L’Equipe was first to report that French fighter Fairn will welcome Josaine Nunes to the UFC on April 17. Nunes would confirm the news on social media.

Fairn (6-4) is still looking for her first UFC win and could be fighting for her job. Until recently, the former featherweight was the lone female French fighter in the UFC (Manon Fiorot recently joined her). Since joining the organization, Fairn has fought nothing but former title challengers through her first two fights for the promotion. Fairn made her UFC debut against Megan Anderson and lost via first-round submission. In her second fight, she would meet Felicia Spencer and lose again via first-round stoppage in her only fight in 2020.

Brazil’s Nunes (7-1) will be making her UFC debut on a hot streak. She is on a six-fight win streak, with five of those wins coming by way of TKO.

The UFC’s April 17 event, UFC on ESPN 22, will take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.  The card currently breaks down as follows:

• Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum
• Gerald Meerschaert vs. Bartosz Fabinski
• Chase Sherman vs. Parker Porter
• Justine Kish vs. Tracy Cortez
• Tony Gravely vs. Nate Maness
• Natan Levy vs. Austin Hubbard
• Drakkar Klose vs. Jeremy Stephens
• Luis Peña vs. Alexander Munoz
• Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Jacob Malkoun
• Bill Algeo vs. Ricardo Ramos
• Zarah Fairn vs. Josiane Nunes

The post Zarah Fairn vs. Josiane Nunes Set For UFC on ESPN 22 appeared first on Cageside Press.

In fact, it wasn’t until the final two fighters that the event hit a speed bump — and then a wall. Early word was, main event flyweight Deiveson Figueiredo was struggling with his cut. But it was Grant Dawson hitting the scales second-to-last that saw the first miss. He clocked in at 3.5lbs over the featherweight non-title limit. While Virginia allows an additional hour (from the initial attempt) to cut weight, Dawson did not attempt to weigh-in again.

That was a speed bump. The state’s athletic commission, the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (operating under the Commonwealth of Virginia Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts, and Professional Wrestling Advisory Board’s regulations) allow up to a 5lb differential between fighters at featherweight. Meaning as long as Dawson’s opponent Darrick Minner accepted the fight, it was a go.

Interestingly enough, Minner had taken the fight short notice, but did make weight. Ultimately, that fight moves forward, with Dawson giving up 30% of his purse.

The wall, however, came when Figueiredo also missed weight, by 2.5lbs. While given an extra hour to make weight, the Brazilian did not attempt to weigh in again. Instead, he gave up 30% of his purse. The fight moves forward, but only Joseph Benavidez is eligible to win the title.

Check below for a gallery of photos highlights, plus video of this morning’s weigh-in! Full weigh-in results can be found right over here.

The post UFC Norfolk Official Weigh-In Photo and Video Highlights appeared first on Cageside Press.

Any number of fighters have flirted with the division: Holly Holm has twice competed for the title at 145lbs. Germaine de Randamie actually won it, against Holm, but was later stripped of the belt when she failed to defend it, and moved down to bantamweight. Macy Chiasson won season twenty-eight of The Ultimate Fighter at featherweight, then immediately cut to 135lbs; none of her cast mates have joined the division to date.

Fairn was actually looked at to be part of TUF 28. However, the UFC opted not to use her for the show. Instead, they wound up signing her directly. She made her debut last year against Megan Anderson. It did not go her way; Fairn was submitted within a round.

Prior to that fight she had been on an extended layoff. Not that she was away from the fight game, she told Cageside Press at Thursday’s UFC Norfolk media day. She just couldn’t for the life of her get a fight.

As she put it, Fairn was “inactive but never stopped. Inactive because basically no girl in Europe wanted to fight against [me].” Opponents were calling off fights, not wanting to take her on. Hence the reason for her inactivity — but she never stopped training.

Being in the UFC, where she can get fights, is “a big privilege,” she later added. Especially since the promotion has the best women in the world in several weight classes.

In her return at UFC Norfolk, Fairn goes up against another former Invicta champ, Felicia Spencer. The featherweights are in the spotlight, with four of them — all that remains outside champ Amanda Nunes — in action.

Fairn suggested that “strategically, the UFC put all the girls on the same card to see what was at stake, and to probably make a decision after based on the results that are going to happen.” With that in mind, however, Fairn added that “there could be any girl jumping in as well.”

That pretty much sums up the women’s featherweight division right now: wide open, with only a handful of athletes.

But should she win, she’s ready to tackle the challenge that is Nunes. “Obviously there’s going to be some adjustments to make and some serious training to put in,” she stated, but of course she “signed with UFC with that goal in mind and obviously [I] will definitely be ready.”

Recently, Fairn’s homeland of France began the process of legalizing MMA. A card there would clearly interest her. “Definitely it would be the cherry on the cake” to appear on a UFC card in France, Fairn said.

Watch the full UFC Norfolk media day press scrum with Zarah Fairn above! The event takes place Saturday, February 29 at the Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.

The post Zarah Fairn Feels Women’s Featherweights Were Placed on UFC Norfolk for a Reason appeared first on Cageside Press.

UFC Norfolk has had but two fights revealed so far, and both are in the women’s featherweight division. BJPenn.com was first to report that Canadian Felicia Spencer, a former Invicta FC featherweight champ, will appear on the Fight Night card against Brazil’s Zarah Fairn dos Santos.

The fight joins Megan Anderson vs. Norma Dumont, essentially meaning the entire women’s 145lb weight class outside Amanda Nunes will be in action in Norfolk.

Spencer will be entering the octagon for the third time in Norfolk, after losing a high-profile battle against Cris Cyborg at UFC 240 in Edmonton last July. That followed her debut win against another Invicta FC champ in Anderson at UFC Rochester just months earlier.

The 29-year old, who was born in Montreal but trains out of Florida, surprised many with a gritty showing against Cyborg.

Zarah Fairn (6-3) will be looking to bounce back from a loss against Anderson in her octagon debut earlier this year. The Brazilian had not fought since a 2017 win over UFC alum Izabela Badurek when she went up against the towering Anderson at UFC 243 in Australia. ‘Infinite’ has previously fought for BAMMA, where she lost a split decision to Bellator MMA featherweight Sinead Kavanagh.

UFC Norfolk takes place February 29, 2020 in Norfolk, Virginia. The event is expected to air on ESPN+.

The post UFC Norfolk Adds Second Women’s Featherweight Fight in Felicia Spencer vs. Zarah Fairn appeared first on Cageside Press.

Megan Anderson, to say the least, had had a rocky start to her UFC career ahead of UFC 243. The former Invicta FC featherweight champ was brought into the promotion as a foil for Cris Cyborg. It was a pairing nearly every fight fan wanted to see — but Anderson came up short against Holly Holm in her debut. She won a follow-up fight against Cat Zingano, but it came due to a toe poke to the eye. A third fight with fellow Invicta champ Felicia Spencer saw Spencer submit the Australian, taking Anderson’s shot at Cyborg, who had already been dethroned by Amanda Nunes.

At UFC 243, with Cyborg having departed the promotion, Anderson was simply looking to get back in the win column, against promotional newcomer Zarah Fairn dos Santos.

Dos Santos came out firing, forcing Anderson back. The Australian then clinched and reversed dos Santos against the fence, leading to a grappling exchange. Zarah peppered Anderson with punches during this battle, but it was Anderson getting the fight to the ground. In mount, she had Dos Santos trapped, and tried to create enough space to land some elbows. When she did manage to sneak one through, Anderson opened up her opponent. Dos Santos tried to buck Anderson off and scramble free, to no avail. However, she would manage to power up, only for Anderson to drag her down, going to her back and trapping Zarah in a triangle. That was tight, and Dos Santos was forced to tap!

Megan Anderson first round SUBMISSION!

@MeganA_MMA gets the first round finish in front of the home crowd! #UFC243 pic.twitter.com/7Y0ujCfVKW

— UFC (@ufc) October 6, 2019

Without question, Megan Anderson’s best win in the UFC to date, and in her first fight in Australia since 2014.

Official Result: Megan Anderson def. Zarah Fairn dos Santos by submission (triangle), Round 1, 3:57

The post UFC 243 Results: Megan Anderson Back in Win Column with Submission of Zarah Fairn dos Santos appeared first on Cageside Press.

With women’s featherweights Felicia Spencer and Cris Cyborg serving as the co-main event at UFC 240 this weekend, the division just got another shot in the arm. As first reported by MMA Junkie, Megan Anderson, the former Invicta FC 145lb champion, will face promotional newcomer Zarah Fairn Dos Santos at UFC 243 later this year.

While the UFC has yet to officially confirm the booking, Anderson has revealed she’ll be on the card, which takes place in her native Australia, in Melbourne.

After 5 long years since I fought in Aus, I'm coming home…

See you Oct 5 Straya 🇦🇺 #UFC243 pic.twitter.com/PZCxpQU21z

— Megan Anderson (@MeganAnderson) July 26, 2019

Anderson (9-4) fell to Spencer early in their fight at UFC Rochester in May, after being submitted in the opening round. Prior to that, she had earned her first win in the UFC with a finish of Cat Zingano at UFC 232. That TKO, however, came via a toe poke, and had many looking for a rematch. That will have to wait, as the UFC has finally proven willing to sign someone not named Anderson, Spencer, Cyborg, Holm, or Nunes to compete at 145lbs.

Zarah Fairn Dos Santos will be making her UFC debut against Anderson. The 6-2 pro fighting out of France has not competed in MMA since 2017, although she did have a fight booked at Invicta FC 32 against Kaitlin Young fall through last year, reportedly due to visa issues. Dos Santos has a win over former UFC fighter Izabela Badurek. Her most recent defeat came to Bellator’s Sinead Kavanagh, in BAMMA back in 2016.

UFC 243 takes place at the Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia on Sunday, October 6 (Saturday, October 5 for those in North America). Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya headline the stadium show.

The post Megan Anderson Returns Home to Face Zarah Fairn Dos Santos at UFC 243 appeared first on Cageside Press.

5’10″
Featherweight
32-years-old
France
Platinum
6-2
4 KO/TKO

How Does Zarah Fairn dos Santos Fare in the UFC:

It’s good to see the UFC pursuing the featherweight division and trying to build the weight class. Even in the UFC, it’s going to be a rough start because the featherweight division lacks talent. Zarah Fairn dos Santos has fought decent competition but no one we will ever see at a high level. Where she is strongest would have to be in the clinch. She is strong and utilities her knees and her right hook well.

She will struggle in the UFC due to many flaws. The takedown defense of dos Santos has held up for the most part but against not high caliber fighters. On the feet is where she spends most of the fight but it’s also where she has holes. Dos Santos lacks any kind of good footwork as she walks in a straight line with her chin up. She has a wide base with a wide stance, and she’s pretty easy to hit and attack the lead leg. Dos Santos throws with her hips so her strikes are telegraphed and read easily. It is hard to picture her winning a fight in the UFC.

• Striking: D
• Kickboxing: D
• Clinch: B-
• Wrestling: C-
• Grappling: D
• Striking Defense: D+
• Takedown Defense: C+
• Cardio: B-
• Biggest Strength: Clinch
• Biggest Weakness: Defense

The post Welcome to the UFC: Zarah Fairn dos Santos appeared first on Cageside Press.