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Following their recent induction into the ‘Fight Wing’ of the UFC Hall of Fame, former middleweight stars, Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen will face-off for a third time in a boxing match on July 15. in the former’s native Brazil.

Silva, a former undisputed middleweight champion under the banner of the UFC, was recently the subject of a surprising call out from acting star, Terry Crews over the course of the weekend, with the latter offering to travel to Silva’s home country to land a boxing match.

Anderson Silva set to meet Chael Sonnen in July boxing match

However, according to reports tonight, Anderson Silva will take on WEC veteran and former two-weight UFC title challenger, Chael Sonnen in a boxing match in July – with the Oregon native confirming the bout on social media.

“Anderson, I’ll see you June 15th…” Chael Sonnen posted on his official X account. 

The bout, which is set to take place under the banner of Spaten Fight Night, will take place on July 15. in Sao Paulo, according to an announcement from the organization. 

At the time of publication, the organization have yet to confirm the weight class both Silva and Sonnen will compete in, nor the limit of rounds they will face-off under in the ring, and whether or not the bout would be a professional match, or an exhibition outing.

Twice competing against each other under the banner of the above-mentioned, UFC, Brazilian phenom, Silva scored a stunning rallying submission win over title challenger, Sonnen back in 2010 at UFC 117, slapping on a late fifth round triangle choke win in a bout he was set to lose on the judge’s scorecards.

Two years later at UFC 148, Sonnen faced Silva in a title fight rematch, having earned the botu with back-to-back wins over both Brian Stann, and Michael Bisping, ultimately succumbing to second round strikes in a TKO defeat to the middleweight icon.

Who wins in a trilogy fight: Anderson Silva or Chael Sonnen?

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Tyson Fury fans are already trying to discredit Oleksandr Usyk’s win on Saturday, claiming the Ukrainian sensation used an illegal inhaler in between rounds.

Boxing has its first unified heavyweight world champion in 25 years after Usyk delivered a stunning performance against ‘The Gypsy King’ during their 12-round affair in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh. While Fury appeared to have things well in hand in the early going, Usyk turned it up in the later rounds — particularly in the ninth when he was credited with a knockdown after overwhelming Fury with an onslaught of strikes.

However, some skeptics were quick to cry foul after a clip of Usyk in his corner began making the rounds on social media. The clip, which you can see below, had commenters accusing ‘The Cat’ of using an inhaler between rounds seven and eight.

As it turns out, there was no inhaler. The object in question turned out to be a cross.

Tyson Fury Credits Oleksandr Usyk’s Title Win on Ukraine

After taking a fairly significant beating to the body, Usyk bounced back beautifully, showing off his conditioning compared to that of the significantly bigger Brit. Fortunately, rumors of him using an inhaler were quickly debunked as it could have resulted in a disqualification, putting a big fat blemish on an otherwise spectacular fight.

Following the fight, Fury insisted that he was the rightful winner after coming up on the wrong side of a split decision. He even went so far as to suggest that the war between Ukraine — Usyk’s home country — and Russia played a role in the scoring.

“You know his country’s at war, so people are siding for the country at war,’’ Fury said during a post-fight interview. “Make no mistake, I won that fight, and I’ll be back.’’

While some of the scores provided by the presiding judges raised a few eyebrows, the consensus appears to approve of Usyk’s win.

Regardless, Fury will have the chance to even the series via a rematch clause that was worked into their initial fight contract. No official details have been revealed, but the two are rumored to run it back in October.

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Islam Makhachev credits Khabib Nurmagomedov with paving the way for him to become a UFC champion.

On Saturday, June 1, the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ will return to the Octagon when the promotion heads back to Newark, New Jersey for UFC 302. Emanating from the Prudential Center, Makhachev will headline the event as he puts his 155-pound crown on the line against division fan favorite Dustin Poirier.

It will be Makhachev’s third time defending the belt after scoring back-to-back victories over former featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski last year.

Speaking with former UFC champions Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo on the Pound 4 Pound podcast, Makhachev credited ‘The Eagle’ for carving out a path to the lightweight title for both of them.

“For me, it’s more easy because Khabib showed me the way,” Makhachev said. “I just have to follow, do what he did. Now he retired but he still pushes us. He comes after tomorrow to the [UFC 302] camp, and it’s gonna be like last 10 days. But I know, he will come and the last 10 days is gonna be so crazy.”      

After defeating Al Iaquinta at UFC 223 to win the lightweight belt, Nurmagomedov successfully defended the title three times, defeating Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje along the way. In October 2020, he laid down both his gloves and his gold, retiring from the sport following the passing of his father and coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.

Islam Makhachev lives up to the legacy

While fans are still holding out hope that Khabib Nurmagomedov will return one day in search of a 30th career win, Islam Makhachev has more than lived up to the legacy left behind by ‘The Eagle.’ Today, the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ is a near-perfect 25-1 in mixed martial arts with 14 of his wins coming under the UFC banner.

Makahchev is currently listed as the No. 1 ranked P4P fighter in the world.

Dustin Poirier will look to change that in The Garden State.

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Who is the best fighter at heavyweight? Depends on who you ask.

If we’re going by the books? Jon Jones is the best in the world. He’s the division’s top champ, which by definition puts him above everyone else. But when logic sets in, things get more confusing. Jones hasn’t fought in more than a year. Tom Aspinall, the interim champ at heavyweight, earned his title last year and is already on track to defend in just a couple of months. Does that make him the best?

The issue with this “best” question is a simple way to describe the issues at heavyweight currently. Due to delays in fights and a promoter who hasn’t stepped in to end a reign, heavyweight has found itself in a usual position with two champions who have gotten comfortable sharing the throne.

A slow-moving division isn’t new for heavyweights in the UFC. With the undisputed title being put on the line on average less than once a year since 2019, it’s been a weight class dragging its feet title fight-wise for a while. But the current two-title dilemma that it finds itself in lasts much longer than many delays we have seen recently. It’s an issue with no clear end in sight, and with unavoidably bad optics.

How the UFC Heavyweight mess Got Here

When Jones captured the UFC heavyweight championship in early 2023, an optimist might have thought that the class would finally receive a consistent champion. After UFC iced out Francis Ngannou for a year, making his run with the belt uneventful, the division could have used a more workhorse fighter on top.

Sure, Jones had no shortage of controversies while reigning over the light heavyweight division, but he was a face that defined an era and cleaned out a roster. Maybe he could have done that for heavyweight. And for a moment, it looked like he could be an active fighter: Eight months after winning his title with a first-round finish of Ciryl Gane, Jones was expected to face former champ Stipe Miocic at Madison Square Garden.

The fight would have been a passing of the torch. Miocic is 41 and hasn’t fought in more than three years, but is remembered for the three title defences that made him a more successful heavyweight champ than any other in UFC history. A victory for Jones would further cement that it was officially his era, and shut down any complaints that Miocic was deserving of a title opportunity after Francis Ngannou ended his second title run with a scary knockout in 2021.

But a torn pec put a massive road bump in Jones’ title reign and took him out of the fight. The injury not only prevented the champ from fighting in New York, but also meant that he would be benched for a significant period of time, cutting into a serious chunk of 2024 as well.

With Jones on the bench, UFC tried to keep the division moving. No, they didn’t strip the champion who was set to go more than a year without defending his belt, they introduced an interim title. England’s Aspinall earned the gold with a swift finish against Sergei Pavlovich.

An interim is, by definition, a placeholder. As the Cambridge Dictionary defines it: “temporary and intended to be used or accepted until something permanent exists.” However, this title soon became more regular than, well, the regular title.

It was announced this week that Aspinall will defend his belt at UFC 304 against Curtis Blaydes. A fine matchup, but one that keeps the division in a puzzling position. The person who is supposed to be the true champion sits on the sidelines, while the man with a supposed temporary belt goes out and faces legitimate contenders.

At least once the fight between Blaydes and Aspinall is done with, we can finally unify the titles and have a singular true best fighter in the class, right? Well, if you ask Dana White, no. He’s still hoping to make the bout between Jones and Miocic, and Jones is hinting that his next appearance will be around November. This means we could see an interim title exist for more than a year before even getting to discussions about unification. That is not ideal.

What Can Be Done?

This is an ugly mess. With all of the obligations and complications, UFC’s heavyweight division has become a disorganized room that needs a full makeover. From an inactive champ to owing a fight to someone who isn’t even involved in the current title picture, to a pair of belts that need to be unified sometime before things start to look absurd, the promotion has a complicated puzzle to solve.

There’s a world where UFC can fix all of these problems by simply handling them when the right opportunity comes. But the truth is, that would likely take a long time. It’s hard to imagine a reality where a year from now we will have an undisputed heavyweight champion that has faced Miocic and unified the titles through a fight. And even with that generous estimation, that’s still a year and a half of an interim champion, which feels bizarre.

Realistically, it doesn’t make sense for Jones to be the champion at the moment. If someone asks who is the best active heavyweight in the world, it feels dishonest to say it is Jones. Why? He’s simply not active. It’s no knock on his fighting abilities or accomplishments to say that he isn’t fighting at the moment, which should realistically take him out of the equation so the class can keep moving.

Would stripping Jones of his title due to injury kill his momentum? Absolutely not. When he would return and inevitably get another title fight, the crowd that had come out to support him in the past would show up once again.

He was stripped for wrongdoing in three different instances during his light heavyweight title years and remained a star nonetheless. Why would freeing up a title for injury—instead of an issue where he can take the blame—hurt him? Jones is absolutely deserving of a title shot and should receive an opportunity once he is ready to fully return, whether it be in November or on a later date. But there’s no reason for him to sit with the belt when he can’t contribute anything to the division.

It feels tough to decide what’s right for Miocic. While on paper it’s hard incredibly to justify him getting a title fight since he hasn’t fought in years, is 41 and coming off a nasty knockout defeat, it also feels like he has been a victim of circumstance. He should have received a shot at the title way sooner, instead of just quietly waiting for all of this time.

After the UFC kept him waiting for too long, it feels easy to consider him a contender who isn’t worthy. Miocic was likely guaranteed a shot after the end of his title reign and has been waiting for ages for it. Because of that, it would be somewhat cruel if UFC changed course now.

If UFC really owes Miocic a title shot, they should get it over with quickly. UFC probably wants to make a fight between Jones and Miocic specifically because its two guys from a specific era and it can be marketed as a super-fight. But hat fight is becoming not only less realistic but less attractive as each day passes by. In a perfect world, Miocic would return in a non-title fight first to show the type of shape he’s in, which it seems like many are questioning. If that can be done, great, do it.

What Will Actually Happen, If Anything?

With those changes, you have a weight class full of active fighters who are keeping the title picture moving. Of course, these are combative changes that won’t please everyone. It’s easy for a columnist to say: “Okay and take this from that guy, and tell the other guy he shouldn’t get the title fight.” It’s another thing to actually make those moves and then deal with the potential blowback from them.

UFC has two options in front of them. They could let their heavyweight class figure itself out over the next year and some change, keeping the division’s title picture awkward and confusing to outsiders for the entire time. Or they could put in some calls and make some changes that could immediately put the division back into shape, although not without some scrutiny from corners of their fanbase and fighters. They could let their division continue to make little sense for a long time, or take control and show that holding the top title in a weight class means something. There’s certainly less shame in one of these options.

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With this coming summer season set to bring some of the most high-profile fights of the year for the UFC, let’s take a look at the most anticipated bouts currently booked on paper ahead of a massive schedule for the sport leader.

Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier – UFC 302

Just mere weeks away, a huge undisputed lightweight title fight lands in Newark, New Jersey in June – with pound-for-pound number one, Islam Makhachev looking to rack up a third successful defense of his divisional title.

And matching with a fresh face following a pair of consecutive fights against former featherweight best, Alexander Volkanovski, dominant champion, Makhachev takes on the returning former interim champion, Dustin Poirier – who looks to strike it third time lucky in pursuit of an undisputed crown. 

Earning his return to a title setting at UFC 302, Lafayette veteran, Poirier rallied against the surging, Benoit Saint Denis back in March – halting the Nimes native’s run through the division, with a highlight-reel KO win. Entering at number one on our list of the top three most anticipated bouts of the year – fans can bet on MMA fights – including Makhachev’s title defense against Poirier, up and until they enter the Octagon next month. 

Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev – UFC Fight Night Saudi Arabia

Marking the promotion’s first foray to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – former undisputed middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker looks to keep his slot atop the division’s elite, and likely earn himself another shot at his former crown, as he takes on unbeaten berserker, Khamzat Chimaev.

Whittaker, a fan-favorite former undisputed titleholder at 185lbs – returned to winning ways back in February at UFC 298 against former championship chaser, Paulo Costa, battling over the course of three rounds to land himself a split judging victory. 

As for Chimaev, the Chechnya-born starlet has admittedly lost a head of steam built up since his October decision win over former champion and pound-for-pound pacesetter, Kamaru Usman in Abu Dhabi. However, he can go a long way to generating massive backing for a title fight once more with a victory over a name like Whittaker.

Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler – UFC 303 

Arguably the most anticipated of these three fights we’ve chosen ahead of a huge summer period – especially for the mass audience and onlookers comes in the form of a return fight for ex-two-weight champion, Conor McGregor against rival, Michael Chandler at the end of next month at UFC 303 during International Fight Week. 

Without a win since 2020 and sidelined for the last three years since a gruesome leg fracture, former undisputed lightweight and featherweight gold holder, McGregor makes his return to the welterweight limit of 170lbs in tandem with his entrance back to the Octagon. 

For Chandler, the ex-Bellator MMA thrice-time lightweight gold holder will snap an almost two-year hiatus himself from active competition in his much-sought-after fight with the Dublin megastar, and with the added caveat of a first welterweight walk since a professional debut back in 2009, both have been flapping gums aplenty – with first round knockout predictions fielded by both.

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On July 27 Tom Aspinall will join the very short list of fighters who have defended a UFC interim world championship — and Jon Jones couldn’t be more amused by it.

As announced by Dana White, Aspinall will put his interim heavyweight crown on the line when he co-headlines UFC 304 against No. 4 ranked contender Curtis Blaydes in Manchester, England.

The UK-based star will be just the third fighter to defend an interim belt in UFC history, the first being Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 92. The last man to do it was Renan Barao who defended his temporary title on two separate occasions in 2013 before being promoted to undisputed bantamweight champion.

Learning of the news, reigning undisputed heavyweight king Jon Jones couldn’t help, but poke some fun at the announcement on social media, calling it nothing more than an “official number one contender” fight.

“Curtis versus Tom for the official number one contender spot!” Jones wrote on X in response to the news of Aspinall vs. Blaydes.

Jon Jones confirms date for his controversial clash with Stipe miocic

The announcement from White and the subsequent commentary from ‘Bones’ certainly struck a chord with fight fans, many of them taking to X (formerly Twitter) to once again slam Jones’ decision to “duck” Aspinall in favor of a fight with consensus heavyweight GOAT Stipe Miocic later this year.

“Trolls telling me I’m slowing down the division by getting injured,” Jones added. “Meanwhile, the next two heavyweights aren’t even a main event? Interesting. I’m on the right path, I got until November to remind the world. Again.”

No official date has been announced for Jones vs. Miocic, but both fighters have recently acknowledged that the bout would go down this November when the UFC makes its annual pit stop at the world’s most famous arena — Madison Square Garden.

“I’m definitely not retired,” Jones posted. “Sitting on my porch sore all over enjoying some time in the Metaverse. November 9 can’t come soon enough. I’m earning it every day. Just like I always have.”

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Ahead of his return to the Octagon this weekend at UFC Vegas 92, fan-favorite striker, Edson Barboza has staked his claim for a symbolic BMF championship fight with recently-minted titleholder, Max Holloway – claiming if anybody deserves it based on highlights, it’s him.

Barboza, the current number twelve ranked featherweight contender, returns to the Octagon this weekend in a high-stakes clash with Manchester native Lerone Murphy – in search of his third consecutive victory at the weight class.

Out of action since an impressive unanimous decision win over Sodiq Yusuff back in October of last year in the main event of UFC Vegas 81, prior to that, Nova Friburgo veteran, Barboza had landed a stunning first round knee KO win over Billy Quarantillo.

Edson Barboza eyes BMF title fight with Max Holloway

Racking up another highlight-reel finish amongst a career of shocking knockout finishes, Brazilian star, Barboza has floated a future BMF title fight with Hawiian favorite, Holloway, claiming his résumé of stoppages should firmly cement him as a deserving challenger.

“If one guy deserves to fight for the BMF title, it’s me,” Edson Barboza said during his media availability ahead of UFC Vegas 92. “Who has better highlight knockouts than me? Bro, imagine. I love Max Holloway, he’s one of my favorite fighters ever. I love to watch him fight, and he’s a very nice guy, very family guy, but imagine a fight against him for the BMF belt.”

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

Himself landing the symbolic BMF crown at UFC 300 back in April, Holloway, a former undisputed featherweight champion landed a stunning buzzer-beating knockout win over Justin Gaethje.

And linked with a return at both the lightweight and featherweight limit, Holloway has been favored to take on incumbent 145lbs champion, Ilia Topuria in a blockbuster showdown next.

Who would win in a potential BMF title clash: Max Holloway or Edson Barboza?

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Jake Paul is looking thick ahead of his showdown with ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson.

On Friday, July 20, ‘The Problem Child’ will make his 11th walk to the squared circle for a clash with the former undisputed heavyweight world champion inside the 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The fight will broadcast live on Netflix around the world and will be backed by a stellar undercard that already includes the most anticipated rematch in boxing history and Darren Till’s long-awaited debut in the sweet science against legendary pugilist Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Eight weeks away from what could very well become the most-watched fight of all time, Jake Paul shared a video of himself on social media, showing off his new heavyweight physique.

“I’m a natural-born heavyweight,” Paul said at the kickoff press conference. “This is what I was born to do: to move up into this weight class. I’m going to show Mike who has more power because he’s underestimating me. I think everyone else is underestimating me and I believe that I hit harder. I know it’s going to be tough. I know I’m going to have to fight through adversity.

“I know I might even go to the canvas. I’m scared, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not about the fear stopping me. It’s about going into it, even though I am scared. That’s what true bravery is.”

Jake Paul Accused of Using PEDs ahead of Tyson fight

Fight fans online were quick to call out Paul, particularly on the “natural” part, accusing the YouTube star of juicing ahead of his tussle with Tyson in The Lone Star State.

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UFC commentator Joe Rogan offers an alternative to the current MMA ruleset. 

Despite his success in podcasting and comedy, Rogan has stuck around the sport for over two decades. The 56-year-old continues to commentate on American pay-per-view cards and has done an enormous amount of work in terms of promoting the sport.

Joe Rogan does have a particular soft spot for grappling and BJJ, holding a black belt himself the comedian has also been a major factor in the sports massive surge in popularity after discussing it at length during his podcast. 

This might be why he believes a rule change should be implemented in order to level the playing field between strikers and grapplers. Talking with the legend Royce Gracie on his podcast, the two discussed the current ruleset. 

Joe Rogan calls for change in ruleset

Rogan alleges that the current rules favour strikers over grapplers, citing round time and referee stand-ups as his reasoning. 

“The rules are set up much more for strikers than for wrestlers,” Joe Rogan said on his JRE MMA Show with UFC 1 victor, Royce Gracie. “I’ve been talking about this lately. Say you’re a jiu-jitsu guy and you’re fighting in the first round, and rounds are five minutes long and you take the guy down at four minutes and 30 seconds. You only have 30 seconds to work.” (H/T MMA Mania)

“I feel like if a fight should be… Even if you’re going to make it rounds, the fight is the fight. I don’t think someone should be able to get up. I don’t think people should stand you up, ever. I think once a guy takes you down, the fight is on the ground.

“If it’s boring for the audience, tough s—,” Rogan continued. “If you’re on the bottom, get up. And if you can’t get up, tough s—. And if the round ends and the new round begins, I think they should start you right back in the same place.”

Rogan would bring up the option of implementing the old Pride-style rounds that would last ten minutes. He had previously raised this argument during a podcast with Paul Felder

“Well, I think Pride had good rules with a 10-minute was better. I think 10 minutes is better”, Rogan said. “Especially if someone, like, works really hard. Again, 4 minutes 30 seconds you finally take the guy down, now you’re on top. And now you’re trying to set things up, but the bell rings. And then you start standing up again.” 

Do you agree with Joe Rogan? 

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Demetrious Johnson was one of the UFC’s most dominant athletes when the promotion was still finding its footing in the world of social media.

‘Mighty Mouse’ is considered by many to be one of the P4P greatest fighters in the sport’s history, scoring 11 consecutive title defenses — a UFC record that may very well stand the test of time. But despite all of his accolades, Johnson never brought home the paychecks like that of other champions during his legendary run.

In fact, Johnson’s reign over the flyweight division was so significant that the promotion has even considered shutting it down altogether.

Fortunately, that didn’t happen, but Demetrious Johnson has since found a new home in ONE Championship. There, he reigns as the promotion’s current flyweight MMA titleholder and completed the first trilogy of his career, winning back-to-back bouts against former champion Adriano Moraes.

Looking back on his time with the UFC, Johnson spoke about the promotion’s early days on social media and pushing athletes to expand their individual brands online with a series of incentives.

“When Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook first came out, the UFC would bring us to the ‘Fighter Summit’ and say, ‘You guys need to build your brand. It’s free. It costs you nothing. The more people want to see you fight, the more money you’re going to make because you’re going to make money in pay-per-view points, etc., etc., if you become a champion, if you become a partner,’” Johnson said on his YouTube channel.

“The UFC was very good about doing that. Back then they would send you laptops. Back then they’d give you incentives, I think it was like quarterly. Whoever had the most traffic in their thing. First person would get $ 25,000. It would go like $ 12,000 then $ 5,000, maybe $ 1,000. They’d give us a lot of incentives to talk about the fights and boast it, and they kept on doing it for I think a year or two. Fast forward to what it is today, I think they’ve seen the payoff of them slowly investing in telling the fighters to do that” (h/t MMA Fighting).

Demetrious Johnson recalls how hard the UFC wanted to push Cain Velasquez

The UFC held Fighter Summits between 2009 and 2011, right around the time that Cain Velasquez rose to prominence and captured the heavyweight title with a stunning first-round knockout of Brock Lesnar at UFC 121.

“I’ll never forget at the UFC Fighter Summit they pulled a picture of Cain Velasquez and were like, ‘You see this man? This man is Mexican-American. We are trying to break into the Mexican market so we want this man to do very, very well. You need to follow this man’s footsteps and try to get your community behind you. That way, it brings more eyeballs to the sport,’” Johnson said.

“I always tell my friends and my wife, any check I can get without getting punched in the face is a good check. It’s a good check because I’m getting paid for not me being in the gym, training hard, and fighting, but by me being a personal persona and going to shake some hands, doing whatever it may be.”

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