Knockdown Daily 9/27/21: 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. This issue will provide a preview of the upcoming week in MMA and update you on recent happenings in the sport.
News
Injury Forces Rafael dos Anjos Out of UFC 267 Bout Against Islam Makhachev
A long-awaited lightweight bout between Islam Makhachev and Rafael dos Anjos has run into another setback. Dos Anjos has been pulled from his October 30th fight against Makhachev due to injury, per a report from Mike Bohn and John Morgan of MMA Junkie.
UFC has been attempting a bout between Makhachev and dos Anjos for over a year. The lightweights were first paired in October 2020, with that booking falling through due to COVID-19. A month later, injury to Makhachev took him out of another attempted matchup between the two.
Makhachev has expressed skepticism of dos Anjos’ injury, denying it in a Twitter post.
“I don’t believe that you’re injured,” said Makhachev in a post that had dos Anjos tagged.
Dos Anjos last fought in November 2020, where he defeated Paul Felder via split decision. The victory snapped a two-fight skid for the veteran.
Makhachev won his first UFC main event bout earlier this year, submitting Thiago Moises in the fourth round. The win moved his streak of victories to eight-in-a-row.
UFC 267 suffered another big loss just yesterday, as it was reported that UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling withdrew from his bout against Petr Yan.
A Look At The Week Ahead
There’s a fair share of MMA events to keep an eye out for this week. Along with UFC continuing their streak of “Fight Night” and “Contender Series” programming every week, Bellator is back in the lineup, and there are a few smaller shows as well.
Tuesday
Dana White’s Contender Series: Season 5 Episode 5
Five more fights on “Dana White’s Contender Series” will take place Tuesday. In the main event, undefeated Polish light heavyweight Lukasz Sudolski will fight Igor Poterya.
The event will also feature undefeated three-fight Bellator alum Chris Duncan, who will Manuel Gaxgja in a classic “two 0’s, one’s got to go” situation.
Location: UFC APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Main Card (8:00PM EDT / 5:00PM PDT) (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass Canada)
Bout 5: Lukasz Sudolski (8-0) vs. Igor Poterya (19-2) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 4: Manuel Gaxha (7-0) vs. Chris Duncan (7-0) (Lightweight)
Bout 3: Aaron Jeffery (10-2) vs. Caio Borrallho (8-1) (Middleweight)
Bout 2: Lucas Almeida (12-0) vs. Daniel Zellhuber (11-0) (Lightweight)
Bout 1: Rizvan Kuniev (10-2-1) vs. Edivan Santos (12-2) (Heavyweight)
Friday
Bellator 267: Lima vs. MVP 2
Bellator will head overseas this weekend for Bellator 267. Making their first appearance in London, England since November 2019, Bellator will present 13 fights on Friday. Sitting at the top of the lineup is a rematch between Douglas Lima and Michael Page.
Lima first met Page in 2019, where he scored a brutal second-round uppercut knockout. Lima has since gained and lost the Bellator Welterweight Championship, winning one bout and losing two in recent years.
Page goes into the rematch on a strong five-fight winning streak.
Location: SSE Arena, London, England
Main Card (4:00PM EDT / 9:00PM BST) (Showtime / BBC iPlayer)
Bout 13: Douglas Lima (32-9) vs. Michael Page (19-1) (Welterweight)
Bout 12: Leah McCourt (5-1) vs. Jessica Borga (3-3) (Featherweight)
Bout 11: Robert Whiteford (16-4) vs. Andrew Fisher (18-8-1) (Featherweight)
Bout 10: Yves Landu (16-8) vs. Tim Wilde (13-4) (Lightweight)
Bout 9: Luke Trainer (4-0) vs. Yannick Bahati (9-5) (Light Heavyweight)
Preliminary Card (12:30PM EDT / 5:30PM BST) (Youtube)
Bout 8: Lewis Long (18-6) vs. Uros Jurisic (11-1) (Welterweight)
Bout 7: Kane Mousah (13-3) vs. Davy Gallon (18-7-2) (Lightweight)
Bout 6: Lucie Bertaud (3-2) vs. Elina Kallionidou (7-4) (Flyweight)
Bout 5: Charlie Leary (17-11-1) vs. Benjamin Brander (13-8) (Lightweight)
Bout 4: Fabacary Diatta (7-0) vs. Nathan Rose (7-3) (Featherweight)
Bout 3: Chiara Penco (5-3) vs. Katharina Dalisda (5-2) (Strawweight)
Bout 2: Khurshed Kakhorov (7-0) vs. Mike Ekundayo (8-1) (Bantamweight)
Bout 1: Jack Grant (17-7) vs. Nathan Jones (13-10) (Welterweight)
Saturday
UFC on ESPN+ 51: Santos vs. Walker
UFC will kick off four consecutive weeks at the UFC APEX this weekend. In the headlining spot of a “Fight Night” card, light heavyweights Thiago Santos and Johnny Walker will collide on Saturday.
Walker, a fighter known for his wild fighting style and ability to finish fights, will be competing in his first UFC main event bout. He is competing for the first time since he stopped Ryan Spann in one round last year.
Santos is due for a win, as he has gone on a three-fight losing streak against some of the division’s best.
Kevin Holland will look to avoid slipping into a three-fight losing streak when fighting Kyle Daukaus in the co-main event.
Lower on the card, prospects like Joe Solecki or undefeated flyweight Casey O’Neill are also expected to appear.
Location: UFC APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Main Card (7:00PM EDT / 4:00PM PDT) (ESPN+ / TSN 2)
Bout 13: Thiago Santos (21-9) vs. Johnny Walker (18-5) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 12: Kevin Holland (21-7) vs. Kyle Daukaus (10-2) (Middleweight)
Bout 11: Niko Price (14-5) vs. Alex Oliveira (22-10-1) (Welterweight)
Bout 10: Misha Cirkunov (15-6) vs. Krzysztof Jotko (22-5) (Middleweight)
Bout 9: Aspen Ladd (9-1) vs. Macy Chiasson (7-1) (Bantamweight)
Bout 8: Alexander Hernandez (12-4) vs. Mike Breeden (10-3) (Lightweight)
Preliminary Card (4:00PM EDT / 1:00PM PDT) (ESPN+ / TSN 2)
Bout 7: Joe Solecki (11-2) vs. Jared Gordon (17-4) (Lightweight)
Bout 6: Antonina Shevchenko (9-3) vs. Casey O’Neill (7-0) (Flyweight)
Bout 5: Karol Rosa (14-3) vs. Bethe Correia (11-5-1) (Bantamweight)
Bout 4: Jamie Mullarkey (13-4) vs. Devonte Smith (11-2) (Lightweight)
Bout 3: Douglas Silva de Andrade (26-4) vs. Gaetano Pirrello (15-6-1) (Bantamweight)
Bout 2: Shanna Young (7-3) vs. Stephanie Egger (5-2) (Bantamweight)
Bout 1: Alejandro Perez (21-8-1) vs. Johnny Eduardo (28-12) (Bantamweight)
Quick Jabs
Cage Warriors Returns With ‘Trilogy’ Series: Returning for their first European event since June, Cage Warriors will host a trio of events this week on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. They’ll crown new champs throughout, as flyweight, featherweight and bantamweight belts are on the line.
Undefeated Nkuta Returns To CFFC: Undefeated CFFC Flyweight Champion Phumi Nkuta will look to defend his belt for the first time this weekend, facing Miguel Junior Diaz in the main event of CFFC 101. The event is expected to happen in the afternoon, likely wrapping up before the UFC “Fight Night” show goes live.
RIZIN Live From … To Be Determined: Japanese MMA promotion RIZIN is trying out a new concept this weekend, doing the first in a “LANDMARK” series. The short, four-fight card is expected to happen live this weekend at a “landmark” location in Japan - a location we likely won’t know until the event happens. The promotion is bringing in relatively big talent for the show, as internet sensation and former title challenger Mikuru Asakura will fight Kyohei Hagiwara in the main event.
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