Cyborg (29-2, 1NC) is looking for her thirtieth win in professional MMA when she takes on former UFC contender Vieira in the main event on August 22 in Tampa, Florida. That’s a nice round number, and something that has yet to be achieved by a female fighter in a major promotion (Amanda Nunes has 23 wins, Jessica Andrade 26).

Discussing the situation she finds herself in with media outlets including Cageside Press as the PFL kicked off its Summer Series this past week, Cyborg noted that in reality the bout is the last she’s contractually obligated for.

“It is my last fight, last fight on my contract, but of course after my fight I want to sit down with my family, my team. We have a lot of plans outside MMA life, but I’m very excited, just focused on doing my best this next fight.”

Of course, there are other possibilities, including boxing, and Netflix’s MVP MMA. Names like Holly Holm and Miesha Tate were suggested, with Cyborg telling Cageside Press that boxing is still very much in play.

“I can tell you, I’m gonna be making after, some boxing fights. I still have a dream, fight for the WBC belt and I’ve been training,” she stated. “I just got my WIBA belt in boxing. But I wanna just think about Ketlen next. I want to see how I feel, see how camp is going, how my body feels.”

MMA may still be in the cards as well. It seems to all come down to opportunities, and how her body feels. On that front, Cyborg noted that health-wise, she’s had a fortuitous run. “I love what I do, and I’m doing this for so long, but I’m really very blessed about not having any bad injuries the whole career. But I really just want to feel this fight, how it’s going to be and then that’s it.”

The 40-year old Brazilian, who now calls California home, added that she feels “blessed to have the opportunity to fight one more time.” And over the past five years or so, she’s been treating every fight like it could be her last. “I always think, me and my team, ‘Cris, enjoy every single moment, because there’s gonna be a time you’re not going to have more. So enjoy being in the ring, enjoy training, it could be a the last.’ So every fight [for] five years, I say ‘it could be the last, it could be the last.’ That has me very excited for this fight. Happy.”

Watch Cris Cyborg’s full media appearance ahead of PFL Tampa above.

The post Cris Cyborg Leaving the Door Open for More Past PFL Tampa appeared first on Cageside Press.

After a closely contested opening round, Fiziev put Torres away early in the second, setting it up with a spinning back kick that while blocked still sent the Mexican lightweight to the canvas.

Torres struggled back to his feet but was felled again as Fiziev turned up the heat, firing lefts and rights and finally finishing it off with a few more punishing follow-up strikes. The victory saw Fiziev return to the win column following a loss to Mauricio Ruffy earlier this year, and pick up one of four Performance of the Night bonuses announced following UFC Baku.

No Fight of the Night was awarded as part of the UFC’s second-ever trip to Azerbaijan.

Also among the bonus-winners, Asu Almabayev, who may find himself in the running for Submission of the Year. After dominating Charles Johnson for the better part of two rounds, Almabayev locked up a rarely-seen Suloev stretch in the third, forcing the tap. There was never any doubt that the sub would earn bonus bucks.

With nine finishes on the card, Daniil Donchenko and Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev picked up the remaining Performance of the Night bonuses at UFC Baku. Donchenko put away newcomer Theodor Berggren with a head kick and a few follow-up blows; Yakhyaev took just eight seconds to knock out Julius Walker.

The remaining five finishers on the card earned $25,000 in bonus money for their own stoppages. Those were Tahir Abdullayev, Kaan Ofli, Nursulton Ruziboev, Abusupiyan Magomedov, and Matheus Camilo.

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On Friday morning the PFL conducted the weigh ins for their return to Southern California as the athletes took to the scales to make their bouts official.

In the headliner, former Bellator champion AJ McKee faces the undefeated newcomer Salamat Isbulaev who enters the bout following a victory over former tournament champion Jesus Pinedo. PFL CEO John Martin recently expressed in interviews that the winner between McKee and Isbulaev will most likely fight for the vacant title in their next bout.

The undercard also features action in the women’s flyweight division as former longtime Bellator champion Liz Carmouche takes on fellow UFC veteran Viviane Araujo while another UFC veteran in Ariane da Silva takes on perennial contender Jena Bishop.

In other action, former Bellator Grand Prix finalist Alexandr Shabliy will face recent title challenger Alfie Davis to round out the main card.

The event will take place at the Pechanga Sports Arena in San Diego tomorrow night.

PFL San Diego: McKee vs. Isbulaev Weigh-In Results

Main card

Featherweight: AJ McKee (145.6) vs. Salamat Isbulaev (145.8)
Flyweight: Liz Carmouche (126) vs. Viviane Araujo (125.8)
Lightweight: Alexandr Shabliy (155.8) vs. Alfie Davis (156)
Light-Heavyweight: Abraham Bably (205.6) vs. Rob Wilkinson (205.8)

Preliminary card

Featherweight: Khasan Magomedsharipov (145.8) vs. Joshua Weems (146)
Flyweight: Ariane Lipski da Silva (126) vs. Jena Bishop (125)
Bantamweight: Justin Wetzell (135.6) vs. Sarvarjon Khamidov (137.6)*
Flyweight: Shannon Clark (125.4) vs. Ilara Joanne (124.8)
Bantamweight: Cobey Fehr (135.8) vs. Daniel Bzdigian (135.6)

* Missed weight

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To the point of being asked whether Fiziev could finish him early on.

The Mexican lightweight took it all in stride. “I dont believe so. I do not believe so,” stated Torres (17-3). Shortly thereafter, he was essentially asked the same question a second time, about Fiziev beating his opponents in the first round, and whether it was possible that Torres himself would go down in round one.

Torres turned the question around, suggesting he could win in the opening frame and saying “yes, I think it’s possible. I’m always prepared to fight, and I’m prepoared to fight for five rounds, but it’s part of my strategy to win in the first round.”

Torres has won his last two fights, and is 5-1 overall in the UFC, helping him land his first main event in the promotion. Fiziev’s last win came at home in Baku, so his confidence is no doubt high coming back home. Manuel Torres, however, feels Fiziev hasn’t seen the entirety of his skillset.

“Truthfully I think that rafael fiziev has not seen my game, really, because I finish my fights in the first couple of minutes. But I’m coming in with my game and my pace, just gonna impose myself on the way to a win.”

Torres would later speak on the lightweight division overall, which just saw Justin Gaethje claim gold from Ilia Topuria. “It is the most dangerous division. It’s a division where it’s the most talented, definitely the most exciting division in the sport. And I think things are going to flow, and they’re going to flow up until the time that I have a shot at the title.”

Watch the full UFC Baku media day appearance by Manuel Torres above.

The post UFC Vegas 119: Manuel Torres Responds to First-Round KO Claims appeared first on Cageside Press.

Set for the co-main event of UFC Baku on Saturday, Shara Magomedov (16-1) will be fighting for the first time in a year. And in response to Pereira’s comments at the event’s media day, he explained that “He’s correct. I’m a warrior, I was born to be a warrior, that’s the way I was raised. And he is a dancer, an acrobat, an actor, and I’m here to fight. I’m here to show great fights.”

Pereira is known for his acrobatic style, and the Russian is hoping his opponent brings his A-game.

“I want him to be very confident in himself, I want him to be sure of himself, I want to see the best version of him possible. And all I want to do is come out there and get in a fight with him,” stated Magomedov. “I want to make sure that we have a great fight, and just I want to make sure that he’s able to show himself, because I’m willing to come out there and show my best.”

The 32-year old from Dagestan, Russia has just one blemish on his pro record. That’s a decision loss to Michael “Venom” Page back in February of 2025. It apparently still doesn’t sit right with Shara Bullet, who is gunning for a rematch. Though in the case of the self-styled “pirate,” those guns might be cannons.

“I think that it’s at least a step in the right direction when it comes to the rematch with Michael ‘Venom’ Page,” he said of the fight with Pereira. “I brought my ship here to this harbour to make sure to take all of the gold I can find. The pirate is here, the pirate will do whatever he has to do to get a rematch against Michael ‘Venom’ Page anywhere in the world, at any time.”

Watch the full UFC Baku media day appearance by Shara Bullet above.

The post UFC Vegas 119: Shara Bullet Calls Pereira “Dancer,” “Acrobat” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Mexico’s Torres has put together a 5-1 record to earn his first main event stint in the promotion, while Fiziev got back in the win column last year with a victory over Ignacio Bahamondes. He’s since dropped a fight to Mauricio Ruffy, but his losses have come to some of the best, including two in the UFC against Justin Gaethje, now the undisputed lightweight champion.

In the night’s co-main event, middleweights Michel Pereira and Shara Bullet were set to face off. Pereira had gotten back in the win column in his last fight, while Shara was competing for the first time in a year.

Weigh-ins for UFC Baku take place Friday, with the ceremonials set for 9AM ET, 6AM PT. Results can be found below.

UFC Baku: Fiziev vs. Torres Weigh-In Results

Main card

Lightweight: Rafael Fiziev (156) vs. Manuel Torres (156)
Middleweight: Sharabutdin Magomedov (186) vs. Michel Pereira (185.5)
Lightweight: Nazim Sadykhov (156) vs. Matheus Camilo (156)
Flyweight: Asu Almabayev (126) vs. Charles Johnson (125.5)
Middleweight: Ikram Aliskerov (186) vs. Brunno Ferreira (185)
Middleweight: Abusupiyan Magomedov (185.5) vs. Michał Oleksiejczuk (186)

Preliminary card

Welterweight: Farman Hasanov (170.5) vs. Eric Nolan (170.5)
Light Heavyweight: Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev (206) vs. Julius Walker (206)
Middleweight: Nursulton Ruziboev (186) vs. Andrey Pulyaev (186)
Featherweight: Kaan Ofli (146) vs. Javier Reyes (145.5)
Welterweight: Daniil Donchenko (170.5) vs. Theodor Berggren (171)
Bantamweight: Bekzat Almakhan (136) vs. Jean Matsumoto (135.5)
Welterweight: Tahir Abdullayev (170.5) vs. Jefferson Nascimento (171)

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“Demolidor” addressed the match-up during this week’s UFC Baku media day, saying that “I’ve faced tough competition, very tough competition and I don’t think because of the styles that this is going to be the hardest fight. And I will say, fighting the way I fight, doing the backflips and fighting in my style is way more difficult than just going out there and fighting.”

Pereira (32-14, 2NC) is unquestionably an unorthodox fighter who hit the radar of many fight fans when he pulled off a pro wrestling-style “moonsault” in a bout prior to his UFC run. Asked about Shara Bullet’s own unorthodox style, Pereira didn’t agree that he even had one.

“I don’t think he’s that different from other fighters. I don’t see him as a different or unorthodox type of fighter,” Pereira stated. “He does not do the things that I do, whether it’s a back flip or types of strikes you’ve never seen before. I think when he’s fighting, he’s a very conventional fighter.”

Opponent Magomedov hasn’t fought in a while, but Pereira noted that the inactivity may not matter in the end.

“I don’t think it plays a part, because if he actually had a good camp to face me, we’ll all be prepared to put on a great show. So it doesn’t matter that he hasn’t fought in a while.”

Pereira did reveal that he has some bad blood with Shara Bullet, however, after the latter made negative comments about the Brazilian helping with flood relief at home. “He made comments out of nowhere about the fact that I was helping people, and took the opportunity to get clout out of that. So I don’t really give a damn what he says, he doesn’t look to be a good person.”

“It makes me even more motivated to go out there and beat him up,” Pereira finished.

Watch the full UFC Baku media day appearance by Michel Pereira above.

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Fiziev’s last win, in fact, came at the inaugural Baku, Azerbaijan event a year ago; that victory against Ignacio Bahamondes was followed by a loss to Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 325 earlier this year.

In Torres, Fiziev (13-5) noted during this week’s UFC Baku media day that “I see strengths and I understand what his weaknesses are, and I will use my strengths against his weaknesses.” Torres is 5-1 in the UFC, and is stepping into a main event for the first time this weekend.

Asked about Azerbaijani fans, meanwhile, “I’m sure you’ll be proud,” Fiziev said of the fight.

Fighting at home has Rafael Fiziev feeling relaxed, it seems.

“I came here two times already two times already [to] fight and honestly say, I feel super calm inside. Because usually I come here to rest, see relatives, have something tasty to eat, walk, enjoy our beauty, and they come here to fight. And already, two times, I feel huge piece of mind. No pressure, just zero pressure, soul is very calm.”

That said, Fiziev added the he was sure that after weighing in, “I’m going to start catching a charge,” and going out to fight “will charge me like it did last time,” but for the past week, he’s been “very calm in general.”

Watch the full UFC Baku media day appearance by Rafael Fiziev above.

The post Rafael Fiziev “Super Calm” Ahead of UFC Baku Headliner appeared first on Cageside Press.

McGregor (22-6) won the UFC’s featherweight crown in 2015 and claimed lightweight gold the following year, in between splitting a pair of fights with Nate Diaz at welterweight. He’d then go on to take a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather, launch Proper 12 Whiskey (he’d later sell his stake in the brand, earning a lucrative payday), and relinquish his titles only to return to the fight game sporadically.

The Irish star hasn’t competed since 2021, in the rubber match of his trilogy with Dustin Poirier, which ended when McGregor snapped his leg in a horrific scene. Since then, he’s endured any number of scandals, including multiple sexual assault allegations, and though he’s never been convicted in criminal court, a civil court did hold him liable in 2024 in a complaint lodged by Nikita Hand. That complaint stemmed from a 2018 encounter at a Dublin hotel that McGregor has steadfastly insisted was consensual.

In a new interview with Paramount, MMA’s biggest star covered both the pitfalls of fame, and admitted that after becoming the sport’s first simultaneous double-champ, he got “lost in it.”

“You know, fame has its pitfalls. You better move carefully in this world, for sure, probably even more so now. I’ve taken a lot of lessons in my life, and it’s just about self-discovery. Studying yourself. Learning yourself. Learning triggers,” McGregor stated, just weeks out from his rematch with Max Holloway at UFC 329 — his first fight in five years. “I find myself even now still in a fight with an old version of me or old ways that don’t serve me and new ways and a new version of me, the new me. So I still find myself in this balance. Right now. As a fighter, more a man. More a man, more as a human.”

If McGregor sounds like a man who’s been through some therapy, that’s perhaps because he has. “I went through some treatment, I’ve done a lot of self-reflective work on myself. Some internal work,” he admitted. “And it was outside of this bubble that we find ourselves in now when I return to the fight game. So on my immediate return to this game and these cameras and even this now, I found myself reverting to an old version of me and I had to kind of remind myself, I said ‘hold on.’ I had to kind of just reflect again and say I’m different now. I’m a different person. I’ve put in work.”

The trappings of fame are still present, however, as McGregor continued by saying that “it’s easy to fall into old habits. You have to be careful. You have to practice with people, places, things; protect people, places, things. Don’t find yourself in similar places that you would have been. I’m still in that fight. Competition for me and activity and work helps that for sure. I still have work to do.”

“The rent is due everyday, they say. You’ve got to put the work in,” he’d later add.

After defeating Jose Aldo and Eddie Alvarez to hold both featherweight and lightweight gold in the UFC, a feat never before accomplished, McGregor also admitted that he “got lost” in his success.

“At 27 years of age, I had the game conquered. Two-weight world champion, I had the Floyd [Mayweather] bout, boxed off, I was only 27 years of age. I had the game wrapped up in a blink. What more was I to do?” questioned McGregor. “I got lost. I got lost in it. And made some mistakes off of that and that’s it. But you’ll always come home. If you truly love something, you’ll always come home.”

That homecoming arrives in Las Vegas on July 11, 2026, when Conor McGregor faces Max Holloway for the second time. The card comes during something of a renaissance for MMA, following the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano card on Netflix, and the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House.

The post Conor McGregor Admits He Got “Lost In It” After Achieving Double-Champ Status appeared first on Cageside Press.

Ahead of his UFC 330 welterweight title clash with Islam Makhachev, the Irish contender announced he’s signed a commercial partnership with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Talent Agency, adding one of combat sports’ biggest promotional names to his growing team without changing his current management. The timing is notable, with Hearn recently adding heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall to his stable and continuing to strengthen his presence in MMA as his rivalry with the UFC evolves.

Garry announced the move on social media on Wednesday.

“Congratulations Matchroom Talent Agency you’ve signed the future. I’m excited to announce Team Future just got bigger. Alongside Vayner Sports, I’ll be joining The Matchroom Talent Agency, who will now work across my commercial interests,” Garry wrote in Instagram.

 

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A post shared by ‘The Future’ Ian Machado Garry (@iangarry)

Garry’s deal with Matchroom is a marketing and commercial deal only reports say. His current representation, Vayner Sports, will stay on as his management team.

The fact that this comes on the heels of Aspinall’s signing with Hearn is definitely something to take note of. Unlike Garry, his deal includes management as well. UFC CEO Dana White didn’t think much of Aspinall signing with Hearn, but it’s to be seen as to how he feels about the next welterweight title challenger working with one of his newest rivals.

Garry will challenge Makhachev for the belt at UFC 330 on Aug. 15 in Philadelphia, PA.

The post Ian Garry Signs With Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Talent Agency appeared first on Cageside Press.