Knockdown Daily 1/5/22: Neiman Gracie vs. Logan Storley Set For Bellator 274
The main event of Bellator's February 19th card leads the MMA headlines for Wednesday
Welcome to the Wednesday edition of the Knockdown Daily. Today’s issue will discuss the latest stories from the world of MMA, including a recently announced Bellator card.
News
Neiman Gracie vs. Logan Storley To Headline Bellator 274 on February 19th
High-ranked welterweights Neiman Gracie and Logan Storley are set to headline Bellator’s February 19th card, per a recent announcement by the promotion Tuesday.
The fight sits atop a nine-bout card that will take place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, USA.
Gracie and Storley will be looking to build momentum after their pushes toward a title fight were thwarted recently.
Gracie took a loss in April 2021 against rising contender Jason Jackson, taking just his second defeat as a pro. He has since returned to the win column with a first-round stoppage over Mark Lemminger, displaying his growing skills as a striker.
Storley was given his first loss in late 2020, losing to undefeated Yaroslav Amosov, who went on to claim the Bellator Welterweight Championship months later.
Storley bounced back in August, defeating Dante Schiro via split decision.
Bellator announced nine fights in total on Tuesday. A full report on the card can be read here.
Here’s the lineup:
Main Card (9:00PM EST) (Showtime)
Bout 9: Neiman Gracie (11-2) vs. Logan Storley (12-1) (Welterweight)
Bout 8: Andrey Koreshkov (24-4) vs. Mukhamed Berkhamov (15-1) (Welterweight)
Bout 7: Veta Arteaga (6-4) vs. Keri Taylor Melendez (5-0) (Flyweight)
Bout 6: Said Sowma (8-2) vs. Davion Franklin (4-0) (Heavyweight)
Preliminary Card (6:00PM EST) (Youtube)
Bout 5: Georgi Karakhanyan (31-12-1) vs. Adam Piccolotti (12-4) (Lightweight)
Bout 4: Mandel Nallo (8-1) vs. Nick Browne (12-1) (Lightweight)
Bout 3: Jaylon Bates (4-0) vs. Chris Disonell (6-4) (Bantamweight)
Bout 2: Corey Samuels (3-2) vs. Justin Montalvo (4-0) (Lightweight)
Bout 1: Isaiah Hokit (0-1) vs. Albert Birckhead (0-1) (Featherweight)
Johnny Walker To Face Jamahal Hill At February 19th UFC Card
Ranked light heavyweights Johnny Walker and Jamahal Hill are expected to meet at UFC’s February 19th “Fight Night” card, per a report from Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting.
Walker took a loss in his last fight, dropping a unanimous decision to Thiago Santos. The fight was his first UFC main event appearance and moved his record to three losses within his last five bouts.
Walker is best known for flashy victories, having won three of his UFC fights in the first round.
Hill bounced back from his sole pro loss in December, stopping Jimmy Crute within a minute with strikes. Earlier in the year, he was defeated by Paul Craig due to a gruesome arm injury.
Joaquin Buckley vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan Off January 15th UFC Card
UFC’s first event of the year is down a bout, as a fight between Joaquin Buckley and Abdul Razak Alhassan has been pulled from the promotion’s January 15th lineup. News of the canceled bout was first reported by Farah Hannoun and Nolan King of MMA Junkie.
The fight was expected to take place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
It is not known at the moment why the fight was removed from the card. It is reportedly being targeted to be moved to a later date, but the specific new event for the fight isn’t known either.
Both middleweights were looking to build off a recent finish win.
Alhassan picked up a necessary victory in August, stopping Alessio Di Chirico in just 17 seconds with strikes. This snapped a three-fight losing streak that he had built up previously.
Buckley also returned to the win column with his last fight, finishing Antonio Arroyo in September.
Veteran Alex Caceres To Face Sodiq Yusuff At March 12th UFC Card
Sodiq Yusuff will attempt to bounce back from his sole UFC loss when facing veteran Alex Caceres at the promotion’s March 12th card. The matchup was originally revealed by Caceres in an interview with The Schmo on Friday and was later confirmed by Nolan King, John Morgan and Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie.
Yusuff was handed his first defeat by Arnold Allen in April 2021, losing via unanimous decision. He had a flawless promotional run before then, attaining four consecutive wins from 2018 to 2020.
Yusuff’s last appearance was his first bout in over a year. He has a shorter layoff heading into this fight, being on the sidelines for 11 months by the time fight week approaches.
Caceres will provide a veteran test for Yusuff.
Caceres has been on the UFC roster for over a decade, having first joined the promotion after competing on Season 12 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
Despite having over two-dozen fights, Caceres is currently on the best run of his career. He has attained five consecutive wins since 2019, including a submission win over Choi Seung-woo and a decision victory over Kevin Croom from last year.
Azamat Murzakanov’s UFC Debut Against Tafon Nchukwi Booked For March 12th
There’s a new date and opponent set for Azamat Murzakanov’s UFC debut. The undefeated light heavyweight is expected to face Tafon Nchukwi at the promotion’s March 12th card, per a report from Alex Behunin of Cageside Press.
Murzakanov has been awaiting his UFC debut since he scored a first-round stoppage win on “Dana White’s Contender Series” in August. Three of his matchups have fallen through since November due to various reasons.
Murzakanov currently has a flawless record of 10 wins since turning pro in 2010. Before appearing on the “Contender Series” last year, he was a champion in notable promotion Brave CF.
Nchukwi is coming off his rookie year in the UFC. He had three fights in a year’s time with the promotion, putting together two wins and one loss.
Nchukwi came back from his sole pro loss in his last appearance, defeating Mike Rodriguez via unanimous decision in September.
Column
Lowered Guard: How Does Video Games See A Nunes vs. Pena Rematch?
“Lowered Guard” is a series at Knockdown News that takes things a little less seriously than usual. It gives us a chance to have a little fun and sometimes appreciate the wackier side of MMA.
I really wanted to know how a rematch between Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena would go. So, I went and simulated the fight on EA Sports UFC 4. And then I did it again, and then again, and then 97 more times.
My findings - which didn’t line up with my hypothesis - can be read in the article linked here.
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