“I’m feeling great, man. I’m excited about the opportunity, I’m excited about it being at Madison Square Garden,” Jenkins (19-5), who anchors the co-main event against Loughnane this Friday, told us. “You can’t get no better than that, and it being PFL’s first Pay-Per-View, I’m pretty pumped about it.”

With six million dollars on the line in the six tournament finales, Jenkins is clearly enthused ahead of his first PFL final. “I’m hoping to get my portion of that, and it’s going to be a good night. I think that PFL has done the right thing with trying to sell it like they have, and putting me as the co-main event was the best move they could have done, because we’re going to get some numbers out of it.”

As for the money, if he wins, he plans to invest it. “We’re going to do the right things, invest it in the right places, talk to the right people” was one way of putting it. Another, more poetically, was “you’re going to see me shine to the end of time.”

Training camp, meanwhile, has been business as usual despite the high stakes attached to the fight. “We didn’t change anything. No new friends, no new places, no new strategies, no new nothing. It’s always been Batman vs. Batman. We just make sure that we can beat us, and if we can beat the person in the mirror than we’re going to come out with a great victory.”

Things with Brendan Loughnane appear to have gotten a little personal in the build-up to this one, meanwhile. While that’s to be expected in any fist fight, the higher stakes and chance to provide for their families has only heightened that when it comes to Jenkins vs. Loughnane.

“He said that I’m a three round fighter, and because I’ve been in the PFL and I haven’t been in the championship, I’ve only needed to be a three-round fighter. All of the fights for PFL, they’ve only asked me to do for three rounds,” said Jenkins. “This is the first five round fight they’re asking me to do, and therefore we’ll show up as the five round fighter. So his little ‘Bubba Jenkins is only a three-round fighter‘ is obvious because I only needed to be a three-rounded fighter.”

“Just because he said that,  I plan on knocking his ass out in the fourth, just to one-up him on his little three-round fighter thing,” Jenkins added.

Watch our full interview with PFL 2022 featherweight finalist Bubba Jenkins above. The event takes place this Friday, November 25, 2022 in New York, NY.

The post Bubba Jenkins Plans to Finish Brendan Loughnane in Fourth at PFL 2022 World Championship appeared first on Cageside Press.

Alexander Volkanovski

Alexander Volkanovski put on a dominant performance in the UFC 273 main event. He landed shots heavy and often against the Korean Zombie. The ref ended up protecting the Zombie from himself in the fourth round, as the South Korean proved too tough for his own good. Volkanovski has been on a tear racking up 21 straight wins now.

What comes next? We’d like to see Max Holloway vs. Alexander Volkanovski 3. This is the fight that was originally scheduled prior to Max needing to pull out of the bout.

Volkanovski’s next fight: Max Holloway

Aljamain Sterling

Khamzat Chimaev

After dominating his first four fights in the UFC while facing very little adversity, Khamzat was finally challenged Saturday night. In a tough back-and-forth battle, Khamzat finally went to the judges for a decision for the first time in his professional career, in which he got the unanimous nod. We got to see his chin tested as well, in what was a Fight of the Night and one for the ages.

We’ve heard Dana say he wants Chimaev vs. Colby Covington next on ABC, however, there’s a chance Khamzat will end up fighting for a belt next. Our prediction is Khamzat gets the winner of Usman and Edwards.

Chimaev’s next fight: Usman/Edwards Winner.

Mackenzie Dern

This was a tough back and forth fight. Torres showed why she’s never been finished fighting off a lot of slick submission attempts. In the end, Dern got the nod from the judges.

Zhang and Jedzejczyk are set to go down in June. Mackenzie fighting the winner of this bout makes all the sense in the world for her and potentially has the feel to be a title elimination fight.

Derns’s next fight: Zhang/Jedrzejczyk Winner

Mark O. Madsen

In a very competitive fight, Mark O. Madsen was able to use his elite wrestling to edge the decision over Vinc Pichel Saturday night. The undefeated Olympian is now 12-0 with four wins inside the UFC octagon. We’d like to see Mark fight a tough veteran who has been ranked in the top 15 previously. Drew Dober would fit this bill nicely.

Madsen’s next fight: Drew Dober

The post What’s Next: UFC 273 Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

We’ve made it to fight week! Below is a list of the currently announced festivities and fights scheduled to take place during UFC 273 Fight Week!

𝑯𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒐, 𝑱𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆! 🌴

👇We've got a jam-packed week coming for ya! #UFC273 pic.twitter.com/Mzf96sxAcV

— UFC (@ufc) April 5, 2022

The UFC 273 press conference takes place Thursday, April 7th at the Jacksonville Center For Performing Arts. For those in the area, doors open at 4P ET. This event is free to the public and will begin at 5PM ET. For those unable to attend, the press conference will stream online.

The official weigh-in will begin Friday, March 4th at 8:50AM ET (fighters will begin weighing in a 9AM ET). The Ceremonial weigh-ins will take place at 4PM ET. This will be held at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena and be free to the public. Doors open at 3PM ET.

For those in the area, there will be multiple athlete appearances.

Thursday, April 7th — Darren Till – Hooters
Friday, April 8th — TJ Dillashaw – Miller’s Ale House
Saturday, April 9th – Calvin Kattar – Celebrations Liquors

Below is the full UFC 273 fight night card. The PPV can be ordered on ESPN+ in the U.S. for $74.99.

UFC 271 Main Card – Live on PPV

Main Card – Begins at 10PM EST

Alexander Volkanovski vs. Chan Sung Jung – Featherweight Title (5 Rounds)
Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan – Bantamweight Title (5 Rounds)
Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimaev — Welterweight
Mackenzie Dern vs. Tecia Torres — Women’s Straweight
Vinc Pichel vs. Mark Madsen — Lightweight

ESPN+ Prelims – Begins at 8PM EST

Ian Garry vs. Darian Weeks — Welterweight
Jairzinho Rozenstruick vs. Marcin Tybura — Heavyweight
Aspen Ladd vs. Raquel Pennington — Women’s Bantamweight
Mickey Gall vs. Mike Malott — Welterweight

ESPN+ Early Prelims – Begins at 6:00 PM EST

Aleksei Oleinik vs. Jared Vanderaa — Heavyweight
Anthony Hernandez vs. Josh Fremd — Middleweight
Piera Rodriquez vs. Kay Hansen — Women’s Flyweight
Julio Arce vs. Daniel Santos — Bantamweight

The post UFC 273 Fight Week — Everything You Need to Know appeared first on Cageside Press.

Brandon Royval will be fighting Matt Schnell on May 7 at UFC 274. Interestingly enough, it was Schnell who actually tweeted in 2019 that the UFC should give Royval a shot in the promotion.

Which makes their upcoming bout just a little bit awkward, perhaps.

“Yeah, honestly, Matt Schnell would have been one of those people I would have liked to not fight. He’s been around a long time; I have a lot of respect for him,” Royval (13-6) told Cageside Press in an exclusive interview recently. “I like his fighting style a lot and he is one of the leaders of the flyweights. From the first MTV show or whatever, to that tweet, man, that all meant a lot to me. I kind of didn’t want to cross paths with him necessarily, but that being said, I’ve always been a fan of his. I’ve always liked watching him fight. I think he’ll bring out the best in me.”

“That tweet honestly meant a lot to me. I was coming off my LFA title fight and I won it in a crazy fashion,” Royval added. “I was getting a little bit of love, but that meant a lot, he didn’t need to do all that and push my name out there and stuff. I thought that was really cool of him.”

This will be the first bout in which Royval will fight in front a live crowd in an arena for the UFC. Asked what that meant to him, Royval explained that “It means everything to me. I feel like I’m making my UFC debut. I do better in front of crowds, and I always have. When you’re making that UFC debut walk, you don’t dream of doing that in empty arenas and I’ve been doing that this whole entire time. I’m creeping up in the rankings and I don’t want one of my first experiences walking out to a crowd to be fighting for a belt. I want to get this experience, and this is a dream come true.”

In regard to his prediction for May 7, Royval stated “I know it’s going to be chaos. My plan is walking him down and making it a brawl. The technique person I’ll leave up to Matt Schnell. I hope i can finish him early, but if that doesn’t happen, I’m ready to go 15 minutes and walking him down that whole entire time.”

Watch our full interview with UFC 274’s Brandon Royval above. The event takes place Saturday, May 7, 2022 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

The post UFC 274’s Brandon Royval: Much Respect for Schnell, Fighting in Front of Crowd “Means Everything” appeared first on Cageside Press.

A little over three weeks out from his showdown at UFC Vegas 52 with Su Mudaerji, we caught up with flyweight Manel Kape, and asked “Starboy” how life was treating him.

“I’m a new father, she is just now two months. She’s super happy, it’s a blessing. It’s super, [what] I always wanted,” Kape told us. “I feel good, it gives me good energy. My focus is on my kid and my training of course. My daughter is like me, she sleeps very well. She doesn’t bother me, it’s actually me that bothers her. When she’s asleep, I’ll wake her up because I want to play with her all the time.”

Kape (17-6), of course, is a former RIZIN Fighting Federation champion, who joined the UFC to much fanfare just over a year ago. After faltering early, he’s now won two consecutive bouts. When asked what his sees as the main difference in fighting for RIZIN in Japan versus fighting for the UFC, the live audience comes to mind.

“Probably, the fans. Like here in the UFC, when I was in T-Mobile last time, I was watching Masvidal vs. Colby. In the prelims for the fights, nobody was there. People were just going there for the main event,” he observed. “In Japan, it’s totally different. In the beginning of the fight card, the arenas are already full (20-29 thousand), always full. They stay from the beginning to the end. For me in my vision, it’s a little bit disrespectful for fighters. Sometimes you see better knockouts, submission on the prelims than the main card.”

As for his prediction for UFC Vegas 52 on April 23, outside of a sharing that he is getting a Performance of the Night bonus, Kape suggested “First round. I believe it will be in the first round. I’m in shape, when I feel like this, it’s always going to be in the first or second round. 100% it will be in the first round. My weight cut is amazing already.”

Watch our full interview with UFC Vegas 52’s Manel Kape above. The event takes place Saturday, April 23, 2022 at the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The post Manel Kape on Being a New Father, Difference Between Fighting in UFC and Rizin appeared first on Cageside Press.

Just 12 days ahead of her UFC 273 showdown with Mackenzie Dern, Cageside Press had the chance to speak with Tecia Torres about a few fun items, as well as her preparations and how things are going for the upcoming strawweight scrap.

Torres (13-5) had surgery after her last fight and decided to tackle something on her bucket list during her time off.

“I decided to do something on my bucket list and tried an NPC [National Physique Committee] competition. It was a lot of discipline, 11 weeks of eating healthy and changing my body in ways I didn’t think it could change,” the 32-year old fighter told us. “Getting even leaner than I once thought I could be. It was fun, I enjoyed it, don’t know if I would do it again but it was one to check off.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tecia Torres (@teciatorres)

A few weeks ago, Torres was able to purchase her dream vehicle. “So, last year I wanted to purchase it and I went there, and I was like ‘I don’t want to spend this much money.’ Then this year, I’m like ‘eff it, I want it.’ It’s a 2022 White Jeep Rubicon. It’s lifted, it has the one touch sky roof. Because I know I wouldn’t be taking off the roof and doors and and everything that. This is lazy girl style. Just hit it, and everything comes off.”

There’s just one catch. “The only this is it’s going to take about six months, they said August or September timeframe.”

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A post shared by Tecia Torres (@teciatorres)

Coming up, Tecia Torres has her showdown with BJJ ace Mackenzie Dern. She’s riding a solid three-fight win streak into the UFC 273 match-up, and feels she can get the job done inside the distance. Having worked on all areas of her game, “where ever it takes me in the fight, I’m going to be able to dominate and do the things I want to do.”

“I envision myself finishing Mackenzie. My hand’s going to be raised,” she predicted.

UFC 273 takes place live on Saturday, April 9, 2022 at the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. Tecia Torres vs. Mackenzie Dern is set to go down as part of the PPV event’s main card.

The post UFC 273’s Tecia Torres: Crossing Off Bucket List Items and Dream Cars appeared first on Cageside Press.

Two submission losses at middleweight had sent Roberson north, and the ground game was at least expected to be less of a threat from Rountree, known more for his stand-up.

That stand-up game was the story on Saturday once again.

The first round started off with both guys looking to find their range. Some early heavy shots from both men followed. Through the first minute, Rountree and Roberson each had their chin tested, in both cases, it was holding up.

The pace started to slow down after the heavy start. The majority of the round saw Rountree controlling the center of the octagon while Roberson looked to counter. You could tell both men respected the power of the other very much. The round finished with a small flurry from Rountree in the middle of the octagon.

The second round started with Rountree landing a heavy right hook which levelled Roberson. He continued to follow up with heavy blows while Roberson worked his way back up. Rountree kept the pressure on and kicked him back to the ground while not giving up the pressure. The kick to the body was absolutely nasty. The ref stopped the fight at 0:25 into round two, with Roberson covering up.

ROUNTREE FOLDED HIM 😱#UFCVegas50 pic.twitter.com/HRhGhS0zrv

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 13, 2022

Official Result: Khalil Rountree Jr. def. Karl Roberson by TKO, Round 2, 0:25

The post UFC Vegas 50: Ruthless Pressure Sees Khalil Rountree Jr. Finish Karl Roberson appeared first on Cageside Press.

Dana White announced a few weeks ago that a lightweight bout between Michael Chandler and Tony Ferguson was in the works. On Wednesday Sports Illustrated broke that the fight had been added to UFC 274.

Michael Chandler, the #5 Ranked UFC lightweight, currently holds a 22-7 professional MMA record. He has won one of his three UFC bouts. His last loss coming via decision by Justin Gaethje in what many claimed as the fight of the year in November of 2021. Chandlers UFC debut started with a bang when he KO’d Dan Hooker in the very first round in January of 2021.

Tony Ferguson, ranked #7 in the UFC’s lightweight division, boasts a 25-6 record as a pro. He has dropped his last three bouts after putting together a twelve-fight win streak. He’s coming off a unanimous decision loss to Beneil Dariush in May of 2021. Ferguson like Chandler also lost against UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira and title contender Justin Gaethje.

Dana White announced that UFC 274 will take place in Phoenix, AZ on May 7, 2022. The location was set to take place in Brazil, however, the promotion opted to move to a new location.

The card has not been completed, but bouts as reported to date are as follows:

• Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje
• Michael Chandler vs. Tony Ferguson
• Mauricio Rua vs. Ovince Saint Preux
• Donald Cerrone vs. Joe Lauzon
• Macy Chiasson vs. Norma Dumont
• Lupita Godinez vs. Ariane Carnelossi
• Blagoy Ivanov vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
• Kleydson Rodrigues vs. C.J Vergara
• Danny Roberts vs. Francisco Trinaldo
• Brandon Royval vs. Matt Schnell
• Randy Brown vs. Khaos Williams

The post Michael Chandler vs. Tony Fergurson Added UFC 274 On May 7 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Bryan Barberena has a different gig outside of the fight game. While the welterweight will return at UFC Columbus later this month, away from mixed martial arts, he runs a working farm.

“About four years ago, almost five, I decided to leave Phoenix and start a farm in east Tennessee. I was passionate about changing my lifestyle and thought a farm would be it,” Barberena told Cageside Press in an exclusive interview recently. “I wanted my kids to experience that while they were young.”

It’s not just planting a few vegetables and calling it a day, either. “We got cows, goats, chickens, we’ve had a calf operation. It’s just a family thing. The help we do have is some family. All my neighbors have been huge help,” Barberena shared regarding finding his own by being a farmer.

Then there’s another pastime, gaming. “I play a little bit of everything. I was on Twitch, I’m on Facebook stream now. Mainly I pay [Call of Duty] Warzone because a lot of people I know are on there. I play Halo occasionally. That’s always fun. I mix it up and play Roblox with my kids. It gives me a way to interact with my kids while I’m at camp.”

UFC Columbus marks the second time that Barberena has been scheduled to fight Matt Brown. The pair were supposed to face off in December; Brown would later test positive for COVID-19, forcing him out of the fight. Darian Weeks stepped in as a replacement, with Barberena cruising to a decision.

The fight against Brown will be in “The Immortal’s” backyard of Columbus, Ohio. Home town favorite or not, Barberena thinks he’ll get it done inside the distance.

“I think it ends in a finish. We’re both going to go in there and try to finish from the start of the bell,” Barberena shared when asked for his prediction for fight night. “If one of us doesn’t go down, I think it’s going to be a Fight of the Year contender. I’m definitely not looking to put this onto a Fight of the Year candidate though. I’m looking to go in there for performance and really stand out.”

Watch our full interview with UFC Columbus’s Bryan Barberena above. The event takes place Saturday, March 26th, 2022 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

The post UFC Columbus: Bryan Barberena Predicts Brown Fight Ends in Finish, Could Be FOTY Candidate appeared first on Cageside Press.

“This camp is going hard, the weekends it’s just try to recover as much as you can for the next week ahead of me,” Mackenzie Dern told Cageside Press ahead of a key match-up with Tecia Torres at UFC 273. “I haven’t even looked at any of Tecia’s fights yet. I’m just training on getting myself better and correcting Mackenzie as a fighter. I’m real excited for what I can bring out in this fight.”

In her last outing, Dern fell to Marina Rodriguez, losing by decision for just the second loss of her pro career. The 28-year old grappling ace has managed to find a silver lining even in defeat. “The last fight, the loss is really good for me and allowed me to correct a lot of things to make me better,” Dern told us.

Asked about her number one takeaway from the fight with Rodriguez, Dern shared that it would be patience. “Patience. I’m an emotional fighter,” Dern admitted. “I’m always kind of running after the people and chasing. I’m always thinking I want to be an entertaining fighter. Sometimes you think if you’re not going after the person, you’re maybe a boring fighter. Sooner or later, the person needs to come to you to fight.”

Heading into the fight, Torres is ranked #7 in the women’s strawweight division, while Dern herself sits in the #14 spot. We asked Mackenzie for her prediction ahead of UFC 273. “I think it’s going to be a submission. I don’t think she’s been finished before. I’m coming very strong technical wise for this fight. I don’t want to make the same mistakes as before. I think it will be the first round too.”

Torres has yet to be finished, by any means. Which will make it an impressive night at the office, should Dern pull it off next month.

Watch our full interview with UFC 273’s Mackenzie Dern above. The event takes place Saturday, April 9, 2022 at the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.

The post UFC 273: Mackenzie Dern Says Rodriguez Loss Has Taught Her “Patience” appeared first on Cageside Press.