The Bellator 123 line-up has been shuffled once again.
The Sept. 5 event was originally expected to feature a co-main event between former Strikeforce champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal and UFC veteran Tom DeBlass. However, DeBlass suffered an injury and was replaced by Marcus Sursa. Now, Sursa has been forced off the card and will be replaced by UFC and GLORY veteran Dustin Jacoby.
Lawal has been out of action since dropping the season 10 light heavyweight tournament final to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson via controversial decision. The former Oklahoma State wrestler has gone 4-3 inside the Bellator cage, including a pair of losses to current champion Emanuel Newton.
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UFC Vegas 20 was light on fights, finishes, and perhaps not coincidentally also light on significant injuries.
Three fighters who competed on Saturday’s preliminary card at UFC APEX in Las Vegas are facing potential six-month suspensions, lightweight Thiago Moises and bantamweights Sabina Mazo and Ronnie Lawrence, according to a list of suspensions from mixedmartialarts.com.
UFC Vegas 20 was overseen by the Nevada Athletic Commission.
Moises defeated Alexander Hernandez by unanimous decision in the evening’s featured prelim, but requires an X-ray on his right foot following the contest. If positive, he requires clearance from an orthopedic doctor to avoid being suspended until August 27.
UFC light heavyweight prospect, Dustin Jacoby, recently picked up an impressive decision victory over a crafty veteran in Maxim Grishin. That brings Jacoby to a 2-0 record during his second tenure in the UFC, and ‘The Hanyak’ doesn’t plan on slowing his momentum any time soon.
An Interview With The Hanyak
Jacoby recently sat down with LowKick MMA to discuss his impressive win, and to reveal what the future holds for the promising light heavyweight. On discussing the fight against Grishin, Jacoby had the following to say:
“For the most part I felt the fight went as expected. Max is a very durable, gritty, tough veteran. He’s got a lot of great wins on his record.. I knew it was going to be a very hard fight. I’m very proud of myself. I think I showed a lot of grit. I thought I showed a lot of veteran status. I’m very happy to walk away with the victory.”
The 553rd UFC event, known variously as UFC Vegas 20, UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Gane, UFC Fight Night 186, and UFC on ESPN+ 44 will be held on Saturday, February 27, 2021, at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada.
These are the official suspensions from the Nevada Athletic Commission, Anthony A. Marnell III, Chairman.
Ciryl Gane defeated Jairzinho Rozenstruik by Unanimous Decision (50–45, 50–45, 50–45)
•Rozenstruik suspended until 03/21/21, No contact until 03/14/21.
•Krylov suspended until 03/30/21, No contact until 03/21/21.
•Suspend De La Rosa until 04/14/21, No contact until 03/30/21.
•Munhoz suspended until 03/30/21, No contact until 03/21/21.
•Rivera suspended until 04/29/21, No contact until 04/29/21 – facial laceration. RIVERA – must have a new MRI & Neurologist clearance.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
UFC Vegas 20: Rozenstruik vs. Gane is all wrapped up. And what looked to be a promising, high level card on paper, unfortunately turned into something of a slog. Ciryl Gane proved that he can fight a cautious, winning bout at a very high level but that’s hardly what anyone hoped to see when he was matched up with heavyweight KO artist Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Magomed Ankalaev, similarly, failed to thrill in the co-main but continued to look like a tough problem to solve at light heavyweight.
So, is Gane getting rushed too far too fast as a headlining fighter, with only three years of pro MMA experience? Is Ankalaev primed for a top contender’s bout? And can Pedro Munhoz make his bid for contention off a big win over Jimmie Rivera?