Alistair Overeem

Judging by the tweets that aired during Overeem’s fight, it would seem that Derrick Lewis is high on fight with the Dutchman. However, with Lewis already booked with Curtis Blaydes, it doesn’t appear that could be made immediately. With option #1 being an even longer layoff than Overeem hinted in his post-fight interview, we could always look to the giant elephant in the room. Should Jon Jones be looking for a heavyweight warm up before he steps in with the champ, Overeem would make all the sense in the world. He’s a legendary name that Jones could try to add to his resume while also testing Jones’ ability to handle the size of a big heavyweight. I can’t imagine Overeem would balk at the opportunity to steal Jones’ shot at the strap.

Alistair Overeem’s Next Fight: Jon Jones

Ovince St. Preux

St. Preux seems to be doing his part to separate the undefeated prospects from legitimate contenders. Towards the end of the year last year, he took Michal Oleksiejczuk’s ‘0’ and after a masterful performance, he dropped Alonzo Menfield down a rung as well. However, losses to Ilir Latifi, Nikita Krylov, and Ben Rothwell (at heavyweight) have him not quite in the range of getting that ranked opponent. Let’s see if he can drop another from the ranks of the unbeaten with Jamahal Hill. Not only would it be a great test for Hill, but we’d get to see St. Preux test that striking against someone taller than him and with nearly the same reach.

Ovince St. Preux’s Next Fight: Jamahal Hill

Michel Pereira

Let’s start by saying calling out Jorge Masvidal was a bit of a reach. Pereira is not a whole year removed from losing to late replacement Tristan Connelly, so fighting one of the biggest draws right now probably isn’t realistic. With that being said, the UFC should be looking to book Pereira with people with some name value and exciting styles because if he looks like he did Saturday, he could be a star. Niko Price is an ideal pick for me, but with him already booked with Cowboy Cerrone, Pereira would have a little too much wait time. Although I’m unsure of his status, I want you to close your eyes and picture the chaos that is Pereira vs Mike Perry. You’re welcome.

Michel Pereira’s Next Fight: Mike Perry

Brian Kelleher

Kelleher seems ready to fight every event if you’d let him. Despite short training camps, he’s never looked better. He’s 3-1 in his last 4 fights with all of the victories coming by finish. A tough decision loss to Cody Stamann has him still on the outside of the top 15 looking in. Nathaniel Wood is not in all that different of a boat. He’s also 3-1 in his last 4 fights with only a loss to John Dodson. Both didn’t make up much ground in their last fights having beat up late replacements, so why not give each a chance to stake a claim for a ranked opponent against one another?

Brian Kelleher’s Next Fight: Nathaniel Wood

Viviane Araujo

The flyweight division seems to be one of those situations where you’re only a high quality performance or two away from a title shot, and Araujo just nabbed one. She put a striking clinic on Montana De La Rosa and catapulted herself onto the short list of those looking to challenge Valentina Shevchenko. Joanne Calderwood would be a good test to see if those skills hold up against someone with a bit better striking. Calderwood’s improving ground game would also give Araujo enough to think about that she’d have to put together a complete fight, which is really what she needs to do in order to get to the top.

Viviane Araujo Next Fight: Joanne Calderwood

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Augusto Sakai

In the main event of UFC Vegas 9, Alistair Overeem was able to get a TKO win over Augusto Sakai in the fifth and final round. Sakai was out-striking Overeem in rounds one through three. In the third round, Overeem landed a takedown and started working his ground and pound. He followed up by doing the same thing in rounds four and five.

It would be great to see Sakai fight another heavyweight with elite-level boxing in his next fight. With that being said Junior Dos Santos is currently on a three-fight losing streak but is still ranked two spots ahead of Sakai. Dos Santos doesn’t normally go to his wrestling which means we would see a bunch of world class boxing in that fight.

Sakai’s Next Fight: Junior Dos Santos 

Alonzo Menifield

Alonzo Menifield lost via knockout against Ovince Saint Preux at UFC Vegas 9. Menifield looked to be the quicker and faster man in that fight. He just never found a way to let his hands fly. When he finally started to open up with his striking he got caught with a big shot and got knocked out.

A great test for Menifield would be the winner of Ed Herman versus Mike Rodriguez. Rodriguez just made a quick turnaround. He fought two weeks ago and will be fighting again this upcoming weekend. Should Rodriguez win, a quick turnaround with fellow power striker, Menifield would be a possible Fight of the Night.

Menifield’s Next Fight: Winner of Herman-Rodriguez 

Zelim Imadaev

Michel Pereira dominated Zelim Imadaev for three straight rounds before submitting him in the final round. Pereira showed a much-improved version of himself as he took his time with his striking. After his win, Pereira called out Jorge Masvidal for the BMF title.

Zelim Imadaev, meanwhile, has now lost three straight fights. He’s in a real rough spot moving forward, and under normal circumstances might be shown the door. However, pandemic era MMA is anything but normal circumstances, so the UFC might decide to give Imadaev one more fight. If that is the case, Dwight Grant, who just recently came up short against Daniel Rodriguez, could work. The timing is right, and Grant is 2-2 in his last four.

Pereira’s Next Fight: Dwight Grant

Montana De La Rosa

Montana De La Rosa has been trading wins and losses recently. At UFC Vegas 9, she came up short against Viviane Araujo, losing a unanimous decision. At 2-2 in her last four fights, De La Rosa is pretty much just holding her ground in the flyweight division.

Another young star, Gillian Robertson, is facing the returning Poliana Botelho next month. Whoever comes out on the wrong end of that fight might be a good option for De La Rosa, who has a decent ground game.

Who do you think these fighters should be fighting next? Let us know in the comments down below.

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It didn’t seem to hurt the action any, as there really wasn’t a dull fight in the bunch. And with plenty of finishes, the UFC opted to reward four. Brian Kelleher, Michel Pereira, Ovince Saint Preux, and Andre Muniz all picked up Performance of the Night bonuses.

As a result, no Fight of the Night was awarded Saturday.

Arguably, Pereira’s fight with Zelim Imadaev might have qualified. Things got heated at Friday’s weigh-in, when Imadaev slapped Brazil’s “Demolidor.” So Pereira returned the favor during the fight, open-handed slapping Imadaev back, and adding a little dance for good measure.

It was only part of the fun for the flashy welterweight, who pushed off the cage into a superman punch, and executed his usual flashy, fan-friendly style with just a little more restraint than usual. That seemed to help his cardio a whole lot, and set up a late submission finish. While the ref’s call was controversial — a bit of a phantom tap to the rear-naked choke — Imadaev was going to lose the fight anyway. And Pereira certainly put on a heck of a show on the final fight of his deal. Look for him to be re-signed promptly.

A bantamweight fighting at featherweight, Brian Kelleher would have been forgiven for not even knowing who he was fighting at UFC Vegas 9. Kelleher went through three opponents in little over a week, the third being tapped the day of the fight with just hours to go before the event. With Kevin Natividad out, Ray Rodriguez got the nod. He didn’t last long, executing a poorly time takedown attempt right into Kelleher’s deadly guillotine choke.

Count ‘em!

4⃣POTN secured by @003_OSP, @UFCPereira, @BrianBoom135 & Andre Muniz! #UFCVegas9 pic.twitter.com/J19PZ8vHRT

— UFC (@ufc) September 6, 2020

Andre Muniz, meanwhile, took out Bartosz Fabinski with an arm-bar following some slick transitions on the ground. And Ovince Saint Preux used Alonzo Menifield’s momentum against him, catching the Contender Series alum coming in with a left hook that turned out the lights.

All four fighters pick up an extra $50,000 for their performances at UFC Vegas 9.

The post UFC Vegas 9 Bonuses: Kelleher, Demolidor Among Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

Atop the UFC Vegas 9 card on Saturday were two men looking to ascend to the top of the heavyweight mountain. Hulking Dutch kickboxer Alistair Overeem, of course, had been there before, challenging for UFC gold in 2016, and holding titles in Dream, K-1, and Strikeforce. His opponent, Augusto Sakai, represented a new generation of heavyweight.

Not yet a household name, Sakai had the chance to make a big impression with fans against “The Reem,” still one of the biggest (in terms of physicality and drawing power) fighters in the weight class.

Both men respected the power of the other early, but Sakai got things started about two minutes in with a flurry that backed Overeem to the cage. He held the action there with the odd strike from time to time before Overeem broke and circled away. A stiff right hand appeared to wobble Sakai somewhat, but he got right back to action with an uppercut of his own. Sakai again poured on a combination with Overeem shelling up – all topped off with a standing hammerfist. The round ends with Sakai getting the best of the exchanges.

Shortly into round two, Sakai backed Overeem up to the cage and let it all fly. The covering up of Overeem seemed to keep the damage to a minimum. He gets another of those about halfway through the round, only this time made the work to the body count. Overeem switched the positions for a bit, but ultimately didn’t land much in the clinch. Under a minute to go, they separated. Nothing much doing at that point.

Overeem came to life to kick off the third with some leg kicks. Sakai changes that tenor a bit with another combination backing Overeem into a shell against the cage again. Overeem got a clinch himself, but ate an uppercut on the way for his troubles. Yet another heavy series from Sakai against the cage, even pulling Overeem’s hand out of the way for a shot or two. Overeem closes the round with a takedown that results with some big strikes as the round ends, and a bit of side control.

Overeem looks like the fresher fighter, but allows Sakai to back him up for another combination. He adds in two more of those sets, now mixing elbows in with the knees and punches. The lack of counters really costing Overeem in more than one round. A quick comes in the fourth thanks to a spinning kick to Sakai’s junk. After the restart, Overeem hit a single leg that led him to some more top game. The ground and pound leads to Sakai moving to bottom turtle with Overeem looking to finish. He survived and ends the round in a weak half guard and the momentum was clearly in the favor of Overeem.

The same single leg scores early for Overeem in the fifth. He goes right to elbows that ring out in the Apex. He adds in a hammerfist and Herb Dean calls a stop to it.

Alistair Overeem def. Augusto Sakai by TKO (Ground and Pound), Round 5 (0:26)

The post UFC Vegas 9 Results: Alistair Overeem Uses Ground Game to Take Out Sakai in 5th appeared first on Cageside Press.

The pair were originally scheduled to meet on August 22, two weeks ago. But OSP, who had been hit with COVID-19, hadn’t fully kicked it. So the fight was pushed back, the day of the event in fact. Forcing both men to weigh in a second time.

Menifield got the party started quickly Saturday, exploding on some early combinations that lead to some minor results. A tie up followed shortly thereafter with Menifield holding the advantageous position with little doing. St. Preux then began to get comfortable with some kicks to the body. In a slower round, St. Preux appeared to land more often, but Menifield landed some big shots towards the end including a couple that seemed to affect St. Preux.

Menifield was moving much better to start the second. He avoided some early shots and landed himself in response. St. Preux picked up the activity quick though and began to land more as Menifield backed up. St. Preux did an excellent job cutting off the cage, which in turn made Menifield tentative. Menifield landed a couple and it encouraged him to move forward. After a few of those exchanges, St. Preux hit a counter left hook moving backwards that face-planted Menifield and ended the fight one in the second.

OUT COLD.

❄️ @003_OSP walkin' off in style tonight!

[ We're live NOW on #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/A7tqzYHSB9

— UFC (@ufc) September 6, 2020

Official Result: Ovince Saint Preux def. Alonzo Menifield by KO (Punch), Round 2, 3:07

The post UFC Vegas 9 Results: Ovince Saint Preux Drops Menifield in Second Round appeared first on Cageside Press.

Fighting out his contract at UFC Vegas 9 was Michel Pereira, the flashy, acrobatic striker who had dazzled fans since joining the promotion last year.

The only problem, through three fights, Pereira had a 1-2 record, though thanks in part to a DQ loss (illegal knee) against Diego Sanchez in his last fight. A fight he had otherwise been dominating. For what was clearly the most important bout of his UFC career, Pereira was matched up with Zelim Imadaev — a fighter who would no doubt be happy to stand toe-to-toe with the Brazilian.

Out of the gate we saw a more reserved Michel Pereira. A few front kicks and some jabs dotted the early landscape of the fight before he began to unleash on some overhands that stung Imadaev. As Imadaev got more comfortable and moved forward, Pereira pushed off of the cage and landed a superman punch followed by a big knee. That opened the flood gates for more craziness, which included an attempted showtime kick among other things. He returned to simplicity with a doubled up jab followed by a big right hand to the temple that dropped Imadaev. The round opening ended with another superman punch off the cage and some Pereira dance moves.

Michel Pereira back to his usual antics 🕺 #UFCVegas9 pic.twitter.com/fwItI0pTgU

— UFC (@ufc) September 6, 2020

Pereira backed Imadaev up immediately to start the second, but was hit with a solid counter, which forced him to respect the hands of the Russian. That respect only lasted so long though, and Pereira mixed in a somersault kick that couldn’t have missed by much more. Pereira got back to work with more big right hands and knees in the occasional clinch. A late exchange saw both men swinging at the end of the round, but Imadaev could not land much in either of the first two rounds.

More jabs and a straight to the body started round three for Pereira. He ripped combinations off with little regard for Imadaev’s returns. “Demolidor” landed another super man punch that appeared to stun Imadaev. Pereira even worked in an open hand slap to the face of Imadaev. After a brief dance routine, Pereira added another straight right hand that snapped the head of his opponent back. After some showmanship, Pereira got in on a suplex and jumped his opponent’s back for a rear naked choke. Referee Chris Tognoni stopped the fight for what appeared to be a tap, but there was certainly some debate about it. While it might have changed the official method of victory, it didn’t change the victor in a fight that was all Pereira.

https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1302419443293847555

Post-fight, Jorge Masvidal was the target of a call-out by Pereira. Which is the fight we didn’t know we wanted, but do.

Official Result: Michel Pereira def. Zelim Imadaev by Submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 4:39

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At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Bartosz Fabinski had been lined up for a fight on the doomed UFC London card. He would end up fighting that week — against fellow UFC fighter Darren Stewart, in the main event of Cage Warriors 113. Fabinski took home the win that night. Prior to that fight, Fabinski had won three of his last four fights against the likes of Emil Meek and Gareth McLennan.

At UFC Vegas 9, Fabinski returned, this time paired up with Brazil’s Andre Muniz, a two-time Contender Series winner on a five-fight win streak. Muniz was looking to go 2-0 inside the UFC. Muniz made his debut in 2019, picking up a decision win over Antonio Arroyo in November.

Fabinski opened up fast and was in on a takedown fifteen seconds into the bout. Muniz did a good job of defending and landed some hard elbows to the head of Fabinski. Fabinski kept fighting for the takedown, and eventually went for the double leg but went right into a guillotine attempt by Muniz. He escaped and immediately postured up to land ground and pound from full guard. However Muniz quickly threw up a triangle attempt, then converted to an armbar and Fabinski tapped immediately! Out of nowhere, what a win by Andre Muniz!

HE GOT IT DONE 😤

🇧🇷Muniz gets the armbar submission in RD 1.

[ Live NOW on #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/L3FvKGc1m2

— UFC (@ufc) September 6, 2020

Andre Muniz continues to be an interesting player at middleweight. Six wins in a row surely has to have him in the running for a decent name next to at 185 pounds.

Official Result: Andre Muniz def. Bartosz Fabinski by submission (armbar), Round 1, 2:42

The post UFC Vegas 9 Results: Andre Muniz Quickly Submits Bartosz Fabinski appeared first on Cageside Press.

That resulted in Natividad stepping up. But on Saturday, he dropped off the card, leaving back-up fighter Ray Rodriguez to step in. Rodriguez had weighed in Friday, after Natividad had what had been believed to be a false positive for COVID-19.

At least Kelleher still had a fight. After all, Saturday, two other fights fell through.

Right off the bat in the fight itself, Brian Kelleher was aggressive and in the face of Rodriguez. Rodriguez threw a glancing head kick backing up Kelleher. But Rodriguez shot in for a takedown next, something he would come to regret — given he shot right into a guillotine. Early in the fight, with both fighters dry, it was tight. It wasn’t long at all before Rodriguez tapped.

WATCH YOUR NECK! 😳@BrianBoom135 only needs SECONDS to end it!

[ Watch on #ESPNPlus ] #UFCVegas9 pic.twitter.com/T2DKZRF5A9

— UFC (@ufc) September 6, 2020

If you know Brian “Boom” Kelleher at all, you know he has a nasty guillotine. That was the seventh submission via that particular method for Kelleher in his career.

Official Result: Brian Kelleher def. Ray Rodriguez by Submission (Guillotine), Round 1, 0:39

The post UFC Vegas 9: Brian Kelleher Secures His Seventh Career Guillotine Finish appeared first on Cageside Press.

The only ladies to grace the UFC Vegas 9 card were a pair of flyweights: Montana De La Rosa and Viviane Araujo. The pairing saw both fighters competing for the first time during the coronavirus pandemic, as De La Rosa had last competed in February, picking up a win over Mara Romero Borella.

Araujo, meanwhile, suffered her first defeat in the UFC back in December, against Jessica Eye.

The ladies opened up fast, with De La Rosa landing a few right hands in the opening seconds while Araujo was landing shots to the body as well as a few kicks downstairs. Araujo continued the attack to the body as well, landing a hard right hand to the body, before going upstairs with a hard right hand that landed clean. Araujo then landed another clean overhand right before De La Rosa went for a takedown that ended in a scramble with the two on their feet once again. Araujo landed another overhand right that resulted in De La Rosa’s nose bleeding badly. However, De La Rosa wasn’t deterred, staying in the line of fire before going for a takedown in the final minute that was stuffed. Araujo ended the round going for a takedown, however time ran out.

"Work from your heart!"@MontanaMarie211's corner giving some intense advice between rounds.

[ NSFW ] pic.twitter.com/dkpngCfztp

— UFC (@ufc) September 6, 2020

Araujo opened up fast once again in the second round, nearly buckling De La Rosa after a hard leg kick. De La Rosa soon began limping after eating another hard leg kick. She went to shoot for a takedown but was stuffed once again. De La Rosa began opening up halfway through the round, landing a few nice combinations including a clean head kick. Araujo walked right through the strikes, however, and continued winging right hands. De La Rosa found a home for the front kick, but it didn’t do much to slow Araujo down. Araujo landed a big combination near the end of the round, but De La Rosa landed three body kicks in succession to send the two women to round three.

Araujo went right back to the forward pressure in round three, however it was De La Rosa who was landing the better strikes early. De La Rosa landed a combination to get into the clinch, then landed three straight uppercuts in the clinch that landed clean before separating. De La Rosa began getting into a great rhythm and was making Araujo miss with the right hand, after it hadn’t missed at all early in the fight. Araujo began landing with her jab, however, and began snapping De La Rosa’s head back with it. De La Rosa went for a takedown in the final minute to hopefully steal the round, and Araujo did a great job of defending it. The two separated and ended the fight swinging.

Quite the war, something of a bloodbath, and a great showing by Viviane Araujo, who bounces back nicely from the loss to Eye.

Official Result: Viviane Araujo def. Montana De La Rosa by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

The post UFC Vegas 9 Results: Viviane Araujo Bloodies Montana De La Rosa in Decision Win appeared first on Cageside Press.

British Columbia’s Cole Smith returned to action Saturday at UFC Vegas 9, with the Canadian taking on Hunter Azure. The bantamweight bout opened up what was left of the card, which saw multiple fighters drop out just hours from kickoff time.

Smith opened the fight with a jumping front kick right out of a Bruce Lee movie, however, it didn’t land. However, he did follow up with some low kicks that did land hard, but Azure did get a takedown off one of those kicks to end up on top. Smith did his best to scramble and get up and eventually did despite eating a big right hand off the break. Azure then followed up with a perfect left cross that dropped Smith hard. Azure followed that with ground and pound before moving to the back. Azure lost the back and Smith got in on a takedown and got a minute to survive before landing a huge elbow that knocked Azure’s mouthpiece out. Azure threw Smith to the ground and hopped into full guard. Smith threw up a couple of armbar attempts but couldn’t get anything going. Smith worked his way back to the feet again, and the two ended the round swinging.

Azure opened the second round quickly, throwing a big combination that backed Smith up to the fence. Smith reversed position and worked on a takedown, and he got it, albeit briefly. Azure and Smith had a big scramble halfway through the round that resulted in Smith getting his back taken, but Azure couldn’t do anything with it. Azure got a takedown of his own, but Smith once again scrambled up to his feet before being taken down again promptly. Smith was able to scramble up and end the round on the feet, but it was all Azure in round two.

Smith went on the offensive in the opening moments of round three, landing some decent combinations and mixing in his kicks well before Azure once again worked on a takedown. Smith stuffed it this time however and landed a hard combination coming out of the break. However, Smith slipped after landing a flying knee and allowed Azure to get into the grappling. Azure got another takedown, and moved to the back, and began landing hard knees to the body. Smith shook him off and ended up getting Azure’s back. Smith desperately went for the rear-naked-choke and got extremely close. However, Azure would survive and make it to the judge’s scorecards.

Hunter Azure def. Cole Smith by Unanimous Decision (29-28 x3)

The post UFC Vegas 9 Results: Hunter Azure Survives, Defeats Cole Smith appeared first on Cageside Press.