At least, it would have been a middleweight affair, had Potieria not come in heavy at the scales on weigh-in day. Instead, the bout was held at a 188 pound catchweight, with Potieria coughing up a percentage of his purse to his opponent.

Official Result: Marco Tulio def. Ihor Potieria by TKO (punch and GNP), Round 1, 3:04

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Hitting the scales at the end of Friday’s weigh-in window, Jose Johnson and Ihor Potieria both came in north of their respective limits. Johnson, booked into a would-be flyweight fight with Felipe Bunes, was 2.5lbs over the non-title limit at 128.5. For Potieria, he was two pounds north of the middleweight limit for a fight against Marco Tulio.

Both fights take part on the event’s preliminary card. All other athletes made weight on Friday, including headliners Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas. The pair, booked into a rematch (Ribas earned a decision win in their first meeting), both came in at 116lbs for the strawweight main event.

UFC Vegas 101: Dern vs. Ribas 2 Weigh-In Results

Main card

Women’s Strawweight: Mackenzie Dern (116) vs. Amanda Ribas (116)
Welterweight: Santiago Ponzinibbio (171) vs. Carlston Harris (170)
Middleweight: César Almeida (185.5) vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan (185.5)
Middleweight: Chris Curtis (185.5) vs. Roman Kopylov (185.5)
Featherweight: Christian Rodriguez (145) vs. Austin Bashi (145.5)
Welterweight: Punahele Soriano (171) vs. Uroš Medić (171)

Preliminary card

Flyweight: Jose Johnson (128.5)* vs. Felipe Bunes (126)
Middleweight: Marco Tulio (185.5) vs. Ihor Potieria (188)**
Lightweight: Thiago Moisés (155.5) vs. Trey Ogden (155.5)
Welterweight: Preston Parsons (171) vs. Jacobe Smith (170.5)
Women’s Flyweight: Ernesta Kareckaitė (126) vs. Nicolle Caliari (125.5)
Light Heavyweight: Magomed Gadzhiyasulov (205) vs. Bruno Lopes (205.5)
Women’s Strawweight: Fatima Kline (116) vs. Victoria Dudakova (116)
Lightweight: Joe Solecki (155) vs. Nurullo Aliev (155.5)

* Jose Johnson weighed in two and a half pounds over the flyweight limit for his fight with Felipe Bunes; fined 20% of his purse

** Ihor Poteira weighed in two pounds over the middleweight limit for his fight with Marco Tulio; fined 25% of his purse

UFC Vegas 101 Weigh-In Photos

Face-Offs

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“I’m so happy today this night because back to the win. This is very important for me, and I have my strategy for the fight,” Almeida told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“I keep in the strategy. I keep in this game. It worked. Very, very nice.”

Almeida (6-1) poked his opponent in the eyes four times yet the ref refused to warn him let alone take a point. Even when asked about the fouls and the ref Almeida declined to give an answer. It’s unclear if that was intentional or if the language barrier played a factor.

While the referee blunders were certainly not his fault he did poke Potieria in the eyes repeatedly. The referee told him to stop doing it, but declined to take a point.

Cesar Almeida walked into the media room wearing a brace on his right hand indicating an injury. That will leave his return date up in the air as well as any possible opponents for the middleweight.

“I’m back to the gym Monday. Probably December or January. Depends (on) my hand,” he said.

“I don’t know. Maybe in top 15. I feel ready.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Cesar Almedia above.

The post Cesar Almeida Looking To Get Back In December appeared first on Cageside Press.

A former GLORY kickboxer, Almeida was 1-1 in his UFC run to date, and coming off a loss against Roman Kopylov. Potieria was 2-3 in his last five, and entering off his own loss to Michel “Demolidor” Pereira.

The start of the first round was a battle of technical kickboxing. Potieria had a lot of success early in the fight going to the body against Almeida which opened up some nice left hands. Almeida had a lot of success of his own using his kicks and countering Potieria in the first round. Potieria decided to mix in his grappling landing a takedown after a couple of tries. Almeida however showed that he had worked on that part of his game after his last time out against Kopylov.

The start of the second round wasn’t off to the best start. Almeida eye poked Potieria but the ref dismissed it and then shortly after, Almeida followed that foul with a shot to the groin area. Right after that Almeida seemed to have poked Potieria again with no point deduction. The fight resumed, inexplicably a third eye poke followed, but wasn’t called. Potieria went back to his grappling but Almeida was able to get back to his feet and do some grappling of his own with a tight mounted guillotine. He was able to use it to mount Potieria and land some nasty ground and pound from the top position.

Most people didn’t expect the middleweight pair to make it to round three but they were able to get there. The third round started with another eye poke that the ref didn’t pay any mind to. Ultimate Finger-poking Championship was in full swing. The two fighters were extremely tired throughout this final round but that was to be expected with the high altitude in Salt Lake City. Ultimately, Almeida was able to kick box his way to victory and counter the grappling approach of Potieria. Despite roughly five eye pokes and a groin shot, Almeida did what he’s known for with his kickboxing.

Almeida is now 2-1 in the UFC and can look to build off of this win. He did a lot of things better in comparison to his last outing, and made tons of improvements for this fight that showed. This was a huge win for his MMA career at UFC 307.

Official Result: Cesar Almeida def. Ihor Potieria by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

The post UFC 307: Cesar Almeida Beats Ihor Potieria in Foul-Filled Fight appeared first on Cageside Press.

The main event saw a back-and-forth dog fight as Steve Erceg, with less than a year of experience in the UFC, took on the promotion’s flyweight champion, Alexandre Pantoja. UFC 301, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, also boasted the return of UFC Hall of Famer, Jose Aldo, in the co main event slot.

Steve Erceg

Steve Erceg put on an incredibly gutsy performance on Saturday night and showed that he is one of the elite fighters in the flyweight division.  Unfortunately, he lost a unanimous decision to Alexandre Pantoja thanks in part to a last second takedown. This loss snaps a 12-fight unbeaten streak spanning back to Erceg’s second professional fight. Erceg is now 3-1 with the UFC since debuting on June 10th, 2023.

Erceg should have another high-level fight scheduled as he has shown himself to be fully capable of such opportunities.

Alex Perez just won in a short notice main event last week when he successfully stopped Matheus Nicolau.  The division is practically wide open thanks to injuries and temporary retirements. There aren’t many reasons why not- with one win, maybe two, Steve Erceg is back challenging for the belt. Erceg put on that good of a performance. Perez is scheduled to take on Tagir Ulanbekov who is 4-1 in his UFC stint thus far. Winner of this fight should take on Erceg for a title eliminator bout. Thats the most exciting scenario for the flyweight division at this stage with a dominate champion like Pantoja.

Erceg’s next fight: Alex Perez vs. Tagir Ulanbekov winner 

Jonathan Martinez

Jonathan Martinez lost a unanimous decision against one of the best fighters of all time, Jose Aldo in the co main event at UFC 301. It was a big moment for Martinez as he stepped in to welcome the legend back from his short-lived retirement. Unfortunately for Martinez, he lost a unanimous decision to Jose Aldo.

Jonathan is now 10-4 with the UFC, and just had his 6-fight win streak snapped.

Pedro Munhoz would be a solid opponent as Munoz is another veteran that has faced top level competition but has won just 1 of his last 6 fights. It’s a second chance for Martinez to capitalize on a big name. And a good matchup for 37-year-old Munhoz at this stage in his career.

Martinez’s next fight: Pedro Munhoz

Vitor Petrino

Vitor Petrino suffered a devastating loss on Saturday night as he was strangled via guillotine in the first round. It took two minutes for the former light heavyweight title challenger, Anthony Smith, to get the tap.

Petrino was 4-0 in the UFC and 11-0 as a pro. Definitely showed just how green he still is with the performance against a veteran like Smith who has 13 wins in the UFC and is 38-19 as a pro. Petrino is definitely a guy that still has a lot of potential and at 26 should still be considered a guy that is still improving.

That fact considered, a good opponent for Vitor Petrino moving forward would be Ryan Spann. Spann was last in action last week and was also finished by his opponent. Spann is currently just barely in the UFC’s top 15 rankings and is on a 3-fight losing streak. Spann also has a loss to Anthony Smith from August of last year.

Petrino’s next fight: Ryan Spann

Ihor Potieria

Ihor Potieria was quickly submitted in under a minute by Michel Pereira via standing guillotine on Saturday night. Although the result was not without a little bit of controversy as Pereira landed a foul with a backflip to a grounded opponent, it was a swift a decisive loss for Ihor nevertheless.

Potieria was stepping in at UFC 301 for Makhmud Muradov who had to withdraw from the bout due to infection.

Ihor has won just 2 of his last 6 fights since entering the UFC. And though he has a win over the legend Shogun Rua, Ihor missed weight ahead of his other win with the promotion in February against Robert Bryczek.

Potieria is scheduled to take on Shara Magomedov June 22nd on the Whittaker vs.  Chimaev card in Saudi Arabia.

Potieria’s next fight: Shara Magomedov

Paul Craig

Paul Criag was knocked out in the second round of his fight against Caio Borralho to open the main card of UFC 301. Craig is now 1-2 since moving down to the middleweight division having beaten Andre Muniz and lost to Brendan Allen.

Paul Craig is now 9-8-1 in the UFC. Craig has won just 1 of his last 5 fights.

Despite his success at 205lbs., Craig needs a win and a good performance in his next bout to stay in the mix of the better fighters in the middleweight division.

A solid matchup for Craig would be against Edmen Shahbazyan. Edmen is 6-4 in the UFC and has won 2 of his last 6 fights. Shahbazyan saw a notable step up in competition in 2020 and after stumbling for a few bouts is now seemingly improved and taking on more appropriate competition.

Craig’s next fight: Edmen Shahbazyan

The post What’s Next: UFC 301 Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.

“It’s my fighting style. It’s what I do,” Pereira told reporters including Cageside Press through a translator at his post-fight scrum.

“That’s the risk, but I’m the risk taker. That’s why I’m getting the performances I’ve been getting. That’s why I’m the UFC showman. I’m always on the edge of the risks.”

Pereira (31-11) finished Potieria with a nasty standing guillotine choke that may have his opponent to sleep.

“I’m a MMA fighter. I saw the opportunity to take him on the guillotine and I did. That’s what I did,” he said.

Emerging unscathed and with a quick fight Periera said he’s ready to go as soon as needed.

“I’m ready to fight again. I’m injury-free. I’m ready to go. Hopefully the UFC will give me a better ranked fighter next time, but I’m ready to fight anyone they put against me. I’m the UFC showman,” he told Cageside Press.

With his first fight in his native Brazil in 6 years it really couldn’t have gone much better.

“I’m super happy. I’m happy with my performance, happy with the opportunity God has given me,” he said.

“And happy with the outcome of the fight.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Michel Pereira above.

The post Michel Pereira Won’t Change Fighting Style After Near Illegal Strike appeared first on Cageside Press.

“Demolidor” wasted no time in demolishing the competition on Saturday. Within moments, he had stunned Ihor Potieria, knocking him to his back. Pereira then backflipped – one of his patented moves, in essence a pro wrestling-style standing moonsault – onto Potieria, with a shin glancing off the Ukrainian’s head.

THAT. JUST. HAPPENED. 👀@UFCPereira | #UFC301 pic.twitter.com/pffqqaOPZ2

— UFC (@ufc) May 5, 2024

From there, Pereira caught his opponent in a guillotine. As Ihor was tapping, he lost consciousness, and Michel Pereira had his eighth straight win!

Some debate was had immediately following the win, thanks to the incidental contact between Pereira and Potieria off that back flip. The local athletic commission and referee in the cage held a lengthy discussion prior to the result being read. Ultimately, the ringside officials gave the result a pass, perhaps due to the contact being incidental and mostly to the chest/shoulder area, with Pereira coming away with the submission win. With one of the most memorable finishing sequences in recent times no doubt.

ALL HE NEEDED WAS 54 SECONDS 😱@UFCPereira gets the submission in the first round! #UFC301 pic.twitter.com/lCcN5z8Js1

— UFC (@ufc) May 5, 2024

Eight straight wins, and one of the most exciting resumes among active UFC fighters, have Michel Pereira’s stock way up.

Official Result: Michel Pereira def. Ihor Potieria by submission (guillotine choke), Round 1, 0:54

The post Michel Pereira Demolishes, Subs Ihor Potieria at UFC 301, but Not Without Controversy appeared first on Cageside Press.

“Two years ago I had problem with my mind. Why? Because everybody knows situation in my country,” Potieria told reporters including Cageside Press on Wednesday.

“I lost a lot of friends, and I’m crying inside.”

Potieria (21-5) is from Kiev, Ukraine. The country has been defending itself from Russian attacks since 2022. Both sides reports different casualty numbers, but a New York Times article reported casualties were reaching the 500,000 mark.

“I don’t think about the fight. I think just what happened in my country because like I said a lot of people, a lot of my friends, died. I wake up and I cry,” he said.

“Now everything changed with my mind. I’m much stronger inside. The most important thing of all of the fighters (is) to be strong inside.”

At UFC 301 he faces Pereira, but a conversation with UFC middleweight Caio Borralho during fight week brought up an interesting question.

Would Potieria, who considers Borralho a friend, fight him next?

“We came to be friends outside. We work. This is our work,” said Potieria.

“Of course if UFC said we need have fights, I can’t answer it ‘No! This is my friend.’ Everybody (is an) opponent. This is our work. We do (it) to be the best.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Ihor Potieria above. He takes on Michel Pereira at UFC 301 on Saturday night.

The post Ihor Potieria Reveals Mental Health Issues Due To Ukraine War appeared first on Cageside Press.

UFC CEO Dana White made the announcement on social media.

BOOOOOOM!!!!!!

UFC is heading to Saudi Arabia for the first time with a BAD ASS card, headlined by Whittaker vs Chimaev LIVE and FREE on ABC on June 22nd pic.twitter.com/2OZW2AEmLH

— danawhite (@danawhite) March 28, 2024

Robert Whittaker (25-7) will make his return to the octagon following a successful trip to Anaheim, CA where he took a decision victory over Paulo Costa. He is 3-2 in his last five outings in the octagon, and he’ll step into a very high-profile bout in Saudi Arabia.

Chimaev (13-0) took a victory over former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 last October. Following a big weight miss at UFC 279 Chimaev’s future looks to be in the middleweight division for the time being.

Other bouts announced for UFC Saudi Arabia include the co-main event setting up an all-Russian bout between Sergei Pavlovich and Alexander Volkov.

Pavlovich comes off a TKO loss to now interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall at UFC 295 last November. Prior to that he had a run of 4 consecutive victories in the octagon.

Volkov (37-10) had just days ago been announced for a bout with Jailton Almeida at UFC 302, but now pivots to Saudi Arabia. He’s on a 3-fight win streak with victories over Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Alexandr Romanov and Tai Tuivasa.

Some other fights announced for the card include:

• Kelvin Gastelum vs. Daniel Rodriguez
• Johnny Walker vs. Volkan Oezdemir
• Shara Bullet vs. Ihor Potieria

The post Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev Main Event UFC Saudi Arabia appeared first on Cageside Press.

Jack Hermansson

‘The Joker’ extended his streak of winning every other fight and losing every other fight on Saturday as he beat unranked prospect Joe Pyfer in the UFC Vegas 86 main event. Hermansson, the eleventh-ranked middleweight in the UFC, had not fought in 2023 after losing to Roman Dolidze to end 2022, but by starting 2024 the right way he cemented his place in the division with a savvy veteran performance at age 35.

What would make more sense now than pitting the winners of the last two main events against each other? Hermansson and Nassourdine Imavov won middleweight main events in back-to-back weeks, so their timeline for their next fight should be similar. Imavov is ranked eighth in the division and is searching for a signature win; a victory over a veteran gatekeeper like Jack would propel him forward as the young French fighter seeks UFC gold.

Hermansson’s Next Fight: Nassourdine Imavov

Dan Ige

Dan Ige lived up to his nickname again in UFC Vegas 86’s co-main event as he earned a performance bonus for his walkoff knockout of Andre Fili. ’50k’ has long been a skilled operator, but tends to falter when facing top opponents in his talent-rich division. Still, a win over Fili is a big deal and puts him back in the win column after his close loss to Bryce Mitchell.

The problem is just that Ige has not beaten a ranked opponent since 2020, so does he really deserve another one right now with a losing record against those opponents? At most he should fight the man he was originally scheduled to face, #14 featherweight Lerone Murphy. The undefeated Murphy is primarily a striker also, so the bout has a lot of potential to be exciting.

Ige’s Next Fight: Lerone Murphy

Ihor Potieria

Despite missing weight in his first fight at middleweight in the UFC, Ihor Potieria was able to out-duel debutante Robert Bryczek to a decision victory. Ihor is still only 2-3 in the UFC, but has saved his job for now and will have a chance to fight another inexperienced middleweight next, this time hopefully with a full camp and a proper weight cut. His next opponent should be Tresean Gore, who has a similar record to Potieria in the UFC at 1-2.

Potieria’s Next Fight: Tresean Gore

Gregory Rodrigues

Now with a 6-2 UFC record, five finishes, and a plethora of memes about him looking like Barack Obama, Gregory Rodrigues is one of the more interesting unranked fighters at middleweight. After finishing veteran Brad Tavares he should be ready for his first foray into ranked waters. It has only been a week since Roman Dolidze lost, giving a flat performance in his first main event, so he should be on the same recovery timeline as ‘Robocop.’

Dolidze is the clearest ranked option at middleweight to fight down in the rankings after two straight losses, so he will ahve to put his #10 ranking on the line. Given his power and grappling skills, he should at least be able to put on a more interesting performance vs Rodrigues, especially in a three-round fight instead of five.

Rodrigues’ Next Fight: Roman Dolidze

Michael Johnson

At thirty-seven years old Michael Johnson is still able to put a beating on fighters in their twenties, and seems to be learning new skills as evidenced by his rare use of offensive wrestling on Darius Flowers. He should not be forced into fighting anyone too close to the rankings, as he got knocked out brutally last time that happened, but he can compete with most unranked UFC lightweights.

Anyone Johnson fights will be more inexperienced than him, but he could at least be given someone who is a veteran himself, like Jared Gordon. Gordon also is looking to turn his last win into a winning streak, and has a well-rounded skillset to rely on in pursuit of that, just like Michael himself.

Johnson’s Next Fight: Jared Gordon

Rodolfo Vieira

ADCC champion Rodolfo Vieira got on a winning streak with a dominant grappling performance over Armen Petrosyan. Vieira was able to take down the kickboxer, methodically pass to mount, and lock up an arm-triangle for his fourth such submission in five UFC wins. Since his pair of UFC losses Vieira has clearly put in the work to improve ancillary aspects of his game in pursuit of becoming a well-rounded MMA fighter, and it appears to be paying off.

As he looks to get closer to the rankings, it is time for him to once again face the style that gives him the most trouble: strong wrestlers. Joe Pyfer lost in the main event of this very same card after winning his first three UFC fights, making him a well-matched opponent for Vieira. Further, his defensive wrestling will be tested for the first time in the UFC, while Vieira’s offensive wrestling will be tested more than it has been in a while.

Vieira’s Next Fight: Joe Pyfer

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 86 Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.