9/4/24: All Five 'Contender Series' Winners Offered UFC Deals
Also: UFC Edmonton gets Moreno vs. Albazi, Bellator London loses main event, Denice Zamboanga misses out on title booking for the third time, and more!
Welcome to a Wednesday edition of the Knockdown Daily! Today’s issue has a few big stories for you, tackling some main event changes across top MMA promotions and discussing the latest “Contender Series” episode. Make sure to also stick around for the notes section, as we have tons of smaller stories in there too. Let’s begin!
Walk-Off Knockout Winner Yuneisy Duben Among Five Fighters Offered UFC Contracts on ‘Contender Series’ Episode
Dana White was quite impressed by the batch of fighters appearing on the “Contender Series” this week, offering UFC deals to all five winners from Tuesday evening.
Ko Seok-hyun, Djorden Santos, Austin Bashi, Yuneisy Duben, and Quillan Salkilld joined the UFC roster on Tuesday night following an episode from the APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Ko became the first Korean fighter to earn a UFC contract through the “Contender Series,” snapping the undefeated run of Igor Cavalcanti in the main event. Ko showcased his well-rounded skillset in the fight, landing damaging strikes early and closing out his performance with a ground control-heavy third round.
Santos got past Cage Warriors vet Will Currie in the co-main event, stopping nearly a dozen takedown attempts and using his stand-up skills to win on scorecards. The fight was the Brazilian fighter’s first appearance in almost two years.
22-year-old Bashi had a dominant ground performance against Dorian Ramos, controlling most of the fight before finding a rear naked choke submission halfway through the second round. Bashi has attained 13 victories since his 2020 pro debut and is set to become just one of seven UFC fighters under the age of 23.
Duben earned the biggest win of the night, knocking out LFA champ Shannon Clark in 73 seconds with a massive overhand punch. Duben received massive praise from UFC CEO White, who told her she would be signed to the promotion before she even left the cage on Tuesday.
Australia’s Salkilld had a competitive three-round clash against Gauge Young in the opening bout, sneaking by the American for a unanimous decision victory after a back-and-forth contest.
A more detailed report on the card can be read at KnockdownNews.com.
Here are the quick results:
Main Card (8:00PM EDT / 5:00PM PDT) (ESPN+)
Bout 5: Ko Seok-hyun def. Igor Cavalcanti via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 4: Djorden Santos def. Will Currie via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 3: Austin Bashi def. Dorian Ramos via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 3:15)
Bout 2: Yuneisy Duben def. Shannon Clark via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:13)
Bout 1: Quillan Salkilld def. Gauge Young via Decision, Unanimous
High-Ranked Flyweights Brandon Moreno, Amir Albazi To Headline UFC Edmonton
One of the best matchups to make at flyweight is the next main event for UFC’s return to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Former champ Brandon Moreno is expected to face rising Swedish challenger Amir Albazi in the main event of UFC’s November 2nd card at Rogers Place, as announced by the promotion this week.
The matchup pits two of the top 125-pound contenders up against each other, possibly narrowing down who could get a chance against incumbent champ Alexandre Pantoja.
Albazi, the third-place talent on UFC’s official flyweight rankings, is the highest-ranked fighter who has never challenged for a title. He has put together five wins since entering the UFC roster in 2020, including a 2023 split decision win over Kai Kara-France.
Albazi and Moreno were expected to face off in February, meeting in a five-round clash at UFC’s Mexico City, Mexico card. However, after Albazi withdrew from the fight due to a neck injury, Moreno took on Brandon Royval instead.
The main event booking earlier this year was Moreno’s first appearance since dropping the flyweight title to Pantoja in 2023. In an upset result, Royval walked away with a split decision victory and secured a first-place ranking at flyweight in the process. He will now try to earn his first victory in more than a year and a half when taking on a tough contender later this year.
UFC originally intended to have a flyweight bout between Rose Namajunas and Erin Blanchfield headline their first trip to Edmonton since 2019. While the fight won’t serve as the card’s main event anymore, it will remain five rounds and take place in the co-main event spot instead.
Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards Off Bellator London, Set To Be Rescheduled
Bellator’s return to England has taken a massive hit.
The promotion’s September 14th card from the OVO Wembley in London is now without a title fight main event following the departure of a middleweight clash between Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards, as announced Tuesday.
Bellator revealed that the championship clash between Eblen and Edwards will be rescheduled for a later date, but didn’t specify when that might be. It also wasn’t mentioned why the fight couldn’t go forward on its original date.
The booking was set to see England’s own Edwards try for a second time to claim the Bellator Middleweight Championship, rematching Eblen after suffering a third-round finish loss the first time they met. Edwards earned the new title opportunity by overcoming Aaron Jeffery in a #1 contenders match six months ago via decision.
For Eblen, the booking later this month was a chance to defend his title for the third time. He first captured the belt in 2022 with a win over veteran Gegard Mousasi and has since beaten Anatoly Tokov and Edwards to keep a hold of the belt.
Eblen also prevailed in a non-title fight earlier this year, getting past 2023 PFL Middleweight Champion Impa Kasanganay as part of a special “PFL vs. Bellator” show.
The new main event for next week’s Bellator card will be a featherweight clash between promotion vet Leah McCourt and undefeated prospect Sara Collins. The significant lineup change affects what will be Bellator’s first appearance in England since May 2022, and their first card since being acquired by the PFL in late 2023.
Injury Takes Denice Zamboanga Out of Interim ONE Title Fight, Causing Third Cancelled Fight In 2024
115-pound ONE Championship fighter Denice Zamboanga has suffered yet another setback on her quest toward a title, withdrawing from an upcoming interim championship fight due to injury.
An undisclosed injury has forced Zamboanga out of her October 4th booking against Alyona Rassohyna in Bangkok, Thailand, as reported by Nissi Icasiano of Tiebreaker Times. It’s unclear if the returning Rassohyna will receive a new opponent for her upcoming interim title opportunity.
The change marks Zamboanga’s third time missing out on a title opportunity in ONE Championship this year.
In March, the Philippines-based fighter was booked to meet current ONE 115-pound champ Stamp Fairtex as part of the promotion’s debut show in Lusail, Qatar. The bout ended up not happening on that card, instead being postponed to later in the year.
A June booking between the two didn’t happen either, falling through after a brutal knee injury took Stamp out of action.
Following a win over Noelle Grandjean in June, Zamboanga was booked for an interim title fight against Rassohyna. The booking allowed her to challenge for a title despite Stamp’s absence from fighting and would put her on a timeline to later unify the division’s belts once the Thai champ returns from injury. But instead, the injury bug has gotten to her and further delayed any chance at fighting for the division’s gold.
Notes On: UFC, Bellator, ONE Championship, Cage Warriors & Invicta FC
UFC
11th-ranked UFC flyweight Matt Schnell (16-8) has received a last-minute switch in opponent for Saturday’s card. While originally scheduled to collide against Alessandro Costa (14-4), he’s now being lined up to face Cody Durden (16-6-1). Durden will be trying to snap a two-fight skid, coming back following unsuccessful fights against Bruno Silva and Tagir Ulanbekov. Schnell is similarly coming off back-to-back losses, albeit against some of the division’s top names.
Edgar Chairez (11-5) is no longer expected to meet Kevin Borjas (9-3) at UFC 306 on September 14th. Replacing him will be rising talent Joshua Van (10-2), per Nolan King of MMA Junkie. Van had his lengthy winning streak brought to an end in July when Charles Johnson stopped him with strikes. Chairez earned his first UFC win in February, submitting Daniel Lacerda early with a triangle choke.
A pair of fights have been announced for UFC’s October 19th card by the Team Iridium management agency:
In a clash between featherweight veterans, Darren Elkins (28-11) and Daniel Pineda (28-16) will meet. Elkins will snap a year-long absence from the cage, coming back after a late 2023 victory over TJ Brown. Pineda will try to avoid a three-fight skid after losses to Alex Caceres and Nathaniel Wood.
Aiming to extend his winning streak, Brady Hiestand (8-2) will face Jake Hadley (11-3) at bantamweight. Hiestand has put together a trio of wins since losing “The Ultimate Fighter” season finale in 2021, with his last fight being a submission victory over Garrett Armfield. Hadley snapped a two-fight skid at UFC 304 earlier this summer with a scorecard win over Caolan Loughran.
Two more fights have joined UFC 308, which is set for October 26th in Abu Dhabi.
Undefeated Russian Shara Magomedov (14-0) will take on Armen Petrosyan (8-3). Magomedov scored his third UFC victory last month, beating the experienced Michal Oleksiejczuk on scorecards. Petrosyan is returning after losing to Rodolfo Vieira earlier this year.
Farid Basharat (12-0) will try to continue his rise up the UFC flyweight division when he meets Victor Hugo (25-4), per AgFight. Basharat earned a trio of wins in his rookie year as a UFC fighter, with his last fight being a performance over French vet Taylor Lapilus. Hugo won his promotional debut earlier this year, overcoming short-notice opponent Pedro Falcao on scorecards.
Rising bantamweight Marcus McGhee (9-1) will get a big step up in competition when he fights Jonathan Martinez (19-5) at UFC 309 on November 16th. McGhee has been one of the more promising unranked bantamweight on the UFC roster as of late. He has strung together three wins since joining the UFC roster last year, all via finish. He can break into the rankings with a win in this booking, meeting 13th-place bantamweight Martinez. The fight is a chance to bounce back for Martinez, who had an impressive six-fight winning streak broken in May with a loss to Jose Aldo.
Misc.
Flyweight Nate Maness (16-3), who suddenly departed the UFC roster this year despite being on a two-fight winning streak, has inked a deal with bare-knuckle boxing promotion BKFC.
Bellator
Along with a massive alteration to the main event in Bellator’s London card next week, two other changes have been made to the undercard:
Steven Hill (7-1) is being lined up to face Joseph Luciano (9-2) after previously being paired up to meet Ross Houston (8-1). Hill took his first pro loss earlier this year, getting finished by Mike Shipman. Luciano, who took the fight on short notice, is heading over to England after mostly fighting on the Australian regional scene.
Featherweight prospects Eman Almudhaf (4-0) and Daiane Silva (3-0) will meet in the opening bout of the night. Almudhaf has impressed in UAE Warriors, earning four finish wins since her 2021 pro debut. Brazil’s Silva is coming over to Bellator following a trio of victories in her home country.
ONE Championship
A grappling match between Kade Ruotolo and Mikey Musumeci has been pulled from this weekend’s ONE Championship card in Denver, Colorado. Ruotolo suffered an injury at the Craig Jones Invitational, where he won a $1 million prize just a few weeks back. Ruotolo announced his injury via Facebook over the weekend.
Ayaka Miura (13-5) has been matched against Jihin Radzuan (9-4) for ONE Championship’s October 4th card in Bangkok, Thailand. Miura will be searching for her third win within a year’s time, coming off recent victories against Meng Bo and Itsuki Hirata. Radzuan is returning after suffering a loss against super-prospect Chihiro Sawada in March.
Cage Warriors
Two short-notice fights have been added to Saturday’s Cage Warriors card in Glasgow, Scotland:
Scottish vet Chris Bungard (19-9) has received a change in opponent. While he was originally scheduled to meet Latvian talent Arturs Leisans (9-8), he is now booked to meet Andrey Augusto (15-7-1). Augusto is returning after losing a title fight to Raul Tutarauli in a Georgian regional title fight a few months back. Bungard will be trying to bounce back from an April submission loss to Dumitru Girlean.
Jordan Stronge (2-1) is booked to face Wesley Machado (3-5) at lightweight. Stronge suffered his first pro loss in April, dropping a split decision to Jordan Little.
Former Cage Warriors title challenger Orlando Wilson Prins (5-3) will return against undefeated featherweight contender Solomon Simon (4-0). Prins had a two-fight winning streak snapped in May, getting stopped by Harry Hardwick in a fight for the Cage Warriors featherweight belt. Ireland’s Simon has scored three wins in the promotion since 2023, all of which have come via stoppage.
Invicta FC
Three more fights have joined Invicta FC’s September 20th show:
Former PFL fighter Abby Montes (4-3) will take on Jamie Edenden (4-2-1) at featherweight. Montes fought as part of the 2022 and 2023 PFL seasons, attaining a record of one win and three losses. Edenden is coming over to Invicta FC after a three-fight winning streak in Australia, including a victory over Bellator alum Janay Harding.
Fernanda Orellana (1-0) will take on Meaghan Penning (2-1) at strawweight. Orellana won her pro debut last September, scoring a first-round submission at Combate Global. Penning won her pro debut under the Invicta FC banner in 2020 and is returning after scoring a win and a loss on the regional scene.
Ana Vitoria (0-0) will make her pro debut against Quinn Williams (1-1). Victoria attained an impressive amateur record, including tournament wins in IMMAF. Williams earned her first pro victory just under two months ago, beating Miriam Nazar in LFA.