Reis might best be known for his attempt to dethrone then-champ and current GOAT candidate Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson in April of 2017. All those years removed and Reis was competing as a featherweight, coming off a win over Bellator vet Toby Misech and posting a 1-4 record in his last five fights, all under the Cage Warriors banner.

As for Bruno Souza, the highly-touted former LFA featherweight champ met with disaster in a brief UFC run, going 0-2 in a two-fight stint with the company in 2021-22. Souza then jumped to Karate Combat where he traded wins and losses; Friday at Cage Warriors 173 marks his return to MMA.

Where to Watch Cage Warriors 173

Friday, June 7, 2024’s Cage Warriors show takes place at the Sycuan Casino Resort in San Diego, California. The full card streams live via UFC Fight Pass. Full results from the event can be found below.

Cage Warriors 173: Reis vs. Souza Results

Main Card

Featherweight: Bruno Souza def. Wilson Reis by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Featherweight: Javier Garcia def. Roberto Hernandez by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Featherweight: Damon Wilson def. Brandon Carrillo by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Featherweight: Xavier Vines def. Diego Bigelow by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Bantamweight: Magomed Bayduev def. James Settle by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 3:52

Preliminary Card

Heavyweight: Sean Rose def. Chadricc Kindle by TKO, Round 1, 2:04
Lightweight: Anthony Desilva def. Joseph Perez by KO, Round 1, 2:43
Catchweight (198lbs): Ilias Faquiri vs Chris Owen ends in a No Contest (unintentional foul), Round 2

Bantamweight: Miguel Peimbert vs Steve Mora – cancelled

The post Cage Warriors 173: Reis vs. Souza Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

The “spring cleaning” is the latest round of roster trimming, after the UFC parted ways with over a dozen fighters back in late February/March.

The full list of fighters removed from the roster, first identified by automated service UFC Roster Watch on Twitter, breaks down as follows:

• Ike Villanueva
• Fares Ziam
• Luigi Vendramini
• Kazula Vargas
• Mark Striegl
• Jesse Strader
• Bruno Souza
• Devonte Smith
• Rong Zhu
• Kris Moutinho
• Brandon Jenkins
• Austin Hubbard
• Mike Grundy
• Michael Gillmore
• Cameron Else
• Kevin Croom
• Dean Barry
• Gina Mazany

Several of the fighters released have since confirmed the news on social media.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is Barry, who is now one-and-done as a UFC fighter. Ireland’s Barry competed against Mike Jackson last month, a part-time fighter and MMA journalist best known for being brought into the promotion to face Micky Gall and pro wrestler CM Punk. Jackson lost to Gall, beat Punk in a boring three-round affair that was later overturned to a No Contest, and somehow kept his roster spot. In a foul-filled affair, Jackson would win a DQ against Barry, who has now been shown the door as a result.

The timing is perhaps particularly cruel in the case of Mike Grundy and Ike Villanueva. Grundy last competed at UFC London in March, and announced at the event that his father was terminally ill. Villanueva, meanwhile, suffered a grade 3 MCL tear in his fight against Tyson Pedro last month.

Another surprise, Kris Moutinho, who faced Sean O’Malley on short notice last year, winning a Fight of the Night bonus for his efforts. While he was knocked out in his second UFC fight this past March, stepping up on short notice, and winning a bonus in the process usually gives a fighter a bit of breathing room. Not so in this case.

Confirming his release on social media, Jesse Strader vowed to return to the promotion.

“I’ll be back, baby. I’m only getting better & I’m in love with this journey I’m on!!!” he wrote.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CdJxPPTF_LP/

With the release of Vargas and Vendramini, both of Paddy Pimblett’s UFC opponents to date are no longer with the promotion.

The post 18 Fighters Removed from UFC Roster as Promotion Does Some Spring Cleaning appeared first on Cageside Press.

A Dana White’s Contender Series alum, Saldana was 1-1 in the UFC to date, coming off a loss to Austin Lingo.

Both featherweights took the center of the octagon after a glove touch. A leg kick from Saldana started the fight. A front kick Saldana missed. A punch from Souza landed, but Saldana gave a body kick in return. Leg kick from Souza lands, and he ate a hook. Right hand from Souza landed, and both fighters exchanged calf kicks. A leaping punch from Souza landed, followed by a straight left by Saldana. Saldana landed a takedown with less than a minute left. The round ended with Saldana landing another takedown and Souza barely getting to his feet.

Round two started with Souza being aggressive with a couple of hooks. Saldana missed with a spinning kick but landed with a punch. A spinning back fist by Saldana missed. Souza landed a body kick, and with just over three minutes left in the round, Saldana landed a takedown. After defending a possible submission, Souza got back to his feet with two minutes left. A leaping right hand landed by Souza. Less than a minute left, and both fighters exchanged punches. Souza ended the round landing a heavy punch.

Round three started with a calf kick from Saldana. A high kick from Saldana was blocked. Saldana did land a spinning back kick and a few seconds later ate a right hand. Saldana landed a front kick and stiff jab, while Souza landed another hook. About 90 seconds left, and Saldana slipped off a kick, and Souza got on top. Saldana got right back to his feet and landed a heavy punch. He motioned for the crowd to get going, looking to battle it out to the bell. Both fighters landed right hands. The fight ended with Souza landing a punch on Saldana.

For the first time tonight, we head to the judges. How did you score it? 📝

[ #UFCColumbus | Prelims LIVE on @ESPN ] pic.twitter.com/2lGwSBCzEq

— UFC (@ufc) March 26, 2022

Come the scorecards, it was Luis Saldana getting the nod. Saldana picks up his second UFC win, while Souza falls to 0-2 in the UFC.

Official Result: Luis Saldana def. Bruno Souza via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

The post UFC Columbus: Luis Saldana Battles to Decision Win Over Bruno Souza appeared first on Cageside Press.

Bryan Barberena Interview (2:01)

Before we dig into UFC London, we’re sitting down with Bryan Barberena. We discuss farming and the new techniques he’s trying out on the Bam Fam Farm. He talks about being sustainable and avoiding pesticides. Also, we discuss MMA! Barberena has a fight coming up with Matt Brown. He shared his initial feelings on it being canceled the first time and how worried he was that it may not get re-booked. Plus, we dig into what he loves about the match-up most and how excited he is to get the full crowd feel again.

Fights, Dogs, and Parlays: UFC London (17:15)

**EDITOR’S NOTE: There were some technical difficulties in taping this session. We apologize for the reduced sound quality.

Gumby and Shockwave are riding a hot streak and you’re going to want to hop on board. After another solid week of picks last week, they’re on to UFC Vegas for the latest edition of ‘Fights, Dogs, and Parlays’. Who do they like in the heavyweight main event? What underdog do they have their eyes on? Who are they getting behind for their plus-money parlay? You’re going to have to listen to find out – but you knew that already, didn’t you? For this segment, odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Bruno Souza Interview (27:50)

To close out this week’s show, Gumby is joined by UFC featherweight Bruno Souza. They talk about his love for stand-up, but not the stand-up that you’re thinking of. We’re, of course, talking about stand-up comedy. Souza shares that he considered becoming a stand-up comic before being a fighter and why he ultimately didn’t go down that road. After all of that discussion, we get into the actual fight as well. Souza will be fighting Luis Saldana at UFC Columbus (one week after UFC London). He talks about what he likes about that fight and tries to get Gumby to stop talking about the fact that he’s also a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt.

The post TTP Ep. 317 with Bryan Barberena, Bruno Souza and UFC London appeared first on Cageside Press.

Former LFA champ Bruno Souza (10-2) will face off with Luis Saldana (15-7) at the event, set to go down at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio on March 26. Cageside Press confirmed the booking with multiple sources following an announcement by Iridium Sports Agency, who represent Souza.

The Brazilian known as “The Tiger,” who trains under former UFC light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida, will be looking to bounce back from a loss in his promotional debut. Paired up against Melsik Baghdasaryan at UFC 268 last November, Souza saw a 10-fight win streak snapped when he wound up on the wrong side of a unanimous decision.

One fight prior, Souza had claimed the vacant LFA featherweight championship. Thanks to his association with Machida, he then arrived in the UFC with considerable fanfare.

Saldana, a Contender Series 2020 veteran, made his octagon debut last April, winning a unanimous decision against Jordan Griffin. In his sophomore outing, he’d go to the scorecards once again, only this time, all three judges saw the fight for opponent Austin Lingo.

Like Souza, Saldana is an LFA alum, and claimed gold in Iowa-based promotion Ascendancy FC.

UFC Columbus recently lost its planned main event of Jan Blachowicz vs. Aleksandar Rakic. As it stands, the Fight Night event currently consists of the following bouts:

• Askar Askarov vs. Kai Kara-France
• Matt Brown vs. Bryan Barberena
• Michelle Waterson vs. Amanda Ribas
• Nate Landwehr vs. Lerone Murphy
• Joanne Wood vs. Alexa Grasso
• Tucker Lutz vs. Seung Woo Choi
• Sara McMann vs. Karol Rosa
• Montel Jackson vs. Danaa Batgerel
• Matheus Nicolau vs. David Dvořák
• Aliskhab Khizriev vs. Abusupiyan Magomedov
• Max Griffin vs. Neil Magny
• Bruno Souza vs. Luis Saldana

The post Bruno Souza vs. Luis Saldana On Tap for UFC Columbus appeared first on Cageside Press.

Souza, who took the fight just under a week out, had missed weight on Friday, and coughed up 20% of his purse as a result.

Round one saw Baghdasaryan land a ton of leg kicks. Souza, who is primarily a striker, was visibly bothered by the kicks so he attempted a takedown. Baghdasaryan shook it off and continued to batter the lead leg. Souza never got anything off just letting Baghdasaryan lead the dance.

In round two it was a slow approach from both fighters. Baghdasaryan was coming forward just about the whole time though. Souza tried to pick his shots and time Baghdasaryan coming in. Souza let Baghdasaryan walk him down and Baghdasaryan had him in retreat mode the majority of the round, and for that matter, the fight.

Turning on the heat at the end of RD 2 🔥

[ #UFC268 | Early Prelims are LIVE on @UFCFightPass & ESPN+ ] pic.twitter.com/DkoEA6xxWp

— UFC (@ufc) November 6, 2021

In the final round, Souza was a bit more aggressive. He landed a highlight one-two, that being his best strikes of the fight. Baghdasaryan landed a sneaky good uppercut that got Souza’s attention. Souza was not exactly heavy on the gas but had more pressure, landing more on Baghdasaryan. Baghdasaryan still came forward but walked into some good strikes from Souza.

In the end, Melsik Baghdasaryan continued his strong start to his UFC career, earning the unanimous decision on all three scorecards.

Official Result: Melsik Baghdasaryan def. Bruno Souza by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

The post UFC 268 Results: Melsik Baghdasaryan Takes Decision Against Bruno Souza appeared first on Cageside Press.

Bruno “The Tiger” Souza
Standing at 5’7″
Fighting at 145 lbs (featherweight)
25-years-old
Fighting out of Los Angeles, California, US but from Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
Training out of Machida Academy
A pro record of 10-1
1 KO/TKO, 2 Submissions

How will Souza fare in the UFC:

Souza was a 2015 world Karate champion and a former national and South American champion as well. Being more of a point fighter doesn’t mean Souza is boring. He’s a joy to watch and has been beating good fighters in LFA. Since losing his pro debut Sousa hasn’t lost since.

Being a karate-style fighter his kicks are his most vital weapon, similar to how a boxer primarily uses their hands. But Souza isn’t only a kicker as in fact, he’s a solid striker as well. Mixing in kicks and punches together in combinations is something Souza does extremely well. With credible movement, his counter striking is very much up to par. Fighting on the outside, the Brazilian has long straight very quick hands. As the fight goes his pace picks up and so does his output. His movement makes him the fighter he is today. His striking and kickboxing are so good and that’s because his footwork facilitates it. The angles he cuts off are important to his striking game as well.

Only a striker, you won’t see Souza attempt takedowns. Souza does have two submissions which are at least passable however. Most of the time when on the mat he’s fighting off his back. Souza has shown to be decent off his back but it’s not up to par. Defensively, Souza’s biggest issue is that takedown defense. Always moving he is hard to get a hold of but once so he’s been put on his back a few times. Against a good wrestler, he may struggle as he did against Mike Hamel. It is evident over his last few fights he’s been able to defend takedowns though.

At only 25-years-old Souza has time to shore up his ground game. When he’s on the feet he’s really good already and as time goes by he’s going to become an even more dangerous fighter. I expect Souza to be in the UFC for a long time. It might take a while for him to hit his stride but I expect him to be a possible staple in the division in the future.

Striking: A-
Kickboxing: A
Clinch: C+
Wrestling: C-
Grappling: C+
Striking Defense: B+
Takedown Defense: C
Cardio: A
Biggest Strength: Kickboxing
Biggest Weakness: Takedown defense

How he matches up with Baghdasaryan:

Both these guys are excellent kickboxers with the accolades to prove it. Both these guys don’t have to worry about the others taking them down since that’s not their style. It’s simply going to come down to who is the better striker/kickboxer. Even though they have similar styles their approach is different. Baghdasaryan is the aggressive striker that puts everything into what he throws and stays technically sound. Souza is more laid back and picks at his opponent. He lets guys come to him and then responds. Against another legit kickboxer, I can’t see the slow approach of Souza working. Baghdasaryan throws much more output, hits harder, and is quicker. Baghdasaryan should win what should be a great fight.

The post Welcome to the UFC: Bruno Souza appeared first on Cageside Press.

Weight-cutting is the ultimate test of discipline and willpower. Many fighters in the sport consider it very unprofessional to miss weight. In this series, we will shine a light on fighters who cut a massive amount of weight, who have missed weight multiple times in the past, who have made weight-class changes, along with how the weight-cut and weigh-in could affect possible upcoming match-ups. Basically, every aspect of weight-cutting and how it affects the fight game.

Frankie “The Answer” Edgar (24-8-1 MMA, 18-8-1 UFC)

Bantamweight (135lbs): 1-1 (UFC)

Featherweight (145lbs):  8-5 (UFC), UFC Featherweight Title Challenger

Lightweight (155lbs): 9-3-1 (UFC), Former UFC Lightweight Champion

Frankie Edgar is a long time competitor in the UFC and now a staple of Weight Cutting Chronicles.

At 5’6″ tall with just a 66″ reach Edgar had an amazing run at lightweight and was able to capture the belt back in 2010.

Edgar moved down to the featherweight division in 2013 when the sport of MMA began to evolve even more and fighters began to cut more weight. Interestingly enough, once Edgar began to cut a little more weight, he was stopped for the first time in his career back in 2018.

Edgar was able to make it to the highest level at 145lbs and challenged Max Holloway for the belt, though he was unsuccessful. After being finished once again at featherweight, Edgar shocked fans again, and moved down to the bantamweight division.

Edgar seemingly defied all the odds, and had an amazing debut at 135lbs last August in a five round war with Pedro Munhoz. Edgar looked great on the scale and in the octagon had great cardio and was able to take hard shots with no issue.

In Edgar’s most recent fight, he was KO’d in the first round against Cory Sandhagen by a jumping knee. It was a shot that would have KO’d anyone and you’d be hard pressed to make the case that Edgar wasn’t able to take the shot because of an excessive weight cut. It’s also a loss that has aged well since Cory went on to give Interim UFC Bantamweight Champion Petr Yan a very tough fight.

At 40 years of age Edgar is continuing to impress and dominate across three different weight classes, truly proving that he was fighting guys way bigger than himself for nearly the entirety of his career.

The post The Weight Cutting Chronicles: UFC 268 appeared first on Cageside Press.

In the absence of Laramie, LFA featherweight champ Bruno Souza has been tapped to step in against highly-touted prospect Melsik Baghdasaryan at the New York event. MMA DNA was first to report news of the match-up, after Souza’s management announced on social media that he had joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship this week.

“Everything happens in the right time,” Souza responded.

Souza (10-1), who trains under the legendary Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida, has been with LFA since 2019, and captured their vacant 145lb title back in August. He’ll forgo his chance to defend that belt, instead stepping in on barely a week’s notice against Baghdasaryan.

Melsik Baghdasaryan (6-1) impressed on the Contender Series last year. He really impressed earlier this year, as he finished his promotional debut against Collin Anglin care of a head kick.

UFC 268 takes place this Saturday, November 6 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. The card is headlined by a welterweight title fight rematch between champ Kamaru Usman and former interim champion Colby Covington. The co-main event sees gold on the line as well, as in another rematch, Rose Namajunas once again faces Weili Zhang.

The full UFC 268 card, as reported to date, is below.

Kamaru Usman (c) vs. Colby Covington – for the UFC welterweight championship
Rose Namajunas (c) vs. Zhang Weili – for the UFC strawweight championship
Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler
Shane Burgos vs. Billy Quarantillo
Frankie Edgar vs. Marlon Vera
Alex Pereira vs. Andreas Michailidis
Al Iaquinta vs. Bobby Green
Phil Hawes vs. Chris Curtis
Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Nassourdine Imavov
Ian Garry vs. Jordan Williams
Gian Villante vs. Chris Barnett
Melsik Baghdasaryan vs. Bruno Silva
CJ Vergara vs. Ode’ Osbourne

The post With TJ Laramie Out, LFA Featherweight Champ Bruno Souza Steps Up Against Melsik Baghdasaryan at UFC 268 appeared first on Cageside Press.

On a nine-fight win streak to start the night, Brazil’s Souza had not lost since his pro debut, and was knocking on the door of the major promotions. Who would likely answer should he claim the title at LFA 114.

In the co-main event of the evening, an interim flyweight title fight saw Charles Johnson defending his belt against Joao Antonio Camilo Neto.

Originally, former strawweight champ Vanessa Demopoulos was expected to feature on Friday’s show. However, her number was called up to the UFC, where she’ll fill in for Tracey Cortez on Saturday against JJ Aldrich.

LFA 114 takes place Friday, August 27 in St. Louis, Missouri. The event airs live on UFC Fight Pass starting at 9PM ET/6PM PT. Full results can be found below.

LFA 114: Souza vs. Garcia Results

Bruno Souza def. Javier Garcia by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) – for the vacant LFA featherweight title
Charles Johnson (ic) def. Joao Antonio Camilo Neto by TKO, Round 2, 4:07 – for the LFA interim flyweight championship
Jimmy Lawson def. Anthony Garrett by knockout, Round 1, 0:18
Joseph Holmes def. DeWayne Diggs by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 2:48
Benjamin Bennett def. Elmar Umarov by TKO, Round 2, 0:58
Will Starks def. Irfan Mulabitinovic by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:16
Raheam Forest def. Colin Parr by KO, Round 1, 1:31
Dan Moriarty def. Joey Scanlan by TKO, Round 1, 3:20
Ira Lukowsky def. Alex Macias by TKO, Round 1, 2:32
Aaron Lake def. Josh Sutherlin by TKO, Round 1, 2:09 – amateur bout
Mervin Miller def. Terry Copling by split decision – amateur bout
Justin Richter def. Kris Lorenzo by unanimous decision – amateur bout
Bill Smith def. Kendall Whited by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 2:29 – amateur bout

The post LFA 114: Souza vs. Garcia Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.