Anthony Hernandez

Sean Strickland melted and finished Anthony Hernandez against the cage in the third round of their main event affair to secure a TKO victory Saturday. The loss snapped an eight-fight unbeaten streak dating back six years. The 2018 Contender Series alum now falls to 9-3 under the UFC banner with a loss that truly stings in more ways than one.

Perfect next matchup here for the #4 ranked middleweight is to give him the winner of Reinier de Ridder vs Caio Borralho. That fight goes down in the co main event slot of UFC 326 on March 7th. Both RDR and Caio Borralho are coming off of their first losses with the promotion. (#7) Borralho is 7-1, and lost to Nassourdine Imavov in September, while (#8) RDR is 4-1 and just fell to Brendan Allen in October. Fluffy was even supposed to face RDR instead of Allen in October but a hand injury forced him out of the bout. This could be another main event on a fight night card or on the main card of a pay per view with the winner a fight or two from a title shot.

Hernandez’s next fight: Reinier de Ridder vs Caio Borralho winner

Geoff Neal

Uros Medic took just 79 seconds to flatten Geoff Neal with a left hook and claim a first round victory in the co main event of UFC Houston. Geoff, who entered the fight ranked at #12 in the welterweight division, now falls to 8-6 under the promotional banner. Geoff has now won just one bout in his last five, falling to Shavkat Rakhmonov, Ian Machado Garry, Carlos Prates, and now Medic. Who knows where Neal will fall in the rankings as Medic entered the bout on Saturday unranked.

A good next fight for Neal would be the loser of Myktybek Orolbai vs Chris Curtis. That fight is on March 14th. Curtis, has had one fight since moving down to welterweight, and was once highly ranked at 185lbs. He’s 6-4, 1 NC in the UFC. Orolbai is 4-1 and is just coming off of a massive first round KO over former highly-ranked middleweight fighter, Jack Hermansson, last November. Myktybek also has a second round neck crank victory over Uros Medic in 2023. Great fight to keep Neal right in it with competitive scrappers as he will likely lose his ranking and be looking for a name without one.

Neal’s next fight: Myktybek Orolbai vs. Chris Curtis loser

Dan Ige

Melquizael Costa caught Dan Ige with a perfectly timed spinning back kick before finishing him off with ruthless ground and pound, securing a finish seconds before the end of the first round on Saturday. Dan, who entered the fight ranked at #14 as a featherweight, will now likely slide out of the rankings. Especially taking into consideration that Costa was unranked heading into the fight. Ige now falls to 11-10 with the UFC. It has been a rough stretch for the Hawaiian who has won just one of his last five fights.

For his next fight I like Ige against the loser of (#13) Kevin Vallejos vs. (#11) Josh Emmett. That fight goes down on March 14th, so the timing could potentially work well.  If Ige draws Emmett it’d be a rematch from their December of 2021 fight where Emmett won a decision. If Josh loses he’d have lost four of his last five (just like Ige). Vallejos is 3-0 in the UFC and most recently stopped Giga Chikadze in December (bouncing him from the rankings).

Ige’s next fight: Kevin Vallejos vs. Josh Emmett Loser or Giga Chikadze

Ante Delija

Serghei Spivac turned in a solid performance defeating Ante Delija by unanimous division on Saturday. Spivac entered the fight ranked at #7 in the heavyweight division while Ante sat at #9. Both fighters were coming off of a loss to Waldo Cortes-Acosta, who was just on fire in 2025. Of course, it goes without saying that no one is safe within the UFC’s heavyweight ranks after a loss.

For Ante, I could see a scenario where he is fed to a younger gun. At just 1-2 in the UFC his sole win came via first round finish against Marcin Tybura in his promotional debut in September of last year. Giving him the winner of Steven Asplund vs Vitor Petrino, which goes down on March 14th has potential. Both are very young (27 and 28, respectively) and are going strong in their UFC careers with winning records (1-0 and 6-2, respectively). They are both Contender Series guys, and both are unranked. Or, looking back a few months to a losers article, you could still give Ante- Shamil Gaziev. Shamil is 3-2 in the UFC and is ranked at #13 in the division. He’s coming off a loss to none other than Waldo Cortes-Acosta, back in late November so it could still work well here.

Delija’s next fight: Steven Asplund vs Vitor Petrino Winner or Shamil Gaziev

Josiah Harrell

Jacobe Smith dominated and finished Josiah Harrell on the ground to get a grimy finish on the main card of UFC Houston Saturday. It was the battle of the undefeated prospects as Harrel entered the fight with a 11-0 pro MMA record, with Smith being an identical 11-0 as a pro. However, this fight was Josiah’s first fight with the UFC. And on a shortened timeframe as Smith’s original opponent, Seok Hyeon Ko ,withdrew from the bout after a suffering a rib injury. Jacobe was a 2024 Contender Series veteran and already had two fights under his belt with the promotion.

So keeping all that in mind, Josiah has options when it comes to his next matchup. The UFC giving him someone with a bit of a name (but also winnable fight) is likely after he stepped up on short notice. A fight with Austin Vandeford, former Bellator title challenger could materialize. Vandeford is 1-1 with the UFC stopping Nikolay Veretennikov in his February 2025 debut before being stopped by Ramiz Brahimaj in October. He’s 13-3 as a pro and a good grappling based challenge. However, he just withdrew from a bout against Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani scheduled this card.

Solid backup would be Phil Rowe. Phil is a 2019 Contender Series product who is 4-5 with the promotion and built a name as a hard-nosed litmus test. He’s 1-2 in his last three, stopping Ange Loosa before dropping a pair of decisions to Seok Hyeon Ko and most recently, Jean-Paul Lebosnyani via split. Although, its worth noting he did miss weight in his last time out as he stepped in for one Austin Vandeford.

Harrell’s next fight: Phil Rowe or Austin Vanderford

Zach Reese

Michel Pereira barely edged past Zach Reese on the scorecards to secure a crucial victory in the main event opener of UFC Houston. Reese now falls to 4-3, 1 NC with the promotion since being signed off the Contender Series in 2023.  Reese has wins over Dusko Todorovic and most recently Jackson McVey, which earned himself a performance bonus in November. But Reese is in the hot seat here.

I’d match Reese up against a guy like Gearld Meerschaert. There are a lot of 185lbs. hanging around that level who have all struggled and fought each other (SD Dumas, Michal Oleksiejczuk, Reese, Marc-Andre Barriault, to name a few). Meerschaert is more established with the promotion than all of the above, and has whole bunch of submission victories too (to put it mildly).

Gerald is 12-13 with the promotion but is currently on a four-fight skid (Reinier de Ridder, Brad Tavares, Michal Oleksiejczuk and Kyle Daukaus back in November). Good match-up here, striker vs grappler, with the loser potentially packing their things.

Reese’s next fight: Gerald Meerschaert

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“His name. Dan Ige. This guy fighting a lot, the best of the division, I don’t even have words to describe it,” Costa told reporters including Cageside Press through a translator on Wednesday.

“In name yes (Ige’s the biggest name I’ve fought yet), for style, I don’t know.”

Costa (25-7) kept it short and to the point when discussing what he expects from the fight with Ige. If it plays out that way, fans could be in for a thrilling showdown.

“Blood, lot of blood, war,” he said.

Costa didn’t shy away from the moment or the magnitude of the matchup when discussing what he plans to do on Saturday night. Confident in both his preparation and finishing ability, he made it clear he isn’t looking to leave the judges involved.

“I’m going to do something to him that no one has ever been able to do,” said Costa.

“I’m going to finish him before the end of three rounds.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Melquizael Costa above. He faces Dan Ige at UFC Houston on Saturday night.

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The February Fight Night event is the landing spot for Melquizael Costa (25-7) versus Dan Ige (19-10), a fight that should get plenty of attention from the MMA fanbase. Costa confirmed the booking following a recent report by MMA Fighting.

Costa sits on a five-fight win streak, and went 4-0 in 2025, including a Fight of the Night bonus for his May victory over Julian Erosa. An LFA veteran, Costa joined the UFC in 2023 and is 6-2 inside the octagon thus far. 2025 was a breakout year for the 29-year old, who fights out of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Ige (19-9) has not fought since July, when he dropped a unanimous decision to former Bellator MMA double-champ Patricio Pitbull. Known for his willingness to fight anyone, Ige underscored that in 2024, when he faced off against Diego Lopes on just a few hours’ notice. Still, at 1-3 in his last four, “50K” needs to get back in the win column. His lone victory in that span came against Sean Woodson.

UFC Houston takes place on February 21, 2026 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The card is headlined by former middleweight champion Sean Strickland taking on surging 185lb contender Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez.

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In the main event the ‘The Diamond’ concluded his trilogy with Max Holloway in an epic five round battle for the BMF strap. In the co-main event, two ranked middleweights threw down, as former 185lbs. title challenger, Paulo Costa, faced off against Roman Kopylov. Six of the nine fights on the undercard ended with a finish while all of the five-fight main card bouts went the distance. Some of the most notable names from the Contender Series grace this special edition of our losers matchmaking piece.

Dustin Poirier

Max Holloway spoiled Dustin Poirier’s special last night in the octagon after a long storied career in the main event of UFC 318, Saturday. Poirier had long since announced that the bout would be his last, and specifically selected Max to finish the pair’s trilogy for the occasion. Dustin ends his pro MMA career at 22-9, 1 NC with the UFC.  Poirier had lost three of his last four fights including a title shot against Islam Makhachev at UFC 302. Saturday marks the first time that Poirier has ever lost two bouts in a row in his MMA career. Happy Retirement to the legend.

Poirier’s next fight: Retirement 

Roman Kopylov

Paulo Costa bested Roman Kopylov over the course of three rounds to secure a crucial victory in the co main event of UFC 318, Saturday. The loss snapped Kopylov’s two fight win streak and is only the second fight he’s lost in 8 fights. Roman entered the fight ranked at #14 in the middleweight division while his opponent was ranked at #13.

Kopylov shouldn’t look far for his next fight, a good opponent would be Marvin Vettori. Marvin fought Brendan Allen on the undercard of UFC 318 losing the heated battle via unanimous decision. Marvin is currently ranked at #10 in the middleweight division but is sure to slide a little once they are updated. The loss marked Vettori’s third straight unanimous decision loss (Jared Cannonier, Roman Dolidze and Brendan Allen). This one would be a good one for the division as Costa is now a mutual opponent for the pair. Could see this fight being on the main card of a PPV or a fight night card.

Kopylov’s next fight: Marvin Vettori

Kevin Holland

Kevin Holland was out-gunned and defeated in a wild war with Daniel Rodriguez on Saturday. Holland started the night off ranked at #13 in the welterweight division while D-Rod was unranked. Kevin has now gone 2-1 since moving back down to welterweight after his January loss to Reinier de Ridder. Holland has faced seemingly everyone so finding a matchup for him may be a little tricky.

For Kevin’s next fight he should definitely remain at welterweight and face the winner of Muslim Salikhov vs Carlos Leal.

That bout goes down on July 26th so the timing would be perfect. Carlos is 1-1 since being signed to the UFC in October 2024. He lost in his debut to Rinat Fakhretdinov and in his most recent bout, finished Alex Morono in the first round. Salikhov is 8-4 within the UFC and riding a 2-fight win steak. In his most recent bout, he earned a performance bonus for his first round KO of Kenan Song back in November of 2024. Kevin could draw a 41-year-old vet or a new face to the division over 10 years younger. Both men are strikers, but both pose different threats. Muslim has flashy kicks and Leal’s hands are lethal. Winner would be a fitting matchup for Kevin especially if he somehow slides out of the rankings at welterweight.

Holland’s next fight: Winner of Muslim Salikhov vs Carlos Leal 

Dan Ige

Former Bellator champion, Patricio Pitbull, finally found his groove as he snagged a unanimous decision victory over Dan Ige on Saturday.  Ige entered the fight ranked at #11 in the featherweight division while Pitbull was unranked. Dan has now lost three of his last four fights though they have all been decisions to elite competition (Diego Lopes, Lerone Murphy, Patricio Pitbull). Ige’s lone win in this stretch was against Sean Woodson back in April.

For his next fight, Dan Ige should square off against Giga Chikadze. Ige faced a 6’3″ fighter then a 5’6″ fighter, let’s give him another taller guy. Giga is ranked at #14 within UFC‘s featherweight division. Chikadze has also lost three of his last four fights. Though it’s worth noting that Giga is on a two-fight skid since returning from a couple of injuries. Giga was featured on losers back in April and still doesn’t have a bout, so this is a matchup that makes sense. Giga did miss weight his last time out, but the 6’0″ fighter will likely stay in the weight class.

Ige’s next fight: Giga Chikadze

Daniel Zellhuber

Michael Johnson turned back the hands of time, defeating Daniel Zellhuber to open up the main card of UFC 318. With the loss Zellhuber is now on a two-fight skid since starting his UFC career at 3-1 off receiving a contract on the 2021 season of the Contender Series.

For his next fight, Daniel should take on Jordan Leavitt. Jordan is also a veteran of the Contender Series as well and is 5-3 within the promotion. Leavitt is a grappling specialist and last competed at the end of May taking 99 seconds to submit Kurt Holobaugh. The slick sub earned Jordan a performance bonus. This matchup would offer a classic grappler vs striker matchup which changes up what Zellhuber has faced in his past couple. Regardless, this fight has real stakes attached as the winner would move up heavily in visibility within the division. High probability of this matchup being fight of the night material too as both guys have yet to be in boring fights.

Daniel’s next fight: Jordan Leavitt

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Pitbull had lost a lackluster decision to Yair Rodriguez in his debut at UFC 314; the match-up with Ige, however, was one that promised to produce fireworks. And Ige, for his part, was looking past Pitbull’s debut performance, still considering him a top five featherweight in the world.

Ige looked light on his feet early in the UFC 318 main card’s second contest, targeting Pitbull’s lead leg with kicks. He then went high, but that was easily blocked by the Brazilian. Pitbull landed a kick of his own, leading Ige to burst forward in response. Patricio then ducked under a Pitbull volley, locked on with a bodylock, and landed a takedown, with the pair eventually scrambling to the fence. Pitbull latched on with a front headlock, but was nowhere near a submission, leading to a stalemate with Ige eventually standing back up.

Back on the feet, Ige switched stances, and they’d finish out the frame there. In the second, Ige went after the leg kicks, while Pitbull sat back, still seemingly reluctant to pull the trigger despite likely winning the opening round. He finally got off a right hand, and later fired a weak leg kick. Ige, meanwhile, landed with a combo while Pitbull covered up. Pitbull got his jab going later in the round, and he eventually got off a good shot on Ige. Patricio finished the round with a takedown, possibly doing enough to claim another close round on the scorecards.

The third round nearly spoiled a strong start by Pitbull, as Dan Ige landed a head kick as Patricio moved in! The knee connected more than anything, but Pitbull survived, hanging on to a leg initially. After regrouping, Pitbull landed a takedown, but Ige grabbed a leg and was able to scramble free. Ige would fight off the next takedown attempt, with the Hawaiian having his best round of the right. Pitbull did find a landing spot for his right hand, the latch on with another bodylock, 90 seconds left in the fight. Ige could not shake Pitbull off for a good 30 seconds but did finally break free. And when Ige fired another head kick, Pitbull caught it and dumped him.

Headed to the scorecards, it appeared Patricio Pitbull had done enough to secure his first win under the UFC banner.

Official Result: Patricio Pitbull def. Dan Ige by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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The Hawaiian featherweight, who will throw down with Pitbull at UFC 318 this Saturday, asked the promotion for the match-up before the Brazilian had even officially signed on with the company.

“Actually before he even signed, there was talks about him signing, and I texted the UFC right away, I was like ‘I want this fight,'” Ige (19-9) recalled during this week’s UFC 318 media day, speaking with reporters including Cageside Press. “He got the Yair [Rodriguez] fight, I got the [Sean] Woodson fight.’ It eventually played out the way it did because we’re fighting this weekend.”

All meant to be, in other words. And despite Pitbull coming up short in his promotional debut back in April, Ige still views him as a top five featherweight. “I’ve been a fan of his, I love his fighting style. He’s one of the best to ever do it. Fell short in his debut, but take nothing away. I still believe he’s one of the best featherweights in the world, definitely in my opinion top five. So this is a big fight for me.”

At 38, Pitbull is much closer to the end of his career than the beginning, and there’s no doubt fans would have loved to see him in the UFC sooner. Ige, however, isn’t reading too much into the whole age narrative.

“It’s all experience. Yes age will eventually catch up to you, but you can’t take that mindset going into a fight,” he opined. “I truly believe he’s still – I mean you’ve seen guys win titles at 40 years old. I’m sure he takes care of his body, trains hard, he eats well, sleeps well. Those are all the little things you’ve got to do, to take into consideration, [for] the longevity of your career. So I’m prepared for the best version of Pitbull, the most experienced version yet.”

Pitbull has suggested he was too calm in his UFC debut, blaming that for a decision loss to Yair Rodriguez, and promising a different approach at UFC 318. Ige sees being calm in the face of pressure as more of a positive.

“I don’t think being calm is a mistake. I think being calm is a dangerous weapon,” stated Ige. “You’ve just got to know how to utilize it, utilize your timing.”

As Ige pointed out, Pitbull has been in a number of five round fights, then came into a three-round affair with Rodriguez. But, he added, “he’s got to give Yair some credit too. Yair’s dangerous, a ferocious striker, throws a lot of volume, a lot of dynamic strikes from all angles. Kicks, spinning kicks, front flips, back flips, whatever, Yair will attack. It just wasn’t the best match-up. If he wants to change his style, it doesn’t matter. We’re prepared.”

Watch the full UFC 318 media day appearance by Dan Ige above.

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Pitbull, fully Patricio Friere (36-8), will face Hawaiian fan favorite Dan Ige (19-9) at UFC 318 on July 19, 2025. The bout will be contested at featherweight.

News of the booking was first reported by Léo Guimaraes of Brazilian media outlet SuperLutas.

A former lightweight and featherweight champion in Bellator MMA (he held the promotion’s 145lb on multiple occasions including as the organization folded into the PFL), Patricio Pitbull holds wins over the likes of Michael Chandler, Jeremy Kennedy, A.J. McKee, Juan Archuleta, Wilson Reis and others. At age 37, after requesting his release by the PFL, he made the jump to the UFC, only to drop a decision to Yair Rodriguez at UFC 314 in Miami.

Ige, with the UFC since 2018, is coming off a victory over Sean Woodson that snapped a two-fight skid. Known for exciting, fan-friendly fights, Ige’s profile rose even higher last year when he accepted a fight with Diego Lopes at UFC 303, on just a few hours’ notice.

UFC 318 takes place at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana on July 19, 2025 and is headlined by Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway, which serves as both a “BMF” title fight, and Poirier’s retirement fight. The following match-ups have been reported for the card:

• Max Holloway (c) vs. Dustin Poirier – for the UFC “BMF” championship
• Marvin Vettori vs. Brendan Allen
• Neil Magny vs. Gunnar Nelson
• Adam Fugitt vs. Islam Dulatov
• Ikram Aliskerov vs. Brunno Ferreira
• Jimmy Crute vs. Marcin Prachnio
• Carli Judice vs. Nicolle Caliari
• Kyler Phillips vs. Vinicius Oliveira
• Francisco Prado vs. Nikolay Veretennikov
• Michael Johnson vs. Daniel Zellhuber
• Dan Ige vs. Patrício Pitbull
• Robert Valentin vs. Ateba Abega Gautier

The post Patricio Pitbull vs. Dan Ige Booked for UFC 318: Report appeared first on Cageside Press.

Ige (19-9) seemed to rock Woodson forcing the much taller to shoot for a takedown. Ige went to work looking for the finish which he eventually got when the ref stopped the fight, but most felt it was a very early stoppage.

Woodson seemed to be standing back up.

“I got to watch the fight back, but in the moment my thoughts were, I hurt him,” Ige told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“I hurt him pretty bad. I was ripping his body and he shot for a takedown which you never see him do. I would have probably just kept hitting him. I don’t get to choose when the ref jumps in so I just keep punching until the ref says stop.”

So what’s next for 50K now that he’s back in the win column? Many in his position would have a list of names to throw out, but Ige just wants to keep on moving up.

“No one in particular. I just want to keep climbing. I just want to keep winning, keep racking them up, get some momentum again. I want three wins. It doesn’t matter who. Started tonight with Sean Woodson, but let’s get two more, and then we’ll talk about some big names and whatnot,” he said.

“If a name comes across the table I’m not going to say no. I’m going to fight. That’s what I do. What’s who I am. I’ve fought the best of the best and I am one of the best.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Dan Ige above.

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