NSAC doubles down on punishment for UFC 329 fighters, fines Paddy Pimblett and two other big names
Credit: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
UFC women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko is reportedly injured and unable to fight in the rumored UFC 332 main event.
The UFC matchmakers will reportedly have to go down alternative avenues to book a main event for UFC 332 after their rumored initial plan hit a roadblock.
UFC women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko, who hasn't fought since defeating Zhang Weili last year at UFC 322, was rumored to fight in the UFC 332 main event against top contender Natalia Silva. Silva, who has earned recent wins over former titleholders Rose Namajunas, Alexa Grasso, and Jessica Andrade, is the consensus No. 1 contender in the division.
With just about a month to go before UFC 332 in Salt Lake City, the card remains without an announced main event booking. Despite recent rumors that Shevchenko vs. Silva would headline the card, those plans were scratched due to unfortunate circumstances.
Ag.Fight was the first to report the news of Shevchenko's injury. As of this writing, the nature of Shevchenko's injury remains undisclosed.
Valentina Shevchenko vs. Natalia Silva canceled for UFC 332 as card remains without headliner
It's also uncertain if Silva still plans to fight at UFC 332 in a potential interim title bout during Shevchenko's hiatus. Originally, the UFC was expected to book an interim light heavyweight title bout for UFC 332 amidst champion Carlos Ulberg's injury recovery, but nothing has materialized.
As of this writing, the arguably highest-profile bout on the card features bantamweights Payton Talbott vs. Deiveson Figueiredo, leaving the matchmakers without an ideal option to promote to the main event slot.
A women's bantamweight bout between Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes could be an option, but Harrison is coming off neck surgery and will need ample time to cut down to 135 lbs. UFC 332 continues to be one of the biggest unknowns of the year as October 3rd quickly approaches.
What potential fight do you want to headline UFC 332? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
The
Professional Fighters League has announced the co-main event
for
PFL Dubai, which takes place on Nov. 14.
A welterweight matchup pits Belgium's undefeated Patrick
Habirora (9-0) against Omar El
Dafrawy (16-6), who previously captured the PFL MENA
welterweight championship.
Patrick Habirora meets Omar El Dafrawy in PFL Dubai co-main
event
Habirora has emerged as one of the PFL's most dangerous prospects.
The 25-year-old welterweight has recorded eight knockout victories
and one decision win in his career so far.
Seven of his finishes have come in the very first round. Most
recently, he stopped former
Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder Benson
Henderson in just 20 seconds at
PFL Brussels.
El Dafrawy brings considerably more experience into the matchup.
The 31-year-old Egyptian has nine wins by knockout and three by
submission. He's on a two-fight win streak and is 6-1 under the PFL
banner.
The event, slated for the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, will be
headlined by a heavyweight title bout between Vadim
Nemkov and Sergey
Bilostenniy.
Paddy Pimblett provides an update on his next UFC fight
Superbon will soon know exactly who stands between him and his next World Title defense.
The ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion watches the semifinals of the ONE SAMURAI Featherweight Kickboxing Tournament unfold at ONE SAMURAI 4, live from Tokyo's Ariake Arena on Saturday, October 17. Armenian legend Marat Grigorian faces China's Luo Chao, who reached the final four by outpointing Kosuke Takagi, while Japan's Masaaki Noiri battles Iranian knockout artist Mohammad Siasarani, who remains unbeaten in ONE kickboxing after finishing Kaito Ono. The eventual tournament winner earns a shot at Superbon's crown.
“I think Marat takes his match. The other semifinal is a tough one to call – it's pure 50-50,†Superbon said. “But if I had to pick, fighting on home turf gives Noiri a slight edge to pull off the win.â€
A Grigorian or Noiri final would carry real stakes for Superbon
NSAC doubles down on punishment for UFC 329 fighters, fines Paddy Pimblett and two other big names
With Tyson Fury showing face at BKB 58 as well as Andy Ruiz's presence at BKB 59, it represents exciting growth within bare-knuckle boxing for one of BKB's most dominant combatants. Julian Fernandez touched upon this subject ahead of his super cruiserweight title defense against multi-division BKB champion Dan Podmore. That Police Gazette diamond championship clash headlines BKB 59 in Tijuana on September 19th, which marks the promotion's inaugural foray into Mexico.
‘Pitbull Jr.' is also a notable gloved boxer in addition to his gloveless exploits. The Mexican national boxing champion has multiple mutual opponents with Tyson Fury. When touching on the moment that ‘The Gypsy King' appeared at BKB's event in Miami on August 29th, Fernandez said [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“He's very proud to be part of and a champion of bare knuckle boxing. He said that he's very excited and it makes him very excited and proud as well when he saw Tyson Fury up there, one of the best heavyweights of all time. Also, to be fighting for the same organization that employs Victor Ortiz and [El] Perro [Alfredo] Angulo and the likes it just goes to show the metamorphic growth of BKB and bare knuckle boxing in general. He's excited to be part of that growth and be a champion.â€
Tyson Fury, Andy Ruiz, and the growth of BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing
Speaking of notable big men within the sweet science landscape, Mexico's first-ever heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz is set to be in attendance for this Tijuana card on Saturday night and will take in Fernandez's performance against a four-time, three-division BKB champion in Dan Podmore.
Indicating an appreciation for Ruiz's presence but also maintaining his steely focus on the task at hand in ‘Big Pod', Fernandez stated [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“He said he's excited. I mean, he brought [Andy Ruiz] up.â€