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

Bellator on Tuesday announced that its next grand prix will be at light heavyweight, and it features a dream matchup right out of the gate.

The tournament is set to get underway April 9 at Bellator 256 with the first two quarterfinal matchups: Ryan Bader vs. Lyoto Machida and Corey Anderson vs. promotional newcomer Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov. The other two quarterfinal matchups are scheduled for April 16 at Bellator 257, with champion Vadim Nemkov defending his title against Phil Davis and Anthony Johnson vs. Yoel Romero.

All four fights on both events will take place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and air on Showtime.

Courtesy of Bellator

Like previous Bellator tournaments, the title will be on the line in each round leading up to the final.

The fight between Bader (27-6 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) and Machida (26-10 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) is a rematch from 2012, when Bader knocked out Machida at UFC on FOX 4. For heavyweight champion Bader, 37, the grand prix marks the start of his quest to reclaim the 205-pound title he lost to Nemkov last August. Machida, 42, a former UFC light heavyweight champ, is looking to snap a two-fight losing streak.

Anderson (14-5 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), 31, signed with Bellator last year after a lengthy run in the UFC. He made a successful promotional debut last November when he finished Melvin Manhoef in the second round at Bellator 251. Yagshimuradov (18-5-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), 31, fights out of Ukraine and will make his promotional debut riding an eight-fight winning streak after most recently competing in the ACA and ACB promotions.

For his first title defense, Nemkov (12-2 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) draws Davis (22-5 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) in a rematch. Their November 2018 bout ended with Nemkov, 28, winning by split decision. Since then, Davis, 36, has reeled off three consecutive wins to earn a shot at claiming the belt for a second.

Ever since Johnson (22-6 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and Romero (13-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) signed with Bellator late last year, fans have salivated at the possibility of a matchup between the two heavy hitters who have competed for UFC titles. Johnson, 36, is making his return to the cage for the first time since announcing his retirement after a loss to Daniel Cormier in April 2017. Romero, 43, has spent the past eight years competing at middleweight and will look to snap a three-fight losing streak as he moves up a division.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/bellator-light-heavyweight-grand-prix-features-rumble-vs-romero

Bellator has a new television home.

The Viacom-owned promotion announced an exclusive partnership with premium cable network Showtime on Tuesday in a special announcement press conference.

Showtime will be the exclusive home for Bellator live events and the partnership kicks off Friday, April 2 with Bellator 255, which is headlined by a featherweight title fight between Patricio Freire and Emmanuel Sanchez in a Bellator featherweight grand prix semifinal.

“We’ve been interested in MMA for quite a while,” said Stephen Espinoza, Showtime Sports president. “We have a long history with MMA that goes back for 15 years to the dates of Elite XC and Strikeforce. We built some big names and stars: (Daniel) Cormier, (Luke) Rockhold, (Roda) Rousey, (Gilbert) Melendez and on and on. And of course, we’re the first to bring MMA to a national televised network and of course that was CBS way back in 2008. The time just felt right to combine forces Bellator has matured and elevated itself at a point where it now belongs in premium television network.”

The standard Showtime subscription cost is $10.99 a month, but the company is offering a free 30-day trial followed by a six-month period at $4.99 a month.

Bellator had been streaming their preliminary fights on YouTube and their main cards on CBS Sports Network – a deal that began in September with Bellator 249. Prior to that, the promotion was streaming fights on the online platform DAZN.

Bellator president Scott Coker has along history with Showtime. Prior to working with Bellator, Coker led Strikeforce which aired on the network from 2007-13.

It’s a new era for @BellatorMMA on @SHOsports. pic.twitter.com/q5MuPtC2kf

— Scott Coker (@ScottCoker) February 9, 2021

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/bellator-showtime-exclusive-television-partnership

A pair of featherweights will look to rebound in May.

Kai Kamaka (8-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) takes on TJ Brown (14-8 MMA, 0-2 UFC) in an event which does not yet have an official venue or location.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Reporter Rob DeMello was first to report the news.

Hawaii’s Kamaka made good on his promotional debut when he outlasted Tony Kelley in a “Fight of the Night” effort at UFC 252 in August. In his past outing in November, Kamaka saw his six-fight winning streak snapped at the hands of Jonathan Pearce in a second-round stoppage loss.

After earning a UFC contract on “Dana White’s Contender Series” in August 2019, Arkansas native Brown has dropped his first two UFC bouts to Jordan Griffin and most recently a unanimous decision to Danny Chavez in August.

With the addition, the May 1 lineup includes:

• TJ Brown vs. Kai Kamaka

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/kai-kamaka-vs-tj-brown-added-to-ufc-fight-night-card-on-may-1