This weekend (Sat., May 11, 2024), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) hits the road to to Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Mo., for UFC St. Louis. Though initial responses to the main event between Derrick Lewis vs. Rodrigo Nascimento were rather negative, the overall card has since come together to be better than expected. Joaquin Buckley hustling his way to the co-main event slot certainly helped, but all six of the main card fights appear to promise action or an early stoppage.

UFC St. Louis’ undercard leaves something to be desired outside of Slava Borshchev vs. Chase Hooper, but that’s not my responsibility here. Let’s dig into all the main card fights leading up to the co-main event:

Light Heavyweight: Alonzo Menifield (+165) vs. Carlos Ulberg (-225)

Best Win for Menifield? Jimmy Crute For Ulberg? Jung Da-Un
Current Streak: Menifield is unbeaten in his last five fights, while Ulberg has won five in a row
X-Factor: It’s a big step up in competition for Ulberg
How these two match up: This one might not last long …

Menifield has a stupid amount of power in his fists, and the problem is that “Atomic” is well aware of it. He’s guilty of failing to set up his biggest swings or develop much of a game outside of hitting absurdly hard, but in his defense, it works more often than not. Ulberg is also consistently knocking out his opposition, but it doesn’t usually come down to pure force. The Kiwi kickboxer does really good work at managing distance, using his feints to get a read on his opponent, then timing counter shots — classic City Kickboxing stuff.

This is a really major jump in competition for Ulberg. Menifield may not be a perfect technician, but he’s ranked No. 11 in the world for a reason. He has the ability to threaten Ulberg with his huge punches and ability to close the distance suddenly, and his occasional takedown attempts could prove a factor as well.

He’s also a dog … and we’ve never seen Ulberg in a war of attrition.

At the same time, Ulberg is simply the better striker by a fair margin, and he also hits hard enough to hurt his opponent. He’ll have to avoid any huge mistakes, but Ulberg should find success in his attempt to break into the Top 15.

Prediction: Ulberg via decision

Lightweight: Carlos Diego Ferreira (+200) vs. Mateusz Rebecki (-280)

Best Win for Ferreira? Anthony Pettis For Rebecki? Roosevelt Roberts
Current Streak: Ferreira won his last bout, while Rebecki is 3-0 in the UFC
X-Factor: Ferreira is 39 years old
How these two match up: Good Lightweights rarely fail to deliver great fights.

Ferreira achieved a lot more than most expected. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace developed his striker and wrestling to become a fierce pressure fighter, which resulted in a quality six-fight win streak that pushed him into the Top 10. He’s since fallen down the ranks a bit, but Ferreira remains a very dangerous veteran in a stacked division.

Poland’s Rebecki is one of many serious Lightweight prospects. 19-1 as a professional, the fireplug of a wrestler has a dominating top game and heavy hands, traits which have combined for 16 finishes so far.

This is a massive test for Rebecki, definitely the toughest opponent of his career. It also feels like one he should pass. The Lightweight fireplug is a really physical talent, and his wrestling seems like the perfect antidote for Ferreira’s pressure and aggression. Historically, takedowns and top control is the best way to defeat the Brazilian, and that fits Rebecki’s typical game well.

The fight will get interesting if and when it goes late. Ferreira is in great shape and knows how to keep the scrambles going, and he’s tough as nails. A finish is unlikely, so Rebecki is going to have to deal with his foe for all 15 minutes.

Let’s see how he handles it.

Prediction: Rebecki via decision

Featherweight: Alex Caceres (+150) vs. Sean Woodson (-205)

Best Win for Caceres? Sergio Pettis For Woodson? Charles Jourdain
Current Streak: Caceres lost his last bout, while Woodson is unbeaten in his last five
X-Factor: Caceres has a significant jiu-jitsu edge
How these two match up: I’m expecting a fun fight.

Caceres has been a quality member of UFC’s roster for more than a decade now. He’s achieved rankings at various points both as a Bantamweight and Featherweight, and generally has fought really well in recent years. He’s a sneaky kickboxer with an underrated grappling game, but he doesn’t always have the wrestling necessary to implement his jiu-jitsu.

Woodson is a statistical anomaly, a 6’2” Featherweight who lives up to his “Sniper” nickname. A long-time boxer, Woodson establishes his jab better than most and can really make opponents miss thanks to his massive reach and quality footwork.

On the whole, I think Caceres is generally the better fighter here. He’s more well-rounded and has way more high-level experience. Unfortunately, it feels like a bad match up for “Bruce Leeroy.”

Caceres fights largely at the kickboxing range, which is where Woodson excels. Generally, it’s hard to get him out of that mode. It takes a big punch or really solid wrestling game — neither of which are Caceres’ strengths. Most likely, we got a kickboxing battle in which Woodson’s faster hands and sharper combinations make the slight difference.

Prediction: Woodson via decision

Heavyweight: Waldo Cortes-Acosta (+140) vs. Robelis Despaigne (-185)

Best Win for Cortes-Acosta? Andrei Arlovski For Despaigne? Josh Parisian
Current Streak: Cortes-Acosta has won two in a row, whereas Despaigne recently won his UFC debut to improve to 5-0
X-Factor: Despaigne has almost no cage time
How these two match up: I wouldn’t count on this one seeing the third.

Cortes-Acosta has won four of his five Octagon bouts, establishing himself as a good boxer able to put numbers on his opponent. He’s not the heaviest handed man in the division, but there’s always a place for Heavyweights who can actually throw down for 15 full minutes. Despaigne, conversely, has an unknowable level of cardio. He’s never left the first round, and each of his last four wins lasted less than a minute combined! The Cuban Taekwondo Olympian is incredibly unproven, but obviously has serious potential as well.

So, this is the Heavyweight division. It’s important to keep your expectations measured. More than most any other class, we have seen plenty of hyped prospects exhausted or mentally broken when the going gets tough — it should almost be expected.

Is Cortes-Acosta the man to push Despaigne, however? I’m not really seeing it. That’ll probably take a wrestler with a brick jawline. Cortes-Acosta, conversely, is a striker facing a height and reach disadvantage who is going to engage a physically superior talent in his realm of strength.

It’s a big step up from Despaigne’s previous competition level, but one he seems likely to handle.

Prediction: Despaigne via knockout

‘X-Factor’ Picks for 2024: 22-9 (2)

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC St. Louis fight card right here, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance on ESPN (also on ESPN+) at 7 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC St. Louis: “Lewis vs. Nascimento” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

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Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Dana White has traveled to a lot of places and has seen many things, but what he witnessed this week in New York City nearly left him speechless.

On Tuesday, the UFC CEO took to Instagram so share a video of a careless FedEX delivery driver chucking boxes into the back of a truck. White was in the back of a fancy car driving through New York City when he noticed the FedEX worker on the side of the road loading a shipment into his truck. With the window down, White recorded the driver for one whole minute as he hurled each and every box without remorse.

White, who is as outspoken as they come, was nearly speechless. He was, however, able to rattle off a joke at the expense of FedEX as the driver repeatedly damaged customer’s boxes. Check it out below:

“FedEX. We’ll get your s—t there, but we’ll f—k it up,” joked White.

‘My boy don’t give a f—k,” he later added.

Maybe this is why half my stuff always shows up broken. Hopefully White’s social media post reaches some higher ups at FedEX and this driver gets the good old pink slip.

Insomnia

Do we believe that Ryan Garcia was “high as f—k” during his fight with Devin Haney?

He has to win, right?

What could have been…

Movsar Evloev called Dana White out for watching a NFL playoff game during UFC 297.

Apparently UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis was on The Masked Singer and absolutely killed it.

Did Jose Aldo deserve a ranking after his return win at UFC 301?

Will heavyweight striker Robelis Despaigne score another first-round KO this weekend at UFC St. Louis?

Is Conor McGregor jealous of Sean O’Malley’s recent UFC success?

Which one will it be?

Cory Sandhagen banking on Umar Nurmagomedov gassing? That may not be a great idea.

Safe to say Tyson Pedro will be out for a little while.

Tom Aspinall has chimed in on the whole Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira thing.

UFC fighter Garrett Armfield compares the old UFC glove to the new one.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

This spinning backfist KO was pretty slick and worth a replay from this past weekend.

I guess “Garfield” wasn’t that good.

Random Land

Here’s Ric Flair getting tossed out of a pizza restaurant after spending $ 1,500:

Until next time, sleep well Maniacs!

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Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz are getting an extra month of preparation for their boxing rematch.

The sequel to Masvidal and Diaz’s mixed martial arts (MMA) clash from UFC 244 was set to go down at the start of next month (Sat., June 1, 2024). Per Boxing Scene, Masvidal vs. Diaz 2 has been delayed one month and will go down on July 6, 2024. The Fanmio-promoted event will remain inside the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California.

Masvidal, 39, is still under UFC contract but has revealed he was allowed permission to compete in the match. However, the original fight date coincided with UFC 302, which will feature a Lightweight title tilt between the champion, Islam Makhachev, and Masvidal’s longtime American Top Team (ATT) teammate, Dustin Poirier. The date change was reportedly a reaction to avoiding any limitations in viewership from going head-to-head with UFC.

The match will be Masvidal’s second foray into the professional boxing world. His debut saw him earn a majority decision win against Joseph Benjamin in 2005 (35-17 in MMA). Since then, Diaz made his debut in the sport when he fought Jake Paul to a unanimous decision loss this past August 2023 (watch highlights).

Diaz, 39, is currently the last win on Masvidal’s MMA record. The pair’s first fight resulted in a Masvidal third round technical knockout via doctor’s stoppage when Diaz was badly cut in November 2019.

Unlike Masvidal, Diaz is no longer held down by UFC restrictions after he fought out his contract in the two fights that followed Masvidal. For Diaz, he went 1-1 to close out his UFC run when he dropped a unanimous decision to future champion, Leon Edwards, before submitting Tony Ferguson with a fourth round guillotine choke at UFC 279 in September 2022 (watch highlights).

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MMA Mania brings you Sound & Pound. An original podcast that features previews, recaps, lists, prospects, and a Q&A. Oh, and a cool movie club.

MMA Mania brings you Sound & Pound, an original podcast featuring previews, recaps, lists, prospects, and a Q&A. Oh, and a cool movie club. All brought to you by yours truly, Alex Behunin and Drake Riggs.

This week, we’ll recap UFC 301, preview UFC St. Louis, and discuss everything in between. Watch it live at 3:00 P.M. EST every Tuesday or on replay in the player above on our YouTube channel.

X

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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) recently updated its official rankings in the wake of the UFC 301 pay-per-view (PPV) event, which took place last Sat. night (May 4, 2024) at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Former featherweight champion Jose Aldo returned to the bantamweight rankings at No. 8 with his commanding performance against Jonathan Martinez in the co-main event.

That’s not all.

Michel Pereira, previously ranked in the welterweight division, is now listed among the Top 15 middleweights in the world, landing at No. 13 with his submission victory over Ihor Potieria. As for UFC 301 headliner Steve Erceg, he failed to capture the crown from reigning 125-pound titleholder Alexandre Pantoja and as a result, did not gain any significant ground in the flyweight Top 10.

Here’s how UFC compiles its official rankings:

Rankings were generated by a voting panel made up of media members. The media members were asked to vote for who they feel are the top fighters in the UFC by weight-class and pound-for-pound. A fighter is only eligible to be voted on if they are in active status in the UFC. A fighter can appear in more than one weight division at a time. The champion and interim champion are considered to be in the top positions of their respective divisions and therefore are not eligible for voting by weight-class. However, the champions can be voted on for the pound-for-pound rankings.

Take a look at what the latest rankings field looks like courtesy of UFC.com. Note: (+/- = movement in rankings, T = tie, *NR = Not previously ranked).

MEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND

1. Islam Makhachev
2. Jon Jones
3. Leon Edwards
4. Alex Pereira
5. Ilia Topuria
6. Sean O’Malley
7. Alexander Volkanovski
8. Max Holloway
9. Dricus Du Plessis
10. Alexandre Pantoja
11. Israel Adesanya
12. Tom Aspinall
13. Charles Oliveira
14. Sean Strickland
15. Aljamain Sterling

FLYWEIGHT

Champion: Alexandre Pantoja

1. Brandon Royval
2. Brandon Moreno
3. Amir Albazi
4. Kai Kara France
5. Alex Perez
6. Muhammad Mokaev
7. Manel Kape
8. Matheus Nicolau
9. Steve Erceg +1
10. Tim Elliott -1
11. Matt Schnell
12. Tagir Ulanbekov
13. Tatsuro Taira
14. Su Mudaerji
15. David Dvorak

BANTAMWEIGHT

Champion: Sean O’Malley

1. Merab Dvalishvili
2. Cory Sandhagen
3. Petr Yan
4. Marlon Vera
5. Henry Cejudo
6. Deiveson Figueiredo
7. Song Yadong
8. Jose Aldo *NR
9. Rob Font -1
10. Umar Nurmagomedov -1
11. Kyler Phillips -1
12. Dominick Cruz -1
13. Mario Bautista
14. Jonathan Martinez -2
15. Pedro Munhoz

FEATHERWEIGHT

Champion: Ilia Topuria

1. Alexander Volkanovski
2. Max Holloway
3. Brian Ortega
4. Yair Rodriguez
5. Movsar Evloev
6. Arnold Allen
7. Josh Emmett
8. Aljamain Sterling
9. Calvin Kattar
10. Giga Chikadze
11. Edson Barboza
12. Bryce Mitchell
13. Dan Ige
14. Diego Lopes
15. Sodiq Yusuff

LIGHTWEIGHT

Champion: Islam Makhachev

1. Arman Tsarukyan
2. Charles Oliveira
3. Justin Gaethje
4. Dustin Poirier
5. Mateusz Gamrot
6. Michael Chandler +1
7. Beneil Dariush -1
8. Rafael Fiziev
9. Max Holloway
10. Renato Moicano
11. Dan Hooker
12. Jalin Turner
13. Benoit Saint-Denis
14. Rafael dos Anjos
15. Bobby Green

WELTERWEIGHT

Champion: Leon Edwards

1. Kamaru Usman
2. Belal Muhammed
3. Shavkat Rakhmonov
4. Colby Covington
5. Jack Della Maddalena
6. Gilbert Burns
7. Ian Machado Garry
8. Sean Brady
9. Stephen Thompson
10. Geoff Neal
11. Joaquin Buckley
12. Neil Magny
13. Michael Page
14. Vicente Luque
15. Kevin Holland

MIDDLEWEIGHT

Champion: Dricus Du Plessis

1. Sean Strickland
2. Israel Adesanya
3. Robert Whittaker
4. Jared Cannonier
5. Marvin Vettori
6. Paulo Costa
7. Brendan Allen
8. Nassourdine Imavov
9. Jack Hermansson +1
10. Khamzat Chimaev +1
11. Roman Dolidze -2
12. Caio Borralho +2
13. Michel Pereira *NR
14. Anthony Hernandez -2
15. Chris Curtis

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

Champion: Alex Pereira

1. Jiri Prochazka
2. Magomed Ankalaev
3. Jamahal Hill
4. Jan Blachowicz
5. Aleksandar Rakic
6. Nikita Krylov
7. Johnny Walker
8. Khalil Rountree
9. Volkan Oezdemir
10. Anthony Smith
11. Alonzo Menifield
12. Bogdan Guskov
13. Azamat Murzakanov
14. Dominick Reyes
15. Ryan Spann

HEAVYWEIGHT

Champion: Jon Jones

1. Tom Aspinall
2. Ciryl Gane
3. Sergei Pavlovich
4. Curtis Blaydes
5. Stipe Miocic
6. Alexander Volkov
7. Jailton Almeida
8. Marcin Tybura
9. Serghei Spivac
10. Tai Tuivasa
11. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
12. Derrick Lewis
13. Alexandr Romanov
14. Marcos Rogerio De Lima
15. Rodrigo Nascimento

WOMEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND

1. Alexa Grasso
2. Zhang Weili
3. Valentina Shevchenko
4. Manon Fiorot
5. (T) Julianna Pena
5. (T) Raquel Pennington
7. Rose Namajunas
8. Erin Blanchfield
9. Tatiana Suarez
10. Yan Xiaonan
11. Jessica Andrade
12. Amanda Lemos
13. Ketlen Vieira +1
14. Kayla Harrison -1
15. Maycee Barber *NR

WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT

Champion: Zhang Weili

1. Tatiana Suarez
2. Yan Xiaonan
3. Amanda Lemos
4. Jessica Andrade
5. Virna Jandiroba
6. Marina Rodriguez
7. Mackenzie Dern
8. Amanda Ribas
9. Luana Pinheiro
10. Loopy Godinez
11. Tabatha Ricci
12. Angela Hill
13. Iasmin Lucindo *NR
14. Michelle Waterson-Gomez
15. Karolina Kowalkiewicz -2

WOMEN’S FLYWEIGHT

Champion: Alexa Grasso

1. Valentina Shevchenko
2. Manon Fiorot
3. Erin Blanchfield
4. Maycee Barber
5. Jessica Andrade
6. Rose Namajunas
7. Katlyn Cerminara
8. Natalia Silva
9. Amanda Ribas
10. Viviane Araújo
11. Tracy Cortez
12. Karine Silva +1
13. Ariane Da Silva -1
14. Casey O’Neill
15. Miranda Maverick

WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT

Champion: Raquel Pennington

1. Julianna Pena
2. Ketlen Vieira
3. Mayra Bueno Silva
4. Kayla Harrison
5. Irene Aldana
6. Holly Holm
7. Macy Chiasson
8. (T) Miesha Tate
8. (T) Karol Rosa +1
10. Norma Dumont
11. Pannie Kianzad
12. Yana Santos
13. Julia Avila
14. Chelsea Chandler
15. Germaine De Randamie

You can expect these rankings to change around this time next week, particularly in the heavyweight division, following the UFC St. Louis: “Lewis vs. Nascimento” mixed martial arts (MMA) event on ESPN and ESPN+, scheduled for Sat., May 11, 2024 at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

For much more on that upcoming fight card click here.

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Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Sean O’Malley has changed his pick for UFC 303 and is now hoping to see Conor McGregor get slept by Michael Chandler.

If you’re wondering why O’Malley is pulling for “Notorious” to lose his UFC return then look no further than the social media cheap shot McGregor took at the UFC bantamweight champion last weekend. McGregor even offered to fly O’Malley out to Ireland to spar, which “Suga” gladly accepted.

O’Malley recently had another chance to reflect on his weekend spat with McGregor. The UFC champion revealed that he was more “sad than mad” about hearing McGregor comments and now wants “Notorious” to get destroyed by Chandler in his return at UFC 303.

Check it out below:

“F—k Conor,” said O’Malley. “I seen a lot of people being like, ‘Damn, I bet Suga’s sad. Suga always talks nothing but great about Conor and he’s his f—king idol.’ He just went on a little tweet rant, f—king booger sugar’d up talking sh-t. ‘I thought you was out for a spar.’

“I was more sad than mad.”

“Now I cannot wait to see Michael Chandler absolutely just sleep him,” he added. “I’m turning up. I’m changing up real quick, f—k Conor. When your idols turn to rivals.”

Insomnia

Who won this awkward dance off between Merab Dvalishvili and Joaquin Buckley?

If this boxing superfight actually goes down do you think Canelo Alvarez can upset Terence Crawford?

What are the odds Dustin Poirier can “finish the story” against Islam Makhachev at UFC 302?

Ryan Garcia had papers served to Bryce Hall and his reaction is hilarious.

In case you missed it, here is a clip of UFC CEO Dana White getting absolutely torched at the Roast of Tom Brady on Netflix.

Where does The Rock’s “Day 1” fighting skills rank on a scale from 1-10?

Are you interested in a matchup between Aljamain Sterling and Movsar Evloev?

Check out Gervonta Davis and Devin Haney nearly coming to blows in Las Vegas on Sunday night.

Good move or bad move for Jake Paul?

Do these future betting odds for a Sean O’Malley vs. Jose Aldo title fight seem off to you?

Do you agree with Demetrious Johnson?

Slips, rips, and KO clips

This knockdown of Naoya Inoue almost resulted in the biggest upset of 2024.

Fortunately, the Japanese powerhouse returned the favor and delivered his own knockout finish later in the fight.

This basketball referee was absolutely obliterated by an on-court suplex.

Random Land

There’s just no way…

Sleep well Maniacs! We’ll be back for more tomorrow night.

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Dustin Poirier had no demands for his upcoming UFC 302 title shot next month (Sat., June 1, 2024).

Islam Makhachev has his next Lightweight title defense lined up and “The Diamond” will look to score the massive upset. After all the contenders sorted things out amongst each other from UFC 299 to UFC 300, the most readily available was left to face the champion, and that was Poirier.

Although he wound up as the next man up, Poirier wasn’t the first option. The promotion gave Arman Tsarukyan the chance to challenge for gold immediately after his split decision win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 last month (April 13, 2024). Ultimately, the No. 1-ranked contender passed on the opportunity, opening the door for Poirier.

“[UFC CBO] Hunter [Campbell] started texting me Saturday of 300,” Poirier said on The MMA Hour. “He actually called me and said — I mean as soon as Arman beat Charles — he called me, ‘The fight just ended. I’m walking to the locker room right now.’ I was doing a viewing party up in Connecticut at the Mohegan Sun and he’s on the phone saying, ‘I’ll call you back. Give me like one hour. I’ll call you or text you and let you know.’ He went in Arman’s locker room and said, ‘Hey, you’re next. The fight, you know when it is.’

“I understand too from Arman’s side, bro,” he continued. “You just do an eight-week training camp. You go out there and fight, you win. You haven’t even had a chance to process everything and you’re in the locker room taking off your shorts and gloves and cup, and your boss comes in and says, ‘Hey, you ready to go again in six weeks?’ Five weeks, whatever it was at the time. You have to jump back in training camp. Your body’s kind of beat up, and you’re guaranteed the next title shot. I understand that. He’s next in line regardless.”

As training partners at American Top Team (ATT) in Florida, there’s a possibility for Poirier and Tsarukyan to collide following a Poirier title win. Even though one thing led to another on the night of UFC 300, Poirier noted that the two interacted earlier in the day (Mon., May 6, 2024) for the first time since the decisions were made. It was brief but not hostile, said Poirier.

The upcoming title fight will be Poirier’s third at undisputed gold in UFC. A unanimous decision over Max Holloway in their rematch at UFC 236 led Poirier to interim gold in April 2019. Unfortunately for him, it didn’t culminate in the big one when he fell short against Khabib Nurmagomedov later that year. At age 35, Poirier is treating this like his last possible chance at hearing “and new.”

“I was just in a position where I felt I can’t say no,” Poirier said.

“That wasn’t a full notice for me as well, but I’m not in a position to say, ‘Hey, I want eight weeks,’” he added. “I gotta jump on this thing and try to win this thing. This was it on my end. Okay, see you in New Jersey. Boom. Let’s go to work.”

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Matt Brown is going out on top.

The “Immortal” UFC welterweight registered a violent knockout victory over Court McGee as part of the UFC Charlotte fight card last year on ABC, and recently told his social media followers that he will not be returning to the Octagon.

But like this former champion, Brown won’t use the word “retiring.”

“Not doing it again. I’m out. That’s the announcement,” Brown wrote on Twitter. “My life will now be dedicated to serving others. Growing others in the martial arts and building businesses that can help the community and the world. Also, I’m not using the word ‘retiring’ … I’m moving on to other things, not chilling in Miami golfing all day. That’s retirement. I’ll be working harder than when I was fighting lol.”

Brown, 43, finishes with a 24-19 record, which includes 16 knockouts and six submissions.

This isn’t the first time the former Ultimate Fighter (TUF) contestant called it quits. Brown previously “retired” from cage fighting back in late 2017, but kept himself in the drug testing pool in case he had a change of heart somewhere down the road.

“The Immortal” returned two years later and smashed Ben Saunders at UFC 245.

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That was wild.

Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue defended his super bantamweight titles on Monday inside Tokyo Dome in Japan by stopping Luis Nery by way of sixth-round technical knockout. But the fight was not without its share of drama for Inoue fans.

“The Monster” was floored with an insane corkscrew knockdown in the opening frame.

“How did you like that big surprise in the first round?” Inoue asked the crowd during his post-fight interview. “The knockdown gave me motivation. I am so thankful to get a fight against Luis Nery at the Tokyo Dome.”

“I know there was some difficult feeling among Japanese boxing fans because of his fights in the past, but I personally appreciate Nery,” Inoue continued. “That’s why I shook hands with him after the fight.”

The loss snapped a four-fight winning streak for the 29 year-old Nery.

The IBF, WBA, WBC, and WBO Super Bantamweight Champion is expected to make his return to the “sweet science” in September, and was promptly called out by IBF mandatory challenger Sam Goodman after the fight.

Inoue, 31, improved to 27-0 (24 KOs) with his victory over Nery.

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Roastmaster Jeff Ross took the time to hit White with some jokes during the Roast of Tom Brady, and Sean O’Malley got caught in the crossfire.

The Roast of Tom Brady just aired live on Netflix tonight (Sun. May 5th, 2024) and everyone involved took the gloves completely off to wreck the retired Patriots quarterback. It didn’t take long for “TB12” to realize he’d made a terrible mistake agreeing to this. Half the fun involved seeing him squirm in the seat of ‘honor’ as comedians brought up every scandal and embarrassing moment across 20+ years in the spotlight.

Brady wasn’t the only one who was targeted. Roastmaster Jeff Ross got some shots in at UFC CEO Dana White, who was in attendance with Max Holloway and Sean O’Malley. Ross was clearly unfamiliar with “Suga” and his swag.

“What’s up, Dana! Look at this, talk about a legend in the room,” Ross said. “Pull back, I want to show he brought the whole cast of Queer Eye. Dana, who are these guys? Are these guys, are they neutered? What the f— is going on here. The sign said no pets, Dana.”

“I love you Dana,” he continued. “You’re like Michael Vick but with human beings.”

That was probably one of the classier jokes from the evening.

White also got to show off some of his stand up chops:

Give that man his show money and escort his family out of the building!

Andrew Schultz also got a shot in at the Baldfather.

Take a look at some of the other highlights (or lowlights) from the event. We’ll keep you updated on when Tom Brady is released from the burn ward after all that next-level roasting he just endured.

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