With the list of medical suspensions from Saturday’s event released, it appears Thiago Santos and Johnny Walker incurred more damage than expected. Both have been given the maximum 180 suspension, though both can be cleared to return to the cage within 30 days by orthopedic doctors.

In the case of Santos, who won what can only be deemed a lackluster main event, he’ll need to show negative x-rays of his left ring finger, foot, knee, and ribs. Walker, meanwhile, needs an x-ray of his left foot to pass muster.

Despite eating a nasty accidental headbutt in the co-main event that appeared to briefly render him unconscious, Kevin Holland has just a 30 day suspension, and opponent Kyle Daukaus has none at all. That could move up the timeframe for their rematch.

Krzysztof Jotko, Devonte Smith, and Johnny Eduardo are also facing 180 suspensions. In the case of Smith and Eduardo, fractured orbitals are to blame. Jotko, meanwhile, appears to have injured his left foot. All three can return to action earlier if cleared by doctors.

The full list of medical suspensions from UFC Vegas 38 is as follows:

Thiago Santos – 180 days unless cleared by orthopedic doctor following x-rays of left ring finger, left foot, left knee, and left ribs. Minimum suspension of 30 days, no contact until 10/24/21
Johnny Walker – 180 days unless cleared by orthopedic doctor following x-ray of left foot. Minimum suspension of 30 days, no contact until 10/24/21.
Kevin Holland – 30 days, no contact until 10/24/21
Kyle Daukaus – No suspensions
Niko Price – 180 days unless cleared by orthopedic doctor following suspension of left knee
Alex Oliveira – 30 days, no contact until 10/24/21
Krzysztof Jotko – 180 days unless cleared by orthopedic doctor following x-ray of left foot. Minimum suspension of 21 days, no contact until 10/17/21
Misha Cirkunov – 30 days, no contact until 10/24/21
Alexander Hernandez – No suspension
Mike Breeden – Suspended until 11/17/21, no contact for 30 days
Jared Gordon – Suspended 21 days, no contact until 10/17/21
Joe Solecki – 30 days no contact until 10/24/21
Casey O’Neill – No Suspension
Antonina Shevchenko – Suspended until 11/17/21, no contact for 30 days
Karol Rosa – No suspension
Bethe Correia – Suspended until 11/17/21, no contact for 30 days
Jamie Mullarkey – 30 days, no contact until 10/24/21 – chipped tooth
Devonte Smith – 180 days, unless cleared by ophthalmologist or ENT doctor due to right orbital fracture. Minimum suspension until 11/17/21, no contact 30 days
Douglas Silva de Andrade – No suspension
Gaetano Pirrello – Suspended until 11/17/21, no contact for 30 days
Stephanie Egger – No suspension
Shanna Young – 21 days, no contact until 10/17/21
Alejandro Perez – 30 days, no contact for 21 days due to forehead laceration
Johnny Eduardo – 180 days unless cleared by ENT doctor due to right orbital fracture. Minimum suspension 21 days, no contact until 10/17/21.

Suspensions first reported by mixedmartialarts.com

The post UFC Vegas 38 Medical Suspensions: Main Event Pair Out Until April? appeared first on Cageside Press.

Thiago Santos

Thiago Santos snapped a three-fight losing streak with his win over Johnny Walker this past weekend. This win guarantees him another shot at someone in the top five in his next fight. A rematch between Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos has been talked about for years. The two fought once in 2018 at middleweight with Santos winning a TKO. Although the fight only went on for a round and a half, it was a barn burner for the entirety of the bout. Smith is ranked number four in the division and is currently riding a three-fight winning streak.

Santos’ next fight: Anthony Smith 

Niko Price

Niko Price won a unanimous decision over Alex Oliveira at UFC Vegas 38. This win was his first since his KO victory against James Vick in 2019. Price is one of the most exciting prospects in the welterweight division. Any time he is on a card his fight has the potential for a Fight of the Night. Price has power in his hands and has a brown belt in jiu-jitsu. Making him the perfect match-up for Nick Diaz. Diaz just returned after a long layoff and lost to Robbie Lawler. Diaz had crisp boxing and seemed like he could have been in slightly better shape. If he got himself in great shape and fought Niko Price, that fight has fight of the year written all over it. Assuming Diaz wants to cut to welterweight anyway.

Price’s next fight: Nick Diaz 

Krzysztof Jotko

Krzysztof Jotko won a very close split decision over Misha Cirkunov this past weekend. This win makes Jotko 4-1 since 2019 with his only loss being a decision loss to Sean Strickland. Jotko is a great kickboxer and has won 16 of his 25 wins by decision. Makhmud Muradov is 3-1 in the UFC with his only loss being a submission loss to Gerald Meerschaert in his last fight. Muradov is also a great kickboxer with 17 of his 25 wins being knockouts. He has knockout wins over Trevor Smith and Andrew Sanchez. Muradov also has a decision victory over Alessio Di Chirico. Muradov has only been knocked out once in his career and is 5-2 by decision.

Jotko’s next fight: Makhmud Muradov 

Alexander Hernandez

Alexander Hernandez knocked out Mike Breeden in the first round of their catchweight bout at UFC Vegas 38. This win makes Hernandez 5-3 in the UFC with wins over Chris Gruetzemacher and Francisco Trinaldo. Hernandez has had a pretty up and down career in the UFC and should be looking to continue to get back on track in his next fight. Nasrat Haqparast is a lightweight who has been on winning streaks but has also lost to big names like Dan Hooker and Drew Dober. Haqparast has nine knockout wins and only one knockout loss. This will play directly into Hernandez’s kickboxing style of fighting. Hernandez and Haqparast both have knockout power and good takedown defense.

Hernandez’s next fight: Nasrat Haqparast

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 38 Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

Johnny Walker

Johnny Walker was unsuccessful in his first UFC main event as he lost an uneventful unanimous decision. After starting his UFC career out with three first-round knockouts and three Performance of the Night bonuses, he is 1-3 in his last four. Walker came into the fight ranked No. 10 in the light heavyweight division, so he might fall a couple of slots come Tuesday.

For his next outing, he should fight the winner of Jimmy Crute vs. Jamahal Hill, which takes place in December. Walker and Crute were scheduled to fight previously, but Walker had to pull out.

Walker’s next fight: Jimmy Crute vs. Jamahal Hill Winner

Kevin Holland/Kyle Daukaus

This match-up is relatively easy. Kevin Holland and Kyle Daukaus should rematch later this year or early next year. Holland seems to want to run it back very quickly, while Daukaus wants it after his brother’s fight in December.

The fight on Saturday was ruled a no contest due to an accidental head clash, which led Holland to be flash knocked out and then end up submitted. It was an extraordinary set of events, but we finally got to see the use of instant replay in a fight.

Kevin Holland/Kyle Daukaus’ next fight: Rematch

Alex Oliveira

Alex Oliveira dropped his third fight in a row to Niko Price at UFC Vegas 38. This is his second time hitting the dreaded three-fight skid. While for most fighters on the roster, their time in the UFC would come to an end, “Cowboy” will probably get another fight. The Brazilian should fight another Brazilan on a losing streak, setting up a loser gets cut match-up. Dhiego Lima, who is coming off a knockout loss to Matt Brown, should fight Oliveira

Oliveira’s next fight: Dhiego Lima

Misha Cirkunov

Krzysztof Jotko spoiled the middleweight debut of Misha Cirkunov at UFC Vegas 38 as he lost a split decision. Cirkunov saw the third round for the first time since 2016, but he is also a two-fight skid. The Latvian-Canadian could go back up to light heavyweight, but I think he looked okay at middleweight. Makhmud Muradov, who just had his 14-fight winning streak snapped, would be a good fight for both men. For Muradov, it is a bounce-back fight, and for Cirkunov, it is a chance to let the UFC know he can still be elite.

Cirkunov’s next fight: Makhmud Muradov

Mike Breeden

It was a tough night at the office for Mike Breeden, who was knocked out in under two minutes in his UFC debut. However, he still gets massive respect for stepping up on short notice to face Alexander Hernandez. The loss snapped Breeden’s two-fight winning streak. Luigi Vendramini, who Paddy Pimblett knocked out, should be on Breeden’s radar next.

Breeden’s next fight: Luigi Vendramini

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 38 Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.

After UFC Vegas 38 ended, former bantamweight champ and current No. 8 ranked fighter Tate slammed Aspen Ladd on Twitter.

“It’s one thing to miss weight, it’s another thing to try and cheat the scale and use every excuse in the book to not weigh in properly. Everyone saw you cheat and still came in a lb over. I bet you were every bit of 139,” Tate wrote.

It’s one thing to miss weight, it’s another thing to try and cheat the scale and use every excuse in the book to not weigh in properly. Everyone saw you cheat and still came in a lb over. I bet you were every bit of 139. https://t.co/VyOWcfTMCv

— Miesha Tate (@MieshaTate) October 3, 2021

The next morning, Tate would send out another tweet responding to the question “Why was she allowed to skip the digital scale that everyone else had to get on?”

Tate wrote, “Because she wanted to cheat the real scale and she knew if she checked beforehand that she couldn’t explain why the lbs suddenly disappeared when she got behind a curtain she could grab onto.”

The tweet from Tate was in response to Aspen Ladd missing weight for her fight against Macy Chaisson on Friday, causing the fight to be canceled. Ladd first weighed in at 141lbs, fully clothed. She would next need a barrier to be brought in as she stripped down. After a scary scene that had her struggling to maintain her balance and not holding her arms upright, Ladd would eventually weigh in at 137lbs, one pound over the limit.

According to Ladd, the fight was offered to Chaisson, who declined the fight, resulting in the fight being scrapped for a second time. The UFC announced only that the fight was cancelled due to Ladd missing weight.

There is no word of the fight being rebooked for a third time. The pair were previously scheduled to face off in July, only for a stress fracture to force Chiasson out.

Ladd had wanted to fight Tate in July after the fight was canceled the first time.

As to Tate’s tweet, it can be assumed that she was implying Ladd was trying to cheat the scale by moving around and not maintaining her balance. Ladd wrote on her Instagram and Twitter that she was on her period, which caused problems.

Ladd’s head coach Jim West responded to Tate on Saturday.

“Please try and stand still, with hands in the air while dehydrated, dizzy, and nauseous all while trying to hold yourself because you are bleeding. You better hope you never have to fight Aspen. Oh wait you probably won’t you coward,” West wrote.

He continued by adding “Wrong Miesha. They let her skip it because they didn’t want her naked there and she had no clothes other than the sweats she was wearing. Concentrate on your fight with Ketlen it won’t be easy for you. Good luck.”

Please try and stand still, with hands in the air while dehydrated, dizzy, and nauseous all while trying to hold yourself because you are bleeding. You better hope you never have to fight Aspen. Oh wait you probably won’t you coward

— Jim west (@Jwestgold15) October 3, 2021

Ladd responded to Tate on Sunday, calling Tate a pioneer but saying she didn’t wish to engage with the negativity the situation had brought.

https://twitter.com/TheAspenLadd/status/1444735434756485122

The post Miesha Tate Slams Aspen Ladd: “It’s One thing To Miss Weight, It’s Another Thing To Try And Cheat The Scale” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Rather than hand out the traditional Fight of the Night and two Performance of the Night bonuses, promotion officials opted to forgo the former, and awarded four Performance bonuses instead.

These four are walking away with some extra 💸

Congrats are in order for @TurboPerezUFC, @DSilva_MMA, @Jamie_Mullarkey & @KingCaseyMMA on earning POTN honors!

[ #UFCVegas38 | B2YB @P3Protein ] pic.twitter.com/llSeHReAqO

— UFC (@ufc) October 3, 2021

Those went to Alejandro Perez, Douglas Silva de Andrade, Jamie Mullarkey, and Casey O’Neill — all of whom fought on the event’s preliminary card.

Perez opened up the action Saturday, taking on 43-year old Johnny Eduardo. After some early adversity, Perez locked up a submission — a scarfhold armlock (announced as an armbar/straight armbar on the broadcast).

Silva de Andrade was up next — or more accurately, one fight later — against Gaetano Pirrello. The Brazilian scored a crushing first-round knockout to add to his highlight reel, and flipped off the cage repeatedly in celebration.

Jamie Mullarkey found himself in quite a battle with Devonte Smith on Saturday, but some good work to the body led to a finishing sequence along the cage in which the Australian battered Smith senseless. After dropping his first two fights in the promotion, Mullarkey has now won two straight.

Finally, “King” Casey O’Neill maintained her perfect record at UFC Vegas 38. That’s thanks to a TKO finish of Antonina “El Pantera” Shevchenko that improved O’Neill’s record to 8-0. O’Neill has now won three straight in the UFC women’s flyweight division after joining the promotion this past February.

All four bonus-winning fighters will pocket an extra $50,000 for their efforts, on top of their normal fight purse/win bonus.

The post UFC Vegas 38 Bonuses: Four Fighters Earn Performance of the Night appeared first on Cageside Press.

Johnny Walker may have had a slight stumble with back-to-back losses not too long ago, but he bounced back in spectacular fashion with a first round finish of Ryan Spann, silencing critics that claimed his hype train was derailed. While a loss can sometimes be so devastating that you never return to contendership, a win over Thiago Santos could see Walker back in the discussion.

Thiago Santos’ power can put a halt to any man that stands across from him in the Octagon, and that is exactly what he looked to do against his fellow countryman. Stylistically, this could be the fight Thiago needed to get back into the win column.

What played out in the UFC Vegas 38 main event wasn’t what most expected. Who would have thought that this fight would go into the fifth round? The respect these men had for each other’s power was evident with the fight winding up in the hands of the judges. The bout was extremely close and the judges sided with Thiago Santos as the victor.

PROS GIVE THEIR TAKE

Here is how the pros reacted to the UFC Vegas 38 light heavyweight main event between Thiago Santos and Johnny Walker.

https://twitter.com/rakic_ufc/status/1444476807978405894?s=20

I think Santos won #UFCVegas38

— Danny Chavez (@Dwarrior875) October 3, 2021

https://twitter.com/twrecks155/status/1444475439695548419?s=20

No one wins this fight……

— Cody Durden (@Cody_Durden) October 3, 2021

they respect each other a lot #UFCVegas38 @ufc

— Juan Espino El Guapo (@juan_espino_ofi) October 3, 2021

Super close fight, the 2 had too much respect for their striking #UFCVegas38 @ufc @dc_mma

— Juan Espino El Guapo (@juan_espino_ofi) October 3, 2021

https://twitter.com/seanbradymma/status/1444475505764454401?s=20

Who’s winning not the spectator

— Saidyokub Kakhramonov (@SaidYokubMMA) October 3, 2021

What a fight… 😩😴#UFCVegas38

— Diana Belbiță (@DianaBelbita) October 3, 2021

Wow that was 🗑

— Jamahal Hill (@JamahalH) October 3, 2021

3-2 Santos? Why do you think?

— Eryk Anders (@erykanders) October 3, 2021

They should go on a date tonight.

— Rampage Jackson (@Rampage4real) October 3, 2021

The post The Pro Take: Thiago Santos Gets By Johnny Walker in Close Five Round Fight appeared first on Cageside Press.

Unstoppable force, meet immovable object. That was the feeling you got when viewing the UFC Vegas 38 main event from afar.

Or, maybe, two powder kegs barrelling towards each other. Whatever happened between Johnny Walker and Thiago Santos on Saturday, it seemed destined to be explosive.

Right up until it wasn’t.

Many expected both men to blitz and go for the kill in round one; instead, we got a surprisingly measured approach from both men. They both attempted to gauge the distance, as they both traded leg and body kicks for the duration of the round. Santos seemed to get hotter over the course of the round, and landed a good flurry to close out the frame. However, it was likely Walker’s round due to activity.

In the most shocking move of 2021, Santos opened up round two with a takedown attempt that was stuffed by Walker. Walker landed some hammer fists on the way up after the sprawl, and Santos returned with a big overhand right of his own that landed. Santos followed it up with a good leg kick, responded to with a good leg kick by Walker. Santos began working on the body of Walker, landing a huge body kick that landed clean. Overall, round two still had a slower pace but it was starting to heat up.

In round three Santos turned up the pressure; he continued to find a home for his calf kicks, but he also began feinting greatly. Santos kept Walker guessing all round long, Santos began to find a home for his left hook, and Walker was almost frozen to respond as Santos began to find his groove. Heading into the championship rounds, it seemed that Santos had the momentum.

Santos came out with a nice flurry to open round four, punctuated with a hook to the body. Walker responded with a teep kick and Santos responded with a hard body kick. Walker began landing many of those kicks, as he began feinting and making Santos second guess, overextending. Walker began to rally back in the fourth as he became the more active guy, landing more kicks to the body and taking the center of the octagon. He wasn’t doing much, but he was doing more.

Walker opened up round five with an inside kick, keeping up the theme of the last twenty minutes. A hint of action came not that long after, as Santos landed an overhand right following a jab by Walker. Santos connected soon thereafter with a similar overhand right that nearly dropped Walker, but despite Walker calling him on, Santos backed off. Walker went right back to pressuring Santos for the rest of the round, and against all odds, we went to a decision.

Santos lands clean, but Walker 𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐈𝐓 👀

[ #UFCVegas38 | LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/ycK0sBggRc

— UFC (@ufc) October 3, 2021

Official Result: Thiago Santos def. Johnny Walker by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)

The post UFC Vegas 38 Results: Thiago Santos Edges Out Johnny Walker appeared first on Cageside Press.

The Fight Night event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas opened with four straight finishes, with names like Stephanie Egger and Jamie Mullarkey making it an early night. Bethe Correia went the distance, losing her retirement fight against Karol Rosa, while Casey O’Neill would maintain her perfect record with a finish of Antonina Shevchenko.

Controversy erupted in the UFC Vegas 38 co-main event, after Kevin Holland and Kyle Daukaus accidentally clashed heads. Holland suffered a flash knockout, instantly face-planting. While he immediately came to and began grappling, the damage was done. When Holland got to his feet, Daukaus trapped him in a choke, and put him out again.

It looked like a Daukaus win, but referee Dan Miragliotta had immediately signalled for instant replay after the headbutt. It appeared he had moved in to wave off the fight, but thought better of it when Holland began defending. Regardless, the result was reviewed at cageside by Nevada athletic commission officials and senior referee Herb Dean. Ultimately, the decision was left in Miragliotta’s hands, the question being whether the foul, accidental or not, had led to the finish.

Miragliotta ruled it had, and the fight was declared a No Contest. Both Holland and Daukaus agreed to run it back following the bout.

At the conclusion of UFC Vegas 38, check back for the post-fight press conference. A live stream is embedded above.

The post UFC Vegas 38: Santos vs. Walker Post-Fight Press Conference Live Stream appeared first on Cageside Press.

After doing a stint in the exotic locale of Hendrickstan alongside former UFC welterweight champion Johnny Hendricks, had Kevin Holland shored up his wrestling enough to go up against some of the top talents in the UFC’s middleweight division?

That was the question heading into UFC Vegas 38 on Saturday, which saw Holland paired up with Kyle Daukaus.

In the end, we didn’t really get an answer, but that was no fault of anyone involved.

Daukaus predictably opened up the fight with a takedown attempt, but Holland did a good job of keeping the fight standing. After stuffing the attempt, the two stayed in the clinch but were separated following a lack of action. Amusingly, the UFC’s resident loud mouth, Holland, chatted with the commentary team during the sequence, yelling “little better, right DC?” to color commentator Daniel Cormier at one point.

Holland and Daukaus started trading after that, but Holland went down hard following an accidental headbutt that knocked Holland out temporarily. Holland quickly woke up and Daukaus went for the kill, landing huge shots and looking for a d’arce choke that Holland was able to escape but he was badly rocked. Daukas eventually getting the back where Daukaus got a standing rear-naked-choke in and Holland was forced to tap. However, even as Holland was hitting the canvas from the headbutt, referee Dan Miragliotta was signalling for the replay.

The only question should be whether the foul led to the finish. If it did, no contest. If it didn't, and you rule the finish came about naturally, you let the finish stand. Really feels like a NC. It knocked Holland out, he wasn't in the fight after that. #UFCVegas38

— Cageside Press (@Cagesidepress) October 3, 2021

Commission members and referee met outside the cage for quite a while before officially making a decision on the fight. The main point of contention in the fight was that Holland was knocked out cold by the headbutt, and that led to the sequence that ended the fight. Senior ref Herb Dean was overhead telling Miragliotta that if he wasn’t comfortable with the decision in the cage, he could rule the bout a No Contest. Despite at first seeming that it would be a submission victory for Daukaus, ultimately in the end it was up to referee Dan Miragliotta, who ruled that the fight should be a no-contest.

Official Result: Kevin Holland vs Kyle Duakaus ends in a No Contest, Round 1, 3:43

The post UFC Vegas 38 Results: Accidental Headbutt Leads to No Contest in Kevin Holland vs. Kyle Daukaus appeared first on Cageside Press.

That’s the sort of lofty expectation that can lead to disappointment. But truth be told, Price and “Cowboy” Oliveira were both more than capable of putting on dazzling fights in the octagon.

The fight opened with an exchange of leg kicks, before Price and Oliveira exchanged strikes up top. The led to a clinch along the fence with Price in control.  From there, Price put Oliveira on his back and went to work in half guard. Price kept the pressure on, with “Cowboy” trapped along the cage wall. Plenty of control time for Price, though he wasn’t able to do much damage thanks to Oliveira’s defense.

Round two had Oliveira display a speed advantage on the feet, but that didn’t stop Price from pressing forward. Price was then dropped while firing off a leg kick, and Oliveira got on top. He moved to side control, and absolutely smothered Price, who struggled to find a way out. Oliveira was able to trap an arm more than once, and looked to be in his element, finishing the round in full control, dropping hammer fists.

The third saw a fun scrap play out. Price landed a heavy right just over three minutes in. Toward the end of the round, Oliveira landed a big left hand, and locked on to his opponent with a bock lock. He tried to climb the back of his opponent by the fence, but Price bucked him off, and was able to finish the round on top in a very close frame. Price dropped hammer fists right to the final buzzer.

BIG right from the Hybrid 👀👊 @NikoHybridPrice

[ #UFCVegas38 | Main Card LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/Wcwns9n7Sr

— UFC (@ufc) October 3, 2021

Official Result: Niko Price def. Alex Oliveira by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

The post UFC Vegas 38 Results: Niko Price Wins Decision Over Alex Oliveira appeared first on Cageside Press.