Everyone has a fighting chance
The relationship between Al Iaquinta and the Ultimate Fighting Championship seems to get worse by the day and now it might be close to breaking point after the New York native pulled out of his most recent fight with Justin Gaethje at UFC Lincoln.
Cody Garbrandt has made a very successful career for himself in mixed martial arts. The 27 year-old entered the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2015 with a perfect 5-0 record and worked his way through the bantamweight division, remaining undefeated on his way to taking the title from Dominick Cruz. Garbrandt revealed to “I am Second” recently how none of his success in MMA would have been possible if it wasn’t for the love and support he received from his older brother Zach earlier in his life.
Add Tony Ferguson vs. Anthony Pettis to the growing list of crucial lightweight matchups, as the two will fight on the same card as the 155-pound title fight between current champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and former title holder Conor McGregor.
An intriguing middleweight matchup has been added to UFC 230 in New York City, with Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series standout Karl Roberson taking on former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship champion Jack Marshman set to throw down on Nov. 3, the Ultimate Fighting Championship announced on Thursday
It didn’t take long for the Ultimate Fighting Championship to find a new opponent for Alex Oliveira at UFC Fight Night 137. Oliveira was originally scheduled to fight Neil Magny in Sao Paulo. Magny, however, pulled out of the bout to face Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC Fight Night 140 on Nov. 17. Now, Carlo Pedersoli Jr. has stepped up to face Oliveira on Sept. 22. The matchup was first reported by Brazilian website Combate, but Sherdog’s own source has confirmed the report.
Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight contender Santiago Ponzinibbio is set to return against Neil Magny as the Argentine native seeks to pick up his seventh victory in a row in front of his homeland in the UFC’s first event in Buenos Aires in November, Combate reported on Thursday
Yair Rodriguez won’t be making his highly-anticipated Ultimate Fighting Championship return against Zabit Magomedsharipov at UFC 228, as an injury “El Pantera” sustained two weeks from fight night forced him off of the card.
One Championship is making its promotional debut in Japan as it announced their first-ever event in Tokyo in March 2019.
Britain’s Jimi Manuwa was scheduled to fight Glover Teixeira next month at UFC Fight Night 137 in a light heavyweight bout before injury forced the Brazilian off the card. With Teixeira’s withdrawal, Ultimate Fighting Championship matchmakers offered a replacement in the form of heavy hitting middleweight Thiago Santos which Manuwa initially declined before having a change of heart after some trash talk from Santos.
When the Ultimate Fighting Championship partnered with Reebok as its official provider of fighter apparel, many fighters expressed their disappointment as the deal meant a loss of sponsorship income since they would no longer be allowed to wear branded gear inside the Octagon. The deal forced fighters to search for alternate ways to make sponsorship money on the side. UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw recently spoke to the International Business Times about his partnership with Sanabul –- a producer of fight gear –- and why other fighters should align themselves with brands particularly when they are not fighting and earning money.