Sean O'Malley will return to the Octagon against Thomas Almeida and COVID-19 has forced some fights to be rescheduled — Fightful has all the latest fight announcements in one convenient article.
Sean O'Malley vs. Thomas Almeida
Sean O'Malley will return at UFC 260 when he takes on Thomas Almeida. O'Malley lost his first fight at UFC 252 when he was TKO'd by Marlon Vera and has been sidelined with an ankle injury since. Almeida meanwhile is on a three-fight losing streak and will be looking to change his luck.
Thomas Almeida will fight Sean O'Malley at #UFC260 on March 27th. (per @SugaSeanMMA YT) #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN pic.twitter.com/cLv14OUc4k
— MaRCeL DoRFF -------- (@BigMarcel24) February 3, 2021
Tracey Cortez vs. Justine Kish
MMA Junkie is reporting that Tracey Cortez and Justine Kish will face off at a UFC event on April 17, rumoured to be headlined by Paulo Costa vs. Robert Whittaker. Cortez in 2-0 in the UFC after earning a contract on 'Dana White's Contender Series' while Kish was submitted by Sabina Mazo in September. Cortez seemed to confirm the report when she posted the following on Instagram.
ONE Championship: Fist of Fury announced for February 26
ONE Championship has unveiled their latest event for February 26 called 'Fist of Fury.' The card will feature the debut of Victoria Lee, the younger sister of ONE atomweight champion Angela Lee and lightweight champion Christian Lee. Cageside Press report the card is as following:
Kickboxing
Giorgio Petrosyan vs. Davit Kiria
Featherweight: 65.9 KG–70.3 KGKickboxing
Rodtang Jitmuangnon vs. Alejandro Rivas
Flyweight: 56.8 KG–61.2 KGKickboxing
Hiroki Akimoto vs. Zhang Chenglong
Bantamweight: 61.3 KG–65.8 KGMuay Thai
Wondergirl Fairtex vs. Jackielou Buntan
Strawweight: 52.3 KG–56.7 KGMixed Martial Arts
Victoria Lee vs. Sunisa Srisen
Atomweight: 47.7 KG–52.2 KG
Gerald Meerschaert vs. Bartosz Fabinski
MMA DNA reports that Gerald Meerschaert vs. Bartosz Fabinski will also face off on April 17. Meerschaert was last seen losing comprehensively to Khamzat Chimaev on Fight Island and has lost 3 of his last 4 fights heading into this fight. Fabinski is also looking to bounce back and lost to Andre Muniz via submission in September last.
Arnold Allen vs. Sodiq Yusuff
MMA Junkie is reporting Arnold Allen will face off against Sodiq Yusuff on a UFC event scheduled for April 10 rumoured to be headlined by Darren Till vs. Marvin Vettori. Allen hasn't fought since January but has been available since and had a fight scheduled with Jeremy Stephens cancelled due to injury by the latter. Yussuf is on a six-fight winning streak but hasn't been seen since January too when he defeated Andre Fili via decision.
Jerome Rivera vs. Ode Osbourne
Jerome Rivera has stepped in to face Ode Osbourne after Denys Bondar withdrew for undisclosed reasons, reports MMA Junkie. The pair were originally due to fight January 20 at flyweight but Osbourne withdrew from the fight. They will now face off at UFC Vegas 18 but this time a couple of weight classes up at featherweight.
Fight cancellations and rescheduled bouts
Now more than ever, fights are regularly chopped and changed last minute amidst COVID-19 and injuries. MMA Junkie reports that Raphael Assuncao is out of his fight against Raoni Barcelos due for February 27 for unknown reasons. Marion Reneau has tested positive for COVID-19, and her fight vs. Macy Chiasson has been pushed back three weeks to February 27, reports MMA Junkie. Finally, Hannah Cifers has pulled out of her fight with Emily Whitmire that was set for February 27 for an undisclosed reason, reports MMA Junkie.
For a full breakdown of upcoming fights, please check out our events section!
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