While both were coming in off losses, Njokuani had 15 stoppages by KO/TKO, and Leal had 11 of his own. The forecast, as a result, called for bonus money.

Round 1 – Njokuani started with a flurry of leg kicks, spamming them along with teeps to the body. Leal looked to close the distance with some big hooks, landing well and pushing the pace with his boxing. Leal threw bombs with long combinations, mixing in some body work but landing constantly to the head. Njokuani couldn’t work off the cage, but still found a way to land some kicks despite the drowning pressure. The kicks were unable to deter Leal’s combinations, which were coming in full force. Leal unofficially landed 60 significant strikes with a minute on the clock. Njokuani kept a crazy pace with his kicks to match, mixing to all three levels as the action-packed round came to a close.

Round 2 – The pace slowed to start the second round, although Njokuani continued to land quick leg kicks. Leal shot for a takedown, but was confined to control on the cage. Njokuani forced a separation with a big knee, but Leal returned with a big straight right hand that knocked Njokuani off balance. Leal continued pressuring him into the cage, grabbing him and controlling the clinch before securing a takedown. Njokuani worked back to his feet, but was trapped on the fence and unable to break the grip. Leal dropped for a leg lock late, but ate a knee to the body on the way up.

Round 3 – After the crazy pace slowed, Njokuani became the aggressor and went back to his kicks. Leal’s volume picked back up, and his combinations came with full force once again. Five, six punch combinations were a staple of Leal’s boxing in the fight. Njokuani landed a nice elbow into a knee, followed by a slick trip. The volume on both sides was absurd, but Leal’s punches never seemed to stop. While his defense was lacking a bit, his head movement only improved as the fight went on. Njokuani landed a big knee but Leal remained unfazed, sitting in the pocket and exchanging until the final bell.

The volume and pace from both men, especially Leal, was insane. The Brazilian landed 60+ strikes unofficially in the third round, as well as the first. This was the very clear Fight of the Night to this point of the card.

Official Result: Carlos Leal def. Chidi Njokuani by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

The post UFC Houston: Carlos Leal Puts Staggering Pace on Chidi Njokuani in a Wild War appeared first on Cageside Press.

Salikhov had won his last two fights, while PFL veteran Leal was coming off a single win over Alex Morono.

Leal started round one aggressive pressing “The King of Kung Fu” towards the fence stalking Salikhov. As Leal marched forward he missed on a straight left hand leaving him open for a picture perfect counter right hand from Salikhov. Connecting right on the button, Leal crashed to the canvas face first as the referee stopped the action.

Forty two seconds into the first round was all it took for the aging veteran Salikhov to pick up a picture perfect knockout win. This was an incredible performance from the striking specialist, who called out Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson in his post fight interview. This would be interesting stylistically as both are elite competitors on the feet.

This win marked his third in a row, in what could lead to a quick turnaround after Muslim only needed three strikes to finish this contest. Look for Salikhov to move up the UFC welterweight division rankings next week after impressive wins over Santiago Ponzinibbio and now the dangerous Carlos Leal over these three victories.

Official Result: Muslim Salikhov def. Carlos Leal by KO, Round 1, 0:42

The post UFC Abu Dhabi: Muslim Salikhov vs. Carlos Leal appeared first on Cageside Press.

It was all part of the plan.

“This strategy of actually going for it is something that we put into plan a long time ago,” Leal told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum through a translator.

“A fight I had back in LFA that I had grand prix. We had to do two fights in the same night. So the idea is to go for it all and finish the first fight as soon as possible taking minimal damage. We just instilled that as a practice. That is, the way we train, the way we do camp, to finish the fight as soon as possible. Go hunt.”

Leal (22-6) took out an always very tough Morono in the first round. The fight was stopped on the feet which didn’t surprise Leal.

“No it didn’t surprise us. We’ve watched his fights, we know how tough the guy is, and how much he can stay standing. We figured that the one thing we needed to do was do something that wasn’t done before,” he said.

“We knew he was going to be tough. We knew the guy can take it.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Carlos Leal above.

The post Carlos Leal Took Grand Prix Style Strategy vs Morono appeared first on Cageside Press.

PFL vet Leal had come up short against Rinat Fakhretdinov at UFC 308 late last year, a fight that many suggested Leal had won – despite the judges awarding a unanimous decision in the other direction. Morono for his part had lost two straight, putting his back against the wall.

Leal was looking to pick up his first victory inside the UFC, having faced world class competition outside the promotion.

Leal marched forward to start the fight applying pressure early on Morono, who was fighting off his back foot. With Morono against the fence Leal landed a knee in the clinch, while also attacking the body. Morono elected to wing wild right hands to try and get Leal off of him. Leal started to open up throwing devastating combinations at Morono, including knees and elbows to the head. The longtime UFC veteran Morono was doing everything he could to keep the ferocious attack of Leal off of him, but couldn’t overcome the volume and intensity of his Brazilian counterpart.

Walking forward with no sense of a threat coming back at him, Leal landed lethal shots to Morono against the fence. Leal put together a violent fight ending combination throwing a short elbow on the inside, following up a flurry of hooks forcing Morono to cover up. Respected referee Keith Peterson called an end to the contest as Morono could no longer defend himself.

Leal picked up his first victory in the UFC winning by TKO in the first round. In his post fight interview with Joe Rogan, Leal stated that he believes he is “2-0” inside the octagon. After a controversial decision loss to Russian powerhouse Rinat Fakhretdinov, Leal has put the rest of the division on notice with this breakthrough win.

Official Result: Carlos Leal def. Alex Morono by TKO (punches), Round 1, 4:16

The post Carlos Leal Snags First UFC Win, Stops Alex Morono appeared first on Cageside Press.

TUF winner Mairon Santos and Francis Marshall will meet in the octagon that night. Joshua Van will take on Bruno Silva and Alex Morono squares up with Carlos Leal.

Octagon Update and AG Fight were the first to report the matchups.

Santos (14-1) comes off his TKO victory over Kaan Ofli last August making him 1-0 in the promotion. The TUF featherweight winner defeated Guillermo Torres, Edwin Cooper Jr. and Ofli to raise the TUF crown.

Marshall (8-2) has had a quiet start to his UFC career having earned a contract on DWCS in 2022. Since then he’s gone 2-2 with victories over Dennis Buzukja and Marcelo Rojo.

Van (12-2) continues to live up to his nickname with no fear of any opponent. The young flyweight will bring his 5-1 UFC record into the fight with wins over Zhalgas Zhumagulov, Kevin Borjas, Felipe Bunes, Edgar Chairez and Cody Durden.

Silva (14-6-2) will look to make a quick bounce back following his loss to Manel Kape in December. The loss snapped a 4-fight win streak that Silva believed could have gotten him to a title shot with a win over Kape.

Morono (24-11) has had a couple stumbles as of late following a 4-fight win streak in 2021-2022. Since then he’s gone 2-4 last time out falling short against Daniel Rodriguez last October.

He’ll face Leal (21-6) who gets his second UFC bout following a loss to Rinat Fakhretdinov in his UFC debut at UFC 308.

No main event has been announced for UFC 313 as of yet.

The post Trio Of Bouts Added To UFC 313 Card appeared first on Cageside Press.

Leal had acquitted himself well in his LFA, Bellator, and PFL runs, with a pair of losses to Sadibou Sy, a Professional Fighters League champ, representing his only setbacks since 2014.

The fight started with Fakhretdinov throwing an inside leg kick. A lot of feints to the body and leg kicks from Fakhretdinov, who then got right into a takedown. He did complete it but Leal got to the cage and worked right back to his feet. Fakhretdinov still had control against the cage and both were trading knees in the clinch until Leal circled out. Leal seemed to hurt Fakhretdinov in an exchange. It forced Fakhretdinov to shoot and Leal sprawled and Fakhretdinov re-shot and got the takedown, only to have Leal bounce right back up. Leal got some space and landed a right hook off the break. Fakhretdinov was throwing wild but Leal was clipping him. He then stunned Fakhretdinov with a short left-hand finding success with his hands. His takedown defense held up very well in the closing half of the round and was finding his spots on the feet.

In round two Fakhretdinov came out firing wild overhands. Leal would slow him down with the calf kick he’d been going after. Fakhretdinov continued to shoot but Leal would shrug him off. Fakhretdinov at times would draw Leal into those exchanges. When Leal was fighting calm he was landing on the chin of Fakhretdinov. Fakhretdinov was doing well getting back into the fight with a stiff jab. Leal turned it around with an overhand right and a thudding leg kick. Fakhretdinov attempted another takedown but didn’t get it and took a knee for his trouble. Fakhretdinov landed a right hand that was clean but Leal continued to take the punches well.

When Leal was connecting he was getting a bigger reaction out of Fakhretdinov. Fakhretdinov was landing fine when he would rush in with wild overhands landing on Leal. Leal towards the end of the round would land a heavy leg kick and Fakhretdinov would get the takedown with seconds left.

In the final round, it was likely a finish was needed for Fakhretdinov despite a better round two from him. Leal opened up with a nice combination to start the fight. It forced Fakhretdinov to shoot and Leal defended and landed a combination to the body. Fakhretdinov, still almost certainly in need of a finish, was pressing forward but putting Leal against the cage. It wasn’t working as Leal continued to defend the takedown very well. Fakhretdinov was getting back into the fight with his hands but was making the mistake of continuing to miss takedown attempts. Fakhretdinov whiffed on a couple of punches and Leal got a takedown of his own but was not there long. Leal was visibly tired and defensively he was getting hit more. He was still fighting, throwing good combinations and defending the takedowns. With the clock ticking Fakhretdinov kept trying for that takedown but it wasn’t coming close. Fakhretdinov ended the round with a couple right hands landing the better of it at the bell.

Come the scorecards, the results were 29-28, 29-28, 30-27. If there was an argument for a 30-27, it was probably for Leal – but in yet another example of extremely poor judging, it was Rinat Fakhretdinov awarded the victory. The UFC broadcast team immediately questioned the outcome, in particular the 30-27 score, as did any number of fans and pundits online.

Official Result: Rinat Fakhretdinov def. Carlos Leal by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

The post UFC 308: Questionable Judging Sees Rinat Fakhretdinov Win Decision Over Carlos Leal appeared first on Cageside Press.

Carlos “The Lion” Leal
Standing at five-foot-eleven
Fighting at 170 lbs (welterweight)
30-years-old
Fighting out of Curitiba, Parana, Brazil
Training out of Thai Brazil
A pro record of 21-5
10 KO/TKOs, 2 Submissions
Pro comp; Santiago Ponzinibbio

How Leal will fare in the UFC

Leal is an excellent signing on short notice. Leal has been around fighting in big fights. He’s fought in LFA, PFL, and Bellator. He’s had a ton of success in his career. Leal is a former champ in two smaller regional shows but more notably a former LFA champion. He went 5-2 in PFL and 3-0 in LFA. His only two losses in the last nine years both came to Sadibou Sy and Sy is a difficult fighter to take on. Leal has notable wins over Chris Brown, Ray Cooper III, David Zawada, and Dilano Taylor. He has high-level experience which you really don’t see in a UFC debutant nowadays.

Leal is a mix of power, explosiveness, technical skill, and chaos. He can excel from many different areas and that’s why he’s been doing so well the last couple of years. He does have wrestling in his back pocket but doesn’t tend to use it. I don’t rate his wrestling all that highly either. He has the capability to chain some attempts together but it’s mostly upper body takedowns which aren’t sustainable. I’d say he’s better on the mat but he only has two career submissions. He definitely can still mix it up there however.

With the wrestling and grappling what they are, most of the credit goes to his defense. Leal is tough to take down. He can sprawl very well and against the cage he fights the wrist and underhooks like he should. When taken down he does a great job of getting his hips free and pushing down on the head to free space.

The striking is where he excels. His hands get a lot of credit and rightfully so. Also, he did move to 1-0 as a pro boxer a couple of years ago. Not just with his hands; Leal uses a bit of everything. The dude kicks like a mule. He loves to destroy the lead leg of his opponent and blast the body. When he smells blood in the water that’s when you’ll see him mix in the body shots and Thai knees in the clinch. Leal can get a bit wild but at the same time has an excellent power jab, a fight-ending one-two, and rips combos to the head and body. In the chaos Leal crowds with punches from both sides. A lot of his finishes come from landing the killshot against the cage as Leal is throwing caution to the end.

Leal doesn’t have any glaring holes. He had trouble against Sy, yes. Leal fights with a lot of pressure and Sy being the level of striker he is with that 6’3″ frame it was tough to connect. Not many guys are built like Sy and Leal still did well in those fights. Leal does slow a little bit but is durable and his output doesn’t really slow any. I see Leal doing well in the UFC and eventually cracking the top 15.

How he matches up with Fakhretdinov

Fakhretdinov is more of a wrestler. It’s usually his relentless wrestling pace that overwhelms guys. I can’t see him getting Leal down as much and if so I’m not sold on the grappling of Fakhretdinov. Fakhretdinov showed improvements on the feet in his last fight. With that said he throws a lot of looping punches. More known for his power I think he’s too sloppy to out-strike Leal. Leal is levels above in the striking. Fakhretdinov has the power but Leal can crack as well and has a chin. Leal slows but Fakhretdinov slows even worse.

I’m confident that Leal will win this because he has better striking, cardio, and takedown defense skills. He’s taken this fight on short notice but had a fight four days prior to this fight anyway so he’ll be prepared.

The post Welcome to the UFC: Carlos Leal appeared first on Cageside Press.

Rinat Fakhretdinov (22-1-1) vs. Carlos Leal (21-5)

Russian powerhouse Rinat Fakhretdinov returns this weekend welcoming PFL standout Carlos Leal to the octagon in the prelim opener. In June, Fakhretdinov was invloved in a highly competitive contest with Nicholas Dalby, which ended in split decision. Leal is a dangerous Brazilian finisher who has won four of his last five fights by knockout. In the PFL, Leal twice made it to the semifinals of their million-dollar tournament. Currently online sportsbooks favor Fakredinov (-250) in this interesting battle of welterweights.

This is a classic striker vs grappler matchup with Leal holding ten wins by knockout and Fakhretdinov owning seven submission wins. Fakhretdinov has ran into trouble on the feet in recent contests, getting dropped in his fight with Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos. Leal is known for his aggressive striking style, throwing hard leg kicks and using forward pressure to break his opponents. To find success in his debut, Leal will have to keep Fakhretdinov from controlling him on the ground.

Prediction: Rinat Fakhretdinov by Decision

Abus Magomedov (26-6-1) vs. Brunno Ferreira (12-1)

Don’t blink in this Middleweight matchup between talented finishers Abus Magomedov and Bruno Ferreira. Magomedov is 2-2 in his run with the promotion, with both of those losses coming to top five contenders Sean Strickland and Caio Borralho. Ferreira has finished all 12 of his professional victories and is 3-1 in the UFC. Length may play a factor in this contest with Magomedov standing four inches taller and enjoying a six-inch reach advantage. Currently online sportsbooks slightly favor Magomedov (-140).

Magomedov bounced back with a victory over longtime veteran Warlley Alves in May, cementing his place on the roster. Ferreira debuted with an impressive knockout win against Gregory Rodrigues, showing his one punch knockout power. Magomedov wants to keep this fight at distance, utilizing his front kick to the body and a lengthy jab. Ferreria will try to get inside the long limbs of Magomedov and find a home for his devastating power. Don’t miss this prelim action between rising middleweight prospects.

Prediction: Bruno Ferreira by KO/TKO

Geoff Neal (15-6) vs. Rafael Dos Anjos (32-16)

Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos makes his 35th appearance in the promotion this weekend, facing “Hands of Steel” Geoff Neal. Dos Anjos is riding a two-fight losing streak and is 39 years old entering this matchup. Neal has also dropped his last two fights, losing to rising star Ian Garry and undefeated phenom Shavkat Rahkmonov. Neal takes on all comers, challenging the two brightest prospects in the division in back-to-back fights. Dos Anjos was once the best 155-pound fighter in the world, but recently the former champion has had to navigate two weight classes to continue his career. Online sportsbooks heavily favor Geoff Neal in this contest (-330).

After taking two challenging fights in a row, Neal may be facing a step down in competition in this one. Dos Anjos is still a very tricky fighter, and a BJJ blackbelt in Jiu-Jtsu. If the fight hits the ground, it will favor Dos Anjos, who has eleven submission wins. Neal is a very durable and athletic fighter who will want to keep the aging former champion on his feet.

Prediction: Geoff Neal by Decision

UFC 308 takes place in Abu Dhabi this Saturday night on PPV.

The post UFC 308 Prelims To Look For, Analysis And Picks appeared first on Cageside Press.

The card was thrown for a loop, however, when fighters from both the main and co-main events missed weight. Mena will pay a fine to Leal, and Marcos Degli will cough up money to his opponent, Ignacio Fernandez, in the co-headliner. Both fights carry on at catchweights.

Leal, who went 5-2 for the PFL between 2022 and 2023, returns to LFA for the main event fight, a promotion where he had previously posted a 2-0 record.

Where to Watch LFA 187

Saturday, July 6, 2024 sees LFA at the Ginásio do Polvilho in Cajamar, São Paulo, Brazil. The main card airs on UFC Fight Pass, following online prelims. Full results from the event can be found below.

LFA 187: Leal vs. Mena Results

Main Card

Carlos Leal def. Manuel Mena by KO, Round 1, 3:09
Marcos Degli def. Ignacio Fernandez by TKO, Round 1, 4:32
Samuel Dias def. Renzo Cortti by TKO, Round 1, 0:39
Inglesson de Lara def. Lucas Miletich by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Lionel Abojer def. Apollo Gomes by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 1:37
Pedro Doreto def. Leandro Solano by verbal submission (retirement), Round 1, 5:00
Aieza Bertolso def. Alejandra Fernandez by TKO, Round 3, 3:19

Preliminary Card

Hugo Paiva def. Rodrigo Roldan by KO, Round 1, 3:18
Vladimir Calvo def. Leonardo Mesquita by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Lany Silva def. Pâmela Mara by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Early Preliminary Card 

Eduardo Dutra def. Abraham Racho by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
João Moraes def. Navir Gonzalez by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Guilherme Uriel def. Weslley Álec by technical submission (guillotine choke), Round 1, 0:29
Nawira Ferreira def. Fabrizia Ketlinn by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Matheus Felip def. Alexandre Duarte by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

The post LFA 187: Leal vs. Mena Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

And so Brazil’s Leal (18-4) went out and secured a first-round finish of his own.

Welterweight Leal did so by putting away UFC veteran David Zawada, and admitted following the bout that seeing the success of Magomed Umalatov immediately before him was motivation.

“When you watch that first fight of the night, you feel like ‘oh, I’ve got to pick up the pace!'” Leal told media outlets including Cageside Press backstage in Vegas. “The season is like a marathon, you just can’t let someone create that much of a lead on you.”

Now neck-and-neck with Umalatov with six points, Leal isn’t any more focused on the need to go out and find another finish.

“I don’t feel like anything changes for me. I’m as focused as I was for this one for the next fight. Coming for the win, if it comes first round, second, whatever it is, but I need to win my second fight here as well,” he noted.

As to an opponent for the second half of the season, “I’ll take any one of them. All I’ll say is, I see a final where I get my revenge against Sadibou [Sy].”

Leal fell to the eventual 2022 champ Sy last August. It was his sixth fight in roughly 12 months, and led to some extended downtime. Which might have been a blessing in disguise.

“As much as I love fighting, and I missed fighting, it was important for my body to take the time. I did six camps, I cut weight six times last year. That’s no simple task. My body definitely appreciated it.”

Watch the full 2023 PFL 3 post-fight scrum with Carlos Leal above.

The post 2023 PFL 3: Carlos Leal Calls PFL Season “Like a Marathon” appeared first on Cageside Press.