11/21/24: Paul Hughes To Face Bellator Champ Usman Nurmagomedov
Also: A final look-back at Stipe Miocic's career, MMA vets get booked for 'Knuckle Mania 5,' and much more.
Welcome to a Thursday edition of the Knockdown Daily! Today’s another busy newsletter for you, going over some of the big headlines that have come out so far this week. We have a lot to get to, so let’s begin.
Paul Hughes To Challenge Undefeated Usman Nurmagomedov on ‘Champions Series’ Card
Rising Irish contender Paul Hughes has his biggest assignment yet just around the corner.
The former Cage Warriors champ has been matched up against Bellator Lightweight Champion Usman Nurmagomedov for a January 25th show at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, per a press release issued by the PFL on Wednesday.
The show, while not branded as a Bellator event, will see Nurmagomedov put his Bellator title on the line in a five-round clash. The event is running with the “Dagestan vs. Ireland 2” tagline, referencing the 2018 UFC title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor as an initial chapter.
For Hughes, he’s stepping into a world title shot less than a year after joining PFL’s roster.
The 27-year-old Belfast-based fighter struck a deal with the PFL in April, shortly after wrapping up a successful nine-fight run in European regional promotion Cage Warriors.
Hughes scored a stoppage win as part of a Bellator card in June, getting rid of Bobby King in the second round with strikes. Just a few months after that successful promotional debut, he got past former Bellator champ AJ McKee Jr. as part of a split decision result.
The next matchup sees Hughes attempt to do what nobody else has achieved before: Beat Nurmagomedov.
26-year-old Nurmagomedov has held Bellator’s lightweight title since 2022 when he went five rounds to defeat Patricky Pitbull on scorecards. He has since earned a quick submission win over Benson Henderson and out-worked fellow rising Russian Alexander Shabliy earlier this year in a five-round result.
Through 18 appearances, nobody has been able to get by Nurmagomedov. This has made him easily one of the most accomplished lightweights outside of the UFC roster, with FightMatrix ranking him 14th in the world.
The upcoming event is the start of PFL’s “multi-year partnership” with the Dubai Sports Council (DSC) and Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), which was announced this week.
While the card includes a Bellator title being wagered, other details surrounding the lineup call into question how much the promotion will be utilized by the PFL going forward.
The card is referred to as part of the “Champions Series,” a Bellator tour that the promotion launched early this year. However, Bellator isn’t mentioned in any of the promotional material that has been released.
Last month, PFL’s Donn Davis mentioned that the promotion was considering distancing themselves from the Bellator branding.
“The Bellator brand is not resonating,” Davis said as part of an MMA Fighting Town Hall. “It’s not resonating with fans, with commercial partners. So we have to look at that … We think it’s likely we’re going to make a change and everything will be PFL branded. But, we haven’t determined that yet. We’re still evaluating that.”
Bellator hasn’t run a show since September, having cancelled cards in Chicago and Paris since then. As of Thursday morning, a previously promoted New Year’s Eve show has also been removed from their website schedule.
No broadcast details for the upcoming title fight have been announced yet.
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic Releases Statement Following Retirement
Stipe Miocic, one of the most decorated heavyweight champions in UFC history, has written his last chapter as an MMA fighter.
After briefly announcing his retirement following a loss to Jon Jones at UFC 309 last weekend, Miocic has since put out a lengthier statement confirming his exit from the sport.
“Let me start this post by saying I am good,” Miocic wrote on Instagram. “Been through a lot worse. I hope everybody enjoyed the show on Saturday. What an incredible way to go out! I started this journey fighting in local bowling alleys & ended it selling out Madison Square Garden. It truly doesn’t get better than that.”
Miocic’s MMA career kicked off back in 2008 when he fought as an amateur in the Ohio-based North American Allied Fight Series (NAAFS). After turning pro and attaining an undefeated record of six wins, he received the UFC call-up in 2011.
Despite signing a deal with the top fight promotion – a time when many begin taking up competing in MMA as a full-time career – Miocic held onto his job as a firefighter, a role he continued to maintain for the rest of his career.
Miocic spent years working his way up to a title opportunity in UFC’s heavyweight division. While he suffered setbacks against Stefan Struve and Junior dos Santos, by mid-2016 he had also racked up eight victories in the promotion and become a top contender for the belt.
At UFC 198, Miocic took a trip to Curitiba, Brazil, to challenge then-incumbent champ Fabricio Werdum. In just half a round, the brutal punches of Miocic put away Werdum, beginning a new chapter for the division.
Miocic held the heavyweight division’s title for 784 days, but more notably defended his belt three times over the course of those two years. He made quick work of Alistair Overeem and Junior dos Santos and also went the distance against Francis Ngannou in 2018. By the time he lost a fight to Daniel Cormier at UFC 226 via first-round stoppage, Miocic had defended the promotion’s heavyweight belt more times than anyone else.
Miocic’s 2018 loss to Cormier kick-started a trilogy in the division. The Ohio resident regained his title a year later, scoring a fourth-round stoppage against Cormier to become the fourth-ever heavyweight in UFC history to regain the belt (prior two-or-more-time heavyweight champs were Cain Velasquez, Randy Couture, and Tim Sylvia).
The third meeting between Miocic and Cormier – a 2020 five-round unanimous decision for Miocic – marked the end of their rivalry and Cormier’s career as a whole.
Miocic’s second time with the belt was more short-lived, dropping the title to Ngannou via second-round knockout in 2021. However, by the end, he recorded the most combined time as heavyweight champion, with 1,372 days.
When Miocic returned last weekend, it was his first time competing in more than three years. After getting stopped by Jones in the third round due to a flashy spinning back kick, Miocic confirmed in the cage that he was done fighting.
“To Marcus Marinelli and the Strongstyle team. We started together, we finished together. We cried together & we bled together. If people only knew the whole story of everything we have been through… we could write a pretty badass novel. There is nobody else I would have shared this journey with… the best part is that we are family forever… Marcus, I know my father has passed. But I also know he appreciates you stepping in and being the father figure I needed in my life. We had a hell of a run coach. You dedicated years of your life to me. We made history based on a dream and you had a vision. Now we have more time to drink wine and play euchre while making fun of Bobby because he is terrible at defending himself.
To my opponents, thank you all. I learned something from every single one of you. It was a honor to go to war brothers.
To my wife, you are my rock. The ship doesn’t sail without you. You sacrificed so much for this dream and I love you. God knew I needed you & you motivate me more than any one! I will miss hanging up on you on Embedded, but there’s YouTube for that To my kids, everything I have ever done is all for the two of you. To my Mom, I know this isn’t the career you would have chose for me, but you have always been in my corner since day one.. it was me & you. To my VaynerSports family, you guys are the best in the business!”
UFC Vets Eddie Alvarez, Jeremy Stephens To Meet At BKFC ‘Knuckle Mania 5’
A pair of past UFC stars turned bare-knuckle boxers will headline BKFC’s fifth-ever “Knuckle Mania” card.
Pennsylvania’s own Eddie Alvarez is expected to face Jeremy Stephens in the main event of a card from the Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia on January 25th, per a recent announcement by the promotion.
Alvarez and Stephens never crossed paths while in the UFC, mainly due to competing in different divisions at the time.
Alvarez most notably had a brief run as the UFC Lightweight Champion, capturing the title in 2016 with a first-round stoppage over Rafael dos Anjos. The former Bellator champ dropped his title later that year in a loss to Conor McGregor.
Stephens’ notoriety came less from a high accomplishment in the sport and instead through impressive longevity within the UFC. First joining the promotion in 2007, Stephens held onto his role for more than a decade, leaving in 2021 after 34 appearances.
Alvarez will be coming back from his first-ever bare-knuckle boxing loss, a stoppage defeat he suffered just under a year ago to Mike Perry. He faced another former UFC talent before then, beating Chad Mendes in a split decision.
Stephens, on the other hand, has yet to taste defeat in BKFC. He previously got past Jimmie Rivera and Bobby Taylor, putting him on a two-fight winning streak in combat sports for the first time since 2018.
The upcoming card will be BKFC’s debut in Philadelphia.
Notes On: UFC, PFL, ONE Championship & RIZIN
UFC
Warning: This bullet point includes mentions of sexual assault. Closing arguments wrapped up earlier this week in the civil lawsuit against Conor McGregor, where in the case he is alleged to have raped a woman in a Dublin, Ireland penthouse in 2018. The legal team representing the plaintiff has focused on a “litany of evidence,” including numerous medical experts who were called upon to describe the damage the alleged victim has suffered. Some professionals spoke about the large amounts of bruising she was found with, and others described a PTSD diagnosis she has been given since her encounter with McGregor. “So let’s put it this way – somebody did it,” lawyer John Gordon said, per the Irish Mirror. “It happened in the Beacon Hotel. It was Mr McGregor … As I said opening the case she’s [the plaintiff] no angel. She was out for a good time and indeed up to [a] certain point she had a great time. But things went badly wrong.” McGregor’s team, on the other hand, has tried to persuade the jury by showing a series of inconsistencies in the plaintiff’s storytelling, attempting to cast her as an untrustworthy source. CCTV footage, lies she told to her boyfriend through text, and many other details were brought up once again during the closing statements. “The reason I put all that to you is [the] entirety of the approach of the plaintiff is it’s all very simple: She was raped, has the bruises to prove it and everything else is just a distraction,” said lawyer Remy Farrell. I wrote a full report on the closing statements for POST Wrestling, which you can read here. I’ll provide an update once a verdict is reached – although it’s unclear when we’ll arrive at that point.
We can now discuss three more recent developments for UFC 310, which will go down on December 7th from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA:
Returning with the hopes of earning his first win since 2019, Kron Gracie (5-2) will go up against Bryce Mitchell (16-2). Gracie has lost back-to-back bouts, dropping matchups against Cub Swanson and Charles Jourdain. Mitchell is coming off a finish loss from his last fight, suffering a scary knockout last year against Josh Emmett.
A clash between Chris Weidman (16-7) and Eryk Anders (16-8), which was initially expected for last weekend at Madison Square Garden, has been re-booked for UFC 310, as announced this week.
While it was reported elsewhere that Rizvan Kuniev (13-2-1) was expected to debut against Martin Buday (14-2), the matchup reportedly fell through after Buday withdrew, per Marcel Dorff. It’s unclear if Kuniev will get a new booking.
A bantamweight fight between Ricky Turcios (12-4) and Bernardo Sopaj (11-3) has been rescheduled for UFC 311 on January 18th from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California, per Damon Martin of MMA Fighting. The fight was originally set to happen earlier this month but ended up being abandoned due to medical issues on the side of Turcios. The fight gives Turcios a chance to bounce back from a June submission loss he took to Raul Rosas Jr. Sweden’s Sopaj is coming off an unsuccessful UFC debut from March, getting stopped by Vinicius Oliveira.
Mayra Bueno Silva (10-4-1) will return to flyweight for the first time since 2021 when she faces Jasmine Jasudavicius (12-3) at UFC’s February 1st card in Saudi Arabia. Bueno Silva suffered a pair of losses at bantamweight this year, dropping a five-round title fight to Raquel Pennington and then getting stopped by Macy Chiasson. For rising Canadian Jasudavicius, she’ll be trying for her fourth consecutive win.
UFC is reportedly working to make a fight between Jacqueline Cavalcanti (8-1) and Julia Avila (9-3) for their February 15th show, per Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting. Former LFA champ Cavalcanti hasn’t lost since joining the UFC roster last year, recently earning her third victory by beating Nora Cornolle via split decision. Avila is returning after a late 2023 loss to Miesha Tate.
Two more fights have joined UFC’s February 22nd show:
30-fight UFC vet Edson Barboza (24-12) will meet Steve Garcia (17-5), per Damon Martin of MMA Fighting. Barboza appeared in a five-round decision loss earlier this year against Lerone Murphy, ending a two-fight winning streak. Garcia on the other hand has put together five consecutive finish wins, most recently getting past Kyle Nelson within a round.
A rematch will take place at middleweight, per Alex Behunin of MMA Mania. Facing off more than seven years after they first met on an LFA card, Brendan Allen (24-6) and Anthony Hernandez (13-2) are expected to collide in February. Allen had a lengthy seven-fight streak of wins brought to an end last month, losing a decision to French contender Nassourdine Imavov. Hernandez hasn’t lost in over four years, recently extending his streak with a fifth-round finish over Michel Pereira.
PFL
PFL has announced some undercard fights for their 2024 Championships card in Saudi Arabia on November 29th. Along with the world title fights and MENA championship fights, here are the other bouts expected to go down that day:
Bellator talents Mansour Barnaoui (21-6) and Alfie Davis (17-4-1) will face off in a lightweight clash. Davis earned his third consecutive win in March, beating Oscar Ownsworth. Barnaoui snapped a two-fight skid in May, submitting RIZIN alum Yusuke Yachi in the first round.
2023 PFL Featherweight Champion Jesus Pinedo (23-6-1) will make his return against Jeremy Kennedy (19-4). Pinedo is appearing for the first time since capturing PFL’s 145-pound title last year, ending the undefeated record Gabriel Braga with a third-round stoppage. Kennedy is coming off an unsuccessful Bellator title shot from earlier this year, getting stopped by Patricio Pitbull.
In a clash between undefeated heavyweights, Slim Trabelsi (7-0) and Abraham Bably (5-0) will face off. Trabelsi scored his second Bellator win earlier this year, beating Louie Sutherland on scorecards. Bably is coming back to PFL after a first-round finish on the regionals two months back.
Former CFFC champ Jose Perez (9-1) is booked to meet Asael Adjoudj (8-1) on the undercard. Perez won his PFL debut in August, beating Jesse Stirn in a non-tournament matchup via decision. Adjoudj has slowly put together an impressive eight-fight winning streak, including numerous appearances in Bellator.
Long-time Bellator fighter Costello van Steenis (15-3) will face Brazil’s Joao Vitor Dantas (7-1). Van Steenis returned to the win column in May, submitting Gregory Babene after a loss to Douglas Lima the year prior. Dantas is getting a PFL opportunity after a series of wins in the notable Brazilian regional promotion Jungle Fight.
An amateur atomweight fight between Hattan Alsaif (2-0) and Lilia Osmani (0-0) has also been booked for the card.
ONE Championship
ONE interim 125-pound champ Jarred Brooks (21-3) will move up to the 135-pound limit for a fight against Reece McLaren (17-9) at the promotion’s December 6th show. The fight will be Brooks’ first appearance above flyweight since 2016. He captured his interim title in August, scoring a first-round submission win against Gustavo Balart. McLaren is coming off a split decision win over Hu Yong in May.
MMA veteran Shinya Aoki has also been booked to face Cole Abate in a grappling bout in the same lineup.
UFC vet John Lineker will try to score his third consecutive Muay Thai victory when he meets Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai at ONE Fight Night 27 on January 10th.
RIZIN
Top Japanese MMA promotion RIZIN has announced some more matchups for their annual New Year’s Eve card from Saitama, Japan. For those who missed out, last week it was announced that Chihiro Suzuki will put his featherweight title against Kleber Koike. Here’s all the new details:
Kickboxer Rukiya Anpo will meet disgraced boxer Ryan Garcia in a boxing exhibition. It’s one exhibition to another for Anpo: Earlier this year he went up against Manny Pacquiao, a fight he was slotted into after featherweight champ Chihiro Suzuki had to withdraw due to injury. After his fight in July against Pacquiao, Anpo was challenged to a match by Garcia. 26-year-old Garcia, who his family has stated has been struggling with his mental health, was expelled by the World Boxing Council earlier this year following a racist tirade which was published on social media.
Taisei Sakuraba (0-0), the son of Pride FC legend and MMA pioneer Kazushi Sakuraba, will make his MMA debut against RIZIN vet Yusuke Yachi (27-14). 26-year-old Sakuraba steps into the sport with a tough first test: Yachi, while inconsistent in his wins and losses, is coming off a September victory over Sho Patrick Usami and has the experience of 18 RIZIN appearances.
YA-MAN (1-1), a former kickboxer turned RIZIN MMA talent, will take on Kazakhstan-based prospect Karshyga Dautbek (16-3). YA-MAN scored a stoppage win in his last fight, putting away Hiroaki Suzuki in the first round with strikes. Dautbek, who hasn’t lost since 2019, has finished his opponent within a round for seven consecutive fights.
Looking to close out his 2024 with a third RIZIN win, Kyrgysztan’s Razhabali Shaydullaev (11-0) will go up against Yuta Kubo (5-1). Shaydullaev has earned a pair of big wins in the promotion thus far, submitting vets Koji Takeda and Juan Archuleta. Kubo is on a five-fight winning streak, most recently stopping former featherweight champ Yutaka Saito with strikes.
Undefeated Korean heavyweight Kim Tae-in (5-0) will make his RIZIN debut against Mikio Ueda (3-2). Kim, Road FC’s current heavyweight champ, has put all five of his past opponents away within two rounds. Ueda had a three-fight run of wins broken in June, getting caught in an armbar by Polish talent Przemyslaw Kowalczyk.
In another heavyweight pairing, sumo wrestler turned MMA fighter Takakenshin (1-3) will go up against Ed Polo King (0-0). Takakenshin broke a three-fight skid in March, beating U.S. regional talent Cody Jerabek for his first pro victory. Polo King has no pro-fighting experience and is coming over to RIZIN after appearing on Mikuru Asakura’s “Breaking Down” web series.