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PFL’s Larissa Pacheco warns Claressa Shields: ‘MMA is a different world’

Larissa Pacheco isn’t intimidated by what Claressa Shields brings to the PFL, and she welcomes the signing.

Pacheco (13-4), a former UFC fighter and “The Ultimate Fighter” cast member, issued a statement to MMA Junkie through her manager, Alex Davis, in which she expressed interest in facing boxing champion Shields (0-0)

“I saw that PFL signed Claressa Shields,” Pacheco said. “Since she is a possible future opponent, I have been aware of her voice on social media. I find her really cute – and I do respect her as a boxer. But someone must communicate with her that MMA is a different world! Since ‘Conde Koma’ came to the Amazon region and challenged boxers to matches, they have all been subbed.

“I think Claressa wants to surf without knowing how to swim, but I welcome easier competition in the tourney.”

In 2019, Pacheco advanced to the women’s lightweight final, where she lost a five-round unanimous decision to Kayla Harrison. The defeat snapped a two-fight winning streak for the Brazilian.

Shields, an Olympic gold medalist in boxing and the current undisputed middleweight champion, signed with PFL in November, but Pacheco will have to wait at least a year to get her hands on her. In 2021, Shields will take one-off fights instead of partaking in the regular season, similar to what Harrison did in 2018 before winning the championship in 2019.

The PFL 2021 regular season matchups have not yet been announced, though the promotion is eying an April 23 start date.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/12/mma-news-larissa-pacheco-calls-out-claressa-shields-pfl

Champ vs. champ: Jan Blachowicz puts up light heavyweight title vs. Israel Adesanya at UFC 259

A champion vs. champion fight will go down in March when reigning UFC light heavyweight titleholder Jan Blachowicz puts his belt on the line against middleweight king Israel Adesanya, who looks for a second championship.

Blachowicz (27-8 MMA, 10-5 UFC) and Adesanya (20-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) have agreed to clash in the UFC 259 headliner on March 6. MMA Junkie confirmed the news with a person close to the situation Wednesday after Dana White announced the news to promotional partner ESPN.

UFC 259 does not yet have an official location or venue. The main card is set to stream on ESPN+ pay-per-view.

Blachowicz will look to make his first 205-pound title defense a good one after capturing the belt that was vacated by Jon Jones in August. The Polish fighter upset noted favorite Dominick Reyes with a second-round knockout at UFC 253 on Sept. 26, putting UFC gold around his waist for the first time at age 36.

He’ll attempt to use his “Polish power” to great effect once again against Adesanya, who will attempt to become the eighth fighter in UFC history to capture titles in two weight divisions. He would be the first, however, to do it at middleweight and light heavyweight.

The reigning 185-pound king has teased the idea of moving up for more than a year, but many believed it would be for a superfight against Jones. That won’t be the case, as he will instead challenge Blachowicz after earning a victories in a pair of title defenses in 2020 against Yoel Romero and Paulo Costa.

The latest UFC 259 lineup now includes:

Jan Blachowicz vs. Israel Adesanya – for light heavyweight title
Amanda Nunes vs. Megan Anderson – for women’s featherweight title
Aleksandar Rakic vs. Thiago Santos
Dominick Cruz vs. Casey Kenney
Askar Askarov vs. Joseph Benavidez
Sean Brady vs. Jake Matthews
Randy Costa vs. Trevin Jones
Aalon Cruz vs. Uros Medic
Tim Elliott vs. Jordan Espinosa

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/12/ufc-259-jan-blachowicz-israel-adesanya-light-heavyweight-title-champion-vs-champion

Cheyanne Buys vs. Kay Hansen added to UFC Fight Night card on March 20

An interesting strawweight matchup has been added to the March 20 UFC Fight Night.

Cheyanne Buys will meet Kay Hansen during the event, which does not yet have a location announced. Both fighters confirmed the booking on Instagram after an initial post from “I Like Who I’m Becoming MMA.”

Buys (5-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) earned her spot in the UFC through Dana White’s Contender Series. She was given a UFC contract after an impressive unanimous decision win over Hilarie Rose at DWCS 29 on Aug. 18. The victory gave the Fortis MMA product four straight wins.

Hansen (7-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC), meanwhile, is a 21-year-old prospect who has proven herself capable of exciting fights, win or lose. Hansen lost an entertaining scrap via decision against Cory McKenna on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas. That ended a three-fight win streak which included a “Performance of the Night” bonus in her UFC debut, a submission finish of former Invicta champion Jinh Yu Frey.

While much of the card has yet to be signed, the March 20 event features a highly anticipated middleweight showdown between Derek Brunson and Kevin Holland.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/12/cheyanne-buys-kay-hansen-ufc-fight-night-card-march-20

Watch Rose Namajunas avenge loss to Jessica Andrade at UFC 251

Former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas lost her belt to Jessica Andrade at UFC 237. After a year outside of the cage, Namajunas returned for the rematch at UFC 251.

Andrade had already lost the title to Zhang Weili, but Namajunas avenged the loss.

Take a look back at Namajunas’s victory over Andrade at UFC 251 on Fight Island.

(Video courtesy of UFC)

UFC 251 Highlights Recap: Kamaru Usman defends against Jorge Masvidal

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Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/watch-rose-namajunas-avenge-loss-to-jessica-andrade-at-ufc-251

What is the UFC Performance Institute and why is it so important?

See how the leader in combat athletics set a new bar for sports performance with the development of the UFC Performance Institute. With Forrest Griffin, Claudia Gadelha, Kevin Lee, Joanne Calderwood and more.