“Finish this whole contract out, get a new one,” Smith told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“Build any holes in my game and then attack for a championship early 2026.”

Lofty goals for a man who is not afraid to aim high. Smith (10-0) made his debut against Parsons, but then went right after the champion Belal Muhammad in his post-fight interview. “Knock, knock, Belal,” he said in the octagon.

“If you know me, you get me 6 months on a road just hard working with something, I can be ready. Halfway through the year, renegotiate that contract before it’s up, I’ll take out Belal right now,” he said.

It’s not that he has no respect for Muhammad. In the contrary he sees his own journey in the champion.

“I respect him. I kind of see myself in him. Everybody want the flashy knockouts. I don’t think he’s gotten a knockout in his career at all. Just people not wanting to be around just because of who you are and stuff,” he said.

“People really start finding out who you are you want them to keep that same energy. He just a real ass dude and kudos to him for becoming a champ.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Jacobe Smith above.

The post Jacobe Smith Looks For Quick Rise Up The Ranks appeared first on Cageside Press.

The undefeated Smith, who had won on the Contender Series in 2024, was standing in for Andreas Gustafsson in the welterweight bout. And he made his presence felt almost immediately.

Official Result: Jacobe Smith def. Preston Parsons by knockout (punches), Round 1, 1:13

The post UFC Vegas 101: Jacobe Smith Explodes Out of the Gate, Floors Preston Parsons appeared first on Cageside Press.

Octagon Update was first to report the news on social media on Tuesday. Parsons later confirmed the booking. “Contract signed, full training camp in effect! January 11th in Vegas!” he wrote on Instagram.

For Gustafsson (11-2), the fight will mark his promotional debut in the UFC, after fighting his way into the company on Dana White’s Contender Series this past season. The Swedish welterweight known as “Bane” previously competed for KSW, posting a 1-1 record for the Polish promotion, one of Europe’s biggest.

Gustafsson defeated Pat Pytlik back on week two of this year’s Contender Series.

Parsons (11-5) is 2-3 inside the octagon to date and has been trading wins and losses since his arrival in 2021. Most recently, he dropped a unanimous decision to Oban Elliott; prior to that, Parsons earned himself a decision win over Matthew “Semi the Jedi” Semelsberger.

The UFC’s first card of 2025, UFC Vegas 101 on January 11 currently includes the following reported match-ups, not yet officially announced by the promotion:

• Trey Ogden vs. Thiago Moisés
• Chris Curtis vs. Roman Kopylov
• Uroš Medić vs. Punahele Soriano
• Ernesta Kareckaite vs. Nicolle Caliari
• Preston Parsons vs. Andreas Gustafsson

The post Preston Parsons Meets Andreas Gustafsson at UFC’s January 11 Fight Night appeared first on Cageside Press.

Elliot (11-2) had just won his second official UFC bout and was already thinking about what’s next, including walk out song, and maybe a friend to walk him out?

“If they give me the MSG card I might walk out to Hulk Hogan’s song. Or The Rock’s song. Or maybe I get CM Punk (to) walk out with me in MSG,” Elliot told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“I know he’d be up for that.”

The victory over Parsons makes it 7-in-a-row for ‘The Welsh Gangster’ with two of those being UFC victories.

“That’s no joke is it, and I’m fighting the best of the best. I’m happy with that. 7 wins in a row. Let’s make it 10, let’s make it 20, I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon. I just walked out there and I enjoyed myself tonight,” he told Cageside Press.

“I could go again.”

He seemed to be kidding, and then not kidding, but if Elliot has anything apart from fighting skill it’s a genuine sense of humor. When asked if he would fight again that night on a Alexander Volkanovski type of move Elliot did not disappoint.

“People say I look like Volk on the internet so why not,” Elliot laughed.

“With Bo Nickal’s head. Hey what? I look like that do I? I’m joking.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Oban Elliot above.

The post Oban Elliot Wants On MSG Card, Walk Out With CM Punk appeared first on Cageside Press.

Parsons took his 2-2 UFC record into this Manchester fight against Elliott, looking to get above .500 and on a two-fight win streak in the process. In his way stood Oban ‘the Welsh Gangster’ Elliott and his considerable popularity from an action-paced CW career. After a Contender Series fight where he almost got knocked out, won by majority decision, and still got a contract, he had a lot to prove in this, his second fight with the UFC. In the end, he passed with flying colors.

Parsons came out in the first round aggressively, throwing punches into a takedown attempt. Oban defended it and got the outside clinch position. However, Parsons was happy to be there, as they grappled in the clinch for a while, fighting to each land elbows in tight. At distance, Preston began working on leg kicks, which buckled Elliott’s legs a few times. For his own part, Oban had trouble landing punches on a for who was actively avoiding boxing. He even looked for his own takedown and could not yet it, but controlled the clinch for half a minute thereafter.

The first round ended with little conclusive damage either way, but Elliott still had to be happy with his success defending takedowns. He did so again to start round two, even though Preston got in deep on his hips with the initial shot. ‘The Welsh Gangster’ began to find his range especially with his jab, though it was hard with the movement of Parsons. The American got even deeper in on another takedown and seemed poised to land it, but made a small mistake and Oban took advantage to stay up. He even got to the rear body-lock on Parsons and slowly forced him to the ground as he tried to take the back. Preston got back up and escaped, but Elliott had all the momentum. Later, Parsons seemed as though he was landing his first takedown but Elliott swept with a kimura, only for Preston to roll with it and get back to the front headlock, then they settled in an over-under clinch, where the round ended.

Elliott began the round by popping back his opponent’s head multiple times, emboldening him to pressure. Parsons shot another takedown and scrambled hard to try and secure it, to no avail. He began to seem tired and ate a monster right gand from Oban right afterwards. Oban got overaggressive and missed some follow-up punches, so he fell into the clinch. Despite controlling the action, Elliott never got close to finishing Parsons, due to the smart defense and head movement of the American. With one minute left in the fight, Parsons finally got his first takedown. Oban instantly swiveled for an armbar, which he held onto but Preston eventually escaped. Elliott got back to his feet and that is where the final horn sounded.

Although it seemed as though the Welshman would win the decision, one never knows with judges. When the scorecards were read, there was nothing for Elliott to worry about, as he claimed victory on all three scorecards.

Official Result: Oban Elliott def. Preston Parsons by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

The post UFC 304: Oban Elliott Shows Off Well-Rounded Skillset, Beats Preston Parsons appeared first on Cageside Press.

After starting his UFC career with a 4-1 run, the striking specialist Semelsberger has now dropped three of his last four. He looked to rebound against Parsons, a skilled grappler with two losses against one win in the UFC who has won nine of his ten pro wins by submissions. Only one style could win out; in the end Parsons was able to use his dogged grappling to control the pace of the fight and win a decision over the veteran.

Both men began the fight in orthodox stances. Semelsberger took on the role of stalking forward while Parsons circled the outside. It was clear that Parsons looking for spots to tie up Matt, and he tried to do so quickly in the clinch, to no avail. When Preston tried to strike with Semelsberger he was not out of his depth, but he did not really look comfortable. A single leg shot two minutes into the round succeeded in getting Matthew down, but he pushed off with his feet to create space before popping back to his feet.

Despite a seeming technical advantage on the feet, it was difficult for Semelsberger to land strikes on his foe, as Parsons just backed out of range in response to most attacks, using superior tactics to dictate the pace of the fight and the terms of each engagement. Parsons’ leg kicks were also a consistently effective weapon, something Matthew did not have. On multiple occasions Semelsberger would control Parsons up against the fence but be unable to do any damage whatsoever, including in the final seconds of the first round.

Semeslsberger came out more aggressive than before but absorbed a good right hand and a calf kick, prompting him to clinch up and shoot a surprise takedown. He landed it and got into Parsons’ full guard, where he landed a few good shots. Parsons turned and got his base so he could build up, at which point he broke away, back to the striking realms. Preston then shot his own successful takedown, but Semelsberger again popped back up.

This time, Semelsberger could not escape the clinch. Parsons dragged him down into a scramble on the mat which resulted in a tight armbar attempt for Preston. Semelsberger barely escaped and got back up, but he had a wide gap to make up if he wanted to win the round. Instead, he got taken down one more time right at the bell.

Again Matthew came out aggressive and forced a brawl. This time he did clip Parsons, at which point Parsons shot. Semelsberger defended and went for a surprise guillotine from top. While holding onto the neck he sought to advance to mount, but was forced to let go of the choke as Parsons created an angle. Parsons wrestled up and was able to reverse the position, but Semelsberger got up. Preston tried to wrestle him against the fence, so Semelsberger jumped the guillotine. He had it under the chin but Parsons remained completely calm, fought the hands, and extricated his head.

Preston landed another takedown, showcasing impressive cardiovascular capability late in the third round. Semelsberger continually found ways to escape, but every time he did he got mat returned. With one minute left Parsons went for a Kimura which seemed sure to tear Matthew’s shoulder apart. However Semelsberger also remained calm and escaped the submission. Still, Parsons was able to advance to mount thereafter and close the fight with a strong arm triangle attempt and powerful ground strikes against his bloody foe.

When the decision was read there was no real doubt as to who would win. Parsons had dominated most of the last two rounds after a close first stanza. Indeed, the judges awarded him all three rounds, and the victory.

In his post-fight interview, Parsons noted the toughness of his opponent, claiming he heard Matthew’s arm pop during the armbar and Kimura attempts.

Official Result: Preston Parsons def. Matthew Semelsberger by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

The post Preston Parsons’ Wrestling Earns Him Biggest Career Win Over Matthew Semelsberger at UFC Vegas 84 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Parsons was also looked for a second consecutive win, but San Antonio’s own Giles would have home field advantage in the match-up.

Giles was looking to make it 3-0 for Texas based fighters on the night. Parsons began the fight with the forward pressure, trying to put Giles against the cage, but Giles did well to switch the position and then get back to the center.

The power of Giles was a clear issue for Parsons as the aforementioned was finding a home for the right cross consistently. Parsons once again put pressure on Giles against the cage and landed some sharp elbows from the clinch, but not long after, Giles once again gained separation. The 27-year-old, Parsons wobbled the home state fighter with a huge right hook and it resulted in his gaining full mount as Giles fell to the mat. Submission attempts came in a flurry for Parsons as he threatened with both a rear-naked-choke and an armbar.

“Pressure” Parsons was living up to his nickname as he consistently fought on the front foot, despite being caught often with Giles’ jab. Again, Parsons managed to get Giles against the cage and enforced some pressure, but once Giles gained separation, he found a home with the jab again. With his forward pressure, Parsons managed to secure himself consecutive takedowns, but didn’t manage to do anything with them. Midway through round two, both men showed signs of slowing down, with Giles looking the slightly fresher of the two. “The Problem” Giles managed to gain himself some mat control after a momentary scramble, finishing the round with some heavy ground-and-pound.

Before the start of round three, the ref called in the doctor to check on the right eye of Parsons, but the doctor deemed him okay to continue. Some more forward pressure of Parsons saw him landing some heavy shots at the beginning of round three despite looking to be the more tired of the two. Another takedown from Parsons was landed, but due to Giles being with his back against the cage, Parsons once again couldn’t do much with it. Giles began to feel himself halfway through the round once again popping out the jab, but this time, putting his right hand on the end of it.

Giles found himself back on the mat though after his short stint of success, and this time, Parsons started threatening with the submission attempts again. A huge scramble from Giles saw him explode from the bottom to find himself with top control. With Parsons on the bottom, he looked to throw up a submission attempt, trying to catch the arm of Giles, but nothing could be caught. The round concluded with Giles on top, similar to the end of round two.

Official Result: Trevin Giles def. Preston Parsons by split decision (29–28, 28–29, 29–28)

The post UFC San Antonio: Trevin Giles Narrowly Edges Parsons In Back-And-Forth Battle appeared first on Cageside Press.

Giles (15-4), a San Antonio, Texas native, will face Preston Parsons (10-3) in a 170lb match-up at the Fight Night event on March 25, 2023.

Parsons confirmed the news on social media, after an initial report by Eurosport’s Marcel Dorff.

For Giles, the hometown scrap finds him looking for a second straight victory, after the 30-year old secured a unanimous decision win against Louis Cosce last September. Prior to that, Giles had dropped back-to-back fights against Dricus Du Plessis and Michael Morales.

Giles has amassed a 6-4 record since entering the UFC in 2017. He holds a notable win over current light heavyweight contender Ryan Spann outside the promotion.

Preston Parsons is also coming off a single victory, against Evan Elder last April. Entering his third UFC fight against Trevin Giles, Parsons is 1-1 in the promotion to date.

UFC San Antonio is set to unfold at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas on March 25, with the following match-ups reported for the event thus far:

• Maycee Barber vs. Andrea Lee
• Chidi Njokuani vs. Albert Duraev
• C.J. Vergara vs. Daniel da Silva
• Holly Holm vs. Yana Kunitskaya
• Alex Perez vs. Manel Kape
• Sean Brady vs. Michel Pereira
• Daniel Pineda vs. Tucker Lutz
• Trevin Giles vs. Preston Parsons

The post Trevin Giles vs. Preston Parsons Added to UFC San Antonio appeared first on Cageside Press.

Elder had been on the radar for a bit, having been paired with ex-UFC fighter Cody Pfister for the FAC lightweight title next month. That might have led to a Contender Series shot; instead, it was straight to the UFC for Elder.

In the opening seconds of the welterweight bout, Elder threw a spinning attack and Parsons got the takedown. He tried to jump on the back but Elder shook him off. He did get back up to his feet fairly quickly. Parsons landed a big right hand and pushed Elder against the cage. When they separated Parsons was walking Elder down landing with his hands. Elder did a good job landing kicks to the body. Around a minute left, Parsons timed a beautiful entry, got the angle and took Elder down. Parsons threatened with an arm triangle but Elder survived to the bell.

Right away in round two Parsons got in on the legs lifting Elder and putting him on his back. Parsons quickly moved into mount. Elder did a really good job at exploding back to his feet. Parsons shot in for anther takedown and with some resistance he drove in getting his opponent to the mat. Right back into the mount Parsons went. He landed some nasty elbows before taking the back. Elder did turn towards him but immediately Parsons swept back on top. Parsons again had an arm triangle in and as it looked tight; Elder escaped and got on top. The round ended on the feet.

Parsons came forward to start the final round shooting for a takedown but Elder defended. They traded kicks at distance, both finding success. Parsons shot in on a leg and again Elder defended. Elder then shot his own takedown, and got Parsons down. Unfortunately for Elder, Parsons immediately swept him getting on top. Very smoothly Parsons moved into mount twice. Parsons poured it on more with some nasty elbows cutting Elder under and above each eye, and ended the round landing in mount.

No surprise to the winner, with Parsons winning a unanimous decision.

Official Result: Preston Parsons def. Evan Elder by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

The post UFC Vegas 52: Preston Parsons’ Submission Attempts Come Close, But Evan Elder Goes the Distance appeared first on Cageside Press.

Evan “The Phenom” Elder
Standing at 5’9″
Fighting at 155 lbs (lightweight)
25-years-old
Fighting out of Deerfield Beach, Florida, US
Training out of Sanford MMA
A pro record of 7-0
4 KO/TKOs, 1 Submission

How will Elder do in the UFC:

Elder is a good signing for the UFC. He’s been in some fun fights, had a few good finishes, and has fought to a 7-0 undefeated record. He was supposed to fight for the FAC title coming up against former UFC fighter Cody Pfister. It would’ve been better to have him get a good win on his resume plus a title before coming to the UFC, but the opportunity arose.

Elder started off his career primarily as a grappler. Lately, he’s grown much more comfortable mixing it up on the feet. Elder does a great job of mixing up his attack and using different combinations. His kicks are arguably his best weapon on the feet. He’ll switch it up going to the legs and body and throws kicks very well at the end of combinations. Defensively there is some concern as he hasn’t really been tested. At times his head sits on the center line and he will bring his hands back to his face too slow after throwing. It seems like a good striker will be able to effectively counter Elder.

Elder is a strong physical wrestler and is well-rounded on the mat. His control and ground and pound are what stand out. He actively looks to improve his position and always stays busy trying to finish the fight. Elder is still very raw because he really hasn’t been tested. There is a lot of things he hasn’t seen yet in the cage. At the same time, he does have more experience compared to a lot of the newer guys the UFC brings in. I think Elder does really well in the UFC but it may be a few years until he really hits the ground running.

How he matches up with Parsons:

Parsons didn’t look too good in his debut. Some may forget though it was on short notice, and he fought Daniel Rodriguez which is a very tough fight. I’m really high on Parsons and in a lot of ways he mirrors the style of Elder. Both are strong wrestlers and grapplers. Elder is far more comfortable on the feet but Parsons can probably match anything on the feet. If Elder has one big advantage it is activity as he’s always staying busy. Elder is moving up a weight class in this fight and being against a strong wrestler like Parsons, it will be tough. Parsons is the better wrestler and has a better overall ground game. I think the size, wrestling, and grappling of Parsons will be too much.

The post Welcome to the UFC: Evan Elder appeared first on Cageside Press.