Knockdown Daily 11/17/21: UFC Planning Magomed Ankalaev's First Main Event Bout
Magomed Ankalaev's potential 2022 headliner fight leads the MMA headlines for Wednesday
Welcome to the Wednesday edition of the Knockdown Daily. This issue will discuss the top MMA stories from the past 48 hours, and also has an interview attached at the end.
News
UFC Looking To Make Magomed Ankalaev vs. Thiago Santos For March 12th Headliner
Magomedov Ankalaev could make his UFC main event debut next year, as the promotion is currently attempting to book him in a headlining bout against Thiago Santos for March 13th. The potential matchup was first reported by Brett Okamoto of ESPN.
Should it be made official, the light heavyweight fight would join a card that doesn’t have a confirmed location at the moment.
Ankalaev is being targeted for a UFC main event after a nearly unstoppable run in the promotion thus far.
While he dropped his promotional debut in 2018 to Paul Craig, the 29-year-old has since earned seven consecutive wins. He scored two wins this year, going the distance against experienced light heavyweights Nikita Krylov and Volkan Oezdemir.
Ankalaev’s next opponent, Santos, has been at a high level of the division for a long time now. In a clear testament to that statement, the potential upcoming matchup could be his fifth main event bout in his past six fights.
Santos snapped a three-fight losing streak in October, going five rounds against Johnny Walker for a decision victory. His previous losses were against big names in the division like former champ Jon Jones and current champion Glover Teixeira.
Cheyanne Buys To Replace Montserrat Conejo In December 4th UFC Bout Against Mallory Martin
Days after her previous booking had to be thrown out, Cheyanne Buys is back in the UFC schedule. She will reportedly step in to replace Montserrat Conejo, who withdrew from her December 4th booking against Mallory Martin.
Mike Heck of MMA Fighting reported the change first.
It is not known at the moment why Conejo withdrew from her matchup. Her last fight was in July, where Amanda Lemos stopped her in just 35 seconds with strikes.
Buys was recently pulled from a November 20th booking against Loma Lookboonmee after testing positive for COVID-19. She scored her first UFC victory earlier this year, stopping Gloria de Paula with a first-round head kick.
Martin will be looking to bounce back from a submission loss she took to Polyana Viana in February.
Khama Worthy Announces Release: ‘I’ve Been Cut From The UFC’
Lightweight Khama Worthy recently revealed that his UFC run has come to an end.
Worthy, 35, announced Saturday that he is no longer signed to the promotion.
“I just got word from my management team that I’ve been cut from the UFC,” said Worthy in an Instagram post.
Worthy joined the UFC roster in 2019 with a record of 15 wins and six losses. His pro career had already included matchups against UFC-level fighters like Kyle Nelson, Billy Quarantillo and Matt Bessette.
After starting his UFC run with two consecutive stoppage wins, Worthy went on a three-fight streak of first-round finish losses that sounded the end of his run with the promotion.
Worthy last fought in October, getting stopped by Jai Herbert in that appearance.
Worthy’s statement last week implied his intentions to continue competing in the sport despite being cut from the roster.
“One door closes and another one opens,” said Worthy “This lion still got the [hunger] in him. Back on the hunt we go.”
Undefeated Nick Maximov To Face Punahele Soriano At February 5th UFC Card
Fresh off a successful UFC debut, undefeated middleweight Nick Maximov will meet Punahele Soriano at the promotion’s February 5th card, per Cole Shelton of BJPenn.com.
Maximov, a protege of UFC fighter Nick Diaz, won his promotional debut in September via unanimous decision against Cody Brundage. The fight was his seventh victory since turning pro in 2018.
Soriano will be fighting to bounce back from his sole pro loss. The explosive prospect was handed a loss in July, losing on scorecards to Brendan Allen.
Soriano scored a quick win in his two prior UFC bouts, stopping Oskar Piechota and Dusko Todorovic within a round.
John Makdessi vs. Nasrat Haqparast Set For February 19th UFC Event
In a matchup between veteran lightweights, Nasrat Haqparast and John Makdessi will meet at UFC’s February 19th card. News of the matchup was confirmed Monday by Damon Martin of MMA Fighting.
Makdessi scored a win earlier this year, fighting to a split decision victory over Ignacio Bahamondes. His prior bout was over a year before, where he lost in early 2020 to Francisco Trinaldo.
Haqparast was defeated in his last appearance, being on the losing side of a unanimous decision to Dan Hooker in September. He had scored two consecutive wins before then, facing UFC newcomers Alex Munoz and Rafa Garcia.
Yoshinori Horie vs. Hirotaka Nakada Joins RIZIN Trigger 1st Card As Late Addition
A pair of Pancrase vets have been matched as a late addition for RIZIN’s debut “TRIGGER” event.
The promotion announced Tuesday that Yoshinori Horie will face Hirotaka Nakada at their November 28th event.
Horie, a former UFC fighter and experienced Pancrase featherweight, will be searching for his third win in RIZIN.
Horie made his promotional debut in March, scoring a third-round stoppage win over Tetsuya Seki. He followed that up with a win over former UFC flyweight Ulka Sasaki, who he beat via unanimous decision.
Nakada is getting a chance in the RIZIN ring just six fights into his pro career.
He has been successful since his 2020 debut, scoring four wins and one loss across regional promotions Pancrase and Shooto Japan. His last fight was just two months ago, where he defeated Ryo Asami via unanimous decision.
Interview
RENA’s Growth As An MMA Fighter Receives A Familiar Test
Knockdown News spoke with RENA before her fight against Miyuu Yamamoto in a rematch this weekend at RIZIN 32. She discussed how her evolution as a fighter will be tested, as their meeting was first in 2016.
Along with that, RENA also discussed her status in the combat sports world and what she wants for the “final stretch” of her career.
The full interview can be read here.
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