Former undisputed light heavyweight champion, Jiri Prochazka has confirmed he has penned a bout agreement to make a return to the UFC later this year, amid continued links to a rematch title fight against incumbent gold holder, Alex Pereira.
Prochazka, the current number one ranked divisional contender, most recently featured at UFC 300 back in April, returning to the winner’s enclosure in an impressive come-from-behind victory.
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas – USA TODAY Sports
Taking on fellow European talent, Aleksandar Rakic in a title-eliminator at 205lbs, former Rizin FF champion, Prochazka rallied to land an impressive second round knockout win – before staking his claim for a shot at the division throne for a third time.
In the night’s main event, former middleweight champion, Pereira successfully defended his light heavyweight crown for the first time, himself dispatching Jahamah Hill with a devastating opening round KO win.
Confirming plans to take on Jiri Prochazka in a rematch fight in his return to the Octagon, Sao Paulo knockout artist, Pereira revealed as recently as UFC 302 last weekend, how he had hoped to compete as soon as August, with the promotion slated to return to Australia for a UFC 305 pay-per-view event in Perth.
Mandatory Credit: Sarah Stier
Jiri Prochazka confirms deal to make UFC comeback
Appearing at OKTAGON MMA 58 overnight in his native Czech Republic, Prochazka refused to be drawn on speculation linking him with a short-notice fight against the above-mentioned, Pereira at UFC 303 in just weeks time, but confirmed he had signed a bout agreement to make a comeback.
Jiri says he signed something, but he's waiting for UFC to announce it. pic.twitter.com/8tek8RVUnW
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) June 8, 2024
Headlining UFC 295 on short-notice last November, Prochazka took on Pereira in a vacant light heavyweight title fight, dropping an eventual second round knockout loss to the former two-division champion.
Winning light heavyweight spoils two years ago in Singapore, Prochazka rallied to stop Pereira’s close friend and training partner, Glover Teixeira with a stunning rear-naked choke – sans hooks in his first title victory since landing in the UFC.
Do you think Jiri Prochazka will take on Alex Pereira in a title rematch next?
New behind the scenes footage from the UFC’s collaboration with Fight Inc. has shown the moment heavyweight champion, Jon Jones found out he would sidelined for up to a year after suffering a pectoral tendon tear last year, questioning both Dana White and Chief Business Officer, Hunter Campbell’s sincerity.
Jones, a former two-time light heavyweight champion and current heavyweight titleholder, has been sidelined since March of last year, landing the vacant crown with a stunning opening round guillotine choke submission win over former interim gold holder, Ciryl Gane.
Mandatory Credit: Patrick T. Fallon – AFP
And slated to return at UFC 295 back in November in a first outing at Madison Square Garden, Jones was forced from a main event fight with former champion, Stipe Miocic just weeks from the event, after suffering a pectoral tendon tear during training.
Jon Jones learns of injury setback in newly released footage
Releasing a new behind the scenes in association with Fight Inc. called ‘Inside the UFC’ – new unseen footage has revealed Jones receiving the prognosis of his injury setback from the above-mentioned, Campbell – whom he first thinks is joking, before becoming upset.
Mandatory Credit: Patrick T. Fallon – AFP
“You’re lying,” Jon Jones replied to Hunter Campbell who told him he was going to be out for up to a year and would require surgery. “Yeah, I knew it hurt. I knew it hurt. Six months to a year? Six months to a year?”
footage of Dana White and Hunter Campbell telling Jon Jones that he’s going to be out for a year
we need more footage like this, this is amazing pic.twitter.com/h4i4K0OyIj
— OOC MMA (@oocmma) June 8, 2024
“Wow, yes sir – yeah – I don’t wanna cry in front of you two,” Jon Jones explained. “This is a lot for me to process right now. I’m sure it’s a lot for you guys, too. I’m gonna go – I’m gonna go. Yeah, it is something that doesn’t usually happen – it’s usually trouble outside of the Octagon, I’m sorry guys.”
At the time of publication, Jones has indicated he is all but set to return at the promotion’s annual event at Madison Square Garden in November, atop a UFC 309 in a rescheduled title defense against Miocic.
Are you excited to see Jon Jones returnlater this year?
OKTAGON MMA has steadily been building its reputation as one of MMA’s most exciting promotions, and this week, the organization takes another giant step forward with OKTAGON 58.
The 10-fight card will take place on Saturday, 8 June, inside Prague’s Eden football stadium. It will mark the company’s first event in an open-air football stadium, making it the perfect time for those who have yet to check out an OKTAGON event to do so. The card is available to be purchased at OKTAGON TV and will also be live on DAZN in all markets apart from CZ/SK, as well as RMC Sport in France.
A Highly Anticipated Main Event
Headlining the card is a rematch over four years in the making, which sees Czech fighter Karel Vémola, who fought six times under the UFC banner, putting his light heavyweight title on the line against the Slovakian Attila Vegh.
The pair first met at OKTAGON 15, with Vegh, the former Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion, ending the contest in the opening round after landing a heavy overhand right that sent Vémola crashing to the canvas and silenced his fervent fan-base.
Vegh has not graced an MMA cage since that night in Prague, while Vémola dusted himself off to become one of OKTAGON’s most successful fighters, capturing a middleweight title en route to becoming the light heavyweight champion.
Now Vémola has the chance to avenge that devastating loss to Vegh in front of his home fans. The fact that he has confirmed that this will be the final fight of his career adds an extra dimension to the contest.
Who Wants To Win A Million Euros?
Saturday night’s card will feature two of the Tipsport Gamechanger 2 Lightweight Quarterfinals. All four men competing on the night will battle it out for a place in the semi-finals, and the competition’s overall winner will pocket a cool one million euros.
The first quarterfinal bout will see Spain’s Acoidan Duque taking on Chechen-born Austrian Mago Machaev. Duque did not overly impressive in the opening round, which saw him earn a split-decision victory over Germany’s Marcel Grabinski.
The Spaniard will square off against Machaev, one of the most intriguing prospects in the European scene. The 24-year-old Austrian has been competing in the pro ranks since 2017 and booked his quarterfinal spot with a third-round TKO victory over UFC veteran Makwan Amirkhani.
The second quarterfinal between Poland’s Mateusz Legierski and the UK’s Akonne Wanliss has the potential to be the fight of the night. Legierski is undefeated in the OKTAGON cage and was the former lightweight champion before leaving the promotion in 2020.
Since his return, he has chalked up four straight wins and is one of the favourites to walk away with the one million euro. However, this week, he is up against a rising star with a wicked stand-up game and all the confidence in the world.
Wanliss may have a somewhat polarizing personality. However, the former exotic dancer is serious about his craft and turned heads with his opening-round knockout victory over Sweden’s Sahil Siraj at OKTAGON 56.
A Pair Of Pivotal Welterweight Clashes
The night’s co-main event will see OKTAGON’s former welterweight David Kozma champion square off against Romania’s Ion Surdu. The Czech has not fought in ten months but looks in great shape though he will need to be at his best to get past Surdu’s dangerous striking game. The Romanian is a known KO artist and will relish the chance to compete on what will be the biggest stage of his career.
The winner of this bout will be in line for a shot at the vacant title, and will take on the victor of the night’s earlier welterweight clash between Brazil’s Leandro Silva and Georgia’s Amiran Gogoladze.
OKTAGON 58: VÉMOLA VS. VÉGH 2 Full Fight Card
Light Heavyweight Championship: Karlos Vemola vs. Attila Vegh
Welterweight: David Kozma vs. Ion Surdu: Welterweight
Middleweight: David Zawada vs. Marek Mazuch
Lightweight: Jaroslav Pokorny vs. Shem Rock
Lightweight Grand Prix Quarter-Final: Mateusz Legierski vs. Akonne Wanliss
Catchweight 195 lbs: Milos Petrasek vs. Kamil Wojciechowski
Lightweight Grand Prix Quarter-Final: Acoidan Duque vs. Mago Machaev
UFC superstar Conor McGregor will be getting a hefty payout from the anti-trust lawsuit.
The UFC settled the lawsuit out of court for $ 335 million, but the lawyers who worked on behalf of fighters in this case since 2014 are asking for $ 120 million, which leaves $ 215 million to go to the fighters. Out of the $ 215 million, 75% of it will go to fighters who competed between 2010 to 2017, with the other 25% going to fighters who signed a contract after 2017.
The minimum settlement amount any qualifying fighter will earn is $ 8000, according to reports. But, fighters will get paid more money based on what they made during the class period, and according to John Nash, that means Conor McGregor will likely get another $ 6 million.
“Conor McGregor made $ 27 million during the Le class period from 2010 to 2017,” reporter John Nash said in a special two-part podcast (via MMAMania). “We know that because the trial revealed that. So that $ 27 million would be about 4.85% of the total earnings paid out [by UFC] in compensation during the lead class period. So that means he’d get 4.85% of $ 129 million. So about $ 6 million would be going to him…”
“An easy way [to calculate] is to combine all your income you made during the Le period as a fighter, and take 23 percent of that,” Nash said. “That should be how much your compensation will be.”
Meaning, if a fighter made $ 1 million in the UFC, they would get $ 230,000 as part of the settlement.
‘Great optimism’ that Conor McGregor will fight at UFC 303
Conor McGregor is scheduled to return to the Octagon in the main event of UFC 303 against Michael Chandler on June 29.
Mandatory Credit: Stacy Revere
However, the Dublin press conference this week was canceled and many thought the fight was off, especially after fans noticed that the UFC took down all of Conor McGregor’s free fights on YouTube.
However, MMA reporter Ariel Helwani said on Wednesday that there is a sense of “positivity” and “optimism” that the fight will indeed happen.
McGregor has not competed since July of 2021 when he broke his leg in the trilogy match against Dustin Poirier.
Amid the continued speculation regarding the status of his UFC 303 headliner against former two-division champion, Conor McGregor later this month, former lightweight title challenger, Michael Chandler remains positive – albeit cryptic on his social media.
Chandler, the current number six ranked dvisional contender, has been sidelined for almost two years, most recently suffering a third round rear-naked choke submission defeat to former interim champion and common-foe, Dustin Poirier at Madison Square Garden.
And slated to headline UFC 303 later this month in a main event clash against the above-mentioned, McGregor at the welterweight limit, Chandler has remained tight-lipped on the status of his fight with the Dubliner at the end of the month, amid continued speculation the pairing is in deep jeopardy.
Plying his trade at Kill Cliff FC in Florida, Chandler reportedly had his bags packed and was heading to the airport late Sunday night when he received word that a planned press event in Dublin the following afternoon had been postponed by the promotion, leading to a mass media fiasco in the time since.
Mandatory Credit: Stacy Revere
Furthermore, the former Bellator MMA star revealed that he was returning to his residence in Tennessee if anyone was looking for him – leading to fans speculating that his bout with McGregor had all but hit the skids.
However, yesterday’s reports cited “great positivity” and “optimism” the two would headline UFC 303 as planned at the end of the month, with McGregor sharing a picture of himself inside a medical examination office overnight, amid rumors he had suffered an injury during training camp.
Michael Chandler remains tight-lipped on UFC 303 return
On his social media tonight, Chandler spoke of “resistance” amid speculation of his UFC 303 main event grudge fight with McGregor, albeit cryptically.
Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC
“This life wasn’t meant to be lived lukewarm,” Michael Chandler posted on his official X account. “Find your way or FORCE a path toward what you want. When you encounter resistance, go right through it. Walk on. See you at the top!”
This life wasn’t meant to be lived lukewarm. Find your way or FORCE a path toward what you want. When you encounter resistance, go right through it. – Walk On. – See you at the top! pic.twitter.com/2Kla7hoR6k
— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) June 6, 2024
Do you think Conor McGregor fights Michael Chandler at UFC 303?
If you passed by Tank Abbott on the street, there’s a pretty good chance you wouldn’t recognize him.
Today, Abbott lives a mostly quiet life, hosting his own podcast called The Proving Ground. But in 1995, he quickly became one of the UFC’s biggest stars courtesy of his balls-to-the-wall style of fighting that provided a plethora of highlight-reel knockouts.
Recently, Abbott made an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience to talk about all things UFC, going back to a time when even Rogan himself wasn’t part of the promotion. During their conversation, Abbott spoke about what it was like competing in a time when the sport had no rules and no time limits, how he ended up getting himself kicked out of the UFC, and his issue with iconic MMA referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy.
Tank Abbott went from UFC to WCW
After his fighting career began to fizzle out, Abbott found a new gig by signing a deal with World Championship Wrestling. Initially brought in to capitalize on his status as a legitimate fighter, Abbott’s character was quickly dwindled down to a crazed fan following around 3 Count, a mock boy band stable made up of wrestlers Evan Karagias, Shannon Moore, and Shane Helms—better known by WWE fans as The Hurricane.
Abbott continued to fight off and on under a handful of brands, including Strikeforce, PRIDE, EliteXC, and King of the Cage before ultimately retiring in 2013. He never found the same success as he did in the early days of the Octagon, but his merciless approach to the fight game will always be remembered by the fans who have been down since day one.
Michael Bisping commended Cory Sandhagen’s willingness to “risk it all” in a fight with rising contender Umar Nurmagomedov.
Sitting in the No. 2 spot in the bantamweight rankings courtesy of a trio of victories over Song Yadong, Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera, and Rob Font, ‘Sandman’ should be the next man in line for a shot at the 135-pound crown — once reigning champion Sean O’Malley handles some business with Merab Dvalishvili. But instead of sitting back and waiting for his turn, Sandhagen is putting it all on the line against one of the division’s most feared contenders.
Sandhagen and Nurmagomedov will headline a massive Fight Night event in Abu Dhabi on August 3 with the winner securing themselves a guaranteed shot at the bantamweight title in late 2024/early 2025.
Speaking with TNT Sports, UFC Hall of Famer and former middleweight titleholder Michael Bisping applauded Sandhagen’s bravery, saying:
“When it comes to contenders, Cory Sandhagen is right there. He has proven himself as the worthy guy, but he’s got to continue fighting to establish himself and get that shot.
“There is no one better, no one hungrier or undeniable than Umar Nurmagomedov of course with that name, that resume. The undefeated record and the well-rounded skills. We know the wrestling is there but the man is a kickboxing phenom as well. This is a tremendous fight, of course, it’s the main event and whoever wins this has to be next for Sean O’Malley.”
Bisping Believes it’s a ‘Bad situation for both’ Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov
Recognizing the stakes at play, Bisping suggested that as exciting as the fight is on paper, it puts both fighters in a bad situation — particularly in the case of Cory Sandhage who, by all accounts, has already earned a title shot.
“It’s a bad situation for both of them. On paper, they are both right there. Sandhagen has earned a title fight. Remember that absolute washout he had of Chito [Marlon] Vera. No disrespect to Chito, he’s a good friend of mine.
“Sandhagen was just one step ahead. He’s a beautiful striker, he’s got great submission. He’s excellent at wrestling. He’s very tall and long for the division. He’s beaten some great competition and now he’s going to take on the undefeated Dagestani. I feel for Sandhagen but credit to this guy because he’s willing to do it and risk it all to go up against Umar Nurmagomedov, it’s a sensational fight.”
Poland’s KSW returns Friday 7th of June with KSW 95 set to take place inside the Hala Urania in Olsztyn, Poland. KSW 95 can be watched by purchasing the event at KSWTV or viaplay depending on the region.
An Epic Rivalry Continues
Headlining the nine-fight card is an anticipated bantamweight title bout, with Jakub Wiklacz defending his strap against long-time foe, and the man he took the belt from, Sebastian Przybys.
Friday night’s clash will be the pair’s fifth meeting and the fourth under KSW’s banner. All four bouts have ended up in the hands of the judges, with Wiklacz holding a 2-1 lead in the series. Their most recent encounter at KSW 86 finished in a draw after the contest went to a technical decision in the fourth following an illegal blow by Wiklacz.
After spending years facing off against one another both men will be eager to put a definitive end to the rivalry so expect an exciting chess match between the two top-ranked bantamweights in KSW.
A heavyweight Banger As The Co-Main Event
The night’s penultimate bout features the UK’s Phil De Fries defending his heavyweight strap for the tenth time as he takes on Brazil’s Augusto Sakai.
De Fries has dominated the KSW heavyweight scene since capturing the title back at KSW 43, with seven of his nine defenses coming via stoppage. His tenth defense looks set to be memorable one way or the other as he squares off against UFC and Bellator veteran Sakai.
The 33-year-old Saki left the UFC on a high following his win over Don’tale Mayes in February 2023. Sakai has yet to taste championship gold in a professional career which began in 2011, but he has shared the cage with the likes of Alistair Overeem and Cheick Kongo. The chance to earn his first major title will undoubtedly see the Brazilian firing on all cylinders, and with De Fries hungry to reach ten title defenses, expect to see fireworks.
Łopaczyk’s Debut And Held’s Return
Fans will also want to pay attention to the lightweight matchup between Roman Szymański and former UFC veteran Marcin Held. Respectively, ranked 6th and 7th in the lightweight division, both men will be seeking to use this week’s encounter as a springboard to more high-stakes bouts in the future.
Keep an eye out for Polish welterweight Tymoteusz Łopaczyk with the 28-year-old set to make his promotional debut at KSW 95. He comes into this week’s contest riding a three-fight winning streak and will be welcomed into KSW by Brian Hooi, ranked fifth in the welterweight division, who is set to provide a measuring stick of where Łopaczyk fits in the division.
KSW 95: Wiklacz vs. Przybysz 5 : Full Fight Card
Jakub Wiklacz vs. Sebastian Przybysz: KSW Bantamweight Championship
Phil De Fries vs. Augusto Sakai: KSW Heavyweight Championship
Roman Szymański vs. Marcin Held: Lightweight
Brian Hooi vs. Tymoteusz Łopaczyk: Welterweight
Adrian Zieliński vs. Oskar Szczepaniak: Welterweight
Patryk Surdyn vs. Shamad Erzanukaev: Bantamweight
Krystian Bielski vs. Borys Dzikowski: Middleweight
Michal Dreczkowski vs. Stevan Jarić: Light Heavyweight
Popular online personality The MMA Guru is doing his part to help fighters financially after coming up short on a questionable scorecard.
An unjustified loss can present a huge burden for fighters, especially those still trying to survive on the UFC’s paltry $ 12/$ 12 contract. Unfortunately, it’s become far too frequent of an issue with MMA judges continually handing in controversial scorecards that not only cost a fighter win on their record but half their paycheck.
After a series of judging blunders at UFC 302, The MMA Guru has decided to take matters into his own hands, introducing a “Robbery Insurance Bank” dedicated to fighters who find themselves in the midst of a blatant robbery inside the Octagon.
“In 2025, I’m planning to set up a $ 10k ROBBERY INSURANCE BANK reserved for fighters on their first/second contract that get badly robbed,” he wrote on X. “I can afford 10k per card. New fighters that would otherwise have had a career derailed by an awful decision will get a 10k win bonus from me.”
In 2025, I'm planning to set up a $ 10k ROBBERY INSURANCE BANK reserved for fighters on their first/second contract that get badly robbed.
I can afford 10k per card. New fighters that would otherwise have had a career derailed by an awful decision will get a 10k win bonus from me pic.twitter.com/1caKRaOLNN
— THE MMA GURU (@THATBOYMMAGURU) June 5, 2024
The MMA Guru Responds to immediate criticism
In a follow-up post on social media, he added:
“I’ll build hype for this with my fans for the rest of the year. Put yo money up in 2025 10k performance bonuses for first/second contract fighters. Could even pay fighters who lost and took damage (broken bone/cuts/KO loss) I think I can fix fighter pay. Video Tomorrow.”
He also responded to some immediate backlash from fans questioning how he would fund such a project.
“People already talking about how this doesnt make sense In 2026-7 this could turn into small 3-5k finishing bonuses for first contract fighters In 2028 who knows what Somebodys gotta get these guys a lil more pay and it’s not gonna happen whining to Dana and on Twitter all day,” he added.
Though he offered little in the way of an explanation for how all of this is expected to work, it sounds like fans can tune into his YouTube channel on Wednesday, June 6 to find out details
Leon Edwards plans on adding more UFC gold to his collection.
After landing “the kick heard ’round the world” at UFC 278, ‘Rocky’ has successfully defended his welterweight world title twice, securing unanimous decision wins against former champion Kamaru Usman and three-time title challenger Colby Covington. On Saturday, July 27, he’ll step inside the Octagon for defense number three when he meets the division’s No. 1 ranked contender, Belal Muhammad, at UFC 304 in Manchester.
Though Edwards is not the kind of fighter to look past any of his opponents — even as a 2-to-1 favorite — that doesn’t mean the UK fan favorite isn’t already making some big plans for his future.
During a recent interview with Sky Sports, ‘Rocky’ revealed plans to move up to middleweight in hopes of obtaining the ever-elusive champ-champ status.
“My excitement is me getting another belt,” Edwards said. “My plan was to go next year. Defend my belt twice this year, that will be four defenses. Maybe one more [defense] next year, that’s five defenses. Then later on in the year, have a big middleweight fight. That’s six title fights… That is my goal. Two [defenses] this year, one next year, then end of next year move up.”
Leon Edwards will likely have to go through Islam Makhachev before making the move to 185
Chances are to achieve that status, he’ll have to go through another fighter with two-division glory on his mind.
After finishing Dustin Poirier in the UFC 302 headliner on June 1, reigning lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev called for a champion vs. champion clash between himself and Leon Edwards. As of now, ‘Rocky’ believes that both of them have plenty big enough backlog to keep them busy in their own divisions for the time being. Though, he can’t deny it would be a “massive fight” for both men.
With Edwards already scheduled to give ‘Remember The Name’ his long-awaited title opportunity, Makhachev will likely move on to a rematch with his division’s No. 1 contender, Arman Tsarukyan, with October in Abu Dhabi or November in New York hosting.
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