9/4/24 Notebook: Matt Schnell Receives Fight Week Opponent Switch

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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

  • 11th-ranked UFC flyweight Matt Schnell (16-8) has received a last-minute switch in opponent for Saturday’s card. While originally scheduled to collide against Alessandro Costa (14-4), he’s now being lined up to face Cody Durden (16-6-1). Durden will be trying to snap a two-fight skid, coming back following unsuccessful fights against Bruno Silva and Tagir Ulanbekov. Schnell is similarly coming off back-to-back losses, albeit against some of the division’s top names.
  • Edgar Chairez (11-5) is no longer expected to meet Kevin Borjas (9-3) at UFC 306 on September 14th. Replacing him will be rising talent Joshua Van (10-2), per Nolan King of MMA Junkie. Van had his lengthy winning streak brought to an end in July when Charles Johnson stopped him with strikes. Chairez earned his first UFC win in February, submitting Daniel Lacerda early with a triangle choke.
  • A pair of fights have been announced for UFC’s October 19th card by the Team Iridium management agency:
    • In a clash between featherweight veterans, Darren Elkins (28-11) and Daniel Pineda (28-16) will meet. Elkins will snap a year-long absence from the cage, coming back after a late 2023 victory over TJ Brown. Pineda will try to avoid a three-fight skid after losses to Alex Caceres and Nathaniel Wood.
    • Aiming to extend his winning streak, Brady Hiestand (8-2) will face Jake Hadley (11-3) at bantamweight. Hiestand has put together a trio of wins since losing “The Ultimate Fighter” season finale in 2021, with his last fight being a submission victory over Garrett Armfield. Hadley snapped a two-fight skid at UFC 304 earlier this summer with a scorecard win over Caolan Loughran.
  • Two more fights have joined UFC 308, which is set for October 26th in Abu Dhabi.
    • Undefeated Russian Shara Magomedov (14-0) will take on Armen Petrosyan (8-3). Magomedov scored his third UFC victory last month, beating the experienced Michal Oleksiejczuk on scorecards. Petrosyan is returning after losing to Rodolfo Vieira earlier this year.
    • Farid Basharat (12-0) will try to continue his rise up the UFC flyweight division when he meets Victor Hugo (25-4), per AgFight. Basharat earned a trio of wins in his rookie year as a UFC fighter, with his last fight being a performance over French vet Taylor Lapilus. Hugo won his promotional debut earlier this year, overcoming short-notice opponent Pedro Falcao on scorecards.
  • Rising bantamweight Marcus McGhee (9-1) will get a big step up in competition when he fights Jonathan Martinez (19-5) at UFC 309 on November 16th. McGhee has been one of the more promising unranked bantamweight on the UFC roster as of late. He has strung together three wins since joining the UFC roster last year, all via finish. He can break into the rankings with a win in this booking, meeting 13th-place bantamweight Martinez. The fight is a chance to bounce back for Martinez, who had an impressive six-fight winning streak broken in May with a loss to Jose Aldo.

Misc.

  • Flyweight Nate Maness (16-3), who suddenly departed the UFC roster this year despite being on a two-fight winning streak, has inked a deal with bare-knuckle boxing promotion BKFC.

Bellator

  • Along with a massive alteration to the main event in Bellator’s London card next week, two other changes have been made to the undercard:
    • Steven Hill (7-1) is being lined up to face Joseph Luciano (9-2) after previously being paired up to meet Ross Houston (8-1). Hill took his first pro loss earlier this year, getting finished by Mike Shipman. Luciano, who took the fight on short notice, is heading over to England after mostly fighting on the Australian regional scene.
    • Featherweight prospects Eman Almudhaf (4-0) and Daiane Silva (3-0) will meet in the opening bout of the night. Almudhaf has impressed in UAE Warriors, earning four finish wins since her 2021 pro debut. Brazil’s Silva is coming over to Bellator following a trio of victories in her home country.

ONE Championship

  • A grappling match between Kade Ruotolo and Mikey Musumeci has been pulled from this weekend’s ONE Championship card in Denver, Colorado. Ruotolo suffered an injury at the Craig Jones Invitational, where he won a $1 million prize just a few weeks back. Ruotolo announced his injury via Facebook over the weekend.
  • Ayaka Miura (13-5) has been matched against Jihin Radzuan (9-4) for ONE Championship’s October 4th card in Bangkok, Thailand. Miura will be searching for her third win within a year’s time, coming off recent victories against Meng Bo and Itsuki Hirata. Radzuan is returning after suffering a loss against super-prospect Chihiro Sawada in March.

Cage Warriors

  • Two short-notice fights have been added to Saturday’s Cage Warriors card in Glasgow, Scotland:
    • Scottish vet Chris Bungard (19-9) has received a change in opponent. While he was originally scheduled to meet Latvian talent Arturs Leisans (9-8), he is now booked to meet Andrey Augusto (15-7-1). Augusto is returning after losing a title fight to Raul Tutarauli in a Georgian regional title fight a few months back. Bungard will be trying to bounce back from an April submission loss to Dumitru Girlean.
    • Jordan Stronge (2-1) is booked to face Wesley Machado (3-5) at lightweight. Stronge suffered his first pro loss in April, dropping a split decision to Jordan Little.
  • Former Cage Warriors title challenger Orlando Wilson Prins (5-3) will return against undefeated featherweight contender Solomon Simon (4-0). Prins had a two-fight winning streak snapped in May, getting stopped by Harry Hardwick in a fight for the Cage Warriors featherweight belt. Ireland’s Simon has scored three wins in the promotion since 2023, all of which have come via stoppage.

Invicta FC

  • Three more fights have joined Invicta FC’s September 20th show:
    • Former PFL fighter Abby Montes (4-3) will take on Jamie Edenden (4-2-1) at featherweight. Montes fought as part of the 2022 and 2023 PFL seasons, attaining a record of one win and three losses. Edenden is coming over to Invicta FC after a three-fight winning streak in Australia, including a victory over Bellator alum Janay Harding.
    • Fernanda Orellana (1-0) will take on Meaghan Penning (2-1) at strawweight. Orellana won her pro debut last September, scoring a first-round submission at Combate Global. Penning won her pro debut under the Invicta FC banner in 2020 and is returning after scoring a win and a loss on the regional scene.
    • Ana Vitoria (0-0) will make her pro debut against Quinn Williams (1-1). Victoria attained an impressive amateur record, including tournament wins in IMMAF. Williams earned her first pro victory just under two months ago, beating Miriam Nazar in LFA.

ICYMI

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Published by Jack Wannan

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