Among the most notable, heavyweight Greg Hardy, who previously confirmed his exit from the company on social media. Hardy’s inclusion on the UFC roster was a heated point of contention for many, given allegations of domestic violence had derailed his NFL career, including a conviction that was later dropped on appeal.

Hardy (7-5, 1NC) found some success early in his UFC run, which he earned after picking up a developmental deal on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018 (Hardy in fact appeared twice on the show that season). He posted a 4-2, 1NC record through his first seven fights, with losses to Allen Crowder (DQ) and Alexander Volkov — long a contender in the heavyweight division.

His last three fights saw the Greg Hardy MMA experiment come to an end, at least for now. Stoppage losses to Marcin Tybura, Tai Tuivasa, and Sergey Spivak saw Hardy with little answer to even slight steps up in competition.

In a brief statement on social media, Hardy wrote “What a run, ya boy is far from done just got some fine tuning to do. Thank you to all my fans and haters. I appreciate you all. Mostly I appreciate my coaches, family, and the UFC for giving me the opportunity to shine bright.”

Also gone from the roster is Davi Ramos (10-4), who requested his release after what he said was years of not being offered a fight. Ramos last competed in 2020, and has lost his last two bouts, to Islam Makhachev and Armen Tsarukyan. Ramo’s request to be released/departure was first reported by MMA Fighting.

“The Colombian Queen” Sabina Mazo (9-4) has also been shown the door. Mazo competed just last weekend at UFC Vegas 50, dropping her third straight fight, this time against fellow prospect Miranda Maverick.

UFC Roster Watch, an automated service on Twitter that monitors the UFC roster, noted the removal of Mazo from the fighter database on Wednesday. It also listed the removal of Jared Gooden (19-7), whose contract expired in January. He has since competed and won for Jorge Masvidal’s iKon FC.

Earlier this month, the UFC removed Teemu Packalen (8-3) and Irwin Rivera (11-6) from their roster. Packalen had announced his retirement in November, while Rivera, who was arrested on charges of attempted murder involving his sisters last year, but found not guilty by reason of insanity, recently fought for Eagle FC.

The post Greg Hardy, Sabina Mazo Top Latest Names Gone from UFC appeared first on Cageside Press.

Davi Ramos’ last trip to Abu Dhabi did not go the way he wanted. Last September at UFC 242, the Brazilian had a four-fight win streak snapped by Islam Makhachev. And so Ramos was getting back on the horse, heading to Abu Dhabi for the second fight in a row, this time at UFC Fight Island 2 against Arman Tsarukyan.

Tsarukyan had gone 1-1 inside the octagon to date.

Ramos opened up with big pressure early, Tsarukyan fired back with some combinations of his own but Ramos’ shots seemed to have more on them early. Ramos shot in for a takedown and it was stuffed early, Tsarukyan landed some nice leg kicks in response. Tsarukyan landed the first takedown of the fight and ended up in Ramos’ guard. Tsarukyan was very cautious in the guard of Ramos and didn’t try to posture up to land too many shots. However, he still had heavy top pressure and didn’t give Ramos much space. He landed a big right hand and then decided to bring the fight back to the feet, and ended the round with a great combination followed by a leg kick.

Ramos started the second round by letting his hands go, snapping Tsarukyan’s head back with a nice combination. He threw a flying knee and Tsarukyan was trying to do his best to avoid the big shots and landed a nice body shot of his own. Ramos beckoned Tsarukyan on and Tsarukyan responded by taking Ramos down. Ramos attacked the leg and got the fight back to the feet, but Tsarukyan started to land some more shots of his own. Tsarukyan was doing a great job of slowing Ramos down by chopping him down with some hard leg kicks and attacking the body as well. Tsarukyan went for another takedown to end the round but it was stuffed.

Tsarukyan opened up the final frame with some nice leg kicks and Ramos once again tried to bait Tsarukyan into a brawl — but he wasn’t falling for it. Tsarukyan was content to sit on the outside and pick Ramos apart, even knocking him down with a clean right hand. Ramos tried to step in and brawl in the pocket with Tsarukyan but Tsarukyan’s defense was on point. He was incredibly fluid on the feet and started to bloody Ramos up in the third round. Ramos shot in for a takedown in the final seconds, but Tsarukyan reversed and got a takedown of his own and ended the fight in dominating fashion.

Official Result: Arman Tsarukyan def. Davi Ramos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

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Islam Makhachev is a close friend and training partner of Khabib Nurmagomedov and fights with a similar style. He is 6-1 in the UFC so far and looks to be a lightweight of the future. Davi Ramos comes into UFC 242 on a four-fight win streak with three coming by submission.

Davi Ramos went to the front kick right away and Islam Makhachev answered with a left body kick. Another body kick came in from Makhachev followed by a takedown attempt that was shrugged off by Ramos. A one-two landed for the southpaw Makhachev right down the middle. Makhachev stayed busy with a leg kick as Ramos was going with a patient strategy. A leg kick landed for Makhachev but Ramos fired right back with a counter hook. Ramos rushed in with an overhand as a largely uneventful round came to a close.

Cageside Press scored the round 10-9 Makhachev

Makhachev fired a leg kick to start the second round and Ramos countered with a blitzing combination. The Brazilian went for a takedown against the cage, but Makhachev stayed strong. The fighters separated and Makhachev landed a left straight. Another left landed for Makhachev, then a jab from Ramos temporarily wobbled him. The Russian snapped back quickly and began to land strikes with regularity. Left hands connected consistently for Makhachev, mixing in a leg kick at the end of the round.

Cageside Press scored the round 10-9 Makhachev

An uppercut landed right out of the gate for Makhachev. Ramos rushed in with wild punches, but Makhachev established a Muay Thai clinch and knocked him down with a knee while moving backwards. Makhachev jumped on top and began unloading with ground-and-pound. Ramos survived and began trying to roll for submissions and sweeps. Makhachev kept him grounded and maintained top position for the remainder of the contest.

HUGE KNEE 😱

🇷🇺 @MakhachevMMA refuses to leave without the win! #UFC242 pic.twitter.com/k8wuTgpyRp

— UFC (@ufc) September 7, 2019

Cageside Press scored the round 10-9 Makhachev (30-27 Makhachev)

Islam Makhachev def. Davi Ramos by Unanimous Decision (30-26 x2, 29-27)

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The promotion announced both additions to UFC 242 on Twitter.

Islam Makhachev and Mairbek Taisumov both have a reputation as fearsome fighters in the lightweight division. They’ll both be taking on talented Brazilians in Davi Ramos and Carlos Diego Ferreira respectively.

Islam Makhachev still can’t get a ranked opponent despite continuously great performances in the Octagon that have earned him a 14th ranking in the stacked lightweight division. The Russian is on a five-fight win streak with a pair of first-round stoppages and is a training partner of Khabib Nurmagomedov. He recently defeated the debuting Arman Tsarukyan in April.

Davi Ramos is an incredible grappler with an ADCC world title to his name. After losing to fellow expert jiu-jitsu practitioner Sergio Moraes in his Octagon debut in 2017, Ramos secured three straight rear-naked chokes and a win over the debuting Austin Hubbard last month. He will be the best grappler Makhachev has faced to date.

Mairbek Taisumov is fantastic inside the cage, but has had multiple issues outside the Octagon. Repeated visa issues have forced the dynamic Russian out of multiple fights, he’s missed weight for one of his victories, and was recently handed a six-month suspension by USADA. Taisumov is on a six-fight win streak with five stoppages that dates back to 2014.

Carlos Diego Ferreira was supposed to fight at UFC 237 last month, but pulled out on weigh-in day due to a weight-cutting issue. The Brazilian started his UFC career at 2-2 before rattling off four-straight wins, with victories over Olivier Aubin-Mercier and Rustam Khabilov. He was, however, suspended by USADA and missed 2017.

UFC 242 will take place inside The Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on September 7. The card is headlined by a lightweight title unification bout between champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, and interim titleholder Dustin Poirier.

The post UFC 242: Islam Makhachev vs. Davi Ramos, Mairbek Taisumov vs. Carlos Diego Ferreira Official appeared first on Cageside Press.

Rochester, NY — For a winning fighter, Davi Ramos did not sound thrilled in his post-fight speech in the octagon at UFC Rochester. “It means a lot to get the win, but I’m not happy with my performance. I didn’t fight well today. I came to show what I have and I have a lot more than this,” the lightweight said after earning unanimous decision against promotional newcomer Austin Hubbard.

Ramos (10-2) elaborated on that feeling later in the night, speaking with media members including Cageside Press back stage.

“I’m disappointed with my performance, you know? I can do much more than I showed today.” Ramos likened the bout to his first win in the UFC, against Chris Gruetzemacher. Despite the win, he had a similar feeling after. “I push a lot of myself. If I don’t do it perfect, I don’t like it.”

Elaborating, Ramos added that “I put a lot of pressure on me. Maybe this is my bad thing. I put a lot of pressure on me, not in the fight, but I put a lot of pressure on me because I want to be the champ.” His performance against Hubbard, however, was not championship material, he feels.

Even in admitting there were some positives, Ramos didn’t sound satisfied. “For sure, I have a lot of things to say positive. My striking, I give some good kicks, I had some good takedowns, I give him a couple of good punches. The boy have a very, very hard chin. So I cannot knock out him.” Still, he finished by saying “it is what it is, you know?”

Despite his dissatisfaction with his performance, Ramos is looking ahead to what is next. While he won’t call out anyone by name, saying “I never choose one opponent” and “I fight against anyone. That’s the best thing,” one name ultimately does interest him.

“One day, if it’s possible to fight against Khabib [Nurmagomedov], yeah, for sure. I really respect him, he’s a real warrior,” Ramos said. “But I really want to test his wrestling against my jiu-jitsu.”

Before that, however, he’ll take “anyone, anyone, any top fifteen. I think I need a good test now. I don’t want to fight against the guys, you know, [having their] first fight in the UFC. I want to fight top guys right now.”

Watch the full UFC Rochester post-fight press scrum with Davi Ramos above!

The post UFC Rochester: Davi Ramos Not Interested In Fighting Newcomers, Wants Top 15 Opponent appeared first on Cageside Press.

Davi Ramos is a grappling expert, with a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and an ADCC gold medal to his name. The Brazilian started his career at 6-1 with five finishes and the one loss coming to longtime Bellator veteran Dave Rickels. He signed with the UFC in 2017 and ended up losing in his promotional debut to fellow master grappler Sergio Moraes. Since then, he’s rattled off three straight rear-naked choke victories, the last two ending in the first round.

Austin Hubbard will be making his promotional debut at UFC Rochester. He comes in with a 10-2 record, featuring four knockouts and two submissions. The 27-year-old has won six of his last seven fights, with the one loss coming to UFC veteran Eric Wisely. In his most recent fight, Hubbard won the LFA lightweight title with a knockout that occurred with just 15 seconds left in the fight.

A feeling out process to the mid-half of round one. Ramos landed the bigger shots in the early going, with a check right hook and a leg kick. The grappler in Ramos starts to turn up the heat, landing the combinations loading up with a lot of power. Ramos is continuing to find his rhythm, landing big looping hooks. In the last half-minute, Ramos took the back of Hubbard and got the takedown. He would hold that to the end of the round. Cageside Press scores round 1 a 10-9 for Ramos.

Ramos starts the second being more aggressive, landing big leg kicks. Hubbard landed a good right-hand, buckling Ramos. Ramos eats it though, and takes the back again to tear Hubbard back down. Hubbard shows excellent takedown defense and gets back to his feet. Hubbard this time presses the action with a left hook to the body, and a right leg kick combination. Ramos changes course, landing a right hand, then moving into the clinch. Ramos gets another takedown, this time holding top position to the bell. Cageside Press scores round two a 10-9 for Ramos.

Hubbard comes out strong in the final round throwing good combos with his hands and kicks. As Hubbard is starting to find his range they both throw in the pocket and Ramos lands a left, wobbling Hubbard. Ramos presses for the finish, landing more good looping strikes, before dumping Hubbard down to the mat. Ramos doing well on top, but ref Keith Peterson stands them up. The last seconds of the fight Hubbard makes the mistake standing over the guard of Ramos. Cageside Press scores round three a 10-9 for Ramos.

Turning it into a slug fest!@DaviRamos_UFC is launching HEAVY HANDS! #UFCRochester pic.twitter.com/kxTGGlAhQ5

— UFC (@ufc) May 19, 2019

Davi Ramos def. Austin Hubbard by Unanimous Decision (30-27×3)

The post UFC Rochester Results: Davi Ramos Dominates Austin Hubbard in Unanimous Decision Victory appeared first on Cageside Press.

The UFC is coming to Rochester, New York, on May 18. The event will be held in the Blue Cross Arena. The card is set with 12 bouts headlined by Kevin Lee and Rafael dos Anjos. The card also has three debuting fighters and many rising up-and-comers. Per Ariel Helwani it was announced that the UFC signed Austin Hubbard and booked him against Davi Ramos (9-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC).

5’10″
Lightweight
27-years-old
Denver, Colorado
Elevation Fight Team
10-2
4 KO/TKO
2 Submissions (Rear-Naked Choke, Guillotine)

How Does Austin Hubbard Fare in the UFC:

Hubbard is a solid prospect at 27-years-old. On the feet, Hubbard has thudding leg kicks and does a great job mixing them with his strikes. He doesn’t have the stopping power but his pace and aggression break his opponents. Hubbard is a grinder who is always working and that is with outstanding cardio. He’s gone the distance five times and four of those were five rounds, going at the same pace the entire time. Hubbard is a better fighter once he gets the fight to the mat. He does have two submissions but it’s his top position and active ground and pound that is very good. What sets Hubbard apart from many prospects as I mentioned above is his superior cardio.

• Striking: C+
• Kickboxing: B-
• Clinch: D
• Wrestling: C
• Grappling: B-
• Striking Defense: C
• Takedown Defense: A-
• Cardio: A+
• Biggest Strength: Cardio
• Biggest Weakness: N/A

How Austin Hubbard Matches Up with Davi Ramos:

Ramos had a bad showing in his debut, but in his last three fights, he’s blitzed through the competition, finishing all by submission. Both have fought decent competition and have both lost to good fighters. Hubbard will have to fight a different fight than he usually does. The heavy forward motion from Hubbard will play in favor of Ramos. Ramos has phenomenal jiu-jitsu, so if the fight hits the mat, he’s in his world. Hubbard will have to use footwork and stay on the outside. Hubbard’s style plays into Ramos’ so I believe Ramos will get the win.

The post Welcome to the UFC: Austin Hubbard appeared first on Cageside Press.

LFA lightweight champion Austin Hubbard (10-2) has signed with the UFC. Hubbard faces Brazil’s Davi Ramos at UFC Rochester in May. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Ariel Helwani.

Hubbard is looking to make it four wins in a row against Ramos next month. The 27-year old fighting out of Elevation Fight Team in Denver, Colorado, most recently won the LFA lightweight championship at LFA 56. Hubbard brutally stopped previously undefeated Brazilian prospect Killys Mota in the fifth round with just 15 seconds left in the fight via TKO after surviving an early storm from Mota. However, it could have (and maybe should have) stopped a lot sooner than that. Judge for yourself.

Good grief! What a mess at the end of a stellar performance by Austin Hubbard, who overcame the odds for the title at #LFA56!@lfafighting pic.twitter.com/fH4AIo0Yfx

— AXS TV Fights (@AXSTVFights) December 8, 2018

Hubbard also holds wins over up-and-coming prospect Harvey Park and recent Shamrock FC headliner Cameron VanCamp. Hubbard’s two losses came to Sean McMurray in 2016 and MMA veteran Eric Wisely in 2017 respectively.

Meanwhile, Ramos will be looking to create his own four-fight win streak. The Brazilian has gone a perfect 3-0 in the UFC since dropping down to lightweight after a decision loss to welterweight Sergio Moraes on short notice. All three of Ramos’ Octagon wins have come via rear-naked choke. Most recently, Ramos submitted John Gunther in the first round at UFC Denver last November. Ramos’ other loss came to David Rickels at Bellator 130 back in 2014.

UFC Rochester takes place at the Blue Cross Arena on May 18. In the main event, former lightweight champion and interim welterweight title-challenger Rafael dos Anjos welcomes former interim lightweight title-challenger Kevin Lee to the welterweight division.

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Denver, CO — Lightweight Davi Ramos made short work of opponent John Gunther at UFC Denver on Saturday night. Part of the preliminary card at the UFC’s 25th anniversary show, the submission ace proved once again that he is deadly on the ground. No surprise, given Ramos’ decorated grappling resume, including winning gold at the ADCC world championships in 2015.

On the ground is not where you want to go with Ramos. Yet the Brazilian told reporters including Cageside Press backstage at the Pepsi Center on Saturday that he’d actually been working on his striking. He just didn’t get to show it. “As soon as I get him and take him [Gunther] down, I say ‘man, I have to do my job.'” The choke came shortly after. Maybe next time.

Ramos is a fighter who has been loathe to call his shots in the octagon, or in the press. “I work for UFC,” he explained. “I never ask for any fighter, I never choose any fight. If you guys see my record, all the guys, just John Gunther has less fights than me. But most of my fights they have much more fights than me. I never choose any fight. I work for UFC, so who they put me [against] to fight, I’m going to come here, I’m going to show my striking, I’m going to show my jiu-jitsu, and then I come here to finish the fight — a knockout, or submission.” In short, let the bosses decided, he’ll fight who they give him.

With one exception. Following Saturday’s win, he did say the name of the champion — Khabib Nurmagomedov. Yet Ramos clarified Saturday that it wasn’t a call out per se. Rather, he was simply letting the UFC know that he’s aiming for the title.

“I’m asking for Khabib because Khabib is number one, he is the champion you know? I look at him, I don’t see him. [I see] the best guy on the game,” Ramos said. “I see him, he’s  really good on his game. He takes down everyone, and smash everyone. So let’s see if he can do it with me. I have my jiu-jitsu, let’s see. That’s why. I want to come here, I want to be champ of this game.” Which means beating the man with the belt. Hence Nurmagomedov. No doubt, if someone else held the title, that would have been the name he’d said.

With the win over Gunther, Ramos (9-2) has won three straight, all by submission. All by rear-naked choke. He’s yet to crack the top fifteen, but if he continues to pile up wins, it’s only a matter of time. As to when he wants to get back in the octagon, Ramos replied simply “very soon.”

The post UFC Denver: Davi Ramos Explains Khabib Nurmagomedov Callout appeared first on Cageside Press.

It’s hard to break through at 155 pounds, but that’s exactly what Davi Ramos and John Gunther looked to do at UFC Denver. On Saturday night, the pair faced off, the second fight in on the Fox Sports 1 prelims. Ramos went into the fight looking for his third straight win in the UFC’s lightweight division. John Gunther, meanwhile, won his UFC debut only a couple of months ago against Allan Zuniga at the Ultimate Fighter Finale in July. Gunther remained undefeated, technically, as his loss on TUF 27 was an exhibition bout.

Davi Ramos showed why he is considered one of the best grapplers at lightweight with his victory at UFC Denver. He immediately looked for the takedown, and took Gunther on the ground. He then quickly transitioned to the back and got his hooks in as he looked for the rear naked choke. It wasn’t long before he got it under the neck, and the choke was in tight. Gunther looked like he might go out, and tapped at the last moment. That was all she wrote. Ramos finished it inside of two minutes.

Grappling clinic! @DaviRamosBJJ gets the first round submission at #UFCDenver. #UFC25Years pic.twitter.com/d2wPYAGmEy

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) November 11, 2018

Davi Ramos continues to show off his amazing jiu-jitsu skills at 155 pounds. What comes next should be interesting.

Davi Ramos def. John Gunther by submission (rear naked choke), Round 1, 1:57

The post UFC Denver Results: Davi Ramos Taps Out John Gunther appeared first on Cageside Press.