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

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

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

Logan Paxton Interview (23:58)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The post PFL Washington’s Thad Jean: Musaev “Not Really Good Under Pressure” appeared first on Cageside Press.

For Battle, it’s his second straight headlining assignment in the PFL, despite losing to Johnny Eblen in Pittsburgh earlier this year. The former winner of The Ultimate Fighter and UFC contender addressed that opportunity during the recent PFL Summer Series kickoff.

“Fighting in Charlotte, there is really, I’mma do my best, but there’s not enough words in the dictionary to properly summarize how I feel. Not only getting prepared to fight in Charlotte but what happens when I fight in Charlotte, and even afterwards,” Battle (12-3, 1NC) told Cageside Press and other media outlets. “Even though it’s been years since the last time, people still come up to me and talk about the last time I fought in Charlotte.”

The last time Battle fought at home in Charlotte, he knocked out Gabe Green, earning a Performance of the Night bonus in the process. This time around, he believes that “all the ingredients are there for something magical to happen, not just to be a fight but to be a moment. A moment that sticks with people for an extended period of time.”

“This opportunity is one where, to go back-to-back main events even winning is tough, but to get another main event coming off of a loss is huge. It’s just a chance for redemption.”

Between his UFC and MMA run, Battle competed in a different rule set in Dirty Boxing. This time, he’s made his debut, is coming off an MMA fight, and has had a full camp, including training at The MMA Lab in Phoenix. “No excuses, let’s get after it this time.”

Battle, who struggled with his weight in the UFC, admitted that he’d like another crack at Johnny Eblen, who submitted him in his PFL debut. “Johnny’s a really good fighter, with that being said, I want the rematch desperately. I still think I’m a better fighter.” Still, there’s great benefit to getting right back on the horse. “We all saw what happened, but I’m excited to have the opportunity to move on. A quick turnaround and a prime spot, a quick turnaround and a prime spot in my home town as the main event. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

His date with Dalton Rosta, meanwhile, is one Battle feels could end early. “I see the knockout as inevitable. Dalton is another guy, another main event type talent, he’s a stud. But stylistically, I think this more so bodes in my favor,” Battle suggested. “If I come there on the top of my game, hitting all my marks, I come in there and I look good— if you see abs when I walk in, it’s a wrap, you feel me?”

Watch the full media appearance by PFL Charlotte’s Bryan Battle above.

The post Bryan Battle Feels “Something Magical” Could Happen at PFL Charlotte appeared first on Cageside Press.

Rafael Fiziev

A rough patch would be an understatement for how it’s gone lately for Rafael Fiziev. He came into the UFC Baku main event 1-4 in his last 5. While the losses to Justin Gaethje have aged fine and the loss to Mateusz Gamrot is barely considered a loss at all, there were doubts about “Ataman” coming into this fight due to how much of a psychological toll tasting victory just once in the last 3 years would take. The win against Ignacio Bahamondes was nice, but the following loss to Mauricio Ruffy seemingly had fans ready to put a nail in Fiziev’s coffin.

A highlight reel KO against a dangerous youngster like Manuel Torres was exactly what he needed to rejuvenate the fan excitement. He called for a BMF title fight, and while I don’t blame him for shooting his shot, I think a fight with Dan Hooker would be a perfect preamble, with the winner getting to fight the aforementioned BMF belt. After getting beat up on the ground against Arman Tsarukyan and Benoit Saint Denis, Hooker needs an opponent who will accept his stand-and-bang terms. Fiziev also needs another win before calling out the top5 of the division. This matchup almost books itself.

Fiziev’s next fight: Dan Hooker

Shara Magomedov

Yes, Shara Bullet did get his hand raised on Saturday, but there’s an argument to be made that this fight hurt Shara’s stock more than anything. From the lack of action to the multiple fouls and the overall closeness of the result against someone who’s proven to be very beatable, this wasn’t the best look for the Russian. For a few fights now, I think there’s been a recalibration of the expectations for what “Bullet” can become. With a convincing win, I was going to book Shara against Edmen Shahbazyan as I thought that would be a good step in competition. Seeing how this fight played out, I would still favour a slow progression and go with someone like Brunno Ferreira, who will bring the fight to Shara and make it fun.

Magomedov’s next fight: Brunno Ferreira

Matheus Camilo

After getting upset in his debut against journeyman Gabe Green, Matheus Camilo has now won his next two fights since coming down to his natural weight class. Pulling off the upset KO against the more known Nazim Sadykhov in enemy territory should force us the reconsider the expectations for what Camilo could be. I think a fight with another fighter who debuted at welterweight, but has done well since coming down to lightweight in Evan Elder makes sense for both fighters.

Camilo’s next fight: Evan Elder

Asu Almabayev

With this win, Asu Almabayev earned himself a second consecutive win via finish against a ranked flyweight. He now moves to 7-1 in the promotion, with the sole loss coming against the current number one contender Manel Kape. This latest win coming via an extremely rare suloev stretch, the Kazakh clearly deserves a big fight. It’s a good thing for him that there are a lot of options at his disposal. Kyoji Huriguchi and the winner of the Royval/Kavanagh fight would both be great options, but I prefer the Tatsuro Taira fight.

Almabayev’s next fight: Tatsuro Taira

Ikram Aliskerov

Ikram Aliskerov came into the UFC with a fair bit of hype for being Khamzat Chimaev’s biggest pre-UFC test. Then came the Robert Whittaker loss, which was quite devastating, but also served as a reminder of who “The Reaper” is. Aliskerov has been slowly but surely rebuilding since and now finds himself on a three-fight win streak. A fight with Nursulton Ruziboev, who also earned a third consecutive victory in this card, to see who gets a spot in the rankings would make a lot of sense.

Aliskerov’s next fight: Nursulton Ruziboev

Abus Magomedov

While it’s been an up and down affair for Abus Magomedov in the UFC, the caliber of fighters who have beaten him is quite high. Champion Sean Strickland and top10 middleweights Caio Borralho and Joe Pyfer are the only ones with a win against Abus. This certainly puts a ceiling on what we can expect Magomedov to accomplish, but a win against the streaking Michal Oleksiejczuk also proves that he will be a tough out for anyone who’s not cut out for the top10. As for what’s next, I’d like to see how Abus would deal with someone with the durability of Kelvin Gastelum.

Magomedov’s next fight: Kelvin Gastelum

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Former KSW women’s flyweight champion, UFC contender and current (as of this past Saturday) PFL fighter Ariane Lipski da Silva has announced her retirement from mixed martial arts.

The Brazilian star made her decision public on social media, following a submission loss to ex-Bellator star Jena Bishop.

“Officially retired from MMA,” Lipski da Silva (18-12) began, adding that “Everything has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Yesterday was the last time I stepped into the cage, bringing to a close a journey of nearly 13 years as a professional MMA fighter, with the privilege of competing in the biggest organizations in the world.”

“I’m grateful for everything this sport has given me; for every opportunity, every lesson, and every door it opened along the way. I gave my best to help women’s MMA grow, even knowing that, at times, my best may not have been enough.”

“My hope is that I played a small part in creating more opportunities for the next generation,” the 32-year old continued. “More importantly, I hope the young women who are just beginning understand that they don’t have to compromise their values to become champions. Honor should never be sacrificed, because the people we choose to honor are often the ones who help us go the farthest.”

“I’ve learned that defeat is painful. It’s bitter, but it shapes our character and prepares us for real life. I’ve also learned that victory is sweet and filled with joy, but it can deceive the heart of anyone who isn’t grounded in something greater.”

She closed out her announcement by thanking all who supported her, highlighting her faith, and adding that “The Queen of Violence is done. Now, Ariane is ready for a new season of life.”

While Lipski da Silva didn’t match her early-career success in the UFC, she does boast a 2020 Submission of the Year contender in her kneebar over Luana Carolina, plus wins over Casey O’Neill, JJ Aldrich, and Diana Belbita, among others. Starting her pro career 11-3, she won the KSW women’s flyweight championship in 2017, and defended it twice before joining the UFC.

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After debuting in conjunction with Freedom 250 at the White House, TUF 34 has shifted to its usual Tuesday slot on Paramount+ and Rogers SportsNet (Canada), with bantamweights and women’s strawweights in the spotlight.

This week, Team Bisping had Mehemmedeli Osmanli on deck, looking to get them on the board at bantamweight. Bisping calls him “unbelievable” and adds that his fighter’s confidence is “thought the roof.”

“We are very confident going into this match-up.”

Osmanli is taking on Team Cormier’s number one pick, Artem Belakh. He’s a Kazakhstan-born Russian.

Mehemmedeli Osmanli, an Azerbaijani, reveals his father was once a millionaire, but when he was young, the family lost their fortune due to mistakes his father made. They sold their house, their car, and were left with next to nothing; his uncle stepped up to help him out. At 21, he’s the youngest fighter on the show.

Coach Bisping takes his team outside for a run, noting that in training camp, “every day is like Groundhog Day,” and it’s a break from the “same old routine every single day.”

Belakh struggles with his weight ahead of his first TUF fight, and winds up 7lbs over the morning of weigh-ins. Cormier is in the gym trying to get Belakh to sweat it out, and Team Bisping shows up for their assigned time. That leads Cormier to lock them out, as he refuses to force Belakh to halt his cut. Bisping confronts him, they talk it out, and Cormier gets to use the gym a little longer.

Both fighters make weight in the end. They get a little heated at face-offs, with Cormier suggesting Mehemmedeli Osmanli is scared, while “The Count” calls him a “real fighter.” Things get out of hand with Osmanli throwing an empty water bottle and hollering “b*tch” and “shut the f*ck up” when members of Team Cormier chirp at him. Bisping has to calm him down.

Balakh says he feels his time is coming. “Now is the cherry on the cake. I just love to fight, I just love competing.”

Artem Belakh vs. Mehemmedeli Osmanli

The fourth fight, and second bantamweight scrap, of The Ultimate Fighter 34 starts off with some clinchwork up against the cage. Osmanli and Belakh reverse positions, and both have their moments. It’s Osmanli who starts getting his striking going partway through the round, leading coach Cormier to tell Balakh that he needs to take the fight down. He certainly gives it his best effort, but Osmanli scrambles, frees himself, and then puts Balakh in a bad spot, taking the back and raining down punches. The hooks go in, the choke goes in, and the tap to the rear-naked choke comes soon after.

Cormier complains that his fighter “just wrestled the whole time” during the fight. “That’s all he did, was wrestle. Why? Why?” Beforehand, they felt a stand-up fight would favor Artem. Even Bisping is confused by his approach.

Dana White says that Mehemmedeli showed no fear, and “made a statement” with his performance.

Next Up on TUF 34

Bisping picks the next fight, and it’s Natalia Alves vs. Tina Black – an all-Brazilian match-up. Black trains with Urijah Faber, while Alves is part of The Fighting Nerds.

The post The Ultimate Fighter 34: Team Bisping Looks to Even Score in Ep 4 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Manuel Torres

Rafael Fiziev proved he belonged back in the win column with his highlight reel second round finish over (#13) Manuel Torres in the main event of UFC Baku on Saturday. Torres, who appeared on the 2021 season of the Contender Series has now gone 5-2 with the UFC. Manuel hasn’t seen the final bell in his career with the promotion yet. All of his wins are first round performance winning stoppages. And Manuel’s other loss came in September of 2024 to Ignacio Bahamondes in the first round of their bout.

Menuel’s next fight should be against a man he’s already been scheduled against, Beneil Dariush. This is a pick that was featured on a previous edition of losers and in this scenario, it’s aged well. The pair were supposed to fight in April of this year, before Torres withdrew. Beneil fought Quillan Salkilld instead and was finished in the first round in early May. Dariush has now lost four of his last five but had ripped off an 8-fight win streak before that. Not to mention those other three losses were to Charles Oliveira, Arman Tsarukyan and Benoit Sanit Denis. This is a good fight to determine who is worthy of staying within the rankings at lightweight between a young gun and a proven vet. Timing works too and this could be a co main of a fight night card, easy.

Torres’s next fight: Beneil Dariush 

Michel Pereira

Shara Magomedov bested Michel Pereira in a break-neck back-and-forth middleweight standup battle in the co main event. Michel has now lost 4 of his last five bouts. He’s now 10-6 with the UFC and 4-4 since moving from welterweight in 2023. This has been a rough stretch for Michel as he’s been finished by Anthony Hernandez and Kyle Daukaus during 5-fight line up. Abus Magomedov is the other fighter Michel dropped a unanimous decision to. Only victory was Zach Reese by spit decision back in February.

Michel should take on the loser of Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Brad Tavares. That fight is schedule for July 18th so the timing would be great. At this point, Pereira has all but solidified himself as a middleweight gate keeper. MAB has almost everyone at middleweight and is purely a “bombs-away” fighter with a 6-10, 1 NC record within the UFC. He’s on a two-fight skid losing a pair of unanimous decisions to Shara Magomedov and Mical Oleksiejczuk. Pereira has already fought Oleksiejczuk and defeated him back in _____. But long story short, MAB has also lost four of his last five. Brad Tavares is a 16-year UYFC vet with a record of 16-12. He’s lost four of his last five too. He’s on a 2-fight skid, getting finished by Robert Bryczek then dropping a unanimous decision to Eryk Anders in March. give Pereira the loser. Guaranteed action at a similar level of competition and fresh matchups.

Pereira’s next fight: Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Brad Tavares loser

Nazim Sadykhov

Matheus Camilo landed a picture perfect straight right dropping Nazim Sadyhkhov before leaping on him to violently finish the job on Saturday. Nazim’s losing streak now climbs to two as the 2022 Contender Series veteran was coming off a second-round stoppage to Fares Ziam last December.  Sadykhov is now 4-2-1 with the promotion, though he still has notable wins over names like, Evan Elder, Terrance McKinney, Ismael Bonfim, and Nikolas Motta.

Perfect next fight for Nazim would be the loser of the Mike Davis vs. Nurullo Aliev fight. That fight is scheduled for July 25th so not bad for the timing. Davis is 5-2 in the UFC, and his last loss was to Fares Ziam back in February of 2025. Aliev is 11-0 as a pro and 3-0 within the promotion. He’s got wins over Rafel Alves, Joe Solecki and Shem Rock. If Mike gives Nurullo his first loss, then Nazim would be the perfect follow up.  And if the fight has the other outcome, Nazim and Mike have had the same opponent and outcome recently. Good booking here and could sneak onto the main card of a fight night too.

Sadykhov’s next fight: Mike Davis vs. Nurullo Aliev loser

Charles Johnson

(#7) Asu Almabayev waited until the late in the third round of his one-sided performance to pull off a nasty suloev stretch in one of the most painful submissions UFC fans have watched in recent history. Devastating outcome for (#15) Charles Johnson who is now 8-7 with the promotion and has bounced between the win and loss columns in his last six bouts. Win over Sumudaerji, a loss to Ramazan Temirov, then the first fight to beat Lone’er Kavanagh. After that, stopped in the first by Alex Perez back in January before turning around and beating Bruno Silva via split decision less than two months later.

Charles should fight Jose Ochoa in his next fight. Ochoa is 9-2 within the UFC and has lost unanimous decisions to Lone’er Kavanah and Asu Almabayev. Ochoa’s UFC victories included a bonus winning second round finish over Cody Durden and his last outing a unanimous decision victory over Claytopn Carpenter in May. Giving Ochoa Charles as he’s coming off a win makes more sense as Johnson was rounding out the flyweight rankings heading into UFC Baku. This one could be on the prelims of a numbered card or main card of fight night card.

Johnson’s next fight:  Jose Ochoa

Brunno Ferreira

Ikram Aliskerov defeated Brunno Ferreira on the main card of UFC Baku on Saturday in a strategically fought victory. Ferreira has now lost two in a row, falling to a 6-4 record with the promotion since being singed off the 2022 season of the Contender Series.

Brunno’s next fight should be against Michal Oleksiejczuk. Veering away from a previous losers pick here of Edmen Shahbazyan, thought Edmen would make a great backup. Brunno is on a downward slide but has fought some exceptional guys (Marvin Vettori, Gregory Rodrigues). Brunno also has a submission loss at the hands of Abus Magomedov, but it came in October of 2024. Ferreira needs to prove he can stop the slide and deserves to fight for spot within the rankings at middleweight. Michal might do that a little faster for him than Edmen, but again, just fine as a second option.

Ferreira’s next fight: Michal Oleksiejczuk or Edmen Shahbazyan 

Michal Oleksiejczuk

Abus Magomedov craftily weathered some powerful strikes early to secure a guillotine choke late in the first round on Saturday. Michal, who was riding a 3-fight winning streak, now falls to 10-8-1 within the UFC. Oleksiejczuk is quickly becoming one of those fighters that has taken on nearly everyone. His win streak was a couple of wins away from bringing him out of his gatekeeper status as well.

Michal’s next fight should be against Brunno Ferreira who also competed on the card. The timing would be excellent, the two have a common opponent and are at around the same level currently. Good backup here for Michal would be a bout against Mantas Kondratavicius. Mantas is 1-0 in the UFC and got his shot with the promotion off of his performance on the 2025 season of the Contender Series. Mantas defeated Antonio Trocoli back in March via unanimous decision in his promotional debut. Michal would be a good litmus test for the newcomer.

Oleksiejczuk’s next fight: Brunno Ferreira or Mantas Kondratavicius

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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