Tag: UFC bookings

Dillashaw vs. Barao 2, Rampage vs. Maldonado, Bisping vs. Dollaway Confirmed for UFC 186


(Former UFC light-heavyweight champion. Undefeated in Bellator. High-score on the Pop-a-Shot. / Photo via Getty)

It’s official: UFC 186 (April 25th, Montreal) will be headlined by a rematch between bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw and ex-champ Renan Barao, and will also feature the UFC return of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson against “The Iron Hillbilly” (actual nickname!) Fabio Maldonado. Both matchups were previously rumored last week, but UFC president Dana White confirmed them yesterday during an appearance on TSN’s SportsCenter.

But that’s not all, folks. White confirmed five more matchups for the card, which are as follows…

Rory MacDonald vs. Hector Lombard: Yeah, we already knew about this one. The winner gets the next welterweight title shot. Or maybe the Hendricks/Brown winner gets it. Or maybe Kelvin Gastelum gets it? Cripes, who knows.

Michael Bisping vs. CB Dollaway: Bisping is coming off his guillotine-choke loss to Luke Rockhold at that nutso Sydney card, while Dollaway was recently blown up by Lyoto Machida. Fun fact: Bisping hasn’t won two fights in a row since 2011.


(Former UFC light-heavyweight champion. Undefeated in Bellator. High-score on the Pop-a-Shot. / Photo via Getty)

It’s official: UFC 186 (April 25th, Montreal) will be headlined by a rematch between bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw and ex-champ Renan Barao, and will also feature the UFC return of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson against “The Iron Hillbilly” (actual nickname!) Fabio Maldonado. Both matchups were previously rumored last week, but UFC president Dana White confirmed them yesterday during an appearance on TSN’s SportsCenter.

But that’s not all, folks. White confirmed five more matchups for the card, which are as follows…

Rory MacDonald vs. Hector Lombard: Yeah, we already knew about this one. The winner gets the next welterweight title shot. Or maybe the Hendricks/Brown winner gets it. Or maybe Kelvin Gastelum gets it? Cripes, who knows.

Michael Bisping vs. CB Dollaway: Bisping is coming off his guillotine-choke loss to Luke Rockhold at that nutso Sydney card, while Dollaway was recently blown up by Lyoto Machida. Fun fact: Bisping hasn’t won two fights in a row since 2011.

Patrick Cote vs. Joe Riggs: Cote hasn’t competed since a unanimous decision loss to Stephen Thompson snapped his three-fight win streak back in September. Riggs will try to rebound from his unsuccessful UFC return at UFC on FOX 13 in December, when his neck immediately gave out on him during a fight against Ben Saunders.

Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. David Michaud: This is not an MMA fight, but the finals of Top Chef Montreal. Can Aubin-Mercier’s innovative molecular gastronomy defeat the impeccable French traditionalism of Michaud? (Ed. note: Okay fine, this is a lightweight fight between two guys without Wikipedia pages. Both are 1-1 in the UFC. Thanks, Sherdog.)

Jessica Rakoczy vs. Valerie Letourneau: Rakoczy was TKO’d by Julianna Pena at the TUF 18 Finale in November, and currently holds the worst professional record of any UFC fighter (1-4 with one no-contest). Letourneau was choked out by Roxanne Modafferi during her elimination fight to get into the TUF 18 house, but was given a UFC contract anyway and won a tough split-decision against Elizabeth Phillips last June.

Carla Esparza vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk Strawweight Title Fight Set for UFC 185 Co-Main Event; Pearson vs. Stout Also Added


(“After I won The Ultimate Fighter, they told me I could pick any three toys from the middle shelf.” / Photo via Getty)

TUF 20 winner Carla Esparza will make her first UFC strawweight title defense against undefeated Polish striker Joanna Jedrzejczyk, in the co-main event of UFC 185: Pettis vs. Dos Anjos (March 14th, Dallas). The booking was announced yesterday on UFC Tonight.

Esparza won the UFC’s inaugural strawweight title with her third-round rear-naked choke submission of Rose Namajunas at the TUF 20 Finale in December. “Cookie Monster” was the #1 seed in the TUF 20 bracket due to her previous stint in Invicta FC, where she nabbed that promotion’s strawweight title as well.

Jedrzejczyk is 8-0 professionally and 2-0 in the UFC, with decision wins over Juliana Lima and Claudia Gadelha. A four-time IFMA Muay Thai European champion, J-Jed is perhaps best known for getting up in her opponents’ faces during weigh-ins and eating a late punch during her last fight against Gadelha.

Even though Johny Hendricks vs. Matt Brown is arguably a more high-profile fight, Esparza vs. Jedrzejczyk will fill UFC 185’s co-main event spot due to a title being on the line; that’s just how it works. In other UFC 185 booking news…


(“After I won The Ultimate Fighter, they told me I could pick any three toys from the middle shelf.” / Photo via Getty)

TUF 20 winner Carla Esparza will make her first UFC strawweight title defense against undefeated Polish striker Joanna Jedrzejczyk, in the co-main event of UFC 185: Pettis vs. Dos Anjos (March 14th, Dallas). The booking was announced yesterday on UFC Tonight.

Esparza won the UFC’s inaugural strawweight title with her third-round rear-naked choke submission of Rose Namajunas at the TUF 20 Finale in December. “Cookie Monster” was the #1 seed in the TUF 20 bracket due to her previous stint in Invicta FC, where she nabbed that promotion’s strawweight title as well.

Jedrzejczyk is 8-0 professionally and 2-0 in the UFC, with decision wins over Juliana Lima and Claudia Gadelha. A four-time IFMA Muay Thai European champion, J-Jed is perhaps best known for getting up in her opponents’ faces during weigh-ins and eating a late punch during her last fight against Gadelha.

Even though Johny Hendricks vs. Matt Brown is arguably a more high-profile fight, Esparza vs. Jedrzejczyk will fill UFC 185′s co-main event spot due to a title being on the line; that’s just how it works. In other UFC 185 booking news…

A bout between lightweight strikers Ross Pearson and Sam Stout has also been added to UFC 185. Pearson most recently suffered a TKO loss to Al Iaquinta at the madcap, Potato Award-winning UFC Fight Night 55: Rockhold vs. Bisping event in November. With just one victory in his last four Octagon appearances, Pearson could really use a win here. Stout hasn’t competed since last April, when he was knocked out by KJ Noons in 30 seconds then nearly guillotine-choked the ref.

The current UFC 185 lineup is…

– Anthony Pettis vs. Rafael Dos Anjos (for UFC lightweight title)
– Carla Esparza vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (for UFC strawweight title)
– Johny Hendricks vs. Matt Brown
– Alistair Overeem vs. Roy Nelson
– Ross Pearson vs. Sam Stout
– Henry Cejudo vs. Chris Cariaso
– Sergio Pettis vs. Ryan Benoit

Henry Cejudo (Tentatively) Returns to Flyweight, Meets Chris Cariaso at UFC 185


(Henry Cejudo [right] roughs up Dustin Kimura during their fight at UFC on FOX 13. / Photo via Getty)

After winning his UFC debut at bantamweight last month, Henry Cejudo has decided to throw caution to the wind and return to flyweight for his next bout. The 2008 Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medalist will meet former flyweight title challenger Chris Cariaso at UFC 185: Pettis vs. Dos Anjos (March 14th, Dallas), according to UFC officials.

The 125-pound limit has not been Cejudo’s friend during his budding MMA career. A series of blown weigh-ins and sudden fight withdrawals culminated in him pulling out of his originally scheduled UFC flyweight debut at UFC 177 due to a bad weight cut. The UFC agreed to give Cejudo another chance at bantamweight, and he won a decision over Dustin Kimura at UFC on FOX 13 in December.

Which begs the question: Why mess with a good thing? Why not see how far you can get at bantamweight before putting your career and health at risk once again chasing 125? From what we can gather, Cejudo’s TKO win over flyweight super-jobber Miguelito Marti at Gladiator Challenge: American Dream in May 2013 was the only time that Cejudo has ever successfully made 125 pounds in an MMA fight. And now he’s going to try again, God help him, while taking a gigantic step up in competition against one of the top ten flyweights in the world. What?


(Henry Cejudo [right] roughs up Dustin Kimura during their fight at UFC on FOX 13. / Photo via Getty)

After winning his UFC debut at bantamweight last month, Henry Cejudo has decided to throw caution to the wind and return to flyweight for his next bout. The 2008 Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medalist will meet former flyweight title challenger Chris Cariaso at UFC 185: Pettis vs. Dos Anjos (March 14th, Dallas), according to UFC officials.

The 125-pound limit has not been Cejudo’s friend during his budding MMA career. A series of blown weigh-ins and sudden fight withdrawals culminated in him pulling out of his originally scheduled UFC flyweight debut at UFC 177 due to a bad weight cut. The UFC agreed to give Cejudo another chance at bantamweight, and he won a decision over Dustin Kimura at UFC on FOX 13 in December.

Which begs the question: Why mess with a good thing? Why not see how far you can get at bantamweight before putting your career and health at risk once again chasing 125? From what we can gather, Cejudo’s TKO win over flyweight super-jobber Miguelito Marti at Gladiator Challenge: American Dream in May 2013 was the only time that Cejudo has ever successfully made 125 pounds in an MMA fight. And now he’s going to try again, God help him, while taking a gigantic step up in competition against one of the top ten flyweights in the world. What?

Anyway, Chris Cariaso hasn’t competed since being submitted by Demetrious Johnson in the main event of UFC 178 last September, snapping a three-fight win streak for “Kamikaze.” UFC 185 will be headlined by a lightweight title fight, and will also feature a heavyweight smash-up between Alistair Overeem and Roy Nelson.

UFC Booking Alert: Rory MacDonald vs. Hector Lombard at UFC 186


(Photo via Getty)

Rory MacDonald‘s next fight will be against the resurgent Cuban judoka and former Bellator middleweight champ, Hector Lombard at UFC 186 in Montreal this April. The initial report came from Vendetta Fighter, but was later confirmed by MMA Fighting.

Late last year, Fans and pundits alike thought MacDonald would face the winner of Robbie Lawler vs. Johny Hendricks II. A controversial decision in Lawler’s favor put the brakes on that since it forced the UFC to book a trilogy between the two welterweights.

MacDonald, left without a dancing partner, will face off with one of the top welterweights in the division in Lombard. We like to think UFC matchmaker Joe Silva booked this fight based on both fighters’ terrible nicknames. We’ve got Rory “The Waterboy” “Ares” “The Red King” vs. Hector “Lightning” “Showweather” Lombard. Ugh. How about the loser AND winner take their nicknames out back and shoot them?


(Photo via Getty)

Rory MacDonald‘s next fight will be against the resurgent Cuban judoka and former Bellator middleweight champ, Hector Lombard at UFC 186 in Montreal this April. The initial report came from Vendetta Fighter, but was later confirmed by MMA Fighting.

Late last year, Fans and pundits alike thought MacDonald would face the winner of Robbie Lawler vs. Johny Hendricks II. A controversial decision in Lawler’s favor put the brakes on that since it forced the UFC to book a trilogy between the two welterweights.

MacDonald, left without a dancing partner, will face off with one of the top welterweights in the division in Lombard. We like to think UFC matchmaker Joe Silva booked this fight based on both fighters’ terrible nicknames. We’ve got Rory “The Waterboy” “Ares” “The Red King” MacDonald vs. Hector “Lightning” “Showweather” Lombard. Ugh. How about the loser AND winner take their nicknames out back and shoot them?

Both men are on three-fight winning streaks. MacDonald’s comes over the likes of Tarec Saffiedine, Demian Maia, and Tyron Woodley. Meanwhile, Lombard’s winning streak is comprised over wins over Josh Burkman, Jake Shields, and Nate Marquardt.

Both fighters have momentum and are undoubtedly top guys, but we’re writing this one off as a mismatch right from the start. The first round might be competitive, but MacDonald will pull away and box Lombard’s face off for the second and third round of the fight while Lombard plods, huffs, and puffs.

Then again, we’ve been on the wrong end of fight predictions more times than we can count. So maybe we’ll just stick to posting embarrassing high school photos and Renaissance fair LARPing.

Lyoto Machida vs. Luke Rockhold to Headline UFC on FOX 15, April 18th in Newark


(Fun fact: “Lyoto” is Japanese-Brazilian for “Luke.” Crazy, right? And not at all accurate! / Props: FOX Sports/Getty)

A match between top-five ranked middleweight contenders Lyoto Machida and Luke Rockhold will serve as the main event of UFC on FOX 15, April 18th at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. MMAFighting.com first reported the booking, which was confirmed by Rockhold himself on Instagram.

Machida is fresh off his 62-second squashing of CB Dollaway at UFC Fight Night 58 in December, which was the Dragon’s first Octagon appearance since his unsuccessful (but fantastic) title challenge against Chris Weidman last July. Rockhold is coming off a 3-0 run in 2014, where he scored stoppage wins over Costa Philippou, Tim Boetsch, and Michael Bisping.

After months of politely suggesting the matchup, Lyoto Machida finally has the opponent he wants, and we’re psyched about it. No other bouts have been reported for UFC on FOX 15 yet; we’ll let you know when that changes.


(Fun fact: “Lyoto” is Japanese-Brazilian for “Luke.” Crazy, right? And not at all accurate! / Props: FOX Sports/Getty)

A match between top-five ranked middleweight contenders Lyoto Machida and Luke Rockhold will serve as the main event of UFC on FOX 15, April 18th at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. MMAFighting.com first reported the booking, which was confirmed by Rockhold himself on Instagram.

Machida is fresh off his 62-second squashing of CB Dollaway at UFC Fight Night 58 in December, which was the Dragon’s first Octagon appearance since his unsuccessful (but fantastic) title challenge against Chris Weidman last July. Rockhold is coming off a 3-0 run in 2014, where he scored stoppage wins over Costa Philippou, Tim Boetsch, and Michael Bisping.

After months of politely suggesting the matchup, Lyoto Machida finally has the opponent he wants, and we’re psyched about it. No other bouts have been reported for UFC on FOX 15 yet; we’ll let you know when that changes.

Alistair Overeem vs. Roy Nelson Added to ‘UFC 185: Pettis vs. Dos Anjos’


(Nelson’s decision to fight in March makes a 2016 presidential bid even less likely. / Photo via Getty)

In another classic matchup of tall muscular guy vs. short pudgy guy, UFC officials announced yesterday that a heavyweight slugfest between Alistair Overeem and Roy Nelson has been booked for UFC 185: Pettis vs. Dos Anjos, March 14 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Nelson (20-10, 7-6 UFC) most recently fell victim to a Mark Hunt walkoff KO last September at UFC Fight Night 52. It was just the second knockout loss in Nelson’s career. Meanwhile, Overeem (38-14 w/1 no-contest, 3-3 UFC) bounced back to the victory column with a first-round knockout of Stefan Struve last month at UFC on FOX 13. Loser gets Lesnar, maybe?

No other fights have been announced yet for UFC 185, besides the main event. We’ll let you know when that changes.


(Nelson’s decision to fight in March makes a 2016 presidential bid even less likely. / Photo via Getty)

In another classic matchup of tall muscular guy vs. short pudgy guy, UFC officials announced yesterday that a heavyweight slugfest between Alistair Overeem and Roy Nelson has been booked for UFC 185: Pettis vs. Dos Anjos, March 14 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Nelson (20-10, 7-6 UFC) most recently fell victim to a Mark Hunt walkoff KO last September at UFC Fight Night 52. It was just the second knockout loss in Nelson’s career. Meanwhile, Overeem (38-14 w/1 no-contest, 3-3 UFC) bounced back to the victory column with a first-round knockout of Stefan Struve last month at UFC on FOX 13. Loser gets Lesnar, maybe?

No other fights have been announced yet for UFC 185, besides the main event. We’ll let you know when that changes.