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We are here with another edition of Fights on Tap for you! This is a weekly roundup of all the fights booked in the UFC, Bellator and other promotions.
The UFC either announced or finalized 12 fights this week, and a new signee is getting a former champion in her first Octagon appearance.
Say hello to the newest UFC fighter: Kayla Harrison. This past Tuesday, Dana White announced that Harrison has signed with the promotion and already has her first fight set. For the first time in her professional career, the two-time Olympic gold medalist heads to bantamweight, where she faces former UFC champion Holly Holm at UFC 300 in April.
Harrison completed the Professional Fighters League (PFL) chapter of her career at the 2023 PFL Championships, where she returned to the win column with a decision against Aspen Ladd this past November. Prior to that, the two-time PFL champion suffered her first professional loss to Larissa Pacheco in their trilogy fight.
Holm has not fought since a loss (now a No Contest) to Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC Vegas 77 in July.
What a signing. I always figured Kayla Harrison would join the UFC, especially after there was some negotiation during her time as a free agent nearly three years ago. Now that she is indeed a UFC fighter, I am excited to see what she can do in a division that could use a fresh face.
Announced UFC fights
UFC 299 — March 9
- Joanne Wood vs. Maryna Moroz — flyweight
UFC Vegas 88 — March 16
- Gerald Meerschaert vs. Bryan Barberena — middleweight
- Mike Davis vs. Natan Levy — lightweight
- Pannie Kianzad vs. Macy Chiasson — bantamweight
- Josiane Nunes vs. Chelsea Chandler — bantamweight
- Joshua Culibao vs. Danny Silva — featherweight
UFC Atlantic City — March 30
- Alonzo Menifield vs. Carlos Ulberg — light heavyweight
UFC Vegas 90 — April 6
- Alatengheili vs. Victor Hugo — bantamweight (First rep. by Iridium Sports Agency)
UFC 300 — April 13
- Holly Holm vs. Kayla Harrison — bantamweight
- Sodiq Yusuff vs. Diego Lopes — featherweight (First rep. by Freak MMA)
- Jessica Andrade vs. Marina Rodriguez — strawweight
UFC 301 — May 4
- Joaquim Silva vs. Drakkar Klose — lightweight (First rep. by Iridium Sports Agency)
I love Sodiq Yusuff vs. Diego Lopes. Since joining the UFC after a successful Contender Series appearances, Yusuff has had ‘Super’ fantastic fights against names such as Andre Fili, Alex Caceres and Edson Barboza. I expect the same when he goes up against Lopes, who was easily one of the most electrifying UFC signings in 2023. In his past three appearances, Lopes has had a ‘Fight of the Night’ loss to Movsar Evloev (on short-notice!), a submission of Gavin Tucker and a KO of Pat Sabatini.
I hate that someone has to lose, but this is such a great fight.
Announced Professional Fighters League (PFL) fights
PFL vs. Bellator: Champions — February 24
- Ray Cooper III vs. Jason Jackson — 182-pound catchweight (First rep. by Nolan King of MMA Junkie)
- Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. Emmanuel Palacio — lightweight
No more amateur fights for Biaggio Ali Walsh! This is his first as a professional. With the exception of a loss to Devin Rothwell, the grandson of Muhammad Ali has shined with finishes of his past six opponents. Hopefully we see more of those finishes as he goes from amateur to professional.
Announced Cage Warriors fights
Cage Warriors 166 — February 23
- Elijah Harris vs. Kelvin Fitial — heavyweight
- Chasen Blair vs. Orlando Sanders — welterweight
- Chace Eskam vs. Ilias Faquiri — 195-pound catchweight
- Mason Jones vs. Bryce Logan — lightweight
Cage Warriors 167 — March 15
- Amaury Junior vs. Giuseppe Ruggeri — featherweight
- Tommy Hawthorn vs. Simone Patrizi — lightweight
- Sergio Gavinelli vs. Helio Hernandez — welterweight
Cage Warriors 168 — March 16
- Sheldon Ryan vs. Michelangelo Lupoli — flyweight
- James Power vs. Gianluca Rocca — lightweight
- Andy Clamp vs. Matty Byfield — light heavyweight
- Andy Yates vs. Christian Tebbett — flyweight
- Antonio Sheldon vs. Tom Mearns — lightweight
- Aaron Johnson vs. Ermil Xhaferi — lightweight
Cage Warriors 169 — March 30
- Will Currie vs. Leon Aliu — middleweight
- Tommy Brunning vs. Kevin Cesari — bantamweight
- Jimmy Quinn vs. Yohan Salvador — bantamweight
- Matt Figlak vs. Kamil Dolgowski — welterweight
- Jamie Richardson vs. Olli Santalahti — welterweight
- Mitchell Goode vs. Angus Hewett — middleweight
- Joe Middleton vs. Sean McCormac — middleweight
- James Webb vs. Yannick Bahati — light heavyweight
Cage Warriors 170 — April 6
- Adam Shelley vs. Emanuele Sabatino — lightweight
Our own Dayne Fox recently had Mason Jones on his list of fighters the UFC should re-sign, and I agree with him. Sure, his first UFC stint ended in a 1-2-1 record, but he had some great performances. The ‘Dragon’ has since rattled off two wins against Alexandre Ribeiro and Yann Liasse. If he can get this win against Bryce Logan, I hope he returns.
Announced KSW fights
KSW 91 — February 17
- Josef Štummer vs. Adrian Wieliczko — featherweight
- Kacper Koziorzębski vs. Viktor Červinský — welterweight
- Vasil Ducár vs. Dawid Kasperski — light heavyweight
KSW Epic — February 24
- Michał Królik vs. Václav Sivák — featherweight
- Andreas Gustafsson vs. Konrad Rusinki — 176-pound catchweight
KSW is going all in for its Epic event in February, so I was excited to see what it had up its sleeve for its most recent announcement. Andreas Gustafsson vs. Konrad Rusinki is No Holds Barred. No. Holds. Barred.