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‘The Rock’ is serious about getting his role right as UFC and PRIDE FC veteran Mark Kerr, to the point where he’s entered an MMA training camp to learn the ropes of fighting.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is hard at work preparing for his starring role in the Mark Kerr biopic The Smashing Machine, and he’s just shared some footage from day one of his MMA training camp.

Mark Kerr was a NCAA Division I Wrestling champion who used his skillset to maul people in the early days of No Holds Barred fighting. He won back-to-back UFC heavyweight tournaments before moving on to Japan’s PRIDE FC, where his size and physicality made him a top name. But it all started to fall apart around 2000 due to mental and physical issues caused by Kerr’s steroid use.

This was all captured in the award-winning 2002 HBO documentary The Smashing Machine. Twenty years later, indie darling studio A24 is retelling the tale with “The Rock” starring as Kerr. To prepare for the role, Johnson is spending a lot of time in the ring working on the wrestling and ground & pound skills needed to realistically portray a cage fighter.

“I’m learning daily and it’s been a very humbling, intense and motivating journey into this world of combat and becoming Mark Kerr – the two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion, World Vale Tudo Champion,” Johnson wrote on Instagram. “I’m a hard worker, but I realized that I’d have to work harder with this role than anything I’ve ever worked for in my life.”

“This physicality is just one part of the larger journey, that is truly a team effort. Growing and grateful.”

The role comes at a time where Johnson’s reputation as a Hollywood golden boy is under attack. A scathing in-depth report on “The Rock” from The Wrap accused the WWE superstar of showing up several hours late to movie sets, costing his upcoming Christmas action film Red One an extra $ 50 million in production costs. There were also strange stories of how Dwayne would pee into bottles on set, leaving them for crew to clean up.

Johnson’s reps have denied these tales are true, but there’s ample evidence that “The Rock” is a difficult actor to wrangle schedule-wise — which could cause issues for the lower budget A24 production.

But hey, maybe he just didn’t give a crap about Fast X or Red One, while The Smashing Machine is clearly a passion project. For now Johnson is clearly locked into the role and working hard on making the best Smashing Machine he can. It will be hard for him to beat the 2002 version, but we look forward to seeing the end result regardless.

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The UFC bantamweight challenge is ready to fly to Ireland and spar McGregor, provided Mac follows through with his offer to provide a jet.

Sean O’Malley has accepted Conor McGregor’s offer for a spar, if “The Notorious” is serious about sending a jet to bring him to Ireland.

McGregor is back to training in preparation for his UFC 303 fight against Michael Chandler, his first bout in nearly three years after breaking his leg badly against Dustin Poirier back in July 2021. That hasn’t stopped him from challenging anyone who pops up in the news cycle, no matter how tangentially.

McGregor was a huge supporter of troubled boxer Ryan Garcia right up until “King Ryan” tested positive for ostarine following his win over Devin Haney. Now Mac wants to punch up Garcia … or O’Malley, who also failed a drug test for ostarine in 2019.

“Don’t come near me if I see you ever Ryan Garcia. I am actually disgusted,” McGregor wrote in a since-deleted tweet. “This ostarine it reminds me of Sean O’Malley was on that as well. I don’t like this, I’ll bust yous both up, do yous want a spar. I will set flights right now for you both for a full on spar each. Hotel, Black Forge Inn, the lot. #letssparomalley and #garcia two little ostarine heads l’ll ride you both like yous are ostriches.”

The challenge caught O’Malley’s interest.

“Send Jet for a quick spar,” O’Malley declared on X (formerly Twitter).

We doubt anything will actually come of this. McGregor just has ostriches on the brain as he continues to spend his evenings at his Black Forge Inn promoting his Forged Irish Stout. While his upcoming bout against Michael Chandler will undoubtedly earn him millions of dollars from the UFC, the booze business is where he’s pulling nine-figure paydays.

His non-stop marketing of Proper 12 whiskey earned him a reported $ 500 million when he sold chunks of the product to Proximo Spirits in 2019 and 2021. Now he’s trying to recreate that Midas touch magic with his stout, and it’s hard to find pictures of the Irish sports star outside the gym where he doesn’t have a pint in his hand.

How all that ‘delicious’ will affect his fighting abilities in the cage when he returns at UFC 303 on June 29th remains to be seen. But McGregor remains a master of pulling the world’s attention, if not always for the right reasons.

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A super rare flub occurred at UFC 301.

Anthony Smith scored a massive upset win at UFC 301 last night (Sat., May 4, 2024), tapping Vitor Petrino in the first round with a guillotine choke — and taking the young Brazilian’s undefeated record in the process — from inside Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (watch highlights).

However, the win was quickly overshadowed because Bruce Buffer made a rare mistake live during the pay-per-view (PPV) broadcast, announcing the wrong winner (Petrino) just moments after the 205-pound showdown concluded.

Buffer made his usual post-fight announcement, “The referee called a stop to this contest at two minutes of the very first round. Declaring the winner by submission due to a guillotine choke and still undefeated … Vitor … excuse me! Anthony ‘Lionheart’ Smith!!!”

Watch the flub below:

Smith was asked about the rare mistake during his post-fight interview with the media.

“I feel really bad for Buffer,” Smith said. “I know how serious and how much he loves his job and how professional he is. He is really hard on himself…. Me and Bruce are friends, like we work together a lot. So, he takes his job so serious. He takes it to the heart; he puts his heart and soul into this job.

“I feel bad because he’s probably bummed out about it,” Smith concluded. “I hope I get to talk to him after. I’m good with it — people make mistakes. It’s no big deal. I just hope he’s not beating himself up too bad.”

Buffer hasn’t addressed his mistake yet, but when he does, MMAmania.com will share his response.

For complete UFC 301 results, coverage and highlights click HERE.

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Canelo Alvarez got the last laugh on Cince de Mayo weekend.

Alvarez cruised to an impressive unanimous decision last night (Sat., May 4, 2024) when he defended his Super Middleweight against a tough Jaime Munguia from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada (watch highlights).

While the main focus was on the massive fight this weekend, a firey storyline haunted the boxing match and fight week: Alvarez vs. his old promotor, Oscar De La Hoya.

Alvarez and Del La Hoya got into it during the pre-fight press conference on Wednesday (watch it here). However, it was Alvarez who got the last laugh on Saturday.

After the post-fight press conference, Alvarez did a quick scrum with reporters and mocked “The Golden Boy” when asked about him.

“Yeah, that girl looks beautiful today,” Alvarez said with a smile.

The super Middleweight champion was referencing De La Hoya’s fight night outfit.
Check it out below.

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The beef between Alvarez and De La Hoya will not go away anytime soon, but for now, the heat will sizzle out until next time. Although “Golden Boy” sent a subtle shot.

Alvarez, 33, is riding a four-fight win streak and will most likely return later this year for Mexican Independence Day in Sept … hopefully against David Benavidez.

For complete Canelo vs. Munguia results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.

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Reminder: We will deliver live round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of UFC 301’s entire five-fight pay-per-view (PPV) main card RIGHT HERE, with a 10 p.m. ET start time.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) travels to Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the UFC 301 mixed martial arts (MMA) event later TONIGHT (Sat., May 4, 2024), and streaming LIVE on ESPN+ PPV. UFC 301 features a Flyweight title fight in the main event with Alexandre Pantoja vs. Steve Erceg. The champion, Pantoja, will be making his second-ever title defense in friendly territory (he has never compete in Brazil during his UFC tenure). Meanwhile, the Australian, Erceg, is making only his fourth trip to the Octagon. UFC 301’s co-main event has mixed martial arts (MMA) legend, Jose Aldo, returning to face Jonathan Martinez.

Before that PPV action begins at 10 p.m. ET later this evening, though, MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 301 “Prelims” undercard below, beginning with the first fight at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN+ (ESPN2 will simulcast the undercard action at 8 p.m. ET). We will then cover UFC 301’s PPV main card in a separate thread right here, beginning at 10 p.m. ET. Bet on UFC 301 at DraftKings Sportsbook.

UFC 301 START TIME AND DATE

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 301 fight card below, starting with the ESPN+ early “Prelims” undercard bouts at 6 p.m. ET , followed by the late “Prelims”on ESPN2/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET. UFC 301’s PPV main card starts at 10 p.m ET. on ESPN+ PPV, with play-by-play updates here. Bet on all the UFC 301 action with our friends at DraftKings Sportsbook right here.

UFC 301’s “Prelims” feature Joanderson Brito vs. Jack Shore, Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Iasmin Lucindo, Elves Brener vs. Myktybek Orolbai and so much more.

Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps, and post-fight analysis following “Pantoja vs. Erceg.” Without further delay, see below for the updated UFC 301 results. (Note: This will go from the top down; therefore, the newest information will at the top of the stream).

UFC 301 QUICK RESULTS

125 lbs.: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Steve Erceg
135 lbs.: Jonathan Martinez vs. Jose Aldo
205 lbs.: Anthony Smith vs. Vitor Petrino
185 lbs.: Michel Pereira vs. Ihor Potieria
185 lbs.: Paul Craig vs. Caio Borralho
145 lbs.: Joanderson Brito vs. Jack Shore — Joanderson Brito def. Jack Shore via TKO (doctor stoppage – leg wound), round 2 (3:25)
115 lbs.: Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Iasmin Lucindo — Iasmin Lucindo def. Karolina Kowalkiewicz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
155 lbs.: Elves Brenner vs. Myktykbek Orolbai — Myktybek Orolbai def. Elves Brener via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
155 lbs.: Joaquim Silva vs. Drakkar Klose — Drakkar Klose def. Joaquim Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
155 lbs.: Mauricio Ruffy vs. Jamie Mullarkey — Mauricio Ruffy def. Jamie Mullarkey via TKO (punches), round 1 (4:42) — HIGHLIGHTS!
125 lbs.: Dione Barbosa vs. Ernesta Kareckaite — Dione Barbosa def. Ernesta Kareckaite via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
155 lbs.: Ismael Bonfim vs. Vinc Pichel — Ismael Bonfim def. Vinc Pichel via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
125 lbs.: Alessandro Costa vs. Kevin Borjas — Costa def. Borjas via TKO (punches), round 2 (1:35) — HIGHLIGHTS!

UFC 301 ‘PRELIMS’ PLAY-BY-PLAY UPDATES

Photo by Buda Mendes/Zuffa LLC

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 301: “Pantoja vs. Erceg” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive events archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 301 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.

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UFC 301 results live online: Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, TONIGHT (Sat., May 4, 2024) with a hungover pay-per-view (PPV) card (thanks, UFC 300). In UFC 301’s headliner, Flyweight roost-ruler, Alexandre Pantoja — who has been with the world’s leading mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion for more than eight years — will headline his first-ever event (it also marks his first-ever UFC bout in Brazil) — against relatively unknown ranked Australian contender, Steve Erceg. In UFC 301’s PPV co-main event, former Featherweight champion and first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee, Jose Aldo, emerges from MMA “retirement” to lock horns with No. 12-ranked division contender, Jonathan Martinez. In addition, UFC 301’s PPV main card will feature Anthony Smith vs. Vitor Petrino, Michel Pereira vs. Ihor Potieria and Paul Craig vs. Caio Borralho. All that and SO MUCH MORE! UFC 301’s entire “Prelims” undercard will stream on ESPN+ (in English and Spanish), beginning at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT (ESPN2 will simulcast the “late” portion at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT) before the PPV main card action kicks off at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (also on ESPN+). Of course, UFC 301 odds and betting available at DraftKings Sportsbook.

ITTTTTTTTTTT’S TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIME!

MMAmania.com will deliver bell-to-bell results coverage of UFC 301 online LIVE all evening (late) night, including latest fight updates, fight recaps, video highlights, winners, losers, press conference streams and all the other post-fight fallout you can handle well into Sunday. Buckle up! We’ll have all the news that’s fit to print and much, much more. We’ve got UFC 301’s entire card — including “Prelims” undercard matches on ESPN+/ESPN2 — all covered below in our comprehensive story stream.

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 301 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 301: “Pantoja vs. Erceg” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

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Jake Paul may be friends with Ryan Garcia, but even “Problem Child” is having a hard time believing the boxer’s recent failed drug test was a “setup.”

In case you missed it, Garcia popped earlier this week for a performance-enhancing drug dating back to his fight against Devin Haney last month. Garcia was a massive underdog in that fight as Haney is widely regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, but “King Ry” ended up shocking the world of boxing and delivered multiple knockdowns en route to a decision win.

Everything was looking up for the controversial and presumably unstable Garcia until a failed drug test was revealed earlier this week. Now the verdict is out as to whether or not Garcia cheated against Haney. The young boxing superstar claims he’s innocent and is being setup by Team Haney after his win, but some around the combat community aren’t buying it.

Even former UFC double champion Conor McGregor put his friendship with Garcia to the wayside to destroy the boxer with a recent social media post.

Paul, who has a good relationship with Garcia, recently jumped on a video call with the boxing superstar and grilled him about his failed drug test. Garcia remains adamant that his failed test was staged and that he’s been trying to rush along a secondary test to prove his innocence. Paul seems like he wants to believe Garcia, but told him it would be “f—ked up” if he really did cheat.

“If you did do it, that’s really f—ked up and I’m gonna be pissed off at you,” said Paul (shown in the above video player. “That’s f—ked up.”

What do you think? Who are you believing at this point?

Sound off!

Stick with Mania for any new developments regarding Garcia’s drug test

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It’s almost time for UFC 301. Checkout the latest odds — and line movements — with less than 24 hours until showtime.

UFC 301 goes down later this evening (Sat., May 4, 2024) from inside Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The event is a “Brazil vs. The World”-type affair from the pay-per-view (PPV) main event all the way down to the curtain jerker. It’s “Brazil vs. Australia” in the main event (which would be a kit clash in most other sports), with Flyweight champion, Alexandre Pantoja, staking his title against relatively unknown, Steve Erceg.

The co-main event has Brazilian mixed martial arts (MMA) royalty on show with Jose Aldo returning from a faux-retirement to take on Jonathan Martinez in the Bantamweight division. Rounding out UFC 301’s PPV main card is former title challenger, Anthony Smith, taking on the undefeated Vitor Petrino, action fighter Michel Pereira meeting Ihor Potieria and action grappler Paul Craig meeting inaction expert, Caio Borralho.

UFC 301’s “Prelims” later tonight have some interesting additions, too; with Drakkar Klose meeting Joaquim Silva and Ismael Bonfim facing off with Vinc Pichel.

I’ve been watching the odds for these bouts all week looking for interesting dogs, props and parlays. In this post, I’m going to focus on line movement between now and earlier this week (Monday) to see where the money is coming in. This way you can decide if you want to follow said money or fade it.

UFC 301 PPV Main Card Line Movement

Photo by Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Alexandre Pantoja (-185) vs. Steve Erceg (+154)

The Pantoja vs. Erceg line has remained the same since Monday. This could indicate that there is plenty of action on both Pantoja and Erceg, with the champion a slight favorite and the challenger a slight underdog. The odds here are reflective of Erceg being a fresh, young and interesting challenger who is relatively untested in UFC’s 125-pound division, but also someone who probably hasn’t shown us what he is capable of yet. Plenty of folks look willing to ride with him on Saturday to see if they can make a small profit off the belief that he’s trending upward. The line on Pantoja — and how it has remained still — tells us folks are still willing to buy Pantoja as a solid Flyweight veteran who is battle-tested and proven he can win tough fights over long rounds. The only doubt on him is whether he’s had too many tough fights on top of all the years he’s been in the game.

I can make an argument for either man in this one, but if I had to pick, I’d side with Pantoja just because we’ve seen more of him.

Photo by Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Jonathan Martinez (-142) vs. Jose Aldo (+120)

There has been a little bit of movement on the lines for UFC 301’s co-main event. Aldo has seen his underdog status decrease slightly from +136 on Monday to +120 now. I think this shows the public still have fond memories of Aldo and they want to back him to win on his return to UFC. Because of this, Martinez’s line has also shifted a little. He was a -162 favorite at the start of the week, but now you can get him at -142 — which should be appealing to those who think Aldo is too close to 40 and too rusty to make a winning comeback to the Octagon.

Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Anthony Smith (+425) vs. Vitor Petrino (-575)

The public think Smith is in a lot of trouble on Saturday night. The oddsmakers had him as a +390 dog on Monday, but with money coming in against him, his odds have now grown to +425. Smith — a former title challenger — has been stopped in two of his last five fights. Petrino is undefeated (11-0) and, before beating Tyson Pedro, knocked out Modestas Bukauskas cold with a clean check hook (see it here). We’ll get into props later, but Petrino is currently just +100 to win this fight via (technical) knockout.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Michel Pereira (-650) vs. Ihor Potieria (+470)

Pereira’s odds have been slashed from -535 to -650 as public money has rushed in on what feels like the biggest mismatch of the card. Pereira has looked awesome as of late. Potieria, on the other hand, has looked awful and seems destined to be on the wrong side of a highlight-reel knockout. Pereira is negative odds to win via TKO/KO (-150). With a single bet on Pereira netting back very little in return, he is likely featuring on countless parlays along with the rest of UFC 301’s heavy favorites.

Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Paul Craig (+470) vs. Caio Borralho (-650)

Speaking of heavy favorites … Borralho’s odds have shifted from -550 to -650 over the week, probably because he’s been put into so many parlays along with Pereira. The confidence in Borralho is almost certainly due to belief that his smothering, no-fun grappling game will be too powerful for the very fun high-risk, high-reward grappling game of Craig.

UFC 301 Late ‘Prelims’ Line Movement

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Jack Shore (+150) vs. Joanderson Brito (-180)

There’s been some interesting movement for the “Prelims,” including with this fight. This one started out as +124 for Shore versus -148 for Brito. However, it seems the public are buying into Brito. That’s good news if you think this is a close match-up and Shore can cause the upset on enemy territory.

Karolina Kowalkiewicz (+310) vs. Iasmin Lucindo (-395)

Kowalkiewicz’s line of +330 looked a little silly to me on Monday and it seems at least a few people agree. Bets on the former UFC Strawweight title challenger have shortened her odds to +310. I still think that’s high given she is on a four-fight win streak and has done more in the cage, both lately and in the past, than Lucindo has. Lucindo was a -425 favorite to start the week. If you think this is a squash match, watch that line closely since it may come in even more as more folks get tempted to bet on Kowalkiewicz.

Elves Brener (+210) vs. Myktybek Orolbai (-258)

There’s not much change in this line. Brener was +230 on Monday, while Orolbai was -285.

Jean Silva (-162) vs. William Gomis (+136)

Fight is canceled after William Gomis looked terrible on the scales (see that here).

Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

UFC 301 Early ‘Prelims’ Under Card Line Movement

Joaquim Silva (+154) vs. Drakkar Klose (-185)

Klose’s odds to beat Silva have really shortened. On Monday he was -162. A few days prior to that he was -142. Silva’s odds have grown slightly from +140 since Monday. Klose looked good in beating Joe Solecki with a slam in the first round in back in Dec. 2023 (watch highlights). That extended his win streak to three fights. That streak started after he was sidelined for two years thanks to an ACL injury.

BestFightOdds.com

Mauricio Ruffy (-218) vs. Jamie Mullarkey (+180)

Mullarkey’s odds have been the most volatile of anyone on this card. He has continued to grow as an underdog, with seemingly a lot of money heading toward Ruffy (who is making his UFC proper debut, as a 30-year-old, off the back of a Contender Series win). You could have gotten Ruffy at -175 earlier this week. Mullarkey started the week as a +145 dog. Remarkably, Mullarkey was a favorite when this fight was announced. I think Mullarkey has value as an underdog here, since I’m not sold on Ruffy — the Brazilian looks quite chaotic and hittable to me.

BestFightOdds.com

Dione Barbosa (-238) vs. Ernesta Kareckaite (+195)

A lot of money looks to have come in on Barbosa over the week, with her odds shrinking from -205 to -238. That has seen Kareckaite go from a +170 dog to +195 (and I think that will go even higher). Barbosa feels like the much better MMA fighter in this match-up and she is very dangerous on the ground. Kareckaite feels like a kickboxer who will be overwhelmed once Barbosa takes her down.

Ismael Bonfim (-535) vs. Vinc Pichel (+400)

There’s been no change in the odds for Bonfim vs. Pichel this week. Seems there are lots of folks in both camps, betting on Bonfim as a large favorite (perhaps packaged in a parlay with all the other ones) and betting on Pichel as an intriguing underdog. I personally wouldn’t touch Pichel, who is over 40 now and has not been active enough in UFC to justify his place on a PPV.

Alessandro Costa (-130) vs. Kevin Borjas (+110)

There’s been very little change on these betting lines. Costa was -125 to start the week. Borjas was +105.

Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images

UFC 301 Prop Bets And Parlays

I’ve looked over the props and possible parlays for this card and below are some interesting bets. Remember, though, never bet anything you can’t afford to lose.

Five-pick parlay: Ismael Bonfim, Dione Barbosa, Caio Borralho, Michel Pereira and Victor Petrino (+163)

If you package together all the big favorites on this card you still only get +163 odds. It feels like a lot needs to break your way to pick five fights correctly, but if you want to root for these favorites and try and profit of them, this might be safer than going for prop bets. I think all of these fighters will win, the only question marks for me are if Smith has too much veteran craft for Petrino or if Bonfim tries to cruise against Pichel and gets surprised.

Three-pick parlay: Dione Barbosa to win by submission, Elves Brener vs. Myktykbek Orolbai under 2.5 rounds, Michel Pereira to win (+740)

This is me packaging together the three things I have liked the most this week. I think Barbosa is being undervalued as a favorite and she will have ample opportunities to submit Kareckaite. I believe both Brener and Orolbai are capable of finishing each other and that it will happen on the early side of the fight, perhaps in their first couple of ground exchanges. And it just seems obvious that Pereira will win on Saturday any darn way he wants.

Paul Craig vs. Caio Borralho to go the distance (+150)

Borralho is not going to go for the finish here. Craig can only win this on the ground, so I think Borralho will be content to just prevent giving him any opportunities to that and will lay on him for 15 minutes. He’ll tap away with punches to prevent a stand up, but won’t risk posturing up and leaving himself open for a triangle. After the final bell rings, Borralho will don his specs and give us a big smile while the judges’ 30-27 scores are read, knowing he avoided a pitfall and put in an easy night’s work to move up a wrung on the ladder at Middleweight.

Michel Pereira to beat Ihor Potieria via submission (+350)

There’s a good chance Pereira comes out firing and finishes Potieria with a Tekken-style combination to win this bout in less than one minute (you can get +500 on this bout ending within a minute, by the way). However, let’s not think of Pereira as just a striking threat. The man has seven wins by submission, including his victory over Michal Oleksiejczuk last time out (which happened at 1:01 in the first round). Pereira won his third UFC fight by submission, too (over Zelim Imadaev in 2020). If Pereira wants to grapple, he’ll certainly be able to against Potieria. Pereira’s takedown accuracy is mediocre at 55 percent, but Potieria’s takedown defense is woeful at 57 percent.

UFC 301 Poll Time

Which of these props and parlays do you like the look of the most?

Any parlays or props pique your interest? Hit us up in the comments below.

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 301 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 301: “Pantoja vs. Erceg” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

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Charles Oliveira is used to his own difficult weight cuts, but this week the former UFC lightweight champion helped teammate, Elves Brener, make weight for his fight at UFC 301 on Saturday night (May 4, 2024) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Brener, who is scheduled to meet lightweight finisher Myktybek Orolbai on the UFC 301 “Prelims” undercard, did not have a good cut down to 156 pounds. The lightweight prospect hasn’t really struggled with weight cuts through three UFC fights thus far, but things nearly took a turn for the worse ahead of this weekend’s card in Brazil.

Brener took to social media to share his grueling weight cut and it only raised red flags. Oliveira can been seen hugging his teammate and trying to assist him with his cut, but Brener nearly toppled over when he stood up. It was a scary scene to say the least. Check it out below:

Surprisingly, Brener successfully cut down to 156 pounds for Friday’s early weigh ins (results HERE). His fight with Orolbai has been made official, but what exactly will this agonizing weight cut cost Brener when it’s time to fight on Saturday?

Fight fans will have to monitor Brener’s condition heading into tomorrow, especially since UFC 301 already lost a “Prelims” fight due to a scary weigh in.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 301 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN2/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 301: “Pantoja vs. Erceg” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive events archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 301 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.

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Canelo vs. Munguia weigh ins: Saul “Canelo” Álvarez puts his undisputed super middleweight world title on the line against unbeaten Mexican mauler Jaime Munguía atop the DAZN boxing pay-per-view (PPV) card this Sat. night (May 4, 2024) (order it here) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The official “Canelo vs. Munguia” weigh ins get underway LIVE at 4 p.m. ET in the embedded video above.

For the entire Canelo vs. Munguia fight card and DAZN PPV lineup click here.

“This is going to be a great Mexican war. Munguia and I both come to win, but I am going to win and win decisively,” Alvarez said at the final press conference (watch it here). “The fans are really going to enjoy Saturday night and I’m proud to make history with two Mexican fighters fighting for all four belts. I don’t care about experiences vs. youth, I’m Canelo. I have everything I need to win and I know exactly what I need to do.”

For more boxing news and notes click here.

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