Monday evening — just as the spooky season was in full swing — UFC Roster Watch, an automated service which monitors changes to the UFC’s athlete database, noticed that nine fighters had been removed from the roster. Those fighters include a pair of Canadians in Jesse Ronson and Misha Cirkunov, as well as Diaz bros. team member Nick Maximov, who had been considered a promising prospect after entering the promotion via the Contender Series.

Cageside Press was able to verify several of the names let go from the promotion; the full list of fighters removed are as follows:

• Jason Witt
• Darian Weeks
• Cameron VanCamp
• Jesse Ronson
• Charlie Ontiveros
• Magomed Mustafaev
• Nick Maximov
• Louis Cosce
• Misha Cirkunov

While the names are no longer on the UFC roster, that does not necessarily mean they’ve been cut outright. Earlier on Monday, for example, Jason Witt (19-9) announced his retirement from MMA. Witt (19-9), who fought for the UFC on six occasions, broke the news on social media.

“I am closing this chapter of my life, but I’m very excited for what the future holds,” he wrote in his farewell message.

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Louis Cosce (7-2), who won his way into the promotion alongside brother Orion on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020, went 0-2 in the company, with a lengthy stint on the sidelines between fights.

Charlie Ontiveros (11-9) went 0-3 for the company, and may be best known for the scary neck injury he endured in his fight with Kevin Holland, which ended in a slam in March of 2020.

Cameron VanCamp (15-7-1) and Darian Weeks (5-3) were also winless inside the octagon, going 0-2 and 0-3, respectively. Canadian vet Jesse Ronson (21-12, 1NC) saw his only win under the UFC banner overturned due to a failed drug test, leaving him with an 0-2 (1NC) record.

Misha Cirkunov (15-9) started his UFC run on a tear, and seemed to be working his way up the light heavyweight division care of four straight wins. But as quickly as his success had blossomed, a contract dispute followed by some tough match-ups knocked him back down. Back-to-back losses to Glover Teixeira and Volkan Oezdemir halted his progress; after that, Cirkunov would post a 2-5 record between the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions.

Most recently, Cirkunov fell to Alonzo Menifield in his return to 205lbs.

Nick Maximov, who trains with the Diaz brothers, fought at heavyweight on the Contender Series, and middleweight in the UFC. He went 2-2 across four fights, losing his last two.

Magomed Mustafaev may be the most curious case of the nine names removed on Monday. Joining the UFC in 2015, he had fought just five times by 2020, going 3-2 including a win over Rafael Fiziev. Missing the last couple of years, he had been expected to return against Yamato Nishikawa at UFC 280, but the fight fell through. Though initially reported to be due to contractual issues with Nishikawa, the Japanese fighter later denied those reports.

Now, it appears Mustafaev is out as well.

The post Halloween Horror! Nine More Fighters Removed from UFC Roster appeared first on Cageside Press.

With two grapplers squaring off, it was a fist-fight early in the preliminary card bout.

Maximov found success from the outset, rocking Malkoun, who dropped to his knees and bailed out of a bad spot by grabbing a leg. They’d settle down a bit after that, with Malkoun leading, Maximov moving and countering, working his jab. Near the midway mark of the round, Malkoun changed levels for a takedown, briefly putting Maximov on his back. That wouldn’t last, but he kept the pressure up with a body lock, landing a mat return, then dragging Maximov down again moments later. Maximov was warned for a blatant fence grab, and was soon back on his feet.

Malkoun was walking Maximov down in the final two minutes of the opening frame, landing a number of strikes. Maximov fanned on a haymaker, and Malkoun continued to connect up top at a more measured pace. Another brief takedown was landed by Malkoun in the final minute; Maximov appeared labored, but landed a left hook in the dying seconds of the round that seemed to get Malkoun’s attention.

Between rounds, Maximov appeared to indicate an issue with his right leg, and had ice applied to his knee. Once action got back underway, Maximov jabbed to the body, while Malkoun closed the distance to land another takedown. This time, Maximov accepted the position, closing his guard with over four minutes still on the clock. Maximov worked from his back while eating punches to the body; he spent a good deal of time there, but with just under two minutes remaining it was back to the feet. Either way, Maximov was losing the fight in both positions thanks to his compromised leg, which was clearly hampering his movement.

Malkoun, meanwhile, landed a hard right hand, ripped the body, and fired a jab. Maximov continued to circle along the fence, Malkoun simply stalking him. Another heavy right hand landed to the body for Malkoun.

Entering the third round, there was real question as to whether Nick Maximov could continue. The cageside physician appeared to have the same question, but Maximov got a chance to fight on. Malkoun, meanwhile, immediately landed a takedown. Maximov, in answer, pulled his leg high across Malkoun’s neck, perhaps setting up a triangle, while he kicked the back with his other leg — drawing a warning as the heel landed near the spine. The pair would then return to the feet, with Maximov firing a kick with the injured leg. He then grabbed an arm, but Malkoun broke free; Maximov landed a left-right combo after that.

At the midway mark of the third, Malkoun landed another takedown. Maximov trapped a leg, but Malkoun was undeterred, landing several elbows. Maximov regained full guard, but between the sweat, an injured leg, and an active Jacob Malkoun on top of him, Maximov couldn’t find a submission off his back. With just over a minute to go, he returned to the feet, landing a couple of times before being taken back down once again. They’d ride out the round there, and there was no question as to the winner.

Official Result: Jacob Malkoun def. Nick Maximov by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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Maximov (8-1) suffered the first loss of his career in May when he lost to Andre Petroski. Prior to that he had rattled off 8 straight wins including one on Dana White’s Contender Series and two in the UFC octagon.

The loss however hasn’t really been dealt with just yet.

“I would say I still haven’t even dealt with it in a way. It kind of feels not even real and sh*t still. It was a hard thing to swallow and I hopefully can never have that happen again. That’s probably (the loss) the worst possible outcome ever so I think anything from here on out is going to be a lot better,” Maximov told Cageside Press among other media on Wednesday.

“I was f*cking pissed and upset. I was just disappointed because I didn’t get a chance to show anything and do what I gotta do. That’s what I think was really upsetting.”

After the loss Maximov took some time to find a mental reset of sorts including traveling to Montana to train with Kron Gracie who has been a staple of Nate Diaz’s training camps for years.

And then came UFC 279.

“Crazy man, that was crazy. Nate’s a G forever. I think the way Khamzat (Chimaev) approached that sh*t showed his true colors. That’s some b*tch made sh*t. I don’t care what you do at the end of your career or whatever bro, you can’t be doing sh*t like that you know? And props to Tony (Ferguson) for stepping up too,” Maximov said.

“Taking a fight with Nate Diaz on one day’s notice is not easy.”

After Chimaev missed weight at UFC 279 the top three fights on the main card where shuffled. Diaz took on Ferguson in the main event and Chimaev was set up against Kevin Holland in the co-main event.

“That was a great ending. Like a storybook ending really. I don’t think it’d happen to anyone else but Nate. It was cool. I would say though that we always have crazy sh*t happen to us all the time so it wasn’t like….we were not even that trippin on it, but everyone else was. The whole press conference getting canceled and stuff. I thought it was an over exaggeration and everything, but who knows,” he said.

Opposite Maximov in the octagon will be Jacob Malkoun who himself is also coming off a loss.

“I think he’s good. I think he’s solid everywhere he comes from a really good camp. It’s a tough fight, but every fight’s a tough fight. He’s definitely better than my last few opponents, than my last guy but I don’t even want to diss him like that, but he’s really well rounded. He’s definitely I think could be a top ranked guy one day,” Maximov said.

Even with a win at UFC Vegas 62 the loss to Petroski still hangs heavy on Maximov.

“That’s gonna burn forever man, and I would like to get that back one day, but I gotta work my way up. Props to him, but I’ve got to do my thing too.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Nick Maximov above. Maximov takes on Jacob Malkoun at UFC Vegas 62 on Saturday October 15th at the UFC APEX.

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Maximov (8-0) was 2-0 in the UFC after earning a contract through Dana White’s Contender Series in Nov. 2020. Since then he’s used a wrestling-heavy style to grind out wins against Cody Brundage and Punahele Soriano.

Petroski (7-1) was also 2-0 in the UFC stopping both Michael Gilmore and Yaozong Hu in 2021.

Plenty of trash talk between the two leading up to Saturday night’s fight and they settled it in the octagon.

Petroski ran right at Maximov to begin the fight and implemented a striking attack that was a bit wild to start. Maximov was the first to shoot for a takedown, but Petroski was able to counter it with his own takedown that turned into a front head lock.

Slowly, Petroski locked in an anaconda choke that put Maximov to sleep and ended his undefeated streak.

ARE YOU WATCHING!?!?!?

👊 @PetroskiAndre wasting no time at #UFCVegas54! pic.twitter.com/Irrj9hJsRL

— UFC (@ufc) May 14, 2022

Following his third victory inside the confines of the UFC, Petroski called out Gerald Meerschaert for a date at UFC 275 next month.

Official Result: Andre Petroski def. Nick Maximov via submission (anaconda choke) R1 1:16.

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Maximov (8-0) took no time to shoot down the notion that Petroski asked to fight him.

“No, that’s cap. That’s a lie. I actually tried to fight him in LFA a year-and-a-half ago, he didn’t want it. Him and Tresean Gore, the same two people, because I’ve been trying to fight them last two years since COVID. Neither one of them wanted to fight because both of them had COVID during that same time frame. Yeah I’ve been wanting it,” Maximov told reporters on Wednesday.

Petroski (7-1-) has collegiate wrestling experience and has said he’s a better wrestler than Maximov which made the California native smile.

“Oh we’ll see. Everyone says something and then Saturday rolls around and they’ve got a different answer for it. So we’ll see,” he said.

Looking ahead to Saturday night Maximov looks at this bout as his chance to shut Petroski up.

“I think it’s a finish. I think it’s a UFC fighter versus a regional fighter. He was trying to dog on the people I’ve fought and all of them have winning records. The two dudes he’s fought in the UFC aren’t even here no more. Then before that he was still fighting people with negative records, and losing to people with negative records. I’m like, how are you trying to diss me when I’m fighting the top prospects already,” Maximov said.

“You know what I’m saying? I think he’s just kind of delusional and I think it’s going to show.”

Based off Maximov’s last fight many fans felt he isn’t the most exciting fighter on the roster, some going as far as to call him boring.

“Oh it’s hilarious dude, I troll people too. I don’t troll people, but sometimes I do if I’m bored. Like this week I was doing it because you’ve got nothing to do all week. So I’m just like talking back, whatever. I don’t really care man. I got 11 takedowns last fight. I can see how for some people it might be boring, but I think it was just a strategical performance in that sense,” Maximov said.

“In my opinion I broke the record because I only had 3 rounds to do it and I think the other guy had 5. I don’t really think too much into it.”

One viral video showed teammate Nate Diaz and Maximov talking about Khamzat Chimaev.

“I’m down to fight Khamzat. I’m for real about that. Nate was still talking and I was just looking at him and for some reason the camera pointed at me. I was like ‘What the f*ck?’ It happens I guess,” Maximov said.

“Yeah I’m down to fight that fool though. I don’t know why everyone’s trippin’ so hard. I mean he’s a good fighter. Everyone in the UFC is good though. So I’m down with it.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 54 Media Day appearance by Nick Maximov above. More coverage from the event can be found at CagesidePress.com

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The UFC middleweight, a perfect 8-0 thus far in his mixed martial arts career, is expected to face TUF 29 alum Andre Petroski (7-1) at the promotion’s May 14, 2022 event.

Iridium Sports Agency, who manage Petroski, announced the news Monday. Petroski later confirmed the booking on social media. He also took a little jab at Maximov’s mentors, writing “talk heavy, walk heavy” before adding the tag “#StocktonSoft” to the post.

After winning his way into the UFC on Dana White’s Contender Series in a heavyweight bout, Maximov dropped back to his natural middleweight, and has won his first two fights out of the gate. Most recently, he picked up a split decision win in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 47 against Punahele Soriano.

Petroski has also won his first two bouts inside the octagon. After debuting with a win over fellow Ultimate Fighter 29 alum Michael Gillmore, he submitted Hu Yaozong in his last outing.

The UFC’s May 14, 2022 Fight Night event does not yet have a broadcast plan, venue, or location officially announced. The following bouts have been reported for the date:

• Lauren Murphy vs. Miesha Tate
• Viviane Araújo vs. Andrea Lee
• Frank Camacho vs. Manuel Torres
• Daniel Pineda vs. Jamall Emmers
• Angela Hill vs. Virna Jandiroba
• Nick Maximov vs. Andre Petroski

The post UFC: Nick Maximov vs. Andre Petroski Lined up for May 14 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Sean Strickland

Sean Strickland continues to roll at middleweight. Since his life-altering motorcycle accident in 2018, Strickland is undefeated and is going to crack the top five in the middleweight rankings. If Strickland went out there and finished Jack Hermansson, there could be an argument that he should get a title shot; unfortunately, it wasn’t a super impressive performance. With that being said, his next fight should be a No. 1 contender fight. He should fight the loser of Derek Brunson vs. Jared Cannonier, which goes down this Saturday at UFC 271.

Strickland’s next fight: Loser of Derek Brunson vs. Jared Cannonier

Nick Maximov

Nick Maximov picked up a huge win on Saturday by handing Punahele Soriano his second consecutive loss. While it wasn’t the most exciting win, a win is a win nonetheless. It is clear that the UFC likes Maximov, because they put him in the co-main event, and it all boils down to his connection with the Diaz brothers. Maximov is still only 24-years old, but I wouldn’t be shocked if the UFC put him up against another top prospect. A match-up against another elite grappler like Gerald Meerschaert makes sense and would be fun to watch.

Maximov’s next fight: Gerald Meerschaert

Shavkat Rakhmonov

Yep, you better be all aboard the Shavkat Rakhmonov train because he is for real. He made easy work of Carlston Harris on Saturday to continue his 100% finish rate and keep his perfect record intact. He, without a doubt, deserves a top 15 opponent next; the question is who? Two names stick out to me — Geoff Neal and Michael Chiesa. I’m leaning more towards Neal as his power and striking could be a great next test for the “Nomad.”

Rakhmonov’s next fight: Geoff Neal

Brendan Allen

Brendan Allen got back into the win column, up a weight division against an always tough Sam Alvey. Allen said he has no plans to stay at 205, so back to middleweight he goes. The 26-year old had an awesome 2021, only for it to be derailed in December when he was knocked out by Chris Curtis, which definitely set him back. However, Allen is undoubtedly still one of the brightest prospects in the middleweight division. A rematch with Eryk Anders later in the year would be a great idea for him. Anders defeated Allen in LFA back in 2017.

Allen’s next fight: Eryk Anders

Bryan Battle

The original Ultimate Fighter finale finally went down, and Bryan Battle came out on top as he defeated Tresean Gore via unanimous decision. Battle is now 2-0 in the UFC. For his next fight, he should fight a tough veteran like Jun Yong Park to see where he stacks up. Park is coming off a knockout loss to Gregory Rodrigues.

Battle’s next fight: Jun Yong Park

Julian Erosa

Julian Erosa’s call out of Steven Peterson paid off as he defeated him via split decision in what was an absolute banger of a fight. Erosa was awarded Fight of the Night and nabbed an extra $50,000 because Peterson missed weight. Erosa has been on a roll since returning to the promotion after being cut and is must-watch television. Erosa is climbing the division and is getting close to a top 15 match-up. He should fight Hakeem Dawodu next. Dawodu also picked up a win Saturday, and matching the pair up would be absolute fireworks.

Erosa’s next fight: Hakeem Dawodu

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That may be a statement as to where the UFC sees the middleweight prospect in terms of his development. Just as likely, they know he has that Diaz rub — Maximov trains with Nick and Nate Diaz, and has been billed as a protege of the Stockton brothers.

Through three rounds of a grinding affair on Saturday, Maximov at times fought like a Diaz, but for the most part, it was his wrestling that got the job done against Punahele Soriano.

Asked how the massive Soriano felt in the cage, Maximov told media outlets post-fight that “he felt good, but I was expecting a little more. I just train with killers all the time, so it’s like, I just always expect people to be at where Nate and Nick are, Randy [Spence], Lucas [Gamaza], all those guys. They’re all killers.”

As for Soriano’s wrestling defense, which looked good in the early going of the fight, “it was alright,” Maximov opined post-fight. “It was cool. I got a lot of takedowns, so I’ll just let that speak for itself.”

A lot of takesdowns actually turned out to be a middleweight single-fight record — 11, tying Maximov with Marvin Vettori. An impressive feat in just his second fight, but Maximov isn’t getting too caught up in the achievement. “Yeah it’s cool, [but] it’s just another number. We’re going to keep racking ’em up.”

Maximov did take credit for what appeared to be Punahele Soriano’s knee giving out in the third round. “I did that. I was kicking his knee, I was kneeing his knee on the cage,” he noted. “If you go watch, when I kneed his knee, he kept saying something. I kicked his knee, I was kneeing his knee, so I think that was all me.”

If there was anything negative to be said overall, it was perhaps the bout ending in a split decision. “I’m always trying to get the finish and get the kill, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do,” observed Maximov.

As for what’s next, the Nick Diaz Academy fighter is hoping to fight again soon. “It’s like a race against time right now. I want to keep going, and be at the top as soon as possible.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 47 post-fight press conference with Nick Maximov above. More coverage from the event can be found below.

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Nick Maximov, frankly, was an athlete not intimidated by any opponent. And in his first co-main event — arriving in just his second UFC fight, at UFC Vegas 47 on Saturday — Maximov was paired up with the always intimidating Punahele Soriano.

Maximov vs. Soriano started out Saturday as something of a wrestling match. They didn’t stay down too long; back on the feet, Maximov landed a kick to the shoulder, but then ate a Soriano knee. Maximov answered with a takedown attempt that was stuffed, but transitioned to the back and climbed onto Soriano while the Hawaiian was still standing.

From there, Soriano had to carry Maximov’s weight; he wisely used to fence to help carry some of the load. Maximov, however, had ample time to work on a choke, though he ultimately slid off. Maximov then went right back to a takedown attempt, taking Soriano’s feet out from under him. When Soriano got back up, Maximov got him down, but Soriano showed some decent defense, pulled free, and landed a few hammer fists as Maximov clung to a leg.

That closed out the round. The second opened with a fun scramble on the ground, both men holding their own through several transitions on the mat. Back on the feet, Soriano took some big swings, which forced Maximov back to takedown mode. Maximov, who had taken some damage in the first, was bleeding, but once again managed to take the back. He couldn’t climb Soriano this time, however. Instead, they traded, with a Soriano body shot forcing Maximov into takedown mode once again. Soriano was able to defend just enough to keep Maximov from doing much more than controlling the position. Little to no damage ensued.

Maximov finished the round with a body lock, controlling from the back, firing a knee. He then took Soriano down at the clapper, with Soriano popping back up just as the buzzer sounded.

Nick Maximov immediately shot for a takedown, and landed it, to open round three. A sequence that appeared to hurt Soriano, potentially causing a leg injury. Punahele scooted back to the fence, but Maximov trapped a leg and peppered him with short punches. Maximov fired a knee as Soriano climbed back up; Maximov would later hoist Soriano up — not an easy feat — and dump him back down. Soriano appeared to struggle to make it back to his feet far more in the third, that apparent leg injury the likely culprit. The first four minutes were essentially all Maximov, with Soriano’s only offense a few elbows. Then, entering the final minute, Soriano fired a few hammer fists while Maximov worked on yet another takedown.

Those were a little too late to win back the round for Punahele Soriano. And it wasn’t enough to win him the fight, which ended in a split decision.

Official Result: Nick Maximov def. Punahele Soriano by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)

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Growing up in Chico, California, Maximov had an active childhood, participating in a number of sports. He eventually traded one sport for another, but was always an athlete, whether it be in baseball, football, karate, wrestling, or BJJ.

“I played baseball my whole life, but I eventually got bored,” Maximov told Cageside Press in an exclusive interview ahead of UFC Vegas 47, which marks his first bout of 2022. “I remember watching a Bruce Lee marathon, and then I started watching Jackie Chan, which made me want to do karate. I started doing karate in like the sixth or seventh grade, and then I quit because I was kind of just over it. Basically, I was going to ditch baseball, but I was still playing football.”

Maximov played football all four years in high school and even contemplated going to college to play. He also wrestled in high school. In the end, he wound up wrestling at Clackamas Community College in Oregan City, Oregan, because he knew he wanted to fight. “I just knew I was going to fight, so I figured wrestling in college would help in the long run,” Maximov said.

The 24-year old also trained in jiu-jitsu full time in high school and boxed to help with his stand-up. While in high school, he started training at the Nick Diaz Academy in Stockton, California.

Maximov got linked up with the Diaz brothers through Randy Spence, one of the trainers at the Stockton academy, who is also one of Nate Diaz’s primary coaches. Spence, who is now Maximov’s head instructor, worked with Maximov’s dad in the early 2000’s, and when Maximov was competing in tournaments around 2011 and 2012, Spence told him to come train at the Nick Diaz Academy. The rest is history, as he has been training there ever since.

The first time Maximov went to the infamous academy, he was a freshman in high school, and he recalls it being a very intimidating day.

“It was crazy. It’s a no-joke gym and academy. It was super intimidating, especially because I was so young. I’d be lying to say I wasn’t very nervous because it is the cream of the crop,” Maximov said. “If you train and you’re good, you got nothing to be worried about. They’ll be cool if you’re about it and about that lifestyle, but if not, if you’re just here just to get a picture and stuff, it’s like, you’re going to be treated as such. It’s different. When you’re fighting with them on a daily basis that’s when you get nervous.”

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In 2018, Maximov became the Diaz brother’s training partner, and they became his.

“It goes both ways. We all both help each other, but we got a bunch of good guys right now. We got Lucas, who’s great, you know, Rudy, Big Mike, Mikey, Chris. I mean, the list goes on and on. We’re stacked and only getting stronger,” Maximov said.

In 2020, Maximov got his big break by competing on season four of Dana White’s Contender Series. It was a strange one, however. On relatively short notice, he fought up two weight classes at heavyweight against Oscar Cota. He didn’t care.

“You don’t get a whole lot of opportunities fighting in the UFC or in life, so it’s one of those things where it’s like do or die,” Maximov explained. “I was fighting a good power puncher, you know, southpaw guy. I decided to fight a heavyweight with 4oz gloves. There wasn’t much more to be scared of after that. Do you know what I’m saying? That’s one of those things. It’s kind of like, you know, face your fears. It was like that. Kind of like that saying, ‘when you’re scared the most to jump, that’s when you jump.’ Well, I jumped.”

“I remember his one of his punches landed on me from the bottom. I was like, that thing hurt; why would you want to stand with a guy like that? He was a full-on 300 pounder, and when his jab landed, I felt it. So, I took his ass down and won.”

Maximov won a unanimous decision but was not awarded a contract. Instead, UFC President Dana White offered him a spot on season 29 of The Ultimate Fighter. He passed.

“I talked to Nate about it, and we chose to ride it out. And I think, you know, it obviously paid off. I just didn’t want to be in a house with a bunch of dudes like that. I mean, it’s just it just seemed kind of weird for sure. Plus, all the dudes were all lame. The coaches were okay. I don’t know. Brian Ortega is cool, but they’re kind of not my style. The only thing that was kind of appealing was being on TV, but even that was lame. Couldn’t we get some girls or something? It is what it is, though,” Maximov said.

While he was waiting for his next MMA fight, Maximov went back to competitive grappling, competing for Submission Underground for times. Maximov was going to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series again for season five but instead got called directly to the main roster.

“It was crazy. They offered me to fight Cody Brundage in June, and then I accepted the fight for October, which was f*cking annoying. I hate when they do that. Then Karl Roberson needed an opponent for UFC 266, and I stepped in. For whatever reason, Roberson pulled out, and then Cody stepped up, which was a much tougher opponent. I basically fought him on a week’s notice,” Maximov. “I was hesitant of the opponent switch because I didn’t prepare for a style. This is a whole different match-up that you’re trying to offer me. But you know, we didn’t come this far not to fight, so we took it. And then the rest is history.”

Maximov won his UFC debut via unanimous decision, which of course, was a huge accomplishment and something that he is very proud of, but something else happened that night. Nick Diaz fought, and for Maximov, that was a bucket list memory.

“Fighting on the same card as Nick was something that I didn’t think would happen. It just wasn’t in the cards. I can take it off the bucket list type thing. I fought on the same card as Nick, and I trained with him; it’s something you would see in a book,” Maximov said. “Hopefully, the next one will be fighting on the same card at Nate. It has to happen. Time will tell.”

Maximov faces Puna Soriano next at UFC Vegas 47 in the co-main event. While many might see this as the classic grappler vs. striker match-up, the Stockon product doesn’t see it that way. He does like the match-up, though.

“I liked the match-up as soon as I looked up who it was. I think I’ll finish him, but I don’t like predicting fights or gameplans, you know? I just go with the flow in there. A fight is a fight. The only thing I have to watch out for is his power, but everyone has power. I fought some dude who was 300 pounds and spar pro boxers; I’ve felt power. People will see what’s up,” Maximov said.

The 24-year old sees all of the trolls that say he is just a grappler, but it doesn’t bother him.

“Yeah, it doesn’t matter to me. I don’t really care. I think it’s all funny, and I think people who talk sh*t online are funny. I got a joke out of it. I’ll usually just like smoke a joint and start reading it all and just crack up here. People take it to heart and take it personally. I really don’t care what people say, think, or do,” Maximov said.

“When you grow up around Nick and Nate, outside sh*t just doesn’t get to you. We are more honest with each other than anyone online will ever be, and that is what matters. Nate has got his jokes, and we talk shit all day, but no one takes it to heart.”

While Maximov will be tied to the Diaz brothers for a while, he doesn’t mind it. He thinks it is an honor. Of course, he plans on making his own name in the sport of MMA, but for the time being, whether it be a ‘Diaz Protege’ or the ‘Third Diaz Brother,’ it’s all cool.

“It’s all good. I’d rather be their protege than like Karamu Usman’s protege. I’d much rather be Nick and Nate’s protege than Khabib’s protege or whatever. No disrespect to them as fighters or whatever but Nick and Nate are really cool people.”

“I’m trying to carry the Diaz lineage and everything with me for as long as I fight.”

Nick Maximov faces Punahele Soriano in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 47 this Saturday, February 5, 2022 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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