Knockdown Daily 1/15/22: Xiong Jing Nan Defends ONE Championship Belt For Sixth Time

Xiong Jing Nan's win over Ayaka Miura leads the MMA headlines for Saturday

Welcome to the Saturday edition of the Knockdown Daily. It’s another jam-packed issue, as lots of news broke recently. Not only that but there’s also a UFC event tonight to discuss.

News

Xiong Jing Nan Stops Takedowns, Out-Lands Ayaka Miura To Defend ONE Championship Belt

Xiong Jing Nan’s dominant run as the ONE MMA 125-pound Champion continued on Friday night, as she worked for five rounds to earn a unanimous decision win over Ayaka Miura.

The fight headlined ONE Championship’s “Heavy Hitters” card, which took place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore.

Xiong was able to stifle the takedown attempts of Miura in every round. Miura shot for dozens of takedowns on the fight, being persistently eager to get the fight to the ground.

Xiong was able to out-land Miura on the feet, connecting with a steady flow of punches throughout the fight. By the time the fight concluded, it was clear that Xiong was going to walk away with the decision win.

Miura was given the title fight after attaining four wins through five bouts in ONE Championship. All of those wins, including her victory last year over Rayane Bastos, have come via an americana submission.

Xiong has held ONE’s 125-pound belt since early 2018. The win in Friday’s main event marked the sixth time she had defended the belt since first claiming it.

After the fight, Xiong mentioned her intention to go down to the 115-pound division and attempt to become a two-division champion. She failed to capture that belt in 2019, losing a fight against Angela Lee.

A full report on the card can be read here.

Here are the quick results:

Lead Card (6:30AM EST / 7:30PM SGT) (Bleacher Report App / Youtube)
Bout 1: Shuya Kamikubo def. Troy Worthen via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 3) (MMA Bout)
Bout 2: Tiffany Teo def. Meng Bo via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2) (MMA Bout)
Main Card (7:30AM EST / 8:30PM SGT) (Bleacher Report App / Youtube)
Bout 3: Giannis Stoforidis def. Beybulat Isaev via TKO, Strikes (RD 1) (Kickboxing Bout)
Bout 4: Senzo Ikeda def. Elipitua Siregar via TKO, Strikes (RD 3) (MMA Bout)
Bout 5: Supergirl Jaroonsak Muaythai def. Ekaterina Vandaryeva via Decision, Split (Muay Thai Bout)
Bout 6: Saygid Izagakhmaev def. James Nakashima via Submission, Arm Triangle Choke (RD 2) (MMA Bout)
Bout 7: Tawanchai P.K.Saenchaimuaythaigym def. Saemapetch Fairtex via TKO, Strikes (RD 1) (Muay Thai Bout)
Bout 8: Xiong Jing Nan def. Ayaka Miura via Decision, Unanimous (ONE MMA Strawweight Championship) (125 lbs)

Chris Brown Finishes Steve Jones, Calls For LFA Title Fight

Welterweight Chris Brown scored a finish win in Friday’s LFA main event, putting away Steve Jones with strikes in the third round. The fight headlined LFA 121, which took place at The Factory in Deep Ellum in Dallas, Texas, USA.

Brown suddenly hurt Jones early in the final round of their fight with a left cross. Jones dropped to the ground as Brown charged at him, allowing Brown to land with ground and pound shots.

Jones returned to his feet but crumbled to his back after taking more punches. Brown took the back of Jones to continue with punches, forcing the referee to eventually step in and end the fight.

Brown was ahead in a slow fight for the two previous rounds.

Brown now has a solid winning streak in LFA, having won three consecutive fights. He scored a stoppage win last time around as well, beating Glaucio Eliziario in July 2021.

Brown called for a welterweight title shot in his post-fight interview.

Jones was attempting to bounce back from a loss he took to Nikolay Veretennikov from LFA 102. He had a strong five-fight winning streak before then.

The welterweight fight wasn’t originally set for the main event but was moved up to headlining status after a fight between Aaron McKenzie and Joshua Jones left the card.

Brown missed weight for this bout, going over the limit by three pounds on Thursday.

A full report on LFA 121 can be read here.

Here are the quick results:

Preliminary Card
Bout 1: Caleb Jensen def. Harrison Layne via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:51)
Bout 2: Zumar Archer def. Akeem Lewis via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:10)
Main Card (9:00PM EST / 8:00PM CST) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 3: Jakori Savage def. Siteu Senghor via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:53)
Bout 4: Anvar Boynazarov def. John Pham via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:21)
Bout 5: Isaiah Gutierrez def. Keeton Gorton via Submission, Guillotine Choke (RD 2, 1:28)
Bout 6: Michael Cyr def. Alden Coria via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 3, 3:20)
Bout 7: Elijah Johns def. Brandon Phillips via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 8: Chris Brown def. Steve Jones via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 1:04)

UFC 270 Loses One Fight, Gains Another Bout

The changes to UFC’s January 22nd event only continue to happen. UFC 270 lost a fight on Friday, although a new pairing also joined the lineup.

Injury Forces Hardy Out of Fight Against Spivac

A gruesome injury has forced Greg Hardy out of his heavyweight fight against Serghei Spivac.

Hardy posted a photo of a bloody hand on social media Friday, sending it along with a caption that confirmed he is out of his fight.

It was reported just earlier this week that Spivac would step in as a short-notice opponent to replace Aleksei Oleinik.

Both fighters were attempting to return to the win column. The fight was set to happen as part of the PPV portion of UFC 270.

Rodriguez To Make UFC Debut Against Della Maddalena

A double debut will happen on the card, as Pete Rodriguez will take a short-notice fight against Jack Della Maddalena. The new welterweight fight was confirmed by Mike Heck of MMA Fighting.

Della Maddalena was originally scheduled to face Warlley Alves on the card, although that fight was pulled from the lineup earlier this month.

Della Maddalena earned a UFC contract last year with a win on the TV show “Dana White’s Contender Series.”

Rodriguez is joining the UFC after just four pro fights. He has won four fights via first-round finish in iKon Fighting Federation since he started his pro career in October 2020.

De Ridder vs. Abbasov, Le vs. Tonon Announced For ONE Championship Main Events

Two more title fights have joined ONE Championship’s upcoming schedule, per an announcement made on their broadcast Friday.

Champion vs. Champion Fight Set For ‘Full Circle’

In a clash of two champions, Reinier de Ridder will attempt to defend his ONE Middleweight Championship for the first time on February 25th, facing Kiamrian Abbasov in the main event of “Full Circle.”

De Ridder earned the belt in October 2020, stopping Aung La N Sang in the first round of a fight via rear naked choke. He also became a two-division champ in April of last year, defeating N Sang in a rematch up at ONE’s 225-pound division.

De Ridder has yet to lose through 14 fights as a pro, including five fights in ONE Championship.

Abbasov is moving up a weight class for the title fight in February. He is the promotion’s current 185-pound champ. He first earned the belt in 2019, defeating Zebaztian Kadestam.

Abbasov defended his belt for the first time in November, stopping then-undefeated James Nakashima in the fourth round of a bout.

Le vs. Tonon Re-Booked For March

A previously attempted fight between ONE Featherweight Champion Thanh Le and undefeated fighter Garry Tonon will now headline the promotion’s March 11th card titled “Lights Out.”

Le and Tonon were first set to fight in December at the promotion’s “ONE X” card, which was later postponed.

Le will be fighting to defend his belt for the first time. He picked up the title in October 2020, scoring a third-round stoppage victory against Martin Nguyen.

Tonon, a grappling ace, is getting the title shot after attaining six wins in ONE Championship. He went the distance for the first time in his career in late 2020, defeating Koyomi Matsushima via unanimous decision.

Veteran Andrei Arlovski To Face Jared Vanderaa At UFC 271

Heavyweight veteran Andrei Arlovski will return to action next month, facing Jared Vanderaa at UFC’s February 12th pay-per-view event.

The fight is set to join UFC 271 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, USA, per a report from Nolan King of MMA Junkie.

Arlovski is coming back after an active 2021. While the pro of over two decades started last year with a submission loss to Tom Aspinall, he later went the distance for decision wins over Chase Sherman and Carlos Felipe.

Vanderaa was finished last time around, getting stopped in October by undefeated prospect Alexandr Romanov. He earned his first UFC win before then, defeating Justin Tafa in May.

Vanderaa was previously booked to face UFC newcomer Azamat Murzakanov in December. However, that fight was thrown out on short notice due to Vanderaa not being medically cleared to compete.

Two Fights Join February 26th UFC ‘Fight Night’ Card

Two more matchups have recently joined UFC’s February 26th “Fight Night” event.

Kim Booked Against Cachoeira At Flyweight

Kim Ji-yeon is now back on the schedule, facing Priscila Cachoeira in a flyweight bout. John Hyon Ko reported the new matchup first.

Kim is receiving the new booking after a previously scheduled fight against Poliana Botelho for UFC’s January 22nd pay-per-view event was pulled.

Now with a new date for her return, Kim will be attempting to snap a two-fight losing streak.

Cachoeira took a loss in December, getting submitted late in the first round by Gillian Robertson. The fight generated controversy, as it was alleged that Cachoeira attempted to gouge the eyes of Robertson during the fight-ending sequence.

Parsons To Debut Against ‘TUF’ Alum Gillmore

Jonny Parsons will make his UFC debut on the card, facing Michael Gillmore at welterweight. Nolan King and Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie confirmed the matchup Thursday.

Parsons impressed UFC higher-ups on the latest season of “Dana White’s Contender Series,” getting signed by the promotion after defeating Solomon Renfro via split decision.

Gillmore made his UFC debut in August, losing late in the third round of a bout against Andre Petroski. He was previously a short-notice fill-in on Season 28 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” losing to Gilbert Urbina in the opening round of the bracket.

CES Announces Two Title Fights, Return of UFC Alum For March 4th

CES MMA is planning a strong lineup for their first event of 2022. The promotion announced CES 66 on Thursday, unveiling two title fights and a headlining bout involving the return of a promotional veteran

The event will take place on March 4th at the Bally’s Twin River Lincoln Casino Resort in Lincoln, Rhode Island, USA.

In the main event, former UFC fighter Andre Soukhamthath will meet Diego Silva in a bantamweight bout.

Soukhamthath was part of the UFC roster from 2017 to 2019, departing the promotion after attaining two wins through seven fights. He has since fought twice in XFC, beating Guilherme Faria on scorecards and losing to another UFC alum in Jose Alberto Quinonez.

Soukhamthath has competed in CES before, fighting in the promotion 13 times at the start of his career.

Silva is coming off a win, submitting Marcone Muniz in October on a regional show in Brazil. The fight was his third win in his last five fights.

Two Title Fights Set For CES 66

CES will crown a new welterweight champion at the event, as Gary Balletto Jr. and Billy Goff will meet in a fight.

Balletto Jr. scored two wins in MMA last year, submitting Dahlen Wilson and Daniel Frunza on CES cards. Goff enters the title matchup on a strong three-fight winning streak.

Jay Perrin will look to defend his CES Bantamweight Championship for the first time on the card, meeting rising prospect Ashiek Ajim.

Perrin, a former competitor on “Dana White’s Contender Series,” earned the CES belt last year with a submission victory over Josh Smith. He now faces Ajim, who picked up two finish wins last year within a minute each.

Preview

UFC on ESPN 32: Kattar vs. Chikadze

Rising featherweight Giga Chikadze will attempt to continue his undefeated UFC run on Saturday night, facing Calvin Kattar in the main event of a card from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

The fight headlines a card that marks the beginning of UFC’s 2022 schedule. Along with the promotion’s UFC 270 pay-per-view event set for next week, this show has suffered numerous changes in recent days. The card is currently set to have 10 fights in total, and prelims will start an hour earlier than the previously targeted time.

A full preview of the card can be read here.

Here’s the lineup:

Preliminary Card (5:00PM EST / 2:00PM PST) (ESPN+ / TSN 5)
Bout 1: TJ Brown (15-8) vs. Charles Rosa (14-6) (Featherweight)
Bout 2: Brian Kelleher (23-12) vs. Kevin Croom (21-13) (Featherweight)
Bout 3: Ramiz Brahimaj (9-3) vs. Court McGee (20-10) (Welterweight)
Bout 4: Jamie Pickett (12-6) vs. Joseph Holmes (7-1) (Middleweight)
Main Card (7:00PM EST / 4:00PM PST) (ESPN+ / TSN 5)
Bout 5: Joanderson Brito (12-2-1) vs. Bill Algeo (14-6) (Featherweight)
Bout 6: Dakota Bush (8-3) vs. Viacheslav Borshchev (5-1) (Lightweight)
Bout 7: Katlyn Chookagian (16-4) vs. Jennifer Maia (19-7-1) (Flyweight)
Bout 8: Brandon Royval (12-6) vs. Rogerio Bontorin (17-3) (Flyweight)
Bout 9: Chase Sherman (15-8) vs. Jake Collier (12-6) (Heavyweight)
Bout 10: Calvin Kattar (22-5) vs. Giga Chikadze (14-2) (Featherweight)

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