2/8/25: UFC Announces First Montreal Card In 10 Years
Also: Results from LFA and ONE, a preview of tonight's UFC PPV, and more!
Welcome to a Saturday edition of the Knockdown Daily! Today’s issue features a pair of fight card reports, a preview of tonight’s UFC lineup, and some smaller news items in the notes section. But first, some news coming out of Canada…
UFC Announces First Montreal PPV Card In Over 10 Years
UFC will return to a legendary MMA destination for the first time in over a decade later this year.
Montreal, Quebec, Canada, a host of seven past pay-per-view offerings from the late 2000s to the mid-2010s, will soon once again be the base for a numbered UFC card.
UFC 315 was announced for May 10th at the Bell Centre this week, confirming the promotion’s return to the second-largest city in Canada. The event comes as part of a new partnership with Montreal’s tourism program, per a press release issued Friday.
Montreal served as a host to many fights during the dominant welterweight reign of French-Canadian MMA superstar Georges St-Pierre. The UFC Hall of Famer’s frequent appearances at the Bell Centre made the city UFC’s most-visited Canadian location, drawing crowds of over 20,000 on numerous occasions.
However, after St-Pierre started his lengthy absence from MMA in 2013, Montreal no longer became a frequent stop for the top MMA organization. The promotion’s last trip to the city took place in 2015 with UFC 186, headlined by flyweights Demetrious Johnson and Kyoji Horiguchi.
More generally, the upcoming event delivers another show to a country that has seen a significant drop-off in cards since the COVID-19 pandemic. UFC has visited Canada just three times since 2020, most recently heading to Toronto, Ontario for a PPV card in early 2024.
UFC has restructured their schedule in recent years, changing from a promotion that goes anywhere and everywhere in the world to a company that is more selective with where they host shows.
The promotion has placed a high priority on receiving upfront benefits—primarily through “site fees” awarded by government tourism boards—when choosing where to host events. Luckily for Quebec MMA fans, a new deal with Tourisme Montreal likely explains why they’re receiving a card for the first time in years.
No fights have been announced for UFC 315 thus far.
Here’s an updated look at UFC’s schedule in 2025:
2/8/25: UFC 312, Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales, Australia
2/15/25: UFC Fight Night, UFC APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada
2/22/25: UFC Fight Night, Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Washington, USA
3/1/25: UFC Fight Night, UFC APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
3/8/25: UFC 313, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
3/15/25: UFC Fight Night, UFC APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
3/22/25: UFC Fight Night, O2 Arena, London, England
3/29/25: UFC Fight Night, Reportedly set for Mexico City, Mexico
4/5/25: UFC Fight Night, UFC APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
4/12/25: UFC 314, Reportedly set for Kaseya Center, Miami, Florida, USA
4/26/25: UFC Fight Night, Location TBD
5/3/25: UFC Fight Night, Reportedly being considered for Des Moines, Iowa, USA
5/10/25: UFC 315, Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Lany Silva Scores Walk-Off Head Kick KO To Capture LFA Strawweight Title
22-year-old Lany Silva ended her competitive title fight against Rose Conceicao with a bang.
A head kick from Silva put Conceicao out cold in the fifth round of their LFA Strawweight Championship clash on Friday night, taking scorecards out of the equation and earning the Brazilian prospect her first regional gold.
The walk-off knockout win for Silva headlined LFA 201 from the Ginasio do Povilho in Sao Paulo, Brazil this weekend.
Silva gained confidence through the nearly 23 minutes she shared in the cage with Conceicao, culminating in a highlight-reel finish.
The fight was close in the early rounds, with Conceicao remaining active in stand-up exchanges against Silva. However, as the bout progressed, Silva started to take over.
Silva’s background in kickboxing and Muay Thai allowed her to get the best of many stand-up exchanges, marching Conceicao down at times with thudding kicks to the body. Her timing was on point, as shown when she countered the champ with slick punch combinations.
In an important showcase of her well-roundedness, Silva shut down numerous wrestling attempts from Conceicao, taking away one of the champ’s biggest tools. Silva was even able to land a takedown of her own in the third round, using the position to score with ground and pound shots from the top position.
While Conceicao remained in the fight through to the fifth round, Silva provided many positive moments for the judges to see before scoring the devastating fight-ending kick.
Now at just 22, Silva has a title which could line her up for bigger opportunities in the sport.
“I feel like I deserve it,” Silva said about her victory through an interpreter in her post-fight interview. “I worked hard my whole career. I worked very hard to be here. I deserve this belt.”
Silva entered this weekend with a solid record of six wins and just one loss, including numerous past appearances in the LFA. Her most recent pro bout before Friday saw her appear in UAE Warriors, scoring a rare heel hook submission win over Sofiia Bagishvili.
Conceicao was hoping to defend her title for the first time this weekend. The 27-year-old prospect became LFA champ back in 2023, going five rounds against Elaine Lopes to earn a unanimous decision nod.
Despite entering as champ, Conceicao was looking to return from her first pro loss due to a decision defeat she took against Alexia Thainara on “Dana White’s Contender Series” in September.
Marcos Degli Earns Interim Flyweight Title With Second-Round Finish
Marcos Degli’s explosive boxing has led him to an LFA title.
A clean left hook from Degli sent opponent Lincon Santos crumbling to the canvas in Friday’s co-main event, forcing a stoppage just 41 seconds into round two and crowning him the new interim LFA Flyweight Champion.
The knockout win for Degli emerged following a close opening round that saw Santos aggressively pursue takedowns. Degli was able to block wrestling attempts from Santos in the beginning minutes of the fight and punished the fellow prospect from body lock positions with dirty boxing and submission attempts.
Then just moments into the second round, while the fight was still at kickboxing range, Degli landed the shot that brought things to a sudden close.
“I knew that he wanted to grapple me … But I was ready,” Degli said through an interpreter. “My coach told me between rounds that I should go for the calf kick, step to the side and go for the hook, and that’s what I did.”
Degli has now strung together 10 wins since 2022, with nine of those outings ending via finish. While he has appeared all around the Brazilian regional scene, he was given an LFA title shot this weekend following a trio of wins under their banner since 2023.
Following his win, Degli took aim at main LFA flyweight champ Eduardo Chapolin, who is currently unable to defend his belt due to a possible spot on UFC’s “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show. Degli also called out UFC CEO Dana White, angling for a shot on the roster.
Santos similarly had consistent results on the regionals heading into Friday, having won seven of his past eight regional fights. His previous LFA appearance saw him secure a heel hook win against Kleberson Sousa in August.
Here are the quick results from LFA’s busy Sao Paulo presentation:
Main Card (7:00PM EST / 9:00PM BRT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 15: Lany Silva def. Rose Conceicao via TKO, Strikes (RD 5, 2:54) (LFA Strawweight Championship)
Bout 14: Marcos Degli def. Lincoln Santos via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 0:41) (Vacant Interim LFA Flyweight Championship)
Bout 13: Jose Delano def. Abu Muslim Alikhanov via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:46)
Bout 12: Paulo Henrique vs. Vladimir Kannunikov via No Contest, Illegal Choke (RD 1, 2:47)
Bout 11: Vladimir Dayneko def. Andre Vieira via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 10: Rafael Pereira def. Janderson Barreto via Decision, Unanimous
Preliminary Card
Bout 9: Cassio Junior def. Kaue Vaz via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 8: Mackson Lee def. Filipe Zacaron via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:03)
Bout 7: Pedro Dantas def. Gustavo Silva via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:34)
Bout 6: Natalia Alves def. Nawira Ferreira via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 5: Guilherme Uriel def. Hyago Silva via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:27)
Bout 4: Marcos Aurelio def. Victor Gabriel via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 3: Seyedmostafa Salehizadeh def. Welerson Oliveira via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 2: Leidiane Fernandes def. Ruth Pereira via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 1: Eduardo Dutra def. Sergio Murilo via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:50)
Prajanchai Slices Ellis Badr Barboza Open To Force Doctor Stoppage, Defend ONE Muay Thai Belt
Two-sport ONE champion Prajanchai P.K.Saenchaimuaythaigym put together yet another stellar striking performance on Friday night, utilizing damaging elbows to force a fourth-round doctor stoppage against Ellis Badr Barboza and defend his 125-pound Muay Thai title for the second time.
Prajanchai’s win closed out ONE Fight Night 28 from the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
In a performance that ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong considered “flawless,” Prajanchai out-landed a game Badr Barboza in a fast-paced Muay Thai clash through three-and-a-half rounds. While primarily utilizing his boxing to pitch a shutout against Badr Barboza, Prajanchai also frequently moved into a clinch range to connect with elbows to the head.
After marking up the face of Badr Barboza throughout the fight, a right elbow from Prajanchai in the fourth round seemingly caused the worst laceration yet. Blood started to drip down the face of Badr Barboza immediately after the shot landed, something Prajanchai pointed out immediately. Referee Olivier Coste stepped in moments later, bringing Badr Barboza to a doctor who decided the fight couldn’t continue.
The outing continues an impressive two-year run for the Thai talent. 29-year-old Prajanchai has responded strongly after his first title reign was stopped by Joseph Lasiri in 2022, having gone on a run of six wins between Muay Thai and kickboxing appearances since then.
Performances in recent months have seen Prajanchai regain his Muay Thai title, beating Sam-A Gaiyanghadao for the belt in 2023 and later avenging his defeat to Lasiri in just 88 seconds. He also captured a kickboxing title last year, overcoming Jonathan Di Bella in a five-round decision outcome.
England’s Badr Barboza was getting the title shot after scoring a split decision win over Aliff Sor Dechapan last year, ending the Malaysian talent’s four-fight Muay Thai winning streak in the promotion.
Here are some other developments from earlier in the night:
Former UFC talent and Chinese MMA vet Zhang Lipeng (35-13-2) scored a highlight-reel stoppage win against Hiroyuki Tetsuka (14-6), dropping him just two minutes into their bout with a left hook and then finishing the fight with ground and pound. Zhang’s ONE record since 2021 is now four wins through six appearances.
Carlo Bumina-ang (7-1) bounced back from his first pro loss with a 53-second win against the returning Song Min Jong (13-9), using a combination of punches and knees to the head both on the feet and on the ground to force the quick stoppage. Bumina-ang had a run of five victories in ONE snapped when he suffered a submission defeat to Engh-Orgil Baatarkhuu last year. Song was returning for the first time since 2022.
A clash between Russian prospect Ibrahim Dauev (9-1) and Jeremy Pacatiw (13-5) was removed from the card this week. Dauev got past veteran Mark Abelardo in his promotional debut last year.
Main Card (8:00PM EST / 8:00AM ICT) (Amazon Prime Video)
Bout 10: Prajanchai P.K.Saenchaimuaythaigym def. Ellis Badr Barboza via TKO, Doctor Stoppage (RD 4, 1:55) (ONE Muay Thai Strawweight Championship) (125 lbs)
Bout 9: Kongthoranee Sor Sommai def. Nong-O Hama via Decision, Split (Muay Thai)
Bout 8: Zhang Lipeng def. Hiroyuki Tetsuka via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:06)
Bout 7: Sean Climaco def. Diego Paez via Decision, Split (Muay Thai)
Bout 6: Keito Yamakita def. Lito Adiwang via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 5: Felipe Lobo def. Saemapetch Fairtex via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 2:22) (Muay Thai)
Bout 4: Jeremy Miado def. Gilbert Nakatani via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 3: Carlo Bumina-ang def. Song Min Jong via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:53)
Bout 2: Gabriel Sousa def. Gianni Grippo via Decision, Split (Grappling)
Bout 1: Aliff Sor Dechapan def. Shamil Adukhob via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:10) (Muay Thai)
Preview
Middleweights Look To Write More Decisive Sequel In Sydney
When Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland met in early 2024, they produced an unsatisfying result. While their five-round clash for the UFC Middleweight Championship in Toronto, Ontario, Canada found a winner after 25 minutes of action—Du Plessis, who kicked off his ongoing reign that night—the closeness of the fight left the MMA world in debate.
To this day, rewatchers of the fight produce varying scorecards after watching the clash. The fight might not be the best you’ll ever see—as both Du Plessis and Strickland use fighting styles that can be frustrating in their own ways—but from a judging perspective, it’s a very intriguing watch. People continue to discuss the result. The only thing that people can seemingly agree upon is the fact that it was an incredibly hard fight to score.
After their first meeting left the sport divided, a rematch between Du Plessis and Strickland this evening at UFC 312 from the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, could provide some closure to the middleweight rivalry.
While it would have been justified for the UFC to make a rematch between Du Plessis and Strickland immediately, both fighters are reconvening after achieving wins elsewhere in the division.
Du Plessis pulled off another massive victory over the summer, choking out former champ Israel Adesanya in the fourth round of a title fight via rear naked choke. The fight was Du Plessis’ eighth win since joining the UFC roster in 2020, continuing a meteoric rise that now sees him on top of a division and settling into a title run that just crossed past the year mark.
Strickland held onto his contender status with a five-round performance against Paulo Costa in June, taking down the Brazilian contender with a one-sided decision result.
Now meeting just a little over a year since they first shared the cage, the high-level middleweights have a chance to right their wrongs. Strickland can get back to the position he was in before, and the spot some may argue he should have never left. Meanwhile, Du Plessis has a chance to close out his rivalry with Strickland and move on to other challenges in the division like Khamzat Chimaev or Nassourdine Imavov.
An incredibly underrated strawweight title fight will go down before the main event, with 115-pound champ Zhang Weili taking on Tatiana Suarez.
Oddsmakers believe that Suarez could be the first real challenge to Zhang’s strawweight reign, as the defending champ is a slight underdog at some sportsbooks. That’s because Suarez has long been touted as a future champ, tearing through the division and beating names like Alexa Grasso, Carla Esparza and Jessica Andrade over the years.
While injuries have been a massive issue for Suarez, delaying her progression for long periods of time and most notably keeping her away for nearly four years during the early 2020s, a run of seven wins since her 2016 UFC debut has finally brought her to a big title moment.
Suarez will try to end the dominant reign of Zhang, who has held the division’s title since late 2022. The Chinese vet has steamrolled talent in the division as of late, dominating against Yan Xiaonan and Amanda Lemos in recent title appearances. Coming back after 300 days on the bench, Zhang will try to shut down a contender who has a lot of hype behind her.
The rest of UFC 312 is quite a weak card for pay-per-view standards, with many matchups focused on local Australian talent. Here’s a look at the full lineup:
Main Card (10:00PM EST / 2:00PM AEDT) (PPV)
Bout 12: Dricus Du Plessis (22-2) vs. Sean Strickland (29-6) (UFC Middleweight Championship)
Bout 11: Zhang Weili (25-3) vs. Tatiana Suarez (10-0) (UFC Strawweight Championship)
Bout 10: Tallison Teixeira (7-0) vs. Justin Tafa (7-4) (Heavyweight)
Bout 9: Jimmy Crute (12-4-1) vs. Rodolfo Bellato (12-2) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 8: Jake Matthews (20-7) vs. Francisco Prado (12-2) (Welterweight)
Preliminary Card (8:00PM EST / 12:00PM AEDT) (ESPN2 / ESPN+)
Bout 7: Jack Jenkins (13-3) vs. Gabriel Santos (11-2) (Featherweight)
Bout 6: Tom Nolan (8-1) vs. Viacheslav Borshchev (8-4-1) (Lightweight)
Bout 5: Wang Cong (6-1) vs. Bruna Brasil (10-4-1) (Flyweight)
Bout 4: Aleksandre Topuria (5-1) vs. Colby Thicknesse (7-0) (Bantamweight)
Early Prelims (6:30PM EST / 10:30AM AEDT) (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 3: Kody Steele (7-0) vs. Rongzhu (25-6) (Lightweight)
Bout 2: Kevin Jousset (10-3) vs. Jonathan Micallef (7-1) (Welterweight)
Bout 1: Quillan Salkilld (7-1) vs. Anshul Jubli (7-1) (Lightweight)
Notes On: UFC, PFL & Cage Warriors
UFC
Here are four more fights joining UFC’s card on April 5th, which is currently without an official location:
2023-24 “Road To UFC” winner Lee Chang-ho (10-1) will make his first official UFC appearance when he meets Cortavious Romious (9-3), per Marcel Dorff. Korea’s Lee picked up back-to-back finish wins in the early rounds of the “Road To UFC” bracket, then walked away with a split decision win over Chinese veteran Xiao Long in the grand finals last year. 2024 “Contender Series” alum Romious is coming back after losing his UFC debut against Gaston Bolanos in November.
Romania’s Daniel Frunza (9-2) will step into a UFC cage for the first time when he faces Rhys McKee (13-6-1), Marcel Dorff recently reported. Frunza continued his streak of finish wins when he appeared on the “Contender Series” last September, putting away Vadym Kutsyi in the second round with strikes. He’ll try to keep his momentum going against former Cage Warriors champ McKee, who has gone winless through two appearances in his current UFC run, most recently dropping a split decision to Chidi Njokuani.
Talita Alencar (5-1-1) will look to come back from her first pro loss when she meets Vanessa Demopoulos (11-6), as first reported by AgFight. Brazil’s Alencar suffered her first loss in August, dropping a decision to Stephanie Luciano. She previously had five wins, including a promotional debut victory over former Invicta FC champ Rayanne Amanda. Demopoulos had a two-fight winning streak broken in September when she suffered a first-round armbar loss to Jaqueline Amorim.
Both aiming for a return to the win column, flyweights Diana Belbita (15-9) and Dione Barbosa (7-3) will collide, per AgFight. Belbita has struggled since joining the UFC roster in 2019, having won just two of her seven appearances in the promotion. She suffered a second consecutive defeat when she appeared just over a year ago, getting submitted by Molly McCann. Barbosa took her first UFC defeat in July, getting a four-fight winning streak broken by Miranda Maverick.
PFL
Aaron Pico (13-4) is the latest major name to depart PFL’s roster, per a recent report from John Morgan. Pico built up his reputation as a prospect in Bellator for years, debuting under their banner in 2017 and picking up 12 wins through his 16 pro fights while with them. The 28-year-old Jackson Wink talent started to overcome big names in the promotion in his most recent fights, scoring quick finishes over Henry Corrales and Pedro Carvalho.
Cage Warriors
Cage Warriors Lightweight Champion George Hardwick (13-2) will return on March 14th against American prospect Lucas Clay (10-3), the promotion announced this weekend. Cage Warriors initially attempted to pair up Hardwick and Clay roughly a year before their new meeting, although the previous clash ended up not happening. A win for Hardwick would make him the only lightweight champ in Cage Warriors history to defend their title four times. He first captured the belt back in 2022 and has since put together wins over names like Yann Liasse and Cristian Iorga. Clay, a former LFA talent, last appeared in January 2024 when he bounced back from a loss with a second-round armbar win.