(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

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

ESPN’s E:60 chronicles the life and career of UFC strawweight Michelle Waterson, who is determined to become the promotion’s first ever champion that is also a mother.

Every mother that has a job has to make sacrifices in order to also raise her children. In that regard, Waterson is no different than any other mom, but her choice of vocation is a bit of an alternate path for most people. She fights in a cage.

While many fighters don’t want their kids cageside or even watching their fights, Waterson embraces her job and her motherhood with her daughter a constant by her side. It is her goal to become the first woman in the UFC to be a mother and also be a champion.

She’s well on her way to at least giving herself a shot at achieving that goal. 

Waterson has already been an Invicta FC champion at 105 pounds, but is currently rising up the ranks to earn a shot at the UFC starwweight title currently held by Rose Namajunas, a fighter that has defeated Waterson once before.

Waterson also lost to Tecia Torres after the Namajunas fight, but has since regrouped and found her way back to the top. She is currently riding a three-fight winning streak over Cortney Casey, Felice Herrig, and Karolina Kowalkiewicz. 

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Right now, she is awaiting the outcome of Namajunas’ next fight, as she steps into the UFC 237 main event to defend against Jessica Andrade on the Brazilian’s home turf. Regardless of who wins, Waterson is hoping to get the next crack at the belt and realize her dream.

UFC 237: Namajunas vs. Andrade takes place on May 11 in Rio de Janeiro. 

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/michelle-waterson-cage-mom-full-espn-e60-video

(Courtesy of JRE Clips)

Dustin Poirier just became the interim UFC lightweight champion of the world. Just a few months ago, he was supposed to have fought Nate Diaz. Before the fight ever got near the cage, Poirier had to withdraw because of a hip injury.

What if that fight had happened? And what if Diaz had won? Would we have seen Diaz facing UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway for the interim belt at UFC 236 in Atlanta instead of Poirier? 

TRENDING Khabib thought Dustin Poirier’s UFC 236 win over Max Holloway was a draw

Joe Rogan, during a recent podcast, discussed that exact scenario with Brendan Schaub and what might be next for Diaz next time he steps into the Octagon. 

What do you think is next for Nate Diaz? Do you think he’ll ever fight in the Octagon again?

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/joe-rogan-waxes-on-what-might-be-next-for-nate-diaz

(Courtesy of UFC)

A veteran of 37 professional fights during his 13-year career, Rich Franklin compiled a record of 29-7, 1 NC (14-6 UFC), which included wins over UFC Hall of Famers Ken Shamrock and Chuck Liddell, former UFC middleweight champion Evan Tanner, and former PRIDE middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva.

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With a mountain of accomplishments to his credit, Franklin on Saturday was announced as the latest addition to the UFC Hall of Fame. He will be inducted as part of the Class of 2019, entering the Pioneer Era wing.

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/a-look-back-at-rich-franklins-ufc-hall-of-fame-career