The featherweight fight originally had Bashi booked against Francis Marshall, but with Marshall out, it was Yannis stepping in as a replacement.

Bashi came out aggressive, opening with a head kick and letting his hands go. He did a great job baiting Yannis forward, ducked under a punch, and secured an early takedown. Wasting no time, Bashi took the back and began softening Yannis up with ground-and-pound, quickly getting both hooks in while staying active with his strikes.

Yannis did a good job fighting the wrists and staying in motion, but Bashi maintained control throughout. Eventually, Yannis managed to clear the legs and work back to his feet, but he made the critical mistake of standing up with Bashi still backpacked on him. That left his neck exposed, and Bashi immediately locked in the rear-naked choke, forcing the tap.

Having secured his first win inside the UFC octagon, Austin Bashi said during his post-fight interview that he’d like to return to action soon – as soon as matchmaker Sean Shelby would have him.

Official Result: Austin Bashi def. John Yannis by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 3:39

The post UFC Vegas 108: Austin Bashi Subs John Yannis for First UFC Win appeared first on Cageside Press.

John “Angel” Yannis
Standing at five-foot-seven
Fighting at 145 lbs (featherweight)
31-years-old
Fighting out of Floydada, Texas, US
Training out of
A pro record of 9-3
5 KO/TKOs

John Yannis is a fair addition to the UFC roster for a short-notice opportunity. The 31-year-old has been grinding on the regional scene for years, primarily in Fury FC, where he’s faced solid competition. His losses have come against two respected regional talents and one current UFC fighter. Recently, Yannis put together a three-fight win streak, capped off by winning the Fury FC bantamweight title with a victory over former UFC fighter Nick Aguirre.

Yannis’ style is straightforward: he thrives in the pocket and prefers a boxing-heavy approach. While he will occasionally throw kicks from range, his game is built around close-range exchanges. He dips his head from side to side and works high-low combinations effectively, slipping shots and firing back with compact, clean punches. However, that same head movement makes him susceptible to knees and head kicks in MMA, and his predictable combinations leave him vulnerable to more technical strikers. He often lingers in the pocket too long, absorbing unnecessary damage. That’s something that cost him in the Cam Smotherman fight, where he chose to trade with the faster man and paid for it. Yannis has been dropped before, but he’s durable and confident in his chin and power, often winning brawls through attrition.

Defensively, he’s not easy to put away; his lone finish loss came via submission— but he’s not impossible to control. Opponents have had success taking him down, although Yannis typically does well in the initial scramble, using underhooks and circling to stay upright. The bigger issue is that he frequently gives up his back during transitions. While he usually defends the choke well, fighting wrists and using two-on-ones to escape, he loses valuable control time in the process. Only Gabriel Wanderley, a skilled submission artist, has been able to finish him on the mat.

At the UFC level, especially in a stacked bantamweight division, Yannis’ game is limited. His grit, toughness, and power are commendable, but he lacks the depth and layers required to succeed consistently at this level. He often fights on thin margins, which leaves little room for error.

How does Yannis match up against Bashi

Bashi came up short in his UFC debut, but facing someone as skilled as Christian Rodriguez was a tough assignment. In this matchup, Bashi is almost certain to rely on his wrestling—and that spells trouble for Yannis. Bashi is a strong chain wrestler, which is exactly where Yannis tends to struggle. For Yannis to have a shot, he’ll need to turn this into a gritty, chaotic fight. The problem is, Bashi is too athletic and too fundamentally sound in his wrestling to let that happen. His pressure and grappling should be enough to control the pace and secure the win.

The post Welcome to the UFC: John Yannis appeared first on Cageside Press.

Amanda Ribas

Amanda Ribas lost her second straight main event when she was arm-bar’d by Mackenzie Dern in the third round of their main event fight at UFC Vegas 101.

The pair first met in October of 2019 where Ribas won a unanimous decision.

Amanda Ribas entered this fight as the #8 ranked women’s strawweight and the #10 ranked women’s flyweight. Dern entered the fight ranked as the #6 ranked strawweight.

Ribas has continually bounced back in forth between 115lbs and 125lbs and it seems like she will continue to do so (5-2 at 115lbs., 2-3 at 125lbs.)

Should Amanda choose to compete at strawweight in her next bout she should fight Lupita Godinez. “Loopy” is the #11 ranked UFC strawweight and is coming off of a unanimous division loss at the hands of Mackenzie Dern last August. Loopy also has a grappling background but isn’t nearly as accredited as Dern so that could potentially trigger a wild standup battle between the two fighters.

Ribas was matched up to fight Tracy Cortez in December of 2022, but the fight fell through because of a medical issue with Cortez. Tracy has gone 1-1 in the time since that bout was canceled. Cortez defeated Jasmine Jasudavicius by unanimous decision before losing her first main event at the hands of Rose Namajunas. Between the common opponent in Namajunas with the common outcome and the fact that Tracy is ranked at #11 in the flyweight division, this fight makes too much sense.

Ribas’s next fight Strawweight: Lupita Godinez

Ribas’s next fight Flyweight: Tracy Cortez

Carlston Harris

Santiago Ponzinibbio completed the rally and TKO’d Carlston Harris in a back-and-forth fight that saw him drop the Argentinian multiple times. 37-year-old Harris is now 4-3 with the UFC and has been stopped twice in a row now, as Khaos Williams flatlined Harris last May.

Carlston’s next fight should be against Themba Gorimbo. Themba is also coming off of a devastating stoppage loss at the hands of an aging Vicente Luque. Before that he had won four fights in a row. It’s a fight that makes a lot of sense as both men had a step up in competition in their most recent fights against former legitimate contenders and both men were finished. Great measuring fight for both with the winner jumping right back in the mix.

Harris’s next fight: Themba Gorimbo

Abdul Razak Alhassan

Abdul Razak Alhassan was on the receiving end of a scary KO at UFC Vegas 101 when he was countered mid combination by Cesar Almedia. Cesar won a performance bonus for the KO and Alhassan took an extended period of time to regain consciousness and exit the cage.

Hopefully Alhassan is okay and makes a full recovery. Upon his return, Alhassan will have some work to do, as he’s 6-7 with 1 NC with the promotion. Abdul has not seen his hand raised in his three fights: He was submitted by Joe Pyfer in October of 2023, and had a No Contest against Cody Brundage last July thanks to blows to the back of the head. Alhassan turns 40 later this year, and he needs a win.

Abdul should fight the winner of Cody Brundage vs Julian Marquez. That fight is scheduled for March 1 so Alhassan will have time to recover, with mid-summer likely the earliest date, if not later. Both Brundage and Marquez are essentially fighting to stay with the promotion as both have struggled mightily recently. Both men are extremely dangerous though, with Brundage offering a lot more of a grappling threat. Either we get a rematch with Brundage after the quick No Contest or a fresh matchup against the always exciting, “Cuban Missile Crisis” that is Julian Marquez.

Alhassan’s next fight: Winner of Cody Brundage vs Julian Marquez

Chris Curtis

Roman Kopylov controversially stopped Chris Curtis in the final second of their bout on Saturday night. A heartbreaking loss for Chris as the fight was back and forth and undoubtedly the best fight of the very limited selection of fights for the calendar year of 2025 thus far.

The fight won Fight of the Night honors at UFC Vegas 101, but it’s Chris’s second heartbreaking loss in a row. Curtis lost a split decision main event to Brendan Allen last April, tearing his hamstring in the process. The 37-year-old worked his way back to health only to suffer a broken foot and another injury. Tough outcome for Curtis but as long as he’s healthy, he should be thrown right back into the mix.

Chris should get a good matchup in his next fight. Bo Nickal could potentially be ready for a large step up in competition against a tenured complete MMA fighter. But the more likely matchup would be against the loser of Kevin Holland vs Reinier de Ridder at UFC 311. Ridder is a former ONE Championship Middleweight champion that successfully won his UFC debut last year.  Ridder submitted Gerald Meerschaert in the final round of that bout. Holland was supposed to fight Curtis last year coming off of his hamstring injury, but Curtis broke his foot. Holland has lost three of his last four but as usual, he’s always game, always entertaining and would be a fun fight for a guy like Curtis.

Curtis’s next fight: Loser of Kevin Holland vs. Reiner de Ridder 

Austin Bashi

Christian Rodriguez handed Austin Bashi the first loss of his MMA career (amateur and pro) with his unanimous decision victory over the UFC newcomer.

Bashi went 12-0 on the regional circuit before finishing his Contender Series opponent in September of last year.

Assuming the 23-year-old would like to get right back in action after suffering his first defeat, the most logical opponent would be Jeong Yeong Lee. Jeong has an 11-2 record as a pro and is 2-1 in the UFC since being he signed with the promotion in 2023. Lee’s most recent fight was last July when he was stopped in the first round by Hyder Amil. Lee’s aggressive striking should make this a dangerous test for Bashi but an impressive win would instantly raise his stock.

Bashi’s next fight: Jeong Yeong Lee

Uros Medic

Punahele Soriano quickly dispatched Uros Medic to open the first UFC main card of 2025. Medic was dropped and finished in thirty seconds to bring his record with the UFC to 4-3. Medic has lost two of his last three fights dating to November of 2023.

But the quality of opponent that Medic is losing to is something that needs to be accounted for. Medic’s losses in the UFC are to Jalin Turner, Myktybek Orolbai and now Punahele Soriano at UFC Vegas 101. Those are all very competent fighters.

Next step for Medic should be a fight against Phil Rowe. Phil has a similar UFC record to Medic at 3-3. Rowe also is a Contender Series product although he appeared on the 2019 season whereas Medic appeared the following year. Rowe lost his last two fights, a split decision to Neil Magny and dropping a unanimous decision to Jake Matthews at UFC 302. Great fight to make to decide who moves up in the pecking order of the UFC’s talented welterweight division.

Medic’ next fight: Phil Rowe

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 101 Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.

Is he getting tired of being the one to test these guys?

“Honestly, no. As long as they’re paying me I have no problem fighting whoever they want,” Rodriguez told Cageside Press among other reporters at his post-fight scrum.

“I gave up school to pursue this dream so I really don’t care. Whoever they want to put in front of me I’ll fight.”

Rodriguez (12-2) was technically the underdog in the fight despite having a lot more UFC experience than Bashi.

“I come from Milwaukee. The neighborhood I grew up in it wasn’t safest. I’ve been an underdog my whole entire life you know. I’m used to not getting the A-side of things. I’m used to working my ass off for things,” he said.

“So I didn’t really care about the odds. The only day it matters is in the octagon.”

With the victory secured Rodriguez looks ahead to what he hopes is four fights in 2025, but one destination is clear.

“I’d like to fight in Mexico City. No names yet. If Mexico City’s not possible then I would love to be on that Miami card. Last time I fought in Miami I shook up the world and I would love another opportunity to do that again,” he said.

If Mexico City doesn’t happen for Rodriguez there’s a second possible destination in the country for him. UFC CEO Dana White said late 2024 that he was looking at Guadalajara for the next Noche UFC card which would be in September.

“I would love to fight in Guadalajara. I got a lot of friends in Guadalajara so that’d be perfect too,” he said.

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Christian Rodriguez above.

The post Christian Rodriguez Happy To Fight Prospects, Wants Mexico Card Spot appeared first on Cageside Press.

Bashi, an undefeated featherweight talent, has long been on the radar of prospect watchers in MMA. Rodriguez, a.k.a. “CeeRod,” had been the bump in the road for names like Raul Rosas Jr. and Cameron Saaiman.

While a loss at UFC Vegas 101 wouldn’t derail Bashi’s career, his performance might be the deciding factor in whether he took the fast track, or slow road, to start in UFC career.

The fight opened with Rodriguez stunning Bashi with a knee during an exchange. Although shaken, Bashi recovered quickly and shot for a takedown. Rodriguez rolled with the attempt and scrambled back to his feet, but Bashi remained relentless in his pursuit of takedowns. His aggression, however, left his neck exposed, giving Rodriguez an opportunity to threaten with a guillotine. He didn’t have it. Back in open space, Rodriguez caught a kick from Bashi and dumped him to the mat, but Bashi was quick to return to his feet and initiate another takedown attempt. Rodriguez defended well but briefly turned away, allowing Bashi to leap onto his back.

Despite the precarious position, Rodriguez stayed composed, maintaining excellent defense until Bashi abandoned the effort. Breaking free from the clinch, Rodriguez launched a flurry of strikes, showing his high output. However, his overzealous approach left him vulnerable, and Bashi capitalized with another takedown. Even then, Rodriguez quickly reversed the position, sweeping Bashi and regaining top control before returning to his feet as the round ended.

To start round two, Austin Bashi was advancing. He was missing on the punches but would throw into a single leg. He was never able to fully get Rodriguez down but the initial shot saw him complete it. Rodriguez, never complacent, moved to his knees then to his feet but with Bashi backpacked. Once again, Bashi didn’t have the best position and would give it soon enough. Right away Bashi went back to the takedown. As Rodriguez continued to stop the initial takedown he was having trouble fending off Bashi’s chain wrestling. Bashi attempted to take his back but Rodriguez slipped away and got back to his feet. Needing to get some momentum Rodriguez was landing some good blows, but Bashi slowed the pace down until the bell.

In the final round, Bashi landed a front kick that transitioned smoothly into a takedown attempt. Although it was a well-executed sequence, Rodriguez defended effectively. Despite Rodriguez’s strong defense, Bashi maintained a relentless pace, constantly pressuring forward. However, at times, his aggression backfired, as Rodriguez proved to be the better scrambler. In one exchange, Bashi wound up on his back, attempting a kimura, but used the cage to work his way back up. On the feet, Rodriguez showcased his superior striking, landing crisp combinations and well-timed knees that connected cleanly. However, Bashi’s grinding style kept Rodriguez from fully capitalizing on his striking advantage. As the fight wore on, Bashi’s cardio began to fade, and his takedown attempts became more telegraphed. Rodriguez finished the fight strong, adding a touch of showmanship in the final moments, closing out an entertaining third round.

Come the scorecard, it was no surprise to see Christian Rodriguez announced the winner. Bashi, served up the first loss of his pro MMA career, will learn plenty from the experience however.

Official Result: Christian Rodriguez def. Austin Bashi by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

The post UFC Vegas 101: Christian Rodriguez Derails Another Prospect, Gives Austin Bashi First Loss appeared first on Cageside Press.

That doesn’t mean the pressure is getting to Bashi (13-0), the 23-year old Dana White’s Contender Series winner told media outlets including Cageside Press on Wednesday.

“People always ask me ‘how’s the pressure going?’ and stuff. For me, when that cage door is locked, all that stuff goes out the window for me,” Bashi explained. “The lights, all that dims out and I’m focused on is my opponent.”

His opponent in this case is Christian “CeeRod” Rodriguez, who has a similar number of fights as Bashi overall, but with one key difference: six bouts inside the UFC octagon.

“My opponent is a tough guy obviously. He has a good amount of UFC experience, he’s beat some tough guys,” noted Bashi. “But my pace, my pressure and my game is going to break him.”

“I think he has six fights in the UFC now, and this is my debut. Usually people get easier match-ups for their debut, but I can’t tell you how excited I am for this one.”

Being undefeated, 23-years old, and carrying a top prospect label means more and more focus on the pressure of Bashi’s debut. But has he did earlier, Bashi dismissed any notion of feeling that pressure ahead of his UFC debut.

“Something about me is, no matter what the media is saying, no matter how big someone is trying to hype me up, I think the reason I’m undefeated and keep continuing to beat these guys is because I throw all that out the window and I don’t think about any of that.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 101 media day appearance by the debuting Austin Bashi above.

The post Austin Bashi: Pressure Thrown “Out the Window” Ahead of Debut at UFC Vegas 101 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Kicking off this edition of TTP is our interview with former Oktagon MMA lightweight champion, Losene Keita. Keita discusses the different levels of motivation for him ahead of the Tipsport Gamechanger finals in Prague this weekend. Not only is the tournament on the line with 300,000 euro, but there’s so much more. The lightweight title is on the line, it’s his chance to get another win over Ronald Paradeiser, and he can take sole ownership of the pound-for-pound crown. He talks about which of those are the most meaningful for him. Plus, he gives us a prediction for the big fight.

Combat Countdown: Top 5 Unranked Contenders (11:58)

With our Oktagon MMA coverage all wrapped up, we head on over to talk a little UFC. Shockwave and Gumby run down the UFC’s current title picture and make some predictions for who will still have their title at the end of the year and who will lose it. It’s a yearly tradition for the shot and one that Shockwave dominated last year – getting ten of his eleven predictions correct. Can he do it again? Or is the title picture in a weirder place this year. Come check out what we’ve put together for you! For this segment, all odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Austin Bashi Interview (23:31)

Closing out this Oktagon MMA edition of TTP is our interview with UFC bantamweight, Austin Bashi. Bashi talks about getting to hear Dana White welcome him to the UFC as part of the Contender Series this fall. He also shares his thoughts on former scheduled opponent Tommy McMillen and then gets into his thoughts on his upcoming UFC Vegas 101 bout. He faces a man known for turning away prospects in Christian Rodriguez, but he isn’t scared of the task at hand.

The post TTP Ep. 461 with Losene Keita, Austin Bashi and UFC Title Predictions appeared first on Cageside Press.

Austin Bashi (13-0) will face Christian Rodriguez (11-2) at the UFC’s first card of 2025, a Fight Night event in Las Vegas on January 11.

UFC officials announced the pairing on social media. And while another UFC Apex event to kick off 2025 might cause some groans among fans, the addition of the undefeated Bashi will add a reason to watch.

Bashi, a former Lights Out Championship and Shamrock FC bantamweight champ, moved to featherweight at the start of 2024, and has continued to find success in his new weight class. Posting a 2-0 record this year, he’s finished both of his opponents, most recently submitting Dorian Ramos on DWCS in September.

Christian Rodriguez (11-2) has lost only to Julian Erosa and Jonathan “JSP” Pearce, who have both found success under the UFC banner. “Ceerod” has become something of a litmus test for hot prospects, having fought (and defeated) both Raul Rosas Jr. and Cameron Saaiman early in their UFC runs.

UFC Vegas 101 takes place on January 11, 2025 at the UFC Apex, with the following bouts reported:

• César Almeida vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan
• Christian Rodriguez vs. Austin Bashi
• Trey Ogden vs. Thiago Moisés
• Chris Curtis vs. Roman Kopylov
• Uroš Medić vs. Punahele Soriano
• Ernesta Kareckaite vs. Nicolle Caliari
• Preston Parsons vs. Andreas Gustafsson
• José Johnson vs. Felipe Bunes
• Magomed Gadzhiyasulov vs. Bruno Lopes
• Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Carlston Harris
• Nurullo Aliev vs. Yanal Ashmouz
• Victoria Dudakova vs. Fatima Kline

The post Top Prospect Austin Bashi Books UFC Debut Opposite Christian Rodriguez appeared first on Cageside Press.

In week 4, one of the hottest prospects around looks to crack the UFC roster, as Austin Bashi takes on Dorian Ramos at featherweight. Quillan Salkilld vs. Gauge Young serves as the opening fight, and looks to be a very competitive match-up between two lightweight fighters ready for a bigger stage as well.

Where to Watch DWCS Season 8, Week 4

As always, this week’s Contender Series installment takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV and streams on ESPN+ in the U.S., and SportsNet/UFC Fight Pass in Canada. The action gets underway at 8PM ET, 5PM PT. Full results can be found below.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 4 Results

Welterweight: Ko Seok-hyun def. Igor Cavalcanti via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28×2)
Middleweight: Djorden Santos def. Will Currie via Unanimous Decision (30-27×3)
Featherweight: Austin Bashi def. Dorian Ramos via R2 SUB (RNC), 3:15
Women’s Flyweight: Yuneisy Duben def. Shannon Clark by KO (overhand right), Round 1, 1:13
Lightweight: Quillan Salkilld def. Gauge Young by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Contract winners:

• Yuneisy Duben
• Quillan Salkilld
• Austin Bashi
• Djorden Santos
• Ko Seok-Hyun

The post Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 4 Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

What zaniness will ensure in episode four? Good question, but the best we can do is give our breakdown and predictions! This week, there’s a couple of standouts in Austin Bashi and Quillan Salkilld in action.

Welterweight, Igor Cavalcanti (9-0) Vs. Seok Hyun Ko (10-2)

Notable Notes

• Ko trains out of Team Stun Gun which is owned by former UFC fighter and South Korean legend Dong Hyun Kim.
• With an undefeated record, Cavalcanti has a 100% finish rate.
• Ko’s two losses come to RTU alum Han Seul Kim and former UFC fighter Sasha Palatnikov.
• Cavalcanti has never fought past the first round.
• Ko has gone the distance four times.
• Both were champions on their regional scene.
• Ko has lost twice by KO/TKO, and Cavalcanti has won seven times by KO/TKO.

Prediction: When it comes to Cavalcanti there isn’t a lot to go off on because his tape is so limited. With the Brazilian regionals, it’s either easy access or none at all. With Cavalcanti, I was only able to find two fights. From those fights and the small clips, he looks promising. Nine fights and nine finishes all coming in the first round. That’s good and all but it leaves a lot of unanswered questions. Ko has fought better competition but lost both times he had a step up.

There is no evidence to prove either of these guys are going to work out. More so with Cavalcanti because his fights are basically non-existent. With Ko, it seems like he made a step forward but against poor competition. On the feet, I’d favor Ko because he has the better technique. Cavalcanti has a grappling background and he’s just slinging guys to the mat. Ko’s two losses are what’s throwing me off. Sasha Palatnikov and Han Seul Kim are two guys you shouldn’t lose to if you are going to make it to the next level. Cavalcanti just hasn’t been exposed yet and that’s what I’d siding with. I’ve got Cavalcanti by submission in round one in this DWCS fight but I’m just 20% confident.

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