Tag: UFC 277

Report | Brandon Moreno vs. Kai Kara-France 2 Booked For Interim Title Fight At UFC 277

Brandon MorenoAn interim flyweight championship rematch between former undisputed division champion, Brandon Moreno, and the surging contender, Kai Kara-France has been booked to feature at UFC 277 on July 30. At the time of publication, an official location or venue for the event has yet to be determined by the organization. Brandon Moreno holds a prior […]

Brandon Moreno

An interim flyweight championship rematch between former undisputed division champion, Brandon Moreno, and the surging contender, Kai Kara-France has been booked to feature at UFC 277 on July 30. At the time of publication, an official location or venue for the event has yet to be determined by the organization.

Brandon Moreno holds a prior unanimous judging win over Kai Kara-France

Initially meeting at UFC 245 in December 2019, former flyweight champion, Brandon Moreno handed City Kickboxing standout, Kai Kara-France a unanimous decision defeat in an early preliminary card showdown.

In his most recent outing, Tijuana native, Moreno was defeated by current champion, Deiveson Figueiredo in the co-main event of UFC 270 in January, dropping his undisputed championship in a third fight between the two.

Turning in his third straight victory back in March, Kara-France scooped the #2 rank at 125lbs with a unanimous decision title-eliminator win over Askar Askarov at UFC Columbus over the course of three rounds. Per Ariel Helwani, the aforenoted Figueiredo is still recovering from an injury to his finger, resulting in the introduction of an interim title fight between Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara-France. 

19-6-2 as a professional, Moreno who has achieved gold during his second tenure with the organization, managed to successfully clinch the undisputed crown in the co-main event of UFC 263 back in June of last year – defeating Figueiredo with a third round rear-naked choke. 

The pair initially met in the headliner of UFC 256 in December of 2020, with Figueiredo retaining his championship after the bout was judging a majority draw following a point deduction against the Brazilian due to an illegal groin strike. 

Before his draw with Figueiredo, Moreno had embarked on his winning run with his judging success against Kara-France, as well as lodging other victories against Jussier Formiga, and a finish against recent UFC 274 winner, Brandon Royval.

24-9(1) as a professional, before his win over common-foe, Askarov earlier this year, Kara-France stopped former undisputed bantamweight champion, Cody Garbrandt, in the latter’s flyweight bow – adding to another knockout success against Rogerio Bontorin.

Michael Chandler Offers To Fight Nate Diaz At UFC 277: ‘Spin Your Head On It’s Axis’

Michael ChandlerOff the back of a spectacular front kick knockout win over former interim UFC lightweight titleholder, Tony Ferguson at UFC 274 on Saturday – Michael Chandler has offered to make a blistering turnaround and fight Nate Diaz at the welterweight limit at UFC 277 on July 30. Chandler, a former three-time Bellator lightweight champion, turned […]

Michael Chandler

Off the back of a spectacular front kick knockout win over former interim UFC lightweight titleholder, Tony Ferguson at UFC 274 on Saturday – Michael Chandler has offered to make a blistering turnaround and fight Nate Diaz at the welterweight limit at UFC 277 on July 30.

Chandler, a former three-time Bellator lightweight champion, turned in his second Octagon victory at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday night, rallying from an opening round knockdown to finish Ferguson with a devastating 17 second knockout in the second round courtesy of a brutal front kick.

The victory snapped a run of two losses for the Sanford MMA staple, who had dropped defeats to UFC 274 headliners, Charles Oliveira, and Justin Gaethje last year – following a successful Octagon landing against Dan Hooker in January on ‘Fight Island’ in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Michael Chandler makes surprising offer to fight Nate Diaz at UFC 277 on July 30.

Initially calling for a title rematch against either Gaethje or Oliveira next, Chandler also offered to make the welterweight limit for a long-rumored fight against former two-weight champion, Conor McGregor, however, has since switched focus to Stockton veteran, Diaz – who himself hinted at a summer Octagon return at UFC 277.

“I’m there,” Michael Chandler replied to Diaz who tweeted, “July 30. 170lbs,” “Quick turn around. Spin your head on it’s axis. @natediaz209.” 

In a second tweet aimed at The Ultimate Fighter 3 victor, Chandler urged him to keep his mouth shut until UFC president, Dana White booked him a fight – claiming that he just might find himself staring across from him next time out.

“Hey, @natediaz209… shut up and stop complaining,” Michael Chandler tweeted. “Keep your mouth shut. Keep your head down until your daddy books a fight for you to get your sacrificial dome bounced off the canvas again. Maybe it’ll be me… if you’re lucky. See you at the top.”

Ankalaev vs. Smith Added To UFC 277 Card On July 30

Stakes will be high in the light heavyweight division at UFC 277, with top contenders Magomed Ankalaev and Anthony Smith set to share the Octagon. The clash between the rising Dagestani and “Lionheart” is the latest bout featured in leaked pictures of the UFC matchmaking board to be confirmed since the images emerged. The revelation…

Continue Reading Ankalaev vs. Smith Added To UFC 277 Card On July 30 at MMA News.

Stakes will be high in the light heavyweight division at UFC 277, with top contenders Magomed Ankalaev and Anthony Smith set to share the Octagon.

The clash between the rising Dagestani and “Lionheart” is the latest bout featured in leaked pictures of the UFC matchmaking board to be confirmed since the images emerged.

The revelation follows news that Bryan Barberena vs. Robbie Lawler and Sean O’Malley vs. Pedro Munhoz are set for UFC 276 on July 2, as the board suggested.

The UFC 277 pay-per-view, slated for July 30, does not have a confirmed location, but the leaked war room images listed Dallas, Salt Lake City, Boston, and Chicago as possible host cities for the event. The addition of Ankalaev vs. Smith was confirmed by MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn.

Smith (36-16), a former title challenger and the current #5-ranked light heavyweight, has shot back into title contention with three consecutive victories.

After going 1-2 in a trio of bouts following his failed shot at dethroning Jon Jones in 2019, including defeats to current champion Glover Teixeira and Aleksandar Raki?, “Lionheart” has rebounded with a pay-per-view triumph over Jimmy Crute, as well as main event victories over Devin Clark and Ryan Spann.

Now, as the 52-fight veteran looks to secure a second opportunity at holding gold on MMA’s biggest stage, “Lionheart” will have to go through a man tipped as a sure-fire future champion.

Ankalaev (17-1), a former WFCA light heavyweight champion and the current #4-ranked UFC contender, has risen into the group of elite at 205 pounds with eight straight wins inside the Octagon. Since falling to a last-second submission loss to Paul Craig on debut in 2018, the 29-year-old has added the likes of Klidson Abreu, Ion Cu?elaba, and Nikita Krylov to his résumé.

In his latest appearance, which marked his main event debut, Ankalaev dispatched former title challenger Thiago Santos on the scorecards. He’ll now be hoping to secure a title shot by adding the name of another elite contender to his impressive record.

Having previously suggested that Ankalaev isn’t the “boogeyman” people say he is, Smith will be looking to prove himself right and halt the fast surge of the Russian on July 30.

The current fights expected to take place at UFC 277 are as follows:

Derrick Lewis vs. Sergei Pavlovich (heavyweight)

Magomed Ankalaev vs. Anthony Smith (light heavyweight)

The recent matchmaking leak included a heavyweight contest between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic as the UFC 277 headliner, though it’s unclear if that remains the plan after news emerged that Miocic won’t be ready to return until September.

Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC 277, Magomed Ankalaev or Anthony Smith?

Continue Reading Ankalaev vs. Smith Added To UFC 277 Card On July 30 at MMA News.

Leaked UFC Fights: Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz Among Possible Leaked Summer Bouts

UFCLast night, footage from a recent podcast appearance featuring UFC president, Dana White at the promotion’s headquarters in Las Vegas, Nevada drew mass attention, with eagle-eyed viewers spotting an apparent leak of potential fights scheduled to take place this summer. A series of UFC fights appeared to have been leaked during a recent podcast featuring […]

UFC

Last night, footage from a recent podcast appearance featuring UFC president, Dana White at the promotion’s headquarters in Las Vegas, Nevada drew mass attention, with eagle-eyed viewers spotting an apparent leak of potential fights scheduled to take place this summer.

A series of UFC fights appeared to have been leaked during a recent podcast featuring Dana White

White, who appeared on The Pivot Podcast with Ryan Clark, made his way through his office for the podcast appearance, with a board behind him stacked with upcoming cards hosted by the promotion – including UFC 276 and UFC 277 this summer, and UFC London – with fights for those events yet to be officially announced.

Amongst those potentially leaked events for UFC 276, including an expected middleweight headliner between champion, Israel Adesanya, and the #2 ranked contender, Jared Cannonier on July 2. 

In a rather surprising co-main event bout per the leaked board; a welterweight matchup between the #3 ranked contender, Khamzat Chimaev, and Stockton veteran, Nate Diaz – in a bout which has garnered its fair share of attention across social media.

As reported earlier today, a bantamweight main card opener between Brazilian contender, Pedro Munhoz, and the surging division finisher, Sean O’Malley was also placed on the board for UFC 276 – with that bout also confirmed and reported.

At UFC 277 on July 30. – the board is topped by a supposed leaked heavyweight title fight between former light heavyweight best, Jon Jones, and former two-time heavyweight champion, Stipe Miocic. While it was previously reported that the promotion were targeting the bout for a July card, Jones recently claimed that he would wait until September for Miocic to return to the Octagon. 

Another high-profile leaked bout which has also since been reported by outlets is a light heavyweight matchup between Dagestan contender, Magomed Ankalaev, and one-time division title challenger, Anthony Smith. 

For the promotion’s June return to London, England – the board also features a lightweight matchup between Paddy Pimblett, and Moroccan striker, Ottman Azaitar. A light heavyweight matchup between Nikita Krylov and Alexander Gustafsson is also featured on the board, as was previously reported. 

For a July 9. UFC Fight Night event, it also appears a light heavyweight headliner between one-time division title challenger, Thiago Santos, and the surging striker, Jamahal Hill also appears to have been leaked during White’s podcast appearance. 

Report | Derrick Lewis vs. Sergei Pavlovich Targeted For UFC Event On July 30.

Derrick LewisA high-stakes heavyweight matchup between former title challenger, the #5 ranked challenger, Derrick Lewis, and the streaking, #11 rated, Sergei Pavlovich is currently in the works for a UFC event on July 30. At the time of publication, an official billing, location, or venue for the summer event has yet to be determined, however, it […]

Derrick Lewis

A high-stakes heavyweight matchup between former title challenger, the #5 ranked challenger, Derrick Lewis, and the streaking, #11 rated, Sergei Pavlovich is currently in the works for a UFC event on July 30. At the time of publication, an official billing, location, or venue for the summer event has yet to be determined, however, it is expected to be a pay-per-view showcase.

Derrick Lewis, a one-time undisputed heavyweight title challenger and a one-time interim title chaser, most recently featured on the main card of UFC 271 in February, suffering a shocking second round step-in elbow knockout loss to Tai Tuivasa.

For the top-15 ranked, Pavlovich, the targeted summer pairing with Lewis would come as the most high-profile bout of his UFC tenure – having most recently defeated Shamil Abdurakhimov at UFC Fight Night London in March. The knockout win earned the Oblast native a Performance of the Night bonus. ESPN MMA reporter, Marc Raimondi was first to report the news of Lewis’ targeted return against Pavlovich.

Enjoying a record breaking and setting 2021, Derrick Lewis became the most prolific knockout artist in heavyweight promotional history with his March main event knockout win over Curtis Blaydes, before becoming the most prolific knockout artist in the history of the entire organization with his UFC Vegas 45 win over Chris Daukaus in December.

Derrick Lewis holds a victory over current heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou

The Louisana-born fan-favorite headlined UFC 265 in Houston, Texas back in August – suffering a one-sided third round ground strikes knockout loss to Ciryl Gane in an interim heavyweight title showing. 

For Pavlovich, the former Fight Nights Global heavyweight champion added Abdurakhimov to an impressive run of wins that includes prior stoppages against both Maurice Greene, and Marcelo Golm. 

15-1 as a professional, Pavlovich’s sole professional loss came in the form of a UFC Fight Night Beijing knockout defeat against veteran Dutch kickboxer, promotional alum, Alistair Overeem in November 2019. In his 15 professional victories, the 29-year-old Pavlovich has scored a whopping 12 career knockouts. 

At the time of publication, an official headliner for the July 30. event has yet to be determined by the organization.