UFC Vegas 68 went down late Saturday night and in the main event Sergei Spivac made a statement against former title challenger Derrick Lewis.

Bellator 290 saw the end of Fedor Emelianenko’s career at the hands of Ryan Bader. We look back at the legacy that is ‘The Last Emperor’ and how he stacks up against other heavyweight legends.

It is officially fight week for UFC 284 in Perth, Australia where we will see a super fight between champions in the main event. Islam Makhachev will defend his title lightweight against featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski.

Finally a new season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ has been announced which marks the return of ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor who will coach against ‘Iron’ Michael Chandler.

All of this and more on this episode of Cageside Live!

Cageside Live is an interactive show where viewers are invited to join on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Twitch. Comments will be put on screen which allows for fun discussions about MMA, sports, storylines and more.

Cageside Live goes down every Monday night at 5:30pmPT/8:30pmET

Tune in!

The post Cageside Live: Fedor Retirement, McGregor and Chandler, UFC Vegas 68, UFC 284 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Stopped him in his tracks 😳 @TheBeast_UFC is back TOMORROW at #UFCVegas68!!

[ 10pmPT Main Card | Live on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/C8zb1NN569

— UFC (@ufc) February 4, 2023

Somewhat surprisingly, the difference of a few months is rather significant for this Saturday’s main event.  Things were business as the broadcast for UFC Vegas 65 was underway before the announcement came that Derrick Lewis had fallen ill after the weigh ins and would not be able to compete.  Now three months later, one photo that has made the rounds online has many wondering if the extension could be the best thing that has happened for “The Black Beast” in several years.

Lewis has had a career full of exciting moments, but the last few years have not been without struggles inside the cage.  Losses to the likes of Ciryl Gane, Tai Tuivasa, and Serghei Pavlovich (all in his native Texas) raised questions about whether or not the competition had finally cracked the code of the UFC’s all-time knockout leader.  Perhaps the greatest criticism of Lewis’ has been the fact that his style has been almost over-reliant on his physical gifts through the years.  While reinvention is about more than just an aesthetic change, the discipline that the photos suggest could be a sign that “The Black Beast”  may be looking to turn the corner at a key time in his career.

The Polar Bear's back on the hunt 🐻‍❄️

Serghei Spivac ready for Derrick Lewis in Saturday's headliner!

[ #UFCVegas68 | 10pmPT | LIVE on ESPN+ ] pic.twitter.com/Glpdvnca46

— UFC (@ufc) January 31, 2023

Octagon veteran Serghei Spivac is in the midst of the best run of his career, and Saturday night could be the launching pad towards the top of the division.  “Polar Bear” opened his professional career with a perfect 9-0 before he was signed to the UFC in 2019.  Spivac alternated wins and losses, coming up short against fellow veterans Walt Harris and Marcin Tybura and notably scoring a victory over current top ranked contender Tai Tuivasa.  Though not losses to scoff at by any means, especially in hindsight, it was an auspicious start after having enjoyed so much success to begin his career.

Mid-2020 saw him embark on his current 5-1 run, with his only stumble in that time coming against English stand-out Tom Aspinall.  Spivac has scored finishes in three of those five victories with 2022 standing out as a banner year for the Moldovan contender.  He opened the year with a first round knockout over the heavy-hitting Greg Hardy and followed it up with a second round finish of Brazilian contender Augusto Sakai.  The fight with Lewis was previously scheduled for November, but a bout with covid took Spivac’s foe out of the fight at the eleventh hour and pushed the bout back roughly three months.

The big boys are ready to put on a show 👊@TheBeast_UFC and Serghei Spivac finally go head-to-head TOMORROW NIGHT!

[ #UFCVegas68 | Feb 4 | 10pmPT Main Card on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/PhcwHZn8vR

— UFC (@ufc) February 3, 2023

With the division on the verge of crowning a new champion a month from now, Saturday’s winner could poise themselves for a run back up the ladder in 2023.  With fresh opponents for both men in the form of Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Tom Aspinall (when he returns) potentially in the running for their next outing, both Lewis and Spivac could see themselves make move toward the belt later this year.

The post UFC Vegas 68: Will Lewis Succeed in Reinvention or Will Spivac Score the Upset appeared first on Cageside Press.

The change caused mixed emotions to the Candian.

“As far the fight goes and [my] performance, this works better in my favor. There will definitely be a lot less travelling,” Nelson said. “As far as the fight, this worked out best for me, but I was definitely excited to go to South Korea.”

Nelson had already been outlining plans to take a few days with fiance to see the world. While he’s bummed that Vegas isn’t quite the same thing for them, the in cage opportunity hasn’t changed.

“[I wanted to] fight in front of a full arena and put on a show there and take a couple days off with my fiance and do some touristy kind of stuff,” he said. “Sucks that we can’t do that, but I definitely think I’m still going to put on a good fight in Vegas.”

In addition to not having to deal with all the travel, Nelson also won’t have to be in hostile territory as he’s been so many times. Although he doesn’t feel like it affects his ability to perform, sometimes he does feel like it migth affect his ability to win.

“I’ve always been the away guy even when I was fighting in Canada. I’m from a very small town in Canada, so I’d be going to big cities like Toronto and I’d be fighting people from Toronto,” Nelson shared. “for the most part, it hasn’t really affected me at all. I still fight the same. Does it affect the judges in England? Maybe a little bit – it’s hard to say.”

Nelson will figth Choi as part of the UFC Vegas 68 card this weekend. The main card starts at 1am EST on Sunday morning on ESPN+.

You can hear the entire audio of this interview at 33:03. 

The post UFC Vegas 68’s Kyle Nelson: Bittersweet Fight Moved to Vegas appeared first on Cageside Press.

In respect to these bookings with the highly-touted up-and-comers, Fugitt doesn’t mind much.

“I can’t say anything except for that I kind of feel like a gatekeeper for these guys coming in, but that doesn’t bother me so much,” Fugitt explained. “I know my place right now, and all I can do is go in there and put on a show and show guys that I want to work my way up the ladder.”

This fight will at least come with a lot more time to prepare. The full fight camp has allowed him to get his eyes on some of the most recent fights of Kinoshita, and he sees a lot of similarities to his last opponent.

“I’ve done some research. I’ve watch most of his fights or at least what I could find. I watched his Contender Series fight,” he said. “Another super athletic kid who has a lot of trust and belief in his hands and his power.”

But while the last one didn’t quite end his way, he’s got a better feeling about this one. Not only is he looking to go in there and cash in for his first UFC victory in a hype-stealing opportunity, he also feels he can do so emphatically.

“I keep telling everybody that I want to get the KO and I do – I want to go in there and put on a performance,” Fugitt said. “But really, I looking for the finish – anyway I can get it. I want to be known as an entertaining fighter.”

Fugitt’s fight with Yasaku Kinoshita takes place at UFC Vegas 68 this weekend. The fight will air as part of the main card which starts at 1am EST Sunday morning on ESPN+.

You can hear the entire audio of this interview at 26:52.

The post UFC Vegas 68’s Adam Fugitt: Feeling Like the Prospect Gatekeeper appeared first on Cageside Press.

Despite all of this and a win over a hot prospect last time out, Tybura finds himself fighting down the rankings this weekend at UFC Vegas 68. However, he’s not all that bothered by the fact.

“I did want someone with a higher ranking, but I was waiting so long for this fight, and they didn’t offer me anyone higher ranked,” Tybura said. “I accepted because at this point in my career I just feel good.”

While some people might have a solitary focus of making it to the top, he knows that there is more than one reason why he’s here. So as long as he’s achieving one of those goals. he feels good enough to fight anyone.

“I feel like I can fight with anybody. So, I was thinking, as long as it’s not a championship fight, it can be whoever,” he said. “It’s either climbing the rankings or making money right now.”

Of course, with any fighter in the last half of their 30s, there is questions about the time they have left. Tybura isn’t in a rush though, as he feels he’s got plenty more to give the sport that we haven’t seen yet.

“I know some might say that I’m turning 38 this year, but I’m still feelling feeling like I’m improving every year,” Tybura said. “I don’t feel anything like I should be rushing. So as long as people accept to fight me, I’m very happy to give them a chance to climb the rankings.”

Tybura will fight Blagoy Ivanov as part of the UFC Vegas 68 main card. The card will kick off at 1am EST on Sunday morning on ESPN+.

You can hear the entire audio of this interview at 2:00.

The post UFC Vegas 68’s Marcin Tybura: Not in a Rush appeared first on Cageside Press.

Marcin Tybura Interview (2:00)

Kicking off this edition of TTP is our interview with UFC heavyweight, Marcin Tybura. Tybura shares his thoughts on all the commotion going down at heavyweight right now. Not only does she share his view of the whole situation, but he also explains what it means for him and the rest of the heavyweight hopefuls. Plus, he gets into his upcoming fight at UFC Vegas 68, where he’ll be taking on Blagoy Ivanov. It might not be a hug run up the rankings as Tybura may have been entitled to after his last big win, but he explains why he isn’t concerned about that.

The Combat Countdown: 5 Female Prospects for the UFC to Sign (18:01)

Before we get to the hustle and bustle of the UFC Vegas 68 card and Tybura’s fight, we have one more down week in the world of MMA. So in the absence of fights to break down, we’re bringing back one of our favorite segments – The Combat Countdown. This week, we’re taking a look at some of the best women in the world who aren’t already signed to a major organization. Some of these fighters are names you’ve probably never heard of. Others are highly touted prospects that may have slipped under the radar in the recent past. Whichever they are, the UFC needs to get on it and snatch them up. For this segment, all odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Adam Fugitt Interview (26:52)

Closing out this week’s edition of TTP is an interview with UFC welterweight, Adam Fugitt. Fugitt shares thoughts about the UFC Vegas 68 card being moved to the Apex from Korea and why that may have been both a blessing and a curse. Plus, he breaks down the difficult circumstances around his debut in the UFC and why he’s excited to show a different version of himself this time.

The post TTP Ep. 362 with Marcin Tybura, Adam Fugitt, and 5 Female Prospects the UFC Should Sign appeared first on Cageside Press.

Vera’s management team, Iridium Sports Agency, announced the fight.

Vera (20-7) currently rides a 4-fight win streak. He’s coming off a knockout victory over Dominick Cruz back in August.

¡Para verlo una y mil veces! Revive el KO de Chito Vera ante Dominick Cruz en #UFCSanDiego. pic.twitter.com/MYxPsRos8t

— ESPN Ecuador (@ESPNEcuador) August 14, 2022

Sandhagen (15-4) is coming off a TKO victory over Yadong Song back in September. He looks to get back into contention with a win over one of the biggest names in the bantamweight division right now.

The UFC Fight Night 219 is currently scheduled to take place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, NV. The card currently looks like this:

• Marlon “Chito” Vera vs. Cory Sandhagen
• Erin Blanchfield vs. Taila Santos
• Ovince St. Preux vs. Philipe Lins
• Jim Miller vs. Gabriel Benitez
• Gerald Meerschaert vs. Abusupiyan Magomedov
• Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Lina Lansberg
• William Knight vs. Marcin Prachino
• Jamall Emmers vs. Khusein Askhabov
• Evan Elder vs. Nazim Sadykhov
• Juancamilo Ronderos vs. Clayton Carpenter
• Joe Solecki vs. Benoit St. Denis
• Billy Goff vs. Themba Gorimbo

The post Chito Vera vs. Cory Sandhagen Set For UFC Event Feb. 18 appeared first on Cageside Press.