Month: September 2023

‘Overrated’ Canelo will lose to Charlo tonight, experts say

Posted on by Zane Simon in Boxing, Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo

Canelo Alvarez returns to action this week against undisputed light middleweight world champion Jermell Charlo. The bout will see Charlo move up to 168 lbs to take on one of boxing’s biggest stars and the undisputed king of the super middleweight division.

For Alvarez, the bout will mark his second contest in 2023, having previously defeated John Ryder back in May by unanimous decision. For ‘Iron Man’, however, this will mark Charlo’s first action since a 2022 win over Brian Castano. Charlo had been set to take on top contender Tim Tszyu back in January, but a hand injury caused the fight to be delayed. That’s when an opportunity to face Canelo came calling. An opportunity the Lafayette, Louisiana native wasn’t about to turn down.

Jermell Charlo sees Canelo fight as chance for boxing stardom

A sizeable underdog heading into this Saturday’s PPV event, Charlo isn’t exactly pinning all his hopes on beating Alvarez. However, the 33-year-old knows that a win here could be a career defining moment. If he could beat Alvarez and lay claim to the Mexican fighter’s collection of super middleweight belts, he’ll make himself a major target for every other notable fighter near the weight class.

“A win over Canelo will let me know that I am right where I should be,” Charlo said at a recent media event for the PPV bout (transcript via Boxing Scene). 

“And if I need more work to do, then I got more work to do. A win over Canelo will stamp me as one of the greats. I take his belts then I have to fight the Mexican Monster [David Benavidez], Caleb Plant, and all of the big boys, right? I’m going to have all of them motherf***** trying to fight me. And I got the short little Omaha fisherman [Terence Crawford], or whatever you want to call him – the net carrier.”

“This is a dream come true, just like winning undisputed, winning a world title and making it out the mud was. Once you get this far and see yourself prospering, you just want to keep bringing it. I’m staying focused on handling business.”

Freddie Roach backing Jermell Charlo for the upset

Despite actually being two months younger than Charlo, legendary boxing trainer Freddie Roach feels that Canelo Alvarez has already put his best days behind him. Alvarez went on an amazing 42-fight unbeaten run over the first eight years as a pro, winning the WBC, WBA, and Ring light middleweight titles. That streak ended at the hands of Floyd Mayweather in 2013. An unfortunate speedbump in the then-23-year-old’s career, but not one that put a halt to his success.

Following his loss to Mayweather, Alvarez went on another prolonged winning streak, going 16 fights without a loss (including an avenged draw against Gennady Golovkin). The Guadalajara-born fighter won belts at middleweight, super middleweight, and even light heavyweight before running headlong into the unstoppable force that is Dmitry Bivol.

After that loss, Canelo returned to super middleweight for a trilogy bout with Gennady Golovkin—winning that fight by unanimous decision. However, it seems despite picking up another clear victory over his longtime rival, Roach seems to feel the fight marked a turning point in Alvarez’s career.

“Canelo has had an outstanding career,” Roach said at a recent press event (transcript via Boxing Social) And even though I had Gennadiy Golovkin winning their first two fights, I was impressed with the way Canelo fought him. If Charlo was fighting the version of Canelo before he fought Golovkin, I would favor Canelo. But that’s not the case. This version of Canelo will not be able to handle Charlo.”

Teddy Atlas echoes Roach’s doubts

It seems Roach isn’t the only noted boxing insider feeling that fans may have seen Canelo’s prime already come and gone. Roach also seems to have pinpointed the Golovikin fight as a pivot point in his opinion on the Mexican superstar. Most notably, he seems to feel that the 40-year-old ‘Triple G’ over-performed in the matchup, and that Canelo let the fight stay too competitive.

“Triple-G is beyond his time,” Atlas explained in a recent episode of his podcast (transcript via Boxing Social). “He hasn’t fought since Canelo. That Canelo fight he did a lot better than people thought he would do. He went the distance. It showed me a lot of things. One is that GGG is at the end of his career, there is not much left beyond his character. He is not the same fighter. He is not Triple-G anymore.”

“[That fight] also showed me Canelo is overrated.

“I know the Mexican fans weren’t waiting to hear that. But it did, it showed he couldn’t get rid of him at this point in his career. As much as a lot of people build him up, he should have got rid of him. It showed me Canelo is slipping. Whatever he was, great or almost great, whatever that level was, it’s a little less now. He’s slipping.”

At the moment, Charlo sits at a comfortable +300 underdog line on several sports books, with Canelo riding the favorite line between -333 and -435. If Roach and Atlas are to be believed, that may mean a major chance for gamblers to earn big—as well as a shot for Charlo to become the man everyone wants to fight.

Dana White: Ferguson vs. Pimblett matchmaking ‘couldn’t be more perfect’

Posted on by Zane Simon in MMA News, UFC 296, UFC News

If fans and pundits have been less than enthusiastic with the UFC’s announcement that Paddy Pimblett will be fighting Tony Ferguson on the UFC’s final PPV of 2023, their cries have not gone unheard. A number of former fighters have given their opinions, mostly to say that they feel Ferguson has a real solid chance of winning—some are even picking ‘El Cucuy’ outright.

At the most recent Contender Series fight card, back on September 26th, Dana White sat down with reporters. Eventually the conversation turned to Ferguson vs. Pimblett.

Dana White defends Pimblett vs. Ferguson booking

There was a time when picking up back-to-back losses was enough to get most fighters released from the UFC; a reputation that the promotion was only interested in hosting the best of the best. At this point, however, that day is long passed. However, despite Tony Ferguson’s current six-fight losing streak, UFC CEO Dana White feels its important to go beyond the record when looking at the 39-year-old’s upcoming booking against a man more than a decade his junior.

“I think a lot of people think that Paddy is unproven, and I think a lot of people feel like this is a fight Tony isn’t in deep water like he’s been in, in his last several fights,” White told reporters, speaking on Ferguson vs. Pimblett (transcript via MMA Fighting). “I think the matchmaking and the timing on this fight is excellent and couldn’t be more perfect.”

“If you look at Tony’s last few fights that he’s fought, he looked damn good,” he added. “Before the [Michael] Chandler finish, and every fight that’s he’s fought in the last two or three fights, he looked damn good, right up until the end. It’s a fun, interesting fight with two fun and interesting characters.”

Dana White hopes Ferguson retires on a loss

Despite his enthusiastic defense of a “perfect” fight booking, Dana White wasn’t willing to go so far as to give Tony Ferguson’s current career situation half as much positive spin. It doesn’t sound like the head of the world’s largest MMA promotion would go so far as to force Ferguson into retirement, should he lose again at UFC 296, but he’s hoping Ferguson is willing to read the writing on the wall and walk away on his own terms.

“I would let Tony make that decision,” Dana White responded when asked about Ferguson possibly retiring. “But I’m sure if he loses to Paddy he would probably look at calling it [a career].

“He’s had a great career. Done a lot of things, had a lot of big fights, and [another loss] probably would be a wrap for him, hopefully.”

For his part, Ferguson has been absolutely bullish on continuing his combat sports career. Ahead of his most recent bout—a loss to Bobby Green at UFC 291—the California native could be heard espousing the mantra, “Five fights and a title.” Even without a victory in the Octagon since 2019, Ferguson has been adamant that he can still be a contender.

“Unfortunately in sports, setbacks like this are part of the journey.” Ferguson wrote in a post on Instagram. “While I won’t use the eye poke as an excuse for the outcome, I know for a fact I have more to give. Moving forward, I plan to work closely with Dana, Hunter & my entire team to assess what’s next.”

UFC 296 takes place on December 16th in Las Vegas, NV. The event is set to feature a pair of title fights, with Leon Edwards defending the welterweight title against Colby Covington and Alexandre Pantoja defending the fligthweight belt against Brandon Royval. Stay tuned to BE for more event coverage.

KSI & Jake Paul ride celebrity boxing to top of Forbes list

Posted on by Zane Simon in Celebrity Boxing

Jake Paul was hardly the first celebrity to take his fame to the boxing ring but, alongside KSI, the two content creators have taken the idea of gimmick pugilism to new heights. It’s not pro wrestling, the punches are real, but taking part in a series of what could generously be considered lower-tier undercard level bouts they’ve managed to make a whole ton of money.

Having made his claim to fame reacting to FIFA videos on YouTube, KSI (real name Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji) first stepped into the boxing ring back in 2018, taking on fellow social media influencers Joe Weller and Logan Paul in a pair of amateur bouts. He’s since turned pro, amassing millions of PPV buys, and millions of dollars.

While KSI has made his name facing similarly situated celebrity talents, Jake Paul has been taking his boxing career much more seriously. A former Vine star and Disney talent, the ‘Problem Child’ has amassed a 7-1 pro-boxing record taking on a variety of notable former MMA talents and even a couple ex-UFC champions. Most recently he picked up a unanimous decision over Nate Diaz, selling a reported 450,000 PPVs in the process.

Forbes ranks Jake Paul & KSI among most influential content creators

Long known for their lists of high profile celebrities, athletes, colleges, and companies, more recently Forbes has started a new ranking for the global financial news outlet: Top Creators. The list looks to highlight entreprenuers who do the bulk of their business on various social media and podcasting platforms, such as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Spotify.

“To rank the world’s Top Creators, Forbes crunched data on the estimated earnings, follower counts, engagement rates, and entrepreneurial activities of thousands of internet personalities with the help of the creator marketing firm, Influential.”

In a diverse list, spanning multiple mediums and platforms, ranging from fashion to comedy to self help, gaming, and even OnlyFans content, it seems celebrity pugilism was a major boon. With KSI landing at #2 for his 112 million followers and $24 million in earnings and Jake Paul at #3 for his 66 million followers and $34 million in earnings in Forbes List of Top 50 Creators of 2023. Logan Paul made the list as well, down at #6 with 74 million followers and $21 million in earnings.

Here’s the top 10:

  1. MrBeast – 312M followers/$82M earnings
  2. KSI – 112M followers/$24M earnings
  3. Jake Paul – 66M followers/$34M earnings
  4. Rhett & Link – 51M followers/$35M earnings
  5. Charli D’Amelio – 213M followers/$23M earnings
  6. Logan Paul – 74M followers/$21M earnings
  7. F***Jerry – 17M followers/$30M earnings
  8. Emma Chamberlain – 28M followers/$20M earnings
  9. Matt Rife – 22M followers/$25M earnings
  10. Brent Rivera – 96M followers/$17.5M earnings


The only other celebrity to dip their toes into the combat sports world that made the list, came in at #27, noted ‘Hottub Streamer’ Kaitlyn Siragusa (aka Amouranth).

Amouranth no-shows celebrity boxing event

More than a few eyebrows were raised earlier this year when upstart celebrity boxing promotion La Velada Del Ano (The Night of the Year) announced Amouranth as one of the celebrities competing on their 2023 fight card.

Amouranth was set to face off against Spanish Twitch streamer Maite Carrillo (aka Mayichi). The two women got all the way to fight week before Amouranth pulled out of the event citing medical concerns.

“I tend to keep my medical stuff private—and I would have kept my curent situation out of the public eye but I feel like I owe you all an explanation on account of a few cancelled high profile appearances,” Amouranth wrote in a statement put out on her social media accounts in late June.

“I was informed in March that I have late stage ovarian failure.”

“I had already agreed to appear in the La Velada boxing event, and decided I would go forward with it and wait to do the injections until AFTER the event so that I could still compete. But due to extreme medical developments, I have to start them today.

“I had hoped to just box through the symptoms, as I could handle a little nausea or some headaches, but my medical team strenuously vetoed that decision due to the “potential for extreme injury or death” related to a heightened chance of my ovaries torsioning/twisting while undergoing the treatment and doing extreme physical activity.”

Amouranth added that she hopes, with “quick and painless treatment” that she might “get the opportunity to get in the ring next year,” provided her treatment proves a success.

Brendan Schaub co-signs UFC champ’s Ferguson vs. Pimblett hot take

Posted on by Zane Simon in MMA News, UFC 296, UFC News

Paddy Pimblett’s latest fight booking has the MMA community talking. The ‘Baddy’ has been a hot topic of conversation ever since joining the UFC back in 2021. With a thrilling, action-forward fighting style and a tendancy to speak his mind in interviews and on social media, he’s a fighter that draws opinions from fans and pundits alike.

However, this latest round of headlines doesn’t have so much to do with what Pimblett’s been saying or even how he’s fighting. It all has to do with who the UFC decided to put across the Octagon from the 28-year-old scouser.

Daniel Cormier thinks Tony Ferguson has ‘one more night in him’

Paddy Pimblett is set to fight former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson on December 16th at UFC 296. On a six-fight losing streak, the announcement that the 39-year-old Ultimate Fighter season 13 winner would be facing one of the UFC’s fastest rising stars has brought a substantial amount of backlash from fans, who see the promotion as trying to build Pimblett’s name off a faded veteran. But, several notable former fighters have defended the move. Most prominent among them is former UFC double champ Daniel Cormier.

“Is it as simple as he just needs one?” Cormier suggested in a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel (transcript via MMA Fighting). “Because imagine what happens if Tony Ferguson beats Paddy Pimblett. He said before the last fight, I sat with him in the fighter meeting and Tony Ferguson said, ‘It’s going to be a fight right now, five more fights, I’m on the title.’ So, it’s not like he has lost that desire to fight. He has not lost the thought that he can be a world champion.”

“I’m gonna tell you this right now, and this is the saying as old as time, fellas. Every great champion has one more night in him. We saw it with George Foreman when he beat Michael Moorer. He did not belong in the ring with Michael Moorer. We have seen so many great fighters have one great night, where if you close your eyes and you squint enough, they remind you of that person that was on that run.”

It’s not exactly a ringing endorsement of Ferguson’s potential, but it echoes sentiments that other former fighters are also giving on the matchup. In a recent episode of his podcast, Brendan Schaub made a stronger argument for Ferguson to get the victory.

Brendan Schaub sees Paddy Pimblett as a ‘winnable fight’

If Daniel Cormier came off as reserved but hopefull that Tony Ferguson could find the kind of vintage form that once made him an MMA star, Brendan Schaub sounds a lot more bullish on the idea. The former Ultimate Fighter season 10 finalist and current standup comedian even went so far as to suggest that Ferguson should have the edge.

“When this first got announced, a close friend of mine texted me saying, ‘It’s not announced yet, but I think they’re doing Tony Ferguson vs. Paddy Pimblett.’ Schaub explained (transcript via MMA Junkie). “And I go, ‘Finally. Finally, Tony gets a winnable fight.’ … Not that it’s an easy fight, but look at his last seven fights. Bobby Green, he got submitted, that was a tough one. But Nate Diaz, which was short notice, Michael Chandler, (Beneil) Dariush, Charles Oliveira and Justin Gatheje. Before that, it was (Donald) Cerrone, Anthony Pettis, Kevin Lee, (Rafael) Dos Anjos. What? Look at who he’s fighting.”

“My question for anybody going, ‘Oh, I see what the UFC is doing with this. It’s clear as day. They’re just feeding this young lion to Tony Ferguson,’” he continued. “My question for you guys is: Do you really think Paddy Pimblett won his last fight? Most don’t. He’s probably coming off a loss against Jared Gordon. Before that, the only people Paddy has beat was Jordan Leavitt, (Rodrigo) Vargas. They’re impressive fights, but he’s been hit in all those fights. … What aspect of MMA is Paddy Pimblett better at than Tony Ferguson? Striking? No. Grappling? No. Wrestling? No way.”

It’s a sentiment also echoed by Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping as well. None of whom are exactly picking Ferguson to win, but all of whom seem to feel that this is a totally appropriate fight for Pimblett given what he’s shown to date in his UFC career so far.

UFC 296 is expected to be headlined by a pair of title fights. In the main event, welterweight champion Leon Edwards is set to take on former interim champ Colby Covington. In the co-main, Alexandre Pantoja will make the first defense of his flyweight title against Brandon Royval. The card will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.

2 ex-UFC champs reveal time they felt betrayed by Dana White

Posted on by Zane Simon in MMA News, UFC News

Rampage Jackson’s relationship with the UFC never felt easy. The former light heavyweight champion and PRIDE star has had his share of beef with the UFC and Dana White over the years. Everything from fighter pay, to sponsor tax, to having to face guys that just want to wrestle. There was little surprise when he and the promotion parted ways in 2013 off a loss to Glover Teixeira.

Hell, at times, Jackson barely even seemed to enjoy being a fighter at all.

“I don’t know how much I ever loved the fight game, to be honest,” the Tennessee native told Fighters Only back in 2010. “Most fighters these days join fighting because they became a fan of it. When I started I wasn’t a fan of it—I’ve been a fighter my whole life. I just thought it was a blessing that God could give me something I could make money doing. When I was a kid I got tired of fighting. I didn’t want to be a fighter anymore. But I was just good at it. It was just something that was in my blood. Some people are fighters.”

Rampage Jackson & Tyron Woodley talk Dana White

Although he may have had no shortage of reasons to butt heads with Dana White, in a recent episode of his JAXXON podcast, ‘Slampage’ sat down with fellow former champion Tyron Woodley to talk about the time he felt the UFC president really went too far.

More than money or fight bookings, it all came down to how Jackson got treated by Dana White after fighting with a pre-existing injury.

“I think I fell out with Dana when I lost to Ryan Bader in Japan,” Jackson revealed. “I got injured before that fight and I called Dana right away. And I said ‘Man, I got a posterior tear in my meniscus. He said, ‘Whatchyou gonna do?’ I said, ‘S***, man, it’s Japan. I still want to fight. I said, ‘F***, man, I’m still going to fight. I want to fight, man.’ It’s Japan, we was fighting in Japan. I love fighting in Japan.

“So when I went there and I fought, and I lost by decision, first thing Dana do in the press conference, like, ‘I don’t know what’s going on with Rampage, I don’t think he has it. I don’t think he want it anymore.’

“After all the s*** [Dana White] did to me, when he did that s***, that’s when I kinda got p***** at him. I lost my love for fighting right there. Because I have never pulled out of a fight. I don’t pull out, man. I got 4, 5, 6 kids. I don’t pull out. I ain’t never pulled out of a fight. I never pulled out.

“After that? When I got injured I started pulling out of fights. I said, ‘F*** this s***.’ Because you don’t get no respect. You’re fighting injured. And I let Dana know right away that I was injured. For him to say that? That kinda made me look at him sideways.”

Tyron Woodley had a similar story about Dana White

Not to be outdone, former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley had his own Dana White story about getting injured and fighting anyway. Just like with Jackson, the ‘Chosen One’ said Dana White immediately threw him under the bus as well for a less than thrilling performance. Even though in his case it was fight he actually still won.

“The same way you feel right now? I had,” Woodley comiserated. “I imagine you still burn a little bit, right? Because [Dana White’s] a b****-a** n**** for doing that, like, in real life. Because in real life, you know for real… you know I f****** told you, dog. But now you’re gonna sit here and you know good and well I told you I tore my labrum against Demian Maia, and you just told everybody, nobody wants to watch me fight.

“But you just praised Paige VanZant—bless her heart, that’s my dog. She fought a tough fight. She was courageous and she lost the fight. She lost with that arm. Remember, she was fighting Jessica Rose-Clark, right? But they saluted her on fighting injured.

“I tore my right labrum, my money-making shot… but [Dana White] did that, and he was like, ‘Nobody wants to watch him fight, dadada.’ And I barked a little bit about it. I said, ‘You owe me a public apology, or I’m gonna start singin’. You know what I’m talking about?’ [inarticulate Dana White yelling noises].”

Rampage Jackson wouldn’t want to be in UFC Hall of Fame

At this point, Rampage’s beef with Dana White and the promotion runs deep enough that he claims he wouldn’t even want to be a part of the UFC Hall of Fame. Speaking to Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour, back in 2021, the now-45-year-old made it clear that if the UFC ever wants to honor him, they can do so by cutting him a check.

“I say, ‘Honor me with a f****** check,’” Rampage responded when asked about the UFC Hall of Fame. “MMA fighters, we’re not like baseball players, we’re not like football players, we don’t get no pension or nothing like that. Those guys get in the Hall of Fame, they’ve got pensions and all that ****. Honor me with a check. I got a lot of injuries and pain for making the UFC a lot of money and selling a lot of pay-per-views, selling a lot of tickets. What do I give a f*** about being in the Hall of Fame? To be famous? I didn’t fight to be famous.”

That stance has softened a bit in the time since. Earlier this year, Rampage hit the MMA Hour again and the topic once again turned to Hall of Fame talk. He may still not be interested, but the former Wolfslair talent admitted he’d be happy to accept if it came with some kind of pension plan.

“I wouldn’t mind being in the Hall of Fame if it came with something like a pension,” Jackson explained (transcript via BJPenn.com). “But it don’t. This is something that people really haven’t grasped about me and why I fight. I never fought to be in the Hall of Fame, I never fought to be famous.”

“Not disrespecting the UFC but I couldn’t care less about a Hall of Fame. In any organization, even if PRIDE had a Hall of Fame, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t, I would accept it. But it’s not like something like ‘Hey put me in the Hall of Fame, put me in the Hall of Fame.’ You understand what I’m saying?

Jackson is currently set to make a somewhat surprising return to MMA in 2023, with an eye toward potential future boxing bouts. Earlier this month the fighter revealed that a long sought grudge match against a guy he once bullied on the Ultimate Fighter has finally come to fruition. Jackson will be facing Darrill Schoonover at a UFL event likely in mid-December. If that goes well, fans just might see Jackson make his debut in the boxing ring in 2024.

Bisping: I’m not defending Israel Adesanya’s DUI, but…

Posted on by Zane Simon in Crime, MMA News, UFC News

Former UFC champion Israel Adesanya is back in the headlines this week, and it’s not for anything positive. News recently broke that the City Kickboxing star has become the latest notable name in MMA to get arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, joining former champions like Pat Miletich, BJ Penn, and current heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

Just three weeks ahead of his recent title defense against Sean Strickland, Adesanya was picked up in Auckland with a blood-alcohol level nearing twice the legal limit.

“Court documents show the international star was charged with driving a car on Wellesley St in Auckland Central with 87 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 50 milligrams,” a report from the New Zealand Herald states. According to reports, Adesanya did not contest the charges—which carry a maximum penalty of $4,500 or 3-months in prison.

“I am disappointed with my decision to drive, It was wrong,” Israel Adesanya said in a statement to the New Zealand Herald. “I know that people might follow me and I want them to know I do not think this behavior is acceptable.”

Michael Bisping gives thoughts on Israel Adesanya’s DUI

Following the news, former UFC champion Michael Bisping gave his thoughts on Israel Adesanya’s guilty plea. While he characterized drunk driving as “disgusting,” the ‘Count’ also suggested fans shouldn’t judge Adesanya too harshly.

According to Bisping, Adesanya’s blood-alcohol level was much more in line with a normal evening out rather than suggesting that the Nigerian-born New Zealander was smashed behind the wheel.

“When you see it—the headline—it sounds really bad,” Bisping said of Adesanya’s arrest on a recent episode of his podcast. “And, of course, drink driving is. It’s a terrible thing, because so many innocent people lose their lives—and I don’t think anyone can justify that. But what I said on [my YouTube channel], when you look into it, it’s not like he rolled out of a nightclub, hammered drunk. It’s not like he was on a session with the guys all weekend and got behind the wheel of a car.

“And I said this as well… but 50 miligrams, if that’s the legal limit? If the government—the New Zealand government, at that, mandate a lot of stuff—if they say you can drive a car at 50 miligrams, that means you’re sober, you maybe had one beer. So he was a little bit over that. So he’s had, like, two beers, two glasses of wine, maybe a cocktail at dinner? And he’s had a bad judgement call. He thought, ‘I’ve had a meal, it’s been a couple of hours, I’ll be good.’ I don’t know, I wasn’t there, but I’m just trying to piece it together. And he made a mistake.”

For his part, Bisping’s co-host—light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith—agreed.

“I’m not saying he’s not wrong,” Smith chimed in. “Because he is above the legal limit, and that’s wrong, and he needs to be punished. But let’s not pretend like this guy’s out here, you know, he’s front-flipping a vehicle into a house or something.”

“If we’re all honest with ourselves,” Bisping continued. “I think most people—I know I have. I don’t drink drive, I don’t get behind the wheel of a car drunk, but I have made a judgement call. I’ve had a beer at dinner, and sometimes I might have had two. But I think, ‘It’s been a few hours, I’m good. I’m fine.’ And I think most people have done that. I am not defending Israel Adesanya. Because drink driving, innocent people lose their lives. And it’s a disgusting thing. But, I think if most people are honest? I think they could admit to having a beer, thinking ‘I’m fine,’ and jumping behind the wheel.”

Anthony Smith admits he has a couple DUIs as well

With Michael Bisping putting in his two cents that “most people” have had a drink or two and got behind the wheel of a car, Anthony Smith took a moment to bring his own history into the mix, for the sake of transparency.

“Yeah, I have,” Smith stated after Bisping’s own admission. “I think transparency is only fair here. I have a couple DUIs. I have a couple. And I’ve been very honest about this in the past, I haven’t hidden it, one of them was a car accident. So, when I say there is levels to—he’s wrong no matter what, but there’s levels to how bad we’re going to quote-unquote ‘crucify’ him. Like, is he wrong? For sure, I’ll say it a hundred times, he’s definitely wrong. But it could be much worse, we’ve seen much worse, and I’ve done much worse, personally.”

As for the details of the incident Smith alluded to? That happened all the way back in 2009. In a 2012 interview, ‘Lionheart’ gave a more detailed explanation, noting that he was in his teens and had turned to alcohol in the wake of a bad relationship and the death of his grandfather who had been his principal father figure.

“I was out partying with friends, and I ended up getting in this really bad car accident trying to make it home,” Smith said in an interview with MMA Junkie.

“The car accident was actually at 11 o’clock in the afternoon. I was still drinking from the night before. They found me unresponsive after the wreck. I hit a house. It was pretty bad. I almost killed myself.”

Smith went on to reveal that he woke up on life support and was relieved to find that he wasn’t paralyzed as a result of the accident. The fighter fractured his cheek bone, and damaged his lungs, and required a large number of stitches to his face, but didn’t take any real longterm damage.

“I didn’t know what really happened,” Smith explained. “So my mom gave me her phone, and we were typing out messages to each other since I couldn’t talk. The first thing I asked is, ‘What happened?’ She said, ‘You got in a car accident.’ I didn’t really want to ask, but I typed, ‘Did I hurt anybody?’ The whole room started crying. It was crazy because they were like, ‘Wow, he really doesn’t know if he killed anybody or not.’ Obviously, I didn’t. I was by myself. I didn’t hit anybody. I just wrecked it in a one-car accident. I fell asleep on a gravel road while drunk driving, and I went in a ditch and totaled it.”

“When they found me, I was unresponsive. When I came back and started to wake up, I was hammered. My alcohol level was like a 0.295. I freaked out, so they sedated me, and that’s how I ended up on a ventilator. It was crazy.”

Hopefully this stands as a moment Adesanya can learn from. As an athlete who recently talked about hiring daily tutoring for his future offspring to give them a home school education, it seems safe to say that he has the money to afford an Uber next time he goes out on the town.

UFC Vegas: Fiziev vs. Gamrot – Fights to make

Posted on by Zane Simon in UFC Editorial, UFC Fight Night: Rafael Fiziev vs. Mateusz Gamrot, UFC Results

The latest UFC Vegas card didn’t necessarily feel like a dud on paper, but ended up being a real miss-able night for the world’s largest MMA promotion. Even with Bryce Mitchell and Dan Ige putting on a rock solid co-main event and Marina Rodriguez styling all over Michelle Waterson-Gomez, nothing could make up for the headliner between Rafael Fiziev and Mateusz Gamrot ending via second round injury. Throw a couple undercard stinkers in the mix and it wasn’t a great night of fights.

Still, can Gamrot get the kind of top 5 booking he’s looking for? Is Marina Rodriguez primed for a title eliminator? And can Bryce Mitchell overcome the forces of Satan before the Dark Lord covers the world in darkness?

To answer those questions—plus a couple more—I’ll be using the classic Silva/Shelby fight booking methodology from the UFC of years past. That means pitting winners against winners, losers against losers, and similarly tenured talent up against one another. Hopefully, by following that model, a few of these bout ideas will actually make it off the page and into the Octagon. Now, let’s get to the fights!

UFC Vegas 79: Fights to Make

MATEUSZ GAMROT

It really is too damn bad that Rafael Fiziev came up lame with that knee injury in the second round because his fight with Mateusz Gamrot was just starting to get interesting. Gamrot largely failed to get the fight to the mat in round 1, and found himself getting picked off at range. But round 2 opened with a big takedown from the ‘Gamer’ that seemed like it could spell the start of a long night for Fiziev. Basically, this fight went just long enough to give us all a taste of how good it could be.

After the bout Gamrot gave fans his future fight wish list. It’s a shame he didn’t think it out a little more thoroughly. First the Pole announced that his dream fight would be Islam Makhachev. Feeling he wouldn’t get that bout, however Gamrot then called out Charles Oliveira… who is currently set to face Islam Makhachev. Could Gamrot possibly face the loser of that title fight? Maybe. But that feels pretty unlikely too.

MMA: UFC 281 - Poirier vs Chandler Nov 12, 2022; New York, NY, USA; Michael Chandler (before his bout against Dustin Poirier during UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden. New York Madison Square Garden NY USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJessicaxAlchehx 20221112_cec_is4_204
No McGregor for you! – Jessica Alcheh IMAGO/USA Today

Fortunately for ATT talent, there are plenty of other, more realistic options. Dan Hooker is coming off a rock solid win and always makes for a fun fight. Grant Dawson is facing Bobby Green in the coming weeks and win there would have him primed for bigger things. Beneil Dariush is a top 5 lightweight coming off a loss and in need of a bounce back, he could make for a solid option too.

Really, though, there’s one much more obvious choice. Sooner or later Michael Chandler needs to face facts, he’s not getting that Conor McGregor booking. If that’s the case, then Gamrot is a poor consolation for ‘Iron’ Mike, but a nice plan B for the fans. Mateusz Gamrot vs. Michael Chandler would be a terrific fight.

RAFAEL FIZIEV

Hopefully Rafael Fiziev won’t be sidelined too long after this injury. It’s always tough to say with knees. It could be six months, it could be two years. For the sake of this article, I’ll lean on optimism and the idea that Fiziev will be ready to go again in he next few months. If that’s the case, then there are two obvious fights right now out there waiting for Fiziev: Dan Hooker & Beneil Dariush. The Dariush fight seems like an especially awesome idea, so lets go Dariush vs. Fiziev, assuming the injury isn’t too bad (but is too bad to keep Fiziev from getting an instant rematch with Gamrot).

BRYCE MITCHELL

This was a very close run thing for Bryce Mitchell. Dan Ige started out strong, stuffing almost every takedown Mitchell tried. But ‘Thug Nasty’ kept trying and finding ways to drag Ige to the mat. By round 3 he had really turned the momentum firmly in his favor. The first two rounds may have been close, but that was all it took to get Mitchell the decision win. After the victory, Mitchell had a whole bunch more crazy nonsense to spout, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s clearly a top 15 featherweight.

May 6, 2023, Newark, New Jersey, USA: Newark, NJ: MOVSAR EVLOEV waits to fight DIEGO LOPES during Featherweight bout at Prudential Center, Newark, NJ United States Newark USA - ZUMAr187 20230506_zsp_r187_046 Copyright: xJustinxRenfroex
Just give it one more chance. – Justin Renfroe IMAGO/Zuma Wire

That should mean matchups with Movsar Evloev, Giga Chikadze, Calvin Kattar, or possibly Sodiq Yusuff (if Youssuf can grab a win in his next fight against Edson Barboza). Is it even a question, though? That Evloev fight was an absolute banger the first two times they tried to book it. Give it one more shot. Movsar Evloev vs. Bryce Mitchell is a fight that must happen someday.

MARINA RODRIGUEZ

A completely one-sided ass kicking from Marina Rodriguez. When Michelle Waterson-Gomez hit that first takedown it seemed like she might have a strong gameplan to get her into a fight she didn’t have many answers for last time around. That illusion all ended as soon as Rodriguez got back to her feet and kept the clinch. The Brazilian absolutely detonated Waterson-Gomez with knees to the head and body inside, had her badly cut, clearly injured, and there was a point in the first round where the ‘Karate Hottie’ essentially didn’t throw any offense for a full minute. Then it went on for several minutes more.

August 5, 2023, Nashville, Tennessee, USA: TATIANA SUAREZ celebrates her win during a Womens s Strawweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville USA - ZUMAr187 20230805_zsp_r187_043 Copyright: xJustinxRenfroex
Will Suarez sit and wait? – Justin Renfroe IMAGO/Zuma Wire

After the bout, Rodriguez called out Tatiana Suarez. It’s not the most likely booking in the world, even with Weili Zhang likely to fight Yan Xiaonan for her next title defense, but it’s an idea worth pursuing if Suarez is willing to stay active instead of waiting for gold. If Jessica Andrade can beat Mackenzie Dern, I’d also love to see Andrade vs. Rodriguez. Or if Luana Pinheiro beats Amanda Ribas that’d be another great option too. But all those choices are chancy and based on bouts that haven’t happened yet, so why not aim high. Book Suarez vs. Rodriguez if Suarez is willing.

BRYAN BATTLE

It wasn’t as pretty as his KO over Gabe Green, but Bryan Battle did a great job to come back from adversity against AJ Fletcher and put the man away. The ‘Butcher’ has proved to be a shockingly opportunistic fighter in the welterweight division and his 77″ reach can make him a problem for all sorts of opposition. He’s still got problems letting his opponents dictate range and pace, and paid for it by eating a huge elbow inside early, but he’s proven to be a hell of a tough out and great at keeping his confidence.

He passed up on calling anyone out, seemingly suggesting that he should have a spot in the rankings after this win. Realistically, however, Battle has yet to pick up a victory over anyone not clinging to the bottom of the roster. Fights against Carlston Harris, Song Kenan, Mike Malott, Uros Medic, or Khaos Williams would all be reasonable steps forward. I really like what Medic has been showing lately, and it’d be interesting to see him face someone who wasn’t daunted by his length. Medic vs. Battle would be a great scrap.

CHARLES JOURDAIN

There was always a great chance that this fight was going to be violent. Every Charles Jourdain fight is going to be violent. But, the idea that Jourdain might beat Ricardo Ramos via submission, and do it in the opening round? I don’t think anyone saw that coming. An electrifying win for the 27-year-old that should have him creeping toward the top 15 at featherweight. (Although maybe not considering Nathaniel Wood still isn’t ranked).

I could fart around with a bunch of different options like Kyle Nelson, or Jourdain’s callout of Cub Swanson, or even Jack Shore or Jonathan Pierce. But Billy Quarantillo is coming off a win and isn’t booked right now and that’d be a stupidly good fight. Billy Quarantillo vs. Charles Jourdain has to happen.

TIM MEANS

A vintage performance inside the Octagon for Tim Means. Andre Fialho put the ‘Dirty Bird’ on the ropes a couple times, but Means was able to shake off Fialho’s offense and crack him repeatedly with heavy counters. When leading the action, Means did a whole bunch of work to the body—which felt like it really paid off in round 3, with Fialho clearly fading and Means pouring on the pressure. A high kick to a clinch knee and a barrage of punches put the stamp on the fight for a thrilling victory for the 39-year-old.

That kind of win should set Means up for another good action scrap, preferably something with a decently high profile to it, even if Means has always been willing to take on any opponent at any time. Fights with Randy Brown, Santiago Ponzinibbio, or even Uros Medic would all be solid options. This time around I’ll go winner/loser and pick the highest profile bout. Tim Means vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio feels like a great action fight we should see before both men retire.

UFC Flat Earther says evolution is ‘a lie from Satan’

Posted on by Zane Simon in MMA News, UFC News

Bryce Mitchell has had a shocking amount of success in the UFC after entering into the promotion as an also-ran on the Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated back in 2018. Despite his limited success there—and a squeaker of a majority decision to secure his contract after the show—’Thug Nasty’ is now 6-1 inside the Octagon, and firmly entrenched as a fixture in the division’s rankings.

This weekend, he’s preparing to take on fellow top-ranked featherweight Dan Ige. As the two men get ready for battle, Mitchell sat down with former UFC champion Michael Bisping and former title contender Anthony Smith, where he showed off one of his other talents: a willingness to believe just about anything.

UFC’s Bryce Mitchell claims evolution is Satanic

Charles Darwin. UFC.
Charles Darwin – Gemini Collection/IMAGO

It would be easier to chalk Bryce Mitchell’s rejection of the last 150+ years of scientific study and theory on the evolution of man up to his religious upbringing and education if it didn’t coincide with so much of the other nonsense that the UFC featherweight tends to spout off on whenever given a chance.

Whether it’s a belief that COVID-19 was manufactured by the US government so that they could “try and take our guns,” or that the Earth is flat and the moon landing was faked, Mitchell has shown a repeated willingness to jump in on the conspiracy meme of the moment.

“NASA is fraudulent,” the UFC featherweight wrote back in April. “They’re evil. thats why their logo is the tongue of a snake. They make up lies like big bang and moon landings cause the elites don’t want you to worship God!”

So, when the UFC fighter took some time in his recent interview to get mad about evolution, it should hardly come as a surprise.

“Oh, here’s where I wanted to go with this, Bisping,” Mitchell said, unprompted. “Here’s where I want to go with this. And you don’t have to elaborate, or anything. Do you believe that we evolved from monkeys.”

“BULLSHIT! THAT’S BULLSHIT!” Mitchell started screaming after Bisping said “yes.” “It’s bullshit, it’s a lie from Satan! It’s a lie from Satan, brother! You have been tricked, you have been deceived. We are not coming from monkeys. We are the apex predators.”

The roots of Darwinism and evolution

Leaving aside the whole idea that an “apex predator” is an offshoot of food-chain theory—something devised by zoologist and animal ecologist Charles Sutherland Elton and with its foundation just as firmly laid in scientific method as Darwin’s evolution — it has to be noted that Darwin himself was an extremely religious man.

Raised by Unitarians, but educated with the intention of becoming an Anglican member of the clergy of the Church of England, Darwin himself was a very orthodox believer. Biographies of his life have stated that he firmly took The Bible as a literal text, and looked to find explanation and example of God’s divine works in nature rather than chalking the unexplained up to ‘miracle.’

The voyage Darwin took and the work he did undeniably ended up shaking the foundations of his faith, but even still, Darwin remained a believer in God. And while the Church of England may have been mixed in its reaction to Darwin’s publicatiosn, for many decades it was not uncommon for men of faith and conviction to see science as going hand-in-hand with divinity. In fact, within the scientific community, it still isn’t.

It’s much more the purview of American Evangelicism to see scientific theory as an outright threat to belief in the Almighty. That battle has played out in the American court system for decades now on a wide range of topics, and it has left in its wake a hard-line fundamentalism. In this UFC fighter’s case, that kind of religiosity can’t be ignored, but even most people who hold to that kind of religious thinking don’t imagine that the world is flat. On that front he’s just nuts.

UFC’s biggest ‘rival’ set for PPV stinker

Posted on by Zane Simon in MMA News, PFL

The PPV business is a terribly difficult one. Even in the boxing and pro wrestling worlds, promotions often struggle to attract viewers for what seem to be high profile, high-stakes events. At any given moment, there are a handful of stars capable of carrying a PPV card, and many other great athletes who just simply can’t. Nowhere does that fact seem to be more true, however, than in the MMA world.

Mixed Martial Arts has been a PPV-based entertainment product since its modern North American inception way back in 1993. Over 30-years and hundreds of PPV events, however, only one US promotion has ever managed to be a consistent money maker under that business model: The UFC. All others who have tried have resoundingly failed.

UFC ‘rival,’ PFL set for next PPV event

The next promotion all set to deliver dismal PPV numbers is the Professional Fighter’s League. Once branded the ‘World Series of Fighting’, the PFL has positioned itself as a power player in the modern MMA market with a number of high profile investors, a deal to air alongside the UFC on ESPN+, and regular $1 million tournaments—providing real free agency competition against the UFC for name talents looking to explore their options.

They’ve also put on one PPV event so far in their history, the 2022 finale card, featuring a trilogy fight between Larissa Pacheco and former Judo Olympian Kayla Harrison. That bout was one of six title fights to take place that night, marking the end of the PFL’s tournaments for the year. While no numbers for the total buys on that card were ever released, anything over 50,000 would have been quite a shock.

“Everybody was happy with it,” PFL president Ray Sefo said of the buy-rate shortly after the event. “You’ve got to start somewhere, and we were happy with the outcome of the whole show. ESPN was truly happy with the show, so if they’re happy, we’re happy.”

Whatever the numbers might have been, they must have been enough not to stymie the promotion’s ambitions, because here it is 2023, and the PFL is gearing up for another PPV that nobody wants.

Headlining the whole thing is former Ultimate Fighter Nations finalist and 2022 tournament winner Olivier Aubin-Mercier, taking on former UFC washout and surprisingly successful boxing talent Clay Collard in the lightweight finale. They’ll be joined by heavyweight finalists Renan Ferreira & Denis Goltsov, as well as women’s featherweight finalists Larissa Pacheco vs. Marina Mokhnatkina. A superfight between former PFL tournament champion Kayla Harrison and former Bellator champion Julia Budd is also planned for the event.

The whole thing takes place on November 24th, starting at 5pm Eastern. Here’s a look at the full card as it currently stands:

ESPN+ PPV MAIN CARD

  • Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Clay Collard
  • Renan Ferreira vs. Denis Goltsov
  • Larissa Pacheco vs. Marina Mokhnatkina
  • Kayla Harrison vs. Julia Budd
  • Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. Sadibou Sy
  • Jesus Pinedo vs. Gabriel Alves Braga
  • Josh Silveira vs. Impa Kasanganay

ESPN+ PRELIMS

  • Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. Joel Galarza Lopez
  • Bubba Jenkins vs. Chris Wade
  • Phil Caracappa vs. Khai Wu
  • Jesse Stirn vs. Josh Blyden

While the event has its share of former tournament winners from years past, there’s little in the way of star power to justify what will likely by $50 price tag (last year’s PPV cost $49.99). Fans who do pony up the dough, however will at least get their money’s worth in quantity for what it lacks in quality. Of the main card’s seven bouts, six are 5-round title fights. With potential commercial breaks, shoulder programming, walkouts and post fight speeches, fans could easily be looking at a 5-7 hour main card if most of the bouts go the distance.

PFL has other plans for the future

If all this seems like a poor way to go about selling fights, it should be noted that the PFL does appear to have other plans going forward in the future. Most notably, of course, the promotion landed a massive contract with free agent UFC champion Francis Ngannou. Ngannou will compete exclusively for the ‘Superfight’ division of the PFL, meaning that all of his fights under their banner will take place on PPV.

Likewise, the PFL has inked a contract with celebrity boxing superstar Jake Paul. A move that may very well see the promotion host an MMA rematch between Paul and former UFC title contender Nate Diaz. Paul and Diaz recently met inside the boxing ring, selling a reported 500,000 buys for their fight back in August. Alongside the reported signing of women’s boxing star Amanda Serrano, there’s at least some evidence that when the PFL returns to PPV in 2024 they’ll be doing so with some true headlining talent secured.

The other piece to this puzzle, of course, are persistent rumors that the PFL are on the verge of buying out Paramount Global-owned MMA promotion Bellator. Long considered the No. 2 promotion in the US, Bellator has struggled for more than a decade now to find any consistent audience with American MMA fans. Initially partnered with MTV, Bellator eventually moved to Spike TV (later rebranded as the Paramount Network), before announcing their move to Showtime in 2023. Rumors currently have the promotion valued at $500 million.

If that sale goes through, then the PFL might just have enough of the right kind of talent to put on a few successful PPV events. Not enough to match the UFC’s dominance in the market, but even the ability to play a strong second fiddle would be a seismic shift in the post-Strikeforce MMA world.

One UFC fight Sean O’Malley doesn’t want – ‘That motherf—ker is pound-for-pound best in the world’

Posted on by Zane Simon in MMA News, UFC News

Say what you will about Conor McGregor’s influence on MMA, but one thing’s clear, the ‘Notorious’ was a major trend setter when it comes to UFC champions pursuing a second belt. McGregor’s drive to capture both featherweight and lightweight gold made him the first ‘double champ’ in the history of the Octagon. He was followed shortly afterward by Henry Cejudo, Daniel Cormier, and Amanda Nunes.

Similarly, Alexander Volkanovski and Israel Adesanya both made attempts to walk in the man’s footsteps—although both their efforts failed. Recently, Sean O’Malley captured his first piece of UFC hardware, could he become the next fighter to go up a division and try to take home belt number two? It doesn’t seem like it’s a priority.

Sean O’Malley ready for featherweight… once Volkanovski isn’t champ

Sean O'Malley enters the cage at UFC 288.
Sean O’Malley enters the cage at UFC 288. – Louis Grasse IMAGO/ZUMA Wire

Recently Sean O’Malley teamed up with Juan Gonzalez’s ‘That Was Epic’ web show to hand out cash and prizes to strangers around his home city in Arizona. While filming, ‘Suga’ also took the time to answer a few questions about his fighting career, what it’s like to be a UFC champion, and what his next move might be. When asked about possibly fighting for a second title in the featherweight division, O’Malley admitted he would “love to” with one very notable reservation.

“I would love to,” O’Malley admitted when asked about fighting for a second title, “when Alexander Volkanovski is not the champ. That motherf—ker is pound-for-pound best in the world right now.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” he backtracked when asked if he wouldn’t “dare” to fight the ‘Great’. “I mean, I’m confident I can knock anyone out. I feel like I can definitely knock Alexander Volkanovski out. It’d be f—king, very very difficult. But, I mean, maybe in a year or two, if he’s still there, I would do it. But, I think he’s going to move up to 155.”

It’s a pretty similar sentiment to one O’Malley made last month on an episode of his Timbo-Suga Show podcast, telling his coach, Tim Welch, to “chill” and “be realistic.” “I ain’t f—ing calling for Volk,” O’Malley explained. In a more recent podcast episode he once again made it clear that’s just not a fight he wants, even if he thinks he has a chance to win it.

“I’m not saying I wouldn’t fight Volk,” O’Malley explained. “I’m just being very honest. He would be a very very difficult fight. I mean, do I believe I could knock him out? 100%. I believe I could knock out anybody around 135-145. 55? That would be a little tougher, I’d need to put on some L-Bs. But Volk’s a very difficult fight. I’m not saying I’ll never fight him, that’s just not what I want now.”

Volkanovski thinks Sean O’Malley is one of the best strikers in MMA

If Sean O’Malley seems like he has nothing but praise for Alexander Volkanovski, it appears that their is a mutual appreciation club in development. Heading into the 28-year-old’s title challenge against Aljamain Sterling, the Volkanovski gave his thoughts on the matchup. While the City Kickboxing star was still picking Sterling to win, that came with the reservation that O’Malley would be more than capable of putting the Serra-Longo fighter away.

“Sean O’Malley, I think he’s up there as one of the best strikers in the UFC, he’s right up there,” Volkanovski admitted in a video posted to his YouTube (transcript via MMA Fighting). “Especially in that division. There’s so many — that’s a stacked division. You’ve got your [Cory] Sandhagens, obviously, Petr Yans, Aljamains, there’s so much talent.

“Man, it is a stacked division and I think he’s one of the best when it comes to striking. So that’s saying something. He’s very creative, doesn’t just throw flash stuff. It’s calculated. He’s got really good distance management, he’s really good at drawing strikes out of people and countering. He’s really good on the offense, coming forward. He’s good even on the back foot. He’s good on his angles. Very, very high-level stuff and he can be very creative while he does that.”

At the moment, neither Volkanovski nor O’Malley have an official fight date set for their next (first) title defenses, however, both men appear to have challengers ready and waiting. For Volkanovski, Ilia Topuria appears to be the man of the moment. ‘El Matador’ is fresh off a five round thrashing of top ranked featherweight Josh Emmett back in June and is currently the only top-5 fighter at 145 coming off a win that hasn’t already lost to the champ.

For O’Malley, there are three options on the table. The first is a rematch with Aljamain Sterling, a fight that the MMA Lab talent has already publicly turned down. The second is a bout against #2 ranked Merab Dvalishvili. A longtime teammate of Sterlings, Dvalishvili has cast some doubt on his own contendership after declaring that he’d rather Sterling get the rematch. The current front-runner, however, appears to be Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera. Despite sitting at just 6th in the rankings, Vera is the only fighter to hold a victory over O’Malley in his pro career, stemming from a TKO back in 2020.