Latest news with #UFCVegas103
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC Vegas 104 predictions, odds, full card preview: Is Marvin Vettori still a middleweight contender?
UFC Vegas 104 continues the seemingly new tradition of middleweight main events taking center stage in the UFC APEX. For the second time since 2023, Marvin Vettori and Roman Dolidze will go toe-to-toe. Copy and paste almost everything from our UFC Vegas 103 preview introduction two weeks ago. These APEX events have become so devoid of excitement on paper that it's simply numbing at this point. When they do deliver, it's a surprise treat. How many people were asking for Vettori vs. Dolidze 2? It doesn't matter because we're getting it anyway — and with two additional rounds, baby. Still, UFC Vegas 104 has some decent violence potential, considering the lopsided matchmaking that appears to be at play. Will we see a night of upsets? I wouldn't bet on it, but let's make our picks regardless. Betting odds courtesy of BetMGM. If you don't remember the first fight between Vettori and Dolidze, you're in luck (I guess?), because UFC uploaded it to its YouTube channel this week. After rewatching the bout, it's all the more baffling that we're here in 2025 with a five-round rematch. Italy's Vettori has fought once since his unanimous decision nod over Dolidze. In June 2023, he set a middleweight record for the most significant strikes absorbed in a fight (249!) during his decision loss to Jared Cannonier. Since then, Vettori has been sidelined due to a plethora of shoulder injuries. 'I smashed my shoulder. It popped out and destroyed my rotator cuff, my labrum, and even my bicep,' Vettori said at UFC Vegas 104 media day. 'It was a heavy surgery, you know. A lot of tendons were torn and messed up. Tendons take a while to heal.' On the other hand, Dolidze lost his follow-up tilt against Nassourdine Imavov before starting his two-fight win streak with victories over Anthony Smith at light heavyweight and Kevin Holland. Unless Vettori returns as a changed man, there's no reason to expect a fight different from the previous Dolidze encounter. That performance was enough to earn him a win, so that's not a bad thing. Ultimately, the Georgian walked Vettori down for essentially the entire 15 minutes, and looked exclusively for big hooks to take out the notoriously durable Vettori. That was a stunningly poor approach from Dolidze because it's become apparent throughout Vettori's 27-fight career that he might have the hardest head in middleweight history, having never been knocked out. Additionally, Dolidze is the superior grappler, particularly with submissions, and he only attempted a single takedown despite backing Vettori up the whole fight. Vettori already bested Dolidze with three rounds. In Dolidze's lone previous five-round affair against Imavov, he faded down the stretch and was picked apart. His early success against Vettori in round one may have deterred him from trying to wrestle, so presumably he'll change that aspect of his game plan, but Vettori still has a solid 69% takedown defense in the UFC. How this rematch plays out depends mainly on the speculation surrounding Vettori's recovery and layoff. But based on what we know and have seen, I've got to take him in this one. Pick: Vettori I've always had a soft spot for Chidi Njoukurani and Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos. Hence, this co-main event is like seeing my two favorite distant (very distant) cousins duke it out to maintain relevancy. Before his last fight against Zach Scroggin, Zaleski dos Santos started to get counted out by the oddsmakers, likely because he's nearing 40 years old. Regardless, "Capoeira" is still as dynamic a striker as welterweight has to offer. His speed may not be what it once was, but he can still whip a wheel kick with the best of them and still packs a wallop in his punches. For a guy so willing to engage in striking wars, you would think the Brazilian might have more knockout losses than he does, but somehow there's still only one on his resume as he enters this 35th career contest. Njoukuani, 36, is a huge welterweight, and he's undefeated in his two fights since returning to the weight class one year ago. His wins over Rhys McKee and Jared Gooden were fine. He got the job done, leaning on his long, large frame to neutralize his opponents. Unfortunately for him, neither of those guys possesses the arsenal and technical prowess of "EZDS." This fight deserves a sleeper label because it might be awkwardly absurd in the best way possible. It's a shame they won't be presented in front of a packed arena crowd. As for the pick, it feels like more tread is left on Zaleski dos Santos' tires than people realize. Pick: Zaleski dos Santos Of the main card fights at UFC Vegas 104, this is the fight you shouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole. I'll say it outright: I'm taking Alexander Hernandez, but couldn't be any less confident in the choice. Once an incredibly bright prospect on the rise, Hernandez has been unfathomably inconsistent since Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone put him in his place in January 2019. Wins don't age much better at lightweight than his first two UFC wins: a knockout of Beneil Dariush and a unanimous decision over Olivier Aubin-Mercier. The Hernandez from those performances is long gone, and he hasn't put together a winning streak in his 12 fights since. Hernandez, 32, played around with a brief featherweight stint before returning to lightweight in his last fight — a split-decision win against Austin Hubbard. If you believe in MMA math, that should result in a Kurt Holobaugh victory, since he submitted Hubbard via a second-round triangle choke when they fought in The Ultimate Fighter 31 finals in August 2023. If one thing has remained consistent throughout Hernandez's stretch, it's been his willingness to lean on his wrestling. That's where he'll hold the advantage in this fight, assuming his gas tank holds, which I expect it to. Holobaugh is often a finisher, but his willingness to go for the kill is also sometimes his demise. Again, how confident am I that Hernandez doesn't get caught? I'm not. The level of competition simply favors Hernandez. Pick: Hernandez Da'Mon Blackshear will forever be known as the "Cody Killer" once he beats Cody Gibson at UFC Vegas 104. He defeated Cody Stamann in his last time out, and when this fight was initially booked I initially thought it was an instant rematch. Thankfully for Stamann, it's not. Blackshear is a menace on the ground, whipping out submissions left and right, including the ever-elusive but always impressive twister that he used against Jose Johnson in August 2023. Blackshear struggles when tasked with opponents who can match his size and bully him on the feet or ground. Gibson can do the latter, and he will try, but that's where he'll get caught. In this one, anything less than a finish for Blackshear would be a stock loss. Pick: Blackshear Diyar Nurgozhay is the fresh blood that the doctor ordered at light heavyweight. The undefeated 10-0 prospect still has much to prove, but he's off to a great start. Against Brendson Ribeiro, Nurgozhay is primed to score a highlight-reel finish akin to Tallison Teixeira's recent UFC debut against Justin Tafa at UFC 312. The dude is a smashing machine, showing off his devastating head kick in multiple victories now, with sneaky submission skills. Ribeiro scraped by in his last appearance, a split-decision over Caio Machado, and will hope to keep his roster spot in this one. But the odds are rightfully stacked against him. Pick: Nugozhay Choi Seung-woo has had a wild run in the UFC since he arrived in April 2019. I mean this as a compliment, but he's been an excellent loser for the company. The guy loses good, and that's important. Choi brings war with him each and every time he enters the Octagon, resulting in an incredible triumph or brutal demise. Against Kevin Vallejos, he's being set up to fall into the latter category. The 14-1 Vallejos' lone loss came against Jean Silva in his first Contender Series bout — a fight that went the distance. That's all you need to know about where the guy falls in terms of overall capability, but aside from that, he's finished all but one of his opponents. Whether on the feet or the ground, Vallejos smashes dudes. Choi is in for a rough one on Saturday night. Pick: Vallejos The Ryan Spann experiment remains one of the most intriguing we've seen. Flashes of brilliance don't correctly describe the now-former light heavyweight contender. At heavyweight, I understand why he's the underdog, but from a pure talent-perspective he has zero business losing to Waldo Cortes-Acosta. It's just a matter of whether or not he puts it all together upstairs. I'd have to revisit all of the previews we've done here at Uncrowned since launch, but UFC Vegas 104 seems like the event with the most widespread odds. Quick picks: Ryan Spann (+145) def. Waldo Cortes-Acosta (-180) You Su-young (-625) def. AJ Cunningham (+450) Josias Musasa (-800) def. Carlos Vera (+550) Stephanie Luciano (-225) def. Sam Hughes (+185) Andre Lima (-400) def. Daniel Barez (+310) Josiane Nunes (-180) def. Priscila Cachoeira (+145) Carli Judice (-350) def. Yuneisy Duben (+275)
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'What's next is a scary thing': The anatomy of an above-average UFC career
If you were to crunch the numbers on the average stay in the UFC, know what you'd find? Sticking around in the Octagon for more than five consecutive fights puts you in special company. It means you've beaten the odds and had a better than average career with the industry leader. Most fighters don't make it that far — and that's among the already elite group that even glimpses a UFC contract in the first place. Look at Saturday's UFC 313 event in Las Vegas, for example, and you'll see a fight card where half the fighters have six or fewer UFC bouts to their credit. And that's for a pay-per-view event, the top tier of the UFC's programming pyramid. At last weekend's UFC Vegas 103 event, 60% of the fighters on the card had fewer than five UFC bouts headed into the night. This is not a career that lends itself to longevity. We tend to focus on outliers in fight sports. Champions. Repeat contenders. Veterans of multiple bloody battles who seared their names into our collective memories. We don't think too much about what an average career in the UFC really looks like. Brian Kelleher had 17 fights over seven years with the UFC. His career was, by just about any metric, above average. He competed in two weight classes and won five performance bonuses — most of them for preliminary card bouts. Still, last week he got the word. With his contract up and a string of losses over the past couple years, Kelleher was informed that his time in the UFC was done. At age 38, it also made him start thinking his time in MMA as whole might be finished, and he wrote as much in a message posted to X last week. I don't know what's next but it seems fighting has come to an end. What a journey. Thank you all who have supported me. Love you. BOOM — Brian BOOM Kelleher (@brianboom135) February 26, 2025 Kelleher learned that he was out of the UFC via email, though not from the UFC itself. The news came from Drug Free Sport, which handles sample collections for the UFC anti-doping program. The email informed him that he was no longer subject to the program and would not be visited again by sample collectors from Drug Free Sport. Kelleher knew what that meant. The next morning, he heard from his manager, who confirmed it. 'I kind of was expecting it a little bit with my age and where I was in my career, coming off a few losses,' Kelleher said. 'I figured it was possible they would give me one more fight. I had done a lot for the company, been with them for seven years, took a lot of short-notice fights as a replacement and I know they liked that. I know [UFC matchmaker] Sean Shelby likes me, and I thought maybe I'd get one more shot at a hometown fight in Long Island or New York or something like that. But unfortunately that wasn't the case.' This wasn't a surprise to Kelleher. But it's one thing to know, in a hypothetical sense, what's probably coming. It's another thing to have it staring you in the face. Suddenly there was a finality to it. The unmistakable sense that a door in one's life had now swung shut for good. So that's it. Kelleher is done in the UFC. And he isn't sure what comes after that. 'It's a little bit scary,' he said. 'Just to stop fighting, you know? You get attached to it. That's who you are. For the last 20 years, this is all I've done. I never really wanted to work a regular job, just a nine-to-five job for a paycheck just to survive. I wanted to chase my dream and make it happen. I'm blessed that I got to do that, but I guess I thought I had at least two to three years left.' Part of it is his because of his neck. Kelleher had a two-level fusion done on his cervical vertebrae after an MRI spotted some damage that UFC doctors were concerned about. He said he opted for the surgery after UFC officials told him he wouldn't be allowed to fight again without it. He'd hoped it would buy him some time and prolong his career. Now he faces the uncertainty of unemployment in a field where the market for 38-year-old bantamweights is not exactly robust. Kelleher is open to fighting elsewhere, either in MMA or one of the other combat sports that overlaps with it in the complex Venn diagram of disciplines that's emerged in the last few years. He has a strong social media following and has endeared himself to many hardcore fans that way. In the attention economy of professional fighting, this might be worth something. But he also doesn't want to fight just to fight, collecting some meager purse to be someone else's stepping stone to the big time. He's seen how that goes. Plus it just delays the question of what comes next rather than answering it. And ultimately the delay might not even be a very long one. 'I've just been feeling like maybe God is looking out for me in a different way,' Kelleher said. 'Like maybe it's all happening naturally and it's time to let it go. It's tough because you're used to waking up and your sole purpose is this. It's just train, eat, sleep, train. It's a very disciplined, regimented lifestyle. You follow that routine for so many years, and there's a lot more to it than people think. Now it's like, OK, I did it. I had a UFC run. That's great. I lived my dream and I am happy about that. But for it to be over and not know what's next is a scary thing, because which direction do I take this now?' Some retired fighters open gyms. Kelleher has always enjoyed helping younger fighters and sharing his craft, but 'there's not really any money in just training fighters,' he noted. Most of the people who really make a solid go of it as gym owners do so by teaching regular people — not pros. What that often translates to in reality, as retired UFC fighter Charles McCarthy once said, is teaching the same beginner jiu-jitsu lesson over and over again for the rest of your life. Kelleher isn't sure he wants to do that. So what, does he go get a totally different job? It's been a long time since he had one of those, he said. Not since he decided to go all-in on MMA and pursue this career with everything he had. 'I had a long journey to get here,' Kelleher said. 'A lot of ups and downs. I was never that guy who was undefeated with a quick track to the UFC. I started this as a fan of the sport growing up. When I was 18, a gym opened up near me. I never wrestled in high school or anything. I just got into MMA and started training, thinking I could make this a reality. I lost my first pro fight. Then I won a few, lost a couple in a row. I was 28 years old, had a full-time job. I wasn't sure this was going to work. Then I just said, 'You know, you've got to hit a switch and really go for this, fight all the top prospects, really see where you can go with this.' And looking back, that's probably what I'm most proud of. That resiliency to keep going and chase the dream and make it happen.' He had some big moments in the UFC. His debut was a short-notice fight against Iuri Alcantara that he took on two weeks' notice. That was his way in. He was willing to take whatever risk was required to get a UFC contract, and it paid off. He walked into Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, a hostile crowd chanting 'you're gonna die' at him in Portuguese, and then he beat a ranked Brazilian fighter who'd come into the fight as a nearly 4-to-1 favorite. Then there was the time he beat former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao on network television. He was the underdog there too. Imagine that feeling, to beat a former champ live on FOX so everyone who ever doubted this crazy dream could look up at the TV over the bar one Saturday night and see you getting your hand raised. All these moments and memories are his to keep. So, too, is the damage he's done to himself along the way — and truth be told, he does wonder what the final bill for that might end up looking like some years down the road. But he lived the dream for seven grueling, turbulent years. He was a UFC fighter. He had a career. What's that worth to other people, and where does it all go from here? He doesn't know. Maybe he doesn't have to yet. But he knows he wouldn't take it back, even if he could.
USA Today
04-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ramazonbek Temirov calls out Kai Kara-France, Brandon Moreno and more after UFC Fight Night 253
LAS VEGAS – Ramazan Temirov beat Charles Johnson with a unanimous decision Saturday to open the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 253 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Take a look inside the fight with Temirov, who held off a third-round Johnson rally to pick up his 11th straight win. Ramazan Temirov def. Charles Johnson Result: Ramazan Temirov def. Charles Johnson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Updated records: Temirov (19-2-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), Johnson (17-7 MMA, 6-5 UFC) Key stats: Johnson won the overall striking battle 87-59. Temirov on the fight's key moment 'I couldn't show the best performance of my career, but I was prepared for three rounds. I'm always prepared for all of my fights. This opponent was a little uncomfortable for me, and I was missing with some of my punches. I could drop him down, but I couldn't knock him out. His style was a little uncomfortable for me. He was doing a good job slipping away from my punches.' Ramazan Temirov beats Charles Johnson by unanimous decision 🇺🇿 Watch our #UFCVegas103 prelims LIVE NOW on @UFCFightPass 📺 — UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) March 1, 2025 Temirov on a goal to get to the top 15 'I'm happy about my performance. He was a tough fighter, and I hope I'm in the top 15 now (after the win). I felt that every time when I was punching him, I was winning all the rounds.' Temirov on what he wants next 'I'm going to be ready for the next one around summertime. I don't care who's going to be in front of me, it can be top five, top 10 , but I wouldl love to fight against top guys because it's going to make me become a champion as soon as possible. … I want to fight against top five guys like Kai Kara-France and Brandon Moreno because they fight standing. I'd love to fight standing – I enjoy it.' To hear more from Temirov, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above. For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC Fight Night 253. Gallery UFC Fight Night 253: Best photos from Las Vegas View 105 photos
USA Today
04-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Danny Silva pitches Nate Landwehr as first head he wants to collect after UFC Fight Night 253
LAS VEGAS – Danny Silva beat Lucas Almeida with a split decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 253 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Take a look inside the fight with Silva, who has split decisions in both his UFC wins so far. Danny Silva def. Lucas Almeida Result: Danny Silva def. Lucas Almeida via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) Updated records: Silva (10-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), Almeida (15-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC) Key stats: Silva landed 7 more strikes than Almeida – even though Almeida had more than 100 additional strike attempts. Silva on the fight's key moment 'He actually damaged my forearm, so I felt like I couldn't really throw my right hand anymore. It's not that I wanted to cruise – I just couldn't let my hand go because my hand was so jittery and I couldn't close it tight to where I wanted to let it go. I knew he was throwing everything – the (kitchen sink). I was like, 'This guy's trying to throw a Hail Mary right now – he's throwing that left hook the 2-cross' and just trying to knock me out that last round. I was trying to be cautious and not trying to run into anything, especially because I wasn't confident with my arm.' By split decision! 👏 Danny Silva begins a win streak after coming out on top at #UFCVegas103! — UFC (@ufc) March 1, 2025 Silva on the split decision 'It's some bull. I thought I for sure won two rounds. I thought I cruised in the third round, but I had my reasons and I don't think he did anything significant like how I had the first two rounds.' Silva on what he wants next 'I'd like to fight three more times this year. Cub (Swanson) has been telling me I need to be active, and I agree with him. … I have names, fighters I want to fight. I want to get closer to that top 15. I want to show my boxing and show how good I am. One thing Cub has told me is it's about the names you have underneath your belt. 'I'm ready to collect some heads. … It's all respect. If I'm calling them out, it's because I think they're going to make fun fights with me. Nate 'The Train' (Landwehr) is one of those guys I feel like would be a really fun fight for the fans. It intrigues me. He's a crazy fighter, and I'm ready to prove who I am with someone like that. I'm excited because I feel like I would surprise everybody.' To hear more from Silva, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above. For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC Fight Night 253. Gallery UFC Fight Night 253: Best photos from Las Vegas View 105 photos
Express Tribune
02-03-2025
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Manel Kape's UFC Vegas 103 TKO win sparks eye pokes controversy
Manel Kape secured a dominant TKO victory over Asu Almabayev in the UFC Vegas 103 main event, but the fight did not end without controversy. Multiple eye pokes by Kape, including one that went unnoticed by referee Mike Beltran, have led some fans to question the fairness of the result. Originally scheduled to face former title challenger Brandon Royval, Kape instead took on Almabayev, who stepped in on short notice with a 17-fight winning streak. Kape controlled the fight early, showcasing his power and precision. However, repeated eye pokes, one of which was not called by the referee, may have affected Almabayev's vision as the bout progressed. In the third round, Kape pressed Almabayev against the cage before chasing him down across the Octagon and securing the TKO victory. While the performance reinforced Kape's position as a top flyweight contender, the manner of the win sparked criticism on social media. Fans took to various platforms to express frustration over the unpenalised fouls. One user called the result a 'win via eye poke TKO,' while another claimed Kape had 'cheated' his way to victory. Some compared the fight to previous Kape finishes, arguing he has benefited from illegal strikes in the past. Despite the controversy, Kape received support from several UFC fighters. Former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling praised the performance, while UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad called for Kape to receive a title shot. With back-to-back wins, including a December victory over Bruno Silva, Kape has positioned himself for either a title opportunity or a No. 1 contender fight in the flyweight division. However, questions remain over whether his UFC Vegas 103 win should carry an asterisk due to the contentious eye pokes, even as Kape won 'Performance of the Night' bonus.
