“Well somebody owes me a Brazilian BBQ at this point,” Ferreira told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum through a translator.

“This is my dream. Very happy with the win because my dream was to fight here at T-Mobile Arena. So to be here, to be able to fight in the place that I’ve always dreamed of and actually to finish that way, and I wanted to display what I have. I was very happy to get the win.”

Ferrira (13-2) isn’t done with his list of fight locations he’d like to visit. In fact one was talked about recently by the UFC’s Dana White as a difficult location to get to.

“Always had my eyes on Las Vegas, but let me tell you something, let me throw it up high there. Aiming high. Japan,” he told Cageside Press.

“It comes from my Judo origins, that’s my essence, I would love to be there. Judo represent. Would love to fight in Japan. A UFC in Japan.”

Three years into his UFC run and Ferreira boasts a 4-2 record in that time span. It’s something he’s very proud of.

“More and more, that flame that fire inside of me, it’s burning from back when I was a kid. To be in the same level of all the people that I admired. Those people that blazed a trail for all of us,” he said.

“I’m here making a dream come true. My dream, my family’s dream, my wife’s dream, my daughter’s dream. I still got a lot of dreams to make true.”

 

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Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Bruno Ferreira above.

The post Brunno Ferreira’s Next Dream? UFC Fight In Japan appeared first on Cageside Press.

Part of the preliminary card in Las Vegas, Ferreira was coming off a loss to Abus Magomedov, while Petrosyan had been the victim of a highlight reel, never-before-seen double spinning back fist by Shara Magomedov.

Petrosyan is a very talented striker whose technique and cardio have propelled him to his success inside the cage. His opponent Bruno Ferreira is an aggressive finisher with all 12 of his professional wins coming inside the distance.

Both fighters started out cautiously, with Petrosyan claiming the center of the cage. The Armenian landed a kick to the body, but was countered with a huge left hook by Ferreira. Petrosyan retreated as he was hit clean and staggered backward. Moments after, Petrosyan landed a low blow that forced a stop to the action. After resuming, Petrosyan again fouled with a low kick that landed on the cup of Ferreira. Referee Mark Smith decided the foul was bad enough to take away a point from Armen. When the round continued Ferreira landed a big right hand as Petrosyan came forward. Petrosyan tried to regain composure, landing a jab and low kick to the calf of Ferreira.

Ferreira attempted a takedown and momentarily landed a trip, before Petrosyan returned to his feet. The first five minutes were highly competitive, but with Petrosyan losing a point he may have given up a 10-8 round.

In round two, Ferreira came forward while Petrosyan landed a few leg kicks early. Petrosyan controlled the distance landing a few good jabs while getting out of the way of massive overhand punches from the Brazilian contender. Ferreira attempted a takedown but was unable to secure it.

The volume of Petrosyan seemed to be adding up in the second round as Ferreira was slowing down. Ferreira then crashed forward tackling Petrosyan to the ground, landing quality punches then securing back control. Petrosyan turned to stand, but was caught with an armbar in the transition forcing him to tap. Ferreira dug deep overcome multiple fouls and a five inch height disadvantage to pick up one of the biggest wins in his career by stoppage.

An incredible victory by Bruno Ferreira improved his record to 13-2, while showing is multifaceted skillset picking up the submission win. This was the fourth submission win in Ferreira’s career, telling Joe Rogan “I have the complete arsenal” while hoping for a Performance of the Night bonus.

Official Result: Brunno Ferreira def. Armen Petrosyan by submission (armbar), Round 2, 4:27

The post UFC 313: Brunno Ferreira Overcomes Multiple Fouls to Armbar Armen Petrosyan appeared first on Cageside Press.

From Khabib retiring in the cage to Glover Teixeira becoming the oldest first-time UFC champion and Islam Makhachev getting highlight-reel finishes, this time of the year is an exciting one for UFC fans.

This year was no different, but while people will remember the big winners, there are still exciting things ahead for the fighters who were not victorious this past Saturday.

Max Holloway

At the post-fight press conference, Holloway said he would like to move up to lightweight and return around International Fight Week next summer. An eight to nine-month layoff and an easier weight cut are two things that should help him recover from such a brutal finish.

By then, the lightweight division could look very differently than it does right now, so it is hard to predict which matchup will make the most sense for Holloway next summer. Fans would not say no to a  third fight with Dustin Poirier or a rematch with Justin Gaethje. Fights with Dan Hooker, Renato Moicano or even Paddy Pimblett would also be fun. He is a fan favourite that can make any matchup exciting so there is no wrong answer.

In the end, the option that makes the most sense is a rematch with Charles Oliveira, win or lose against Michael Chandler next month. Holloway and Oliveira are two all-time greats who met earlier in their careers, but the fight lasted less than two minutes when Do Bronx suffered a micro-tear in his esophagus. We deserve a full fifteen, if not 25-minute version of that fight.

A rematch ten years in the making between two legends.

Holloway’s next fight: Charles Oliveira

Robert Whittaker

It was strange seeing Whittaker, who had never been submitted in his career at middleweight before, tap so quickly to Khamzat Chimaev’s neck crank. But a photo of his shattered jaw released a couple hours after the fight gave fans all the explanation they needed for that quick tap.

It is unclear how long The Reaper could be out with such a gnarly injury. Also, Chris Curtis is currently the only ranked middleweight with a fight scheduled, so Whittaker cannot even be projected the fight the winner of any fight booked right now.

That means the only fighter whose timeline should align with the Australian’s is the one who won in last week’s main event. Anthony Hernandez put on a beating on Michel Pereira, but that is still a fight that went over 20 minutes and should see him take some time off. Fluffy is used to relatively long layoffs as he has been averaging nearly nine months between fights during this 6-fight win streak he is on.

Whittaker’s next fight: Anthony Hernandez

Aleksandar Rakic

Rakic has only been facing top competition lately, but the fact of the matter is he has now lost three straight fights and his last win dates back to when Pay-Per-View events were still held at the UFC Apex. He is still clearly a very good light-heavyweight, but he needs a step back in competition.

There are only four fighters ranked between 6^th and 15^th who are not currently booked at 205 pounds. One of them is Khalil Rountree Jr. who needs some serious time off after the beating he took from Alex Pereira earlier this month. Then there is Johnny Walker who teased a move to heavyweight and Alonzo Menifield at number 15 on a two-fight skid with no case for fighting this far up the rankings.

That leaves Bogdan Guskov. He lost his debut on short notice against Volkan Oezdemir but has since responded with two straight knockout wins. He is a good test to see where Rakic is at right now in his career.

Rakic’s next fight: Bogdan Guskov

Dan Ige

Ige a very respected fighter who represents a tough test for anyone as shown by how much he pushed Lerone Murphy this weekend. However, being near the tail-end of the top 15 and now looking at consecutive losses, Ige’s next opponent should come outside the rankings.

Featherweight does not lack options when it comes to up-and-coming fighters on winning streaks looking to break into the rankings. Joanderson Brito, who was once on a five-fight finishing streak, kept calling for a fight with Ige but never got it. It would be poetic for the man who most recently beat him to actually get that matchup.

William Gomis, who won a controversial split decision over Brito in Paris a month ago, is now on a four-fight win streak. With the recent MMA boom happening in France, the UFC might look to push some of their French talents into the rankings.

Ige’s next fight: William Gomis

Armen Petrosyan

With the Armenian’s kickboxing background, it was not surprising to see him opt to strike with Shara Bullet, though he ultimately paid the price for it. The UFC picked him to fight Magomedov, because they could count on him not grappling with their new star. Shara Bullet is at his most fun when he is striking and that also rings true for Petrosyan.

Being on the wrong end of such a spectacular knockout should sideline Petrosyan for quite some time. By the time he is ready to comeback, timing should work out for him to face the winner of Abdul Razak Alhassan and Cesar Almeida, a fight that was announced for January 11^th at the Apex. Whoever wins should make for a fun matchup with Petrosyan.

Petrosyan’s next fight: Winner of Alhassan/Almeida

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Petrosyan was looking to bounce back from a loss to Rodolfo Vieira, was was 3-2 in the UFC overall. Shara “Bullet” was a perfect 14-0, having won his first three outings inside the octagon.

The first round began with Petrosyan taking the center of the octagon and landing a couple of kicks to the lead leg of his opponent. When Shara returned with a kick of his own, Armen caught it and countered with a punch upstairs. In the short boxing exchange that followed, Armen cracked Shara several times. As both fighters reset, Shara continued to bounce on the outside looking to land his lead hand. Armen continued to pepper the legs of his opponent and utilized the Thai clinch to land knees on a couple occasions.

Midway through the round and Petrosyan got clipped by a counter from Magomedov that backed him off slightly. Seconds later, Magomedov evaded a leg kick and returned with one of his own. Shara would have continued success with timing the leg attacks as the round went on.  Magomedov landed a lightning-quick side kick that floored his opponent with less than a minute left in the round. Magomedov was also able to check a few leg kicks coming his way as Armen was just spamming them out there. Shara landed a spinning back fist in the closing seconds of the round that triggered a nice pop from the crowd.

The second round began with Petrosyan going right back to leg kicks. Shara continued to move along the cage, feinting leg attacks and looking to land a counter lead hook. About a minute into the round and Armen landed a kick to the cup of Shara that triggered a momentary pause in the action. When the action resumed about 40 seconds later, Shara clipped his opponent with a counter hook that initiated a clinch. When the two fighters disengaged, Petrosyan landed another strike that glanced off the cup of his opponent. The action continued as Petrosyan continued to find a home for his kicks. Magomedov began to vary his attacks and started to stab at the body with his lead hand. With under two minutes to go left in the round, Shara started to throw more kicks, one of which landed on the cup of his opponent. Again, momentarily stopping the action.

When the action resumed once again, Petrosyan continued to stalk his opponent around the octagon. Shara looked to be trying to land to the body and then come over the top with his other hand but continued to whiff on the punch upstairs. With seconds left in the round, Magomedov began to mix up his strikes, still looking shifty, springy and explosive. Shara raised his knee feinting a teep, rolling right into a spinning back fist that partially landed. Magomedov used the momentum from the landed strike to ‘ping’ off his opponent and spun to the other side, flowing right into another spinning back fist that miraculously landed flush and literally sent his opponent bouncing off the canvas.  No follow up strikes were necessary as Shara Magomedov elected to walk off, sealing the highlight reel finish with a smooth exclamation mark.

Official Result: Shara Magomedov def. Armen Petrosyan by KO (double spinning backfist), Round 2, 4:50

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“There’s lot of people in Abu Dhabi that can come here from Russia. There’s a lot of Russian fans here. People that give us support, people that really greet us here really well,” Petrosyan told reporters through a translator on Wednesday.

“Folks from our country can actually come here and support us freely. This specific card had a lot of attention so it’s very important to be somewhere seen.”

Petrosyan (8-3) will see Magomedov across the octagon on Saturday night. The undefeated prospect gets a lot of attention for his fight style and having one eye.

“Shara is very popular. He’s got a lot of hype behind him, and I think really for both of us this is a great thing that there’s going to be so many people watching this specific fight,” he said.

“We know each other. At one point we even trained together way back when. We fought together on the same tournament, but it’s not like we fought together. We didn’t fight each other. We know each other, I wouldn’t say that we’re best of friends, but we’re really good acquaintances.”

Petrosyan is expecting a fire fight with Magomedov in Abu Dhabi. With both men trying to make strides in the middleweight division it’s bound to set up a banger of a bout at UFC 308.

“We know all of his weak parts. We know all of his good sides. You’ll see it,” he said.

“For every opponent we make sure to study him really well. It’s going to be very fiery. Very exciting.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Armen Petrosyan above. He takes on Shara Magomedov at UFC 308 on Saturday.

The post Armen Petrosyan Expecting “Fiery” Scrap With Shara Bullet appeared first on Cageside Press.

“When it comes to Nick Diaz that was kind of a shot in the air. He’s not on the level, he’s not ready to compete for title fights and things like that,” Magomedov told reporters through a translator on Wednesday.

“When it comes to Kevin Holland I think I’ll get him one day. I think that I will do whatever I have to do to get to his level to fight him. We’ll see who’s tougher, we’ll do a lot of damage for each other, and whoever’s bones are stronger he’s going to be the one standing last.”

Magomedov (14-0) will instead face Petrosyan who’s coming off a loss, but still presents a danger for any opponent.

“When it comes to Petrosyan I know him really, really well. I’ve followed his career. He came to the UFC before me, I’ve seen the way he got into the UFC, he’s a great kickboxer. He’s got really good Muay Thai,” he said.

“When it comes to me I also am a good Muay Thai fighter. We’ll go skill for skill we’ll see who’s better.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Shara Magomedov above. He takes on Armen Petrosyan at UFC 308 on Saturday.

The post Shara Magomedov Explains Diaz, Holland Call Outs appeared first on Cageside Press.

News of the booking was announced by UFC officials on Monday. UFC 308 is set to take place in Abu Dhabi on October 26, 2024.

Shara “Bullet” was a late addition to UFC Abu Dhabi last month, stepping in to the co-main event slot when Nick Diaz vs. Vicente Luque fell off the card. Magomedov (14-0) defeated Michal Oleksiejczuk by decision in a bout that would earn Fight of the Night honors.

All three of Magomedov’s UFC appearances to date have come in the Middle East, with two trips to Abu Dhabi, and a spot at UFC Saudi Arabia earlier this year.

Petrosyan (9-3), a 2021 Contender Series winner with a background in Muay Thai, is 3-2 in the UFC to date. He’ll enter UFC 308 off a submission loss to Rodolfo Vieira.

October 26’s UFC 308 takes place at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi with Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway headlining. The following bouts have been reported for the PPV event:

• Ilia Topuria (c) vs. Max Holloway – for the UFC featherweight championship
• Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev
• Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov
• Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakić
• Lerone Murphy vs. Dan Ige
• Geoff Neal vs. Rafael dos Anjos
• Marcos Rogério de Lima vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu
• Abusupiyan Magomedov vs. Brunno Ferreira
• Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Nursulton Ruziboev
• Ibo Aslan vs. Raffael Cerqueira
• Myktybek Orolbai vs. Mateusz Rębecki
• Shara Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan
• Farid Basharat vs. Victor Hugo

The post Shara Magomedov Draws Armen Petrosyan at UFC 308 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Let’s take a stab at what comes next for Pyfer and co.

Joe Pyfer

Everyone wanted to be Joe Pyfer right up until the third round of his UFC Vegas 86 main event with Jack Hermansson. After a strong start, Pyfer, who has never gone past the third and rarely makes it 15 minutes period, started to flag. Hermansson, who had weathered the early storm, stayed the pace and worked his way to a five-round decision win, turning away “Bodybagz” in his first real step up in competition.

Pyfer had downplayed the whole “step up in competition” narrative earlier in the week but it’s clear the experience of Hermansson made the difference. For Pyfer, given how early he is in his UFC run, there’s still plenty of time to regroup and bounce back.

The UFC still tends to book winners versus winners and losers versus losers, but for the sake of timing, Ihor Potieria picked up his second win inside the octagon on Saturday’s main card. Booking Pyfer and Potieria isn’t the worst idea, and Potieria still holds a win over Shogun Rua to his name.

Pyfer’s next fight: Ihor Potieria

Andre Fili

Andre “Touchy” Fili was touched by Dan Ige in a very unpleasant way at UFC Vegas 86, victim of a highlight reel knockout. Fili now needs to take some time off to heal up, after which, his dreams of cracking the top 15 are likely to be put on hold. Instead, let’s go a little left field: Doo-Ho Choi hasn’t fought since a draw with Kyle Nelson a year ago. That sounds like a very fan-friendly affair. Of course it all depends on if Choi, who lost a large portion of his career to military service, is ready to return.

Fili’s next fight: Doo-Ho Choi

Robert Bryczek

Newcomer Robert Bryczek received main card billing at UFC Vegas 86, only to fall to short-notice (and overweight) replacement Ihor Potieria. An Oktagon MMA vet, Bryczek had been waiting to make his debut for some time. Now, he’ll head to the back of the line, and the best option might be another recently debuted fighter. In this case, Zachary Reese is 0-1. Let’s get one of these athletes their first UFC win.

Bryczek’s next fight: Zachary Reese

Brad Tavares

Hawaiian veteran Brad Tavares was put away in the third round by “Robocop” this past Saturday in a fight that was exactly as advertised. Tavares can always be relied on for an entertaining scrap but there’s little doubt any hope of title contention is well behind him. He still serves as a pretty solid test for any up-and-comers in the division however, a test Gregory Rodrigues just passed. Let’s see if Andre Muniz can do the same.

Tavares’ next fight: Andre Muniz

Darrius Flowers

Darrius Flowers ran into some trouble in lightweight vet Michael Johnson at UFC Vegas 86, dropping a decision. He’s now 0-2 since winning his way into the UFC in 2022 on the Contender Series. Back-against-the-wall territory really. Landon Quiñones is also 0-2; this pairing pretty much sorts itself out, especially with Quiñones fighting just one event prior.

Flowers’ next fight: Landon Quiñones

Armen Petrosyan

Armen Petrosyan saw a two-fight win streak snapped when he fell to Rodolfo Vieira by submission in the main-card opener this past weekend. Vieira is an ADCC champ with a host of submission wins, so no shame there. Petrosyan is now 3-2 in the promotion; a booking with the hard-hitting Punahele Soriano could be a fun match-up. At least the submission threat won’t be as much of a concern in this one.

Petrosyan’s next fight: Punahele Soriano 

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 86 Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.

The pair’s scheduled bout last year fell through when Petrosyan got sick at the last minute. Four months later, they finally threw down. Coming in, Rodolfo Viera had bounced back from a loss to Chris Curtis with a win over Cody Brundage. The ‘Black Belt Hunter’ and former ADCC champion came into the cage expecting to submit another man he held a massive grappling advantage over.

After two tepid decision wins back-to-back, Petrosyan sought not only a victory, but a knockout against someone he was expected to have a considerable advantage over on the feet. This binary stylistic clash could really only have gone a few different ways and in the end grappling won out, like it has so many times before.

Petrosyan pressed forward behind his jab to start Saturday’s long-awaited showdown, but Vieira appeared more comfortable in the striking than he had at times in the past, jabbing with Armen, both high and low. Petrosyan still held an advantage in actual lands – his leg kicks were good – but then the takedown came. Vieira level changed and took him down with ease. As Petrosyan tried to stand back up against the fence, Rodolfo jumped on his back and got one hook in. Armen did manage to stand fully and turn to face him, but Vieira lifted him and slammed him back down. However, he put Petrosyan back against the cage. But he was able to get the high ground in half-guard and keep Armen from standing.

Rodolfo Vieira put pressure on the head to distract Petrosyan while he passed to mount, then landed elbows. Time was running out, but with thirty seconds left he began to sink in his arm triangle. With the skills only a truly world class jiu-jitsu artist possesses, and the strength of a great athlete, he turned Petrosyan’s face purple.

Petrosyan tapped, but then tried to keep fighting and protested. He definitely tapped, so it is likely that he simply did it as he approached the throes of unconsciousness and did not have all his mental capacity available as his brain lost oxygen. Either way, Vieira got back on a win streak for the first time since his first two UFC fights and looked as good as he ever has in the process.

That was the fourth arm-triangle choke for Rodoldo Vieira in the UFC, having only won by another method with the promotion once.

Official Result: Armen Petrosyan def. Rodolfo Vieira by SUB (arm-triangle choke) Round 1, 4:48

The post UFC Vegas 86: Rodolfo Vieira Slices Through Guard, Subs Armen Petrosyan appeared first on Cageside Press.

During the preliminary card broadcast, right ahead of what would have been the featured prelim, UFC broadcasters announced that Rodolfo Vieira vs. Armen Petrosyan had been pulled from the event. That, as the result of illness suffered on the part of Petrosyan, who reportedly became ill in the backstage area of the arena.

While the broadcast speculated about food poisoning or nerves, no clear cause has been revealed for Petrosyan’s ailment. The Armenian had been sitting on a two-fight win streak heading into his fight with highly-decorated submission ace Rodolfo Vieira.

UFC Sao Paulo took a number of hits in the build-up to the event, and lost a lightweight match-up between Vinc Pichel and prospect Ismael Bonfim on Friday when Bonfim missed weight for the fight.

Elves Brener vs. Kaynan Kruschewsky will now kick off the Fight Night event’s main card.

Already underway, UFC Sao Paulo is moving forward with the following line-up:

• Jailton Almeida vs. Derrick Lewis
• Gabriel Bonfim vs. Nicolas Dalby
• Rodrigo Nascimento vs. Don’Tale Mayes
• Caio Borralho vs. Abus Magomedov
• Elves Brener vs. Kaynan Kruschewsky
• Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
• Vitor Petrino vs. Modestas Bukauskas
• Angela Hill vs. Denise Gomes
• Eduarda Moura vs. Montserrat Ruiz
• Kauê Fernandes vs. Marc Diakiese

The post UFC Sao Paulo: Rodolfo Vieira vs. Armen Petrosyan Cancelled Last Minute appeared first on Cageside Press.