In fact he sort of agreed.

“That was a very close fight. First two rounds very close, might have edged those out, lost that third round. When the judges were scoring the scorecard personally I thought I lost,” Sidey told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“I got to rewatch that fight. I know I hurt him real bad in the first two rounds. Had some very close submissions so I got a split decision win today.”

Sidey (11-2) won the split-decision in a very tough scrap for the 28-year-old Canadian.

“That as the hardest fight I’ve ever had I think. He mixed up his wrestling really well and great boxing. Strongest 135er I’ve ever fought for sure that dude had some crazy strength,” he said.

“A lot of things I can learn from this fight and yeah I just want to come back stronger.”

Armfield was Sidey’s first fight under the UFC banner that was against Ramon Taveras. Sidey fought Taveras in both DWCS and his UFC debut which may have made this fight feel like his real UFC debut.

“100%. I was game planning for Ramon for like a year man. It was exciting to have a new matchup, having to do a different camp, and fight a tough guy like him,” he said.

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Serhiy Sidey above.

The post Serhiy Sidey Thought He Lost The Fight Against Armfield appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I felt like he thought I’m still the same how as I was in the old first run of the UFC,” Zalal told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“This version will kill the Youssef 1.0.”

Zalal (16-5-1) went 3-3-1 in his first run in the UFC including at decision loss to current UFC featherweight champ Ilia Topuria. In his second stint with the promotion he’s come out firing with a three-fight win streak.

“This is what I expected. This is the pressure I put on myself. I feel like before I’m like oh I just want to win. Winning is cool, but performing is better. This is the difference between you being good and you being an elite,” he said.

“They only talk about you when you (get) finishes.”

The goal now for Zalal is continuing the win streak, but also see his face on a poster in 2025.

“Man I’ve been calling all these guys. I called (Edson) Barboza, I called Alex Caceres, I called all those guys. My goal is headline a card in 2025. I’m on the path of doing that,” he said.

The difference between Zalal 1.0 and this new version?

“How can I keep this clear? I’m not a dumbass anymore to be honest,” he told Cageside Press.

“What I meant to do to really slow things down and really focus. Everything is with purpose. My word this year was precision and I feel like I’ve been very precise about my things.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Youssef Zalal above.

The post Youssef Zalal Touts New Version Of Himself appeared first on Cageside Press.

The card featured a pair of two-time champions in the main and co-main events. Canadian fighters went 2-2 to complete the rest of the main card. It started with a mix of timid decisions and fun finishes before Brandon Moreno capped it off with one of his better performances to date. Let’s look at what should be next for Moreno, Erin Blanchfield and the rest of the winners on the main card.

Brandon Moreno

The Assassin Baby looked rejuvenated after losing a pair of split decisions to the current champion and the current number 1 ranked contender. He fought like someone who needed some time off and clearly benefited from it. He took all five rounds on all but one judge’s scorecard. He found his rhythm early and made sure Amir Albazi couldn’t catch up to him.

With this win, he gets to keep his number 2 ranking, but it does put him in an interesting position. He’s in a very similar spot as Max Holloway was when he lost his rematch to Alexander Volkanovski. Like Holloway after he dismantled Calvin Kattar, beating one contender won’t be enough when 0-2 against the champion.

With Moreno having fought everyone ranked in the top5, some of them multiple times, who can he fight next? A fight that could make sense is Henry Cejudo should he ever choose to drop back down to flyweight, though there are no apparent signs that it will happen. We then go to the next closest contender who isn’t coming off a loss, and that is Kazakhstan’s Asu Almabayev. He is ranked 7^th and is undefeated in the UFC, having won all four of his fights. It’s a tough fight for Almabayev, but he did call for the elite of the division after his most recent fight against Matheus Nicolau. So let’s see what’s got.

Moreno’s next fight: Asu Almabayev

Erin Blanchfield

This is by far the biggest win of Blanchfield’s career. While her game plan looked confusing after two rounds, she did eventually impose herself and took the remaining three rounds on all the scorecards.

Her next fight is fairly obvious and it’s the one she called for on the mic: Alexa Grasso. The former champion is in need of a couple great wins if she wants to stay in the mix after the egg she laid at the Sphere. A win over a surging contender like Blanchfield is a great place to start.

Blanchfield’s next fight: Alexa Grasso

Brendson Ribeiro

Ribeiro came into the UFC with a big upset knockout on last year’s season of Dana White’s Contender Series. It was then his turn to get knocked out in the first round when he lost to Zhang Mingyang in his debut. Those two fights showed us that the Brazilian wasn’t afraid to throw down and whether he would win or lose, he would make it entertaining. However, since that loss, he has fought a lot more timidly. Losing a decision to Magomed Gadzhiyasulov back in June and now winning a close, uneventful one against Caio Machado.

I thought there was a good chance the loser of this fight would be presented with their walking papers, so getting the win is what mattered. While Ribeiro was probably never going to become a real player at 205 lbs, he has now sent the message that he cannot even be relied upon to deliver exciting fights, making him even less valuable. For that reason, I see him being fed to someone the promotion actually has some stock in.

That description fits the 27-year-old, 10-0 Diyar Nurgozhay who got a sweet head kick KO on this year’s Contender Series.

Ribeiro’s next fight: Diyar Nurgozhay

Jasmine Jasudavicius

Jasudavicius used her size to overwhelm Ariane da Silva and get her second D’arce choke finish of the year. She now finds herself on a three-fight win streak and keeps climbing the rankings. Already being 35, the Canadian will look to keep fighting women ranked above her. Still, having lost convincingly to Natalia Silva and Tracy Cortez, she cannot be fast tracked to the top.

In two weeks, veteran Viviane Araújo will take on ascending contender Karine Silva at Madison Square Garden. With both of them ranked not too far ahead of Jasudavicius, the loser of that fight makes a lot of sense for her.

Jasudavicius’ next fight: Loser of Araújo/K. Silva

Dustin Stoltzfus

Stoltzfus got a great bounce back win after getting knocked out by Brunno Ferreira back in June. After the win, former foe Joe Pyfer called for a rematch with Stoltzfus after losing to him in 2020 on the Contenders Series because of a slam that resulted in an injury. It’s clear that since then, the UFC has put a lot more stock into Pyfer and this is most likely a matchup that he would now be favoured to win.

If Pyfer wants to avenge it and the UFC wants to be in the Joe Pyfer business, why not? They can even argue over who got the better KO of Marc-André Barriault.

Stoltzfus’ next fight: Joe Pyfer

Mike Malott

Proper Mike was by far the biggest hope Canada had coming into this year. He came into the UFC getting three consecutive finishes and was set up to enter the rankings this past January when he fought Neil Magny. He was well on his way to win when he suddenly imploded and got finished in the last minute of the fight. That finish soured a lot of people, and it was going to be tough for Malott to regain the hype he once had.

Trevin Giles, a man he had already beaten in a grappling match, should have given him plenty of confidence entering this fight. Yet, he clearly didn’t feel comfortable chasing a finish like he used to do, and instead opted to point-fight his way to a decision.

With him turning 33 this week, it’s not even like the UFC can take their time to rebuild him. Let’s put him in there with another prospect who finds himself in a similar position. Gabriel Bonfim also came into the promotion with a ton of hype and lost to a veteran before rebounding this year with a forgettable decision victory. It’s sink-or-swim time. Let’s see who the UFC should put their stock into.

Malott’s next fight: Gabriel Bonfim

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

He also scored a nice feather-in-the-cap stat for all of you MMA trivia folks.

“I just learned that I’m the first one that ever stopped Victor Henry so I think that’s a very  good way to start my cruise at bantamweight,” Jourdain told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

Jourdain (16-8-1) made his way down to 135 following a rough few fights at featherweight. The last one, a nasty loss to Jean Silva at UFC 303, convinced Jourdain to make the move.

“I ate some very big shots in my career and I always got up. I f*cking think Jean Silva could knockout a horse. I think this guy has special power. He’s the guy that punched sense into me into going to 135,” Jourdain laughed.

“He’s very nice. I met him at the PI he’s a very cool guy, but f*ck he was big. I think he was like 185 when I saw him. I was like I never weighed 160 in my life. So 35 that’s my house now.”

Jourdain had some fun with his post-fight interview vowing to bring the belt, once he wins it, to Pierre Poilievre should he become Prime Minister of Canada. Jourdain had a good laugh about it.

“It was just something funny. I thought about it when I was walking because I was fighting and in between rounds I hear the ‘F Trudeau’ and I’m like ok. If Pierre Poilievre gets in I’ll bring the belt to him, and that’s my deal with Canada,” Jourdain told Cageside Press.

“Or else I’ll move,” he laughed.

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Charles Jourdain above.

The post Charles Jourdain Declares Bantamweight His “House now” appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I had a few moments in there where I was like alright let’s go, beat this dude’s ass, put it on him! I felt like I was winning pretty much the whole fight. Felt like I was in control of the fight for the most part. He had some moments maybe at the beginning of the second,” Malott told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“I felt like I was picking him apart.”

Malott (11-2-1) had respect for Giles so he knew rushing a finish could be a costly mistake.

“He’s a vet dude. The dude’s got 7 wins in the UFC. You don’t get 7 wins in the UFC by accident. Get 7 wins in the UFC because you know what you’re doing. He’s fought some of the best guys in the world,” he said.

During his post-fight scrum Cageside Press was asking Malott about Canada getting some wins when teammate Jasmine Jasudavicius submitted Ariane da Silva. His reaction can be seen below.

Mike Malott was backstage with the media at Rogers Place when teammate Jasmine Jasudavicius picked up her submission win over Ariane Da Silva.

Here’s his reaction.#UFCEdmonton pic.twitter.com/nLMFAseO4f

— Cageside Press (@Cagesidepress) November 3, 2024

“Did she just win?! What happened?! Let’s go!,” Malott went off on the mic.

If you needed any indication of how close Malott is with his teammates, that reaction told you everything.

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Mike Malott above.

The post Mike Malott Talks Patient Game Plan Against Giles appeared first on Cageside Press.

“When I got told I got moved onto the main card it was a little bit more inspiration. Not that I ever am like not trying my hardest, but I was like okay this is like a feature spot. They want to have good fights in this spot,” Jasudavicius told reporters including Cageside Press at her post-fight scrum.

“Just a little bit extra pressure on the shoulder to get the finish. I’m glad that the pressure was a good one.”

Jasudavicius (12-3) handed da Silva her first submission loss in her career something that she wasn’t aware of until a reporter informed her.

“Sick! That’s awesome. I’m loving that choke. I’ve been hitting it on everyone, hitting it on the guys in the gym,” she said.

Mike Malott, a teammate and friend of Jasudavicius, reacted during his post-fight scrum with excitement and support for her. The two ran into each other in the back following her win.

“It was so cool seeing Mikey when I was coming out from the back and then seeing him. We have this like thing. When you lose it’s like a funeral, and when you win it’s like a wedding. A teammate of ours Serhiy (Sidey) also won so (Mikey) gives me a big hug, he’s like ‘Three weddings baby!’,” she said.

The trio train at Niagara Top Team and it’s become a very family-like type of environment for fighters.

“It’s amazing. We have such an unbelievable community and when one person’s going to war we’re all going to war,” she told Cageside Press.

“We really structure the practices for the people that are fighting. We’re so supportive of each other. When somebody finished a fight it’s not like they’re taking a couple months off or anything. They still are accountable they have to be back in the room because they’re helping other partners out and vice versa.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Jasmine Jasudavicius above.

The post Jasmine Jasudavicius Got “Extra pressure” When Fight Moved To Main Card appeared first on Cageside Press.

“Before the fight when I was backstage GSP called. He’s like listen you’re better than him every where, but you’re going to have to do it for 15 minutes non-stop,” Zahabi told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“He’s like you can’t take a break in there. This guy’s hard to put away he’s very experienced, he hits hard, so you got to be on your game for 15 minutes straight. I believe in you, you can do it, you’re in great condition.”

Getting a phone call from Georges St. Pierre giving advice and praise filled Zahabi with confidence going into the fight.

“It’s a great confidence booster. I love to have him a part of the team. We just called him now backstage and the first thing he said he’s like man you got a nice jab baby! So I was really happy with that. I told him I stole his jab and copied his style,” he said.

“It’s really cool to get a call from him.”

Zahabi (12-2) took a decision victory over Munhoz in a hard fought battle opening up possibilities with ranked opponents sometime soon.

“It’d be nice on Tuesday I wake up and I’m in the top 15. If not a big name that’s in the top 15 would be great too. I got to talk to Faras and you know talk with Sean Shelby what’s a good timeline for us to come back,” he said.

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Aiemann Zahabi above.

The post Aiemann Zahabi Got Phone Call From GSP Right Before His Fight appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I’m a dreamer. I’m a worker, I’m a dreamer, I’m somebody that make things happen, and tonight I made things happen,” Ribeiro told reporters including Cageside Press through a translator at his post-fight scrum.

“I made a dream come true.”

Ribeiro (16-7) earned his first victory in the promotion after dropping his first two appearances. While many believed that the stakes for both Ribeiro and Machado would bring the fire out of both the fight ended up falling short of expectations.

For Ribeiro it was more about the win than how he went about getting it.

“I knew it was going to be a tough fight. I knew it was going to be a war. We knew it was going to happen. It doesn’t matter. Listen we’re frustrated sometimes because we don’t get the knockout, but it doesn’t matter. However it is we would get the win and I knew that my arm was the one going to be raised,” he said.

With the win secured other challenges remain for Brendson Ribeiro. Namely, marriage.

“I’m a fighter. I want to fight as soon as possible. I’ll be ready when I’m called. I have another challenge coming up, not a challenge, I’m getting married on the 4th of January,” Ribeiro said to Cageside Press getting emotional during the translation.

“To my future wife. Flavia, I love you, so it’s a beautiful moment in my life. Very important step in my life. That one’s more important for me right now.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Brendson Ribeiro above.

The post Brendson Ribeiro Tackles Marriage Next, “Dream come true” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Now she’s aiming even higher with her sights set on former flyweight champion Alexa Grasso.

“I think she already said something about that she would love to take that fight,” Blanchfield told reporters including Cageside Press at her post-fight scrum.

“I think it’s going to happen.”

Blanchfield (13-2) bounced back from her first UFC loss by coming back and beating a former champion and future UFC hall of famer in Namajunas. The fight against Grasso is definitely on the table for her.

It would also mean taking on another elite boxer possibly in Mexico City in February.

“She’s another great boxer just like Rose is so I can see it being similar (to tonight),” she said.

“I don’t know about Mexico, but we’ll see.”

The victory over Namjunas gives her a second former champion to add to her resume. Building towards a title shot wins over former champions carries a lot more weight than regular wins.

“Fighting against these levels of opponent I think will really set me up. I don’t want to fight people that are not necessarily ever going to be champs themselves. I feel like that’s not going to give me the experience I need so that’s why I called out someone like Alexa.” she said.

Experience against champion-worthy opponents can propel her to a title shot sooner than later. A win over Grasso would be monumental to her career.

“I feel like I’m building my own legacy. I’m 25-years-old, I’m gaining these wins against super tough opponents, and I’m learning every time,” she told Cageside Press.

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Erin Blanchfield above.

The post Erin Blanchfield Makes Her Case For Fight With Grasso appeared first on Cageside Press.

Albazi started a bit slow through the first two rounds. Him being economical in his offense wasn’t anything new, but he did look a bit rusty as the commentary team alluded to. This slow start allowed Moreno to find his groove quickly and he was clearly the more confident fighter early. Albazi ultimately was never able to catch up and Moreno completely shut his game down.

Despite his two-fight skid being two split decisions that could’ve gone his way, there was some uncertainty regarding what state Moreno would be in after his somewhat uncommonly sluggish outing back in February . Yes, he lost to the very elite of the division and arguably won those fights, but they were back and forth wars.

These types of high octane bouts can age fighters pretty fast and there was some concern that, all of a sudden, Moreno could come out and look old. And that’s not even mentioning his insane quadrilogy with Deiveson Figueiredo that came before this losing streak.

On media day, Moreno mentioned that he was feeling the pressure of the life as champion and having to headline a card on his home soil. He said he needed the time off and that he felt rejuvenated now. Impossible not to believe him after what we saw tonight. The Mexican, who very much could have been on the Sphere card back in September, clearly benefited from the additional time off. Being 0-2 against the current champion and having lost to Brandon Royval this year works against as far as the title picture goes. But he is still a fan favourite that will most likely find himself in a number 1 contender fight next.

As for Albazi, he was coming off a 17-month layoff after having to go through several scary surgeries to fix injuries that he said could have left him paralyzed. So the mere fact he made it back to the octagon after having to go through all that adversity is something to be applauded. Having to fight Moreno after such a layoff isn’t an easy thing to do. His win streak now comes to an end as he was previously undefeated in the UFC. He should take some time off after such a beating.

With the flyweight division heating up and a lot of people thinking he should have lost his last fight to Kai Kara-France, this loss might push Albazi to the back of the line at 125 lbs.

The first ever UFC Mexican champion gets to hold his spot near the top of the division, while the surging contender will go back to the drawing board.

The post Moreno vs. Albazi: What Did We Learn? appeared first on Cageside Press.