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What’s Next: UFC Seattle Losers

Bryson Hester — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 22:53:48 +0000

UFC Seattle took place on Saturday night, splitting its 13-bout fight card to an extended six-fight main card.

All six main card fights in Seattle, WA produced exciting finishes. The feature preliminary bout between Tofiq Musayev and Ignacio Bahamondes set the tone with a Fight of the Night winning blood bath. And one of the all-time GOATs of MMA, Demetrious Johnson, was announced as a 2026 UFC Hall of Fame inductee. All-in-all, it may have been an exciting fight card, but many fighters are in dire positions in this week’s edition of What’s Next.

Israel Adesanya

(#14) Joe Pyfer seized his opportunity to catapult up in the rankings with his second round TKO thrashing of (#4) Israel Adesanya in the main event on Saturday. The finish earned Pyfer a fat performance bonus too. Adesanya has now lost four fights in a row, he’s been stopped in three of those bouts, and is winless since beating Alex Pereira in early 2023. 1-5 since early 2022 is a rough stat, whether Izzy was the champ during some of those bouts or not.

Izzy has a lot of options for his next fight. The 36-year-old needs a win against respectable competition, though there’s a possibility, although slim, that his next opponent may not be ranked.

Moving forward, Israel should be paired up with the loser of the Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Brendan Allen fight on June 6. The timing is a little funky but either fight could make sense. Allen has won two in a row, and is currently coming off a win against Reinier de Ridder into the -+bout. He would have lost to an unranked fighter in Edmen, so could potentially be in a similar, position to Izzy. Shahbazyan is currently riding a 3-fight win streak with two, first-round finishes. So, he would have faltered off of a large test, and against a grappler.

Could be a bit of a stretch, so backup pick here is MVP. Page is 4-1 in the UFC and on a three-fight win streak. Page was last in action at UFC London last week, defeating Sam Patterson, but if he decides to move up to 185lbs., like he has twice before, MVP vs ‘The Stylebender’ could be a fun one.

Adesanya’s next fight: Edmen Shahbazyan vs. (#6) Brendan Allen Loser or (#13 WW) Michael Page

Maycee Barber

(#4) Alexa Grasso unleashed a nasty bombardment on (#5) Maycee Barber midway through the first-round rendering Barber out on her feet before sliding in a sub for good measure. Devastating loss for Barber as she loses step up fight/title eliminator, got her seven-fight, five-year-long win-streak snapped. Maycee also falls to 0-2 vs. Grasso.

Barber’s next fight should be against Tracy Cortez. A fresh name, a relevant ranking and the last fighter to take on Erin Blanchfield. Barber has been unsuccessfully matched up against Erin twice before, with both bouts being cancelled before the fighters could make it into the octagon. Timing is a little off for this matchup however, as Tracy fought back in November of last year. But she’s 2-2 in her last four. A good backup would be Rose Namajunas, who is a little bit of a stretch and coming off a loss to (#1) ranked Natalia Silva in late January. Main card matchups here, PPV or fight night.

Barber’s next fight: (#8) Tracy Cortez or (#6) Rose Namajunas

Niko Price

Michael Chiesa made quick work of fill-in Niko Price, securing a rear naked choke in the first round of a picture-perfect retirement fight on UFC Seattle’s main card, Saturday. Price is now on a four-fight losing streak and has gone 2-7 in his last nine fights with the promotion. Niko has looked rough, in his last stretch of fights, but at least for UFC Seattle he truly was a last second replacement.

Price announced shortly before the fight that it would also be his last, retiring alongside Chiesa.

Should Price change his mind (he didn’t even get mic time post-fight), Chiesa’s original opponent, Carlston Harris, had to withdraw due to visa issues. But he’s on a two-fight skid, against Santiago Ponzinibbio and Khaos Williams, and both fighters stopped Harris. Carlston is also 4-3 and has been with the UFC since signing in 2021. Niko and Carlston are at a similar level, and this could be a decent scrappy fight that could land nearly anywhere on a fight night card.

Price’s next fight: Retirement, Carlston Harris

Julian Erosa

Lerryan Douglas dropped hometown favorite, Julian Erosa, multiple times on the way to landing a first round finish at UFC Seattle Saturday. Erosa has now lost two in a row although the first loss was a fight of the night unanimous decision loss to now-ranked, Melquizael Costa. Julian had won three in a row before this current skid.

In Julian’s next fight he’s got to continue to lean into those chaotic fights he’s so good at. Giving him the loser of Cub Swanson vs. Nate Landwehr is a very fun matchup either way that goes. Those two fight on April 11th, so timing would be great. Swanson, a 25-fight UFC vet hasn’t fought since stopping Billy Quarantillo in the third round in a crazy standup war back in late 2024. Cub’s 2-2 in his last four, brings a unique standup style and experience. His opponent Nate Landwehr is a fellow leather-slinger, but not as tenured with the UFC, at just 35-5 with the promotion. Nate is coming off a two-fight losing streak and was finished in the third round of both fights (against Doo Ho Choi and Morgan Charriere).

So, Nate would be 1-4 in his last five or Cub would be 2-3 in his last five. Good matchups that could easily be on the main cards of fight nights or a feature prelim (high action stand up fight).

Erosa’s next fight: Cub Swanson vs. Nate Landwehr Loser

Mansur Abdul-Malik

Yousri Belgaroui crumpled Mansur Abdul-Malik with a well-placed knee to get the TKO in the third round of their hard-hitting middleweight affair Saturday. The loss is the first of Mansur’s 11-fight pro MMA career. The 28-year-old 2024 Contender Sedries product is now 3-1-1 since being signed.

Abdul-Malik is still young in his career here, no need to panic. Give him the loser of Azmat Bekoev vs Tresean Gore. Timing for that fight would be perfect as its on April 4th. Tresean is 5-5 as a pro MMA fighter and 2-4 under the UFC banner. The unofficial The Ultimate Fighter Season 29 runner up, has had a rough go at it with the promotion, currently riding a two-fight skid and missed weight ahead of his last bout against Rodolfo Vieiera. Azamat is 20-4 as a pro, so more experience, but is just 2-1 in the UFC. And Bekoev lost to Yousri Belgaroui via third round stoppage in his last fight too. Honestly, either of these guys would make sense for Mansur and offer a good scrap.

Abdul-Malik’s next fight: Azmat Bekoev vs. Tresean Gore Loser

Kyle Nelson

Terrance McKinney fought like the stove was on back home, as he always does, to open the main card of UFC Seattle on Saturday. This time delivering a wild high kick finish in under 30 seconds against the Canadian, Kyle Nelson. Kyle has now fully cooled off from his 2023-2024 hot streak where he went 3-0-1. Nelson has gone 1-2 in his last three and was finished in the first round of both losses. To make matters worse, Nelson missed weight in that first loss of the trio of fights, to Steve Garcia and missed weight ahead of the bout. So, he’s been at lightweight the last two bouts.

Looking back to a previous edition of losers here, make Kyle Nelson vs. Michael Johnson. This would be a great fight. And a good test for both fighters at the current positions in their respective careers. Johnson is 32-fight veteran of the UFC but hasn’t fought Nelson. Two standup guys, and Nelson is coming up from featherweight so maybe he’d be able to hang with Johnson’s hand speed. Could see this landing anywhere on a fight night main card or feature prelim.

Nelson’s next fight: Michael Johnson

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UFC Seattle: Terrance McKinney Refuses to Leave First Round, Stops Kyle Nelson

Jay Anderson — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 00:26:51 +0000

Terrance McKinney and Kyle Nelson kicked off the UFC Seattle main card at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA on Saturday in an explosive lightweight pairing.

McKinney had never won a fight outside the opening round in the UFC; Nelson was known for engaging in wars.

Early on, “T-Wrecks” decided that Saturday in Seattle would not be the day he decided to experience a win in the second round. McKinney came out swinging, Nelson fired back and hit air, but Terrance managed to land on Nelson with a head kick that albeit blocked got him to the canvas. From there, McKinney got on top in half guard and smashed away with his right hand, landing hammerfist after hammerfist.

Ref Herb Dean gave Kyle Nelson a good long while to recover and escape, but with Nelson doing little more than covering up, he soon had to waive things off. That gave Terrance McKinney yet another first-round stoppage.

After the bout, McKinney spoke of being an alcoholic at 19, then recapped the quick stoppage, which he had originally suggested might take four minutes.

Asked how he continued to find such quick finishes against the world’s best fighters, “it’s just the abilities god blessed me with, plus I got that ninja strength,” joked “T-Wrecks.”

Official Result: Terrance McKinney def. Kyle Nelson by TKO (hammerfists), Round 1, 0:24

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UFC Seattle’s Kyle Nelson Feeling at Home at Lightweight

Daniel Vreeland — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 14:34:48 +0000

Kyle Nelson spent the early part of his career bouncing back and forth between lightweight and featherweight. However, when he made the transition to the UFC, he looked to make a permanent home, and a run to the top, at featherweight. After missing weight down at 145lbs and losing to highly touted Steve Garcia, he decided to head back home to 155lbs – and the change has been great for him.

“I felt great. I mean, some of the biggest takeaways are the training camps and stuff and being able to feel better through the training camp,” Nelson explained. “Then the weight cut – I probably still cut a similar amount of water and stuff like that. But I feel like 145lbs, sometimes, I would end up being a little bit malnourished going into the fight because you’ve only got like the 24 hours to rehydrate.”

While the Garcia fight may have been the final nail in the coffin, Nelson noted that there had been some signs that it was time prior. He pointed back to some fights in which he wasn’t quite himself as the fight progressed.

“I feel like that’s stuff that’s kind of showed its head in like the Billy Quarantillo fight and some of the fights where I was doing great for the first few minutes,” he said. “Then lend of the first, beginning of the second, just seemed like my body kind of shut down on me. So at 155, I don’t think we’ll have that problem.”

With any change in division, there is the question of where the fighter will fit in. Nelson was initially worred that he would be treated like a newcomer in his new (old) division. After a pair of bookings, he was relieved to see that wasn’t the case.

“I felt like moving up to a new weight class, I almost felt like I was starting at the bottom again,” Nelson said. “Then to get to like Matt Frevola, who I had seen and heard his name and watched him fight and stuff like that, I was like, oh, like I’m, you know, I’m not kind of starting at the bottom again. And same with the [Terrance] McKinney fight.”

And that McKinney fight may just be his ticket to the top 15. He sees this not only as a fight where he can pick up a big name win, but one with some emphasis.

“I think it’s kind of a 50-50, whether it’s gonna be first round, I tag him early as he’s coming in really wild and with his chin up and his hands down,” he said. “Or I think beginning of the second, he’s gonna start to slow down. I’m gonna be picking it up even more, but either way, I think it’s gonna be a knockout.”

You can see Nelson’s fght with Terrance McKinney on the main card of UFC Seattle. The fight card begins at 5pm EST on Paramount+ this Saturday.

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What’s Next: UFC Vancouver Winners

Mathis Desjardins — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 01:38:36 +0000

UFC Vancouver was a fun card that saw Canadian fighters go 5-2 on the night, 6-2 if you count Brendan Allen, who walked out with the Canadian flag since his mother is from the Great White North. In the main event, the aforementioned Allen broke the streaking Reinier de Ridder, whose corner had to throw the towel between the 4^th and 5^th rounds. A standout performance from Allen who filled in for Anthony Hernandez on short notice. We also saw important divisional wins from Mike Malott, Aiemann Zahabi and Manon Fiorot. Before we move on to Abu Dhabi, let’s first look at what’s next for Saturday’s winners.

Brendan Allen

Like him or not, what Brendan Allen pulled off on Saturday was pretty badass. He went on a seven-fight win streak before losing two straights. After that, he admittedly did some soul searching before coming back with a win over Marvin Vettori in July. Then, he accepted a fight on short notice against the red hot Reinier de Ridder, with nearly everyone counting him out. He survived the first round and followed it up with three dominating rounds on top, landing ground-and-pound and making RDR throw the towel on the stool.

It’s by far the best win of his career and it puts him in an interesting spot. I don’t think it makes him the number 1 contender like RDR may have been, but it does put him either one or two fights away. He called out Khamzat Chimaev, Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland. Out of those, the Strickland rematch is the most appealing to me. A lot has changed from where they were in their first meeting and given current circumstances, they would both be coming into it with something to prove.

Allen’s next fight: Sean Strickland

Mike Malott

For as strange as this fight was, with the low blows and the not-taking-a-point of it all, Kevin Holland is still without a doubt the best scalp of Mike Malott’s career. The Ontario native now once again finds himself on a three-fight win streak, just like he did when he first came into the promotion. And while this win over the ranked Holland may very well get him into the top15, it’s quite obvious that Malott has lost some of the swagger he had when he first broke into the UFC. The KO over Charles Radtke was nice, but it’s sandwiched between two very tepid decision wins over this current win streak. His confidence may still be a bit shaken from the collapse against Neil Magny, which is why I wouldn’t push him up the welterweight ladder just yet. Someone who’s also on the brink of the top15 makes more sense, someone like the winner of the Gabriel Bonfim vs Randy Brown Apex headliner.

Malott’s next fight: Bonfim/Brown winner

Aiemann Zahabi

Aiemann Zahabi will be turning 38 in a month, yet you wouldn’t know it if you looked at the streak he’s on. Usually, when fighters get to this age, they’re on the downswing, but Zahabi has kept improving and is on by far the best stretch of his professional career. He was awarded a controversial decision in May against Jose Aldo, and while this one was a bit more convincing, I don’t think a split decision against Chito Vera will be enough to grant him a shot at the title.

With Merab Dvalishvili cleaning out the division at the pace he is, someone like Zahabi could become next in line by virtue of everyone in front of him already having lost to the champion. Still, I think he needs a signature win to get his ticket to the dance. The perfect opponent is Deiveson Figueiredo. A known name, a former champion, and someone who’s just outside the top5 and is coming off a win.

Zahabi’s next fight: Deiveson Figueiredo

Manon Fiorot

Part of the reason it took so long for Manon Fiorot to be awarded her title shot last May was because she was coming off five impressive, but unassuming decision victories. Having now lost to the champion, it was probably going to take just as long to earn it all back. That’s unless she went back to her finishing ways as she did in her first two UFC fights. Well, I don’t think the Frenchwoman could’ve asked for anything more than a 74-second KO of Jasmine Jasudavicius, who was coming in on a five-fight win streak.

As good as this KO was for her stock, Fiorot will need at least one or two more of those before the UFC throws her back in a title shot. There’s a fight coming up between two top10 flyweights, Maycee Barber and Karine Silva, if Fiorot knockouts the winner of that fight like she did Jasudavicius, then she might force the UFC’s hand.

Fiorot’s next fight: Barber/Silva winner

Charles Jourdain

Charles Jourdain showed us while they call him “Air” on Saturday when he leaped in the air to land a massive flying knee that floored Davey Grant. The ever-durable Grant was still so stunned he had no chance of defending Jourdain’s guillotine. The fan favourite and known action fighter is now 2-0 since making the move down to 145 lbs. Going from Victor Henry to Davey Grant was a reasonable jump in competition, so I think Jourdain deserves another similar increase. I think someone like Chris Gutierrez, who was ranked at one point and whose recent losses are to names like Pedro Munhoz, Song Yadong and Farid Basharat, would tell us a lot about what we have with Jourdain at bantamweight.

Jourdain’s next fight: Chris Gutierrez

Kyle Nelson

Even though Kyle Nelson might have thought he had scored a late first-round TKO, he still ended up walking out with a unanimous decision victory. The Canadian’s had a little bit of a career resurgence as of late. It’s flown mostly under the radar, but he’s 4-1 in his last 5, with his only loss coming against the upcoming main eventer Steve “Mean Machine” Garcia. After flip-flopping between featherweight and lightweight, if Nelson plans on staying at 155 lbs, I think the perfect opponent is the one that fought right before him on Saturday. Drew Dober, who knocked out Kyle Prepolec in the prelims headliner, would undoubtedly make a fun scrap with Nelson.

Nelson’s next fight: Drew Dober

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Kyle Nelson Breaks Down Weird Scene at UFC Vancouver, Says Big Dan is a “Great Ref”

Jay Anderson — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 18:42:53 +0000

Vancouver — Kyle Nelson basically had to win twice at UFC Vancouver.

At the end of the opening round of Nelson’s lightweight fight with Matt Frevola, ref “Big” Dan Miragliotta appeared to wave off the action with three seconds still on the clock, after Nelson had landed several unanswered, undefended blows on the “Steamrolla.”

A win for “The Monster” was soon dashed, however, after the ref ordered the fighters to carry on. UFC VP of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner immediately appeared on the UFC Vancouver broadcast, calling it a “referee error.” The UFC, however, has no say in officiating, which is overseen by the local athletic commission. And so the fight carried on.

Nelson (17-6-1) painted the full picture while speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press at the Rogers Arena following the fight.

“… Dan stepped in, I got up, I thought I won,” recalled Nelson, who went to help Frevola back up thinking the bout was finished. “Then Dan’s like ‘no get back to your corner.'” Nelson believed he was simply being separated from a fallen foe with the bout still complete; his coaches and even his fiancé had entered the octagon. “We’re still thinking we won, we’re halfway through the break, they’re like ‘no, you’re going back in.’ So we didn’t even get the stool, didn’t really get a chance to slow down and control my breathing and stuff. We just kind of went right back out into the second round.”

That said, there’s no hard feelings on Nelson’s part it seems. It probably helps that the Huntsville, Ontario-born fighter went on to win a unanimous decision, even if robbed of a TKO finish.

“I don’t hold anything against Dan. Dan’s always been a great guy, I think he’s a great ref,” stated Nelson. As for the finish, “we’re not going to be able to change that. I got the victory either way, so I’m just looking forward to moving forward. Again spending time with family, and then looking at the next fight at lightweight.”

Watch the full UFC Vancouver post-fight press conference with Kyle Nelson above.

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Kyle Nelson Dominates Frevola at UFC Vancouver Despite Referee Controversy

Eddie Law — Sat, 18 Oct 2025 23:57:53 +0000

Canadian fan-favorite Kyle Nelson and relentless pressure fighter Matt Frevola collided in a pivotal lightweight showdown on Saturday night at UFC Vancouver, a matchup that carried high stakes for both men in one of the UFC’s deepest divisions.

With Nelson fighting on home soil and Frevola looking to reassert himself in the rankings picture, the bout promised urgency, grit, and chaos from the opening horn.

Nelson (16-6-1) entered the fight looking to rebound from a loss to Steve Garcia in September, a setback that halted his three-fight win streak over Blake Bilder, Fernando Padilla, and Bill Algeo. The Huntsville, Ontario native aimed to get back in the win column on home soil.

Frevola (11-5-1) entered the bout on a two-fight skid, having suffered losses to Benoît Saint-Denis and Fares Ziam. Known as one of the division’s most action-heavy lightweights, he holds notable wins over Drew Dober, Ottman Azaitar, and Jalin Turner.

The defining moment of the fight came from what UFC VP of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner later described as a referee error.

Late in the opening round, Nelson dropped Frevola with a heavy shot and swarmed with ground-and-pound. With just three seconds remaining, referee Dan Miragliotta appeared to wave the fight off. Nelson stood up and even exchanged words with Frevola only to be informed seconds later that the fight was in fact not over.

The confusion carried into the remainder of the bout, with the commentary team openly baffled and the crowd voicing their displeasure.

Despite the chaos, Nelson dominated from start to finish, battering Frevola with heavy power shots and relentless body work that slowly drained him and forced a labored pace.

In the end, the right man got the win, but it was yet another bizarre moment that could only happen in MMA.

Official Result: Kyle Nelson def. Matt Frevola via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

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UFC Vancouver: de Ridder vs. Allen Weigh-In Results – No Misses!

Staff — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:00:20 +0000

The UFC returns to Vancouver, B.C., Canada this Saturday for a surprisingly stacked Fight Night card that holds title implications potentially for a number of weight classes.

Reinier de Ridder headlines UFC Vancouver, not in the more clear-cut title eliminator with Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez originally announced, but instead against Brendan Allen, stepping in to replace the injured Hernandez. Still, a win by RDR, a former ONE Championship double-champ, could make him next in line for Khamzat Chiamev.

Jasmine Jasudavicius, meanwhile, faces off against Manon Fiorot, the #2-ranked women’s flyweight at the moment and fresh off a title bid against champ Valentina Shevchenko. Jasudavicius, ranked #5, has the opportunity to become the third female Canadian title challenger in the UFC (following Valerie Letourneau and Alexis Davis), though Natalia Silva sits ahead of her in line for the winner of Shevchenko vs. Weili Zhang next month.

Still, with a win, there’s a decent possibility Jasudavicius is fighting for gold next year. And while a bit of a longer shot, Aiemann Zahabi can put himself closer to bantamweight gold win a victory over Chito Vera at UFC Vancouver. With Merab Dvalishvili already running through opponents for the second time, Zahabi might be closer than many think if he sees his hand raised on Saturday.

Mike Malott, Charles Jourdain, and Kyle “The Monster” Nelson also feature on a promising card for Canadian fighters.

Weigh-ins for UFC Vancouver get underway at 9AM PT, 12PM ET on Friday, October 17, 2025. Results can be found below.

No misses at the scale on Friday, as all fighters made weight for UFC Vancouver!

UFC Vancouver: de Ridder vs. Allen Weigh-In Results

Main card

Middleweight: Reinier de Ridder (186) vs. Brendan Allen (186)
Welterweight: Kevin Holland (170.5) vs. Mike Malott (171)
Bantamweight: Marlon Vera (136) vs. Aiemann Zahabi (135.5)
Women’s Flyweight: Manon Fiorot (125.5) vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius (125.5)
Bantamweight: Cody Gibson (136) vs. Aori Qileng (135.5)
Lightweight: Kyle Nelson (155.5) vs. Matt Frevola (155)

Preliminary card

Bantamweight: Charles Jourdain (135.5) vs. Davey Grant (136)
Flyweight: Bruno Gustavo da Silva (125.5) vs. Park Hyun-sung (126)
Middleweight: Danny Barlow (185.5) vs. Djorden Ribeiro dos Santos (185.5)
Lightweight: Kyle Prepolec (155.5) vs. Drew Dober (155.5)
Women’s Strawweight: Stephanie Luciano (116) vs. Ravena Oliveira (115.5)
Middleweight: Azamat Bekoev (185) vs. Yousri Belgaroui (185.5)
Women’s Bantamweight: Melissa Croden (136) vs. Tainara Lisboa (135.5)

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UFC Vancouver’s Kyle Nelson: Lightweight Move Expected to be Permanent

Jay Anderson — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 02:30:55 +0000

Vancouver — Canada’s own Kyle Nelson is fighting in what fans are calling a “banger” and potential Fight of the Night at UFC Vancouver this Saturday.

Nelson (16-6-1) has found success in Vancouver before. In 2023, the Canadian contingent with Nelson among them went 6-0 on the night at UFC 289. “I think this is going to be even better than last time,” the House of Champions-based fighter, from Huntsville, Ontario, explained during Wednesday’s UFC Vancouver media day.

Despite losing to Steve Garcia last time out, Nelson’s bout with Matt Frevola is still bringing high expectations with it.

“I wasn’t sure how some fans and some people, what they thought after the last fight against Garcia,” admitted Nelson. “I got a lot of people reach out, obviously it was some of the shots to the back of the head, the illegal elbows and stuff, so they didn’t really chalk it up to much.”

“It seems like I didn’t necessarily lose a whole bunch of momentum. At least from, I probably get one side of the coin from my fans reaching out,” he continued. “But I don’t feel like that set me back too much. I feel like that’s one of those fights, if we did it nine times out of ten, I think I would have got the better of him. But we’re moving forward going up to 155.”

Nelson has put on muscle to make the move to lightweight the right way. He’s fought there before in one offs, but expects the weight class to stick this time.

“Unless the UFC comes at me with seven figures, I don’t see me going back down to 145. It’s probably a little overdue, coming up to 155.” Nelson noted that he was already cutting muscle, not just fat, to make featherweight. “Now I think it’s at the point where it’d be almost impossible. So there’s need to be a really big incentive, and I’d need probably a year to go back. So yeah I think 155 is permanent.”

Watch the full UFC Vancouver media day appearance by Kyle Nelson above.

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Matt Frevola Reveals Fight with Kyle Nelson at UFC Vancouver

Jay Anderson — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 20:14:57 +0000

Another promising pairing has been added to the already impressive UFC Vancouver card in October.

On Friday, UFC lightweight Matt Frevola (11-5-1) revealed that he would be fighting Kyle Nelson (16-6-1) at the event, set for October 18, 2025 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C., Canada.

Just one day prior, Nelson had hinted at a fight booking, writing “news coming soon” on his own social media.

“The Steamrolla” Frevola will be looking to snap back-to-back losses in the bout, after coming up short against French fighters Benoît Saint-Denis and Fares Ziam. The 35-year old from New York will have been out just over a year by the time the UFC Vancouver card rolls around.

Nelson saw a three-fight win streak snapped in his last outing, when he came up short against Steve Garcia. Born in Huntsville, Ontario, he should have the Canadian crowd behind him in Vancouver, as one of several homegrown talents on the card including Mike Malott, Jasmine Jasudavicius, Aiemann Zahabi, and Charles Jourdain.

UFC Vancouver is headlined by middleweights Reinier de Ridder and Anthony Hernandez, with the following pairings reported for the event:

Reinier de Ridder vs. Anthony Hernandez
Kevin Holland vs. Mike Malott
Manon Fiorot vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius
Charles Jourdain vs. Davey Grant
Bruno Gustavo da Silva vs. Park Hyun-sung
Marlon Vera vs. Aiemann Zahabi
Danny Barlow vs. Djorden Ribeiro dos Santos
Kyle Prepolec vs. Drew Dober
Azamat Bekoev vs. Yousri Belgaroui
Stephanie Luciano vs. Ravena Oliveira
Melissa Croden vs. Tainara Lisboa
Matt Frevola vs. Kyle Nelson

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What’s Next: UFC Vegas 97 Losers

Jay Anderson — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 19:08:19 +0000

The UFC was back in action at the Apex in Las Vegas for UFC Vegas 97, where Sean Brady picked up a decision win over Gilbert Burns in the main event. Natalia Silva collected her own decision over Jessica Andrade in the co-headliner, leaving two high-profile UFC stars in need of regrouping. We’ll play a little matchmaker now and see what comes next for those and other fighters who struck out on the main card.

Gilbert Burns

At 38-years old, Gilbert Burns is on the tail end of his career. That’s just the reality of it. After challenging for welterweight gold in 2021, Burns is 3-4 in the promotion. That’s not dreadful, but three of those four losses have come about consecutively across his last three fights.

Burns is unlikely to ever get another crack at gold, and the UFC being the UFC, will likely now be booked against a number of younger stars, much like Brady. If they do go that route, it wouldn’t be surprising to see someone like Michael Morales booked against Burns. Unfortunate, but not surprising. That said, the man Morales just beat, Neil Magny, is the preferable option here. He remains ranked, at #15, and has been trading wins and losses the past few years. He’s 37. He did lose to Burns in January 2023, but if you book this, say, four months on down the line, that’s two years between fights, and not the worst rematch. Preferable to feeding the old(er) to the young.

Burns’ next fight: Neil Magny rematch

Jessica Andrade

Former women’s strawweight champ Jessica Andrade is far from old, but she’s got a lot of mileage on her these days, and a lot of outside distractions. Ahead of UFC Vegas 97, word broke that she was suing a former coach for embezzling millions of dollars. Previously, she tried her hand at OnlyFans, only to see explicit photos leak to the public.

Despite having two straight wins at strawweight, Andrade returned to flyweight at UFC Vegas 97, only to lose a decision to Natalia Silva. In all honesty, if she can handle the weight cut still, the move is still strawweight. And if you kind of discount the loss at 125lbs, she’s still a player there, and has yet to face another fellow Brazilian in Amanda Ribas. Coincidentally, Ribas also just dropped a fight at flyweight, to Rose Namajunas, but before that had a win at strawweight. Book these two, 115lbs, and maybe have them stick with strawweight for the time being.

Andrade’s next fight: Amanda Ribas

Kyle Nelson

What an unfortunate turn of events for Kyle “The Monster” Nelson. Sitting on a solid win streak, the unranked featherweight had been granted a shot against a big name in Calvin Kattar, only for Kattar to drop out of UFC Vegas 97. Steve Garcia stepped in, Nelson missed weight, and to add insult to injury, Garcia picked up the TKO victory.

Now, there’s an argument to be made that Garcia deserves the Kattar fight. As for Nelson, he’ll have to lower his aim a fair bit. Jamall Emmers could fit the bill; he’s coming off a loss to Nate Landwehr, and has been trading wins and losses of late.

Nelson’s next fight: Jamall Emmers

Matt Schnell

Fare thee well Matt “Danger” Schnell. The flyweight left his gloves in the octagon following a third consecutive loss at UFC Vegas 97, in this case to Cody Durden. We all know what that means.

Schnell’s next fight: retirement

Trevor Peek

A 2022 Contender Series winner, lightweight Trevor Peek fell to 2-3 under the UFC banner this past Saturday, taken to a decision by Yanal Ashmouz. He’s now lost two straight and three of his last four, and this early in his career with the 2024 Contender Series underway, that could be a death sentence (or more accurately a pink slip).

Should the UFC keep Peek around for another shot, an incoming Contender Series fighter wouldn’t be a bad call. Peek’s fought three to four times a year the past few years, so one more towards the end of 2024 isn’t a bad idea, against an early DWCS Season 8 winner looking to make a quick debut.

Peek’s next fight: 2024 DWCS winner

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