Yaroslav Amosov’s encore UFC performance saw another impressive outing, as the former Bellator welterweight champion submitted Joel Alvarez during the UFC 328 prelims.
Amosov was dominant with his wrestling throughout the fight. Even as Alvarez tried to keep distance and work Amosov into exchanges, he was continuously taken down by Amosov, who dominated with positioning and strikes on the ground and against the fence.
This led to the highlight finishing sequence in round two, where Amosov landed a slam before immediately jumping into a head-and-arm choke submission position. Amosov scored the submission win and promptly celebrated with break dancing.
Yaroslav Amosov Lands Slam And Submission At UFC 328
YAROSLAV AMOSAV WITH THE SLAM, THE CHOKE, AND THE BREAK DANCE CELEBRATION 👏
— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) May 10, 2026
Amosov made his UFC debut in December, scoring a first-round submission of Neil Magny. Amosov is now 30-1 as a pro MMA fighter, with his sole loss coming when he dropped the Bellator title to Jason Jackson at Bellator 301.
The UFC Rio lineup has reportedly undergone some adjustments.
The MMA promotion is slated to return to the “Cidade Maravilhosa” this year with a Fight Night event named UFC Rio, scheduled for October 11 at the Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
According to a recent report from an MMA journalist Alvaro Colmenero, the welterweight clash between seasoned contenders Vicente Luque and Santiago Ponzinibbio has fallen through after the “Argentine Dagger” was forced out of UFC Rio with an injury.
Luque, however, won’t be left without an opponent, as he is now reportedly set to face Joel Alvarez, who will be making his debut in the 170-pound division.
🚨BREAKING NEWS: Joel Álvarez vs Vicente Luque is in the works for UFC Rio on October 11 in Brazil.
Santiago Ponzinibbio is out and will be replaced by El Fenómeno on short notice, per sources.
“The Silent Assassin” last competed at UFC 316 in June, where he was submitted by Kevin Holland in the second round. Luque’s recent run has been a tough one, with just two wins in his last six outings. The 33-year-old Brazilian holds a 16-7 UFC record, with 14 of those victories coming by way of finish.
Meanwhile, Alvarez has been out of action since December 2024, when he scored a first-round knockout over Drakkar Klose at UFC Tampa. Riding a three-fight win streak, “El Fenomeno” carries a flawless finishing rate across his 22-3 professional record and has gone 7-2 under the UFC banner.
The UFC Rio card was originally set to be headlined by a lightweight clash between former champion Charles Oliveira and Rafael Fiziev. However, Fiziev had to step away from the fight due to injury, and the promotion is now working to secure a replacement opponent for “Do Bronx”.
The UFC has lost its lightweight main event between Charles Oliveira and Rafael Fiziev on Oct. 11 after Fiziev has been forced to withdraw due to injury, sources confirmed to @bokamotoESPN.
Octagon Update was first to report the news of Fiziev's injury. The UFC has not commented…
The UFC 315 main card has suffered a major setback just days before the event.
The MMA leader is preparing for its return to Canada with the fifth pay-per-view event of the year, scheduled for May 10 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec.
On Saturday, French media outlet La Sueur first reported that the lightweight clash between Benoît Saint-Denis and Joel Álvarez has been removed from the UFC 315 lineup.
“El Fenomeno” has reportedly withdrawn from the bout for undisclosed reasons, leaving Saint-Denis without an opponent just a week before fight night. Currently, it remains unclear whether a short-notice replacement will be found.
🚨 Selon nos sources, Joel Alvarez serait FORFAIT pour son combat face à Benoît Saint Denis à l’#UFC315. ❌ pic.twitter.com/GL30UH0E39
Álvarez last competed in the Octagon at UFC Tampa this past December, where he delivered a first-round knockout of Drakkar Klose. The impressive finish improved his promotional record to 7-2 and marked his third consecutive victory.
“El Fenómeno” last tasted defeat at UFC Vegas 49 in February 2022, where he succumbed to a second-round TKO against Arman Tsarukyan.
UFC 315 will feature a championship double-header at the top of the card. In the main event, welterweight champion Belal Muhammad defends his title against the surging Jack Della Maddalena. In the co-main event, flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko puts her belt on the line against Manon Fiorot.
The UFC 315 card just got even more stacked with the addition of a thrilling matchup featuring Benoît Saint Denis.
On Monday, Saint Denis took to his YouTube channel to announce that he’ll be making his return at UFC 315, which is scheduled for May 10 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, though he refrained from naming his opponent.
According to a recent report by MMA journalist Álvaro Colmenero, the 29-year-old Frenchman is set to square off against Joel Alvarez in a lightweight showdown.
🛑 UPDATE: Joel Álvarez 🇪🇸 vs Benoit Saint-Denis 🇫🇷 is scheduled for UFC 315 on May 10 in Canada at lightweight
🛑 ACTUALIZACIÓN: Joel Álvarez vs Benoit Saint-Denis está programado para el UFC 315 el 10 de mayo en Canadá en el peso ligero https://t.co/UAtKmq2qyg
Saint Denis was riding a five-fight finish streak before his momentum was halted by former interim 155-pound champion Dustin Poirier, who scored a second-round knockout in their March 2024 encounter. He now holds a 5-3 record in the UFC.
Meanwhile, Alvarez is coming off a dominant first-round knockout victory over Drakkar Klose at a Fight Night event in Tampa this past December. “El Fenomeno” last experienced defeat in February 2022 against Arman Tsarukyan, but since then, he’s rebounded strongly with a three-fight win streak.
The 32-year-old Spaniard has secured seven victories in his nine UFC bouts, with each win coming by way of either knockout or submission.
The UFC 315 card will feature two championship bouts at the top of the lineup. In the main event, reigning UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad will make his first title defense against Jack Della Maddalena. Meanwhile, in the co-main event, Valentina Shevchenko will defend her flyweight title against Manon Fiorot.
Montreal, we’re on our way! 🇨🇦⚜️ Rendez-vous le 10 mai! #UFC315
🏆 Belal Muhammad vs Jack Della Maddalena 🏆 Valentina Shevchenko vs Manon Fiorot
It’s not every day that we see someone finish an opponent twice in the same fight, but that appeared to be what we saw during the UFC Tampa prelims in Joel Álvarez’s win over Drakkar Klose.
The Spaniard landed a strong combination that stumbled Klose backward toward the fence. Alvarez then appeared to slump Klose with a jumping knee.
The flashy striker seemed to be nearing a guillotine choke as he landed follow-up shots on Klose, who was evidently already out. The referee then jumped in to declare Álvarez the winner.
After UFC Tampa, Álvarez has now won three straight and is 7-2 in the Octagon, with one of his losses coming against upcoming lightweight title challenger Arman Tsarukyan. He last fought in August, defeating Elves Brener.
Klose, meanwhile, sees a four-fight win streak snapped with this loss. He had most recently been in action at UFC 301 earlier this year, defeating Joaquim Silva.
UFC lightweight Joel Alvarez is certainly living up to his nickname ‘El Fenomeno’ in the UFC, and he now aims to enter the rankings with a win over Arman Tsarukyan at UFC Vegas 49.
The 28-year-old is on a four-fight win streak inside the organization with all of his victories coming inside the bell. His last win over a ranked opponent in Thiago Moises was his best yet, as he bulldozed his way through the Brazilian.
Criticism has been thrown at Alvarez for not making weight in his last two fights, with claims that the Spaniard is holding an unfair advantage over his opponents. Yet on the biggest occasion of his career, this time, Alvarez made weight.
Speaking exclusively to MMA News, Alvarez revealed what went differently this camp that allowed him to make weight.
“This Time It Was Easy”
– Joel Alvarez on making weight
Being 6’3 in the 155lbs division is sure to have its drawbacks with the weight cut. Alvarez has had to deal with that draining him in every training camp to ensure his significant height advantage stands on fight night.
However, as he has gotten older, the tougher the weight cut has become. Many doubted that Alvarez would make weight ahead of UFC Vegas 49. Yet with the help of nutritionists, he was able to overcome the obstacle for the first time in two fights.
“Always it’s hard, but this time the change was I put my attention in the hands of a professional nutritionist. They are all the time paying attention to me by phone, by video call. So this time it was easy, but always it’s really hard,” said Alvarez.
Now, the focus will turn from the weight cut to his opponent as he looks to take down Tsarukyan to enter the lightweight rankings and make a statement at the Apex.
‘El Fenomeno’ Aims To Be In The Top Five At 155lbs
Credit: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
‘El Fenomeno’ has had his fair share of naysayers in the UFC. This fight is no different, as Alvarez enters as a +180 underdog. Although the Spaniard is now accustomed to being an underdog at this point, in fact, he thrives off of it.
“I love being the underdog,” said Alvarez. “Because I like to make a surprise for everybody and make money for my friends.”
His task as the underdog to take down a fellow prospect of the lightweight division appears his toughest yet. Tsarukyan is carrying a lot of hype and momentum entering UFC Vegas 49 with many claiming he has a significant advantage on his opponent in the wrestling department. Alvarez thinks otherwise.
“We have enough weapons to fight Arman in that comfort zone we can say. It’s not important for me as we have enough weapons,” said Alvarez.
Tsarukyan who sits at #13 in the UFC lightweight rankings has predicted he will submit the Spaniard via submission in the 2nd round. While Alvarez is so confident in his arsenal that he believes he can finish his opponent wherever the fight goes.
“My prediction is we are here to fight and win. So if we win it is going to be a submission or a knockout,” emphasized Alvarez.
It’s likely that Alvarez would replace Tsarukyan in the rankings with a victory, but the sky is the limit as he aims for the top five.
“As always we are here to fight, we are here to do several things step by step, I’m not in a hurry. We are here to go up in the rankings and very soon with the possibility to be in the top five,” said Alvarez.
Do you see Joel Alvarez extending his winning streak and entering the rankings?
