Two top MMA analysts aren’t buying what UFC CEO Dana White is selling when it comes to some of his post-fight remarks at UFC 304.
UFC 304 in Manchester last month featured two impressive title wins, capped off by Belal Muhammad’s upset victory over Leon Edwards in the main event. UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall retained his belt with a wild finish to Curtis Blaydes in the co-main event.
While the top of the card delivered plenty of storylines, UFC 304 featured seven consecutive decisions, a streak snapped by Paddy Pimblett’s submission of King Green on the main card. The UFC 304 fights began in the middle of the night in Manchester, leading to some low-output showings in the Octagon.
After UFC 304, White appeared to dismiss that the unideal fight times had an impact on the event quality. This was despite some fight fans in attendance falling asleep at the venue as the matchups played out.
Dana White Questioned For Scathing Post-UFC 304 Comments
During a recent episode of Weighing In, ‘Big’ John McCarthy picked apart White’s disgruntled post-UFC 304 comments.
“When you’re pointing one finger forward, there’s three coming back at you Josh and you got to look at those and you gotta say well, we did put these fighters in a position where they were fighting at 3 o’clock in the morning, 4 o’clock in the morning, 5 o’clock in the morning,” McCarthy said of White. “No one works out at those times, no one fights at those times. It is an unusual situation and even if you try to prepare for it, it’s odd. It’s just an odd time for you, your body doesn’t feel the same, you don’t feel like you’re on top of things.” (h/t MMANews)
McCarthy’s co-host, former UFC standout Josh Thomson, didn’t hold back in his criticism of White’s post-event remarks.
“You kind of offset both parties by doing this,” Thomson said of White. “What happens is when you go to another country and they’re there five days before, some of them get there seven days before, some of the staff, and sometimes that’s not good. But, what I’m saying though is that now you’ve asked them to stay awake during the night so they can be awake during the night…
“So, the ones that come from the states that work for the UFC, their body clock is trying to change to get adjusted to the UK time when in fact they can’t because their show is at 5 in the morning,” Thomson continued on White. “Then, the fighters that are there, they’re getting all screwed up because they’re having to fight when they’re normally sleeping. So you really kind of messed up both sides of this equation. You messed it up for the people that work for the promotion and some of the fighters that came over having to fight.”
White has shown zero intentions of modifying future UK event start times after UFC 304. Aspinall and others pleaded with White and the UFC matchmakers to change the event schedule ahead of UFC 304, to no avail.
Imane Khelif was the target of online abuse by bad-faith actors earlier this week. The Algerian Olympic boxer has been the leading story during these Olympic games, and the story of her gender. Chael Sonnen, former UFC fighter, has taken a step forward to try and counteract the misleading information that has been circulating.
Imane Khelif
Many people online were led to believe that Imane Khelif was a trans athlete or a man acting as a woman. This infuriated the masses who called out in uproar. The fact is Imane Khelif is from Algeria where being a trans person is illegal and transitionary surgeries are not allowed. The Algerian Olympic boxer was born a woman and still is a woman to this day. Additionally, she has never been found to have increased levels of testosterone and has been in Olympic testing for at least four years.
Last year, Imane Khelif was suspended by the IBA, an organization that is not recognized as legitimate by the Olympics. The IOC has been critical of the IBA for corruption and not following proper procedures. In a statement, the IOC explained, “The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure – especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years.”
“‘Are these athletes women?’ The answer is yes, according to eligibility, according to their passports, according to their history.” IOC director Mark Adams added.
Image via: AP
Chael Sonnen Talks Imane Khelif
Those who acted too quickly, and judged without knowing more, are now taking a step back to apologize for their words. Chael Sonnen, former UFC title contender and MMA personality, has gone to X and is attempting to counteract misinformation being spread.
One Tweet claimed that two men were competing for medals in Olympic boxing. Sonnen responded simply: “This is not accurate.”
This is not accurate. https://t.co/DsCLFAlOKu
— Chael Sonnen (@ChaelSonnen) August 4, 2024
In another Tweet, people tried to explain how women were fighting men in boxing. Sonnen countered with, “Matt, you got played. Delete this. The XY talk and the testing for such was misinformation.”
Matt, you got played. Delete this. The XY talk and the testing for such was misinformation. https://t.co/ksPSKxtzH6
All the fights for UFC Fight Night: Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedovin Abu Dhabi on Saturday 3rd August 2024. With betting odds, start time, date, fight card, and information on how to watch.
Event: UFC Fight Night: Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
Date: Sat, Aug. 3, 2024
Location: Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Broadcast: Prelims 12 p.m. ET in the U.S., Main Card 3 p.m. ET in the U.S.
Broadcast in the UK: Prelims will begin at 5 p.m. BST, Main Card at 8 p.m. BST
UFC Fight Night: Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov Full fight card
Main Card
Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov: Bantamweight Main Event
Shara Magomedov vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk: Middleweight
Marlon Vera vs. Deiveson Figueiredo: Bantamweight
Tony Ferguson vs. Michael Chiesa: Welterweight
Mackenzie Dern vs. Loopy Godínez: Women’s Strawweight
Joel Álvarez vs. Elves Brener: Lightweight
Prelims
Azamat Murzakanov vs. Alonzo Menifield: Light Heavyweight
Mohammad Yahya vs. Kauê Fernandes: Lightweight
Shamil Gaziev vs. Don’Tale Mayes: Heavyweight
Guram Kutateladze vs. Jordan Vucenic: Lightweight
Viktoriia Dudakova vs. Sam Hughes: Women’s Strawweight
Jai Herbert vs. Rolando Bedoya: Lightweight
Sedriques Dumas vs. Denis Tiuliulin: Middleweight
*Fight card, bout order, and number of fights are subject to change
Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov Tale of the Tape
Name:
Cory Sandhagen
Umar Nurmagomedov
Country:
United States
Russia
Age:
32
28
Height:
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight:
135 lb (61 kg; 9 st 9 lb)
135 lb (61 kg; 9 st 9 lb)
Reach:
69+1⁄2 in (177 cm)
69 in (175 cm)
Start date and time
UFC Fight Night: Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov takes place on Saturday, August 3rd, at the Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The main card will start at 3 p.m. ET with the the Prelims starting at 12 p.m. ET. In the UK, the main event starts at 8 p.m. GMT with the Prelims starting at 5 p.m. GMT.
Betting Odds
Nurmagomedov: -300 favorite
Sandhagen: +240Underdog
UFC 304 Undercard Betting Preview
Dana White’s MMA promotion is set to return to Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
A bantamweight clash with title implications between Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov will headline the epic night of fights at the Etihad Arena
There’s also a stacked undercard featuring a bunch of big-name fighters including Sharabutdin Magomedovich, Marlon Vera, Deiveson Figueiredo, and Mackenzie Dern.
Join LowKickMMA as we break down the six-fight main card and the UFC odds before offering you an official prediction on how they will all play out.
Cory Sandhagen vs Umar Nurmagomedov
Sandhagen is shockingly a +275 underdog in the UFC Abu Dhabi headliner.
‘The Sandman’ has been mixing it with the very best 135lb fighters for years and is currently on a three-fight winning streak against people ranked in the top 10.
On the other hand, Nurmagomedov has never beaten a ranked fighter during his 17-0 career. Still, he’s a massive +350 favorite to get the job done in his first main event.
We just can’t pass up those odds on Sandhagen. Perhaps Nurmagomedov will be just as good as his cousin Khabib one day, but it seems like the bookmakers are getting carried away with a hype train right now.
Sharabutdin Magomedovich vs Michał Oleksiejczuk
Once again, we think the odds are slightly off for this fight.
Magomedovich is the +250 favorite, and we are backing him to win even though we haven’t been overly impressed with his 2-0 run in MMA’s premier promotion.
The one-eyed Russian looks terrifying but hasn’t quite lived up to his billing.
Oleksiejczuk will give him a good test over three rounds. The +200 underdog might even pull off an upset, but we expect him to fall just short against ‘Shara Bullet’.
Marlon Vera vs Deiveson Figueiredo
This is bout so good it should probably be headlining an event of its own.
Figueiredo is a slight -138 favorite in what should be an acid test of his credentials as a true bantamweight contender.
The former two-time flyweight champion has looked good since moving up 10lbs, but Vera is undoubtedly a sterner test than Cody Garbrandt or Rob Font.
‘Chito’ is very capable of causing an upset as the +110 underdog.
Unfortunately for him, we think Figueiredo will be a bit too slick over the three-round distance. Our pick would probably go the opposite way if they fought for 25 minutes.
Tony Ferguson vs Michael Chiesa
Ferguson being a +400 underdog in this fight is a sad testament to just how far he has fallen off in recent years.
The ex-interim UFC lightweight champion is facing someone on a poor three-fight skid and there’s still no doubt that he’ll lose against Chiesa at UFC Abu Dhabi.
Ferguson has looked a shell of his former self during his current seven-fight loss and has arguably looked worse as the UFC has attempted to reduce the level of his competition.
At odds of -550, betting on Chiesa won’t return you much money, but it is pretty close to being a cert, so you might as well add it to your parlay like us.
Mackenzie Dern vs Loopy Godinez
This a really tough fight to call between two top strawweight’s.
The bookmakers seem to agree with our assessment as Dern is the slight -125 favorite, while you can get odds of +100 on Godinez pulling off a minor upset.
Dern’s issues come when fights remain on the feet. Luckily for her, Godinez has just one KO win on her record and doesn’t seem to present a big KO threat.
We think she can out-grapple Godinez over three rounds here. A submission win would be a serious statement as her opponent has never been finished during her 16-fight career.
Joel Alvarez vs Elves Banner
Alvarez always seems to be on the brink of doing something big at 155lbs.
The Spaniard has struggled with the weight, but when he’s in the Octagon it’s a joy to watch. Alvarez has a ruthless streak and is a justified -163 favorite here.
Brenner is a decent fighter, but his last loss showed he’s limited, despite that he’s only a -138 underdog against Alvarez, who has beaten better people during his UFC run.
Alvarez will be going on our bet as one of our more confident picks.
Tickets
If you are lucky enough to be near Abu Dhabi or plan to attend UFC Fight Night: Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov at the Etihad Arena, tickets are available here.
Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov Fight Promo
PPV price and Live streams
UFC Fight Night: Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov is Live on ABC and ESPN+. In The UK, UFC Fight Night is available on TNT Sports.
What is Next after UFC Fight Night: Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov?
The next UFC event that follows UFC Fight Night: Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov is UFC 305: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya on the 17th of August 2024 at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.
Things are beginning to heat up between former featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski and new welterweight world champion Belal Muhammad.
Going into his scrap with Leon Edwards at UFC 304, Muhammad was a sizeable underdog with practically everyone in the MMA community betting on ‘Rocky’ to come out on top by a wide margin. Instead, ‘Remember The Name’ secured a dominant five-round victory on Edwards’ own turf and has been on a bit of an ‘I told you so tour’ ever since.
Recently, Muhammad snapped back at Volkanovski after ‘The Great’ jokingly said that he’d step into the UFC 304 headliner on short notice and suggested that Muhammad would be a “good matchup” for him.
“Cry, right? You guys that were talking,” Muhammad said on the Anik & Florian Podcast. “You guys were hating. All these guys wanted to come out. [Alexander] Volkanovski, ‘Man, I think Belal’s a good matchup for me if I fight him.’ Shut up, bro. I’ll smack the hell out of you. All these guys, right?”
Belal Muhammad responds to Alexander Volkanovski who said prior to #UFC304 that Belal Muhammad was a good matchup for him:
"Volkanovski [said] 'Man I think Belal's a good matchup for me if I fight him'.
Shut up bro, I'll smack the hell out of you… There's nobody in the UFC… pic.twitter.com/5keaAocOmK
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) August 1, 2024
Alexander Volkanovski snaps back at Belal Muhammad
Despite scoring the unanimous decision, Volkanovski was still unimpressed with what ‘Bully B’ showcased inside the Octagon and made that very clear in an unexpected retort on social media.
“@bullyb170 you have every reason to hate on what I said about you being a good stylistic match up for me but I truly believe that, even after your last fight, you didn’t show me anything different,” Volkanovski wrote on X. “You still mad because I accidentally missed your call…pathetic! Say “shut up, I’ll smack the shit out of you” to my face and see what happens.”
While we wouldn’t hold our breath for a cross-division clash between Volk and Muhammad, the new welterweight champ has his sights set on his first title defense in either November or December.
And in a refreshing bit of news, he didn’t call out Conor McGregor or try to plant the seeds for a second UFC belt. Instead, Muhammad did the unthinkable and called out the next man up in his division, Shavkat Rakhmonov.
“I’m not going to sit there and call out these random guys,” he said at the post-fight press conference. “Who’s next in line, who’s best in line. I’m going to show you who I am, what I can do. They thought Leon could walk through me, now I’m going to walk through all these other guys” (h/t BJPenn.com).
Taila Santos believes Dakota Ditcheva was given a much easier path to the PFL Playoffs.
Both Santos, who once gave Valentina Shevchenko a run for her money inside the Octagon, and Ditcheva are one win away from advancing to the PFL flyweight final. Santos has gone 2-0 since making her Smart Cage debut earlier this year, defeating Ilara Joanne and Jena Bishop during the regular season.
But despite her own success, the one-time UFC title challenger believes Ditcheva was handed more favorable matchups to secure her spot in the final four.
“The fights they were giving her in the beginning, it’s pretty clear they were giving her an easy run so she could make it to the finals,” Santos told MMA Fighting. “That’s why I said I want to show her what a real fight is all about, a tough fight. I fought tough fights since the beginning and I don’t care. That’s exactly what I want. I want to tough fights to show I’m the best.”
Ditcheva scored the No. 1 seed in the playoffs with wins over Lisa Mauldin, a 6-5 fighter from California, and Chelsea Hackett, a 4-3-1 Aussie who made an appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020. Ditcheva earned her way into this year’s regular season after winning the PFL Europe Championship in 2023, running through three opponents with a combined record of 13-10.
Meanwhile, Santos has more than proven herself by going five rounds with former UFC flyweight titleholder Valentina Shevchenko and earning wins over the likes of Joanne Wood, Roxanne Modafferi, Molly McCann, and Gillian Robertson.
Though she’s by no means looking past her next opponent, Santos can’t help but salivate over the idea of meeting Ditcheva in the tournament final.
“It’s going to be really interested to have both of us getting to this final and fighting each other,” Santos said. “I just want to be in the final and face whoever, but it would be quite interesting to fight her. I would really like to fight Dakota because fans would like this one. People are talking about this fight, and I want to show her what a real fight is like. It would be exciting. I’m very excited to face her, really.”
Taila Santos will have to go through women’s MMA legend liz Carmouche if she wants to meet Ditcheva in the flyweight final
But to get there, Taila Santos will have to get past two-time UFC title challenger and current Bellator flyweight women’s champion, Liz Carmouche.
“It’s an incredible fight. All respect to her, an incredible athlete as well, a veteran, and it’s an honor for me to fight her,” Santos said. “I’m very versatile as a fighter, although I grew up training Muay Thai before training jiu-jitsu and wrestling and everything else. I feel super comfortable in all areas today. I like it a lot, and I know she tries to grapple more, to back her opponents against the cage and impose her game. It’s going to be a very interesting game.”
As for how she sees things playing out in Ditcheva’s semi-final scrap with Jena Bishop, Santos isn’t entirely convinced that the Manchester native will get the job done.
“I think it’s going to be close,” Santos said. “It won’t be an easy fight for either one of them. If Jena can close the distance and take her down quickly and not give Dakota space on the feet — Dakota knows her to use her reach and she’s powerful. Jena surprised me, she’s really strong and I wasn’t expecting that. She’s very experienced, so she can win this if she can close the distance.”
“I came here to win this belt,” Santos added. “I’m ready to go to the final and win, no matter who I’m fighting there. I’m here to fight the best.”
Umar Nurmagomedov isn’t a fan of Sean O’Malley’s antics on social media.
The undefeated Dagestani standout returns to the Octagon this Saturday as the UFC heads to Abu Dhabi for a stacked Fight Night in Etihad Arena. Meeting Nurmagomedov in the main event will be bantamweight staple Cory Sandhagen in a bout that should produce the next 135-pound title contender.
As it stands, O’Malley sits atop the bantamweight throne, though his days could be number as he finds himself on a collision course with streaking Georgian sensation Merab Dvalishvili.
The pair will headline Noche UFC at Sphere in Las Vegas this September with the winner presumably facing the winner of Nurmagomedov vs. Sandhagen.
During a recent conversation with Daniel Cormier on the Hall of Famer’s YouTube channel, Nurmagomedov didn’t mince words while discussing O’Malley, slamming ‘Sugar’ for acting like a “clown” on social media and doing things unbecoming of a strong champion.
“Me and Sean are two different [people],” Nurmagomedov said of O’Malley. “He loves being funny. We’re different guys and I’m ashamed we have Sean O’Malley as a champion. Men have to be different, it’s about different things…you have to be a good example for the young generation, and you can’t do something like a clown. When Sean Strickland tells him he looks like a clown…is life about money? No, men have to be strong guys…
“Men have to be gentlemen, not a clown, or doing some TikToks, music and dancing. It’s not about that…women can do this…we know what the UFC cares about. They don’t want to give him good fighters with good wrestling” (h/t BJPenn.com).
Thus far, O’Malley has not responded to Nurmagomedov’s comments.
‘Sandman’ looks to snatch Umar Nurmagomedov’s ‘O’ in Abu Dhabi
Umar Nurmagomedov is a perfect 17-0 in his mixed martial arts career with five of those victories coming under the UFC banner. Currently, he is sitting as the No. 10 ranked contender in the bantamweight division, but if he can score a big win over ‘Sandman’ in Abu Dhabi, he’ll skyrocket himself toward the top of the rankings and all but guarantee himself a shot at UFC gold.
Sandhagen goes into Saturday’s bout having won his last three, earning victories over Song Yadong, Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera, and Rob Font. Sandman’ also holds wins over Frankie Edgar, Marlon Moraes, and John Lineker. Sandhagen landed his first shot at a UFC title, competing against Petr Yan for the interim crown in October 2021. Yan won the bout via unanimous decision, forcing Sandhagen to go back to the drawing board.
If the Colorado native can take Nurmagomedov’s ‘O’ in the UAE, a showdown with either O’Malley or Dvalishvili will surely await.
UFC president Dana White has made his stance clear on a potential boxing fight of Alex Pereira vs. Jake Paul. Poatan’ Pereira is the UFC light heavyweight champion and ‘The Problem Child’ Jake Paul is a professional boxer and YouTube star.
Alex Pereira vs. Jake Paul
A fight rumor between Alex Pereira and Jake Paul had been circulating as of late. After ‘The Problem Child’ knocked out BKFC and UFC athlete Mike Perry in a boxing match, then Jake Paul called out the UFC champion ‘Poatan.’ He even phoned the Brazilian striker while in the ring and Pereira agreed to the matchup.
However, a showdown between the two seems unlikely. The UFC typically does not allow active fighters to compete outside of the organization even in blockbuster boxing fights. Francis Ngannou, heavyweight champion, was hoping to work with the UFC on a boxing career but they were not receptive, and the Cameroonian athlete is not alone. Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather in 2017 was the only exception, a very rare moment in how the UFC acts.
Originally, Pereira did intend to have a boxing career. But with a late start into combat sports, the Brazilian instead chose to become a kickboxer. Since then he has earned two division titles in both GLORY Kickboxing and the UFC. ‘Poatan’ is well known and feared for his knockout power.
On facing Alex Pereira, ‘The Problem Child’ said:
“Alex Pereira, you said you want to box, I’m the king of this. Come over, we can make it happen. I want you Alex Pereira. I just beat a BKFC champion. I beat multiple UFC champions. He said he wants to box. Alex Pereira, after Mike Tyson, let’s make it happen.”
“These guys aren’t their own bosses. I want all the smoke, but at the end of the day, will Dana [White] let him out? That’s too bit of a risk if I could embarrass his No. 1 most praised fighter right now.” [H/t MMAFighting]
Since becoming a professional boxer, the YouTube star Paul has defeated fighters such as Ben Askren, Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley, and Nate Diaz, plus has a lone loss to Tommy Fury.
Dana White Responds to Jake Paul
When asked about a potential Paul vs. Pereira fight, in an interview with TNT Sports, he laughed it off. Dana White added:
“I haven’t even talked to Perry in a long time and I didn’t even know Jake Paul was fighting. I was on vacation in Italy, I had no idea. There’s all these stories that were written, it’s ridiculous. I stopped paying attention to Jake Paul when he lost to Fury, you know what I mean. It’s like when he fought somebody that was his age and actually boxed, he lost and I’m not s******* on the kid, I don’t even think about him anymore.
“It doesn’t even cross my mind. I have no beef with him. ‘They’re trying to get me assassinated’. Nobody’s trying to get you assassinated especially, listen, I respect Perry. Smaller, older, I mean it’s the same blueprint that they’re fighting older, smaller guys that, it’s just I literally don’t even think about him anymore. It’s all b*******.” [H/t MMANews]
Dana White, UFC president, seems like he is not taking the Jake Paul boxing career seriously nor is he paying attention to it. Tommy Fuy, the brother of heavyweight king Tyson Fury, gave Paul his first career loss in boxing. Tommy Fury is not known for his boxing game nor is he highly respected or ranked in boxing, he is best known as a reality TV star. However, Jake paul continues to sell fights and will eventually compete in MMA with the PFL.
Former undisputed heavyweight boxing champion, Oleksandr Usyk is the latest in the long line of combat sports stars to voice their disgruntlement with this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, France – particularly voicing his displeasure with the much-scrutinzed boxing competition, which he described as “rotten”.
Usyk, a native of Ukraine, became undisputed heavyweight world champion in professional boxing back in May, handing British heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury his first professional loss in a one-sided unanimous decision win in Riyadh to snatch the undisputed WBC heavyweight crown.
And expected to take on the Morecambe native at the end of the year in an immediate championship rematch, Oleksandr Usyk, who featured at the Olympic Games in 2012 back in London, won the gold medal at the men’s heavyweight limit.
Oleksandr Usyk labels current Olympic boxing regime “rotten”
However, amid criticizm over the competing of both Imane Khelif and Taiwan native Ling Yu-ting, heavyweight world champion, Usyk has called for a complete reform of the Games’ boxing system, labelling the current regime as “rotten”.
“For many years, there has been a desire to change the boxing system, which is rotten on an international level,” Oleksandr Usyk told SNTV during a recent interview. “So, we just need to work. No promises need to be made; we need to act. When you do this, people see the work done and come to you, asking to collaborate.”
A decorated amateur boxing star, Usyk retired from the amateur scene boasting a stunning 335-15 record, besting the trio of Clemente Russo, Tervel Pulev, and current WBC, IBF, and WBO light heavyweight champion, Artur Beterbiev en route to his gold medal victory in London at the heavyweight limit.
Unbeaten during his professional career in boxing, with his one-sided decision win over Fury earlier this year in the Middle East, Usyk improved to 22-0 as a professional.
Former undisputed featherweight champion, Jose Aldo is set to make his second outing of the year since his Octagon return, taking on bantamweight contender, Mario Bautista at UFC 307 in October at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Aldo, a fan-favorite veteran and inaugural UFC featherweight champion, made his return to mixed martial arts at UFC 301 back in May in his native Brazil, landing a one-sided unanimous decision win over Jonathan Martinez – in the final fight on his deal.
As for Bautista, the current number twelve ranked bantamweight contender is currently in the midst of an impressive six-fight winning spree in the Octagon, most recently beating Ricky Simon in a unanimous decision effort at UFC Vegas 84 back in January.
News of Jose Aldo’s return to action against Mario Bautista at UFC 307 was first reported by Brazilian outlet, AgFight.
BREAKING! UFC encaminha Jose Aldo vs Mario Bautista para o dia 5 de outubro
— Ag. Fight (@AgFight) August 1, 2024
Making his return to action on home soil at UFC 301 earlier this year, Manaus striking veteran, Aldo made good on his comeback to mixed martial arts with a decision win over the above-mentioned, Martinez.
Aldo, an inductee into the promotion’s Hall of Fame, made his return to action following a two-year layoff – following a prior decision defeat against incoming Noche UFC headliner and title challenger, Merab Dvalishvili.
Prior to that defeat, the streaking Aldo had turned in consecutive victories over Marlon Vera, compatriot, Pedro Munhoz, and Rob Font in impressive displays.
Jose Aldo makes return at UFC 307 with Mario Bautista
While an official headliner for UFC 307 has yet to be determined at the time of publication, an undisputed bantamweight title fight between Raquel Pennington, and former champion, Julianna Pena is expected to feature in the organization’s return to the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Manny Pacquiao, the boxing legend, apparently will be facing the young star Ryan Garcia. The boxing match was announced by ‘King Ryan’ himself and is to be taking place in the fourth quarter of 2024. Tokyo, Japan, in association with RIZIN, and an exhibition are all likely but nothing is yet confirmed.
Manny Pacquiao vs. Ryan Garcia
I am fighting Manny Pacquiao guys, let’s get it.” While on a live stream, ‘King Ryan’ explained that this match will be going down later this year but definitely in 2024. “It’s coming soon, I’m trying to work on [a date]. It will be at end of the year for sure. So, I’m trying to get more focused, stop drinking, and stop doing a lot of the s*it I was doing.”
“I was [in Japan figuring out] a fight date with Manny Pacquiao.” Ryan Garcia said, “Yeah, I’m going to fight him. This is the first time that it’s ever been announced. Yeah, it’s an exhibition.” [H/t BJPenn.com]
This past week, the Filipino-born athlete Manny Pacquiao took an exhibition boxing match against K-1 Kickboxing world champion Rukiya Anpo. It was officially declared a draw, but Japan’s Anpo did very well in the match utilizing his size advantage. During the Super Rizin 3 event, after the ‘Pac-Man’ fight, Ryan Garcia got in the ring and called out Manny Pacquiao and Rukiya Anpo.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Manny Pacquiao (@mannypacquiao)
Ryan Garcia
The Californian Ryan Garcia is a professional boxer with an impressive career for his young age. After an amazing amateur career, he turned pro and earned multiple boxing world titles. Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis served ‘King Ryan’ his first professional loss.
Controversy has been chasing the 25-year-old boxer. In his most recent match, he missed weight and then failed a drug test. Garcia has also been outspoken about people who are LGBTQ and was arrested for property damage. Plus, he was accused of being abusive by his ex-wife.
Manny Pacquiao
All-time great Manny Pacquiao has had a legendary boxing career. The Filipino striker has picked up multiple world titles across several weight classes throughout his storied professional record. With 62 victories, he earned titles in the WBC, IBF, WBO, WBA, and many more. ‘Pac Man’ was celebrated for his aggressive knockout style and was elevated to national hero status in the home Philippines.
Since stopping professional boxing, Manny Pacquiao has remained active in exhibition matches, such as we just saw in Super Rizin 3. Additionally, he is known as a singer and politician.
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