Both 38 years young, Anders entered the bout a slight favorite.

Anders put Tavares on the fence early, tying his opponent up with an underhook and firing a few knees. A lot of time was spent there, action slowing to a crawl before the action exploded, with Tavares landing a right before turning off the fence. Yet moments later, he was right back there, Anders again putting his weight on him. Later in the round, Anders would drop Tavares, though the Hawaiian would survive a late burst of activity.

Not a ton of action in the opening round beyond that, with most of the fight playing out on the fence. Round two opened scrappy, with Anders moving in, and Tavares firing a jump knee as well as his hands. He utilized a front kick as well, and if nothing else was looking to make Anders pay on the way inside. Anders, however, did just that, getting inside and grabbing a leg.

This time, Tavares was able to free himself. Anders, undeterred, took him back to the cage. Again, Tavares freed off. This time he fired a kick that was blocked, and Anders moved in, looking ot land and backing Tavares up. It was Tavares, however, who dropped Anders! Tavares went to the ground, going after an arm, but Anders slipped out the back. He got on top, inside Tavares guard while clearly still battling to clear the cobwebs. Anders had to be wary of Tavares’ triangles; Tavares nearly escaped, but gave up his back. Tavares still made it to the fence and got back up, though he ate a few punches for his troubles.

With a minute still on the clock in round two, Anders too Tavares back to the fence, working on a single leg he wound up bailing on. With neither men able to find a finish through the opening ten minutes, it was off to the final round.

Anders’ corner told him it was 1-1 ahead of the final five minutes. They’d go to the ground inside the opening two minutes, but didn’t stay there. Back up, it was Anders in control on the fence. He had the underhook, and looked to grab a leg. When it wasn’t there, they traded over the top and broke. A step-in elbow by Tavares had him looking fresh. He landed again, a punch this time, and Anders fired back— then landed a key takedown. Anders earned himself lots of control time, but Tavares did get to the fence, only to be dragged down again.

A minute remained on the clock, the shadow of which loomed over the octagon. It would not be a good look for Tavares to finish the fight with Anders controlling him. Knowing this, he finally broke free, and it felt like the fight might open up again— only for Anders to land one last takedown, likely securing the victory.

After a grueling fight, they went to the scorecards, with Anders winning, then announcing his retirement. “I’ve had a hell of a career, got a win out here in front of my son,” exclaimed Anders in his post-fight interview, who thanked his coach as well.

“Ya Boi” finishes his UFC run 10-9 with one No Contest in 20 fights inside the octagon. He holds wins over Gerald Meerschaert, Kyle Daukaus, Chris Weidman, and now another veteran in Tavares, among others.

Official Result: Eryk Anders def. Brad Tavares by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

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Roman Dolidze

Anthony Hernandez dragged Roman Dolidze into deep waters and submitted him in the fourth round of their main event on Saturday. Dolidze entered the fight ranked at #9 at 185lbs, while Hernandez was ranked at #10. The loss snapped a three-fight win streak for Dolidze that saw him beating the likes of Anthony Smith, Kevin Holland and Marvin Vettori from June 2024 to earlier this year in March.  This loss will likely drop Roman out of the top 10 but he’ll likely remain ranked.

A good next matchup for Dolidze would be against the loser of Jared Cannonier vs Michael Page. Offering Dolidze another fresh matchup is a good idea, and this would fit the bill (No Vettori III matchup). Cannonier is currently the #8 ranked middleweight while MVP is ranked at #15 at welterweight and unranked at middleweight. This fight goes down on UFC 319 on August 16 so the timing would be fine. If Cannonier loses he will have lost three of his last four, while Page would be 2-2 in the UFC. Dolidze was matched against Jared back in 2023, but Cannonier withdrew due to a torn MCL (knee injury). Either fighter would offer an exciting striking match for fans. Winner of this bout would be ranked within the top 10.

Doldize’s next fight: Jared Cannonier vs. Michael Page Loser

Ode Osbourne

Steve Erceg defeated Ode Osbourne via unanimous decision on Saturday, in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 109. Erceg entered the fight ranked at #10 in the division while Ode was unranked. While it’s worth noting that Osbourne was not Erceg’s original opponent (Alex Perez, injured- Hyun Sung Park, rebooked) the loss still puts him in a somewhat precarious position.

Osbourne has now lost four of his last five fights dating to early 2023. His only win during this time period was against an undefeated Contender Series product making his debut, Luis Gurule.

With that said, Ode’s next fight should be against Carlos Hernandez. Carlos is a 2021 Contender Series alum that is currently 3-4 with the UFC. Carlos has lost three of his last four fights dating back to December 2023 but against good competition (Tatsuro Taira, Rei Tsuruya and Hyun Sung Park) Osbourne and Hernandez have hovered at around the same level within the division for a couple years-and they have both lost to high level competition. It’d be a great matchup for that reason. Two Contender Series vets that have yet to secure that big win against elite competition. Loser of this bout could be in a rough place with the winner gaining a lot of visibility.

Osbourne’s next fight: Carlos Hernandez 

Angela Hill

Iasmin Lucindo outfought Angela Hill on her way to a unanimous decision victory on Saturday. Lucindo entered the cage Saturday ranked at #8 in the women’s strawweight division while Hill was ranked at #12. Hill is 13-15 during her now 11-year stint with the promotion. She’s 2-3 in her last five fights since November of 2023. If you can believe it, Hill turned 40 earlier this year- she’s still a competitor with her last three losses coming to the very respectable, ranked, opponents of Mackenzie Dern, Tabatha Ricci and Iasmin Lucindo.

Angela’s next fight should be against Denise Gomes. Even though the pair shared the octagon less than two years ago, both fighters have had trajectories where it makes sense to meet again.

Denise is undefeated in the UFC since her fight with Angela. She beat an undefeated Eduarda Moura via split decision and veteran Karolina Kowalkiewicz via unanimous decision last year. Gomes also finished Elise Reed early in the second round back in mid-May. Considering Hill has fought virtually everyone, and that she likely to remain in the rankings after this fight, this is a matchup that makes sense. Denise is ranked at #15 in the division. This fight could sneak onto the main card of a decent Fight Night card. Loser would be out of the rankings.

Hill’s next fight: Denise Gomes rematch 

Christian Rodriguez

Andre Fili and Christian Rodriguez put on a good scrap on Saturday, but Fili edged out ‘CeeRod’ on the scorecards, securing a split decision victory.

Rodriguez is now on a two-fight skid and has lost three of his last four fights dating back to July of last year. Christian’s only win in that time period came against an undefeated 2024 Contender Series alum making his UFC debut (Austin Bashi).

Rodriguez who has broken the hearts of multiple hot prospects (Raul Rosas Jr, Cameron Saaiman and Austin Bashi) is still trying to carve out a path for himself at 145lbs. after struggling with the cut down to 135lbs. It’s been 5-fights since Rodriguez moved up so hopefully, he can start to put it together.

The next opponent for Rodriguez should be Shayilan Nuerdabiekke. Shayilan is just 3-3 in the UFC but is 39-12 as a pro. Shayilan is also on a two-fight skid. He was last in the octagon in June of last year when he was submitted in the final round by Melquizael Costa. Melquizael also holds a unanimous decision victory over Rodriguez from when the pair fought in March. These two fighters are right on the same level and hopefully Nuerdanbiekke could be ready whenever for the timing to matchup. Easy sleep fight for a feature preliminary bout or first fight on the main card of a fight night.

Rodriguez’s next fight: Shayilan Nuerdanbiekke

Miles Johns

Jean Matsumoto snagged a split decision victory over Miles Johns in a hard fought three rounder on Saturday. With the loss Miles is now on a two-fight losing streak. Before that, he was on a four-fight unbeaten streak.

The move for Miles here is to revisit his previously cancelled matchup with the former UFC Bantamweight Champion, Cody Garbrandt. Lots of visibility and a huge upside in that matchup for Miles. The two were scheduled to fight back in October and then November of last year. Fight was ultimately cancelled after Garbrandt suffered an injury. Since then, Garbrandt has lost a unanimous decision to Ranoi Barcelos, back in mid-June. Timing could make sense especially as Cody has been taking more time between fights recently. Easy one to book on the main card of a fight night between these two dangerous bantamweights. Winner wouldn’t be but a win or two away from fighting for a ranking.

Johns’ next fight: Cody Garbrandt

Eyrk Anders

Christian Leroy Duncan kicked off the main card of UFC Vegas 109 with a spectacular spinning elbow finish of Eryk Anders. 38-year-old Anders has now gone 2-2 in his last four fights since June of 2023. Both of his victories during the time period are against fighters who are no longer with the promotion (Chris Weidman and Jamie Pickett).

With that being said, Anders is in a little bit of a hot seat but with the wild state of the UFC’s middleweight division, truly anything is possible. A good next matchup for Anders would be against Andrey Pulyaev. Andrey is a 27-year-old prospect off last year’s season of the Contender Series. Pulyaev made his UFC debut in March against ‘CLD’ and lost a unanimous decision. In August Andrey stopped Nick Klein in the second with a body kick and punches. Eryk would be even more of a litmus test for the 10-3, 6’4″, Russian. A different look. This could also be a good fight for Eyrk for where he’s at in his career currently; to prove he’s still got it.

Anders’ next fight: Andrey Pulyaev

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 109 Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.

A former LFA champ versus an ex-Cage Warriors champ, Anders vs. CLD was halted almost as soon as it got going after Duncan poked Anders in the eye. That led to a hard warning from the ref, but luckily the action was able to continue. When it did, Anders worked his way in, but Duncan came off the fence, on the attack. He mixed in some kicks, low and to the body – well, a bit south of the legal area of the body. And that led to the second stoppage of the round, which was barely 90 seconds in. Again, it was Anders needing time to recover, though he would take all of 45 seconds.

Back underway, Duncan appeared to at least graze Anders off a flying knee; that gave way to a takedown by Anders then a clinch along the fence. CLD fired several heavy knees from that clinch position, before the pair separated. Duncan then landed a leg kick, then a spinning elbow upstairs that rocked Anders! Anders stumbled backwards, slumping back against the fence. He’d eat a couple more punches, and by then ref had seen enough, moving in to wave it off.

Official Result: Christian Leroy Duncan def. Eryk Anders by TKO, Round 1, 3:53

The post UFC Vegas 109: Spinning Elbow Sets Up Finish of Eryk Anders for Christian Leroy Duncan appeared first on Cageside Press.

Anders (17-8) has spoken publicly about sobriety and making changes in his life that not only improved him personally, but his fight career as well. Fans have begun to reach out to the middleweight in support of his work in sobriety.

“To be honest that wasn’t like my intention. I wasn’t trying to be like a beacon of you know help or whatever. It’s cool like people want to reach out,” Anders told reporters including Cageside Press.

At UFC 310 he faced former middleweight champion Weidman who is at the very tail end of his career. The fight was supposed to have taken place at UFC 309, but Anders fell ill after weigh-ins and canceled on fight night.

“I was thinking even before the fight started. I was like man I wish we could have already done this and got this over with, and I could go sit in the stands and be a fan. This my 18th UFC fight so I think everybody who like has anything to do with this knows the kind of person and fighter I am. I show up every time that I say I’ma show up,” he said.

“I don’t think anybody was like ‘yo he bullsh*tting, he faking’ or whatever. The doctor came and saw me. Everybody, Mick, Dana all them they already know who I am. If I pull out of a fight it’s something serious. I’m just happy that they were able to run it back and get it lined up and we do it so quickly.”

Anders, a former Alabama football player, played for legendary coach Nick Saban in his time there. Could the future hall of fame coach join Anders in his corner for a fight?

“I’m going to call him tonight and see what he’s trying to do. He’s usually busy on Saturdays you know. He’s got that Game Day, he’s got all this other stuff going on, but maybe for my last hurrah we bring on Nick to give that pre-fight speech,” he said.

“What happens in there, what he says in there (locker room) stays in there, but I guarantee he rallies the troops and get them ready to go. You look at his resume and his body of work. He’s the GOAT.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Eryk Anders above.

The post Eryk Anders Will Ask Nick Saban To Corner Him, Details UFC 309 Cancelation appeared first on Cageside Press.

With their original middleweight affair scratched due to an Anders health issue, and with both already weighing in just a few weeks back, Saturday saw the pairing competing at a contracted 195lb catchweight. A smart move by the UFC, given there was no real need to face two veterans to cut weight again so soon.

Unfortunately for Weidman, the shifted date meant he wasn’t fighting at home in New York. He was fighting, at least, and early on, nearly got ahold of Anders on a slip. Anders recovered, however, and opted to turn the tables, pursuing a takedown against “The All-American” that was eventually fought off. Anders would then catch a kick, leading to an exchange. Moments after, a head kick appeared to have Weidman in trouble, though he managed to recover.

Anders, perhaps sensing Weidman was still compromised, went back to another takedown, though Weidman was soon back up. Sort of. Weidman got to a knee, only to have Anders fire a knee strike, connecting while his opponent was down. Weidman took a bit of time to recover, but the action soon got going again. And when it did, it was Weidman changing the momentum of the fight, dropping Anders with a left! Anders was down, bloodied, and Weidman got on top, sitting in half guard. He found space to add a few forearm strikes, elbows and punches, but Anders survived the round.

Given its success in the opening round, it was no surprise to see Anders go back to that head kick early in the second. That failed, but “Ya Boi” went in on a takedown again. This time, Weidman defended with a guillotine, but that was ultimately futile. Anders, meanwhile, landed some big shots as Weidman worked to a knee. Anders controlled from the back, and dragged Weidman down, getting a hook in then floating around to the top in a particularly slick maneuver. From there, Anders landed ground n’ pound from half-guard while Weidman tried to cover up, and move out of the way. Weidman was just barely surviving, and appeared to be out of gas. Anders appeared to need one final burst, and backed off, looking to land a big ground strike while Weidman threatened with upkicks. And just as time was set to run out, the ref finally made the call, giving Eryk Anders a win over the former middleweight champ.

Official Result: Eryk Anders def. Chris Weidman by TKO (ground n’ pound), Round 2, 4:51

The post UFC 310: Eryk Anders Beats Chris Weidman At Ex-Champ’s Own Game appeared first on Cageside Press.

First reported by Mark La Monica.

The fight will be a catchweight bout at 195 pounds this time around.

The two first gave it a shot at UFC 309 with both men making weight, but Anders falling ill on fight night scrapping the fight.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Eryk Anders (@erykanders)

“Status update, got food poisoning Friday night and there was no way I would have been able to go out there and compete. Super upset I didn’t get to compete at MSG against a former champ. I seriously doubt that opportunity will come around again, but it is what it is. Hopefully we can get that matchup rebooked ASAP. Thank you all for the messages of concern.”

Weidman (16-7) was looking to make it two in a row coming off a victory over Bruno Silva in March. The former middleweight champion snapped a tough 3-fight losing streak that began when he broke his leg against Uriah Hall at UFC 261 in 2021.

Anders (16-8) is coming off a decision victory over Jamie Pickett in March, in between two grappling victories with Fury Pro Grappling, and was looking to add a former champion to his resume.

UFC 310 takes place at T-Mobile Arena on Dec 7 in Las Vegas.

The post Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders Rebooked For UFC 310 appeared first on Cageside Press.

UFC officials announced the news as the UFC 309 preliminary card broadcast got underway on Saturday. The nature of Anders’ ailment was not disclosed.

Anders vs. Weidman was expected to be part of the televised preliminary card. Weidman, the UFC’s former middleweight champion, was looking to enter his third fight since returning from a catastrophic broken leg.

“The All-American” earned his first win since 2020 earlier this year when he claimed a technical decision win over Brazilian Bruno Silva. Weidman spent two years on the sidelines after snapping his leg while kicking Uriah Hall in April 2021 – an injury nearly identical to the one sustained by Anderson Silva in his second fight with Weidman.

Weidman hails from Baldwin, Long Island; losing a chance to fight in New York no doubt stings particularly badly in his case.

UFC 309 is set for Madison Square Garden on Saturday, November 16, 2024. Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic, with Jones’ heavyweight title on the line, headlines. With the loss of Chris Weidman and Eryk Anders, the card moves forward with the following bouts:

• Jon Jones (c) vs. Stipe Miocic – for the UFC heavyweight championship
• Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler
• Bo Nickal vs. Paul Craig
• Viviane Araújo vs. Karine Silva
• Maurício Ruffy vs. James Llontop
• Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee
• Jim Miller vs. Damon Jackson
• David Onama vs. Roberto Romero
• Marcin Tybura vs. Jhonata Diniz
• Mickey Gall vs. Ramiz Brahimaj
• Bassil Hafez vs. Oban Elliot
• Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura

The post Eryk Anders Off UFC 309, Fight with Chris Weidman Cancelled appeared first on Cageside Press.

After picking up a win in his most recent outing, Weidman (16-7) has been booked against Eryk Anders (16-8, 1NC) at UFC 309 on November 9, 2024. While not officially announced by the promotion, that card is expected to be held at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY.

Iridium Sports Agency, who represent Anders, announced the news on Wednesday.

Weidman, 40, hails from nearby Long Island, though he now calls South Carolina home.

After snapping his leg in a fight with Uriah Hall in April 2021, Weidman was out of action for a little over two years before returning against Brad Tavares at UFC 292. He would fall to the kick-heavy game plan of Tavares, but bounce back with a technical decision win, originally a TKO, against Bruno Silva this past March.

The win over Silva saw its result changed on the fly, after it was ruled that Weidman had accidentally poked the Brazilian in the eye ahead of the finishing sequence. Either way, with the fight in the third round, “The All-American” had done enough to win it.

Weidman captured UFC gold in July of 2013, dethroning the then-unbeatable Anderson Silva. An immediate rematch followed that December, which saw Silva snap his leg in near identical fashion to the injury Weidman himself would sustain eight or so years later.

Eryk Anders, a former football player and LFA champion, made the jump to the UFC in 2017, quickly becoming known for being game for short-notice, entertaining fights. That included fighting Thiago Santos on short notice in Brazil at light heavyweight in 2018, in a Fight of the Night effort.

More recently, Anders earned a unanimous decision win over Jamie “The Nightwolf” Pickett.

While no main event has been announced for UFC 309, the long-awaited heavyweight clash between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic is the leading candidate. That fight was supposed to take place at Madison Square Garden in November of last year, but was derailed due to a Jones injury.

The post Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders Booked for UFC 309 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Jamie Pickett came into the fight as the owner of a 2-6 record in his UFC career, so a loss could lose him his job- though having announced his retirement ahead of the fight, it appeared Pickett was ready to call it a career either way. However, one would have thought that to be the case already after losing four in a row before this. Former University of Alabama linebacker Eryk Anders had once main evented against Lyoto Machida, and though he had not lived up to that billing, he has had a solid UFC career in the years since and came into the fight against Pickett as a heavy favorite.

Anders pressed Pickett back and shot an early single leg takedown when the fight began, but Jamie defended. They grappled in the clinch for a long period before Pickett broke free. On the feet, Anders came forward again but right into a right hand from Pickett which rocked him for a moment. However, Anders went for another single leg and turned it into a double leg, which succeeded. Pickett got back up, bet Eryk got on his back with the body-lock. However Pickett escaped that position and immediately dropped Anders with a straight punch, but Anders reversed the position and got on top with an omoplata attempt-turned-sweep. Jamie Pickett got back up and the round ended soon after, putting him up 10-9.

Anders hunted for wrestling again to start round two but Pickett’s defense held up at first. However on Eryk’s second attempt he was able to land one. He tried to get on Pickett’s back but Jamie bucked him over his head to escape. Still, he could not get out of being controlled in the clinch and the dirty boxing of Anders began to do damage, as well as help him to set up takedowns. This time Eryk Anders took Pickett’s back with one hook in and landed ground strikes until the round ended.

Going into the third round, Anders likely had tied it up at one round apiece, leaving all to fight for in the final stanza. His momentum continued as he took Pickett down into half-guard immediately in round three, as Jamie appeared visibly tired. Pickett regained full-guard but ate elbows from there. He turned to his side and Anders took that opportunity to cut him open with elbows, but Pickett was able to struggle to his feet. However, Anders simply took him down once more. Eryk dominated his foe from top position for the rest of the round, in all likelihood sealing his victory.

When the judges’ scorecards were read out, Anders got the nod to nobody’s surprise, even receiving a 10-8 from one judge.

Official Result: Eryk Anders def. Jamie Pickett by Unanimous Decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-28)

The post UFC Vegas 87: Eryk Anders Spoils Jamie Pickett’s Retirement Party appeared first on Cageside Press.

The longtime middleweight and former football player, who returns to action at UFC Vegas 87 this weekend, recently shared a clip of his son picking up a medal at a wrestling meet. As it turns out, he might just follow in dad’s footsteps.

“Maybe. He said if he don’t make it in football, he wants to do it. I’m like ‘but do you though?'”

Of course, that’s the exact path Eryk Anders (15-8, 1NC) himself took to fighting. After playing for Alabama’s Crimson Tide in his college days and a stint in the CFL, Anders made the move to MMA, winning a title in LFA before arriving in the UFC.

“Yeah. But I don’t know dude. I’ve got a crooked nose. He’s built for it for sure. He’s a little sparkplug, square peg round hole, works hard. When he’s at his mom’s house, he’ll get up 5, 6 in the morning, run to the gym which is like maybe a half mile away across the highway, work out, lift before school, come back, shower, go to school and then go to wrestling practice or baseball practice or whatever. So he is a worker, he definitely has the work ethic to do it, he’s just never been punched in the face before. I just think he’s got that grit that is required to be a fighter.”

That said, Anders noted that he doesn’t push his kids into anything. As long as they’re active in something, sports or otherwise, he’s content.

“My kids, I don’t pressure them to do anything. You have to do something, you can be on the math team, chess team, debate team for all I care,” stated Anders. “But you have to do something. I’m just fortunate that they do like sports and participating in them, because me, that’s my thing. I can relate, we can do things together, we can go out there, play baseball, go to a batting cage, shoot hoops in the driveway. Do whatever.”

“I’m just glad that they’re into sports, but I tell them all the time, you don’t have to wrestle, you don’t have to play football, you don’t have to do this, you don’t have to do that. That was my thing. I’ve lived out pretty much all of my athletic wants in life, so I don’t have to live vicariously though my kids because I did it already myself. So they do it just because they want to, and I think for them it’s more enjoyable because there is no pressure.”

Anders is a sizeable favorite going into his fight with Jamie Pickett at UFC Vegas 87 this weekend. Yet despite his opponent being on a nasty slide, Anders has prepared for the best Pickett possible. And the best fighter period.

“I don’t really get more excited for one fight than the other, I try to approach them all the same. Because you have to go out there and win, you have to go out there and perform. I just try to act as though and prepare as though I’m fighting the best fighter in the UFC,” explained Anders. “I’m for sure going to get the best version that Jamie’s got of himself. I think this is do or die for him, four fight losing streak or skid or whatever. So I’m sure he’ll come out more aggressive, I’m sure he’ll come out bigger, stronger, faster. I’m sure that I’ll be fighting the best version of him, so I’m preparing as such.”

Watch our full interview with UFC Vegas 87’s Eryk Anders above.

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