Ramirez (8-2) a long layoff of over a year following a tough loss in March 2024 against Thiago Moises. The Contender Series alumn looked for his first UFC victory against Davis in Nashville.

Davis (11-3) was coming off a loss to Fares Ziam in February which snapped a 4-fight win streak. Tough luck in the injury department has effectively brought his UFC career to a creep having withdrawn from a number of bouts. A victory over Ramirez would be the first step towards building momentum back.

Round 1 Davis came out with a ton of pressure forcing Ramirez to go for a takedown, but no good. Davis shots in for one of his own, lifted and dumped Ramirez, and then took hs back.

Right away the arm was under the chin and Ramirez was fighting the choke arm. Ramirez kept his composure, but Davis continued to work to get a full body triangle. Ramirez was able to get the choking arm out from under his neck, but Davis stayed on the back.

Ramirez did a good job of defending the submission attempts and the position. He tried repeatedly to get back to his feet, but Davis did well to keep him in place in the position.

The rest of the round was all a game of chess between Davis fishing for the neck and Ramirez defending and trying to change the position. Ramirez survived the round.

Round 2 Ramirez came out like a man possessed going for the takedown, but then bailing on it and landing bombs on Davis. Ramirez looked like he had the speed advantage, but Davis’ timing worked well for him landing clean shots.

Davis kept his composure and landed very accurate and damaging shots. Compared to Ramirez’s high volume attack it paid off with cleaner shots.

A flying knee from Davis put Ramirez on skates, and Davis finished the job with a flurry of shots that dropped his opponent and ended the fight.

Mike Davis got back in the win column.

Official Result: Mike Davis def. Mitch Ramirez via R2 TKO, 4:08

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Ramirez took over after Brad Riddell pulled out of the Moises fight on short notice, earning him a UFC contract after a loss on the contender series. Moises was once ranked in the stacked lightweight division, but has lost three of five fighs since then.

The fight began with the pair trading low kicks, though Moises would take over with them throughout the fight. Not long passed before Thiago landed a double leg takedown. He dominated the round from top position, passing to back mount with around one minute left in the round. It was all that Ramirez could do to survive to the second round.

The second round began with another quick takedown, but this time Mitch was able to hit a get-up quickly. Unfortunately, that ended up being worse for him as Thiago’s calf kicks left ugly welts on Ramirez’s leg this round, clearly weakening him badly. Moises landed one more takedown in the round but again Mitch got back up and survived to round two.

The last round did not last long, as the very first calf kick of the round dropped Ramirez. When he fell to his back, Moises ran forward with a flurry of more kicks, making Mark Smith step in and stop the fight as he would not have been able to get back up with his leg so brutalized.

Earning his first KO/TKO win in the UFC, Thiago Moises will now look to get back into the rankings, using his microphone time to call out Dan Hooker, citing the pullout of Hooker’s teammate Brad Riddell as a reason that fight should happen. He also announced his support for a social project in his home country of Brazil.

Official Result: Thiago Moises def. Mitch Ramirez by TKO (calf kicks) Round 3, 0:15

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An appetizer ahead of Saturday’s UFC 296, LFA was in Las Vegas for the show, with middleweight champion Lucas Fernando throwing down with interim champ Azamat Bekoev in a title unification bout. The necessity for an interim title came about when Fernando took a stab at the UFC on Dana White’s Contender Series earlier this year, only to come up short against Cesar Almeida.

An interim strawweight title was on the line in the night’s co-feature. Would-be TUF 31 competitor and Contender Series alum Mitch Ramirez was also in action.

Where to Watch LFA 173: Fernando vs. Bekoev

December 15, 2023 sees LFA 173 go down at the Pearl Theater in Las Vegas, Nevada. Select prelims air online, followed by the main card streaming on UFC Fight Pass starting at 10PM ET. Full results from Friday’s event in Las Vegas can be found below.

LFA 173: Fernando vs. Bekoev Results

Main Card

Azamat Bekoev (ic) def. Lucas Fernando (c) by unanimous decision (50-45, 48-47, 49-46) — for the LFA middleweight championship
Natasha Kuziutina def. Giovanna Canuto by unanimous decision (48-46, 48-46, 48-46) — for the vacant LFA interim women’s strawweight championship
Mitch Ramirez def. Aireon Tavarres by TKO, Round 1, 2:19
Alfonso Leyva def. Sarek Shields by KO, Round 2, 2:51
Jordan Harris def. Aupuni Pagaoa by TKO, Round 1, 3:23
Trent Miller def. Oseyiomon Oiyemhonlan by submission (guillotine choke), Round 1, 3:03

Preliminary Card

Eduardo Penha def. Ronny Hauser by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:20
Ilay Barzilay def. Tyler Jones by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Shad Walters def. Patrick Cornett by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 4:36
Shane Shapiro def. Pat Jones by submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 2, 2:17

The post LFA 173: Fernando vs. Bekoev Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

It would be no easy feat for either fighter, with TUF alum Cole matched up against LFA veteran Thomas Petersen, a former heavyweight champ in that promotion. Ramirez, booted from the most recent Ultimate Fighter season to make room for one of Conor McGregor’s guys, arguably had an even tougher test in Carlos Prates. Prates, a ONE Championship and LFA alum, was on a six-fight win streak entering Tuesday night’s match-up.

Thus far in season seven, Dana White had handed out 13 contracts through 14 fights (with one bout cancelled), so there was a very good chance the night’s winners would have their next fight under the UFC banner.

Also featured on Tuesday’s DWCS card, strikers Bolaji Oki and Dylan Salvador faced off in what promised to be an explosive stand-up fight, while Canadian Mateo Vogel featured in a competitive booking with Tim Cuamba.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7, Week 4 kicks off at 8PM ET on Tuesday, August 29, 2023 airing live on ESPN+ in the U.S., and UFC Fight Pass elsewhere. Full results can be found below.

Bolaji Oki kicked Tuesday night’s card off with a bang, coming out of the gate hot against Dylan Salvador. While many had given the striking edge to Salvador, it was Oki who began unloading on his opponent against the fence. Salvador covered up, but Oki then ripped the body, mixing up his strikes. Another body shot had Salvador dropping to his knees, the end coming seconds later.

TUF 30 alum Chandler Cole did not have a great outing on Tuesday, as he was taken down early and often by former LFA champ Thomas Petersen. When Cole got back up in the opening round, he swung for the fences, but ate a knee and was soon taken to the mat again. Petersen briefly had a straight arm-bar but bailed on it in favor of dropping elbows. Round two saw Petersen land another early takedown, and this time he locked up a nasty-looking kimura, forcing the tap!

A close fight played out between featherweights Tim Cuamba and Mateo Vogel, with Cuamba starting strong. Vogel found his flow later in the opening round, and the second frame was very very close— with Vogel’s kicks, especially low kicks, standing out. In the third, Vogel took over, finally landing a much sought-after takedown, hunting the rear-naked choke to the bell. Cuamba came away with the decision win, two rounds to one.

The fourth fight of the night went the distance as well, with Marco Tulio taking on the much taller Yousri Belgaroui, winning a decision on all three scorecards.

In the final fight of the evening, Carlos Prates lit up Mitch Ramirez on the feet. Within 30 seconds of the opening round, he had landed a couple of leg kicks that nearly put Ramirez on his backside. It was his hands, however, particularly his left, that did the real damage. Early in the second, that left hand connected, putting down Ramirez, who looked dazed and didn’t get back to his feet before the ref stepped in.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7, Week 4 Results

Welterweight: Carlos Prates def. Mitch Ramirez by TKO (punch), Round 2, 1:14
Middleweight: Marco Tulio Silva def. Yousri Belgaroui by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Featherweight: Tim Cuamba def. Mateo Vogel by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Heavyweight: Thomas Petersen def. Chandler Cole by submission (kimura), Round 2, 1:08
Lightweight: Bolaji Oki def. Dylan Salvador by TKO, Round 1, 2:46

Contract winners: Bolaji Oki, Thomas Petersen, Carlos Prates

The post Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7, Week 4 Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Mitch Ramirez, for his whole life, has dealt with people pointing out that his name is eeirly similar to a famous serial killer. Living in the Western part of the United States, as well as being born just a handful of years after the sentencing, made the jokes about Richard “The Night Stalker” Ramirez came flying early and often.

“In the past, when people would hear my last name they’d make that joke,” Ramirez recalled. “And I’d always be like ‘no, not like The Night Stalker’, because he was kind of a weirdo – let’s be honest. He wasn’t like a cool – I mean I don’t think any serial killers are cool – but he was definitely on the weirdo scale.”

However, as he progressed through the ranks of the MMA world, the jokes started coming from higher and higher up. Eventually, it was his new coach at Syndicate MMA, who make it something more than just a joke.

“Honestly, it was my coach. it was John Wood,” he said. “When I moved to Las Vegas about a year and a half ago and I started training, John would just say ‘oh Ramirez, like the Night Stalker.”

While the joke was largely just there based on the name, Ramirez admits that his fight style matches the nickname quite a bit – which is something Wood was sure to point out. Then the change was made to make it a little more personal to Mitch.

“It would always bug me a little bit. Why do we bring this guy up?” Ramirez admitted. “My coach would give me shit because of the way I would fight too. I bite down and I stalk my opponent. The way I fight – I am ‘The Fight Stalker’ per the words literally.”

Although it was a point of contention when he was young and early in his career, he finally relented on the nickname and has adopted it as his permanent fight name.

“At first I was like, I don’t know about that,” he said. “But eventually it just got to a point where I was like, ‘you know what? Let’s roll with it!”

“The Fight Stalker” will get his chance to get that name announced by Bruce Buffer if he can pass the test this week at Dana White’s Contender Series. He’ll appear on week 4 of the show opposite Timothy Caumba. The fight card will start at 8pm this Tuesday on ESPN+.

You can hear the entire audio of this interview at 26:12.

The post DWCS’ Mitch Ramirez: The Making of ‘The Fight Stalker’ appeared first on Cageside Press.

DWCS has always been open to giving second chances, and even thirds, but in this case, it’s a TUF cast member, and a would-be Ultimate Fighter cast member, who are getting another crack at the UFC. Heavyweight Chandler Cole appeared on The Ultimate Fighter 30, where things did not go his way — but he’s won a couple of fights since.

Mitch Ramirez was supposed to appear on The Ultimate Fighter 31, only to be yanked from the show to make room for one of Conor McGregor’s guys. The snub did not go over well with fight fans, who saw it as a particularly egregious form of nepotism, but Ramirez finally gets his shot on Tuesday.

The full card made weight on Monday, so here’s a took at Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7 Episode 4!

Lightweight: Dylan Salvador vs. Bolaji Oki

Tale of the Tape

Pros and Cons

Who has the advantage?

Striking: Salvador
Speed: Salvador
Output/Volume: Salvador
Kickboxing: Salvador
Striking defense: Oki
Footwork/movement: Oki
Wrestling: Oki
Grappling: Salvador
Gas tank: Even

Prediction: Up to this week this is my favorite fight booked thus far for DWCS 2023. Salvador is more known to the larger audience and Oki should have more eyes on him than he has. On paper, you see Salvador has four submissions so you would think he’s a grappler. That is not the case.

Salvador competed in muay thai and kickboxing for years before transitioning into MMA. He’s 4-1 in MMA and 64-16-2 in kickboxing/muay thai. Salvador is a former two-weight WAKO World champion and fought five times for Glory. He won the Glory lightweight contender tournament in 2016. Salvador has a kickboxing win over UFC contender Giga Chikadze.

Oki is currently the best fighter out of Belgium. The UFC has only had two fighters from the county fight in the UFC and neither won a fight. If Oki was to get to the UFC he definitely would be the first one to get a win for his home country. Oki’s only loss came in his debut so he’s won his seven fights consecutively. He has a key win over Nair Melikyan who was supposed to fight on the Contender Series last season.

This is a fantastic fight between two serious strikers. Oki is more powerful and precise whereas Salvador is more volume-based and aggressive. It could come down to who can mix in a few takedowns but I like the takedown defense enough from both to believe this will come down to who has the better striking. I’m slightly leaning toward Salvador. Melikyan gave Oki some issues with his pressure so Salvador should have even more success. I’m picking Salvador because he’s more pressure-heavy in-your-face that I think can wear on Oki. Love the fight though and I believe we see both in the UFC regardless.

The post DWCS 2023: Episode 4 Breakdown and Predictions appeared first on Cageside Press.

That also means it’s weigh-in day, and on Monday, all fighters made weight at the UFC Apex for Tuesday night’s show.

While the Contender Series is all about bringing in up-and-coming unknowns, there are usually a couple of recognizable names, and that’s certainly the case this week. One name that immediately sticks out is that of heavyweight Chandler Cole — an LFA, PFL, and Cage Fury FC veteran who appeared on The Ultimate Fighter 30 last year.

Mitch Ramirez, meanwhile, was given the boot from the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter, TUF 31, in favor of one of Conor McGregor’s guys. Recently, he returned to the regional scene and pleaded his case to get his chance at the limelight back. He has that very chance here, fighting as a welterweight.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7, Week 4 airs Tuesday night at 8PM ET on ESPN+ in the U.S., and UFC Fight Pass elsewhere. Full results from Monday’s weigh-in can be found below.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7 Week 4 Weigh-In Results

Welterweight: Carlos Prates (170) vs. Mitch Ramirez (171)
Middleweight: Yousri Belgaroui (186) vs. Marco Silva (185.5)
Featherweight: Tim Cuamba (145.5) vs. Mateo Vogel (144.5)
Heavyweight: Chandler Cole (264) vs. Thomas Petersen (264)
Lightweight: Bolaji Oki (156) vs. Dylan Salvador (155)

The post All Fighters Make Weight for Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7 Week 4 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Billy Goff Interview (2:12)

Kicking off this edition of TTP is our interview with UFC welterweight, Billy Goff. Goff discusses the knee injruy he suffered during a No Gi BJJ competition that kept him from making his UFC debut back in February. While that time was particularly tough for Goff, he now is more ready than ever to make his debut. He’ll do so in hostile territory at UFC Singapore this Saturday.

Fights, Dogs, and Parlays: UFC Singapore (18:05)

Following UFC 292, the UFC heads overseas for UFC Singapore. Max Holloway looks to turn away Chan Sung Jung and maintain his spot on the top of the featherweight division. We break down that fight as well as some of the other top fights on the main card. We also give you an underdog and a parlay that we think will make your wallet fat for this weekend’s event. For this segment, all odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Mitch Ramirez Interview (26:12)

Next on this edition of TTP is our interview with recent Contender Series welterweight, Mitch Ramirez. We discuss his path to the Contender Series, which includes a late notice fight, which he won with leg kicks. He talks about not only that fight, but the issues he dealt with leading up. Plus, he tells us the history of ‘The Fight Stalker’ nickname.

Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady Interview (40:08)

Closing out this edition of TTP is our interview with recent UFC signee, Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady. Al-Selwady took a very impressive unanimous decision over Cage Warriors veteran George Hardwick and got himself a contract on week 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series. He shares how he feels about what commentators and Dana White himself said about his performance. He also dicsusses what might be next for him. Finally, he shares some insight into what he did to celebrate his life changing victory.

The post TTP Ep. 392 with Billy Goff, Mitch Ramirez, Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady and UFC Singapore appeared first on Cageside Press.