2/14/24: UFC's Sedriques Dumas Arrested, Facing Felony Battery Charge
Plus: Bellator Announces 'Two No. 1 Contender' Bouts For Belfast
Welcome to the Wednesday edition of the Knockdown Daily. Today’s issue is a busy one, as we have three main stories and a ton of notes for you. Let’s get started.
UFC Fighter Sedriques Dumas Arrested, Charged With Felony Battery
UFC middleweight Sedriques Dumas is facing a felony battery charge after being arrested on Tuesday, per details first confirmed by TMZ.
Dumas, 28, was arrested and taken into the Escambia County jail in Florida, USA just past 6 a.m. on Tuesday. A report from Mike Heck of MMA Fighting includes the detail that Dumas is currently being held without bond and is expected to appear in court on March 5th.
While there currently aren’t any extra details on Dumas’ charge, a Facebook livestream posted by the fighter showed the moments leading up to his arrest.
In the 10-minute video, Dumas records his perspective while arguing with two police officers. At one point, an officer says they were dispatched to deal with a disturbance, as a “boyfriend was banging on the door and ringing the doorbell” of a woman’s house.
Dumas, who denied that he was being a disturbance, claimed that he was going for a walk to calm down. Shortly after one of the officers checked in with the woman inside the house that Dumas was standing outside of, the UFC fighter was detained.
After being arrested, Dumas is heard on the livestream denying that he hit the woman that officers spoke with. The livestream ends with a police officer turning off Dumas’ phone.
Dumas has been in trouble with the law before. In 2023, a Bloody Elbow report uncovered the fighter’s history of arrests. This included a 2017 arrest, where he was given 12 months of probation after pleading no contest to domestic violence.
Dumas’ arrest comes just weeks before he’s expected to appear inside the UFC octagon. News broke last month that he is booked to face Nursulton Ruziboev at the promotion’s March 30th event.
Bellator Announces Middleweight, Featherweight ‘No. 1 Contender’ For Belfast
Bellator has raised the stakes on a pair of previously reported fights that will take place at their return event.
Bellator 302 will now include a pair of number-one contender bouts at middleweight and featherweight, per an announcement made Tuesday. The fights were among a nine-bout lineup that was revealed by the promotion for March 22nd at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Ireland.
Fabian Edwards and Aaron Jeffery will be competing to see who might face undefeated Bellator Middleweight Champion Johnny Eblen next. Edwards will be fighting for a rematch opportunity, as he was previously stopped in a title fight against Eblen in 2023. Jeffery, making his fifth Bellator appearance, will be fighting for his first title chance in the promotion.
Bellator Featherweight Champion Patricio Pitbull’s next opponent could potentially be either Jeremy Kennedy or James Gallagher, depending on the result next month. Kennedy, a former PFL and UFC talent, has pieced together three wins in Bellator since late 2021. Gallagher is creeping up on a title shot after earning nine Bellator wins through 11 fights.
Gallagher’s most recent loss was a 2021 submission defeat to Patchy Mix, who is a former champion.
Along with the number-one contender bouts, Bellator announced five other fights for their March card recently. A quick rundown of all of the fights can be read in the notes section of today’s newsletter. Here’s the current bout order:
Bout 9: Corey Anderson (17-6) vs. Karl Moore (12-2) (Vacant Bellator Light Heavyweight Championship)
Bout 8: Leah McCourt (8-3) vs. Sinead Kavanagh (9-6) (Featherweight)
Bout 7: Fabian Edwards (12-3) vs. Aaron Jeffery (14-4) (Middleweight)
Bout 6: Jeremy Kennedy (19-3) vs. James Gallagher (12-2) (Featherweight)
Bout 5: Tim Wilde (17-4-1) vs. Manoel Sousa (10-0) (Lightweight)
Bout 4: Ciaran Clarke (8-0) vs. Darius Mafi (4-1) (Bantamweight)
Bout 3: Tofiq Musayev (22-5) vs. Alfie Davis (16-4-1) (Lightweight)
Bout 2: Nathan Kelly (9-2) vs. Vikas Singh Ruhil (12-7) (Featherweight)
Bout 1: Abraham Bably (3-0) vs. Isaiah Pinson (3-0) (Heavyweight)
Opinion: UFC 300 Is Still Missing One Big Fight
People’s expectations of UFC 300 are incredibly high, and that’s not for no reason. UFC CEO Dana White has teased the milestone event for months, telling fans they were hoping to “deliver the best card that’s ever been built.” And considering how much UFC has stacked their numbered 100 and 200 cards in the past, there’s a standard that fans will compare to this upcoming show.
With just under two months before the high-profile card takes over the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, the event is looking great, but not legendary.
If UFC 300 was judged the way that every single UFC pay-per-view event is in 2024, it would be an incredible lineup. However, considering it’s a rare special event, it’s being held to a much higher standard.
As it stands right now, UFC 300 has one actual title fight. Then it has a great clash of weight classes when Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway meet in a five-round fight. Plus, many former champions will appear on the undercard. It’s a great lineup, but there is undoubtedly something missing.
UFC 300 accomplishes one thing very well right now: It has a solid representation of the UFC’s past, in particular of their most recent 100-or-so PPV cards. Names like Charles Oliveira, Deiveson Figueiredo, Aljamain Sterling and Jessica Andrade had headlining title acts at some point over the past eight years, and will all be under the same roof in Vegas. This is not to say these are names of a bygone era, instead they are fighters who were previously on top of a division and carved out their piece of history.
What UFC 300 is missing at the moment is a proper representation of who is on top of the present-time UFC. The title fight with Zhang Weili facing Yan Xiaonan is a great matchup, but it’s a start. Remember, both UFC 100 and 200 had two title fights on it. After all the hype that 300 has received, wouldn’t it feel wrong if it was a step down from its previous iterations?
The April event is expected to receive an official main event soon, but White has admitted that nothing has been finalized yet. Ariel Helwani recently laid out four different options that he sees for the card’s headliner.
Per Helwani, one of the hopes is that middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis could face two-time former titleholder Israel Adesanya. The problem is, Adesanya said in October of last year that he hopes to not fight for a “long time.” The promotion is also hoping that Khamzat Chimaev could face either Du Plessis or welterweight champ Leon Edwards, except Chimaev has since stated publicly that he doesn’t plan to appear on the card. That leaves their fourth option, a fight between Edwards and Belal Muhammad. Helwani described this match as a “last resort,” which isn’t necessarily a vote of confidence about the match being a great headliner.
UFC knows they need one last big fight to headline the card. The problem is, it sounds like they’re having trouble finding it.
Of course, situations can always change. Fighters can be convinced and opportunities can come up. But we’re now 59 days away from the event, meaning the window for booking a title fight is closing more and more as each day goes by.
The jury will be out on whether UFC 300 delivers as a legendary card until the event actually takes place. However, for now, it has to be said: the event is a series of great side dishes, a perfectly baked potato, and a masterfully seasoned half-dozen of asparagus, but the big sirloin steak has yet to come to the table. Will it ever show up?
Notes On: UFC, Bellator, KSW, ONE Championship, PFL Europe & Cage Warriors
UFC
AJ Dobson (7-2) won’t receive a new matchup for this weekend’s UFC 298 card after initial opponent Tresean Gore (4-2) withdrew, the promotion announced Tuesday. Dobson was looking to follow up on his first promotional victory, a 2023 win over Tajon Nchukwi.
Brad Riddell (10-4) has withdrawn from his March 16th fight against Thiago Moises (17-7), per a report from Nolan King and Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie. Riddell was looking to snap a three-fight losing streak. It is not known if Moises will receive a new opponent for the card.
Michal Figlak (8-1) has the chance to bounce back from his first-ever pro defeat when he faces Austin Hubbard (15-7). The matchup, which was first reported by Alex Behunin, is joining UFC’s April 27th card. Figlak dropped his UFC debut in 2022 to Fares Ziam via decision. Before then, he had a series of victories in notable European promotion Cage Warriors. Hubbard is appearing for the first time since competing on Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Hubbard lost in the finals of the season, getting submitted by Kurt Holobaugh. The upcoming fight will officially kick off Hubbard’s second run on the UFC roster.
UFC will hold an event on May 11th, as a pair of fights have recently been reported for that date.
Just over a week after he snapped a losing skid with a win over Azat Maksun, Charles Johnson (14-6) has been booked to face Jake Hadley (10-2), per Logan Offord. Johnson’s victory last weekend put him back in the win column after suffering a trio of decision losses in 2023. Hadley is coming off a decision loss against Cody Durden from last year.
Esteban Ribovics (12-1) will be on the hunt for his second UFC win when he faces Terrance McKinney (15-6) in a matchup confirmed by ESPN Knockout. Ribovics picked up his first UFC win last summer, beating Kamuela Kirk on scorecards. McKinney earned a pair of first-round finishes last year, beating Mike Breeden and Brendon Marotte.
Bellator
Four more fights were announced for Bellator 302 on Tuesday. The matchups will take place at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Ireland, as part of Bellator’s return after being purchased by the PFL late last year.
Manoel Sousa (10-0) will make his promotional debut against Tim Wilde (17-4-1) in a lightweight bout. Sousa’s story is seen a few times on this card and will likely be heard even more in the future: He’s a fighter coming over to the Bellator brand after appearing in the PFL previously. He scored his 10th win early last year, overcoming Paulo Henrique on the PFL “Challenger Series.” Sousa’s relationship with the PFL has been complicated: In 2023, when he thought he was a free agent, PFL blocked him from competing on “Dana White’s Contender Series,” causing Sousa to attempt a lawsuit. Wilde will be trying to keep his strong Bellator run going, as he has scored five wins and one draw since 2019.
Undefeated Irish prospect Ciaran Clarke (8-0), who has spent his entire pro career in Bellator, will fight Darius Mafi (4-1) at bantamweight. Clark’s last victory was a submission win over Przemyslaw Gorny in September 2023. Mafi bounced back from his sole pro loss — a 2022 PFL defeat — with a 38-second victory on the regional scene last year.
Returning to Bellator after a two-fight detour in Japanese promotion RIZIN, Tofiq Musayev (22-5) is expected to fight Alfie Davis (16-4-1). Musayev picked up a pair of wins in Japan after being eliminated from the Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix by Alexander Shabliy. Davis is riding the momentum of a two-fight winning streak in Bellator.
PFL vet Nathan Kelly (9-2) will face Vikas Singh Ruhil (12-7). Kelly has picked up four non-tournament wins in PFL since 2022. Ruhil, a fighter coming from the MMA scene in India, had a seven-fight winning streak broken last year by James Gonzalez on the PFL “Challenger Series.”
Undefeated heavyweights will be paired up when Abraham Bably (3-0) and Isaiah Pinson (3-0) collide. Both fighters have past appearances in the PFL.
KSW
Brazilian prospect Julio Cesar Neves (36-1) has signed onto KSW and will make his promotional debut against Daniel Rutkowski (16-4) at the promotion’s March 16th event in Poland, per an announcement made this week. Neves has put together an impressive 36 wins and just one loss since his 2011 debut, although many wins have come against low-level competition on the regional scene. He had a brief three-fight Bellator run from 2014 to 2015, including his sole pro loss against Jordan Parsons. He’ll now face former KSW Featherweight Champion Rutkowski, who had a winning streak broken last year by Patryk Kaczmarczyk.
ONE Championship
A pair of MMA fights have been booked for ONE Championship’s “Friday Fights 52” card this weekend from the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Asset Anarbaev (7-0) will try to protect his undefeated record when he takes on Ilyas Eziev (4-1) at featherweight. Anarbaev has earned seven victories in notable Kazakhstan regional promotion Naiza FC. Eziev is coming over to ONE after attaining four wins and one loss in Russia.
Heavyweight prospects Maxwell Djantou Nana (4-1) and Adnan Larry (2-1) have been paired up. The heavyweights similarly have both lost their pro debuts and then gone on winning streaks since then. Nana has picked up four finish victories since mid-2022. Larry went on a two-fight run in 2023 after losing his debut just over a year ago.
PFL Europe
PFL Europe has announced the opening round for their welterweight and lightweight tournaments, which will begin on March 7th from Paris, France. Single elimination tournaments will also kick off on a later card for men’s bantamweight and women’s flyweight divisions. Here are the opening-round matchups at lightweight:
Defending champion Jakub Kaszuba (11-0) will look for his second PFL Europe title, starting his quest against Kane Mousah (14-5). Kaszuba has earned three of his 11 pro wins in the PFL cage. Mousah is a six-fight Bellator vet who will be trying to come back from a 2023 loss to Thibault Gouti.
After earning a win and a loss in non-title PFL fights last year, Yazid Couchane (10-4) will enter the tournament against Ignacio Capella (7-1). Capella is coming into PFL on a seven-fight winning streak but will be fighting for the first time in more than two years.
Bellator vet Daniele Scatizzi (12-7) will fight Aleksandr Chizov (10-2). Scatizzi earned four wins and three losses in Bellator. Chizov was eliminated from the lightweight bracket last year after missing weight for his semi-final fight.
After getting eliminated in the opening round of the 2023 season, Connor Hughes (8-1) has been booked to return this year against Anatolij Baal (10-3-1). Baal earned a finish win in a non-tournament fight last year.
Unlike the PFL Europe lightweight bracket, there won’t be a defending champion at welterweight. This is because 2024 is the first time year that PFL Europe has held a tournament in the division. Here are the quarter-final matchups:
Both making their PFL debuts, Ares FC vet Ibrahim Mane (13-4) and Germany regional scene Chequina Noso Pedro (8-3) will fight. Mane is on an impressive five-fight winning streak, including appearances in French MMA promotion Ares FC. Pedro scored a pair of victories last year, including a win in Brave CF.
After fighting in bare-knuckle boxing recently, Marian Dimitrov (10-3) will return to MMA against Erhan Kartal (11-2). Dimitrov’s last MMA fight was a 2022 Cage Warriors title shot loss to now-UFC fighter Christian Leroy Duncan.
Yassin Najid (9-4) will have the home-country advantage next month when he faces Daniele Miceli (11-5) in the opening round. Najid is coming off a loss, and Micelli has earned two wins and one no contest in his past three appearances.
Florim Zendeli (7-1-1) will meet Tomasz Langowski (6-4) at welterweight. Zendeli scored a title win on the regional scene recently, defeating Wladimir Holodenko last year to capture the NFC Welterweight Championship. Langowski, who is coming from the same promotion, lost his last fight via first-round submission.
Cage Warriors
Cage Warriors has announced four different fights for four different events coming up on their calendar.
Lightweight finisher Adam Cullen (7-1) has been paired up against Harel Cohen (6-0) for Cage Warriors 168 in Manchester, England on March 16th. Cullen picked up his seventh first-round finish win last fall, putting away Amaury Junior with strikes. Cohen is entering Cage Warriors with a flawless pro record, including five finishes.
Thomas Paull (11-5) will be trying to get back to his winning ways when he makes his promotional debut against Dimitry Solimeis (6-4) at Cage Warriors 169 in London, England on March 30th. Paull suffered a first-round finish loss to Esteban Ribovics during the 2022 season of “Dana White’s Contender Series.” He returned to the regional scene later that year but was stopped once again, that time against Bailey Gilbert. After more than a year out of action, he will return next month. Solimeis is similarly coming off a pair of losses, including a submission defeat in PFL’s Europe series.
At a catchweight of 120 pounds, Sineadh Ni Nuallain (0-1) and Jennifer Trioreau (0-4) will fight at Cage Warriors 170 in Dublin, Ireland on April 6th. Ni Nuallain lost her pro debut at Cage Warriors 163 against Kate Bacik. Trioreau has failed to get a victory since her early 2020 debut.
Cage Warriors 171 from Glasgow, Scotland on April 20th has gained a flyweight fight. Promotional vets Scott Malone (9-6) and Nicolas Leblond (9-4) have been paired up for the card. Leblond had a highly successful three-win 2023, with two fights in Cage Warriors. Malone, on the other hand, will be fighting to snap a two-fight skid that first started in 2021.