The planes are in the air.  The cage on the beach is being brought down.  The trip to Fight Island is officially over.  By this time next week, Abu Dhabi will be in the rear-view mirror and business will be back to the new normal at the UFC Apex with another string of consecutive events in Las Vegas.  But has the game of MMA been changed forever?  With such an undertaking now complete, the entire sporting world has gleaned knowledge of what operations are possible in this new world.

First, the logistical undertaking has set a new bar for what is possible with the right funding. The sporting world may currently be focused with the accommodations in Orlando for the NBA bubble, but does it measure up to blocking off an entire ten mile area of a foreign land?   As has been well-documented, the UFC spared no expense in the number of tests, private charters, and overall cleaning of every facility.  Much of it came with the cooperation of Abu Dhabi, with those on-site having gone through a mandatory quarantine of several weeks to remain in the quadrant that became known as Fight Island.  Though the arduous hours of testing, hotel room quarantine, and adjusting to the time difference were all real factors, the end result has been a rousing success with fighters and media alike in terms of the execution.

For a moment, it seemed as if the whole operation was on the verge of suffering an epic collapse at the last minute.  The days leading up to the departure had Fight Island looking like it could become Fyre Festival: UFC with several fighters being removed from the events due to positive tests for COVID-19.  Not the least of which were two fighters involved in headliners with both Gilbert Burns and Deiveson Figueiredo testing positive.  When several fighters began testing positive within the span of a few days, there was speculation that the best-laid plans of the UFC would be thwarted by the invisible threat that has changed life around the globe.

In a testament to the process and the athletes, the UFC overcame the obstacles.  After losing Burns, the UFC booked one of their biggest stars in Jorge Masvidal on a week’s notice to give them one of their highest rated events ever at UFC 251.  Deiveson Figueiredo’s test ended up being a false positive and the Brazilian went on to score one of the most dominant performances in a title fight to claim flyweight gold.  In short, the UFC ended up with an even better showing than what was previously anticipated under the circumstances.

That’s not to say the events looked like the fantasies that had been circulated on social media.  Respectfully, how could they?  The dream of fights in an Octagon on the beach, with palm trees and the ocean clearly visible in the background, was nowhere to be found.  In the end, the closest anyone got to fights on the sand (besides the outdoor cage for photo-ops) was the string of highly popular merchandise that added fuel to the fantasy in the first place.  When fight night rolled around, things looked virtually identical to what we’ve come to expect from a typical fight night.

What we did get was a showcase for several exciting international fighters for whom travel to Vegas is currently impossible.  None was more impressive than Amanda Ribas, the Brazilian upstart with the infectious personality that was front and center doing media appearances on Yas Island throughout her time there.  Other breakout stars included Khamzat Chimaev (fighting twice in ten days), Mounir Lazzez, and Ariane Lipski.  All of them without the spotlight of Fight Island would not have had the stage to showcase their talents at the level they did.

It is expected that the UFC will be back in Abu Dhabi very soon.  Barring a drastic turn of events, the promotion is expected to return on September 19 with a titanic clash between middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa.  The exact frequency and consistency of events after that appears to be unknown even to the UFC amidst the global situation.  But after seeing the level of success that can be had, it is hard to imagine that it will not be a frequent destination.

The post Now Departing Fight Island, Looking Back on the One-of-a-Kind Event appeared first on Cageside Press.

The fight card is topped by a key featherweight battle, which will see hard-hitting Calvin Kattar go up against surging Hawaiian Dan Ige.

Kattar enters the fight off a big win over Jeremy Stephens, while Ige is the winner of six straight. With Alexander Volkanovski getting a close win over Max Holloway over the weekend, the winner Wednesday will likely be in the title conversation.

Weigh-ins are set for Tuesday morning — tune in for results!

UFC on ESPN 13: Kattar vs. Ige Weigh-In Results

Main Event

Featherweight: Calvin Kattar (146) vs. Dan Ige (145)
Flyweight: Tim Elliott (125) vs. Ryan Benoit (126)
Featherweight: Jimmie Rivera (145) vs. Cody Stamann (145)
Women’s Flyweight: Molly McCann (125) vs. Taila Santos (125)
Welterweight: Abdul Razak Alhassan (174)** vs. Mounir Lazzez (171)

Preliminary Card (ESPN / ESPN+)

Middleweight: John Phillips (186) vs. Khamzat Chimaev (186)
Featherweight: Chris Fishgold (149)* vs. Jared Gordon (145)
Featherweight: Ricardo Ramos (145) vs. Lerone Murphy (146)
Light Heavyweight: Modestas Bukauskas (205) vs. Andreas Michailidis (206)
Women’s Flyweight: Diana Belbita (125) vs. Liana Jojua (126)
Bantamweight: Jack Shore (136) vs. Aaron Phillips (135)
Light Heavyweight: Kenneth Bergh ()*** vs. Jorge Gonzalez (205)

* Fishgold missed weight by 3lbs for his featherweight bout

** Alhassan missed weight 3lbs for his welterweight bout

*** Kenneth Berg will not weigh in, has withdrawn from the card after not being medically cleared

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“I’m not here anymore for the money. That was the old me,” he told Cageside Press of the fighter whose goal was always the purse, or the bonus.

“Now, this is what makes me happy. Especially when I succeed, when I’m planning to do something and it goes according to plan. That’s what makes me happy,” he revealed. “As long as I can invest in myself, and buy the things that I need to do this in a way that professional athletes are doing [it].”

It’s a subject he opened up about following his bounce-back win against Danny Henry at UFC 251. Speaking in a virtual media scrum following the event, Amirkhani admitted that “the New York fight was a game changer for me.” Which is why he wasn’t sweating a bonus following his anaconda choke of Henry on Saturday. Sure, a bonus would be nice. But there’s more to fighting than that.

His losses have taught him that. “When you lose, there are no people tapping on your shoulder and saying ‘good job’ and everything. You’re kind of lonely and you realize, you’re the only one who in the end will be there for you. Yourself,” Amirkhani explained.

And so he has a new outlook, and new responsibilities. “When I have something, if I have 100 euro, I want to spend 50 euro with somebody, you know. I’ve been that kind of guy, always thinking about other people,” he continued. With family, there was always a duty to tell them where he was, when he was going to see them. What he’d been doing.

Now, “As long as I’m training and my focus is on this sport, and the UFC, I don’t feel any responsibility that I need to explain to people what I’m going to do, today or tomorrow.”

With this new mindset — more focused on himself and his performances, less worried about money and who he might share it with — Amirkhani received the stamp of approval from his new coach. Who happens to be his old coach.

“I got back with my old striking coach. We haven’t been training with each other for three years,” Amirkhani said. “For three, four weeks I was training with him for this fight. At the end of this camp, he said to me ‘listen, that’s how a professional athlete trains. Two years of that, you’re a diamond.”

Watch the full UFC 251 virtual post-fight press scrum with Makwan Amirkhani above.

The post UFC 251: Makwan Amirkhani Opens Up on the Loneliness of Losing appeared first on Cageside Press.

The flyweight came in 3lbs over for his bout with promotional newcomer Zhalgas Zhumagulov. Injury was added to insult when Paiva (20-3) connected low during the fight. But in the end, he walked away with the unanimous decision win — his second straight victory inside the octagon.

After the fight, Paiva told Cageside Press that missing weight did have him consider a change in divisions. But ultimately, given the circumstances, he’s decided to stick with flyweight for the time being.

“There were a lot of factors coming into this,” he observed, speaking via teleconference backstage in Abu Dhabi. “I was a little bit heavier than usual when I got offered the fight, but we did the math and it looked like it was doable.” Heading into Saturday’s card, Paiva estimated that he lost nearly 20kg. “So it’s a lot, but everything was going all right. But we didn’t really know how much the quarantine was gonna affect me. And there were like three days in San Paulo, where I was by myself in my hotel room room, I was trying to train by myself. Then we traveled here and then another two days by myself. So you know, that’s five days without training property. And when you have a weight cut as tough as mine, that really adds up.”

Ahead of the fight, one of Paiva’s coaches had tested positive for COVID-19, adding another wrinkle. “I didn’t have my coaches with me to help push me when it really came time to do that final push. And I just couldn’t make it. I was still about a kilo and change, a kilo and 300 grams over. You know, I really apologize about that. But I did all I could.”

All that led to the Brazilian questioning whether flyweight was the right move.

“When I had to stop the weight cut, it really crossed my mind that I might be better off fighting at bantamweight,” Paiva admitted. “But after some thinking and talking to some people, I realized that you know you can’t really take this fight and this weight cut as something to make a decision on. There was so many factors, so much stuff that didn’t go as it should have. So it’s really tough to to choose to move up a weight class class based on this.”

Instead, the 14th ranked flyweight is hoping to land an opponent ahead of him. “Hopefully I can get someone ranked higher than me, maybe a top 10.”

Watch the full UFC 251 virtual post-fight press scrum with Raulian Paiva above.

The post After Missing Weight, UFC 251’s Raulian Paiva Considered Leaving Flyweight Behind appeared first on Cageside Press.

Kamaru Usman

Gilbert Burns was originally supposed to fight Kamaru Usman at UFC 251. That was before he tested positive for COVID-19 and as a result, he was replaced by Jorge Masvidal on six days’ notice. Dana White has spoken in interviews saying Gilbert Burns is 100% next in line for a title shot.

Kamaru Usman’s next fight: Gilbert Burns

Jorge Masvidal

A fight between Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards also seems a little obvious because of their past and because of the state of the welterweight division. Leon Edwards deserves to be the number one contender or title challenger. Seeing as Burns will get the next title shot, a number one contender fight with Masvidal seems like the next best thing. To add, everyone should remember the backstage scuffle that these two got into after Masvidal’s KO victory over Darren Till back in March of 2019. Three piece and a soda anyone?

Jorge Masvidal’s next fight: Leon Edwards

Petr Yan

Petr Yan won himself a TKO victory over Jose Aldo this past weekend. Let’s be real, it is time to give Aljamain Sterling his title shot. He has been the number one contender for a long time now. He was passed up so Henry Cejudo could fight Dominick Cruz and he was passed up so Yan could fight Aldo. Sterling’s shot at the title is long past due.

Petr Yan’s next fight: Aljamain Sterling

Rose Namajunas

Rose Namajunas dominated this past weekend to earn a unanimous decision victory over Jessica Andrade. That win should 100% cement her in the number one contender fight. The only way Namajunas doesn’t get the next shot at Weili Zhang is if Zhang chooses to fight Valentina Shevchenko in a super fight.

Rose Namajunas’ next fight: Weili Zhang

Alexander Volkanovski

Alexander Volkanovski won a very unpopular split decision at UFC 251 in his rematch with Max Holloway. The fight looked quite different from their first meeting, and the champ was knocked down twice in the opening rounds. Still, the division must go on, even if Dana White seems to be considering a third fight between the two. Until that happens, names like Zabit Magomedsharipov, Calvin Kattar, and the Korean Zombie are out there. Zombie is lined up with Brian Ortega, and the winner of that fits the bill.

Alexander Volkanovski’s next fight: The Korean Zombie/Ortega winner

The post What’s Next: UFC 251 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Rosa (13-3) had be lined up with “The Raging Panda” Julia Avila over the past 11 or so months. However, each time, something had come up. An injury to Rosa. Multiple coronavirus postponements and cancellations. Travel issues, with the world on lockdown.

In the end, it was fellow Brazilian Vanessa Melo who Rosa took a unanimous decision against on Saturday. A much heavier opponent, as Melo missed weight by a full five pounds.

“For me the weight was not really an issue,” Rosa told Cageside Press following the bout. “From the beginning, this was four fights cancelled already, so I was ready to go with this fight for whatever weight. So basically even if she was 5 kilos above [the weight class], I would have actually gone for it.”

Rosa replied with in the affirmative when asked if a bout against Julia Avila still interested her. “I think that maybe in the near future our paths will cross, and eventually we’ll fight against each other,” she said.

She may have to wait a little, as Avila appears to have a fight lined up.

In the meantime, Rosa is hoping she can do a little exploring on Fight Island.

“Honestly since the moment we arrived we loved everything. From the breakfast all the way to the dinner,” she said of her stay on Yas Island, in Abu Dhabi. Dubbed “Fight Island,” of course, for this month’s UFC stint. “Everything has been a great experience. Now that I’m done with the fight, I’ll be staying here for a week.  I would love to go around and get to know the beaches and the cities.”

Watch the full UFC 251 virtual post-fight press scrum with Karol Rosa above.

The post UFC 251: Karol Rosa Still Hoping to Land Avila Fight appeared first on Cageside Press.

White took umbrage with both the stoppage in the Petr Yan vs. Jose Aldo fight — late, in his opinion — and the judge’s scoring in the co-main event between Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway.

“Listen man, you can’t leave it to these guys. We’ve got some bad judging. We’ve got some bad judging,” White said when asked about the rematch between the featherweight pair, speaking at the post-fight press conference. While it’s rare that a third fight is booked when one fighter has a 2-0 lead in a career series, White was blunt. “Did anybody in here score it for Volkanovski? Anybody have it for Volkanovski? Nobody in the media? I don’t know. We’ll have to figure it out.”

Most observers gave the first two rounds to Holloway, who had a couple of knockdowns over Volkanovski in those rounds. The later rounds, while closer, could have gone to Volkanovski, especially with a couple of (albeit mostly ineffective) takedowns. The third round seemed to be the question mark. While it wasn’t an outright robbery, it seems even White is open to a third meeting at some point.

His other point of contention was more blatant: Jose Aldo was left to cover up, dripping blood and eating a barrage of strikes from Petr Yan in their bantamweight title fight. Left for far too long while the ref looked on.

“Horrible, horrible stoppage by the referee. Should have been stopped way sooner,” exclaimed White. “Looks like we’ve got to tighten up our refs and judges here on Fight Island.”

We’ll know soon enough if the message gets through: the next Fight Island event takes place Wednesday, a rare mid-week show for the promotion.

The post Dana White No Fan of Judging or Reffing at UFC 251 appeared first on Cageside Press.

That split decision win came in a back-and-forth affair on the feet. But it’s no more than Salikhov was expecting, he told Cageside Press following the fight.

“I’m expecting this striking match with Elizeu, because he’s a good striker, a top level striker also,” he said. “So we can show a very beautiful fight for fans.”

As iffy as the judges can sometimes be, Salikhov wasn’t nervous at all as the scores were being read. “I was very sure about my win,” he stated. “I controlled the fight. First round, he just got me with one right hand. That’s it. All three rounds I controlled him. I win, for sure.”

The secret to his success — four straight after dropping his promotional debut to Alex Garcia is 2017 — is “just hard work,” said Salikhov. “Hard work, every day working, no rest. Six days a week, two times a day, working hard.”

The hard work was compounded by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which had shut down gyms all over the globe. “It was very hard. It was two months where I have to always search [for] gyms, to do sparring,” Salikhov explained. “All these calls to guys, ‘can you do sparring with me?'”

The hard work paid off with a win at UFC 251, on “Fight Island” (Yas Island) in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Now, Muslim Salikhov is gunning for an opponent in the top 15. No particular name concerns him, he told us. The timeframe is what matters.

“I want to fight soon, because I don’t have injuries,” he said. “I want to fight as soon as possible. September, August. August maybe not, I need a bit of time for a break. But two months, I will be ready.”

Watch the full UFC 251 virtual post-fight press scrum with Muslim Salikhov above.

The post UFC 251: Muslim Salikhov Eying September Return Following Fourth Straight Win appeared first on Cageside Press.

The lightweight (who won his season of The Ultimate Fighter at 170lbs) is undefeated in the UFC. 7-0-1 as of UFC 251 on Saturday night, where the Brazilian defeated newcomer Roman Bogatov by unanimous decision.

That’s an impressive run in any division. The problem is, it dates back to 2013. Seven years. Barely above a fight per year.

Speaking to Cageside Press following the win, Santos (18-3-1) admitted that he wants to up the frequency at which he fights. “That’s what I want. I want to fight more times. I hope that Sean Shelby and the UFC give me more opportunities,” he told us.

It’s hard to see why the wouldn’t. Santos holds wins over Kevin Lee, Anthony Rocco Martin, and Stevie Ray, among others. An impressive resume to say the least.

“I started in UFC in 2013. [I’ve had] eight fights, and I’m still undefeated. I want to enjoy this more if possible,” Santos added.

At 40, Leoardo Santos is yet to feel the effects of age. Even with the coronavirus pandemic raging, he’s managed to stay in shape. “I thought it was hard times, because of the pandemic, COVID. It was a little bit hard for us to find people to help us to train,” he admitted. “But the body’s still good. Still healthy. That’s why I want to fight as soon as possible. Because you never know. The sport of MMA is so hard. You never know when you’ll get an injury, when you’re healthy. I look for a fight as soon as possible.”

As for fighting in an empty arena on Fight Island on Saturday night, that was no problem. “That for me is easy. I did this in TUF. And alone. The guys, not there. My friends not there. Just me and God. That’s no problem for me,” he told us. “Fighting without people is weird, I miss them, but what can you do?”

Watch our full UFC 251 virtual post-fight interview with Leonardo Santos above.

The post Feeling Healthy Following UFC 251, Leonardo Santos Looking for Quick Turnaround: “You Never Know When You’ll Get an Injury” appeared first on Cageside Press.

A wildly entertaining slugfest with Volkan Oezdemir was just that: wild. The former RIZIN light heavyweight champion was rocked in the opening round. In the second, he connected with a head kick, setting up the end for Oezdemir.

Speaking to Cageside Press in a virtual post-fight press scrum, Prochazka (27-3-1) could been seen icing his wounds. And lamenting his performance despite the win.

“It’s how you said, it was wild. So much wild. I’m not happy from that performance,” Prochazka said. After all, he took far too many punches, the Czech fighter admitted. “So much mistakes from my side. So much mistakes, so much punches to my head. I need to be more persistent next time.”

Oezdemir did have him hurt early, Prochazka later added. “I was hurt in the first round, I was a little bit drunk, but I’m ready for these moments. That’s why I’m here now.” Well, he certainly has arrived. The effort was later named one of the Performance of the Night bonus winners by the promotion.

The win was Prochazka’s twelfth straight, a streak that dates back to 2015. Names like King Mo, Fabio Maldonado, Brandon Halsey, and C.B. Dollaway populate that list. That streak led many to see Prochazka as one of the UFC’s biggest free agent pick-ups in years.

And he admitted following Saturday’s win that yes, he was feeling some pressure. Especially after all the support from fans in his native Czech Republic.

“I want to show a nice performance. I think it will be good for them. I’m glad for the win,” he reflected. “Next fight I will enjoy that more. This fight was a little hard, I was a little bit nervous.”

That next fight will likely be against another big-name opponent. You don’t beat the seventh-ranked fighter in the UFC’s light heavyweight division and move down, after all. Prochazka, however, isn’t worried about who that next fight will come against.

“Doesn’t matter. Doesn’t matter who they give me, who the UFC gives me. I will fight him.” Then, correcting himself, Prochazka added “not fight him, I will show my art.”

Watch the full UFC 251 virtual post-fight press scrum with Jiri Prochazka above.

The post Jiri Prochazka Not Happy With UFC 251 Performance, Wants to “Show My Art” Moving Forward appeared first on Cageside Press.