Cody Stamann vs. Askar Askar has been removed from UFC Fight Night 184.

The UFC has announced the featherweight fight, which was scheduled for tonight’s main card, has been canceled after Askar (11-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was forced to withdraw after he was not medically cleared to compete.

The cancellation marks the third opponent who withdrew from a UFC Fight Night 184 booking against Stamann (19-3-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC). Merab Dvalishvili was originally scheduled for the fight but withdrew after catching COVID-19; Stamann was later paired up with Andre Ewell.

Like Dvalishvili, Ewell also withdrew due to a positive COVID-19 test. On less than one week’s notice, Askar stepped in to replace Ewell in what would’ve been his promotional debut.

With the removal the UFC Fight Night 184 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

• Alistair Overeem vs. Alexander Volkov
• Frankie Edgar vs. Cory Sandhagen
• Clay Guida vs. Michael Johnson
• Manel Kape vs. Alexandre Pantoja
• Beneil Dariush vs. Diego Ferreira

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET)

• Danilo Marques vs. Mike Rodriguez
• Justin Jaynes vs. Devonte Smith
• Joselyne Edwards vs. Karol Rosa
• Molly McCann vs. Lara Procopio
• Seungwoo Choi vs. Youssef Zalal
• Martin Day vs. Timur Valiev
• Ode Osbourne vs. Jerome Rivera

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/ufc-fight-night-184-cody-stamann-vs-askar-askar-canceled

Eddie Alvarez shares a rich history with the majority of the fighters that competed in the main and co-main events of UFC 257.

In a pivotal night for the UFC’s lightweight division, Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler reigned supreme Jan. 23 as they positioned themselves at the top of the 155-pound ladder.

Having gone into battle with Conor McGregor and both Poirier and Chandler twice, Alvarez (30-7) admits he was a little surprised with the way things panned out at UFC 257.

Poirier scored an upset finish of McGregor in the night’s headliner, while former three-time Bellator lightweight champion Chandler made quick work of Dan Hooker in the co-main event.

In a night of unexpected results, Alvarez admits there was some personal satisfaction seeing the underdogs cash in with big performances.

“Dustin Poirier putting on them sprints that he puts on, I thought that would be the best way that he could get it done,” Alvarez told MMA Junkie. “I agreed that if he gave Conor the space that Conor can relax and create stuff that he’d have a bad night. But Dustin just fought a beautiful game plan by kicking that leg and then putting a short sprint on him and being able to cause him to panic and put him away.

“And then Mike Chandler coming out and, in your debut, with all that pressure, with all them people saying, ‘You’re not this and you’re not that,’ to be able to go out there and execute the way he did, it was just a beautiful night for MMA. I think a lot of times in this sport, they don’t care if you’re the bad guy or good guy. The fight gods give the winner to whoever the winner is, and the good guys conquered that night. It doesn’t always go that way, but it’s beautiful when it does.”

Alvarez, who has captured lightweight titles in both the UFC and Bellator, is on a quest to add another major title to his resume in ONE Championship. His next outing will see him take on fellow contender Iuri Lapicus at ONE on TNT 1 on April 7.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/ufc-news-eddie-alvarez-hails-dustin-poirier-michael-chandler-ufc-257

Paige VanZant briefly considered retiring from combat sports following her loss at “Bare Knuckle FC: KnuckleMania.” Upon reflection, though, she thought better of it.

VanZant’s post-UFC career began on Friday with her transition to the bare knuckle boxing world for a showdown with Britain Hart in the main event at Bert’s Barracuda Harley-Davidson in Clearwater, Fla. She lost a unanimous decision, dropping four of five rounds to her opponent in the 125-pound matchup.

After choosing BKFC over other suitors such as Bellator, VanZant placed high expectations on herself to perform against Hart. The fight didn’t go her way, and with that comes a natural level of disappointment.

In a social media post on Saturday, VanZant admitted she briefly thought of retirement in the aftermath of her loss. That won’t be the case, though, and she promised to rise again in the wake of a difficult moment (via Instagram):

The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear our defeat without losing heart. Last night I told my husband I didn’t want to fight any more. But as soon as the words left my lips I knew that wasn’t true. I’m a fighter. This is what I live for. Losers quit when they fail, winners fail until they succeed. That fight last night was a good learning experience for me. The timing and distance took a little bit to figure out. But I felt my last round was my best round and I’m going to build off of that! I’m thankful to fight for the best team in the world and we are going to go back and fix our mistakes. Thank you to Britain for competing last night and congrats on victory! I’m also confident we will cross paths again.

A post shared by Paige VanZant (@paigevanzant)

VanZant did not put a timeline on her future plans and when she’ll aim to get back to work. Her promoter, BKFC president David Feldman, told MMA Junkie that he would like to see her compete this summer, but intends to give VanZant all the time she needs to get into the right mental space.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/bkfc-paige-vanzant-considered-retirement-loss-next-fight-future-live-for

(Click on the fight below and then scroll down to see in-fight live stats and full results, courtesy of Fight Analytics. Full live results for the first UFC Vegas 18: Overeem vs. Volkov bout from The Apex in Las Vegas is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT on Saturday, Feb. 6, on MMAWeekly.com)

UFC Vegas 18: Overeem vs. Volkov start times

• UFC Vegas 18 main card start time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on ESPN+
• UFC Vegas 18 prelims start time: 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT on ESPN+

NOTE: To select the appropriate fight, click on the images with the yellow name plates at the bottom of the Fight Analytics window and drag until you see the fight you are interested in. Quick results are located below the Fight Analytics window.

UFC Vegas 18: Overeem vs. Volkov live results

UFC Vegas 18: Overeem vs. Volkov takes place on Saturday, Feb. 5, at The Apex in Las Vegas. It marks the promotion’s return to its home base following a third stint on UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.

UFC President Dana White and Company restarted the professional sports world with UFC 249: Ferguson vs. Gaethje on May 9, 2020, followed by two more events in Jacksonville, Fla., all within an eight-day span.

UFC Vegas 18 features two bouts with strong title implications. Alistair Overeem and Alexander Volkov square off in the main event with hopes of getting a crack at the heavyweight belt. The co-main event features Cory Sandhagen vs. Frankie Edgar with the winner aiming for a shot at the bantamweight belt.

Check out the MMAWeekly.com Rumors page for more scheduled events and rumored fight cards.

UFC Vegas 18: Overeem vs. Volkov results

UFC Vegas 18 Main Card

• Main Event – Heavyweight Bout: Alistair Overeem vs Alexander Volkov
• Co-Main Event – Bantamweight Bout: Cory Sandhagen vs Frankie Edgar
• Flyweight Bout: Alexandre Pantoja vs Manel Kape
• Featherweight Bout: Cody Stamann vs Askar Askar
• Lightweight Bout: Diego Ferreira vs Beneil Dariush

UFC Vegas 18 Prelims

• Lightweight Bout: Michael Johnson vs Clay Guida
• Light Heavyweight Bout: Mike Rodriguez vs Danilo Marques
• Featherweight Bout: Timur Valiev vs Martin Day
• Catchweight Bout (160-lb): Devonte Smith vs Justin Jaynes
• Women’s Bantamweight Bout: Karol Rosa vs Joselyne Edwards
• Women’s Flyweight Bout: Molly McCann vs Lara Procopio
• Featherweight Bout: Seungwoo Choi vs Youssef Zalal
• Featherweight Bout: Ode Osbourne vs Jerome Rivera

UFC Vegas 18 Alistair Overeem vs. Alexander Volkov face-off

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Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/ufc-vegas-18-live-results-overeem-vs-volkov-quick-results

Former UFC lightweight champion, featherweight title challenger, and current number four ranked bantamweight Frankie Edgar spoke with the media ahead of his co-main event spot against number two ranked prospect Cory Sandhagen on UFC on Vegas 18.

Following Edgar’s split decision victory over Pedro Munhoz, Edgar catapulted himself into the lightweight title picture. “The Answer” believes a win over Sandhagen could warrant a title shot for the winner of Saturday night’s bout.

“I think the winner between me and Cory are right there,” Edgar said. “Put on a good performance, and could be fighting for that belt next.”

Edgar also had high praise for his opponent. 

“He’s right up there with some of the best guys I fought,” Edgar said. “Obviously his ranking says that, his resume says that, and he’s got a future ahead of him too in this sport. He’s one of the best guys I’ve fought.”

Over the course of his career, Edgar faced all-time greats such as B.J. Penn, Jose Aldo, and Max Holloway. That is some impressive company for Sandhagen to be a part of.

Frankie Edgar not surprised to once again be an underdog

Edgar is going into this fight as a heavy underdog. But he has been an underdog for the majority of his career, a role he is rather familiar with.

“I don’t think I’m the favorite many times in my fights, especially the older I get,” Edgar said. “It’s kind of normal to me.”

Edgar says the underdog role puts zero pressure on him, and believes it actually adds pressure to the favorite. In this particular case, putting the bricks on Sandhagen’s shoulder.

“Everyone seems to bring up the fact that I’m the underdog,” Edgar said. “I mean, that puts the pressure on [Sandhagen]. If you look at the line, he’s supposed to go in there and walk through me, which is kind of laughable a little bit.”

Assuming Edgar is the one who gets the last laugh on Saturday, he believes his standing in the division, along with his Hall of Fame career, will guarantee him another chance at gold.

“I think where I’m at in my career, a win over Cory will definitely give me a title shot.”

UFC Vegas 18: Overeem vs. Volkov Live Results

UFC Vegas 18 Frankie Edgar and Cory Sandhagen weigh-in

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Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/frankie-edgar-relishes-underdog-role-chance-at-another-ufc-title