Knockdown Daily 1/9/22: Viviane Araujo vs. Alexa Grasso Off UFC 270
UFC 270 losing a bout leads the MMA headlines for Sunday
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Welcome to the Sunday edition of the Knockdown Daily. It’s a slow news day today, as we just have a couple of stories to show you. Anyway, here’s what’s new:
Viviane Araujo Out of UFC 270 Fight, Alexa Grasso Won’t Get New Opponent
UFC’s January 22nd pay-per-view event has lost a fight between Viviane Araujo and Alexa Grasso.
Injury has forced Araujo out of her UFC 270 fight, and a recent report says Grasso won’t be given a new opponent for the date.
On Thursday, Carlos Contreras Legaspi of ESPN Deportes reported that an injury forced Araujo out of the flyweight bout. Two days later, Danny Segura of MMA Junkie broke the news that Grasso won’t get a short-notice opponent, and instead has been taken out of the lineup.
The matchup was scheduled to take place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, USA.
The booking was set to give Araujo a chance to bounce back from a loss she took to Katlyn Chookagian in May. She was set to enter the PPV event with a promotional record of four wins and two losses.
Grasso was riding the momentum of two consecutive wins. Her last fight was in February 2021, when she beat Maycee Barber via unanimous decision.
UFC 270 is currently set to be headlined by UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou and interim titleholder Ciryl Gane.
UFC Newcomer Nikolas Motta To Face Jim Miller At February 19th Event
UFC newcomer Nikolas Motta is set to make his promotional debut next month, facing veteran Jim Miller at the February 19th card. The matchup, which was first announced by Motta’s management team, was later confirmed in a report by MMA Junkie.
The fight joins a card that has yet to be announced by the promotion. It is reportedly expected to take place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
The booking gives Motta a chance to make his long-awaited debut. He first joined the UFC in 2020 after defeating Joseph Lowry on the TV show “Dana White’s Contender Series.” He has since struggled to find a fight for a long time now, with three different bookings falling through last year.
Miller broke a two-fight losing streak in his last appearance, finishing Erick Gonzalez in the second round with strikes.
Miller broke a record in his last appearance, fighting for the 38th time in a UFC cage. This bout made him the sole record holder for most fights in modern UFC history.
It was previously reported that UFC was aiming to book Motta against Drakkar Klose for an April card. However, that bout seemingly did not come to fruition.
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