Earlier this month, no fewer than 15 names were removed from the promotion’s athlete database. Now, as of Tuesday, eight more have joined them (and nine if you count Jake Hadley, whose exit was confirmed last week).

Among these latest names are former UFC women’s strawweight and The Ultimate Fighter 20 alum Jessica Penne, Olympic medalist Robelis Despaigne, and talented Brazilian flyweight Matheus Nicolau. While Penne recently lost her third straight fight, and Despaigne was coming off back-to-back setbacks, Nicolau remains something of a surprise. While he had lost three straight, those losses had all come to top talents, including title challengers in Alex Perez and Brandon Royval.

The total list of names removed from the roster on Tuesday are below. The changes were first noted by UFC Roster Tracker, an automated service that monitor’s the promotion’s fighter database. Removal doesn’t necessarily mean “cut” – retirement (as in the case of Daniel Pineda) or fighting out a contract can also see a fighter removed.

• Jessica Penne
• Robelis Despaigne
• Matheus Nicolau
• Daniel Pineda
• Tamires Vidal
• Vinicius Salvador
• Charalampos Grigoriou
• Jesse Butler

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Marcin Tybura

Marcin Tybura was submitted via armbar by his opponent Serghei Spivac in the main event of UFC Vegas 95. Tybrua entered the fight as the #8 ranked UFC heavyweight while Spivac was ranked at #9. The fight was a rematch from 2020 in which Tybura had secured a unanimous decision over Spivac.

Tybura is 7-3 since his first win over Spivac but has struggled at the upper levels of the division losing three of his last six fights (the other losses coming to Alexander Volkov and Tom Aspinall).

Tybura should fight Derrick Lewis in his next fight. Lewis and Tybura fought once before in 2018 with Lewis stopping Tybura in the third round, and final, round. They are both 2-2 in their last four fights. Lewis doesn’t have a fight booked and is ranked at #11. And with nearly every other fighter having been booked in the bottom half of the rankings, this rematch makes a lot of sense.

Tybura’s next fight: Derrick Lewis 

Damon Jackson

Damon Jackson lost a high-paced unanimous decision to Chepe Mariscal in the co-main event of Saturday’s card. Mariscal is now a perfect 4-0 in the UFC, so it was yet another solid competitor for Jackson. Damon has now won just one of his last four fights, a split decision to Alexander Hernandez in April.

Jackson should fight Andre Fili in his next fight. Fili and Jackson have a recent common opponent in Dan Ige. Both Damon and Andre were stopped by the Hawaiian in the first round of their respective bouts, within 13 months of each other.  Fili is 2-2 in his last four fights having last been in action at UFC 303 when he won a split decision over Cub Swanson.

Jackson’s next fight: Andre Fili

Nikolay Veretennikov

Nikolay Veretennikov was defeated in his promotional debut by Danny Barlow via spilt decision. Veretennikov stepped up on short notice and had his opponent miss weight as well. Niokolay, who was on the wrong end of a fight on the 2021 season of the Contender Series, captured Arizona’s UFL welterweight strap in the time since his apperance.

Nikolay Veretennikov should fight Yusaku Kinoshita in his next fight. Kinoshita is 0-2 in the UFC and is also a veteran of the Contender Series (2022 season).  Kinoshita has been finished in the first round of both of his UFC fights while opposite of Billy Goff and Adam Fuggit. He was even matched up to fight Danny Barlow, earlier this year, but withdrew from that fight.

Veretennikov’s next fight: Yusaku Kinoshita

Quang Le

Quang Le lost for the first time in his professional career on Saturday to Chris Gutierrez. Le was a standout in the LFA and faced a very experienced fighter in Gutierrez. Quang impressed, despite the final result of the bout.

Quang should fight Alatengheili in his next fight. Alatengheili is another exciting fighter that has also faced Chris Gutierrez and lost a unanimous decision as well. Actually, Gutierrez is Alatengheili’s sole loss in his last four fights. He was last in action back in May when he defeated Kleydson Rodrigues by unanimous decision.

Le’s next fight: Alatengheili

Chelsea Chandler

Chelsea Chandler lost a unanimous decision to Yana Santos on Saturday. To make matters worse, Chandler also missed weight by five pounds ahead of the bout. It was her second time in a row missing weight. Chandler entered the bout as the #14 ranked UFC women’s bantamweight while Santos was ranked at #12.

Chelsea is now 2-2 in her last four fights and has struggled with making weight. Chandler should fight Pannie Kianzad in her next fight. Pannie is ranked at #11 as of Saturday in the UFC’s rankings. She has lost four of her last five fights with her only win being over Lina Lansberg who is now retired. Pannie fought Karol Rosa on the undercard of UFC Vegas 95, losing a one-sided unanimous decision. It’d be a bout that makes sense in more ways than one.

Chandler’s next fight: Pannie Kianzad 

Charalampos Grigoriou

Charalampos Grigoriou was submitted in the second round of his bout with Toshiomi Kazama on the first main card bout of UFC Vegas 95. The 2023 Contender Series alum is now 0-2 in the UFC, having lost his promotional debut to Chad Anheliger earlier this year.

Grigoriou should fight Fernie Garcia or a fresh fighter off of the Contender Series. Fernie Garcia is currently 0-4 with UFC since his win on the 2021 season of the Contender Series. Garcia has lost unanimous decisions to bantamweight’s: Journey Newsome, Brady Hiestand and Rinya Nakamura. Charalampos was finished in his most recent bout by Hyder Amil in a featherweight affair. The loser of that fight would likely be out of the UFC.

Grigoriou’s next fight: Fernie Garcia or 2024 Contender Series fighter

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While Japan’s Kazama had been knocked out in his first two UFC bouts, Cyprus’ Grigoriou had only lost a decision in his debut after his DWCS win. With both men looking for their first UFC win, this bout had the highest of stakes in their minds, even if not those of the fans.

Kazama shot a takedown in the opening seconds but only managed to push his foe against the fence. After holding him there for a while, Kazama landed a knee which may have been illegal, with Grigoriou’s hand on the mat. Jason Herzog paused the fight while the commentary debated the legality of the knee; Charalampos’ hand was coming up right as the knee landed. When the fight restarted they were at distance but again Toshiomi shot, this time transitioning to the back. He had the back almost fully but made a mistake by giving up the position to hunt for an arm bar, allowing Grigoriou to get on top. However, Kazama executed a half-guard sweep and got on top, where the round ended.

Grigoriou came out swinging to start round two and hurt Kazama badly. Kazama almost got a takedown but Charalampos shook him off and got back to his assault. The Cypresian fighter dropped his foe and pounced on top with elbows. Jason Herzog warned Kazama to defend and he did just enough to stay alive as Grigoriou wore himself out. While he rested, clearly exhausted, Toshiomi Kazama locked up a triangle choke. Grigoriou was so tired that he tapped almost right away.

Despite his battered face, Kazama radiated joy after earning his first UFC win with slick grappling skills.

Official Result: Toshiomi Kazama def. Charalampos Grigoriou by submission (triangle choke), Round 2, 1:55

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Grigoriou had taken just a minute to dispatch Cameron Smotherman on DWCS last year, and rode a three-fight win streak into his octagon debut.

Both men started off throwing heat and Anheliger shot in for a takedown. Anheliger pressed Grigoriou against the cage slowing the pace down. Grigoriou eventually reversed and he was able to get the takedown. Not a lot of damage was done on top but Grigoriou ended the round there.

Round two started with Grigoriou punching his way into a takedown attempt. Anheliger was defending perfectly against the cage and landed some elbows to the side of the head. Grigoriou would get him to his knees but not fully down. Even though Anheliger was against the fence, he was the one landing punches and more elbows. Grigoriou couldn’t get anything done and the ref separated them. Anheliger was aggressive right away and had Grigoriou in some trouble with the lead leg kicks. Grigoriou tried another takedown along the cage but couldn’t complete in. A smothering round from Grigoriou but nothing done, with Anheliger landing way more strikes.

In the final round, Anheliger was aggressive in throwing combinations as if he needed a finish. An accidental clash of heads paused things for about a minute, but it didn’t help Grigoriou much. Anheliger was loading up but Grigoriou was just covering up looking gassed. When Grigoriou was coming forward Anheliger would counter him. Anheliger was mixing it up going to the head, body, and leg kicks. The confidence from Anheliger was way up just touching up Grigoriou. Grigoriou struggled to get any rhythm going in the final round never landing anything significant. Anheliger was fresh moving a lot and mixing it up landing combinations at will throughout the round.

The scorecards gave Chad Anheliger the unanimous decision win, improving his UFC record to 2-2 and very likely saving his job in the process.

Official Result: Chad Anheliger def. Charalampos Grigoriou by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

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It wasn’t so long ago that Charalampos Grigoriou wasn’t really even on anybody’s prospect radar. After coming out of the gate for his professional career like a rocket, he found himself at 4-3 and not really in the spot he wanted to be. However, he deels that those

“It’s funny because the other day we had the same conversation at the gym with Ray [Longo],” Grigoriou said. “I remember myself when I was 4-1 and I was trying to sign with the UFC and it didn’t happen and then I got two losses back-to-back. The two losses were the best lesson for me because I knew if I was signed to the UFC when I was 4-1, I don’t think I’d be in the UFC now.”

The major change from those losses were a change in mental state. Even going into his most recent loss he knew something needed to change, and the loss plunged him further into uncertainty.

“I’m glad that I got the two losses because it made me wiser, mentally stronger and here I am today,” he said. “My last loss, from Christian Rodriguez, mentally I was bad. Even in the fight I knew I was gonna lose – even days before the fight. [After] I said, ‘okay, I’m going to stop. I’m not going to fight anymore.”

However, he didn’t walk away from the sport at that time. Instead, he spoke with his team and decided to take a couple months off to reset.

He returned to the gym refreshed and ready to put on an impressive run that led him to the UFC. While he credits those two losses as a big reason why he’s here, perhaps the biggest reason is the man who was greeting him at the gym. Ray Longo has been a huge part of many careers, but he holds a special place for Grigoriou.

“We always have fun with Ray – he makes me laugh all the time. We are very close, especially in fight camp,” he says with a laugh. “Yesterday he said ‘Pampos, I’m tired. I don’t want to see you anymore’ and I said to him ‘you’re going to see me for the rest of your life.”

And when he steps into the cage at UFC Vegas 88, he’ll have his coach and friend in his ming and his heart.

“I’m so happy I have Ray. He’s a great mentor and I’m going to make him proud,” Grigoriou said.

You can catch him doing just that when he takes on Chad Anheliger this Saturday. That fight card begins at 4pm EST on ESPN+.

You can hear the entire audio of this interview at 2:14

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Kicking off this edition of TTP is our interview with UFC bantamweight, Charalampos Grigoriou. Grigoriou fights the week after UFC 299 at UFC Vegas 88. He shares his thoughts on his UFC debut against Chad Anheliger, as well as getting an opponent shift. Plus, he tells us a little about his realtionship with his head coach Ray Longo. While he does MMA for himself, he seeks to make his coach proud when he steps into the cage next week.

Fights, Dogs and Parlays: UFC 299 (13:54)

After an KO-heavy UFC Vegas 87, we move on to the card that everyone has been waiting for. UFC 299 comes our way from Miami, Florida. It’s headlined by a long-awaited rematch between Sean O’Malley and Chito Vera, this time for the UFC bantamweight title. We’ll break down that fight as well as some of our other favorite fights on the card as part of ‘Fights, Dogs, and Parlays’. In addition, Gumby also outlines his favorite underdog on the entire card. Then we put together a plus-money parlay to cash this weekend. Come get your wallet fat. For this segment, all odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Jakub Kaszuba Interview (23:55)

Closing out this edition of TTP is our interview with PFL Europe lightweight champion, Jakub Kaszuba. Kaszuba talks about what went in to him going back for another season of PFL Europe when it appeared that he might be ready for the PFL Global season. He shares his thoughts on the Bellator buy-out as well, and talks about how that may have affected him personally. Then he digs into his PFL Europe 1 bout with Kane Mousah, which happens along with UFC 299 this week. He has a bold prediction for the fight and the confidence is clear. Plus, he tells us a little of how he became “The Auditor” – literally and figuratively.

UFC 299 is this Saturday on ESPN+ pay-per-view beginning at 6pm EST.

The post TTP Ep. 419 with Charalampos Grigoriou, Jakub Kaszuba, and UFC 299 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Returning to the show for the second time, former heavyweight Paulo Rentao Jr. was now giving the light heavyweight division a try. He was paired up with Ibo Aslan, a Turkish standout with an 11-1 record to start the night.

Cage Warriors lightweight champ George Hardwick had his first chance at making it to the big show, paired up with Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady. Along with brother Harry, Hardwick was one of the brightest prospects out of the United Kingdom at the moment.

Representing Cyprus, meanwhile, Charalampos “Pampos” Grigoriou, a CFFC alum, was looking to break into the UFC at the expense of Cameron Smotherman.

One fighter missed weight for Tuesday’s card – Emrah Sonmez, who came in one pound over the featherweight limit for a bout with Hyder Amil.

Full results from Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7 Week 2 can be found below. The episode gets underway at 7PM ET, and will be followed by the latest instalment of The Ultimate Fighter 31. The event airs on ESPN+ in the U.S., and UFC Fight Pass elsewhere.

“Pampos” Grigorious kicked off the DWCS Season 7 Week 2 card in a big way on Tuesday night, taking exactly 60 seconds to drop and overwhelm Cameron Smotherman with strikes. It will be hard to deny the bantamweight a contract after that performance.

An early takedown by strawweight Eduarda Moura in the second fight of the night had her in the driver’s seat, working ground n’ pound and keeping Janaina Silva away from the fence. When Moura moved to mount, the writing was on the wall. From there she took the back, locked in a rear-naked choke, and forced the tap!

After a three-round decision in a grappling, scramble-heavy fight between Hyder Amil and Emrah Sonmez (with Amil getting the win), it was Ibo Aslan securing another first round finish, overwhelming Paulo Renato Jr. and knocking him out in just under two and a half minutes.

The featured fight of the night, at lightweight, went the distance, and turned out to be a competitive but ultimately one-sided scrap. Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady had the edge in strikes over George Hardwick, and mixed in a late takedown as well. There was little surprise when all three scorecards sided with Al-Selwady.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7, Week 2 Results

Lightweight: Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady def. George Hardwick by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Light Heavyweight: Ibo Aslan def. Paulo Renato Jr. by knockout, Round 1, 2:22
Featherweight: Hyder Amil def. Emrah Sonmez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Women’s Strawweight: Eduarda Moura def. Janaina Silva by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:00
Bantamweight: Charalampos Grigoriou def. Cameron Smotherman by TKO (strikes), Round 1, 1:00

Contract winners: Charalampos Grigoriou, Eduarda Moura, Hyder Amil, Ibo Aslan, Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady

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Season 7, Week 2 arrives Tuesday night, with ex-heavyweight Paulo Renato Jr. getting a second look at light heavyweight, and Cage Warriors lightweight champion George Hardwick getting his first opportunity to score a UFC deal on the show.

Weigh-ins for the event went down Monday at the UFC Apex, and one fighter hit the scales heavy. That was featherweight Emrah Sonmez, who came in one pound over the non-title limit at 147lbs. Despite the relatively small miss, Nevada Athletic Commission officials did not allow Sonmez to continue his cut. That means the bout will instead move forward at a catchweight, with Sonmez forfeiting a percentage of his pure.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7, Week 2 airs live on EPSN+ on Tuesday, August 15, 2023 in the U.S., and UFC Fight Pass elsewhere. Full results from Monday’s weigh-in can be found below.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7, Week 2 Weigh-In Results

Lightweight: Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady (155.5) vs. George Hardwick (155)
Light Heavyweight: Ibo Aslan (205.5) vs. Paulo Renato Jr. (205)
Featherweight: Hyder Amil (146) vs. Emrah Sonmez (147)*
Women’s Strawweight: Eduarda Moura (115.5) vs. Janaina Silva (114.5)
Bantamweight: Cameron Smotherman (136) vs. Charalampos Grigoriou (136)

* Sonmez misses weight by one pound, not medically cleared to continue his cut. Sonmez fined a percentage of his purse, bout continues at a catchweight

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2023? All five winners in week one picked up UFC deals. Could we be in store for a similar bounty in week two? This time around, Cage Warriors star George Hardwich, and Cage Fury vet Pampos Grigoriou are among the names in action. Let’s break it down!

Lightweight: Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady vs. George Hardwick

Tale of the tape

Pros and Cons

Who has the advantage?

Striking: Hardwick
Speed: Even
Output/Volume: Hardwick
Kickboxing: Hardwick
Striking defense: Even
Footwork/movement: Hardwick
Wrestling: Al-Selwady
Grappling: Al-Selwady
Gas tank: Even

Prediction: This is a fantastic fight between two very deserving guys. Both have put in a lot of time and a lot of success on the regional scene. Hardwick is the reigning, defending Cage Warriors champ and Al-Selwady was the Fury FC champ and Brave CF champ.

Between the two I like the competition Hardwick has fought better. Al-Selwady went from fighting in the Middle East and getting knocked out in brutal fashion twice in a row to moving to the States and fighting lesser opponents in Texas. Although he has improved greatly I’m sure the guys he’s beaten are masking the performances somewhat.

Hardwick is the fan favorite with his striking style but he has work cut out for him in a strong wrestler in Al-Selwady. I see a clearer path to victory for Hardwick and that’s on the feet. He’s far more technical, durable, and just has more tools to utilize. Al-Selwady will have to wrestle heavily but there is no evidence he will be able to neutralize Hardwick. I like Hardwick because his takedown defense should be good enough. He should be able to pick apart Al-Selwady at range and get a possible finish. It’s a shame for one to lose because I think both are UFC-level, especially Hardwick.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1gRYnk9y08&pp=ygUXQWJkdWwtS2FyZWVtIEFsLVNlbHdhZHk%3D

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Representing Cyprus, “Pampos” Grigoriou (7-3) sits on a three-fight win streak, and is the current Combat FC bantamweight champ. He even had a title defense lined up, but knew the Contender Series call would be forthcoming.

“It was waiting for the call, man. I was waiting for the Contender Series or a short-notice fight,” Grigoriou told Cageside Press ahead of his DWCS bout with Cameron Smotherman. “I had already a fight booked with Kris Mutinho to defend my title. But I knew that they were going to call me.”

Then came the call from his manager, saying “we have to cancel the fight.” When his manager explained that the call for Dana White’s Contender Series had finally come, Grigoriou didn’t even ask who his opponent was. “I didn’t even ask for my opponent. He told me the name of my opponent, I’m like ‘whatever, I’m going to fight, I’m going to fight.”

“Now it’s time to prove who is the ferocious man,” he added.

Tuesday night marks a big fight for Grigoriou. The biggest, in fact, of his combat sports journey to date. “It’s the biggest fight of my career. It’s the biggest fight for Cypress, too,” he continued. “For my country.”

In Smotherman, Grigoriou sees a “a young kid, tough kid, but he’s not tough enough, man.” And, he added, “because he’s young, he’s going to have more opportunities. Now it’s my chance. Sorry Cameron, but it’s my chance now.”

With that said, Grigoriou likes what his upcoming opponent brings to the table. “I like his style. I like his style because he likes to strike, I like to strike a lot. So it’s going to be a fun fight,” Grigoriou stated. “I don’t think it’s going to go to a second round or third round. It’s going to be an exciting fight, because I’m a striker, but I’m not just a striker. I use everything. I use everything, my grappling, my wrestling, everything. I have very hard hands. It’s going to be a problem for him. But it’s going to be an exciting fight.”

And while he’s ready to go the distance, or even five rounds, if need be, Charalampos Grigoriou is aiming for the finish. A knockout, specifically.

“If you see my record, I have like five knockouts over seven wins. Most likely, it’s going to be a knockout. I have only two decisions, and I like exciting fights and I like to put on a show. And I hit hard.”

If you’ve ever watched the Contender Series, you know the format by now. After fighting, the winners will be brought to the back, sitting and waiting for Dana White to make a decision: yay or nay on a UFC deal. Before that, usually speaking to Laura Sanko, they get a chance to plead their case.

Grigoriou doesn’t plan to leave anything to chance.

“I’m not going to give him a choice. I’m going to go in there, and he’s going to be— he’ll see. I’m not going to give him a choice, to think [about it].”

Watch our full interview with DWCS Season 7 Week 2 bantamweight Charalampos Grigoriou above.

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