Santos, winner of her first two UFC outings, was a sizeable favorite in the fight.

Early on in the bout, a right hand connected for Santos, rocking the returning Agapova! A moment later, Santos landed a throw, landing in top position. Santos found her way to mount, setting up an arm-triangle choke. She tried to step over, with Agapova defending as well she could. Unfortunately, she couldn’t do much more than survive. Which she did, but when Agapova briefly got to her knees, she gave up the back.

Santos, seeing the opportunity, pounced. She took the back, and slid the arm under the neck, pulling Agapova back on top of her. Hooks in, under the neck, Agapova was forced to tap, doing so with both hands to catch the ref’s attention. That was all she wrote, with Luana Santos coming away from Denver with her third win inside the UFC, and fifth straight overall.

The Brazilian has not lost a fight since losing to Bellator and now PFL fighter Jena Bishop under the LFA banner in 2022.

Official Result: Luana Santos def. Mariya Agapova by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 3:27

The post UFC Denver: Luana Santos Subs Returning Mariya Agapova appeared first on Cageside Press.

Robertson, the women’s flyweight leader in submissions and finishes, was looking to bounce back from a loss to JJ Aldrich. Agapova was in search of a win after falling short to Maryna Moroz in her last fight.

Robertson took the fight right to the mat early on Saturday, and while Agapova got back up, Robertson went back after a leg and pursued another takedown. However up against the fence, Agapova began smashing the side of the head with elbows. Robertson looked close to going out or having the fight called, but she managed to survive. Agapova would later give up her back, recover, then find Robertson on her back once more. Agapova fought hands while against the fence, and separated.

With Robertson pursing another takedown in the final minute, Agapova again wailed away with hammer fists and elbows. But Robertson got the fight to the mat, and locked up an arm-triangle choke that she could not complete by the end of the round.

Agapova opened round two with a telegraphed spinning back fist, and a kick that was executed considerably better. Robertson however landed a trip takedown a minute in that was beautifully executed. No damage taken this time; Robertson moved to mount, with Agapova giving up her back. Robertson got under the neck, and Agapova couldn’t even fight the hands — instead being choked unconscious! That’s six submissions in the UFC’s women’s flyweight division for “The Savage.”

Brutal pic.twitter.com/yK5TIctGou

— MS (@UFC_Obsessed) September 17, 2022

Official Result: Gillian Robertson def. Mariya Agapova by technical submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 2:19

The post UFC Vegas 60: Gillian Robertson Extends Flyweight Submission Record, Chokes Out Mariya Agapova appeared first on Cageside Press.

“It’s bad and I still need surgery, so after my fight, I will do the surgery,” Agapova admitted. However, circumstances out of her control have limited the ability to get that surgery. “But my life situation is very bad right now. That’s why I can’t go to surgery before this fight.”

Those circumstances surround having the money for the surgery. Being out of the cage for an extended period of time means no paycheck for Agapova. Additionally, a deal with a sponsor that she thought would come through did not. To make matters even worse, Agapova tried to help out some people who were in tough situations and did not repay the favor.

“I got to this point because I helped a couple of losers, and I was thinking that I was helping them to be successful,” she shared. “I’ve become a loser because I tried to help losers.”

The resilient Agapova has not let that stop her from continuing on her journey. Instead Agapova has picked up a second job to support herself and is doing all of it with a injury.

“I’m working as a bouncer right now at a club,” Agapova said. “I’ve got bouncer work, working with my injury and I have to go fight with [the] injury.”

And while having a second job is never ideal for a UFC fighter, Agapova believes it is teaching her something as she goes.

“I got broke and I have to work all my camp as a bouncer,” she said. “These things will help me though because I feel that the regular person life, like you go into a regular job and earning the regular money – I’ll appreciate the money that I get from the UFC even more this time.”

Of course, Agapova wants that money to be even bigger than just the number she sees on the show line. Through adversity, Agapova believes in herself and knows she’ll be able to overcome it all and be better on the other side.

“I believe in myself and I believe I can win still,” she said. “I have to win. My life is f*cked up right now, I have to have surgery still, I don’t have sponsors, I have no idea how I’ll work if I can’t walk around – I better win this fight.”

She’ll look to get things back on the right track as part of UFC Vegas 60’s prelims. She fights Gillian Robertson on ESPN+ this Saturday.

You can hear the audio of this entire interview at 1:15. 

The post UFC Vegas 60’s Mariya Agapova Fighting Through the Hard Times appeared first on Cageside Press.

Mariya Agapova Interview (1:15)

Kicking off this week’s edition of TTP is an interview with Mariya Agapova. Agapova discusses some of the unfortunate circumstances surrounding her July fight cancellation and how she’s still dealing with some of them. Additionally, she talks about needing to take a second job as a bouncer in order to help pay some of the bills. Despite all of those difficulties, Agapova is as confident as ever heading into her UFC Vegas 60 bout this Saturday. She takes on the grappling-heavy Gillian Robertson and is more than ready for what that entails.

Fights, Dogs, and Parlays: UFC Vegas 60 (29:36)

Fresh off of hitting a +400 underdog last week, the guys are back to preview another fun card. UFC Vegas 60 may not have quite the name value as UFC 279, but it does have tons of matchups with rising stars. The guys will be breaking down the main event between Cory Sandhagen and Song Yadong as well as two of their other favorite fights on the main card. Plus, they’ll be looking for lightning to strike twice with their underdog of the week and a plus-money parlay to make your wallet fat. For this segment all odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Raul Rosas Jr. Interview (39:01)

Closing out this week’s edition of TTP is an interview with Raul Rosas Jr. Just after UFC Vegas 60, Rosas will be fighting on Dana White’s Contender Series for a chance at a contract. At only 17 years old, Rosas would be the youngest member of the UFC roster should he achieve that goal. However, it comes as no surprise to the Mexican-born “El Nino Problema”. He’s been watching MMA since he was a mere toddler and has had the dream of being an MMA fighter since before he attended school. He comes from a long line of fighters and all of them have helped to lead him to this point.

The post TTP Ep. 343 with Mariya Agapova, Raul Rosas Jr. and UFC Vegas 60 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Kim (9-5-2), originally scheduled to face off with Mariya Agapova in a flyweight match-up at the card in Dallas, Texas on July 30, will instead face Joselyne Edwards (11-4). Panama’s Edwards confirmed the news on social media, following an initial report by MMA Fighting on Wednesday.

A knee injury appears to be the culprit behind Agapova dropping off the card.

South Korea’s Kim, a.k.a. “Fire Fist,” will be looking to snap a three-fight losing streak come the end of the month. She’s dropped a trio of unanimous decisions to Alexa Grasso, Molly McCann, and Priscilla Cachoeira. That might have spelled her exit from the promotion, were it not for back-to-back Fight of the Night bonuses in her last two fights.

Edwards recently snapped a two-fight skid of her own thanks to a decision win against Invicta FC vet Ramona Pascual. Overall, the former KOTC women’s bantamweight champ and LFA alum is 2-2 inside the octagon.

While the UFC has yet to make an official announcement regarding the switch, there’s a good chance this will play out at 135 rather than flyweight, given the short notice and fact that Edwards most recently fought at featherweight.

UFC 277, headlined by the highly anticipated rematch between women’s bantamweight champ Juliana Pena and ex-champ/current featherweight Queen Amanda Nunes, takes place at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX on July 30.

With this latest change, the following fights are expected to take place at the event:

• Julianna Peña (c) vs. Amanda Nunes – for the UFC women’s bantamweight championship
• Brandon Moreno vs. Kai Kara-France – for the UFC interim flyweight championship
• Derrick Lewis vs. Sergei Pavlovich
• Alexandre Pantoja vs. Alex Perez
• Anthony Smith vs. Magomed Ankalaev
• Alex Morono vs. Matthew Semelsberger
• Drew Dober vs. Rafael Alves
• Justin Tafa vs. Don’Tale Mayes
• Carlos Diego Ferreira vs. Drakkar Klose
• Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Michael Morales
• Ji Yeon Kim vs. Joselyne Edwards
• Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Ľudovít Klein
• Nicolae Negumereanu vs. Ihor Potieria
• Orion Cosce vs. Blood Diamond

The post UFC 277: Joselyne Edwards Replaces Mariya Agapova Against Ji Yeon Kim appeared first on Cageside Press.

Moroz (11-3) defeated Agapova (10-3) via submission in the second round of their prelim bout. For Moroz however her mind was many miles away in her native Ukraine as her country continues to defend itself from invasion against Russia. The pressure was definitely felt by the 30-year-old fighter.

“Yeah I had a lot of pressure. I nervous all when start war in Ukraine. All this week I feel nervous and cried. I tried to focus many people did not realize but it was really hard for me. I see in Ukraine how terrible the situation is, but I did it. I focused and I win fight,” Moroz told the media in her post-fight scrum.

In her post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Moroz explained that she was afraid for her family back in Ukraine and for their safety. Reports out of the region state that the Russian attack has had civilian casualties.

“It’s hard. I’m nervous about my mother I don’t want Russian people come and kill my family. Many of my friends died right now. Many call me ‘He died’. Russian army killed (him). I feel terrible. Everyday I feel somebody come and kill my family, I don’t want,” Moroz said.

“I want people listen. Stop this because I want to save my family.”

Ukraine boasts many professional athletes, a lot of them professional fighters, who have returned to their homeland to take up arms and fight for their country. Moroz gave those fighters respect in her post-fight scrum.

“I cannot go back because visa. If I move I need to take visa so I need to stay in America. I see many, Klitschko, Usyk, Lomachenko and everybody to protection. It’s amazing guys really strong. Not in ring. Outside strong. All the respect for these guys.”

Moroz sent a powerful message home that she hopes resonates with her people and those of the world.

“I want to say guys stay strong. I hope this war finish. I believe it. I love my country. It’s beautiful country people (are) kind. Look how people right now together. Many people back and try to support and protection country because really good country. Nice beautiful everything. Very good delicious food. I so miss,” Moroz said seemingly fighting back emotions.

Watch the full UFC 272 post-fight press scrum with Maryna Moroz above. More coverage from the event can be found below.

The post UFC 272: Maryna Moroz Sends Powerful Message Home: “Stay Strong” appeared first on Cageside Press.

While that fight capped off the night, women’s flyweights Maryna Moroz and Mariya Agapova had their own score to settle — and it certainly was nasty. Moroz had made accusations of drug use, stalking, and threats of violence, leading to Agapova calling her out to “punish” her for the claims.

In all honestly, Moroz vs. Agapova might have been the more genuine grudge match at UFC 272. Even if the pair played nice during weigh-ins, there was bad blood aplenty. And in the end, it wasn’t Agapova doing the punishing.

To kick off the fight Saturday, the pair circled, plenty of feeling out going on before Moroz put her opponent against the fence. An extended takedown attempt would ensue, with Agapova initially fighting it off, and landing elbows — some of which earned her a warning for being a little too vertical. Moroz then finished the takedown attempt and took the back, looking for a rear-naked choke. Agapova would fight that, and eventually transition to the top, only to fend off an arm-bar.

That spirited sequence continued with Agapova taking the back, but Moroz would free herself as they went back to the feet, and reversed along the fence. She began stomping away at Agapova’s feet to close out the round.

Moroz went right back to the clinch to open round two. It took about a minute, but she would drag Agapova down. This time, Moroz would get on top and look for an arm-triangle choke. When she couldn’t secure it, Moroz switched to ground n’ pound, dropping nasty shots on her rival, who rolled to her back. The barrage continued, elbows and punches, Agapova covering up, occasionally rolling, but doing little to defend. The next time she rolled to her back, Moroz locked in the arm triangle choke, and put on the squeeze. There was no hope of escape, and Agapova soon tapped.

LOCKS IN THE SUB 🔒

Maryna Moroz with the dominant finish to end it RD 2!

[ #UFC272 | Prelims are LIVE on E+ ] pic.twitter.com/ny7MJXjccI

— UFC (@ufc) March 6, 2022

Moroz might have held on to the choke for an extra second or two, before the ref broke things up. She would, however, attempt to bury the hatchet, shaking her opponent’s hand afterwards — then took to the mic to bring attention to the war in her native Ukraine.

Official Result: Maryna Moroz def. Mariya Agapova by submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 2, 3:27

The post UFC 272: Maryna Moroz Gets Last Word, Submits Rival Mariya Agapova appeared first on Cageside Press.

However, her sophomore effort would not be as dazzling. After finding early success against Shana Dobson, Agapova emptied the tank, and wound up tired and struggling. She’d go on to lose that bout by TKO, but would wind up gaining some valuable insight during that fight. That insight led her to working with a new coach who didn’t just help the physical side of her game.

“During the fight, you have to be calm. If you’re not calm, nothing is going to work. You just waste all of your energy. It’s even kind of hard to fight because you feel pressure all over your body,” Agapova said. “Roger [Krahl] helped me a lot with this – helped me calm down before my fights. All fighters deal with anxiety before a fight, that’s normal. Everyone experiences it. It just depends on how you deal with it.”

Now, after picking up her first victory with Krahl by her side, Agapova is looking to build momentum. However, standing in front of her is a familiar face in former training partner Maryna Moroz. Not only will it be her first time fighting a former training partner, but it will come with another first for Agapova as well.

“It’s the first time in my life that I’m fighting someone who I do not really like,” she said. “I always experienced respect and respect my opponents, and for this opponent, I don’t feel really much respect.”

That lack of respect comes on the heels of some heavy accusations lofted from Moroz. The Ukrainian-born Moroz claims misconduct and erratic behavior from Agapova. These claims from Moroz set to test the resolve and calmness that Krahl has been developing in his new pupil.

“I think that can be fun, but I also think that may be bad with my emotions,” Agapova said. “Maryna tried to give a lot of negativity to make me hate her, make me want to punch her hard and waste all my energy.”

And when asked about the accusations, that’s precisely what Agapova thinks Moroz is doing – she’s trying to get in her head.

“She’s trying to get me off my game and bring it to her game because she knows that I’m kind of an aggressive person and it’s really easy to get me to be aggressive,” she said. “She’s trying to drive me crazy like this, to make me angry.”

Whether or not this is a good gameplan for Moroz, Agapova doesn’t approve of the tactic – not only because it harms her reputation for a fight, but also because it’s dishonorable.

“I don’t think these are the actions of a strong person,” she said. “I think that she’s just showing her weakness and that’s it.”

The bad blood gets settles this Saturday as part of the prelims of UFC 272.

You can hear the entire audio of this interview at 1:55.

The post UFC 272’s Mariya Agapova: Moroz Trying to Drive Me Crazy appeared first on Cageside Press.

Mariya Agapova Interview (1:55)

Kicking off the show this week is our interview with Mariya Agapova. The UFC flyweight has been in a fairly public feud with Maryna Moroz over some accusations Moroz lofted her way while they were training. Agapova talks about those accusations and shares what she thinks Moroz’s motives are. If that’s not already enough drama between the two fighters, they are also preparing to fight each other at UFC 272. Agapova breaks down that fight, talks about some of the things she felt she needed to fix and how she went about doing so.

Fights, Dogs, and Parlays: UFC 272 (17:30)

As always, Gumby and Shockwave are back with their favorite segment. Last week, their underdog of the week hit in a big way for them, so you’re going to want to tune in for their pick this week. But as the title suggests, it’s not just underdog’s you’re here for. The guys will also be running down the UFC 272 main event between Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal. After digging into the grudge match, they also hit some of the other big fights on this main card and share with you, their parlay to play this weekend. For this segment, odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Tim Elliott Interview (29:33)

To close out this week’s show, Gumby is sitting down with flyweight stalwart Tim Elliott for an interview. Elliott talks about the long road he’s been down in the UFC and where he thinks he stands right now. Plus, he discusses how he usually feeds off of a live crowd, Glory MMA coach James Krause, and the surrounding areas of Vegas. Plus, of course, he’s breaking down his upcoming fight at UFC 272. He’ll be throwing down with hot prospect Tagir Ulanbekov, while looking to make it three wins in his last four fights.

The post TTP Ep. 315 with Mariya Agapova, Tim Elliott, and UFC 272 appeared first on Cageside Press.

After nearly two years away from the octagon, Moroz returns this weekend at UFC 272. It’s not as if the 30-year old was on the sidelines just sitting out; she’s been training this whole time. Moroz has had four fights canceled during that stretch, and in an exclusive interview with Cageside Press, she explained the reason for her layoff and fight cancelations.

“People didn’t know why I didn’t fight for a long time. I didn’t have permit work documents, and I was stuck in Ukraine. COVID was so terrible. But I’m back after my visa stopped in America and I extended my documents,” Moroz said. “Many times my fight was canceled because of my work documents. The UFC tried to help me get to the octagon, but immigration canceled my permit.”

Moroz fights her former American Top Team teammate Agapova this Saturday, and there is some real bad blood between the two. Last year Moroz gave an interview to a Russian outlet and accused Agapova of several things, including drug use and making threats, which ultimately led to Agapova being kicked out of the gym. Agapova refuted the accusations, and after she defeated Sabina Mazo last year, she called for a fight with Moroz and said she wanted to punish her.

Moroz doubled down on her comments and called Agapova both “a liar” and “garbage.”

“First she said that I didn’t pay for my manager, it’s not true, I paid for everything, I have all documents. Second, she says, ‘I know she doesn’t have documents. She doesn’t want to fight.’ But it’s not true. I wanted the fight, but I didn’t have the [Visa] documents. She lied,” Moroz said. “What people don’t know is why I pulled out of the fight. Because I didn’t post anything, not say[ing anything]. I just said, ‘People, hey guys, I’m healthy and ready for fight,’ It’s not my fault. UFC tried to help me, but I didn’t say why. And she lied.”

“Before, I said she’s a dangerous person, and it’s true. She used drugs; we have all the proof: videos, screenshots, everything. And, of course, I didn’t post it. I don’t need to. I don’t need my Instagram showing garbage. This girl is garbage. I don’t want my Instagram looking like garbage. I show OnlyFans, beautiful pictures, but now I can show the journalists who is real and who is who. [Mariya] is a person who is a liar, very dangerous.”

Moroz continued, adding “In interviews, she’s ‘Oh, I’m nice girl; I’m training. Of course, she trains and trained at ATT, but she used drugs. She was crazy and talked too much. She is dangerous by saying she’d kill me and wants to cut my face. We have screenshots; we have everything.”

“I said in another interview that I did not want to work with [Mariya], and I’m not friends with her. She is crazy and a bad person. Maybe I go outside, and she makes something happen with the knife. I just say that it was scary, maybe she wanted me to make me injured in the gym… she has a problem with her brain because of drugs.”

Moroz said that teammates would tell her that Agapova wanted to hurt her during training, which was one of the numerous reasons she didn’t want to work with her. She will fight her, however — and the pair will finally settle their differences at UFC 272.

Watch our full interview with UFC 272’s Maryna Moroz above. The event takes place this Saturday, March 5, 2022 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The post UFC 272: Maryna Moroz Says Feud with “Garbage” Agapova Stems from Threats in Gym appeared first on Cageside Press.