A battle between two middleweight prospects is the latest addition to the UFC’s first card of 2021.

Phil Hawes (9-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) will take on Nassourdine Imavov (9-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at UFC Fight Night on Jan. 16, which takes place at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. MMA DNA was the first to report the news Thursday.

After failed stints on “The Ultimate Fighter” and “Dana White’s Contender Series,” the third time was the charm for Hawes, who was finally able to punch his ticket to the UFC when he knocked out Khadzhimurat Bestaev at Dana White’s Contender Series 32 in September. He would make his UFC debut less than two months later, dispatching of newcomer Jacob Malkoun in just 17 seconds at UFC 254.

MMA Factory Paris’ Imavov also made good on his promotional debut when he defeated Jordan Williams in a hard-fought unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN 16 in October. The Dagestani-born fighter has won his past six in a row.

With the addition, the Jan. 16 lineup includes:

• Max Holloway vs. Calvin Kattar
• Sara McMann vs. Julianna Pena
• Mike Grundy vs. Nik Lentz
• Brian Kelleher vs. Ricky Simon
• Jacob Kilburn vs. Austin Lingo
• Carlos Felipe vs. Justin Tafa
• Punahele Soriano vs. Dusko Todorovic
• Anthony Hernandez vs. Rodolfo Vieira
• Bethe Correia vs. Wu Yanan
• Christian Aguilera vs. Warlley Alves
• Omari Akhmedov vs. Tom Breese
• Ramazan Emeev vs. David Zawada
• Phil Hawes vs. Nassourdine Imavov

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/12/phil-hawes-nassourdine-imavov-ufc-fight-night-january-16

If you’ve followed the UFC, you’ve likely seen your fair share of faceoffs by now.

But have you ever seen a backward faceoff?

A post shared by ufc (@ufc)

Well, now you have.

On Thursday, the promotion released the poster for its upcoming UFC Fight Night on Jan. 16. The event kicks off the UFC’s 2021 schedule and is headlined by a featherweight banger between former UFC 145-pound king Max Holloway and New England Cartel star Calvin Kattar. The card will take place on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

MMA Junkie recently learned a portion of the event will likely air on ABC, marking the promotion’s debut on the network – and its return to network television.

The current UFC Fight Night lineup includes:

• Max Holloway vs. Calvin Kattar
• Sara McMann vs. Julianna Pena
• Mike Grundy vs. Nik Lentz
• Brian Kelleher vs. Ricky Simon
• Jacob Kilburn vs. Austin Lingo
• Carlos Felipe vs. Justin Tafa
• Punahele Soriano vs. Dusko Todorovic
• Anthony Hernandez vs. Rodolfo Vieira
• Bethe Correia vs. Wu Yanan
• Christian Aguilera vs. Warlley Alves
• Omari Akhmedov vs. Tom Breese
• Ramazan Emeev vs. David Zawada
• Phil Hawes vs. Nassourdine Imavov

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/12/ufc-fight-night-poster-max-holloway-calvin-kattar-backward-faceoff

Bellator president Scott Coker says Michael Page is potentially one fight away from a title shot.

Coker is open to the idea of Page (18-1 MMA, 14-1 BMMA) facing Neiman Gracie (10-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) in a title eliminator bout in the first quarter of 2021, where the winner gets a crack at Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima.

“When I think about MVP, you’re talking about one of the most talented fighters that I’ve ever seen,” Coker told MMA Junkie. “He’s so fast, so explosive and when I think about him honestly, I think about him and maybe Neiman Gracie fighting each other at some point and then maybe the winner can fight Douglas Lima. That’s kind of in my mind, what I’m thinking.”

Page’s lone loss in his career came to Lima in the Bellator welterweight grand prix in May 2019. He has since won four straight fights, with three coming by way of knockout.

He most recently went the distance with former Cage Warriors welterweight champ Ross Houston at Bellator 248, which wasn’t Page’s finest showing. “MVP” complained of the slippery canvas at the Accor Arena in Paris, France and Coker agreed that it likely affected his performance.

“I’m sure MVP had a lot of stuff in his arsenal that he wanted to do that he couldn’t do because of the canvas,” Coker said. “Originally, I thought it might be ring rust, but I don’t think so after talking to all the fighters that fought that night.”

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/12/bellator-news-scott-coker-eyeing-mvp-neiman-gracie-title-eliminator

The holiday season’s looking extra-festive around the McGregor household.

And why not? Despite all of the challenges 2020 presented to everyone, it’s been a good year for Conor McGregor and family. The first-ever simultaneous, two-weight class UFC champion started the year by returning to the cage and defeating Donald Cerrone at UFC 246, and toward the end of the year came the announcement of his blockbuster UFC 257 bout next month against Dustin Poirier.

So of course Irish eyes were smiling in the McGregor family as they posted their holiday greeting to the fans via Instagram — the family patriarch along with partner Dee Devlin, son Conor, and daughter Croia.

And there was a strong hint next year’s photo will include another McGregor kid. The younger Conor is holding what sure looks like an ultrasound photo, and in case there’s any doubt, the IG caption features a baby emoji.

You can see the McGregor’s coy announcement below:

A post shared by Conor McGregor Official (@thenotoriousmma)

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/12/conor-mcgregors-holiday-instagram-hints-new-addition-family

The Christmas Eve edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here!

On Episode 3,116, Rob Hewitt of Fighters Only magazine joined the show to discuss the upcoming World MMA Awards. Other topics include whether Khabib Nurmagomedov’s presence at UFC 257 would distract Conor McGregor, Dana White’s latest assault on the press, Anthony Pettis joining the PFL, whether the PFL is gaining on Bellator for MMA’s No. 2 spot, and a whole lot more.

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/12/mma-junkie-radio-3116-rob-hewitt-talks-world-mma-awards-anthony-pettis-to-pfl-much-more