Silva, who once challenged for the UFC’s vacant women’s 135lb title after Amanda Nunes had retired, had not won since 2023. She’d gone through what seemed like an excruciating weight cut ahead of Saturday’s card at the Meta Apex, which had left her in tears.

Montague immediately landed a takedown inside of 20 seconds into the fight, landing a couple of punches on the way inside. Montague, on top, was then all over “Sheetara” with ground n’ pound while staying heavy and preventing any hope of escape. Montague escaped half guard, floated on top and spun around, nearly taking hold of a choke. Instead, she wound up back in half guard, but given she was having ample success there, the position wasn’t helping Bueno Silva any.

Montague would briefly take mount with just over two minutes on the clock. Bueno Silva nearly gave up her back escaping that position, but at least avoided a finish then and there. Still, it was all Montague, all the time, more ground n’ pound landing for the American.

The opening seconds of round two saw Mayra Bueno Silva take advantage of an opening, acting as matador as Montague charged in on her. Montague ate a couple of punches up against the cage, but Bueno Silva used that momentum to finally earn some offense. Under fire for the first time in the fight, Montague went after a takedown, sloppy, and rather than retreat she engaged in the grappling, to her own peril. Montague wound up in control, buying herself some time to recover.

The fight was later halted by an illegal upkick from Bueno Silva, though Montague was able to recover. The earned a warning from ref Herb Dean, who recognized that Bueno Silva had been trying to time the kick to land when Montague was legal.

With Montague good to go, the bout was restarted on the feet, with Montague clinching up. Not much time before the horn arrived, and they headed to the third.

Montague landed a solid takedown in round three. Bueno Silva was firmly on her back, Montague in side control. In a scramble, Bueno Silva would take the back, hunting for a rear-naked choke with Michelle Montague sitting on her knees. Montague escaped, reversed, and was back on top with just over 90 seconds remaining in the round.

That opened the door for some more ground n’ pound. The decision was as clear-cut as they come. Undefeated in the PFL, undefeated as a pro, Michelle Montague improved to 8-0 at UFC Vegas 116, beating a former title challenger to do so.

Official Result: Michelle Montague def. Mayra Bueno Silva by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

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Cavalcanti had won four straight to start her UFC career, and was ranked #11, one spot behind #10-ranked “Sheetara.”

The second and final women’s fight on the UFC Vegas 111 card opened with a feeling out process, one that saw Cavalcanti holding center. Bueno Silva didn’t seem to have much output, but she did dazzle with a pair of kicks chained together, one to the body, then a spinning kick up high. Plenty of back-and-forth from there, with more activity on Cavalcanti’s part.

The same could be said in round two, with the former LFA champ, on a seven-fight win streak overall, getting the edge with her hands. Rather shockingly, considering she was a step behind, Bueno Silva did not attempt a single takedown in the round. That changed inside of a minute into round three, however, with Bueno Silva changing levels and driving Cavalcanti into the fence. She couldn’t convert the attempt, and after some scrappiness alongside the cage, she came away bloodied. The gory visual appeared to spur Cavalcanti on; she fired a knee up the middle, forcing Bueno Silva back.

Bueno Silva refused to go away easy, eventually closing the distance and getting her boxing going for a moment. She was squinting through the blood flow however. Gutting it out to the end, MBS was still handed her fourth consecutive loss, while Cavalcanti extended her rather impressive winning streak.

Official Result: Jacqueline Cavalcanti def. Mayra Bueno Silva by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) 

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Jasudavicius was welcoming “Sheetara,” who she had trained with in the past, back to the flyweight division. The Canadian started the night ranked #12 at 125lbs, while Silva, having not fought as a flyweight in some time, was not ranked.

The history-making bout opening with Silva quickly moving to center, with Jasudavicius on the outside. “Sheetara” fired a low kick, with Jasudavicius returning one of her own. A front kick followed, missed, and a second was briefly caught by Jasudavicius, which left Silva hopping.

Later in the opening frame, it was Jasudavicius threatening with a crucifix when the pair went to the ground. She then transitioned to the back, with Silva defending well. Jasudavicius kept the pressure up, though at the end of the round, with the Canadian on top, Silva threatened with both an arm-bar and leg lock off her back.

Between rounds, Jasudavicius’s corner was thrilled with her performance, noting she’d caused a mouse over Silva’s left eye. As for Silva, her corner was blunt: she had lost round one.

It was Mayra Bueno Silva catching a kick to open round two, but Jasudavicius hopped back to the fence then broke free. A takedown attempt by Jasmine saw her forced to fight off a standing guillotine; in a clinch, she landed a couple of punches, which Silva answered with a knee. Jasudavicius continued to work on the outside, Silva walking her down and firing a kick to the body. Silva landed a straight, while Silva ripped the body. Jasudavicius feigned a takedown, fired a front kick, and forced Silva back, in what had, through three minutes, been a much closer round through three minutes.

After a brief clinch, Silva appeared to become frustrated, complaining that Jasudavicius had grabbed her hair, but the ref ordered them to fight on. Then, with a minute twenty left on the clock, the Canadian changed levels and landed a solid takedown. Silva again started complaining, this time about a head butt, but the ref ruled it a shoulder strike. Silva would prove flexible off her back, and hunt for a limb, but through all of it, Jasudavicius was able to land little ground n’ pound shots, likely taking the round again.

Following the second, an exhausted Silva was slow to get to her feet and was helped to her corner. Her team called for a 3-4 to knock her out, telling her she’d lost both rounds.

With that in mind, Silva started round three looking scrappy. Jasudavicius held her own, landing a solid knee in a clinch at one point. Two minutes in, and Jasmine landed a solid takedown, with Silva simply unable to defend. That takedown, with Silva exhausted, might have put a pin it it for Jasudavicius. She worked her way into mount, threatening with an arm-triangle choke. Silva defended the setup, but gave up her back, though she’d avoid a finish when all was said and done. Still, Jasmine Jasudavicius ended the bout dropping elbows, and there was no question who’d won.

Jasudavicius, post-fight, said she wanted the belt, in the meantime, her name goes in the history books as the first woman to win a UFC fight in Saudi Arabia.

Official Result: Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Mayra Bueno Silva by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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Jasudavicius (12-3), ranked #13 in the women’s flyweight division, will face Brazil’s Bueno Silva (10-4-1, 1NC) at a UFC Fight Night event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on February 1, 2025.

Cageside Press confirmed the match-up with sources familiar with the situation, following an initial report by Ag.Fight.

The fight finds Jasudavicius on a roll, having won all three of her fights in 2024. She started the year at UFC 297 in Toronto, where she finished a blown up Priscila Cachoeira by TKO, after Cachoeira had come into Fight Week so heavy that the bout was shifted to bantamweight.

At a Fight Night card in July, the Southern Ontario-based fighter won a decision over replacement Fatima Kline; earlier this month, Jasudavicius earned her second post-fight bonus of the year by submitting Ariane Da Silva (owned of the UFC’s 2020 Submission of the Year) in Edmonton.

Overall, it’s been a stellar year for the Canadian, and that has landed her a shot against a former title challenger/contender.

Bueno Silva actually shared the UFC 297 card with Jasmine Jasudavicius this past January, but came up short in a bantamweight title fight with Raquel Pennington. At UFC 303 in July, she suffered her second straight setback, coming up short against Macy Chiasson.

“Sheetara” fought at flyweight outside the UFC in 2016, and returned to the weight class for a one-off fight against another Canadian, Gillian Robertson, in 2018 under the UFC banner. She lost that fight via arm-bar, but stuck with 125lbs under moving back up to bantamweight in 2022.

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Jiri Prochazka

Jiri Prochazka was KO’d in the opening seconds of the second round of his main event title fight against Alex Pereira.

The #1 ranked UFC light heavyweight fighter has now lost to Alex Pereira twice and has been finished in both attempts. He’s 1-2 since taking the belt from Glover Teixeira in 2022. Jiri remarked (thru a post on X) after UFC 303’s main event,

“I need to evolve to the next level. Or don’t fight again.”

The perfect matchup for Jiri would be against the #3 ranked heavyweight, Jamahal Hill.  Hill sustained a knee injury that forced him off of UFC 303. But his most recent fight was at UFC 300 when he was finished in the first round by Alex Pereira. That is the fight to make as Hill will be anxious to hop right back into the mix after his untimely injury. And Jiri is itching to prove himself and continue to improve as he stated.

Jiri’s next fight: Jamahal Hill

Dan Ige

Dan Ige lost a unanimous decision to Diego Lopes in the co-main event of UFC 303. Diego’s original opponent, Brian Ortega, withdrew from the fight, day of, citing an illness.  Ige valiantly answered the call mere hours before the bout, to step in and save the card. Needless to say, Ige’s stock was raised despite the defeat.

Ige, the #13 ranked UFC featherweight fighter, should be rewarded.  But not just with the opportunity to fight in the co-main event slot of a PPV card in International Fight Week. His next fight should be against another big named opponent.

Ige was supposed to fight Chepe Mariscal on July 20 and it looks like that is still the plan. Chepe is 3-0 in the UFC since his debut last June. However, a fight against former UFC bantamweight champion and #8 ranked featherweight fighter, Aljamain Sterling, could also make sense. Sterling won his featherweight debut in April at UFC 300 against a returning Calvin Kattar. And in the post-fight press conference Sterling set his sights on Brian Ortega.

So, it could be a fight for Ige that could make sense especially if he gets an impressive victory against Mariscal.

Ige’s next fight: Chepe Mariscal/ Aljamain Sterling

Anthony Smith

Anthony Smith lost a unanimous decision on Saturday to Roman Dolidze. Smith is now 13-10 in the UFC and has lost three of his last five fights.

Smith is the #10 ranked UFC light heavyweight, while Dolidze came into the fight as the #10 ranked middleweight, as a last second replacement. It seems like Smith has fought nearly everyone in the division so there are only a few fights that make sense for ‘Lionheart.’

Smith hasn’t faced #14 ranked light heavyweight, Alonzo Menifield or #15 ranked light heavyweight, Azamat Murzakanov. The pair are slated to fight on August 3rd. Murzakanov is 3-0 in the UFC with a pair of finishes and Menifield recently had his five-fight unbeaten streak snapped by Carlos Ulberg.

Anthony’s next fight: Alonzo Menifield vs. Azamat Murzakanov winner

Mayra Bueno Silva

Mayra Bueno Silva lost to Macy Chiasson on Saturday when their fight was stopped in the second round due to a nasty gash from an elbow. With the result, Myra is winless in her last three fights. She is the #3 ranked UFC women’s bantamweight falling to Macy Chiasson who came into the fight ranked at #7.

This fight was a banger for as long as it lasted, and also a huge fight for a women’s bantamweight division that has been ‘relatively’ quiet this year. For that reason, a rematch with Macy Chiasson should be what’s next for Mayra. Not to mention Mayra’s dramatic protest to the stoppage, in a perfect world, it looks like a fight she’d be very interested in running back.

Mayra’s next fight: Macy Chiasson

Michael Page

Michael Page lost a competitive unanimous decision to Ian Garry to open the main card of UFC 303.

‘MVP’ is now 1-1 in the UFC, but 37 years old. With that fact in mind, it would be advantageous to make the fun fights now, rather than later. Page entered the fight the #14 ranked UFC welterweight while Garry was ranked at #7.

Michael Page has a fantastic point karate style that entertains fans and bewilders his opponents. It’s very similar to long time UFC fighter and fan favorite Stephen Thompson. ‘Wonderboy’ who is the #9 ranked UFC welterweight has stated previously that he is very interested in striking only matchups. And at 41 years old and with his most recent outing being a loss to undefeated contender, Shavkat Rakhmonov, a fight like this couldn’t come at a better time.

Michael’s next fight: Stephen Thompson

The post What’s Next: UFC 303 Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I feel like I am I really do. I’ve put in the work and I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. Mick Maynard and Dana (White) have taken awesome care of me so whatever they want next for me I want it,” Chiasson told reporters including Cageside Press at her post-fight scrum.

Chiasson (10-3) is in an interesting spot for someone who wants a title shot next. With rumors that the UFC is option for champion Raquel Pennington to defend her title against Julianna Peña later this year Chiasson seems to be on the outside looking in. Unless she takes a fight against someone who also needs an opponent such as Kayla Harrison.

“Potentially yeah. It’s been in talks obviously. I have a few ideas of who I think that she should fight before me, but like I said the UFC’s taken a lot of care of me. Whatever Dana and Mick want for me I want it,” she said.

“I would just like to see her fight some other physical girls. Not that I don’t want to fight her I would love to fight her. I really want to see her fight Norma Dumont. I would love to see that fight,” Chiasson said.

That includes the possibility of being the backup fighter for the potential title fight later this year to which Chiasson responded to with, “100%.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Macy Chiasson above.

The post Macy Chiasson Open To Being Backup For Next Title Fight appeared first on Cageside Press.

The towering Chiasson took some big swings early, mixing in kicks. Bueno Silva, a heavy hitter in her own right, appeared to have some trouble with the length of Chiasson. Still, she fired back plenty. When the pair clinched up, that size advantage was on full display. Chiasson got her hands going with a couple of minutes left in the round, tagging the Brazilian several times. A knee landed for Chiasson. In the final minute, they both swung wildly again, then clinched up to finish off a very active round.

In round two, a smashing elbow from Chiasson, who had got on top of Bueno Silva early, opened up a nasty cut that immediately began leaking blood. Off her back, Mayra Bueno Silva went after an arm-bar, getting her legs in place. She didn’t have the submission, however, and dropped it, with Chiasson moving back to her feet and chopping at the legs of “Sheetara,” who remained on her back. Mayra did get back up, but the ref was brought in to check on the cut, waving it off. The cut was certainly deep enough, and leaking blood into the eye, to warrant the stoppage, though Bueno Silva did not like it.

The Doctor steps in!

Macy Chiasson leaves #UFC303 with the TKO victory👏 pic.twitter.com/Qv3TFTeJgY

— UFC_AUSNZ (@UFC_AUSNZ) June 30, 2024

Following the bout, Chiasson spoke about her decision to dedicate herself to the sport, after nearly calling it a career not that long ago. She’s now 2-0 since returning from an extended layoff earlier this year.

Official Result: Macy Chiasson def. Mayra Bueno Silva by TKO (doctor’s stoppage), Round 2, 1:58

The post UFC 303: Cut Ends Mayra Bueno Silva’s Night Against Macy Chiasson appeared first on Cageside Press.

Coming up short in a title bid in never optimal, but “Sheetara” found a silver lining in her loss to Raquel Pennington, who claimed the vacant 135lb belt that night in Toronto.

“I think lessons can be extracted from this. I think the people saw that I am the best in the world, because I was able to actually neutralize and keep her at bay in that first round,” Silva told media outlets including Cageside Press during Wednesday’s UFC 303 media day. “As everybody knows, I had an injury starting in the second round. So when I was 100%, she wasn’t able to do anything, and that’s the lesson I can take out of it.”

The roughly six months between fights don’t appear to have dampened Bueno Silva’s spirits any. “I know I am the best in the world. My mind is okay, my heart’s okay. Saturday, I promise to give a show for everybody. I promise.”

On Chiasson, Mayra Bueno Silva suggested that “she is longer, she moves a lot but she don’t have nothing for me. I will finish her.” And with the right outcome, the Brazilian believes she can get another shot at gold.

“I believe I am next because I finish my fights. I have a lot of Performance of the Night, I have a lot of Fight of the Night [bonuses]. No one exists in this division, nobody like me. I am the best.”

The suggestion of a fight with American Top Team teammate Kayla Harrison was also brought up Wednesday. While some fighters might have an issue facing someone they train with, Bueno Silva sounds good to go.

“When this thing happens, we’ll talk about it. But we don’t have a problem about that because we are professionals.”

Watch the full UFC 303 media day appearance by Mayra Bueno Silva above.

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On Monday, promotion officials gave an early look at the event’s line-up, announcing that a previously reported bout between Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr. would serve as the night’s co-main event. Along with that news, the company revealed via press release the addition of two more match-ups: at women’s bantamweight, Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Macy Chiasson, and at flyweight, Rei Tsuruya vs. Carlos Hernandez.

Bueno Silva (10-3-1, 1NC) will be competing for the first time since coming up short in her bid for bantamweight gold at UFC 297 in Toronto. That fight saw her lose a lopsided decision to current champ Raquel Pennington, as the pair vied for the title vacated by Amanda Nunes following UFC 289 last year.

Chiasson (9-3), winner of TUF 28 at featherweight, a division the UFC failed to develop, is coming off a submission victory over Pannie Kianzad. Chiasson currently sits at #7 in the weight class, while Bueno Silva holds the #3 spot.

On the flyweight front, Road to UFC Season 2’s Tsuruya (9-0) will be making his promotional debut after three fights on the Road to UFC series. The Japanese fighter gets Hernandez (9-3), a 2021 Contender Series winner who is 2-2 in the promotion. Hernandez will enter off a loss to another Japanese star, Tatsuro Taira.

UFC 303 takes place June 29, 2024 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV with the following match-ups reported for the card:

• Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler
• Jamahal Hill vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.
• Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Macy Chiasson
• Cub Swanson vs. Andre Fili
• Joe Pyfer vs. Marc-André Barriault
• Michelle Waterson-Gomez vs. Gillian Robertson
• Rei Tsuruya vs. Carlos Hernandez

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What’s next for the budding, controversial star and the other main card combatants who fell short this past weekend? Let’s take a look.

Sean Strickland

Sean Strickland is a star. And, as his own best friend Chris Curtis put it, Strickland is “an idiot.” For all the efforts he’s made to shun his racist past, Strickland has courted more controversy than anyone this side of Colby Covington, and “Chaos” can at least claim to be playing a character. Strickland isn’t, which makes his rhetoric concerning, especially when he’s calling anyone supporting gay people an “infection” and threatening to outright stab and murder his would-be opponent.

That Dana White wasn’t interested in telling Strickland to tone things down tells you all you need to know about where the promotion stands on this. The UFC CEO had the good sense to limit the pre-fight press conference in Toronto to a mere blip after a Strickland fan rushed the stage, while others chanted “say the N word,” attempting the be just the edgiest little edgelords. But none of it is particularly amusing, and if things do some day get out of hand and someone gets seriously hurt, the promotion need look no further than its own leadership for where to place the blame.

The question now becomes, what do you do with Sean Strickland, who in basically two fights went from “that weird sociopath guy” to one of the promotion’s biggest draws? Dana White claimed Saturday that he could fight anywhere, including the Apex. That might help curtail some of the stupidity that graced the Toronto card, but Strickland the fighter should be fighting in front of fans. He’s a draw, and no matter what the UFC promotional machine might have you believe, those are always in short supply given the number of events churned out each year.

So – no, there shall be no Apex show for Sean Strickland. Without the title, he either headlines a Fight Night, or serves as a co-main event. As a one-and-done champ, there’s no call for an immediate rematch, and the headbutt story doesn’t have legs. You could pair him up with the winner of Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa, but neither of them tend to fight often, which might be a lot of down time for Strickland, who fought six times in the past two years and got one in early to start 2024. If Jared Cannonier was healthy (he injured his MCL) or due back soon, a rematch with “The Killa Gorilla” could be interesting, as their first fight was close.

Roman Dolidze fights Nassourdine Imavov in just under two week’s time however. Strickland has a win over Imavov, but a fight with Dolidze works whether he wins or loses, given Strickland is an ex-champ coming off a loss, and Dolidze is ranked in the top 10.

Strickland’s next fight: Roman Dolidize

Mayra Bueno Silva

Pennington vs. Silva wasn’t Esparza vs. Namajunas 2 bad, but it wasn’t great, and sucked the wind out of the ACC (sorry, ScotiaBank Arena) on Saturday. Mayra Bueno Silva not seeming prepared to go a full five rounds didn’t help that. It’s now back of the line for “Sheetara” who had built up a nice little run.

Karol Rosa is coming off a December loss in a Fight of the Night winning effort against Irene Aldana. That fight made the short list for Fight of the Year. Rewarding Rosa with a recent title challenger while giving Silva a high-profile match-up is just smart matchmaking.

Silva’s next fight: Karol Rosa

Mike Malott

Mike Malott was about a minute away from another UFC win until he gassed out, had the tables turned and was put away by Neil Magny. It was a sudden end to a life-long dream, turned into a nightmare (one shared by all of the Canadian men at UFC 297, though the women saved the day).

Malott is still young in his career and Neil Magny has the most wins in UFC welterweight history. “Proper” Mike will learn a proper lesson from the experience and no doubt come back stronger. He won’t get a ranked opponent again so soon, but a guy like Gabriel Green could work. Green has been a litmus test for fellow rising stars Ian Garry and Bryan Battle, the latter a TUF champ. Magny was too much too soon, let’s see how Malott does against Green.

Malott’s next fight: Gabe Green

Marc-Andre Barriault

The Canadian men just couldn’t catch a break at UFC 297, and that was the case for the “Power Bar” a.k.a. MAB, a.k.a. Marc-Andre Barriault. The Quebec middleweight and former TKO double-champ lost a split decision to Chris Curtis, and missed out on his ticket to the top 15.

Next up: Abus Magomedov. Abus came into the UFC on a lot of hype, picked up a win, then was pushed into a fight with Sean Strickland where he floundered. A decision loss to Caio Borralho followed. It’s sink or swim time for Magomedov, he’s not booked, and if MAB wins, he’s back hunting for a ranking.

Bariault’s next fight: Abus Magomedov

Arnold Allen

Arnold Allen has now lost two straight, which is an almighty shame for a fighter’s fighter who carried himself like a professional at all times. Problem is, Movsar Evloev is now 18-0 and was simply a tough fight to bounce back from a loss to Max Holloway on at UFC 297.

Allen still has plenty of road ahead but his #4 ranking may already be gone by the time you read this. He’ll need to fight down the ladder a bit, and the always reliable Alex Caceres could work. He’s still hanging on in the top 15, coming off a loss to Giga Chikadze.

Allen’s next fight: Alex Caceres

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