In the co-main event, a pair of ranked bantamweights fought to a split decision as former UFC flyweight champion, #6 Deiveson Figueiredo, topped #15, Montel Jackson. A variety of fighters on this edition of losers from ranked guys to tenured near .500 fighters.

Matuesz Gamrot

Charles Oliveira added to his UFC record for submission finishes as he strangled Matuesz Gamrot in the second round of their main event scrap on Saturday. Oliveira was originally scheduled to take on Rafael Fiziev- but he was forced to withdraw due to injury. Gamrot stepped in and became the 17th fighter to be submitted by Charles in the UFC octagon. Gamrot has now lost two of his last three but before that, was riding a three-fight win streak. It’s worth noting that the other loss was a split decision in 2024, and a fight of the night performance against Dan Hooker. Gamrot entered the fight ranked at #8, Rafael is ranked at #10, and Charles is #4.

Matuesz’s next fight should be against Paddy Pimblett. Extremely unlikely matchup? Maybe. But it’s a matchup that not only makes sense for both fighters, but also has potential upside for both.

Pimblett is 7-0 in the UFC and is ranked at #7 within the division. His most recent fight was in April when he finished Michael Chandler with strikes in the third round. In the fight prior, Chandler lost a unanimous decision to Charles Oliveria in November of 2024. Matching up Pimblett and Gamrot would give Paddy an opportunity to add a real elite in-his-prime name to his resume. On the flip side, it gives Gamrot a chance to show that he can scalp a top rising prospect. Grappler vs grappler matchup that holds huge weight for the division and could easily serve as a main event for a fight night. Winner would be on the short list for a title shot.

Matuesz’s next fight: Paddy Pimblett

Montel Jackson

Deiveson Figueiredo edged out Montel Jackson in a split decision in the co main event of UFC Rio on Saturday. The loss snaps Montel’s six-fight win streak dating back to 2020. Jackson is now 9-3 with the UFC. Considering Jackson entered this fight rounding out the rankings at #15, while Figueiredo was all the way down at #6- Saturday’s split decision bout was a solid showing for Jackson. However, on the other hand, Jackson left Rio without securing a win at 5’10” with a 75.5″ reach against a 5’5″ fighter with a 68″ reach. Difficult to stomach, but he was close and deserves another ranked matchup.

Montel’s next fight should be against the loser of Aiemann Zahabi vs Marlon Vera. That fight goes down on October 18th, so the timing would be perfect. Vera is ranked at #7 in the bantamweight division while Zahabi is at #9. Bout would make sense as Chito’s last fight was a unanimous decision loss to Figueiredo. Fight should be on the main card of a fight night or high on the undercard of a PPV. Winner would get a top #7-10 ranking.

Montel’s next fight: Loser of Aiemann Zahabi vs Marlon Vera

Vicente Luque

Vicente Luque welcomed Joel Alvarez to the welterweight division at UFC Rio Saturday, but ended up being on the wrong side of a hard-fought unanimous decision. Luque is now on a two-fight skid and has lost three of his last four fights. On the bright side for the 33-year-old, 16-8 UFC veteran, this was the first loss in that stretch where he was not finished. Luque was originally scheduled to face UFC veteran Santiago Ponzinibbio on Saturday, but Santiago withdrew from the bout.

Vicente’s next fight should be against Santiago Ponzinibbio. That matchup should be rebooked. Considering how Vicente has looked in his last few fights, despite his age, it warrants him being booked against a tough veteran like Santiago. Ponzinibbio has also lost three of his last four fights, and has been finished in all of those except one. The matchup fits perfectly. And because both fighters are respected by fans this could be on the undercard of a PPV or the main card of a fight night event. Winner would inch towards being 2-3 more victories from fighting for a ranking. Loser would start to get rumblings about retirement, especially if finished.

Vicente’s next fight: Santiago Ponzinibbio 

Jhonata Diniz

Undefeated fighter, Mario Pinto, smoked Jhonata Diniz in the second round of their bout on Saturday. Pinto finished the fight via ground strikes in the second, handing Diniz just his second loss with the UFC in five fights.

Jhonata’s next fight should be against Justin Tafa or Thomas Peterson. Diniz was scheduled to fight Tafa earlier this year, but the fight was cancelled when Justin withdrew. Diniz has gone 1-1 since that cancellation, while Tafa has yet to compete. That fight is still one that could be booked by UFC brass. Another option could be pairing Jhonata up with Thomas Peterson, who fought on the undercard of UFC Rio on Saturday. Peterson was finished, in devastating fashion, by Vitor Petrino in the final round of their bout. Thomas, a 2023 Contender Series product, is 2-3 within the UFC. Leaning towards rebooking the matchup with Justin, but either matchup could work just fine, as heavyweight outside of the top 15 is wide open.

Jhonata’s next fight: Justin Tafa or Thomas Peterson 

Ricardo Ramos

Kaan Ofli opened the main card of UFC Rio Saturday with a first round submission victory over Ricardo Ramos. Ramos has now lost four of his last five fights in the last two years. Ricardo’s only victory in the time span, Josh Culibao, was a split decision. Ramos is in a dire position currently.

Ricardo’s next fight should be against Lucas Almedia. Lucas has also lost four of his last five fights in around the last two years. And Almedia’s only win in the time span was a unanimous decision victory against Timmy Cuamba. Ricardo’s UFC career over the past two years closely mirrors Almedia’s.  Great ‘hot-seat’ fight where the loser of the bout would be on the short list for being released from the promotion.

Ricardo’s next fight: Lucas Almedia 

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Among the Rio additions, heavyweight action will see Valter Walker (14-1), whose brother Johnny just had a triumphant night in Shanghai, take on one half of another UFC sibling duo in Mohammed Usman (11-4). Ricardo Ramos (17-7), meanwhile, will face Kaan Ofli (11-4-1) at featherweight.

In another promising booking, welterweight action has Gabriel Bonfim (18-1) paired up with Randy Brown (20-6). Lucas Almeida (15-4) gets Michael Aswell (10-3) in another featherweight addition to the UFC Rio card.

Thanks to the frankly barren landscape at heavyweight in the UFC, Valter Walker is already ranked #14 in the weight class. Usman (brother of ex-welterweight champ Kamaru) is not ranked. None of the remaining aforementioned fighters are currently ranked in their divisions, though for names like Brown, that’s more a matter of depth.

UFC Rio takes place on October 11, 2025 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at the Farmasi Arena. Charles Oliveira and Rafael Fiziev headline, with the following match-ups reported for the card to date:

• Charles Oliveira vs. Rafael Fiziev
• Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Montel Jackson
• Vicente Luque vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
• Jhonata Diniz vs. Mário Pinto
• Vitor Petrino vs. Thomas Petersen
• Jafel Filho vs. Clayton Carpenter
• Lucas Rocha vs. Stewart Nicoll
• Julia Polastri vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
• Beatriz Mesquita vs. Irina Alekseeva
• Lucas Almeida vs. Michael Aswell
• Valter Walker vs. Mohammed Usman
• Gabriel Bonfim vs. Randy Brown
• Ricardo Ramos vs. Kaan Ofli

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Ramos put a stop to his two-fight skid with a win over Josh Culibao last August. Meanwhile, Mariscal was looking to keep the momentum going after winning his first four fights under the UFC banner.

Round one started with both fighters opening with kicks; both missed. On his second try, Mariscal grazed Ramos’ chin with a head kick. He then blitzed and pushed Ramos to the fence, who answered with flying switch kick. Chepe used his favourite judo throw off the clinch to get Ramos down, but the Brazilian quickly got back up. Chepe set a high pace to start, as he landed a heavy leg kick and big right hand. Shortly after, they went to the ground and Ramos used a calf slicer to get back up. Once on the feet, Mariscal landed a rare open palm strike. Some more heavy hooks from Chepe were answered by Ramos with a patented spinning elbow that stunned Marscal.

Chepe recovered quickly and went right back on offence. He even nearly took Ramos’ back, but ‘Caracinha’ reversed it. They landed in a 50-50 position on the ground with both attacking heel hooks. They eventually let their leg attacks go and the round ended. An entertaining first round that went to Mariscal due to activity.

In the second round, the pair threw strikes at the same time, but Chepe caught Ramos with a short right elbow. They clinched for a while, but nothing of consequence was landed on either side. Chepe was consistently finding a home for his left hands from the southpaw stance when moving forward. Ramos, feeling the need to land something of his own, moved forward and landed another spinning elbow that Mariscal somehow ate cleanly. The elbow didn’t deter ‘Machine Gun’ as he kept pressuring Ramos.

A funny-looking sequence followed as three consecutive side kicks to the leg were landed by Mariscal without a counter from the Brazilian. Mariscal, wanting to finish the round strong, poured it on in the final minute. He extended his combinations and didn’t give Ramos any time to breathe. Mariscal went into the third up two rounds.

Perhaps feeling the need to switch things up, Ramos attempted a takedown to start round three. The attempt was easily stuffed by Mariscal. Ramos, breathing heavier than Chepe, was only able to throw one strike at a time. The Brazilian fighter tried to intercept Chepe with a front kick, but Mariscal instead turned it into a short-lived takedown. Ramos was landing when he was throwing, but Chepe was simply more active. In desperate need of a Hail Mary strike, Ramos some more spinning elbows. But Chepe was wise to those, now, and comfortably rode his lead to the end of the round.

Official Result: Chepe Mariscal def. Ricardo Ramos by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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Culibao had seen a three-fight win streak snapped by his current skid, while Ramos had just one win in four fights dating back to 2021.

The fight began with Ramos looking for long strikes like leg kicks and a flashing spinning kick to feel out the distance. Most of his kicks connected although Culibao was able to partially block a few. Both fighters were doing a great job of using their feet to evade strikes. Josha was able to land a solid calf kick 90 seconds into the fight that Ramos definitely felt. Ricardo began to walk forward with urgency and Culibao landed another leg kick that forced Ramos to limp. Culibao was able to secure a hail-marry takedown attempt and immediately moved to his opponent’s back with his arm on the neck. After working for a little bit Ramos was able to sink in the rear naked choke, Joshua was able to complete a miraculous submission escape not just once but two times. Ramos would ride out the remainder of the round on his opponent’s back.

To begin the second round Culibao went right back to the calf kick. Ramos landed a body kick and was able to quickly dart out of range of the counter. A minute into the round and Ramos checked another leg kick. Culibao began to throw more leg kicks before transitioning to punches upstairs that landed. Joshua was able to back Ramos up to the fence and went back to the calf kick. Ricardo folded over like a lawn chair as Culibao spammed kicks to the body of his grounded opponent. Culibao continued to circle and drop in shots when he could attempt land to the head of his opponent.

With 90 seconds left in the round Joshua let the ref return Ramos to his feet. Joshua began to stalk his opponent before mocking a missed strike with a pirouette seconds later. With 30 seconds left in the round Culibao took an eye poke that stopped the action for just a second. As the fight resumed Ramos thru long strikes attempting to protect his compromised leg. He was able to end the round without eating another big shot.

To start the final round Ramos caught a kick and backed up Culibao with some boxing. Joshua came right back trying to land his right hand and poked the body of Ricardo with a teep. Ramos kept looking to land boxing combinations but with his diminished mobility he had a tough time landing on an evading and feinting Culibao. Ramos looked for the clinch to land a few knees, but Joshua returned with short punches to the body. Midway thru the round and Ramos landed a couple punch combination to the head of a retreating Ramos. Ricardo began to show a bit of fatigue on is leg before eating a leg kick. With 90 seconds left in the round Ramos was able to leap onto the back of his opponent after he left it exposed after missing a strike. Ramos transitioned to Culibao’s guard with 30 seconds left in the fight and landed some labored short strikes as the final time expired.

When the scores were read, it was Ramos taking the fight with two judges, leaving Culibao in disbelief.

Official Result: Ricardo Ramos def. Josh Culibao by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

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“I’m looking to put on a performance that’s going to have the same type of pop,” Culibao told reporters on Wednesday.

“I’m just ready to go, super excited, good memories here. I look to do and repeat the same.”

Culibao (11-3-1) last fought in Australia at UFC 284 where he submitted Melsik Baghdasaryan to the home crowd. The crowd reaction to Culibao is something he hopes to replicate on Saturday night.

In Ramos he’ll face someone who isn’t afraid to throw hands with Culibao and put on a good show for the crowd.

“It’s the matchup. You need a good dance partner and Ramos is a fantastic dance partner. I think us both stylistically we’re going to put on a great fight. I just don’t see it going to decision,” said Culibao.

“I think me and him are just super exciting fighters and we’re both looking to finish.”

Culibao has no beef with Ramos, but knows the matchup is prime for action.

“I think he’s a very respectful guy. I did run into him in the lobby and yeah he came straight up to me, shook my hand,” he said.

“Just said nice to see you. There’s no malice like the last Melsik fight. This one is nice.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Josh Culibao above. He takes on Ricardo Ramos at UFC 305 on Saturday night.

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It was a wild affair right out of the gate, with both men swinging, but it was Ramos who did damage early, connecting with a knee! Erosa appeared rocked; Brazil’s Ramos secured a takedown, dropping a bit of ground n’ pound, but at the same time affording “Juicy J” the opportunity to recover.

Erosa, however, didn’t stay down long. Ramos soon secured another takedown however, only for Erosa to lock up a guillotine! The choke didn’t seem to be the most secure, with Ramos’ head on the verge of popping out. But Erosa also had his full body weight on it as Ramos made the mistake of actually standing up, carrying his opponent’s bulk. That had Ramos quickly tapping, giving Julian Erosa an impressive comeback win!

Just eight days removed from the birth of his son, Julian Erosa shouted out his wife following the win. He admitted that he “really wanted to fight before my son was born,” but in hindsight, Saturday’s showing at UFC Vegas 89 might have worked out even better.

Erosa also noted that after seeing Charles Jourdain submit Ramos, he believed he could very much do the same.

Official Result: Julian Erosa def. Ricardo Ramos by submission (guillotine choke), Round 1, 2:15

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Rafael Fiziev

Lightweight contender Rafael Fiziev likely has a long recovery ahead of him after losing his fight against Mateusz Gamrot at UFC Vegas 79 due to suffering what appeared to be some sort of knee ligament tear when throwing a kick. ACL and MCL tears can routinely take a full year to heal, so it’s hard to predict what the lightweight division will look like when he is ready to fight again.

However there are a lot of interesting fights for the Muay Thai specialist at lightweight against exciting strikers like Dan Hooker, Jalin Turner, and Matt Frevola. We do not know when Fiziev will be able to fight again, but a battle between him and the ‘Hangman,’ aka Dan Hooker, would be a surefire banger.

Fiziev’s Next Fight: Dan Hooker

Dan Ige

Dan ’50K’ Ige had moments of success in his battle with Bryce Mitchell in the UFC Vegas 79 co-main event, such as when he nearly shut Mitchell’s eye with a few cuts around it from strikes, but he ultimately lost the decision, snapping a two-fight winning streak. He once again will have to give a chance to a rising featherweight contender.

Lerone Murphy is currently the fifteenth-ranked featherweight and the undefeated fighter broke into the rankings after his last fight, which bought him to a 5-0-1 record in the UFC. The British striking specialist matches up well with Ige, a talented striker in his own right. Ige will be Murphy’s toughest test to date, but a well-earned one.

Ige’s Next Fight: Lerone Murphy

Michelle Waterson-Gomez

‘The Karate Hottie’ lost her fourth fight in a row and her sixth in seven fights at UFC Vegas 79, this time falling to Marina Rodriguez for the second time. Rodriguez did not let the fight go the distance as she put Waterson-Gomez away in the second round. Michelle is nearing the end of an illustrious career at age 37 but she did not retire in the cage following the fight so it can be assumed she has at least one more in her.

With her losing streak she should be fighting unranked competition at this point. One unranked fighter who deserves a step up in competition is Loma Lookbonme, a nak muay on a two-fight winning streak and with a 5-2 record overall in the UFC. Her unique, traditional Muay Thai skills make her a special fighter in the women’s strawweight division and Waterson-Gomez would not only challenge her in her area of expertise, striking, but also test Loma’s takedown defense.

Waterson-Gomez’s Next Fight: Loma Lookbonme

AJ Fletcher

Lousianan AJ Fletcher fell to 1-3 in the UFC with a submission loss to Bryan Battle at UFC Vegas 79. He had success in the first round with a knockdown but simply could not stand against the streaking Battle. Fletcher now is fighting for his job, or could even be cut currently, and should be fighting a debuting fighter next. Recent Dana White’s Contender Series contract winner Oban Elliott from Wales, who won by majority decision in a fight that showcased pure heart and toughness, would be a fitting opponent for Fletcher next.

Fletcher’s Next Fight: Oban Elliott

Ricardo Ramos

The battle of strikers between Ricardo Ramos and Charles Jourdain went to the ground early, where Ramos initially had the upper hand but got trapped in a guillotine during a scramble and was forced to tap by ‘Air’ Jourdain. This continues Ramos’ streak of trading wins and losses evenly that goes back to 2019, but the Brazilian is still 7-4 in the UFC and is must-watch TV due to his history of hitting multiple spinning back elbow knockouts.

In the featherweight division there are any number of action fighters that Ramos could fight next, guys like Cub Swanson, Steve Garcia, or Chepe Mariscal. However the fighter we chose for Ramos next is the tallest featherweight alive, Sean Woodson. Woodson is now 4-1-1 in the UFC and is ready to take on some of the veterans of the division, like Ramos, in what would surely be a thrilling striking battle.

Ramos’ Next Fight: Sean Woodson

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Jourdain had got back in the win column in his last fight, a one-sided beating of Kron Gracie.

On Saturday, it was Jourdain firing a heavy kick to the body, with Ramos stumbling back. In turn, Ramos kicked the legs of the Canadian then went high, and already, the striking talents of both athletes were on display. Jourdain closed the distance with a left, fired a knee, and wound up grabbing a guillotine as Ramos pursued a takedown.

Ramos eventually landed the takedown, and had a shot at a Von Flue choke, but couldn’t finish it. In a scramble moments later, however, Ramos again found himself caught in a guillotine. While he looked to pull free, it wasn’t to be, with the Brazilian instead giving a quick tap, and giving Jourdain his second straight win.

The victory should give “Air” Jourdain a bit of breathing room, with two straight wins putting a two-fight skid behind him. He’s also primed to make the turnaround for a rumoured Toronto card in early 2023.

After the fight, Jourdain noted that he was proud to be both the youngest, and most experienced Canadian on the UFC roster (John Makdessi actually has more fights, though the UFC broadcast itself overlooked this). Jourdain also took the time to give a respectful callout of Cub Swanson, saying “Canadian fans deserve a very good battle between the new school and the old school.”

Official Result: Charles Jourdain def. Ricardo Ramos by submission (guillotine choke), Round 1, 3:12

Updated, 11:40PM Sept. 23 to reflect that John Makdessi has the most UFC bouts among Canadians currently in the promotion

The post UFC Vegas 79: Charles Jourdain Quickly Submits Ricardo Ramos appeared first on Cageside Press.

“Really good opponent. Going to bring the war and I’m a warrior so here we go,” Ramos told reporters on Wednesday.

“For sure, I hope so.”

For Ramos it’s more than just a victory on the line at UFC Vegas 79. He hopes a win will get him the momentum he needs to be more consistent and fight more.

“I would like to. We plan things, but things happen different you know. I put my life in God’s hands so I know he’s working on my future. I know I have something in the future waiting for me. I’ve just got to be patient, keep working everyday at the gym, and I think that’s going to be the same as always,” he said.

Ramos knows that if he keeps working an opportunity will present itself. To be ready for that he stays busy in the training room.

“I’m always training. Always in the gym. Every time they send me a fight (I say) yes let’s go, and I think that’s it. One day soon probably we’re going to be getting out there the stuff we invest in this career,” he said.

“I know my time will come.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Ricardo Ramos above. He takes on Charles Jourdain at UFC Vegas 79 on Saturday night.

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