Brett Okamoto of ESPN reported Tuesday that the UFC is looking to book an interim middleweight title fight between Kelvin Gastelum and Israel Adesanya on April 13th at UFC 236. The event does not have a location yet and Okamoto could not confirm if that fight will be the main event. Gastelum was scheduled to fight middleweight champion Robert Whittaker last weekend at UFC 234, but Whittaker was forced to withdraw hours before the fight due to a hernia that required immediate surgery. Adesanya was moved up to the main event of that card and defeated Anderson Silva by unanimous decision while Gastelum was unable to fight. Okamoto added that Whittaker’s management is hopeful the fighter can return this summer.
Combate Americas has announced that they have signed Dulce Maria Garcia Rivas a.k.a. Sexy Star from Lucha Underground and AAA to a multi-fight deal. She has had five pro boxing fights over the past two years with a 5-0 record. Rivas will make her debut for the promotion on Friday, April 12th in Monterrey, N.L., Mexico during a live television special.
During Sunday’s Fight Companion podcast, Joe Rogan spoke to guests Brendan Schaub and Eddie Bravo about his status with the UFC. Rogan confirmed his new schedule is to do ten pay-per-view events per year. He stated that he was not approached by ESPN to be more involved, nor did he have any interest in doing more than his current schedule.