The main card was off to a hot start as Volkan Oezdemir, Myktybek Orolbai, Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Kyoji Horiguchi all scored impressive finishes on our way to our top two fights. In the main and co-main events, Arman Tsarukyan and Ian Machado Garry both called for title shots after their wins. With UFC Qatar now in the books, let’s look at what’s next for the winners.

Arman Tsarukyan

After pulling out 24 hours away from his rematch against Islam Makhachev at the start of the year, the UFC clearly wasn’t happy with the Armenian. That’s why he was tasked with winning another bout even after already having earned his title shot. Being the massive betting favourite he was, Tsarukyan had the pressure of not only beating Dan Hooker but doing so in a way that would cement his number one contender status. That’s what he accomplished as he battered the Kiwi on his way to a second-round submission stoppage.

Rumours seem to be flying around that Ilia Topuria will headline the first numbered event of the Paramount era in January. The consensus seems to be that Paddy Pimblett will be his opponent due to the Englishman’s star power and their history. However, Tsarukyan still called for the shot in January, saying he will be ready. There’s no question that from a meritocratic standpoint, Tsarukyan is way ahead of Pimblett in the queue, but time will tell whether the UFC will still opt for Pimblett in January. One thing is certain, whether it’s in January or later, Tsarukyan’s next fight has to be for the lightweight title.

Tsarukyan’s next fight: Title shot

Ian Machado Garry

Like Tsarukyan, Ian Machado Garry called for a title shot after beating Belal Muhammad. Unlike Tsarukyan, Ian Machado Garry did not put on the type of performance that will solidify his status as the number one contender. While you could do worse than pick the Irishman as Makhachev’s first title defence, he hasn’t had a truly inspiring win in some time. His loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov upped his stock in a big way, but it was still a loss. His last four wins came against Geoff Neal, Michael Page, Carlos Prates and now Belal Muhammad. All very good names, but none of those tests were passed with what you would call “flying colours”. If anything, I think this win by Garry helps both Rakhmonov and Michael Morales’ cases for a shot. Prates is coming off back-to-back sensational KOs, but his loss to Garry will keep him behind the Irishman. That is also why I think Garry’s loss to Rakhmonov will probably end up keeping him behind the Kazakh fighter. With the public opinion seemingly being that Morales needs one more win, Shavkat will likely get the first crack Makhachev’s belt. That leaves Garry with one of Jack Della Maddalena, Morales, and Kamaru Usman as the contenders he hasn’t faced yet. I like the JDM vs Prates idea a lot, and I think Morales could actually slide into a shot without an issue. So give me Ian Machado Garry and Kamaru Usman in yet another number one contender fight.

Machado Garry’s next fight: Kamaru Usman

Volkan Oezdemir

The fighter from Switzerland stayed put as one of the steadiest fighters in the company. He never allows himself to go on long losing streaks that could derail his career, but he hasn’t put together the kind of win streak to get into the title picture ever since making a splash seven years ago. It feels like he’s been in the top10 forever and this latest first-round KO of Alonzo Menifield will keep him there for a little while longer. It both feels like you could throw any name at him while also having already fought everyone. I think a sensical matchup for Oezdemir next is the winner of the Nikita Krylov vs Modestas Bukauskas fight in January. Whether it’s a Krylov rematch or a streaking Bukauskas, we can count on Volkan to show up and be a knockout threat.

Oezdemir’s next fight: Krylov/Bukauskas winner

Myktybek Orolbai

A strange fight took place as a former lightweight and a former middleweight met in the middle at welterweight. On paper, the matchup was interesting since there were good reasons to favour both fighters. Yes, Hermansson was the naturally bigger fighter, but he’s now 37 coming off an absolutely brutal KO loss in June. Meanwhile, Orolbai looked a lot smaller, but being 10 years Hermansson’s junior really paid off. Orolbai just walked a tentative Hermansson down and kept throwing looping right hands, just waiting for one of them to land. When he finally connected cleanly on one of them, that was all she wrote. It’ll be interesting to see what Orolbai can do at welterweight after missing weight multiple times at 155 lbs. There’s no wrong way to match him up, but I’d like to see him face Chidi Njokuani next, who’s also a former middleweight.

Orolbai’s next fight: Chidi Njokuani

Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Just three weeks removed from his wild finish of Ante Delija, and on just two days’ notice, “Salsa Boy” flew all the way to Doha to take care of Shamil Gaziev in a minute and twenty-two seconds. What’s even crazier is that Cortes-Acosta called for one more fight before the end of the year and while the calendar is coming to its end, I think the UFC could still squeeze him in if they really wanted to. I think the only fighter that might be down to get off the couch and face WCS on short notice is someone like Derrick Lewis. “The Black Beast” has a lot of respect for the ones who stand-and-bang, so I feel like Cortes-Acosta has gotten on his radar by now. The UFC is in need of some fun storylines, so why not put it as a co-main to Royval and Kape to end the year?

Cortes-Acosta’s next fight: Derrick Lewis

Kyoji Horiguchi

Almost exactly 9 years after his last UFC fight, the 35-year-old looked as good as ever in his dominant showing over Tagir Ulanbekov, who had won four straight coming in. In those 9 years outside the MMA leader, Horiguchi’s only losses came against Kai Asakura (whom he also beat), as well as Sergio Pettis and Patchy Mix a bantamweight. His first stint in RIZIN also included a submission win over Manel Kape. This fight proved that the Japanese fighter hasn’t slowed down and is still arguably a top5 flyweight in the world. With this win putting him in the division’s top10, he should face Amir Albazi next to see if he can crack the top5.

Horiguchi’s next fight: Amir Albazi

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

The post Volkan Oezdemir Makes Violent Statement with R1 KO Over Menifield appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I opened my own gym. Also because my wife was pregnant and the baby came. So we did a lot of stuff on the outside – taking care of life, everything that was happening,” Oezdemir explained. “The baby and everything, being close to family, moving from the house and then opening my own gym – I had a lot of stuff happening.”

Those things are not a distraction though. Instead, he took the time away so that when he was ready to fight again, he could put all of his time and effort into just that. Now that he’s back in fighting camp for UFC Qatar, he’s right where he needs to be.

“Of course, it was good, but now everything was finished. I went back to the real training mode, training regime and focusing on the fighting itself,” he said. “I’ve been entering camp, looking for our next fight and being back in shape and ready to win my next fight.”

His new gym has turned out to be quite an asset for a training camp. Not only does he have all the space he needs to get his training in, but it also allowed him to bring people in to be around him. And that’s not even all he’s been doing to get ready for this fight.

“It was very good because I used that as a leverage also to bring other people close to my home so we can have also like good company around me and high level people coming to my place, which was very good,” Oezdemir explained. “And of course, you also need to be out of your comfort zone. So I keep traveling and going different places and always put yourself in the most difficult situations. So it was a mix of everything, but it’s good to have a little bit of myself in every direction.”

With all of that under his belt, he feels like he’s in the perfect place for Saturday’s fight with Alonzo Menifield. If things are running as smoothly as he believes they are, this should be a quick night.

“I see this as a one round fight,” he said. “This is definitely going to be a banger. I’m going to get my hands raised and it’s going to be like a good old scrap and it’s going to be very good.”

You can catch Oezdemir looking to get out of there quickly as part of the UFC Qatar main card. The fight card begins at 10am EST with the main card kicking off at 1pm EST on ESPN+.

The post UFC Qatar’s Volkan Oezdemir: New Developments, New Win Streak appeared first on Cageside Press.

The post Alonzo Menifield Eyes Breakthrough Moment Against Former Title Challenger Oezdemir appeared first on Cageside Press.

Kicking off this UFC Qatar edition of TTP is our interview with UFC light heavyweight, Volkan Oezdemir. Oezdemir discusses his time out of the cage and how he’s been busy even without a fight. A new father and new gym owner, he’s got plenty to fight for as he heads to Qatar. He’s fight Alonzo Menifield as part of the UFC Qatar main card this Saturday on ESPN+ and he’s breaking that fight down for us.

Fights, Dogs and Parlays: UFC Qatar (17:30)

After a monumental UFC 322, the UFC stays on the road with yet another big show. The UFC makes its first trip to Qatar and they packed the show for everyone. In the main event, Arman Tsarukyan will look to take a step back towards the title shot he lost when he faces Dan Hooker. And in the co-main event, Belal Muhammad is looking to get back in the win column as he seeks to turn away Ian Machado Garry. We’ll break down those fights as well as some of our other favorite fights on the main card. Plus, as always, we’re hitting you with an underdog and a plus-money parlay that we think will make your wallet fat this weekend. For this segment, all odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Shannon Clark Interview (26:56)

Closing out this UFC Qatar edition of TTP is our interview with LFA flyweight champion, Shannon Clark. Clark joins us fresh off of her trip to Brazil where she successful defended her LFA title against then-undefeated Beatriz Consuli. She shares stories about how welcoming the Brazilian people were and how much she loved fighting down there. Then, she shares her thoughts about what could be next for her and she does her best to call out UFC boss-man Dana White for a shot at the big show.

The post TTP Ep. 507: Volkan Oezdemir, Shannon Clark, and UFC Qatar appeared first on Cageside Press.

Deiveson Figueiredo

Petr Yan completely shut out former UFC Flyweight Champion, Deiveson Figueiredo, in a five-round thrashing. The loss marks Figueiredo’s first defeat at bantamweight in the UFC. Figueiredo was a perfect 3-0 at the 135lbs. since moving up in January of last year. Figueiredo has defeated Rob Font, Cody Garbrandt and Marlon Vera in the time since then.

Deiveson entered the fight ranked at #5 in the UFC’s bantamweight division, while his opponent, Petr Yan, was ranked at #3. This loss and the way Figueiredo lost definitely impacts his trajectory in the division.  Figueiredo turns 37 next month which may signal Figueiredo needs to make an urgent campaign to the belt.

With that in mind, Figueiredo should fight Song Yadong in his next fight. Song is also coming off a unanimous decision loss to Petr Yan at UFC 299, back in March. Yadong is currently ranked at #8 in the UFC’s bantamweight division and has looked promising in his 14 fight UFC tenure.

Winner of this fight could possibly be a win or two away from a title shot in the clogged upper ranks of the bantamweight division. Producing a finish in this matchup would be a career statement and potentially place the victor in immediate title shot conversations. Not to mention Figgy is 10 years older than Song, good old blood vs new blood.

Deiveson’s next fight: Song Yadong

Tabatha Ricci

Tabatha Ricci was thoroughly outclassed on the feet by top ranked Xiaonan Yan, in a unanimous decision defeat in the UFC Macau co-main event. Ricci is now 2-1 in the 2024 calendar year having defeated Tecia Pennington by split decision and most recently Angela Hill by unanimous decision.

Tabatha Ricci started the fight ranked at #10 while her opponent, Yan Xiaonan, entered the fight ranked at #2. This was a huge gift for Ricci, and unfortunately, she fumbled at the goal line.

Logically, it makes sense to give Tabatha more of a step back at this point. Ricci’s next fight should be against Marina Rodriguez. Marina is currently ranked at #9 in the strawweight division but has been on a bit of a slide recently. Rodriguez has lost four of her last five fights dating back to late 2022. Her only win in that time period was against a now retired Michelle Waterson-Gomez (suffering losses to Amanda Lemos, Virna Jandiroba, Jessica Andrade and Iasmin Lucindo). Rodriguez was last in action at UFC 307 in October when she dropped a split decision to Iasmin Lucindo. Perfect fight to see where Marina is as a competitor as before that five-fight stretch, she had won against Mackenzie Dern and Xiaonan Yan. Would be another solid measuring stick for Tabatha as well.

Tabatha’s next fight: Marina Rodriguez

Kenan Song

Kenan Song was on the receiving end of a highlight reel spinning heel kick KO courtesy of his opponent, Muslim Salikhov. Song has struggled heavily recently as he’s gone 2-3 since March of 2023. Song has fought and lost to solid names during that time including both Ian Machado Garry and Kevin Jousset.

It’s a tough loss, to a 40-year-old in Salikhov, but it likely says more about the skillset of his opponent (especially that technique) than it does about Song.

Jerimiah Wells would be a competitive next matchup for Song. Wells is a 6-fight UFC veteran that is currently on a two-fight losing skid. Jerimiah pulled out of his UFC 302 bout with Niko Price back in June thanks to an undisclosed injury. Wells was last in the octagon back in March when he dropped a split decision to Max Griffin. It’d be a solid matchup to see which fighter can get back on the winning track.

Muslim’s next fight: Jerimiah Wells

Cong Wang

Cong Wang suffered the first defeat of her pro MMA career at UFC Macau on Saturday. Her opponent, Gabriella Fernandes, pulled off an improbable comeback to upset Wang. Now Cong will need to look at how she can continue to raise her stock. Wang is now 1-1 with the UFC.

Wang, has star power as she won a kickboxing world championship over current UFC women’s flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko, in 2015 (albeit controversially). That being said, Wang should draw a fighter like Veronica Hardy in her next fight. Hardy has been in the UFC since 2016 and even though she is 4-5 with the promotion, has heated up recently. Hardy is 3-1 in her last four fights, having lost in her last time out against Eduarda Moura, at UFC 309 earlier this month. Great fight to book as it gives Wang another fighter with a full MMA arsenal and UFC tenure but not too high up of a step for her.

Cong’s next fight: Veronica Hardy

Volkan Oezdemir

Volkan Oezdemir turned in a hard fought fifteen minutes but dropped a unanimous decision to his younger counterpart, Carlos Ulberg.

Oezdemir entered the fight with the #8 ranking in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. Carlos entered the fight ranked at #10.

This is a tough loss for 35-year-old Oezdemir who had won two in a row, stopping Bogdan Guskov and Johnny Walker in the first round. Volkan has struggled to win a few fights in a row and seems to find himself towards the middle to bottom of the rankings often.

Volkan should fight Azamat Murzakanov in his next fight. Azamat is ranked at #11 in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. It’s a dangerous fight for Volkan but then again there aren’t many in the weight class that aren’t.  The hot prospect is 14-0 as a pro and 4-0 in the UFC with three finishes. Azamat finished #15 ranked, Alonzo Menifield in his last time out, back in August. A fight with a former title challenger like Volkan would be a good test for both men. A finish out of either man would signal an emergence or reemergence to the division.

Volkan’s next fight: Azamat Murzakanov

Ozzy Diaz

Ozzy Diaz was finished in the first round by Mingyang Zhang in the opening fight on the main card of UFC Macau. An unfortunate outcome for the UFC debut of Diaz after he won a pair of LFA fights immediately following his loss to middleweight standout, Joe Pyfer, on the 2022 season of the Contender Series.

Ozzy finds himself in a tough spot after his defeat at UFC Macau. He will need a win to stay with the promotion and even then, his roster spot could be in jeopardy. It helps his case that UFC‘s light heavyweight division is currently barren, but he needs a win.

Good fight for him would be against Caio Machado or Jose Medina who both also desperately need a win.  Jose Medina is also 0-1 with the promotion and gained a shot in the UFC off of a gritty performance on the 2023 season of the Contender Series. Caio is 0-3 in the UFC after gaining a UFC contract from a win on the 2023 season of the Contender Series. All three of these guys need a win and all three are on the short list to be cut.  Whoever is available should fight, loser will likely be released.

Ozzy’s next fight: Caio Machado or Jose Medina

The post What’s Next: UFC Macau Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.

Ulberg, winner of six straight, had been matched up against ex-champ Hill at UFC 303. Injury saw that fall through, and he instead was given Oezdemir, winner of his last two fights.

Oezdemir is known for his impressive one-punch power and after knocking out Johnny Walker in June, is making another push towards the top of the division. Fight fans expected fireworks from these aggressive strikers, and that’s exactly what they got.

Oezdemir pressured forward early looking to land powerful hooks on the inside. Ulberg threw a swift head kick that was blocked, but got Oezdemir’s attention. Oezdemir continued to push forward backing Ulberg up against the fence. Both fighters exchanged heavy blows against the cage, as Oezemir backed up in respect for Ulberg’s power. In the final ten seconds, Ulberg threw a three punch combination to the body followed by a head kick, that may have swung the opening round in his favor.

To start the second, each competitor exchanged leg kicks while measuring distance. Ulberg found a home for his jab, utilizing his two inch reach advantage midway through the round. Oezdemir started to lead blood from his nose after repeatedly getting hit with the jab of Ulberg. The toughness of Oezdemir was on display in round two as he continued to march forward against the younger and faster rising prospect.

Oezdemir came out extremely aggressive in round three looking for a knockout finish. Ulberg utilized his quickness and circled away from the powerful punches coming his way. Ulberg threw a three-punch combo that landed on Oezdemir, as it looked like the perennial contender was slowing down. Ulberg again found success with his jab and Oezdemir shot for a desperation takedown with a minute left in the third. After 15 hard fought minutes all three judges scored the fight in favor of Ulberg, with scores of 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28.

Currently the tenth ranked fighter in the division, “The Black Jag” will find himself knocking on the door of the top five. Especially with seven straight wins under his belt.

Official Result: Carlos Ulberg def. Volkan Oezdemir by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

The post UFC Macau: Carlos Ulberg’s Win Streak Continues with Decision Over Volkan Oezdemir appeared first on Cageside Press.

It wasn’t to be. Chimaev, along with a host of other fighters, withdrew from the event due to numerous issues, from illness to visa problems to drug test failures. What was left was a good, very good, but not great line-up, one that turned out to be uneven in the end, though the main card for the most part showed out.

What’s next for the winning side of UFC Saudi Arabia, including ex-middleweight champ Robert Whittaker? It’s matchmaker time.

Robert Whittaker

The Reaper is back! With his first finish since 2017 Whittaker proved himself still a dangerous threat, and has now set up a number one contender fight opportunity for himself. The likely opponent? Sean Strickland. Strickland’s win over Paulo Costa, and Rob’s over Costa and Aliskerov, will put him on a collision course with the Aussie.

The fight will likely take place at the upcoming UFC 305 event in Australia, set to be headlined by champ Dricus Du Plessis vs former champ Israel Adesanya. With the history Rob and Sean both have with the headliners, and Whittaker’s popularity in the country, the fight has to happen there.

Whittaker’s Next Fight: Sean Strickland

The post What’s Next: UFC Saudi Arabia Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

The promotion’s debut in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was first pushed back, then hit with numerous injuries and other withdrawals – but ultimately, after something of a slow start to the preliminary card, entertained.

Among the big winners on the night, main event star Robert Whittaker. The former middleweight champ wasted no time whatsoever in dispatching short-notice replacement Ikram Aliskerov, in an instant reminder of just how easily “The Reaper” can harvest a soul. One minute, forty-nine seconds was all it took for Whittaker to finish the night, perhaps opening the door for his participation in UFC 305 in Perth, Australia this August.

In the meantime, an extra $50,000 is coming Whittaker’s way in the form of a Performance of the Night bonus. That was one of four, with Volkan Oezdemir also cashing in for a quick knockout of Johnny Walker. That makes back-to-back finishes for “No Time,” a former title challenger looking to secure a second shot at gold

With no Fight of the Night awarded at UFC Saudi Arabia, the remaining two bonuses instead went to newcomer Felipe Lima, for his third-round submission of Muhammad Naimov, and Shara Magomedov, who put away another debuting fighter, Antonio Trocoli.

The post UFC’s Debut in Saudi Arabia Proves Profitable for Whittaker, Oezdemir appeared first on Cageside Press.

Walker’s last two fights had come opposite Magomed Ankalaev, with a No Contest in the pair’s initial meeting, then a knockout loss in the do-over. Oezdemir, meanwhile, was a former UFC title challenger with wins over Bogdan Guskov and Paul Craig sandwiching a loss to Nikita Krylov.

The outcome wasn’t much better for Johnny Walker on Saturday.

To start the fight Walker landed a couple teeps to the body and a few kicks to the legs. Volkan returned with a leg kick of his own, wadding into punching range ominously, hands held high. Walker continued to land leg kicks and teeps, staying light and mobile, as Volkan also threw some kicks targeting the legs.

About 90 seconds into the fight Oezdemir began to really open up with his hands. Oezdemir threw beautiful combos that began with punches to the body, and then targeting the head, before he landed a huge left hook that dropped Johnny Walker. Walker was able to return to his feet throwing a wild jumping knee and lost his footing. Volkan was able to corral his opponent, and expertly slipped a punch from Johnny and countered with a right hook that had Walker out. Volkan threw an extra punch on his opponent as he was near the ground, and rendered Walker completely stiff, unconscious.

Oezdemir takes out Walker in Round 1! 😱

[ #UFCSaudiArabia | #RiyadhSeason ] pic.twitter.com/RoujrV410t

— UFC (@ufc) June 22, 2024

After the victory, Volkan Oezdemir targeted a couple of former champs in Jan Blachowicz and Jamahal Hill. “My only direction is the top, guys. The belt is my destination now,” the Swiss light heavyweight exclaimed.

Official Result: Volkan Oezdemir def. Johnny Walker by KO, Round 1, 2:28

The post UFC Saudi Arabia: Volkan Oezdemir Wastes No Time, Flatlines Johnny Walker appeared first on Cageside Press.