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
- UFC has announced five more fights for their January 11th card:
- In the first of four recently unveiled matchups (yes, really!) that sees a recent “Dana White’s Contender Series” signee debut, Brazil’s Bruno Lopes (13-1) will get his first shot in the UFC when he takes on Magomed Gadzhiyasulov (9-0). Former LFA champ Lopes impressed on his second trip to the live reality show, stopping Mikheil Sazhiniani with strikes to earn a contract. Bahrain’s Gadzhiyasulov extended his undefeated record in June with a majority decision win over Brendson Ribeiro.
- In another matchup with a debuting “Contender Series” talent from Brazil, Marco Tulio (12-1) will make his first UFC walk in a fight against Ihor Potieria (21-7). Tulio put away Matthieu Duclos with a spinning back kick on the show last August, moving his winning streak to eight fights. He now faces a struggling Potieria, who won just one of his three appearances in 2024 and overall has prevailed in just two of his seven UFC bouts since 2022.
- Fresh off her first-round armbar win to secure a UFC contract, Nicolle Caliari (8-2) will take on Ernesta Kareckaite (5-1-1). Caliari earned a quick submission against Corinne Laframboise in September, continuing a streak of finish wins since 2021. Kareckaite, while not a newcomer, is also searching for her first win in the promotion after falling to Dione Barbosa at UFC 301.
- Andreas Gustafsson (11-2) will become one of 10 active UFC fighters representing Sweden when he faces Preston Parsons (11-5). Gustafsson took down Pat Pytlik with strikes in August, keeping alive the career-long reputation he has built as a finisher. Parsons, a five-fight UFC vet, is returning after a loss on scorecards to Oban Elliott in July.
- Coming back after a highlight-reel win, Uros Medic (10-2) will face Punahele Soriano (10-4). Medic earned a “Performance of the Night” bonus for his win over Tim Means in April, stopping the vet in just over two minutes with a nasty uppercut knockout. Soriano will be looking to put together his first two-fight winning streak since 2021, coming back after beating Miguel Baeza in June.
- A pair of Australian prospects have been added to UFC 312 on February 8th, per a report from Nick Campton of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation:
- Victoria’s Jack Jenkins (13-3) has been booked to face Gabriel Santos (11-2). Jenkins bounced back from his first UFC loss in August, beating Herbert Burns via third-round stoppage. Santos similarly broke a streak of bad luck recently, snapping a two-fight skid with a decision over Yizha.
- Searching for a third UFC win within a year’s time, Brisbane’s own Tom Nolan (8-1) will meet Viacheslav Borshchev (8-4-1). Nolan is coming off a pair of wins from earlier this year, stopping Victor Martinez in the first round then beating Alex Reyes on scorecards. Borshchev, who will be making his 10th UFC appearance, is riding the momentum of a split decision victory over James Llontop.
- Fifth-ranked heavyweight Curtis Blaydes (18-5) will meet promotional newcomer Rizvan Kuniev (13-2-1) at UFC’s February 22nd card in Seattle, Washington, as first reported by Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie. The fight will be the first appearance for Blaydes since he lost an interim title fight against Tom Aspinall in July, getting stopped in just 60 seconds with strikes. Former Eagle FC champ Kuniev will receive a massive test upon entry into the promotion, getting the chance to move into one of the heavyweight division’s top spots just months after beating Hugo Cunha on the “Contender Series” to earn a contract.
- Two more fights for UFC’s March 15th card:
- For the first time in his decade-long pro career, Ryan Spann (22-10) will reportedly move up to heavyweight when he faces Waldo Cortes-Acosta (12-1), as confirmed by Nolan King of MMA Junkie. Spann’s entire 13-fight UFC stint has taken place at light heavyweight thus far, including his 95-second submission win over Ovince St. Preux from October, a victory which snapped a three-fight losing streak for him. Cortes-Acosta has been on a roll as of late, beating Robelis Despaigne in May for his third consecutive UFC victory.
- It has also recently been announced that Andre Lima (10-0) and Daniel Barez (17-6) will meet in a flyweight contest. Lima has earned two wins since his controversial disqualification UFC debut victory in March, beating Mitch Raposo and Felipe dos Santos in recent months. Spain’s Barez, who enters the fight with a significant experience edge, scored a decision win over Victor Altamirano in his last appearance.
ONE Championship
- Along with the doubleheader of title fights recently booked for ONE 171 in Qatar, three more MMA bouts have been tacked onto the card:
- Dream FC vet and two-time ONE titleholder Bibiano Fernandes (24-6) will get his retirement match on February 20th, facing rival Kevin Belingon (20-10) for the fifth time. The feud between Fernandes and Belingon spans numerous years in ONE, with all four past appearances taking place in title matchups. Fernandes, who has prevailed in three of their past meetings, will be searching for his first win since 2019 when he appears next year. Belingon is similarly trying to break a long spell of no wins, coming back after a five-fight losing streak which, coincidentally, includes his last two appearances against Fernandes.
- Roberto Soldic (20-4) will make his first MMA appearance in nearly two years when he faces Guseyn Arslanaliev (9-2). Soldic is coming back after his upset loss to Zebaztian Kadestam in May 2023, preventing the decorated former KSW champ from getting his first win since joining the promotion many years back. Turkey’s Arslanaliev has fought in ONE since 2016 and is coming back for the first time since a late 2021 victory over Timofey Nastyukhin.
- A clash between former champ Martin Nguyen (15-7) and Shamil Gasanov (14-1), a fight the promotion hoped to make back in early 2023, is back on the menu. Gasanov is coming off a trio of wins from 2024, beating prospects like Aaron Canarte and Halil Amir. Nguyen on the other hand will be trying to bounce back from an early 2024 submission loss to Garry Tonon.
RIZIN
- An exhibition boxing match between disgraced pro boxer Ryan Garcia and Japanese kickboxer Rukiya Anpo won’t happen as part of RIZIN’s New Year’s Eve card. The matchup, which was expected to be sold as a separate pay-per-view in the United States and was arguably the most promoted fight on the card, has been postponed until 2025 due to Garcia suffering a hand injury, per a press release.
LFA
- LFA 199 on January 10th will be headlined by a three-round non-title fight between featherweight prospects Ary Farias (14-4) and Sabit Zhusupov (16-3), the promotion recently announced. Farias is coming back to the LFA after a brief excursion in Shooto Brasil, scoring a pair of wins and capturing the promotion’s bantamweight belt. Kazakhstan’s Zhusupov, a promotional newcomer, enters the LFA with a seven-fight winning streak including appearances in notable promotions like Eagle FC, Naiza FC and AMC Fight Nights.
- Notable bookings lower on the card include bouts featuring former LFA bantamweight title challenger Rafael do Nascimento (9-3), ex-Bellator middleweight prospect Theo Haig (5-0), and heavyweight stand-out Josh Hokit (2-0). You can see the full lineup here.
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