In the wise words of Timon the Meerkat in our childhood favorite film The Lion King, “You’ve got to put the past behind you.” This is exactly what MMA fans are doing now that the dust has settled on the aftermath of UFC 229. It stands without question why it was such an unforgettable moment in MMA history, but for all the wrong reasons. The UFC hopes to give fans what they are looking for when UFC Fight Night 138 rolls around on Saturday in Canada. The main event features two rising light heavyweight contenders looking to cement their place in the division and lock down a chance to capture UFC gold. Anthony “Lionheart” Smith takes on Volkan “No Time” Oezdemir in a fight that fans need right now. Both men are on the rise. Oezdemir is coming off a failed title bid, while Smith has been busy taking out two former champions. It’s a fight that could easily propel Oezdemir back into the title picture or could allow Smith to emerge as a true force within the division.
MMA Fighting Share this story Esther Lin, MMA Fighting Warlley Alves was seen as championship material after winning the third season of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil and picking up UFC wins over Alan Jouban, Nordine Taleb and Colby Covington, but that’s when things started to go downhill for him. Four years after his first career loss a huge upset defeat to Bryan Barberena, which was followed by a decision loss to Kamaru Usman Alves decided he’d had enough. Kept away from the octagon nearly a full year after a complete biceps tear in February 2020, the 170-pounder re-enters the cage Wednesday to compete against Tunisian prospect Mounir Lazzez in the co-main event of UFC Fight Island 8 in Abu Dhabi.
Muslim Salikhov withdraws from January 16th fight vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio Dec 15, 2020, 5:00pm EST If you buy something from an SB Nation link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. Share this story Welterweight striker Muslim Salikhov revealed on his Instagram that he has withdrawn from his fight with Santiago Ponzinibbio, which was set for January 16th. Salikhov had previously pulled out of an October fight with Claudio Silva. According to the post, Salikhov cited health issues for both pullouts and referenced COVID-19 symptoms he’d developed back in September. (H/T MMA Fighting) Salikhov (17-2) has won four straight since a disappointing UFC debut loss to Alex Garcia in 2017. The native of Dagestan is coming off a split decision over Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in July, and also holds knockout wins over Ricky Rainey and Nordine Taleb.
MMA Fighting Share this story A welterweight bout between Muslim Salikhov and Santiago Ponzinibbio is off for now. MMA Fighting has confirmed with sources with knowledge of the change that Salikhov will not be competing against Ponzinibbio on the UFC’s upcoming Jan. 16 event due to health issues. Salikhov first announced his withdrawal via Instagram on Tuesday. Salikhov did not give a timetable for his return, though he indicates that he plans to focus on recovery. “King of Kung Fu” also withdrew from his previous booking, an Oct. 17 encounter with Claudio Silva. In his post, Salikhov mentions that his health issues are related to COVID-19 symptoms dating back to September.
For the second time in three weeks and the third time since the new ESPN deal went into effect a championship fight sits atop the marquee of a non-pay-per-view event. This weekend, at UFC on ESPN+ 15 in China, strawweight champion Jessica Andrade looks to defend her title for the first time when she goes up against rising star Weili Zhang. Andrade captured the title at UFC 237, where she knocked out Rose Namajunas with a brutal slam that showed fans why she has earned the nickname “Bate Estaca,” which translates to “Pile Driver.” A six-year UFC veteran, Andrade has amassed a 6-1 record at strawweight en route to capturing the belt. This came after she moved down from bantamweight, where she was clearly undersized.