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Cristian Perez explains game-plan change that earned UFC contract

Published

2 months ago

on

Cristian Perez explains game-plan change that earned UFC contract
Cristian
Perez changed his game plan going into his second appearance on

Dana White's Contender Series.

Perez (15-2) came up short against Manoel
Sousa in his first DWCS opportunity last year. “Puas†rebounded
with a first-round knockout win on the regional circuit to earn
another shot at an
Ultimate Fighting Championship contract. He took on Logan
Paxton in a lightweight bout at
Week 2 of DWCS 2026, putting on a striking clinic, knocking
down Paxton twice and finishing him the second time.

Cristian Perez changed his DWCS strategy before stopping Logan
Paxton for UFC deal

Perez had shown impressive grappling in his first DWCS bout against
Sousa. While he's still confident in his ground game, the
27-year-old knows that UFC CEO Dana
White is looking for highlight-reel finishes on Contender
Series. Perez knew he had to alter his game plan to put on a show
to earn a UFC contract.

“The last time the game plan was exactly that: take him down and
try to finish my opponent,†Perez said in a post-fight interview.
“I feel that I do have a very solid purple belt in jiu-jitsu. But
we needed to change the game plan. When you come here, Dana doesn't
want you to come here just to win the fight; he wants you to come
here and impress, to show a savage, that you're an animal. And
that's what we came here for: to fight and put on a show for
everyone.â€

Perez not only earned a UFC contract but also an offer from White
to compete at
Noche UFC 4 on Sept. 12 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale,
Arizona.

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MMA

Alexander Volkanovski predicts wild finish of 20-0 Movsar Evloev

Published

25 minutes ago

on

October 20, 2026

By

Alexander Volkanovski predicts 'wild' finish of 20-0 Movsar Evloev
Alexander
Volkanovski is brimming with confidence ahead of his next title
defense.

Volkanovski (28-4) is scheduled to defend his
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title against
Movsar
Evloev (20-0) at
UFC 333 on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The Australian
champion believes he can deliver a career-best performance against
the undefeated Russian.

Alexander Volkanovski doubts Movsar Evloev can outgrapple him
for 25 minutes at UFC 333

Evloev has won all 10 of his UFC bouts by decision, but Volkanovski
doubts the challenger can outgrapple him for five rounds. “The
Great†believes Evloev would need to catch him with a decisive
strike to win.

“Trying to outgrapple me for 25 minutes, I can't see it,â€
Volkanovski told MMA Junkie. “I believe that the only chance that
any of these guys have is for them to catch me… If he thinks he can
beat me by decision or he thinks he can outgrapple me, I'm sure
he's gonna try, we'll see. I'm just very confident in my skills and
the fighter I still am… I think I can do it in pretty wild fashion.
I believe I can get a finish. I believe I can do it inside five… A
lot of people are going to go say after this fight, ‘Is that the
best Volk we’ve ever seen?'â€

Volkanovski first won the title against Max
Holloway in 2019 and defended it five times before losing to
Ilia
Topuria in 2024. He reclaimed the vacant championship against
Diego
Lopes last year after Topuria moved up to lightweight, then
defended it in their rematch in January.

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MMA

Joaquin Buckley vows to livestream UFC comeback after 3 straight losses

Published

12 hours ago

on

October 19, 2026

By

Joaquin Buckley vows to livestream UFC comeback after 3 straight losses
Joaquin
Buckley remains undeterred after his third consecutive defeat
in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Buckley faced Mike Malott in the Canadian's home country at

UFC Edmonton on Saturday. Malott landed a knee in the second
round and followed with a punch before the referee stopped the
bout. Despite the setback, “New Mansa†remains optimistic about his
future.

Joaquin Buckley plans to document his rebuild after Mike
Malott’s UFC Edmonton knockout

Buckley won six straight fights before his current skid. He now
plans to livestream his efforts to rebuild, inviting fans to follow
the process.

“Right now, we rebuilding and I want y'all to see the process, not
just the results,†Buckley wrote in the caption of his postfight
Instagram post. “The highs, the lows, and everything it takes to
become who God called me to be.â€

In the accompanying video, Buckley said he wants to share his
training and introduce fans to his team.

“I realize that I want to document everything,†Buckley said. “I
want to document the process, I want to document the work, I want
to document the team. This is really just starting back over from
scratch; creating a new foundation and making something happen… I'm
not going to stop; I'm going to keep working. And I'll make sure
that everybody remembers that name.â€

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MMA

Joaquin Buckley vows to livestream UFC comeback after 3 straight losses

Published

12 hours ago

on

October 19, 2026

By

Joaquin Buckley vows to livestream UFC comeback after 3 straight losses
Joaquin
Buckley remains undeterred after his third consecutive defeat
in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Buckley faced Mike Malott in the Canadian's home country at

UFC Edmonton on Saturday. Malott landed a knee in the second
round and followed with a punch before the referee stopped the
bout. Despite the setback, “New Mansa†remains optimistic about his
future.

Joaquin Buckley plans to document his rebuild after Mike
Malott’s UFC Edmonton knockout

Buckley won six straight fights before his current skid. He now
plans to livestream his efforts to rebuild, inviting fans to follow
the process.

“Right now, we rebuilding and I want y'all to see the process, not
just the results,†Buckley wrote in the caption of his postfight
Instagram post. “The highs, the lows, and everything it takes to
become who God called me to be.â€

In the accompanying video, Buckley said he wants to share his
training and introduce fans to his team.

“I realize that I want to document everything,†Buckley said. “I
want to document the process, I want to document the work, I want
to document the team. This is really just starting back over from
scratch; creating a new foundation and making something happen… I'm
not going to stop; I'm going to keep working. And I'll make sure
that everybody remembers that name.â€

Continue Reading
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