Alexander Volkanovski retained his title on Saturday night by finishing Yair Rodriguez which is a tall task for any man. Where does he rank now in the Pound-for-pound rankings and who should he face next? Maybe a rematch with lightweight champion Islam Makhachev?

Alexandre Pantoja beat Brandon Moreno by split-decision in a close fight, but what now? Does he take on the next man in line, possibly Brandon Royval, or does he rematch Moreno right away?

Dricus du Plessis finished former champion Robert Whittaker likely solidifying his title shot against champion Israel Adesanya. Following the victory Adesanya stepped into the cage and engaged in what many are calling a cringe-worthy moment with du Plessis in the octagon.

We look ahead at the next few weeks of fights, touch on the latest headlines, and talk some face punching with the guys!

WATCH THE SHOW ABOVE.

Keyboard Warriors goes live at 5:30pmPT/8:30pmET LIVE on YouTube and Twitch! Keep it locked to CagesidePress.com for all of your MMA news, don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel and come hang out every week!

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Still, fans love to see the heavyweights swang and bang, and there’s always a need for fresh blood. With that in mind, we take a look at the state of the division’s prospects.

The Top

Sitting at the top of the division I believe only one fighter stands out when it comes to prospects. Russia’s Shamil Gaziev (10-0) sits on top as the best prospect in the heavyweight division. Prior to an unbeaten pro record he went 9-2 as an amateur. That included winning IMMAF gold in 2019. He’s coming off a win over former UFC fighter Darko Stosic. He’s fought for AMC in Russia, Ares FC, Brave CF, and the Contender Series this coming season.

Underrated

There is a pretty big gap from Gaziev to the others but there is a handful I view as underrated talents in the division.

Mario Pinto (6-0) didn’t pop on anyone’s radar until this year. In March, Levels Fight League held an eight-man one-night heavyweight Grand Prix to crown a champion. Pinto fought and won three times in one night taking home the title. MMA in Portugal is still growing. Pinto isn’t only the best heavyweight from his country but the best prospect from the area in general.

Greg Velasco (6-0) doesn’t get a lot of credit because of his physical appearance but he’s not a typical heavyweight. Velasco has a few things most heavyweights don’t have and that’s wrestling and cardio. Velasco has a lot of fights where he fought deep in the second round or fought a four-round fight. He’s the current Cage Fury FC heavyweight champion with one title defense. He’s going to be fighting Shamil Gaziev this coming season on the Dana White’s Contender Series.

Future Problems

One thing is for sure and that’s MMA is an ever-growing sport. This group of fighters may not blow the doors off right away but in the next few years they could be at the very top

We’ve seen wrestling standout Bo Nickal make it to the UFC early in MMA so Anthony Cassar (1-0) could be next. He is an NCAA Division I champion and a  Big Ten Conference champion out of Penn State University. He’s 1-0 in MMA beating someone with twenty-two pro fights. He could be fast-tracked to the UFC considering his background and mainly fighting in a shallow division.

A much anticipated pro debut coming up soon is Bahrain’s Rasul Magomedov (0-0). Magomedov was 13-0 as an amateur and is a two-time IMMAF world champion. Magomedov is also known for holding a win over wrestling superstar Kyle Snyder in a freestyle bout. A good chance he’s at the top of the division in the coming years.

I think very highly of Zumso Zuraev (5-0). So good I think he’s already one of the best heavyweight prospects there is. He’s also one of the best under-the-radar prospects in MMA, period. He’s been a staple for ACA’s feeder promotion ACA Young Eagles. He’s a powerhouse in a division where he can muscle around guys much bigger than him.

Looking to gain traction

These fighters suffered recent losses in the last year or so. They are looking to build back some of the hype and momentum they had in the past.

Eduardo Neves (7-1-1) fought last season on the Contender Series and had a disappointing loss to Michael Parkin. He was winning that fight until he wasn’t and it’s a fight he wins 90% of the time. Neves has beaten four undefeated fighters and has experience in LFA. In fact, last March he won the vacant LFA title. He has another chance at a UFC contract this season on the Contender Series.

Azamat Nuftillaev (14-1-1) quietly had a 12-0-1 record when he came up short to Bellator’s Slim Trabelsi. That loss came last year and since he’s won his next/last two. In the past, he was a champion for Alash Pride FC, a promotion out of Kazakhstan. He’s looked promising since his loss to Trabelsi. The fighter from Nuftillaev has good experience even though it’s against lesser competition.

Hugo Cunha (7-1) was a top heavyweight prospect at one point. He was supposed to fight on the Contender Series in 2021 but it didn’t happen and that seemed to be a regular issue with Cunha keeping fights together. He was signed to ONE Championship and after a bad loss last year, he wasn’t invited back. He did rebound in his LFA debut last month where he looked good. He can regain that traction he once had if he remains active.

Thomas Petersen (7-1) was riding high in 2021 as he was undefeated and ended up winning the vacant LFA strap. He had a big setback to open 2022 losing his title to now-current UFC fighter Waldo Cortes-Acosta. Since that he’s won two in a row and is going to be fighting on the Contender Series this season. Peterson came into his MMA career with a background as a wrestler. He was a Minnesota State champion in high school and an NJCAA National champion at Iowa Central.

The post The State of MMA’s Heavyweight Prospects Worldwide appeared first on Cageside Press.

Bryan Barberena Interview (2:01)

Before we dig into UFC London, we’re sitting down with Bryan Barberena. We discuss farming and the new techniques he’s trying out on the Bam Fam Farm. He talks about being sustainable and avoiding pesticides. Also, we discuss MMA! Barberena has a fight coming up with Matt Brown. He shared his initial feelings on it being canceled the first time and how worried he was that it may not get re-booked. Plus, we dig into what he loves about the match-up most and how excited he is to get the full crowd feel again.

Fights, Dogs, and Parlays: UFC London (17:15)

**EDITOR’S NOTE: There were some technical difficulties in taping this session. We apologize for the reduced sound quality.

Gumby and Shockwave are riding a hot streak and you’re going to want to hop on board. After another solid week of picks last week, they’re on to UFC Vegas for the latest edition of ‘Fights, Dogs, and Parlays’. Who do they like in the heavyweight main event? What underdog do they have their eyes on? Who are they getting behind for their plus-money parlay? You’re going to have to listen to find out – but you knew that already, didn’t you? For this segment, odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Bruno Souza Interview (27:50)

To close out this week’s show, Gumby is joined by UFC featherweight Bruno Souza. They talk about his love for stand-up, but not the stand-up that you’re thinking of. We’re, of course, talking about stand-up comedy. Souza shares that he considered becoming a stand-up comic before being a fighter and why he ultimately didn’t go down that road. After all of that discussion, we get into the actual fight as well. Souza will be fighting Luis Saldana at UFC Columbus (one week after UFC London). He talks about what he likes about that fight and tries to get Gumby to stop talking about the fact that he’s also a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt.

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While he was still training at that same karate studio his parents had brought him too as a young child, Dana White stopped by. In that moment, Martinez could feel that something had changed in him and he somehow knew, this is what he’d be doing for a living one day.

“I think it finally hit me when I met Dana [White] – I was probably about twelve years old,” Martinez explained. “He came to our karate school. That’s where I originally started off in martial arts at four-years old.”

It wasn’t even anything the UFC president had said to him or anyone else there. It was simply the presence of something that felt right that led Martinez down the path to where he is today.

“I saw him live, in-person and I said this guy is going to be my future boss one day,” he recalled. “It kind of kicked me up to train a little bit harder and motivated me.”

While it wasn’t anything the boss-man said that got Martinez jacked up, Martinez does remember what he said to White. The twelve-year old called his shot, even all the way back then, although he did leave the door open for a little margin of error.

“He got a chance to say hi to everyone and I think he did have a little speech or something like that,” Martinez said. “But when it was my turn to take a picture with him, I clearly, clear as day, remember telling him I’m either going to be fighting for you one day or I’ll be playing for the New York Yankees.”

Of course, it doesn’t look like Martinez will be wearing pinstripes anytime soon. However, he is set to try to make it two straight UFC victories this weekend. Although that seems like a wild prediction for a twelve year old to make and now see come true, Martinez points out that fighting is in his blood, and this was always likely.

“I’m Filipino-Hawaiian, and Hispanic – that’s like the two best fighting bloods,” he laughed. “So, of course, it’s almost destined for me and meant for me to fight.”

Mana Martinez welcomes Ronnie Lawrence to the UFC this weekend as part of the early prelims of UFC 271. The prelims kick off at 6pm EST.

You can hear the entire audio of this interview at 30:51.

The post At 12, UFC 271’s Mana Martinez Told Dana He’d Be Fighting for Him 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. 

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Light heavyweight has always walked a fine line between being one of the UFC’s most prominent divisions — and at times, one of its thinnest. That may be a result of Jones cleaning out the division (and Daniel Cormier being dominant there as well), but the reality is, the weight class, like heavyweight, is forever in search of fresh faces.

With that, here’s our call for 10 light heavyweight prospects the UFC should recruit in 2022.

First up, here’s a look at last year’s list, featuring current UFC roster members Azamat Murzakanov and Jailton Junior joining the UFC in 2021.

Acacio dos Santos
Anton Turkalj
Azamat Murzakanov
Jailton Junior
Joshua DaSilveira
Kaloyan Kolev
Laurynas Urbonavicius
Marhin Hamlet Nielsen
Muslim Magomedov
Nasrudin Nasrudinov

Be sure to check out our previous instalments of this series:

10 Heavyweight Prospects the UFC Should Sign in 2022

The post 10 Light Heavyweight Prospects the UFC Should Sign in 2022 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Lightweight, Nick Fiore (3-0)

Fiore is a member of the New England Cartel training with the likes of former UFC fighters Rob Font and Calvin Kattar. Alongside MMA Fiore often competes in various jiu-jitsu competitions. Jiu-jitsu competitions where Fiore finds a lot of success.

Looking back to his only loss, which was an amateur, the setback came from a slam knockout. Nothing where he was knocked out clean but just a freak thing that happened. As an amateur, Fiore won the Combat Zone featherweight title and today he competes at lightweight/catchweight. Two of his three pro wins come against journeyman Jay Ellis whose record today is 16-102. Not the best combined record of his opponents but is at least beating much more experienced fighters.

I’m not certain what my expectations are on Fiore. He’s a really good jiu-jitsu guy but his stand-up, in general, is questionable. Even his wrestling I’m not sure of. He’s really good at getting the fight down from the clinch but in space, it’s still a question mark. With all that said I’m not saying his striking is bad or even his defense. He usually takes his opponents down so quickly you never see his stand-up. Grappling on the other hand with what he’s shown so far is superb. Going from takedowns to dominant positions so quickly is impressive. He scrambles really well and will attack submission to submission. Fiore will actively throw ground and pound to get the eventual stoppage or soften up his opponent. It’s tough to determine even how good his grappling is beating the low-level opponents he’s beat. Overall I just have to see much more.

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Luckily for ‘Ugly Man Joe’, White had a time and place in mind. Fury FC 53 was slotted for Texas roughly a month later and would be the host to Dana White’s Looking for a Fight. Holmes hopped on that card and was booked with another Contender Series alumni in Jhonoven Pati. In the early parts of that fight, he faced a pretty brutal obstacle.

“That was probably one of the worst shots I have ever taken to my private area,” Holmes said. “It wasn’t even just my nuts. It was like all of the actual thing.”

Taking the worst shot of his life to his downstairs was just the beginning for ‘Ugly Man Joe’. Not only was he facing a physical obstacle, but having just seen someone go through a similar event, he faced the mental side of things as well.

“I had just watched those fights from the week before and [Marc] Diakiese actually got knocked out after a nasty nut shot that he took,” he said. “So the entire time it was going through my head – I just can’t be like him.”

While is wasn’t easy, Holmes got back up and finished the fight in spectacular fashion. A first round knockout of Pati put Holmes in a place where he knew the contract was finally coming his way. When the UFC’s brass did reach out with it, he used the light heavyweight’s most vulnerable moment as part of the reasoning.

“[Dana] look at me and was like ‘Holmes, you came through a gnarly nut shot to come in here and do a spectacular knockout,” Holmes recalled. “Man, welcome to the UFC.”

Although he knew it was coming, it didn’t make it any less special for him. Just hearing those words brought a lot of memories back and helped him feel like it’s all been worth it.

“I melted,” Holmes said. “This is that one moment that, not only me, but every person that’s dedicated just as much as I’ve dedicated to the sport is waiting for. They’re just waiting for that one opportunity to get to the highest level and make some life changing money.”

Holmes has not yet been booked for his debut, but hopes it will come sometime in the New Year after a well-deserved holiday. We’ll keep our eyes peeled for any news of that front.

You can catch the entire audio of this interview at 2:02.

The post Ugly Man Joe Recounts Brutal Low Blow, Good News appeared first on Cageside Press.

Joseph Holmes Interview (2:02)

To kick off this episode, Gumby is sitting down with Joseph Holmes fresh off of his Fury FC 53 win over Jhonoven Pati. He discusses the roller coaster ride that was the last few months. From winning on The Contender Series, to being asked to fight again on Dana White’s Looking for a Fight – Holmes digs into the path that got him his UFC contract. Plus, he discusses taking a nut shot mid-fight and how James Krause helped him through it. And if that wasn’t enough to get you listening, you’ll also get to hear the origins of the Ugly Man Joe nickname and how the UFC media team wasn’t so sure about it.

Giving Thanks for MMA (20:25)

There’s no UFC this week, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t thankful for everything the sport had brought us recently. So Gumby and Shockwave are giving you their lists of things they are thankful for in the MMA world. Grab a turkey leg, pass the cranberry sauce and sit down for a sappy list of the things that make us feel warm and fuzzy in the world of face punching.

Trey Ogden Interview (36:54)

The episode ends this week with another James Krause disciple. Trey Ogden has been referred to as one of the OGs of Glory MMA and Fitness. He now runs a satellite school of the Krause owned headquarters. In addition to that, he also picked up win at Fury FC 53. In addition to that, much like Ugly Man Joe, he also got that elusive UFC contract. He discussed the mentality of fighting in front of Dana White as well as the moment that the contract got offered to him. He also shared the pearls of wisdom and mind set that James Krause has helped him have throughout his MMA career.

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In fact, Garcia only vaguely remembers seeing MMA for the first time. What he does remember, is not caring for it.

“I’m going to be real with you – the first time I ever saw an MMA fight, I thought those guys were stupid,” Garcia admitted. “It was one of the most bloody fights that I have ever seen.”

The details to that first fight are a little foggy to him. He has some suspicions based on the fact that it was a bloody fight, but he doesn’t recall all of the details.

“It was probably a Diego Sanchez fight, but I have no idea,” he said. “It might have been a UFC fight, it could have been a Dream fight or something – I’m not sure.”

So, how did a guy who thought MMA was stupid, not only come around to MMA as a sport, but reach it’s highest level? It started, like a lot of other fighters, with self-defense.

“I’ve always been a ballplayer. I like playing baseball, so baseball was always kind of my realm,” he shared. “I got into some issues growing up, in high school. I talked to my dad about how to protect myself, and maybe we can get me to a boxing gym – because MMA wasn’t big at the time.”

However, there wasn’t a place around him that fit what he was looking for. Instead, thanks to a chance encounter between his dad and an old friend, Garcia wound up at an MMA gym. The result, was something he just couldn’t get enough of.

“The first thing he showed me was a rear naked choke and I was landing it on people not knowing anything else but that choke,” Garcia said. “I was just like ‘man, this is so cool.”

That ‘cool’ feeling didn’t pass. As he learned more and more about the sport, he began to love it and need to be a part of it. It also helped that it was so different from his original love – it felt like he was getting into athletics all over again in a completely new way.

“It grew into a passion. There was so much fun and it challenged me in a whole different way,” he said. “I’ve always been a part of team sports and I like the idea of being reliant on myself.”

Garcia will once again be reliant on himself at UFC Vegas 39 where he takes on Charlie Ontiveros. That bout will take place as part of the ESPN+ prelims starting at 1pm EST.

You can hear the entire audio of this interview at 2:11.

The post UFC Vegas 39’s Steve Garcia Thought MMA Was Stupid appeared first on Cageside Press.