While I’m looking at 15 inches of fresh snow to clean up here in New Hampshire, I’d much rather be in sunny Southern California with this week’s Josh Nason’s Punch-Out guest Brian Martin, deputy sports editor of the Orange County Register and SoCal News Group.
We begin our conversation with further exploration of the hummus debate that rocked the MMA world last Friday during the UFC 222 morning weigh-ins and whether chocolate hummus is any good.
After learning about how Brian got into covering the sport and how the OC Register’s coverage has evolved over time, we talked about his experience covering the launch of Ronda Rousey’s MMA career in a parking lot show to her evolution into WWE and the changes he has seen in her along the way.
We closed out the show by looking at two big storylines coming out of last Saturday’s UFC 222: the arrival of Brian Ortega and the performances of two young prospects in Mackenzie Dern and Sean O’Malley. We also geeked out at the eventual Max Holloway-Ortega fight/series of fights.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 222: Cyborg vs. Kunitskaya, emanating from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The UFC returns to their home base in Las Vegas with a solid card headlined by the most dominant female fighter on the planet. UFC Women’s Featherweight Champion Cris Cyborg makes her second title defense when she defends against former Invicta Bantamweight Champion Yana Kunitskaya.
This fight came together less than a month ago after the original main event between Max Holloway and Frankie Edgar fell apart due to an injury to Holloway. Cyborg looks for another successful title defense after defeating Holly Holm at UFC 219 in December. Kunitskaya actually makes her UFC debut, looking to score one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.
Edgar remained on the card, taking a risky fight in the co-main event slot as he will now battle undefeated Brian Ortega. It is the fight many see as the main event of the event, and the winner will likely challenge Holloway for the UFC Featherweight Championship later this year. Ortega looks to build on a big submission win over Cub Swanson in December, his biggest win to date, as he seeks to become the first fighter to finish Edgar in his career.
Also on the main card is rising bantamweight prospect Sean O’Malley, who takes on Andre Soukhamthath. Heavyweights Stefan Struve and Andrei Arlovski will also square off, while former title challenger Cat Zingano returns after being out of action for nearly two years as she takes on undefeated Ketlen Vieira. In the featured preliminary bout, highly-touted submission specialist Mackenzie Dern makes her UFC debut against Ashley Yoder.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time with preliminary action all the way through the main card.
We are looking for your thoughts on tonight’s event, so send a thumbs up, a thumbs down or a thumbs in the middle along with a best fight and a worst fight to Dave at [email protected].
UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS | 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT
> Jordan Johnson (8-0, 2-0 UFC) vs. Adam Milstead (8-1 1 NC, 1-0 1 NC UFC) Light Heavyweights
Johnson lands a right hand. Milstead with an inside leg kick. They trade before a brief clinch but they break. Milstead with a leg kick and Johnson counters with one but eats a right hand counter from Milstead. Milstead lands a nice combo. Johnson shoots in for a takedown and works hard for it against the fence but can’t score it. Johnson with some foot stomps as they’re tied up against the fence. Milstead lands an elbow as they break to the center. Milstead lands an uppercut. They clinch and Johnson with a knee. 10-9 Milstead.
Johnson lands the jab. Johnson lands it again. Johnson lands some punches to the body as they clinch. They aren’t doing much in the clinch but Johnson is landing short punches to the body. Milstead pushes Johnson away and lands a right hand before they tie up again. They are broken up by the referee. Milstead lands a right hand but Johnson grabs him and scores a takedown. They got to their feet and Johnson was landing short punches to the legs, body and head of Milstead. They are broken up again. Johnson lands a leg kick. 10-9 Johnson, 19-19.
Johnson just misses a big overhand right. Milstead lands a hard right hand and Johnson counters by trying to force a clinch. They break away. They trade jabs. Milstead lands a combo. Johnson lands a left hook and then shoots for a takedown. They trade and Milstead lands a left hand. Johnson is landing with more volume but Milstead with harder punches. Johnson shoots for a takedown and gets it for a moment. They get to their feet. Johnson with some short kicks and foot stomps. Johnson working for a late takedown. Milstead lands some punches in the clinch. They trade big punches at the end. 10-9 Johnson, 29-28 Johnson.
Official Result- Jordan Johnson def. Adam Milstead by split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
Caraway landing some early and searching for the takedown. Caraway working for it but Stamann shakes it off and lands as they break. Caraway looking for a takedown against the fence again. They trade in the clinch and break. Both land some punches in close range. Stamann lands a kick but Caraway is landing the jab. Caraway scores a takedown near the center of the Octagon. Caraway into half-guard. Caraway looking to move to side control and is grabbing an arm as well. Caraway gets to side control and taps Stamann’s head and arm with his legs. Caraway went for an armbar but time ran out. 10-9 Caraway.
Both landing punches early on in the round. Stamann lands a hard right hand. Caraway looking to trick with his strikes. Stamann stuffs a takedown from Caraway but Caraway lands a right hand. Caraway lands a big uppercut. They continue to trade while Caraway looks for takedowns but they are being defended by Stamann. Caraway shoots and they clinch against the fence. They break and Stamann lands a right hand. Caraway lands a left hand as he shoots in. Stamann lands a knee. 10-9 Stamann, 19-19.
Caraway landing some leg kicks. Caraway lands another leg kick but Stamann lands a counter left hand. They trade some big punches. Caraway is slowing down. Stamann lands a right hand. Caraway shoots for a takedown but it is defended. They break and Stamann lands a hard right hand. Stamann landing some jabs and a leg kick. Stamann stuffs another takedown attempt from Caraway. They trade punches and Caraway lands an uppercut. Caraway landing some punches and is working hard for a takedown. Caraway with some dirty boxing in the clinch. They trade big punches and Caraway locked in a guillotine late but time ran out. Crazy finish and it’s going to be interesting scorecards. 10-9 Caraway, 29-28 Caraway.
Official Result- Cody Stamann def. Bryan Caraway by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
> Mike Pyle (27-13-1, 10-8 UFC) vs. Zak Ottow (15-5, 2-2 UFC) Welterweights
This is Pyle’s retirement fight. Ottow lands a left hand but Pyle is landing kicks. Ottow just misses a right hand. They trade leg kicks. Pyle lands a right hand. Pyle lands the jab and an uppercut as Ottow was rushing in. Ottow with a leg kick and then drops Pyle with a right hand. Ottow landing some punches from the top. Ottow with some ground-and-pound as Pyle is covering up and Herb Dean stops it. Pyle was in a lot of trouble there and he slams his hands down in frustration as this wasn’t the way he wanted his career to end.
Official Result- Zak Ottow def. Mike Pyle by TKO (punches) at 2:34 of Round 1
Dollaway throws a high kick but it is blocked. Lombard with a leg kick. Dollaway with a hard body kick. Both looking to land a big punch as they just trade leg kicks. Lombard is landing more leg kicks. Dollaway with a high kick. Lombard lands a couple of punches. Lombard with a leg kick. Lombard lands a left hand. Lombard being very patient and Dollaway isn’t forcing the action. Dollaway with a right hand to the body but eats a left from Lombard. Lombard drops Dollaway right at the bell, it may have been a split second after. A replay shows it was after the horn ended the round. 10-9 Lombard.
The fight is stopped between rounds. It was clear that Lombard landed the left hand after the horn ended the first round and Dollaway was unable to continue. They disqualified Lombard. They made the correct call in that one. Dollaway needed the stretcher to be taken to the back after the fight.
Official Result- CB Dollaway def. Hector Lombard by disqualification (illegal strikes) at 5:00 of Round 1
> John Dodson (#8, 19-9, 8-4 UFC) vs. Pedro Munhoz (#10, 15-2 1 NC, 5-2 1 NC) Bantamweights
They trade kicks early on. Dodson lands a combo to the body and head. They trade kicks. Munhoz with a body kick. Munhoz with a leg kick as Dodson lands a combo. Munhoz with a step-in knee. Dodson with a left hook to the body. Munhoz tries a body kick but Dodson catches the leg. Munhoz with another body kick but Dodson grabs the leg and throws him to the ground. Munhoz gets up. They trade leg kicks. Munhoz with another leg kick. Dodson lands a left hand. Dodson with a combo late. 10-9 Dodson.
Munhoz with a body kick but Dodson counters with a hard left hand. Munhoz is coming forward but Dodson is landing more punches. They trade against the fence. Dodson lands an uppercut. Munhoz lands a right hand. Dodson with a body kick. Munhoz lands a right hand. Dodson lands a left hand. Munhoz with a leg kick and then follows it with a head kick. Munhoz lands a kick straight to the cup and we have a brief timeout. It was almost right at the horn as the round ends. 10-9 Dodson, 20-18 Dodson.
Munhoz lands a right hand right at the beginning of the round. They are trading and Munhoz is landing bigger punches. Munhoz lands another kick to the groin. They trade punches and Dodson lands a good combination. Dodson lands three consecutive straight left hands. Dodson lands some more left hands. Both are coming forward and trading. Munhoz lands a big knee to the body. Dodson with a body kick. Munhoz looking for a takedown and gets it. Munhoz with some knees but they get back up. They trade punches in a wild exchange in the last ten seconds. Close fight. 10-9 Munhoz, 29-28 Dodson.
Official Result- John Dodson def. Pedro Munhoz by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
> Beneil Dariush (#12, 14-3-1, 8-3-1 UFC) vs. Alexander Hernandez (8-1, 0-0 UFC) Lightweights
Hernandez faked a glove tap and landed a body kick at the start. They were trading and Hernandez was landing big punches. Dariush lands a left hand. Hernandez then lands a huge left hand that drops Dariush and he is out cold as he hits the mat. Huge win for Hernandez in his UFC debut, a fight he took on just over a week’s notice.
Official Result- Alexander Hernandez def. Beneil Dariush by knockout (punch) at :42 of Round 1
Dern with a leg kick to start. Dern firing some big punches and they clinch. Dern with some knees in the clinch. They break the clinch. Yoder with an inside leg kick. Yoder with a body kick but Dern counters with a combo. They are throwing wild punches before they clinch. Yoder with a leg kick. Dern with some wild punches. Dern has the back and is working for a takedown. They break. Yoder with an inside leg kick. Dern with a right hand and Yoder counters with a straight left. Yoder with a left hand. 10-9 Dern.
Dern with a left hand followed by a body kick. Yoder lands a left hand. Yoder lands a left hand. Dern with a leg kick and then a right hand before they clinch. Not much happened and they are broken up. Dern lands a left and then Yoder drops Dern with a left hand. Dern gets right back up. Yoder with a leg kick. Yoder with a body kick. Dern with a body kick but eats a left hand counter from Yoder. Yoder with another left hand. Dern with a leg kick followed by a right hand. They trade and then Yoder stuffs a takedown attempt from Dern. 10-9 Yoder, 19-19.
Yoder lands a left hand. Dern lands a right hand and shoots for a takedown against the fence. Dern with an elbow. Yoder then fires back with a left hand. Yoder lands another left hand and they clinch again. Dern has the body lock and lands a knee to the body. No takedown from Dern as they break the clinch. Dern lands a right hand. Yoder with a high kick. They trade punches. Dern with a front kick to the body and then gets the takedown. Dern gets the back and is working for the choke. Dern has the choke locked in on the chin of Yoder. Yoder is fighting it. Yoder gets out of it but Dern still has the back. Time runs out as Yoder survives. 10-9 Dern, 29-28 Dern.
Official Result- Mackenzie Dern def. Ashley Yoder by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Vieira tagged Zingano early then Zingano tagged her back. Vieira with an elbow. They are tagging each other. Zingano with a left hand and then a knee to the body in the clinch. Zingano with an inside leg kick. Vieira is countering well. Zingano with a brief takedown. Zingano with a body kick. Zingano lands a right hand. Vieira connects with a counter left hand. Zingano with a body kick. They trade punches and then clinch. Zingano with some knees to the body. Vieira gets a takedown. She ends the round on top. 10-9 Vieira.
They trade punches and Vieira gets a big throw takedown and she gets right into mount. Vieira looking for the arm-triangle. Zingano able to escape and lands an upkick. Vieira able to get back into the guard of Zingano. They are both working for position on the ground and both are landing strikes. Vieira stands but goes back into the guard. Zingano with some elbows from the bottom. Vieira with some punches from the top. 10-9 Vieira, 20-18 Vieira.
Zingano with a head kick followed by a hard right hand. Zingano lands some more right hands. Zingano with a leg kick that gets checked and her foot is hurt. Zingano was limping for a moment and Vieira turned it into a takedown. Vieira stands up and Zingano is throwing kicks from the ground until Vieira gets right back onto top. Zingano able to get to her feet and grabs the back and is landing knees to the body. Zingano lands some punches and kicks and another knee to the head of Vieira and one to the body. 10-9 Zingano, 29-28 Vieira.
Official Result- Ketlen Vieira def. Cat Zingano by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
> Stefan Struve (#10, 28-9, 12-7 UFC) vs. Andrei Arlovski (#12, 26-15 1 NC, 15-9 UFC) Heavyweights
Arlovski with a leg kick. Struve with a high kick. Arlovski with another leg kick and then lands a right hand. Struve with a leg kick. Arlovski with another and then lands an overhand right. They clinch and Arlovski scores a takedown and is in the half-guard. They get to their feet. Arlovski with an inside leg kick. They clinch and Arlovski reverses a takedown attempt from Struve and is on top. They get to their feet. Arlovski lands a left hand. They clinch but no action is going on as the round ends. 10-9 Arlovski.
Struve with a head kick. Arlovski with an inside leg kick. They clinch and battle for underhooks. Arlovski gets a takedown. Struve grabs a leg and is looking for a heel hook or a leg lock. Struve couldn’t get it but used the leg to sweep to top position. They get to their feet. Struve tried a takedown but Arlovski grabbed the fence to block it and got a warning from Herb Dean. They are broken by Dean and then Arlovski gets poked in the eye and we have a timeout. They get back to action and nothing happens. 10-9 Struve, 19-19.
Struve with a leg kick. Arlovski with a combo that backs Struve up. Struve lands a right hand. Struve with a head kick. They aren’t doing much and now Arlovski clinches with Struve. This fight is very boring. They break. Arlovski now pokes Struve in the eye. They get back to action and Struve with a leg kick. Arlovski lands an overhand right. They clinch and Arlovski gets a takedown. Arlovski with some body punches on the mat and they get to their feet. Struve now throwing big right hands but none connecting. 10-9 Arlovski, 29-28 Arlovski.
Official Result- Andrei Arlovski def. Stefan Struve by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
> Sean O’Malley (9-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Andre Soukhamthath (12-5, 1-2 UFC) Bantamweights
Soukhamthath with a spin kick. O’Malley hurts Soukhamthath with a leg kick and Soukhamthath is limping. O’Malley with a leg kick. Soukhamthath with a right hand. O’Malley with a wheel kick. O’Malley with a leg kick that trips up Soukhamthath. O’Malley with a head kick. O’Malley with a combo and then a clean head kick. O’Malley lands a couple of left hands and then drops Soukhamthath. O’Malley with a spin kick and then a right hand. O’Malley with a left hand. Soukhamthath in survival mode. O’Malley with a massive head kick and then a right hand but time runs out on the round. 10-9 O’Malley.
They trade punches to start the second. O’Malley with a left hand and a head kick. O’Malley with a right hand. Soukhamthath may not be recovered from the end of round one. O’Malley with a right hand. Soukhamthath completes a takedown and is in the guard of O’Malley. O’Malley looking for a triangle. Soukhamthath circled into the triangle and O’Malley now looking for an armbar but Soukhamthath escapes into side control. O’Malley now has a guillotine but Soukhamthath rolls out and O’Malley gets to his feet. O’Malley goes into side control. O’Malley grabs a rear-naked choke late but time runs out on the round. 10-9 O’Malley, 20-18 O’Malley.
Soukhamthath rushing forward to start the final round. O’Malley goes for a takedown but it is defended. O’Malley lands a couple of left hands. O’Malley with a left hand and then a kick to the body. O’Malley hurts his leg at some point and Soukhamthath lands a big leg kick and then gets a takedown. Soukhamthath gets into side control and is looking to set up a choke. O’Malley gets to his feet. O’Malley is jumping around on one foot and Soukhamthath gets a takedown. Soukhamthath gets to side control but they get back to their feet. O’Malley with a spinning elbow and they crumble to the mat. Soukhamthath ends the fight in side control. O’Malley looks to have either a broken leg or a broken foot as the doctors check on him after the fight.10-9 Soukhamthath, 29-28 O’Malley.
Official Result- Sean O’Malley def. Andre Soukhamthath by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-28)
> Frankie Edgar (#2, 22-5-1, 16-5-1 UFC) vs. Brian Ortega (#3, 13-0 1 NC, 5-0 1 NC UFC) Featherweights
Edgar with a couple of leg kicks to start the action. Ortega with a triple jab. Edgar with a head kick and then an overhand right. They trade and Edgar lands a short right hook. Edgar landing with more volume right now. Ortega with a high kick. Edgar is swelling underneath his eye so a punch from Ortega got through. Edgar with a nice combo ending with a right hand. Ortega grabs the neck for a brief moment but Edgar gets himself free. They both land left hands and Ortega has Edgar hurt. Ortega then lands an uppercut that drops Edgar and Ortega lands a huge hammerfist and the referee stops the fight. WOW! Ortega becomes the first man to ever finish Edgar in a fight and remains undefeated. Ortega against Max Holloway is going to be a fun fight.
Official Result- Brian Ortega def. Frankie Edgar by knockout (punches) at 4:44 of Round 1
Cyborg with a big right hand and Kunitskaya then grabs a single leg and gets a takedown. They get to their feet and Kunitskaya has the back and gets another takedown but they get back to their feet. They are clinched and Kunitskaya lands some knees. Cyborg with a knee. Kunitskaya looking for another takedown but it is defended. Cyborg with a knee and they break. Cyborg drops Kunitskaya with a right hand and lands a knee to the body. Kunitskaya back to her feet. Cyborg with another huge right hand and Kunitskaya goes to the mat. Cyborg is landing a lot of punches from the top and the fight is stopped by Herb Dean. It went as expected as Cyborg finishes her easily in the first.
Official Result- Cris Cyborg def. Yana Kunitskaya by TKO (punches) at 3:25 of Round 1, Cyborg retains the UFC Women’s Featherweight Championship
UFC wraps up a 24 event in 26 week schedule tonight in Las Vegas with UFC 222, headlined by their female featherweight slayer Cyborg Justino, a co-main event that really should be five rounds, and two young fighters ready to become the next big thing in the company.
Women’s Featherweight Champion Cris Cyborg vs. Yana Kunitskaya
Frankie Edgar vs. Brian Ortega
Sean O’Malley vs. Andre Soukhamthath
Stefan Struve vs. Andrei Arlovski
Cat Zingano vs. Ketlen Vieira
Mackenzie Dern vs. Ashley Yoder
Beneil Dariush vs. Alexander Hernandez
John Dodson vs. Pedro Munhoz
CB Dolloway vs. Hector Lombard
Mike Pyle vs. Zak Ottow
Bryan Caraway vs. Cody Stamann
Jordan Johnson vs. Adam Milstead
What fight(s) are you most looking forward to?
Paul: Edgar vs. Ortega for sure. Edgar has never been stopped in his long career and Ortega has never been beaten, period, so something’s gotta give there. And, the winner gets featherweight champion Max Holloway, who has the longest winning streak in the UFC.
Ryan: Edgar vs. Ortega is the real main event. It’s a huge test for the undefeated Ortega as Edgar is one of the best of all-time. Ortega has beaten opponents he wasn’t expected to beat, and Edgar is another one in that line. Ortega also doesn’t have five rounds to be patient, so he has to go for it early as Edgar is one of the best three round fighters there is. On a good card, this is the big highlight for me.
Josh: Yep, Ortega-Edgar. I would have liked to see UFC experiment a bit with making that a five-rounder because it deserves to be. Yeah, it’s a non-title co-main, but the fighters and all of us deserve to see that play out over 25 minutes.
Any fights being overlooked?
Ryan: Zingano vs. Vieira is being overlooked. Zingano was the last woman to defeat Amanda Nunes, and also the only one to defeat her in the UFC, and she did it by finish. The ups-and-downs of Zingano have been well documented, so it’s good to see her back in action. Vieira is undefeated and has two UFC wins, but over fading opponents. It’s a test for her, and one for Cat to see if she is ready to return to top form.
Josh: I don’t know if it’s being overlooked because he’s getting a bit more pub this week, but I am really interested in what UFC is doing with Sean O’Malley. It’s clear they really like something here, which typically means fans turn against it. Bantamweight is in a strange place right now at the top so a guy like O’Malley is a nice distraction as we figure things out.
Paul: Zingano vs Vieira is a #1 contender’s bout for sure and not many people are talking about it. They should be because Vieira is unbeaten and a fight between her and Nunes could be big in Brazil. Also, Bryan Caraway vs. Cody Stamann is in a weird spot. Caraway is one of the most recognizable names in the division and Stamann has both a sparkling record and long winning streak.
Any featured fights/”pushed” fighters not doing it for you?
Josh: I’m going to go against Paul and Ryan a bit on the Zingano-Viera fight. I’m glad Zingano is back but with her absence, I don’t think she should be getting a title shot with a win. Personal issues aside, she has never fought more than once in a calendar year since 2010. 2010! She’s 2-2 in her four UFC fights and has lost two in a row. The division is weak, but her getting a title shot after a win here seems wrong to me.
Paul: The main event is a joke as UFC has no fighters in the women’s featherweight division except for Cyborg. The Invicta bantamweight title seems to be the defacto #1 contender spot for the UFC featherweight title which is ridiculous if you think about it for just ten seconds. Cyborg destroyed Tonya Evinger and Evinger had little trouble dispatching of Kunitskaya. Kunitskaya barely squeaked out a win over journeywoman fighter Raquel Pa’ahlua in her last fight.
Ryan: I don’t even want to waste my time on the main event as I don’t expect it to be competitive at all. I’ll look at the heavyweight bout between Struve and Arlovski. I’m just glad it’s not the co-main event as it once was, and I don’t even think it belongs on the main card. Both have seen their best days behind them, and it could be an ugly and boring fight. Of course, there’s always a chance of a spectacular finish as both of their chins have seen better days.
What’s the big intrigue with this show for you?
Paul: Whether or not the buyrate for UFC 219 (Cyborg vs Holm) was due to Holm, Cyborg, or a combination of the two. If Cyborg is actually a PPV draw on her own, this show should do north of 300,000 buys. If not, we’re probably looking at 200,000 or less. UFC is obviously hoping for the former and if so, we’ll get more bantamweights lining up to get slaughtered by Cyborg for the foreseeable future.
Ryan: Despite the loss of Max Holloway and what was one of the most anticipated fights in the UFC, the company not only managed to salvage the card, but it got an upgrade. There’s plenty for everyone on this show, and I hope it’s enough to get people to buy the event. It’s a big test for Cyborg to see if she’s a pay-per-view draw on her own. The jury is out on that one. This actually should be a great event.
Josh: If Ortega-Edgar is a fun/great fight, that’s momentum UFC can ride into the next Holloway title defense. Ortega is a blue-eyed star in the making and Edgar is such a classic grizzled veteran who has had bad luck that you really can’t lose either way. I’m also interested to see how Dern and O’Malley fare as UFC would love for them to be drawing cards for them this year.
At the end of the year, what will make this show matter looking back at it?
Paul: Aside from the main event, there are at least two other fights on the card that should produce immediate title challengers (Edgar-Ortega and Zingano-Vieira). In addition, Struve could work his way into title contention if he were to score an impressive win over former champ Arlovski. People forget that Struve holds a win over current champ Stipe Miocic. O’Malley, who gets a main card fight here, is someone the UFC is hoping can be a star in the not to distant future.
Josh: We’ll look back at this card favorably if we get a great #1 contender for Holloway and if O’Malley and Dern have standout performances that get their 2018 off to a great start. I assume Cyborg will win by massacre, so whether she wins in one round or three, her standing is still solid.
Ryan: It should determine some contenders coming out of a few fights, and there’s a huge push of young talent on this card. The UFC is pushing both O’Malley and Dern, who is making her UFC debut. They have something with Dern if she shows she is capable of competing with more experienced opponents, and if she has no trouble concerning previous weight issues. If all goes well, Dern has the makings of becoming a huge UFC star.
The Fertitta-owned era of the UFC had several top fighters who could be relied upon to “save a show” and jump into a fight when a main event dropped out due to injury. The post-Fertitta era now has their own growing star who earned that designation: Cyborg Justino.
The UFC women’s featherweight champion once again has stepped up on short notice to headline a show as she will defend her title against UFC newcomer and former Invicta bantamweight champion Yana Kunitskaya in the main event of March 3rd’s UFC 222, first reported by MMA Fighting.
Additionally, Frankie Edgar will now face rising contender Brian Ortega in the co-main event in a bout that will unofficially give men’s featherweight champion Max Holloway his next challenger. Edgar was supposed to fight Holloway in the main event but the champion had to withdraw due to injury.
Justino last competed on December 30th, outlasting Holly Holm to successfully defend her title. That was also a fight made with just over a month’s notice.
The rest of the Las Vegas-based card includes Stefan Struve vs. Andrei Arlovski, CB Dolloway vs. Hector Lombard, Cat Zingano vs. Ketlen Viera, John Dodson vs. Pedro Muhnoz, and more.
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported Saturday afternoon that UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway is injured and is pulling out of his March title defense against Frankie Edgar at UFC 222 in Las Vegas, NV.
Once confirmed by the organization, this will be the second time the fight has fallen apart due to injury. The two were originally supposed to clash in December, but Edgar hurt his hand. The Holloway injury was undisclosed.
The promotion will need to find a suitable headliner as the secondary headliner is Andrei Arlovski vs. Stefan Struve, not exactly something to main event a pay-per-view with. One problem is the UFC’s current schedule which will see them do nine shows in the first quarter with three more already scheduled for April. As most of those cards are relatively thin, they will have their work cut out for them in pulling something together. The alernative: demote the show from PPV status and make it an FS1 show instead.
This is the second PPV show this year that UFC has had to find a new main event for. Next week’s UFC 221 show in Perth, Australia, was supposed to be headlined by middleweight champion Robert Whittaker vs. Luke Rockhold, but an internal staph infection knocked Whittaker out of that fight. UFC responded by reviving the interim middleweight crown and making Rockhold vs. Yoel Romero as the main event instead.
