“I had the opportunity to join the tournament (last year) and who says no to fighting for a million dollars,” Renfro told Cageside Press on Tuesday.

“I had the chance, I came up a little bit short, but this year I believe it’s going to be my year.”

Renfro (11-4) took on Magomed Magomedkerimov last August, but fell short by decision effectively taking him out of the tournament. The young welterweight learned from the loss after studying the fight extensively.

“I got a lot of experience from that. When I was in there I remember thinking to myself man this guy is legit, he’s high level, and I was right there. It wasn’t like I was behind I mean like maybe a few steps behind,” said Renfro.

“Few minor adjustments I take that second round, and I won the round third, and then I win the fight. So we’re right there. I analyzed it a million times over. I know this time just be better.”

Renfro took the fight on short-notice last time around which also may have affected the performance.

“I took the fight on 12 days notice, guy’s a lot bigger than me, a lot of things going against me. I was still there to perform (and) have fun with it,” he said.

In Las Vegas he’ll see Rabadanov across from him also going for the big prize at the end of the tournament.

“Extremely high level. Actually I think he’s great, I think he’s good everywhere, he’s good on the ground. He’s good on the feet. He understands MMA,” he said.

“Chain wrestling (and) decent striking. That being said I’m greater than great. So for all that he’s good at I’m better.”

Watch the entire interview with Solomon Renfro above. He takes on Ghadzhi Rabadanov at PFL 2: Regular Season 2024 on Friday night.

The post Solomon Renfro Ready To Apply Lessons Learned Last Tournament appeared first on Cageside Press.

The PFL playoffs got underway earlier this month, and continue this Friday in New York City. It is the third playoff card, on August 23, however, that featured a promising welterweight battle between pals Magomed Umalatov and Magomed Magomedkerimov, the latter a former PFL champ.

That fight is no more. PFL officials recently announced that Umalatov had withdrawn from the fight. In his place, Solomon Renfro will step up to take on Magomedkerimov.

The reason behind Umalatov withdrawing from the semifinal bout was not disclosed.

Umalatov previously told Cageside Press that his preference was for the pair to meet in the finals, if at all possible. And the league has not had the best results when it comes to friends fighting under their banner, after the disastrous Natan Schulte vs. Raush Manfio bout earlier this year.

Renfro (11-3), meanwhile, has the most to gain from the situation. The former LFA and Contender Series fighter had just one fight during the PFL regular season, which he won via knockout. The second-round finish of Jarrah Hussein Al-Silawi earned Renfro five points, and extended his overall win streak to three — but that was not enough to make the playoffs. Until now.

Magomedkerimov (32-6) won the league’s welterweight tournament in 2018, defeating Ray Cooper III in the final that year. 2019 would see him drop out due to injury; Cooper took his revenge in 2021, beating the Russian in a rematch in the final. Visa issues the welterweight endured last year kept him out of the 2022 playoffs.

This year’s PFL 9 card takes place at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY on Aug. 23, 2023.

The post Solomon Renfro Steps Up, Replaces Magomed Umalatov in PFL Playoffs appeared first on Cageside Press.

First, a look at last year’s list, featuring the sole UFC roster member predicted, Gabriel Bonfim signing with the UFC in 2022:

Abdoul Abdouraguimov
Dilano Taylor
Gabriel Bonfim
Losene Keita
Mateusz Figlak
Kamal Magomedov
Jarrah Hussein Al-Silawi
Kevin Jousset
Ramazan Kuramagomedov
Jesse Urholin

Worth noting is that Dilano Taylor had a standout year in the PFL, going all the way to the final against Sadibou Sy. Losene Keita has continued to find success, meanwhile, in Oktagon MMA.

Be sure to check out the first three entries in this series:

10 Heavyweight Prospects the UFC Should Sign in 2023
10 Light Heavyweight Prospects the UFC Should Sign in 2023
10 Middleweight Prospects the UFC Should Sign in 2023

The post 10 Welterweight Prospects the UFC Should Sign in 2023 appeared first on Cageside Press.

In part three, the final part of this series, we are giving out some supplementary awards along with the awards of the best female and male prospect of the year.

Breakthrough prospect of the year: Kevin Vallejos (9-0)

In this award, we decided to highlight one prospect that had a breakout year in 2022. Someone we thought was irrelevant coming into the year but made a name for himself by the end of the year. Kevin Vallejos fits that description perfectly. Coming into the year Vallejos was 2-0 and now he’s 8-0. That means he fought six times in one year. Vallejos did go 6-0 in ten months. He’s been fighting in his home country of Argentina and captured the Samurai Fight House title. Six wins in ten months is impressive no matter how you look at it.

Transitioned MMA prospect of the year: Junior Tafa (3-0)

Here we decided to highlight the best prospect that made the transition to MMA from another sport this year. Surprisingly, there were a lot of options but Junior Tafa had to be the choice. He came into MMA from kickboxing as his record was 23-5 and most notably fought in Glory. Tafa went 3-0 in MMA this year and is fighting on the RIZIN 40 card at the end of the year so 4-0 is a real possibility. He’s jumped into MMA head first and has won all his fights finishing all his opponents.

Comeback prospect of the year: Solomon Renfro (10-3)

Renfro ended 2021 with a split-decision loss on the Contender Series. It was a fight he really should’ve won but the judges saw it the other way. He then started off this year getting knocked out by Adam Fugitt. That’s a fight he wins more times than not. Renfro has rebounded and closes out the year with two good wins. From being 0-2 in February he rebounded to win his next two fights. Renfro is one of the best welterweights and is prime for a big opportunity in 2023.

The post Yearly MMA Prospect Awards: 2022 in Review, Part 3 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Tiger Schulmann’s Renfro (8-2) returns to action for the first time in 2022 this weekend. For only the second time in his professional career, he will be fighting in a different promotion than CFFC, and that’s because LFA 125 takes place in his home state of New York.

In his last outing, he lost a very, very close split decision on season five of Dana White’s Contender Series. Renfro believes he was robbed of a win, but he did learn something from the fight, to always come forward.

“Regardless of what the f*ck happens, I always need to come forward and get the dude out of there. My job was to get that man out of there, and I didn’t do that. I left it to the judges, and whenever that happens, some fishy shit always happens. I just need to get these people out of here; my job is to do that,” Renfro told Cageside Press in an exclusive interview.

Renfro definitely plans on coming forward at LFA 125 when he faces Adam Fugitt in the co-main event. The 25-year old plans on knocking Fugitt out in the first round.

“I think he is decent everywhere, and his best strength is probably him putting guys against the cage and then taking them down… Honestly, I feel like I’m better than him everywhere. I’m better on the feet; I’m better on the ground, better kicks, I’m faster, I’m stronger, I’m smarter, I got more experience, I’ve fought better guys. It’s just my time, and the hardest thing to stop is a man whose time is coming. My time is now, believe that. I see myself finishing him within one round,” Renfro said.

Many fans and analysts believe the New York fighter should have gotten a contract after his appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series. However, Renfro believes after he defeats Fugitt on Friday, he should be on his way to the UFC, and if for whatever reason he doesn’t get the call, he will keep fighting until he gets it.

“I believe when I win this fight, I should be in the UFC, but if they take a little too long, I don’t mind taking another fight, man. Listen, I love to fight, and I love to get paid. It’s a blessing; I used to get in trouble for fighting,” Renfro said.

Solomon Renfro fights Adam Fugitt in the co-main event of LFA 125 on February 25, which can be streamed exclusively on UFC Fight Pass. Watch the rest of the interview with Renfro above.

The post LFA 125: Solomon Renfro Plans to Knock Out Adam Fugitt, Make His Way to the UFC appeared first on Cageside Press.

Appearing on the show just weeks ago, Borralho had earned a unanimous decision win over Canadian middleweight Aaron Jeffery. Given both men were considered UFC-ready, that might have been enough to earn Borralho a ticket to the big show then and there. But Borralho slowed in the third and final round, and the UFC contract was not to be. At least not on that night.

Instead, Boralho was invited back, to appear for a second time in one season — a rare opportunity to get a second chance without having to win any fights in between. The second fight of the year would come up a weight class, however, with Borralho moving to light heavyweight to take on Jesse Murray.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 5, Week 8 kicks off at 8PM ET, airing live on ESPN+ in the United States, and on UFC Fight Pass elsewhere. Full results from the card, at the UFC Apex, can be found below.

The opening fight of the evening seemed like a bit of a mismatch, with James Barnes being a bit long in the tooth for the Contender Series at age 39. With an inspiring and tragic backstory, it was nice to see Barnes get a moment in the sun — but after a close fight in the early going, Pedro Falcao turned it up in round three and earned another knockout win.

Armen Petrosyan got the job done within a round on Tuesday. He rocked Kaloyan Kolev with a kick by the fence, sitting him down then hitting home with a couple extra punches before the ref saved Kolev, who likely didn’t know what continent he was on at that point.

With his second change to make the UFC in a single season arriving on Tuesday, Caio Borralho made no mistake. He absolutely smashed through Jesse Murray, earning the finish care of some nasty ground n’ pound in under two minutes.

The final two bouts went the distance, with very different outcomes.  Piera Rodriguez displayed lots of power and a strong right hand, earning a unanimous decision over Valesca Macado. Jonny Parsons, meanwhile, won a split decision over Solomon Renfro that left the latter looking bewildered after the scores had been read.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 5, Week 8 Results

Welterweight: Jonny Parsons def. Solomon Renfro by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
Women’s Strawweight: Piera Rodriguez def. Valesca Machado by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Light Heavyweight: Caio Borralho by. Jesse Murray by TKO, Round 1, 1:41
Light Heavyweight: Armen Petrosyan def. Kaloyan Kolev by knockout, Round 1, 4:27
Bantamweight: Pedro Falcão def. James Barnes by knockout, Round 3, 3:55

Contract Winners: Armen Petrosyan, Caio Borralho, Piera Rodriguez, Jonny Parsons

The post Dana White’s Contender Series Season 5, Week 8 Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

We’re quickly approaching the end of this latest season of Dana White’s Contender Series, and Season 5, Week 8 was likely to see the total number of contracts handed out in Season 3 matched if not surpassed. The 2019 edition of DWCS handed out 30 UFC contracts; last season dished out a total of 37. Prior to Tuesday’s installment, which saw Caio Borralho get his second chance on the show in a matter of weeks, 28 deals had been handed out in Season 5.

We’ve got five more fights to break down this week, so lets get to it!

Welterweight: Solomon Renfro Vs. Jonny Parsons

Tale of the Tape

Pros and Cons

Who has the advantage?

Striking: Renfro
Speed: Renfro
Output/Volume: Renfro
Knockout Power: Renfro
Chin: Parsons
Kickboxing: Even
Footwork: Renfro
Wrestling: Renfro
Grappling: Renfro
Submissions: Renfro
Cardio: Parsons

Prediction

It’s evident that Renfro has massively improved over his last few fights. Early as a pro Renfro was winning close fights and wasn’t performing to the best of his ability. Ever since training at Tiger Schulmann he’s a much better fighter. Even his loss to Mike Malott, he was winning until he got caught.

I expect a striking battle but Renfro has a clear wrestling and grappling advantage if he wants it. Both guys are flat-footed pocket strikers with a lot of power. Renfro has adopted that Muay Thai base at Tiger Schulmann throwing heavy leg kicks and sitting down more on his punches. As a striker I strongly favor Renfro. Compared to Parsons he’s much faster, more explosive, and more powerful. The only concern for him is that Parsons is tough, and additionally there’s a question as to how Renfro will look deep in this fight if it gets there. That said I don’t think it gets there. I think Renfro is too much against someone much slower and stationary. Betting wise I like the Renfro money line and to go for even more I like him by submission as well.

The post DWCS 2021 Week 8 Breakdown and Predictions appeared first on Cageside Press.

In this three-part feature, we’ll list prospects the UFC should bring in for season five. This will exclude prospects that have already been on the show, although there are a few that could very well be brought back (and at least one, Aaron Jeffery, that will be). The goal here is to be realistic with the selections, so don’t expect too many left-field picks.

From last year’s list, Tafon Nchukwi, Dustin Stoltzfus, Brandon Royval, Collin Anglin, TJ Laramie, Adrian Yanez, Al Matavao, Nikolas Motta, Cody Brundage, Sherrard Blackledge and more all made it to the show. Others, like Anthony Ivy, Kay Hansen, Max Rohskopf, Timur Valiev, and Irwin Rivera, were signed directly to the UFC, to varying degrees of success.

It’s time for our third and final installment. If you missed them, parts one and two are linked below.

Scouting Prospects for Dana White’s Contender Series Season 5, Part 1

Scouting Prospects for Dana White’s Contender Series Season 5, Part 2

Paul Capaldo

Bantamweight | 24 | New Jersey, US | 6-0 | Win streak: 11 | 4 KO/TKOs

6-0 as a pro and 5-0 as an amateur, Capaldo is a solid prospect out of Nick Catone MMA and Fitness. Capaldo is on the correct path to get to the UFC having all his pro fights under the CFFC banner. His highlight-reel wheel kick knockout in his last bout does nothing but help his case. Capaldo could just get more experience and come onto the Contender Series in 2022 but does have the skillset to be on the show this year, and would give anyone problems.

AJ Fletcher

Welterweight | 24 | Lafayette, Louisiana, US | 7-0 | Win streak: 10 | 3 KO/TKOs, 3 Submissions’

Since losing two consecutive fights as an amateur in 2018, Fletcher has hit his stride. The Louisiana-born fighter has looked excellent across seven pro bouts. “The Ghost” has been very active since turning professional even fighting four times in 2019. The fighting style of Fletcher slightly resembles Contender Series veteran and UFC fighter Ian Heinishch. I’m sure a young welterweight with an undefeated record will attract a spot on the show.

The post Scouting Prospects for the Contender Series Season 5: Part 3 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Still, between Titan FC, ONE Championship, KSW, and a number of regional promotions hosting shows this week, plenty of other prospects were ready to big up the slack.

Titan FC 66 | Thursday | US

Flyweight, Juan Puerta (20-6)

Puerta has had a lot of speed bumps in his career but has now hit his stride and is on a nine-fight win streak, the biggest of his career. On the feet, Puerta uses his range well with jabs and knees. He’s much better on the mat, though, using his length. Puerta is a big submission threat with nearly all his fights going that way. He shows how dangerous he is on the mat with his versatile submission attack holding five different types of submission wins. He fights Joe Penafiel (5-1).

One Championship | Friday | Singapore

Welterweight, Lowen Tynanes (10-0)

Tynanes is primarily a wrestler and a stellar one at that. Tynanes uses a lot of feints with his hands and level changes before powering forward with an explosive double-leg. If not able to get the takedown in the middle of the cage he’s good at pressing into the cage and getting the takedown from there. Once on the mat, he’s showed to be insanely strong with his top position. He puts a lot of pressure on the upper body of his foes nailing them down to the canvas while unloading ground and pound. Tynanes has glue-like grappling being all over every move his opponent makes. Just an overall dominant wrestler/grappler with solid cardio and a constant work ethic. He fights Marat Gafurov (17-3).

Featherweight, Troy Worthen (7-0)

Troy Worthen started wrestling in high school and competed in college as well. Worthen became an NCWA All-American and a Southeastern Conference Champion for Central Florida University. Despite being such a good wrestler, he’s shown a lot of good work on the feet with knockout power and good technique. He fights Yusup Saadulaev (19-5-1).

ACA 116 | Friday | Russia

Featherweight, Felipe Froes (19-4-1)

Froes is solid all around. In his stand-up, he throws a lot of kicks to keep distance but his hands are where it’s at. Froes has a very nice straight right hand that he lands more than anything but still throws with both. His wrestling is good as he can get the double leg or the trip in the clinch. On the mat, he has good ground and pound and is excellent at taking the back. He is always the one in control, the only thing he needs to work on is his takedown defense. He fights Marat Balaev (11-2) which is a good fight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7uPcHCq4pk&ab_channel=ACAMMA

Heavyweight, Alikhan Vakhaev (10-2)

Vakhaev is a talented heavyweight at only 27-years-old. He a striker who understands distance management. He throws good long punches and kicks and does an excellent job coming in with strikes and knees in the clinch. He’s shown to be a well-equipped counter striker making guys pay when they rush in on him. Vakhaev stays calm and picks his shots while conserving his energy well. He fights Roggers Souza (10-2).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWg_4pXoKHk&ab_channel=ACAMMAACAMMAVerified

Megdan 8 | Friday | Serbia

Bantamweight, Stipe Brčić (8-1)

Fighting out of Croatia, Brčić is a tank of a fighter. Last February, Brcic won a one-night tournament to win the GMC title. To capture the belt he beat Luca Iovine who is a good fighter. Brcic is a physical guy bullying his way forward getting takedowns. On the feet, he’s mainly a head hunter with big power. He’s not as technical but his power makes up for it. He fights Mikhail Sirbu (14-7).

CFFC 91 | Friday | US

Welterweight, Solomon Renfro (6-0)

Renfro has bee someone that’s been on my radar for some time. The only thing holding him back was his lack of finishes. With that said, he secured his first finish in his last fight with a super impressive anaconda choke in round one. On the feet, Renfro is a pocket striker with nice hand speed and isn’t afraid to just sit in the pocket. I believe he’s an even better wrestler/grinder. He fights Mike Malott (5-1-1) which is his biggest test to date.

QFC 11 | Friday | Ecuador

Featherweight, Freddy Emiliano Linares (4-0)

Fighting out of Ecuador Linares hasn’t had the best level of competition but has still looked good. He’s a madman coming forward throwing a lot of big fight-ending strikes. Although he is extremely wild he’s still dangerous in the same sense. I’m even more impressed with ground game, particularly with his submission game. He’s got fluid hips and a real dangerous triangle. Linares reminds me of Bellator fighter Adam Borics. He fights Alberto Jarrin (5-1-1).

RCC 8 | Saturday | Russia

Heavyweight, Anton Vyazigin (15-3)

In three of his last four fights Vyazigin has beaten some good names in Gerônimo Dos Santos, Josh Copeland, and Wagner Prado. His only losses are to Klidson Abreu and Phil De Fries. He’s a veteran of M-1 Challenge and is now a free agent. Vyazigin doesn’t have the most attractive fighting style but his resume speaks for its self. The Russian isn’t the best on the feet as he’s just too ground oriented. He relies on his strength to get the takedowns and once there he’s at home. Vyazigin does enough on top and his relentless style breaks his foes. He fights Evgeny Goncharov (14-3) which should be a good test.

EFC 31 | Saturday | Russia

Heavyweight, Rizvan Kuniev (9-2-1)

Kuniev has some sort of background in Wushu Sanda which you can tell from watching his fights. On the feet, he doesn’t hold that heavyweight power but is agile and diverse, unlike most of the big guys. Kuniev is primarily a kickboxer who fights behind some flashy kicks from a lot of different angles. He’s well-rounded also being able to wrestle well, and he has a good top game. He fights Vladimir Dayneko (11-4).

KSW 57 | Poland | Saturday

Middleweight, Cezary Kesik (12-0)

Kesik is very underrated and is one of the best, if not the best, Polish prospects out there. Kesik is exciting, bringing an aggressive kickboxing style with a lot of power in his hands with six finishes by way of KO/TKO.  If needed, Kesik will take the fight down where he is really talented with positional control and transitions. Kesik is the current Thunderstrike Fight League middleweight champion, the same promotion UFC light heavyweight Michal Oleksiejczuk came from. He fights Abusupiyan Magomedov (23-4-1).

Middleweight, Abusupiyan Magomedov (23-4-1)

Magomedov has been forgotten since 2018. He competed in the 2018 PFL middleweight tournament and was a favorite to win. He got to the finals and lost to Louis Taylor. Abus has everything you look for in a fighter moving up in the ranks. He has that tall build fighting long using his jab and kicks perfectly at a distance. Magomedov is a combination striker always going to the body mixing that in with combinations. Impressive footwork exploding forward covering a lot of distance but getting back out when needed. For a plus the TDD is awesome and he has a sick guillotine he has hit many times. He fights Cezary Kesik (12-0).

Bantamweight, Bruno Santos (9-1)

Bruno Santos is a young Brazilian 22-year-old on a 4-fight-win streak. On the feet, he throws a good front kick and fights long well. His purpose is to get the fight down as his jiu-jitsu is his strong suit. Santos is smooth on the mat. At times his positioning is loose but he’s has a good back take. Santos has five submissions – four of those by rear-naked choke. He fights champion, Antun Račić (24-8-1).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwxhrrw6mLY&ab_channel=KSW

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