Zhang Weili vs. Rose Namajunas has been confirmed for UFC 261 and the PFL has announced a fight involving a former UFC heavyweight champion — Find out who has their first fight with PFL and all the latest fight announcements in one article.
Zhang Weili vs. Rose Namajunas
Reigning strawweight champion Zhang Weili (21-4) will make her Octagon return at UFC 261 when she faces former champion Rose Namajunas (9-4). The promotion confirmed the much-speculated fight on their Twitter account and it will reportedly headline the UFC 261 event. Weili hasn't fought since her epic showdown with Joanna Jedrzejczyk while Namajunas (no.1) bounced back from her TKO loss to Jessica Andrade by defeating the Brazilian in the rematch.
A classic in the making!
— UFC (@ufc) March 9, 2021
-- Zhang Weili faces -- @RoseNamajunas at #UFC261. pic.twitter.com/QI1CwnGhng
Fabricio Werdum and Kayla Harrison schedule fights for PFL 3
The PFL has announced the third card of the upcoming regular season on May 6, which will showcase the debut of former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum after he inked a deal with the PFL after entering free agency in 2020 against fellow debutant Renan Ferreira, who comes to the PFL with a 6-2 record overall with his most recent fights coming in LFA. In the co-main event, PFL champion Kayla Harrison will return to defend her title in the women’s lightweight division as she faces Mariana Morais.
#PFL3 Heavyweight and Women’s Lightweight matchups are OFFICIAL! --
— PFL MMA (@ProFightLeague) March 9, 2021
Don't Miss #PFL3 on Thursday, May 6 on ESPN2 & ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/HjmoVkleYH
Rafa Garcia Steps in to Face Nasrat Haqparast
Undefeated former Combate Americas lightweight champion Rafa Garcia (12-0) will be making his UFC debut when he faces Nasrat Haqparast (12-3) at UFC Vegas 21, reports Carlos Contreras. Garcia trains with well-known UFC fighters TJ Dillashaw, Cub Swanson, and Bellator champion Juan Archuleta at the Treigning Lab. He was also part of Justin Gaethje’s training camp to prepare for his title unification bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov last year. Haqparast has gone 4-1 since joining the UFC in 2018 and has wins over Marc Diakiese, Thibault Goti, and Joaquim Silva. Following a loss to Drew Dober, Haqparast bounced back with a victory over Alex Munoz last August.
BREAKING: Don Madge out, former Combate Americas LW Champion, mexican Rafa García in vs. Nasrat Haqparast for #UFCVegas21 this saturday.
— C. Contreras Legaspi (@CCLegaspi) March 10, 2021
Bellator 257 has two fights added to the card
MMA Fighting has reported that a featherweight showdown between Pedro Carvalho (11-4) and Daniel Weichel (40-12) is in the works for Bellator 257 on April 16. Carvalho will fight again for the first time since losing to Patricio Freire in a featherweight tournament quarterfinal match this past November while Weichel was also knocked out of the same tournament a five-round decision loss to Emmanuel Sanchez on that same night. MMA Junkie has also reported that Veta Arteaga (5-4) and Desiree Yanez (5-2) have been matched up again and have also been added to Bellator 257. The fight was originally booked for Bellator 250 in October. However, Arteaga withdrew the day of the fight due to a positive COVID-19 test.
Jamie Pickett vs. Jordan Wright
Jamie Pickett (11-5) will take on Jordan Wright (11-1) at UFC 262 on May 15 according to MMA Junkie. Pickett finally earned a UFC contract on his third try on Dana White’s Contender Series but lost his debut in December via a unanimous decision to Tafon Nchukwi. Wright meanwhile stopped Ike Villanueva due to a cut 91 seconds into his UFC debut but lost by TKO to Joaquin Buckley in his second UFC outing.
Kyle Daukaus vs. Aliaskhab Khizriev
The UFC has announced that Kyle Daukaus (10-1) will face UFC newcomer Aliaskhab Khizriev (13-0) on a UFC event on April 10. Daukaus won his first UFC fight in November defeating Dustin Stoltzfus by unanimous decision. The unbeaten Khizriev won a contract on the Contender Series last year with a 50-second submission win over Henrique Shiguemoto. The card will be headlined by Darren Till vs. Marvin Vettori.
For a full breakdown of the upcoming cards, please check out our events section!
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