Photo by Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing via Getty Images
Today’s Beterbiev vs. Bivol open workouts get underway LIVE at 2 p.m. ET from Riyadh.
WBC, WBO and IBF champion Artur Beterbiev will face WBA titleholder Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed light heavyweight championship this Sat. night (Oct. 12, 2024) at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the winner unifying the 175-pound straps for the very first time in the four-belt era.
The card will stream LIVE on the ESPN+ digital network at 6 p.m. ET.
“This is a dream fight for all fighters, and I’m so glad that I have this chance because a lot of great fighters didn’t get this chance. I got it. I was waiting, and I was working hard. Now I have to work in the ring,” Bivol said during Tuesday’s Grand Arrivals in Riyadh. “Of course, people have been waiting for this fight for many years. It’s two different styles, two undefeated boxers. I’m waiting for this great fight.”
Nate Diaz appears to like the idea of a “BMF” title tournament, but he doesn’t like all of the names.
In a recent interview with Sirius XM, Dustin Poirier expressed interest in a one-night tournament for the belt, which would also feature past opponents Justin Gaethje, Dan Hooker, and current titleholder Max Holloway.
Diaz agrees that Holloway and Hooker belong in the mix, but he doesn’t feel Poirier or Gaethje do, which he stated in an Instagram story.
“Dana White, Dan and Max are eligible for my belt but get the other two nerds out of there, they don’t fit the description,” Diaz wrote.
White was asked about the concept following Tuesday’s Dana White Contender Series Season 8, Week 9 event at UFC APEX in Las Vegas, and the UFC CEO thought it was intriguing.
“Sounds fun,” White said. “Never thought about it but yeah, I love it.”
Since fighting out his UFC contract, Diaz has competed twice in the boxing ring — losing a decision to Jake Paul in August 2023, and defeating Jorge Masvidal via majority decision in July. Diaz and Masvidal battled for the inaugural BMF title in November 2019 in the main event of UFC 244, where Masvidal earned the win via doctor’s stoppage TKO.
With plenty of time on his hands as he awaits his next fight, the former featherweight champion has kept himself busy filming another “Old Man Volk” sketch that was uploaded Tuesday by sponsor Sportsbet.com.au. Volkanovski’s aged character now finds himself invested in an independent pasta sauce business, with an old rival still breathing down his neck.
Watch the video below.
In the sketch, Volkanovski, who turned a spry 36 in September, makes several cheeky references to his fighting career, at one point telling a customer that wants to pay by card that “he never taps” and then assuring another that he plans to continue fighting (though this is actually a segue into his ongoing beef with neighbor Beverly, last seen terrorizing Volkanovski in the original Old Man Volk clip.)
Volkanovski has gotten plenty of mileage out of his comedic character, even showing up as Old Man Volk at a press conference ahead of his fight with Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 this past February. That bout didn’t go so well for Volkanovski, as he suffered his first loss at 145 pounds and lost his featherweight title to Topuria via knockout.
Let’s hope for Volkanovski’s sake that this time the skit is a more positive omen.
Alex Pereira and Artem Vakhitov may be fierce rivals when it comes to combat sports, but there’s nothing but respect between them outside the ring.
On Tuesday night, Vakhitov scored a first-round knockout on Contender Series but UFC CEO Dana White was on the fence about whether or not to sign him to a contract. After attending the UFC APEX show to watch Vakhitov’s performance, Pereira actually put in a good word for the former GLORY Kickboxing champion and he was signed to a contract.
Following the event, Pereira and Vakhitov ran into each other backstage and chatted through translators.
“To be honest, I’m very happy see you winning,” Vakhitov told Pereira. “I love what’s happening with you right now over here. So just keep doing it, keep winning, I’ll be watching this. I’ll be focused on myself. Hopefully after a few more defenses, it will happen so that we’ll meet each other again.”
(Video courtesy of Vakhitov’s manager Andrey Busygin)
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Andrey Busygin (@muaythaiforall)
While both fighters were competing in GLORY, Pereira defeated Vakhitov by split decision in their first encounter before the Russian got his revenge with a majority decision in the rematch. That fight served as Pereira’s final appearance in GLORY before signing with the UFC where he’s gone on to become a two-division champion in short order.
After Vakhitov decided to make a full-time transition to MMA, he exchanged more than a few messages with Pereira through interviews and over social media.
No matter what was said, Vakhitov promised it was never anything personal but just about business.
“Nothing but respect,” Vakhitov said. “All love and it’s just sports. That’s all it is.”
The fighters shook hands and shared a hug, with Pereira giving Vakhitov a few parting words with a laugh between everybody involved after he gave his former opponent the extra nod he needed to get into the UFC.
“You owe me one,” Pereira said.
Vakhitov joins the UFC with a 3-1 record in his MMA career with all of his wins coming by first-round knockout.
That would suggest the nerve damage in her legs is all better now, or maybe she’s just ignoring the pain. I don’t really know how nerve damage works but maybe the idea of putting another beating on newly-crowned bantamweight champion Julianna Pena is too tempting to resist.
Pena captured the crown from Raquel Pennington at UFC 307.
“She looks good,” UFC CEO Dana White told reporters following last night’s Contender Series. “She looks great. Looks like she’s still in shape. So you know where her head is at, and I love that about her. There’s a lot of things I love about her, I love that about her. She’s keeping an eye on who wins the title next and I think she’s teasing that she might be interested in coming back. I love Amanda Nunes. I have an incredible relationship with her. I would absolutely love to see her come back.”
Glad to see this drama didn’t get in the way of their “incredible relationship.”
Outside of Pena, the 36 year-old Nunes also has unfinished business with this former training partner. Whether or not “Lioness” waits for Pena to defend her title against top contender Kayla Harrison remains to be seen, assuming her comeback plans are legit and not just an excuse for attention on social media.
File under: Mmamania.com | Leave a comment »