In the main event, Carlos Prates continued to take the sport by storm, recording his fourth knockout victory of the year. Meanwhile in the co-main, UFC newcomer Reinier de Ridder submitted Gerald Meerschaert in what was a fun debut.

Carlos Prates

After already recording three KOs by August, Carlos Prates kept his activity levels going and got his biggest one yet on Saturday. For years, Neil Magny has represented a perfect litmus test for welterweight prospects. Always hovering around the number 15 spot, he has gatekept the rankings for what seems like forever. In recent years, fighters like Shavkat Rakhmonov and Michael Morales passed this test with flying colours, while then-streaking Max Griffin, Daniel Rodriguez, Phil Rowe and Mike Malott couldn’t.

This was the type of matchup that fans needed to see Prates go through to really gauge what the division had in him. At 31 years of age, there was no need to take things too slowly with him, so a main event with a rankings spot on the line made sense, even in his rookie year. And the Nightmare made quick work of Magny. He defended all seven takedown attempts, even turning one into his own takedown. He dropped Magny with a short right hook, before then putting him unconscious with a glancing left straight with ten seconds left in the very first round.

After his impressive showing, Prates called for a fight with Jack Della Maddalena in Australia in February. While that is the kind of matchup that would have fans foaming at the mouth, he knew this might be unrealistic as JDM is ranked in the top5. So he had a nice backup plan in Geoff Neal, who for all intents and purposes, holds a Neil Magny-type role for the top10. This callout proves that Prates is making an effort to understand how matchmaking works and to stay up to date with his division’s power structure. It is a fun matchup, and realistic callouts should be rewarded as often as possible.  For those reasons, I’m inclined to give Prates what he asked for and give him Geoff Neal next.

Prates’ next fight: Geoff Neal

Reinier de Ridder

The former two-division champion in ONE Championship had an entertaining debut, going up against grizzled vet Gerald Meerschaert. He scored a knockdown in round 1 and got the submission in round 3 after GM3 looked exhausted.

With his pedigree as a former double champ in another major organization, some thought RDR would be getting a ranked opponent right away. At 34 years old, it’s not like The Dutch Knight has all the time in the world to rise up the ranks. However, he didn’t exactly run through Meerschaert in a way that screamed a top10 opponent has to be next.

There is a middle ground, here, where RDR can get a high profile, yet unranked matchup in his next fight. This upcoming Saturday, there is a fight between uber prospect Bo Nickal and veteran Paul Craig. Nickal is a massive favourite, but it is unclear as to whether he would be getting a ranked opponent next even after a statement win at UFC 309. Unlike de Ridder, the UFC actually has plenty of time to take things slowly with Nickal. RDR is both the logical next step to test Nickal’s grappling and a nice opportunity for Nickal to showcase any form of striking improvement since that isn’t really de Ridder’s forte.

And hey, if Paul Craig actually wins that fight, then we still get a super fun matchup.

de Ridder’s next fight: Nickal/Craig winner

Gaston Bolaños

The former Bellator fighter moved to 2-1 in the UFC after earning a hard-fought decision over debuting Cortavious Romious. His grappling was tested, as he was slammed a couple times, but he managed to fend off every submission attempt.

Bolaños doesn’t look like someone who will ever challenge for a title, especially not in a division filled with sharks like bantamweight. However, he does fit in a very important category of fighters that deliver exciting fights every time they go out there. Win or lose, and as long as they match him up correctly, the UFC can count on Bolaños to put on fun fights.

Another fighter who fits perfectly into this category is one who made his divisional debut just last week: Charles Jourdain. With both coming off wins and having fought just a week apart, the fight makes sense and the timelines should align.

Bolaños’ next fight: Charles Jourdain

Gillian Robertson

Despite already having 18 UFC fights and holding the record for most submissions at flyweight, Robertson is still only 29 years old. She is now on a three-fight win streak and is 4-1 since dropping down to strawweight.

After she will move up a bit in the rankings, a fight that makes sense for her would be Marina Rodriguez. After being so close to a title shot, the 37-year-old is now 1-4 in her last 5 and has dropped all the way to number 9. However, there is no doubt that she is still a good test for anybody. Her current two-fight skid is deceiving as both are split decisions that very much could have gone her way.

Rodriguez is the perfect test for Robertson at this juncture of their careers.

Robertson’s next fight: Marina Rodriguez

Mansur Abdul-Malik

The undefeated 27-year-old made short work of Dusko Todorovic, knocking him out in the first round to keep his 100% finish rate. Abdul-Malik clearly packs a heavy punch. Everything he landed on Todorovic echoed in the Apex. He still looks green in some facets of his game, but seems to be getting better quickly as he already looked improved from his Contender Series outing.

There is no rush here for a prospect this young and someone like TUF finalist Robert Valentin would make sense. Valentin can test Abdul-Malik’s overall game while also being a very winnable fight for Mansur. Also, there is no way that fight would be boring.

Abdul-Malik’s next fight: Robert Valentin

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Prates‘ takedown defense had largely gone untested during his UFC run, only having to defend five attempts and forfeiting one in his Contender Series fight last year. Magny shot more than once and Prates defended every single attempt very well. Showing incredible balance as Magny was lifting his leg far up in the air, even reversing an attempt into a takedown of his own.

The UFC veteran had nothing for Prates on the feet and after getting tagged a few times, it was a glancing shot to the temple that ultimately put him down with 10 seconds left in the very first round. Prates didn’t play with his food and got him out of there early.

With this win, the 31-year old really seems to be entering his prime years. He is now on a 10-fight win, 9-fight KO streak dating back to 2019. The Fighting Nerds camp, who really have taken the sport by storm, kept their hot streak going with Caio Borralho, Jean Silva, Mauricio Ruffy and Prates going a combined 10-0 this year with 9 of those wins coming by KO.

But what did we really learn from this main event? In short, we learned that Prates is a real player at welterweight. We saw him defend takedowns and do what he was expected to do as a -850 betting favourite. Yes, Magny is getting older, but he still offered real resistance to Mike Malott, another welterweight prospect back in January of this year. Is Magny’s wrestling offence on par with some of the best wrestlers in the division? No, but he went 0 for 7 against Prates.

That was still the biggest wrestling threat Prates has had to fend off so far in the UFC and he passed that test with flying colours, which is all you can ask for from your rising contender.

This is the biggest win of Prates’ career and his callouts were pretty great, as well. He asked for Jack Della Maddalena in Sydney at UFC 312, or for Geoff Neal if he cannot get that matchup with the Australian. Both of those fights would be guaranteed fireworks. And while the Della Maddalena one is especially salivating, we may still be a few fights away from it.

Regardless of which direction the UFC want to go with him, it’s hard to imagine any matchup being a dull one when you have such a knockout machine on your hands.

The post Prates vs. Magny: What Did We Learn? appeared first on Cageside Press.

He’ll just have to do it in the co-main event.

“No pressure. I feel very good, very confident, this gives me excitement,” Sopaj told reporters on Wednesday about finding out his fight had been promoted to the co-main slot.

“I learned about this yesterday. I feel very good about it, and I’m very happy.”

Sopaj (11-3) will face a very tough out in Turcios who has proven to be very durable even thought he’s coming off his first UFC loss where he’s been finished.

“He’s a good fighter. All around fighter. He’s little bit weird style. He’s like a street fighter, but I believe I’m better than him everywhere. I’m a (more) complete fighter than him. Stronger than him, and more technical,” he said.

Sopaj looks to earn his first UFC win this weekend which is just another step towards his goal.

“Just one step closer to what I want. One step closer to the belt. I’m her to take the belt. Nothing else,” he said.

“I didn’t (come) here to celebrate the victory. I didn’t (come) here to say that I’m UFC fighter. To be in the UFC for me (is) just the beginning. My goal is to be the best. My goal is to get the belt, and be the greatest fighter.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Benardo Sopaj above. He takes on Ricky Turcios at UFC Vegas 100 on Saturday night.

The post Benardo Sopaj Says Turcios Win Is Just One Step Closer To Title appeared first on Cageside Press.

Many wonder why someone who is such a veteran of the UFC gets the newcomer, but ‘GM3’ sees it as a positive.

“I think it’s a good thing. I think a lot more people know about de Ridder than maybe some of the people that only follow UFC give him credit for,” Meerschaert told reporters on Wednesday.

“He’s tough. He had a lot of belts in ONE FC. That’s nothing to shake your head at.”

Meerschaert (37-17) sees the matchup against de Ridder as something of a feather in his cap. Not to mention he’s looking to spoil the party for the new guy.

“It’s fun to be the one to welcome somebody who was a double champ in a different organization. It says a lot about me if I can go out there and get that finish on Saturday,” he said.

Meerschaer has plenty of respect for his opponent going into Saturday night. Being a grappler himself GM3 appreciates de Ridder’s ground game.

“He’s a very, very good grappler. Specially like straight jiu-jitsu style grappling I think he’s one of the last guys that like really goes out there and implements that in his game plan. He’s more in the style of like a Gunnar Nelson or a Damian Maia,” he said.

“I think he’s just as dangerous as either of those guys. He’s got a very long build. He’s very good at getting to the sub. He’s definitely a game opponent.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Gerald Meerschaert above. He takes on Reinier de Ridder at UFC Vegas 100 on Saturday night.

The post Gerald Meerschaert Looks To Play Spoiler Against de Ridder appeared first on Cageside Press.

“At this point it’s all about…let it be known that you still stand to be a force in the division so to speak,” Magny told reporters on Wednesday.

“I don’t do that by fighting guys I know I can beat. I’ll do it by going out there and challenge myself against whomever the UFC throws at me. This is yet again another example of that.”

Magny (29-12) could turn those type of fights down in order to give himself a better shot at a win streak, but he doesn’t turn down fights.

“I can very easily (be) like hey you guys have any 30-year-olds, 40-year-olds I can fight right now? Like I don’t want to fight another up-and-coming killer, but I know that’s not what’s going to make me happy at the end of the day. I know I want to challenge myself.”

Another hungry prospect coming for his rank what does Magny need to do to keep it?

“The biggest thing is being present. I know this guy is dangerous everywhere else. I can’t afford to be complacent at any moment in this fight,” he said.

“I know I’m able to go out there and I’ll strike, I’ll wrestle, I’ll grapple. I can do whatever it takes to get the job done. For me I’m all about being present and executing at this point.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Neil Magny above. He takes on Carlos Prates at UFC Vegas 100 in the main event on Saturday night.

The post Neil Magny Wants To Prove He’s Still A “Force” At 170 appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I had a fight against Randy Brown (in NY). I was really happy with that opportunity to fight (at) Madison Square Garden on same day (as) Jon Jones,” Prates told reporters on Wednesday.

“Then UFC gave me the fight against Neil Magny (in) the main event and I was really excited.”

Prates (20-6) was ready to fight in New York until he got the call about the Magny fight. He wasn’t very excited about it until his manager told him it was the main event.

“The same day he called me and say you’re going to fight Neil Magny I was in the gym. He called me and said you’re not (going) to fight Randy Brown, but you have a new opponent one week before,” he said.

“I was like no, no way. I don’t want to fight one week before. He said it’s the main event against Neil Magny and I was all of course let’s go! I was really happy. It’s a real good opportunity.”

He did have something to say about Brown who was supposed to be his opponent at MSG.

“I think Randy Brown is easier fight than Neil Magny. He is much easy money. Main event you get the bonus to fight the main event also. More money. Main event, biggest show in the world, I think it’s a better change,” he said.

“I’m going to win Saturday and then I’m going to be (ranked).”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Carlos Prates above. He takes on Neil Magny in the main event of UFC Vegas 100 on Saturday night.

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Kicking off this UFC Vegas 100 edition of TTP is our interview with LFA flyweight, Christian Natividad. He discusses what it was like to grow up with a brother who has made it to the highest level of the sport. Plus, he talks about how his brother now serves as a mentor for him on his journey. Then he discusses his place in the LFA 125-pound division. Plus, Gumby fills him in on the UFC’s plans for a flyweight season of The Ultimate Fighter and gauges his interest in being on it. Then we close out with a breakdown of his upcoming fight this Friday.

Fights, Dogs, and Parlays: UFC Vegas 100 (12:08)

After a hot card for us north of the border with UFC Edmonton, we head back to the Apex for UFC Vegas 100. Neil Magny main events the card trying to fend off another hot prospect in Brazilian Carlos Prates. The Fighting Nerd product is looking to stake his claim as one of the best welterweights in the world. We’ll break down that fight as well as a couple others on this main card. We’ll also dig a bit deeper and give you an underdog and a parlay to make your wallet fat this weekend. We’ve hit our plus-money parlay four weeks in a row, so don’t miss these picks! For this segment, all odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Caio Machado Interview (19:42)

Closing out this UFC Vegas 100 edition of TTP is our interview with LFA bantamweight, Stav Koren. Koren discusses his choice to come to America and how Merab Dvalishvili was a big part of choosing Sydicate MMA as the place to do that. Plus, he talks about his journey through martial arts and explains the huge gap in his fight resume. He closes it out by breaking down his LFA 196 fight for this Friday.

The post TTP Ep. 454 with Christian Natividad, Stav Koren, and UFC Vegas 100 appeared first on Cageside Press.

First reported by Cole Shelton.

Garbrandt (14-6) is coming off a tough loss to Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 300. The loss snapped a two-fight win streak with wins over Brian Kelleher and Trevin Jones. The former champion holds victories over Raphael Assuncao, Dominick Cruz and Thomas Almeida.

Johns (15-2) was coming into the event on a 3-fight win streak with one no-contest in Sept 2023. He holds victories over Douglas Silva de Andrade, Cody Gibson, and Vince Morales.

This was actually the third time the two had been booked to fight. No word on if they’ll be booked a third time. The UFC is searching for a replacement for Johns.

UFC Vegas 100 takes place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas on Nov 9. The card, as of now, looks as follows:

• Neil Magny vs. Carlos Prates
• Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Denise Gomes
• Ricky Turcios vs. Benardo Sopaj
• Gerald Meerschaert vs. Reinier de Ridder
• Luana Pinheiro vs. Gillian Robertson
• Elizeu Zaleski vs. Zach Scroggin
• Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Dusko Todorovic
• Charles Radtke vs. Matthew Semelsberger
• Cody Stamann vs. Da’Mon Blackshear
• Melissa Mullins vs. Klaudia Sygula
• Cortavious Romious vs. Gaston Bolaños
• Tresean Gore vs. Antonio Trocoli

Fights Canceled:

• Cody Garbrandt vs. Miles Johns

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