Who is Serhiy Sidey?

Serhiy Sidey is one of UFC's newest bantamweight prospects.

He debuts on the UFC 297 prelims in a re-match with Ramon Taveras. Sidey won their previous match as well as his UFC contract with a controversial TKO stoppage on Dana White's Contender Series in September 2023.

The 27-year-old Sidey was born in the Ukraine but moved to Canada at age six. He currently resides in Burlington, Ontario, Canada, and represents the Burlington Training Centre. He'll hold a decisive hometown advantage when fight time rolls around.

Sidey has always craved bright lights and big crowds. Desiring a performance career, he began MMA after gaining interest in the sport via cult classic films such as Never Back Down and Warrior. From there, complete dedication to the art of fighting sent him on a path toward a 4-2 amateur record and eventually a 10-1 professional career.

The former BFL and BTC champion, Sidey has finished eight of his wins, four in the very first round. He's no stranger to rematches and has won his previous two on the regional scene.

Possessing a 5'11" frame gives Sidey an edge over most of the competitors in the 135-pound weight class. Keeping his opponents at bay with long-range strikes as well as stance switches almost gives him a style similar to fellow bantamweights Cory Sandhagen and current divisional champ, Sean O'Malley.

Make no mistake, however, Sidey is extremely well-rounded and has shown his grappling on several occasions. He's capable of scoring takedowns and clocking control time and even landed a triangle choke submission off his back when first capturing the BFL title.

Serhiy Sidey will rematch Ramon Taveras after their controversial DWCS fight

Motivated by fighters like Max Holloway, Sidey looks to keep his head down and let his fighting speak louder than any trash talk could.

Taveras will likely be very motivated to shelve Sidey's aspirations for the time being, and cash in big on his rematch. After the disappointing finish to his prior DWCS opportunity, Taveras returned to the show just a few weeks later and scored a 29-second knockout over Cortavious Romious and a coveted UFC contract. Unfortunately, he missed weight for his fight with Sidey so isn't off to a great start in his UFC career.

Though unbothered by a rematch, Sidey will look to silence all critics and send a warning to the rest of the bantamweight division. Much like the first contest, keeping Taveras at the end of his punches and landing slick combinations will put Sidey in an excellent position to duplicate his success.

Who will maximize their UFC 297 debut and put the bantamweight division on notice? Will it be the hungry Taveras, motivated to avenge a previous loss? Or will it be the hometown favorite Sidey who will prove the previous result was no accident?