“A dream come true. We worked so hard for so long, so many years, for this to happen,” Barbosa told Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum through a translator.

“Thank God it happened that way. It’s just amazing.”

Barbosa (18-2) credited his preparation and the guidance of his longtime coach for keeping him composed under the bright lights of his UFC debut. Even with the stakes at their highest, he approached the fight with a calm mindset that allowed him to execute when it mattered most, and he was able to avoid the infamous ‘UFC jitters’.

“I have a coach, he’s not just a teacher or a coach, father, a mentor, a psychologist. He always says, ‘listen we’re going to go out there to do one more. Just one more fight. It’s just a different kind of sparring’,” Barbosa said.

“So I wasn’t shook, I wasn’t rattled by the moment. I was able to actually keep my cool and just go out there and get the win.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Marcio Barbosa above.

The post Marcio Barbosa Scores Knockout in UFC Debut, Calls It a “Dream Come True” appeared first on Cageside Press.

It did snow during Fight Week in Winnipeg, but Barbosa was no doubt focused only on Buzukja, who entered the bout at 1-3 in the UFC off a loss against Francis Marshall. For Barbosa, the matchup presented an opportunity to continue building momentum against a fighter still searching for consistency inside the Octagon.

Meanwhile, Buzukja stepped into the fight with urgency, knowing a strong performance was crucial to getting back on track in the division. With both fighters carrying something to prove, the bout carried added importance beyond just another appearance on the card.

A methodical start to the round as Buzukja was active, going to all three levels. Barbosa was super patient, likely waiting for his opening. That opening came very soon, shortly after. As soon as Buzukja went to a combination, Barbosa slipped a punch and landed a left hook that sent Buzukja to the shadow realm brutally.

Barbosa came into the promotion with a lot of hype behind him, and at least thus far, it seems very much warranted. What a UFC debut!

Official Result: Marcio Barbosa def. Dennis Buzukja via R1 KO (left hook), 1:20

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Both men were 1-2 under the UFC banner, but concerningly for “Fire” Marshall, he had dropped back-to-back fights and was looking to avoid a third strike. Buzukja entered off a win over Connor Matthews.

To begin the fight, Marshall got right to the action, pressing forward and looking for the takedown. Marshall partially ate a body kick in the process but was able to get his hands locked around Buzukja against the cage. From here it would be a stalemate. Midway thru the round and Marshall was finally able to get his opponent down to a knee. Marshall had one hook in for the majority of the round and was able to land short strikes but wasn’t able to get the other hook in.

With about a minute left in the round Buzukja was able to get free and both fighters went back to space. Dennis landed several solid kicks to the body of his opponent. Marshall blitzed forward with about 20 seconds left and was able to corral his opponent to the cage yet again. As the two fighters got back to space, Marshall dropped Dennis with a shot. It wasn’t too bad and Buzukja was able to pop up and recover as the two exchanged and the round end.

To start the second round Marshall again surged forward and backed his opponent to the cage.  Francis landed a massive highlight-reel, right hand and dropped his opponent before landing some strikes on top. Somehow Dennis survived and was miraculously able to return to his feet. Moments later and Buzukja landed a body kick. Marshall was able to come right back with a blitz and put his opponent against the cage before deciding to return to space. Halfway thru the round and Buzukja finally landed a big punch of his own on his opponent.

Marshall, sensing a change in momentum, shot for a takedown a few seconds later and Dennis was able to defend. Buzukja scored a couple of punches, slipped a shot, landed one of his own. The shot drew blood from his opponent’s nose. With seconds left in the round Buzukja was able to have some of his biggest moments of the fight as he outboxed his opponent against the cage. He also landed some big strikes that had his opponent looking worried.

To open the last round, Buzukja was able to again find a home for his hands off of the slip. Marshall was still coming back with strikes of his own, he just wasn’t able to land as flush and as hard as he did earlier on in the fight. Dennis was really swinging leather and keeping his hands high before halfway thru the round he looked for a shot. Francis was able to fend off the shot and when the fighters returned to space Dennis missed another halfhearted takedown. Seconds later and Dennis made Francis pay for another punch that was slightly off the mark with a slick counter.

With less than a minute left, Marshall began to pick up the volume. This forced Dennis to be even more defensively sound. With under 30 seconds left, Marshall looked for a single leg that found him running across the octagon. Though Marshall didn’t get the takedown, he was able to keep his opponent busy against the cage. That is how the two would end up as the final bell sounded.

Official Result: Francis Marshall def. Dennis Buzukja by Split Decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)

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“If there was ever a win to feel good for it was this one. I was down 2 in the UFC, had a long road to get here, dropped the first one short notice, and then second one just a horrible night in my hometown of New York,” Buzukja told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“Battled a lot of demons the last few months just with myself and with people. Kind of losing belief.”

Buzukja (12-4) detailed a tough time the last few months in which he questioned whether or not he belonged in the professional fight game.

“Thinking man is this for me? Am I following the right path? I trusted God, I’ve got a great team, great people around me. God is on my side always man and I believe that. This…this was a really important win for me,” he said.

“I’m so happy to have earned it against a really tough guy.”

Now back in the win column, and his self-belief intact, Buzukja knows he belongs.

“I felt free going in there. I don’t know if you saw me, but I was singing to my walkout song. I felt at home. I felt like this place is mine. This cage is mine. I belong here,” he said.

“I told myself that and I believed in that. There’s two things in this world. It’s patience and belief in yourself, and you have those two things. As long as you keep going then really nothing can stop you.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Dennis Buzukja above.

The post Dennis Buzukja Questioned Whether He Belonged In UFC appeared first on Cageside Press.

While similar nights back on the road have seen the UFC open up the pocketbook, the usual four bonuses were dished out following Saturday night’s card.

That said, at least one bonus almost felt like a given: Nate Landwehr returned to the win column in a nasty scrap with Jamall Emmers. Nasty for Emmers, most certainly, but for Landwehr as well, who was bloodied quite badly when he delivered the finishing blows.

For Nate “the Train,” a former M-1 featherweight champ, the knockout happens to be his first under the UFC banner. A rather surprising statistic, given his tendency to engage in ultraviolent affairs.

The win earned Landwehr one Performance of the Night bonus at UFC Atlantic City. The second went to Dennis Buzukja, who picked up his first victory inside the octagon care of a TKO finish of newcomer Connor Matthews.

Fight of the Night honors at UFC Atlantic City went to light heavyweights Ibo Aslan and Anton Turkalj. The pair were fighting in a rematch, with Turkalj picking up the win in their first meeting, outside the UFC. On Saturday, Aslan took his revenge, finding the finish in the third and final round. That avenges the only blemish on his professional record.

All four bonus-winners on Saturday night will pocket the usual $50,000 for their efforts, on top of show/win money, outfitting pay etc.

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The featherweight fight found Buzukja with his back against the wall, having lost his first two fights in the promotion, to Sean Woodson and Jamall Emmers.

The fight started and Matthews opened up with a body kick. Buzukja landed a nice leg kick as both traded kicks back and forth. Buzukja was winging punches but Matthews was the one landing. Matthews was doing a good job of switching stances giving Buzukja different looks. He did walk into a knee and right hook from Buzukja but he took it well. Matthews was doing well at range with his kicks to the legs and body. Buzukja started to pull away with his hands at least with the bigger shots. With a minute left Buzukja settled in and was picking his spots nicely with the right hook, kicks, and jab.

In round two Matthews was aggressive but good leg kicks from Buzukja were landing. The jab from Buzukja and then a right hook over the top by Buzukja landed. Matthews probably knew he was behind in the fight so he turned up the pressure. Matthews was landing well with the kicks but Buzukja would back him up when he let his hands go. Buzukja had more power in his hands and that became the difference to that point in the fight. Matthews did well with the teep and right-hand. He was able to close the distance and get Buzukja down and jump on his back. Matthews was too sloppy and Buzukja scrambled back up. To close the round Matthews landed a right hook as Buzukja was visibly tired.

In the final round, Dennis Buzukja out of the gate dropped Matthews with left, right on the temple. He swarmed Matthews with ground and pound; Matthews just curled up and the ref stepped in.

Official Result: Dennis Buzukja def. Connor Matthews by TKO (left hook and GNP), Round 3, 0:22

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A Contender Series alum who trains alongside the likes of Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili, Buzukja (11-4) has dropped his first two UFC scraps, to Sean Woodson and Jamall Emmers.

The Emmers fight was a knockout loss; worse, it came at UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden. The big hometown fight Buzukja had always dreamt of.

“Always in my career, I’ve always told myself since the beginning, this is a possibility, I could get finished or knocked out,” Buzukja told Cageside Press in an exclusive interview during UFC Atlantic City’s Fight Week, asked about how he handled the loss. “And just [to] have short term memory.”

“My biggest fear was what happened,” he contonued. “And I kept that in my head for months, and for years, building it up, fighting at MSG and ‘God forbid this happens.’ And I feel like I almost manifested it in the wrong way, and that’s what happened. And now that it did happen, I feel free.”

Fighting near home again on Saturday in Atlantic City, where he won the Ring of Combat featherweight title, Buzukja added that “I feel like I have nothing to lose, and I can just go be my true self now.”

When it comes to opponent Connor Matthews, a fellow Contender Series alum as well as a military vet, Buzukja allowed that “I respect him as a person, but this Saturday night, my skills are going to pay the bills. I have more experience, and just where I’m at, the way I’ve been training, I just feel like a completely different person, better than ever.”

“The Dennis that I’ve seen in myself, you know that little movie you have in your head? I’ve been seeing it in the training, and Aljo and the guys have been seeing it in training,” he added. “I say and they all say this is the best I’ve ever looked in the gym.”

“I haven’t been this excited to fight in a long time.”

Watch our full interview with UFC Atlantic City’s Dennis Buzukja above.

The post UFC Atlantic City: Dennis Buzukja Believes He Almost Manifested MSG Loss appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I feel amazing,” Emmers told reporters including Cageside Press as he took a pause to think about his emotions.

“Took a long time to get here. Very long time. Had to sacrifice a decade away from my family. Get to fight in Madison Square Garden. Feel like I’m living a dream, you know?”

The dream to fight at MSG, to fight in the UFC, and to get his first UFC finish was great for Emmers. It did seem however that he was talking about something much deeper than UFC 295.

“Lucky to do it with people I respect and I love,” Emmers said pointing to his coaching staff. “I got love for so. That’s amazing too. I’m on cloud 9. I’m on cloud 9.”

The reality of what he pulled off at UFC 295, fighting at the mecca of sports, and doing it the way he did dawned on him.

“I’m a part of history. Like I’m making history. My name going to be in the record books. Wow,” he said.

“I remember telling people my dream and they laughed in my face. Got ridiculed because I wanted to do something different from what everybody else was doing. Growing up in Miami nobody did martial arts.”

The fight with Dennis Buzukja turned out to be a 49 second highlight reel knockout for Emmers which he credited to camp feeling ‘right’.

“When I started camp it just felt right. Everything was clicking early. I’m picking up on things a lot faster. Stuff’s just starting to connect a lot quicker,” Emmers said.

“All I had to do was press play when I got into the cage.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Jamall Emmers above.

The post Jamall Emmers Reflects On Journey To UFC, Buzukja Finish appeared first on Cageside Press.

Buzukja entered the UFC on short notice earlier in 2023 and was entering this fight still in search of his first UFC win. The inexperience and lack of a UFC win did not bother the New York crowd, who got behind their guy in a raucous Madison Square Garden. However the support of a home crowd was not enough to buoy him over Jamall Emmers, who earned his third UFC win.

Emmers started the fight well, coming forward with combinations which landed and pushed Buzukja back to the fence. Jamall’s pressure held Dennis there until he landed a straight right hand which dropped the New Yorker like a sack of potatoes. Follow up strikes forced Keith Peterson step in for a TKO in under a minute.

Emmers had an emotional response post-fight, understandably, and shouted, ‘Fifty G’s!” but unfortunately was ineligible for a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus due to missing weight by one pound at Friday’s official weigh-in. The miss was the first for Emmers in the UFC; he moves to 3-3 in the promotion and returns to the win column following a loss to Jack Jenkins.

Official Result: Jamall Emmers def. Dennis Buzukja by TKO (right hand and ground strikes), Round 1, 0:49

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Buzukja (11-3), a two-time alum of Dana White’s Contender Series who trains out of Longo and Weidman MMA, didn’t see his debut go according to plan earlier this year. He came in just slightly overweight for a short-notice fight against Sean Woodson, ultimately losing a decision.

The featherweight told Cageside Press recently that fans can expect a different Dennis Buzukja this time around.

“People are going to see a full-camp Buzukja. Healthy weight cut, proper training camp, prepared for a fight. It’s a whole different animal now when I step in there. Especially my home town. I’ve been training like crazy, man. The motivation’s on another level. You’ve got Nazim [Sadykhov], [Matt] Frevola on the card. So the energy in the gym has been insane. Everyone’s firing on all cylinders.”

“This is what we do, we love this,” added Buzukja. “These are the moments you live for.”

Jamall Emmers is another tough opponent for the 26-year old, which is nothing new for the New Yorker. “He’s definitely really good, he’s well rounded, he’s good everywhere. Solid striking, good grappling, good cardio. He’s a tough guy, you know what I mean? But I believe I’ll be world champion, and for me to be world champion, I’ll have to beat someone like Jamall Emmers.”

Buzukja has heard the commentary about this being a tough fight for him, no question. “I see a lot of people saying the UFC did me no favors with this match-up, the guy has a lot of experience and stuff, but I train with killers every day, man, and it will be another day in the office,” he stated. “It’s just what I do. It’s just a body in front of me at the end of the day. Two arms, two legs, he bleeds like all of us. And that’s it. As long as I put the hard work in and trust my training, trust my team, I think I should come out on top. And I will come out on top.”

Should he come out on top, Buzukja, who is entering the second fight of a four-fight contract next month, has certain goals for 2024. Specifically, to creep up on the featherweight rankings. “Either in the top 15 or knocking on the door of the top 15,” he told us.

Watch our full interview with UFC 295 featherweight Dennis Buzukja above.

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