Don’Tale Mayes could be out of a job after a lopsided loss at UFC Des Moines.
A teammate of UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones, the UFC veteran weighed in at 259lbs on Friday for his 12th appearance in the Octagon. There, Mayes would run into fellow Contender Series alumni Thomas ‘The Train’ Petersen.
The 6’6″ Mayes stood five inches taller than Petersen but his opponent carried a significant wrestling advantage in their fight, having been a two-time champion in the state of Minnesota.
Mayes joined the UFC heavyweight division in 2019 and had lost three out of his last four bouts since beating former champ Andrei Arlovski, attempting to rebound from back-to-back losses to Shamil Gaziev and Valter Valker—Petersen wouldn’t have any of that.
Don’Tale Mayes handed 30-25 scorecard in third-straight loss
Petersen’s wrestling credentials were the story of the fight with the heavyweight taking Mayes down in the first 30 seconds.
Petersen scored another takedown relatively easy, landing short elbows from the top and controlling Mayes from side control and full mount, nearly submitting Mayes with an arm-triangle submisison.
Mayes would endure a tough second and third round, surviving a combo on the feet by throwing a flying knee right back. Petersen would take down Mayes agin, controlling him for 13:49 of 15:00 total with nine takedowns.
Mayes and Petersen went the distance with all three judges giving lopsided scores of 30-25, 30-26, 30-26 with one judge scoring two rounds 10-8 because of how dominant they were with ground and pound.
Don’Tale Mayes’ UFC record drops to 4-7 (1 NC)
With this, his third-straight loss, there’s a chance Mayes is looking at a future outside of the Octagon.
Mayes is 2-5 (1 NC) in his last seven fights, unable to go on a winning streak since 2021.
Mayes has fought some of the best of the world in the heavyweight division, including former interim champ Ciryl Gane in his debut but with the premier promotion letting go of veterans like Brad Tavares lately, Mayes could very well be next on the chopping block after a lackluster performance.
As for the victor Petersen, this is the wrestler’s second UFC win, hoping to build some momentum.