MMA news this week kept fans on their toes as COVID (and pre-fight injuries) canceled numerous bouts, most notably the Amanda Nunes vs. Juliana Pena co-main event scheduled for UFC 265 on August 7. News of Lil Wayne walking out at an upcoming UFC event, a UFC athlete is in hot water after posting a meme to Instagram, a UFC fighter tells Olympian, Simone Biles to “toughen up,” tons of fight cards for your fight-viewing pleasure, and many other tidbits made this an exciting week in MMA.
Upcoming Fight Cards
Plenty of fight action this week in MMA! Catch the following cards on the respective dates and times.
Catch Titan FC 71 on Friday. Prelims kick off at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT with the main card at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT as Jacob Kilburn (8-4) battles Ali AlQaisi (9-5) in the main event.
CES 63 takes place Friday starting at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The 11-fight card includes a bout between Yorgan De Castro (6-3) and Rakim Cleveland (21-13-1) in the heavyweight main event.
Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT, catch XFC Young Guns 3 as Jett Emerson Grande (15-1) meets Damon Morosko (3-2.) This fight marks each fighter’s professional debut.
The UFC card we’ve all waited for is here! UFC 265 goes down Saturday, August 7 from the Toyota Center in Houston. Prelims start at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT and the main card kicks off at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m.PT. Cyril Gane (9-0) fights Derrick Lewis (25-7) in an interim heavyweight bout. The winner will likely go on to fight current heavyweight titleholder, Francis Ngannou.
MMA News: Fight Announcements
Julian Marquez will face Jordan Wright at the Oct. 16 UFC event. The location and venue have not yet been announced, although it is speculated to take place at the UFC Apex Center in Las Vegas.
Nunes vs. Pena Cancelled
The co-main event at UFC 265 has been canceled after Amanda “The Lioness” Nunes tests positive for COVID-19. Scheduled to fight Juliana Pena on the August 7 card, Nunes issued a statement after the announcement, saying, “We were more than ready for this fight, unfortunately [s***] happens. Stay tuned for a new date.”
Jose Aldo (29-7) will now go head-to-head against Pedro Munhoz (19-5) in the co-main event, leaving just the interim title on the line as Ciryl Gane meets Derrick Lewis on the card’s main event.
Best wishes to Nunes for a speedy recovery. Stay tuned to our weekly MMA news posts for additional details concerning the Nunes vs. Pena fight.
Cejudo Throws Shade at Simone Biles
Far too many non-qualified “experts” feel they know what is best for other people’s lives, despite never having met them or dealt with the same issues. Such as the case after Olympian Simone Biles announced her departure from the Olympic competition due to mental issues.
Many people supported Biles, including UFC commentator and former UFC champ, Daniel Cormier. Others, such as former UFC bantamweight and flyweight champion Henry Cejudo, threw shade instead at the gymnast. Cejudo says Biles needs a “kick in the arse.”
Cejudo, a former Olympic gold winner himself, released a video statement on Twitter, stating in part that Biles needed “tough love.” He went on to say, in part:
“I believe Simone Biles pulling out of this thing is like, I think she really needs to check herself. I think there’s time for a little bit of tough love. If she was my sister, this is exactly what I would do,” said Cejudo. “So, I would never say something that I wouldn’t do to my personal family or anything like that. Or even for me, because I do believe sometimes we do need a nice kick in the arse.”
My take on Simone Biles pulling out of the Olympics. 📠🏆🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/Y7z4AJWejR
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) July 30, 2021
Empower Grand Prix Date Announced
ONE Championship announced that Empower, the long-awaited all-female Grand Prix event, will take place on September 3. Originally slated for May 28, government concerns over the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Singapore canceled the event.
A new bout has been added to the card. American newcomer Grace “Thai Kitten” Cleveland (5-0) will face China’s Meng Bo (17-5.)
9th Annual International Fight Week in Las Vegas
UFC announced the 9th Annual International Fight Week starts September 21 in Las Vegas. The 5-day event includes the UFC 266 fight card, the Hall of Fame Inductee Ceremony, autograph sessions, meet and greets, and more. Additional details about the event are still to come!
Lil Wayne in MMA?
Sort of. UFC welterweight title contender Colby Covington claims he will walk out alongside rapper Lil Wayne at his next bout against Kamaru Usman at UFC 268 scheduled for a November fight card. Weezy reportedly plans to perform his hit song, ‘The Sky is the Limit’, during the walkout.
Till Under Investigation Over Meme
Never one to shy away from controversy, UFC’s Darren Till has the eyes of the police looking his way after posting a meme of a pregnant transgender woman titled, “The Gorilla.” The post was reported to Merseyside Police after some found the meme offensive, citing that it encouraged transphobia and homophobia. They’re currently investigating the incident.
Till posted a video response on his Instagram page, saying, “As everyone knows, I’m always posting very controversial things right, I’m never going to change ever, ever, ever. So the other day I posted this transgender meme, I thought it was funny and I knew it was going to get a backlash. I’ve actually got transgender friends, they thought it was hilarious.” He went on to say, “You at cancel someone who doesn’t give a s*it and I don’t give a s*it.”
Till will face Derek Brunson later this year.
Catch you next week for more MMA news! In the meantime, follow me on Twitter @AmandaG_LWOS for the latest in UFC, ONE Championship, Bellator, and MMA news.
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