Knockdown Daily 1/19/22: Yaroslav Amosov vs. MVP Set For May 13th

Bellator's newest title fight booking leads the MMA headlines for Wednesday

Welcome to the Wednesday edition of the Knockdown Daily. Today’s issue will be focusing on the top MMA stories from the past 48 hours.

News

Bellator Books Yaroslav Amosov vs. Michael Page For May 13th Card

Yaroslav Amosov will attempt to defend his Bellator Welterweight Championship for the first time when facing Michael “Venom” Page at Bellator’s May 13th card.

The matchup sees two of the most successful welterweights in the recent history of Bellator collide.

The fight will take place in Page’s home country, happening at the SSE Arena in London, England. The main event fight was announced by the promotion on Monday.

News of the potential bout was previously announced by Bellator President Scott Coker earlier in the month.

Page is coming off the biggest win of his career, avenging his sole pro loss against Douglas Lima. The split decision victory was his sixth consecutive victory since 2019. The fight was also his 16th win since joining Bellator back in 2013.

Amosov earned the Bellator Welterweight Championship in June 2021, going five rounds for a comfortable unanimous decision victory. That win extended his flawless record to a strong 26 winning streak, including six prior Bellator wins.

Two Fights Join UFC’s April 16th Lineup

Two fights have recently joined UFC’s April 16th show. The matchups are now part of a card that doesn’t have a confirmed location currently.

Baeza, Lima Look To Break Losing Streaks

Welterweights Miguel Baeza and Dhiego Lima will fight to return to the win column when paired up for the card. News of the fight was first confirmed by Best Fight Picks on Monday.

Baeza has yet to pick up a win since he had his undefeated record broken last year. He took his first pro loss in June, dropping a decision to Santiago Ponzinibbio. He has taken another loss since then, getting stopped in November by Khaos Williams.

Lima has also lost two straight fights. He was most recently finished by veteran Matt Brown, who beat him in June.

Ronson Ends Absence With Fight Against Garcia

Jesse Ronson will make his return on the card against Rafa Garcia, per Cole Shelton of MyMMANews.com.

Ronson, a Canadian MMA veteran, joined the UFC roster in 2020. He won his promotional debut against Nicolas Dalby, but that fight was later overturned to a no-contest due to a failed U.S. Anti-Doping Agency test.

Ronson is now returning after serving a 20-month suspension that was put in place by USADA.

Garcia is coming off his first UFC victory. The former Combate Americas Lightweight Champion snapped a two-fight skid in November to beat Natan Levy via unanimous decision.

Dean Barry To Make UFC Debut Against Mike Jackson At April 23rd UFC Event

Dean Barry’s UFC debut is back on the schedule. He is again expected to meet Mike Jackson, facing him at the promotion’s April 23rd event. News of the fight was first confirmed by Chris De Santiago of MMA Island on Sunday.

The fight joins an event that doesn’t have a confirmed location at the moment.

Barry was originally set to make his UFC debut against Jackson in 2021. However, that fight fell through on two different instances. Barry reportedly struggled to get an American visa for the bout, and eventually had this UFC contract canceled due to it.

But since then, he bounced back on the regional scene with a 21-second win on a Titan FC card and found his way back to the UFC roster.

Barry currently has a small record of four wins and one loss.

Jackson previously fought to a unanimous decision win over former WWE wrestler and now AEW talent CM Punk. However, that result, which was his sole pro win, was recently overturned to a no-contest due to a marijuana test.

It was previously reported that veteran Clay Guida and rising lightweight Claudio Puelles will meet at UFC’s April 23rd event. No other fights have been reported for the card thus far.

UFC Fighters Carlos Felipe, Zviad Lazishvili Face Suspensions In Nevada

UFC fighters Carlos Felipe and Zviad Lazishvili have been given suspensions following drug tests registered by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. The sanctions were announced by the commission on Tuesday.

Felipe has been given a lengthy 18-month suspension after testing positive for boldenone, which is an anabolic steroid. The test came from his October 2021 booking against Andrei Arlovski.

Felipe has also been fined just under $5,000 when combining fines and prosecution fees.

Felipe won’t be able to compete in the state of Nevada, USA until April 2023.

Lazishvili was given a nine-month suspension, taking him out of action in Nevada until July. He was flagged for anti-estrogen drug clomiphene when being tested for his October bout against Jonathan Martinez.

Along with the suspension, Lazishvili has been ordered to pay just over $2,000.

Both Felipe and Lazsivili’s fights resulted in losses, meaning the result will remain in place instead of being overturned to a no-contest outcome.

Both suspensions were first reported by MMA Fighting.

‘The Ultimate Fighter’ Alum Daniel Argueta To Face Mairon Santos At LFA 123

Undefeated bantamweights will collide early next month, as Daniel Argueta and Mairon Santos will meet in the main event of an LFA card on February 4th.

The promotion announced the main event bout late last week for LFA 123 at the Horseshoe Hammond Casino in Hammond, Indiana, USA.

Argueta competed on Season 28 of the UFC TV show “The Ultimate Fighter” last year. He was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the tournament, losing a unanimous decision to Ricky Turcios. Months later, Turcios would go on to win the tournament.

Argueta made his return to the regional scene in October, submitting Rodney Mondala within a round via armbar. That win extended his undefeated record to six consecutive bouts.

Santos will be making his LFA debut in the upcoming fight. He has a flawless record of 12 wins, with most coming from the regional scene in Brazil. His last outing was in February 2021, when he beat Paulo Roberto Aquiles.

More details on LFA 123 can be read here.

Here’s the lineup that was announced recently:

Bout 6: Daniel Argueta (6-0) vs. Mairon Santos (12-0) (Bantamweight)
Bout 5: Josh Streacker (7-4) vs. Miguel Jacob (5-1) (Lightweight)
Bout 4: Payton Brezinski (4-1) vs. Cody Davis (4-0) (Flyweight)
Bout 3: Halston Williams (1-1) vs. Tanner Marlow (3-0) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 2: Alberto Rodriguez (3-1) vs. Beau Samaniego (2-1) (Featherweight)
Bout 1: Motaz Askar (2-0) vs. Garrett Sharp (2-1) (Featherweight)

Emi Fujino To Face KAREN In Strawweight Title Fight At Pancrase 326

Pancrase will kick off their 2022 schedule with a strawweight title fight, as veteran Emi Fujino will return to face KAREN in the main event of Pancrase 326. The fight is part of a card that will happen on March 21st, per an announcement made by the promotion recently.

The card will take place at the Belle Salle Takadanobaba in Tokyo, Japan. The promotion previously operated out of the USEN Studio Coast, however, that notable music venue is set to close in late January.

Fujino will be competing in Pancrase for the first time since late 2019. Her last appearance under their banner saw her earn a strawweight belt, submitting Jang Hyun-ji via rear naked choke.

That fight was Fujino’s third consecutive win. Her last loss in Pancrase came in 2018 against now-UFC fighter Viviane Araujo.

Fujino recently appeared in a RIZIN fight, losing a unanimous decision to the promotion’s super atomweight champion, Ayaka Hamasaki.

KAREN is getting the title fight after attaining an undefeated record of four wins in Pancrase. Three of these victories have come during Fujino’s absence, as she has earned three finish wins since October 2020.

KAREN’s last victory came in October 2021, when she stopped Kotomi Shintani within a round due to a cut.

Another RIZIN alum will compete lower on the card, as veteran Yojiro Uchimura will face Raiki Endo at bantamweight.

Cage Warriors Set For Return To California In March

European MMA promotion Cage Warriors will continue their venture into the U.S. market later this year, presenting a card from the Del Mar Arena in San Diego, California, USA on March 4th.

This event is set to be their third in the country as of late.

Cage Warriors held two separate San Diego-based events in 2021, once in August and again in October. This marked their first U.S. shows in over a decade.

Cage Warriors is best known for hosting events in Europe. They have settled into the United Kingdom as a market in recent years, hosting the majority of their shows in England.

One fight is set for Cage Warriors 133 currently, which will be Tyler Escoto and James Lynch. Escoto will be fighting for his first pro win following an unsuccessful debut, and Lynch will be attempting to bounce back into the win column. Both fighters have appeared on previous U.S. Cage Warrior cards.

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