In the world of MMA, many fight announcements could go under the radar. With important, exciting fights announced in the UFC, Bellator & Rizin, we’ve got you covered.
UFC Auckland
Main Event – Dan Hooker vs Paul Felder
Dan Hooker will get his wish on February 23rd when he headlines in his home city. ‘The hangman’, who is currently ranked #7 and coming off two big wins has the perfect dance partner in Auckland. None other than ‘The Irish Dragon’, Paul Felder. #6 ranked Felder is also riding an impressive winning streak, having won seven of his last eight at lightweight,
In what has stand-up fans fanatics salivating, this one promises to entertain. Hooker has promised to ‘smash Paul Felder’s face in’ when the two meet in February.
UFC Auckland Main Event! 👊
Im going to smash Paul Felder's face in.
February 23rd, Spark Arena.
Follow the link for ticket information: https://t.co/bKS7JGRtaO pic.twitter.com/7w2G5kWBgs
— Dan Hangman Hooker (@danthehangman) November 27, 2019
The winner of this one will likely break into the top five, in what is a stacked lightweight division. This is also the fight that we picked out for Hooker in our November monthly matchmaker.
Jake Matthews vs Emil Meek
Australia’s own, Jake Matthews will return to action in Auckland to face Emil Meek. Matthews bounced back from his loss to Anthony Rocco Martin, defeating Rostem Akman by unanimous decision. Having only dropped one of his five fights at 170lbs, the 25-year-old is certainly a prospect that will be looking to break into the top 15.
His opponent, Meek has had a tough time as of late. After winning his UFC debut, he’s lost two on the bounce. One of these losses, one was to now welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, where Meek lasted the full 15 minutes. The hard-hitting Norweigian has an impressive seven knockouts in his nine wins. Both men always come to fight and will certainly put on a show.
Tyson Pedro vs Vinicius Moreira
Fan favourite, Tyson Pedro will look to get back in the win column, having dropped his previous two bouts. His opponent in Auckland will be Vinicius Moreira.
Pedro burst onto the UFC scene with two finish victories in his first two bouts, but having gone 1-3 in his last four bouts, he’s fallen on hard times. Granted, these losses have come against Ilir Latifi, Ovince St Preux and Shogun Rua. The exciting Pedro will hope that he has the crowd behind him when he takes on the Brazillian, Moreira.
Moreira is 0-3 in the UFC, having only picked up a win on DWTNCS. All of his defeats have all come via finish. After a tough start to his career in the UFC, Moreira will be looking to upset Pedro, likely by utilising his Jiu-Jitsu game.
Ben Sosoli vs Marcos Rogerio de Lima
The man with possibly the best nickname in all of MMA, the ‘Combat Wombat’, Ben Sosoli returns in Auckland. Best known to UFC fans for being Greg Hardy’s opponent ‘inhaler gate’, Sosoli has five finishes in his seven wins. With just a one-fight UFC career (which ended in a no-contest), Sosoli will be looking for his first victory.
His opponent is much more experienced in the big leagues, with nine UFC bouts. Holding a record of 5-4 in the UFC, Marcos Rogerio de Lima will be looking to spoil Sosoli’s dream. Having missed weight twice, de Lima moved up to heavyweight in 2018, going 1-1. These two heavy hitters meet in a bout which is likely to provide fireworks.
Other UFC Fight Announcements
- Sodiq Yusuff vs Andre Fili
Arguably the hottest prospect in recent years, Sodiq Yusuff returns to action at UFC 246. Riding a five-fight winning streak, including a 3-0 record in the UFC, Yosuff faces his toughest test yet. Team Alpha Male prospect Andre Fili put on arguably his most impressive performance last time out, when he finished Sheymon Moraes. In what promises fireworks, this is certainly not one to be missed.
- Arnold Allen vs Josh Emmett
When this fight was announced, many UK fans were disappointed that they wouldn’t be seeing this fight at UFC London. In his toughest test yet, the #14 ranked featherweight, Allen will be looking to climb the rankings. He faces the heavy-hitting, experienced Josh Emmett. Emmett is 2-0 since getting brutally knocked out by Jeremy Stephens, both wins coming via finish. The tactician, Allen will be looking to out-point the heavy-hitting Emmett and break into the featherweight top 10.
- Paige VanZant vs Amanda Ribas
PVZ returns for the first time since January 2019 when she faces Ribas in Brazil in March. Having submitted Rachel Ostovich, VanZant has suffered a number of injuries keeping her out of action. Ribas has picked up two wins since VanZant last competed. Firstly she defeated Emily Whitmire by submission and then she handed Mackenzie Dern her first professional loss in October. With both women ranked in the top 15 of two different divisions, this is one not to miss.
Bellator Announcement
- Benson Henderson vs Michael Chandler
‘Smooth’ Benson Henderson returns to the Bellator cage for Bellator Japan, on December 29th. His opponent? The former lightweight champion, Michael Chandler. This is a rematch of their Bellator 165 bout, which ended in a close split decision in favour of Chandler. Since then, Henderson has won four of five and Chandler has notched three wins of five. This will serve as the co-main event to Fedor vs Rampage.
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