This will be a three part series beginning with fights 5 and 4. Yep, I’m going to make you wait for the rest of them. Now on to our Top 5 Fights of the Year, part 1.

5. Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno III – UFC 270

No two opponents know each other better than Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno do. I mean at this point they probably know each other’s phone passcodes, secret recipes, and mother’s maiden names.

Going into UFC 270 the record was technically 1-0-1 for Moreno since the first fight ended in a draw. Moreno clearly showing signs of major improvement from the first fight all the way to the third fight where the two fought to a close decision that is still argued about to this day.

The first three rounds seemed to go Moreno’s way as he employed a more patient game plan in the striking only firing off when he was sure he could land the most damage on Figgy. At the end of the third round Figgy dropped Moreno with a right hand, and then tried to finish the champ with a guillotine choke, but ran out of time.

Figueiredo tried to put Moreno away, but the champ was unfazed 🚫 #UFC270 pic.twitter.com/G0oFC2ArPa

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 23, 2022

With rounds 4 and 5 were very close, but the best came at the end of the fight when the two threw all caution to the wind and brawled it out in the final seconds. What a fight.

WHAT. A. FIGHT! 🤯

How do you have it scored?

[ #UFC270 | Main Card LIVE on E+ PPV: https://t.co/Nr2IHwgXWX ] pic.twitter.com/PStVGpwKrC

— UFC (@ufc) January 23, 2022

4. Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Chandler – UFC 281

This one kind of came out of nowhere right? At first the two seemed to have an amicable relationship even going as far as Poirier congratulating Chandler on a victory over Dan Hooker at UFC 257.

You never know who you’ll bump into backstage. 👀 @DustinPoirier, @MikeChandlerMMA and Conor McGregor cross paths post #UFC257 pic.twitter.com/h0SU7A5fyA

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) January 24, 2021

Then at UFC 276, out of nowhere, the two have heat? To this day nobody is actually sure of why Poirier was yelling at Chandler, other than to set up a possible bout, but we were all here for it. We could all just imagine the violence that would take place.

Wow 🤩 @DustinPoirier vs @MikeChandlerMMA pic.twitter.com/Dw7aYb9ueV

— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) July 3, 2022

Finally the two were set up for UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden and MAN did they deliver. The first round by itself stands as one of the best rounds of the year. After Chandler took it to Poirier with body kicks and power shots, and then takedowns, the last 35 seconds or so of the round belonged to “The Diamond”. Nasty stuff.

pic.twitter.com/gy6WYJiHoc

— @jakeshreds420 (@shredsclips) November 13, 2022

What we had in the second round can be….well it can be summed up like this.

I would’ve tapped out so fast. Michael Chandler is giving Dustin Poirier a blood bath 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/7x05DqIotl

— The Hood Therapist (@OhhMar24) November 13, 2022

After pouring blood onto Poirier’s face, using the fish hook to try and finish a choke….well Chandler may have gotten what he deserved. Poirier took his neck and finish him off with the RNC.

THE DIAMOND GETS IT DONE IN AN INSTANT CLASSIC 💎 #UFC281 pic.twitter.com/56vHlHqfaI

— UFC (@ufc) November 13, 2022

Even after the fight we’re not sure if the beef has been settled as a very heated Poirier got into Chandler’s face following the stoppage.

pic.twitter.com/eASdaLKqAr

— Heavyweight Thanos (@MMAThanos) November 23, 2022

At the end of the day both men are warriors and respect was earned in blood…and snot…and a little bit of carnage.

“Hey, Mike! I was scared to fight you. It was coming from a healthy spot. Without fear, there is no bravery.”@DustinPoirier shared a moment with @MikeChandlerMMA prior to his interview with Joe Rogan 💎#UFC281 pic.twitter.com/wBV8kmkxhm

— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) November 13, 2022

Fights 3 and 2 later this week!

The post 2022 In Review: The Top 5 Fights Of The Year, Part 1 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Ngannou (17-3) last fought in January of this year when he defeated Gane via decision to retain his heavyweight title. Following the bout he revealed that he would need to have surgery on his injured right knee and would be out for an extended period of time.

Most fighters, historically, have gone radio silent following revelations like an injury in order to go through the process of healing and recovery. Ngannou’s situation is unique since he is not only the current heavyweight champion, but he is also in contract negotiations with the UFC.

Instead of allowing the promotion or the media to tell the story of the injury, UFC 270 and the post-fight journey Ngannou has released a series of videos on YouTube that tells the story in his own words.

Ngannou defeated Gane at UFC 270 unifying his title with the interim belt that Gane held.

Ngannou is still in the midst of recovery from knee surgery, and nothing of note has been released about his contract negotiations with the UFC.

Keep up with Ngannou’s recovery on his YouTube channel here.

The post Francis Ngannou Details Lead Up To UFC 270, Fighting Injured, Decision To Fight appeared first on Cageside Press.

Jasudavicius espoused the belief that some day, she would be a UFC fighter. Her friend replied that should that happen, she’d get Jasmine’s face tattooed someplace rather intimate: right on her backside, to put it nicely.

You can sort of imagine it, right? Jasudavicius says she’ll fight in the UFC some day, her friend comes back with “if that happens, I’ll tattoo your face on my ass!” or something similar.

And so the bet was born. Now, it’s about to pay off: earlier this month, at UFC 270, Jasudavicius made her octagon debut, earning a win over Kay Hansen. The flyweight is now officially a member of the UFC roster, and it’s time for her friend to pay up.

“We’re going to figure out if we’re doing a realistic one, if we’re doing a cartoon, where we’re getting it done. The UFC wants to schedule a media crew to record it,” Jasudavicius told Cageside Press in a recent interview. Yes, her (for now) unnamed friend is going through with it, and there’s likely going to be some negotiating done as to size and style.

“I’m going to try as big as possible, she’ll probably try to go as small as possible,” said Jasudavicius. “We’ll see where the negotiation goes.”

Jasmine herself isn’t sure if she wants it to be a portrait, or even an image of her in her UFC fight kit. “I don’t know. I think I’m going to throw something up on social media and see who puts in the best thing, and we’ll probably do that one,” she suggested.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZHqh2kJ3tJ/

The payoff of the bet is a fun story, but it’s also the culmination of years of hard work for the St. Catharines, Ontario-based fighter.

“It’s been crazy,” she said of that journey. “Obviously, the main goal was to fight in the UFC, but there was all small goals leading up to be able to actually get to that point. It’s a lot of hard work, and believing that eventually you’ll get there. I’m just so happy with how its come about.”

With a decision win over Hansen under her belt, Jasudavicius is now 7-1 as a pro, having won her way into the UFC on Dana White’s Contender Series. Opponent Hansen already has a fight booked for Spring, so when might we see the Canadian back in the octagon? And at what weight class?

Jasudavicius has suggested she’d be willing to move back to strawweight for the right opportunity, but at the same time, “I want to get four, maybe five fights in this year,” she told us. “If I’m cutting to 115, it’ll be too much on my body.”

In terms of timing, that’s something she’s leaving up to her team. “I haven’t really talked to my coaches yet, so I’m going to just wait til they’re home to decide. We’re going to discuss it together, and decide what the next big step will be.”

There’s also the question of location. The UFC is getting back on the road in March, with shows planned for London, England and Columbus, Ohio. There’s no word yet on any Canadian dates, and Jasudavicius herself hasn’t heard much either.

“No, I haven’t heard anything. Unfortunately, I just fight, I’m not really privy to those conversations. I’m hoping that they come to Canada, that would be awesome, but I have no idea.”

That said, she’s happy to fight anywhere. “I like travelling, and I like experiencing new things, so I’d be fine whatever card they put me on; I’d be happy to go into it.”

The post UFC Will Have Camera Crew Ready for Payoff of Infamous Jasmine Jasudavicius Bet appeared first on Cageside Press.

Francis Ngannou

To say that Francis Ngannou had the pressure of the world on his shoulders before his fight at UFC 270 might be an understatement. On Saturday, the man was fighting two fights against Ciryl Gane and his employer, the UFC. Oh, and he tore his ACL and MCL before the fight. The future for Ngannou within the UFC is quite frankly up in the air. UFC President Dana White didn’t wrap the heavyweight title around him after his win on Saturday, and that within itself is very telling. White also skipped the post-fight press conference.

If Ngannou signs a new contract and stays with the UFC, he should welcome Jon Jones to the heavyweightg division. That absolutely could be one of the biggest fights in the history of the organization.

Ngannou’s next fight: Jon Jones

Deiveson Figueiredo

Figueiredo’s move to Fight Ready in Arizona paid off on Saturday as he defeated Brandon Moreno in their trilogy. The fight was terrific, and the flyweight pair won Fight of the Night for their efforts. Unfortunately or fortunately, the score is now 1-1-1, and a fourth fight might just be the answer. Actually, yes, that is the answer. Figueiredo vs. Moreno IV in Brazil at UFC 274.

Figueiredo’s next fight: Brandon Moreno

Michel Pereira

After a rocky start to his UFC career, Michel Pereira has now rattled off four straight wins. He also spoiled Andre Fialho’s promotional debut at UFC 270. “Demolidor” was initially supposed to fight Muslim Salikov for a chance at the welterweight top 15 rankings; however, there might be a very good chance Pereira ends up in the rankings on Tuesday anyway. For his next fight, he should be fighting someone in the top 15. Pereira could be rebooked with Salikov, fight Santiago Ponzinibbio or he could jump up and fight No. 10 ranked Michael Chiesa. All three options are very fun match-ups. I lean towards giving him Chiesa.

Pereira’s next fight: Michael Chiesa

Said Nurmagomedov

Said Nurmagomedov picked up his biggest win at UFC 270 when he defeated Cody Stamann in 47 seconds. The Russian has now stopped his last two opponents in under a minute and is very close to a top 15 spot. Nurmagomedov should fight the winner of Jack Shore and Timur Valiev, which goes down at UFC London on March 19. The Russian was supposed to fight Shore last year but pulled out of the fight a few weeks before their scheduled match-up.

Nurmagomedov’s next fight: Jack Shore vs. Timur Valiev winner

Michael Morales

Michael Morales had a very successful UFC debut on Saturday. He finished Trevin Giles in the first round via TKO, spoiling his welterweight debut. At 22-years old, the future is very, very bright for Morales. He is undefeated at 13-0 and has stopped all but two of those opponents. Morales should fight Tim Means for his second UFC fight, who just had to pull out of his fight with Jeremiah Wells due to COVID. Means said he wants to fight in April, which could be an awesome quick turnaround for Morales.

Morales’ next fight: Tim Means

The post What’s Next: UFC 270 Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

“It’s a weird feeling because it’s the first time in my life when I lost a decision, but I felt like I won. I remember my last two losses against (Alexandre) Pantoja or against (Sergio) Pettis. I knew it that moment I lost. I was like, ‘Ok this feels like sh*t’ but I understand I lost, right? But this time I felt like I won,” Moreno told the media at his post-fight media scrum.

For Moreno (19-6) this marks his first loss since 2018 and it sets the record against now flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo at 1-1-1.

“It is what it is because it was a really hard fight. He had his own moments too and I need to recognize that. I don’t want to be that kind of guy who starts to put excuses. I felt like Deiveson did an amazing job with a better game plan. So I just want to go to the gym and spend time with my family and watch the fight again and be back stronger.”

Since moving to Arizona to train with former UFC champion Henry Cejudo, someone who had brought Moreno in to his training camps in the past, the talk leading up to the fight was the familiarity that Cejudo had with Moreno. It also brought in some of the heat in the fight between Moreno and Cejudo’s camp.

Even then Moreno did speak with Figueiredo’s team….sort of.

“I just tried to be a gentleman with the team. And go and ‘Hey man congrats’ to the coaches. That guy Eric (Albarracin) ehhh no man you don’t have my respect. But with Henry I don’t have any problems. Like ‘Hey thank you, good fight for everybody’ and that’s it.”

Albarracin is a coach within Cejudo’s team that Moreno seems to take issue with.

“I don’t like drama in my life so you can do your investigation. Just…he did some things in my life that I don’t respect. Again, with Henry with all the team, the Brazilian coaches I don’t have any problem. I went there and shook hands and ‘Hey good job guys’.”

In the lead up to the fight, specially in the pre-fight press conference, Figueiredo and his team attempted to play mind games with the former champion.

“I felt like my mind was in a good place. Just was him doing a really good job with his game plan. The guys who are fighting against me they need to understand I don’t care if they try to do something against my mind. I don’t care man. At that point, I’m very strong in that part of my game.”

With so much support for Moreno leading up to the fight and specially during the event many fans may feel some type of way about the result. Moreno had a message for them.

“It’s life. This is the life. Right now I’m just trying be very positive and I’m trying to put my face with you guys, but definitely hurts. It hurts too much. I wanted to put the victory for my family for my teammates, for Mexico, for my fans. But this is life and it is what it is, I lost. Sometimes you lose, man. I lost before and I’m alive and I’m here. I just try to feel the taste of the loss and go back to the gym.”

Watch the full UFC 270 post-fight press conference with Brandon Moreno above. More coverage from the event can be found below.

The post UFC 270’s Brandon Moreno On His Loss: “It’s Life. This Is Life.” appeared first on Cageside Press.

The interim title holder was attempting to topple former training partner Francis Ngannou to unify the UFC heavyweight championship. While Gane (10-1) found success early, avoiding the champ’s power and arguably out-pointing him, Ngannou fell back on his rarely-seen wrestling, winning the fight on the scorecards in the end.

Following the bout, his first loss in mixed martial arts, Gane told media outlets including Cageside Press that Ngannou utilizing his wrestling did not come as a surprise.

“It was not a surprise. We knew already that was one of his biggest chances to win some rounds,” admitted Gane. “He did it, and he did it very well. So good job.”

The French heavyweight was clearly dejected following the loss, and even after a solid first two rounds, did not necessarily think he was about to run away with the fight, he recalled. “Not exactly, not exactly. I’m a little bit disappointed, I must do more. I didn’t, so unfortunately I’m a little bit disappointed.”

Asked whether he thought Ngannou’s power was fading in the later rounds, Gane replied “No, but you see, his prediction was he was going to knock me down in the first round.” That didn’t happen, said Gane, thanks to his own standup game. “He didn’t, because we are confident in my striking skills. But, but but but, he’s a warrior also, and he kept the way until the end, and he did very well.”

There’s a chance that Francis Ngannou’s time with the UFC could be at an end following Saturday’s fight against Gane. His contract is up, and a championship clause may only force him to stick with the company for the next year. Contract talks having seemingly soured, with Ngannou saying the UFC hasn’t shown him respect.

There’s a possible lucrative foray into boxing for Ngannou if he does opt to make his exit. Gane, however, is eager to run it back with “The Predator.”

“If he leaves like that, I don’t want that. I want my rematch,” Gane stated. “I want to do this fight a second time. I want this fight, I want this rematch.”

Watch the full UFC 270 post-fight press conference with Ciryl Gane above. More coverage from the event can be found below.

The post UFC 270: Ciryl Gane Not Surprised by Ngannou’s Wrestling Approach appeared first on Cageside Press.

“It doesn’t matter as much being on a different part of the card just because fortunately I’m able to control my thoughts and be focused on the fight. That’s the only thing I can control which is the fight in front of me. I’m very happy for all my team members in the gym because even though the stuff that happened before, they were able to make it here, which is for so many people so hard. Not many can, so, just to be able to share this moment with everyone in the gym was very important,” Morales said through a translator at his post-fight media scrum.

Morales (13-0) defeated Trevin Giles (14-4) in the opening slot of the PPV at UFC 270 on Saturday night. Giles was able to put Morales in some tough spots before the Ecuadorian fighter took control and finished Giles via TKO in the first round.

“At the end everything turned out alright, but yet he was able to to impose some pressure. He connected on a couple shots he had a really good strike there. Thankfully it didn’t, I didn’t get knocked out of my senses, so I everything was fine. So all I had to do was focus on continuing to defend, to turn things around and start going after him. Thankfully nothing happened there.”

“He might have a good jab but he didn’t knock me down. Every fighter is good. He’s a very experienced fighter. Everyone here I have a lot of respect for everyone because these are all high-level fighter so it doesn’t matte who it is. I respect them but we came out on top,” Morales said.

As far was what is next Morales is ready to do whatever the UFC puts in front of him.

“Whatever God wants is what is next. Dana is the boss he’s the one who gives out orders. Wherever he puts me I’m willing to fight against anyone, at anytime, anywhere I’ll fight. I just need to recover from this fight and then i’ll be back at 100% to represent my country Ecuador and Mexico.”

Morales sent a message to his family and friends during the media scrum.

“Mom, I love you! Your son is on television! Expect big things from me! I know you’re crying right now that the whole world is watching us at home, but we’re moving up. Hello to my brothers, to my father, to everyone who is watching. My cousins, my uncles, I have family here with me, hello to them. I love you Mom for giving me life.”

Watch the full UFC 270 post-fight press conference with Michael Morales above. More coverage from the event can be found below.

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“I can’t show all my tools because fight was too short,” Nurmagomedov said through a translator at his post-fight media scrum.

Nurmagomedov (15-2) was able to secure a quick guillotine finish over Stamann (19-5) after the American shot in for a takedown. It wasn’t exactly what Nurmagomedov had planned to do but it’s what he was able to secure.

“I was prepared for all three rounds, but I used moment and finished him.”

As for what is next Nurmagomedov would like one more bout before Ramadan which lasts from April 2nd to May 2nd.

“I want to fight before Ramadan. I am ready to be back soon. I also heard tournament is going to be in Brooklyn April 8th and I wish to fight there. I talk about Chito Vera before and any type of opponent.”

During the lead up to the fight Stamann had said that he believed American wrestler were superior to Dagestani wrestlers which made Nurmagomedov chuckle.

“Actually I am not wrestler. I am kickboxer. I think if we wrestled with him my wrestling would surprise him.”

All that being said finishing the fight by submission was surprising for fans who have seen him fight before but Said wanted to show something new in this bout.

“Every time I fight I want to show people something new. Last fight finished by knockout, this fight submission, next fight something else.”

The post UFC 270’s Said Nurmagomedov Wants To Fight Before Ramadan appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I told ya’ll. I mean a lot of media outlets counted me out but you know that’s only because….I feel personally a lot of people are UFC fans not MMA fans. They don’t watch MMA from around the world. They know what they see in the UFC and I’ve been traveling around the world fighting tough guys and I knew Raoni was going to be real tough no doubts about it,” Henry told the media at his post-fight scrum.

“But initial thoughts? I told ya’ll. I’m here to fight and I just proved it today.”

Henry (22-5) defeated Barcelos (16-3) who owns four wins in the UFC. Most seemed to pick Barcelos to win the fight over Henry but it’s not something Victor took personally into the cage.

“The only chip i’ve got on my shoulder if I was born kind of ugly. I can’t help that, but I realize that my road is not going to be the same as everybody else’s. I knew that I had to pretty much work twice as hard. I don’t have a super sad story. All I have is hard work that I got from my dad. I’m not very tall, not very fast, not very gifted. So what am I going to do? I’ve got to work twice as hard.”

It was rumored that Henry was supposed to make his UFC debut earlier in the year but the bantamweight shot that down quickly and explained why he wanted the Barcelos fight regardless of when it happened.

“As far as being scheduled this year, there was no validity to that, somebody ran with a rumor. The only time it was supposed to happen was in late December which, unfortunately, I tested positive for COVID. I was asymptomatic, as soon as I got my negative test back from that, I went back to training. When I was offered this fight again on this day I said absolutely, let’s go for it. Like I said I’m not the youngest guy. I have a hard road to run. I’m not here just to take the easier fights. I wanted this fight.”

“They were telling me that his visa is coming up, he might not be able to fight later on. I was really upset the first time it got cancelled because of course I wanted to fight him. It’s not just I wanted to fight in the UFC, I wanted to fight HIM.”

Watch the full UFC 270 post-fight press conference with Victor Henry above. More coverage from the event can be found below.

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“If only I could have gotten like 2 or 3 more. Maybe if I had like one more minute I could have gotten a couple more,” Gravely said with a laugh at his post-fight media scrum.

Gravely (22-7) defeated Oliveira (18-4) via unanimous decision after putting the Brazilian on the canvas 11 times in the fight.

“It’s a tough one. Wasn’t as pretty as I expected. Every time you go out there to get the finish but we knew he was tough. We knew that he was going to be relentless on the guillotines. He’s more of a striker. I guess i’ll have to watch to see exactly how I feel about my performance but obviously I’m happy to come away with the win and get back in the winning column.”

During the bout Oliveira was able to land a shot on Gravely that resulted in his left eye swelling up which Gravely sported in the post-fight media scrum.

“He actually caught me with a front kick. It was his toes I remember his toes hit me in the eye. His toes that was like the first little bit of the round. The knees that he did, if I could remember correctly, I don’t think any of them landed to my face. I jammed a couple and they kind of hit my chest so I took him down. But the front kick is what got my eye in the first, if I could remember…you saw the fight, I was just in there.”

As for what’s next Gravely actually had a name ready.

“I’m not really big on call outs but I’d like to fight Chris Gutierrez. There was a fight, I think it was after the contender series, kind of forgot about it, and he called me out. I can’t let that go unpunished.”

Watch the full UFC 270 post-fight press conference with Tony Gravely above. More coverage from the event can be found below.

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