Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima will defend his title against Yaroslav Amosov at Bellator 260, and much, much more — Fightful has all the latest fight announcements in one article.
Douglas Lima vs. Yaroslav Amosov booked for Bellator 260 in June
Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima will make the next defense of his crown at Bellator 260 on June 11 against undefeated challenger Yaroslav Amosov, first reported by Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole. The promotion has yet to officially announce the event or fight yet. Lima's last appearance came at Bellator 250 where his bid to become a two-division champion was stopped by Bellator middleweight king Gegard Mousasi who won the bout via a unanimous decision. Amosov is an undefeated Ukrainian who sits at 25-0 currently as a pro and is 6-0 under the Bellator banner last defeating Logan Storley via a split-decision at Bellator 252.
Showtime Boxing announces multiple title fights over five-month schedule
Showtime Boxing announced their upcoming fight schedule for the next five months starting on May 15, which will span over nine events. The network made the announcement across their social media accounts and revealed that fighters such as Gervonta Davis, Jermall Charlo, Jermell Charlo, Nonito Donaire, Stephen Fulton Jr, and David Benavidez will be competing on the slate of fights to come under Showtime in the coming months.
Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Miguel Baeza in the works for UFC event in June
Welterweight sluggers Santiago Ponzinibbio and Miguel Baeza are being targeted for a matchup on a yet-to-be-announced UFC Fight Night event on June 5, first reported by MMAJunkie's Danny Segura. Ponzinibbio is 7-1 in his last eight fights and will try to bounce back from his first loss since June 2015 after he was knocked out in the first round at UFC Fight Island 7 by Li Jingliang. Baeza is an undefeated contender who has shown flashes of brilliance in his four Octagon appearances, he last defeated Takashi Sato via a second-round submission due to an arm-triangle choke in his most recent outing at UFC Vegas 15.
Eddie Alvarez makes quick turnaround at ONE on TNT 4
Former UFC and Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez will make a quick return to the ONE Championship cage after suffering a heartbreaking disqualification loss to Iuri Lapicus at ONE on TNT 1. Speaking with The South China Morning Posts Nick Atkin ONE Champions CEO Chatri Sityodtong revealed that Alvarez would be returning at ONE on TNT 4 on April 28 to face either Marat Gafurov or Ok Rae Yoon who will fight each other the previous week on April 21 at ONE on TNT 3.
“Yes, if Eddie said that. Did he say that? If he said that, then yes, I guess the cat’s out of the bag,” Sityodtong said. “He is coming back to Singapore in short order, he will be fighting on ONE on TNT 4 and his opponent will be determined. He’s [Alvarez] gonna fight the No 5-ranked lightweight contender because Marat Gafurov is No 5 and he faces Ok Rae Yoon, and the winner of that match will take on Eddie Alvarez, so Eddie still has a shot at breaking into the top five rankings.”
Nikolas Motta out, Yancy Medeiros in against Damir Hadzovic at UFC event in May
Lightweight Nikolas Motta has been forced to withdraw from his bout with Damir Hadzovic on May 8 at UFC on ESPN 24 due to an undisclosed injury. Hadzovic will now take on veteran Yancy Medeiros two weeks later on May 22 at a yet-to-be-announced UFC event, first reported by MMAJunkie's Farah Hannoun. Medeiros has lost three fights in a row and is 0-2 since returning to 155-pounds after losing a unanimous decision to Lando Vannata in his last outing at UFC Fight Night 167. Hadzovic on the other hand is also on a losing streak, dropping in his last two Octagon appearances last being defeated by Renato Moicano via a second-round submission due to a rear-naked-choke at UFC Fight Night 170.
Michael Page vs. Derek Anderson booked for Bellator 258 in May
Welterweight and English showman Michael Page is set to take on Derek Anderson at Bellator 258 on May 7, first reported by ESPN's Ariel Helwani. Page is currently riding a four-fight winning streak with three of the four victories coming by way of knockout finishes. His most recent win was via a unanimous decision at Bellator 248 against Ross Houston, while Anderson on the other hand has won his last three fights and defeated Killys Mota at Bellator 251 via a second-round knockout in his latest Bellator outing.
Ricardo Ramos vs. Bill Algeo off of UFC Vegas 24 card due to COVID-19
Featherweights Ricardo Ramos and Bill Algeo will not open up the main card of tomorrow night's UFC Vegas 24 card after Ramos was removed from the matchup due to COVID-19 protocols, first reported by MMAJunkie's Nolan King. The promotion was unable to fight a replacement for Algeo so he also unfortunately also will not compete on the card and there is no word yet if the bout will be rescheduled for a later date. Ramos is 1-1 since returning to 145-pounds last losing to Lerone Murphy via a first-round TKO at UFC Fight Island 1, whereas Algeo is looking to build off his first victory inside the Octagon a unanimous decision win over Spike Carlyle at UFC Vegas 15.
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