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.
A pair of heavyweight veterans are headed to Miami.
Chris Barnett (23-8) is set to fight Chase Sherman (26-11) at UFC 287, which takes place at Miami-Dade Arena on April 8. The bout was first reported by Eurosport.
“Beast Boy” is coming off of a thrilling second-round knockout of Jake Collier at UFC 279. The win wasn’t without its hiccups though as Barnett entered the octagon as just the second UFC fighter ever to weigh in over the heavyweight limit. He has alternated wins and losses in four appearances with the promotion since debuting in 2021.
For Sherman, this marks his 15th UFC fight. “The Vanilla Gorilla” hasn’t seen much success across three UFC stints, with just one win in his past six fights and a 4-10 octagon mark overall. In his most recent fight, Sherman lost a unanimous decision to Waldo Cortes-Acosta.
Also added to the April 8 pay-per-view, Jaqueline Amorim fights Sam Hughes in a strawweight contest.
The undefeated Amorim makes her UFC debut with a 6-0 pro mark, including two title fight victories competing for the LFA. Amorim has dominated the competition in her brief pro career thus far, finishing her past five opponents in the first round.
Hughes (7-5) has gone 2-4 in the UFC while earning a reputation for being willing to step in as a replacement opponent at the drop of a hat. She recently saw a two-fight win streak snapped by a unanimous decision loss to Piera Rodriguez.
The matchup was first reported by mma.ideas.
Ed Herman vs. Zak Cummings
Ed Herman and Zak Cummings are back.
The longtime UFC veterans both make their return after lengthy layoffs when they fight at UFC Kansas City in a light heavyweight bout on April 15. This marks Herman’s first fight since August 2021 and Cummings’ first since August 2020.
When we last saw Herman (26-15, 1 NC), he lost a unanimous decision to Alonzo Menifield at UFC 265. That snapped a three-fight win streak for Herman, who made his pro debut in 2003 and holds a 13-11 (1 NC) record in the UFC.
Cummings (24-7) returns with a win in his most recent outing as he earned a unanimous nod over Alessio Di Chirico at UFC Vegas 8. Fighting out of Kansas City, Cummings has won three of his past four bouts.
Brad Tavares and Bruno Silva meet in a clash of middleweight veterans on April 22.
SUPER LUTAS was first to report the matchup.
Tavares (19-7) is one of the longest tenured fighters in the UFC’s 185-pound division, with a 14-7 record inside the octagon. He lost a unanimous decision to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 276 this past July, then had to withdraw from a bout with Gregory Rodrigues that was scheduled to take place at UFC 283. The Ultimate Fighter 11 cast member is 6-4 in his past 10 bouts.
“Blindado” looks to stop just the second losing streak of his career and his first since 2012. After scoring knockout victories in his first three UFC outings, Silva (22-8) has suffered back-to-back losses against Gerald Meerschaert and Alex Pereira.
A location is still to be determined for the UFC’s April 22 event.
Lightweights Ricky Glenn and Christos Giagos will also compete on April 22
Glenn (22-6-2) competes for the first time since battling to a majority draw against Grant Dawson in October 2021. The 16-year veteran was scheduled to fight Drew Dober this past March, but a groin injury brought a premature end to Glenn’s 2022 campaign.
Giagos (19-10) also seeks better luck in 2023 after suffering his second straight first-round submission loss when he fell to Thiago Moises this past June. Giagos has lost three of his past five fights.
The matchup was first announced by Glenn and Giagos’ management.
Marcos Rogerio de Lima looks to continue his climb up the heavyweight ranks when he takes on Waldo Cortes-Acosta on April 29.
The bout was first reported by ESPN.
De Lima (20-8-1) has placed himself just outside of the rankings with three wins in his past four outings. He added a veteran name to his resume in his most recent fight at UFC Vegas 63, where he submitted former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski in under two minutes.
Cortes-Acosta (9-0) was originally scheduled to fight Junior Tafa this past weekend at UFC 284 before Tafa withdrew due to an injury. The Dominican heavyweight didn’t have to wait long for a new booking as he is now set to fight De Lima at the UFC’s April 29 event, with a location still to be determined. In two UFC appearances, Cortes-Acosta has scored decision wins over Chase Sherman and Jared Vanderaa.
Johnny Munoz and Daniel Santos jockey for position in the deep bantamweight division this May.
The two are set for a 135-pound matchup at a May 6 UFC Fight Night event with a location still to be determined. ESPN was first to report the bout.
Munoz (12-2) and Santos (10-2) are both coming off of victories, with Munoz having outpointed Liudvik Sholinian this past November and Santos having scored a second-round knockout of John Castaneda this past October. This marks the fifth UFC outing for Munoz, 2-2 so far inside the octagon, while Santos makes his third UFC appearance after a 1-1 start with the promotion.
Veteran Jessica-Rose Clark welcomes Tainara Lisboa to the UFC on May 13.
“Jessy Jess” fights Lisboa (5-2) in a bantamweight bout at the May 13 UFC Fight Night event, with a location still to be determined. The matchup was first announced by Clark’s management.
Since moving up to the bantamweight division, Clark (11-8, 1 NC) has had mixed results, with a 2-3 mark in her past five outings at 135 pounds. She has lost two straight fights to Julija Stoliarenko and Stephanie Egger, both by first-round armbar.
Lisboa enters the UFC on a three-fight win streak, all by knockout or submission. Competing on Brazil’s regional scene, Lisboa has gone 5-1 since losing in her pro debut to future UFC fighter Norma Dumont.
Joe Solecki vs. Carl Deaton III
Lightweight octagon vet Joe Solecki (12-3) is expected to welcome to the UFC newcomer Carl Deaton III (17-5) at UFC Vegas 70. MMA Junkie first reported the booking.
Solecki originally was scheduled to face Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC Vegas 69, but was rebooked opposite Deaton III at the Feb. 25 event in Las Vegas. He is eight months removed from his most recent UFC appearance, a majority decision over Alex da Silva at UFC Vegas 56. Prior to that, he tapped future UFC Hall of Famer Donald Cerrone under the Fury Pro Grappling banner.
Deaton III, a PFL veteran, rides a two-fight winning streak into the octagon for a short-notice debut; one of those wins came over UFC vet Justin Jaynes on the regional circuit.
