Grant, coming off a win over Ramon Taveras, was running into Blackshear while he was on a streak, having won three straight.

Blackshear went after a takedown early, landing it, and while Grant would make it back up, Blackshear would land a second one a short time later. At that point, the owner of a rare Twister submission in the UFC was able to take the back, hooks in. With 90 seconds still in the clock, Blackshear went after the rear-naked choke, more of a crank at that point. Grant fought it off, but Blackshear still had over a minute to work.

Round two played out more on the feet, giving Grant a chance to win back some minutes. As the round progressed, he began to put on the pressure, attacking at angles, mixing in kicks, and threatening with his power shots. Blackshear’s output was minimal, and he saw a takedown attempt stuffed with about 90 seconds left. After that, Davey Grant got his hands going again, though Blackshear would walk him down for a bit. Still, Grant was out-landing Blackshear and had more behind his shots.

The third round picked up where the second had left off. Playing out on the feet, with Grant having more in the striking department. When Blackshear committed to a takedown near the halfway mark, he came close, but Grant showed he was no slouch in the takedown defense department, sprawled, and stuffed it. From there, Grant let his hands go, firing lefts and rights as Blackshear covered up alongside the cage. Grant was showing a trail of blood from one shin, either from checking a kick or landing one, but his mobility didn’t seem hampered.

After a strong start by Blackshear, 39-year old Davey Grant stormed back, securing the unanimous decision after 15 minutes.

Official Result: Davey Grant def. Da’Mon Blackshear by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

The post UFC Abu Dhabi: Davey Grant Overcomes Slow Start, Beats Da’Mon Blackshear appeared first on Cageside Press.

“The Mongolian Knight” Alatengheili was coming off a win over Kleydson Rodrigues, while Blackshear, owner of a rare Twister submission under the UFC banner, had won two straight against Cody Stamann and Cody Gibson.

In the opening moments of the contest Alatengheili pushed forward, while Blackshear fought off the back foot routinely threatening inside leg kicks. Alatengheli was having trouble getting inside on Blackshear, as he was giving up many inches in height and reach. Blackshear showed a good jab that snapped the head back of Alatengheli midway through the round.

Now pressing the pace, Blackshear landed a damaging straight right hand followed by a leg kick moments later. With under a minute in round one Blackshear had more than twice the amount of strikes landed then his opponent. In the final moments Alatengheili landed a glancing overhand right that partially connected. After the first five minutes Blackshear was ahead 10-9.

Round two started with Blackshear throwing multiple crisp combinations to the body with good punches upstairs, landing kicks at the end. Alatengheili is as tough as the come however and kept coming forward into the attacks of Blackshear, looking to time a big right hand. Damon was showing many threating techniques on the feet that we hadn’t seen from him before. A solid kick to the body and a right hand from Blackshear solidified the round for him in the final moments.

Needing a finish in the final round, Alatengheili needed to do something spectacular to turn the fight in his favor. With three and a half minutes left Alatengheili started to empty the gas tank and throw multiple big shots at the head of Blackshear. Damon answered back with a few fast jabs and a leg kick that scored points. At the two minute mark Blackshear had official passed his previous career high in significant strikes landed with over one hundred. Going for broke in the final thirty seconds Alatengheili threw hooks to the head of Blackshear looking to end the fight. He could not land clean enough as the final horn sounded, ending the contest.

The judges scored this fight in favor of Blackshear (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) as the veteran picked up a unanimous decision victory. This was Blackshear’s third victory in a row, with the UFC broadcast team calling for him to face ranked competition in his next fight.

Official Result: Da’Mon Blackshear def. Alatengheili by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

The post UFC Kansas City: Da’Mon Blackshear Claims Decision Win over Alatengheili appeared first on Cageside Press.

Roman Dolidze

After Merab Dvalishvili upset Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 and Ilia Topuria’s brother Aleksandre was successful in his UFC debut, Georgia had been garnering some momentum. The country was now looking to Roman Dolidze to keep the streak going in this main event. It wasn’t without adversity, but the Georgian got his hand raised after winning a unanimous decision and got his revenge on “The Italian Dream”.

Winner of now three consecutive fights, Dolidze called out former champions Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker. Personally, I doubt he gets either of these names. Yes, he has won three straights, but it isn’t exactly the sexiest three-fight stretch. The first of those wins came at light-heavyweight against an Anthony Smith on the brink of retirement. The next one was against a blown-up welterweight in Kevin Holland and the fight ended due to an injury. This was a nice win, but Dolidze will need to do more in order to force the UFC’s hand and get a top5 matchup.

Jared Cannonier is ranked inside the top 10 and is coming off a nice rebound victory over Gregory Rodrigues. He’s in a similar boat as Dolidze in terms of title aspirations and it’s a winnable fight for both men that could realistically headline another Apex show.

Dolidze’s next fight: Jared Cannonier

Chidi Njokuani

This is now three straight victories for Njokuani since dropping to welterweight, though it should be noted he weighed-in 1.2 pounds over the limit for UFC Vegas 104. This was the best opponent he’s faced in his new division, and he became only the second man to ever finish Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos via strikes. Under normal circumstances, Njokuani could justifiably call out a ranked opponent, but the weight miss will hold him back.

If he is to fight one more time before looking at the rankings, I think Punahele Soriano makes perfect sense for him. Soriano is another former middleweight who’s undefeated (2-0) since making the cut to 170. He also fought in January so the timing should align for them to face off early this summer.

Njokuani’s next fight: Punahele Soriano

Alexander Hernandez

This is the first time Hernandez has won back-to-back fights since coming into the UFC and defeating Beneil Dariush and Olivier Aubin-Mercier back in 2018. He’s been juggling wins and losses ever since, but he has actually won his last three fights at lightweight. His more recent losses came as a result of an unsuccessful stint at featherweight.

At 32 years of age, if the once highly touted Hernandez was ever to put it all together, now would be the time. I think a fight with against with someone like Myktybek Orolbai would tell us a lot. Orolbai is a young prospect who dropped his last fight, but his stock seems to still be quite high. This would represent a very respectable win for either man.

Hernandez’s next fight: Myktybek Orolbai

Da’Mon Blackshear

The 30-year-old might be 4-3-1 in the UFC, but that is a deceiving record. His draw came in his short-notice debut against the now ranked featherweight Youssef Zalal. His losses came to undefeated Farid Basharat and extreme short-notice bouts against Mario Bautista and Montel Jackson, both of whom are ranked. Also, all his win have come via finish, which includes one of the very few twister submissions in the promotion’s history.

For those reasons, I think Blackshear is closer to a ranked opponent than most might believe. After getting the kimura finish on the veteran Cody Gibson, I think Blackshear deserves a fight against another streaking bantamweight. Brady Hiestand has gone unbeaten (3-0) since losing a narrow decision in the 2021 TUF Finale. With both fighters on a similar trajectory, this fight would serve as a form of number 1 contender fight for who gets a ranked opponent next.

Blackshear’s next fight: Brady Hiestand

Brendson Ribeiro

Ribeiro scored the upset win over the undefeated Diyar Nurgozhay who came in heavy both in weight and as a betting favourite. This was by far his best showing since his win on the Contender Series.

Ribeiro now finds himself on a win streak, but even considering the division’s shallowness, I doubt he’s looking at anything other than a similar matchup in his next outing. Nurgozhay might still have a promising future, but a reset is in order. Ibo Aslan was also looking promising, but he lost his last fight. Let’s see if Aslan can pass the test Nurgozhay couldn’t.

Ribeiro’s next fight: Ibo Aslan

Kevin Vallejos

It’s not often a prospect shows this much promise this early. Vallejos is incredibly young, and he just dispatched a legitimate opponent with real UFC experience in SeungWoo Choi in the very first round of their fight at UFC Vegas 104. At just 23 years old, there is no reason to rush him towards the top. But it’s hard not to salivate at the thought when you remember he gave Jean Silva hell in his first Contender Series fight back when he was just 21.

A that age, I do believe gaining experience and cage time goes a long way. He should be matchmade for appropriately in terms of level of competition while fighting as often as possible. Having won in just 3:09, there’s no reason to think May 10^th is a date that would be off the table for him. That is the date for UFC 315 in Montreal. Gavin Tucker is a Canadian fighter that could be fighting on that card and represents the level of fighter Vallejos should be looking at right now. Let’s put a prospect of that calibre in front of a crowd!

Vallejos’ next fight: Gavin Tucker

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 104 Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

Blackshear’s last two fights had resulted in post-fight bonuses, while Gibson had won his last two, sans bonuses.

Gibson started out on fire threatening a takedown attempt while landing solid shots in the clinch. Gibson landed a big right hand over the top that forced Blackshear to cover up. After eating multiple punches to the body Blackshear was able to defend against a takedown near the fence. Blackshear worked back to the center of the octagon as both fighters landed low leg kicks. Gibson crashed forward looking for a takedown but Blackshear was threatening a guillotine choke. Blackshear reversed position and ended up in top control. After a slow start to the round, Blackshear looked tremendous with his submission attempts near the end of the opening five minutes. Round one was highly competitive, with wild grappling exchanges and fast pace action on the feet.

In the second, Blackshear pressed forward and landed a jab and kick to the body. Gibson tried to get the fight in the clinch and landed an elbow on the break. Two left hooks from Gibson got the attention of Blackshear on the inside. Gibson was doing his best work from the clinch landing a few shots to the head before securing a takedown. Blackshear again reversed position and ended up on top with three minutes left in the round. In complete control on the ground, Blackshear had a significant advantage in his jiu-jitsu game. Working to the crucifix position, Blackshear landed damaging elbows before grabbing the arm of Cody Gibson. Damon secured a Kimura on the ground and cranked the arm of Gibson forcing a tap out. The Kill Cliff FC product earned his 11th career win by submission, winning his second fight in the a row.

In his post fight interview with Michael Bisping, Blackshear said the he knew he would have a grappling advantage in the fight and was not surprised how the fight transpired. He did not specify on who he wants to face next, but the bantamweight division is stacked with potentially entertaining matchups for Blackshear on the horizon.

Official Result: Da’Mon Blackshear def. Cody Gibson by submission (kimura), Round 2, 4:09

The post UFC Vegas 104: Da’Mon Blackshear Taps Cody Gibson with Kimura appeared first on Cageside Press.

The 100th Apex show since the onset of the coronavirus lacked star power put delivered finish after finish, eight in all when the final curtain had dropped. Which led to four Performance of the Night bonuses being awarded in Saturday, in lieu of a Fight of the Night.

Headliner Carlos Prates led the way, securing his fourth knockout in four UFC fights, this time against Neil Magny. Magny, the UFC’s welterweight wins leader, face-planted in the opening round care of a Prates punch that appeared to just graze him. Even the partial connection was enough to drop the 37-year old, while Prates can likely look ahead to landing in the divisional rankings with the win.

He can also look forward to $50,000 U.S. in bonus money. Charles Radtke, Da’Mon Blackshear, and the debuting Mansur Abdul-Malik also took home Performance bonuses on Saturday. Abdul-Malik, a Contender Series alum, put away Dusko Todorovic with a well-placed knee and follow-up strikes to make his promotional debut a memorable one.

Charles Radtke earned a TKO finish at UFC Vegas 100, while Da’Mon Blackshear was rewarded for a tight rear-naked choke submission of Matthew Semelsberger.

The post Four Performance Bonuses Awarded at Finish Filled UFC Vegas 100 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Both fighters entered on two-fight skids, with Stamann on the final fight of his UFC deal.

A key question to this matchup was how Blackshear would use his 4-inch height and 7.5-inch reach advantages. Coming in as a moderate -260 betting favourite, he was expected to make the most out of them.

Round one started with both fighters content to spend the first two minutes in a feeling out process. Blackshear tried to make use of his length with kicks, while Stamann used forward blitzes to close the distance. While both fighters looking to apply forward pressure, they used different weapons to counter said pressure. Stamann focused on counter left hooks, while Blackshear punished Stamann’s blitzes with knees.

Once Blackshear successfully pushed Stamann to the fence, he used a flying knee following by a flurry with his hands to ground him. With Stamann rocked, he tried to shoot a takedown and during the scramble, Blackshear found a mounted guillotine. Stamann impressively managed to survive the guillotine attempt, but Blackshear wasn’t satisfied with keeping mount and grappled his way to Stamann’s back instead. He ultimately locked a rear-naked choke that forced a tap in the last minute of the round.

This spectacular first round finish is exactly what the doctor ordered for Da’Mon Blackshear as he might have been fighting for his job tonight. Stamann almost certainly was, and on an 0-3 skid with losses to Blackshear, Douglas Silva de Andrade and Taylor Lapilus, his time in the company may be at an end.

Official result: Da’Mon Blackshear def. Cody Stamann by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:19

The post Da’Mon Blackshear Makes Emphatic Return to Win Column, Taps Cody Stamann at UFC Vegas 100 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Jackson found himself on a four-fight win streak to start the night, with notable victories over Rani Yahya and Julio Arce during that stretch. Blackshear for his part had won two straight prior to a setback against Mario Bautista last time out.

Montel Jackson lived up to his ‘Quik’ nickname with his performance. The fight started with Blackshear landing a quick leg kick.

Jackson threw a lighting fast jab that landed to the chest and a cross that immediately rendered his opponent unconscious as he crashed to the canvas. Jackson landed a couple strikes on the ground, but the fight was already over. The cross caught Blackshear as he was stepping in and the resulting highlight reel KO had everyone in the arena hyped.

A very cool and collected Jackson took to the mic in the post-fight interview and took the time to callout opponents in the division that had been ducking him. When Paul Felder asked who Montel would like to face next, practically begging the bantamweight to call out a top 15 fighter, Jackson replied calmly stating, “Anybody. It don’t matter- Sign the contract.”

Official Result: Montel Jackson def. Da’Mon Blackshear by KO, Round 1, 0:18 

The post UFC Denver: Montel Jackson Makes “Quik” Work of Da’Mon Blackshear appeared first on Cageside Press.

“Sugar” Sean O’Malley did what many didn’t think he could, knocking out Sterling in just the second round, catapulting himself into superstardom.

Let’s take a look what could be next for Aljamain Sterling and the rest of the losers from the main card.

Aljamain Sterling

Despite “The Funkmaster” losing on Saturday night, there is no doubt he is still one of the best bantamweights ever and currently. Coming into his fight with O’Malley, the 34-year-old openly talked about how he was ‘99% sure’ he would move up to featherweight after this fight, no matter what.

However, in his Octagon interview he admitted that if Sean O’Malley could do that to him, what would the featherweight King, Alexander Volkanovski do to him? Those words could’ve surfaced due to the heightened emotions after just losing the gold belt. But maybe ‘Aljo’ has a point.

The Serra-Longo product has always been big for the 135lb weight class although he has never missed weight before. In my opinion, if he was already thinking about moving up to featherweight, why change your mind now? Either way after Saturday night he would be without the belt. It was always very unlikely that the UFC would allow him to move up whilst keeping his bantamweight strap, and that never actually came up as something he’d do. The notion was always that he would relinquish his title so that his friend/training partner, Merab Dvalishvili could try and win it.

I think Sterling will take a few months to process the loss and to figure out what he truly wants to do next, and I believe he will come to the decision to move up regardless. Unfortunately for him he will have to fight a top ranked opponent before he steps in there with the champion, whoever that may be at the time.

Max Holloway fights this coming weekend and he is someone who is running out of options at 145lbs himself. Why not pair the two up?

Sterling’s Next Fight: Max Holloway

Amanda Lemos

The Brazilian, Lemos, came up short in the biggest fight in her career. Prior to this fight, fans questioned whether she had done enough to have justified getting a title shot, as her last win came against ninth ranked, Marina Rodriguez.

Despite losing a very comprehensive decision, Lemos showed moments of promise in this fight as she looked for sneaky submissions. The most concerning part was that she was utterly dominated in almost every area, for 25 minutes.

Not only that but “Amandinha” is 36-years-old now and another title shot is extremely unlikely for her. A fight that could make sense for the Para native is Virna Jandiroba.

Jandiroba was victorious in her last fight against Marina Rodriguez and is trying to put a title run together of her own. A victory over Lemos could put her very close to competing for gold, and unfortunately for Lemos, seems a very likely option.

Lemos’ Next Fight: Virna Jandiroba 

Neil Magny

After becoming a gatekeeper for the divisions rankings, losing to another prospect isn’t something new to the veteran, Neil Magny.

Ian Garry had previously called out Magny after his win over Daniel Rodriguez, but at that time, Magny was already booked to face Phillip Rowe. “The Haitian Sensation” went on to win that fight and then took the short notice opportunity to fight Garry after Neal pulled out.

During that time, it seemed as though there was a mutual respect from each other, up until Magny said something extremely controversial at the UFC Media Day on Wednesday of fight week. From then Garry’s energy towards Magny changed and it was clear that he wanted Magny to pay for the things he said.

Unfortunately for Magny, Garry exhibited the hunger and drive as the younger fighter and utterly battered him over three rounds. Judge, David Ginsberg, saw that much of a battering that he scored Ian Garry three 10-8 rounds.

Neil Magny is undoubtedly going to remain as a gatekeeper, so the question is, which young hungry contender is next? Michael Morales would be my choice, although that is a very big step-up for the 24-year-old.

Magny’s Next Fight: Michael Morales

Da’Mon Blackshear

Despite losing to Mario Bautista this past weekend, Blackshear loses absolutely no stock. The game bantamweight stepped in on just five days notice after picking up a win last weekend, after Cody Garbrandt pulled out of his fight with Bautista.

The official decision is one that has since been questioned online as a lot of fans believe Blackshear did enough to pick up the win.

After cutting to 135lbs twice in a week, it is likely that Blackshear will take some time off now and recuperate. The UFC may decide to try and re-book him and Hiestand after their scheduled fight was cancelled. I would like to see Blackshear vs Zahabi though.

Blackshear’s Next Fight: Aiemann Zahabi 

Pedro Munhoz

Pedro Munhoz came up short against “Chito” Vera in a fight that was relatively closely contested.

Munhoz, like Magny, has turned into a fighter who is seen as a gatekeeper for his divisions rankings and in Munhoz’s case, the bantamweight top 10. It is unlikely that the Brazilian will compete for a title at this stage, but he definitely still has some fun matchups to be made in the 135lb division.

The fight I’d like to see next for “The Young Punisher” is him against Ricky Simon.

Munhoz’s Next Fight: Ricky Simon

The post What’s Next: UFC 292 Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.

If he could end Mario Bautista’s four-fight winning streak then Da’Mon would break the record Khamzat Chimaev set when he won two fights in ten days in 2020. However Bautista is no pushover, even touted as one of the brightest unranked talents in the stacked bantamweight division, and a win for Mario could earn him a ranked opponent in the near future.

Blackshear pressed forward to start while Bautista looked to evade and pick his shots; he landed a good right hand early on. Blackshear tried to finish a body-lock takedown and spun around Bautista several times but was unable to secure it as Bautista got to the fence to help his balance. However Da’Mon kept at it and after landing a few knees he took down Mario, landing in his full guard. Bautista scrambled to the fence and wall-walked to the feet. Mario grabbed a collar tie on the feet and landed a knee and an elbow with that. Da’Mon shot another takedown with ninety seconds left in the round but Bautista got back up. Blackshear tried to pull him into his lap but was too low and Mario scrambled to top position. However Da’Mon kept trying for a double leg relentlessly. Bautista sat back for a guillotine and it seemed tight at first but by staying calm Blackshear was able to get his head out. Bautista scrambled to his feet after that and the round ended, with Blackshear seemingly out in front.

The second round saw Bautista pushing the pace more after being encouraged by his coach John Crouch. He landed some decent shots early, including a big elbow, and then shot for a double leg. His head was too low however and Da’Mon defended it. They both landed hard elbows in the clinch before separating. Bautista shot again but Da’Mon defended it and pushed Mario to the fence, who then escaped. Bautista targeted the body with punches before shooting again and being stuffed again. Blackshear then shot himself and was denied. Bautista then landed a good overhand right as he turned up the pressure, making Da’Mon uncomfortable. Blackshear shot and got Bautista’s butt to the mat but only for a half-second before Mario scrambled up and cleared the grips. Bautista landed a good knee to the body in the clinch before the round ended.

The fight seemed like it might be tied going into the last round, but only the judges knew for sure what scores they had. Bautista started the round with more pressure, as he did in round two, and landed a clean right hand forty seconds in. Bautista invested in body work as well and got off to a quick lead to start the round. He shot in for a takedown just past one minute but still Blackshear’s TDD held up. They clinched but Bautista used that to land body knees. Finally, about halfway through the round, Bautista landed his first takedown. Blackshear gave up his back to get up but Mario took it with one hook in against the fence. Da’Mon seemed content to simply stay there and be defensive but Mario took his hook out and let Blackshear start to scramble up before landing a big knee to the body. He took the back again with one hook and then got two. Blackshear escaped with forty seconds left in the fight. A right hand by Blackshear caught Bautista off-balance and he stumbled; Da’Mon then went for a takedown but got reversed right before the final bell. Bautista ended the fight by raining down ground strikes on his foe.

After fifteen hard fought minutes it was all in the hands of the judges and could go either way. When Bruce Buffer read the scorecards out it was a unanimous decision in favor of Mario Bautista, with one judge giving him all three rounds while the other judges gave him two of the three. Bautista extended his winning streak to five in the most stacked division in the sport.

Official Result: Mario Bautista def. Da’Mon Blackshear by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

The post UFC 292: Mario Bautista Defeats Short Notice Da’Mon Blackshear in Competitive Decision appeared first on Cageside Press.

“It’s been chill, honestly. I’m ready to get right back in there and scrap,” Blackshear, who earned just the third Twister submission victory in UFC history last weekend, told media outlets including Cageside Press during Wednesday’s UFC 292 media day. “I got into that fight, and I had no damage and I’m ready to go again.”

By stepping up on such short notice, Blackshear finds himself in a win-win situation. “There’s no pressure in this fight whatsoever for me. I’m going in there, I’m going to have fun, but obviously I’m going in there for the win and a dominant performance.”

As for the headlines he expects to read Sunday morning, “Da’Mon makes history. TKO in the first round,” predicted Blackshear.

The turnaround Da’Mon Blackshear is making in this fight is what has stood out since it was first reported. Seven days will tie the modern era record, held by Lupita Godinez. Outside of the single-night tournaments of pre-Zuffa UFC, no one else has competed twice in such a short time span. The next closest is Khamzat Chimaev, who stepped into the octagon twice in 10 days for his first two fights with the promotion in 2020.

The weight cut, however, is not a concern for Blackshear.

“It’s pretty easy. I’m used to it. It’s a difficult cut, but I’m used to it,” he stated. “As long as I’m disciplined, then everything goes smoothly.” Should he win on Saturday, meanwhile, he’ll have a record all to himself: shortest time span between two wins. “It would be incredible,” Blackshear said of that possibility. “Making history every day.”

Could we see another Twister? If it’s there, the bantamweight might just go for it.

“It might be there. If the opportunity presents itself, I’ll definitely get a Twister.”

Watch the full UFC 292 media day appearance by Da’Mon Blackshear above.

The post UFC 292: Da’Mon Blackshear Addresses Attempting to Make History Again This Weekend appeared first on Cageside Press.