A welterweight fight has been added to the UFC’s March schedule.

Matthew Semelsberger and Jason Witt, two fighters who made their promotional debuts in 2020, will square off at UFC Fight Night on March 13, according to recent social media posts made by both fighters. The event does not currently have a publicly-announced location or venue.

Semelsberger (7-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) made his only UFC appearance to date in August when he defeated fellow UFC newcomer Carlton Minus by unanimous decision.

Witt (18-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC) debuted under the UFC banner in June when he took a fight against Takashi Sato on less than one week’s notice. Witt was knocked out in 48 seconds. Five months later, Witt returned and dominated Cole Williams en route to a second-round submission victory.

A post shared by Jason Witt (@the_vanillagorilla)

A post shared by Matt “Semi” Semelsberger (@semithejedi)

With the addition, the March 13 lineup includes:

• Irwin Rivera vs. Ray Rodriguez
• Davey Grant vs. Jonathan Martinez
• Matthew Semelsberger vs. Jason Witt

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/12/ufc-news-matthew-semelsberger-vs-jason-witt-booking-march-13

Scott Coker has come around on Yoel Romero, marking a change in tune from what he told MMA Junkie onsite at the Mohegan Sun Arena in early December in Uncasville, Conn.

Ahead of Bellator 254, news surfaced Romero (13-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and the UFC had parted ways. On Dec. 9, Coker told MMA Junkie he was content with the roster he already had – a phrase the Bellator president often uses as a polite way of saying he’s not interested in bringing a specific fighter onboard.

Five days later, Romero was signed to a multifight deal with the promotion.

So why the change in heart?

“Yoel started with us in Strikeforce back in 2008,” Coker recently told MMA Junkie. “Part of me wanted to do it. Part of me didn’t want to do it. After we signed ‘Rumble’ (Johnson), we had the chance to (sign) Yoel. We passed on (him). I’ll tell you, honestly, the amount of support he got coming through our doors and through the social channels really was impressive. Everybody wanted to see the Yoel Romero vs. ‘Rumble’ Johnson fight. I huddled up with my team.

“I’ll tell you one thing in this situation people don’t really realize: Even if we said we were going to pass, we talk to these agents all the time – every day. Yoel’s name kept coming up and coming up. Finally, I just said, ‘You know what? Let’s do it. Let’s just add him into the mix.’”

It wasn’t just the potential fight against Anthony Johnson that caused Coker to jump onboard. Coker thinks Romero, despite being 43 years old, still has a lot left in the tank – and has a massive fan base eager to see him return.

“He’s (such) an amazing talent,” Coker said. “He still is somebody that is very dangerous. He definitely can still fight. I said, ‘Let’s put him in the mix, and let’s just go for it.’ I’m glad we did. I had a little chat with him. It was great. He seems like such a nice guy and very mature. I’m looking forward to putting him into our 205-pound mix sometime next year.”

Romero, who is No. 6 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie middleweight rankings, has lost recent decisions to Paulo Costa and Israel Adesanya, giving him a 1-4 record leading up to his release.

Although he didn’t capture a title, Romero still left his mark in the UFC. He has the third-most knockouts in middleweight history (seven), the third-most knockdowns (10), and is one of two fighters in UFC history with multiple flying knee finishes, along with other accolades.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/12/mma-news-scott-coker-explains-changing-mind-yoel-romero-bellator-signing

With Christmas Day in the rearview mirror, it seems Conor McGregor has left the season of peace and joy behind.

In a series of since-deleted posts on Twitter, “The Notorious” began again his calls for a rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov, while also sneaking in a shot at the reigning UFC lightweight champion’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz.

It started off simply enough, with a little poke left open to interpretation: “MeDanaAliGonnaGetcha”

Of course, the presumed implication would be that next month’s planned meeting between Dana White and Nurmagomedov – and most likely Abdelaziz, as well – would include a pitch for a rematch between “The Eagle” and McGregor, a fight the UFC president has long claimed would be the most lucrative in the history of the sport.

McGregor’s messages then took a bit of a sinister turn, though, with “The Notorious” going a little deeper into his arsenal by announcing that “Robert Earl Britton is The Man!”

Britton is an alias Abdelaziz allegedly used in 2001 that was linked to a criminal investigation at the time.

Abdelaziz quoted the tweet and replied, “Wrong the #Eagle is,” including a photo taken an instant after McGregor submitted to Nurmagomedov in the fourth round of their UFC 229 headliner in October 2018 – and before the infamous ensuing post-fight brawl.

Abdelaziz would again quote the tweet shortly after, this time telling McGregor, “You will never be champ again because I have army waiting for you 155/170,” and listing off the names if a number of high-profile Dominance MMA clients in the lightweight and welterweight divisions, including Justin Gaethje, reigning UFC champ Kamaru Usman, Gilbert Burns, Khamzat Chimaev, Islam Makhachev, Beneil Dariush, Belal Muhammad and Vicente Luque, before adding “Nurmagomedov broke your mental.”

McGregor had one last parting shot for the semi-retired UFC champ, replying that it is “Decision time for the 🦆,” a clear play on the claim often made that Nurmagomedov is the GOAT – MMA’s greatest of all-time – and suggesting the Russian is ducking a potential rematch.

McGregor deleted his tweets shortly after the exchange, though Abdelaziz’s replies still remained online at the time of publication.

“Mystic Mac” has been a master prognosticator throughout his MMA career, seemingly visualizing the future ahead of anyone else around him. Whether or not the planting of these latest seeds will ultimately come to fruition remains to be seen.

For now, former UFC double champ McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) is slated to face former interim lightweight champ Dustin Poirier (26-6 MMA, 18-5 UFC) in the main event of UFC 257, which takes place Jan. 23 in Abu Dhabi.

The rematch of the pair’s initial 2014 meeting has big implications at 155 pounds, with Poirier currently No. 2 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie lightweight rankings, and McGregor at No. 6. The winner would be in an envious spot in the UFC title picture, though McGregor’s star power certainly means he’s capable of inserting himself into a UFC title shot nearly at will.

Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA, 13-0 UFC) remains non-committal about his fighting future since announcing his retirement from the sport following his October win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. UFC brass continues to recognize Nurmagomedov’s status as champion despite the announcement, pending the January meeting in Abu Dhabi.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/12/conor-mcgregor-calls-for-khabib-nurmagomedov-rematch-ali-abdelaziz

Miyuu Yamamoto heads into the biggest fight of her career with the words of her legendary brother still fresh in her mind.

Yamamoto (6-4) will challenge for the vacant Rizin FF super atomweight title when she takes on former champion Ayaka Hamasaki (20-3) at Rizin FF 26 on Dec. 31 in Saitama, Japan. It’s the opportunity she has been hoping for ever since she transitioned from freestyle wrestling to MMA in 2016, and, at the age of 46, she says she’s never felt better.

Yamamoto’s title tilt comes exactly one year after her last appearance, when she outpointed Thailand’s Suwanan Boonsorn at Rizin FF 20. Since then, she’s been in Guam, sharpening her skills while the island has remained largely locked down due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Guam is more strict than Japan and is currently under lockdown,” she explained during Rizin’s pre-fight YouTube series, “Rizin Confessions.” “There are limits for gatherings (and) my kids are still attending online classes.”

But that isolation, out of the competitive cycle and left to work on her skills, has proved to be a blessing for Yamamoto, who has used the time to sharpen her skills ahead of her return.

“Because there was no fight lined up, I didn’t have to think about my opponent,” she said. “I was able to focus on what I needed to work on. So it worked out well.”

The extra time to work on her game has proved invaluable, as Yamamoto looks to fulfill the potential she brought to the sport after capturing four freestyle wrestling world championships earlier in her career.

As she explained, her start to life in MMA was a tough one, as she struggled to fully adapt to the sport. But, after suffering some early setbacks, she was boosted by the confidence of her brother, the late Japanese MMA legend Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto.

“I started off with back-to-back losses,” she recalled. “‘Kid’ told me, ‘Your physical strengths, your natural instincts, your speed and gifts, nobody can match that. So believe in yourself.’”

The advice clearly worked. After starting out 1-3 with Rizin, Yamamoto hit form and heads into the New Year’s Eve title clash with Hamasaki having won five of her last six outings.

“I started winning and finally started to climb the ladder,” she said. “I have come this far (and feel) the strongest in my life at 46 years old. … Now I need to start finishing things.”

Rizin FF 26 takes place on Thursday, Dec. 31 at Saitama Super Arena and streams via pay-per-view on LIVENow.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/12/rizin-ff-26-miyuu-yamamoto-inspired-by-kid-yamamoto

Jimmy Crute marked himself as one to watch in the UFC’s light heavyweight division in 2020.

The young Australian fought twice this year, and earned “Performance of the Night” both times.

And while his October knockout of Modestas Bukauskas was impressive, the win which really put him on the map occurred at UFC Auckland in February.

There, Crute (12-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) took on a well-established foe in Michał Oleksiejczuk. Crute spent the better part of the fight out-grappling his foe, and turned it into an impressive Kimura submission at the 3:29 mark of the opening round.

Crute doesn’t yet have his next fight lined up. But given what we saw from him in 2020, whenever that fight is announced, it will no doubt it will be one to watch. In the meantime, the UFC has made his outstanding finish of Oleksiejczuk free to view, and you can watch it in the video above.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/12/ufc-free-fight-jimmy-crute-arrives-with-slick-finish-of-michal-oleksiejczuk