With a record of 29-1, the Ukrainian was also looking for his 30th pro win, and third straight victory overall. Amosov’s only loss had come to Jason Jackson in Bellator; Alvarez for his part had won four straight.

Amosov was the busier fighter in the opening minute, throwing low kicks, kicks to the body, and letting his hands go, backing Alvarez up to the fence. When Alvarez came forward, Amosov changed levels and landed a takedown, ending up in half-guard. From there Amosov was able to land a left hand or two, but Alvarez did work his way to the fence and wall walk up. Straight into a standing arm-triangle, though that wouldn’t last. Amosov, however, took Alvarez right back down.

The round played out in that fashion, with Amosov draped over Alvarez like a wet blanket. Any time Joel made it back to his feet, Yaroslav Amosov was all over him, taking him back down, often with a deftly placed trip.

After getting virtually zero offense off in round one, Alvarez looked to get his hands going to start round two. Coming forward more in the first minute than he had the entire first frame, he did land a couple of times— but found himself taken down moments later. And Amosov followed the takedown up with an arm-triangle choke, got the tap, then followed his submission win up with some breakdancing for good measure!

Yaroslav’s first UFC win had got him in the door, but his second made a statement: watch out!

Official Result: Yaroslav Amosov def. Joel Alvarez by submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 2, 1:13

The post UFC 328: Yaroslav Amosov Breakdances Following Sub of Joel Alvarez appeared first on Cageside Press.

Amosov (29-1) will face Joel Alvarez (23-3) as part of UFC 328 on May 9, 2026 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.

Journalist Álvaro Colmenero was first to report news of the booking. Amosov previously teased a return to the cage shortly.

The post Joel Alvarez vs. Yaroslav Amosov Set for UFC 328 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Seeing another Brazilian former champion in Deiveson Figueiredo also earning a W was a nice bonus for the home crowd, too. With UFC Rio now in the books, let’s look at what’s next for Oliveira, Figueiredo and the other winners from Saturday’s event.

Charles Oliveira

Not even four months removed from his brutal KO loss to Ilia Topuria, the only reason “Do Bronxs” came back so quickly was to fight in his home country of Brazil. Often times, after such a bad loss, older fighters get hesitant to engage and march forward, but not Oliveira. He walked Mateusz Gamrot down, showed him no respect, and sliced through him on the ground. A vintage Do Bronxs performance that warmed the hearts of his fan base.

Oliveira then called out a fellow future Hall of Famer and former foe, Max “Blessed” Holloway. This battle of the fan favourites has been brewing for some time, but I don’t think the timing will ever work as perfectly as it would right now. Two legends of the sport who were bound to rematch and are a perfect fit for the BMF title. It sucks that one of them will have to lose, but at this point, this fight books itself.

Oliveira’s next fight: Max Holloway

Deiveson Figueiredo

Figueiredo, the other former champion on this card, also earned a win in the co-main event. Knowing Figgy will turn 38 in two months, was coming off consecutive losses for the first time in his career and he was facing a younger opponent who had won six straight, the odds were stacked against him. He came in as a sizeable betting underdog, but his veteran savvy allowed him to escape this fight with a split decision victory. It wasn’t his best performance nor was it his best opponent, but this is the type of win that only the true greats are able to pull off. When it seems like they’re on the way down, they remind you they can still compete with and defeat quality fighters.

While seeing him get his hand raised was nice, this fight didn’t tell me that we should throw Figgy back in title contention. I wouldn’t be opposed to have him fight upwards against names like Sean O’Malley or Song Yadong, but it appears there’s a good chance those two end up fighting each other. If Umar Nurmagomedov beats Mario Bautista in unconvincing fashion, there’s a chance he’ll have to fight again before getting another title shot, in which case Figueiredo would be a good name to throw at him. However, I think the most sensical option is probably to have him fight Aiemann Zahabi, should he beat “Chito” Vera next weekend. Zahabi would be on a seven-fight win streak, but without the kind of marquee name that would truly send him into title contention. Figueiredo also needs another win before getting throw to the wolves again. In other words, they would need each other.

Figueiredo’s next fight: Aiemann Zahabi (if victorious vs Marlon Vera)

Joel Alvarez

The 32-year-old Alvarez put on a drubbing on Vicente Luque, earning 30-26s across the board. Despite the loss, Luque put an end to Alvarez’s perfect finishing rate. Knowing Luque has talked about brain bleeds in the past, the Spaniard perhaps took it easy on the beloved veteran in the third round. Regardless, this was a mauling performance in Alvarez’s welterweight debut. Luque is clearly post-prime, but he’s still a quality name to add to Alvarez’s win streak and a fitting divisional debut. Another known veteran who seemingly has a bit more left in the tank is Neil Magny. After winning a second straight fight two weeks ago, Magny sounds like a great test to see how far Alvarez can go in his new division.

Alvarez’s next fight: Neil Magny

Mario Pinto

After showing his devastating knockout power in his promotional debut and Contender Series bout, Mario Pinto now showed he can wrestle as well. He went three for four on takedowns, got to full mount and landed ground-and-pound shots on Jhonata Diniz until the referee was forced to call it off. At 11-0 and just 27-years-old, Pinto is a breath of fresh air for this heavyweight division. Usually, I would be in favour taking our time with a prospect this young and interesting, but this shallowness of the heavyweight division makes me want to push him up a lot faster. That’s why I think a fight with Marcin Tybura makes a lot more sense than it should.

Pinto’s next fight: Marcin Tybura

Kaan Ofli

After dropping fights to Mairon Santos and Muhammad Naimov, Kaan Ofli came into this fight in hot waters, probably needing a win in order to stay in the promotion. Getting the backpack and forcing the tap out of Ricardo Ramos in the first round was just what the doctor ordered for him. There are a bunch of names at 145 lbs that you could throw at Ofli, I went with another Brazilian: Joanderson Brito.

Ofli’s next fight: Joanderson Brito

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

The post Joel Alvarez Outclasses Luque in Odd, One-Sided Battle appeared first on Cageside Press.

5. Joel Alvarez

The Spaniard has quietly been one of the most exciting lightweights in the UFC ever since he came in. His only losses came against Damir Ismagulov in his promotional debut and to current number 1 contender Arman Tsarukyan. He finds himself on a three-fight win streak and coming off a spectacular finish of Drakkar Klose in December. He’s exactly the type of fighter the fans would love to see face the best of the division.

However, there are reasons why he sits at number 5 on this list and not higher. He’s been rumoured to be fighting Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 315 in May; so there may be reasons why he’s looking at a return in spring, making March 8^th a non-option for him. He’s also currently unranked, which might make it hard for the UFC to convince Gaethje to take that fight. Finally, he would have to weigh-in in 9 days, and he has had trouble making 155 pounds in the past, even with the one-pound allowance.

4. Jean Silva

“Didn’t Jean Silva just a few days ago?” He sure did, but that hasn’t stopped him in the past.

Aside from training at Fighting Nerds and having finished every UFC fight he’s been in, the major reason Silva made a name for himself last year was because of what he did in the summer. He knocked out Charles Jourdain at featherweight on June 29^th, then proceeded to get a doctor’s stoppage win over Drew Dober at lightweight on July 13^th. That is a 14-day turnaround, precisely what would be asked of him again, here. The short notice game is easier to play for unranked fighters because the stakes are different, meaning Silva is still in the position where he could accept this co-main event opportunity against a fan-favourite and still see his stock go up in the event of a loss.

There’s a lot to gain here for Silva, it would just be a matter of whether his body will allow him another quick turnaround. No one would blame him for turning this down. His smaller size and bigger name might make it easier for the UFC to convince Gaethje to accept the Silva fight than the Alvarez one.

3. Mateusz Gamrot

Not the sexiest of picks, but one that does make more meritocratic sense than the first two. Gamrot, sitting at #8, fighting #3 Gaethje despite coming off a loss would be strange. However, he was unbeaten in three consecutive bouts before that. Weirdly enough, this wouldn’t be the first time Gamrot has bailed the UFC out after Hooker pulled out of a fight as he came in on short notice to defeat Jalin Turner at UFC 285. Gamrot was also the official backup at UFC 294 when Charles Oliveira pulled out ten days before the event and he was still passed over by the promotion. It might time for the UFC to do him a solid, now. Additionally, Gamrot’s fight with Hooker last August was not only thoroughly entertaining, but an extremely close split decision that truly could’ve gone either way. So in a sense, he was one round on one judge’s scorecard away from potentially finding himself in this spot anyway.

On the Gaethje side of things, he’s spent his entire training getting prepared for Hooker. Gamrot’s style is such a massive contrast that no one would fault him for at least asking for a striker in exchange for staying on the card and saving the event.

2. Renato Moicano

Moicano, who has already thrown his name in the hat on social media, finds himself in a similar spot to Gamrot. He’s also coming off a loss and ranked quite a few spots below Gaethje. The Brazilian has done a good job growing his name among the fanbase on social media. He now has a much bigger presence in the sport than the Polish fighter. Despite also being a grappling-first fighter, it’s his stature that may give him an edge in the Gaethje sweepstakes.

Fun fact: Almost three years ago to the day, Moicano was accepting a short notice fight to save a Pay-Per-View co-main event in March.

1. Rafael Fiziev

The man they call “Ataman” was the one Moicano was filling in for three years ago. Wouldn’t it be perfect if this time it was Fiziev’s turn to come in on short notice? He was the first to hop on social media to say he can make the date.

Fiziev suffered an unfortunate leg injury in his main event against Gamrot in September of 2023. It was an unsatisfying and inconclusive ending to the fight; no one really sees it as a loss on his record. Before then, he lost a majority decision to Gaethje himself. However, what a lot of people forget is that Fiziev was poked badly in the eye, a foul that clearly affected him, yet no point was taken. Most importantly, in spite of the eye poke, 10 of the 27 media members scored that fight for Fiziev on mmadecisions.

Fiziev has been vocal about his recovery being finished and has been fishing for fights since the fall. What we have on our hands is an exciting, hungry contender in his prime who was on a six-fight win streak before a disputable decision loss and an injury stoppage. He’s by far the most deserving of any of the potential names out there. Their first meeting got ‘Fight of the Night’ honours and I’m sure Justin Gaethje, of all people, wouldn’t mind another bonus on his record. Let’s run it back, this time for five rounds.

The post Who Should Justin Gaethje Face at UFC 313? appeared first on Cageside Press.

Alvarez (22-3) had teased the move to 170 earlier in the week, but nobody was really sure why. Was this his last fight at 155?

“Could be, but I decided if there’s going to be a UFC Spain that would be my last dance at 155,” Alvarez told reporters including Cageside Press through a translator at his post-fight scrum.

It’s not like there hasn’t been talk of the UFC’s first event in Spain. Recently both UFC CEO Dana White and UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria have expressed interest in going to Spain.

Now if it is the last dance at 155 he’d need a willing dance partner, and he threw a name out that we haven’t heard in a bit.

“I don’t have an opponent in mind, but for my last dance I would fight somebody that’s coming back there. I heard he might be coming back to 155, 170, but he would be (Donald) Cowboy Cerrone,” he said.

“Listen to me it would be a dream. I heard it might be a possibility. It would be a dream for me to get a photo with him. Imagine a fight with him. That would be an amazing thing if he’s coming back.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Joel Alvarez above.

The post Joel Alvarez Would Stay At 155 For UFC Spain, Wants Cerrone appeared first on Cageside Press.

Alvarez had won two straight, including a Performance of the Night-winning TKO, becoming the first man to finish Elves Brenner in his last outing. Klose was on an even better run, winner of four straight including two Performance bonuses. That said, tragedy struck Klose earlier this year, as his brother, who often helped scout his opponents, had been murdered.

Alvarez came out with his usual plodding pressure, waiting for an opening. He stung Klose with the first right hand he landed, forcing him to instinctively shoot a takedown. Klose slammed Alvarez to the floor, but after scooting back to the fence, the Spaniard was able to work his way back up. As they got back into open space, Alvarez stunned Klose again. When Klose’s back hit the fence, Alvarez jumped into a flying knee that put him out cold.

The size difference was very apparent the second the fight started. “El Fenomeno” made good use, as he usually does, of his 6-inch height and 7-inch reach advantages. His 100% finish rate stays intact and he is surely deserving of ranked opposition next. Perhaps he will get to fight in his home country next as the UFC is looking to go to Spain in 2025.

Official Result: Joel Alvarez def. Drakkar Klose by knockout (Round 1, 2:48)

The post Joel Alvarez Flying Knee Puts Klose Out, Hopes For UFC Spain appeared first on Cageside Press.

Alvarez entered the bout coming off a win over Marc Diakiese, while Brener looked to bounce back from a loss to Myktybek Orolbai.

Alvarez looked sharp early on, controlling the pace of the fight and picking his shots nicely as Brener looked to mount some offense of his own. The Spaniard remained cool and composed, landing a wide variety of strikes while displaying some great takedown defense.

Joel Alvarez, who boasts 17 wins by way of submission, managed to lock in a deep D’Arce choke in the waning moments of the round, though Brener showed true grit and would hold on for nearly 30 seconds before finally hearing the bell.

After 10 minutes of lightweight action, Alvarez looked to be ahead, though he would not be content with a decision victory. He began to put together a flurry of vicious combinations, followed by a series of knees that would floor Brener and effectively end the fight.

Alvarez called out King Green following the TKO win, calling his shot for another lightweight scrap in Abu Dhabi in October.

“No takedowns, no submissions, only boxing,” Alvarez bellowed in his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier, referencing a potential bout with Green.

Brener gets handed his second consecutive loss after jumping out to a hot (3-0) start to his UFC career. The Brazilian lightweight continues to show his heart and determination with each fight that passes, but will need to correct a few aspects of his game in order to get back into the win column.

Official Result: Joel Alvarez def. Elves Brener by TKO, Round 3, 3:36

The post UFC Abu Dhabi: Joel Alvarez Stops Elves Brener, Wants King Green Next appeared first on Cageside Press.

Despite the Spaniard picking up the win, unfortunately it is clouded in controversy as the finishing sequence came due to a clash of heads. Alvarez went on to capitalise on the situation and subsequently picked up his 17th career win by submission.

Although the majority of fans aren’t pleased with the way Dan Movahedi dealt with the situation, and the lack of not using the replay, Alvarez has defended his win and dismissed any controversy surrounding it.

“We stopped, the ref told us to keep going so I kept going. I was happy to get the submission all my victories come from submissions so I was happy to go in there and get one more.” Alvarez said.

“El Fenomeno” hasn’t fought twice in a calendar year since 2020 with activity being his biggest issue. Despite that, he has declared that he wants to come back and fight someone in the top 15 this year.

“Comeback to the top 15.

“I’ve only fought once since then (2021) against Arman and you know the reality is that i’m here to show that i’m back and active. I want to be more active, I had some injuries, I was going to fight in February in Australia but I had some visa problems but now I want to stay more active.

“For sure before the year is over, I’ll be back.” Alvarez said.

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Joel Alvarez above.

The post Joel Alvarez Calls For Top 15 Opponent Following Controversial Win Over Diakiese In London appeared first on Cageside Press.

Joel Alvarez entered the rankings briefly in 2021 after beating Thiago Moises. However just one fight later a monstrous cut inflicted by Arman Tsarukyan flung him into the unranked masses again. He looked to build back towards the top fifteen against Marc Diakiese on Diakiese’s home turf. Marc lost his last fight to veteran Michael Johnson, so one of these talented fighters had to leave the octagon on a two-fight losing streak while the other would be back in contention for a ranked opponent soon.

The first round began with Diakiese targeting the long legs of Alvarez. Joel came back with a knee and a strong leg kick of his own. A lead hook from Alvarez caught Marc off balance in the early going and made him stumble but he did not appear hurt. Diakiese attempted some of his signature spinning attacks after that and landed a backfist. Alvarez was doing well by striking in combination and punctuating every one with a leg kick. Diakiese was more one and done with his strikes but he landed some good ones including an overhand right two minutes in. The length of Alvarez gave him a constant physical advantage though; his jab and lead hook consistently interrupted Diakiese. However Alvarez overswung on his combinations at times and his head fell far forward of his stance, putting him off-balance. Diakiese spun with just under a minute left; Alvarez timed it and got the rear body-lock, then one hook in, then dragged Diakiese to the mat. However Marc was able to reverse the position and end up in top position right before the buzzer ended the round.

Diakiese began the second round with a missing wheel kick and then a successful takedown into the dangerous full guard of Alvarez. Alvarez looked to throw up submissions but his head was pressed into the fence, making it hard. He still worked to invert on the legs but Diakiese stayed heavy on top. Alvaerz had trouble creating angles to do anything off of his back, but Diakiese could not do much from the top either.

With two minutes left Alvarez gave up on the submissions and wall-walked to his feet. Diakiese tripped the Spaniard’s legs out though and took him down, but then Alvarez sprung to his feet, got a front headlock when Diakiese shot for a takedown again, and got on top when Diakiese rolled to his back. Marc sprung to his feet after eating a few shots. Diakiese protested an accidental head clash but the referee did not stop it and Joel swarmed him against the fence. Marc went for a takedown to survive but ended up in the dangerous front headlock of Alvarez. Alvarez locked up a d’Arce choke and Diakiese turned the wrong way when trying to escape. The choke was tightened and Marc was forced to tap.

After the bout ended the review official, Jason Herzog, and others apparently discussed whether or not they would review the fight. However nothing came to fruition and Joel Alvarez got his hand raised by referee Dan Movahedi.

Official Result: Joel Alvarez def. Marc Diakiese by Submission (d’arce choke), Round 2, 4:26

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