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Logan Paul find a defamation and libel lawsuit against boxer Ryan Garcia on Thursday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas over Garcia’s comments about Paul’s Prime Hydration drink.  

Paul revealed the lawsuit via social media.  “I’ve had to spend the last couple months dismantling ridiculous claims about Prime, and it’s become obvious — Prime is under attack. Why?” Paul wrote. “We’re a threat. Prime is the most disruptive beverage in history and our competitors feel the pressure. It’s likely that we’ve been targeted as the victim of a smear campaign.

“Clout chasers know they can use PRIME’s goodwill for attention & views. People don’t like me or KSI. That’s fine. But if you don’t like Prime, don’t drink it. No need to lie about the facts in an attempt to stay relevant.”

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Paul and KSI launched Prime Hydration drink in 2022 and the product quickly became one of the leading energy drinks sold.   

“Today we begin to hold those accountable who’ve damaged our brand for attention while we correct the narrative,” Paul wrote. “We’re here to stay and will continue to change the world of hydration with bold flavors and creative innovation.

“P.S. Ryan Garcia thinks the Earth is flat. P.S.S. Ryan Garcia tested positive for [performance enhancing drugs].”

In recent months, Garcia has criticized Prime and Paul.  In a deleted posted, Garcia said, “I drank Prime and I tested positive for Ostarine” after failing a drug test associated with his April win over Devin Haney.  

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Oleksandr Usyk has had his boxing license suspensed by the British Boxing Board of Control, leaving his rematch with Tyson Fury in limbo.

The Ukraine native jus secured the biggest win of his career as he got his hands raised ahead of the previously undefeated Fury last time out. After a closely fought 12-round affair, two of the three judges at ringside agreed that Usyk did enough to earn him a split decision victory.

Following his successful outing, Oleksandr Usyk was handed a lengthy suspension that will keep him out of action until next year.

The pound-for-pound standout will be unable to return to the ring until July 2, 2024–forcing him out of competition for almost 14 months. Usyk suffered some knocks during the fight and was expected to be dealing with some injuries before eventually stepping back into the squared circle.

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After falling to defeat for the first time in his career, Tyson Fury was keen on running it back with Oleksandr Usyk. ‘The Gypsy King’ activated a clause in his contract, giving him the right to an immediate rematch.

Related: Conor McGregor and other pro fighters react to Oleksandr Usyk’s win over Tyson Fury

The two titans were set to meet in October later this year, though those plans are now scrapped. Although he’ll be approaching his 37th birthday by the time the fight comes around, Fury will undoubtedly pursue a second shot at the undisputed heavyweight champion in hopes of avenging the single loss of his career.

Despite coming up short, Tyson Fury put on a brilliant performance and was likely ahead on the scorecards up until the ninth round. The Brit was caught with a crushing left and follow up shots that almost left him out on his feet. As Fury typically does, he recovered well and battled back but it wasn’t enough for him to clinch the win in the eyes of the judges.

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Israel Adesanya is a fan favorite fighter and one of the biggest names in the sport of mixed martial arts. Despite this, he is often underappreciated, though that didn’t stop one fan from putting the kickboxing phenom on display for the world to see.

‘The Last Stylebender’ has long been a standout performer in the world of combat sport but his time competing inside the octagon catapulted him to much greater heights of fame. While some continue to bash him for staying true to himself, others have shown their appreciation for the former UFC middleweight champion.

One man among those in support of Israel Adesanya is street artist and fellow New Zealand native Owen Dippie. Dippie is the artistic mind behind many memorable pieces, and an Adesanya mural is the latest addition to his workings.

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Adesanya was grateful for the brilliant artwork. He loved Owen Dippie’s art so much, he shared his thoughts with a social media post of his own.

“‘The pen is mightier than the sword,'” Adesanya quoted in response to his mural. “Then, the can is mightier than words!”

“Modern day hieroglyphics that tell a story with many twists and turns. Now I’m stamped by the great Owen Dippie in the city.”

“A city I helped put on the map, a city that shaped me into the man I am today. Forever grateful to you, Auckland. Even though I’m global, I’ll always support my locals.”

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A post shared by Israel Adesanya (@stylebender)

Related: Israel Adesanya teases return “soon”, not sticking to original 2027 timeline

With every other top-ranked middleweight booked to fight, all signs are pointing toward a grudge match between Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis.

While the bout has not been made official, Du Plessis did hint at the this being the case. The South African insinuated that he will make the first defense of his title against Adesanya at UFC 305, in Perth, Australia.

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The welterweight title will be on the line in the UFC 304 main event on July 27.  Second-ranked contender Belal Muhammad takes on titleholder Leon Edwards at Co-op Arena in Manchester, England and thinks the champion has a ‘weak mentality.’  

“I think, when you look at stylistically the reasons why they thought Colby [Covington] would be a bad matchup for him, it was cardio, it was pressure, it was take him down, keeping volume in his face and I do all those better than Colby.  I do those better than [Kamaru] Usman,” Muhammad told MMAFighting.  “Usman, in that third fight, he wasn’t the same Usman.  People can say whatever they want.  I think he came back too soon after that head kick.  The second fight it was volume, pressure and it was breaking Leon.    

“Leon is easily broken.  I think that’s when you see in between rounds his coaches, his team, they’re not giving him advice.  They’re not telling him, ‘Stay on the outside jab.  No.  They’re like, ‘You’re looking beautiful Leon.  You’re a beast Leon.  Don’t let him bully you.’  They have to give him those words, those motivational speeches because he’s got weak mentality.  He’s not strong enough to go in there and figure it out on his own.”      

The title fight is a rematch.  The two first met in the UFC Fight Night 187 main event in March 2021.  The match ended seconds into the second round after an accidental eye poke rendered Muhammad unable to continue and the bout was ruled a no contest.  This time around, Muhammad plans to ‘make it look easy.’

“I’m the best, MMA fighter, complete MMA fighter there is in this division,” Muhammad said.  “I honestly think it’s going to be one of the easiest matches I’ve ever had.  I think that I’m going to go in there and I’m going to walk through him and I’m going to make it look easy.”          

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UFC featherweight Bryce Mitchell has some beliefs that go against conventional thinking, and sometimes goes against well-established scientific fact.  

The 29-year old Arkansas native believes the Earth is flat.  He’s accused government agencies of being taken over by satanists and alleges the U.S. government stages mass shootings.  And don’t even get him started on the Federal Reserve.  

In a social media post on Wednesday, Mitchell added two new conspiracies to his belief system.  “Thug Nasty” posted a video and captioned it with a warning about ‘evil’ America.  

“yall kno ill get censored for this one. but i dont care. i love kids and i love the truth. we have to fite for our kids or evil will corrupt the next generation. this country is so evil only God can save us. i was told dhs was gunna come get my kid cause i didnt let the doc stick him with a needle. dont let these threats of violence scare u. be prepared and b happy to die for ur kids. thats wat its gunna take to get our freedom back. remember i just got love in my heart so if sumone twists my words and makes me look like the bad guy, u will kno the real enemy,” Mitchell wrote.  

In the video, Mitchell told his 495,000 Instagram followers that vaccines cause autism and public schools can make children homosexuals.  Because of those two things, he’s decided to homeschool his son, Tucker.

Related: Sean O’Malley gets ‘swatted,’ police arrive at his home with guns drawn

“I want to encourage ya’ll not to vaccinate your children because I think it’s bad for their health,” Mitchell said on Instagram. “It could potentially kill them. Give them some type of, um, make them autistic. Seriously, these vaccines are poisonous. Don’t vaccinate your kids.”

“Tucker’s also going to be homeschooled,” Mitchell continued. “We’re gonna have to homeschool all our kids or they’re going to end up turning gay and that’s the reason I’m gonna homeschool Tucker. I don’t want him to be a communist, I don’t want him to worship Satan, and I don’t want him to be gay.

“Out of the public schools, they took the most valuable book of all time. The number one selling book of all time. The oldest, most accurate historical document there ever was — the bible. They took it out of the schools and replaced it with Edgar Allen Poe who shacked up with his cousin. My son ain’t gonna be reading no Edgar Allen Poe. He’s going to be reading the bible. That’s just how it is and I’m just telling you, if you don’t teach your kid these things, it’s gonna be fed right to the devil.  We’re not gonna let that happen here.”

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Mitchell (16-2) is ranked 12th in the UFC’s 145-pound weight class.  He last fought in December, losing to Josh Emmett by knockout on the UFC 296 main card.  He made his way to the UFC through The Ultimate Fighter reality series, appearing in the 27th season of the show in 2018.  He advanced to the semifinals but was eliminated by eventual winner Brad Katona.  

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Conor McGregor makes his octagon return on July 29th in the UFC 303 main event against Michael Chandler.  The event has already set the record for the highest gate in the promotion’s history and it’s a month away.  

When the former two-division champion steps into the octagon at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas against Chandler, it will have been more than three years since he last fought.  He broke his leg in the closing seconds of the first round in his trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021.    

Fully healed and film obligations out of the way, McGregor says he’s ready to get back to doing what made him a household name.  Wanting to fight three times this year, McGregor anticipates that he’s about to ‘go on a tear.’  

“I’m ready to go.  I’m calm.  I’m composed.  I’m cold in the soul for this man and this whole thing.  I’m coming back with a vengeance, and I’m coming back with skill,” McGregor told TheMacLife.  “I’m excited to show my skills.  I’m in a great place mentally, physically, spiritually.” 

“He has his set movements, his set patterns he moves in, and his set shots.  I’m aware of them, and I’m preparing for a multitude of outcomes and just getting myself as ready as I can be.  And I’m confident all my shots will land,” McGregor continued.  “I’ve got June 29th, and I’m going on a f***ing tear.  I’m going on a tear here.  God willing.  God willing, I’m going on a tear here.”  

The bout will take place in the welterweight division.  Chandler has also had a long layoff heading into the event.  He last fought at UFC 281 in November 2022.  Ironically, he too lost to Poirier in his last octagon appearance.  

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With heavyweight champion Jon Jones scheduled to face former two-time titleholder Stipe Miocic when he returns from injury, the UFC heavyweight division is in limbo.  

In Jones’ absence, the fight promotion crowned an interim heavyweight champion and now he will defend the interim belt at UFC 304 on July 27 in Manchester, England.  Manchester’s own Tom Aspinall captured the interim title by knocking out Sergei Pavlovich in November and will put the interim belt on the line in a rematch against fourth-ranked Curtis Blaydes.  

If Aspinall defeated Blaydes, he plans on sitting out and waiting for a unification match against the winner of the the Jones and Miocic title fight.  He and Blaydes met for the first time in July 2022.  Fifteen seconds into the bout Aspinall fell to the canvas holding his knee.  The fight was stopped due to the injury and Blaydes picked up a TKO win.   

“We’re two different fighters now.  We’ve improved a lot, both of us, since then,” Aspinall told talkSPORT MMA.  “I’ve got a lot more experience since then especially big fight experience which is massive.”

“My confidence has grown loads since then. Just everything’s better.  Everyting’s a lot better.  I’m a new version of myself now than I was when I fought him last time. He’s improved as well so whole new fight this time.”

As far as Jon Jones, Aspinall remains focused on defeating Blaydes.  That domino has to fall for a unification bout to take place.    

“I’m over it at this point.  I’m fighting Curtis Blaydes. It’s a tough fight and I’m preparing for Curtis so Jon Jones and all the rest of the politics are pretty irrelevant to me right now. Right now, focused on him and nothing else,” Aspinall said.  “If I win this one, which I believe I will, my next fight has to be for undisputed. Definitely, and I’ll wait it out if I have to after this one. Right now, that doesn’t exist.  What exists for me is Curtis Blaydes and nothing more.  I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.”  

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Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor didn’t hold back when discussing featherweight titleholder Ilia Topuria in a recent live stream.

Topuria won the 145-pound title by knocking out longtime champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February.  He’s expected to face former champion and newly crowned BMF titleholder Max Holloway later this year.  McGregor believes Holloway will defeat Topuria to become a two-time featherweight champion.      

“Holloway, too light, too fast.  I think Holloway picks him apart,” McGregor said in the live stream.  “I think Holloway picks him apart if they fight.  Holloway has done it.  He has that featherweight title.  He’s had it for a long time.  He’s now the BMF.  Topuria, for me, is a non-champion in my opinion.  He might have a strap, but it’s a meaningless strap in my opinion as he holds it.”

McGregor also took issue with Topuria’s comments about wanting to be the highest paid UFC athlete in 2025.  He then compared the featherweight champion to his former friend Artem Lobov.  Lobov and McGregor have been involved in an ongoing lawsuit surrounding McGregor’s ‘Proper 12’ whiskey brand.        

“I don’t get the buzz with him (Topuria).  There is no buzz with him.  He needs to keep fighting.  Topuria needs to keep fighting.  He’s talking,” McGregor said.  “I’ll tell you why I said what I said about him.  Because he’s talking about, he’s going to be the highest paid athlete in 2025. It’s 2024. It’s actually now. The 2025 highest paid athlete list begins right now. The list came out only recent and that means he’s going to have to rake in about $ 200, $ 300 million. Don’t be silly, lad.  Don’t be silly.

“It just reminded me of Artem Lobov. Just a stupid, little fool. Talking billions from a f*cking banger of a car. Thinks he knows it all, he’s only a little baldy fool.”  

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On June 29, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor will make the walk to the octagon for the first time since July 2021.  

McGregor takes on former lightweight title challenger Michael Chandler in a welterweight bout in the UFC 303 main event.  Tickets for the event sold out almost immediately to see McGregor’s return, but Chael Sonnen believes “The Notorious” is going to lose to Chandler.  

“Michael Chandler wins,” Sonnen said in an interview with Bloody Elbow. “You have the most disciplined guy in the sport arguably, and you have the most undisciplined guy in the sport for sure. It’s one of those situations where when you do this conversation, everyone’s going to be lazy like I’m going to be right now and say, ‘Conor’s got a puncher’s chance and if Chandler stands up with him’ so on and so forth.

“I don’t know where you get that idea, a puncher’s chance. I know that’s something fun people say, but you’ve got to go back to Michael Moorer dropping the belt to George Foreman. There’s no such thing as a puncher’s chance. The better guy wins, he wins every single time. Michael Chandler could go out there and box with Conor at this point. You don’t get better at something by not doing it.”

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Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will return to the boxing ring on June 15 in São Paulo, Brazil against a fellow UFC Hall of Famer.  

Silva and Chael Sonnen announced their boxing match via social media on Sunday.  

Anderson, I’ll see you June 15th…#Advertisement @spiderandersonsilva @spaten_br #BebaComModeração #SpatenFightNight #UltimaLutaSpider #EstiloForteSpaten pic.twitter.com/PUZ1AGAm3Z

— Chael Sonnen (@ChaelSonnen) May 20, 2024

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The bout will be a professional boxing match and will consist of five, two-minute rounds.  The match will take place at 216 pounds.  

Silva retired from mixed martial arts in 2020 to pursue other interests, including boxing.  In March 2021, Silva fought former WBC middleweight champion César Chávez Jr. and won via split decision.  In September of 2021, Silva knocked out former UFC light heavyweight titleholder Tito Ortiz in 82 seconds.  In October 2022, Silva last stepped into the boxing rind, losing to Jake Paul via unanimous decision.  It was the last time Silva competed in combat sports.    

The bout will Sonnen’s professional boxing debut.  He and Silva fought twice while in the UFC.  Silva won both matches.  Their first fight at UFC 117 in August 2010 will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame fight wing this July.  Sonnen last fought MMA in June 2019 under the Bellator banner.    

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