Although the streak is impressive, he finds himself against a tough opponent ranked below him on a similar streak. Da Un Jung does not yet have a number next to his name, but is also unbeaten (only in five fights instead of six). Still, Jacoby bears no ill will, especially since he’s had opportunities to fight up in the division that just didn’t work out.

“After my last fight in March, they offered me a couple of higher ranked guys – guys in the top 15,” Jacoby explained. “It was for the middle of June and I wasn’t going to be ready in time with the injury I had going on in my legs from the last camp and the last fight.”

And while this may not be the fight up in the division that many in his position would be looking for, Jacoby is excited about the matchup. Some of that is the ability to defend the spot he feels he’s earned. Some is that he’s already had his eye on Jung.

“They’ve actually offered Jung a couple of different times in the past, but for whatever reason it just didn’t work out,” he said. “It was a couple of short notice opportunities on my end and the timing just didn’t work out. He’s been on the radar and I knew there’d be a clash sooner or later.”

It wound up being sooner. When asked why he likes a matchup with a guy like Jung, Jacoby said it has to do with how tough he is and the style he knows he’ll bring.

“I like the matchup. Jung is a tough guy. He’s a durable guy. He’s an up and coming guy. I think he’s a guy they’re wanting to push,” Jacoby said. “He’s a striker first – he’s a standup guy. Of course, I enjoy going in there with guys who like to strike. He’s more of a boxer… but he just kind of tries to do what you do.”

You can catch Jacoby and Jung as part of the prelims of UFC Long Island this Saturday on ESPN+ and ABC.

You can hear the entire audio of this interview at 32:28.

The post UFC Long Island’s Dustin Jacoby Has Had Jung on His Radar appeared first on Cageside Press.

Will we see another classic moment from @BrianTCity Saturday? 👀

[ #UFCLongIsland | Main Card 2pm ET LIVE on @ABCNetwork ] pic.twitter.com/mJMmZ33vcd

— UFC (@ufc) July 13, 2022

It feels so long ago now: the third round against Alexander Volkanovski.  After struggling to deal with the striking of the champion, Brian Ortega locked in a deep guillotine that even Volkanovski admitted he felt would be the end of his reign.  Seconds away from winning the world title, the champion held on to eventually escape and retain the title by decision.  Ortega was left to regroup, and once again mull over his second consecutive one-sided loss in a title bout.

It undid the hard work that Ortega had put in to reach this point.  A loss to former kingpin Max Holloway in 2018 was proceeded by a litany of injuries that kept him out of the cage until late 2020.  When he finally did return, it was as a drastically different fighter who routed perennial contender Chan Sung Jung.  The performance was impressive and came at the perfect time for “T-City” to take another shot at the world title.  Though he was ultimately unsuccessful in the attempt, he remains in the hunt against the elite of the division as even the slightest hint of turnover could see him get another opportunity with a victory.

When @PanteraUFC hits the Octagon, you KNOW something crazy is about to happen 🍿

[ #UFCLongIsland | Saturday | Main Card 2pm ET LIVE on @ABCNetwork ] pic.twitter.com/AviPMCy1aj

— UFC (@ufc) July 12, 2022

Yair Rodriguez is the one with the most to gain, if the cards play out in his favor.  Once one of the UFC’s most highly promoted young prospects, “El Pantera” burst onto the scene as a fresh faced 22 year-old who won The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America behind a fan-friendly style that quickly made him must-watch television.  His career took off to a perfect 6-0 start in the UFC, but he was soon matched up with former champion Frankie Edgar in 2017 who cooled his ascent up the ladder.

Injuries and other issues kept him out of the cage for much of the next several years, but he made his sparing appearances count.  His buzzer-beating, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat knockout over “The Korean Zombie” in 2018 lives on in sports highlights all over the internet.  His bouts with Jeremy Stephens, the first being considered essentially non-existent by many due to ending early due to an eye poke, held up his 2019.  But it is his impressive showing in last year’s Fight of the Year contender against Max Holloway in which he pushed the longtime champion in an exciting contest that raised his stock as a true title hopeful.  As the most high profile opponent who has yet to face Volkanovski, a strong performance will likely propel him into a title bout in his next outing.

While on-paper the bout is expected to pit the grappling of Ortega against the striking of Rodriguez, the versatile attack of Ortega is expected to be the biggest x-factor.   On the feet, Ortega will look to sit down on heavier shots and use more physicality and forward pressure to keep Rodriguez from settling into his offense.  From there, a steady diet of takedown attempts from the clinch are expected as he holds a great advantage on the mat.  For Rodriguez, working behind his length and a jab are expected as he exercises his shot selection to keep Ortega from closing the distance.  Assuming he is effective, then keeping the pace will be his biggest priority to staying ahead on the scorecards.

The bout we've been patiently waiting for 🍿@BrianTCity faces @PanteraUFC in the Octagon tomorrow night!

[ #UFCLongIsland | Tomorrow | Main Card LIVE on @ABCNetwork ] pic.twitter.com/77agInqClJ

— UFC (@ufc) July 15, 2022

Should Alexander Volkanovski stay at featherweight for his next fight, then Yair Rodriguez is expected to be next to fight for the title with a victory whether it is against the champion or against a top-contender like Josh Emmett if an interim belt is created.  While an interim title challenge could be possible should Ortega prevail, it is likely that he will also set his sights on opponents such as the winner of the upcoming bout between Giga Chikadze and Sodiq Yusuff.

The post UFC Long Island: Ortega and Rodriguez Collide As Their Division Mulls Its Future appeared first on Cageside Press.

Chris Duncan Interview (2:04)

Before the guys dig too deep into UFC Long Island, they’re hitting on some Contender Series goodness first. Kicking of this week’s edition of TTP is Chris Duncan, who is actually fighting on our favorite Tuesday night fight show for the second time. Although not victorious last time out, Chris talks about moving forward from there and getting another shot. He also digs into why American Top Team has been such a great fit for him and why he feels like this is the time he’ll bring home that elusive UFC contract.

Fights, Dogs, and Parlays: UFC Long Island (18:22)

The UFC leaves it’s home at the Apex for the next few weeks and it all gets started in the empire state for UFC Long Island. Headlining the show is a banger of a featherweight clash between Brian Ortega and Yair Rodriguez. The guys will be giving you a breakdown of that event as well as some other main card fights. Plus, as always, they’ll be giving you an underdog and a parlay that they feel will make your wallet fat this weekend. You aren’t going to want to miss this breakdown before you hit the books. For this segment, odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Dustin Jacoby Interview (32:28)

Closing out this week’s edition of TTP is an interview with surging UFC light heavyweight Dustin Jacoby. The Hanyak discusses the UFC trying to set up fights with guys higher in the rankings, but why it didn’t quite shake out. Then he breaks down his fight at UFC Long Island with Da Un Jung, who like Jacoby is flying up the light heavyweight division. Plus, to round out the talk, Jacoby also discusses a little bit of one of his other hobbies. He and Gumby chat about pheasant and elk hunting.

The post TTP Ep. 334 with Chris Duncan, Dustin Jacoby and UFC Long Island appeared first on Cageside Press.

On Thursday, promotion officials announced via social media that featherweights Brian Ortega (15-2, 1NC) and Yair Rodriguez (13-3, 1NC) will headline the show. The event is expected to take place on July 16, 2022 at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York.

News of the match-up was first reported by ESPN Deportes earlier this month.

Ortega has not fought since coming up short in his second bid for gold this past September. At UFC 266, Ortega dropped a hard-fought but ultimately futile decision against Alexander Volkanovski. The loss dropped him to 1-2 across his last three fights, with Ortega also coming up short in a title fight against Max Holloway.

The California native known as “T-City” won a unanimous decision over The Korean Zombie between his two failed title opportunities.

Rodriguez is coming off a loss as well. In his most recent effort, he was lit up by Max Holloway in a bout that earned Fight of the Night honors at UFC Vegas 42 last November.

Prior to that setback, Mexico’s “El Pantera” had put together wins over Zombie and Jeremy Stephens.

Currently, Ortega is ranked #2 at 145 pounds, while Rodriguez sits at #3 in the weight class. They also happen to be two of the most exciting fighters in the division not named Volkanovski or Holloway.

In addition to Brian Ortega vs. Yair Rodriguez, the following fights have been reported for UFC Long Island:

• Brian Ortega vs. Yair Rodríguez
• Askar Askarov vs. Alex Perez
• Dustin Jacoby vs. Da Un Jung
• Herbert Burns vs. Khusein Askhabov
• Michelle Waterson vs. Amanda Lemos
• Ricky Simón vs. Jack Shore
• Billy Quarantillo vs. Bill Algeo
• Li Jingliang vs. Muslim Salikhov

The post UFC Long Island Main Event Announced, Brian Ortega Faces Yair Rodriguez appeared first on Cageside Press.

Staff Writer	Rivera vs. Almeida	Cummins vs. Villante	Bermudez vs. Elkins	Weidman vs. Gastelum
Heath Harshman (36-21)
Paarth Pande (31-20)
Jason Payne (18-12)
Danny Doherty (34-23)
Harry Davies (31-26)
Eddie Law (31-26)
Jay Anderson (29-28)

A fun fight night is heading to Long Island and the four-fight main card includes one unanimous pick.

Jimmie Rivera was picked unanimously against Brazilian brawler Thomas Almeida. The two bantamweight studs have a combined record of 42-2, but that’s not stopping the staff from all lining up on one side of the fence.

The match-up between the wild Gian Villante and the wrestler Patrick Cummins is a bit more interesting according to the staff. Two writers believe Villante will pull through in front of his home crowd, while five sided with Patrick Cummins.

The same pick ratio was seen in the co-main event, with five writers picking Dennis Bermudez over the incredibly tough Darren Elkins.

The main event was as close as it gets. Four writers sided with the ever-improving Kelvin Gastelum while three believe Chris Weidman will finally put an end to his losing streak.

Check out Cageside Press tonight for live coverage of the UFC on FOX 25 card. The action goes down at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. The UFC Fight Pass prelims kick off at 4PM EST, while the main Fox card gets underway at 8PM.

The post UFC Long Island: Weidman vs. Gastelum Main Card Staff Picks appeared first on Cageside Press.

The UFC is arriving in Long Island for the first time in the organization’s history, and it will feature a hometown favorite taking on a surging upstart when Chris Weidman faces Kelvin Gastelum.  When the two middleweights collide, it will have major implications for both men going forward.

For Weidman, the “All American” is at a tipping point in his UFC career.  The former middleweight champion has dropped three straight, putting him in a precarious position moving forward.  A fourth straight loss may not put his UFC career in jeopardy, but it would likely drop him out of the rankings.

His victories over Anderson Silva remain the benchmark moments of his career, but recently he has drawn criticism for his performances.  After stifling former light-heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, he’s had to address the tactical errors he’s made against opponents Yoel Romero and Gegard Mousasi.

He was integral in helping bring the UFC to New York, but a fourth straight loss would leave the majority counting out any hope of a return to the top of the division.  Nor has Weidman been given an easy assignment at UFC on Fox 25 this Saturday, as Gastelum looks to continue his assault on the middleweight division.

Gastelum is currently riding a three fight win-streak, coming off victories over Johny Hendricks and Tim Kennedy.  His most recent fight was originally a first round knockout over Vitor Belfort, however the decision was overturned to a No Contest when Gastelum tested positive for marijuana.  The result led to him being pulled from a scheduled fight with Anderson Silva in Brazil at UFC 212.

The most surprising part of Gastelum’s run is how unexpected it was to occur at middleweight.  After winning The Ultimate Fighter, Gastelum dropped down to welterweight where he went 5-2, including victories over former champion Hendricks and a close split-decision loss to current champion Tyron Woodley.  After failing dramatically to make 170 for a fight against Donald Cerrone at UFC 205, Gastelum made a quick turnaround a month later by returning to middleweight to defeat the top ten ranked Tim Kennedy.

Gastelum followed up that victory with another impressive win, at the time, over Belfort.  The strides he has made in his game suddenly had many believing that his speed and pace would give him a great competitive edge at middleweight.  There is also the factor of making weight.  Gastelum has admitted that his discipline wanes between fights and that his weight does get out of control, resulting in his struggles to make the welterweight limit of 170lbs.  So far, his size has not been an issue at middleweight however Weidman is among the largest athletes in the division and will look to use his larger frame to his advantage.

Stylistically, Weidman looks to have a huge advantage on the mat with his superior grappling and should look use the clinch early to wear down Gastelum’s energy.  The younger fighter is known for using his fast hands to light opponents up on the outside while Weidman tends to set up more powerful blows at close range.  If Weidman can get Gastelum onto the mat early, it’ll give him plenty of opportunities to build a huge lead and a possible finish.

For Gastelum, the key will be getting in and out with his striking.  He’s the faster fighter at 185 and has exhibited a great sense of range and timing in victories over Hendricks and Kennedy.  He should look to set up his hands with footwork, not staying right in front of Weidman long enough for him to set up a takedown or smother him in the clinch.

It should be noted that Weidman has a significant size and reach advantage over Gastelum.  Despite being the younger fighter, The Ultimate Fighter winner will find himself in serious trouble if he ends up on the ground under the former champion.  Also, he needs to be wary of getting caught in the clinch where he’ll have to deal with the large frame of Weidman.  Even with his speed, he gives Weidman an opportunity to get himself in the fight easily if he chooses to exchange in the center of the Octagon.

With the departure of Gegard Mousasi, a win for Gastelum would inject him into the crowded field of contenders at 185.  For Weidman, it is a critical tilt for his future in the division.  Three straight losses are enough cause for concern.  A fourth would have many questioning if Wediman is still able to compete at the elite level or if he needs to drop out of the rankings. The “All American” has the home field advantage in Long Island, and he’s going to need if he wants hold off Kelvin Gastelum’s rise at 185.

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