In a lightweight preliminary card fight at UFC Vegas 107, Leavitt, an affable figure outside the cage who carries the nickname “The Monkey King,” proved plenty spry, suplexing opponent Kurt Holobaugh to the canvas early.

From there, Leavitt wasted little time locking up an anaconda choke, and once it was in, it was in tight! Holobaugh could do little to defend, and instead wound up going unconscious, the ref soon checking his arm and then waving off the fight.

The bout marked Jordan Leavitt’s return following an extended absence, having not fought since his loss to Hooper in 2023. Following the win, Leavitt suggested “I think I’m a fighter” in his post-fight interview, and after that performance, he’s not wrong. Leavitt has now improved to 5-3 under the UFC banner, while Holobaugh, who won The Ultimate Fighter 31 at lightweight in 2023, falls to 1-3 in his last four. He has just a single victory since winning that season of TUF, to kick off his third stint in the UFC.

Official Result: Jordan Leavitt def. Kurt Holobaugh by technical submission (anaconda choke), Round 1, 1:39

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After two strong rounds from Holobaugh. Hernandez controlled a lot of the third round with his wrestling. It headed to the scorecards with everyone assuming Holobaugh was getting another ‘W’ in the win column. Only, that didn’t happen.

“I actually, I thought for sure that I had the first round. I thought the second round was a little bit closer, but I knew I did a lot of damage in that round. I kind of figured that I had that round too,” Holobaugh admitted. “I definitely thought that it was very possible. I was two up and, I wish I would’ve went a little harder in that third round, maybe to get back to my feet or do some different things.”

While it was hard to see a fight he thought he could have won go by the wayside, he understands that this is the fight game. These things happen.

“It is what it is, man. It kind of sucks, but, you know, for now that’s the past and I’m looking forward to the next fight,” he said. “That’s why Dana White always says, don’t leave in the judge’s hands. You can’t never, never trust the judges, you know? And I’ve been on the other side of that before. I’ve won a split decision before.”

Following that loss, Holobaugh decided to get right back after it. This Saturday’s UFC Vegas 107 fight will come just 10 weeks from the fight with Hernandez. However, despite already having a quick turnaround, he’s preparing the the likelihood of a second.

“I was happy to take this fight and you know, my plans are still to take this fight against Jordan [Leavitt] and still turn right back around in July and pray that UFC puts me on that [New Orleans] card,” Holobaugh said. “I’m going to do what I got to do to win this fight first and foremost. But, you know, if everything works out in a perfect world,  I already told the UFC, man, look, I’ll take this fight, but let’s get me on the New Orleans card. Let’s get me in my home state.”

You can see Holobaugh’s fight with Jordan Leavitt as part of the UFC Vegas 107 prelims. The fight card starts at 6:30pm EST this Saturday on ESPN+.

You can hear the entire audio of this interview on the Top Turtle MMA Podcast. The interview airs below at 1:51.

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Kicking off this Road to UFC edition of TTP is our interview with UFC lightweight, Kurt Holobaugh. Holobaugh discusses his recent loss to Alexander Hernandez and the perception of those around that fight. Ready to shake that one off and move to the next, he talks about his adjustments and choice to make this a shorter training camp. He then shares his plan for his UFC Vegas 107 fight with Jordan Leavitt and closes with his plan to get on the UFC New Orleans show in July.

Combat Countdown: Top 5 Road to UFC Graduates (13:19)

After an exciting UFC Vegas 106, we get a week’s break before the promotion heads back to the Apex. In the meantime, Road to UFC takes center stage from Shanghai. There are 40 fighters looking to punch their ticket to the big show, some in tournaments and others in showcase fights. We’ll have our eyes on all of them as this show has quickly turned into a hotbed for UFC level talent. On this edition of the Combat Countdown, we’ll take a look back at the past three seasons and countdown the top five fighters to come off the show. For this segment, all odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Lawrence Lui Interview (17:32)

Closing out this edition of TTP is our interview with Road to UFC bantamweight, Lawrence Lui. The City Kickboxing product discusses the idea of being in a tournament and how he is choosing to approach it. He also talks about the whirlwind of getting into Road to UFC in the first place. From being an alternate, to being in a fight, to having that fight changed – he’s been through plenty. From there, he discusses his opponent Quihe Zhang and talks about his plans for the future in the sport. You aren’t going to want to miss this one.

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Several undefeated fighters also lost their 0s on Saturday. The six-fight main card had four fights end with stoppages. This included back-to-back kimura submission finishes. In the main event, a middleweight rematch, Roman Dolidze bested Marvin Vettori over the course of five rounds. And in the co-main event, Elizeu Zaleski suffered a rare stoppage defeat courtesy of Chidi Njokuani. A pair of TUF Season 31 vets are featured on this edition of losers matchmaker as well.

Marvin Vettori

Saturday, Marvin Vettori lost a competitive unanimous decision to familiar foe in Roman Dolidze. Marvin entered the fight ranked at #8 in the middleweight division while his opponent was ranked at #12.

The two men first fought almost two years ago with Vettori walking away with the unanimous decision nod (though that bout was only a three rounder). Saturday was the Italian fighter’s first time losing two fights in a row in his pro MMA career. Marvin is 2-3 since losing his title shot against then middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, in 2021.

This was a competitive bout especially factoring in the eye pokes by Dolidze. Realistically, Vettori and Dolidze are 1-1 thru two pretty competitive bouts as ranked middleweights. On Sunday, Vettori even reluctantly tweeted that he would be in favor of a trilogy.

While I could see a trilogy sometime in the future, an immediate one just doesn’t seem like fans want right now. The rematch between these two fighters might have even been a little premature.

Instead, Vettori should fight the winner of Bo Nickal vs Reinier de Ridder. That bout is scheduled for May 3rd. Both fighters are skilled grapplers though they boast different styles of grappling. Nickal, arguably one of the most hyped UFC additions ever, was a storied wrestler at Penn State and has absolutely dominated in MMA. Bo went 2-0 on the 2022 season of the Contender Series before racking up four wins with the promotion.

Reinier de Ridder is the #13 ranked UFC middleweight. Reinier is the former ONE FC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion. de Ridder went 7-2 with ONE FC before he was picked up by the UFC late last year. Reinier’s last win came in January with a first-round sub over Kevin Holland. Bo’s last fight was a unanimous decision victory opposite of Paul Craig last November. It was Nickal’s first time hearing the final bell while competing in the sport.

These are two very talented prospects that a lot of fans have eyes on. Whoever makes it thru that May 3rd bout will need a fight against someone that has seen a good amount of elite UFC-level competition. Marvin would be the perfect matchup for the winner of the bout and fans would get a good grappler-striker matchup no matter what. It’d be a great opportunity for Marvin to show that he still has what it takes to be with the elites of the division. A finish of either fighter would be a huge statement.

Vettori’s next fight: Winner of Reinier de Ridder vs Bo Nickal

Elizeu Zaleski

Elizeu Zaleski was violently stopped by Chidi Njokuani in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 104, Saturday. The loss was just the second time that Elizeu has been finished in his 10-year, 17-fight UFC tenure. Elizeu, who turns 39 later this year, started out 7-1 with the promotion. And although Elizeu is 1-2-1 in his last four bouts, he always puts on a good scrap.

Chidi, Zaleski’s opponent, missed weight ahead of this bout so that’s an aspect that needs to be factored in as well.

Elizeu’s next opponent should be Bryan Battle. Bryan, the winner of The Ultimate Fighter Season 29 in 2021, has gone 7-1, 1 NC while with the UFC.

It’s worth noting that Battle is also a guy that has struggled with his weight. “The Butcher” won TUF at middleweight but has since moved down to welterweight following his UFC debut. Bryan’s lone loss is to Rinat Fakhretidnov in 2022 who Elizeu fought to a draw the following year. Battle’s most recent fight was against Randy Brown who he defeated by split decision last December. (Though he missed weight for that bout by 4lbs.) Brown fought Zaleski in his fight prior to that one and defeated the Brazilian by unanimous decision. This fight makes too much sense not to happen as the trajectories of both fighters make this one a no-brainer. This fight has fun striking battle written all over it and the winner would be looking for maybe one more win to push towards a shot at the rankings.

Zaleski dos Santos’s next fight: Bryan Battle

Kurt Holobaugh

Kurt Holobaugh dropped a unanimous decision to Alexander Hernandez on Saturday at UFC Vegas 104. Holobaugh, who has experienced chance after chance with the UFC, is now 2-6 with the promotion. Kurt has lost two of his last three fights since defeating Austin Hubbard to win Season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter.

Next fight for the 38-year-old should be against Viacheslav Borshchev. Viacheslav is a 2021 Contender Series veteran that has yet to be in a boring UFC fight. “Slava Claus” is 3-4, 1 NC, thru his 8-fight UFC stint. With three performance bonuses, Borshchev always brings the striking action. Borshchev lost a unaimous decision to Tom Nolan in his most recent fight on February 8th. This would be a solid lightweight scrap between two former Contender Series guys that put on entertaining fights but are clawing to remain on the UFC’s crowded 155lbs. roster.

Holobaugh’s next fight: Viacheslav Borshchev

Cody Gibson

Cody Gibson was submitted via kimura late in the second round of his UFC Vegas 104 fight against Da’mon Blackshear Saturday. Gibson is 2-2 since losing the tournament championship of Season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter to Brad Katona in 2023.

Gibson’s next fight should be against the loser of Davey Grant vs Daniel Santos. That fight is scheduled for April 5th. Cody has had just one canceled fight during this stint with the UFC, and it was against Davey Grant. Davey is 7-6 with the UFC since 2013. Grant has won three of his last four fights only losing a split decision to Daniel Marcos in 2023. Daniel Santos is 2-1 with the promotion but last fought in 2023 with his unanimous decision victory over Johnny Munoz Jr. Santos has had five cancelled fights since he entered the UFC (with four of those cancellations being because of him) so it’s unfortunate that Gibson likely won’t be in a position to step in for this one should something happen pre-fight.

Winner of this fight would be looking to get a foothold on their UFC career, everyone here is fighting to stay above .500.

Gibson’s Next fight: Loser of Daniel Santos vs David Grant

Diyar Nurgozhay

Diyar Nurgozhay suffered the first defeat of his professional career Saturday when he was submitted by Brendson Ribeiro. Nurgozhay entered the fight with a perfect 10-0 pro MMA record. A veteran of Dagestan, Russia’s Eagle Fighting Championship, Diyar won the EFC light heavyweight championship in 2022. Nurgozhay impressed on last year’s season of the Contender Series with his second-round head kick finish that earned himself a UFC contract.

Diyar missed weight ahead of this fight (by 4.5lbs.) so losing his undefeated record and being finished on top of that, really has to sting. And that first round didn’t go the greatest either, it was an all-around rough debut for Nurgozhay. I’m reasonably confident that the 6’2″, 27-year-old will stay at 205lbs. as he has competed at as light as 185lbs. in his pro MMA career.

Diyar should fight the loser of Navajo Stirling vs Ivan Erslan. That fight is set to go down on the undercard of UFC 315 on May 10th. Navajo Stirling is a 27-year-old prospect out of City Kickboxing. Stirling earned a UFC contract last year with his second round KO on the Contender Series. The undefeated striker won his UFC debut last year with a unaimous decision victory over Tuco Tokkos. Ivan Erslan is a 33-year-old former KSW standout. Erslan dropped his first UFC fight, losing split decision to Ion Cutelaba last September. Whoever loses that fight should get Diyar. All three fighters have potential though Erslan is noticeably farther in his career than both the Contender Series vets.

Nurgozhay’s next fight: Loser of Ivan Erslan vs Navajo Stirling

Seung Woo Choi

Seung Woo Choi was flattened and finished in round one of his bout with Kevin Vallejos to kick off UFC Vegas 104’s main card. Choi has now lost five of his last six fights dating back to late 2021. And to add insult to injury, Seung has been finished in four of those five losses.

Choi’s record with the UFC now sits at 4-7 though he’s only lost two in a row. Seung is in real danger of being cut here. But at 32 years old, and competing in the featherweight division, Seung still has some tread left on the tires. And the South Korean has certainly had some difficult competition in his tenure with the promotion.

Seung Woo Choi should face Shayilan Nuerdanbieke in his next fight. Shayilan is 3-3 with the UFC since being signed in 2021. The Chinese fighter has lost his last two fights being finished by Steve Garcia and most recently, Melquizael Costa, last June. Nuerdanbieke also has a unanimous decision defeat to Josh Culibao. Choi is now also just one fight removed from being finished by Garcia. And Seung also lost a decision to Josh Culibao who has since been released by the UFC (more evidence of how close Seung is to being cut). This would be a striker vs. grappler matchup with the loser on the hot seat.

Choi’s next fight: Shayilan Nuerdanbieke

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Hernandez (15-8) hopes to get back on the right path having gone 2-3 in his last 5 outings. Most recently he scored a tough split-decision victory over Austin Hubbard at UFC 307 last October.

Holobaugh (21-8) continues his second run in the promotion coming off a decision victory over Kaynan Kruschewsky last July. The 38-year-old said at media day that he felt he still had to prove he belonged on the roster.

Round 1 Holobaugh took the center trying to put pressure on Hernandez to kick the fight off. Hernandez wasn’t one to accept it as he continued to land and move smoothly out of danger and then landing some nasty leg kicks.

Hernandez was focused on countering, and using his 1-2 combos on the attacking Holobaugh. Hernandez clearly had the speed advantage with Holobaugh trying to get his timing down.

Hernandez began to force some of the action in the second half of the round which forced Holobaugh to retreat and reset positions. A right hook dropped Hernandez for a moment, but the younger lightweight was more of an stumble due to being off-balance.

Hernandez scored a takedown near the end of the round, but got caught up in a guillotine attempt by Holobaugh. Holobaugh ran out of time to finish it.

Round 2 Holobaugh may have felt that he was behind because he came out with a lot more energy in the second round taking the action to Hernandez.

If either man thought this was going to be clean they both realized it wasn’t going to happen and accepted it was going to be ugly. Holobaugh put a pressure and pace on Hernandez that forced the younger fighter to have to fight his way back into the round.

Hernandez scored another takedown with just under 2 minutes left in the round. Hernandez spent the rest of the round looking to score damage from top position.

Round 3 Hernandez came out and got the takedown right away. If it’s not broke don’t fix it and he clearly wanted to keep Holobaugh on the canvas the rest of the fight. Hernandez continued to look for a submission, but Holobaugh was not giving him anything easy.

Holobaugh was able to get to his feet with just two minutes left in the fight and he brought hell with him. Hernandez was having none of it and he took the veteran down again with a blast double leg.

Holobaugh tried a late kimura submission, but it was not to be as Hernandez defended it and both men threw what they could until time ran out.

Official Result: Alexander Hernandez def. Kurt Holobaugh via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28×2)

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“You know, I don’t hate it at all, to be honest with you,” Holobaugh explained. “The cool thing about the Apex for me is they give the tickets for the family now, and I can have all of my kids and family set in front row, so I mean, that’s a good thing for me.”

That’s closeness is something that he’s missed in some of his other fights. However, it’s more than just getting to see their smiling faces in the front row, some of them also provide help in his fights.

“In Boston, my kids were two levels up, watching me win the Ultimate Fighter at a long distance. Here, they’re basically cornering me,” he said. “You watch my last fight with Kaynan Kruschewsky, and you hear my four-year-old at the time, hollering instructions. So to me, I think that’s really cool.”

While you won’t catch him complaining about the location of his fights, Holobaugh does have his sights on a rumored uncoming card. With Dustin Poirier’s retirement fight being planned for ‘The Big Easy’, Holobaugh has made his intentions known for that one.

“I’ve already kind of had some conversations with the UFC and my management, and nothing is locked down and official yet, but we did talk to the UFC,” Holobaugh shared. “We did say, ‘hey, when that when this happens, we’re on the card, like we have to’. I’m literally an hour away from New Orleans. So that to me, that’s just going to be a really fun time. I feel like that’s a mission accomplished.”

In the meantime, he’ll look to accomplish his mission in the Apex this weekend. He’ll fight Alexander Hernandez as part of the main card of UFC Vegas 104. The main card will start at 7pm EST on ESPN+.

You can hear the entire audio of this interview at 2:20.

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“I was trying to slide into February, but March is great. I would love an active year, but that’s also going to fall on my shoulders of just getting some f*cking consistent dubs,” Hernandez told reporters on Wednesday.

“So we can do that then yeah we can have the year we want, and that’s what I’m looking to do. Kind of show out or shut up.”

Hernandez (15-8) ended his 2024 in October with a tough split-decision victory over Austin Hubbard at UFC 307.

Hernandez has had a tough go in the UFC since entering the promotion in 2018. A very good victory over Olivier Aubin-Mercier gave him the momentum he needed to start a run, but a loss to Donald Cerrone the very next fight put a stop to that.

Now at 7-7, but coming off a win, some mental changes had to be made to be successful at 155.

“I don’t take myself or, I don’t want to say the game too seriously because I do have a lot of reverence for it, but no I don’t put anything on the same pedestal as it used to be. There’s new pressures now,” he said.

“There’s security pressures, but I kind of put that in the back. I’m very much at a stage where if I don’t do what I want to do, and perform the way I want to perform, I’m tired of this back and forth sh*t. Dude i’ll walk. I’m really here feeling liberated. I’ll choose to sign the contract.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Alexander Hernandez above. He takes on Kurt Holobaugh at UFC Vegas 104 on Saturday night.

The post Alexander Hernandez Put The Pressures Of The Fight Game Behind Him appeared first on Cageside Press.

“Big fight. I feel like a guy like me that’s been around the UFC for quite a while, I want those type of fights, and whenever the UFC gave me the name I was more than happy to take it,” Holobaugh told reporters on Wednesday.

“Knowing that it’s going to be a tough test, but if I can go out there and I can get a win over a guy like Alex I think that says a lot. Truly says that I belong to be in the UFC.”

Holobaugh (21-8) made his way to the UFC following a win in Dana White’s Contender Series in 2017. He was cut in 2019 after a third consecutive loss. After going 3-0 in other promotions he accepted a spot on TUF 31 which he won getting him back on the roster.

“I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot. Winning the Contender Series, getting a contract, winning The Ultimate Fighter, getting a contract, but I still want more,” he said.

“I think that, for me right now, it’s I want to have a ranking beside my name. I think it’s possible. With a win over Alex, maybe a fight or two, it always depends. All it’s going to take is one top 15 guy to fall out or need an opponent, and me willing to step in and take that fight. I think that’s possible for me as well.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Kurt Holobaugh above. He takes on Alexander Hernandez at UFC Vegas 104 on Saturday night.

The post Kurt Holobaugh: ‘I still want more’, Hopes For Ranking With Win Over Hernandez appeared first on Cageside Press.

Kicking off this UFC Vegas 104 edition of TTP is our interview with UFC lightweight, Kurt Holobaugh. Holobaugh talks about getting back in the win column in his last fight against a tough opponent. With his sights on the top 15, he gets a stalwart of the division in Alexander Hernandez this weekend. He talks about the excitement for that fight and gives a little bit of a breakdown of the styles as well. Plus, we chat about the prospect of a UFC New Orleans card in the future. While he’s not trying to get ahead of himself, ‘The Hurt’ is all over that idea.

Fights, Dogs, and Parlays: UFC Vegas 104 (17:45)

After a wild UFC 313 we head back to the Apex for UFC Vegas 104. This one is headlined by middleweights, Marvin Vettori and Roman Dolidze, who will renew their rivalry. Last time out, Vettori turned the Georgian away – can he do it again? Also on the card is an intriguing welterweight clash between Chidi Njokuani and Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos. We’ll break down those fights as well as some of our other favorite fights on the main card. Plus, as always, we’re hitting you with an underdog and a plus-money parlay that we think will make your wallet fat this weekend. For this segment, all odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Carli Judice Interview (23:46)

Closing out this UFC Vegas 104 edition of TTP is our interview with UFC flyweight, Carli Judice. Judice also talks about the prospect of the UFC heading to New Orleans. She loves the idea of a hometown fight in the future. But first she has to take care of business this weekend. She faces Yuneisy Duben, who is fresh off a violent KO on the Contender Series. She shares her thoughts on Duben’s power and breaks down how she expects this one to go down.

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Alexander Hernandez (15-8) will face off against Kurt Holobaugh (21-8, 1NC) at the event, set for March 15, 2025 at the UFC-owned and operated venue. Iridium Sports Agency, who represent Hernandez, announced the news on Friday.

MMA Junkie had previously reported the booking.

Alexander “The Great” Hernandez will enter the fight off a split decision victory against Austin Hubbard in October that snapped a two-fight skid. He’s 2-2 in his past four, with wins over Hubbard and Jim Miller, and losses to Bill Algeo and Damon Jackson.

As for Kurt Holobaugh, he’s 2-1 in his third stint with the promotion. Holobaugh made his promotional debut in April of 2013, losing to Steven Siler, and released on fight later (Holobaugh’s entrance into the UFC had come when the promotion acquired rival Strikeforce).

In 2018, Holobaugh returned via the Contender Series (though his win on the show was overturned due to using a pre-fight IV to rehydrate), going 0-3 and being released a second time.

2023 saw Kurt Holobaugh embark on a third UFC stint after winning The Ultimate Fighter 31; he defeated Austin Hubbard to claim the TUF crown, and is coming off a victory over Kaynan Kruschewsky.

UFC Vegas 104 currently features the following reported match-ups:

• Daniel Barez vs. André Lima
• Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Ryan Spann
• Carli Judice vs. Yuneisy Duben
• Sam Hughes vs. Stephanie Luciano
• Brendson Ribeiro vs. Diyar Nurgozhay
• Cody Gibson vs. Da’Mon Blackshear
• Alexander Hernandez vs. Kurt Holobaugh
• Carlos Vera vs. Josias Musasa

The post Alexander Hernandez Meets Kurt Holobaugh at UFC Vegas 104 appeared first on Cageside Press.