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
- Illness has forced veteran Ovince St. Preux (27-17) out of his light heavyweight fight this Saturday against Ryan Spann (21-10). St. Preux was hoping to build upon his March victory over Kennedy Nzechukwu. Spann was aiming to earn his first win since late 2022.
- Cody Haddon (7-1) will make his UFC debut against Dan Argueta (9-2) at the promotion’s October 12th card, per Alex Behunin. Australia’s Haddon secured a contract through the ongoing season of “Dana White’s Contender Series,” submitting Billy Brand last month with a rear naked choke. Argueta will be trying for his first victory since early 2023, coming back after losing to undefeated Jean Matsumoto earlier this year.
- UFC recently announced a full 11-fight lineup for their October 19th card, confirming a trio of fights that we previously hadn’t covered at Knockdown News:
- Charles Johnson (16-6) will try to end his year with a fourth victory when he takes on Sumudaerji (16-6). Johnson has put together an impressive year at flyweight, overcoming Joshua Van, Jake Hadley, and Azat Maksum. Sumudaerji will have a tough test when he tries to get back into the win column, returning after losses to Matt Schnell and Tim Elliott.
- Returning with the goal of snapping a recent losing streak, Tamires Vidal (7-3) and Joselyne Edwards (13-6) are expected to collide at bantamweight. Both 135-pound talents have suffered back-to-back losses, making the next bout potentially a must-win to remain on the UFC roster.
- Both trying for their first UFC win, Rayane Amanda (14-8) and Alice Ardelean (9-6) will face off at strawweight. Former Invicta FC champ Amanda has lost via split decision in her past two fights, dropping bouts to Talita Alencar and Puja Tomar. Ardelean had a lengthy winning streak broken in July when she lost on scorecards to Shauna Bannon.
- “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 29 winner Ricky Turcios (12-4) will meet Bernardo Sopaj (11-3) at UFC’s November 9th card, as first reported by Mike Heck of MMA Fighting. Turcios suffered a loss against young prospect Raul Rosas Jr. earlier this year, getting submitted in the second round with a rear naked choke. Sweden’s Sopaj suffered a loss in his short-notice UFC debut, getting stopped by Vinicius Oliveira in a “Fight of the Night” performance.
- Undefeated Azamat Murzakanov (14-0) is booked to meet veteran Nikita Krylov (30-9) at UFC 309 on November 16th, as first confirmed by Match TV and later reported by MMA Junkie. Murzakanov is gunning for his fifth UFC victory, coming back after finishing Alonzo Menifield earlier this year with strikes. 18-fight UFC vet Krylov has put together a trio of wins since 2022, with his latest being a quick win over Ryan Spann.
ONE Championship
- A pair of MMA fights fell off Friday’s ONE Championship card this week.
- Undefeated Samat Mamedov (10-0) was seen wearing a sling on his arm and won’t be fighting Maurice Abevi (8-1) on Friday night. The fight’s cancellation was reported by Nicolas Atkin on Thursday.
- A clash between Hiroba Minowa (14-5) and Sanzhar Zakirov (10-0) has also disappeared from the lineup for ONE 168.
- Grappling champ Mikey Musumeci is scheduled to face short-notice Bebeto Oliveira in the co-main event. Musumeci was originally scheduled to face grappling ace Kade Ruotolo, but plans changed after he suffered an injury.
Bellator
- Sabah Homasi claims that leftover reimbursed fees for surgeries and hospitalization that he expected Bellator to cover have not yet been paid. MMA Fighting was told that Homasi is claiming the promotion owes him $12,000 in expenses. Homasi has been vocal about the issue for months, speaking publicly as early as April of this year.
Misc.
- Last month, we reported that Casey Kenney was arrested in Arizona and charged with kidnapping, aggravated assault, disorderly conduct, and three other counts of assault. This week he entered into a plea of not guilty and was released on a bond of $10,000, per Damon Martin of MMA Fighting. He will appear at a pre-trial conference on October 15th and is expected to begin trial by early 2025.
- Jorge Masvidal is once again talking about getting back into MMA. “I had a blast doing the boxing, it was fun, it was everything. But there’s just nothing in the world that compares to MMA,” he told Grind City Media. The former UFC title challenger retired in 2023 after suffering his fourth consecutive loss as a pro.
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