Now, after losing the bout and being cut by the UFC after his record drastically changed just days out from his fight with Alonzo Menifield, Mozharov has been hit with another scandal. This time, it’s a drug test failure under the NSAC, with the Ukrainian testing positive for GW1516 sulfone — a hormone and metabolic modulator banned by the NSAC at the levels Mozharov tested positive for.

Interestingly enough, those same levels were under the USADA threshold for the substance, so Mozharov is only in hot water with the NSAC. The drug test stems from his UFC Vegas 56 fight with Menifield on June 4, 2022, where Mozharov was put away with elbows inside of a round.

Per a report by MMA Junkie, Mozharov and his team have been in touch with the commission, with a resolution likely at the commission’s next meeting on September 20.

Mozharov reportedly retired from MMA after being dropped by the UFC, at least according to a post on his Instagram profile. After joining the UFC as a 25-7 fighter, he currently holds a record of 17-13 after numerous irregularities pertaining to his professional record were uncovered.

The post After Record-Fixing Allegations and UFC Cut, Askar Mozharov Flagged for Positive Drug Test appeared first on Cageside Press.

Not that it really should have.

Mozharov and Poliana Botelho, both of whom competed at UFC Vegas 56 earlier this month, are the latest fighters to exit the promotion. In the case of Botelho, it’s unclear whether the promotion simply opted not to renew her contract, or whether she was cut outright. For Mozharov, however, he’s an obvious cut after becoming one of the most controversial UFC signings in years.

UFC Roster Watch, an automated service which monitors changes to the UFC’s athlete database, first noted the moves.

Mozharov (19-13 — we think) was picked up by the UFC last year, after he pulled out of the PFL’s 2021 season without ever having competed for the league. The Ukrainian fighter from AKA Thailand saw his debut delayed several times, before finally landing on June 4’s UFC Vegas 56 card against Alonzo Menifield.

With a promising record of 25-7… no, sorry, 21-11… wait, no, 19-12— well, you get the idea. As Mozharov’s debut approached, numerous irregularities were uncovered by MMA’s online record keepers, primarily Tapology and Sherdog. In particular, Sherdog’s FF-Files series ran an article on the fighter entitled “It’s All Been A Pack of Lies” documenting the ongoing manipulation of his professional record, which involved losses being absent, and fights appearing under another name.

By the time his fight with Menifield arrived, with his record at 19-12, it was clear a win would be needed to keep him in the UFC. That didn’t happen, as Menifield served up loss #13 (again… we think) in violent fashion.

On Thursday, Mozharov released a statement that appeared to reference his release, and the blowback he’d received on social media, by way of his Instagram Story.

“Rats who write bad things to me you are unsatisfied, envious little people.

You are like a tumor that grows and writes me the same thing.

I don’t care about you, don’t you understand? I don’t care what you write to me.

I love to fight and will do it no matter where MMA or other fights.

I am a happy person I have everything I want you better look at yourself who you are and what you have.

Every day I go one step higher and you rats do nothing but sit on the couch and write nonsense!

Mozharov also claimed that he was leaving MMA, on his own initiative (translation via Giorgi Kokiashvili):

Askar Mozharov announced on Instagram that he left MMA – Many people ask what I have with the UFC – I have moved away from MMA and decided to stop cooperation, on my initiative! I'm not surprised by what media writes there! I'm done with MMA! There are other plans, thank you all! pic.twitter.com/QUqFzzSumc

— Giorgi Kokiashvili 🇬🇪 (@iHeartGeorgius1) June 16, 2022

Botelho (8-5), meanwhile, had lost three straight with her defeat at the hands of promotional newcomer Karine Silva earlier this month. With the UFC since 2017, she posted a record of 2-4 inside the octagon.

She had previously said she believed she was fighting for her job against Silva. Unfortunately, the fight did not go her way, ending via submission late in the opening round.

The post Infamous Askar Mozharov, Poliana Botelho Latest to Exit UFC appeared first on Cageside Press.

Where does Rozenstruik go from here? We’ll try to answer that, and play matchmaker for the losing side of the UFC Vegas 56 main card.

Jairzinho Rozenstruik

Jair Rozenstruik remains something of a conundrum ten fights into his UFC career. At times, he has been hesitant in fights where he should have been aggressive. In others, he’s opted to swing for the fences. At UFC Vegas 56, he went up against something of a rarity — an opponent bigger than himself. Ultimately, he was tagged a few times, and the ref waved the fight off. While Rozenstruik immediately protested the stoppage, those protests don’t matter much in the grand scheme of things. On paper, a loss is a loss, and athletic commissions simply will not overturn that sort of result, given the ref was doing his job and protecting the fighter.

The end result is that Rozenstruik is on the first losing streak of his career. He remains a threat thanks to his kickboxing and knockout power, but he’ll need to pull out of this slump.

Coming up, Derrick Lewis is fighting Sergei Pavlovich. Should he lose, Lewis will be on a similar two-fight skid. That’s a fun fight. If Pavlovich comes up short, that works as well. So give Rozenstruik the loser of that match-up.

Rozenstruik’s next fight: Lewis-Pavlovich loser

Dan Ige

Thanks to a split decision win over Edson Barboza back in 2020, Dan Ige began to be looked at as a real player in the featherweight division. In hindsight, that may have been premature. Many had Barboza winning that fight, and while Ige is as game as they come and puts on exciting fights, he’s been losing them more often than not. Since the Barboza fight, Ige is 1-4, with losses to Calvin Kattar, The Korean Zombie, Josh Emmett, and now Movsar Evloev. The only win in that span came against Gavin Tucker, who has struggled to fight consistently.

Ige probably needs a step back at this point, and some time to regroup. There’s no way you cut the Hawaiian despite three straight losses, but give him an opponent in a similar spot. Doo-Ho Choi was once the next big thing at featherweight, but has lost three straight fights. He was supposed to return last year against Danny Chavez, but pulled out due to injury. If he’s ready to go, that fight could be fireworks — and serves as a rehabilitation project of sorts for the winner.

Ige’s next fight: Doo-Ho Choi

Michael Trizano

History has not been kind to some of The Ultimate Fighter’s more recent winners. Jesse Taylor, Nicco Montano, and Brad Katona are no longer with the promotion, while Michael Trizano, who won on the same season as Katona, has struggled to stay active, and relevant.

He suffered another setback at UFC Vegas 56, losing to promotional newcomer Lucas Almeida — a fighter who came up short on the Contender Series. Trizano is now 3-3 in the UFC, including his win at the TUF 27 finale. While he won the show at lightweight, he’s now at 145, but that hasn’t panned out either.

That sort of uninspiring run means Trizano’s next fight will be a must-win, and pairing him up with another Contender Series fighter might be the play. Tucker Lutz is 1-1 in the UFC, and coming off a loss to Pat Sabatini that has aged better than most. He was supposed to fight in March, only for his opponent to drop out. Book this one.

Trizano’s next opponent: Tucker Lutz

Poliana Botelho

A 1-4 record in her last five fights, and three straight losses, may end up with Poliana Botelho being shown the door. But if the UFC opts to give her one more go, then try her against Mariya Agapova, who is coming off a loss back in March.

Botelho’s next fight: Mariya Agapova

Zarrukh Adashev

It’s obvious now that Zarrukh Adashev jumped to the UFC way too early in his MMA career. While he has a kickboxing background, he arrived with a record of 3-1 in MMA. Not even five fights. While his three wins to that point had come under the Bellator banner, he wasn’t exactly fighting top guys over there. Bellator has some real killers, but Adashev didn’t so much as sniff them.

Now, he’s 1-3 through four UFC fights. Assuming he was on a four-fight deal, if they bring him back, it feels like the right play is to book him against an up-and-comer. Jake Hadley just suffered a considerable setback in his promotional debut, against a far more experienced opponent in Allan Nascimento. Adashev might be more his speed at this point.

Adashev’s next fight: Jake Hadley

Askar Mozharov

Ukraine’s Askar Mozharov became the most talked about fighter on the UFC Vegas 56 card, but not for any of the usual reasons. Rather, what can now be called “record-gate” saw his pro MMA record drop from 25-7 to 21-11 to 19-12 in the days leading up to his fight with Alonzo Menifield. The UFC certainly took notice, adjusting his record on the broadcast. The controversy stemmed from online record keepers Sherdog and Tapology discovering Mozharov had multiple profiles under different names, and had over the years attempted to have his record changed. Allegedly, of course. Sherdog’s FF Files has a pretty good breakdown of what they believe transpired, and have labelled Mozharov a fraud.

We’re not here to pass judgment on any fighter, nor should any media outlet really. And we say that as one of the few outlets who actually has a writer who has stepped into the cage. Still, Mozharov’s “preposterous” record, to borrow a term Menifield himself used ahead of the fight, may see him cut from the UFC as a result. He was smashed by elbows and put away early, and fought very much like a fighter with a padded record.

On the flip side, all publicity is good publicity, right? If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying, so on and so forth. We’re talking about a promotion who booked Dean Barry vs. Mike Jackson in 2022, so maybe they give Mozharov another shot, in the hopes that people will tune in to see him smashed again.

Caio Borralho won a technical decision in his UFC debut, thanks to illegal strikes he committed that ended the fight early. He’s fighting fellow Contender Series winner Armen Petrosyan next. Give Mozharov the loser, if he sticks around.

Mozharov’s next fight: Borralho-Petrosyan loser

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 56 Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.

Mozharov had been brought onboard by the PFL at one point, only to drop out of the league’s 2021 season. He then signed on with the UFC, had his debut, originally at heavyweight, delayed, then opted for light heavyweight instead.

That in and of itself is nothing out of the ordinary, but over the past week, Mozharov has become known as the man with the incredibly shrinking record. Starting out with a 25-7 record, that moved down to 21-11, then 19-12, much has been made of some dubious entries among the sport’s online record keepers — but in the end, all that would matter was his performance.

Suffice to say, it did not go well.

Menifield came out firing right out of the gate and put Mozharov on his back with a takedown. There was no moving off the bottom from Mozharov as Menifield was smothering on top. He was stuck until he wasn’t as Mozharov exploded back to his feet. Menifield looked gassed and Mozharov was throwing heavy. It didn’t last long before before Menifield exploded forward with another power takedown. Menifield moved to the crucifix position and let loose with some heavy short elbows and Mozharov went out.

𝙒𝙃𝘼𝙏 𝘼 𝙁𝙄𝙉𝙄𝙎𝙃 by @AlonzoMenifield!#UFCVegas56 pic.twitter.com/nh0AgFZeCD

— UFC (@ufc) June 4, 2022

Given the controversy surrounding “record-gate,” that could very well be the last time we see Askar Mozharov in the UFC. Then again, they might just keep him around given the attention he was able to draw, albeit inadvertently.

Official Result: Alonzo Menifield def. Askar Mozharov by knockout (elbows), round 1, 4:40

The post UFC Vegas 56: Alonzo Menifield Dominates Mozharov, Wins Via TKO appeared first on Cageside Press.

The Apex-based show was topped by heavyweight standouts Alexander Volkov and Jairzinho Rozenstruik. The pair had been flirting with the top of the division and a potential title shot for the past couple of years, only to be knocked back by a couple of ill-timed losses.

With both men entering off recent defeats — Volkov against Tom Aspinall, Rozenstruik to Curtis Blaydes — one fighter was going to begin another march to the top of the division.

The people’s main event at UFC Vegas 56 could arguably be said to be the show’s co-headliner, between Dan Ige and Movsar Evloev. The Russian featherweight may not have been a household name to start the night, but dedicated fight fans had recognized his talent for years.

One of the more interesting match-ups on the card, meanwhile, was the debut of controversial light heavyweight Askar Mozharov. The Ukrainian fighter had signed with the UFC last year after a fight in the PFL fell through, arriving with a record of 25-7. Which fell to 21-11 when some dubious entries in his official record were uncovered during Fight Week. Which dropped further to 19-12 later in the week.

Sherdog would later run a piece entitled It’s All Been A Pack of Lies as part of their FF-Files series, accusing Mozharov and his team of some pretty shady stuff. But matched up with Alonzo Menified on Saturday, Mozharov (or whatever his name actually is, as he’s fought under more than one, apparently) would have the ultimate chance to prove himself.

Following UFC Vegas 56 on Saturday, tune in for the post-fight press conference, with a live stream available above.

The post UFC Vegas 56: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik Post-Fight Press Conference Live Stream appeared first on Cageside Press.

Askar “No Mercy” Mozharov
Standing at 6’3″
Fighting at 205lbs (light-heavyweight)
27-years-old
Fighting out of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Training out of AKA Thailand
A pro record of 19-12
11 KO/TKOs, 6 Submissions

How will Mozharov do in the UFC:

Mozharov has a lot of negative energy following him into his UFC debut. From allegedly changing his name to erase losses in his career to lying about wins and losses he had on his record. With all the negatives, which are a lot, Mozharov at least brings entertainment value when he steps in the cage.

Mozharov has a background in combat sambo, muay thai, and an extensive karate background. All those forms of martial arts have played a factor in his stand-up but his grappling is lacking. It’s lacking so much that he’s lost eight times by submission. Mozharov has terrible takedown defense and tends to tap before submissions are even fully locked in. I don’t know what six guys he submitted but they might need to look at those “wins” as well.

Mozharov is an ultra dangerous guy on the feet. He opens right up throwing caution to the wind. Zero feeling out process and all ill-intentions. Mozharov throws very heavy kicks and they are impressive with the speed and the power he gets behind them. He likes to chop the legs, go to the head, and throws wheel kicks frequently. Mozharov just swings for the fences with his hands. While it’s very dangerous he’s extremely wild so he is easily vulnerable to being clipped. He does all that so fast and so hard that the stats show when he doesn’t get the finish in under a minute, he falls apart. Mozharov has no gas tank, zero ground game, poor striking defense, and awful takedown defense. Mozharov is fun but there aren’t a lot of guys in the UFC he can finish in under a minute.

How he matches up with Menifield:

It’s simple: Menifield has to survive one minute and he will take over. Menifield has only been finished once and that was deep in round two. Mozharov isn’t going deep into round two. I will say Menifield hasn’t fought someone as wild and powerful as Mozharov but- Alonzo has still fought the much better competition. Can’t see Menifield losing this so he is the easy pick here.

The post Welcome to the UFC: Askar Mozharov appeared first on Cageside Press.

Mozharov (21-11) was supposed to make his debut against Dustin Jacoby in August 2021, but had to withdraw from the bout.

“It’s a big honor to compete in the biggest organization in the world UFC. Of course it’s been a long road to get here. Just for this fight specifically I was waiting 10 months to finally get it. About three canceled bouts, but we just stayed focused. There was a big thing also with USADA and a few things,” Mozharov told reporters through a translator on Wednesday.

“I also underestimated a bit how serious UFC is and how many things and obligations you have to do to be able to come out to the fight, but we waited it all and we’re here ready to go.”

Mozharov is from Ukraine and with the war going on in his homeland it was tough for him to continue training while many of his fellow countrymen returned home to fight.

“Of course it’s a very tough time. A lot of athletes and people ended up going back to the country to go to war and protect the country. A lot of (my) friends suggested that it’s much better and easier to pursue this path especially that I have an opportunity to be able to do that, and I can show my country in a better way. Maybe this is the smartest option for me to stay as an athlete and go represent Ukraine on the world’s stage,” Mozharov said.

Mozharov will face Menifield at the UFC APEX. Menifield is coming off a decision loss to William Knight in December.

“I’m not a big fan of speaking about the fighters before the fight specially. All I know about him is he’s a respectful guy, he’s a game opponent, I’m not underestimating him at all. Me personally I’m more focused on myself and prepared,” Mozharov said.

“In terms of him I think he’s a great guy.”

There was some confusion in the lead up to his UFC debut about his professional fight record. What started as 25-7 then changed to 21-11, and now sits at 19-12 on Tapology. Mozharov explained why the change was made.

“I spent so much time since the age of 18 fighting professional fights fighting pretty much anyone that I could. A lot of the fights that I had were in China and the organizations they don’t add fights after so you have to really pursue it to make sure they add the fights that you have so they make sure that you have it on record. This is actually a situation that last 7-8 years no one mentioned anything, no one said anything. Now when I get up to the biggest promotion, I’m in the UFC, I guess someone or one of the admins wants to prove himself,” Mozharov said.

“It’s a little bit weird right?”

Watch the full media day scrum with Askar Mozharov above. Mozharov faces Alonzo Menifield on the main card portion of UFC Vegas 56 on June 4th at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, NV.

Update, June 2, 2022: The latest change to Mozharov’s professional record has been reflected above.

The post UFC Vegas 56: Askar Mozharov Explains Official Record Change, Talks Ukraine appeared first on Cageside Press.

Multiple sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, have confirmed to Cageside Press that Alonzo Menifield will now fight Askar Mozharov on June 4 at UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik. Cageside Press reported on Thursday that Menifield would fight Nicolae Negumereanu, however, that fight was scrapped for undisclosed reasons.

Menifield (11-3) will make his first appearance of 2022 when he enters the octagon in June. He had a two-fight win streak snapped after losing a very close unanimous decision to William Knight in his last outing. Prior to that, he defeated UFC veteran Ed Herman at UFC 265 and also choked out Fabio Cherant. Menifield will be competing alongside Fortis MMA teammate Damon Jackson on the June 4 card.

Mozharov (23-7) will enter the UFC riding a three-fight win streak, with all of them coming in the first round. The Ukrainian fighter holds an 87% finish rate. He was briefly linked to fights with Ben Rothwell and Dustin Jacoby in 2021 but ended up having to withdraw due to visa issues.

The UFC’s June 4, 2022 event does not yet have an official location, venue, or broadcast plan announced. The card currently breaks down as follows:

• Alexander Volkov vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
• Dan Ige vs. Movsar Evloev
• Erin Blanchfield vs. JJ Aldrich
• Zhalgas Zhumagulov vs. Jeff Molina
• Joaquin Buckley vs. Abusupiyan Magomedov
• Poliana Botelho vs. Karine Silva
• Zarrukh Adashev vs. Ode Osbourne
• Andreas Michailidis vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov
• Damon Jackson vs. Darrick Minner
• Alex da Silva Coelho vs. Joe Solecki
• Michael Trizano vs. Lucas Almeida
• Alonzo Menifield vs. Askar Mozharov

The post UFC: Negumereanu Out, Askar Mozharov In Against Alonzo Menifield on June 4 appeared first on Cageside Press.

MMA Fighting was the first to report the news that Dustin Jacoby will welcome Askar Mozharov to the promotion on August 28 at a yet-to-be-announced UFC event. A source close to the situation subsequently confirmed the booking to Cageside Press.

Since coming back to the UFC, Jacoby (14-5-1) has been on a roll and has been busy. He started his 2020 by winning a contract to return to the UFC by defeating Ty Flores via unanimous decision. “The Hanyak” would make his official UFC return two months later by finishing Justin Ledet in the first round, giving him his walking papers in the process. Jacoby has already fought twice in 2021. First, he defeated Maxim Grishin in a very close unanimous decision, and then last month fought to a split draw with Ion Cutelaba.

Mozharov (23-7) will enter the UFC riding a three-fight win streak, with all of them coming in the first round. The Ukrainian fighter holds an 87% finish rate. He was briefly linked with a fight with Ben Rothwell last month as a last-minute fill-in but ended up having to withdraw.

No location, venue, or broadcast details have yet to be announced by the promotion for UFC’s August 28 event.

The August 28 fight card now includes the following reported bouts:

• Gerald Meerschaert vs. Makhmud Muradov
• Ketlen Vieira vs. Sara McMann
• Kevin Croom vs. Marcelo Rojo
• Pat Sabatini vs. Jamall Emmers
• Joselyne Edwards vs. Zarah Fairn Dos Santos
• Mario Bautista vs. Guido Cannetti
• Dustin Jacoby vs. Askar Mozharov

The post Dustin Jacoby vs. Askar Mozharov Set For August 28 UFC Event appeared first on Cageside Press.

In this three-part feature, we’ll list prospects the UFC should bring in for season five. This will exclude prospects that have already been on the show, although there are a few that could very well be brought back. The goal here is to be realistic with the selections, so don’t expect too many left-field picks.

From last year’s list, Tafon Nchukwi, Dustin Stoltzfus, Brandon Royval, Collin Anglin, TJ Laramie, Adrian Yanez, Al Matavao, Nikolas Motta, Cody Brundage, Sherrard Blackledge and more all made it to the show. Others, like Anthony Ivy, Kay Hansen, Max Rohskopf, Timur Valiev, and Irwin Rivera, were signed directly to the UFC, to varying degrees of success.

Let’s get started!

Saidyokub Kakharamonov

Bantamweight | 25 | Chicago, Illonise, US | 8-2 | Win Streak: 2 | 3 KO/TKOs, 3 Submissions

Kakharamonov should 100% be one of the first fighters the UFC contacts for the Contender Series this year. Kakharamonov just recently won the CFFC bantamweight title with an impressive knockout win. He’s only lost to Pipe Vargas and Umar Nurmagomedov, the latter of whom is a current UFC fighter. He’s fought for the likes of CFFC and PFL so he’s been on the bigger stages. Kakharamonov has exciting style and the personality that the show needs.

Askar Askar

Bantamweight | 26 | Chicago, Illonise, US | 11-1 | Win Streak: 1 | 4 KO/TKOs, 2 Submissions

Askar’s sole loss was to the name above in Saidyokub Kakharamonov. It did happen in only 0:39 seconds, so there wasn’t really a chance to see how that fight would have played out. Askar was signed to the UFC this past February to fight Cody Stamann on short notice. The fight was called off because Askar failed his medicals, and his contract was pulled. It’s only fair to give Askar another chance by having him go through the Contender Series first, to see if he’s ready (and if he’s healthy). Askar is a really talented fighter and the extra experience will only help him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY_3iHl38sA

The post Scouting Prospects for the Contender Series Season 5: Part 1 appeared first on Cageside Press.