Song Yadong

Yadong is now 8-2-1 in the UFC. He should be ranked outside the top ten when the rankings are updated and should be looking to fight someone ranked close by in his next fight. Umar Nurmagomedov is currently ranked 14th in the UFC’s bantamweight division. He is predominantly a grappler and he has a great gas tank. This matches up perfectly with the cardio striking of Yadong. Song Yadong has proved he is a tough guy who can strike with the best. Now he should try to prove that he can stop the takedown against one of the division’s best grapplers.

Yadong’s next fight: Umar Nurmagomedov 

Chidi Njokuani

Chidi Njokuani looked terrific in the first round of his fight with Gregory Rodrigues this past weekend. Although in the second round, he got tired and ultimately was finished via strikes later in the competition. This loss makes Njokuani 2-1 in the UFC with all three of his UFC fights ending in TKO or knockout. In his next fight, he should be looking to fight another up-and-coming middleweight.

Bruno Silva is a world-class kickboxer with 19 of his 22 wins being by knockout. His fighting style would be the perfect matchup for Njokuani in his next fight. Silva is 3-2 in the UFC losing his last two fights against Alex Pereira and Gerald Meerschaert. The fight makes sense for both men who will be looking to get back into the win column.

Njokuani’s next fight: Bruno Silva 

Bill Algeo

Bill Algeo lost a bloody decision to Andre Fili in Vegas this past weekend. After three gruesome rounds, Algeo dropped a split decision to Fili marking his third UFC loss out of six total fights. Algeo has had some impressive wins in the UFC but desperately needs a win in his next fight after racking up a 3-3 record in the promotion.

In his next fight, he should fight another featherweight prospect that fought on the card with Algeo this past weekend. Pat Sabatini got knocked out by Damon Jackson at UFC Vegas 60. Sabatini is now 4-1 in the UFC with wins over Tristan Connelly, Jamall Emmers, Tucker Lutz, and TJ Laramie. Both Algeo and Sabatini have the makings to be the next big thing in the featherweight division and we should find out who it is going to be in their next fight.

Algeo’s next fight: Pat Sabatini 

Alen Amedovski

Alen Amedovski got knocked out on Saturday night by fan-favorite Joe Pyfer. This makes Amedovski 0-4 in his four UFC fights which likely means he won’t be getting another contract. Amedovski has proved he is a great fighter but he has had to go up against some tough opponents in his four UFC appearances. The standard for UFC newcomers is to sign a four-fight deal. If that is the case for Amedovski, he will likely be fighting for Bellator or the PFL in his next fight.

Tanner Boser

Heavyweight Tanner Boser puts on fun fights, but continues to struggle with the judges. Saturday marked his second split decision loss in three fights, with the third bout a KO win over Ovince Saint Preux.

Boser will most likely be back, even at 1-3 in his last four fights. He’ll need to consider the size factor, as he appeared to struggle with an opponent 30+ pounds heavier in Rodrigo Nascimento. Still, that’s something that has to be dealt with in a weight class that spans such a wide range.

Parker Porter recently had a fight fall through at UFC 280, and is coming off a loss to Jailton Almeida. Prior to that, Porter had won three straight. He comes in right around 265, so it’ll be another size discrepancy, but let’s see how Boser fares.

Boser’s next fight: Parker Porter

Marc-Andre Barriault

The “Power Bar” struggled against Alexander “Fluffy” Hernandez at UFC Vegas 60, and as the UFC’s broadcast team pointed out, Hernandez looked anything but fluffy. He had the cardio edge and lit up a tiring Barriault, choking him out in the third.

Barriault may need some time off to heal up a rib injury. Cody Brundange fights Rodolfo Vieira in November, and the Canadian could fight the loser sometime in 2023.

Barriault’s next fight: Brundage-Vieira loser

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Pyfer, the lone contract winner in week one this year, was paired up with Alen Amedovski for his UFC debut. The memory of Dana White saying “be Joe Pyfer” no doubt fresh in fans’ minds, the middleweight had a chance to strike while the iron was hot and impress on the big stage on Saturday.

In the opening round, it was Pyfer slowly punching his way in. Nothing landing clean but looking for his opening. Amedovski was letting Pyfer set the pace. Pyfer was landing good combinations and moving out of the way in case of a counter. Amedovski was patient but had trouble getting anything off. He did land well off an exchange but it didn’t last long. Soon after Pyfer sat him down with a right hand that was set up by an uppercut. Amedovski was on his butt dazed and confused; Pyfer landed another right hand putting him out cold.

After the fight, Pyfer revealed that UFC President Dana White had given him a lockerroom bonus following his Contender Series fight, and helped him out with housing for the next year.

Official Result: Joe Pyfer def. Alen Amedovski by knockout (right hand), round 1, 3:55

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During Saturday’s UFC 277 broadcast, promotion officials revealed that Joseph Pyfer (8-2) will face Alen Amedovski (8-2) on September 17, 2022.

Pyfer is coming off a contract-winning performance on the Contender Series less than a week ago — and was the only fighter to earn a UFC deal on the first episode of the current season. Pyfer knocked out Ozzy Diaz in violent fashion on the show, his second DWCS appearance.

“Bodybagz” lost to current UFC fighter Dustin Stoltzfus on the Contender Series in 2020, but has since won two straight.

Amedovski will enter the September match-up still in search of his first UFC win. After starting his career 8-0 including two wins under the Bellator MMA banner, the Macedonian fighter has yet to have his hand raised inside the octagon, going 0-3 through his first three fights.

That puts Amedovski in must-win territory against Pyfer.

The UFC’s September 17, 2022 Fight Night event will take place at the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Expected to be headlined by Cory Sandhagen vs. Song Yadong at bantamweight, the following bouts have been reported for the card:

• Cory Sandhagen vs. Song Yadong
• Giga Chikadze vs. Sodiq Yusuff
• Anthony Hernandez vs. Marc-André Barriault
• Gregory Rodrigues vs. Chidi Njokuani
• Tanner Boser vs. Rodrigo Nascimento
• Andre Fili vs. Lando Vannata
• Melissa Gatto vs. Gillian Robertson
• Sijara Eubanks vs. Maryna Moroz
• Loma Lookboonmee vs. Diana Belbiţă
• Pat Sabatini vs. Damon Jackson
• Alen Amedovski vs. Joseph Pyfer

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Holmes (8-2) picked up his first UFC win at UFC Vegas 55 when he submitted Alen Amedovski after landing a nasty knee that dropped the Macedonian fighter. It was picture-perfect performance, and it only lasted a little over a minute.

“Ugly Joe” lost his UFC debut against Jamie Pickett via unanimous decision in January, but he said that loss led to the great performance against Amedovski.

“Without that debut, I probably wouldn’t have won like that, just now. That debut I had was a huge learning lesson for me,” Holmes told Cageside Press during his UFC Vegas 55 post-fight interview. “Not just you know, I can take a punch, or I can go three rounds with the best men in the world. But you know, you have to be prepared, and you have to implement your own game. You can’t go in there and do what the other guy wants you to do. You gotta you got to do what you’re supposed to do and listen to your coaches. And I learned that from my debut for sure.”

The 26-year-old says he had the best camp of his life ahead of this performance, and it showed. The game plan was pretty simple, stay away from his opponent’s knockout power.

“This is probably the best performance I’ve ever had. Following the best camp I’ve ever had with the best body I’ve ever had. This is all just incredible. I’m super blessed to get the camp that I had. Thanks to my management team for setting that fight up,” Holmes said. “The game plan was to have active feet, be smaller in my stance, throw a lot of jabs and just kind of not worry about his power that he has in those in his hands. Alen is a tough guy, so I just needed to stay away from his power and take them down any chance I get. So it’s either all the way in or all the way out. I think I did that pretty well.”

Holmes didn’t have anyone he wanted to fight next but hopes to fight again in late August.

Watch the full UFC Vegas 55 post-fight media scrum with Joseph Holmes above. More coverage from the event can be found below.

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The whimsically nicknamed Joseph Holmes had come up short in his promotional debut against Jamie Pickett earlier this year. On Saturday, his sophomore outing had him paired up with former Bellator fighter Alen Amedovski, who had started his own UFC run 0-2.

Round one began with Holmes working the jabs and leg kicks to gauge Amedovski’s reactions. Amedovski loaded up on his punches, and then Holmes landed a huge knee right up the middle. Amedovski survived, but Holmes got the fight to the ground and got the rear-naked choke locked in. Holmes got the tap and the win on the night.

Knee was right on the button then Holmes locked up the submission 😤 #UFCVegas55 pic.twitter.com/BCFJPJ8k5g

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 21, 2022

Post-fight, Holmes said he borrowed the idea for throwing the knee from Jonathan Martinez, who was also fighting on the card. Overall, “Ugly Man Joe” improved to 8-2 care of the victory.

For Amedovski, meanwhile, a dominant run in Bellator has led to a tailspin in the UFC. After starting his fighting career a perfect 8-0, he’s now dropped three straight. That puts him in a very precarious position, with another batch of Contender Series winners expected to be incoming later in the summer.

Official Result: Joseph Holmes def. Alen Amedovski via R1 1:04 – Submission (RNC) 

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On the opposite end of the card, however, a more understated affair had been expected. Hu Yaozong vs. Alen Amedovski didn’t exactly have fans burning with anticipation. Instead, it had all the makings of a loser-leaves-town match-up, with both men on two-fight skids and winless inside the octagon.

Yaozong’s 3-2 record as a pro certainly wasn’t helping his case either. But in the end, the fight would not happen, at least not at UFC 264. On Saturday, the bout was pulled by the promotion, the result of COVID-19 protocols.

UFC officials announced the news roughly an hour out from the card’s anticipated start time.

“Due to COVID-19 protocols, the middleweight bout between Hu Yaozong and Alen Amedovski is canceled from tonight’s card,” a statement posted on the UFC’s official website read.

No explanation was given for exactly what COVID-19 protocol lead to the cancellation. A positive test by a fighter, one of their corners, or potential exposure to someone infected with SARS-CoV-2 could be the potential culprit.

There is no word on whether the UFC will seek to reschedule the bout for an upcoming event, or scrap it entirely.

UFC 264 is set to move forward with the following line-up:

Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor
Gilbert Burns vs. Stephen Thompson
Greg Hardy vs. Tai Tuivasa
Irene Aldana vs. Yana Kunitskaya
Kris Moutinho vs. Sean O’Malley
Carlos Condit vs. Max Griffin
Michel Pereira vs. Niko Price
Ryan Hall vs. Ilia Topuria
Dricus Du Plessis vs. Trevin Giles
Jessica Eye vs. Jennifer Maia
Omari Akhmedov vs. Brad Tavares
Jerome Rivera vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov

The main card airs live on PPV (via ESPN+ exclusively in the U.S.) following online and televised prelims.

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The UFC’s first trip to Raleigh, North Carolina will be headlined by Junior Dos Santos vs. Curtis Blaydes, while the co-headliner will see Frankie Edgar take on Cory Sandhagen. That much was reported Wednesday. However Thursday, the UFC’s official website also unveiled bouts featuring the likes of Justine Kish, Alen Amedovski, Darko Stosic and others.

A bout previously reported by Cageside Press featuring Herbert Burns and Nate Landwehr was also confirmed.

In total, four bouts that had hitherto flown under the radar were announced:

The post Multiple Fights Added to January’s UFC Raleigh Card appeared first on Cageside Press.

In the featured fight at UFC Copenhagen, the promotion’s debut in the Danish capital, Alen Amedovski was looking to bounce back from his first career loss. That had come in his promotional debut at UFC St. Petersburg earlier in the year. This time around, he was facing John Phillips, 0-3 since joining the UFC, and no doubt looking at his last chance at sticking around.

Needless to say, Phillips was motivated. After a virtual chorus line of decisions on the UFC Copenhagen card, John Phillips had seen enough. Back to the wall, against a dangerous opponent, Phillips evaded an early attack, and engaged in a back-and-forth exchange. Phillips was landing, Amedovski was not. It was a left behind the ear that first rocked Amedovski. Several more strikes landed, and down he went. One or two more came while he was down but still trying to stay in it.

That wasn’t an option. Amedovski was not coming back, and the ‘Welsh Wrecking Machine’ had his first UFC win. He later called it the greatest day of his life, in his post-fight interview.

14 seconds!!@JohnPhillipsMMA comes out swinging and puts Amedovski away in the first round! #UFCCopenhagen pic.twitter.com/hZERFbh4wf

— UFC (@ufc) September 28, 2019

Result: John Phillips def. Alen Amedovski by knockout, Round 1, 0:14

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UFC fans almost lost the recently reported fight between Alen Amedovski and John Phillips. Although news broke just days ago that the pairing was set for UFC Copenhagen in September, on Thursday, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced via press release that Amedovski (8-1) had accepted a six-month suspension following a positive test for Carboxy-THC, the pharmacologically-active cannabinoid metabolite of cannabis (and hashish). Luckily, however, the suspension has already been cut in half, meaning the fight can go ahead.

The result came from an in-competition sample collected on April 20, 2019, at UFC St. Petersburg, where Amedovski (8-1) lost a decision against Krzysztof Jotko, the first loss of his pro career. Amedovski had previously competed for Bellator MMA.

While some levels of Carboxy-THC are allowable under the UFC’s Anti-Doping Policy, the levels at which Amedovski tested positive for were at “a urinary concentration exceeding the Decision Limit for this Threshold Substance,” per a USADA press release.

USADA went on to note that “Amedovski accepted a six-month period of ineligibility, which began on April 20, 2019, the day his positive sample was collected. Based on Amedovski’s successful completion of a USADA approved drug awareness and management program, his period of ineligibility was reduced by three months.”

He’ll no doubt be aware not to repeat the same mistake moving forward. UFC Copenhagen, meanwhile, takes place September 27 at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark.

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Krzysztof Jotko was 13-0 with wins over Damir Hadzovic and Bojan Velickovic when he signed with the UFC in 2013. His Octagon run kicked off excellently, with a 6-1 start and an impressive five-fight win streak. The streak came to an end with a loss to David Branch in Branch’s UFC return. Since then, he’s lost via TKO to both Uriah Hall and Brad Tavares.

Alen Amedovski will be making his promotional debut at UFC St. Petersburg. Amedovski is a Macedonian-born Italian with an 8-0 professional record. All of his wins have come via knockout, and he has yet to see a third round in his career. The middleweight’s last two fights came in Bellator, where he won by first-round KO both times, most recently in just 12 seconds.

Krzysztof Jotko was dominant out of the gate. Landing a variety of strikes at will. Amedovski responded with a trip but Jotko was able to reverse him into top position. Jotko was able to take his back, but Amedovski scrambled his way to top position. After landing some ground-and-pound, the fight returned to striking range, where Jotko took over. A spinning elbow and right hook rock Amedovski giving Jotko the opportunity to score a takedown. Jotko briefly mounts Amedovski but ends the round with ground-and-pound in half guard.

Cageside Press Scores the First Round 10-9 Krzysztof Jotko

The second round was all Jotko. A few kicks to the head of Amedovski landed then Jotko scored a takedown. Jotko moved to the crucifix and brutalized Amedovski for the entire round, but not quite enough to require a finish.

Cageside Press Scores the Second Round 10-8 Krzysztof Jotko

The third round was more domination from Jotko. An early takedown was followed by consistent ground-and-pound for the final five minutes, snapping Jotko’s losing streak.

Cageside Press Scores the Third Round 10-8 Krzysztof Jotko (30-25 Jotko)

Krzysztof Jotko def. Alen Amedovski by Unanimous Decision (30-25 x2, 30-26)

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