With just days to go, UFC 258 lost a pivotal bantamweight bout between No. 8 ranked Pedro Munhoz and No. 9 ranked Jimmie Rivera.

Munhoz and Rivera were set to rematch at UFC 258, but the bout has been pulled because of COVID-19 safety measures, according to a report from MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz and Damon Martin. UFC officials have yet to comment and the report doesn’t note who tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 caused disease.

Rivera won the first match-up with Munhoz via split decision on the undercard of the trilogy bout between Vitor Belfort and Dan Henderson in November of 2015.

With the two of them poised to make a run on the bantamweight division, both were eager to run it back at UFC 258.

According to MMA Fighting, the hope is to reschedule the bout on an upcoming card as soon as possible.

It was a rather significant hit to the UFC 258 fight card, which features UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman putting his belt on the line opposite Gilbert Burns.

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Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/ufc-258-loses-pivotal-bout-between-pedro-munhoz-and-jimmie-rivera

Bellator MMA on Tuesday revealed that Showtime would be the new home of the fight promotion, beginning with its re-start on April 2.

The new partnership puts Bellator on Friday nights, just after the promotion had moved to CBS Sports on Thursday nights during the tail end of 2020.

So why did the Showtime move come so soon after the move to CBS Sports?

“When you look at the trajectory of Bellator, who they’ve been able to sign as free agents, their ability to build new stars and contribute to the sport, the time just felt right for us to combine forces,” said Stephen Espinoza, President of Showtime Sports. “Bellator has matured and elevated itself to a point where it now belongs on a premium television network.”

It’s a monster move for Bellator and they are going big right out of the gate on Showtime, with a stacked month of fight cards that includes a much anticipated Light Heavyweight Grand Prix.

Bellator kicks off on Showtime on April 2

Bellator prepared for the move by signing a flurry of top tier talent, with the spotlight zeroing in on light heavyweights Anthony “Rumble” Johnson and Yoel Romero.

Not wanting to risk the match-up, Bellator officials on Tuesday announced that Johnson and Romero would fight in a quarterfinal bout of the Light Heavyweight Grand Prix on April 16.

Prior to that event, however, Bellator kicks off the move with events on April 2 and April 9.

Bellator 256 on April 9 also features the Light Heavyweight Grand Prix with former 205-pound champion and current heavyweight titleholder Ryan Bader squaring off with Lyoto Machida in the opening round.

Bellator 255 takes place on April 2, featuring the re-start of the Featherweight Grand Prix. Champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, puts his belt on the line in the semi-final round of the grand prix opposite Emmanuel Sanchez. The winner will then face AJ McKee in the final.

For the foreseeable future, Bellator events will air on Showtime on Fridays, starting live at 9 p.m. ET and 6 p.m. PT.

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Bellator MMA moves to Showtime

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Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/bellator-announces-move-to-showtime-light-heavyweight-grand-prix

Tecia Torres has given the MMA world a different look in her most recent performances, and it hasn’t come by coincidence.

“The Tiny Tornado” is currently on a two-fight winning streak and she’s looked much improved in those two performances. Torres (11-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) scored a stoppage against Sam Hughes in her most recent fight in December and dominated former Invicta FC champion Brianna Van Buren in a unanimous decision win earlier in 2020.

The back-to-back wins likely saved Torres’ UFC career. She was on a four-fight skid that had her winless for almost two years. Although Torres did have a tough lineup during her skid, the 31-year-old has made some key changes to turn her career around.

“I think the change was in my mentality,” Torres told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “I had issues before with believing in me, and now I feel like I can do anything I want.

“I feel like one day, I’ll be champion at strawweight. I did have four defeats against Weili Zhang, Marina (Rodriguez), Joanna (Jedrzejczyk) and Jessica Andrade, and the four of them are some of the very best in the UFC. I feel like I’m the only strawweight who’s fought against all the champions. I fought Carla (Esparza), Joanna, Weili, Jessica and Rose (Namajunas).”

Torres is a veteran in women’s MMA and has been testing her skills against the very best for some time. She admitted it was tough dealing with the string of defeats and said it put her at a bad place in her career.

“During that time, I had a depression and I had no motivation to continue forward,” Torres said. “I didn’t want to retire, but I did want to take time off from fighting. I didn’t want to go to training and I didn’t want to hear anything about the UFC.

“I did know that I needed to change my mentality. At that time, I was talking to a counselor who was helping me, and after that I feel like my mentality changed. Now I feel great. I have two wins, and I think one day we’ll have a Boricua champion in the UFC.”

Torres said she’s in full swing and more motivated than ever before. She was scheduled to fight Angela Hill in a rematch at UFC 256 in December, but Hill tested positive for COVID-19. Instead, Torres fought and beat Hughes.

Torres wouldn’t mind getting booked again with Hill, but hopes to get a higher ranked opponent. She thinks she’s two good wins away from a title shot.

“I’d like to fight as soon as possible and I’d like to fight against someone that’s above me in the rankings,” Torres said. “I’d like to fight someone like Carla Esparza, Michelle Waterson, Claudia Gadelha, Yan (Xiaonan).

“I was talking to the matchmaker and I was told many of the top girls can’t fight – they have fights booked. So I might fight Angela Hill again. If not, I might have to wait until May or June to get someone that’s above me in the rankings. If not, I won’t like to fight anyone that’s not above me.”

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/tecia-torres-changes-career-resurgence-ufc-women-mma

He may be one of the nicest men in the game, but Beneil Dariush made clear at UFC Fight Night 184 it’s high time some respect was put on his name. Initially, his comments were interpreted as being aimed at matchmaker Sean Shelby, but Dariush (20-4-1 MMA, 14-4-1 UFC) later clarified his remarks and bemoaned the unwillingness of higher-ranked contenders to face him in the octagon.

His win over the in-form and similarly-underrated Diego Ferreira shouldn’t be underestimated, and after defeating the man ranked at No. 10 in the official UFC rankings, he should hopefully land an opponent with a single-digit ranking next time out.

It’s a crowded division at 155 pounds, but Dariush deserves his shot. Dan Hooker, Paul Felder and Tony Ferguson could all potentially be within reach, and would represent the right next test for Dariush, who is now riding a six-fight winning streak.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-cory-sandhagen-alexander-volkov-top-power-index-feb-1-7

Former Bellator featherweight champion Daniel Straus is alleged to have struck a female victim multiple times before stabbing her with “a sharp instrument.”

The details come via an arrest affidavit filed with the Hollywood (Fla.) Police Department, which MMA Junkie obtained Monday. Straus (26-9 MMA, 12-6 BMMA) was arrested last Friday in Florida and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

According to the arrest affidavit, Straus and the female victim have been involved in “an on and off intimate relationship” with each other for the past three years.

The victim stated that on Jan. 21, the two began arguing via text message, and Straus showed up at her place of employment to discuss the disagreement. The victim then walked outside and eventually entered her parked vehicle with the intention of leaving. She said that Straus then entered the vehicle via the passenger door and initially refused to exit.

The victim stated she then left the vehicle and Straus followed, at which point the argument escalated. Straus then allegedly pushed the victim, and she pushed him back. As she then attempted to get back into her vehicle and leave, the victim said she “was struck multiple times by the defendant and fell to the ground.”

The victim said Straus then got in his car and fled the scene. As the victim returned to her car and drove away, as well, she began receiving multiple calls from Straus, saying that he was at her apartment. Rather than meet him there, the victim says she was concerned about potential destruction of her property and drove to Straus’ residence, instead, in hopes of obtaining the spare key she had given to him.

Once inside Straus’ residence, the victim alleged she tried to get Straus to return her key. At some point, she said Straus told her, “You don’t know me, I’ll stab you,” before later physically pushing her out of the door. The victim says she then said, “You’re big and bad, what are you gonna do? Stab me?”
At that point, the victim alleges Straus reached around to his backside and then used a sharp instrument to stab her in the abdomen. Due to the speed of the sequence, the victim said she “was unable to describe the cutting instrument,” according to the police report.

The victim said Straus then followed her for a few steps as she tried to leave before returning to his residence. She then sought assistance from neighbors, who drove her to a local hospital where she “received a few stitches to close the puncture wound,” according to her statement.

In addition to the puncture wound, the arrest affidavit said the victim also suffered “a large contusion to her right eye.”

According to the affidavit, The victim did not initially wish to provide a statement to the responding detective but eventually said she will fully cooperate with the state attorney’s office. Further, the victim said she “is in complete fear of the defendant and feels that if he is not apprehended that he will come after her and cause further harm to her for notifying the police.”

As of Monday, Straus currently remains in jail on a $100,000 bond, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/daniel-straus-allegedly-stabbed-female-victim-in-abdomen-bellator-champion