First noted by UFC Roster Watch, an automated service that monitors changes to the promotion’s fighter database, Makwan Amirkhani, Danaa Batgerel, Tony Gravely, Trevin Jones, Omar Morales, and Ilir Latifi have all been removed from the company’s roster.

An additional report by MMA Fighting notes that in all cases, the fighters in question completed their contracts and were not re-signed by the promotion. That does not, obviously, preclude them from signing with the company again in future.

Latifi (16-9, 1NC), a teammate of Swedish standout Alexander Gustafsson, moved to heavyweight in 2020 for the first of four fights in the division under the UFC banner. He posted a 2-2 record in that stretch, and was coming off a split decision loss to Rodrigo Nascimento.

“The Sledgehammer” had flirted with retirement in recent years.

Amirkhani (17-9), a.k.a. “Mr. Finland,” joined the UFC in 2015, but was 1-5 in his last six fights in the promotion. Jones (13-10, 1NC) was on an 0-4 run, most recently stepping up against former bantamweight champ Cody Garbrandt on short notice at UFC 285.

Danaa Batgerel was in a similar situation, on a three-fight losing streak. Omar Morales had also lost three straight, while Gravely, a former CES MMA champ, had lost two, and was 2-2 in his last four fights.

The post Ilir Latifi, Makwan Amirkhani Among Six Fighters Removed from UFC Roster appeared first on Cageside Press.

Latifi entered UFC fight #17 on a two-fight win streak. In comparison, Brazil’s Nascimento was making just his fifth walk to the octagon.

With the obvious size advantage against Latifi, a former light heavyweight, Nascimento stayed in front of Latifi early, connecting with a combo about a minute in. Latifi looked for a takedown attempt, then another, but his entry on both attempts was painfully slow. His left hand, however, did connect with Nascimento, backing the bigger man up momentarily.

Latifi began using that left hand to punch his way in, but the takedown still wasn’t there for Ilir Latifi. Nascimento, meanwhile, landed a hard left hook of his own.

Despite some big swings by both parties throughout the opening frame, Latifi and Nascimento would head to the second round. The heavy exchanges continued early in the second stanza, with Nascimento mixing in a kick to the body. Nascimento would have a decent amount of success on the feet — but Latifi managed to get the fight down towards the end of the round, finishing by dropping elbows while on top, in guard.

Nascimento pressed the action early in the third, walking Latifi down, using his jab, and backing the Swede up against the fence. Latifi circled out, with Nascimento walking him to the other side of the octagon. Latifi fired his left hand, a big shot answered by a bigger one from Nascimento, that appeared to stagger Latifi for just a moment.

Latifi went after a takedown near the midway mark of the round, but the action was halted as ref Herb Dean took away the position after Latifi grabbed his opponent’s shorts. Dean also warned Latifi that a point would be taken the next time it happened. Regardless, Latifi landed a takedown moments later, only for Nascimento to quickly wall-walk up. Latifi stayed on him, pressing the larger man into the fence. Nascimento would free himself with about 15 seconds left in the frame; they’d finish at center, with the third round like in favor of the Swede.

Come the scorecards, two judges had it for Rodrigo Nascimento. That’s his second straight split decision win, following a victory over Tanner Boser last year.

Official Result: Rodrigo Nascimento def. Ilir Latifi by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

The post UFC Vegas 73: Rodrigo Nascimento Claims Second Straight Split Decision, Over Ilir Latifi appeared first on Cageside Press.

Jon Fitch questions MMA game of Adesanya, Pereira

Former WSOF welterweight champ, UFC title challenger and Bellator MMA title challenger Jon Fitch is among those critical of the UFC 281 main event.

But rather than simply calling Alex Pereira a one-dimensional champ, he ripped into both fighters who threw down in New York City just over a week ago.

“What an absolute joke. This guy [Pereira] had seven fights, he had seven fights, and they gave him a title fight. Seven fights. In what world does a top sport athlete come in with such little experience? Oh well he’s a kickboxer— I don’t care. It’s a different sport,” Fitch said in a recent video posted to his official Youtube channel.

“He had zero ground. Absolutely zero ground. Adesanya schooled him on the ground. He had less than white belt ability on the ground. One stripe. Maybe one stripe white belt. He had one stripe white belt, and he is in there fighting for the highest belt in the land. Against Adesanya, who is supposed to be the best middleweight fighter maybe ever. Oh, since Anderson Silva, oh my god (sarcastically). Is any of that real? How is that even possible?”

Fitch’s take is one that echoes many, including Brendan Schaub, and generally downplays the striking ability of both men and focuses on their supposed grappling deficiencies.

And while Fitch admitted that he was entertained by the fight, “I’ve never been impressed with Izzy,” he added. “He picks at the guys and runs away. Picks and runs, picks and runs, and wins decisions. The guys who are fighting him don’t move their heads, run in, and try to strike with him. Stupid. They don’t ever try to feint, make him miss, and get to the clinch and take him down.”

“It’s a joke. It’s a joke. Unbelievable.”

Fitch’s hypothesis is generally that the UFC is picking and choosing match-ups. He used Brock Lesnar as another example, suggesting that the former Heavyweight champ had washed out of the NFL, and never made it to the Olympics, only to get preferential treatment by the UFC.

“How many amazing fighters and fights have we had stolen from us because MMA isn’t a free market? Because it’s been monopolized by these greedy slimeballs who control the ranks, control the title, who have these exclusive contracts, who have monopolized this and turned it into a reality show? Keeping the majority of the money to themselves, so that guys who have actual talent and ability don’t want to touch it.”

Hear more from Fitch, who retired from MMA following a loss to Neiman Gracie in September of 2020, below.

Paige VanZant Has Return Date Set for Next BKFC Fight

Paige VanZant’s bare-knuckle career has been a bit of a bust, but the popular fighter and former UFC star will keep on keeping on, with a new date set for 2023. Per BKFC President David Feldman, VanZant will compete in New Mexico next February, with Feb. 27 the expected date.

No opponent has been announced for PVZ’s third bare-knuckle outing. Thus far, she’s 0-2 in the sport, and is badly in need of a win. Especially given her pro wrestling career seems to have stalled following a handful of appearances for AEW — with trainer Gangrel saying last month that he hadn’t heard from the star since her first match (via tjrwrestling.net).

“She did well; she didn’t train as much as I would have liked for her to train, but I haven’t seen her since that match. She did that match, she wrote me, and said, ‘Hey, I’d like to go over the match with you and some critique.’ And I said, ‘Sure,’ and that’s the last I heard from her.”

VanZant recently moved onto OnlyFans after running her Paigefanzant.com website for several years, so she’s not hurting for cash between fights, but if her next bare-knuckle outing goes south, could we see an MMA return?

https://twitter.com/paigevanzant/status/1592667165710512128

Ilir Latifi Suspended Three Months After Fighting with Staph

Following Ilir Latfii’s win over Alexei Oleinik on October 1, the Swede revealed he had competed with a staph infection.

Bad.

Staph is contagious, and no one should be competing with it. So it’s not surprising that the Nevada Athletic Commission has opted to suspend the fighter, albeit for just three months.

MMA Fighting was first to report the news, following a commission meeting this past Wednesday. Latifi will have to fork over just north of $400 in legal fees as well.

Given “The Sledgehammer” was mulling retirement following the fight, mind you, the suspension may not really matter in the end.

Minner facing possible sanction for failure to disclose injury

That same NSAC meeting signaled the commission’s apparent desire to get serious about fighters not disclosing injuries. That just happens to coincide with an investigation into suspicious betting activity surrounding the Darrick Minner vs. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke fight earlier this month.

Minner fell to a leg injury early in the fight; just prior to the bout, a massive shift in betting action saw large amounts of money put on Nuerdanbieke to finish the fight inside of a round. While Nuerdanbieke had already been the favorite, the volume of bets coming in triggered a review by U.S. Integrity, an industry watchdog.

The UFC has also announced an investigation via their own betting partner, though promotion president Dana White recently stated there was no evidence to show anyone involved done anything untoward.

Regardless, Minner may now be on the hook with the Nevada commission for not disclosing his injury. “I believe we’re going to also take action against him for not disclosing the injury,” Nevada Deputy Attorney General Joel Bekker said during the meeting (via MMA Fighting).

Minner’s case will be carried over to a future meeting. There’s still the issue of James Krause apparently being suspended from cornering as well.

One More Bit of Commission News

The NSAC has rejected an attempt by the Mixed Martial Arts Journalists Association to ensure promoters provide access to all weigh-ins and live professional events held in the state.

The move, with the support of the Nevada Press Association, came via petition and was made in response to the UFC’s decision to host their October 1, 2022 event behind closed doors. While airing live on ESPN+, all media access to the card was cut off on short notice, as Meta/Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, plus a couple of companions including his wife, were given a private audience.

The downside of this being allowed is simple: the point of a media presence at sporting events is to give an unfiltered (as much as possible) view of what transpires, outside of the usual promotional push. To the extent possible, it keeps things honest. That’s not to say the UFC is doing anything dishonest, but take the Latifi situation, for example: no media was present to question the fighter following the bout on when he’d contracted staph or just why he felt the need to fight with it.

Weigh-ins are another, arguably greater, concern, as fighters have been known to cheat the scale (see: Cormier, Daniel). Not to mention the number of fighters hitting the scale who look like death warmed over following tough weight cuts. Reporting on that brings awareness at least. No media access, less awareness.

The NSAC, however, cited health and privacy concerns in rejecting the petition.

Cageside Live Covers UFC 281

Really, what else could you talk about after a night like that?

The post Sunday MMA Quick Hits: Fitch Blasts UFC 281 Main Eventers, PVZ Books Fight appeared first on Cageside Press.

Bryce Mitchell Wants to Debate Joe Rogan Over Flat Earth Theory

Ladies and gentleman, Bryce Mitchell.

Bryce Mitchell challenged Joe Rogan to a flat Earth debate (I edited the original clip for time) pic.twitter.com/ugraYmIEgB

— Borrachinha Depot (@FullContactMTWF) October 18, 2022

We’d like to believe that this is just Mitchell’s way of landing a guest spot on the Joe Rogan Experience. Unfortunately that’s probably not the case. The undefeated featherweight has long been an outspoken figure, and more power to him on that. It’s just a shame he’s fallen off the map (ba dum tiss!) on this one.

UFC Bans Fighters, Coaches, Corners from Betting on Fights

It’s almost comical that this wasn’t already established, but no, UFC fighters should not be betting on UFC fights.

The promotion recently updated its Athlete Code of Conduct, a rarely enforced document quite frankly, to make this explicit. The update, first reported by Yahoo! Sports, reads as follows:

Athletes are prohibited from placing any wagers (directly or through a third party) on any UFC match, including placing any wagers on themselves. In most states with legalized sports betting, wagering by an athlete (directly or through a third party) on any MMA match put on by a promoter with which they are affiliated is illegal and may result in criminal sanction. Athletes should also be aware that in most states these same prohibitions apply to some or all of (i) relatives living in the same household as the athlete, (ii) an athlete’s coaches, managers, handlers, athletic trainers, medical professionals and staff, and (iii) any other person with access to non-public information regarding participants in any MMA match. An athlete that becomes aware of has knowledge of any wagering in violation of these restriction must immediately notify UFC of such incident in accordance with this UFC Athlete Conduct Policy.

While it may seem odd not to allow fighters to bet on teammates or even on themselves to win, the principle behind it is that athletes may have insider info when it comes to opponents. With MMA being such a small world and “spies” in training camps having been an issue in the past, any news of injury or ailment floating between camps could give someone an edge — while the greater public could be completely in the dark.

Ilir Latifi Gets Temp Suspension for Staph Shenanigans

Following his win over Aleksei Oleinik earlier this month, Ilir Latifi revealed in his in-cage interview that he’d opted to compete with a staph infection.

Oops.

Staph is highly contagious, with the infection caused by the Staphylococcus genus of bacteria. Staph infections can be serious, even deadly — ergo athletic commissions do not allow combat sports competitors to compete with them.

As a result, the Nevada Athletic Commission has handed Latifi a temporary suspension, noting that the incident displayed “behavior that cannot be tolerated” from a professional fighter, per a report by MMA Fighting. Latifi and the commission are reportedly working to reach an adjudication agreement in terms of punishment, which should put a final timeframe on his suspension.

Dana White’s Slap Fighting League Approved by NSAC

Who asked for this?

A “Slap Fighting” promotion being launched by UFC President Dana White has been granted approval by the NSAC. The Nevada Athletic Commission approved the proposed league via vote this past Tuesday at the commission’s monthly meeting.

ESPN was first to report the news.

Slap fighting involves two competitors standing opposite one another and… well, slapping one another as hard as they can. In the face. That’s it. UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell is part of the ownership group behind the new promotion, along with White.

The outfit is going by the name Power Slap League and will feature rules and weight classes based on MMA. But you know, with just slapping.

Maybe they can sign the Diaz brothers.

PFL Announces Broadcast Deal with DAZN, Founding of PFL Europe

The PFL has signed on with DAZN to air its PFL Europe events in, well, Europe. Makes sense.

PFL Europe will launch in 2023, and is being described (in a recent press release, anyhow) as “the first regional league ever from a global provider of MMA.” PFL Europe will be a joint venture between DAZN and the PFL, making it a founding partner, as well as the exclusive broadcaster in 53 markets. Those include the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Spain.

“PFL Europe is the beginning of the Champions League of MMA from PFL” said Peter Murray, CEO of PFL in a press release announcing the news. “We are excited to have DAZN as our strategic media rights distribution partner in Europe for all of fight franchises – PFL Global League, PFL Challenger Series, PFL Europe, and PFL PPV Super Fight Division.”

ONE Championship Announces Brazilian Broadcast Deal with Combate

The UFC recently announced an end to its partnership with Combate in Brazil, opting instead to focus on UFC Fight Pass in the South American nation. With Dana White and co. going their own way, ONE Championship has stepped in to provide MMA content to the outlet.

The multi-year agreement kicks off in 2023 and will see 12 events air in Brazilian prime time annually. Combate, owned by parent company Globo, had long been the broadcast home of the UFC.

“This multi-year agreement will give our Brazilian fanbase the opportunity to connect with ONE like never before as we present a minimum of 12 primetime events each year,” ONE CEO and Chairman Chatri Sityodtong said in a press release. “Brazil is one of the most passionate combat sports regions in the world, and with a best-in-class partner like Globo distributing our content, we will be able to reach the widest audience possible in an extremely important market for ONE.”

Cageside Live, and Interviews Galore

In case you missed it, catch up with Cageside Live, and some of our top interviews with regional fighters from the past week!

The post Sunday MMA Quick Hits: UFC Fighters Banned from Betting, Flat-Earther Mitchell Wants to Debate Rogan appeared first on Cageside Press.

The bout had originally been booked for March at UFC Columbus, only for Latifi to withdraw due to illness on the day of the fight. A rescheduled date at UFC 273 weeks later also fell through; Saturday would turn out to be the charm, with the pair finally throwing down.

The end result was a very reserved affair, which saw the Swede fight smart, and stay away from Oleinik’s submission game.

A very cordial start to the heavyweight fight saw the fighters shake hands before getting down to business. Oleinik connected with his hands, while Latifi looked to land his own right. Latifi then landed a takedown, which of course put Oleinik in his wheelhouse. Oleinik trapped both of Latifi’s arms with overhooks, forcing the ref to consider standing them how. Latifi pulled one arm free, however, and the action was allowed to continue.

By the final minute, Oleinik had a cut opened up by an eye, possibly due to an accidental head butt. Latifi did get some strikes in, going body-head in the final minute. More impressively, he stayed out of danger in terms of submissions.

Round two saw Latifi fire an uppercut early, while Olienik looked to close the distance for a takedown. He fired wild over the top, with Latifi successfully countering. Latifi then landed a left hand; Oleinik fired a low kick. Oleinik put the pressure on, walking Latifi down and throwing looping punches and leg kicks. It wasn’t pretty, but was likely earning him points. When Latifi shot for a takedown, Oleinik sprawled. A second attempt, with more power behind it, landed for Latifi, however.

That gave the Swede 90 seconds to work. Latifi moved to side control, landing some nasty elbows and forcing Oleinik to scramble. Latifi had the back momentarily at the end of the round, before Latifi moved back to side control.

Oleinik pressed forward once again to start the third. Latifi answered him with a left hand. Latifi then feinted a takedown, which Oleinik fell for. Oleinik fired a knee shortly after, which Latifi answered with an uppercut. Clinching, they battled it out by the fence; Oleinik would land a knee, but Latifi had most of the control time. They’d go the distance, with Ilir Latifi the clear winner.

After the win, Latifi revealed that the bout was the last on his contract, and at 40 he was unsure of his future. He also said he’d picked up a staph infection in his leg two days out from the fight, but didn’t tell his coaches.

Official Result: Ilir Latifi def. Aleksei Oleinik by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

The post UFC Vegas 61: Ilir Latifi Avoids Aleksei Oleinik’s Submission Game, Wins Decision appeared first on Cageside Press.

Following the bout dropping off the UFC Columbus card due to Latifi falling ill, it has been moved to UFC 273 on April 9. UFC officials announced the move on Monday via the promotion’s official website. Oleinik also confirmed the new date via social media.

Oleinik (59-16-1) will be looking to snap a three-fight skid when he takes on Sweden’s Latifi (15-8, 1NC). In his past three bouts, Oleinik has fallen to Derrick Lewis, Chris Daukaus, and Sergey Spivak. At 44, he is the oldest active UFC fighter, and unquestionably the most experienced, with over 75 professional fights to his name.

Latifi recently returned to the win column, picking up a split decision victory against Canadian Tanner Boser. The victory marked Latifi’s first win as a heavyweight in the UFC.

UFC 273 takes place April 9, 2022 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. The following bouts have been reported for the card thus far:

Alexander Volkanovski (c) vs. Chan Sung Jung – for the UFC featherweight championship
Aljamain Sterling (c) vs. Petr Yan (ic) – for the UFC bantamweight championship / title unification bout
Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimaev
Mackenzie Dern vs. Tecia Torres
Ian Garry vs. Darian Weeks
Dricus du Plessis vs. Anthony Hernandez
Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Marcin Tybura
Mickey Gall vs. Mike Malott
Julio Arce vs. Daniel Santos
Mark Madsen vs. Vinc Pichel
Piera Rodriguez vs. Kay Hansen
Aspen Ladd vs. Raquel Pennington
Aleksei Oleinik vs. Ilir Latifi

The post After Misfire in Columbus, Aleksei Oleinik vs. Ilir Latifi Moved to UFC 273 appeared first on Cageside Press.

As much as he had defied father time through a career spanning over 75 professional fights, Aleksei Oleinik (59-16-1) found himself in must-win territory at the event.

Opposite Ilir Latifi (15-8), “The Boa Constrictor” was looking to snap a three-fight skid, while Sweden’s “Sledgehammer” himself was coming in off a lone win over Tanner Boser.

The fight just wasn’t to be, however. In a late withdrawal, Latifi dropped off the card, the result of a “non-COVID” related illness.

UFC officials confirmed the news as the UFC Columbus broadcast got underway. As a result, the welterweight bout between Neil Magny and Max Griffin, which had been penciled in as the night’s featured preliminary card fight, was promoted to the main card.

Sara McMann vs. Karol Rosa, a women’s bantamweight bout with the potential to propel Rosa into the title picture, moved to the featured prelim spot in turn.

UFC Columbus moves forward with 12 fights, including the heavyweight main event between Curtis Blaydes and Chris Daukaus. Left on the docket are:

• Curtis Blaydes vs. Chris Daukaus
• Joanne Wood vs. Alexa Grasso
• Matt Brown vs. Bryan Barberena
• Askar Askarov vs. Kai Kara-France
• Marc Diakiese vs. Viacheslav Borshchev
• Neil Magny vs. Max Griffin
• Sara McMann vs. Karol Rosa
• Chris Gutiérrez vs. Danaa Batgerel
• Aliaskhab Khizriev vs. Denis Tiuliulin
• Jennifer Maia vs. Manon Fiorot
• Matheus Nicolau vs. David Dvořák
• Luis Saldaña vs. Bruno Souza

The post UFC Columbus Loses Aleksei Oleinik vs. Ilir Latifi At Last Minute appeared first on Cageside Press.

BJPenn.com was first to report the news, which Latifi subsequently confirmed on social media.

Latifi (15-8) had been expected to face Alexander Romanov on February 19. However, as Romanov pulled out, it left “The Sledgehammer” in need of a new opponent.

The Swedish fighter last fought against Tanner Boser in June of last year, picking up a split decision win. That snapped a career-worst three-fight skid for Latifi. Since returning to heavyweight, where he fought prior to his UFC run, Ilir Latifi is 1-1.

Oleinik (59-16-1), now the oldest and most experienced fighter on the roster, was supposed to face off with Greg Hardy at UFC 270. Forced out of the fight, he’ll go up against Latifi in March looking to snap a three-fight losing streak, which has seen him fall short against Derrick Lewis, Chris Daukaus, and Sergey Spivak.

“The Boa Constrictor” holds notable wins over former UFC champ Fabricio Werdum, former title challenger Mark Hunt, and outside the UFC, the legendary Mirko Cro-Cop. Oleinik holds a mind-boggling 14 career finishes by way of Ezekiel choke — two of which have come inside the octagon.

No other fighter has successfully used the choke in UFC history.

UFC Columbus is set to take place on March 26, 2022 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The following match-ups have been reported for the card to date:

• Askar Askarov vs. Kai Kara-France
• Matt Brown vs. Bryan Barberena
• Michelle Waterson vs. Amanda Ribas
• Nate Landwehr vs. Lerone Murphy
• Joanne Wood vs. Alexa Grasso
• Tucker Lutz vs. Seung Woo Choi
• Sara McMann vs. Karol Rosa
• Montel Jackson vs. Danaa Batgerel
• Matheus Nicolau vs. David Dvořák
• Aliskhab Khizriev vs. Abusupiyan Magomedov
• Max Griffin vs. Neil Magny
• Bruno Souza vs. Luis Saldana
• Marc Diakiese vs. Viacheslav Borshchev
• Ilir Latifi vs. Aleksei Oleinik

The post With Romanov Fight Off, Ilir Latifi Gets Aleksei Oleinik at UFC Columbus appeared first on Cageside Press.

Promotion officials revealed the match-up via social media on Tuesday. The fight will be the first bout back for Latifi since suffering a significant, career-threatening eye injury in June — an injury that left him blind in one eye for weeks.

Latifi (15-8, 1NC) snapped a three-fight losing streak when he captured a split decision win against Tanner Boser at UFC Vegas 28 in June. He also incurred the aforementioned eye injury due to an accidental poke. Prior to that fight, Latifi had lost bouts to Derrick Lewis, Volkan Oezdemir, and Corey Anderson.

The Lewis fight marked the heavyweight debut for “The Sledgehammer” inside the UFC, though he had previously competed in the weight class on the regional circuit.

Romanov (15-0) has been perfect through four UFC fights to date. And for the entirety of his career, for that matter. Most recently, “King Kong” stopped Jared Vanderaa by TKO in October. In his 15 fights as a pro, 14 have come by way of finish. The only decision came against Juan Espino back in April, when a low blow left Romanov unable to continue in the fight. With the action having made it to the third round, the fight went to the judges, with a technical split decision the result.

The UFC’s February 19, 2022 card does not yet have a location, venue, or broadcast plan officially announced. Thus far, the following bouts have been reported for the Fight Night event:

Jesse Strader vs. Chad Anheliger
Austin Lingo vs. Jonathan Pearce
Chas Skelly vs. Mark Striegl
Kyle Daukaus vs. Julian Marquez
Khalid Taha vs. Mario Bautista
John Makdessi vs. Nasrat Haqparast
Diana Belbiţă vs. Gloria de Paula
Jessica-Rose Clark vs. Stephanie Egger
Ilir Latifi vs. Alexander Romanov

The post UFC: Ilir Latifi vs. Alexander Romanov Announced for February 19 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Jairzinho Rozenstruik

Bigi Boy did eveything we expected him too. He went in there and looked sort of tentative for the first four-plus minutes of the fight. He followed that up by landing with his signature power and putting Augusto Sakai right to sleep. The win undoubtedly bumps him up the division, but with losses to people not all that far in front of him, he has limited options. Curtis Blaydes is looking for a bounce back fight after his loss to Derrick Lewis. It would be a chance for Blaydes to prove getting KO’d by Lewis was a fluke in facing another power puncher. It’d also let Rozenstruik test out his own takedown defense.

Jairzinho Rozenstruik’s Next Fight: Curtis Blaydes

Marcin Tybura

Tybura is another heavyweight in a tricky spot. The win over Harris made it five straight for the Polish native, but he also has a recent loss to the UFC Vegas 28 main event loser Augusto Sakai. So how high are we really ready to push him up the division? Later in the summer, Chris Daukaus and Shamil Abdurakhimov face off. The winner of that would be about the spot for Tybura. The fact that he has a loss to his Russian counterpart already makes that fight less tempting, but it’s old enough that you might run it back anyways.

Marcin Tybura’s Next Fight: Abdurakhimov/Daukaus Winner

Santiago Ponzinibbio

Speaking of weird positions, Santiago Ponzinibbio looked like a completely different fighter than his first comeback fight. Heck, he looked like a different fighter from the first to the second and third rounds. So is he the former top 10 guy that we all had pegged for contender fights? Or is he an edge of the top 15 guy who still needs to prove he can repeat those last two rounds? I’m a little bit on the side of the latter and wouldn’t exactly like to see him in with the Geoff Neals of the world yet. James Krause is always game for a big fight like Ponzinibbio. He’d also be the perfect test to see if ol’ Ponz is back or not.

Santiago Ponzinibbio’s Next Fight: James Krause

Montana De La Rosa

Montana De La Rosa showed quite a bit of improvement this time out. While her striking is still lagging behind her submission offense, it seems to be picking up a bit. There was also a marked improvement in her ground and pound as she picked up her first TKO victory. While Lipski isn’t exactly known for her ground game, it was good for De La Rosa to get a win over a striker. For her next task, she should face one a little more well versed in grappling. Antonina Shevchenko seems about the right step forward for that purpose.

Montana De La Rosa’s Next Fight: Antonina Shevchenko

Ilir Latfi

I think a lot of people wrote off Latifi when he decided to move up to heavyweight. Why wouldn’t they? He’s 5’9″ and now facing the biggest guys in the UFC. However, he’s shown that he is an apt wrestler in a division that doesn’t have a lot of those. He may not be ready for a ranked opponent yet, but his win over Tanner Boser at UFC Vegas 28 shows he needs to be taken seriously. A good test for him would be someone who can stuff his wrestling or even take him down. Alexandr Romanov is coming off a lackluster performance and probably is not demanding a huge step up in competition. Figuring out which of those is ready for the top 15 would be a nice next move and answer a lot of questions about Latifi’s size in this division.

Ilir Latifi’s Next Fight: Alexandr Romanov

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