Both fighters had competed at bantamweight previously, making this match-up essentially a bantamweight fight minus the weight cut.

An early clinch didn’t lead to much, and the pair broke, re-engaged, and clinched again. Santos was in the driver’s seat, putting Rosa’s back to the cage and working in knees. Try as she might, Santos could not get the fight down, however, and Rosa reversed, only for Santos to reverse again and move off the fence.

With 90 seconds left in the opening round, Santos ripped a kick to the body, which was followed a moment later by a teep kick to the midsection. Santos then clinched, pushed Rosa to the fence, fired a couple knees, then backed off.

Round two saw more clinch work initiated by Yana Santos. The first two minutes saw her sneak in some knees and elbows; off the break, Rosa would have a chance to walk the former Invicta FC champ down, and fought off another clinch attempt. Santos circled to one side, then the other, not all that interested in fighting out in the open. Rosa did find a home for her right hand, and sat down on a couple of somewhat heavy swings. Santos, however, had the edge in volume in addition to winning the clinch battles.

Towards the end of the round, the pair traded kicks. Rosa then punched her way into a clinch, but was out-muscled by Santos, who reversed and put her opponent against the fence to wrap up the frame.

In the third, Rosa managed to avoid an early clinch, then walk forward, looking to land a right hand on the taller, rangier Santos. For her part, Santos was still the more mobile, fresher-looking fighter. A brief clinch didn’t lead to either woman getting the upper hand. Santos flashed a front kick that was just shy of the mark, and didn’t have much on it. Yana then moved in, clinched, fired a knee, and backed off. A kick to the body landed for Santos, but a counter-right hand connected for Karol Rosa.

Rosa’s counters became more of the factor as the round wore on. Despite her physical advantages, it was Santos closing the distance, and getting clipped, if ever so slightly. The more the pair stayed off the fence, the more things favored Rosa. Towards the final minute, Rosa fired a combo punctuated with a kick, but she then found herself clinching Santos, exactly where she didn’t want to be. Yet in the following sequence, Rosa landed a takedown, finishing the round on top in what might have been the biggest moment in the fight for the Brazilian.

That may have, in fact, won her both the round and the fight. Two of three judges gave Karol Rosa 29-28 scores in what turned out to be a split decision victory for her. Santos, who had come into the fight on a two-fight skid that included a loss to former champ Holly Holm, now falls to 0-3 on her current run.

Official Result: Karol Rosa def. Yana Santos by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

The post UFC Vegas 76: Karol Rosa Takes Split Decision Over Yana Santos in Rare Women’s Featherweight Fight appeared first on Cageside Press.

UFC San Antonio’s co-main event featured the return of a female combat sports icon, Holly Holm, in a bantamweight bout with Yana Santos. The fight marked the end of a 10-month layoff for Holm, as she looked to get back into the win column with a victory over a former UFC title challenger.

And she did just that – in resounding fashion.

Holm was in control throughout the entirety of the latter two rounds following a closer first frame. Holm racked up nearly ten minutes of control time, transitioning from side control to top mount and back smoothly while raining down vicious ground and pound.

There wasn’t a single moment where “The Preacher’s Daughter” encountered any legitimate danger despite Santos’ best efforts. The strength of Holly Holm was too much for the normally strong Yana Santos, as the Russian could not keep Holm off of her.

Holm, 41, recently signed a new six-fight deal with the promotion, and will look to remain in title talks following a dominant showing after nearly a year away from the cage. The timeless contender and former champion proved once again that she is not to be forgotten.

Santos falls to (14-7) with the loss, and will likely pick this fight apart over the next few months in an attempt to correct some of her shortcomings against the legendary Holm.

Holly Holm def. Yana Santos by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27 x2)

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Holly Holm (14-6) is set to face Yana Kunitskaya (14-6, 1NC) in a women’s bantamweight bout at the Fight Night event on March 25, 2023. Kunitskaya confirmed the booking on social media just hours after posting about an early Christmas present from the UFC.

MMA Fighting was first to report news of the match-up.

Holm last competed in May of 2022, losing a split decision to Brazilian Ketlen Vieira. That setback snapped a two-fight win streak for “The Preacher’s Daughter,” who never seems to be far from a title shot.

Missing all of 2021, Holm had defeated Irene Aldana and Raquel Pennington the previous year.

Kunitskaya finds herself in similar circumstances. After sitting out 2022 following the birth of her daughter (with former UFC light heavyweight Thiago Santos), “Foxy” will return to action against Holm coming off a loss to Aldana. Prior to that, she had won back-to-back fights against Ketlan Vieira and Julija Stoliarenko.

UFC San Antonio is set to take place at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas on March 25, 2023. No main event has been announced for the card, which consists of the following reported match-ups:

• Maycee Barber vs. Andrea Lee
• Chidi Njokuani vs. Albert Duraev
• C.J. Vergara vs. Daniel da Silva
• Holly Holm vs. Yana Kunitskaya

The post Holly Holm vs. Yana Kunitskaya Set for UFC San Antonio appeared first on Cageside Press.

During Fight Week, Aldana had seemed like a potential contender if she could shake off last year’s disheartening loss to Holly Holm. Kunitskaya, despite having put together a couple of wins, appeared to take a back seat to her opponent. That all changed Friday morning, however, when Aldana missed weight by 3.5lbs for the bantamweight affair.

Suddenly, Aldana was in need of more than just a little redemption, and was far removed from the title picture.

Redemption, at least to some extent, did come for the Mexican fighter.

Kunitskaya closed the distance early Saturday, dipping for a takedown, though Aldana easily avoided that. “Foxy” piled on the kicks in answer to Aldana’s boxing, and stayed aggressive in the early going. She would close the distance and tie things up again, which led to several reversals along the fence. Rather uncharacteristically, Kunitskaya was right in her opponent’s face through the first two minutes. Aldana, however landed a right hand, and before long Kunitskaya’s nose was bloodied.

A body shot then gave Kunitskaya pause. She answered by going to the body with a kick. As the round progressed, Aldana found her timing, and with roughly two minutes remaining, Aldana dropped her opponent! Following that check left hook, she moved in for follow-up strikes, but that actually allowed Kunitskaya to recover a little. Eventually, however, Aldana would force Kunitskaya to give up her back; the ensuing barrage of punches to the face ended the affair.

R E L E N T L E S S 😤

🇲🇽 @IreneAldana_ gets the TKO in RD 1. #UFC264 pic.twitter.com/bFKv1vrMOA

— UFC (@ufc) July 11, 2021

Thanks to the weight miss, Aldana won’t advance as much as she might have. “Step by step” is what she suggested following the fight. It’s an approach that makes sense, given champ Amanda Nunes is already booked.

Official Result: Irene Aldana def. Yana Kunitskaya by TKO, Round 1, 4:35

The post UFC 264 Results: Irene Aldana Drops Yana Kunitskaya, Secures TKO Finish appeared first on Cageside Press.

That would be Miesha Tate, who makes her return to the octagon later this month.

For Kunitskaya, things have started to come together. The former Invicta FC champ, who faces Irene Aldana this weekend, has won four of her last five. “I feel good about this. I think I’ve improved so much after the move to Florida, and starting training at American Top Team,” she stated during Wednesday’s UFC 264 media day. “I think it’s a good time for me to keep moving up.”

Aldana is coming into the fight off a loss, prior to which her name had been floated in the women’s bantamweight title conversation. That has Kunitskaya quite happy with the match-up.

“At first I’m so happy that the UFC always give me an opportunity to fight opponents higher than me in the rankings,” said Kunitskaya. “I think she’ll be so motivated after the loss. I’m so excited for this fight.”

Asked whether she should be considered for a title shot with a win, Kunitskaya replied by saying that “I think yes, but you know, Miesha Tate is coming back, so we’ll see what happens after her fight. I really would like— I saw a video, she called me out, and maybe if we both win this fight, maybe this will be an interesting match-up.”

The pair have trained a little in the past, but as Kunitskaya added, “it’s a fight, it’s not personal. I have so much respect for her, but I really would like to have this fight.” What it boils down to is that Tate is the whole package. “I really like her personality, and I think she has a big name. It’s going to be an interesting fight.”

First up however comes Aldana. “I think she’s a good boxer, but in this level, everyone is very [well]-rounded. So we’ve prepared for everything, like always,” Kunitskaya observed. She also insisted that despite calling for the Tate fight, she’s not overlooking her opponent. “I’m focused on the here and now.”

Watch the full UFC 264 media day scrum with Yana Kunitskaya above. The event takes place this Saturday, July 10 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The post UFC 264: Yana Kunitskaya Hoping to Land Miesha Tate Fight appeared first on Cageside Press.

Derrick Lewis

Before defeating Blaydes this past weekend, Lewis was ranked number four in the heavyweight division. He said after his fight that he would like to feature in a three-round fight in his next fight. He also suggested a match-up with the recently defeated Alistair Overeem. That is seemingly impossible as his next match-up will likely be against the winner of Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou, or Jon Jones. Miocic and Ngannou will be fighting in late March meaning that unless Lewis wants to wait until the end of the year he will probably be taking another fight before getting his title shot. That leaves Lewis with the option of welcoming Jon Jones to the heavyweight division. Of course, this only works if Jones isn’t gifted the immediate title shot.

Lewis’ next fight: Jon Jones

Yana Kunitskaya

Yana Kunitskaya won a unanimous decision this past weekend over Ketlen Vieira. Kunitskaya came into this fight ranked number seven in the division with Vieira ranked number six. Meaning her win over Vieira will likely not push her crazy far in the division and she is probably not next in line for a title shot. Irene Aldana would be a perfect opponent for Kunitskaya’s next fight. Aldana is ranked number four in the division and is coming off a decision loss to Holly Holm in October. Aldana also has a win over Ketlen Vieira right before her loss to Holm. That fight will be a great striking match-up as both women have 50% of their wins by way of knockout.

Kunitskaya’s next fight: Irene Aldana 

Darrick Minner

Darrick Minner dominated Charles Rosa for their whole fight at UFC Vegas 19. That win brings Minner to 2-1 in the UFC. He currently has an overall record of 26 wins and 11 losses. With 22 of those 26 wins coming by submission, impressively. Minner should be looking to climb the ranks by fighting more up-and-coming stars in the featherweight division. Lerone Murphy would fit that bill perfectly. Murphy is 2-0-1 in the UFC and is 10-0-1 in his professional MMA career. Murphy is a much better striker than he is a grappler so it is going to be a completely different fight than Minner versus Rosa.

Minner’s next fight: Lerone Murphy 

Chris Daukaus vs. Tom Aspinall

After Tom Aspinall’s second-round submission victory over Andrei Arlovski, he called out the winner of Chris Daukaus and Aleksei Oleinik, which was to take place just a few fights after. Chris Daukaus would win that fight by knocking out Oleinik in the first round. It would be great for these two guys to get some more wins and possibly meet up one day once they are both in the top 15. On the other hand, there is no time better than the present. Both of these men are rising in popularity and both just beat great veterans on the same card. If both men want this fight, it seems like a no brainer to book next.

Phil Hawes

Phil Hawes won a majority decision over Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Vegas 19. Hawes easily won the first two rounds but lost the final frame. Badly, with one judge even scoring the last round 10-8 for Imavov. Hawes showcased great wrestling and clinch work in this fight. Tafon Nchukwi seems like he would be the perfect opponent for Hawes’ next fight. Both men are somewhat undersized in the middleweight division. Both men have great power in their hands. With Hawes finishing seven out of his ten wins by knockout and Nchukwi finishing four of his five wins by knockout, they could produce fireworks. Both men are also new to the UFC and have won their contracts on Dana White’s Contender Series.

Hawes’ next fight: Tafon Nchukwi 

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 19 Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

From the outset of Saturday’s co-main event, Vieira’s game plan was clear: get the fight to the ground. Ketlen immediately pursued a takedown out of the gate. Kunitskaya fought it off, and the pair battled in the clinch, Kunitskaya working in some knees and reversing. But with half the round still ahead, Vieira finally managed to put the former Invicta FC champ on her back. Brazil’s Vieira came close to passing to mount, but Kunitskaya trapped her in half guard. The rest of the frame would play out on the ground, with Vieira far more comfortable and in control.

When the pair went to the ground early in the second, after a clinch, it was Kunitskaya landing on top. A much better spot to be in, but Vieira stayed busy on bottom. Kunitskaya worked from guard, while avoiding submission attempts and traps. Her corner urged her to stay heavy, and that is exactly what Yana Kunitskaya did. But after Vieira briefly trapped a leg, she was able to escape up, with the pair going back at it in a clinch. Again, off a Vieira-initiated takedown, Kunitskaya was in control. They were quickly back up, then down again, Kunitskaya still on top, landing knees to the body.

Heading into the third, it was likely even. Vieira landed an early takedown, planting Kunitskaya on her back. Vieira worked to pass guard, with Kunitskaya just barely keeping her in half-guard. The Russian would spend most of the round fending off Vieira, with the Brazilian taking her back and getting hooks in later in the frame. After the scare that was the second round, Vieira’s control in the third appeared to have salvaged the victory for her. Kunitskaya reversed late, however, finishing on top with heavy blows that did some serious damage. And that appeared to be the difference maker.

Heavy shots in the last few seconds of RD 3️⃣!

Who will take the W? #UFCVegas19 pic.twitter.com/3TtEfOkigC

— UFC (@ufc) February 21, 2021

The striking of Kunitskaya proved more effective in the end — giving her a unanimous decision win. The story of the fight was clearly written on Vieira’s face after the bout.

Official Result: Yana Kunitskaya def. Ketlen Vieira by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-29)

The post UFC Vegas 19 Results: Striking Trumps Grappling as Kunitskaya Gets by Vieira appeared first on Cageside Press.

Vieira was pulled from the card, and Kunitskaya (13-5, 1NC), a former Invicta FC bantamweight champ and UFC featherweight title challenger, went on to defeat replacement Julija Stoliarenko. Vieira, meanwhile, got back in the octagon in September, earning a win over Sijara Eubanks.

And so here the pair are once again, booked opposite each other at this Saturday’s UFC Vegas 19. Kunitskaya is happy to have the match-up back, for her part. “Yeah, you know I was ready for any opponent. We didn’t ask the UFC for any specific name. But I’m really happy that they gave me the opportunity back,” the 31-year old told Cageside Press on Thursday, during a virtual media day to promote the event. “I’m really happy to have a top opponent, a big challenge, and it makes me really excited.”

Kunitskaya knows her opponent is a well-rounded foe. “But I think her game plan will be to put me down, and we’ve prepared for this.” The big question, perhaps, is what comes if Kunitskaya gets past Viera. Of course, the fight is her number one priority, but Amanda Nunes has been busy moonlighting at featherweight. It is already over a year since Nunes, who holds gold at 135 and 145lbs in the UFC, has defended her bantamweight title. Her next fight will be at 145lbs, a division Kunitskaya knows well.

Still, it would take a considerable opportunity to get “Foxy” back up to featherweight, where she once challenged then-champ Cris Cyborg. “I feel pretty confident in 135, making weight very easy. Sometimes, it’s come to my mind to go down to 125,” she revealed. “But if it’s a big opportunity at 145, a good offer, why not?” Kunitskaya noted that she’s fought above the 155lb lightweight limit in the past, against considerably bigger girls.

As for the mention of flyweight, “125 would be pretty hard to cut, I would have to work a long time, not just for camp, I would have to prepare my body,” Kunitskaya admitted. “It would have to be a really big reason to do this, to risk my health. Not just any fight.”

Once again, for Kunitskaya, it’s all about what’s being offered. “If it’s a good challenge, big reason, why not?”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 19 virtual media day scrum with Yana Kunitskaya above! The event takes place Saturday, February 20 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV.

The post UFC Vegas 19: Yana Kunitskaya on Flyweight, Featherweight Possibilities appeared first on Cageside Press.

The first of these fighters was actually the winner of the night’s opening bout, Irwin Rivera. In his hard back and forth bout against Ali AlQaisi, Rivera appears to have injured his hand and wrist on the right side.

Rivera wasn’t the only winner among the long suspensions. Yana Kunitskaya took an unanimous decision victory over Julija Stoliarenko to kick off the night’s main card. In doing so, she suffered an injury to her neck and right arm that may have her sidelined until February.

Somewhat less surprising suspensions belong to Scott Holtzman and Peter Barrett. Both men lost their respective bouts convincingly. Holtzman’s came by spinning back elbow (wrist?) to Beneil Dariush, causing a facial injury. Barrett meanwhile went the distance in a one-sided fight with Youssef Zalal and suffered a rib injury.

All of the aforementioned fighters can lessen their suspension with clearance from a clean x-ray, MRI or, in the case of Holtzman, clearance from a surgeon.

A complete list of suspensions from the event are below.

Alexei Oleinik – 45 days
Chris Weidman – 30 days
Omari Akhmedov – 30 days
Darren Stewart – 30 days
Yana Kunitskaya – 180 days or until cleared by MRI of neck and right arm
Beneil Dariush – 30 days
Scott Holtzman – 180 days or until cleared by maxillofacial surgeon
Tim Means – 21 days
Kevin Holland – 21 days
Joaquim Buckley – 45 days
Wellington Thurman – 60 days
Peter Barrett – 180 days or until cleared by x-ray of left ribs
Irwin Rivera – 180 days or until cleared by x-ray of right hand and wrist
Ali AlQaisi – 45 days

The UFC Vegas 6 suspensions were first reported by Kirik Jenness.

The post UFC Vegas 6 Medical Suspensions: Four Out for Half a Year appeared first on Cageside Press.

In the main event of UFC Vegas 6, Derrick Lewis finished Aleksei Oleinik in the second round via TKO. Chris Weidman got back in the win column with a decision win over Omari Akhmedov. Today we will be looking at what’s next for the winners of UFC Vegas 6.

Derrick Lewis

Lewis looked extremely impressive on the feet in his victory over Oleinik on Saturday. He also impressed fans with his ground game. Lewis got caught in a choke several times in the first round but was able to defend and make it to the second round. Before the fight, Lewis mentioned that he would like to fight either Curtis Blaydes or Alistair Overeem following the Oleinik fight. Blaydes was quick to jump on social media and call out Lewis late Saturday night. Although Lewis has shown improvements in his grappling, a more fan-friendly fight would be Lewis vs. Overeem.

Derrick Lewis’ next fight: Alistair Overeem 

Chris Weidman

Chris Weidman looked like a brand new fighter in the first round of his fight with Omari Akhmedov at UFC Vegas 6. In the second, he started to slow down, though, and Akhmedov was able to win the round. Weidman wisely took Akhmedov down early in the third and was able to grapple his way to a decision victory. Although Akhmedov was on a winning streak, it seems that Weidman’s victory on Saturday won’t do much for his spot in the rankings. We could seem him break into the top 15, but he will likely not crack the top ten. There are plenty of options for him in his next fight. After his fight, he was already being called out by 14th-ranked Marvin Vettori. Fights with Brad Tavares and Ian Heinisch also seem very appealing.

Stylistically the best option for Weidman would be Ian Heinisch. Vettori seems like a younger and hungrier version of Weidman, and out of Heinisch and Tavares, Weidman should look to fight the guy with less grappling experience. Which in this case would be Heinisch.

Chris Weidman’s next fight: Ian Heinisch 

Darren Stewart

A very emotional Darren Stewart won via submission in the first round against Maki Pitolo on Saturday. Stewart dedicated the fight to his late teammate Jahreau Shepherd, who was fatally stabbed about a month before his fight. Stewart looked phenomenal in his win and even said he is contemplating staying in Vegas to fight again before the UFC heads back to Fight Island. If he does want a quick turnaround, it would be great to see him fight up-and-coming star, Khamzat Chimaev. Dana White said that he was looking to get Chimaev a fight within the next few weeks. Which works perfectly for Stewart’s timeline if he wants to stay in Vegas.

Stewart’s next fight: Khamzat Chimaev

Yana Kunitskaya

Yana Kunitskaya won a unanimous decision over Julija Stoliarenko at UFC Vegas 6. Coming into the fight, Kunitskaya was ranked eighth in the women’s bantamweight division. A win over a woman making her UFC return shouldn’t push her too far in the rankings, but she should definitely get a step up in competition in her next fight. With that being said, it could be worth it to see her fight the winner of Holly Holm vs. Irene Aldana, which could possibly happen in October. A fight with the winner could be considered a number-one contender fight or an interim title fight if Amanda Nunes still isn’t ready to fight.

Yana Kunitskaya’s next fight: Winner of Holm-Aldana

Beneil Dariush

Beneil Dariush’s performance Saturday night was a little bit overlooked because of the fact that he missed weight by two pounds. He knocked out Scott Holtzman, pushing his winning streak up to five. With four out of those five fights being finishes. Dariush undoubtedly deserves a top 15 opponent in his next fight. Maybe a rematch with Drew Dober, or possibly a fight with up and comer Islam Makhachev. Makhachev is 7-1 in the UFC and is currently on a six-fight winning streak. A fight between Makhachev and Dariush would be the perfect test to decide which fighter is more ready for the top of the division.

Beneil Dariush’s next fight: Islam Makhachev 

Who would you like these fighters to fight next? Let us know in the comments down below.

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