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
- On the hunt for her first UFC win, Fatima Kline (6-1) will go up against Victoria Dudakova (8-1) at the promotion’s January 11th show, per Nolan King of MMA Junkie. Former two-division CFFC champ Kline lost her UFC debut in July, dropping a short-notice decision to Jasmine Jasudavicius. Russia’s Dudakova is coming back after also facing her past pro loss, not being favored in an August split decision to Sam Hughes.
- Experienced lightweights Diego Ferreira (19-5) and Grant Dawson (22-2-1) have been paired up for UFC 311 on January 18th, per David Van Auken. 15-fight UFC vet Ferreira is coming off a pair of stoppage wins, earning performance bonuses with victories over Michael Johnson and Mateusz Rebecki. Dawson has picked up two wins since suffering his first UFC defeat last year, getting past Joe Solecki and Rafa Garcia.
- Three more fights have been confirmed for UFC’s February 25th card:
- Nazim Sadykhov (9-1-1) will make his return in a lightweight clash against Ismael Bonfim (20-4), per social media posts made by both fighters. Sadykhov had his nine-fight winning streak brought to a halt last year, taking a majority decision draw against Viacheslav Borshchev. Bonfim on the other hand returned to the win column in May with a decision over veteran Vinc Pichel.
- Joining his brother on the same card, Gabriel Bonfim (16-1) will go up against Rinat Fakhretdinov (24-2-1). Bonfim has won three of his four UFC fights since joining the promotion in early 2023, with his last outing being a decision win over Ange Loosa. Fakhretdinov has yet to lose since joining the UFC, scoring five wins and one draw.
- Middleweights Rodolfo Vieira (10-2) and Jacob Malkoun (8-3) will face off, per Laerte Viana. Vieira has scored back-to-back arm triangle choke wins over the past two years, beating Cody Brundage and Armen Petrosyan. Malkoun, who has flipped between winning and losing in recent years, is coming off a finish win against Andre Petroski.
- Rising featherweights Lucas Almeida (15-3) and Danny Silva (9-1) have been matched up for UFC’s March 1st card, as first reported by Marcel Dorff and later confirmed by social media posts from both fighters. 2023 “Dana White’s Contender Series” stand-out Silva won his UFC debut in March, getting by Josh Culibao on scorecards. Almeida snapped a two-fight skid in June with a victory over Timmy Cuamba.
- Rumors are swirling about a potential Mexico card next year. Claro Sports is reporting that the promotion is eyeing a return to Mexico City on March 29th inside the new Arena Guadalajara, which is scheduled to open in early 2025.
- Further adding to the belief that a card in Mexico could happen on that date, the country’s own Edgar Chaires (11-6) has been booked for a fight against CJ Vergara (12-6-1) on that date, per Nolan King of MMA Junkie. Chairez suffered a loss at UFC Noche earlier this year, dropping a decision to Joshua Van. Vergara will be trying to avoid a three-fight skid after unsuccessful performances against Asu Almabayev and Ramazan Temirov.
ONE Championship
- Three MMA fights have been added to ONE Fight Night 27 on January 10th:
- Undefeated Sanzhar Zakirov (10-0) will look for his second ONE win when he faces Tatsumitsu Wada (26-12-2). Zakirov won his promotional debut in March, stopping Ryosuke Honda in the second round with strikes. He was expected to meet ONE vet Hiroba Minowa earlier this year, although the promotion moved on from the fight after it fell off two cards. Wada will be looking for a three-fight winning streak for the first time since he was a DEEP Impact champ in Japan many years back. He’s coming back after beating Ernesto Montilla Jr. and Xie Wei.
- Chihiro Sawada (8-0-1) will get a step up in competition when she meets Meng Bo (21-7). Sawada will be looking for her third win in her rookie year as a ONE fighter, coming back after beating Jihin Radzuan and Noelle Grandjean. Meng, who has fought in ONE since 2019, is appearing once again after a late 2023 defeat against Ayaka Miura.
- Attempting to break a four-fight skid, former ONE title challenger Timofey Nastyukhin (14-8) will return against Aaron Canarte (10-2). Nastyukhin hasn’t bounced back after his 2021 73-second defeat to Christian Lee, having been stopped three more times since then. Canarte has also struggled as of late, losing bouts to Akbar Abdullaev and Shamil Gasanov since joining ONE in 2023.
Invicta FC
- Invicta FC has announced six more fights for their final show of 2024, which is scheduled for December 13th. It was previously announced that bantamweight champ Talita Bernardo will meet former UFC title challenger Jennifer Maia in the main event:
- Featherweight prospect Riley Martinez (4-0) will return to Invicta FC for a fight against PFL alum Jackie Cataline (5-3). Martinez has won all four of her pro fights via first-round finish, including a 2023 victory over Julia Dorny at Invicta FC 54. Cataline will try to end another prospect’s undefeated record, coming back after stopping Kelly Ottoni in August.
- Nine-fight Bellator fighter Alejandra Lara (11-7) will face off against Paula Cristina (6-3). Lara has earned two wins since exiting Bellator last year, earning a Combate Global victory earlier this year and scoring a regional title. Cristina is looking to bounce back after losing to Denise Kielholtz and Kate Bacik over the past two years.
- Former Invicta FC Strawweight Champion Valesca Machado (14-4) is booked to face Yasmin Castanho (6-1). Machado won in her return to the promotion in August, beating Yulia Ostroverkhova via decision. Castanho is coming off a three-fight run in LFA, with her sole loss as a pro coming against now-UFC talent Bruna Brasil.
- Invicta FC vet Monique Adriane (6-2) will appear for the first time in a year-and-a-half, facing Ana Palacios (9-3-1). Adriane earned a pair of Invicta FC wins before her absence from the cage, including a 2023 win over Nicole Geraldo. Combate Global vet Palacios won her Invicta FC debut in August, beating Flor Hernandez on scorecards.
- In a clash between undefeated prospects, IMMAF vet turned atomweight stand-out Giulliany Perea (2-0) will take on Natalie Salcedo (3-0). Perea, who scored more than a dozen amateur wins before turning pro earlier this year, won her Invicta FC debut in August. Salcedo appeared under the Invicta FC banner in her 2021 debut is now coming back after scoring a pair of regional submission wins.
- Fresh off a 94-second debut win in August, Ashley Barrett (1-0) will meet Fernanda Orellana (2-0). Chile’s Orellana is getting somewhat of a quick turnaround, fighting after winning a bout against Meaghan Penning in September.
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