We have two big fight cards Saturday night with a title on the line, as well as title implications. At UFC 224 in Rio de Janeiro, Amanda Nunes (15-4 MMA, 8-1 UFC) puts her women’s bantamweight title on the line as a massive favorite against challenger Raquel Pennington (9-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC). In the co-feature, Kelvin Gastelum (14-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) is hoping to make some more headway in the middleweight division with a mild upset over home-country fan favorite Ronaldo Souza (25-5 MMA, 8-2 UFC). Plus, Amanda Cooper (3-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) will try to upset unbeaten Brazilian jiu-jitsu wiz Mackenzie Dern (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in a women’s strawweight bout. At Bellator 199 in San Jose, Calif., light heavyweight champion Ryan Bader (24-5 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) takes on Muhammed Lawal (21-6 MMA, 10-5 BMMA). And though Bader’s 205-pound title isn’t on the line, a spot in the Bellator heavyweight tournament semifinals is at stake.
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