For the past few weeks, talk has swirled regarding Gane (6-0) being paired up with former UFC heavyweight champ Junior Dos Santos (21-8). Fueled by comments from none other than promotion president Dana White himself.

Well, it’s no longer just talk. On Wednesday, MMA Fighting was first to report that JDS and Gane was a done deal. The fight will take place at UFC 256, the final Pay-per-View card of the year for the company. The event goes down on December 12 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Dos Santos will enter the fight badly in need of a win. He’s dropped his last three bouts, to Francis Ngannou, Curtis Blaydes, and Jairzinho Roenstruik, being finished each time out. “Cigano” last had his hand raised in March of 2019, against Derrick Lewis. Overall he’s 3-3 in his last six.

France’s Gane, meanwhile, has been perfect so far in his career. His last victory came against Tanner Boser at UFC Busan in December 2019. Gane was supposed to return to the octagon at various points in 2020, against Shamil Abdurakhimov, Sergei Pavovich, Abdurakhimov again, and finally Ante Delija. For various reasons, however, all of the match-ups fell through.

The post UFC 256 Adds Junior Dos Santos vs. Ciryl Gane appeared first on Cageside Press.

The first fighter to receive the top suspension was Liana Jojua, who suffered a nasty cut in the bridge of her nose courtesy of a standing elbow from Miranda Maverick. The elbow caused doctor’s to call a stop to the fight at the end of the very first round despite protests from Jojua herself. The medical suspension that followed seems to agree with the cage-side doctor as she won’t be continuing for some time, that is of course unless she is cleared by the appropriate specialist ahead of schedule.

Two other fighters hitting that 180 day maximum are Jared Cannonier and Nathaniel Wood. Both men went the distance in their respective bouts in losing efforts. Over the course of those fights, both suffered fractures to their extremities and will need to be cleared by x-rays in order to return to action.

Complete list of medical suspensions:

Khabib Nurmagomedov – 7 Days
Justin Gaethje – 7 Days
Robert Whittaker – 7 Days
Jared Cannonier – 180 Days or until cleared by left wrist x-ray
Alexander Volkov – 7 Days
Walt Harris – 30 Days
Phil Hawes – 7 Days
Jacob Malkoun – 60 Days
Lauren Murphy – 7 Days
Liliya Shakirova – 7 Days
Magomed Ankalaev – 7 Days
Ion Cutelaba – 45 Days
Tai Tuivasa – 7 Days
Stefan Struve – 45 Days
Casey Kenney – 30 Days
Nathaniel Wood – 180 Days or until cleared by left hand x-ray
Shavkat Rakhmonov – 7 Days
Alex Oliveira – 7 Days
Da Un Jung – 7 Days
Sam Alvey – 30 Days
Miranda Maverick – 7 Days
Liana Jojua – 180 Days to Jojua or or until cleared by ear, nose, and throat doctor
Joel Alvarez – 7 Days
Alexander Yakovlev – 7 Days

All suspensions originally reported by Kirik Jenness.

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“That winning feeling is like a drug, and it’s been a while since I’ve had my fix,” Tuivasa (10-3) exclaimed after the fight. “It’s good to get it back into me.”

Speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press, “Bam Bam” responded to the critics that emerged from the woodwork during his recent three-fight skid.

“The only people who take notice of that sh*t [are] on the internet, you know what I mean? We’re in a sport that is full of ups and downs and people are quick to kick people when they’re down,” he observed. “Especially in this sport. But if you get caught in that sh*t, you become what those people saying or whatever they are trying to feed, you know?”

So Tuivasa essentially kept his focus on his training. Which included a stint earlier this year at American Kickboxing Academy, where the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Daniel Cormier shot to fame. He also spent time honing his ground game — an area he had struggled in previously.

“I think with the ground stuff, I used to get a bit flustered,” admitted Tuivasa. “I would just rush it. And I’ve come to notice that if you rush things on the ground, you’re kind of opening yourself up for someone to do some crazy sh*t. So I just didn’t rush anything.”

“That was the whole plan. My coach has been drilling that in my head. Don’t rush, don’t rush, don’t rush, don’t rush,” he continued. “You got three rounds. You got three rounds of the fight. I’ve kind of hid myself away this year and just focused on training. I knew if I didn’t rush, it was going to come.”

It did. Tuivasa finished the towering Stefan Struve with an uppercut at 4:59 of the opening round. Just one second remained in the frame. The Australian admitted that the timing was fortuitous.

In the past, Tuivasa admits that he’d try to “shy away” from working on the ground. But he put in the work this time, between AKA and working with fellow Australian Anthony Perosh. “Three losses, they’ll kick anyone in the ass.”

The work he’s put in at the gym has been evident in his improved physique, something that was noted more than once during Fight Week, and on the UFC 254 broadcast.

“I feel good. I’ve had a lot of comments and I’m glad. I’ve put the work in so hopefully something shows,” said Tuivasa, who noted he’s been eating prepared meals and “sticking to the plan. I’ve crossed my T’s and dotted my I’s and so I feel there was no other way this fight was gonna go.”

Of course, a binge on Uber Eats may be necessary when he gets home, he joked.

As for Tuivasa’s famous shoey, well, he didn’t get to partake in one following his win. But asked who, living or dead, he might like to partake in the tradition with, Tuivasa went with a classic. “What’s his name from Queen? Freddie Mercury. He used to party hard. I would have a crack with him. But he might take me out tho!”

Watch the full UFC 254 post-fight press scrum with Tai Tuivasa above.

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Murphy (14-4) improved her current win streak to four with a rear-naked choke submission of Liliya Shakirova on the PPV card. The 37-year old from Anchorage, Alaska was supposed to be facing Cynthia Calvillo at the event. But with Calvillo pulling out, it was promotional newcomer Shakirova on short notice instead.

The win probably won’t do much for her in the 125lb divisional standings when all is said and done. But Murphy believes she’s already done enough to secure herself a title shot. And she’s incensed to see Jennifer Maia earn a shot at champ Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 255 next month.

Here’s Murphy, in her own words.

On the Women’s Flyweight Rankings

You guys can hold your questions, I have some questions of my own. Why the f*ck am I ranked at number five? Look who’s ranked above me right now. Cynthia has one win in the division. What has she done? She decisioned Jessica Eye? Five people in a row beat Jessica Eye at one point in time. Jennifer Maia has two wins at flyweight. I know you guys think she has three but in one of those wins, she was a bantamweight. So she has two wins at flyweight. Who else is ranked above me? There’s one more. [Jessica] Andrade is number one,

[Katlyn] Chookagian just got finished in the first round. I’ve never been finished. Never once in my career has anybody even come close to finishing me and you guys have a girl that just got finished and I know you’re gonna say ‘well, Chookagian beat you.’ She beat me three years ago at bantamweight on a short notice fight. It’s way over. I should be ranked, bare minimum, number two if not number one, the only person that has an argument to be ranked above me right now is Andrade. That’s it.

Being Overlooked On Her Current Win Streak

I’ve been on a win streak and I’ve been pretty quiet. I’ve been pretty quiet about what I’ve been doing. But it’s like man, I was looking at what I’ve done. It’s like okay, I knocked out Mara [Romero Borella]. She was ranked number 12. By the way everybody I fought in this division has been ranked. That too. It’s not like anybody’s handed me any easy fights in this division. Not once since the day it opened. I fought Barb Honchak. She was widely considered the flyweight GOAT when I fought her. I knocked out Mara Borella. I beat Andrea Lee, I think I was a three-to-one underdog and by the way, every single one of you scored that fight for Andrea which I find hysterical. I knocked her mouthpiece out three times, scored every single takedown in that fight, had all the cage control and scored every strike in the clinch, but whatever.

JoJo [Joanne Calderwood] beat Andrea Lee by split decision and she got a title shot. And then I beat a UFC title contender when I beat Roxanne Modafferi. I could go on and on, you guys, about what I’ve done in this division and my career as a whole. And I’m just I’m really tired of being overlooked. I feel extremely overlooked. And when the rankings came out last Tuesday, and I was number five, you guys just bumped everybody down. I’m like, there’s two girls that have one win that are ranked above me. This is insane. It’s crazy. I’m over it.

Jennifer Maia’s Title Shot

It’s a joke. What? Why? What did Maia do to get a title shot? She beat Jojo Calderwood who took the fight on a week’s notice. You beat a girl, she’s one and one in her last two and she’s missed weight twice in her last three. And you’re giving her a title shot? I have never missed weight and I’m on a four fight winning streak over tough people. I took a huge chance going in there tonight. With where I’m at in the rankings, fighting a girl who’s a lifelong grappler with a great record, a champion in another promotion. I put everything on the line to come out here and fight that girl. To give Maia a title shot is a joke. If anything, they should pull Maia from that title shot, put in Andrade and then I’ll fight the winner of Andrade-Shevchenko. Tell me you guys don’t want to see Andrade fight Shevchenko more than you want to see Maia fight. Come on. And then they can have Maia and Cynthia fight. I don’t want to tell the matchmakers how to do their jobs. Like seriously, that’s not what I’m trying to do. But if I have my way, that’s the way it will go down. I can understand why Andrade deserves a title shot. So give her one. Pull Maia from that fight. That’s crazy that she’s getting a title fight. It’s crazy.

The “Joke” Flyweight Division

I’m going to talk to the UFC and I’m going to see what they want. But honestly, giving Maia a title shot right now makes a joke of the division. It makes this division a joke. And that’s why people are always talking sh*t about it. I saw some comment that was like ‘my grandma could go on a two-fight win streak and get a title shot.’ Like apparently not because I’m on a four fight win streak and nobody’s even talking about it. Hook me up with your grandma, I’ll beat her ass too. And then maybe they’ll give me a title shot. I don’t know. Like, I don’t know what I have to do. But I feel like I’ve passed every test that the UFC has given me and Lord knows they’ve given me a lot, you know? I don’t know what else I have to do at this point. It’s like, I’ll fight Cynthia, if that’s what they want me to do. I’ll fight Andrade if that’s what they want me to do. But it’s like, how are you going to feel good about giving Maia a title shot when she’s on a one fight win streak and she’s missed weight a bunch of times? I don’t understand that. I don’t get it.

Watch the full UFC 254 post-fight press scrum with Lauren Murphy above.

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The 32-year old Russian is a spring chicken compared to a lot of fighters in the aging heavyweight division. And he’s no fan of unfinished business, he explained following the performance on Saturday — whether it’s fighting, or tattoos.

Volkov (32-8) explained that he had work done on his back piece between fights. And while he admits that the process was painful, “I don’t like anything that [isn’t] finished at all. I like that everything is finished,” he said, before noting that he “just wanted to finish everything and go to the camp.”

“This is something about me and my mind and everything,” Volkov added.

You can rest assured that the need for completion applies to fighting as well. “I’m feeling like I’m ready to make a challenge to big names,” explained Volkov. “To challenge for a belt, [go on a] run. I’m here to win and go forward.”

With that in mind, Volkov wants to get back into the cage “as quick as I can,” he said. At the same time, he noted that “I don’t know when a new UFC show will be. Probably it will be in December. I need about two or three months to prepare, to my new camp, and I’m ready for this. I just need the UFC to give me a name with two or three months for my camp. I will be ready. I’ll go back home, and start my camp from the first day. So I’m just waiting for the name. It could be December, or January.”

One claim that came up ahead of the fight was that Harris’ striking was the best in the heavyweight division. It’s a statement “The Big Ticket” made himself. On that front, Volkov admitted that he wanted to go back and watch the fight over. Still, he added, “his striking is probably good, but not so good like my striking.”

Watch the full UFC 254 post-fight press scrum with Alexander Volkov above.

The post UFC 254: Alexander Volkov Ready to Challenge Big Names, Go on a Run appeared first on Cageside Press.

Today we will be taking a look at what is next for the rest of the winners at UFC 254.

Robert Whittaker

At UFC 254, Robert Whittaker defeated Jared Cannonier via unanimous decision. Going into the fight, Dana White said that if Cannonier was to win he would get the next crack at the title. He said nothing about what would happen if Whittaker was able to secure the win. Whittaker is 2-0 since losing his title to Isreal Adesanya. The only top contender that makes any sense for Whittaker would be Paulo Costa. Costa will be looking to make a statement coming off his loss to champion, Isreal Adesanya. That said, Dana White noted post-fight that he thinks Adesanya is the fight that makes sense. Which probably means that’s what’s next.

Whittaker’s next fight: Israel Adesanya (otherwise Paulo Costa)

Alexander Volkov

Alexander Volkov was able to stop Walt Harris in the second round via TKO this past weekend. Proving that he is knocking at the door to the top of the division. Volkov has proved that he can deal with the best of the division and should be looking for a fight that will land him in the top three for his next fight. Frankly, he should fight Jairzinho Rozenstruik in his next fight. Francis Ngannou is getting the next shot at the title and Curtis Blaydes has already beat Volkov. So number three ranked Rozenstruik would be the next best option for Volkov at the moment.

Volkov’s next fight: Jairzinho Rozenstruik 

Phil Hawes

Phil Hawes made history at UFC 254 by knocking out Jacob Malkoun just 18 seconds into the first round. Thus becoming the second fastest knockout by a middleweight debutant in UFC history. The pressure from Hawes made him look like a seasoned vet. In his next fight, Hawes should fight Impa Kasanganay. Kasanganay was on the wrong side of a highlight reel knockout just two weeks ago. He should be looking to fight sometime in the first quarter of next year. That should be plenty of time for Hawes to make his return. Although Hawes could be looking to return sooner, Kasanganay would be the perfect next opponent. Both men are up and comers and both men have a good bit of hype surrounding them.

Hawes’ next fight: Impa Kasanganay

Lauren Murphy

Lauren Murphy defeated Lilya Shakirova via rear-naked choke at UFC 254. Shakirova was filling in on short notice for Cynthia Calvillo. Murphy’s win over unranked Shakirova will likely not affect her rank in the division. With that being said Murphy should be looking to rebook the bout with Calvillo and take one step closer to a title shot.

Murphy’s next fight: Cynthia Calvillo 

Magomed Ankalaev

Magomed Ankalaev finally put an end to the Ankalaev-Cutelaba saga with his first-round knockout of Ion Cutelaba. He is finally able to move on from the fight and make his way upward in the division. Ankalaev has great grappling and showed in both of his fights with Cutelaba that his striking is just as good. Ankalaev should be looking to fight Johnny Walker in his next fight. Walker is a guy with a lot of hype around him and is ranked higher in the division than Ankalaev. Walker also has great flashy striking with an underrated ground game. This seems like it would be the perfect stylistic match-up for both fighters.

Ankalaev’s next fight: Johnny Walker 

The post What’s Next: UFC 254 Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

Justin Gaethje

With Khabib Nurmagomedov retiring immediately following this fight, Gaethje finds himself in a similar position to Dominick Reyes. After showing some success against a dominant champion, that champion then leaves the title vacant. As a result, you have to imagine that Gaethje is on a short list of guys to fight for that strap. The most likely scenario though, is that the rumored Conor McGregor/Dustin Poirier fight now becomes a title fight. If that is the way the UFC sells it, then Gaethje should move right into a number one contender’s fight with Michael Chandler. The fact that both said on Saturday’s broadcast that they were looking for a quick booking makes it even more clear it should go that way.

Justin Gaethje’s Next Fight: Michael Chandler

Jared Cannonier

Jared Cannonier was actually called out by Israel Adesanya as his next opponent, but he failed to cash that check. With a impressive win over the number four ranked Jack Hermansson, he’s unlikely to slide much or be that far away from getting that crack after all. One fight that would help make that push more real is recent title challenger Paulo Costa. Both have losses to the top two guys in the division. Both have wins over the fighters right behind them in the rankings. Both need another big win to be nipping at that strap again. Give each of them a chance to get it sometime in early 2021.

Jared Cannonier’s Next Fight: Paulo Costa

Walt Harris

After an impressive four-fight win streak, Harris has now dropped two in a row. The heavy hitters at the top of the division just seem to be a bit much for Harris at the moment. While he still has plenty to show the heavyweight division, a booking with someone who throws a little less hard and is a tad further down the rankings would help get him back on the right track. Blagoy Ivanov has similarly dropped two straight. He’s also a little bit less of a hard hitter, with all five of UFC bouts going to the judges’ scorecards. The technical striking and defense of Ivanov would far from make it a gimme fight for Harris, but it would be a much more favorable match-up.

Walt Harris’ Next Fight: Blagoy Ivanov

Ion Cutelaba

Cutelaba was absolutely flatlined in the rematch of a fight that was stopped too early. While that first bout had a referee with a quick trigger finger, this fight seemed like it never needed to be made again. Ankalaev appeared to have his number from early on in the first one and little was changed in the second bout. Cutelaba getting a shot against a ranked contender is unlikely being 1-2 in his last 3. This probably sends him back to fight against some of the guys with a similar recent resume as him. One potential opponent that fits the bill is Tyson Pedro. He also is 1-3 in his last 4, and has fought some stiff competition. His sub skills would also be interesting against a fighter in Cutelaba who isn’t easy to take down.

Ion Cutelaba’s Next Fight: Tyson Pedro

The post What’s Next: UFC 254 Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.

Alvarez (18-2) picked up his third straight win, and third straight finish, at the event. There’s really no arguing with that kind of success, especially given it was a first-round submission of Alexander Yakovlev this time out, a fighter with far, far more experience that Alvarez himself.

Post-fight, the Spanish fighter called his performance “exactly what we’re going for and that’s pretty much it. I didn’t expect anything less.”

The only problem is, he also missed weight for the fight. Weighing in at 159.5lbs means Alvarez gives up 30% of his purse.

“I’m a professional. That’s never happened before and it’s not going to happen again,” he promised media members back stage at the Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. “Next time I just gonna have to plan it out. In four weeks maybe wasn’t enough for me to make weight.”

Aside from the weight, Alvarez also had injuries to contend with. “I need to take some time off and heal some injuries,” he said, adding “2021 is going to be my year.”

As to what was bothering him, “I have my right shoulder,” revealed “El Fenómeno” — who also noted that he had an injured foot.

2021 it is then.

Watch the full UFC 254 post-fight press scrum with Joel Alvarez above.

The post UFC 254: Joel Alvarez on Weight Miss, Injuries appeared first on Cageside Press.

The Uzbekistan-born welterweight, fighting out of Kazakhstan, submitted Brazilian “Cowboy” Alex Oliveira on Saturday night in Abu Dhabi. That helped “Nomad” maintain his perfect record, now 13-0. With Oliveira in his nineteenth UFC bout overall, it was also a tremendous way for Rakhmonov to make a first impression with fans.

It should also lead to bigger things moving forward. And Rakhmonov now has another Cowboy in mind, he said following the fight. “To be honest, I really want to fight in Vegas in USA,” he said backstage on Saturday, speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press. Calling it his dream, Rakhmonov added “we’ll see how it’s gonna work with visas and stuff like that. And yeah, it’s only going to get even more serious from that. You know, I beat a tough opponent. I did a Brazilian cowboy, and maybe American Cowboy’s next.”

Asked why he’s targeting a match-up with Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, Rakhmonov replied that “I really respect him a lot. Basically I was growing up watching his fights, but we’re next generations and I want to fight him because I know I can hang with him, and I know I can beat him. That’s why.”

“He’s a very good fighter, very well known in the world. It will be a great fight,” Rakhmonov added.

Watch the full UFC 254 post-fight press scrum with Shavkat Rakhmonov above.

The post UFC 254: After Beating Brazil’s Cowboy, Shavkat Rakhmonov Wants Cerrone Next appeared first on Cageside Press.

The bantamweight — fighting Nathaniel Wood at a 140lb catchweight — earned a unanimous decision win in a scrap later awarded Fight of the Night. That improved Kenney’s record to 16-2-1, and put him on a 3-0 run since the pandemic started.

Looking at it on the surface, there’s not much to find fault in. Not so for Kenny, however. “I’m my biggest critic, I think I could have done better,” he said after the bout, speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press. “But you know, it was a fun fight. I’ll go back and watch it and see how that one played out. But I felt like I was getting the better of him. Felt like he was trying to take a break and that was where I was marching forward. Like, come on, motherf*cker. Let’s fight!”

Casey, as mentioned, has now won three fights since the pandemic set in, and is 3-1 overall in 2020. He’d love to get one more in before the end of 2020.

“I’d like to get one more in this year. The bantamweight title is on the line December 12. That’s enough for me to kind of heal up and get a camp in again. So give me another tough guy on December 12,” Kenney requested. “I know they’re gonna probably throw some bantamweight fights on there with the title fight on the line. It’s right before Christmas too, my mom deserves something nice this year.”

Ahead of the fight, Nathaniel Wood seemed to downplay Kenney’s stand-up, suggesting that he’d be forced into takedown attempts early in the fight. That’s not exactly how things played out.

“I think that was more tactics, on his part versus, more than anything. He’s a tough guy, nicknamed “The Prospect,” he’s got some good coaches in his corner. So I thought he was going to be shooting. But after hearing that, though, I told my coaches, ‘we’ll see who shoots first,'” said Kenney. “I think I was the one that shoot first, but it definitely wasn’t in two minutes. I cracked him with some shots. And in the rounds, especially after the first couple minutes of the round, I saw him slowing down trying to catch a breather, and that’s where I was pushing the pace.”

When it comes to the quick turnaround between his past two fights, with only a few weeks in between, Kenney told Cageside Press that “mentally, I’m bulletproof. You know, I’m out riding jet skis, out having fun. And that’s what I do.”

“This is fun for me. Everything about this is fun,” he added. “I always get the question, what do you do outside of fighting? I don’t know. I live fighting. This is my hobby. This is what I want to do. And I’m doing it on the biggest stage in the world. This is what I want to keep doing. Fighting is only so long. I got a lot of years left but retiring at 35, 40 years old, I’m trying to get in as many as I can right now.”

Watch the full UFC 254 post-fight press scrum with Casey Kenney above.

The post UFC 254’s Casey Kenney: Mentally, I’m Bulletproof appeared first on Cageside Press.