(Video courtesy of TMZSports | Viewing may be limited by broadcast rights restrictions)

Following his win over featherweight champion Max Holloway at UFC 236, Dustin Poirier is now the interim UFC lightweight titleholder. His next opponent is already set, that being lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Nurmagomedov, however, is currently serving a nine-month suspension for his UFC 229 post-fight actions when he ignited a brawl with Conor McGregor and his teammates. He will be eligible to return in July, but the UFC is currently targeting September for the showdown with Poirier.

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That’s just fine for Lafayette, Louisiana’s second UFC champion, the first being Daniel Cormier.

“I think September is perfect for this fight. I believe that is when his suspension is over,” Poirier told TMZ Sports. “That’ll give me plenty of time to decompress and then get right back into training camp. It’s perfect.”

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/dustin-poirier-says-september-is-perfect-for-khabib-fight-ufc-unification-bout

A quick glance at her record shows that Antonina Shevchenko is only one fight into her UFC career along with a win on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series that helped her earn that contract.

Now there’s no denying that Shevchenko is a top prospect at 125 pounds while training alongside her sister Valentina, who is the reigning UFC women’s flyweight champion.

That being said, Shevchenko will take a massive jump forward in competition for her upcoming fight on Saturday where she faces former title contender and No. 8 ranked flyweight Roxanne Modafferi at the UFC Fight Night event in Russia.

While there’s always something to be said about ‘too much, too soon’ when it comes to the UFC pushing a prospect up the rankings before they are truly ready, Shevchenko didn’t blink when she was offered this opportunity.

“We just accepted the fight straight away. The call was if Antonina would fight in Russia on April 20 against Roxanne Modaferri and we just said yes,” Shevchenko told MMAWeekly.

“There was no hesitation. I think I’m on this level and that’s why we accepted the fight.”

As of now, Shevchenko only has seven fights on her record and while she is undefeated, her mixed martial arts career took a hiatus after she picked up her first three wins as she turned her attention towards her kickboxing career.

Shevchenko kickstarted back into MMA in 2017 and since that time she’s rattled off four straight wins including the victory in her UFC debut.

On paper, Shevchenko is facing a huge experience disadvantage going against Modafferi, who has been fighting the best in the world since turning pro back in 2003.

None of that phases Shevchenko, who believes she will prove that she’s on Modafferi’s level once they meet in the Octagon this weekend.

“Roxanne is an opponent that I want,” Shevchenko explained. “It’s a good matchup because she’s No. 8 in rankings. She is a very experienced fighter, she has more than 30 MMA fights but I think it will be a good fight for both of us. My goal is to climb to the top of the division so that’s why I want fighters who are ranked higher in the division.”

When examining the fight, Shevchenko knows that Modafferi is a very seasoned fighter with a well-rounded skillset that has earned her wins on the feet and on the ground.

That might be the aspect that she enjoys most about this fight because Shevchenko is eager to show that she’s more than just a striker and Modafferi might afford her the opportunity to prove it.

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“In an MMA fight, you have to be prepared everywhere because at some point you will be on the ground or you will be striking so you have to be prepared everywhere. If the fight goes to the ground, I will show all of my skills on the ground also,” Shevchenko said.

“I’m prepared for this fight. I think we are ready for this fight and we will be ready to get this victory.”

A win would undoubtedly put Shevchenko into the top 10 rankings where her sister is the reigning champion.

While they have both said in the past that there is no chance they would ever actually fight each other, Shevchenko still has a goal in mind to climb to the top of the division where she would occupy a spot in the rankings right behind Valentina.

If anything, the Shevchenko sisters believe this is a good problem to have with two of the best flyweight fighters in the world coming from the same family.

“That is my goal. That’s why we accepted this fight. That’s what I want. I want to climb to the top of the division because I’m sure I’m able to do it,” Shevchenko stated.

“I think it’s good things for us. Now we are here. I’m not in the top five right now. For now, we’ll just keep working for this and when it happens, it will be perfect and we’ll be very happy and very excited. I’m sure our mom will be very proud of us. For now, we have to work to make it happen.”

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/antonina-shevchenko-hopes-to-join-her-sister-atop-the-ufc-flyweight-division-very-soon

Former UFC fighter and current Combate Americas athlete Angela Magana remains in a coma following emergency surgery in Puerto Rico.

Members of Magana’s team revealed the news after she was forced into surgery following severe back pain that ultimately forced her out of her upcoming Combate Americas debut on April 26.

“What happened to Angela, she herniated a disc while training for fight, she went for a nerve block to continue training. Nerve block caused a rare neurological disorder, cauda equina, rushed to emergency nuero surgery and hasn’t woken since surgery this AM currently in a coma,” Magana’s team wrote on her Twitter account following the surgery.

“Angela still unresponsive I will be here in the ICU at hospital as nuero team works on this. Remember life is so short and can change in a blink of an eye!”

What happened to Angela, she herniated a disc while training for fight, she went for a nerve block to continue training. Nerve block caused a rare nuerological disorder, cauda equina, rushed to emergency nuero surgery and hasnt woken since surgery this AM curently in a coma.

— Angela Magana (@AngelaMagana1) April 17, 2019

Angela still unresponsive I will be here in the icu at hospital as nuero team works on this. Remeber lifs is so short and can change in a blink of an eye!

We Love You Magaña
Team La perla

— Angela Magana (@AngelaMagana1) April 17, 2019

According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, cauda equina is a condition that happens “when the nerve roots of the cauda equina are compressed and disrupt motor and sensory function to the lower extremities and bladder. Patients with this syndrome are often admitted to the hospital as a medical emergency. CES can lead to incontinence and even permanent paralysis”

According to her team, Magana was suffering from a herniated disc in her back, which then led to the bout of cauda equina that forced her to undergo emergency surgery.

Following news of Magana’s hospitalization, a spokesperson from Combate Americas released the following statement:

“We are closely following the progress of Angela Magana who is currently in a coma following complications from emergency surgery. Our team is in direct contact with her coach.  Angela is a true fighter, and we are staying positive that she will fight her way out of this.”

This is hard to watch but we didnt know this is where she would be.
Good vibes and healing energy to our warrior! You will wake up!!!!
Team La Perla pic.twitter.com/aWvu1ZQuIu

— Angela Magana (@AngelaMagana1) April 17, 2019

Magana currently resides in Puerto Rico along with her children where she has been training for her upcoming Combate Americas debut.

Members of her team are providing constant updates via her Twitter account as Magana continues to receive treatment after slipping into the coma this week.

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/former-ufc-fighter-angela-magana-in-coma-after-complications-from-emergency-surgery

(Courtesy of UFC)

Alistair Overeem headlines UFC Fight Night Saint Petersburg with Alexey Oleinik on Saturday, April 20. Take a look back at when Overeem defeated one of the biggest names in MMA history, Brock Lesnar, in 2011 at UFC 141.

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Tune in Saturday, April 20, for full UFC Fight Night Saint Petersburg live results on MMAWeekly.com.

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/watch-alistair-overeem-take-out-brock-lesnar-ufc-saint-petersburg-free-fight

Invicta Fighting Championships today announced that the winner of the promotion’s inaugural Phoenix Rising Series tournament – taking place on Friday, May 3 – will also be crowned Invicta FC strawweight champion.

Invicta’s most recent strawweight champion Virna Jandiroba vacated her title prior to signing with the UFC. Now, the strawweight division’s top contenders will battle during a one-night tournament to earn their place as champion.

The promotion also revealed the tournament’s quarterfinal round match-ups, pairing the announced participants by random draw.

• Former Invicta FC strawweight title challenger MIZUKI (13-5) meets two-time US Open national championship wrestler Sharon “The Dream Catcher” Jacobson (5-4)
• The field’s other former strawweight title challenger, Janaisa “Evil Princess” Morandin (10-2), takes on 25-year-old prospect Brianna “The Bull” Van Buren (5-2)
• UFC veterans lock horns as Danielle “Dynamite” Taylor (10-4) clashes with Juliana “Ju Thai” Lima (9-5)
• Hawaii’s Kailin Curran (4-6) makes her Invicta debut opposite undefeated Icelander Sunna “Tsunami” Davidsdottir (3-0)

Quarterfinal bouts are one five-minute round, with the round’s fastest finisher having an opportunity to pick their semifinal round opponent from the three other advancing competitors.

Two tournament reserve bouts have also been announced, contested under the same single round format as the quarterfinal bouts, but categorized as exhibition fights.

Having competed at atomweight for most of her career, Amber “The Bully” Brown (7-5) seeks to break into the strawweight tournament, facing the equally motivated Manjit Kolekar (11-2) of India
Promotional newcomers Alyssa “Pumpkin Spice” Krahn (5-2) and Itzel Esquivel (4-2) square off in the second reserve bout

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A traditional, non-tournament bout between 19-year-old Kay Hansen (4-2) and the Czech Republic’s Magdalena Sormova (7-1), making her Invicta debut, has been added to the fight card.

The complete fight card, including current bout order, for Invicta’s first Phoenix Rising Series event can be found below:

• Strawweight Tournament Final: TBD vs. TBD
• Strawweight Bout: Kay Hansen vs. Magdalena Sormova
• Strawweight Tournament Semifinal: TBD vs. TBD
• Strawweight Tournament Semifinal: TBD vs. TBD
• Strawweight Tournament Reserve: Amber Brown vs. Manjit Kolekar
• Strawweight Tournament Quarterfinal: MIZUKI vs. Sharon Jacobson
• Strawweight Tournament Quarterfinal: Janaisa Morandin vs. Brianna Van Buren
• Strawweight Tournament Quarterfinal: Danielle Taylor vs. Juliana Lima
• Strawweight Tournament Quarterfinal: Kailin Curran vs. Sunna Davidsdottir
• Strawweight Tournament Reserve: Alyssa Krahn vs. Itzel Esquivel

Invicta recently announced the Phoenix Rising Series broadcast duo of play-by-play announcer Laura Sanko and color analyst Jimmy Smith. Today, the promotion announced the addition of Taryn Tempel, joining the team as a correspondent and post-fight interviewer.

The Phoenix Rising Series debuts at Kansas City’s Memorial Hall on Friday, May 3, streaming live and exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS.

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/new-invicta-fc-strawweight-champion-to-be-crowned-at-phoenix-rising-series-tournament