Paired up with perennial contender and multi-time title challenger Joseph Benavidez, Askarov (12-0-1) will be looking for his third straight win Saturday. But in his opinion, while the fight might be the biggest in terms of name value, Benavidez is not the toughest fighter Askarov has faced.

“So far in my career, I believe the best opponent I ever faced was [Alexandre] Pantoja,” Askarov stated during a virtual media day promoting UFC 259 this week. “Pantoja is the best, but if you’re talking about the more famous guy, yes, Benavidez is more famous.”

“If you ask me, I put Pantoja on a higher level [in terms of] a fighter’s skills. He’s in his prime right now,” Askarov added.

When it comes to Benavidez, the Russian fighter has but one goal: get to the title. Of course, that necessitates overcoming Joe B. first. “I’m looking forward to dominating the guy, to finishing him, and then the only thing I see is gold, a belt,” Askarov stated. One snag arrived Friday morning, however, when Askarov missed weight by a single pound.

Other than that, the only thing close to a blemish on Askar Askarov’s record came in his promotional debut with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. That fight, against Brandon Moreno, went to a draw. Of course, Moreno would go on to fight in an even higher profile draw against champ Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 256 back in December. Their rematch is expected later this year.

Askarov sees it going in favor of the challenger. “In the second fight, in the second match-up with Figueiredo-Moreno, I really believe Moreno is going to win this one,” predicted Askarov. “I know, because I fought Moreno in Mexico City. It was a really tough fight. We ended up in a draw. I felt the guy, I know what he’s capable of. As I see this fight coming, in the rematch, Brandon Moreno is going to come out as the champion.”

Askarov might actually be rooting for Moreno for another reason. A chance to win the title from Moreno would mean a little bit more to the Russian fighter, given their history. “I would really love to have a rematch with Brandon Moreno,” he stated. “And if it’s going to be for the belt, it’s going to be double my pleasure for this fight.”

Askar Askarov faces Joseph Benavidez at UFC 259 this Saturday, March 6 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The post UFC 259: Askar Askarov Predicts Moreno Win in Figgy Rematch appeared first on Cageside Press.

Per the recently released UFC 258 medical suspensions, Usman appears to have not made it out as scot-free as previously thought. A possible break in his foot led him to a 120 day suspension and seemingly time on his hands to tape a reality TV show. So perhaps the TUF gig could happen after all. This suspension of course can be shortened should the x-ray on that foot come back negative.

While a much shorter list of medical suspensions than usual, the magnitude of those suspensions was much higher than we normally see. After Usman, the most notable of the long layoffs were both members of the co-main event. Alexa Grasso and Maycee Barber were issued 180 day suspensions for a right knee and right shoulder injury respectively. Like Usman, those suspensions can be shortened if examinations come back clear.

Full list of UFC 258 medical suspensions:

Kamaru Usman – 120 days or until cleared by right foot x-ray
Gilbert Burns – 45 days
Alexa Grasso – 180 days or until cleared by x-ray and MRI of right knee
Maycee Barber – 180 days or until cleared by MRI of right shoulder
Ian Heinisch – 30 days
Brian Kelleher – 45 days
Julian Marquez – 30 days
Maki Pitolo – 45 days
Anthony Hernandez – 180 days or until cleared by right hand x-ray
Rodolfo Vieira – 60 days
Dhiego Lima – 120 days or until cleared by nose x-ray
Mallory Martin – 120 days or until cleared by MRI of right elbow
Chris Gutierrez – 180 days or until cleared by nose x-ray
Gabriel Green – 30 days
Phil Rowe – 180 days or until cleared by left knee x-ray

Suspensions originally reported by Kirik Jenness. 

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For the past several years, the bantamweight has been locked in a custody battle over his son. “I’m going through a really bad custody battle. I haven’t seen my son in two years. I’m just trying to be in his life. That’s all it is,” Gutierrez said following the win, which came at a 140lb catchweight due to the short notice of the booking.

If Gutierrez seemed a little emotional after the big win, that ongoing struggle may be why.

“When you’ve got something that’s yours, and it gets taken from you, what do you do? Every obstacle that comes my way, I try to face it,” Gutierrez explained. “And I have. To not be able to have something that’s yours, taken from you like I said, it hurts. But my job for right now is just to be the best I can be. Successful, inside and outside, so there will be a day where we will reunite, and I can give him a really good life. And a life that I really never had. That’s my goal. That’s my dream.”

Coincidentally, Gutierrez’s opponent at UFC 258, Ewell, is going through an identical battle.
“Andre’s going through the same thing. As a man, and as a father, I feel for him on that aspect. That’s one thing that we relate,” Gutierrez noted. The fighter revealed that he had actually reached out to Ewell years ago to offer his support.

On the fighting side of things, meanwhile, Gutierrez displayed some deadly kicks with the bout, and took home a unanimous decision win. The plan now, he said, is to “keep climbing the ladder. Just keep going up.” Once Gutierrez is healed up from some bumps and bruises, he added, he wants to “just get back in there as soon as possible.”

Watch the full UFC 258 post-fight press scrum with Chris Gutierrez above.

The post After UFC 258 Win, Chris Gutierrez Has Another Kind of Fight to Deal With appeared first on Cageside Press.

Just days after the UFC President suggested that was the fight to make, Colby Covington himself has shot down the potential booking. Speaking to Submission Radio, the former interim champ insisted that he was “not in the Leon Scott charity business.” He also took shots at Jorge Masvidal, after a planned bout between the two, with a proposed Ultimate Fighter coaching gig, failed to materialize.

“[Jorge Masvidal]’s just scared of me. He’s afraid. He doesn’t want to get embarrassed in front of the whole world, he knows how this match-up goes,” Covington told Submission Radio. “He’d be willing to lose to anybody else but me. The UFC offered him a seven-figure payday, an Ultimate Fighter gig, this heated rivalry. The only reason I wanted to fight Jorge ‘Street Judas’ Masvidal, we’ve got a vendetta. It needs to be settled. It’s an easy payday for me, I was willing to go back, but it’s because of the way he was running his mouth.”

Covington took issue with Masvidal’s tough-guy act, with calls for parking lot fights and talk from Masvidal that “Chaos” was fragile. “That’s the only reason I was willing to go backwards, because there was a legitimate personal beef there. This is deeper than just a fight, this is a broken friendship. A complete rivalry now. But what can I do about it? He doesn’t want to fight, he’s scared to fight, he knows what would happen if we fight.”

According to Covington, who got back in the win column in September with a dominant showing against ex-champ Tyron Woodley, he and Masvidal were first set for December. When that didn’t materialize, the focus shifted to the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter, with a planned fight this Spring. None of which appears to be happening.

The UFC’s focus then shifted to Covington vs. Edwards, which is not a fight that interests Covington. “Leon Scott hasn’t earned anything, boys. I’m in the Colby Covington Incorporated championship business. I’m not in the Leon Scott charity business,” he exclaimed. “This isn’t charity hour, man. I’m fighting at the top of the mountain. I’m fighting the best in the world. Did Marty Fakenewsman get a call from the president after his last fight? Oh geez, I wonder why? Because he sucks! He’s irrelevant. I’ve done things no one has ever done in this sport. I’m not doing charity business no more.”

“It’s not my fault this kid [Edwards] hasn’t fought in two years. It’s not my fault this kid – there’s people from England fighting all the time in the pandemic, they’re not scared to fight. So, I’m not doing charity for this guy who hasn’t fought in two years,” said Covington. “He’s irrelevant, he’s beat a bunch of bums, and I’m not doing charity. This isn’t charity hour, this is f*cking championship f*cking pay-per-view hour.”

Asked if it was a hard pass on the Edwards fight, Covington turned his focus to Kamaru Usman calling for a rematch with Masvidal next.

“I would say, talk to Marty Fakenewsman,” Covington suggested. “You’re going to give ‘Street Judas’ Masvidal — the same guy that you were talking on the phone with me and saying he’s the hardest guy in the world to deal with, he’s the next Diaz. He only wants to fight once every two or three years — You’re gonna reward that guy? He hasn’t fought since that fight, a year. And that fight goes the same way every single time. You want to do that same exact outcome again? For what? What’s the point? Six days, six months, six years, that fight’s the same every single time.”

Instead, if he won’t be fighting Masvidal, Covington is clearly eying a rematch with Usman. “The people want to see one fight. They want to see the rematch, ‘Marty Fakenewsman,’ Colby ‘Chaos’ Covington Part 2. Are you f*cking kidding me? It’s a joke,” continued Covington. “It was the biggest corruption in the history of the sport. Are you kidding me? I was destroying him. He got lucky, and he knows that. He got life rafts thrown to him multiple times. Why doesn’t he want to run it back with me? Oh, because I’m the toughest dog in the pack. If I was the easy dog in the pack he’d be coming after me, but he’s not.”

Covington also suggested that he has gotten better since his first fight with Usman. “I feel more confident now in my skills than I ever have in my life. I just know I’m unbeatable right now. All I need is the opportunity. I hope that I can get the opportunity, and they stop passing me up and they take me serious. All Dana has to so is give me the ball, and I guarantee I’m scoring the touchdown.”

The post UFC: Colby Covington Pumps Brakes on Leon Edwards Fight appeared first on Cageside Press.

Muhammad (18-3) was expecting the leg kicks. After all, opponent Dhiego Lima is brother of Bellator welterweight champ Douglas Lima, well-known for his vicious leg kicks. Seems it runs in the family.

Speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press following his unanimous decision win, Muhammad noted that “I’m my own worst critic. What I wanted to do with this fight was start a lot faster.” The fighter who wants you to “Remember the Name” noted that he usally picks things up towards the end of a fight. That’s something he tried to improve on at UFC 258. “I had a really good warm-up in the back, the stuff that we tried worked, and I started off the first round really fast. It’s an ever-evolving game, I felt like that worked. My game just keeps getting bigger and better, so next fight’s going to be even better.”

Following the victory, Muhammad called out China’s Li Jingliang. In terms of his reasoning, it’s all about the rankings. “It’s just the rankings. I’ve been asking and freaking pleading for a ranked guy this whole time, they didn’t give it to me,” Muhammad explained. “Then they finally got rid of a couple of these guys that are just all talkers, like Nate Diaz and stuff. They shouldn’t be in the rankings, so they finally got rid of these guys, and they put real fighters out there, that are actually competing and stuff like that. So I finally got in there, but I didn’t earn that spot until I won. So I won today, now I want a ranked guy. Now I earned a ranked guy.”

Muhammad wasn’t about to waste a callout on anything emotional, however. Citing Colby Covington as an example, he noted that “I know that fight doesn’t make sense, so I’m not going to waste a call-out, and I know they’re not going to give me that fight.”

Instead, he targeted a bout that he feels makes sense. “Li Jingliang’s right above me. I was number 12, then he knocked out [Santiago Ponzinibbio], then they put him at number 12. He just took my spot, so I want that spot right back.” On a four-fight win streak with the number 13 ranking, Muhammad make have done the matchmakers’ job for them.

Watch the full UFC 258 post-fight press scrum with Belal Muhammad above.

The post UFC 258’s Belal Muhammad: “Talkers” Like Nate Diaz Shouldn’t Be in Rankings appeared first on Cageside Press.

The strawweight submitted Mallory Martin within a round, earning her second consecutive win. She also picked up a Performance of the Night bonus for the arm-bar finish. And then Joe Rogan brought up a years-old story of Viana beating up a would-be mugger in her native Brazil.

The story is a little dated, to be sure. Viana, who started her UFC run at 1-3, is no doubt more focused on her improved fortunes of late. But she has no issue, it seems, still being associated with the incident, which saw her lay a beatdown on a man with a fake gun. “I’m proud of that. It’s not because I’m a fighter, it’s because I’m a woman,” Viana (12-4) told Cageside Press following her win on Saturday. “I’m proud because I’ve inspired other women to take self-defense. It shows that they don’t have to just be intimidated by a man, that they can actually do something about it.”

Speaking to media outlets in a post-fight press scrum, she later added that when it comes to self-defense, one old saying holds true. “It’s better to know and not use, than to not know and have to use.”

As to the fight with Martin, Viana was expecting more fisticuffs. “I thought that there was going to be more striking. I actually expected to knock her out,” she said. “That’s what I was going for. But I knew that I it could go to the ground too, I was ready for that. I just didn’t expect to submit [her] that fast.”

Moving forward, the Brazilian is hoping to stay active in 2021. “I would like to fight two or three times to compensate for last year, I only fought once,” Viana stated.

Watch the full UFC 258 post-fight press scrum with Polyana Viana above.

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Prior to Saturday, The Ultimate Fighter winner and former title contender had not won a fight since his Fight of the Year classic against Israel Adesanya in April 2019. Three straight losses had the 29-year old’s back against the wall heading into UFC 258. But Gastelum acquitted himself nicely, fighting like a man who knew his job was on the line against Contender Series alum Ian Heinisch.

Gastelum (16-6, 1NC) earned the victory via unanimous decision.

“I thought it was decent, I did enough to get the win,” Gastelum appraised his performance following the fight, “but I don’t think it was anything special.”

Speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press, Gastelum didn’t want to get too far into his mindset prior to the fight. But it’s clear he knew what the stakes were, entering UFC 258 on a three-fight skid.

“I don’t even want to think about it, because the tears would come dropping,” admitted Gastelum. “I don’t want to think about it, I don’t want to get too deep into it. I’m just thankful that I got the win, I got my hand raised. Thankful for my team, I’m thankful for everybody who’s helped me get to this point.”

A lot of what comes next for Kelvin Gastelum will depend on how the middleweight division plays out over the next several bouts. There are a number of key match-ups booked: Marvin Vettori vs. Darren Till, and Paulo Costa vs. Robert Whittaker. Of course, 185lb champ Israel Adesanya, a man Gastelum knows very, very well, is lined up to take a shot at light heavyweight champ Jan Blachowicz next month.

“We’ll have to see what he prefers to do. Is he going to defend both belts, or is he going to stay up there?” Gastelum said of Adesanya’s move up a division. “But that will come later for sure.” In the meantime, the middleweight doesn’t have any names in mind. Except one option Gastelum did mention to the UFC. “If somebody steps out in the Robert Whittaker-Paulo Costa fight, then I’d be willing to step up if something happens to one of those fighters.”

Gastelum and Whittaker were supposed to meet back in 2019, he noted, “so I’d like to get that back.” The Whittaker-Costa bout is expected in April.

Watch the full UFC 258 post-fight press conference with Kelvin Gastelum above.

The post UFC 258: Kelvin Gastelum Willing to Step Up If Costa or Whittaker Drop Out appeared first on Cageside Press.

The strawweight turned flyweight earned her second straight win at 125lbs in the co-main event of the PPV card on Saturday night. She did so against one of the most hyped fighters in the weight class, Maycee “The Future” Barber.

Of course, Grasso knows a thing or two about hype. Once upon a time, it was suggested that she could be the “Ronda Rousey of Mexico.”

Strong words, coming as they did from UFC President Dana White. Grasso, however, isn’t letting that sort of comparison go to her head. “Of course I want to be like that in Mexico,” she told Cageside Press during the UFC 258 post-fight press conference. “But you have to also be intelligent, to not let the hype and the media, all the volume and all the attention get more important than your training.”

Still, Grasso ddi admit that “I love that, I love to be hearing that.” It’s just that her focus will remain on her training, and “getting better and better and better.”

At UFC 258, it was clearly Grasso’s wrestling and grappling game that had improved. “[Maycee Barber]’s a well-rounded opponent. I didn’t want to take any good shots, because she hits heavy like me,” the Mexican fighter admitted. “It was more strategy. More calm, put her on the fence, do my wrestling, do my jiu-jitsu.” Which led to Grasso earning a unanimous decision win. Barber did take one round, with the score 29-28 on all three judges’ scorecards.

When it comes to Barber’s power, “she hits hard,” Grasso reiterated later. Her own cage time, however, may have given Alexa Grasso an edge in the fight. “I was the veteran this time in the cage. I’m usually the youngest athlete in the octagon, this time I was the veteran. So I used that in my win.”

Part of that veteran experience was demonstrating some patience. “Wait, waiting for the good shot,” she put it.

As to what comes next, “I don’t think I have to call [out] anybody, but I just want to be climbing,” said Grasso. For a timeframe, “June, July maybe again,” she said, adding with a laugh “before Christmas.”

Watch the full UFC 258 post-fight press conference with Alexa Grasso above.

The post UFC 258: Alexa Grasso Not Letting “Ronda Rousey of Mexico” Label Distract Her appeared first on Cageside Press.

Kamaru Usman

After another impressive performance, Kamaru Usman called out Jorge Masvidal. He also went on to mention Georges St. Pierre in the post-fight press conference. The actual answer of who he should fight is probably not as simple as either of these two. Welterweight has a number of challengers, all of which seem to be one fight away. The right move would likely be to let the division shake itself out a bit with fights before selecting a new challenger. If Usman wants back in there quickly, a fresh match-up would do the most good for his growing legacy. Stephen Thompson would do just that and would also present a fresh style match-up. His prior win over Masvidal gives him all the credibility he’d need and he’s coming off of two fights in which he looked better than ever. Again, the right answer is to have some of these challengers set themselves apart by fighting one another, but this wouldn’t be bad either.

Kamaru Usman’s Next Fight: Stephen Thompson

Alexa Grasso

At UFC 258 Alexa Grasso looked every bit the prospect people have been expecting her to become. Some of this seems to have come from maturity, but moving to a more natural weight class doesn’t seem to have hurt either. While some were worried she wouldn’t be strong enough for 125lbs, she out-worked Maycee Barber with relative ease against the cage and in grappling exchanges. The logical next step in proving that she is morphing into the contender we all thought she could be would be to continue to test her against another fighter who uses her physicality. Roxanne Modafferi may be coming off a loss, but she is exactly the type of test Grasso needs to jump into that next tier. She not only has the name recognition, but also brings a very physical clinch and ground game for Grasso to try to solve.

Alexa Grasso’s Next Fight: Roxanne Modafferi

Kelvin Gastelum

Kelvin Gastelum said before his fight with Ian Heinisch that he might be fighting for his contract. With three straight losses (granted to the very best in the division), he may have been right. Regardless of his contract situation, he fought like it was on the line at UFC 258. Gastelum brought the fight right to Heinisch and made it clear that he still belongs, not just in the rankings, but in the conversation of the best middleweights. With his string of bad results, he’ll need to keep proving that and against somebody ranked higher than #15. Next up for him, I like Edmen Shahbazyan. Shahbazyan is looking to rebound from a rough setback to Derek Brunson. A bout between the two would further prove if Gastelum still can hang with guys around the top 10 and would also show how much more maturing Shahbazyan needs before he can ascend into that next level.

Kelvin Gastelum’s Next Fight: Edmen Shahbazyan

Ricky Simon

Since losing to Rob Font in December of 2019, Ricky Simon has looked vastly improved. With that loss looking better and better each day, it’s time to reevaluate where we see Simon. After rag-dolling his last three opponents, his wrestling looks to be able to hang with some of the very best at bantamweight. A good test for that wrestling would be former NCAA wrestler Cody Stamann. He also has a recent win over Brian Kelleher and it didn’t look much different. Letting those two go at it would not only be fun, but would answer a lot of questions.

Ricky Simon’s Next Fight: Cody Stamann

Julian Marquez

Julian Marquez may have locked up an anaconda choke, a Performance of the Night bonus, and an unofficial interview of the year award, but still his performance Saturday left a bit to be desired. He was controlled for the better part of the first two rounds by Maki Pitolo and was clearly on his way to losing a decision when he snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Given the overall performance and it being his first win since December of 2017, he isn’t in line for a big step up. The same could be said of Dalcha Lungiambula, who made his middleweight debut in January. His win over Markus Perez wasn’t much to write home about. Pitting these two against one another would give both the opportunity to put together a win streak, but also to look a tad more impressive in doing so.

Julian Marquez’s Next Fight: Dalcha Lungiambula

The post What’s Next: UFC 258 Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

Gilbert Burns

Gilbert Burns should still be looked at as a contender in the welterweight division. He had a bunch of bright spots this past Saturday even rocking champ Kamaru Usman once or twice. The top of the welterweight division is a little tied up at the moment. It was recently announced that the UFC is looking to book Leon Edwards against Colby Covington. After his win, Usman called out Jorge Masvidal on a full fight camp for his next fight. If that is Usman’s next fight that means Burns’ next fight would likely be just outside the top five.

Stephen Thompson just announced that his hand is still healing so he will still need a few months before his next fight. Since the top of the division is a little tied up it might be worth it for Burns to wait for Thomson for his next fight.

Burns’ next fight: Stephen Thompson 

Maycee Barber

Maycee Barber made her return to the UFC with a decision loss to Alexa Grasso at UFC 258. This was her first fight back since injuring herself against Roxanne Modafferi in January of 2020. Before their fight on Saturday, Barber was ranked 10th in the women’s flyweight division. Grasso was only ranked at 15th in the division. Barber should be looking to stay inside the top 15 with her next fight. A perfect situation would be against Taila Santos. Santos is 2-1 in the UFC with wins over Gillian Robertson and Molly McCann. A win over Santos would definitely save face for Barber following two straight losses.

Barber’s next fight: Taila Santos 

Ian Heinisch

Ian Heinisch lost what was the biggest fight of his career against Kelvin Gastelum this past weekend. Heinisch is now 3-3 in the UFC and is likely fighting for his spot in the promotion in his next fight. Heinisch should be looking to fight another middleweight with a recent setback, Joaquin Buckley. Buckley had a lot of hype around his name following his knockout of the year over Impa Kasanganay. That said he still currently has a UFC record of 2-2. He was finished in his last fight against Alessio Di Chirico in January. So the timing of his comeback should lineup perfectly with Heinisch.

Heinisch’s next fight: Joaquin Buckley

Brian Kelleher

Brian Kelleher came into his fight with Ricky Simon as a big underdog on Saturday night. Simon delivered on that end, winning a decisive decision victory. This loss brings Kelleher to 6-5 in the UFC and 3-2 since the start of 2020. After his loss to Simon, Kelleher should be looking to fight some up and coming fighters that are starting to build a name behind themselves. A good option could be a fight with Movsar Evloev. Evloev is undefeated with a record of 14-0. He is 4-0 in the UFC and has wins over Nik Lentz, Mike Grundy, Enrique Barzola, and Seung Woo Choi. Evloev is also known to be a great wrestler. It would be great to see if Kelleher can work on his grappling and come back ready to stuff takedowns against Evloev.

Kelleher’s next fight: Movsar Evloev

Maki Pitolo

Maki Pitolo was winning most of his fight this past weekend against Julian Marquez. At least until the third round rolled around and Marquez was able to land an anaconda choke and finished Pitolo. This loss makes Pitolo 1-4 in the UFC and he is likely looking at being cut unless he takes a short notice fight in the near future. Pitolo’s only UFC win is a TKO over Charles Byrd. It’s unfortunate, but Dana White warned months ago that cuts were coming.

Pitolo’s next fight: Outside the UFC 

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