“I caught a hard calf kick on his knee, it swelled up on the top but it’s not broken or anything. It’s just a little bit of support,” Jacoby (20-9-1) told Cageside Press and other media outlets following his knockout of Petrino. “I still plan on playing golf tomorrow, Monday and Tuesday. I don’t know if I can drive and really dig into one, but I’ll be in the cart, talking sh*t, chipping and putting, drinking, so looking forward to that.”

Coming into the showdown with Petrino, who still had considerable hype despite a loss to Anthony Smith, Jacoby was on a two-fight skid, and 1-4 across his last five. That might get some fighters thinking about their future, especially at age 36 and on their second run with the UFC — exactly where Jacoby finds himself.

Yet according to Jacoby, he never had any doubts. “Never, man. I was just talking with coach about it,” he stated.

“I’m the one going through the fire. I know I was 1-4 going into this fight in my last five, but those were all tough fights. The [Khalil] Rountree fight I thought I won, the [Azamat] Murzakanov fight, I finished super-strong. The [Alonzo] Menifield fight, f*ck me man, I had that fight won. Again if I had been patient, I would have won that fight. I was searching, searching, I hate being the guy sitting back. If I would have sat back and been more patient, I win that fight 10 out of 10 times.”

“The last fight, Dominick Reyes, he’s the only guy to put me away in dominant fashion. He just caught me with one hell of a left hand,” continued Jacoby. “I was going for a big knockout, I was really wanting to knock him out. I thought that man, if I can just put my hands on him, he’s going to go down. And I got a little greedy and he got me with a perfect shot that could have knocked out anybody in the division.”

“To be honest, never once did I think about getting cut, never once was I worried about my position. I know what I bring to the table, I know the wars I’ve been in and my level of experience and what I bring.”

Instead of concerning himself about his future in the promotion, or where he might go with a cut — PFL, ONE Championship, another run in kickboxing — Jacoby was focused on the result. “Never once was I thinking, worrying about winning or losing. I was just worried about going out there, being where my feet were, being patient, sticking to the game plan— I knew good things would happen.”

Turns out he was right, with his knockout of Petrino earning a Performance of the Night bonus at UFC Tampa.

Watch the full UFC Tampa post-fight press conference with Dustin Jacoby above.

The post UFC Tampa: Dustin Jacoby Never Worried About Future Despite Recent Slump appeared first on Cageside Press.

Rose Namajunas

‘Thug’ Rose Namajunas got her first victory as a flyweight in UFC Vegas 89’s main event, cruising to a decision win over Amanda Ribas. Now 1-1 in the division, her options are wide open, as is a move back down to the division she used to reign in. With her win over the number eight flyweight in the world she will presumably take over that spot. Above her lie fighters like Natalia Silva, Maycee Barber, Katlyn Cerminara, and Jessica Andrade.

Now would be a perfect time to settle the score with Andrade, though all the other fights are appealing as well. Andrade moves back and forth between 115 and 125-lbs frequently and so she could fight Rose at either weight after her upcoming right with Marina Rodriguez. Win or lose it makes sense because Rose and Jessica are tied 1-1 in the series between them, with Jessica taking Rose’s belt away before Rose beat Andrade later to earn a title shot on her path to being a two-time champion at strawweight.

Namajunas’ Next Fight: Jessica Andrade 3

Karl Williams

Williams is the hottest-streaking prospect at heavyweight now after improving his UFC record to 3-0 in UFC Vegas 89’s co-main event. Before him that position was held by Shamil Gaziev, who just lost for the first time upon attempting to enter the top fifteen. If Williams can prove he is the best unranked heavyweight and beat the well-rounded Gaziev, then he would be well-deserving of his own shot at the rankings.

Williams’ Next Fight: Shamil Gaziev

Edmen Shabazyan

Although he was once the hottest rising, undefeated contender at middleweight, Shahbazyan’s knockout win on Saturday was just his second victory since 2019. After losing to four ranked fighters and beating two unranked ones in the midst of the losses, he needs to prove more before jumping back into the top-15, though his striking, power, and speed make him a constant and entertaining threat.

Next, Edmen ahould either fight guys who were on the verge of contention but are now coming off of losses, like Joe Pyfer and Roman Kopylov, or ones who are rising towards contention currently like Ikram Aliskerov or Rodolfo Vieira. Pyfer would be the best option here, as with his recent loss to Jack Hermansson he just went through what Shabazyan did a few years ago, which would create an interesting storyline for their fight.

Shahbazyan’s Next Fight: Joe Pyfer

Payton Talbott

Talbott had some hype coming into his UFC Vegas 89 fight, but when leaving the octagon after beating down Cameron Saaiman he had generated a ton more for himself with just over five minutes of work. People are now talking about the twenty-five year old fighting a ranked opponent soon in the stacked bantamweight division, which seems a bit much after only two UFC wins. Yet that perhaps shows just how good Talbott is.

Now is the time for Talbott to be tested against one of the unranked elder statesmen of bantamweight like Davey Grant, Cody Stamann, or Douglas Silva de Andrade. They all have more than ten UFC fights and are great fighters, but have struggled to hold onto a ranking for long in this division. Every upcoming prospect has to go through one of them. Davey Grant vs Payton Talbott in particular would be a great fight.

Talbott’s Next Fight: Davey Grant

Youssef Zalal

Zalal’s short-notice return to the UFC ended in celebration as he surprised by dominating veteran Billy Quarantillo on his way to a second round submission win. After his first 3-3-1 stint in the UFC he won three fights outside the promotion before this one, and that time seemed to havr turned Youssef into a significantlu more physically imposing and technically skilled fighter.

Looking like a future contender means he will be tested like one, and will be given someone like Julian Erosa or Josh Culibao next. Erosa won by submission as well on this very card, so matching them up next makes sense as they will naturally be on similar timelines for when their next bout takes place.

Zalal’s Next Fight: Julian Erosa

Fernando Padilla

Fernando Padilla kicked off the UFC Vegas 89 main card with a bang when he put hands on Luis Pajuelo before snatching up a first round d’Arce choke. At 3-1 in the UFC with three finishes, this 27-year old looks like a potential future contender as well.

So why not match him up with the other name I mentioned? Joshua Culibao is a solid fighter who bats .500 in the UFC, which is not easy to do, and is an appropriate test for Padilla after he failed his last test on this level, Kyle Nelson.

Padilla’s Next Fight: Joshua Culibao

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Amanda Ribas lost her second straight flyweight bout in the headliner; of the 12 fighters on UFC Las Vegas 89’s main card, seven were Contender Series veterans.

Several fighters still have to prove themselves after the results on Saturday night which could prove interesting from a matchmaking perspective.

Amanda Ribas

Ribas, in what was her first main event in the UFC, would be defeated by Rose Namajunas in a very technically fought unanimous decision.

Ribas now has a 7-3 record with the UFC, she is 2-3 as a flyweight and 5-0 as a strawweight with the promotion. Amanda’s most recent wins are over Luna Pinheiro, Viviane Araujo and Vina Jandiroba.

Amanda has said multiple times that she isn’t opposed to switching between both the strawweight and flyweight weight classes.

And with #11 ranked flyweight, Ariane Lipski slated to take on the #12 ranked flyweight, Karine Silva on April 27th there are a few fighters available in the weight class.

#13 ranked flyweight Casey O’Neil has lost her last two fights in the flyweight division, most recently to Ariane Lipski via second round armbar.  O’Neil last fought in mid-December so the timeline might be a little slow for her, as Ribas still has to recover from a five-round fight.

As for the strawweight division, if Ribas so chooses to return to it, she has a couple of interesting potential matchups: #10 ranked Loopy Godinez is on a 4-fight winning streak and is slated to face 19-3, Virna Jandiroba on the Atlantic City card on March 30th. Facing the winner, whether that be a rematch against Jandiroba or a new foe in Loopy who is on a 5-fight win streak, either way it’d be a good fight.

Former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade is fighting Marina Rodriguez at UFC 300 on April 13th and the loser of the bout would be an excellent step up for Amanda’s undefeated UFC run at strawweight.

Ribas’ next fight at Flyweight: Casey O’Neil 

Ribas’ next fight at Strawweight: Lupita Godinez vs Virna Jandiroba Winner or Andrade vs Marina Rodriguez Loser

Justin Tafa

It has been an unfortunate couple of months for the Tafa brothers. Justin Tafa had to withdraw from his February bout against Marcos Rogeiro de Lima at UFC 298. Justin’s brother, Junior, would step in against Marcos and was finished via leg kicks in the second round of their bout.  A few weeks later, at UFC Las Vegas 89, Justin would return from his injury for a co main event bout.

Tafa lost a unanimous decision to the now 10-1 Contender Series product, Karl Williams. Karl is now 3-0 in the UFC since his CS bout in 2022. There were a couple of moments in the fight where Tafa had Williams in trouble, but ultimately the wrestling of Williams was just too much for Justin.

Justin Tafa was originally supposed to fight someone on the edge of the rankings before getting injured.

Justin Tafa is a fun heavyweight fighter to watch with all seven of his pro wins coming by KO/TKO.

Why not lean into that? Give Tafa another fun striker. Chris Barnett was originally scheduled to be on UFC Vegas 89 against Mohammed Usman, before pulling out of his second UFC bout in a row. Barnett has been inactive since 2022, when he won a barn burner against Jake Collier at UFC 279. So, what better fight to welcome him back?  That would be a very fun fight for the fans.

Tafa’s next fight: Chris Barnett

AJ Dobson

A wild four-and-a-half-minute scrap went down on Saturday night when two Contender Series alum dueled for relevancy in the UFC’s middleweight division.

This is going to be a fight that is really going to sting when AJ Dobson is watching the tape back. Dobson had “The Golden Boy” on skates early on in the first round and it could be argued that AJ ultimately let him off the hook. The tide of the fight turned, and Dobson ended up being on the losing end of a stoppage instead.

AJ Dobson is now 1-3 in the UFC and 7-3 in his professional MMA career, with his lone win in the UFC being to Tafon Nchukwi. Saturday at UFC Vegas 89 was the first time Dobson had been stopped in his professional career.

Two fighters early in their pro careers, fellow Contender Series alum, Cesar Almeida and Dylan Budka, would be solid matchups for a dangerous fighter like Dobson. Almeida and Budka square off April 6th and are both making their UFC debuts.

Let the loser of this bout fight Dobson for a kind of, back against the wall, type of fight.

Dobson’s next fight: Cesar Almeida vs. Dylan Budka bout loser

Cameron Saaiman

The slick counter striking from undefeated Contender Series prospect Payton Talbott proved to be too much for Cameron Saaiman to handle at UFC Vegas 89.

Saaiman fought valiantly, surviving an absolute nightmare of a first round that saw the highly touted 23-year-old dropped by a flush rear knee to the chin.

Ultimately, Saaiman would be stopped early in the second round earning his opponent a performance of the night bonus.

Saaiman and Raul Rosas Jr. have two common opponents in the UFC of Terrence Mitchell and Christian Rodriguez. Both fighters have a first-round stoppage against Mitchell and a unanimous decision loss to Rodriguez (and he missed weight for both bouts).

Perfect fight to make would be between the two youngsters.

Saaiman’s next fight: Raul Rosas Jr.

Billy Quarantillo

In his sixth UFC main card appearance and first of 2024, Billy Quarantillo was finished by Youssef Zalal in the second round via rear naked choke. A disappointing loss for Quarantillo but against a fighter that took current UFC featherweight champion Illia Topuria to the scorecards in 2020 and entered the bout on a five-fight win streak in pro combat sports.

Quarantillo has come a long way since his appearance on the Contender Series in 2019, co-headlining a card against Edson Barboza in April of last year. Now 35 years old, Quarantillo has lost three of his last five fights with wins against Alexander Hernandez and Damon Jackson most recently.

Billy Quarantillo was originally slated to take on Gabriel Miranda at UFC Vegas 89 on Saturday before his opponent withdrew from the bout.

Billy is an all-action fighter that has yet to be in a boring fight. Bill Algeo has a win over a common opponent in Alexander Hernandez and the two were supposed to fight in 2022 but it never happened.

Thats a good fight to make but Algeo is scheduled against Kyle Nelson on March 30th, so, the loser should get Quarantillo.

Quarantillo’s next fight: Bill Algeo vs. Kyle Nelson

Luis Pajuelo

Luis Pajuelo had a rough start to his UFC career on Saturday at UFC Vegas 89 when he was out struck and submitted via standing d’arce choke in the first round. The performance earned his opponent, Fernando Padilla, a bonus for his efforts.

What better opponent to grab than another fighter on the card?

Also winless in the UFC. Steven Nguyen, who fought three times on the Contender Series and then lost his first fight in the UFC to Jaron Errens via unanimous decision on the preliminary card of UFC Vegas 89. This fight was a real scrap and earned Nguyen and his opponent fight of the night honors.

Pajuelo’s Next Fight: Steven Nguyen

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Not since Mike Tyson has a fighter taken such a chunk out of an opponent, but Igor Severino did his best Hannibal Lecter impression at the Fight Night event on Saturday. During a grappling exchange/takedown attempt, he took the time to chomp on Andre Lima’s arm, resulting in an immediate disqualification.

Lima, before the event was even over, had managed to get a tattoo commemorating the incident, and UFC President Dana White’s promise of a $25,000 bonus — later upped to $50,000 when he caught wind of the tattoo.

Severino meanwhile was cut for one of the most blatant fouls in recent memory.

The UFC even had a little fun with the incident, officially announcing the “Bite of the Night” bonus.

Tonight's BOTN 💰💰 #UFCVegas89 pic.twitter.com/Ngttbbryr8

— UFC (@ufc) March 24, 2024

The more traditional post-fight bonuses at UFC Vegas 89 saw Fight of the Night honors awarded to Steven Nguyen and Jarno Errens. The bout saw Errens come away with a hard-fought win. Two main card standouts picked up Performance of the Night bonuses, meanwhile. In an absolute beatdown, the undefeated Payton Talbott finished fellow prospect Cameron Saaiman by TKO, a stoppage that felt more like a life-saving intervention by the ref.

Fernando Padilla picked up the other Performance bonus for a brabo (standing d’arce) choke submission of Luis Pajuelo.

All five fighters pick up $50,000 for their efforts; Lima may want to consider a tetanus shot.

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Namajunas had come up short in her maiden voyage at 125lbs, losing to Manon Fiorot last September. In order to keep any dream of a second title alive, the future Hall of Famer needed a different outcome at the Apex on Saturday.

Ribas opted to start the fight in a southpaw stance, while Namajunas displayed solid footwork, darting in and out, targeting the body and head. Ribas would fire off a spinning back kid just under two minutes in, then land the first takedown of the fight— from which Namajunas quickly recovered.

Back on the feet, Rose landed knees in a clinch up along the fence before they broke and moved back to center. A right hand for Ribas landed, but a better left for Rose answered. The pair then went to the ground again, with Namajunas ending up on top even though Ribas had initiated the takedown.

Round two saw a stance switch from Rose Namajunas, and a right hand for the ex-champ connected inside the opening minute. A left hit home shortly after. Ribas fired off another spinning back kick, which made a partial connection. The next spinning kick sailed wide for Ribas, however, as did several punches with Rose proving elusive.

Namajunas then shot in on a takedown, with Ribas back up before it was really landed. Moments later, as they came together, Ribas rolled into a kneebar, but wasn’t in position. Soon enough, Namajunas wound up on top, where she would finish the round in a strong showing.

Round three saw more action on the feet, with Ribas relying on more of her spinning kicks, but all too often falling short on her more orthodox attacks. A takedown care of a bodylock with two minutes on the clock appeared to shift momentum, but Namajunas reversed and was almost immediately back to her feet. From there, she drove Amanda Ribas into the fence.

The pair were on the ground again in round four, with Namajunas on top, in control. Ribas was starting to look a bit concerned, unable to get Rose off of her. Unable to find any submission attempts off her back, Ribas fired an elbow or two instead. She would then close her guard, with Namajunas landing ground n’ pound and eat time off the clock.

Namajunas entered round five almost certainly up in the fight, with Ribas likely in need of a finish, or at the very least a 10-8 round. Rose, however, was still far too elusive on the feet, simply not there to be hit, footwork serving her well. Perhaps knowing she was well ahead, Namajunas appeared to play it safe in the fifth, staying out of range, circling, and throwing kicks and jabs to keep Ribas at bay.

In the end, the strategy paid off, with Rose Namajunas cruising to a decision win. Snapping her two-fight skid in the process.

Official Result: Rose Namajunas def. Amanda Ribas by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)

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Originally, heavyweight Tafa’s brother Junior had been booked against Williams. However, last month ahead of UFC 298, Justin had to pull out of his fight with Marcos Rogerio de Lima on barely more than a day’s notice; Junior opted to fill in. Returning the favor, Justin took the fight against Williams.

Williams was no doubt just happy to have a fight after being on the sidelines since last May. Perhaps less happy when Tafa took some big swings early. Those had Williams on the retreat, but he exploded into a takedown, planting Tafa on his back. Tafa would work his way back up, but Williams went right back in on another takedown attempt, this time against the fence.

After a grueling first five minutes, with was Williams ending the round in control. The second frame started with Justin Tafa against finding success on the feet. Still, with more than half the round still on the clock, Tafa fired a hard kick that was caught. He was dumped on his back, allowing Williams to move to side control, where he could drop hammerfists. Tafa would reclaim half-guard, if just barely, but Williams was in a dominant spot once again.

Round three opened with another attack from Justin Tafa, and Karl Williams was rocked. He dove in on a takedown, and nearly was caught again before finally finishing the attempt. Tafa was sat on his backside, back against the fence. But before long, he had spent most of the round being controlled, despite the violent start to the final stanza. And when it went to the scorecards, it was clear who had won.

Official Result: Karl Williams def. Justin Tafa by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

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After getting into the top fifteen at middleweight with a win over Brad Tavares in 2019, Shahbazyan suffered three straight setbacks wherein his cardio deficiencies were apparent. He made some improvements and won a fight but could not get past cardio machine Anthony Hernandez. Thus, when he knocked out 1-2 UFC fighter AJ Dobson he was jubilant, especially given how hurt he was before he turned the tables.

AJ Dobson got off to a strong start in the first round by rocking Edmen Shahbazyan with two right hands, but Edmen took him down in order to survive. However, when Shahbazyan went to take the back, AJ spun into his guard and got on top. Edmen got back up and pressed forward, suddenly changing the entire fight with a clean left hook. Dobson stumbled and fell, then could only cover up as Shahbazyan pounced on top and landed ground strikes until the referee stepped in.

That wild banger of a fight concluded with Edmen Shahbazyan telling Paul Felder, “I’m in dog shape, I was in dog shape for this fight,” and that he expected three checks for this performance.

Official Result: Edmen Shahbazyan def. AJ Dobson by TKO (punches) Round 1, 4:33

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The foul resulted in an immediate disqualification for Severino, with Lima left showing off a deep bite mark on his arm following the bout. It came during a takedown attempt/grappling sequence near the fence, and unlike many biting incidents, was far from a case of a fighter inadvertently biting an opponent’s arm while draped across their face in a choke.

Andre Lima picks up the win over Igor Severino due to a DQ from Severino, who bit Lima’s arm 😳 #UFCVegas89 pic.twitter.com/NQTJuSh9G3

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 23, 2024

As it turns out, the foul also cost Severino, who was previously undefeated along with Lima, his job. UFC President Dana White confirmed that development to reporter Kevin Iole following the bout.

“Those were two up-and-coming undefeated fighters,” White stated. “If you get frustrated and want out of the fight, there are plenty of ways to do it, but the worst thing u can do is bite your opponent. Now, you get cut and lose the biggest opportunity of your life. Not to mention, he’s going to have real problems with the NSAC.”

The UFC Vegas 89 broadcast also quoted the statement from White as the main card got underway on Saturday.

Both fighters had come into the promotion by way of the Contender Series, with the battle of undefeated prospects one that stood out on the UFC Vegas 89 card. Turns out, it will be remembered for all the wrong reasons, which also winds up being rather unfortunate for Lima.

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Talbott, undefeated to start the night, was looking to make it back-to-back losses for Saaiman, who had suffered his first career defeat against Christian Rodriguez in his last outing.

It was Talbott walking his opponent down and finding success with his 1-2 early on; Saaiman was forced to retreat, circling along the fence. Just 90 seconds into the opening frame, and South Africa’s Saaiman was wobbled; moments later, he was felled with a knee. Saaiman somehow survived, up on his feet but eating shots to the body. Talbott began pouring it on, working the body more, adding lefts and rights. Cameron Saaiman was, to put in bluntly, under fire and close to being finished.

Saiiman again weathered the storm, but Talbott fired a knee up the middle and a kick up high, mixing his attacks together beautifully. Saaiman was returning fire where he could, but was showing damage and being badly out-struck. The highlight of the round for Cameron Saiiman was a textbook spinning back kick to the midsection; moments later, Saaiman landed low, but Talbott wanted nothing to do with a break in the action. Instead, he finished out the round trading with Saaiman, and winning those exchanges.

Talbott dropped Saaiman early in round two care of a left hook, and immediately, Payton jumped on top of his fallen foe. Saaiman attempted to fight him off, but with the ground n’ pound underway, the ref had seen enough, stepping in to wave off the fight!

An absolute dismantling by Payton Talbott, who puts away a fellow top prospect and maintains his perfect record in the proces.

Official Result: Payton Talbott def. Cameron Saaiman by TKO, Round 2, 0:21

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Quarantillo looked to improve to 7-3 in the promotion in his tenth UFC fight, while Zalal looked to right the ship from the 0-3-1 run that sent him back to the regional scene. Once there, he won five fights in three sports, earning him this second UFC stint. He continued that streak with a dominant win and finish against Billy Q.

Zalal constantly circled the outside of the octagon in the first round, avoiding the pace and pressure of Billy Q. Youssef quickly established a lead with sharp, straight striking on the back foot. Billy tried to clinch up and look for a takedown but with no luck. Zalal then stunned Quarantillo for a few seconds with a knee to the head of a ducking Billy, before taking him down with a slick foot-sweep. Youssef quickly got to Billy Q’s back and got a very tight rear-naked choke in. It astounded everyone when Quarantillo escaped the choke without tapping and survived to the next round.

Quarantillo began round two with a good right hand but got taken down by the same trip from Zalal as the one in the first round. Once again he took Billy’s back with a body triangle locked in. Again he hunted for the choke and this time he got it.

In his return to the UFC Youssef Zalal looked better than ever, looking like a brand new fighter – and new contender – in the UFC featherweight division now ruled by Ilia Topuria.

Official Result: Youssef Zalal def. Billy Quarantillo by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 1:50

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