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For the first time in his 12-year mixed martial arts career, former two-time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has lost back-to-back fights.  “The Last Stylebender” was submitted in the fourth round of the UFC 305 main event against champion Dricus du Plessis last Saturday. 

Adesanya has suffered defeats to the last two 185-pound titleholders: Sean Strickland and du Plessis.  Strickland believes Adesanya’s recent losses happened  because Adesanya’s not that good.  

“I have an unpopular opinion.  I just don’t think Izzy is that good,” Strickland told the Verse Us with Eric Nicksick.  “Let me tell you why.”

“When he fought Kelvin [Gastelum], I think Kelvin sucks.  Everyone is like, ‘Oh man, Izzy, he’s this and that.’  I’ve sparred Kelvin so many times where I’m like, you kind of had a close fight with Kelvin.  Like, you’re not that f***ing good,” Strickland continued.  “You’re not that f***ing good.  You fought f***ing [Paulo] Costa.  Costa was scared sh*tless of you.  You f***ing blew on him and he fell asleep.  Izzy is not that f***ing good.”

Strickland and Gastelum are friends.  They’ve trained together and sparred several times, but Strickland doesn’t consider Gastelum in the top tier of fighters.  

“I love Kelvin.  Kelvin is a stand-up guy.  When I say you’re not that good, I’m not talking about 90 percent of the roster.  I’m talking about the 10 percent of the most elite guys.  That’s what I’m talking about, and you’re not in that,” Strickland said.  “I love Kelvin.  I think Kelvin’s a f***ing stud.  Hell, Kelvin has beaten two of my teammates.  Kelvin is a f***ing stud, but we’re talking about the top of the echelon.”   

“He (Israel) doesn’t really have that f***ing dog in him,” Strickland continued.  “When he fought Kelvin I was like, you let Kelvin have that close of a fight with you.  If I fought Kelvin, Kelvin wouldn’t touch me.”

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Interim heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall defended his belt at UFC 304 on July 27 finishing Curtis Blaydes in 60 seconds.  Champion Jon Jones is expected to fight former two-time titleholder Stipe Miocic later this year but Aspinall doesn’t understand why that fight is even happening.  

“What the f**k is going on?  What is going on,” Aspinall questioned during an appearance on the Believe You Me podcast.  “They want me to be a backup fighter for it but why are you giving a guy who is 42, or however old he is – I have the upmost respect for Stipe and what he’s done in his career and Jon Jones on the contrary of what people might think.  I respect those guys more than I can even put into words, but they don’t f***ing deserve to be fighting for the heavyweight title.

“Them guys are not the top of the heavyweight division right now.  Dana White and everybody can say whatever they want, them guys are not the best heavyweights in the world right now,” Aspinall continued.  “I’m not saying they haven’t had amazing careers because I idolize those guys.  I want to have a career like that.  That’s what I’m aiming to do with my life is what they’ve done, but they’re not the best right now.  Right now, they’re definitely not the best, so let’s stop talking all this bullish*t like they are.”

Jones was scheduled to defend the heavyweight championship against Miocic at UFC 295 last November, but was forced out of the fight after tearing a pectoral tendon in training.  The fight promotion opted to rebook the matchup.  In the meantime, Aspinall was crowned the interim champion and defended his title.  At the end of the day, Aspinall doesn’t think Jones wants to fight him.  

“Jon Jones, he was praying that I would lose that fight against Curtis Blaydes.  Praying that I would because there is nowhere that you can find publicly, nowhere him saying that he would fight me.  It doesn’t exists,” Aspinall said.  

“Since I won that fight he’s gone completely silent, and he’ll continue to go completely silent about me until he retires because there’s no way on Earth that he’s going to fight me,” Aspinall continued.  “I will retire Jon Jones without even fighting him.” 

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Two legend’s of the ring may collide in an exhibition match next month, as rumors of a fight between Floyd Mayweather and Julio Cesar Chavez begin to pick up.

In the modern era of boxing, fans have come accustomed to seeing strange matchups, usually involving social media influencers. But now, if Chavez’s words are anything to go by, the combat sport world will have something to get excited for.

According to boxing icon Julio Cesar Chavez, a fight between himself and Floyd Mayweather could be right around the corner. Chavez hinted at the bout on his Instagram page, claiming that the clash will unfold on September 16.

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Boxing fans rejoice at the thought of a Floyd Mayweather vs. Julio Cesar Chavez super-fight, but it’s likely too late for the affair to be competitive. 

Chavez is 15 years Mayweather’s elder, and at 62 years old, is unlikely to possess even close to the amount of talent he had during his mesmerizing heights back in the mid ’90s.

Despite retiring from professional boxing in 2005, the Mexican has ventured into the exhibition side of the sport. Chavez has competed as recent as 2021 and will be hoping to put on a show for the fans if the September 16 Mayweather event does go ahead.

Related: Floyd Mayweather bout explodes into chaos with gangster’s grandson

Who is Floyd Mayweather fighting next?

While Floyd Mayweather could potentially be facing the aforementioned Julio Cesar Chavez next month, he still has an upcoming opponent to worry about.

On Saturday, August 24, ‘Money’ Mayweather will run it back with John Gotti III. The pair originally met last year, though their fight was cut short due to an excessive amount of trash talking.

Things boiled over after the bout was stopped, with Gotti still attempting to attack his opponent. All eyes are glued to this weekend, with many expecting the heat between the pair to continue.

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UFC 305 took place at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia and was headlined by a middleweight title bout between champion Dricus du Plessis and former two-time titleholder Israel Adesanya.

The championship bout was du Plessis’ first title defense. He captured the championship in January by defeating Sean Strickland via split decision in the UFC 297 main event. Adesanya lost the belt to Strickland in his last outing last September.  

The two did touch gloves despite the intense buildup to the fight.  Adesanya inched forward switching stances.  Du Plessis landed first with a leg kick.  Adesanya answered with a jab.  Du Plessis rushed forward but Adesanya kept his guard high.  Adesanya delivered a hard leg kick.  Du Plessis rushed forward but Adesanya moved away.  Du Plessis landed a right hand.  Adesanya stepped in with a knee to the body.  Adesanya landed a leg kick.  Du Plessis switched stances.  Du Plessis went high with a kick that was blocked.  He changed levels and looked for a takedown.  Adesanya defended the attempt and circled away.  

Adesanya delivered a leg kick tot he body.  Du Plessis pressed forward and connected with a left hand.  Adesanya found the mark with a right hand.  Du Plessis responded with a leg kick.  Du Plessis connected with a right hand.  Adesanya shook his head as if it didn’t land clean.  Du Plessis looked for a left high kick.  Adesanya delivered a hard right hand to the body.  Du Plessis went high with a left kick that was blocked at the bell.  MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for du Plessis.

Adesanya opened the second round with a kick to the body.  Du Plessis pressed forward with back-kick to the body.  Adesanya targeted the body again with a kick.  Adesanya moved forward and du Plessis changed levels and took him down.  Adesanya tried to stand but Du Plessis took his back.  Du Plessis looked for a rear-naked choke.  Adesanya defends the attempt and scrambles to his feet.  

Adesanya landed an elbow on the inside.  Adesanya picked up the pace.  Du Plessis fired back and dove for a leg.  He briefly got Adesanya to the ground.  Du Plessis landed a couple of short hands and continued to work for a takedown.  Adesanya worked his way to his feet but du Plessis remained on him.  Du Plessis tripped Adesanya back to the canvas.  Du Plessis delivered left hands.  Adesanya nearly got free but du Plessis continued to look for a takedown.  MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for du Plessis.  

Adesanya continued to target the body of du Plessis in the third.  Adesanya landed a straight left hand.  Adesanya landed a hard right hand to the body.  Du Plessis responded with a right hand.  Adesanya fired off a head kick that was partially blocked.  Adesanya landed a leg kick and du Plessis rushed forward but missed with a combination.  Adesanya continued to land to the body.  Du Plessis connected with a right hand.  Adesanya landed a nasty elbow.  Du Plessis answered with a heavy left hand.  Du Plessis pressed forward with a combination.  He looked for a takedown but Adesanya defended it.  Adesanya connected with a right hand.  Adesanya tripped but got to his feet.  Du Plessis landed a left hand.  Adesanya reacted with an uppercut.  

Both men look exhausted.  They traded right hands.  Adesanya dug a combination to the body.  Du Plessis drove forward with a right hand.  MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for du Plessis.  

Adesanya inched forward behind his jab to start the fourth round.  Adesanya landed an uppercut.  Du Plessis immediately went for a takedown. Adesanya sprawled and made the champion stand back up.  Adesanya connected with a right hand followed by a kick to the body.  Adesanya connected with an uppercut.  Du Plessis looked to have slowed.  

Du Plessis landed a counter right hand after taking a jab.  Du Plessis delivered a kick to then body and began moving forward.  Adesanya met him with a combination.  Adesanya connected with a check hook.  Du Plessis landed a left hook that made Adesanya retreat.  Du Plessis rushed forward with a right hand that knocked Adesanya down.  Du Plessis pressed forward and landed another shot.  He took Adesanya’s back and locked on a rear-naked choke.  Adesanya tapped out.  The official time of the submission was 3:38 of Round 4.  

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In the aftermath of UFC 305, Alex Pereira has hinted at a move back down to middleweight to face Dricus Du Plessis.

‘Stillknocks’ just successfully defended his 185 lbs title after securing the biggest win of his career. The South African settled his feud with Israel Adesanya in a razor-close affair that ended with a huge submission victory for the defending champion.

Intrigued by what he witnessed, Alex Pereira confirmed his interest at moving back down to the weight class. Alongside his dominance in a new division, the kickboxing sensation holds a 4-1 record at middleweight under the UFC banner.

The current light heavyweight titleholder is looking to better his record and add more gold to his resume as he begins to eye a possible meeting with Dricus Du Plessis, according to his latest social media post.

“Coming down to 185 one more time.” Pereira said after watching the UFC 305 main event.

Related: Dricus du Plessis submits Israel Adesanya in UFC 305 main event

While many would likely love the idea of the Brazilian colliding with Du Plessis, that bout won’t be happening anytime soon.

Focused on staying active, Alex Pereira has yet another fight booked — making it his fifth fight in a little over 14 months. 

Pereira will put his title on the line against Khalil Rountree Jr. on October 5. Though a lot can change in the sport, even a short night at the office e against Rountree wouldn’t allow him to leapfrog other contenders for the middleweight title fight.

As stated by Dana White, Dricus Du Plessis’ next defense of his crown will be in a rematch against Sean Strickland.

Alex Pereira’s last appearance at middleweight came in the headlining bout of UFC 287. Pereira was knocked out by long-term rival Israel Adesanya and decided his career would benefit from the added weight — thus beginning a legendary run at 205 lbs.

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Following the UFC 305 fights at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, UFC officials announced the recipients of the performance-based fighter bonuses.  Four fighters banked an extra $ 50,000 for the efforts inside the octagon: Dan Hooker, Mateusz Gamrot, Kai Kara-France and Carlos Prates.

Fight Of The Night: Dan Hooker vs Mateusz Gamrot

Dan Hooker and Mateusz Gamrot put on a show, delivering the back-and-forth battle everyone was hoping for. Gamrot came out strong, landing some solid shots before attempting to take it to the ground, but Hooker held his own and even landed a strong shot towards the end of the first round. The second was a toss-up, with Hooker landing the bigger hits and Gamrot scoring a takedown. By the third, they were trading punches, with Hooker shutting down most of Gamrot’s grappling attempts. In the end, the judges gave the hand raise to Hooker after an awesome scrap between two top lightweights.

Performance Of The Night: Kai Kara-France

Kai Kara-France made a triumphant return to the Octagon, securing a dominant first-round stoppage over recent title challanger Steve Erceg. After landing a powerful left hand that dropped Erceg, Kara-France wasted no time finishing the fight, putting himself back in the flyweight title conversation. This emotional win marked his first victory since March 2022 and could lead to him getting a shot at the title sooner than we think.

Performance Of The Night: Carlos Prates

Carlos Prates started the UFC 305 main card with a bang, becoming the first to knock out veteran Li Jingliang and adding another impressive victory to his standout rookie year. Prates displayed his dangerous striking skills, damaging Li repeatedly before finishing him with a left hand in the second round. Now 3-0 in the UFC and riding a 10-fight win streak, Prates is building a strong case for a Top 15 ranking.

UFC 305 Attendance and Gate Numbers

14,152 spectators filled RAC Arena to witness UFC 305 resulting in a gate totaling $ 5,477,097 USD.  UFC 305 set the record for the highest grossing event in RAC Arena history.  

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All eyes were on Israel Adesanya’s return at UFC 305, but when things didn’t go to plan, Joe Rogan couldn’t hide his disappointment.

Adesanya cut his hiatus from the sport short and stood toe-to-toe with middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis. Despite looking sharp throughout, ‘The Last Stylebender’ failed to take his chances and suffered the first submission defeat of his career.

Opting against traveling with the UFC to commentate, Joe Rogan instead held a Fight Companion alongside Brendan Schaub, Tony Hinchcliffe, and Brian Simpson.

Rogan has a strong relationship with Israel Adesanya, but the watch-along received backlash for their seemingly one-sided reaction to the fight.

The majority of the group’s praise went to Adesanya, crediting the former champion at every chance they got.

“Oh, Izzy just hit a beautiful combination. He stunned him,” Rogan said while watching the main event of UFC 305. “Dricus is in real trouble.”

“This is the stylebender of old, kids… It’s also a guy [Du Plessis] that’s compromised. You’ve been beating him up and chipping away at him. And now you’re fresher and he’s dying. He’s taking big, lunging shots at you…”

“Oh! Izzy caught him with that right hand. Oh, boy. Izzy’s just f***ing up his body, too… He’s got the timing down.”

Once the tide shifted in the fight and Dricus Du Plessis hurt his opponent, Joe Rogan became visibly upset.

“Dude, dude, dude. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. He hurt him, dude. He hurt him.”

After Du Plessis sunk in the choke, Joe Rogan slumped back with his hand on his head, clearly upset with the result.

Related: UFC 305 Octagon Interview – Israel Adesanya: ‘I’m not f—ing leaving’

Rogan later went on to give the champion his flowers for coming out on top in a tough matchup.

“Dricus is a f***ing animal, dude. He’s a f***ing animal. Holy sh*t. I was saying that these punches, even though he’s exhausted, you can’t be in those exchanges [with him].”

“You’re going to get clipped. If you get clipped, you’re in real trouble. F***, he got hit with those big right hands, man. He got rocked with those right hands.”

One controversial comment from guest Brian Simpson caused a stir online. The comedian compared Adesanya’s loss to America losing a war.

“God, this makes me feel like America lost a war or something. I just f***ing hate how this feels.”

Watch the video below.

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AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas will host the Nov. 15th boxing match between former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and social media influencer turned pugilist Jake Paul.

The two were originally scheduled to fight on July 20, but the bout was postponed due to Tyson suffering a medical issue.  On Sunday, Paul and Tyson appeared at a press conference in New York to promote the upcoming fight.  

Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping has criticized the matchup since it was made.  Tyson is 58-years old taking on Paul who is 27.

“We know the fight is a joke.  Let’s be honest,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel while watching the press conference live.  “Let’s see if he can get us anymore excited about this absolutely sh*t show, this farce of a fight.”

When Paul was boo’ed by the New York crowd, he insulted the city but also discredited the matchup with Tyson at the same time.

“Shut the f**k up New York.  Boo yourself,” Paul said at the press conference.  “New York, you’re just like Mike Tyson, you were good 20 years ago.”

Paul’s insult about “The Big Apple,” and to Tyson, legitimized Bisping’s criticism of the matchup.  

“Jake, I hate to point out the obvious, that makes you look pathetic.  You just admitted that you’re going up against an old man,” Bisping said.  “Jake Paul, he’s a total, he’s just a tool bag.”

“It’s nice to see that he’s finally getting boo’d and the kind of response that he deserves…  Finally, for once, an educated crowd.”

“This is Grade A bullish*t,” Bisping continued.  “He picks these opponents that are, in this case he’s 58, or they are way past their sell by date, or they’re smaller than you.  Fighting is about challenging yourself.”

Bisping went on to trash Paul more than he already had.  “You are a joke.  You are a disgrace to the combat world.  You’re a wannabe.  You’re a fake.  Challenge yourself you pathetic man, you pathetic individual,” Bisping said.  

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Lightweight Dan Hooker entered his UFC 305 main card match against fifth-ranked Mateusz Gamrot ranked eleventh in the division.  “The Hangman” picked up a split decision win and injected new life into his plans of fighting for a UFC title. 

Hooker was hurt early in the fight but battled back and continued to press forward.  In the last two rounds, Hooker had Gamrot fighting off his back leg.  It was a closely contested match and earned ‘Fight of the Night’ honors.  Following the win, Hooker spoke with commentator Daniel Cormier and was fired up to say the least.  

“How you like me know?  How you like me now,” Hooker yelled into the microphone.  “I’m going to be in the Top 5.  Look at me now.  I want them all, brother.  I want the BMF.  I want Conor McGregor.  I want a title eliminator.  I want everything.”

The win was the third in a row for the 34-year old New Zealander.  For Gamrot, the loss to Hooker snapped a three-fight winning streak.  

UFC 305 Octagon Interview: Dan Hooker    

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Former two-time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya had the opportunity to become a three-time titleholder when he took on champion Dricus du Plessis in the UFC 305 main event.  It wasn’t to be for “The Last Stylebender.”

It was a hard-fought, back and forth battle with du Plessis coming on strong in the fourth round to finish Adesanya via submission.  After hurting Adesanya with a punch, du Plessis quickly took the former champion’s back and locked on a rear-naked choke.  Adesanya was forced to tap out.  

Following the loss, Adesanya spoke with commentator Daniel Cormier inside the octagon and vowed to return.  “I’m not f***ing leaving,” he said.    

UFC 305 Octagon Interview: Israel Adesanya  

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