For PFL Challenger Series 4, it was the featherweight division taking center stage. In the main event of the four-fight show, EFC Featherweight Champion Reinaldo Ekson was paired up with Mike Barnett — who boasted eight knockouts among his eleven wins.

A familiar name to UFC fans would also be fighting at the PFL Challenger Series 4 card. Boston Salmon had won his way into that promotion on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2017 — then waited nearly a full two years to finally make his debut in the big show. Things did not go as planned, with Salmon losing back-to-back fights in 2019 and immediately being handed his walking papers.

In 2020, he returned to action on the regional circuit, picking up a DQ win due to an opponent’s illegal knee — but had not fought since. Friday on the Challenger Series, he was paired up with South Korea’s Do Gyeom Lee, a UAE Warriors veteran.

Full results from PFL Challenger Series 4, which airs on Fubo TV, can be found below. The event gets underway at 9PM ET.

PFL Challenger Series 4 Results

Reinaldo Ekson def. Mike Barnett by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Edwin Cooper Jr. def. Troy Lamson by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
Boston Salmon def. Do Gyeom Lee by TKO (Corner Stoppage), Round 2, 5:00
Brahyan Zurcher def. Scottie Stockman by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Boston Salmon awarded a PFL contract and $5,000 bonus.

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But it was former UFC fighter Boston Salmon who had fans talking by the end of the night. Not because of anything he did, mind you. Rather, it was a vicious illegal knee landed by opponent Shawn West that dropped jaws. And Salmon. West even made to dubious decision to celebrate after landing the blow — but not surprisingly, the win was awarded to Boston Salmon via DQ.

There wasn’t much to debate, as the knee was clearly on a downed fighter. You can see the action for yourself below.

Devastating illegal knee results in a DQ. #LFA84 pic.twitter.com/3e31byKzUV

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) July 11, 2020

The event, held in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, wound up being a four-pack of fights after a number of bouts were scrapped due to fighters coming into contact with COVID-19. But aside from the Salmon bout, Contender Series alum Justin Gonzalez continued to impress, finishing Jake Childers by TKO in the fourth round to capture the LFA featherweight title.

LFA 84 Results:

Justin Gonzalez def. Jake Childers by TKO (kick and punches), Round 4, 0:45 – For the vacant LFA featherweight championship
Maycon Mendonça def. Kassius Kayne by submission (triangle choke), Round 2, 2:16
Boston Salmon def. Shawn West by Disqualification (illegal knee), Round 2, 0:53
Bruno Souza def. Kamuela Kirk by split decision

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Randy Costa is a name MMA fans around Massachusetts have known for a while. Training under the legendary Joe Lauzon, Costa (5-1) not only has the head-kick knockouts but the personality to boot. Now two fights into his UFC contract, Costa is ready to get back into the famed octagon to continue his winning ways.

“UFC has an opponent, we have begun talks,” Costa told Cageside Press recently. “I love the fight. It’ll be an exciting fight. I’m not going to say the opponent because I don’t want to jinx this at all.”

It isn’t surprising Costa isn’t looking to jinx anything. His UFC Columbus fight was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That fight had Costa set to face Martin Day back in March. In these preliminary talks, the UFC is eyeing a late August, early September date for this bantamweight showdown.

Costa wasn’t entirely surprised that the Day fight fell through. “I went through a whole camp and I kind of knew it would be cancelled, had a feeling. Going through a whole camp didn’t bother me, I like getting my a** beat,” Costa laughed. Still, it was a lot of work for it not to pay off in the end. “The dieting, the weight cut — that’s a lot of hard work without the reward.”

One of the most important pieces of Costa’s career has been the photo he always carries with him, the photo of his late best friend, Devin Carrier. For those who have not seen Costa at weigh-ins, or post fight in the octagon, he always has a photo of his best friend. Even in his debut loss in the UFC, Brandon Davis held the photo post-fight.

“I swear to you, I never would have taken another fight if it wasn’t for Devin Carrier,” Costa told Cageside Press. “Before he passed away I gave him my word I’d continue. If he was still alive I wouldn’t be a fighter. This is all for him, everything I do in the UFC is for him. That photo will always be on me.”

Costa is absolutely making Carrier and his family proud in this process and will continue to do so as Costa continues to live his dream in the UFC. The Taunton, Mass. native has been training at American Top Team in Florida for this camp while Lauzon’s MMA is closed in Massachusetts.

“Everyone is super welcoming, I didn’t know if I’d be treated as an outsider to start, but super welcoming,” he told us. “I’m in a great spot right now with ATT. Actually did five rounds with [Bellator’s] Ricky Bandejas this morning.”

Costa is coming off of an impressive TKO victory over Boston Salmon at the TD Garden in January. Currently at 5-1, two fights into the UFC, the promising bantamweight is ready to  taste victory in the cage again. Catch the full interview in the link above.

The post UFC: Randy Costa Hints at Late Summer Return: “I love the fight, I’ll just say it’ll be an exciting one” appeared first on Cageside Press.

It is not often that fighters have the ability to fight in their own back yard. Randy Costa, a Taunton, Mass. native did just that and more at UFC Boston back in October. In an arena where he watched his hometown Bruins and Celtics flourish, Costa had the chance to add some more hometown magic to the beloved TD Garden. He certainly did just that.

“UFC Boston exceeded expectations. I remember that just being a pipe dream and now it is a reality” Costa told Cageside Press recently. “I was coming off of a loss, I was at home, I felt ready and that walk out in the Garden was more than special, and so was having my hand raised and hearing that crowd.”

Randy Costa is no stranger to big crowds or the lights being on him. During his time with local Massachusetts promotion Cage Titans his fights would be sell out the venue. The biggest difference is how big that venue had become, with a lot more seats surrounding that cage as he made the walk to the octagon.

“I’ve been fighting at home my whole life during Cage Titans. I know how to fight at home, when some other fighters have a tough time with that” Costa exclaimed. “I separate myself from reality, I isolate myself, I have friends and family in that crowd but I can’t think of that in the lead up. In the cage, I’m in my own world.”

What made this win even more special, besides it being in the TD Garden, was it being his first UFC victory since joining the promotion. An entertaining fight with Brandon Davis a few months prior resulted in his first professional loss. Walking into his fight with Boston Salmon, a rising prospect with the UFC, a win was necessary for Costa, and now with that under his belt in knockout fashion Costa has his eyes on the future.

“I want to be active, I want to be a reliable fighter who will show up for this promotion” Costa told Cageside Press. “I’m ready to fight whenever, I took my time off and I’m ready. I’ve made no secret that I want Sean O’Malley, but anybody with a name throw them my way. I’m eyeing February for a return, if not then I want that UFC 248 card.”

Costa has fought two very tough opponents since joining the UFC ranks, and both fights were entertaining performances. Costa is all about entertaining, and wants a name that can help him put on a show for the fans whenever and wherever that may be.

“Fighting is super important, obviously, but part of this is entertaining too,” Costa explained. “My style inside and outside of the cage is about being myself. I’m an entertaining guy. My fans are nuts, they are some of my best friends and they are the perfect match for my style, a little bit of craziness.”

On that UFC Boston card with Costa was a very important person to the fighter and his career: Joe Lauzon. Lauzon is not only the coach and manager of Randy Costa, but is also a friend and mentor to the young fighter. Lauzon made his return to the UFC and fought to a stoppage victory over Jonathan Pearce at the TD Garden. Costa spoke highly on his mentor as you’d expect.

“Joe is a mentor, a friend, a coach and more to me, It was so special to do that together on the same night,” he said. “Never thought I’d be able to do that, and who knows if that was his last ever? I get to win with him on his last go, how special could that be.”

As for the camp together, Costa believes it was more helpful to have both of them gearing up for a fight, even if it meant Lauzon wouldn’t have his full attention on his protege. The mental battle of camp is always torturous, and having both going through it may have only made them stronger.

“I’m independent, Joe knows that. I always do 110% in camp, Joe knows that, so it made it easier for him to also be training for his fight,” Costa explained. “Mentally, us both going through the cuts and training, it was so helpful for us both to just talk and be there for each other. We were doing hardcore sparring together, everything was together even though our mindsets were on different opponents.”

Costa is one of the more promising prospects in the UFC entering 2020. While standing at a 1-1 record with the promotion, both of his fights were entertaining and “full sends” as the Taunton native puts it. Coming off of a 1st round knockout in his home arena it will be exciting to see what is next for the Massachusetts native.

With UFC 246 around the corner, we ended our discussion with a Randy Costa prediction for the McGregor vs. Cerrone main event.

“I’ve got my boy Cowboy, I’m good friends with Cerrone and he trains with us every now and then, he’s a great dude. I will say though McGregor looks and sounds like he found his hunger again. I always ride the American and I plan on being in the crowd that night for a fun one.”

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It’s a hometown fight for Randy Costa at UFC Boston. He only had four fights before signing with the UFC, winning all of them by knockout. He took on entertaining brawler Brandon Davis in his promotional debut, losing by rear-naked choke in the second round. Boston Salmon was 5-1 when he was given a chance on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2017. He won by decision and was signed, but had scheduled fights with Raoni Barcelos, Augusto Mendes, and Khalid Taha fall through. “Boom Boom” eventually made his debut in April of this year, losing to Taha in the first round.

Randy Costa and Boston Salmon wasted no time throwing down. Costa mixed in a knee to the head between bombs and kept pushing forward. Salmon’s defense left a lot to be desired as he kept getting hit with bombs. Costa leaned on the right straight for success and Salmon had no answer. After another one got through, Salmon shot for a takedown that Costa stuffed beautifully. After the fight returned to the feet, Salmon was rocked by a right hand. Costa popped him with another and down went his opponent. More punches landed and the referee stepped in as uppercuts came through. Salmon protested the stoppage but it was an easy call for Herb Dean.

Randy. Costa.

This Boston crowd goes crazy as @RandyCosta135 gets the first round finish! #UFCBoston pic.twitter.com/kpLKWbVD1Z

— UFC (@ufc) October 18, 2019

Randy Costa def. Boston Salmon by TKO (Punches) in Round 1 (2:15)

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It’s been a tough road to UFC 236 for Boston Salmon. The Hawaiian won on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series in 2017, but has failed to make his promotional debut since then. A knee injury removed him from a bout in late-2017, then he was scheduled to fight Khalid Taha in November last year before Taha hurt his knee. Salmon had an extensive amateur boxing career, winning multiple national titles.

Khalid Taha is a RIZIN veteran hunting for his first victory in the UFC. The German-born fighter was 10-0 before joining Japan’s biggest promotion. He won his RIZIN debut by first-round knockout before falling in his second appearance by third-round submission. Taha made an appearance at Brave CF before making his Octagon debut last July, losing by decision.

The fighters came out and met in the center of the Octagon. Salmon pawed out with a jab, then Khalid Taha swatted it away, winging a right hook that came up short. He immediately followed with a left haymaker that sent Salmon to the canvas facedown. A few follow-up punches were all that was needed to give Taha the victory.

Khalid Taha def. Boston Salmon by KO (Left Hook) in Round 1 (0:25)

The post UFC 236 Results: Khalid Taha Smokes Boston Salmon appeared first on Cageside Press.

If Diego Sanchez is the Original Ultimate Fighter, then maybe we should be calling Boston Salmon the Original Contender. On the inaugural episode of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series in 2017, Salmon fought in the third bout of the evening, defeating Ricky Turcios by unanimous decision and earning a UFC contract in the process. While Kurt Holobaugh would also earn a contract later in the evening, technically, Salmon’s win came first.

Remember that for your MMA trivia nights. And another bit of trivia: of all the fighters to win contracts on the Contender Series, Salmon (6-1) has gone the longest without setting foot in the octagon. In fact, he has not fought since winning his way into the promotion.

It’s a timing issue more than anything, Salmon suggested. “I had that long layoff with the knee injury. Then finally had an opponent, Khalid Taha, then he pulls out. So here we are, April 13, fighting.” They were originally scheduled to fight in November, and in a rare instance of the organization keeping things together, will finally get their chance at UFC 236.

The Oahu, Hawaii native originally came to Vegas in 2008, attending UNLV (University of Las Vegas, Nevada) with hopes of excelling at football. When that didn’t work out, he went into boxing. Collegiate boxing didn’t work out, but Salmon carried on in the sport, even fighting Errol Spence, who would go on the make the Olympic team in 2012. “Lost to him, fought in a few tournaments that I won. I was helping one of the professionals getting ready for one of his fights, and I broke my hand. I got surgery, after that process when I was cleared to train again, I thought about MMA.”

Starting out at a TapOut gym, Salmon made his way to Xtreme Couture. With talents from the UFC, Bellator, and other top promotions, that led to the Contender Series spot. Which will finally pay off in at UFC 236.

“I was the first one to get a contract with that series, and I’m the only one who hasn’t fought from that series as well,” he told Cageside Press this week.

“It’s exciting to see top level athletes performing to get contracts with Dana White and the UFC,” Salmon said of the show. And it made for a different kind of experience. “All that adrenaline, all that emotion. It’s just like walking up to the gym one day, and you’re fighting here, at Xtreme Couture, with maybe fifty people just watching. You don’t have any music, you’re live. To me, it felt like I was sparring or something.”

“A different feeling, for sure.”

Sizing up opponent Taha (12-2), who previously fought for RIZIN, Salmon noted “he’s a little shorter than I am. I believe he’s about 5″6. He’s a lot bulkier. But I don’t think size should be a problem. I’m a really big bantamweight, I believe, and I believe I’ll have the size advantage in this fight.” Although Taha made his UFC debut at featherweight, that was a short notice bout, so Salmon isn’t overly concerned.

“I want to say we had at least three different opportunities to make it to the UFC,” Salmon said in regards to his career prior to the Contender Series. Each fell through. “The opponents didn’t agree, or it didn’t work into our favor.” Once again, it was timing.

However, while under the RFA banner, with a fight booked, Boston Salmon took a call from his manager, who said, “I got a bigger opportunity. I got good news for you, and I got bad news for you.” Salmon assumed the worst, that his opponent had pulled out. “No,” was his manager’s reply. Rather, “we’re going to pull you out from that fight. You’re going to fight for Dana White on the Contender Series.”

Salmon had no idea what that was. Once he learned it was fighting at the TUF gym, against an 8-0 opponent, with a UFC contract on the line, Salmon’s response was “f*ck yeah! Sign me up. I want that contract. That’s kind of how it came about.”

The rest was history. “I was the first show, and the first guy to win a contract for Dana White to get into the UFC.”

Salmon will hope history repeats itself when he takes on Khalid Taha at UFC 236 on April 13 in Atlanta, GA.

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The UFC announced a total of seven fights for UFC 236 through a press release today.

Also officially announced after being previously reported were the main and co-main event. The headliner will be an interim lightweight title fight between featherweight champion Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier. The co-main event is an interim middleweight title fight between Kelvin Gastelum and Israel Adesanya.

After starting his Octagon career at 7-5, Ovince Saint Preux went on an impressive run of three-straight stoppages, including two rare Von Flue chokes. He earned a pair of Performance of the Night bonuses. Since then, OSP has sandwiched a win over Tyson Pedro between losses to Ilir Latifi and Dominick Reyes.

He’ll face Nikita Krylov in a rematch of a 2014 fight that OSP won by his patented Von Flue choke in the first round. After that bout, Krylov stopped his next five opponents and was considered a top prospect at 205. His run was ended by Misha Cirkunov, and he elected to fight in Russia afterward, winning the FNG light heavyweight championship before returning to the Octagon last year and falling to Jan Blachowicz.

Eryk Anders will battle Khalil Rountree in a matchup of light heavyweight bruisers. Anders is looking to snap a two-fight losing streak that brought him to 3-3 in the Octagon. Two of his wins are by brutal knockouts. Rountree is a former Ultimate Fighter finalist who is also 3-3 in the UFC. Rountree has knockouts in all three of those victories, including one over kickboxing legend Gokhan Saki.

UFC 236 will take place on April 13 inside the home of the Atlanta Hawks, State Farm Arena, in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition to the four aforementioned fights, the following bouts were also made official:

• Montel Jackson vs. Andre Soukhamthath
• Wilson Reis vs. Alexandre Pantoja
• Boston Salmon vs. Khalid Taha

The post UFC 236 Adds Ovince Saint Preux vs. Nikita Krylov, Eryk Anders vs. Khalil Rountree appeared first on Cageside Press.