Fights come together fast these days, and if you blink, you can easily miss them. In Fight Roundup, we bring you the latest reported matchups to keep you up to date with what’s on the horizon.
All bouts featured have been officially announced or confirmed with MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz, Mike Heck, and Damon Martin via sources with knowledge of the matchups.
Dan Ige is once again the veteran test for an emerging contender.
After dropping a tough decision loss to Bryce Mitchell this past September, “50K” already has his next assignment as he takes on undefeated featherweight Lerone Murphy (13-0-1) at UFC Vegas 86 on Feb. 10. The matchup was first reported by ESPN.
Ige (17-7), currently No. 15 in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings at 145 pounds, has consistently been paired up with the best that his division has to offer and Murphy is no exception. Since battling Zubaira Tukhugov to a split draw in his UFC debut, Murphy has won five straight fights, most recently earning a decision nod over Josh Culibao this past July.
Several other bouts are officially scheduled for the Feb. 10 UFC APEX card. See the updated lineup below.
Themba Gorimbo has a chance to capitalize on his newfound game when he fights Kiefer Crosbie at UFC Vegas 85 on Feb. 3.
The welterweight matchup was recently announced by the UFC.
Gorimbo (11-4) has made plenty of headlines over the past few months after the story of his extraordinary journey to the UFC caught the attention of Hollywood star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Johnson went as far as to gift Gorimbo a house in Miami this past summer.
Inside the cage, Gorimbo scored his first UFC win this past May, going three rounds with Takashi Sato en route to a unanimous decision win.
Crosbie (10-4) is no stranger to celebrity himself. The Irishman counts UFC superstar Conor McGregor as a teammate and one of his biggest supporters. After having previously made several appearances for Bellator, Crosbie debuted with the UFC against Kevin Jousset at UFC 293 in September where he lost to Jousset by first-round submission.
Felipe dos Santos is getting a second chance to make a first impression.
The 23-year-old Brazilian meets Victor Altamirano (12-3) in a flyweight bout at UFC Mexico City on Feb. 24, five months after losing an entertaining decision to top contender Manel Kape at UFC 294.
Ag. Fight was first to report the matchup.
Dos Santos (7-1, 1 NC) was called upon on short notice to replace an injured Kai Kara-France against Kape and though Kape earned the hard-fought win, “Lipe Detona” impressed in his first UFC appearance.
Altamirano has seen mixed results in the UFC since winning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021. He lost a split decision to Carlos Hernandez, rebounded with consecutive wins over Daniel Lacerda and Vinicus Salvador, and then fell to 2-2 in the UFC with a loss to Tim Elliott.
UFC Mexico City is headlined by a flyweight bout between two-time champion Brandon Moreno and Amir Albazi.
There’s still a few days left in 2023, but the UFC is already working to fill its March lineups.
Flyweights Ode Osbourne (12-6) and Jafel Filho (15-3) are set to fight on March 16, at a UFC event with a location still to be determined. Osbourne looks to find consistency in the new year after going 1-1 in 2023, with his most recent outing being a submission loss to Asu Almbaev.
Filho also split a pair of fights this year, though he is coming off of a win after submitting Daniel Barez inside of a round. “Pastor” made a splash in his UFC debut against Muhammad Mokaev this past March at UFC 286, putting a scare into Mokaev with a near-submission before being forced to tap to a neck crank in Round 3.
The flyweight bout was announced by Osbourne and Filho’s shared management.
Montserrat Rendon’s next fight was announced by the same management team as she fights Nora Cornolle (7-1) on March 23, another UFC date that awaits a location.
In her UFC debut, Rendon (6-0) stayed undefeated with a split decision win over Tamires Vidal. Prior to that fight, Mexico’s “Monster” had competed for Invicta FC and Combate Global.
Cornolle—currently No. 14 at 135 pounds in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings—also impressed in her UFC debut, scoring a unanimous decision over veteran Joselyne Edwards. “Wonder” has won seven straight fights since losing her first pro bout in 2021.
