Knockdown Daily 10/18/21: A Look At The Week Ahead
We take a look at the week ahead in the Monday edition
Welcome to the Monday edition of the Knockdown Daily. Today’s issue is a loaded one, recapping the top MMA events from yesterday and previewing the upcoming week.
News
Former UFC Fighter Spike Carlyle Stops Veteran JJ Ambrose In Cage Warriors Main Event
Former UFC fighter Spike Carlyle continued his explosive run on the regional scene Sunday, scoring a second-round stoppage win over veteran JJ Ambrose.
Carlyle delivered a walk-off finish win in the main event of Cage Warriors 130, dropping Ambrose with a two-punch combination of hooks. The stoppage win headlined a card that took place at Humphrey’s on the Bay in San Diego, California, USA.
The first round was tough for Carlyle, suffering a brutal cut on his head and being tested with submissions by Ambrose on the ground. His flashy striking style earned him the win a round later.
Carlyle has been on a strong run since departing the UFC roster in late 2020. He has now earned three stoppage wins in 2021, including a victory over Batsumberel Dagvadorj on an LFA card.
Carlyle’s UFC run was just one year, wrapping up after one win and two losses.
Ambrose was on an impressive five-fight winning streak before Sunday, although he had not competed since 2019. The experienced fighter has competed as a pro since 2005, including numerous appearances in Bellator.
A full report on Cage Warriors 130 can be read here.
Here are the quick results:
Preliminary Card (9:30PM EDT / 6:30PM PDT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 1: Cesar Gonzalez def. Tyler Escoto via Decision, Split
Bout 2: Justin Barry def. Alan Benson via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 1:07)
Bout 3: Damon Wilson def. Theodore Macuka via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:11)
Main Card (11:00PM EDT / 8:00PM PDT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 4: Richie Miranda def. Jamie Lynch via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 1:29)
Bout 5: Josh Wang-Kim def. Jose Hernandez via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 3:22)
Bout 6: Zac Pauga def. Markus Perez via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 7: Max Rohskopf def. Jordan Bailey via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 8: Spike Carlyle def. JJ Ambrose via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 1:18)
Nate Richardson Takes Split Decision Over Diego Lopes, Claims Fury FC Featherweight Championship
Nate Richardson was crowned the new Fury FC Featherweight Champion on Sunday, defeating “Dana White’s Contender Series” alum Diego Lopes via split decision after a close five-round battle. Their fight headlined Fury FC 52, which took place at the Escapade 2001 in Houston, Texas, USA.
Richardson’s best moments of the fight were on the feet, where he provided a high volume of shots that landed frequently. Lopes was able to compete in these positions and was also able to get Richardson to the mat numerous times.
Lopes took Richardson down early in the first round, taking his back and notching numerous minutes of control time. Richardson escaped the position later in the frame, although he was threatened by an armbar attempt on the way out.
Both featherweights connected with a high volume of punches in the second round. Richardson seemingly got hurt halfway through the round, looking rocked and backing up after consuming a shot.
Lopes had a blast of momentum in the third round after the fight paused due to a suspected groin strike. He pressed forward with a series of punches that hurt Richardson. Lopes then got the fight back to the ground, scoring a takedown and taking the back of Richardson again.
The fourth round was mostly on the feet, where Richardson had a good showing with his striking.
Much like the first and third rounds, Lopes scored a takedown early in the fifth round and got on the back of Richardson. Richardson escaped the position quite quickly this time, moving into full guard before getting back to the feet.
Lopes scored a hard shot to start the final minute of the fight, leaving a clinch to land a spinning back elbow.
Richardson was making his Fury FC debut after a four-fight run in LFA. He took a loss in his previous showing, dropping a split decision to now-UFC fighter Fernando Padilla in February.
Lopes appeared on the UFC program “Dana White’s Contender Series” just two months back, losing a technical decision to Joanderson Brito. The defeat snapped a seven-fight winning streak that Lopes had developed from 2018 to 2021.
A full report on Fury FC 52 can be seen at this link.
Quick Results:
Preliminary Card (Youtube)
Bout 1: Kaleo Meheula def. Andrew Slater via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 2: Josh Thawng def. Tonatiuh Esquivel via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:14)
Bout 3: Santiago Guzman def. Scotty Juarez via Decision, Split
Bout 4: Manny Lozoya def. Jonathan Eiland via Decision, Unanimous
Main Card (5:30PM EDT / 4:30PM CDT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 5: Nazim Sadykhov def. John Herrera via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 3, 4:38)
Bout 6: Jacob Silva def. Tyler Bialecki via Submission, Kimura (RD 1, 3:49)
Bout 7: Kale Moniz def. Josh Walker via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 2:16)
Bout 8: Nico Echeverry def. Eddie Hoch via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 9: Teruto Ishihara vs. Vinicius Zani via Decision, Majority Draw
Bout 10: Levi Mowles def. Johnny Campbell via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 11: Shakeem Richardson def. Gabriel Macado via Submission, Triangle Choke (RD 2, 3:04) (Vacant Fury FC TMF Championship)
Bout 12: Nate Richardson def. Diego Lopes via Decision, Unanimous (Vacant Fury FC Featherweight Championship)
A Look At The Week Ahead
After numerous moderately busy weeks of MMA recently, this week will be hectic and hard to keep up with. Along with a UFC “Fight Night” and another episode from their “Contender Series” show, this week presents events from Bellator, RIZIN, KSW, LFA, and more.
This week is around the clock busy, it’s worldwide, and there’s a lot to discuss. Here’s a quick preview of it all.
Tuesday
Dana White’s Contender Series: Season 5 Episode 8
10 more fighters will get a chance to secure a UFC contract on Tuesday when episode eight of “Dana White’s Contender Series” airs. This week’s episode includes names like explosive CFFC finisher Solomon Renfro, LFA Strawweight Champion Piera Rodriguez, former AMC Fight Nights Light Heavyweight Champion Armen Petrosyan, and more.
Location: UFC APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Main Card (8:00PM EDT / 5:00PM PDT) (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass Canada)
Bout 5: Solomon Renfro (8-1) vs. Jonny Parsons (7-2) (Welterweight)
Bout 4: Valesca Machado (8-2) vs. Piera Rodriguez (6-0) (Strawweight)
Bout 3: Caio Borralho (9-1) vs. Jesse Murray (8-3) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 2: Armen Petrosyan (5-1) vs. Kaloyan Kolev (10-0) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 1: James Barnes (14-4) vs. Pedro Falcao (14-3) (Bantamweight)
Friday
LFA 116: Fremd vs. Valente
LFA will head to the state of Colorado on Friday for a prospect-heavy card. In the main event, Josh Fremd will attempt to bounce back from a failed title shot when fighting Renato Valente.
As is the case with most LFA cards, there are lots of strong prospects in the lineup. This week includes many undefeated fighters like Jalin Fuller, Haris Talundzic, Jacobi Jones, and “The Ultimate Fighter” alum Dan Argueta.
Location: Dobson Arena, Vail, Colorado, USA
Main Card (10:00PM EDT / 8:00PM MDT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 14: Josh Fremd (7-2) vs. Renato Valente (8-4) (Middleweight)
Bout 13: Dan Argueta (5-0) vs. Rodney Mondala (6-3) (Bantamweight)
Bout 12: Michael Stack (5-1) vs. Jackson Filho (4-2) (Featherweight)
Bout 11: Pauline Macias (4-1) vs. Marnic Mann (3-0) (Strawweight)
Bout 10: Jalin Fuller (5-0) vs. Ryan Charlebois (3-0) (Welterweight)
Bout 9: Haris Tulndzic (3-0) vs. Brock Smith (4-1) (Welterweight)
Bout 8: Jacobi Jones (2-0) vs. Logan Paxton (1-0) (Lightweight)
Preliminary Card
Bout 7: Llorrvic Acevedo (1-0) vs. Josiah Reyes (2-0) (Flyweight)
Bout 6: Jena Bishop (0-0) vs. Helen Lucero (1-2) (Flyweight)
Bout 5: Brittany Camozzi (0-1) vs. Kelsey Arnesen (0-1) (Strawweight)
Bout 4: Isaiah Diggs (3-0) vs. Gabe Parrot (0-1) (Amateur Featherweight)
Bout 3: Luis Gurule (0-0) vs. DeMarcus Patterson (0-0) (Amateur Bantamweight)
Bout 2: Bryant Ireland (0-0) vs. David Evenson (0-0) (Amateur Catchweight 165 lbs)
Bout 1: Jovan Gasper (5-3) vs. Jota Ninomiya (3-2) (Amateur Featherweight)
Saturday
KSW 64
Polish MMA promotion KSW will attempt a big-man fight again this weekend, as promotional veteran Mariusz Pudzianowski is expected to face Senegalese wrestler Serigne Ousmane Dia.
This matchup was first anticipated for March 2021 but was thrown out on short notice due to Ousmane Dia being hospitalized with appendicitis.
This weekend’s show is also expected to have a bantamweight title fight between Sebastian Przybysz and Bruno Santos.
Location: Atlas Arena, Lodz, Poland
Main Card (12:00PM EDT / 6:00PM CEST) (KSW TV)
Bout 9: Mariusz Pudzianowski (15-7) vs. Serigne Ousmane Dia (2-0) (Heavyweight)
Bout 8: Sebastian Przybysz (8-2) vs. Bruno Santos (10-2) (KSW Bantamweight Championship)
Bout 7: Daniel Rutkowski (12-2) vs. Filip Pejic (15-5-2) (Featherweight)
Bout 6: Robert Ruchala (5-0) vs. Patryk Kaczmarczyk (7-0) (Featherweight)
Bout 5: Michal Pietrzak (10-4) vs. Shamil Musaev (15-0) (Welterweight)
Bout 4: Albert Odzimkowski (11-5) vs. Jason Radcliffe (16-8) (Middleweight)
Bout 3: Cezary Kesik (12-1) vs. Marcin Krakowiak (11-3) (Middleweight)
Bout 2: Adam Tomasik (5-0) vs. Oumar Sy (4-0) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 1: Sylwia Juskiewicz (9-6) vs. Karolina Owczarz (4-1) (Catchweight 123 lbs)
Bellator 269: Fedor vs. Johnson
Bellator will make its debut in Russia this weekend with a card that includes one of the country’s most notable fighters. Heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko will make his return in the main event, fighting former interim title challenger Timothy Johnson.
The event, which is expected to have 12 fights in total, includes many of the top prospects from Russia that Bellator has signed as of late.
Location: VTB Arena, Moscow, Russia
Main Card (3:00PM EDT / 10:00PM MSK) (Showtime / OKKO Russia)
Bout 12: Fedor Emelianenko (39-6) vs. Timothy Johnson (15-7) (Heavyweight)
Bout 11: Vitaly Minakov (22-1) vs. Said Sowma (7-2) (Heavyweight)
Bout 10: Usman Nurmagomedov (13-0) vs. Patrik Pietila (11-8) (Catchweight 160 lbs)
Bout 9: Anatoly Tokov (29-3) vs. Sharaf Davlatmurodov (18-3-1) (Middleweight)
Preliminary Card (12:00PM EDT / 7:00PM MSK) (Youtube / OKKO Russia)
Bout 8: Kirill Sidelnikov (12-6) vs. Rab Truesdale (10-7-1) (Heavyweight)
Bout 7: Vladimir Tokov (5-1) vs. Aymard Guih (15-12-1) (Lightweight)
Bout 6: Darina Mazdyuk (3-1) vs. Katarzyna Sadura (4-4) (Flyweight)
Bout 5: Irina Alekseeva (3-1) vs. Stephanie Page (5-2) (Flyweight)
Bout 4: Brian Moore (14-7) vs. Nikita Mikhailov (7-1) (Bantamweight)
Bout 3: Grachik Bozinyan (11-4) vs. Alexey Shurkevich (12-4) (Welterweight)
Bout 2: Aiden Lee (9-5) vs. Aleksandr Osetrov (8-2-1) (Featherweight)
Bout 1: Gadzhi Rabadanov (16-4-2) vs. Alexander Belikh (9-4) (Featherweight)
UFC on ESPN+ 54: Costa vs. Vettori
Both making their first appearance since losing a title shot, Paulo Costa will meet fellow ranked middleweight Marvin Vettori in the main event of Saturday’s UFC card.
Vettori challenged UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya in June, going five rounds and losing via unanimous decision. Before then, Vettori had attained five consecutive wins in the weight class.
Costa is coming off the longest layoff of the two, as his title fight against Adesanya was in September 2020. His return was a long time in the works, as he has had to withdraw from two other headlining appearances earlier in the year.
Location: UFC APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Main Card (4:00PM EDT / 1:00PM PDT) (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass Canada)
Bout 12: Paulo Costa (13-1) vs. Marvin Vettori (17-4-1) (Middleweight)
Bout 11: Grant Dawson (17-1) vs. Ricky Glenn (22-6-1) (Lightweight)
Bout 10: Jessica-Rose Clark (10-6) vs. Joselyne Edwards (10-3) (Bantamweight)
Bout 9: Nick Negumereanu (10-1) vs. Ike Villanueva (18-12) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 8: Alex Caceres (18-12) vs. Choi Seung-woo (10-3) (Featherweight)
Bout 7: Dwight Grant (11-3) vs. Francisco Trinaldo (26-8) (Welterweight)
Preliminary Card (1:00PM EDT / 10:00PM PDT) (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass Canada)
Bout 6: Livinha Souza (14-3) vs. Randa Markos (10-11-1) (Strawweight)
Bout 5: Jeff Molina (9-2) vs. Daniel Lacerda (11-1) (Flyweight)
Bout 4: Park Jun-yong (13-4) vs. Gregory Rodrigues (10-3) (Middleweight)
Bout 3: Tabatha Ricci (5-1) vs. Maria Oliveira (12-4) (Strawweight)
Bout 2: Khama Worthy (16-8) vs. Jai Herbert (10-3) (Lightweight)
Bout 1: Laureano Staropoli (9-4) vs. Jamie Pickett (11-6) (Middleweight)
Sunday
RIZIN 31
RIZIN Featherweight Champion Yutaka Saito will look to defend his belt for the first time on Sunday, facing DEEP Featherweight Champion Juntaro Ushiku in the main event of RIZIN 31.
Saito earned his belt last year, fighting against promotional star Mikuru Asakura for a scorecard victory. He has since competed once in a non-title bout, earning a split decision win over Vugar Karamov in June.
Sunday’s card also includes two-time title challenger Kanna Asakura, who will take on rising atomweight prospect Saori Oshima.
Former sumo wrestler Tsuyoshi Sudario will also try to bounce back from his sole pro loss when facing undefeated DEEP Impact heavyweight SAINT.
Location: Pia Arena MM, Yokohama, Japan
Main Card (1:00AM EDT / 2:00PM JST) (Live-Now / RIZIN Live)
Bout 11: Yutaka Saito (20-4-2) vs. Juntaro Ushiku (19-8-1) (RIZIN Featherweight Championship) (MMA Bout)
Bout 10: Kanna Asakura (18-5) vs. Saori Oshima (6-2) (108 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Bout 9: Tsuyoshi Sudario (3-1) vs. SAINT (2-0) (265 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Bout 8: Masanori Kanehara (27-14-5) vs. Takahiro Ashida (24-10-2) (146 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Bout 7: Daichi Abe (9-4) vs. Akira Okada (15-8-4) (157 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Bout 6: Daisuke Nakamura (30-20-1) vs. Suguru Nii (12-10) (146 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Bout 5: Rikuto Shirakawa (10-8-1) vs. Takuya Yamamoto (7-1-1) (146 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Bout 4: Yoshinari Nadaka vs. Naoki Ishikawa (117 lbs) (Kickboxing Bout)
Bout 3: Yusaku Nakamura (16-8-1) vs. Yuki Ito (8-2) (126 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Bout 2: Seiichiro Ito (13-4-2) vs. Kunta Hashimoto (7-1) (126 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Bout 1: Ryuya Okuwaki vs. Ryuto Oinuma (112 lbs) (Kickboxing Bout)
Quick Jabs
XMMA Brings Notable Names: Like they have done at every event since their return this year, XMMA will showcase lots of experienced names to the table on Saturday night. In Miami, Florida, USA, XMMA will present a card that includes John Dodson, Cody Gibson, Nate Marquardt and John Howard.
Kitaoka Returns At DEEP Impact: JMMA veteran Satoru Kitaoka will return to action this weekend, facing Takumi Suzuki as part of the DEEP Impact card. The show is also set to include former Shooto Japan Champion Ryuya Fukuda, and a pairing of atomweight prospects Seika Izawa and Park Si-woo.
Experience Collides In The RUF Cage: Arizona-based MMA promotion RUF will have two incredibly experienced fighters in action this week, as Aaron Brink and Shannon Ritch will compete on Saturday night. The fighters hold a combined record of over 200 fights.
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