Dan Hooker

Arman Tsarukyan battered and submitted Dan Hooker in the second round of their fight in the main event on Saturday. With the loss, Dan now falls to 14-9 under the UFC banner. The loss snapped a three-fight winning streak for Hooker which included a body kick finish to Claudio Puelles and a pair of split decisions opposite of Jalin Turner and Mateusz Gamrot.

A good next fight for Hooker, would be giving him the man who he asked for, Renato Moicano. The Brazilian is currently ranked at #10 within the division. Renato is 12-7 within the UFC and is currently riding a two-fight losing streak. Moicano stepped in on short notice and was quickly submitted by champion, Islam Makhachev back in January. In June, Renato took on Beneil Dariush and lost a unanimous decision. These two rangy strikers haven’t competed against each other yet and with their vocal and brash personalities this matchup would surely offer a fun fight week and bout for fans. Both were recently thwarted in top ranked fights. Could easily see these two fan favorites fighting on a pay per view card, a main event for an APEX card or a feature prelim on a PPV card.

Hooker’s next fight: Renato Moicano 

Belal Muhammad

Ian Garry out styled and out struck Belal Muhammad on the way to a clean unanimous decision victory in the co main event of UFC Quatar on Saturday. Belal has now lost two in a row- after defeating Leon Edwards and capturing the welterweight strap last July. 37-year-old Belal is now 15-5, 1 NC under the UFC promotional banner. Could really see Belal getting a young fresh face to take on in his next bout.

This is one that could go either way. Belal could draw a lot of different fighters in his next bout. Two of the most likely would-be #11 Gabriel Bonfim or #13 Colby Covington. It’s doubtful that Belal draws a name like #8 Kamaru Usman or #4 Shavkat Rakhmonov.

There aren’t many fighters that Covington doesn’t have bad blood with and Belal is no exception. With their similar fight styles and the proper buildup/hype this fight could be massive for the division even if, at least on paper, a bit irrelevant. Chaos turns 38 early next year and has lost three of his last four, most recently a doctor’s stoppage at the hands of Joaquin Buckley last December.

Bonfim offers a good backup option as he’s is 6-1 within the UFC and is coming off a nasty KO against Randy Brown earlier this month, in his first UFC main event.  Bonfim has a win over Stephen Thompson and has been steadily climbing the rankings.

Prediction here is that Belal will get a fresh face- could really see a fight against Colby materializing.

Muhammad’s next fight: Colby Covington or Vicente Luque

Alonzo Menifield

Volkan Oezdemir showed fans why they call him ‘No Time’ as he KO’d Alonzo Menifield in less than 90 seconds. Meniefield is now 10-6-1 with the UFC. The 38-year-old is 2-3 in his last five fights as the Contender Series alum has seen a notable step up in competition recently. Volkan entered the fight ranked at #9 in the light heavyweight division while Alonzo was ranked at #14.

Menifield should take on Mingyang Zhang in his next fight. Zhang is 3-1 with the UFC since being signed in 2024. Mingyang scored three first round finishes, securing three bonuses in his first three UFC fights against Brendson Ribeiro, Ozzy Diaz and Anthony Smith. In his most recent fight however, against Johnny Walker, Zhang was stopped in the second round of his first UFC main event. That fight was back in August so the timing wouldn’t matchup exactly, but this is the fight to make right now. Both guys are coming off of being finished and Zhang is currently ranked at #15 within the division. This is a guaranteed exciting fight with a KO finish being extremely likely. Winner could potentially crack top 10 while loser would slide out of the rankings.

Menifield’s next fight: Mingyang Zhang 

Jack Hermansson

Myktybek Orolbai took less than a round to put Jack Hermansson out cold on the main card of UFC Qatar on Saturday. Hermansson, once a top ranked middleweight, was competing in his first bout at welterweight- what an unpleasant welcome. The Joker has now lost three of his last four fights and has been stopped in all three of those losses. The Joker’s only victory in some 3.5 years came against Joe Pyfer via unanimous decision in February of 2024.  Jack is now 11-8 with the UFC.

Good matchup for Jack would be against Vicente Luque or Li Jingliang. Both fighters are available and both hold solid name values and offer good litmus tests for the Swedish fighter.

Vicente was last in action back in October when he welcomed Joel Alvarez up from the lightweight division. Luque lost a unanimous decision and has now lost three of his last four. Vicente was finished twice in that four fight stretch and is 16-8 in the UFC.

Li Jingliang last fought in August of last year when he was flatlined against Carlos Prates. Jingliang has also lost three of his last four and been finished twice in that span. Leaning toward Jingliang as he has been out of action for a while and is likely looking to reestablish himself as well. It would be an easy fight for fans to get behind as well and could fit on a lot of fight cards.

Hermansson’s next fight: Li Jingliang or Vicente Luque

Shamil Gaziev

Waldo Cortes-Acosta took advantage of a short notice opportunity and destroyed Shamil Gaziev inside of a round on Saturday. Cortes-Acosta had just competed on November 1st, so this was a fast and fruitful turn around for him. The loss snapped a two-fight win streak for Gaziev. Shamil, a 2023 Contender Series alum, is now 3-2 under the UFC banner. Shamil entered the fight ranked at #11 while Waldo Cortes Acosta was ranked at #6.

Easy one to book here. This bout, which was originally booked as Gaziev vs Serghei Spivac was referenced in a previous losers article. Even though the original matchup fell apart, after Spivac fell ill, the outcome and matchup produced as a result, is perfect. Spivac was ranked at #7 while Ante Delija is currently ranked at #10. This fight makes too much sense for the division at this point and both fighters would have similar recovery times and are close in the rankings.

Gaziev’s next fight: Ante Delija 

Tagir Ulanbekov

Kyoji Horiguchi choked out Tagir Ulanbekov early in the final round of their bout on Saturday. Tagir entered the fight ranked at #11 within the flyweight division while Horiguchi was unranked within the UFC (but a former UFC flyweight title challenger, Bellator, and RIZIN champion). Ulanbekov is now 6-2 in the UFC.

Good next fight for Tagir would be a matchup against Alex Perez.  Perez is currently ranked at #7 within the division and just lost to the #9 ranked Asu Almabayev on Saturday. That fight was on the undercard of UFC Qatar as Asu submitted Alex early in the third round via guillotine choke.  Perez, a former UFC flyweight title challenger himself, has lost three of his last four bouts. Alex was also scheduled to take on Tagir back in June of last year. The fight fell through as both fighters rebooked with Perez drawing Tatsuro Taira and Ulanbekov taking on Clayton Carpenter, eventually (it was supposed to be Joshua Van, but Ulanbekov missed weight). Perez is 0-2 since that booking while Tagir is 2-1. Rebooking this bout makes sense as Perez faced ranked guys while Ulanbekov did not during this time period.

The bout would be very important for the 125lbs. division.

Ulanbekov’s next fight: Alex Perez

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The former UFC flyweight title challenger, RIZIN, and Bellator MMA champion was fighting inside the octagon for the first time since 2016, when he walked away from the UFC while on a three-fight winning streak. The Japanese star would go on to win bantamweight gold in RIZIN and Bellator MMA, briefly carrying both belts simultaneously. After vacating those belts due to injury, Horigichi would later go on to win RIZIN’s inaugural flyweight championship, making him one of the most decorated fighters outside the UFC for the better part of a decade.

Kyoji Horiguchi was the noticeably smaller man in his UFC return, and had to contend with a number of kicks from the lanky Ulanbekov. Horiguchi would finally catch one of those kicks, but was unable to dump Ulanbekov with it. Ulanbekov would later tie Horiguchi up along the fence, eventually taking the smaller man down. Horiguchi ripped the body while seated against the fence, then worked his way up, with Ulanbekov essentially doing nothing while on top. They’d have a scrappy little exchange to close out the round.

Round two saw Horiguchi almost immediately cracking Ulanbekov with a right hand then getting the fight to the ground. A great start to the round, with Horiguchi active on top. Ulanbekov attempted to lock up a guillotine off his back, but Horiguchi was able to reposition and break free. Horiguchi then briefly had a front headlock and peppered Ulanbekov with punches.

Ulanbekov climbed back up a short time later, with just over two minutes on the clock. A kick by Horiguchi appeared to compromise Ulanbekov’s leg; a high kick moments later just missed being a potential knockout blow. Horiguchi would go back to that high kick in the final minute of round two, then get the fight back to the mat, against showing an active top game.

Kyoji Horiguchi came out hot in the third and went right after Ulanbekov, connecting with a left hand. Within seconds, Ulanbekov was on the ground, and mounted. He’d make it to the fence, but was getting mauled. Horiguchi appeared to have fuel in the tank, and less than two minutes in connected again wit ha head kick, nearly knocking Ulanbekov out! Tagir survived there, but was caught in a rear-naked choke and put out moments later! A dazzling return by Japan’s Horiguchi, who will leap straight into title contention with that victory thanks to his impeccable resume.

https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1992300418093957179

Official Result: Kyoji Horiguchi def. Tagir Ulanbekov by technical submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 2:18

The post UFC Qatar: Kyoji Horiguchi Announces Return in Thunderous Fashion, Chokes Out Tagir Ulanbekov appeared first on Cageside Press.

Ulanbekov (16-2) was set to welcome back Kyoji Horiguchi to the UFC, but an injury nixed the fight just weeks out of the event. A pupil of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov he’s gone 5-1 in his UFC run so far. A win over Horiguchi may have pushed the #12 ranked flyweight into title contention.

Maksum (15-1) stepped in on short notice to replace Horiguchi. The 30-year-old Kazakhstani has not fought since last August and jumped on the chance to fight Ulanbekov.

Round 1 Ulanbekov came out firing with a leg kick and Maksum answered with a jab. Maksum rushed in and out looking to land the jab, and a big right hand behind it. Ulanbekov tried to grab Maksum and control him every time he rushed in.

Ulanbekov flew in with a big right hand, dropped for a shot, double leg grips were in, Maksum defended well. Ulanbekov picked him up and tried to slam him down, but Maksum defended that as well. Ulanbekov bailed on the shot.

With the takedowns stuffed Maksum took some confidence from it, but Ulanbekov then began to land on the feet. Maksum continued to try to land a right hand, but kept eating stinging right hands on the entry.

Ulanbekov snuck in a head kick behind a clean 1-2, and then the round ended with both throwing in close.

Round 2 Ulanbekov put his foot on the gas a bit more landing shots up top. Maksum backed up but not much as he accepted striking against his opponent. Ulanbekov showed a high-level striking at one point slipping a jab and landing a clean right hand on Maksum.

Ulanbekov allowed Maksum to make the first move for much of the second round and just stayed in range and countered. Maksum still wasn’t able to do much offensively, but was able to defend takedowns pretty well.

Near the end of the round Ulanbekov shot in for a takedown, Maksum took control, lifted him up and would have slammed him had Ulanbekov not grabbed the fence. Maksum was still able to get him down, and then again as time ran out on the round.

Round 3 Maksum kept that confidence from the second round and stood his ground throwing on Ulanbekov. Almost like he was fresher in this round than the first. Ulanbekov landed two big right hands and then shot in for a takedown.

Ulanbekov stayed on the takedown quite a while until the ref gave them some encouragement to do something with the position. Unable to get him down Ulanbekov disengaged, but Maksum got right in his face landing big shots on him and forcing another takedown attempt.

Stuffing the takedown Maksum landed on Ulanbekov and then shot in for his own takedown but got stuffed. They got into the clinch and traded shots in close. Knees, uppercuts, hooks.

Official Result: Tagir Ulanbekov def. Azat Maksum via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

The post Tagir Ulanbekov Survives Short Notice Maksum To Take UD appeared first on Cageside Press.

Horiguchi had been scheduled to face Tagir Ulanbekov at UFC Baku on June 21, 2025. However, as first reported by Red Corner MMA, Horiguchi is out of the bout, replaced by Azat Maksum.

Multiple sources confirmed the booking on Monday, with Maksum also posting the news on his Instagram Story.

The reason behind Horiguchi’s withdrawal has yet to be disclosed.

Tagir Ulanbekov (16-2) will enter UFC Baku on a three-fight win streak. The Dagestani flyweight has been looked at as a future contender since joining the UFC in 2020 and has gone 5-1 inside the octagon. His lone loss in the promotion came against Tim Elliott at UFC 272.

Maksum (15-1) has not been seen since his Fight of the Night effort against Charles “InnerG” Johnson in February of 2024. Losing a decision against Johnson dropped the Kazakh to 1-1 in the UFC; Maksum had been booked against CJ Vergara last August, only for both athletes to withdraw from the fight.

UFC Baku represents the promotion’s debut in the country of Azerbaijan, and takes place June 21, 2025 at the Baku Crystal Hall. The following match-ups have been reported for the card:

• Jamahal Hill vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.
• Rafael Fiziev vs. Ignacio Bahamondes
• Muhammad Naimov vs. Bogdan Grad
• Nazim Sadykhov vs. Nikolas Motta
• Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Kyoji Horiguchi
• Irina Alekseeva vs. Klaudia Syguła
• Melissa Mullins vs. Daria Zheleznyakova
• Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Mohammed Usman
• Ismail Naurdiev vs. Park Jun-yong
• Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev
• Tofiq Musayev vs. Myktybek Orolbai

The post Kyoji Horiguchi Out of UFC Return, Tagir Ulanbekov Gets Azat Maksum Instead appeared first on Cageside Press.

Carpenter entered the night with an unblemished 8-0 record, while Ulanbekov was returning to the UFC cage for the first time in just over a year.

A student of the late Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, Ulanbekov connected with a snappy leg kick in the opening minute, but Carpenter answered back with his hands, connecting. Carpenter nearly caught a kick, then went on the offensive, firing a high kick that missed, and a low kick of his own that landed with a sharp crack. Ulanbekov, perhaps having seen enough, shot in on a takedown, but Carpenter fought off the attempt, and the pair reversed a couple of times. A second attempt by Tagir Ulanbekov landed care of a trip; Carpenter kept his guard high, and tight, looking to set something up off his back.

As busy as Clay Carpenter stayed off his back, Ulanbekov was just as effective, landing some smashing elbows. Soon, a trickle of blood had appeared on Carpenter’s forehead; more ground n’ pound would follow with punches landing several times before Carpenter scrambled free. And back on the feet, Carpenter continued to target the lead leg of his opponent.

Round two opened with Carpenter closing the distance, firing a couple of heavy-looking punches. A front kick, then a low outside kick to the lead leg, followed for Carpenter, then a takedown. Carpenter wasted no time looking to set up an arm-triangle choke, but his leg was trapped. Carpenter would get some top time, and sneak in an elbow or two, but couldn’t find a finish before Ulanbekov freed himself. Tagir then shot for a takedown of his own, which saw Carpenter sprawl and stuff the attempt. A follow-up takedown attempt landed for Ulanbekov, however, with a little over two minutes still on the clock. He’d finish the round in control, though like Carpenter, he didn’t come close to a finish.

Between rounds, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Ulanbekov’s coach, told him to stop kicking, and be sure to have a big round. Carpenter looked for a way inside and continued to find some success with low kicks. About two minutes in, the American tied things up, looking for a takedown along the fence. Ulanbekov, however, would land one final takedown and close out the round on top, leading to a clear-cut decision win, and taking Carpenter’s previously undefeated record.

Official Result: Tagir Ulanbekov def. Clayton Carpenter by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

The post UFC 311: Tagir Ulanbekov Serves Up First Defeat of Clayton Carpenter’s Career appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I feel very good. I’m very glad that I finished this fight this way,” Ulanbekov told reporters including Cageside Press through a translator at his post-fight scrum.

“My plan was to take the back and choke him out and that’s how it ended.”

Durden turned out to be a much tougher out than Ulanbekov expected. The always scrappy Durden got out of a couple submission attempts before finally tapping.

“First time when I caught him with a punch and went for submission I rushed it a little bit. But then in the same round I went for the choke and it was very deep. I’m surprised he got out,” Ulanbekov said.

“And then in second I got two submission attempts, but that last one was too deep. Nobody could escape it.”

Ulanbekov trains with UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhavechev and is part of a big camp that includes some big UFC stars including Khabib Nurmagomedov and his cousin Umar.

His late head coach, Khabib’s father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov was and still is a big motivator for the entire team.

“To be honest this expectation doesn’t pressure me at all. My coach Abdulmanap believed (in) me that I could do it and that’s what’s most important,” he said.

“No one could beat me harder than the guys in training.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Tagir Ulanbekov above.

The post Tagir Ulanbekov Talks Islam Makhachev As Coach, Credits Abdulmanap appeared first on Cageside Press.

Both fighters were coming off wins, with Durden in particular riding a four-fight win streak since his loss to Muhammad Mokaev in 2022. Ulanbekov, a student of the late Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov still training under Khabib, had earned a submission win in his last outing.

The fight began with both fighters landing their share of heavy low kicks as they both looked to control the pace. Ulanbekov then began to lead with his hands and began to lead to exchanges. Not long after, the Russian landed a big right hand that dropped Durden suddenly. Tagir tried to latch onto a guillotine after hurting Durden, and seemingly had it in tight. Durden perfectly defended the choke though and rolled out of it and escaped.

Once the fight got back to the feet, it began getting slightly scrappy with some clinch exchanges. After dropping Durden a few moments before, Ulanbekov’s activity continued, but Durden did well to return counters the majority of the time. With just over a minute left of round one, Ulanbekov landed a beautiful takedown where he started to try and land some big ground-and-pound. It marked the first time Cody Durden had been taken down in his last five fights. The 32-year-old momentarily made it to the side of the cage and used it to get on one knee, but Tagir perfectly transitioned to Durden’s back. From there he wrapped in the body triangle and began putting the pressure on Durden.

Fortunately for the American, the horn sounded.

Durden came out fast in round two, trying to regain some respect from Ulanbekov. He landed a nice right hand which resulted in Ulanbekov retreating for a moment. Despite that, the Russian landed another nice trip and put Durden on his back again. This time though, Durden looked to be active whilst on his back, and did land himself a nice slicing elbow.

During this time, Tagir once again began to transition to the back of Durden who rushed to get back to his feet. Durden made it back to both feet but he was now carrying the weight of Ulanbekov who once again wrapped in the body triangle and began sinking in the choke. For whatever reason, Durden seemed content with Ulanbekov hanging off his back for the majority of the round, as Ulanbekov carried on working the choke. He carried on getting closer and closer, until he finally sunk his arms under the chin. Durden fell to his back as his face got more red, and shortly after, the tap came.

Official Result: Tagir Ulanbekov def. Cody Durden by submission (rear-naked-choke), Round 2, 4:25

The post Tagir Ulanbekov Picks Up Second Consecutive Sub, Beats Cody Durden at UFC 296 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Amanda Lemos

Amanda Lemos moved into the title picture at UFC Vegas 64 with a TKO victory over the streaking Marina Rodriguez. Lemos, a Brazilian knockout artist, has now finished back-to-back ranked opponents since losing to Jessica Andrade in her first main event opportunity. She has called for the next title shot, which would be against the winner of this Saturday’s coming fight between champion Carla Esparza and former champion Zhang Weili, but seeing as she was finished two fights ago by another top contender, those calls seem premature.

That said, Andrade’s next fight is booked as a flyweight bout, leaving the door wide open for Lemos to fight in a number one contender bout next. Atop the rankings sit two fighters that are in the title picture and are not booked currently: Yan Xiaonan, who is coming off her dramatic win over Mackenzie Dern in a main event, and Rose Namajunas, who has been relatively quiet about what is next for her since her disappointing loss to Carla Esparza that lost her the belt.

Rose is a fan favorite but she often takes time off, such as when she left for a year to focus on her mental health after losing the belt the first time around to Andrade. If that is the case this time as well, it would make the most sense for Xiaonan to fight Lemos in a number one contenders fight. It has been six years since a fighter other than Namajunas, Weili, Esparza, Andrade, or Joanna Jędrzejczyk fought for the belt. It would be good to get some fresh blood, such as Xiaonan or Lemos, a title shot to change things up and see new match-ups. Hence, that fight should be the next step for Amanda Lemos.

Lemos’ Next Fight: Yan Xiaonan

Neil Magny

Neil Magny got back to his usual form by using clinch work and wrestling to beat Daniel Rodriguez, a fighter who was new to the rankings, on Saturday. With his first finish since 2018, Magny showed that he still belongs in the top of the division, and he even set a record for most wins in UFC Welterweight history, surpassing the legend Georges St-Pierre.

Ranked slightly above Neil is Brazilian finish artist and action fighter Vicente Luque. Luque is on a little dip, losing his last two fights to opponents in the top six, and so fighting down in the rankings is in order. Both men have been around the division for ages but have never faced off before. The style clash of action striker against grinding clinch specialist would be a unique one, although let it not be said that these men are not well-rounded fighters. The winner of this fight would have a chance to rise in the rankings while the loser may have to defend their ranking against an unranked fighter the next time out.

Magny’s Next Fight: Vicente Luque

Shayilan Nuerdanbieke

Nuerdanbieke defeated veteran Darrick Minner by TKO at UFC Vegas 64 and although an injury to Minner’s leg was a major factor in the result, the fact remains that Nuerdanbieke is now on a three-fight winning streak in one of the toughest divisions in the UFC, having turned things around after losing his promotional debut. Another experienced fighter who is coming off of an impressive victory is Brazilian action fighter Ricardo Ramos, who notched his second spinning back elbow KO in the UFC earlier this year.

Nuerdanbieke and Ramos both come to fight, resulting in entertaining bouts most of the time when they compete. As a result, a fight between the two makes sense from an entertainment standpoint as well as a rankings standpoint, as the winner could make a strong case for a fringe-ranked opponent in the following fight.

Nuerdanbieke’s Next Fight: Ricardo Ramos

Tagir Ulanbekov

This teammate of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev successfully defended his ranking against Nate Maness after losing a controversial fight to Tim Elliott in his preceding fight. The Russian wrestler got his first UFC finish and showed why he deserves to stay in the top-15 at flyweight, where he currently is ranked 15^th.

Next up, another ranked opponent seems to be in order. Most of the bottom half of the division is either booked, such as Jeff Molina, has already faced Tagir, such as Tim Elliott, or is perhaps too close to the Nurmagomedov clan to be comfortable fighting each other, such as Muhammad Mokaev. One notable exception stands out, however, in David Dvořák. Dvořák, a former chess master from the Czech Republic, had a disappointing decision loss against Matheus Nicolau in his last fight, and so it’s time for him to fight down in the rankings somewhat. Dvořák is well-rounded and so it will not be an easy feat for Ulanbekov to take him down like he does to everyone else, but there are no easy fights when fighters are in the top 15, especially at a division like flyweight.

Ulanbekov’s Next Fight: David Dvořák

Grant Dawson

Grant Dawson got his second straight third-round rear-naked choke, which was also his third finish in the third round in his last four fights, at UFC Vegas 64 and kept his undefeated record when he stopped Olympic wrestling medalist and former fellow undefeated fighter Mark O. Madsen. In his post-fight interview Dawson called out 14^th ranked Tony Ferguson. However, given Tony’s five-fight winless streak and two-fight streak of being finished, the aging star should be given gentler treatment. But Dawson does deserve a ranked or almost ranked opponent, like Carlos Diego Ferreira.

The last three opponents to beat CDF have all used that as a springboard to become ranked in the top ten, forcing Ferreira to settle into a quasi-gatekeeper role. The aging Brazilian still presents a difficult challenge for most everyone at 155 and especially for Dawson, given CDF’s excellent grappling. Overcoming a tough stylistic match-up like that would prove Dawson is ready to be ranked. If not for his disappointing performance and draw with Ricky Glenn two fights ago, perhaps he would be deserving of a true ranked opponent like Drew Dober or the winner of Dan Hooker vs Claudio Puelles.

Dawson’s Next Fight: Carlos Diego Ferreira

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Tagir Ulanbekov is part of the wave of impressive Dagestani grapplers taking over the UFC. At UFC Vegas 64, he was looking to earn his third Octagon victory after dropping a decision against Tim Elliott. While seven of his 12 fights before joining the promotion ended with stoppages, all three of his fights had gone the full 15 minutes since his debut.

Nate Maness was making noise in the Octagon heading into the event with a 3-1 record. Stoppages against Luke Sanders and Tony Gravely had put him on the map, but a loss to Umar Nurmagomedov slowed his ascent. Following his first UFC loss, he was given another Dagestani beast to try and tame.

Tagir Ulanbekov wasted no time, immediately taking Maness down near the fence. Ulanbekov was controlling the fight from guard as Maness was trying to work his way up. Maness found a window about 90 seconds into the round and attempted to stand up. Ulanbekov followed him up and got an arm under the chin. He began cranking a high elbow guillotine. Maness’ resistance forced Ulanbekov to switch to more of a neck crank, which is what pulled out the tap from Maness.

Ulanbekov is teammates with Maness’ last opponent, Umar Nurmagomedov, and thanked him for showing him the right gameplan during training camp.

THAT GUILLOTINE WAS TIGHT 🔒 #UFCVEGAS64 pic.twitter.com/TPpK61D6a5

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 5, 2022

Tagir Ulanbekov def. Nate Maness by Submission (Guillotine Choke) in Round 1 (2:11)

The post UFC Vegas 64: Tagir Ulanbekov Quickly Submits Nate Maness appeared first on Cageside Press.

Ulanbekov (13-2) comes into UFC Vegas 64 off a decision loss to Tim Elliot at UFC 272 in March.

“Right after the fight I was extremely disappointed, and it took me a couple of days, maybe even weeks to get over it. Right now it’s already in the past, I forgot about it, and I’m focused on who I’m going to face on Saturday and on my new opponent. That is in the past now,” Ulanbekov told the media on Wednesday through a translator.

Ulanbevok was supposed to fight in the summer, but had to withdraw from that bout due to injury.

“I was supposed to fight on the same card with Umar (Nurmagomedov), but 12 days before the fight on my final sparring match I broke my rib. We spoke with the coaches, we spoke to the doctor, and we made the decision that it would be smart to pull out,” he said.

Now he faces a new, but not really new, opponent in Nate Maness who lost to Umar Nurmagomedov in his last fight.

“Nate is a very tough opponent. He’s very strong, but we already have a blueprint on how to beat him. My teammate Umar we have a tape on him, and how to do it exactly. We have a game plan. I’m just going to do what my teammate did, and get my hand raised,” said Ulanbekov.

“I really don’t care how’s he going to fight, what’s his game plan, I don’t think about that. My goal is to go out there, and get another win for our team. And that’s what I’m going to do.”

With a win over Maness, even though he’s unranked, would likely put a ranked opponent in front of him in his next fight.

“I’m sure we can all agree that if he was to fight any of the people in top 15 he’ll get couple wins there. It’s not like he’s not ranked and he’s a nobody. He’s a really, really good fight, and he’s worked to be in the rankings. Hopefully he will be one day, but after I beat him I’m pretty sure I’m going to go a couple numbers up,” he said.

Watch the entire media day scrum with Tagir Ulanbekov above. He takes on Nate Maness at UFC Vegas 64 on Saturday night.

The post UFC Vegas 64: Tagir Ulanbekov Looking To Move Up Rankings With Win Over Maness appeared first on Cageside Press.