Welcome to a Monday edition of the Knockdown Daily! Today’s issue includes a preview of this week’s top MMA events, plus 10 takeaways from the weekend.
Today’s newsletter is one for folks who love niche topics around the sport. The takeaway section has thoughts on European MMA and PFL’s current state. The weekly preview includes details about UFC along with notable regional cards coming out of South Dakota and Guadalajara. Lots of interesting stuff to cover today.
Just a reminder: The Knockdown Daily does not send an issue out on Tuesdays. We’ll be back Wednesday with the next newsletter!
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A Look At The Week Ahead
Friday
LFA 182: McKee vs. Hernandez
LFA will return to one of their more frequent destinations this weekend, presenting a bantamweight showdown in the main event.
135-pound prospects Mitchell McKee and Jose Hernandez will headline LFA 182 on Friday night from the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA. The Sanford Pentagon was briefly the home of crowd-less LFA fights during the COVID-19 pandemic and has continued to be a frequent spot for events in the years that followed.
This weekend, the venue will host a busy 13-fight lineup including a regular to the local scene in the main event. McKee, a Minnesota-raised fighter who trains at nearby Kill Cliff FC, has built up his record on cards in his home state and within Sioux Falls since his 2021 debut. He has put together four different finishes along with another win, mainly appearing in LFA but also making a one-off stop in Bellator. He’ll be receiving a main event spotlight in a non-title bout for the second time in his career.
McKee’s opponent, Hernandez, will be returning to LFA after losing in his previous promotional appearance. While he has picked up four victories since his 2018 pro debut, his 2023 booking in LFA saw him drop a decision to ONE Championship alum Tial Thang. After beating Alan Olivas on a FAC card late last year, he’s back in the promotion and hoping to stop the hype train of McKee.
A big name that pops off the page lower in this lineup is former Bellator Bantamweight Champion Darrion Caldwell. Appearing for the first time since an 18-fight, near-decade-long stint in Bellator, he’ll meet Tarcisio Romano. He will be trying to snap a four-fight losing streak that developed at the end of his run in Bellator.
There are a few other notable prospects on this card that regular LFA viewers will recognize. Rising lightweight Nikita Kulshin, 2021 flyweight title challenger Nate Smith, seven-time promotional vet Haris Talundzic, and strawweight prospect Kendra McIntyre are among the fighters competing in Friday’s lineup.
Here’s the full bout order:
Main Card (9:00PM EDT / 8:00PM CDT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 13: Mitchell McKee (5-0) vs. Jose Hernandez (4-1) (Bantamweight)
Bout 12: Khaseyn Shaykhaev (6-1) vs. Michel Lima (18-5) (Catchweight 140 lbs)
Bout 11: Haris Talundzic (6-2) vs. Keyth Dawson (4-5) (Welterweight)
Bout 10: Nikita Kulshin (5-0) vs. Cedric Gunnison (7-2) (Lightweight)
Bout 9: Darrion Caldwell (14-7) vs. Tarcisio Romano (11-5-1) (Bantamweigth)
Bout 8: Michael Blockhus (1-0) vs. Jonathan Griffin (3-3) (Lightweight)
Preliminary Card
Bout 7: Nate Smith (7-4) vs. Christian Ynastrilla (10-4) (Flyweight)
Bout 6: M,A, Yah II (2-0) vs. James Martin (1-0) (Welterweight)
Bout 5: Kendra McIntyre (2-1) vs. Katarina Legorreta (2-0) (Strawweight)
Bout 4: Shad Walters (2-0) vs. Nicholas Gjelaj (1-0) (Flyweight)
Bout 3: Cheyanne Bowers (3-1) vs. Naomie Young (1-1) (Flyweight)
Bout 2: Jeff Nielsen (2-3) vs. Zeb Vincent (2-0) (Welterweight)
Bout 1: Tavlin Hunt (3-0) vs. Sean Krebbs (5-3) (Amateur Light Heavyweight)
LUX Fight League 42
One of Mexico’s top MMA promotions, LUX Fight League, will present a stacked lineup on Friday evening. The promotion plans to present a trio of title fights from the Domo Code Alcalde in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. The theme of the night will be newly-crowned champions, as three different fighters will be looking to defend their belt for the very first time.
LUX veteran Alan Dominguez will put his welterweight title on the line in the main event against Nayib Lopez in a rematch. The welterweights first met early in their careers, with Lopez winning via decision back in early 2018. Dominguez will be trying to defend his welterweight title for the first time when he attempts to avenge that loss on Friday.
Dominguez earned his title last October, going five rounds against Antonio Suarez for a decision victory. The fight was a culmination of 11 appearances in the promotion since 2018, making up most of his career since debuting in 2015.
Lopez is returning to LUX after appearing in PFL’s 2023 regular season. While he started the season with a win over Shane Mitchell, he didn’t qualify for the playoffs after suffering his first pro loss to Magomed Umalatov. He’ll try to come back from that defeat and pick up a notable regional belt this weekend.
Bantamweights will get the spotlight in the co-main event when Juan Diaz meets Andre Barquero. Diaz captured the LUX 135-pound division title late last year with a decision win over Jose Roura. Barquero, a former CFFC title challenger, is getting the title opportunity after a trio of submission wins since 2019.
In the first title bout of the night, Fernanda Munoz will fight RIZIN alum Saray Orozco at flyweight. Munoz dethroned Elizabeth Rodriguez in October to earn the title. That victory added to an eight-fight winning streak that she has developed since 2018. Orozco is moving up to flyweight after being part of the promotion’s strawweight title picture for the past few years.
Some notable names will also compete in non-title fights. Four-fight PFL alum Brahyan Zurcher will try to remain undefeated against Angel Rodriguez. Former Combate Global title challenger Axel Osuna will meet rising flyweight prospect Ricardo Hussein.
Here’s the full lineup:
Main Card (11:00PM EDT / 9:00PM CST) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 11: Alan Dominguez (10-6) vs. Nayib Lopez (16-1) (LUX Welterweight Championship)
Bout 10: Juan Diaz (11-1-1) vs. Andre Barquero (9-2) (LUX Bantamweight Championship)
Bout 9: Fernanda Munoz (8-2) vs. Saray Orozco (8-5) (LUX Flyweight Championship)
Bout 8: Brahyan Zurcher (7-0) vs. Angel Rodriguez (14-13) (Catchweight 150 lbs)
Bout 7: Jose Roura (7-4) vs. Mauricio Nievas (9-4) (Bantamweight)
Bout 6: Hugo Flores (11-5) vs. Roger Garcia (9-5) (Lightweight)
LUX Challenge (8:00PM EDT / 6:00PM CST) (Fubo TV)
Bout 5: Alex Osuna (6-2) vs. Ricardo Hussein (2-0) (Flyweight)
Bout 4: Irvin Amaya (9-5) vs. Rafael Saenz (7-2) (Featherweight)
Bout 3: Andrea Vazquez (5-2) vs. Leticia Baltazar (2-2) (Strawweight)
Bout 2: Jesus Siller (8-4) vs. Luis Cabrera (6-5) (Flyweight)
Bout 1: Sergio Barajas (2-0) vs. Daniel Luna (2-0) (Bantamweight)
Saturday
UFC on ESPN 55: Nicolau vs. Perez
Ranked flyweights will get the spotlight when UFC returns for a “Fight Night” card on Saturday night. Matheus Nicolau will take on short-notice opponent Alex Perez in the main event of a card from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Nicolau was originally booked to meet Manel Kape, a fighter who—while many cancelled bouts have slowed him down—has been on the rise in the division. But after Kape had to withdraw from the fight due to injury, he was given Perez instead.
Despite Perez being a lower-ranked opponent than what Nicolau was expecting, Saturday’s fight is still incredibly important for him. The bout will be his first time competing since suffering a first-round finish loss against Brandon Royval last year, ending a six-fight winning streak that he previously held. A win this weekend could get him back on the trail toward a title shot in the division.
Perez will be searching for his first win in years. The 32-year-old has been on a losing streak since he dropped a title bout to Deveison Figueiredo in late 2020. He has fought just twice since then, losing to now-champion Alexandre Pantoja and rising contender Muhammad Mokaev. He’ll be trying to snap the longest losing streak of his career in Saturday’s main event.
12 fights in total are currently booked for the APEX on Saturday night. The main card will also feature a flyweight bout between ranked talents Ariane Lipski and Karine Silva. The prelims have a theme of second chances, as five different fighters will be returning after losing their promotional debuts. A newcomer at heavyweight will also appear on the main card, as Brazil’s Jhonata Diniz will meet Austin Lane.
The full UFC card can be seen below:
Main Card (7:00PM EDT / 6:00PM CDT) (ESPN / ESPN+)
Bout 12: Matheus Nicolau (19-3-1) vs. Alex Perez (24-8) (Flyweight)
Bout 11: Ryan Spann (21-9) vs. Bogdan Guskov (15-3) (15-3) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 10: Karine Silva (17-4) vs. Ariane Lipski (17-8) (Flyweight)
Bout 9: Jhonata Diniz (6-0) vs. Austen Lane (12-4) (Heavyweight)
Bout 8: Jonathan Pearce (14-5) vs. David Onama (11-2) (Featherweight)
Bout 7: Tim Means (33-15-1) vs. Uros Medic (9-2) (Welterweight)
Preliminary Card (4:00PM EDT / 1:00PM PDT) (ESPN2 / ESPN+)
Bout 6: Rani Yahya (28-11-1) vs. Victor Henry (23-6) (Bantamweight)
Bout 5: Austin Hubbard (15-7) vs. Michal Figlak (8-1) (Lightweight)
Bout 4: Don’Tale Mayes (10-6) vs. Caio Machado (8-2-1) (Heavyweight)
Bout 3: Ketlen Souza (13-4) vs. Marnic Mann (6-2) (Strawweight)
Bout 2: Ivana Petrovic (6-1) vs. Liang Na (19-7) (Flyweight)
Bout 1: Maheshate (9-3) vs. Gabriel Benitez (23-11) (Lightweight)
10 Takeaways From The Weekend
There’s so much more in MMA than UFC events. There was no UFC this weekend. Yet, there was so much to discuss and cover. Friday, PFL presented a stellar lineup from Chicago, Illinois, with their featherweight and welterweight rosters kicking off their season. Then Saturday had a big European spotlight, with cards from Cage Warriors and rising promotion OKTAGON taking place. There’s definitely more to discuss when UFC is putting on a show, and there are absolutely way more people to discuss it with. But the world of MMA is so much more than that. This newsletter attempts to provide a picture of the MMA world as a whole, and not just the stories that would attract the largest crowds. That’s why, if you’re here and reading this, you’re probably already on my side regarding this point. But it feels important to highlight after a weekend like the one we just got through.
Gabriel Braga had the biggest story this weekend. I can’t imagine the type of pressure that Gabriel Braga was facing this weekend. Just months after his father Diego Braga was killed—someone he had a close bond with both in and out of combat sports—he had to focus on a PFL bout against Bellator prospect Justin Gonzales. But Braga delivered, cracking Gonzales in the first round with a hard left hook to earn a stoppage win. Braga’s ability to set aside an incredibly traumatizing moment in his life and put together a big win was truly inspiring. If I was the PFL, I’d be promoting Braga as much as possible.
Russian fighters could have a big year in PFL. Last weekend’s PFL card further showed that Russia could have a big year in the promotion. Out of the 10 Russian fighters who competed in the first leg of the PFL regular season, seven currently sit in potential playoff qualifying spots. This includes the heavyweight and featherweight divisions, where three out of the four playoff positions are currently held by Russian talents. We’re still months away from the playoffs, of course. The standings can change, people can get hurt, things can happen. But if the standings can stay like how they are now, we could be seeing a pair of brackets in the promotion that almost completely represents one country exclusively. If that doesn’t show a country’s continued dominance in a sport, I don’t know what does.
I’m officially sold: PFL has figured out event pacing. Just over five hours, 12 fights. That’s what the pacing was like for Friday’s PFL card. After two previous weeks of PFL also presenting well-paced lineups, I’m willing to admit that they’ve figured it out finally. One of the issues that many of us thought for years would never get fixed is seemingly finally resolved. In fact, yeah, why did it take so many years? We knew pacing was a problem in 2021, it’s not like the solution involved hiring a new production team. Okay, hyperbole aside. Like I said in last week’s opinion section, you have to give credit where it’s due. PFL, your on-screen product has improved noticeably this year. It’s worth giving that a shout.
Is PFL putting more muscle into the European scene than UFC? On Friday, PFL announced they signed former Cage Warriors Featherweight Champion Paul Hughes. With a nearly perfect record of 11 wins and one loss (with that defeat later being avenged), two title fights and many quality matchups in the past, Hughes was a no-brainer for any major promotion to sign. But traditionally, someone of his calibre would go to the UFC. It’s clear that PFL is making more of an effort to attract talent in Europe to fill out their roster in the region. But, why isn’t UFC fighting for a bigger piece of the pie? UFC is a big and powerful company. If they want to go after more European talent and hold more shows there, there’s honestly nothing stopping them. But instead, they’re losing quality names to the PFL. Europe’s MMA market is incredibly hot right now, with France joining the already existing regions that have a burning passion for the sport. UFC could be doing more to capitalize on this by deciding to sign guys like Hughes or Cedric Doumbe. And until they do, PFL is just going to get more opportunities to sign quality names that are passed on.
Sam Creasey won, but Aaron Aby put up quite the fight. When strictly looking at the scorecards—all of which read 50-45—it looked like Sam Creasey beat an unimpressive Aaron Aby. However, nothing is further from the truth. Creasey put together an impressive showing to earn the OKTAGON Flyweight Championship on Saturday night, but he did it against an opponent that resisted takedowns, provided challenges on the feet and never looked hurt. Creasy was the winner, but credit had to go to Aby for giving him such a challenge as well.
Two stars in the making showcased at OKTAGON 56. A pair of interesting names appeared on the OKTAGON 56 main card this weekend. Akonne Wanliss, an English fighter with eight wins to his name, stopped Sahil Siraj in just 48 seconds. He has earned all of his victories via finish and has only lost to respectable prospects (Cage Warriors standout Kingsley Crawford and Bellator talent Alfie Davis). In the bout before him, Shem Rock submitted Stefano Catacoli in the second minute with a rear naked choke. Rock possesses not just ability in the cage but charisma that makes him exciting to watch. If he can keep finding success in his performances, there will be a lot more eyes on him. Both of these guys are fighters to keep your eyes on.
Does Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz stand a chance? Amid all of the events last weekend—the MMA fights, the high-profile boxing match on Saturday, NBA and NHL playoffs kicking off—there was another event that I heard little chatter about: The press tour that Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz were doing. Heading from one city to the next, Masvidal and Diaz tried to use their charisma to sell their upcoming boxing match. I don’t think it really means anything that the pressers received little attention. However, all I could think when I heard about the media tour they were on was whether or not their upcoming fight will succeed. It’s a boxing match between two guys who have been out of the UFC for a year and some change. They’re going head-to-head with UFC 302, which features another fan favorite, Dustin Poirier. On the same night that UFC is asking for pay-per-view buys, the distributor of Diaz vs. Masvidal is charging $79 USD (yes, really!) for the boxing match. This seems like the perfect storm for an event to not succeed. Will it? Who knows. It’s way too hard to tell this far out. In just over a month’s time, the verdict will be in.
Want an under-the-radar promotion? Check out Levels Fight League. While I wasn’t able to include it as part of the coverage this week, I wanted to mention Dutch MMA promotion Levels Fight League. The promotion, which has existed since 2021, had its 12th event this weekend in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The event had a strong selection of talents: The prelims on Sunday were full of early career prospects who showed tons of potential, competing in their second, third pro bouts. Higher in the card were some European talents that are likely recognizable to some who follow the scene: Andreeas Binder and Pieter Buist among the lot. The card was headlined by Alain Van de Merckt, an undefeated middleweight who scored a second-round finish. The production quality is also nice, presenting dark, fog-filled studio venues with a focus on the action in the cage. LFL won’t put together cards that will challenge the goliaths of the MMA world. However, their talent selection is quite strong and they put together a solid product.
Ronda Rousey’s latest memoir is honest if anything else. I’m currently reading through Ronda Rousey’s latest book, “Our Fight: A Memoir.” Okay, truth be told, I’m listening to it. An audiobook voiced by Rousey herself was available, so I gave it a play. While not completely done yet, I have made it past the MMA part of her life and am wrapping up hearing about her professional wrestling years. The biggest takeaway? Whether you love her or hater her, you get the full and honest Rousey in this book. At times, she comes off as excessively intense, still bearing grudges against MMA rivals whom she hasn’t crossed paths with in years. But there were two topics that were the most striking to me, those being her health as a fighter and her time training under Edmond Tarverdyan at the Glendale Fight Club. She is open about the head trauma she suffered as a fighter, making her training sessions gruelling and causing her to fear that the slightest strike in a bout would put her lights out. She mentioned how her head injuries would put her in constant pain and misery, and that she feared the long-term health effects of her career. She dedicates a sobering chapter to recounting memories from training that she now questions might have been examples of abuse. No matter what your opinion is about Rousey, you might find her honest retelling of past events worth reading about, or listening to. Those two topics are just a couple of the many really eye-opening moments in the book.