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Rekindling his rivalry with incoming foe, Sean O’Malley as well as his head coach, Tim Welch, surging bantamweight contender, Merab Dvalishvili has hit out at the trainer – branding him a “snake” ahead of his return next month.

Dvalishvili, the current number one ranked bantamweight contender, is slated to return to action next month in the main event of Noche UFC, challenging O’Malley for the undisputed divisional crown at the Las Vegas Sphere. 

In the midst of an impressive winning spree, Tbilisi native, Dvalishvili turned in a dominant unanimous decision win over former two-weight champion, Henry Cejudo at UFC 298 back in February in Anaheim, earning a well-overdue first title fight inside the Octagon.

However, ahead of the pairing, Dvalishvili and O’Malley clashed over the incumbent’s head coach, Welch – with the champion urging the challenger to take his issues with the trainer up with him rather than himself ahead of Noche UFC.

Merab Dvalishvili continues his spat with head coach, Tim Welch

And reigniting their rivalry ahead of the matchup, Dvalishvili called Welch a “snake” of a person – setting the stage for another spat between the two.

“I have a problem with his (Sean O’Malley’s) coach, Tim (Welch),” Merab Dvalishvili told MMA Fighting. “He was very disrespectful to me and he was doing stupid and not respectful things. Any real coach should never do that, whatever he was doing. Try do the same thing in basketball or let’s try to do the same thing in a football game. They will give you a disqualification.”

“Only in the UFC can you get out of this,” Merab Dvalishvili explained. “Coach your guy, coach your fighter. Don’t be disrespectful to the opponent. What kind of people does this? Only a snake person does this.”

Who do you think wins at Noche UFC: Sean O’Malley or Merab Dvalishvili?

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Rough N’ Rowdy 25 over the course of the weekend brought more to it than just in-ring action – with the end of a hotly-contested boxing match ending in a mass brawl – as well an arrest by law enforcement.

Hosted by online media outlet, Barstool Sports, Rough N’ Rowdy saw it’s twenty fifth edition over the course of the weekend – headlined by a boxing match of sorts between Mikey Bets and his opponent, Zach Abel. 

Brawl and arrest happen in Rough N’ Rowdy 25 main event

Sharing the ring in the night’s main event, Bets and Abel had shared some verbals during a pre-fight brawl at the official weigh-ins the day prior. And following the culmination of their boxing fight this weekend at Rough N’ Rowdy 25, another coming together – this time unsanctioned broke out. 

Losing a split decision judging to Bets, the above-mentioned, Abel – clearly distraught with the decision he had found himself on the receiving end of, sucker punched one of his opponent’s cornermen. 

Rushing into the squared circle in a bid to separate both scrapping teams, security officials and other personnel – with Abel eventually floored to the canvas, where he was then stunningly slapped in cuffs by law enforcement officers. 

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Just weeks removed from his impressive win at UFC 304 in Manchester, newly-top-15 ranked lightweight contender, Paddy Pimblett has shown off a huge move up in weight once more – weighing close to 200lbs following his latest win.

Pimblett, the current number number fifteen ranked lightweight contender, returned to action at UFC 304 at the end of last month, turning in his sixth consecutive victory against perennial contender, King Green with a brutal opening round triangle choke submission win.

The victory came as Paddy Pimblett’s latest following a prior decision win over former interim lightweight titleholder, Tony Ferguson.

Paddy Pimblett shows off huge weight gain after UFC 304

And eyeing a fight with incoming UFC Fight Night Paris headliner, Renato Moicano – who is lined up to take on Nimes native, Benoit Saint Denis next month, Pimblett would currently be suited better to taking on middleweights by the looks of it.

Sharing a video on his official YouTube channel off the back of his win over Green just weeks ago, Pimblett has revealed he currently weighs in the region of 198lbs – having came in below the lightweight limit of 156lbs for his fight with the San Bernardino veteran. 

Reacting to Pimblett’s call out of him following his victory in the ‘Rainy City’, Brazilian fan-favorite, Moicano credited the Liverpool grappler for suggesting a season on The Ultimate Fighter to boot.

“Respect to him because he not only called me out, but he said we need to do ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ and I agree with that,” Moicano said. “It’s going to be the first ‘Ultimate Fighter’ with subtitles, my brother, because I cannot understand this motherf*cker. Maybe his English is worse than mine.”

“Let me talk serious about that, Paddy Pimblett: I’m planning on beating Benoit Saint-Denis in France, and then we talk business,” Moicano said. “Let me tell you something, UFC. Let me tell you something: Show me the money and let’s do it.”

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Despite all but confirming plans to retire from combat sports this year ahead of his expected UFC 309 return, Jon Jones has been tipped to likely end his own talk with a unification championship fight with Tom Aspinall – particularly with footage emerging of his training with grappling superstar, Gordon Ryan.

Jones, a former two-time undisputed light heavyweight titleholder and a current heavyweight champion, is all but signed to make his return from a year-plus hiatus at UFC 309 in November, topping the Madison Square Garden card in a matchup with former two-time best, Stipe Miocic.

Furthermore, the Rochester native has been heavily linked with a title unification pairing against current interim champion, Aspinall – with the Atherton finisher avenging his sole Octagon loss at UFC 304 with a blistering knockout of perennial contender, Curtis Blaydes. 

However, this week, Jones all but confirmed plans to retire following his fight with Miocic in a first outing in his homestate, claiming he was “winning” at life given the fact he would be retired at just 37 years of age.

Fun fact, after this year, Jon Jones will never have to work again,” Jon Jones posted in response to a comment on his official Instagram account. “Retired at age 37. Winning.”

Jon Jones again linked with Tom Aspinall showdown

However, across social media, amid the release of footage of Jones grappling with renowned grappling star, Ryan ahead of his expected November return, speculation has been rife amongst fans how the veteran will take on Aspinall after all.

“And people act like he (Jon Jones) won’t do this to (Tom) Aspinall in a f*ckin’ heartbeat,” A user on X posted.

“Jones would beat Aspinall easily,” Another user posted. “Respect the GOAT.”

In his most recent trip to the Octagon, Jones landed the vacant heavyweight championship with a stunning first round guillotine choke win over former interim titleholder, Ciryl Gane back in March of last year. 

Do you think Jon Jones will fight Tom Aspinall in the future?

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UFC star, Alex Pereira has claimed partaking in sports “saved” his life, amid his well-documented battle with alcohol addiction earlier in his life.

Pereira, a former undisputed middleweight champion inside the Octagon and the current undisputed light heavyweight titleholder, has been sidelined since he featured atop UFC 303 at the end of June, headlining the International Fight Week card on short-notice.

And racking up his second straight successful defense of the 205lbs title, Sao Paulo knockout king, Alex Pereira laid waste to former champion, Jiri Prochazka with a stunning second round high-kick knockout win.

Also headlining UFC 300 earlier this annum, Brazilian favorite, Alex Pereira took down Jamahal Hill with a blistering opening round knockout win – handing the former gold holder a defeat in his first Octagon appearance in over the course of a year.

Landing a pair of championships during his run with GLORY Kickboxing at both the middleweight and light heavyweight limits – Pereira was inducted into the promotion’s Hall of Fame last November, rounding off a stunning career in the sport.

And amid links to an end-of-year return, Pereira has opened up on his well-publicized battle with alcoholism, claiming a route to combat sports likely saved his life.

Alex Pereira opens up on battle with addiction

“I’m a guy who stopped everything, and I think I can help the kids out by sharing my story with them,” Alex Pereira said on his official YouTube channel. “It’s me, Glover. We’re going to do a training session with the kids, and I think it’s going to be great.”

“This project was arranged by our friend Michael with the help of the mayor of Vernon. I mentioned it to Poatan, and he was immediately on board, despite his busy travel schedule. But that’s how we are—we work hard and take the time to do these things for the kids, to motivate them. We want them to come to the gym, to train, and to get out of a life that has no future.”

“We’ve got a great team with us: Glover, Turman, Reggie, Melvin, and more people in the car, including my manager, Derek. We’re all heading out for this social action, which is so important. If you’ve been following my channel, you know we always try to do this kind of work.”

“I think it’s crucial to include this in the video – helping kids who are struggling with drug problems. I know firsthand how hard it is to deal with these situations, both for the kids and their families. That’s why we’re going to try to make a difference by talking to them, showing them a better path. I can speak about how sport saved me from alcohol addiction.”

“Today, I’m a UFC champion, but I always say that even if I hadn’t become a champion, I would still consider myself a champion in life. Overcoming addiction is one of the hardest things to do, so we’re going out there to offer some support, and I’m sure we’ll make a difference.”

Who would you like to see Alex Pereira fight next?

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Now eleven fights deep into his professional boxing career, the polarizing, Jake Paul has confirmed plan to make a somewhat surprising outing in an amateur format – in the form of a trip to the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California – in search of a gold medal win.

Paul, who most recently featured against former UFC welterweight challenger, and BFKC (Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship) star, Mike Perry, turned in an impressive win over the Michigan striker, courtesy of a sixth round knockout win.

Expected to return and take on former world heavyweight champion, Mike Tyson before the end of the year, Paul also called for a matchup alongside current UFC light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira next to boot.

Jake Paul plans Olympic Games move in 2028

And amid this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, France – Ohio native, Paul has suggested he make a spectacular appearance at the next edition of the summer games, in Los Angeles – vowing to take home the gold medal.

“I’m going to enter the 2028 Olympics for boxing in Los Angeles,” Jake Paul said on his YouTube channel. “I’m sick and tired of waiting for another gold medal for Team USA. I’m not retiring. I probably just added a couple of years onto my boxing career because of that. Gold medal, you’re mine, brother.”

“Being a world champion is first and foremost, and second is a gold medal,” Jake Paul continued. 

Over the course of his professional boxing career, Paul has taken home notable wins over the likes of Nate Diaz, as well as former UFC middleweight champion, Anderson Silva – and has knocked out former mixed martial arts titleholders, Tyron Woodley, as well as Ben Askren during their rivalries. 

In his sole professional loss, Paul lost his ‘0’ in a split decision defeat against Tommy Fury back in February of last year in Saudi Arabia.

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Branded likely the ‘worst’ event of the year so far, tonight’s lacklustre UFC Vegas 95 card took another hit overnight – with three separate matchups bringing skewing weight misses, to a card already under a bright spotlight.

Returning to North America tonight following a cameo in Abu Dhabi – the UFC hosted an impressive card in the Middle East over the course of last weekend, topped by a title eliminator between Umar Nurmagomedov, and Cory Sandhagen.

However, tonight’s 10-fight event at the Apex facility has been met with it’s fair share of critics during this week, with a four-year-old rehashed rematch between European heavyweight stalwarts, Marcin Tybura and Serghei Spivac topping the event.

Littered with a host of names not immediately recognizable to those but hardcore audiences, the event features just one former title charger – in the form of former Invicta FC star, Yana Santos, who suffered a first round knockout loss to Cris Cyborg back at UFC 222 in an unsuccessful featherweight championship fight. 

UFC Vegas 95 card hit with more negative comments

And during yesterday’s official weigh-ins, three fighters missed their respective weight class limits ahead of UFC Vegas 95 – forcing a trio of catchweight clashes in their place.

Firstly, slated to take on the above-mentioned, Santos in her return, Chelsea Chandler missed the bantamweight limit for the second fight consecutively, coming in at 141lbs – forcing a catchweight clash.

Furthermore on the same main card, Danny Barlow failed to meet the welterweight non-title fight limit for his bout with Nikolay Veretenitkov – coming in at 171.25lbs.

And in the night’s co-headliner, Chepe Mariscal came in at 149.5lbs for his slated featherweight fight with Damon Jackson, forcing another catchweight – adding to woes to an already lacklustre and criticized UFC Vegas 95 card. 

First facing off back in 2020 on a UFC Fight Night Norfolk card, Polish contender, Tybura turned in a unanimous decision win over Spivac as part of a five fight win streak that begun that night in Virginia. 

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The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is accusing U.S. regulators of violating a global code by allowing athletes who violated anti-doping rules to continue to compete in hopes of catching others cheating.

According to a report from Reuters, WADA claims the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) broke the World Anti-Doping Code, which all national anti-doping bodies sign on to, by using athletes as “undercover agents” without notifying WADA “and without there being any provision allowing such a practice under the Code or USADA’s own rules.”

WADA said it was aware of three cases that occurred between 2011 and 2014 in which athletes who “committed serious anti-doping rule violations” competed for years without their violations being published or sanctioned.

However, USADA CEO Travis Tygart said in a statement that WADA was fully aware of the athletes’ cooperation and their return to competition.

“During these investigations, the athletes provided intelligence to federal law enforcement, USADA, and the IF that led to criminal charges and anti-doping rule violations. USADA collaborated closely with WADA and the IF to ensure that those engaging in doping violations, as well as criminal offenses, were identified and prosecuted to the fullest extent possible.

“WADA was notified of the violations and sanction, and WADA did not appeal them, though they had the right to do so. The Code allows for substantial assistance, such as what was provided in this case, and WADA did not initiate a compliance case against USADA as they should have if they truly believed we failed to follow the rules” (h/t NYTimes.com).

WADA acknowledged there is a provision in its code that allows athletes caught cheating who provide “substantial assistance” to appeal for a reduction in any ban they receive. But, it says, allowing athletes to compete after being found guilty of anti-doping violations to attempt to gather evidence against others is not permitted.

Tygart snapped back, justifying the use of “undercover agents” to snuff out bigger systemic problems in a statement to Reuters.

“If you’ve got agents or others who are preying on athletes and trafficking … I think it’s totally appropriate,” he added.

WADA Accuses U.S. Anti-Doping Agency of Threatening the ‘integrity of sporting competition’

The USADA plan “threatened the integrity of sporting competition,” according to a statement from WADA.

“By operating it, USADA was in clear breach of the rules. Contrary to the claims made by USADA, WADA did not sign off on this practice of permitting drug cheats to compete for years on the promise that they would try to obtain incriminating evidence against others.”

Tygart dismissed the report from Reuters as nothing more than a WADA “smear” attempt.

“It is sad to see WADA leaders’ desperate and dangerous attempts to smear others, including informants,” Tygart said.

USADA first partnered with Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2015. After nearly a decade of working together, the two parties split on January 1, 2024, with Tygart claiming that their relationship had become “untenable” amid Conor McGregor’s highly publicized return to the testing pool late last year.

Since then, the UFC has partnered with Drug Free Sport International, the organization that currently handles testing duties for the MLB, NFL, NBA, and the NCAA.

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Terence Crawford is tired of Canelo Alvarez’s excuses.

Earlier this month, Crawford earned a big win over Israil Madrimov in Los Angeles to become a four-weight world champion and join a very elite list of fighters to have accomplished the impressive feat. Among them is Alvarez who has also carried gold in four different weight classes.

Crawford’s win over Madrimov appeared to perfectly set the stage for a clash between himself and Alvarez. Unfortunately, it looks like we are no closer to seeing their fight come to fruition after ‘Canelito’ dismissed the opportunity unless Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia, is ready to pony up some serious dough.

While Alvarez and Alalshikh have been trading barbs back and forth on social media, Crawford has remained relatively quiet. Until now, that is. During a recent appearance on The PorterWay Podcast, ‘Bud’ snapped back at Alvarez by accusing the Mexican superstar of making excuses and fearing for his legacy.

“It makes me laugh, all Canelo is saying about size and how he won’t get no credit. But Canelo’s been fighting smaller guys his whole career. Canelo made his own catchweight for years. Canelo fought a smaller Floyd Mayweather, Amir Khan, Jermell Charlo. He has all these excuses why he doesn’t wanna fight me.

“He said I’m easy work. If I was easy work then you would take all that money. But still, he wants $ 150 million to fight me. That just lets me know I’m a threat to him. I’m a threat to him and I’m a threat to his legacy” (h/t BJPenn.com).

Alvarez gears up for upcoming title defense while Terence Crawford wonders what’s next

What’s next for Terence Crawford remains to be seen, but Alvarez already has his next bout book. Emanating from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, September 14, ‘Canelito’ will defend his WBA, WBC, and WBO super middleweight titles against Edgar Berlanga.

Berlanga is 22-0 in his career with 17 of his victories coming by way of knockout. In 2022, he was slapped with a $ 10,000 fine and a six-month suspension from the New York State Athletic Commission for attempting to bite opponent Roamer Alexis Angulo on the shoulder.

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UFC’s Revenue exceeded expectations after UFC 300 and 303 outpaced expectations. The TKO Group Holdings stock surged in combination with WWE’s WrestleMania 40.

UFC’s Revenue and TKO Group Holdings

With site fees, sponsorships, and live events, the UFC’s revenue climbed to $ 394 million, an increase of nearly thirty percent, during the quarter. MMA Journalist John S. Nash reported on X, formerly Twitter:

Halfway through the year and UFC revenues are up in every revenue category but consumer products. Revenues for 1st 6 months is $ 707.4m and adjusted EBITDA is $ $ 427m, a modest 60% margin.

TKO Group Holdings leader Ariel Emanuel said:

“TKO generated strong financial results in the quarter, highlighted by record quarterly revenue and Adjusted EBITDA. In light of this continued momentum, we are raising our full year 2024 guidance for the second quarter in a row. The strength in our underlying business continues to give us great conviction in TKO’s ability to deliver sustainable long-term value for shareholders.” [Ht MMAMania]

The stock TKO Group Holdings is a combination of the UFC and WWE, with Endeavor owning a piece of both the UFC and WWE. For the quarter, reported by Variety, TKO’s total revenue was $ 851 million with a net income of $ 150 million and adjusted EBITDA of $ 420 million. TKO bumped up its 2024 revenue target by about $ 60 million to somewhere between $ 2.67 billion and $ 2.74 billion.

This is the most successful period in the organization’s history. TKO Group Holdings success was largely driven by the blockbuster UFC 300, UFC 303, and WrestleMania 40. Overall, it means the UFC is having a great year and breaking records. This is the highest revenue the company has put together.

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