“The Jamaican Sensation” Osbourne was in a tough spot, just 1-4 across his last five fights; Kazakhstan’s Idiris was coming off the first loss of his pro career. That saw The Ultimate Fighter 33 alum losing to Joseph Morales in the final, a fight he was heavily favored to win.

It was a quick start for the TUF vet, landing a leaping left hand to put Osbourne on one knee, and another straight right flush to open the fight for the Kazak fighter. Idiris followed a display of striking with well timed takedown after two failed attempts, controlling Osbourne before the “Jamaican Sensation” built back up to his feet. Back in open space, Ode’ Osbourne begun settling in with his timing, finding some success with counter hooks as round one came to a close.

Tides continued to turn at the start of Round 2, Osbourne figuring out the pace of Alibi Idris, denying two takedown attempts and landing a series of combinations including a clean body hook that caught a slight reaction of the Kazak flyweight. Though Alibi was able to land his second takedown of the fight after an overeager Osbourne began letting go his power strikes. Osbourne’s rhythm seemingly disturbed despite getting back to his feet, Idiris was able to land another takedown into some clean ground strikes to stamp the second round in his favor.

An early takedown in by Alibi Idiris set the tone for Round 3, though Osbourne returned to his feet clipping Idiris with a right hook, but was quickly brought back down to the ground by the former TUF runner-up. Ode’ managed to reverse position into top full guard, needing a finish, but ultimately didn’t make anything of it as Idiris found himself back to his feet coasting to the end of the round.

Alibi Idiris moves to 11-1, evening his UFC record at 1-1 as Osbourne drops to 13-10 and 5-8 under the UFC banner.

Official Result: Alibi Idiris def. Ode’ Osbourne by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

The post UFC Houston: Alibi Idiris Notches First Octagon Win, Moves Past Ode Osbourne appeared first on Cageside Press.

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

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 109 Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.

Erceg (12-4) was in need of a victory over Osbourne at the APEX to snap a three-fight skid. Losses to Brandon Moreno, Alexandre Pantoja and Kai Kara-France are nothing to scoff at, but it still put Erceg with his back against the wall.

Osbourne (13-8) accepted the bout on short-notice when Hyun Sung Park withdrew to face Tatsuro Taira at UFC Vegas 108. He was fresh off snapping his own three-fight losing streak when he beat Luis Gurule in April.

Round 1 Osbourne took the middle of the octagon with Erceg working on the outside. Leg kicks for Osbourne, Erceg worked straight right hands. Erceg got in close to land a left hand and Osbourne landed a heavy 1-2 making him think twice about it.

Erceg would try to get into range and Osbourne’s speed caused him a ton of issues as he got cracked a few times. He finally opted to shoot for takedowns, didn’t get it, but it’s a good change of pace and a different look.

A nasty counter left hook landed for Osbourne that rocked Erceg and forced him to shoot the single leg. Erceg wasn’t able to get it and Osbourne got his own takedown and took Erceg’s back quick. Erceg was able to get back up, get his own takedown and he took Osbourne’s back with about 45 seconds left in the round. Erceg got back to his feet as the round ended.

Round 2 Erceg took the middle, but he was eating the side kick to the lead leg again. Erceg shot the single leg again taking Osbourne to the fence. Erceg got away and back to the middle of the octagon.

Erceg began putting his hands together by using timing instead of speed. He landed a right hand then shot in for a takedown getting taken to the fence. Osbourne turned Erceg and pushed him off landing a body kick on the break.

Osbourne was clearly stronger than Erceg at 135 pounds.

Round 3 Osbourne got back to putting pressure on Erceg landing a nice left hand on him. Erceg responded with a well-time head kick. Erceg began faking single legs to give Osbourne something to think about. He’d fake then fire up top because Osbourne was reacting to the fakes.

Erceg shot in and Osbourne was just a second too slow and got taken down. Erceg took side control with his left leg stuck in half. He put pressure with his shoulder on the chin and neck of Osbourne’s.

Osbourne tried to force a scramble, did but Erceg grabbed the front head lock, got the trip and took dominant position again with less than 30 seconds left.

The fight ended with Erceg in full mount landing two punches.

Erceg took the victory via unanimous decision snapping that three-fight losing streak and possibly starting his road back to a title shot.

Official Result: Steve Erceg def. Ode Osbourne via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

The post Steve Erceg Makes Adjustments, Takes Decision Over Osbourne appeared first on Cageside Press.

“Bantamweight fight so I’m happy I get to eat some food and yeah it’s going to be fun,” Erceg told reporters on Wednesday.

Erceg (12-4) was supposed to face Hyun Sung Park on Saturday, but Park was pulled to face Tatsuro Taira a week earlier at UFC Vegas 108. A few days later Osbourne stepped in to face Erceg.

“Honestly I’m so used to having canceled and switched opponents. It doesn’t even faze me. I’m training. Throw a name at me and I’ll be there,” he said.

The opponent switch may not be ideal however as Erceg comes into the fight on a three-fight losing skid. Still one must consider that those losses came at the hands of Brandon Moreno, Kai Kara-France and current flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja.

“I think a win is just very important. Despite the quality of opponents or whatever a loss is a loss,” he said.

“I need to get back to winning form. Looking to come out here and put on a ‘ya’ll must have forgot’ type of performance.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Steve Erceg above. He takes on Ode Osbourne at UFC Vegas 109 on Saturday night.

The post Steve Erceg Not Bothered By Opponent Switch, “A win is very important” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Osbourne is known for appearances at many UFC events, with this year’s 2025 Hall of Fame Ceremony being no different. ‘The Jamaican Sensation’ strutted down the red carpet with a calm outfit, but some blinging jewelry.

Cageside Press’ Gabriel Gonzalez caught up with the ecstatic UFC flyweight,

“I’m just as blessed as Max Holloway, living the dream. 12-year-old me, a boy coming from Kingston, Jamaica, to being in the UFC on the red carpet, being on my fourth contract with the UFC. At one point, I was nine years old walking through the woods of Jamaica, I never would’ve thought that this would’ve been a possibility.”

When asked about his consistent appearances around UFC fight weeks and events, Osbourne detailed his appreciation.

“I came from a third-world country. No hot water, no bathrooms inside. So I’m always happy because I appreciate the little things, and these are the big things, so it makes me even more happy. I think gratitude is one of the best qualities a person can have, waking up every day and being grateful. I try to be grateful every single day about the most I can.”

Watch our full interview with UFC flyweight Ode Osbourne from the 2025 UFC Hall of Fame Ceremony above.

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The last time the UFC deemed any fight worthy of Fight of the Night honors was UFC 313, when Justin Gaethje defeated Rafael Fiziev for the second time. That lightweight war was no doubt a hard act to follow, but it’s rare to see the promotion forgo a Fight of the Night bonus for this long.

In the ensuing weeks, UFC Vegas 104, UFC London, UFC Mexico City, and now UFC Vegas 105 instead saw only Performance of the Night bonuses handed out. On each occasion, four Performance bonuses were awarded instead, and that’s the case again this week.

Collecting $50,000 in bonus money at UFC Vegas 105 were Ode Osbourne, Rhys McKee, Dione Barbosa, and Chang-Ho Lee. They happen to be the only fighters on the Fight Night card, an underwhelming one to say the least, who actually had finishes. In other words, the pickings were a bit slim.

Barbosa submitted Diana Belbita in the opening round of their featured prelim, contested at flyweight. Osbourne, meanwhile, knocked out newcomer Luis Gurule in violent fashion (is there any other way to knock someone out?) on the main card. Chang Ho-Lee got it done against Cortavious Romious with a TKO in the second round, while Rhys McKee laid a beatdown on Contender Series alum Daniel Frunza that was so bad, the doctor stopped the fight prior to round two commencing.

For what it’s worth, Frunza weathered a category five storm and managed to finish the round in somewhat competitive fashion, but the damage to his eye was so bad, the doctor really had no choice.

The post UFC Vegas 105: No Fight of the Night for Fourth Consecutive Event appeared first on Cageside Press.

Gurule was a perfect 10-0 to start his pro career, which had taken him from LFA to the Contender Series.

Round one began with a cautious feeling-out process, as both fighters relied heavily on feints but offered little actual offense. Early on, Gurule missed on a takedown attempt, but midway through the round, he secured a well-timed shot and landed in side control. Despite the advantageous position, he couldn’t mount much offense at all. Osbourne eventually gained side control ever so briefly, eating a few elbows in the process, but managed to return to his feet just before the bell. In a slow-paced round, Gurule’s takedown stood out as the most significant moment.

About a minute into round two, Gurule shot in on a single leg, but Osbourne defended well. While Osbourne found success with his hands when he let them go, the constant threat of the takedown seemed to keep him slightly off-rhythm. That changed quickly when he timed Gurule perfectly with a counter left hand, dropping him hard. Initially hesitant to follow up, Osbourne eventually committed, swarming with strikes until the referee stepped in for the stoppage.

Official Result: Ode Osbourne def. Luis Gurule by TKO (Punches), Round 2, 1:54

The post UFC Vegas 105: Ode Osbourne Stops Newcomer Luis Gurule appeared first on Cageside Press.

Sean O’Malley

Challenger Merab Dvalishvili cruised to a dominant, grappling laced, unanimous decision victory in UFC 306’s main event over Sean O’Malley. This was just the second loss of O’Malley’s 20 fight pro MMA career. Sean was riding a seven-fight unbeaten streak since losing to Marlon Vera in mid 2020.

After taking a dominant loss like that it’s clear that O’Malley does not need an immediate rematch with Merab. Instead, he should look to build himself back up by fighting a fresh face high up in the rankings. Merab entered the fight as the #1 ranked UFC bantamweight while obviously O’Malley was the reigning champ.

O’Malley should fight another striker in Cory Sandhagen. Cory is ranked a #4 in the UFC’s bantamweight division and was last in action against Umar Nurmagomedov in August. The unanimous decision loss snapped a three-fight winning streak which spawned from an unsuccessful attempt at the vacant 135lbs title. (Opposite of Petr Yan in 2021.)

O’Malley’s next fight: Cory Sandhagen

Alexa Grasso

Valentina Shevchenko was able to implement her gameplan to the fullest extent in a one-sided unanimous decision victory in order recapture the belt from Alexa Grasso. With the result of the trilogy bout, Grasso and Shevchenko are now 1-1-1 against each other.

Shevchenko entered the bout as the #3 ranked women’s bantamweight while Grasso was not only the champ but ranked as the #1 pound-for-pound women’s fighter in the UFC. Obviously, with the TUF season and fighting each other three times, it’s time for a fresh matchup for Grasso as she has not thought about anyone but Shevchenko in nearly two years.

A good next fight for Alexa and keeping with the theme of rematches, would be a fight against Maycee Barber. Maycee is currently the #4 ranked women’s flyweight and is on a six-fight win streak since losing to Alexa in February of 2021. Barber’s last time out was a unaimous decision victory against Katlyn Cerminara at UFC 299 in March. Most recently, she withdrew from a fight with Rose Namajunas in July.

Grasso’s next fight: Maycee Barber

Brian Ortega

Diego Lopes beat down Brian Ortega over the course of 15 minutes to win a unanimous decision fight on Saturday. A couple of times throughout the bout, Ortega looked like he was seconds away from being finished but was ultimately able to hang in there as he somehow always does.

Ortega entered the fight ranked at #3, while Diego Lopes entered the fight as the #13 ranked UFC featherweight.

Depending on how soon Ortega would like to get back into the octagon, a good matchup could be Giga Chikadze. Giga last fought in July, losing a unanimous decision to Arnold Allen. He’s won just one of his last two fights dating back to January of 2022 and he’s currently the #10 ranked featherweight. A good fight to determine who really deserves to be in the top 10 at 145lbs.

Ortega’s next fight: Giga Chikadze

Daniel Zellhuber

Daniel Zellhuber lost a split decision to Esteban Ribovics in what was an edge of your seat, back-and-forth type of fight, on Saturday. The fight ended up winning fight of the night honors and rightfully so, as both fighters put up nonstop offense and were able to survive getting hurt or stunned multiple times.

Zellhuber is now 3-2 with the UFC, losing on Saturday for the first time since his UFC debut in 2022 opposite of Trey Ogden. With just five appearances in the UFC, and three performance bonuses, it’s clear that Daniel is on the right track.

Chase Hooper would be a good next fight for Zellhuber. Hooper is on a three-fight win streak since moving up to the lightweight division in May of 2023. Two of the fights ended with submissions including his last time out, when he submitted Viacheslav Borshchev with a d’arce in the second round, back in May. Great striker vs grappler matchup of Contender Series alums.

Zellhuber’s next fight: Chase Hooper

Ode Osbourne

Ode Osbourne lost a tough to stomach, unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Ronaldo Rodriguez to open the UFC 306 main card. Osbourne had his moments especially in the beginning of the fight, but was ultimately out grappled, as his opponent was able to claw his way back.

Osbourne is now in a very tricky spot. Now 4-6 with the UFC, he is now on a 3-fight losing streak and has lost four of his last five. Osbourne’s last win was a split decision victory over Charles Johnson in February of 2023.

Ode’s next fight should be against Jimmy Flick. Jimmy has won just one of four fights since his mini retirement ended spanning from 2020-2023. Flick has a loss agaisnt Charles Johnson in that time who is a common opponent between the two. Jimmy was last in action back in June when he lost a unanimous decision to Nate Maness.

Osbourne’s next fight: Jimmy Flick

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The night was designed to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, while doubling as the promotion’s September PPV, with two title fights set for later in the evening.

Rodriguez in particular was pumped by the admittedly stunning visuals inside The Sphere on Saturday, but had to get down to business in short order. Unfortunately, he was on the business end of an Osbourne right hand, and was nearly finished by a couple of follow-up punches. One of those might have brought Rodriguez around following the knockdown/near finish, but he then had to contend with an Osbourne triangle. That was tight, and Osbourne added elbows off his back, but Rodriguez gutted it out and pulled free, finally ending up in guard.

Improbably, Rodriguez survived the round. However, he had to contend with a slick Osbourne guillotine off a takedown early in the second, with Osbourne rolling into it. Rodriguez would survive and take the back, however, then get on top and land some smashing elbows. A scramble saw Osbourne free himself, but Rodirguez would end up on top, in mount. A Rodriguez choke failed when Osbourne turned into it, but the Mexican still had Ode tied up, a near miracle given how close he’d come to being finished in round one.

At the end of the round, it was Osbourne transitioning to the top, landing a big punch or two in a fight that could only be described as absolutely wild.

Considering the grueling pace and damage both men had endured through the first ten minutes, both looked quite chipper to start round three. Rodriguez would land a left hook towards the two minute mark, putting Osbourne on the defensive. Rodriguez started spamming his right hand, and then had to fend off an Osbourne takedown off a rather sudden shoot. A counter left landed for Rodriguez off an Osbourne 1-2. Another takedown attempt, and this time they went to the mat, Osbourne on top. Rodriguez went after a kimura off his back, and used it to regain his feet.

Ode Osbourne would shoot for another takedown in the final minute, with Rodriguez stuffing the attempt. He went looking for a choke, and wound up on top when Osbourne fell to his back. With 15 seconds to go in a close round, Rodriguez started dropping punches and elbows, going to the final bell in a wildly entertaining main card opener.

Official Result: Ronaldo Rodriguez def. Ode Osbourne by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)

The post UFC 306: Ronaldo Rodriguez Survives Knockdown, Defeats Ode Osbourne in Wild Fight appeared first on Cageside Press.

“To be honest I didn’t even know who he was. I sparred him actually at Xtreme (Couture) about three weeks before we got announced to fight,” Osbourne told reporters including Cageside Press on Wednesday.

“As a professional I messaged him and I was like ‘hey man I just got a call that they want me to fight you and I’m sure you got the same call as well. What do you think? Do you want to take it? Whatever you decide I respect’.”

Osbourne (12-7) got a response from Rodriguez rather quickly.

“He’s like, ‘I think it’d a great opportunity for the both of us.’ And I was like let’s do it. Thank you. I got nothing but love and respect for ‘Lazy Boy’ to be honest. He’s a cool dude. I like him actually,” he said.

“I’ve actually traded messages with him to come train with me before we got announced to fight. I got nothing but love and respect, but don’t get me wrong. I am the ‘Jamaican Sensation’. Anytime you see me in the octagon you already know man.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Ode Osbourne above. He takes on Ronaldo Rodriguez at Noche UFC on Saturday night.

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