It’s the women’s strawweights going first, with Melissa Amaya working with Team Cormier (Michael Chiesa is in the forefront, with Cormier not available that day). Amaya, however, injures her lower back in training, telling the camera that it’s an issue she’s had before.

“No, no, no, no, no, this can’t be happening right now. This is the worst timing possible,” says Amaya, who reveals it took two weeks to recover last time her back reacted this way. She feels like her body is failing her. “I’m pissed. It feels like my dream’s being crushed.”

Gigi Canuto is representing Team Bisping, the lone strawweight from Michael Bisping’s team in the semifinal round. Bisping wants his fighter going forward in the bout, and notes that if it goes to the ground, she’s a multi-time BJJ champ.

Canuto is aware that Amaya may be injured, but she’s trying to just focus on herself, in case she gets to the fight and Amaya is 100%.

Then comes the coaches’ challenge, and Daniel Cormier’s knee pops walking into the studio. “Have we ever been more old? Cripple and one eye,” DC jokes. This season’s challenge is fencing, which honestly we already knew thanks to previews. Bisping is tickled pink, while Cormier is beside himself. Dana White points out that Cormier is undefeated in coaches challenges, while Bisping is 1-1.

The winning coach gets $10,000 and each of his fighters will earn $1,500.

Despite Cormier’s reaction, it turns out he’s fenced five times before, back in his Olympic team days. Bisping says he’s always wanted to try it, but never has. “I’m going right for the belly,” Bisping exclaims before they get started.

Cormier draws first blood, so to speak, and his team is elated. They have a double-touch next, so each earn a point. Cormier hits the mark again, and it’s 3-1. Then it’s 4-1. Then 5-1. Bisping, however, mounts a comeback and ties things up, then takes the lead himself. Bisping ends up winning the challenge 15-10, and says the challenge was the most fun he’d had since retiring. Cormier blames his knee. “If my knee was fine, I would have got him. I know I would have got him.”

Amaya’s back luckily loosens up, and we make it to weigh-ins, and the first semi-final of the season.

Melissa Amaya vs. Gigi Canuto

The semi-finals are a three-round format, with a sudden victory fourth round in case of a draw. Amaya comes out firing a high kick, and it seems like both ladies want to ensure a fourth round, or even a second or third, isn’t needed. They’re swinging hard, Amaya with another kick, Canuto with her hands. A third Amaya kick sees Canuto go after a takedown; she doesn’t land the initial attempt but stays on it, getting the fight down. Canuto locks up an arm bar and Amaya rolls with her, finally freeing herself only to be dragged back down once, then twice, then a third time. Amaya winds up on top, but Canuto is tricky off her back, threatening with an arm-bar again. Amaya fires punches but then has to contend with a triangle, then another arm-bar. Dana White questions whether Amaya is double-jointed. “These arm-bars are freaking me out.”

Amaya eventually scrambles free, and starts dropping elbows and punches. Canuto is in a bad spot, but the horn sounds to end the round before Amaya can put her away.

“Her arm’s broken,” Canuto tells her coaches between rounds. If it is, Amaya isn’t showing it. Instead, both ladies come out swinging again in round two. And Amaya has no issue firing with both. Eventually, Canuto has her leg kicked out from under her, and goes down. Amaya gets right on her, dropping punches and elbows. The ref warns Canuto to fight back once, then twice, then finally stops the fight. Melissa Amaya has the TKO finish!

Amaya reveals after the fight that her arm is injured, possibly broken, but she’ll have time off prior to the final.

Next up on TUF 34

Xavier Franklin and Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu face off in the first bantamweight semifinal. Amaya vs. Canuto is going to be a TUF, sorry tough, act to follow.

The post The Ultimate Fighter 34, Ep. 9: Fun Fight, Fun Coaches Challenge appeared first on Cageside Press.

Uros Medic

On Saturday, Uros Medic graduated from fun action fighter to legitimate welterweight contender. After proving to the promotion that he’s a sure bet for entertainment, he earned himself a homecoming main event spot and made the most of that opportunity. The logical next step here is either another main event, or a spot on the main card of a numbered event. In either case, a matchup with Leon Edwards works.

Medic’s next fight: Leon Edwards

Navajo Stirling

One week after Magomed Ankalaev and Bogdan Guskov failed to change the status quo at light-heavyweight by lulling us to sleep, 28-year-old Navajo Stirling became the first to KO Jan Blachowicz since Thiago Santos in 2019. This division was in bad need of new blood and Stirling delivered it. Considering Blachowicz hasn’t gotten his hand raised since 2022, it seems unlikely that this result will grant Stirling a title shot, no matter how impressive the victory. For that reason, I think a fight with Jiri Prochazka could be next for the Kiwi.

Stirling’s next fight: Jiri Prochazka

Aleksandar Rakic

Last time Aleksandar Rakic won a fist fight, Alex Pereira still hadn’t been signed by the UFC. It had been a while since the Serbian tasted victory, but five years and a long overdue weight class change later, here we are. While no one would describe this fight as exciting, we can perhaps excuse Rakic’s shy fighting approach considering getting the win was his utmost priority. With that monkey now off his back, we can set the bar higher for his next outing. I think Ante Delija has a fight style that could tell us a lot about where Rakic’s confidence is after Saturday.

Rakic’s next fight: Ante Delija

Robert Valentin

After failing to win his season of The Ultimate Fighter, Robert Valentin now finds himself on a win streak, while Ryan Loder, who defeated him that TUF Finale, is still winless inside the promotion. Funny how those things work out sometimes. However, before we start taking the Swiss seriously at middleweight, he would first need to at least defeat someone with a bit of legitimacy to his name. Because he’s been on a slide, someone like Marvin Vettori might fake for an interesting pairing.

Valentin’s next fight: Marvin Vettori

Gilbert Urbina

Coming in as a near three-to-one betting underdog and off consecutive first-round KO losses, it was no wonder this looked like Urbina being fed to a newcomer. But credit to him, Urbina pulled off the upset and knocked out the debuting Vlasto Cepo in just a minute. In the short term, I doubt this means anything more than Urbina simply extending his stay in the UFC. He will probably need to pull off more than one of these upsets in order to plant his flag in the promotion. It would not be surprising to see him matched up with someone like Michael Oliveira next.

Urbina’s next fight: Michael Oliveira

Noah Gugnon

It can be difficult to gauge the value of a win when it’s two debuting fighters facing off. Since most of the fanbase doesn’t have any prior UFC highlight to go off of, it’s hard to know what this type of win teaches us about Noah Gugnon. For that reason, I think the UFC would be wise to treat Gugnon’s next fight as his actual debut and therefore approach the matchmaking in that fashion. Someone like Nikolas Motta is a known commodity at lightweight: dangerous, but vulnerable. Someone that will test the 25-year-old Frenchman without being an insurmountable task.

Gugnon’s next fight: Nikolas Motta

The post What’s Next: UFC Belgrade Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

Daniel Rodriguez

(#14) Uros Medic smoked (#13) Daniel Rodriguez just seconds into their bout in the main event of UFC Belgrade. Daniel now falls to 10-5 with the promotion since being signed off the Contender Series in 2019. The loss snapped a 3-fight win streak for D-Rod as he had defeated Alex Morono, Santiago Ponzinibbio and Kevin Holland since June of 2024.

Rodriguez should fight Geoff Neal or Chidi Njokuani. These two fighters were scheduled to fight on August 15th before Neal withdrew from the bout. If this is not a matchup that is rebooked D-Rod would be an excellent matchup for either guy. Neal is 8-6 with the UFC and off the 2017 season of the Contender Series. Geoff has lost three of his last four fights including a first round KO to loss to Uros Medic back in February. Njokani is 5-5 with the UFC and off the 2021 season of the Contender Series. He’s riding a two-fight skid losing against Jake Matthews and most recently, Carlos Leal. Leaning towards a matchup against a formerly ranked opponent like Geoff Neal but Chidi could also work here.

Rodriguez’s next fight: Geoff Neal 

Jan Blachowicz

(#11) Navajo Stirling flattened former light heavyweight champion (#15) Jan Blachowicz in a little over half a round on Saturday in the co main event of UFC Belgrade. A devastating outcome for Jan who is now 12-9-2 with the UFC since 2014 and has gone 0-3-2 in his last five bouts. It’s also been nothing but injuries and mishaps for the 43-year-old recently as he’s had 3 cancelled fights in the past 2.5 years.

Perfect matchup for Jan would be to give him Nikita Krylov here. A previous losers article listed another matchup against Bogdan Guskov who fought Jan to a draw and has had two cancelled fights with Jan. But seeing the rankings in this situation that doesn’t make much sense with Bogdan inside the top 10 and have just lost to the #2 ranked fighter. Krylov is a good matchup. Hes 12-10 with the promotion and has lost three of his last four. Krylov has been finished in all of those losses including against Bogdan Guskov in 2025 and most recently opposite of Robert Whittaker at UFC 329. Easy booking here.

Blachowicz’s next fight: Nikita Krylov

Marcin Tybura

Aleksandar Rakic finally got back into the win column notching one of the few decisions on Saturday with his unanimous decision victory against Marcin Tybura. Tybura is now 14-11 in the UFC.  He’s riding a 3-fight losing streak.

Tybura should be matched up against a familiar foe in his next fight. Marcin should take on Derrick Lewis. This was a matchup identified in a previous losers article as well. Derrick and Marcin first fought back in early 2018. Derrick got the KO midway through the third round, but it was a very competitive scrap. Lewis is also on a 2-fight skid so this is one that could make sense for the Black Beast. He also has a somewhat similar record with the promotion at 20-12. This heavyweight banger could be on the main card of a fight night card.

Tybura’s next fight: Derrick Lewis II 

Dusko Todorovic

Robert Valentin finished the fight via a slick guillotine choke with less than a minute left in the first round of his bout against Dusko Todorovic. Dusko is now 4-7 with the UFC since coming off of the 2019 season of the Contender Series.

Dusko’s next bout should be against the loser of Wes Schultz vs. Jackson McVey. That fight goes down on August 22nd so the timing would be fine. McVey is 1-2 with the UFC and has loss to Brunno Ferreira and Zach Reese. He was also scheduled to have a bout against Robert Valentin in November of 2025 but the bout fell through. Wes is 1-1 with the promotion since being signed of the 2025 season of the contender series (where he earned redemption after an appearance the year prior) The loser of this bout would be a perfect matchup to help reset Dusko. Loser of that next matchup could very well be in the hot seat for their spot on the roster.

Todorovic’s next fight: Wes Schultz vs. Jackson McVey loser

Vlasto Cepo

Gilbert Ulbina took exactly a minute to flatten Vlasto Cepo with a straight left and then finish the fight with round and pound. Vlasto now falls to 0-1 with the promotion. He will look to pick up the pieces from his nightmare of a debut in his next bout.

Cepo’s next fight should be against Julien Leblanc. Julien is 0-1 with the promotion as well and was also finished in his debut. He took on Robert Valentin back in April and was submitted via rear naked choke midway through the round. Good fight to make between two men that struggled out of the starting blocks.

Cepo’s next fight: Julien Leblanc

Milos Janicic

Noah Gugnon strangled and submitted his opponent, Milos Janicic, not even 90 seconds into the first round of their fight to kick of the main card. Both fighters were making their promotional debut, so Janicic is the one walking away at 0-1.

Janicic’s next fight with the UFC should be against Damian Rzepecki. This is a matchup that was featured in a previous losers article.  Damian picked up the first loss of his pro career last weekend as he lost Magomed Zaynukov in what was also his debut. These two fighters have now both have one loss and are on basically the same time schedule. Decent matchup to consider booking.

Janicic’s next fight: Damian Rzepecki

The post What’s Next: UFC Belgrade Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.

Notably, several fighters from this latest season of TUF have already competed in the UFC, including Abdul Hussein (who didn’t get chosen but appeared on the show in a tryout), and Anna Melisano, who was eliminated in the quarterfinals then lost her UFC debut.

This week, it’s Micaias Urena taking on Xavier Franklin. Urena’s nickname is “The Pink Ranger,” and yes, that’s based on the Pink Ranger from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Urena hails from the Domician Republic, as he points out a nation known for baseball – but baseball, he explains, wasn’t for him. He took Taekwondo classes as a kid, and later on in life discovered Anderson Silva. That motivated him to find a gym to train at. The 11-3 fighter lost his father a year ago, which is part of his motivation for making it to the UFC.

“I am the most dangerous one in my division,” Urena says on camera.

During Team Cormier’s training session, Michael Bisping pulls off the first proper prank of the show, bringing in a crew of “little people” saying it was their time to train. Somewhere, Peter Dinklage is losing his mind. Politically incorrect or not, it’s a jab at the short stature of some of Team Cormier’s coaches. For some reason, a German polka band is also brought in, along with dancers. It’s looking like Oktoberfest, and Daniel Cormier is not amused.

“For the record, I f*cking hated that prank. That was one of the most annoying things I’ve seen in my like,” a rather grumpy Cormier tells the camera.

Xavier Franklin talks about how he got into fighting. As a wrestler, he had to stop competing after being found to have internal bleeding. “I ended up falling in love with it,” Franklin said of wrestling. He had dreams of going to the Olympics. Then the bleeding took him out of wrestling. “It felt like I lost my life,” Franklin admitted.

After making a miraculous recovery, Franklin made his way into fighting. He’s Team Bisping’s number one pick. He’s also a veteran of the Contender Series, having lost to current UFC star David Martinez. Franklin doesn’t care “what the world thinks” of him, he’s looking to prove something to himself through the show.

Urena breaks out a pink wig at weigh-ins. He makes weight without issue. Franklin makes weight as well, and the pair face off ahead of the final quaterfinal fight.

Micaias Urena vs. Xavier Franklin

Urena vs. Franklin started at a brisk clip, plenty of action in the opening minute with Franklin pressing forward throwing punches and leg kicks. Urena fired back in response, with lots of low kicks of his own. He circled on the outside, and connected to the body with a kick (more of a knee) about 90 seconds in. Franklin was undeterred and continued moving forward. Another had kick from Urena, who briefly changed levels but bailed on the takedown attempt a moment later. Franklin then needed a moment after an eye poke, with the ref warning Urena that he’d take a point for the next infraction.

Back underway Urena doubled up on leg kicks, then pursued a takedown. With his corner yelling “trip” Urena briefly grounded Franklin, but the American popped right back to his feet. Utilizing a whizzer he’d eventually break free and move to center. Franklin then complained of another eye poke, only for the ref to say he didn’t see it and order the pair to fight on. Franklin ripped the body in the final minute, and Urena almost tripped himself up circling the cage. Franklin was piling on the offense, and Urena stumbled. Franklin went down, and ate a massive knee and one additional punch. Cormier immediately cried foul saying it was an illegal knee, Bisping’s team insisted it was to the body. Replay showed just that – the knee hit the shoulder, the follow up punch added on, and it’s over. Daniel Cormier storms the cage, screaming at the ref – before even seeing the replay. Even Dana White tells Cormier to watch the replay, and when DC still insists the knee was illegal, White says he might be “mentally ill.”

Either way, the fight is over. Franklin has the victory. In recapping the fight during the highlights, Cormier finally admits the knee hit the body, not the head.

TUF 34 Semifinals

The semifinals are up next, and both teams have four fighters moving on. Coincidentally, Team Bisping has three bantamweights moving forward, while Team Cormier has three strawweights moving forward.

Xavier Franklin, Mehemmedeli Osmanli, and Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu rep Bisping in the next round, with just Christian Strong moving on for Team Cormier. On the strawweight side, it’s Tina Black, Melissa Amaya, and Delphine Benouaich for Cormier, and only Gigi Canuto representing Bisping.

Coaches Bisping and Cormier next meet with the semifinalists to set the matchups. Gigi Canuto wants to fight Delphine Benouaich; Melissa Amaya wants Canuto. Tina Black wants Canuto as well. Mehemmedeli Osmanli asks who said his name, wanting to fight whoever called him out – but no one had called his name. He says he’ll fight anyone.

The match-ups come down to:

• Gigi Canuto vs. Melissa Amaya
• Tina Black vs. Delphine Benouaich
• Xavier Franklin vs. Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu
• Mehemmedeli Osmanli vs. Christian Strong

The post The Ultimate Fighter 34: DC Fuming After Finish to Ep. 8 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Magomed Ankalaev

Yes, former champion Magomed Ankalaev got back in the win column, but this was the furthest thing from “Big Ank Time”. A pedestrian point-fight until a strange stoppage by Marc Goddard. That was a mercy stoppage, but not for Bogdan Guskov, but rather for the fans, who had seen enough. While Carlos Ulberg still doesn’t have a clear number one contender, the silver linings to his injury means the UFC gets more time to figure out who to throw at him. The promotion already didn’t seem like they wanted to be in the Ankalaev business and this kind of performance is exactly why, so I doubt this win will push the Russian back to the front of the line. Even with Ulberg out for maybe more than a year, performances like these will not renew interest in this division and means the UFC won’t be in any hurry to create an interim championship. The most likely scenario is a simple rebooking of the Khalil Rountree Jr. matchup…unless Navajo Stirling brings new life to this division next week.

Ankalaev’s next fight: Khalil Rountree Jr.

Ramazan Temirov

It was a 16-month waiting period for Ramazan Temirov, but the Uzbek finally got the opportunity to remind people why he had hype behind him when he joined the promotion in late 2024. This man throws with bad intentions and is one of the few flyweights with real one-shot KO power. While he called for a shot at the title, Alexandre Pantoja’s resumé should grant him a shot in his next fight and Manel Kape has done enough to fight for the title as well. That means Temirov will need at least one more victory. This win allowed him to break into the top10, the logical next step is the top five. A main event against Kyoji Horiguchi would test him against an experienced top five name and would show us what he’s got in the championship rounds, should the Japanese be able to take him there.

Temirov’s next fight: Kyoji Horiguchi

Magomed Zaynukov

“Chanco”, “Johny Pork”, whatever you want to call him, Magomed Zaynukov delivered in his debut, showing his array of weapons to win a wide unanimous decision over undefeated 24-year-old Damian Rzepecki. With some clear fan support behind him, I think the UFC would be wise to keep him fighting in front of live crowds. I think bringing him back to Abu Dhabi in October against a name like Alexander Hernandez would be a good test for Zaynukov.

Zaynukov’s next fight: Alexander Hernandez

Rizvan Kuniev

After the way both of their last fights went, most people had a good reason to expect a snoozefest between Rizvan Kuniev and Tyrell Fortune. However, Kuniev made sure things would go down differently this time around. He battered Fortune on his way to a third-round mercy stoppage from the referee. Originally, I had Josh Hokit booked against Alexander Volkov, but after yet another Valter Walker submission victory, I’m quite intrigued by what a matchup between two characters like Hokit and Walker would yield. That change of plan gives Kuniev an opening to face Volkov next.

Kuniev’s next fight: Alexander Volkov

Abubakar Vagaev

The Khamzat Chimaev protégé was successful in his promotional debut, earning a hard-fought unanimous decision over Sayid Izagakhmaev. Despite the win, Vagaev didn’t seem happy with his performance, claiming he’s a better fighter than he showed in this bout. Part of that dissatisfaction might come from the fact that he was originally scheduled at middleweight and saw not only an opponent change, but a weight class change to his fight with only a few weeks to go in his camp. For that reason, I think his next fight should be at middleweight. Why not simply rebook the original fight?

Vagaev’s next fight: Magomedrasul Gasanov

The post What’s Next: UFC Abu Dhabi Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

Bogdan Guskov

(#2) Magomed Ankalaev out classed and submitted (#9) Bogdan Guskov in the final round of the pair’s five round bout of Saturday. Unfortunate outcome for Guskov as he filled in against the former champ on short notice and really had an opportunity to ‘skip the line’. Bogdan Guskov is now 4-2-1 with the UFC.

Guskov’s next fight should be against the loser of (#15) Jan Blachowicz vs. (#11) Navajo Stirling. That fight goes down August 1st so the timing would be excellent. Jan has already faced and fought Guskov to a majority draw back in December. The pair have been matched up twice since then including, August 1st before Guskov had to rebook to fill in for Rountree at UFC Abu Dhabi. 43-year-old, former champ, Jan Blachowicz is 12-8-2 with the UFC but hasn’t won a fight since 2022. Navajo is 10-0 and 5-0 with the promotion since being signed from the Contender Series in 2021. Whoever loses could potentially keep their ranking and either way, you either get an interesting rematch or a decent test for the 28-year-old. This fight could be on the main card of a fight night card.

Guskov’s next fight: Navajo Stirling vs. Jan Blachowicz loser

Steve Erceg

Ramazan Temirov melted former title challenger (#13) Steve Erceg in what was an amazing outing for the Uzbekistani fighter, and a bonus winning one. Erceg is now 5-4 with the UFC and will likely lose his ranking. This loss snapped a 2-fight win streak for Steve, over Ode Osbourne and Tim Elliot.

Steve’s next fight should be against the loser of the Charles Johnson vs. Jose Ocho fight. That fight is scheduled for August 15th so the timing could be good depending on if the bout ends with a finish. Charles is 8-7 with the UFC and lost to Ramazan back in March of last year. Jose Ocho is 2-2 with the UFC withe losses to Lone’er Kavanagh in his promotional debut and most recently, Asu Almabayev. Good bounce back, realistic matchup for Erceg against an opponent on a similar and in a similar position.

Erceg’s next fight: Charles Johnson vs. Jose Ocho loser

Damian Rzepecki

Magomed Zaynukov made his much-anticipated promotional debut and grinded out a unanimous decision victory over Damian Rzepecki, much to the delight of fans. The bout was also Damian’s promotional debut and the first loss of his professional career, as he’s now, 10-1.

Damian’s next fight should be against the loser of Noah Gugnon vs. Milos Janicic. Both are also making their UFC debuts and that fight goes down on August 1st. Timing is close, everyone has a somewhat similar record a (19-3, 9-2, respectively). Good booking to make.

Rzepecki’s next fight: Milos Janicic vs. Noah Gugnon loser

Tyrell Fortune

(#7) Rizvan Kuniev threw down with and dispatched Tyrell Fortune in a heavyweight banger that won Fight of the Night honors at UFC Abu Dhabi. The bout made it into the third round before the stoppage. Tyrell is now 1-1 with the UFC after defeating Marcin Tybura back in March for his debut.

Sticking with a previous losers article pick here, Tallison Teixeira should be Tyrell’s next fight. Teixeira is 2-2 with the UFC. The 2024 Contender Series product has wins over Justin Tafa and Tai Tuivasa but was finished in just over 30 seconds in both his promotional losses (Derrick Lewis and Sergei Pavlovich). This would be an interesting bout to make. Teixeira is just 26 and being pushed, a fight against him would do a lot heavy lifting for Tyrell and would offer an interesting stylistic matchup.

Fortune’s next fight: Tallison Teixeira

Saygid Izagakhmaev

Abubakar Vagaev bested Saygid Izagkhmaev over the course of three rounds to open the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Saygid is now 0-2 with the UFC after losing his promotional debut to Nicolas Dalby via spilt decision last November. That was a very tall task for a debut fighter. To be fair, Saygid made his debut with the UFC at 22-2.

Saygid’s next fight should be against the loser of Ty Miller vs. Billy Ray Goff. That fight goes down on August 8th so the timing would match up well. Goff is a 2022 Contender Series product that is 1-2 with the UFC. He’s lost two in a row and had four cancelled bouts. Ty is a 2025 Contender Series veteran that is 1-0 with the UFC. This could be a bit of a mismatch as Ty is 7-0 while Billy is 9-4, but both are Contender Series Americans that could be a good litmus test for a guy that was immediately thrown to the wolves like Saygid.

Izagkhmaev’s next fight: Ty Miller vs. Billy Ray Goff loser

The post What’s Next: UFC Abu Dhabi Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.

Episode 7 got right down to business, with Mackenzie Stiller taking on another Mackenzie in training: Mackenzie Dern, the current UFC women’s strawweight champion. The Team Bisping fighter admits that she got a little overwhelmed in sparring because the pair were doing “pure boxing,” rather than MMA. “I’ll turn a pure boxer into dogsh*t with one punch,” Stiller tells the camera. In the gym, Stiller breaks down in front of Coach Bisping, who tells her to let it out.

Bisping gives his fighter a good little pep talk, noting that they won’t turn her into a boxer in a week, but they’ll give her a few little tips. Then it’s back to the TUF house, with the focus shifting to France’s Benouaich. Where Xavier Francis is teaching her English slang. That may or may not be the wisest course of action for Benouaich, but it is entertaining.

Benouaich explains that, with a handful of brothers, her father really wanted a daughter – only to get one who “wasn’t girly at all.”

Coach Daniel Cormier calls her “fun to work with,” noting that she works hard and loves to fight. But, he adds, her wrestling isn’t the best.

Stiller’s housemates adore her. “Any time you’re bored, just go find Mackenzie. She’s going to entertain you.” Stiller does a mean GOAT impression. Sorry, goat impression. The animal, not the greatest of all time.

In one of the most emotional moments of the series, Stiller then opens up about being sexually abused as a child, for the better part of 12 years. “I couldn’t escape it no matter how hard I tried. I thought it was normal when I was little,” she says. Martial arts became her outlet. “I think I’d be dead without it.”

“Something good came out of something bad. If I did not go through that, I don’t think I would be the fighter I am today. But I just put it out there so people going through that, or who have gone through that, can relate.”

It’s heavy. Stiller says that trauma makes the toughest fighters.

Weigh-ins for the last strawweight quarterfinal go off without a hitch. Delphine Benouaich is shredded. Stiller is no slouch herself. Both make weight with ease.

Delphine Benouaich vs. Mackenzie Stiller

Round one opens with Stiller firing an overhand and Benouaich throwing a kick. It’s single strikes for a bit from each lady before they crash together in a clinch. Stiller gets in the driver’s seat against the fence, but Benouaich fires a knee. They break, no takedown. Benouaich’s corner claims Stiller is tiring just 90 seconds into the round, which seems dubious at best. Stiller continues to attack, looks to change levels, but can’t get inside for a takedown. Benouaich catches her with a right hand that causes Stiller to take a step back.

Stiller fans on an overhand. Blows an entry, eats a kick, then clinches up again. “Mackenzie, you have to make this position count now,” Michael Bisping tells her. Benouaich fires a knee, and finally breaks free. Outside of a bit of control time, it’s hard to see Stiller made the position count. A late takedown by Stiller is stuffed, but a second one with 15 seconds to go lands, just barely. Benouaich reverses right at the horn.

Stiller slips early in round two, recovers, then shoots a sloppy takedown. Bisping warns her to set the takedown up. After some back-and-forth on the feet, the ref pauses the action, warning Mackenzie Stiller for having her fingers outstretched. Benouaich lands a nice uppercut. Fires a kick. Works her jab. If she started putting them all together a little more fluidly, she’d pull away.

Instead, Stiller lands a takedown right at the midway mark of the round. She’s able to climb the back as Benouaich stands up, but slides off. Back to the fence, and it’s a clinch and a stalemate. At range, Benouaich has the edge until Stiller again takes her down. Stiller briefly looks for an arm-bar but reverts to firing punches. Cormier sees what he believes is an illegal knee, and hollers at the ref, to no avail. Benouaich makes it back up and Stiller fires an elbow. They break, and finish trading a few more strikes.

It’s off to a third round, with Stiller showing a small lump/hematoma on her forehead. Both coaches try to fire up their fighter. Stiller fires a high kick early. Benouaich lands a right hand. Stiller lets go with a superman punch. She connects with a right. And a spinning back elbow. Stiller is looking better on the feet as the fight goes on, or at least more creative. Benouaich however has the tighter, more technical striking. Stiller finally goes back to the well 90 seconds, in, looking for a takedown, but she doesn’t have it.

Lots of action on the feet from there, with Bisping urging his fighter to finish strong. “Forward pressure!” Benouaich rips the body late, slips, and Stiller moves in but can’t get her down. Dana White gives a round of applause at the end.

The closest round of the three, and it’s a unanimous decision win for Delphine Benouaich. “I did a step, but I didn’t cross the finish line yet,” she says.

Next up on The Ultimate Fighter 34

One more bantamweight quarterfinal to go. Xavier Franklin, Team Bisping’s first pick overall, takes on Micaias Ureña. Franklin’s only loss came on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2024, against David Martinez.

The post The Ultimate Fighter 34: One Last Strawweight Semifinal Spot Secured In Ep. 7 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Dricus Du Plessis

The former champion held his spot near the top of the division by winning a unanimous decision over welterweight great Kamaru Usman. Though the name value in Usman is still good, going the distance with a 39-year-old Usman who has been known to have bad knees for some years is not the accomplishment it is on paper. It certainly shouldn’t be enough to leapfrog Nassourdine Imavov in the title picture, even with two wins over the current champion. I am not saying Du Plessis is three or four fights away from a title shot, he’s probably one good finish away from getting back in there, but he still needs to earn said good finish. If Gregory Rodrigues defeats Anthony Hernandez next month, the car crash that “Stillknocks” and “RoboCop” would create could result in a Fight of the Year contender, and that is an opportunity I am not willing to pass on.

Du Plessis’ next fight: Hernandez/Rodrigues winner

Christian Leroy Duncan

Though he didn’t get a finish, CLD won a clean unanimous decision over a staple of the middleweight top 10 in Jared Cannonier to keep his momentum going. With this win, the Englishman now puts himself with the Gregory Rodrigues’ and the Joe Pyfers as the next crop of 185ers looking to take out the established names. With “RoboCop” already having a fight booked, CLD can look at names such as Caio Borralho, the winner of the Sacremento co-main or even Dricus Du Plessis. However, the one I landed on is Brendan Allen, who unfortunately still seems to be in no man’s land despite a big upset win over Reinier de Ridder last October.

Leroy Duncan’s next fight: Brendan Allen

Chase Hooper

After seeing his five-fight win streak get snapped by knockout against the then fellow streaking Alexander Hernandez last summer, Chase Hooper failed to bounce back against Lance Gibson Jr. this past March. The UFC then opted to give Hooper what can only be described as a “gimme” fight against Mitch Ramirez who was winless in the UFC and on DWCS, getting KO’d in every bout. Hooper, as expected, made short work of Ramirez, and while the win was meant to get him some confidence back, the weight miss still wasn’t a good look for the 26-year-old. For that reason, I’d look to give Hooper another “gimme” before steadily increasing the level of competition again. There are multiple candidates for a fight like this, but someone like Anshul Jubli should do.

Hooper’s next fight: Anshul Jubli

Fatima Kline

Filling in on short notice up a division against a top 10 flyweight in Jasmine Jasudavicius, who is big for that weight class and in the middle of the best win streak of her career, was always going to be a tough debut for anyone. But since then, Fatima Kline has done nothing but win. This latest win against Tabatha Ricci will propel her into the strawweight top 10 and will provide her with a great opportunity to insert herself into the title conversation. With Tatiana Suarez and Zhang Weili still around, Kline will surely be in need of another win before truly asserting herself as the next challenger. I think facing the loser of the upcoming title fight in Philadelphia is exactly the kind of fight she needs next.

Kline’s next fight: Dern/Robertson loser

Tommy McMillen

Tommy McMillen earned his second UFC victory in as many fights. His loud personality combined with his fan-friendly style will surely put him in the promotion’s good graces. He asked to be on the Noche UFC card in Arizona in September and I don’t see why the UFC wouldn’t acquiesce to that demand. Why not have him fight another featherweight who will be willing to throw down and put on a show? Someone like Fernando Padilla, who happens to be Mexican, would be a good dancer partner for McMillen.

McMillen’s next fight: Fernando Padilla

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Kamaru Usman

(#2) Dricus Du Plessis accomplished his goal in the main event of UFC Oklahoma City, making a huge statement against (#10 WW) Kamaru Usman with his five-round beatdown of the new middleweight. Kamaru Usman now falls to 16-4 with the UFC with all of his losses coming in his last five bouts. Usman’s only win during that time period was a June 2025 unanimous decision opposite of Jaoquin Buckley. This was Kamaru’s second UFC fight a middleweight (the first being Khamzat in 2023) and the former champ stated he wasn’t sure if he’d stay or go back down for his next fight. At 39 years old he’s got some big decisions to make.

The fight that makes the most sense for Kamaru here is staying at middleweight and fighting the loser of Anthony Hernandez vs. Gregory Rodrigues. That fight goes down on August 22 so the timing would be great for Usman. Rodrigues, who is 10-3 with the promotion is riding a three-fight win streak defeating Jack Hermansson, Roman Kopylov, and most recently, Brunno Ferreira. Anthony Hernandez is 9-3 with the promotion and coming off of a loss to the former middleweight champion, Sean Strickland, back in February. Whoever loses that fight should take on Usman. Backup could be a fighter like Jared Cannonier as the timing would work great.

Should Usman go down to welterweight, he should take on a fighter like Belal Muhammad. Belal is a former welterweight champion like Usman. Belal also just turned 38 years old. That’s a fight that could make a lot of sense as Muhammad is riding a three-fight losing streak stemming from losing his belt to Jack Della Maddalena in 2025. He’s since lost to Ian Machado Garry and Gabriel Bonfim, last month. Two aging, awkward-striking wrestlers that are former champs. It’d make a good scrap if the two are ready to fight at around the same time. Easy Fight Night main event too.

Usman’s next fight if 170lbs.: (#7) Belal Muhammad or (#4) Jack Della Madadalena

Usman’s next fight if 185lbs.: Loser of (#7) Anthony Hernandez vs. (#9) Gregory Rodrigues 

Jared Cannonier

(#12) Christian Leroy Duncan took the next step in his career as he cruised to a unanimous decision victory over (#11) Jared Cannonier in the co main event on Saturday. Jared has now lost four of his last five bouts dating back to June of 2024. Cannonier’s sole victory over the stretch came in February of 2025 when he starched Gregory Rodrigues in the fourth. His other losses came against Nassourdine Imavov, Caio Borralho, and Michael Page. Jared is one loss away from a .500 record as he’s 11-10 with the promotion since being signed in 2015.

Jared’s next fight should be against the loser of Roman Dolidze vs. Reiner de Ridder. That fight is scheduled for August 22, so the timing would be a little skewed. But Cannonier is 42, so nothing wrong with a little more time to recover. Dolidze is 9-5 with the promotion and has lost two straight. Including in his most recent fight, a unanimous decision to CLD back in March. Dolidze also had a cancelled bout against Cannonier in 2023. RDR is 4-2 with the UFC and also on a two-fight skid. His last fight was a unanimous decision loss to Caio Borralho in March. Whoever loses this fight would be a perfect matchup for Cannonier while the other will likely a way higher matchup in the rankings.

Worst comes to worst here and Cannonier could take on Kamaru Usman. Around the same age range, timing would work, and similar performances on Saturday. Both men have also been in multiple weight classes and would offer solid opponents for each other.

Cannonier’s next fight: Loser of Roman Dolidze vs. Reiner De Ridder or Kamaru Usman

Mitch Ramirez

Chase Hooper made quick work of Mitch Ramirez on Saturday as he easily submitted his opponent with a rear naked choke in the first round. Ramirez is a 2023 Contender Series competitor that had the misfortunate of facing one Carlos Prates. After another win outside the UFC (LFA) Ramirez got an opportunity with the promotional giant. Mitch is now 0-3 with the UFC and has been finished in every appearance.

Seems pretty likely that Mitch could get the boot here, seeing the outcome on Saturday. Ramirez also appeared to have injured his knee during the performance and turns 34 later this year. If he stays on the roster a good fight would be against the loser of Milos Janici vs. Noah Gugnon. That fight is going down on August 1 so as long as Ramirez didn’t come away with a bad injury (somewhat unlikely) he’d be good to go for this fight. Milos has one loss in the widely known KSW promotion and has a lot of finishes on his record. Noah is a one-loss veteran of the Bellator promotion and also has a lot of finishes to his credit. Both are hungry, dangerous fighters in their 20s that would pair up well for a quick elimination fight against Mitch.

Ramirez’s next fight: Milos Janicic vs. Noah Gugnon loser or Cut

Tabatha Ricci

26-year-old (#14) Fatima Kline looked like she was ready for the elites of the strawweight division with her unanimous decision victory over (#7) Tabatha Ricci on Saturday. Ricci now falls to 7-5 with the UFC and has lost three of her last four since November of 2024. Ricci’s only win during the time period came in July of 2025 opposite of Amanda Ribas. Amanda was actually Fatima’s original opponent for Saturday but withdrew from the bout with Tabatha stepping up to replace her. Ricci has faced great competition losing to a pair of title challengers in Yan Xiaonan and Virna Jandiroba.

With all this in mind, Tabatha’s next fight is going to have to be strategic, and she’ll need to make a statement. The perfect next opponent for Ricci is (#15) Talita Alencar. Alencar is 4-1 in the UFC after being signed to the promotion off of the Contender Series in 2023. Her only loss in the UFC came to Sephanie Luciano in August of 2024. Talita is riding a 3-fight win streak having defeated Vaness Demopoulos, Ariane Carnelossi and most recently, Julia Polastri. Talita is coming off a win, but there is a small chance for the matchup. Ricci did step up for Ribas, after all. Backup option here would be a fight against Denise Gomes. But only if Gomes is beaten badly or finished in her scheduled upcoming fight against Yan Xiaonan. That fight is on August 29th so the timing wouldn’t be too far off, either.

Ricci’s next fight: (#15) Talita Alencar or (#8) Denise Gomes if she loses badly to (#5) Yan Xiaonan

Alberto Montes

Tommy McMillen broke the featherweight record for strikes landed in a three-round fight on his way to a third-round TKO over Alberto Montes to kick of the main card of UFC Oklahoma City. This fight had a lot of buildup to it so rough loss for Alberto who is now 1-1 with the promotion. Montes was signed off the 2024 season of the Contender Series and announced his arrival in the promotion with a bonus winning finish over Ricky Turcios in March.

Alberto should look no further than the fight just before his own at UFC Oklahoma City for his next opponent. Montes should fight Austin Bashi next. Bashi fought and loss of the feature prelim on Saturday losing a unanimous decision against Jose Delgado. Austin is also a 2024 Contender Series veteran and is 1-2 with the promotion. Bashi made his UFC debut against Christian Rodriguez last January, losing a decision. His lone win with the UFC came last August when he submitted John Yannis midway through the first round. Easy matchup here that really has the potential to be an under the radar scrap.

Montes’s next fight: Austin Bashi 

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Back at the start of the season, Cuba’s Sean Mora cut open Illimbek Akylbek Uulu when tryouts got out of hand. This week, they face off – and surprisingly, Mora, along with Micaias Ureña, opted to skip out on a day of training ahead of the fight.

Mora complains that he feels “low energy, with Ureña agreeing he feels the same. “I’m a professional and I know what I’m doing. I’ve been an athlete for a long time,” says Mora.

“I don’t know why. I don’t love that.” Cormier says he trusts the athletes, but wishes they came regardless.

Ahead of the fight, Moras reveals a harsh upbringing: living in poverty with no TV, no bathroom, no fridge and a dirt floor. But at 15, he was representing Cuba in wrestling, and was soon a national champion.

Cormier notes that his fighter’s opponent, Kyrgyzstan’s Illimbek Akylbek Uulu, is going to need to defend takedowns. Team Bisping also has a little outdoor, laid back training session at the TUF house. Xavier Franklin calls it perfect, giving it a chef’s kiss.

Marlon Jones calls Sean Mora a “pretty dirty fighter,” noting he was DQ’d in the past for eye gouging. The face-offs are tense, with the commission warning the pair not to touch one another.

Sean Mora vs. Illimbek Akylbek Uulu

Illimbek Akylbek Uulu opens Episode 6’s bantamweight fight with a kick, and then chooses to wrestle with Mora. He proves able to hold his own with Mora, getting him down, though he’s unable to keep him there. On the feet, Mora fires a kick then lands a takedown of his own. And he is able to keep his opponent grounded, working in half-guard. When Uulu gets up, he briefly gives up his neck. Mora tried for a choke, doesn’t have it, and ends up on his back. “You’re winning from the bottom” hollers coach Cormier. “No he’s not” Bisping yells in response. Mora tries to scramble to the fence but winds up on bottom again. He does return to his feet, and pursues a takedown of his own. It’s a grueling pace. Uulu defends with elbows, as his coach, Bisping, calls for more. But Mora manages to get the fight down, takes the back, and gets hooks in. Uulu rolls, defends, and time expires.

Round two sees Mora fight off a takedown attempt early. Uulu does get the fight down eventually, but Cormier complains that it’s not a fight — “he’s wrestling.”

They finish the round, and there is no third. Someone has done enough to earn a decision win after ten minutes. It’s Illimbek Akylbek Uulu getting his hand raised, but Dana White says he felt Mora did more damage in the second, and that a third round would have been justified.

Next on The Ultimate Fighter 34

Mackenzie Stiller and Delphine Benouaich are the final strawweight quarterfinal, so there’s not much suspense when it comes to picking the next fight.

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