Does Israel Adesanya deserve a rematch and eight more questions from UFC 281

Rematch?

I’m not one of those people who think every champion deserves an immediate rematch after losing their title, but Israel Adesanya deserves a rematch.

Adesanya, who had five successful title defenses to his name before his knockout loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 281, was ahead on the scorecards heading into the fifth and final round, plus the setback was his first defeat at middleweight. Further, a rematch between Pereira and Adesanya markets itself and makes the most money for the UFC as the next middleweight title fight.

Who is next for Zhang Weili?

Zhang Weili regained the UFC strawweight title with a submission win over Carla Esparza. The question now becomes what’s next for the champ. The easy thing for the UFC to do would be to book Zhang against Rose Namajunas for the third time, but Namajunas has not fought since she lost an uneventful (read: boring) split decision setback to Carla Esparza in May. So, instead of doing the easy thing, the matchmakers should consider matching Amanda Lemos against Zhang. That puts a new name in the mix outside the trio of Zhang, Namajunas and Esparza and forces Namajunas to get a win before she is back in the conversation.

Is Michael Chandler going to get the Conor McGregor fight?

If Michael Chandler doesn’t get to face Conor McGregor, it won’t be through lack of effort. The former UFC title challenger has been asking for a matchup with the former two-division UFC champ for some time. A submission loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 281 didn’t stop him from once again looking for that fight, even though McGregor is not in the USADA testing pool and will need to go through six months of drug tests when he does put his name back on the USADA list.

Did Renato Moicano cut one the best post-fight promos in UFC history?

Yes.

Is anyone buying what Ryan Spann was selling?

After his knockout win over former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Dominick Reyes, Ryan Spann told UFC commentator Joe Rogan the difference between his past two fights and his previous 26 professional fights — seven of which were with the UFC — was that he trained for those two bouts.

Rogan seemed to take Spann at his word, but are we supposed to believe a man who has been a professional mixed martial artist for more than nine years hadn’t trained for a fight until this year?

Spann doubled down on his claim backstage when speaking to Laura Sanko.

Is Erin Blanchfield a future star?

The only reason the above is posed as a question is because that’s the piece’s premise. Erin Blanchfield is a future star. The fact that she was booked against Molly McCann was an example of terrible matchmaking. Not to denigrate McCann, who had the makings of a star in the UK market, but she is nowhere near the level of fighter that the 23-year-old Blanchfield is.

Blanchfield has all the makings of a future UFC flyweight champion — and again — she is just 23. If the UFC is wise — and the booking of this fight makes me question the wisdom of the promotion’s matchmakers — they would slowly move Blanchfield up the ranks of the 125-pound division. There’s no reason to rush her; doing so will only hurt her development and future upside.

Nevertheless, the UFC has never been in the business of building stars or looking too far forward, so it would be a surprise if the promotion takes its time with Blanchfield and that leads me to the next question.

Why did the UFC matchmakers book Molly McCann against Erin Blanchfield?

The fact that Molly McCann, who hails from Liverpool, England, got a more significant pop from the Madison Square Garden crowd than the New Jersey-born Erin Blanchfield should have told everyone that the promotion had a potential star in McCann. Instead of capitalizing on that potential and building McCann into a draw, the UFC matchmakers put her in a fight where she closed as the largest underdog on the card.

Blanchfield vs. McCann was an example of poor matchmaking. Unless, of course, the UFC booked the fight with the idea of knocking McCann down a few notches.

What happened with those scorecards?

I don’t recall a time when a member of the athletic commission came into the octagon, grabbed the scorecard and seemed to make changes to it before UFC announcer Bruce Buffer could read the results, but that happened at UFC 281. Bloody Elbow reached out to the New York State Athletic Commission regarding that incident, which took place after the Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Silvana Gomez Juarez fight, but we have not heard back from the commission.

Is it too soon to start believing in Carlos Ulberg?

Carlos Ulberg moved to 7-1 overall and 3-1 in the UFC with a first-round knockout win over Nicolae Negumereanu at UFC 281. With his victory, the 31-year-old, who trains out of City Kickboxing, picked up back-to-back knockout wins in the UFC.

What I like about how the UFC is handling Ulberg is they are bringing him along slowly and giving him favorable matchups. The former kickboxer is a fantastic offensive striker, but the questions he needs to answer are in the realm of striking defense, takedown defense, cardio and ground work. Which is to say, yes, until he starts facing opponents who put him to the test, it is too soon to get jazzed about Ulberg as a potential contender in the light heavyweight division.

With that being said, fans shouldn’t miss his fights because he fights smart, hits hard and can turn the lights out with one strike.

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Carla Esparza lost her strawweight title to Weili Zhang at UFC 281.

Carla Esparza lost her strawweight title in her first title defense against Weili Zhang at UFC 281.

‘Cookie Monster’ entered the fight on a six-fight winning streak coming off an upset decision win over defeated champ Rose Namajunas at UFC 274. She lost to Zhang in the UFC 281 co-main event after being trapped in a rear-naked choke at 1:05 of the second round.

UFC 281 marked Esparza’s first title defense since March 2015 when she suffered a devastating TKO loss to Joanna Jedrzejczyk and lost her strawweight title at UFC 185. She has been unable to defend the belt despite winning the championship two times, with two previous title victories over No. 1-ranked strawweight Namajunas.

Esparza issued a brief statement on Instagram following her loss to Zhang, writing: “You win some you lose some, just part of this dangerous game we play. No regrets, I worked hard and did my best.”

Esparza will look to bounce back from her latest defeat when she returns to the Octagon next year.

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The one-time title challenger vows that his latest KO defeat doesn’t spell the end for his MMA career. 

It sounds like Dominick Reyes is OK after suffering a first-round KO loss to Ryan Spann at UFC 281 this past Saturday.

The ‘Devastator’ returned to the Octagon after a year and a half away with hopes of snapping a three-fight losing skid. Those hopes were dashed, with Spann taking only 80 seconds to finish Reyes with a devastating jab and follow-up punch on the ground. That loss was the third consecutive KO for Reyes, who originally stepped away from competition to recover from the damage he sustained in those previous fights.

In his first post-fight comments, Reyes vowed to continue on after the disappointing appearance.

“I was hungry to get my hand raised and rushed the fight, I’m OK,” wrote Reyes. “I live to fight another day. Another lesson learned. Congrats to [Alex Pereira] what an incredible performance to become the middleweight champion. God is good always. Thank you to my friends and family who support me, to my management [Tiki Ghosn and Julian Gregorio]. And big thank you to [Teixeira MMA and Fitness and Fernely Feliz Sr.] for the camp and believing in me.

“I’ll be back just have to shake it off and get back in there,” continued Reyes. “Big thank you to the [UFC, Dana White and Madison Square Garden] for the opportunity. The energy was amazing last night and it felt great to be in the arena again!”

The 32-year-old began his UFC tenure with six consecutive wins. Highlighted by a ‘Performance of the Night’ awarded first-round KO of Chris Weidman, Reyes would get a championship opportunity against Jon Jones at UFC 247. He lost to the former UFC light heavyweight champion by a controversial decision.

Reyes suffered consecutive second-round KOs to Jan Blachowicz and Jiří Procházka at UFC 253 and UFC Vegas 25, respectively.

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Sorry cry babies! It’s time for another of our infamous and patented Care/Don’t Care Podcasts, with your talent: Eugene S. Robinson, John S. Nash, & Stephie Haynes. The format of the show is to review the prior weeks picks & then to announce each fight on the upcoming card, commenting on which upcoming fights are hot and which fights are not – for UFC Vegas 65: Lewis vs Spivac.

It’s time for another one of our infamous and patented Care/Don’t Care Podcasts, with your talent: the astounding Eugene S. Robinson, author of the ‘Eugene S. Robinson Substack’, the fight book: “Fight: Everything You Wanted to Know About Ass-Kicking but Were Afraid You’d Get Your Ass Kicked for Asking”, host of the ‘Eugene S. Robinson Show Stomper!’ Podcast, and co-host of the ‘If The Shoes Fit’ Podcast, along with the indubitable John S. Nash, our chief financials columnist and host of our brand new ‘Hey Not the Face!’ Podcast, co-host of our ‘Show Money’ Podcast; he is also one of the co-hosts of the ‘If The Shoes Fit’ Podcast. Our trio is moderated by the insightful Stephie Haynes, of Bloody Elbow’s ‘The Level Change Podcast’, & the ‘Crooklyn’s Corner Podcast’.

June M. Williams

The format of the show:

• Review the prior weeks’ picks while offering up reactions to bouts from that event.
• Announce each fight on the upcoming card, quickly commenting on which fights are “hot”, and which fights “are not”. (This is based on several criteria, including relevancy to the sport as a whole).

This format of “Caring” or “Not Caring” about each bout is geared to our listeners who consider themselves to be “Casual MMA Fans”. We endeavor to steer you toward fights which affect rankings, title contention, possess significant meaning, or are sure to be “must see tv” exciting fights; therefore saving you the tedium of watching every fight on every card – or perhaps missing out on something you might have otherwise skipped.

UFC 281: Adesanya vs Pereira REACTIONS —

June M. Williams

Overall, this now 14-bout card saw seven exciting first round finishes, seven thrilling KO/TKO’s, four sweet submissions, and three hard-fought decisions. Rounding things out, our fighters who were awarded for putting forth BONUS efforts included — POTN: Alex Pereira & Zhang Weili. FOTN: Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Chandler.

Here’s a look at the UFC 281: ‘Adesanya vs Pereira’ fight card & current records —

Main event & Co-main event scheduled for five rounds. All other bouts scheduled for three rounds. | Official UFC 281 Scorecards

ESPN+PPV CARD | SAT. NOV. 12
At 5:52 — 14. UFC MW Championship: Alex Pereira: POTN (7-1) DEF. Israel Adesanya (23-2) — via TKO (punches) at 2:01 of Round 5

At 15:43 — 13. UFC SW Championship: Zhang Weili: POTN (23-3) DEF. Carla Esparza (19-7) — via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:05 of Round 2

At 20:00 — 12. 155lbs: Dustin Poirier (29-7) DEF. Michael Chandler (23-8) — via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:00 of Round 3 (FOTN)

At 26:38 — 11. 135lbs: Chris Gutierrez (19-3) DEF. Frankie Edgar (24-11) — via KO (knee) at 2:01 of Round 1

At 31:38 — 10. 155lbs: Dan Hooker (22-12) DEF. Claudio Puelles (12-3) — via TKO (body kick) at 4:06 of Round 2

ESPN+ PRELIMS
At 33:27 — 9. 155lbs: Renato Moicano (17-5) DEF. Brad Riddell (10-4) — via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:20 of Round 1

At 38:00 — 8. 205lbs: Ryan Spann (21-7) DEF. Dominick Reyes (12-4) — via knockout (left hand) at 1:20 of Round 1

At 40:04 — 7. 125lbs: Erin Blanchfield (10-1) DEF. Molly McCann (13-5) — via submission (kimura) at 3:37 of Round 1

At 40:33 — 6. 185lbs: Andre Petroski (9-1) DEF. Wellington Turman (18-6) — via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

UFC FIGHTPASS EARLY PRELIMS
At 41:49 — 5. 155lbs: Matt Frevola (10-3) DEF. Ottman Azaitar (13-1) — via KO (left hook) at 2:30 of Round 1

At 45:37 — 4. 115lbs: Karolina Kowalkiewicz (14-7) DEF. Silvana Gómez Juárez (11-5) — via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

At 47:43 — 3. 145lbs: Mike Trizano (10-3) DEF. SeungWoo Choi (10-6) — via TKO (punches) at 4:51 of Round 1

At 49:32 — 2. 135lbs: Montel Jackson (12-2) DEF. Julio Arce (18-6) — via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

At 50:00 — 1. 205lbs: Carlos Ulberg (7-1) DEF. Nicolae Negumereanu (13-2) — via KO (punches) at 3:44 of Round 1

UFC Vegas 65: Lewis vs Spivac PICKS — at 54:00

At this point in the show we offer you our ‘disclaimer’, then our trio will go about predicting the UFC Vegas 65 Fight Night bout sheet from the bottom up, wrapping up the C/DC quick-picks portion of the show with the Main Event. This UFC on ESPN+ event will take place from the APEX Facility in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, November 19th, 2022.

Here’s a look at the fight card & records for the upcoming event via tapology.com, bout order subject to change…

UFC Vegas 65 (5 Cares):

ESPN+ MAIN CARD | SAT. NOV. 19 — 4/1PM ETPT (5 CARES)
13. 265lbs: Derrick Lewis (26-10) vs. Sergey Spivac (15-3) — At 1:05:26, 2 Cares (Stephie & John – Split)

12. 205lbs: Ion Cutelaba (16-8) vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu (10-3) — At 1:04:27, 1 Care (Stephie)

11. 265lbs: Chase Sherman (16-10) vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta (8-0) — At 1:01:03

10. 170lbs: Muslim Salikhov (18-3) vs. Andre Fialho (16-5) — At 1:00:04

9. 185lbs: Cody Brundage (8-2) vs. Rodolfo Vieira (8-2) — At 59:58

8. 170lbs: Jack Della Maddalena (12-2) vs. Danny Roberts (18-6) — At 58:12, 2 Cares (Stephie & John)

ESPN+ PRELIMS | 1PM/10AM ETPT (0 Cares)
7. 125lbs: Zhalgas Zhumagulov (14-7) vs. Charles Johnson (11-3) — At 58:03

6. 125lbs: Jennifer Maia (19-9) vs. Maryna Moroz (11-3) — At 57:31

5. 135lbs: Miles Johns (12-2) vs. Vince Morales (11-6) — At 57:05

4. 135lbs: Ricky Turcios (11-3) vs. Kevin Natividad (9-3) — At 56:54

3. 115lbs: Maria Oliveira (13-5) vs. Vanessa Demopoulos (8-4) — At 56:26

2. 135lbs: Fernie Garcia (10-2) vs. Brady Hiestand (5-2) — At 56:13

1. 125lbs: Natália Silva (13-5) vs. Tereza Bledá (6-0) — At 55:24

June M. Williams

Be sure to follow Eugene on twitter @EugeneSRobinson, John is @heynottheface, and of course you can catch Stephie @CrooklynMMA, and twice a week she’s on @LevelChangePod.

If you would like to catch the show on our BE Presents YouTube Channel, join the gang right here:

If you enjoy our variety of shows, give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow, or give us a “like”, share & subscribe over on whichever BE Presents Podcast Channel happens to be your listening platform of choice: SoundCloud, YouTube, iTunes & Apple TV, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, OverCast, Player FM, & Amazon Music – For previous episodes, check out our playlists on all of our BE Presents channels.

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PereirERA? Pair-air-uh? Pereirererererere?

Chris Rini

As for the staff picks & predictions, I based my picks solely on a coin flip and went 7-7. Not a bad start!

Thanks to everyone who’s been checking out my YouTube channel. I update every Tuesday & Thursday with artworks that are heading into my book series The Fine Art of Violence. Subscribe today and see the UFC 281 recap tomorrow!

I’m also creating some new types of artwork: large MMA paintings for an upcoming exhibition.

Take care of yourself and I’ll talk to you here, Wednesday.

Chris

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Pro fighters reacted to the death of former UFC and Bellator contender Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson.

One of the heaviest hitters to ever fight in mixed martial arts has passed away at age 38 after battling an undisclosed illness. On Twitter, professional fighters shared their thoughts and stories to remember and pay homage to Anthony Johnson’s life and career.

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All the best, most interesting, and unquestionably coolest fights the UFC needs to make following their latest event in New York, NY.

By the time Alex Pereira put the finishing touches on Israel Adesanya in the fifth round of their middleweight title fight, it was clear that UFC 281 had been a pretty special card for the world’s largest MMA promotion. Two titles changed hands, Dustin Porier and Michael Chandler went to war, and Ryan Spann announced himself as a light heavyweight contender.

So, is there any reason the UFC shouldn’t run Pereira vs. Adesanya back immediately? How fast does Rose Namajunas get back into the strawweight title hunt now that Zhang Weili is champ? And is Erin Blanchfield a future contender for the women’s flyweight belt?

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

ALEX PEREIRA

An incredible third fight between Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya ends with history repeating itself, seemingly in every way possible. The ‘Last Stylebender’ found great success in the early stages of the bout, and even had Pereira hurt badly enough that—had there been even just a few more seconds in round 1—he probably would have finished the Brazilian then and there. Heading into the fifth, Adesanya was up 3-to-1 on all cards. As long as he made it to the final bell standing, he would walk away with the belt still around his waist. But Pereira is an insanely dangerous man, and found an extra rush of aggression right when he needed it.

Fortunately for the now-former champ, however, while the City Kickboxing star was definitely in danger in the fight’s final moments, there’s some controversy as to just how hurt he actually was. Given, as well, Adesanya’s lengthy and highly successful reign as UFC title holder—and the insane amount of history between the two men—Pereira and the UFC would be pretty foolish to ignore an instant rematch. Adesanya vs. Pereira II (IV???) seems like the fight the UFC has to make, especially with Robert Whittaker already booked.

ZHANG WEILI

This was the kind of fight that Rose Namajunas should have trusted herself to have with Esparza and didn’t. Zhang Weili was absolutely fearless against the ‘Cookie Monster’, pushing forward with aggression, firing kicks from range with abandon, and being absolutely perfectly ready to go wherever Esparza wanted to take the fight—and to out-work her once they got there. Esparza got in on takedowns and got Zhang to the mat, but found someone ready to scramble and beat her to positions every time she did. The result is a second round submission for ‘Magnum’ and her second stint with the belt.

Of course, now that she has gold again, the elephant in the room is her two losses to Rose Namajunas. But with her terrible loss to Esparza earlier this year, ‘Thug Rose’ isn’t exactly primed to be the top contender just at the moment. Instead, Amanda Lemos seems like the most fun fight to make. A true power-punching Brazilian who can challenge Zhang’s tendency toward aggression with huge counters. Let Namajunas go get another win, then she’ll be right back at the peak of the mountain. But Lemos vs. Zhang is the right title fight of the moment.

CARLA ESPARZA

This kind of fight was always going to be right there waiting for Carla Esparza once she became champion again. She’s got the work ethic and the technical wrestling skill of a very elite fighter, but she’s just not a big nor a powerful athlete. And wrestling is the kind of skill that really plays best when a fighter is bigger and stronger than the people they’re working to out-wrestle. Esparza got her opportunities to take Zhang down several times, but her opponent never let her hold position, and the end result was a series of scrambles that slowly went more and more against her.

I was going to say that Esparza should rematch Marina Rodriguez, give the Brazilian a chance to win a controversial loss back. But then I checked and saw that Esparza has never fought Tecia Torres. They’ve been in the same division forever, they’re both pint-sized, even at 115. Seems like a natural booking. Torres vs. Esparza is a fight that should have happened years ago.

DUSTIN POIRIER

Another top tier win for Dustin Poirier. It doesn’t likely put him in line for a lightweight title shot, but it certainly keeps him right there in the conversation. Poirier got rocked early, got swarmed with wrestling and top control in round two, and then seemed like he was in trouble with another takedown in round 3, right until he rolled through to wind up on top and found a way to Chandler’s back in the scramble. That win lines Poirier up for either of two fights: Beneil Dariush or Rafael Fiziev. Dariush has said that he’ll fight any and everyone on his quest for UFC gold, Poirier is most definitely one of the men in his way right now. Dustin Poirier vs. Beneil Dariush would be another awesome war. Let’s make it happen.

MICHAEL CHANDLER

Another fantastic war for Michael Chandler, but another losing effort to go with it. Fair play to him, he took the ‘if you ain’t cheatin’ you ain’t tryin’’ mantra to the extreme this time around with several back of the head shots, a couple brutal fishhooks, and maybe even a glove grab. But dropped now down to 2-3 in the Octagon it’s hard not to imagine that he’s getting desperate to find those title dreams he’s been holding on to. With losses to Poirier, Gaethje, and Oliveira, that seems like it puts Chandler in a pretty rough spot to get back to contender status. Mateusz Gamrot is out there hanging around though, coming off that brutal loss to Beneil Dariush. If the choices are either that or a fight with RDA, then I’ve gotta pick Gamrot vs. Chandler. He could also go winner loser with Rafael Fiziev, but that just seems like it’d be better with both men coming off a win. Gamrot vs. Chandler seems like the step back the former Bellator king needs.

CHRIS GUTIERREZ

After knocking out Frankie Edgar with a picture perfect step knee early in round one, Gutierrez seemed more distraught than the former lightweight champion. That likely won’t last long, however, as he’s had a long slow road to becoming a top tier fighter and a major KO over a former star on PPV should be as good a launching pad as he could hope to ask for to start getting top tier bookings. Bouts with Pedro Munhoz, Adrian Yanez, Song Yadong, or Jonathan Martinez all seem like they’d be decent options for ‘El Guapo’ next time he enters the Octagon. I don’t know why, but the idea of Gutierrez vs. Munhoz really appeals. Munhoz has hit some tough losses lately, but he’s guaranteed action. A bout with Gutierrez seems like the kind of step back he needs and the kind of step up the Edgar win should prime Gutierrez for. Gutierrez vs. Munhoz seems like the right fight for Gutierrez to try and continue his run to the top.

DAN HOOKER & RENATO MOICANO

As a rule I try not to match fighters from the same card. It’s lazy. but there’s just too much parity here for me to ignore. Both men are former featherweights, both men have gone through some serious beatings in their career, and both men seemed to find renewed confidence and energy on Saturday night. Once a top tier featherweight prospect, Moicano has been searching hard for a new identity in the lightweight division after back to back KOs from Jose Aldo and Chan Sung Jung sent him packing at 145. It hasn’t come easily, but the man who showed up against Brad Riddell at UFC 281 looked calm and controlled—sniping the former kickboxer with deadly accuraccy, only to wrap him up like a backpack for the RNC victory.

Similarly, Dan Hooker’s troubles took him back to featherweight—if only for a moment—and straight into the waiting hands of Arnold Allen, who pummeled him relentlessly for two minutes and 33 seconds back in March. That marked the fourth loss in five fights for the ‘Hangman’, a trend he turned right around against Claudio Puelles. Puelles started strong with an Imanari roll into a leg-lock entanglement, and had Hooker in all kinds of trouble early. But, once the New Zealander fought his way free from danger he put a seriously one-sided beating on the ‘Prince of Peru’. The end result is two men regaining past momentum, hanging out at the edges of the lightweight elite. Moicano vs. Hooker is the perfect test to see which man can keep his sudden success on track.

RYAN SPANN

Ryan Spann absolutely destroyed Dominick Reyes out there. Reyes tried to go out and get a fast start behind his jab and low kicks, but every single time he stepped into the pocket he walked right onto a heavy Spann counter. A few of those was all it took for ‘Superman’ to get the first round knockout. After the fight, Spann essentially said that he was looking for a title shot, but with Blachowciz vs. Ankalaev booked as well, it remains to be seen if he’s going to be the man best positioned to get a chance at gold.

I could argue for Spann vs. Krylov or for a rematch against Anthony Smith (if Smith is going to come back any time soon). In terms of decisive, high-caliber finishers that can provide thrilling fights, though, it seems like there’s a much more obvious option hanging right out there waiting. Jamahal Hill has been on a tear of his own lately, with three straight KO victories. Hill vs. Spann would be an electric fight and it might just let the winner jump the queue over other, less-thrilling veteran contenders.

ERIN BLANCHFIELD

This was always going to be a difficult fight for Molly McCann, but Erin Blanchfield made it look like a booking that shouldn’t even have happened at all. ‘Cold Blooded’ absolutely trounced the Scouser on her way to a first round submission that, on any other night, would have carried a performance bonus with it. After the win, Blanchfield called out Andrea Lee. It’s a fine fight, would be fun, feels very winnable for the 23-year-old. But, in a division with so many options, I don’t see a lot of reason to go winner-loser here. Mostly, really, that’s just because Maycee Barber is hanging out without a fight booked. Barber is on three straight wins, her latest a pretty decent showing over Jessica Eye. Two young prospects with lots of momentum? Seems like a more fascinating booking in the moment. Barber vs. Blanchfield has to happen sooner or later, might as well make it now.

OTHER BOUTS: Claudio Puelles vs. Mark Madsen, Brad Riddell vs. Rafael Alves, Dominick Reyes vs. Dustin Jacoby, Molly McCann vs. Montana De La Rosa, Andre Petroski vs. Caio Borralho, Wellington Turman vs. Makhmud Muradov, Matt Frevola vs. Fares Ziam, Ottman Azaitar vs. Viacheslav Borshchev, Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Polyana Viana, Silvana Gomez Juarez vs. Diana Belbita, Michael Trizano vs. Shayilan Neurdanbieke, Choi Seung-woo vs. Daniel Pineda, Montel Jackson vs. Raoni Barcelos, Julio Arce vs. Casey Kenney, Carlos Ulberg vs. Alonzo Menifield, Nicolae Negumereanu vs. the Jung/Clark loser

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Here’s your place to watch #MayweatherDeji

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is back for another payday. This time around it is another exhibition versus another character from the world of social media. However, unlike when he faced Logan Paul last year, this opponent is hardly a household name.

Deji, formerly known as ComedyShortsGamer, is an English YouTuber and Twitch gamer best known for being the younger brother of KSI. As an amateur boxer he is 0-3 with TKO losses to Jake Paul (on the same card their brothers fought), Vinnie Hacker and a split decision loss to Alex Wassabi. As a pro he’s 1-0, with a TKO win over fellow YouTuber Fousey.

The event, which is being aired on DAZN in most places, and FITE.tv in a few others, also features Tommy Fury versus Paul Bamba in a six round pro bout. There is also an appearance by former WWE wrestler Bobby Fish and Love Island contestant Jack Fincham.

Mayweather vs. Deji PPV begins at 1 p.m. ET with the main event ringwalks expected at 4 p.m. ET. The prelims will start at 10:40 a.m ET and air live here on Bloody Elbow (see stream at the top of the page).

Weigh-ins (7 a.m. ET on Nov 12)

Tickets

You can buy tickets for the event, held at the Coca Cola Arena in Dubai here.

Full fight card/results:

Catchweight exhibition: Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Deji (8 rounds)

Light heavyweight: Tommy Fury vs. Paul Bamba (6 rounds)

Super featherweight: Delgine Persoon vs. Ikram Kerwat (8 rounds)

Light heavyweight: Bobby Fish vs. Boateng Prempeh (4 rounds)

Super welterweight: Harley Benn vs. Faizan Anwar (6 rounds)

Super middleweight: J’Hon Ingram vs. Koji Tanaka goes the distance with no declared winner.

Light heavyweight exhibition: Jack Fincham vs. Anthony Taylor goes the distance with no declared winner.

Super featherweight: Jaider Herrera def. Franklin Manzanilla by TKO, round 5 (3:00) for WBC International super featherweight title)

Live Stream

Mayweather vs. Deji will stream live on DAZN PPV and cost current subscribers in the US and Canada $ 14.99. Current subscribers in the UK and Ireland can buy the ppv for £16.99 / €16.99. Subscribers in Australia will need to pay $ 44.99 AUD. Subscribers in New Zealand will need to pay $ 24.99 NZD.

In the US DAZN costs $ 19.99 a month or $ 99.99 per year.

In Canada a monthly subscription to DAZN is $ 20 and an annual subscription is $ 150. In the UK you can get a monthly subscription for £7.99.

DAZN can be viewed on the following devices:

Mobile Devices

• iPhone, iPad
• Android phones, tablets
• Amazon Fire tablet

TV & Streaming Devices

• Amazon Fire TV
• Amazon Fire TV Stick
• Android TV
• Apple TV
• Google Chromecast
• LG Smart TV, Smartcast
• Panasonic Smart TV
• Samsung Smart TV
• Sony Smart TV

Games Consoles

• PlayStation 4
• PlayStation 5
• XBox One
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Pay-Per-View events are available to watch either live or on-demand. Events will be available to buy, and to watch, for 7 days after they go live.

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Hear what Pereira’s corner said two minutes before his monumental comback win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 281.

Heading into the fifth round of their UFC 281 title bout, Alex Pereira was down on all the scorecards with Israel Adesanya picking him apart and hurting him on multiple occasions. Much like he did on their second kickboxing match, Pereira found it in himself to pull off another insane comeback, this time winning the UFC middleweight title in the process.

Corner audio from that pivotal round has been released, showing Pereira’s coaches giving him crucial advice. Pereira got both a motivational speech, and quality technical instructions right before he went out for the final stanza.

“One round for you to be a world champion,” his coaches said in Portuguese. “Five minutes. Enough. Enough. You need to get to him. You need to approach him, okay? You have to knock him out. You need to knock him out.

“Always with the stance, high guard. Listen, he’s feeling it when you’re hitting him,” he said. “You only have one round! Active with your defense, and combos! Combos! Two, three strikes!

“Breathe right now. You’re going to be a world champion now. This round is yours. This round is yours. Go for it!”

And go for it he did. Just two minutes after that passionate plea to his pupil, Pereira stopped Adesanya on his feet to claim the crown.

The decorated kickboxer is now the UFC middleweight champion after just eight MMA fights, and only four in the UFC. Pereira is now 3-0 against Adesanya across two sports, ending that four year title reign in the process.

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As it is par for the course during a Nate Diaz visit at a live event, a scuffle has once again ensued.

Nate Diaz, who parted ways with the UFC in September, has managed to get himself in the headlines during the same night of the company’s return to New York City. As you’ll see in the video below, the former superstar had to be separated from Dillon Danis during a scuffle outside Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.

Another angle shows manager Audie Attar trying to separate team Diaz and team Danis. Nate, however, got into it with one of Danis’ companions and threw his patented Stockton greeting.

The incident was later brought up with UFC president Dana White during the post-fight presser. He, for one, isn’t bothered by such commotions, especially if it involves Diaz.

“That’s a shocker. Did he really?” White said sarcastically.

“This thing has been sold out for a while. I know Nate called last night and wanted tickets. Wanted six tickets. We didn’t have six tickets to give him, so he ended up figuring it out and got some eats.

“Every time they show up, I expect something to happen. Not much bothers me anymore at this point.”

The 37-year-old Diaz last saw action at UFC 279 against Tony Ferguson, whom he defeated via fourth-round submission.

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