1/18/24: UFC's Saudi Arabia Debut Delayed
Plus: Vadim Nemkov vacates the Bellator Light Heavyweight Championship
Welcome to the Thursday edition of the Knockdown Daily. Today’s issue is a little more thinner, covering some smaller headlines from across the MMA world. We have three main stories for you today, plus a lengthy notes section. Let’s begin.
UFC’s Saudi Arabia Debut Given Sudden Delay
UFC’s debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia won’t be coming as early as initially expected.
The promotion’s March 2nd “Fight Night” card, which was first scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia, has reportedly been moved to the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
MMA Hour host Ariel Helwani broke the news of the delayed Saudi Arabia debut earlier this week, stating that the promotion is now hoping to head to the country in June. Sportsnet’s Aaron Bronsteter later confirmed the new location for the event.
Helwani also noted that a UFC card in the country was postponed due to Saudi Arabia, who is paying a site fee for the event, wanting a stronger lineup.
As it stands, UFC’s March 2nd card doesn’t have a main event that is known publicly. Eight bouts have been reported for the card. The most notable names include heavyweight Jairzinho Rozenstruick taking on undefeated Shamil Gaziev, and flyweight prospect Muhammad Mokaev against former title challenger Alex Perez.
It is not known currently whether any fights will have to be removed from UFC’s upcoming card due to the location change.
The event being moved to the UFC APEX underscores the promotion’s continued reliance on the venue. The APEX is expected to present six UFC “Fight Night” cards in the first quarter of 2024, which is two more than how many were inside the venue for the first quarter of 2023.
Vadim Nemkov Vacates Bellator Light Heavyweight Championship
Vadim Nemkov has vacated his Bellator Light Heavyweight Championship and is now eyeing a career at heavyweight.
Nemkov provided a statement to Nolan King of MMA Junkie this week, confirming the end of his title run. The 31-year-old mentioned that he has struggled to reach the 205-pound limit for fights as he has grown older: “Every fight is getting harder for me to cut weight,” he said.
“I’ve done everything I can at light heavyweight,” said Nemkov. “Now, it’s a new challenge to go up in weight and get another title.”
A Bellator versus PFL card was announced earlier this week. Nemkov is not booked as part of the champion against champion portion, but is instead matched across from 2022 PFL Heavyweight Champion Bruno Cappelozza at the 265-pound limit. It will be Nemkov’s first time fighting above the light heavyweight class since his RIZIN appearances in 2015 and 2016.
Nemkov captured the Bellator Light Heavyweight Championship in 2020 with a second-round stoppage victory over Ryan Bader. He ended up defending his title four times, including recent victories over Yoel Romero and Corey Anderson. He has the most successful light heavyweight title reign in Bellator history, lasting longer than any other and having as many title defenses as previous champions combined.
Ayaka Hamasaki To Return At RIZIN LANDMARK 8
Former RIZIN Super Atomweight Champion Ayaka Hamasaki is expected to make her return to MMA next month. Hamasaki was among the numerous additions to RIZIN LANDMARK 8 that were announced at a press conference on Thursday afternoon.
RIZIN’s first “LANDMARK” card of the year will take place at the Saga Arena in Saga, Japan on February 24th. The event will mark the end of a 17-month absence from the ring for Hamasaki, the longest break in-between fights for her entire 30-fight pro career.
Hamasaki’s last appearance was a loss to Park Si-woo in the semi-finals of the 2022 RIZIN Super Atomweight Grand Prix. She won in the opening round against UFC veteran Jessica Aguilar. Before the tournament, Hamasaki suffered a pair of losses to Seika Izawa, ending her reign as champion.
Hamasaki will face Claire Lopez, a Combate Global vet who has competed in RIZIN for the past year. She won her promotional debut with a rare finish, catching RENA with a kneebar submission last year. She last appeared on a July 2023 RIZIN card, where she lost a title fight to current super atomweight champion Seika Izawa.
Among the announcements on Thursday was also a match between Yusuke Yachi and rising Korean talent Kim Kyung-pyo.
Kim made a name for himself in RIZIN last year, earning first-round finish wins over Sho Patrick Usami and Tural Ragimov. He previously fought in Road FC and competed in UFC’s 2022 “Road To UFC” tournament.
Yachi, a 16-fight RIZIN alum, will be looking for his first three-fight winning streak since 2018. His last win was a first-round submission of Zach Zane, who entered the fight having lost his previous five. Before then, he went the distance for a decision victory against South Africa’s Boyd Allen in 2022.
A lightweight bout between Luiz Gustavo and Yoshinori Horie was previously announced for RIZIN LANDMARK 8, as was a featherweight contest between Vugar Karamov and Kazumasa Majima. Here’s a full look at the updated lineup:
Bout 15: Luiz Gustavo (12-2) vs. Yoshinori Horie (12-3) (Lightweight)
Bout 14: Vugar Karamov (19-5) vs. Kazumasa Majima (16-4) (Featherweight)
Bout 13: Yusuke Yachi (25-13) vs. Kim Kyung-pyo (13-4) (Lightweight)
Bout 12: Ayaka Hamasaki (24-6) vs. Claire Lopez (8-5) (Super Atomweight)
Bout 11: Takahiro Ashida (26-13-2) vs. Hiroaki Suzuki (3-3) (Featherweight)
Bout 10: Kenta Takizawa (13-10) vs. Shohei Nose (11-4-2) (Bantamweight)
Bout 9: Yuki Ito (15-5) vs. Masatoshi Ueda (19-9-2) (Flyweight)
Bout 8: Daichi Abe (12-7) vs. Kota Osuman (4-4) (Welterweight)
Bout 7: Tural Ragimov (21-10) vs. Hanzo Tanaka (15-9) (Featherweight)
Bout 6: Takumi Terada vs. Takekiyo Tominaga (Flyweight Kickboxing)
Bout 5: Ryoga (3-5) vs. Teppei Mochida (3-5) (Bantamweight)
Bout 4: Daiki Yahiro (3-2) vs. Yuto Araki (1-0) (Bantamweight)
Bout 3: Reito Bravely vs. Kyohei Furumura (Bantamweight Kickboxing)
Bout 2: Hannya Hashimoto vs. Rikito (Bantamweight Kickboxing)
Bout 1: Keito Ishigo vs. Satoshi Katashima (Strawweight Kickboxing)
Notes On: UFC, ONE Championship, KSW, Cage Warriors & LFA
Undefeated featherweight Lerone Murphy (13-0-1) has reportedly withdrawn from his February 10th UFC “Fight Night” bout against Dan Ige (17-7) due to injury, per Kyle Diamond of Violent Money. Murphy was looking for his sixth victory in the UFC, with this one being against a real step-up challenge in Ige. It’s not known at the moment if Ige will get a new opponent for the card.
Amanda Lemos (13-3-1) has received a new opponent for her UFC 298 booking on February 17th, as first reported by Brian Martin of The Orange County Register. While she was expected to face rising strawweight talent Tatiana Suarez (10-0), an injury has changed around plans. Lemos, who is coming off a title fight loss to Zhang Weili from last year, will now face Mackenzie Dern (13-4). Dern will be trying to come back from a stoppage loss to Jessica Andrade from last fall. Suarez called her injury a “minor setback” and said she “won’t be out for long.”
Subscription service HBO MAX will air a documentary on Tatiana Suarez on January 31st. “The Unbreakable Tatiana Suarez” documents the UFC fighter’s struggles and adversity outside of the cage, from numerous injuries to thyroid cancer. “She’s overcome it all. Now it’s her time,” reads a tagline for the show. You can watch the trailer here.
Veteran Ovince St. Preux (26-17) will return at UFC’s March 16th “Fight Night” for a bout against Kennedy Nzechukwu (12-4), as first reported by Nolan King of MMA Junkie. Both fighters will be trying to bounce back after being on the receiving end of finish losses.
Heavyweights Mohammed Usman (10-2) and Chris Barnett (23-8) will meet at UFC’s March 23rd event, per posts made by both fighters on social media. Usman has scored two victories since winning Season 30 of “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2022. Barnett will be appearing for the first time in more than a year. His last fight was a second-round finish victory over Jake Collier at UFC 279.
Former Cage Warriors Featherweight Champion Morgan Charriere (19-9-1) will face Choi Seung-woo (11-6) at UFC’s April 6th card, as reported by Baptiste Bajard this week. Charreire won his UFC debut last year with a first-round finish over Manolo Zecchini. Choi earned his first victory since 2021 in his last appearance, bearing Jarno Errens on scorecards.
Rising middleweight Caio Borralho (15-1) has reportedly been matched against Paul Craig (17-7-1) for a May 4th UFC card, per Diego Ribas of AgFight. Borralho has scored five victories since joining the UFC roster in 2022. Craig is coming off a main event loss against Brendan Allen from November 2023. This is the first fight mentioned for a May 5th UFC event.
A reality series on Liverpool-based UFC fighters Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann will be produced by BBC Three, per an announcement made this week. The show says it will follow the two talents “as they enter the next phase of their professional and personal lives.” Details on when the show will be broadcasted is not known yet.
Two MMA bouts will take place this weekend as part of ONE Championship’s “Friday Fights 48” card from the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
After winning his ONE Championship debut two months ago with a 68-second finish victory, Matheus Pereira (5-3) will go up against Khasan Khaliev (4-2). Khaliev snapped a two-fight skid with his last win, a victory that took place in early 2021.
Undefeated Changy Kara-Ool (3-0) will make his ONE debut against Arsenio Balisacan (5-2). Kara-Ool scored three wins since his 2021 debut. While Balisacan suffered a kickboxing loss last year, he is currently on a five-fight winning streak in MMA.
Two more fights have joined KSW 91, which will take place on February 17th from the Home Credit Arena in Liberec, Czech Republic.
After losing his KSW debut last month, former FEN Lightweight Champion Lukasz Charzewski (12-2) will face Michal Sobiech (5-1) at a catchweight of 150 pounds. Sobeich, who similarly has lost his sole KSW appearance, is returning to the promotion after scoring a win on the Polish regional scene.
Wiktoria Czyzewska (2-1) will try to come back from her sole pro loss when she faces Petra Castkova (6-6). Czyzewska was stopped by Sandra Succar in a fight last summer.
Former Cage Warriors Featherweight Champion Jordan Vucenic (11-2) has been booked to face Simone D’Anna (10-4) at the promotion’s March 30th card in London, England. Vucenic is coming off a 2023 that saw him score a pair of submission wins. D’Anna is currently on a three-fight winning streak, including his Cage Warriors debut from October 2023.
Six undercard fights have been announced for LFA 177, which will take place on February 23rd from the Seneca Niagara Event Center in Niagara Falls, New York, USA. A report on the two title fights that will headline the card can be read in the latest Sunday edition.
Undefeated light heavyweight Joe Taylor (5-0) will look for his second LFA win when he faces Gabriel Thimoteo (5-5). His last win was a unanimous decision victory over Bellator alum Ben Parrish.
In a clash between two rising welterweight prospects, Mirafzal Akhmatov (6-0-1) and Diego Bianchini (8-1) will meet. Akhmatov scored a 72-second stoppage win in his LFA debut last year. Bianchini took his first pro loss last year in a split decision result.
Heavyweights Cameron Kinzig (4-0) and Denzel Freeman (4-1) will collide. Kinzig has won all four of his previous pro bouts via stoppage in the first or second rounds. Freeman suffered his first pro loss last year on a PFL card, dropping a decision to Isaiah Pinson. His four pro victories have been attained slowly since 2017.
Bantamweight pro rookie Sierra Dinwoodie (2-0) will make her LFA debut against Hope Chase (3-1). Dinwoodie is joining LFA after picking up a pair of wins in Canadian regional promotion PFC last year. Chase, an Invicta FC vet, is returning for the first time since 2020. Her last fight was a submission win over Brittney Cloudy.
After earning a quick stoppage victory in his pro debut at LFA 161 last year, Luis Francischinelli (1-0) will meet Mus’Aib Baiyina (2-3).
Undefeated lightweights Levan Khabalaev (2-0) and Nikolay Plazinskiy (2-0) will face off.
Two more bouts have joined Cage Warriors 166, which will take place on February 23rd from San Diego, California, USA.
Returning after both winning their promotional debuts last month, Corvan Allen (3-2) and Xavier Vines (2-1) will meet.
Undefeated welterweights will collide when Bobby Winther (2-0) and Devin Goodale (4-0) fight. Both fighters have previously earned stoppage wins in Cage Warriors.
More APEX cards. Great.