Mairbek Taisumov, Dong Hyun Ma, Chance Rencountre, Matthew Lopez, Cyril Asker, Khalid Murtazaliev, Talita Bernardo, Jodie Esquibel, Marcos Mariano, Isabela de Padua, and Zhenhong Lu make up the remainder of the list.

Sherdog’s Tom Freely first reported the roster changes, based on profile removals from UFC.com

The UFC has not confirmed any of the changes. However, Prepolec confirmed his release on Thursday. “Was fun while it lasted once everything is done and settled I’ll get the ball rolling and get back in there,” he wrote on Twitter. “Thank you [UFC and UFC Canada] for the opportunity. I’ll prove myself worthy again. Time to get back to work. Time to be better then ever before.”

Lightweight Prepolec (12-7), a former BTC standout, joined the UFC off the strength of wins over Scott Hudson and former UFC fighter Cody Pfister. However, he stumbled out of the gate, going 0-2 inside the octagon, with losses to Nordine Taleb (who has also moved on from the promotion) at 170lbs, and Austin Hubbard at 155lbs.

Tonya Evinger (19-8, 1NC) entered the UFC as an opponent for Cris Cyborg, during Cyborg’s featherweight title reign. A former Invicta FC bantamweight champ, Evinger lost to Cyborg (as most do), then came up short against Aspen Ladd and Lina Lansberg. Both fights were definitive losses.

Among some of the most surprising names listed as removed from the roster, Mairbek Taisumov, who was 6-1 in his last seven fights. While coming off a loss to Carlos Diego Ferreira at UFC 242, it seemed as if he had plenty of fight left in him. A failed USADA test earlier in 2019 and struggles to obtain a visa to compete in the U.S. may have come into play. The lightweight, however, won three consecutive Performance of the Night bonuses from 2015 to 2017. Update: per an MMA Junkie report, Taisumov has confirmed his contract has expired, and he is a free agent fielding offers elsewhere — but is open to re-signing with the UFC.

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Tonya Evinger was the queen of the Invicta bantamweight division, winning the promotion’s title in 2015 against Irene Aldana and defending it three times. Overall, Evinger was 7-0 in the promotion with three submissions and two TKOs (and one no contest). She joined the UFC to challenge Cris Cyborg for the featherweight title, losing by third-round stoppage. “Triple Threat” was unable to rebound in her next fight, losing by first-round TKO at the hands of Aspen Ladd.

Lina Lansberg was Cris Cyborg’s first UFC victim. The Muay Thai specialist signed with the promotion in 2016 with a 6-1 record that contained four stoppages. Of course, she was no match for Cyborg (even at a 140-pound catchweight). Lansberg is 2-2 since then, defeating Gina Mazany and Lucie Pudilova.

Lansberg started on the outside, circling, allowing Evinger to move in with strikes and press her up against the cage. Evinger would grind her opponent into the fence but was unable to make much happen. The sequence would repeat itself after Lansberg broke free, but a short elbow cut open the American. Later in the round, Lansberg would get the bloodied Evinger to the ground, and absolutely unload on the American! Elbow after elbow landed, but Evinger never stopped moving or defending, somehow escaping the round despite her face being a mask of blood.

Round two opened with Lansberg connecting, but it was Evinger getting the fight to the ground, putting Lansberg on her back by the fence. Blood was still flowing from the American, drenching her opponent as well. Evinger took the back, got a hook in, and worked in some punches while looking to lock in a choke. The whole time, Evinger continued to bleed quite profusely.

Lansberg, however, would manage to reverse, moving to half-guard and wailing away on Tonya Evinger, who was trapped against the fence. Evinger attempted to isolate an arm from the bottom, but she was in a nasty spot with little hope of escape. The outpouring of offense from Lansberg greatly shifted the momentum in the round, giving her the frame and big edge in significant strikes.

Evinger again attempted to drive Lansberg into the fence to start round three, but the Swede quickly reversed position. Eventually, Evinger would look for a throw only to have it backfire. Lansberg controlled her opponet’s back, scoring more big strikes with Evinger on her knees. Lansberg would add blow after blow while Evinger tried to control the wrists. Punches became elbows, the ref took a good look, but Evinger rolled to her back, buying some time. Lansberg sat in half-guard, opening up Evinger once again.

That's how you end a round!

WOW! #UFCStockholm pic.twitter.com/jMwOiuDp3B

— UFC (@ufc) June 1, 2019

Evinger would make it to the final bell, but there was no question that Lansberg had won the fight. A bloody good bout, pun fully intended.

After the fight, an emotional Lansberg called for a rematch with Aspen Ladd, who won their first meeting.

Lina Lansberg de. Tonya Evinger by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-26)

The post UFC Stockholm Results: Lina Lansberg Bloodies Tonya Evinger, Lives Up to Elbow Queen Name appeared first on Cageside Press.

The UFC has added a pair of former opponents of Cris Cyborg to the UFC Stockholm card. On Wednesday, the promotion unveiled that former Invicta FC bantamweight champ, and UFC featherweight title challenger Tonya Evinger would take on Lina Lansberg at the event. Lansberg, like Evinger, started her UFC career by taking on Cyborg. In Lansberg’s case, it was a catchweight fight at 140lbs.

…how about one more for #UFCStockholm! 🇸🇪@TonyaEvinger vs @LinaLansberg is also made official: https://t.co/m3x9okMBPt pic.twitter.com/a9YxOBOr8S

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) April 3, 2019

Lansberg (8-4) has traded wins and losses since her UFC debut. She picked up a unanimous decision win against Gina Mazany at UFC Liverpool last May, then dropped a second three-round affair to Yana Kunitskaya at UFC 229.

Evinger (19–7 (1)), a popular figure in Invicta FC, also fought at UFC 229. She lost via TKO to rising prospect Aspen Ladd that night. With her back against the wall, Evinger will look to avoid the dreaded 0-3 against Lansberg in Sweden.

UFC Stockholm, a.k.a. UFC on ESPN+ 10 / UFC Fight Night 152 takes place June 1 at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden.

UFC Stockholm Card to Date:

Light Heavyweight bout: Alexander Gustafsson vs. Anthony Smith
Featherweight bout: Makwan Amirkhani vs. Chris Fishgold
Lightweight bout: Nick Hein vs. Luigi Vendramini
Light Heavyweight bout: Ilir Latifi vs. Volkan Oezdemir
Light Heavyweight bout: Jimi Manuwa vs. Aleksandar Rakić
Women’s Featherweight bout: Bea Malecki vs. Duda Santana
Lightweight bout: Leonardo Santos vs. Stevie Ray
Women’s bantamweight bout: Lina Länsberg vs. Tonya Evinger

Update, 4/19/2019: Due to a change in UFC broadcast plans, UFC Stockholm is now UFC Fight Night 153/UFC on ESPN+ 11

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On October 6, when Aspen Ladd battled former Invicta FC queen Tonya Evinger, not many expected the younger Ladd to walk out victorious. Evinger was entering the fight with experience of over a decade and a record of 19-7, which included wins over the likes of Yana Kunitskaya, Pannie Kianzad, Cindy Dandois, Irene Aldana, and Sarah D’Alelio. Ladd, on the other hand, was taking the fight on short notice and also had trouble with her weight cut. Under these circumstances, very few were giving the undefeated prospect any chances.

However, the fight turned out to be very different than expected. After initially having trouble with Evinger’s striking, the MMA Gold Fight Team prospect managed to trip the veteran fighter to the ground and unloaded a barrage of hammer fists. She then, while roaring like a lioness, secured back mount and unleashed a bombardment of shots which resulted in referee stopping the match. At 3:26 of the very first round, Ladd managed to finish “Triple Threat”, a feat fighters like current UFC featherweight champion Cris Cyborg and Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann couldn’t achieve. This win also earned Ladd, her first ever Performance of the Night bonus.

With the win, Ladd improved her record to 7-0, out of which, only one has gone the distance. Also by securing this win, she enters the short list of contenders for the women’s bantamweight title. However, she is still at least two matches away before securing a title shot, Ladd now enters a phase where she begins her journey for the title shot. She still is clearly behind the likes of Germaine De Randamie, Ketlen Vieira, Cat Zingano, and Raquel Pennington but this win put her somewhere in between a prospect and a contender.

Aspen the Fighter

Though a very well rounded fighter, Aspen Ladd primarily relies on her grappling and aggressive top game to secure wins. A purple belt in BJJ, Ladd usually moves inside to set up a takedown. After managing to take the fight to the ground, she usually seeks mount and then lands vicious elbow shots. In her career so far, this gameplan has seemed to provide excellent dividends, and that is despite the fact that she at times has faced way more experienced grapplers. This occurs because Ladd, apart from having a strong ground and pound attack, is also a very smart fighter.

She knows when and how to set up takedowns, how to push fighters against the cage, land nice combinations, and secure mount. A perfect example of her using better presence of mind was seen in her last fight. Despite being dominated early in the round by Evinger’s striking, Ladd managed to turn the tide by tripping the former Invicta FC champ and dragging Evinger to ground. It was there where she kept a firm grip on the veteran, who tried to scramble out of the position multiple times. Evinger, who’s known for toughing her way out of such positions, couldn’t do much against the undersized Ladd because of her perfect timing of stuffing “Triple Threat.” For a 23-year-old that’s an amazing display of the mental side of martial arts

Next Matchup

As stated earlier, Aspen Ladd is one of the brightest prospects at 135. The division, which has been home to the likes of Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate, today faces a shortage of elite fighters. In times like these, having a prospect like Ladd who brings in the element of excitement to fights is really refreshing. Ladd so far has managed to live up to her hype, but from now on, the journey is going to get way tougher. She will now actually have to compete in the deep waters. Look for her to face Irene Aldana or Cat Zingano in her next bout.

In the case that she faces Zingano, she faces an extremely aggressive wrestler. Zingano comes in with a record of 10-3, and recently bounced back from a three-fight losing streak by defeating Marion Reneau. A former title challenger, Zingano is the perfect matchup for Ladd. If the two lock horns, it will be an aggressive wrestling battle where ground and pound will make the difference.

If she faces Aldana, things get a bit tricky. Ladd has a natural tendency of moving forward and getting inside her opponents reach. If she does that against a striker like Aldana, she exposes herself to a variety of shots, some of which are capable of knocking Ladd out. At the very same time, Ladd’s amazing ground game could give Aldana serious trouble. This will turn out to be more than a traditional striker vs. grappler match as the two are very exciting fighters. Other possible matches include facing Marion Reneau, Yana Kunitskaya, Bethe Correia, and Julianna Pena.

Is Ladd the Future?

Is Aspen Ladd the future of the women’s bantamweight division? At the present moment, it looks like it. You do have prospects like Lisa Spangler (3-0), Pannie Kianzad (10-3), Julia Avil (5-1), Alexa Conners (5-2), Brittney Victoria Grizzelle (2-0), and Shanna Young (4-1), but none of them have faced the same level of competition as Ladd or have found the same level of success as her. The only one who stands out is Ketlen Viera.

This brings us to the second part, the present day elite fighters. The current lot of top fighters aren’t what you’d call old, but they aren’t young either. So by the time Ladd actually hits her prime, the present day fighters will start fading. Nunes and Pennington both are 30, Germaine De Randamie is 34, Holly Holm is 37, and Marion Reneau is 41. Most of them will be at the end of their primes when Ladd reaches her full potential. With that being said, Ladd certainly has a high probability of becoming the future of bantamweight division.

However, she has trouble making 135-pound limit. The problem is bound to increase as she grows older. If she wants to be the future of the division, she has to ensure that she can make it to the bantamweight limit consistently. If not controlled, this weight cutting factor might intensify to a point where it can start affecting Ladd’s performance.

Plus, she is a bit undersized. Most bantamweights, especially those in the elite rankings, are large in frame. That can become a strong factor which plays against Ladd. Her style requires her to have either a size advantage or at least equal size. She can be in a lot of trouble against larger and more skilled opposition.

Overall, Aspen Ladd does have the skillset to make it big. However, how far she does go is something that is difficult to predict.

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Undefeated bantamweight Aspen Ladd was one of the last fighters to hit the scales at Friday’s official weigh-ins for UFC 229. When she did, she weighed in with a barrier. Ladd, who has had a history of weight struggles, looked drained. She had blown weight in April at UFC Atlantic City, leading to her fight with Leslie Smith falling through. This time, she made it, but how she’d look against former Invicta FC bantamweight champion Tonya Evinger was another matter.

Evinger, however, was returning from a lengthy injury layoff, something she opened up about to Cageside Press ahead of the fight.

In the end, Ladd had no issues. The pair threw hands early, with Evinger initiating a clinch, and backing Ladd up against the fence. While Evinger controlled initially, in a scramble, Ladd took her to the ground and began landing  some heavy shots while controlling one of Evinger’s wrists. Ladd continued to bash away with hammer fists, perhaps setting up the former Invicta champion for a rear-naked choke. Ladd worked to get her hooks in, which she finally did with just over two minutes remaining in the frame. More hammer fists followed, then elbows behind the ear from the back. Evinger held on as long as she could, but had nowhere to go, forcing the ref to call the fight.

For Ladd, the fight was not only an impressive display of aggression but frankly the biggest win of her career. If she can consistently make 135lbs without issue, she has a bright future in the UFC’s bantamweight ranks.

Aspen Ladd def. Tonya Evinger by TKO, Round 1, 3:26

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The last time fans saw Tonya Evinger, she had stepped in on short notice to make her UFC debut against Cris Cyborg for the featherweight championship. Injuries and scheduling have kept her out of the cage since then, but she will finally be making her return on the biggest stage of the year at UFC 229 against the undefeated Aspen Ladd.

One would imagine that making your UFC debut in a title shot against the greatest female fighter of all time would be a daunting task. For Evinger, however, such a monumental event and experience was par for the course for a fighter who’s competed against the best in the world for more than a decade.

“It wasn’t anything crazy out of the ordinary. Obviously, I’ve fought for the Invicta title multiple times before and that in itself is a huge stage to fight for. The only issue I had with (Cyborg) was the weight and being able to prepare for the fight on short notice. I took the fight on a three-week call and a two-week training camp for the biggest fight of my career and that was tough.”

There is a portion of the fanbase under the false illusion that “Triple Threat” materialized out of nowhere to give Cyborg an adversary last July. The reality is that Evinger is a veteran of the circuit who was in marquee female bouts years before the formation of Invicta. She faced Gina Carano in 2007 under Elite XC and names such as Alexis Davis, Sara McMann, and Cindy Dandois throughout her career. Coming into the UFC, she had also defeated current UFC bantamweight and former featherweight title challenger herself Yana Kunitskaya to defend her Invicta FC bantamweight championship.

Outside the cage, a search for Tonya Evinger quickly brings up her moment of notoriety. Following a victory in Invicta FC, Evinger kissed reporter Laura Sanko during the broadcast in a viral moment left viewers buzzing. Many felt that Evinger should be reprimanded, stating that had she been a man that there would be an uproar. Evinger says those who are offended don’t know the story:

“I obviously am good friends with her. She wasn’t offended. Her husband wasn’t offended. So all the idiots who are talking bullshit, they’re not going to sue me. They’re not going to beat my ass, that’s just some nonsense. Literally, it was a funny situation. It was a publicity stunt to get a little attention. And we got moment of the year. I mean the year before I got beat by a girl wearing a costume and she got moment of the year and that’s stupid. We decided to do it right before and it was cool.” Also, Evinger clarifies that she only dry heaved into the bucket before the infamous kiss, not throw-up as has been the popular assumption.

While her UFC debut came to much fanfare, getting another fight in the Octagon proved to be a more difficult task. She would eventually sign a deal for a fight later in 2017, only to suffer a knee injury that has since kept her sidelined. The experience of surgery was one of the worst of Evinger’s career and one even she doubted she would ever recover from.

“I was telling my coaches I would never fight again. I just had such a bad time with the first surgery and it didn’t heal up like we planned. I didn’t realize I was having an issue. I just thought that was the way it went. It hurt so bad that I just thought I couldn’t fight anymore, I couldn’t imagine it getting any better than it was. I ended up going into another surgery and it was like ‘holy shit’ it was a brand new me. Finally, my leg works like it normally does and it’s been progressing from there. After that, I was begging for a fight with anybody.”

In her time away, Tonya Evinger stepped over to the business side of the sport and put on her own MMA show in her home of Houston called Indominus 1. “My girlfriend and I put it on.   We set up every aspect of it. I dealt with the commission, the matchmaking, all the fight parts of it. She dealt with setting up the rest. We ran the concessions, we ran the liquor, we ran the entire show. It was a big project. We put a lot of time and money into it.  I want to build something out here that becomes goes somewhere. There’s not a lot of competition for MMA out here besides some goofy-ass guy who puts shows on. I’d love to push my show to be the best one in Houston, or at least past that douchebag. I really feel that’s my main goal with the promotion at this point.”

When her return was finally announced, it was in a huge way. Top-ranked contender Ketlan Vieira accepted a fight with Evinger in her native Brazil for the recent card in São Paulo, but unfortunately pulled out with an injury. The promotion moved Evinger forward, to face undefeated Aspen Ladd this weekend at UFC 229. On the opponent change, Evinger said “It really doesn’t matter. I just want to fight. It doesn’t matter who I’m fighting or where. I am happy to be fighting in the U.S instead of out of the country. I wasn’t excited about fighting over there. But the change of opponent doesn’t matter to me. I get an extra two weeks to train and prepare.”

On the perceived step down from Vieira to Ladd, Tonya Evinger explains. “She (Vieira) is obviously not the title challenger or she would have gotten that shot already. I really think people get caught up in where they are or what they think they deserve but at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. I’ve been fighting longer than both of these girls and I still haven’t gotten a title shot. So for me to be worrying about where they are in the division doesn’t really matter.  I’m Invicta world champion and I should be up there and going for a shot. I don’t understand why everybody is so worried about who’s next in line. It’s definitely not how you do or who you beat up because the UFC just puts whoever they want up there. I’ll just take my turn and fight whoever I can and as much as I can until I get there.”

Being on the undercard of the most anticipated card of the year, Evinger also has her pick for the main event between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor. “I got Khabib. I just think he’s going to take him down. I think if he takes him down he’s going to finish him.”

Tonya Evinger will face Aspen Ladd this Saturday at UFC 229, live on FS1.

The post Tonya Evinger Details Injury and Layoff Ahead of UFC 229 Return appeared first on Cageside Press.

With Tonya Evinger forced off the UFC Austin card, UFC bantamweight Marion Reneau will now face former title challenger Sara McMann. But not in Austin. Instead, Reneau vs. McMann will take place at UFC on FOX 28 in Orlando. MMA Junkie was first to report the news Wednesday evening, with Reneau later confirming the pairing. News of Evinger’s injury broke yesterday, with the ex-Invicta bantamweight champion clearly distraught with being unable to compete.

https://twitter.com/tonyaevinger/status/950878949109878784

While the news is devastating for Evinger, there is a silver lining for Marion Reneau. In McMann, she gets an even higher profile opponent for the event than expected. McMann (11-4) had been on a three fight win streak prior to getting caught and submitted by Ketlan Vieira at UFC 215. She’s fought a who’s who of names in the bantamweight division, including her title challenge against Ronda Rousey, as well as Miesha Tate and Amanda Nunes. McMann, an Olympic silver medalist, is currently ranked eighth in the UFC’s official women’s bantamweight rankings.

Reneau herself is ranked tenth. The forty-year old ‘Belizean Bruiser’ is coming off a win over Talita Bernardo at UFC Fight Night 115 earlier this year. Overall, she’s 3-2-1 in the UFC, having fought to a draw with Bethe Correia at UFC Fight Night 106 last year.

McMann had originally been linked to a bout with Invicta FC bantamweight champ Yana Kunitskaya. There’s been no word on where she’ll end up thus far.

UFC on FOX 28 (UFC Orlando) takes place at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida on February 24.

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On Tuesday, the UFC announced that former Invicta FC bantamweight champion Tonya Evinger will return to the octagon in February. Set to appear at UFC Austin, Evinger will take on the gritty Marion Reneau. The bout will mark a return to bantamweight for the Texas native. It will also mark her first time fighting in Texas in three years.

Evinger (19–6 (1)) had been undefeated since 2011 prior to jumping to the UFC for a short notice fight against Cyborg. The closest she had come to defeat was a 2016 no contest against Yana Kunitskaya. Originally a win for Kunitskaya that briefly cost Evinger her Invicta title, the result was overturned due to a referee error. Evinger would go on to win the rematch, then move on to the UFC.

Over the course of a career spanning over a decade, Evinger has picked up wins over Julie Kedzie, Ediane Gomes, Pannie Kianzad and others.

Marion Reneau (8–3–1) will enter the bout off a win over Talita Bernardo at UFC Fight Night 115. At forty, she remains the oldest active fighter in the UFC’s women’s bantamweight division, but has yet to show signs of slowing down.

UFC Austin is set to take place February 18 at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas.

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With Germaine de Randamie dropping her featherweight title (won at UFC 208 in February against Holly Holm) rather than fight Cyborg, and Invicta FC featherweight champ Megan Anderson pulling out of the fight for personal reasons, it felt as if just about anything could have scuttled this particular title fight. So it was something of a relief when the cage door finally closed, and this one was officially underway.

With a touch of the gloves they were off. Evinger worked the jab and threw a kick but was dropped with the first shot from Cyborg. She worked her way back up, looking unsteady, but Cyborg swarmed against the cage and hurt her again. Evinger clinched and held on for dear life then pulled guard. Justino was having none of that and stood up. Evinger swung wild with an overhand that missed, and was soon backed up against the fence. She would later clinch and actually get a brief takedown only to eat a knee as they got back to the feet. An eye poke by Evinger briefly paused the action. Back underway Cyborg landed an inside leg kick, which Evinger returned. Evinger ate a knee, but survived by clinching. Cyborg just missed with a high kick as Evinger was getting to her feet. Cyborg then clipped Evinger with a right counter. More leg kicks from the Brazilian followed. A right stunned Evinger towards the end of the round, and a knee landed right at the horn, but it would go to a second.

In the second, Cyborg scored with a left early. Evinger checked a kick, but her legs were showing damage. A hard kick to the body stunned Evinger next. The American continued to try to clinch and get her opponent down, but couldn’t find much success and continued to eat punches. Cyborg continued to kick the legs, and clipped Evinger again towards the final minute of the second round.

In the third, a huge right hand rocked Evinger early, and set up a knockdown seconds later. Cyborg came in with hard leg kicks on the downed Evinger; she then backed up and forced the American back to her feet. Later in the round, a pair of knees to the head of Evinger as she was bent over against the cage finished the job, as Cyborg scored the finish, and became UFC women’s featherweight champion in the process!

Cris Cyborg def. Tonya Evinger by TKO (knees), Round 3, 1:56 – to capture the vacant UFC women’s featherweight championship

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There has been plenty written about the women’s featherweight situation already.  No fighters were signed to the division as the UFC wished to focus on Cris Cyborg’s return before adding to the roster.  Former champion Germaine de Randamie refused to fight Cyborg on the basis of schedule and the Brazilian’s past issues with PEDs.  After stripping de Randamie of the belt, the UFC scheduled a bout between Cyborg and Invicta featherweight champion Megan Anderson.  The Australian, however, was unable to compete due to personal issues and the assignment now goes to Invicta bantamweight champion Tonya Evinger (who subsequently vacated her title).

The situation has reached the point that even Dana White admitted that Cyborg has been through so much that the very least the UFC can do is finally get her a fight at UFC 214.  Promotion for the fight has revolved around Cyborg’s status as the most dominant female fighter in MMA history.  The UFC has done a bit of recounting on their part, perhaps finally admitting that the Ronda Rousey chapter in their history is over for good.  While Cyborg is not the fighter who brought WMMA to mainstream prominence, she is the one who lit the match on the fuse that led to the explosion.

Cyborg’s fight with Gina Carano was the first super fight in women’s MMA.  That bout occurred in 2009 and she has yet to be stopped inside the cage since her professional debut.  She has faced plenty of controversy along the way.  Her win over Hiroko Yamanaka was overturned after testing positive for steroids.  She also faces the struggle of becoming mainstream, her heavily muscled frame is a stark contrast compared to fighters like Rousey or Paige VanZant whose looks have been used to build their name recognition outside the cage.

Regardless, a Cyborg victory fulfills her journey from the humble beginnings of women’s MMA.  She would finally add the most coveted trophy in the sport to her collection, and as such gain the recognition on the sport’s biggest stage that she is the best in the world.

Standing in her way is the affable Invicta bantamweight champion Tonya Evinger.  “Triple Threat” is a veteran of the sport who has won 10 of her last 11 fights, the lone outlier was overturned to a No Contest due to a referee error.  But while she drew notoriety for kissing UFC and Invicta reporter Laura Sanko after a fight, it is her latest UFC opportunity that she plans to capitalize on.

Evinger already stepped up on short notice to help Invicta 24 when Anderson was promoted to the UFC.  She now steps up for Anderson again on the biggest stage in the sport.  Saturday’s card could go down as the biggest card of the year, and Evinger is prepared for the biggest challenge in women’s MMA.

“Triple Threat” has competed at 145, 135, and 125 lbs.  While she feels best at bantamweight, she has stated that she hasn’t felt an incredible difference in strength against featherweights.  While that may be true, she has never faced an athlete with the vaunted size and power of the Brazilian.  Evinger has shown herself to be an adept fighter on the feet and on the ground, but she will need to rely on being the faster and more nimble fighter to secure a victory.

Stylistically, Cyborg has taken a more measured approach in recent years.  Conserving her energy into brief, explosive bursts rather than steamroll opponents early.  She also prefers to push her opponents against the fence and use her size to wear them down.  She then uses her considerable strength to throw opponents to the mat where she can deliver devastating ground-and-pound.

Evinger is not about to outmuscle Justino, so the key will be for her to wear down Cyborg from the outside using all manner of strikes.  Leg kicks will sap away her energy, as well as staying disciplined in getting in and out with her strikes.  If she has an opening to get the fight to the mat she must capitalize on it as Cyborg’s strength is nullified when she’s on her back.

It is a tough test for “Triple Threat,” but on her current run there has never been a better time for her to shock the world and keep Cyborg from reaching her goal.  For the Brazilian, Saturday could be the culmination for more than a decade of work and consistency in the sport of MMA.  Years ago, it was believed that Cyborg was the only woman good enough to compete at the UFC level.  The game has changed but the fact that Cyborg is at the top has not.  She is an incredible favorite, and she only needs to be at her best one more night in order to complete her career journey on Saturday.

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