1/6/25 Notebook: Saturday’s UFC Card Receives Slight Change

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

• A change has been made to the undercard of Saturday’s UFC “Fight Night.” While Preston Parsons (11-5) was originally booked to face Swedish UFC newcomer Andreas Gustafsson (11-2), he’s now expected to meet Jacobe Smith (9-0), per Nolan King and Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie. Smith, like Gustafsson, was signed onto the UFC roster last year after a successful performance on “Dana White’s Contender Series.” He enters the UFC with a record of seven finishes, including many in the notable regional promotion Fury FC. Parsons last appeared in July, losing a decision to Oban Elliott. We currently don’t know why Gustafsson withdrew from the card.
• Wang Cong (6-1) will have a chance to bounce back from her first-ever MMA loss when she meets Bruna Brasil (10-4-1) at UFC 312 on February 8th, as first reported by Diego Ribas of AgFight. Wang was on the losing side of a massive upset in November, getting submitted by Gabriella Fernandes to snap her six-fight flawless run as a pro. The kickboxer now returns against Brasil, a 31-year-old prospect who has flipped between wins and losses on the UFC roster since debuting in 2023.
• UFC’s February 15th card has received a pair of new matchups:
  • Rising featherweight Youssef Zalal (16-5-1) will draw Calvin Kattar (23-8) next month, per Nolan King of MMA Junkie. Zalal has been on a roll since rejoining the UFC roster for his second run with the promotion last year, having put together a trio of submission wins over the past 10 months. He now has a chance to break into the rankings with a win over 10th-place Kattar, who will be fighting to snap a three-fight skid.
  • Andre Petroski (12-3) has announced on Instagram that he will be replacing an injured Jacob Malkoun (8-3) to take on Rodolfo Vieira (10-2) at middleweight. Petroski picked up a pair of victories in the second half of 2024, beating Josh Fremd and Dylan Budka via decision. Vieira is coming off a submission victory over Armen Petrosyan from his last appearance, putting him on a two-fight winning streak.
• UFC’s Seattle, Washington card on February 22nd has reportedly gained a clash between undefeated middleweight prospect Mansur Abdul-Malik (7-0) and Antonio Trocoli (12-5), as reported by Nolan King of MMA Junkie. “Contender Series” alum Abdul-Malik won his UFC debut in November via a first-round finish, beating Dusko Todorovic and continuing a career-long streak of not going the distance. Trocoli is still on the hunt for his first UFC win following losses to Shara Magomedov and Tresean Gore.
• Two more fights for UFC’s March 1st card:
  • The promotion is reportedly aiming to book Andrea Lee (13-10) vs. JJ Aldrich (13-7), per Mike Heck of MMA Fighting. Lee has gone winless through five fights since 2021, the second-longest active run of losses in the promotion per Roster Watch. Aldrich had a two-fight winning streak brought to an end in May with a loss to Veronica Hardy.
  • Looking to follow up on a huge 2024, Charles Johnson (17-6) will face off against Ramazan Temirov (18-2), per Pandemic MMA. Johnson picked up an impressive four wins last year, beating names like Azat Maksum and Joshua Van. He now faces RIZIN alum Temirov, who won his UFC debut in October via first-round stoppage against CJ Vergara.
• New York Times’ “The Daily,” one of the largest news podcasts in America, released an episode on Dana White and his history with President-Elect Donald Trump. The episode underscores how UFC’s ties to the recent Trump campaign have received increasing attention from the media following the 2024 U.S. election. You can listen to the episode for free here.

ONE Championship

• The co-main event for ONE 170 has changed: Instead of facing Superlek Kiatmoo9 for ONE’s 145-pound Muay Thai title, Nico Carrillo will take on Nabil Anane for an interim belt. Anane had been previously booked to face Kiamran Nabati earlier in the night – that fight is now off.
• ONE Fight Night 28 on February 7th has been announced for the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Prajanchai P.K.Saenchaimuaythaigym will look to defend his 125-pound Muay Thai title in the main event against Ellis Badr Barboza. Prajanchai is coming off a June 2024 win against Jonathan Di Bella, his first since re-gaining undisputed status in late 2023. Badr Barboza is coming off a successful ONE debut from last July, beating Aliff Sor Dechapan via split decision.
  • An MMA clash between Jeremy Pacatiw (13-5) and Ibragim Dauev (9-1) has also been added to the card. Pacatiw won in his return last year, scoring a first-round rear naked choke submission against Chinese vet Wang Shuo. Russia’s Dauev beat highly experienced ONE talent Mark Abelardo via decision early last year to debut in the promotion.

LFA

• LFA has booked a card full of high-level prospect showdowns for their landmark 200th numbered show. Three different title unification fights have been booked for the promotion’s January 25th event at the Mystic Lake Casino in Prior Lake, Minnesota.
  • The main event of the night will feature a long-awaited title unification clash between main featherweight king Elijah Johns (10-2) and interim titleholder Lerryan Douglas (11-5). 11-fight LFA vet Johns first became champ in February of last year, beating Alfred Walker via decision. Brazil’s Douglas picked up an interim title in August, stopping Javier Reyes in the second round with strikes. The duo were first expected to put their titles on the line in the main event of a December LFA card, although that iteration of the fight fell through due to Johns suffering an illness.
  • Shannon Clark (5-1) will return to LFA for a flyweight title bout against Cheyanne Bowers (5-1). Clark, who earned an LFA belt last year with a sudden second-round Bulldog Choke win against Thaiany Lopes, had her undefeated record snapped when she appeared on “Dana White’s Contender Series” in September. After losing via knockout in 73 seconds, she will look to bounce back in January. Bowers had an incredibly quick interim title victory in September, tapping Veronika Borisova in just over two minutes with an armbar. The South Dakota-based fighter has gone on a run of five wins since 2023.
  • And at welterweight, Vanilto Antunes (16-7) will take on “The Ultimate Fighter” alum Shamidkhan Magomedov (9-1) in a welterweight unification fight. Antunes, similar to Shannon Clark, lost on the latest “Contender Series” season via first-round finish. He previously won his title on an LFA card in Brazil, making quick work of Geraldo Neto. Magomedov bounced back from an unsuccessful appearance on “TUF” in October, beating Alfonso Leyva in 77 seconds and defending the interim belt he gained earlier that year with a win over Devin Smyth.
  • LFA 200 has many other notable prospects set to compete, like Joey Hart (6-2), Alvin Hines (4-0), and Santos Verdinez (6-1). You can see the full card on Tapology.