Former professional kickboxer Ulberg came into the match-up on the back of a two-fight winning streak, including a seventy-five second KO in his last fight, after dropping his UFC debut despite earning ‘Fight of the Night’ honors for it.

Ulberg looked to get the New Zealand based camp off to a hot start in preparation for his three teammates’ bouts, but it was going to be no small task to get past Negumereanu. The Romanian is a well-rounded mixed martial artist with a chin and cardio for days. These traits allow him to survive when the going gets rough and he has won his last four fights as a result. Two aggressive, pacey men who spend most of their time on the feet seemed likely to start the night off with a banger.

Negumereanu gained the front foot early on as the light heavyweight pair felt each other out by trading leg kicks, but Ulberg landed the better of those by far. Ulberg circled the cage and Negumereanu taunted him for it early on. The reason for that showed soon as Nicolae was unable to track his opponent down and cut the cage to corner him.

Soon, Negumereanu’s leg began to show signs of weakness after only a handful of calf kicks, and Ulberg’s constant movement did not help his case. Negumereanu was getting frustrated but all of a sudden Ulberg threw a lead hook off of the jab that dropped his opponent as he sprung forward, right into those punches. Negumereanu tried to regain his footing but follow up strikes from Carlos Ulberg put him asleep, face-first on the mat, and it took almost a minute before the medical staff could get him up and put him on the stool. Ulberg had obliterated a man inside of a round with only a handful of perfectly placed strikes and achieved his biggest win to date.

THE BLACK JAG STRIKES AGAIN @UlbergCarlos kicks off #UFC281 with a BANG 💥 pic.twitter.com/0KMlf2Caib

— UFC (@ufc) November 12, 2022

Official Result: Carlos Ulberg def. Nicolae Negumereanu by KO, Round 1, 3:44

The post UFC 281: Carlos Ulberg Sleeps Nicolae Negumereanu In First Round appeared first on Cageside Press.

The pair had originally been booked at UFC 272 back in March, only for Potieria to be forced out of the bout. Going into the fight, the consensus was split as Negumereanu clearly had the experience over a higher caliber of opponent, but Potieria’s 15 fight winning streak could simply not be looked past.

Round one began with Potieria taking the centre and exchanging not only a few low kicks but some choice words with Nicolae. Not so long after, Negumereanu attempted a short single leg takedown, pushing Ihor against the cage and subsequently controlling there for the first few minutes of the round. Whilst controlling the clinch, “Nicu” unleashed some viscous short hooks to make the “Duelist” aware his wrestling isn’t the only thing he need worry about.

Halfway into the round, Negumereanu’s clinch control paid dividends as he managed to score his first takedown of the night, comfortably throwing in some top shots whilst in Ihor’s guard. The Ukrainian managed to get back to his feet but only momentarily as shortly after, Negumereanu caught the leg of Ihor and dumped him back to the ground.

The second round began with Negumereanu roaring at the beginning of the round with Ihor looking the more gassed of the two. Potieria started the round better than the first five and began landing some low kicks and nice left crosses. Round two played out much differently than the first as Negumereanu decided to stand and trade with Ihor for the first half, instead of going back to his trusty wrestling.

After a couple of beautiful knee’s in the clinch followed by a barrage of heavy punches against the cage, Negumereanu managed to end Potieria’s 15 fight winning streak, making it four straight wins for himself. With Potieria under fire, the ref called the fight while he was still standing — but the Ukrainian immediately slumped to the canvas when the bout was called.

What a PHENOMENAL performance by Nicolae Negumereanu 👏 #UFC277 pic.twitter.com/iJO7ljX4Lz

— UFC (@ufc) July 30, 2022

Official Result: Nicolae Negumereanu def. Ihor Potieria by TKO, Round 2, 3:33

The post UFC 277: Nicolae Negumereanu Overwhelms Ihor Potieria appeared first on Cageside Press.

Multiple sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, have confirmed to Cageside Press that Alonzo Menifield will fight Nicolae Negumereanu on June 4 at UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik.

Menifield (11-3) will make his first appearance in 2022 when he enters the octagon in June. He had a two-fight win streak snapped when he lost a very close unanimous decision to William Knight in his last outing. Prior to that, he defeated UFC veteran Ed Herman at UFC 265 and choked out Fabio Cherant. Menifield will join Fortis MMA teammate Damon Jackson on the June 4 card.

Negumereanu (12-1) has been on a roll since losing his UFC debut, winning three straight. He defeated both Aleksa Camur and Ike Villanueva in 2021. In his most recent outing, Negumereanu defeated Menifield’s teammate Kennedy Nzechukwu via a very close split decision.

The UFC’s June 4, 2022 event does not yet have an official location, venue, or broadcast plan announced. The card currently looks like this:

• Alexander Volkov vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
• Dan Ige vs. Movsar Evloev
• Erin Blanchfield vs. JJ Aldrich
• Zhalgas Zhumagulov vs. Jeff Molina
• Joaquin Buckley vs. Abusupiyan Magomedov
• Poliana Botelho vs. Karine Silva
• Zarrukh Adashev vs. Ode Osbourne
• Andreas Michailidis vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov
• Damon Jackson vs. Darrick Minner
• Alex da Silva Coelho vs. Joe Solecki
• Michael Trizano vs. Lucas Almeida
• Alonzo Menifield vs. Nicolae Negumereanu

The post Alonzo Menifield vs. Nicolae Negumereanu Added To June 4 UFC Fight Night appeared first on Cageside Press.

Albeit accidental, the Romanian fighter was the victim of repeated eye pokes in the bout, with Nzechukwu deducted a point in the third round as a result. Even with the point deduction, the bout wound up a split decision — but Negumereanu (12-1) is content with that.

“It was a split decision, but it was in my favor,” he told media outlets including Cageside Press following the fight. “So at the end of the day, I’m very happy about this.”

What he was not content with was the state of his eye during the fight. When the doctor was called in to check on the injury, Negumereanu admitted, he was genuinely concerned with his own well-being.

“To be honest with you, for one minute, I strongly believed my eye, it was very very badly hurt,” said Negumereanu. “And even my retina, I was afraid that my retina was effected. But thank god I was able to finish this difficult fight.”

While he may have had the an easy out from a difficult night at the office, Negumereanu opted not to take it. “The doctor said that my eye, it’s okay and I can continue the fight. Because the doctor permitted me, I decided to continue the fight.”

After nearly two years on the sidelines from 2019 to 2021, Negumereanu intends to get back to training hard, to make his next fights a little less difficult. Most importantly, he’s hoping to stay busy in 2022.

“I really want to [have] at least another two fights this year, after this two years long break,” he said Saturday.

Watch the full UFC 272 post-fight press scrum with Nicolae Negumereanu above. More coverage from the event can be found below.

The post UFC 272: Nicolae Negumereanu Feared for Retina After Nzechukwu Eye Pokes appeared first on Cageside Press.

After stumbling out of the gate and losing his promotional debut in 2019, Negumereanu had won his last two bouts, and was looking to add a third. Nzechukwu, on the other hand, had seen a three-fight win streak snapped in his last outing, care of Da Un Jung — a rather nasty stoppage due to elbows.

There was no stoppage Saturday, though it seemed like for a moment, an accidental foul might end the fight early.

Negumereanu opened up with a leg kick, followed by a second and Nzechukwu fired back with the jab. Negumereanu fired off another leg kick but Nzechukwu continued to press forward. Nzechukwu kept firing with the jab and had his left hand loaded waiting to strike. Negumereanu used his movement to keep Nzechukwu guessing. An eye poke to Negumereanu brought a short pause to the action. When the action resumed, Negumereanu came out quickly and pushed Nzechukwu back with multiple combinations punctuated with stiff right hand and followed by another leg kick as the round came to an end.

Negumereanu took control of the centre of the octagon and pressed forward in round two, but Nzechukwu landed a nice counter punch when he closed the distance. Negumereanu continued to press forward and landed the take down, but Nzechukwu was quick to his feet. Negumereanu stuck with Nzechukwu and pressed him into the cage as he continued to work for the take down from the clinch. The ref separated the two as the action slowed and back in the middle of the cage; Nzechukwu started to unload with punches and tagged Negumereanu with a pair of stiff 1-2 combinations. Negumereanu was now bleeding from the nose. He pressed forward but Nzechukwu kept landing with the jab, until Negumereanu sprang forward for the take down. Nzechukwu defended but Negumereanu pressed him into the cage and looked to advance, however the round came to a close before Negumereanu could make anything out of his position.

Nzechukwu came out in the third and looked to land the jab again, and found his mark— but another errant finger to the eye of Negumereanu brought a second halt to the action as the ring side doctor came in to check on Negumereanu. That poke certainly seemed worse than the first.

The fight continued but Nzechukwu lost a point. Negumereanu came out strong after the stoppage and Nzechukwu fired back, landing a hard knee but Negumereanu kept the pressure on and again went for the take down. Nzechukwu defended and found separation. Back in the center of the octagon Nzechukwu found his mark with a hard left hand and followed that with another pair of lefts. Negumereanu kept moving forward and tagged Nzechukwu with a hard right that looked to have stunned Nzechukwu for a moment. Both men now seemed content to stand in the center and trade shots with Negumereanu landing a straight left hand that pushed Nzechukwu back. Negumereanu pushed forward and landed a left hook that hurt Nzechukwu but Nzechukwu fired back just before the ref stepped in at the end of the fight.

There may have been an argument for a draw, but the people’s choice in the fight was Negumereanu, and he captured the split decision victory.

Official Result: Nicolae Negumereanu def. Kennedy Nzechukwu by unanimous decision (29-27, 27-29, 29-27)

The post UFC 272: Nicolae Negumereanu Survives Eye Pokes, Wins Split Decision Against Kennedy Nzechukwu appeared first on Cageside Press.

Promotion officials confirmed the bout Wednesday. Negumereanu (11-1) vs. Potieria (19-2) is expected to take place on the evening’s preliminary card.

Negumereanu will ride a two-fight win streak into the bout on March 5. The Romanian light heavyweight joined the UFC in 2019, losing his debut against Saparbek Safarov. After missing all of 2020, Negumereanu returned last year, winning two fights: a split decision against Aleksa Camur in June, then against Ike Villanueva in October, who he finished via TKO.

A TKO finish on the Contender Series last September earned Ihor Potieria a spot in the UFC. The win also extended his win streak to an impressive 17 straight victories. The Ukrainian fighter has not lost since 2017, and has stayed extremely active since.

Previously competing as a middleweight as well, Potieria won the World Warriors Fighting Championships 185lb title last year.

UFC 272 is set to take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 5, 2022. The event is expected to be headlined by a grudge match between friends and teammates turned bitter rivals, as former interim welterweight champ Colby Covington takes on “BMF” champion Jorge Masvidal.

The post Nicolae Negumereanu Faces DWCS Winner Ihor Potieria at UFC 272 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Marvin Vettori

Previously known mainly as a hot-head who refused to accept his losses to Israel Adesanya, Marvin Vettori’s image underwent something of a makeover ahead of UFC Vegas 41. By loudly proclaiming he’d take the fight with Paulo Costa at any weight, then backing up those words as the fight moved first to a 195lb catchweight, then to 205lbs, Vettori picked up a win both in and outside of the octagon.

Since his opponent was also a former middleweight title challenger, and given it’s clear Vettori can make 185, there’s no reason not to count this win as anything but extremely significant. “The Italian Dream” has now appeared in four straight main events, and won three of them. His only losses in years have come to Adesanya.

That, however, is the problem. A third fight against Izzy is a hard sell, even coming off a win over Costa. Vettori will need at least a few more before he gets another shot at gold, unless Robert Whittaker topples “The Last Stylebender” in a fight expected early next year.

With Vettori ranked #5, coming off a win over Costa and with Whittaker-Izzy and Jared Cannonier-Derek Brunson set, there’s only one play for the Italian. Sean Strickland was supposed to face Luke Rockhold at UFC 268 in just two week’s time. Rockhold was forced out due to a herniated disc. Vettori probably can’t make the date, but pair him up with Strickland and push it back to an amicable time frame.

Vettori’s next fight: Sean Strickland

Jessica-Rose Clark

After a year on the shelf due to an ACL injury, Jessica-Rose Clark returned to action at UFC Vegas 41 and secured a decision win over Joselyne Edwards. The fight wasn’t a thriller, but it gives Clark two straight wins in the UFC women’s bantamweight division. Clark is now 2-1 there overall, and Jessy Jess is a popular figure in a thin weight class.

That, however, is no reason to rush her development. Building her back up slowly after a significant injury is the right play. Stephanie Egger is coming off a recent win, and the timing works. Book it, and if Clark puts on a strong showing, then give her a step up and see if she can make a run to the top.

Clark’s next fight: Stephanie Egger

Alex Caceres

There was a time where it felt like Alex Caceres would never live up to his true potential in the UFC. Suddenly, that feels like a distant memory, as “Bruce Leeroy” is sitting on a five-fight win streak, with submission finishes in two of his last three bouts.

Caceres’ recent run has been remarkable. He’s looked comfortable. But we’re going to go a little left field on this one. Doo-Ho Choi, like Caceres, had some early hype, starting his UFC run strong. He’s since fallen on hard times, losing three straight, including the 2016 ESPN Fight of the Year against Cub Swanson. On opposite trajectories, Choi either gets back on track against a fighter with a full head of steam, or Caceres earns a win over someone who still has considerable name value.

Caceres’ next fight: Doo-Ho Choi

Francisco Trinaldo

At 43, Francisco Trinaldo is one of the UFC’s winningest “old guys,” and he picked up a spit decision victory against Dwight Grant over the weekend. Now 4-1 in his last five, going back to his lightweight days, it’s time to see if the veteran will sink or swim at welterweight.

Max Griffin sits on a three-fight win streak, and is always a game opponent. Throw them together for a fun fight.

Trinaldo’s next opponent: Max Griffin

Nicolae Negumereanu

While his win came with a bit of controversy due to strikes to the back of the head, Nicolae Negumereanu earned his second straight victory inside the octagon against Ike Villanueva at UFC Vegas 41.

Like Negumereanu, Tafon Nchukwi is 2-1 in the promotion, coming off a win, and last competed back in September. This one doesn’t go the distance.

Negumereanu’s next fight: Tafon Nchukwi

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 41 Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

Ike Villanueva had won over UFC fans with what he referred to as his “blue-collar” style, but coming into UFC Vegas 41, “Hurricane” Ike needed a win, having posted just a 1-3 record through four appearances inside the octagon to date. Villanueva previously had all four of his fights end via knockout heading into this one, so it’s no surprise that his fight on Saturday did as well.

On Saturday, the light heavyweight was paired up with Nicolae Negumereanu, with the bout kicking off the main card.

Neguemerenau opened up with a takedown attempt that was quickly stuffed by Villanueva, and Villanueva landed a few shots in the clinch. However, after separating, Negumereanu clipped Villanueva badly with a left hook. Villanueva tried to get him back with some shots of his own but he was sent down to the canvas after another clean shot by Negumereanu. Negumereanu then followed up with some hammer fists and the fight was called off, a seemingly quick and painless first-round knockout for Nicolae Negumereanu.

DON'T BLINK!!! 😳

This one is already over as Negumereanu ends it quick! #UFCVegas41 pic.twitter.com/4hKJtDbSLw

— UFC (@ufc) October 23, 2021

Villanueva quickly protested the result, saying that the fight-ending strikes were to the back of the head. The replay did indeed show that the last few strikes were true to the back of Villanueva’s head; despite this, the commission declined to review the sequence, and gave Negumerenau a quick first-round knockout victory.

Official Result: Nicolae Negumereanu def. Ike Villanueva by TKO, Round 1, 1:18

The post UFC Vegas 41 Results: Nicolae Negumereanu Controversially KO’s Ike Villanuenva appeared first on Cageside Press.

Multiple sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, have confirmed to Cageside Press that Nick Negumereanu will fight Ike Villanueva on October 23. Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori are expected to headline the card.

Negumereanu (10-1) picked up his first UFC win in his last outing when he defeated Aleksa Camur via split decision after taking 2020 off. The Romanian lost to Saparbeg Safarov in his UFC debut.

Since getting to the UFC last year, Villanueva (18-12) has been busy fighting four times since 2019. After dropping his first two to Chase Sherman at heavyweight and then suffering a nasty cut against Jordan Wright, “Hurricane” got back into the win column to start his 2021. He knocked Vinicius Moreira out on ‘Fight Island’ and, in the process, gave him his pink slip. Villanueva lost his last fight via TKO to Marcin Prachnio when he got hit with a body kick.

No location, venue, or broadcast plan has been announced for the October 23 event, but UFC President Dana White said that all Fight Nights will be staying at the Apex in Las Vegas, NV.

The October 23 fight card now includes the following reported bouts:

• Paulo Costa vs. Marvin Vettori
• Jessica-Rose Clark vs. Joselyne Edwards
• Randa Markos vs. Lívia Renata Souza
• Jeff Molina vs. Daniel Lacerda
• Gregory Rodrigues vs. Jun Yong Park
• Mason Jones vs. Alan Patrick II
• Kris Moutinho vs. Aaron Phillips
• Nick Negumereanu vs. Ike Villanueva

The post Nick Negumereanu vs. Ike Villanueva Set For October 23 UFC Event appeared first on Cageside Press.

It was Negumereanu getting the nod in this one, but not without controversy care of a number of unpunished fence grabs.

No glove touch for the two fighters in this one. Camur landed a heavy jab to start the fight. Negumereanu missed a right hand and left after that. Camur landed a calf kick but then countered with a hook that got his opponent’s attention. Camur landed a left hook that snapped Negumereanu’s head back, followed by a 1-2. Negumereanu landed a punch that really hurt Camur, but Camur clinched immediately. Negumereanu landed a takedown with a little more than two minutes left in the round. Negumereanu tried for a hip toss as Camur got to his feet, but couldn’t land it. One minute left, and Camur landed three jabs back to back to back. Negumereanu ate an uppercut and kept marching Camur down. Camur landed a knee to end the round.

Negumereanu took the center of the octagon to start round two and landed a punch that stung Camur. Camur landed a 1-2 followed by a hook, but Negumereanu ate it and walked forward. Negumereanu put Camur against the fence for a good three minutes. Camur eventually got free and started punching Negumereanu’s body. The problem being, much of that control time for Negumereanu came care of him utilizing the fence. While ref Mike Beltran did warn the fighter, nothing more than that warning was forthcoming. Back in the open, Negumereanu landed a hook, and Camur landed one back. Negumereanu landed a left hook to end round two.

Negumereanu let out a scream to start round three. Camur missed on a front kick. Negumereanu landed a right hand and continued to walk down Camur. Negumereanu hit Camur below the belt, which halted the action. Camur tried for a takedown but failed. Negumereanu threw two hooks but missed. Camur landed a left hook himself, followed by a jab. A little over two minutes left in the fight, and Negumereanu stuffed another takedown. Negumereanu put Camur against the fence. Once again, there was a fence grab. Mike Beltran stopped the fight and gave Negumereanu a stern warning for grabbing the fence multiple times. with little more than ten seconds remaining, Camur landed a 1-2. It wasn’t enough.

In the end, Nicolae Negumereanu got back into the win column while Camur dropped his second fight in a row. Had the multiple fence grabs been penalized, the outcome would have looked considerably different.

Official Result: Nicolae Negumereanu defeated Aleksa Camur by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

The post UFC Vegas 29 Results: Aleksa Camur Falls to Nicolae Negumereanu in Split Decision appeared first on Cageside Press.