Fresh from his standout win at UFC 299 over the weekend in Miami, undisputed bantamweight champion, Sean O’Malley has sights firmly fixed on his next outing inside the Octagon – welcoming the chance to headline at the Las Vegas Sphere in September, in a sensical fight against surging contender, Merab Dvalishvili. 

O’Malley, the current undisputed bantamweight champion, successfully defended his bantamweight crown at the first time of asking over the weekend in Florida, turning in a one-sided unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) win over Marlon Vera in the pair’s heated title fight rematch. 

And immediately staking his claim for a featherweight title charge a division higher, Dana White’s Contender Series product, O’Malley urged the promotion to book him in a premiere event in Spain later this year against newly-crowned champion, Ilia Topuria. 

However, with promotional boss, White vetoing a clash between championship duo, Topuria and O’Malley almost immediately after UFC 299, the Montana striker has now switched his focus to UFC 306 during September at the Las Vegas Sphere.

Sean O’Malley targets Merab Dvalishvili for UFC 306 return

And in terms of opponents next on his hitlist, the blistering technician claimed a title affair with roughshod running challenger, Dvalishvili made all the sense in the world currently.

“Headlining the Sphere in Vegas,” Sean O’Malley told MMA Fighting. “Let’s do it. I don’t think anybody would argue against that. I think that would be legendary. I know Conor (McGregor) has talked about potentially going on that card, potentially International Fight Week. So, out of respect for him to still be the best and biggest in the business, I’ll take wherever I can get. But yeah, I think that’d be interesting.” 

And despite McGregor’s aforenoted intentions to headline the card during Mexican Independence Day weekend later this year, the above-mentioned White claimed he had no interest in putting together a much-anticipated trilogy bout between the Dubliner and two-time foe, Nate Diaz on that event.

Who wins in a potential clash at UFC 306: Sean O’Malley or Merab Dvalishvili?

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Francis Ngannou’s sophomore boxing match didn’t go according to plan.

The former UFC heavyweight champion shocked the world when he first stepped into a boxing ring as a professional this past October. In Ngannou’s way was one of the best heavyweight boxers of all time, Tyson Fury. “The Predator” didn’t score the win, but his effort in the split decision loss was most memorable thanks to his knockdown of “The Gypsy King” in round two.

Ngannou’s performance against Fury legitimized him as a boxer and his desire to test himself was applauded by the entire combat sports community. So, why not give it another go? That’s what the Cameroon native did this past Friday in Saudia Arabia opposite another current heavyweight great, Anthony Joshua. Unfortunately for the MMA veteran Ngannou, the fight couldn’t have gone any worse as Joshua knocked out Ngannou in the second round.

If the two were to rematch in MMA, one of the sport’s all-time greats and current ONE Championship flyweight champion, Demetrious Johnson, feels there’d be no difference in the outcome.

“Does Anthony Joshua beat Francis Ngannou in an MMA fight? I think he does,” Johnson said on his YouTube channel. “It would just be another striking match. AJ understands his distance. He understands the void. He has better hands than Francis, and he can make Francis even whiff and miss again. Unless Francis is going to change his tactic and go clinch him and wrestle him. But AJ is very athletic. He is smaller, he’s more limber. I think he’d be able to stuff the shot and be able to give it to Francis Ngannou.”

Johnson, 37, has dabbled with cross-promotional challenges to an extent in his career. Before recently getting into pure grappling competitions, Johnson battled Muay Thai icon Rodtang Jitmuangnon in a mixed-rules bout, which he won via second-round rear-naked choke.

“Might Mouse” is undecided on if he’ll continue his MMA career as he nears his 40s, but in the case of the also 37-year-old Ngannou, he’s expected to return to MMA and debut in PFL sometime this year. Johnson doesn’t believe the half-and-half nature of Ngannou’s career at present led to his recent loss. More so, the full 10-round clash with Fury may have just given more to assess.

“I’m not saying Francis has not taken it seriously,” Johnson said. “If I was to take a boxing match, I will probably spend eight months to a year preparing myself for the boxing match. Reason why is because the punches come faster. The movement is different. There’s only one weapon, and you only can use one weapon, right? I can’t use my kicks. I can’t use my knees. I can’t use my elbows. I can’t use my wrestling. How am I going to cross the void when I can’t use all the weapons I’ve been using for the last 18 years?

“Another thing that could have been Francis’ downfall was he had that boxing match with Tyson Fury. So Anthony Joshua got an opportunity to see Francis fight boxing. What he took from the boxing match on Francis vs. Tyson? He probably took, ‘Okay, Francis doesn’t move his head. He doesn’t really move his head. He’s not very light on his feet,’ where Tyson Fury, he’s kind of light on his feet, and Tyson’s trying to avoid the fight. This time, Anthony Joshua got right to work right off the bat, and that’s usually not a good sign if the other opponent doesn’t respond.”

TOP STORIES

Mailbag. What’s next for Sean O’Malley, is Chito Vera impossible to finish, rest of UFC 299

Flare. Michael ‘Venom’ Page reveals original ‘big plan’ for Undertaker-inspired walkout at UFC 299

Reaction. Chito Vera issues statement after loss to Sean O’Malley at UFC 299

Rally. Dustin Poirier: Justin Gaethje loss led to ‘darkness,’ thoughts of retirement before UFC 299 comeback

Lineup. Alexander Volkanovski reacts to Sean O’Malley calling out Ilia Topuria: ‘I know I’m fighting for the title next’

Shakeup. MMA Pound-for-Pound Rankings: Sean O’Malley vaults into elite company after UFC 299 win

Business. UFC owners prefer ESPN for new TV deal, but ‘3 different platforms’ already showing interest

VIDEO STEW

The MMA Hour.

TUF 32 Media Day.

UFC Vegas 88 promo.

Free fight.

Superbon vs. Sittichai.

Gaethje’s Road to UFC 300.

MORNING MUSIC

SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Over it.

Support.

Thankful.

Training,

Ready to go.

Mikuru, right?

Rumble.

Beautiful again.

Team Shevchenko.

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Billy Quarantillo (18-5) vs. Youssef Zalal (10-5-1); UFC Vegas 89, March 23

Ante Delija (24-5) vs. Valentin Moldavsky (12-3); PFL San Antonio, April 4

Denis Goltsov (32-8) vs. Linton Vassell (24-8); PFL San Antonio, April 4

Liz Carmouche (20-7) vs. Juliana Velasquez (12-2); PFL San Antonio, April 4

Tyrell Fortune (13-2) vs. Daniel James (14-7-1); PFL San Antonio, April 4

Dakota Ditcheva (10-0) vs. Lisa Mauldin (6-3); PFL San Antonio, April 4

Bruno Cappelozza (15-7) vs. Sergei Bilostenniy (11-3); PFL San Antonio, April 4

Taila Santos (19-3) vs. Denise Kielholtz (8-5); PFL San Antonio, April 4

Steve Mowry (10-1-1) vs. Oleg Popov (16-1); PFL San Antonio, April 4

Kana Watanabe (12-2-1) vs. Shanna Young (9-5); PFL San Antonio, April 4

Chelsea Hackett (4-1-1) vs. Jena Bishop (6-0); PFL San Antonio, April 4

Lucas Brennan (9-0) vs. Dimitre Ivy (12-7); PFL San Antonio, April 4

Joshua Van (10-1) vs. Lucas Rocha (17-1); UFC Vegas 90, April 6

Phil Davis (24-7) vs. Robert Wilkinson (17-2); PFL Las Vegas, April 12

Impa Kasanganay (15-4) vs. Alex Polizzi (10-3); PFL Las Vegas, April 12

Clay Collard (24-12) vs. Patricky Pitbull (25-12); PFL Las Vegas, April 12

Mads Burnell (18-5) vs. Michael Dufort (12-4); PFL Las Vegas, April 12

Sadibou Sy (16-7-2) vs. Josh Silveira (12-2); PFL Las Vegas, April 12

Antonio Carlos Jr. (15-5) vs. Simon Biyong (9-3); PFL Las Vegas, April 12

Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov (21-7-1) vs. Jakob Nedoh (8-1); PFL Las Vegas, April 12

Bruno Miranda (16-4) vs. Brent Primus (12-3); PFL Las Vegas, April 12

Gadzhi Rabadanov (20-4-2) vs. Solomon Renfro (11-4); PFL Las Vegas, April 12

Jay Jay Wilson (10-1) vs. Adam Piccolotti (14-5); PFL Las Vegas, April 12

Marcelo Nunes (10-2) vs. Giacomo Lemos (8-0); PFL Las Vegas, April 12

Andrey Koreshkov (27-4) vs. Magomed Umalatov (14-0); PFL Chicago, April 19

Brendan Loughnane (27-5) vs. Pedro Carvalho (13-8); PFL Chicago, April 19

Logan Storley (15-2) vs. Shamil Musaev (16-0-1); PFL Chicago, April 19

Gabriel Braga (12-1) vs. Justin Gonzalez (14-3); PFL Chicago, April 19

Goiti Yamauchi (28-6) vs. Neiman Gracie (12-4); PFL Chicago, April 19

Bubba Jenkins (21-7) vs. Kai Kamaka (12-5-1); PFL Chicago, April 19

Adam Borics (18-2) vs. Enrique Barzola (20-7-2); PFL Chicago, April 19

Timur Khizriev (14-0) vs. Brett Johns (20-3); PFL Chicago, April 19

Laureano Staropoli (13-5) vs. Murad Ramazanov (11-0); PFL Chicago, April 19

Don Madge (10-4-1) vs. Kyle Crutchmer (10-2); PFL Chicago, April 19

Kazuma Kuramoto (10-4) vs. Ji Yong Yang (8-1); RIZIN 46, April 29

Makoto “Shinryu” Takahashi (16-2-1) vs. Jung Hyun Lee (4-3); RIZIN 46, April 29

Taichi Nakajima (17-12-1) vs. Soo Chul Kim (21-7-1); RIZIN 46, April 29

Juntaro Ushiku (23-10-1) vs. Shinobu Ota (5-3); RIZIN 46, April 29

Anthony Smith (37-19) vs. Vitor Petrino (11-0); UFC 301, May 4

FINAL THOUGHTS

It’s slightly easier to believe Joshua would win in MMA after seeing him KO Francis. I say that because of potential ego coming into play that would push Francis to try and stand despite his favorable ruleset. At the same time, I just can’t imagine he’d fight that stupidly.

Thanks for reading!

EXIT POLL

If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @DrakeRiggs_ on Twitter and let him know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Instagram and like us on Facebook.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Matchmaking
| BJPenn.com

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

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Sean O’Malley is in the midst of his UFC 299 victory lap.

Having put on a master class against the absurdly durable Marlon Vera (watch highlights), O’Malley is doing the usual tour of podcasts and television appearances to talk about his performance, boxing Floyd Mayweather, and all his other future fight plans. During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, “Suga” went in a surprising direction with his post-fight media: roasting former champion Henry Cejudo.

The two have traded verbal blows in the past, but they’ve never been booked to fight. Furthermore, now that Cejudo has lost two straight, he’s fairly removed from the Bantamweight title picture, opting to call for a Brandon Moreno grudge match rather than challenge another ranked 135-pound contender.

Despite the circumstances, McAfee brought up “Triple C,” and O’Malley couldn’t help but unload some hate.

“That was a long time ago, when Henry did that,” O’Malley began, referencing a previous run-in with Cejudo. “That was a little bit more when he was relevant. Henry has got to be the number one dumbest, shortest champion that has ever lived. He’s so stupid! Every time he talks, I think he’s getting dumber. Dude is so stupid, and I cannot believe he won a championship belt.

“He talks and he talks, says some of the dumbest s—t ever. But yeah, that was a long time age, he’s really dumb and short — whatever.”

At this point, the chances of O’Malley and Cejudo ever colliding in the Octagon seem very slim. The only way anything comes of this beef is if one of these two men — who both live and train around Phoenix, Arizona — drives to the other’s training room and throws down!

Maybe “Suga” could knock out another UFC champion in the gym?

Insomnia

Dustin Poirier deserves all his flowers after the awesome Benoit Saint Denis knockout.

We’ve seen enough randoms get low kicked by professional fighters. Who’s going to be the first idiot fan to volunteer for a Jon Jones oblique kick?!?

Shavkat Rakhmonov is ice cold.

A pair of very skilled Bantamweight veterans with very different styles will throw down!

Jon Anik was right, these people suck. You know with 100% certainty that if any of them happened across Arman Tsarukyan randomly on the street, they’d compliment his last win and ask for a selfie.

There’s only two people (that I can think of) it could be …

Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson got its own terrible SNL joke — a special honor.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Never saw it coming …

Here’s one way to end a round in emphatic fashion!

This is probably the best spinning back kick KO I’ve ever seen. It reminds me of Renan Barao!

Random Land

This guy reacted to the most terrifying kind of accident like I react to traffic.

Midnight Music: Folk, 2003

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

UFC welterweight Michael Venom Page envisions a ‘boring’ fight against Stephen Thompson should the pair meet in the future. 

Page enjoyed a successful UFC debut last Saturday, convincingly outstriking Kevin Holland over three rounds. Holland refused to stay down despite being stunned throughout the contest after being on the receiving end of some flashy, but vicious strikes from Page. 

Throughout his time in MMA Page has always been a showman, using his karate stance the 36-year-old often likes to throw big shots from the outside, leaping in with jumping knees and other explosive strikes. Page now finds himself in a great to position to push for some big fights at 170lbs given his recent performance and relative name value. 

Michael Venom Page unsure of Stephen Thompson fight

Fans have called for Page to step in with fellow striker Stephen Thompson, who is similarly ranked and shares a similar style. However, Page explained that because of their similarity, it would equate to a boring fight.

“It’s weird because obviously, I’ve been hearing for years before I even got to the UFC and I always tell people the same thing, two positives don’t always make a positive” Michael Venom Page said during an interview with Sportsnet after UFC 299.

“What will be a great fight for me and Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson, will look like a terrible fight for everyone else because we’ll go back into auto-pilot of our point-scoring system and there’s a lot of battles that happen without anything really happening.” Page added.

“As soon as I’m about to throw that punch, I can sense that he’s got that counter ready and I might break away,”Page continued. “So, there’s going to be a lot of not much happening in my opinion. I could also be wrong and it could be an amazing fight but from my experience fighting high-level points fighters, it slows everything down.”

Who do you think Michael Venom Page should face next?

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

WHEW!

Heading into it, this past weekend looked like one of the best combat sports weekends in a long time – and it somehow delivered. Anthony Joshua delivered one of the single most brutal KO punches I’ve ever seen, and then basically everyone at UFC 299 did their part to exceed expectations. There’s so much to talk about, let’s jump right in.

Sean O’Malley

ICYMI, Sean O’Malley bludgeoned Marlon Vera for 25 minutes in the main event of UFC 299, retaining his bantamweight title. Afterward, he called out featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, but he did say he’d also be down to knock out Merab Dvalishvili.

First off, what a performance by O’Malley. Heading into the fight, I thought he could do something like that, but there’s a big gap between being able to something and actually delivering. He delivered, never letting Chito settle in.

What I was most impressed about from O’Malley, however, is that no only is he getting better, but he showed some real toughness in there. I thought he would need to stick and move the entire fight, and as he slowed down, he’d be there to be hit more, giving Chito a chance. That sort of happened, but when it did, O’Malley sat down and fired back and make Chito respect him. Yes, the performance was tactical and technical and brilliant, but there was also some ruggedness to him that will serve the champion well in the future.

As for what’s next and the difficulty level of it: Merab is next. Bantamweight and featherweight are too good, too deep, and have too many deserving contenders for each of the new(ish) champions to abandon them in the pursuit of a champ vs. champ fight with very little steam to it. In a couple years they can circle back. But for now, O’Malley will fight Merab next.

And I’ve gotta say, after Saturday, I like his chances a lot more than I previously did. If you had asked me a month ago, I’d have said Merab, no question. Devalishvili’s ability to put an insane pace for 25 minutes is truly something to behold, and I still might pick him to win. But O’Malley also fought at a good clip, and he’s undeniably the more dangerous of the two fighters. For all Merab’s strengths, he does tend to get hit a lot, and if we learned anything from Saturday, it’s that Sean will hit you.

And for the sake of answering the questions: Topuria is the worse fight. Topuria is a bad fight for all but a handful of people under 170 pounds. And yes, UFC 299 was an all-timer of a card. One of the best of the past few years, for sure.

Sean O’Mallet, part deux

By “shaken” do you mean he immediately started beating the soul out of Chito? Because I didn’t get a “shaken” vibe from O’Malley at all.

As for being a heel, that could be true, but I’ll reserve judgment. A lot of fans don’t realize just how enormously popular and beloved Chito is. Anyone fighting him is going to be thrust into the heel role, especially when that person’s entire persona lends itself to traditionally heel-ish stuff like flamboyant hair and ridiculous sun glasses. In general, though, O’Malley is obviously quite popular, and outside of facing off with Chito, I’m not sure there’s widespread dislike of him to push him into a traditional heel role.

Cory Sandhagen

Lost in all the “Merab or Ilia” talk is the fact that Cory Sandhagen is right there in the bantamweight title mix (and after Saturday, so is Petr Yan). It seems almost a certainty at this point that Sandhagen will fight Umar Nurmagomedov next, and the winner of that will get a title shot. While I don’t like Cory’s chances, if he wins, he would have a great shot against O’Malley. Both dudes are extremely fun and dangerous, but Sandhagen has a few more tools. I’d love to see it some day.

Marlon Vera, the unkillable

At this point, Chito is absolutely in the conversation for being the most durable fighter in MMA history. Per ESPN, Chito is now tied with Jon Jones for most fights in UFC without being finished, and when you consider that Jones was winning all those fights, while Chito has definitely NOT been winning all of his, that’s an impressive statement about how insanely tough this man is.

But here’s the thing about that: no one stays gold forever. For years I said the same things about Mark Hunt and Carlos Condit that I did about Chito. They simply seemed impervious to damage in an almost comic book-like fashion. But over time, granite erodes, and those iron chins crack. And the beating he just took from O’Malley is the type of beating that accelerates the process. Just ask Carlos Condit about Robbie Lawler. All men break, eventually. But for now, Chito and Max Holloway are not mortal men.

That being said, the punch Anthony Joshua landed on Francis Ngannou would’ve felled an elk. The fact that the the second knockdown punch didn’t sleep Francis is a testament to his otherworldly chin, but no man alive, dead, or fictional could withstand the finishing punch Joshua threw. It legitimately looked like a guy throwing on one of those punch machines, heaving everything they have into a stationary target to max the score – 999 across the board, and if life was an ACME cartoon, it would’ve broken the machine.

Dustin Poirier

ICYMI, Dustin Poirier survived a strong start from Benoit Saint Denis to score another incredible knockout win in the co-main event at UFC 299.

This is a great question, and I spent a ton of time thinking about it, because it’s so close. The biggest pro for Rafael dos Anjos is that he won the undisputed UFC lightweight title (and also challenged for an interim welterweight belt). That is the feather in the cap that every fighter hopes to achieve, and it’s notably lacking from Poirier’s resume.

On the other hand, Poirier has achieved something more than a title and transcended the belt conversation in ways that RDA never has. RDA is undeniably a legend, and a guy who has fought just an insane level of competition his entire career. But is he beloved in the way that Poirier is? No. Not by half.

The question ultimately boils down to whether you value legacy or accomplishment. RDA has a legacy, but it is largely defined by accomplishment (perhaps unfairly). Poirier’s legacy transcends that. Would you rather be Mickey Ward or Pauli Malignaggi? There’s no wrong answer, but I think that I this point I’d take Poirier’s.

Fight IQ

Gotta respect Poirier’s insistence that he’ll keep jumping that gilly despite a 0 percent hit rate. Every man has to have a code, and I support Dustin’s.

Benoit Saint Denis

Comparing Benoit Saint Denis to Jake Shields (as fighters) should be a criminal offense. I was there for Shield’s entire career. I watched him fight. The man has never come close to being as interesting or as fun as BSD in his entire career. You should be ashamed of yourself.

BSD is the new Justin Gaethje, just more grappling focused. I said that coming into the fight, and this confirmed it. BSD has never had defense, because he never needed it. “God of War” has an incredible chin. It would have been reasonable for him to assume that after Zeleski dos Santos couldn’t finish him at welterweight – he took a hellacious beating – no man could.

Now, BSD knows he can get knocked out. He going to learn the same lesson that Gaethje did, from the same guy, and come back better than ever. It’s going to be so sick. Remember, BSD has only been fighting professionally for five years. To have accomplished as much as in that amount of time is ridiculous. He’s going to be around and be a problem for several years to come.

Michael ‘Venom’ Page

ICYMI, Michael Page won a clear-cut unanimous decision over Kevin Holland in his UFC debut.

There was a fair bit of criticism on Page for his performance on Saturday, and I genuinely do not understand why. What exactly were people expecting from MVP? Did they think he was going to knock Holland out? Kevin Holland is as tough as they come. The man has been TKOd one time in his career. That was the Stephen Thompson loss, where he tried to keep fighting but his corner stopped it after four rounds of one-sided beatdown. Basically, the exact same thing happened on Saturday. If that was a five-round fight, it’s entirely possible Holland’s corner throws in the towel after another whomping in the fourth round.

Here’s how you know MVP had a great fight: Kevin Holland didn’t say s***. When do you ever watch a Holland fight where he’s not chatting up a storm about something. That man was silent as the grave for most of that fight, because he was in the middle of an abject ass-kicking and was trying to stop it.

Aside from Conor McGregor and Paddy Pimblett, the conversation around MVP in MMA is the most insane to me. There are people who like him and believe him to be an all-time great. They are wrong. There are people who hate him, and they really believe him to suck. They are very wrong. True, Page has basically fought poor competition his entire career, but he also walloped that competition. That’s what good fighters do. MVP is a good fighter, perhaps even great. Now, in the UFC, we’ll see him fight the best dudes in the world every fight out, and we’ll get to find out just how great he is.

My guess is he gets to a title shot, and if it’s against Leon Edwards, he might win the damn thing since Leon throws about four punches a round.

MVP vs. Israel Adesanya

Trust me, you do not want this fight. The best case scenario is Izzy catches MVP leaping in and we get a decent knockout. The worst case (and much more likely) scenario is we get zero punches exchanged for 25 minutes, because MVP stands 10 feet away and jumps in and Izzy just slides away every time MVP leaps at him. Even in the best case scenario, it only comes after the worst case scenario plays out for some amount of time. This would be a truly awful fight to witness, same as the much talked about MVP vs. Wonderboy fight.

Hope for something else. Something better.

Curtis Blaydes

Just a quick shout out to Curtis Blaydes. The man got completely dominated in the first round by Jailton Almeida, then came out in the second and executed the game plan. Then he made a note-perfect callout of Tom Aspinall for an interim title fight, and Aspinall seems game. Just a great night for him all around.

Blaydes is a guy that many thought would fight for a title some day, but he’s lost every time he’s found himself on the cusp of it. That’s unfortunate, but now it finally seems like he’ll get his shot at the TRUE heavyweight title. You know, the one being defended against actual competition and NOT against 42-year-old firefighters who have not won a fight in four years.

UFC 300

ICYMI, the UFC revealed the final, full fight card for UFC 300, and the Bo Nickal vs. Cody Brundage fight is on the main card over multiple former champions.

The UFC loves Bo Nickal. That’s the long and the short of it, and while some people aren’t stoked about it, whatever. Nickal is extremely likely to win a belt in the near future. Maybe he won’t, you never know. But he’s as good a bet as anyone. Investing in him early in their biggest card in years makes a lot of sense promotionally.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk

Funny that you should ask, because last year we did a whole DAMN! They Were Good on Joanna Champion. You should listen to that now if you haven’t already.

But long story short, Joanna is one of the most important fighters in UFC history. She built the UFC strawweight division, and in so doing, established women’s MMA in the UFC as a legitimate thing and not just Ronda Rousey-centric. Because there is absolutely a world where the UFC could have gotten into the Ronda business and then let women’s MMA fall by the wayside when she was out, like they’ve done with featherweight. Instead, they moved into it legitimately, and Joanna gave them a reason to stay.

There are few people more deserving of a Hall of Fame induction, and this is only her first. It won’t be long before she and Weili Zhang are inducted for their fight at UFC 248, which is the greatest women’s fight in history and a top-seven all-time fight. Congratulations to Joanna Champion.

Thanks for reading, and thank you for everyone who sent in tweets (Xs?)! Do you have any burning questions about things at least somewhat related to combat sports? Then you’re in luck, because you can send your tweets to me, @JedKMeshew, and I will answer my favorite ones! Doesn’t matter if they’re topical or insane, just so long as they are good. Thanks again, and see y’all next week.

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