Riverside, CA — Sabina Mazo was in the house for LFA 74 on Friday night in Riverside, but this time, the former LFA champ wasn’t there as a fighter. Rather, she was on hand to support her team at King’s MMA. It was something of a homecoming, as Mazo wore gold for the promotion.

As Mazo told Cageside Press during the event, “they made part of me. I think because of them, I am where I’m at. It feels good to see all the faces that once helped me, and that I support right now.”

Teammate Leandro Gomes picked up a big kneebar win during the event. “There’s no words for my teammate and all the King’s MMA family,” said Mazo. “It’s amazing to see them train hard all the months before the fight. And then put it all in one round. I believe a lot in the power he has, and the discipline he has. He showed it tonight.”

Her own return date isn’t set just yet. Mazo (7-1) is coming off a win earlier this month over Shanna Dobson at UFC 241. It was her first in the UFC. “I’m training, I’m training hard for it,” Mazo said.

She’s not about to call out any names, however. “I don’t have a name. I’m a believer that if you’re a champ, you have to climb and fight different styles.” That means not just fighting a couple of names at the top, but proving yourself with each style, she added.

“There’s no name. I just want to go in there and fight whoever they put me to,” she said.

Earlier in the month, fellow Colombian fighter Alejandra Lara raised eyebrows both in and out of the cage at Bellator 225. Her message about the rain forests in South America was well received, and her performance at the show, a first round TKO win against Taylor Turner, was certainly noticed.

With so few fighters from Colombia in MMA, Mazo was excited to see her countrywoman earn a win. “I’m very happy, because first of all, of course we’re Colombians. She’s a very nice fighter, very nice person. I’m very happy for her.”

“I think we’re making history. That’s what matters the most,” she added. “We’re opening the door for future generations. I’m very proud that it’s two girls putting the face [on things], putting the effort and showing it to the world. I’m very very happy for her, for her victory. Really I want to see her more in the cage.”

Mazo’s flyweight division has been hot since its inception, and another exciting fight goes down next weekend at UFC 242. That sees Andrea ‘KGB’ Lee take on Joanne Calderwood.

“It’s a good fight, I think they matched that one really good,” Mazo observed of the pairing. “I think she’s a really good fighter. But you know a fight is a fight. Anything can happen.”

“I like Andrea’s style to fight. But let’s see what happens. I’ll be watching that for sure,” she said. As for champ Valentina Shevchenko, it’s unclear who she’ll fight next.

“It’s a really new division, but that’s the good part,” Mazo told us. In fact the freshness might be part of the draw: anyone could emerge as a contender. “There’s new prospects, there’s more people. I don’t know who’s exactly next on the list, but I know a new generation’s coming, and I think we’re going to surprise.”

Watch our full interview with Sabina Mazo at LFA 74 above!

The post UFC Flyweight Sabina Mazo: A New Generation’s Coming, and I Think We’re Going to Surprise appeared first on Cageside Press.

Riverside, CA — Liudvik Sholinian improved to 6-1-1 Saturday night at LFA 74 with a split decision win against Vincent Cachero. A bantamweight out of the Ukraine, Sholinian seemed to make some adjustments after the first round, which enabled him to take control over the next two frames.

Speaking to Cageside Press following the fight, however, Sholinian said it all went to plan.

“Basically first round was tough, but that’s what we planned to do,” he said. “We knew he was coming to come out hard, and it was going to be hard to take him down, so we didn’t rush takedowns.”

In fact, “I think it was harder for him,” Sholinian suggested, “even though he won the first round, but it was harder for him mentally. Because he was seeing I kept coming forward. So I knew the takedown was coming.” So despite the early pressure, “I was really calm. Second, third round I knew what I was going to do exactly, that he was going to start getting tired, and that’s when I was going to get him to the ground.”

The crowd was very much behind opponent Cachero Friday night, but “I didn’t even pay attention honestly,” said Sholinian. “I had a lot of fun there. It was a good atmosphere out there. They were cheering. I didn’t even really notice who they were cheering for. I was just having fun. It was a great time.”

“It would be worse if there were no one cheering for no one. So at least they were cheering for someone, so it was fun,” he added.

Sholinian, who has fought for Bellator in the past, now looks to the future, and he sees only two promotions on the radar. Speaking via his translator, the bantamweight said he “loves it in LFA,” and that the only organization after LFA he sees himself in “is UFC.”  To Sholinian, LFA is the second best organization in the world, right after the UFC.

Which means the UFC is his “only goal. Either [that, or] staying in LFA for a couple more fights, then go to the UFC.”

Watch our full LFA 74 post-fight interview with Liudvik Sholinian above!

The post LFA 74: Liudvik Sholinian Would Rather Have Crowd Behind Opponent Than Hear No Cheers At All appeared first on Cageside Press.

Riverside, CA — Bantamweight Leandro Gomes was supposed to take part in last year’s Liddell vs. Ortiz 3 card, under the Golden Boy MMA banner. However, an injury to opponent Westin Wilson saw the fight fall through. With Oscar De La Hoya suddenly all quiet on the MMA front, Gomes had been out of the cage for just over a year before finally returning at LFA 74 on Friday night.

There, he pulled off a kneebar submission of Anthony Jimenez, a King of the Cage regular who entered the fight undefeated as a pro.

Immediately following the bout Gomes (4-1) spoke to Cageside Press about his time away, and UFC dreams.

“I was one year off the cage, and I’m so happy to be here, to have that opportunity,” he said post fight. When he was in action, the he thought about the time off, Gomes said, describing it as “a long time, one year just training every day, every single day, twice a day to be here.”

Behind him, however, “I have a great team, my family, my coach, my King’s MMA family,” he explained, and they were no doubt a big motivator. “And I’m here. I’m happy to fight today, and get the win.”

Nerves in front of his supporters weren’t too bad. “The people love me, I don’t know why,” he joked. “I’m so happy, I get nervous a little bit, but I’m more happy and grateful to have a lot of people around me, good people, good energy. And then everyone here comes to help me. This made me think about, ‘okay, you have to do 100% because it’s not just because [of] you, it’s because [of] your family, your friends, who want to see Leandro Gomes in the UFC. I just want to say thank you for everybody. Thank you for coming, and that’s it. We got a win!”

The win was an impressive kneebar submission. It’s something he’d worked on right up to the fight. “I’m a black belt in jiu-jitsu, I use this for jiu-jitsu competitions. Also my brothers, their specialty is kneebars.” In his warm-up, he also broke out the kneebar. “The same knee bar, and then [it] works.”

“I’m not afraid to go to the ground, or stand up. We have a game [plan] for any situation,” Gomes added.

As to whether he feels ready for a shot at the UFC, “I’m ready,” Gomes answered, “but if they need one more fight, two, three, fights, we are here to fight. I’m going to get to the UFC one day. But I’m not just looking to be a UFC fighter, I’m looking to be the best. Everyone says ‘I want to be a UFC champ, I want to be a UFC champ,’ but I don’t think they work like me. I work every day, twice a day. I respect everybody, but I think little by little, we get there.”

Watch our full post-fight interview with Leandro Gomes from LFA 74 above!

The post LFA 74: After Kneebar Submission Win, Leandro Gomes Ready for UFC appeared first on Cageside Press.

LFA 74: Vanderaa vs. Ferreira live from the Riverside Municipal Auditorium in Riverside, California. The event was broadcast live on AXS TV.

In the main event, heavyweight prospects collided as Jared Vanderaa (9-3) faced Renan Ferreira (5-2).

Vanderaa was looking for his first win in LFA after going 0-2 in his appearances so far in the promotion. The 27-year-old challenged for the heavyweight title in 2017, but lost to Richard Odoms via submission in the fifth round. His most recent LFA showing was at LFA 35, where he dropped a unanimous decision to Vernon Lewis. Since that loss, Vanderaa bounced back in EFC Worldwide, earning three knockout victories and the EFC Worldwide heavyweight title along the way.

Ferreira is an absolute monster at heavyweight, standing at 6’10” inches tall and weighing 250 pounds. The Brazilian made his LFA debut at LFA 70,  but lost via disqualification after hitting his opponent, Brett Martin, with illegal blows to the back of Martin’s head. Ferreira looked good in the bout however, hurting Martin multiple times which earned him another shot in LFA. The 29-year-old has never gone the distance and has finished all of his five wins via knockout.

Also on the card is a bantamweight battle in the co-main event between Bas Rutten protégé Ryan Lilley (10-4) and fellow prospect Kevin Wirth (7-1). Additionally, California prospects and former LFA title-challengers Moses Murrietta (8-2) and Vince Cachero (6-1) both return.

LFA 74: Vanderaa vs. Ferreira Results:

Main Card:

• Renan Ferreira def. Jared Vanderaa via Submission (Triangle Choke), Round 2, 2:37
• Kevin Wirth def. Ryan Lilley via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Lucas Rota def. Moses Murrietta via Knockout (Punches), Round 1, 0:24
• Liudvik Sholinian def. Vincent Cachero via Split Decision (26-30, 29-28, 29-28)
• Salvador Becerra def. Steve Kozola via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
• Leandro Gomes def. Anthony Jimenez via Submission (Kneebar), 3:05
• Spike Carlyle def. Matthew Colquhoun via Knockout (Spinning Backfist), Round 1, 3:58

Preliminary Card:

• Jason Allen def Kasen Matsch via Submission (Rear Naked Choke), Round 1, 1:29 – amateur.
• Jeffery Craig def. Robert Pearlman via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) – amateur. 

The post LFA 74: Vanderaa vs. Ferreira Live Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Another week in MMA brings with it plenty of prospects to keep an eye on, including fighters throwing down under the M-1 and LFA banners.

A couple of cards, from LFA and M-1 among others, played host to a number of MMA prospects this week. We’ll take a look at the standouts below!

M-1 Challenge 104 | Friday | Russia

Lightweight, Roman Bogatov (9-0)

Bogatov is a Russian prospect who has burst onto the scene quickly after starting his MMA career in 2016, already winning M-1 gold. Bogatov is solely a grappler. On the feet, he isn’t bad, but is just unpolished with his striking and defense needing work. The Russian is aggressive from bell to bell and will constantly press forward and secure takedowns with exceptional cardio. His grappling is top-notch as he is willing to give up takedowns due to his scrambling abilities, and ability to gain top position.

Bogatov wants to be on the mat as that is where he is very dangerous with his ground-and-pound, and where his positional grappling ties up his opponent’s limbs while firing punches. He’s always attacking submissions and he has four subs on his record, which is the best aspect of his skill-set. He fights former UFC fighter Mickael Lebout (19-9-3). A win here could get Roman to the UFC.

GFC 16 | Friday | Russia

Heavyweight, Shamil Abasov (5-0)

Only 5-0 in MMA, Shamil has a lot of hype behind him. Shamil trains with a solid camp out of Russia, Eagles MMA, where he works with Movlid Khaibulaev, Akhmet Aliev, and more. Shamil has a background in kickboxing being a world champion. In only five fights, he’s fought Yuri Gobenko, Yuriy Protzenko, and Charles Andrade that have a combined over 140 fights which is a good start for someone just embarking on their career. Abasov has showcased his kickboxing skills throwing damaging leg kicks and even has a head kick knockout. He has also shown solid wrestling with heavy top position. He is definitely someone to watch for. He fights Rizvan Kuniev (5-2-1), who he should beat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qiKpoTB9tI&t=45s

LFA 74 | Friday | California

Heavyweight, Jared Vanderaa (9-3)

Following a two-fight skid Vanderaa is now on a three-fight win streak and won the EFC heavyweight title. On the feet, Vanderaa throws good combinations and does a solid job throwing heavy leg kicks. With the top position of a mountain, Vanderaa is at his best on the mat. He has decent grappling for a heavyweight but it’s his ground and pound that has made him successful. There are some doubts as to whether he’s UFC level though. He fights Renan Ferreira (5-2) who is likely the favorite.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O9K6lLc_cw&t=667s

ACA 98 | Saturday | Russia

Flyweight, Azamat Pshukov (6-0)

Russia’s own Pshukov is a good talent and has shown to be well-rounded. On the feet, he has a dangerous right hook and throws good combinations. He’s even better on the mat with his effortless grappling including very smooth transitions. The wrestling to get it on the mat has shown to be excellent, executing single and double legs very well. Pshukov has wound up on his back at times but thrives in scrambles. He’s looked solid but needs a step up in competition. He fights Ruslan Abiltarov (21-9-1) who has a lot of experience, so he might get that here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGjU_0OnUhM

Flyweight, Murad Magomedov (8-0)

Another Russian flyweight  prospect making the list is Murad Magomedov. Solely a grappler, Magomedov is well-versed on the mat. A tall flyweight standing at 5’9″ he uses his length well. With a strong jab, his length is more useful to him on the mat. He’s really good in transitions taking the back consistently. A bit green still but he is a really slick grappler. He fights Felipe Silva (10-3) which is his biggest test to date.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWwR8fhAj0A

ACA 97 | Saturday | Russia

Heavyweight, Evgeny Goncharov (13-2)

Evgeny Goncharov is another solid heavyweight prospect out of Russia. On the feet, he does have some power, but on the mat is where he wants to be. Goncharov is an excellent wrestler who will get the body lock and get huge power takedowns, showing how strong he is. On top, he has some slick grappling for a big guy, but his ground-and-pound is his best aspect where he throws at a high rate and can do that all fight. He fights Tony Johnson (13-4-1), who is a veteran but shouldn’t beat Evgeny.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gePfayuXMvg&t=28s

Light-heavyweight, Muslim Magomedov (5-0)

Muslim Magomedov had a huge win in his last bout beating former UFC fighter Chris Camozzi. With not much to offer on the feet, Magomed is an excellent wrestler. His timing on his shots is fine and the way he shoots so low makes his execution near-perfect. The work he does on top is his best aspect. He’s got good top position and his ground and pound is strong, active, and lands hard. He fights Ilya Shcheglov (8-1) is not all that impressive to date.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v_VNT3OBdU

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