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What’s Next: UFC Macau Losers

Bryson Hester — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 05:18:34 +0000

After a one-week hiatus, the UFC returned on Saturday for a card of 13 fights. As has become standard for their fight night cards, this one featured a six-fight main card. UFC Macau marked the fifth time that the promotion has graced the Special Administrative Region within China.

A few ranked matchups dotted this card, with the main event featuring a spirited scrap between former UFC flyweight champion, Deiveson Figueiredo, and Yadong Song, in an important bantamweight bout. Lots of ranked and nearly ranked fighters left picking up the pieces in this edition of losers. All but one of the main card fights ended before the final bell.

Deiveson Figueiredo

(#5) Song Yadong pulled off a guillotine submission victory at the end of the second round in his main event against (#7) Deivesion Figueiredo. Easily the biggest finish of Song’s career, as he pushes Figueiredo to just 1-4 in his last five fights. Figgy has also missed weight in that stretch.

Now 38 years old, Deiveson could be paired up against Raoni Barcelos who is on a 5-fight winstreak and just turned 39 years old at the beginning of May. Barcelos took down a host of names in that run including former UFC flyweight champ, Cody Garbrandt, Payton Talbott, Ricky Simon and Montel Jackson. Barcelos is 11-4 since signing with the UFC in 2018 and is still a fighter that often times flies under the radar. Solid matchup for both men here that makes sense in the rankings as much as it does in the cage. Backup fight here could be against a fighter like Payton Talbott.

Figueiredo’s next fight: (#14) Raoni Barcelos or (#11) Payton Talbott

Mingyang Zhang

(#15) Alonzo Menifield looked stellar as he weathered an early storm to upset the hometown fighter and turn in a first-round TKO thwarting the unranked Mingyang Zhang. Despite the loss and the first-round stoppage, Zhang still secured the fight of the night bonus, a somewhat rare feat, and a promising sign in the aftermath of a stoppage loss. Mingyang has now lost two in a row. He’s been stopped in both. Johnny Walker got him out of there in two, last August. Before that, Zhang was 3-0 in the UFC with as many bonuses and finishes. The Chinese born light heavyweight has cooled off considerably since that streak.

With that fact in mind, Zhang should target Jimmy Crute for his next fight. Crute had a fight against Dustin Jacoby scheduled for late January before he tore his ACL. Zhang took some time off after his Johnny Walker stoppage loss- this was the first time we had seen him since that appearance. Perhaps Crute’s comeback and Zhang’s recovery could match up well timing-wise Both have faced Menifield and lost. Crute pulled a majority draw in early 2023 before losing via second round submission to Alonzo, a few months later. Crute is 6-4 with the promotion while Zhang is 3-2. Perfect. Crute is riding a 2-fight win streak but with all the slowed momentum, a fight like this on the main card of a fight night could be more than plausible.

Zhang’s next fight: Jimmy Crute

Tallison Teixeira

(#3) Sergei Pavlovich proved he’s still here to stay within the upper ranks of UFC’s heavyweight division, with his 39 second KO of (#15) Tallison Teixeira on Saturday. The 2024 Contender Series alum now falls to 2-2 with the UFC and has gone 1-2 in his last three. His only win in that stretch was a unanimous decision against a shell of Tai Tuivasa back in January.

Tallison’s next win has to give him legitimacy within the division. Not too much harm done in this loss, as it was a large leap, but he needs that signature win, all the same. Teixeira should fight the loser of Rizvan Kuniev vs. Tyrell Fortune. That fight will go down on July 25th, a ways away, but Tallison got stopped anyways.

Tyrell Fortune is a former Bellator standout that is currently 1-0 in the UFC. His debut was a very legitimate unanimous decision victory opposite of Marcin Tybura. Rizvan is 1-1 in the UFC. The 2024 Contender Series product dropped a split decision in his debut to Curtis Blaydes. Rizvan defeated Jaliton Almedia in his last fight back in February before the heavyweight was bizarrely released by the promotion (riding a 2-fight losing skid and 8-3 with the promotion). Giving Teixeira the loser of this bout makes a lot of since as he’ll likely keep a ranking.

Teixeira’s next fight: (#8) Rizvan Kuniev vs. (#10) Tyrell Fortune loser

Cameron Smootherman

Former Rizin champion, Kai Asakura, finally got into the win column within the UFC Saturday. It took Kai under two minutes to smoke Cameron Smootherman. Smootherman is now on a 3-fight losing skid. He’s 1-3 in the UFC with his only win coming against Jake Hadley (who is no longer with the UFC).

Cameron’s next fight should be against Aoriqileng. Aoriqileng fought and lost on the undercard of UFC Macau. He was also finished with strikes. Aoriqileng is 1-2, 1 NC in his last three bouts. His only win in the stretch came against Cody Gibson who is seated in a bit of a hot seat himself. Cameron has to be careful here. So does Aoriqlleng, who is a 5-year vet of the promotion. He’s 4-5, 1 NC with the UFC. This fight is one of the numerous fights that could be made for a guy like Cameron Smootherman. This division is deep; fans should expect any name here. But Smootherman can’t necessarily afford another loss.

Smotherman’s next fight: Aoriqileng

Carlston Harris

Jake Matthews turned in an excellent body of work in the form of a unanimous decision victory over Carlston Harris on the main card of UFC Macau on Saturday. Jake’s striking was just too much for Carlston who has now lost three in a row and is 4-4 in the UFC since being signed in 2021. Worth mentioning here, but Jake was originally supposed to face Muslim Salikohv before his opponent withdrew from the bout.

Carlston’s next fight should be against Nicloas Dalby. Certainly couldn’t make the case for it to be the absolute best person for Harris to fight but, it’s not absurd. Nicolas turns 42 later this year, while Carlston turns 39 next month. Dalby has had a 10-year stint with the UFC and his 8-5-1, 1 NC during the stint. Nicolas is 1-2 in his last three with his most recent fight being a split decision victory over Saygid Izagakhmaev in November of 2025. Dalby was supposed to take on Jerimah Wells on May 16th before an injury forced him out of the bout. Wells actually faced and was submitted by Harris in the pair’s bout in 2023. Fight could make a lot of sense in this context.

Decent backup would be Victor Valenzuela who is 1-0 with the UFC against Max Griffin, who is no longer with the promotion.

Harris’s next fight: Nicolas Dalby or Victor Valenzuela

(#11) Alex Perez and (#NR) Sumudaerji

The main card of UFC Macau opened with a truly gruesome scene for viewers as the first bout resulted in a no contest after a low blow. Perez was left heaving over a bucket after repeated fouls by Sumudaerji. This was an important matchup as Alex Perez took on an unranked and surging, Sumudaerji- who was riding a 3-fight win streak heading into the cage. Perez, on the other hand, was 1-2 in his last three and coming off of missing weight but getting a victory over Charles Johnson (the last man to defeat Sumudaerji).

This would be a decent one for the promotion to run back.

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UFC Macau: Alex Perez Left Heaving Over Bucket Following Su Mudaerji Low Blow

Nick Holt — Sat, 30 May 2026 11:41:37 +0000

Former flyweight title challenger Alex Perez kicked off the UFC Macau main card on Saturday, paired up with “Tibetan Eagle” Su Mudaerj.

The Chinese fighter had won three straight, while Perez was coming off a finish of Charles “Inner G” Johnson.

With a ranking on the line, the flyweights brought the energy right away as both fighters took the center of the Octagon to begin round one. Perez opened with a series of hooks, pushing Su Mudaerji out of his comfort zone and forcing him back toward the fence.

Eventually, Su Mudaerji was able to work his way out of Perez’s pressure and return to open space, where the hometown fighter began finding his range. A thudding body kick marked Su Mudaerji’s biggest strike of the early going, but Perez continued to keep his foot on the gas offensively. Midway through the round, however, the action was briefly stopped after Su accidentally poked Perez in the eye.

With around a minute left in the round, Perez initiated the first level change of the fight, shooting for a double-leg takedown that Su Mudaerji quickly defended, giving the young striker a boost of confidence. Perez stayed committed, though, eventually creating a scramble off of a Su Mudaerji takedown, threatening with a guillotine attempt before the round came to a close.

Round two had a much different feel, as Su Mudaerji came out of his corner like a bullet train leaving the station. He landed a clean one-two that dropped Perez to the floor, instantly shifting the momentum in his favor. However, that momentum was quickly halted once again when a second inadvertent foul landed to the groin of Alex Perez, forcing another pause in the action.

Perez immediately dropped to his knees in pain, requesting a bucket as he tried to recover from the foul. With the clock ticking down, Perez heaving over the bucket but mostly keeping his lunch down, it became clear that he would not be able to continue, forcing the fight to be brought to a halt.

The bout was ruled an unfortunate no contest after a promising flyweight matchup was derailed by repeated accidental fouls.

Official Result: Alex Perez vs. Su Mudaerj ends in a No Contest (accidental groin kick), Round 2, 1:45

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Alex Perez Discusses Weight Miss After UFC 324 Victory Over Charles Johnson

Gabriel Gonzalez and Eddie Law — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 17:47:50 +0000

Alex Perez reminded the flyweight division he’s still a threat on Saturday night, delivering a statement performance with a victory over Charles Johnson at UFC 324.

Perez (26-10) snapped a two-fight skid with his win over Johnson, a familiar foe. The two go back years, having trained together, and even lived in the same fighter house set up by their coaches.

“I lived with Charles, I know Charles, he knows my son. I know his daughter. When we first signed this fight we actually FaceTime’d each other and took a screenshot together. I don’t like hurting a friend, but at the same time too, this is business,” Perez told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“He would have done the same thing to me. We talked right now and it’s all respect. We have a job to do, my back was against the wall, he knows that. Kind of sucked having to hit him.”

Perez admitted the quick turnaround caught up with him, especially after returning from Doha and jumping right into another camp. He also addressed his weight miss, acknowledging that at this stage of his career, those short turnarounds have become much harder to manage.

Perez added that he believes Saturday’s bout may have been the final fight on his current UFC contract.

“The weight issue I think it was just too back-to-back. I fought in Doha, I come back through the holidays and do this again. I tend to think I’m still young which I’m not. I’ll be 34 in March so I can’t make those quick turnarounds like I used to,” he said.

“Hopefully I showed the UFC I still belong. I have to sit down and talk to my management and talk to Mick Maynard. Hopefully they can forgive me for this, and hopefully I can get a couple more fights in.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Alex Perez above.

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Alex Perez Bounces Back With First Round Finish Of Charles Johnson

Eddie Law — Sun, 25 Jan 2026 00:30:16 +0000

Ranked flyweights Alex Perez and Charles Johnson looked to make their move in a wide-open division at UFC 324, each aiming to climb closer to the top of the flyweight ladder.

Perez (25-10) entered the matchup looking to snap a two-fight skid after losses to Tatsuro Taira and Asu Almabayev. He didn’t do himself any favors by missing weight by 2.5 pounds, but with the fight still moving forward, there was still plenty at stake for the No. 11-ranked flyweight.

#13 ranked Johnson (18-7) bounced back from his first loss in two years with a win over Lone’er Kavanagh last August. He entered UFC 324 with hopes of leapfrogging Perez and taking his spot in the rankings.

Round 1 – The two met in the center looking to establish their rhythm, and Perez got there first, landing a pair of sharp left hands before Johnson disrupted the exchange with a strong right.

Neither fighter wanted their back near the fence, and their footwork showed it, as both worked to control the middle of the Octagon.

Perez then landed a massive shot that dropped Johnson, who looked out for a moment before hitting the canvas and regaining his awareness. Perez immediately swarmed, hunting for the finish as Johnson shifted into full survival mode.

Johnson stayed on the move, trying to buy time to recover, but Perez cut off the cage and continued to land heavy left hands. Another clean left dropped Johnson again, and Perez poured it on, looking to end it right there. To Johnson’s credit, he absorbed a tremendous amount of damage and refused to fold.

Johnson briefly started to fire back with body shots as he regained his legs, but Perez stayed in his face until a final left hook sealed the finish.

Massive victory for Alex Perez.

Official Result: Alex Perez def. Charles Johnson via R1 TKO, 3:16

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Full 13 Fights Confirmed for UFC 324 As Promotion Prepares for Paramount+ Debut

Staff — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 20:31:43 +0000

The UFC on Wednesday announced the full thirteen-fight card of UFC 324 next January, which marks the promotion’s debut on streaming service Paramount+.

Barring any withdrawals or last-minute additions, the card looks to be a solid numbered event, with two previously announced title fights, and several former champs and title challengers. Headlined by Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett vying for an interim lightweight championship, UFC 324 takes place on January 24, 2026 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Kayla Harrison versus Amanda Nunes in a women’s bantamweight title fight, another previously announced match-up, serves as co-headliner. Nunes will return from retirement for the fight, which pits two of the best female mixed martial artists of all time against one another.

Nunes is a former UFC double champ (bantamweight and featherweight, often called the female GOAT). Harrison is an ex-two time PFL women’s lightweight champ, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in Judo, and the current 135lb champion in the UFC.

Among the fights confirmed by the UFC on Wednesday, ex-flyweight title challenger Alex Perez will meet Charles “Inner G” Johnson, in a battle of the #11 and #13 ranked 125’ers in the promotion. Veteran Michael Johnson will take on Alexander Hernandez at lightweight, while #13-ranked light heavyweight Nikita Krylov takes on former Cage Warriors star Modestas Bukauskas.

Bukauskas, on his second stint with the UFC, will almost certainly crack the top 15 with a victory in January.

The full slate of fights officially announced for UFC 324 stands as follows:

Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett – for the interim UFC lightweight championship
Kayla Harrison (c) vs. Amanda Nunes – for the UFC women’s bantamweight championship
Sean O’Malley vs. Song Yadong
Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Derrick Lewis
Arnold Allen vs. Jean Silva
Natalia Silva vs. Rose Namajunas
Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
Ateba Gautier vs. Andrey Pulyaev
Nikita Krylov vs. Modestas Bukauskas
Alex Perez vs. Charles Johnson
Michael Johnson vs. Alexander Hernandez
Josh Hotkit vs. Denzel Freeman
Ricky Turcios vs. Cameron Smotherman

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Asu Almabayev Submits Alex Perez in Qatar Thriller

Eddie Law — Sat, 22 Nov 2025 17:16:14 +0000

Former title challenger Alex Perez returns to action at UFC Qatar on Saturday in a pivotal flyweight showdown against surging contender Asu Almabayev, a matchup that could reshape the division’s immediate future.

Perez (25-9) entered the matchup looking to rebound from his 2024 loss to Tatsuro Taira, making his long-awaited return to the Octagon in Qatar.

Almabayev (22-3) entered the fight coming off a decision win over Jose Ochoa in July. A victory over Perez would mark two straight and give him real momentum heading into 2026.

Round 1 – Perez took the center of the Octagon early, while Almabayev circled on the outside looking for reads. Perez surged forward with flurries, but Almabayev stayed composed, unfazed by the early pressure.

Perez continued walking him down, mixing punches with low kicks to disrupt Almabayev’s rhythm. But it didn’t take long for Almabayev to adjust, timing his entries and shooting for takedowns. He managed to bring Perez down a couple of times, though Perez popped back to his feet almost immediately each time.

As the round progressed, Almabayev began to find answers for Perez’s aggression, firing clean knees up the middle to intercept the blitzes. That forced Perez to slow his advances and rely more on outside leg kicks to set up his hands.

With a little over 30 seconds remaining, Almabayev shot in again, but Perez defended well, hammering elbows to the side of the head as they battled in close quarters.

Round 2 – Perez continued his aggressive flurry attacks, and opting to get in close to land on Almabayev in close. Perez was able to catch a leg kick, drop Almabayev and then drop to land some damage before the scramble to the feet.

Perez didn’t wait more than a second as he took Almabayev down again, landed shots, before his opponent got back to his feet.

Almabayev began landing well with the 1-2 combinations, but Perez continued to keep the pace high and not allow Almabayev to get comfortable. Perez shot in for another takedown and got it.

Almabayev picked up the urgency with the activity and then going for a single leg takedown with under a minute left in the round. Perez stuffed it well then got back to landing on him. He got taken down as the round ended.

Round 3 – Almabayev opened the round with urgency, charging forward and forcing Perez to shoot for a takedown. But the attempt backfired immediately, Almabayev snapped on a tight guillotine, cinching it in deep before Perez had anywhere to go. Within seconds, the choke was fully locked, and Perez had no choice but to tap.

A clutch submission win for Asu Almabayev, who avoided leaving the result in the hands of the judges.

Official Result: Asu Almabayev def. Alex Perez via R3 SUB (Guillotine), 0:22

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Steve Erceg vs. Alex Perez Set For UFC Vegas 109

Eddie Law — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 16:28:53 +0000

Two flyweights in need of some positive momentum, and a victory, are set to fight at UFC Vegas 109 on Aug. 9 as Steve Erceg and Alex Perez will meet in the octagon.

The UFC announced the matchup on Sunday.

Erceg (12-4) will come into the UFC APEX on a 3-fight losing skid. Losses to Alexandre Pantoja, Kai Kara-France and Brandon Moreno have Erceg in need of a win. None of those losses is anything to scoff at as two of those are against champions or former champs, and Kara-France is next to challenge for the belt.

Perez (25-9) has been in the UFC since 2019, and his resume reflects it. He challenged then champ Deiveson Figueiredo for the flyweight title in 2020 at UFC 255 which he lost. He then lost his next bout against now champion Alexandre Pantoja. His only win since 2020 came against Matheus Nicolau last April, but then lost his next fight against Tatsuro Taira.

UFC Vegas 109 takes place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 9. The card as of now looks as follows:

Roman Dolidze vs. Anthony Hernandez
Steve Erceg vs. Alex Perez
Eryk Anders vs. Christian Leroy Duncan
Iasmin Lucindo vs. Angela Hill
Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Joselyne Edwards
Julius Walker vs. Raffael Cerqueria
Gabriella Fernandes vs. Julija Stoliarenko

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What’s Next: UFC Vegas 93 Winners

Val Dewar — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 03:29:21 +0000

Tatsuro Taira picked up a key win over a former title challenger in Alex Perez, though it came due to injury off a rarely-seen body triangle takedown. Miles Johns found success in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 93- here’s what could be next for those two, and some of the night’s other big winners.

Tatsuro Taira

By beating former title challenger Alex Perez, Taira propels himself into the top echelon at 126-lbs at only twenty-four years old. With a six fight winning streak, he is perhaps just one more win away from a title shot.

Several other fighters are in that position. Muhammad Mokaev is already booked against Manel Kape. Amir Albazi is the other top ranked contender on a winning streak. Taira should be ready by the time Albazi is back from his injury, so this matchup between grapplers with well-round skillsets makes sense for a title eliminator.

Taira’s Next Fight: Amir Albazi

Miles Johns

Beating Douglas Silva de Andrade at UFC Vegas 93 improved Johns’ record to 6-2 (1NC) in the UFC. Now having won three of his last four, he is in position for what I like to call a “rankings eliminator,” a fight that is like a title eliminator, but for a chance to get into the rankings, not a title shot.

Aiemann Zahabi is in a similar position to Miles, having not lost in his last four bouts. Both are well-rounded fighters who may go somewhat under the radar in a deep division like bantamweight. The winner would be deserving of a fight against a ranked opponent, and would be already, in fact, if not for the aforementioned depth of the division.

Johns’ Next Fight: Aiemann Zahabi

Lucas Almeida

Lucas Almeida put on one of his career-best showings in his first ever decision victory, which came over prospect Timothy Cuamba at UFC Vegas 93. He now moves to 2-2 in the UFC and has any number of matchups available to him in a wide open featherweight division. Jamall Emmers is one good option, a fighter who lost his last fight but has almost twice as many UFC fights as Almeida. The primary appeal of Emmers, is that he is a fellow striker would would bring a fun fight out of Almeida.

Almeida’s Next Fight: Jamall Emmers

Brady Heistand

After losing on the finale of his season of The Ultimate Fighter, Brady Heistand has had a much more successful career than the season’s champion, Ricky Turcios, by winning all three of his fights since. The bantamweight fight is, again, the deepest in the UFC, so options abound.

One interesting one is a fighter similar to Brady, a wrestler/grappler with a scrappy striking style: Sergey Morozov. Morozov is on a two-fight winning streak but has not fought since 2022. If he is ready to return to the octagon, he would be a perfect opponent for Heistand.

Heistand’s Next Fight: Sergey Morozov

Asu Almabayev

The Kazakh flyweight continued his rapid ascent by winning his sixteenth straight fight, and his third in the UFC. He is on a path to the rankings soon no matter what, and the timing makes sense now. Both fourteenth and fifteenth-ranked flyweights Cody Durden and David Dvorak are coming off of losses, so they should be giving a chance to a fighter outside of the rankings next.

Durden at #15 is a strong wrestler in his own right, and would be the toughest challenge for Almabayev in years. If Asu can pass that test, he will truly be a prospect in contention.

Almabayev’s Next Fight: Cody Durden

Adam Fugitt

His split decision win over Josh Quinlan on Saturday moved Adam Fugitt to .500 in the UFC at 2-2, which puts him at a turning point in his career. With a win or loss his trajectory will swing wildly.

Charles Radtke lost for the first time in the UFC only one week before Fugitt, moving to 2-1 in the UFC welterweight division. The two have similar skillsets and will be on similar trajectories for their next appearance, so the matchup makes sense, as much as any.

Fugitt’s Next Fight: Charles Radtke

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What’s Next: UFC Vegas 93 Losers

Bryson Hester — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 02:50:13 +0000

UFC Vegas 93 featured 11 fights with six of them on the main card. In the flyweight main event, Tatsuro Taira stayed undefeated against the 12-fight UFC veteran in Alex Perez thanks in part to a graphic knee injury.

Alex Perez

Alex Perez lost on Saturday when he suffered a knee injury in a takedown from his opponent, Tatsuro Taira. It’s a tough loss to stomach for 32-year-old Perez and picking up an injury in the process is catastrophic, hopefully he has a smooth recovery.

Perez has lost three of his last four fights since November of 2020. But his late notice finish of Matheus Nicolau back in April was enough to propel him to a #5 ranking in the UFC’s flyweight division. And his opponent, Taira entered the fight ranked at #13.

Alex Perez was originally going to fight #12 ranked, Tagir Ulanbekov before rebooking. Ulanbekov would ultimately not fight after missing weight against his new opponent, Joshua Van. Tagir would be a great matchup but depending on the severity of his injury, the division might move on without him.

A move to 135lbs. where he has fought previously, and a fight against former champion Cody Garbrandt could be a great move for Alex as well. Alex has missed weight in the past, though it doesn’t seem to be a problem now. Grabrandt has struggled recently losing three of his last 5 fights. ‘No Love’ has experimented at 125lbs. himself with his 2021 loss against Kai Kara-France. Grabrandt experienced an injury in his last fight as well against Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 300, so perhaps Cody and Alex’s are on the same trajectory here.

Alex’s next fight: Tagir Ulanbekov or Cody Garbrandt

Douglas Silva de Andrade

Douglas Silva de Andrade lost a unanimous decision to Miles Johns in the co main event of UFC Vegas 93. Now 38, D. Silva’s 7-6 UFC record doesn’t do him nearly enough justice. Douglas Silva entered the UFC at 22-0 and has been a something of a high-level gate keeper for years. (Losing to only Zubaira Tukhugov, Rob Font and Petr Yan pre-2020.)

D. Silva has gone 3-3 in his last six fights since the beginning of 2021. It is worth noting that D Silva has only lost to solid competition including Lerone Murphy, Said Nurmagomedov, and now Miles Johns, in the time period.

Who better to fight than the Payton Talbott vs. Yanis Ghemmouri fight winner? Talbott has burst on the scene after his win on last year’s season of the Contender Series. Since then, Talbott has stopped Nick Aguirre and most recently, top prospect, Cameron Saaiman earlier this year. Yanis is 3-1 and lost his UFC debut to William Gomis in his last fight. What better way to fast-track ’em? The pair fight on June 29.

D. Silva’s next fight: Yanis Ghemmouri vs. Payton Talbott winner

Timmy Cuamba

Timmy Cuamba was defeated by unanimous decision at the hands of Lucas Almedia at UFC Vegas 93. Now 0-2 with the promotion, Timmy will likely be in a tough position in his next time out. Though it does help that Cuamba’s first loss with the UFC was a very close split decision against Bolaji Oki in February.

Timmy should fight Herbert Burns. ‘The Blaze’ is on a three-fight losing streak and has been stopped in each loss. His last time out was back in March when he was stopped in the second round by Julio Arce. Burns needs a win, bad, as though he is 2-3 with the UFC, he hasn’t seen the win column since 2020.

Timmy’s next fight: Herbert Burns

Garrett Armfield

Brady Hiestand submitted Garrett Armfield in a wild back and forth fight on Saturday. The loss snapped Armfield’s two-fight win streak consisting of a first-round finish over Toshiomi Kazama and a unanimous decision victory over Brad Katona in January.

Armfield is now 2-2 in the UFC and still just 27 years old. Armfield put on a competitive fight and that should be reflected in his next matchup. He should fight the winner of Kyung Ho Kang vs. Muin Gafurov who fight on June 22nd. Muin is 0-2 in the UFC but his losses are to John Castaneda and most recently Said Nurmagomedov, in September of last year. Muin is also a 6-fight veteran of the ONE FC promotion where he took former UFC standout, Jon Lineker. Kyung Ho Kang is 8-4 in the UFC with his most recent wins over Batgerel Danaa and Cristian Quinoez.

Garrett’s next fight: Kyung Ho Kang vs. Muin Gafurov winner

Jose Johnson

Jose Johnson lost a one-sided unanimous decision against hot prospect, Asu Almabayev on Saturday. It was Johnson’s first go at flyweight professionally and at 6’0″ tall, he performed well at the weight, against a tough guy.

Johnson is now 1-2 with the UFC. And with Jose looking like he is comfortable at flyweight; his next fight should be against Lucas Rocha. Lucas is a 2023 Contender Series product that, after a little trouble on the scale, finished his opponent, Davi Bittencourt, in the second round to earn a UFC contract. Johnson and Rocha were scheduled to fight in April before Jose withdrew. Rocha never ended up fighting and is still looking to make his UFC debut. Great one to rebook.

Jose’s next fight: Lucas Rocha

Josh Quinlan

Josh Quinlan lost a close split decision to Adam Fugitt to kick off the UFC Vegas 93 main card. Quinlan has now lost three fights in a row. His only win with the promotion was a 2022 first round finish against Jason Witt.

Quinlan was scheduled to fight Ange Loosa in 2023 before Loosa withdrew. Loosa is fighting Gabriel Bonfim on July 13. But both of those fighters now have two wins with the promotion and Josh is 1-3.

Quinlan should fight Rhys McKee. Rhys was last in action back in March when he lost a split decision to Chidi Njokuani. Before that he lost a unanimous decision to Ange Loosa. McKee is 0-4 in the UFC, and it’d be a good fight to decide who stays on the roster.

Josh’s next fight: Rhys McKee

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UFC Vegas 93: Tatsuro Taira Takedown Leaves Alex Perez Unable to Continue

Jay Anderson — Sun, 16 Jun 2024 05:05:20 +0000

Alex Perez and Tatsuro Taira capped off the night at UFC Vegas 93, a Fight Night card that felt very much overshadowed by a rocky week for the promotion, with Conor McGregor and Khamzat Chimaev both pulling out of key upcoming bouts.

Taira, however, was an undefeated 15-0, and the first title contender out of Japan arguably since Kyoji Horiguchi. He was getting step up against Perez, who faced Deveison Figueiredo in an unsuccessful title bid in 2020.

Early in Saturday’s main event, it was Perez putting the Japanese youngster on the fence, though he struggled to keep him there. Instead, Taira turned things around and fired a knee off the break. Undeterred, Perez moved in, ripped a few shots to the body and tried to clinch up again, to no avail. What was working for Perez, however, was making the fight a brawl, as he threw wide, looping hooks and nasty uppercuts throughout the round, forcing Taira out of his comfort zone and negating his biggest strength, his grappling. Towards the end of the frame, Perez mixed in some low kicks, and landed a straight right. With exactly one minute on the clock, Perez suffered an eye poke, which halted the action.

With the action back underway, Perez got the action down, but he couldn’t keep it there, with Taira immediately back to his feet.

Less than a minute into the second round, that scene repeated itself. Ref Herb Dean gave Taira a warning this time around; Perez came out firing off the restart, and continued to mix in his calf kicks. Taira would fire back with his jab and some low kicks of his own, but he was less active, and in need of a momentum shift – which he got by changing levels and driving into a takedown. Taira wound up climbing the back instead, with Perez carrying his opponent’s full weight well off the cage. Taira had a body triangle on, and wasn’t going anywhere. They dropped to the ground a moment later, after Taira leaned back, shifting his weight- and Alex Perez appeared to injure his knee in the process, immediately tapping and ending the fight.

After the win, Taira called for a title fight with flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja.

Official Result: Tatsuro Taira def. Alex Perez by TKO (injury), Round 2, 2:59

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