Cageside Catch-up: Thompson hopes to fight later this year
Welcome to "Cageside Catch-up" at theScoreMMA, our roundup of the latest MMA news and announcements.
Thompson aiming for late 2019 return
Stephen Thompson is hoping to return later this year but won't compete again until he's 100 percent healthy. Speaking with Peter Carroll of the "Eurobash" podcast, the former welterweight title challenger said he's looking at September or October for his next fight.
"Wonderboy" is coming off the first knockout loss of his MMA career when Anthony Pettis finished him at UFC Nashville in March. It was also the first time Thompson suffered back-to-back losses.
Having lost three of his last four fights, the 36-year-old desperately needs a victory to stay relevant in the welterweight division.
Roberts faces Pichel at UFC Minneapolis
Fresh off his win in April, Roosevelt Roberts returns to action against Vinc Pichel at UFC Minneapolis on June 29. UFC officials confirmed the news this week.
Roberts (8-0) defeated Thomas Gifford by unanimous decision at UFC Sunrise to pick up his second victory in the Octagon. It was the first time the 25-year-old went the distance in a fight, as he's finished seven of his eight career opponents.
Pichel (11-2) steps into the Octagon for the first time in over a year and looks to rebound from his submission loss to Gregor Gillespie at UFC Fight Night 131. The Ultimate Fighter 15 competitor has won four of his last five fights.
Should Roberts pick up another victory, he could be on the fast track to a contender's spot in the lightweight division.
'Cyn City' and UFC champion Montano added to UFC Sacramento
This week, Cynthia Calvillo and Nicco Montano were added to the UFC Sacramento card July 13.
Calvillo (8-1) faces Livia Renata Souza in a strawweight bout, according to ESPN's Brett Okamoto, and will seek her third straight win. The 31-year-old has gone 5-1 since signing with the UFC in March 2017 and earned a unanimous decision win over Cortney Casey at UFC on ESPN 1. Meanwhile, Souza (13-1) will look to push her winning streak to five in a row.
James Patrick of The Sacramento Bee broke the news that former UFC flyweight champion Nicco Montano will return to the Octagon at bantamweight against Sara McMann.
Montano (4-2) was stripped of her flyweight championship after withdrawing from her title defense against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 228 due to her issues cutting weight. Following that fiasco, she tested positive for ostarine and received a six-month suspension from USADA. McMann (11-5) enters this fight coming off two straight submission losses to Marion Reneau and Ketlen Vieira. The 35-year-old is chasing her first win since February 2017.
Two lightweights hoping to crack the top 15 square off as Beneil Dariush (16-4-1) meets MMA Lab standout Drakkar Klose (10-1-1). Trying to avoid three straight losses for the first time in his career, Darren Elkins (24-7) faces submission wizard Ryan Hall (7-1) in a featherweight contest. Also on the card are two middleweight matchups: Karl Roberson (7-2) versus John Phillips (21-9, 1 NC) and Cezar Ferreira (13-7) fighting Marvin Vettori (12-3-1). Benito Lopez (9-1) takes on Martin Day (9-3) to round out the card in the bantamweight division. Here's an updated look:
- Cynthia Calvillo vs. Livinha Souza
- Sara McMann vs. Nicco Montano
- Darren Elkins vs. Ryan Hall
- Beneil Dariush vs. Drakkar Klose
- Karl Roberson vs. John Phillips
- Benito Lopez vs. Martin Day
- Cezar Ferreira vs. Marvin Vettori
Aguilar and Rinaldi released from the UFC
MMAFighting's Guilherme Cruz reports that strawweight Jessica Aguilar has been released from the UFC. In addition, featherweight Jordan Rinaldi announced on Instagram that he also has been let go by the Las Vegas-based promotion.
Aguilar (20-8) was plagued by injuries over her UFC career, having only fought four times in five years. The 37-year-old went 1-3 in the Octagon, defeating Jodie Esquibel and losing to notable names like Claudia Gadelha and Weili Zhang. The Mexican-born American hopes the UFC will reconsider its decision when the promotion heads to Mexico City on Sept. 21.
Rinaldi (14-7) amassed a 2-3 record in the Octagon, defeating Alvaro Herrera and Jason Knight. The 31-year-old suffered setbacks to Abel Trujillo, Gregor Gillespie, and most recently Arnold Allen at UFC London in March.
Silva now faces Winn at UFC Greenville
With Markus Perez withdrawing from UFC Greenville, newcomer Bruno Silva now faces Deron Winn on June 22, according to MMA Fighting’s Alexander Lee.
Silva (19-6) signed with the UFC in January and is a training partner of flyweight champion Henry Cejudo. The 29-year-old has knocked out his last four opponents and hasn't gone the distance in a fight since May 2016.
Winn (5-0) not only will be making his UFC debut but will also compete at middleweight for the first time in his career. The 29-year-old AKA product is coming off a unanimous decision win over UFC veteran Tom Lawlor at Liddell vs. Ortiz 3 in January.