Welcome to the Monday edition of the Knockdown Daily. Today’s issue is absolutely jam-packed: We have two short news stories for you, plus a preview of the incredibly busy week of MMA ahead. We’re going to go over six events in total! Let’s dive in.
Reminder: The Knockdown Daily takes Tuesdays off. The next edition of the newsletter will be sent out Wednesday.
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News
Wanderlei Silva Set To Join UFC Hall of Fame
The most successful fighter in Pride FC history is joining UFC’s 2024 Hall of Fame class.
Wanderlei Silva will be inducted into the Hall of Fame’s “Pioneer Wing” this year, as announced during the UFC 298 broadcast on Saturday night.
Silva, 47, is best known for his dominance in the Japanese MMA promotion Pride, where he earned a reputation for fighting a fan-friendly, aggressive style. He competed in Pride 28 times from 1999 to 2007, producing a lengthy highlight reel of knockout finishes along the way.
Silva held the Pride Middleweight Championship for nearly 2,000 days. He defended his belt four times from 2001 to 2007, including wins over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Ricardo Arona. His title reign came to an end with a stoppage loss to Dan Henderson at Pride 33.
He also won the promotion’s 2003 middleweight grand prix, scoring three wins between two events that year.
Silva re-joined the UFC roster in 2007, shortly after they purchased Pride. He fought on a few early UFC cards before this campaign, including a title shot loss to Tito Ortiz in the year 2000. His second stint with the promotion saw him battle many top names at light heavyweight, including Chuck Liddell and Rich Franklin.
Silva’s UFC campaign had a controversial final few years. In 2014, he was handed a lifetime ban and a $70,000 fine from the Nevada State Athletic Commission after refusing to comply with drug tests ahead of a fight against Chael Sonnen. However, the ban was overturned a year later.
A year later, UFC filed a lawsuit against Silva after he claimed in social media posts that the promotion staged fixed fights. Silva apologized for his comments, causing the lawsuit to be dropped but ultimately resulting in his release from the promotion.
The “Pioneer Wing” of the UFC Hall of Fame focuses on fighters who competed before UFC 28 in 2000 when the Unified Rules of MMA were first utilized. Previous inductees include Anderson Silva, Kevin Randleman, and Royce Gracie.
Silva is now the second fighter to join the 2024 class. It was previously announced that former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar will be inducted into the “Modern Wing” this year.
The annual UFC Hall of Fame ceremony is expected to take place during “International Fight Week” this summer in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
PFL vs. Bellator Card Loses Clash Between Featherweight Champs
The first-ever collaborative card between PFL and Bellator has suffered another alteration to its lineup.
A matchup between featherweight champions Jesus Pinedo and Patricio Pitbull has been scrapped from a February 24th show from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Pinedo withdrew from the fight due to undisclosed reasons, per an announcement made by the promotion.
Pinedo was scheduled to appear for the first time since winning the 2023 PFL Featherweight Championship. He scored a trio of stoppage wins last year to earn the belt, including a victory over 2022 champ Brendan Loughnane.
Pitbull will now have to wait a little longer for his chance to break the first two-fight losing streak of his career. A pair of losses in 2023 saw him lose a bantamweight title fight against Sergio Pettis, and then get stopped by Chihiro Suzuki in a RIZIN fight.
The change has brought Saturday’s PFL vs. Bellator card down to two champion vs. champion fights in total. When the card was originally announced, a total of four matchups between PFL and Bellator titleholders were booked. This included a now-scrapped fight between Magomed Magomedkerimov and Jason Jackson.
The headlining bout will see Renan Ferreira take on long-time Bellator heavyweight champ Ryan Bader. Middleweights Impa Kasanganay and Johnny Eblen will meet in the co-main event. More details on the card can be found in the “Look At The Week Ahead” section of today’s newsletter.
A Look At The Week Ahead
Friday
LFA 177: Smyth vs. Magomedov
LFA will crown a pair of new champions when they return to Niagara Falls, New York, USA this Friday.
A chance to become an interim champ at welterweight will be on the line in the main event when Devin Smyth and Shamidkhan Magomedov meet at the Seneca Niagara Event Center. They will become the second current LFA champ in the weight class, as Brazil’s Geraldo Neto also earned a belt after his win over Magnus Conrado last year.
Smyth made his return to MMA last year, stopping Jonathan Piersma with a spinning wheel kick in 51 seconds. Smyth was absent from the sport for years following a pair of losses against fellow prospects from 2019 to 2020. His two losses came against fighters who went on to join the UFC roster, as he dropped a decision to Brok Weaver and was stopped by Maycon Mendonda.
Magomedov will be trying for his third LFA win within a year. He appeared in the promotion twice in 2023, scoring a first-round submission victory and then overcoming Uzbekistan talent Bakhromjon Mashrapov on scorecards. Before his LFA success, Magomedov picked up two victories in Russian MMA promotion Eagle FC.
The fifth-ever women’s flyweight champ in LFA history will be crowned in the co-main event, as undefeated prospects talents Shannon Clark and Thaiany Lopes will face off. Clark, a 31-year-old who started her career on the Canadian regional scene, won her LFA debut last year against Nejra Repp. Lopes is coming into the promotion after earning five wins as a pro, including three via armbar.
Numerous undefeated prospects have been booked for the LFA 177 undercard. Mirafzal Akhtamov will look to follow up on his first-round LFA debut win from last year when he takes on Diego Bianchini. Ukrainian welterweight Egor Kostyuchenko will look to further his undefeated record against the far more experienced James Wallace.
Here are the confirmed fights for LFA 177.
Main Card (9:00PM EST) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 9: Devin Smyth (10-3) vs. Shamidkhan Magomedov (7-1) (Vacant Interim LFA Welterweight Championship)
Bout 8: Shannon Clark (4-0) vs. Thaiany Lopes (5-0) (Vacant LFA Flyweight Championship)
Bout 7: Joe Taylor (5-0) vs. Gabriel Thimoteo (5-5) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 6: Mirafzal Akhtamov (6-0-1) vs. Diego Bianchini (8-1) (Welterweight)
Bout 5: Cameron Kinzig (4-0) vs. Denzel Freeman (4-1) (Heavyweight)
Bout 4: Egor Kosyuchenko (4-0) vs. James Wallace (10-4) (Welterweight)
Bout 3: Sierra Dinwoodle (2-0) vs. Hope Chase (3-1) (Bantamweight)
Bout 2: Levan Khabalaev (2-0) vs. Mykola Plazynskyi (2-0) (Lightweight)
Bout 1: Liam Anderson (5-2) vs. Maurice Morris (6-4) (Middleweight)
Cage Warriors 166
European MMA promotion Cage Warriors will kick off their 2024 the same way they ended 2023: With a card from San Diego, California, USA.
While Cage Warriors frequently holds shows in England, Ireland, and Italy, the unlikely destination of California has also become a highly visited spot for the promotion. Friday night will mark the 10th time since 2021 that they have touched down in the West Coast state.
The Sycuan Casino Resort is expected to host 10 fights on Friday evening as part of Cage Warriors 166. The top bout has former Elite XC Featherweight Champion and UFC alum Wilson Reis paired up against Toby Misech.
Reis has appeared frequently in Cage Warriors for the past couple of years. He put together a three-fight winning streak in the promotion but had that run stopped by a split decision result against Trevin Jones last year. He’ll now try to come back from that loss against Misech, who was handed a loss by Roberto Hernandez last year. Misech has previously fought on “Dana White’s Contender Series” and has two wins in Bellator.
Mason Jones will also appear on Friday’s main card facing Bryce Logan. Jones has put together a pair of finish victories since departing the UFC roster in 2022. The 28-year-old, who previously held the Cage Warriors Welterweight Championship before joining the UFC roster in 2021, will be looking for his third straight win this weekend. Logan snapped a three-fight skid in his last fight, beating Peter Queally on a Bellator card.
Here are all of the fights currently announced for Cage Warriors 166:
Main Card (9:00PM EST / 6:00PM PST) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 10: Wilson Reis (27-13) vs. Toby Misech (12-8) (Featherweight)
Bout 9: Mason Jones (13-2) vs. Bryce Logan (13-7) (Lightweight)
Bout 8: Chasen Blair (3-2) vs. Orlando Sanders (3-1) (Welterweight)
Bout 7: Miguel Peimbert (2-4) vs. Carlos Elizarraraz (2-3-1) (Bantamweight)
Bout 6: Xavier Vines (2-1) vs. Corvan Allen (3-2) (Bantamweight)
Bout 5: Diego Vazquez (2-1) vs. Sean Rose (1-2) (Heavyweight)
Bout 4: Elijah Harris (4-4) vs. Giovanni Sarran (8-5) (Heavyweight)
Bout 3: Devon Simons (0-0) vs. Chadricc Kindle (0-0) (Heavyweight)
Bout 2: Bobby Winther (2-0) vs. Devin Goodale (4-0) (Welterweight)
Bout 1: Chase Eskam (1-2-1) vs. Ilias Faquiri (0-1) (Catchweight 195 lbs)
Saturday
RIZIN LANDMARK 8 in SAGA
Japanese MMA promotion RIZIN will head to the country’s Saga Prefecture for the first time this weekend with TRIGGER 8. Saga has a population of just over 800,000, making it the 42nd most populous prefecture in the country.
In the main event of the night, lightweight Luiz Gustavo attempt to keep his success going against former UFC fighter Yoshinori Horie. Gustavo has been on a roll since making his return to action in 2022. He has scored a trio of victories for the promotion, overcoming tough names like Koji Takeda and Juri Ohara. He’ll now try to get through Horie, who has won four of his five promotional appearances since 2021. Horie is coming off a decision victory from September 2023, beating UFC and Bellator alum Spike Carlyle on scorecards.
RIZIN’s card took a few significant hits in recent days, leaving the show short of a couple notable figures. Former RIZIN Super Atomweight Champion Ayaka Hamasaki was originally scheduled to end the longest layoff of her career in a bout against Claire Lopez. However, she has since been replaced by former DEEP Jewels champ Saori Oshima.
Lower on the lineup, Vugar Karamov was booked to appear for the first time since dropping his RIZIN Featherweight Championship to Chihiro Suzuki. He is now also off the card, with veteran Masakazu Imanari taking his place against Kazumasa Majima.
The current international broadcast details for this weekend’s RIZIN card have not been announced. Knockdown News has reached out for comment and will provide an update once the broadcast plan for the event has been finalized.
Here’s a full look at RIZIN LANDMARK 8 in SAGA
Main Card (12:00AM EST / 2:00PM JST)
Bout 14: Luiz Gustavo (12-2) vs. Yoshinori Horie (12-3) (Lightweight)
Bout 13: Kazumasa Majima (16-4) vs. Masakazu Imanari (39-22-2) (Featherweight)
Bout 12: Yusuke Yachi (25-13) vs. Rikuto Shirakawa (11-9-1) (Lightweight)
Bout 11: Takahiro Ashida (26-13-2) vs. Hiroaki Suzuki (3-3) (Featherweight)
Bout 10: Daichi Abe (12-7) vs. Kota Osuman (4-4) (Welterweight)
Bout 9: Saori Oshima (12-4) vs. Claire Lopez (8-5) (Super Atomweight)
Bout 8: Yuki Ito (15-5) vs. Masatoshi Ueda (19-9-2) (Flyweight)
Bout 7: Kenta Takizawa (13-10) vs. Shohei Nose (11-4-2) (Bantamweight)
Bout 6: Takumi Terada vs. Takekiyo Tominaga (Flyweight Kickboxing)
Bout 5: Ryoga (3-5) vs. Ryuhei Sakai (2-1) (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)
KSW EPIC
Polish MMA promotion KSW will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a card unlike any before by the promotion. KSW EPIC features many different styles of combat sports, a variety of MMA bouts with varying rules, and a wide array of talent all competing under the same roof.
While some promotions celebrate their anniversaries by loading a card with the most high-stakes matchups possible, KSW is going a different route this weekend. The promotion is instead putting many of their experienced fighters in rulesets that they have never been seen in before. Take for example the main event, which will have former KSW middleweight and light heavyweight champion Mamed Khalidov taking on former WBC Light Heavyweight Champion Tomasz Adamek in a boxing match. Or, a grappling match between heavyweight champ Phil De Fries and UFC, Pride FC alum Josh Barnett. There will also be a caged Muay Thai fight, and an MMA bout where both competitors will wear a gi.
Apart from the special attraction fights, KSW will also be crowning a new champion at 205 pounds. The promotion will hold a one-night, four-man tournament to find a new titleholder after former KSW Champion Ibrahim Chuzhigaev left the promotion recently.
On one side of the bracket, 33-fight veteran Kleber Silva will try for his third consecutive KSW win when facing Polish talent Damian Piwowarczyk. The other half of the tournament will see Marcin Wojcik put his five-fight winning streak on the line against former Ares FC title challenger Rafal Haratyk.
The light heavyweights will have their first fight halfway through the main card. Then, just a few hours later, the winning fighters will meet in the co-main event for the title.
On a busy Saturday where there are numerous notable MMA cards taking place, KSW has the most unique lineup of them all. Here’s a rundown of the card, as it stands currently:
Main Card (1:00PM EST / 7:00PM CET) (KSW PPV)
Bout 10: Mamed Khalidov vs. Tomasz Adamek (218 lbs Boxing)
Bout 9: KSW Light Heavyweight Championship Grand Prix Finals
Bout 8: Phil De Fries vs. Josh Barnett (Heavyweight Grappling)
Bout 7: Michal Krolik vs.Vaclav Sivak (Featherweight Muay Thai)
Bout 6: Darko Stosic (19-6) vs. Matheus Scheffel (17-10) (Heavyweight Pride Rules)
Bout 5: Rafal Haratyk (17-5-2) vs. Marcin Wojcik (19-8) (KSW Light Heavyweight Championship Grand Prix Semi-Finals)
Bout 4: Damian Piwowarczyk (7-2) vs. Kleber Silva (22-11) (KSW Light Heavyweight Championship Grand Prix Semi-Finals)
Bout 3: Ivan Erslan (13-3) vs. Bogdan Gnidko (10-1) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 2: Konrad Rusinski (6-1) vs. Muslim Talshaev (10-3) (Catchweight 181 lbs No Holds Barred)
Bout 1: Piotr Kacprzak (9-4) vs. Adam Brysz (2-0) (Lightweight MMA In A Gi)
PFL vs. Bellator: Champs
Just a few months after Bellator was bought by the PFL, the two MMA brands will collide for a pay-per-view broadcast from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“PFL vs. Bellator: CHAMPS” has the theme of the two promotions being pinned against each other for a special attraction card. When it was initially announced, the lineup featured four champion-versus-champion fights. However, after the departure of bouts at featherweight and welterweight, the show now has just two champ vs. champ pairings.
Despite the lineup losing a pair of key matchups in recent weeks, it’s still a card that features many of the most notable names from both promotions. The headlining fight has 2023 PFL Heavyweight Champion Renan Ferreira taking on Ryan Bader, who has held Bellator’s heavyweight title since early 2019.
Undefeated Bellator middleweight champ Johnny Eblen will look for win number 15 when he fights UFC alum and 2023 PFL winner Impa Kasanganay. Last year was the best of Kasanganay’s career thus far, earning five victories over nine months.
Five other PFL vs. Bellator matchups are expected to take place lower in the lineup. Vadim Nemkov will start his campaign as a heavyweight when he meets 2022 PFL champ Bruno Cappelozza. A pair of former UFC title challengers will collide when Thiago Santos and Yoel Romero collide. And AJ McKee Jr. will search for his fourth win since moving to lightweight when he faces two-time PFL finalist Clay Collard.
Earlier in the evening, boxing champion Claressa Shields will make her return to MMA. She briefly pursued a PFL career in 2021, switching back to her home sport of boxing after losing to Abby Montes.
While Saturday’s show is solid, it comes with a price tag of $49.99. The price might deter some viewers, especially since a large majority of PFL and Bellator broadcasts in the past have been available via subscriptions to cable TV or ESPN+. All PFL events except for recent grand finals cards have aired on TV, and just a select few Bellator shows in the past have been on PPV.
Here’s a look at the busy co-promotion card:
Main Card (3:00PM EST / 11:00PM AST) (PPV)
Bout 11: Renan Ferreira (12-3) vs. Ryan Bader (31-7) (Champion vs. Champion Heavyweight Bout)
Bout 10: Impa Kasanganay (15-3) vs. Johnny Eblen (14-0) (Champion vs. Champion Middleweight Bout)
Bout 9: Ray Cooper III (25-9-1) vs. Jason Jackson (17-4) (PFL vs. Bellator Catchweight 182 lbs Bout)
Bout 8: Bruno Cappelozza (15-6) vs. Vadim Nemkov (17-2) (PFL vs. Bellator Heavyweight Bout)
Bout 7: Thiago Santos (22-11) vs. Yoel Romero (15-7) (PFL vs. Bellator Light Heavyweight Bout)
Bout 6: Clay Collard (24-11) vs. AJ McKee Jr. (21-1) (PFL vs. Bellator Lightweight Bout)
Early Card
Bout 5: Gabriel Braga (12-1) vs. Aaron Pico (12-4) (PFL vs. Bellator Featherweight Bout)
Bout 4: Biaggio Ali Walsh (0-0) vs. Emannuel Palacio (1-0) (Lightweight)
Bout 3: Claressa Shields (1-1) vs. Kelsey DeSantis (1-2) (Lightweight)
Bout 2: Abdullah Al-Qahtani (7-1) vs. Edukondala Rao (4-1) (Featherweight)
Bout 1: Malik Basahel (17-2-1) vs. Vinicius Pereira (5-0) (Amateur Flyweight)
UFC on ESPN+ 95: Moreno vs. Royval 2
Considering the fact that UFC has crowned three different champions representing Mexico over the past 12 months and has seen Brandon Moreno appear in six title fights since 2020, it’s shocking that the promotion hasn’t visited the country for a card in more than four years. But that will change this weekend, as the octagon will land at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City on Saturday night for an incredibly strong “Fight Night” lineup.
This weekend’s card is scheduled to host a pair of high-stakes five-round fights to close out a busy evening of matchups. The main event will see former UFC Flyweight Champion Brandon Moreno take on Brandon Royval in a rematch.
Moreno and Royval first met in late 2020, competing in what was essentially an unofficial title eliminator fight. Moreno came out on top in that meeting, although the first-round finish win for him emerged due to a shoulder injury that Royval suffered. Fast forward three years, Moreno and Royval are meeting in another fight that will have major implications for the top of the flyweight rankings.
The flyweight contenders are both trying to get back into the win column after losing to incumbent champion Alexandre Pantoja last year. Moreno had his latest title run put to an end by Pantoja with a split decision result. Later that year, Royval took his second loss to Pantoja, getting dominated through a five-round performance.
Considering they both recently lost fights to Pantoja, a win this weekend might not guarantee either fighter getting another immediate shot at the champ. However, there’s no doubt that Saturday’s main event is a big bout for the division: Moreno and Royval are ranked first and third at flyweight respectively. Sandwiched in between them is Amir Albazi, who was the original opponent for Moreno this weekend.
A big matchup will also take place at featherweight, as Yair Rodriguez and Brian Ortega will compete for a maximum of 25 minutes.
Rodriguez and Ortega are both looking to return to the win column after losing championship bouts to Alexander Volkanovski last year.
The fight took on a heightened significance after Ilia Topuria became the new UFC Featherweight Champion last week. Just a few days ago, Rodriguez and Ortega had hard cases to make for a new title shot, considering how handily former titleholder Alexander Volkanovski beat them in recent years. But with a newly installed champ in Topuria on top, both challengers have a first-time matchup for the belt that they can chase.
Similar to the main event, there’s nothing about the co-main spot that promises who will be next in line for the title. Other contenders at 145 pounds have a case for a shot at Topuria as well. This includes Max Holloway, who apart from his three losses to Volkanovski hasn’t lost at featherweight since 2013. This fight is far from an official number-one contender pairing, although it would be fair to say that whoever wins in the co-main event will be incredibly close to an opportunity against the division’s new king.
Saturday’s undercard is a representation of how many rising names in the UFC currently represent Mexico. Daniel Zellhuber has the chance to pick up his third UFC win when he faces Argentina’s Francisco Prado. 24-year-old strawweight prospect Yazmin Jauregui will try to bounce back from her sole pro defeat on the main card, taking on Sam Hughes. Riding the momentum of a 17-second win from last year, Jesus Aguilar will return against Mateus Mendonca. Those are just a few of the numerous fights on Saturday night that will showcase talent from Mexico.
Despite this weekend’s event being a “Fight Night” card, it will take place during the prime-time-to-late night hours that a pay-per-view event is typically aired at. Here’s a full look at the lineup:
Main Card (10:00PM EST / 9:00PM CST) (ESPN+)
Bout 13: Brandon Moreno (21-7-2) vs. Brandon Royval (15-7) (Flyweight)
Bout 12: Yair Rodriguez (18-4) vs. Brian Ortega (15-3) (Featherweight)
Bout 11: Daniel Zellhuber (14-1) vs. Francisco Prado (12-1) (Lightweight)
Bout 10: Raul Rosas Jr. (8-1) vs. Ricky Turcios (12-3) (Bantamweight)
Bout 9: Yazmin Jauregui (10-1) vs. Sam Hughes (8-5) (Strawweight)
Bout 8: Manuel Torres (14-2) vs. Chris Duncan (11-1) (Lightweight)
Preliminary Card (7:00PM EST / 6:00PM CST) (ESPN+)
Bout 7: Cristian Quinonez (18-4) vs. Raoni Barcelos (17-5) (Bantamweight)
Bout 6: Jesus Aguilar (9-2) vs. Matues Mendonca (10-2) (Flyweight)
Bout 5: Edgar Chairez (10-5) vs. Daniel Lacerda (11-5) (Flyweight)
Bout 4: Claudio Puelles (12-3) vs. Fares Ziam (14-4) (Lightweight)
Bout 3: Luis Rodriguez (16-2) vs. Dehys Bondar (19-4) (Flyweight)
Bout 2: Victor Altamirano (12-3) vs. Felipe dos Santos (7-1) (Flyweight)
Bout 1: Muhammad Naimov (10-2) vs. Erik Silva (9-2) (Featherweight)