In 2017, before Jake Paul took up combat sports, he grappled with Bellator veteran AJ Agazarm.
Agazarm is known for his jiu-jitsu and is a key member of the Diaz academy and has five fights in MMA, with all five coming in Bellator. In 2017, Agazaram had yet to fight in MMA but he grappled with Paul who was uber-famous due to his popularity on the Disney channel and YouTube. And to no surprise, Agazarm tapped Paul.
Although Paul got tapped, it shouldn’t be a surprise as Paul had never really done jiu-jitsu. He did some high school wrestling but going against a world champion in jiu-jitsu in Agazarm is a different beast.
Jake Paul, of course, has since entered the combat sports scene and is 5-0 in boxing. He’s coming off a highlight-reel KO win over Tyron Woodley in their rematch after Paul beat him by split decision in August. He also holds knockout wins over Ben Askren, Nate Robinson, and fellow YouTuber, AnEsonGib in boxing.
Although he has become a star in boxing, Paul has admitted he wants to have an MMA fight before his career is done.
“I don’t see why if I can do boxing at this high of a level that I couldn’t do MMA at this high of a level,” Paul said to ESPN. “I’m gonna go get coached up by Jav Mendez, Team Khabib. That’s that. They’re down — 100 percent… I’ve gotta go 10-0, 12-0 in boxing first and then I’ll hit that MMA fight.”
How do you think Jake Paul would do if he committed to training MMA?
Sean Strickland is known for his striking and boxing inside the UFC Octagon, but he isn’t a fan of boxing as a sport.
Strickland is known for speaking his mind on whatever topic comes up, and on Twitter on Wednesday, he spoke about why he doesn’t like boxing. He says he can go months in MMA in training and take zero brain damage, but as he is about to spar boxing for 25 minutes, he will receive a ton of brain damage.
Let me tell you why I absolutely hate boxing. I can go months with mma and take ZERO brain damage. I'm about to box for 25 minutes and even if I dominate I'm going to receive some brain damage. Absolutely retarded sport…
“Let me tell you why I absolutely hate boxing. I can go months with mma and take ZERO brain damage. I’m about to box for 25 minutes and even if I dominate I’m going to receive some brain damage. Absolutely retarded sport…,” Strickland wrote on Twitter.
Although Strickland believes he takes more brain damage in boxing, he does take some in MMA as well. No matter what sport, you are getting punched in the head in both, but perhaps Strickland believes he is hit more in the head in boxing, as in MMA, you can grapple and throw kicks to the leg and body. The good news for Strickland is he is in MMA and doesn’t have to do boxing if he doesn’t want to and can just focus on MMA striking.
Since coming back from a motorcycle accident, Strickland is 4-0, which also included a move to middleweight. Since coming back, he beat Jack Marshman by decision, TKO’d Brendan Allen, and holds decision victories over Krzysztof Jotko and Uriah Hall in his first UFC main event.
What do you make of Sean Strickland’s take on boxing?
After Julianna Peña submitted Amanda Nunes to become the new bantamweight champion, her friend Tate said she thought of dropping down to women’s flyweight. If she does drop down in weight, the Brazilian Andrade would love that fight.
“I recently read that Miesha is thinking about the idea of going down to 125 pounds and I would love to be her first opponent in this new weight class,” Andrade told MMA Fighting. “Maybe she never thought about it, but I entered the UFC because of her, when she went to shoot TUF with Ronda [Rousey] and withdrew from a fight with Liz Carmouche, and I was signed as her replacement.”
Image Credit: Zhe Ji/Getty Images
As JéssicaAndrade said, she and Miesha Tate were both fighting at bantamweight when Andrade joined the UFC. Yet, after going 3-3, she dropped down to strawweight and eventually claimed UFC gold.
After losing her belt and then dropping the rematch to Rose Namajunas, she moved up to women’s flyweight. She quickly made her mark with a TKO win over Katlyn Chookagian and got a title shot but lost to Valentina Shevchenko.
In Andrade’s last fight, she TKO’d Cynthia Calvillo. But given the fact that she just lost to champion Valentina Shevchenko, she is in a weird position because she likely won’t get a title shot anytime soon.
With that, Andrade would love to face the former bantamweight champ in Tate, as she believes it would be an interesting fight for the fans that is years in the making.
“[Tate and I] went different directions in the organization, but I followed her this entire time in the UFC when I still competed at 135,” Andrade said. “She won the 135 belt right after I dropped to 115. I believe that a fight between a former strawweight champion and a former bantamweight champion would be an interesting show for the fans.”
Would you like to see Jéssica Andrade vs. Miesha Tate?
UFC light heavyweight, Anthony Smith doesn’t buy the recent allegations made against Chael Sonnen.
Recently, Sonnen was hit with five battery citations after allegedly being a part of a hotel brawl in Las Vegas. TMZ Sports reported that Sonnen was detained but was ultimately not arrested because cops didn’t personally witness the alleged incident. Nevertheless, he still was given five misdemeanor battery citations, and the police are still investigating the incident.
Since the initial report, there haven’t been many details about Sonnen’s case aside from Brendan Schaub’s version of events, but for Anthony Smith, he doesn’t buy into the idea that Sonnen would suddenly beat up five people in a hotel. Generally speaking, he doesn’t think Sonnen would be that type of person. So until the entire facts come out, “Lionheart” admits it is hard to believe what was reported (h/t Sportskeeda).
“I do think that it would be really hard for me to believe like Chael Sonnen beat up five people. Listening to the Jon Jones situation, I have never commented on his personal struggles or whatever,” Smith said on Karyn Bryant’s YouTube channel. “But at this point, he has not earned or deserved the benefit of the doubt.
Image Credit: Fernando Quiles Jr., MMA News
“I think at this point in Chael’s life, he’s earned the benefit of the doubt at least. It is just not his nature… I don’t know the full story but Chael is not that type of guy. You can’t even get the dude to look up from his phone half the time. He’s so chill and so calm and you can’t get him riled up easily.”
Because Sonnen was not arrested, as of right now, there does not appear to be anything major that could come down against the UFC legend. Therefore, as Smith says, it is hard to really form an evidence-based opinion, as there isn’t a ton of details on the case available at the moment.
Anthony Smith is currently ranked #4 in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. He most recently defeated Ryan Spann in September and is currently awaiting word on his next opponent.
Do you agree with Anthony Smith that the allegations against Chael Sonnen are hard to believe?
“When I did the choice to start into MMA, it was fifty-fifty with the boxing… I did some training with some guys in the gym in boxing and I tried a little bit in the MMA Factory. But I did my choice with the MMA Factory because it was easy. It was really close to my house,” Gane said to Sherdog. “Fernand Lopez was a friend of a dad of my best friend so that’s why I did this choice. But why not… I feel comfortable with the boxing style. I like to have the big gloves and see everything. You can play a little bit more, for me, you can play a little but more with the boxing style.”
Ciryl Gane (Image Credit: Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images)
Given he almost took up boxing, Ciryl Gane admits he still wants to test himself against the best at heavyweight. With that, the Frenchman says he’d love to box Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder to test himself.
“All the guys at the top. It will be a big challenge, this is real. I must train a lot for this kind of guy but when you look at the top you have Anthony Joshua, Fury, Wilder. You have a lot of guys just below, on the top ten. So yes, why not. One day I’m gonna try. One day,” Gane said.
Although Gane wants to box the big three, it seems unlikely that will ever happen. However, we did see Conor McGregor box Floyd Mayweather which people also said would never happen. Yet, UFC fighters calling out boxers is nothing new as even Ngannou has called out the heavyweight champs, while lately, Kamaru Usman has been angling for a fight with Canelo Alvarez.
How do you think Ciryl Gane would do against Fury, Joshua, and Wilder?
Jake Paul will be taking several months off before he returns to the boxing ring.
Paul was one of the most active boxers in 2021, as he had three fights and had four in the span of 13 months. It was an incredible feat for Paul, who ended the year with a vicious KO win over Tyron Woodley.
Now, sources have told the Mirror that Paul will now take an extended break from the ring to take his first holiday in six years before focusing on promoting the undisputed lightweight title fight between Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor.
Of course, Paul’s promotion, Most Valuable Promotion, recently inked a deal with Serrano, and after her dominant win on the Paul-Woodley 2 undercard, it set up a massive fight between her and Katie Taylor. It will arguably be the biggest women’s boxing fight of all time, and Paul’s focus will be on promoting that event.
USA Today
“She’s put in thousands and hundreds of hours in the gym and she deserves the big payday that she’s going to get,” Paul said on an episode of his brother’s podcast Impaulsive. She deserves to be able to retire from boxing and not work again. That hasn’t been the case for women’s boxing, they’ve been underpaid and taken advantage of. It’s an amazing accomplishment for me to be able to help her and she’s such an awesome person.”
Jake Paul is currently 5-0 as a pro boxer and coming off a KO win over Woodley back on December 18 as mentioned. Prior to that, he edged out a split decision over Woodley in August. In April, he knocked out Ben Askren in the first round in what some considered to be his first real test. He also holds a knockout win over Nate Robinson and YouTuber AnEsonGib.
Who Paul will box in his return is uncertain, but it’s now likely he will return at the end of summer in another big fight.
Chris Weidman believes Tyron Woodley’s legacy took a massive hit when he suffered a vicious KO loss to Jake Paul earlier this month.
In August, Woodley dropped a split decision to the former Disney actor and YouTuber. Although the former UFC champ lost, it wasn’t an embarrassing defeat. But in the rematch, he was brutally knocked out. For Weidman, he believes that hurts Woodley’s legacy in a major way.
“Damn, Tyron Woodley is going to have to live with that. It seems like they’re just comparing him to Ben Askren now,” Weidman said on his YouTube channel. “He’s not going to get another chance, like that’s it. I don’t know who he’s going to fight that we give him the draw and excitement that he would need to like elevate him back… I think his legacy has definitely been tarnished, which sucks to say.”
Although the KO loss is difficult to deal with, Tyron Woodley had made it clear he will fight again. As for Paul, Chris Weidman hopes the YouTuber-turned-boxer faces his former rival, Anderson Silva, next.
“I would love to see him fight Anderson Silva. He’s calling out all these fighters with UFC contracts. I don’t think he’s really–none of those are really going to happen at this point. The UFC would have to get behind it almost like a Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather type match.
“But unless you’re drawing in $500 million like the Mayweather and Conor McGregor fights were doing, the UFC’s not doing that because they want to split it. They would split it, but if it’s not that type of money, they’re not doing it. So (we’re) wasting our time even talking about (Nate) Diaz, (Jorge) Masvidal and (Kamaru) Usman,” Weidman concluded.
Do you agree with Chris Weidman that Tyron Woodley tarnished his legacy?
Jake Paul’s mom, Pam Ann Stepnick, was not happy with John Fury’s comments at the press conference.
When Paul was supposed to box Tommy Fury, Tommy’s dad, John had some vulgar comments to Jake during the press conference. However, after all the talk, Fury pulled out of the fight which Pam wasn’t surprised about.
“Well, I was unhappy. I really wanted Jake to fight Tommy, just because of all the back and forth. But it wasn’t really a surprise, when you just got down to it, because he didn’t show up to the first press conference,” Stepnick said to IFL TV.
“And then the other press conference, it was just his dad, you know, just being really, totally disgusting. And Tommy wasn’t saying anything. So, he did seem overwhelmed and a little bit afraid. So, I don’t know. I mean, I’m glad he showed a scan. But, you know, for all I know, they’re fake scans. So, who knows?”
John Fury
Although Jake Paul and Tommy Fury ended up not fighting, Pam admits she was still mad with what Fury had to say. The press conference was full of vulgar comments which forced BT Sport to have to apologize. And for Paul’s mom, she said it was disgusting that a man would bring up Jake’s girlfriend among other topics.
“It was so disgusting that I turned it off. I never miss something that Jake is doing, like ever, probably since he was, you know, five years old. But I just couldn’t take these disgusting, vulgar comments from him,” Stepnick said about Fury’s comments. “And I don’t know why he was doing the talking; he’s not the fighter. You know, talking about Julia [Rose] that way; it just, it was needless and disgusting.”
In the end, Jake Paul and Tommy Fury never got the chance to fight. But after Paul’s KO win over Woodley, perhaps the bout will get rebooked.
What do you make of Jake Paul’s mom’s comments about John Fury?
With one Russian prospect out, another one steps in to take on Jack Shore on the March 19 UFC Fight Night card.
According to Marcel Dorff of MMA DNA, Jack Shore will take now be taking on Timur Valiev instead of Umar Nurmagomedov as originally planned. The event is currently scheduled to take place in England.
Jack Shore (15-0) is coming off a decision win over Liudvik Sholinian back in September who took the fight on short notice. He was supposed to face Said Nurmagomedov on the card but he was forced out of the bout. The Welsh fighter is 4-0 in the UFC with his other wins over Hunter Azure, Aaron Phillips, and Nohelin Hernandez. The 26-year-old is also the former Cage Warriors bantamweight champion.
Timur Valiev is 18-2 and is unbeaten in his last eight fights. He had originally lost his UFC debut to Trevin Jones last year, but that outcome was overturned to a no-contest after Jones tested positive for marijuana. Most recently, Valiev defeated Raoni Barcelos via majority decision at UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Volkov in June 2021.
With this fight swap, here is the updated lineup for the UFC London card on March 19.
“Put that fuckin’ wack-ass BMF belt back on the fuckin’ line. Everybody knows who the real baddest motherfucker in this sport is,” Covington said to Submission Radio. “It’s Colby ‘Chaos’ Covington. Bring that fuckin’ belt out and lets fuckin’ do this shit: do The Ultimate Fighter whatever, tape for four weeks, six weeks, eight weeks, and run this fight in Miami. It makes sense.
Colby Covington
“Let’s go to American Airlines Arena. We could sell out that arena in seconds. And if we don’t go to American Airlines, we can go right up the street to BB&T Center, which is 30 minutes up the street. I’ll beat his ass in both arenas,” Covington continued. “We’ll go beat BB&T Center, go up to Broward County; then, go down to Miami-Dade County and beat his ass in American Airlines Arena. Fuckin’ little bitch Jorge.”
Of course, both Covington and Masvidal live in Miami so having their grudge match in Miami makes a ton of sense. As “Chaos” says, the arena would almost surely sell out, and it would be a massive fight not just in the area but around the world and would likely sell a ton on pay-per-view.
Whether or not a Colby Covington vs. Jorge Masvidal grudge match is next is uncertain. Masvidal just recently came out and said none of the welterweights are signing the contract. However, if this deal gets done, it would be a highly-anticipated fight and the lead-up would be intense to say the very least.
Do you think we see Colby Covington vs. Jorge Masvidal next?
Tommy Fury doesn’t get why Jake Paul cares to box UFC fighters.
After Paul knocked out Tyron Woodley last Saturday, he called out several people, including Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz, who are massive stars in the UFC. Yet, Fury was hoping they would rebook their fight, as the Brit was forced to withdraw due to a rib injury.
Paul stated before the Woodley rematch that he doesn’t know if he will rebook the fight against Fury. And for the Brit, he doesn’t understand what Paul gets by beating wrestlers turned boxers and other MMA fighters. (h/t The Scottish Sun)
“I see he has gone back to calling out all these MMA people, I don’t see what he is trying to achieve by calling out UFC people,” Fury said in an interview on his promoter’s YouTube channel. “If he wants to be a boxer, then fight a boxer. He keeps fighting wrestlings who would kill him in a cage every day of the week. He would beat Nate Diaz and all these other MMA fighters (in a boxing bout) 100 percent because they are not boxers.”
Photos via Instagram @jakepaul @tommyfury
The fight between Jake Paul and Tommy Fury did make some sense due to the fact they are both massive social media stars and are both young and undefeated. Most importantly, Fury is also a real pro boxer, which many people have been clamoring for Paul to fight.
Fury has also made it clear he wants to box Paul next and promises he would’ve KO’d the YouTuber in the first round had he boxed Paul last weekend.
“If that was me in the ring on Saturday night, it wouldn’t have got out of the opening bell,” Fury said.
Whether or not Tommy Fury vs. Jake Paul will happen is unclear. However, it certainly appears as though Fury still wants the fight, and it is almost sure to still be a big pay-per-view if rebooked.
Do you think we will see Tommy Fury vs. Jake Paul next?
Armadillo Studios aims to capture Nunes’ successful career by creating a fun and engaging slot for casino players worldwide to enjoy.
Razvan Haiduc the CEO of the company, says he’s excited to reach the deal with Nunes and build on her career. The game is set to hit the market in the second half of 2022.
“As a fan of MMA myself, I’m very excited to be working with Amanda. Her global presence is huge, and we are ready to use it to provide some well-needed gender balance to the Casino vertical,” Haiduc said about the deal with Nunes. “Armadillo Studios has ambitious plans for 2022, and our tie with Amanda is the first step in the right direction. This branded game is set to hit the market in the second half of 2022 and we are confident it will be a massive success.”
From Amanda Nunes’ Twitter
Amanda Nunes, meanwhile, says she is thrilled to sign this deal.
“I’m thrilled to be involved in this awesome project. Having a brand-new slot title made from scratch in my image by a US game studio is an exciting adventure and rare opportunity. I hope that sports fans all over the world will be just as excited as I am and curious enough to take it for a spin,” Nunes said.
Nunes is coming off a shocking submission loss to Julianna Peña at UFC 269 to lose her bantamweight title. It’s considered one of the biggest upsets in MMA history, as Nunes was the two-division champion and was considered the best female fighter of all time.
Before the loss to Peña, she submitted Megan Anderson at UFC 259 earlier this year to defend her featherweight strap. In her career, she holds notable wins over Valentina Shevchenko, Cris Cyborg, Ronda Rousey, and Holly Holm among others.
Jake Paul can only laugh at Jorge Masvidal for turning down his $5 million offer because it was not enough money.
After Paul knocked out Tyron Woodley on Saturday night, he called out several UFC fighters like Nate Diaz and Masvidal. After the fight, “Gamebred” released a video saying he fights either the best in the world or for the most money, and Paul’s $5 million offer is not that.
However, Robert Littal of Black Sports Online posted on social media about Masvidal’s career estimating earnings, which he claims is a total of $4 million.
“Jorge Masvidal says the $5 million Jake Paul offered him for a boxing match is chump change. In 50 MMA fights Masvidal has made a total of $3.5-4 million in his career.”
Jorge Masvidal says the $5 million Jake Paul offered him for a boxing match is chump change.
In 50 MMA fights Masvidal has made a total of $3.5-4 million in his career.
To no surprise, Jake Paul saw the tweet and just laughed about it seeing what Jorge Masvidal has allegedly made in his career.
Although Littal claimed Masvidal only made $4 million, that is not necessarily true. For years now in most regions, the pursues of UFC fighters have not been released, so it is not certain how much he has made.
Along with that, the pay-per-view bonuses and other UFC under-the-table bonuses are also not included, as fighters like Daniel Cormier have claimed the UFC has given him $1 million after some fights due to the promotion being high on those bouts.
Jake Paul, as mentioned, is coming off a highlight-reel KO win over Woodley to improve his record to 5-0. Who he will fight is uncertain, as he has called out several fighters, but there is no question that whoever he faces next will be another big pay-per-view.
Jorge Masvidal, meanwhile, does not have his next fight booked. He was set to return at UFC 269 against Leon Edwards, but an injury forced him out of the fight.
What do you make of Jake Paul and Jorge Masvidal’s back-and-forth?
Sean O’Malley is looking to box Gervonta Davis in the future.
Davis is a decorated boxer who holds titles in multiple weight classes, including reigning as the WBA lightweight and the WBA super-lightweight champion. He also vacated the IBF and WBA super featherweight belts in August of this year.
“When he said that he’s from the hood, that’s how he would wrestle. That was the funniest f**king thing ever. If he actually grappled with someone, like he said, he’d come to MMA,” O’Malley said on the Full Send podcast (via Essentially Sports). “If he took one class at a f**king amateur gym, he would be like what the f**k, I would never do that. It’s funny to see how delusional he is to think he could come into an MMA fight and be successful at all against an elite-level fighter.”
Sean O’Malley (Image Credit: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
With Sean O’Malley doubting Gervonta Davis would take an MMA fight, Suga does admit he wants to box him. He’s confident he has the striking and unique footwork to pose some problems for boxers like Davis.
For O’Malley, he believes a fight with Davis could be as big as McGregor-Mayweather, but they both need to win a few more fights.
“But for me to box Gervonta, that’s a massive fight someday, like that’s a massive f**king fight someday,” O’Malley said. “That’s a Floyd-Conor fight someday potentially if we’re on the same path. We haven’t done enough, he hasn’t done what Floyd has done, I haven’t done what Conor has done. But if it keeps going. I don’t see my career going any different, I’m going up. I could see him keep beating people, too. It could be a massive boxing fight someday.”
Would you like to see Sean O’Malley box Gervonta Davis?
Woodley on social media announced that he was holding a contest for fans to create the best meme of him being knocked out by Jake Paul. He said he saw all the memes of the KO, so he wanted to have fun with it and the winner would get $5,000.
On Tuesday, the winner was revealed as Woodley took to Instagram to share the best meme and proof he sent $5,000 to the fan.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXwI1gxLY2K/
In the video, the Instagram user named Chris Ashley posted a video featuring Woodley’s knockout that shows him falling into the shadow realm while taking trips through several locations, including the new Spider-Man movie and being a part of Finding Nemo before ending up face down on a couch alongside Ben Askren and Nate Robinson, who suffered the same fate when clashing with the social influencer turned boxer.
Although Woodley did suffer a vicious KO at the hands of Paul on Saturday, the good news is he is having fun with the loss. He is having his fans create memes and paying them for their hard work.
Tyron Woodley Aims To Bounce Back From Meme Infamy
Tyron Woodley is now 0-2 as a boxer and is 0-6 in his last six fights between MMA and boxing. However, he made it clear he would come back and that this was not the end of him in combat sports.
“I’m not done,” Woodley said at the post-fight press conference. “Please do not look at me with sorrow eyes. Please do not look at me shaking your head. I done f*cked a lot of people up. A lot of people had to have that talk in the locker room. A lot of coaches had to go back to the drawing board. A lot of people, in their mind, they knew that they knew, and I saw in their faces and I broke their heart when I took that from them.
“At some point, you’re going to have to start putting a little bit of respect on Jake’s name. I never really disrespected him as a power puncher,” Woodley continued. “That’s something we always knew. That’s why my defense was so tight. Had he dropped his hand on me, the same sh*t would have happened. I can’t cry over spilled milk. I’m blessed to be here. I’m blessed for the opportunity to fight again and show you guys that I’m f*cking still here.”
What do you make of Tyron Woodley paying the fan $5K for his meme?
Claudia Gadelha has explained why she announced her retirement from MMA.
Gadelha last fought back in November of 2020 where she suffered a decision loss to Yan Xiaonan. Since then, many wondered when she would return to the Octagon.
“I don’t want anybody to think that I’m sad because I’m very happy with what’s going on in my life right now,” Gadelha said in an Instagram video (via MMAFighting). “In November of 2020 after a fight I had a really bad concussion and I had a post-concussion syndrome, which is the symptoms of a concussion for a long period of time. So I suffered with the symptoms for a little while.
“It was very frustrating because my headaches were like a knife stabbing the back of my head. I was very nauseous, almost throwing up, feeling very, very bad. I couldn’t even go for a walk, couldn’t train, it was very frustrating,” Gadelha continued.
According to Claudia Gadelha, she realized she was going to retire a couple of months back. Since her last fight, she has had to go to the hospital multiple times due to her concussion-like symptoms.
Claudia Gadelha, Image Credit: Getty Images
“I had to rush to the hospital in the beginning of my concussion twice,” Gadelha said. “I ended up in the emergency room twice and I’m here in Las Vegas by myself and my family’s in Brazil, it was during COVID so I couldn’t fly to Brazil to go be with my family because it was like in the beginning of the concussion so I couldn’t fly and my parents couldn’t come here because of COVID. I had to spend a lot of time by myself during the concussion and that was very, very frustrating.
“With that being said I started thinking about not fighting anymore. I had a lot of feelings of, ‘OK, I’m gonna go back, I’m gonna beat this time of my life and I’m gonna go back and fight,’ and then other times I would just feel like I shouldn’t be fighting anymore because I had so many other opportunities in life,” Gadelha continued. “I took a little bit more time and went back to the gym and tried to train and I started getting hit in the head and having anxiety from getting hit in the head and being afraid of going back to work where I was in the beginning of the concussion. I did a lot of brain treatments to get healthier and I was so afraid of going back to what it was and then a lot of other opportunities showed up in my life.”
With Claudia Gadelha now retired, she will now be working with the UFC to help acclimate Brazilian fighters to life in the United States. She is helping both to translate and to educate them on “the business side of fighting” while continuing her own studies regarding health, nutrition, and performance.
Gadelha retires with a professional record of 18-5 and fought for UFC gold once where she challenged former nemesis Joanna Jędrzejczyk in 2016.
Colby Covington won’t be paying any attention to Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley 2 this Saturday.
In the main event of a Showtime pay-per-view in Tampa at the Amalie Arena on Saturday, Paul and Woodley will be running it back. The two fought back in August where Paul won by split decision, but Woodley rocked the YouTuber-turned-boxer badly and nearly finished him. Now, ahead of the rematch, the tagline is “Leave No Doubt.”
Although the original fight was Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury, the Woodley rematch is as if not more intriguing. Yet, for Covington, he has no interest in seeing the fight again and has informed the YouTuber that his “son’ Woodley was not granted his permission to attend this event.
Photo via Instagram @showtimeboxing
“The thing about that, you know, is Snake Paul knows that I didn’t sign off on my son Tyron Woodley to go out there and fight, but he went out there and he should have won that first fight, but obviously he was paid off to not finish Jake Paul,” Covington said to Submission Radio. “I’m not signing off on the second fight, Jake Paul, to let my son Tyron Woodley come back. No one cares about it, the fight’s on a week’s notice ’cause Tyson Fury pulled out or, whatever, that boxer over in the UK.”
Colby Covington and Tyron Woodley have a documented history together. After a feud that ran for years, the two finally met in the Octagon last year, where Covington picked up the dominant victory.
Although Jake Paul has a massive following and does sell, Colby Covington certainly has a point that the rematch with Tyron Woodley is not as hyped. Part of that is due to the fact the fight was made on short notice.
Regardless, count Covington as one of many MMA fighters who won’t be tuning into Paul-Woodley 2 on Saturday night in Tampa on Showtime.
Will you be watching Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley 2 on Saturday?
Gillian Robertson says the referee for UFC 269 fight against Priscila Cachoeira didn’t give her opponent a warning for eye gouges.
Late in the first round, Robertson took Cachoeira’s back, got ahold of her neck, and was sinking in a choke. However, as she was putting on a squeeze, Cachoeira was gouging her fingers into the eyes of Robertson. It happened two times, which Joe Rogan and the rest of the UFC commentary team said was a very dirty move. However, according to Robertson, the ref never gave the Brazilian a warning.
“I’m definitely just hoping that the referee stops the fight at that point. Like, I don’t even think he gave her a warning because there was two that were pretty clear that I felt decent that was like thumb straight in my eye,” Robertson said after UFC 269. “But I was just trying to squeeze, squeeze. Before the first one, I actually felt her body go limp a little bit, so I thought she was out, and then I felt the thumb go straight in my eye. I was like, ‘Oh, she’s not out! OK!’”
Although Priscila Cachoeira was gouging her fingers into Gillian Robertson’s eye, the Canadian ended up pulling off the submission as the Brazilian tapped with just one second left in the first round. With the win, she now has the most finishes in the flyweight division in the UFC.
However, the fight will be more known for the controversy from Cachoeira missing weight and eye-gouging. Yet, Robertson says she holds no ill-will towards the Brazilian.
“I’m fairly easy-going, I guess, so it is what it is. Making weight, I feel like that is a big thing. Literally, as a fighter, you have two jobs: You have to make weight, and you have to show up. So it’s like she failed at doing one of those jobs. So I definitely don’t think that’s an ‘OK’ thing, but it is what it is, and I still got the win. I still did what I needed to do, so nothing I can complain about,” Robertson concluded.
What did you make of Priscila Cachoeira eye-gouging Gillian Robertson?
Although Harrison has not signed yet, she was asked about a potential fight against Peña after her comments. To no surprise, the two-time Olympic gold medalist believes she would beat Peña with ease.
“I think that Julianna, you know, congrats to her for her victory, I know she must be on cloud nine right now, and I would just caution her to be careful. You don’t say stuff like that to people like me unless you mean it,” Harrison said to TMZ Sports. “This isn’t like a ‘Conor McGregor, let’s just talk a little sh*t.’ Don’t bite off more than you can chew. And I have a lot of respect for her as well. She went out there and she executed a great game plan, and she did what she had to do. But I’m not the lesser of anything or anyone or anybody. When I come to fight, you’re gonna know you’re in a fight. Be careful what you say.
Photo by Dave Mandel/Invicta FC
“I think it’s just dumb, too. She fights at 135, I fight at, right now, 155, so unless you’re willing to back it up, then don’t say stuff like that, you know, just don’t open that can of worms,” Harrison continued. “Don’t go there… Honestly, I’d probably have to chop off my arm to make 135. ’45, I can make, but I’d have to chop off an arm to make 135, and I think that it only would take me one arm to beat her.”
Even though Kayla Harrison and Julianna Peña are taking shots at one another, it’s unlikely they will ever fight each other. Harrison is not in the UFC yet, and she competes at featherweight and lightweight while Peña is a bantamweight and has even expressed interest in going to 125lbs.
What do you make of Kayla Harrison claiming she could beat Julianna Peña with one arm?
Darren Till believes Charles Oliveira would beat Khabib Nurmagomedov after he cemented himself as the UFC’s top lightweight on Saturday night.
In the main event of UFC 269, Oliveira defended his lightweight strap for the first time as he submitted Dustin Poirier in the third round. In the lead-up to the fight, many claimed Poirier was the real lightweight champ after the Brazilian won the vacant title by knocking out Michael Chandler.
Yet, Oliveira proved just how good he is as he was showed off his durable and then submitted Poirier to defend his belt. The victory extended his winning streak to 10 fights. For Darren Till, he believes Oliveira is the best lightweight and would beat Nurmagomedov.
“I know what I possess inside me. I know why all these people believe in me and why I should believe in myself, because of how f*cking good I know I am,” Till said to MMAFighting. “That’s all it is, a few little tweaks and a few little adjustments and I’m right back there. Trust me, I’ll be right back there breaking records and beating all the best. To take example by Charles Oliveira, look again at the weekend.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
“He was the underdog going into the fight, and you can ask any c**t, I love Dustin Poirier, I’ve known the guy for years, he’s a great guy,” Till continued. “But anyone who asked me, I would say, ‘Oliveira’s gonna win the fight.’ I tell you mate, he’s the best lightweight on the planet right now, including Khabib. He’s the best lightweight on the planet, trust me.”
Although Darren Till believes Charles Oliveira is better than Khabib Nurmagomedov, unfortunately, at this time it won’t ever be proven. “The Eagle” is retired and it seems certain he won’t ever come back again. However, if Oliveira continues to win, there is no question that Till won’t be the only fighter to think “Do Bronx” would beat Nurmagomedov.
Do you think Charles Oliveira would beat Khabib Nurmagomedov?
New UFC women’s bantamweight champion Julianna Peña has taken a shot at Kayla Harrison.
In the co-main event of UFC 269, Amanda Nunes was set to defend her bantamweight title against Peña in a fight most expected Nunes to win with ease. Should the champ-champ have won, it’s likely she would’ve fought Harrison at featherweight in a highly-anticipated bout but Peña ruined those plans.
“I think she’s the lesser of the training partners for her and Amanda Nunes,” Peña told MMA Junkie. “If that’s the case and I just took out Amanda, I don’t know what kind of position that would put her in. But she’s been fighting the B-leagues. I’ve been fighting in the UFC, I’ve been fighting at the top of the division. I’m fighting in the biggest league of this sport so I’m not paying too much attention to what she’s doing down there.”
After Peña’s comments, Harrison then took to Twitter to respond.
“Lawwwwwd. Don’t be doin this now Juliana!,” Harrison wrote on Twitter.
Although Julianna Peña took a shot at Kayla Harrison, it is a moot point, as a fight between them will likely never happen. Even if Harrison signs with the UFC, she will compete at featherweight, while Peña is the bantamweight champ and is comfortable at 135lbs.
However, some may consider Peña’s shot at Harrison to be a wise move, as it only adds to her name and popularity. Yet, in order for the new champ to remain the champ, she will need to beat Nunes again sometime next year. Harrison, meanwhile, remains a free agent.
What do you make of Julianna Peña taking a shot at Kayla Harrison?
Ryan Bader will finally be defending his heavyweight title again.
Bellator announced on Monday that Bader will defend his heavyweight title against the interim champ, Valentin Moldavsky in the main event of Bellator 273 on January 29. The event will take place at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona and air live on Showtime.
Ryan Bader (28-7) has not fought at heavyweight since September of 2019 where he fought Cheick Kongo to a No Contest. Since then, he suffered a knockout loss to Vadim Nemkov to lose his light heavyweight title. “Darth” was then in the light heavyweight grand prix where he beat Lyoto Machida in the opening round before suffering a 51-second TKO loss to Corey Anderson in the semifinals.
Ryan Bader
At heavyweight in Bellator, Bader is 3-0 with one No Contest and won the vacant title after winning the grand prix. In the opening round, he knocked out King Mo in 15 seconds before winning a decision over Matt Mitrione. In the finals, he knocked out Fedor Emelianenko in 35 seconds to win the belt.
Valentin Moldavsky (11-1) is undefeated in Bellator and is the pupil of Emelianenko. In his last fight, he earned a clear-cut decision over Tim Johnson to win the interim heavyweight title. He’s 6-0 in Bellator with notable wins over Roy Nelson, Javy Ayala, and Linton Vassell. Prior to signing with Bellator, he competed in RIZIN and beat Karl Albrektsson among others.
Along with Bader vs. Moldavsky, Bellator announced former bantamweight champion, Darrion Caldwell will take on TUF: Latin America 2 featherweight winner and UFC veteran, Enrique Barzola. The fight will serve as Barzola’s Bellator debut, as he went 6-3-1 in the UFC and was not re-signed by the promotional after a draw against Rani Yahya back in March of 2020.
Who do you think will win, Ryan Bader or Valentin Moldavsky?
It was a surprise to hear Cruz say that, but other fighters have also criticized Cormier, but more so for being biased. For instance, Justin Gaethje blasted the former champ-champ for saying Islam Makhachev deserved a title shot after his win over Dan Hooker.
In O’Malley’s previous fight against Kris Moutinho at UFC 264, Cormier said O’Malley kept looking at the clock, which meant he was tired. However, ‘Suga” said he was looking at the time to see how much time he had left to get the stoppage.
“Yeah, I’m gonna look at the clock. If I didn’t look at the clock, I wouldn’t know how much time I have left. I landed a big shot. I don’t know much time I got left. I gotta know, should I empty my tank and try to take this dude out, or should I wait and have the rest of the fight—save my energy,” O’Malley said at the UFC 269 post-fight press conference.
After hearing about O’Malley’s criticism, Cormier took to social media to praise Suga about his performance and also issue a response to his comments.
@SugaSeanMMA great win tonight , you and I spoke this week you could have told me that! It was simple I wouldn’t have done anything but took you criticism. You looked great tonight !
“SugaSeanMMA great win tonight, you and I spoke this week you could have told me that! It was simple I wouldn’t have done anything but took you criticism. You looked great tonight!,” Cormier wrote.
As of right now, Sean O’Malley has not responded to Daniel Cormier’s comments on Twitter. Whether or not he will is to be seen. Regardless, O’Malley got the first-round TKO win over Paiva at UFC 269 to pick up the biggest win of his career.
What do you make of Sean O’Malley criticizing Daniel Cormier’s commentary?
Michael Chandler doesn’t see why Conor McGregor would fight Dustin Poirier again after UFC 269.
After Chandler suffered a hard-fought decision loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 268, he called out Conor McGregor. It certainly would be a very entertaining fight and a scrap that does make some sense. Yet, the Irishman made it clear he wanted a title shot when he returned, but after Poirier lost to Charles Oliveira at UFC 269 for the belt, many thought McGregor-Poirier 4 might happen next.
However, for Chandler, he doesn’t think McGregor would fight a quitter in Poirier next time out.
I would never ever quit…I went out on my shield after being separated from consciousness, congrats to Oliveira… #ufc269
“I would never ever quit… I went out on my shield after being separated from consciousness congrats to Oliveira,” Chandler wrote.
The way I see it…the whole world wants to see me rematch 2 out of the 3 fights I’ve had in the @UFC … that’s how you come in and make a statement. I’d never QUIT. Congrats to Oliveira …punch your ticket with Gaethje this summer and I’ll see you at the end of 2022 #UFC269
“The way I see it…the whole world wants to see me rematch 2 out of the 3 fights I’ve had in the @ufc … that’s how you come in and make a statement. I’d never QUIT. Congrats to Oliveira… punch your ticket with Gaethje this summer and I’ll see you at the end of 2022.”
I make ill-advised decisions at times. But I’m there to put y’all on the edge of your seat so you miss me when I’m gone. I promise you will. Most of these guys are here to “play mma.” #UFC269
“I make ill-advised decisions at times,” Chandler wrote. “But I’m there to put y’all on the edge of your seat so you miss me when I’m gone. I promise you will. Most of these guys are here to “play MMA.”
Although Michael Chandler knows he isn’t getting a title shot, he still is campaigning for the fight against Conor McGregor. He went on to explain why he deserves the crack at the Irishman more than Poirier does.
Why would the biggest name in the sport come back and fight a guy who QUIT over a guy who is the second most electrifying guy in the division? #analystfail#UFC269
“Why would the biggest name in the sport come back and fight a guy who QUIT over a guy who is the second most electrifying guy in the division?,” Chandler added.
There is no question Chandler wants the McGregor fight, but so does the rest of the lightweight division. It most likely will come down to who the Irishman wants to fight, but a McGregor-Chandler fight would be massive if it happened.
Would you like to see Michael Chandler vs. Conor McGregor?
The Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker rematch has now officially been announced for UFC 271 in the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, officially putting an end to the initial report that the bout would take place at UFC 270 in January.
It is worth noting that Adesanya reacted to the announcement with a cap, which is modern slang for “lying.”
“Rob and his people, his wonderful manager, can’t secure this fight and they’re panicking,” Bareman said in an interview with Submission Radio. “So, they put out these stupid tweets and this and that. It’s like, mate, just relax, boys. Just train. That’s all we’re doing. You guys do the same. Let us handle the business because you guys are incapable. That management team’s incapable.
(via Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
“So, we’ll just handle the business side of things, and if this is the direction that the fight is going to go, towards Robert, then we’ll secure it for you. We’ll do your job for you. But stop with the social media stuff. Like, that doesn’t mean anything, it doesn’t do anything. It just shows your insecurity about the fight. Don’t worry. We’ll sort the fight out.”
Assuming the UFC has, in fact, locked in the bout, it will be a rematch from the 2019 bout between Adesanya and Whittaker that saw Adesanya capture the middleweight strap due to a second-round KO/TKO.
Adesanya has gone on to successfully defend the title against Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa, and Marvin Vettori to prove he is the top dog at 185 pounds at the moment.
As for Whittaker, he brought himself right back into a title fight by stringing together three straight wins over Darren Till, Jared Cannonier, and Kelvin Gastelum.
MMA News will keep you posted on any further on this story and if there is any “capping” happening in connection to it.
Who do you think wins this rematch: Israel Adesanya or Robert Whittaker?
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