This was by far the Azerbaijani’s toughest test so far in the Octagon, and a win would solidify him as a definitive title challenger, moving him to just outside of the top five.

Let’s take a look at the possible match-ups for Saturday nights winners.

Rafael Fiziev

“Ataman” became the first fighter inside the UFC to represent the country of Azerbaijan at UFC Vegas 58, and he did it with his biggest win to date. Coming into the bout, there were question marks over his ability when the fight reaches the latter stages. Not only that, but bizarrely enough, there were question marks over his ability to stuff takedowns, despite him boasting the second highest takedown defense percentage in the UFC.

As imagined, RDA’s game-plan for this bout was to get the Muay Thai specialist against the cage to nullify his striking prowess. Rounds 1 and 2 went the Azerbaijani’s way as the fight played out in the middle of the cage. In the third round, Dos Anjos began utilizing his grappling credentials and started making the fight more difficult for Fiziev. At the start of the championship rounds, Fiziev’s questionable gas tank was put under the spotlight, and in round 4 found himself being controlled against the cage again.

In the final round, Fiziev put the doubts to sleep, showing that his power and speed does carry on through to the latter stages of a fight, knocking RDA out with a powerful left hook, followed by a hammer fist to the already dazed Dos Anjos.

With Fiziev showing that he can hold his own against one of the best grapplers at 155lbs, it’s clear that he has the skill and adaptability to cause a problem for anyone in the top 5 of the division. “Ataman” took the chance in the post fight press conference to call his shot, and the man he wants next is Justin Gaethje, and that’s a fight any fan would love to see.

Fiziev’s Next Fight: Justin Gaethje

Caio Borralho

The Contender Series alumni came into the bout knowing he was facing a superior striker and that he could find success leaning on his Jiu-Jitsu acumen.

The longstanding training partner of Demian Maia, is a BJJ Black-Belt under Wagner Mota, and his skill in that department was utilised in all three rounds against Petrosyan. The Brazilian dominated on the ground, and comfortably sailed to a unanimous decision victory over the dangerous Armenian striker.

In his Octagon interview, “The Natural” had a name locked and loaded for who he wants to dance with next. That name being Dricus Du Plessis. The 14th ranked Middleweight is coming off the back of a war against Brad Tavares at UFC 276, making it 3 wins from 3 under the UFC banner.

The jump to a ranked opponent may be too soon for Borralho, but someone i’d like to see him face is 28-year-old, Anthony Hernandez.

Borralho’s Next Fight: Anthony Hernandez 

Said Nurmagomedov

The extremely talented Bantamweight division was on full show again on Saturday, as Said Nurmagomedov beat Silva De Andrade.

The Russian once again showed that as well as being able to be dominant on the mat, he possesses an arsenal of stand-up striking that is as elite as they come. Nurmagomedov comfortably cruised to a unanimous decision victory possibly setting himself up for a ranked competitor in his next outing.

Depending on what the promotion decide to do with Adrian Yanez and Sean O’Malley, and whether they match the two up now or later, I think a fight between Yanez and Said Nurmagomedov would go down a treat. If the UFC decide to match Yanez up with O’Malley instead, then Said Nurmagomedov vs Kyler Phillips would also be fireworks.

Nurmagomedov’s Next Fight: Adrian Yanez or Kyler Phillips 

Chase Sherman

Heavyweight’s collided on the main card, with Chase Sherman facing off against Jared Vanderaa. “The Vanilla Gorilla” got back to winning ways coming in off the back of four losses, with his most recent loss coming to the extremely promising contender, Alexander Romanov.

Sherman scored the late stoppage win over Vanderaa after looking like the more crisp of the two after 2 and a half rounds. Despite looking the more comfortable of the two, the scorecards had it 1-1 going into the final round. The 32-year-old made sure the scorecards weren’t needed though, as in the final two minutes he put together a powerful flurry of punches, subsequently dropping Vanderaa to get the finish.

It’s fair to say that Sherman needs to put together a few more wins to gain some momentum in a Heavyweight division in which it’s tough to do just that. A match-up that suits both is Sherman vs Parisian.

Sherman’s Next Fight: Josh Parisian

Aiemann Zahabi

The Canadian moved to 9-2 on Saturday night with a win over the eccentric, Ricky Turcios. The Ultimate Fighter product, Turcios, was the one initiating the exchanges throughout the fight but just couldn’t seem to put anything together, landing only 11% of his strikes thrown.

Zahabi’s counter striking became a theme of this fight, and it enabled him to comfortably secure the unanimous decision victory. A match-up with Mana Martinez could suit both parties next.

Zahabi’s next fight: Mana Martinez

Jamie Mullarkey

The Australian Lightweight took the win in what was the Fight of the Night against veteran, Michael Johnson.

Despite picking up the win, it was one that divided opinion with UFC fans as round 1 was an extremely close affair with both men being dropped. Round 2 was a clear round for Mullarkey, with round 3 being Johnson’s round. Derek Cleary and Anthony Manness were in agreement, with Mike Bell swinging in favour of “The Menace”.

Alexander Hernandez will be looking to bounce back from his last loss to Moicano and his last three losses have came to top contenders in the division. A bout between the two is one I can see in the not so distant future.

Mullarkey’s next fight: Alexander Hernandez

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 58 Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

In the main event, Rafael Fiziev secured a fifth round finish of ex-lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos. The Brazilian didn’t go out easy, but still had his two-fight win streak snapped. What’s next for RDA, and the rest of the main card losers? Let’s play a little matchmaker.

Rafael dos Anjos

The “what have you done for me lately?” nature of MMA has been especially hilarious in the wake of UFC Vegas 58 when it comes to Rafael dos Anjos. People who really should know better are already asking if he’s done as a contender, or fighter, despite arguably being ahead in the fight against Fiziev until a hook landed in the fifth round, ending dos Anjos’ night.

RDA himself has since said he isn’t sure what comes next — other than some family time. That makes sense. Here’s something else that makes sense: book him into a fight with Conor McGregor. It won’t happen, because bigger names are out there, but back in 2016, dos Anjos was supposed to fight none other than McGregor at UFC 196. That fell through, and the Nate Diaz fight was booked on short notice. You know the rest.

While McGregor could actually talk himself into an undeserved title shot, or (more likely) get paired up for the Nate Diaz trilogy, when he returns from rehabbing his broken leg, it feels like now would be a perfect time to finally put RDA and McGregor together. It’s probably pretty competitive at this point, and a win catapults either fighter into something bigger, in terms of divisional relevance. The sticking point, however, will be money: McGregor vs. Diaz, McGregor vs. Poirier 4, or, god help us, McGregor vs. Oliveira are much bigger fights.

RDA’s next fight: Conor McGregor (wishful thinking)

Armen Petrosyan

Armen Petrosyan came out on the wrong end of the battle of Contender Series products that served as the UFC Vegas 58 co-main event. That leaves him at 1-1 in the UFC’s middleweight division.

Julian Marquez is coming off a loss last month, and while he’s a fair bit more experienced in the octagon, the experience level overall isn’t that far off in terms of total fights. Plus, it just feels explosive.

Petrosyan’s next fight: Julian Marquez

Douglas Silva de Andrade

Veteran bantamweight Douglas Silva de Andrade became the latest victim of Said Nurmagomedov at UFC Vegas 58, with his two-fight wins streak snapped as a result. The Brazilian went the distance, which is more than can be said for Nurmagomedov’s last two opponents.

Brian Kelleher has fought a who’s who of the bantamweight division since arriving in the UFC in 2017, in one of that year’s bigger feel-good stories. Kelleher is a fan favorite and a gamer, and the pair have never crossed paths. Kelleher is also coming off a couple of losses, but this still has Fight of the Night potential.

de Andrade’s next fight: Brian Kelleher

Jared Vanderaa

A third-round TKO loss to Chase Sherman, who had been on a four-fight skid himself, leaves Jared Vanderaa in a four-fight rut. That may spell his exit from the UFC, or it may not — the promotion has been more forgiving about such things since the pandemic kicked in, and the need for able bodies increased.

If he’s sticking around, book him into something fun with Chris Barnett. They’re both characters outside of the cage, and entertaining in it.

Vanderaa’s next fight: Chris Barnett

Ricky Turcios

TUF 29 bantamweight winner Ricky Turcios saw his progress stall at UFC Vegas 58, in a loss against Aiemann Zahabi. Let’s slow that roll, and book Turcios against Fernie Garcia, who is 0-1 in the UFC to date after a loss to Journey Newson at UFC 274 earlier this year.

Turcios’ next fight: Fernie Garcia

Michael Johnson

A Fight of the Night bonus arrived for Michael Johnson at UFC Vegas 58; unfortunately, a win did not. Johnson wound up on the wrong side of a split decision against Jamie Mullarkey, in a very entertaining scrap.

Johnson has struggled to win the win column in recent years, though he’d won his fight prior to UFC Vegas 58, against Alan Patrick. Booking him in entertaining match-ups is the right call at this point, so let’s do another one: Vinc Pichel has a fight coming up with Jesse Ronson. Give “The Menace” the loser. Or the winner. Either of those match-ups should entertain.

Johnson’s next fight: Pichel vs. Ronson loser

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“You have the weirdest thoughts before you fight. I’m like ‘why do I do this again? I don’t get it,'” Brundage (8-2) told media outlets including Cageside Press following the bout at the UFC Apex. “And then we win, I’m like ‘okay, I get it. I can’t wait to come back.'”

Starting back before his last fight, Brundage actually did find a reason for why he fights. His daughter, Kingsley, suffers from an extremely rare genetic disorder that leaves her prone to epilepsy, seizures, and developmental delays.

“I never really had a ‘why’ for why I fight. Obviously to be champ, or I love fighting. Those are all good reasons to fight, but I think it kind of clicked for me right before my last fight,” Brundage stated. “If I’m gone, and my daughter potentially needs us for the rest of her life, I just want her to be taken care of forever. I don’t want her to ever have to worry about anything, and that’s a pretty powerful why.”

With just three years as a pro under his belt, Brundage has his wrestling background to rely on, but noted that he’s training with a “cream of the crop” striker in Dustin Jacoby. Plus Josh Fremd, another great striker and knockout artist. “I think people really underestimate how well-rounded I am, and sometimes you get caught and pay for it like Tresean did tonight. He 100% thought I was going to wrestle all night.”

“To get a knockout in the UFC feels good,” Brundage added, “and it just validates all the hard work. I told coach that’s a ‘we’ project. He’s given me so much time, so much effort and it feels good to go show the fruits of that labor.”

Brundage and Gore had an intense weigh-in, with Gore chirping quite a bit. “He told me ‘shoot all night, I’m prepared for anything,'” Brundage recalled of the exchange. “Except I guess an overhand.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 58 post-fight press appearance from Cody Brundage above. More coverage from the event can be found below.

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Armfield stepped up on short notice to replace Austin Lingo in the fight, salvaging Onama’s spot on the card. It was Onama (10-1) coming away with the submission win, choking out Armfield with an arm-triangle choke, but he gave plenty of credit to his opponent post-fight.

“Shout out to Garrett for accepting this fight on four day’s notice, saving the card, putting me back on the card,” he told Cageside Press and other media outlets backstage at the UFC Apex. “Big shout out to Garrett Armfield and his team.”

Lingo pulling out, “it is what it is. I did my job, I did everything I was asked to do,” said Onama. “The guy pulled out, I just did my thing. Did my job right, they didn’t do their job right. Like I said, I’m really happy to be back on the card. I’m really happy for Garrett Armfield making his UFC debut against me. Again, shout out to him man. Without him, this wouldn’t be possible. So thanks to Garrett Armfield.”

When word of Lingo’s withdrawal hit, Onama was simply desperate to stay on the card.

“Told my head coach James Krause like ‘man look, we gotta find somebody. I still want to fight on the card, I’m ready, I’m in good shape. Please, just find somebody, get me on that card.'” Onama had friends and family eager to see him compete at the event. Armfield at least came through.

As for Lingo, “I wanted that fight really bad. I wanted that Austin Lingo fight,” Onama admitted. “It was a full camp for me, me and my coaches literally worked on everything that we needed to work on for him. And then him pulling out on a week’s notice, that really brought me down, it just brought me down a little bit.”

But as bad as he wanted the fight and as prepared as he was for his would-be opponent, Onama doesn’t believe the match-up will ever happen. “He’s not gonna take that fight man. It is what it is. On to the next. He’s not gonna take that fight again.”

When it comes to his showing against Armfield on Saturday, “it wasn’t my best performance. I feel like I didn’t really go out there and do me,” espoused Onama. “It is what it is, you win some. You come in here, you learn, and you just keep going. So I’ve got to just go home, watch film, and work on the things I’ve got to work on.”

Onama and Armfield had met previously, which made the match-up an interesting one. They first competed years earlier, in an amateur contest, which Onama also won.

“I knew he got better, and he knew I got better too,” noted Onama. “So it was just kind of, just fight and see where things go from there.”

One positive takeaway from the fight: David Onama kept his 100% finish rate. Something that had him beaming.

“It’s mandatory, I gotta get it done, I gotta do it. I’m happy man, I’m happy we got the finish. 100% finish rate, we’re still just gonna keep doing this. We’re only getting better from here.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 58 post-fight press appearance from David Onama above. More coverage from the event can be found below.

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Not a bad result for “The Vanilla Gorilla,” but to hear him tell it following the fight, the opposite outcome wouldn’t have had him down.

“It feels amazing. But honestly, I feel like I would sit here and say the same thing if it didn’t go that way, cause I kind of flipped the script on finding happiness in just the victories,” Sherman (16-10) told media outlets including Cageside Press following the event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. “I said this in the 19 other interviews that I just did, but I’ve enjoyed the process, I’ve enjoyed every moment of being here for fight week. Even if I didn’t get the nod, I left it all out there, and there’s nothing else that I could have done. So if that’s what it would have been, then that’s what it would have been.”

Enjoying fight week doesn’t mean falling in love with weight cuts or media day. Rather, it’s “just being in the moment, being present,” Sherman explained. “Getting back to training every day, and growing as a fighter and a martial artist. And just growing in life in general. There’s so much more than just f*cking wins and losses.”

The fight itself, which saw Sherman finish Jared Vanderaa in the third round, battering him with strikes until he slumped down against the fence, played out more or less as he expected.

“I thought it was going to be a tailor-made fight for me. I felt like in a lot of ways I was looking at myself. A younger version of myself. Not saying that he’s younger than me, but earlier on in my career,” Sherman stated. “Just not afraid to engage you in a firefight, a guy that mixes it up well with the kicks, a guy that’s got a hell of a chin. I see a lot of myself in him. Maybe that’s what it was, I was in there battling myself and conquering a few demons, and I needed this victory. Like I told you all this week, I just needed that little spark.”

Sherman, who has made a career out of taking fights on short notice, is still open to stepping up. There’s a key difference these days, however.

“Now we’re not taking fights on short notice because we need the money, we’re taking fights on short notice because we’re staying ready. And I think that’s important and that’s huge.”

As for what comes next, Sherman didn’t have an opponent in mind, but he does have a location. Or at least locale.

“I want to fight in Texas. I want to fight anywhere south of the Mason-Dixon. From Texas, to Florida. I want to fight in front of a f*cking crowd. It’s been over two years since I fought in front of a crowd.” That’s a feeling that Sherman wants back, with an eye on getting on a PPV event. “I want my spine to tingle when I walk out in that arena.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 58 post-fight press appearance from Chase Sherman above. More coverage from the event can be found below.

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The lesson? Don’t pick on that nerdy kid in school — he may turn out to be a pro fighter and kick your ass later in life.

Off the back of a decision win over Armen Petrosyan in Las Vegas, Borralho (12-1, 1NC) was riding high.

“I got the job done. That’s what matters, you know? As I said to you guys, that’s my fourth fight in ten months, man. And my fourth fight at a high level, and my fourth dominant win,” Borralho told media outlets including Cageside Press, back stage at the UFC Apex. “I feel blessed to have all these guys around me. The champions were here, like Daico [Deiveson Figueiredo] and Charles Do Bronx [Charles Oliveira]. They were here cheering for me, so I feel blessed.”

“I’m happy with my performance. I did what I needed to do, I got the job done. As I said to you guys, I’m a fighting nerd,” Borralho continued. “And I will calculate everything and do what I need to do to win the fight. I’m not just going to brawl or be a dumb fighter. No, I’m a fighting nerd, and it’s bully payback time.”

Next up on his list, Borralho has set his sights on South Africa’s Dricus Du Plessis, a former KSW champion. While he has nothing against Du Plessis, the pair were vying for the same fight at one point.

“It’s a funny story actually, because he had one fight, previous fight against Markus Maluko [Perez] and the fight was almost off,” recalled Borralho. “I told my manager to put me in, he tried it, but they got Dricus Du Plessis to do the fight. He did what he needed to do.”

Du Plessis wound up winning the fight against Perez, which was the South African’s UFC debut. Borralho believes he has what it takes to beat De Plessis, who has lost just twice as a pro.

“I don’t have anything against the guy, but I know that I can beat him. He’s in the rankings right now, and I want him.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 58 post-fight press appearance from Rafael Fiziev above. More coverage from the event can be found below.

The post UFC Vegas 58’s Caio Borralho: “I’m a Fighting Nerd, and It’s Bully Payback Time!” appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I eat today, some pasta with tomato [sauce], and f*cking my stomach is hurting. And always when he touched my stomach, I feel like, ‘awwww’ and I push him for breath a little bit,” Fiziev said following the fight.

So, maybe no heavy pasta meals before fights in future. But Fiziev (12-1) did learn that he’s capable of going five rounds, as tiring as it was. He also believes he showed, despite his reputation as world class striker, that his wrestling is better than expected.

“My wrestling is not so bad, like everyone thinks. Because my wrestling, I [work on it] every day,” said Fiziev. “I’m ready. I’m ready, if somebody takes me down, I’m ready to stand up. He takes me down again, I’m ready to stand up again.”

Fiziev, who called the fight with dos Anjos a dream fight ahead of UFC Vegas 58, said the bout lived up to his expectations — including a very tough RDA. “He beat my face,” Fiziev admitted. “Look at my face.”

Now representing Azerbaijan, his “roots counry,” Fiziev wants another tough fight next. “I want to fight with [Justin] Gaethje.” Jokes about fighting tennis star Rafael Nadal aside, Fiziev threw down the gauntlet.

“Gaethje, if you want to fight, you yellow guy, yellow guy with yellow hairs. We need to know who is the best. That’s a good match for you and for me. If you’re ready, if you’re not scared, if you don’t take a sh*t, let’s go.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 58 post-fight press appearance from Rafael Fiziev above.

The post Rafael Fiziev Throws Down Gauntlet Following UFC Vegas 58, Calls Out Gaethje appeared first on Cageside Press.

If you weren’t sold on the Kazakh lightweight, who trains out of Tiger Muay Thai in Thailand, beforehand, a fifth round finish of former champ Rafael dos Anjos may just change your mind. Fiziev not only finished his first-ever UFC main event, however — he also picked up his fifth straight post-fight bonus in the process.

Fiziev earned one of two Performance of the Night bonuses awarded at UFC Vegas 58 on Saturday. The second went to heavyweight Chase Sherman, who picked up a much-needed win over Jared Vanderaa in the third round of their main-card scrap.

With four straight losses coming into the bout, “The Vanilla Gorilla” was in the hot seat. A TKO later, and the former BKFC champ earns himself a bit of breathing room.

Fight of the Night at UFC Vegas 58, meanwhile, went to the lightweight war between Michael Johnson and Jamie Mullarkey. The fight had been an early favorite to win Fight of the Night honors, and resulted in a split decision win for Mullarkey. That’s the third Fight of the Night honor for Johnson, though that may be of little solace given he was on the wrong end of the decision, after getting back in the win column against Alan Patrick in his last fight.

As for Mullarkey, he picks up his third career post-fight bonus in the UFC, and the win.

All four fighters will pocket an extra $50,000 for their efforts at the Apex on Saturday.

The post UFC Vegas 58: Fiziev Picks Up Bonus for RDA Finish, Chase Sherman Scores appeared first on Cageside Press.

Former champ RDA still had plenty left in the tank, something he proved by decimating Renato Moicano earlier this year. But Fiziev was the younger man, considered a future player in the UFC’s lightweight division.

Would Saturday be the moment he truly announced his arrival in the weight class?

Round one and both men tried to take the lead in the round. Fiziev worked kicks and RDA fired them right back at him. RDA shot in on a takedown and they ended up clinching on the fence with the former champion trying to pepper the legs and force the takedown. Fiziev was able to get away from RDA and then went in with the jumping knee. After trading nearly identical techniques for a couple of minutes RDA shot in for a takedown once again and was stuffed once again. Fiziev let loose with a combination that forced RDA backwards. RDA tried another takedown as the round ended, but was unsuccessful.

Round two was more of the same from the first round with RDA continuing to try to get the takedown, but Fiziev was able to stop them easily. During one takedown attempt Fiziev was able to throw RDA to the ground, but the former champion got to his feet quickly. It seemed that Fiziev got the best of the exchanges, but barely.

Rounds three and four were more of the same with RDA trying and failing to get the takedown until the end of the fourth when he was able to pick up and slam Fiziev to the ground.

Round five is where the fight ended. A massive left hand landed and dropped RDA and Fiziev only had to land one more for Mark Smith to stop the fight.

Official Result: Rafael Fiziev def. Rafael dos Anjos via R5 :18 KO

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Yet in getting the co-headlining spot at UFC Vegas 58 on Saturday, it was clear the promotion saw the Dana White’s Contender Series alumni as potential stars of the future.

Round one Borralho was aggressive with the leg and high kicks. Then shooting in for a takedown which he got easily and then taking the back. Borralho hunted the neck using strikes to soften Petrosyan up. Petrosyan tried to rock back and forth to break the body triangle and even when he did Borralho was able to hang onto the back with slight adjustments. Petrosyan was able to defend from the choke the entire round surviving to see the second.

Round two Borralho took Petrosyan down just as easily as he did in the first, but again Petrosyan defended well. Petrosyan was able to spin into him taking top position and then to his feet where Mike Beltran stood them up. Petrosyan worked the striking more, but Borralho easily took him down again and rode the back for the rest of the round.

Round three Petrosyan came out much more aggressive, and even stuffed a Borralho takedown. They clinched on the fence with both men fighting for position for a throw or a takedown. Beltran separated them once again and the two continued the dance of clinching for the rest of the fight forcing the decision to the judges.

Official Result: Caio Borralho def. Armen Petrosyan via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

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