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UFC 237: Namajunas vs. Andrade fight card

Check out the fight card and bout order for UFC 237: Namajunas vs. Andrade, which is set for May 12th in Brazil. The UFC is back in Brazil for a pay-per-view event on Saturday, May 12th from Rio de Janeiro. In the main event, Rose Namajuna…

Check out the fight card and bout order for UFC 237: Namajunas vs. Andrade, which is set for May 12th in Brazil.

The UFC is back in Brazil for a pay-per-view event on Saturday, May 12th from Rio de Janeiro. In the main event, Rose Namajunas defends her strawweight title in enemy territory against the strong and hard-hitting Jessica Andrade. In the co-main, legendary former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva takes on Jared Cannonier. There’s also ex-WEC and ex-UFC featherweight king Jose Aldo battling Alexander Volkanovski in a fight that should absolutely be five rounds, but we’ll have to settle for three.

On the prelims, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira fights Ryan Spann, and hall-of-fame former two-division champion B.J. Penn is indeed still on the card despite his ongoing legal and personal problems, as he faces Clay Guida.

Here’s the full lineup for UFC 237:

Main Card (10 PM ET, PPV)

Rose Namajunas vs. Jessica Andrade
Anderson Silva vs. Jared Cannonier
Jose Aldo vs. Alex Volkanovski
Thiago Alves vs. Laureano Staropoli
Francisco Trinaldo vs. Carlos Diego Ferreira

Preliminary Card (8 PM ET, ESPN)

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Ryan Spann
Thiago Moises vs. Kurt Holobaugh
Irene Aldana vs. Bethe Correia
B.J. Penn vs. Clay Guida

Preliminary Card (6:15 PM ET, UFC Fight Pass)

Raoni Barcelos vs. Carlos Huachin
Luana Carolina vs. Priscila Cachoeira
Warlley Alves vs. Sergio Moraes
Talita Bernardo vs. Melissa Gatto

Former UFC Champ Nicco Montano Will Change Weight Class

Former women’s flyweight champion Nicco Montano has had a tumultuous UFC career. Now, the first-ever 125-pound female champ is changing weight classes. Whether the change in weight classes is permanent remains to be seen. According to her manager, Ricky Kottenstette, who confirmed the news with Sherdog.com (h/t Bloody Elbow), Montano will move up to 135pounds […]

The post Former UFC Champ Nicco Montano Will Change Weight Class appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Former women’s flyweight champion Nicco Montano has had a tumultuous UFC career. Now, the first-ever 125-pound female champ is changing weight classes.

Whether the change in weight classes is permanent remains to be seen. According to her manager, Ricky Kottenstette, who confirmed the news with Sherdog.com (h/t Bloody Elbow), Montano will move up to 135pounds for her summer return. However, depending on how the cut goes will play a significant role in whether Montano returns to flyweight in the future.

Montano won the inaugural women’s flyweight title during the finale of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season 26. She was supposed to face Sijara Eubanks in the finale, but Eubanks was unable to make weight. In stepped in fellow TUF house guest Roxanne Modafferi.

While Montano defeated Modafferi, that would be the last time she has competed inside the Octagon. A spell of tonsillitis and an on-again, off-again foot injury delayed Montano’s return. Then a failed weight cut against Valentina Shevchenko prior to UFC 228 caused that fight to be canceled. Montano was subsequently stripped of the title.

Last month, Montano was listed as one of four fighters flagged by USADA for a potential anti-doping violation. All four of the fighters received a reduced six-month ban after testing positive for ostarine. They all ingested it via contaminated supplements.

Montano is eligible to return May 15. As of this writing, she has not been booked in a fight.

The post Former UFC Champ Nicco Montano Will Change Weight Class appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Khabib Plans to Fight Three Times Between Now And April

Nurmagomedov plans on taking care of all the top contenders at 155 in a seven month period. Are you one of the people that has been complaining about Khabib Nurmagomedov’s less than active fight schedule? Well, do we have good news for you…

Nurmagomedov plans on taking care of all the top contenders at 155 in a seven month period.

Are you one of the people that has been complaining about Khabib Nurmagomedov’s less than active fight schedule? Well, do we have good news for you. According to Khabib’s manager Ali Abdelaziz, he’s been tasked with setting up a very busy bout schedule with the UFC for his client.

”He gave me very specific instructions,” Abdelaziz said in an interview with ESPN. “He said he wants to fight Sept. 7, and again in December. And if Georges St-Pierre can figure things out with the UFC by April, that’s the deal. He would like that fight in April.”

Khabib has long maintained that he wanted to be a champion that defended the lightweight belt against top contenders. But he hasn’t defended the title since defeating Conor McGregor in October of 2018. That’s partially because of a suspension levied by the NSAC, partially because he was unwilling to work with the NSAC to cut said suspension in half with community service, and partially because of Ramadan, which devout Muslims spend fasting from sunrise to sunset.

If things go to plan, Nurmagomedov will defend against Dustin Poirier in September and whoever’s waiting for next in December. How can they deny him a dream fight against Georges St-Pierre after that? Of course, Georges would have to un-retire, re-enter the USADA pool (with a mandatory six month waiting period), and work out a deal with Dana White.

But if not GSP, then someone else.

”The lightweight division has a lot of contenders and we need to keep the division going,” Abdelaziz told ESPN. “Khabib has done this before. He fought [Edson Barboza], Al [Iaquinta] and Conor [McGregor] in less than one year [from December 2017 to October 2018]. If it can be Georges in April, he would love that fight. If not, it can be any contender.”

As for Conor McGregor, Abdelaziz maintains he’s not even on Khabib’s radar at the moment.

”To be honest, Conor is going to have to go out there and fight somebody like Justin Gaethje, Tony Ferguson or Cowboy [Donald Cerrone]. He’s not a worthy enough opponent right now. That’s the feeling from all of us, as a team.”

So take heart, fans. Starting in September, it’ll be Khabib Time all the time.

Dana White Gushes High Praise For Cerrone & ‘Bad A**’ Iaquinta

Last night’s (Sat., May 4, 2019) UFC on ESPN+ 9 from the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, wasn’t the best mixed martial arts (MMA) event of the year. But it did have some saving grace in the form of its Donald Cerrone vs. Al Iaquinta main event. ‘Cowboy’ and “Ragin’” Al threw down […]

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Last night’s (Sat., May 4, 2019) UFC on ESPN+ 9 from the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, wasn’t the best mixed martial arts (MMA) event of the year. But it did have some saving grace in the form of its Donald Cerrone vs. Al Iaquinta main event.

‘Cowboy’ and “Ragin’” Al threw down for five full rounds of violence (watch highlights here). In the end, both fighters won a well-deserved ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus. It was Cerrone who emerged with the impressive win and a chance to shoot up the packed lightweight ranks. Perhaps even he’ll even net the biggest fish in the fighting pond as a result.

Cerrone used a varied arsenal of pinpoint jabs, low, body, and front kicks paired with excellent defense and range management to stifle Iaquinta’s powerful boxing. The East Coast-based slugger was rocked on multiple occasions and a battered, bloody mess by the championship rounds. But that didn’t stop Iaquinta from pressing on despite the damage that added up.

UFC President Dana White acknowledged the fight’s greatness on his Instagram this evening. He offered high praise alongside these photos of Cerrone’s epic front kick knockdown in the later rounds:

“Congrats to @cowboycerrone on the impressive win last night and MUCH respect to the incredibly TOUGH and BAD ASS @aliaquinta for an amazing fight!!!!”

A Clutch Performance

White is spot on in his assessment. Cerrone has perhaps never looked better than he did last night. Beating the No. 4-ranked fighter in arguably the most talented division in all of the UFC certainly doesn’t hurt, either.

‘Cowboy’ is on the hunt for a title shot. His long-rumored match-up with McGregor certainly wouldn’t hurt, however. As for whether or not that happens, “all bets are off” according to the UFC.

If it does, it will take quite the amount of coaxing to get McGregor back into the cage as Proper Twelve dollars roll in. Cerrone did everything in his power to make it happen last night, and Dana White knows it.

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UFC’s Arjan Bhullar Plans To Neuter ‘The Pitbull’ Andrei Arlovski

Arjan Bhullar has his sights set on a bout with Andrei Arlovski. Last night (May 4), Bhullar took on Juan Adams on the preliminary portion of the UFC Ottawa card. Bhullar walked out of the Canadian Tire Centre with a unanimous decision victory. It&#821…

Arjan Bhullar has his sights set on a bout with Andrei Arlovski. Last night (May 4), Bhullar took on Juan Adams on the preliminary portion of the UFC Ottawa card. Bhullar walked out of the Canadian Tire Centre with a unanimous decision victory. It’s his second straight win. Bhullar Targets Bout With Arlovski Bhullar spoke […]

The post UFC’s Arjan Bhullar Plans To Neuter ‘The Pitbull’ Andrei Arlovski appeared first on MMA News.

Nicco Montano planning move to 135 for UFC return

Nicco Montano’s next UFC fight will be at 135 lbs. Seventeen months after being crowned the inaugural UFC women’s flyweight champion, Nicco Montano is headed up in weight.
Sherdog.com confirmed with Montano’s manager, Ricky Kottenstette, t…

Nicco Montano’s next UFC fight will be at 135 lbs.

Seventeen months after being crowned the inaugural UFC women’s flyweight champion, Nicco Montano is headed up in weight.

Sherdog.com confirmed with Montano’s manager, Ricky Kottenstette, that Nicco will compete at 135 lbs for her planned summer return. However, he did not rule out a return to 125 lbs, citing that they’ll see how Montano’s cut to 135 lbs plays out before making a decision on a potential drop back to flyweight.

Montano (4-2) won season 26 of The Ultimate Fighter, which doubled as a women’s flyweight tournament to determine the division’s first champ. She won a unanimous decision over late replacement Roxanne Modafferi, who filled in for Sijara Eubanks when her weight cut sent her to the hospital. After tonsilitis and a foot injury delayed her return, Montano was scheduled to defend her title against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 228, then her own bad weight cut caused the fight to be cancelled, and her title was subsequently stripped.

Last month, it was revealed that Montano was flagged by USADA for a potential anti-doping violation. She was one of four fighters who received a reduced six-month ban after testing positive for ostarine, but they all ingested it via contaminated supplements.

Montano is eligible to return to competition on May 15th. She does not have a fight booked as of yet, but you might as well start scanning the women’s bantamweight roster to see who’s available.