Cageside Press - Jay Anderson Cageside Press - Everything MMA! Tue, 21 Nov 2023 21:45:53 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3.2 https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/cropped-cagesidepress512-3-32x32.png Cageside Press - Jay Anderson 32 32 128219126 Justin Tafa vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima Lined Up for UFC 298 https://cagesidepress.com/2023/11/21/justin-tafa-marcos-rogerio-de-lima-ufc-298/ Tue, 21 Nov 2023 21:45:53 +0000 https://cagesidepress.com/?p=178792 With the new year quickly approaching, February’s UFC 298 card is beginning to grow. Having a likely main event already in place, the latest addition to the Pay-Per-View show is a heavyweight affair pitting New Zealand’s Justin Tafa (7-3, 1NC) against Brazilian Marcos Rogerio de Lima (21-9-1). “Pezao” de Lima confirmed the booking following an […]

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With the new year quickly approaching, February’s UFC 298 card is beginning to grow.

Having a likely main event already in place, the latest addition to the Pay-Per-View show is a heavyweight affair pitting New Zealand’s Justin Tafa (7-3, 1NC) against Brazilian Marcos Rogerio de Lima (21-9-1).

“Pezao” de Lima confirmed the booking following an initial report by MMA Fighting.

Tafa, 29, goes by the nickname “Bad Man” and has proven to be just that, securing a finish by KO/TKO in all seven of his professional victories. Most recently, he picked up a win over Austen Lane in his second fight with the Contender Series alum, after the first ended in a No Contest due to an accidental eye poke.

Marcos Rogerio de Lima will be looking to bounce back from a stunning loss at the hands of Derrick Lewis this past July. That setback snapped a two-fight win streak.

Though not officially announced by the promotion, rumors of UFC 298 being hosted in both Los Angeles and Australia have made the rounds. Promotion president and CEO Dana White previously revealed that featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski would defend his 145lb title against Ilia Topuria in February, a fight almost certain to headline the UFC 298 card.

Thus far, only three fights have been reported for the event set to take place on February 17, 2024. They are:

Alexander Volkanovski (c) vs. Ilia Topuria — for the UFC Featherweight Championship
Danny Barlow vs. Yusaku Kinoshita
Marcos Rogério de Lima vs. Justin Tafa

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PFL Finalist Impa Kasanganay Explains Why He Doesn’t Like “Performance” Being Used in MMA https://cagesidepress.com/2023/11/21/pfl-finalist-impa-kasanganay-performance/ Tue, 21 Nov 2023 20:47:18 +0000 https://cagesidepress.com/?p=178783 2023 PFL light heavyweight finalist Impa Kasanganay never lost faith in his ability to make it to the highest level of MMA, despite setbacks in the UFC and later Eagle FC. “No. I always believed this is where I was and who I was am. I just had to reorganize and get some things correct,” […]

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2023 PFL light heavyweight finalist Impa Kasanganay never lost faith in his ability to make it to the highest level of MMA, despite setbacks in the UFC and later Eagle FC.

“No. I always believed this is where I was and who I was am. I just had to reorganize and get some things correct,” Kasanganay told Cageside Press in advance of the PFL Championship on November 24, 2023 at The Anthem in Washington, D.C.

“I never lost my faith, or God lost his faith in me. It was more so, I kind of just got lost on my path for a little while, or maybe I was still on the right path and that’s just where God had to bring me.”

That path took Kasanganay (14-3) through the Contender Series, where he won back-to-back fights, and the UFC, where he was shown the door after four fights.

“For me the opposite of faith is not doubt,” added Kasangany, who instead suggested that “I think you can have faith and then people still have some doubt. You can have doubt and still have something to look forward to. They’re not opposites, if anything, they compliment one another. For me, it was just, what do I need to do with my life in that time to be organized, and what sacrifices do I need to make that I’m not seeing here, that are going to allow me to realize what I see within myself?”

“It was more so a reflection of what was going on with my life, where I didn’t put things together the way I needed to, and it became a blueprint for how I moved forward in the future. Like, I won that Eagle fight even though they said I lost, and that was an overall consensus, not from myself only.”

Impa Kasanganay’s lone Eagle FC appearance was a split decision loss to Raimond Magomedaliev, and while it will stand as a loss on his official record, there was an argument for the fight going the other way. As for his UFC run, “being released from the UFC at that time, the challenging thing about it was just saying like ‘man I put a lot of work in to get there,’ but wondering why I still wasn’t [there],” admitted Kasanganay.

“Overall under the banner, 4-2 including the Contender Series wins, but 2-2 in the UFC itself. That was one of those things where I knew that I was better, I knew there was so much more I could show and do, and I was going to make that happen no matter what. That’s when it became an eye-opening experience. If anything, it actually became one of those things I look back on, I’m like, ‘thank you that happened.’ Even at that time, because it really made me make the challenging decisions to say ‘hey, no matter what, I’m going to be a champion some day soon.”

Taking the long road to success, and this year’s PFL championship, where not just a world title but a million dollars hangs in the balance, wasn’t the worst journey, however. In fact, Impa Kasanganay sees a silver lining.

“Taking the narrow path is definitely much more rewarding for me. I won’t say I’m an old school guy, it’s more like, I do like that fact that I get to earn something, and it’s not based on my popularity,” he stated. “Or I get to earn my popularity or whatever God has for me, and I get to earn my success and all that’s come with it.”

One thing Impa Kasanganay doesn’t like seeing in MMA is the word “performance” applied to what fighters do. As much as it’s instilled in the vernacular of the sport (think the UFC’s Performance of the Night bonuses), Impa doesn’t see himself as performing when he fights.

“It’s entertainment for those who watch it, and I respect it. As a fighter it’s not entertainment, I’m going in there to do my job. Nobody’s cheering on the accountant, ‘oh you performed today and got the books in order!'” he pointed out. “Yeah somebody’s going to congratulate you, that you maybe fixed something in the company, saved the company some money. Performing to me, it’s say, for the entertainers who choose to be entertainers. Who choose to be musicians, artists, public speakers. No matter how they do it.”

“That to me is a performance.”

Kasanganay knows what he’s talking about — through high school and all the way to the end of college, he studied music. And he believes that if you focus on your performance in fighting, “we take away the purity of it. It’s like ‘I’m going out there to perform’ so you change the way you are, the reflection of your spirit, of who you are, to go perform and see what people like. And then your validation comes from what the crowd says— if the crowd says ‘boo’ or the crowd says ‘yay.’ And that’s not cool to me, because that’s not what it’s about.”

“When you go to battle, you go to war, you go there to take over, dominate, claim, and move forward. And fighting to me is not a sport or some kind of performance, because you’re taking away somebody’s life points; you’re also sacrificing your life points as well. When I do accounting nobody’s hitting me in the head with a computer. When I’m fighting, somebody’s trying to kick me in the head, elbow my face, I’ve been unconscious before. That stuff’s not healthy. That’s not a performance.”

A performance will inspire people and evoke emotion, Kasanganay allowed. But fighting leaves lasting scars, in essence. “With fighting, you take those things with you. The broken rib, the broken finger, the torn knee, the hurt, the pain. There’s a lot of difference. Maybe people who do acting and stuff like that do too, but they’re performing and they get to go into another character. Fighting, you’re not going into another character even though they say it’s an alter ego, you’re fighting in who you are, whatever— it’s actually the truth of who you are. And that’s not a performance to me. That’s going into battle.”

Impa Kasanganay next goes into battle with American Top Team’s Josh Silveira. There’s an old rivalry there in terms of gyms, between ATT and Kill Cliff FC, Kasanganay’s own team, though for him, the rivalry doesn’t matter. Instead, he simply sees that Silveira has been making improvements, and is on a good path.

That having been said, “I believe we were destined to meet, and I’m going to take him out, obtain this victory and move forward,” he added.

Watch our full interview with 2023 light heavyweight finalist Impa Kasanganay above.

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Donn Davis Reveals PFL Plans for Bellator MMA, Believes Dana White “Worried” https://cagesidepress.com/2023/11/20/donn-davis-reveals-pfl-plans-for-bellator-mma-believes-dana-white-worried/ Mon, 20 Nov 2023 21:09:27 +0000 https://cagesidepress.com/?p=178760 “There was only one company that at one time could put us on equal footing with UFC, and that was Bellator,” PFL Founder and Chairman Donn Davis explained on The MMA Hour on Monday. Donn Davis’ highly anticipated appearance on Ariel Helwani’s show came on the heels of the Professional Fighters League purchase of rival […]

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“There was only one company that at one time could put us on equal footing with UFC, and that was Bellator,” PFL Founder and Chairman Donn Davis explained on The MMA Hour on Monday.

Donn Davis’ highly anticipated appearance on Ariel Helwani’s show came on the heels of the Professional Fighters League purchase of rival Bellator MMA being officially announced. Starting in 2024, the PFL will run both brands, Bellator in eight standalone events mainly focusing on international markets.

Davis revealed that they reached out to Viacom/Paramount, under which Bellator fell, in January of 2023, with no idea that the company would beginning divesting assets in the Spring. It was a slow process, in terms of talks. “Mergers take time,” as Davis pointed out.

Viacom becomes a minority owner in the company. Davis, who built his reputation as an entrepreneur and businessman with America Online, the Chicago Cubs, and his own venture capital firm, revealed the deal was done entirely in stock. “I think what they saw with PFL was an opportunity become part of a big company moving forward. So this was a stock deal, not a cash deal.”

With Paramount a “small” owner and no cash changing hands, it was a “great deal for us,” said Davis, adding he was “very happy” with how things played out.

Asked how close he thought the PFL was to the UFC, Donn Davis took note of UFC President and CEO Dana White being more vocal about the rival promotion recently. The company made waves in 2023 by signing the likes of Francis Ngannou, Jake Paul, Cedric Doumbe, and others.

“Everybody knows Dana well enough that he only dismisses things that worry him, or else he just doesn’t comment. He didn’t comment on the PFL for four years, because he wasn’t worried,” suggested Davis. “He’s commented on the PFL a lot the last six months. He’s worried.”

“What specifically worried him about Bellator is the metrics we put out in the press release. 30% of that roster ranked in the top 25 per Fight Matrix rankings. So this isn’t, Dana gets to rank his own guys, Donn’s ranking his own guys. As you know there’s only one group that ranks all fighters, Fight Matrix, independently. 30% of the UFC roster is top 25-ranked, and now our combined company of PFL and Bellator, 30%.”

The same. Now, to UFC’s credit, if you look at top five in the world, they still own the top five, one through five. So call it PPV cards, we couldn’t compete with them right now, which is why we’re only going to have two, and they have twelve.”

Davis, however, thinks the TV product from the PFL this year will be better. “Our cards are going to be better. Better. Because what they put on this year was ranked 70 and what we’re going to put on next year is ranked 40.” Davis believes that has White talking, questioning why the PFL would buy Bellator, “because he’s smart.”

“UFC ain’t the NFL. We’re not the XFL. But he wants you to think that. And it’s just a matter of time before that starts to get more well-known, and we’re not the number two, we’re a co-leader. He doesn’t want that. That’s what’s going on.”

Later, Davis would make it clear that there’s no axe to grind with the UFC, nor an attempt to take over the MMA market and displace the leading promotion in the sport.

“UFC is a great company and they invented this industry. This is not about taking share or shifting share. MMA is growing. MMA is growing 10% a year, every other sport 2-3%. They’re going to do well. We’re just going to do really, really well,” said Davis. “And I’m excited to have my new teammates at Bellator, I’m excited to have all our new fighters propelling us forward, and we’re going to win. The next time we’re on here, when people laughed that we’re going to be a co-leader, we’re going to be a co-leader. Just like they laughed when we said we’re going to be #2, and we’re #2. And so to me, if you’re on the new Bellator team, if you’re on the new combined team, declare victory.”

In five years, Donn Davis expects to be able to reach that co-leader goal. “We’re the co-leader in MMA, flat out. But we do things different, we think different, we innovate different. We don’t have dogma. We co-promote. We give fighters opportunity, we let them box, we give 50% PPV share, we think different. And we’re the co-leader. They do what they do, fantastic. We do what we do, market’s big enough for two very, very big companies.”

The 2023 PFL Championship takes place this Friday in Washington, D.C. A Bellator vs. PFL champion versus champion card is expected for Q1 2024, said Davis, with TV deals in the U.S. and Canada ready to be announced for the PFL, while Bellator TV deals are in the works. As for Bellator’s Lightweight Grand Prix, Davis couldn’t answer whether it will complete as scheduled or not.

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Bellator 301: Patchy Mix Open to Any Number of Rematches https://cagesidepress.com/2023/11/20/bellator-301-patchy-mix-rematches/ Mon, 20 Nov 2023 20:00:53 +0000 https://cagesidepress.com/?p=178731 If you ask newly crowned undisputed Bellator MMA bantamweight champion Patchy Mix if he’s the best 135’er in the world, the answer is simple. “Yeah I really believe so,” Mix (19-1) told media outlets including Cageside Press following Bellator 301 in Chicago this past Friday. “My opponent there, Sergio Pettis, you look at his 25 […]

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If you ask newly crowned undisputed Bellator MMA bantamweight champion Patchy Mix if he’s the best 135’er in the world, the answer is simple.

“Yeah I really believe so,” Mix (19-1) told media outlets including Cageside Press following Bellator 301 in Chicago this past Friday. “My opponent there, Sergio Pettis, you look at his 25 [flyweight] run, but this kid was young when he was in the UFC. He’s great, he just beat Patricio Pitbull, he smoked the only man to beat me, [Juan] Archuleta didn’t win a round against him. I think Sergio is up there with the top three bantamweights in the world right now.”

Mix, in laying out his argument for being the best bantamweight on the planet, suggested that Pettis had beaten better competition that UFC champ Sean O’Malley.

“I think he [Pettis] was so young in the UFC, at 24, 25 years old. He just turned 30-years old, him and I. I feel like we’re both entering our prime. They hold Sean O’Malley in such a high regard, it’s like, Sean O’Malley never beat someone on the level of Patricio Pitbull like Sergio Pettis did. And that’s why I respected him the way I did. That’s why I took this fight very seriously. I feel like a lot of people underestimated him, and I overestimated him because I knew how good he was.”

Having submitted Pettis to unify the Bellator MMA bantamweight champion — Mix won the promotion’s bantamweight grand prix and an interim belt in the process earlier this year — Patchy Mix can now look ahead. Which, in this particular case, might actually mean looking behind him, to a trio of fighters he’s already faced. That includes the only man to ever beat him, RIZIN champ Juan Archuleta.

“I want to avenge a loss that I got of course, but Archuleta is tied up in Japan, he’s fighting, I think he’s on New Year’s. I necessarily don’t like to wait and see, and I know he’s got his deal over there, I’m not sure what Bellator’s deal is,” stated Mix. “But I’m not necessarily chasing anyone. Now that I’m the title holder, whoever they approach me with, I’m willing to do. I don’t mind, I can run it back with all three of them. Any one of them. If they wanted to do me and Serg again, if they wanted to do me and Stots again, or if they wanted to do me and Arculeta. Or even me and Maga. I fought all the top guys, and I just want to fight who they believe is the best.”

Any of those fights would no doubt be entertaining. When Mix will fight again remains to be seen, however. On Monday, the PFL’s purchase of Bellator MMA was officially announced. The promotion will continue as its own brand, mainly with international events, moving forward, though for how long remains unclear.

Watch the full Bellator 301 post-fight press conference with Patchy Mix above.

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Josh Silveira: “Fireworks Might Happen” in PFL Light Heavyweight Championship https://cagesidepress.com/2023/11/20/josh-silveira-fireworks-pfl-championship/ Mon, 20 Nov 2023 19:00:04 +0000 https://cagesidepress.com/?p=178298 PFL light heavyweight and former LFA double champ Josh Silveira has landed himself in this year’s PFL Championship, his first shot at claiming gold in a major promotion. Ahead of his fight with Impa Kasanganay this Friday in Washington, D.C., the American Top Team standout spoke with Cageside Press about landing in the biggest fight […]

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PFL light heavyweight and former LFA double champ Josh Silveira has landed himself in this year’s PFL Championship, his first shot at claiming gold in a major promotion.

Ahead of his fight with Impa Kasanganay this Friday in Washington, D.C., the American Top Team standout spoke with Cageside Press about landing in the biggest fight of his life.

“It feels good, man. It feels good, it feels great. Still hard to wrap my head around it sometimes, because I think the feeling is always unexplainable,” explained Silveira (12-1). “But at the same time, man, I feel like this is what I worked for and I’m right where I need to be. So no surprises, no surprises here.”

The pairing with Kasanganay is a promising one, but not one expected to be fueled by any sort of bad blood. Both fighters are soft-spoken, professional martial artists who have plenty of respect for each other.

“You’re right I’m not much of a trash talker. I don’t know, it’s just kind of funny to me,” acknowledged Silveira. “I know how to talk and defend myself if somebody came at me, but I think it’s just kind of funny sometimes. I like to be the good guy a little bit, but if I’ve got to be the bad guy, I’ll be the bad guy if I have to.”

“I think in this particular fight you’re right. We’ve got respect for each other. Just two good, old fashioned kids that want to go win a million and win a world title. That might be one of the best fights of the night to be honest. We’ve got two young, hungry guys, he wants to do better for himself and so do I. Who knows, man. Fireworks might happen.”

Hockey fans know this story well. The 1982-83 Edmonton Oilers fielded one of the strongest teams possible that season, with names like Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Glenn Anderson, Paul Coffey, and Jari Kurri. They would cruise through the regular season and playoffs, only to be thrashed by the New York Islanders in the Stanley Cup Final.

The Oilers learned the hard way what it would take to win a championship, and came back to win it all the following year, taking revenge on the Islanders in the process. Josh Silveira has held gold on the regional scene, but Friday marks his first championship bout for a major promotion. So how can he steel himself, and not suffer a similar fate?

“I think the best way to answer that question, I don’t know if I speak for every fighter— but I think what goes through our minds, there’s thousands of things that go through our minds, but I think the most realistic thing is, ‘am I ready to push this pace 25 minutes?'” replied Silveira. “Five rounds. 25 minutes. And do whatever it takes, no matter what situation I put myself in.”

Aside from being ready for 25 minutes “of constant motion,” Silveira believes he’s filled a critical hole in his game: he’s no longer scared of getting tired. “I think that’s the hole I’ve been filling out this whole season, is not being scared to get tired, not being fearful to put myself out there and lay it on the line and do what I’ve got to do.”

Come Friday, we’ll know if that will be enough.

Watch our full interview with PFL light heavyweight finalist Josh Silveira above. The 2023 PFL Championship takes place at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. on November 24, 2023.

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Sunday MMA Quick Hits: Alvey Gets Title Fight, Lineker Gets Muay Thai Bout https://cagesidepress.com/2023/11/19/sunday-mma-quick-hits-alvey-title-fight-lineker-muay/ Sun, 19 Nov 2023 13:00:56 +0000 https://cagesidepress.com/?p=178383 It’s 2023, and Sam Alvey is fighting for a heavyweight title, The Rock is claiming to have considered an MMA career with PRIDE, and John Lineker is trying his “hands of stone” at Muay Thai. It’s Bizarro World for your latest edition of our Sunday MMA Quick Hits! Sam Alvey gets title shot at Karate […]

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It’s 2023, and Sam Alvey is fighting for a heavyweight title, The Rock is claiming to have considered an MMA career with PRIDE, and John Lineker is trying his “hands of stone” at Muay Thai. It’s Bizarro World for your latest edition of our Sunday MMA Quick Hits!

Sam Alvey gets title shot at Karate Combat 43

He may have left the UFC off one of the worst slumps imaginable, but the always smiling Sam Alvey has plenty of reasons to be grinning these days — as he’s landed a title shot at Karate Combat 43.

Alvey is actually on a two-fight win streak in combat sports, having won his first MMA fight outside the UFC, then his Karate Combat debut. Looks like there’s still some gas in “Smile’n” Sam’s tank after all.

The fight is at heavyweight, which is the weight class Alvey has been competing in of late.

The card goes down on December 15. Alvey is up against Ross Levine for the title.

John Lineker is trying his hand at Muay Thai

Those “Hands of Stone” could be deadly in Muay Thai.

Per ONE Championship officials, John Lineker is booked for a Muay Thai bout against Liam Harrison at ONE Fight Night 18 on January 12, 2024. It’s a detour from his MMA run, that has him with two straight wins after losing a rematch with Fabricio Andrade. The pair have fought twice, with the first bout ending in a No Contest after a low blow left Lineker unable to continue.

The Rock’s PRIDE tale

Dwayne Johnson, a.k.a. The Rock, was the biggest thing in wrestling in the late 90s/early 2000s. Big enough that he had an entire show named for him (which is still going today in WWE SmackDown).

Things weren’t always so rosey in Rockland, however. Early on, the third generation wrestler struggled to get over with fans. According to The Rock, speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience recently, that led him to consider trying his hand at MMA. Believable? We’ll get to that. He’s what Johnson had to say on the matter (h/t Bloody Elbow).

“97, during that time, I was was still going to LA and working out. We were crossing all the MMA guys. PRIDE just opened up in Japan. I started seeing all these MMA guys going over to PRIDE,” Johnson told Joe Rogan. “At that time, I was making $150,000 wrestling 235 days a year. Do the math on that and how much you’re making per match.”

The allure of big money in Japan appears to have been a motivating factor (when you consider what The Rock is worth today, you can understand that ultimately, he made a smart decision in staying put).

“We start hearing, ‘Hey, these guys in PRIDE are making $250,000, $350,000, $500,000.’ I thought then, ‘F—, I don’t think I’m going to make it in WWE. People are booing me out of the arenas. I can’t be myself. They’re telling me to f*cking smile, I don’t want to f*cking smile. That’s not who I am.’

“I start talking to Ken Shamrock at that time, who is wrestling with us. I run into Mark Kerr, I start talking to him,’ Tell me a little bit about PRIDE’. I have this idea in my head, ‘Maybe I should train in MMA, go to PRIDE, and make real money and then I don’t have to smile’. I’m sure I’m going to get f*cked up, knock one of my lungs loose, but maybe I could do something like that.

“Find the right coach and train, so I had this whole thing in my head. I was talking to my wife at that time, I said, ‘I think that’s the way to go. Those guys are paying real money and these fans are booing me over here for 150 grand.’”

The Rock did not end up joining PRIDE, or fighting anywhere. Instead, the ex-college football star was put into the Nation of Domination in WWE by Vince McMahon, a faction/storyline that turned his wrestling career around.

How legit is this PRIDE story? Let’s not forget that pro wrestlers are almost always working, and The Rock knows just who Rogan’s audience is. This feels a lot like Hulk Hogan’s “I was going to be the bassist in Metallica” story.

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UFC Vegas 82 Sees Four Performance Bonuses Awarded, Including Headliner Allen https://cagesidepress.com/2023/11/18/ufc-vegas-82-four-performance-bonuses/ Sun, 19 Nov 2023 03:35:01 +0000 https://cagesidepress.com/?p=178662 It was a big night for individual performances at UFC Vegas 82 on Saturday, and with that in mind, the UFC’s head honchos have handed out four Performance bonuses. No Fight of the Night was named at the Fight Night show, which got off to an early start on Saturday afternoon (or morning, if you […]

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It was a big night for individual performances at UFC Vegas 82 on Saturday, and with that in mind, the UFC’s head honchos have handed out four Performance bonuses.

No Fight of the Night was named at the Fight Night show, which got off to an early start on Saturday afternoon (or morning, if you were on the west coast). Four Performance of the Night awards, however, were issued, including one to main event middleweight Brendan Allen.

Earning his sixth straight victory to cement himself as a real contender at 185lbs, Allen locked up a rear-naked choke on Scotland’s Paul Craig just over 30 seconds into round number three. Craig was forced to tap, giving Allen five rear-naked choke submissions in his current six-fight win streak.

Additional Performance of the Night bonuses at UFC Vegas 82 went to Joanderson Brito, Amanda Ribas, and Jeka Saragih. Brazil’s Ribas mounted a comeback victory in her strawweight match-up with Luana Pinheiro, after being pieced up in the opening round. Fellow Brazilian Brito, meanwhile, called for a bonus after his ninja choke submission win over Jonathan “JSP” Pearce to close out the preliminary card.

Brito had some pointed criticism, complaining previous finishes had gone unrewarded.

As for Jeka Saragih, his UFC Vegas 82 knockout of favorite Lucas Alexander, who missed weight for their featherweight fight, was historic, as he became the first UFC fighter from Indonesia to earn a win in the organization.

All four bonus-winning fighters will pocket an extra $50,000 for their efforts, on top of their fight purse, outfitting pay, etc.

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Michael Morales Stays Undefeated, Bests Jake Matthews at UFC Vegas 82 https://cagesidepress.com/2023/11/18/michael-morales-stays-undefeated-bests-jake-matthews-at-ufc-vegas-82/ Sun, 19 Nov 2023 00:32:20 +0000 https://cagesidepress.com/?p=178592 Australia’s Jake Matthews, once the youngest fighter in the UFC following his TUF Nations stint, entered the UFC Vegas 82 co-main event a veteran of the company. Paired up with Michael Morales in a promising welterweight scrap, Matthews was looking to land himself a ranked opponent with a big performance. Early on in the UFC […]

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Australia’s Jake Matthews, once the youngest fighter in the UFC following his TUF Nations stint, entered the UFC Vegas 82 co-main event a veteran of the company. Paired up with Michael Morales in a promising welterweight scrap, Matthews was looking to land himself a ranked opponent with a big performance.

Early on in the UFC Vegas 82 co-feature, it was Matthews holding center, but soon enough Morales pressed back, both men ready to strike at a moment’s notice. It was single strikes through the first 90 seconds or so, with plenty of feints mixed in. Matthews slipped, but quickly returned to his feet, averting possible disaster. Moments later, however, a powerful Morales punch pushed Matthews back; while Matthews landed as well, there was a clear differential in power.

As the opening round wore on, Matthews played the counter game, though more often than not he hit air, not Michael Morales. However, “The Celtic Kid” did hit the mark at least once; Morales, meanwhile, fired an explosive jump knee and always seemed ready to finish the fight.

Morales went on the attack about a minute into the second round, firing uppercuts and straight punches, forcing Matthews to cover up and retreat. Matthews regrouped, and began pushing forward again, firing a 1-2, circling, and looking for a way inside only to eat a leg kick or two. The second frame was a back-and-forth affair with both men landing, hard shots at that, though neither came close to finishing the fight.

What had been a very lively affair was still up for grabs as round three arrived, but the wind came out of the sails — specifically Morales’ sail — when Matthews connected low with a kick in the opening minute. Morales was given a time out to recover, but took only 30 seconds of the allotted five minutes.

Back in action, Morales kicked the leg of a charging Matthews. The pair continued to trade, with Morales occasionally finding an opening to land an uppercut. Late in the round, he ducked in on a takedown attempt, which Matthews stuffed. They ended up swinging to the final bell in a hard-hitting scrap, with Michael Morales earning the nod on the scorecards. He improved to 16-0 with the win.

Official Result: Michael Morales def. Jake Matthews by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

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UFC Vegas 82: Chase Hooper Lands Slick Sub on Jordan Leavitt, Notches Second Straight Win https://cagesidepress.com/2023/11/18/ufc-vegas-82-chase-hooper-lands-slick-sub-on-jordan-leavitt-notches-second-straight-win/ Sun, 19 Nov 2023 00:10:54 +0000 https://cagesidepress.com/?p=178589 Lightweight talents Chase Hooper and Jordan Leavitt faced off on Saturday’s UFC Vegas 82 main card at the UFC Apex, in a bout that promised to have some slick transitions and electrifying grappling exchanges. It didn’t disappoint, and played out, as expected, mostly on the mat. Chase Hooper ate a nasty ground strike from Jordan […]

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Lightweight talents Chase Hooper and Jordan Leavitt faced off on Saturday’s UFC Vegas 82 main card at the UFC Apex, in a bout that promised to have some slick transitions and electrifying grappling exchanges.

It didn’t disappoint, and played out, as expected, mostly on the mat.

Chase Hooper ate a nasty ground strike from Jordan Leavitt in the opening round of their lightweight fight, with Leavitt proving he was able to leave his nice guy persona at the cage door and really look to hurt the youngster. But Hooper, with solid Fight IQ for someone so young, took advantage of a scramble and flowed right into a rear-naked choke. With the body triangle in place and fully under the chin, Hooper had the submission locked up, and he knew it. Leavitt knew it as well, and had no choice but to tap!

The win is the second straight for 24-year old Chase Hooper, after picking up a unanimous decision over Nick Fiore earlier this year. After trading wins and losses through the entirety of his featherweight run in the UFC, it seems “The Dream” has found himself at 155lbs.

Official Result: Chase Hooper def. Jordan Leavitt by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 2:58

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UFC Vegas 82: In Strong Showing, Jose Johnson Secures Late Sub of Chad Anheliger https://cagesidepress.com/2023/11/18/ufc-vegas-82-in-strong-showing-jose-johnson-secures-late-sub-of-chad-anheliger/ Sat, 18 Nov 2023 21:51:25 +0000 https://cagesidepress.com/?p=178577 Bantamweights Chad Anheliger and Jose Johnson faced off at UFC Vegas 82 on Saturday — a fight that, given it’s close proximity to UFC 297 in just two month’s time, would probably keep Canada’s Anheliger from fighting at home in Toronto. Instead, he had to content with a tall, long Johnson, who fired a head […]

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Bantamweights Chad Anheliger and Jose Johnson faced off at UFC Vegas 82 on Saturday — a fight that, given it’s close proximity to UFC 297 in just two month’s time, would probably keep Canada’s Anheliger from fighting at home in Toronto.

Instead, he had to content with a tall, long Johnson, who fired a head kick early and used his length well. When Johnson landed an early takedown it felt like Anheliger was in for a long night. But he was able to take control and by the midway mark of round one had Johnson pressed up against the fence.

Johnson reversed, only to be reversed again himself. The duo traded knees, but eventually broke and moved back to center, where Johnson again showed off his reach advantage. Bad news for Anheliger, he’d wind up taken to the mat and wailed on at the end of the round.

Between frames, Anheliger’s corner told him that he was way better than what he’d shown so far. In the second, he looked to show that, and battled it out in the clinch some more along the fence. Mid-frame, Anheliger put his opponent on the defensive, but it didn’t last. Later in the round, Anheliger grabbed a guillotine, but he didn’t have it, and wound up with Johnson on top. Johnson transitioned to the back inside of the final minute, looking to slip an arm under the neck. The submission wasn’t there, but Jose Johnson finished the round strong.

Chad Anheliger found himself on top in guard early in the third, with Johnson firing elbows off his back. Johnson was very active on bottom, looking to draw his leg up the back, perhaps thinking triangle. That didn’t work out, and Anheliger worked to pass, at least keeping the fight from being stood up. Anheliger slowly, steadily moved into side control, but Johnson almost immediately regained guard.

With time winding down, Jose Johnson looked to be in a good spot. Still, he opted to leave the judges out of the equation. Taking Anheliger’s back, hooks in, Johnson sunk in a rear-naked choke, flattening Chad Anheliger out and forcing the tap!

Official Result: Jose Johnson def. Chad Anheliger by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 4:49

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