Stoliarenko had undergone elbow surgery, and opened her own gym, during her time away. Fernandes had won two straight, including a victory over Wang Cong.

There was plenty of feeling out and circling early, with Stoliarenko holding center and Fernandes circling on the outside, looking to counter. Stoliarenko would look to cut off the cage and had to be warry of high kicks, while attacking with low kicks and her own right hand. With about two minutes left, Fernandes popped off a two-punch combo that connected. A moment later, Stoliarenko closed the distance, looking to tie things up against the cage – but she could not keep the action there, Fernandes quickly breaking free. Gabriella would land to the body, and fired another kick there moments later. The body work was the Brazilian’s best weapon through the opening five minutes.

Stoliarenko changed levels and shot for a single-leg takedown early in round two. Fernandes, however, would defend and push her off. Another high kick from Fernandes followed. Stolianrenko, meanwhile, had a trail of blood leaking down one side of her face. More hard kicks to the body would land for Fernandes, while the bloodied Stoliarenko would shoot for another takedown attempt. Again, Fernandes was able to fight it off. On the feet, even when she was landing, Stoliarenko didn’t have much behind her shots and was being outgunned, or just overpowered.

Julija Stoliarenko, almost certainly down two rounds, put the pressure on early in round three. A takedown attempt was bailed on early, Stoliarenko pulling back when it was clear she was too far out. Fernandes landed a counter. Stolianrenko was also landing, but was out of range and not connecting clean. Just past two minutes in, Stoliarenko was able to close the distance off a Fernandes kick, tying things up. While she landed a few punches to the bread basket, Stolianrenko could not get the fight down. They’d finish out the round with no question as to the winner.

Official Result: Gabriella Fernandes def. Julija Stoliarenko by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

The post UFC Vegas 109: Gabriella Fernandes Cruises to Victory Over Returning Julija Stoliarenko appeared first on Cageside Press.

Whether the flub at the scales would have any bearing on the fight itself was a question heading into Saturday’s Fight Night card in Las Vegas.

Right out of the gate, Luana “Dread” Carolina had to endure an early onslaught from Stoliarenko, as the Lithuanian got out to a fast start, touching her opponent with her hands then driving Carolina into the fence. Carolina, aided by not having to cut an extra three pounds or not, was able to stay upright and reverse, stuffing the takedown attempt. Off the break, Carolina landed a left flush on the cheek of Stoliarenko.

At range, Carolina fired a head kick and circled, while Stoliarenko looked to close the distance for another clinch attempt. That failed, leading to more circling, but Brazil’s Carolina then fired off a wild spinning back fist attempt that backfired, as Stoliarenko landed a key takedown. She could not keep Carolina down, however. Along the fence, back on the feet, it was Julija Stoliarenko with a spinning back elbow that missed.

In the final minute, Luana Carolina managed to get the fight down, only for Stoliarenko to latch on with an arm-bar from bottom. Time ran out before she could finish the submission attempt however.

Carolina landed a well-timed knee to the body about a minute into round two, arguably the most significant strike in the fight to that point. If Carolina’s energy had been sapped from her weight cut, it wasn’t showing. Stoliarenko was still in the fight, but she was being beaten to the punch. And her takedown game had proved ineffective through the first half of the three-round affair. Another clinch underscored that, and when they finally went to the ground it was Carolina on top again.

Round three opened with an early clinch from Stoliarenko, but Carolina reversed, only for Stoliarenko to reverse again. Carolina fired a knee to the body in the clinch while Stoliarenko held onto a high crotch looking for a takedown that wasn’t there. Again, Carolina reversed, firing knees. Once again, when they finally went down it was Lauana Carolina on top, dropping some heavy shots and forcing Stoliarenko into survival mode. That resulted in a triangle attempt, and suddenly Carolina was in a bad spot. Stroliarenko moved to an arm-bar, but couldn’t wrench the limb free.

Just as things were looking bad for Carolina, she found the space to back off, return to her feet, and then rocked Stoliarenko with a right hand! A head kick followed and Stoliarenko was in real danger! They went back to the ground in the dying seconds of the fight with Carolina on top, landing ground n’ pound and scoring the TKO win just ahead of the final horn!

The finish was Luana Carolina’s first as a UFC fighter.

Official Result: Luana Carolina def. Julija Stoliarenko by TKO, Round 3, 4:52

The post Luana Carolina Overweight But On Point, Stops Julija Stoliarenko Late in Third Round at UFC Vegas 85 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Tom Aspinall

Tom Aspinall looked better than ever in his rebound fight against Marcin Tybura, stopping the Pole in just 73 seconds in the main event of UFC London. Already known for his hand speed and technical striking, Aspinall looked like a new version of himself in his return from a brutal MCL tear in his last fight against Curtis Blaydes. This fight did not disappoint the fans in London like that last one and Aspinall looks just about ready for a title shot in the relatively thin heavyweight division.

In his post-fight interview Tom called for the winner of Cyril Gane and Sergei Spivac, who have a bout coming up in Paris in September. Gane was once touted as the heir apparent to the heavyweight division, but his wrestling woes are now well-documented and Aspinall has stepped into his place as the brightest young talent in the weight. Aspinall has also already beaten Spivac with ease, making a rematch somewhat uninteresting.

The real interesting tests for Aspinall are Curtis Blaydes and Sergei Pavlovich. Pavlovich has earned a title shot and is just waiting on the winner of Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic for his turn. However, Jones and Miocic are both getting up there and the winner may retire after their next fight. If this happens, Aspinall vs Pavlovich makes sense as the fight for the vacant strap in early 2024. If not, then Pavlovich should face the winner while Aspinall fights the winner of Curtis Blaydes and Jailton Almeida to determine who is next in line. Its a complicated situation, but it makes sense.

Aspinall’s Next Fight: Pavlovich for Vacant Belt OR Winner of Blaydes/Almeida

Julija Stoliarenko

The Lithuanian armbar specialist played spoiler to one time star Molly McCann in the co-main event of UFC London, taking down and submitting the home country favorite in just under two minutes. She improves to 2-5 in the UFC, 1-0 at flyweight, but still has a lot of work to do to battle back to .500.

If she stays at flyweight then one potential opponent is fellow European fighter Ivana Petrović out of Croatia. Petrović lost her UFC debut to Luana Carolina and needs a win to get up to .500, just like Stoliarenko. Both women have their jobs on the line and a grappling-heavy skillset, making for an interesting stylistic clash. Petrović’s loss came only a few weeks ago, so she is likely on a similar timeline for her next bout as Julija, barring injury.

Stoliarenko’s Next Fight: Ivana Petrović

Nathaniel Wood

Nate Wood turned in another great fight in his new division as he eked out a unanimous decision over Andre Fili in a ‘Fight of the Night’ contender. Wood and Fili were both hurt on multiple occasions in the fight, which had a thrilling first two rounds before a more measured third. Nate Wood is now 3-0 at featherweight in the UFC and might just be ready for a ranked opponent.

Fighters like Alex Caceres, Bryce Mitchell, and Giga Chikadze would all be potential opponents to welcome Wood to the shark tank that is the featherweight top-15. Maybe the best option is Bryce Mitchell, who needs to fight down to rebound from his first career loss, a submission against now-top contender Ilia Topuria. Mitchell is ranked thirteenth in the division and brings a wrestling-heavy style to the octagon, which is a challenge that Wood has not really faced yet in the UFC, let alone at featherweight. Its a test that all prospects have to pass at some point on their path to UFC gold, so why not now?

Wood’s Next Fight: Bryce Mitchell

Paul Craig

Paul ‘Bearjew’ Craig stormed the middleweight top fifteen and captured a ranking successfully when he stopped fellow grappling specialist Andre Muniz in round two. The Scotsman showed improved wrestling as he took down the fourteenth ranked Muniz, mounted him, and finished him with ground and pound in an impressive display. Craig has said he wants to be active at both middleweight and light-heavyweight, but 185-lbs really seems like the division for him after that performance, a rebound from a knockout loss to Johnny Walker, especially since guys like Walker at 205-lbs are so much bigger than Craig.

Craig will be ranked at least number fourteen at middleweight this coming week and ahead of him in the rankings there are several contenders with styles that will challenge Craig in different ways. One example is number ten Jack Hermansson, a fighter with a Greco-Roman wrestling background and a well-rounded skillset. Hermansson is coming off of a loss to Roman Dolidze and is 2-3 in his last five, so fighting down in the rankings against a divisional newcomer makes sense for his next fight. The skillful grappling and serviceable striking of both fighters should make for a well-matched bout.

Craig’s Next Fight: Jack Hermansson

Fares Ziam

A relatively slow fight resulted in a competitive decision win for Frenchman Fares Ziam over Jai Herbert. Ziam will not earn many new fans with that performance but he now has a quite respectable 4-2 record in the UFC and may look to make a quick turnaround at UFC Paris in September. The UFC likes to fill these cards with fighters from the home country against other Europeans, so one option for an opponent from Europe who is also on a two-fight winning streak in the promotion is Mateusz Rębecki from Poland. Rębecki looks like a promising contender with an 18-1 record in MMA and no losses since 2014, so a fighter with six UFC fights like Ziam is a logical next step for his career. As for Ziam, he needs to prove he can stop a strong wrester like Rębecki from taking him down, as that is a style he has had issues with in the past.

Ziam’s Next Fight: Mateusz Rębecki

Lerone Murphy

Undefeated British featherweight prospect Lerone Murphy put on an impressive performance in decisively beating Joshua Culibao at UFC London on Saturday. Murphy now is on a five-fight winning streak at featherweight in the promotion and seems ready for a ranked challenge. One such challenge is twenty-eight fight UFC veteran Alex Caceres, who is ranked fifteenth in the division. Caceres has grappling chops but is primarily a striker, so a fight between him and Lerone would likely be thrilling but also potentially test the British kickboxer’s takedown defense which has appeared flawed at times in the past.

Murphy’s Next Fight: Alex Caceres

Daniel Marcos

Peruvian bantamweight Daniel Marcos won a controversial split decision over veteran Davey Grant to open the main card of UFC London. Regardless of fans’ opinions on the scorecards, Marcos now is 2-0 in the UFC and 15-0 overall as a professional. Those records will ensure him a high profile, but still unranked, opponent in his next fight.

Bantamweight is arguably the most stacked division in the UFC and as such there are a plethora of opponents to choose from that could get Marcos closer to a ranking. One such fighter is fellow prospect Montel Jackson, who is riding a four-fight winning streak and is 7-2 overall in the UFC. Jackson is a strong wrestler, which is a style Marcos has not been challenged with in the UFC yet, and if he gets past this test he could be in line for a top-15 opponent next.

Marcos’ Next Fight: Montel Jackson

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

On the other hand, she didn’t entirely not expect it, either.

“I never expect to finish fast, but looking at my story, how I’m fighting an so on, you can always expect that,” Stoliarenko (11-7-2) told media outlets including Cageside Press following an arm-bar submission of Liverpool’s McCann, clearly one of the big fan favorites on the night.

“We were ready to fight all three rounds, if we needed to. We had the plan everywhere, in striking, grappling, how to do a whole fight. You never know how a fight is going to finish. It happens how it happens.”

Stoliarenko, who made her flyweight debut in the fight, felt like an afterthought through most of Fight Week. If she had any attention at all, it seemed to be about her weight cut more than anything.

“That’s not the first time I’m fighting in a fight where everything’s prepared for my opponent,” she admitted.

But heading into the London card, Stoliarenko felt at home, or at least as close to home as she could get. “This arena, it’s not my enemy arena. It’s my home arena also. And I would love to fight in London more and more. Because I’m feeling here, like at home. That’s my home also. It’s Europe, it’s the closest city [to Lithuania].”

As for the flyweight move, Julija Stoliarenko sees herself staying put. “I love myself as a flyweight. I love it. I love how my body is moving at flyweight. It’s better, it’s better and better for sure for me.”

“I’m not coming back to bantamweight, and featherweight, for sure. No. Flyweight and only flyweight. That’s my home.”

What comes next, on the other hand, doesn’t concern her. Stoliarenko doesn’t care who she matches up well with at 125lbs, nor who she fights next.

“I don’t care, I never choose my opponents,” she stated. “Whatever you see, was [brought] to me, I always say yes. I never said no to any fight, and I’m not going to do it later. I will say yes for anybody.”

Watch the full UFC London post-fight press conference with Julija Stoliarenko above.

The post UFC London’s Julija Stoliarenko: “Flyweight, and Only Flyweight” Is Her Home appeared first on Cageside Press.

The flyweight fight had raised eyebrows when announced, given Stoliarenko’s history of weight struggles (she fainted on the scale a few years back) at 135lbs. But there were no hiccups at Friday’s official weigh-in at least.

McCann, meanwhile, was returning to the scene of her biggest triumphs in the UFC, a pair of spinning back elbow finishes in 2022 that led to a high-profile match-up against Erin Blanchfield last November.

Not surprisingly, given the move down in weight, Stoliarenko had a clear size advantage as Saturday’s co-headliner kicked off. She used her kicks and forward pressure to get McCann on the backfoot briefly, while McCann looked to use her boxing and duck under to close the distance. That wouldn’t happen, and instead it was Stroliarenko closing the distance, landing a takedown, and threatening to mount. McCann would turn to her knees, looking to escape and nearly reversed but wound up caught in an arm-bar, and that was tight! McCann was forced to tap and was nursing the limb when the hold was released.

A quick one, and a disappointing finish for Molly McCann — but a solid flyweight debut for Julija Stoliarenko. One that took the wind right out of the English crowd’s sails.

Official Result: Julija Stoliarenko def. Molly McCann by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 1:55

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After injuring his knee a year ago in a fight with Curtis Blaydes that was over before it got started, Aspinall once again gets to headline a card at the o2 Arena. This time, his opponent is Marcin Tybura, a resurgent Polish heavyweight who has won seven of his last eight fights.

With Jon Jones set to face Stipe Miocic in November, and the future of both fighters (retirement, or carry on?) in question beyond that, a big win for either man on Saturday could push them into a title picture also populated by the likes of Sergei Pavlovich.

The UFC London official weigh-ins go down Friday morning starting at 9AM local time (4AM ET). Full results can be found below.

Only one fighter was heavy on his initial attempt at Friday’s UFC London weigh-in. That was Jonny Parsons, who initially weighed in at 172 pounds. Given an extra hour, he successfully shed the final pound, hitting 171 on his second attempt.

UFC London: Aspinall vs. Tybura Weigh-In Results

Main card

Heavyweight: Tom Aspinall (258) vs. Marcin Tybura (246)
Women’s Flyweight: Molly McCann (125) vs. Julija Stoliarenko (125)
Featherweight: Nathaniel Wood (146) vs. Andre Fili (145)
Middleweight: Paul Craig (186) vs. André Muniz (185)
Lightweight: Jai Herbert (155) vs. Farès Ziam (155)
Featherweight: Lerone Murphy (146) vs. Joshua Culibao (146)

Preliminary card

Bantamweight: Davey Grant (136) vs. Daniel Marcos (136)
Welterweight: Danny Roberts (171) vs. Jonny Parsons (171)*
Lightweight: Marc Diakiese (156) vs. Joel Álvarez (156)
Heavyweight: Mick Parkin (264) vs. Jamal Pogues (266)
Middleweight: Makhmud Muradov (186) vs. Bryan Barberena (185)
Women’s Bantamweight: Ketlen Vieira (136) vs. Pannie Kianzad (135)
Lightweight: Chris Duncan (156) vs. Yanal Ashmouz (155)
Women’s Strawweight: Shauna Bannon (115) vs. Bruna Brasil (115)
Flyweight: Jafel Filho (126) vs. Daniel Bárez (125)

* Parsons missed weight by 1 pound on his first attempt, and was given an hour to cut the final pound. He successfully made 171 on his subsequent attempt.

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Stoliarneko (10-7-2), a former Invicta FC bantamweight champ, had most recently competed at a 140 pound catchweight, and in 2021 suffered a fainting spell at weigh-ins for a fight with Julia Avila.

As part of Saturday’s UFC London card, however, Stoliarenko will make her debut at 125 pounds opposite Molly McCann, in the co-main event at the o2 Arena. During Thursday’s media day, the Lithuanian fighter shed some light into why she opted to make the move.

“I always was like a normal bantamweight. With time, my weight cuts started to be easier and easier,” Stoliarenko told media outlets including Cageside Press. “And the last three fights, I did not cut much weight. Basically looking at my frame, I’m a typical flyweight. I never was the biggest bantamweight.”

Stoliarenko and her coach were looking at how to change weight classes a while back. “We were looking for how to cut weight more, and my body just started to do that by itself.” That afforded her the opportunity to pull the trigger.

At flyweight, Stoliarenko believes she’ll be a better fighter.

“If you look at my record, I was a pretty good bantamweight, but as a featherweight, I was so-so. So I hope that I’m going to be an even better flyweight.”

Of course, her debut in the weight class will be coming in front of a hostile crowd. McCann, from Liverpool, has become the face of female fighting in England. “It’s not the first time for me fighting in enemy territory,” noted Stoliarenko. “For me, honestly, I love that. I love when I’m fighting in the territory of my opponent and everybody’s cheering for them. It boosts me also.”

“Fighting in London, it was my dream. Because London is closest city where UFC is doing events to Lithuania. We have a very big community of Lithuanians here. Also, I’m representing Roger Gracie Academy, and the academy is here.”

With that in mind, Julija Stoliarenko has felt at home throughout Fight Week.

Watch the full UFC London media day appearance by Julija Stoliarenko above.

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What might surprise some, however, is her opponent. On Tuesday, promotion officials announced that McCann (13-5) will face Julija Stoliarenko (10-7-2) in a women’s flyweight bout as part of the London card on July 22, 2023.

Stoliarenko was last seen competing at a 140lb catchweight after stepping up on short notice against Chelsea Chandler last October. She suffered a TKO loss in the fight, dropping her UFC record to 1-5, including her fight at The Ultimate Fighter 28 finale in 2018, where she competed at featherweight.

Now 30, Stoliarenko has never competed as a flyweight, and saw a fight cancelled when she fainted at the scale ahead of a bantamweight bout with Julia Avila in March of 2021. The fight would eventually go forward that June, with Stoliarenko ending up submitted.

McCann is undefeated when competing for the UFC in London, England. She fought twice at the O2 Arena in London in 2022, winning both affairs with high-light reel spinning back elbows. More recently, McCann suffered a submission loss to surging flyweight Erin Blanchfield.

No other fights outside Molly McCann vs. Julija Stoliarenko have been reported for the UFC London card at the O2 Arena in July 22, 2023.

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Chandler, an Invicta FC alum, had won four straight fights to earn herself a spot in the big show. The newcomer had originally been booked opposite Leah Letson, but with Stolianrenko stepping up on relatively short notice, the bout was bumped up 5lbs to compensate.

Chandler came forward right off the bat in round one. She did just walk into a flurry of output and a takedown from Stoliarenko however. Stoliarenko went into mount and very quickly went for an arm-bar. That was a mistake, as going with a submission over position she allowed Chandler to get on top.

Chandler was landing heavy ground and pound before just stepping away wanting the fight back on the feet. Chandler kept coming forward landing some power shots and forcing Stoliarenko to shoot. Chandler defended and turned towards Stoliarenko landing right into mount. Stoliarenko was able to quickly kick Chandler off and get back to the feet. The pressure of Chandler was breaking Stoliarenko and Stoliarenko again shot for a lazy takedown. Chandler again turned towards her and landed in mount. Chandler rained down ground and pound from there until the ref stopped the fight.

What an introduction by Chelsea Chandler 👊#UFCVegas61 pic.twitter.com/hUxLfcvfNO

— UFC (@ufc) October 1, 2022

“It’s a hard cut to 35, I can make it, but there are girls at 45,” Chandler said following the fight, saying she’d take a featherweight bout in a month if one came available.

Official Result: Chelsea Chandler def. Julia Stoliarenko by TKO (ground and pound), Round 1, 4:15

The post UFC Vegas 61: Chelsea Chandler Puts Away Julija Stoliarenko In Successful Debut appeared first on Cageside Press.

The Pay-Per-View card, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, saw Lawler and Barberena slug it out, both rocking the other at various points. Barberena was bloodied, but it was Lawler stung late in the second round. When Barberena moved in for the kill, fists seem to bounce off Lawler’s skull left and right before the ref waved it off with “Ruthless” still standing, but hardly cognizant of his surroundings.

Barberena gets the win, both men get $50,000 for the Fight of the Night.

Three more fighters picked up $50,000 post-fight bonuses at UFC 276, with three Performance bonuses handed out. That continues a recent trend of the promotion being extra generous, and eschewing the usual “Fight of the Night and two Performance of the Night bonuses” template.

Among those rewarded for their individual efforts at UFC 276 was Julija Stoliarenko, who nearly took Jessica-Rose Clark’s arm home with her care of a first-round arm-bar in their card-opener. Stoliarenko had entered the fight 0-3 in the octagon, meaning the finish likely saved her job as well.

Alex Pereira made short work of Sean Strickland on the main card, turning out the lights on Strickland care of a well-placed hook. Perhaps better than the $50,000 for Pereira is that he likely secured himself a shot at the middleweight title.

Jalin Turner, meanwhile, notched his fifth straight win and fifth straight finish when he trapped Brad Riddell in a guillotine choke.

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