Welcome to the notebook, a quick catchup of all the smaller (but still important) stories from the world of MMA!
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Here are the latest stories we’re following:
UFC
- Chris Curtis (31-11) has withdrawn from his October 5th, UFC 307 fight against Kevin Holland (26-11) due to injury. The veteran talent announced his setback on Wednesday, writing on X: “Bit of a fracture in my left foot … The bigger problem is I have something called a lisfranc injury as well, which means I’m not even supposed to be walking without crutches for the next 4 to 5 weeks, which sucks but had it been any worse, it would have possibly been surgical. So count your blessings there.” No word yet on if Holland will get a new opponent.
- Along with the recently announced main event for UFC Edmonton on November 2nd, the promotion confirmed four other matchups:
- Former title challenger Derrick Lewis (28-12) will take on Alexandr Romanov (17-3) in the co-main event. Lewis picked up a finish win earlier this year, stopping Rodrigo Nascimento in the third round with strikes. The win was a bounce-back performance for Lewis after a dreadful five-round defeat against Jailton Almeida in 2023. Romanov is coming off a loss from his last outing, coincidentally against Almeida. He lost to the Brazilian heavyweight in June via first-round rear naked choke.
- In the first of three new matchups featuring Canadians, Jasmine Jasudavicius (11-3) is set to meet Ariane Lipski (17-9) at flyweight. Jasudavicius will be looking for her third win this year after getting past Priscila Cachoeira and Fatima Kline. Lipski had her three-fight streak of wins snapped just earlier this year with a decision defeat across from Karine Silva.
- Marc-Andre Barriault (16-8) will try to turn around his rough 2024 with a fight against Dustin Stoltzfus (15-6). Barriault has taken a pair of losses so far this year, losing a split decision to Chris Curtis in Toronto, and then getting stopped in 85 seconds by Joe Pyfer. Stoltzfus also got finished in his last performance, getting put away by Brunno Ferreira in June.
- Veteran Cody Gibson (20-10) will try for his first-ever two-fight winning streak in the UFC when he faces Chad Anheliger (13-7). Gibson earned his first UFC win since 2014 last month when he submitted Brian Kelleher in the first round with an arm triangle choke, snapping a two-fight skid in the process. Canada’s Anheliger similarly climbed out of a two-fight hole earlier this year, beating Charalampos Grigoriou on scorecards.
- Three-time Strikeforce fighter Lumumba Sayers was arrested this week in Denver, Colorado on the allegation that he killed a man to avenge the death of his son. A police affidavit obtained by ABC affiliate Denver7 says that Sayers is accused of shooting 28-year-old Malcolm Watson in the head at a child’s birthday party last weekend. The news site reports that Watson was “believed to be a friend” of a man who killed Sayers’ son in 2023.
PFL
- PFL has scheduled a press conference for August 22nd to promote their upcoming “Battle of the Giants” pay-per-view, featuring the return of Francis Ngannou and the featherweight super-fight between Cris Cyborg and Larissa Pacheco.
- Long-time Bellator talent James Gallagher (12-3) has withdrawn from his August 23rd PFL matchup against Brahyan Zurcher (9-0), per Nolan King of MMA Junkie. Gallagher was looking to return following a loss to Leandro Higo in March. Undefeated Mexican prospect Zurcher, who is searching for his sixth victory in the PFL cage, will now meet Marcirley Alves (12-4). Brazil’s Alves had a three-fight winning streak broken in June with a defeat against rising talent Sarvarjon Khamidov.
KSW
- KSW has announced a series of changes to their August 24th card:
- Returning for the first time since a failed title bid, Igor Michaliszyn (10-3) will take on Oton Jasse (21-9). Michaliszyn had a five-fight winning streak put to an end by welterweight champ Adrian Bartosinski in May, who submitted him with a kneebar. Michaliszyn is moving up to middleweight for this fight. Brazil’s Jasse is coming back after losing his KSW debut in late 2022 to Andrzej Grzebyk.
- Veteran talent Kleber Silva (22-12) is booked to face Sergiusz Zajac (6-1) at light heavyweight. Silva had a two-fight winning streak brought to a close in February when Damian Piwowarczyk stopped him in the opening round of a four-man, one-night tournament. Zajac is getting the KSW call-up following a solid run on the Polish regionals, putting together a six consecutive wins with appearances in promotions like Babilon MMA.
- A clash between Damian Piwowarczyk (8-3) and Marcin Wojcik (19-9) has been moved to KSW 98 on September 14th.
- Adam Soldaev (8-2) has suffered an injury, taking him out of a featherweight clash against Danu Tarchila (8-2). KSW is looking to re-book the fight for a later date.
LFA
- The full card for LFA 193 was released recently. If you want details on every single fight, check out the event’s Tapology page. Here are the main card bouts:
- Kill Cliff FC prospect Mitchell McKee (6-0) will appear in the co-main event against Ashton Caniglia (7-6). McKee has scored five wins in the LFA since 2021, including two main event appearances over the past year. The solid prospect will face Caniglia, who earned his first win since 2022 with a submission victory just last week.
- Steven Asplund (3-0) will look for his fourth win when he meets Denzel Freeman (4-1). Asplund has earned three wins in his rookie year as a pro, including a pair of LFA fights as of late. Freeman is returning after a split decision loss to Isaiah Pinson ended his undefeated run in 2023.
- LFA vet Nate Smith (8-4) is booked to meet Devon Lozej (6-2). While Smith was a high-ranked prospect in 2020, a four-fight losing streak brought down his rating significantly. He has started to get some momentum back together as of late, earning a pair of first-round finishes including a 34-second victory at LFA 182 earlier this year. Lozej, who appeared on an LFA card in 2022, is returning after a four-fight streak of wins on the regionals.
- Former University of Minnesota wrestler Michael Blockhus (2-0) will take on Roland Pruden (1-0). Blockhus won his pro debut last year on a Bellator card, stopping Eli Mefford in the first round. He then appeared on an LFA card in April of this year, earning yet another quick win. Pruden needed just 66 seconds in his pro debut, submitting winless talent Dontail Henson.
- Santos Verdinez (5-1) has a chance to secure his third LFA win when facing Felipe Martinez Donis (5-2). Verdinez started his pro career in the LFA, earning a pair of wins as a rookie. After scoring two wins and one loss in Minnesota regional promotion Mecca, he returned to the LFA in April for a victory over Keegan Witbeck. Donis won in his return to MMA in April, scoring his first win since 2021.
- Undefeated heavyweight Alvin Hines (3-0) will collide against Taylor Escamilla (2-1). Hines will be trying for his third LFA victory in 2024 alone, with a rare Americana submission victory coming from a prior outing. Escamilla, who has earned finishes in both of his pro wins, will be returning to LFA for the first time since a 2022 loss to Jakori Savage.
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