While his performances speak for themselves and there has never been a question if he belonged, a run to the UFC – never mind one this long – was never something he imagined. 

“It was never my intention. That’s what I say sometimes, it is all God’s plan because I never thought about fighting UFC. I thought I like World Series [of Fighting] or Bellator – those were the doors I was kind of looking to go through,” Ferreira explained. “But I never thought about fighting in the UFC.”

Part of the reason he didn’t really consider fighting at the top oif the game was because he never thought MMA was going to be his occupation. While he wanted to dabble in it, he saw a different way of life for himself. 

“I never thought I was going to have mixed martial arts as a job. For me, my work was going to be, ‘oh, I gotta be just another Brazilian Jiu Jitsu coach – open a gym, be comfortable in this,” he said. “But looking back, it was a great experience and I never thought about it – 12 years in the UFC.”

Now, with plenty of experience under his belt, he’s not ready to pack it up. In fact, he’s feeling better than ever going into a bout with Billy Quarantillo this weekend. And that’s a bout, he believes, could win him another bonus. 

“He likes to throw down and I’m gonna be meeting him out there. So whatever is coming first, coming first. I want to put on Fight of the Night,” Ferreira said. “I know my last fight, it could have gone my way. I was there and I know he’s going to be the same way, thinking the same way. And so both, we’re going to have the same mentality. So I think we’ve got to meet in the middle and throw down – whoever is going to go down first.”

You can catch Ferreira’s fight with Billy Quarantillo as the co-main event of UFC Vegas 120. That fight card starts at 5pm EST and airs on Paramount+. 

The post UFC Vegas 120’s Deigo Ferreira Reflects on a Dozen Years in UFC appeared first on Cageside Press.

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.

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After announcing several fights Wednesday morning, promotion officials later revealed that a flyweight title fight rematch would headline the Los Angeles based card this September. That fight will see current 125lb champ Joshua Van (17-2) face off against the returning Alexandre Pantoja (30-6).

In addition, lightweight Arman Tsarukyan (23-3) will face Mauricio Ruffy (14-2) in a five-round co-main event. Tsarukyan had been heavily rumored to face “BMF” champ Charles Oliveira next, but that fight has not come to pass, a fact that may be linked to Oliveira’s teammate, Allan Nascimento, recently passing away.

Van defeated Pantoja back in December at UFC 323 to claim flyweight gold, but the win came with an asterisk given the Brazilian went down due to an arm injury. Since then, Van has defended the belt against Tatsuro Taira, extending his win streak to an impressive seven straight victories.

Pantoja, for obvious reasons, has not competed since. “The Cannibal” had made four successful defenses of his flyweight crown prior to meeting Josh Van last December.

As for Ruffy, he’s won two straight, with victories over Benoit Saint-Denis and Michael Chandler, the latter coming at the White House in June. Tsarukyan, meanwhile, is another matter. After pulling out of a title fight against Islam Makhachev in January 2025 the day before the fight, he’s become better known for his actions outside the UFC than in it. In fact he’s fought just once since, beating Dan Hooker last November.

Instead, he’s been busy wrestling for Real American Freestyle, getting escorted off planes, out of the Rousey-Carano fight, and generally becoming a nuisance. However, Tsarukyan remains a top contender in the lightweight division, and another win could get him back to the title, currently held by Justin Gaethje.

UFC 331 takes place at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA on September 19, 2026.

The post Van vs. Pantoja 2 Headlines, Tsarukyan vs. Ruffy Added to UFC 331 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Melissa Amaya vs. Gigi Canuto

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

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

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

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

Next up on TUF 34

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

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

Promotion officials revealed the booking on Wednesday. The fight will take place in the lightweight division.

The pair first met in the featherweight division in 2017, with Ortega submitting the Brazilian. He’d go on to compete for the UFC’s 145lb title a few wins later, coming up short against Max Holloway in December 2018.

Moicano, meanwhile, would move to lightweight and eventually face Islam Makhachev for gold there. With Ortega finally pulling the trigger on a move to 155lbs, the timing was right to run things back.

Moicano is ranked #10 at lightweight, while Ortega holds the #11 spot in the UFC’s featherweight division at the moment. That said, Brian Ortega has lost his last two fights, and missed weight badly for his August 2025 loss to Aljamain Sterling in Shanghai, China.

Ortega has not fought since. “T-City” was to have faced Moicano in March, only to withdraw from the fight due to injury.

Moicano, meanwhile, submitted Chris Duncan in April to snap a two-fight skid of his own. Prior to the win over Duncan in a Fight Night main event, Moicano had lost to Beneil Dariush, and then-champ Makhachev before that, on short notice.

UFC 331 takes place on September 19, 2026 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA. No main event has been announced for the card.

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Steveson (4-0), an Olympic gold medalist wrestler, two-time NCAA Division I champion, and former WWE star, will face Sean Sharaf (4-2) as part of UFC 331 in Los Angeles, California on September 19, 2026.

The card takes place at the Crypto.com Arena, and does not yet have a main event announced. UFC officials revealed Steveson vs. Sharaf on Wednesday.

Gable Steveson won his promotional debut at UFC 329, the McGregor vs. Holloway 2 card, defeating Elisha Ellison by knockout inside of a round. All of Steveson’s four wins as a professional have ended inside of a minute. Training alongside the likes of Jon Jones, Steveson has been looked at as a future champion since announcing his intent to move to MMA following the end of his pro wrestling career.

It appears, however, that the UFC are looking to build him slowly. Sharaf, like Steveson, has less than 10 fights in MMA; he’s 0-2 under the UFC banner with losses to Junior Tafa and Steven Asplund.

Steveson vs. Sharaf joins another heavyweight tilt announced on Wednesday, that sees Robelis Despaigne returning to the UFC to take on struggling Australian big man Tai Tuivasa.

The post Gable Steveson Gets Sean Sharaf at UFC 331 appeared first on Cageside Press.

And, in another showing of the booking power of TKO Group, parent company of the UFC and World Wrestling Entertainment, the WWE Royal Rumble will also be held in Arizona next February, at State Farm Stadium.

Promotion officials announced the news in a recent press release.

Set for September 12, 2026 at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, NZ, Noche UFC is designed to honor Mexican independence and the country’s fighting spirit, though the promotion has yet to actually host the event in Mexico. An attempt to do so last year faltered when a Guadalajara venue wasn’t ready in time, leading the card to shift to San Antonio, TX.

Noche UFC/UFC 306 in 2024, meanwhile, was held at The Sphere in Las Vegas, to rave reviews.

Headliners Jean Silva (17-3) and Yair Rodriguez (20-5, 1NC) join previously announced match-ups featuring former Mexican UFC champions Alexa Grasso and Brandon Moreno. The Rodriguez booking, however, has left some scratching their heads, given the obvious rivalry between “El Pantera” and Diego Lopes that has developed over the past few years.

The following match-ups have been reported for this year’s Noche UFC card:

• Yair Rodriguez vs. Jean Silva
• Manon Fiorot vs. Alexa Grasso
• Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Curtis Blaydes
• Brandon Moreno vs. Joseph Morales
• Tim Elliott vs. Edgar Chairez
• David Martinez vs. Dan Ige
• Kelvin Gastelum vs. Yousri Belgaroui
• Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Muslim Salikhov
• JJ Aldrich vs. Regina Tarin
• Drakkar Klose vs. Thomas Gantt

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Neal, who was supposed to have faced Chidi Njokuani (25-12, 1NC) at the event later this month, will now be replaced by Joel Alvarez (23-4) in the welterweight fight.

News of the switch-up was first reported by journalist Alvero Colmenero. Promotion officials as well as Alvarez himself later confirmed the booking.

Looking to bounce back from a May loss to ex-Bellator champ Yaroslav Amosov, Joel Alvarez enters the fight with an 8-3 record under the UFC banner. Prior to the loss to Amosov, he’d won four straight, including victories over the likes of Drakkar Klose and Vicente Luque. A former lightweight who at times struggled with his weight cut, Alvarez made the move north to welterweight against Luque, and is 1-1 in the weight class.

Njokuani has lost two straight, and will be looking to bounce back from defeats at the hands of Jake Matthews and Carlos Leal.

UFC 330 takes place on September 15, 2026 at the Xfinity Arena in Philadelphia, PA, and is headlined by Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Machado Garry. The following fights are attached to the event:

• Islam Makhachev (c) vs. Ian Machado Garry – for the UFC welterweight championship
• Mackenzie Dern (c) vs. Gillian Robertson – for the UFC women’s strawweight championship
• Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Dustin Stoltzfus
• Edson Barboza vs. Esteban Ribovics
• Jalin Turner vs. Kauê Fernandes
• Donte Johnson vs. Eric McConico
• Vicente Luque vs. Tresean Gore
• Neil Magny vs. Ramiz Brahimaj
• Jeremiah Wells vs. Myktybek Orolbai
• Charles Johnson vs. Jose Ochoa
• Rafael Tobias vs. Lucas Fernando
• Chidi Njokuani vs. Joel Álvarez

The post Geoff Neal Out, Joel Alvarez In Against Chidi Njokuani at UFC 330 appeared first on Cageside Press.

The 37-year old Cuban, who last competed at the inaugural MVP MMA event on Netflix, returns at UFC 331 in Los Angeles this September. There, Despaigne (6-2) will face the slumping Tai Tuivasa (14-10).

UFC officials announced the news on Wednesday.

Tuivasa finds himself in Sam Alvey territory, having lost his last seven fights. September almost certainly represents the last chance for “Bam Bam” to hold onto his roster spot. The Australian hasn’t won a fight since knocking out Derrick Lewis in Houston in 2022, and has suffered setbacks against Ciryl Gane, Alexander Volkov, and most recently dropped a decision to Louie Sutherland.

Despaigne, after exiting the UFC off losses to Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Austen Lane, won the Karate Combat heavyweight title, going 7-0 in the striking-based promotion. On Netflix this past May, he knocked out former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos, which presumably landed him back on the radar of the UFC.

Management for “The Bad Boy” previously announced he had re-signed with the company, where he has not fought since October of 2024.

UFC 331 takes place at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California on September 19, 2026. The card does not yet have a main event officially announced.

The post Despaigne Books Return Fight Against Tuivasa at UFC 331 appeared first on Cageside Press.