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UFC Fight Night 74 Video: Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira Weigh-in Staredown

On Saturday, UFC Fight Night 74 headliners Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira stepped onto the scale to make their main event bout official.
Both fighters hit their marks. Holloway came in at a championship weight of 145 pounds, while Oliveira also weig…

On Saturday, UFC Fight Night 74 headliners Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira stepped onto the scale to make their main event bout official.

Both fighters hit their marks. Holloway came in at a championship weight of 145 pounds, while Oliveira also weighed in comfortably under the 146-pound limit.

With six straight victories, Holloway appears to have realized the potential many believed he had. The Hawaiian is a legitimate contender and could enter title-shot conversations with a seventh consecutive win against Oliveira.

The Brazilian, meanwhile, has had his hand raised in four straight outings. While he has had some setbacks, Oliveira has always been on the verge of breaking through, and a win over Holloway on Sunday would finally make Do Bronx one of the top contenders in the featherweight division.

Holloway and Oliveira were calm and respectful in their staredown after weighing in, but both competitors looked lean and focused. That should mean an excellent contest between two of the brightest up-and-comers in the 145-pound class.

Including Holloway and Oliveira, here are the full results from the UFC Fight Night 74 weigh-ins on Saturday in Saskatoon, Canada:

Max Holloway (145) vs. Charles Oliveira (145.5)
Erick Silva (171) vs. Neil Magny (170.5)
Patrick Cote (170) vs. Josh Burkman (170)
Chad Laprise (155.5) vs. Francisco Trinaldo (155.5)
Olivier Aubin-Mercier (155) vs. Tony Sims (155.5)
Maryna Moroz (115) vs. Valerie Letourneau (116)
Sam Stout (155) vs. Frankie Perez (155.5)
Yves Jabouin (135.5) vs. Felipe Arantes (135.5)
Marcos Rogerio de Lima (205) vs. Nikita Krylov (205.5)
Chris Kelades (125.5) vs. Chris Beal (126)
Shane Campbell (155) vs. Elias Silverio (154.5)
Daniel Jolly (204) vs. Misha Cirkunov (205)

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UFC Fight Night 74: Who’s on the Hot Seat in Canada This Weekend?

At UFC Fight Night 74, rising 145-pound contenders Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira will meet in an important bout that could put the winner into title-shot conversations.
Holloway has won six in a row and most recently submitted Cub Swanson in April….

At UFC Fight Night 74, rising 145-pound contenders Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira will meet in an important bout that could put the winner into title-shot conversations.

Holloway has won six in a row and most recently submitted Cub Swanson in April. Oliveira, meanwhile, has picked up four straight victories, including three submissions.

While Holloway and Swanson should have UFC roster spots locked up for several years, some UFC Fight Night 74 competitors aren’t in that great of a situation. Here are the individuals sitting on the hot seat heading into the event in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada on Saturday.

Josh Burkman

With a win over former UFC title challenger Jon Fitch, Josh Burkman earned his way back onto the UFC roster by making some noise under the World Series of Fighting banner. However, he hasn’t had success inside the Octagon since returning to the big show.

Although it was overturned to a no-contest, Burkman had a poor showing against Hector Lombard at UFC 182. Then, he was submitted by Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 187 in May.

Despite the slip-ups, Burkman is now set to take on Patrick Cote, who is coming off of a win. Still, this will likely be a must-win matchup for him.

A loss wouldn’t technically be three in a row, but it would be a 0-2 run with the world’s top MMA promotion, which is regularly grounds for release from the organization.

Sam Stout and Frankie Perez

He’s closing in on a decade under UFC contract, but Sam Stout’s anniversary could depend on a win over Frankie Perez this weekend.

Known for having an outstanding chin throughout most of his career, Stout has not been able to go the distance in either of his past two outings. That said, he was knocked out by two solid strikers, Ross Pearson and K.J. Noons.

This is the first time since 2007 that Stout has lost two in a row, but the UFC matchmakers were kind to him this time around. Competing in his home country of Canada, Stout will meet an opponent who is 0-1 inside the Octagon.

In January, Perez made his UFC debut opposite Johnny Case and was stopped in the third round. It is rough that he has now been paired with a veteran like Stout, but there is a good chance that Perez will still need a win on Saturday in order to keep his UFC career going.

Shane Campbell

Making his UFC debut in April, Shane Campbell was knocked out by John Makdessi.

At UFC Fight Night 74, Campbell will face a much different opponent, but the stakes will be even higher. Elias Silverio will be a threat on the ground rather than in the striking department, but he could knock Campbell out of the UFC roster with a win this weekend.

Only 28 years old, Campbell would have time to earn his way back to the Octagon. However, he can avoid having to do so by picking up his first UFC victory against Silverio.

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Josh Thomson to Meet Mike Bronzoulis in Bellator MMA Debut

I’m not sure whether it is the Reebok deal, Bellator MMA making a serious push at evening the MMA playing field or the UFC only being willing to pay so many top competitors, but it certainly seems like a lot of big names are starting to migrate from th…

With three straight losses, former Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson was the latest UFC standout to sign with Bellator MMA. There were initial reports that the UFC was not interested in renewing Thomson’s contract after his recent struggles, but The Punk refuted those remarks in an official press release and stated that the UFC did not match a Bellator MMA offer made to him after testing free agency.

“I’m over here reading this UFC reporter saying that they’ve declined to re-sign me when the truth of the matter is that they’ve been trying to re-sign me for my last two fights. I declined and instead chose to fight out my contract and test the free agency market with Bellator,” Thomson said.

“At that point, Bellator made me an offer that the UFC was unable to match given their relationships with Fox and Reebok. It’s a done deal; I’m back working with Coker, and I couldn’t be more excited to get back to an organization that is trending upwards with fighter-friendly contracts. Any intelligent fighter is going to go where the money is, and for me the money was at Bellator.”

Now, Thomson’s first Bellator MMA opponent has been determined. Matchups with Michael Chandler or Melvin Guillard seemed more intriguing given Thomson’s name value, but he will instead meet Mike Bronzoulis at Bellator 142 on September 19, according to Sherdog’s Jeff Sherwood.

Bronzoulis will make his return to Bellator MMA after having lost to Joe Riggs in the Fight Master finals. Despite winning three in a row, Bronzoulis will likely be a huge underdog in a matchup designed to get Thomson back into the win column.

At the moment, Bellator 142 also includes a light heavyweight title bout between Liam McGeary and Tito Ortiz in addition to a 205-pound tournament that will feature Phil Davis’ Bellator MMA debut.

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UFC 191 Fight Card: Liz Carmouche and Raquel Pennington to Meet in Las Vegas

It’s less than one month away, but the UFC 191 was only recently finalized.
During UFC Tonight on Fox Sports 1 on Wednesday, it was announced that Liz Carmouche would meet Raquel Pennington in a women’s bantamweight matchup.

The first title challenge …

It’s less than one month away, but the UFC 191 was only recently finalized.

During UFC Tonight on Fox Sports 1 on Wednesday, it was announced that Liz Carmouche would meet Raquel Pennington in a women’s bantamweight matchup.

The first title challenge in the history of the women’s 135-pound division, Carmouche has been underwhelming inside the Octagon. With a 2-3 record, Girlrilla is no longer really considered one of the best of the best female bantamweights.

However, on the heels of two straight losses, Carmouche did rebound in her most recent outing. In scoring a decision nod over Lauren Murphy, Carmouche gained job security and earned a spot in this contest with Pennington.

Although she is coming off of a loss, Pennington may have gained more respect in her defeat against Holly Holm than she earned in any of her MMA wins. Pennington wasn’t able to derail the Holm hype train, but she certainly slowed it down by battling the rising star to a split decision.

Only 26 years old, Pennington is still coming into her own as a fighter. With her showing against Holm, Pennington proved that she has what it takes to have a long and successful UFC career.

Carmouche and Pennington have landed on the Fox Sports 1 prelims portion of the UFC 191 card. However, it is definitely a matchup worth paying attention to.

Scheduled to occur on September 5 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, UFC 191 is headlined by a title bout between 125-pound champion Demetrious Johnson and John Dodson.

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UFC Fight Night 74 Fight Card: Neil Magny Replaces Rick Story, Faces Erick Silva

Less than one month after seeing his seven-bout winning streak snapped by Demian Maia, Neil Magny will return to the Octagon and look to get back into the win column. With Rick Story injured, Magny has agreed to step in on short notice and take on Eric…

The fight revision was announced via UFC.com.

With seven wins in a row spanning February 2014 to August 2015, Magny surprisingly rose into welterweight title contention. However, he failed in his biggest test to date, as Maia submitted him on August 1 at UFC 190.

In accepting a quick turnaround against Silva, Magny will have a chance to reclaim some of the momentum he lost earlier this month. With Magny set to meet the Brazilian in the UFC Fight Night 74 main event, a win would arguably be his greatest MMA victory and take him to new heights in the 170-pound division.

Silva, who was originally supposed to meet Story in June but had that meeting postponed due to visa issues, will be another big test for Magny. Though Silva is not currently ranked in the welterweight class, he has certainly made some noise in the division.

He owns a 6-4 record, but Silva would have a very solid 7-3 record had he not been disqualified for punching Carlo Prater in the back of the head at UFC 142 in 2012. With a win over Josh Koscheck on his record, Silva is definitely going to be a tough opponent for Magny to beat.

Scheduled to go down August 23 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, UFC Fight Night 74 is headlined by Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira. The card also features Patrick Cote, Josh Burkman and others.

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Former UFC Champions Andrei Arlovski and Frank Mir to Meet at UFC 191

It looks like Andrei Arlovski will have to wait for his rematch with Fabricio Werdum and his shot at reclaiming the UFC heavyweight belt. Instead, it appears the former UFC champion will meet Frank Mir at UFC 191.
The matchup was reported by Ariel Helw…

The matchup was reported by Ariel Helwani on Fox Sports 1’s UFC Tonight and is pending final confirmation:

With a 3-0 record since returning to the UFC roster and having risen to No. 4 in the heavyweight rankings, Arlovski was likely being considered for a title shot. However, with news that he will be competing against Mir, it appears Stipe Miocic may have won the race for a meeting with Werdum.

Although it’s not shocking Arlovski would be passed over for Miocic, it is somewhat surprising that he’d be paired with Mir. Coming off a win over No. 5 contender Travis Browne, Arlovski figured to at least get a Top Five opponent, but he’ll instead butt heads with the No. 10 contender in his division.

Not that long ago, Mir was sitting on four straight losses, and many were calling for him to retire from MMA. After taking some time away, though, Mir has returned looking as good as ever, recording back-to-back knockout wins over Antonio Silva and Todd Duffee in the past five months.

Should Mir continue his resurgence against Arlovski, he’d slide right back into the title-shot conversation at 36 years old.

Headlined by a rematch between 125-pound champion Demetrious Johnson and John Dodson, UFC 191 is set to take place September 5 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. As the card currently stands, a bout between Arlovski and Mir would probably fit in as the co-main event.

Fighter rankings from UFC.com.

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