“It was kind of weird, I’m not gonna lie because I wasn’t supposed to be on the show originally. I didn’t want to be on the show – a lot of people don’t know that,” Franklin said. “Me and my manager were talking and I was having a hard time getting fights. Then LFA came around and was like we have a title shot for you, you could fight this guy for the belt. And my manager is like okay well do I want to do this? I do want to do that? I was like yeah, let’s do LFA.”

The LFA title fight was a done deal. He signed to fight Micaias Ureña at LFA 230 and then something came up. Being that it didn’t seem like it would happen, he decided to go for it.

“We signed [the LFA title fight] and everything is set to go there. My manager was like well, they’re asking if you want to do the TUF interview,” he recalled. “I mean every slot is pretty much full, but they just want to see if you want to. I would say [do it] just so you have more options.”

However, shortly after meeting with the Ultimate Fighter casting team, he got an answer back.

“I did the interview, and then literally like that day or the next day they’re like, we want him like you’re like you’re in,” Franklin said. “My manager is like, ‘so are you going to do the TUF or are you going to fight for the belt?”

The rest, they say, is history. Franklin decided to go into the house against his hatred for reality TV and, to his surprise, he has been the guy with the most airtime by a mile.

“I know a lot of people think I’m like a super big camera guy – I just was not into the reality TV thing. I was like, bro, I’m not about to be on here like Love Island. I’m not trying to do that,” he said. “Even the cast members are like ‘yeah, I’m not gonna lie you might be the star of the show.”

You can catch all of his talking heads and his upcoming fight with the aforementioned Micaias Ureña on the remaining episodes of TUF 34. Episodes drop each Tuesday on Paramount+.

The post Xavier Franklin Didn’t Want to be on TUF 34 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Kicking off this UFC 329 edition of TTP is our interview with the Ultimate Fighter’s bantamweight cast memeber, Xavier Franklin. Franklin discusses how, despite being a fan of the show, he never really wanted to be on it. With an LFA title shot lined up, a phone call led him into the house. He shares his thoughts on that journey as well as what it was like to be in the house. Plus, he discusses how odd it is to see himself on TV – especially given the airtime he’s getting. We did through all of that good stuff, plus the biggest thing he learned while being in the TUF house.

Fights, Dogs and Parlays: UFC 329 (19:22)

The UFC is back and so is one of the very biggest names the sport has ever seen. Conor McGregor returns for the main event of UFC 329 against Max Holloway in a rematch of their 2013 tilt. In the co-main event, we have former title challenger, Paddy Pimblett, looking to get back to the top when he faces Benoit Saint Denis. We’ll break down those fights as well as some of our other favorite fights on the main card. Plus, as always, we’re hitting you with an underdog and a plus-money parlay that we think will make your wallet fat this weekend. For this segment, all odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Jackson Ross Interview (27:42)

Closing out this UFC 329 edition of TTP is our interview with Oktagon heavyweight, Jackson Ross. Being one of the few Americans to sign with the European promotion, Ross explains how his contract with Oktagon came to be. Plus, he talks about what he knew about the company in the first place and why he was drawn towards it. All of that and he also gives a break down of his fight at Oktagon 91 this weekend.

The post TTP Ep. 539: Xavier Franklin, Jackson Ross, and UFC 329 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Speaking with Cageside Press during the PFL’s Summer Series kickoff, Rosta reflected on his last outing, which saw him finished by Kasanganay.

“At the end of the day when I look at that fight, I was fighting smart up until I wasn’t, I was fighting well up until I wasn’t,” stated Rosta (11-3). “Same story with the fight before that. F*ck Fabian Edwards. I just can’t do that going forward. I gotta fight smart, and I can’t turn sh*t into a coin flip.”

Rosta recognizes that in his fight with Impa Kasanganay, he was throwing to take his opponent’s head off, and slipped because of it. That sort of wild approach backfired, and adjustments must be made. Still, he remains in the mix at a time where the PFL’s middleweight division is arguably its hottest.

“I’m still right in the mix. A win over Bryan Battle, I’m right there. I’m one fight away, if that. With the performance I put on Bryan Battle, people are going to be like ‘aww he lost two in a row, why would you give him a title shot after that?’ It could f*cking happen. When the numbers make sense, it’s a business at the end of the day, and there’s really nobody else in line.”

As Rosta pointed out, Fabian Edwards just lost, while Johnny Eblen and Impa Kasangany are fighting for an interim belt. “Who’s next after that? It could be me. They could make me do one more, but I guarantee you I’m not far out. And this one’s gonna put me right back in the mix.”

Rosta started his career a perfect 8-0, and avenged his first loss to Aaron Jeffery. In the gym, alongside the likes of Johnny Eblen, he’s acquitted himself well. “When I’m at my best, I’m the best on the planet period, and I whole-heartedly believe that,” stated Rosta. He feels that even Eblen will attest to his skills, it’s just a matter of showing he can put it all together in a fight.

“It’s just about putting that into play. I can do it at practice, I see what my potential is, I can see what I’m capable of, but for some reason it hasn’t been translating. So we gotta make it translate,” admitted Rosta. “I don’t know what the answer is. Hard work doesn’t guarantee success, but I’m going to keep working hard anyway, I’m going to keep knocking on that door, and if nobody lets me in, I’m going to kick the b*tch down.”

Watch our full interview with PFL Charlotte’s Dalton Rosta above. The event takes place on August 7, 2026 at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, NC.

The post PFL Charlotte’s Dalton Rosta: “I’m Still Right in the Mix” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Kicking off this Ultimate Fighter edition of TTP is our interview with The Ultimate Fighter’s strawweight cast member, Mackenzie Stiller. Although Stiller couldn’t give any details about the inside of the house or her fights on the show, she gives her thoughts on the show as she watches it. She talks about seeing herself on television and how she feels about it. Plus, she talks about what some of the best parts of the Ultimate Fighter house were as well as some of the very worst. As we wait for the results of the show, you can catch her every Tuesday on Paramount+.

Combat Countdown: Top 5 Favorite “Weird” Submissions (13:52)

The UFC takes a week off as it gets ready for all of the craziness of International Fight Week. With Conor McGregor’s return just a week away, we turn our attention to our favorite segment on the show – the Combat Countdown. This week, we’re looking at our favorite “weird” submissions in the world of MMA. There has been plenty lately to inspire this list, including one that happened just this past weekend. Be sure to turn in and check out whether you agree or disagree with this list. For this segment, all odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Logan Paxton Interview (23:58)

Closing out this Ultimate Fighter edition of TTP is our interview with Dana White’s Contender Series lightweight, Logan Paxton. Paxton discusses his recent wins on Anthony Pettis Fighting Championships and the momentum he built on that show. Then he digs into the emotions that came along with getting the call to be on this season of Contender Series. After that, he breaks down the action that will be coming on August 18th. He fights on week two of the show against returning Cristian Pérez and he gives his prediction for that one.

The post TTP Ep. 538: Mackenzie Stiller, Logan Paxton, and Top 5 Favorite “Weird” Submissions appeared first on Cageside Press.

It will have been nearly a year between fights for the undefeated Jean (11-0), a breakout star for the Professional Fighters League last year. “I wanted to get into the cage in January. I wanted to get back beginning of the year, but it’s up to the PFL at the end of the day when it comes to when I fight because I am fighting with the PFL,” he told Cageside Press in a recent exclusive interview. “At the same time, I’m happy that I’m fighting now and not then, because I’m ready. I’m ready.”

Jean was not expected to win last year’s World Tournament at lightweight, especially not with former Bellator stars (and champions) Logan Storley and Jason Jackson in his way. Instead, he beat both, along with the talented Mukhamed Berkhamov. That tournament win, worth half a million dollars, allowed Jean to reinvest in himself.

“Because of the tournament, I was able to go into the gym full time. After the tournament, yeah I took a little vacation, I took a month off, and I went right back to it,” stated Jean. “It was every day. It is my job, it is my career. You have to take it as if it’s nine to five. And it’s not a nine to five. I’m only in there a couple of hours out of the day. Yeah it’s spread out throughout the day, but it’s only a couple of hours, I would say four hours a day that I’m training, and most people are at work for nine, eight to nine hours.”

In other words, Jean knows he’s in a good place. He also added that he’s not just a “fight camp” type of fighter. “I don’t just go into the gym once I have a fight camp. I’m constantly in the gym trying to get better, trying to level up my skills, trying to make sure that I am on top of my game.”

With the vacant welterweight title on the line, Jean is now tasked with Shamil Musaev next. The match-up isn’t entirely a surprise, but still a weird quirk. Musaev is coming off a loss to Ramazan Kuramagomedov, but Kuramagomedov chose to retire immediately after their fight. The bout, however, helped Jean learn a little about his upcoming opponent.

“Shmail was undefeated before that. We all took away something, that he can be beaten. And that he accepts pressure, and he’s not really good under pressure,” suggested Jean. “Unless you’re someone like Logan Storley. When Logan Storley was applying pressure to him, Logan Storley had one thing on his mind. What? Take him down. So what did Shamil Do? He what, hit him with the uppercut? And that’s what rocked Logan Storley.”

Ramazan Kuramagomedov mixed up striking and clinching instead, “and that’s what I think threw Shamil off, is that yeah, one this is good pressure, but at the same time, he’s not going right down for the legs.”

“We figured some things out. There are more things to it, but we figured out one thing. And not just me, but we all did,” Jean finished.

Watch our full interview with PFL Washington headliner Thad Jean above.

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The undefeated English flyweight is 15-0, but after winning the PFL Europe tournament in 2023 and PFL Global season in 2024, she has fought just once, picking up a victory over Bellator alum Sumiko Inaba last year.

Ahead of this past weekend’s PFL San Diego, a card she noted had “two really good fights for the flyweight division,” Ditcheva spoke with Cageside Press about her return.

“I used to watch Denise when she used to fight in GLORY, when she used to fight in Bellator,” noted Ditcheva, who jumped to MMA in 2021 after competing in Muay Thai for years. “So I’ve watched her for a long time, I really like her striking style.”

“It’s just crazy that we’re now facing each other, which is really strange for me. But I’m excited. She’s an aggressive fighter, really nice striking style but we’ll see what happens on the night.”

After spending much of the past 12 months dealing with injury — the fight with Kielholtz was initially announced for February — Ditcheva also noted that the division has been far from stagnant.

“I’ve been upset that I’ve been out for so long, but the division’s kept moving, and now I’ve come back and everyone’s ready,” she told us. “They’re all calling me out.”

With Liz Carmouche picking up a victory on Saturday in San Diego, a Dakota Ditcheva win next month feels like it could set up a title fight between to two later in the year. Former foe Jena Bishop also picked up her second victory of 2026, submitting Ariane Lipski da Silva, with more success potentially putting a rematch in play.

Watch our full interview with PFL New York’s Dakota Ditcheva above.

The post Dakota Ditcheva on Time Away: “The Division’s Kept Moving” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Eblen was a big part of Sean Strickland’s camp and corner for his fight with Khamzat Chimaev, and got considerable kudos for the work he put in there, including from the two-time UFC middleweight champion himself.

Speaking with Cageside Press as the PFL’s Summer Series kicked off, the former Bellator MMA middleweight champion told us that being part of Strickland’s big night “was just a lot of fun. I felt like I was a part of a sports history moment, especially him being such a big underdog, and Chimaev, everybody kind of counting Sean out. Just being a part of that camp, being a part of that corner and being a part of that night, it was just truly awesome. You don’t get very many nights like that, where you get to experience that.”

Eblen (17-1) was supposed to be fighting Costello van Steenis at the Moody Center in Austin on July 18, only for the current PFL middleweight champ to pull out. Now, he rematches another former foe, Impa Kasanganay. Yet while he wants the belt again, he’s not hyper-focused on van Steenis.

“I just take each and every fight one by one. I know I want to get the belt back, and I want to get that rematch with Costello, but if it doesn’t ever happen, it doesn’t ever happen. I don’t care. At the end of the day I’m a fighter, and I just want to fight want to make money. That’s all I really care about. And also I’m a martial artist, I just want to get better at my craft.”

“I think it’s the best for the company and best for a storyline; for us to have a rematch and for it to happen in this next fight, it would have been huge,” continued Eblen. “Because that’s the rematch everyone’s looking for, it’s the biggest fight you can make outside of the UFC, or the biggest fight you can make in the PFL. But it is what it is. He wanted to push it, so now I’m fighting Impa, and I think that’s the next biggest fight you can make.”

Eblen earned a split decision victory in his first fight against Kasanganay a couple of years back, part of the PFL vs. Bellator head-to-head event. And he sees a path to victory again.

“I’ve just got to fight smart, don’t get hit with his right hand, and mix it up. That’s all I need to do.” Eblen foresees victory regardless of whether the finish comes or not, but believes he can end Kasanganay’s night early. “When I see the finish, I’ll take it.”

Watch our full interview with PFL Austin headliner Johnny Eblen above.

The post PFL Austin: Johnny Eblen Wants Belt, Doesn’t Care About Van Steenis Rematch appeared first on Cageside Press.

While missing out on a big win is never ideal, he feels that he walked away with something even more important in that fight – a lesson.

“I think that the biggest takeaway for me from that fight was for one, there’s no substitute for time under tension and experience,” Walker explained. “DJ has been doing this at the highest level for a very, very, very long time. At the end of the day, he was more prepared than I was and he was the better man on that night. I think that I learned a lot from the fight.”

The specific of that veteran presence had to do with composure more than anything. Both in and out of the cage, Jacoby gave him plenty to grow from.

“I think that he almost showed me firsthand what veteran presence in the octagon is. Because one thing that he said in some of his interviews and whenever I spoke to him after the fight was that he was very exhausted after the fight, right? You wouldn’t have known it being in there with him. If I had known that he was real exhausted, I probably would have gone one, two, double leg,” he said with a laugh. “But DJ had that veteran presence and I think I learned a lot from being in there with him.”

As a result, he’s begun taking those pieces and adding them to his own game.

“I think the biggest thing is not showing your cards,” Walker said. “If you are feeling fatigued, if you get hit with something that hurts – being able to not be shaken by the ups and the downs of not even just the fight itself, but a fight week of the preparation of everything that goes into this and being able to show up and be professional and lock in and do what you need to do to claim victory.”

Now, halfway across the world in Baku, Azerbaijan, Walker is ready to show those things in the cage. He faces Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev in a battle between light heavyweight prospects.

“You’re going to see Julius ‘Juicebox’ Walker getting his hand raised within the distance, baby,” he said. “I’m very excited to get in there and show what I’ve learned and show how much I’ve improved. My mindset is the best that it’s ever been, I’m honored for this opportunity and I’m ready to make the most of it.”

That fight with Yakhyaev takes place on the UFC Baku main card. The fight card begins at 9am EST this Saturday on Paramount+.

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Her training situation has always been a unique one. She trains in a gym full of policemen in her home of Lethbridge, Alberta. However, for this training camp, she stretched her wings a bit to get some new looks.

“I’m still training with the police boys. They’re still my number one team, but actually I leave for New Jersey. I found a gym out there and I’m training,” Clark explained. “I got eight days [at CULTR Fight Club] training. So I went out there in January to try it out, see what I like about the gym and fell in love – did not want to leave.”

A big part of that love for her new home-away-from-home was having some training partners who are the same size as her. Not only that, but the intensity that the gym brought helped to bring out a new level in her as well.

“It was a really cool experience to go to a gym that had people my size that had actual fighters like it was just just a completely different look,” she said. “[Ana Martinez] just won [the Fury FC flyweight title] and she’s a badass. She trains really hard, which is not something I’m exactly used to, so it’s really awesome.”

As the fight neared, CULTR also brought in some UFC level talent to work with Clark. She closed up camp with some solid rounds, which you would think would bring a new level of confidence to the most modest fighter in MMA. If you do think that, though, you don’t really know Shannon Clark.

“Hopefully [it ends] with a win,” she said with a nervous laugh. “That’s all. I don’t know how, but I just hope I win.”

You can catch the fruits of Clark’s new labors as part of the PFL San Diego prelims as she faces Ilara Joanne. The fight card begins at 7pm EST this Saturday.

The post Shannon Clark Discusses Expanded Training Camp for PFL San Diego appeared first on Cageside Press.

This time out, the #2-ranked McKee (24-2) has been paired up with Salamat Isbulaev, an undefeated, 10-0 featherweight who already has a victory over Jesus Pinedo in the PFL.

There was a point when McKee was on the market, his services up for grabs with the UFC and others in play. Ultimately, he opted to re-sign with the PFL, who scooped up his old home, Bellator MMA, a few years back. In a recent interview, McKee told Cageside Press that “PFL’s got a thick roster as well. They’ve got a lot of up-and-comers like Isbulaev himself. I’m looking forward to doing what I do best, which is kick ass and take names.”

In Isbulaev, McKee sees a skilled wrestler, but questioned the Russian-Kazakh’s striking. “I think he’s got good wrestling, pretty good jiu-jitsu from what I’ve seen,” allowed McKee. “Little sus on the feet, I think he blends his wrestling with his striking. I saw that with Pineda, they had what, three minutes before he even engaged? This ain’t gonna be a fight where we’re taking three minutes to engage.”

“It’s execute, execute, execute all the way. So I’m going to get in there and I’m going to get on him, and we’ll see how things go.”

PFL CEO John Martin has suggested that Saturday’s PFL San Diego main event between AJ McKee and Salamat Isbulaev could very well be a title eliminator. While McKee isn’t looking past his opponent, it’s clear the title is on his mind. Right now, the belt is vacant, and only Timur Khizriev sits ahead of McKee himself.

“I don’t like to look ahead, but at the end of the day, I genuinely don’t care who it is, when it is, where it is. I’m just looking forward to becoming world champion again, and holding that world title around my waist.”

Watch our full interview with PFL San Diego headliner AJ McKee above.

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