A women’s flyweight bout between former two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas and eighth-ranked Amanda Ribas headlines the UFC Vegas 89 fight card.
For the second week in a row, the octagon is at the UFC Apex. Ribas (13-4) is coming off a highlight-reel spinning wheel kick finish over Luana Pinheiro in her last fight. Namajunas (11-6) made her 125-pound debut in her last outing against Manon Fiorot and lost via unanimous decision
Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos believes interim titleholder Tom Aspinall should be promoted to undisputed champion “soon.”
Aspinall captured the interim belt with a 69-second knockout of Sergei Pavlovich in November, an interim title created after Jon Jones suffered an injury and was pulled from the UFC 295 card at Madison Square Garden. “Bones” has yet to return to action, and Miocic has opted to wait for Jones rather than facing Aspinall for the interim title.
“Cigano” said on MMA Fighting’s Trocação Franca podcast that he’s “impressed” by Aspinall, a 30-year-old heavyweight from England with a 100-percent finishing rate in 14 professional victories.
“He’s the man of the moment, so he should be considered the champion,” dos Santos said. “If Jon Jones doesn’t return soon, you have to remove his belt and make Aspinall’s belt undisputed. I think he’s doing great, he really is very tough and skilled and competent at what he does. It’s a new moment for the heavyweight division in the UFC.”
Dos Santos didn’t criticize Jones and Miocic for choosing to wait and only fight each other next, especially given the magnitude of both man’s careers inside the octagon.
However, dos Santos does wonder what’s going behind the curtains.
“The UFC is always complicated in a sense that they do things their way, leaving aside the will of the champion and the challenger,” dos Santos said. “If it makes sense for [Jones and Miocic], I support them. It’s a fight the world really wanted to see, I’m really excited for this fight, and if they believe that’s the path they should follow now — especially because we don’t know what’s stopping this from happening. Let’s keep going and see what happens.”
Dos Santos, however, concedes that while the matchup could be the main focus for both athletes, the UFC belt isn’t really necessary to make Jones vs. Miocic special.
“The belt is obviously the goal for every athlete, but more to crown the position they are today,” dos Santos said. “The belt is a symbol that you’re No. 1, but Jon Jones and even Miocic, we already know they are the No. 1 and No. 2, or at least that they’re at the top of the division. Actually, Renan [Ferreira] just got in the mix. [Laughs.]
“But I think they’re both extremely experienced and have long careers, so they should do what’s best for them. There’s no point to fight only to fight, or to do things that they don’t believe in at this stage of their careers. Let’s see what happens next.”
Marlon Vera is not a fan of Cory Sandhagen’s breakdown of his UFC 299 loss to Sean O’Malley.
After Vera fell short in his first bid to win the UFC bantamweight title, Sandhagen was quite critical of his past opponent’s performance, going as far to say that Vera “obviously had no business being in the cage with O’Malley.”
As expected, “Chito” had some things to say about it, essentially letting Sandhagen know that he shouldn’t quit his day job.
“It didn’t bother me, like in a way that [affected] me,” Vera said on The MMA Hour. “But I’m like, ‘Dude, I just fought. Dude, it didn’t [go] my way, and you make your whole f****** douchebag YouTube videos?’ I mean, dude, stick to fighting.
“You’re not a f****** influencer. You look like a f****** idiot, but I get it. … Everybody wants to do the [podcasts], and now we see … they become like school teachers now.”
Vera lumped Sandhagen in with fellow bantamweight Henry Cejudo, who also does breakdowns of fights and storylines on his own YouTube channel. Sandhagen defeated Vera via split decision in their main event matchup at UFC San Antonio in March 2023.
As far as where Vera goes from his loss to O’Malley, he’s open to facing anybody the UFC presents to him, but he does hope to return at the promotion’s annual trip to Madison Square Garden, which typically takes place in November.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
With a potential lightweight title fight brewing, Poirier is ready to put his resume up against Makhachev’s and see who deserves what.
After a wild win over a dangerous Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299, Dustin Poirier is right back in the conversation for the next UFC lightweight title shot. And he’s making sure to let everyone know that he’s ready and willing to fight the champ Islam Makhachev this summer.
“100% that’s what I want,” he said in a new interview with MMA Junkie. “If I could pick a fight, the title fight is my choice, that’s what I want.”
After spending the last twelve months battling Alexander Volkanovski twice, Makhachev has a growing list of contenders lined up. Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje both have better claims to a title shot than Dustin. They’re also both booked to fight at UFC 300 on April 13th. That leaves Islam without a dance partner for June, which is when the Dagestani fighter has said he wants to return.
“I know Dustin does not deserve the title fight, but we don’t have any option right now,” Makhachev said in a recent interview.
“That’s on him,” Poirier replied. “I’ve done more in the sport of mixed martial arts than he has. I’ve been around a long time, I was doing this before it was cool and I’m still here. Still here doing it at the highest level. I can beat anybody in the world and I hope he’s next.”
“That’s the only thing left for me to do,” he added. “You know, I’ve done everything else in the sport of mixed martial arts. I’ve created business. Business, multiple businesses. I’ve headlined so many cards. I’ve been 30 times in the UFC octagon. My family is is is set. Like, I’ve done everything I’ve set out to do but capture the title, and that’s the only thing left for me to do and that’s what I want.”
Now we wait and see if it’s something the UFC wants. If they’re looking to book a lightweight title fight before August, it really is the best option available. Then again, the promotion never seems like they’re in much of a rush to book Makhachev, even though he’s repeatedly asked for three fights a year.
Rose Namajunas’ unimpeachable work at strawweight has kept her ranked on the pound-for-pound list, but has she bitten off more than she can chew at flyweight?
“Thug Rose” didn’t make much of an impact in her 125-pound debut this past September, losing a unanimous decision to top contender Manon Fiorot. She gets a second chance to make a first impression in a new division when she takes on Amanda Ribas in the UFC Vegas 89 main event on Saturday.
This has all the makings of a bounce-back fight for Namajunas, but the dangerous Ribas can’t be counted out. While Ribas has lost to several top names, she’s also knocked off several ranked opponents at both flyweight and strawweight including Viviane Araujo, Virna Jandiroba, and Mackenzie Dern. If there’s anyone who can spoil Namajunas’ two-division championship plans, it’s Ribas.
Saturday’s main card also features plenty of recent Contender Series signings looking to make a name for themselves inside the octagon, including Karl Williams, AJ Dobson, Payton Talbott, Cameron Saaiman, and Luis Pajuelo.
What: UFC Vegas 89
Where: UFC APEX in Las Vegas
When: Saturday, March 23. The seven-fight preliminary card begins at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+, followed by a six-fight main card at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Amanda Ribas vs. Rose Namajunas
In her flyweight debut, Rose Namajunas wasn’t a fish out of water when it comes to skill. She displayed plenty of the attributes and tactics that helped her to excel at strawweight, specifically her accurate and creative striking. Were it not for her hand becoming a gnarled claw in Round 1, who knows how the bout could have played out differently?
There will be no excuses against Amanda Ribas, a fellow strawweight transplant who doesn’t have a significant size advantage over Namajunas. What she does bring to the party is a great ground game and a risk-taking mentality when it comes to hunting for finishes. She’ll be looking to make a statement and not just beat Namajunas on the scorecards.
Namajunas’ slick striking gives her the edge here, so she’ll have to stay offensive while making sure not to run into a Ribas power punch in the later rounds. If we get the Namajunas that out-struck Joanna Jedrzejczyk for 25 minutes, this should be an easy night for her. Still a few months shy of 32, Namajunas has plenty of quality performances left and I’m confident she delivers one this weekend.
Pick: Namajunas
Karl Williams vs. Justin Tafa
It doesn’t matter which Tafa brother Karl Williams finds himself standing across from, he definitely shouldn’t stand and trade on fight night.
As Junior stepped in for Justin, so Justin has stepped in for Junior. The good news for Williams is that he shouldn’t have had to change much as far as fight prep as the Tafas are known for one thing: Keeping fights on the feet so that they can punch another human being as hard as possible.
Williams has just the style to negate Tafa and he’d be wise to keep things uncomplicated. The name of the game for Williams will be takedowns early, takedowns in the middle of the fight, and takedowns late. Really, just do everything in his power to plant Tafa on his back for 15 minutes. If he can, he wins; if he can’t, he sleeps.
Give me the wrestler in this one, via decision.
Pick: Williams
Edmen Shahbazyan vs. AJ Dobson
Edmen Shahbazyan’s in-cage shortcomings are well-documented. On the feet, he’s as lethal as anyone in the middleweight division; on the ground, he’s a turtle on its shell. This matchup with AJ Dobson is a mixed bag in my eyes as far as how much it is geared towards Shahbazyan’s strengths.
Still just 26 years old and with some impressive highlights on his résumé already, Shahbazyan has at times looked the part of a contender. He should fare well against Dobson, whose slick kickboxing will likely give him the confidence to stand and trade with Shahbazyan, even though he shouldn’t. If Dobson has been looking to show off his wrestling, now is the time, because Shahbazyan has to prove that he’s not cooked if the fight goes to the ground for any prolonged stretch of time.
Dobson has solid top control, which is exactly the kind of skill that could torment Shahbazyan on fight night. My expectation is that the fight stays on the feet and Shahbazyan gets plenty of chances to show off his punching prowess. Otherwise, it could be back to the drawing board yet again for “The Golden Boy.”
Pick: Shahbazyan
Payton Talbott vs. Cameron Saaiman
Great work from the matchmakers here to pair up two of the bright young talents in the bantamweight division. Payton Talbott and Cameron Saaiman have plenty of fun fights ahead of them, and matching them up now gives us a chance to gauge not just where they’re currently at in their budding careers, but how far they can go over the next few years.
Talbott is da belle of da ball at the moment after showing great poise in his UFC debut. Just 7-0, the Nevada native has plenty of learning to do, but his physical gifts can take him a long way even as he learns on the fly. Watching Talbott, you can see him figuring out how to navigate unfamiliar situations in real time, which is how his UFC fights will play out for the foreseeable future. It’s neat.
His fellow Contender Series signing Saaiman caught a reality check and his first L this past October when he ran into the relentless (and badly overweight) Christian Rodriguez. The 23-year-old shouldn’t feel any shame in being outpaced by Rodriguez; in fact, I’m confident that the loss caused Saaiman to take a major leap forward in his development.
It comes down to experience for me and the level of competition that Saaiman has faced gives him the edge against Talbott. The best days are ahead for both, but I’m picking Saaiman to win what could be the first chapter of a future rivalry.
Pick: Saaiman
Billy Quarantillo vs. Youssef Zalal
Welcome back to the UFC, Youssef Zalal!
“The Moroccan Devil” had an up-and-down first run with the promotion, zooming to a 3-0 start before going winless in four straight and heading back to the regional scene. He bounced back with three first-round finishes in Colorado and now he’s stepping in on less than two weeks’ notice for Gabriel Miranda to take on Billy Quarantillo. Admittedly, it’s difficult to tell how much Zalal has improved based on his domination of overmatched opposition, but he was a high-level fighter to begin with and has little to lose here.
That makes Zalal as dangerous as it gets for Quarantillo. “Billy Q” is still searching for the form that had him knocking on the door of a ranking when he first burst onto the UFC scene. He’s fought alternated wins and losses in his past six fights and the well-rounded Zalal could easily keep that trend going. It would benefit Quarantillo to push the pace, limiting Zalal’s opportunities to re-acclimate himself. Billy has to be a bully, is what I’m saying.
This is such a trap game for Quarantillo, so even though I’m picking him to win a decision, I do so with shaky confidence.
Pick: Quarantillo
Fernando Padilla vs. Luis Pajuelo
Luis Pajuelo is one mean son of a gun.
The dude just throws everything with the intention to hurt, which isn’t always the case in this business where there’s a hundred ways to win (and lose) a fight. It’s definitely true for Pajuelo though. Whether he’s working from striking range, pushing his opponent to the fence, or executing ground-and-pound, everything Pajuelo does is with the intention to finish. That makes him an ideal option to open any main card.
Fernando Padilla is typically more measured in his approach and while he’s suffered his share of disappointing losses, no one has managed to put him away inside the distance. He has long arms that give him a massive reach advantage over Pajuelo, so I’m interested to see how the shorter Pajuelo finds opportunities to do damage. Padilla could win this one with a conservative game plan.
I think that’s how Padilla approaches this after his disappointing performance against Kyle Nelson this past September. That matchup was supposed to be a triumphant homecoming for the proud Mexican fighter, but maybe the moment was too big for him. A trip to the considerably less daunting UFC APEX could be just what he needs to bounce back.
Padilla outworks Pajuelo en route to a decision win.
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