#ClutchUFC: Resultados y noticias recientes de la UFC

UFC^® TO CROWN NEW CHAMPION AND LAUNCH WOMEN’S FLYWEIGHT DIVISION ON SEASON 26 OF

THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER^®

OPEN CASTING CALL SCHEDULED FOR

TUESDAY, MAY 23 IN LAS VEGAS

Las Vegas – A new division will be created and a new champion will emerge from the next season of The Ultimate Fighter^®. Women’s flyweights, between the ages of 21-34 with a winning record and at least three professional fights are invited to attend the open casting call in Las Vegas. The season will also be open to females on the current UFC roster that can successfully make 125-pounds throughout the duration of the season. The previous casting call for women’s strawweights and bantamweights as well as male middleweights has been cancelled. The season will begin filming in July and premiere on FS1 later this year.

Applications, which should be completed and brought to tryouts, can be found online at http://www.ufc.com/TUF26. The athletes will be required to grapple and hit pads, so please bring appropriate gear. Applicants will be notified at the end of the day if they have been selected to move on in the casting process. If selected, applicants must be prepared to stay in Las Vegas until Saturday, May 27. All questions can be directed togdefranco@pilgrimstudios.com.

The Ultimate Fighter, which debuted in 2005, has launched the careers of some of the UFC’s most recognizable names and successful athletes. The series has produced six UFC champions including Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Michael Bisping, TJ Dillashaw, Carla Esparza, and Matt Serra.

WHO:              125-pound women

WHEN:            Tuesday, May 23 at 8 a.m. PT

WHERE:          Palace Station Hotel

                        2411 W. Sahara Ave.

                        Las Vegas, NV 89102

UFC BRINGS RISING STARS MICHAEL CHIESA AND KEVIN LEE TO OKLAHOMA CITY, WHILE JOHNY HENDRICKS RETURNS HOME TO FACE TIM BOETSCH

Plus:

BJ PENN vs DENNIS SIVER

(#9) ILIR LATIFI vs (#10) ANTONIO ROGERIO NOGUEIRA

TICKETS FOR UFC FIGHT NIGHT^®: CHIESA vs LEE

AT CHESAPEAKE ENERGY ARENA ON SALE MAY 5

Las Vegas – The Octagon^® touches down in Oklahoma City for the first time in eight years when top prospectsMichael Chiesa and Kevin Lee clash in the main event of UFC FIGHT NIGHT^®: CHIESA vs LEE. In the co-main event, No. 15-ranked middleweight Tim Boetsch enters enemy territory when he meets Oklahoma State alumJohny Hendricks. The action goes down Sunday, June 25 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla. and will air live on FS1.

Riding a three-fight winning streak, No. 7 Chiesa (14-2, fighting out of Spokane Valley, Wash.) makes his first headlining appearance in Oklahoma City. Owner of 10 submission victories – five in under three minutes – Chiesa is primed to make a run to the top of the 155-pound division and his quest starts with Lee (15-2, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.). At just 24 years old, Lee may be one of the stars the future in the lightweight division, but he already has 10 UFC^® appearances, finishing his last three fights. Hoping to vault into the top 10 of the weight class, Lee will attempt to use whatever it takes to secure the win.

Hendricks (18-6, fighting out of Fort Worth, Texas) looks to defend his home turf when he clashes with Boetsch(20-11, fighting out of Sunbury, Penn.) who hopes to play spoiler in Hendricks’ homecoming. Former welterweight champion Hendricks, returns to the site of his prestigious collegiate wrestling career. He is a four-time NCAA Div. 1 All-American, three-time Big 12 champion and two-time NCAA Div. 1 National Champion wrestler out of Oklahoma State. When he returns to Oklahoma, he’ll be looking to keep his perfect record at 185 pounds intact with a big win over Boetsch. With knockouts in 12 of his wins, Boetsch has the power to end the fight at any given moment and he’ll attempt to use that power to continue his climb up the middleweight rankings.

As the only active member of the UFC Hall of Fame, BJ Penn (16-11-2, fighting out of Hilo, Hawaii) has fought some of the biggest names in MMA history, including Georges St-Pierre, Matt Hughes, Diego Sanchez and Nick Diaz. When he faces off with German finisher Dennis Siver (22-11, 1 NC) he’ll need to use his world class jiu-jitsu to counter Siver’s elite striking. Siver is looking for the biggest win of his career and being able to add a victory over Penn to his resume will do just that. With 14 finishes in 22 pro victories – seven via knockout and seven by submission – Siver has the versatility to win the bout wherever it takes place.

Additional bouts:

• In a battle of top-10 light heavyweights, No. 9 Ilir Latifi (16-5, 1 NC, fighting out of Malmo, Sweden) collides with No. 10 Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (22-7, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
• Two high-level kickboxers jockey for position in the strawweight division when No. 9 Felice Herrig (12-6, fighting out of Crystal Lake, Ill.) meets undefeated No. 15 Justine Kish (6-0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Calif.)
• Former strawweight champion, No. 9 Carla Esparza (12-4, fighting out of Irvine, Calif.) takes on No. 10Maryna Moroz (8-1, fighting out of Volnogorsk, Ukraine) in her quest to get back to the top of the 115-pound division
• Fan favorite Clay Guida (32-14, fighting out of Johnsburg, Ill.) clashes with dynamic finisher Erik Koch(15-4, fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc.) in a lightweight duel

For the latest information on additional bouts for this event, please visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

Visit the UFC^® Press Portal for information and content to support your UFC coverage.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT^®: CHIESA vs. LEE will air live on FS1 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Sunday, June 25 with the prelims kicking off the evening on FS2 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT and on UFC FIGHT PASS^® at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT.

Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT^®: CHIESA vs. LEE go on sale Friday, May 5 at 10 a.m. CT and are priced at $150, $100, $75, $60 and $50 (prices do not include applicable service charges and handling fees). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available at Chesapeake Energy Arena Box Office.

#Knockeando: Notas recientes del UFC

WHAT’S ON THE MINDS OF THE STARS OF UFC^® 201?

Atlanta – As fight night approaches, here is what the stars of UFC^® 201: LAWLER vs. WOODLEY had to say leading up to their Saturdaynight matchups:

Robbie Lawler: “The thing is, no one ever wants Fight of the Night. Every fight I’ve gone in, I want Knockout of the Night. I want to be in and out quick. Sometimes, these guys just have a lot of grit. They’re highly trained and I just can’t get them out of there so I get fight of the night. I want to knock people out.”

Tyron Woodley: “I was training up in Milwaukee and I asked Anthony Pettis what it was like when Dana White walked behind him and wrapped the belt around his waist for the first time. I could see Anthony go back to that exact moment in time and relive that moment. I feel like I’m the best welterweight in the world. I possess the skills and I know I’m the best in the world so I might as well go grab that belt.”

Rose Namajunas: “The 115-pound division is stacked. I’m not looking past Karolina, but Joanna is the woman and I would love that challenge. A lot of people think Joanna is untouchable and I’d love to be the one to prove people wrong and that I can be the best in the world.”

Karolina Kowalkiewicz: “I feel great, I can’t wait. I trained hard like I always do, but I learned new things in my camp also. This is amazing to be the co-main event; the people in the United States might not know who I am right now, but after this fight they’ll remember my name.”

Matt Brown: “The belt doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re the best in the world and my goal is to be the best in the world. If you are the best, you’ll probably end up with the belt at some point, but what the belt does is make you more famous and earn you more money. But, my goal is just to be the best there is, if that leads to the belt great. If not, that’s okay too.”

Jake Ellenberger: “My preparation for this fight has been extremely intense. I’ve been very focused and my approach was really intense. Pressure has been a key for me in this camp and in my preparation.”

Francisco Rivera: “My goal in a fight is always to get in and get out – one punch and done. I don’t like going out there and getting into these wars and I don’t like getting choked out. After the (Brad) Pickett fight I dropped out of the rankings, but I felt like I won that fight. I know I need to come out here and get the win on Saturday night, get back in the rankings and then hopefully fight a top-10 or 15 guy next.”

Erik Perez: “We (Rivera and I) both need to win this fight. I was in the rankings before Francisco was and this is my opportunity to get my name back to the top again. We both really need this win and I am going to go out there and leave all of my passion and all of my heart in the Octagon. I’m going to finish the fight and impress people. I want to go in the rankings so I need to finish the fight. Francisco Rivera has the name and the power to put me there and if I finish him you can’t deny me.”

UFC^® 201: LAWLER vs. WOODLEY will be available live on Pay-Per-View on Saturday, July 30 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Vubiquity, and in Canada on BellTV, Rogers, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Canal Indigo for a suggested retail price of $49.99 US/CAN for Standard Definition and $59.99 US/CAN for High-Definition.

CAST OF CHAMPIONS REVEALED FOR SEASON 24 OF THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER

CAST REVEALED FOR THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER^®: TEAM BENAVIDEZ vs. TEAM CEJUDO

Flyweight champions from around the world compete for a UFC title shot

Season premieres Wednesday, August 31 at 10 p.m. ET on FS1

Las Vegas – Champions from around the world will descend upon Las Vegas for the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter^®. This season, 16 seeded competitors, all champions in their current promotion, will be coached by two former flyweight title challengers, top-ranked Joseph Benavidez and No. 2Henry Cejudo. Season 24 of the long-running UFC^® reality show debuts Wednesday, August 31 at 10 p.m. ET on FS1. The series is the network’s highest-rated and most-watched original program since inception in August 2013. Last season’s finale, headlined by a strawweight world title bout between coaches Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Claudia Gadelha in, was the most-watched on FS1 since the first fall season in 2013.

Currently riding a five-fight winning streak, Benavidez (24-4, fighting out of Las Cruces, N.M.) has met current 125-pound kingpin Demetrious Johnson twice and will utilize the experience gained in those two encounters to help guide his squad of eight fighters from around the world. In addition to his matchups with “Mighty Mouse,” Benavidez has blown through the competition in the 125-pound division and racked up victories over the best flyweights in the world, including Zach Makovsky, Ian McCall and Jussier Formiga. 

Coaching opposite Benavidez this season is Olympic gold medalist, Cejudo (10-1, fighting out of Phoenix, Ariz.), whose only professional loss has come at the hands of Johnson. Cejudo became the youngest American to earn gold in wrestling at the 2008 games in Beijing. After representing his country on the world’s stage, he turned his attention to MMA, where he holds victories over some of the sport’s elite, including former title challenger Chris Cariaso. 

The show will feature 12 episodes airing Wednesdays on FS1. Each episode’s winner will advance in the single-elimination tournament. In a new twist from previous seasons, the two finalists will meet in the last fight in the house to determine who will receive a shot at the UFC flyweight world title at the finale in December.

Below is a full list of competitors (name, professional record, promotion, age and fighting out of):

For more show information, bios, videos and photos, visit ultimatefighter.com and follow us on Twitter @UltimateFighter and Facebook.

UFC en Directo: Final de la temporada 20 de The Ultimate Fighter

UFC en Directo-Final TUF 20

Por Daniel “Mr. Clutch” Mercado Castro

          Las Vegas, Nevada fue la cede para el final de la temporada 20 de The Ultimate Fighter, donde por primera vez el ganador se coronará campeón. Esta temporada se baso en el debut del Strawweight (115 libras) en la rama femenina y la ganadora será la primera campeona en ese peso en UFC. Y la campeona tiene nombre y apellido…Carla Esparza. Esparza (11-2) derrotó vía Sumisión/Tap Out/ Rear Naked Choke a Rose Namajunas (3-2) para coronarse como la primera campeona de UFC en las 115 libras. La victoria llegó a los 1:26 del tercer round luego de que Esparza dominara los primeros dos asaltos con takedowns, dominio luchístico y buen striking. Esparza se llevó una Harley Davison, entre otros premios.

          Pero Esparza tiene competencia y una boricua la que busca el desquite, aparte de arrebatarle la faja. La invicta boricua Tecia Torres (5-0), quien fue derrotada por Esparza en la competencia, se alzó con un triunfo vía decisión unánime (30-27, 30-27 y 30-26) ante Angela Magana (11-6) en las preliminares de la cartelera. Tecia dominó totalmente en el striking, especialmente con sus side kicks, y hasta llegó a poner en malas condiciones en varias ocasiones a su contrincante. La boricua dominó de principio a fin su pelea y ahora quiere una oportunidad titular para vengar su derrota en TUF 20. ¿Veremos a Esparza contra Tecia por la faja? Ojalá.

          Otra fuerte contrincante a la faja es Joanne Calderwood (9-0) quien venció por decisión unánime (30-27, 30-27 y 30-26) a Scohee Ham (15-6). Joanne esta dura y tiene muy buena pegada, necesita mejorar su lucha para vencer a Carla Esparza. La polémica Heather Jo Clark (7-4) venció por decisión unánime (29-28, 29-28 y 29-28) a Bec Rawlings (5-4) en tremenda pelea. Felice Herrig (10-5) venció con un impresionante Armbar a los 3:05 del segundo round a Lisa Ellis (15-9). Herrig puede ser un palo en la UFC con su carisma y su habilidad. ¡Muy buena para mercadeo! Hay que destacar que Herrig sobrevivió una guillotina para ganar por sumisión.

          En otras batallas, estas en el Main Card, Charles Oliveira (19-4-1NC) venció por decisión unánime (30-27, 29-28 y 29-28) a Jeremy Stephens (23-11). La pelea entre KJ Noons (12-6) y Daron Cruickshank (16-5) terminó en un No Contest al arbitro detener la pelea por una picada de ojo/eye poke no intencional de Noons a Daron que evitó que este continuara peleando. Yancy Medeiros (11-2-1NC) venció a Joe Proctor (10-3) con una sorprendente Guillotina a los 4:37 del primer asalto y Jessica Penne (12-3) derrotó a Randa Markos (4-3) por decisión dividida (28-29, 30-27 y 29-28) en un emocionante encuentro de semifinalistas de TUF 20.