Notebook 9/19/24: Vince Morales Rejoins UFC Roster

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

• Vince Morales (16-7) is back in the UFC. The returning bantamweight will take on Taylor Lapilus (20-4) at UFC’s September 28th show in Paris, France, per Alex Behunin. Morales has gone undefeated since his initial eight-fight UFC run came to an end in 2022, having put together five consecutive victories in just over a year’s time. He most recently beat fellow UFC vet Hunter Azure via the rare Peruvian necktie submission last month. Lapilus bounced back from a loss in his last outing, overcoming Cody Stamann in June.
  • I interviewed Morales earlier this year during his resurgence on the regionals. He opened up about struggles during his first UFC run, and mentioned how he feels currently: “I haven’t felt like this in a very long time,” he told me in a piece for Bloody Elbow. “I don’t even know if I’ve ever felt this good. I’m in a stride, a little bit. Hope I can get a call somewhere big and they can start taking notice of what I can do and who Vince Morales really is.”
• Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling (24-4) has withdrawn from his featherweight bout at UFC 307 next month against Movsar Evloev (18-0) due to injury. “In sparring, I had an injury not requiring surgery, but I was advised by the UFC medical staff that I will not be able to properly compete in this short of a turnaround,” Sterling said on his Youtube channel. Sterling won his featherweight debut in April, getting past Calvin Kattar via decision. Evloev has an undefeated record of 18 wins. It’s unclear if he will get a new opponent for early next month.
• Alice Ardelean (9-6) has been given a new opponent for UFC’s October 19th show after former Invicta FC champ Rayanne Amanda (14-8) had to withdraw due to a fractured arm. Per social media posts made by both fighters, Ardelean is now scheduled to face Melissa Martinez (7-1). Both fighters will be trying to come back after an unsuccessful UFC debut. Ardelean dropped a split decision to Shauna Bannon at UFC 304 in July. Martinez has been out of action for more than two years, suffering her first pro loss in a decision against Elise Reed in late 2022.
• Said Nurmagomedov (18-3) and Daniel Santos (11-2) have been paired up for a bantamweight fight at UFC 308 on October 26th. Nurmagomedov’s last win was a quick performance, getting past Muin Gafurov last year via guillotine choke. Santos, who is coming back after more than a year out of the cage, is riding a two-fight winning streak.
• Veteran talent Karolina Kowalkiewicz (16-8) is expected to appear in a fight against Denise Gomes (9-3) at UFC’s November 9th show. Kowalkiewicz had a four-fight winning streak brought to an end earlier this year, losing on scorecards to Iasmin Lucindo. Lucindo snuck past Eduarda Moura earlier this year in a split decision result, ending Moura’s undefeated run.
• Among the fights announced for UFC 309 last weekend was a middleweight bout between Bo Nickal (6-0) and Paul Craig (17-8-1). Nickal, a former NCAA-level wrestler who has impressed in his MMA career thus far, earned his third UFC win in April by submitting Cody Brundage. He will take a significant step up in competition in November, taking on an 18-fight UFC vet in Craig. For Craig, the fight gives him a chance to avoid slipping into the first three-fight losing streak of his career.
• High-ranked strawweights Tatiana Suarez (10-0) and Virna Jandiroba (21-3) have been matched up for UFC’s December 7th card, as first reported by AgFight. Suarez has an undefeated record of 10 wins but has notably suffered numerous injury setbacks that have significantly slowed her rise at 115 pounds. Her last win was in August 2023, submitting former champ Jessica Andrade. Jandiroba is coming off her fourth consecutive win, a main event victory over Amanda Lemos from July.
• Some recent rankings moves:
  • Diego Lopes (26-6) has launched up to third at featherweight, getting into the position after beating Brian Ortega (16-4) on Saturday. Ortega lost two spots and is now in fifth.
  • Norma Dumont (12-2) advanced three spots and now is fifth in the bantamweight division following her UFC 306 win over Irene Aldana (15-8).
  • Valentina Shevchenko (24-4-1) has become the new pound-for-pound top woman on the UFC roster after defeating Alexa Grasso (16-4-1) to regain the UFC Flyweight Championship. Grasso, who was the previous pound-for-pound top fighter, is now in third place. Between them is current strawweight champ Zhang Weili.
  • Full rankings can be seen here.

Misc.

• Former UFC fighter Kevin Lee (19-8) will return to the regionals later this month for a fight against Thiago Oliveira (17-12-1) at Lights Out Championship 17, per Nolan King of MMA Junkie. Lee had a one-fight return to the UFC roster last year, losing in 55 seconds to Rinat Fakhretdinov. The 32-year-old, who hopes to get back onto the UFC roster again, will try to revive his career once again starting on September 28th.
• Numerous fights have been added to the Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA card on November 15th, including many notable names in the sport. Randy Costa and Brandon Davis are expected to battle for a bantamweight title in the main event. Charles Rosa, Maurice Greene, and Peter Barrett are also booked for the card. You can see the new lineup here.

PFL Europe

• A change has been made to one of the semi-final round fights in PFL Europe’s bantamweight division. In a big loss for the bracket, 2023 champion Khurshed Kakhorov (13-1) has withdrawn from his bout against Dean Garnett (12-2-1). Replacing him will be Italy’s Federico Fasciano (6-1), who enters the tournament on a three-fight winning streak. Garnett received a bye through the season’s opening round after opponent Ayton De Paepe missed weight, making the upcoming card also his first appearance in the tournament.

Cage Warriors

• In a last-minute addition to Friday’s Cage Warriors card, Anthony Orozco (3-0) will meet Thiago Habib (1-0) at welterweight. America’s Orozco has scored three wins in Cage Warriors since debuting last year, including a pair of finish wins. Habib won his pro debut earlier this year on the Brazilian regional scene via disqualification.
• Cage Warriors Light Heavyweight Champion Andy Clamp (13-2) will take on James Webb (10-5-1) at the promotion’s November 15th show in London, England. A clash between the duo was originally positioned to appear on a card this weekend in Manchester. Clamp earned his belt just a few months back, scoring a third-round stoppage against Matthew Byfield. Webb, a former title challenger, is getting another crack at the belt after defeating Adam Bieganski in July.
• Along with the title fight added to the November 15th Cage Warriors card in London, England, two more bouts have been revealed:
  • Both returning after competing in the first-ever “Prizefighter” one-night tournament in July, Weslley Maia (9-6) and Alexander Loof (7-2) will collide in a bantamweight fight. Loof made it to the finals of the bracket, getting by Aidan Stephen but ultimately losing to Shirzad Qadrian in the main event. Maia similarly lost to Qadrian, ending a three-fight winning streak he had at the time.
  • Joshua Onwordi (5-5) and Joe Ambler (1-2) are booked to face off at welterweight. Onwordi’s last Cage Warriors main brand appearance was a stoppage loss to Mariusz Mikolajewski. Ambler is also coming back after suffering a finish loss.
• Cage Warriors has started to announce fights for their November 23rd show in Newcastle, England:
  • In a matchup between rising prospects at lightweight, Dumitru Girlean (8-2) and James Power (7-1) will collide. Power has scored a pair of wins this year, turning things around after suffering his first pro loss in 2023. Girlean has picked up back-to-back submission wins, including an April victory over veteran Chris Bungard.
  • Bellator alum Justin Burlinson (8-2) will return in a fight against veteran Sado Ucar (20-7). Burlinson has been part of Cage Warriors since 2022, joining the promotion after losing on the 2021 season of “Dana White’s Contender Series.” He earned two wins and one loss, giving him a second chance on the UFC show last year. However, that fight fell through. Burlinson will be ending a near one-and-a-half-year-long absence from the cage when he competes in November. Turkey’s Ucar has strung together three wins as of late on the Austrian regional scene.
  • Competing for his first Cage Warriors win, Josh Abraham (7-5) will take on Tommy Hawthorn (5-2). Abraham has been unsuccessful in four different appearances in the promotion, including a loss earlier this year to Aiden Lee. Hawthorn will be trying to bounce back after losing to Leon Hill in May.