Before we get into the crux of what you all showed up for (news), we want to re-introduce you to the “Insider’s Scoop.”
Every once in and while, our reporters, when enough noteworthy developments have piled up, will release news in an easy-to-digest roundup for the MMA Junkie audience.
From fight rumblings to event locations and dates to roster departures and more, various tidbits and under-the-radar pieces of news will be featured each time “Insider’s Scoop” is released.
So without further ado, here’s the latest edition of “Insider’s Scoop.”
UFC Seoul no mas
During the UFC 282 pre-fight news conference Thursday, the promotion announced its early 2023 schedule. While a few new dates and locations were announced, the previously-announced Feb. 4 event scheduled for Seoul, South Korea was noticeably absent.
Wednesday, fighters who were set for the card were notified the location has been shifted out of Korea and to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, two sources told MMA Junkie.
Thursday, the promotion announced Derrick Lewis vs. Serghei Spivac is back on the books – as the main event.
While it’s unclear exactly why the event was shifted, “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung recently announced he would not be competing on the card as he previously hoped for due to a shoulder injury. Clearly the biggest draw in his home country, it seems to make sense the promotion would push off its South Korean return to a later date.
News of the event shift was first reported by Marcel Dorff.
BKFC headed to new lands
Everyone had something to say when BKFC emerged out of the woodwork and into the national spotlight in 2018. Now five years later, they’re cranking out events at a faster rate than ever.
Part of that is due to the acceptance by commissions of bareknuckle fighting as a sport. Fifteen states with formal approval include Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Kansas, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, New Hampshire, Nebraska, New Mexico, Vermont, South Carolina, Virginia, and Colorado.
With the climb in state commissions sanctioning the sport, expect more first-time BKFC locations in 2023. South Carolina is already on the docket, and I’m hearing Virginia could be next to debut thereafter.
Erin Blanchfield matchmaking
Erin Blanchfield made waves when she tore through popular Molly McCann at UFC 281 in New York this past November. If she wasn’t on radars before, she is now. One of the most highly-touted prospects in MMA, Blanchfield is UFC-ranked in the top 10 at 23 years old.
So, where does her matchmaking go from here? There are two lines of thinking: slow and steady, or straight to the top whatever the quickest way possible is.
I’m told by a source both the promotion and Blanchfield are in agreement: she’s ready for the upper echelon of the women’s flyweight rankings. Expect to see Blanchfield get a top five contender next or even find herself in a title-eliminator-like situation with a matchup already in the works for the coming weeks.
Bellator eying San Jose return
San Jose is the hub of Bellator MMA. But since the COVID-19 pandemic, its shows have been a bit less frequent there. Locations and dates are a bit more fluid in Bellator than other promotions, but I’m hearing it hopes for a show there in March. If finalized, it will be the third Bellator event post-pandemic at SAP Center.
Zion Clark
Zion Clark, a former All-American high school wrestler and current motivational speaker with over 1 million Instagram followers, is set to make his MMA debut Saturday for Gladiator Challenge in California. Born with a rare birth defect called caudal regression syndrome, Clark does not have legs. However, he aims to overcome adversity once again in his first MMA fight. He’ll fight Eugene Murray (0-4) in a pro bout.
Brandon Moreno training pack "stronger than ever"
When news surfaced James Krause won’t be allowed to corner UFC fighters until the ongoing betting investigation resolves, I saw a lot of online comments that questioned the preparation impact it would have on his fighters – and in particular, his most high-profile student.
For Brandon Moreno, the focus appears to remain the same, as he marches toward UFC 283 and Deiveson Figueiredo. Moreno has in recent years built a “boxing style” camp, built around him.
While Moreno would cross-train at Glory MMA & Fitness in Lee’s Summit, Mo., his home base has been in Las Vegas – where it will be exclusively going forward, one of his coaches Hector Vasquez told MMA Junkie in a yet-to-be-released interview.
His coaches for UFC 283 are the same faces, minus one. That includes Vasquez, a respected grappling coach and head of Cobrinha BJJ, renowned boxing coach Jorge Capetillo, muay Thai kru Pedro Joya, and a large crew of training partners who get in work at the UFC Performance Institute.
“We know what he needs to do and he believes in us,” Vasquez said. “Honestly, everybody is there for his best interest. Nobody has an ego. Everybody works together so well, that’s why I think the crew right now is stronger than ever.”
Fighter-turned-coach-turned-fighter
Things have come full circle for Dean Garnett, the man leading surging UFC flyweight Muhammed Mokaev toward a potential championship. The co-owner and head coach of Aspire Combat Sports Academy, Garnett will take his first fight in nearly five years when he steps in the cage Jan. 22 in Paris for Hexagone MMA.
Garnett, 34, has competed for Bellator, ACB, and Cage Warriors throughout his dozen-plus-year combat sports career. He most recently competed in 2018 when he defeated Dominique Wooding by split decision.
OSU standouts head to Fury FC
Wrestlers-turned-fighters are all the rage these days – and Bo Nickal is just the tip of the iceberg.
Two Oklahoma State University (OSU) wrestling standouts are among the rising pack, running through the regional ranks toward major promotional notoriety. Sunday, they take the next step up when they compete for credible Texas-based promotion Fury FC on UFC Fight Pass.
At Fury FC 72 in Houston, former OSU wrestlers Jacobe Smith (3-0) and Nick Piccininni (3-0) will compete. Smith, a welterweight, fights Tommie Britton (5-9). Piccininni, a bantamweight, fights Freddie Rodriguez (4-0).
Both Smith and Piccininni train at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif., following in the footsteps of their fellow OSU alumnus Daniel Cormier, who speaks very highly of the pair.
