both oFF the ESPN card
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The UFC’s first event in its ESPN broadcast era is undergoing some late changes about a week before the card.
Ion Cutelaba (14-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) is out of his light heavyweight fight against former title challenger Glover Teixeira (27-7 MMA, 10-5 UFC) at UFC on ESPN+ 1. That bout was set to open the main card. UFC officials removed Cutelaba from the official bout order.
In addition, bantamweight John Lineker (31-8 MMA, 12-3 UFC) is out of his fight against Cory Sandhagen (9-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), according to a report from AGFight.com, though UFC officials have not made a formal announcement of that change.
Polyana Viana to fight Hannah Cifers at UFC 235
(https:)Strawweight prospects Polyana Viana and Hannah Cifers will be looking to rebound in Las Vegas.
MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz confirmed with sources that Viana and Cifers will fight at UFC 235 on March 2 at T-Mobile Arena following an initial report by ESPN.
Rose Namajunas to defend strawweight belt vs. Jessica Andrade at UFC 237
(https:)UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas has agreed to defend her title in enemy territory later this year, according to UFC president Dana White.
Namajunas will face Brazilian challenger Jessica Andrade at UFC 237 on May 11 in Brazil. The 115-pound title fight is expected to serve as the co-main event at UFC 237, White told ESPN on Monday.
The UFC has not yet announced an official venue, but the fight will take place in Brazil.
Ex-champ Cody Garbrandt returns vs. Pedro Munhoz at UFC 235
(https:)A bantamweight bout between former UFC champion Cody Garbrandt and Brazilian contender Pedro Munhoz is the latest addition to March’s stacked UFC 235 lineup.
Garbrandt (11-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) verified the matchup with Munhoz (17-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) on social media following an initial report from ESPN.com (via Twitter):
Tyron Woodley set to defend title vs. Kamaru Usman – not Colby Covington – at UFC 235
(https:)Finally, the UFC welterweight title picture is clear – and champion Tyron Woodley will get to defend, after all.
After weeks of trash talk and finger pointing on social media between Woodley, Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman, it’s Woodley and Usman who have won out in the end.
A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to MMAjunkie that Woodley will meet Usman on March 2 at UFC 235 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. ESPN.com first reported the booking Sunday after a tweet from Usman’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, hinted that the bout was a done deal.
