Knockdown Daily 11/13/21: Cris Cyborg Stops Sinead Kavanagh In Second Minute To Defend Bellator Championship
Cris Cyborg's win over Sinead Kavanagh leads the MMA headlines for Saturday
Welcome to the Saturday edition of the Knockdown Daily. Today’s an incredibly packed issue. Along with reports on yesterday’s Bellator, LFA and ONE Championship cards, today’s issue includes other news and a preview for today’s UFC card.
News
Cris Cyborg Stops Sinead Kavanagh In Second Minute To Defend Bellator Belt For Third Time
Cris Cyborg’s dominant run as Bellator Featherweight Champion continued on Friday night, as she stopped Sinead Kavanagh in the first round of their fight due to strikes. The fight headlined Bellator 271, which took place Friday at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, USA.
Cyborg dropped Kavanagh with a right hook during a wild exchange of punches between the featherweights in the opening round. She followed up with a couple of hammerfist strikes on the ground before the referee stopped the fight.
Cyborg has now defended her featherweight belt three times since earning the belt in early 2020. Her previous fight was a much longer bout, going into the fifth round against Leslie Smith before picking up a finish.
The idea was thrown out afterward that PFL Lightweight Champion Kayla Harrison, who is currently a free agent, could be next in line to fight Cyborg.
Cyborg was open to the idea of the fight if it could be made.
“If you want to fight me one day, it [would be] a great fight. But you need to talk to the promotion to make this happen,” said Cyborg when addressing Harrison, who was in attendance for the event.
Kavanagh, a Bellator veteran of nine fights, was given a title fight after two consecutive victories. She had been out of the cage for over a year, as her prior fight was a unanimous decision win over Katharina Lehner in October 2020.
A full report on Bellator 271 can be read here.
Here are the quick results:
Preliminary Card (7:00PM EST) (Youtube)
Bout 1: Ethan Hughes def. Mahmoud Sebie via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 4:05)
Bout 2: Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Mo DeReese via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 3: Valerie Loureda def. Taylor Turner via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 4: Cody Law def. Colton Hamm via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:21)
Bout 5: Roman Faraldo def. Robert Turnquest TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:17)
Bout 6: Bruna Ellen def. Desiree Yanez via Decision, Split
Bout 7: Steve Mowry def. Rakim Cleveland via Submission, Kimura (RD 1, 3:28)
Main Card (10:00PM EST) (Showtime)
Bout 8: Arlene Blencowe def. Pam Sorenson via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 9: Aaron Pico def. Justin Gonzales via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 10: Linton Vassell def. Tyrell Fortune via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 11: Cris Cyborg def. Sinead Kavanagh via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:32) (Bellator Featherweight Championship)
Rittewada Petchyindee Academy Picks Up Doctor Stoppage Win Over Saemapetch Fairtex In ONE Championship Debut
Slicing elbows from Rittewada Petchyindee Academy earned him a doctor stoppage comeback victory over Saemapetch Fairtex in a Muay Thai main event. The fight headlined ONE Championship’s “NextGen 2” card, which aired for the first time Friday.
The fights were previously recorded last month at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore.
Rittewada landed elbows in the second round, with one of the shots causing a large cut on the right eyebrow of Saemapetch. The fight was eventually paused, giving a doctor the chance to inspect the cut and make the call to stop the fight.
The sudden finish to the fight concluded what had been a successful performance for Saemapetch early on.
The former ONE title challenger scored a knockdown in the first round, dropping Rittewada with a two-punch combination of hooks. He also rocked Rittewada early in the second round, although he wasn’t able to attain a knockdown from that exchange.
Rittewada, an experienced Muay Thai vet of over a decade, was making his promotional debut in the main event.
Saemapetch entered the bout with a strong two-fight winning streak in ONE Championship.
The full report on “NextGen 2” can be viewed here.
Here are the quick results:
Main Card (7:30AM EST / 8:30PM SGT) (Bleacher Report App / Youtube)
Bout 1: Han Zi Hao def. Victor Pinto via Decision, Unanimous (Muay Thai Bout)
Bout 2: Hiroyuki Tetsuka def. Agilan Thani via TKO, Strikes (RD 3) (MMA Bout)
Bout 3: Smokin’ Jo Nattawut def. Yurik Davtyan via TKO, Strikes (RD 1) (ONE Kickboxing Grand Prix Alternate Bout)
Bout 4: Dovydas Rimkus def. Zhang Chunyu via Decision, Majority (ONE Kickboxing Grand Prix Alternate Bout)
Bout 5: Tang Kai def. Yoon Chang Min via TKO, Strikes (RD 1) (MMA Bout)
Bout 6: Rittewada Petchyindee Academy def. Saemapetch Fairtex via TKO, Doctor Stoppage (RD 2) (Muay Thai Bout)
Askar Askar Defeats Leandro Gomes In LFA 118 Main Event, Calls For Title Shot
Askar Askar had an unexpected main event spotlight on him when he defeated Leandro Gomes via split decision on Friday night.
The bantamweight bout was elevated to main event status for LFA 118 after a strawweight title fight between Jaqueline Amorim and Loveth Young was removed from the card earlier in the evening.
The title fight didn’t go forward due to requirements set by the athletic commission overseeing the bout, per an announcement made on the broadcast. The fights took place at the Los Angeles-Burbank Marriott Convention Center in Burbank, California, USA.
Askar, who was previously set to appear in a co-main event bout, used his main event spotlight to call for a title fight.
“I want that LFA belt before I ride back to the UFC,” said Askar in his post-fight interview.
Askar can’t get a title fight overnight. The promotion currently has plans at bantamweight, as undefeated prospects Rich Palencia and Allan Begosso are set to compete for the vacant title on December 3rd.
Askar’s win came after a close three-round bout against Gomes. The low-output stand-up battle saw the bantamweights compete in lots of body lock positions against the cage.
Gomes had sharp striking during the brief moments that the fighters were trading at range.
Askar was returning after suffering a stoppage loss against Justin Wetzell in June.
The loss for Gomes snapped a four-fight winning streak that he had mainly developed in LFA. The 30-year-old prospect was fighting for the first time in over a year.
Full details on last night’s LFA 118 card can be read about here.
Here are the quick results for that show:
Preliminary Card
Bout 1: Joseph Dorado def. Corvan Allen via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 3, 3:17)
Main Card (10:00PM EST / 7:00PM PST) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 2: Taylor Mauldin def. Nadine Mandiau via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 3: Sidney Trillo def. Alandria Brown via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 2:49)
Bout 4: Rickey Furar def. Jose Avalos via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 1:30)
Bout 5: Jena Bishop def. Dione Barbosa via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 6: Javier Garcia def. Ryan Fillingame via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 7: Askar Askar def. Leandro Gomes via Decision, Split
Tai Tuivasa Out of November 20th UFC Bout Against Augusto Sakai
Trouble has only continued for UFC’s November 20th event, as heavyweight Tai Tuivasa revealed Thursday that he has withdrawn from his fight against Augusto Sakai.
Tuivasa, who resides in Australia, cited travel issues as the reason for his departure from the card. He was set to fight at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
“My team is getting on top of it and we should be back in the new year [and] ready to bang,” said Tuivasa via Instagram.
Tuivasa’s departure from the card was first reported by Christopher Reive of the New Zealand Herald.
Tuivasa was looking to follow up on a quick stoppage win that he scored over Greg Hardy earlier this year.
It is not known at the moment whether Sakai will get a new opponent for his booking next week. He was attempting to snap a two-fight losing streak in the appearance, coming back after main event losses to Alistair Overeem and Jairzinho Rozenstruick.
Undefeated Bellator Prospect Usman Nurmagomedov Detained After Allegedly Running Over Police Officer With Vehicle
Undefeated Bellator fighter Usman Nurmagomedov was reportedly been taken into custody Thursday after allegedly running over a police officer with a vehicle.
Russian media outlet TASS first reported on the arrest.
Nurmagomedov was detained along with Kamal Idrisov after an alleged incident at Kaspiysk Airport in Moscow, Russia.
A report from local investigators alleges that a Toyota Camry with tinted windows and no license plate showed up at the airport on Thursday afternoon.
A confrontation between the car and police allegedly escalated, as the driver “ignored a police officer’s demand to stop.” The investigation alleges the car then ran over a security barrier, injuring a police officer in the process.
Nurmagomedov has been one of the rising lightweight names on the Bellator roster recently. He scored his third victory for the promotion just last month, submitting Patrik Pietila with a first-round rear naked choke.
Bellator has provided a comment on the matter to Shaun Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting.
“The promotion has been made aware of the situation involving Usman Nurmagomedov and is in the process of gathering information and have no further comment at this time,” the promotion said.
Alex Morono vs. Mickey Gall Booked For December 4th UFC Card
Alex Morono has the chance to score his third victory of the year when facing Mickey Gall at UFC’s December 4th “Fight Night” event. The new welterweight matchup was confirmed Friday by Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie.
Morono has picked up two wins earlier this year.
He started his year with a victory over a veteran, stopping Donald Cerrone within a round in May. Returning four months later, Morono fought to a unanimous decision victory over David Zawada.
Gall returned to the win column with a quick performance in July, submitting Jordan Williams in the first round via rear naked choke. His previous fight was a 2020 loss to Mike Perry.
UFC Looking To Add Two Bouts To February 19th Card
Two new matchups could soon potentially join UFC’s February 19th event. The promotion is reportedly in the process of booking a pair of new bouts for the card. While the fights aren’t official, they have at least been verbally agreed upon by the parties involved.
Daukaus Gets New Matchup, Now Booked Against Marquez
After his plans for this weekend were thrown out, Kyle Daukaus now has a new fight in place. The former CFFC Middleweight Champion is being set up to face Julian Marquez next year, per Farah Hannoun and Nolan King of MMA Junkie.
Daukaus was recently booked to fight this weekend. He was originally set to face Kevin Holland, although Holland eventually had to pull out of the bout. COVID-19 protocol later also took short-notice replacement Roman Dolidze off the card, leaving Daukaus without an opponent.
Daukaus last fought in October, where a bout against Holland finished in the first round via no contest due to an accidental clash of heads.
Marquez made his return this year, competing for the first time since 2018. He scored two wins early in the year, submitting Maki Pitolo and Sam Alvey.
Bantamweights Bautista and Taha Paired
UFC is attempting to make a bantamweight fight between Mario Bautista and Khalid Taha for February. The matchup, which was first reported by Nolan King and John Morgan of MMA Junkie, gives both fighters a chance to return to the win column.
Bautista had a two-fight winning streak snapped in March, as Trevin Jones scored a second-round finish win victory against him. The fight was his first appearance in over a year.
Taha has gone winless in his last three, as the last appearances have resulted in two losses and one no contest. His last bout was in July, where Sergey Morozov defeated him via unanimous decision.
Preview
UFC on ESPN+ 55: Holloway vs. Rodriguez
Former UFC Featherweight Champion Max Holloway will attempt to continue his campaign towards another title fight Saturday when facing fellow ranked fighter Yair Rodriguez in a five-round main event bout. The fight will also be Rodriguez’s first appearance in over two years.
Their fight headlines a “Fight Night” card that will take place from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
A full preview of the show can be read here.
Here is how the lineup looks at the moment:
Preliminary Card (1:00PM EST / 10:00PM PST) (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass Canada)
Bout 1: Kennedy Nzechukwu (9-1) vs. Jung Da-un (14-2-1) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 2: Marc Diakiese (14-4) vs. Rafael Alves (19-10) (Lightweight)
Bout 3: Cortney Casey (9-9) vs. Liana Jojua (8-4) (Flyweight)
Bout 4: Sean Woodson (8-1) vs. Collin Anglin (8-2) (Featherweight)
Bout 5: Cynthia Calvillo (9-3-1) vs. Andrea Lee (12-5) (Flyweight)
Bout 6: Thiago Moises (15-5) vs. Joel Alvarez (18-2) (Lightweight)
Main Card (4:00PM EST / 1:00PM PST) (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass Canada)
Bout 7: Song Yadong (17-5-1) vs. Julio Arce (17-4) (Bantamweight)
Bout 8: Miguel Baeza (10-1) vs. Khaos Williams (12-2) (Welterweight)
Bout 9: Felicia Spencer (8-3) vs. Leah Letson (5-1) (Featherweight)
Bout 10: Ben Rothwell (39-13) vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima (18-7-1) (Heavyweight)
Bout 11: Max Holloway (22-6) vs. Yair Rodriguez (13-2) (Featherweight)
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