Kelvin Gastelum

Robert Whittaker will likely be getting the next shot at the title against Isreal Adesanya. That leaves Marvin Vettori as the odd man out. Vettori could wait for his shot or he could take a fight with Darren Till in the meantime. If this happens, Gastelum turns into the odd man out. His best options for his next fight would be either Paulo Costa or Derek Brunson. Brunson is currently on a four-fight winning streak with his most recent win being over Kevin Holland in March. Costa has not fought since losing his title shot against Isreal Adesanya in September of 2020. Yet Costa is still ranked number two in the division and a win over him would definitely bring Gastelum right back into title contention.

Gastelum’s next fight: Paulo Costa 

Chase Sherman

After his decision loss to Andrei Arlovski this past weekend, Sherman is now 1-1 since rejoining the UFC. Sherman should be looking to fight another up and comer in his next fight. He was originally supposed to fight Parker Porter but Porter fell out of the fight about two weeks before the event. That would be a great match-up and it is very likely that it gets re-booked for Sherman’s next fight.

Sherman’s next fight: Parker Porter 

Abdul Razak Alhassan

Abdul Razak Alhasssan lost a unamious decision to Jacob Malkoun at UFC Vegas 24. Alhassan is now 0-3 since returning from his two-year layoff. Since he did go 4-1 prior to his absence, it is possible that the UFC gives him another shot before cutting him from the promotion. Alhassan is terribly undersized for the middleweight division but if he does choose to stay at middleweight it would be great to see him take on Roman Dolidze. The striking performance we would see from both men would be incredible.

Alhassan’s next fight: Roman Dolidze 

Alexander Munoz

Alexander Munoz lost a decision to Luis Pena this past weekend at UFC Vegas 24. This loss makes him 0-2 in the UFC. Although those two losses were both to high-level competition in Pena and Nasrat Haqparast. For his next fight, he should fight someone who is newer to the UFC and has similar experience as himself. That man would be Ignacio Bahamondes. Bahamondes is coming off a loss in his UFC debut to John Makdessi just a few weeks ago. Bahamondes is a bigger guy for the lightweight division but that should make for a great match-up against Munoz, who is coming off a loss against the long and lanky Luis Pena.

Munoz’s next fight: Ignacio Bahamondes

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The pair had first been booked opposite one another in February of 2020. But a Munoz injury scrapped that pairing, in what would have been the Team Alpha Male fighter’s debut. Instead, he was booked in a losing effort against Nasrat Haqparast last summer, while Pena had a fight earlier this year against Drakkar Klose fall through.

Now, Pena and Munoz were finally ready to throw down, in the UFC Vegas 24 main card opener.

Pena, as usual, had the height and reach advantage on Saturday. But Munoz was able to get in, get an early takedown, and get Pena down ever so briefly early in the fight. From there, a bit of a grappling battle ensued, but Pena escaped, firing a high kick back at range. Despite the reach different, Munoz was holding his own on the feet, though he had to watch out for a flashy knee from Violent Bob Ross late in the frame.

Pena came under fire in round two, with Munhoz hitting home with a combination. For the first time since the knee in the opening frame, Munhoz then shot in for a takedown. That led to a bit of control time, but Pena was able to escape to his feet.

The third round saw another jump knee from Pena in the opening half to the round. He appeared to have found his flow. The artist known as Violent Bob Ross was giving different looks, mixing in feints, and displaying some decent movement. Munhoz was still having a surprising amount of success on the feet, however. He also chopped at the leg of Pena. In the end, they’d battle it out to the final bell, with Pena winning the split decision against a very game Munoz.

Official Result: Luis Pena Alex Munoz by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

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His promotional debut, however, did not go as planned. Going up against Nasrat Haqparast last year, Munhoz (6-1) lost a unanimous decision. It was the first defeat of his professional career.

“It didn’t go exactly how I planned, but I didn’t dwell on it too much,” he said of a rather rough 2020, speaking during this week’s UFC Vegas 24 media day. “It’s just moving forward from there, and keeping a short memory when things don’t go as planned, and looking forward to the future.”

The loss seems to have become a talking point, given Munoz is considered a top prospect out of a top camp. But it’s not as if he’s never tasted defeat before, the lightweight pointed out. “A lot of people have been asking me ‘what is it like losing?’ I’ve probably had a thousand wrestling matches, I’ve been doing sports since I was a little kid. I’ve been losing my whole life, it’s nothing new,” Munhoz stated. “It’s part of growing, it’s part of becoming the next version of yourself and building. It’s just part of this, that’s all it is. I don’t focus on it, I just focus on the next win I’m going to get.”

And so when it comes to takeaways from the fight, “I spent a lot more time focusing on the things we did right. Obviously, there’s always room to improve, there’s always things we can fix. We went back to the drawing board, we tightened some things up,” Munhoz continued. “But whether I won that fight or not, that’s stuff I would have been doing anyways. The win or loss on the record doesn’t really change how we move forward after the fight. No matter what, we’re going to try to improve and try to do better and try to be a better version of what we can do.”

Now, Alex Munoz heads into UFC Vegas 24 with things looking up. In part because he has exactly the fight he wanted. “I was excited about that. I wanted that fight. I’ve been wanting it. It was supposed to be my debut, it didn’t end up happening.” Munoz, in fact, was forced out of a fight with Luis Pena just over a year ago, in what would have been the Team Alpha Male fighter’s debut. So when the opportunity arose to get the fight back, “I jumped on it right away.”

Alex Munoz faces Luis “Violent Bob Ross” Pena at UFC Vegas 24 on Saturday, April 17. The event airs live on ESPN (TSN in Canada).

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Germany’s Nasrat Haqparast traveled to Morocco to prepare for octagon newcomer Alex Munoz. Saturday at UFC Vegas 6, he’d find out if the trip was worth it.

Munoz was making his debut in a roundabout sort of way. He’d appeared on the Contender Series against the “Notorious” Nick Newell, winning the fight on an ACL, but being shut out of a UFC contract. One fight later, the Team Alpha Male product was in the spotlight again, this time on Dana White’s Lookin’ for a Fight series.

The second time was the charm, with Munoz being brought into the UFC. And given a considerable challenge in Haqparast for his debut.

Munoz started the fight exactly how he wanted to, hitting a blast double leg that got Haqparast down. Haqparast worked his way up in the clinch, then was hit below the belt with a knee. After action resumed, Haqparast caught Munoz with a pair of uppercuts as the latter shot for a takedown. It seemed that Haqparast found his rhythm after the pause. Munoz couldn’t touch Haqparast, failing on a good number of takedown attempts and paying for it each time. Munoz threw a flying knee toward the end of the round and was caught by a counter right hand.

Heavy right 🤜 by @Nasrat_MMA!#UFCVegas6 live NOW on ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/8saBCrPXeZ

— UFC (@ufc) August 9, 2020

It was more of the same in round two, with Haqparast simply too quick for Munoz. Munoz was cracked by a combination that rocked him and sent him stumbling to the cage. Haqparast was really opening up in the second round, winging absolute bombs towards Munoz. Munoz displayed some toughness, but was outmatched by the power and speed of Haqparast. The takedown attempts stopped coming from Munoz as Haqparast continued punching away.

A stiff combination started the third round for Haqparast. A lead right hand landed for Munoz followed by a telegraphed takedown attempt. A bit of a messy scramble happened after another Munoz takedown attempt, but Haqparast stayed on his feet. A winging right hand landed for Haqparast and Munoz kept coming forward. A few punches landed for Munoz, but nothing significant enough to change the tides of the contest. Haqparast cracked him with a few right hands and continued to land hard. Late in the round, Haqparast staggered Munoz, but he was able to survive. A fantastic performance by Haqparast.

Throwing with intention! @Nasrat_MMA looking for the finish!

Watch #UFCVegas6 live on ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/zVt8isKsJT

— UFC (@ufc) August 9, 2020

Nasrat Haqparast def. Alex Munoz by Unanimous Decision (30-27 x3)

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“That was a little tough, not getting the contract. But you know I went out there and I fought on a torn ACL. And I learned a lot from that fight, I overcame a lot in that fight,” Munoz (6-0) told Cageside Press about that experience this week. “It’s something I’ve been able to carry with me into my other fights, and into my training and my mentality towards fighting.”

Munoz does have a UFC contract now. He was speaking during the UFC Vegas 6 media day, ahead of his octagon debut against Nasrat Haqparast.

“I knew I’d get another shot to get back into the UFC, I knew that wasn’t my last chance,” he said. “At the end of the day, it wasn’t a loss, it was still a win for me.”

Don’t dwell on what doesn’t go right, Munoz added. “You’ve got to have a short memory when it comes to that stuff if you want to make it in this sport. You’ve got to focus on the things that do go right, and make sure that’s what dominates your attention.”

Munoz was supposed to make his debut back in February, but an injury forced him out of a fight with Luis “Violent Bob Ross” Pena. He last fought in October, prior to that, it was the Newell fight the year before. Expect a different fighter to step into the octagon this weekend.

“Every time you see me I’m going to be different. Week to week I’m different. I’m constantly growing, constantly evolving my game,” exclaimed Munoz. “I’m constantly trying to learn all the ins and outs of striking, jiu-jitsu, wrestling, and wrestling as it applies to MMA. I think that I’m a great wrestler, but I think that I’m a much better MMA wrestler. And I think that where I really shine is where I get to blend everything together.”

On his opponent, Munoz knows that Haqparast has heavy hands. “Obviously he’s a heavy hitter. We’ve got to move low, we’ve got to watch out for his power,” he said. But that’s nothing new for Munoz. “He’s a great striker, but that’s all I do, is train with great strikers.”

UFC Vegas 6 takes place Saturday, August 8, airing live on ESPN+ (TSN in Canada).

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Violent Bob Ross will be looking to paint a bloody picture in Norfolk next month. The UFC has announced via social media that the popular lightweight, properly Luis Pena, will face Alex Munoz at the UFC Norfolk card.

The Fight Night event is headlined by a flyweight title fight between Joseph Benavidez and Deiveson Figueiredo.

Just a happy bout announcement 🎨 #UFCNorfolk pic.twitter.com/7wSKmhHGO7

— UFC (@ufc) January 8, 2020

Pena (7-2) has split a pair of fights since returning to lightweight, after a troubled debut at featherweight that saw the lanky fighter miss weight. Overall, the Ultimate Fighter 26 alum is 2-2 in the UFC, with wins over Matt Wiman and Steven ‘Ocho’ Peterson.

Alex Munoz (6-0) meanwhile remains an undefeated prospect. The Team Alpha Male fighter hit the radar screen when he defeated the popular Nick Newell on Dana White’s Contender Series. While he didn’t jump directly to the UFC, another win on the regional scene has earned him a spot on the roster. Pena will represent Munoz’s octagon debut when the pair clash next month.

UFC Norfolk (UFC Fight Night 169) takes place February 29, 2020 at the Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. The card currently features the following match-ups:

Joseph Benavidez vs. Deiveson Figueiredo – for the vacant UFC flyweight championship
Ion Cuțelaba vs. Magomed Ankalaev
Marcin Tybura vs. Sergey Spivak
Mike Davis vs. Giga Chikadze
Megan Anderson vs. Norma Dumont Viana
Brendan Allen vs. Tom Breese
Jordan Griffin vs. T.J. Brown
Felicia Spencer vs. Zarah Fairn dos Santos
Steven Peterson vs. Aalon Cruz
Gabriel Silva vs. Kyler Phillips
Ismail Naurdiev vs. Sean Brady
Luis Pena vs. Alex Munoz

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The PFL was back in action, Bellator had a big weekend in Connecticut, and the regional scene was busy as always. Here’s a look at who stood out in October, as we’re back for another installment of the MMA Prospect Watch.

Featherweight, Brendan Loughnane (18-3)

Making his PFL debut, Loughnane dominated a credible guy in Team Alpha Male’s Matt Wagy. Loughnane started off tactical in round one just with his kicks, mainly some hard leg kicks. He started to pick it up more as the fight went on, using his hands more. He never let Wagy really find his range due to superior range control and footwork. The Englishman picked it up in round three forcing Wagy to curl up, with Loughnane finding home with his right hand.
Grade: B

Welterweight, Nikolay Aleksakhin (25-5)

An excellent performance from the Russian taking out a former UFC fighter and vet, Jesse Ronson, in the first. Both started off trading early and Ronson maybe was getting off the better strikes early. Aleksakhin was throwing a lot more how, up to combinations of two to four strikes. Aleksakhin with his rapid combos was just too fast for Ronson. The finish came as soon as the Russian got the thai clinch to land the knee on the jaw of Ronson. The end came shortly after when the ref saved Ronson.
Grade: B+

Strawweight, Casey O’Neill (3-0)

O’Neill would make it 3-0 inside the Eternal cage and though the title was on the line (to reclaim) she did miss weight. In round two the biggest moment was when she dropped Motono with straight punches. The fight mainly took place on the mat and it usually started with O’Neill on her back. It was not the takedowns from Motono but the jiu-jitsu of O’Neill that set the pace. From her back, O’Neill used kimuras, triangles, and armbars to transition to the back. Once O’Neill got top position she stuck there with good control and active ground and pound. Only 3-0 so she’s still green but is talented.
Grade: C+

Welterweight, Jack Della Maddalena (7-2)

In October, Jack Della would defend his Eternal welterweight title for the second time. Della’s original opponent pulled out and Kevin Jousset would step in on short notice. Jousset would just become another casualty to Della and would become the fourth undefeated fighter he took out. Della made this a gritty fight using short strikes to the body and head in the clinch. He also mixed in some trip takedowns. Della in the second round would curl up Jousset with a left hook to the body and a right to the jaw. His ground and pound was his biggest weapon in the fight using slicing elbows. One of those elbows cut Jousset around the right eye and the doctor called the fight off after the second round.
Grade: B-

Middleweight, Isi Fitikefu (6-0)

What was more impressive than his performance was the fighter Isi Fitikefu beat in Kitt Campbell. Campbell was a top prospect and close to the UFC but Isi dominated him en route to a decision win. Nothing was spectacular about the performance but Isi dominated with top control. Fitikefu at the start of each round took Campbell down with the single leg. At no point did Isi come close to finishing but held position and stayed active enough.
Grade: C 

Flyweight, Rasul Albaskhanov (10-3)

Albaskhanov started off aggressive with a heavy kicking attack. He was taken down pretty early, that being his one downfall. His opponent was Jose Maria Tome, a veteran and former UFC fighter. Tome is very skilled on the mat but Albaskhanov was excellent off his back and kept Tome in his guard. Albaskhanov used a guillotine to reverse to get on top in a beautiful transition. Shortly after he tapped Tome to an arm triangle.
Grade: C+

Flyweight, Mariya Agapova (8-1)

A battle between two 2019 contender series fighters, Agapova easily beat Marilia Santos. Using her reach, Agapova used a lot of straight strikes and body kicks to keep the distance. Santos, once she got the clinch pulled guard and that was the beginning of the end. Agapova had to fight through an armbar and using her long length she landed some huge unanswered elbows until the ref stepped in.
Grade: B-

Middleweight, Anatoly Tokov (29-3)

Even though Darpinyan was four years the elder of the Russian, Tokov big-brothers him in this fight. Tokov was using foot sweeps and catching kicks to get the fight down where he was very dominant. He was constantly throwing leather in all positions on top as he was heavy but still floating on top. Tokov as soon as he passed to side control got the crucifix position as he had in rounds one and two. Once in that position in round two, Darpinyan was stuck and took a few elbows before the ref stepped in.
Grade: A-

Former ACB champ Anatoly Tokov (29-2) keeps pace in the MW title picture, outclassing Mousasi stablemate Hracho Darpinyan en route to a second-round, crucifix TKO. Fedor's protégé is 22-1 in his last 23 (5-0 in Bellator). He has stopped 23, 16 by knockout. #Bellator229 pic.twitter.com/O4kZYwb7XF

— Kyle Johnson (@VonPreux) October 5, 2019

Welterweight, Joey Davis (6-0)

Not much happened before the finish but the evolution of “Black Ice” has been awesome. Davis came into Bellator known as a wrestler but has three highlight-reel finishes on the feet. Being a wrestler his opponent expected him to shoot but it was a flying knee to the face knocking the dude out cold. It was his biggest test to date in a 16-fight veteran in Jeff Peterson but it’s time for some top competition.
Grade: A-

https://twitter.com/WhatsUp_MMA/status/1180330623900278784

The post MMA Prospect Watch: The Most Impressive Fighters from October appeared first on Cageside Press.

We’re back with another installment of the Weekly MMA Prospect report, and this time out, an Olympic gold medal winner leads the pack. Kayla Harrison returns at PFL 7 2019, where she’ll look to earn a spot in the finale on New Year’s Eve. Bellator, ONE Championship, and RIZIN are also in action, plus any number of regional shows. Here’s who to keep an eye on!

PFL #7 | Friday | Nevada