Latest news with #flyweight
Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
UFC Vegas 107 Main Event: Blanchfield Vs. Barber Odds And Predictions
ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY - MARCH 30: Erin Blanchfield prepares to face Manon Fiorot of France in a ... More flyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at Boardwalk Hall Arena on March 30, 2024 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) The next fight card on the UFC schedule is UFC Vegas 197, which takes place on Saturday, May 31, from UFC Apex in Las Vegas. In the main event, two of the top-ranked competitors in the UFC women's flyweight division meet in a pivotal matchup. In that contest, the No. 4 ranked Erin Blanchfield faces the No. 5 ranked Maycee Barber. EDMONTON, ALBERTA - NOVEMBER 02: (L-R) Erin Blanchfield punches Rose Namajunas in a flyweight fight ... More during the UFC Fight Night event at Rogers Place on November 02, 2024 in Edmonton, Alberta. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Blanchfield (13-2) is the No. 4 fighter in the official UFC women's flyweight rankings. The 26-year-old Blanchfield was riding a nine-fight winning streak when she faced Manon Fiorot in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card in March 2024. Fiorot won that bout with ease, ringing up three 50-45 scores from the judges. The victory earned Fiorot a UFC 315 matchup against UFC women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko, a bout Shevchenko won via decision. Blanchfield took a step back toward a title fight in November when she scored a decision win over former UFC women's strawweight champion Rose Namajunas. MIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 09: Maycee Barber prepares to face Katlyn Cerminara in a flyweight fight ... More during the UFC 299 event at Kaseya Center on March 09, 2024 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) Barber (14-2) is the No. 5 fighter in the UFC women's 125-pound division. She opened her UFC career with a 3-2 record, but is undefeated since dropping back-to-back decisions to Roxanne Modafferi and Alexa Grasso in 2020 and 2021. The 27-year-old Barber is riding a six-fight winning streak heading into UFC Vegas 107. Her most recent victory was a March 2024 decision win over Katlyn Cerminara. Barber was schedule to face Rose Namajunas in July 2024, but she dropped out of that fight due to illness. Barber later revealed she had Epstein-barr virus. In December she told Morning Kombat, "Everything's going great now. It has been a long journey. I was so bummed when – well, first of all, I was so excited to fight Rose because not only was I fighting Rose, but I was also fighting in Denver where I made my UFC debut. So for me, it was my first main event. "It was a very huge opportunity for me, and I was so excited and then I was devastated when I was told, 'Hey look, you're not going to fight on this card.' Obviously the health is more important. So I was very devastated, but I have made a lot of progress coming forward, and I can't wait to be back." EDMONTON, ALBERTA - NOVEMBER 02: Erin Blanchfield reacts after a victory against Rose Namajunas in a ... More flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Rogers Place on November 02, 2024 in Edmonton, Alberta. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) When the betting lines for Blanchfield and Barber opened, Blanchfield was listed as the -200 betting favorite over the +150 Barber. Today, Blanchfield is listed at -238, while Barber is the +203 betting underdog. Odds via BetOnline. ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY - MARCH 30: Erin Blanchfield prepares to face Manon Fiorot of France in a ... More flyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at Boardwalk Hall Arena on March 30, 2024 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) Blanchfield uses pressure and striking to get the fight to the mat. While her strikes are not all that powerful, Blanchfield is not a fighter who looks for knockouts. Instead, Blanchfield uses her high-output striking attack to put her opponents on the back foot and then look for takedowns. In her last outing, Blanchfield attempted eight takedowns while picking up nearly nine minutes of control time. Barber is a better technical striker than Blanchfield, and she has four knockout wins under the UFC banner. She lands at a good clip and has better striking accuracy than Blanchfield, but her takedown defense is worrisome, as Andrea Lee went five-for-five in takedowns against Barber in 2023. The betting pick for the UFC Vegas 107 main event is for Blanchfield to be very active with her wrestling and ground control to pick up the decision win over Barber. We will have more on UFC Vegas 107 as fight-night approaches.
Forbes
4 days ago
- Sport
- Forbes
UFC Vegas 107: Blanchfield Vs. Barber Full Fight Card Opening Odds
MIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 09: Maycee Barber prepares to face Katlyn Cerminara in a flyweight fight ... More during the UFC 299 event at Kaseya Center on March 09, 2024 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) The UFC is headed back to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas for this weekend's UFC Vegas 107 fight card. An important women's flyweight matchup headlines the fight card. In that contest, the No. 4 ranked Erin Blanchfield battles the No. 5 ranked Maycee Barber. We look at the opening betting odds for the full UFC Vegas 107 fight card. Erin Blanchfield (-200) vs. Maycee Barber (+150) Mateusz Gamrot (-200) vs. Ľudovít Klein (+150) Billy Ray Goff (-200) vs. Ko Seok-hyun (+150) Dustin Jacoby (-180) vs. Bruno Lopes (+140) Ramiz Brahimaj (+275) vs. Oban Elliott (-450) Zachary Reese (-225) vs. Duško Todorovi (+160) Jafel Filho (+185) vs. Allan Nascimento (-275) Ketlen Vieira (-145) vs. Macy Chiasson (+105) Trevin Giles (+120) vs. Andreas Gustafsson (-150) Kurt Holobaugh (-120) vs. Jordan Leavitt (-120) MarQuel Mederos (+110) vs. Bolaji Oki (-150) Rayanne dos Santos (-255) vs. Alice Ardelean (+175) *Odds via BetOnline EDMONTON, ALBERTA - NOVEMBER 02: Erin Blanchfield reacts after a victory against Rose Namajunas in a ... More flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Rogers Place on November 02, 2024 in Edmonton, Alberta. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Blanchfield (13-2) is the No. 4 fighter in the official UFC women's flyweight rankings. The 26-year-old Blanchfield was riding a nine-fight winning streak when she faced Manon Fiorot in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card in March 2024. Fiorot won that bout with ease, ringing up three 50-45 scores from the judges. The victory earned Fiorot a UFC 315 matchup against UFC women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko, a bout Shevchenko won via decision. Blanchfield took a step back toward a title fight in November when she scored a decision win over former UFC women's strawweight champion Rose Namajunas. MIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 09: Maycee Barber reacts after defeating Katlyn Cerminara in their women's ... More flyweight bout at UFC 299 at Kaseya Center on March 09, 2024 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by) Barber (14-2) is the No. 5 fighter in the UFC women's 125-pound division. She opened her UFC career with a 3-2 record, but is undefeated since dropping back-to-back decisions to Roxanne Modafferi and Alexa Grasso in 2020 and 2021. The 27-year-old Barber is riding a six-fight winning streak heading into UFC Vegas 107. Her most recent victory was a March 2024 decision win over Katlyn Cerminara. Barber was schedule to face Rose Namajunas in July 2024, but she dropped out of that fight due to illness. Barber later revealed she had Epstein-barr virus. In December she told Morning Kombat, "Everything's going great now. It has been a long journey. I was so bummed when – well, first of all, I was so excited to fight Rose because not only was I fighting Rose, but I was also fighting in Denver where I made my UFC debut. So for me, it was my first main event. "It was a very huge opportunity for me, and I was so excited and then I was devastated when I was told, 'Hey look, you're not going to fight on this card.' Obviously the health is more important. So I was very devastated, but I have made a lot of progress coming forward, and I can't wait to be back." We will have more on the UFC Vegas 107 fight card as fight night nears, including betting odds, picks, predictions and more. As well as full fight card results, reactions and highlights on fight night.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Luana Santos calls bantamweight return at UFC Vegas 106 a ‘shortcut' to title fight
Luana Santos started her UFC career as a flyweight, but her future may be at bantamweight. At 25, she returns to the 135-pound division to face Tainara Lisboa at UFC Vegas 106 on Saturday looking to make an important decision. Santos was booked to fight once before at bantamweight in the UFC, but badly missed the target, coming in at nearly 140 pounds. Doctors discovered the young Brazilian had Hashimoto's disease, an autoimmune condition that can lead to weight gain by affecting the thyroid gland. Santos took medication to get the disease under control and she went 1-1 as a flyweight, but it just made sense to return to bantamweight after struggling with stomach issues before and after the cut for her recent bout with Casey O'Neill. Advertisement On top of that, Santos sees the bantamweight class as being so shallow it could mean a quicker rise to the top. 'Not that it's easier… but it is,' Santos told MMA Fighting. 'I think the 125 division is more competitive than 135. And if I can fight at 135, why not take the shortcut? For example, Tainara was ranked after only two fights in the UFC. She didn't beat anyone relevant to be ranked. It's easier to climb [the ranking] at 135 than 125. If I have the strength and size to be at 135, why continue battling my body to cut to 125 if I'm only 25 and will definitely not be a flyweight in the future?' Santos' decision is not set in stone yet. A future at bantamweight depends on her performance against Lisboa and possibly her next fight, but the move makes sense right now. 'I'm not a small girl for 135. Quite the opposite,' Santos said. 'I fought at 135 before and I will try that again. Let's see how it goes. If I win this one and the next, let's do it. It all depends on how the fight goes and how I feel in there.' Advertisement Lisboa is older than Santos and hasn't fought in 18 months due to a battle with a career-threatening left knee injury. Santos won't overlook her opponent, but sees the scenario as more favorable for her at UFC Vegas 106. 'I think Tainara is a very tough and experienced girl,' Santos said. 'She's almost 10 years older than me but if we're talking MMA, we have almost the same experience. Her striking is more Muay Thai oriented, she has good jiu-jitsu, but I think I can be superior than her in that area. The two losses she had were against girls who have done that type of game.' 'I think it's a great matchup,' she added. 'She's coming off a knee injury and I don't know how her head will be after more than a year off. I think she's tough. I don't think it's going to be an easy fight, but I think there's a great chance I come out with the win.' More from
RNZ News
14-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Kai Kara-France gets title shot
Kai Kara-France after his win against Tyson Nam in 2020. Photo: photosport Kai Kara-France is set to fight for flyweight gold. The Auckland based fighter will meet champion Alexandre Pantoja for the UFC flyweight title on 29 June at UFC 317, which doubles as international fight week. Kara-France (25-11-1), is 1-2 in his last three trips to the octagon, however his most recent appearance was an emphatic TKO of Australian contender Steve Erceg in August of last year. The kiwi has fought for the interim title, losing by TKO to Brandon Moreno at UFC 277 in July 2022. It won't be the first meeting between the pair, having squared off in a two round exhibition bout in 2016, Pantojo winning by unanimous decision. Pantoja (29-5) will be looking for a fourth consecutive defence, having taken the title from Moreno before seeing off challenges from Brandon Royval, Erceg and Kai Asakura. The event will be headlined by Charles Oliveira vs. Ilia Topuria for the vacant lightweight strap, after Islam Makhachev opted to make the move to welterweight.
Forbes
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Alexa Grasso Posts Gruesome Post-Fight Image Following UFC 315 Loss
MONTREAL, QUEBEC - MAY 10: Alexa Grasso of Mexico looks on in a women's flyweight bout against ... More Natalia Silva of Brazil during UFC 315 at Bell Centre on May 10, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by) Mixed martial artists are known for showing the scars from war after a fight—win or lose. Monday was former UFC women's flyweight champion Alexa Grasso's turn to display the bruises from a one-sided loss to rising contender Natalie Silva on Saturday night in Montreal at UFC 315. Grasso took to Instagram to show off a pretty gruesome image of the aftermath of her fight with Silva. During Grasso's unanimous decision loss to Silva, she was picked apart by the Brazilian's combination of speed and striking accuracy. Grasso has displayed high-level boxing during her career, but she simply couldn't get a handle on the elusive Silva. MONTREAL, QUEBEC - MAY 10: (L-R) Natalia Silva of Brazil kicks Alexa Grasso of Mexico in a flyweight ... More bout during the UFC 315 event at Bell Centre on May 10, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) During the fight, Silva connected with 65 significant strikes to just 45 from Grasso. Even when Grasso attempted to zero in on Silva to secure a takedown, the speed and explosiveness were too big of an advantage for her to overcome. MONTREAL, QUEBEC - MAY 10: (L-R) Natalia Silva of Brazil punches Alexa Grasso of Mexico in a ... More flyweight bout during the UFC 315 event at Bell Centre on May 10, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) The loss will drop Grasso to No. 2 at best for now, but there is a chance she could fall further. Erin Blanchfield and Maycee Barber clash on May 31, and the winner of that fight could move past Grasso in the rankings. Meanwhile, I'd expect Silva to vault to No. 1 when the new women's flyweight rankings are released since that's where Grasso was ranked ahead of their fight on Saturday. While Silva looked championship-ready in her defeat of Grasso, she will likely have to wait a while to get a title shot. Valentina Shevchenko successfully defended her 125-pound crown via unanimous decision over Manon Fiorot in the UFC 315 co-main event. It is likely she will get a super fight against reigning women's strawweight champion Weili Zhang, who is expected to vacate the strawweight crown to move up to 125 pounds. Silva's best chance is probably to wait for the winner of that fight and then to hopefully get an opportunity to challenge for the crown in early 2026. Grasso will probably get a decently long medical suspension because of the damage she took to her face, so we'll see when she will be cleared to train and to return to the Octagon. However, it would make sense for her to face the winner of Blanchfield-Barber or to face the winner of the June 14 fight between Rose Namajunas and Miranda Maverick. Namajunas-Grasso has some appeal, as it would be a battle between two former champions—and that's not commonplace in the women's division. As it is, Grasso showed her commitment to the sport and that she is a true warrior. Her return will be anticipated, but as she has now lost two in a row, the stakes will be even higher for the next fight—no matter who she fights.
