“I’m very happy with my performance, for this victory. I was sure we would win,” Ochoa told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“Even more I’m very happy to be able to dedicate this win to my father, my team, and my entire family.”

Ochoa (9-2) put together a striking masterpiece against Carpenter who badly wanted the takedown, but wasn’t able to secure anything. Ochoa knew he was well-prepared for this fight.

“I’m happy with everything that I did in there. I wasn’t surprised by anything that happened in there. In fact, I thought I was going to get the knockout,” he said.

“But we went the 15 minutes and I was prepared for that as well.”

Following the bout Ochoa used his post-fight interview to propose to the mother of his child back in Brazil. Word traveled fast and he got his answer in the locker room.

“It’s obvious that she said yes,” he said with a smile.

“She was just waiting for me to ask.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Jose Ochoa above.

The post Jose Ochoa Outclasses Carpenter, Caps Night with Engagement News appeared first on Cageside Press.

The fight didn’t exactly go to plan.

“The plan was never to step back. Not a step backwards, that was the plan. Basically after the first round, we had to do something different,” the Russian fighter told media outlets including Cageside Press backstage at the Prudential Center following Saturday’s event. Kopylov’s striking coach told him between rounds to switch from single strikes to combinations. “That seemed to have worked, because we definitely dropped him. We weren’t able to finish him up, but at least we know combination punching worked for our game plan.”

When Kopylov dropped Tulio for the first time, Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier were critical of Kopylov’s decision to clinch up, rather than hunt for the finish.

“That one, my corner told me after the fight that if I had just let him go, I wouldn’t have finished him,” noted Kopylov in response.

However, at the end of the round, “the strength was kind of running out, the eye was kind of closing, the blood was in the way. So I wanted to make sure I didn’t overextend myself and not finish the fight that way.”

Roman Kopylov came away with a unanimous decision instead, snapped a two-fight skid in the process.

Watch the full UFC 328 post-fight press conference with Roman Kopylov above.

The post Roman Kopylov Responds to Criticism That He Didn’t Hunt Finish at UFC 328 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Battling through personal adversity outside the cage and delivering a quick submission win over Jared Gordon, the veteran once again proved that even after nearly two decades in the sport, he’s still finding ways to win, and still not ready to walk away.

“In there everything’s moving like a mile a minute, or in slow motion, it’s really weird. I wish you guys could see what it’s like,” Miller told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“It’s unique when you get into that flow state, and things just happen. If I was thinking about all those things, if I was thinking about the injuries or my son’s health issues, I mean over the years there’s been plenty of stuff.”

Miller (39-19) had been dealing with his son’s health issues for a while, but the longtime UFC lightweight used it all as motivation to get through camp and into the fight. Even with the seriousness of the situation Miller was able to compartmentalize it better than past fights.

“If I thought about those things when I was warming up or making the walk or in the octagon, I wouldn’t be here today. Fighting immediately after my brother was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do because then during the warm-up I’m seeing him, I’m seeing the look on his face,” he said.

“And it’s like he is not here. Like sh*t, this is not cool. Having to turn that off and wanting to be there for him and just having to go and fight undefeated Iranian national champ wrestler…”

To win in front of his family, and his son, was something he was grateful for after his win over Gordon. Some would think that it would be the perfect time for the 42-year-old father of four to walk away, but that just wouldn’t be his style.

“It felt great. It’s awesome to be here, it’s awesome to get to fight, I get this opportunity. I earned it and I still get to do it,” he said.

“I can very confidently say that a vast majority of (fighters) are retiring because their body’s breaking down or because they’re not able to keep up with the sport. I’ve been able to do both of those things. I’ve been able to stay healthy and I’ve been able to keep up with my opponents.”

With Miller continuing on in his career in hopes of reaching that 50 UFC fights mark he said he didn’t care who he faced next. He did however shoot his shot at a specific lightweight.

“Whoever,” Miller said when asked who he wanted next.

“Unfortunately I think I might have broke my left hand in the four minutes that we were fighting, but I hear there’s an Irishman looking for a fight. I think that would be a fun one.”

Conor McGregor, the ball is in your court.

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Jim Miller above.

The post Jim Miller Balances Family Struggles, Calls For McGregor Bout appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I’m ready to do another one, I’m ready to fight next week,” Green told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“I’ll be honest, if I can get on the Vegas card next week, surprise, come in and surprise everybody and do a fight out there that’d be dope.”

Green (35-17-1) was still so fresh after the fight that he called for a spot on UFC Vegas 117 headlined by Arnold Allen and Melquizael Costa at the Meta APEX. Unlikely as it may be that he gets a fight on the card it shows that Green is in a bit of a hurry to stack some more fights together in 2026.

“I don’t even feel like I got in a fight, and I didn’t like the way I finished it. I wanted to knock him out and get that. Make sure that I solidified myself as one of the greatest fighters to ever step on these mats. That’s what I was saying to Dana is I’m one of the greatest to ever do this,” he said.

“I told him hey bro, I even told him when we were standing on our face off, I was like listen there is no loser,” said Green.

“The work you’ve done in this cage, the work I’ve done in this cage, there is no loser. You’re great no matter what. That’s what I was telling him at the face-off. There is no loser. We’re great fighters, bro.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with King Green above.

The post King Green Unsatisfied After UFC 328 Win, Pushes for Immediate Return appeared first on Cageside Press.

As he entered Fight Week, Dawson also learned that he and his wife had lost their first child due to a miscarriage.

“My wife and I were expecting our first baby, and we found out on Monday that we lost the baby. So it’s been a rough week,” Dawson revealed during his UFC 328 post-fight appearance with the media. “My amazing wife soldiered through it, toughed it out, no emotion, got me through this, and I promised her a little vacation for us to go and do our thing.”

And so, after the win, Dawson (24-3-1) admitted to media outlets that “physically, I feel terrible. Emotionally, also a little terrible.”

The fight was a back-and-forth one, with Dawson hurt at points before he submitted former training partner Mateusz Rebecki. The adversity he overcame is a point of pride for Dawson, it seems.

“I’m happy with this one, because like I said in the cage, I think a lot of people think of me as skilled, I don’t think a lot of people think of me as tough, and I hope that that has answered that question to night.”

He’d go on to add that “I’ll never turn my nose to a win. We got the win, that’s what matters. Obviously I would like to knock everybody out in the first 10 seconds.”

When Dawson landed a head kick early in the first, he thought “this is going to be a good night.” After being knocked down in the second, the thought was “this is not a great night. And then third round, I was like ‘this is a great night.’ So I’m happy.”

As for fighting a former training partner, Grant Dawson suggested that there were only certain names he’d ever decline, including Mateusz Gamrot. Unless a title was on the line. Otherwise, “if you say yes, I’mma say yes,” he stated. “And he [Rebecki] said yes, so I said yes.”

Watch the full UFC 328 post-fight press conference with Grant Dawson above.

The post UFC 328: Grant Dawson Hopes He’s Answered Questions About Toughness appeared first on Cageside Press.

“Different life,” he exclaimed while munching on a cookie, speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press.

Amosov’s sacrifice paid off with a submission win against Alvarez on Saturday’s preliminary card. He’s now 2-0 in the promotion, 30-1 overall, and has seen the difference in reception when he tells people he’s a UFC fighter, instead of a Bellator champion.

“After my first fight, I felt this. I felt many peopled started following me. When you’re a UFC fighter, this is a little bit different. I talked with many guys who may be champion from different organizations, it doesn’t matter. You’re a super, super champion, you defend the belt couple times, it doesn’t matter. If you’re not a UFC fighter, people don’t respect you,” suggested Amosov. “Of course, respect, respect but not like— you can talk with somebody, you can be a super champion, but people ask you, ‘oh this is not UFC?’ And you can say ‘no, no this is not UFC’ and people say ‘ah, ah, okay okay.'”

“If you’re a UFC fighter, people [are like] ‘ohhh!'” continued Amosov. Now, Amosov added, if he shows up in the mall, “now I can say yes, I’m a UFC fighter,” and people will ask to take a photo with him. Even if he was 0-10 in the UFC, he added, “people think this is different people. This is not different, but people have this [idea], like ‘UFC fighter.'”

Yaroslav Amosov’s goal is to become a champion in the UFC, and it isn’t just down to winning, he observed. “This is very important — how I will win.” UFC 328 saw him pick up a Performance of the Night bonus, so on that front, he’s on solid footing.

Watch the full UFC 328 post-fight press conference with Yaroslav Amosov above.

The post UFC 328’s Yaroslav Amosov On the Different Reaction He Gets As a “UFC Fighter” appeared first on Cageside Press.

“So much needed right now just wins. Maybe it wasn’t so impressive, but Waldo is f*cking tough mother f*cker. Nobody can finish him,” Volkov told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“I put him knockdown in the second round, but I was so accurate with his tricks.”

Volkov (40-11) was well aware the fight may not have been aesthetically pleasing to fans, especially against a known heavy-hitter like Cortes-Acosta, as the Russian largely relied on a point-scoring game plan to keep himself out of danger. It’s a lesson he learned the hard way in the past against another dangerous knockout artist.

“I learned the lesson. 2008 when Derrick Lewis did the same and (caught) me at the very end of the fight. Everybody reminds me of this again and again every time they see me. So I know this lesson very good,” he said.

“With these tough mother f*ckers who can punch in any minute in fight, better to be very accurate, and just give him lot of damage.”

Volkov has spoken about fighting for the UFC title, including in the cage, but struck a surprisingly self-deprecating tone when discussing his place among the division’s elite following the win. Despite his resume and success, he downplayed his standing and admitted to feeling the pressure that comes with climbing the heavyweight ranks.

“I don’t know. I understand the rules of the game. I’m so scared to fight for the title honestly. This guy is so big, so huge, so talented. I don’t know what I’m doing here in top two honestly,” he said.

“It’s so hard to be there like I need to do every time like new plan, how to win. I hid in my closet and coach can’t find me so I almost miss the bus to arena. I don’t know what I will do when I will fight for the title, I don’t know why I tell this. I was so brave after the win, but now a little bit calm down, I don’t know why I did this.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Alexander Volkov above. 

The post Alexander Volkov Touts Lessons Learned Against Derrick Lewis appeared first on Cageside Press.

Joshua Van kept his title at flyweight with an impressive outing against Tatsuro Taira. But none of these compare to what we saw in the main event, which can only be described as the early favourite for upset of the year. With UFC 328 now in the books, let’s look at what’s next for the winners.

Sean Strickland

Despite having one of the most unorthodox styles the sport has ever seen, Sean Strickland has overcome two title losses on his road to get it back from the man who was best described as the boogeyman. Don’t look now, but Strickland has taken the belt from Israel Adesanya and Khamzat Chimaev, which is likely a Hall of Fame worthy achievement. This is nothing short of a monumental win for Strickland. You can’t help but feel bad for Nassourdine Imavov since the split nature of the decision will probably lead us to a much anticipated rematch.

Strickland’s next fight: Khamzat Chimaev

Joshua Van

Joshua Van is officially the winner of the first ever UFC title fight between two fighters born in the 21st century. He had to overcome Tatsuro Taira’s elite grappling, but his melting style eventually still came through and the abuse for too much for the Japanese warrior. While this still won’t convince people he defeated Alexandre Pantoja, this at least legitimizes Van’s title a little bit. Hopefully, Pantoja’s injury recovery is going well enough that the next flyweight title fight is a rematch between Van and Pantoja.

Van’s next fight: Alexandre Pantoja

Alexander Volkov

Alexander Volkov has to be on the unluckiest run of any top3 contender in the UFC. He’s 6-1 in his last 7 fights, and most people believe he’s actually 7-0. Despite turning away yet another younger contender who had real momentum behind him, I highly doubt this win will grant Volkov his much-deserved title shot. Tom Aspinall will have to face the winner of the upcoming interim title fight, which means we probably won’t have an undisputed heavyweight champion ready to defend his belt against Volkov until at least early 2027. To add to that, would anybody be shocked if Josh Hokit, with a big finish against Derrick Lewis at the White House, overtakes Volkov as the number one contender? For as unfair as it is, Volkov will surely need another win. At the very least, the heavyweight division will keep throwing options at Volkov and the winner of the Rizvan Kuniev and Tyrell Fortune fight is one that makes sense.

Volkov’s next fight: Kuniev/Fortune winner

Sean Brady

Sean Brady was in bad need of a bounce back performance, and he delivered. A dominant showing against a fellow to10 contender in Joaquin Buckley and all of a sudden, Brady seems to be back on track. Because of the title picture is clogged with names like Ian Machado Garry, Carlos Prates and Michael Morales, I wouldn’t book Brady with someone up the rankings just yet, as it would simply clog it even more. Instead, I would look at a streaking contender who deserves a shot at someone in Brady’s position, any of the names ranked from 11 to 15 would make sense, but Mike Malott is the name with the best case to get a matchup like this.

Brady’s next fight: Mike Malott

King Green

When Mauricio Ruffy sent King Green to the shadow realm, it looked it might be the end for King Green in the UFC. Fast forward a year, and now Green is on a three-fight win streak, coming off back-to-back dominant performances punctuated by finishes. Until they book this fight, I will keep recommending it: King Green vs Michael Johnson. This fight sounds like too much fun to keep passing over.

Green’s next fight: Michael Johnson

The post What’s Next: UFC 328 Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

In the co-main event, UFC Flyweight Champion, Joshua Van, successfully defended his strap in a masterful boxing performance over challenger, Tatsuro Taira. In the main event, Sean Strickland edged out the UFC Middleweight Champion, Khamzat Chimaev to snatch back the belt. Only one non-ranked fighter on this edition of What’s Next, but a potential move up in weight for a couple of fighters.

Khamzat Chimaev

(#3) Sean Strickland surprised quite a few fans with his split decision victory of champion Khamzat Chimaev to win back the middleweight title at UFC 328 on Saturday. It was a hard fought bout for both men with Khamzat first looking nearly unstoppable, before his grappling started to fail him early/midway through the fight. This loss was the first of Khamzat’s career, though Kamaru Usman notably took Chimaev to a majority decision on short notice back in 2023. Chimaev is now 15-1 as a pro and 9-1 in the UFC since being signed in 2020.

205lbs.

Not sure if Khamzat will elect to move up to 205lbs or not with his 6’2″ frame and 75″ reach. But, according to UFC President Dana White in the UFC 328 post-fight press conference, Chimaev wants to give light heavyweight a go. If Khamzat indeed moves up, an excellent high profile, immediate test would be against (#6) Jamahal Hill. Jamahal is a 2019 Contender Series alum that has the seemingly unimpressive UFC record of 6-4 with 1 NC. He’s riding a -three-fight losing streak. But upon further inspection, he’s a former UFC light heavyweight champion that strung together a 4-fight win streak to take down Glover Teixeira for the belt in 2023. Hill has dropped three straight since then, losing to Alex Pereira, Jiri Porchazka and most recently Khalil Rountree Jr., last June. This fight would be a dangerous striking litmus test for Khamzat at 205lbs. Hill is 6’4″ with a 79″ reach. This fight could serve as part of a PPV card up to the co main event slot.

185lbs.

If Khamzat changes his mind and stays at 185lbs., the next matchup should be against (#5) Caio Borralho. Caio is 8-1 in the UFC and 1-1 in his last two. He lost to (#2) Nassourdine Imavov in September before bouncing back against Reinier de Ridder earlier this year. Timing would be a tad off but it could still make a lot of since and set up a title shot for either fighter.

Khamzat’s next fight: (#6) Jamahal Hill at 205lbs or (#5) Caio Borralho at 185lbs.

Tatsuro Taira

Flyweight champ Joshua Van brutalized (#3) Tatsuro Taira with his boxing at UFC 328 on Saturday eventually finishing the Japanese fighter after evading grappling exchanges and submissions. Taira showed massive amounts of grit in the bout and his tenacity eventually earned this scrap Fight of the Night honors. Even though Taira came in as a slight favorite, his stock doesn’t drop too horribly after a gutsy performance like that. Tatsuro is now 8-2 in the UFC since being signed in 2022. Taira is 2-2 in his last four bouts. But he’s earned fight of the night honors in both defeats. Tatsuro was riding a two-fight win streak heading into Saturday with second round stoppages over Hyun Sung Park and Brandon Moreno.

Taira’s next fight should be against the loser of Manel Kape vs. Kyoji Horiguchi. That fight goes down on June 20 and is also in the main event slot. Timing wouldn’t be the best but it’d be worth waiting for either either fighter. Kape is currently 7-3 with the UFC and is riding a 3-fight win streak that saw him stop (#15) Bruno Silva, (#8) Asu Almabayev and most recently (#4) Brandon Royval.

Horiguchi is 9-1 with the UFC in total but is 2-0 since being signed back with the promotion in 2025. The former RIZIN flyweight champion has defeated (#14) Tagir Ulanbekov and (#7) Amir Albazi in his second stint with the promotion. Both fighters are ascending and with a victory could likely fight for the title. Since Taira just gave a good showing for the strap he’d be the obvious choice for the loser. This bout could even potentially be on the same card as the flyweight championship bout to line the winner up to take on the Flyweight Champ.

Tatsuro’s next fight: (#2) Manel Kape vs. (#5) Kyoji Horiguchi loser

Waldo Cortes-Acosta

(#2) Alexander Volkov turned in an excellent performance, despite a little chaos late, to capture a unanimous decision victory over (#4) Waldo Cortes-Acosta on Saturday night. The defeat cooled off the 2022 Contender Series Alum as it snapped a 3-fight win streak. Cortes-Acosta is now 10-3 with the UFC. His other losses are to Marcos Rogerio de Lima and Sergei Pavlovich. Heading into this fight he had stopped Ante Delija, Shamil Gaziev and most recently, Derrick Lewis.

Curtis Blaydes Matchup

For his next fight Waldo should take on Curtis Blaydes. Curtis was previously matched up with the winner of Shamil Gaziev vs. Brando Pericic winner on the UFC 327 losers article. Perhaps that matchup isn’t the best option seeing Brando end up getting the stoppage victory over Shamil along with the heavyweight ranking of #15.  Giving Blaydes a fighter like Waldo seems more appropriate. And it seems like a good step for Waldo as well after a loss to top ranked Volkov. Blaydes is 2-3 in his last five. Those three losses came to (#3) Sergei Pavlovich, UFC Heavyweight Champion, Tom Aspinal and most recently (#5) Josh Hokit. He’s beat Jailton Alemdia and (#8) Rizvan Kuniev in that stretch. This could be on the main card of a PPV and gives fans a striker vs. grappler matchup between two top-level heavyweights.

Josh Hokit Matchup

Good backup fight here, if everything falls into place for it, would be (#5) Josh Hokit. Josh is a 2025 Contender Series alum and is just 3-0 with the promotion.  If he gets through Derrick Lewis on short turnaround he’d still need another legitimate win. Especially before unlocking a matchup with the upper echelon on the division. Cortes-Acosta could be that name. But only if it materializes right. That fight goes down on June 14.

Waldo’s next fight:  (#7) Curtis Blaydes or (#5) Josh Hokit if he beats (#9) Derrick Lewis 

Joaquin Buckley

(#6) Sean Brady used his grappling prowess on the main card of UFC 328 on Saturday to find the unanimous decision victory opposite of (#9) Joaquin Buckley. This loss marks just the second time Buckley has been on a losing streak in his 29-fight career (the other being 2022 when he lost to Naasourdine Imavov and then Chris Curtis). Stings for Buckley as before this 2-fight skid he was riding a 6-fight wins streak with included stoppages over former title challengers in Stephen Thompson and Colby Covington.

Gabriel Bonfim Matchup

For his next fight, Joaquin Buckley should take on Gabriel Bonfim if he loses to Belal Muhammad. That fight is scheduled for June 6th so the timing would be great. Bonfim is 6-1 with the promotion with his only loss coming to Nicolas Dalby in 2023. Since then, Bonfim has racked up four in a row including finishes against Khaos Williams and most recently, Randy Brown. Bonfim also has a win over Stephen Thompson in that stretch. It’d also offer fans a great standup matchup. If former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad loses, not sure the grappling aspect would be a good option for Buckley considering the outcome of UFC 328.

Yaroslav Amosov Matchup

Good backup option here would be Yaroslav Amosov. Yarolsav is a former Bellator Welterweight title Challenger a promotion where he went 8-1. Amosov is 2-0 with the UFC since his signing last year. Yaroslav has stopped Neil Magny and on the undercard of UFC 328 he took two rounds to submit Joel Alvarez with an arm triangle choke. Don’t sleep on this matchup. It could be a viable option for the promotion if they’d like to push Amosov at all. Could be a co main or a main of a fight night or a PPV opener/ feature prelim.

Joaquin’s next fight: (#10) Gabriel Bonfim if he loses to (#5) Belal Muhammad or (#14) Yaroslav Amosov

Jeremy Stephens

King Green looked as sharp as ever showing off his signature striking before electing to get the job done on the ground via a late first round submission victory over Jeremy Stephens at UFC 328. Jeremy’s 36th UFC showing went from bad to worse, first 4 lbs. heavy and then proceeded to get finished. Stephens also lost his UFC return last year in a unanimous decision to Mason Jones. Since that fight he suffered a stoppage opposite of Mike Perry during a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship bout.

Seemed like Stephens was ready to call it a career after his bout with Green as he removed his gloves. But if he gets another bout in with the UFC a perfect option would be a fighter like Jared Gordon. Jared also suffered a submission defeat on the UFC 328 card. Jim Miller took under a round to catch Jared in a guillotine to bring Gordon to 9-8 with the UFC. Gordon has lost three of his last four bouts. Losses in this stretch include Nasrat Haqparast, Rafa Garcia and now Jim Miller. Walking back a previous losers article matchup here, as an Alexander Hernandez bout just doesn’t make much sense here even though he also is coming off a loss to Rafa Garcia too. Gordon shares three common oppeonts with Stephens: King Green, Charles Olivera and Jim Miller. All losses- except Green vs. Gordon ending via NC

Jeremy’s next bout: Retirement or Jared Gordon

The post What’s Next: UFC 328 Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.

The Russian middleweight improved to 12-0 after choking out Brazilian Djorden Santos on Saturday’s preliminary card, having broken his hand in the first couple of minutes in the bout. That’s now three victories, and three stoppages since joining the UFC last fall off a win on the Contender Series.

Susurkaev is now looking for a step up in competition. “A hundred percent. I told Mick Maynard [UFC matchmaker] yesterday, I talked with him, and [said] a couple names. He said ‘we’ll try something.’ I’m 100% sure I need someone top 15, top 20.”

The 25-year old revealed that he’d spoken to Maynard about “Marvin Vettori, Roman Dolidze, and Bo Nickal.” It doesn’t sound like any of those will be forthcoming. “He said Bo Nickal and Vettori have fights soon, and Dolidze [is going] up in weight.”

Perhaps Susurkaev has some time to land a big name. With the hand injury, doctors “said five, six months I should rest.” Though he plans to be back sooner. “I will try to come back fast, I’m a fast recovery. I hope four, five months I can fight again.”

That could line him up for the UFC’s annual trip to Madison Square Garden. “Maybe, why not? I like that.”

With the submission over Santos coming late in the third when Baisangur Susurkaev opted to wrestle, you’d have to wonder if he should have gone that route earlier. Instead, he stated “it was the perfect time. I wanted to show the people I’m UFC level.”

“I hope you all like it. I like it also,” stated Susurkaev, adding “It was a good fight. I like a fight like this.”

Watch the full UFC 328 post-fight press conference with Baisangur Susurkaev above.

The post Baisangur Susurkaev Hoping to Return in Four or Five Months After Injuring Hand at UFC 328 appeared first on Cageside Press.