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Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz is here! After lots of talk (lots of talk) it’s finally time for the Problem Child and the popular former UFC fighter to settle things in the ring. And this is where you can follow everything that is happening in that ring. Stay tuned for live play-by-play analysis and scoring of the big fight.

Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz live play-by-play

Round 1

Diaz comes forward with a pawing jab. A little showboating by both. Nate throws a right, but is blocked by Jake. Jake swings hard twice and catches Nate with one. He has Diaz in the corner and is unloading huge shots. Diaz scrambling to stay upright. Jake is doing very well, Huge right to the chin by Paul.

Nate ties up then lunges forward with a missed hook. He ties up again in the corner. Big left for Paul lands on Diaz’ temple. Diaz looks weary already. The two tie up again. Paul lands one up top and one to the middle. Round over.

Round 2

Nate comes in low and Paul ties him up. Paul lands one to the solar plexus. Jake lands two up top, one to the middle. Nate landing a little but with no power on them. Paul lands a double left up top. The two are trading against the ropes. Nate working on the inside. Paul lands one to the midsection. Left to the jaw for Diaz. Straight left for Paul lands. Paul working the body of Diaz. Paul landing big right hooks. Nate ties up against the ropes. Nate blasts Paul with a right at the break. Pretty close round.

Round 3

The two come out with pawing jabs then immediately tie up. Paul lands a right uppercut on the inside. Paul sticking the left and moving quickly out of range. Diaz lands a long left. Nate backs Paul up to the ropes but there’s not much on his punches. Paul lands a big right and another right uppercut inside. Jake landing the uppercut regularly now, even leading with it.

Paul’s punches are very tight and crisp. Lunging left for Paul lands. Diaz is working the crowd and then lands a left. Small flurry up top for Diaz as the round ends.

Round 4

Paul immediately ties Diaz up and starts working the body inside. Nate landing uppercuts of his own inside. Paul boxing at range now, landing the right hook then a right to the body. Tie up by Paul which gets separated by the ref. Paul comes in with a crisp 1-2, then works the body. Nate pawing with the jab then gets in close and lands two really clean uppercuts.

They’re in the phonebooth trading and Diaz looks much better. Paul is slowing and Diaz is surging. Huge left lands for Diaz and pushes Paul back. Another left hook lands for Nate. Round ends with the men trading hard leather.

Round 5

Jake starts with a four punch combo. Paul misses with a big left hook. Jake lands with a clean right inside. Paul backs Nate up to the ropes but Nate punches out. Paul landing big rights then a left that puts Nate down and almost out of the ring. Ref examines Nate and the action is allowed to continue.

Paul has him in the corner, and is teeing off on Diaz. He’s chased him to another corner. Diaz still coming forward and swinging. Paul lands to the body and has Nate back in the corner. Paul is working the uppercut and then Nate lands an overhand. Round ends

Round 6

Tied up in the center with Paul immediately breaking then splitting Diaz’ guard. He backs up and lands several big bombs. Diaz comes back with a small flurry of his own. Diaz’ right eye is swelling. Diaz lunges forward and is throwing short shots inside. Paul able to land over the top with the left when Diaz tries to tie up. Paul has so much pop on his punches and he’s landing pretty much at will. Diaz stumbles forward, misses with two shots. Paul landed twice off the misses. Round ends.

Round 7

Paul comes out and lands a quick right, then another straight right down the middle. Nate with his hands high, then lunges with a glancing shot off Paul’s forehead. Diaz briefly ties him up in the corner but Jake moves quickly. Nate walks right into a right. Nate getting in small shots on the inside. Paul still bouncing and moving away. Paul landing from every direction, including while moving backward.

Diaz is landing shots on the inside, but with little power. They tie up, forcing the ref to separate them. Big uppercut for Paul, followed by a big shot over top by Diaz. Bodywork by Diaz but he ate two rights in the process.

Round 8

Paul pumps two quick left jabs as Nate attempts to tie up. Paul working the jab up top. Nate opens up and pressures Paul. Paul landing the left as Nate attempts to get him in the corner. Diaz lands a right to the ribs and a couple up top. Paul goes back to the body then up top trying to split Diaz’ guard. Diaz jawing away at him, then backs him up with three quick shots.

Diaz lands two big uppercuts inside. He’s landing inside and has Paul on the move. Two big shots land then Jake responds with a right. Nate Diaz finishes the round strong with two huge shots. Paul tells his corner “Does this dude ever get tired?”

Round 9

Paul comes out with a big right thats blocked by Diaz. Body shot by Paul. Diaz walking him down again. Paul plants and throws a 1-2. Uppercut from Paul. Nate throwing short shots when he gets inside. Lead uppercut by Diaz lands flush. Big right from Paul lands. Jake looking better and lands three quick shots to the midsection of Diaz. Diaz gets him against the ropes and goes to work. Paul maneuvers away. The two are in the phonebooth and trading. Nate is eating Paul’s shots now and landing big ones of his own. Another solid round for both men.

Round 10

Left up top for Paul glances off Diaz’ head. Paul has Diaz in the corner and lands a big left. Diaz moves away and is chasing Paul now. Paul lands two clean shots while Nate covers. Nate chasing him but gets backed into a corner, talking trash the whole time. They tie up and Nate throws a few quick shots upstairs. Paul lands one up top. Nate chases him down and lands a clean left.

They tie up in the corner forcing referee intervention. They’re in the center trading but Paul is landing clean and hard. Big uppercut for Paul lands as Diaz comes forward. They tie up again and as the ref separates them, the bell rings.

Official decision

Jake Paul defeats Nate Diaz via unanimous decision 97-92, 98-91, 98-91

Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz Full fight card

Main card

• Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz; Cruiserweight
• Amanda Serrano vs. Heather Hardy; For Serrano’s IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO women’s featherweight titles
• William Silva vs. Ashton Sylve; Lightweight
• Chris Avila vs. Jeremy Stephens; Super middleweight
• Olivia Curry vs. Shadasia Green; Women’s super middleweight

Prelims

• Alan Sanchez vs. Angel Beltran; Welterweight
• Quilisto Madera vs. Kevin Newman II; Middleweight
• Jose Aguayo vs. Noel Cavazos; Welterweight
• Luciano Ramos vs. CJ Hamilton; Super lightweight

Start time and date

Paul vs. Diaz starts at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 5, 2023. The main event ringwalks are expected to take place at 11 p.m. ET.

Live stream

Those who purchased this event on FITE.TV can watch it right here!

Bloody Elbow excels at covering fight-related nonsense like this. We do it for the eyeballs and the ad revenue and to amuse our loyal audience who appreciates that nonsense is a big part of the combat carnival. 

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Before Jake Paul fights Nate Diaz, we have Amanda Serrano defending her undisputed featherweight titles against Heather Hardy. This is scheduled for 10 rounds and is the most legit boxing spectacle offered on the card, thanks in large parts to the generational talent that is Amanda Serrano.

Serrano brings her 44-2-1 record into the fight with her only losses coming to Katie Taylor and Frida Wallberg. The loss against Wallberg was a controversial split decision (on Wallberg’s home soil of Sweden). The loss against Taylor was also very close (and also on enemy territory). That fight, which happened last year, saw Serrano unsuccessfully challenge for Taylor’s undisputed lightweight titles.

Heather Hardy has a 22-2 pro boxing record, with her two losses coming in her last two fights. Last year she lost a unanimous decision to Jessica Camara. In 2019 she lost a unanimous decision to Serrano, losing her WBO featherweight title in the process.

You can check out the first time they fought here:

Both these women have dabbled in MMA. Hardy is 2-2 in MMA with all her fights coming in Bellator.

Serrano is 2-0-1 in MMA with fights in iKON and Combate. She also has a 5-0 submission grappling record.

Amanda Serrano vs. Heather Hardy live play-by-play

Round 1

Hardy throws out a jab, which is answered by one from Serrano. Hardy swings hard and whiffs. Serrano nails Hardy with a huge shot to the body. Serrano backs her into a corner and starts working her up top and to the body. Her left hook to the body is money. Hardy is swinging and landing but barely moving Serrano. She’s bleeding and Serrano nails her with another huge left up top. Hardy throws a few jabs that fall short of their mark when the bell sounds.

Round 2

Serrano comes out popping the jab. Left to the body and right up top for Serrano. Serrano lands a three punch combo. Hardy responds but her punches don’t have much on them. Serrano is sticking the right at will to Hardy’s jaw. Big right then a left land for Serrano. Left to the body clearly bothered Hardy. Hardy is hanging in there and landing in the pocket, but again, not much on them and for ever one she lands, Amanda has hit her three or four times. Round over.

Round 3

Hardy throws a her jab and lands, then goes to the body. Serrano counters with a two punch combo followed by a left to the body. Hardy lands a right to the body but takes a right up top for her trouble. The women are trading in the center. Amanda is winning the exchanges but Hardy isn’t willing to give an inch. Hardy still swinging up top while Serrano keeps tenderizing the midsection. Serrano lands a big right as the bells sounds.

Round 4

Hardy lands a solid right to Serrano’s nose and the two go to work in the center trading. Amanda is the cleaner puncher but Heather is hanging in there. Serrano working up top with combinations. The right up top followed by an assault to the midsection is working for Serrano. Serrano walking her down and constantly moving her to the ropes. Round ends.

Round 5

Serrano lands a right to the jaw that turns Hardy’s head. Hardy swinging and missing. Serrano sticking and moving. Hardy lands two clean shots to Amanda’s nose. Serrano lands to the body with a left. Hardy is swinging and landing a little more up top. Serrano is fast and landing combos at will. Hardy pops her twice with a right. The women trade with Serrano landing a hard left up top. Hardy’s best round.

Round 6

Serrano comes out jabbing, then lands a five punch combo. Big flurry from Hardy, answered by Serrano landing two stingers up top. Serrano’s right has found a home on Hardy’s jaw. Hardy still throwing but her shots don’t have much pop on them. The women trading on the ropes. Serrano just landing a lot harder. Right to the nose of Hardy. Solid left overhand from Serrano. Big swing and a miss by Serrano to end the round.

Round 7

Both get to the middle and start trading. Left-right land clean for Serrano on Hardy’s jaw. Hardy going to the body more. Serrano steers her back to the ropes and works the left to the body. Hardy still throwing out a double jab. Serrano catches her with a clean left. Hardy lands a left of her own but eats three for her trouble. Serrano taking some clean shots in the phonebooth. Hardy landing but is answered with a big right from Serrano to end the round.

Round 8

Back to work in the center. Both throwing jabs. Serrano lands a right up top while Hardy works the middle. Hardy going low to the midsection more and more. Serrano lands a huge straight left that turns Hardy’s head. She shakes it off and keeps swinging. Hardy bobbing and weaving more and making Serrano miss. Hardy lands a big right. Left from Serrano. Big left again for Serrano. Hardy paws with a left and gets popped with a right to end the round.

Round 9

Round starts with the ref calling the ringside doctor to look at Hardy who says she’s fine. The ladies get to the center and start trading jabs. Amanda landing combos up top as Heather works her midsection. Heather eating a lot of combos and is bleeding from the mouth now. Serrano has her in a corner and is landing. Hardy works around to the center but Serrano is nailing her at will up top with huge punches. Ref stops the action to call the ringside doctor. 10 second warning. Hardy is a bloody mess to end the round.

Round 10

The ladies go to work in the center and they are slugging. Heather has managed to back Serrano into the corner but Amanda works her way out. They are going hell for leather in the center again. Amanda landing solid hooks up top and a huge shot to the nose. She has Hardy in the corner and is just nailing her. Hardy manages to get to the center. No defense from either as they go hard in the paint. Huge left for Serrano but Hardy stays upright. Outstanding scrap, even if it was one way traffic for Serrano. Props to Hardy for being tough as nails.

Official decision

Amanda Serrano defeats Heather Hardy via unanimous decision 99-91, 100-90, 100-90

Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz Full fight card

Main card

• Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz; Cruiserweight
• Amanda Serrano vs. Heather Hardy; For Serrano’s IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO women’s featherweight titles
• William Silva vs. Ashton Sylve; Lightweight
• Chris Avila vs. Jeremy Stephens; Super middleweight
• Olivia Curry vs. Shadasia Green; Women’s super middleweight

Prelims

• Alan Sanchez vs. Angel Beltran; Welterweight
• Quilisto Madera vs. Kevin Newman II; Middleweight
• Jose Aguayo vs. Noel Cavazos; Welterweight
• Luciano Ramos vs. CJ Hamilton; Super lightweight

Start time and date

Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz starts at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 5, 2023. The main event ringwalks are expected to take place at 11 p.m. ET.

Live stream

Those who purchased this event on FITE.TV can watch it right here!

Bloody Elbow excels at covering fight-related nonsense like this. We do it for the eyeballs and the ad revenue and to amuse our loyal audience who appreciates that nonsense is a big part of the combat carnival. 

We also do some of the most serious reporting and hard-hitting opinion pieces in the game. We’re independent and answer to you, our readers. Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with the whole range and variety of what we do.

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Before Jake Paul fights Nate Diaz, Ashton Sylve will hit the ring for the biggest test of his young career. Sylve is a 9-0 teenager (with a million instagram followers) who was signed to Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions. Paul has booked him on his shows with a view to grooming him into a star he can promote once his fighting years are behind him.

Last time out he took a unanimous decision over Adam Kipenga on Paul’s Most Valuable Prospects show. Prior to that he beat Braulio Rodriguez via first round KO on the Paul vs. Anderson Silva undercard.

At Paul vs. Diaz, Sylve will face William Silva, a tough vet who should pose a decent challenge and threat to the youngster. The Brazilian Silva is 30-4 and a former opponent of Teofimo Lopez

William Silva vs. Ashton Sylve live play-be-play

Round 1

Silva comes forward lands a quick body shot. Sylve lands two up top and one to the breadbasket. Sylve lands again to the midsection. Two up top for Sylve. Silva lands a shot to the body and a big right up top. Sylve counters to the midsection. Silva with a good uppercut. The men tie up with Sylve breaking free first and landing a left on the break. Double left hook answered with a missed left, followed by a solid right to the jaw for Sylve. Another big right for Silva. Sylve with a combination ending with a body shot.

Round 2

Sylve comes out Southpaw and the two tie up. Left is landing for Sylve followed by a body shot. Right-left combo lands for Sylve. Sylve is fast and landing with everything he’s throwing right now. Sylve switches to orthodox and lands a good overhand right. Silva ties up. Three punch combo lands for Sylve. Sylve lands a 4-punch combo. Huge body shot drops Silva but the bell saves him.

Round 3

Silva comes out and throws an immediate left to the body. Sylve answers with a shot to the ribs. Sylve continues his assault to the body. Left hook narrowly misses for Silva. Quick left from Silva lands to Sylve’s jaw. Sylve confident and is working the body consistently. Left-right up top lands for Sylve. Left hook lands for Sylve. Both men pawing with punches in the center. Quick left lands for Sylve up top. Silva lands a two punch combo. Sylve responds with a nasty body shot that clearly hurt Silva to end the round.

Round 4

Sylve pawing with the jab. Silva comes in low and lands to the body. They tie up. Silva landing jabs up top. Sylve goes back to the body. Left hook lands for Sylve. Silva backs up Sylve into the corner but Sylve fights out easily. Sylve is teeing off on Silva after a huge body shot. Silva lands a big hook that turns Sylve’s head. Nice combo for Silva answered by another nasty body assault and two huge bombs up top. 10 second warning. Sylve lands a huge left to the body that puts Silva down. Silva isn’t getting up. Fight over. “He’s only 19!” is shouted from the booth.

Ashton Sylve defeats William Silva vis KO at 2:59 of round 4

Round 5

Coming soon…

Round 6

Coming soon…

Round 7

Coming soon…

Round 8

Coming soon…

Official decision

Coming soon…

Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz Full fight card

Main card

• Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz; Cruiserweight
• Amanda Serrano vs. Heather Hardy; For Serrano’s IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO women’s featherweight titles
• William Silva vs. Ashton Sylve; Lightweight
• Chris Avila vs. Jeremy Stephens; Super middleweight
• Olivia Curry vs. Shadasia Green; Women’s super middleweight

Prelims

• Alan Sanchez vs. Angel Beltran; Welterweight
• Quilisto Madera vs. Kevin Newman II; Middleweight
• Jose Aguayo vs. Noel Cavazos; Welterweight
• Luciano Ramos vs. CJ Hamilton; Super lightweight

Start time and date

Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz starts at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 5, 2023. The main event ringwalks are expected to take place at 11 p.m. ET.

Live stream

Those who purchased this event on FITE.TV can watch it right here!

Bloody Elbow excels at covering fight-related nonsense like this. We do it for the eyeballs and the ad revenue and to amuse our loyal audience who appreciates that nonsense is a big part of the combat carnival. 

We also do some of the most serious reporting and hard-hitting opinion pieces in the game. We’re independent and answer to you, our readers. Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with the whole range and variety of what we do.

Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz presser gets heated

Paul and Diaz will finally get their chance to exchange leather Saturday night in Dallas, TX after a few months of lackluster interviews and Jake making complaints toward Nate for not participating in the marketing of the fight. It should be noted that interest in this contest isn’t as high as Paul’s previous bouts, and that most likely stems from few factors:

• Jake’s recent loss to Tommy Fury—his first pro loss
• Nate’s advancing age and notable decline before he left the UFC
• Interest waning in crossover boxing/celebrity boxing

Critiques

Adding to the growing list of reasons for concern is one of Nate Diaz’ sparring partners stating that “boxing is not for him.” That’s right, Olympic medalist Esquiva Falcao said he stands by the comments he made after he sparred Diaz in June.

“I had a crazy sparring with that guy. Great, great guy. In the beginning I thought he was tired. By the end, it looked like he was dying, you know? Because his fighting style is a crazy one. When you look at him, you go: ‘He’s tired already’, then we started sparring and in the second round Robert (Falcao’s coach) told me that he was already tired. So he told me to take it easy, keep it steady so he can go for at least 10 rounds.”

“I took it down a notch and we were just boxing, you know?” Falcao said. “We ended up going for 12 rounds, even though he was tired. He was landing shots and eating a lot of shots, too. It’s bad. He is heavy now, he’s overweight He must weigh about 220 pounds now or more. So the only big guy here at the gym is me. So I ended up having spar him. I enjoyed doing it, though.”

Falcao told MMA Fighting the following in a brand new interview:

“Nate Diaz has bad boxing — boxing is not for him,” Falcao said. “I praise him because he’s a warrior, a good fighter, a jiu-jitsu guy with a big name, but he’s not good in boxing. “I can’t lie, I can’t say his boxing is good, that he will become a world champion if he gives it a try. His boxing is bad. If he enters a boxing tournament, he’ll lose depending on the opponent he faces. But he has heart, he likes to brawl. But technique-wise, he’s bad.”

Both Nate Diaz and Jake Paul have been making the rounds sparring notable names in their preparation, and three years ago, Nate sparred WBC champion Regis Prograis in a session that Prograis says went pretty hard and that they “tried to take each other’s head off.” Prograis was interviewed by Ariel Helwani last month and described the session.

The clock is ticking down to fight time and the interest just doesn’t seem to be there, at least not yet. Perhaps we’ll get more buzz tomorrow and Saturday, but as things stand right now, the enthusiasm around this event is barely there, and it’s a decent card.

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Conor McGregor calls out Justin Gaethje after UFC 291

UFC 291 was a pretty damned good card. It had plenty of finishes and lots of action. Among those finishes was Justin Gaethje’s spectacular head kick knockout of Dustin Poirier. The newest baddest motherf—r has already received his first callout, and surprise, surprise, it’s none other than Conor McGregor, the man that lost to Dustin Poirier in his last outing.

Conor McGregor, known for his tweet & delete sprees, immediately began with this:

“Justin, I’ll slap you around” then followed right after with:

“I’m the real bmf, he can fight for pennies if he wants but I want spirits, I call the shots, I’m in it to launch shots, f—ck chandler, you want it call for it.”

It wouldn’t be the first time he’s talked about ditching the Chandler fight, and at this point, you have to wonder if he’s serious because, to my knowledge, Conor still isn’t in the USADA pool. Yes, there is that very convenient ‘extreme circumstances’ exemption that could be pulled out, but I’m not sure “Notorious” even wants to fight anymore.

Michael Chandler responds

Michael Chandler did not miss the tweets and issued one of his own:

“Just pee in the cup @TheNotoriousMMA it ain’t that complicated…. #ufc291”

It’ll be interesting to see how this all plays out. Will Chandler get his chance to meet Conor McGregor in the octagon or will Justin Gaethje be the next man in line to face the Irishman? Let’s throw another question into the mix. Will Conor ever fight again?

UFC 291 quick results

Check out everything that went down at UFC 291 here!

Full event live stream and replay

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UFC 291 is tonight!

Polish Power meets Potatan tonight in the co-main event of the stacked UFC 291 card. Jan Blachowicz and Alex Pereira both smell a title shot in the UFC light heavyweight division and both will be eager to KO the other and take a big step towards that vacant belt.

Blachowicz comes into this one off his bore-draw with Magomed Ankalaev, which saw him fail to clinch the vacant belt. He won the belt back in 2021 after beating Glover Teixeira. After defending the title to Israel Adesanya, he lost it to Jiri Prochazka.

Pereira is debuting in the UFC’s 205 lb division and is coming off a loss to his nemesis Adesanya. Pereira famously took the UFC middleweight title off The Last StyleBender last year. However, he lost the belt in an immediate rematch.

UFC 291 Live Stream Video

Watch Jan Blachowicz vs. Alex Pereira, and the rest of the card, below in the UFC’s official YouTube stream.

Jan Blachowicz vs. Alex Pereira play-by-play

Round 1

Periera immediately gets a headlock on Blachowicz off a failed takedown attempt. Big Jan attacks the legs then manages to break Alex’s grip, then gets him down. Jan is riding Pereira’s back with a rear-naked-choke sunk in. Pereira fought it and freed himself but Blachowicz is still on his back. Alex is up to one knee now, fighting Jan’s hands to keep him from sneaking in another sub attempt.

Jan is resting atop Poatan and the crowd is booing the inactive position. Blachowicz is working hard to get him all the way down. Jan succeeded and is now trying to flatten him out. Pereira sprawls and prevents. Alex is defending well but supporting all Jan’s weight. 10-9 Blachowicz.

Round 2

The men start their exchange in the center trading shots. Blachowicz immediately targets Poatan’s legs with low kicks. Pereira looks gigantic in there. Alex gets in a low kick of his own and now they’re trading in the center again. Blachowicz changes levels and gets Poatan down easily.

Pereira lands a few from the bottom while Jan tries to posture up to land. Alex works up to a sitting position against the cage. Pereira regains his footing but Jan is controlling him against the cage. Alex spins out and lands a gnarly head kick, then a body shot. Jan shoots but misses. Poatan has him against the cage now, throwing knees up the middle. Blachowicz is bleeding from a cut on his eyebrow. Poatan is teeing off on him against the cage and Jan looks totally exhausted. 10-9 Pereira

Round 3

Poatan lands a high kick then a shot to the solar plexus. He’s landing high kicks at will and is barely breathing hard. Blachowicz lands a three-punch combo. Pereira is walking him down but Big Jan returns fire with another combo that lands. Alex is tagging him almost every time he throws, but Jan is constantly working on tenderizing his legs.

Both men land hard shots and Blachowicz attempts a takedown but Poatan stuffs it. Jan breathing heavy out of his mouth and bleeding freely from the cut. Both men land but Alex clearly stunned Jan with his shot. Jan’s arms look like he’s lifting lead now. Poatan is still crisp, throwing a piston jab. Jan gets the takedown and is missing with all his shots. 10 second warning. Round ends. 10-9 Pereira

Official decision

Alex Pereira defeates Jan Blachowicz via split-decision: 29-28×2, 28-29

More results and highlights

After this fight we have Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje 2 for the BMF belt. Go here to check out how you can follow everything that happens at UFC 291.

You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality UFC 291 coverage. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site.

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UFC 291 witnessed Super Lewis

UFC 291 has been mostly entertaining and the fight between Derrick Lewis and Marcos Rogerio de Lima absolutely fit the description. Now, I know this is going to sound crazy, but Derrick started the exchange by launching himself across the cage with an insane flying knee that caught de Lima square on the chin. Lewis then followed him down, secured full mount and continued his assault. When de Lima managed to roll over, the “Black Beast” took his back and kept punching until the referee intervened.

It was a great way to break a three-fight losing streak for the 38-year-old Houston native. So great, in fact, that he immediately stripped off his fight shorts and ran around the cage, then leapt onto it, holding his shorts triumphantly. He did put them back on for his post-fight interview, though.

When Joe Rogan asked him about the sequence that ended the contest, he answered, “I was just throwing some bullsh—t to see what lands.” He noted that it was the last fight on his contract and that he hoped he could re-up with the promotion again, but if he couldn’t then “It is what it is.”

Lewis holds the record for the most knockouts in UFC history with 14. He finished the fight in 33 seconds. I think it’s safe to assume the UFC would be delighted to sign him again. He’s 38, and by their standards, he’s still a youngster.

UFC 291 quick results

Check out everything that went down at UFC 291 here!

Full event live stream and replay

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Sean Strickland has been the living, breathing embodiment of a hot button topic for the last few years and as time marches on, so too does Sean’s penchant for being unfiltered, unapologetic, and problematic. In his most recent social snafu, he took aim at TikTok food reviewer and influencer Keith Lee, brother of UFC welterweight Kevin Lee. In a story he shared via his podcast, The Man Dance, with training partner and good friend Chris Curtis, Strickland accused Keith of being a racist.

In the words of Sean Strickland

According to the UFC middleweight contender, about a year ago, while at a gym where they were both training, Lee allegedly approached Sean and some others wanting to discuss the issue of racism. Sean called it “racial, systematic oppression shit” and went on to detail how Keith first accused him of being racist, so he decided the best way to handle the situation was to poke “fun” at the TikToker by saying “I’ve f—cked more black women than you have, so how am I racist?” and further pressing the issue, telling Lee, “Come on, I know you’ve got a little white woman at home.”

Strickland said that Lee responded by saying “No, f—ck that, I don’t even like white people.” As he sat there with Chris Curtis and their producer, he laid claim to the veracity of his story several times, “Gun to my head, true story. Chris was there.” Chris laughed and said that he wished he could remember the conversation.

In the words of Keith Lee

More than a week would go by before Keith Lee would respond, noting in his video rebuttal that he’d agonized over the decision to even reply, but felt that he had to. In the video, Keith denied the accusation and even went on to call—on video—two people from the gym that were present during the conversation. Both said they didn’t recall Lee ever expressing a dislike for white people. Keith would also note that his business had been affected, that he’d received countless racist responses under his videos, and that it had a negative effect on him and his family.

Keith Lee is most often praised for his integrity. Sean Strickland is widely known for going out of his way to be “brutally honest,” which often turns into him just being aggressively rude and divisive. But this time, in his quest for soundbites and attention, he’s forced real world problems on his target. Not one to allow himself to possibly exhibit any good will, Sean would tweet,

“I made a food critic upset… LMAO bro you eat cheetos for a living…. relax “I’m married to a beautiful black woman” yes and right before that you said “naa I don’t like white people” Again it doesn’t fucking matter… lmao keep eating your sushi.”

Lee says that he’s had to block over 1000 people and had to delete thousands of comments. He also stated that he was beginning to be adversely impacted financially, as well. For reference, Keith Lee has 13.5M followers and has several brand endorsements. His assessment of the situation comes across as fair and accurate. It stands to reason that the fallout from an accusation like that could be detrimental to his career.

Near the midpoint of Lee’s video, he stops to say, “I don’t have any ill will or bad feelings toward Sean Strickland” and as he wrapped up his reply, he noted that he just wanted to be able to return to the TikTok community he’d forged for himself, his safe haven. Hopefully, he finds peace there again.

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This weekend at UFC 291, Salt Lake City will bear witness to the second competition for the Baddest Motherf—er title. It’s an accolade that has no bearing on real title lineage or the pecking order of the rankings. Winning the BMF belt won’t get you shot at the belt in your respective weight division. It is purely for bragging rights, or more practically, it is the secret weapon the UFC brass has recently discovered they can break out when they need to fill a title spot to meet their contractual ESPN quota.

BMF background

The BMF title was first introduced at UFC 244 in 2019. Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz were the first fighters to compete for that unique strap and Masvidal would end up the victor. The belt was estimated to cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $50,000 to make and was presented to the winner by Dwayne “Rock” Johnson.

UFC 291 will be the second time the title will be up for grabs, despite Dana White saying it was a one-time deal. Something tells me this is going to become a regular occurrence, especially considering the way El Jefe defended the UFC’s decision to dust off the old title.

“We’re in there and, as we’re putting that card together for Utah, we thought that Poirier and Gaethje is such an awesome fight. Masvidal retired, so we put the BMF up. You have no idea how many of these fighters want to fight for the BMF title. They all want to fight for that belt. It’s fun, it’s different. So, we’ll do it again.”

White isn’t off the mark when he noted lots of fighters wanted to compete for the BMF title. It’s a title, meaning it could, in theory, net PPV points and most assuredly a nice, fat purse. And of course, there are always those aforementioned bragging rights. And that’s where Kevin Holland comes into play.

Kevin Holland, self-proclaimed BMF

In a recent interview with Cageside Press, Holland revealed that he’d commissioned a BMF ring for himself.

“Bro, I might get in trouble, but I bought a whole BMF ring. I just made my own ring. Like, f—ck it, you know what I mean? It’s like, obviously, I’m not going to get the belt. They dropped it down to 55. I ain’t cutting that weight. The people speak loud. You know, the people love me. When they drop it…I don’t ask to be tagged, the people tag me and they think I’m a BMF.

Jorge had it and he talked all that sh—t about how we were going to scrap. ‘I got one more and it’s for you.’ I got a whole DM full of this bullsh—t. But ultimately, you retired and then you blessed your homeboy with the belt. And there’s nothing wrong with that. I would have did it for my homeboy too. F—ck it, it is what it is. So, I got a ring and it’s nice as f—ck. I’ll probably wear it tomorrow, just so I can get in trouble.”

Kevin Holland vs. Michael Chiesa will be the main card opener Saturday night which begins at 10pm ET. For full streaming details and compatible devices, go here.

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Tomorrow morning at the crack of dawn—maybe even before then—Naoya Inoue will be taking on Stephen Fulton for the unified super bantamweight titles, but Team Fulton had a very serious issue they wanted addressed first. According to Fulton’s trainer, Inoue’s hand-wrapping process didn’t look legitimate.

Naoya Inoue is publicly accused

Wahid Rahim aka Stephen Fulton’s trainer claimed that Inoue used layers of tape in his wraps, forming what he deems a cast. He went on to draw a line in the sand, saying that if Naoya’s hands aren’t wrapped properly, he wasn’t going to let the fight go forward. He even stated that they “haven’t even asked for a rematch clause” and only wanted this single demand met.

The look on Fulton’s face was absolutely priceless and has since become a meme. If rumors of purses are to be taken at face value, Stephen’s purse could be in the neighborhood of $5M. That’s a lot of money to leave on the table over handwraps, especially when Rahim noted that their side could wrap that way too, but “where is the level of safety for the fighters?”

The response

It wouldn’t take long for Naoya Inoue to fire back. He tweeted the following:

“Japan has its own local rules. Evcen in the US, there are local rules on each state, and the winding methods are different. Our fight will be held in Japan on 25^th, so of course I will follow the Japanese rules. Don’t suck it up. Just Fight!”

It’s as easy as ABC

If we are to go by the ABC’s website, their section on hand wraps states the following:

“Hand wraps shall be restricted to no more than twenty (20) yards of soft gauze, not more than two (2) inches wide. The gauze shall be held in place by no more than eight (8) feet of adhesive tape, no more than one and one-half (1 ½) inches wide. The adhesive tape shall not cover any part of the knuckles when the hand is clenched to make a fist. The use of water, or any other liquid or material, on the tape is strictly prohibited. Hand wraps shall be applied in the dressing room in the presence of a Commission representative and, if requested, one representative of the other boxer.”

That last bit being the most important part. This could be gamesmanship or it could be a legitimate concern, but it’s highly doubtful Team Fulton will be pulling out of the match for any reason, much less a hand wrap issue that’s never presented a problem with any of Inoue’s previous opponents. Rahim would even share Stephen’s comments on the matter, and he doesn’t seem fazed in the slightest.

“I talked to Fulton about my concerns and he asked me not to discuss my concerns. Fulton said, ‘I don’t care if he has bricks in his gloves. I will still win.’”

Some footage & the official particulars

Here’s a couple clips of Inoue and Fulton doing what they do best:

Naoya Inoue vs. Stephen Fulton takes place Tuesday morning at 430am ET, live from the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. The main event ring walks will be around 8am ET. The fight will be streaming on ESPN+ for the bargain price of $9.99 (monthly subscription price for ESPN+).

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From the looks of it, influencer and celebrity boxing is here to stay. With these events happening more frequently and subsequently selling out arenas, it’s hard not to rubberneck a little bit. This weekend’s Misfits card will be debuting a new format, Survivor Tag. If that sounds wild to you, that’s because it is. But before we get to that, let’s take a look at one of the men competing in this 4-man tournament. His name is Swarmz.

Who da fook is Swarmz?

Brandon Scott, better known as Swarmz, is a British rapper and newly minted boxer. In his youth, he was a talented footballer who played for several different teams including National League South club Whitehawk. By 2018, he’d finished his soccer career to pursue a music career.

He’d end up a Youtube sensation with several viral singles, then in March, 2020, he was featured on KSI’s single, “Houdini”. Swarmz wouldn’t begin his boxing career until August of last year where he ended up facing KSI as a late replacement. KSI defeated him via second round knockout.

Undaunted, Swarmz signed on to face fellow Youtuber Kristen Hanby but withdrew a couple weeks out citing a need for “more time to prepare.” In January, he fought British BMX Youtuber Ryan Taylor and would register his first win via TKO after Taylor suffered an eye injury.

In May, Swarmz fought KSI’s younger brother, Deji Olatunji, but lost the fight via unanimous decision. That brings us to the present where he’ll be facing not one but three other men in the aforementioned Survivor Tag bout. Let’s have a gander at the rules for that.

Misfits Boxing Survivor Tag Rules

*Rules courtesy of Misfits Boxing

• This is not a tag team bout, but a four-man fight to find the last man standing – it’s every man for himself
• Only two fighters allowed in the ring at one time
• The two fighters to start the bout will be decided by a fan vote on social media
• Fighters can tag in and out of the action
• Refusal to accept a tag into the ring will result in elimination
• A fighter is not allowed to tag the same person consecutively
• Any fighter knocked down is immediately eliminated
• Once a fighter is eliminated the next fighter will be chosen clockwise from the corner of the eliminated fighter
• It is boxed over 4×3 minute rounds
• At the end of each round, the fighters in the ring are changed
• If more than one fighter remains standing at the end of four rounds, the contest goes to the judges’ scorecards
• Fighters are awarded 8-10 points per round, depending on their performance
• Any fighter who does not participate in any given round will be awarded 9 points

Swarmz will be facing these three men:

• NichLMAO
• B Dave
• Ryan Johnston

MF & DAZN: X Series 008 goes down this Saturday, July 22, 2023 at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium and starts at 8 p.m. ET.

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Earlier this week, it was revealed that Dricus Du Plessis had an injury and wouldn’t be able to keep his appointment with destiny. Destiny being in the form of a title bout at UFC 293 with UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya who issued a sizzling video response. In his video, he also called out a name as a replacement option. That name was Sean Strickland.

Sean Strickland off the cuff

It wouldn’t take long for media to zero in on the loquacious middleweight contender. Helen Yee would be the first to get comments and per his usual terse nature, he didn’t mince any words.

“I don’t think Dricus is that good and I think Izzy beats Dricus. I understand you, Dricus. It is very natural to just have a fight—which I just fought like a week before you—and then want to fly across the world to go fight a guy on seven weeks’ notice. It is very natural to say ‘I might not want to do that.’ But, I’m a f—ing man. I’m not a p—y. I have a price. You pay me money, I’ll f—ing fight him right here. Unlike Dricus who is probably the smarter man, the true African he is. I am not. You f—ing pay me, we’ll fight right here.”

The question of money always enters the equation when titles are on the line. For Strickland, it is the only factor that matters. When asked if it was on the Lebron James level of payouts, he didn’t pull any punches there either.

“I mean, it’s UFC money. It’s never LeBron James money, guys. We’re in the UFC, so we’re talking about like, you know, I might be able to put a new lift kit on my truck money or I might be able to upgrade my Hyundai Accent.”

As many have noted, Sean has no filter whatsoever. If a thought pops into mind, he’s not one to squash it no matter how it may come across, offensive or otherwise.

“Anyways, I understand you, Dricus. I’m not gonna hate on you. I know you and Izzy have some personal issues with you being African and him being Chinese and him not happy about that. I understand you. But I’m the man and I will f—ing do it. Pay me money and I’ll f—ing fight him for an hour straight or at least until somebody wakes up or goes to sleep.”

Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland negotiations

According to Sean, negotiations are already underway for the Israel Adesanya fight, and as mentioned above, it comes down to money. Pay that man his money.

“We’re in talks, you know we’re in talks. Like I said, it comes down to just f—ing pay me. Let me ask you this, do we really want to watch Dricus and Izzy fight? No, we don’t want to watch Dricus and Izzy fight. You want to watch me fight. Am I gonna win? I don’t know. But I’m gonna go in there and I’m gonna punch that Chinese mother—er right in the face.”

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Francis Ngannou fumbled the bag. That was what many fans and pundits thought before the announcement was unveiled that he’d be facing Tyson Fury in a 10-round boxing match at the end of October in Saudi Arabia for a 10-figure purse. And that’s in addition to a PFL deal worth millions, as well.

Now that the particulars of the bout have been released and made official, notable boxers and industry pros have weighed in on his chances at victory and the general consensus is that he hasn’t got a snowball’s chance in the hot place at winning this contest. Among them happens to be one of the pound-for-pound best boxers in the world.

Terence Crawford is ice cold

Ahead of his mega-fight with Errol Spence next weekend, Terence Crawford was asked his thoughts on whether Francis had a shot at beating Fury. Without missing a beat, Crawford said “Zero.” That one word was an entire mouthful and it seems to be the prevailing thought in both the boxing and MMA communities.

Others weigh in

Former cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew was bowled over by the prospect of Ngannou having his first pro bout against the reigning lineal heavyweight boxing champion. Here’s what he replied when Ariel Helwani tweeted out the announcement:

“Said this would happen Months ago and people were calling me a hater! It’s great business and believe me people will watch it! HOWEVER someone making his professional boxing debut against the best heavyweight in the world is CRAZY! Read back what I’ve just said! MADNESS!”

Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn would issue this statement:

“I don’t blame Tyson Fury for fighting Francis Ngannou, it’s what you want. He doesn’t seem as bothered about legacy or undisputed [titles], he is going to fight a guy that could fight him a million times and never beat him and he’s going to make forty million. Good luck to him.”

Other pros in the industry like Carl Froch were outright angry with the decision to make the bout. In an interview with BettingSites.co.uk he had this to say,

“It’s a frustrating time for heavyweight boxing. Frank Warren’s just announced Tyson Fury will fight Francis Ngannou, who is an MMA fighter, so it’s another crossover fight – load of rubbish. He’s on about, ‘the game’s changed, it’s going to change the whole sport’. Absolute load of s—t. I don’t like swearing, but it’s a load of s—t. We don’t want to see that fight. We want to see Tyson Fury in there with Usyk.”

Heavyweight star Anthony Joshua had a decidedly less acerbic take, despite the fact that he’d been seeking a title bout with Fury and had even been in preliminary talks about a fight with Ngannou, as well.

“[I have] three thoughts. ‘One – I shouldn’t give a f—k, it’s none of my business. It has no business concerning me. It pays me no business,” Joshua told iFL TV.  Number two – Why? He should’ve been fighting for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world. Straight up. That’s nonsense. Three – If we’re acknowledging his business, good luck to the man. Do your thing. If it’s right for him, what’s it got to do with me? That’s my three views on it.”

When you really stop to think of the magnitude of what Francis Ngannou was able to accomplish in an industry that typically doesn’t see nor encourage independent success, it’s actually mind-blowing. Randy Couture couldn’t do it. Tito Ortiz couldn’t do it. Not even Conor McGregor could do it without a heavy split with the UFC. It may end up biting the PFL in the ass, but as far as what Francis was able to accomplish, that bit is downright monumental. What’s also monumental is the task ahead of Ngannou. As a matter of fact, it’s nigh on impossible, but impossible seems to be his forte right now.

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Nate Diaz was one of the ultra rare few that managed to get away from the UFC and go on to find career and/or financial success. His split from the UFC wasn’t acrimonious, even if there were plenty of moments that made us all collectively wonder if there’d ever be peace between them. When he left, Nate never fully closed the door on a return, and his longtime coach Cesar Gracie even opined that a return wouldn’t be out of the question.

Nate Diaz talks UFC return

So, when Nate guested on Bradley Martyn’s Raw Talk, it wasn’t any real surprise to learn that he does indeed see himself returning to the warm embrace of the octagon. Here’s Bloody Elbow’s transcript of what he had to say:

Bradley Martyn: Will you ever fight again in the UFC?

Nate Diaz: Yeah.

Bradley Martyn: You will?

Nate Diaz: Yeah.

Bradely Martyn: Okay. Do you know when that would be?

Nate Diaz: I’m gonna get this fight done with and then everything changes with every fight. People don’t understand that everything changes with every fight. Every fight that happens its like, how do you say it? It changes the whole bracket. When a fight happens, everything changes.

Bradley Martyn: Even a fight that’s out of the UFC?

Nate Diaz: Out of the UFC—big performances, good performances. People see Jake Paul coming in yelling crazy shit at people. I ain’t gonna lie dude, this guy thinks he’ll beat everyone’s ass and he’s louder than all you fools that are really beating people’s ass. So, now I have to step out the box real quick and whip this motherf-cker’s ass so everyone knows who’s the real asswhipper. You understand what I’m saying?

Bradley Martyn: Absolutely.

Nate Diaz: ‘Oh it’s a mismatch’ and this and that. I’m like pffft, ‘Then you fight him mother-cker.’ Make sure the best fight that everybody wants to see actually happens because that’s what I’m here to see when I’m watching fighting.

Bradley Martyn: That’s what we all want.

Nate Diaz: And this fool’s popping off, ‘We’re real fighters.’ Oh yeah, prove it, mother-cker. Go beat his ass for talking shit.

Bradley Martyn:  I like it. So, you’re saying there’s people in the fight game that are kinda like pussy for talking like that? Like they say it but they’e not out stepping to do it. Then again, they don’t all get the opportunity to do it, right? Because Jake’s always picking people that can make a big fight. You, I know historically, have pulled massive PPV numbers, so of course he’s trying to go towards you.

Nate Diaz: He was going after everybody, though.

Bradley Martyn: That’s true.

Nate Diaz: People don’t understand that, though. On that big a stage where he’s making everybody believe him, and this guy is talking shit to the whole roster and ain’t no one saying shit, and he’s louder than the roster. The UFC’s big, but the roster…you know what I’m saying? And then he was talking shit to Conor.

Bradley Martyn: Yeah, he was trying to get the Conor fight.

Nate Diaz: He was talking shit to Conor and dissing his wife and shit. Some real disrespectful stuff that he shouldn’t have been saying and nobody’s saying shit. I’m the one who said ‘Shut the f-ck up, bitch. I’ll whip your ass for real. Have some respect.’

There’s only one fight to make

The prospect of Nate Diaz coming back to the UFC might be great news for some, but if we’re realistic, there is really only one fight to make and that would be the trilogy bout with Conor McGregor. Outside that, he would need to be very carefully matched. In another portion of that interview, Nate was asked if he thought Jake was going to be an easy fight. He said it wasn’t and that he only wanted the hard fights. If that’s the case, I doubt he’d even want careful matchmaking.

Nate Diaz will meet up with Jake Paul on August 5, 2023 in Dallas, TX at the American Airlines Center. The card is billed as Ready 4 War.

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Francis Ngannou has been poised to make a fortune for months, and with his PFL signing, he has been afforded the ability to fight outside the confines of the cage. In their willingness to accommodate the lineal UFC heavyweight champion, the PFL have granted Francis the chance to take boxing matches outside their purview, even with his clear intent to have a boxing match before ever setting foot in a PFL cage.

The red carpet treatment

Moreover, they’re not even trying to get in on a co-promotion ride the way the UFC did when Conor McGregor boxed and lost to Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Nope, Francis Ngannou was shown nothing but a willingness to meet his demands, even to the point of ensuring that his future opponents are also paid well (to the tune of $1-2M per fight).

The UFC brass, in their unwillingness to compromise, let their sitting champion walk. In the time since Ngannou’s signing, Dana White resorted to backhanded insults and barbs. “I don’t want to talk shit about the PFL but…” Among those was the declaration that the idea of Francis Ngannou facing off against Tyson Fury was a gimmick fight and “That’s just not what we do here” would be the words that ended up turning into a meme.

Did the UFC try to derail Francis Ngannou?

White would wait no longer than a couple days before using his social media to beg, plead and goad Tyson Fury into taking a fight with Jon Jones. Somehow, a fight with Ngannou would’ve been a gimmick, but that same bout with Jon jones facing Fury would’ve been “the biggest fight in history.”

The attempted courtship of Tyson Fury for a fight with Jones went on for a week or two, then fizzled out. The most interesting part was the timing of it. Rumors had been flying that Francis and Tyson were close to finalizing their bout and it was at that time the UFC began a very aggressive pursuit of Fury for a pairing with Jones.

If you’re thinking that it looks like the UFC were actively trying to sabotage Ngannou-Fury, you wouldn’t be the only one. In a recent interview on the MMA Hour, Francis Ngannou’s longtime representative, Marquel Martin, shared that they viewed the UFC’s meddling as an attempt at derailing their negotiations with Fury.

“I think for everyone that has been initiated within the UFC and kind of really understands it, it’s no surprise, right?” Martin said this week on The MMA Hour. “Dana is one of the best promoters that we’ve ever seen. I’ll always say that. So when we saw it, we just kind of [were] like, ‘Of course.’ Right? Of course you would say, on one end, it’s a gimmick fight. … And then on the other hand, it comes to where it’s like, ‘Oh no, we’ll put that on.’ So I’m sure that they wanted that fight.”

“I think they really wanted to just mess up our chances, to be quite honest. I think, for whatever reason, there’s a sour taste in their mouth when it comes to Francis. And yeah, they don’t want Francis to be able to have that opportunity. Right? I think that was clear to us for a while. For what reason? I don’t know, you have to ask them. But it’s a moot point.”

Making the deal

There is still a celebratory feeling reverberating throughout the community, and that is due to Francis Ngannou being able to successfully get away from the restrictive confines of the UFC. In doing so, he signed a historic deal with the PFL and secured a match with boxing’s heavyweight champion, and from the sound of it, he’s going to get paid.

In an interview with Ariel Helwani, Francis Ngannou said that the money he’s getting paid to box Tyson Fury is “life changing” and that it dwarfed his UFC pay.

“What I will tell you is that, compared to what I was making for my UFC fight, it’s day and night,” Francis Ngannou said Monday on The MMA Hour. “It’s life changing. And it would be the same thing if I was fighting in the PFL first. What I was making, what I did make in my last [UFC] fight, doesn’t even count. It’s not close, anywhere close.”

He was asked if his boxing purse was going to be more than he’d made over the entirety of his UFC career. The answer was yes.

“One-hundred percent, yes. I didn’t make that much in my entire UFC career, basically after turning down all those contracts that could have made me more money. But yes, if we count it, absolutely.” He didn’t volunteer an exact number, but rumors have it that he is expected to make an eight-figure purse.

How much could Francis Ngannou make against Fury?

Bloody Elbow financial columnist John Nash had this to offer:

“Both Francis Ngannou and his manager Marquel Martin have stated that his purse from this upcoming boxing match against Tyson Fury will surpass the total that he would have earned if he had signed with the UFC. Based on the information we have, this would imply that it could earn him at least $18 million.”

The feeling of finally being financially secure in his future comes with a bit of an “I told ya so” vibe, though. He’s not bothered by those that didn’t have faith in his ability to get these deals done. He says he’s used to it.

“It’s the story of my life,” Ngannou said. “Everything that I have done, nobody has ever believed in me until it was done. This was the case [here] and I felt pretty good about it. I was like, ‘Yes. I got it done.’”

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Amid the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, a name familiar to the MMA community has been making headlines. Ari Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor, the parent company of the UFC, has been named as the second highest earning Hollywood executive. Emanuel’s spot on the list was bested only by Warner Brothers CEO David Zaslav, who came in at just under half a billion dollars per year.

Ari’s salary in 2022 was a reported $346,938,367 (source of graphic was CNBC). As a matter of fact, Ari actually made nearly double what Disney head honcho Bob Iger made ($195,092,460).

Why is Ari Emanuel involved in SAG-AFTRA?

In case you’re wondering why Ari Emanuel’s name is so prominent during the strike, it’s because Endeavor still has the talent agency branch of the business. They represent A-listers like Dwayne Johnson, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman, just to name a few. There are a lot more name stars on their roster, but you get the idea—they represent all the biggest names in Hollywood. Period.

Emanuel even made an offer to step in and try to find a resolution to prevent actors from striking. According to Deadline, Ari contacted SAG-AFTRA to try to prevent a total shutdown if actors joined writers on their ongoing strike. Surprise! They did.

“This wasn’t just about stopping a strike, it was about finding a way forward for everybody” a source close to events told Deadline. Another insider said the union was very receptive to Ari Emanuel’s outreach and wanted him close to the process in the final hours before the actors joined the strike.

Those close to the situation report that studio executives have become determined to break the WGA and insiders noted “The endgame is to allow things to drag on until members start losing their apartments and losing their houses.”

The UFC heads are just as Machiavellian and over the last few years, they’ve become increasingly bolder. The president and public face of the organization has slapped his wife in public, waged war with media entities and embraced problematic social media influencers as members of his inner circle. There appear to be no limits.

Bob Iger is in the hot seat

Bob Iger is another name familiar to this space because Disney owns ESPN and ABC. Bob was in Sun Valley late last week for a media and tech conference and seemed to imply that parts of Disney could be up for sale in the future and that they might be looking for a partner for ESPN. The below video podcast has a pretty good encapsulation of the events from the tech conference:

Iger’s statements on the strike early last week landed him in hot water when he said the labor action was detrimental for the industry and that demands were “unrealistic.” If that sounds vaguely familiar to you, it’s because Dana White has used a similar tact when trying to explain the UFC’s budget not allowing for all fighters that get a finish on a card to get bonuses. It’s a strategy they’ve used to quell talks of the dismal state of fighter pay, as well.

UFC financials

UFC financials revealed that the UFC is so good at cutting costs—specifically fighter pay—that they’ve managed to break records and set personal bests consistently. Where once the fighters’ cut of the revenue actually hit a little north of 20%, it has now been shaved back to just 13%. That’s down from around 17.5%, which had been somewhat of a constant for the last several years.

Their partnership with ESPN has allowed them to make money hand over fist without really putting in much effort. A look at the massive spate of Apex cards—even after the pandemic—tells us all we need to know. The stark reality is that UFC fighters will always make peanuts while the execs making insane money off their backs will continue to make hundreds of millions. I doubt Ari Emanuel even knows who Alexandre Pantoja is, much less that he was driving for Uber Eats up until two fights ago. What’s worse is I don’t think he would care if he did.

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UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Bueno Silva might not have looked like much on paper, and it’s no secret it was struggling to keep the attention of fans, but Viktoriya Dudakova vs. Istela Nunes helped change all that. Up until this contest, every fight on the card had gone to decision. The injury TKO Istela suffered was the kind of dislocation that can make some queasy, so if you are one of those people, steel yourself before proceeding.

A UFC fight with a nasty finish

The fight started off with both women throwing hard leather. Dudakova shoots for a single, gets Nunes down and the two begin rolling as Istela sought to escape. Amid the scramble, Nunes went to post up on her left arm. That’s when it buckled in a direction elbows are not meant to bend. Dana White’s video clip of the sequence tells the tale.

MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin would provide an update to the story with the help of Nunes’ x-ray showing the injury (courtesy of Dana’s Instagram). On a scale of dislocations, this looks like a complete dislocation, but I’m no expert. We’ll have to let the physicians weigh in on this one. One thing that looks like a certainty is that it will be a while before we see Istela Nunes in a UFC fight.

What could be next

According to information from the Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, if this is indeed a complete dislocation, or complex location as they’re also referred to, treatment can vary depending on the severity. If ligaments, nerves or vasculature has been damaged, surgical treatment is likely required. Nonsurgical treatment is generally indicated for partial of simple dislocations. Hopefully, Nunes experiences a full and speedy recovery.

UPDATE!

Just a few hours after her fight-ending elbow dislocation, Istela Nunes provided an update to her injury. We’re happy her elbow is back where it should be.

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The Kingpyn promotion may be facing serious financial issues, but their Dublin event for Saturday night is moving full steam ahead with the very NSFW Elle Brooke’s fight headlining the women’s side and AnEsonGib’s fight headlining on the men’s side. But who da fook is AnEsonGib? For starters, he’s a ghost, a phantom, because the man using this moniker is actually named Ali Loui Al-Fakhri.

Who is AnEsonGib?

Born on July 4, 1996 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Gib—as he prefers to be called—now lives in London and shares a flat with good friend, MaxPlaysFifa. His chosen name is a play on words as an ode to his prominent nose. If you spell AnEson backwards, it spells “big nose” but the “Na” got added in after he found out the name “EsonGib” was already being used by another Youtube account.

Gib started his Youtube channel in late 2012 and centered it around FIFA gameplay and gained fame for his Ultimate Team pack luck. He dubbed himself the “pack king” and got his real breakthrough after playing KSI and W2S. He currently boasts 2.31M Youtube followers, 948K Instagram followers, 188K TikTok followers and 972K followers on Twitter.

AnEsonGib begins his boxing journey

He began his boxing career in 2018 when he fought his good friend MaxPlays on the undercard of KSI vs. Joe Weller in London. He won the bout via second round TKO. In August of that same year, he went on to fight Jay Swingler, defeating him with a unanimous decision.

From there, AnEsonGib’s star would rise considerably when it was announced that he’d be facing one of the most popular influencers in the world in Jake Paul. The contest was held at the Meridian at Island Gardens in Miami on January 30, 2020 and was promoted by Eddie Hearn under the same rules as the previous KSI vs Logan Paul bout: 10-ounce gloves, six 3-minute rounds with no headgear.

His physical transformation would be the talk of the town, as he went from a pudgy gamer into a chiseled athlete. Because he’d had two previous amateur matches, the fight with Jake Paul would be considered his professional debut. He’d lose via TKO in the very first round. The bout lasted 138 seconds.

Next he’d face Tayler Holder in May of 2021 where the fight went to a majority draw. The bout was hotly contested due to the punch stats, leading fans to wonder if the fix was in. In a bizarre move on June 14, 2021, ISKA director Tom Sconzo overturned the result and awarded the victory to Gib. The mistake was owed to “human error” according to Sconzo.

Last September, Gib would face Social Gloves owner Austin McBroom , winning by knockout in the fourth round in a pretty entertaining bout. They would meet again in a rematch in April of 2023, with Gib scoring the victory via third-round TKO after McBroom injured himself and was unable to continue.

A quick watch of Gib’s fights shows steady progression in his skillset. He demonstrates decent offense and a willingness to be the aggressor. His defense needs some work and his technique could use more polish, but for a Youtube influencer, he’s one of the better athletes from that group of pseudo-pros. His opponent is a stocky fireplug with considerable power, perhaps more than Gib, and he’s known to have had sparring sessions with Floyd Mayweather.

And now we’re all up to date on AnEsonGib’s past, let’s look at his upcoming Kingpyn bout. Gib will be facing fellow Youtuber, Jarvis. Of the entire card, AnEson will have the most boxing experience with a record of 5-1.

Other particulars

• Record: 5-1 (3 KO)
• Height: 5’8”
• Division: Light heavyweight (176lbs / 79.82kg)
• Reach: 70″
• Stance: orthodox
• Total rounds: 19

AnEsonGib vs Jarvis will take place on Saturday, July 15 in Dublin, Ireland. His ring walk will be at approximately 5:30pm ET and you can watch this event via the DAZN app. Complete card:

Winners Bracket:

• AnEsonGib vs Jarvis
• Whindersson vs Kenny
• Jully Poca vs Elle Brooke
• 6AR6IE6 vs Emily Brooke

Losers Bracket:

• Whitney vs. Amber O’Don
• Daniella Hemsley vs. Ms. Danielka

Wildcard Fights:

• Kiefer Crosbie vs. Aaron Chalmers

• Cian Cowley vs. Connor Tierney

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In a late night announcement via Youtube, a current UFC champion vacated their belt. Much like the way former light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka announced an injury and subsequently gave up his title, current 205-pound champion Jamahal Hill just detailed his own serious injury, then vacated his title, repeating the same unfortunate history of his predecessor not even a year later. For Prochazka, it was a shoulder injury, but for Hill, it’s a ruptured Achilles tendon.

In a six-plus-minute video, Jamahal Hill looked shaken and emotional as he struggled to find the words to let UFC fans know the bad news. Here’s our transcript of the video:

Jamahal Hill vacates the UFC light heavyweight belt

“Sweet Dreams Nation, what’s going on. I’m here with some news. I’m gonna be real right off the bat, this is not the good news that we all hope for. Everyone knows that I’ve been waiting for months now to face Jiri Prochazka to defend my belt and my title. And unfortunately, we’re gonna have to wait a little bit longer for that to happen. I’ve unfortunately suffered an injury, I’ve ruptured my Achilles.

“Yeah, this is one of those injuries…man, f-ck. This is just one of those things that happens. It’s a tough injury. It’s one that will require surgery, and it will require time and rehab and things for me to be out for a while.

“I was given an opportunity, I was given a blessing, and that came at the misfortune of someone else. Jiri Prochazka was the champion and he suffered an injury, as these things happen, and he gave up the belt to allow the division to keep moving forward. To keep it entertaining and to make sure that people had a champion. And I’ll do the same.

“Right now, the biggest thing is focusing on my recovery, focusing on getting back to 100%. I need to take some time to focus on my health and make sure that I’m 100% the fighter that I know am. Everybody knows who I am and that’s who I’ve been since I’ve stepped in this. In order to do that, I need to focus on healing and rehabbing.

“Sorry. This is not an easy video for me to make, you know? I like to be transparent, and I like to keep it real. If I had my choice, would I like to give up the belt? No, I wouldn’t. You’ve got to be consistent, and I understand the business so the show must go on. I’m not exempt from that. So, to everybody that supports me, you know I will do everything I can to be back in front of you 100% healthy, and as soon as possible…within reason.

“I want to say I appreciate the UFC. They’re taking care of me, they got my back fully 100% on this and are with me on my road back to recovery. I’ve been promised that I will fight for my title immediately, as soon as I’m able. And as well as the other things that come with that.

“Yeah, man, it’s just part of the story. No matter what, history is going to be written. I’m being tested and I will stand up to the challenge as a man and as a champion. I’ve got the support of my team and the people that are with me. That’s what I need. I’m taking on the challenge, doing what I can do to come back. I already know I’m the real champion. I’m the true champion. And I can’t wait to prove it. I can’t wait to be back putting on a show for all of you.

“I will keep you all up to date with my recovery and how things go and things of that nature. As of right now, I’ve just still got some things to process and things like that, but I just wanted y’all hear from me first. It’s always love and I can’t wait to be back in front of y’all again. Oss.”

Two UFC divisions in flux

According to MMA Fighting, anonymous sources revealed that Hill’s injury occurred “during a basketball game between several fighters that took place ahead of UFC 290 in Las Vegas.”

At the time of this post, the UFC hasn’t made an official statement of what will happen with the title. Once again, we have a vacant belt that is up for grabs. Between light heavyweight and women’s bantamweight, there are a lot of opportunities for the top 5-7 in those divisions. It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.

Update

According to MMA Fighting, Hill’s injury was suffered during the UFC’s International Fight week, during a pickup basketball game featuring several UFC talents. Per Fighting’s report, Hill is set to undergo surgery on his ruptured Achilles tendon on Monday. No timetable for his recovery has been announced.

Footage has since been circulating of an event, apparently organized by the UFC, featuring Daniel Cormier, Kevin Holland, Jamahal Hill, Belal Muhammad, and several other fighters.

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Since last year, the UFC has been embroiled in a gambling probe after betting fraud allegations were made against a Glory MMA fighter, Darrick Minner. Gym owner and team coach James Krause has become front and center to the investigation. As a result, Krause’s license was suspended and seemingly will remain so while the case is underway.

Following Krause’s suspension, the UFC announced that any fighter who continued to remain with the team and under Krause’s tutelage wouldn’t be able to compete inside the Octagon until the case was concluded. It wasn’t long after that the UFC introduced rules that prevented athletes, coaches, and their close family from betting on UFC events. Krause ultimately sold his gym and all its affiliates to Joe Wooster of FAC MMA.

Did UFC take further steps?

Those rules the UFC instituted to prevent UFC fighters and those close to them from wagering on the promotion’s bouts were made available via company memo to fighters and their management. And the language was added to the company’s code of conduct policy, as well—although much of the regulations in that policy seemingly haven’t been enforced for years. They even went the extra mile by adding these new stipulations into their fighter contracts. Bloody Elbow financial analyst John Nash quoted the relevant sections of the most current UFC contract:

“Athletes are prohibited from placing any wagers on themselves. In most states with legalized sports betting, wagering by a UFC athlete directly or through a third party on any UFC match is illegal and may result in criminal sanction. Athletes should also be aware that in most states, these same prohibitions apply to some or all of:

1. relatives living in the same household as an athlete

2. an athlete’s coaches, managers, handlers, athletic trainers, medical professionals and staff

3. any other person with access to non-public information regarding participants in any UFC match

Any athlete that becomes aware or has knowledge of any wagering in violation must immediately notify UFC of any such incident in accordance with this UFC athlete conduct policy.

Just above the wagering paragraph are standards of conduct that apply to this, as well. They read as follows: In addition, sanctions, contractual penalties, and/or contractual termination may be imposed for misconduct, which includes, without limitation, the following examples, and amongst that long list of examples, is wagering on any UFC match, either directly or through a third party. So, if you wager on a UFC match as a fighter, they’ve got it written in the contract, you can’t do that. And on top of that, you can have penalties leveled upon you, including sanctions, contractual penalties, and contractual termination.”

Are they enforcing their rules?

Fast forward to this past April at UFC 287 when Sam Hughes revealed that her boyfriend had bet $1000 on her to win. It was said on video during the post-fight press conference and noted by several in the media. To my knowledge, no penalty was levied against Hughes.

In stark contrast, less than two weeks ago, the Indianapolis Colts waived defensive end Rashod Berry and cornerback Isaiah Rodgers Sr. due to violations of the Colts gambling policy. General manager Chris Ballard had this to say:

“We have made the following roster moves as a consequence of the determination that these players violated the league’s gambling policy. The integrity of the game is of the utmost importance. As an organization we will continue to educate our players, coaches, and staff on the policies in place and the significant consequences that may occur with violations.”

Just a few days ago, MMA journalist Mike Russell posted on Twitter that he’d heard the investigation into James Krause was still developing and that the FBI “has been contacting select fighters with offers of financial compensation and immunity to inform on involved parties.”

There is currently a huge betting scandal surrounding college baseball, more specifically, the Crimson Tide team from Alabama, as well. From the looks of things, every sport with ‘no-gambling’ clauses seems to take violations of their policies very seriously, but the UFC didn’t even offer a comment when Hughes made her proclamation. Call me crazy, but if there’s a full-scale investigation going on, one that could be broadening its net, shouldn’t the UFC care more about enforcing their own rules?

It’s no surprise that things are crawling along slowly, and the UFC has taken steps to remove their legal culpability over future gambling scandals. But it may take more than that to remove the betting culture that goes hand in hand with mixed martial arts and has been so eagerly adopted by many of its fighters.

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Robert Whittaker had a game plan this past Saturday night, but unfortunately for him, it wasn’t the right one to ensure a victory against his opponent, Dricus Du Plessis. The “Reaper” started well but by the last minute or so of the first stanza, Du Plessis had found his rhythm and had stolen the round from him. The second round would see Mr. Knuckles dropped, swarmed and eventually TKO’d.

It was a shock, to say the least, as many in the community had Dricus pegged as a careless, defensively porous fighter blessed with power, durability, and not much else aside from luck. I was one of those people. I have been eating crow ever since. Du Plessis looked good out there. Love him or hate him, he improved leaps and bounds from performances in previous fights.

I wasn’t the only one to notice the improvements, though. In a video Robert Whittaker released earlier to social media, he noted that Dricus “showed up to fight” and provided an update on his health. He also gave an estimated time frame on his return to the octagon, and he is aiming for a quick turnaround.

Robert Whittaker, class act: volume 96321

“Good day, everybody. This is just an update and I’m home now with my family and I’m healthy. I just want to say firstly, big thank you to all my friends and family and to everybody that messaged me or left a comment on one of the many videos going around, showing their love and support. I really do feel it and I appreciate it. I wouldn’t be in it without you guys,” Robert Whittaker said.

“Secondly, I want to say a huge thank you to all my team and my coaches. Day in, day out, they’re in there helping me get to the fight, helping me prepare for the fight and help me get through day-to-day battles, as well. They’re my second family.

“I want to say thank you to my sponsors. Obviously, there was a big lag between fights and my sponsors are the ones that carried me, so thank you to you guys,” he continued.

“And lastly, I want to say thank you to—not thank you but congratulations—to Dricus. He showed up to fight, you know, and I didn’t, but that’s the nature of the beast. You can’t have a day off. Yeah, it is what it is. But, I will say that I do believe that challenges and hardships and obstacles that get presented to you that you overcome, that make you stronger, that build character—make you a better man and a better athlete.

“I will come back stronger for this. I’ll come back, hopefully, by the end of the year. I want to get in the octagon by the end of the year to close the year on a win and bring back the Reaper you guys all know. But that’s me. I’m gonna enjoy a couple weeks now with my family, resting and recalibrating—recharging the batteries and that. Then I’ll get back in the gym, get back to work and come back better than ever. Thanks again, everybody and stay tuned.”

Who do we want Robert Whittaker fighting next?

I’d have to think for an extended period, do some real roster diving (middleweight isn’t exactly deep) to figure out who I’d want to see Robert Whittaker against next, but right now, I think I’d like to see him fight Paulo Costa. It was supposed to happen at UFC 284, but Costa was in a contract dispute and the bout was nixed. Perhaps this can be our opportunity. Yes, I know, Paulo is fighting at the end of this month (against Ikram Aliskerov), but that’s plenty of time for an end-of-year fight. And if not, perhaps the very beginning of 2024. I manifest.

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The UFC 290 card is live right now from the T-Mobile Arena in Las, Vegas, NV and Brandon Moreno’s title defense against Alexandre Pantoja was a bust. Pantoja battered him early on, commanding more ground control and keeping his foe on his proverbial toes. The contest was, in the words of the great Jim Ross, a slobberknocker and Pantoja would win the belt via split-decision, and a controversial one at that.

After such a great fight, the judges had their work cut out for them. Their scores would leave many wondering whether they’d watched a different fight, especially the commentary team who went to the trouble of pulling up the score cards and discussing them with an air of bewilderment at some of the information they were viewing. If we’re to go by Twitter, people are pretty upset with Ben Cartlidge’s scores.

UFC 290

UFC 290 quick results

Main card

• Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez: Featherweight Title Unification
• Alexandre Pantoja def. Brandon Moreno by split decision (48-47 x2, 46-49,): Flyweight Title
• Dricus Du Plessis def. Robert Whittaker by TKO at 2:23 of round 2: Middleweight
• Dan Hooker def. Jalin Turner by split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29): Lightweight
• Bo Nickal def. Val Woodburn by TKO at :38 of round 1: Middleweight

Prelims

• Robbie Lawler def. Niko Price by KO at :38 of round 1: Welterweight
• Tatsuro Taira def. Edgar Cháirez by unanimous decision (29-27 x3): 130-pounds
• Denise Gomes def. Yazmin Jauregui by KO at :20 of round 1: Strawweight
• Alonzo Menifield def. Jimmy Crute by submission (guillotine) at 1:55 of round 2: Light Heavyweight

Early prelims

• Vitor Petrino def. Marcin Prachnio by submission (arm triangle) at 3:42 of round 3: Lightweight
• Cameron Saaiman def. Terrence Mitchell by TKO at 3:10 of round 1: Bantamweight
• Jesus Aguilar def. Shannon Ross by KO at :17 of round 1: Flyweight
• Esteban Ribovics def. Kamuela Kirk by unanimous decision (29-28 x3): Lightweight

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Dricus Du Plessis just scored a second-round finish of Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 to become the man reigning champion Israel Adesanya faces next. The UFC wasted no time in getting Izzy into the cage with Du Plessis where the two jawed back and forth with Adesanya commandeering the microphone.

When Joe Rogan introduced Izzy as “the great Israel Adesanya,” Du Plessis took exception to the comment saying, “I don’t know about great.” That seemingly innocuous comment unleashed the showman in Adesanya, who got right down to brass tacks. He immediately shot at Du Plessis’ previous “real African” comments.

“This is my African brother right here. Let’s go n—-.”

Dricus replied with, “You’re African, but you ain’t my brother.”

Adesanya quickly shot back,

“Do a 36 & Me test and it will say I’m Nigerian. Do a 26 & Me test and it’ll show you where you’re from. I’ll show you where you’re from.”

It should be noted that the DNA test Adesanya is referencing is 23 & Me. If the UFC was going for a sizzle reel to amp up this fight, Izzy cut one helluva promo. Dricus Du Plessis might have fire and brimstone in his hands but he’s running on empty when it comes to trash talk. Adesanya was not allowing him to get a single word uttered without 3 stingers being hurled his way before he could even breathe. The lead-up to this fight should be quite interesting, to say the least.

UFC 290 saw Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya in the cage together

UFC 290 quick results

Main card

• Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez: Featherweight Title Unification
• Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja: Flyweight Title
• Dricus Du Plessis def. Robert Whittaker by TKO at 2:23 of round 2: Middleweight
• Dan Hooker def. Jalin Turner by Split-Decision (29-28×2, 28-29): Lightweight
• Bo Nickal def. Val Woodburn by TKO at :38 of round 1: Middleweight

Prelims

• Robbie Lawler def. Niko Price by KO at :38 of round 1: Welterweight
• Tatsuro Taira def. Edgar Cháirez by unanimous decision (29-27 x3): 130-pounds
• Denise Gomes def. Yazmin Jauregui by KO at :20 of round 1: Strawweight
• Alonzo Menifield def. Jimmy Crute by submission (guillotine) at 1:55 of round 2: Light Heavyweight

Early prelims

• Vitor Petrino def. Marcin Prachnio by submission (arm triangle) at 3:42 of round 3: Lightweight
• Cameron Saaiman def. Terrence Mitchell by TKO at 3:10 of round 1: Bantamweight
• Jesus Aguilar def. Shannon Ross by KO at :17 of round 1: Flyweight
• Esteban Ribovics def. Kamuela Kirk by unanimous decision (29-28 x3): Lightweight

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The UFC 290 card has completed its stellar run of 13 fights and not a single one was bad. More importantly, the main event was as advertised. Filled with action and tense moments, Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez delivered an entertaining fight from start to finish, and what a finish it was. Volkanovski ate the best jabs, hooks, kicks and knees and returned it back three-fold. In the end, Rodriguez would take the L thanks to a gnarly, third-round TKO, but there’s no shame in losing to the GOAT.

UFC 290 main event reactions

Volkanovski’s peers would weigh in on Twitter with high praise, but there were a couple that wondered how much the headbutt affected Yair’s performance. Perhaps we’ll see these two run it back again in the future. Until that hypothetical event happens, check out the fighter reactions to Alex’s big win.

UFC 290 quick results

Main card

• Alexander Volkanovski def. Yair Rodriguez by TKO at 4:19 of round 3: Featherweight Title Unification
• Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja: Flyweight Title
• Dricus Du Plessis def. Robert Whittaker by TKO at 2:23 of round 2: Middleweight
• Dan Hooker def. Jalin Turner by split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29): Lightweight
• Bo Nickal def. Val Woodburn by TKO at :38 of round 1: Middleweight

Prelims

• Robbie Lawler def. Niko Price by KO at :38 of round 1: Welterweight
• Tatsuro Taira def. Edgar Cháirez by unanimous decision (29-27 x3): 130-pounds
• Denise Gomes def. Yazmin Jauregui by KO at :20 of round 1: Strawweight
• Alonzo Menifield def. Jimmy Crute by submission (guillotine) at 1:55 of round 2: Light Heavyweight

Early prelims

• Vitor Petrino def. Marcin Prachnio by submission (arm triangle) at 3:42 of round 3: Lightweight
• Cameron Saaiman def. Terrence Mitchell by TKO at 3:10 of round 1: Bantamweight
• Jesus Aguilar def. Shannon Ross by KO at :17 of round 1: Flyweight
• Esteban Ribovics def. Kamuela Kirk by unanimous decision (29-28 x3): Lightweight

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UFC 290 is live tonight with a fight between Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus Du Plessis on the main card. The event is blessed with a number of thrilling bouts including this one which pits the former UFC middleweight champ against the upstart South African. Both men will be hoping to carve a path through the other which leads them to the UFC middleweight title and its current champion Israel Adesanya.

UFC 290: Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus Du Plessis live play-by-play stream

UFC 290 is live tonight. This is where you can follow along all the action for Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus Du Plessis.

Round 1

Whittaker landed a high kick to start the action, then pressed Du Plessis with low kicks. Whittaker jabbed and landed a right hook, then a left. Du Plessis responded with a combination that just missed. Double jab for Whittaker lands. Low kick for Du Plessis. Whittaker landed a straight left then took Dricus down easily.

Du Plessis got back to his feet and the two went back at it in center octagon. Du Plessis landed a right while Whittaker pressed forward, but Dricus countered with a hard combination . Knee up the middle by Dricus and a hard left by Whittaker. Rob clinched but got tripped by DDP off a headlock. Du Plessis on top in Rob’s guard and landed a hard elbow that opened up Whittaker. Attempted a D’arce and then posted up in Whittaker’s guard landing GNP. 10-9 Du Plessis

Round 2

Rob stepped in with a 1-2. Dricus responded with low kicks. Rob rushed in with a combo and a high kick that landed. Rob landed a left, then Du Plessis countered with a hard 2-pounch combo.

Du Plessis found his rhythm with the jab and his punches are clearly harder than Whittaker’s. Rob landed a low kick and then rushed in with a short left. Du Plessis caught him on the way in, dropped him, then chased him, landing bomb after bomb until Goddard waved it off. Dricus Du Plessis is next for Adesanya.

Dricus Du Plessis def. Robert Whittaker by TKO at 2:23 of round 2

UFC 290 quick results

Main card

• Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez: Featherweight Title Unification
• Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja: Flyweight Title
• Dricus Du Plessis def. Robert Whittaker by TKO at 2:23 of round 2: Middleweight
• Dan Hooker def. Jalin Turner by split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29): Lightweight
• Bo Nickal def. Val Woodburn by TKO at :38 of round 1: Middleweight

Prelims

• Robbie Lawler def. Niko Price by KO at :38 of round 1: Welterweight
• Tatsuro Taira def. Edgar Cháirez by unanimous decision (29-27 x3): 130-pounds
• Denise Gomes def. Yazmin Jauregui by KO at :20 of round 1: Strawweight
• Alonzo Menifield def. Jimmy Crute by submission (guillotine) at 1:55 of round 2: Light Heavyweight

Early prelims

• Vitor Petrino def. Marcin Prachnio by submission (arm triangle) at 3:42 of round 3: Lightweight
• Cameron Saaiman def. Terrence Mitchell by TKO at 3:10 of round 1: Bantamweight
• Jesus Aguilar def. Shannon Ross by KO at :17 of round 1: Flyweight
• Esteban Ribovics def. Kamuela Kirk by unanimous decision (29-28 x3): Lightweight

You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality coverage. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site.

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UFC 290

The UFC 290 card is live right now from the T-Mobile Arena in Las, Vegas, NV and Robbie Lawler just put Nico Price away in 38 seconds. The 41-year-old wasted no time getting to work, immediately clinching with Price as he nailed him with all manner of uppercuts and hooks. Price had nowhere to go but down and Marc Goddard jumped in before “Ruthless” could get any more hammers in.

When it came time for Joe Rogan to get the post-fight interview, Lawler was overcome with emotion, kneeling in the corner for a few moments, openly weeping. He thanked everyone from his team to the fans, and also noted how tough his training camp was.

“It was a really hard camp, nothing was going right. Today was the first day I felt good. My feet were moving really good, so I was like, ‘Okay, I’m gonna do something pretty good today,’ and just happened to land some big bombs.’

It was a beautiful end to an incredible, 22-year career. Robbie’s Cinderella run may have ended some years back, but he certainly got the Cinderella ending. Here’s hoping he bucks the trend that 99% of fighters seem to fall prey to: Un-retiring. Salute, Mr. Lawler. It’s been my pleasure watching your career.

UFC 290 quick results

Main card

• Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez: Featherweight Title Unification
• Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja: Flyweight Title
• Dricus Du Plessis def. Robert Whittaker by TKO at 2:23 of round 2: Middleweight
• Dan Hooker def. Jalin Turner by split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29): Lightweight
• Bo Nickal def. Val Woodburn by TKO at :38 of round 1: Middleweight

Prelims

• Robbie Lawler def. Niko Price by KO at :38 of round 1: Welterweight
• Tatsuro Taira def. Edgar Cháirez by unanimous decision (29-27 x3): 130-pounds
• Denise Gomes def. Yazmin Jauregui by KO at :20 of round 1: Strawweight
• Alonzo Menifield def. Jimmy Crute by submission (guillotine) at 1:55 of round 2: Light Heavyweight

Early prelims

• Vitor Petrino def. Marcin Prachnio by submission (arm triangle) at 3:42 of round 3: Lightweight
• Cameron Saaiman def. Terrence Mitchell by TKO at 3:10 of round 1: Bantamweight
• Jesus Aguilar def. Shannon Ross by KO at :17 of round 1: Flyweight
• Esteban Ribovics def. Kamuela Kirk by unanimous decision (29-28 x3): Lightweight

You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality coverage. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site.

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Dricus Du Plessis is in the enviable position of being in a likely title eliminator tonight at UFC 290. He’ll be facing off against Number 2 ranked Robert Whittaker in what will be his toughest challenge to date. Whittaker has a much more complete skillset than Du Plessis, and it is that gulf in skill that’s been noticed and commented on by many in the community.

Known for sudden flashes of power and a wild fighting style that is often described as defensively unsound, Du Plessis certainly has his work cut our for him with Bobby Knuckles. And should he end up getting the victory, he’ll still have to contend with the reigning champion, Israel Adesanya. As a matter of fact, some of his fellow UFC fighters are throwing their two cents in on Dricus’ chances at attaining UFC gold.

Fighters critique Dricus Du Plessis

The first critique I came across was from lightweight contender Renato Moicano. He minced no words when he let fly this scorcher detailing how he bet $1000 against Dricus Du Plessis (and lost).

“This motherf—ker is the worst best fighter in the whole UFC. The first time that I watched this motherf—ker fight, it was UFC Fight Night in 2020 against Markus Perez… He (Perez) was doing very good in the fight and he tried like, an elbow, and he got caught by this guy. I tell you something, you could see he’s (Du Plessis’) a tough dude, he’s tall, he’s strong, a lot of power. But let me tell you f*cking something, his technique is one of the worst. Worst technique ever.”

He went on further, discussing Du Plessis’ fight with Trevin Giles, and how he put $1k on Giles.

“He was losing the fight, and I’m gonna tell you something. Back in the day, when we were allowed to bet, I put I think $1,000 on Trevin Giles. I thought, ‘There’s no way this motherf—ker is going to lose to Dricus Du Plessis.’ Guess what? He did, and I lose money on this motherf—ker. After that James Krause stuff, we are not allowed to bet anymore, and I’m glad!”

But we’re not going to stop here. Bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley also had some zingers of his own when he weighed in on the South African’s comments that he’d roughed up Adesanya in a previous training session. ‘Suga’ offered up the following on his podcast:

“The thing about that, [it was] so long ago, it doesn’t matter. Especially if it’s just grappling, or just kickboxing. That doesn’t necessarily translate into a fight, into a cage, into that big moment when you guys fight. Izzy was probably just kickboxing, so I don’t think too much of that, I think he smokes DDP.”

Finally, we have our third fighter, and one with a slightly more balanced view. This time, a champion in Alexander Volkanovski, who had this to say about Dricus Du Plessis on his Youtube channel during a video breakdown of the UFC 290 card:

“There’ll be a lot of hype if [Dricus du Plessis] was to be able to beat Robert Whittaker. But, beating Robert Whittaker is not going to be easy for him. Again, he could be a great fighter but Robert Whittaker, he’s too well-rounded, he’s too good everywhere and his skill set is gonna be too much. You know, you’re being mad to think that Dricus can get it done. Obviously, [it’s] entertaining for the underdog to get a big win but not against someone like Rob Whittaker… If the next guy’s fighting for the title out of that fight, it’s gonna have to be Rob. I cannot see Rob lose in that fight.” -transcription via Sportskeeda

It’s not outside the realm of possibility for DDP to get the win. He has the raw talent to get it done. He has an insanely good second wind, a one-hitter-quitter and a decent submission game. It’s his willingness to take a ridiculous amount of punishment that gives myself and many others pause. Only Saturday will tell us if Dricus Du Plessis is ready for the next step.

UFC 290 particulars

Whether you’re a Robert Whittaker fan or a Dricus Du Plessis fan, you’ll want the details for UFC 290 and I happen to have those.

UFC 290: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez takes place on July 8th at the the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event starts at 10 p.m. ET. The prelims begin at 8 p.m. ET and the early prelims go live at 6 p.m. ET.

UFC 290 is available on ESPN+ PPV for $79.99 for current subscribers. New subscribers can pay $124.98 for the UFC 288 pay-per-view and an ESPN+ annual subscription. The event is scheduled to start live at 6:00pm ET, 3pm PT, with the early prelims on the ESPN+ streaming platform in the US, as well as Fight Pass. The PPV main card is to kick off at 10:00pm ET, 7:00pm PT. For full streaming details, and compatible devices go here.

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You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality UFC coverage. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site. Please subscribe to our podcast Substack, as well. We’re constantly refining to try and provide our readers and listeners with the best, most current MMA news and opinions.

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Logan Paul has thrown his hat into the ring to appear on the undercard of the proposed fight between mega-billionaires Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. The Youtube sensation has been saying for years that he’d like to try his hand at MMA, and having already dipped his toe into celebrity boxing and pro-wrestling, perhaps this would be the next logical step in his mind. When he centered conversation of his latest podcast episode of Impaulsive around the likelihood of that showdown happening, he was ready with a name of his own to call out.

That name was none other than UFC lightweight star Paddy Pimblett. For the uninitiated, Logan Paul’s celebrity boxing match with Floyd Mayweather, Jr. saw him tip the scales at 189 pounds. Pimblett fights at 155.

Despite the divisional disparity, Paul feels the matchup still makes sense, given the Brit’s propensity to blow up between fights. Paddy has frequently posted ‘fat’ photos of himself between fights, noting that he’ll regularly get as high as 200 pounds when not in camp.

Logan Paul calls out Paddy Pimblett

That said, weight classes exist for a reason and it’s highly doubtful Logan Paul could ever get down to the lightweight limit healthily. But he’s not going to let that stop him from stirring up the community with the following:

“If Elon Musk and Eric Zuckerberg fight (yes he said ERIC), I will do my UFC debut on the undercard for free. I’ll fight for free for charity.”

One of his buddies in the room asked him who he’d fight, who his sights were possibly set on. Without missing a beat, he invoked the Baddy’s name.

“Anyone. You know who I want to fight, actually, because that bitch-ass Andrew Tate won’t fight me? Give me Paddy Pimblett—give me Paddy the Baddy. In the off-season, that boy looks like a blimp, and he’ll come up to my weight class and I’ll wallop him.”

“But he’s too small!” his friend would shout out.

Logan Paul was having none of this “too small” chatter, though. His retort cut right through the fat (pun intended).

“Bro! He’s too small when he cuts weight! When he doesn’t cut weight, he’s a f-cking horseshoe.”

Is Logan Paul serious?

It’s pretty clear that this was said in jest, but with the Paul brothers, it always seems like these sort of callouts are a litmus test to see what fan response would be like. It might only be a matter of time before a real campaign to set up that bout or one similar is underway if the reactions are favorable. We know all too well the audience of the Paul brothers is massive and it wouldn’t take much effort at all to turn this into a call to action.

Worth noting, this isn’t the first time Logan Paul has mentioned a fight with Pimblett. Just last year, he said almost the same thing—that he didn’t understand how Paddy blew up so much between fights and that he’d be willing to fight the lightweight star—at 185 pounds. This could have actually been a cold opening to the campaign. What better time to try it again than now with a circus card possibly in the making?

Lest we forget, Dana White has been declaring the UFC’s willingness to promote this contest between the social media giants. Musk has been dropping nuggets of information all week, including the venue, which is possibly being targeted for the Colosseum. Both men have started training. I won’t lie, they could put any televised fight in the Colosseum and I’d watch it, and if this really comes to pass, I will watch.

The point is, if the UFC—who quite notoriously don’t promote gimmick fights—is onboard with this carnival sideshow, why wouldn’t we entertain the idea that we could end up seeing all manner of celebrity and/or influencer fights to round it out? Because we’ve already seen evidence that they’re willing to do it. That pair of CM Punk fights is a very effective smoking gun. Never say never.

While you’re here

You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality UFC coverage. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site. Please subscribe to our podcast Substack, as well. We’re constantly refining to try and provide our readers and listeners with the best, most current MMA news and opinions.

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UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno has had one of the wildest two years in the sport. In 24 months, he’s won the flyweight belt, lost it, won the interim belt, then unified it when he won the undisputed title back again. Of those four fights, three of them were against the same man, Deiveson Figueiredo. In total, the two met four times in the last two-and-a-half years.

Moreno is set to defend his belt again next weekend against Alexandre Pantoja, a man he lost to back in 2018, so the media machine has been fired up and is running full steam ahead. Imagine my surprise when I came across a recent video clip of our 29-year-old Lego-loving champion discussing how he’s interested in taking a stab at boxing. Maybe I stretched the truth there a little when I said, “imagine my surprise,” because honestly, are any of us surprised that UFC fighters are constantly on the lookout for more money-making opportunities?

Brandon Moreno wants to box, what else is new?

In a sit-down with fellow UFC star Bo Nickal for gambling site Betr, Moreno talked about how he wanted to try boxing and that his coach thinks he’d do well.

“I have this desire inside of me. Like, I want to try to do some boxing in the future. My coach says I can do something nice and I believe in him. Obviously, if they knock me out in the first round in my first boxing match, I would say something like, ‘Okay, I tried at least.’”

It’s just a 19-second clip, but in that brief span of time, Moreno said a mouthful. Sure, this could absolutely be about personal challenges and whatnot, but I tend to think it has more to do with the almighty dollar. The UFC has been raking in staggering amounts of revenue and profit, yet the fighters’ share continues to plummet. It’s gone from around 20% down to 17.5%, and with this year’s latest filings, new figures indicate fighters are only receiving around a 13% cut of the revenue.

All champion purses are not the same

Adding to the dismal state of fighter pay is the cold, hard truth that flyweight champions just don’t make as much as other division champs. Moreno’s last reported purse was at UFC 270 where he made $200K entering the fight as the champion. By comparison, Francis Ngannou headlined that card and his payout was $600K. It’s a tired tale that many have shouted from the rooftops about, but sadly, nobody at the UFC appears to be listening, and it certainly doesn’t appear like they care.

And for those thinking that maybe we shouldn’t read too much into this, Brandon is on record as saying, “I’m just trying to fight, win some money, and buy toys for me and my daughters” to Ariel Helwani just a couple days ago. The desire for more money is there. He’s not the first to want to make the crossover and he won’t be the last. The UFC isn’t in the business of securing a future for its fighters after their “use by” date has expired. No one should be surprised here.

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You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality UFC coverage. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site. Please subscribe to our podcast Substack, as well. We’re constantly refining to try and provide our readers and listeners with the best, most current MMA news and opinions.

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Will Georges St-Pierre and Elon Musk work together?

GSP last fought in 2017 when he submitted Michael Bisping, winning the UFC middleweight belt in the process. He would vacate the belt just a month later, never to return to active competition, announcing his official retirement in 2019. He would be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame the next year. Unlike so many retired MMA stars that within a year or two, they’re back with a newly invigorated desire to chase greatness, or whatever explanation excuses the need to unretire without directly pointing to dire financial need, this was not the case for GSP.

In his time away from the sport he dominated for so long, he started a charity and has become a spokesman and talking head for the Karate Combat promotion alongside fellow retired legend Bas Rutten. He even made a return to the Marvel role of Georges Batroc in 2021’s The Falcon & the Winter Soldier. In short, he seems to be living a great post-career life.

Georges St-Pierre, billionaire trainer

Now, it appears the man many consider to be the GOAT, might be adding another entry to his impressive list of achievements and accolades: Elon Musk’s training partner. That’s right folks, the illustrious Georges St-Pierre is getting in on that sweet billionaire action. The 42-year-old Canadian threw his hat in the ring via Twitter this past Saturday with the following tweet:

“@elonmusk I’m a huge fan of yours and it would be an absolute honor to help you and be your training partner for the challenge against Zuckerberg 👊😁”

Elon Musk starts BJJ training

It would take Elon Musk two days to reply to Georges St-Pierre, but the offer was accepted.

“Ok, let’s do it 🔥🔥”

Musk followed up a day later with another tweet, this time informing the retired champ that he’d already commenced his training preparation:

“Did a practice round tonight with @lexfridman”

Fan Response

Immediate replies from the MMA community to the tweets were a mixture of dismay and delight. Responses ranged from disbelief, to anger to excited anticipation and everything in between. Georges St-Pierre once again has fans divided. I feel like I’m back in 2013 after the fight with Johny Hendricks.

Who tweeted this for you, I’ll END them”

“Lost a fan here”

“Tag team match!”

I’ll admit, I’m still looking at the alarm on my phone trying to figure out if maybe I’m still asleep and soon I’ll wake up to discover this whole Muskerberg thing was all a wild fever dream. I’ve pinched myself more than once this week for verification of reality. I’ll admit, the “I’m a huge fan of yours…” part of his tweet was kind of disappointing for me, personally, but who am I to deny Georges St-Pierre what would likely be an easy paycheck to train a billionaire to make an ass of himself? Nobody. That’s who.

The backstory

For those that might’ve been vacationing in a remote location of the world without internet access, allow me to take you on a brief walk down Memory Lane. Elon Musk challenged Facebook/Meta owner Mark Zuckerberg to a fight. Zuckerberg accepted the challenge, and the circus was officially underway.

Dana White, being who he is, could not resist the temptation of the ridiculous money something like this could generate, so of course he offered up the UFC’s promotional services. Because he’s the best guy to do this. It’s his job. “I make the biggest fights. It’s my job,” were words he recently used. What a magnanimous guy he is to make such a kind offer. How else would two billionaires possibly be able to have this fight?

And for all the mean, spiteful people claiming this is a gimmick fight, you’re wrong. We know the UFC doesn’t promote gimmick fights because, “That’s just not what we do here.” Dana said so, and by virtue of that, it must be gospel. But I digress. We must get back to the news at hand.

Call to action

You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality UFC coverage. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site. Please subscribe to our podcast Substack, as well. We’re constantly refining to try and provide our readers and listeners with the best, most current MMA news and opinions.

Follow us as @BloodyElbow on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com.