Aleksander Rakic

After his decision win over number five ranked Anthony Smith, Aleksander Rakic told the press that he would like to get the next title shot. Dominick Reyes and Jan Blachowicz are set to fight for the vacant light heavyweight title on September 26. In addition, a light heavyweight number one contender fight is already set between Glover Teixeira and Thiago Santos for September 12. As a result of Reyes and Blachowicz fighting for the title and Santos and Teixeira fighting for number one contender, it only leaves a few options for Rakic.

The first option would be a rematch with Volkan Oezdemir. Rakic lost a very close split decision to Oezdemir back in December of 2019. The second option would be UFC newcomer Jiri Prochazka. Prochazka defeated Oezdemir in his UFC debut on July 12, 2020. For timeline purposes, it would seem that Rakic should fight Prochazka in his next bout.

Rakic’s Next Fight: Jiri Prochazka

Neil Magny

Neil Magny was able to win a unanimous decision win over Robbie Lawler at UFC Vegas 8. Magny was able to take Lawler down and dominate the fight there. Magny has a ton of options for his next fight after beating number 13 ranked Lawler. Great challenges for Magny would be number seven ranked Demian Maia, or number ten ranked Vicente Luque. It would also be great to see Rafael Dos Anjos take on Magny but RDA is already slated to take on Islam Makhachev at UFC 254 on October 24. Maia told MMA media in May that he doesn’t plan to retire just yet and will continue fighting.

Magny could look to avenge his 2015 submission loss to Demian Maia while also climbing the rankings. On the other hand, a fight against Luque could be the greatest striking challenge Magny will have ever faced. With that being said Maia is ranked higher and has a win over Magny making him Magny’s best-case scenario.

Magny’s Next Fight: Demian Maia 

Alexa Grasso

This past weekend, Alexa Grasso was able to win a decision over number 14 ranked Ji Yeon Kim. Grasso was making her flyweight debut against Kim, and she certainly proved that her boxing can be very successful at flyweight. A great step up in competition for her would be Maycee Barber or the winner of Andrea Lee – Roxanne Modafferi. Barber says that she should be coming back from her injury towards the end of the year. While Lee vs Modafferi sits on September 12. A great time for Grasso to get back in the mix would be UFC 255 on November 21 because there are already two other flyweight fights already on that card. It would seem like that would be an optimal time for either of these options. With that being said, a fight against Barber would likely get a way bigger “sell” for Grasso’s next fight.

Grasso’s Next Fight: Maycee Barber 

Ricardo Lamas

Ricardo Lamas won the Fight of the Night in his win over Bill Algeo this past Saturday. After his win, Lamas said that he didn’t know if he was going to retire or not, but the WEC vet was thinking about it. As a result, social media blew up debating whether Lamas should retire or not. Lamas is 38 years old and has been fighting professionally since 2008. He has 28 pro fights and has wins over Darren Elkins, Jason Knight, Charles Oliveira, and Diego Sanchez just to name a few. Lamas has had an extremely impressive career so he should feel no shame in retiring at this point.

Lamas Next Fight: Possible retirement

Who do you think these fighters should be fighting next? Let us know in the comments down below.

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It wasn’t until after that he revealed it may have been his last. A back-and-forth affair, Lamas had to put up with a debuting fighter more than ready to prove a point. The veteran wound up rocked more than once, but regrouped, maintained composure, and had a huge third round, earning him a 10-8 on all three judges scorecards and coming close to a ground n’ pound finish at the bell.

For a short-notice replacement taking on a featherweight stalwart, Algeo acquitted himself quite well. The UFC recognized the efforts of both men, awarding the bout the Fight of the Night. If that was Lamas’ final appearance, it was a heck of a performance to go out on.

Performance of the Night bonuses when to two preliminary card fighters. Mallory Martin opened UFC Vegas 8, and found herself knocked down and nearly finished by Hannah “Shockwave” Cifers. Martin somehow escaped the round after being rocked multiple times and slammed twice. She adjusted, took the fight down early in the second, and sunk in the rear-naked choke for the win.

Sean Brady had the third of four straight submissions to open UFC Vegas 8 — the only finishes on the card in fact. He secured a guillotine choke on Christian Aguilera in the second round to seal the deal.

All four bonus-winning fighters will pocket an extra $50,000 USD for their efforts.

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At 38, Lamas was a WEC veteran, a UFC title challenger, and no doubt was nearing the end of his career. But he proved he still had something left in the gas tank on Saturday.

Bill Algeo right of the bat opened up with a variety of kicks highlighted by a textbook liver kick. Algeo was super aggressive and it almost allowed Lamas to lock in with a front choke. Back at range Algeo planted his front leg forward and Lamas was doing well landing the leg kick. Algeo did just fine, however, returning when Lamas was throwing. Algeo landed a nice combo ending it with a spinning kick to the gut. Lamas continued fighting in bursts, going to the head, and landing a leg kick. To close the round Algeo exploded forward landing a barrage of strikes putting Lamas is some danger.

Algeo found his range immediately in round two landing with a glancing head kick and a short combo. That forced Lamas to shoot for a takedown and he did get it, but only briefly as Algeo easily got back to his feet. Algeo looked super confident as he blitzed forward with output landing including a head kick at the end. Lamas continued try to get the fight down but Algeo showed good takedown defense. A nasty lead knee from Algeo landed flush to the face of Lamas hurting him bad. Algeo swarmed forward and scored a takedown but Lamas scrambled and returned to the feet to close the second round.

Straight to the face 😳 @ElSenorPerfecto is sensing his moment! #UFCVegas8 pic.twitter.com/42Cu3UxkHO

— UFC (@ufc) August 30, 2020

With all the damage Lamas took in the previous round, he looked surprisingly good to start the final frame. He was bouncing around landing a wide of variety of kicks. Lamas shot for a takedown and as Algeo defended the initial shot, but Lamas got it down the second time. Some big ground and pound was landed by Lamas but Algeo continued to move. After some punishment, Algeo did get back to his feet but Lamas got him back down twice. Lamas worked for a rear-naked choke, and wound up in the mount to end the fight with big elbows in a dominant round.

High-paced three rounds! How did you score it? 📝#UFCVegas8 pic.twitter.com/HxMxSM67TZ

— UFC (@ufc) August 30, 2020

After the fight, Lamas hinted that it could have very well been the last time we see him in the octagon. Improving to 20-8 with the win, it would be a heck of a performance to go out on — a gritty, back-and-forth war. Lamas was non-committal, however, so we may just see him again.

Official Result: Ricardo Lamas def. Bill Algeo by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)

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Bill “Senor Perfecto” Algeo
6’0″
Featherweight
31-years-old
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
Algeo MMA & Kickboxing
13-4
3 KO/TKOs
6 Submissions

How will Algeo fare in the UFC:

Bill Algeo is well-rounded, no question. He has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and has won multiple championships. He’s an All-State Wrestler, Collegiate Boxer, and an undefeated Professional Muay Thai Fighter.

Algeo shines more on the mat, perhaps, where his jiu-jitsu is solid and he thrives in scrambles. Even off his back, Algeo is dangerous being an all-around submission threat. Still, he has a good Muay Thai base landing very well in the clinch. Algeo is also a solid kickboxer as well where he likes to throw a variety of flashy strikes.

Although he is a pretty good striker, Algeo’s striking defense is a big problem. Algeo fights with his hands low to his waist and as that’s fine at kickboxing range — but he still holds them low when closing the distance. You will see him throw a lot of naked kicks and he frequently throws a lead knee with his chin right there for the taking. He also stands really tall and has shown issues checking leg kicks in the past. With that said he’s a tough fighter and has proven hard to finish. In fact the last time he was finished was by Shane Burgos nearly six years ago, and we all know how far Burgos has gone.

How he matches up with Lamas:

Lamas is 1-3 in his last four fights and has been finished brutally twice in the last three years. That said, even though Lamas has lost a step he’s been fighting opponents like Calvin Kattar, Josh Emmett, Darren Elkins, and Charles Oliveira. In short, Lamas has been fighting the best the division has the offer for quite some time.

Algeo’s defensive flaws are where Lamas could very well shine at. Lamas will most likely find home attacking with leg kicks and will make Algeo pay for keeping his hands low. Lamas is the better well-rounded fighter even on the mat, where “The Bully” is far more experienced. Unless Lamas is way more past him prime than what I’m thinking, he should cruise to victory here.

The bet I like is over 2.5 rounds. While I expect Lamas to cruise through this one, Algeo is a pretty durable guy being hard to finish. If there is a finish I expect it to be from an accumulation of damage late in the fight.

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Hall of course was a ground specialist, one of the most feared submission experts in the promotion. Algeo is, frankly, a bit of a question mark. He does have a number of submissions on his record, but just one since 2014. In any case, despite Hall’s BJJ credentials, “I wasn’t neglecting other areas,” Lamas told Cageside Press at this week’s UFC Vegas 8 media day. “Just like every camp, I trained for just about anything. I feel prepared no matter who they put me in there with.”

“I know he’s a newcomer, I know he’s going to be trying to prove to people that he belongs here, and I’m going to be trying to prove to people that there are levels to this game,” Lamas added, addressing the obvious danger a debuting opponent brings with them.

“He’s got nothing to lose in this fight. That makes anybody dangerous,” Lamas opined. “I feel like everybody’s expecting him to lose, because he’s a newcomer and he’s going up with a vet like myself. And I need to be wary of that and stay technical, stick to my game plan, and adapt to whatever he brings in the cage.”

There was a point where the 38-year old Lamas, who competed just once last year, wasn’t even sure if he’d be fighting this weekend.

“I didn’t know if they were going to be able to find an opponent. It sucks when it happens at that point, where you’re pretty much in your last week of camp, or last few days of training. For something like that to happen, it’s pretty devastating,” Lamas admitted. Taking half a day or so to process the news, Lamas focused on his training, and eventually the UFC came through.

It’s the second time Hall has dropped out of a fight with Lamas, however. And he wasn’t ready to address whether he’d want the fight back this week. “I’m not even thinking about Ryan Hall right now. I’m 100% focused on Bill Algeo,” said Lamas.

Watch the full UFC Vegas 8 virtual media day press scrum with Ricardo Lamas above.

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MMA Junkie has reported that Hall has pulled from the contest due to undisclosed reasons. This is now the second time that the fight has fallen through. Initially, the pair were set to fight on May 2, however, it was postponed. The UFC is now seeking a replacement opponent for Lamas to fight him on Sunday’s Fight Night card.

The 38-year-old Lamas has not competed since June of 2019. He was knocked out cold by Calvin Kattar in their UFC 238 meeting in the first round. Prior to that, Lamas ended a two-fight losing streak with a TKO win over Darren Elkins. Now, Lamas is looking to get back on track, but he’ll need an opponent first.

Check out the updated card for Sunday’s event here below:

• Anthony Smith vs. Aleksandar Rakic
• Robbie Lawler vs. Neil Magny
• Alexa Grasso vs. Ji Yeon Kim
• Ricardo Lamas vs. opponent TBA
• Magomed Ankalaev vs. Ion Cutelaba
• Impa Kasanganay vs. Maki Pitolo
• Hannah Cifers vs. Mallory Martin
• Zak Cummings vs. Alessio Di Chirico
• Alex Caceres vs. Giga Chikadze
• Polyana Viana vs. Emily Whitmire
• Christian Aguilera vs. Sean Brady

We’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available…

The post Ryan Hall Withdraws From Ricardo Lamas Fight At UFC Fight Night 175 appeared first on Cageside Press.

As first reported by MMA Fighting, the duo will now throw down on August 29. Hall and Lamas were originally scheduled to meet at the UFC Oklahoma City card on May 2. Like so many others, that show was cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The Lamas pairing is certainly one of the biggest of Hall’s career. The grappling ace has struggled to find opponents willing to tango with him, especially after key wins over Darren Elkins and B.J. Penn.

Lamas has split his last two fights, with a win over Darren Elkins followed by a loss to surging 145lb’er Calvin Kattar.

To date, the UFC’s August 29 event has the following fights associated with it:

Aleksandar Rakic vs. Anthony Smith
Christian Aguilera vs. Sean Brady
Zak Cummings vs. Alessio Di Chirico
Ryan Hall vs. Ricardo Lamas

The card does not have an official name or any event numbering. It is expected to be held at the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. After a trio of shows in Florida in May, the UFC returned to Vegas for five consecutive events at the venue, which they own, and which opened last year. This month, they’ll be hosting four shows on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, which is being marketed as “Fight Island.”

The post UFC: Ryan Hall vs. Ricardo Lamas Set for August 29 appeared first on Cageside Press.

👊 @RicardoLamasMMA vuelve a la acción este 2 de mayo frente a Ryan Hall https://t.co/fFC2codsTz pic.twitter.com/LvhUWIccBP

— UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) March 3, 2020

Hall (8-1) last fought in July at UFC Sacramento, taking Darren Elkins the distance for a unanimous decision win. He has not lost since his first fight as a pro, and won The Ultimate Fighter 22 at lightweight in 2015. However, he has only fought three times since, earning wins over Gray Maynard, B.J. Penn, and most recently Elkins.

Hall holds all sorts of medals in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, including gold at the ADCC North American Championship (2008), and bronze at the ADCC World Championship (2009).

Ricardo Lamas (19-8) also holds a recent win over Elkins. However, in his last trip to the octagon, Lamas found himself knocked out by the surging Calvin Kattar. A former featherweight title challenger (against Jose Aldo at UFC 169 in 2014), Lamas is 1-3 in his last four outings.

UFC Oklahoma City (UFC Fight Night 174) takes place May 2, 2020 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The card to date breaks down as follows:

Jack Hermansson vs. Chris Weidman
Cláudia Gadelha vs. Marina Rodriguez
Andrei Arlovski vs. Philipe Lins
Ed Herman vs. Da Un Jung
Sarah Alpar vs. Vanessa Melo
Bryce Mitchell vs. Charles Rosa
Ryan Hall vs. Ricardo Lamas

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Calvin Kattar made a statement at UFC 238 with a big KO of Ricardo Lamas.

Calvin Kattar and Ricardo Lamas were both at an interesting point of their respective careers coming into UFC 238. Both featherweights have faced some of the toughest competition in the division, thus showing how highly the UFC feels about them. Kattar was defeated by Renato Moicano via unanimous decision, but quickly got back in the win column last October.

Lamas has faced some top names such as Josh Emmett and Mirsad Bektic. All three are top ten fighters in the division, with Emmett and Bektic set to square off later this year. Lamas also fell to those men, but got back into contention with a win over Darren Elkins. This fight could surely help either man secure another date with a top tier opponent.

Round one opens with the Chicago native Lamas coming forward. The first 30 or so seconds are controlled by feints from both men. Lamas attempts some leg kicks and lands. Kattar was noticeably bothered by leg kicks in the Moicano loss. Lamas attempts a takedown but comes up empty. Kattar begins to close the distance with Lamas against the fence. Kattar checks a leg kick and responds with a jab that stunned Lamas. Kattar is successfully touching up the body of Lamas against the fence. A beautiful left lands to the face of Lamas, followed by a vicious right hook which drops Lamas to the ground. A few shots land on the ground but they did not matter, Lamas was out!

LEFT! RIGHT! OUT!@CalvinKattar enjoy your moment! #UFC238 pic.twitter.com/4lovgsLr2s

— UFC (@ufc) June 9, 2019

Calvin Kattar earns a huge victory. For the currently 15th ranked featherweight, it’s not only a move up in rankings, but the prestige of defeating a man five spots ahead of you.

In the post fight interview with Joe Rogan, Kattar opened with “Hey momma your sons on ESPN baby.” Kattar then spoke on losing his best friend last month, urging “anyone battling addiction, please get help, if not for yourself then for your loved ones, don’t make them feel this grief.”

Kattar is in an excellent position as he moves forward in the division stating everyone and anyone above him can and will get it.

Calvin Kattar def. Ricardo Lamas by TKO (punches), Round 1, 4:06

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Phillip Thompson of the Chicago Tribune first reported the addition to UFC 238.

Ricardo Lamas has resided in the top-10 of the featherweight position since the division’s inception. Kattar just recently broke into the top-15 and will be taking on Lamas in his fifth Octagon appearance.

Ricardo Lamas was 4-2 in the WEC before catching his stride when the UFC absorbed the promotion. He moved down to featherweight when he made his Octagon debut and won his first four fights. Most notably, he earned stoppage victories against Cub Swanson and Erik Koch. The streak gave him a title shot against kingpin Jose Aldo. Since then he is 6-4. “The Bully” defeated Darren Elkins by TKO in his last appearance, stopping a two-fight skid.

Calvin Kattar had a great run on the regional scene, going 16-2 before replacing Doo Ho Choi on short notice against Andre Fili. Kattar defeated the veteran by decision and fought fellow prospect Shane Burgos in his next fight. It was a brilliant battle, earning Fight of the Night and ending 30 seconds into the final round with a Kattar knockout. Kattar fell to top contender Renato Moicano then rebounded with a first-round TKO against Chris Fishgold.

UFC 238 takes place on June 9 from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Headlining the card will be flyweight champion Henry Cejudo against Marlon Moraes for the vacant bantamweight belt. Valentina Shevchenko will also be defending her flyweight title against Jessica Eye. The next possible flyweight and strawweight title contenders will be determined when Katlyn Chookagian fights Joanne Calderwood, and Tatiana Suarez battles Nina Ansaroff.

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