Knockdown Daily 12/20/21: Latest MMA News And A Note From The Editor
The latest MMA news and an important announcement
Welcome to the Monday edition of the Knockdown Daily. Today’s issue will give a quick breakdown of the biggest stories in MMA. It will also discuss a short upcoming break for the newsletter at the end.
News
PFL, Bellator Alum Jordan Young Dead At 27
14-fight MMA veteran Jordan Young has reportedly passed away.
Friends and colleagues of the 27-year-old light heavyweight fighter mourned his passing Sunday morning. His cause of death is unknown at the moment.
“It’s with a heavy heart, that we have learned about the passing of our teammate Jordan Young,” said the official American Top Team Instagram account on Sunday. “Our team is deeply saddened by this news, as Jordan has been with our team since the start of his career. A solid teammate and always a professional in our gym. He will be deeply missed by us.”
Young recently competed in the 2021 PFL season. He fought once in the regular season, losing a unanimous decision to former UFC fighter Tom Lawlor.
He bounced back in a non-tournament PFL bout in October, scoring a third-round stoppage victory over Omar Akhmedov.
Young made his pro debut in 2014. He was called up to the big stage of the sport after putting together five wins in the regional scene of Iowa, USA.
Young notably had a seven-fight run with Bellator from 2017 to 2019, attaining six wins and just one loss.
Retired MMA Veteran Chael Sonnen Given Citations For Alleged Battery Incident
MMA veteran Chael Sonnen was reportedly given five citations for misdemeanor battery following an alleged altercation over the weekend.
Authorities responded to a call on Saturday night at a Four Seasons hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Police detained Sonnen, however, they did not arrest him due to not witnessing the alleged altercation.
A witness of the incident told TMZ that a physical confrontation between Sonnen and another man allegedly broke out in the hotel, although the reason why is unknown.
Sonnen fought at a high level of MMA for over a decade, competing in promotions like UFC and Bellator. He most notably challenged Anderson Silva twice during his title reign, including a tough five-round bout at UFC 117.
Sonnen declared retirement from MMA after losing to Lyoto Machida on a Bellator card in 2019.
UFC Alum Eric Shelton Takes Decision Win Over Jacob Silva At Fury FC 55
Former UFC fighter Eric Shelton used his wrestling skills to defeat Jacob Silva on Sunday night via unanimous decision. The fight headlined Fury FC 55, which took place from the Houston Arena Theater in Houston, Texas, USA.
Shelton took Silva down in every round, giving him numerous minutes of control time. He especially controlled in the final round, closing out a strong performance against Silva.
Shelton has now earned three wins and one loss since exiting the UFC in 2019. His previous fight was in May of this year, where he beat Rilley Dutro.
Silva now has a pro record of eight wins and seven losses. He was riding the momentum of a win from his previous fight, defeating Tyler Bialecki in October.
A full report on Fury FC 55 can be read here.
Ayaka Miura To Challenge 125-Pound Champ Xiong Jing Nan At ONE Championship ‘Heavy Hitters’
ONE Championship will kick off their 2022 schedule with two title fights on January 14th, including a clash between Xiong Jing Nan and Ayaka Miura in the main event.
The 125-pound fight is set to headline “Heavy Hitters,” which is expected to take place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore.
Xiong will be fighting to continue her dominant reign as ONE MMA Strawweight Champion. She first earned the belt in 2018 and has defended it six times since then. Her last title bout was in September, where she beat Michelle Nicolini via unanimous decision.
Miura is being put in the title fight after picking up four wins through five fights in ONE Championship. Surprisingly, all of her wins have come via the americana choke thus far. She bounced back from her sole promotional loss in May, submitting then-undefeated Rayane Bastos.
A breakdown of the entire “Heavy Hitters” lineup can be read here.
Here is how the show looks currently:
Bout 12: Xiong Jing Nan (16-2) vs. Ayaka Miura (ONE MMA Strawweight Championship) (125 lbs)
Bout 11: Roman Kryklia vs. Murat Aygun (ONE Kickboxing Light Heavyweight Championship) (225 lbs)
Bout 10: Saemapetch Fairtex vs. Tawanchai PK.Saenchaimuaythaigym (145 lbs) (Muay Thai Bout)
Bout 9: James Nakashima (12-2) vs. Saygid Izagakhmaev (19-2) (170 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Bout 8: Supergirl Jaroonsak Muay Thai vs. Ekaterina Vanaryeva (125 lbs) (Muay Thai Bout)
Bout 7: Senzo Ikeda (12-6-1) vs. Jeremy Miado (10-4) (125 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Bout 6: Elias Mahmoudi vs. Walter Goncalves (135 lbs) (Muay Thai Bout)
Bout 5: Beybulat Isaev vs. Giannis Stoforidis (265 lbs) (Kickboxing Bout)
Bout 4: Yushin Okami (37-14) vs. Leandro Ataides (11-5) (205 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Bout 3: Shuya Kamikubo (11-1-1) vs. Troy Worthen (7-2) (145 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Bout 2: Tiffany Teo (9-2) vs. Meng Bo (17-5) (125 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Bout 1: Robin Catalan (9-7) vs,. Eliptua Siregar (4-1) (125 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Pat Sabatini vs. Gavin Tucker Re-Booked For April 9th UFC Card
UFC has given a featherweight fight between Pat Sabatini and Gavin Tucker another chance. The bout is now being targeted for the promotion’s April 9th event, per a report from Nolan King and John Morgan of MMA Junkie.
Sabatini and Tucker were first booked to meet on a card in November, although that plan was thrown out after Tucker withdrew from the fight.
Sabatini still competed on that date, scoring a decision win over Tucker Lutz. The win was his third since joining the promotion earlier this year.
The new booking offers Sabatini a chance to score his fourth win just before his rookie year in the UFC expires.
Tucker will be fighting to return to the win column. He had a three-fight winning streak broken in March, as Dan Ige put him away in 22 seconds with strikes.
Message From Editor
Dear reader,
It has been an incredibly busy and newsworthy year for MMA. From start to finish, Knockdown News has attempted to provide you with high quality journalism that focuses on a wide range of topics in the sport.
I would like to thank you for choosing Knockdown News as a resource for MMA news this year. The support from readers throughout the year has been felt and continues to be impactful on the work that is done.
Knockdown News and the Knockdown Daily newsletter will observe a semi-break from December 20th to December 29th. During this time, the newsletter will not be sent out, and breaking news stories will not be published on the site.
This brief break will allow me to take a break and gear up for a busy 2022.
The site still has content planned for you during this break. This includes end of year themed articles and interviews. It also includes a special media week in the lead-up to the year’s final event, RIZIN 33.
All articles will go live on the site at 8AM EST on their specific date.
Here’s what the site has planned for the break:
December 20th: MMA Fighter of the Year Nominees
December 22nd: End of Year Reflection
December 23rd: Interview with COVID-19 Expert: Your Questions Answered
December 24th: MMA Fighter of the Year Award
December 27th: Interview with Daisuke Sato: The Man Behind JMMA’s Cinematics
December 29th: The Third Annual RIZIN Roundtable
December 30th: RIZIN 33 Preview
December 31st: RIZIN 33 Live Coverage
We hope you decide to remain subscribed to the Knockdown Daily through 2022 and continue to support Knockdown News.
Sincerely,
Jack Wannan
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