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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Alexia Thainara and Rose Conceicao were training partners and roommates not that long ago. Now, they fight each other for a UFC contract at Dana White’s Contender Series.

The strawweight prospects previously shared a place in Varginha, Brazil, training alongside UFC star Amanda Ribas at the local gym. They even fought on the same card that year, with Thainara dismantling her opponent in just eight seconds to move to 6-1 as a professional, and Conceicao improving to 5-0 with a second-round submission.

Conceicao left the team months after that, eventually moving to Pitbull Brothers’ team in Natal, and destiny brings them face to face at Tuesday night’s DWCS card in Las Vegas after their original opponents Alice Ardelean and Fatima Kline signed straight deals with the UFC as replacements.

“We spent three months training together,” Conceicao said in an interview with MMA Fighting. “To think we know each other because we trained together could be a trap, because it depends on the mindset of each athlete. They might think they know my game, and end up surprised by a completely new game, so I tried not to worry about it. In the end, I don’t think the fact that we lived together and know each other makes any difference.”

Thainara told MMA Fighting they had no contact since Conceicao left Ribas Family to join another camp, and “a lot has changed” since their training sessions back in 2022.

“It’s completely different,” Thainara said. “We always have new knowledge that makes a big difference, but there are always some triggers. A lot has changed since then. My fighting style is completely different, and I’m sure it’s going to be a war. She’s not here anymore, and we’re both chasing our dreams. There can only be one champion and there’s no second place. She left, I stayed, and we’re both after our dreams. so let’s brawl in there.”

“We had a pleasant time living together but after that, each one followed their own path,” Conceicao said. “I don’t look at people as possible opponents, it’s all natural. I always say we show in the fight who we are outside of it. I respect her as I would respect any other person, but there was no friendship. But we know how competitive the world can be, right? There could be a friendship, but when we have to defend what’s ours, it all changes. I’m cool about it. I’m focused on those around me, spending my time with my family and friends instead of worrying about that.”

Thainara believes Conceicao’s striking has changed a little bit over the past few years “but nothing that scares me.” On the other hand, Conceicao said she hasn’t watched any of Thainara’s recent fights, and plans on showing the division she has the striking and grappling to go to war against the best.

“I see this fight ending by knockout or also by submission, and not because of holes I’ve seen in her game, but because I’ve trained hard for both scenarios,” Conceicao said. “We have a gameplan but when we’re talking about [DWCS], we’re talking about winning impressively. Maybe a boring strategy doesn’t convince [White], and I think that makes this fight easier because you’re there to be signed for your skills.”

Thainara said her gameplan to win Tuesday night — and be offered a deal the CEO of the UFC — is to “brawl and be versatile”.

“The show begins from the weigh-ins, with your style, your look, your hair, and your joy to fight,” Thainara said. “When you don’t do what you love with joy, you won’t put on a show even if you’re the world’s best. There is pressure every time you’re fighting, because you’re not fighting a dummy, but a person who worked hard to be there. Things go right when you’re well-trained and focused on the goal.”

Conceicao, a former LFA interim strawweight champion who’s unbeaten in seven professional bouts, said this match “will put me among the best in the world” in the UFC.

“I don’t wanna just get in the UFC to be part of it and then leave, I want to make a run there,” Conceicao said. “I want to get in and stay there for good. Being in the UFC will change my life completely — and quickly. And I don’t say financially, or because of the attention and things like that, I mean hard work. I’ll have to focus more, change my habits, and completely re-shape my entire life so I can go there and make history because it’s the world’s biggest event with the world’s best athletes.”

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Kevin Lee’s Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA debut is officially set.

The promotion officially announced on Tuesday that the one-time UFC interim lightweight title challenger will face Saul Almeida at Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 8 on Nov. 15 at Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi.

Lee, who makes his MMA return on Friday night for Lights Out Championship, is staying busy as he takes the gloves off for the first time. After parting ways with the UFC following 18 promotional bouts, along with a one-fight stop at Eagle FC, Lee returned to the octagon and was stopped by Rinat Fakhretdinov in under a minute at UFC Vegas 76 in July 2023. “Motown Phenom” went 11-8 over two stints in the UFC.

Almeida is a Bellator and WSOF veteran, and has 34 pro MMA bouts on his record. The Massachusetts native seeks his first MMA victory since a third-round TKO win in October 2018 for New England regional promotion AMMO Fight League.

Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 8 is headlined by an inaugural bantamweight title fight between past UFC opponents Randy Costa and Brandon Davis.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Jake Paul continues to trot out the skits ahead of his fight with Mike Tyson, and his brother Logan Paul didn’t miss a beat busting his chops for it.

In an video advertising his Betr partnership, Jake donned an obvious fat suit and pretended to bench press “500 pounds.”

See the clip below.

In the video, Jake loudly proclaims himself “the strongest heavyweight in existence,” a nod to the upcoming fight against Tyson, one of the most feared heavyweights in boxing history. Brother Logan was less than impressed, joking about Jake’s phony physique in a comment, “When you due bro?”

Jake—also signed to the PFL—meets Tyson in the boxing ring at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Nov. 15. The contest streams live on Netflix. When Tyson steps into the ring, it will be his first professionally sanctioned bout since June 2005. In 2020, he met fellow boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition bout, headlining a card that featured Jake knocking out Nate Robinson on the undercard.

As for Logan, he is currently a featured in-ring performer with WWE.

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Conor McGregor is filthy rich.

That’s probably why “Notorious” no longer fights, despite frequent claims to the contrary, undoubtedly designed to shift blame and keep the fantasy afloat. But that hasn’t stopped McGregor from acting like he’s still the top dog in UFC, behavior that doesn’t sit well with UFC fighters of past and present, including former middleweight champion Michael Bisping and current 205-pound contender Anthony Smith.

“Conor, you would have thought that he was a big Daniel Dubois fan because when [Anthony] Joshua was getting those [punches], he was out of his seat,” Bisping said on his Believe You Me podcast (transcribed by MMA Fighting). “Maybe the cigar might have even got lit. Walking in with a big cigar, unlit, between the teeth. How do we feel about that? Because two words spring to mind right now: Douche. Bag.”

McGregor was ringside for last weekend’s Joshua vs. Dubois pay-per-view (PPV) in Riyadh.

“I don’t know what happens to people or when you change or how much money you have to have to start doing weird, douchey sh*t like that,” Smith added. “Like, how rich do you have to be to wear your sunglasses inside 24/7. For what? I wish I was five percent as cool as he thinks he is. Like, how do you get to be so cool? I don’t know, I don’t get it. And I don’t want to just talk shit on Conor, but come on, bro. Come on.”

Here’s a clip of McGregor’s cigar-chomping arrival:

McGregor left his sunglasses on for most of the evening.

“As soon as I heard he wants to test free agency, I immediately thought, ‘Okay, this is going to be the most drawn-out g*ddamn process in the world,” Smith said. “Because the UFC’s going to do what they can to make sure that doesn’t happen and he’s going to try to do it and they’re going to go back and forth and it’s going to be this boppity boppity boppity boppity, just like Jon Jones and the UFC, it took three [expletive] years. Okay, cool. Hit me up in like, 2029. Let me know when this is happening, because I’d love to talk about if it’s actually going to happen.”

Sadly, not even McGregor is certain of his fighting future, according to these comments.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Like most in the MMA community, Ben Askren doesn’t understand why Jon Jones’ first title defense will be against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309.

The matchup was rebooked for the promotion’s return to Madison Square Garden on Nov. 16, nearly one year to the date of their initially scheduled booking — which was scratched by Jones suffering an injury. Askren, a past UFC competitor, wants to see the best fighters facing the top of the division, and if it were up to him, it would be Tom Aspinall getting the shot.

“I want to see him fight Tom Aspinall, it doesn’t appear to be happening,” Askren told Daniel Cormier. “It really sucks. It sucks that I have to speak against Stipe because I have nothing against him, I actually speak about Stipe favorably, but he hasn’t fought in forever. I just don’t understand.

“I know he’s had great results, but it’s been four years, or something. Tom Aspinall’s been out on these streets beating everyone up, I would love to see Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones, and honestly, [Francis] Ngannou is somewhere else also, so this is a case where you’re just not getting to see the best guys fighting the best guys and it sucks. Maybe we’re spoiled.”

Miocic hasn’t competed since losing the heavyweight title when he was brutally knocked out by Ngannou at UFC 260 in March 2021.

Jones will return to the octagon for the first time since winning the heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane via first-round submission at UFC 285 in March 2023 — which will be just his second appearance since his win over Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 in February 2020.

Aspinall has competed six times since Miocic’s most recent outing, going 5-1 with all finishes, with the lone loss coming via knee injury in his UFC London main event matchup with Curtis Blaydes in July 2022. Aspinall has since won the interim heavyweight title, and defended it successfully against Blaydes with a first-round finish at UFC 304 in July.

Askren continues to wonder why the UFC continues to go back to the Jones vs. Miocic matchup when he feels Aspinall is the far more compelling option.

“Tom Aspinall has proven that he’s this guy, and Jon Jones has been — well he’s been kind of actively fighting — not super active,” Askren said. “But why can’t we see them? We want to see them [fight], they’re both there, put them together.”

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