Knockdown Daily 12/1/21: UFC Releases Kevin Lee
Kevin Lee's abrupt departure from the UFC roster leads the MMA headlines for Wednesday
Welcome to the Wednesday edition of the Knockdown Daily. Today’s issue will be covering top MMA news from the past 48 hours.
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Kevin Lee Released By UFC Following 18-Fight Stint
Kevin Lee’s UFC run has come to an abrupt end after an extensive 18 fights with the promotion. The former interim lightweight title challenger’s departure from the roster was first reported Tuesday by Guilherme Cruz and Damon Martin of MMA Fighting.
Lee, 29, is parting ways with the UFC after dropping four of his past five bouts and going on a two-fight losing streak. His last appearance was in August, losing a unanimous decision to Daniel Rodriguez.
Lee was a notable gatekeeper in the lightweight division for a series of years. He fought some of the top names at 155-pounds from 2017 to 2020, including Tony Ferguson, Edson Barboza, and current UFC Lightweight Champion Charles Oliveira.
Lee headlined six UFC “Fight Night” cards during his time with the promotion.
Marquel Martin, a manager for Lee, expressed disappointment in the UFC’s move to release his client.
“Kevin [Lee] is young, talented and has fought some of the toughest guys on the UFC’s roster,” said Martin in a statement to MMA Junkie. “I think the UFC made the wrong decision in releasing him, but we all believe there are brighter days ahead in Kevin’s career.”
Undefeated Welterweight Prospect Darian Weeks To Make Short-Notice UFC Debut Against Bryan Barberena At December 4th Card
Undefeated fighter Darian Weeks will get a short-notice opportunity at this weekend’s UFC event, stepping in to face Bryan Barberena at welterweight.
The new pairing for UFC’s December 4th card was first announced by the promotion Tuesday.
Weeks will be replacing veteran Matt Brown, who reportedly withdrew from his booking last week after testing positive for COVID-19.
Weeks has scored five wins since turning pro in 2019. He last appeared in February, earning a second-round stoppage win against Craig Fairley at LFA 99.
The 28-year-old had an extensive amateur career before fighting as a pro, attaining 15 wins through 19 bouts from 2016 to 2018.
Barberena will be fighting to return to the win column. He took a loss earlier this year, losing a majority decision to Jason Witt.
RIZIN Unveils Bantamweight Grand Prix Semi-Final Matchups For 2021 New Year’s Eve Card
The semi-final matchups for the RIZIN Bantamweight Grand Prix are set.
RIZIN revealed semi-final matchups Tuesday for their tournament, which is set to have its final two rounds play out on New Year’s Eve at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
In the first of two semi-final bouts, former RIZIN Bantamweight Champion Kai Asakura will face tournament underdog Kenta Takizawa.
The other semi-final bout will see rising bantamweight Naoki Inoue face Hiromasa Ougikubo.
A reserve fight for the tournament between Yuki Motoya and Kintaro was announced Tuesday. The winner of the bout will be eligible to compete later that night in the finals of the bracket if an injury or other circumstances pull a finalist from the card.
It was also revealed Tuesday that RIZIN Lightweight Champion Roberto Satoshi Souza will compete on December 31st – although it was not mentioned who he will face.
A full report on the press conference can be read here.
Here is the updated lineup for RIZIN 33:
Bout 4: TBA vs. TBA (RIZIN Bantamweight Grand Prix Final)
Bout 3: Yuki Motoya (28-10) vs. Kintaro (14-10-2) (RIZIN Bantamweight Grand Prix Alternate Bout
Bout 2: Hiromasa Ougikubo (23-5-2) vs. Naoki Inoue (15-2) (RIZIN Bantamweight Grand Prix Semi-Final)
Bout 1: Kai Asakura (18-3) vs. Kenta Takizawa (13-7) (RIZIN Bantamweight Grand Prix Semi-Final)
UFC Looking To Book Arman Tsarukyan vs. Joel Alvarez For February 26th Event
Both attempting to continue their current win streaks at lightweight, Arman Tsarukyan and Joel Alvarez are expected to meet at UFC’s February 26th card. The promotion is currently in the process of making the fight, per a report from Igor Lazorin.
Should the fight be finalized, it would join a UFC card that doesn’t have a confirmed location at the moment.
Both lightweights have had a similar run in the promotion thus far. After they lost their debut UFC bout, they have since attained four consecutive wins.
Tsarukyan has been on his winning streak since 2019. He picked up his first finish win in the promotion recently, stopping Christos Giagos with strikes in September.
All four of Alvarez’s wins in the UFC cage have come via first or second round stoppage. Just a few weeks back he only needed a round to stop Thiago Moises with strikes.
Caio Borralho To Make Short Notice UFC Debut Against Dustin Stoltzfus At December 18th Event
Caio Borralho’s UFC debut is expected to come in just a few weeks, as the Brazilian prospect will step in to face Dustin Stoltzfus at the promotion’s December 18th “Fight Night” card.
Guilherme Cruz and Mike Heck of MMA Fighting confirmed the booking on Monday.
Borralho will be replacing Anthony Hernandez, who had to withdraw from his booking against Stoltzfus due to injury. The fight was set to be his first appearance since scoring an upset victory over Rodolfo Vieira in February.
Borralho will be making his UFC debut after two consecutive wins on TV show “Dana White’s Contender Series” this past fall. The former Future FC Middleweight Champion competed on the show twice within a month’s time, defeating Aaron Jeffery via decision and stopping Jesse Murray in the first round of a bout with strikes.
Now with a new opponent, Stoltzfus will be looking for his first UFC win in his third fight for the promotion.
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