UFC Fight Night 184 is down a man.

Lightweight Alex Da Silva has withdrawn from his fight against Devonte Smith on Feb. 6 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The promotion is currently seeking a replacement for Smith (10-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in the hopes of keeping him on the card.

At this time, it is not known why da Silva (21-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) withdrew.

Multiple people with knowledge of the situation confirmed da Silva’s withdrawal to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Smith, 27, has not competed since a knockout loss to Khama Worthy at UFC 241 in August 2019. After the fight, Smith tore his Achilles tendon, which required surgery and months of rehabilitation.

With the change, the UFC Fight Night 184 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

• Alistair Overeem vs. Alexander Volkov
• Frankie Edgar vs. Cory Sandhagen
• Macy Chiasson vs. Marion Reneau
• Manel Kape vs. Alexandre Pantoja
• Andre Ewell vs. Cody Stamann
• Beneil Dariush vs. Diego Ferreira

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET)

• Clay Guida vs. Michael Johnson
• Danilo Marques vs. Mike Rodriguez
• Martin Day vs. Timur Valiev
• Devonte Smith vs. opponent TBA
• Joselyne Edwards vs. Karol Rosa
• Molly McCann vs. Lara Procopio
• Seungwoo Choi vs. Youssef Zalal
• Denys Bondar vs. Ode Osbourne

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/ufc-fight-night-184-news-alex-da-silva-out-devonte-smith-needs-new-opponent

CFFC is set to host the promotion’s first two events of 2021 when the organization returns to Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena on March 10-11 for a pair of shows to stream on UFC Fight Pass.

The promotion today announced the two cards, which will serve as CFFC 92 and CFFC 93 and will take place with limited fans in attendance.

“Despite all the challenges that 2020 presented to us, it remained one of the best years in Cage Fury Fighting Championships history, and we’re committed to reaching even new heights in 2021,” CFFC President Rob Haydak stated. “We’re starting it out with two of our newest champions looking to defend their belts and continue their rise to the sport’s biggest promotions, while a pair of vacant belts will also be on the line as we look to find the best up-and-coming talent in MMA. With strong lineups already being planned for events in April and May, as well, fans can expect CFFC to continue providing action-packed events every time out.”

Four championship fights were announced for the two-night lineup.

At CFFC 92, flyweight champion Alberto Trujillo (5-1) seeks the first defense of his belt when he takes on fast-rising Ray Longo product Phumi Nkuta (2-0), while the co-main event sees Uzbekistan’s Saidyokub Kakharamonov (7-2) face Charlie’s Combat Club’s Tycen Lynn (8-4) for the bantamweight title recently vacated by Jared Scoggins.

Meanwhile, CFFC 93 sees middleweight champion and Dana White’s Contender Series winner Collin Huckbody (9-2) put his title on the line for the first time when he faces top Canadian contender and fellow DWCS veteran Aaron Jeffery (9-2). Additionally, the vacant CFFC heavyweight title is up for grabs in the co-feature, when Jamelle Jones (10-6) takes on Cody Goodale (7-4).

Additional bouts are expected to be announced shortly.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/cffc-92-cffc-93-in-march-including-champs-collin-huckbody-alberto-trujillo

Neiman Gracie’s relentless pursuit of a submission finish eventually proved successful, as he finished Jon Fitch in the co-main event of Bellator 246 to claim a notable scalp in the promotion’s talent-rich welterweight division.

Faced with seasoned veteran Fitch, Gracie found it tough to put away the longtime contender, who defended admirably to stem the ceaseless tide of submission attempts from the Brazilian in Round 1. But, eventually, Gracie found a crack in Fitch’s defenses and exploited it.

After spending much of Round 2 having his submission attack effectively nullified by Fitch’s dogged defense, Gracie saw his opportunity and locked up a kneebar that gave Fitch no option but to tap at the 4:47 mark.

It gave Gracie his ninth submission finish from 10 career wins and, more importantly, saw him bounce back from his first career defeat, to Rory MacDonald, back at Bellator 222 in June 2019. It also marked the final time we would see Fitch inside the Bellator cage, as the American announced his retirement from the sport after 42 career bouts.

Relive Gracie’s victory at Bellator 246 via the video above.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/bellator-free-fight-neiman-gracie-submits-jon-fitch-at-bellator-246

Josh Fremd is the first man to advance to the finals of the LFA middleweight tournament.

Fremd (7-1) scored a brutal first-round knockout of Bruno Oliveira (7-3) in Friday’s LFA 98 headliner, solidifying his spot in the championship round of the four-man grand prix.

LFA 98 took place at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kan. The entire card streams on UFC Fight Pass.

Goodnight! Josh Fremd showing off the power! #LFA98 pic.twitter.com/YwcOUtabHJ

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) January 30, 2021

Fremd wasted no time locking up Oliveira with a trip takedown and planting him on his back inside the first 30 seconds of the fight. The Brazilian stayed patient, and climbed back to his feet to break away into striking range.

The pair threw some blows back-and-forth, but then Fremd found his desired target. Fremd scored with a clean left hook that instantly rocked and dropped Oliveira. Fremd pounced with a few hammerfists on the ground, and the referee dove in to halt the action.

An ecstatic, who trains out of Factory X in Colorado, reveled in the biggest victory of his career.

“This is the biggest win of my career,” Fremd said in his post-fight interview with Alan Jouban. “You don’t know my striking, you don’t know my boxing. I’ve always had (power), I just haven’t shown it.”

Fremd now moves on to an opportunity to fight for the vacant LFA middleweight title later this year. He will fight the winner of Anthony Adams (8-2) and Gregory Rodrigues (7-3), who will meet in the other semifinal bout at LFA 100 on Feb. 19.

“Both of those guys that are in that fight,” Fremd said. “I look forward to fighting either one of them. No preference.”

Full LFA 98 results included:

• Josh Fremd def. Bruno Oliveira via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:37
• Lucas Clay def. J.J. Okanovich via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Richard Palencia vs. Jeimeson Saudino via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
• Dakota Bush def. Austin Clem via TKO (head kick, punches) – Round 1, 0:57
• Tabatha Ricci def. Vanessa Grimes via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 1:07
• Joshua DaSilveira def. Matt Paul via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:46
• Zac Pauga def. Ashby Thomas via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:21

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/lfa-98-results-josh-fremd-middleweight-title-shot-brutal-knockout

Having established himself as someone to watch on the amateur circuit in 2019, light-heavyweight Zac Pauga was looking to make 2020 a big first year as a pro, but things did not work out as he anticipated.

With Covid-19 wreaking havoc with scheduling, Pauga was only able to get in one bout in 2020, but still he looks at the positives the year provided him even with the lack of activity.

“Last year was a little frustrating for me,” Pauga told MMAWeekly.com. “I wanted to fight a lot and kind of make a name for myself. That obviously didn’t happen. I only got in one pro fight for the year.

“I was lucky to be part of Team Elevation. We kept training. We broke into small groups and just did what we could to get better. I felt like I’m definitely way better right now than if I had the busy year that I wanted.”

In terms of his game, Pauga feels like he added a skillset to his already formidable natural talents to make him more than a match for anyone he faces.

“Athleticism, strength, and power will always be part of my game,” said Pauga. “That’s what I leaned on heavily early in my fight career, but now I have the skills to back it up to match some of these guys who have been doing it their whole life.”

On Friday in Park City, Kansas, Pauga (2-0) will look to kick off his 2021 in a big way when he faces Ashby Thomas (1-0) in an LFA 98 main card light heavyweight bout.

“For where I want to go and what I want to do I want to make a statement,” Pauga said. “I want to move fast and make a name for myself, so I’ve got to go out there and be entertaining and make a statement, and that’s what I plan on doing.

“I don’t know much about (Thomas), so it’s more about being the best version of myself: come forward, throw big shots, get him on the ground and try to finish him with either a sub or ground and pound.”

After having his 2020 campaign derailed, Pauga is set on making up for it in 2021, working his way up the ranks as quickly as he can.

“I want to fight early and I want to fight often,” said Pauga.

“I’m not overlooking this one, but I’d like to fight again at the end of February or at the beginning of March. I’d like to have two or three fights before summer even. That’s my plan, that’s what I want, so I can move fast and make a name for myself, and show these bigger organizations what I can do.”

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Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/zac-pauga-looking-to-make-immediate-impact-at-lfa-98