Covington cements himself as a contender

The already murky welterweight division got a bit murkier at UFC Fight Night in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Saturday.

Seventh-ranked Colby Covington earned a victory over third-ranked Demian Maia in perhaps an even more dominant fashion than Maia’s previous opponent, welterweight champion Tyron Woodley.

Covington, who trains at American Top Team, the same camp as Woodley, has been vocal about his disdain for the champion and took the opportunity to emphatically call him out following the victory.

Covington will likely have to wait in line for his title shot. Top-ranked former champion Robbie Lawler faces fifth-ranked Rafael dos Anjos on Dec. 16 in Winnipeg in a fight that UFC president Dana White declared a number one contender matchup.

Historically, that hasn’t always been concrete and the next title contender has been decided by whoever stood out the most.

Following Covington’s fight, Woodley took to Twitter to insult him and state that he was embarrassed that Covington was in his division.

Woodley is currently sidelined with an injury and has stated that he would sit back and see how the division played out before he determines what comes next.

 

Machida unsuccessful in UFC return

Coming off an 18-month suspension after admitting to taking a substance banned by USADA, former light heavyweight champion Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida returned to the octagon at age 39 and faced sixth-ranked middleweight Derek Brunson in the main event on Saturday.

Brunson seized the moment and spoiled Machida’s return to the UFC with a first-round knockout. It was Brunson’s second straight win, both of which came by first-round knockout, and is his 14th career first-round finish.

Brunson called out former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold after the fight, who defeated David Branch last month.

 

Attendance and Bonuses

UFC Fight Night at Ginasio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo attracted 10,265 fans with an undisclosed gate.

Performance bonuses were awarded to Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos and Max Griffin for Fight of the Night. Derek Brunson and Pedro Munhoz were awarded bonuses for their knockout and submission finishes respectfully. Each of them earned an additional $50,000.

 

Potential Nunes-Pennington fight derailed by ATV accident

Several outlets reported last week that a fight between Amanda Nunes and Raquel Pennington for the women’s bantamweight title had been agreed upon for UFC 219 on Dec. 30 in Las Vegas, but that the fight had to be canceled before it was officially announced due to an injury Pennington suffered on an ATV.

Pennington told MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani that the accident happened while on an annual hunting trip and that if not for her hunting boots, her leg may have fully shattered and risked amputation.

Pennington last fought in November when she defeated former women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate.

Pennington also told MMA Fighting that she required three major surgeries after defeating Tate, explaining her lengthy layoff.

The fight would have been the UFC’s first championship fight that featured two openly gay athletes.

 

Nurmagomedov vs. Barboza official for UFC 219

Despite pleas for the UFC to book him in a fight with interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson, top-ranked contender Khabib Nurmagomedov has agreed to fight third-ranked Edson Barboza at UFC 219.

Barboza has won three in a row, with his last loss coming to Ferguson in December of 2015.

For years, Nurmagomedov has been considered the top contender for the lightweight title, but injuries, canceled fights and issues with weight cutting have prevented him from earning the vaunted title shot in what many consider the most stacked division in the UFC.

Nurmagomedov has yet to lose a round in his UFC career and boasts a 24-0 professional mixed martial arts record.

 

GSP looks to become fourth UFC two-division champion

This weekend marks the return of former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre after a near four-year hiatus from mixed martial arts.

St-Pierre faces middleweight champion Michael Bisping on Saturday, with the potential to become only the fourth UFC fighter to hold a title in multiple weight classes.

A victory would also tie St-Pierre with Bisping for the most wins in UFC history with 20. With St-Pierre achieving the accolade in 22 fights versus 27 for Bisping, he would likely be in consideration for greatest fighter in UFC history.


An inside look at St-Pierre’s comeback can be seen in the TSN Original The Mind of GSP, which will air on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. on TSN 1/3/4/5.