Australian Kaan Ofli (11-2-1), a top featherweight prospect who has been fighting all across the globe, credits mixed martial arts for keeping him out of jail, or worse.

“It’s not easy out there,” Ofli told Cageside Press in a recent exclusive interview. “If you don’t have support network, you don’t have a good family, you don’t have any bloody schooling or anything behind you, life can be quite hard. I’m really thankful MMA has given me the opportunity to stick to a sport, to stay healthy, to meet amazing people, to travel. I’m blessed.”

Later, he’d put it it a little more succinctly. “I’m not competing. I’m fighting for my life.”

Olfi is coming off his biggest win yet, that saw him claim the HEX featherweight championship with a third-round submission of Jarrett Wilbraham. It was not a victory that came easy, not just because of what transpired in the cage, but what Olfi was going through outside it.

“I feel great about the performance. It doesn’t really feel like it’s been three months to be honest,” said Olfi, looking back at the late-February win. “But yeah, reflecting back on it, given the short notice, given the circumstances, I had a death in the family a few weeks before it… Considering all that that’s happened, and the way that the fight turned out, everyone was kind of saying that it was the Fight of the Year in Australia. The fact that that all kind of happened, it just puts a cherry on top, and I couldn’t be any happier.”

At the time, Ofli was helping teammates prepare for their fights while grieving simultaneously. “So I was in support mode, rather than fight mode. And a few weeks had passed by and things kind of had settled down. And that’s when Raja [Shippen] got injured, and the opportunity came up. And that’s when it just felt like destiny and felt like that was the right thing to do.”

Olfi opted to step in and replace Shippen in the HEX title fight, and the rest is history. But the Australian knew he was rolling the dice by taking the fight.

“It was a bit of a risk on my hand to take that fight, or to fight short notice, in general. The fact that I’m on a current eight fight win streak, seven finishes, I don’t think there’s anyone in Australia or New Zealand that has got my accolades,” noted Olfi. Especially given that Jarrett Wilbraham had been training with Alexander Volkanovski, helping him prepare for the Islam Makhachev fight.

Moving forward, Kaan Olfi doesn’t plan to take his foot off the gas. After making stops in Brave CF, UAE Warriors, Eternal MMA, and now HEX, he wants to stay active, and hopefully that means landing on Dana White’s Contender Series this summer. The goal is the UFC, and Olfi believes he already stacks up well against the talent there.

“I’m only 29 years old man. And I’ve been doing this for 10 years, I’ve actually been doing this as long as guys that are currently in the UFC at the moment. So when I crack the next level, that being the UFC, I don’t think that I’m going to be hanging around, in the lower divisions or the lower rankings for too long,” Olfi told us. “I believe that I’m a Top 10, Top 15 fighter already now. So in the next four years, I don’t see myself kind of slowing down.”

Watch our full interview with featherweight Kaan Olfi above.

The post Meet Kaan Ofli, Top Australian Featherweight MMA Prospect appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I hate it so much. I hate it. I was talking to my little brother the other day, I was like ‘bro, listen if they gave me $50,000 for these weight cuts, that would be great. Not these f*cking bullsh*t checks.’ But we’re out here right now, we’re out here, we’re grinding, we’re pushing forward, we’re getting this money,” Askar (14-3) told Cageside Press ahead of his fight with Matheus Silva. “It’s a lot easier to watch these guys in the UFC at the gym cut weight for fights, because I know they f*cking know what’s at the end of that grind. A nice highlight reel and a nice fat check? F*ck.”

Askar is embracing the grind, but admits that it would be much easier if he could load up on carbs. “People don’t understand how much energy we get from food. Nowadays people overindulge. And I’m not gonna lie, after this part’s over, I’m smashing anything and everything. But seriously, you lower the calories just a little bit, and your energy system just changes.”

Two years ago, Askar was booked into a fight with Cody Stamann in the UFC. When he was not medically cleared to compete, the promotion released him. Since then, he’s been fighting exclusively for LFA, posting a 3-2 record. Last time out, he picked up a win over Rickey Furar. That was last November, and saw Askar return to the win column.

Grading himself a B, maybe B- for his 2022, which saw him garner two wins and a loss (a split decision Diego Silva), Askar is positive about the year that was.

“In terms of just overall MMA, and overall, this has been one of the best years of my MMA career in terms of fighting, competing, being in there regularly, and then training, and seeing my teammates succeed and everybody grow in the gym. I loved 2022. It was a good year of growth, mental, physical, emotional, everything.”

The losses are motivation for Askar, who knows that the UFC and other big promotions will look at a fighter’s recent record first and foremost. 2-1 isn’t as impressive as 3-0, of course.

“That’s the truth. That’s what the game is. It’s a ‘what have you done for me lately.’ It’s bullsh*t and it makes me a little salty, but I’m using motherf*cking thing as fuel.”

While people often suggest to him that his opponent’s should be motivation, “my number one motivation is that sour taste in my mouth from those fights that I’ve lost, where I’m like, I don’t want to leave any stone unturned. I don’t want to feel like I didn’t give it my all.”

Askar recognizes that upcoming opponent Silva is tough, and a dangerous striker. But his own training partner is “the super Saiyan version of the guy that I’m fighting next week. And I feel like I’m going to be bad, I’m going to be trouble, for this guy.”

Askar Askar will be looking to give it his all in his return against Matheus Silva at LFA 153 this Friday, February 17, 2023.

The post Askar Askar Expects He’ll Be Trouble for LFA 153 Opponent appeared first on Cageside Press.

That wasn’t the case back in August of last year. Espinoza, who earned a win under the PFL banner in 2021, wasn’t part of the regular season either year. Nor was he part of the Challenger Series last year. Instead, he was told to stay ready as the months ticked by.

“I never knew when I was going to get a fight,” Espinoza (7-0) told Cageside Press ahead of his return at PFL Challenger Series 4 this Friday. Back in the summer, he learned he would be fighting at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden last August— through the media.

“I was just staying ready, and I found out on MMA Junkie that I had an opponent. I’m like ‘oh look I’m fighting.’ Nobody told me, except I went on MMA Junkie. ‘Oh I guess I am fighting.'”

Regardless of how he found out, Espinoza notched yet another win, over Corey Jackson. He now returns as part of the Challenger Series against Damir Ferhatbegović — and wants to keep busy moving forward.

“I’m hoping at least to fight three or four times this year. That was my plan, I thought I’d be fighting frequently last year, but I never got a chance to fight, except last August. That year, 2022, I was always staying ready, because I didn’t know when I was going to fight. I was just waiting for a call.”

As far as his match-up with the “Bosnian Barn Cat” is concerned, “it’s a good match-up,” Espinoza told us. “He’s a great fighter. I’m excited, let’s see where it goes. It’s a banger, that’s for sure.”

On paper, the fight pairs up two fighters who like to come forward, and that’s how Espinoza sees it as well. “I feel like whoever is going to stick to their game plan is the one that’s going to come out on top. We’re both very, come-forward. I’m excited, I can’t really say much, but I’m excited for this.”

Asked what a PFL contract would mean to him, Espinoza replied by saying that “it would mean a lot, because I’m ready to get that million.”

Elvin Espinoza faces Damir Ferhatbegovic at the PFL Challenger Series 2023 Week 4 on Friday, February 17, 2023 in Orlando, FL.

The post PFL Challenger Series: Elvin Espinoza Fought Just Once in 2022, Learned Of Match-Up Via Media appeared first on Cageside Press.

Camilo (4-2) returns to action on February 5 at Fury FC 74 in Houston, TX, against Fury veteran Jake Heffernan.

It has been a long nine months for the 22-year-old Brazilian, who now trains out of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. The regional scene is filled with ups and downs, and for him, the last nine months were filled with a bunch of turned-down fights.

“My manager Jason [House] and Lance [Spaude] tried to get fights for me. But everyone said no, you know, but now I got an opponent,” Camilo told Cageside Press in an exclusive interview. “I felt frustrated because I want to fight. I train every day so hard, and I want to fight to follow my dreams, and if I can’t fight, then I can’t follow my dreams, you know?”

Camilo is coming off a brutal knockout of Tyrek Malveaux at Fury FC 65 and is looking to get another finish on Sunday as he faces the ultra-game Heffernan, who is a step up in competition.

https://twitter.com/ufcfightpass/status/1541198194079588352?s=46&t=vCkfjDZqni1arYQUtYBlfw

“He is a tough opponent. I came here to follow my dreams, and nobody can stop me,” Camilo said. It’s a formidable opponent, but I’m ready. I trained for so long and trained so hard every day. Nobody is training harder than me.”

“I think he is the first challenge in my career…wherever the fight goes, I will win. I’m ready in the grappling, in the stand-up. If he wants to strike, I’m ready. If he wants to grapple, let’s grapple.”

Getting his first fight out of the way in February is a big deal for Camilo because he wants to compete on season eight of Dana White’s Contender Series, which will take place later this year.

“This is a big year for me,” Camilo said. “I want to take three more fights and then [fight] on the Contender Series. I’ve trained since I was 13 years old for this moment. I think my moment coming. And I’m waiting for this.”

Watch the rest of our interview with Matheus Camilo above. Camilo fights Heffernan this weekend at Fury FC 74 exclusively on UFC Fight Pass.

The post Fury FC 74: Matheus Camilo Wants On DWCS, Says 2023 Will Be A Big Year For Him appeared first on Cageside Press.

Kamara, 31, is the latest bantamweight killer from The MMA Lab, located in Glendale, Arizona. The gym has several bantamweights in the UFC, including familiar names like Sean O’Malley, Mario Bautista, Casey Kenney, and Kyler Phillips. They also have upcoming prospects likely headed to the UFC with a couple more wins — like Marcus McGee and Kamara.

Fighting was never in the cards for Abdul ‘Scratch’ Kamara. He was a track star from a young age, which led him to pursuing the sport in college. However, like a lot of college athletes, there comes a time when you have to look at yourself in the mirror and answer that nagging question: “is this going to be my career?”

Track wasn’t the answer for Kamara.

“After college, I realized, man, these kids are really freaking fast. Like I’m average in the track world, if I’m being honest,” Kamara told Cageside Press recently during an exclusive interview. “I realized that I wasn’t gonna be able to qualify for the Olympics, and I don’t like to be average. So I was like, ‘man, I gotta go find a different sport that I can try to be great in.’

Little did he know mixed martial arts was going to be that sport.

“Me and my little brother, I had a party at my house this one time, and he was trying to drink in my house. I don’t drink alcohol. I’ve never tried alcohol. So I told him, he can’t drink at my house,” Kamara said. “So he got mad at me, and he was an amateur MMA fighter at that time. So when I told him he couldn’t drink, he kind of got very mad, and he took a swing at me!

“I slipped his punch, and I dropped him with the hook. And then I told him, anything that you can do, I can do better. The following week, I joined a gym, and my journey into fighting began.”

Kamara trained for two weeks and then took his first amateur fight, which he won. It was after that fight he decided he was a fighter.

The 31-year-old fighter holds a 5-1 professional record, with three finishes. Most recently, he competed in Jorge Masvidal’s new promotion, iKON FC, where he defeated a fellow rising prospect in Jose Torres on ten days’ notice via unanimous decision.

Kamara returns to action on February 5 at Fury FC 74. He revealed that he has signed a multi-fight deal with the Texas-based promotion and believes his rise through the promotion will lead to him getting the call to the UFC in 2024.

“When I enter the UFC next year, it’s gonna be one of those moments where it’s like, ‘man, we made it this far,'” Kamara said. “I’ve beat all odds because nobody expected me to be this far because I wasn’t born to be a fighter. Everybody counted me out. I stutter, and everybody thought I was dumb, but, you know, we keep pushing. And every day is a battle.”

“I want to be the first fighter from my country of Sierra Leone to be in the UFC. I want to make history now. I want to be the first person in my family to be a millionaire. I’m gonna try to do that. I got two kids that I’m trying to be an example for— to never quit on your dream, no matter what anybody tells you. I work 40 hours plus every week, and I go to practice two or three times a day, just trying to chase my dream to show my two kids it is possible. And I’m going to do it.”

Abdul Kamara returns to action against Shane Torres at Fury FC 74 on February 5, exclusively on UFC Fight Pass.

The post How A Fight With His Brother Over Alcohol Led Abdul Kamara to Career in MMA appeared first on Cageside Press.

There are not a ton of Peruvian MMA fighters, especially at the highest levels of the sport, so you should pay attention when a bright prospect comes along. Vera (14-1-1) is one of those fighters.

“El Gato Loco” is coming off the best year of his career. In May, he put Nicolas Varela to sleep in the second round of FFC 50: Basurto vs. Juarez to win the FFC (Fusion Fighting Championship) bantamweight championship.

Vera vs. Varela – FFC 50 pic.twitter.com/V444O1n8QD

— CFU (@justantherburn) December 19, 2022

Vera returned to action four months later and headlined his first FFC card as a champion. He faced Jonathan Gabriel Martinez and won a hard-fought decision.

Vera was pleased with his performance.

“My performance was what I hoped for. I trained very hard for that one, and my opponent was really good in all areas — especially in striking,” Vera told Cageside Press in an exclusive interview. “I had to check the gameplan a lot to deal with his fighting style. In the end, I decided to use my wrestling and grappling control, and it worked pretty well.”

“Being the champion makes me feel more hungry to accomplish more goals. There are a lot of wars that I must go through. Nothing has changed; I’m the same guy chasing a crazy dream.”

Vera returns to action on January 28 against highly touted Brazilian prospect Rickson Zenidim at FFC 57: Vera vs. Zenidim, which could get him to the next level with a win.

Vera knows he is knocking on the door of a major promotion, and with the lack of Pervuan fighters, he takes it with responsibility.

“Well, I think it’s a great responsibility [to be a bright Peruvian prospect] because I will show people behind me that things can happen if you do the hard work,” Vera said. “I’m proud of myself, but the most important thing for me is enjoying the journey. Keep going forward, guys!”

The post Rodrigo Vera Feels Great Responsibility As A Peruvian Champion Ahead Of His Next Title Defense appeared first on Cageside Press.

Last time out, Miranda (5-0) saw his hand raised against Elijah Harris, care of a ground n’ pound TKO that “El Machete” was very happy with.

“I felt good. I really didn’t take any damage other than just getting elbowed from the bottom when I was on top,” Miranda told Cageside Press in an exclusive interview. “So I came home with a black eye, but I was happy with it. Finished it in the first round like I told you. I went 2 for 62 strikes, which was pretty awesome. Got the finish, so it was a good performance on my end.”

This time around, it will be James Wilson opposite Miranda in the LFA cage, himself a budding prospect at 155. Acknowledging Wilson’s wrestling skill, Miranda still sees the booking as a favorable one.

“I think it’s a good match-up. The kid’s tough. He pretty much wrestles, but I’m going in there to finish this dude. I’ve got better standup, I’ve got better top game, I’ve got better wrestling, I’ve got better ground. I’m always looking for the finish, so it’s just going to be another day at the office for me. I’m excited.”

The plan for “El Machete” is to keep his 100% finish rate intact. “Of course. Yup. You already know, Machete comes to kill, and it’s chopping time!”

2022 has been stellar for Miranda thus far. He’s hoping for bigger things as 2023 quickly approaches.

“Overall it’s been a great year, and I’m excited to finish it off with another finish, and go into 2023 ready to get either a title shot for LFA, or get the call. That’s the plan.” A big win could lead him to call for a title fight on Friday. “Of course. I did it last time, but it didn’t come through. Maybe it’ll come through this time.”

As for that call up, “I know I’m UFC ready already,” Miranda said. “But if it takes another fight, or if I get the call short notice or whatever, I’m ready to get in there.”

Richie Miranda returns at LFA 148 on Friday, December 9, 2022 in Commerce, CA. The main card airs live on UFC Fight Pass.

The post LFA 148’s Richie Miranda: “Machete Comes to Kill, and It’s Chopping Time!” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Davis (5-1) is a veteran of Combate Global, Cage Warriors, and LFA, where he’s 1-1 to date. He’ll look to improve on that Friday, when he takes on Alvaro Prado.

It’s a bounce back fight after a loss that taught Davis a number of lessons. And while Davis has lost in the wrestling world before, a loss in MMA hit different.

“MMA it felt different, and I felt like I wasn’t getting beat up. He was just a step ahead of me, and I just kept making mistakes,” Davis told Cageside Press in a recent exclusive interview. “And he wasn’t making any mistakes that I could capitalize on. It wasn’t like I was scared of getting beat up, I just kept making mistakes and mistakes.”

There were plenty of lessons learned as a result of that setback, Davis explained.

“I learned to take my time, and not to just rush in,” said Davis, before singling out a few key areas of concern. “I made a lot of mistakes on the ground. Like the guy was really good, but I feel like I gave him a lot of stuff. He didn’t have to work hard for it. And then when I was on the ground, I was making a lot of mistakes that I normally don’t make.”

“When I was striking, I was running in, instead of just taking my time like how I am now. So it was a lot of that, and I wasn’t like, paying attention to the shot.”

The performance was one that Davis wasn’t keen on reliving.

“I was very disappointed. It took me a while to watch that fight again,” said Davis, admitting it took about a month for him to review the tape. “But once I watched it, I accepted everything that happened.”

Now, it’s onward and upward. A fresh start of sorts awaits at LFA 148, though the fight comes at the same venue in Commerce, California as a loss. Revisiting the scene of the crime so to speak hasn’t gotten to Davis however.

“I really don’t feel anything. It’s just a different mindset. Just a different mindset really,” he stated. “A mindset of taking my time, and I have to finish. I want a finish, that’s what I’m looking for.”

As to how that finish comes, “I want to finish on the ground, but I’ll take the finish any way. Somebody has to get finished — that’s the name of the game.”

Cody Davis returns to action at LFA 148 on Friday, December 9, 2022 live on UFC Fight Pass.

The post LFA 148: Cody Davis Looking for Finish Following First Pro Loss appeared first on Cageside Press.

Barbosa (3-2) returns to action at LFA 148 this Friday, and so far holds a win over UFC fighter Karine Silva, while having competed with UFC featherweight Josiane Nunes, and recent Bellator women’s flyweight signee Jena Bishop.

“I feel good. Ready for the fight. Next week, I’m ready,” Barbosa told Cageside Press in a recent exclusive interview, ahead of her return against Mariana Piccolo. For Barbosa, it’s her first activity in over 12 months.

The Brazilian was supposed to be in action earlier this year, in a fight with Lisa Mauldin at LFA 137. It didn’t happen. “They told me my opponent got an injury, and that’s it,” Barbosa explained.

Not fighting, however, has been a struggle for an athlete who has made the move to the U.S. to further her combat sports career. “It’s hard because I’m a fighter. All the time, I’m ready for a fight. When fights don’t happen, you spend a lot of money for a fight. [You lose] sponsorships. People give me time to train with me. It’s not just difficult for me, but everybody around me. It’s no good. You think about like, business. It’s my job. If I don’t fight, people don’t pay me.”

Which is why, in part, that Barbosa is so elated to be fighting again. Another reason? The support she now has in her new home in the U.S.

“Yeah I’m excited, because I’m here now, I have a lot of friends. My students, or my kids, go there, parents, everybody. I’m excited for it. I feel like here, I’m fighting at home, in my home. This is my family now, so I feel good.”

That match-up at LFA 148, with Piccolo, is one Barbosa sees as favorable.

“I think it’s good. Mariana is a good fighter. Has a good base.” Barbosa sees her upcoming opponent as part of the “new generation,” that “fights MMA” overall, instead of relying on a single discipline. “She’s good in everything she’s doing. I think it’s a good match.”

If all goes well against Barbosa, Dione Barbosa has no plans of resting on her laurels. She wants to stay busy moving forward.

“I can’t wait one year to fight again. I’m so happy to have this fight now,” said Barbosa, who doesn’t even want to think about sitting out a lengthy stretch again. “The perfect fight for me, the next fight, is like, just fight. I don’t care who, I just want to fight. That’s it.”

Dione Barbosa returns to action at LFA 148 on Friday, December 9, 2022 in Commerce, CA.

The post Dione Barbosa Happy with “New Generation” Match-Up at LFA 148 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Mixed martial artists experience the highest of highs and lowest of lows. For Talundzic, losing his first LFA main event back in September sent him to a dark place again.

“You know, it’s funny how things work on Instagram. Instagram is kind of pretend life, so you don’t let [the people on] Instagram know; you kind of act like it’s not a big deal. Of course, you can’t let the fans know. But in real life man, it was dark— it was really bad,” Talundzic told Cageside Press in an exclusive interview recently. “From the moment I got back to my hotel room that night, it was just a short walk from the arena, and so I was on the phone with my parents, and they kept me from going over the edge. As did my coach, he spent at least an hour in the locker room after the fight, just trying to talk me from over the edge. You’re really emotional after a fight; whether it’s good or bad, you’re just really emotional. And they did a good job of keeping me, you know, just seeing the bigger picture.”

One those positive influences were gone, however, the darkness crept back in. “Once I got off the phone with my mom and coach was gone, and I was in a hotel room alone with my lady and my younger brother, it just got really dark, man. It kind of all settled in, and it was like that first loss as an amateur, all the same feelings and emotions,” Talundzic explained. The loss was “hard for me” to grasp and believe, he added.

“And then also it was like, I felt a lot of shame. Because in my mind, I’m a lot better than Chris [Brown], and to lose to him, multiple rounds. And then obviously losing the unanimous decision was like, it made me feel like an imposter, and I wasn’t who I thought I was. And until I rewatched the fight, I just felt really bad about myself. I didn’t know who I was, man. I feel like I thought I was one person, and then the results of that fight made me feel like a completely different person. And that just put me in a really dark spot for a few weeks until I was able to rewatch the fight and see the good things I did.”

“I’m not gonna lie to you, man; I’m still in a pretty dark place,” Talundzic continued. “It’s hard for me to accept it. And I think the only way for me to feel better is to get back on that winning track. The only way for me to feel any sort of satisfaction in life is to be a winner and to be winning.”

Talundzic returns to action against Omoyele Gonzalez at LFA 147 this Friday and is looking to beat his opponent down.

“It’s going to be either a unanimous decision or a finish in the early rounds,” Talundzic said. “I think my opponent makes kind of, in my opinion, a lot of rookie mistakes that could lead to me finishing him. But if he’s fixed those things between now and his last fight, then you know, it will go three rounds possibly. I don’t foresee myself losing a single round. I’m gonna go in there with a sense of urgency. And what happened last night is not going to be repeated this night.”

Getting back in the win column will do a lot for Talundzic, but also, he has less pressure on himself because his undefeated record is gone.

“It’s crazy, the guys who go undefeated their whole careers, man, props to them because obviously the better you get, and the longer you stay undefeated, that means the tougher guys you’re fighting. Everything is bigger and harder. And for them to stay undefeated in those promotions, credit to them because that zero at the end of your record is sometimes more pressure than the opponent and more pressure than the venue, and it’s more pressure than anything else,” Talundzic said. “That zero is a battle against yourself. It’s not anybody else. It’s just you against yourself and losing the zero; you kind of feel like you lose a bit of yourself. You feel like you’re defending your life and it’s your identity and like being undefeated is who you are. And like, that’s why people like you. You start developing these weird ideologies, like, my life consists and revolves around being undefeated and losing.”

“All that pressure is gone now because losing showed me my life is a lot better than I thought it would be if I lost. Being undefeated isn’t…it’s not that big of a deal, man. It’s just cool.”

Watch our full interview with LFA 147’s Haris Talundzic above. The event takes place this Friday, November 18, 2022 with the main card streaming live on UFC Fight Pass.

The post LFA 147: Haris Talundzic Opens Up On Recent Main Event Loss, Vows Never to Repeat Same Mistake appeared first on Cageside Press.