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

The post What’s Next: UFC Seattle Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.

The main card bout found Abdul-Malik undefeated as a pro with three wins and a draw inside the octagon since joining the UFC in 2024 off a victory on Dana White’s Contender Series.

To start the opening five minutes, Belgaroui maintained distance and was able to utilize his 6’6 frame with kicks from the outside. Abdul-Malik seemed hesitant to blitz inside the range of Belgaroui and ate multiple damaging leg kicks for it. Switching stances to southpaw, Abdul-Malik narrowly blocked a head kick as he was largely picked apart in round one.

In the second, Belgaroui landed another calf kick as Abdul-Malik got to the clinch and attempted a body lock takedown. Belgaroui showed impressive takedown defense staying on his feet and circling back to the outside. Abdul-Malik was able to finally land takedown midway through the round moving to back control. Belgaroui was able to get back to his feet, landing a clean knee up the middle. Putting on a technical striking clinic, Belgaroui had Abdul-Malik badly hurt with twenty seconds left. Landing a big left hook at the bell, the fight was in question of being stopped by Abdul-Malik survived.

After facing adversity again in the opening moments of the third round, Abdul-Malik was able to secure a takedown near the four minute mark in the round. Belgaroui returned to his feet, landing a big straight right hand. Showing immense toughness, Abdul-Malik ate a final big knee in the clinch sent him face first into the canvas.

Belgaroui has made it two knockout wins in a row over top flight talent in this middleweight division. With victories over former LFA champion Azamat Bekov and now formerly undefeated prospect Abdul-Malik, it is hard not to be impressed by the potential of the striking sensation Yousri Belgaroui.

Official Result: Yousri Belgaroui def. Mansur Abdul-Malik by TKO, Round 3, 3:39

The post UFC Seattle: Yousri Belgaroui Pieces Up, Puts Away Mansur Abdul-Malik appeared first on Cageside Press.

Trocoli was 0-2 inside the octagon and still looking for his first win in the company, though one of those fights was a short-notice showdown with the formidable Shara “Bullet” Magomedov. Abdul-Malik had two wins under the UFC banner for his part, but was coming off a draw against Cody Brundage that had originally been a win until the Georgia athletic commission overturned it.

Abdul-Malik opened the action punching his way in, with Trocoli answering via a kick. Moments later, Abdul-Malik changed levels and exploded into a double-leg takedown, landing it with apparent ease. Soon he had half-mount, then a guillotine as Trocoli stood back up. Make it to his feet, Trocoli did, escape the choke he did not. Abdul-Malik had the choke in tight, and Antonio Trocoli was soon tapping to the standing guillotine!

Following the victory, Abdul-Malik called his performance an “echo” of what he was able to do in training camp. “More dominant finishes, more wins” are what the undefeated middleweight are gunning for now, a fired-up Abdul-Malik later told UFC analyst Joe Rogan.

Official Result: Mansur Abdul-Malik def. Antonio Trocoli by submission (standing guillotine), Round 1, 1:09

The post UFC 323: Mansur Abdul-Malik Locks in Standing Guillotine on Antonio Trocoli appeared first on Cageside Press.

The pair, who fought on June 14 at UFC Atlanta, saw their fight halted in the third round when Brundage was rendered unable to continue due to an accidental clash of heads. That sent the bout to the scorecards, with Abdul-Malik winning a decision.

However, Brundage’s team appealed the outcome, bringing to the athletic commission’s attention the fact that the incomplete third round, which lasted under a minute, had been scored by the judges.

Under Georgia state rules, no incomplete round is to be scored should a fight head to the judges early. As a result, the bout’s scoring was recalculated using only the fully completed first and second rounds. The outcome now stands as a majority draw. Great news for Cody Brundage, less so far Abdul-Malik.

“Per the Georgia State Athletic Commission, Cody Brundage’s June 14th bout against Mansur Abdul-Malik has been overturned to a Majority Draw,” wrote attorney Lance Spaude of Iridium Sports Agency on social media in announcing the news. ISA represents Brundage. “I want to thank the Georgia commission for their professionalism and thorough review of Mr. Brundage’s appeal.”

Cody Brundage now sees his record adjusted to 11-6-1, 1NC overall. He had earned a win over Julian Marquez prior to his fight at UFC Atlanta.

The post Cody Brundage Sees UFC Atlanta Loss Overturned to Majority Draw appeared first on Cageside Press.

Kamaru Usman

“The Nigerian Nightmare” had to wait a long time, but he finally got his hand raised once again. After dropping three fights in a row and taking a 20-month layoff, Usman stopped the streaking Joaquin Buckley in his tracks. “New Mansa” was on a six-fight heater since dropping to welterweight, but he had no answer for Usman’s takedowns.

Though he called for a title shot next, I doubt the UFC is looking to invest that much into a 38-year-old Usman. This was a nice win, but in a title picture as crowded as the one at 170 currently is, we have to imagine he’s at least one more win away from a shot. I could see the promotion try again to use his name value against a young up-and-comer such as Ian Machado Garry, but I do think they’ll choose something else. There’s a bad blood matchup between Usman and Belal Muhammad that has been brewing for some time. Now that the two former champions aren’t holding the belt anymore, there’s a clear window to make this fight.

Usman’s next fight: Belal Muhammad

Rose Namajunas

With a unanimous decision victory over rising contender Miranda Maverick in the UFC Atlanta co-main event, Namajunas moved to 3-2 since making her move to flyweight. Her only losses came to Manon Fiorot and Erin Blanchfield in hard-fought bouts. Rose’s popularity will always work in her favor, meaning she’s never that far away from a number one contender fight. Getting back on track with this win means she can fight upwards right away and get a chance to insert herself back into the division’s top5. I think a fight with fellow former champion and fellow former strawweight Alexa Grasso makes sense and would be interesting. Can Rose make the turnaround for the Noche card San Antonio?

Namajunas’ next fight: Alexa Grasso

Edmen Shahbazyan

Shahbazyan’s fights are predictable in that they often end one of two ways:

• Scenario #1: He either gets the 1^st-round KO
• Scenario #2: He gets finished later in the fight after failing to achieve scenario #1

This time, his UFC Atlanta fight with Andre Petroski went the distance marking his first time seeing the judges’ scorecards since his bout with Jack Hermansson in 2021. This also marked his first time winning consecutive fights since 2019.

Someone as exciting as Shahbazyan should be facing fighters who can match his style and deliver fireworks. The upcoming fight between Shara “Bullet” Magomedov and Marc-André Barriault is a great example of that. Shahbazyan can fight the winner later this year.

Shahbazyan’s next fight: Magomedov/Barriault winner

Raoni Barcelos

Barcelos was always looked at as one of the most underrated fighters of his division, but after going 1-4 between 2021 and 2023, which included a brutal KO loss to Umar Nurmagomedov, it looked like age was catching up to the Brazilian. Since then, he bounced back with a submission win over Cristian Quiñonez, a massive betting upset over Payton Talbott earlier this year, and now a unanimous decision win over a former champion in Cody Garbrandt.

Is this enough to get him the shot at the rankings he was never granted? I doubt so, but a fight against Ricky Simón, another highly respected fighter in this loaded division, should produce a win streak worthy of a ranking.

Barcelos’ next fight: Ricky Simón

Mansur Abdul-Malik

The highly touted Abdul-Malik may have seen the judges’ scorecards for the first time in his professional career at UFC Atlanta, but somehow, he still didn’t go the distance. A rare technical decision due to a clash of heads saw a decision being read while still having completed the full 15 minutes of scheduled cage time.

At 27 years of age and just 9 professional bouts, Abdul-Malik is still so young for a UFC middleweight. The physical attributes would make any coach salivate, but he’s still obviously so green that his level of competition shouldn’t be raised for the foreseeable future. An opponent like Ozzy Diaz is what the promotion should be looking at.

Abdul-Malik’s next fight: Ozzy Diaz

Alonzo Menifield

They weren’t exactly exceptional performances, but that is now twice in a row that the veteran Menifield has given the Dikembe Mutombo finger wag to an undefeated fighter. After defeating Julius Walker in February, “Atomic” now snatched the Frenchman Oumar Sy’s 0 as well. Like I said, these weren’t contests that will go in the pantheon of exciting fights, but a win is a win. Now officially back on a win streak and having defended his ranking twice, the 37-year-old has earned another shot at someone ranked above him. Johnny Walker and Zhang Mingyang are fine options, but I prefer the idea of those two facing each other. So I went with the loser of the upcoming Nikita Krylov vs Bogdan Guskov fight instead.

Menifield’s next fight: Krylov/Guskov loser

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

Brundage (11-6) came into the fight off a first round TKO victory over Julian Marquez in March. The Factory X product hold victories over Zach Reese, Jacob Malkoun and Tresean Gore to name a few.

Abdul-Malik (8-0) is arguably the hottest prospect at 185-pounds today. After a violent and impressive victory at DWCS in 2024 he scored two consecutive knockout finishes coming into UFC Atlanta.

Round 1 Brundage came out firing kicks low and high. Abdul-Malik stayed patient and worked his stance switching looking for an angle. Abdul-Malik went in with a right hand which Brundage saw, dodged, and landed his own counter.

Brundage continued to work the calf kicks while trying to stay out of range of his opponents attacks. Crowd booed for a good chunk of the round. Abdul-Malik landed a clean up kick to the chin of Brundage which he just ate.

Round ended with Abdul-Malik trying a flying knee which Brundage responded to with a two-strike combo.

Round 2 even after the feel-out round both men were wary of attacking. Brundage continued to work kicks to which Abdul-Malik didn’t really respond to.

Abdul-Malik landed a sneaky right hand on Brundage which he followed up with a body kick. Brundage fired back some counters, but the fight felt like it would begin to heat up at this point.

The rest of the round was lackluster and the crowd let the fighters know it.

Round 3 the two fighters came out like mad men firing off like they heard the crowd at the end of the second. Finally the fight ended with Abdul-Malik landed a flying knee which landed and ended the fight.

The replay showed that, when Abdul-Malik rushed in, there was a clash of heads. Due to that the fight was scored up to that point as a technical decision.

Official Result: Mansur Abdul-Malik def. Cody Brundage via Technical Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

The post Mansur Abdul-Malik Scores Technical Decision Following Headclash appeared first on Cageside Press.

However, if you ask Abdul-Malik about it, it was far more about how he responded than what happened in the first place.

“My takeaway was how I handled it, which was absolutely beautiful. Adversity is something in your mind, and I didn’t see that as anything except for, ‘okay, he hit me. Let me get back together and let me hit him’, Abdul-Malik said. “It was as simple as that. You saw, you saw in the corner, me, how I conducted myself, my coaches, how they were speaking to me. It was, it was seamless. It was perfect. There was, it almost seemed like there was no adversity.”

He cites his behavior in the corner as both a sign that he was ready to take over that fight, and a testament to his mental fortitude. His coaches, on the other hand, were being a touch more technical in their approach to the round.

“It was almost like I had won that round from my body language and the way that I was acting. I was like, okay, alright. It’s my turn now,” he said. “100% [they had the same faith in me].Of course they’ll, they’ll be a little bit more analytical about it. Like, we lost this round. We need to get back and do this or he hit us. Don’t let that happen again. They’ll be a little bit more strategic about it.”

Following that fight he is working on that defense. However, he feels it was not so much the defense that had a chink in the amor, but rather his reliance on a singular gameplan.

“I’m always buttoning up the defense. I’m always buttoning up the offense, but there’s times when you can be a little bit too focused on a game plan or a strategy. And I feel like I caught myself in that moment doing that,” Abdul Malik explained. “You could just see from my body language. I wasn’t as free as I normally would be in practice where I’ve been in other fights. I was just way too focused on the idea that I had when it comes to a game plan.”

Now with his mind back to that place, he’s ready to prove himself at UFC Atlanta. He’ll take on Cody Brundage and has just one prediction for that fight.

“Look at this hand [raising hand striaght up]. That’s that’s reminiscent of what you’re going to see. God willing. It’s going to be beautiful, man,” he said. “And I’m going to have fun on that night. I swear to God, I’m literally filled with energy… I’m ready to perform.”

His fight with Cody Brundage takes place on the UFC Atlanta main card. That portion of the card begins at 10pm EST and airs on ESPN. 

The post UFC Altanta’s Mansur Abdul-Malik Talks Adversity of Last Fight appeared first on Cageside Press.

Abdul-Malik (8-0) seemed to get hurt from a spinning shot that Klein landed in the first. The young middleweight had to gather himself before finishing the fight in the next round.

“Definitely wasn’t hurt, but I got knocked off balance, got knocked off my game. In that moment, it was a moment of adversity, I had to get myself back to where I needed to be,” Abdul-Malik told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“Focused on the next round and got it done.”

With the win secured at UFC Seattle Abdul-Malik now looks ahead at what’s next. He might not be throwing out names, but he definitely pays attention.

A lot of attention.

“I see several good fights. I pay attention to every single person in this division. I know what every single person in this division had for breakfast this morning,” he said before cracking a smile and taking it back a tiny bit.

So what did Sean Strickland have for breakfast? That got a big laugh from the middleweight before getting serious again.

“Man I’m aware of every single person in this division. I have many, many fights in my mind, but I’m also someone that doesn’t want to say something and then not be prepared to back that up the next day,” said Abdul-Malik.

“If I say something about someone I’m fighting them tonight. I’ll see him at the hotel.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Mansur Abdul-Malik above.

The post Mansur Abdul-Malik Pays A Lot Of Attention To Middleweight Division appeared first on Cageside Press.

Klein had won on the Contender Series in 2024, as had Abdul-Malik, who made his promotional debut last November with a Performance of the Night-winning knockout of Dusko Todorovic.

Round one kicked off with Klein shooting for a takedown the moment Abdul-Malik closed the distance, but Abdul-Malik sprawled effectively. Pressing forward, Abdul-Malik kept Klein on the back foot while Klein relied on kicks to maintain range. Abdul-Malik’s strikes were drawing reactions, though they were wild at times. He applied steady pressure but got caught by a spinning back fist, briefly putting him on wobbly legs. However, instead of capitalizing with strikes, Klein opted to pursue a takedown. Abdul-Malik defended well against the cage, and Klein failed to secure the finish.

In round two, Klein resumed his low stance, anticipating a takedown attempt. Abdul-Malik lunged in sloppily on multiple occasions, allowing Klein to defend and press him against the fence. After they separated, Klein looked visibly fatigued. He continued throwing kicks, though Abdul-Malik wasn’t offering much offense in return. Each time Abdul-Malik tried to load up on a big shot, Klein managed to tie him up.

With just over two minutes left, they collided, and Abdul-Malik essentially shoved Klein to the mat. Draped over Klein’s back, Abdul-Malik unleashed a relentless barrage of right hands. Klein was in serious trouble, covering up as knees and follow-up punches rained down, forcing the referee to step in and stop the fight.

After the win, Mansur Abdul-Malik opted to play matchmaker, not for himself but for Klein. Suggesting his opponent had endured “a beating he didn’t deserve,” he called for a fight between Klein and original opponent Trocoli.

Official Result: Mansur Abdul-Malik def. Nick Klein by TKO (punches and knees), Round 2, 3:24

The post Mansur Abdul-Malik Survives Scare, Puts Away Nick Klein at UFC Seattle appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I just I put it in my pocket and kept on moving forward because the real celebration, the real game is just the next fight,” said Abdul-Malik. “The real game is getting back in the camp. The real game is just getting back to that spot that I wanna be in mentally.”

The bonus-winning knockout came quick as well, which isn’t new for Abdul-Malik. He’s finished all of his professional opponents and all, expect one, in the first round. However, it’s not even on his radar as to whether this has been easy for him.

“My perception is not even on easy or difficult or any of that. It’s all relative to me, I swear.
It’s like, I’m not even thinking about what this is. I’m just enjoying it. I’m having so much fun,” he said. “I can’t even recognize the difficulty or the lack thereof with any of it. I’m just loving it so much, man. I’m just having so much fun every single day.”

And while some fighters might be prioritizing another first round victory or keeping their win streak in tact, the middleweight prospect has a different set of goals. He wants to show everybody out there that he’s not complacent.

“This is going to show the professionalism that I have. This is going to be my second fight inside of the UFC. And I’m really, really, really prioritizing my demeanor, how I’m going to go about things. I’ve been there. Debut is done. It’s over,” he said. “This is the next one. So I’m just going to show the improvement of my skills, the improvement of my character, the improvement of my demeanor, and the appreciation, most importantly, to God, the gratitude that I have for my team, for my family, and for my own efforts. I’m prepared.”

You can see all of those improvements as part of the UFC Seattle prelims. Mansur Abdul-Malik takes on Nick Klein on ESPN+ with that portion of the card beginning at 6pm EST.

You can hear the entire audio of this interview at 2:09.

The post Don’t Expect UFC Seattle’s Mansur Abdul-Malik to Celebrate appeared first on Cageside Press.