Coverage and Article by Dylan Knostman
United Fight League hosts their first event of 2025 with a city vs city showdown in sunny Scottsdale, Arizona. This event will see Rampage Jackson’s Team Orange county clash with Henry Cejudo’s Team Scottsdale. This will be the second event from the UFL showcasing their team vs team concept, with the debut of this structure occurring at UFL 5 with Team Las Vegas defeating Team Phoenix with a score of 5-4. Fighters score points based on the result of the fight, with 4 points for a first-round finish, 3 points for a second-round finish, 2 points for a third-round finish, and 1 point for a decision victory. With the UFL announcing several new potential franchise owners and locations, expect this event to be a massive step forward for the Arizona based promotion.
The UFL has proven to be a hotbed for future top level talent, with multiple former fighters getting the call to the UFC (Ryan Loder, Vince Morales, Jose Delgado, Nikolay Verretnikov) while other fighters have also gotten contracts with major promotions (Veronika Smolkova & Brittney Cloudy – OKTAGON, Justin Wetzell – PFL). The UFL plans to build on this success at UFL 6, with many top prospects and respected veterans entering the cage. The main event features Bellator veteran Buddy Wallace taking on UFC veteran and Arizona local Kyle “Gunz Up” Stewart. Also on the card, former Penn State wrestler Geno Morelli makes his UFL debut taking on Austin Wourms, and UFC veteran and former UFL bantamweight Hunter Azure is returning after winning a title with another promotion on short notice. Below is a list of the card, with details on each matchup. UFL 6 will be live for free on Rumble, and tickets are still available at the UFL’s Website. Fights begin at 6:30 pm PST, and live results will be updated on this page.
Fight 1: Jared Braun (2-1) vs Carlos Valadez (2-3) – 130 lb Catchweight Bout
In the first fight of the evening, Arizona’s Jared Braun is making his UFL debut against Colorado’s Carlos Valadez, Both of these fighters are early in their careers, and both have high level training partners, with Braun spending some time in Colorado with UFC Flyweight Brandon Royval. Both these fighters are strong grapplers, and expect a high level bout between two prospects in the curtain jerker.
Result:
Fight 2: Kyle Estrada (13-8) vs Joao Camilo (9-7) – 125 lb Flyweight Bout*
*Camilo missed weight by 2 lbs, fight will conitinue with Camilo forfeiting part of his purse.
Kyle Estrada is a name many regional MMA fans are familiar with. An LFA, Combate, and Bellator veteran, Estrada has fought some of the toughest competition around with fights vs Adrian Yanez, Kevin Natividad, and Louis Smolka on his resume. Standing across from Estrada will be Brazilian Joao Camilo, who currently trains out of the MMA Lab in Phoenix, AZ. Camilo is also a Combate and LFA veteran, and most recently fought locally for RUF MMA. Camilo has also fought many high level fighters, including UFC vets Daniel Barez, Charles Johnson, and Victor Altamirano. This is one of the highest level regional flyweight matchups you’ll see, and there is no doubt this fight will deliver. Estrada is a smooth striker, with diverse weapons and a fantastic spinning back kick to the body. He is also adept on the ground, but makes his money on the feet. Camilo is a bit more well rounded, and if he can get the fight to the ground he may find his path to victory, but that is easier said than done against a striker like Estrada.
Result:
Fight 3: Paul Marghitas (0-0) vs Steven Almeida (1-5) – 145 lb Featherweight Bout
Marghitas has been one of the hottest amateur prospects in Arizona, and he is now making his long awaited professional debut. Marghitas is known for his devasting striking, and his rowdy crowd of fans that will make themselves seen and heard at any of his fights. The MMA Lab prospect went 5-1 as an amatuer, and is looking to make a statement against the veteran Steven Almeida. Almeida has had a rough go as a professional, but was 6-0 as an amateur and is no doubt a dangerous opponent for Marghitas.
Result:
Fight 4: Richard “The Grappler” Mahan (2-1) vs Patrick Cornett (2-2)
In one of the more fascinating matchups of the evening, UFL veteran and Team Scottsdale fighter Richard Mahan welcomes Orange County’s Patrick Cornett to the United Fight League. This will be the first team vs team matchup of the evening, with the UFL scoring in effect. Mahan is coming off a loss to top prospect Yevgeni Shinkarevsky, but proved his skill with a win prior in his UFL debut. In the other corner, Patrick Cornett is one of the more interesting individuals in MMA. A consummate entertainer, Cornett is also an actor and the touring DJ for massive artist Saweetie, and the day after this fight he will be traveling back to California to perform in a concert. Despite his wild life, Cornett brings athleticism and skill to the cage, and will no doubt be looking for a knockout on Friday evening. Mahan will most likely look to get the fight to the ground to look for submissions, and showed otherworldly toughness in his last fight. This is a very intriguing fight between two prospects, and the winner will set themselves up well for their next opportunity.
Result:
Fight 5: Reyes Cortez Jr. (8-3) vs Ricardo Dias (10-7) – 135lb Bantamweight Team Matchup
This is the second team vs team fight of the card, and is one of the best fights of the night on paper. Reyes Cortez, the younger brother of UFC fighter Tracy Cortez, will be making his UFL debut after Mutiple stints on Dana White’s Contender Series. He faced extremely tough opposition against Christian Rodriguez and Payton Talbott, but has proven himself to be a top prospect on the regional scene. The Fight Ready gym has power in his hands with five of his eight wins coming by knockout, and similar to his sister he is a strong wrestler as well. His toughness is impressive as well, as he has never been finished. His opponent, Ricardo Dias, boasts a litany of high level experience as well, with four of his bouts coming in the LFA. Dias has struggled as of late, losing his last three bouts but remains a competive fighter at 135 lbs. He has never been knocked out and is an adept submission artist, so Reyes will have to grind to get the victory. If he wins the UFC could very well come calling next., and Dias looks to return to his winning ways.
Result:
Fight 6: Austin “Starkiller” Wourms (7-5) vs Geno Morelli (4-0) – 170 lb Welterweight Team matchup
In a classic prospect vs veteran, jiu jitsu vs wrestling matchup, Arizona BJJ black belt and Team Scottsdale member Austin “Starkiller” Wourms welcomes former Penn State wrestler and Team Orange County Fighter Geno Morelli to his home state to battle in the cage. Wourms has never turned down tough competition, with submission victories over some of the best fighters in the southwest, including former LFA champion Jacobi Jones. Wourms is incredibly dangerous off his back, and is very unorthodox on the feet, making him a tough matchup for anyone. Something to note for Wourms, he is a career lightweight now moving up to welterweight, so it will be interesting to see how size and strength plays a factor. Size and strength will not be the only factors, as Morelli is as decorated a college wrestler you will find, and boasts an undefeated record of 4-0 in MMA. The plan will be to wrestle, get on top, and ground and pound Austin Wourms but Morrelli could get it done on the feet as well. This is a truly fascinating matchup between talented fighters, and it could go either way.
Result:
Co-Main Event: Hunter Azure (12-4) vs Alvaro Quiroga (6-2) – 140 lb Catchweight Team Matchup
On just two days’ notice, former UFC fighter and former UFL bantamweight champion Hunter Azure returns to the UFL cage to face surging Bolivian fighter Alvaro Quiroga. Azure secured his title with a massive knockout win over Amun Cosme at UFL 5, but lost his belt to now UFC fighter Vince Morales at UFL 6. Azure has since won a title for another promotion but is looking to prove Arizona is his turf against the visiting Quiroga. Azure is a strong wrestler with great power in his hands, and has fought the best of the best his entire career. Quiroga is very unproven, with most of his fights occurring in Bolivia against opponents with very poor records. He looks to prove that he is of the top level at UFL 6, and has a fantastic chance to showcase his skills against the former champ Azure.
Main Event: Buddy “Braveheart” Wallace (22-10) vs Kyle “Gunz Up” Stewart (15-6) – 185 lb Middleweight Team Matchup
In the main event of the evening, UFC veteran and local Arizona favorite Kyle Stewart makes his long-awaited return to the cage after multiple setbacks, that included a major back surgery that left Stewart wondering if he would ever fight again. Nevertheless, he has returned to MMA to take on Bellator veteran Buddy “Braveheart” Wallace, who is another fighter who has never shied away from top level competition and loves nothing in life more than fighting and family. Both of these fighters are primarily strikers, and expect an absolute war in Stewarts retirement fight. Both men will look to bring it, and with the points and team cash bonus on the line, this is set up to be an unforgettable matchup between two veterans.
Result:
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