“I think looking at the names that they present me is what I’m looking for,” McGhee told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“There’s obviously different names that are going to make sense. I wouldn’t be surprised if they gave me Jose Aldo. I feel like that’s a fight that they would give me.”

McGhee (10-1) won his fourth straight UFC fight at UFC 309. The win against a very dangerous Martinez is something McGhee hopes will get the UFC to send him Aldo.

“My partner (Mario Bautista) just fought him and he just lost to him, and I just come off a win off a guy he beat. We’re both right there next to each other in the rankings. He’s a little bit older. I’m a little bit older,” he said.

“I wouldn’t doubt that that’d be a fight that they make, but there’s so many other fights out there to make. I’ll just listen to what the UFC says. They’ve done a good job of matching me up so far.”

Fighting Aldo may involve going to Brazil to face the King of Rio. McGhee had another idea.

“New York, it’s already done, that’s checked off the list,” he said.

“Honestly, Arizona (where McGhee lives). I want the UFC to come back. I want a full turnaround. Let’s fight in Arizona. Why don’t we get Jose Aldo back in Arizona. That sounds good.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Marcus McGhee above.

The post Marcus McGhee Shoots His Shot For A Scrap With Jose Aldo appeared first on Cageside Press.

Martinez, ranked #13, was looking to bounce back from a loss against the legendary Jose Aldo that had snapped a six-fight win streak. McGhee, like Martinez was previously, came in on a hot tear, having one five straight overall, three under the UFC banner.

The opening round started with both fighters coming out in their southpaw stances and trading kicks for first minute. Martinez was going to the legs, while McGhee was threatening with head and body kicks. While Martinez seemed too shy to engage, McGhee used his boxing advantage to out-strike him and take the round on activity alone.

Martinez came out in round two with more pep to his step, but McGhee was still doing the better work his hands. Even though Martinez started to set up his low kicks better, McGhee wasn’t hobbling around, which allowed him to still stand his ground and counter Martinez’ kicks with his boxing. McGhee isn’t the hardest hitter, but he was still stinging Martinez and the power was enough to force him to reset. These resets by Martinez gave clear openings to McGhee to fire a couple shots and win the round on activity once again, despite a better effort from his opponent.

Round three was a different story as Martinez’ low kicks started to add up. He had McGhee hopping around on one leg on multiple occasions. You would think Martinez, who TKO’d Cub Swanson and Adrian Yanez with leg kicks, was starting to smell blood but he inexplicably opted to clinch and lose precious seconds, allowing McGhee’s leg to recover. Martinez had McGhee retreating for the remainder of the round, but was ultimately unable to find the finish. Who knows how this fight would have played had Martinez been more active in the first round, but credit to McGhee for making him hesitant early.

McGhee took the decision victory, clearly taking rounds one and two, and will now almost certainly enter the rankings on Tuesday. As for Martinez, after a nice win streak, he is now 0-2 in 2024.

Official Result: Marcus McGhee defeats Jonathan Martinez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

The post Marcus McGhee Survives Jonathan Martinez Leg Kick Attack at UFC 309, Wins Decision appeared first on Cageside Press.

Jonathan Martinez (19-5) will face Marcus McGhee (9-1) at the event, set for November 16, 2024 at the famed MSG arena. Iridium Sports Agency, who represent both fighters, announced the news on Monday.

Martinez will be looking to return to the win column in the fight, after falling to former UFC and WEC featherweight champ Jose Aldo in the Brazilian’s comeback fight in May. That unanimous decision loss snapped a six-fight win streak Martinez had compiled dating back to March of 2021.

McGhee, a.k.a. “The Maniac,” is 3-0 under the UFC banner and has quickly become a fan favorite. All three of those wins have earned McGhee Performance of the Night bonuses, but Martinez will mark a significant step up in competition for the LFA alum.

UFC 309 does not have a main event officially announced, but all signs point to Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic finally coming to fruition for the heavyweight title. The following pairings have been reported for the November PPV to date:

• Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders
• Karine Silva vs. Viviane Araújo
• Nikita Krylov vs. Azamat Murzakanov
• Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura
• Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee

The post Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee Booked for UFC 309 appeared first on Cageside Press.

“This division is pretty cool. I’m just going to watch everybody, see where everybody goes, and hopefully I get a good name,” Martinez told Cageside Press at UFC X.

“It’ll be good for me.”

Martinez (19-5) is coming off a loss at UFC 301 to Jose Aldo in Brazil. He’s hoping to return at what may turn out to be one of the biggest cards in UFC history.

“I want to get on that card in September (UFC 306). Hopefully I’m just waiting, see what they tell me,” he said.

UFC 306 takes place on Sept 14 at The Sphere in Las Vegas and has become quite the target for all fighters to try and get on.

Martinez has been known to be on the shy side of dealing with media, but when it comes to fans he’s as comfortable as it gets.

“I’m getting a lot of fans so it’s pretty cool,” he said.

“Just get a lot of questions that they’re going to give me a champ one day and work hard. We see you climbing and stuff like that, you know.”

Watch the entire interview with Jonathan Martinez above.

The post Jonathan Martinez Likes What He Sees At Bantamweight 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.

“When I asked for this fight they had already talked about it (signing Aldo to a new contract). I said let’s fight first,” Aldo told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“You have to see it first. They won’t put the cart in front of the oxen. Let’s do it slowly. Let’s fight and do a show. As soon as you see it you’ll know how I am.”

Aldo (32-8) said that UFC brass did try to sign him to a contract, but he wanted to fight this one out first before considering that option.

“I wanted to fight here first. Now I can talk to Dana (White) and see what path we can take,” Aldo said.

Prior to the fight Aldo had said that his goal was to fight out his UFC contract and then get back into boxing. He had mentioned possible matchups with boxing legends Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.

“Yes it could be. As I told you before I got the offer. I even had the contract, but I said no, I’m still with the UFC. So I need to fight. I need to see how I’m doing. This is a big window that opened up for me,” he said

“I think my life has always been here (UFC). So I have to get there, sit down with them, and see what’s the best path we can take.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Jose Aldo above.

Translation via Captions.

The post Jose Aldo Will Talk To UFC About Future, May Return To Boxing appeared first on Cageside Press.

Aldo had stepped away from MMA after a loss to Merab Dvalishvili, but had been on a win streak prior to the setback, and had dabbled in boxing since. He’d also been inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, but the allure of at least one last walk to the cage appeared too strong.

Martinez had won six straight coming into Saturday’s showdown with the former featherweight champ. Ranked 12th at 135lbs, Martinez had two leg kick TKOs during that run.

Off the opening bell, Aldo pressed forward, guard up, while Martinez probed with his leg kicks. Aldo fired to the body with a punch, falling just short, and checked a Martinez kick. Aldo would also fired off a heavy low kick of his own, no stranger to the kicking game himself. This time, when Aldo ripped the body, he landed, and soon had Martinez backing up, if only for a moment. An Aldo right hand crashed into Martinez with just over a minute on the clock. Aldo ripped the body, and suddenly, Martinez seemed to be watching, and reacting a second too late.

In round two, Martinez managed to tie things up along the cage, much to the displeasure of the Brazilian crowd, who serenaded the American with boos. Aldo held on with an overhook and the pair appeared at a stalemate, with the ref encouraging them to get active. Another volley of boos, another warning from ref Mike Beltran, and he finally opted to restart the pair out in the open. That led to an Aldo right hand landing, but Martinez cracked back with a left. Aldo returned fire! The pair were certainly swinging hard, with both landing but Aldo appearing to have more success.

With an Aldo chant breaking out in the arena the pair continued their back-and-forth, circling one another and competing mainly in a fairly decent boxing match. Perhaps not surprising, given that was exactly where Aldo had been competing prior to Saturday. Aldo ripped the body, but Martinez continued to stay with him, albeit with far fewer kicks than he had displayed early. The pair finished the round with one final exchange, both men landing.

Martinez looked to get more active in round three, but it was Aldo, 90 seconds in, attacking with knees and halting Jonathan’s momentum. Martinez went to the body with a kick; Aldo returned fire in kind. Martinez, game, stayed right in the former champ’s face, but Jose Aldo was likely ahead on the scorecards with Martinez in need of something explosive. But it was Aldo rocking his opponent with a left, then moving in for the kill, firing punches and knees at a wobbled Martinez. Aldo then landed a huge takedown, putting Martinez on his back with emphasis. Aldo found himself in guard with just over a minute on the clock; Martinez, not known for submissions off his back, was going to need to find a way to scramble free. Instead, Aldo moved to half-guard, though Martinez would reclaim guard.

What Jonathan Martinez would not reclaim was his feet, finishing the fight on his back and leaving no question that Jose Aldo’s comeback had been successful.

Official Result: Jose Aldo def. Jonathan Martinez by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

The post UFC 301: Jose Aldo Mounts Successful Comeback, Defeats Jonathan Martinez appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I think a win over him could move me up just because of who he is,” Martinez told reporters including Cageside Press on Wednesday.

“Everything that he’s done in the sport and stuff. I feel like a win over him will get me closer to what I’m looking for.”

Martinez (19-4) won’t be only facing Aldo in the octagon, but the Brazilian fans. He will make his walk after the ‘King of Rio’ makes his first.

“I think it’s going to be good too. I’m just going to hear, what is it, ‘Uh Vai Morrer’? I kind of like that so yeah I’m waiting for tall that. We’ll be good,” Martinez said with a smile.

The 30-year-old Martinez has mentioned before that he was a fan of Aldo growing up. This won’t be the first matchup he’s had where he’s fighting someone he looked up to having fought Cub Swanson and Thomas Almeida previously. He defeated both men.

“I’ve been a big fan of them and stuff, and Jose Aldo too. To me he’s just another guy,” he said.

“I don’t see him no other than just another guy in front of me.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Jonathan Martinez above. He takes on Jose Aldo at UFC 301 on Saturday night.

The post Jonathan Martinez Will Embrace The Crowd At UFC 301 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Aldo, who was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame’s Modern Wing in 2023, will face Jonathan Martinez at the event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

News of the booking was first reported by Ag.Fight on Saturday. Cageside Press confirmed Aldo’s return to action with a source familiar with the situation.

Aldo (31-8) walked away from mixed martial arts following a loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278 in 2022. Prior to that, the former WEC and UFC 145lb champ had won three straight.

Since his retirement, Aldo has dabbled in boxing, following in the footsteps of old rival Conor McGregor. Starting in 2023, Aldo has put together a 1-0-1 record as a pro, while also claiming a win in an exhibition match in Rio in February 2023.

From 2006 to 2014, Aldo went undefeated in MMA, winning the WEC featherweight championship in the process. When the UFC absorbed the WEC, Aldo’s title came along with him; he would defend the now-UFC featherweight championship seven times before losing the belt in a stunning fashion to McGregor in 2015.

When the Irish star was stripped of his title due to inactivity, Aldo, who had won interim gold at UFC 200, again became the UFC’s undisputed 145lb champ. He lost the belt to Max Holloway at UFC 212, lost a rematch, and continued to battle on before moving to 135lbs in 2019, eventually losing a title fight against Petr Yan with a vacant title on the line.

Jonathan Martinez (19-4) sits on a six-fight win streak, with wins over the likes of Cub Swanson, Said Nurmagomedov, and Adrian Yanez. He is currently ranked #14 in the 135lb weight class.

UFC 301 takes place May 4, 2024 at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with the following bouts reported for the event:

• Alexandre Pantoja (c) vs. Steve Erceg — for the UFC flyweight championship
• Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Iasmin Lucindo
• Paul Craig vs. Caio Borralho
• Joaquim Silva vs. Drakkar Klose
• Alessandro Costa vs. Kevin Borjas
• Jack Shore vs. Joanderson Brito
• Elves Brener vs. Myktybek Orolbai
• Anthony Smith vs. Vitor Petrino
• Jose Aldo vs. Jonathan Martinez

The post Jose Aldo Set to Return at UFC 301, Faces Jonathan Martinez appeared first on Cageside Press.

It’s a good job that one of the most prolific strikers in UFC history was atop of the card. Edson Barboza showed that he is still a big problem in the featherweight division, picking up a decision win over Sodiq Yusuff after five gruelling rounds.

Let’s take a look at what could be next for the stand-out winners.

Edson Barboza

At the rife age of 37, “Junior” Barboza continues to leave people speechless. Although it wasn’t another emphatic knockout to add to his highlight reel, the way in which he beat Sodiq Yusuff was arguably more impressive.

After an extremely one-sided round one, Yusuff was likely frustrated in himself that he didn’t get the finish. Having said that, he did at least score himself a 10-8 round on two of the judges scorecards. That was the only bright moment for “Super” Sodiq though, as from there, Barboza’s experience took over the fight.

The prevalent striker went on to dominate over the next four rounds, and also came close to finishing the fight himself after landing another picture perfect, signature spinning wheel kick.

The Brazilian has shown in his last two fights that he is still able to hang with some of the best in the division. Someone who has seemingly been deserving of a fight with a ranked opponent, is Lerone Murphy.

That is a fight I would love to see next to see if Murphy can begin an ascent up the rankings, whilst also providing an extremely fan friendly fight.

Barboza’s Next Fight: Lerone Murphy

Viviane Araujo

The 36-year-old Brazilian snapped her two fight losing skid with a win over fellow Brazilian, Jennifer Maia. The most surprising part of this fight was how it sat as the co-main event.

Araujo knew the importance of picking up a win coming into it, as another loss would’ve been detrimental to her future in the promotion. Having said that, despite picking up the win, it is hard to imagine she will be fighting for contendership at this point in her career.

“Vivi” may be at a point in her career now where she is having to face young contenders on the rise. One of which that comes to mind immediately, is Natalia Silva.

Araujo’s Next Fight: Natalia Silva

Jonathan Martinez

The theme of the night and the most memorable part of it, was the devastating leg kicks exhibited once again by Factory X products.

Prior to Martinez’s insanely impressive performance, his teammate Chris Gutierrez gave the fans a taster of what was to come from the “Dragon.”

From the opening bell, Martinez made it clear that he was going to continue the Factory X leg kicking trend and consistently landed hellacious kicks to Adrian Yanez’s lead leg. Somehow, Yanez made it to the second round after visibly hobbling throughout moments of the first.

The barrage of lightening fast powerful kicks didn’t let up though, and halfway through round two, Kerry Hatley spared him of any more lasting damage to his left leg. With the impressive win, Martinez extended his win streak to six in a row, now holding the second longest active streak in the bantamweight division. Top of that list is Merab Dvalishvili.

Coincidentally, that’s the name that was on the tip of the tongue of the 29-year-old when Bisping asked him who he wants next. I’m not sure that’s what will be next for Martinez, but you have to commend him for shooting for the stars.

Song Yadong was recently rumoured to be facing Petr Yan in the main event of a December 9th card, however, it appears that Yan is unable to compete on that date. If that event is scheduled to take place on that date, why not put Martinez in that spot?

Martinez’s Next Fight: Song Yadong

Michel Pereira

After finally moving up to the middleweight division, the always unpredictable, Michel Pereira, finished the late notice replacement, Andre Petroski.

Before he made the prolonged move to 185lbs, Pereira was scheduled to face Stephen Thompson, who currently sits at rank seven in the 170lb division. After picking up the impressive first round finish in his middleweight debut, it is likely that he will fight inside the rankings next time out.

Currently occupying rank 14 is Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez. That fight would undoubtedly be incredible.

Pereira’s Next Fight: Anthony Hernandez

Christian Rodriguez

“CeeRod” continued his impressive streak of beating young undefeated fighters. Last time out he was victorious against the youngest fighter on the roster, Raul Rosas Jr, this time he defeated the 22-year-old, Cameron Saaiman.

The 25-year-old may now have proved to the UFC that he is a very strong prospect himself, and will be hoping to slowly climb closer to the 135lb rankings.

Someone else who recently picked up an impressive victory was Miles Johns. With them being on similar schedules and also being near the same level, it seems like a fight that could make sense.

Rodriguez’s Next Fight: Miles Johns

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 81 Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.