Knockdown Daily 3/28/22: A Look At The Week Ahead
We take a look at the week ahead in the Monday edition
Welcome to the Monday edition of the Knockdown Daily. Today’s issue has a preview of the week ahead plus other news.
News
Raquel Pennington To Replace Irene Aldana, Booked Against Aspen Ladd At UFC 273
Aspen Ladd has been given a new matchup for UFC 273. The bantamweight vet is now expected to face Raquel Pennington at UFC’s April 9th pay-per-view event, per a report from Mike Heck of MMA Fighting.
The new matchup is expected to take place at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, USA.
Pennington is replacing the original opponent for Ladd, Irene Aldana. It is not known at the moment why Aldana had to withdraw from the fight.
Pennington and Ladd are in a similar position, as they are both returning to bantamweight after a brief appearance up at featherweight.
Pennington’s last victory was in late 2021, scoring a rear naked choke victory against Macy Chiasson. That performance moved her winning streak to three consecutive fights.
Ladd’s most recent appearance was a unanimous decision defeat against Norma Dumont in October 2021. The fight was her first appearance in nearly two years, as numerous canceled bouts kept her sidelined for an extended period of time.
UFC Looking To Book Casey O’Neill vs. Jessica Eye For UFC 276
Undefeated UFC flyweight prospect Casey O’Neill could get Jessica Eye as her next challenge. The matchup is reportedly in the process of being booked for the promotion’s July 2nd pay-per-view card, per Brett Okamoto of ESPN.
UFC 276 is expected to take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, as part of UFC’s annual “International Fight Week” festival.
O’Neill has yet to lose since joining the UFC roster last year. She scored her fourth win in the promotion just two months back, defeating retiring veteran Roxanne Modafferi via unanimous decision at UFC 270. That fight was the first time she went the distance in a UFC contest, as her three previous wins all came via stoppage.
Former title challenger Eye will be fighting to snap a three-fight losing streak. She has struggled to get a fight recently, as injury and illness has forced her out of two bookings in recent months. Her last fight was a decision loss to Jennifer Maia last year.
The other fight booked for UFC 276 is a bout between Miesha Tate and Lauren Murphy.
Michel Pereira To Face Santiago Ponzinibbio At May 21st UFC ‘Fight Night’
Michel Pereira’s welterweight winning streak will be tested later this year when he faces Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC’s May 21st “Fight Night” card. The matchup was first confirmed earlier this week by John Morgan of The Underground.
The location for UFC’s May 21st show is not known at the moment.
Pereira is currently on a strong four-fight winning streak in the division through the past couple of years. He has already scored a win in 2022, working toward a unanimous decision win against short-notice opponent Andre Fialho at UFC 270.
Ponzinibbio will be fighting to come back from a loss he took late last year against Geoff Neal. Earlier that year he handed Miguel Baeza his first pro loss in a scorecard outcome.
Tuco Tokkos Stops Ty Flores Within A Round To Earn Fury FC Light Heavyweight Belt
Tuco Tokkos earned the Fury FC Light Heavyweight Championship on Sunday night, scoring a first-round finish win against Ty Flores to earn the belt.
Tokkos’ win against Flores headlined Fury FC 59, which took place at the Escapade 2001 in Houston, Texas, USA.
Tokkos caught Flores late in the opening round of their title fight with a left hook. This shot backed Flores and up and dropped him, allowing Tokkos to go to the ground with punches. The fight was stopped moments after by the referee.
The former Bellator fighter is now on a three-fight winning streak on the regional scene. His previous fight was a win over veteran Myron Dennis in November 2021.
In his post-fight interview, Tokkos asked for a shot on the UFC roster. He specifically addressed UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard, who was in attendance for the event.
Flores, a former participant on UFC TV show “Dana White’s Contender Series,” was given the title fight after attaining two wins in Fury FC last year.
A full report on Sunday’s Fury FC 59 card can be read here.
Here are the quick results:
Preliminary Card (3:30PM EDT / 2:30PM CDT) (Youtube)
Bout 1: Devon Jackson def. Dominick Perez via TKO, Doctor Stoppage (RD 2, 5:00)
Bout 2: Jordan Plutin def. Kyle Powell via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:59)
Bout 3: Eduardo Anaya def. Dylan King via Decision, Split
Bout 4: Avery Wilson def. Jacob Bradley Williams via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:03)
Bout 5: Drayke Lopez def. Isiah Torres via Submission, Heel Hook (RD 1, 2:10)
Bout 6: Christian Strong def. Geno Shvedov via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 4:16)
Bout 7: Marquis Johnson def. Oscar Herrera via Decision, Unanimous
Main Card (5:30PM EDT / 4:30PM CDT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 8: Melissa Parker def. Celine Haga via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 3, 1:48)
Bout 9: Isaac Moreno def. Joshua Fleck via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 10: Manny Lozoya def. Allen Silva via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 0:45)
Bout 11: Josh Walker def. Kaleb Petereit via Decision, Split
Bout 12: Isaiah Gutierrez def. Adam Martinez via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 3, 3:24)
Bout 13: Nazim Sadykhov def. Joe Boerschig via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:55)
Bout 14: Tuco Tokkos def. Ty Flores via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:39) (Vacant Fury FC Light Heavyweight Championship)
A Look At The Week Ahead
Friday
Cage Warriors 135
Cage Warriors are set for a doubleheader this weekend, presenting two events from Manchester, England.
Location: BEC Arena, Manchester, England
Main Card (4:00PM EDT / 9:00PM BST) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 12: Daniel Skibinski (18-6) vs. Justin Burlinson (6-1) (Welterweight)
Bout 11: Edward Walls (10-7) vs. Liam Gittins (7-4) (Bantamweight)
Bout 10: Federico Pasquali (6-0) vs. Paull McBain (7-2) (Catchweight 150 lbs)
Bout 9: Karol Michalak (3-1) vs. James Sheehan (3-2) (Welterweight)
Bout 8: Adam Shelley (1-1) vs. Steven Hooper (5-4) (Lightweight)
Bout 7: Hugo Guillon (1-0) vs. Matthew Byfield (3-1) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 6: Bakhtyaar Oryakhail (1-0) vs. Caolan Loughran (4-0) (Bantamweight)
Bout 5: Ryan Shelley (3-0) vs. Magdi Gereev (2-0) (Featherweight)
Bout 4: Ander Sanchez (0-0) vs. Connor Wilson (2-1) (Flyweight)
Bout 3: Guiseppe Ruggeri (7-0) vs. Dean Trueman (10-7) (Featherweight)
Bout 2: Dan Hepworth (0-1) vs. Omiel Brown (2-1) (Welterweight)
Bout 1: Milad Ahady (3-1) vs. Antonio Sheldon (5-2) (Featherweight)
CES 67
CES Welterweight Champion Billy Goff will look to become a two-division champ on Friday night, facing Justin Sumter for a vacant middleweight belt. Goff took this fight just recently, stepping in for former UFC fighter Eric Spicely. He fought just earlier this month, stopping Gary Balletto Jr. to become a champ.
Location: Connecticut Convention Center, Hartford, Connecticut, USA
Main Card (8:00PM EDT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 10: Billy Goff (6-2) vs. Justin Sumter (8-4) (Vacant CES Middleweight Championship)
Bout 9: Johnny Lopez (12-5) vs. Azjavkhlan Baatar (7-6) (Bantamweight)
Bout 8: Pat Casey (8-4) vs. Armus Guyton (5-2) (Welterweight)
Bout 7: Tristan Lindi (2-4) vs. Mike Kimbel (3-3) (Bantamweight)
Bout 6: Mus’Aib Baiyina (0-0) vs. Yuri Panferov (1-0) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 5: David Michael Durao (0-1) vs. Daniel Maldonado (0-4) (Flyweight)
Bout 4: Casey Norton (0-0) vs. Pedro Villa (0-0) (Flyweight)
Bout 3: Eddy George (4-0) vs. Emiliano Calderon (1-1) (Lightweight)
Bout 2: Harris Bonfiglio (3-1) vs. Jason Huntley (6-10) (Flyweight)
Bout 1: Markos Pappas (0-0) vs. RJ Hayes (0-0) (Heavyweight)
PFL Challenger Series: Week 7
The seventh week of the PFL “Challenger Series” will focus solely on fighters making their pro debut. Like previous weeks on the show, one fighter will get a contract for the 2022 PFL Regular Season following a win.
Location: Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA
Main Card (9:00PM EDT) (FuboTV)
Bout 5: Andrija Stankovic (0-0) vs. Louis Brewington (0-0) (Welterweight)
Bout 4: Christian Turner (0-0) vs. Chayanne Serrano (0-0) (Lightweight)
Bout 3: Alexei Pergande (0-0) vs. Joe Hamm (0-0) (Lightweight)
Bout 2: Santino Zurita (0-0) vs. Rakim Talley (0-0) (Heavyweight)
Bout 1: Jaylon McDaniel (0-0) vs. Daeri Alderman (0-0) (Featherweight)
Saturday
Cage Warriors 136
The second night of Cage Warriors in Manchester, England includes a main event between two undefeated middleweight prospects. In the headlining fight, Djati Melan and Christian Leroy Duncan will face off.
Location: BEC Arena, Manchester, England
Main Card (4:00PM EDT / 9:00PM BST) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 13: Djati Melan (8-0) vs. Christian Leroy Duncan (5-0) (Cage Warriors Middleweight Championship)
Bout 12: Aaron Aby (12-4-1) vs. Gerardo Fanny (11-2) (Flyweight)
Bout 11: Daan Duijs (7-1) vs. Josh Reed (12-6) (Bantamweight)
Bout 10: Dylan Hazan (7-0) vs. Raymison Bruno (12-3) (Flyweight)
Bout 9: Luke Riley (2-0) vs. Jack Eglin (2-0) (Bantamweight)
Bout 8: Ndiaye El Hadji (4-0) vs. Adam Cullen (3-0) (Lightweight)
Bout 7: Jan Quaeyhaegens (8-4) vs. Kieran Lister (6-2-2) (Lightweight)
Bout 6: Jeanderson Castro (6-5) vs. Aleksi Mantykivi (13-7) (Welterweight)
Bout 5: Alexis Fontes (4-1) vs. Mick Stanton (7-6) (Middleweight)
Bout 4: Piotr Chmielecki (5-1) vs. Michael Tchamou (1-1) (Middleweight)
Bout 3: Tom Mearns (8-7) vs. Manny Akpan (3-1) (Featherweight)
Bout 2: Reece McEwan (3-1) vs. Sam Spencer (6-2) (Bantamweight)
Bout 1: Ben Rees (3-4) vs. Liam Molloy (2-2) (Featherweight)
XMMA 4: Black Magic
UFC is not running an event this weekend. However, MMA is still happening on Saturday night. The most notable Saturday evening programming is an XMMA card that includes numerous former UFC names. Talent like John Dodson, Kyle Bochniak, John Howard and Sasha Palatnikov stick out in this list.
Location: The Fillmore, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Main Card (7:00PM EDT / 6:00PM CDT) (XMMA.com / Fight Network)
Bout 11: John Dodson (21-13) vs. Francisco Rivera Jr. (14-8) (Bantamweight)
Bout 10: Kyle Stewart (14-5) vs. Zak Ottow (20-7) (Middleweight)
Bout 9: John Howard (29-18-1) vs. Ange Loosa (7-2) (Welterweight)
Bout 8: Louie Sanoudakis (8-3) vs. Tateki Matsuda (15-10) (Bantamweight)
Bout 7: Kyle Bochniak (10-5) vs. Carlton Minus (11-3) (Featherweight)
Bout 6: Curtis Millender (18-8) vs. Jared Gooden (19-7) (Welterweight)
Preliminary Card
Bout 5: Kyron Bowen (9-7) vs. Sasha Palatnikov (6-4) (Welterweight)
Bout 4: Andrew Garrette (1-0) vs. Justin Mead (3-1) (Bantamweight)
Bout 3: Josh Harvey (8-1-1) vs. Adli Edwards (8-1) (Featherweight)
Bout 2: Josh Sweeney (9-3) vs. Cole Smith (7-2) (Bantamweight)
Bout 1: Westin Wilson (12-6) vs. Tyrek Malveaux (6-3) (Featherweight)
Opinion
JMMA Monday: Is The RIZIN Vibe Shift Happening?
For this week’s “JMMA Monday,” I wrote about how the upcoming RIZIN doubleheader may signal a positive change for the promotion. Or to put it more informally, a “vibe shift.”
That short column plus a long list of notes and thoughts from the last two weeks can be read in the article here.
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