Both fighters came in off wins, with Vlismas having one two straight, and McKenna returning to the win column last time out against Miranda Granger.

Vlismas showed ample lateral movement as well as some slick in-and-out work early, picking her spots and throwing punches in punches. McKenna was comparatively more stationary, holding center and pursuing her opponent, also firing in short bursts when the opportunity arrived. Between the two, however, Vlismas appeared to be landing more, and appeared to have the answer to McKenna’s jab, coming over top of it with a right hand.

McKenna, meanwhile, continued to press forward, cutting off the cage. She fired a kick to the thigh, then kept her hands busy. But it was Vlismas, with just over a minute remaining in the opening Stanza, who connected with a hook, perhaps the most significant strike of the round. Under pressure, McKenna opted to shoot the takedown and completed it despite Vlismas initially defending.

Round two saw McKenna look to get the fight back to the ground, pressing Vlismas up against the fence. But Vliasmas stayed up, and in a Thai clinch, she fired a number of knees. Impressively, McKenna stayed on her, putting her back to the fence once again. The bulk of the ground played out in this position, with McKenna winning the positional battles but unable to get Vlismas down until late in the frame.

When the pair went to the ground early in the third, it was Vlismas looking for a choke — but she was well out of position. McKenna transitioned to the top, basically in half-guard if just barely. Eventually Vliasmas regained guard, closing it up while McKenna tried to posture up for elbows. From bottom, Vlismas fired an elbow of her own, and stayed busy off her back.

The round would play out there, with McKenna likely taking it thanks to the control time. The scorecards reflected this, as McKenna took it on all three scorecards 29-28.

Official Result: Cory McKenna def. Cheyanne Vlismas by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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Vlismas (7-2) will face off against Cory McKenna (7-2) at the Fight Night event. Multiple sources confirmed the match-up to Cageside Press following an initial report by Alex Behunin.

Sporting identical professional records, the pair are both coming off wins in their last outing, with Vlismas having won two straight. However, she’s been out of action since December 4, 2021 when “The Warrior Princess” earned a unanimous decision win over Mallory Martin.

Originally scheduled for an October 1 date with Tabatha Ricci, Vlismas pulled out of the bout due to personal reasons.

Cory “Poppins” McKenna got back in the win column in August, submitting Miranda Granger with a Von Flue choke. She had previously suffered the first defeat of her UFC tenure when she dropped a decision to Elise Reed at UFC London in March.

The UFC’s December 17, 2022 Fight Night event is expected to be the promotion’s final event of the calendar year. A middleweight pairing featuring contenders Sean Strickland and Jared Cannonier headlines. The following bouts have been reported for the card to date:

• Jared Cannonier vs. Sean Strickland
• Jamal Pogues vs. Tafon Nchukwi
• Julian Marquez vs. Deron Winn
• Sergey Morozov vs. Journey Newson
• Amir Albazi vs. Alex Perez
• Michał Oleksiejczuk vs. Albert Duraev
• Damir Ismagulov vs. Arman Tsarukyan
• Michael Morales vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov
• Rafa García vs. Hayisaer Maheshate
• Cheyanne Vlismas vs. Cory McKenna

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Penne (14-6) will replace Cheyanne Vlismas at a UFC Fight Night event on October 1, 2022, where she will face Brazilian “Baby Shark” Tabatha Ricci (7-1).

News of the booking was first reported by Dama de Ferro MMA, with Penne subsequently confirming the match-up on social media.

Vlismas, meanwhile, released a statement on her Instagram Story citing personal reasons for her withdrawal.

“Unfortunately my fight with Ricci is off. I had some very personal things happen that will be left unsaid. I will not be able to fight in October,” she wrote. “I asked if I could reschedule to a later date but instead thank you to Mick Maynard I am now re-scheduled for December.”

No word on who Vlismas’ new opponent will be has emerged as of yet. “Sorry for everyone that wanted this fight. Believe me when I say I did too. But things happen. Grateful to still be fighting. New fight news coming soon.”

Penne will enter the October date with Ricci having gone 2-1 since returning from a lengthy USADA suspension last year. After picking up a pair of wins in 2021, she came up short against former Invicta FC strawweight champ Emily Ducote last month at UFC Long Island.

Ricci has won two straight, most recently defeating Polyana Viana by unanimous decision in May.

The UFC’s October 1, 2022 Fight Night event is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The following bouts have been reported for the show:

• Mackenzie Dern vs. Yan Xiaonan
• Cody Garbrandt vs. Rani Yahya
• Francisco Trinaldo vs. Randy Brown
• Raoni Barcelos vs. Trevin Jones
• John Castañeda vs. Daniel Santos
• Leah Letson vs. Chelsea Chandler
• Joaquim Silva vs. Jesse Ronson
• Jessica Penne vs. Tabatha Ricci
• Randy Costa vs. Guido Cannetti
• Brendan Allen vs. Krzysztof Jotko
• Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Chris Daukaus
• Mike Davis vs. Uroš Medić
• Maxim Grishin vs. Philipe Lins

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Multiple sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, have confirmed to Cageside Press that Tabatha Ricci (7-1) will face Cheyanne Vlismas (7-2) on October 1, 2022. Ag.Fight first reported the match-up, without a specific date attached.

Ricci, 27, a.k.a. “Baby Shark,” is coming off her second win in the promotion, which took place just last month. The Brazilian picked up a unanimous decision against Polyana Viana at UFC Vegas 55. After losing her promotional debut up a weight class against Manon Fiorot, Ricci has won two straight.

Vlismas, 26, has also won two straight — and has picked up two straight post-fight bonuses in those fights. Last July, she dispatched Gloria de Paula with a head kick, picking up a Performance of the Night bonus in the process. In December, Vlismas went three rounds with Mallory Martin, winning a unanimous decision that was awarded Fight of the Night honors.

The UFC’s October 1, 2022 Fight Night card does not have a venue, location, or broadcast plan announced. No main event is attached as of yet. Thus far, the following fights have been reported for the date:

• Leah Letson vs. Chelsea Chandler
• Vinc Pichel vs. Jesse Ronson
• Tabatha Ricci vs. Cheyanne Vlismas

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An action-packed card through-and-through, the ESPN event headlined by Rob Font vs. Jose Aldo delivered and then some. Which resulted in a little extra cash being handed out come bonus time.

Though Dana White was not in attendance, someone at the executive level was clearly impressed — as were fans. Names like Clay Guida, Chris Curtis, and others continued to impress, resulting in four Performance of the Night awards being dished out Saturday, plus the usual Fight of the Night bonus.

The latter went to the women’s strawweight battle between Cheyanne Vlismas and Mallory Martin. Vlismas appeared to have the edge in speed, and out-struck her opponent, but Martin hung in there every step of the way in the preliminary card fight. To add to the drama, the pair had been friendly outside the octagon, and Vlismas later revealed she’d been going through personal problems ahead of the fight, even making reference to hitting rock bottom.

Performance of the Night awards went to the aforementioned Guida and Curtis, plus Jamahal Hill and Rafael Fiziev. For Guida, the money comes after what will likely be in the running for the Comeback of the Year award. Guida seemingly ate knees to the face until opponent Leonardo Santos simply gassed out. He then came storming back in the second round of their lightweight fight to put Santos away via submission.

Curtis, meanwhile, landed his second finish in as many months, putting away Brendan Allen and cashing in as a huge underdog in the process. Fighting up in weight has looked good for Curtis, with the welterweight taking his first two bouts inside the octagon at 185lbs.

Jamahal Hill knocked Jimmy Crute down early in their main card light heavyweight bout on Saturday. It was a second knockdown that sealed the deal, however, with a single follow-up strike barely necessary. Brad Riddell, meanwhile, landed a wheel kick in the co-main event that sent opponent and friend Brad Riddell stumbling, forcing ref Herb Dean to make a well-timed save.

All six bonus-winning fighters will pocket an extra $50,000 USD for their efforts.

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There’s no question her performance against Mallory Martin saw her on an up. Vlismas (7-2) looked as sharp as ever coming back from a battle with COVID-19. “I think I did okay,” she told media outlets including Cageside Press following the fight. “I mean I don’t really know until I watch, but my coaches said I did alright. They said I’d be proud.”

In her in-cage interview, Vlismas talked about hitting rock bottom in recent weeks. It’s a subject she wasn’t ready to expand on, but one hard to ignore. Ahead of the fight, she reverted back to her maiden name, after joining the UFC alongside husband JP Buys.

“A lot of personal things I won’t talk about, but as far as my personal life, I mean, that’s personal life, this is work life,” she stated backstage at the Apex on Saturday. “But the COVID really messed me up, I was a COVID patient just two weeks ago. If I didn’t have my coaches who believed in me, my best friend, and my parents, then I wouldn’t be here. And the power of believing in myself.”

“When I got the fight, I was coughing up a lung, I was quarantined in my house,” she continued. It was just 18 days ago that she got the call to compete at UFC Vegas 44. “I didn’t know if I was going to heal. But I believe in my skill, I believe in me, I believe in my coaches and my team. I just called them, and they’re like ‘let’s do it.'”

Her parents, Vlismas admitted, thought she was nuts. And Vlismas herself owned up to being a bit nervous, “because I couldn’t even breathe.” But having 18 days to heal up, and spending a whole week with her coaches back in the gym, “was a blessing. It could always be worse. Anything in life can always be worse, and I’m just glad we were able to push through it.”

One thing that stood out in the fight was Cheyanne Vlismas’ gas tank, especially given her recent battle with COVID-19.

“It wasn’t easy. It was not easy, let me tell you that,” she told Cageside Press when asked about getting her cardio back to where it had been. Her best friend, who was in her corner on Saturday, was the first person she turned to; the pair sparred in the park trying to get her back into fight shape. “Let me tell you, I was gassing within like two minutes. It was nerve-wracking, but she just looked and me and just kept telling me ‘Cheyanne, you were in shape before this fight, Cheyanne, just believe in yourself, you can do this, you can push through, we’ve just got to get your lungs right.'”

It paid off in the end. And while Vlismas doesn’t want to think about rankings at this point, she knows there’s still plenty of road to travel.

“I’m 26 years old, I have a long career ahead of me. I’m healthy. Right now, I’m going to need to take the next couple months off the handle some things that I tried to push off to get here. But I’m preparing to come back in the next five to six months hopefully, if not sooner.”

As for the personal struggles she’s had to endure, Cheyanne Vlismas added “when I woke up today, I woke up in tears. I was just so happy to be here. Just don’t ever let anyone or anything ever stop you from just making yourself happy and living your dream.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 44 post-fight press conference with Cheyanne Vlismas above.

The post UFC Vegas 44: Cheyanne Vlismas Admits Parents Thought She Was Nuts Fighting So Soon After COVID appeared first on Cageside Press.

Their strawweight showdown at UFC Vegas 44 saw Martin looking to bounce back from a loss to Polyana Viana back in February. Vlismas was entering the fight with a bit of steam, meanwhile, having finished Glorida de Paula with a head kick this past July.

Cheyanne opened the action with a number of high kicks, and got her hands going shortly after. Martin targeted the body and kept the pressure on Vlismas, who stayed busy, constantly moving. Vlismas appeared to have the speed advantage, but both girls were finding success through the opening two minutes.

Things settle in just a little in the second half of the round, as the pair found their rhythm. Vlismas’ speed advantage may have given her the edge, as Martin was force to chase her opponent just a little too often. They’d clinch a bit in the final minute, both landing, and Vlismas waved her opponent on at the end of the frame.

Round two saw Vlismas on her horse again on the outside. Mallory was throwing hard, and pulling out all the stops, even adding in a spinning back fist. Unfortunately, that sailed way wide; Vlismas, a moment later, landed a counter right hand off another Martin attack. With two minutes left in the frame, Martin closed the distance for a body lock, looking for a takedown. Vlismas fought that off, and by the end of the round, Martin’s nose was showing damage, and she was almost certainly down two rounds.

We need proof!

Has @DC_MMA thrown a baseball 95 mph before? 🔥 #UFCVegas44 pic.twitter.com/QjdWSQHhAV

— UFC (@ufc) December 5, 2021

The third round was more of the same. Martin tried to find the takedown early, but couldn’t; she’d been stuffed on each and every attempt. Vlismas stayed mobile, and when the pair traded, she was getting the better of the exchanges. Her counters found their target more often than not, and the evidence thereof was chiseled all over the face of Mallory Martin by the end of the fight.

Official Result: Cheyanne Vlismas def. Mallory Martin by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

The post UFC Vegas 44: Speed, Striking of Cheyanne Vlismas Too Much for Mallory Martin appeared first on Cageside Press.

She doesn’t seem worse for the wear, however, and “The Warrior Princess” will now replace Montserrat Ruiz against Mallory Martin at UFC on ESPN 31. The card takes place in Las Vegas on December 4.

MMA Fighting was first to report that Buys was stepping into the fight.

Strawweight Buys (6-2) had been expected to face Loma Lookboonmee on this Saturday’s UFC Vegas 43 card, until the COVID diagnosis. In her last outing, the Florida-born fighter picked up a highlight reel KO of Gloria de Paula care of a head kick.

Prior to that win, Buys had dropped her promotional debut to the woman she is now replacing, Montserrat Ruiz.

Mallory Martin (7-4) has posted a 1-2 record in the UFC to date, sandwiching a win over Hannah Cifers between losses to Virna Jandiroba and Polyana Viana.

The UFC on ESPN 31 card, set to place place at the Apex in Las Vegas on December 4, 2021, includes the following reported match-ups:

Rob Font vs. José Aldo
Brad Riddell vs. Rafael Fiziev
Jimmy Crute vs. Jamahal Hill
Manel Kape vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov
Jake Matthews vs. Jeremiah Wells
Chris Gruetzemacher vs. Claudio Puelles
Brendan Allen vs. Brad Tavares
Bryan Barberena vs. Matt Brown
Louis Smolka vs. Vince Morales
Clay Guida vs. Leonardo Santos
Alex Morono vs. Mickey Gall
Maki Pitolo vs. Duško Todorovic
Philipe Lins vs. Azamat Murzakanov
Mallory Martin vs. Cheyanne Buys

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John Hyon Ko was first to report the news that Cheyanne Buys will fight Loma Lookboonmee on November 20 at a yet-to-be-announced UFC event. Buys would confirm the booking on her Instagram story.

Lookboonmee (6-2) is riding a two-fight win streak since suffering her first UFC loss against Angel Hill early in 2020. The Thai fighter got back into the win column by defeating Jinh Yu Frey on ‘Fight Island’ to go 1-1 in 2020. In her most recent win, she defeated Sam Hughes via unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs. Procházka.

Buys (6-2) picked up her first UFC win last month against Gloria de Paula. She knocked her out in one minute with a head kick followed by punches. After her fight with de Paula, she made MMA headlines saying she was broke and took out a loan to pay for her training camo. Buys lost her UFC debut to Montserrat Ruiz via unanimous decision.

No location, venue, or broadcast plan has been announced for the November 20 event, but promotion President Dana White said that all Fight Nights will be staying at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV.

So far, the November 20 card looks like this.

• Cody Durden vs. Aoriqileng
• Alexa Grasso vs. Joanne
• Cheyanne Buys vs. Loma Lookboonmee

The post Cheyanne Buys vs. Loma Lookboonmee Set For November 20 UFC Event appeared first on Cageside Press.

Sean Strickland

After his win over Uriah Hall, Strickland will likely jump Hall in the rankings and be looking to fight one of the top guys in the division. Darren Till will be fighting Derek Brunson in about a month. The winner of that fight would be a great test for Strickland. Till would be able to test Strickland’s ability to fight a power striker that has a size advantage over him. While Brunson would be able to test just how good Strickland’s takedown defense is.

Strickland’s next fight: Winner of Brunson-Till

Cheyanne Buys

Buys expressed her financial situation after her knockout win this past Saturday. She said that she is broke and winning the performance bonus will help her significantly. With that being said she will likely be looking to jump back into the octagon as soon as possible. Na Liang would be a perfect opponent for Buys’ next fight. Liang lost her UFC debut back in April at UFC 261. She has a lot of experience with a professional record of 15-5. That give Buys a chance to test her skills against a veteran of the sport.

Buys’ next fight: Na Liang 

Jared Gooden

Jared Gooden knocked out Niklas Stolze in the first round of their bout at UFC Vegas 33. This win makes Gooden 1-2 in the UFC. A win against Stolze is extremely impressive but he still shouldn’t try to overshoot his next opponent. His next opponent should be someone like himself on the rise in the UFC. Although Micky Gall has fought almost all of his professional fights in the UFC, he still only has 10 professional fights. Gall is coming off a knockout win over Jordan Williams a few weeks ago. Gall has also made a good name for himself in the UFC because of his fights with CM Punk and Diego Sanchez. Beating a guy like Gall would help Gooden’s UFC career take off in the right direction.

Gooden’s next fight: Micky Gall 

Melsik Baghdasaryan

Melski Baghdasaryan defeated Collin Anglin in the second round of his UFC debut this past Saturday. Five of his six professional wins are by knockout and his only loss is by submission. The UFC should probably put him up against a grappler in his next fight to see how good this kid really is. Mike Grundy would be the best man for the job. Grundy is 1-2 in the UFC but eight of his 12 wins are by submission. Grundy is known as a great wrestler as well. Making him the perfect test for Baghdasaryan in his next fight.

Baghdasaryan’s next fight: Mike Grundy 

Jason Witt

Jason Witt won a decision over Bryan Barberena in the fight of the night at UFC Vegas 33. This win brings him to 2-2 in the UFC and he will be looking to keep his winning ways going in his next bout. Claudio Silva is 5-2 in the UFC and even has a win over Leon Edwards. Unfortunately, he is on a two fight losing streak and needs a win badly in his next fight. Silva has nine submission wins and has never been finished in his professional career. Witt has eight submission wins on his record but he has been finished in all seven of his professional losses. Witt would be able to prove just how good his jiujitsu is with a win over Silva.

Witt’s next fight: Claudio Silva 

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