Mitch Raposo

Azat Maksum (129: Missed Weight) vs. Mitch Raposo
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Maksum (-325), Raposo (+260)

Round 1
A fight initially booked at 125 pounds between a pair of struggling flyweights will now take place at a catchweight of 129 pounds because Maksum (15-2, 1-2 UFC) felt it was in his best interest to exceed the cap by three pounds. He gives away 30% of his purse to Raposo (9-3, 0-2 UFC) before the latter even sets foot in the ring, and this becomes a must-win for both athletes. Referee Rich Mitchell draws the short straw to handle this preliminary offering, standing back as the two decide against touching gloves.
Maksum moves right to the center of the cage and walks into a clean right hand on the temple. Maksum has to shake it off and stays out of punching range for a time, eventually flashing his jab out a few times to work his distance. He lets fly a body kick that is easily blocked, and Raposo rushes after him with swirling hooks. Maksum evades them and keeps his jab extended to prevent Raposo from crashing the pocket, but Raposo still manages to race at him. Raposo has an overhand right bang into the shoulder, and he escapes before getting countered. Both fighters miss when looking for their jabs, and Maksum smacks his foe’s lead calf to decent effect. Raposo jams Maksum in the jaw with a straight left hand down the pipe, and he looks to follow with a couple hooks. Maksum thanks him for this with a kick to the gut and a takedown shot.
“Kazakh” completes the takedown, putting Raposo on his seat in the blink of an eye. The New England native posts off and works to his feet, leaning on the fencing while Maksum has him from behind looking to get a hook in. Maksum elevates his man from behind after softening him with knees to the thigh and slams Raposo to the mat with a partial suplex. Mitchell asks for more activity when the two grind up against the wall, and he wraps a leg around Raposo’s for an earnest takedown effort. Raposo breaks out of that and puts his back firmly again the chain links, sprawling to defend a low single-leg entry. Maksum’s attempts lead only to Mitchell asking for more, and he abandons it with seconds to go and lets his hooks fly. Raposo zips out of the way and counters with a right hand over the top as the narrow round ends.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Maksum
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Maksum
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Maksum

Round 2
Maksum again assumes the center of the Octagon to get going in the round, finally landing a strike at the 20-second mark. Raposo snaps into action with a huge right hand that shakes Maksum up, and as Maksum has to reset, Raposo guns for him with another. Maksum probes out with his distant jab and pecks at Raposo when Raposo unloads with one more massive hook. Maksum tries to defend with a knee shield, and Raposo still reaches him at the end of a punch. Maksum checks a low kick and swats out with a left hook, and Raposo dings him with his overhand right. Raposo slips a punch combo to fire off another, sliding it above Maksum’s forehead. Maksum shoots for a takedown, and Raposo is nowhere to be found.
Raposo lets his foe reset so he can stand in the pocket with him, and stand in the pocket and trade they do. Both men land cleanly, but it appears that Maksum has stung Raposo as Raposo has to backpedal for a moment. The American parries a one-two and swings out a left hand and a right, and Maksum adjusts his nose and shoots for a double-leg takedown. Raposo cannot defend the initial attempt, looking to his corner directly behind him for advice how to at least get back to his seat. He follows their instructions to kick back to his feet, so Maksum lifts him off the ground and slams him down. Raposo wraps up a triangle choke off his back when he hits the mat, and he transitions to an omoplata shoulder lock before Maksum tosses it all aside and nails him with an elbow. Raposo scoots back upright, and Maksum sucks his hips out and puts him back on the floor. Maksum tries for one more mat return, but the round ends in the clinch instead.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Raposo
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Raposo
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Raposo

Round 3
Like the previous two rounds, Maksum locates himself directly in the center of the Octagon and presses forward. Raposo meets him in the middle and throws hands, only for Maksum to scoop him off his feet and put him on the floor. Raposo wall-walks to get back upright, leaning his weight on the fence to take some of the pressure off of him. Maksum hits a suplex to put Raposo on the floor, and the American rebounds easily to put his back to the wall again. Raposo pummels to break out of the clinch, and he walks down “Kazakh” loaded for bear. He scores a right hand over the top and leans to evade the counter, and dips in to pop Maksum in the chops with a shovel left. Maksum walks Raposo down around the cage and pushes a front kick after him, and Raposo replies with a spirited overhand right. Raposo shuts down a takedown shot and threatens with his right hand.
Raposo puts everything behind his big swings, and Maksum takes advantage of one with a deep double-leg shot. When Raposo shuts it down, Maksum transitions to a single, looking for anything to work with but unable to find it. Raposo breaks free and dodges a front kick, and he loads up on power punches. Raposo goes with a right to the body and left to the head, and Maksum shoots low and is shut down. Raposo pushes Maksum to the ground, and Maksum blatantly grabs the fence to reverse his position and stop a takedown from materializing. Mitchell is enraged by the foul, pausing the action and deduction a point for the fight-altering foul. It is unclear if Maksum understands, but one point is one point and likely a major factor as only a few seconds are left in the fight. Raposo is the one to push the pace despite Maksum being down on the scorecards, and Maksum flips his foe to the floor but cannot keep him there for more than a second. The horn blares, and another betting upset may be in the cards.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-8 Raposo (29-27 Raposo)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-8 Raposo (29-27 Raposo)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-8 Raposo (29-27 Raposo)

The Official Result
Mitch Raposo def. Azat Maksum via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 29-27, 29-27)

Su Mudaerji vs. Mitch Raposo
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Mudaerji (-185), Raposo (+154)

Round 1
The lone flyweight contest of the evening plays out next, between two men who could reach a .500 UFC record should they prevail. Mudaerji (16-7, 3-4 UFC), the far more experienced fighter of the two, is aiming to notch his first win since 2021. Massachusetts native Raposo (9-2, 0-1 UFC) would like to spoil that party and hand his Chinese opponent his walking papers, and referee Andrew Glenn will be there every step of the way. Gloves are touched before they are traded, and chants of “USA” in favor of Raposo rain down in the building. Mudaerji takes the center of the cage and fights behind his jab, using his superior reach to poke and prod. Raposo closes the distance and connects with a series of punches before bouncing away to avoid the counter. Mudaerji misses the mark on a one-two, and Raposo zings him back with a trio of fists. Mudaerji pitches out low kicks, frustrating the New Englander into shooting on his hips. Mudaerji defends with his back against the wall and breaks free, and he reaches out with an inaccurate side kick. Mudaerji lets fly a high kick that bounces off the guard, and he skirts out of the way of a looping left hand. Raposo surges forward swinging his arms, and Mudaerji’s range gives him issues as he kicks him from far enough away to not get caught back. Mudaerji thumps up the lead leg with a kick that forces a stance switch, and Raposo sprints forward and takes Mudaerji off his feet with a tackling takedown. Mudaerji easily posts off the mat to stand back up, and he Granby rolls to attempt to escape. Raposo follows him, arms wrapped around the waist from behind, and he leans Mudaerji against the wire and starts kneeing him. Raposo hangs on to the bell.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Mudaerji
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Mudaerji
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Mudaerji

Round 2
The fighters touch gloves, and Raposo quickly gets on his bike to strafe laterally and find a way in. Mudaerji chips at him with leg kicks, aiming at the thigh and knee rather than the calf. Raposo’s leg shows welts all over it, and he struggles to fire back. Although Mudaerji beats him to the punch with a one-two, Raposo’s right hand grazes the cheek in response. Raposo shoots in for a double-leg takedown, and Mudaerji scoots his way to the wire to defend and break out of it. Mudaerji pokes out with a jab and a low kick, and the crowd starts to shower the fighters with boos at the perceived lack of activity. Raposo tries to answer their calls for action with a looping left hand, and Mudaerji snipes him with a one-two and leans back to avoid another big left. Mudaerji flies by his opponent when attempting a jump knee, and he lands and kicks the front leg only to get checked. Mudaerji stumbles back and points at Raposo, and then offers a few more kicks. When Mudaerji misses a spinning wheel kick by a matter of inches, Raposo’s eyes light up as he charges like a bull and takes Mudaerji clear off his feet with a takedown. The Chinese fighter climbs back to his feet, only to be met with a mat return. As he gets up again, Mudaerji breaks off and flashes out a jab. The jab quickly bloodies Raposo’s nose up, who shoots for a single-leg takedown and finds the taller, longer fighter able to easily stifle his shot. Raposo doggedly pursues the takedown, and Mudaerji’s balance holds up until the horn blares. The crowd is not amused.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Mudaerji
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Mudaerji
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Mudaerji

Round 3
Hands are clapped to begin the final frame, and Mudaerji reassumes Octagon control and uses his rangy punches and kicks to keep Raposo at bay. Raposo presses forward to unload a big right hand, and Mudaerji pushes him back with jabs that further bloody the Massachusetts native’s nose up. Raposo moves left and right, with Mudaerji chasing him around, and Glenn has to ask for them to fight because they do not engage with much in the first 90 seconds. When they throw, they are largely out of range, with Mudaerji the more accurate of the two. As he reaches out with a right hand, Raposo shoots in on his hips and dumps him to the mat. Mudaerji wall-walks to get back up easily, elbowing on the break and returning to his kickboxing approach. When Raposo leans and sways, Mudaerji times him with a combination. Mudaerji kicks low, and Raposo signals that he was kicked in the groin. Glenn calls time, and the crowd boos in disbelief that it was a foul. The replay shows it was a legal blow, and Glenn tells them to fight on. Fight on they do, with Mudaerji letting his hands go for a second while Raposo throws back hard—but misses. Raposo grapples Mudaerji to the mat, and Mudaerji bounces back to his feet as if he had springs in his seat. Raposo leans heavily when clinched up, hoping to take some of the weapons away from the “Tibetan Eagle,” and he hunts for a mat return and drags Mudaerji to a knee. Mudaerji returns upright and smacks Raposo from around his head, and he brilliantly sprawls to shut Raposo’s attempt down. Raposo gains a full head of steam and charges in, completing a double only to learn very quickly that Mudaerji does not stay down for even one second. Raposo clings tightly looking for wrestling, and Mudaerji elbows him in the face three times until the less-than-stellar matchup comes to a close.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Mudaerji (30-27 Mudaerji)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Mudaerji (30-27 Mudaerji)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Mudaerji (30-27 Mudaerji)

The Official Result
Su Mudaerji def. Mitch Raposo via Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Andre Lima (130: Missed Weight) vs. Mitch Raposo
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Lima (-218), Raposo (+180)

Round 1
Just a little over a year ago, the promotion turned to an old favorite city it used to frequent back in the mid-2010s, putting on an interesting title fight with a non-title five-rounder in the co-headliner spot. The UFC swings back again in relative short order, deciding to post up outside of New York City while still drawing plenty of eyeballs. As a note, this will be the first event to feature the newly designed gloves, ones that were touted to reduce eye pokes. A dozen bouts with plenty of ranking’s significance from women’s 135 pounds all the way up to pound-for-pound consideration will play out, but the first of 12 has zero relevance in that metric because it comes at an unplanned catchweight. Raposo (9-1, 0-0 UFC) and his shiny new contract will contend with the heavy Lima (8-0, 1-0 UFC), who appears to still be reeling from his “Charlie Bit Me” incident against Igor da Silva in March. Referee Herb Dean will make sure no chomping happens this time around, and the fight begins with a glove touch. Lima moves to the center of the cage, walking Raposo down, and he sits down on a heavy calf kick that immediately forces a stance switch. Raposo finds a way in and dives forward with two punches, and Lima bats them away and chops at the calf hard while chants of “USA” rain down against him. Lima goes for another kick low down to the calf, and each time he has struck it, Raposo has changed stances. Raposo replies with a rapid-fire combination to keep Lima honest, but Lima does not pay it much mind as he attacks the front leg once more. Raposo lashes out with a pair of punches, and Lima’s composure never wavers and instead pounds the front leg twice after a stance switch from the Massachusetts native. Raposo strides forward to throw hands, and Lima intercepts him with a crisp knee up the middle. When Raposo settles down, Lima blasts his front leg, and Raposo shakes his leg out in response. Lima keeps battering either lead leg that is presented to him, and Raposo tries to check one by turning his shin in, and the sound of the shins clacking together echoes in the cage. Raposo circles his way into punch strings, but his general lack of offense prompts a clapping of Dean to fight more. Lima nails the lead when once more, prompting Raposo to let go with hands to the body. Lima turns his hips into a particularly harsh leg kick, and Raposo spins all the way around to get his bearings. Lima pushes off with his fingers outstretched, grazing Raposo’s eye, and Raposo waves Dean off and unloads a right hand that catches the Brazilian standing still. Lima lets loose with two high kicks that bounce off the guard, and he is warned for his fingers pointed towards his foe’s face. Lima keeps working on the front legs of his opponent, allowing Raposo to change his stance so he can smack the other. This continues until the round ends.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Lima
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Lima
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Lima

Round 2
The fighters clap hands to lead off the second round, and Raposo is much more active to get going. A few series of punches come from the American, with quick hands largely targeting the body. Lima no-sells the punches and continues stalking Raposo down, where he chambers and releases a head kick that slams into the guard. Lima attempts another step-in knee, and he parries the oncoming punches when Raposo tries to close the distance. Lima drills the front calf with a kick, and Raposo backpedals and considers a stance switch but would rather present his left leg. Raposo comes up short on a haymaker, and Lima allows him to fall off-balance so he can work the leg again. Raposo targets the body with punches, and Lima switches up to attack the inside of his adversary’s legs with ruthless kicks. Lima cuts Raposo off, and Raposo tries to drive him back with a trio of punches that all get blocked. Lima slams his shin into Raposo’s calf, and he pushes out his finger and swipes Raposo in the eye. Dean calls time and issues Lima a hard warning, and Lima gives an apology. They restart, and Raposo reaches him with a left hand. Lima comes back at him with low kicks, and Dean once more admonishes the Brazilian for his fingers pointed out. Lima fakes a kick, and Raposo jumps away with a major reaction. Lima pokes his man in the eye, and Raposo steps back and wipes his eye. A confused moment for both fighters results in Dean telling Lima to be careful, and they restart again. Raposo shoots for a takedown and hits it, and Lima blatantly grabs the cage to pull himself back up to his feet. Lima chases Raposo down and kicks him a few more times before the bell.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Lima
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Lima
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Lima

Round 3
The fighters tap hands together to get going, and Raposo gives chase early to throw hands. Raposo swipes out with overhand rights, and Lima calmly backs him off with a straight right hand in response. Lima gets off a low kick, and he fires a second one off to the ribs. Lima reaches out with a right hand and a front kick to the solar plexus, and he springs away from a double jab. The Brazilian fearlessly stalks forward, setting up a heavy body kick and seemingly unconcerned about anything Raposo gives back. The two men trade body shots, and Lima follows one with a kick down at the base of the calf. Lima plants a second kick down low, and Raposo’s punch salvo ricochets off the raised guard. Lima splits the guard with a left hand, and Raposo walks through it and gives one single blow back. Lima slaps the front leg with yet another kick, and a second is checked. Raposo slips in a left hand, but it is one-and-done before he backpedals. Lima measures a straight left hand, and Raposo stands him up with an uppercut and a left hand. Raposo ducks and connects with a left hand, and Lima frazzles him with two leg kicks that briefly put him down. Raposo bounces up and away from a sweeping body kick, and Lima manages to find him with a sharp jab. Raposo tries to attempt a takedown, only for Lima to toss him aside and push him to the wall. Lima gets off one knee before they split up, and he chases after Raposo until the fight wraps.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Lima (30-27 Lima)
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Lima (30-27 Lima)
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Lima (30-27 Lima)

The Official Result
Andre Lima def. Mitch Raposo via Split Decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)