12/30/24 Notebook: Donald Cerrone Eyes UFC Return

Knockdown News took a week-long vacation away from following the ins and outs of MMA, but that doesn’t mean headlines weren’t made.

While the holiday season slowed down the world of MMA, things certainly still happened. So, to quickly recap what has gone down since our last time reporting on the sport, here’s a quick summary in point form:

UFC

• UFC Hall of Famer Donald Cerrone (36-17) is eyeing a return to MMA. Cerrone, who has the third-most appearances in UFC history (38), recently told The Pacman Jones Show that he re-entered the Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) testing pool and was looking at moving up to the middleweight limit. Publicly available records from the CSAD have shown that Cerrone was tested once in 2024, backing up his claim of re-entering the pool. Per Cerrone, he is hoping to appear just two more times before stepping back into retirement. The end of Cerrone’s UFC career, which officially concluded in 2022, saw him go on a stretch of six losses, with five ending via finish. His last win dates all the way back to May 2019.
• Conor McGregor continues to tease a boxing match in India against Logan Paul, most recently sharing an article regarding a matchup allegedly being in the works. It must be emphasized, however, that nothing has been officially announced, nor has an official date for the matchup been revealed.
• UFC is currently in the process of booking a five-round main event between flyweight contenders Manel Kape (20-7) and Brandon Royval (17-7) for their March 1st event, per reports from AgFight and MMA Fighting. Sixth-ranked Kape is coming off an impressive performance from earlier this month, putting together a striking clinic against Bruno Silva before finding a third-round finish. The upcoming matchup is expected to be Kape’s first-ever five-round UFC appearance. Royval, the top-ranked flyweight contender, will be trying for his third consecutive main event win, following up on split decision wins over Brandon Moreno and Tatsuro Taira from earlier this year.
  • It has also been revealed by Iridium Sports Agency that Cody Brundage (10-6) has a new opponent for the card. While originally billed to face “The Ultimate Fighter” winner Ryan Loder (7-1), he is now booked against Julian Marquez (9-5). Marquez is possibly in a do-or-die position regarding his UFC career, coming off a trio of losses since 2022. Brundage similarly has been without some good luck, with recent appearances resulting in a no contest against Abdul Razak Alhassan and a defeat against Bo Nickal.
• Four more fights have joined UFC’s February 1st card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:
  • “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 32 finalist Kaan Ofli (11-3-1) will try for his first UFC win when he faces Muhammad Naimov (11-3). Ofli made it through the “TUF” bracket with wins over Nathan Fletcher and Roedie Roets, but lost in the grand finals earlier this year against Mairon Santos. Naimov is similarly returning after a loss, with a streak of six victories being snapped in June with a defeat against Felipe Lima.
  • Shamil Gaziev (13-1) will face off against Thomas Petersen (9-2) in a heavyweight bout. Gaziev bounced back from his sole pro loss in August, beating Don’Tale Mayes on scorecards. Petersen earned his first UFC victory in July, getting past Mohammed Usman.
  • Terrance McKinney (15-7) will look to get some momentum back when he faces Damir Hadzovic (14-7). McKinney, while mostly known for being a quick finisher, was on the receiving end of a fast stoppage when he was put away in 37 seconds by Esteban Ribovics in May. Hadzovic, who will be making his 10th UFC appearance, is coming back for the first time since a 2022 loss to Marc Diakiese.
  • Impressive streaks at lightweight will be on the line when Fares Ziam (16-4) and Mike Davis (11-2) meet, as first reported by Alex Behunin of MMA Mania. Ziam has put together four victories since 2022, with his last being a highlight-reel head kick knockout win over Matt Frevola. Davis, who has seen his momentum as a fighter slowed due to a series of cancelled bouts over the years, has earned four wins since 2019. Most recently he earned a submission against Natan Levy, putting him away in the second round with an arm triangle choke.
• Aleksandre Topuria (5-1), the older brother of featherweight king Ilia Topuria, is set to make his UFC debut soon. Topuria is booked to face Cody Haddon (8-1) as part of UFC 312 on February 8th, per reports from Alvaro Colmenero and MMA Fighting. Topuria has significantly less experience than his brother, having won just five of his six pro fights since debuting in 2015. His past three victories have come via first-round stoppage, including a 2023 win in Spain. Haddon had a successful first UFC appearance, beating former LFA champ Dan Argueta in October.
• Speaking of Ilia Topuria, he picked up many top awards online recently. MMA Fighting, MMA Junkie, and MMA Mania all picked the featherweight champ as their “Fighter of the Year.” Light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira, who has at least made the shortlist of others, walked away with the top fighter award from ESPN’s staff.
• Venezuelan prospect Yuneisy Duben (6-0) will make her UFC debut on March 15th against Carli Judice (3-2), per Nolan King of MMA Junkie. Duben turned heads with her 73-second “Dana White’s Contender Series” win, stopping Shannon Clark with punches. She now meets Judice, a 2023 “Contender Series” star who lost her UFC debut in June to Gabriella Fernandes.
• Former UFC title challenger Darren Till is expected to take on Anthony Taylor in an exhibition boxing match on January 18th. Till was originally expected to face former Jake Paul opponent Tommy Fury, but was instead given Taylor after Fury withdrew from the fight. Till has appeared just once since his UFC run came to an end in late 2022, winning a boxing match over Mohammad Mutie in July. Taylor similarly has an MMA background but has mainly focused on influencer boxing in recent years, appearing frequently on events promoted by the “Misfits” brand.

ONE Championship

• A welterweight clash between undefeated Samat Mamedov (10-0) and Maurice Abevi (8-1) has been re-booked for ONE 170 on January 24th. Kazakhstan-based prospect Mamedov was originally set to make his ONE debut in September against Abevi, although the bout was scrapped. Now after more than a year outside of the cage, he will return and look for his 10th first-round finish. Abevi picked up his second consecutive promotional win in May, overcoming Chinese vet Zhang Lipeng on scorecards.
• Appearing for the first time in more than two years, Ritu Phogat (7-3) will meet Ayaka Miura (14-5) as part of ONE 171 on February 20th. 2021 115-pound ONE tournament finalist Phogat will be appearing for the first time since she suffered a 2022 submission loss to Tiffany Teo, her second defeat in a row. Miura on the other hand has put together a trio of wins over the past year and some change, with her last victory being a first-round Americana submission.

Invicta FC

• Invicta FC will return with a card on February 7th, per recent social media updates from the promotion. Invicta FC 60 will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network, confirming that their deal with the U.S. cable channel will continue into 2025 to some extent.

OKTAGON

• OKTAGON has announced that the third-annual Tipsport Gamechanger bracket will go down at middleweight, following past seasons which went down at 170 and 155 pounds. The 16-man tournament will kick off at OKTAGON 66 on February 1st in Dusseldorf, Germany, with the opening round wrapping up in late April. Here are the matchups announced for the opening round:
  • Matej Penaz (9-1) vs. former UFC fighter David Zawada (19-10). OKTAGON Middleweight Champion Kerim Engizek (21-4) vs. France’s Anthony Salamone (8-2). Former champ Piotr Wawrzyniak (13-6) vs. rising Slovak Republic fighter Marek Mazuch (9-2). OKTAGON vet Milos Petrasek (13-7) vs. former Cage Warriors champ Mick Stanton (13-8). 2023 Tipsport Gamechanger finalist Andreas Michailidis (16-8) vs. “The Ultimate Fighter” alum Mark Hulme (12-3). Newly-crowned welterweight champ Ion Surdu (16-6) against ex-UFC talent Krzysztof Jokto (25-6). Returning Vlasto Cepo (12-3) vs. Erhan Kartal (12-2). And past interim champ Samuel Kristofic (17-6) against a wild card opponent who has not been announced yet.