Dana White goes in on media coming up with UFC rankings, says the media will no longer control the rankings, and he’ll find another solution. #UFC #DWCS #DanaWhite

🎥: UFC pic.twitter.com/YANFaHfdjm

— Cageside Press (@Cagesidepress) October 16, 2024

“If you look at who Pereira has beat, and how he’s beat them leading up to this fight,” White told reporters on Tuesday.

“He (Rountree Jr) was winning on the scorecards when he got stopped. He was ahead on the scorecards, stayed in the pocket, put on one of the greatest fights anybody’s ever seen, and he stays at #8.”

Rountree Jr (13-6) put on a very gutsy performance against Pereira in the main event one which White feels should have rewarded the title challenging middleweight. It was the last straw, when it comes to media voting on rankings, that has pushed White to take action.

“I can’t handle the incompetence. I can’t take it anymore it’s driving me crazy. I can’t let people that I don’t believe know what the f*ck they’re talking about deal with the rankings anymore. I have to figure out a solution,” he said.

“Tomorrow I have a meeting with a group of people that are coming to me saying that they have the solution to this problem, and god I hope they’re right. The media will no longer control the rankings in the UFC.”

Dana White did not give details as to what changes he’s hoping to make, but he did reiterate that the UFC rankings are important when it comes to matchmaking.

“The rankings are very important. The rankings, judging, reffing. There are a lot of things that we can’t control. There should never be a scenario where we are personally controlling the rankings. Can’t happen,” said White.

“You have to have another system. At the end of the day I make fights that people want to see anyway, but I believe that I should not be the one controlling the rankings.”

The post Dana White: “The media will no longer control the rankings in the UFC” appeared first on Cageside Press.

In a video posted to his Instagram story the UFC boss revealed that he has a meeting scheduled this week to “fix the rankings.”

Safe to say Dana White is still not very happy with the panel that’s in charge of UFC rankings #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/0iOPsb2SA4

— Cageside Press (@Cagesidepress) October 15, 2024

“The morons strike again. Khalil Rountree fights that badass fight against (Alex) Pereira, and the morons rank him #8,” White said in the video.

“Keep him at #8.”

Rountree Jr (13-6) challenged Pereira for the UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City. The #8 ranked fighter took it to the champ in the first couple of rounds, but ‘Poatan’ soon took over the fight. It all came on an end in the 4th round when Pereira dropped and finished Rountree Jr to retain the title.

The fight may have surpassed expectations as Rountree Jr lasted longer than most Pereira opponents, took a ton of damage, and still wanted fought to stay in the fight. White clearly believes the voters in charge of UFC rankings dismissed all of that.

So now the UFC CEO is on a mission to change all that.

“Literally this week I have a meeting to try to fix the rankings and get all these know nothing, do nothing, mother f*ckers out of it,” he said.

“Hopefully this week I get this fixed.”

Dana White did not reveal how he plans to ‘fix’ the rankings as of this post.

The post Dana White To Address UFC Rankings, Media Voters appeared first on Cageside Press.

Alex Pereira

Alex Pereira put on one of the best performances of his career Saturday, when he finished Khalil Rountree Jr. in the fourth round to retain the UFC light heavyweight belt. Rountree Jr. came into the bout with the #8 ranking next to his name.

Pereira is now 9-1 in the UFC since joining in 2021. He has only been beaten by Israel Adesanya in that time period. The only fight that makes sense for Alex at 205lbs. would be Magomed Ankalaev who is ranked at #2 at light heavyweight. Ankalaev is currently slated to fight #5 ranked, Aleksandar Rakic, at UFC 308 on October 26th. Ankalaev  is on a 12-fight unbeaten streak.

Alex’s next fight: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic winner 

Julianna Pena

Julianna Pena shocked a lot of fans with her split decision victory over Raquel Pennington to win the UFC women’s bantamweight belt in the co-main event of UFC 307. Pena has fought just five times since mid 2019 and has gone 3-2 in that time period.

Pena was forced to withdraw from her trilogy bout with Amanda Nunes last year. Nunes has since retired so that bout is off of the table. Pena should fight Kayla Harrison who won earlier on in the night. The former Olympian and PFL champ has looked flawless in her UFC career thus far and already holds a #3 ranking next to her name. A more than worthy adversary.

Julianna’s next fight: Kayla Harrison 

Mario Bautista

Mario Bautista executed a flawless game plan in order to edge out a split decision over Jose Aldo at UFC 307. Bautista entered the fight ranked at #11 in the UFC’s bantamweight division while his opponent was ranked at #10. Bautista is now 9-2 in the UFC. He is currently riding a seven-fight win streak featuring three finishes. His only losses are to Cory Sandhagen and most recently, Trevin Jones, in 2021.

Bautista’s next fight should be against Marlon Vera. Chito is currently ranked at #7 in the UFC’s bantamweight division and has won just one of his last four fights. Chito and Mario also share a common loss in Cory Sandhagen.

Mario’s next fight: Marlon Vera

Roman Dolidze

Roman Dolidze forced a TKO victory against Kevin Holland between the first and second rounds at UFC 307. Dolidze has now won two in a row since losing a majority decision to #4 ranked middleweight, Nassourdine Imavov, in February. Roman entered the fight as the #10 ranked UFC middleweight while his opponent was the #15 ranked welterweight.

Dolidze’s next fight should be against Gregory Rodrigues. Gregory is 7-2 in the UFC and has won his last three fights, two inside the distance. Robocop’s last time out was against Christian Leroy Duncan at UFC 304 in July. That would make for a violent fight thanks to Robocop’s fight style.

Roman’s next fight: Gregory Rodrigues 

Kayla Harrison

Kayla Harrison secured a hard-fought unanimous decision victory in the opening fight of the main card of UFC 307 against Ketlen Vieira. Harrison is now 2-0 in the UFC after her first-round finish of Holly Holm at back UFC 300 in her promotional debut.

Now 18-1 as a pro, the former Olympian should undoubtedly be fast tracked to a title shot. She should fight Julianna Pena for the belt in her next fight whenever she recovers from her extreme weight cut and is ready to schedule that title shot. Pretty easy one to make for Harrison.

Kayla’s next fight: Julianna Pena 

The post What’s Next: UFC 307 Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

Khalil Rountree Jr.

Khalil Rountree Jr. made a valiant effort but was ultimately brutally beaten and finished by Alex Pereira in the main event of UFC 307. Rountree Jr. entered the fight on Saturday night ranked at #8 in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. Had he have won, he’d have been the lowest ranked fighter to win the belt in the modern era.

Khalil should fight Jamahal Hill in his next fight. Obviously, they both have been stopped by Alex Pereira recently and need to work back towards a title shot. They were slated to fight each other back in June but that fight fell thru after Rountree was temporarily suspended due to consuming a banned substance. The fight would work perfectly if Hill is down to wait till Khalil heals up.

Khalil’s next fight: Jamahal Hill 

Raquel Pennington

Raquel Pennington was dethroned in an extremely controversial split decision in the co-main event of UFC 307 by Julianna Pena. Pennington was riding a six-fight win streak that dated back to her UFC 246 loss to Holly Holm in early 2020.

Pennington should take on Norma Dumont in her next fight who is ranked at #5. Dumont is 8-2 in the UFC and riding a five-fight win streak. Only the last two of those bouts were at 135lbs, and she has missed weight multiple times while with the UFC. It’s an interesting a physical matchup for Pennington and a good step back toward the title. No immediate rematch.

Raquel’s next fight: Norma Dumont

Jose Aldo

Jose Aldo lost his second fight back from his brief retirement on Saturday at UFC 307 to Mario Bautista. It was another controversial split decision that saw Bautista slowing Aldo’s dominant striking with constant takedown attempts.

Aldo entered the fight ranked at #10 in the UFC’s bantamweight division while Bautista was ranked at #11. Jose is now 1-1 since May when he ended his nearly two-year retirement from the UFC.

Aldo should fight Chris Gutierrez in his next fight. Guitierrez is 9-3-1 in the UFC and 2-2 in his last four. His losses in that time period were a pair of unanimous decisions to Pedro Munhoz and most recently Yadong Song. He’s unranked and ready for that opportunity for a big name on the next level. Perfect fight.

Jose’s next fight: Chris Gutierrerz

Kevin Holland

Kevin Holland lost a disappointing fight to Roman Dolidze when his coach stopped the fight after the first round because of an apparent rib injury. Holland entered the fight unranked as a middleweight but ranked as the #15 welterweight. Dolidze, on the other hand, entered the fight with a #10 ranking in the UFC’s middleweight division.

Kevin Holland should fight Jake Matthews in his next fight. As fun of a fight as it would be for Holland to try to fight Chris Curtis again, he should try to make a real run at 170lbs. Showing his skills against Jake Matthews who is 3-2 in his last five fights, makes sense. Matthews is a game opponent that produces finishes and has shared the octagon with some high-level guys like Li Jingliang and Sean Brady.

Kevin’s next fight: Jake Matthews 

Ketlen Vieira

Ketlen Vieira was simply outclassed in a three round unanimous division loss to Kayla Harrison to open UFC 307 on Saturday. Vieira entered the fight ranked at #2 in the UFC’s women’s bantamweight division while her opponent was ranked at #3. Vieira has now lost two of her last three fights with her last win coming against Pannie Kianzad in July of 2023.

Ketlen’s next fight should be against Macy Chiasson. Macy is currently the #4 ranked women’s bantamweight and the two were supposed to fight back in January. Vieira ended up withdrawing but Chiasson has won two in a row since then. Macy stopped both Pannie Kianzad and Mayra Bueno Silva most recently, at UFC 303.

Ketlen’s next fight: Macy Chiasson 

The post What’s Next: UFC 307 Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I’m so happy today this night because back to the win. This is very important for me, and I have my strategy for the fight,” Almeida told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“I keep in the strategy. I keep in this game. It worked. Very, very nice.”

Almeida (6-1) poked his opponent in the eyes four times yet the ref refused to warn him let alone take a point. Even when asked about the fouls and the ref Almeida declined to give an answer. It’s unclear if that was intentional or if the language barrier played a factor.

While the referee blunders were certainly not his fault he did poke Potieria in the eyes repeatedly. The referee told him to stop doing it, but declined to take a point.

Cesar Almeida walked into the media room wearing a brace on his right hand indicating an injury. That will leave his return date up in the air as well as any possible opponents for the middleweight.

“I’m back to the gym Monday. Probably December or January. Depends (on) my hand,” he said.

“I don’t know. Maybe in top 15. I feel ready.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Cesar Almedia above.

The post Cesar Almeida Looking To Get Back In December appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I really don’t know actually what position I’m going to be in the rankings,” Lucindo told reporters including Cageside Press through a translator at her post-fight scrum.

“I try not to choose fights, I didn’t choose Marina. I didn’t choose Karol (Rosa)…actually I did. The fight before I did call her out, but you know what whatever the boss says, whatever he puts in front of me, I’m going to fight.”

Lucindo (17-5) took the win by split decision which, if you looked on social media, there was confusion as to why it wasn’t unanimous. It was a trend that went on for the entire card with confusing scores, some pretty bad decisions, and it looked like the judges though the fight with Rodriguez was much closer than most thought.

“I was back there, but so focused on my fight, I only watched the fight a little bit. I don’t know about the decision. Anything can happen when it goes to the judges. I knew in my heart that I wont he fight, but you never know,” she said.

“When it goes to the judges it’s not your decision anymore. Anything can happen, but I felt good about myself.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Iasmin Lucindo above.

The post Iasmin Lucindo Not Worried About Rankings appeared first on Cageside Press.

“Yeah just a former champion. Me being 5-0 in the welterweight division right now. Me really kind of putting on a tear,” Buckley told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“At the end of the day (Kamaru) Usman being a former champion kind of will prove and submit my name that I should fight for a title next.”

Buckley (20-6) called out Usman in his post-fight interview which was applauded by Daniel Cormier. Cormier had previously criticized Buckley for calling out Conor McGregor which caused some problems between the two.

“I think I can knockout Usman. Immediately. Breaking records,” he said.

Meanwhile Usman responded on X with a vague tweet.

😏😏😏 #UFC307

— KAMARU USMAN (@USMAN84kg) October 6, 2024

“I don’t know how I want to take that. (I’d) love to get a date from him (for a fight). That’s what I want,” he said.

“That would be a good response. A date. Let’s go.”

The victory over Thompson marked Buckley’s fifth straight victory which is a testament to the work he’s put in over the years.

“Just constant focus on the game. Constant getting better,” he told Cageside Press.

“Every day doing the same thing over and over again.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Joaquin Buckley above.

The post Joaquin Buckley Talks Kamaru Usman Callout appeared first on Cageside Press.

“Honest answer, no,” Dolidze told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“Win is win. It’s honest answer and I don’t want to create a beautiful image, but it is how it is. We all get something happen with us. (I’ve had) a lot of different crazy injuries. I know how it is.”

Dolidze (14-3) had to deal with a very upset Holland after the fight. Holland was unable to continue following a rib injury he suffered during a scramble on the ground with Dolidze.

“He told me after that he was upset that I was happy to win and celebrating victory, but it was more about crowd who was booing me. Nothing about him,” he said.

After getting his hand raised Dolidze received his Jiu Jitsu black belt which was a surprise to the middleweight.

“That I didn’t expect,” he said with a smile.

“I can expect everything, but not black belt. I (have) competed lot of big events like grappling and some jiu jitsu. All my belts what I have it’s like out of nowhere. Even my blue belt. It’s big gift for me.”

With the victory secured Dolidze set his sights on a big middleweight bout taking place at UFC 308 at the end of October.

“Would like to fight the winner of Khamzat (Chimaev) and Whittaker,” he said.

“Both of these fighters are incredible, good fighters, and I respect them. As always I want to test myself with the best and I think these guys are (one) of the best.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Roman Dolidze above. 

The post Roman Dolidze On Victory Over Holland, “Win is win” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Hill, the former UFC light heavyweight champion who was put to sleep by Alex Pereira at UFC 300 earlier this year, was in attendance at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday. There, after a back-and-forth three rounds that saw “Poatan” face some early adversity including a knockdown, the champ exploded in the fourth. Pereira would begin digging to the body, then put challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. away with one final combination.

Hill yawned. Not impressed.

JAMAHAL HILL'S REACTION AFTER PEREIRA DEFEATED ROUNTREE 👀 #UFC307 pic.twitter.com/ajJefupVdg

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 6, 2024

Alex Pereira, speaking at the UFC 307 post-fight press conference with Cageside Press on hand, joked that “maybe he [Hill] just woke up from UFC 300.”

The clip, as such comments often do, began to make the rounds on social media. And Jamahal Hill, once again, was not impressed. This time with the joke, at his expense, rather than with Pereira’s performance.

“You said that!!! But you will see me soon and we will see when you wake up!!!” wrote Hill on social media.

Hill, who vacated the light heavyweight title he won in 2023 due to injury, was slept in his attempt to reclaim it opposite Pereira, and has not fought since. He does not have a fight scheduled, though he had been expected to face Khalil Rountree Jr. (and later Carlos Ulberg) at UFC 303 in July.

The post Poatan Responds to Jamahal Hill’s UFC 307 “Yawn” Reaction, Hill Says He’ll See Champ Soon appeared first on Cageside Press.

Bautista (15-2) used his wrestling to pin the legendary Jose Aldo to the fence in their main-card fight, but failed to complete a single takedown. It was, in the terminology of “just bleed” style fans, a whole lot of “wall and stall,” similar to complaints of “lay and pray.”

There might be a nugget of truth to the criticism— more than once, the ref either appeared ready to restart the action, or in fact did. Still, Bautista put the blame solely at the feet of Jose Aldo himself.

“The performance, it is what it is. I had to do what I had to do,” Bautista told media outlets including Cageside Press following the fight. “Got cut in the second round, I got hit with something pretty good. Then I was able to drive him to the fence. He has pretty good takedown defense, but he cannot get off the cage. That’s not my fault. If that was me, I’m able to circle off the cage.”

“Whatever the crowd thinks, whatever everyone thinks, that’s on him,” Bautista added.

When it came time for the scorecards to be read, Bautista believed he had done enough to secure the win.

“I thought I did enough. Striking-wise, he was getting after it a little bit, but like I said, he just gave up a lot of time on the cage, so that’s on him.”

Turns out, he was right. Two of three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Mario Bautista, with the dissenting judge returning the opposite score for Aldo. Yet while it may be the biggest win of Bautista’s career in terms of name value, Dana White’s own reaction to the fight doesn’t bode well in terms of where it leaves him moving forward. White was critical of both the judging and the referee’s work in the bout, a common theme at UFC 307.

Watch the full UFC 307 post-fight press conference appearance by Mario Bautista above.

The post UFC 307’s Mario Bautista Blames Crowd Reaction on Jose Aldo: “That’s On Him” appeared first on Cageside Press.