As first noticed by automated service UFC Roster Watch, which monitors the UFC’s fighter database, the following athletes appear to be out of the organization:

• Sijara Eubanks (7-7)
• Mike Trizano (10-3)
• Liudvik Sholinian (9-3-1)
• Marcelo Rojo (16-9)
• Jay Perrin (10-7)
• Alejandro Perez (22-9-1)
• Raulian Paiva (21-5)
• Gadzhi Omargadzhiev (13-2)
• Kevin Natividad (9-4)
• Vince Marales (11-7)
• Brandon Davis (14-10)

The removal of a fighter from the database does not necessarily mean they have been cut outright. As an example, a fighter may have fought out his or her current contract, and not been immediately re-signed (but could be brought back at a later date).

That having been said, some of the names revealed on Wednesday come as no surprise. Sijara Eubanks missed weight for her fight with Priscila Cachoeira just a week ago, resulting in the bout being scratched from the UFC Vegas 67 card. It was far from Eubanks’ first struggle with the scale: she lost her spot in The Ultimate Fighter 26 finale, where she would have competed for the promotion’s inaugural women’s flyweight title, due to a weight cut gone wrong.

Another weight miss followed in 2018, prompting a move to bantamweight. Eubanks then returned to flyweight last year, posting a 1-1 record while missing weight for a fight with Melissa Gatto.

Trizano won The Ultimate Fighter 27 tournament in 2018, and has gone 4-3 inside the octagon including the TUF 27 finale win. He last competed in November, knocking out Seung Woo Choi. Trizano fought out his contract in that bout; he feels like one name that could be brought back under the right circumstances, but that doesn’t look to be the case in the immediate future.

Mexico’s Alejandro Perez was 1-3 in his last four, while Jay Perrin just suffered defeat at the hands of teen phenom Raul Rosas Jr.

27-year old Raulian Paiva’s exit comes as a bit of a surprise. Paiva, who endured personal tragedy as he started his UFC run, has been ranked at both 125 and 135 pounds. He’s lost his last two.

Ukraine’s Liudvik Sholinian, a TUF 29 alum, went 0-2 in the UFC at bantamweight, though given the circumstances with his home country at war with Russia, seeing him gone is unfortunate.

Marcelo Rojo, who spent time at both bantamweight and featherweight, went 0-3 in his UFC run. Gadzhi Omargadzhiev and Kevin Natividad were both winless in their time in the promotion, while Vince Morales had lost his last two. Brandon Davis had lost both his fights since returning to the UFC in 2021. He first competed for the company from 2018-19.

Morales, for one, confirmed the news in entertaining fashion.

https://t.co/Q23jHYdVl8 pic.twitter.com/Hj3X4etpxE

— Vince Morales (@vandetta135) January 18, 2023

The post Eleven Fighters Removed from UFC Roster Including TUF Alums Trizano, Eubanks appeared first on Cageside Press.

Perhaps overshadowing the coming out party of “The Fire” Marshall was Rojo’s ties to James Krause and Glory MMA and Fitness. In the wake of a betting scandal involving suspicious line movement prior to Glory fighter Darrick Minner’s bout with Shayilan Neurdanbieke last month, Krause had been banished by the UFC, pending the outcome of multiple investigations — and his fighters as well.

However, given the move was only announced on Friday, Rojo was given a reprieve, and allowed to compete on Saturday’s card, per a report by TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter.

A lot of jabs from Marshall were thrown to open the fight. Rojo was expecting a takedown and even bit on a fake level change from Marshall early on. A few times, Rojo landed on the mark with his right hand. Marshall came forward with a flurry and dropped Rojo briefly with a right hand. Against the cage, Rojo kept grabbing the fence but Marshall still got the trip takedown. Rojo eventually worked to his knees and landed a lot of upward elbows to end the round. Still, Marshall ended the last minute and a half on top.

In round two Marshall started off with a nice combination. His head was staying on the centerline so Rojo was landing as well, when he threw. Rojo was getting warmed up and starting to let his hands go and then boom! Marshall landed a big right hand as Rojo stepped away. It sat Rojo down and Marshall landed the follow-up shots putting him out cold.

Official result: Francis Marshall def. Marcelo Rojo by KO (punches), Round 2, 1:14

The post UFC Orlando: Francis Marshall Arrives in Style, Stops Marcelo Rojo in Debut appeared first on Cageside Press.

Although he may have a better overall game than ever before, one thing hasn’t changed – Rojo is here to bang.

“I understand [why people want to wrestle me], but I am a showman. I like to give people what they deserve, what they paid for,” Rojo explained.

After having some opponents who tried to take that away from him early on, he now finds himself across from another with a wrestling background. Francis Marshall enters the fight known primarily for his grappling. That doesn’t faze Rojo though, because he feels nobody likes to strike with him anyways.

“I know he’s a young kid and he’s going to be hungry, he’s pretty good,” he said. “For sure he’s going to try to take me down because these fighters are all trying to take me down – because they don’t want to stand and bang.”

But even if Marshall is not out to bang with the Argentine, Rojo is ready to give the people what they came for and pick up that elusive first UFC victory.

“I’m going to win. I’m not sure the way, maybe I’ll submit him. But I’m for sure going to hit him hard,” Rojo stated. “This needs to be, for me, my best performance. I don’t give a f*ck what’s going to happen, this will be my best performance ever.”

His bout with Francis Marshall is part of the ESPN+ prelims of UFC Orlando this weekend.

You can hear the entire audio of this interview at 2:10. 

The post UFC Orlando’s Marcelo Rojo is Here to Put on Show appeared first on Cageside Press.

Marcelo Rojo Interview (2:10)

Kicking off this edition of TTP is our interview with UFC featherweight, Marcelo Rojo. Rojo has made some big changes ahead of his fight at UFC Orlando. He’s moved to Lee’s Summit, Missouri to work at Glory MMA. He’s also changed weight classes and will be fighting at 145-pounds for the first time in the UFC. He talks about all the thoughts that went behind these changes and how they’ve helped him become a better fighter. Plus, he discusses the upcoming fight with Contender Series graduate Francis Marshall, and Rojo is expecting violence in that fight.

Fights, Dogs, and Parlays: UFC Orlando (16:03)

After a down week, the UFC returns with a live show in Florida. UFC Orlando is loaded with intriguing fights with up and comers and veterans on display. The fight card is headlined by fan-favorites Kevin Holland and Stephen Thompson in a welterweight clash. The guys dig into that fight, as well as some of the top fights, to give you a thoughtful breakdown. Plus, they have an underdog and a parlay that they think will make your wallet fat this upcoming weekend. For this segment, all odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

TJ Brown Interview (25:00)

Closing out this week’s edition of TTP is an interview with UFC featherweight, TJ Brown. Brown isn’t fighting at UFC Orlando, but will be fighting the following weekend at UFC 282. Brown talks about the chance to fight in front of a big crowd at the T-Mobile Arena and how there is going to be a huge crowd Arkansawyers. He also discusses being given a lot of wrestle-happy opponents and whether that means anything. He’ll be breaking down the latest of those wrestle-happy opponents, Erik Silva, who is fresh off the Contender Series. All of that, plus he gives us the origin of the nickname “Downtown”.

The post TTP Ep. 354 with Marcelo Rojo, TJ Brown and UFC Orlando appeared first on Cageside Press.

Since then, he’d seen fight after fight fall through, at least until he ran up against Kyler Phillips at UFC 271 on Saturday. “The Matrix” was coming off the first loss of his own UFC career, a controversial majority decision that went in favor of Raulian Paiva last July.

This fight started exactly how you expected with both men getting right at it. Phillips dropped Rojo with a leg kick just over a minute in, leading to big exchange with Rojo landing a big shot. Phillips was able to take Rojo’s back after a clinch exchange, leading to a takedown that Rojo was able to get up from after not allowing Phillips to stay in full mount. Phillips continued to work his jab to right hook, which was finding success through the entire round. “The Matrix” had an excellent leg sweep at the 18 second mark, ending the round by evading an armbar attempt from Rojo.

Phillips started the second round showing his speed, throwing smooth combinations and slipping Rojo’s offence. Phillips made incredible use of the outside calf kicks, while countering the very tough Rojo who just wouldn’t quit. Rojo continued to press forward against Phillips despite the brutal calf kicks he continued to take, finding more success as we got deeper into the round. It was all Phillips and his outside calf kicks through two.

Phillips was able to land a takedown within the first minute of the third frame, moving to side control and transitioning to full mount using a kimura do so. Phillips started with the ground pound, this led to a triangle choke attempt; giving him the opening to lock in a triangle arm bar and causing Rojo to submit.

Phillips moved to 10-2 with the win, and showed that he is one of the most talented fighters in the bantamweight division, putting on an absolute masterclass and showing his incredible versatility. Rojo dropped to 16-9 and has now lost his first two UFC fights. He’s proven to be a tough competitor after the brutal punishment he took through the better part of three rounds at UFC 271.

Official Result: Kyler Phillips def. Marcelo Rojo by submission (triangle arm-bar), Round 3, 1:48

The post UFC 271: Kyler Phillips Submits Marcelo Rojo In Style appeared first on Cageside Press.

No less than three, in fact. But despite the struggles to find someone to fight him, Rojo noted this week that he still went through those fight camps, so there is a benefit.

“The fight is only the cherry on top,” Rojo told media outlets including Cageside Press during the UFC 271 media day. “I evolved, and I’m not the same person as the last time.”

Beyond that, noted Rojo, “What am I supposed to do, just get depressed? I’m here to fight, if they don’t want to fight me, you know what it is.”

Rojo (16-7) at least has an opponent for Saturday. At UFC 271, he’ll face off with Kyler “The Matrix” Phillips. It’s a fan-friendly match-up, much like Rojo’s first UFC bout.

Looking back to his debut against Charles Jourdain, up a division at featherweight, Rojo took away some positives despite losing in the third round. “It was a short-notice fight. I took that fight in a bigger weight class, on short notice. I gave the fans an awesome fight, and I really enjoyed that,” said Rojo. “I’m a fighter of the people. Now I’m really excited because there’s a crowd [at UFC 271], and I’m going to show them who I am.”

As far as his fight style, which seems to lend itself to wars, “it’s the fight game, I don’t give a f*ck,” the bantamweight explained. “If I need to get hit to give you three, I’m going to do it.”

Watch the full UFC 271 media day appearance from Marcelo Rojo above. More coverage from the event can be found below. UFC 271 takes place Saturday, February 22, 2022 at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX.

The post UFC 271: Marcelo Rojo Not Depressed Despite Multiple Fights Falling Through Last Year appeared first on Cageside Press.

“If he’s going to trade punches with me, I’m glad because I feel really comfortable in that position,” Rojo said. “If he wants to see who knocks the f*ck out of who, I’m down for that.”

However, it’s not just a hope for Rojo – the Argentine said he’ll actually be disappointed in Phillips if he starts to shoot for takedowns and tries to turn it into a grappling match. He’ll be so disappointed, that he may even resort to a bit of name calling to goad him back into the fight that he wants.

“I’m hoping he’s going to come to a war and not a wrestling match or a jiu jitsu match,” he explained. “I’m going to be pissed. If he takes me down, I’m going to say ‘you pussy! Stand there and fight me!”

But for Rojo, it isn’t just that that type of fight favors him and he’s looking for the easiest possible route. Instead, he knows that if the two were to stand and trade for the better part of fifteen minutes, there would be a good chance that he would walk out of there with full pockets.

“If he’s going to stand there with me, it’s going to be a war,” Rojo shared. “Maybe fight of the night, or performance [of the night] – I’m going for that 50k, bro.”

If Rojo were to pick up his first Octagon victory, we may see something never before seen in the Octagon. Those familiar with Rojo’s work on the regional scene know he’s been known to bust out a celebration mirroring the movements of a raptor as well as some other unique moves. While he doesn’t plan it out, he’s leaving the door open if the raptor is what the people want.

“I don’t know, bro. I don’t plan that sh*t. It’s kind of weird – every time I do something different,” he said. “But people want to see the raptor again, so maybe I’m going to bring an awesome knockout and then I’m going to raptor.”

Marcelo Rojo fights Kyler Phillips on the pay-per-view main card of UFC 271. The main card kicks off at 10pm EST this Saturday.

You can hear the entire audio of this interview below at 1:53. 

The post UFC 271’s Marcelo Rojo Wants a Bonus, War with Kyler Phillips appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I’ve been just getting better. That was perfect opportunity to grow, get more focused, and I’m really glad it happened. You’re going to see a different ‘Matrix’, 2.0,” Phillips said at UFC 271 media day on Wednesday.

Phillips (9-2) is coming off a majority decision loss to Raulian Paiva, but took the loss in a positive manner.

“I have no resentment for anything. I’m here right now. Like, I’m literally here right here, I’m able to do this as my job. I love this I’ve been working my whole life to do this. There’s no resentment I’m just grateful to be able to do this. You guys are going to see that this is what I’m made for and this is what I like to do. This is a fight.”

Phillips opponent at UFC 271 is Marcelo Rojo (16-7) who is coming off a loss himself in March 2021.

“He’s another dude in the way that is willing to fight,” Phillips said. “Tough dude. He’s got some skills also has got some weaknesses. We’re going to expose those.”

Phillips has adopted a present mindset where he doesn’t worry about anything outside the moment he is currently in.

“It’s just being aware of every moment. We all have that. We can choose to make any type of situation work for us or work against us whether that’s thoughts, whether that’s physical, on the outside. But on the inside we’re being renewed every single day. We keep growing that factor, that muscle faith in your mind. You start to build and over time…what’s next? Whatever comes after me. I want to just make the best out of it. What can we make the best out of this moment and that’s just by being here, not about the past. The past is the past, not being apprehensive of the future but just being right here. Being able to enjoy and take in what is rightfully ours.”

Watch the full UFC 271 media day press scrum with Kyler Phillips above. More coverage from the event can be found below.

The post UFC 271: Kyler Phillips Will Show ‘Matrix 2.0’ vs Rojo appeared first on Cageside Press.

Marcelo Rojo Interview (1:53)

We kick off this week’s episode with an interview with UFC 271’s Marcelo Rojo. The Argentine fights Kyler Phillips on the pay-per-view main card this weekend, but before he does so, he sits down with our own Gumby Vreeland. They chat not just about the big spot he has this weekend in a bout against a top prospect, but also about the fight itself. If Kyler Phillips plans on striking with Rojo, he has a feeling this isn’t going to last long. If Phillips instead wants to do some wrestling… well, let’s just say that Rojo has some choice words for him in that case.

Fights, Dogs, and Parlays: UFC 271 (15:38)

As always, Gumby and Shockwave are back for their favorite segment on the show (or at least tied for it): Fights, Dogs, and Parlays. They’ll be breaking down the middleweight title fight between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker and giving you their picks for it. Plus, they’ll delve into Tai Tuivasa vs Derrick Lewis as well as Jared Cannonier vs Derek Brunson. Plus, if that’s all not enough to get you to tune in, be sure to catch their underdog and parlays of the week – sure to help make your wallet extra fat. For this segment, all odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

Mana Martinez Interview (30:51)

To close out the show this week, Mana Martinez pops by. Mana fights Ronnie Lawrence on the early prelims of this weekend’s UFC 271 and looks to make it two straight to kick off his UFC career. Before he does that, he discusses with Gumby his long road to the UFC, which includes stops on Looking for a Fight and the Contender Series. Plus, he shares a story about meeting Dana White when he was just twelve years old in a karate dojo.

The post TTP Ep. 312 with Marcelo Rojo, Mana Martinez, and UFC 271 appeared first on Cageside Press.

ESPN Deportes was first to report the news that Kyler Phillips will fight Marcelo Rojo on February 12 at the PPV event. Both fighters would confirm the booking on social media.

Phillips (9-2) suffered his first UFC loss in his last outing when Raulian Paiva defeated him via majority decision. The loss snapped a four-fight winning streak with notable victories over Song Yadong and Cameron Else. Phillips lost his top 15 ranking in his last outing as well.

Rojo (16-7) has had terrible luck the past few months with opponents pulling out of fights, including Kevin Croom, Jonathan Martinez, and Daniel Santos. “Pitbull” made his UFC debut on short notice against Charles Jourdain in March. The pair would put on a fantastic fight which would be robbed of Fight of the Night honors. Rojo would end up getting finished in the third round. The long-time Combate fighter will be looking to get his first UFC win against Phillips.

No location, venue, or broadcast plan has been officially announced for the February 12 UFC pay-per-view. However, the highly anticipated middleweight championship rematch between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker is rumored to headline the event.

UFC 271 currently looks like this:

• Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. Sergey Morozov
• AJ Dobson vs. Jacob Malkoun
• Kyler Phillips vs. Marcelo Rojo

The post Kyler Phillips vs. Marcelo Rojo Set For UFC 271 appeared first on Cageside Press.