With his wife due to give birth at any moment, Dan Ige knew he had to make quick work…
With his wife due to give birth at any moment, Dan Ige knew he had to make quick work of his opponent at UFC Vegas 86 on Saturday night.
After coming up short in his last outing against Bryce Mitchell in February, the top-15 ranked featherweight delivered another finish for the highlight-reel, blasting his opponent and teammate Andre Fili in the opening round of their co-main event clash. Just before hitting the halfway point, Fili threw an uninspired jab that gave ’50k’ the perfect opportunity to unleash his signature right hand.
Connecting clean, Fili crashed to the canvas and was unable to protect himself from one final blow before the referee could rush in and call for the stoppage.
Official Result: Dan Ige def. Andre Fili via KO (right hand) at 2:43 of Round 1.
Check Out Highlights from Dan Ige vs. Andre Fili at UFC Vegas 86:
Losing three of his last four inside the Octagon, Andre Fili was hard-pressed for a win at UFC 296…
Losing three of his last four inside the Octagon, Andre Fili was hard-pressed for a win at UFC 296 on Saturday night.
Fili stepped into the cage determined to close out 2023 on a high note and he did exactly that, scoring a brutal first-round knockout of Brazilian standout Lucas Almeida during the early prelims portion of the final pay-per-view event of the year.
With nearly 90 seconds left in the opening round, ‘Touchy’ uncockred a short right hook that caught Almeida on the button and sent him crashing to the canvas.
Following his opponent to the ground, Fili unleashed a flurry of strikes that forced the referee to step in, calling for the stoppage and giving fans their second finish in as many fights.
Official Result: Andre Fili def. Lucas Almeida TKO at 3:32 of Round 1
Check Out Highlights from andre fili vs. lucas almeida at UFC 296 below:
MMA News has you covered with this week’s UFC matchmaking bulletin, featuring fights for AKA product Abubakar Nurmagomedov, TUF winner Bryan Battle, featherweight veteran Andre Fili, City Kickboxing’s Tyson Pedro, and lightweight prospect Nasrat Haqparast. With UFC cards being held most weekends, Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby have their matchmaking work cut out if they’re to fill…
MMA News has you covered with this week’s UFC matchmaking bulletin, featuring fights for AKA product Abubakar Nurmagomedov, TUF winner Bryan Battle, featherweight veteran Andre Fili, City Kickboxing’s Tyson Pedro, and lightweight prospect Nasrat Haqparast.
With UFC cards being held most weekends, Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby have their matchmaking work cut out if they’re to fill them, meaning new bouts are confirmed each and every week.
In recent days, a number of huge fights were reported, confirmed or made official by the UFC and reputable sources. For more information on those matchups, check out the links below:
If you’ve had your fix of big announcements since last Monday, scroll down and check out this week’s matchmaking bulletin, featuring a number of bouts that may have flown under your radar between June 13 and June 18.
Abubakar Nurmagomedov vs. Phil Rowe – UFC Long Island (July 16)
Abubakar Nurmagomedov will be looking to finally make his long-awaited return to the Octagon at UFC Long Island, where he’s been matched up with Phil Rowe.
Nurmagomedov (15-3-1), the younger cousin of MMA great Khabib, bounced back from an unsuccessful promotional debut last time out with a unanimous decision victory over Jared Gooden at UFC 260. But since the March 2021 event, the Dagestani has been absent from the cage.
The 32-year-old was initially booked to face rising welterweight Daniel Rodriguez last July, but he was forced out due to injury. Now a year on, Nurmagomedov will look to pick up from where he left off when he faces Rowe (9-3) on July 16 in New York.
“The Fresh Prince” has gone 2-1 in the Octagon since earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019. After a debut loss to Gabe Green, Rowe brought himself to a positive record with victories over Orion Cosce and Jason Witt. He’ll look to make it three in a row(e) at UFC Long Island by adding the well-renowned Nurmagomedov name to his résumé.
This addition to the July 16 card was reported by Eurosport’s Marcel Dorff.
Jai Herbert vs. Kyle Nelson – UFC London (July 23)
Lightweight Jai Herbert will be joining the likes of Tom Aspinall, Paddy Pimblett, Molly McCann, Paul Craig, and Muhammad Mokaev as returning Brits on July 23. But while those names will be looking to record their second London victories of the year, “The Black Country Banger” will be targeting his first.
In March, Herbert (11-4) came close to a memorable upset victory over the unbeaten Ilia Topuria. But when the Georgian survived a first round in which he was dropped by a vicious head kick, he came out with violence on his mind, sleeping the Englishman early in the second.
While he’s faced tough competition since arriving in the Octagon, with his other two defeats coming against Renato Moicano and Francisco Trinaldo, falling to a 1-4 record next time out will be hard to bounce back from.
The man hoping to send Herbert to that promotional slate at UFC London will be Kyle Nelson (13-4). The Canadian hasn’t been in action since a knockout loss to Billy Quarantillo in September 2020. Having fallen to a 1-3 record of his own under the UFC banner, “The Monster” will be returning to lightweight on July 23 for the first time since a debut loss to Carlos Diego Ferreira.
Nelson confirmed this bout through his official Twitter account.
— Kyle The Monster Nelson (@THE__MONSTER) June 14, 2022
Bryan Battle vs. Takashi Sato – UFC Vegas 59 (August 6)
The latest test for TUF winner Bryan Battle will see him drop to welterweight to face five-fight UFC veteran Takashi Sato at UFC Vegas 59.
After defeating Gilbert Urbina last August to be crowned The Ultimate Fighter 29 middleweight victor, Battle (7-1) made a successful sophomore appearance in the Octagon in February this year, earning a unanimous decision win against fellow cast member Tresean Gore.
But despite his early success at middleweight, where all of his professional appearances have come, the 27-year-old is set to make his 170-pound debut on August 6. Looking to make it an unsuccessful arrival for “Pooh Bear” will be Sato (16-5).
The Japanese welterweight will enter his contest with Battle on the back off a two-fight skid, having fallen to defeat against Miguel Baeza in 2020 and versus the returning Gunnar Nelson at UFC London earlier this year.
While Battle will be looking to announce his arrival in a new division, former Pancrase title challenger Sato will be hoping to avoid an often fatal three-fight UFC skid.
After an 0-2 run at middleweight, UFC veteran Misha Cirkunov is set to return to light heavyweight next time out, where he’ll hope to find form at the expense of Shamil Gamzatov.
Since wins over Ion Cu?elaba and Nikita Krylov helped him get off to a perfect 4-0 start in the Octagon, Cirkunov (15-8) has struggled. In eight fights since, the Latvian has gone 2-6, including setbacks against former champion Glover Teixeira, Volkan Oezdemir, and Johnny Walker.
After a 2021 loss to Ryan Spann, Cirkunov unsuccessfully tested the 185-pound waters, falling to further misery at the hands of Krzysztof Jotko and Wellington Turman. If he’s to avoid a four-fight skid, the 35-year-old will need to become only the second man to defeat Gamzatov (14-1).
The Dagestani entered a UFC 267 contest with Micha? Oleksiejczuk on the back off a two-year layoff, but with an unblemished 14-0 record in-tow. But after leaving Abu Dhabi with his first loss, which came via first-round TKO, Gamzatov will be looking to return to the kind of form that had him so highly touted upon his arrival in the UFC.
Malcolm Gordon vs. Allan Nascimento – UFC San Diego (August 13)
The August 13 UFC Fight Night, set to go down in San Diego, will have some Canadian presence in the form of Malcolm “X” Gordon.
Gordon (14-5) had a tough start in the UFC, losing his debut outing to Amir Albazi, as well as his sophomore appearance versus Sumudaerji. But since a 44-second knockout loss to “The Tibetan Eagle,” Gordon has found form, winning consecutive fights against Francisco Figueiredo and Denys Bondar.
The former TKO Flyweight Champion will look to add a third straight win and perhaps a 12th career finish to his résumé when he shares the Octagon with the in-form Allan Nascimento (19-6).
“Pure Osso” had a tough debut assignment in the form of Tagir Ulanbekov. After falling on the wrong side of a split decision against the Russian, Nascimento found his way to the win column last month by spoiling the debut of the previously-undefeated Jake Hadley.
The 30-year-old will look to build a run of form when he meets Malcolm “X” this summer in a matchup that was first reported by MMA Junkie.
Pedro (8-3) returned in style in April following more than three years on the sidelines. After showing early potential with wins against Khalil Rountree Jr. and Paul Craig, consecutive setbacks to Ovince Saint Preux and Mauricio Rua stalled his progress, the latter of whom Pedro lost to following a serious knee injury that left him requiring knee reconstruction.
After a difficult layoff, the Australian reminded the 205-pound roster of his presence this year when he viciously knocked Ike Villanueva out at UFC Vegas 52. If he’s to make it back-to-back in August, Pedro will have to go through Hunsucker (7-5).
After consecutive defeats to Tai Tuivasa and Justin Tafa at heavyweight, “The Hurricane” will look to save his place on the UFC roster with a venture to light heavyweight, where yet another Aussie will be awaiting him.
A light heavyweight matchup between Tyson Pedro and Harry Hunsucker is headed to UFC 278 on Aug. 20, multiple sources tell @mma_kings and I. Story coming to @MMAJunkie
Nasrat Haqparast vs. John Makdessi – UFC Paris (September 3)
The UFC’s first visit to France is edging closer, and with it, a number of names are having their seats on the plane to Paris booked. The latest addition sees Afghan-born German Nasrat Haqparast meet Canadian veteran John Makdessi.
Haqparast (13-4) has shown glimpses of his potential in the Octagon, earning victories over the likes of Marc Diakiese, Alex Munoz, and Rafa Garcia. But after back-to-back losses to ranked contender Dan Hooker and 2022 main-eventer Bobby Green, the 26-year-old finds himself in need of a rebound performance next time out.
The man looking to send him on a three-fight skid instead will be Makdessi (18-7). “The Bull” has fought once a year since 2017, with his latest performance coming last April. Having edged a decision win against Ignacio Bahamondes in a memorable three-round war, the 37-year-old will look to deliver a similarly impressive performance when he makes the trip across the Atlantic on September 3.
This re-arranged bout, which was slated for February earlier this year, was first reported by Eurosport’s Marcel Dorff.
BREAKING
Third time's a charm?! A lightweight bout between Nasrat Haqparast (@Nasrat_mma) and John Makdessi (@JohnMakdessi) takes place on September 3rd at #UFCParis. Fun match-up, great booking!!
Andre Fili vs. Lando Vannata – UFC Fight Night (September 17)
An exciting featherweight matchup will go down on September 17 as UFC veterans Andre Fili and Lando Vannata collide.
“Touchy” Fili (21-9) has been a mainstay in the Octagon at 145 pounds since making his promotional debut in 2013. The 31-year-old has shared the cage with some of the best during his time on MMA’s biggest stage, including Max Holloway, Yair Rodriguez, and Calvin Kattar.
Having exchanged wins and losses throughout his UFC tenure, Fili finds himself in his trickiest position to date, winless in his last three. After a decision defeat to Bryce Mitchell and an unfortunate no contest against Daniel Pineda, the Washington native was given a short night at UFC Vegas 53 in April, with Joanderson Brito stopping him via TKO in just 41 seconds.
Vannata had a similar night at the office a week earlier when he met Charles Jourdain. A first-round submission loss to the Canadian meant that “Groovy” had failed to continue the momentum from his victory over Mike Grundy last May.
Now, having exchanged wins and losses across his last six outings, Vannata will be looking to build consistent form, starting against Fili on September 17.
The #UFC is finalizing a featherweight bout between Andre Fili (21-9) and Lando Vannata (12-6-2) for its Sept. 17 event, per multiple sources. Story coming to @MMAJunkie.
Randy Costa vs. Guido Cannetti – UFC Fight Night (October 1)
Joining names like Vinc Pichel and Cheyanne Vlismas on the card, bantamweight Randy Costa is set to feature at the October 1 event, which is expected to be a UFC Fight Night.
Costa (6-3) is on a poor run of form, losing consecutive outings against Adrian Yanez and Tony Kelley, both via second-round TKOs. When he returns later this year, “The Zohan” will look to find his way back to the form that brought him a pair of first-round knockout wins against Boston Salmon and Journey Newson.
In his way of doing so will be veteran Guido Cannetti (9-6), who’s competed in the Octagon since 2014. The 42-year-old was 2-6 and riding a three-fight losing streak, including a defeat to Marlon Vera, heading into his last outing. Having likely saved his place in the promotion by stopping Kris Moutinho inside one round, the Argentine will look to make it back-to-back on October 1.
On Saturday night, UFC Vegas 53 went down from inside the MMA leader’s home base, the APEX facility, in Nevada. Following in the footsteps of some of the top featherweights, welterweights, and women’s strawweights, the latest UFC Fight Night saw the bantamweights take center stage to close out the month of April. In a bout…
On Saturday night, UFC Vegas 53 went down from inside the MMA leader’s home base, the APEX facility, in Nevada.
Following in the footsteps of some of the top featherweights, welterweights, and women’s strawweights, the latest UFC Fight Night saw the bantamweights take center stage to close out the month of April.
Elsewhere on the card, the likes of former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski, entertaining veteran Darren Elkins, rising lightweight Grant Dawson, and unbeaten behemoth Alexandr Romanov were all in action.
So, could UFC Vegas 53 send us into another pay-per-view fight week off the back of a memorable card? Let’s find out with the positives and negatives.
What is in the Las Vegas water lately? A fight day cancelation is always frustrating but at two events in a row? Get outta here.
Last weekend saw the return of undefeated heavyweight prospect Romanov and his bout with Chase Sherman pushed back a week after a number of fights had already taken place. This time, it was the turn of Carlos Candelario vs. Tatsuro Taira. While this one did at least come pre-event, it was still far from ideal.
This contest pitted two exciting newcomers together in what looked set to be a fast-paced flyweight bout. While Candelario, whose only defeat came on Dana White’s Contender Series last year, would’ve also been fun to watch, it was Taira who I, like most, had my eye on.
The Japanese 125lber boats a perfect 10-0 record and is still just 22 years of age, not to mention he’s riding a 19-fight win streak if his amateur results are taken into account. To lose the debut of such a promising fighter last minute was certainly a negative.
Thankfully, just as Romanov vs. Sherman was re-arranged for UFC Vegas 53, Candelaro vs. Taira is set to go down at the next UFC Fight Night on May 14, meaning that its initial cancelation will likely be a short-term negative.
Carlos Candelario vs. Tatsuro Taira is OFF of tonight's card and has been postponed to the May 14th card per the UFC.
There’s only so many times this can be listed as a negative before it simply becomes an expected part of the broadcast. At UFC Vegas 53, it took just two fights for one of the color commentators’ lack of grasp of the scoring criteria to shine through.
During the barnburner between Natan Levy and Mike Breeden (more on that soon), Jon Anik and Michael Bisping pondered whether the American had edged the second frame, which the Israeli had controlled more of but with little damage. In response, Cruz claimed that control time matters.
I’ll list below a quote from the criteria that shows why the former UFC bantamweight champion was wrong with his assessment.
“Successful execution of takedowns, submission attempts, reversals, and the achievement of advantageous positions that produce immediate or cumulative impact with the potential to contribute to the end of the match…”
The key words being, “contribute to the end of the match.”
Simply put, top and bottom fighters during grappling exchanges are scored based on the impactful nature of their actions, rather than the position itself. Control time does not fit into the equation if not effectively put to use.
MMA is an offensive sport and is all about pursuing a finish to the fight. Control time without submission attempts or impactful strikes is essentially meaningless when it comes to scoring a fight.
Dominick Cruz: "Control time does matter"
MMA scoring: Control time doesn't matter. #UFCVegas53
Cruz was at it again later in the night, suggesting that Jake Collier’s takedown with less than 10 seconds of the third round remaining, which resulted in about 5 seconds of top control and nothing else, is what ‘stole the round’ for him. *sigh*
Positive – An Early Back & Forth Brawl
After an entertaining fight for as long as it lasted between Gina Mazany and Shanna Young, the card’s strong start continued thanks to the efforts of Natan Levy and Mike Breeden.
For three rounds, the pair went at it hard, leaving everything inside the Octagon. Throughout the 15 minutes, both landed hard blows and had success in the grappling department.
The two lightweights were visibly exhausted after delivering an early Fight of the Night contender. In the end, it was the Israeli who had his hand raised via unanimous decision, but Breeden certainly did his stock no harm at UFC Vegas 53.
Add this bout to the list of reasons why fans should never sleep on preliminary cards…
“Gifted” Gabe Green. If by “gifted,” he means gifted with immense toughness and recovery ability, then absolutely.
Picking up where the previous fight left off, Green and Yohan Lainesse threw down in the third bout of the night. Early on, the Canadian’s power was on full show and looked set to be the difference.
If the first round didn’t already suggest that, the thunderous right hand that practically face-planted Green in the second certainly did. When he hit the ground, it seemed that the fat lady had her mic on. She eventually sang into it, but not before the Californian had recovered and finished the fight himself.
Towards the end of the second frame, Green unloaded with alternating shots to the head and body. Nothing is more frustrating than watching a fighter let their hurt opponent off the hook by throwing solely to the protected head.
On Saturday, Green showed exactly why digging into the open body can be so effective. After one particularly strong shot to the liver sat Lainesse down, some ground-and-pound forced referee Herb Dean to step in.
Impressive comeback, vicious finish, and a UFC Vegas 53 positive.
It’s hard to imagine a fighter branded as a favorite ever being able to do justice to odds as lopsided as -2500. But if I was to hazard a guess at how they’d do it, it’d go something like Alexandr Romanov’s performance at UFC Vegas 53.
In the space of just over two minutes, the Moldovan put a beating on his American counterpart that included takedowns, ground and pound, and a submission. Romanov’s first takedown came in less than 15 seconds. While Sherman may have grown in confidence after making his way back to his feet, that was quickly slammed out of him courtesy of a brutal suplex.
From there, it was relatively easy for “King Kong.” After advancing to full mount, he delivered some hard shots to “The Vanilla Gorilla” against the cage, before locking in an Americana for the tap.
The positive here isn’t the result — that was expected. It’s the fact that a serious prospect in the heavyweight division went out there and dispatched a lower-level opponent in as brutal a fashion as he needed to, enhancing his reputation as a name to watch. An additional contender is always a positive.
With that, a big fight should be next for him, and the name of #13-ranked Augusto Sakai certainly wasn’t a bad one for Romanov to call out during his time on the mic post-fight.
Was Darren Elkins vs. Tristan Connelly ever going to end any way other than with both men beaten and bloody? The term ‘as advertized’ was invented with these kind of matchups in mind.
When Elkins is in action, two things are promised: damage and blood. Courtesy of his aggressive strategy and the ability of fellow veteran Connelly to match him, that’s exactly what we got.
Ultimately, after some brutal exchanges and thunderous elbows, the pair fought to the final buzzer, soon after which Elkins was awarded the unanimous decision victory.
Not many people have sent a ‘re-sign me’ message quite like “The Damage” did on Saturday night. Give that man a new deal, Shelby!
Pre-UFC Joanderson Brito has arrived in the Octagon, and in some style. The one and only man to finish Andre Fili with strikes prior to UFC Vegas 53 was current #3-ranked featherweight contender Yair Rodriguez back in 2016. That is certainly not bad company for “Tubarão.”
It took less than a minute for Brito to close the contest. He did so in textbook fashion, probing with his sharp jab before flattening “Touchy” with a looping overhand right that twisted him into the 1996 Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt classic (Google might be needed for that one…).
Fili gave a valiant effort to recover, but after two more flash knockouts on the ground, Herb Dean had seen enough and the bout was over after just 41 seconds.
After a disappointing debut loss to Bill Algeo, this could well be the result that sets the 27-year-old Brazilian prospect on track for a fast rise up the 145-pound ladder.
If you’d expected a dull heavyweight slog in the UFC Vegas 53 co-main event, you were sorely mistaken.
Andrei Arlovski and Jake Collier threw hard for the duration and with a level of conditioning you wouldn’t expect from a 43-year-old and from a man of Collier’s size. After a tight three rounds, the former champ fell on the right side of a split decision.
While I did score the fight for Collier, calls of ‘robbery’ seem misplaced. Either way, however you scored the contest, no one can deny the toughness and durability of “The Pitbull.”
Remarkably, Arlovski is now on a four-fight win streak. Who’d have expected that sentence to make sense in the year 2022? With the victory, the veteran equaled Jim Miller and Donald Cerrone for the most wins in UFC history (23).
What a way to cap off a thoroughly entertaining card. As promised, Rob Font and Marlon Vera went to war in the Fight of the Night, proving exactly why the bantamweight division is regarded as one of, if not the, most entertaining weight classes in the world.
Towards the end of the second frame, Vera, who had seemingly been biding his time, joined the party, dropping his foe and threatening a finish. A fast and furious third stanza ended with the same aesthetic: Vera pummelling a downed Font.
In the fourth, a back kick to the head made it a trio of knockdowns from rounds 2-4. Once again, Font incredibly survived to reach his corner, although that was largely due to the Ecuadorian’s bizarre decision to give Font about 30 seconds on his back free of any offense.
Credit also has to go to Tyson Chartier, who asked his man if he was able to continue, something we don’t often see.
Despite his wobbly moments and multiple trips to the canvas, Font never stopped pushing forward and playing his part in an incredible headline clash. Ultimately, he was left pretty unrecognizable.
After 25 minutes, “Chito” was awarded a unanimous decision victory that will certainly mark his breakthrough into the elite at 135 pounds. Welcome to the main event winners’ circle, Marlon Vera.
The UFC Vegas 30 weigh-in results are complete, and every single fighter successfully made weight! UFC Vegas 30 Preview The main event will see heavyweights Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov do battle. Volkov is fresh off a new UFC contract, and he will …
The UFC Vegas 30 weigh-in results are complete, and every single fighter successfully made weight! UFC Vegas 30 Preview The main event will see heavyweights Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov do battle. Volkov is fresh off a new UFC contract, and he will have an opportunity to show his bosses along with the rest of […]
UFC featherweight Andre Fili has accused other MMA fighters of damaging the fight game by responding to Jake and Logan Paul. The two YouTube stars have accelerated their crossover into boxing in 2021 and regularly exchange words with professional comba…
UFC featherweight Andre Fili has accused other MMA fighters of damaging the fight game by responding to Jake and Logan Paul. The two YouTube stars have accelerated their crossover into boxing in 2021 and regularly exchange words with professional combat sports athletes over social media. The younger Paul brother, Jake, has been the most vocal […]
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Losing three of his last four inside the Octagon, Andre Fili was hard-pressed for a win at UFC 296…
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