Oban Elliott (9-2), a Cage Warriors standout and winner on Dana White’s Contender Series earlier this year, will face Valentine Woodburn (7-1) at the event on February 17, 2024 in Anaheim, CA. The bout will take place at middleweight.

Iridium Sports Agency, who represent Woodburn, recently announced the booking. Elliott confirmed the booking on social media.

Making his own UFC debut on short notice against uber-prospect Bo Nickal in July, Val Woodburn suffered the first setback of his professional career, losing by TKO just 38 seconds into the opening round. Prior to that, “The Animal” had gone 7-0 and picked up the Combat Night Pro middleweight championship.

Elliott sits on a five-fight win streak, and will make his promotional debut after winning a contract on the Contender Series off a majority decision win over Kaik Brito. Elliott trains alongside Jack Shore, another top Welsh star, at Shore MMA.

UFC 298 is set to be headlined by a featherweight title fight between champ Alexander Volkanovski and undefeated challenger Ilia Topuria. The event takes place at the Honda Center in Anaheim on Feb. 17 with the following pairings reported for the card:

• Alexander Volkanovski (c) vs. Ilia Topuria — for the UFC featherweight championship
• Merab Dvalishvili vs. Henry Cejudo
• Tai Tuivasa vs. Marcin Tybura
• Tatiana Suarez vs. Amanda Lemos
• Anthony Hernandez vs. Ikram Aliskerov
• Marcos Rogério de Lima vs. Justin Tafa
• Zhang Mingyang vs. Brendson Ribeiro
• Yusaku Kinoshita vs. Danny Barlow
• Andrea Lee vs. Miranda Maverick
• Rinya Nakamura vs. Brady Hiestand
• Valentine Woodburn vs. Oban Elliott

The post Oban Elliott Debuts at UFC 298 Opposite Valentine Woodburn appeared first on Cageside Press.

News of the match-up was first reported by Marcel Dorff.

 

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Woodburn (7-0) has finished five of his seven professional bouts all within the Combat Night Pro promotion.

Nickal (4-0) gets to stay on the card after Tresean Gore withdrew due to injury. Nickal is coming off a submission victory over Jamie Pickett at UFC 285 in March.

Gore announced that he was out of UFC 290 this morning on his Instagram story following an initial report from Ariel Helwani. Gore fears he will need surgery on his wrist following a torn scafoid ligament.

No word on if the fight will remain on the main card at UFC 290 or if it will get bumped by a fight on the prelims perhaps the featured bout between Robbier Lawler and Niko Price.

UFC 290 takes place this Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas headlined by a featherweight title unification bout between champion Alexander Volkanovski and interim champ Yair Rodriguez.

The co-main event is a rematch between flyweight champion Brandon Moreno and challenger Alexandre Pantoja.

The post Val Woodburn Steps In To Face Bo Nickal At UFC 290 appeared first on Cageside Press.

CFFC 106 | US | Thursday

Lightweight, Paris Artis (5-0)

Artis is a highlight-reel finisher holding a few dramatic finishes. He comes out with a high guard chopping with heavy leg kicks and throwing check hooks. Artis has huge power in his hands and kicks with one-shot knockout power. Even on the mat his jiu-jitsu is decent with good scrambling ability and a slick submission attack. I’m not too sold on him but he’s someone you tune in to watch when he’s fighting. Artis fights champ Blake Smith (6-2) for the title.

Cage Warriors 134 | UK | Friday

Featherweight, James Hendin (6-1)

Hendin is a super impressive young man out of England. Hendin is a wrestler who will grind out hard-fought decision wins. He’s always in your face throwing low calf kicks, short powerful punches, and pressing opponents against the cage. Hendin has good wrestling, especially with a beautiful hip-toss he’s hit many times in his career. Hendin has one submission but it’s more of his smothering active ground and pound. Hendin has pressure, technique, and a deep gas tank. He fights Jordan Vucenic (8-1).

Featherweight, Jordan Vucenic (8-1)

Vucenic is mainly a wrestler. He has heavy leg kicks plus good forward pressure, but everything he does on the feet is to get to the takedown. Along with good wrestling, Vucenic has really good top control and really nice fluidity as well. His work rate is impressive with a deep gas tank. Still needs some work on the feet but is scrappy. He defends his title against James Hendin (6-1).

Lightweight, George Hardwick (8-1)

No matter where the fight takes Hardwick he’s going to be comfortable. He’s all about volume on the feet throwing slick combinations to the body and head. Surgical on the inside with his hands and elbows in the clinch he will chop the legs at distance. Hardwick can wrestle as well. He can get takedowns on the legs and from the upper body. His jiu-jitsu is slick. He smoothly takes the back and right away locks in the body triangle. As a pro he’s really good at finding the neck of his opponent. Hardwick fights Lukasz Kopera (10-6).

Middleweight, Will Currie (6-2)

Currie has only lost to one person and it was twice to Christian Leroy Duncan. He is  primarily a grappler with a submission base. As a pro, he’s finished with an RNC, arm-bar, americana, keylock, triangle and an arm-triangle. Wrestling-wise he has good timing on his entries and has a strong body lock. Currie has been very impressive on the mat with that submission base, aggression, and smooth transitions. Only being 23, Currie has a bright future. He fights Patrick Vallee (12-12-2).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fytaxeZqRAU&ab_channel=WorldWideWeb

 Flyweight, Lone’er Kavanagh (2-0)

Kavanagh is a very skilled and intriguing young man. Where he’s best at is unequivocally on the feet. He’s light on his feet, doing a lot of bouncing around. Kavanagh is excessively fast specifically with his movement, hands, and his legs. The Englishman throws a nice lead uppercut, is a well-executed counter striker, and has a good one-two. Kavanagh fights behind his kicks, setting the tone of his fights that way. He’s such a flashy guy and he doesn’t telegraph his strikes at all. Kavanagh is a true 125-er that brings speed, athleticism, explosiveness, and a recurrent rapid pace. He fights Ryan Morgan (1-0).

iKON FC 2 | US | Friday

Middleweight, SD Dumas (5-0)

The first thing you notice when watching Dumas is how often and quickly he lets his kickboxing set the pace. He loves to chop away at the legs and then go high – sometimes to the opposite side. All his work he does with his legs opens up his striking even more. Dumas has really good distance management on the feet, with of course his kicks but his striking as well. He has a stiff jab and strikes really well long, keeping guys at the end of his punches. He fights very patiently picking his spots and it’s a big reason why he can fight as well as he can later in fights. Here is an extensive piece I did on Dumas. He fights Aaron Highbaugh (9-5).

PFL Challenger Series 5 | US | Friday

Lightweight, Bruno Miranda (13-3)

Miranda has extensive experience in Muay Thai and it’s shown throughout his MMA career. You will see Miranda attack with leg kicks early and often throughout his fights. The Brazilian is a banger who will come out throwing bombs the entire bout. He is wild though and that’s resulted in him getting tagged, but he’s tough and his will breaks opponents. Miranda is a striker/kickboxer by trade but he has some decent wrestling to fall back on. he fights Carson Frei (9-4).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETI3azNVfRE&ab_channel=JeffSainlarVisuals

Eternal MMA 64 | Australia | Saturday

Lightweight, Josh Kuhne (3-0)

It’s hard to get a good read on Kuhne because his fights end so quickly. The storm he brings right out of the gate is so heavy his opponents so far couldn’t withstand it. Kunhe has massive power in both his hands and knees. So much is unknown about him but to put on a show is what he’s all about. There is a reason they call him Kamikaze. Kuhne fights Blake Donnelly (5-1).

The post Weekly MMA Prospect Report: London’s Calling appeared first on Cageside Press.

Open Fighting Championship 9 | Russia | Friday

Heavyweight, Aleksandr Maslov (7-1)

Maslov is a dangerous athletic striker who has a lot of pop behind his punches. He’s also very fast with his output and overall has good hands with a key uppercut he loves to throw. His takedown defense is a concern but age is on his side and he’s been fighting good solid fighters. Maslov hasn’t fought anyone with a losing record to date. He fights former UFC fighter Luis Henrique (13-6).

Heavyweight, Alexander Soldatkin (9-3)

Soldatkin is a muscling stocky fighter that moves better than expected. One of his favorite things to throw is a spinning kick to the body. Soldatkin has two submissions and an overall decent ground game. He’s more comfortable on the feet. He throws a lot of volume always throws in twos or more. Along with fluid hands, he has knockout power as well. Not sold on him but he has a lot of attributes a heavyweight doesn’t have. He fights Alex Coruja (10-5).

Future MMA 13 | Brazil | Friday

Middleweight, Claudio Ribeiro (8-2)

Outside of his pro debut, his only loss is a split decision in 2018. Ribeiro brings a wild approach slinging wild looping punches. He’s a wild man but with a lot of power in his hands. Not just in his hands as Ribeiro throws thunderous leg kicks as well. Ribeiro is someone you don’t wanna rush in on as he will catch you. Not someone to sit in the pocket and trade with either because his knockout power is dangerous. He fights Marcos del Vigna (4-0).

Flyweight, Wellington Souza (8-1)

Souza is a talented young 24-year-old with tons of potential. Souza is an athletic sniper on the outside. He’s very quick and will explode in and right back out before his opponent can respond. Souza throws hard leg kicks and has a textbook front kick to maintain range. He has a good one-two he uses but it’s his kickboxing that’s more impressive. Souza has a good ground game as well. It’s the athleticism and explosiveness that sets him apart. He fights Eduardo Henrique da Silva (7-1).

PFL 2021 #9 | US | Friday

Featherweight, Movlid Khaybulaev (17-0-1)

Khaybulaev is a very solid fighter all around, and he is really technical in his stand-up. He throws a lot of spinning attacks, not overdoing it, but that is a good thing. Khaybulaev uses the flying knee often, which he’s used to knocking out opponents. With that said, he also has good wrestling; he is able to shoot in for a double leg or he can lift and slam you to the mat. Khaybulaev can usually get the fight down multiple times in a bout. He fights Brendan Loughnane (21-3).

Featherweight, Alejandro Flores (19-3)

Flores is 29-years-old and along with a good amount of fights, he’s fought good competition. Flores is a distance fighter who relies on his excellent distance control. He’s very technical and his shot placement is spot on. Although he’s a talented striker he can wrestle as well. His losses reflect minor mistakes and not just him getting clearly beaten. He fights Carl Deaton (15-4).

AKA 17 | US | Friday

Featherweight, Dakota Hope-Lewis (5-0)

3-0 as an amateur, 5-0 as a pro, 6-1 in Muay Thai, and BJJ experience as well, Lewis is someone to watch for. Hope is a good wrestler and can wrestle and use his BJJ the entire fight. Or he can close the distance and knock your head off. He still has to show much more but he’s well-rounded and well-conditioned and that can take him far into his career. He fights Loren Thibodeaux (3-0).

LFA 114 | US | Friday

Featherweight, Bruno Souza (9-1)

The prodigy of MMA legend Lyoto Machida, Bruno Souza is a solid prospect. Souza mimics the style of Machida with his Karate approach. Souza was a 2015 world Karate champion and a former national and South American champion as well. Being a karate-style fighter, his kicks are his most vital weapon, similar to how a boxer primarily uses their hands. But Souza isn’t only a kicker but in fact a solid striker as well. Mixing in kicks and punches together in combinations is Souza something does extremely well. With incredible movement, his counter striking is very much up to par. Fighting on the outside the Brazilian has long straight very quick hands. As the fight goes on his pace picks up and so does his output. He fights Javier Garcia (7-3).

Invicta FC 44 | US | Friday

Bantamweight, Lisa Verzosa (6-1)

Low key, Verzosa is one of the best bantamweight prospects out there. Her only loss is to TUF veteran, Invicta champion, and current UFC fighter Julija Stoliarenko. In that fight, both ladies fought in an all-out war resulting in a close split decision. As a pro and amateur, Verzosa is 15-2. She has wins over Katharina Lehner, Kerri Kenneson, and current UFC fighter Shanna Young. She’s been a staple of Invicta FC since 2018 and has lots of memorable fights. She’s only 25 too so the future is bright. Verzosa fights Taneisha Tennant (3-1).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukwVkqBhCi0

ACA 127 | Russia | Saturday

Flyweight, Azamat Kerefov (14-0)

The undefeated Russian is the current reigning ACA champion. Over the last three years, he’s fought and proved himself under the ACA banner fighting nothing but top-level competition. He’s in the running as the best flyweight outside of the UFC. On the feet, Kerefov has good dirty boxing, dangerous kicks, and a laser-accurate straight left. He is as good of a wrestler as he is a striker, and has a gas tank to go five rounds. His takedown defense needs some work but has good grappling and get-up ability. Azamat was very impressive in his last showing. He fights Rasul Albaskhanov (11-4).

Featherweight, Salman Zhamaldaev (19-2)

Salman has beat very good competition proving he is a top 145-pound prospect out of Russia. If the fight isn’t finished in the first two rounds, Salman has no problem going the distance as he’s done it nine times. Salman is well-rounded and very dangerous everywhere. On the feet, he is an excellent counter-striker and is very effective at kicking the lower calf of his opponent. On the mat, he holds four submissions but really relies on control. He fights for UFC talent Diego Brandão (25-17).

Featherweight, Andrey Goncharov (15-3)

Goncharov is a firecracker of a striker who is super technical. Along with superb boxing skills he has lights out power in his hands. His combinations, output, shot placement, and bodywork is excellent. His hands are sharp and can break guys down during the duration of the fight. He can also stop the fight at any moment when he lands clean. His takedown defense needs some work but it does improve as the fight goes on. Goncharov fights Apti Bimarzaev (17-3).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdF6UE8rjNs

Combat Night Pro | US | Friday

Light heavyweight, Valentine Woodburn (4-0)

For pure entertainment value, Woodburn is definitely on the watch list. Woodburn is 5’8″ of pure strength and power. Woodburn trains out of a solid camp in Fusion Xcel Performance out of Ocoee, Florida. In his most recent fight, he knocked out Miles Amos to win the Combat Night Pro middleweight title. Woodburn hasn’t shown nearly enough to suggest he’s a top prospect but he is worth watching. He fights Brandon Johnson (4-1).

RUF 43 | US | Saturday

Heavyweight, Jesus Navarrete  (7-0)

Located in Maneadero, Baja California, Mexico, Navarrete is an underrated heavyweight prospect. Navarrete is a chubbier heavyweight but is talented enough to watch out for. The big man is a technical striker with a good jab and a lot of output. Navarrete will march forward throwing his hands and kicks. He’s got that Mexican toughness marching forward taking shots to give some. Not someone that’s going to knock the doors down right away, but he will put on some entertaining fights on the rise up. He fights Ellery Tarazon (0-1).

The post Weekly MMA Prospect Report: Plenty of Prospects on a Busy Friday Night appeared first on Cageside Press.

In this three-part feature, we’ll list prospects the UFC should bring in for season five. This will exclude prospects that have already been on the show, although there are a few that could very well be brought back (and at least one, Aaron Jeffery, that will be). The goal here is to be realistic with the selections, so don’t expect too many left-field picks.

From last year’s list, Tafon Nchukwi, Dustin Stoltzfus, Brandon Royval, Collin Anglin, TJ Laramie, Adrian Yanez, Al Matavao, Nikolas Motta, Cody Brundage, Sherrard Blackledge and more all made it to the show. Others, like Anthony Ivy, Kay Hansen, Max Rohskopf, Timur Valiev, and Irwin Rivera, were signed directly to the UFC, to varying degrees of success.

It’s time for our third and final installment. If you missed them, parts one and two are linked below.

Scouting Prospects for Dana White’s Contender Series Season 5, Part 1

Scouting Prospects for Dana White’s Contender Series Season 5, Part 2

Paul Capaldo

Bantamweight | 24 | New Jersey, US | 6-0 | Win streak: 11 | 4 KO/TKOs

6-0 as a pro and 5-0 as an amateur, Capaldo is a solid prospect out of Nick Catone MMA and Fitness. Capaldo is on the correct path to get to the UFC having all his pro fights under the CFFC banner. His highlight-reel wheel kick knockout in his last bout does nothing but help his case. Capaldo could just get more experience and come onto the Contender Series in 2022 but does have the skillset to be on the show this year, and would give anyone problems.

AJ Fletcher

Welterweight | 24 | Lafayette, Louisiana, US | 7-0 | Win streak: 10 | 3 KO/TKOs, 3 Submissions’

Since losing two consecutive fights as an amateur in 2018, Fletcher has hit his stride. The Louisiana-born fighter has looked excellent across seven pro bouts. “The Ghost” has been very active since turning professional even fighting four times in 2019. The fighting style of Fletcher slightly resembles Contender Series veteran and UFC fighter Ian Heinishch. I’m sure a young welterweight with an undefeated record will attract a spot on the show.

The post Scouting Prospects for the Contender Series Season 5: Part 3 appeared first on Cageside Press.