6/1/24: UFC Vets Zac Pauga, Dan Moret Score Wins In Detroit
Also: Darren Till's boxing debut delayed, plus a preview of tonight's UFC PPV.
Welcome to a Saturday edition of the Knockdown Daily. Today’s issue is a very busy one! We have a report on some regional MMA from last night, plus an update on Darren Till’s boxing debut, a preview of tonight’s big UFC pay-per-view show, and some other news and notes from around the sport. Let’s begin.
UFC Vets Zac Pauga, Dan Moret Score Wins In Detroit
A series of former UFC talents earned notable victories in Detroit, Michigan, USA on Friday evening when XFC presented “Detroit Grand Prix 2.” Among the victorious talents was a fighter just months removed from his UFC run, and another who spoiled the regional return for a former PFL champ.
Moret Stops 2021 PFL Champ Manfio In Less Than A Minute
Appearing for the first time since his Bellator run came to an end nearly two years ago, Dan Moret scored a massive 59-second win against former PFL champ Raush Manfio.
Moret stormed Manfio with strikes in the opening moments of the fight, allowing him to get the Brazilian talent to the ground for grappling opportunities. Moret quickly took his back and locked in a rear naked choke, causing a finish within less than a full minute.
The fight put Moret back into the win column after suffering a pair of losses at the end of his three-fight Bellator campaign.
Manfio, a 2021 PFL Lightweight Champion, was appearing for the first time since his run with the promotion came to an end last year. His 2023 PFL campaign concluded in the regular season after losing to Natan Schulte.
‘The Ultimate Fighter’ Finalist Pauga Bounces Back
Former UFC talent Zac Pauga returned to the win column with a quick performance on Friday night, handing Jamahl Tatum his first pro loss with an early arm triangle choke.
Pauga got the fight to the ground early, allowing him to apply the fight-ending choke from top position. The performance earned Pauga his first victory after a multi-year run on the UFC roster.
Pauga competed on Season 30 of “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2022, getting to the finale against Mohammed Usman. While he lost in the show’s final round, he joined the UFC roster afterward. The 36-year-old heavyweight left the roster earlier this year after suffering a second consecutive loss, getting stopped in the first round by Bogdan Guskov.
After the fight, Pauga stressed that he wants to remain active.
“I just wanna fight, bring me back,” said Pauga during his post-fight interview. “I’m not cutting weight. Bring me back in a week. Next week after that [too], I’ll fight every weekend.”
Nicholson, Pereira Among Winners
The main event on Friday evening saw veteran Alex Nicholson stop Carl Seumanutafa in the first round with strikes. Nicholson put on a lengthy beating against the multi-decade MMA vet, stringing together punches and elbows until the referee stopped the bout in just over four minutes.
Nicholson was coming back after suffering a loss in bare-knuckle MMA against Chase Sherman earlier this year. Seumanutafa has now lost six of his last seven MMA bouts.
2023 “Dana White’s Contender Series” competitor Rain Guerrero picked up a hard-fought victory in the co-main event, overcoming former Invicta FC and UFC fighter Pearl Gonzalez via unanimous decision. Guerrero landed the better shots throughout, although the toughness and ability to respond from Gonzalez made it a war that took something out of both fighters.
Earlier in the evening, Viviane Pereira overcame former Bellator flyweight title challenger DeAnna Bennett with a one-arm guillotine choke in just the second minute of the contest. Since losing two bouts at the end of her UFC run and dropping an Invicta FC appearance in 2018, Pereira has gone on to score a trio of wins on the regional scene.
Bennett’s previous appearance was a Bellator title fight against Liz Carmouche in 2023. The fourth-round arm triangle loss to Bellator’s current 125-pound champ marked the end of her five-fight run in the promotion.
Here are the quick results from Friday’s card in Detroit:
Main Card (9:00PM EDT) (TrillerTV)
Bout 9: Alex Nicholson def. Carl Seumanutafa via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:09)
Bout 8: Rainn Guerrero def. Pearl Gonzalez via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 7: Dan Moret def. Raush Manfio via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 0:59)
Bout 6: Zac Pauga def. Jamahl Tatum via Submission, Arm Triangle Choke (RD 1, 2:43)
Bout 5: Viviane Pereira def. DeAnna Bennett via Submission, Guillotine Choke (RD 1, 1:50)
Bout 4: Handesson Ferreira def. Tyler Hill via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 3:32)
Bout 3: Egor Kostyuchenko def. Perry Stargel via Decision, Unanimous
Preliminary Card (8:30PM EDT) (TrillerTV)
Bout 2: Kenneth Cross def. Emilio Chavez via Submission, Armbar (RD 2, 1:17)
Bout 1: Devon Simons def. Chad Finnerty via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:32)
Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson Postponed, Delaying Darren Till’s Boxing Debut
The first-ever boxing appearance from former UFC title challenger Darren Till will have to wait.
An upcoming boxing event headlined by influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul and 57-year-old heavyweight legend Mike Tyson has been postponed from its initial July 20th date, forcing its undercard to be postponed as well. The show, which was scheduled to air live on Netflix from the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, USA, was moved due to an ulcer flare-up that Tyson experienced during a flight recently, as announced Friday.
Despite medical issues for Tyson, who is significantly older than almost all active boxers and has only competed in select exhibition bouts since his retirement nearly two decades ago, Most Valuable Promotions still plans to host the event at a later date.
“Mike [Tyson] is expected to return to his full training schedule in the coming weeks and is eager to get back in the ring,” a statement said. “The new date of the fight will be announced by next Friday.”
Along with the postponement of the controversial main event, all of the undercard matchups have been delayed. This includes a high-profile super lightweight bout between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano, plus the boxing debut of former UFC talent Till against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Till has been inactive since a long series of losses put an end to his UFC career in 2022. The former welterweight title challenger was looking to follow Anderson Silva as the second MMA talent to overcome Cesar Chavez Jr. in a boxing appearance.
Preview
Dustin Poirier Chases Possible Last Chance At Undisputed Status Against Pound-For-Pound Great
Dustin Poirier is one of the most accomplished fighters currently on the UFC roster. Yet, the biggest achievement you can attain in the promotion has always escaped him: Being an undisputed champion.
Through the dozens of UFC appearances, high-profile wins over soon-to-be or former champs, and the many main event fights, Poirier has never become the sole top name in his division. While a masterful 2019 performance against Max Holloway earned him an interim belt, he failed to trade in his title for the real deal when he fought Khabib Nurmagomedov later that year.
Two years later, after a two-fight saga against Conor McGregor made Poirier one of the most talked about fighters of 2021, he was placed against Charles Oliveira. The fight had a similar outcome for Poirier compared to his match against Russia’s Nurmagomedov, getting submitted in the third round with a rear naked choke.
Now, after coming up short in his previous title bouts, Poirier will receive a third and potentially last opportunity at becoming the top lightweight fighter this weekend. The Louisiana, USA-raised fighter will go up against UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC 302 from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, USA on Saturday evening.
Poirier was given his title opportunity after knocking off French contender Benoit Saint-Denis earlier this year. He scored a second-round right hook finish, earning him a victory over a quality contender and bouncing back after a 2023 loss to Justin Gaethje.
Since Poirier is 35 years old and has 30 UFC appearances under his belt, many have considered Saturday the last chance for him to ever earn undisputed status. This idea has only been underscored by the fact that he has recently been considering retirement.
If Poirier hopes to stand alone atop the lightweight class, he’ll have to pull off a significant upset against a fighter who has settled into the role of champion.
Makhachev will be looking to defend his title for the third time when he meets Poirier this weekend. After putting together 11 consecutive UFC victories, Makhachev was given a fight against Oliveira in 2022 to chase after gold. He passed the major test with flying colors, catching Oliveira in the second round with an arm triangle choke to earn the title.
He is coming off a pair of wins from 2023 against featherweight great Alexander Volkanovski, who attempted on two occasions to move up a division and claim a second belt. It’s worth noting that the second of the two matchups came on short notice, with Volkanovski replacing an injured Oliveira.
A storybook ending for Poirier would see him put together the performance of a lifetime and earn a title in what is likely his very last chance at doing so. But the numbers—including betting lines which see him as a “huge favorite”—lean towards Makhachev, who looks to only continue his successful reign this weekend. Coming out of Saturday, the MMA world will either be discussing a legend finishing his story, or how Makhachev has added yet another fold to his career-long masterpiece.
Lower on Saturday’s pay-per-view lineup—which the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority paid $5 million to host—a five-round showdown will take place between middleweight contenders Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa.
Strickland will be making his first appearance following a brief run at the top of the 185-pound division. After pulling off a massive upset last summer and ending the second title run of Israel Adesanya, Strickland dropped his championship earlier this year in a five-round split decision against Dricus Du Plessis.
Strickland will now try to get momentum back against Costa, a fighter who has historically struggled against upper-echelon fighters in the division. While wins over veterans like Yoel Romero and Uriah Hall pushed Costa into the title picture in the late 2010s, losses to names who have hovered around the top—Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker and Marvin Vettori—mean that he has won just a single bout in his last four appearances. He’ll try to score his first big win in some time and will have up to five rounds to do so.
Lower on the card, there are a few quick storylines that stick out. Kevin Holland will return to middleweight for the first time in years when he faces Michal Oleksiejczuk as part of the main card. Undefeated Cesar Almeida, who won his UFC debut earlier this year after putting together an extensive career in kickboxing, will face Roman Kopylov on the prelims. The card will also open with a clash between flyweight prospects Andre Lima and Mitch Raposo, although it needs to be highlighted that Lima missed weight for the bout by a whopping four pounds.
Here’s a full look at the lineup:
Main Card (10:00PM EDT) (PPV)
Bout 12: Islam Makhachev (25-1) vs. Dustin Poirier (30-8) (UFC Lightweight Championship)
Bout 11: Sean Strickland (28-6) vs. Paulo Costa (14-3) (Middleweight)
Bout 10: Kevin Holland (25-11) vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk (19-7) (Middleweight)
Bout 9: Niko Price (15-7) vs. Alex Morono (24-9) (Welterweight)
Bout 8: Randy Brown (18-5) vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (24-7-1) (Welterweight)
Preliminary Card (8:00PM EDT) (ESPN2 / ESPN+)
Bout 7: Roman Kopylob (12-3) vs. Cesar Almeida (5-0) (Middleweight)
Bout 6: Jailton Almeida (20-3) vs. Alexandr Romanov (17-2) (Heavyweight)
Bout 5: Grant Dawson (20-2-1) vs. Joe Solecki (13-4) (Lightweight)
Bout 4: Phil Rowe (10-4) vs. Jake Matthew (19-7) (Welterweight)
Early Prelims (6:30PM EDT) (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 3: Mickey Gall (7-5) vs. Bassil Hafez (8-4-1) (Welterweight)
Bout 2: Joselyne Edwardws (13-5) vs. Ailin Perez (9-2) (Bantamweight)
Bout 1: Andre Lima (8-0) vs. Mitch Raposo (9-1) (Flyweight)
Further Reading/Listening:
With or without undisputed status, Dustin Poirier will retire a legend: For LowKickMMA, I wrote about how Dustin Poirier’s long list of accomplishments mean that an undisputed title win this weekend is only a small part of his hard-to-compare legacy in the sport. You can read the story here.
POLLOCK’S AUDIO: UFC 303 Preview, BOSJ Review: I joined John Pollock to do a quick rundown of UFC 303, available for all Patreon subscribers for POST Wrestling.
Notes On: UFC, Invicta FC & Cage Warriors
UFC
Santiago Ponzinibbio (29-7) has been booed to face Muslim Salikhov (19-5) for UFC’s July 13th show, per a recent announcement. Ponzinibbio has been out of action for more than a year, with his last appearance being a finish loss to Kevin Holland. He will be trying to get some momentum back, as he has lost three of his last five bouts. Salikhov has dropped his past two, including a fight against Randy Brown that ended in the first round earlier this year.
Invicta FC
Invicta FC has announced six more fights that will take place at their return event on June 28th in Kansas City, Kansas, USA. The show—which will have its broadcast details announced in the weeks to come—is headlined by a bantamweight title fight between Talita Bernardo and Olga Rubin.
Appearing for the first time since the end of her UFC run, Kay Hansen (7-6) will meet Sayury Canon (3-0). Hansen appeared frequently in Invicta FC before getting picked up by the UFC in 2020. While she won in her promotional debut against Jinh Yu Frey, she was released in 2022 after suffering three consecutive defeats. Canon earned her third pro win as an undefeated prospect at Invicta FC 52 last year, beating Amanda Macioce.
RIZIN vet Saori Oshima (14-4) will make her Invicta FC debut against Andressa Romero (6-4-1) at atomweight. Oshima, a fighter with four wins in RIZIN, is coming over to Invicta FC after defending her DEEP Jewels belt in May. Brazil’s Romero will be trying to snap a two-fight skid that has developed in high-profile regional fights in recent months.
In a matchup of former PFL talents, Taylor Guardado (4-2) and Yoko Higashi (8-4) will fight. Pancrase and DEEP Jewels vet Higashi appeared in PFL’s featherweight season last year, not qualifying for the playoffs after losing twice. Guardado made it to the finals of PFL’s 2021 lightweight tournament, falling to Kayla Harrison in the end. She has since bounced back with a regional victory from just under a year ago.
Elisandra Ferreira (6-2) will look for her third consecutive Invicta FC victory when she meets Katie Saull (6-6). Ferreira picked up a pair of wins in her rookie Invicta FC year in 2023, overcoming Flor Hernandez and Marisa Messer-Belenchia. Saull is returning to the promotion after stopping Estefania Rodriguez on a Combate Global card late last year.
In a double debut, Zoe Nowicki (0-0) and Josiane Oliveira (0-0) will collide at flyweight. Nowicki went undefeated as an amateur per Tapology’s records, earning seven wins since 2017. Oliveira built up her record through IMMAF tournaments, earning 12 victories through 13 appearances.
Fallon Johnson (0-0) will step over to professional MMA when she fights Violeta Mendoza (1-0) at flyweight. Johnson has attained three wins and two losses on the amateur circuit and is coming off a pair of losses. Mendoza, on the other hand, is riding the momentum of a second-round stoppage win from her 2023 pro debut.
Cage Warriors
A pair of fights have joined the July 25th Cage Warriors card from Manchester, England:
Experienced welterweights Stefano Paterno (17-4-1) and Olli Santalahti (14-6) will meet. Paterno won his return to the promotion in the main event of a March card, submitting Scottie Stockman in the first round with a d’arce choke. The 28-year-old Italian comes into his next booking on a four-fight winning streak. Santalahti scored his first Cage Warriors win earlier this year, beating Jamie Richardson via decision. The performance put him back into the win column after a pair of losses since 2022.
After losing in their respective Cage Warriors debuts, Christian Tebbet (3-3) and Floria Doskja (5-3) will meet in a flyweight bout next month. Tebbet fought Andy Yates in March, losing on scorecards after three rounds. Doskja was stopped by Amir Malekpour due to strikes in a bout last July.