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Tag: UFC Vegas 104

  • ‘Angry Marvin Vettori’ Back After Loss In UFC Return ‘Sparked The Fire Again’

    ‘Angry Marvin Vettori’ Back After Loss In UFC Return ‘Sparked The Fire Again’

    According to former UFC middleweight title challenger Marvin Vettori, something good came out of his loss this past weekend.

    Vettori returned to action for the first time in almost two years, running it back with Roman Dolidze in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night main event at the Apex.

    While the Georgian marked the last man Vettori has beaten, the Italian was unable to repeat his 2023 feat in London when they squared off in a rematch, instead falling to a convincing decision defeat.

    Having now lost three of his last four, Vettori is firmly out of the championship conversation at 185 pounds. But although that will no doubt be a disappointment for him, it isn’t all negative.

    In a recent social media post, “The Italian Dream” claimed his latest setback has “sparked the fire again.”

    Vettori will now look to prove as much when he makes the walk again, and he seemingly has a name in mind for his second outing of 2025.

    “Saturday sparked the fire again, 21 months out was a bit,” Marvin Vettori wrote on X. “Angry Vettori might be back lol. Time to win some fights. Allen before I see you outside, what you doing next? Who is gonna retire who?”

    Brendan Allen also started this year on the wrong foot, having fallen to a two-fight losing skid courtesy of Anthony Hernandez in Seattle last month.

    After consecutive losses to Nassourdine Imavov and “Fluffy,” Allen sits one place below Vettori in the UFC middleweight rankings at #11.

  • Prominent MMA Coach Reached Major Milestone With UFC Vegas 104 Victory

    Prominent MMA Coach Reached Major Milestone With UFC Vegas 104 Victory

    This weekend’s UFC Vegas 104 event represented a big moment for Sayif Saud and his Fortis MMA team.

    The preliminary portion of Saturday’s card at the Apex included an under-the-radar storyline, as Saud shot for his 100th victory as a coach since opening the Fortis MMA team back in 2017.

    Tasked with bringing that result home was strawweight fighter Sam Hughes, who shared the Octagon with Stephanie Luciano.

    After a closely contested three rounds, Hughes fell on the right side of a split decision, sparking celebrations in the Fortis MMA corner.

    The milestone didn’t come without an element of controversy, however.

    Many questioned the decision, believing Luciano did enough to deserve the nod from the judges at UFC Vegas 104. On MMA Decisions, just three out of nine media members scored the fight in favor of Hughes. The fan scorecards, meanwhile, saw less than 30 percent backing “Sampage.”

    Interestingly, Saud recently pondered retiring from coaching while looking ahead to his goal of achieving 100 UFC wins early in 2025.

    “I always said that 100 UFC wins and I was going to be done,” Saud told MMA Junkie in December. “One hundred UFC wins, win a title – I would like to win a title back and get it one more time for (Moreno) – but 100 wins and this will be 20 years. Next year will be 20 years. 2005 is when I started. I moved to Albuquerque in 2006, then came to Dallas in 2009, and now in 2025, it will be 20 years in MMA. And it’s been great, man. It’s been an incredible run, but it’s definitely coming towards the end.

    “I look forward to being home and kind of spending time with my kids. I don’t really realize how nice it is to be home and just be around my family, be around my kids and be around them and see them and hug them and kiss them. Just be around them more as they’re getting older. I’m getting into a different period in my life. I’m 44 and getting to the next generation of guys, we’re going to hopefully put that 100 up on the board.”

    In addition to the recently victorious Hughes, Fortis MMA also houses the likes of former UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno, Geoff Neal, Macy Chiasson, and Ryan Spann, among others.

  • Marvin Vettori: Trilogy With Roman Dolidze ‘Has To Happen’ After UFC Vegas 104

    Marvin Vettori: Trilogy With Roman Dolidze ‘Has To Happen’ After UFC Vegas 104

    UFC middleweight contender Marvin Vettori sees only one option following Saturday’s UFC Vegas 104 result.

    Vettori’s plan to ascend back into the championship conversation at 185 pounds took a hit this weekend at the Apex, where he suffered a third loss in the space of four fights.

    In his first outing since a setback against Jared Cannonier in June 2023, “The Italian Dream” ran it back with the man he last defeated, Roman Dolidze.

    Vettori was unable to repeat his feat from London two years ago, instead falling on the wrong side of a decision in their five-round rematch.

    Like their first contest, Saturday’s main event wasn’t among the most enthralling and entertaining of the year to date. With that in mind, it would seem that not many are pandering to see the 1-1 feud get settled in a trilogy.

    The Italian former title challenger, however, sees it as essential.

    “I guess we’ll need a trilogy,” Marvin Vettori wrote on X. “The most nonsense trilogy, I agree with you bastards lol. But at this point it has to happen.”

    While Vettori returns to the drawing board and looks to bounce back next time out, Dolidze can expect to return to the middleweight top 10 come Tuesday’s rankings update.

  • Fighters React As Roman Dolidze Avenges Marvin Vettori Loss In UFC Vegas 104 Rematch

    Fighters React As Roman Dolidze Avenges Marvin Vettori Loss In UFC Vegas 104 Rematch

    After falling short in their original encounter at UFC 286, Roman Dolidze exacted revenge when he and Marvin Vettori were placed into a five-round rematch, scoring a unanimous decision win in the UFC Vegas 104 main event.

    Both men put their striking on display in the opening frame. While Vettori landed more in terms of quantity, it seemed Dolidze was landing the powerful, more effective strikes. The Georgian managed to pull away in activity with a clear second round, though he appeared to get lucky when a pair of fouls did not result in a point deduction from referee Herb Dean.

    The two were even in terms of strikes in round three, but the Italian former title challenger had the better activity around this time. Dolidze, however, seemed to turn things up in the main event/championship rounds. “The Caucasian” established control with his strikes and was the one bringing the pressure in the fight’s final 10 minutes.

    This led to the judges giving Dolidze the nod 49-46 across the board.

    Roman Dolidze Gets Revenge On Marvin Vettori With Clear Five-Round Decision Victory

    https://twitter.com/BorrachinhaMMA/status/1901082659432133116

    Dolidze has now won three straight and may be in position for a potential top-five opponent in his next outing.

    Vettori, meanwhile, has now lost three of his last four and is 2-3 since falling short in a middleweight title shot against Israel Adesanya in 2021.

  • Fans React As Chidi Njokuani Crushes Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos ‘Out Of Nowhere’ At UFC Vegas 104

    Fans React As Chidi Njokuani Crushes Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos ‘Out Of Nowhere’ At UFC Vegas 104

    Despite missing weight, Chidi Njokuani may be in for a big fight at welterweight next after his victory over Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 104.

    With both men being kicking specialists, the fight started at range, with both men landing low kicks. Njokuani piled on the strikes, but a short right hook from dos Santos to the temple stumbled “Chidi Bang Bang” for a bit. The Brazilian pressured and got Njokuani to the fence, but Njokuani was able to shake him off. Dos Santos got control again when he caught a kick from Njokuani and pressed him back into the fence.

    Njokuani got back on the front foot during the second round, where he landed a sudden knee that rocked dos Santos. The Bellator veteran then jumped on and finished the fight with ground-and-pound.

    Chidi Njokuani Wins Third Straight, Finishes Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos At UFC Vegas 104

    After three straight losses between 2022 and 2023, Njokuani has battled back to score his third straight victory, scoring wins over Rhys McKee and Jared Gooden last year.

    Dos Santos, meanwhile, is now 4-3-1 stretching back to 2020.

  • VIDEO: Debutant Who Missed Weight By Almost 5 Pounds Gets Kimura’d At UFC Vegas 104

    VIDEO: Debutant Who Missed Weight By Almost 5 Pounds Gets Kimura’d At UFC Vegas 104

    UFC Vegas 104 was certainly a debut to forget for Diyar Nurgozhay.

    After coming in to the fight missing weight by 4.5 pounds, Nurgozhay ended up being submitted by Brendson Ribeiro during the event’s main card.

    Ribiero started strong, attacking with leg kicks and crisp punching, scoring a knockdown of Nurgozhay during the first round. The Brazilian looked to keep control during the second round with added pressure, but the Kazakh newcomer managed to find his way to Ribiero’s back.

    Brendson Ribiero Submits Diyar Nurgozhay At UFC Vegas 104

    Ribiero, however, managed to reverse the position on the ground and lock up a rare kimura, scoring a tapout.

    “The Gorilla” is now 2-2 in the Octagon after dropping his first two UFC fights after an appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series.

    Nurgozhay, meanwhile, suffered his first pro defeat in this fight, having come into the bout 10-0 off a finish of Bartosz Szewczyk on DWCS.

  • Watch Waldo Cortes-Acosta Put Ryan Spann Out Cold With Brutal Ground & Pound At UFC Vegas 104

    Watch Waldo Cortes-Acosta Put Ryan Spann Out Cold With Brutal Ground & Pound At UFC Vegas 104

    A night featuring some brutal-looking finishes at UFC Vegas 104 continued with an additional just before the main card thanks to Waldo Cortes-Acosta.

    The rising heavyweight contender managed to secure a late second-round finish of Ryan Spann in the featured preliminary bout of the evening.

    Cortes-Acosta controlled the fight with relentless striking, overwhelming the formerly ranked light heavyweight with combinations. The Dominican scored a takedown in the first round and dominated from there.

    Waldo Cortes-Acosta Uses Boxing To Overwhelm, Finish Ryan Spann

    Spann tried to take back control in the second, but Cortes-Acosta’s boxing proved to be too much. A jab and cross ultimately wobbled “Superman,” and on the ground, “Salsa Boy” laid in vicious ground-and-pound with seconds remaining in the second frame to finish the fight.

    Cortes-Acosta has won six of seven fights he’s had with the UFC since joining after an appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series.

    Spann, who was making his heavyweight debut, has lost four of his last five fights.

  • Fighter Nicknamed ‘KO Wizard’ Submitted In UFC Vegas 104 Debut By Card’s Biggest Underdog

    Fighter Nicknamed ‘KO Wizard’ Submitted In UFC Vegas 104 Debut By Card’s Biggest Underdog

    After UFC Vegas 104 already experienced a pair of upsets during the preliminary card, one more was added courtesy of the biggest underdog listed on the card, Carlos Vera.

    Vera scored a first-round submission win over “KO Wizard” Josias Musasa. A win via submission for Vera came out to odds of +1200, according to the UFC broadcast team following the victory.

    The Ecuadorian targeted Musasa’s body with several kicks during the fight, doing notable damage and taking control early on the fight favorite. Vera landed a head kick that rocked Musasa, and the fight went to the ground, where the underdog was able to lock up a choke and score the submission.

    Carlos Vera Scores Major Upset With +1200 Submission At UFC Vegas 104

    Vera, an alumnus of season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter, scores his first victory in the Octagon after losing to Rinya Nakamura at UFC 298 last year.

    Musasa, who was making his UFC debut here after defeating Otari Tanzilovi on Dana White’s Contender Series in September, suffers his first pro loss.

  • UFC Vegas 104 Opens With Consecutive First-Round Knockouts In Women’s Fights

    UFC Vegas 104 Opens With Consecutive First-Round Knockouts In Women’s Fights

    Though there were plenty of bad feelings heading into UFC Vegas 104 from fans and pundits after the aftermath of UFC 313, the results of the first two fights may have taken things up a notch pretty quickly.

    The opening two bouts of the card were women’s fights that both ended in first-round knockouts from Carli Judice and Priscila Cachoeira.

    Judice opened the event up with a battle against Yuneisy Duben, who made her official Octagon debut after a stunning knockout performance on Dana White’s Contender Series last September.

    A head kick dropped Duben for the shocking victory in only about 100 seconds.

    Back-To-Back Quick KOs Open UFC Vegas 104

    Cachoeira then followed that up with her own jaw-smashing performance, landing an uppercut that knocked out Josiane Nunes in under three minutes.

    Judice entered her fight tonight just 3-2, having most recently dropped back-to-back split decisions against Ernesta Kareckaite and Gabriella Fernandes. This marks the first loss of Duben’s professional career.

    Cachoeira, meanwhile, had lost her last two fights, and this win marked her first fight since being submitted by Jasmine Jasudavicius at UFC 297 last year. Nunes has now lost three straight after starting her professional MMA career 10-1.

  • UFC Fighter ‘Pissed Off’ After Debuting Light Heavyweight Misses Weight By Almost 5 Pounds

    UFC Fighter ‘Pissed Off’ After Debuting Light Heavyweight Misses Weight By Almost 5 Pounds

    Missing weight is arguably one of the biggest setbacks a UFC fighter can face, and venting frustration over it is understandable — even when it’s another fighter who comes in heavy.

    The MMA powerhouse is set to make its return to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, this Saturday with a Fight Night card headlined by a middleweight rematch between Marvin Vettori and Roman Dolidze. Ahead of the event, the official weigh-ins took place on Friday, where two fighters failed to make weight.

    UFC debutant Diyar Nurgozhay, set to face Brendson Ribeiro in a light heavyweight clash, badly missed weight, coming in at a staggering 210.5 pounds, 4.5 pounds over the 206-pound limit. For coming in overweight, Nurgozhay was forced to forfeit 25% of his purse to his opponent, but the fight will move forward as planned.

    As if the backlash from fans on social media wasn’t enough, the undefeated Kazakh prospect found himself under fire from fellow UFC newcomer Julius Walker, who took a shot at him on X.

    In his post, “Juice Box” didn’t hold back, calling out Nurgozhay for missing weight. He drew a sharp comparison to his own situation, claiming he had to cut nearly 32 pounds in just nine days for his short-notice fight against Alonzo Menifield at UFC Seattle last month.

    “I cut from 237 to 205 in 9 days for Alonzo. Was never an option in my head to miss weight. UFC provides all the resources to make it an easy process. Almost pisses me off to see a guy miss weight like that on a full camp,” Walker wrote on X.

    Nurgozhay secured his UFC contract with a second-round knockout victory over Bartosz Szewczyk at Dana White’s Contender Series last October. The 27-year-old holds a flawless 10-0 record with six of those wins coming by way of knockout.

  • UFC Fight Night: Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze 2 Weigh-In Results

    UFC Fight Night: Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze 2 Weigh-In Results

    UFC Fight Night: Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze 2 takes place on Saturday, and MMA News is here to bring you the official weigh-in results.

    After staging its latest pay-per-view event at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena last weekend, the mixed martial arts leader is back at its home base of the Apex to continues its March schedule.

    Headlining will be former middleweight title challenger Marvin Vettori. The Italian will return from a near-two-year layoff to run it back with Roman Dolidze, whom he previously outpointed in a lackluster three-round clash in 2023.

    Elsewhere, Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, Alexander Hernandez, Cody Gibson, SeungWoo Choi, and Ryan Spann will be in action.

    UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs. Dolidze 2 Weigh-In Results

    UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs. Dolidze 2 takes place on Saturday, March 15, at the Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card begins at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, with the preliminary card starting at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.

    See above for a replay of the weigh-ins via MMA Junkie, and check out the results below.

    Main Card:

    • Middleweight: Marvin Vettori (186lbs) vs. Roman Dolidze (186lbs)
    • Welterweight: Chidi Njokuani (172.25lbs)* vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (171lbs)
    • Lightweight: Alexander Hernandez (156lbs) vs. Kurt Holobaugh (155.5lbs)
    • Bantamweight: Da’Mon Blackshear (136lbs) vs. Cody Gibson (136lbs)
    • Light Heavyweight: Diyar Nurgozhay (120.5lbs)** vs. Brendson Ribeiro (205.5lbs)
    • Featherweight: SeungWoo Choi (146lbs) vs. Kevin Vallejos (145.5lbs)

    Preliminary Card:

    • Heavyweight: Waldo Cortes-Acosta (261.5lbs) vs. Ryan Spann (249lbs)
    • Bantamweight: SuYoung You (136lbs) vs. AJ Cunningham (136lbs)
    • Bantamweight: Carlos Vera (136lbs) vs. Josias Musasa (136.5lbs)*
    • Women’s Strawweight: Stephanie Luciano (116lbs) vs. Sam Hughes (116lbs)
    • Flyweight: Daniel Barez (126lbs) vs. Andre Lima (126lbs)
    • Women’s Bantamweight: Josiane Nunes (136lbs) vs. Priscila Cachoeira (135lbs)
    • Women’s Flyweight: Yuneisy Duben (125.5lbs) vs. Carli Judice (125lbs)

    *Chidi Njokuani missed the welterweight limit by 1.25 pounds, fine TBA

    **Diyar Nurgozhay missed the light heavyweight limit by 4.5 pounds, fine TBA

    ***Josias Musasa missed the bantamweight limit by 0.5 pounds, fine TBA

  • UFC Vegas 104 Betting Odds: Current Favorites For Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze Card

    UFC Vegas 104 Betting Odds: Current Favorites For Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze Card

    UFC Vegas 104 is almost upon us, and MMA News is here to keep you updated with the current odds for this weekend’s lineup.

    The upcoming event takes place Saturday, March 15, at the UFC Apex in Enterprise, Nevada. The main card begins at 7 PM ET/4 PM PT, with the preliminary card starting at 4 PM ET/1 PM PT.

    Topping the lineup will be a pair of ranked middleweights, with former title challenger Marvin Vettori and Roman Dolidze running it back two years on from their lackluster three-round clash in London, which was won by the Italian. 

    And also making the walk on Saturday will be the likes of Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, Alexander Hernandez, and Ryan Spann.

    UFC Vegas 104: Vettori vs. Dolidze 2 Betting Odds

    Listed below are the latest betting odds for UFC Vegas 104 (as of 3/11), courtesy of DraftKings.

    Main Card:

    • Marvin Vettori (-170) vs. Roman Dolidze (+142)
    • Chidi Njokuani (+154) vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (-185)
    • Alexander Hernandez (-205) vs. Kurt Holobaugh (+170)
    • Da’Mon Blackshear (-455) vs. Cody Gibson (+350)
    • Diyar Nurgozhay (-345) vs. Brendson Ribeiro (+275)
    • SeungWoo Choi (+410) vs. Kevin Vallejos (-550)

    Preliminary Card:

    • Waldo Cortes-Acosta (-166) vs. Ryan Spann (+140)
    • SuYoung You (-600) vs. AJ Cunningham (+440)
    • Carlos Vera (+500) vs. Josias Musasa (-700)
    • Stephanie Luciano (-230) vs. Sam Hughes (+190)
    • Daniel Barez (+280) vs. Andre Lima (-355)
    • Josiane Nunes (-185) vs. Priscila Cachoeira (+154)
    • Yuneisy Duben (+295) vs. Carli Judice (-375)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VekL1KtzFzY