The added duties that come with main event billing, including media obligations, are something Salkilled (12-1) has found a silver lining in.

“I like it. I just like staying busy. Especially in Fight Week, I just want to get to weigh-ins as fast as possible,” Salkilled stated during Wednesday’s UFC Vegas 120 media day. “Having busy days with a big schedule helps the day go quicker.”

Salkilled seems to be taking it all in stride, and that comes down to who he is. “I think it’s my natural personality to take things easy, not stress out. Maybe it’s the Aussie way of thinking, to kind of be unserious in serious situations,” he suggested. “I think it’s just something I do, I’m good at ignoring all the high pressure things and I’m good at just going in there and doing my thing.”

Quillan Salkilled actually called out opponent Mateusz Gamrot previously, after his win over Beneil Dariush, making the UFC Vegas 120 headliner a case of fighters directing their career. It was all made from a place of respect, he explained.

“I’ve been watching him fight for a long time. He’s someone I’ve always respected, I’ve been wanting to fight him for ages. Always someone I’ve envisioned fighting, ever since coming up through the pro ranks. He’s always someone I’ve pictured I’m fighting, and a fun test to go up against. That’s exactly why I called him out.”

The timing was right as well, added Salkilled, and Gamrot was coming off a win. “At the time, it just made sense to me as well. He’s tough; I’m not going to call out anyone I think is going to be easy. That would make me a p*ssy. I want to call out the hard fights.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 120 media day with Quillan Salkilld above.

The post UFC Vegas 120: Quillan Salkilld Has Wanted to Fight Gamrot for Ages appeared first on Cageside Press.

It hasn’t been the easiest run for Miller in the UFC. “Killer” Miller defeated Brogan Walker in the TUF 30 finale, then dropped back-to-back fights before picking up a win over Ivana Petrovic, only to stumble against Carli Judice last time out. The losses include one to Luana Santos, who is now a ranked bantamweight, while Miller remains at 125lbs.

Speaking to Cageside Press in a recent interview, Miller revealed that she has a different feeling coming into her latest fight.

“This is the most mellow I’ve been in a long time, so I look forward to seeing how that adheres in the cage,” Miller explained.

Miller attributes that mellow state to working with a sports psychologist with the UFC, and added as well that “I’ve kind of been through it with fights. For instance, the only fight I’ve ever been finished was Luana Santos, and she’s like ranked fourth in the bantamweight division right now.”

“I’ve faced girls a lot bigger than me, I’ve faced hard hitters, I’ve faced knockout artists; Carli Judice, where the world was expecting me to get finished in 30 seconds, and she couldn’t get even close to putting me away. In fact, she almost got subbed closer than I almost got knocked out.”

Ahead of UFC Vegas 120, she continued, “I just rebuilt my confidence. I believe that I belong in the UFC, and I’m just ready to perform. And I think that brings me a lot of peace, because so many times you’d be in your head, like ‘do I belong here? Am I good enough? Can I do it?’ And I know that I can do it. I know that I can put on a very exciting performance and get a finish.”

That’s not taking anything away from Ravena Oliveira, added Miller. “I just believe deep in my heart that this is my time.”

While Miller’s run in the UFC has been tough, she’s been through struggles outside of it as well, including losing her grandmother. Now, Miller’s fighting towards fulfilling a promise she made to her.

“Now I’m just prepared to sprout into a better athlete. When I won that fight [against Petrovic], I put my grandma’s ashes in Ocean Beach. I promised her I would take her ashes three places. And I’m choosing to do those three places after I win. One of them is Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that’s the beach she grew up in, she wants her ashes there.” The third spot is Minnesota, where Miller’s grandfather is buried.

“It’s not a pressure, it’s an excitement. When I win this fight, I get one step closer to taking all the places she wants to go,” Miller continued. “And that’s exciting for me, but really this fight is just about becoming a better fighter, and a better athlete, and showing the world the skills that I have. And really just shutting people up that say I’m not a killer and don’t deserve my nickname and stuff like that.”

Noting the fickle nature of fans and pointing out that they don’t know what’s happening in an athlete’s personal life, Miller added that “when you fall, they’ll kick you when you’re down, and when you thrive, they’ll tell you how much they love you. Really I just want to put a stamp on it and prove a point that I am a killer, and I do belong in the UFC.”

Watch our full interview with UFC Vegas 120’s Juliana Miller above.

The post UFC Vegas 120: Juliana Miller Calm, Believes “Deep In My Heart That This Is My Time” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Walking to the cage in clothes in the style of the kings of Senegal, light heavyweight Diakhate (6-0-1) turned heads in more ways than one, and was greeted following the fight by MVP’s Jake Paul. That’s thanks to the newly announced merger between the PFL and Most Valuable Promotions, with the two moving forward under the MVP banner next year.

“I’m very happy for the news,” Diakhate told media outlets including Cageside Press following the bout at the UBS Arena. “Jake Paul is a good guy, I like Jake Paul. Jake Paul is my guy.”

In the cage, recalled Diakhate, “I said to Jake Paul, ‘I’m the new king of PFL.'”

Paul responded by saying “I believe you,” according to the massive Senegalese wrestler.

Comparisons are already being made between Diakhate, who fights out of Belgium, and Francis Ngannou, who made his way to France, and later the U.S., en route to MMA stardom.

“Ngannou is a legend of Africa, of the world. I like Francis Ngannou. It’s my dream to fight on the same card with Francis Ngannou,” Diakhate said of his fellow African star.

As for his own future, “I’m a beginner of this sport, maybe, but you see the performance I did,” noted Diakhate, who added that he’d like to “maybe do a movie in the future.”

He certainly has the look down.

Watch the full PFL New York post-fight press conference with Moustapha Diakhate above.

The post Moustapha Diakhate Told Jake Paul He’s the “New King of PFL” appeared first on Cageside Press.

That news, announced this past week, has a different air around the promotion, which was in Long Island for PFL New York on Friday.

Following the event, which saw Usman Nurmagomedov and Dakota Ditcheva pick up key wins, PFL CEO John Martin addressed the media, tackling a wide range of merger-related and talent-related questions, as expected.

Is it a title fight for Dakota Ditcheva next? That was one of the first questions put to Martin, and it sounds like that is indeed the plan. Likely against Liz Carmouche, the 2025 PFL World Tournament winner and former Bellator women’s flyweight champ.

“Yes. Yeah. She is, we’ve talked to her, I’ve talked to her. She wants to stay busy. She’s been out of the cage for a year, and I think in the first round tonight she was kind of feeling out Denise [Kielholtz], and there is a little bit of cage rust maybe, but she got over that really quickly,” noted Martin. “So yeah she’s going to be back pretty soon, and I think Liz is the fight we make.”

A bidding war looks set to kick off for the services of Usman Nurmagomedov, the PFL lightweight champion, who defeated Archie Colgan on Friday care of a first-round knockout in the PFL New York main event.

“It sounds like he was starting to negotiate in the cage tonight,” Martin joked in reference to Nurmagomedov’s post-fight interview, where he noted that Jake Paul had been a frequent critic of the UFC’s fighter pay. “We had mutually agreed to hold off discussing his future with us or anywhere else until after tonight. So now I look forward to sitting down and finding out what he wants to do.”

“22-0, he’s an extraordinary young fighter, he’s still in his late 20s. So I’d love to be able to keep him here.”

“I really legitimately think he’s the best 155lb’er in the world,” Martin added.
“Justin Gaethje [UFC lightweight champion] was in the cage in Archie’s corner, Justin’s an outstanding fighter. If I had to take a wager on if those two fought, I would go with Usman. So we’ll see. We’ll see.”

Other topics brought up with Martin included the potential of a flyweight division in MVP, and whether crossover fights with the likes of RIZIN will continue. Muhammad Mokaev, for one, openly called for MVP to add a flyweight division, saying he’d sign with the company long term if they were to add one.

“I think it’s something we’re going to seriously consider. I was seriously considering it for PFL before this. I saw the Mokaev call out, and I think it’s something we’re going to take a very serious look at,” responded Martin. “It has the possibility to become a very dynamic division.”

When it comes to talent lending and crossovers, Martin remains “absolutely” open to continuing to talent share with the likes of RIZIN.

The fate of the PFL’s regional leagues, PFL Africa and PFL MENA, is a different matter. And a more murky one it seems.

“To be decided. Haven’t discussed it yet,” admitted Martin. “I’m a little bit of a mixed mind. I think in some respects, having a global brand and then JV development brands all being branded the same has caused some confusion in the marketplace.”

And so while there have been some congratulatory messages from the PFL’s backers, “that’s something that we’ll sit down and talk with the other investors. Because those leagues actually have other outside investors, I just sit on the board of them. So we’ll discuss that at the board level.”

Watch the full PFL New York post-fight press conference with PFL CEO John Martin above.

The post PFL CEO John Martin: Ditcheva Likely Back Soon Against Carmouche, MVP Open to Crossovers appeared first on Cageside Press.

After a year out of action, Ditcheva (16-0) returned to the cage at Friday’s PFL New York in Long Island, defeating former Bellator title challenger Denise Kielholtz in a three-round decision. Most expect a title shot next for Ditcheva, given the belt sits vacant, but what that title looks like is the question: the PFL is set to merge into MVP (Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions), but there are still several PFL-branded events to play out.

Speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press following PFL New York, Ditcheva gave her reaction to the merger, which she did not have advanced knowledge of. “I don’t know. I don’t really understand the merger, really. MVP is great, what Jake Paul does is amazing, what he does is amazing. I’m not really sure what it looks like for me yet, I haven’t spoken to anyone because obviously I was just concentrating on my fight this week.”

“I didn’t know one single thing about it until it got released on the internet. So I don’t know, I haven’t really got any comments on it yet. I’m hoping it’s a good thing for the fighters, and that’s all I can say right now.”

She’s not interested in waiting for the inaugural MVP card (or second, if you count the Rousey-Carano event on Netflix this past May). “No I’ll take another fight. I’m not really bothered by what it’s under, as long as I’m fighting the best. And then yeah. It’s whoever’s got the belt type thing.”

The belt isn’t held by anyone right now, though most expect Ditcheva to be fighting Liz Carmouche for it later this year. Ditcheva didn’t have any message for the former Bellator champ backstage, nor did she have anything to say about what’s next in the cage after her victory on Friday— because she wasn’t given a post-fight interview. The snub was immediately noticed by media members and fans online, and Ditcheva made clear it wasn’t her decision to avoid the mic. “I didn’t refuse it,” she said, pointing to it being the PFL’s decision, whether it was a broadcast issue or something else.

It may in part have been based on crowd reaction to Dakota Ditcheva’s return. With her fight with Kielholtz going the distance, fans grew restless in the third round. The boo birds came out. And Ditcheva heard them.

“It bothered me, only because I’m passionate about the work I do, and I wanted a stoppage myself,” Ditcheva admitted, before falling back on words her brother and coach told her. “We don’t care what everybody else thinks.”

“It’s me that’s in there fighting. I’m the one that’s in there,” she noted, adding that “to think about the boos for one second” could result in her getting knocked out.

“I don’t want them to boo because I want to be exciting and entertaining for you guys. At the same time, I’m in there fighting. I’m not in there performing a dance. I have to do what’s right for me to get the win and come out on top, and that’s what I did today.”

Watch the full PFL New York post-fight press conference with Dakota Ditcheva above.

The post PFL New York: Dakota Ditcheva Not Waiting on MVP, Wants Quick Return appeared first on Cageside Press.

The timing could not be better for Nurmagomedov, himself undefeated at 22-0, 1NC. The cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov and brother of UFC bantamweight contender Umar is about to hit the market at the same time the PFL is merging into Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotion (MVP).

Speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press following the fight, Nurmagomedov addressed his future, which is still very much up in the air, and the PFL/MVP merger.

“Of course this is very good, two companies right now working together. We’ll see what’s going to happen,” stated Nurmagomedov. “I have to talk with my team. Like I said, Jake Paul talking about, Dana White doesn’t pay his fighters. Okay, now his turn. Just show us.”

In his post-fight interview in the cage on Friday, which was hijacked by Paul, Nurmagomedov did point out that the Youtube creator had been a frequent critic of White and the UFC’s poor track record on fighter pay. And money, at the end of the day, appears to be a huge factor for Nurmagomedov moving forward. Money and legacy, but legacy doesn’t put food on the table.

“Legacy. We keep doing legacy, but money, brother. I have a family. Legacy doesn’t pay checks, you know?” observed Nurmagomedov. “We’ll see. I don’t want to go ahead and say some big words.”

“I have to talk with Khabib, I have to talk with my team, and then we’ll make the decision. Right now, I cannot say something, ‘I’m going to do this, do this.’ Because I can’t. I have my team.”

As for his thoughts on Jake Paul, “like a promoter, he talks too much of course, but like a fighter? He’s not a fighter,” Nurmagomedov stated. “He’s not a fighter. He’s a Youtuber guy, he comes from Youtube. He has a lot of money, but fighter’s league is different. If you want to see a fighter, come to my gym.”

Usman Nurmagomedov had a very different take on Justin Gaethje, who many would like to see him fight in the UFC.

“When somebody doesn’t give respect for Justin, to be honest this is not good. Justin Gaethje, he’s a legend. This guy, he’s a highlight, and he’s truly a highlight now. And I don’t know how it’s going on with him, if I will fight against him.”

Nurmagomedov added that he’s “really happy” that Gaethje is the UFC champ, agreeing that “The Highlight” was the best lightweight in the word. Perhaps outside of Nurmagomedov himself.

Watch the full PFL New York post-fight press conference with Usman Nurmagomedov above.

The post Usman Nurmagomedov Addresses Free Agency Following PFL New York appeared first on Cageside Press.

This Saturday at UFC Belgrade, the former champion plans to remind everyone he still belongs among the elite by handing unbeaten Navajo Stirling the first loss of his professional career.

Blachowicz (29-11-2) was originally set to face Bogdan Guskov at UFC Belgrade, but ‘Hitman’ took a short-notice bout against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC Abu Dhabi last week. Guskov lost the bout via TKO in the fifth round.

“I don’t watch this fight because I’ve got my fight so I focus about me,” Blachowicz told reporters on Wednesday.

“I just hear that it was little bit boring fight, but I don’t watch it. I need to watch it later and then I going to have my opinion.”

Blachowicz sees Stirling as another talented prospect looking to make a name for himself, but one he fully expects to derail. With both men preferring to strike, the former champion believes fans are in for an entertaining stand-up battle.

“Another guy who I have to beat and stop it. Great, young fighter, with good stand up skills. It’s going to be good fight to watch because I also like fighting stand up, so let’s go. Let’s do it one more time,” he said.

Blachowicz respects what Stirling has accomplished in a short time, but he believes the undefeated prospect is stepping into a completely different level of competition on Saturday. The former champion is confident that while Stirling may have youth and athleticism on his side, experience and composure will ultimately be the difference.

“He’s got 10 and 0 so it’s time to stop him and after Saturday I believe he going to have 10 and 1. For sure he going to be faster, stronger, but I’ve got stronger mentality and my experience is much bigger than his,” he said.

“I’m going to use it.”

Blachowicz isn’t looking beyond Saturday night or getting caught up in championship scenarios. Instead, the former light heavyweight champion says his only focus is putting on an entertaining performance against the unbeaten Stirling, with the belief that the title picture will sort itself out afterward.

“I don’t think about this. I just want to have some fun inside octagon,” said Blachowicz.

“Enjoy the fight, win the fight in good style, celebrate after the fight, and we will see what’s going to happen.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Jan Blachowicz above. He faces Navajo Stirling at UFC Belgrade on Saturday.

The post Jan Blachowicz Ready to End Navajo Stirling’s Undefeated Streak at UFC Belgrade appeared first on Cageside Press.

The Serbian welterweight not only gets the opportunity to compete in front of his home fans for the first UFC event in the country’s history, but he’ll do so in his first career UFC main event against veteran Daniel Rodriguez.

“We got to give credit to the MMA Federation of Serbia. They’ve been working hard to get this going. It’s not me, like oh I made this happen. It was all them. I was at the right place at the right time,” Medic told reporters on Wednesday.

“I’ve honestly tried to help make things kind of go smoother. I’m happy. I think Serbia deserves this.”

While Medic is focused on his own opportunity, he believes UFC Serbia is about something much bigger than one fight. He sees the event as the beginning of a new era for MMA in the region, one that could produce future champions and prove Serbia deserves a permanent place on the UFC calendar.

“We have a lot of talent here. There’s going to be only more to come. We expect a champion from this region. I am 100% certain that in near future we’re going to see one,” he said.

“Fans will be pleasantly surprised with how fun and exciting UFC is to watch live. UFC will be pleasantly surprised with the fans in Serbia and people that show up to see the fight. I’ve been treated so good by everyone wherever I showed up. The whole country is buzzing from this event happening. It’s pretty exciting.”

Fighting in front of a home crowd for the first UFC event in Serbian history adds another layer of significance for Medic, even if he insists he approaches every fight with the same mindset. While the spotlight will be brighter than ever, “The Doctor” says his focus remains on delivering a performance worthy of the moment.

“I don’t think it changes much for me. When I step in the octagon I am the man of the hour. Every time I fight, I try to make it look like a main event, I give it my best. I give it my all. Shoot for the best possible performance, for the best possible interview, for the best possible entertainment,” he said.

“I love the fans. They come to watch. This is what it’s all about.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Uros Medic above. He faces Daniel Rodriguez in the main event of UFC Belgrade on Saturday.

The post Uros Medic: ‘Serbia Deserves This’ Ahead of UFC’s Historic Debut appeared first on Cageside Press.

When that didn’t happen (the PFL instead booked Paul Hughes into the title fight), Colgan (13-0) admits that he was “upset and frustrated about it.”

However, speaking during this week’s PFL New York media day, his own title opportunity set to arrive on Friday, Colgan told media outlets including Cageside Press that “it just wasn’t meant to be.”

Eight months later, Colgan added, “I think now is the correct time.”

With that in mind, it’s not surprising that Colgan was cautious when informed he was getting the undefeated Nurmagomedov next. “They had mentioned that before in different situations, so I wanted to make sure this was real this time,” explained Colgan.

Once it appeared the fight was truly happening, Colgan felt “the excitement of finally getting the opportunity, and just the nerves that come with getting that first contract, or getting a fight contract, or getting that call. Regardless of who it is, once they finally give you a call and let you know that you’re fighting against blank opponent, you always kind of get those nerves in your stomach. So that came with it, but there’s also the excitement, the reality of finally getting the opportunity.”

Processing fighting for a world title, meanwhile, means keeping it from blowing up in his mind. Colgan noted that “at the end of the day, I have to go out there and fight another man. It’ll be the last of the night, it will be five rounds, so two additional rounds. The guy is a better opponent than I’ve faced. But at the end of the day it’s me versus one other person. I try my best to not make it any bigger than that.”

Despite facing a member of the legendary Nurmagomedov clan, coached by UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov, “it’s not me versus a corner, it’s not me versus a name, it’s not me versus- it’s me versus one other man who has to get his hands wrapped and walk into that cage just like I do. Who’s going to get tired just like I will, and who believes in himself just like I do.”

And so while Archie Colgan is excited to compete for the title, “I’m not making this fight any more hyped than I need to.”

Watch the full PFL New York media day appearance by Archie Colgan above.

The post PFL New York: Archie Colgan Believes It’s the “Correct Time” for Title Opportunity appeared first on Cageside Press.

Kielholtz (9-5 MMA) takes on Dakota Ditcheva in the co-main event of PFL New York this Friday, and told media outlets including Cageside Press this week that “this is my second fight in PFL, and for me, it doesn’t feel very different. I see a lot of familiar faces that I also saw in Bellator.”

There’s one key difference really. “For me it just feels like almost the same, only Scott Coker is missing. But for the rest, everything is the same.”

Coker is launching a new MMA promotion in the coming year. The PFL, meanwhile, just announced a merger with Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions. Kielholtz is now 37, not long for the changing landscape of the sport. Asked what was left for her to accomplish in her career, the former kickboxing star said that “at 37, I’m so long in this business, but I’m still having so much fun still, and so hungry still for doing the best I can in the cage. So being this age and being here for so long but still have the same mindset and same fire I had like 20 years ago.”

“Just having fun and living my life, and what else is better than this?”

Ditcheva, she later said, was yet to face a foe quite like her. “I think the biggest thing we’re going to see this Friday is that she never faced an opponent like me before, and that’s going to be the biggest difference from all her other fights.”

“Seeing her and seeing myself, it’s like, we are similar, we are strikers, but still different. Different levels, different fighting style also, but the thing that we both have is the Fight IQ. And Fight IQ comes together, that we will see this Friday.”

Liz Carmouche waits in the wings for the winner of Ditcheva vs. Kielholtz. The 2025 PFL World Tournament winner, many expected her to be the next stop for Ditcheva, one the promotion’s biggest stars.

“I totally understand that she is waiting for this fight, but PFL arranged this fight, and PFL sees this fight as the co-main event for this Friday. All the respect for Liz Carmouche, but PFL has to decide what her next fight is going to be,” Kielholtz stated in regards to the former Bellator women’s flyweight champ. “For me, for my focus, it’s now only on Dakota, and for the rest we will see.”

Watch the full PFL New York media day appearance by Denise Kielholtz above.

The post PFL New York’s Denise Kielholtz: Ditcheva “Never Faced an Opponent Like Me” appeared first on Cageside Press.