While there is paramount respect for both mixed martial artists, a former undercard fighter on a Ciryl Gane event sees the French fighter faltering against Tom Aspinall this weekend. Khalid Taha is the fighter in question and he expressed this ahead of his clash with Edgar Delgado Jimenez at Oktagon 75 on September 13th.
Taha appeared on Bowks Talking Bouts and we reflected back on when he fought on the UFC Paris card that was headlined by Ciryl Gane against Tai Tuivasa. When asked for his thoughts on the Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane heavyweight title fight at UFC 321 on October 25th, Taha said,
“Honestly, both are very, very well-rounded and talented heavyweights. Both move like welterweights. They are both huge monsters and I like the striking of both, but I’m leaning towards [Tom] Aspinall.”
“Because Aspinall is in my eyes like a more aggressive fighter, you know. He’s looking more for the finish. Ciryl Gane is like; he moves a lot.”
“He moves very nice, very well. He has very good boxing, very good kicks, sidekicks, teeps, everything. But I see Aspinall is like in his total prime. He’s going to go forward and gonna go for the finish I think.”
Tom Aspinall looks to do “what a champion should do” while working in a bit of a Jon Jones dig
Tom Aspinall looks to notch this first undisputed UFC title defense after previously defending his interim strap last year and then seek becoming an active champion thereafter. The UK combatant also worked in a slight bit of a crack at the former champion Jon Jones with their infamous saga playing out in such a way where Aspinall was kept sidelined waiting for clarification on if a ‘Bones’ title unification fight would happen and for a cartoonishly long time period.
During a conversation with UFC Europe, the reigning UFC champion was touching on how excited he was to return after Tom Aspinall has been out of action for over a year now, as Aspinall stated [via Bloody Elbow],
“I’ve always been in the gym, but it’s nice to have a goal — to have an opponent. I just want to be the champion who fights often, regularly, and fights the best guys.”
“I don’t wanna be one of those guys who take big breaks in between, ’cause that’s what happened. Nothing to do with me.”
“I’m ready to put a stop to that — be active, be an active champion, be a defending champion, and fight the best guys, number one contenders. And that’s what a champion should do — fight the number one contenders.”
Zhalgas Zhumagulov will close out the year with a big defense of his 125 pound crown that Oktagon MMA has just recently announced. The first ever Kazakhstan fighter to hold gold in Oktagon MMA title will defend his belt soon enough as Zhalgas Zhumagulov will clash with another ex-UFC vet in David Dvořák. This transpires at Oktagon 81 which emanates from O2 Arena in Prague on Sunday, December 28th.
Zhumagulov previously held a Fight Nights Global belt and that piece on his resume helped him secure a punched ticket to the UFC cage circa 2020. During his UFC tenure, Zhumagulov competed with globally praised names like Manel Kape, Amir Albazi, and Joshua Van. The first foray into the Oktagon cage for Zhumagulov came in November 2024, where he put on a thorough performance. The clear victory over Aaron Aby, which came via unanimous decision, and followed that up with an Oktagon MMA championship win which happened just a few months prior against Beno Adamia.
Zhalgas Zhumagulov vs. David Dvořák Oktagon 81 title bout overview
Conversely for Dvořák, he initially fought in Oktagon in 2019, halting Arsen Taigibov with a second round submission. After that, Dvořák would ply his trade in the UFC. After putting together a .500 record there across six contests, the man known as ‘Undertaker’ has since came back to the Oktagon MMA cage. In September, the 33 year-old stopped Mohammed Walid with an emphatic first round knockout and is now en route to a shot at championship glory. The Czech combatant aims to ascend to the 125 pound throne on December 28th and enter 2026 with all the momentum one can have as an Oktagon MMA flyweight.
The Oktagon 81 lineup just keeps building up in a big way as Patrik Kincl vs. Robert Pukač, Kaik Brito vs. Amiran Gogoladze, and Jonas Mågård vs. Elvis Silva are also booked fights that bolster the massive year-end Oktagon MMA event.
Even relatively minor experience advantages in bare knuckle make such a world of difference and Marisol Ruelas hopes to have that shine through in her sophomore fight in BKFC. Marisol Ruelas embarks on that quest this weekend when she collides with Brooke Evans at BKFC Fight Night: Hammond on October 18th. Ruelas appeared onBare Knuckle Bowker to cover multiple topics as she is finally in more of a familiar weight class after her BKFC debut was two weight classes higher.
While her opponent Evans is a debutant in gloveless combat, she does have several gloved boxing fights previously and some amateur MMA action as well. When asked for the thoughts on the general resume and skill set of Evans heading into this BKFC fight in Indiana coming up, Ruelas said [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“Yeah, I haven’t really paid too much attention to; I didn’t know she did MMA, but I did know that she did some boxing fights. I saw maybe like a clip, a small clip of it. I mean, I’ve said it before, I do feel like the opponents that she has had were lower caliber. I know she is very dedicated. She’s in really good shape. She’s obviously gonna be faster than Shyanna [Bintliff] but I’m just going to go based off of my experience that like yeah, if you do MMA and if you do boxing, like you have the experience, but it’s so different.”
“It’s so different getting hit with bare knuckles because it’s not the same. It’s not like when you get hit with a boxing glove, it’s like your whole head wobbles. But like you power through, you won’t feel it until the next day. Rather, when you get hit with a bare knuckle, like it stings. So, if you’re not ready for that sting, you’re going to get shocked real quick. So, I hope I can use that to my advantage. I know that I need to move a lot more.”
“I know that like it’s going to be a very different fight for me, offense and defense. There’s no way a ’25er moves the same as a ’45er. I know she; I mean she seems like she’s very dedicated and she’s ready for this. She’s been prepping for it before. I feel like I think it was she got signed actually before I got signed into bare knuckle because we had the same management that got us in.”
“But you know, again, like I’m fresh off a fight and it’s like; I don’t know. I just feel happy to be in my weight class and if I can do things at ’45, I know that at ’25 it’s a different game for me.”
BKFC debut “stung so bad”, but Ruelas “didn’t have a concussion after this fight” at BKFC Sturgis
Referencing a past Bare Knuckle Bowker interview with BKB champion Khortni Kamyron, the titleholder expressed a similar difference in physical sensations from being struck with a glove which is a dispersed sensation while a bare knuckle strike equates to super localized pain sensations. Responding that point and further delving into her thoughts on this subject, Ruelas quipped [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“Yeah and you know, like when I did boxing at 145, like I got hit and I didn’t feel it in the moment. I was fine. I got up, shook it off. I’m fine. But then for the next two weeks, I had a concussion and I felt terrible. And then this last fight, same weight class, ’45, I got hit. I believe this was the punch that I think I ended up having to take a knee for.”
“It was right under my eye and in that moment, it stung so bad. Like it’s just a weird; like it stings so bad and like maybe 10-15 seconds go by and now you don’t feel it. But at this point, the fight’s done, you know, and I didn’t have a concussion after this fight. But in the moment, it was like you either push through it or it’s over.”
While he steps in the cage with a fellow unbeaten pro fighter on Saturday, Tamerlan Dulatov has a calm, understated confidence about who’s 0 will go.
Tamerlan Dulatov clashes with Henrique Melo at OKTAGON 78: Eckerlin vs. Trušček on October 18th. Dulatov appeared on Bowks Talking Bouts to break down Henrique Melo, who also boasts a 2-0 professional record as Dulatov does.
Melo has a pair of unanimous decision wins in the BFC cage and is making his Oktagon specific debut here. When offering up his thoughts on Melo’s skill set and resume as a fighter, Dulatov said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“Well, to be honest, I found his two fights. Like you said, both fights was both unanimous decision, but I saw his Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt like he’s always searching the takedown. He’s always looking for takedowns and then on ground game he starts like his game, little bit ground and pound. To be honest, he’s a solid fighter.”
“Like he know how to stand up, he know how to fight. But not his grappling, not his wrestling and even not his striking like make me feel, hey, man, I have to be careful. Of course, it’s MMA fight. He have two-zero. I have two-zero. We do both have not the biggest experience right now. So of course everything can happen but he’s like; when I would say it’s right now, when he will come to my gym, and we will make a sparring, it will be like; you would see like very, very one side sparring, you know.”
Tamerlan Dulatov thinks he’s better than Henrique Melo “in any kind of discipline”
As he kept delving into the machinations of this matchup over the weekend, Tamerlan Dulatov continued [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“Like he’s; to be honest, not making him like bad or anything else, the truth is he can’t; like I said yesterday in an interview, if he going to bring me down on the ground, what I don’t think that he can wrestle me. But if we’re going to go down on the ground and he will start grappling, I don’t start getting up. I will grapple with him. If he want to stand up, I will stand up with him. If he go to wrestling, I will wrestle with him. So like I know I’m in any kind of discipline better than him, so. But he’s a solid fighter, yeah.”
Tyler Goodjohn will have his last dance in Leeds this weekend and also sees Paulie Malignaggi bowing out from competing in combat sports as well. Tyler Goodjohn will battle Paulie Malignaggi at BKB 47: Leeds Brawl 2 on October 18th. Tyler Goodjohn appeared on Bare Knuckle Bowker to touch on his highly hyped retirement bout as the former BKB champion and BKFC title challenger throws down with the multi-time gloved boxing champ, Malignaggi.
When touching on the dual pronged meaning of his social media post that referred to this intriguing headliner being the last dance in Leeds, Tyler Goodjohn said [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“I mean look, it was always going to be my last fight, you know. I’m bowing out and it’s going to be Paulie’s last fight as well. I mean look, he signed a three fight deal but, you know, he’s not getting past the first fight. So it’s going to be retirement. It’s going to be a retirement do for both of us, you know. It’s probably never happened before where both are going to retire on the same night. Yeah, he’s definitely not going to want to carry on with the bare knuckle journey after this fight.”
“And I’m done. I’ve got nothing else to prove. You know, I’m a pioneer in this game. I think slowly people are starting to see it now. I opened the door for everyone. I went to America. I’ve done all the madness, you know, the COVID stuff. I’m starting to get my respect now.”
“It’s not often I can get into a room or a street and people don’t recognize now. So, you know, this fight against Paulie; As Paulie said when we had the face off, he wants to give me the exposure. I’ve not had the exposure that I really should have had in my career. So, yeah, it’s a nice one to bow out on.”
When addressing the pieces of fighting a former IBF junior welterweight and WBA welterweight champion in terms of how further delving into how much this is an ideal fight to bow out on, Tyler Goodjohn stated [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“There wasn’t a fight as a, you know, boxer that I missed. Paulie, I was a big fan of Paulie, you know. The fight; you know, boxing fans will remember the night he fought Miguel Cotto with a broken jaw or a cheekbone or whatever it was. Like the guy is very, very tough. The guy is very, very good and I actually just put a picture of his resume out and like he’s fought everyone, man.”
“Everyone, like and I salute that, you know, because that’s how I like to be in my career. Like that’s; you know, he’s obviously been a two-weight world champion, but he’s had a lot of lows. He’s lost a lot of fights, you know, but he’s always come back and fought the best. So you really, you know; you really have to take your hat off to people like that [laughs].”
Tyler Goodjohn, the multiple levels of BKB related closure here, and his retirement aims
The former BKB champion previously left the promotion on bad terms as he pursued opportunities with BKFC. Upon returning to an ever growing BKB fold, Goodjohn has since made amends with promotional figureheads Jim Freeman and Joe Brown after having some cross words from the prior regime. When touching on how this final prizefight for him seems like it’s creating closure in a multitude of regards, Tyler Goodjohn quipped [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“Yeah, definitely. You know, Jim [Freeman] and Joe [Brown] have been really good. They’ve stuck to everything they’ve said, you know, they’ve been really good. I can’t; no complaints at all. Then obviously, to give me this fight, the exposure. It’s just a massive fight to go out on. It’s great. I’ve not been totally honest with people how badly like, you know, my hands and my body’s been because I want it so badly, but at 34, people have got to remember there’s a lot of life [laughs] to live after fighting. You know, this is going to be my ninth bare knuckle fight.”
“But people forget that I fought at a very high level as a professional boxer and an amateur as well. You know, I had a lot of fights. I had 69 amateur fights and I had 19 professional boxing matches and like 10 of them were; 10 of them were like title fights, you know what I mean? 10 rounds, grueling 10 round title fights. So I’ve been up and about [laughs], up and about. On top of that, all the sparring and all the stuff, you know, all the behind the scenes that no one sees.”
Tyler Goodjohn continued, “It’s, 34 years of age. Maybe I could go on another couple of years but for what? I’m not really; and truly, after this fight against Paulie, what more can I do? Like and without being too disrespectful, people go, oh, be BKB champion again, I’ve done it. I done it in a historic fight against Sean George and even the champion now at my weight.”
“Liam Rees like, good fighter, champion, all this, but like no one knows who he is, you know? So, it’s like, after this Paulie fight, I could walk away and I want to get into coaching and who knows? Look, I could bring another bare knuckle superstar along.”
“But, you know, like I say, as a 34 year old man now, let’s face it, I’m on the decline. The scar tissue on my face is a joke. So, I’m having to fight most; well, my last three fights, pretty much blind really because the blood and the scar tissue damage. Yeah [laughs], I just don’t really want it for; I’ve got this last one. I can go, you know what, all in. Let’s go. But there’s got to come a time.”
Tyler Goodjohn continued, “There’s got to come a time. And if the fighter can come up; it’s not often the fighter comes up with that. Do you know what I mean? Usually it’s someone else like trying to tell, persuade someone to retire and all that, but I feel it. I felt it in training for this fight. I mean I’ve had a lot going on in my personal life, a lot, lots. I’m very proud of myself how I’ve just got on with it.”
“But I’ve not been enjoying it. The discipline side of me is incredible and everything gets done impeccably. Do you know what I mean? Like to the max. But I’m just not loving it. I just, I haven’t got the love for it anymore. You know, it hurts [laughs]. Training hurts. What people forget is as well as a professional, we’re not training to keep fit and and training at 70%. We’re there, you know, I can only speak for myself, but I imagine most professional combat sportsmen, when you go into training, you’re giving 110% every time.”
Tyler Goodjohn continued, “I’m training twice a day, six days a week. People will be like, I’m my own worst enemy when I should take rest and everything else. But you know, when I’m switched on to a fight, man, I’m locked in. It’s an obsession. Again, I think most other fights was; fighters will say the exact same thing. It’s an obsession.”
“So yeah, the last 16 weeks have been hard with everything that’s going on outside in my life and, you know, in the mix of that, I’m also fighting a guy who’s a former two-weight world champion. So discipline, man. Super disciplined.”
Karim Henniene is embracing the moment and foresees a path this weekend to vault himself to the PFL Africa finals thereafter.
Karim Henniene will collide with Boule Godogo at PFL Africa 3 on October 18th in a semi-final contest. Henniene appeared on MMA Canada and discussed the alignment with himself and his opponent, even insofar as the fact that they both earned victories on that prior PFL Africa card in July. Both also won their respective fights via split decision, and when discussing the EFC fighter’s resume as well as Boule Godogo’s primary skill set, Henniene said [via MMA Canada],
“So, what I knew about him, he has the same background as me, as judo. And after judo, I guess he jumped to boxing just like I did, you know. So, I guess we kind of have a similar background, but unfortunately for him, I’m better everywhere, you know. I’m [a] better grappler. I’m a better striker overall, you know.”
Karim Henniene “the explosion will be bigger from my side” at PFL Africa 3
Considering the razor-thin verdicts of their last fights, at least looking at how the assigned judges scored it, the Canadian combatant explained how different his mindset is heading into this outing, as Karim Henniene continued [via MMA Canada],
“So, I guess since, you know, it will be fire against fire, it will be a huge explosion, you know. So, but unfortunately for him, the explosion will be bigger from my side. So, yeah, I think this matchup will be unmatched, will be my best performance so far. And I can guarantee a finish. You know, I’m, you know, I’ve been; I know the only critic[ism] that people can give me is I didn’t finish my opponent.”
“You know, but I know how to win a fight, but sometimes, I don’t take as much risk as I should. But this time, I’m taking risk. F**k it. I’m going there for the finish, and you guys will see a huge finish. That’s it.”
Nic Ouellet is preparing for the fight of his life and has a chance to beat an ex-Alexander Volkanovski opponent on UFC Fight Pass. The Powell River BJJ product will clash with Jeremy Kennedy at BFL 85 on October 16th for the BFL interim lightweight championship in the co-main event. Ouellet appeared on MMA Canada to touch on the moment he was made privy to this massive fight.
When asked about the bout offer timeline as well as how he feels stepping in to fight the biggest name opponent he has had so far, being that it’s a former UFC, PFL, and Bellator MMA vet, Ouellet said [via MMA Canada],
“They offered it a couple weeks ago. Like I’d say like five weeks ago. After one of my opponents fell through, I was booked for the same event at 145 against one of the top guys in the country and he ended up pulling out because of an injury. So I was kind of in limbo for a bit there. Then they came to me with Jeremy Kennedy and I couldn’t say no to that. That’s a huge fight for me and I always want to fight the best guys. He’s back in BFL, so he’s the best guy right now. So I want to figure this out.”
When speaking to the benefits of his prior experience within interim and also lineal BFL title fights and how much that will benefit him in this subsequent Battlefield Fight League championship showdown, Nic Ouellet quipped [via MMA Canada]
“Yeah, this is definitely the biggest fight of my career and I’m ready to make the best of it, you know. So, I know he’s an experienced guy and I know he’s one of the top guys in the country and that’s actually why I wanted to fight him. I remember telling my brother as soon as I saw that Jeremy was back in BFL, I was like that’s the guy I want to fight. He’s the guy and a win against him puts me right where I want to be, so.”
Nic Ouellet “I like the idea of surprising everyone” against Jeremy Kennedy
When asked what he wants the prevailing sentiment to be around him after this fight and what he wants people to be talking about when the dust settles on this title fight, Nic Ouellet stated [via MMA Canada],
“I want people to be surprised because I think I’m the underdog in this fight. So I want everyone to be surprised on how good I am. And when I finish Jeremy Kennedy, they’re going to be impressed. Everybody, everyone who doubts me. My people won’t be surprised, but the rest of the world will be. And I like that. I like the idea of surprising everyone.”
Gennady Golovkin has not been actively competing in recent times but a former champion int he sweet science thinks Triple G could return to the ring and give Terence Crawford problems. This was touched on in an interview with Poker Strategy that George Groves took part in. Crawford is on top of the boxing world as the undisputed super middleweight champion after a masterclass performance against Terence Crawford last month.
George Groves is among many who were thoroughly impressed by the win ‘Bud’ secured over Canelo Alvarez on Netflix and sees Terence Crawford as the top pound for pound fighter in the sport right now. That being said, the pride and confidence of a high level fighter never truly leaves in full as the former WBA super middleweight champion feels like he could test Crawford with Groves saying,
“I highly admire Crawford, but surely he wouldn’t have beaten me? I would have done him. I’m sure he’d back himself too. I think he’d have a problem with the bigger super middleweights.”
Gennady Golovkin could be a compelling test for Terence Crawford, per Groves
Gennady Golovkin is in international boxing hall of fame nomination running this year for the HOF chapter for modern era fighters but a comeback doesn’t seem to be completely off the table. Upon thinking of potential super-middleweight names that could compel Crawford to take on another blockbuster bout, George Groves thought of the accomplished middleweight KO artist, as George Groves stated,
“It’d be sad to never see Crawford box again, but without anyone else to fight and coming back down to welterweight or even lightweight might be difficult at this stage. Maybe Triple G, Golovkin will actually come back and give Crawford a run for his money.”
GGG has been on a hiatus since 2023 but an interview withBoxing Sceneat the World Boxing Championships seemed to leave the door open a crack regarding a competitive return for Golovkin someday. When asked further about a return date or potential opponent, the Kazakhstan native playfully responded with Golovkin saying that was his secret.
Dana White seemed intrigued by booking a particular BMF title fight between Charles Oliveira and reigning titleholder Max Holloway in the wake of Oliveira triumphantly returning to the win column. After the 83rd instalement of Dana White’s Contender Series took place, the titular figure fielded post-fight questions from on-site media members.
The promotional figurehead was asked about his thoughts on Charles Oliveira’s incredible performance besting Mateusz Gamrot at UFC Rio with the Brazilian calling out Max Holloway for a rematch for the BMF title. The two combatants have history with one another as the prior Oliveira vs. Holloway fight took place over a decade ago. In August 2015, Oliveira would lose by way of an injury sustained less than two minutes into the opening round of his clash with Holloway at UFC Saskatoon.
When asked for his thoughts on that potential sequel clash over ten years in the making, via video footage provided by MMA Junkie, White said,
“that is obviously a fight that would be incredible too. to see them two again. but yeah, we don’t have anything. We talked about it today though.”
Dana White teases big name for first UFC on Paramount card
Dana White also dropped an intriguing tidbit at this same DWCS post-event presser by mentioning how there was the possibility of a popular champion being featured on the UFC’s first event under their looming Paramount media rights deal. As soon as we encroach into 2026, the near $8 billion dollar deal with Paramount will set in and Ilia Topuria may be brought in for the inaugural headliner under that new broadcast regime.
White mentioned to on-site reporters at the DWCS post-event proceedings that his team were discussing the first Paramount card that very day. When asked if Topuria could be on that kickoff card, White succinctly stated,
“It’s a possibility.”
Topuria may headline the UFC’s first Paramount event but fellow Georgian Merab Dvalishvili will headline the final card of the ESPN era in a rematch with Petr Yan for the bantamweight belt at UFC 323 in December.
Marvin Vettori was once in a middleweight super group online with the likes Khamzat Chimaev, Darren Till, and Sean Strickland until ‘The Italian Dream’ got the boot from it. This was situation was touched on by the former UFC middleweight title challenger during an interview with Helen Yee Sports. Vettori was covering several subjects ahead of his looming clash with Brunno Ferreira which is set for UFC 323 on December 6th.
Part of the reason for his group chat removal seems to be tied somewhat to his recent work at Beneil Dariush‘s Kings MMA Anaheim and prioritizing being in California more than Nevada, as of late, as Vettori said,
“We even have a group that Sean Strickland did on Instagram, and we were talking all kinds of stuff in that group—Darren Till and Khamzat were in it too. And even right after the fight, I said, ‘Listen, Darren, just stop it. You look horrible holding those pads.’ But he never answered. We used to bully Darren a little bit in that group. Sean kicked me out. It’s so funny. Like, people just sending videos… Sean never told you about it?”
“It was supposed to be a sparring group, and then they kicked me out since I’m not in Vegas all the time, and I didn’t show up. Khamzat even said it: ‘Oh, I didn’t show up for the sparring that time.’ But I was like, bro, am I going to drive five hours just to spar and then come back… I didn’t plan it. Plus, I got my own stuff going on, and I want to fight this guy, so I’m not going to spar him.”
Marvin Vettori receives flak for controversial online remarks
Marvin Vettori is someone who clearly does not mince words, and this was reflected in relatively recent online comments he made that many saw as antisemitic. In an aggressive retweet that took place on his personal X account, Vettori stated,
“F* all these people, this s* is getting out of hand, they control everything, f*** these ashkenazi Jews that wants control over the world. Here I said it.”
Vettori demonstrably does not care who his comments rub the wrong way, and it seems like all kinds of speech is on the table in this Dana White “free speech” era of the UFC.
Dillian Whyte recently had a rough setback against Moses Itauma, and a former opponent of Whyte has weighed in on that contest. Lucas Browne is the fighter in question, and this Whyte-Itauma fight was one of several subjects he covered in an interview with Bare Knuckle Bowker after Browne’s successful debut win in gloveless combat at BKB 45.
When Browne fought Dillian Whyte, the latter would finish the former with a sixth-round stoppage in their March 2018 fight. When Whyte fought Itauma, it was Whyte who wound up being finished in the opening frame of that mid-August fight from earlier this year. When asked for his thoughts on that performance from Moses Itauma and the fact that many seem to be touting him as that next great heavyweight, Browne said [viaBare Knuckle Bowker],
“I don’t know about great heavyweight, but definitely he is on fire and yeah, well done to the kid. He’s only young, so that’s great. I’ve heard through the grapevine; there’s absolutely no, I can’t guarantee any of this information, but Dillian Whyte like hurt and or broke his ankle like prior. But he still was going for a payday no matter what. So he did look like absolute s**t, I won’t lie. And against me, he was literally on fire. He was top three in the world and was on fire.”
Dillian Whyte “was nowhere near that person” who fought Lucas Browne when he fought Moses Itauma, per Browne
As he kept expounding upon his thoughts on Dillian Whyte’s disparately different showings against Itauma as well as against himself, Browne continued [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“Usually when people fight me, they are the best you [have] ever seen because it’s me. No matter what, I could be losing 11 rounds and I’ll still knock you out in the 12th because I got the power to do so. So yeah, people are generally the best they’ve ever been, and he was. I wasn’t mentally sort of there, and physically I wasn’t as good as I should have been, and he was on fire. So I think he; when he’s turned up for his last spot, he was nowhere near that person and you could tell from the start.”
James DeGale won in his recent bare knuckle boxing debut but it may be a one and done effort for him and one of his long running rivals has weighed in on that situation. The rival, with a feud that still persists to this day, George Groves touched on DeGale’s foul heavy BKFC debut effort. While DeGale did win at BKFC 81 against Matt Floyd in the main event, the future for the former in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship is riddled with question marks.
In an interview with Poker Strategy, Groves articulated how he doesn’t feel as if the world of bare knuckle is for James DeGale despite now technically being unbeaten in the sport. As he offered up his thoughts on DeGale’s return to competition and how he sees that fighter’s future prospects shaking out, Groves said,
“Stick to boxing or something else. Bare knuckle fighting is brutal. He told us time and time again that it wasn’t for money. But I’ve got to be honest, if I did it, it would be for money. I’ve seen a statement from DeGale’s mum saying that bare knuckle boxing isn’t for James.”
“He’s talking about hoping to box in MisFits or get a Darren Till or KSI fight, but is your name big enough to get those fights right now? I don’t think anybody would be worried about him from the weekend.”
James DeGale intimates what could be next for him in combat sports
James DeGale returned after a six year layoff and the former super middleweight champion is hinting to fans what his next step could be. DeGale’s comments in the post-fight in-ring interview seemed to leave the door somewhat open for a potential sophomore trek into bare knuckle. But a later post fight statement put out on DeGale’s behalf seemed to be more clear in mentioning bare knuckle as a bit of a thing of the past. But that there was openness to don the glvoes again and return to boxing where DeGale has not competed since 2019.
Whether DeGale does ply his trade in pugilism again and seek fights with names like Darren Till and KSI as Groves mentioned, it seems at least like BKFC is in the rearview for the pedigreed fighter.
Yoelvis Gomez will compete once again on November 1st in a hugely intriguing clash. This ten-round affair in the super welterweight ranks against a challenger who has yet to taste defeat as a pro, Antraveous Ingram. This contest will be for the WBA Continental Latin America title held by Gomez. This battle will broadcast on DAZN in Orlando, Florida from the Caribe Royale Resort. This will be a collaborative effort from promotions Matchroom Boxing and Boxlab Promotions.
Gomez is represented by Boxlab Promotions as well as Warriors Boxing and looks to add to his campaign building to a world title shot. The 28-year-old Cuban knockout artist is eager to remind fans why he’s one of boxing’s most explosive young talents. Gomez is galvanized by the challenge of Ingram having an unbeaten record and being the one to put the first blemish on that ledger, as Gomez said,
“This fight is my chance to show the world that I’m still one of the most dangerous fighters in the super welterweight division. I’ve faced adversity, I’ve made adjustments, and now I’m coming into this fight with more hunger than ever.”
“When the bell rings, I want people to see a smarter, stronger version of me — a fighter ready to take over the division.”
Gomez is acutely aware of the task that awaits him here though as he stated,
“Antraveous Ingram is a talented, undefeated fighter, but I am ready for this challenge. He’s earned his spot, but I’ve fought at a higher level, and I’m bringing the kind of power and precision that changes fights instantly. Fans tuning in on DAZN are going to see fireworks.”
Yoelvis Gomez is looking to ideally keep making legacy moves during his run in the sweet science, Gomez said,
“Every fight is a step toward my dream — to bring a world title back to Cuba. I fight for my people — for the Cuban flag and the next generation of fighters watching me chase greatness.”
“A win on November 1 puts me back where I belong — on the path to a world championship.”
Yoelvis Gomez has a lone loss on his boxing record and as he keeps using that as fuel for further growth, Gomez quipped,
“I’ve learned more from my setbacks than from my victories — and now I’m ready to rise higher than ever. Sometimes a loss wakes up the fighter inside you.”
“I’ve refined my training, sharpened my defense, and elevated my mindset. You’re going to see a complete Yoelvis Gomez — one who is going to give it his all.”
Yoelvis Gomez vs. Antraveous Ingram overview continued
The President of Boxlab Promotions weighed in on the magnitude of this matchup, as Amaury Piedra stated,
“This fight is a pivotal moment for Yoelvis Gomez. He’s facing a hungry, undefeated fighter in Antraveous Ingram, and that’s exactly the kind of test we wanted. Yoelvis has all the means to make a statement — power, charisma, and the drive to become a world champion.”
“A victory here not only reestablishes him as a top contender but also puts him back in the spotlight where he belongs.”
The Gomez versus Ingram super welterweight contest takes over Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando. Those not keen on a live boxing event in Florida who want to check the fight out from the comfort of their home having available options to do so via DAZN.
Khamzat Chimaev would generate a one-sided performance against Alex Pereira if those two were to ever fight according to one of the UFC’s stalwart contenders at lightweight. That fighter being referenced is Beneil Dariush who mentiond the Chimaev-Pereira anecdote during an interview with Helen Yee Sports.
Dariush covered several subjects with Yee ahead of his bout at Madison Square Garden against Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 322 on November 15th. With Chimaev indicating interest in a Pereira fight after ‘Poatan’ regained the light heavyweight strap, when asked if he would like to see ‘Borz’ move up to vie for another UFC title against the acclaimed Brazilian KO artist, Dariush said,
“No, I’d like to see Pereira actually go fight a big fight like the Jon Jones fight or something. He’s 38, maybe considering retiring. I don’t want him to get mauled by Khamzat.”
“I’m just being honest. I want to see Pereira ride off into the sunset with a big fight, big paycheck, and that’s how I’d like to see him finish his career.”
“The way Khamzat wrestles is very different than the way Ankalaev wrestles. Ankalaev seems more like a Greco style, more body locks, he doesn’t really commit so much.”
“Khamzat completely commits, completely turns the corner, he’s able to get on your back, he’s able to do so much more. Ankalaev doesn’t have that kind of wrestling.”
Khamzat Chimaev calls out Alex Pereira and ‘Poatan’ responded
Khamzat Chimaev’s aforementioned post-UFC 320 callout of Alex Pereira rang all throughout the MMA world and the newly minted, now two time UFC light heavyweight champion has responded. This took place during the post-fight press conference after Pereira evened up his series with Magomed Ankalaev via an authoritative sub-two minute finish from strikes on October 4th. When addressing Chimaev, Pereira stated [via MMA News],
“Thanks for the congratulations, but I want a super fight. Like I said, I want to fight at heavyweight. So, thanks only for the congratulations.”
Whether that looks like a fight with UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall or a bout with former two division UFC champion Jon Jones, Pereira has likely positioned himself well for a big blockbuster bout whoever it may be.
Bia Mesquita had a lot of pressure centred on her debut with the Ultimate Fighting Championship but acclaimed submission grappling standout had a show out performance at UFC Rio. Mesquita was the partisan favorite over the weekend and the Brazilian combatant showed out in Rio De Janeiro with a submission in the second stanza over Irina Alekseeva by way of a rear naked choke on the October 11th UFC Fight Night.
At the post-fight press conference when discussing her thoughts on how her UFC debut played out against a fighter who many were calling ‘Russian Ronda Rousey’, Bia Mesquita said,
“This is the perfect scenario I could ever imagine in my life—doing my debut at home, with the fans, my family watching me, with this warm welcome to the UFC. I’m just so happy that I could put on my game, everything that we have been training and planned for this fight. It went very well and I could get the finish in the second round. I’m just so happy that all the job I’ve been putting in is working and everything is falling into place in the best way it could be.”
“I was really surprised she survived the first round. I could get my ground and pound really going on that very first round, but she proved she’s a survivor. But I knew the key for this fight was to be patient, that my submission would come. I would be able to put my game on, and that’s exactly what happened. I had good control in the first round and got my submission in the second round because I was patient. I knew she would give me something, and that’s what happened. She gave her back and there was nowhere for her to go after that.”
Bia Mesquita looks forward to showing of well roundedness in subsequent UFC fights
Bia Mesquita is now 6-0 in pro MMA with the now 1-0 UFC fighter excited to show more dimension to her game going forward. The former LFA flyweight champion is regarded by many as the best women’s submission grappler of all time but has ever sharpening tools in her proverbial tool box. Mesquita had one of the more standout performances at UFC Rio on a night that ended off with the triumphant return to winning ways for former UFC champion Charles Oliveira.
Mesquita spoke about the improvements in her striking and takedowns in the aftermath of her UFC Rio win. While not being obtuse to what her primary tool is and what can work best for her strategically, there is that desire for the 34-year-old to keep sharpening her striking acumen going forward.
Former boxing champion George Groves had a lot to say about the likes of Jake Paul, a sweet science centred Netflix project, and BBC getting involved with the world of boxing again.
In an interview with Poker Strategy, Groves initially touched on his thoughts regarding how he feels like Jake Paul steals a lot of mannerisms from things that he has seen prior fighters do.
This was something that Groves observed about Paul during a recent Gervonta Davis interactions, as Groves said,
“I like the clips where Gervonta Davis is sort of standing there like this, and then Jake Paul’s doing the MMA stuff. Everything about him, he’s just seen on TV or something, he’s just seen somewhere else. It’s all stolen!”
George Groves talks Netflix and BBC boxing projects
The former WBA champion also spoke on how he felt like the recent documentary on Matchroom boxing kind of tinkered with reality a bit. When expressing his thoughts regarding that Netflix project featuring the Hearns, George Groves stated,
“I came in halfway through the third episode. It’s called The Greatest Showmen, which I like because Eddie and Barry are the showmen. But if you watch the Greatest Showman, the movie with Hugh Jackman, it’s a bit of a con, isn’t it? It’s quite deceptive.”
“When Conor Benn is calling up while Eddie and Frank Smith are on the golf course and Connor Benn’s sitting there in his Versace dressing-gown and he says, “I spent every penny I’ve got to clear my name”, maybe he bought that Versace dressing-gown first…”
Also of note, with the sweet science making a comeback on BBC, the 37-year-old could not contain his elation for how it can help grow fighters in the sport, as George Groves quipped,
“This is awesome. I can’t believe that it’s on BBC 2, which I think is great. I don’t know what the deal on setup is, but it’s a good fight and it’s on terrestrial. I’m very excited.”
“Ben Shalom and his stable of fighters, a couple of them are potential future stars. I hope that they can match up the cost to get these guys on a show and get it on the BBC.”
The BRAVE CF Interim super welterweight is one of the coveted centerpieces on the line at the looming BRAVE 100 card.
November 7th in Isa Town, Bahrain,at Khalifa Sports City, the current BRAVE CF middleweight champion and newly minted BRAVE Hall of Famer Mohammad Fakhreddine who battles the number two ranked super welterweight contender Alex Lohoré.
As the BRAVE middleweight titleholder addressed the next contender for his belt, Mohammad Fakhreddine, stated:
“This is bigger than just another fight for me. I’ve dedicated my career to BRAVE CF, and to be inducted into the Hall of Fame and then step inside the cage to chase a third World Title is a dream come true.”
“Alex Lohoré is tough, but I’m going to show why I am the face of this organization.”
As the BRAVE title challenger expressed his thoughts vcoming in to this huge career moment, Alex Lohoré stated,
“I respect everything Moe Fakhreddine has achieved, but this is my time. I didn’t come to BRAVE CF to be a spectator; I came here to take over. On November 7, I will win that belt and prove that I am one of the best in the division.”
BRAVE CF 100 title bout overview
The first fighter to concurrently hold BRAVE titles with middleweight and light heavyweight gold, Fakhreddine now eyes three division champ status. ‘The Latest’ will also be inducted into the BRAVE CF Hall of Fame during fight week.
Lohoré is undefeated in the BRAVE CF cage and has enough momentum to aim to unseat the prolific and hugely dominant HOF BRAVE warrior. ‘Da Killa King’ has also cut his teeth on circuits like KSW as well as with Oktagon MMA. The well travelled competitor has also fought for Cage Warriors and BAMMA with his refinement path leading Lohoré to a shot at BRAVE championship hardware.
Big names like Alexandr Romanov, Mason Parris, Helen Maroulis, Kyle Dake, and Nathan Tomasello are but a few of the athletes locked in for competition at the Bryce Jordan Center on October 25th in Tampa, Florida. Real American Freestyle has formally rolled out the entire fight card for RAF02 which is set to broadcast on FOX Nation. The promotion’s inaugural effort in Cleveland earlier this year, Real American Freestyle is coming out swinign with the sophomore effort and the full card reads as followed,
Real American Freestyle and a closer look at RAF 02
Chief Operation Officer as well as Co-Founder of Real American Freestyle Izzy Martinez commented on this RAF02 reveal when he said,
“RAF02 will build on the foundation created with RAF01, and give audiences the excitement they’ve been looking for with freestyle wrestling.”
“We’ve got new and returning champions vying and protecting the title, and have created a lineup of the best athletes in the sport that cannot be missed.”
Real American Freestyle has a deep roster of pedigreed champions from NCAA, Olympic, and world championship levels. Featured standouts such as Bo Nickal, Darrion Caldwell, Wyatt Hendrickson, Jacob Cardenas, Beau Bartlett, Kennedy Blades, Matt Ramos, Mikey Caliendo, Sarah Hildebrandt, Audrey Jimenez, Zeltzin Hernandez, Lucía Guzman, Zahid Valencia, Trent Hidlay, Seth Gross, Kyle Snyder, Aaron Brooks, Austin Gomez, Real Woods, Will Lewan, and Parker Keckeisen are among a few of the standouts who have competed in RAF so far.
Nathan Tomasello puts his Bantamweight title on the line against Penn State alumni, Roman Bravo-Young. Helen Maroulis vs. Samantha Stewart is as high level of a matchup as you can make in the game of wrestling and encapsulates what RAF seems to want to embody.
Daniel Dubois is potentially looking at his next in-ring assignment after losing his hold on the IBF heavyweight championship in his last outing. What seems to be his next bout will put him in prime position to contend for that crown again though as Dubois will take on Frank Sanchez in a looming IBF title eliminator bout. This consequential contest came about after several key heavyweights turned down offers from the IBF to take on this Sanchez boxing bout.
Some of those names who were said to have said “no” to that opportunity include Moses Itauma, Filip Hrgovic, and Efe Ajagba. The deal deadline is October 22nd to see if the confirmation is official for the high stakes bout.
Oleksandr Usyk currently holds the IBF crown and captured that from Dubois himself with an emphatic knockout during their July rematch. Dubois’ booking in this bout makes sense because of his proximity to the belt but some have scratched their head with Sanchez being in this position. His last outing came against a .500 journeyman caliber boxer with Sanchez last truly testing himself against Agit Kabayel last year which saw him sustain a noticeable beating.
Daniel Dubois’ path back to the IBF strap
Daniel Dubois has changed up his coaching dynamics leading into this targeted bounce back bout as he is no longer under the pugilistic purview of Don Charles. Some wonder how things will play out with this looming bout and Oleksandr Usyk‘s current career plans. It seems like the Ukrainian standout is more focused on big money matchups as he enters the twilight of his career. In that sense, the idea that he could vacate one of his multiple heavyweight crowns to pursue a bigger name fight instead of fighting one of his mandatory contenders could lead to the IBF throne being opened up.
The idea of a third Usyk vs. Dubois fight would presumably not be of interest to the former as there was some controversy in the first fight but Oleksandr Usyk won so emphatically in the sequel clash that a trilogy bout seems quite unlikely when factored into this broader context.
Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka may be on course for a trilogy bout if the words of the former’s coach have any grounding in reality going forward. Both of these prolific light heavyweights emerged victorious from their respective bouts at UFC 320 and Glover Teixeira spoke with a victorious Prochazka in the aftermath of his win on Saturday. This was a unique connection too considering that Prochazka defeated Teixeira to claim the 205 pound crown previously and shows the lineage of martial arts piece through the current alignment with Teixeira’s protege and ‘BJP.’
Video footage was captured, and shared via X account @full_send_mma, of Teixeira speaking with Prochazka who has previously fallen twice to Pereira. Touching on some friction with Magomed Ankalaev’s camp leading into the rematch with the Dagestan native but contrasting that with how they view Prochazka’s team dynamics, as Teixeira said,
“The other camp was weird to us, no respect. For you guys we’re probably gonna see you next. I don’t know what’s gonna happen but you’re the next guy man. All respect for you guys and your team.”
Glover Teixeira and Team Pereira show love to Jiri Prochazka and his team at UFC 320
“The other camp was weird to us, no respect. For you guys we’re probably gonna see you next. I don’t know what’s gonna happen but you’re the next guy man. All respect for you guys and your team” pic.twitter.com/IXy8VVUE1f
Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka’s massive efforts at UFC 320
Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka both had emphatic performances on October 4th that asserted to many how they are both truly in that upper echelon of UFC light heavyweights. For Pereira, he evened up his in-cage series with the man who took his 205 pound strap at UFC 313 in March. Magomed Ankalaev lost his UFC belt to Pereira in their sequel clash after ‘Poatan’ unleashed a torrent of strikes onto his rival which ended the contest eighty seconds in.
Pereira is now within a rarefied air of UFC competitor as a three time champion with his brief anomoulous journey in MMA continuing to impress.
Conversely for Prochazka, he seemed to drop the first two rounds to his opponent over the weekend but turned it up in the final frame of the fight in truly memorable fashion. Khalil Rountree was implementing his gameplan well and seemed to be leading the dance once the first two stanzas had elapsed. A left hook KO in the third round sealed the deal and speaking of anomalies, Prochazka may have secured a title shot against someone he is 0-2 against in Pereira.
A BKFC champion has called out Gennady Golovkin for a bare knuckle boxing bout and theorizes that it would be a quick affair. Connor Tierney is the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship titleholder in question who called out GGG recently. This callout was also made in the context of BKFC 81 freshly being in the books with acclaimed amateur and pro gloved boxer James DeGale winning in the main event but it seemingly being a one and done experience for him.
The BKFC UK welterweight champion used the medium of his Instagram story to convey this message as Tierney said,
Connor Tierney captured the BKFC UK welterweight crown in August 2024 against Jonny Graham. In their BKFC 64 headlining bout, Tierney authored a unanimous decision victory over Graham to cement himself as the champion of the promotion’s United Kingdom branch.
‘Brum Town Bomber’ also defended the BKFC UK strap in late-June of this year against Danny Christie. Tierney would stop Christie fourteen seconds into the fourth frame of their bare knuckle boxing bout when they tested skill at BKFC 77 in the main event.
Gennady Golovkin closes in on potential IBHOF recognition
Gennady Golovkin was in the headlines recently for matters related to his massive legacy in the sweet science possibly being immortalized. The International Boxing Hall of Fame ballot in 2026 has been distributed a few days ago with the Kazakhstan native being a frontrunner in those recent inductions conversations. Golovkin is a multi-time middleweight champion on a global scale and has been unified titleholder on a pair of occasions with one of the strongest runs at 160 pounds in recent memory.
The 43-year-old is in the running with Vernon Forrest as well as Steve Collins with all of these pugilists being looked at for the first time within the men’s modern category. The results of the voting will be made public come early December.
Prolific Arab MMA fighter Mohammad Fakhreddine is set to be inducted into BRAVE’s newly instantiated Hall of Fame. This announcement came amid the broadcast proceedings for BRAVE: Georgia vs. The World which took place on Friday, October 3rd. Fakhreddine will now forever be cemented in the history books for BRAVE CF along with veteran announcer Carlos “The Roaring Lion” Kremer who was brought in as the sophomore inductee.
Speaking on the nature of this big induction, Mohammed Shahid, President of BRAVE Combat Federation, stated,
“Mohammad Fakhreddine is more than a champion; he is the face of Arab MMA and one of the greatest fighters to ever represent this region. His passion, resilience, and history-making achievements inside the BRAVE CF cage have inspired an entire generation.”
“It is only fitting that he becomes one of the first members of the BRAVE CF Hall of Fame. His story is our story, and his legacy will forever be celebrated.”
The BRAVE middleweight champion himself weighed in on the accomplishment, as Mohammad Fakhreddine quipped,
“To be inducted into the BRAVE CF Hall of Fame is beyond anything I imagined when I started this journey. BRAVE CF gave me a stage to show the world who I am, and every battle, every victory, and every setback shaped me into the fighter I’ve become.”
“This recognition is not just for me, but for every fan who believed in me from the beginning. I’m honored, I’m grateful, and I’m ready to continue making history.”
BRAVE CF Hall of Fame inductee resume
Fakhreddine has been a pillar in BRAVE since his 2017 debut and has had 13 memorable contests under their promotional banner. With demonstrable KO power, he has put together stoppages in the bulk of his pro MMA contests.
In September 2020 at BRAVE CF 41 in September 2020, Fakhreddine won the BRAVE middleweight strap when he dethroned Daniel Pereira. Two years after winning the title with a fourth round finish, at BRAVE CF 57, he would ascend into rarefied air within the promotion’s history. Fakhreddine became the first combatant to hold two world championships concurrently when he defeated Mohamed Said Maalem with a TKO in the second stanza of the matchup to win the vacant light heavyweight belt.
After a limited time foray outside of the BRAVE cage, Fakhreddine made a huge return to BRAVE in 2024. In that BRAVE CF comeback outing, he stopped Abdel Rahmane Driai inside of two rounds. He would further punctuate his comeback to the BRAVE CF cage by regaining the middleweight belt this past June. At BRAVE CF 96, Fakhreddine put it on established competitor Erko Jun in the opening stanza of their contest.
Despite the HOF induction, Fakhreddine prepares to fight again in the coming weeks. He will compete at the landmark BRAVE 100 which transpires on November 7th. This is also where his induction ceremony will happen during the build up into the event. The BRAVE CF Hall of Fame will reveal more inductees in the coming weeks as the event looms closer. The promotion prepares for one of the most important celebrations in their history as the road continues to BRAVE CF 100.
Craig Jones is one of the most prevalent characters in the world of submission grappling and Garry Tonon has weighed in on some of the discourse around Jones’ recent efforts as both a competitor and promoter. Tonon has historically been close to Gordon Ryan over the years and the former has some opinions on if Craig Jones’ behaviour is largely authentic or if it’s to generate headlines and get attention, Tonon said,
“Yeah, I don’t really know enough. I don’t follow a ton of stuff that Craig [Jones does]. I obviously hear about certain things, like I don’t follow it a ton. It definitely rubbed me the wrong way when CJI [Craig Jones Invitational] initially, you know, started doing whatever they were doing because I felt as though it was a lot less about creating a new organization and a lot more about trying to burn an organization that had already existed.”
“I felt like the express goal was destroy this other thing that otherwise had been, you know, the foundation of the no gi grappling community for a long time. It was hard for me to be in any way on board with that kind of mentality because, you know, I mean f**k, ADCC has basically been a charity organization for grappling for over a decade, maybe possibly two decades.”
“Because there was no money to be made in the sport and they were giving out money, you know, substantially larger prizes than any; like you couldn’t fight; in order to win $1,000 in jiu-jitsu, first of all, there was very few opportunities to do it. But in order to do it, I mean, you had to win like an absolute division in like a Grappler’s Quest or something like that and fight like a bunch of the best guys, you know, in at least a 16-man bracket.”
“That was to win like a thousand bucks and nobody was paying for your travel. Nobody was paying any of your expenses. So like basically you probably; if you had to travel from anywhere, you weren’t; you wouldn’t make any money. You know and that’s like what the grappling scene was professionally for a really long time.”
“And you know, could you make the argument that ADCC at this stage of the game, you know, could maybe make some adjustments as far as like pay, pay scheme, and how they do things? Yeah, you could make that argument and I kind of get it, you know. But man, they’ve been a pretty big mainstay in the community that has been giving back to that community for, you know, in terms of at least monetarily and prestige-wise for a very long time.”
“And it just didn’t feel right to go full scorch earth on them and have that be the express goal. So, you know, that rubbed me the wrong way. So, because of that, I really haven’t been; it pushed me away from the whole [CJI] concept. You know, obviously we all; I have a bias as well because of what happened with the team split between those guys, but that’s really the biggest complaint that I have is it felt a lot more like taking down and destroying people that have done generally good things than it did have to do with, hey, I’m going to start this new organization that’s going to be great for professional grappling.”
“That was my biggest grievance really, more than anything else. I don’t really, like I said, follow too much of like the day-to-day drama stuff. I do know that supposedly he’s leaving B team and now they’re kind of doing their own thing. Like I don’t know if they’re going to rebrand as a different team or what, but that’s the only other thing that I’ve really heard.”
“I know they’re doing; our team is has a team in CJI, the next one, or whatever the case may be. They’re doing like a teams thing. So like I’m peripherally, you know, kind of aware. But yeah, I don’t know. Like you said, there’s a lot of stuff that’s done for attention and drama and clicks and things like that. He’s very good at that, at doing that sort of thing, and I think that’s a lot of; maybe the motivation behind it but I can only really speculate. But yeah, man, I don’t know. I think having diversity in professional grappling is always a good thing.”
Craig Jones, athletic exclusivity, and what could uplift the submission grappliong scene
As the prolific submission grappler further expounded upon his thoughts regarding Craig Jones, promotional exclusivity for athletes, and what could best serve the future growth of the sport, Tonon continued,
“I’ve never been huge on like one organization just signing people’s lives away and not having them be able to; I feel like it prevents, you know, all the matches that people want to see and stuff like that. Because it’s not on the level that MMA is where you can really; where an organization can really afford to, you know, support; like any specific organization can really afford to just support, you know, an entire stable of athletes, you know. They can do it for like a few of them, you know, and for those few, I think it’s probably great, right?”
“Like if you got like; so, for example, like the Ruotolos at ONE, for example, right? Like I’m sure they’re paid great, you know? I’m sure that they’re having a great time. I’m sure that like it’s a good decision for them to generally like be basically mostly competing there, you know. But it would be really difficult for ONE, logistically speaking, to do that with for example, every; to do that with like 10 of the best athletes or let’s not not even say 10 because really you would need like a top 15, right?”
“So like 15 of the best athletes in every single weight division, you’re paying them enough for them to only participate and not just paying them enough, but also have enough opportunity for them to compete only in that organization. Like that would be very difficult to do, you know, like without having a whole separate grappling organization, you know, if you’re going to have the events on the same cards as MMA fighters and kickboxers. Like I said, like you just can’t do all of those things at once.”
“So, you know, I like the idea of different organizations popping up and giving athletes different opportunities and stuff like that, but I don’t know if they necessarily need to. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a zero-sum game is kind of what I’m saying. I don’t really see; I don’t think that’s helpful for anybody really. Like for it to be a zero sum; for people to present it as a zero sum game, you know? It’s like CJI didn’t need to be on like the same weekend as ADCC, you know, like that was crazy.”
“There’s just no reason for that. It’s like, okay, sure, it’s a publicity stunt, but you basically made it so that grapplers couldn’t get both opportunities. They were going to only be able to participate in one and fans were probably going to have a tough time. Like I guess you could have gone back and forth a little bit because there was some overlap and some isolation. But it’s still like, you know, same thing. Like people probably would have liked to watch both of those things live.”
“I just don’t; I remember even coming up early on in the professional grappling scene and seeing like; I’d see like a NAGA or Grappler’s Quest or something like that and it would be on like the same; it would be like on the same weekend or something like that as some major tournament in IBJJF or something like that. There would be like a big; and I’d be like, well, why are these two things happening on the same weekend? Like, it just doesn’t need to be the case.”
“Like, both of these things; or you’d have like, maybe it wouldn’t necessarily be a major IBJJF. Maybe it’d be like a Grappler’s Quest or a NAGA and like they would be in like this, like a similar area on the same weekend. And it’s like, well, guys, like could have just f***ing staggered this s**t and like probably both companies would have made money. Like [laughs], it just wasn’t necessary to pit both of them against each other.”
“I’m sure sometimes it was like an accidental, you know, circumstantial thing. But that’s the kind of thing that I’m talking about. Like I don’t; I think that there’s so much room for growth in this industry and in this sport that like there really is a place for a lot of these organizations. Especially when they’re all doing like new and unique things with like different rule sets and different types of promotions. Like a Fight to Win is vastly different than ADCC and vastly different from CJI and like all these things.”
“Like they all have their own little niche and I think they should just focus on building whatever it is that they’re building instead of just tearing down. You don’t need to tear down anybody else in order to build something cool, you know, with any of these organizations, you know. So, I don’t know, man. I’m very pro, you know, multiple organizations, but I don’t really like the approach. So yeah, that’s kind of my take.”
Khalil Rountree has frequently showcased his fandom of punk as well as metal subgenres and recently got into that ahead of his UFC 320 bout. During an interview with Jose Youngs of MMA Fighting, Rountree touched on several subjects outside of the immediate fight talk tied to his high stakes light heavyweight clash with Jiri Prochazka on Saturday, October 4th.
When asked about the biggest misconception that people from outside society have surrounding fans of hardcore, the former UFC light heavyweight title challenger touched on the etiquette that exists in the pit, as Khalil Rountree said,
“As chaotic and violent as it may look, for people like me and the people that go, it’s often like a safe space—100 percent. It’s a safe space to be able to let out rage and not be criticized for it and not get arrested for it.”
“When we go there, if you’re near the pit, if you get punched, you signed up for it. If you get knocked out in the pit, somebody’s probably going to pick you up and carry you off and make sure you’re okay.”
“Unless you’re really being an a**, then they’ll probably just leave you there. But for the most part, it’s a safe space for almost everybody there.”
Khalil Rountree and the popular online clip of him doing hardcore vocals
Also in the interview above with Youngs, the hugely entertaining fighter was asked for three hardcore albums he would give to someone that wants to immerse themselves in the punk sub-genre. Khalil Rountree referenced a record from Terror titled One with the Underdogs as one of the LP’s within that trifecta and the surging 205 pound contender actually got to perform with the band before.
In a clip that has been circulated a fair bit on MMA social media, the 35-year-old UFC fighter got on-stage and performed vocals for Terror and when describing that experience, Rountree stated [viaNo Echo],
“I’ve seen Terror many times but never had the courage to take the mic from Vogel. But this time was different. I was back in my hometown after being away for a handful of years.”
“I hadn’t been to a show in ages and it was Terror. I mean that’s it. They played ‘Out of My Face,’ and I was so p***ed at all the internet trolls crying about me kicking some guy’s leg in so it was the perfect opportunity for me to get up and talk my s**t.”
The California native performed on-stage shortly after his TKO victory over Modesta Bukauskas and in further touching upon that moment with the microphone, Rountree quipped,
“Never met Scott or Terror before but I chopped it up with him after and sent them some Supachamp merch. Thanked him for the lyrics he writes and the messages he’s stood by all these years.”
“That s**t got us all through a lot and still does. Terror is a Hall of Fame hardcore band. I’m glad someone filmed that moment.”
‘The Black Widow’ encroaches into Newark as Jessica Borga aims to collect her second belt in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship in BKFC’s first foray into New Jersey. Jessica Borga battles Christine Ferea at BKFC 82 for the Queen of Violence championship. This October 4th catchweight affair is a hugely compelling, champ vs. champ clash with Borga and Ferea entering the 138 pound catchweight clash as the 145 pound and 125 pound champions, respectively.
Borga appeared on Bare Knuckle Bowker once again and in her prior BKB appearance ahead of her last fight with Hannah Rankin, Borga mentioned that she could see the stoppage happening in the second round. This considering Rankin’s resume of opponents and championship accolades in boxing which gave some notion she could be durable enough to get to the second stanza.
At BKFC 72 when they did clash, ‘The Black Widow’ authored a devastating 32 second KO of Rankin and Borga became BKFC’s inaugural women’s featherweight champion in Dubai. When asked if she has a particular visualization for how this BKFC 82 fight for the Queen of Violence title against BKFC’s flyweight champion will wrap up, Borga said [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“It’s crazy. You know, I always plan as if I’m going for five rounds, you know. Like I’m going against the biggest, the best, the fastest. I just; I plan and prepare for a five round brawl every time.”
“Even though I know what I bring to the table and I don’t think that she realizes after I hit her one time. I think she might try to run away a lot [laughs], but I think that she’s not going to make it as long as she thinks she’s going to make it.”
“I don’t see her lasting. I mean, I had a two-time world champion boxer, my last one, that was quite a bit bigger than me that has gone the distance with legends, you know, and I finished her faster than I anticipated, you know.”
“So, you know, I just; I think I’m underestimated a lot. But once again, I’ll get to prove myself.”
BKFC has “pampered” Ferea according to Borga: “I do not respect her”
Hannah Rankin is a great statement win by any measure and the former gloved boxing champion has fought people like Claressa Shields under Queensberry Rules. But localized to the bare knuckle fighting space, Christine Ferea has a handful of title defenses to her credit and many regard her as the number one woman pound for pound in gloveless combat.
When asked if this would be the biggest feather in her cap in a bare knuckle context at this point in time, Borga stated [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“Yeah, I’d say that. I mean, I think that she’s been pampered a lot in the sport, but I’m not taking away from anything that she’s done for the sport.”
“She’s been there since the beginning. She’s fought 11 fights. You know, it’s; I had the respect for what she’s done for the sport, but I do not respect her.”
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