10/4/24 Notebook: Jim Miller Set For Return To Madison Square Garden

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

• Two more fights have reportedly joined UFC’s November 16th pay-per-view card from Madison Square Garden in New York City:
  • The incredibly impressive momentum of Carlos Prates (20-6) will be put to the test against Randy Brown (19-5), per AgFight. Prates has scored three consecutive “Performance of the Night” in his rookie year in the promotion, most recently beating Li Jingliang at UFC 305. The rising Brazilian star will try to further raise his profile when he meets 18-fight promotional vet Brown, who is also riding a three-fight winning streak as of late.
  • Competing outside of Las Vegas for the first time since early 2020, New Jersey’s Jim Miller (37-18) is booked to face Damon Jackson (23-7-1), per Damon Martin of MMA Fighting. Miller, a veteran who plans to further extend his record for most UFC appearances, will be trying to get back into the win column following a brutal three-round loss to Bobby Green at UFC 300 earlier this year. Jackson has lost three of his last five and enters this his next booking following a scorecard defeat two months back to Chepe Mariscal.
• UFC’s 2025 schedule will seemingly begin with a card on January 11th. A fight between Thiago Moises (18-8) and Trey Ogden (18-6) has been added to a card on that date, per Damon Martin of MMA Fighting. Odgen will be trying to keep his momentum going in the new year, returning after beating Kurt Holobaugh and Loik Radzhabov. Moises is coming back after a decision loss to Ludovit Klein in June.

PFL Europe

• Along with the grand final fights in PFL Europe’s 2024 season, a welterweight clash between Abdoul Abdouraguimov (18-1) and Laureano Staropoli (13-6) has been added as the main event for the promotion’s December 14th card in Lyon, France. Past Ares FC champ Abdouraguimov has won a pair of showcase fights since signing onto PFL, most recently beating Jack Grant in a split decision. Former UFC talent Staropoli is returning after an unsuccessful run in PFL’s main season, losing his sole appearance this year via first-round submission to Murad Ramazanov.

Japan

• Kickboxer and RIZIN vet Minoru Kimura has been arrested in Tokyo on suspicion of marijuana possession, as first reported by Yahoo News and later also picked up by Beyond Kick. Due to his arrest, an appearance this weekend against fellow kickboxer YA-MAN has been cancelled. Kimura most recently appeared on RIZIN’s March card in Kobe, losing a bout to Muay Thai legend Buakaw.
• Some other news coming out of Japan: Pride FC veteran Enson Inoue has been handed a suspended two-year prison sentence due to an import of drugs, as first reported by Yahoo News and translated by Woradon Yomjinda. The sentencing means Inoue will avoid any time in prison if he doesn’t commit any crime over the next four years. Inoue was arrested earlier this year concerning the case.

RIZIN

• RIZIN will return with RIZIN LANDMARK 10 on November 17th from the Port Messe in Nagoya, Japan. Two fights featuring returning talents have been announced for the card thus far:
  • Returning after earning his first MMA win, Ryusei Ashizawa (1-1) will go up against Shoji Maruyama (19-17-1). Ashizawa, a long-time kickboxer turned MMA fighter, lost his debut in the sport to Shinobu Ota on New Year’s Eve. He bounced back from that defeat in July, beating fellow kickboxer Kouzi on scorecards. MMA vet Maruyama will be figting for the first time in over two years. The veteran talent has lost his past three fights, with his last victory being an upset win over Chihiro Suzuki.
  • Korea’s Shim Yu-ri will face former RIZIN Super Atomweight Champion Ayaka Hamasaki (24-6). Road FC Champion Shim lost her RIZIN debut in March, going three rounds against RENA for a decision result. She now faces Hamasaki, who is snapping a two-year absence from MMA and attempting to get back into the win column after her previous fight resulted in a loss to Park Si-woo.
  • Former RIZIN Featherweight Champion Vugar Karamov (19-5) is also expected to have a fight announced for the card sometime in the future.

OKTAGON

• Samuel Kristofic (17-6) has dropped out of his November 9th OKTAGON Light Heavyweight Championship fight against incumbent titleholder Karlos Vemola (37-8). The headliner fight was scheduled to be a rematch from late 2023, when Vemola lost in a non-title bout to Krisotfic in what oddsmakers considered a massive upset.
  • In an all-Slovakian matchup added to the card, Martin Horinek (4-3) and Frantisek Fodor (10-8) will battle at lightweight. Fodor is returning to OKTAGON following a loss on the regionals earlier this year. Horinek, who will be making his promotional debut, scored a 26-second finish just recently.
• Four more fights added to OKTAGON’s December 7th show in Germany:
  • Rising featherweight Gjoni Palokaj (9-3) will take on Karol Rysavy (13-7). Palokaj has earned back-to-back wins since entering OKTAGON earlier this year, beating Karol Arteaga and Jaroslav Pokorny in recent months. 16-fight OKTAGON vet Rysavy is returning after a 36-second loss earlier this year.
  • Kosovan talent Endrit Brajshori (4-1) is expected to face Marek Bartl (12-13). Brajshori will be trying for his third promotional win this year. Bartl will look to even his pro record after beating Zoran Solaja in the first round just last month.
  • Undefeated Karan Mosebach (3-0) will make his promotional debut against Jan Stanovsky (5-1). Mosebach has earned a trio of wins since his 2023 debut, two of which have come via stoppage. Stanovsky won his OKTAGON debut last month, beating Gleb Shadrin on scorecards.
  • In a clash between undefeated German prospects, Elias Jakobi (4-0) and Fedor Duric (6-0) will meet. Jakobi has finished all four of his previous opponents via finish since turning pro in 2021. Duric has a lengthier record of six wins, including a few in notable regional promotion NFC.
• Lightweights Shem Rock (11-1-1) and Jakub Bahnik (10-5) have been added to OKTAGON’s December 29th show. Rock has been one of the promotion’s most notable rising stars over the past year, having put together a trio of impressive first-round finish wins. His last victory came in June, stopping Jarolsav Pokorny in just over three minutes with a rear naked choke. Bahnik, a talent who has fought in OKTAGON since 2021, is coming back after a win over experienced fighter Mohamed Grabinski last month.

LFA

• LFA has announced six fights for their November 8th show at the Arizona Financial Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona, USA
  • Bantamweight prospects Kasey Tanner (7-1) and Micaias Urena (9-2) will headline the night. Tanner has impressed on the regional scene, beating prospects on CFFC and LFA cards. He bounced back from his sole pro loss, a 2023 “Contender Series” performance, in July against Thiago Belo. The Dominican Republic’s Urena won his LFA debut in just 11 seconds in August, adding to a five-fight streak of outings.
  • Flyweights Vladio de Quieroz (14-4) and Furkatbek Yokubov (14-4) will serve as the card’s co-main event. Brazilian talent de Quieroz is coming over to LFA following a five-fight run in Brave CF, including a victory last year over UFC alum Zach Makovsky. Yokubov is coming off a three-fight winning streak of finishes in the Belarusian regional BFC.
  • Undefeated Christian Natividad (5-0) will take on Devon Jackson (3-2). Natividad, who has won all five of his pro victories in LFA, is returning for the first time in over two years. Jackson is looking to bounce back following a pair of losses.
  • Alik Lorenz (5-1) will try for his fourth consecutive LFA win when he faces Ryan Parker (6-6). All five of Lorenz’s past wins have come via first-round stoppage. Parker, while he has a rockier record than Lorenz, has way more experience. He has fought as a pro since 2017 and previously had a 15-fight amateur record.
  • Former LFA Lightweight Champion JaCobi Jones (6-3) will return against Gaberial Brown (4-1). Jones lost his belt early this year against Kegan Gennrich, getting submitted in the fifth round of a title fight via arm triangle. He’s fighting for his first win in over a year, facing a talent who is getting the LFA call following wins in the South Carolina and Georgia regional scene.
  • Eric Fimbres (3-0), a middleweight prospect who has nine wins between his amateur and pro records, will take on Adland Benson (4-3). Fimbres has fought exclusively for LFA since his pro debut in 2021, with a pair of finish wins. Benson is returning after suffering a first-round finish loss to Wes Schultz in April.