Knockdown Daily 3/30/22: Changes To UFC 273
Some updates to UFC 273 lead the MMA headlines for Wednesday
Welcome to the Wednesday edition of the Knockdown Daily. Here’s the latest MMA news for you.
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UFC 273 Updates: Nassourdine Imavov vs. Kelvin Gastelum Out, Ilir Latifi vs. Aleksei Oleinik In
As one fight has joined UFC’s April 9th pay-per-view, another has departed.
Nassourdine Imavov was forced out of his UFC 273 fight – which is scheduled to take place at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, USA – against Kelvin Gastelum due to visa issues, per an announcement made by the promotion Monday.
The fight was scheduled to give Gastelum a chance to return to the win column after suffering a couple of losses in 2021. On the other hand, Imavov was fighting to continue a two-fight streak of finish wins.
It is not known at the moment if a fight between Gastelum and Imavov will be re-booked for a later date.
It was also announced earlier this week that a heavyweight fight between Ilir Latifi and Aleksei Oleinik has been re-booked for the event.
A fight between Latifi and Oleinik was first scheduled to happen at UFC’s March 26th card but was thrown out due to Latifi suffering an illness.
Bellator Announce Play-Ins For Bantamweight Grand Prix
Some changes have been made to the Bellator Bantamweight Grand Prix following the departure of two fighters from the bracket recently.
It was reported last week that champion Sergio Pettis and James Gallagher had both withdrawn from the tournament. To determine who will replace their spots in the tournament, Bellator has made two “Wild Card” fights next month that give talent the chance to fight their way into the bracket.
An upcoming fight between undefeated Jornel Lugo and former Titan FC Bantamweight Champion Danny Sabatello is the first of two “Wild Card” fights. The winner of their April 22nd fight will enter the bracket and will face Leandro Higo at some point in the future.
Experienced names Enrique Barzola and Josh Hill will also fight on that date. The winner of that will go on to face Magomed Magomedov in the quarter-finals of the tournament.
Pettis departing the lineup last meant a changing impact on the tournament. While the champ is out of the bracket, Bellator has implemented an interim title that will be used during the tournament.
The first interim champ will be crowned in the opening round in a fight between Juan Archuleta and Raufeon Stots. The champion by the end of the tournament is expected to get a fight against Pettis.
Bellator Set For Return To Dublin In September
Bellator will hit Ireland twice in 2022.
The promotion is expected to return to the 3Arena Dublin in Dublin, Ireland on September 23rd for an event, per an announcement made last week.
The sole fight announced for the show thus far is a fight between veteran Benson Henderson and former title challenger Peter Queally.
Queally will attempt to rebound from a title fight loss he took against Patricky Pitbull in late 2021, getting stopped in the second round of their fight. He had previously picked up a two-fight winning streak, including a doctor stoppage victory against Pitbull.
Henderson’s latest fight booking marks the start of a new Bellator contract. He snapped a three-fight losing streak in his last performance, working toward a split decision win against Islam Mamedov in January.
Bellator Dublin is also expected to include a fight with featherweight Sinead Kavanagh, although her matchup is not known at the moment.
Grant Dawson To Replace Rafael Alves In April 30th UFC Bout Against Jared Gordon
Grant Dawson has stepped in to face Jared Gordon at UFC’s April 30th “Fight Night” event, per a report from John Morgan of The Underground.
Dawson will be fighting to keep his undefeated UFC record going. The 28-year-old lightweight has scored five wins and one draw since joining the promotion in 2019. That sole draw was his last appearance, which was against Ricky Glenn in October 2021.
Dawson is replacing Rafael Alves, who withdrew from the card for unknown reasons. The booking gave Alves a chance to build on his first UFC win, which came against Marc Diakiese last year.
Gordon enters the weekend on a three-fight winning streak. He scored two of those wins last year, defeating Danny Chavez and Joe Solecki on scorecards.
Two Fights Join UFC’s June 25th ‘Fight Night’ Card
Two new matchups have recently been reported for a June 25th UFC card. These matchups are the first to be reported for that date, and the location for the event is not known at the moment.
Albazi To Return Against Veteran Elliott
Veteran Tim Elliott will attempt to stop returning flyweight prospect Amir Albazi’s momentum in a fight later this year. News of this fight was first reported by mma.ideas.
Albazi has picked up two wins since joining the UFC roster. He won his promotional debut in 2020, submitting Malcolm Gordon within a round via triangle choke. His last fight was over a year ago, defeating Zhalgas Zhumagulov at UFC 257.
Elliott scored a win in his last appearance, beating Tagir Ulanbekov via unanimous decision just earlier this month at UFC 272.
Frey, Demopoulos Matched
Riding the success of her first-ever UFC victory, former LFA Strawweight Champion Vanessa Demopoulos is expected to face Jinh Yu Frey, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport Netherland.
Vanessa earned a submission win earlier this year, submitting Silvana Gomez Juarez at UFC 270. This put her back into the win column after losing her UFC debut to JJ Aldrich in 2021.
Frey is currently riding a two-fight winning streak. The former Invicta FC Atomweight Champion went the distance in both of her fights last year, beating Gloria de Paula and Ashley Yoder on scorecards.
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