Fabricio Werdum, Mohammed Usman headline pursuit of Heavyweight Champion Ali Isaev; Kayla Harrison, Larissa Pacheco star in Women’s Lightweight division

NEW YORK (Feb. 9, 2021) –The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the fastest growing and most innovative sports league in the world, today announced its heavyweight and women’s lightweight rosters for the 2021 Regular Season, with Ali Isaev (heavyweight) and Kayla Harrison (women’s lightweight) both kicking off their campaigns to repeat as PFL champions on May 6. The new PFL season begins April 23 and events throughout the season will be on ESPN2, ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes in primetime.

Isaev’s miraculous comeback in the semifinals against Denis Goltsov propelled him to gold in 2019. While Goltsov returns for another crack at the PFL strap, he will also have to contend with one of the greatest heavyweights to ever compete in MMA. Former UFC champion Fabricio Werdum will be the big favorite heading into the 2021 season, but he is far from the only challenger in the division. Mohammed Usman, brother of UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, has his sights set on adding to the family’s legacy in the sport of MMA.

They will be joined by highly-ranked Justin Willis, Ante Delija, 6-foot-8 giant Renan Ferreira, Hatef Moeil, Bruno Cappelozza and U.S. Army combative instructor Brandon Sayles.

Harrison will once again be the marquee name in the women’s lightweight division, but joining her and 2019 runner-up Larissa Pacheco will be an upgraded cast looking to give the two-time Olympian a run for this year’s PFL title. Highly-regarded Belgian judoka Cindy Dandois, returning striking expert Genah Fabian and undefeated Laura Sanchez are a few of the athletes poised to test Harrison as she continues her ascension to the peak of the MMA world.

Newcomers Mariana Morais, who earned her spot via the 2020 Brazilian International Qualifier Series, Olena Kolesnyk and Julija Pajic complete the division’s roster.

“Our fighters continue to showcase their smarts, grit and bold personalities as we get closer and closer to the season, and we are excited to support them in their journeys with the PFL,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray. “Each fighter has his or her own unique journey and we are confident the PFL will provide them and our fans with ample opportunity for exciting matchups making it a great season.”

“Everyone loves to see the big boys go out and sling the heavy leather,” said PFL President of Fighter Operations, Ray Sefo. “As a former heavyweight I’m no different. I’m also very excited to see our women’s division kick off their season. We’ve brought in the best talent in the world to challenge Kayla and Larissa and it will be an even more challenging season for these very talented athletes.”

The 2021 Heavyweight (265 lbs.) roster includes:

• Bruno Cappelozza
• Ante Delija
• Renan Ferreira
• Denis Goltsov
• Ali Isaev
• Hatef Moeil
• Brandon Sayles
• Mohammed Usman
• Justin Willis
• Fabricio Werdum

The 2021 Women’s Lightweight (155 lbs.) roster includes:

• Cindy Dandois
• Genah Fabian
• Kayla Harrison
• Olena Kolesnyk
• Mariana Morais
• Larissa Pacheco
• Julija Pajic
• Laura Sanchez

The 2021 PFL Season will begin April 23 on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ in primetime. The remaining Regular Season events will take place on April 29, May 6, June 10, June 17, and June 25.

TRENDING Frankie Edgar issues statement of resolve following UFC Vegas 18 loss

What’s next for Conor McGregor?

(Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/pfl-unveils-2021-heavyweight-and-womens-lightweight-rosters

Welterweight champ Kamaru Usman watches fights at Justin Gaethje’s home. Title challenger Gilbert Burns takes in his kids’ wrestling class. Ian Heinisch stays healthy with PT; his opponent Kelvin Gastelum gets a supportive sendoff from his home gym.

UFC 258 Embedded features the fighter from Saturday’s pay-per-view event at The Apex in Las Vegas, where welterweight champion Kamaru Usman puts his belt on the line against former teammate Gilbert Burns in the main event.

(Video courtesy of UFC)

TRENDING Frankie Edgar issues statement of resolve following UFC Vegas 18 loss

UFC Fallout: Cory Sandhagen steals the show at UFC Vegas 18

(Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/ufc-258-embedded-kamaru-usman-and-justin-gaethje-watch-cory-sandhagens-savage-knee-knockout

UFC 258 is down a fight, and COVID-19 is the reported culprit.

A bantamweight bout between Pedro Munhoz and Jimmie Rivera has been pulled from the card due to a positive coronavirus test result by one of the competitors, who was not identified.

MMA Fighting initially reported the news Tuesday. Both UFC.com and UFC promotional partner ESPN have since yanked the bout from their UFC 258 lineup pages.

The fight is expected to rescheduled as soon as possible.

An 140-pound catchweight fight between Andre Ewell and Chris Gutierrez, which had been originally moved from UFC Fight Night 184 to the UFC 258 prelims, has now been bumped up to the main card.

UFC 258 will he be held Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and will be headlined by welterweight champion Kamaru Usman’s title defense against Gilbert Burns.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/ufc-258-pedro-munhoz-vs-jimmie-rivera-pulled-reported-covid-positive

UFC Fight Night 184 was headlined by a pair of definitive statements.

Former Bellator light heavyweight champion Alexander Volkov finished veteran Alistair Overeem in the main event. In the bantamweight co-feature, Cory Sandhagen leveled former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar with a vicious flying knee knockout.

Both of them want title shots next. So where do they go from here?

Volkov, for his part, still has a few contenders ahead of him at heavyweight before he reaches champion Stipe Miocic. But he does move up to No. 6 in current edition of the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, and no doubt will have a big name opponent next time he steps into the cage.

The bad news for Sandhagen? Well, he went into the Edgar fight ranked No. 3 at 135 pounds. Ahead of him are the champion, Petr Yan, and Aljamain Sterling, who handed Sandhagen his only UFC loss. So he’ll stay at No. 3.

The good news? With Yan fighting Sterling next month, he’s well-positioned to face the winner, so he’s the likelier of the two to get what he wants.

Those weren’t the only fights of note last Saturday night, so to catch up on where your favorite fighters rank in the new USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, click on the drop-down menu above.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/usa-today-sports-mma-junkie-rankings-feb-9-cory-sandhagen-states-his-case

Gilbert Burns had an impressive 2020 that turned him into a title challenger.

Burns (19-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) picked up two impressive victories over established opposition, beating former UFC champion Tyron Woodley and former UFC title challenger Demian Maia. The win over Maia back in March 2020 kicked off the calendar run of back-to-back “Performance of the Night” wins.

Burns became the first person to stop Maia since 2009, scoring a first-round TKO in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 170. He was was also just the second fighter ever to finish Maia, and the first to do it at welterweight.

It was a solid performance that led to a fight with Woodley, which Burns won by decision, and then shortly after was awarded a title fight against Kamaru Usman. Burns tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the fight and was ineligible to fight in their July 2020 pairing, and Jorge Masvidal ended up stepping on short notice and lost to Usman.

Now, almost a year later, Burns is scheduled to challenge for the UFC welterweight title once again. He headlines UFC 258 this Saturday in Las Vegas against Usman at the UFC Apex.

You can watch Burns’ stoppage win over Maia above.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/ufc-free-fight-gilbert-burns-hands-demian-maia-first-stoppage-loss-since-2009