Fights come together fast these days, and if you blink, you can easily miss them. Fight Roundup brings you the most recent matchups so you’re always up-to-date with the latest news.
All bouts featured have been officially announced or confirmed with MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz, Mike Heck, and Damon Martin via sources with knowledge of the matchups.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Tabatha Ricci vs. Jessica Penne
Strawweight Tabatha Ricci (7-1) has a new opponent for UFC Vegas 61.
After the withdrawal of Cheyanne Vlismas (7-2) due to personal issues, one-time strawweight title challenger Jessica Penne (14-6) has stepped in to face Ricci on the Oct. 1 card in Las Vegas.
Penne hopes to rebound after a meeting with Emily Ducote at UFC on ABC 3 went south with a decision loss. After a lengthy battle with USADA, Penne returned to the ring after a four year layoff to record back-to-back victories, one of which was over Karolina Kowalkiewcz, who had been her title challenger.
Ricci is, however, on the other side of the win column. She has won two consecutive matches since her debut against Manon Fiorot. In her most recent outing at UFC Vegas 55, she outpointed Polyana Viana.
The matchup was first reported by Dama de Ferro MMA.
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC
Billy Quarantillo vs. Alexander Hernandez
A fight of veteran featherweights is on tap for UFC 282.
Iridium Sports Agency announced that Billy Quarantillo (16-4) and Alexander Hernandez (13-5) will clash at the Dec. 10 pay-per-view event expected to take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Both fighters are coming off losses in their most recent bouts. Quarantillo got a big opportunity to jump the ranks with a meeting against Shane Burgos at UFC 268 and ended up on the wrong side of a unanimous decision. The Contender Series vet now stands at 4-2 inside the octagon.
Hernandez, meanwhile, suffered a setback in his debut at 145 pounds, getting submitted by vet Renato Moicano at UFC 271. The loss sent him back to the drawing board after a lightweight win over Mike Breeden and left his octagon record at 5-4.
Photo by David Becker/Getty Images
Jennifer Maia vs. Maryna Moroz
Veteran flyweights Jennifer Maia (19-9-1) and Maryna Moroz are slated to face off at a fall UFC event.
The event takes place on Nov. 19 at a city and venue to be announced. It is still not known where Maia will be placed on the card.
After a difficult stretch, Maia (one-time title flyweight champion) is trying to bounce back after losing her bid for Valentina Shevchenko’s title. The Brazilian is 1-2 in her past three outings and has lost her most recent two fights, losing decisions to Katlyn Chookagian and Manon Fiorot.
Moroz is on a three-fight winning streak, having most recently earned a triumphant win over Mariya Agapova in a grudge match at UFC 272. Moroz paid tribute to Urkraine afterwards.
Officials have not announced a headliner for the Nov. 19 event. The booking was originally reported by Combate.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Jailton Almeida vs. Anton Turkalj
After moving up to heavyweight, Jailton Almeida (16-2) is moving back down to a catchweight fight due to the withdrawal of his UFC 279 opponent, Shamil Abdurakhimov.
Visa issues have ruled out Shamil Abdurakhimov from the Sept. 10 pay-per-view headlined by Nate Diaz and Khamzat Chimaev, and Anton “The Pleasure Man” Turkalj has stepped into the breach for a 220-pound catchweight fight.
Almeida, a Contender Series vet, got his UFC start as a light heavyweight with a win over Danilo Marques. He defeated Parker Porter and booked a second fight with Abdurrahmomov.
Turkalj got his ticket into the UFC by winning the Contender Series. He defeated Acacio dos Santes in July. Undefeated at 7-0, he takes a big step up on a big stage for the short-notice fight, which was first reported by Globo.
