Of UFC 327’s 12 bouts, five were on the main card, with three finishes and the retirement WEC and UFC legend, Cub Swanson. Theme for this fight card’s losers, definitely upsets, leaving five guys to find new dance partners for.

Jiri Prochazaka

(#3) Carlos Ulberg flatlined (#2) Jiri Prochazaka with a check hook and follow up ground n’ pound to capture the vacant UFC light heavyweight title on Saturday night in Miami. Jiri practically fumbled at the one-yard line, so to speak, as Carlos suffered a catastrophic knee injury just movements earlier. The New Zeeland based fighter couldn’t even put weight on his leg- a stinging defeat for Jiri.

Best matchup for Jiri here would be to give him the winner of the Jan Blachowicz vs. Bogdan Guskov fight. That bout is scheduled for UFC 328 in May so the timing could work well. Miraculously, Jiri has yet to face former light heavyweight champ, Blachowicz,l or rising contender Bogdan Guskov. Both men are coming off a majority decision draw to each other back in December. This rematch should determine who faces Jiri. Bogdan is riding a four-fight unbeaten streak and is 4-1-1 in the UFC only having lost to (#9) Volkan Oezdemir in 2023.

Jan on the other hand, is in an interesting situation. He’s 1-2-2 since losing his belt to Glover Teixeira back in 2021. Both fighters are obviously at completely different spots in their respective careers, but either could make sense and offer a fresh standup matchup with Prochazaka.

Prochazka’s next fight: (#5) Jan Blachowicz vs. (#8) Bogdan Guskov winner

Azamat Murzakanov

(#NR) Paulo Costa stopped a battered and broken (#6) Azamat Murzakanov in the final round of the pair’s fight in the co main event on Sunday. The loss marks the first defeat of Azmazt now 17-fight professional MMA career as he slips to 6-1 with the UFC.

Best fight for Azamat here, considering he was undefeated headed into this and drew a fighter that wasnt even ranked- Johnny Walker. Johnny lost an uneventful split decision to Dominick Reyes earlier in the night. Azamat could need some time following his defeat as he took a surplus of damaging kicks. However, it could still work, and Walker would benefit from a fight against a fighter that truly pushes the standup action like Murzakanov. This matchup could and should be on the main card of a pay per view card. Winner looking for a top fiveish matchup. Just depends on how fast Azamat is ready to comeback.

Murzakanov’s next fight: (#12) Johnny Walker

Curtis Blaydes

(#NR) Josh Hokit shocked nearly everyone in the arena on Saturday with his victory over (#5) Curtis Blaydes, mic work, and immediate turnaround booking with (#8) Derrick Lewis. But Blaydes might have been the most surprised as Hokit avoided drawn-out grappling exchanges and forced one of the better heavyweight standup wars in recent memory. Terrible loss for Curtis here, even though this was an early potential fight of the year candidate.  Curtis is now 2-3 in his last five fights including his unsuccessful shot at the Interim UFC Heavyweight title in 2024, opposite of Tom Aspinal.

A good matchup for Curtis is to give him the winner of Shamil Gaziev vs. Brandon Pericic. That fight is in May so of course, considering how much damage Blaydes took, timing may not line up. But being extremely optimistic here. Gaziev is a 2023 Contender Series veteran that would be 4-2 in the UFC with a victory over Brandon. Shamil is currently coming off a first round stoppage loss to (#4) Waldo Cortes Acosta who also stopped Derrick Lewis in his most recent bout. So that would keep Curtis still in the loop and on track for a potential rematch with Hokit down the line.

Pericic, the other option here, is 6-1 as a pro and 2-0 in the UFC with two first round finishes. Those came against Elisha Ellison and Louie Sutherland. So, Brando would be in a similar position as Hokit headed into UFC 327. Main card of pay per view type of fight, with the winner drawing a descending top 4-8 fighter.

Blaydes’s next fight: (#13) Shamil Gaziev vs. (#NR) Brandon Pericic winner

Johnny Walker

(#10) Dominick Reyes edged out (#12) Johnny Walker in a very bland split decision that saw little output from either fighter. The 2018 Contender Series alum now falls to 8-7 with the UFC and has dropped three of his last four bouts.

Walker should take on Azamat Murzakanov as the fight has huge upside for both guys. However, a decent backup for Walker, if Murzakanov is on the shelf for a while would be Julius Walker vs Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev winner. That fight is scheduled for late June.  Julius would be 2-2 in the UFC if he got the win against Abdul. Currently, his most recent fight was a second round TKO loss to (#14) Dustin Jacoby. Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev is a 2025 Contender Series alum that is 2-0 in the UFC. He finished his Contender Series opponent and both guys that he’s faced in the UFC inside of the first round. He’d be 3-0 facing Walker and looking for a ranking. This fight could be on the main card or a co main event of a fight night card.

Walker’s next fight: (#6) Azamat Murzakanov or Julius Walker vs. Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev 

Nate Landwehr

Cub Swanson had the perfect retirement fight as he delivered a clean combination to score a TKO victory over Nate Landwehr in the first round of the UFC 327 main card opener on Saturday. Landwehr now falls below .500 in the UFC, as he’s now 5-6. Nate’s also on a 3-fight skid and has dropped four of his last five, so he’s really struggling.

Straying from a pick on a previous edition of losers matchmaker here, best fight for Landwehr would be to give him Patricio Pitbull. Patrico just fought in the feature prelim of UFC 327 and lost to Aaron Pico via unanimous decision. He’s 38 years old while Landwehr is 37. Similar recovery times even though Nate was stopped. Pitbull is 1-2 since coming over to the UFC from Bellator where he was a former champion. His only win is opposite of Dan Ige who has also fought Landwehr, though Nate lost a unanimous decision.

This would be a true base level litmus test for Patricio and could do some heavy lifting for Nate. Timing would line up great for these guys and it’s a guaranteed good scrap. Could land anywhere, from a co main event of a fight night card to main card of a weaker pay per view potentially. Fight of the Night potential.

Landwehr’s next fight: Patricio Pitbull

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Hokit, who improved to 9-0 with a win over Curtis Blaydes, picked up both Fight of the Night, shared with Blaydes, and Performance of the Night bonuses at the Kaseya Center in Miami.

The fight with Blaydes was a war right out of the gate. Setting a record for significant strikes at heavyweight, the bout was quickly compared to Bigfoot Silva vs. Mark Hunt, and is already being called a Fight of the Year candidate. As well as being called the best heavyweight fight of all time.

Hokit’s win is a huge feather in his cap after he spent Fight Week playing a host of cringe-worthy pro wrestling-style personas. Anything but a win was going to be disaster for his career. Instead, he’s now booked into a fight with Derrick Lewis at the White House in June. He’s also $200,000 richer.

Aside from Hokit and Blaydes, Carlos Ulberg picked up bonus money at UFC 327. Blowing out his knee early in the main event, the City Kickboxing star was still able to put away Jiri Prochazka with a check left hook in the main event. That was enough for a Performance of the Night award.

Both Blaydes and Ulberg take home $100,000 U.S. Vicente Luque, Cub Swanson, and Paulo Costa all earn $25,000 for their respective finishes on the night, which saw a gate of $7 million U.S. at the Kaseya Center, with attendance of 17,741 announced by UFC CEO and President Dana White.

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Blaydes (19-5) for the most part refused to engage with Hokit’s multitude of characters from fight week and the way through the ceremonial weigh-ins. He has been one of the most consistent heavyweights in the UFC for years, with wins over top competition and a reputation built on dominant wrestling and ground control.

Blaydes also carries real power, but it’s his ability to dictate where the fight takes place that separates him. It’s a tool he’ll look to use against Hokit on Saturday night.

Hokit’s (8-0) impressive start to his UFC career has taken on a different light with the heavyweight playing different characters for the cameras. At media day he grabbed the microphone, spoke as different characters, and then put the mic down and left.

Antics aside he’s one of the more intriguing new names in the heavyweight division. He’s finished every opponent he’s faced, including two quick stoppages to begin his UFC run. Hokit’s very unpredictable, and while he’s undefeated he’s also untested. Blaydes will be a very big jump in caliber of opponent on Saturday night.

Round 1 – Hokit tried to get under Blaydes’ skin during the fighter introductions and carried that energy into the opening moments of the fight.

Round 3 – Blaydes came out aggressively, landing early on Hokit, who appeared to bait him by feigning damage to draw an attack. Blaydes shot in for a takedown but couldn’t bring him down.

Hokit’s hand speed remained a major factor, as he continued to fire sharp, fast combinations. The two heavyweights traded relentlessly in what quickly became one of the wildest fights you’ll see.

With just over two minutes remaining, Blaydes began to slow, but he refused to back down. Both men continued exchanging heavy shots, each strike drawing a reaction from the crowd as it seemed like it could end the fight at any moment.

Blaydes slipped shots and fired back in bursts, but Hokit still had enough in the tank to answer with precise flurries.

Blaydes would land a combination, and Hokit would respond in kind, neither willing to give ground.

In the final 10 seconds, both fighters emptied the tank, throwing everything they had until the horn sounded.

Official Result: Josh Hokit def. Curtis Blaydes via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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“He just wants the clips. I’ve seen the one he did with Jiri. He just wants people to see like ‘oh look, he’s talking sh*t to Jiri.’ Because Jiri’s a professional. He’s not going to beat the sh*t out of you in the hotel lobby. Neither will I, because we’re going to do it this weekend,” Blaydes (19-5, 1NC) explained during Wednesday’s media day, speaking with reporters including Cageside Press. “So engaging with him right now, any day besides this weekend, waste of time.”

Hokit did attempt to spark a confrontation with Jiri Prochazka on Wednesday. He spent the entirety of his own media day session performing a pro wrestling style promo, then transitioning into a racially fueled, stereotypical Mexican character. He’s also seeing a t-shirt featuring the phrase “N Word, Please” emblazoned on it.

Curtis Blaydes is not amused by Josh Hokit's schtick leading into their fight at #UFC327

🎥: @patdannamma pic.twitter.com/YjcWqEHX6U

— Cageside Press (@Cagesidepress) April 8, 2026

“Yes I’ve seen the shirt that he’s selling. I think, oh goodness. He’s a piece of work,” an exasperated Blaydes opined.

To Blaydes, Hokit is doing his own version of Colby Covington. The only difference, in Blaydes opinion, is that Covington is actually a good fighter.

“He’s doing the Colby Covington. I’ll give it to Colby, he was actually good, he’s actually a really good wrestler. He got better with the hands, he’s actually good. I don’t agree with him acting like that either, but at least with him, he has something to stand on. Hokit, he knows he’s not going to get paid off his actual skill in the octagon. He’s like ‘okay I’m going to be a personality. I’m going to just be the guy that when you interview me, I say random sh*t.'”

In the end, it’s just not something that Blaydes appears to appreciate on any level. “I guess if you want to be in that niche, that’s your niche, but it’s not my thing. I’m not going to engage in it.”

Watch the full UFC 327 media day appearance by Curtis Blaydes above.

The post Curtis Blaydes Not Engaging with Josh Hokit’s Antics Ahead of UFC 327 appeared first on Cageside Press.

On Tuesday, the promotion announced five big fights for the UFC 327 card in Miami, Florida, which takes place on April 11, 2026 at the aforementioned venue.

Among them, Curtis Blaydes will face a relative newcomer in Josh Hokit at heavyweight, while Vicente Luque takes on the recently returned Kyle Daukaus at middleweight. That’s a move up in weight for Brazil’s Luque, who has long been a mainstay of the 170lb division.

Kevin Holland vs. Randy Brown at welterweight, Johnny Walker vs. Dominick Reyes at light heavyweight, and Azamat Murzakanov vs. Paulo Costa at middleweight were also officially announced by UFC officials on Tuesday.

Aside from the Luque move, heads are being turned by Hokit’s quick rise up the UFC ranks. A former football player, Hokit won his way into the UFC in 2025 on the Contender Series, and has picked up two victories, and two Performance of the Night bonuses since his arrival. At 8-0 overall, Hokit is unbeaten but is getting a massive step up in competition against Blaydes, who is ranked #4 in the weight class (Hokit is yet to see a number next to his name).

“The Incredible Hok,” however, has been busy with self-promotion Chael P. Sonnen style, pulling off some memorable, if controversial, pro wrestling style post-fight interviews.

While UFC President and CEO previously said “I don’t love it” of Hokit’s style, he’s getting quite the promotion at UFC 327.

UFC 327 also features a Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira flyweight title fight, though a second championship match-up yet to be announced is likely to join the card.

The post Five Big Fights Added to UFC 327 in Miami appeared first on Cageside Press.

Khalil Rountree Jr.

Khalil Rountree Jr. said he unlocked newfound confidence in himself after his admirable showing in his title fight against Alex Pereira last fall. As he was facing another former champion in Jamahal Hill, Khalil put on a striking clinic, earning a wide unanimous decision. He destroyed Hill’s base with leg kicks, which took away Hill’s ability to generate power. Once the danger coming back was lessened, Khalil then started firing combinations up top and knocked Hill down multiple times on his way to the best win of his career.

After he defeated Jan Blachowicz in March, I thought Carlos Ulberg was almost guaranteed to face Jiri Prochazka next. But we are now in June and nothing has been announced on that front. This is a case where fighting styles might determine which direction the promotion goes. Ulberg’s more point-fighting approach could cost him the Prochazka fight since the idea of Prochazka clashing with Rountree Jr.’s style sounds a lot more appealing.

Rountree Jr.’s next fight: Jiri Prochazka

Rafael Fiziev

He had to wait a long time, but “Ataman” finally got his hand raised again. Only three months removed from his war with Justin Gaethje in March, Fiziev this time had to deal with the surging youngster Ignacio Bahamondes in the UFC Baku co-main event. Despite the gigantic height and reach disadvantages, Fiziev earned 30-27s on all three scorecards.

A Mateusz Gamrot rematch or a fight with Benoit Saint Denis are both fine options, but I’m more intrigued in Gamrot fighting the Frenchman. Dan Hooker is also a very fun option, but I still think there’s a chance they simply re-book the Gaethje fight. I believe Fiziev’s next opponent will come from this from upcoming weekend’s fight between Beneil Dariush and Renato Moicano. Fiziev is in a good spot to face the winner of that bout.

Fiziev’s next fight: Dariush/Moicano winner

Curtis Blaydes

This fight was originally scheduled for February, but after multiple delays, Curtis Blaydes and Rizvan Kuniev finally faced off inside the octagon this weekend. Blaydes did get back in the win column, but he didn’t exactly do it via an awe-inspiring performance. He got teed off on on multiple occasions during the fight and narrowly escaped with a split decision. Bouncing back after his quick KO loss to Tom Aspinall last summer was key, but Blaydes will need a better showing than this if he wants to insert himself back in the title picture. Fellow veteran of the game Marcin Tybura is ranked only three spots below Blaydes and has won back-to-back fights. He seems like a prime candidate to face him next.

Blaydes’ next fight: Marcin Tybura

Myktybek Orolbai

The 27-year-old prospect earned a nice submission victory over a very well-respected veteran in Tofiq Musayev, in the latter’s promotional debut at UFC Baku. He might have been making his promotional debut, but hardcore fans know how good Musayev is, so this makes Orolbai’s win all the more impressive coming off his war with Mateusz Rebecki last October.

Orolbai’s previous fight was at a catchweight of 160 lbs, this one was at 165 lbs. He did make the lightweight limit against Elves Brener, but back-to-back catchweight fights tells me it would probably be preferable for Orolbai to simply make the move to welterweight. There are a lot of feasible opponents for him at 170, but I went with Ramiz Brahimaj who is coming off a nasty guillotine choke finish of Billy Ray Goff last month.

Orolbai’s next fight: Ramiz Brahimaj

Nazim Sadykhov

Nazim Sadykhov got his second knockout win of 2025, this one over Nikolas Motta. From veterans like Nasrat Haqparast or Chris Padilla, to younger names like Charlie Campbell and Tom Nolan, the lightweight division isn’t lacking in names that “Black Wolf” could face. I landed on Manuel Torres, in part because I believe the timing could work for the Noche card in September. It’s also a matchup that would guarantee fireworks and would tell us a lot about which prospect to move up the ladder.

Sadykhov’s next fight: Manuel Torres

Muhammad Naimov

Naimov earned 29-28s across the board at UFC Baku to win his second consecutive fight since being upset by the then debuting Felipe Lima a year ago. Now 5-1 in the UFC, the fighter from Tajikistan seems just a couple good performances away from a shot at the rankings. A fighter in a similar position, who is also on a two-fight win streak, is the young Brazilian Gabriel Santos. Since dropping his first two fights to ranked contenders Lerone Murphy and David Onama, Santos has put on encouraging showings in the following two outings. This matchup would determine who gets to inch closer to a ranked name.

Naimov’s next fight: Gabriel Santos

The post What’s Next: UFC Baku Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

That’s exactly the kind of opponent Kuniev, a Dagestani standout with two wins on the Contender Series, had been asking for. Kuniev had even earned a win over PFL star Renan Ferreira, until it was overturned when he failed a drug test.

Blaydes wasted no time, shooting in for a powerful double leg and securing the early takedown to kick off his UFC Baku main card fight. Kuniev quickly scrambled back to his feet, but Blaydes maintained control with a strong body lock against the cage. There wasn’t much offense, but Blaydes racked up significant control time. Kuniev struggled to break free, as each of his attempts to move was matched step-for-step by Blaydes. Eventually, Kuniev managed to create separation, though he appeared wary of another takedown. In the final moments of the round, Kuniev began to inch forward behind his punches while Blaydes moved his head defensively and shot for a single leg just before the horn.

Round two opened with Blaydes shooting again, but Kuniev shrugged it off. Blaydes looked to capitalize on Kuniev’s leg kicks with reactive shots, but couldn’t convert. Kuniev started to find his rhythm, doubling up the jab and landing a clean straight right. That was easily the most significant strike of the fight to that point. He looked like the more polished striker at range, while Blaydes was upright, predictable, and not showing much in the way of feints. Though Blaydes eventually timed a couple of decent entries, his attempts at takedowns were stuffed. Kuniev looked settled and confident, defending everything well and beginning to mark up Blaydes’ face with sharp strikes.

Entering round three, the fight appeared even at one round apiece. Early on, Kuniev timed a well-placed knee as Blaydes came forward. Blaydes, clearly frustrated and getting picked apart on the feet, became more desperate in his pursuit of a takedown. But even when he got deep on Kuniev’s legs, he couldn’t finish. Kuniev remained upright, defended cleanly, and continued landing the more effective shots down the stretch.

Come the scorecards, it was a split decision, and the eighth decision of the card to that point.

Official Result: Curtis Blaydes def. Rizvan Kuniev by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

The post UFC Baku: Curtis Blaydes Takes Razor-Thin Decision Over Debuting Rizvan Kuniev appeared first on Cageside Press.

He knows this fight does nothing for him other than get him a win and a check.

“This fight doesn’t help me at all. This guy’s unranked. I could knock him out with a flying knee. Doesn’t matter,” Blaydes told reporters on Wednesday.

“He’s a heavyweight. All heavyweights are a threat. That’s difference between heavyweight and all the other weight classes. You don’t have to be the most skilled, or the most explosive, or the most anything. Just swing. If you hit sometimes guys go to sleep.”

“I dont have an issue with him being unranked because it doesn’t affect my money. If I got paid less money to fight an unranked person I wouldn’t agree, but the money’s the same. I’ll take the money.”

Title talk always leads back to current heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Jones has been in the headlines and seemingly a thorn in the UFC’s side by playing a game of ‘will he, won’t he’ when it comes to defending the title. Blaydes sees the situation way simpler than most.

Fight, or vacate. That’s it.

“Him having a belt and refusing to fight (Tom) Aspinall it just halts the division. It makes it impossible for any of us to have any future projections. We need to get to the bottom of that,” he said.

“My answer: you strip him. It’s not that hard. Been done a bunch of times before. You strip him and if that pisses them off maybe that’ll get them the fight. If not he just retires. Which is alright also. He’s the GOAT. He doesn’t have to fight, but if he wants to hold on to that belt, he needs to fight.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Curtis Blaydes above. He takes on Rizvan Kuniev at UFC Baku on Saturday.

The post Curtis Blaydes On Jon Jones: “Strip him. It’s not that hard.” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Promotion officials announced on Saturday afternoon, just hours out from the card kicking off, that heavyweight Blaydes was out of his featured prelim fight with Rizvan Kuniev due to illness. The bout is the second scratched on Saturday, following Chris Gutierrez vs. John Castaneda falling through.

“Due to illness with heavyweight Curtis Blaydes and featherweight John Castaneda, their bouts have been canceled from tonight’s event,” a modified statement on the UFC’s official website reads.

The nature of Blaydes’ ailment has not been disclosed.

The UFC 313 fight card had held together on Friday, with not a single fighter missing weight at the event’s official weigh-in. Saturday has clearly been a different story.

Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev had previously been scheduled for UFC Seattle two weeks ago. After being shifted to UFC 313, it’s now off entirely.

UFC 313 takes place on Saturday, March 8, 2025 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The line-up now breaks down as follows:

• Alex Pereira (c) vs. Magomed Ankalaev – for the UFC light heavyweight championship
• Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev
• Jalin Turner vs. Ignacio Bahamondes
• Amanda Lemos vs. Iasmin Lucindo
• King Green vs. Maurício Ruffy
• Joshua Van vs. Rei Tsuruya
• Brunno Ferreira vs. Armen Petrosyan
• Alex Morono vs. Carlos Leal
• Mairon Santos vs. Francis Marshall
• Djorden Ribeiro dos Santos vs. Osman Diaz

The post Curtis Blaydes Out of UFC 313 Featured Prelim, Fight Cancelled appeared first on Cageside Press.

Leon Edwards

Leon Edwards lost a five round unanimous decision to Belal Muhammad in the main event of UFC 304. Edwards was on a mythical 13-fight unbeaten streak heading into the title bout, including two successful title defenses. (Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman)

Edwards should fight Ian Machado Garry in his next fight. Although Jack Della Maddalena is ranked slightly higher at #5 compared to Garry’s #7 ranking and would make sense. A fight with Ian makes even more sense. Garry has defeated bigger names with his last four wins being over: Daniel Rodriguez, Neil Magny, Geoff Neal and most recently, Michael Page. Although Garry has been vocal with his callouts of Colby Covington in the past, surely, he could change around his plans for the former UFC welterweight champion.

Leon’s next fight: Ian Machado Garry

Curtis Blaydes

Curtis Blaydes was quickly dropped and finished by interim UFC heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall on Saturday. The co-main event of UFC 304 was over in exactly a minute as Curtis, who entered the fight as the #4 ranked UFC heavyweight, was sent back to the drawing board.

Blaydes has now lost two of his last three fights since defeating Aspinall in the pair’s first fight, back in July of 2022.

The top of the UFC’s heavyweight division is small and crowded. To avoid a rematch with Pavlovich (Who Curtis just fought in 2023), Curtis should fight the winner of Spivac vs. Tybura II. That fight is scheduled to be the main event of a fight card on August 10th. Curtis has not fought either fighter and both Tybura and Spivac have lost to Aspinall.  Tybura is the #8 ranked UFC heavyweight while Spivac is ranked at #9. So Curtis getting the winner of the fight the main event on August 10th makes sense as a ‘rebuilding’ type fight.

Curtis’ next fight: Serghei Spivac vs. Marcin Tybura II winner

King Green

King Green (formerly Bobby Green) was submitted in the first round of his fight against Paddy Pimblett in the people’s main event of UFC 304. Green has now lost two of his last four fights. He’s also been one half of the co-main or main event in two of his last four fights.

King entered the fight ranked as the #15 lightweight even after being with the UFC for over 11 years now.

Green has fought a lot of guys. Avoiding a pointless rematch, a good fight for King Green at this point in his career would be a fight against the winner of Matt Frevola vs. Fares Ziam. That fight is scheduled for September 28. Both men have won three of their last four fights. The winner could be just an impressive win away from a ranking and a name like Bobby could get them there. Or vice versa and Bobby could get right back in the mix at nearly 38-years-old by taking one of these guys out.

Bobby’s next fight:

Christian Leroy Duncan

Christian Leroy Duncan lost a bloody unanimous decision at the hands of Greogry Rodrigues on Saturday. Duncan has now lost two of his last four fights since stopping Dusko Todorovic in his UFC debut last March. His wins are a pair of second round stoppages against Denis Tiuliulin and Claudio Ribeiro.

Duncan’s next fight should be opposite of Brad Tavares. The veteran Tavares has been in the UFC for 14 years now. Plus, Tavares has amassed a record of 15-9 with the promotion. Tavares has lost three of his last four. The win being against former UFC middleweight champion, Chris Weidman, last August. His last time in the octagon was also against Greogry Rodrigues, but he was finished early in the third round. Tavares was supposed to fight Jun Yong Park recently (July 20th), but Park was not medically cleared after weigh ins.

Christian’s next fight: Brad Tavares

Giga Chikadze

Giga Chikadze lost a unanimous decision to Arnold Allen in the main card opener of UFC 304. Chikadze entered the fight as the #10 UFC featherweight while his opponent was ranked at #6. Chikadze has now lost two of his last three fights dating back to his first UFC main event against Edson Barboza in August of 2022.

Bryce Mitchell should be the next fight for Chikadze. #13 ranked UFC featherweight, Bryce Mitchell, has also lost two of his last three fights. However, unlike Giga, Bryce was finished in both losses. Bryce was most recently in action late last year at UFC 296 when he was flatlined by a huge overhand from Josh Emmett in the first round on UFC 296. (Giga was the original opponent for Josh until he tore his groin in training and Mitchell stepped in.)

Giga’s next fight: Bryce Mitchell 

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