Ahead of his showdown with Brian Kelleher on Saturday in Las Vegas, Stamann received devastating news. His 18-year old brother, Jacob, had passed away in his sleep.

It’s the type of thing that shouldn’t happen, not to someone still starting out in life. That Stamann could overcome the tragedy and still compete was inspiring. The dam finally bursting following his win over Kelleher fully understandable. And hopefully cathartic.

“I’ve been cracking at the seams this whole time, I’ve been fighting tears all day,” Stamann said in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. “The second that fight was over, I just couldn’t hold it in anymore. Even sitting down between rounds, if I have a second to myself to think about what’s happening, I just start to ball up. I just had to keep my sh*t together, I had to be a man and suck it up and do my job to the best of my ability and I’m pretty fortunate that I was able to hold it together.”

The entire UFC 250 card was enshrouded with tragedy. The coronavirus pandemic. Economies sinking before our eyes. Civil unrest in America. Multiple killings of innocent human beings, resulting in even more unrest. A nation divided. Yet for Stamann, the tragedy was personal in a way it wasn’t for most of us.

Yet that being said, he chose to compete. Speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press during a virtual post-fight media scrum at UFC 250, Stamann explained that “When someone passes, all you can do is honor them. By being a better person. And doing better, and being the person maybe they wanted you to be. So I just asked myself, what would Jake want me to do? I can say without a doubt, he’d want me to fight. And that’s exactly what I did.”

“There’s a million people going through a million things right now, the world’s upside down and crazy. I’m not the only one that’s in the hot seat, having to make difficult decisions,” he continued. “We’re going through difficult times. I just did what I had to do.”

Now, after seven months without seeing his family, Stamann will return home. Hopefully to find some closure.

The post Cody Stamann Explains Decision to Compete at UFC 250 After Personal Tragedy appeared first on Cageside Press.

Gilbert won the main event at UFC Vegas, defeating ex-champ Tyron Woodley in a lop-sided decision. The very next fight to transpire in the octagon came a week later, at UFC 250, where Herbert Burns picked up a submission win over Evan Dunham.

Back-to-back wins for the Burns brothers.

It appears to be a first. Joe and Dan Lauzon both fought at UFC 108, but not consecutively, and neither earned a win that night. The Miller brothers, Jim and Dan, fought at UFC 124, both earning wins, but not consecutively. Dan Miller earned a split decision over Joe Doerksen on the prelims; two fights later, Jim Miller submitted Charles Oliveira via kneebar. Just months later, the brothers would be booked into back-to-back fights on the main card of UFC 128, but while Jim earned a victory over Kamal Shalorus, Dan Miller lost a decision against Nate Marquardt.

The same situation befell the Nogueira brothers at UFC 140. In back to back fights, Little Nog won, while Big Nog lost. At UFC 190, both lost, and not in consecutive bouts anyway. The Pettis brothers both lost at UFC 185.

Of course, the Burns brother’s back-to-back wins didn’t come on the same card. Maybe next time. But it’s still a little feather in their cap.

“No, I didn’t realize that. That’s impressive. Yeah. Back-to-back fights,” Herbert Burns reflected after his win Saturday, speaking to Cageside Press. “And back-to-back fashionable performances. The Burns brothers are no joke. We’re the real deal. We came here to make history. We are on the way to do that.”

The goal on Saturday against Evan Dunham, Burns said backstage in Las Vegas, was to “go there and go with jiu-jitsu. I did that, I proved that I’m a real threat in the division.”

Speaking on the choke that finished Dunham at UFC 250, Burns explained that once he had a body triangle in, “I could feel he was struggling with the pressure. It was a matter of time for me to sink the choke in. I had to roll him over so I could get a good angle on the choke. When I managed to do that, my arm was very, very deep. So even with his chin down, it was just a matter of squeezing and keeping the pressure on.”

The Burns brothers, he added, like to stay busy. With that in mind, Burns is already scouting out his next date. “I want to fight on the Fight Island. We know the location now. They already said it’s based in Abu Dhabi. So that’s the plan, the plan is to go there and fight again soon. And hopefully against a good guy.”

As to who that would be, “Bryce Mitchell and Ryan Hall, those two guys are on my radar,” Burns stated.

The post UFC 250: Herbert Burns on Making History with Brother appeared first on Cageside Press.

Heinisch clearly had a roller coaster of a week. The fighter was briefly pulled from the Las Vegas card after a cornerman was potentially infected with the novel coronavirus. However, the test was inconclusive, so while Heinisch was briefly replaced by Anthony Ivy, he was back on the card come Friday morning thanks to a second, negative test.

Speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press post-fight at the UFC Apex, Heinisch explained that the cornerman situation wasn’t the only impact the pandemic has had on him.

“I actually switched over to Thailand and then COVID hit. I was about two weeks into camp,” Heinisch said. “I had to come back back to Colorado. And I didn’t go back to my old camp because I just didn’t want the tension. And I wasn’t sure if I was going to take a fight.”

Of course, Heinisch did, going up against Gerald Meerschaert and earning a first round TKO. A win that snapped a two-fight skid for the Contender Series alum.

The situation fight week, however, was a little more chaotic. “It was wild. First they they were blowing up my phone, ‘Hey, your cornerman tested positive.’ They came and got him,” Heinisch recalled. “And then we sat down and we’re like, ‘How did this happen?’ We realized he was around all the other people too, a bunch of other fighters so the whole card was probably gonna flop.”

An entire card. And it might not be hyperbole. Neil Magny was pulled from media day ahead of UFC 250, put in isolation because of contact with Heinisch’s cornerman. While no other fighters appeared to be impacted to that extent, who knows what would have happened had a positive test been returned. Heinisch’s team, however, was confident that wouldn’t be the case.

“We’re like, there’s no way he has the positive. We found it was an inconclusive test, we got him retested, and the UFC did a great job.” The second test came back negative. Still, Heinisch found himself in the midst of a small hurricane. “I had to turn my phone off for like five hours because it leaked on the internet, and everyone was blowing me up. My fight was pulled. So I just had to stay focused. I was in the middle of cutting weight, and I had to keep cutting weight. I wanted to eat but I just stayed focused.”

Now that the chaos has abated, Heinisch is hoping to get back out to Thailand. “I have my fight and my wife’s like booked for early July. And supposedly the borders are gonna open a few days before that,” he said later in the evening during a virtual post-fight scrum. “So we’re keeping our fingers crossed. That’s still the plan, and we’re excited to get back out there.”

The post UFC 250: COVID-19 Scrapped Ian Heinisch’s Thailand Plans, Before It Almost Scrapped His Fight appeared first on Cageside Press.

Following a win over upstart Chase Hooper at UFC 250, the fighter commonly known as “Bruce Leeroy” has won two straight. He did so under very different circumstances than his last bout, of course. Inside an empty UFC Apex, the UFC’s own facility in Las Vegas.

The coronavirus has kept fans away. Now, it’s just fighters, corners, officials, and UFC employees in the room. Speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press, however, Caceres (16-12, 1NC) found a point of comparison in the earlier part of his career.

“It was a beautiful thing to be honest. I never really notice the fans anyway,” he said of the silent setting that awaited him Saturday night. “I fought in Japan twice, and it was pretty similar. The crowds, you can’t hear the crowd at all in Japan. They’re very quiet and respectful.”

In the fight itself, Caceres looked as focused as ever — nearly a decade into his UFC career. His confidence appeared at an all time high, as if something had clicked mentally.

“I’m glad you said that because I feel like the only thing that has changed has been mentally,” he told Cageside Press when asked about just that backstage following the fight. “I began to believe in myself. And I began to trust the people that believed in me as well. And it’s been a long time coming.”

“It might not seem so, but ever since I joined the Ultimate Fighter, I had a huge identity crisis. It was very hard for me to be confident in myself,” he admitted. “And I believe that changed since the Singapore fight.” The Singapore fight was a 2017 victory over Rolando Dy.

With that fight, explained Caceres, “I began to believe in my power again, I began to believe in my skills. And I began to look back on my entire career and all my life’s endeavors. And I began to appreciate where I came from and how far I came along — and once I realized that, I knew I had nothing to lose. I just had to enjoy myself.”

At a virtual post-fight scrum later in the evening, Caceres told us when he hopes to fight next. “I want to be on the first Fight Island fight. I’m ready. Making that quick of a turnaround, whenever we’re going to go to Fight Island, I gotta be there.”

The post UFC 250: Alex Caceres Wants on First Fight Island Card, Discusses Believing In Himself appeared first on Cageside Press.

Amanda Nunes

With no clear number one contender at featherweight, it would seem like Nunes’ next fight would be defending her bantamweight title. She potentially has two rematches available for her at bantamweight in Germaine de Randamie and Holly Holm. While she also has the possibility of another super fight with Valentina Shevchenko. Although Amanda Nunes is 2-0 against Shevchenko, the flyweight champion has undoubtedly been the second-best women’s athlete in the UFC. At this point in their careers, it seems like if anyone has a chance to take down Nunes it is going to be Shevchenko.

Nunes’ Next Fight: Valentina Shevchenko

Cody Garbrandt

Cody Garbrandt was hands down the highlight of the night this past Saturday. Knocking out Raphael Assuncao in the final second of the second round of their co-main event. Although he currently sits at number nine in the division, an impressive knockout of the number five should put him right in the mix for title contention. Bantamweight is locked up right now because Henry Cejudo retired and vacated his bantamweight title.

Right now the UFC has Petr Yan fighting Jose Aldo for the vacant 135lb title. With an impressive submission win over Cory Sandhagen this past weekend, it seems like Aljamain Sterling is going to get the winner of that fight. The odd man out here would be Marlon Moraes. Moraes would make a perfect next fight for Garbrandt and would be a perfect chance for Garbrandt to prove he has earned the right to get back in title contention.

Garbrandt’s Next Fight: Marlon Moraes

Neil Magny

On Saturday, Neil Magny was able to grab a unanimous decision win over Anthony Rocco Martin. Right after he won he called out Michael Chiesa in his post-fight interview. Stylistically this would make for a perfect match-up. Both men have great submission and grappling games. While they have both also significantly improved their striking in the past few fights. With the recent news of Conor McGregor retiring (should you believe it) and Magny’s win, it should allow for Magny to get back into the top 15.

Magny’s Next Fight: Michael Chiesa 

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

The post What’s Next: UFC 250 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Brazil’s Jussier Formiga, who has been in the mix at flyweight off and on over the years, holds a win over Deiveson Figueiredo — who will take another stab at earning flyweight gold against Joseph Benavidez later this summer.

He’s fought some of the top flyweights in the world. But in Las Vegas Saturday, Perez proved to be the better man. Emphatically. A decisive TKO via leg kicks — rarely seen, although occurring for the second straight event (Chris Gutierrez at UFC Vegas having the other) — sealed the deal.

Now Perez (24-5) has a head of steam build up, three straight wins putting him in contention himself. The win over Formiga easily the biggest of his career.

Speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press backstage on Saturday, Perez discussed how the bonus-winning finish came about.

“Just something I saw,” Perez admitted. Rather than the leg kicks being something he’d planned in advance. With his opponent continually lunging forward, even as Perez was throwing strikes, “I just threw it. And I kept landing, so I kept going back to it.”

The whole division is now on his radar, he’d tell us. When it comes to who he has an eye on, “honestly, on everybody,” was Perez’s response. “To be a champion, you’ve got to fight everybody. It doesn’t matter if I fight them now or later. I know Joe and Figueiredo are going to fight for the title.”

Alex Perez has his own plan set for that fight. “I’m going to Fight Island and hopefully I’ll be the replacement. If I have to, I’ll fly myself out,” he stated. “Hopefully they fight, if not I’ll step in. Doesn’t matter which one.”

Speaking in the virtual post-fight media scrum following UFC 250, Perez added that “I feel like I’m right in the mix. The UFC usually takes one of the guys from the top five to get a title shot. So I feel like I’m right in the mix. I feel like Moreno got a decision over [Formiga]. I finished this guy.”

“[Alexandre] Pantoja’s booked already, so I mean, I’ll be on Fight Island. I’ll go out there just to be the backup, just in case,” he continued. “To me it doesn’t matter if I get it that night, or get it after but I’ll be getting ready for that.”

As for his pick if the rematch between Joseph Benavidez and Deiveson Figueiredo goes down as planned, “I just think Figueiredo hits too hard,” Perez said. “Joe’s great, he’s good everywhere don’t get me wrong. But in the first fight I thought the ground was going to be a great advantage [for him], but Figueiredo surprised me with the jiu-jisu.”

The post UFC 250: Alex Perez Willing to be Backup Fighter for Benavidez vs. Figueiredo 2 appeared first on Cageside Press.

After three straight losses, over a year away from the octagon, and a number of injuries, Garbrandt returned with a second-round knockout of gritty Brazilian Raphael Assuncao. A buzzer beater, in a sport which loves that sort of thing.

Rather than a revolution, or evolution, it was a return to form for the former bantamweight champion. Speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press at the UFC 250 post-fight press conference, Garbrandt explained that what he worked on ahead of the fight was “getting back to myself. Not being in front of someone. I got the speed, I got the power, I got the vision. I don’t need to stand in front of these guys and brawl, and put on a show. I can pick him apart just like that.”

Such was the case with Raphael Assuncao, a longtime veteran on a multi-fight skid himself. “I stayed calm, I waited for Assuncao to open up. Doing level changes, doing what I needed to do in our game plan with my coaches to get that victory. It feels so good to just be so in sync with the coaches, and to finally get a victory over a tough adversary.”

Saturday’s card was a bantamweight spectacle, three of five PPV bouts drawn from the 135lb division. Aljamain Sterling, who defeated Cory Sandhagen, likely has the number one contender’s spot locked up. Jose Aldo and Petr Yan are expected to fight for the vacant bantamweight belt later this year. But given his druthers, Garbrandt wants Yan.

“I heard that they’re going to Fight Island. There’s only one name that I want to fight on Fight Island, and that’s Petr Yan,” he said backstage at the UFC Apex. “Dana, I’m healthy, I’m ready. I want this strap back, I want this world championship back. It’s vacant for a reason, and it’s my destiny to get it back. I’ll go through whoever they need me to go through, but it’s inevitable that it’s mine.”

“Let’s do a tournament. Let’s do a bantamweight tournament. Let’s get us in there, let’s go to Fight Island for a few months. Go get quarantined out there, just bring our coaches, bring enough Trifecta food to eat — little plug right there — and let’s go to war,” he continued. To be fair, Garbrandt isn’t the first to pitch the tournament idea in the wake of Henry Cejudo’s retirement. Although the idea has fallen on deaf ears. “Let’s get this battle, let’s get this tournament, let’s see who the real champion is. Let’s go back to the old school days.”

As to what’s changed for the ex-champ, who appeared to have worked through some demons, Garbrandt admitted that part of the issue was “trying to be something that I wasn’t.”

A natural savage, as he put it, “I can flip the switch. I don’t have to get myself pumped up to fight. And that’s what I was having to do.” Working with coaches both new and old, he’s past that now. “I just got back to the love.”

The post UFC 250: Cody Garbrandt Floats Fight Island Tournament Idea appeared first on Cageside Press.

A bad weight cut was one suggestion. However, Magny weighed in without issue Friday, albeit he was last to the scale.

So what was behind his rather conspicuous absence? A chance encounter with the cornerman of Ian Heinisch, who for a while was believed to have tested positive for COVID-19.

“I almost didn’t even fight this weekend,” Magny said when asked about the situation by Cageside Press backstage at the UFC Apex. “There was a situation that happened at the hotel where there was this kind of confusion as far as the COVID test goes, that kind of thing.” According to Magny, the promotion took the necessary precautions, isolating himself and others until the necessary negative tests were returned.

As to what exactly the situation was, the welterweight didn’t initially say. However, Magny expanded on the subject in virtual post-fight interview with Cageside Press later in the night.

“There was a situation that came up with the COVID test, that almost jeopardized me being able to fight on this card,” he told us. “That was the biggest reason, or only reason, why I wasn’t present during the media day. They had to isolate me and figure this thing out before risking me being around any of the fighters and potentially contaminating one of them.”

Asked if it was similar to the Ian Heinisch situation, Magny revealed that it was actually the same cornerman that he’d come into contact with.

“It was the same thing. It was the exact same guy actually,” Magny told us. For all of the UFC’s efforts at keeping fight teams apart during the week, it was one simple slip up that caused the chaos. “It was just one of those things that, coming into Fight Week, the UFC did a great job of keeping the camps separate. But it was my own negligence where I saw a familiar face, and thought it was a good idea to go up, say hello and be kind of close to that individual. Because of that contact, I ended up having to take precautions later on to not spread anything to other fighters, until the test results came back and he was in fact negative.”

Heinisch, of course, was briefly pulled from his fight with Gerald Meerschaert, replaced by Anthony Ivy. The cornerman in question later tested negative, which saw the middleweight reinstated. Magny’s case, however, flew under the radar. Luckily, all was well in the end. Lesson learned, however.

Meanwhile, on his performance against Anthony Rocco Martin, Magny (23-7) admitted that the fight was “a little too close for comfort for me. I started out way too slow, trying to figure out Rocco’s timing.” Yet while Magny would have preferred to get going a little sooner, he admitted that the bout was “a good learning experience for me.” The unanimous decision victory also leaves the welterweight with two wins in 2020 — and he’s looking to build on that.

When it comes to his next bout, Magny wants to fight as soon as possible, he said. “As early as like August I think would be a good time frame for me.”

The post A Chance Encounter With Ian Heinisch’s Cornerman Nearly Saw Neil Magny Pulled from UFC 250 appeared first on Cageside Press.

After her dominant showing against Felicia Spencer on Saturday, it looks like she could defend both titles for some time. Against who, however, is anyone’s guess. Few challengers stand out at either 135 or 145lbs at the moment.

Dana White, speaking post-fight, wasn’t sure what was next for Nunes. Speaking to media members including Cageside Press at the post-fight press conference, Nunes herself didn’t have an answer.

“I don’t even know either,” she admitted. “Tonight is a beautiful night. I enjoyed what I did. I cannot name nobody, because there [is] nobody. This is my night. My moment. I feel like I should really enjoy it. That’s it. And be happy forever.”

“I made history tonight. Guys, nobody ever did that before. That is amazing! Incredible. I have to watch the fight again, and just enjoy it,” she added.

Perhaps it’s for the best. Nunes and partner Nina Ansaroff are expecting a daughter in September. Once Raegan Ann Nunes arrives, the fighting couple will likely have their hands full for a little while. With that in mind, Nunes doubts she’ll fight again this year.

“I think maybe off for sure [until the end of the year]. I have to do a couple things, and be ready for my baby,” she said Saturday.

That should give her plenty of time to bask in another big performance. But Nunes was sure to give plenty of credit to her coaching team. “I’m aggressive. I have to have somebody to bring me back. Sometimes I’m a lioness, I’m like ‘I’m okay, I’m going!’ And then my coach is like ‘hey mama! No, don’t do that,'” she explained. “They were amazing tonight. I don’t know if you guys heard them. They were incredible.”

The empty area allowed her to pick up on her corner much more easily. “It was cool. I heard my corner. That was amazing,” she said. “But of course we miss the fans.”

The post UFC 250: Amanda Nunes Not Sure What’s Next, Could Be Out Til 2021 appeared first on Cageside Press.

It was a statement victory in a fight many saw as the card’s true co-main event. Sandhagen had been on a tremendous run. Sterling has been on one of his own.

Now, Sterling must wait for the title picture to clear up. But he’s willing to stay ready, in case one of Jose Aldo and Petr Yan don’t make it to the dance.

“Of course. Definitely,” he said, when asked if he’d be willing to step in, should the call come. Sterling’s teammates are getting ready for upcoming fights of their own. Merab Dvalishvili fights Ray Borg next weekend. Matt Frevola competes the following week.

“I’m going to be here working out with these guys, helping these guys stay in shape,” Sterling said. “Getting them ready, giving them some looks. I’m not banged up, which is great. So I could be a good asset to them, these next few fight weeks.”

At the same time, the Serra-Longo fighter intends to “stay ready, man. I’m trying to realize a dream. I’m right there. I can see it, I can feel it, I can touch it. I’m on cloud nine, man. All the craziness going on around the world, but this is my moment. I definitely want to still make sure I pay some kind of tribute to what’s going on around the world today.”

While he’s willing to fill in for a title shot, one thing that Sterling is not willing to do is take another fight before his shot at gold. “I’m going to have to say no,” Sterling said, when asked in a virtual post-fight scrum if any other fight would make sense. “If Dana said ‘this one’s the one with title implications on it,’ I’m going to have to say no, and sit out and wait,” he continued. “I think I put the time in, I think I earned it, I think I did it in spectacular fashion against I guy that people were thinking was going to make it really, really difficult for me. And I thought it was going to be difficult too. And I came out, and I think I passed the test with flying colors.”

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