For the third time, the UFC will attempt to book the welterweight title fight between champion Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns. The fight will headline UFC 258 on Feb. 13 at a still undetermined venue. 

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• Usman vs. Burns was originally scheduled for UFC 251 on July 12. The matchup fell through after the challenger tested positive for COVID-19. Usman ended up fighting Jorge Masvidal and won via unanimous decision.
• The UFC announced a rescheduled date for UFC 256 on Dec. 12 but decided on a postponement for unspecified reasons. 
• The 34-year-old Burns last fought in May against former champion Tyron Woodley. He won by unanimous decision and received a $50,000 bonus for Performance of the Night. 

Former Bellator fighter and Cleveland police officer John Hawk was charged with first-degree misdemeanor assault and abduction. The 41-year-old was sentenced to two years probation for the incident that took place in early 2020. 

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• The incident occurred in Hawk's apartment involving a woman he was dating at the time. According to the complainant, Hawk struck her when she said she wanted to end the night and head home. 
• The abduction charge was eventually dropped. The assault charge, on the other hand, was lowered to a second-degree misdemeanor charge in place of a guilty plea. 
• Hawk was hired by the Cleveland Division of Police in November 2018. Part of his plea deal is to permanently give up his civil officer certification. 
• As a fighter, "Big" John holds a professional record of 11-7-1. He fought for Bellator MMA from 2011-2012. 

The UFC is setting up a fight between former interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje and number three-ranked Charles Oliveira. Company president Dana White announced the planned matchup himself during a recent Q&A session. 

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• According to White, Oliveira was supposed to fight newcomer Michael Chandler at UFC 257 on Jan. 23. Oliveira, however, rejected the offer because the turnaround was too quick. 
• Oliveira last fought at UFC 256 on Dec. 12 against former interim champion Tony Ferguson. He dominated the bout and won via unanimous decision. 
• Gaethje last fought in October at UFC 254 in a title fight against retired champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. He lost by second-round submission. 

After a brief "scare" during the delivery, UFC welterweight Mike Perry and girlfriend Latory Gonzalez welcomed a baby boy. "Ocean" was born on Wednesday, Jan. 6, at the Holtz Children’s Hospital in Miami.

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• As Perry stated in a tweet, his son "didn't want to take his first breath."
• Ocean's birth came three days after Perry's drinking spree that led to a bloody injury. The 29-year-old admitted he was "acting out" at the time. 
• As a fighter, Perry last saw action at UFC 255 in November against veteran Tim Means. He lost via unanimous decision after coming in four and a half pounds overweight. 

Bethe Correia was pulled from her planned retirement fight due to appendix surgery. The 37-year-old bantamweight was scheduled to fight Wu Yanan on Jan. 16. 

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• In September, "Pitbull" announced on social media that she would be taking on her final fight. At the time, she was already signed on to fight Wu on Dec. 5. The bout ended up getting postponed for undisclosed reasons. 
• Correia holds a record of 11-5-1 (5-5-1 in the UFC). Her most notable fights were knockout losses to former champions Ronda Rousey and Holly Holm. She last saw action in July against Pannie Kianzad and lost by unanimous decision.
• The 24-year-old Wu holds a record of 11-3 (1-2 in the UFC). She last fought in August against Mizuki Inoue and lost by split decision. 

Number three ranked welterweight Leon Edwards claimed he offered to fight in the UFC's Jan. 20 event. According to him, the company "decided against it." 

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• Edwards was originally scheduled to headline the event against rising undefeated prospect Khamzat Chimaev. The fight was called off after Chimaev tested positive for COVID-19. 
• This is the second time for Edwards vs. Chimaev to be canceled. The first booking was intended as a headliner for the UFC's Dec. 19 event. It was scrapped after Edwards suffered a severe case of COVID. 
• Now headlining the Jan. 20 fight card is a welterweight showdown between Neil Magny and veteran Michael Chiesa. It will take place at the Flash Forum on "Fight Island" in Abu Dhabi. 

UFC newcomer Michael Chandler believes he's a "nightmare" matchup for Conor McGregor. 

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• Chandler, a former three-time Bellator lightweight champion, says his wrestling background and "power" hands will be too much for McGregor to handle. 
• McGregor did run into trouble when he fought wrestler Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018. "The Notorious" began showing signs of fatigue in the middle rounds, which led to a fourth-round submission loss. 
• Both Chandler and McGregor will be part of the upcoming UFC 257 fight card. The former will be making his UFC debut against Dan Hooker, while the latter will headline the event in a rematch against Dustin Poirier. 

QUICK HITS:

• The heavyweight fight between top fivers Derrick Lewis and Curtis Blaydes is rescheduled for the UFC's Feb. 13 event. Their original Nov. 28 date was canceled after Blaydes tested positive for COVID-19. 
• The UFC's first two January events will air in the morning in the United States. Preliminary fights will begin at 12 PM ET/9 AM PT, while the main card will start at 3 PM ET/12 PM PT. UFC Fight Island 7 (Jan. 16) and UFC Fight Island 8 (Jan. 20) will both take place in Abu Dhabi. 
• Former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski will make his UFC return on Feb. 20. The 41-year-old will take on 27-year-old Tom Aspinall.