The proof is there on YouTube.

The real Josh Hokit. No, not that real Josh Hokit.

The actual Josh Hokit is a former football player and hard-working contender who is looking to make the most of his career transition to professional MMA fighter. He made his professional debut at 25 years-old at the seminal Bellator 300 event in 2023, back then just making the most of the platform given. Fast forward three years later and Hokit remains undefeated at 9-0.

But that’s not the biggest change.

“The Incredible Hok” has embraced a relentless approach on the microphone that has led to trepidation for his promotional appearances that rivals that of middleweight champion Sean Strickland. There are shades of everyone in his on-stage persona, from the late “Macho Man” Randy Savage of the WWE to his friend and advisor Chael Sonnen whose 2010 verbal assault led to a Hall of Fame bout against the legendary Anderson Silva.

Put himself on the biggest stage with this fight! 😮‍💨@Josh_HokitUFC is looking for a repeat performance on June 14th!

[ #UFCWhiteHouse presented by @cryptocom & @ramtrucks ] pic.twitter.com/1S0RQrYbd2

— UFC (@ufc) May 18, 2026

Let’s be blunt, Hokit is not politically correct in many of his comments whether they be from his fake characters or otherwise. He crosses the unspoken lines of pre-fight talk in bringing in children, spouses, and more into his loud tirades. Ask him a question and he will say something. To be clear, that’s not the same as answering said question. It is brash, off-putting, and draws the ire of foes both current and potential alike. He plays the villain willingly and passionately. You can say he goes too far but he ascribes to the Chael Sonnen rule of playing the heel: bad guys never apologize.

The talk would be all bluster if not for the fact that the man can fight. This was never more evident than by his most recent match. Hokit took a leap as he went from fighting fellow developing professional Denzel Freeman to fighting former title challenger and perennially top five ranked heavyweight Curtis Blaydes. Blaydes had dispatched all manner of far more experienced foes than Hokit in his UFC career and has shared the cage with the best of the era. But in April, the promotion booked the two together and they put on what has been praised as the Fight of the Year so far. Despite Blaydes grappling and resilience, Hokit prevailed behind admirable tenacity. So exciting was the performance that UFC CEO Dana White claimed he had CFO Hunter Campbell approach Hokit that night as he was being loaded into an ambulance about fighting at the White House.

The stage is now set for a wild scene. Hokit is fighting a dangerous contender in Derrick Lewis who White has claimed is a personal favorite fighter of the United States’ President Donald Trump. Further, the anticipation for how far he is willing to push the bubble — if he doesn’t burst it altogether — has many fans wondering if the pre-fight press conference at the Lincoln Memorial will be the most shocking in the history of the UFC. The kickoff presser in Newark already saw insane scenes as Hokit had conflicts with two fighters he wasn’t even booked against and had to be removed from the scene.

What goes up must come down eventually. But should Hokit’s star continue to rise on Sunday, the one can only wonder just how far — and wild — his journey could go next.

The post UFC White House: The Mad Mind of Josh Hokit appeared first on Cageside Press.

Gabriel Bonfim

After a successful first main event last November, the young Brazilian has now another one, this time against a former champion. While Belal Muhammad is clearly showing his age since winning the belt in July of 2024, a clean, 25-minute sweep on every judge’s scorecard is nothing to sneeze at.

With Ian Machado Garry seemingly set to face Islam Makhachev this summer and Carlos Prates most likely being next in line, guys like Michael Morales and Gabriel Bonfim cannot afford to sit on their laurels. I think a number one contender matchup between 26-year-old Morales and 28-year-old Bonfim, who have a combined 39-1 record would be one of the most exciting number one contender bouts we have had in a while.

Bonfim’s next fight: Michael Morales

Brendan Allen

Most people looked at this matchup wondering what its purpose was. In a fight where Brendan Allen seemingly has everything to lose and very little to gain, he managed to hold serve, winning a Fight of the Night bonus in the process. Though he won his third consecutive fight and was already inside the top5, unless an injury happens and the UFC needs him as a substitute, this win will not grant Allen a title opportunity. Caio Borralho, Joe Pyfer and Gregory Rodrigues are all names that could be thrown at Allen if need be, but I personally landed on Christian Leroy Duncan, should he defeat Jared Cannonier next month.

Allen’s next fight: Cannonier/Leroy Duncan winner

Tom Nolan

In what may have been the most interesting fight on the card aside from the main event, two streaking lightweights under 30 were meeting the feature bout. Despite Fares Ziam coming in with the longer win streak, it was Nolan who came out on top, nearly sweeping the Frenchman on every scorecard. With this win, the Aussie will crack the lightweight rankings and will officially be in the lion’s den. There are a few matchups that make sense, but the one that excites me the most is the winner the Baku main event going down later this month.

Nolan’s next fight: Fiziev/Torres winner

Bryce Mitchell

“Thugnasty” has now won both of his fights at bantamweight since making the move down. He defeated a known commodity in Said Nurmagomedov and has now taken the 0 of youngster Santiago Luna. This division is too deep to give Mitchell a ranked opponent yet as there are a lot of names more deserving of that opportunity. I think Kai Asakura or Charles Jourdain would be great matchups, but I really like the storyline with Aleksandre Topuria. Mitchell lost to Ilia at featherweight, but can he get his revenge on the Topuria family by beating Aleksandre?

Mitchell’s next fight: Aleksandre Topuria

Iwo Baraniewski

In just seven months, Iwo Baraniewski has not only won three fights, but he has made his brand identity very clear with the UFC fanbase. Another name who has proven to be all gas no brakes type of fighter is Abdul-Rahman Yakhyaev, who is favoured to beat Julius Walker later this month. Why not put those two together and see who comes out on top?

Baraniewski’s next fight: Yakhyaev/Walker winner

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 118 Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

Belal Muhammad

(#11) Gabriel Bonfim looked like he was in the matrix on Saturday as he cruised to 50-45 unanimous decision victory over (#5) Belal Muhmamad in the main event. Belal is now riding a three-fight losing streak originating from his unsuccessful title defense against Jack Della Maddalena in May of 2025. The other name in that skid was Ian Machado Gary, who Belal lost to via unanimous decision in November of 2025.

Given the circumstances and the performance from Belal on Saturday, he deserves respect but given he’s turning 38 years old in just a month, will he ever make it back to title contention? That’s for Belal to answer.  But a fight that makes a lot of sense right now is letting him take on a name like Shavkat Rakhmonov.

The pair were originally supposed to fight in late 2024 but Belal broke his foot. Instead, Shavkat took on and defeated Ian Machado Garry via unanimous decision. Due to injury Shavkat has been on ice since that appearance. He’s completely slid out of the rankings due to inactivity. Shavkat still has that notoriety at 7-0 in the UFC but needs a way to insert himself back into the division. What better way than matching these guys up to see where both stand? Fight Night main/co-main event where the winner gets a relevant ranking and an eventual path towards the title.

Muhammad’s next fight: Shavkat Rakhmonov

Edmen Shahbazyan

(#4) Brendan Allen logged an entertaining victory against Edmen Shahbazyan in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 118 to position himself closer to a title shot. The loss snapped a three-fight win streak for Shahbazyan that saw him defeating Dylan Budka, Andre Petroski, and Andre Muniz. The 2018 Contender Series alum is now 9-6 with the UFC. Shahbazyan was scheduled for a fight against Jun Yong Park in April, but the bout was cancelled after Park was injured.

That Park fight could be a good backup, but with that performance, Edmen should draw the loser of (#15) Ikram Aliskerov vs. Brunno Ferriera. That fight goes down on June 27 so the timing would work. Ikram has won two in a row since getting smoked by Robert Whittaker in 2024. He’s 4-1 in the UFC. And his most recent fight was a victory against Jun Yong Park in October of last year. Ferreira is 6-3 with the UFC and coming off a devastating first round KO at the hands of Gregory Rodrigues. Shahbazyan drawing the loser of this huge fight is an excellent, but dangerous, matchup. Could be on the main card of a Fight Night or the undercard of a PPV. Winner fights a ranked name.

Oh, and deviating from a previous loser’s article pick of Israel Adesanya here. It’s not something completely outside of the realm of possibility, but at the movement, just feels like a little too harsh of matchmaking for Izzy, all things considered. Just doesn’t work as well right now.

Shahbazyan’s next fight: (#15) Ikram Aliskerov vs Brunno Ferriera loser or Jun Yong Park

Fares Ziam

Tom Nolan completed the mild upset of Saturday with his unanimous decision victory of (#14) Fares Ziam. The loss snapped a 6-fight win streak for Ziam who now falls to 8-3 with the UFC. Absolutely devastating outcome for Ziam who had finally climbed into the shark infested rankings of the lightweight division.

Ziam’s next scrap should be against a fighter like MarQuel Mederos. The 2023 Contender Series alum is 3-0-1 within the UFC. MarQuel has defeated Landon Quinones, Austin Hubbard, and Mark Choinski before he fought Chris Padilla to a majority draw in his most recent outing. MarQuel is on the climb and giving him a recently ranked fighter in a guy like Fares Ziam makes perfect sense. On the other side of the coin, Ziam needs to reset, a solid win against a respected fighter, preferably a finish, that’ll draw him another shot at the rankings. Only thing off here is that MarQuel last fought on April 11, so maybe the timing doesn’t matchup the greatest. Backup here is Chris Padilla (MarQuel’s last opponent), who is 4-0-1 but missed weight in his last outing.

Ziam’s next fight: MarQuel Mederos or Chis Padilla

Santiago Luna

Bryce Mitchell submitted his short notice replacement, Santiago Luna, in the final 10 second of their bout on Saturday. Considering the circumstances, short notice, and his second fight with the UFC, against a high-profile opponent, Luna had a decent showing. It’s still a bitter pill to swallow for Luna, as that was the first defeat of his professional MMA career. Santiago is now 2-1 with the UFC since being signed in September of 2025.

Good next fight for Luna would be to match him up against John Yannis. John fought on the undercard on Saturday and also lost. Yannis was taking on a tall task in formerly ranked fighter, Marcus McGhee (who was coming off a main event loss to Petr Yan). So, the timing would match up well here. Yannis is 1-2 with the UFC but his losses are to McGhee and Austin Bashi. Very respectable defeats. Excellent fight to make here, offering both guys a litmus test that is more in line with their trajectories.

Luna’s next fight: John Yannis

Junior Tafa

Iwo Baraniewski stayed undefeated on Saturday with his first-round destruction of Junior Tafa to open the main card of UFC Vegas 118.

Iwo was originally scheduled to take on Billy Elekana who is 3-1 with the UFC. After Billy withdrew, Tafa answered the call. Junior is now 3-6 with the promotion and has lost three of his last four fights. Tafa is in a sticky situation as if he wasnt in such a shallow division, he likely would have already been cut.

Best fight to make here is to rebook one of Junior’s fights that have been cancelled. A scrap with Ibo Aslan seems like exactly what the doctor ordered in this situation. The pair were originally supposed to fight in September of 2025 before Tafa suffered an injury. Tafa is 1-2 since that fight fell through. Aslan is 0-1 since it was booked. But that loss was also to Iwo Baraniewski. And it was also a first round finish. So, this matchup works great- and considering Ibo is riding a 3-fight losing skid, the loser of this bout will likely be facing the axe.

Junior’s next fight: Ibo Aslan 

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 118 Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.

Song Yadong

Song Yadong needed this win, perhaps more badly than most realize. He’s still just 28 years old, but he was given ample opportunities to break through against names like Cory Sandhagen, Petr Yan and most recently, Sean O’Malley, and he has fallen short every time. This was another main event, this time in his home country against an older veteran who was 1-3 in his last 4 outings coming into this bout. It was an important win, but it shouldn’t propel Song back into title contention; he needs to do more to earn yet another kick at the can. I think beating a younger, streaking up-and-comer like David Martinez would be much more restorative to his stock.

Song’s next fight: David Martinez

Alonzo Menifield

With this win, “Atomic” Menifield’s last three victories have come against then 25-year-old Julius Walker, then 29-year-old Oumar Sy and now 27-year-old Zhang Mingyang. While most people will look at this as an indictment on the light-heavyweight division, there is something to be said for Menifield being an undying litmus test for these guys. He’s proven to be the Neil Magny, Dan Ige, Angela Hill-type gatekeeper for the 205ers and that’s a very respectable role to have. There are some upcoming fights featuring light-heavyweight prospects, Iwo Baraniewski, Navajo Stirling, and Abdul-Rahman Yakhyaev. With a win, I think by far the most deserving of ranked opposition would be Navajo Stirling.

Menifield’s next fight: Stirling/Cutelaba winner

Sergei Pavlovich

My main takeaway from this fight is that it was fun to see the Pavlovich of old. Not since April of 2023 had we seen Pavlovich as his bulldozing self. After back-to-back losses to Tom Aspinall and Alexander Volkov, his confidence took a massive hit and he was fighting tentatively. However, not one person actually believed Tallison Teixeira was worthy of an opportunity like this one, so the fight had squash match written all over it and the result speaks for itself. This doesn’t really move Pavlovich forward; it more or less keeps him posted in the division’s top5. A highlight-reel like this may at least get him a shot against the loser of the White House co-main event.

Pavlovich’s next fight: Pereira/Gane loser

Kai Asakura

It took two losses, a division change and a significant drop in opposition level, but alas, there it is: Kai Asakura’s first UFC win. Cam Smotherman is a respectable, but far from elite opponent, so who’s to say what this win ultimately will do for the Japanese fighter. What I believe the UFC was aiming for, here, was to get Asakura a win to get his confidence back. When he’s fighting with his usual swagger, Asakura can be an incredibly exciting fighter. I think Charles Jourdain is the perfect name to throw at him. He’s still unranked, but it’s a clear step up in competition from Smotherman and would immediately become of the coolest, most acrobatic fights on the UFC calendar.

Asakura’s next fight: Charles Jourdain

Jake Matthews

This was Matthews’ first fight since his collapse against Neil Magny last September. While he successfully rebounded, I am not convinced that this performance against Carlston Harris was enough to take away the bitter taste from that last loss. Facing and defeating someone like Nicolas Dalby might provide the redemption Matthews is looking for since the Danish fighter has a similar grinding style to Magny.

Matthews’s next fight: Nicolas Dalby

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

A few ranked matchups dotted this card, with the main event featuring a spirited scrap between former UFC flyweight champion, Deiveson Figueiredo, and Yadong Song, in an important bantamweight bout. Lots of ranked and nearly ranked fighters left picking up the pieces in this edition of losers. All but one of the main card fights ended before the final bell.

Deiveson Figueiredo

(#5) Song Yadong pulled off a guillotine submission victory at the end of the second round in his main event against (#7) Deivesion Figueiredo. Easily the biggest finish of Song’s career, as he pushes Figueiredo to just 1-4 in his last five fights. Figgy has also missed weight in that stretch.

Now 38 years old, Deiveson could be paired up against Raoni Barcelos who is on a 5-fight winstreak and just turned 39 years old at the beginning of May. Barcelos took down a host of names in that run including former UFC flyweight champ, Cody Garbrandt, Payton Talbott, Ricky Simon and Montel Jackson.  Barcelos is 11-4 since signing with the UFC in 2018 and is still a fighter that often times flies under the radar. Solid matchup for both men here that makes sense in the rankings as much as it does in the cage. Backup fight here could be against a fighter like Payton Talbott.

Figueiredo’s next fight: (#14) Raoni Barcelos or (#11) Payton Talbott

Mingyang Zhang

(#15) Alonzo Menifield looked stellar as he weathered an early storm to upset the hometown fighter and turn in a first-round TKO thwarting the unranked Mingyang Zhang. Despite the loss and the first-round stoppage, Zhang still secured the fight of the night bonus, a somewhat rare feat, and a promising sign in the aftermath of a stoppage loss. Mingyang has now lost two in a row. He’s been stopped in both. Johnny Walker got him out of there in two, last August.  Before that, Zhang was 3-0 in the UFC with as many bonuses and finishes. The Chinese born light heavyweight has cooled off considerably since that streak.

With that fact in mind, Zhang should target Jimmy Crute for his next fight. Crute had a fight against Dustin Jacoby scheduled for late January before he tore his ACL. Zhang took some time off after his Johnny Walker stoppage loss- this was the first time we had seen him since that appearance. Perhaps Crute’s comeback and Zhang’s recovery could match up well timing-wise Both have faced Menifield and lost. Crute pulled a majority draw in early 2023 before losing via second round submission to Alonzo, a few months later. Crute is 6-4 with the promotion while Zhang is 3-2. Perfect. Crute is riding a 2-fight win streak but with all the slowed momentum, a fight like this on the main card of a fight night could be more than plausible.

Zhang’s next fight: Jimmy Crute

Tallison Teixeira

(#3) Sergei Pavlovich proved he’s still here to stay within the upper ranks of UFC’s heavyweight division, with his 39 second KO of (#15) Tallison Teixeira on Saturday. The 2024 Contender Series alum now falls to 2-2 with the UFC and has gone 1-2 in his last three. His only win in that stretch was a unanimous decision against a shell of Tai Tuivasa back in January.

Tallison’s next win has to give him legitimacy within the division. Not too much harm done in this loss, as it was a large leap, but he needs that signature win, all the same. Teixeira should fight the loser of Rizvan Kuniev vs. Tyrell Fortune. That fight will go down on July 25th, a ways away, but Tallison got stopped anyways.

Tyrell Fortune is a former Bellator standout that is currently 1-0 in the UFC. His debut was a very legitimate unanimous decision victory opposite of Marcin Tybura. Rizvan is 1-1 in the UFC. The 2024 Contender Series product dropped a split decision in his debut to Curtis Blaydes. Rizvan defeated Jaliton Almedia in his last fight back in February before the heavyweight was bizarrely released by the promotion (riding a 2-fight losing skid and 8-3 with the promotion).  Giving Teixeira the loser of this bout makes a lot of since as he’ll likely keep a ranking.

Teixeira’s next fight: (#8) Rizvan Kuniev vs. (#10) Tyrell Fortune loser

Cameron Smootherman

Former Rizin champion, Kai Asakura, finally got into the win column within the UFC Saturday. It took Kai under two minutes to smoke Cameron Smootherman. Smootherman is now on a 3-fight losing skid. He’s 1-3 in the UFC with his only win coming against Jake Hadley (who is no longer with the UFC).

Cameron’s next fight should be against Aoriqileng. Aoriqileng fought and lost on the undercard of UFC Macau. He was also finished with strikes. Aoriqileng is 1-2, 1 NC in his last three bouts. His only win in the stretch came against Cody Gibson who is seated in a bit of a hot seat himself. Cameron has to be careful here. So does Aoriqlleng, who is a 5-year vet of the promotion. He’s 4-5, 1 NC with the UFC. This fight is one of the numerous fights that could be made for a guy like Cameron Smootherman. This division is deep; fans should expect any name here. But Smootherman can’t necessarily afford another loss.

Smotherman’s next fight: Aoriqileng

Carlston Harris

Jake Matthews turned in an excellent body of work in the form of a unanimous decision victory over Carlston Harris on the main card of UFC Macau on Saturday. Jake’s striking was just too much for Carlston who has now lost three in a row and is 4-4 in the UFC since being signed in 2021. Worth mentioning here, but Jake was originally supposed to face Muslim Salikohv before his opponent withdrew from the bout.

Carlston’s next fight should be against Nicloas Dalby. Certainly couldn’t make the case for it to be the absolute best person for Harris to fight but, it’s not absurd. Nicolas turns 42 later this year, while Carlston turns 39 next month. Dalby has had a 10-year stint with the UFC and his 8-5-1, 1 NC during the stint. Nicolas is 1-2 in his last three with his most recent fight being a split decision victory over Saygid Izagakhmaev in November of 2025. Dalby was supposed to take on Jerimah Wells on May 16th before an injury forced him out of the bout. Wells actually faced and was submitted by Harris in the pair’s bout in 2023. Fight could make a lot of sense in this context.

Decent backup would be Victor Valenzuela who is 1-0 with the UFC against Max Griffin, who is no longer with the promotion.

Harris’s next fight: Nicolas Dalby or Victor Valenzuela

(#11) Alex Perez and (#NR) Sumudaerji

The main card of UFC Macau opened with a truly gruesome scene for viewers as the first bout resulted in a no contest after a low blow. Perez was left heaving over a bucket after repeated fouls by Sumudaerji. This was an important matchup as Alex Perez took on an unranked and surging, Sumudaerji- who was riding a 3-fight win streak heading into the cage. Perez, on the other hand, was 1-2 in his last three and coming off of missing weight but getting a victory over Charles Johnson (the last man to defeat Sumudaerji).

This would be a decent one for the promotion to run back.

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

Not just to the streaming giant, either. Rousey vs. Carano got people talking. Social media interaction was high. Traffic was up on numerous websites. In that sense, Saturday was a good day for MMA.

Of course, there will always be naysayers. There are always ups and downs. MVP MMA’s Rousey vs. Carano card wasn’t a perfect event by any means, and there are lots of aspects about the show that can be criticized. However, if there’s any one takeaway, it’s that competition is good for the sport. With apologies to the PFL, MMA isn’t a “league sport.” It’s not stick-and-ball. It’s prize fighting, and the best comparisons are either boxing, or professional wrestling. 90s wrestling fans will tell you, that business was at its best when the “Monday Night Wars” between WWE and WCW were in full swing. It forced both companies to innovate.

Can MVP MMA, if it moves forward, do the same for the UFC, which has grown stale so far in 2026? Time will tell, but Rousey vs. Carano certainly suggested it’s possible.

We’ll get to that, and more, as we break down some of the biggest takeaways from Saturday’s card at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

No, the fix wasn’t in

Perhaps the downright dumbest discourse surrounding Rousey vs. Carano, in particular about the main event itself, came after the fight, with various talking heads on social media yelling “fix!” As if rigging the main event in favour of the fighter widely expected to win it, exactly in the fashion she did, would make any sense at all.

Gina Carano was a massive underdog heading into Saturday’s Netflix card. She had not fought in 17 years, and dropped 100 pounds in the year and a half leading up to the fight. In fact, her shape, her physical condition, was in part what led Ronda Rousey to propose the fight in the first place: she wanted to give Carano something to work towards.

You can argue that, because of how friendly the main event pair were ahead of the fight, they didn’t give it their all. And that would be an acceptable take. Yelling fix? Just say you’re desperate for engagement and attention.

Fixes, actual fixes, are incredibly rare in MMA. Mainly because the money isn’t generally worth it, and they’re incredibly difficult to pull off. In fact, discounting betting scandals involving Darrick Minner and Alexander Hernandez (which weren’t fixes, but rather injury information being leaked to the betting public), there’s really only been one verified instance of fight fixing in the UFC: Tae Hyun Bang’s fight against Leo Kuntz at UFC Fight Night 79 in South Korea, back in 2015. And, hilariously, though Bang was later convicted of accepting bribes to throw the fight, he never went through with it, getting cold feet after the UFC noticed a shift in betting lines and winning a split decision.

Aside from that, you’re left with Isaac Dulgarian’s fight against Yadier del Valle last November, in which Dulgarian tapped suspiciously quickly to a rear-naked choke while displaying zero defense. That bout remains under investigation, and could still amount to nothing. Or wind up being a similar situation to Minner, who was injured ahead of his November 2022 fight with Shayilan Nuerdanbieke and failed to disclose it (only for his coach, James Krause, to do a little insider trading with the knowledge).

Now, back to Rousey. If you’re new to MMA, maybe you missed her prime, where she finished opponents in 16 seconds, 14 seconds, and 34 seconds, all in title defenses in the UFC. Takedown, mount, arm-bar, rinse, repeat is basically what Rousey did for years. It made her the biggest star in the sport in her day. So ignore the likes of ex-pro wrestling manager and modern-day internet troll Jim Cornette (if Cornette ever recommended a restaurant, your best bet would be to flee in the opposite direction). There was no need to fix this fight; the outcome was a forgone conclusion from the start.

Whether MVP MMA is a promotion or not doesn’t matter

Speaking of bad takes, here’s another one: MVP MMA doesn’t matter, because it’s not a “promotion” in the traditional sense.

Here’s what actually doesn’t matter: whether or not MVP MMA is a promotion. In fact, it might be better if it isn’t.

Yes, MVP was playing with house money on Saturday. Netflix gave them a budget, had them work within it, and they put on the best show possible with the biggest names they could find. Now, that’s far different from investing in the sport, putting on multiple cards a month, and signing up a few hundred fighters to exclusive contracts. But isn’t that the problem? Exclusive contracts, and fighters not being able to make money elsewhere? At least if you’re a fighter anyway.

Netflix was a player in negotiations with the UFC for their latest broadcast deal, which ultimately saw Paramount+ become the exclusive home of the promotion in the U.S. and select other territories. Paramount Skydance arguably overpaid at $1.1 billion a year, but they’re trying to make their streaming service a real competitor. It’s a calculated risk, in other words.

Netflix is already number one, and the streaming giant wasn’t interested in Apex Slop. They wanted only the biggest UFC cards, the numbered events, which would have left UFC events split between broadcasters. Not impossible, the UFC, WWE, and other companies have done that repeatedly over the years. But Paramount came in with the sweetheart deal and snatched it all up.

MVP, should they move forward, likely will not be putting on multiple shows per month. Jake Paul has suggested maybe six or so a year. Which means no exclusive contracts, unless maybe only to a handful of top stars. And isn’t that a win, in a sense? Independent contractors should be free to fight where they please. Francis Ngannou spent years breaking free of the UFC’s shackles to get exactly this, the opportunity to take his services to the highest bidder. And MVP is going to be a very high bidder if they can keep putting on big events.

The disclosed payouts for Rousey vs. Carano, by the way, are worth looking at. California still releases disclosed fighter pay, and Rousey topped the payroll at $2.2 million U.S. Carano took home just north one $1 million, and Francis Ngannou earned $1.5 million. No one on the card made less than $40,000 in disclosed pay, far, far better than the UFC’s entry level fight purse of $12,000 to show, and another $12,000 to win.

In comparison, Rousey made $3 million for her final UFC fight, in 2016 in a loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207. Rousey, however, was making her much-anticipated return following the first defeat of her career. Her star power was at its peak. Nunes made a paltry $200,000 in show/win money in comparison.

Nganou? In his final UFC fight in 2022, he made just $600,000 for a win over Ciryl Gane. That was a flat fee, with no win bonus.

Tell me again why it matters if MVP MMA is a true promotion or not, if they’re offering even limited opportunities for fighters to be paid as well or better than they are in the UFC. Now, these numbers don’t reflect the PPV bonuses the UFC offers top stars (lower-tier fighters get no such luck), at least when PPV still existed, but the same is true of MVP’s numbers: they do not include any bonuses tied to viewership, promotional activities, etc.

In any case, a show that pays well, even just in one-offs here and there, is a good thing for MMA.

The post Rousey vs. Carano Aftermath: Ups, Downs, and Really Bad Takes appeared first on Cageside Press.

Arnold Allen

Arnold Allen is a very skillful fighter that has been on the cusp of a title shot on more than one occasion, but untimely losses to names like Max Holloway, Movsar Evloev and Jean Silva has prevented him from getting that shot. A near sweep on all three judges’ scorecard against a red hot Melquizael Costa is the type of win that Allen needed to get back on track and keep his spot in the division’s top 10. I think a fight against fellow Englishman Lerone Murphy is a perfect headliner for a Fight Night card in the UFC. The timing can’t work better than that; run it.

Allen’s next fight: Lerone Murphy

Doo Ho Choi

Despite a 17-month hiatus, “The Korean Superboy” came kept his winning ways going against Daniel Santos to get his first three-fight win streak since coming into the UFC. He survived the expected onslaught from “Willycat” in the first round and then proceeded to melt the Brazilian in the following frame, finishing him off with a nasty body shot that folded him in half. The now 35-year-old has earned a shot at a ranked opponent, and I think a matchup with veteran Patricio Pitbull would be a lot of fun for the fans.

Choi’s next fight: Patricio Pitbull

Juan Diaz

Malcolm Wellmaker is not an easy assignment for someone making his debut, but Diaz passed the test with flying colours. After committing a foul at the end of Round 1, Diaz kept pressuring Wellmaker, finally submitting via rear-naked choke him in the second round. You could realistically throw any name at Diaz, but I’d be curious to see how he would deal with a grappler like SuYoung You, who was on a nice win streak before suffering his first UFC loss to Elijah Smith in March.

Diaz’s next fight: SuYoung You

Modestas Bukauskas

As pedestrian a split decision as it may have been, getting back in the win column was the priority for Modestas Bukauskas, who had seen his four-fight win streak snapped by Nikita Krylov back in January. A fight with Ivan Erslan, who was also victorious on this card would make sense, considering where both fighters are currently positioned in the division.

Bukauskas’ next fight: Ivan Erslan

Bernardo Sopaj

After suffering a brutal highlight-reel loss at the hands of Vinicius Oliveira in his promotional debut, “The Lion King” has now won back-to-back fights. He dominated Timmy Cuamba on his way to a second-round finish. In the current tier he’s in, there is a ton of names that the UFC could throw at Sopaj, but I landed on Hecher Sosa who was successful in his debut earlier this year.

Sopaj’s next fight: Hecher Sosa

Khaos Williams

Khaos Williams was in bad need of a win, coming off consecutive losses that made him look particularly bad. This first-round KO was just what the doctor ordered. The best way to matchmake for Khaos is to simply put him up against someone who will be willing to stand and bang with him. Carlos Leal seemed like a good candidate, but I ultimately went with Oban Elliott, who will throw down with anyone.

Williams’ next fight: Oban Elliott

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 117 Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

Only a couple of ranked fighters on the main card of this one, with the main event seeing (#7) Arnold Allen proving he still belongs amongst the elites of the featherweight division with his five round unanimous decision shut out of the ascending (#12) Melquizael Costa on Saturday. Some interesting matchups to come out of this event!

Melquizael Costa

Arnold Allen secured the unanimous decision victory in the main event of UFC Vegas 117 on Saturday. It was the grappling and transitions that sealed the defeat for Costa, as he has his six-fight win streak snapped. Melquizael is now 7-3 with the UFC.

The best next fight for Costa here is to have him take on (#8) Youssef Zalal. This matchup was featured in a previous losers article and it makes even more sense with the outcome on Saturday. Timing makes sense too, as Zalal just fought on UFC Vegas 116 on April 25th. Zalal also lost a unanimous decision snapping a lengthy (8-fight) win streak. And Zalal also lost against higher ranked competition in the form of Aljamain Sterling. Perfect reset fight for both of them, that could potentially be a fight night main or co main event. Both are coming off of their first UFC main events. Both bring the action on the feet and are relatively new faces within the upper ranks of the featherweight division. Easy one to book for matchmakers.

Costa’s next fight: (#8) Youssef Zalal

Daniel Santos

Doo Ho Choi delivered yet another thrilling fight and victory on Saturday as he engaged in a war with Daniel Santos before delivering the TKO in the second round, crumpling his opponent with body shots. This fight ended up winning fight of the night honors but snapped a four-fight win streak for Daniel Santos. Santos is now 4-2 in the UFC with his only other loss with the promotion coming in his debut back in 2022 to Julio Arce.

Daniel’s next fight should be against Morgan Charriere. That would be an excellent high-action scrap. Charriere is also coming off of a stoppage loss. The timing doesn’t exactly matchup here as Morgan’s loss came to Melquizael Costa back in December. However, it was a head kick finish while Santos was put away predominately with body shots, so maybe it could work out. Morgan is a bonus machine and in his 6-fight UFC career he already has four bonuses. (Santos has two bonuses in six fights). These guys matchup well and have similar records with the promotion as Charriere is 3-3. This would be a strong standup  matchup that has quick-twitch violence written all over it.

Santos’s next fight: Morgan Charriere

Malcolm Wellmaker

Juan Diaz pulled off the big upset on Saturday with his second round submission victory of Malcolm Wellmaker at UFC Vegas 117. The finish even earned Diaz a performance bonus. Devastating outcome for Wellmaker here, as the 2024 Contender Series alum has watched nearly all of his hype and momentum evaporate since last November. After his first round finish on the Contender Series and two subsequent first round finishes to start his career with the UFC, things were looking up (All of those finishes came via a mean check-right hook too). Last November, after losing multiple opponent,  Malcolm took on last second fill in, Ethyn Ewing, and lost his first pro fight via unanimous decision. Now the outcome on Saturday. Rough for Wellmaker, and its time to reset.

Malcolm’s next fight should be against Timmy Cuamba. Went back and forth with this one (potentially Kai Asakura if he’s badly beaten and finished by Cameron Smootherman.) But the Timmy fight is way more attractive for Malcolm here. Timing would be great too, as Timmy lost earlier on the main card and was also finished.

Kai is a decent backup as he has a name within the sport but has not performed since being signed to the UFC. Asukura is 0-2 since being signed from RIZIN in 2024. He lost his promotional debut title shot opposite of Alexandre Pantoja and lost to Tim Elliot. If Kai loses to a 2023 Contender Series product who is 1-2 with the UFC in Smotherman, well he could potentially be cut. But Wellmaker could be a decent choice in that scenario too, maybe even for Cameron, depending on how the fight ends. That bout is on May 30 so timing would be great too. Still options there for Wellmaker, but he badly needs a win.

Wellmaker’s next fight: Timmy Cuamba or Kai Asukura if he loses to Cameron Smotherman

Christian Edwards

Modestas Bukauskas edged out his short notice replacement, Christian Edwards, on the main card of UFC Vegas 117 to capture the split decision victory. Edwards was making his UFC debut on short notice after Rodolfo Bellato, the originally scheduled opponent of Modestas, withdrew. Also part of the reason that this fight was a catchweight bout at 215lbs. Not a bad showing/debut for Edwards who now falls to 8-5 in his pro MMA career.

Christian should fight Bruno Lopes for his next fight. Bruno is a 2024 Contender Series alum that has gone 1-2 with the promotion. He’s 14-3 as a pro. Lopes is currently riding a 2-fight skid, he was finished in the first round by Dustin Jacoby and was stopped in his last time out by Navajo Stirling back in late March. Bruno’s only win in the UFC came against Magomed Gadzhiyasulov in 2025. Great matchup here for both fighters to try and find their footing within the light heavyweight division.

Edwards’s next fight: Bruno Lopes

Timmy Cuamba

Benardo Sopaj delivered an exciting bout with his opponent, Timmy Cuamba, on Saturday before dropping his opponent and scrambling on the rear naked choke to log a second round submission victory. Timmy, a 2023 Contender Series veteran now falls below the .500 line in the UFC, as he’s 2-3. This loss snapped the 2-fight winning steak that Timmy had amassed in the calendar year of 2025.

Timmy should look for a fight against Ricky Turcios here. This would be a good move for Timmy as Ricky was on the Contender Series in 2017 but also was the The Ultimate Fighter Season 29 winner. Turcios has a decent name but is 2-4 with the promotion. He’s actually riding a 3-fight losing streak. The losses have been against Raul Rosas Jr., Benardo Sopaj and most recently, Alberto Montes, on March 7. So the timing wouldn’t be too bad and they have a recent common opponent. Good high action scrap to make here. But of course lots of options in that bantamweight division for Timmy.

Cuamba’s next fight: Ricky Turcios or Malcolm Wellmaker

Nikolay Veretennikov

Khaos Williams returned to form after a 2-fight skid rendering his opponent, Nikolay Veretennikov, unable to continue with a right hook to log a first round finish. The stoppage didn’t produce a bonus but Nikolay is now 2-4 with the UFC all the same. His victories include a split decision win over Francisco Prado and a first round stoppage against the now-retired, Niko Price. Plainly said, he’s yet to get a win against a current UFC caliber fighter.

Great next fight for Nikolay would be against Chidi Njokuani. Chidi is on a 2-fight losing skid. Jake Matthews choked him out in the first round of their July 2025 bout, and most recently, Chidi lost a unanimous decision to Carlos Leal back in February. Njokuani is a 2021 Contender Series alum that has a 5-5 record with the UFC.

Back up here would be a matchup against Jean-Paul Lebsnoyani. Lebsnoyani is 1-0 with the promotion since being signed off last year’s season of the Contender Series. His debut was a split decision victory over Phil Rowe who was cut from the promotion after losing. Jean-Paul was originally supposed to debut against former Bellator standout, Austin Vanderford.

Veretennikov’s next fight: Chidi Njokuani or Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani 

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In the past several months, Ronda Rousey has made several headlines. She has expressed the differences in the business of the UFC today. She has said she is helping to build a competitor to her former home in the hopes of making the landscape of MMA better. She has said that the current holder of her former title is either underpaid or overvalued. Oh, and she is excited to face off against the pioneer who opened the doors for her: Gina Carano.

“Rowdy” may only have one opponent coming up inside the cage, but she’s drawn attention to plenty of topics outside of it.

Rousey said that when she was negotiating with the UFC for her comeback that she was confident in her ability to galvanize the fanbase and sell the first MMA event she would be competing on for the first time since 2016. She was telling the truth. At every juncture, Rousey has delivered on the microphone to make headlines that dominated the news cycle in the sport. Only, she has built up not the UFC but easily their biggest competition in several years.

In this way, the partnership with Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions makes all the sense in the world. Paul has long built his reputation as a disruptor, and Rousey has said that she hopes building a new destination in the MMA landscape will create competition so that more fighters will be able to be compensated for the value they bring to a promotion.

#OnThisDay in 2014, @RondaRousey defended her belt in just 1️⃣6️⃣ seconds ⏱

[ Watch more Ronda fights now on @UFCFightPass ] pic.twitter.com/mfGMU5xgPw

— UFC (@ufc) July 5, 2022

But fighting the machine is a broad battle and Rousey has put faces to her foes. Specifically, she’s taken umbrage with her former Olympic teammate and roommate who has now gone on to win the same UFC belt that she once held: Kayla Harrison. When Harrison was asked about the fight between Rousey and Carano, Harrison said that the fight was irrelevant given the amount of time the two have been away from the sport. Rousey responded by saying that if Harrison were indeed more relevant than her than why was her fight with Amanda Nunes not bringing them more money? As she said, if Harrison was right then it meant that Harrison was either “overvalued or underpaid.”

In one press tour, Rousey had said she wanted to build a competitor to the UFC and built up one of the biggest conflicts between female fighters seen in many years between herself and the current UFC champion. In short, she was building up a rival to the UFC while also creating a fight that fans wanted to see inside of it. Ironically, the individual she seems to hold the least amount of animosity towards in the whole cast involved in her return is the woman she is actually scheduled to fight in Carano.

Then there is the fight Rousey has managed to sidestep along the way: her health. In every appearance and video released, Rousey looks exceptionally fit ahead of her comeback. But by her own admission, both in her book and in multiple interviews, she has struggled since her time as an Olympic Judoka with concussions. Specifically she said blows to the head would leave her exceptionally stunned, more than she should’ve been given the severity (or more the lack thereof) of the shots. In fact, she said she fought so aggressively to finish fights quickly out of necessity so that there would be less chances for opponents to land shots that would hurt her.

It will be nearly three years since Rousey last had a match in the WWE. It will be ten years this December since her last MMA fight. That is a long time to let your head heal and recover. But, such longstanding issues are never guaranteed to go away completely. On paper, Rousey is heavily favored to get the job done again this Saturday. Should she still be compromised in some way, it could be the factor that blows the door off the hinges for a Carano upset.

The post MVP MMA: The Multiple Fights of Ronda Rousey appeared first on Cageside Press.

A UFC title? Check

Major boxing pay days? Check

When looking at the career of Francis Ngannou, one can say he’s accomplished almost anything one could hope for. “The Predator” recorded victories (most by knockout) over multiple former UFC champions and top contenders en route to becoming the world champion himself. Today, he is still the lineal UFC heavyweight champion as he defeated the last title holder while not being defeated himself since then. For those unfamiliar, he elected to leave the UFC once completing his contract despite being the reigning champion back in 2023.

🇨🇲Francis Ngannou 🆚 Renan Ferreira 🇧🇷

▶️Watch the full fights on the PFL MMA YouTube Channel or PFL App TODAY!
🔗 https://t.co/kzDZUQYihu pic.twitter.com/nAswFpgixD

— PFL (@PFLMMA) August 7, 2025

It’s true, fights with Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall were left behind to never materialize for Ngannou. But something arguably better came to him. A pair of highly lucrative pay days to compete in boxing, against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua respectively. Ngannou came up short in both contests, but he was paid millions more than he would have made by staying in the UFC.

He was a part of the PFL during this stretch, but as things would turn out would only compete once in MMA for them. Since then, there was question of what the future held for Ngannou with the UFC chapter seemingly in the rear-view and no big fight on the horizon for him outside of the Octagon.

Instead, this opportunity for Ngannou appears to set him up for a big opportunity. He has already stoked the flames of a potential clash with Jake Paul. He will be fighting on a platform on Netflix that has already shown they like working with Paul. Assuming Ngannou defeats former PFL season champion and UFC vet Philipe Lins, which he is heavily favored to do so, and all the ingredients appear in place for Ngannou to set up one more big fight.

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