4/26/24: UFC 304 Set For Late Night Broadcast In Manchester
Also: PFL reveals full lineup for first MENA card
Welcome to a Friday edition of the Knockdown Daily! Today’s issue is jam-packed full of news, covering many top stories and catching you up with all of the sport’s recent smaller announcements as well. We also have a preview of tonight’s two top events going down in MMA. Let’s get started!
UFC 304 Set For Late Night In Manchester
Fans in Manchester, England will likely be out until the sun comes up when UFC returns to the region for the first time in nearly eight years.
Pay-per-view event UFC 304 was announced for July 27th at the Co-op Live this week. The event will be the promotion’s first appearance in the city since UFC 204 was held in 2016, which was headlined by a rematch between Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson.
When UFC travels to a region outside of North America, the event’s start time will be altered to cater to locals. However, since the promotion hopes to lure U.S. PPV buyers for this show, the card will start at times that accommodate viewers in the West.
Because of this, the event will begin deep into the evening in Manchester and wrap up by early morning. A press release this week stated that the prelims will begin at 11 p.m. local time, with the main card starting at 3 a.m.
No fights have been announced for UFC 304 thus far. It would make sense if Leon Edwards, the only champion representing England currently, has a presence in the lineup eventually, although nothing has been said just yet.
PFL MENA Reveals Full First Lineup
The full lineup for PFL’s first-ever MENA series event has been revealed.
Single-elimination eight-man tournaments at bantamweight and featherweight will take place on May 10th from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The events will mirror the structure that PFL Europe uses, presenting itself as a feeder league to PFL’s main brand.
The lineup features a strong presence of fighters from UAE Warriors, a notable regional promotion in the region.
The main event will see featherweight Abdullah Al-Qahtani return to the PFL cage for the fourth time when he meets undefeated UAE Warriors prospect Taha Bendaoud. Al-Qahtani has been in PFL showcase bouts for the past year, earning three wins along the way. Bendaoud has fought since 2022, with most fights against low-experience pros.
PFL Europe 2023 semi-finalist Ali Taleb will switch leagues this year, starting his 2024 bantamweight bracket run against Nawras Abzakh in the co-main event. Taleb, a former UAE Warriors Bantamweight Champion, is returning after suffering his first pro loss last year to Khurshed Kakhorov. Later that year, Kakhorov would go on to win the featherweight tournament.
It is expected that lightweight and welterweight fighters will compete in a bracket at the not-yet-announced second PFL MENA card. The series is in partnership with a sports project funded by the Saudi Arabian government.
Here’s a full look at the card:
Bout 11: Abdullah Al-Qahtani (8-1) vs. Taha Bendaoud (3-0) (Featherweight Quater-Final)
Bout 10: Ali Taleb (9-1) vs. Nawras Abzakh (12-5) (Bantamweight Quarter-Final)
Bout 9: Xavier Alaoui (14-5) vs. Rachiz Haz (13-3) (Bantamweight Quarter-Final)
Bout 8: Islam Reda (10-1) vs. Adam Meskini (8-2) (Featherweight Quarter-Final)
Bout 7: Tariq Ismail (7-1) vs. Jalal AL Daaja (11-7) (Bantamweight Quarter-Final)
Bout 6: Elias Boudegzdame (18-8) vs. Hassan Mandour (9-5) (Bantamweight Quarter-Final)
Bout 5: Hattan Alsaif (0-0) vs. Nada Faheem (0-0) (Atomweight)
Bout 4: Maraoune Baellagouit (4-0) vs. Motaz Askar (5-2) (Featherweight Quarter-Final)
Bout 3: Ahmed Tarek (4-0) vs. Abdalrahman Alhyasat (3-0) (Featherweight-Quarter-Final)
Bout 2: Mido Mohamed (6-1-1) vs. Yazeed Hasanain (3-0) (Featherweight)
Bout 1: Malik Basahel (0-0) vs. Harsh Pandya (0-0) (Flyweight)
Cain Velasquez Attempted Murder Trial To Begin September 9th
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez will head to trial for his attempted murder case later this year.
The case is expected to head to court on September 9th in Santa Clara County, California, USA. Along with attempted murder, Velasquez will also face nine charges related to assault with a weapon, including of shooting at an occupied motor vehicle or aircraft, willfully discharging a firearm from a vehicle, and carrying a loaded firearm with intent to commit a felony.
The case dates back to a February 2022 incident that alleges Velasquez engaged in a high-speed chase against a man who was accused of sexually abusing the former UFC fighter’s son at daycare.
Velasquez allegedly rammed into the car of the intended target Harry Goularte Jr., allowing the heavyweight to discharge a firearm into the vehicle. He is accused of not catching Goularte Jr. with any bullets, but instead causing non-life-threatening injuries to a relative of Goularte Jr.’s who was also present in the car.
Velasquez, who pleaded not guilty, had his bail denied twice due to “reckless disregard for human life” before he was released on a $1 million bond in November 2022.
Top figures in the MMA world have supported Velasquez since news broke about the alleged incident. Shortly after his arrest, numerous big names in the sport—including UFC CEO Dana White and training partner Khabib Nurmagomedov—submitted letters of support to the court.
Goularte Jr., the alleged target of Velasquez in 2022, is facing a charge of lewd acts with a child. His trial date has yet to be set.
Little has come out about the case over the past year as it awaited a trial date. Velasquez made a change in attorney early last year, shifting away from being represented by high-profile lawyer Mark Geragos and instead opting for just utilizing local lawyer Renee Hessling, The Mercury News reported.
Previews
LFA Vet Mitchell McKee Looks To Protect Undefeated Record In Sioux Falls
A clash of rising bantamweights will get the spotlight on Friday evening when Mitchell McKee and Jose Hernandez meet at LFA 182. Their fight will headline a card from the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA.
McKee has been a career-long LFA talent, having earned five wins under their banner since his 2021 pro debut. He has finished four of his wins, including a brief one-fight appearance in Bellator. This weekend will be his second time headlining an LFA lineup, following his decision win over Sean McPadden last year took place in front of his home crowd in Minnesota.
Hernandez will try to ruin McKee’s unblemished record this weekend. He is returning to LFA for the first time since suffering his first pro defeat against ONE Championship alum Tial Thang in 2023. His last appearance on the regional scene saw him stop the eight-fight winning streak of prospect Alan Olivas, beating him on scorecards to win a belt in Missouri.
One of the more anticipated fights of the evening, former Bellator Bantamweight Champion Darrion Caldwell making his return to competition, has been removed from the lineup. Caldwell posted on social media Friday morning, stating that opponent Tarcisio Romano had to withdraw due to health reasons.
The card still features many notable prospects, including former University of Minnesota wrestler and 2023 All-American Michael Blockhus, and undefeated five-fight lightweight Russian talent Nikita Kulshin.
The card will also include Nate Smith, a past LFA flyweight title challenger who is returning to the promotion after snapping a four-fight skid last year. He’ll meet Christian Ynastrilla, a former Titan FC title challenger who is currently on the best winning streak of his career.
A series of weight misses were announced Friday, including co-main event fighter Khaseyn Shaykhaev coming in four-and-a-half pounds over his catchweight limit. Hernandez, Smith and prelim fighter Shad Walters missed as well.
Here’s a look at the LFA 182 lineup in full:
Main Card (9:00PM EDT / 8:00PM CDT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 12: Mitchell McKee (5-0) vs. Jose Hernandez (4-1) (Bantamweight)
Bout 11: Khaseyn Shaykhaev (6-1) vs. Michael Lima (18-5) (Catchweight 140 lbs)
Bout 10: Nikita Kulshin (5-0) vs. Cedric Gunnison (7-2) (Lightweight)
Bout 9: Nate Smith (7-4) vs. Christian Ynastrilla (10-4) (Flyweight)
Bout 8: Haris Talundzic (6-2) vs. Keyth Dawson (4-5) (Welterweight)
Bout 7: Michael Blockhus (1-0) vs. Jonathan Griffin (3-3) (Lightweight)
Featured Preliminary Card (LFA Youtube)
Bout 6: Kendry McIntyre (2-1) vs. Katarina Legorreta (2-0) (Strawweight)
Bout 5: M,A, Yah II (2-0) vs. James Martin (1-0) (Welterweight)
Bout 4: Shad Walters (2-0) vs. Nicholas Gjelaj (1-0) (Flyweight)
Preliminary Card
Bout 3: Cheyanne Bowers (3-1) vs. Naomie Young (1-1) (Flyweight)
Bout 2: Jeff Nielson (2-3) vs. Zeb Vincent (2-0) (Welterweight)
Bout 1: Tavlin Hunt (3-0) vs. Sean Krebbs (5-3) (Amateur Light Heavyweight)
Down Two Title Fights, Mexico’s LUX Fight League Focuses On Welterweight Main Event
The LUX Fight League card set for this weekend is definitely a different one from what was written about in Monday’s newsletter.
Changes in recent days have brought Friday night’s LUX Fight League 42 card in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico down from three title fights to just one. While the card was expected to have championship showdowns at flyweight and bantamweight, it will now just be the 170-pound division that will get the gold-plated spotlight in the main event.
LUX Fight League Bantamweight Champion Juan Diaz was originally booked to meet Andre Barquero with the title on the line, although the challenger withdrew from the fight. While they have found Diaz a new opponent on short notice—Abraham Nava—his booking is now up at a catchweight of 140 pounds and is without championship implications.
It also revealed Thursday that flyweight champ Fernanda Munoz had to withdraw from her fight. Challenger Saray Orozco posted on social media that Munoz was removed due to health issues.
While Friday’s fights in Guadalajara are a little less stacked now, it’s still a strong card with a solid main event.
Welterweight champ Alan Dominguez will try to defend his belt for the first time when he faces former PFL talent Nayib Lopez.
Dominguez, an 11-fight veteran of the Mexican promotion, earned his title last year with a victory over Antonio Suarez. The five-round decision win gained him the vacant title and avenged a defeat he took against Suarez just earlier that year.
Lopez is a tough challenge for Dominguez. The LUX Middleweight Champion is returning to the promotion after a two-fight run in the PFL. While his regular season run started with a win over Shane Mitchell, he then had his stellar 16-fight undefeated run ended by Magomed Umalatov. He was a massive underdog in that fight, with sportsbooks grading him at nearly +600 odds.
Lopez is now back in Mexico to prove that he is of the calibre to return to a high-level promotion. He’ll have up to 25 minutes to make that case on Friday night.
The card will also include an appearance from undefeated talent Brahyan Zurcher. The 28-year-old debuted in LUX late last year with a first-round finish win. Prior to then, he had a four-fight run in the PFL, which included a pair of finish victories.
Here’s a full look at the event scheduled to take place this evening:
Main Card (11:00PM EDT / 9:00PM CST) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 10: Alan Dominguez (10-6) vs. Nayib Lopez (16-1) (LUX Fight League Welterweight Championship)
Bout 9: Juan Diaz (11-1-1) vs. Abraham Nava (6-3) (Catchweight 140 lbs)
Bout 8: Brahyan Zurcher (7-0) vs. Angel Rodriguez (14-13) (Catchweight 150 lbs)
Bout 7: Hugo Flores (11-5) vs. Roman Cordova (12-15) (Catchweight 160 lbs)
Bout 6: Andrea Vazquez (5-2) vs. Leticia Baltazar (2-2) (Strawweight)
Lux Challenge 042
Bout 5: Axel Osuna (6-2) vs. Ricardo Hussein (2-0) (Flyweight)
Bout 4: Irvin Amaya (9-5) vs. Rafael Saenz (7-2) (Featherweight)
Bout 3: Jesus Siller (8-4) vs. Luis Cabrera (6-5) (Flyweight)
Bout 2: Fernanda Larios (3-3) vs. Damara Vargas (4-3) (Catchweight 120 lbs)
Bout 1: Sergio Barajas (2-0) vs. Daniel Luna (2-0) (Bantamweight)
Notes On: UFC, PFL, Bellator, KSW, Cage Warriors & CFFC
UFC
Ahead of a shareholder meeting in June, TKO disclosed financials from the 2023 fiscal year. This document, obtained by MMA Fighting, showed that CEO Ari Emanuel earned nearly $65 million last year. Mark Shapiro walked away with $16 million as well. You can read more here.
Jon Jones (27-1) says he is back to training for the first time since tearing a pec last year.
St Louis’ own Joaquin Buckley (18-6) will get the co-main event spot when the UFC returns to the Enterprise Center on May 11th. Buckley will face Nursulton Ruziboev (34-8-2), per a recent announcement by the promotion. Buckley has scored a trio of wins since dropping down to welterweight, including a finish over Vicente Luque last month. Ruziboev has yet to lose through two UFC bouts, having previously finished Sedriques Dumas and Brunno Ferreira.
A massive flyweight bout has been added to UFC 302 after both fighters had previous bookings fall through. Undefeated Japanese talent Tatsuro Taira (15-0) will meet former Fury FC champ Joshua Van (10-1), per the sports agency that manages the fighters. Taira has earned five UFC wins since 2022, three of which have come via stoppage. He was originally scheduled to compete in the co-main event of a May 18th show against veteran Tim Elliott. Van, who was first expected to face Sumudaerji, has earned a trio of UFC victories since his 2023 promotional debut. His last fight saw him stop Felipe Bunes in the second round with strikes.
Along with the reported main event for UFC’s June 8th card in Louisville, Kentucky, the promotion confirmed five matchups for the card in a recent announcement:
Lightweight talents Thiago Moises (18-7) and Ludovit Klein (21-4-1) will meet. Moises is coming off a third-round finish win against Mitch Ramirez from last month. Klein has won four of his last five UFC fights, with the fifth bout ending in a draw. His last win saw him beat short-notice opponent AJ Cunningham with strikes in the first round.
Still in search of his first win in years, Dominick Reyes (12-4) will fight Dustin Jacoby (19-8-1). Reyes has suffered four losses since 2020, including title fights against Jon Jones and Jan Blachowicz. He has struggled to return this year, as a pair of fights against Carlos Ulberg fell through in previous months. Jacoby is coming back after dropping a decision to Alonzo Menifield late last year.
Undefeated Eduarda Moura (10-0) will try for her second UFC win when she faces Denise Gomes (8-3). Moura won her debut last year against Montserrat Conejo Ruiz via stoppage, fighting just three months after winning on “Dana White’s Contender Series.” Gomes, also a “Contender Series” alum, lost to veteran Angela Hill via decision last year.
India’s Puja Tomar (8-4) will make her UFC debut against Rayanne Amanda (14-7). Tomar, a former ONE Championship talent, is coming over after earning four wins in the India-based promotion Matrix Fight Night. Amanda lost her UFC debut late last year to Talita Alencar via split decision. The former Invicta FC Atomweight Champion had a three-fight winning streak before then.
Both aiming to snap extensive losing streaks, Andrea Lee (13-9) and Montana De La Rosa (12-9-1) will face off at flyweight. Lee has dropped four consecutive fights over the past two years. De La Rosa has lost three.
Returning after taking his first UFC loss in upset fashion early this year, Mike Malott (10-2-1) will take on Gilbert Urbina (7-3), as first reported by Sportsnet. Malott’s three-fight UFC winning streak was broken in January by Neil Magny, who erased the Canadian’s lead with a third-round finish. Urbina is also coming off a finish loss, having been stopped by Charlie Radtke in February.
PFL
On Wednesday, PFL announced the full 12-fight lineup for their fourth regular season show of the year. The event, which is scheduled for June 13th, will feature the men’s heavyweight and women’s flyweight divisions for the second time in the regular season. Along with the previously announced heavyweight fight between Valentin Moldavsky and Linton Vassell, plus the flyweight bout between Dakota Ditcheva and Chelsea Hackett, here’s what is new:
Daniel James (15-7-1) will try for his second win of the season when he faces returning Tyrell Fortune (13-2). James scored six points in his first PFL fight, stopping Marcelo Golm in the first round. Fortune, a career-long Bellator talent, will be making his PFL debut. He was originally scheduled to fight in the first regular season event this year but had to withdraw. The heavyweights previously met in 2022. While James initially won via stoppage, a drug test caused the bout to be overturned to a no-contest.
Bellator Flyweight Champion Liz Carmouche (21-7) will fight Kana Watanabe (13-2-1). Carmouche won her first fight this year, beating Juliana Velasquez on scorecards. Watanabe similarly beat Shanna Young via decision. This is yet another rematch, as Carmouche scored a 35-second finish against Watanabe in 2021.
Denis Goltsov (33-8) and Sergey Bilostenniy (12-3) will meet at heavyweight. Goltsov earned a third-round finish against Linton Vassell this month. Former Bellator fighter Bilostenniy overcame Blagoy Ivanov.
Undefeated Jena Bishop (7-0) will face former UFC title challenger Taila Santos (20-3). Bishop earned a quick first-round armbar win over Chelsea Hackett in her last appearance. Santos submitted Ilara Joanne in the first round.
Blagoy Ivanov (19-7) will have a tough assignment when he tries for his first PFL win, facing Oleg Popov (17-1). Ivanov lost his promotional debut to Sergey Bilostenniy, extending the former UFC fighter’s losing streak to three straight. Popov won his fight in April against Steve Mowry.
Both coming off losses, former UFC talent Shanna Young (9-6) and Bellator vet Ilara Joanne (11-9) will collide.
Seven-fight Bellator vet Gokhan Saricam (9-2) will be slotted into his first PFL regular season fight, meeting Steve Mowry (10-2-1). Saricam last beat Daniel James in mid-2023. Mowry took his second consecutive loss this month, getting stopped by Oleg Popov.
After losing to Liz Carmouche for the second time, Juliana Velasquez (12-3) will fight Lisa Mauldin (6-4). Both are coming off losses from April.
A pair of fights will take place at the beginning the card, although it’s unclear whether they count toward standings or are alternate/showcase bouts. In the first wave of events this year, PFL dedicated the first or second bouts of the night for non-tournament action. At heavyweight, UFC alum Danilo Marques (15-5) faces rising prospect Marcelo Nunes (11-2). And in the flyweight division, long-time Bellator talent Sumiko Inaba (6-1) will try to bounce back from her first loss when she faces Kaytlin Neil (7-5).
Bellator
Cedric Doumbe (5-1) has been booked to face Jaleel Willis (16-5) at Bellator’s May 17th show in Paris, France. Doumbe will be trying to come back from his first MMA loss, which controversially came due to a foot splinter last month. Willis lost his last Bellator appearance, getting stopped in less than 90 seconds by Ramazan Kuramagomedov.
Undefeated 15-fight Tajikistan fighter Sarvarjon Khamidov (15-0) will meet Marcirley Alves (12-3) at Bellator’s June 22nd card in Dublin, Ireland. Khamidov has finished his two previous Bellator opponents since 2022. Alves won his promotional debut via a first-round finish against Jerrell Hodge last August.
KSW
Trying to bounce back from an unsuccessful KSW debut, Adrian Zielinski (24-13) will fight Marcin Krakowiak (13-4). Zielinski’s first KSW fight lasted just 32 seconds, getting stopped by undefeated talent Wiktor Zalewski. Krakowiak has earned a pair of wins over the past year, beating Henry Fadipe and Michal Pietrzak.
Cage Warriors
Cage Warriors will return to the Braehead Arena in Glasgow, Scotland on September 7th. The event is a quick turnaround for Cage Warriors in Glasgow, as they were in the region just last week. Before that recent event, Cage Warriors hadn’t visited Glasgow in more than a decade.
IMMAF stand-out Jack Humphries (0-0) will make his pro debut against Joao Dos Santos (1-1) at Cage Warriors 172 in Newcastle, England. Humphries, 20, earned 10 wins through his 13-fight amateur run.
CFFC
A pair of fights have joined CFFC 132, which will go down on June 14th.
Ryan Burgos (1-0), brother of former UFC fighter Shane Burgos, will meet David Music (0-0). Burgos won his pro debut back in 2022, submitting Ivan Rios in the first round. Music is turning pro after winning five of his six amateur fights.
In a catchweight fight, Keron Reed (2-1) will meet Christian McAuley (3-0). McAuley has earned two wins in CFFC, including a 20-second outing last year. Reed bounced back from his first pro loss in 2023 with a win over Gilberto Malera.