1/10/24: Michel Pereira Joins UFC 299 Lineup
Also: Junior dos Santos, Alan Belcher to fight for bare-knuckle MMA title
Welcome to the Wednesday edition of the Knockdown Daily. We have two days of MMA news to catch up on, so this is a big issue. I hope the info in this post, looking at the big and small stories of the MMA world, is helpful! Let’s begin.
Michel Pereira Among Latest Additions To UFC 299
UFC’s March 9th pay-per-view event is looking like one of their strongest lineups in a long time. The already-stacked UFC 299 card from the Kasey Center in Miami, Florida, USA, gained two more fights earlier this week, per a press release.
Pereira Looks To Keep Multi-Year Winning Streak Alive
Michel Pereira will try to keep his impressive winning streak alive in March when he faces Michal Oleksiejczuk.
Pereira has put together six consecutive wins since 2020. He has not been on a winning streak this long since a regional run from 2013 to 2014. His last fight was in October 2023, when he stopped “The Ultimate Fighter” alum Andre Petrsoki in just 66 seconds with strikes.
Oleksiejczuk is similarly coming off a quick win from last year. He earned a first-round finish in August 2023, beating experienced talent Chidi Njokuani with strikes. This victory put him back into the win column after suffering a loss to now-ranked middleweight Ciao Borralho.
Knockout Artist To Make UFC Debut
Regional heavyweight standout and Olympian Robelis Despaigne will make his UFC debut against Josh Parisian.
Despaigne represented Cuba in the 2012 London Olympics for Taekwondo. He achieved a bronze medal in the 80 kg and above division. He made his MMA debut in 2022, earning a first-round stoppage at Titan FC 77.
Despaigne went on a run of lightning-fast finishes in 2023, causing him to get a big spotlight and landing him a UFC contract. The 35-year-old earned three victories from June to December, with the longest bout lasting only 12 seconds. Other fights were four and three seconds long.
UFC 299 will be a massive step-up in opponent for Despaigne. The Olympian’s last fight was the first time he faced an opponent who had already made his pro debut in MMA.
Parisian will be trying to avoid a three-fight losing streak at UFC 299. He had an unsuccessful 2023, losing fights to Jamal Pogues and Martin Buday. His overall UFC record is two wins through six outings.
UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley is expected to face Marlon Vera in the main event of UFC 299. It was announced earlier this week that former title challenger Dustin Poirier will meet Benoit Saint-Denis in a five-round co-main event bout as well.
UFC Vets Junior dos Santos, Alan Belcher To Compete For Bare-Knuckle MMA Title
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos will attempt to earn a title in bare-knuckle MMA later this year against Alan Belcher. The heavyweight talents are expected to headline Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA’s March 2nd event from the Kia Center in Orlando, Florida, USA.
Dos Santos, 39, made his bare-knuckle MMA debut last year. He joined Jorge Masvidal’s promotion after suffering a five-fight losing streak from the end of his UFC campaign and his one-bout stint in Eagle FC.
Dos Santos broke his losing streak under bare-knuckle rules, beating fellow former UFC star Fabricio Werdum via decision. After going three whole rounds last year, dos Santos could potentially fight a maximum of five rounds in his upcoming title bout.
Belcher, a fighter who had a 15-fight UFC stint from 2006 to 2013, is currently on a winning streak across numerous combat sports. Between bare-knuckle boxing, boxing, and bare-knuckle MMA, the 39-year-old has picked up 11 victories since 2021.
Belcher won his bare-knuckle MMA debut last year with a split decision victory against Roy Nelson.
Notes On: UFC, PFL, KSW, OKTAGON & LFA
Hyder Amil (8-0) has received a change in opponent for UFC’s February 10th card from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. While the undefeated prospect was originally scheduled to face Shayilan Nuerdanbieke (39-11), Marcel Dorff is now reporting that he will meet Melsik Baghdasaryan (8-2). Baghdasaryan is coming off a unanimous decision win over Tucker Lutz from the summer.
Three fights have joined UFC’s return to Mexico on February 24th. The new bouts are part of a lineup that will take place at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City.
After finding success on the Mexican regional scene, 24-year-old Luis Rodriguez (16-2) will make his promotional debut against Denys Bondar (19-4), per an announcement made by the promotion this week. Rodriguez is currently on a five-fight winning streak, including four wins in notable promotion LUX Fight League. Bondar will be fighting for his first UFC win, coming off two UFC losses since 2022.
Daniel Zellhuber (14-1) will look to keep his current success going when he faces Francisco Prado (12-1) at lightweight, as first reported by Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting. Zellhuber has put together a solid UFC campaign since 2021, earning three wins in four appearances. Prado scored his first UFC win in July 2023, putting away Ottman Azaitar in the first round with strikes.
Looking for his third consecutive UFC win, Muhammad Naimov (10-2) has been paired against Erik Silva (9-2), per Vestnik MMA. Naimov, still in his rookie year as a UFC fighter, has scored two wins. Silva lost his UFC debut in late 2022 to TJ Brown. He will end a 14-month absence from the cage in February.
Hot off a UFC debut victory over Francis Marshall from August 2023, undefeated 27-year-old Isaac Dulgarian (6-0) will fight Christian Rodriguez (10-1) at UFC’s March 16th show, as first reported by Marcel Dorff. Rodriguez also has momentum, with his last three appearances resulting in a win.
MMA management group Team Iridium has announced two matchups for UFC’s March 23rd card.
Veteran Julian Erosa (28-11) will try to get back in the win column when he faces Ricardo Ramos (16-5). Erosa has been stopped in the first round in his last two bouts. Ramos will also be trying to bounce back from a first-round defeat he took in September 2023.
After losing a competitive grand final to Brad Katona on Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Cody Gibson (19-9) will face Davey Grant (13-7) at bantamweight. This will officially start Gibson’s second UFC stint, with his first lasting four bouts from 2014 to 2015. Grant’s last fight was a split decision loss to Daniel Marcos.
A light heavyweight bout between former title challenger Dominick Reyes (12-4) and Carlos Ulberg (9-1) has been moved to UFC’s March 30th card from the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA, as announced by the promotion this week. The bout was originally scheduled for UFC 297, which will take place next weekend.
In a recent interview with John Morgan, PFL CEO Peter Murray said that the promotion’s “Challenger Series” will not air in 2024. The PFL Challenger Series took place in both 2022 and 2023, presenting eight weeks of programming that mirrored UFC’s “Dana White’s Contender Series” show. Murray also said that details on Bellator’s 2024 schedule will be announced later this month. The full interview can be read and watched here.
KSW 90, which is scheduled to take place in Warsaw, Poland on January 20th, has gained two more matchups.
Former UFC talent Bartosz Fabinski (16-5) will make his KSW debut against Laid Zerhouni (11-8). After a UFC run of four wins and three losses from 2015 to 2021, Fabinski returned to the regional scene in October with a win over Kacper Karski. He now faces Bellator alum Zerhouni, who is coming off a 2023 that saw him score a pair of first-round submission wins.
Riding a three-fight winning streak, Polish talent Artur Krawczyk (4-3) will meet Szymon Karolczyk (5-3).
Two bouts have also been added to KSW 91 on February 17th from the Home Credit Arena in Liberec, Czech Republic.
Returning to KSW after attaining two more wins and one loss, Czech talent David Hosek (10-5-1) has been paired against Adrian Dudek (7-2). Dudek scored his first KSW win in October 2023, beating Lukas Dvorak on scorecards.
Appearing in KSW for the first time since a six-fight OKTAGON run, Matus Juracek (10-3) will meet veteran Hendry Fadipe (14-11-1).
OKTAGON Strawweight Champion Katharina Dalisda (10-3) will attempt to defend her belt for the first time on February 10th, facing Eva Dourthe (8-5). Dalisda won the title in September 2023, submitting Jacinta Austin for her fourth consecutive OKTAGON victory. Dourthe won her promotional debut last month with a scorecard victory over Chiara Penco.
Also booked for OKTAGON 53 was a fight between UFC and PFL vet David Zawada (18-9) and Hojat Khajevand (7-3). Zawada has lost four of his last five. Khajevand is on a three-fight winning streak, including two OKTAGON appearances.
In a double pro debut, Emir-Can Al (0-0) and Tomas Votava (0-0) will fight at welterweight.
A few adjustments have been made to LFA 174, which will take place Friday from the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake, Minnesota, USA.
After his fight against Mitchell McKee fell through, Devante Sewell (11-8) has a new opponent. He will now face Adamu Isah (3-1), who will be fighting for his fourth win inside the LFA cage.
After winning his pro debut via submission in early 2023, heavyweight Alvin Hines (1-0) will make his LFA debut this Friday against Will Johnson (1-3).
After an amateur run of five wins and two losses, Herbert Rogers-Williams (0-0) will debut against Zeb Vincent (1-0). Vincent won his MMA debut in June with a second-round finish.
Nine fights have joined LFA 175 on January 27th from Ginasio Do Polvilho in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Following a successful 2023 that saw him pick up two wins in LFA, Vinicius Pires (8-1) will have a tough challenge when he faces Apollo Gomes (8-1).
Appearing for the first time since his 2023 win on UFC TV show “Dana White’s Contender Series,” Marco Tulio (10-1) will fight Cemey dos Santos (6-4). Tulio notably won an LFA bout in early 2023 as well.
In a clash of undefeated strawweights, Lany Silva (4-0) and Naizi Cantanhede (6-0) have been paired up. Silva will be aiming for her fourth LFA win.
Juan Pablo Vieira (6-0) will try to keep his career-long streak of winning via finish alive when he fights Marcos Bruno (6-2) at lightweight.
Talisson Teixeira (4-0), a heavyweight who hasn’t escaped the first through through his four wins, will face Arthur Fonseca (2-1).
After a strong rookie year that saw her score three wins in LFA, Gabriela Fujimoto (3-0) will fight Sabrina Oliveira (5-2).
Riding the momentum of a 26-second win, Regnaldo Junior (7-1) will compete at welterweight against Gustavo Henrique (3-2).
Undefeated flyweight pro rookies Beatriz Consuli (2-0) and Carol Foro (2-0) will meet on the prelims.
IMMAF veteran and two-fight LFA alum Aieza Bertolso (2-0) will meet Fabrizio Ketlinn (1-0), who is returning to MMA after winning her debut in 2022.