Both ladies entered the night on two fight skids, but it was Chandler getting her arm raised. That after snatching the arm of Cachoeira for an arm-bar.

The bout came after Chandler expanded her training camp footprint, working with Cesar Gracie, Felipe Martinez, Moses Cortes and others. Lots of cross-training, in other words.

“I felt like I was very prepared in every aspect for this fight. I trained hard rounds for MMA, hard kickboxing, hard punching,” Chandler told media outlets including Cageside Press following the win. “There were so many times that I threw up for this camp that, I’ve never thrown up before.”

“I knew I was pushing my body and my mental fortitude to the hardest it’s ever been pushed, and then out there it was easy. Because I knew I was prepared and ready to go.”

Coming off two losses, Chandler (7-4) admitted that “I put a lot of pressure on myself, and the people that I’ve lost to are the top in this division.”

“I was fighting with injuries, I had it a few times where it was hard keeping my arms up in training, and the UFC took care of me,” she went on to explain. “I got some stem cells in my neck, and I feel like I’ve got a 10 year old neck. It’s good to be able to go to training and not be injured all the time and believe in yourself, be able to push harder.”

Chandler believes all that showed in her confidence on Saturday. “I was happy to be there, I was enjoying the moment, I wasn’t dreading it. And I look forward to bringing that energy into the next fight.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 118 post-fight press conference with Chelsea Chandler above.

The post Chelsea Chandler Was Throwing Up In Camp Ahead of UFC Vegas 118 appeared first on Cageside Press.

The Meta Apex card found both women looking to snap two-fight losing streaks in the bantamweight match-up. Someone was getting back in the win column on Saturday, and in the end, it didn’t take long for a winner to emerge.

With the bout underway, Cachoeira had to contend with an early Chandler uppercut that got her attention, though it was the Brazilan holding center early, forcing Chandler back. Just over a minute in, Cachoeira pressured, overwhelming Chandler, who wound up off-balance and dumped on her back. Cachoeira would let her back up, which turned out to be a mistake when a short right hand rocked Priscila!

Cachoeira wound up on the canvass, Chandler swarming, taking her back. Chandler got both hooks in, and had plenty of time to work. After a bit of maneuvering, Chandler would transition into an arm-bar, quickly forcing the tap!

Quite the comeback for Chelsea Chandler after a year away. She improves her UFC record to 3-3 after debuting in the promotion back in 2022 after time spent in Invicta FC.

“You can expect me to be back with a vengeance. The girls I’ve fought are the toughest in this division, and they fought me when I was eff’d up,” Chandler exclaimed following the win.

Official Result: Chelsea Chandler def. Priscila Cachoeira by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 3:42

The post UFC Vegas 118: Returning Chelsea Chandler Taps Priscila Cachoeira appeared first on Cageside Press.

The bout did not last long.

Chandler entered the fight off a loss to Yana Santos last August, Edwards off a win over Tamires Vidal in October.

Early on, it was Edwards landing a takedown in a clinch that had been initiated by Chandler. That backfired, as it was Edwards coming out on top care of a trip. Edwards was in half guard, but Chandler worked back to the fence. However when Edwards backed off, Chandler was slow to get to her feet, though she did get back up – only to eat a crisp body kick. Edwards’ kicks were there for her early, with another blocked by Chandler moments later.

It wasn’t long before Edwards ran away with the fight. With Chandler looking shaky on her feet, Joselyne Edwards backed her up to the fence, letting go with some wild, looping lefts and rights. Chandler went down, covering up, and Edwards piled on with successive right hands until the ref had seen enough and waved off the fight!

That’s two straight victories and two straight finishes in the UFC for Panama’s Edwards. Seven of her finishes have come in the opening round. In her post-fight interview, Edwards called for the promotion to visit her native Panama, where they have yet to touch down.

Official Result: Joselyne Edwards def. Chelsea Chandler by TKO, Round 1, 2:31

The post Joselyne Edwards Finishes Chelsea Chandler to Open UFC Kansas City appeared first on Cageside Press.

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

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 95 Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.

“Bantamweight” might have been a misnomer for Chandler, who while talented, had missed weight in two consecutive fights, including by 5lbs for her fight with Santos. Her remaining UFC contests had come at featherweight, and a 140lb catchweight.

Chandler had also missed the mark for the bantamweight division in her second pro fight, under the Invicta FC banner.

Santos used her right hand to set up some solid kicks early in round one, and was able to fight off Chandler when the latter took the fight to the fence. A former Invicta champ who had competed at a featherweight as well, Santos seemed well equipped to deal with the weight of Chandler. Later in the frame, a head kick snuck upstairs for Santos. She went after Chandler, who held her own. Chandler would find some success late in the round, while Santos fired a spinning back kick that just missed the body.

Round two opened with some scrappiness, with Santos landing a knockdown less than 30 seconds in! Chandler fell to her back, and stayed there, hoping Santos would get on top. She declined, chopping at Chandler’s legs until the ref stood her up. Fighting with some fire under her, Santos flashed a front kick that missed, then ripped one to the leg a moment or two later. Chandler finally closed the distance, taking Santos to the fence, only for Santos to easily break free, with no takedown attempt in sight.

Another clinch along the fence led to knees being traded, but little else. But likely down in the round and in the fight, Chandler needed to use those clinches to get the fight to the ground – and seemed unable to. Santos got a front push kick high enough to graze the face. The kick would come again with about 20 seconds left. Santos would fire an elbow, and went on the attack again just before the horn.

With Chandler almost certainly down two rounds to none, a finish was almost certainly required. She would use a left hand to bully her way into the clinch early in round three. She had underhooks, with her hands clasped, and tried to pull off a trip, to no avail. A moment later, Santos freed herself and circled out. Chandler was having a better round in the early going, putting Santos back on the fence a second time just under two minutes in.

Again, Chelsea Chandler couldn’t get the fight done. Santos even managed to reverse and get some control time of her own. They’d come off, then go back to the fence, come off again, and return. This time, Chandler landed a couple of lefts, one big one. Time was falling off the clock however, and Chandler’s inability to make those clinches pay off would cost her the fight.

Yana Santos returns to the win column with the victory, snapping a three-fight skid.

Official Result: Yana Santos def. Chelsea Chandler by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

The post UFC Vegas 95: Yana Santos Back in Win Column with Decision Against Overweight Chelsea Chandler appeared first on Cageside Press.

News of the booking was first announced by Eurosport’s Marcel Dorff (@bigmarcel24) on his various social media platforms, on Friday. Santos also confirmed the match-up.

Yana Santos (14-8), the #12 ranked fighter in the UFC women’s bantamweight division, is desperately in need of a win. Santos is on a three-fight losing skid and has not won since defeating Ketlen Vieira in February 2022. Her most recent fight was a split decision loss at the hands of Karol Rosa, last July. Although that was in a rare women’s featherweight fight.

Chelsea Chandler (6-2) is the #14 ranked UFC women’s bantamweight fighter and 4-1 with the promotion. Chandler’s most recent fight was a unanimous decision victory against Josiane Nunes back in March. Unfortunately, Chandler missed weight for the bout. An Invicta FC product, Chelsea’s only loss in the UFC was against Norma Dumont in July of last year.

UFC Vegas 95 still doesn’t have a main event or co-main event announced at this time. With the addition of the Santos vs. Chandler here is the seven-fight card at the writing of this article:

• Jarno Errens vs. Youssef Zalal
• Marcin Tybura vs. Serghei Spivac
• Yana Santos vs. Chelsea Chandler
• Karl Williams vs. Jhonata Diniz
• Allan Nascimento vs. Jafel Filho
• Danny Barlow vs. Uros Medic
• Jonny Parsons vs. Yusaku Kinoshita

The post Top 15 Bantamweights Yana Santos and Chelsea Chandler to Fight at UFC Vegas 95 appeared first on Cageside Press.

While both had competed at 145 in their previous bouts, that weight class had been mothballed by the UFC following the retirement of Amanda Nunes. Chandler, meanwhile, missed weight on Friday, coming in a single pound over the limit.

Nunes immediately held center than pressed forward and declining a glove touch to kick off the fight. Chandler fired a left but the attack of Brazil’s Nunes, with a powerful left hand of her own, proved more dangerous. Chandler fired a kick up the middle, and soon, Nunes opted to drive Chandler into the fence, where the pair battled for head position.

Chandler finally just powered Nunes off the fence, but as impressive as that was, she was soon under fire and retreating once again. Nunes appeared happy to bite down and throw her left, and finally it was Chandler initiating a clinch. They would finally go to the ground with just over 90 seconds on the clock, Chandler on top, Nunes closing her guard.

The pair would head to a second round, where Chandler, nose bloodied, would eventually get the back of Nunes on the ground. Chandler managed to get both hooks in, but rather than lock up a body triangle, transitioned to mount. Nunes rolled, and Chandler went with her, eventually settling on top in half-guard. Chandler would find some room to smash away with elbows in the final minute and a half, but was also back in full guard. As for Nunes, she was unable to find any space to scramble free and really seemed to accept being on her back far more than she should have.

Josiane Nunes came out early in round three pressing the action, chucking left hands while Chandler countered and fired a kick. Nunes moved in with some nasty shots, landing more than one before they clinched up. That didn’t last long and they soon separated, moving back to center. Nunes was fighting like she was on a mission, and after clearly losing the second she likely was. Chandler, meanwhile, was circling on the outside, and being beaten to the punch.

At the midway mark, Chelsea Chandler finally tied things up, looking for a takedown. It wasn’t there, and Nunes went back to leading the dance, backing Chandler up. Chandler, meanwhile, landed a kick to the rear end of Nunes while backing up. With the final minute approaching, Nunes appeared to be in control of the round. Chandler pumped her jab, but Nunes fired off a superman punch. Left hands followed, and while bloodied, it was Nunes walking her opponent down.

That turned out to be too little, too late however, with Chandler winning the first two rounds on all three scorecards.

Official Result: Chelsea Chandler def. Josiane Nunes by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

The post UFC Vegas 88: Chelsea Chandler Survives Late Surge by Bloodied Josiane Nunes appeared first on Cageside Press.

Despite coming off a loss heading into a fight with Brazilian Josiane Nunes, Chandler isn’t putting any extra pressure on herself.

“I always put an insane amount of pressure on me, on myself. I feel like training has been the same, I just have a little bit more of an emphasis on certain arts, my jiu-jitsu,” Chandler (5-2) told Cageside Press in an exclusive interview ahead of the fight. “I feel like last fight camp I didn’t really do a ton of jiu-jitsu, and I should have, and I paid for that.”

The emphasis has been back on that area ahead of UFC Vegas 88, along with “a lot of wall stuff, a lot of striking,” Chandler explained. “So I feel like I’m more well-rounded for this fight, and I’m excited for it.”

Of course, coming back from a loss in fighting is not like other sports. There’s no week in, week out schedule in MMA after all. As Chandler put it, “the bad thing about fighting, it’s not really bad but it’s not like basketball or baseball where you have games every week. You get to redeem yourself the next week, you get to work on stuff that week. With fighting, everybody remembers you for your last fight. You can get into a bad slump, and not do good, and if you let it take over it can take over.”

Chandler, to combat that, works on what she needs to, watches her fights back, and tries to fix what she can.

This weekend, Chandler, who did compete at bantamweight in her pro debut, moves down in weight after a run at 145, which no longer exists in the UFC. “I’m excepting to be bigger, stronger than a lot of these girls because I’m a big girl,” she noted.

Bigger she will be — unfortunately Chandler missed weight on Friday. As for the move, and whether it was forced on her, “Yeah, yeah. Forcing,” said Chandler. “I signed up as a UFC fighter at bantamweight, so I wouldn’t necessarily say they’re forcing me. But I would prefer to be at featherweight.”

Watch our full interview with UFC Vegas 88’s Chelsea Chandler above.

Correction: this story originally identified Chandler’s opponent as Pannie Kianzad. Chandler is facing Josiane Nunes, while Kianzad fights Macy Chiasson on Saturday.

The post Chelsea Chandler Focused on Jiu-Jitsu, Feels More Well-Rounded Ahead of UFC Vegas 88 appeared first on Cageside Press.

What’s next for Holm and the rest of the main card losers? Read on.

Holly Holm

Holly Holm has been a main event player for what seems like forever. The former UFC women’s bantamweight champion is also seemingly always in the mix, just one win away from a title shot.

Or she was. That’s not the case now, after Holm found herself submitted by Mayra Bueno Silva, a rising star at 135lbs. “The Preacher’s Daughter” is now 1-2 in her last three fights, having lost to Silva and Ketlen Vieira, with a win over Yana Santos between those setbacks.

At 41, Holm might have another run in her. She might not. But first and foremost, she needs to put a couple of wins together. The problem with Holm is, she’s fought just about everyone. She’s beat Raquel Pennington twice (who is likely to face Julianna Pena for the title next). She’s beat Irene Aldana, who just came up short in a title shot. And really, do you want to derail too many contenders by putting them in against Holm, who is still a very capable fighter?

The fight that makes sense here, and it’s by no means an original thought as social media has been all over it, is Miesha Tate. Tate was supposed to fight Silva earlier this year, but was forced out. She’s signalled a possible return this fall. Tate defeated Holm to claim the UFC women’s bantamweight championship in 2016; a rematch feels overdue.

Holm’s next fight: Miesha Tate

Bassil Hafez

Bassil Hafez may have lost a split decision to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC Vegas 77, but he came out a winner regardless. Hafez was an unknown before taking a short-notice opportunity against JDM, then pushed the Australian to the limit — becoming the first man to take him the distance in the UFC.

Fight fans should now be curious to see what Hafez can do with a full camp. His next fight won’t come against a rising star like Maddalena, but it shouldn’t come against a total unknown either. Might as well reward him with a decent name. Andre Fialho fits the bill — he’s 2-4 in the UFC but always puts on fun fights.

Hafez’s next fight: Andre Fialho

Ottman Azaitar

Lightweight Ottman Azaitar is 2-2 in the UFC, which often spells doom in the promotion — especially since he has now lost two straight. But if he sticks around, someone like Nikolas Motta, who suffered a loss of his own recently, makes sense.

Azaitar’s next fight: Nikolas Motta

Albert Duraev

2021 Contender Series winner Albert Duraev is now 2-2 in the UFC, but coming off a single loss to Jun Yong Park in a very fun fight.

Bruno “Blindado” Silva is coming off a loss to Brendan Allen not too long ago. We had other ideas for Silva at the time, but man, this feels like another banger.

Duraev’s next fight: Bruno Silva

Chelsea Chandler

Poor Chelsea Chandler. After winning her promotional debut last year following a change in opponents, she finally got a full camp and a fight at 145lbs — a division the UFC seems primed to kill off now that Amanda Nunes has retired. Worse, she was turned into a meme after turning and fleeing from Norma Dumont in the opening round, as she endured a barrage of strikes from the Brazilian.

Chandler is now the biggest MMA meme in ages— but she’s at least taking it all in stride, even adding to the trend herself.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CuxPdCyP2wZ/

Kudos to Chandler for having a sense of humor. And it’s worth noting that escaping the beatdown at least kept her in the fight to the final bell. Chandler is now 1-1 in the UFC, but if she’s sticking around featherweight, there’s virtually no one for her to fight, because the promotion never bothered to build the division. Yana Santos is coming off a featherweight loss, so maybe if she opts to stay at 145, that works. If not, Chandler might be better off heading to 135. She hasn’t competed there since 2019, and has missed the bantamweight limit once — but unless the UFC has a change of heart, it feels like the options at 145 are limited.

Chandler’s next fight: Yana Santos (if both stay at featherweight)

Terrance McKinney

Terrance McKinney came into the UFC on a tear, and is a consistently entertaining fighter. He has, however, stumbled of late at 1-3 in his last four. Nazim Sadykhov, his opponent at UFC Vegas 77, felt like a winnable fight for “T-Wrecks,” but that might have had more to do with Sadykhov being in just his second UFC fight. In any case, Sadykhov came away with the submission win.

McKinney needs to regroup. Also, timing is everything in fighting. Kamuela Kirk is coming off a loss of his own one week prior to McKinney’s latest setback. He’s 1-2 in the UFC. This lines up rather well. And it should show whether McKinney is ready to stick around for the long haul.

McKinney’s next fight: Kamuela Kirk

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 77 Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.

With a bit of a back-and-forth during weigh-ins on Friday, there was no love lost in this one.

Off the opening bell, Chelsea Chandler went on the attack, but Dumont found success with her counters. She found real success a moment later, rocking Chandler who then turned and fled — straight across the cage, back turned! Dumont chased her down, landing lefts and rights and mixing in some shots to the body. That, however, had given Chandler the time she needed to regain her composure, and she even managed to land a string of lefts.

What a scene 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/ZcwqDyf5ji

— Seán Sheehan (@SeanSheehanBA) July 16, 2023

Dumont, meanwhile, looked to fire a head kick. Chandler cracked Dumont with another left, and tied the fight up in a clinch. Putting Dumont on the fence, Chandler looked to sweep a leg, but Dumont reversed. Only to be reversed again. When they did go to the ground, it was Dumont on top, working from guard.

Round two saw the pair in another early clinch, before a bit of a firefight broke out, with both ladies landing heavy shots. Dumont landed a straight right off a 1-2 that forced Chandler back; another right hand landed a moment later. Dumont would then land a takedown, looking to pass into half-guard to no avail.

From bottom, Chandler would look to throw up an arm-bar, to no avail. But she would make it back to her feet by the end of the round.

Dumont opened round three shooting a takedown, and briefly landed it, though perhaps not long enough for it to count officially. Chandler, however, was badly in need of a momentum change, and got that when she landed a takedown of her own. Dumont, however, was herself quickly back up.

When they went back down again at the midway mark, it was Chandler working for a kneebar. But Dumont defended and nearly took the back. When Chandler went fishing for the limb a second time, she did take the back, though she did not have hooks in. The fight, hard-hitting at times early on, had slowed, and Chandler seemed to struggle to find the strength to power up.

Official Result: Norma Dumont def. Chelsea Chandler by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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