That’s right, the first fight card of 2024 is set to take place this Saturday at the world famous UFC Apex and you know what that means: The No Bets Barred boys are back with all their best bets.
This week, hosts Conner Burks and Jed Meshew kick the new year off right with a deep dive into all of the Future UFC Champions bets for 2024. Then it’s right into a breakdown of UFC Vegas 84 as another year of 40+ UFC events kicks off.
Is this the year Magomed Ankalaev finally wins the light heavyweight title? Are Flyweight Unders going to return in 2024? Who has the best chance to pull off a Sean Strickland-esque championship run out of nowhere? And what the (Mike) Heck is going on with Jon Jones, Tom Aspinall, and the UFC heavyweight title. All this and more is discussed on the first No Bets Barred of 2024.
Tune in for episode 74 of No Bets Barred.
New episodes of the No Bets Barred podcast drop every Wednesday and are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever else you find your favorite podcasts. The latest episode can be heard below.
Regular people tend to go viral much more these days but not many have gained fame in the manner Judge Mary Kay Holthus did last week.
January 3 was a normal day for the Nevada judge who attended court to do her job. The woman was sentencing the defendant, Deobra Delone Redden, moments before he leaped over the US courtroom bench and launched an attack on the judge.
Since the courtroom attack happened, Mary Kay Holthus has been in the news and is becoming a recognizable face around Nevada. While she is in the spotlight for the wrong reasons, it has captured the attention of UFC CEO Dana White.
Following the events on January 3, White posed next to the judge and shared it with his millions of followers on social media.
Dana White takes a picture beside Judge Mary Kay Holthus following the attack last week (Jan. 3) – Image credit: @danawhite on Instagram.
Dana White is a clear supporter of Mary Kay Holthus after she was involved in the bizarre incident last week. Luckily, she managed to escape with minor injuries and seemed in good spirits while posing for a picture with Dana.
Related: Dana White announces several big fights, including HUGE UFC 300 announcement
Just days after the courtroom brawl, the defendant, Deobra Redden, has been charged with attempted murder. The man will also face counts of battery of an officer, battery by a prisoner, battery on a protected person, intimidating a public officer, and other charges, according to CNN.
Redden’s outburst not only resulted in Judge Mary falling back from her chair and hitting her head on the wall behind her, but he also caused more harm to another officer.
According to reports, one courtroom marshal suffered a gashed forehead and a dislocated shoulder. The marshal was taken to hospital for treatment following the attack.
Life after championship status has been a rough one for the Middleweight division’s “All-American.” Along with going 2-6 in bouts post-title reign (15-7 overall), Weidman suffered a gruesome, and career-threatening, leg break in his Uriah Hall rematch at UFC 261 in April 2021. After a lengthy rehabilitation process, Weidman returned to action against Brad Tavares at UFC 292 this past August 2023.
Unfortunately for the 41-year-old Weidman, he was bested by his fellow 185-pound veteran via a unanimous decision. Another fight was something that Weidman admittedly wasn’t even sure he’d come back for. Now, he’s slated to try once more to get back in the win column as he’ll face Bruno Silva at UFC Atlantic City on March 30, 2024.
“Honestly, I wasn’t sure,” Weidman told Daniel Cormier of whether or not he’d fight again. “I’m setting myself up for the future, and I wasn’t sure. I was kind of listening to my body and trying to get healthy. Mentally and motivational-wise, and technique-wise, I still think I’m top of the world, but my body’s just taking a beating.
“This could be my last fight,” he continued. “I’m gonna kind of make that decision throughout the training camp and see how I feel. If my body can handle a hard training camp again, and it might be the last one, it might not be.”
Coincidentally, Weidman started his mixed martial arts (MMA) career 15 years ago in the very same city where his next bout takes place. The full circle moment will make for a perfect one to hang up the gloves off of if Weidman does get the win. It all just depends on how he feels physically after the years of built-up wear and tear.
“The reason why I even took this fight pretty quickly, it didn’t even matter who it was because it was offered in Atlantic City,” Weidman said. “That’s where I started my career was Atlantic City because at the time, MMA wasn’t legal in New York. So, the New York guys had to fight in Ring of Combat in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and so I just think it would be pretty cool to go back there where it all started and see how I feel and go from there.”
ONE Championship will return to the U.S. for a pair of shows in 2024.
The Singapore-based promotion debuted stateside with a card in Broomfield, Colo., this past May, and now it has booked two shows in Denver and Atlanta.
ONE Fight Night 26 takes place at the Ball Arena in Denver on Sept. 6, and ONE Fight Night 28 is scheduled for Atlanta’s State Farm Arena on Nov. 8. Both cards will air live on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S.
“We’re thrilled to return to the U.S. to showcase the greatest world champion martial artists in the country’s best cities and sports arenas,” ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong said in a press release. “America remains a high-priority market for us as we continue our global expansion, and we can’t wait to get back on-ground to entertain our passionate fanbase in the region with quarterly U.S. events in September 2024 and beyond.”
ONE has long coveted expansion into the U.S., but initial plans have been delayed due to the global pandemic. Once events were up and running again, ONE scheduled its first-ever U.S. card this past May; Demetrious Johnson defended his flyweight title with a win over Adriano Moraes in the main event.
No fights or fighters have been confirmed for either card coming to the U.S., though a number of American based athletes fight in ONE, including current interim featherweight champion Thanh Le, grappling champion Garry Tonon and ex-UFC star Sage Northcutt.
Paulo Costa believes he would make a better opponent for Conor McGregor than Michael Chandler.
After struggling at times to make the middleweight limit of 185 pounds, Costa likely never thought he would find himself with an opportunity to share the Octagon with the former featherweight and lightweight world champion, but here we are. On New Year’s Day, McGregor revealed that his long-awaited return to action would come on June 29 as part of the promotion’s annual International Fight Week in Las Vegas.
However, the most interesting part of his announcement was the Irishman’s claim that his quote-unquote “greatest comeback in combat sport’s history” would be at middleweight.
Taking to social media, Costa immediately entered his name into the Conor McGregor sweepstakes and even joked that he would be stepping in to replace Chandler. As it turns out, ‘The Eraser’ was way more serious than we initially thought.
“I think so, honestly,” Costa said on The MMA Hour, regarding a potential fight with McGregor. “I think this can happen, but we’re gonna fight in some way.”
Costa x Mc Gregor at 185lbs
— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) January 1, 2024
Paulo Costa heaps praise on Conor McGregor
Continuing, Costa had nothing, but positive things to say about McGregor and shared why he believes a matchup between himself and the Irishman would be far more entertaining than the one being proposed.
“He’s moving up, and we don’t have too much middleweight guys right now,” Costa continued. “I think my style and his style is a good matchup. I think he’s huge, strong, good guy. He’s an exceptional fighter, I think. One of the best of all time.
“Chandler can’t fight at 185, I don’t think so. There is better matchups to McGregor at 185 than Michael Chandler.”
Paulo Costa believes he will fight Conor McGregor one day #TheMMAHour
"I would not try to take him down and him either. He’s huge, strong, he’s an exceptional fighter I think, one of the best of all time.”
Having started his career at featherweight, jumping to lightweight, and dabbling in welterweight, the idea of Conor McGregor competing at middleweight is almost ludicrous. So much so that fighters and fans alike were immediately skeptical, suggesting ‘Mystic Mac’ was just playing with his prey.
Costa, on the other hand, believes McGregor is 100 percent serious about his middleweight move, and ‘Borrachinha’ is more than convinced that the Irishman can pull it off.
“I think he can [fight at middleweight]. I think he’s serious,” Costa said of McGregor. “He’s so confident on his skills and I think he can. Maybe he makes some jokes. You know? Maybe welterweight is the best for him” (h/t MiddleEasy).
Costa is expected to make his return on February 17 when he steps inside the Octagon at UFC 298 for a showdown with former middleweight world champion Robert Whittaker.
#TheMMAHour
https://t.co/Oi5twvomMo pic.twitter.com/G3aPVDMExf
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