Alvarez vs. Berlanga Preview

The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada will host a dynamic night of title fights on Saturday, September 14th. The main event is a battle between pound for pound great Canelo Alvarez as he defends his WBC, WBO, and WBA Super middleweight titles against Edgar Berlanga.

Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KO) is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Jaimie Munguia to defend his titles in May. The win was his fourth straight victory and defense of the belts after unsuccessfully challenging Dmitry Bivol for the WBA (Super) light heavyweight title in 2022. The loss was just the second defeat of his career with the first coming to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2013.

The Mexican fighter has held titles in four weight classes and has unified titles in three divisions. He is the only fighter to become undisputed champion at super middleweight. Despite all his accomplishments Alvarez believes he has something to prove against a new challenger.

"I always take my fights seriously and train 100% no matter who is in there. I always have the same mentality," Alvarez said.

"I will show everybody I'm still the best."

The 34-year-old is confident he will finish the fight on Saturday. “I’m knocking him out in eight rounds, or less,” Canelo said. “He’s a good fighter, he’s strong, but he’s nothing new to me. I have a lot of experience, and he’s going to feel it on Saturday.”

Not only has Alvarez been successful in the ring, he also has achieved elite financial status becoming one of the biggest draws in a boxing era. He has been linked to a fight with the biggest draw in MMA history Conor McGregor. Canelo commented, “Easy money. [I’ll knock him out] at the time I want. One round, two rounds, three rounds, whatever I want,” he said.

When it is all said and done, Alvarez will go down as one of the best boxers in the history of the sport. At 34 years old he is on the back end of his career, but there are still plenty of fighters out there wanting to challenge the champion.  The name at the top of that list is undefeated David Benavidez who currently holds the WBC interim light heavyweight belt and is a former WBC super-middleweight champion. Critics believe if Alvarez never faces Benavidez, it will tarnish his legacy.

During his hall of fame career Alvarez has key wins over Jermell Charlo, Gennady Golovkin (twice), Caleb Plant, Billy Joe Saunders, Sergey Kovalev, Daniel Jacobs, Miguel Cotto, Erislandy Lara, Austin Trout, Shane Mosley and Kermit Cintron.

Berlanga (22-0, 17 KO) is coming off a sixth round TKO of Padraig McCrory in February giving him his first finish since 2020. The 27-year-old expects a big result against Alvarez. “I’m going to knock him out in the sixth round,” Berlanga said. “When it’s time to shine, I always come through. This is war.”

It is a bold prediction from Berlanga as Canelo has never been knocked down, let alone stopped in the ring. Berlanga is ready to prove everyone wrong. "There are a lot of doubters out there, people who don't believe in me, but Saturday night I'm going to make them believers," Berlanga said.

"There is fire in my blood and veins to go out there and perform.

"This is the top of the mountain, it doesn't get any bigger, and now it's about me becoming great and putting my last name in the history books forever."

Berlanga is a bigger fighter than Alvarez and he commented on Alvarezs’ abilities in a fight where he is at a size disadvantage. “I see him throwing shots at people’s arms,” Berlanga said. “He started doing that when he started fighting bigger fighters, break the arms down so in the later rounds he can just start connecting. That’s his method all the time, he did it to Munguia. He’ll hit you in the arms, then hit you, hit you, and then he’ll switch it up. That’s how he dropped Munguia. But that jab is his kryptonite. Bivol threw at least like 60 jabs a round.”

This will be the biggest fight of Berlanga’s career and with a win he could produce one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. Canelo holds a rematch clause in the contract in the event of a defeat. Canelo has not yet avenged a loss and rematching a young lion who shocked the world would make for a great storyline in a second fight.

The Undercard:

Erislandy Lara vs. Danny Garcia for Lara’s WBA “super” middleweight title.

Caleb Plant vs. Trevor McCumby for the vacant WBA interim super middleweight title

Rolando Romero vs. Manuel Jaimes

Stephen Fulton vs. Carlos Castro

The main card can be seen on Prime PPV at 8:00 pm ET

UFC Vegas 97 Preview

The UFC is returning to the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada for on Saturday, September 7th for UFC Vegas 97. The main event will be in the welterweight division between former title challenger #6 Gilbert Burns and #8 Sean Brady.

Burns is trying to rebound from two straight losses having most recently lost by KO to rising contender Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 299 in March. The other loss was by unanimous decision to now champion Belal Muhammad. Since challenging for the title in 2021 he has gone 3-3 and needs a win on Saturday to remain considered a top contender at 170 pounds.

Despite being inconsistent lately, Burns believes he can go on one more title run. “Whenever I’m at my best, even at training or in a fight, I still feel like I can beat so many guys out there,” Burns said. “I still have a lot of fight in me.”

A title run could result in a rematch with current champion Muhammad, a loss that Burns wants to avenge. “I want that rematch back,” Burns says. “That’s the one that was very hard for me to swallow. … I hope when I make it back to the title, he’s the one holding [the belt], and we’ll make that rematch.”

The 38-year-old talked about Brady who is known for his powerful wrestling. “I hope we’ll grapple. I think we’re gonna grapple,” says Burns, a former world-class submission grappler before putting his full energy behind his MMA career. “I’m gonna look for grappling. I’m gonna look for takedowns. … We might avoid each other, and it might be a battle on the feet, but maybe I get a good takedown; maybe he gets a takedown and we’ll grapple. I’m excited to see. I still think strongly that we’re gonna grapple.”

The Brazilian is confident but knows it will not be easy to defeat Brady. “I believe I’m gonna beat Sean Brady. I don’t think it’s gonna be easy,” Burns said. “I think I might get in trouble a little bit; I might put him in trouble a little bit. But I do believe, at the end of the night, I’m gonna win that fight.”

Burns has his sights set on a few contenders with a win over Brady. “I’m looking forward to a No. 1 contender fight,” he says, “so we’ve got Leon Edwards, Kamaru Usman, or Colby Covington. Those are the guys I’m looking forward to after I beat Sean Brady, to fight one of these guys and earn a title shot with a win over these guys.”

Since his UFC debut in 2014, Burns has collected 15 wins with key victories over Jorge Masvidal, Neil Magny, Stephen Thompson, Tyron Woodley and Demian Maia. The welterweight division has evolved since he last fought for the title, so a title run would take convincing wins by Burns. It all starts on Saturday with a win over Brady, a prospect on the rise who has only been defeated once in his career by the champion Muhammad.

Brady rebounded well from his TKO loss to Muhammad by defeating Kelvin Gastelum via third round submission in December. The 31-year-old is 6-1 in the UFC and has reflected on his only loss to the current champion by calling out the fans.

“I don’t understand the fraud checked thing. First of all, Twitter f*****g sucks. It’s a cesspool full of miserable, miserable people, it’s insane. These people on there are nuts. You’d never say anything that these guys say to your face, they are some dork in their mom’s basement, just eating Cheetos. I got fraud-checked, Joey (Pyfer) got fraud-checked, a bunch of other guys got fraud-checked. What is fraud-checked by a fighter who is in the top-10, top-15? I don’t understand it,” Sean Brady said.

He continued, “That is frustrating to see. It is never other fighters who say it. I don’t understand the fraud-checked thing. But, I guess I got fraud-checked by the UFC champion. Thanks, bro.”

Brady talked about his gameplan against Burns. “Gilbert, amazing jiu-jitsu,” Brady said. “Obviously he’s won (world championships) and everything like that, but that was a long time ago, and that was in the gi. Gi and no-gi is completely different, and MMA jiu-jitsu is completely different, as well.

“I think he’s got great submissions. I’m sure he’s great on bottom, but I definitely think I have better jiu-jitsu, and I’m looking to test it.”

Despite his confidence, Brady has respect for Burns. “I was kind of asking for Gilbert,” Brady said. “I was asking for a lot of guys, but Gilbert was definitely one of them. I respect Gilbert. He’s an amazing fighter, and he’s done amazing things. He’s fought for the belt, and he had a competitive fight with some of the best guys. He had a great fight going with Jack until it didn’t go his way. He’s a great fighter and a competitor, and I’m just looking forward to testing myself against him. I think it’s my first true veteran fight that I’m going to get to test myself against somebody who’s been there, done that.”

Aside from Gastgelum, Brady has a key win over Michael Chiesa. But a win over Burns would be the biggest of his career and would announce his presence into the title conversation at welterweight. The division has seen the emergence of new contenders in the top 10 and Brady could solidify his position on that list with a dominant performance against Burns.

The rest of the main card:

Women's Flyweight - #6 Jéssica Andrade vs. #8 Natália Silva

Featherweight - Steve Garcia vs. Kyle Nelson

Bantamweight - #11 Matt Schnell vs. #15 Cody Durden

Lightweight - Trevor Peek vs. Yanal Ashmouz

Lightweight - Rong Zhu vs. Chris Padilla

ESPN+ Prelims:

Featherweight - Isaac Dulgarian vs. Brendon Marotte

Flyweight - Felipe dos Santos vs. André Lima

Featherweight - Yi Zha vs. Gabriel Santos

Women's Strawweight - Jaqueline Amorim vs. Vanessa Demopoulos

Middleweight - Andre Petroski vs. Dylan Budka

Featherweight - Žygimantas Ramaška vs. Nathan Fletcher

Pacheco vs. Sulecki Preview

The Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California will host a dynamic fight in the super middleweight division on Saturday, August 31. Undefeated prospect Diego Pacheco will battle former title challenger Maciej Sulecki.

Pacheco (21-0, 17 KO) is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Shawn McCalman in April, but the decision put an end to his nine-fight finish streak. The 23-year-old was ranked as the top amateur middleweight in North America prior to turning pro in 2018 at 19 years old.

The Los Angeles native is ready to leave everything in the ring. “Maciej is a veteran, he’s been in some tough fights and he’s fought some good champions,” said Pacheco. “I’m just looking forward to adding him to my resume. He’s another guy that’s looking to take this away from me, but I’ve put the work in, I have God on my side and that’s all that matters… There’s nothing that can stop me.

“Maciej has had harder fights than my other opponents. He’s boxed some great fighters and he’s fought for a world [WBO] title and he’s beaten a lot of good fighters too. So, we won’t know until I’m in the ring with him if he’s my toughest fight but I’m treating this fight like it’s my last fight and I’m ready for the best of him.”

While Sulecki has faced two former champions, Pacheco believes he will be his toughest test. “I’m a special fighter,” explained Pacheco. “All respect to Jacobs and Andrade but I think stylistically I’m more of a power puncher; I’m a better counter-puncher, I just have it all. I can work inside and go to the body, I can outbox my opponents and frustrate them and get them to open up. It’s just a matter of how the fight goes; I’m ready for whatever he brings and I believe I’ll get the knockout.

“I don’t like to do too much studying, because you can study, and study, and study, and then on fight night you meet something completely different. I prefer to adjust when I’m in there, so we’ll see what he brings on Saturday.”

Sulecki is known for his ability to take punishment so Pacheco will have his hands full if he chooses to take the fight to him. If he can finish the veteran, he will catch the attention of the rest of the division and be primed for a title eliminator fight.

While Sulecki has been criticized by the pundits for fighting middle competition since losing a title fight in 2019, the Polish fighter believes he has more than enough experience to stop Pacheco in his tracks.

“Diego Pacheco hasn’t been tested in big fights, big challenges. He’s the guy you need to be cautious about. He’s the guy who makes mistakes, and we have to capitalize on those mistakes,” said Sulecki. “He’s not been tested yet.”

The 35-year-old continued, “He’s a young, strong fighter with ambition, but he hasn’t been in the ring with such an experienced fighter as me,” said Sulecki. “Up to now, he’s been fighting the opponents from the second and third leagues. However, I can say he’s good and we’ll see how he’ll undergo a very serious test from me.”

Sulecki (31-2, 12 KO) thinks his proven experience fighting top contenders and champions will be too much for Pacheco to handle. “I’m sure I have self-discipline. Great skills, a tough jaw, huge character, and the will to fight,” said Sulecki.

While Sulecki has wins over Hugo Centeno Jr, Jack Culcay and Gabriel Rosado; a win over Pacheco would be a strong reminder why he challenged for a title. A victory over a top ten surging contender could put Sulecki in a prime position for another title eliminator fight.

The fight can be seen on DAZN Worldwide and main ring walks start at 11:00pm ET

UFC Vegas 96 Preview

The UFC is heading back to the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, August 24th for UFC Vegas 96. The main event will be in the middleweight division between former title challenger #5 Jared Cannonier vs. rising contender #12 Caio Borralho.

Cannonier is trying to rebound from a fourth round TKO loss to Nassourdine Imavov in June in what was a great back and forth fight. Cannonier is 7-3 in his last 10 fights and has proven he is a tough matchup for anyone in the middleweight division.

The 40-year-old talked about his last loss and what at the time to him felt like an early stoppage. “No, it doesn’t hurt anymore; the pain has subsided,” Cannonier said. “Time heals all wounds, as they say, and, on top of that, I guess I got a bit of closure when they rescheduled Imavov to fight Brendan Allen.”

He continued, “These things happen and we move on,” said Cannonier. “I just moved on. I’m not gonna sit on that and feel bad for — you said 11 weeks? Imagine carrying that weight around!”

While pundits believe this was too quick of a turnaround for Cannonier, he commented. “I definitely wanted a quick turnaround; I didn’t want to sit and wait too long,” said Cannonier.  “Another six months would have been fine, but I did not want to do that.

“This is the quickest turnaround I’ve ever had. It’s a relatively short notice fight for me. It’s my inaugural short notice, against a hungry, young, up-and-coming guy who wants it bad and who has called me out on a few occasions in the past, and I’m more than happy to meet him in the cage and give him a proper greeting.”

Cannonier talked about his opponent on Saturday. “I do take it as a compliment — him wanting to test himself, one warrior to another,” Cannonier said. “I can definitely tip my hat to that; it’s very admirable and I’m all for it.”

“He called me out and we get to go in there and fight now,” continued Cannonier. “I don’t mean it like, ‘He called me out, so now we’re gonna fight!’ That’s high school s***, bro! We’re too many levels above that.”

“This is a job and, as a man, I can appreciate the way he approached it.”

Cannonier is looking forward to a great fight. “It’s gonna feel so good to have gone through this last year, go through this whole thing,” acknowledged Cannonier. “It’s gonna be real good to go out there and compete, to perform, to engage in some fisticuffs; do some martial arts at a very high level and ultimately get my hand raised.

“It’s gonna feel real good.”

Sitting at #5 in the rankings puts Cannonier in great position to stay in the title conversation with a win on Saturday. He has key victories in his career over David Branch, Anderson Silva, Jack Hermansson, Kelvin Gastelum, Derek Brunson, Sean Strickland and Marvin Vettori. This will be his second straight fight where he is facing a fighter below him in the rankings, but he can prove his critics wrong and show that he is not a steppingstone.

Borralho’s only loss was back in 2015 and he is coming off a KO victory over Paul Craig at UFC 301 in May. The Brazilian is 6-0 in the UFC and is looking for the biggest win of his career on Saturday.

The 31-year-old is confident no matter what version of Cannonier shows up to the fight. “I think it can go either way (decision or finish),” Borralho said. “It just depends on how prepared he is and how much he wants it. At 40 years old, let’s see how much he wants to stay in the position that he is and to go again for the belt and something like that.

“I’m prepared. I worked my ass off for this fight, and I think I deserve this victory. Let’s just see how prepared he’s going to come, and see how prepared he comes for me. I’m going to push the pace, I’m going to make the rhythm high at all times and let’s see how he behaves in the fight. It all depends on him and if he came very well-prepared. … I’m prepared to knock him out or finish him because I have the ground game, and he doesn’t have that much, so let’s see how Jared comes.”

Despite his confidence, Borralho knows a win over Cannonier will not come easily. “I think he’s a very experienced guy, very explosive and has power in his hands,” Borralho said. “He knows how to take the fight where he wants it to go. Definitely an experienced guy. He’s faced a lot of tough opponents. All respect to Jared, but it’s my time now.”

The rest of the main card:

Women's Strawweight- #9 Angela Hill vs.  #11Tabatha Ricci

Middleweight Ryan Loder vs. Robert Valentin Frey

Featherweight Kaan Ofli vs. Mairon Santos

Welterweight - #12 Neil Magny vs. Michael Morales

Middleweight Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Gerald Meerschaert

ESPN+ Prelims:

Lightweight Dennis Buzukja vs. Francis Marshall

Middleweight Zachary Reese vs. José Daniel Medina

Lightweight Viacheslav Borshchev vs. James Llontop

Women's Bantamweight Jacqueline Cavalcanti vs. Josiane Nunes

Featherweight Zygimantas Ramaska vs. Nathan Fletcher

Women's Flyweight Wang Cong vs. Victoria Leonardo

UFC 305 Preview

The UFC is invading the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia on Saturday, August 17th for UFC 305. The main event will be a heated battle for the middleweight championship between champion Dricus du Plessis and former two-time champion Israel Adesanya.

Du Plessis controversially won the title in his last fight by split decision over Sean Strickland at UFC 297. While the result has been debated, Du Plessis proved that he could endure a back-and-forth fight over five rounds. He has not lost a fight since 2018 and is 7-0 in the UFC.

UFC fans and critics have talked about what it means for Adesanya’s legacy to become a three-time champion. Du Plessis commented, “With a guy like Adesanya, he’s seen it all and achieved it all so now you can go ‘Well, now you’re the first three-time UFC champion’ but that just means he lost the belt twice,” said the champion.

“It’s not an achievement, it’s just a record that is on record, it’s not an achievement for a person but what is there left for the man in this sport?”

While the champion downplayed his challenger, he does have respect for him. “His career can’t be argued,” Du Plessis said. “He’s one of the greatest fighters ever. Not in the middleweight division, not in the UFC, but in MMA, one of the best to ever do it. While he’s still in the organization, I’m holding the belt, which makes it pretty evident that there’s something special [about me] and there’s something different.”

He continued, “There’s definitely that extra motivation defending this title, and in a fight of this magnitude. It’s not my first headliner. My previous one I was a contender. As a champion it makes no difference. But the magnitude of this fight, myself vs Adesanya, this fight’s been in the making for almost two years.”

Du Plessis and Adesanya have had a public display of bad blood between one another, but Du Plessis responded that it might be one-sided.

“It’s never, ever personal,” Du Plessis said. “It never has been, and it never will be. There’s nothing that can be said, there’s nothing that can be done that’s going to have an effect on me, mentally or emotionally. It’s strictly business when I get in there. I go out there and I’m mentally unbreakable. That’s my biggest attribute. I go out there and I see it for what it is. There’s no insult, there’s nothing anybody can say. He’s obviously emotional going in, but I’m not.”

The champion went on to say, “When it’s a press conference, I answer the question that’s given to me, and if my opponent is treating me with respect, then I will return the favor. But if you’re going to try to push me around, bully me on that mic, I will do to you exactly what I will do in the fight: I will not allow it. I think that is a big key for me and a big weapon that I have is to be able to shut down anything that happened previously, anything that happens outside the Octagon and focusing on the task at hand, and that’s winning the fight.”

Du Plessis believes he is a bad matchup for Adesanya. “When it comes to the way I fight, every fight is different. It’s unorthodox, but when I’m doing it, I know exactly why I’m doing it. And what I’m doing. It’s hard to figure that out, because to find somebody to imitate my style, which I’ve heard is a very weird style, is really hard to do. What makes myself different is I don’t try to fight like anybody else. I don’t try to adhere to the norm of this is how you should look, because that’s the critique I’ve been getting for my whole UFC career, that it doesn’t look right. A gorilla on roller skates is what somebody said.”

The South African fighter concluded with a prediction, “I know his prediction was a first-round knockout,” Du Plessis said. “In that case, he needs to come forward and make it a dog fight, which I doubt and which I would love. If that Izzy shows up, this fight’s not going past round two. If the Izzy shows up that we’ve been seeing, I’ll be able to get him out of there in three rounds, for sure.”

Adesanya’s last fight was a title loss to Strickland at UFC 293 last September. Many pundits believe the loss is one of the biggest title fight upsets of all-time. Despite being on the receiving end of what is considered a bad loss, Adesanya has put together a hall of fame career. He now has the chance to become just the second fighter in UFC history to become a three-time champion in the same division, along side Hall of Fame Randy Couture

The former champion admitted that after the loss to Strickland he needed a break. While he led many fans and critics to believe it would be longer than a year, he explained why.  "I had to go and get my body right, get my mind right ... I was the most active champion in UFC history, five fights in 18 months, it takes a toll on the body and the mind. So it was just good to remove myself from all of that and just live the Izzy life,’ Adesanya said.

"I'm human at the end of the day, and there is only so much I can do and there is only so much I can put my body through. So I needed to take a break and let my body heal."

Adesanya wants to convince everyone that he is fully back. "[I'm] coming for heads. Belts gather up dust, they rust," Adesanya said. "But taking away someone's name, being a loss on their record that sticks, that's what I'm doing. So I'm taking these guys out while I'm still here and I can feel like 'I beat that guy'."

He concluded by saying he is not focused on making history or winning the title, but rather he is focused on the champion himself. "It would be history, I guess, but I'm not really what I'm focused on, I'm focused on Dricus," he said. "I just have to focus on Dricus because if I focus on him, everything else follows, everything else follows.

"I don't focus on the belt, I don't focus on the accolades, I just focus on taking his head off and the rest will follow."

UFC President Dana White confirmed that the winner of this fight will have a rematch with former champion Sean Strickland. “Sean Strickland right now is the No. 1-ranked Middleweight in the world and the answer is yes,” White said.

Adesanya responded by saying, "Oh, really? Oh nice," Adesanya said. "OK, cool. That's nice, I didn't think the UFC would announce it like that but I thought maybe [Robert] Whittaker vs. Khamzat [Chimaev]."

"I have to think about it, I like it. I don't mind it, I like it. Cool."

The rest of the main card:

#4 Kai Kara France vs. #7 Steve Erceg

Lightweight - #5 Mateusz Gamrot vs. #11 Dan Hooker

Heavyweight - #10 Tai Tuivasa vs. #12 Jairzinho Rozenstruik

Welterweight - Li Jingliang vs. Carlos Prates

The ESPN+ Prelims:

Heavyweight - Junior Tafa vs. Valter Walker

Featherweight - Joshua Culibao vs. Ricardo Ramos

Women's Flyweight - Casey O'Neill vs. Luana Santos

Featherweight - Jack Jenkins vs. Herbert Burns

Early Prelims on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass:

Lightweight - Tom Nolan vs. Alex Reyes

Welterweight - Song Kenan vs. Ricky Glenn

Flyweight - Stewart Nicoll vs. Jesús Santos Aguilar

UFC Vegas 95 Preview

The UFC is heading back to the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, August 10th for UFC Vegas 95. The main event will be a rematch in the heavyweight division between #8 Marcin Tybura and #9 Sergey Spivak. The two first fought in 2020 where Tybura won by unanimous decision.

The victory against Spivak sparked a five-fight winning streak for Tybura and he is 8-2 in his last 10 fights. He most recently defeated Tai Tuivasa by first round submission in March. That win was a big rebound from a first round TKO loss to current interim champion Tom Aspinall in 2023.

The Polish fighter discussed why he accepted a rematch with Spivak. "It's always excitement when the UFC calls, offers you a fight," Tybura said. "I've been here long and have lots of fights but is still the same. I know how UFC was a big dream for me, so when I get the call, I'm always excited. Sure, I rather fight somebody that gets me closer to the top, but I feel like you can gain something in every fight."

Even with a win on Saturday, Tybura is not thinking about title contention yet. "I've been in fights where I've been really close to getting there, and I didn't manage to do it, so right now I'm just trying to focus on the fight," Tybura said. "That's what I'm doing. It's like my fight with Tom Aspinall, which was two fights ago. Right now, it's like looking for some answers that I don't know yet and look to see to be a top five fighter."

Tybura talked about what will be different this time around against Spivak. “He for sure (improved),” Tybura said. “I saw a couple of his fights, and he had a very good performance using his skills, throwing his takedowns, making submissions. I can see he gained some weight, muscles mostly, so he’s more power, more strong. For sure, he’s a different fighter.”

The 38-year-old has been fighting in the UFC since 2016 and will be fighting for the 20th time since his debut. Aside from Spivak and Tuivasa, he has key victories over Blagoy Ivanov, Alexander Romanov, Walt Harris, Ben Rothwell, Stefan Struve and Andrei Arlovksi. A win on Saturday will position him nicely for a top five fight.

Spivak is trying to rebound from a second round TKO loss to Ciryl Gane last September. He is 7-3 in his last 10 fights and like Tybura could be 4-1 in his last five fights with a win on Saturday.

How does he feel about rematching with Tybura? “This is actually the first rematch of my career, so it’s not like I’ve felt this before. But I don’t think about it in any certain way. We’re just close to each other in the rankings, so it is just set for us to fight again. I’m going to come out, I’m going to fight. It’s just a sport. That’s the way I feel,” Spivak said.

He continued, “I wasn’t as experienced back then as I was now. I was very, very young. but I don’t want to look for excuses. He won. He won fair and square, and he did a great job back then. I think he still does a good job now. He’s a great fighter, so we’ll see what happens. But yeah, obviously it’s going to be a very different fight.”

The 29-year-old has been fighting in the UFC since 2019 and has key wins over Tai Tuivasa, Augusto Sakai and Derrick Lewis. If he emerges victorious from the rematch with Tybura he can look forward to another top five fight and prove he belongs in the title contention conversation.

The rest of the main card:

Bantamweight - Chris Gutiérrez vs. Quang Le

Welterweight - Danny Barlow vs. Nikolay Veretennikov

Featherweight - Damon Jackson vs. Chepe Mariscal

Women's Bantamweight - #12 Yana Santos vs. #14 Chelsea Chandler

Bantamweight - Toshiomi Kazama vs. Charalampos Grigoriou

ESPN+ Prelims:

Women's Bantamweight - #8 Karol Rosa vs. #11 Pannie Kianzad

Heavyweight - Jhonata Diniz vs. Karl Williams

Featherweight - Youssef Zalal vs. Jarno Errens

Women's Strawweight - Stephanie Luciano vs. Talita Alencar

Lopez vs. Leo Preview

The Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico will host a dynamic title fight on Saturday, August 10th. IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez will defend his title against former WBO junior featherweight champion Angelo Leo.

Lopez (30-2, 17 KO) has won 13 straight fights and won the IBF title in 2022 with a majority decision victory over Josh Warrington. He has defended the title three times and most recently defeated Reiya Abe in March by 8th round TKO.

The champion is ready for a battle with Leo. “We’ve been training hard as we get ready to finish camp. This has been one of my best training camps, and we will finish strong.” Lopez said. “Like all Mexicans, I do my job in the ring, and I like to throw punches. I don’t mind getting hit in order to hit. We work to be able to do all of that in the ring.  If we have to move around, we’ll do that. If we have to brawl, we can brawl. If the fight ends early, we can end it early. I do my job. I prepare for that. And I’m happy that people like my work.”

Lopez talked about his opponent and the challenge he brings to the fight. “We know that Angelo Leo is a good fighter who comes forward throwing lots of punches. He doesn’t stop in there. So, I think we’re going to need a lot of stamina, and we’re going to need to throw a lot of punches. We’re going to be smart but also aggressive. It’s going to be a good fight. It will be a good test for both of us. I don’t plan on letting go of my title. It’s going to be a great clash.”

He continued, “Making the fourth defense of my title is a great achievement for me. I never imagined it, but here we are. And we’re looking forward to big challenges because big fights are coming. Perhaps unifications. Maybe Naoya Inoue? Definitely something big.”

Leo has won four straight fights since losing the WBO junior featherweight title by unanimous decision to Stephen Fulton in 2021. He most recently defeated Eduardo Baez by unanimous decision in April. Leo will have the advantage and added pressure of fighting in his hometown of Albuquerque.

“World title fight here in my hometown of Albuquerque,” Leo stated on social media. “I couldn’t ask for more.”

The 30-year-old talked about the importance of this fight. “I want to make history and win another title in another division. Winning, I will be one of three to win multiple titles in different weights,” Leo said.

Leo confidently talked about what type of fight he will have with the champion. “I know he can box a little and then will come forward to try to turn fight into slugfest, we have prepped for him and know what to expect and make the adjustments if needed. “Says Leo. “I also know he hasn’t faced a fighter like me before.”

The main card can be seen on ESPN+ starting at 6:30 p.m. ET

Crawford vs. Madrimov Preview

For the first time ever BMO stadium in Los Angeles, California will host a boxing event on Saturday, August 3rd. The main event will feature the best pound for pound boxer in the world Terence Crawford as he challenges Israil Madrimov for the WBA “super” junior middleweight title and for the vacant WBO interim junior middleweight title.

Crawford (40-0, 31 KO) has held multiple world championships in three weight classes and is one of only three boxers in history to become an undisputed champion in two weight classes during the four-belt era. He most recently defeated Errol Spence Jr. by ninth round TKO to retain the WBO welterweight title and win the WBA “super”, WBC and IBF titles.

Despite being the favorite in this fight, many pundits are commenting on how much bigger Madrimov is than Crawford. The challenger commented, “He bigger than me. Everybody bigger than me, but come fight time I always had the ability to show that I was stronger. Bigger don’t mean stronger. It’s just his body type. I’m very lean, my muscle is very compact. That don’t have nothing to do with the ability and skills come fight time,” said Crawford.

At 36 years old, Crawford has continued to silence his critics. How does he feel heading into this fight? “I’m feeling great. I’m ready to fight but all my people always try to remind me to enjoy the moment because one day it’s all going to be gone, so embrace it while you can,” Crawford said.

He continued, “Like I always say everything happens for a reason,” Crawford continues, “and for that reason God didn’t bless me then, but he blessed me now when I’m more mature and can handle everything that comes my way. Who knows where I would have been had I got everything that I wanted when he was younger and immature.”

In his career, Crawford has had 15 title defenses and he has not had a fight go to a decision since 2016. Aside from Spence, he has had key victories over Shawn Porter, Kell Brook, Amir Khan, Jose Benavidez Jr, Julius Indongo, Felix Diaz, Viktor Postol, Thomas Dulorme, Ray Beltran, Yuriorkis Gamboa and Ricky Burns. There is a reported super-fight in the works with all-time great Canelo Alvarez, but Crawford will need to stay focused on Madrimov and not look ahead to a seven-figure payday.

Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KO) is coming off a fifth round TKO in March over Magomed Kurbanov to win the vacant WBA “super” junior middleweight title. The 29-year-old has ignored the hype about size heading into this fight and knows he has to be at the top of his game against Crawford.

“Our training has been good and I’m feeling great,” Madrimov said. “I want to make a good game plan and it will be a great fight on Saturday. I don’t think this fight is about the size, it’s about the experience and knowledge he can use. This division is my division and I’m the champion, I have to defend the belt.”

The champion he has prepared well to defend a title in this weight class, even if it is against an all-timer like Crawford. "This is my weight and I was fighting at an even higher weight class than 154 pounds as an amateur, so I feel comfortable and strong at this weight," Madrimov said. "People can say whatever they want [about experience], but I'm not paying too much attention to it. I've had good fights against the right opponents to prepare me for this fight versus Crawford. Also, with all the international experience as an amateur, along with the professional fights, I'm well prepared for this moment. I'm at my peak."]

He concluded, "In one moment I can change my life and my family's life, and my friends' lives," Madrimov said. "I will be ready because it is an opportunity for me, my family and my country."

The main event can be seen on ESPN+ PPV

UFC Abu Dhabi Preview

The UFC is heading back to the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, August 3rd for UFC on ABC 7. The main event will be a bantamweight title eliminator between #2 Corey Sandhagen vs. #10 Umar Nurmagomedov.

The two fighters were originally scheduled to fight a year ago in a headliner, but Nurmagomedov withdrew from the event due to a shoulder injury. Rob Font stepped in for Nurmagomedov and Sandhagen won the fight by unanimous decision.

Sandhagen has won three straight since unsuccessfully challenging for the interim title against Petr Yan at UFC 267. The 32-year-old has waited patiently for his title shot and has been a top contender at 135 pounds since 2019. A win on Saturday will make him undeniably the next challenger for the bantamweight title. He would face the winner of champion Sean O ‘Malley and #1 contender Merab Dvalishvili who are scheduled to fight in September at UFC 306.

Despite his recent winning streak, Sandhagen felt he had to go through an evolution before this fight with Nurmagomedov. “Umar brought the best out of me in this fight camp,” Sandhagen said. “I've never worked so many hours to learn more and more and more and more. Of course, that, paired with the physical piece and then the mental piece and just all of it, I've already pushed myself harder than I've ever had to push myself, which is great. (I’m) super grateful for that.

“I feel like I unlocked some new things inside of myself.”

Sandhagen has responded as of late to the criticism of his last fight being accused of fighting a “safe fight.”

“I feel like the sport has gotten really big in the last few years, and there's still so much beauty that isn't like tapped into and understood by the fan base,” he said. “Instead of just complaining about people bitching online and just being s**tty online or whatever, I'll help them understand a little bit better of how awesome this art can be and how it is an art. It's not just full drama and two chimpanzees fighting each other. It's not that. It's a beautiful piece of art that these guys spend their entire lives trying to do.”

After putting in the work during his fight camp, Sandhagen feels he is going to surprise everyone on Saturday, including Nurmagomedov. “One of my favorite pieces of martial arts is just solving the puzzle,” he said. “I find a lot of joy and a lot of fun with that, and fans find it interesting to watch. I think it's going to be very impressive on my end, and it's going to catch you off guard with the way that I feel like I've learned to dismantle that style.”

He concluded, “I'm really grateful that I get to fight with Umar,” he said. “(He) pushed me to be better than I feel like I've ever been.”

Aside from Front, Sandhagen has key wins over Marlon Vera, Song Yadong, Frankie Edgar, Marlon Moraes, Raphael Assuncao and John Lineker. His only losses in the UFC have come to former champions Aljamain Sterling, T.J. Dillashaw and Petr Yan. If he can defeat Nurmagomedov on Saturday, a fight with either O’Malley or Dvalishvili will be an exciting title fight for Sandhagen and UFC fans.

Nurmagomedov is undefeated and is 5-0 in the UFC. He most recently defeated Bezkat Almakhan in March. Sandhagen represents a step up in challenge for the 28-year-old but also a golden opportunity to jump the line and fight for a title.

The 28-year-old has confirmed this is in fact a title eliminator fight for him. "In one moment I can change my life and my family's life, and my friends' lives," Madrimov said. "I will be ready because it is an opportunity for me, my family and my country."

Nurmagomedov commented on current bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley. “I just want to beat him. I just want to take his belt. But personally, for him, I don’t know nothing.”

For Sandhagen a shot at the undisputed title will have been a long time coming should it happen. For Nurmagomedov, if he wins on Saturday, he will have beaten the contender his critics say are missing from his resume.

The rest of the main card:

Middleweight - Sharabutdin Magomedov vs. Michał Oleksiejczuk

Bantamweight - #4 Marlon Vera vs. #6 Deiveson Figueiredo

Welterweight - Tony Ferguson vs. Michael Chiesa

Women's Strawweight - #7 Mackenzie Dern vs. #10 Loopy Godinez

Lightweight - Joel Álvarez vs. Elves Brener

Prelims on ESPN+:

Light Heavyweight - Azamat Murzakanov vs. Alonzo Menifield

Lightweight - Mohammad Yahya vs. Kauê Fernandes

Heavyweight - Shamil Gaziev vs. Don'Tale Mayes

Lightweight - Guram Kutateladze vs. Jordan Vucenic

Women's Strawweight - Victoria Dudakova vs. Sam Hughes

Lightweight - Jai Herbert vs. Rolando Bedoya

Middleweight - Sedriques Dumas vs. Denis Tiuliulin

UFC 304 Preview

The UFC will be invading the Co Op Arena in Manchester, England for UFC 304 on a night that features two title fights and a list of native heroes. The main event will be a rematch for the welterweight title between English champion Leon Edwards and #2 Belal Muhammad.

The two originally fought in 2021 but after just 18 seconds into the second round the fight was ruled a no contest due to an accidental eye poke leaving Muhammad not able to continue. Since then, Edwards has won four straight including becoming champion and two successful title defenses.

The champion most recently defended the belt at UFC 296 with a unanimous decision victory over three-time title challenger Colby Covington. Edwards won the title at UFC 278 with one of the most devastating knockouts and come from behind wins in championship history against Kamaru Usman.

Is Edwards feeling the pressure of having the home field advantage? 'I feel like [fighting on home soil] helps my confidence a lot,' says Edwards. 'I like being around my friends and my family, especially fight week. So to be able to have them all there as normal. Like when I'm fighting in Vegas, not everyone can come, you know? So to be just an hour away from my house and have all my friends and everyone there, I think it's extra motivation.”

After a feeling out process in the firs round of their first fight, Edwards feels he is prepared for the type of pressure Muhammad will bring a second time around. “It's just about my experience, you know. I fight at a high level, and have done for a long time now. And going off the back to back camps, I fought Usman twice, and then Colby, and then him, and they're all wrestlers, you know? So I feel like going off the back of those camps has helped me to go into this camp. You know how to approach it and the game plan.”

Edwards addressed the rumors of moving up to middleweight to become a double champion. “I wanna become double champ. I love to move up. I wanna defend my belt as many times as possible first and then look to move up. I wanna go down one of the best welterweights to ever do it. So if I had to do that, you need to get a second belt and beat all the records, you know?”

While Edwards knows there are big fights if he moves up, he is focused on defending his title. “I don’t think there’s really any big money fights right now in the welterweight division,” Edwards said. “Just tough opponents in the division, but there’s no big star that would add more value. Shavkat [Rakhmonov] obviously is a good talent. Everyone’s going on about him. Obviously, Ian Garry, we trained together before. So, there’s a story behind that as well.

“I’m focused on Belal right now. Go out there, take care of business next weekend and after that let’s see where the cookie crumbles.”

The last time Edwards lost a fight was in his first meeting with Usman back in 2015. Since then, he has gone 12-0-1 and is in the prime of his career at 32 years old. The first fight with Muhammad did not tell much of a story, but Edwards had good first round in the fight. However, both fighters have improved since that meeting so Edwards will need to be at the top of his game if he wants to remain the champion.

Is he confident?

“I’m gonna definitely finish,” Edwards said. “I feel like he’s there for it. I feel like he’s tailor-made for me, the way he fights. I’m going for the finish, for sure.

“[Vicente] Luque ain’t the Luque from back in the day, you know? [Stephen] ‘Wonderboy’ [Thompson] ain’t the ‘Wonderboy’ — ‘Wonderboy’s’ 41 now? 40 years old. These are not me. I’m a young 32-year-old and going into my prime, full of confidence, just became champion by knocking out the pound-for-pound No. 1. It’s two different mentalities and two different kind of guys you’re going against. He has improved a little bit, but they’re not me. I feel that is the difference. He knows it, and when we go out there, I’ll show it.”

Since the no contest against Edwards, Muhammad has won five straight fights including wins over former title challengers Gilbert Burns, Stephen Thompson and Demian Maia. He has been calling for a rematch with Edwards and the 36-year-old will finally get his wish under the brightest lights and in hostile territory.

Muhammad has not had anything positive to say about Edwards and it has continued into the fight on Saturday. “Yeah I don’t think Leon has any fans if I’m being honest. Like how can you be a fan of the guy? He’s not loud, he doesn’t talk, he doesn’t tweet, he doesn’t promote himself, he just has the belt,” Muhammad said.

Despite Edwards’ criticism of his opponents since their fight, Muhammad believes he has improved. “I fought the striker, the grappler, the wrestler, the knockout artists,” Muhammad said. “Every single one of those camps, I’ve learned something new from each guy and I've gotten better every single camp, so I've just been nothing but in the gym, grinding hard every single day for this one moment, for this one match.”

Muhammad explained how taking the title from Edwards would be an added bonus to becoming champion. “But now that it's Leon Edwards, it just makes it that much better because it's the guy that I disliked, the guy that I hate, and a guy that, when we were supposed to fight back then, it was supposed to be a small show on the (UFC) Apex,” Muhammad said. “Nobody was there. Now we're fighting on the biggest stage in his home country in front of a huge crowd, and it's going to be that much more epic when I beat him.”

Edwards responded to Muhammad’s large claims of what he will do in the fight. “I feel like that’s why he’s been talking a lot of s*** since the fight got made about what he's going to do and how easy the fight's going to be and blah, blah, blah,” Edwards said. “I don't know what he's doing. The way he talks, like he's going to take me down and look at my coach and then let me back up. It's like, mate, shut up. Everything that you say you’re going to do, you’ve never done. None of it has ever happened in your career. So I feel like, let him talk. He has to back it up on fight night, and I think we both know what's going to happen now. I’m excited to finish him and put an end to it.”

The challenger has gained considerable confidence since training with former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. “It benefits me everywhere,” Muhammad said. “Physically, mentally, spiritually, it just puts me on another level. I said it before and people were making fun of me like, ‘Oh, get off his jock blah blah blah.’ Training with him and getting advice from him is worth 20-30-40-50 days with anybody else. Just being able to feel his strength, feel his pressure, feel his knowledge too that he gives you. And to have him give me advice and what he thinks I should be doing for this fight and breaking down Leon. And telling me what he thinks the game plan should be. The knowledge is endless. Because to me I think he is the GOAT of the MMA world and the UFC. And just like a brother that could message and ask. And anytime I send a question he’ll respond. It’s just literally priceless to have that guy in my life.”

The Chicago native continued, “There’s no hidden juice, no secret with them. Their team is just all about hard work,” Muhammad said. “It’s just about overworking. When Khabib gets there, it’s twice the overwork and twice the push. It’s a different level. And I think that’s why you see a lot of those guys mentally strong because they’ve been through the hardest things in their camps, they’ve been through the hardest parts, the hardest scenarios in all their practices. And then he continues to push you on and if you don’t like it, he’ll just tell you to leave. You’re not strong enough to be a part of it, then you can just leave. There’s no sugarcoating. There’s no, ‘Let me give you a couple of softballs,’ in their gym. They’re all killers, they’re all beasts. And anytime I get a chance to work with them or train with them, I level up.”

If Muhammad can emerge victorious it will certainly shake things up in the welterweight division as there are several contenders who all believe they have earned their title shot. However, it would be difficult to deny Edwards his rematch after two dominant title defenses prior to this fight.

The co-main event will also be for a title as English champion Tom Aspinall will defend his interim heavyweight title in a rematch #4 Curtis Blaydes. The two originally met in a headliner in 2022 but the fight only lasted 15 seconds after Aspinall suffered a knee injury giving Blaydes the TKO win.

Aspinall won the interim title in his last fight with a quick KO of Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 in November. The unfortunate loss to Blaydes has been his only loss in his last 11 fights. The 31-year-old believes the winner of the rematch determines who the best heavyweight in the world truly is.

"Let's make no mistake, this fight is for the best heavyweight - the #1 heavyweight in the world," Aspinall said. "Regardless of titles, which one's the undisputed, and which one's the interim, and all that kind of stuff.... the real people, the real fans, the real guys know this fight defines who is the best heavyweight in the world."

"Jon Jones and Stipe are doing their thing. They've got a title, fair play, whatever. But, this is the number one guy in the world fight," Aspinall added.

While Aspinall believes this fight is for the title of the best, he does not believe a fight with undisputed champion Jon Jones will materialize. "No. It's not gonna happen, mate," Aspinall said. "It's not happening. I'm not bothered about it.

"I'm not saying that I wouldn't like it and absolutely love that fight. I think I made it pretty obvious that that's the fight that I wanted. That's the one, of course, but I don't know. Can I swear on this thing? I'm shooting in the dark with that one. I was gonna say something else, but I'm shooting in the dark. There's nothing going on with that."

Blaydes is known as one of the best wrestlers in the heavyweight division, but Aspinall has prepared for the grappling if the fight makes it there this time around. That’s probably where I spent the most of this camp is on my back with guys on top of me,” Aspinall said. “It’s not been a very, Curtis Blaydes is not a very comfortable guy to train for. Do you know what I mean, you’re getting up off your back. See the way I work it is I work it with multiple training partners so I’ll be starting on bottom, I get them off, the energy that it takes to get a big guy off is, you know, you expend a lot of energy.

“Then I restart on my back with a fresh partner, like it’s exhausting man, it’s just exhausting training for this guy and I’ve done everything I can so we’ll see on Saturday how it goes.”

Since joining the UFC Blaydes has had a long road to his first title shot. That journey has included impressive win streaks that were halted by devastating losses. He most recently defeated rising contender Jailton Almeida by second round KO in March rebounding well from a bad TKO loss to Pavlovich close to a year earlier.

The 33-year-old has arguably been one win away from a title shot three different times in his career, he can erase the heartbreak with a win over Aspinall on Saturday. He commented on the criticism he has faced after suffering bad KO losses.

“I wish people would take that into account when they judge or critique heavyweight,” Blaydes said. “Like, ‘Oh, he got knocked out! He’s a bum!’ No, it’s heavyweight. If you watch [Sean] O’Malley against [Chito] Vera on [UFC] 299, if that was heavyweight, it wouldn’t have went five rounds. I promise you. The way O’Malley was hitting Vera, that’s not going past two rounds. Just because they don’t hit as hard.

“It’s not that we’re not as skilled. It’s that we have to be a little more skilled, I think, in order to strike. That’s why I like to wrestle. This is a dangerous game at heavyweight.”

Blaydes has kept a positive mindset about his losses in the UFC. “People are like, ‘Blaydes has a glass jaw.’ I got knocked out by Derrick Lewis, Sergei caught me but I wasn’t asleep, and [Francis] Ngannou, but again, I wasn’t asleep,” Blaydes said. “Three heavy, heavy hitters. And I ate one from Mark Hunt, a real overhand — I ate that. I don’t think I have a glass jaw. I just think it’s heavyweight and we all hit hard.

“It’s almost a different sport when you compare it to other weight classes, the things you can get away with. You can flick out a lazy, inside leg kick [at other weight classes] and if you get hit with a hook, it’s not the end of the world. Not at heavyweight. That’s what happened to [Alexander] Volkov. He flicked out a lazy one with Derrick [Lewis] at the end of the fight, gets knocked out.”

While remaining positive, Blaydes has been able to recognize his mistakes but see the success he was having in fights he has lost. “People at home are like, ‘Blaydes is a bum, his hands are ass.’ I’m like, did you watch the first round?” Blaydes said. “I was piecing him up. Yeah, he caught me. He knew, ‘This guy is way too fast, I’m just going to stand here and if I get him, I get him,’ and he got me. I hate that.

“People probably view him as a better striker than me just because he got me with an uppercut. It wasn’t the most skillful thing in the world. I almost view it as I knocked myself out because I shot into an uppercut, which only makes it worse.”

Blaydes knows what his strongest asset is. “I wear it like a badge of honor,” Blaydes said. “A lot of people want to talk smack, ‘Oh, he wants to wrestle.’ You get in there, you stand in there with a heavy-hitting heavyweight and you know you only get one ‘you zigged where you should have zagged’ and it’s over. Let’s see if you wrestle or not, at least for a little bit.”

Both Blaydes and Aspinall are going to bring a fight, and one will leave Manchester with a belt.  However, whether either of them want to admit it, they are waiting on the champion Jon Jones who is expected to defend the undisputed belt against former two-time champion Stipe Miocic. Does Blaydes agree with Aspinall that their fight is for the best heavyweight in the world?

“Yes, this is the real belt in my mind. In my mind, Jones vs. Stipe is just their retirement fight,” Blaydes said. “Not to be rude, but they’re both one or two fights away (from retirement). More than likely, this is their get-the-bag-get-out fight, which is fine. That’s how I view it.”

A Blaydes win will shake up things in the heavyweight division, but it is unlikely he or the UFC will want him to wait around on the winner of Jones and Miocic. Could there be a rematch with Pavlovich looming?

The rest of the main card:

Lightweight - #15 Bobby Green vs. Paddy Pimblett

Middleweight - Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Gregory Rodrigues

Featherweight - #6 Arnold Allen vs. #10 Giga Chikadze

ESPN+ Prelims:

Featherweight - Nathaniel Wood vs. Daniel Pineda

Women's Strawweight - Molly McCann vs. Bruna Brasil

Bantamweight - Jake Hadley vs. Caolan Loughran

Light Heavyweight - Modestas Bukauskas vs. Marcin Prachnio

Early Prelims on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass

Welterweight - Oban Elliott vs. Preston Parsons

Flyweight - Muhammad Mokaev vs. Manel Kape

Welterweight - Sam Patterson vs. Kiefer Crosbie

Heavyweight - Mick Parkin vs. Lukasz Brzeski

Women's Straweight - Shauna Bannon vs. Alice Ardelean

Joyce vs. Chisora Preview

The O2 Arena in London, England will host a dynamic heavyweight fight on Saturday, July 27. Former WBO interim heavyweight champion Joe Joyce will face battle tested veteran and former title challenger Derek Chisora.

Joyce (16-2, 15 KO) will be battling in his hometown to prove he is worthy of another shot at a title. He defeated Kash Ali by 10th round KO in his last fight which was a big rebound after losing badly by TKO in his two previous fights to Zhilei Zhang.

The London native knows he cannot take title contention for granted. "I've been so, so close two times," Joyce said. "Once with the WBA, then with the WBO. Only in heavyweight boxing [that] Dubois got elevated straight away with the IBF and I was like, 'What's going on?' I just have to beat whoever is in front of me now and pray I will get the opportunities I deserve."

The 38-year-old talked about what could be next with a defeat of Chisora. “Get through Chisora, and I’m still up there, I’m still ready, and I’m coming for everybody,” Joyce said. “Parker, that would be a good fight, a rematch. Any of the top boys really. Joshua can get it. Dubois can get it. All of them can get it. Fury and Usyk! I’m coming for everyone. Getting that heavyweight title that’s what I’m still in the sport for. I got to the top level in the amateurs and got a silver medal [at the Olympics], and arguably – this is in the past – it should have been gold. I’ve had my setbacks, but I’m still here, I’m still live, and I’m still ‘The Juggernaut.”

Joyce has wins over former WBO champion Joseph Parker and former title challenger Daniel Dubois. Both victories give him great marks on his resume so despite two bad losses recently and his age, he can solidify his place in the title picture with a win on Saturday.

Chisora (34-13, 23 KO) is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Gerald Washington last August. He is 5-5 in his last 10 fights but at 40 years old has fought a who’s who of the heavyweight division. Will Saturday be his last fight?

“It’s a sad day for me that on Saturday. It’s hard to explain because I love the O2 so much and what a way to go out, at the O2 fighting Joe Joyce,” said Chisora.

He continued, “It’s going to be unbelievable. Don’t even sit down, just stay stand up because I’m going to come and find my man,” he said.

Joyce is just about the only heavyweight Chisora has not fought. “It’s been a long time. It’s been a lot of years. I was going to fight him a lot earlier,” he said.

“I was very surprised when the fight was announced for me to actually fight Chisora so I jumped at the opportunity. I think our styles will mesh very well. I’m coming for all the action and all the glory.”

Chisora is not going out quietly and had choice words for Joyce. ‘Compared to everybody I’ve boxed, I don’t lose sleep over you bro, so I’m not bothered. You’re nothing.”

Chisora is also a British fighter who has had many memorable battles in the country he grew up in. In his storied career he has fought the likes of Tyson Fury (thrice), Joseph Parker (twice), Oleksandr Usyk, Dillian Whyte, David Haye and Vitali Klitschko. He has key victories over Kubrat Pulev, Artur Szpilka, Carlos Takam, Kevin Johnson and Danny Williams. Despite the key wins thus far, Joyce could represent the biggest win of his long career.

UFC Denver Preview

The UFC is invading the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Saturday July 13 for an action-packed card of fights. The main event will be in the women’s flyweight division between former two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas and #11 Tracy Cortez. Namajunas was originally scheduled to battle rising contender Maycee Barber, but Barber had to withdraw from the fight due to ongoing health issues.

Namajunas is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Amanda Ribas in March. The win was a big rebound after losing two straight fights in which she lost the strawweight title and her flyweight debut. Namajunas was excited to fight Barber after a not so friendly back and forth on social media.

“It’s just been a few interactions that I’ve had with her, or on social media a long time ago, just like silly stuff,” Namajunas said. “She posted a picture of me with my training partners and X’d out all of their faces and then circled my face and was like, ‘I’m coming for you next.’ I’m just like, ‘OK.’

The 32-year-old continued, “She always tries to say that by beating my training partners, [she thinks], ‘I know that broke her.’ You don’t know what could break me, because there’s a lot more that has to break me. I don’t have anything personal against her, but the competitor inside of me, it’s like, yeah, I really wanted to show her what’s up.”

Despite her intrigue in fighting Barber, she knows Cortez will not be an easy fight. “Definitely, fighting Maycee was super exciting at the time,” Namajunas said. “I was a little disappointed to find out the news, but now that it’s Tracy, it’s just different. I’m just as excited.

“I went through that process of being like, ‘Oh, man,’ and then as soon as they were working on Tracy, it took me a second, but once I made that transition, it took me a day to process it, and it was like, ‘Alright, this is what we’re doing.”

The former champion believes that a win over Cortez puts her in the title conversation at 125 pounds. “I’d say I’m right in that title contention talks [with a win],” Namajunas said. “God willing, I’m healthy, I’m in shape and I’m ready to go with a win and whatever opportunities they want to give me. I could see myself fighting for the belt really soon. So it’s just a matter of doing my job and fighting to the best of my abilities. And anything’s possible.”

Namajunas has already had a hall of fame worthy career, but a title in a second weight class can solidify her position as one of the greatest women’s fighters of all-time. In her storied career she has key victories over Zhang Weili (twice), Jessica Andrade, Joanna Jędrzejczyk (twice), Michelle Waterson, Tecia Torres, Paige VanZant, and Angela Hill.

Cortez has won 11 straight fights since losing her pro debut and is 5-0 in the UFC. She most recently defeated Jasmine Jasudavicius by unanimous decision in September. She will undoubtedly be facing the toughest test of her career on Saturday.

The 30-year-old talked about why she took this fight with Namajunas. “I’m a gamer,” Cortez said. “I’m not one to ever shy down from a challenge. I’m not ever one to say no to great opportunities. This is how the greats are made. This is how legends are made. To fight a former world champ, and have a call – I felt extremely blessed and jumped on it.”

Cortez continued, “I’m going to be blunt: It’s just a learning experience for me, this is all new to me. I’ve never taken a short-notice (fight), let alone against a former world champ. But I’m confident within myself and my skills. It was just everything else around me that I had to figure out. Everything went really smooth, actually incredibly smooth. I think I stressed myself out more than I should have.”

Despite the respect she has for Namajunas, Cortez believes she is the toughest fight Namajunas could have had at flyweight. “Who doesn’t love Rose? She’s an incredible person, but unfortunately, we are in the fighting business,” Cortez said. “She wants to move up to 125 and we’re going to face each other. Whether it’s now or down the road, it just happens to be now. I have nothing bad to say about Rose and if anything, I’m excited for this challenge and I’m grateful she took this fight with me.

“I want to say I’m a true 125er. Sh*t, I could even fight at 135 but I’m a real flyweight and I don’t think she’s yet to face someone like myself, and vice versa. I’ve never faced a former world champion, so it’s putting both of us in a good test.”

If Cortez wins on Saturday what is next for Cortez? “I really want to fight for the belt,” Cortez said. “I know there’s a lot of people ahead of me still. I know winning this fight, where it could move me to. And the performance I put on Saturday, I know everything that comes with it. If I get the opportunity and they grant me the opportunity to fight at the Sphere, I think it would be incredible history. Two Mexican women on Mexican Independence Day fighting on the biggest sport event ever. I think that would just be incredible. That’s something I never imaged and I feel like it’s just arm’s length. That is what I’m striving for, but at the end of the day, long-term goal, I am fighting for the belt.”

The rest of the main card:

170 lbs.: Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Muslim Salikhov

155 lbs.: Drew Dober vs. Jean Silva

170 lbs.: Gabriel Bonfim vs. Ange Loosa

145 lbs.: Julian Erosa vs. Christian Rodriguez

185 lbs.: Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Cody Brundage

ESPN+ Prelims:

125 lbs.: Charles Johnson vs. Joshua Van

125 lbs.: Fatima Kline vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius

135 lbs.: Da’Mon Blackshear vs. Montel Jackson

125 lbs.: Luana Santos vs. Mariya Agapova

185 lbs.: Josh Fremd vs. Andre Petroski

170 lbs.: Evan Elder vs. Darrius Flowers

UFC on ABC 6 Preview

The UFC is invading the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, June 22 for UFC on ABC 6. The main event will be in the middleweight division between former champion #3 Robert Whittaker and rising prospect Ikram Aliskerov.

Whittaker was originally scheduled to face heavily hyped contender Khamzat Chimaev, but Chimaev withdrew from the fight due to illness. The winner of the fight was expected to be on the short list to challenge for the middleweight title, but what can be expected now? Does a win over an unranked opponent gain Whittaker a title shot or does it merely win the respect of the fans?

After rebounding well in his last fight against Paulo Costa, Whittaker reminded the middleweight division that he is still a threat to win back the title he once held. Whittaker won the title in 2017 with an impressive win over Yoel Romero, but he technically never defended the title after Romero missed weight in their rematch, making it a non-title fight. Whittaker won a disputed split decision in the non-title fight.  He would then go on to lose the belt to Israel Adesanya in 2019.

Whittaker discussed not fighting Chimaev and preparing Aliskerov. “It was a stressful couple of hours while we were trying to find a new opponent, but once we got that locked in, it’s much the same,” Whittaker said.

“It’s another fight week, he brings the same level of threat as anybody else that I’ve had to fight. Let’s see what happens.”

The New Zealander continued, “As soon as I found out my opponent, I watched some fights to get an idea of what he’s going to bring to the table. In a lot of respects, he’s more dangerous than Chimaev, especially mentally wise because he has nothing to lose and everything to gain really. It’s a dangerous fight.

“He’s a strong, tough guy and he was ready to fight last week, so I expect nothing but a test, a war, a slugfest.”

Will Whittaker call for another scheduled fight with Chimaev? “I don’t really have a wish list of fights. They just happen. I just wish him all the best with his health.

“What we do is a job, a career, a sport. Outside of the octagon we’re just people and I wish him only the best.”

Whittaker discussed where he is at in his career in relation to another title shot. “You know what, I’m really enjoying my career thus far,” Whittaker said.

“It’s an exciting time to be a middleweight. I feel like I’m making a lot of ground and I’m really starting to hit my best strides now. Every day is a treat.”

While Chimaev is considered the most dangerous fighter in the middleweight division, Whittaker knows he will not have an easy fight on Saturday. “He wants to take my head off no less than Chimaev did,” Whittaker said.

“I train to beat everyone. Chimaev, Ikram, it doesn’t matter. I’m going to get in there and put on my best fight. I’m going to leave it all there.

“I’m going to go in there and hunt Ikram for 25 minutes, got to war, put on a slugfest and try and take his head off, then go home and spend time with my family. That’s all that matters for me.

“I having geared up ready to go make it an absolute slugfest, a war of a fight for 25 minutes.

“I know that with the approach of being the hunter in this fight, it’s not going to last that long. I’m going to hurt him and I’m going to hurt him until he can’t take anymore.”

With a win Whittaker will cement his place in the top three of the division for now. Ahead of him in the line is a fight between champion Dricus du Plessis and former champion Adesanya. Former champ Sean Strickland is coming off a win and expected to be in line ahead of Whittaker as well.

Aside from Costa and Romero, Whittaker has key wins in his career over Marvin Vettori, Kelvin Gastelum, Jared Connonier, Darren Till, Ronaldo Souza, Derek Brunson, Uriah Hall and Brad Tavares.

Aliskerov is 2-0 in the UFC and is coming off an impressive first round TKO victory over Warlley Alves at UFC 294. He will be facing the toughest test of his career on Saturday but could send a shockwave through the middleweight division with a win.

The Dagestani fighter commented on accepting this fight on short notice. "This is what we do,We’re fighters. This is our sport. This is our life. I even put it on my Instagram, ‘Anyone, anywhere, at any time.’ It’s the type of motto I live by and you have to live by it if you want to fight on the top level. I was ready for this. I don’t care if it was five rounds or 10 rounds, you have to be ready for anything being thrown your way and that’s what I live by,” Aliskerov said.

He believes he was meant to have this fight. "The way I was speaking to Ali, my manager, is the way it sounded is the UFC kind of expected me to have this fight. They think I’m ready, that I’m that level of an opponent that I should be accepting this fight. I think that’s great. It makes me think that the UFC values me. They know what I’m worth. They know what I’m capable of, so I think it’s right that I’m a tougher matchup.”

The 31-year-old commented on Whittaker’s claim that he did not know who he was until saying yes to the fight. “I think he was lying,” Aliskerov said. “I’m sure he rewatched my fight with Khamzat a million times because he was preparing for him. I think [he’ll remember my name]. He’ll have to fight me for five rounds. After I took the fight, I called Khabib [Nurmagomedov]. He said, ‘You can’t miss these chances. You have to fly here, sweat for two-three days.’ We discussed [the fight], but I won’t get into it.”

While he accepted the fight on short notice, Aliskerov was already in camp expecting to fight Atonio Trocolio on June 15. Despite the step up in competition, physically speaking Aliskerov should not be impacted by saying yes to a big fight on short notice. A convincing win could catapult Aliskerov into the top 10 and put him in position to be fighting in a title eliminator.

The rest of the main card:

Heavyweight - #3 Sergei Pavlovich vs. #5 Alexander Volkov

Middleweight - Kelvin Gastelum vs. Daniel Rodriguez

Middleweight - Sharabutdin Magomedov vs. Antonio Trocoli

Light Heavyweight - #7 Johnny Walker vs. #9 Volkan Oezdemir

ESPN + Prelims:

Lightweight - Nasrat Haqparast vs. Jared Gordon

Featherweight - Muhammad Naimov vs. Felipe Lima

Welterweight - Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Nicolas Dalby

Bantamweight - Kang Kyung-ho vs. Muin Gafurov

Light Heavyweight - Magomed Gadzhiyasulov vs. Brendson Ribeiro

Bantamweight - Xiao Long vs. Lee Chang-ho

UFC 302 Preview

The UFC will be returning to the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Saturday, June 1 for UFC 302. The main event will be for the lightweight title as champion Islam Makhachev will defend against former interim champion #4 Dustin Poirier.

Makhachev has won 13 straight fights and is coming off two successful title defenses against former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. He most recently defeated Volkanovski by a devastating first round KO at UFC 294 in October.

The champion confidently reflected on Poirier’s first title shot back in 2019 against his mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov. “Honestly, he’s the same,” Makhachev said. “Maybe [he’s older]. He doesn’t believe he can beat me. His coach doesn’t believe he can beat me. I know I can make this fight easy.

“I will finish him. Because I am on a different level. I am the best fighter in the world right now.”

Makhachev does not believe Poirier has the skills to defeat him. “Honestly, my style is the worst style for him,” Makhachev said. “He can beat some strikers. He’s one of the best strikers in this game, but we’re not strikers. We’re MMA fighters. My skills are on a different level.

“I can strike with him, but I told you guys, if I want to make this fight easy, I know the way and everybody [else] know the way. Always when his opponent pressure him, take him down, he has the same problems always.”

Despite the confidence, Makhachev does have respect for the legacy that Poirier has built. “I hope he [doesn’t] retire after this fight,” Makhachev said of Poirier. “I think he’s one of the biggest names in the sport. That’s why I respect him. I respect him because he has a lot of crazy fights in this sport. Just happy to beat someone who has a big name like Dustin. For the legacy, it’s going to be maybe the biggest name on my list.”

The 32-year-old commented on the rumors that he will be moving to welterweight with a win on Saturday. “Honestly, I think it's my opinion, (I’m) almost done with my division because who is going to be next? Just Arman (Tsarukyan),” he said. “I already beat (him), and, in my division, I don't have some interesting fight (or) too exciting fights for me. We have Dustin right now. This guy is a legend. It's a very good fight for my legacy. I will finish him, and I just will wait for the next go.”

Makhachev wants to put on a show in Newark. “Fans always want to see the finish,” he said. “It's what I will try to do in beating Dustin Poirier.”

Poirier is coming off a second round KO of Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299 in March. The win was a big rebound after being KO’d in a rematch with Justin Gaethje for the BMF belt in 2023. The 35-year-old has twice challenged for the lightweight title but lost by third round submission in both attempts.

Does he believe the third time’s the charm? "I can definitely win this fight," Poirier said.  "If I touch his chin, he'll go down.  He'll find that out on Saturday.  Maybe that's something he doesn't need to believe.  Maybe he needs to be positive and confident walking into this, which he should be, but if you don't think I have a chance to win you're lying to yourself."

"Over the years, if there's anything I've learned fighting is like the media, my opponents, their camps, the critics don't matter.  It's in my hands," Poirier continued.  "I'm the only guy who has the opportunity to make this happen, or whatever decisions I make under those lights on Saturday, I'm the guy in the driver's seat.  All these other guys talking are passengers, or in the backseat.  I steer where this goes."

Poirier commented on the rumors that this could be his final fight. "It could be (my last fight). It could be. I haven't made like an official decision yet, but it could be," he said. "I've said this over and over again. I still have a lot of tread on the tired. I can beat these guys. I can beat these young guys. I just did it. I still feel good. My body feels good, but it's just like how much do I want to give to this sport because you don't ride for free."

The only thing missing from Poirier’s resume is being undisputed champion. He commented,

“I have a UFC title, that says ‘world champion’ with my name on it, in my living room,” Poirier said. “I hold that belt up high because Max [Holloway], when I beat him for that belt, was on a 12-fight win streak. He was the current featherweight champion at the time. So it’s not like I pulled the name out of a hat and beat somebody for an interim title because the champ couldn’t fight.”

“It’s up there, but it’s not undisputed,” Poirier adds. “That’s the last spot. What else can I do in this sport?”

He concluded, “It’s not about the money. It’s not about the Hall of Fame, any records. It’s about me accomplishing something,” said Poirier of his motivation. “It’s not about business; it’s a personal thing that, I think if I can get it done, I can look back and say, ‘You know, I’m content. I’m proud of everything I did. I set a goal out as a kid that knew nothing about what I was walking into, but I kept walking about picking myself up, and I got it done.”

Poirier has been fighting in the UFC since 2011 and has key victories over Micheal Chandler, Conor McGregor (twice), Dan Hooker, Max Holloway (twice), Eddie Alvarez, Justin Gaethje, Anthony Pettis, Jim Miller and Bobby Green. Despite all of the success, a win over Makhachev who is heavily favored would be the biggest victory of his hall of fame career.

The co-main event of the evening will be in the middleweight division between former champion #1 Sean Strickland and former title challenger #7 Paulo Costa.

Strickland is trying to rebound from a loss in his first title defense against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297 in January. Strickland lost a controversial split decision in a fight that many people thought he won. Strickland won the title with a unanimous decision victory over middleweight great Israel Adesanya in the biggest upset of 2023.

The former champion commented on his last fight and why he took a fight with Costa.  At the end of the day, I know I won my last fight,” he said. “I got f***ed… I mean, obviously, I want the title fight, but, at the end of the day, I'm a fighter. I'm a prize fighter. So, you give me money, I fight, but that's what I want. That needs to happen.”

Strickland expects a brutal battle with Costa. “I think we're in a war,” Strickland said. “I think it's going to be a five-round war. We'll see how his cardio holds up. I know he has an issue with that. Hopefully he f***ing trained hard and he's doing the right things and preparing for our death match.”

With a win at UFC 302 it would be fair to say Strickland’s next fight should be for the title. There have been talks of du Plessis making his first title defense against Adesanya, but with a convincing win over Costa it would be difficult to deny Strickland his shot.

Costa is trying to rebound from a unanimous decision loss to former champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 298 in February. The Brazilian is 1-2 since losing a title fight to Adesanya back in 2020, but he feels the best he has felt in recent years.

“After (my last) fight, I was feeling good with no injuries. I didn’t hurt, so why not?” Costa said. “Why not keep the process, not lose all the work I did for that fight and just keep the progress, keep the work? So we did that and we had a great match. First, it was against Cannonier and then it changed for Strickland. So why not? I’m feeling good, in shape and we’ve got this great opportunity.”

The 33-year-old talked about the title picture and where a win over Strickland puts him. “I think once he already beat (Israel) Adesanya, if Adesanya beat Dricus (Du Plessis), I think and if Sean beats me, he’s going to be the next. But let’s see. You never know. I have a beef with Adesanya, as well, and against Chimaev. Anything can happen. Let’s see Saturday. I think who delivers better is going to step in front. It depends how the fight is going to be. If I knock out him in great style Saturday. If the fight in Saudi Arabia is not so good, we can be in front. It depends on how we’re going to perform.”

A victory over Strickland will remind the middleweight division and the MMA world why Costa was once the most hyped fighter at 185 pounds and challenged for the middleweight title.

The rest of the main card:

Middleweight - #15 Kevin Holland vs. Michał Oleksiejczuk

Welterweight - Niko Price vs. Alex Morono

Welterweight - Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos

ESPN+ Prelims:

Middleweight - César Almeida vs. Roman Kopylov

Heavyweight - #7 Jailton Almeida vs. #13 Alexander Romanov

Lightweight - Grant Dawson vs. Joe Solecki

Welterweight - Philip Rowe vs. Jake Matthews

ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass Early Prelims:

Welterweight - Mickey Gall vs. Bassil Hafez

Women's Bantamweight - Ailín Pérez vs. Joselyne Edwards

Flyweight - Mitch Raposo vs. André Lima

Navarrete vs. Berinchyk Preview

The vacant WBO lightweight title will be on the line at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California on Saturday May 18. Former three division champion Emanuel Navarrete will battle undefeated Denys Berinchyk.

Navarrete (38-1-1, 31 KO) is trying to win a title in his fourth weight class after scoring a majority draw to defend the WBO junior lightweight title in his last fight against Robson Conceicao. He is also the former WBO featherweight and WBO junior featherweight champion. The 29-year-old has already achieved plenty with nine total title defenses, but a win on Saturday will put him in pound for pound status.

The Mexican fighter had to have hand surgery after his last fight but is ready to prove he has recovered and is ready for big fights at 135 pounds. “We've worked hard to get here,” Navarrete said. “We'll be looking for those fights, without a doubt. There is a desire for those high-level fights. I feel like I need that in my career and that last vote of confidence and acceptance. Those fights will give me that. My work speaks for itself. I feel good, calm, strong, and confident.”

Navarrete commented on his last fight. “We know that I have some deficiencies in my last fight. My hand did hurt, and that's a fact, but that's OK,” said Navarrete. “Some things held me back, but it's OK. I am 100 percent now. And I am going to be like before, only a new Vaquero, and a new hand. With a more ferocious mentality, I am going to put myself in the best position at 135 pounds.”

Despite his confidence, Navarrete knows he is in for a tough fight on Saturday. “He's dangerous,” said Navarrete. “He's going to come with a lot of hunger and we are going to have to try and take care of that.”

Berinchyk (18-0, 9 KO) is coming off a unanimous decision win over Anthony Yigit last August. The 35-year-old Ukrainian had an extensive amateur career, winning a silver medal in the 2011 World Championships and silver in the 2012 Olympic games.

Amid his first major title fight, Berinchyk is fighting for more than himself. “[Navarrete] is a strong and experienced opponent,” Berinchyk said. “We are highly motivated and working hard to bring the title to Ukraine. The world can’t forget about our country’s struggle, so our victory in the ring is of great importance not just for my career and Ukrainian boxing, but also for the people of Ukraine. We do our best to make the world stand with Ukraine!”

He is excited to be joining his fellow Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk in a title fight on the same night. “It’s the first time in Ukrainian history when two compatriots, two brothers are fighting for the world titles,” he said proudly. “Big day for Ukrainian boxing.”

Berinchyk is grateful for the opportunity to fight for a title. “I’m here and I have a possibility to fight for the world title first of all because of Ukrainian defenders,” clearly appreciative of his fellow Ukrainian’s efforts. “These are the one’s who gave me an opportunity to arrange a safe training camp and prepare myself for the upcoming fight.”

The main card can be seen at 9:00pm ET on ESPN+

Fury vs. Usyk Preview

For the first time since 1999 the undisputed heavyweight championship will be on the line at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday May 18. Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will battle for heavyweight boxing supremacy.

Fury (34-0-1, 24 KO) is the WBC and Lineal champion, and he most recently won a controversial split decision over former MMA champion Francis Ngannou. He managed to outbox Ngannou after being knocked down in the third round, but many pundits believe he did not do enough to win.

Even though many critics did not see the upside of a fight with Ngannou, Fury is not one to run from a challenge. With a win on Saturday, a rematch with Ngannou would have been coveted by the fans, but Ngannou was knocked out by Anthony Joshua in March. So a rematch between Fury and Ngannou is unlikely. Which means the only options are Usyk again or finally a fight with fellow Brit Anthony Joshua.

The fight with Usyk was originally scheduled in February, but Fury had to withdraw due to a bad cut from sparring. How does he feel about the fight now? "It's the fight of the century," said Fury. "[An undisputed heavyweight championship fight] has never happened this century before, and we're looking forward to putting on a fantastic show."

Boxing analysts argued that Fury was out of shape for the Ngannou fight. Is he focused on the fight of the century? "I'm always focused, up for a fight," Fury said, "and it's the reason I've been undefeated in 16 years."

Will Fury be the best heavyweight of all-time with a win over Usyk? "I'm not really interested in all that," Fury said. "[It will] establish me as a mega, uber-rich heavyweight who can feed his family and give them whatever they want for breakfast, dinner and tea."

How does Fury feel about Usyk? “I respect Usyk as a man,” said Fury.

“I respect his career as well. I’m fighting the real deal. He’s got good footwork, good boxing ability, technically sound.

“He’s proved he can mix it with the big heavyweights because he’s beat Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois. I’m messing with an elite fighter.”

The 35-year-old British fighter has key wins in his career over Derek Chisora (twice), Dillian Whyte, Deontay Wilder (twice), Otto Wallin, Wladimir Klitschko and Christian Hammer. He is widely considered the best heavyweight of his era and despite what he thinks he could be considered the best heavyweight of all-time with a win over Usyk. The greatest of all-time conversation sparks a great debate, but if Fury is to be considered in the conversation, even with a win over Usyk I believe he needs to fight Anthony Joshua to complete his legacy.

Usyk (21-0, 14 KO) is the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO champion and he most recently defeated Daniel Dubois by ninth round KO last August. The win came after being knocked down and unable to get to his feet for a few minutes after Dubois landed what seemed like a legal body shot, but shortly after was ruled a low blow by the referee. Usyk was able to recover and dominate the fight, but it did once again bring to light what seems to be his one weakness, shots to the body.

The Ukrainian fighter knows he is in for a tough fight with Fury. “To win this, I don’t need to be heavy, I need to be fast, and quick,” Usyk said.

“You never see a fat wolf in the forest.”

Usyk explained what motivates him. “I fight for legacy, not money,” he said.

“Heavyweight boxing has not had this kind of fight since 1999. I know the history.”

Fury is known for trash talking his opponents, but Usyk does think it has worked on him. “I sit in his head like a little tractor driver.”

The 37-year-old will be fighting for an entire nation on Saturday. Promoter Alexander Krassyuk explained, “Usyk is the real inspiration for Ukraine, for the guys on the front line”.

“When he speaks, these words inspire the Ukrainian people and the soldiers to fight the enemy and to have courage.”

“Usyk is not fighting for himself any more.”

The champion returned to his home country after the Russian invasion and spent time on the front lines. He explained it was his fellow soldiers that convinced him to return to the ring. “The guys from the armed forces convinced me that I need to prepare and fight to help my country on the international stage, talk about it and bring opportunities to Ukraine to restore my country,” Usyk said.

Usyk was a unified cruiserweight champion, and his critics still believe he is too small for heavyweight, despite having two wins over Anthony Joshua. He gives up a ton of size to Fury, but he has proven that does not impact his ability to strategically break down his opponents. Fury’s gameplan could be to punish Usyk to the body, but at what cost?

An Usyk win would put him in the best heavyweight of his era conversation and would set up a highly anticipated rematch with Fury. Fury has always responded well following a questionable performance. Media coverage leading up to the fight has proven that he is in much better shape than he was against Ngannou. Usyk’s sample size at heavyweight is small, but he has proven that as a boxer he could be Fury’s match.

The main card can be seen 12:00pm ET on PPV

UFC Vegas 92 Preview

The UFC is returning to the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC Vegas 92 on Saturday May 18. The main event will be in the featherweight division between veteran #12 Edson Barboza and undefeated contender #14 Lerone Murphy.

Barboza has won two straight fights having most recently defeated Sodiq Yusuff by unanimous decision in October. The Brazilian has become known by UFC fans as a dangerous knockout artist, but the 38-year-old is 5-5 in his last 10 fights. Despite his recent inconsistencies, he has been fighting in the UFC since 2010 and has won 18 fights with nine coming by TKO.

With a win on Saturday, Barboza has big plans. “If one guy deserves to fight for the BMF title, it’s me,” Barboza said. “Who has better highlight knockouts than me? Bro, imagine. I love Max Holloway, he’s one of my favorite fighters ever. I love to watch him fight, and he’s a very nice guy, very family guy, but imagine a fight against him for the BMF belt.”

He continued, “It’s going to be very, very good for me and him and the company. Like I said, I have 30 fights in the UFC. I think I deserve that. Of course, my focus is 100 percent on the next one, but I think it’s going to be good.”

Barboza explained it is his appreciation for BMF champion Max Holloway that is driving him to want the fight. “Bro, like I said, I love him,” Barboza said. “I loved to watch the whole fight. He showed heart. He’s a great striker. He played everywhere. He’s definitely one of my favorite fighters ever to watch. I think that he’s one of the best ever, and it’s going to be a pleasure sharing the octagon with him.”

When Holloway won the BMF belt it opened exciting options at both featherweight and lightweight with higher ranked fighters. Perhaps he will entertain the idea of a fight with Barboza if the Brazilian gets another massive knockout win over Murphy. Barboza must stay focused on Saturday’s opponent and not look ahead to Holloway, because Murphy has proven he is incredibly dangerous.

Barboza has key wins in his extensive career over Shane Burgos, Dan Hooker, Beneil Dariush, Gilbert Melendez, Anthony Pettis, Paul Felder and Bobby Green. Another win over a rising contender will remind the featherweight division that even at 38 years old, Barboza is not a steppingstone.

Murphy has won five straight fights since scoring a split draw against Zubaira Tukhugov at UFC 242 in 2019. He most recently won a unanimous decision over Joshua Culibao last July. The 32-year-old was excited to be offered a fight with Barboza.

"My first thoughts were, ‘wow, this is my opportunity, this is my breakthrough'," said Murphy.

"It was literally a text from the matchmaker wanting me to fight Barboza - five rounds. I thought, 'this is my time to shine now'.”

Murphy has dealt with near death experiences which have helped him prepare for the biggest fight of his life. In 2013 he almost lost his life after being shot in the face outside a barbers in Manchester, England and then in 2022 he was nearly killed again after being hit by a car while on his bicycle.

“Everything happens for a reason to put you on to a better path, and I feel like now is the time," he said.

"If I got this fight three years ago, maybe I wouldn't have been ready, but now I feel ready."

The English fighter knows what a win over Barboza will do for him. "I have to put on a performance, there's no two ways about it," said Murphy.

"One, for my own safety. And two, they've put me in the main event now, so there's no messing about. You can't be in no boring fights. I want this opportunity again.

"The big thing is fighting Edson Barbosa. He’s a legend of the sport and a dangerous fighter. That's what excites me and that's going to bring the best out of me."

The rest of the main event:

Welterweight - Khaos Williams vs. Carlston Harris

Welterweight - Themba Gorimbo vs. Ramiz Brahimaj

Bantamweight - Adrian Yanez vs. Vinicius Salvador

Women's Strawweight - #9 Luana Pinheiro vs. #12 Angela Hill

ESPN+ Prelims:

Light Heavyweight - Oumar Sy vs. Tuco Tokkos

Lightweight - Victor Martinez vs. Tom Nolan

Women's Bantamweight - Tamires Vidal vs. Melissa Gatto

Middleweight - Abus Magomedov vs. Warlley Alves

Women's Strawweight - Piera Rodriguez vs. Ariane Carnelossi

Flyweight - Alateng Heili vs. Kleydson Rodrigues

Women's Strawweight - Vanessa Demopoulos vs. Emily Ducote

UFC St. Louis Preview

The UFC will be heading back to the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO for just the second time in history on Saturday, March 11. The main event will be in the heavyweight division between fan-favorite #12 Derrick Lewis and surging prospect #15 Rodrigo Nascimento.

Since challenging for the heavyweight title in 2018, Lewis has gone 6-6 and most recently lost to Jailton Almeida by unanimous decision in November. The 39-year-old has learned to rebound from losses by completing highlight reel KO’s which makes him being a must-see fighter to fans, even if his title contender days may have passed him by.

However, Lewis does not think his best days are behind him. “I’m more excited about this fight than any other fight I’ve ever had,” Lewis said. “I trained my butt off for this one, and I don’t have no injuries coming into this fight. I’m feeling healthy. I’m less than 10 pounds away from making my weight already. And usually I’m like 15 pounds, 20 pounds before weigh-ins. I’m less than 10 pounds right now from making weight.

“I’m feeling great right now. I actually really feel like this is my prime. Whenever I was in my 20s, early 30s, I didn’t feel this good. Now I’m feeling fantastic right now.”

The Houston native says he has a surprise in store for the St. Louis crowd. “I want to do something special. I’ve been working on it on my in my garage. My coach don’t know nothing about this. So, what I’m about to throw out the first minute of my fight, my coach don’t have nothing to do with it. So, if you all see me throw something crazy, just know it wasn’t my coaches idea. It’s my idea. That’s how good I’m feeling right now.”

Lewis may have something planned for the fight on Saturday, but he also has plans on something more outside of the octagon. He answered online rumors swirling around the idea of him joining the WWE. “Yeah, we are actually in talks right now and we’ve been talking for a few months now. I was supposed to go down there in February to check everything out,” Lewis said.

While he has never become a champion, Lewis has had a storied career in the UFC. His start for the company dates back to 2014 and he has collected key victories over Gabriel Gonzaga, Roy Nelson, Travis Browne, Marcin Tybura, Francis Ngannou, Alexander Volkov, Blagoy Ivanov, Aleksei Oleinik, Curtis Blaydes, and Marcos Rogerio de Lima. He already has the UFC record for knockouts with 14, another KO on Saturday will solidify his position as the greatest knockout artist in UFC heavyweight division history.

Nascimento has won three straight fights and most recently defeated Don’Tale Mayes by unanimous decision in November. Since making his debut in 2020 he has gone 4-1-1 in the UFC. The Brazilian is confident heading into the fight with Lewis on Saturday.

“I have many ways to beat him,” Nascimento said. “Putting him on the ground is just one more way. I can strike, I can knock him out. I can finish him, or I can fight all five rounds.”

He continued, “For sure, he has a big name,” Nascimento said. “He has a good name and good hype on him, but after this Saturday, everyone is going to know my name because I will beat him.”

The 31-year-old is ready to perform in his first main event. “This is my first main event, that’s too different. Too different for sure. The preparation is hard. I’m gonna fight five rounds. I am ready, I am excited you know. I am ready for Saturday. For sure, it will be a big win,” he said.

Nascimento knows what a win over a name such as Lewis does for him. “This fight is super important for me. I always see that your next fight is always the most important fight. This guy is the next step to enter the top 10 for me. Everything I think now is him & Everything I know now is him. I will beat him.”

This fight will be a step up in challenge for Nascimento. Even though he is fighting a 39-year-old version of Derrick Lewis, he cannot underestimate the power, or it could be a short night for him. For Lewis, if he can minimize the grappling exchanges and stay off his back, he has the clear advantage on the feet.

The co-main event of the evening will be in the welterweight division between St. Louis native #11 Joaquin Buckley and Nursulton Ruziboev.

Buckley campaigned hard for a main event spot on the card in his hometown. He even crashed the UFC 300 press conference last month begging to be on the card from the stands. His viral moment even made UFC president Dana White smile. While he was added to the card late and did not get the main event spot, Buckley gets his wish to perform in front of his people in St. Louis.

The 30-year-old has won three straight having most recently defeated long-time contender Vicente Luque by second round TKO in March. He expressed his excitement to be fighting in St. Louis.

“I haven't fought here since 2018, and now to be fighting on the biggest promotion on the planet right at home and getting exactly what I asked for,” Buckley said. “We didn't get the main event, but still, co-main is just as nice and I'm excited to get this knockout.”

Buckley is ready to put on a show. “I feel like I'm bringing the fans out for this one,” Buckley said. “I think a lot of people, even though they're excited to see Derrick Lewis and excited to see all the other fighters, I think I'm kind of boosting up the numbers a little bit for this one.”

While Luque represents his biggest win and a spot in the rankings, he is taking things one fight at a time. “It means a lot to me that I'm able to be a ranked fighter now, and it gets me closer to that title,” Buckley said. “Every fight has its own rewards to it. I’m not looking back in the past with having that fight with Vicente; I'm blessed with it, and I'm blessed with that win. Now we're looking at Nursulton, who's now trying to take my spot, and I just got it. We're going to stop him from doing that.”

How does he feel about his opponent? “He's a big boy, 6'5, could have been an NBA player if he wanted to be,” Buckley said. “I don't know how his game is on the court, but regardless, though, I got to respect him. He has a lot of finishes in his career, and, of course, me, I'm a knockout artist as well, so this fight is not going to the judges, obviously.”

The St. Louis native knows how important a win in this fight could be for his career. “I think this is going to be the one that kind of blows me up,” Buckley said. “I think this is the one that actually takes my career to the next level and makes me skip some spots. A good performance over Nursulton and what he brings and what he has to offer, I feel like the UFC is definitely going to reward me after this.”

Ruziboev is 2-0 in the UFC and is coming off a first round TKO of Sedrique Dumas in March. The Uzbekistan native has fought his most recent fights at middleweight and has the clear size advantage over Buckley.

The 30-year-old talked about dropping down to welterweight for a big fight with Buckley. “Welterweight is my natural weight and I see myself going far in this division,” said Ruziboev. “I cut almost no weight at middleweight, so when the opportunity came, it was a no brainer for me to go down a weight class and take this fight.

“I want to fight in both weight classes,” he added, sharing his ideal vision for how things will work going forward. “If they need a short notice fight at middleweight, I will take it for sure, but for now I want to focus on welterweight.”

Ruziboev talked about his opponent. “Buckley is a very good fighter,” began the divisional debutant. “Fundamentally he is a striker, but we have seen him wrestle in fights before. I will be ready for all situations for this fight. I like this matchup because it’s at welterweight, both of us are strikers, and I like striking fights; they are exciting for the fans.”

He continued by addressing fighting in hostile territory against Buckley. “I have fought in my opponent’s hometown before and this is nothing new to me,” he added when asked about going from having tremendous support in Atlantic City to battling Buckley on his home turf this weekend. “Of course, I like when I have people who come and support me, but if not, then no problem, because inside the Octagon there is only two people.”

Despite fighting in the biggest fight of his career, Ruziboev has big plans for the night and beyond. “I’m prepared for three rounds, but I know I will finish this guy in the first round, Inshallah,” he said confidently. “Now I will finish my next opponent and crack the Top 15 rankings, (and) from Top 15, the title is not too far away. I have big plans in this company.

"After this fight, I want to fight at UFC 302 (on) June 1 in Newark.”

The rest of the main card:

Light Heavyweight - #11 Alonzo Menifield vs. Carlos Ulberg

Lightweight - Carlos Diego Ferreira vs. Mateusz Rębecki

Featherweight - #15 Alex Caceres vs. Sean Woodson

Heavyweight Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Robelis Despaigne

ESPN + prelims:

Lightweight - Chase Hooper vs. Viacheslav Borshchev

Lightweight - Terrance McKinney vs. Esteban Ribovics

Women's Strawweight - Tabatha Ricci vs. Tecia Pennington

Welterweight - Billy Goff vs. Trey Waters

Flyweight - Charles Johnson vs. Jake Hadley

Welterweight - Jared Gooden vs. Kevin Jousset

Women's Flyweight - JJ Aldrich vs. Veronica Hardy

Canelo vs. Munguia Preview

The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada will host a night of dynamic fights on Saturday, May 4th. Two title fights and two interim title fights will be on a card headlined by a showdown for the undisputed super middleweight championship between champion Canelo Alvarez and former light middleweight champion Jaime Munguia.

Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KO) has won three straight fights since unsuccessfully challenging for the WBA (Super) light heavyweight title against Dmitry Bivol in 2022. He most recently defeated Jermell Charlo by unanimous decision in September to retain his super middleweight titles.

The Mexican fighter has found himself embroiled in a conflict with former promoter Oscar De La Hoya. The two had a heated back and forth at Wednesday’s press conference where De La Hoya was supposed to be promoting Munguia, but instead used the opportunity to take shots at Alvarez.

Alvarez said of De La Hoya, "If I hadn't involved my lawyers, you would steal [money] from me," Alvarez told De La Hoya. "The only thing this man does is be a scourge of boxing. Steal from boxers. For whoever is with him, please contact your lawyers, because he is surely stealing from you. It's the only thing he comes to do in boxing,” he said.

"And the only thing he comes to do is steal attention from Jaime Munguia," Alvarez said, "he doesn't come to promote him."

As far as how Alvarez feels about the fight. "I'm so anxious to come Saturday night and just win in a fashionable way," Alvarez said.

The press conference was the first time Canelo and De La Hoya have been on a stage together, despite Alvarez having fought eight times since parting ways with the promotion. Is this the type of energy Canelo needs before a big fight with a younger proven champion?

Alvarez is in the top 10 pound for pound fighters in the world, a list where he once found himself at the top. The 33-year-old has already had an illustrious career with key victories over Gennady Golovkin (twice), Caleb Plant, Billy Joe Saunders, Sergey Kovalev, Daniel Jacobs, Miguel Cotto, Austin Trout, Shane Mosley and Kermit Cintron.

With a win Canelo will have plenty of options as far as his next fight goes. Names such as David Benavidez and Jermall Charlo have been thrown around. But what the boxing world truly needs to see is a showdown with pound for pound number one, Terence Crawford. Alvarez will not have an easy fight with Munguia, so he cannot overlook his fellow countrymen.

Munguia (43-0, 34 KO) is coming off a ninth round TKO over John Ryder in January. He is the former WBO light middleweight champion having won the belt at just 21 years of age. He defended the belt five times with key wins over Dennis Hogan, Takeshi Inoue and Liam Smith. He will without a doubt be facing the toughest test of his career on Saturday.

The Mexican fighter has shown Alvarez plenty of respect leading up to the fight. “I have nothing against Canelo; he has never done anything to me,” Munguia said. “I think we’re both categorized as two very respectful fighters.

“You’re going to get to see the action inside the ring, that’s the most important thing. It will be a great, exciting fight. It’s a fight where you’re going to see a lot of punches landed, and there will be great action for the fans.”

Munguia continued to talk about Alvarez and fighting at super middleweight. “Canelo is a very experienced fighter who has fought in many world championship bouts,” he said. “You have to watch out for everything. He can box, he can fight inside, he can fight in the middle of the ring.

“I feel great at 168. To be honest with you, I was having trouble making 160, and now, at 168, I feel right at home — fits like a glove. I’m using my youth and my vigor to get stronger every day. I’m training as hard as I can to be ready for May 4.”

Is he ready for a battle? “It’s going to be something great, something momentous for my career and for the fans who will be watching” said Munguia. “I can’t wait and I’m really excited.”

Also on the card is a fight for the WBC interim featherweight title between champion Brandon Figueroa and challenger Jesse Magdaleno.

Figueroa (24-1-1, 18 KO) won the belt in his last fight by unanimous decision over Mark Magsayo last March.

The 27-year-old is the former WBA (regular) and WBC super bantamweight champion, and he defended the WBA belt five times. Aside from Magsayo, he has key victories over Luis Nery and Moises Flores. He will have the opportunity to prove his championship value with a win over another former champion on Saturday.

Magdaleno (29-2, 18 KO) is trying to rebound from a loss by unanimous decision to Raymond Ford last April. He is the former WBO junior featherweight champion and defended the belt once. The 32-year-old can now can be a champion once again but will have his hands full with Figueroa.

A third title fight will be highlighted as Mario Barrios will defend his WBC interim welterweight title against Fabian Andres Maidana.

Barrios (28-2, 18 KO) won the belt in his last fight with a unanimous decision victory over Yordenis Ugas in September. He is also the WBA (Regular) super lightweight champion.

Maidana (18-1, 13 KO) will be fighting for the first time since 2021 where he won by unanimous decision victory over Carlos Cordoba. The 31-year-old has been sidelined by injuries and Covid, but will be fighting for his first major title on Saturday.

The fourth and final title fight will be for the WBA (Regular) welterweight title between champion Eimantas Stanionis and challenger Gabriel Maestre.

Stanionis (14-0-1, 9 KO) has not fought since April of 2022, but he won the belt with a split decision over Radzhab Butaev. The Lithuanian scored the biggest victory of his career in his last fight but will now face a different challenge in Maestre who is on a mission to win a title while he still has time.

Maestre (6-0-1, 5 KO) is coming off a second round TKO over Travon Marshall last August. The 37-year-old had an extensive amateur career where he represented Venezuela in two Olympic games. He will now have the chance to prove he is a championship caliber professional boxer.

UFC 301 Preview

The UFC will be invading the Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for UFC 301 on Saturday May 4th. The main event will be for the flyweight title between Brazilian champion Alexandre Pantoja and #10 Steve Erceg.

Pantoja defended the belt for the first time in his last fight where he won by unanimous decision victory over Brandon Royval at UFC 296. The Brazilian has won five straight fights and is looking to make his home country proud against a surging contender.

Pantoja is ready to defend the belt once again. “This is my time,” said Pantoja. “I want to beat the best. That’s what I’m doing.”

The 34-year-old is fighting for more than just himself. “I fight for my family, and I fight to represent the entire division,” said Pantoja. “I want to support my division. Flyweights are so much better than people realize. This division deserves the main event.”

How does Pantoja see the fight going? “Kill or die, that’s how I’m approaching this fight,” said Pantoja. “He is good enough to beat me. He’s going to fight with his heart and soul. But I’m still hungry.”

Pantoja won the belt after a hard-fought battle with two-time champion Brandon Moreno at UFC 290. The MMA world saw the fight as his arrival as not only a skilled fighter, but one that can withstand a war inside the octagon.

The champion believes he still has something to prove. “Fighting makes me feel free,” said Pantoja. “I keep telling myself I’m not the champion. I need to go out there and earn it. This is my chance to prove I’m the best in the world.”

Aside from wins over Royval (twice) and Moreno (twice), Pantoja has key wins over Alex Perez, Manel Kape, Matt Schnell, and Wilson Reis. He will have his hands full with Erceg who is big for the flyweight division and has proven he has one-punch knockout power.

After just three fights in the UFC, Erceg will be fighting for a title. He proved to the division that he is one to be feared after a one-punch second round knockout over Matt Schnell in his last fight in March.

How does the Australian feel about getting a title shot so quickly? “I know I wasn’t at the top of everyone’s mind when it came to a title shot,” Ergec said. “But just the way the division was with Pantoja already beating all the challengers, people are injured and the only other guy up for the shot was (Muhammad) Mokaev, I was on the same card as him, and I had a more exciting fight than him, (so) UFC decided to give me the shot.

“I’m here to be the best guy in the world, so whether I’m an underdog or favorite, it doesn’t matter to me. I’m going in there to fight another dude in a cage, and whoever is best is going to come out on top.”

Does Erceg feel the pressure of traveling to Brazil to face the Brazilian champion? “Honestly, I believe there’s just as much pressure on me as there is on Pantoja,” Erceg said. “I know that, yeah, technically he’s the champ, and he’s the favorite and all that, but I’ve been working for this dream my whole life, and this is the culmination of all my hard work. To lose here would be devastating. I have all the pressure on my shoulders, and I’m confident in the work I’ve done over the years. I’ve worked very hard for a very long time.”

The co-main event will be in the bantamweight division between #12 Jonathan Martinez and Brazilian legend Jose Aldo.

Martinez is coming off an impressive TKO victory over Adrian Yanez in October. The win was his sixth straight and his arrival into the top 15. The 30-year-old made his UFC debut in 2018 and he has gone 10-3. The Los Angeles native had plenty to say about Aldo’s return to Brazil.

“They got him back because they needed someone on this card, so they called on him,” Martinez said. “He was already retired, doing boxing, and I just think they paid him more to get him on this card.

“Also, in every interview, he says he wants to box and wants to get on that Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson card. I think he thinks this fight is going to be easy because that’s like a month and a half away. I hope he’s not sleeping on me because something can happen.”

Despite what he thinks of Aldo, Martinez knows he is in for a battle on Saturday. “Getting a win over him will put me close to that top five, and that’s what I’m looking for,” Martinez said. “I know this is a tough fight, and I’m training hard for it, and I’m confident. I know I prepared well, and you guys will see on Saturday.”

Aldo is a UFC legend and the former UFC featherweight champion. He is one of the most dominant fighters of his era and he scored seven title defenses. At one point he went undefeated for nine years with 18 straight wins. He is a solidified hall-of-famer but he has business to settle in his home country at UFC 301.

The former champion talked about what is rumored to be his last fight in the UFC and potential retirement. “When we started talking to Dana, they wanted to give me a new deal, but I really wanted to have this fight, which is what I’m focused on right now, to see where I’m at, and then we can take it from there,” Aldo said. “When I stopped fighting, when I retired, I had a lot of offers, a lot of money, but it’s never been about that. So that’s what we’re doing right now. We’re going to see where I’m at,” said Aldo.

The legend is ready for his return to Brazil. “Rio is where I got my start,” Aldo said. “It’s where I live. It’s where I train. It’s where my friends are. So, obviously, very meaningful to be fighting here. But in the end, I want to get in there and do my best and show everyone what I’ve been doing… “When we started talking to the UFC about this, the possibility was doing a new contract, a new agreement. But what I really want to do right now is just show everyone where I’m at, how I’m doing, do this fight, and then we can sit down with the UFC and see how it’s gonna go.”

The rest of the main card:

Light Heavyweight - #11 Anthony Smith vs. #15 Vitor Petrino

Middleweight - Michel Pereira vs. Ihor Potieria

Middleweight - #13 Paul Craig vs. #14 Caio Borralho

ESPN+ PRELIMS:

Featherweight - Jack Shore vs. Joanderson Brito

Strawweight - Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Lasmin Lucindo

Lightweight - Elves Brener vs. Myktybek orolbai

Lightweight - Joaquim Silva vs. Drakkar Klose

ESPN+ and ESPN 2 Early Prelims:

Lightweight - Mauricio Ruffy vs. Jamie Mullarkey

Women’s Flyweight - Dione Barbosa vs. Ernesta Kareckaite

Lightweight - Ismail Bonfim vs. Vinc Pichel

Flyweight- Alessandro Costa vs. Kevin Borjas