January 15, 2021
The UFC is certainly taking advantage of the newly constructed Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The company is hosting three events in a span of eight days. The second of these shows, UFC on ESPN 20, is an early morning affair on Wednesday.
Originally slated to feature the highly anticipated showdown between Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev, the event took a hit when Chimaev was unable to compete due to COVID-19 complications. Instead, the headliner now includes welterweights Michael Chiesa and Neil Magny. They are the eighth- and ninth-ranked 170-pounders in the UFC, and both fighters will look to extend a three-fight winning streak to climb ever closer to the top five.
Contender Series: Season 4, Ep. 10 Preview and Predictions
Dana White’s Contender Series is back for its fourth season.
The show, which continues on its home on ESPN+, aims to give top prospects a chance to impress the UFC brass in an attempt to earn a contract with the company.
The show’s 10th episode of the new season takes place on Tuesday, Nov. 17. The ESPN+ stream gets underway at 8 p.m. ET.
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Nick Maximov (5-0, Nick Diaz Academy, USA)
FlyW:
Jacob Silva (6-3, Metro Fight Club, USA)
Women’s StrawW:
Gloria de Paula (4-2, Chute Boxe, Brazil)
LW:
Sherrard Blackledge (5-0, Syndicate MMA, USA)
MMA Sucka
Photo courtesy of UAE Warriors
UFC has signed their first French women’s flyweight fighter in the form of EFC Worldwide and UAE Warriors women’s flyweight champion,
Manon Fiorot. Joining the organization on short notice, Fiorot is set to take on
Victoria Leonardo on January 20, 2021, UFC Fight Night card. Fiorot has been on many peoples’ list as a top-5 prospect to join the UFC in 2021.
Europe and Africa’s Hottest Prospect
Manon Fiorot (5-1) has already built quite the resume in her short career. Winning five straight since dropping a split decision at Cage Warriors 94 in her pro debut, Fiorot won EFC Worldwide’s
Welcome to year eight of the annual “Prospects the UFC Should Sign” series, in which we’ll examine five MMA prospects per division the UFC should sign in the upcoming year.
This series started during my time as a writer for Bleacher Report, continued through my tenures at Today’s Knockout and FanSided, and now it stays alive another year here at Combat Press.
Let’s examine the women’s flyweight division, a more recent addition to the UFC. It’s been inhabited by fighters who have departed the strawweight and bantamweight divisions, but it could easily add even more depth by adding existing flyweights from outside of the promotion.