Division: Heavyweight
Result: Serghei Spivac def. Jared Vanderaa via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:32
Record: 11-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC
Grade: E

As the old phrase goes, “Be careful what you wish for.”

When Jared Vanderaa earned his UFC contract at Dana White’s Contender Series, he had a callout already planned. But his wish to face Serghei Spivac didn’t pan out quite as he would have hoped as he was dominated by the Moldovan heavyweight prospect en route to a second-round TKO defeat.

Vanderaa attempted to push the pace from the start, but Spivac was able to weather the early storm and take the debutant to the mat. Vanderaa battled back to his feet, but it was only a temporary reprieve as he was taken to the mat before being battered with ground and pound.

Unfortunately for Vanderaa, things went from bad to worse in Round 2 as Spivac took matters to the mat again and loaded up with his ground strikes to bust open the debutant and, with Vanderaa seemingly without an answer to Spivac’s ground and pound, the bout was eventually waved off.

In the end, it was a nightmare debut for Vanderaa, who was left nursing some nasty cuts to his face and, quite possibly, regretting his callout of Spivac for his octagon debut.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-fight-night-185-rookie-report-grading-the-newcomers-in-las-vegas

By Blue Corner
February 21, 2021 8:45 pm

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Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-news-conor-mcgregor-sends-floyd-mayweather-birthday-message

Brazilian welterweight Alex Oliveira is in need of a new opponent for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 186 event.

Randy Brown (12-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) has been forced to withdraw from a planned matchup with “Cowboy” at the event, MMA Junkie has learned from a person with knowledge of the withdrawal, though the reason for the move wasn’t disclosed. The person, who requested anonymity because the UFC has yet to make an official announcement, said the promotion is currently seeking a new opponent for Oliveira (22-9-1 MMA, 11-7 UFC).

A six-year veteran of the UFC, Oliveira fought most recently in October, suffering a submission loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 254 in Abu Dhabi. That result snapped a two-fight winning streak for the 32-year-old veteran, who had previously downed Peter Sobotta and Max Griffin.

UFC Fight Night 186 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The full card streams live on ESPN+. With the withdrawal, the lineup now includes:

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

• Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Ciryl Gane
• Magomed Ankalaev vs. Nikita Krylov
• Montana De La Rosa vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
• Pedro Munhoz vs. Jimmie Rivera
• Angela Hill vs. Ashley Yoder
• Alex Caceres vs. Kevin Croom

Preliminary ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET Edit Delete

• Alexander Hernandez vs. Thiago Moises
• Alex Oliveira vs. opponent TBA
• Alexis Davis vs. Sabina Mazo
• William Knight vs. Alonzo Menifield
• Raoni Barcelos vs. Marcelo Rojo
• Vince Cachero vs. Ronnie Lawrence
• Maxim Grishin vs. Dustin Jacoby

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/ufc-fight-night-186-randy-brown-out-alex-oliveira-needs-new-opponent

Recent flyweight title challenger Alex Perez has the first dance partner for his attempt to climb back into contention.

Perez (24-6 MMA, 6-2 UFC) will take on Matt Schnell (15-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC) this spring at UFC 262. A person with knowledge of the booking confirmed the matchup to MMA Junkie following an initial report from MMA DNA. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the UFC has not yet made a formal announcement.

The UFC’s May 15 card, though not publicly announced, is likely to be UFC 262. No venue or location has been finalized.

Perez took a three-fight winning streak, including stoppages of Jordan Espinosa and Jussier Formiga, into a title shot with flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo this past November at UFC 255. A fairly sizable underdog in the fight around +250, Perez was submitted less than two minutes into the fight with a guillotine choke.

Schnell got back in the win column a little more than a month ago when he took a split decision from Tyson Nam on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi. That got him back on track after a knockout loss to Alexandre Pantoja in late 2019. Before that setback, Schnell had a four-fight winning streak that had him in title contention, himself.

With the addition, the May 15 UFC lineup now includes:

• Priscila Cachoeira vs. Gina Mazany
• Viviane Araujo vs. Katlyn Chookagian
• Alex Perez vs. Matt Schnell

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/alex-perez-vs-matt-schnell-ufc-262-may-15-mma-fight-booking-matchup

Juan Espino

Should fight: Juan Espino
Why they should fight: Much like the aforementioned Daukaus, it appears Tom Aspinall could be a future title contender in the heavyweight division, especially after putting the name of a former UFC champion on his resume.

Although Andrei Arlovski managed to put up some resistance, Aspinall eventually found his opening to finish the fight when he secured a second-round submission on the octagon legend, giving him three straight wins to begin his UFC career.

Aspinall, who is a teammate of Darren Till, said all the right things after his most notable performance to date. He said that, at 27, he’s in no rush to jump up the rankings, and would prefer to take on some more “veteran” opponents as he makes his climb toward the top.

“The Ultimate Fighter 28” winner Espino (10-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) might have less UFC experience, but he’s been around the fight game since 2009 and hasn’t lost in MMA in a decade.

Short of a big name, the 40-year-old Spaniard definitely has all the assets in what Aspinall described as his desired next opponent. And he would most certainly welcome Aspinall trying to submit him like he did Arlovski.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-fight-night-185-matchmaker-best-next-fight-tom-aspinall-chris-daukaus