Mike Owens, Author at Cageside Press

UFC London’s Shem Rock: If Al-Selwady Tries to Grapple Me, “He’s an Idiot”

Mike Owens and Jay Anderson — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 02:01:17 +0000

Liverpool’s Shem Rock (12-2-1) returns to action at UFC London, where he takes on former Desert Force champ Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady.

His first UFC bout saw the lightweight have precious little time to prepare for Nurullo Aliev. This time out, camp’s been a little different. “Less injuries. It’s been shorter, I’ve only had six weeks. I only knew from six weeks out,” he told Cageside Press in a recent exclusive interview.

That’s actually an improvement of sorts, mind you. “Even though I’ve only had six weeks, I knew who I was fighting from six weeks, where last fight I only had my opponent for the last three weeks. So I’ve had a little bit more time to watch him, game plan. But yeah, same sh*t, different day.”

Asked to describe his opponent, Rock was colourful.

“Short, ugly. Doesn’t stop moving. F*cking annoying, just constantly f*cking moving. Can wrestle but can’t grapple, can punch but can’t strike. I’m just going to kill him. I’m going to kill him.”

The plan for Shem Rock seems to be to come out guns blazing, meanwhile. “I’m just coming at him lad. Soon as the first bell goes, I’m running across the cage, teeping him from far, jabbing him from far, he steps in, he’s coming on to the backhand,” he exclaimed. “I’m going to put him on his back, I’m going to take his back, I’m going to choke him out.”

“If he tries to grapple with me, he’s an idiot,” added Rock, who is teammates with UFC London co-headliner Luke Riley. The two have actually shared a room, with Rock rather happy that Riley doesn’t snore. “I’ve had it before, when someone snores and keeps you up all night, and you have to fight the next day!”

Watch our full interview with Shem Rock above, and check out his UFC London media day appearance below.

The post UFC London’s Shem Rock: If Al-Selwady Tries to Grapple Me, “He’s an Idiot” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Luke Riley: UFC “Put a Lot of Trust in Me” with London Co-Main Spot

Mike Owens and Jay Anderson — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 01:42:35 +0000

Luke Riley might not be the most familiar name to UFC fans, but he sits in the co-main event spot at UFC London this weekend, and he’s the A-side in his match-up with Michael Aswell Jr.

Undefeated. 12-0. A hot prospect in the featherweight division, coming off a bonus-winning performance in his UFC debut.

In an exclusive interview with Cageside Press ahead of UFC London, we asked Riley to describe what fight camp has been like in one word. He needed three.

“Lonely. Hungry. Focused.”

Focused is a good thing, given the distractions landing such a high-profile spot on a big card could bring for a young fighter. There’s been ample criticism of the move, and Riley recognizes the faith the UFC has shown in him.

“I reckon the company’s put a lot of trust in me. Put their neck on the line, as you could say. A lot of big names on the card, to put me as the co-main speaks a lot,” he stated. “So I think it’s going to be one of them, when look back you’ll understand why they put me as co-main. We’ll see. It’ll be good.”

As to why the promotion trusts him, the British featherweight suggested that “they put their trust in me because they know I’m going to deliver. It’s going to be a good, explosive fight, and it’s going to be one for the fans.”

In Aswell, Riley sees an opponent not dissimilar to Bogdan Grad, who he beat this past November. “He’s tough, strong, game. He’s tough. He’s tough opposition, but same as Bogdan, it’s just not going to be enough.”

There’s another name Luke Riley was supposed to fight however. In 2024, he was booked into a fight with Kevin Vallejos on Dana White’s Contender Series. Visa issues forced Riley out of the fight; Vallejos earned a UFC deal, and last week knocked out Josh Emmett atop the UFC Vegas 114 card.

It’s a fight that should have been, and Riley expects that it will come in time.

“One million percent. Maybe, title or before the title for the top spot in the division,” suggested Riley during this week’s UFC London media day. Vallejos seeing his star rise, meanwhile, “makes it even better for me, because everyone’s on his side now. He’s beat a few more names than me, he got in the UFC in 24, but I should have been in the UFC in 24. So he’s got a little head start but look, don’t worry, me and Kevin are definitely going to meet, one million percent.”

Watch our full interview with Luke Riley above, and find his UFC London media day appearance below.

The post Luke Riley: UFC “Put a Lot of Trust in Me” with London Co-Main Spot appeared first on Cageside Press.

Grant Dawson Seeks Statement Win Against Dangerous Manuel Torres at UFC 323

Mike Owens and Eddie Law — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 18:04:31 +0000

Grant Dawson returns to the spotlight at UFC 323 on Saturday night, looking to continue his climb up the lightweight ranks as he takes on dangerous finisher Manuel Torres in a pivotal matchup.

For Dawson (23-2-1), it’s a chance to remind the division why he was once viewed as one of its fastest-rising contenders while also extending his win streak. He had hoped to accelerate his climb with three fights in 2025, but those plans fell through when Joel Alvarez opted to move up to welterweight.

“Dude I’d love to fight every week if they’d let me. It’s not the UFC’s fault, it’s not Joel Alvarez’s fault. I was supposed to fight him, he wanted to go up to 70, and I am so happy that he went up to 70,” Dawson told Cageside Press.

“That’s one less stud that I have to worry about.”

Dawson knows exactly what he’s up against on Saturday night. Facing a fast-starting finisher like Manuel Torres, he isn’t sugarcoating the threat in front of him.

“Manuel Torres, absolute stud, absolute crazy good fighter. Live by the sword, die by the sword, he’s probably the most dangerous dude in the first round. This is definitely going to be a test,” he said.

“I’m not going to be a huge favorite, if I even am a favorite, this is a good test for me. I’m happy to step up to the challenge.”

Dawson believes the key to victory lies in imposing his style early and refusing to get drawn into Torres’ chaotic pace. To him, the matchup comes down to discipline, control, and sticking to the fundamentals that have defined his best performances.

“I make him fight me the way that I want to fight. Absolutely no brawling. There will be no brawling in this fight. Lots of footwork, lots of good stylistic moves. I don’t want to give too much of the game plan, but I think everybody knows (how this fight is won),” he said.

“Everybody knows how this fight’s going to play out. It’s just can he implement his game plan, can I implement my game plan.”

Despite the stylistic contrast, Dawson expects no surprises when the cage door closes. He knows Torres is coming in prepared and fully aware of the tactical battle ahead.

“Manuel Torres is not an idiot. He’s a very intelligent man. He knows what I’m going to do, I know what he’s going to do, and it’s just about who can do what they want to do,” he said.

Watch the entire interview with Grant Dawson above.

The post Grant Dawson Seeks Statement Win Against Dangerous Manuel Torres at UFC 323 appeared first on Cageside Press.