Despite being one of the most decorated champions in the history of the sport, Israel Adesanya saw his second reign as UFC middleweight champion come to an end to heavy underdog Sean Strickland.
Following the defeat and subsequent loss of his title—which was his second loss in three fights—Adesanya hinted at a long hiatus from the sport. While there’s no timeline for his return, it looks like we may see the former titleholder back inside the octagon sooner than expected.
‘The Last Stylebender’ is in Riyadh for the huge boxing card on December 23 and spent time speaking with Derek Chisora. The kickboxing phenom took a moment to rightfully praise himself for his work ethic in the cage over the years.
“Me right now, I’m taking my time,” Adesanya told Chisroa during a brief interview. “My last few fights, I had four fights in fourteen months as a champion. In the UFC, that’s unheard of. I was the most active champion. Not fighter, champion, in the league.”
After a short time away, it seems he’s finally ready to jump back into the mix. Insisting his initial break until 2027 was a joke, Adesanya claims fans around the world will get to witness him compete again in the near future.
“Life has forced me to take some time off and I will. But you will see me soon. I said 2027 and the r*tards out there actually thought I meant that. But, you’ll see.”
Related: Alex Pereira willing to train with Israel Adesanya: ‘This is not personal’
Capping off the interview, Adesanya lauded newcomer Michael ‘Venom’ Page for officially signing with the UFC.
“That’s my guy, my brother, my roadman. Michael Page congrats on joining the league of the UFC. That’s my brother.”
Israel Adesanya has been one of the most consistent workers in the sport since his rise to prominence. Sensationally, the upcoming title fight between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis will be the first undisputed middleweight championship bout not involving the Nigerian since 2017.
Check out Adesanya’s short interview with Derek Chisora—featuring an Anthony Joshua appearance—in the video below.
Tony Ferguson likely sits at a career crossroad following a seventh consecutive loss after falling to Paddy Pimblett at UFC 296.
UFC CEO Dana White already called for Ferguson’s retirement, but he stopped short of saying the promotion would release the ex-interim champ rather than offer another fight.
Ferguson, meanwhile, hasn’t said much in the wake of his latest defeat, though fellow UFC veteran Matt Brown isn’t quite ready to give up on him yet. If anything, Brown admits he misjudged Pimblett’s abilities heading into UFC 296, because he put on a much better performance against Ferguson than initially expected.
“Tony’s putting in the work,” Brown said on The Fighter vs. The Writer. “He’s putting in the time. We see he’s grinding. When you’re doing David Goggins’ hell week, you put in the time, you put in the work. When you look at the resume of the people he’s lost to, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. These are killers.
“But now losing to Paddy, now it opens the question — maybe Paddy’s better than we think he is? Or is Tony on his last leg? It really didn’t answer a lot of questions for me. It didn’t answer the questions that I had at least. Are both these guys just better than we give them credit for? Maybe Tony still has some fights he can win. Maybe Paddy was just the better man tonight. It just didn’t answer all my questions.”
While Brown isn’t ready to hammer the final nail in Ferguson’s coffin, he acknowledges that the former interim UFC lightweight champion hasn’t looked anywhere close to he did when rattling off 12 straight wins in one of the sport’s deepest divisions.
On multiple occasions, Ferguson was scheduled to face Khabib Nurmagomedov, including a couple of title fight opportunities that would have given him the chance to become an undisputed UFC champion. Injuries, bad timing and the global pandemic thwarted the fight from ever happening, and instead, Ferguson engaged in a war with Justin Gaethje in the UFC’s first card since the COVID-19 pandemic, UFC 249.
Ferguson nearly scored a finish early in the fight, but Gaethje came back to punish “El Cucuy” before a fifth-round stoppage.
Brown can’t help but wonder if perhaps that fight with Gaethje took something away from Ferguson that he just never got back.
“I feel like that fight [with Justin Gaethje] or the [Michael] Chandler one, just took it out of him,” Brown said. “What a situation. It sucks. One of the biggest what-ifs. He tears his knee out trying to fight Khabib for the fourth time, tripping over a f****** wire. It’s just been downhill ever since. I feel like Gaethje took it out of him.
“The way he punched his face and just knocked his head around just scrambled some eggs in there. I can’t figure out, Tony looked like the normal Tony [at UFC 296]…he wasn’t looking slower. He’s always been an awkward, not really fast guy. So it makes me wonder maybe Paddy’s better than we give him credit for. I hate saying that, because I feel like that’s not the truth, but I have to wonder if he is, and if he is, is Tony still better than we think he is.”
It remains to be seen if Ferguson’s UFC career is over, but Brown still sees a world where he returns to the octagon. Before that happens, though, Brown prefers to see Ferguson entertain some grappling matches just to see if he’s still got the skills to compete with the best in the world.
“Let’s see if he’s still got it without taking punches to the head,” Brown suggested. “I’d just love to see him do something else. Not just be risking his brain out there. I think that’s the biggest problem with all these fights other than Bobby Green, I just remember so many of these fights just him getting beat the hell up.
“Obviously, that’s not good for you. I don’t think we have to debate that. Especially Chandler and Gaethje, they beat the f****** hell out of Tony Ferguson. He’s been knocked out how many times now?”
If Ferguson finds success there, then Brown believes he could come back for another UFC fight. But even, Brown knows it comes down to stylistic matchups that won’t put the 39-year-old fighter in nearly as much potential peril.
“Ryan Hall would be a perfect fight for him,” Brown said. “Whether it’s a retirement fight or not, he’s in there without a ton of risk — I mean there’s always a risk of getting your face beat in — but it’s not like a Josh Emmett where the guy’s game plan is to break your head open.
“I think there’s still matchups out there for him if he still wants to do it. I’d love to see him fight somebody with the right matchup where he can get his confidence back.”
Listen to new episodes of The Fighter vs. The Writer every Tuesday with audio only versions of the podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeartRadio
Photo by Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing via Getty Images
Who’s winning in Saudi Arabia? Find out below!
“Riyadh Season” concludes!
In the final installment of Saudi Arabia’s 2023 dive into mega boxing cards, we’ve got possibly the most interesting Heavyweight-laden pay-per-view (PPV) card in decades. Indeed, “Day of Reckoning” goes down today (Sat., Dec. 23, 2023), live from Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, streaming on DAZN PPV with a special 11 a.m. ET start time.
If the rankings from the four major boxing sanctioning bodies, as well as the three main recognized outside entities (Rings, BoxRec and Transnational Boxing Rankings Board) are compiled, combat sports fans are about to witness Anthony Joshua (No. 3) fighting Otto Wallin (No. 6), while Deontay Wilder (No. 4) clashes with Joseph Parker (No. 9).
Oh, and let’s not forget about the other super solid Heavyweight clash between Top 15-seeded pugilists Jarrell Miller, who will look to continue his comeback against former WBA kingpin, Daniel Dubois. And while we’re looking at all the big names, let’s also remember Light Heavyweight star (and WBA champion) Dmitry Bivol, as well as IBF Cruiserweight roost-ruler, Jai Opetaia, who are taking on what are widely considered stay-busy fights against lesser-ranked competition.
All in all, this is going to be a card of big, beefy men lumping each other up in padded gloves. So, let’s get cracking …
Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps, and post-fight analysis following “Day of Reckoning.” Without further delay, see below for the latest “Day of Reckoning main card PPV results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action.)
“Day of Reckoning” Quick Results:
Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin Deontay Wilder vs. Joseph Parke Dmitry Bivol vs. Lyndon Arthur Daniel Dubois def. Jarrell Miller — KO, Rd. 10, 2:52 Jai Opetaia def. Ellis Zorro — KO, Rd. 1, 2:56 — HIGHLIGHTS! Filip Hrgovic def. Mark De Mori — TKO, Rd. 1, 1:46 Agit Kabayel def. Arslanbek Makhmudov — KO, Rd. 4, 2:03 — HIGHLIGHTS! Frank Sanchez def. Junior Fa — KO, Rd. 7, 2:42
Round 1: Opetaia in white and silver, Zorro in white and black. Opetaia moving forward to start us off. Zorro jabs to the gut. Opetaia’s left lands, but looks like it got a fair amount of shoulder. Zorro ducks under a big swing. Huge left hand at the end of the round and that’s all she wrote. In a flash, my goodness.
Final result: Jai Opetaia defeats Ellis Zorro via KO.
Daniel Dubois vs. Jarrell Miller
Round 1: Dubois landing some short shots early. Miller not moving much. Nice right hand. Jabs. Good traffic coming from Dubois. Mostly a good pot-shotting round for Daniel.
10-9 Dubois
Round 2: Miller plodding forward, trying to get into range, but eating shots on the way in. He hasn’t had much success early so far. Dubois lands a couple of rights, but nothing really seeming to faze the big man. Miller clips a right, looks to be mostly shoulder. Very Homer Simpsonesque by Jarrell Miller through two. We’ll see if it pays off.
10-9 Dubois
Round 3: Smart fighting from Dubois thus far. We’ll see if his cardio and strategy hold up as he continues to circle and outbox the big thumper. Jab, circle, repeat. There’s a left by Miller. Slower pace this round, but still good movement by Dubois. 1-2-1 and a circle away from a big right.
10-9 Dubois
Round 4: Dubois looks like the pace might have caught up to him as Miller is creeping closer. Jabs by both men. Miller blocks a 1-2. Miller with a great uppercut, hook combo. Miller with a clubbing left near the end of the round.
10-9 Miller
Round 5: Miller with a shovel hook. Right-right and a left. Dubois to the body, Miller to the side of the head. Right uppercut from Dubois lands flush. Better round for “Dynamite” than the last one
10-9 Miller
Round 6: Left by Dubois met by a simultaneous right by Miller. Dubois lands a jab and leans back from the uppercut that comes back his way. Dubois seems to have figured out that he’s not knocking the man-tank out, so he’s just got to out-point him and use his footwork. Three unanswered jabs for him as he works that strategy.
10-9 Dubois
Round 7: Miller looks like he’s picking up his pace a bit as he tries hard to get and keep Dubois in range. Dubois circling, ducks under, and using solid footwork to keep abreast and away as he dinks and dunks on Miller. Good land for Dubois and he avoids the swing in return. There’s a nice short right by Miller. Miller doing his damndest to keep Dubois in front of him, happy to eat one if it finally lets him land a couple. He’s landed more this round. He’s bleeding from the mouth, but has landed some thudding rights. Credit to Dubois, as he has not cracked yet — if he ever does.
10-9 Miller
Round 8: Dubois honestly looks very fresh, he seems to have found a second wind. He stabs Miller with a right that freezes his legs. Good follow up right a few seconds later. Miller may have used up what gas he has in the last round. Dubois landing with volume now and Miller doing little about it with less than a minute to go. Ref warning Dubois about holding the back of the head.
10-9 Dubois
Round 9: Miller’s trying, still plodding forward, but every few steps, he’s met by a couple of punches and he’s rarely throwing anything back. There’s no real break to this monotony of plod-and-get-hit. We’re halfway through the round and I think Miller has landed two punches so far, while Dubois has got to be pushing 25. Dubois standing his ground a bit now, not sure that’s the wisest strategy, but it looks like Miller doesn’t have the gas left to really make him pay.
10-9 Dubois
Round 10: Final round, and both men look to utilize whatever energy they have left here. Miller landing a bit better, but still not enough to counteract the volume that Dubois is putting out. Millet lands a right, eats three in reply (no, that isn’t a joke about his weight). Dubois to the body three times. Jab, pause, uppercut by Dubois backs up Miller. He is very much outclassing the big man here, landing almost at will. He wobbles him with 20 seconds to go! Miller was talking smack and ate a few big punches! Miller is wobbly and after four more shots, he saves the big man from any further damage.
Final result: Daniel Dubois defeats Jarrell Miller via TKO
For more on “Day of Reckoning” and other boxing-related events, click here.
Israel Adesanya | Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images
Israel Adesanya could be back in action sooner than you think.
The two-time UFC middleweight champion has been on a self-imposed hiatus since losing his title to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 this past September, suggesting that he may not compete again until 2027. However, in a recent interview with iFL TV, Adesanya said he was exaggerating and teased an earlier return date.
“Me right now, I’m taking my time,” Adesanya said. “My last few fights, I had four fights in 14 months as a champion in the UFC. That’s unheard of. I was the most active champion, not fighter, champion in the league. So life has forced me to take some time off and I will, but you will see me soon.
“I said 2027 and the r****** out there actually thought I meant that, but you’ll see.”
After winning an interim title in 2019, Adesanya quickly rose to become one of the UFC’s biggest stars, defeating Robert Whittaker in a unification bout and then successfully defending the middleweight championship five consecutive times. He has lost two of his past three fights, splitting a title fight series with longtime rival Alex Pereira, and then suffering an upset loss to Strickland.
Who Adesanya plans to fight should he step into the octagon in 2024 is anybody’s guess, but undefeated contender Khamzat Chimaev has seemingly stepped up to the plate. “The Wolf” made a cryptic Instagram post on Saturday with the first slide featuring an action shot of his recent win over Kamaru Usman and the second slide featuring an image of Adesanya.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Khamzat Chimaev (@khamzat_chimaev)
The Schmo believes UFC 300 has to be the return date for Conor McGregor.
It’s been well over two years since fight fans have seen the Irishman strap on the four-ounce gloves for a scrap inside the Octagon, but that hasn’t stopped rumors from dropping about his “greatest comeback in combat sport’s history” every single week.
Speaking with Mike Owens in a LowKick MMA exclusive interview, renowned mixed martial arts journalist The Schmo, shared his take on McGregor’s impact on the sport, even with his lengthy absence.
“When you think of combat sports, when you think of the UFC, you think of Conor McGregor,” The Schmo said. “He is the biggest star of the sport. He is the Michael Jordan and it’s not even close. In terms of star power. In terms of popularity. When people think of UFC, they think of Conor McGregor and he has not been active in the past couple of years, but every single time somebody wants to discuss big fights, his name gets brought up. He could find anyone and the arena would be sold out. That’s the brand that he’s built. He’s larger than life.”
UFC CEO Dana White has given his guarantee that Conor McGregor will return to the Octagon in 2024, though he has not provided any details beyond that. With the promotion’s next big milestone event right around the corner, everyone, including The Schmo, believes that there is only one event big enough to host the Irishman’s first fight since 2021.
“I think that, personally, UFC 300 has got to be the date for Conor McGregor [to return],” he said. “It just truly has to be. You can’t have UFC 300 and not have Conor McGregor. Especially when he didn’t fight in 2023.”
The Schmo (@TheSchmo312) joins @LowKick_MMA reporter, @MikeOwensMedia to recap a massive UFC schedule in 2023, breaking on the year behind and sharing his thoughts on Conor McGregor's (@TheNotoriousMMA) impending comeback.
Full Interview: https://t.co/RhB641O7DX pic.twitter.com/q1bdpUxbxI
— LowKickMMA.com (@LowKick_MMA) December 23, 2023
The former two-division titleholder was initially sidelined after suffering a brutal leg break in his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.
“His injury was gruesome,” The Schmo said. “Chris Weidman’s injury was gruesome. Anderson Silva’s injury was gruesome. These are very difficult things to overcome and it just took a little bit more time than people anticipated, plus the whole USADA situation. That plays a role in the whole thing.“
The Schmo Believes Michael Chandler will be Conor McGregor’s UFC 300 Opponent
Even if McGregor’s return at UFC 300 is a foregone conclusion at this point, there’s still the question of who he will fight. He has been long-linked to a clash with former Bellator lightweight world champion Michael Chandler, but some seem to believe that the UFC will go for something a bit bigger.
“I personally still believe Conor McGregor fights at UFC 300 and I lean toward Michael Chandler [being his opponent], but if somebody swoops in there, I’m not gonna be surprised if they make the Nate Diaz trilogy,” he added. I don’t think the fourth fight with Dustin Poirier is there right now. I think that fight’s always there, but not for UFC 300. I think it’s Chandler or it’s the trilogy.”
Alex Pereira wasted no time in rising to the cream of the crop in mixed martial arts and could be on his way to achieving something never done before in the UFC.
Coming into the sport as a seasoned kickboxing veteran with numerous accolades, the Brazilian took no time to get familiar with the cage. Just four fights into his MMA career, the powerhouse forced his way into the UFC and after just three wins inside the octagon, found himself competing for gold.
After going 1-1 with Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title, Alex Pereira decided to move up to light heavyweight and attempt to capture a belt in a second division. A split-decision victory over Jan Blachowicz earned him his chance and he took it with open arms.
With less than a minute remaining in his fan-favorite clash against Jiri Prochazka, ‘Poatan’ landed a left hook and subsequent strikes to capture the light heavyweight throne. Despite being one of few fighters to hold titles in two separate divisions in the UFC, the South American is hungry for more.
In a recent social media post, Pereira seemingly teased a potential move up to heavyweight. Many believe the knockout artist hinted at gaining 30 lbs, competing at the coveted UFC 300, and possibly contending for a third title in the company.
Credit: @alexpoatanpereira on Instagram
With his huge fanbase and lovable personality, Pereira would likely be a welcome addition to the UFC 300 card, but is it possible?
Related: Khamzat Chimaev sets his sights on UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira
Jon Jones resides as the current heavyweight champion and Dana White has confirmed that he will be facing Stipe Miocic next in a true super-fight for the sport.
Although Alex Pereira may not be able to maneuver his way into a fight against ‘Bones’ at this stage, there is possibly another option. Tom Aspinall solidified himself as one of the best in the world with his performance against Sergei Pavlovich to capture the UFC interim heavyweight title last time out.
The Brit has been vocal about his hope to leapfrog Miocic and compete for the undisputed strap against Jon Jones next time out. As the UFC is sticking to their original plans, Aspinall may have now hinted at a blockbuster affair with Pereira.
Taking to Instagram after rumors of the huge matchup, Aspinall shared a picture of himself and the kickboxer sitting beside one another during the UFC 295 press conference.
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