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Roman Dolidze

Anthony Hernandez dragged Roman Dolidze into deep waters and submitted him in the fourth round of their main event on Saturday. Dolidze entered the fight ranked at #9 at 185lbs, while Hernandez was ranked at #10. The loss snapped a three-fight win streak for Dolidze that saw him beating the likes of Anthony Smith, Kevin Holland and Marvin Vettori from June 2024 to earlier this year in March.  This loss will likely drop Roman out of the top 10 but he’ll likely remain ranked.

A good next matchup for Dolidze would be against the loser of Jared Cannonier vs Michael Page. Offering Dolidze another fresh matchup is a good idea, and this would fit the bill (No Vettori III matchup). Cannonier is currently the #8 ranked middleweight while MVP is ranked at #15 at welterweight and unranked at middleweight. This fight goes down on UFC 319 on August 16 so the timing would be fine. If Cannonier loses he will have lost three of his last four, while Page would be 2-2 in the UFC. Dolidze was matched against Jared back in 2023, but Cannonier withdrew due to a torn MCL (knee injury). Either fighter would offer an exciting striking match for fans. Winner of this bout would be ranked within the top 10.

Doldize’s next fight: Jared Cannonier vs. Michael Page Loser

Ode Osbourne

Steve Erceg defeated Ode Osbourne via unanimous decision on Saturday, in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 109. Erceg entered the fight ranked at #10 in the division while Ode was unranked. While it’s worth noting that Osbourne was not Erceg’s original opponent (Alex Perez, injured- Hyun Sung Park, rebooked) the loss still puts him in a somewhat precarious position.

Osbourne has now lost four of his last five fights dating to early 2023. His only win during this time period was against an undefeated Contender Series product making his debut, Luis Gurule.

With that said, Ode’s next fight should be against Carlos Hernandez. Carlos is a 2021 Contender Series alum that is currently 3-4 with the UFC. Carlos has lost three of his last four fights dating back to December 2023 but against good competition (Tatsuro Taira, Rei Tsuruya and Hyun Sung Park) Osbourne and Hernandez have hovered at around the same level within the division for a couple years-and they have both lost to high level competition. It’d be a great matchup for that reason. Two Contender Series vets that have yet to secure that big win against elite competition. Loser of this bout could be in a rough place with the winner gaining a lot of visibility.

Osbourne’s next fight: Carlos Hernandez 

Angela Hill

Iasmin Lucindo outfought Angela Hill on her way to a unanimous decision victory on Saturday. Lucindo entered the cage Saturday ranked at #8 in the women’s strawweight division while Hill was ranked at #12. Hill is 13-15 during her now 11-year stint with the promotion. She’s 2-3 in her last five fights since November of 2023. If you can believe it, Hill turned 40 earlier this year- she’s still a competitor with her last three losses coming to the very respectable, ranked, opponents of Mackenzie Dern, Tabatha Ricci and Iasmin Lucindo.

Angela’s next fight should be against Denise Gomes. Even though the pair shared the octagon less than two years ago, both fighters have had trajectories where it makes sense to meet again.

Denise is undefeated in the UFC since her fight with Angela. She beat an undefeated Eduarda Moura via split decision and veteran Karolina Kowalkiewicz via unanimous decision last year. Gomes also finished Elise Reed early in the second round back in mid-May. Considering Hill has fought virtually everyone, and that she likely to remain in the rankings after this fight, this is a matchup that makes sense. Denise is ranked at #15 in the division. This fight could sneak onto the main card of a decent Fight Night card. Loser would be out of the rankings.

Hill’s next fight: Denise Gomes rematch 

Christian Rodriguez

Andre Fili and Christian Rodriguez put on a good scrap on Saturday, but Fili edged out ‘CeeRod’ on the scorecards, securing a split decision victory.

Rodriguez is now on a two-fight skid and has lost three of his last four fights dating back to July of last year. Christian’s only win in that time period came against an undefeated 2024 Contender Series alum making his UFC debut (Austin Bashi).

Rodriguez who has broken the hearts of multiple hot prospects (Raul Rosas Jr, Cameron Saaiman and Austin Bashi) is still trying to carve out a path for himself at 145lbs. after struggling with the cut down to 135lbs. It’s been 5-fights since Rodriguez moved up so hopefully, he can start to put it together.

The next opponent for Rodriguez should be Shayilan Nuerdabiekke. Shayilan is just 3-3 in the UFC but is 39-12 as a pro. Shayilan is also on a two-fight skid. He was last in the octagon in June of last year when he was submitted in the final round by Melquizael Costa. Melquizael also holds a unanimous decision victory over Rodriguez from when the pair fought in March. These two fighters are right on the same level and hopefully Nuerdanbiekke could be ready whenever for the timing to matchup. Easy sleep fight for a feature preliminary bout or first fight on the main card of a fight night.

Rodriguez’s next fight: Shayilan Nuerdanbiekke

Miles Johns

Jean Matsumoto snagged a split decision victory over Miles Johns in a hard fought three rounder on Saturday. With the loss Miles is now on a two-fight losing streak. Before that, he was on a four-fight unbeaten streak.

The move for Miles here is to revisit his previously cancelled matchup with the former UFC Bantamweight Champion, Cody Garbrandt. Lots of visibility and a huge upside in that matchup for Miles. The two were scheduled to fight back in October and then November of last year. Fight was ultimately cancelled after Garbrandt suffered an injury. Since then, Garbrandt has lost a unanimous decision to Ranoi Barcelos, back in mid-June. Timing could make sense especially as Cody has been taking more time between fights recently. Easy one to book on the main card of a fight night between these two dangerous bantamweights. Winner wouldn’t be but a win or two away from fighting for a ranking.

Johns’ next fight: Cody Garbrandt

Eyrk Anders

Christian Leroy Duncan kicked off the main card of UFC Vegas 109 with a spectacular spinning elbow finish of Eryk Anders. 38-year-old Anders has now gone 2-2 in his last four fights since June of 2023. Both of his victories during the time period are against fighters who are no longer with the promotion (Chris Weidman and Jamie Pickett).

With that being said, Anders is in a little bit of a hot seat but with the wild state of the UFC’s middleweight division, truly anything is possible. A good next matchup for Anders would be against Andrey Pulyaev. Andrey is a 27-year-old prospect off last year’s season of the Contender Series. Pulyaev made his UFC debut in March against ‘CLD’ and lost a unanimous decision. In August Andrey stopped Nick Klein in the second with a body kick and punches. Eryk would be even more of a litmus test for the 10-3, 6’4″, Russian. A different look. This could also be a good fight for Eyrk for where he’s at in his career currently; to prove he’s still got it.

Anders’ next fight: Andrey Pulyaev

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Both men were looking to bounce back from single losses that snapped win streaks, though in the case of Matsumoto, it was a 16-fight win streak to start his pro career that had been halted by Rob Font last time out.

The opening minutes of the fight saw Johns press forward landing quality punches on the inside. After connecting with a flush right hand Johns shot in on a well timed takedown that forced the fight to the floor. After a few minutes Matsumoto was able to return to his feet where he ate a clean left hook on a counter from Johns. Matsumoto landed a good kick to the body and attempted a flying knee that allowed Johns to press the fight to the cage. Johns landed a good body shot against the fence, and defended against a takedown by Matsumoto. After the first five minutes, Johns had jumped ahead to an early lead.

In the second round, Johns pressed forward landing a good double jab on Matsumoto. After a few moments, Matsumoto started to put the pressure on Johns landing a good kick to the body. The explosive style of Matsumoto was on display midway through the second, with the Brazilian prospect landing multiple dynamic kicks on Johns. Coming forward with a knee, Matsumoto left an opening for Johns to grab his leg and drag him down. Johns seemed to be tiring and could not keep Matsumoto on the ground. Both fighters exchanged massive hooks on the inside, as Johns was ahead on strikes 52-39 with a minute left in the round. Matsumoto continued to march forward looking to even the fight at a round a piece. Johns won the first round, but this second frame was far more competitive and could have been scored for Jean Matsumoto.

A big low kick from Matsumoto floored Johns momentarily in the first moments of the round. Fighting back well, Johns landed a good shot to the body and seemed to be walking well on the leg. Johns started to find a second wind in the fight, coming forward looking to land a big overhand shot. Matsumoto countered with a flush uppercut that rocked back the head of Johns.

After a multitude of calf kicks Johns leg was starting to swell, but he continued to be the aggressor, taking the fight down again with a minute remaining. His third takedown of the fight may have been his biggest yet, as he held control until the final fifteen seconds. Matsumoto shot in on a takedown attempt of his own that was stuffed by Johns. This was a very close and competitive contest that could have gone in either direction.

Following 15 minutes of action, the judges were split. The first going with Johns, the second with Matsumoto. The final judge, Sal D’amato, scored the fight for Jean Matsumoto who earned his third victory in the UFC. In his post-fight interview, Matsumoto called out former opponent Rob Font for a rematch in Brazil later this year.

Official Result: Jean Matsumoto def. Miles Johns by split decision (29–28, 28–29, 29–28)

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“I’m a 135, I’m not 145, everybody’s thinking now (I’m fighting) at 145, but I’m not,” Lima told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“I’m fighting 135. I was supposed to fight Miles in 135. We signed the contract 135, but he changed his mind afterwards. I accept no problem. We’re going to go back down.”

Lima (14-1) was supposed to fight Johns at 135 pounds. Johns was scheduled to face Cody Garbrandt in November so he had already cut to bantamweight. When Garbrandt pulled due to injury Johns was matched up with Lima, but had to be at 145 pounds.

Featherweight felt good to Lima, but the goal has always remained to be a champion at 135 pounds.

“Feels good. Maybe one day I’ll move up, but right now I’m 135. That’s my goal to be a bantamweight champion one day,” he said.

“End of 2025 I want to finish in the top 10. That’s my goal.”

As far as opponents go Lima has no preference and anybody can get it.

“Doesn’t matter who,”he said.”

“(Whoever’s) above me, I want to fight them.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Felipe Lima above.

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Johns was 3-0 (with a No Contest mixed in) coming into the fight, while Lima, a.k.a. “Jungle Boy,” had picked up a win over Muhammad Naimov in his promotional debut last time out. Lima was looking to extend his 13 fight winning streak with a victory in this matchup.

In the first round, Johns came out extremely aggressive and charged forward on Lima. Johns was stung by a punch that momentarily dropped the Kansas native. After regaining his composure, both fighters collided heads resulting in a stumble from Johns. Lima landed a few damaging leg kicks while that scored him points. Johns was loading up on his shots trying to knock Lima out with one blow. Johns demonstratively waved Lima forward urging him to trade in the pocket as the round ended.

Lima showed extreme athleticism in round one, he was the much faster fighter and bounced in and out of range stinging Johns with big shots. The second round started with Lima applying pressure to Johns while landing a spinning backfist. The volume of Lima seemed to be giving him a lead in the fight. Lima shot for a takedown and successfully forced the former college wrestler to the ground. Johns scrambled to his feet, while plotting forward. Lima landed a flush uppercut forcing Johns to retreat momentarily. Johns threw wildly against the cage and connected on a right hand the dropped Lima.

A massive turn of events near the end of the round. Lima recovered getting back to his feet and landed a jab on Johns. Lima was ahead in the round until he hit the canvas late in the final minute, making this an interesting contest going into the third.

Johns chased Lima wildly throwing hooks that missed. Lima ducked under a punch from Johns and took his back midway through the round. Johns was in trouble as Lima forced the fight to the ground in back control. Looking for a rear naked choke, Lima was trying to finish the fight. Johns escaped and landed a takedown of his own before Lima was able to scramble back to his feet. Johns landed punches against the fence as the final horn sounded.

Heading to the judges scorecards it seemed as if the rising Brazilian prospect Felipe Lima had earned the victory. All three judges scored this contest 30-27 for Lima. The 26 year old gave his opponent respect following the win saying Johns was “A really tough guy”. With the win Lima is now 2-0 in the promotion.

Official Result: Felipe Lima def. Miles Johns via Unanimous Decision (30-27×3)

The post Felipe Lima Snipes Johns To Decision Victory At UFC Tampa appeared first on Cageside Press.

First reported by Cole Shelton.

Garbrandt (14-6) is coming off a tough loss to Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 300. The loss snapped a two-fight win streak with wins over Brian Kelleher and Trevin Jones. The former champion holds victories over Raphael Assuncao, Dominick Cruz and Thomas Almeida.

Johns (15-2) was coming into the event on a 3-fight win streak with one no-contest in Sept 2023. He holds victories over Douglas Silva de Andrade, Cody Gibson, and Vince Morales.

This was actually the third time the two had been booked to fight. No word on if they’ll be booked a third time. The UFC is searching for a replacement for Johns.

UFC Vegas 100 takes place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas on Nov 9. The card, as of now, looks as follows:

• Neil Magny vs. Carlos Prates
• Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Denise Gomes
• Ricky Turcios vs. Benardo Sopaj
• Gerald Meerschaert vs. Reinier de Ridder
• Luana Pinheiro vs. Gillian Robertson
• Elizeu Zaleski vs. Zach Scroggin
• Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Dusko Todorovic
• Charles Radtke vs. Matthew Semelsberger
• Cody Stamann vs. Da’Mon Blackshear
• Melissa Mullins vs. Klaudia Sygula
• Cortavious Romious vs. Gaston Bolaños
• Tresean Gore vs. Antonio Trocoli

Fights Canceled:

• Cody Garbrandt vs. Miles Johns

The post Cody Garbrandt Out Of UFC Vegas 100 appeared first on Cageside Press.

The news was first announced by Marcel Dorff of Eurosport Netherlands on Thursday.

Cody Garbrandt (14-6) has struggled lately and has not truly found his groove since losing his belt back in 2017. Garbrandt has won just three out of his last eight fights in the nearly seven years since. Cody picked up a pair of wins last year, first winning a unanimous decision against Trevin Jones and then flattening Brian Kelleher in under a round. In his last time out, Cody lost to the former UFC flyweight champion, Deiveson Figueiredo, in the opening fight on the historic UFC 300 card, earlier this year.

Miles Johns (29-5) will enter the octagon on October 12th riding a 4-fight unbeaten streak. Johns, a 2019 Contender Series product, has racked up an impressive 6-2, 1 NC record with the promotion. The former LFA bantamweight champ was in his first co-main event slot for the UFC in his most recent fight last month. Johns would defeat 35-fight veteran, Douglas Silva de Andrade, by unanimous decision.

With the announcement of Garbrandt vs. Johns there have now been two fights announced for the card rumored to be targeted for the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. The other fight was announced earlier this week with the lineup for the card on October 12 as follows:

• Grant Dawson vs. Rafa Garcia
• Cody Garbrandt vs. Miles Johns

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Tatsuro Taira

By beating former title challenger Alex Perez, Taira propels himself into the top echelon at 126-lbs at only twenty-four years old. With a six fight winning streak, he is perhaps just one more win away from a title shot.

Several other fighters are in that position. Muhammad Mokaev is already booked against Manel Kape. Amir Albazi is the other top ranked contender on a winning streak. Taira should be ready by the time Albazi is back from his injury, so this matchup between grapplers with well-round skillsets makes sense for a title eliminator.

Taira’s Next Fight: Amir Albazi

Miles Johns

Beating Douglas Silva de Andrade at UFC Vegas 93 improved Johns’ record to 6-2 (1NC) in the UFC. Now having won three of his last four, he is in position for what I like to call a “rankings eliminator,” a fight that is like a title eliminator, but for a chance to get into the rankings, not a title shot.

Aiemann Zahabi is in a similar position to Miles, having not lost in his last four bouts. Both are well-rounded fighters who may go somewhat under the radar in a deep division like bantamweight. The winner would be deserving of a fight against a ranked opponent, and would be already, in fact, if not for the aforementioned depth of the division.

Johns’ Next Fight: Aiemann Zahabi

Lucas Almeida

Lucas Almeida put on one of his career-best showings in his first ever decision victory, which came over prospect Timothy Cuamba at UFC Vegas 93. He now moves to 2-2 in the UFC and has any number of matchups available to him in a wide open featherweight division. Jamall Emmers is one good option, a fighter who lost his last fight but has almost twice as many UFC fights as Almeida. The primary appeal of Emmers, is that he is a fellow striker would would bring a fun fight out of Almeida.

Almeida’s Next Fight: Jamall Emmers

Brady Heistand

After losing on the finale of his season of The Ultimate Fighter, Brady Heistand has had a much more successful career than the season’s champion, Ricky Turcios, by winning all three of his fights since. The bantamweight fight is, again, the deepest in the UFC, so options abound.

One interesting one is a fighter similar to Brady, a wrestler/grappler with a scrappy striking style: Sergey Morozov. Morozov is on a two-fight winning streak but has not fought since 2022. If he is ready to return to the octagon, he would be a perfect opponent for Heistand.

Heistand’s Next Fight: Sergey Morozov

Asu Almabayev

The Kazakh flyweight continued his rapid ascent by winning his sixteenth straight fight, and his third in the UFC. He is on a path to the rankings soon no matter what, and the timing makes sense now. Both fourteenth and fifteenth-ranked flyweights Cody Durden and David Dvorak are coming off of losses, so they should be giving a chance to a fighter outside of the rankings next.

Durden at #15 is a strong wrestler in his own right, and would be the toughest challenge for Almabayev in years. If Asu can pass that test, he will truly be a prospect in contention.

Almabayev’s Next Fight: Cody Durden

Adam Fugitt

His split decision win over Josh Quinlan on Saturday moved Adam Fugitt to .500 in the UFC at 2-2, which puts him at a turning point in his career. With a win or loss his trajectory will swing wildly.

Charles Radtke lost for the first time in the UFC only one week before Fugitt, moving to 2-1 in the UFC welterweight division. The two have similar skillsets and will be on similar trajectories for their next appearance, so the matchup makes sense, as much as any.

Fugitt’s Next Fight: Charles Radtke

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 93 Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

At age 38, ‘DSDA’ is the oldest fighter on the card but came in to this fight having still won three of his last four in a twelve-fight UFC career. Meanwhile Miles Johns had gotten off to a 5-2 (1NC) start to his UFC career. In a stacked bantamweight division a fight between any two above average unranked fighters can be excellent. This fight certainly entertained, as Miles Johns defeated the veteran to earn his second win in a row.

The fight started patiently on both sides, with one shot at a time at most coming from the fighters. Both men landed some clean single punches on the lead and counter and the fight seemed even. Then, D Silva got to his usual big swinging combinations, landing some but also getting countered as well. Neither men separated before the end of the round.

Miles Johns started round two, landing the right hand with success and winning with composure, but could not land any of his takedown attempts. ‘D Silva’ fought back but was inaccurate and Johns seemed to land more in a striking-based round. He capped the round off by rocking de Andrade in the final minute.

Johns drew first blood in the final round but Andrade fired back and defended Johns’ takedown. The rest of the round was competitive once again but Miles’ jab and composure put him in good position to win against the wild attacks of Douglas Silva de Andrade. DSDA was not out of there though. He knocked Johns’ mouthpiece out at one point and stayed aggressive in the third round, hurting Miles Johns and perhaps stealing the round. Johns fired back, despite being wobbled, and won back respect in the final thirty seconds. When the clock reached ten seconds the pair swung it out until the final buzzer.

When the scorecards were read out, Miles Johns got the win as expected, winning on all three scorecards. In his post-fight speech an excited Johns declared, “You will have to kill me to get me out of this octagon,” before calling out Ricky Simon.

Official Result: Miles Johns def. Douglas Silva de Andrade by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

The post UFC Vegas 93: Miles Johns Out-strikes Douglas Silva de Andrade appeared first on Cageside Press.

“The UFC always gives me the rough stuff regardless,” Andrade said with a smile to reporters through a translator on Thursday.

“That’s what you get in the UFC. They always give me that. Just happy it’s going to be another tough fight, aggressive fight, another insane fight. Trying to look for that bonus.”

Andrade (29-5) is coming off a decision victory over Cody Stamann in May 2023. With being out over a year the Brazilian fighter will look to make an impression against Johns.

“Just want to put out a great performance. Put on a strong performance out there, another battle, not leave anything to chance. Leaving everything in the hands of God, but still. Just always looking for the win,” he said.

Fighting at the APEX isn’t fun for every single fighter, but Andrade has seen positives in it.

“I think this is something that has turned out to be much better. It turned out to be a good thing to come here. Of course I’d love to fight in Brazil, I missed the one in Rio, hopefully be able to fight next Brazilian card,” he said.

“But I like it here. It gets better every time.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Douglas Silva de Andrade above.

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